#i guess mite as well do it now

[hillian-sketch]

Please, rant to me about whatever is on your mind.

Whatever is on my mind? Ok

The deferent type of demon in my world and how to identify them explained by Hillian, here you go Hillian *give Hillian a mic*

H:thank you Mx creator

H:ok so there 3 comment types of demon there's the imp the succubus and the demon

H:the imp is the weakest type of demon they aren't as physically strong as a demon or as magical as a succubus, how to identify an imp

H:imp's are relatively short with the tallest an imp ever gets being 5,0ft, they have red skin and white or black hair/horn, and their eyes are a bright yellow

H:succubus are stronger than the imp's and weaker than the demons but they are more magical, how to identify a succubus

H:the succubus is usually about average height, with their hair, skin, horn, eyes and wings colour being the same colour, they have ater bat like wings or bird like wigs

H: demon are the strongest type of demon, being stronger than both the imp and succubus, but being weaker in magic than the succubus

H: how to identify a demon, demon are usually taller than the average height of humans, they have normal human skin colour and their hair and eye colour are dependent on their rank,

H:the ranking system of hell works like this, even before birth you are already given a rank and your eye and hair colour shows what rank you are, the rarer the eye and hair colour the higher the rank

H:while the horn tail and wing colours are dependent on which rings of hell you are born in

H:•Red is for pride

•Orange is for wrath

•Yellow is for gluttony

•Green is for greed

•Blue is for lust

•Dark pink is for envy

•Purple is for sloth

H: and that Ms Mr and Mx are the type of demon and how to identify them

H:if you have more to ask or have something specific you want to ask please do so I'm always here to answer them for you

[theminecraftbee]

Once again, Zedaph finds himself outside the closed gates of the Deep Frost Citadel, tapping his feet with annoyance. Honestly, by now you’d think the stupid thing would understand Zedaph always gets his way, when it comes to Tango, but no, Tango’s stupid base keeps trying to stop him.

“I told you, I’m not here to negotiate, I’m here to pick up my friend,” Zedaph says irritably. The gates of the base don’t respond, and don’t open. “I have a very important nap to be taking, I’ll have you know, and I will not be stopped by… by base chicanery!”

There’s a deep, rolling growl from somewhere in the bowls of the citadel. It sounds like ravagers.

“Oh, don’t you threaten me, you know I’ll run around and die in there all you want as soon as it’s ready. Not even afraid, am I? You’ve had your taste of the good old Zed flesh, but no sir, you aren’t getting me today. The high-voltage wires were a good trick last time I came to bother Tango, I admit, but it won’t work again!”

Another rumbling growl. Zedaph huffs. It would certainly be nice if Decked Out spoke in human to him, so he wouldn’t have to keep guessing. Even sheep would be better—Tango may have an affinity for beasts, but Zedaph only has an affinity if the beasts are also silly.

He makes an educated guess. “Yes, yes, I know you’ve ‘eaten him’ or whatever. Well I’ll have you know that Tangos have more nutritional value after watching me take a very important nap. And also dying. Its enriching. You like enriched Tango—okay, okay, that wasn’t the complaint, geez, you don’t have to shout at me. At this rate I’ll just use my pickaxe to break through the door, and then what will you do, huh? Nothing. You’ll do nothing, because you’re a big stupid building in the ground, and Tango was my friend first.”

A rumble.

“Haha, yeah, take that. We’ve been friends for years. You might be his magnum opus, but you’ve never made him sign a custom body pillow with your beautiful face on it, have you? That is the bond of men! No base can do anything about that.”

A louder rumble. Zedaph feels what he thinks is supposed to be fear and desire to wander into the depths and die or something silly like that. Zedaph isn’t certain, because it’s not as important as Zedvancements. This is one of Zedaph’s special abilities: if it’s not as important as whatever he’s doing right now, he’s very good at ignoring it until it becomes important. So, like, the Citadel is trying to lure him to his death, but that’s less important than taking a very deadly nap while Tango watches with horrified awe, so he’ll just ignore it until later.

