#chained spirits inbox

[chained-spirits]

Do you have a design for Fi??!?!??!

She's my favourite

I do !

Funky bird creature

[thenmichael]

What tloz ships should I draw for pride month??

[watercolorfreckles]

Could you do a story where a guard of a Supermax prison befriends a supervillain, because he treats him like a genuine human being instead of an animal; and later, all the power-dampeners suddenly fail; and all these villains just revolt against the guards; but supervillain makes sure he’s safe since he was always kind to him?

I understand if you don’t want to!!❤️

Hello! This has been sittin in my inbox for many months during my huge writing rut, sorry about that! I know you also gave this prompt to @the-modern-typewriter and she's been making an incredible series with it on patreon! I changed some things around because I don't want to in any way attempt some sad copy of her interpretation, but I was still inspired by the prompt itself, so I've taken some fairly big liberties to avoid any significant similarities! Hope that's okay! Also, please manage your expectations, I do not compare to the magic that is TMT's writing 😆

TW: Brief depictions of body horror. Violence.

The power blew out in sections. The lights dissolved sector by sector with a sickening whine and click–one by one–in approach.

The commotion ripped Eloise from the fictional world she was lost in, aged page corners still pinched beneath her thumb. Her spirited storytelling abruptly died behind her teeth.

Somewhere in the distance, one person shouted. Two.

Her gaze flicked behind them to the door isolating herself and the bound supervillain from the other sectors of the Maximum Security Prison for Powered Individuals or, as everyone called it, The Max. Seeing nothing but black beyond the bullet-proof glass, her attention snapped forward again to the supervillain imprisoned across from her. 

Was this the start of some elaborate escape plan on his part? Why did it have to happen on a day that she was stuck fulfilling her community service hours instead of being something she could safely gawk at in the newspaper from a distance in a few days? Her stomach did a nauseated flip. 

“What are you doing?” she blurted, voice quivering only a little. Her fingers tightened around her book.

The villain made a show of looking pointedly at his restraints. Wrists strung taut and chained to either wall, he shrugged an innocent shoulder at her as if to say “clearly, nothing.” He was perched on the edge of his bed like a bird, tilting his head with a matching sort of probing curiosity. 

For all the chaos outside of the room, Artisan had not a hair out of place. He appeared perfectly unconcerned, though as thoroughly trapped as ever: ankles shackled, arms stretched uselessly apart from each other. The power-dampening collar wrapped around his neck still blipped a faint red light, indicating it was active. 

The prisoners were rioting. Surely they couldn’t get too far? Containing the most dangerous of powered individuals was, after all, the express purpose of the facility…

The lights above them flickered, dipping the room in and out of inky darkness before settling into a dimly lit haze. Eloise’s breath stalled. The imposing dark felt like a threat, as if the lights could keep the monsters at bay. It only made a little sense, in the way that a child feels safe from the monsters under their bed as long as their nightlight is plugged in.

Except that these monsters were real. The most dangerous in the country. And she was currently feet away from the monster that made even other monsters run.

He hadn’t seemed so bad in the time that she’d known him. Quiet, impassive, yet twisting her gut with pity any time she eyed his barbaric restraints. The least she could do–while crossing off her hours–was to read the supervillain a story every few days. She couldn’t change his fate. Couldn’t make him more comfortable. What she could do was rattle off, sheepishly, about fictional worlds and impactful characters in literature and the way that a well-crafted story could transport you somewhere better.

A crash, gunshots, a scream. Tension racketed through Eloise’s shoulders. More shouts chased thundering footsteps.

Things were going very, very, wrong. And she was very much out of her depth.

Eloise jolted as something struck the door, her special-edition copy of Mary Shelly's Frankenstein falling to the ground and skidding away.

Finally, the lights cut out. With it, every noticeable piece of tech died. All of the energy felt sucked out of the room as if vacuumed. The camera’s blinking light disappeared. Alarms that should have been wailing cut silent. Speakers, keypads, and security systems, all dead. The secondary generator hadn’t sprung to life yet. That meant that this was more than a simple power outage. This was a calculated revolt.

 Eloise’s mind raced through a list of everything else that must have been failing. Coms. Sedative gas. Shock collars. Layers and layers of security locks…

Power dampeners.

Panic clamped vice-like and suffocating around her throat. Artisan’s collar was no longer blinking. 

She froze in the eerie silence of the cell, afraid of shattering the fragile calm. Her heart thumped, rabid, against her ribs.

Chains rattled and clinked to the floor.

Eloise bolted blindly for the door, smacking her palm against the DNA scanner while frantically swiping her “Volunteer Staff” badge through the card reader. When neither miraculously came to life, she resorted to banging on the door.

“Let me out, let me out! Guard!”

The door could only be opened by one person inside the cell and one outside simultaneously unlocking the security checkpoints. Even if the power were on, if the guard on the other side was gone…

The emergency floodlights kicked on, bathing the building in startling fluorescence. Eloise flinched, briefly stunned.

Hands grabbed her firmly from behind, yanking her backward.

Eloise yelped. “No, please–!”

The spot that she had been standing in exploded, steel door and concrete chunks collapsing into the room in a barrage of shrapnel. Something–no, someone–landed, bones crunching, at her feet. The guard who had last been standing on the opposite side of the door lay motionless. His blood puddled the floor, staining the soles of her Converse sneakers.

A horrified sound choked in Eloise’s throat.

Another supervillain strode in, eyes alight with hatred and something more–power. His lip curled, waving a mocking hand–engulfed in green energy–at the guard’s corpse. “God. I’ve wanted to do that for far too long. That one always got on my nerves.”

Artisan looked unimpressed. “You’re making a mess in my cell.”

Eloise’s breath caught. Hearing the supervillain’s voice was jarring. Artisan rarely spoke. Not that any of the other staff had ever actually attempted conversation with him… But even in news clips and YouTube videos, he carried himself with the kind of self-assured quiet of someone who had absolutely nothing to prove. His lethal efficiency did more for his reputation than any words could.

The other man was a villain named William Frenzy, a telekinetic with a gleeful taste for violence.

Faced with Artisan’s startling calm, Frenzy… paused. Faltering on a tight rope he had moments before been strolling across. 

“Yes, well. It won’t have to be your cell much longer, will it? They can’t stop all of us.” He smirked at the dead body on the floor. “Some of them can’t even stop one of us.”

Eloise shrank back toward the corner nearest the door, agonizingly slow, willing the ugly shadows from the artificial lighting to swallow her up while the supers focused on each other. She was the kind of person that people tended not to notice; a background character in the perimeter of a story that the protagonist would meet once and never spare a thought again. She wished, then, that invisibility really was her superpower.

Artisan said nothing, his steely gaze fixed upon Frenzy.

Frenzy floundered beneath the scrutiny. The smugness buffered on his face. Finally, he huffed, crossing his arms. “I made you a nice and easy door out. You’re welcome.” He flicked a hand toward the gaping hole in the wall.

Eloise inched further toward it.

Artisan tutted, and while it wasn’t aimed at her, it shot a cold thrill up her spine. She froze, briefly, before continuing her tantalizing escape. She listened to Artisan speak again. 

“I did not need anything from you. I’ll be getting out regardless. You on the other hand…” 

Eloise stared as Frenzy’s skin shrank taut against his bones, the frame of him creaking and groaning like an old tree in the wind. The air choked out of him, fingers grabbing at his jaw as it stretched open too wide. The corners of his lips tore, slitting his mouth into a gaping maw.

The faintest of smiles graced Artisan's lips as he continued, soft as ever. “Say sorry.”

Eloise didn’t wait to see the carnage through, slipping out into the hall and running.

The other sectors were washed in the same sterile glow as Artisan’s cell was, blue-tinged and horrible, like the lights in a dentist's office. She kept to the edge of things as best she could, clinging to the walls and dark corners.

