#forgot to feed me my nutrients

[dearinglovebot]

claire/owen have the Ultimate right person, wrong time dynamic. because both break-ups fundamentally aren’t about them being incompatible as a couple. it’s just the circumstances aren’t right and they’re deeply dramatic people.

first time it’s like, surface level they don’t mesh. but they easily could if they tried. that’s proven time and time again. they just aren’t at points where they’re willing to let themselves make compromises to any degree. this girl doesn’t drink this specific type of alcohol? RED FLAG! this guy owns shorts? RED FLAG!

they’re not at a point in their lives where they want to try and understand other people (it’s the wrong time). just two people married to their work who don’t need anything else. the entire story comes down to them being forced to try compromise and understanding and surprise surprise it works really well actually.

then there’s that Second Break-up. not because they’re incompatible again. but because they’re just not at a point where they can heal together. they won’t let themselves. it’s like denial user vs obsession user. their ability to communicate hasn’t progressed as fast as it needed to for them to be able to do it together any more. they could’ve worked fine in the aftermath, far removed and far healed. that’s kind of the whole ending in a way.

it’s only when they’re put on that second journey where they’re forced to face the dilemmas head on that they’re able to understand. because by the end of fk, there’s perspective gained and it’s enough to balance the scale. it is… The Right Time. compromise issues? solved and dealt with on individual levels. communication issues? solved and dealt with on individual levels.

it’s not the right time in either movie because they don’t have the correct skills to properly maintain a healthy relationship, and in many ways, the movies are them going on a journey to gain them. like couples therapy where you can be eaten. and it’s vindicated by the end! give them a few wrongs, a few misses, and they can sort themselves out. I would even argue by the time they find maisie, it’s clear that they’ve worked themselves out into the right time no matter how the rest of the night goes (claire sees the error in obsession, owen sees the error of abandoning the past, “I have a cabin to finish” [“I have a solution or our van argument”]).

but maisie ultimately just cements it. they can’t afford not to communicate anymore because they’ve decided they’re parents tonight. and they’ve decided they’re parents because they’ve decided they want each other in a permanent way they couldn’t have managed before. IT IS THE RIGHT TIME!

and all dominion is, is proving they do like each other. they are compatible. they can live in the middle of no where with only each other for company and not cause a news incident (child theft non-applicable). like this has always been “the right person”. sometimes you just need to witness certain death to adjust your priorities, three years, and then a second life changing event to be humbled even further into a functional person capable of maintaining a love life.

they always wanted each other. they’re just really bad at it!

[barefoothighlander]

never going back again - 02

summary: ghost finds himself at the wrong safe house, injured and unable to call for backup

simon ‘ghost’ riley x innocent fem!reader

warnings: mdni (18+), mentions of eating, nightmares, mention of alcohol, mutual pining

prev part masterlist next part

It was the calmest he'd ever been, lounging around the cottage with you near, he wasn't much for conversation but he enjoyed asking you questions, how long you'd lived there,

"3 years next month, I bought it a while back after moving here on a whim"

What you did all day,

"Garden and read, lots of painting, even more cooking"

It was all so foreign to him, the idea of living one day at a time, not worrying about the outside world or whether or not your life was in danger, he'd realized quickly that this was the first time he felt safe in years, even with the looming threat of enemies outside and the lack of contact to his team. It did occur to him that if he didn't reach out eventually he would be labelled MIA, but to a man who wasn't even legally alive, the prospect of never seeing his team again didn't worry him a bit, what did worry him was the burning smell from the kitchen.

"What are you doing in here?"

"I was trying a new recipe, it's harder than it looks" You rush to turn off the stove, quickly pulling the pan from the surface and using a towel to waft the smoke.

"I thought you were good at cooking"

"No I said I liked cooking, not that I was any good" You huff while reaching to open the small window above the sink, allowing the fumes to migrate through the opening.

He leans his hands against the table "It doesn't look that bad"

"You're a terrible liar, has anyone ever told you that"

"Most say I've got a great poker face" He tilts his head, you respond with an unamused haha,

He stands to his full height, moving towards you "Let me"

"Let you what"

"Cook, I'll make dinner"

"Anything's better than this" You nudge towards the pan of burnt food, straightening your clothes before allowing him the step to the stove. You turn to sit at the table, watching as he moves around the kitchen with ease, grabbing ingredients from various spots while you point him toward the proper cabinets.

"Where'd you learn to cook?"

"Had to figure out a way to feed myself once I left home"

"They don't feed you at work?"

"They do, but it's mostly inedible, more nutrient based than anything"

"Did your mum cook?"

He doesn't respond for a moment, leaving you to realize the words that come from your mouth, your smile fading quickly, "I'm sorry I forgot"

"S'alright, she um, she didn't often but some Sundays she'd make a roast, best meal I ever ate"

He turns to you, his gaze soft as you smile slightly in response,

"Well let's hope her skills weren't wasted on you"

He laughs lightly, a real laugh before shaking his head and turning his attention back to the stove. You watch as he prepares the food for a few minutes, reaching across the counter to add spices,

"So what are you making?"

"I am making" He stops his sentence, turning off the stove and twisting to face you, "French toast"

"French toast?"

"I said I could cook, not that I know a lot of recipes"

You cover your mouth as you laugh, your eyes creasing at the sides as he places a plate in front of you,

"Well, it smells great"

The two of you dig into the food, your gaze focused on the plate as you allow him the privacy to lift his mask up slightly, revealing his mouth, falling into a comfortable silence as you eat, Simon smiles to himself as you make a small hum of approval,

"You can't be serious"

"What'd I do?"

"That's like a cup of syrup"

"So?"

"You're teeth are going to rot from your head"

"What if they already have"

You scrunch your face at the thought, "At least it'd explain the mask"

"You don't have to turn away you know"

You make a small huh? in response,

"When I pull on my mask, I don't mind you seeing parts of my face"

"I just assumed"

"I know, but you don't have to turn away"

"Okay" Your voice is smaller, intrigue and confusion mixed into it as you nod. “How’s your cut”

“Healing, thanks to you, still tender”

“Can I” You turn your eyes to his, standing from the table to kneel by his side, his breath catches in his throat as you lower your body, your fingers inches from his stomach.

He nods lightly in permission, lifting his shirt for you and settling it on his lower stomach, your fingers pressing gently on the sides of his wound as you inspect it. His eyes stare at your face, holding back a smile as you bite your lip in concentration, you stand, turning behind to grab some new bandages from the cabinet behind you before returning to your position in front of him.

You brace your fingers against his skin, tugging at his bandage,

“Sorry”

“Doesn’t hurt”

You tilt your head to him and he’s watching you, his eyes locked on your face, your cheeks flush slightly under his stare, turning your attention towards his wound as you dress it, pressing the bandage into his skin. You let your fingers linger for a moment, feeling his stomach rise and fall with each breath before you slowly pull away, standing up and nodding.

“That should do”

“Thank you”

“It’s nothing”

“Thank you” He repeats in a lower, softer voice as he lets his shirt fall into place.

"Any idea when your ear thing will work again?"

"You trying to kick me out?"

"No" You widen your eyes at your quick response, "Just, want to make sure there isn't someone at home missing you"

"There isn't"

You mouth a small oh before turning your gaze toward the window, "It's late, you should rest"

"Right"

There's tension between the two of you, neither wants to leave the others company yet at the same time, neither of you will do anything about it.

"I'll see you in the morning" You smile, passing through the kitchen towards your room and closing the door, leaving Simon alone.

He wakes in a blind panic, the sky outside still dark as he blinks his eyes, turning his head towards your door, he can hear you shouting, rustling around and without thinking he enters the room. Your limbs are twisted between the sheets, jolting around as you mumble, he takes a step back as you sit up, your chest heavy.

You clutch your chest at the sight of him, lurking in the doorframe,

"You scared me"

"You were having a nightmare"

"Yeah, they happen sometimes"

It's then that you notice he's not wearing his mask, the room is dark but there's enough light for you to make out the curve of his nose,

He scratches the back of his head, "Okay" turning to leave,

"Simon"

He lazily turns his gaze back to you, responding with a small hmm.

"Will you stay, it's just"

He cuts you off, "Easier to sleep with someone beside you"

"Please"

"Of course"

You watch as he crosses the room, looming beside your bed as you pull the sheets to cover you, feeling the mattress dip under his weight as he settles in. He lays awkwardly on his back, his arms crossed over his stomach, you watch his chest rise and fall, without thinking you slide your palm against it, your fingers light on the fabric of his shirt as you move closer, pressing your chest against his side and resting your head on his shoulder. He snakes an arm around you, letting you nestle against him as his hand settles gently on your arm, his touch feather-light as he tries to keep a consistent heartbeat.

You must've fallen asleep shortly after, waking to the sun streaming into the room, your limbs tangled between his, both of you had turned in your sleep, his chest now pressed against your back as his arms held snugly against your waist. You can feel his steady breath fan across your neck, his face close enough that the tip of his nose grazes your skin, he's so warm, the sheets on the bed long forgotten in your sleep and the heat coming from him is more than enough.

You reach a hand to his arm, tracing over the lines of his tattoo and you feel him tighten his grip, his stable breaths now ragged as he wakes up. It takes him a moment to realize the position he's in, his brain doing little to comprehend the situation.

"Do you have something in your pocket?"

He pulls from you instantly, jolting upwards and turning around as you giggle,

"M'sorry" His voice is groggy, his accent thicker than usual.

"It's fine"

He keeps his gaze away from you, anxiously stretching his limbs before you realize,

"I'm gonna shower, I'll turn away so I don't"

"Thank you"

You can only see the back of his head, his blonde hair that's a mess, the outline of his head as he nods, shaking your thoughts as you move out of the room.

You stare at yourself in the bathroom mirror, hoping that he didn't get a chance to see you that morning either, your hair was everywhere, the skin under your eyes dark from your usual lack of sleep as you strip your pyjamas, turning on the faucet.

You stand in the warm water, letting it wash over you, hoping it would calm your rampant thoughts as you hear Simon moving around behind the door.

You step out of the shower, wrapping your body in a towel and smoothing your hair back before opening the door, the steam wafting from the small room into the house.

“Where’s the kettle?”

“Top left cabinet”

You stand in the doorway, your hands squeezing the water from your hair as you look at him,

“Thanks”

He turns quickly to you and his body freezes, his eyes glued to your practically naked form as you stand, the beads of water dripping from your warm skin.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah, yep, just making tea”

“Okay, bags are in the lower cupboard”

He nods awkwardly, furrowing your brows at him before turning around, he lets out a heavy breath as you leave, leaning back against the counter as he drops his head back, staring at the ceiling.

“Shit” He mumbles to himself, adjusting his pants feeling them grow tighter as his mind runs circles around the sight of you, replaying the way your fingers traced over his skin, and scent of your hair as he rested his head against yours. He was awake most of the night, listening to you breath, smiling lightly as you mumble about nothing, you were soft, he’d never had soft before always jagged and dark.

His mind snaps back as you call from the other room,

“Are you any good at fixing things?”

“Depends, what needs fixing”

“The shutters outside, they’re falling apart”

“I could give them a look”

You appear in the entry, smiling at him, now clothed with your hair pulled back, he just watches you in awe, the fact that you could look so perfect no matter the circumstances, you could be caked in mud and still make his heart flutter.

The two of you sit for tea and chat about nothing, asking more questions that he dodges while you openly answer everything he had wondering about.

“I think you’re his new favourite”

Simon makes a small huh before you nudge your head toward his feet, the small cat nestling itself against his calf.

“Strange”

“He’s not strange”

“Not him just, I’ve never had a cat do this”

“Well get used to it”

He smiles under his mask, he could get used to this, spending his days with you, cooking and drinking tea, just enjoying each others company around the house.

“The shutters”

You set your cup down, nodding at him, “There’s some tools in the shed outside, not sure what’s left but maybe they’d help”

“I’ll get right on it then”

It was sweltering outside, the sun beaming down without a cloud in the sky as Simon tries to navigate his way around fixing the shutters. You see him through the window, his arms flexing as he unscrews some things and nails in others, you had no idea what he was doing but he looked good.

I’m hot, he must be hot you fan yourself with your hand, pulling the hair from your sweat glistened neck, eyes darting around the kitchen before an idea clicks in your head.