Works every time.

“Listen, I’ll bring him back in one piece! Have I ever lied about that? I never do. He always comes right back to work, even when I do distract him, and he’s chipper again, right? I barely even disrupt things. Not that you could do anything if I did, of course, you hunk of stone and ice.”

Zedaph stares at the closed doors for a bit longer. He thinks this is about when anyone else would either die on the spot, or run away screaming, or maybe just come in and feed themselves to a ravager, but the that’s because the other hermits very frequently don’t have anything better to do than to get caught up in other people’s nonsense, in Zed’s experience.

Zedaph simply has so much nonsense of his own that he can out-stubborn even Tango’s base. Like he said: a special talent.

Slowly, as though greatly reluctant, the gates open.

“Thank you, geez! Was that so hard?”

Zedaph stomps through to the hidden access door of the Decked Out maintenance tunnels, grabbing one of the supplemental oxygen masks as he does. He sighs as he realizes that Tango, once again, has forgotten he needs to breathe. Hopefully, the fact Zedaph is currently keenly aware of needing to breathe on account of planning to not do that ten times in a row does not remind Tango.

He finds Tango taking a nap tangled in some high-voltage redstone lines. This time, Zedaph knows better than to touch them. It had been a mite embarrassing the last time. “Tango! Hey, Tango!”

“Wuh?” says Tango, eloquently. “I’m up, I’m up, level three’s almost done I swear—”

“Tango, get up, I have bedroom tricks to show you!” Zedaph says.

“I’m up! Zed? Oh hey! What are you doing all the way out here?”

“I told you. It’s urgent, Tango, urgent. I have bedroom tricks only you can assist me with.”

“Well, that’s a good time I wasn’t expecting,” Tango says.

“No, you idiot! Get your head out of the gutter, and come on! I have things to do!”

“Okay, Zedaph, geez, geez, lemme just—”

“I’ve already asked your stupid base,” Zedaph says. “It’s fine. Now, get out of those wires before I get shocked or something, and we’re going to go have fun.”

Tango slowly uncoils himself. “Right. I’ll get ready and—” Zedaph whips a pair of sunglasses out of his pocket. Tango pauses before smiling brightly. “Oh, you’re the best.”

“I really am,” agrees Zed, and he grabs his best friend’s hand and leads him out of the Deep Frost Citadel to show off his latest contraption. He turns around and sticks his tongue out for good measure at the base as they go. Hah. Take that. The best. There’s no beating it.

And there’s no keeping him away from Tango. Zedaph guarantees it.

[cactuscoolerr]

character: itoshi rin cw: nsfw-ish (??)

sypnosis: exboyfriend!rin invites you over

rin had finally come back home from his match overseas but you didn't make an effort to go and visit him and he didn't make an effort to come and visit you. it's not like you wanted him to anyway, despite having cried over him nearly every time you thought about him. you were only trying to convince yourself he wasn't worth crying over and you didn't love him anymore and it was working.

that was until your phone lit up in the middle of the night. you didn't pay any mind to it at first, walking back in the bathroom to continue brushing your teeth and taking care of your skin.

when you walked back to your room, your phone lit up again and you sighed softly, suddenly remembering that someone must've been texting you.

at the sight of rin's name, you nearly dropped your phone in surprise. your heart rate picked up and you took shaky breaths before hesitantly answering his call.

“hello?” you breathed out and listened as the other side stayed silent for a second.

“come over,” he said plainly and you had to resist the urge to roll your eyes. “and why would i do that?”

“because i have things of yours that i’m sure you’d want back”

his words made you pause for a second, squinting your eyes slightly before replying suspiciously. “and what would that be..?”

the other side was silent for a few seconds, “those stupid stuffed cats you got us,” rin spoke almost in a whisper, “i still have them here” your small gasp was enough to make rin smile slightly and he listened as you cleared your throat, likely to compose yourself.