There was brawling in every sector—guards with weapons drawn mowed to the ground by the creatures they had wardened for so long. A villain fell as shots rang out. Another grabbed the guard from behind, cracking his skull against their knee. 

The smell of blood stung Eloise’s nostrils. She couldn’t breathe, she couldn’t breathe.

She turned to flee down another hall, but two fighting inmates crashed into the doorway in front of her.

Eloise squealed, jerking backward into the belly of the room's chaos.

Don't notice me, don't notice me, don't notice me.

Everyone was so occupied by their chosen prey, maybe she could fade into the background. Maybe she could–

Her heel caught on something and she tumbled, gracelessly, to the floor. It took her several moments to register the lake of blood seeping warm and sticky into her clothing. 

Terror blurred her brain in a white flash bang.

Disappear, disappear, disappear…

“Mm. What do we have here?”

Eloise couldn’t bring herself to lift her head. She clamped her eyes shut, another child’s illusion of protection. 

The villain opposite her chuckled. He ripped her volunteer badge off of its clip against her chest. Her eyes snapped open again. She recognized him as a ringleader among superpowered thieves. They called him Volt.

“Volunteer, eh? A pretty thing like you should know better than to willingly set foot in a prison full of men with nothing left to lose. It’s been a long sentence, darling. I could make excellent use of your volunteer services. Get up.”

Numbly, ears full of static, Eloise shook her head.

Volt frowned, electricity jumping to life in his palms. “No?” He reached for her, hand nearing her throat.

“Keep your hands to yourself or I will remove them.” 

Artisan’s voice was calm. His eyes were not.

The room quieted.

Spatters of red decorated Artisan’s prison uniform. A few drops dotted his face and he brushed them away with his knuckles, smearing the crimson across his cheek. Almost lazily, he popped his neck and stretched his shoulders, no doubt sore from the strain his restraints kept him in.

The villain across from Eloise paused, sparks still dancing across his fingertips. He regarded Artisan with the same wary caution as Frenzy had.

Before he'd been… Before Artisan had…

Eloise swallowed back the nausea climbing her throat.

Finally, Volt’s hand lowered. “She's yours?”

“She's hers. Step away.”

The man hesitated a moment too long. Artisan didn't offer a second warning. 

As if puppeted, the man's fingers raised to gauge at his own eyes. He screamed, the faint evidence of Artisan’s power shimmering over him. He clawed, next, at the skin on his face, peeling it back like wet wallpaper. 

As promised, his wrists crunched and bent, wrenching all on their own at impossible angles.

Eloise covered her ears, unable to bear the screaming. She felt sick.

“Stop,” she whispered finally. “Please.”

It did. The man collapsed into a sobbing, bloodied heap.

When Eloise managed to look at Artisan, she startled to find his attention fixed on her.

They stared at each other for a stretch of silence that itched. She imagined being forced to choke on her own lungs, or her skull constricting in on itself until it squashed her brain into pulp. For being so bold as to run, he might snap her legs and reaffix them the wrong direction, or splinter her bones to poke, grotesque, out of her skin. They always did say that his victims were his personal works of art, bodies twisted into shells of monsters.

He crooked a finger, beckoning her.

The edges of her vision swooped fuzzy and vertiginous. She rose onto wobbly knees and pushed herself to her feet. When she swayed, Artisan caught her elbow, slipping an arm around her waist to lead her forward.

He did not look back at the others, with complete confidence that no one would challenge him.

No one did.

Eloise was barely aware of taking one step after another. When they arrived back in the villain’s cell, the bodies of Frenzy and the dead guard, thankfully, were gone, though the floor was streaked with the drag lines of their blood.

She wrenched her gaze away.

Artisan’s hand moved further down her arm to her wrist, gesturing that she sit on his bed. When she shifted to do so, his grip tightened, tugging her to a stop. She frozen and tried to read his face. 

His dark brows were furrowed, suspicious eyes flicking from hers down to her hand.

He pulled down her sleeve and held her wrist up between them, revealing the power-blocking cuff clamped around it. His head cocked. He waited.

Eloise swallowed. “I’m not a super. I mean- not a super-super. Just a…..no one.”

“A no-one who volunteers at The Max? With a power-dampener?”

“They’re terms of my probation,” she blurted. “A thousand hours of community service here and a power-inhibitor for a year. I think they put me here to threaten me with where I could end up if I continue on like… Um…”

“Me.”

“A villain,” she clarified, as if that was better. 

Her gaze flitted from the fingers wrapped around her wrist and up to the villain’s face again. The harsh lighting haloed him, dimly silhouetting his face. He looked haunting. He looked lovely. A beautiful house, old and creaking, wrapped in ghosts like a bride’s veil and left to rot. 

“What did you do?”

“I…” Eloise felt very small. “I lied about being powered on my documents. So that they wouldn’t put me on the registry. When they found me out, I tried to run away.”

Artisan’s scrutiny burned her cheeks. He let go of her wrist.

“...What can you do?”

“Nothing special,” she said, cradling her wrist–wholly uninjured as it was–in her other hand. “It doesn’t even work most of the time. My power is sort of…blending in. Going unnoticed. When it’s working, I could stand in a the White House and people’s attention would glide over me as if I belonged there. Not quite invisible, but… It just tricks your brain into not thinking twice.”

Artisan’s eyes narrowed.

Eloise flinched back a step, stumbling back over her fallen book onto the bed. She stared at him.

“I’m not going to hurt you.”

Some of the tension eased from her shoulders, but she still waited for the catch. “Why aren’t you out there with the rest of them? Trying to escape?”

The villain considered her for a long moment. He sat down beside her, and the hard cot creaked beneath his weight. “Mm. That’s just it. No one inside the prison could have blown the power-dampeners. They require someone with powers to turn them off or on, and the security is impenetrable. My team has tried. Besides, if this was a simple power outage, the inhibitors would still be on. But they’re not. This was premeditated–and no one imprisoned here could have done it. No one on the outside could have done it. So. Process of elimination. Who’s left?”

That was the most Eloise had ever heard Artisan speak, and she could only sit and listen intently–As he had when she’d read him stories. Her brain whirred in a jumbled jigsaw of puzzle pieces. 

“It… It could only be an inside job.” She wet her lips. “The heroes- The higher-ups- They want the prisoners to break out so that they can kill them. A clean massacre. Justified under the law. The world’s most dangerous criminals could never be allowed to escape…”

Artisan smiled and it swirled something in her insides. “A convenient way to get rid of all of the pesky criminals clogging up the system. I’d bet anything that there are 50 snipers surrounding the building, waiting to slaughter anyone who steps foot outside.”

“Oh.”

“Oh,” Artisan agreed, his smile easing into something softer; something with less feral teeth.

“Thank you for helping me,” Eloise whispered. “What do we do now?”

Artisan hummed. He bent down and swept up her book, dropping it into her lap. He laid back against his pillow and crossed his arms behind his head. The bloodspots on his skin and clothes glittered in the lowlight. 

“Keep reading. I want to know how it ends.”

Part 2

[ddarker-dreams]

hiya lock!! 💖 what are your thoughts on sunday hsr? i'd love if you wrote something for him someday!

hmmmmmmmmmmmm yandere sunday.... the inbox has made their interest in bird man known. here are some of my initial, basic thoughts:

he's controlling (surprise, surprise) but favors an 'organic' approach over clipping your wings outright. that would be an absolute last resort, prompted by your life being in mortal danger. he wants to help guide you to conclusions he's made long ago. this way, you're less likely to resist a philosophy you've adopted for yourself. it's a given that sentient beings don't want their free will infringed upon. recognizing this, he settles for the more time-consuming approach of overseeing your life from afar and uses direct course correction sparingly.

should you catch on, confronting him directly doesn't lead to an escalation like one might expect. he'll hear you out without twisting your words or using intimidation tactics. once you're finished, he'll present his own argument: haven't you been happier since he's entered your life? he'll acknowledge that 'happiness', qualia that it is, though difficult to measure, can still be tracked. there's a reason he's asked about your emotional state so often. since removing stressors in your life, you've been in higher spirits. isn't that a good thing?

issues such as privacy and autonomy don't do much for him. what good is freedom if it means wandering in the wilderness? isn't it better to be taken care of? hunger, thirst, physical ailments; alleviating these troubles has been at the forefront of civilization's development. this is his all-consuming empathy. it envelops you whole and chains you in place with velvety soft restraints. his sincerity is almost distressing; how can you challenge what he believes is in your best interest?