“Beer”

It’s the only word you can manage to think of as your eyes fall on him, somewhere in the last few minutes he’d stripped himself of his shirt, tucking the loose material into the belt of his pants as his sweat dripped down his skin.

“Cheers, love one”

Your throat dries, nodding as you extend a n arm toward him, the cold glass of the drink transferring to his grip as he tips it towards you in thanks, turning around to lift his mask slightly before taking a sip. Your eyes trailing down his muscled form, roaming over every ridge of his stomach before moving back up.

“Must be hot with the mask”

“Get used to it”

You take a few gulps of your own drink, running the glass across your skin in an attempt to cool yourself. He turns his gaze back to you, watching as you let the beverage run across your skin, leaving a trail of drips behind, he can’t tell if you’re teasing him or this is just how you act naturally.

“How’s it looking”

“Great”

“So you’re almost done”

“Huh?” His eyes pull back to yours,

“Are you almost done, it’s getting unbearable out here”

“Yeah, nearly there”

“Great, I’ll be inside”

The rest of the evening was calm, the two of you doing your best to stay cool in the small cottage as the sun set over the horizon, deciding on cooking something that didn’t involve the use of heat, settling on sandwiches for dinner.

“Mind if I shower, I’m covered in sweat”

“Yea of course” Your mind floods with the sight of his bare form, thankful that the hot air masked the flush of your cheeks, “Towels are in the washroom”

He nods, standing from the table to move toward the shower, closing the door behind him before turning it on. You blow out a long breath, bracing your hands against the table before turning your head at the sound of him wincing,

“You alright?” You call

“Yeah, just sore”

“Well hurry up, I’ll check your stitches”

You sit impatiently as he showers, nervously tidying the kitchen as you wait, your chest fluttering as you hear the shower turn off.

“Figured it’s easier if I just put my shirt on later”

He must be doing this on purpose, once again your eyes roam his form, his sweat replaced by dripping water as his freshly cleaned skin draws your attention,

“Sure, easier”

He sits on the couch, leaning back and positioning his arm against the top to allow you a better view to his stitches, to your surprise they’re doing well, no inflammation or bleeding, they look good.

“S’good, should be able to take them out soon”

“Great”

“Might leave a scar”

“Adds to the collection”

You pass your gaze over the skin of his chest, littered with scars, some small and others long, some old and some new.

“I’m fine”

“I know you are”

“It only hurts a little, when it happens”

“And someone did this to you”

“A few people”

“How many is a few?” You stare at him with rounded eyes,

“Nothing you need to worry about”

You soften your gaze, standing from the couch,

“I guess we should sleep now” His eyes follow your movements, he shifts in his spot trying to get comfortable,

“Simon, would you- nevermind”

“What do you need?”

“I felt bad waking you last night and I was thinking maybe, if we slept in the same bed I wouldn’t have any, you know”

“Yeah, I’d like that- you not having nightmares” He fumbles over his last words, trying to keep himself together at the prospect of once again having you close.

“Okay” You walk nervously toward your room, the simple action now feeling foreign as he trails behind you, “I’ll keep the lights off if you want”

He nods, closing the door behind him as you get into the bed, shuffling around a little before finding comfort in your position, you turn to your side but keep your eyes on him as he reaches to tug his mask off, your mind trying to piece together what he might look like behind the sharp lines of his shadowed face.

He sets himself beside you, moving an apprehensive arm under your pillow, making sure you were okay with it. You push back against him, your body perfectly slotting in front of his as his other arm settles around your waist, you hold it with your fingers, your thumb rubbing against the skin as you let out a small hum of satisfaction.

You’re asleep in no time, the warmth of the air combined with the comfort of Simon behind you lulling you into a dream while he stays up, his arms tucked against you, it was the most comfortable he’d been in years, maybe ever and be didn’t dare move, his body freezing everytime you moved a leg against him or squeezed his forearm lightly, they were like subconscious reminders that you wanted him there and it warmed his heart, melting against you as he tucked his nose against the nape of your neck, your hair brushing against his skin.

He wakes to an empty bed and a weight on his chest, opening his heavy eyes to the sight of Goliath,

“Good morning kitty”

He runs a hand across his back, smiling lightly as he purrs against his touch before he jumps off, startled by the sounds from the house. Simon quickly realizes that he’s not wearing a mask, it’s light out, and you’re not there, a small panic setting into his nerves as he stands.

He tugs on his mask and a shirt before leaving the room, pressing his side against the frame as he watches you move around the kitchen, steeping some tea while you clean up.

“Mornin”

You turn around with a wide smile, “Sleep well?” You ask, leaning against the counter,

“Best in years” He’s being honest, something about you was so comfortable, safe, he wanted to stay forever, if this was what life had in store for him then he’d accept it with open arms.

“Good, cause I think I found that wire you needed”

His heart sinks in an instant, “You did?”

“I think so, was tucked back in the drawer”

“Oh, I’ll see if it’s the right one then”

You smile, turning back to the kettle that had begun whistling as Simon panics, it was too soon, he wanted more time, he needed to figure out a way to stay longer, something good that would keep him here at least a few more days.

“The bathrooms got mold in it” It was the best he could come up with, he hated lying to you.

“Huh?” You turn with your brows furrowed,

“The bathroom, noticed it last night, I can’t fix it if you’d like”

“Are you sure, I didn’t see any”

“Easy to miss sometimes, it’s just near the drain, shouldn’t take more than a day to clean up”

“Yeah sure, just let me know what you need”

He nods, fighting back a smile of success behind his mask, excusing himself from your direct line of sight before internally celebrating, before stopping to think to himself,

Now I’ve gotta figure out how to retile a shower.

[pictureinme]

hcs for taking care of cillian charcters when they’re sick & when you get sick in return?

thank you thank you for this! i decided to put a few more characters for this, i love the concept LOL

patricia 'kitten' braden

» she is the epitome of 'woe is me' when she's sick - pillows upon pillows, tissues everywhere, a hand upon her forehead as she wears her most extravagant nightgown... she has appearances to keep up! » she requests you to dote on her every need - spoon-feeding her soup, putting on her favorite records and lighting the loveliest of candles when the overhead light is just too much to bear » once she recovers, you've fallen just as ill - she apologizes PROFUSELY for making you kiss her constantly, but how could she abstain from you?! » she cooks for you, making sure you're getting every single nutrient to heal fast - picture soups full of veggies, assorted fruit, and, frankly, disgusting smoothies because she read about it in cosmo

neil lewis

» honestly pathetically arrogant, let's be real - swears he's just fine, tries to keep running the store but he sneezed on a copy of 'dr. strangelove' a customer was trying to rent and lucien kicked him out (for everyone's benefit) » once you have him at home, he wears three masks and gloves, spraying everything down with lysol for fear of getting you sick - the only thing he accepts from you is little snacks and the meds he forgot » you somehow get sick despite his best efforts ... even though he did make you throw out all of his various tissues - he immediately goes to webmd with whatever symptoms you present & definitely micromanages your meds schedule » asks marcia and her husband for advice, but only kind they've got is related to their little bundle of joy - they do, however, send him back home with a fuck ton of goodies for you to wake up to from your sickly nap

emma skillpa

» hides her sickness from you as long as possible, to the point of her passing out mid cleaning - luckily you catch her, and she is beyond embarrassed. "oh, please don't worry, i'll be back on my feet in no time!" » you carry her up the stairs, laying her on her bed, and she can't help but swoon at your control of the situation - she tells you exactly the things she needs, sometimes attempting to get out of bed herself to get them. she already has some soup frozen in the ice box, so all you have to do is thaw them » she goes full emma mode when you've fallen ill after taking such good care of her - calls your place of work, telling them you've fallen deathly ill and need a week off (what a gem she is). makes sure you drink every last bit of soup, no ifs or buts » genuinely does not let you leave the bedroom for the entire week, even if you've already recovered by that point - spends time with you, of course, but she has lots to do around the house! maybe being held captive by emma wasn't so bad, hm?

jackson rippner

» cannot STAND being sick, especially with the delays in his job that could occur - however, he very much enjoys you doting on him like his little caretaker. he can't resist playing house » makes sure you attend to his every need, especially while wearing a cute little outfit (nurse costume unnecessary, but not out of the question) - "come on, do a little spin for me, it's the least you can do. i'm a sick man who needs his meds from his oh so sexy wife!" » you falling ill was not in the itinerary, but he loves how cute you look bundled up in the sheets - he pokes fun at you, but still gets you all the stuff you need » if he has to leave for a job in the middle of your sickness, he leaves you with a nest of items you could ever possibly need, as well as an on-call doctor he knows for... reasons - "i'll just be a few states away, but if shit gets serious, don't hesitate to call my burner. yes, i need it for this job, i don't know why. please stop asking so many questions."

jonathan crane

» you can barely tell he's sick for the first few days, but you notice the redness around his nose - when you bring it up, he immediately shoots you down. "darling, if i was sick, i couldn't be doing my job, now could i?" » meanwhile, the next time you see him, he's passed out in his office chair with tissues stuffed in his pocket like a lapel. you bring him back to your place so he can properly rest - he wakes up confused, but silently grateful for the glass of water and medicine you placed on the nightstand next to him » having him stay at your place got you sick pretty fast, and you couldn't believe how he was surviving with the level of congestion you're having - he stays home from work enough to dote on you in his own special way, taking note of your symptoms to properly take care of you » he only goes to the office a few times to bring you back some high doses of medicine you couldn't get over the counter at a cvs, so you could heal as fast as possible - "i know the pills are bigger than normal, but you only have to take them once a day for the rest of the week. don't be such a crybaby."

[pricegouge]

Fatted Rabbit Part Eight on AO3

Contents

Bearshifter!Price x reader | explicit

John wakes with a sharp jerk when his own snoring gets too loud. Underneath him, the pillow he's wrapped around wriggles discontentedly and then falls still. John snuffles into it, the soft, pliant smell digging a hook right behind his sinus cavity and pulling. He humps down once - more instinct than actual desire, he didn't even know he was hard - and the pillow grunts. Oh, right. He's caught a rabbit in his den.

John wakes with a sharp jerk when his own snoring gets too loud. Underneath him, the pillow he's wrapped around wriggles discontentedly and then falls still. John snuffles into it, the soft, pliant smell digging a hook right behind his sinus cavity and pulling. He humps down once - more instinct than actual desire, he didn't even know he was hard - and the pillow grunts.

Oh, right.

He's caught a rabbit in his den.

Reluctantly, he raises his head from where he's got his nose smushed behind her ear. She's still asleep, somehow, her face pressed into his pillow as if she's also scenting him. It unclenches something in his stomach, turns his blood languid and syrupy sweet. They rotated slightly in their sleep, the rabbit laying more so on her belly with John draped over her like the world's heaviest blanket, just like she'd wished his bear could be. He's got a thigh pressed between hers and his arm wrapped around and under her to keep his mit exactly where she'd put it the night before. She's sweaty, probably blistering under the heat of him, poor lamb. He wonders how long he's been snoring directly into her ear and cringes. He can be a bit hard to wake up, god knows. Hopefully he didn't keep her up half the night, pinned to the mattress as she was.

John cops one last feel of her belly and places a quick kiss on the drool stain behind her ear, only resists licking it up by promising himself there would be plenty of time for that later so long as he doesn't freak her out now.

He sneaks off to the kitchen, humming as he cooks them up a full English. He's not sure what she'll want or if she'll even want anything - but his bear has been beside itself ever since she said she didn't have much of an appetite. Poor mate, doesn't know what's good for her. He knows he should back off, that continually insisting on feeding her wasn't really normal. It was probably even impolite. But he couldn't escape the gnawing feeling in his chest that he needed to provide for her, make sure she was ingesting enough calories and nutrients to make up for what she was losing. So, he wouldn't force her to eat, but he'd make sure she had access to anything she could possibly want.

John's got every part of the pig cooked and keeping warm in the oven. He's fried and scrambled eggs both, just because he doesn't know which she'd prefer. There are mushrooms, beans, tomatoes, and hashbrowns. Orange juice, coffee, and tea. He's timed it perfectly, is just putting the toast on when his rabbit wanders out, nose in the air.