“you’re holding them hostage”

the simple tone in your voice made rin snort out a laugh, pressing his phone a little closer to his ear more of your reactions to his words. “so are you gonna come and get them?”

you sighed loudly and switched your phone to your other ear, “your roaches and mites probably infested them by now”

“ew what,” rin made a face full of disgust, even though you couldn’t see him. “you don’t want them then? i’ll just throw them out” he spoke, knowing damn well he’d keep them as a reminder of you if you didn’t come over and get them from him.

“i guess i’ll come over,” you sighed heavily, making rin smile once more. “only because you’re holding them hostage..”

rin snorted and you rolled your eyes. “i’m coming over now”

“fine”

you didn’t wait a second longer before hanging up the phone and moving quickly to pull on a sweater.

it wasn’t until you were walking out of your front door did you realize that you were going to see rin. you felt as if you hadn’t seen him in forever, which wasn’t necessarily an understatement.

you tried your best to rid yourself of the burning feeling in your cheeks, but it seemed impossible, even when you walked in the cold weather.

"why couldn't he have just brought it to me," you muttered to yourself, rubbing your hands together to keep warm. "what a fucking dick. fuck him, dude"

you continued to mutter complaints the whole way to rins place and once you finally stood in front of his front door, you didn't hesitate to knock rapidly and insanely loud until rin came and opened the door.

"my roommates and neighbors are fucking sleeping," rin hissed as soon as he opened the door and you only responded with a mean glare.

he let you inside and you wasted no time in making your way towards rin's room to save your babies from his evil clutches.

a loud groan sounded from you when you noticed that they weren't where they were meant to be and you quickly turned around to glare at rin once he entered the room. "where are they?"

rin only stared at you for a few seconds until he looked away, taking off the rings he wore on his fingers to place them on the dresser. "i hid them"

you deadpanned at him and slapped your hands over your face. "what do you mean, you hid them? rin, i didn't come here to fuck around"

"hm.. well i told you to come here for that reason, so sorry i guess"

a small noise of confusion was the only thing you could let out before rin practically pounced on you. his lips immediately found yours and you whined loudly at the contact.

"rin!" you yelled, out of breath with burning cheeks when you pulled away. "what the hell are you doing?"

he was just as out of breath and you watched him closely. "i suppose i should've asked you first, sorry" he muttered and you groaned loudly. "what the fuck are you doing, rin" your tone was desperate and his eyes met yours.

you noticed that his eyes held concern as he watched you, but you weren't entirely sure why. it wasn't until he made hesitant steps towards you and gently wiped at your cheeks.

"why're you crying, y/n" his tone was gentle and you took shaky breaths, slightly leaning into his touch. "i don't know.." your voice broke and rin was quick to pull you into a tight hug. "god, i love you, y/n"

his words made you sob as you held onto him tightly, not wanting to let him go again. "why would you do that to me?"

"i'm sorry.." rin muttered into your hair as you continued to sob.

"you hurt me so bad" you sobbed and rin gently ran his fingers through your hair in attempts to soothe you. "i know.. i know, baby"

a choked sob sounded from you and you pressed your face deeper into his chest, not caring that your tears were completely soaking his shirt. "i really fucking hate you sometimes, rin.."

he stayed silent this time, likely not knowing what yo say, but he continued running his fingers through your hair. you could feel the way rin's heart beat rapidly against his chest and you only hoped that it was for the same reason yours was beating just as fast.

"y/n," rin spoke suddenly and you let out a small whine, intending for it to be some kind of response. "i need to kiss you again.. can i?"

you tried your best to stop crying before pulling slightly away from him and nodding.

rin's lips found yours once again and you practically melted in his arms. he held onto you tightly and you were sure that was the only thing that kept you from falling to the floor. and he must've known that because he pulled you closer before gently picking you up.

your legs were quick to wrap around his torso and one of his hands reached to grip onto your thigh while the other stayed on your back to press your chest against his.

a low moan sounded from rin and you couldn't help the way your hips bucked forward into him. you whined and rin took the opportunity to press his tongue into your mouth.

you didn't see a reason in resisting him, so you allowed him to do whatever he wanted.