"a cornered fledgling will struggle against those trying to save it," he'll say. "this struggle is natural; a forgivable instinct. the rescuer must carry on despite this resistance. if they don't, aren't they complicit in whatever misfortune befalls the wounded creature?"

[deaddovedec]

𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐃𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒

Hello and welcome to Dead Dove December 2024!

We are a dark holiday-themed Bucky Barnes event. Below, you will find the prompts for each day of December, along with alternate options.

As this is our second year we just want to reiterate that this is a no-pressure, for-fun event that offers over 50 prompts to fulfill your dark needs during the holiday season! Please be aware that the prompts on this list will contain dark and potentially disturbing themes and may not be suitable for all audiences.

Our new prompt list will be posted later today and we hope everyone who participates has a fun writing experience. If you have any questions our inbox is open.

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 ❆ 𝐀𝐨𝟑 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭

𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐎𝐧𝐞

1. Roasting on an open fire // Sweater Swelter

2. Torture // Bloodloss

3. Castration // Heartwarming

4. Forced To Watch // Punishment

5. Handmade // Glued Shut

6. Frostbite // Stocking - Stalking

7. Cuffed // Collared // Cold (Free Day)

𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐓𝐰𝐨

8. Naughty or Sliced // Lights

9. Bricked Up // Chimney // Stockholm Syndrome

10. Sleep Deprivation // Waiting All Night

11. Restraint // Humiliation

12. Jolly // Folly // Slay

13. Kidnapped // Under The Tree

14. Something Red // Something Dead (Free Day)

𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞

15. Countdown // Out of time

16. Wrapped // Whipped

17. Blackmail // Letters To Santa // Holiday Hunting

18. Starved // Stuffed // Cannibalism

19. Snuff // Home Movies (Filming) (Free Day)

20. Used As Decoration // Dehumanization

21. Monsterfucking // Holiday spirit

𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐫

22. Necrophilia // Given As A Gift

23. Sacrifice In Vain // Spiked // Drugged

24. Loss of Consent // Blood Splatter

25. Twisted Celebration // Silent Night (Free Day)

26. Breathless // Survival // Passed Around

27. Confined To Bed // Cabin Fever

28. Fighting For Life // After Death // Strangulation

𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐅𝐢𝐯𝐞

29. Hypothermia // Co-Dependency

30. Non - Con Body Transformation // Brought Back

31. Cheers // Fears // New Year

𝐀𝐥𝐭𝐬

Silk Ribbon, Trapped In The Ice, Candy Caned, Consensual Hypnosis, Last Christmas, Chopping, A Light In The Dark, First Night, Silk Ribbon, Skullfucking, Chained, Unneeded Amputation, Incest, Snowballing, Conditioning

Special thanks to @vesearlee for creating the spectacular header and dividers for this event!

[nevermorgue]

Hayley! I hope you're well! I come into your inbox to ask about your thoughts and opinions on each spectre, and your favorite ones! Love your blog! :D

HIIII!! I’m so fantastic thank YOU for coming in here. I love your art and your rambles.

My favorite spectres currently are Will’s and Duke’s. But I really love them all. I’ll go into the opinions now

Annabel’s Lady in White - I think she’s beautiful. I love her abilities and the whole bride thing she has going on. I at first wished her dress was more detailed but it’s fine to grow on me. I love the petals, and the hole in her chest is agonizing. Such a pretty spectre. kiss of death is just sooooo. idk her abilities are definitely one of my top favorites.

Morella’s Guardian Spirit - Plain-ish compared to the others, but still fantastic. I feel like her and Annabel are slept on because of how early they were revealed. I love how long her hair gets and the whole celtic vibe. and that she’s mainly defense with the healing and stuff! it’s very unique and it says sooo much about her past. if it were me i’d make her look a little less human wirh maybe more glowing or something but she’s still fabulous :)

Pluto’s Cryptid - im so so so interested in this because apparently domesticated cryptids are super rare? I wanna know more about the other cryptids poppet mentioned so badly. its so fucked that he has a collar too!!! he wanted to escape society but even in death it's like he's bound by the neck. I'm dying for info on that dumb coat too. He's so silly looking. I really wanna see his other abilities. I'll have a stronger opinion when that comes. Ada's Banshee

- I am dying to know what "Mark of the Grave" is so bad. And I love her confusing ass torso. Is she a shadow. is it a dress. I want to know. also LOVE how her limbs being detachable/having the stitch marks implies she was chopped up and buried like that. and her hat. thats a very "southern belle lady" sort of hat. she gets to be the lady she always wanted, just ugly and hideous!! love her and i love her spectre. "fear itself" is one of my favorite abilities and i hope she utilizes it more cough cough on will-

Prospero's Shadow Man - i am dying to know if he can take the mask off. imagine he's like. a sickly corpse looking kind of thing. like himself but rotting or weak as hell. i LOVE his abilities i just wish he had more detaaaailing. hes so cool and handsome though. i also think its super weird/cool how he has to activate his abilities with the stopwatch. i havent seen any other spectres have a "trigger point" like that. would he be rendered useless without it? Montresor's Dybbuk - nipple rings. sorry anyways - i love the chains. because it's not like he's using them, he's the one chained. and the whole. goat legs thing. bc goats are associated with the devil for some reason. I wonder why that is. idk i just love the whole demon thing. because he's been seen as such since like. his birth. and he cant even escape it in death. love it love his shit. his ability to force his way into peoples' memories is CRAZY too i cannot WAIT to see more of that. Eulalie's Chimera - SOOOO pretty. So aesthetically pleasing. I love how she can make stuff with her dreams!!! and the fact that its implied she can yank malevolent spectres back into their regular forms is soooo cool. and just the fact that she can neutralize other spectres in general is such a unique power. shes like defense similar to morella, just in a different way minus healing. i love her. i really dont dislike any spectre i just love them all. Berenice's Strigoi - I will forever be mad that her teeth count as an ability but WHATEVER. She's still badass. I can only imagine how it must feel to basically lose your hands. I'm really excited to see what "Bloodlust" as an ability does. like there are so many cool spectre abilities we havent seen in action yet. The bite that makes you drunk will forever be iconic too. I love her look and i love how her whole outfit is directly correlated to her time period. also love how like each mouth on her is like. its own being. she cant control it. Duke's Poltergeist - I need to like control myself because I will yap nonstop about this one. The NEONS the colors are just fantastic and I LOOOOVE HIS EYES. THE EYES. all of his abilities fuck so hard and i love how like. his "hypnosis" isnt really like full hypnosis its more like a very powerful suggestion? and he couldnt even figure out how to get ada out of it? like he didnt TELL her to use her ability on montresor, he just kinda planted the idea in her head. i also noticed that one of his abilities IS levitation despite us seeing other spectres float on multiple occasion. so the key difference here is the telekinesis portion of the power. just thought that was silly. love him. i love duke. he's my 2nd fave. Will's Doppelganger - i physically have to stop myself from writing a page's worth of bs here. He has DIRT IN HIS JOINTS. like he's DIRTY. like buried and forgotten!! and if he's dust bowl era like so many of us think, perhaps its that same dust. he was left buried in it...forgotten. unidentified. And and and he's SO OP. everyone IC is underestimating how he has one of the most powerful spectres. He was able to almost fool the misfits as duke, he honestly did a fantastic job. He has to memorize so much. like its genuinely impressive. and then his ribbons. notice how they wrap around HIM before/during use. like he's fucking tangled in in them too, not just his victims. i dont think he's ever been free. he's never not been wrapped up in someone else's shit. he's never been "william". i- i need to stop. hes the best. best spectre- and i pray that the characters realize how much POWER he really has.