"Man, you weren't kidding about breakfast, huh?"

"I never joke about breakfast."

She laughs and tucks herself into his chest, face burrowing right between his pecs and breathing deeply. John chuffs happily, scratching the back of her head with one hand as he flips the buttered slices on the pan.

"Can you make that noise again?"

Hell. "What noise?"

"That like… huffy kind of noise you just did, can you do it again?"

John huffs, distinctly human. "That one?"

"Nah, nevermind. You sounded like my friend the bear for a second."

"Oh right, that bloke…"

The rabbit laughs at the affected jealousy in his voice. "Can I help with this at all?" she nods at the oven.

"Nope, just take a seat, honey. How are you feeling?"

"Dehydrated," she groans, and reroutes at the sight of the kettle.

"Forgot to get you a water bottle last night, damn me," John grumbles, but the rabbit just smiles at him.

"You did fine, big guy, no worries." She peruses his mug tree and selects the cheeky bear mug his mum had sent him a few years back, trying to keep her smile private. He wonders if she's thinking about his goofy feigned jealousy or if she's starting to see similarities. He's tempted to let her, considers chuffing at her again. He doesn't mind her knowing - trusts her enough already - but he's not sure how best to say, 'Now this is going to sound crazy… ' He'd just outright shown his mum, but she'd fainted so perhaps that wasn't the best route either. Besides, he doesn't want to scare her off, so perhaps the best thing would be to let her draw her own connections. He decides to play with it, bides his time for a good opening as he watches her get her tea ready.

He learns she takes it with orange and honey, the sweet girl.

"Thanks for taking care of me last night. That wasn't really necessary but it was very nice."

"Of course, honey. Sorry if I kept you up though, I forgot to warn you I snore."

"Like a chainsaw," she agrees, laughing, as he tables all the food. He sits cornered to her, knees brushing. "Probably weird to admit but it was kinda nice. The Jeep's either dead silent or surrounded by awful parking lot noises when I'm trying to sleep so it was a good change of pace. Even if you do run at approximately nine hundred kelvin."

"Aye, sorry about that. Make for a good heating pad, though?"

"Decent weighted blanket, too."

"And I'm fuzzy," he laughs, faux-nonchalant. He pretends to consider the sausage links for too long, avoiding eye contact.

He can feel the weight of her gaze, assessing. The bear mug dangles from her fingertips ominously. "Regular teddy bear, you."

To his delight she fills her plate with bacon, fried eggs, toast, mushrooms, and pretty much every fruit he had the foresight to prepare and by the end of it she - finally - looks a little less pallid.

"Feeling better?"

She tilts her head back and forth, weighing. "Eh. Not the greatest but that's… unrelated to the hangover."

"Poor bunny. Go lay down on the couch, I'll join you in a minute."

Realizing he intends to clean up, she protests, "Mm! Let me help."

"I insist," he starts, but she's already wrapping up leftovers (he hadn't wanted to make an ass of himself by eating nearly a kilo of meat).

"No, I insist. In fact if you wanna go lie down, I can manage."

"Bloody unlikely," he grumbles, and they work through the mess together in companionable silence.

Or at least, he thought it was companionable.

"Well, thanks for breakfast, John. And also lunch. And dinner. And being so nice. But I should probably head out so -."

The cliff his emotions fall off feels endless. "You're leaving?" It's probably too desperate to sound so stricken but he can't help it, most of his energy spent throttling his bear to keep from dragging her back to bed and pinning her there.

"Oh, uh. Well, I figured…"

Christ, there it is again: that blind panic he's seen in her eyes a few times now. As if he's got her backed up on a trapping pit and any move could be her last; like there's a correct answer, or a quick drop.

He's not sure where the instinct has been coming from. He's never exactly been known to be gentle, but he is with her now. "Not kicking you out, honey. I'd like it if you stayed… but I understand if you'd like to leave."

Guard up, still squirming, "Even if I don't -. Don't want…" he waits her out even though it kills him how much she looks like she might bolt. Eventually she clears her throat, dons some unnaturally blank expression that's somehow even worse. "I thought you'd want me to leave because I don't want to have sex with you. Today. Because…"

Shite. John thinks back on what he'd said the night before. 'We'll talk about it in the morning.' God, he's a knob.

"Sweetheart…" Lost, John flicks at his mustache, antsy. "I shouldn't've… look, I might've put my foot in my mouth last night. Everything I said was only meant to show you how willing I'd be, not to convince you to be. If you don't want… that… that's the end of the discussion, right? But that doesn't mean I want you to leave. I'm just as happy to simply spend time with you, if you're up for it."

The rabbit's eyes are still shuttered, but he thinks he sees the barest hint of hope in there, too. "I can still suck you off, if you'd like."

And John experiences the mental equivalent of having your engine stall out while accelerating. What the fuck?

"No. Well, yes," he clarifies when she looks - disappointed? Self-conscious? Scared, again? "Yes, but not -. Hm. The first time you take my cock isn't going to be in your throat, aye?"

There it is, finally. Pupils dilated with something other than fear now.

"Don't care how long you make me wait, sweetheart. You could keep me chasing you half across the state for a bloody year if you wanted. But when you're ready for me," he hooks two fingers in the band of her sleep pants and pulls her closer, testing how pliable she is, "I'm taking this cunt first."

He'd planned to kiss her, but she beats him to it.

"Don't wanna be casual," she tells him as he lays her out on the couch.

He can't help but laugh. "You thought this was casual?"

It's slow and languid, syrupy as the honey he tastes on her tongue. The impatience of last night is gone, driven out by the same instincts that gentle him every time those wide, prey eyes show themselves. He gets her on her side, flush to the back of the couch. It's hard for him to fit along with her because she's so perfectly fucking soft and John - despite the winter's best efforts - is still a big man, but they manage. Even if he's half on the coffee table, technically. By the time they're trading more words than kisses, John's got the flat of his palm planted exactly where she'd put it the night before and he's making her giggle by flexing his fingers into her soft flesh, grinning like an idiot all the while.

"Fucking heaven holding onto you all night, you've no idea."

"Well I might have some idea." She stretches languidly and John ducks to kiss her exposed neck.

"Yeah? That mean you'll stay again tonight?"

"John," she laughs, exasperated.

"One more night, bunny, then I'll let you free."

"Don't you have to work?"

"Closed Mondays."

"Benevolent of you."

"What were you planning on doing today?"

"Gotta call my friend at some point, maybe try to catch the game. But that's about it..." the way she trails off has him eyeing her suspiciously. "Okay, fine, I was going to try my luck charging my Switch at Starbucks."

"Charging your… Christ, go get it, whatever it is," John grumbles. "And anything else you need to charge too, you stubborn thing."

She rolls up and over him to reach the floor and for a brief moment John is in heaven, surrounded by the soft warm plush of his mate, and then she's gone, leaning over him. "Speaking of, did you charge my phone last night?"

"'Course, honey."

"Yeah, 'course you did. Can you stop being so friggin' sweet, I'm still trying to figure out how to return the favor."

When she turns, John can't help but smack her playfully on the ass. She gives him a look over her shoulder, all fake anger, and he can't help but look contrite. "You said stop being sweet."

It turns out a Switch is a gaming console and she teases him about not knowing that the entire time it charges, then absolutely wipes the floor with him in Mario Kart.

"Thought you said you were good at this?" She asks, shifting again. John needed both hands to play, unfortunately, but they'd discovered just his calf resting over her belly was warm and solid enough to appease her. Or it had been, at least; he'd noticed her getting more restless the last circuit.

"This is not like the game I grew up with."

"Which one was that, old man? Pong?"

He ignores the jab. "How you holding up?"

"I'm good, thanks." She's a liar, if the acidity of her discomfort is anything to go by. The smell of blood is stronger today, and he vaguely remembers past partners complaining about their second days being the worst.

Funny, how little he'd cared in the past.

"Want me to get you anything?"

"Think you've gotten me enough." She motions to the coffee table full of snacks and beverages, a bottle of ibuprofen within reach.

"Those were for me, actually. Was a bit miffed when you dug in."

"Oh, sorry, I'd assumed you'd eaten enough at breakfast, mister four eggs."

"Not nearly. Only reason I didn't polish off that pig is 'cause I didn't want to embarrass myself falling asleep ten minutes later like my old man."

"Don't feed the bear, eh?" she laughs.

John sideeyes her. "Pardon?"

"Fat and happy? It's what we call a food coma back home. Feed the bear, get fat and happy, hibernate."

John chuckles, low. "I like that."

"Did you wanna take a nap? I can cl -."

"If you say clear out I'm gonna chain your tires."

"Sorry," she tries to laugh. Comes out a touch too breathy. He peeks and sure enough, wide, prey eyes.

"'M not mad." John prods her with his toe to make sure she's listening. "If you wanna leave that's one thing, but I'm not kicking you out today. May never," he grins and the quiet huff he gets in response is far more grounded. "Tell you what. If some life shattering event were to happen and I needed to kick you out, I'd just say, 'Sorry, bunny, but can we pick this up some other time?' Short of that explicit dismissal, go ahead and assume nothing I say is a subtle attempt to get rid of you, okay?"

Her smile is maybe a little sad, but appreciative. "Okay."

"There's a good girl. Now, to answer your first question, it's my day off and yes I very much would like a nap. Should I doze off listening to you curse this game or can we move it to the bedroom?"

"A nap does sound nice…"

John grins salaciously. "Bedroom it is."

She wants to lay on top of him this time and he's all too happy to oblige, letting her hike a leg over his own and dig his hip into her belly. When she snuffles into his chest he thinks he might be in heaven. He doesn't need more than this, truly. He'd meant what he said earlier - that she could run him ragged for as long as she wanted, so long as she allowed him this. His bear would be content. Mated, whether she knew it or not. She said she didn't want to be casual so surely she felt it, too. This would be enough for him, for however long it took her to be comfortable with him. And she would be, one day. He'd figure out what made her flinch away every time she thought he was mad or disappointed. It was worrying, to say the least, but he didn't think he could just out and ask her if she was scared of him, or what had happened to make her so flinchy. It was driving him more than a little crazy, though, his bear searching for flesh to sink his teeth into. Somewhere, someone had convinced his girl she was only worth having around if she was putting out, had made her scared to admit what she wanted. Had made her fear him.

He'd kill them if he ever found them.

In the meantime, it was nice to flex this side of himself, be sweet and soft in a way he'd never felt inclined to be before, let his anger simmer under the flesh where she'd never see it.

"What time do those muppets play?"

She hummed, already on the verge of sleep. "Seven, I think."

"Would you rather go out to see it, or stay in?"

"...I'm good with staying in. I can make dinner."

"Don't have to, honey."

"Want to."

"Mm. Such a sweet rabbit."

***

He wakes up confused and alone, more bear than human, already snuffling around the empty sheets for her. She was distressed, headed to the bathroom, and then out the door. John's pulling on clothes and grabbing his keys before he's even consciously aware of it, phone being tucked into a pocket when it vibrates with a missed text.

Christ. The sigh he emits is loud as a bellows.

Really, he's so floaty on their growing bond he feels like he'll never need a cigar again, but the temptation to keep an eye on her from above is far too good, so he climbs his way upstairs with a choice, sweet number and leans on the short wall as he lights up. He can't see her properly, but the Jeep's boot is open and he can hear her voice clearly enough he knows she must be sitting back there. He shouldn't be listening, he knows. It's an invasion of her privacy to say the least, but she's giggly, voice sugar sweet, and it prickles along the shell of John's ear, needle sharp and mean.

"I know, it's good to hear from you, too. No, I had to change that a couple years back. I did, had it memorized. For real. Your's and Kadie's. Couple others."

Scared, now:

"Yeah, about that... No, but I'm better, thanks… Mm… I fucking knew it. Blond, scar on his cheek, generally unsettling? Yep, that was Phil… No, I'm sorry… Mm. Hey, how long ago was that? Shit… No. Two, maybe three months… No, I figured he would. S'why I didn't reach out sooner… Well, you know how my mom is… Nah, it's fine. Better this way anyway. No one can tell him shit if they don't know anything to tell… Well, desperate times." A deep sigh. "It was bad, Benny… the usual stuff at first. Wasn't allowed to talk to friends, yadda yadda. By the time it got physical I didn't have anyone to reach out to… yeah. He had complete control of finances. Made shit hard. Took nearly four years to get things sorted but here we are… yeah, thanks. So anyway, this stays between me and you, yeah? Don't go around saying you heard from me, please. Phil's probably following all your socials from ghost accounts. You and everyone else. Would just take one loud mouth to draw his attention back… I'm serious, Ben… thanks. So anyway, enough about that shit. How've you been?"