"fucking love you so much," rins words were breathless as he pulled away to attach his lips onto the side of your neck. "my perfect girl.."

a shaky moan from you only encouraged him to keep going as he led you to his bed and laid you down on the edge. his lips attached to yours once more before he trailed gentle kissed down your jaw, as well as your neck, and towards your collarbones.

he nipped lightly at your skin and you shuddered, forgetting the feeling from when rin was away. "how's that feel?" rin breathed against your skin and you nodded quickly. "it's good.. feels good.."

"keep feeling all this for me, ok?"

"ok.." you breathed out before a quiet gasp fell passed your lips when rin began sucking roughly on your skin. all you could do was moan as rin moved onto other areas of your chest when he was satisfied with the bruises he was leaving on you.

slowly, rin moved lower, unzipping your jacket just a tiny bit as he moved.

"please, just hurry.." you whined and you felt rin's breathy laugh against your skin that invoked goosebumps across your skin. "patience, y/n.. thought i taught you better than that, baby"

you whined once more and laid your head back to stare at the ceiling as rin continued his slow descent down your chest.

"fuck," rin said shakily as he pushed the sides of your jacket away to stare at your loose tank top you wore. "no wonder you were so fucking cold"

you glared at him and brought your knee up to hit him lightly in his ribs. "i was in a rush, shut up"

"eager to see me?"

his teasing smirk made your cheeks burn but you rolled your eyes once more and laid your head back down to stare up again. "just shut the fuck up and do what you're supposed to be doing"

"fucking brat," rin muttered and bit down on the fat of your breast. a quiet moan sounded from you and he gently kissed where he bit you. "you know i don't like that shit"

"get over it" you said shakily and you just knew that rin was rolling his eyes.

"you're lucky i love you, brat" he scoffed before leaning down to suck on your skin again. you breathed out shakily at his words and your brought your hand to grab gently onto his hair.

you didn't mean to grow emotional again, but you seriously missed the way he said 'i love you'.

it didn't take long for rin to hear your gentle sobs and he stopped his attack on your chest to look up at you. his eyes were curious before they were replaced with complete concern.

"hey, hey.. what's wrong, angel?" his tone was gentle as he moved quickly to lay down beside you and pull you into his arms. "i love you, baby. it's okay.."

his words only made you cry harder as you buried your face into his chest. "i love you.." your words were muffled but rin still understood you. "i know you do. you're okay, baby"

rins body was warm against yours and you quickly calmed down in his gentle hold. it was quiet between the two of you, but neither of you seemed to mind it. it felt comfortable with rin, and you realized that this was the only thing you needed.

"i'm sorry," rin spoke softly against your hair. "i don't know why i did that to us"

you didn't respond, only moving closer into rins touch. his soft laughter made you smile as your eyes began to flutter closed.

"guess you're sleeping here then," rin chucked softly and kissed the top of your head while his arms tightened around your smaller body. "goodnight, my love"

rin's voice was gentle and just the thing that put you to sleep while your soft and rhythmic breathing was enough to put him to sleep.

[skellyflowers]

Longing :The morning after.

Masterlist

The next time I open my eyes I know it's morning. The curtains are mostly closed but I can hear birds. The sliver of sunshine is the only light in the bedroom. And just as expected I am at the bottom of the cuddle pile! 

Vessel is still tucked into my neck and I can see one of the others pressed back to back with him. I can't tell who it I'd yet but I know I'll  figure it out soon enough.  I feel someone else curled around me with a hand on the leg that is still wrapped around Vessel. I can feel that the hand is too small to be III but is just as calloused so it must be IV. So II is back to back with Vessel and III is probably spooning IV behind me.