[zablife]

Hi! In the spirit of our mutual obsession, I am here to drop in an idea to your inbox 🙃

Take it as a request if you like or just a question on your opinion about this pairing if you don't wanna write about it

Benny x troublemaker Reader

...like she is even more of a trouble magnet then he is and for the first time in his life it's Benny's turn to make someone else slow down a bit 🤭

Benny x Wild Child

Benny Cross Masterlist

A/N: Ty for the ask, Alex! It inspired me to make this moodboard of Benny's troublemaker gf. I hope you enjoy!

Warnings: drinking, drug use, slightly nsfw

♡ Your fights are legendary among the Vandals by now, your sharp curses carrying across the pool hall, followed by flying darts and pool sticks which send grown men dodging for cover as you make a dramatic exit.

♡ No one dares tell Benny how ironic it is that he's found a woman more volatile than him who takes off whenever there's trouble, leaving him to pace the floor for days when he's unable to locate you.

♡ You'll usually call when you run out of money, the noise of a crowded bar nearly drowning out your tearful apology. Blaming the booze or the blow for your antics, he always takes you back when he hears the desperation in your voice as you plead with him. "Please...can't live without you, baby."

♡ The guys have tried to tell him you're nothing more than a charming liar who has no intention of being chained down, but he gives you the benefit of the doubt. And how could he ever deny you when you snuggle so deeply into his embrace, doe eyes promising life will be diff from now on? Maybe letting him fuck you in a cute little apron to cement the idea.

♡ But your plans for domestic bliss went to shit the minute Kathy's casserole caught fire in the oven, setting the kitchen ablaze. You're too busy raking in your winnings from the poker game in the living room to notice the smoke, drunk off the beers you shotgunned earlier with Corky and Wahoo.

♡ No one is shocked when Benny stokes your notorious temper with his yelling, demanding to know why you were fucking it all up. Inevitably your fists collide with Benny's chest in passionate declaration of hatred for this life, this town....him.

♡ He's sick to his stomach, room spinning under his feet as he shoves you across the room. "You hate it so much, go on and leave!" he growls. Then he chases you to the curb, a stab of pain in his chest as he watches you flip him the bird and ride off with a stranger.

♡ Johnny feels guilty when his bet about this tantrum being your last hits a little too close to home, listening in as Benny receives the crushing phone call that you’d been in an accident.

♡ As he sits with Benny by your hospital bed, he wishes the promises and daydreams you spout were anywhere close to the reality he knew was waiting for Benny upon your release.

♡ The sad truth was, there was only one place you two would ever be happy and that was apart.

[yaut-jaknowit]

Hi there!

So, I recently had been reading your Gawtin stuff and read the original and just thought what if it was reversed(but she still has Qui'oky) like he could be the one who found the almost dead human that seemed so thin and was covered on bruises, maybe she was a slave or she was captured who knows.

You don't have to do this if you don't want too! I hope you have a good day/night!!!

:D

What If...?

Pairings: Gawtin (female Yautja) x GN!Reader (Qui'oky makes an apperance)

Word Count: 2261

Summary: A Bad blood who was hiding out on Earth had captured a human reader for entertainment. Gawtin stumbled upon the camp when the Bad Blood is away and finds a human.

Author Note: I hope this is what you wanted! Thank you for being patient with me! My inbox is already getting full already. I'm gonna try to keep it open as I knock through them all... We'll see.

Masterlist

Ao3

The chain left no room for freedom. It pressed firmly against your skin. Welts and dark bruises rose under the thick, unbreakable band that encased your throat. No matter how many times you complained, it fell to deaf ears. If the creature had ears to beginning with. You whined and looked around the area. Not a sign of life in the vicinity.

Wherever the beast has gone didn’t offer you relief. Your hand ran along the chains linked together. They were attached to a stake deep in the ground. You’ve gnawed, twisted, and pulled at the metal but they’ve barely even groaned at the many attempts you’ve conducted.

Nothing worked to damage the metal.

This time, you hoped it would come back with something for you to eat. It had been three days since it returned with food.

With a groan, you stumbled to your feet and walked to the end of the chain. It was a short leash that didn’t offer a lot to move around with. Though, your fighting spirit had decreased each day you’ve been trapped at this horrible camp ground, you weren’t going to lie down and give up.

Skulls of human lined one area, seven in total. More were decorated the trees. Either a deterrent from you escaping or others to turn tail and run. Or else they’ll end up just like the pearly white skulls and bones that hung from branches. A warning you took carefully.

Especially after the first time the beast found you trying to escape.

Hours of digging through compacted dirt and root filled grounds still hadn’t reached to the end of the stake. You hadn’t heard the silent steps until a foot connected to your stomach. The strength behind it combined with the short leash had you fly through the air for a short period. Then, the chain caught you at the end and slammed you into the ground. The fact your neck hadn’t snapped from how hard the band dug into your skin was a miracle…

Or this beast didn’t want you dead just yet.

Was it just playing with its food? You shuttered and scanned the area again.

Nothing.

That didn’t ease the tension building inside of your chest. You stepped to the end of your leash and looked over at the items that are outreach.

Everything you needed to kill it, sitting over by where it likes to rest. Teasing you. Right there. Knives. Even a spear that you could launch into its chest and watch it die. It deserved with all the torture it made you endure since it captured you.

From the day cycles, you speculated it had been around two, maybe three months. Three fucking months of this bullshit. Barely enough food to keep you even afloat and alive. Water was a once a day thing. It knew you were needy for at least water. It gave you a bag of it for five minutes before ripping it away. Each time, you begged for a sip more.

It never gave you that relief.

You groaned and tugged at the collar ensnared around your throat when it sliced against old and knew cuts. They’ve never had a chance to fully heal as the sharp ends continuous pressed into your fragile skin.

The beast never cared or batted an eye at your cried and pleads to loosen it. Actually, it wasn’t originally this tight. As punishment and probably to shut you up, the creature took out a link on the collar and reclosed it. The entire time, you fought against it while it sat perched on your back. But, you’ve learned since day one that it could kill you with little effort.

A punishment that further diminished your chances of escape. Yet, with how much weight you’ve lost, the collar isn’t dangerously pressed to your arteries or the column of your throat anymore. Maybe two fingers could uncomfortably slip between your skin and the harsh metal.

As you stood there, your gaze fixed on the weapons so close yet so far away, you smacked your crack lips together. There was nothing you could do with what time the beast gave you to dig again. That was your only option to escape. To get this stupid collar off and snatch one of the many knives out on display.

None of the sticks around you were strong enough to even bend the metal without snapping, crumbling away. You huffed then sat down at the base of a tree and leaned against the bark. Pieces poked into your back but you didn’t care enough to move.

That became a reminder you were still alive.

After time, your mind grew numb from the lack of stimulation. You stared blanket at the pine needle covered floor and waited. That was all you do.

Something heavy landed in your lap and jolted from the desolate field of your brain. Your head snapped up to find the unfortunately familiar form of the strange dark brown form in front of you. It scoffed and marched away.

Your eyes drifted down to find the bag of water in your lap. Desperation clawed at your throat. You scrambled to untie the knot that kept it close and began to chug the liquid down. A couple of times, you had to break off and gasp for a single breath before going in for more. This was only a once a day thing.

This time, you were able to down the whole thing before it came back over and grabbed it back. It rolled its dark eyes and sneered down at you with its horrifying face.

Clicks sounded its throat. “If you gave me access to water everyday, I wouldn’t do that every time,” you snarked it and glared dangerously. It stiffened and bent at the waist to get into your face. You didn’t back down. Either to end it all or piss it off, you didn’t know what end goal you were wanting.