Her voice is light again. Too light, reminds him of the blank face she'd adopted when she'd let it spill that she assumed he didn't want her around if she wasn't going to sleep with him. He's still turning his cigar over the open flame of his lighter, too lost in thought to notice it was nearly engulfed.

The usual stuff… got physical… nearly four years.

"Fuck," John hisses as his thumb is burned. He shakes the cigar in an attempt to put it out but only succeeds in fanning the flame. He lets go, watching as it falls through the air. Simmers with it when it lands in the last of the snow banks hiding deep in the shadow of the building. When he looks back up, the rabbit is standing next to the Jeep, watching him warily. She's still on the phone, half paying attention to her conversation. John forces a casual smile and waves at her, desperately holding his anger in check lest she realize he'd heard her; or worse, believes he's mad at her again.

She waves back after a moment, calm as you please, and John thinks about Phil.

She joins him on the roof and complains about the chilly breeze, tucks herself into John's chest which gets him damn near purring and John thinks about Phil.

She makes stuffed peppers for dinner - fucking delicious, even if his bear isn't the biggest fan of capsaicin - and John thinks about Phil.

She answers his stupid questions about hockey playoffs, talks his ear off about the rag tag group of muppets they've both found themselves supporting, and John thinks about Phil.

In bed later, he gets her pinned under him again and uses her soft tits like a pillow made specially for him, rubs her belly absently just to hear her sigh in contentment and John thinks about Phil. Phil, the blond from Dallas with a scar on his cheek. Phil, who isolated his rabbit and took control of her money to make sure she'd never leave. Phil, who's got her so terrified she's living in her car all alone in the world, still scared to reach out to her own friends and family.

Phil, who got physical with her.

Aside from the odd, misguided urges to eat his rabbit right up, John's bear has never really been tempted by human meat; but he has hunted plenty of big game. He wonders if Phil's pretty blond neck will break just as satisfyingly under his jaw as an elk's.

Next>>

[balkanradfem]

Since I've been gone and computer-free for a while, it's only right that I make a life and plant update! I've been having the worst start with this year's plants, and I've been neglecting them for a while because it was making me a bit sour to see them all doing so bad; let's get into what happened.

So, since it's my fourth year of gardening, I felt super confident that I have leveled up so much that my plants will now grow however I please and that there will be no troubles whatsoever, which is just, a great mindset to start making mistakes in. So, I figured I'd wait until it's not freezing outside, and then, I would put all of the plants on my balcony, and they would have a lot of sun there, and that would make it easier for me to care for them. Before that, I've been keeping them in the kitchen during the night and morning, balcony in the afternoon. It's less work for me if they're on the balcony.

Well, it turns out, tiny baby plants do not do well on the balcony, even if it's not freezing outside! The temperatures were from 2-5 celsius during the night (that's 36 fahrenheit), and even if my plants didn't die, they started shriveling up, the backs of their leaves turning purple and dark. Seeing them turn dark and purple made me feel they were nitrogen deficient, because that has happened before, so I fertilized them all, thinking it would fix the issue - only it made the issue worse. Tiny plants cannot handle a lot of fertilization, they need to grow a bit before they're ready to be properly fed. So the result of this was that my most tiny and vulnerable plants burned out and died, most of just-transplanted tomatoes wilted, and basil died almost completely.

So, I finally realized that they actually disliked the cold of being outside, and brought them back in, and left them in the kitchen, where they had less light, but very warm, stable temperature. And, they all got better. It was almost like a weird mocking game from nature - if I had left them all in the kitchen, without ever taking them outside, they would have been growing consistently, and gotten twice the size already. I have been fooled by my arrogance. So why did all of the plants got sick and purple on my balcony?

Because the temperature of the soil affects what nutrients they're able to draw out. If it's too hot, or too cold, they won't be able to pull nitrogen out of the soil, even if there is plenty of nitrogen in! Same works with calcium, they need proper temperature and moisture in order to feed on it. Tiny plants do not take well to quick changes in temperature, they need to be bigger, and introduced gradually to colder nights. A month old plant can easily survive what a week old plant cannot. Only plants that are twice as big as their pot can easily bear thru cold nights outside without getting sick.

So, after this happened, I had a few happy accidents that I didn't count on, that cheered me up. There are 2 balcony windows that don't get a lot of light, but they're very warm (radiator underneath). I have left a few houseplants there, few lemons, and one cabbage, and forgot them completely. I didn't water them except maybe once every week. And somehow, without me noticing, tomatoes have started growing out of the pots with lemons, because apparently there were some seeds left in the soil there, and they quickly out-grew all of my carefully cared for tomato plants. Also that cabbage I forgot? It was the biggest most successful plant I had. I was in disbelief when I saw that, because, excuse me, I thought, you guys needed light to grow. Apparently, they cared more for the heat, and were happy to just get 2 hours of direct sunlight to grow. This went against everything I knew, but maybe I just needed to learn a new thing: sometimes warmth matters more. Next time I can just neglect bunch of plants on those windows and get successful plants with zero effort.

Encouraged by this, I was very careful this time to introduce my now bigger plants to the cold and bright balcony light, and this time I was listening to the rules carefully: First day only 1 hour in the direct sun, next day 3 hours, third day 5. Then they can stay overnight, and I only do it with plants that are big enough to survive minor damage. And it worked out perfectly. All plants held up well, and the last week of April, I've already started transplanting my tomatoes in the garden.

Another fun bit about me not being able to access laptop or my data, was that I could not check my own garden plan, that I made for this year. Planting the garden, I just had to figure out a whole new garden plan on the fly, which was absolutely hilarious. Me frantically typing on my phone 'can beans and strawberries grow together' while already holding a bag of beans in my hand, trying to decide where to dig the holes. Turns out, beans and strawberries DO grow well together, and since I have 3,5 garden beds of strawberries, I decided to plant beans in every one of them, just to see what happens. I have also stabbed large sticks in those gardens, and to an unknowing individual, who does not know about the beans, it might look as if I'm expecting my strawberries to climb up, which would be charming, and something to work towards in the future.

The strawberries are in full bloom and I want to spend hours just lying on the grass and looking at bees fertilize them. I felt so much yearning for the garden, so much of just wanting to be there all day and just watch life develop and grow.

After planting beans, I had a nagging feeling that I was supposed to plant something else and was forgetting about it, while I was ignoring all the plants due to feeling sulky, and I went to my box of seeds and took everything out to see what was not yet planted - to be immediately hit with a wall of shame: I had forgot to plant cucumbers and cantaloupes completely. And my poor mystery squash was also still in seed form. Now, these plants can grow very fast, and I started them right away and by now they're already developing their first leaves, so nothing is lost! This will depend on the climate. If we have a crazy hot summer with heat waves, my cantaloupes will not fare well, and I will have fewer cucumbers. If, by some chance, we have a bit more rain, some milder weather, maybe a storm every few weeks, then I might be looking at a good harvest anyway.

I had to starts all of my plants and plant my garden early, I planted everything about a month earlier than everyone else, because I know I will not be able to water my garden, and I'm counting on plants getting big and strong before the heat waves hit, and by then, they'll be mulched, covered, casting shade one over another in order to survive the heat. Last two years this worked brilliantly, and my garden was big and strong. I'm having high hopes this year as well, even as I started on rocky grounds, everything recovered so nicely, I even have a few basil plants looking good, brought back from the brink of death.

I've definitely spent more time outside, more time reading, writing, cooking, foraging and processing food, without access to computer. I've gathered so much bear's garlic, and found it's excellent in a pasta salad. I've eaten a full bowl of wood sorrel and came out just fine. I've tried to cook a soup with wild carrots - I would advise against using the roots, makes it taste very wrong. Almost got poisoned again because I confused young 'forget-me-not' plants with spinach and ate them in a sandwich; luckily I was fine. Laughed at myself a lot for that one. I saw lots of lizards, a frog, several deer, ducks, and a lot of birds in the forest, some very cool bugs as well. I sometimes run into other women in the forest and I feel like we're exactly where we're supposed to be, and we're ruling this land by protecting what's ours.

[aquanova99]

hi babe

love your hc

please egyptian coven x mate with food problems?

if its too triggering please tell me and i will send other request

Its just that im struggling a lot atm and the egyptian coven its my fav coven so im just trying to find some comfort

Hi darling, while I normally hate human hc I will make an exception just this once. We will say they are waiting to turn you and the stress of a big life change is causing you to not eat. I hope you feel better soon. If you need to talk you can always message me ♥️

Amun

He’s going to enforce some tough love, as in you’re going to eat. He literally has all day

Likely makes you some kind of soup and feeds it to you

Kind of accidentally guilts you by telling you that if you cared about him you would also care about yourself

Rubs your back as you relent and take small bites or sips

Kebi

Will cook everything she possibly can and ask you to try it

She’s going to pretend she doesn’t know what you’re going through so you don’t feel embarrassed

But she knows

“I’ve been wanting to get into cooking and since you only have a little while before you turn i was hoping you could try it?”

Cue puppy dog eyes

Smartly makes you only take a singular bite out of various different dishes so you get all the nutrients you need

Benjamin

His may seem counterintuitive at first

He’s going to exhaust you

Like he’s going to ask you to go on a walk that turns into miles and miles of activity until you (who hates complaining, don’t lie to me I know you do) finally tell him you’re too tired to go on

Cue very obvious if you weren’t so exhausted shock

“Oh no I’m so sorry I forget humans have different needs, here have some of this…”

Has Tupperware of food in the bag he was carrying from Kebi

Or will have you so distracted and will also “I completely forgot you need to eat,” and excitedly grabs something before you can protest

Kinda hard to say no to him tbh

Tia

Threatens to tell Amun and Kebi

When you insist you’re fine she follows through

Will ask Kebi to make simple foods that will at least keep you nutritionally sustained

Probably stores meal replacement shakes so you still have something in your system until it’s time to change you

[deciessomnia]

@adelha-mathilde :: Asmodeus would feel a hand come to rest at his arm. Adelha there to look very concerned as she gazes at the Avatar of Lust. "Asmodeus. You look absolutely drained of energy. Pale as a ghost and like you forgot your makeup. You need to come along with me so we may get you something to eat and drink. As well as pamper you with a manicure to fix your chipped nail polish." Adelha then pauses to say with a lowered voice, "We do not want Lucifer to see you and worry that you have taken ill or some such. he has enough to fret over as it is."

unprompted interaction // always accepting // can be cont'd

❝ I was hoping no one would take notice, honestly. ❞ a sigh fell from Asmodeus’s lips. He truly sounded exhausted and it had nothing to do with trying to get his ____ to trend. ❝ As appealing as that sounds, I would need to rest first before going out and about to look my best. ❞ the devil be damn if he were to be caught going out with bags under his eyes. That would cause for more worry than himself looking tired, let alone feeling it as well. Only so much makeup could cover up the bags under his eyes.

❝ First, perhaps a small meal can help. How about we stop by the kitchen and make ourselves something to eat? ❞ it wouldn’t do himself any good if he did not feed himself first before doing anything else. Hopefully the kitchen was fully stock in order to do so. Now the Avatar of Lust had to think of what he wanted to eat. A salad was a start, but wouldn’t provide his body with the nutrients he needed.