I know that I wanted to do something nice for the boys this morning but now that morning is here I don't want to get up. I want to stay wrapped up in the warmth of my lovers. I am a little surprised that they still seem to be asleep. They don't really need to sleep anymore. They don't really need to eat either.  I know that they only do those things because I still do. 

I remember the boys telling me that after I am claimed by Sleep I wouldn't need to eat or sleep too much. Far less than any other person. Her power will help sustain me, I will only need to eat or sleep for my own sake or to connect to Sleep. When I asked why they eat and sleep when I do, III said “We want to spend time with you.”

I take a moment to consider how to untangle myself from my boyfriends without waking them. I mite have been able to if Vessel wasn’t trying to fuse with me. If he wasn’t I would just need to be patient and could probably get loose. I am actually surprised that the boys haven’t started moving now that I am fully awake. They always tell me that until The Claiming they are on my daily schedule. 

Time ticks on and then maybe thirty minutes of lying awake with my thoughts I decide I’m getting up. As I start to sit up, Vessel makes a sound of disapproval. Then IV squeezes my thigh as I unwrap it from Vessel. I move to the headboard and stretch. Vessel tries to wrap his arms around me again and I crawl to the end of the bed before he can. I hear him groan at me for  leaving him. I ignore him and go to the bathroom, I take a moment to look at myself in the mirror. 

Vessel told me that after The Claiming I should expect to see changes to my body. Vessel has all black skin, II has fangs, III has bright red hands and IV has claws. I wonder what will happen but I don’t dwell on the thought, I want breakfast. As I exit the bathroom II has started spooning Vessel and III and IV have gotten out of bed.

“Good morning Beautiful” III says while giving me a hug.

“Morning III”

“Did you sleep well Dove?” asked IV while kissing my hand.

“Yes. Let's get something to eat.”

The boys nod and follow me out of the bedroom to the kitchen. I don’t want to cook anything so I check to see if we have any cereal. Once my bowl is ready to eat IV lifts me onto the kitchen counter. I boop his nose and start to eat my cereal and he puts his head in my lap. III grabs an apple and stands next to me so I put my head on his shoulder.

“Are you nervous about The Claiming?” IV asks in my head “It’s coming up soon.”

“I was, before I met all of you. Her voice was scary.” I say honestly. “But not anymore. Now I can’t wait.”

“I knew Vessel was overreacting.” III said.

III takes my now empty bowl and washes it as II comes into the kitchen dragging a grumpy Vessel behind him. I guess he still wanted us to stay in bed. II lets go of Vessel’s hand and walks over to give me a kiss on the cheek. III walks over to Vessel to give him a hug and kiss. Vessel seems a little happier after the affection, he really is a teddy bear.

“How are you this morning darling?” asks II. He rubs both my back and IV’s.

“I’m having a very good morning.” I say giving him a smile.

I cup his face and he leans into me more. I look over to Vessel and III still hugging and both looking over at my little group. I smile at them and hope they will come over and join us. IV however speaks up before I can.

“Lets go to the couch, my back is starting to ache.”

With that IV tightens his arms around my waist and lifts me off the counter. I let out an embarrassing squeak as I'm forced into his arms. The boys make room for IV to take me out of the kitchen and he brings me to the living room.  He drops me on the extra large L shaped couch.  II lifts me up a little so my back is against his chest and starts scratching my scalp. IV lies on my chest and lets out a hum.

Vessel joins us on the lounge section of the couch and leans on II’s shoulder. III is sitting on the far end of the couch next to IV’s feet. III turns on the tv and puts a nature documentary on, it’s about frogs, III’s favorite animal. I try to focus on what the narrator is saying but the nice background music, IV’s comforting weight and II giving me a scalp massage I can feel myself drifting back to sleep.