The horrible breath rolled over your face, nearly making you gag at the smell. Rotten death.

A massive hand ensnared your throat and easily lifted up your body from the ground. Your feet kicked out and struck its legs but didn’t cause any damage enough to get it to let go.

Instead, it seemed to encourage it as its hand tightened. A deadly snarled rolled off of its hidden tongue and straight into your face. As much as you should’ve been shaking in your boots, you kept complete eye contact with the beast and bared your own teeth at it. It darkened its facial features and shoved you flush with the tree behind you.

An sound of terror was cut off. The whites of your eyes evident. The only thing you could do was stare up at the creature as it leaned and opened up its four fangs.

Death was closing in fast.

A piercing scream scratched at your throat. You wormed around and did everything in your power to escape. It wasn’t enough.

In a blink of an eye, an arrow stuck its way through the head of the beast. Somehow, some way, you doubled your efforts at the troubling sight before you.

The beast stayed on its feet and held you firm to the tree. Yet, as the seconds ticked by, the grip it held on you began to fall away. Then, the beast collapsed at your feet and nearly dragged you down with it. You fell down to your knees and gawked at the dead humanoid figure before you. Another scream tearing at your vocal cords.

Familiar but not, clicks and grunts vocalized to your right. It dragged your attention and pulled you from your scrambled thoughts.

Olive green but half the size of the beast that was just killed before you stood at the edge of the camp. It had a metal, silver mask attached to the bottom of its face. You recognized the shape of the head. This thing was a smaller version of the beast at your knees. You inhaled sharply and picked up yourself from the ground to sprint away.

Heat pressed to your back at the first away from the half-sized beast. You frozen on the spot then slowly tipped up your head.

Though it was only the underside, you saw familiar features and knew instantly to run. This thing towered over you like a redwood to a pine tree. Your feet were acting faster then your brain could catch up. They took a good ten feet from the larger creature before you snapped back and landed roughly on your back. All the air in your lungs knocked, causing you to gasp with a cry.

The collar sliced a deeper cut into your throat. Thick, liquid of crimson dribbled down from the newly added wound in your stupor. You cried at the wound and sat up while attempting to feel at the cut.

You weren’t given much time to collect yourself when a heavy shadow fell over your battled form. Your eyes snapped up within a second to find the same frame of the massive beast. A whimper surged pass your lips. You scrambled backwards but this was the end of your leash. There was no escape. You were to meet your end.

Metal bit into the back of your fragile neck. Your chest heaved with each inhale and exhale, consuming all the air around you. But the beast didn’t move.

Off to your right, the miniature creature bounced over to the tower creature and stood at its side. By the looks of it, the olive-green figure was a young version of these creatures.

Young and full of life, it wavered side to side. But the larger one gave a single snarl that instantly had it tensing up. The little one bowed its head with submission and stood like a statue now.

Their attention returned your trembling form. The dark, dirty mint colored creature took a single step forward and crowded into your space more than before. You sobbed harder and struggled more against your bindings, but they barely even croaked under the strain. It crouched down and grasped the base of your collar. Your hand shot out and ensnared its wrist, but your fingers didn’t even touch the other tips.

It tugged you towards itself. A scream ripping from your lungs as you kicked and squirmed. The thing didn’t struggled. Its other hand was brought forward and grabbed at your collar.

A click sounded. You fell to the ground.

Fresh air brushed against blood and sweat slicked skin of your neck. Instantly, your hand reached up and brushed the dark bruises and cuts that lined your throat. Pain surged forward at the touch. But the collar was gone.

Your jaw slackened while gazing upon the figure leaning far into your space. Half of the fear that filled your veins washed away. Was this a trick? Or trading one monster for another? Unknowns you had no clue on which one was worse. The only thing you could do for the moment was watch and wait for the thing to either move on or act.

An attack never came.

The beast reached out with mindful movements and ran rough fingertips along the wound that incircles your throat. You believed it could feel the thundering beat of your heart like a bird’s wings in takeoff.

There was a moment of stillness t that caused your heart rate to skyrocket even higher. Then, the fingers fell away. Its elbow rested on its thunderous thigh while it peered down at you with eyes that never blinked.

“Thank you,” you whispered in the quiet night air to your savior. You prayed it could understand your words and take the appreciation so it did not end you here and now.

“You are free.” Words tumbled from the creature’s alien mouth. In such a state of shock of ready, you couldn’t react much more than blinking in silence.

It stayed sat on its haunches while looking at you expectingly. When you did not move, it spoke again. “You are free.” Repeated.

Behind it, the younger creature stepped closer and peered over its bigger companions shoulder. Its eyes a cyan but dark with the little light, not even from the moon. It chittered. The one before you grunted sharply. The small figure backed off with a roll of its eyes. Was this a parent and child combo? Their behavior to one another resembled it.

The lumbering giant grunted again. A scaly palm was offered to you in the low light. “Take.” You find its eyes again. They were dark but you saw the purple that colored them.

In the middle of nowhere, surrounded by what had to be miles upon miles of forest, your chances of survival were slim to none. A fact well known and prominent in your mind.

Yet, while you gaze upon this figure and possibly child, you didn’t know where that life would lead you. Though, you know it was better chances than what the forest would offer. Your eyes flickered down to its massive palm once before coming to a decision.

Your hand fell into its own, easily engulfed. The creature gave a short grunt and pulled you to your wobbly legs. A nodded was given to you and the child. Then, it turned on its heel and began to carve path through the forest. The smaller one gave you a look that you didn’t understand and bounced after its possibly parent.

Last in line, you stumbled after the duo.

[chained-spirits]

How'd you come up with Tag's name? I really like it :33

I wanted to have my nicknames for the chain to be different from the game title(s) that each link is connected to. (Excluding Oracle, but it has a double meaning)

When I was brainstorming for Tag's name, I thought about his mechanic, splitting into 4, and the formations in Four Sword Adventure inspired me

Plus, I think they'd play tag alot

A lot of the names I choose are just because I think it sounds cool, and reasons from canon lore too ^^

Ty for the ask!

[thenmichael]

CS Ravio with color pallet number 61?

The Goober Ft Oracle

[cagemasterfantasy]

2014 5e Adventure modules for @doodl3 and any other DMs out there (Part 2)

Note: These published are only to be used by DMs to run adventures they are not to be viewed by players. If you are a player and you read these please don't metagame and ruin the experience for everyone else or I will send a Beholder to your home while you are sleeping.

Adventures: Lost Mine of Phandelver Hoard of the Dragon Queen Rise of Tiamat Princes of the Apocalypse Storm King's Thunder Tales from the Yawning Portal: The Sunless Citadel Tales from the Yawning Portal: The Forge of Fury Tales from the Yawning Portal: The Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan Tales from the Yawning Portal: White Plume Mountain Tales from the Yawning Portal: Dead in Thay Tales from the Yawning Portal: Against the Giants Tales from the Yawning Portal: Tomb of Horrors Tomb of Annihilation Foreword - Waterdeep: Dragon Heist Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage Ghosts of Saltmarsh Acquisitons Incorporated: The Orrery of the Wanderer Essentials Kit Part 1: Dragon of Icespire Peak Essentials Kit Part 2: Storm Lord's Wrath Essentials Kit Part 3: Sleeping Dragon's Wake Essentials Kit Part 4: Divine Contention Theros: No Silent Secret Eberron: Forgotten Relics Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden Candlekeep Mysteries Ravenloft: The House of Lament IThe Wild Beyond the Witchlight Strixhaven: Campus Kerfuffle Strixhaven: Hunt for Mage Tower Strixhaven: The Magister's Masquerade Strixhaven: A Reckoning in Ruins Journeys through the Radiant Citadel Dragons of Stormwreck Isle Light of Xaryxis Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen Keys from the Golden Vault Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk Turn of Fortune's Wheel Descent into the Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth Vecna: Nest of the Eldritch Eye Vecna: Eve of Ruin Quests from the Infinite Staircase