[neelahind]

(i donr feel like retyping the questions I had so I'm just send a screenshot of them)

AUGH I ALMOST FORGOT TO ANSWER THIS HI to answer the first question directly the impostor in that art from last year i rbed the other day (katya) has killed but at the 'start' point of the story w my & a friend's amogus ocs she no longer kills. 2nd answer's going under the cut i cant just post a mini essay about my amongus ocs un-readmored

ok so i gotta establish my impostor lore first: my impostors are humans who've been infected w an alien parasite. they're conscious, they're basically in control, they're still themselves, it's not a zombie situation or a "strapped into the driver's seat but the car's stuck on autopilot" situation. but the parasite's essentially attached to the host's digestive system and 1) steals nutrients, it's a whole point in my lore that the parasite feeds itself before it lets its host feed; 2) is an obligate carnivore, so the hosts need to eat a LOT of meat to sustain both it and themselves. the space food my crewmates are usually eating does NOT sustain the parasites, so hosts need another source of meat. you know what i mean. you know

so really when you get down to it, the reason impostors in my lore do what they do is they're newly infested by this alien parasite and they're... confused. probably scared out of their minds not knowing what's happening to them. agitated, too. and hungry to a degree and with an urgency they've probably never felt before.

(and it IS urgent. if left unfed the parasite eats the host alive. nbd though)

and to add to things i always have that new impostor haze mix with some other driving force. just like, something that probably WOULDN'T lead them to kill in normal circumstances, but the effects of the infection push that drive to its extreme. impostor instincts combining with very human motives is kind of my Thing.

for katya it was that she'd been harboring resentment towards her two best friends for months because she was trying to repress her heartbreak (said two best friends had gotten together, she had a Huge Crush on one of 'em) and repression wasn't working. and also harboring resentment towards herself for feeling how she was feeling

other Very Human Motivations include "i have to protect those close to me, if i hurt them or let them get hurt i couldn't live with myself," "i need to cover up my own wrongdoings so i don't Lose my fucking Job," and "if we die out here because i'm an impostor now it'll all have been for nothing, i can't let that happen" (to be fair the last one was Already killing people. don't worry about it)

anyway to sprinkle in a bit of bonus lore about those two in that drawing i rbed the other day: after getting caught katya threw herself to the mercy of her surviving crewmates and offered herself up for study if they didn't eject her. somehow it worked. in the years following she'd been under the care & study of several different groups of MIRA employees. the other one in that drawing (haüyne) is part of the last group assigned to watch & study her

[silver-ink-iron-words]

Hey so your writing is like my favorite thing on this earth, and you can ignore my request lol but can you continue "trying to leave"

Oh my god you're so sweet. Thank you for the request, I hope you enjoy

CW - force-feeding

Part 1

Part 2

Trying to Leave, Part 3

The love of the villain’s life stared at them, their eyes filled with hatred.

“This is your last chance,” the villain said.

The civilian spat on the floor beside their feet.

They were tied to a chair, in the center of the kitchen. The villain sat on the table, watching their lover. They took in the sunken face, the painfully thin arms, the valleys within their collarbones.

The villain had tried placing warm meals in front of the civilian each day. Multiple times a day. But the civilian was still on some kind of hunger strike. They seemed to think that if they starved themself, the villain would let them go.

They were wrong.

The villain pushed off the table and grabbed the civilian’s head. The civilian tried to bite them, but they positioned themself out of the way and held firm.

They pinched the civilian’s nose, and held it. Unable to breathe through that passage, the civilian eventually, reluctantly, had to open their mouth.

And when they did, the villain was ready with the pitcher.

Today’s lunch was leftover red curry – thoroughly blended into a fine slop. They held the civilian’s thrashing head, and poured the sludge down their throat.

Protein, nutrients, fats. Everything the civilian needed.

After a few moments, they took the pitcher away, and forced the civilian’s jaw closed.

“I’m not going to let go until you swallow,” they said.

The civilian looked up at them, tears streaming down their face. They swallowed.

Satisfied, the villain stepped away. The civilian coughed and hacked, flinging curry bits all over the front of their shirt.

“You’re a monster,” the civilian said.

The villain walked back towards the table. “Yes dear.”

“I fucking hate you.”

“I know dear.”

The villain settled back onto the table, and gave the civilian a minute to catch their breath. “We wouldn’t have to do this, if you’d just eat.”

The civilian glared at them.

The villain leaned forward. “I could bring you something right now. Bread. Stew. An omelette. Anything.”

“Fuck you. I’m not eating a damn thing you give me.”

The villain sighed. “Suit yourself.”

They lifted the pitcher off the table, and got up for round two.

--

The villain woke up one morning, and found the civilian gone.

The door to their room was unlocked. The chain attached to the wall was broken.

The villain pulled on their hiking boots, and went outside. They looked out at the trees surrounding their house, at the forest that stretched on for miles and miles and miles.

They spotted some tracks, and started walking.

The villain didn’t exactly blame the civilian for running. They probably would’ve done the same thing, if the situations had been reversed.

Still, they were going to find the civilian. And they were going to make them regret ever stepping a single foot outside the front door.

Part 4

---------------------

Edit - I almost forgot that some people had asked to be tagged for this series. So, uh, here you go:

@sweetpeaflower01 , @icarusignite , @memepsychowhowantsuperpower-blog

[prismatic-starstuff]

Dude I'm about to lose it, so like I'm not done with my digging in fact I've barely scratched the surface so far, but listen to this: At one point a guy in the YouTube comments of a video said that they work with plants and that in plants, grafting new plants like that makes them more susceptible to breaking and being fragile in general because they all feed off of the og plant, and they were applying this to the Elden Ring concept of grafting. Now obviously that's plants and while in a lot of regards plants work similarly to fleshy organisms, a few of my pals were like "Well that's plants. Probably doesn't work like that here." and I'm not one not to provide more proof of my claims, so I thought long and hard about the closest real life concept I know of that I could utilise to either confirm or disprove this and I settled on what used to be called "parasitic twin" (outdated term but the current one is long af and I forgot it. It's something like underdeveloped embryo syndrome? Idk). Basically, an underdeveloped conjoined twin, most commonly presenting as an extra limb on the body of the developed individual, needs the nutrients and blood supply of the developed one to "survive" (in quotation marks because when it's just a limb you can't really...say survive or live, I think). A lot of the time this negatively affects the developed person as it puts strain on their heart and makes them prone to heart failure.

"Oh but isn't that different because the extra twin is technically native to their body?" you might ask. "Wouldn't it be closer to stuff like phalloplasty?" Well I get the sentiment but no because with phalloplasty A) it doesn't need that much blood supply, like it doesn't...it doesn't get up naturally, for example. B) a dick is a body part 50% of the population has naturally and a lot of them don't have a bigger heart. The only thing I'd argue that is the same/similar is the possible process of rejection. I mean yeah yeah Elden Ring is a fantasy game, I get it, but of course irl grafts have a chance of rejecting, like piercings, but differently. Grafts need blood supply, for example nipple grafts have a 10% chance of dying (at least parts of them) due to insufficient/no blood supply. So in theory grafts in Elden Ring should have a chance of being rejected by the body. I digress though, what I wanted to say is:

Basically Godrick's grafting is probably actually making him sicker because his heart, which is not adapted for about 14 extra limbs, has to pump blood into all of them and that's...not exactly good for it. Nor him. Ergo

Oh my goodness, this... this is really interesting. Because when you look at Godrick, like, sure, he's able to roll around and swing that massive axe like no-one's business, but he does very genuinely look sickly; he's unnaturally pale, his cheeks are sunken, his actual body is frail without the grafts attached to bulk it up... His ramblings and stranger quirks - like speaking to a dead dragon as though it's alive - could also be a sign of this; if there's not enough blood circulation to get proper amounts of oxygen to his brain, that would have an effect on his behaviour.

This was such an interesting read; thank you so much for sharing! Got me thinking about him in a whole new light now...

[tennessoui]

Can we pretty please get a snippet of time and tide if you’ve written any more of it

of course!!! here's some pain :>

Obi-Wan smiles at him and closes the door. “Breakfast is ready, I’ve already plated it. Ah. I should warn you…”

Anakin can’t help but grin at this. He’d been wondering if Obi-Wan would fess up to being a terrible cook before or after he’d served him burnt sludge.

But instead Obi-Wan lowers his voice and inclines his head much closer to his ear than Anakin thinks is strictly necessary. He doesn’t know where his younger self is in the apartment, but he suddenly really hopes he’s occupied. For a bit. Because Obi-Wan’s face is so close to his own face. And Obi-Wan’s breath is hitting the side of Anakin’s cheek. And Obi-Wan smells so good.

“My padawan, Anakin,” his master murmurs into his ear. Anakin doesn’t have any sort of reaction to this, because he knows Obi-Wan means the boy and not him, even though he can’t even recall how many of his fantasies involved Obi-Wan saying those exact words in a completely different tone: Anakin, my padawan. Mine. My padawan, Anakin.

Obi-Wan cuts himself off to pull back a little. “Are you all right?” he asks. “You look...flushed.”

“I’m fine,” Anakin mumbles. “Your padawan?”

He gets a skeptical look for his efforts, but Obi-Wan apparently decides relating this news about his padawan is more important than pushing the question. “Right, my padawan, Anakin. He...he came to the Temple severely malnourished for a child his age and size. I’ve been feeding him the necessary protein supplements as well as everything he needs to catch up with his peers, but the food is a little...tasteless.”

Anakin blinks.

“And he’ll get the most of it,” Obi-Wan adds, looking very serious. “And I need you to not say anything about it, because I don’t think he’s realized yet. Can you do that for me?”

“But what about you?” is the first thought that pops into his head.

Obi-Wan gives him a half-smile. “I don’t need the same nutrients he does,” he mutters.

This offends Anakin in a way he isn’t quite sure he really understands. “But you need nutrients.”

His former master--his master?--his future master?--quirks his eyebrow in an expression of pure disbelief for a second, before his face smooths out into a small smile. “I forgot for a moment--you haven’t spent much time in the Temple at Coruscant. There’s a mess hall. I eat there.”

The words don’t really make any sense, especially not when contrasted to his own memories of his childhood at the Temple. Obi-Wan is right. He’d never noticed any discrepancies between their plates, focused more on complaining about the bland taste than anything else. “But…”he says slowly, “if you’re just going to eat in the mess….”

Obi-Wan’s face loses all humor, and he averts his eyes to somewhere to the right of Anakin. “When my master first took me on as his padawan, one of the only things he insisted on was that I attended every meal in our quarters. He’d cook. We’d eat together. It made me feel...it...I don’t...well, the very basic truth is that I want to give to Anakin the same things I think my master would have been able to give him.”

When Anakin doesn’t say anything, too struck silent and suddenly emotional to figure out how to respond, Obi-Wan shrugs and inches away. “I suppose I still don’t know exactly what that is,” his master admits in a low tone. “But, I’m trying, Aristel. I really am.”

[dynyamight]

here’s a concept: deku, a farmer boy goes out to the Wild West and encounters a cowboy kacchan. deku teaches cowboy kacchan to plant corn and take care of chickens. they then become close. after that they marry and are known at the “maize buckaroo duo.”

(this is so random hshshshsh. but the idea just sparked outta nowhere ;33)

i offer you, farmer!deku x cowboy!bkg you give concept. i create fanfic. ;33 i luv this idea & ilysm

—

When Midoriya registers the fast, loud gallops outside, hitting and snapping down on the ground, he ceases his movement, before smiling hard.

The Monday morning has just started, and already there’s excitement in his chest. Those familiar sounds gave him the absolute flutters.

However, that excitement drops. Daisy huffs, back kicking at the milk bucket in an annoyed fit. Midoriya hurriedly picks it up, before all their shared, hard efforts were to go down the hay. Literally.

“Sorry, sorry!” Midoriya urges the cow, quickly smacking his wet hands on the folded towel on his knee. Then, resting a short calm palm on her snout, he whispers reassuringly, “You did amazing, today. Let’s get you back on the field.”

After setting the bucket aside, Midoriya takes the rope around Daisy in one hand, and lifts open the gate with the other. Together, they slowly make their way out of the stables, more or less. Daisy steps on Midoriya’s heels, hurrying him up.

However, stepping outside, Midoriya already knows to turn to his left, instead of his right at the gated grass field. From the sounds he heard inside, he bets on seeing Dynamite, first.

And, sure enough, turning around the corner of the stables, the proudful stallion meets his eyes, neighing a loud greeting over his way. Midoriya halts Daisy and offers a small wave back.

There’s a small jolt from Dynamite, before he starts walking, at a quick pace over towards Midoriya. Finally, that’s when Midoriya sees Bakugou, riding on the back of the horse, the finest, leather saddle equipped.