IV POV

It has been another night without our beloved V having a dream. I miss her dreams, they were fun, peaceful and vivid. I’m sure to V all her recent dreams have been unmemorable black voids, she hasn’t talked about them. We know better, V is traveling closer to Her and closer to Eden. V will travel closer to Sleep until she reaches Eden, then Sleep will claim her.

But now it’s morning and our dove is waking up. I was able to get into the bedroom before III and got to be her big spoon. The best position in the bed. She doesn't move so neither do I. I get to keep my hand on her leg. She doesn't move until her stomach growls about 30 minutes after she woke up.

As V sits up I give her leg a squeeze so she knows that I'm awake too. Vessel groans after she gets up.  II rolls over and hugs Vessel and that keeps him quiet. III gives me a squeeze before getting out of bed. I get out of bed and stretch. I take a moment to look at them until the bathroom door opens. III walks up to V and gives her a hug.

“Good morning Beautiful” III says.

“Morning III”

“Did you sleep well Dove?” I asked while kissing her hand.

“Yes. Let's get something to eat.”

V walks out of the bedroom, me and III trailing behind her.

“No! Come back!” Vessel whines. If V hears him she doesn’t react to his complaining.

We get to the kitchen and watch as V makes a bowl of cereal and when she is done I put her on the counter. We hold eye contact for a few seconds then she taps my nose. I give her a little smile and put my head in her lap. III stands next to us and I hear he is eating something. III is always mirroring her. We stay like this for a little while but I have a question.

“Are you nervous about The Claiming?” I ask “It’s coming up soon.”

“I was, before I met all of you. Her voice was scary.” She says honestly. “But not anymore. Now I can’t wait.”

I know what she means. The first time I met Sleep I was absolutely terrified. I was only truly able to relax after I was found by the boys. It is also the reason why Vessel gets so clingy, he was all alone.

“I knew Vessel was overreacting.” III said.

I do agree with III that Vessel can be overprotective of all of us, but he is really overprotective of V. Poor thing, she barely gets a moment of peace without his touching her. I don’t think she minds all that much. Our Dove lets us do whatever we want to her.

I hear III walk away from us and wash the bowl V was eating out of and II drags Vessel into the kitchen to join us. I'm a little surprised it took them so long. II must have been talking Vessel down and making sure he knows V doesn’t hate him just because she got up. Vessel can be oh so very dramatic. II walks over to the two of us so I assume that he swapped with III. 

“How are you this morning darling?” asks II. He rubs my back. His hands are warm and feel nice.

“I’m having a very good morning.” V said, I imagine that gave him a smile.

As nice as this little moment is, I don't want to stay bent over the counter. The new couch V ordered would be a much better location. The couch is big enough for all of us and very comfortable. It is our second bed on the bottom floor.

“Lets go to the couch, my back is starting to ache.” I announce to the group.

The sound that V makes as I pick her up is really cute and I try not to laugh. She knows I would never drop her. As I bring her to couch II is right on my heels. I drop V  on the couch and II moves her so he can get comfortable with her in his arms. I push her legs open so I can lay my head on her chest. Her heartbeat is very comforting and I hum with happiness and close my eyes.

III sits on the couch and turns on the t.v. another addition made by V. He turns on a nature documentary. I open one of my eyes and see a frog. III is obsessed with them so I am not surprised that he found this over one hour documentary.

After a few minutes I hear V’s heartbeat slow down. She is asleep again. I tap III with my foot. He didn’t look at me but grabbed it, clearly misunderstanding the tap.

“Turn it down, Dove is asleep.” I say.

“Again?” III asked as he turned down the t.v.

“Her time is soon.” Vessel said cryptically “Sleep approaches.”. 

[this-witch-writes]

Show Don't Tell - Part 2

part 1, part 3

Eddie didn’t understand what had happened or how quickly it had happened. So they’d fought. He’d been upset, Steve had been upset, but they had argued before. They were both opinionated, stubborn, a little bitchy, it was what made them click in some ways. How could Steve just… leave? Eddie was supposed to be the one who ran away. He read the note dozens of times trying to find some secret clue to make it make sense.