Extras: (Note: Some of these are fan made while the rest are either crossovers or charity modules)

The Tortle Package The Lost Kenku X Marks the Spot Lost Laboratory of Kwalish Krenko's Way A Zib for Your Thoughts Hunt for the Thessalhydra (Crossover between DND and Stranger Things) Humblewood: Adventure in the Wood Locathah Rising Infernal Machine Rebuild The Lost Dungeon of Rickedness: Big Rick Energy (Crossover between DND and Rick and Morty) Wildemount: Tide of Retribution Wildemount: Dangerous Designs Wildemount: Frozen Sick Wildemount: Unwelcome Spirits Return to the Glory Adventures in the Forgotten Realms: In Scarlet Flames Adventures in the Forgotten Realms: The Hidden Page Adventures in the Forgotten Realms: A Verdant Tomb Adventures in the Forgotten Realms: Deepest Night Adventures in the Forgotten Realms: From Cyan Depths NERDS Restoring Harmony: The Candy Mountain Caper (Don't worry rest of the NERDS Restoring Harmony are there too) Spelljammer Academy Giants of the Star Forge Lightning Keep Chains of Asmodeus Peril in Pinebrook Heroes' Feast: Saving the Children's Menu Grim Hollow: Lairs of Etharis Dungeons of Drakkenheim Red Dragon's Tale: A LEGO Adventure Uni and the Hunt for the Lost Horn (Based off of the Original Dungeon and Dragons animated series from the 1980s) Scions of Elemental Evil (Yet again this is also based on the Dungeons and Dragons animated series from the 80s)

With all these books you can view EVERYTHING that the 5e Adeventures (official and unofficial) has to offer for 2014 rules CLASSES, SUBCLASSES, STATUS CONDITIONS and MONSTERS (With adjustable challenge ratings) (No info on monsters ask me if you want that by direct message or on my inbox)

For those who read all these books you're awesome. May these books inspire you help you and give you good luck and better knowledge. Stay safe stay human and may your dice rolls be legendary

[viperfang254]

I want some random facts about FishRam NOW.

AAAAAAAAAAAAA

-Jacob and BBW’s criminal empire extends pretty far. There’s even this criminal guy named Malice—he and his father are from Ethiopia. His father still lives in Ethiopia. -There’s a chain of criminal casinos that kind of operates like the Der Schwarze Pfaus, but they’re very grand and ran by a different guy—a creepy demon named Soon Tye. -There’s about 200-500,000 believers of Poisson-Bélier’s religion. Their religious events are heavily publicized however, due to their grandness. -Jean-Paul’s always had a sister, but there’s an older brother that I’m still debating whether he should be canon or not. He’s existed and not existed in different versions. -Michael was originally planned to die in The Big Bad Ivy Caper. Only reason he didn’t was because Jasonfighter07/DownforceGP told me that he was basically too entertaining to kill off, and I agreed. -Several of these characters have been adapted from an older, original story that I liked to call the Ending Equilibrium—created from several RP servers and my own mind over 1-3 years. -Michael Found and Kori Halo (another OC) originally used to be Dream SMP OCs when I was a cringe lil’ child (George WasFound and Napsap). -Aspen was originally a lesbian, but was rewritten to be bisexual. -There’s two characters named Rune in canon (either Rune: Alder’s ACME sister, or Rune: Ingram’s father). -Ingram was based off of the ‘older brother’ in Crowscare. -Lunis (one of Rune’s sons) was originally written to have a crush on another character but this was scrapped because it didn’t fit his personality. He’s very Jayfeather-coded. -The fic is planned to have 103 chapters—although that means you might be seeing longer chapters in the future (since we have most of S4 to go through and all of the in-betweens), and since the epilogue is 3 parts—yeahhhh. -I originally planned for a FishRam sequel that was at the two year mark that followed Carmen, Atrix, and Milo’s spirit. -According to legend, Poisson-Bélier (if the decision is not obvious) will ask you five questions pertaining to you (e.g. Do you regret killing Hellwood Serpentine?) and from your answers, he will determine whether you’re fit to go into Heaven. -Although Chang’an is initially depicted as a traitor, the religion often paints him as a changed god and he is actually very respected for keeping the horrible spirits in check. -I plan that if my art improves enough within the next ~3 years, I could make a comic version of FishRam to put on like, WebToon. -Aspen was originally planned to be much less morally gray, considered to be good and more focused on morality than JP specifically. -Quickie was initially planned to be a villain, consumed by bitterness much like Virin. -Speaking of, Virin was initially planned to be a complete villain with no redemption arc. -Virin was actually the last of the main Volkovs (Sherry, Misha, Khan) to be created. Khan was the very first Volkov, used as a part of Jacob’s crew—and Misha followed after, followed by Sherry. -Arian’s group (The Cult of Dionysus) was actually indoctrinated to believe in Poisson-Bélier’s religion. -Poisson-Bélier’s religion is very old, dating back to around 10,000 years ago—although the texts and scriptures have been rewritten and changed over time. -If you’re curious, the debate on whether Taupe Geante is female or male is dumb. He was male. The gods are gay and heteronormative society just wants to fuck them over.

Don’t think I haven’t forgotten about your ask post from May 18th. It’s still sitting in my inbox. I have been struggling *for that long*.

[the-sleepysiren]

✨ HERE I AM ✨ It's with sparkles in your inbox ✨ No rush sleepy take your time with things, Silas? Fox friends? Maybe just a lil? /lh 🥺💖

SILAS BABYY - NOW MONARCHS (forced) FRIEND FOR REAL

Welllll- Is it a surprise that Silas is in the same boat as Monarch by perspective of the society alksdjalds He is a hybrid and on bottom of food chain sorry Silas /lh

Now would Silas be :

in Black Jack? Ding!!!

a shadow pokemon?

a cursed pokemon? Ding!!

a cleanser?

a shrine maid?

maybe non above?

WELL you wanted them to be friends THEY WILL BE FRIENDS /lh /hj Silas not only is cursed but I do actually see him work in black spade for that sweet quick cash /lh Is he in same company in with Monarch? Black Spade 4B? Yes Is it because I want them to be friends? Also yes I was thinking about his curse and how it could relate to the sin I gave, might a tiny bit not make sense but I wanted to connect him to his blog root's and calamity with his ghost giratina hands too, It would be called "Poltergeist activity" A curse that let's silas not only see lost spirits but full on ghosts that refuse to leave the roaming world, once they acknowledge that Silas can see them and talk to them - they probably will stick around a lot to be a nuisance. As the name says they are Poltergeists they can throw stuff - scratch other's - flicker/destroy light's. And probably of their energy thats how Silas curse can keep filling up to close to become a shadow 'mon. Of course there are some calm one's but also in this universe - you cant get rid of them bad or good .(Sorry not sorry Silas.) Maybe if he can build an actual relationship with one of the ghsots maybe they can be actually pretty helpful in his work.

I gave him wrath as a sin because I think pretty much by continues brain-washing from Seance would make him pretty resentful to North and all that and make him in the end developed that Wrath quirk.

And I know I drew him already as gijinka with his own outfit and all - so to a bit push away from that I gave him outfit much closer to his pokemon form as a proper gijinka ;;

Extra:

THANK YOU FOR THE ASK

IM NOT TAKING THESE ANYMORE

[suratan-zir]

Sorry that I'm on anon but I'm too shy and anxious recently There's going around this chain message with sunflower, I got one myself and wanted to send it to you:

drop this sunflower🌻into the inboxes of the blogs that make you happy! lets spread a little sunshine ☀️😊

I'm not really good with proper choice of words so I hope it doesn't sound wierd, I just wanted to say: I'm happy you're here, thank you.