Midoriya shakes his head, smiling up. “Surprising to see you, so soon. It’s not even sunrise, Kacchan.”

“How fucking rude,” Bakugou clicks his tongue, before stopping Dynamite’s steps with a small pull. He tips his black, cowboy hat down, though barely. “Not even a damn ‘morning’ my way.”

“You’re never one for pleasantries, anyway.” Midoriya teases, pointing at his hat. “You didn’t do a full tip, you know.”

“Tch, you ain’t special.” Bakugou huffs, “Be grateful.”

Taking a few steps forward, Midoriya pats the side of Dynamite’s face. “Good morning, boy! How are you, on this fine early day?” He holds in the laugh, glancing at the scowl Bakugou sends his way.

Dynamite doesn’t give any cues of delight. But, by the way Midoriya feels the stallion lower his head, and press firmly against his hand, it’s not too far-fetched to assume he loves the touch.

On the other hand, Bakugou swats at Midoriya, face twisted in disgust. “Gross! I don’t want that fucking creature’s juices all over him.”

Behind Midoriya, Daisy stomps on the ground. ‘The field, remember?’ Midoriya imagines her quip. And, from the wagging of her tail, she’s losing her patience. Quickly.

“Yeah, yeah.” Bakugou sneers aloud, speaking directly at Daisy, “Say whatever you want. But, I ain’t wanting your spoiled cheese on my damn horse.”

“That’s not what she’s upset about.” Midoriya deadpans. “And, what? Can’t handle milk, out of all things?”

“Milk that came straight out of her tit.”

“Where else would it come from? Trees?”

“Whatever, I just don’t want that shit on my horse, for fuck’s sake.”

Though, they couldn’t argue anymore about it. With a strong force, Daisy begins to pull Midoriya away, forgoing staying another second away from her beloved grass.

Fortunately, for Midoriya’s heart, Bakugou cues Dynamite to follow, trailing right next to them. “Damn, she reminds me of my hag. So fucking dramatic.”

“Your hag?” Midoriya questions, tossing a curious head over. “Is she your dog?” He guesses.

“My mom.” Bakugou corrects, nonchalantly.

Midoriya supposes the open expression of shock wasn’t concealed well, because Bakugou lets out a laugh, turning away with a fist to his mouth. “You’re such a mama’s boy.” He snickers. It leaves Midoriya red in the face.

It’s just he would never call his mother anything, but an absolute blessing. He loves her, dearly.

The moment they step onto the wide, open area of the field, Daisy tosses her head, wanting the rope around her neck off. Hushing her quiet and still, Midoriya loosens off the knot, allowing the loop to widen, and finally, pulling it over her head, free.

As Daisy trots away, passing through the sheep and goats, Midoriya’s surprised to see Bakugou pulling himself off Dynamite. Landing smoothly on his feet, leather boots shiny with clean spurs, Bakugou fixes his hat, showcasing more of his face.

His red meets green. “Nice farm you got building.” He compliments. “An improvement from before.”

Midoriya nudges him, with a dull elbow jab. “Stop, It looks the same.”

“That ain’t true.” Bakugou firmly states. “Two months ago, this place had nothing.”

“Well, it’s still not enough to open a public business.” Midoriya sighs, readjusting the straps of his brown overalls. ”I might have to pull out another loan, in order to afford some harvest equipment for my corn.”

“Tch, that’s why you should join the rodeos.” Bakugou insists, crossing his arms to his chest. “It’s the easiest way to make money, here. Good money.”

Midoriya looks back at Bakugou, unimpressed. “Says the state champion.”

Dynamite snorts, conveniently in tune to Midoriya’s mock. It causes a slight reddening in Bakugou’s face. He quickly turns back to his horse, munching on the grass. “Shut it.”

“Anyways, I’ll find a way. Rodeo, or not.” Midoriya continues, yawning in between his words.

“Geez, where’s your damn etiquette.”

“Left it back home. With all my sins and exes.” Midoriya teases, outright. And, despite the smack over his head hurting, Midoriya can’t help, but laugh. “I’m serious!”

“You’re so annoying.” Bakugou grumbles, digging one of his spurs on the ground. “Bringing up stupid shit.”

Midoriya shrugs, still rubbing the back of head. “I promise you, I was a lady killer, where I’m from.”

“Killing those poor, innocent ladies with your bad breath.”

Immediately, Midoriya raises a hand over his mouth, puffing out an air. Though, all he can smell really, is Daisy.

God, did that mean his breath smells like Daisy? The cow?

Bakugou rolls his eyes. “Gullible Deku.” He simply states. “Your breath s’fine.”

Midoriya groans, and he tries to smack Bakugou back over the head. Though, Bakugou dodges his hand easily, leaning away.

“Making fun of a farmer on his own bought land, is an insult to his pride.” Midoriya huffs, taking back his hand.

“What are you going to do about it?” Bakugou mocks, a grin forming against his lips. “Make me work? Not a chance.”

With a lightbulb feeling running through his mind, Midoriya absolutely loves the off handed suggestion. “Actually, yes! You can help me feed the chickens!”

Turning his heels quickly, Midoriya smiles at the absolute panic in Bakugou’s voice. “Hah? What the— No, I’m not!”

“Yes, you are!” Midoriya sings aloud, taking quick steps towards the gate. “C’mon, hurry up, now! Leave Dynamite out on the grass!” He calls out, as he opens the gates, and goes into a full sprint out.

By the time he reaches the stables, goes to his feeding cabinet, shelves crowded with plastic containers and bags of nutrients for his livestock and crops, and grabs onto the chicken feed, Bakugou has begrudgingly made his way inside.

“It smells.” Bakugou complains.

“Suck it up.” Midoriya laughs, before taking a plastic bowl off the shelves and setting it down on the counter. He pours the feed inside. “I bet the rodeos smell just as bad.”

“They don’t.”

“Well, you’re being paid to say that.”

Bakugou walks over to him, standing by his side. He leans on the counter, as Midoriya lifts the feed bag back into the cabinet. “If they did, I wouldn’t do them.” Bakugou states, narrowing his eyes. “Simple as that.”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night.” Before Bakugou can insist otherwise, Midoriya pushes the bowl into his hands. He holds back a laugh, when Bakugou almost drops it completely. “Now, let’s head to the coop, shall we?”

Clicking his tongue, Bakugou grimaces. “S’too fucking early for this.”

“Hey, you’re the one who showed up.” Midoriya reminds him, as they walk to the back of the stables, where the clucks of the chickens resound louder. “Which, if you don’t mind me asking, what’s with the sudden visit? Forgot to buy eggs, from yesterday's pick up?”

“Does it matter?” Bakugou questions, instead.

That takes Midoriya aback. “I mean, not really. But, we never meet on the weekdays.” He admits softly. He takes a moment away, to crack open at the tall, wooden gate at the end of the hall.

The chickens weren’t too active, thankfully. Several of them are still sitting perched and hidden inside the coop. Otherwise, only a few were already walking around outside the coop, clucking aimlessly.

Midoriya feels Bakugou lean close to him. When he looks, he notices a chicken had passed by Bakugou’s boots, with no pay to mind. However, Bakugou was visibly losing his mind.

“Don’t tell me you’re scared.” Midoriya smiles.

Bakugou scowls, glaring right down at him. “They got bacteria. Sick motherfuckers.”

For a cowboy, Bakugou has a keen distaste for getting unnecessarily dirty. It never fails to surprise Midoriya. “Well, just wash your clothes when you get back home.”

“I got other shit to do after, you know.” Bakugou growls.

“Again,” Midoriya sighs, “You’re the one who chose to be here. I’m simply utilizing you.”

As Midoriya leads Bakugou over to the coop, he grumbles under his breath. “Gonna have to pull another loan, if you want me working for your ass.”

Rolling his eyes, he ignores the silly comment, and instead gestures at Bakugou to start throwing the feed at the nearby chickens, surrounding the coop. When he stares back, confused, Midoriya remembers the guy’s not a farmer in the slightest. “Start throwing the feed.”

Bakugou hurriedly starts tossing small amounts. “I knew that. Thought you were gonna say something else.”

It’s hard to imagine what else an open hand in air would mean, but nevertheless Midoriya doesn’t argue. The chickens awake are already bustling over, surrounding the dropped feed in seconds.

Taking a handful from the bowl, Midoriya kneels down, going close to the small crowd of chickens. He notices some of them quickly waddle over to him, instead of feed dropped on the ground. The few that come to him peck at his hand, and it floods warmth to Midoriya’s heart.

“They prefer off the hand, huh.” Bakugou comments above him.

“I would like to think that they like me, but sure.” In seconds, the feed’s all gone, and the chickens wait around him for more.

“You should kneel down, too.” Midoriya offers gently to Bakugou, making sure his voice doesn’t startle the creatures. “Feed them off your hand.”

There’s an obvious hesitation, before Bakugou gets low, kneeling next to Midoriya.

One of the chickens tries to reach into the bowl in hands, in which he pulls it away quickly. “I’m getting fucking attacked already.”

“They’re eager.” Midoriya insists.

Dipping his hand into the bowl, Bakugou raises a handful of his own. He whips his head to Midoriya, glaring. “If my hand bleeds, I demand a lawyer to prosecute you.”

They don’t even hurt that bad. Though, telling Bakugou that would probably have him second guess everything. Hence, Midoriya shakes his head. “You won’t.”

Within a few seconds of only impatient clucking surrounding them, Bakugou finally puts his hand out. In seconds, the chickens start to peck at his hand, picking up all the feed quickly.

Midoriya stares at Bakugou. He’s cursing them out, demanding them to stop pecking so hard, for fuck’s sake. And, despite the apparent discomfort from the first handful, Bakugou goes for another handful, offering his hand once more.

Again, the cussing ensues, but it’s still all Bakugou’s free will. He could have stopped at the first hand, but he didn’t. Instead, he’s still kneeling next to Midoriya, feeding these silly, rambunctious chickens.

When Bakugou definitely had better things to do.

“Why did you show up?” Midoriya asks once more, standing up. The chickens have already departed, as Bakugou had tossed the rest of the feed from the bowl, out in the open. “You only buy my products on Sunday’s.”

“Why do you keep asking.” Bakugou reflects back, opening the wooden gate open for Midoriya.

Midoriya steps in front of him, back inside the stables. Once inside, hearing the wooden gate close, he turns around, facing him. “You know, I’m not letting you off, without hearing what’s on your mind.” He softly smiles.

Bakugou stares back at him. And, for an odd moment, his eyes scan all over his face, jittering, until they cease. “You’re making this a big deal, Deku. Just wanted to check up on the farm.”

Ah, that does make sense. “Oh my— Then, why didn’t you say that earlier!" Midoriya laughs.

Bakugou shrugs. “Again, it’s not a big deal. Now, where’s the damn sink?”

Midoriya leads them back to the entrance of the stables, where the sink was, alongside various cleaning supplies perched on shelves. They wash their hands, in silence.

They don’t say much either, when they head back to the grass field, to pick up Dynamite. Though, Midoriya doesn’t mind the silence. Bakugou has a limit to his social battery, and Midoriya has grown to know when it’s time to give him his quiet and peace.

After Bakugou sits back up on Dynamite, and they walk back to the open road, around the corner of the stables, he slightly pulls the reins, causing the stallion to come to a stop. It causes Midoriya to look up, wondering if the cowboy forgot something, back in the stables.

Instead, there’s a slight flush in his cheeks. He coughs loudly, clearing nothing in his throat. “There’s a rodeo this Friday.”

Midoriya waits for the rest, but instead Bakugou says nothing else. “Oh, uh, okay? Will you be participating?”

“Yeah.” Bakugou simply utters.

Again, nothing else is said. “Well, I wish you the best of luck, then.” Midoriya offers, despite the confusion in his mind.

“Are you—” Bakugou stops, inaudibly grumbling under his breath. “I mean, the rodeo ain’t too far from here.”

“Oh!” Midoriya’s genuinely surprised, “Who would have thought? That’s a shocker.”

“Yeah. You could go, even.”

“I’m not joining rodeos. No matter how many times you demand.” Midoriya laughs.

“No, to watch.” Bakugou corrects, though the moment he slips the words, it suddenly causes his entire face to go red. “Fuck, I mean, you could watch. Other riders, and competitors, or whatever the fuck.”