No matter how many times he went over it though, Steve’s note just didn’t make sense. “I hope you find someone someday that you love as much I love you now” what the fuck? How was Steve still so convinced Eddie didn’t love him? Convinced enough to skip town? He was probably just visiting Robin. He was coming back, right? On the drive home Eddie told himself again and again that he was overreacting. Steve was upset, he skipped town to see Robin and when he got back Eddie could yell at him for a while and then they’d fix things. Even if he still wasn’t sure how. He’d figure that out when Steve got back.

Wayne knew something was wrong the second Eddie stepped foot in the trailer. Eddie didn’t have to say a word and his uncle was giving him that soft concerned look and pulling out two beers.

‘Anything I need to know, son?’ And wasn’t actually being understood such a relief?

He didn’t really want to rehash everything so he just handed Wayne the note and started in on his beer. Wayne’s eyebrows did a lot of work in his face and that he took a long drink too. ‘So you and Steve split?’ He asked cautiously. ‘I thought things were going okay?’

Eddie sat up. ‘What? No! Why?’

Wayne’s eyebrows did some more complicated movements. ‘On account of this Dear John note you just handed me, kid? Is there more to the story?’

‘We just fought, that’s all.’

‘I don’t want to tell you your business, Ed, but this seems like some fight.’

‘He’s been a bit insecure, I guess, since Robin went away to college and the kids are busy at school. I try to cheer him up and most of the time it works great.’

‘I know,’ Wayne smiled, just a little. ‘Boy always looks like you’re the first person to ever cook him a hot meal.’

Eddie winced. ‘I think I am, his folks…’ no more really needed to be said there. Wayne got it. ‘Then yesterday I ask if he’s okay and he actually asks if I even love him? Can you believe that?’

‘You?!’ It was gratifying that Wayne was as surprised as Eddie.

‘Right!?’

‘That seems a mite more than a bit insecure, Eds, you dote on Steve.’ Wayne frowned. ‘More going on with that boy than he lets on, I suppose. What did you say to that?’

A second wince. ‘Well I blew up a bit. It just hurt, you know? Feeling like nothing I did was good enough.’

‘I’m not saying you’re wrong,’ Wayne handed the note back and tapped a nail on the glass of his beer bottle. ‘But it seems like whatever has Steve so upset, is bigger than what you give him. You can’t buy nobody’s happiness, though I’m sure his daddy tried.’

‘Yeah…’ Eddie slumped against the side of the couch. ‘I know… but it wasn’t like that. I wasn’t just giving him some gas station bouquet and calling it romance, Wayne. I did everything I could to make him happy and…’ he sniffed. ‘I just feel like I don’t have anything left.’

‘If he comes back,’ Wayne waved down Eddie immediate argument that of course he was coming back and kept talking over him. ‘If he comes back and you decide that you want to fix it, you can have that conversation then. If you want him back.’

‘If!!’ Eddie nearly knocked his beer over with his flailing. ‘Of course I want him back. What are you talking about? It’s Steve!’

‘You deserve someone who tells you that your love is good enough, not someone who skips town. I feel for Steve, I do, but you’re my kid and I say you deserve better than that.’ He pointed to the note. ‘It’s not your fault if he didn’t believe you saying you loved him.’

That tripped Eddie up a little and once again words weren’t needed between him and his uncle. Wayne frowned deeper. ‘You did tell him, right Ed?’

‘Of course I did,’ Eddie huffed, trying to remember. ‘We just don’t say it all the time.’ His voice was losing confidence though. He could remember Steve saying it, back in November and a few times before Christmas. He remember kissing him and talking and being happy, but Eddie’s memories were sparkling and slippery with lovesickness. He brushed the doubt away. ‘It’s like you and me. We don’t need to say it like we have something to prove. Show don’t tell.’ Wayne didn’t seem convinced by that explanation, which annoyed Eddie a little. ‘We’re not telling each other we love each other every day, you think I don’t love you? You’ve always let me know in real ways not words.’