🌻 Слава Україні! 💛💙

Hey! Героям слава! 💛💙 I saw this "drop this sunflower🌻" thing going around simblrs, and it made me realize that as a Ukrainian, I can no longer look at the sunflowers, especially the emoji🌻and not think of dead invaders. It became such a strong symbol. But this association is even better than sunshine, so that's good :) Thank you ❤️

I'm sorry you've been feeling anxious and shy. I know the feeling. Some days it's just harder to socialize, I understand. I hope it gets better for you soon.

Here's some goofy blurry Skritch to lift your spirits

life hack: respond to literally everything with rat pics and you'll never have to pick the right words

[crguang]

Just imagine having Kafka chained to a chair in front of you, and you interrogating her, but you end up losing focus, if you know what I mean... hehe ⊙⁠﹏⁠⊙

omg theres a similar ask in my inbox that i was just about to answer😭 im imagining it… she’d be so flirty and cocky probably to buy time and it would work because im weak. she has her hands cuffed behind her back and is like “you know, i usually let a woman take me out before we take out the handcuffs but… i don’t mind making an exception.”

she’d make crazy eye contact like HEAVYY, with that little smile on her lips it’s almost like she could eat you whole (cut the cameras cause i will let her🙁) you get nothing of substance out of her she just makes stupid comments like “has anyone told you that you flex your fingers when you’re nervous? don’t worry, it’s quite adorable.” she could use her spirit whisper at any time but toying with you is much more fun. and when she’s inevitably out of custody, she shows up at your door the next night to “do to you all the things she couldn’t say on camera.”

[btheleaf]

Hi 👉🏻👈🏻 p-pemlin? 👉🏻👈🏻an-anything? I have come here now 😂 hehe

Yikes so this took me 4 months to get to (i have over 150 asks in my inbox STILL) If you want proper warnings click the ao3 link. (there are lots of warnings) If you know who I am as a person then you'll be alright. Rating: Mature Words 2.8k Read it on AO3

Not the avatar or a child of the previous one

The Red Lotus guards watching over the airbenders went down quickly with the help of Suyin and Asami. Lin looked at the group in the cave and a knot formed in her stomach. Pema wasn’t with the others. The lone heartbeat she sensed in a familiar body a few dozen meters back must have been her. She was just about to leave the cave to go find Pema when Jinora started frantically yelling in a way that Lin hadn’t heard from the girl before.

“I need the key! Unlock me! Now! Now!”

Suyin took the keys from Opal and began to uncuff Jinora.

“Everything’s okay. We’re getting you all out of here,” Suyin said in a motherly tone.

The second Jinora was freed, she created an air scooter and made for the mouth of the cave. Lin sent out a cable to grab at the back of her shawl as she sped by. Jinora yelped in surprise and her scooter dissipated, causing her to fall flat on her back.

“Lin, we have to go get mom!” She started ripping her clothes where the cable was still hooked on.

“Auntie Lin they took mommy away!” Ikki shouted.

“Jinora says mom’s hurt!” Meelo cried.

Lin surveyed the group. Everyone looked physically fine, and Rohan was being held by some airbender she didn’t care to know the name of. Jinora screamed in frustration as Lin pulled her back into the cave.

“What happened?”

Ikki grabbed onto Lin’s leg when she was freed from her chains, clearly wanting to be held. Lin couldn’t resist those light gray eyes that reminded her so much of Aang and picked her up to rest her on her hip.

“They took mommy last night and she hasn’t been back.” Ikki sniffled. “I’m scared.”

“I know, baby,” Lin said gently and brushed some hair off her face. “Who took her?”

“Zaheer and Ghazan,” Opal said as she pushed Bolin away. “They said they would take me if she didn’t go with them.”

“I saw her!” Jinora shouted. “I used my spirit projection to find her. They hurt her!”

Lin frowned. It was concerning what Jinora’s spiritual prowess made her capable of. “I know where she is. Go with Suyin and Asami and get out of here.”

“But—”

“What did I just say?” Lin snapped.

“Yes, Lin,” Jinora said in a defeated voice.

Lin released the cable holding Jinora, put down Ikki, and got down on her knee to pull the kids into a hug. “Listen to Suyin and Asami.” She turned to leave the cave only to find Suyin in her way this time. “What?!” she snapped. She didn’t have time for this.

“Why are you talking to Tenzin’s kids like that?”

“Get out of my way.” Lin shoved her sister aside and ran.

Suyin didn’t need to know anything, not her relationship status, and certainly not that the kids had started to see her as another parental figure over the past few months. Lin sprinted into the section of the tunnel system where she had sensed the heartbeat earlier and found Pema in a sparsely lit cavern. She didn’t react to Lin’s approach, she stayed lying on her side with her arms tied behind her back. The tie securing Pema’s hands gave way easily under the sharp edge of Lin’s knife. As the fabric unraveled, Lin recognized the feeling of the material slipping through her fingers as Pema’s sash.

“Monkey rat bastards,” she growled under her breath.

Her blood boiled as she untied the thin fabric gag that was cinched too tight through Pema’s teeth and did her best to close the layers of her dress. Lin pulled her up by the shoulders to put her upper half in her lap. She cradled Pema’s head in the crook of her arm.

“Pema,” Lin’s voice was devoid of emotion even though deep beneath the surface a white-hot rage burned there. Tenzin was hardly able to keep his eyes open when she left him outside. The kids couldn’t lose both their parents to the Red Lotus, and Lin knew she wasn’t at all prepared to be a single mother of four. She gently tapped Pema’s cheek with her fingers. “Pema,” she said louder.

 Pema’s gasped and tried to push Lin away. “No,” she rasped, “please.”

“Pema, it’s me.” Lin sensed a deep section of the cave shaking and beginning to crumble. She grabbed Pema’s hand and pressed her cold palm flat over the badge on her chest. “It’s me. Can you walk?”

“Lin?” Pema croaked weakly. “Where are the children?”

“They’re safe. We need to leave.”

Pema stood as Lin pulled her up and cried out when she took a step. The cave shook again, this time closer. Pebbles and dust shifted and fell in streams from the roof of the cavern. Lin picked Pema up in her arms and sprinted to the exit. Once they were in the sunlight, Lin looked down to get an idea of how badly Pema was injured. Her face was bruised and bloodied, patches of her dress were stained with blood and filth, and one of her sleeves had nearly been torn completely off where it met the shoulder. More bruises could be seen splayed across her sternum from where her dress was coming open at the top. Her shoes were gone.

Luckily all the airbenders were busy making some kind of massive tornado and Lin could hide Pema from the kids for a moment longer. She got up into Oogi’s saddle and laid Pema next to Tenzin. Pema raised her hand to get the sunlight out of her face and noticed Tenzin next to her. She turned to bury her face into his soot-coated robes and held onto his arm

Lin wanted to take off now and get them help, but Oogi was the only mode of transportation they had until they got back to the Zoafu airship, other than Kai’s baby bison, which she eyed and decided wasn’t a viable option. She couldn’t just abandon everyone in this valley, so she grabbed Bumi and Kya and brought them into the saddle as well.

Once Zaheer was defeated, the injured, Tonraq, Lin, and Asami made the trip on Oogi back to the airship. The kids protested up and down about not coming with them, but Lin pointed out the new airbenders needed guidance in Tenzin’s absence. Then she commanded Asami to take off before much more arguing could be done. Her and Tonraq made sure none of the unconscious members of the group fell from the saddle and kept an eye out for any attacks from the ground.

The Metal Clan members that Suyin had shelled out for the occasion were expedient in getting the injured onto the airship, and they managed to get the first ones boarded set up in the medical bay. Unfortunately, there were only four proper beds in the infirmary, and by the time one of the Metal Clan soldiers walked up the ramp holding Pema, the beds were all occupied by Korra, Tenzin, Bumi, and Kya. She heard the man carrying her say something about being a non-bender to one of the others. Lin marched up to him and took Pema in her arms to take her to one of the nearby rooms.