Midoriya can’t seem to understand where Bakugou’s coming from. This cowboy wants him, a new residential farmer, to watch a rodeo. A rodeo, which he has never seen in his entire life.

Though, if Bakugou’s asking, Midoriya’s heart will always simply agree. “I’ll go watch, then.” He reassures him, “And, I guess I’ll cheer you on, if you’re any good.”

Bakugou’s face calms, though there’s still a stiffness in his shoulders. “Cool.”

Midoriya thinks he wants to say something more, but instead Bakugou brings his thighs closer to Dynamite, squeezing him slightly. Instantly, Dynamite starts trouting off.

Before he can call out, Bakugou looks back at him. “Starts at 7 in the afternoon! Don’t be fucking late!”

And, just with a small kick, Dynamite starts racing off on the road, Bakugou leaving Midoriya only with his thoughts.

There’s not a lot of information about the rodeo, though Midoriya knows he will most definitely ask around for the rest of the details. Essentially, it’s a nearby rodeo, that starts at 7PM. Surely, there are others in town that know where exactly is the event.

Midoriya can’t help, but drift his focus away from the rodeo, and back to Bakugou’s distant figure. Against the morning sunrise, he looks so cool.

But, a farmer like him, attracted to a cowboy like Bakugou, is so embarrassing.

[scriptflorist]

Hello, dear mods!

Long story (short below): I was never good at biology, and I faintly remember some stuff about plants. But I went to uni for literature and it's been years since I forgot everything I learned about biology. Admittedly, I was happy for that for reasons, but I regret it now heh.

Short story: I'm bad at biology, but like, really bad.

A month ago, I saw this critic that talked about plant colours in fantasy stories, and gave an example from a specific story and said something like "if that plant is living in a dark place, how is it green?" and maybe silly but it blew my mind. I sorta get it because my minimal knowledge has "chlorophyll" no matter how faintly but still.

I created lots of fantasy plants until then and just never thought about those stuff, you know? Rather, I didn't know I needed to think about them.

http://www.webexhibits.org/causesofcolor/7H.html I found this helpful website about colours, but this small event made me consider the question, are there other plant features that are caused by stuff like this?

Could you help me out? Are there points do you think I should look into? I'm willing to do research, but I don't know where to start, because I know next to nothing about these stuff.

Thank you so much! Your blog is always a treasure and it felt great to know where to come to when I panicked about this topic.

That’s an excellent question with an easy and a not so easy answer. The easy one would be that of course it works because it’s fantasy, duh! You break it, you bought it – it doesn’t fit reality anymore so anything the author is doing with the plants in their story is up to their own rules.

But then of course, it’s really not that simple when looking at how plants actually function, which is why that’s an excellent question. Chlorophyll has a very specific function, other than making the plant green, which is to make photosynthesis possible. Plants that naturally don’t come with chlorophyll are white by default, which could lead to the easy conclusion that of course all underground plants would have to be white but it goes further than that. Other than sunlight being a necessity for plants to develop chlorophyll (those that don’t are all some type of parasite or symbiote to make up for it); it is also a requirement for plants to develop flowers. Well, sort of. Flowers function as a means of attracting pollinators or food for plants.

This makes it not just a question of what gives the plant its green colour but also why it produces flowers and grows in the way it does in the first place.

The description of a green plant brings the natural assumption that it must come from chlorophyll – if the plant grows underground in fantasy setting that doesn’t have to be the sole answer however. Sure it could be chlorophyll, but there’s a chance it’s not, there’s a chance something else is responsible for the plants’ green colour, yet what if it is? What if it’s fantasy chlorophyll that functions differently depending on where the plant grows or has a complete separate set of activities which allows the plant in question to thrive within a cave it could not in reality?

Further the question becomes what function the flowers serve? Are there cave pollinators which need them? Do they help trap and eat prey to offset the nutrient deficiency a plant like that should naturally suffer? In which case the question is what if not insects does the plant feed on?

And then there’s also to consider that even the smallest light source can help plants flourish in the dark, if it’s not impossibly far away. Which tends to cause plants to put all their energy in growing towards it and only really producing healthy stems and leaves once it has been reached. There is no one-size fits all answer to these questions since it’s ultimately for the author to decide. And instead of why, what for and how are much more helpful questions. Sure the answer could be magic, but magic is a bit of a science itself and there’s nothing that says both can’t be mixed. And perhaps the magic that aids the plants’ growth pays tribute in name to what reality dictates, or finds a way to connect in other ways.

I can’t speak for everyone, but personally a green plant in a cave is not going to make me put down my book when I’m reading fantasy, especially if it’s not set in our world where the rules of what’s possible and what’s not are somewhat better defined. However I do adore science mixed with fantasy like that, so if someone put thought into why the plants are green and carry flowers despite growing in the depths of a sunless cave it would definitely want to make me keep reading.

– Mod Jana

Disclaimer

This blog is intended as writing advice only. This blog and its mods are not responsible for accidents, injuries or other consequences of using this advice for real world situations or in any way that said advice was not intended.

[cosmiclatte28]

Disorder (Yuta x reader)

a/n : contains sensitive topic about eating disorder, do not read if it’s triggering or uncomfortable for you :”) 

I do not personally support this topic, but last time I worked on this and I don’t know why I post this.. just tell me to delete this if this is too controversial I’ll take it down.

don’t force yourself 

The dark cloud loaming on the sky is terrifying enough to make you crouch under your blanket as you mutter prayers so the lights won’t go out and the thunder won't surprise you.

However the cold feeling creeping on your feet and hands should be the real deal to worry about. You shake under the blanket, hiding more under the fluffy linen if that is possible. Your lips tremble, chapped lips, and icy blue in color.

You know he won’t like what he sees. Yuta will never like this state you are in, but no matter how much you want to stop it, you can't.

Your body refuses the tiniest amount of food forced into your mouth. It happened three months into your marriage with Nakamoto Yuta. World's famous idol, actor, heart stealer. Life was perfect with Yuta before the marriage announcement. You love him, he loves you… his members are all supportive about his relationship. You're healthy and Yuta loves you for everything you do.

That was until Yuta got his first major role in a drama. The drama won a lot of awards, thanks to your husband's wonderful acting skill as a mafia and the perfect chemistry between the doll actress and him. You need to admit you're jealous of her, but the problem doesn’t come from the actress nor from Yuta.

Your husband is still loyal to you, he takes the marriage vow seriously… you actually do not have to worry about Yuta falling out of love, you clearly can see his love grows more and more each day to you. It's already your second anniversary!

It was the fandom, the talk of the town, the tweets of the bullies that broken you. You know you're not the perfect girl to marry the oh so perfect Nakamoto Yuta. No, you're not ugly or fat. You're fit, you’re healthy, you look fresh. You have a bright smile, cheerful personality, and kind heart. You have your own charm, the glowing smile that makes Yuta bears with the harsh schedule every day. Your hugs bring his broken pieces back, and your laugh it makes Yuta realizes no matter how hard life is, he will keep striving for you.

But the comments of the web, of the unknown faces caught you. Crept slowly into your mind and ate your heart bits by bits on lonely night when you have to fake a smile over calls and videocalls with Yuta.

“(Y/n), I'm coming home In two weeks! The world tour is tiring, but it's worthy!” Yuta one night greeted you over video call. He was unwinding from the tiring show and you were getting ready to work in your own company.

You always put a smile to him, no matter how harsh the comments of the world is whenever people brought up Yuta's marriage with you. The comments are always about how unsuitable you are to be Mrs.Nakamoto.

At first it just hurts, but as you try to ignore them, you just think and think more about it. What if they're true. What if the world really hates seeing you by his side. What if one day you're just going to ruin everything Yuta worked hard for?

With Yuta's tight schedule with comeback and more drama, you found yourself sleeping by yourself and eating by yourself. The lack of companion after coming back from a tiring day makes you skip dinner and directly go to bed.

You thought, skipping dinner will not trouble you, Yuta won’t know and you'll just ignore the pain. You skipped dinner not to lose weight, mainly because you don’t feel happy eating alone. And this happened for a while. You don’t drink anti-acids even when you feel like throwing up at nights, you don’t feed your grumbling stomach when they beg for solid foods. No, you lost your appetite. For weeks, the only thing you have in the morning is just water, one small apple if you really cannot help it and on lunch you try your best to only consume little to none food. Did you lose weight? Drastically! Not in a healthy way, you're not proud of your body. No, this lost of appetite doesn’t make you happy. You don’t feel like living.

“(Y/n)-chan, have u had dinner?” Yuta called on his last week of tour. It has been almost four months since he left for the world tour. He'll have another one month away to finish the closing tour.

You lied and nod your head “Yes, what about you?” Yuta couldn’t see your dining table, you just put your face there.

“I am having breakfast! Anyways, make sure you're eating enough… your cheeks are gone honey!” Yuta looks concern, but his smile is still there coz he is always treasuring the short time he has to call and see you.

“Well, it's the camera maybe. Good thing right?” you try to laugh it off although you know you really lose weight.

“No, I love your glowing cheeks! Don’t tell me you're skipping meals" he suddenly opens his eyes wide.

You chuckle “No. Don’t worry Yuta.”

He grins “Then what did you eat? Why you never show me?”

You are taken aback “Uh I've eaten it.”

Yuta doesn’t give up “Next time, send me a picture okay so it feels less lonely! Gomen, I have to go rehearsal! Byee love you!” he closes the call after you bid him goodbye, goodluck and a love you.

You walk to the mirror in your room. Grimacing at your skeletal body. You were fit and now you look sick. Your skin doesn’t glow, your lips are chapped, and your hair looks dull. No matter how hard you try to bring your glossy hair back, the lack of nutrients won’t allow you.

You hate your current state, you look horrible. Thin body but with a very dull skin, pale lips, unlovely eyes. You look like a walking zombie. Your nail and hair vitamins did not help, the polished healthy nails are now chipped and broken.

You tried, eating some foods, but your body throws them back out. Your friend suggested going to the specialist, but you're too stubborn and shy to go. What if someone caught you on camera, what will the world say about Yuta? About you?

Yes some people know about you. Your wedding picture was published online, you were pretty back then! Some fans supported you, but after they realize how regular you were they started comparing and regretting their idol's choice.

You go to work with your big clothes, trying to hide your sick appearance but everyone in the company realizes you're not doing good.

“Yuta will hate me,” that’s all you can think about when you close your eyes and force your light head to sleep by yourself in the big room while wishing you can still see the sunlight and greet Yuta.

What you fear the most, happened.

Yuta got home to you, shaking so bad from the lack of food. You're working too hard and forgot all the meals. You only drink water, and Yuta got home from his tiring tour to find you laying almost lifeless on his bed.

“(y/n)?! What joke is this?!” he lightly slap your cheek to wake you up, but your breathing is slow and your eyes are heavy.

Yuta rushed you to the hospital and all you remember was the worried look he has once you opened your eyes.

“The specialist said this is not something new. For you to reach this state of disorder, they said it has been at least two years. Why have you never told me? Why?” Yuta asked first thing first when you woke up.

You cried, feeling bad to see Yuta this worried “Gomen, I'm stupid Yuta. I skipped dinner… and it became a routine.”

Yuta shook his head “You were lying to me…”

You cried, unable to deny him. He stayed silence and a tear fell from his face “Why do you lie? Why are you killing yourself? Do you not love me?”

You shake your head furiously “I love you yuta! I love you so much! But it’s lonely without you.”

Yuta trembles upon your remark. Is he the reason you're like this?

Yuta feels bad about your condition, he wants you to return to your healthy self but the doctors all tell him it will take time and patience and a whole lots of determinations!

The medics have to give you fluid foods which sadly you cannot deny. For a week you live from the liquid nutrients injected to your body and for the next month you're forcing yourself to consume food at least a real food.

Yuta takes a break from his promotion, making sure he is with you throughout the process. You feel bad for him, feel pitiful about your condition yet at the same time you hate yourself.

“It's awful Yuta.” You sob as you sit on the toilet floor, after barfing away your dinner once again.

“I'm just wasting food.” You desperately cry and Yuta's there to lend you his shoulder.