“Non-bender,” Lin mumbled to herself, nearly losing her composure. “Not the fucking avatar or the child of the previous one. Who really cares?” She opened the door to the room with her bending and slammed it shut behind her. A tear of frustration finally slipped from her eye now that she had some privacy. She carefully rested Pema on the bed and got on her knees to be as close as possible while she wiped some dirty hair off Pema’s face. “I’ll take care of you.”

***

About an hour into the 12-hour flight back to the city, the Metal Clan members who knew basic triage were able to report that no one was going to bleed out from their wounds, and that someone would watch over the injured to make sure no one took a turn for the worse. Lin convinced Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo to take charge of the new airbenders, citing that their parents needed rest and couldn’t be disturbed. Lin made Suyin take Rohan and decided to stay with Pema herself. She grabbed some supplies from the medical bay and went back to Pema’s room to assess the damage.

She began by cleaning the blood and dirt off her face from her split lips and random cuts around her cheekbones and forehead. Then she opened her dress to see what was going on and red colored her vision, both from the blood waiting for her there and the anger she felt. Blood smeared Pema’s inner thighs practically down to her knees and her body was littered with bruises.

Lin delicately cleaned between Pema’s legs as best she could and tried to ignore the bruises and friction burns that waited for her under all the blood. She put some gauze between her legs when she saw that she was still bleeding. She was shaking with anger by the time she was done and threw the soiled dress into the corner.

She forced herself to move on to the other wounds, sanitizing and cleaning up the scrapes on her hands and knees, punctures on her arms and stomach, and bite marks on her shoulders and breasts. When she was done, the water in the bowl was crimson and all the bandages she brought in were being used. She covered Pema over with the soft bedding and then used her seismic sense to make sure she wouldn’t bump into any of the kids on the way to dispose of the dirty water and clothing.

Asking around for spare clothes led her to a storage closet of some basic items. She grabbed pants and a shirt and went back to get Pema dressed and as comfortable as possible tucked her under the blankets. There was nowhere else to rest, so Lin sat cross-legged on the bed holding Pema’s hand talking softly to her, simultaneously hoping she would and wouldn’t wake up. She wanted her to wake up so that she knew Pema didn’t have any brain damage after what looked like repeated blows to the face, but she also wanted her to remain unconscious because she would be in a world of pain otherwise.

A couple of hours later, Lin stopped talking. The memories of the time they spent as Amon’s captives plagued her thoughts. The last time she saw Pema badly injured was in that cell. There were several times where she thought the woman had died. Pema had been so far gone by the end of it that she only ever woke up for the bloodbending. That had only been six months ago, none of them had truly recovered yet.

Soft crying next to her pulled her from her thoughts. Pema’s swollen eyes were trying to open, tears streamed down the sides of her face.

“Pema?” She ghosted her fingertips through Pema’s hair and reached for the painkillers and water. “I need you to swallow these.” She pushed the pills into Pema’s mouth and lifted her head so she could take a sip of water.

Pema tried to spit out the pills and turned her head away. “No.”

Lin guided her head back over and tipped the water to her lips. Pema coughed at first, then stopped resisting and drank more eagerly as Lin spoke softly to tell her what she was doing. Lin checked her mouth to see if the pills had been swallowed and didn't see them anymore. Pema’s green eyes looked like they were struggling to focus.

“Lin,” she said after a long moment of staring.

“It’s me.” Lin’s fingers ghosted over an uninjured portion of her cheek.

“The children.”

“All safe.”

Pema visibly relaxed but then her face twisted in agony. “Tenzin?”

“A little beat up, but he’s alright.”

The sobs that came out of her were so sudden and loud that Lin was frozen for a couple seconds looking her over to see if there was fresh blood coming from somewhere. She put down the water cup and reached for Pema’s hand and face when she deduced there was no fresh wound to tend. “Is it the pain? There’s probably something in the med bay I can use to knock you out until we get back to the city.”

Pema shook her head and tried to speak through her sobs. “They— they told me that—t-they killed him.”

Lin shook her head and ran her thumb over Pema’s knuckles. “No. No, they tried and failed. He’s in the other room resting.”

Pema nodded and sniffled as she reached up to grasp Lin’s arm. “Hold me,” she whimpered.

Lin shifted back just enough to remove her armor and get under the covers to hold Pema protectively. Lin laid on her back with Pema curled up to her side. Pema’s head pressed against Lin’s chest, and she held her tightly and as she sobbed. Lin ran her hands over Pema’s back and through her hair.

“I’ve got you. You’re safe. Everyone’s safe.”

Pema remained a mess of incoherent sobbing for a long time. Lin allowed her own tears to fall even as she did her best to reassure her that everyone was alright. After some time, Pema stopped crying, and her breaths came easier.

“There were so many of them,” Pema said hardly above a whisper.

Lin nodded even though Pema couldn’t see her face. “I’m sorry.”

“It didn’t hurt as much as the bloodbending.” Pema tensed; her fingers curled harshly into Lin’s sides. “But it still hurt.”

“It’s over now,” Lin said softly and kept running her fingers through Pema’s hair.

“Lin—J-Jinora—she was there. She saw—” Pema’s words devolved back into sobs.

“I know. I’ll talk to her.”

Pema’s tears quieted down to sniffles over the next few minutes.

“I feel funny.”

“Pain?”

“No. Numb.”

Lin reached down to pull the blanket higher. “The painkiller’s kicking in. Try to relax.”

Pema’s shoulders shook. “I can’t believe it happened again.”

Lin firmed up her grip on her. “I know. I’m so sorry.”

Half a choked sob bubbled up from Pema’s throat. “Did they hurt you?”

“No. No, I’m fine.”

Eventually Pema’s death grip loosened, and her body relaxed into sleep. Lin found herself dozing off listening to the monotonous hum of the ship’s engines.

The door to the room opened and Lin’s vambrace was on her arm in a split second with the knife drawn. Su stepped in with her hands up in mock surrender and closed the door. She stood there with her arms crossed.

“How long have you two been fucking?”

“What are you doing in here?” Lin growled. “Where’s Rohan?”

“Put the hackles away.” Su sat on the edge of the bed and studied Pema’s face before looking back at her sister. “Jinora and Ikki assured me they could watch him for a few minutes. He’s sleeping anyway.” She shrugged. “I always thought I’d find you in Tenzin’s bed, not hers.”

“Fuck off.” Lin retracted the knife back into the armor and dropped it to the bed. “She’s injured and your pathetic excuse for a medical bay only has four beds and no healer.”

“There’s a triage unit set up in the cargo hold if you want to leave her there.”

“I’m not leaving her anywhere.” Lin’s grip tightened on Pema.

Su eyed the two of them. “So, is this like a cheating thing?”

“It’s a none of your business thing.”

“I saw the way you were with the kids,” Su pointed out. “Been spending a lot of time on the island?”

“If you don’t leave in the next three seconds, I will stab you,” Lin warned.

“Look, I just want to know what’s going on in my big sister’s life and I don’t want to let it slip to Tenzin that this—” She swirled a finger back and forth between the two of them. “—is happening if this isn’t supposed to be happening.”

Pema mumbled something in her sleep and Lin held her even tighter and looked down at her.

“Tenzin knows,” Lin said softly, not offering any more information.

“Great! I can ask him about it.” Suyin said as she stood from the bed.

“Leave him alone you heartless bitch, he was nearly beaten to death.” Lin glared at her.

Suyin shot her a raised eyebrow and a smirk blossomed on her face. “Oh, so you’re fucking both of them. What’s that like?”

One swift movement of her arm sent the knife flying at Su’s face, but Su deflected it like it was nothing. The knife clattered on the floor and the sisters scowled at each other for a few drawn out seconds.

“Get out.”

Su glanced at Pema again and then started for the exit. “Whatever you’ve gotten yourself into, I hope you’re happy, Lin.”

The door closed behind Su and Lin locked it from across the small room. She looked back down at Pema in her arms and tried to get her bangs back to where they usually were.

“I am.”