“No. Come on, it's not everything! At least your stomach is learning to work and digest again. Come don’t cry my beautiful princess.” He brings back the name he used to call you back on the younger days. You asked him to stop calling you princess after you get older and feel shy about the nickname.

But hearing that from Yuta's own lips, with pure sincerity when he is standing by your side makes you determined to overcome this together with him. For you and for him. For many more memories to make with him and for your future.

“Thank you, Yuta" you whisper before closing your eyes and leaning to his chest because you feel weak.

Yuta kisses the temple of your head “Always and forever my princess.” He hugs you closer to his chest and picks you up to carry you to bed.

“We'll get over this together okay?” You nod “Promise?” he shows you his pinky

You hook your pinky to his “Promise.”

“I love you not for how you look but for who you are.” Yuta slowly say that when you're falling into sleep.

You smile knowing this silly storm in your head will slowly fade with Yuta’s sunshine in your life.

end

[thehappiestgolucky]

Not to be disrespectful or rude or anything, (I love debates so you can really just ignore this if you don't want to answer lol) but I was talking more on the basis of evolution.

If the supply of food is not enough to survive on or there is too much competition, some animals, and even bugs, will be forced to switch to another form of food. Of course, the switch in diet would take sometimes thousands of years, it is still possible.

Although you are right in that moths may not be able to do this. Some herbivore's digestive systems are completely geared towards eating plant matter and getting as much nutrients from it as possible. If they can't get any nutrients from the meat, then they will die. This is also true for their immune system, as they would be unable to fight off bacteria that could be in the meat. (Of course, they're bugs and they wouldn't have the same immune or digestive system as mammals, so who knows.)

One interesting thing to note is that there actually are come species of moths that are at least partially carnivores, like the Calyptra eustrigata, who feeds off of the blood of many mammals, including humans.

There is also the Laetilia coccidivora, who as a caterpillar will actually feed on Coccidae eggs and young. There is also the Epipomponia nawai, who is actually a parasitic moth toward cicadas and plant hoppers. They will latch on and feast on the flesh under their cuticles until their ready to cocoon, in which they'll unlatch themselves from their host.

You'd actually be surprised by how many carnivorous caterpillars there are, like the Eupithecia caterpillars, who are ambush predators. I actually suggest looking into it, it's very fascinating.

(Also one last thing, I mentioned Unn because she is one of the main reasons there is even plant life in Hallownest. I kinda had the thought that that's where they would get most of their food, considering in it's prime, the tribe probably had a good few members, so Unn's plants would be like a godsend for them lol. I didn't mean to insinuate that they worshiped her, I should have worded it better)

Anyway I love some friendly debate, and I'm happy I could have this conversation. Of course you can still not agree with me, that's completely reasonable, the majority of moths are herbivores. I'm just saying that it's not out of the realm of possibility. I hope you don't mind my essay, I love moths and this was my perfect opportunity to go in a tangent about them. :)

Lmao don’t worry you’re not being rude or disrespectful at all!

That’s interesting to learn actually! I’m not actually a bug fan so I don’t know like - a lot about moths or any other bugs really. Ironic considering I like this bug game <w<

Again I personally just can’t see it myself - but you make really great points. I guess to me it’d be like - very specific moths that do it rather than the entire tribe itself? There’s nothing stopping moths who are based on those carnivorous types to be omnivorous moths, or just flat out carnivores! I just myself can’t see like, Seer or Thistlewind eating it yknow? To me it just feels a little off - maybe that’s because all I knew was the regular moths until now idk!

(And yeah don’t worry about the Unn point! The timelines whack so I have no idea if Radiance came first or Unn - so I just believe that whilst Unn’s presence was amazing for all the herbivores in Hallownest - they could survive without her.)

I hope I didn’t insinuate too much that it was out of the realm of possibility, because it absolutely is! Sometimes when somethings concrete in my mind I low-key project that a bit, so like again whilst I just can’t see myself writing about that possibility myself - it absolutely can be a possibility!

(Edit!)

Also wait I completely forgot to mention in both points that I 100% believe the moths built up farms outside the village to keep the food supply ample! So even if before Unn the plant supply wasn’t the best - they simply took what they had and cultivated it.

(Another Edit because I just had a thought after the fact. Also spelling corrections. It was 6AM when I answered ok-)

Nothing about the Hallownest Moth Tribe strikes me as hunters - which I think is the key detail about their diet. Scavengers perhaps - but it’s been (at least, from my personal interpretation of the lore) kind of apparent the moths never really partook in a lot of activities such as hunting or fighting. Most probably aren’t even that trained in self defence. They used Dreamshields as a protective manner. So yes, the evolution idea makes sense! But nothing strikes me that these moths ever hunted or scavenged for other foods.

[furubaa]

Notes on Mushishi - Vol 1 & 2

This is the start of my personal notes on every Mushishi chapter (anime ep # in brackets). I’ve reread the manga over and over again looking for specific stories, so this is just for easier reference. 

VOLUME 1

1 - The Green Gathering (S1E1, The Green Seat)

Ginko learns of a boy who can create life by drawing or writing and decides to pay him a visit 

“The green here is so vivid it’s eerie”

A personal invitation to a banquet, presented with clear sake in a shallow green saucer - the exquisite scent of kouki, the water of life. 

The dull pain of being frozen mid-transformation, one foot out the door; realisation of emptiness, and yearning for a full exit from the world

Color seeping out of an untouched brush; power passed down the generations

Everything covered in moss where the kouki soaked in the ground

2 - The Soft Horns (S1E3, Tender Horns)

Ginko is summoned to cure villagers from hearing problems caused by Mushi, and to cure the village head’s grandson Maho, who has sprouted four horns on his forehead.

A quiet village deep in the mountains where even the wind does not pass; absolute silence on snowy nights, when even the sound of your voice disappears.

Bombarded with a flood of sounds, the spirit tires, and body weakens til death. The murmuring of a single Mushi is a microscopic sound, until made aware of the trillions of Mushi clamouring all over the world, calling to each other like echoes.

An intimate gesture of protection - the sound of your mother. A volcanic eruption seen long ago. The lava inside of you, dissolving everything.

3 - The Pillow Path (S1E4 The Pillow Pathway)

Ginko pays a visit to a man named Jin who has premonitions in his dreams as a result of a Mushi affliction caused by Imeno no Awai. 

4 - The Light in the Eyelids (S1E2 The Light of the Eyelid)

Ginko visits a girl named Sui, who is suffering from a Mushi affliction that has made her eyes sensitive to light.

“Behind your eyelid you have another eyelid.” 

There's a river of light flowing underground that illuminates even the pitch black; there has to be total, true darkness to see it. “Light particles come from very far away/ and they flow past me.” “Stretching out for eternity at your feet”

Ginko sitting on the opposite side of the river bank; a warning from a stranger.

“You spent too much time in the dark with Sui” ... Mushi that breed in the darkness. 

5 - The Traveling Bog (S1E5 The Traveling Swamp)

Ginko is traveling through the mountains to see his friend, Adashino. Along the way, he meets a girl named Io, who lives inside a swamp that is capable of moving by itself.

Ginko finding himself travelling in step with a swamp that sinks into the earth and then floats up over and over again, passing through the mountains

A girl sacrificed to save her village from a flood, wearing ceremonial robes; a bride presented to the water god, pushed off a cliff in a storm.

A large green thing that calmly rose up through the raging water; swimming at the bottom of a river that was overflowing its banks. It said, “You should continue to live.”

“When people drink them, their bodies become transparent... and then, they flow away.” Choosing to become Mushi is to exist between life and death; slowly wearing away at your human heart.

Following the journey of a ten thousand year old swamp to its death; moving towards the sea, the dying form of a liquid mushi. Accompanying it on its final journey.

“Swamps are born, eventually they stagnate, and when the universe they have contained within themselves ends... they get up on their own and start to move.”

VOLUME 2

6 - The Mountain Sleeps (S1E11 The Sleeping Mountain)

While traveling, Ginko passes through a town settled near a mountain. He learns that a Mushi Master is living on the mountain, but hasn't visited the village for quite some time, and every person who had been sent to find him has fallen ill and died.

“A smell both sweet and rancid that rises from the ground and touches each leaf. One by one. Coiling around them and choking their skin. A light vein, where the river of light flows.”

Ginko tapping into a mushi that acts as the mountain's nerves, sinking their wills into the plants and running around. 

“The water of life (...) Women bear children like cats or dogs; twins, triplets, or even quadruplets, abandoned in the mountains.”

A travelling Mushishi who puts his roots down. The one he loves committing an unforgivable act so that they can be married. Assuming the role of a slain mountain boar god; his bones will lie here. 

An aged man, summoning an immortal spirit to take his place of guardian forever - a necessary sacrifice to return the world to natural order.

7 - The Sea of Brushstrokes (S1E20 A Sea of Writings)

Ginko comes to a house which has a library full of mushi-related scrolls. There, he meets the girl who writes the scrolls, and hears the story of the curse that has been afflicting her family for generations.

A large dark crypt; an enormous library of scripts recording ancient history

Scribes cursed with immobility and marked for death, the only way to quell the Mushi is to seal them with words. A tradition of inviting travelling Mushishis to feed the writers myths in order for them to expel their words, physically manifesting them, an excruciating process for survival of self - and if not, the survival of your descendants. Plucking words and returning them to order, duty. Little by little, a receding scar. 

8 - They That Breathe Ephemeral Life (S1E6 Those Who Inhale the Dew)

Ginko's services are requested by a boy named Nagi, who lives on a distant island, to investigate the case of Akoya, a girl revered by the people as a "Living God".

A brief moment during the spring tide is the only time you can get to the island; only safe one day per month to take a boat out. a barren island with little soil, villagers surviving with moral support from their god. 

Tapping the center of the forehead with a needle, a curlicule of a mushi spiralling out

“When i was the Ikigami and aged when the sun set i could always shut my eyes and fall asleep feeling satisfied (...) But now my legs tremble at the immense amount of time ahead of me.” Living Mushi's life cycle of a single day - every second of every day experienced fresh, so much wonder you can't keep up. “My heart was always satisfied.”

When faced with tragedy, the girl finally chooses to return to the state of suspension - the luxury to forget and detach from mortal burden.

9 - Rain Comes and a Rainbow is Born (S1E7 Raindrops and Rainbows)

Ginko encounters a man named Koro, who has a strange habit of pursuing rainbows, and helps him find one particular rainbow that he is looking for - the Kouda.

A father delirious for rain - a strange man running around happily, and a mysterious rainbow dancing in odd shapes. A body that thirsts - “I miss that rainbow so much… I can’t stand it.” 

A boy who runs away to escape the burden of a dying father; to prove his worth and his father’s.

Ginko who must travel constantly, taking a break by finding purpose in small goals - You can’t live only for the sake of living; rest is essential. 

A natural phenomena created from light and imbued with kouki - “There's a reason they occur, but they have no purpose - existing only to keep flowing. Nothing can affect them, but they affect those around them, and then they leave.”

* 10 - The Veil Spore (S1E21 Cotton Changeling)

A couple summons Ginko to investigate their sick child, Watahiko, who has developed green spots all over his body. The father explains that the child didn’t look human when born - instead, it was a strange green mass that swiftly escaped. A year later, he found a baby under the house.

A wedding procession that passes through a forest - “A green stain on my cotton wedding gown.” A boy born green and formless, that slipped out and under the house. The main body; a mat of spores spreading under the house, dirt that wriggles under the sun.

One year later, it sends out a human-mushroom; every half year, the same child born again and again. Harmless children joined together at the root, that exist only to collect nutrients, that die and spit out seeds. “Mushi that wear the skin of your dead child.”

The human instinct to kill everything we don’t understand.

A baby with a body that grows faster than the mind. Children that evolve rapidly - “After learning words i forgot how.. I forgot how.” The primal instinct for survival lost. The cost of intelligence.

The Watahiki, when faced with danger, disconnects its children from the root, in an attempt to save at least the seeds - the children change form and enter a long dormant period.

An organism that strays from its recorded life cycle. 

Not that I’m doing this for public consumption (who even is going to read all this) but anyways FYI I’ve got structured notes on the next volumes in my drafts & if I ever get round to finishing all of them they’ll be tagged as #mushishi notes