‘We don’t say it much, true,’ Wayne nodded. ‘But kid, you never needed me to.’

‘Right!’ Eddie gestured at him in vindication. ‘Exactly!’

Wayne didn’t look convinced again. ‘Did Steve need you to?’

‘He shouldn’t.’

‘That aint always how it works. Folks need different things, Ed. You gotta hear them when they ask.’

-

Other chapters: Part 1, part 3

[nomsfaultau]

Daily ask №22

Sickness edition!

1. Can each one of them even get sick in the first place? I mean, Phil is a god, the Blade is a.. furry?? And Wilbur is a.. void person. And Tubbo is bees.

2. Assuming they do get sick, how do they handle it?

3. How do they handle other people getting sick and having to care for them?

4. There's this myth in my culture that, I kid you not, breathing above boiled potatoes helps with a cold. Rank how likely it is that I would be able to convince them to breathe above boiled potatoes.

5. How is Phil theoretically very knowledgeable in science and stuff but also still believes in blood-letting??

1.All of them can get sick, which is an overhanging threat in part 2 given the survivalist genre. Like literally Tommy gets a power up that’s just hand sanitizer and it’s a game changer. That said, they’re a little…odd about it.

Phil is trying to be a person, warts and all, and that includes getting ill. Now, does it work like a normal person? Not in the slightest. He gets sick when he thinks he’s supposed to, which included inaccurate theories people have had over the years such as displeasing the gods or being cold and wet. In the little more than a century since germ theory has been proposed he mostly gets sick in a normal way now. Phil is absolutely ecstatic about vaccines, though in all fairness home remedies with no scientific basis also work on him. He is observed using fire to burn out void sepsis in Tommy and Wilbur, though unclear if that worked because void or bacteria. And if we dig into that we’re back to germ theory with Tommy and questioning what an individual even is. 

The Blade gets animal diseases, and pigs and humans share a decent chunk of illnesses. 

Tubbo deals with bee illnesses, mites, fungal problems, all manner of things. Dysentery according to Wiki? They do have the advantage of having the awareness to guaranteed symptomatic bees to limit contagions tho. 

Wilbur can’t get food borne illnesses since it devours All, and also I speculate that it doesn’t have normal organs ? Fault never says either way. External diseases from mouth, nose, dermis, etc work perfectly fine tho even if Wilbur can get away with eating rotten food.

Tommy might be the least likely to get sick of any of them thanks to Red acting as a germ killer. 

2.Tommy complains and demands pampering. Philza takes a self care day but it isn’t very relaxing bc mentally he’s like I can’t take care of my kids oh gods- Wilbur ignores it if he can. If not is like welp guess I’m dying since if it’s bad enough he can’t get food or medicine or fight and so it was a near death sentence as a kid. Tubbo depends on where they are in their arc. Normally they’d be very normal drink tea maybe try some home remedies. During their spiral they’d just ignore or dissociate through it like they did with their injuries. And The Blade is NOT sick. Nope. Nah ah. Perfectly fine. Buuut every time he sneezes it triggers The Blood God since he thinks it’s an attack. 

3.Phil grins and offers to balance their humors if it’s not serious. Other than that is very accommodating and spoiling and totally not thinking about his countless loved ones lost to illness. He can gauge what is/isn’t fatal very well, but though the spark of terror is buried deep it’s still there. Rhodes fully comes out of Tubbo, do you have enough pillows here have another cookie that’s quite the fever kiddo.  Lots of home remedies, often involving honey cause well good for sore throats and antibacterial/good for infections. Tommy dithers since he really wants to be useful but Red contamination and so he mostly sits beside them and tells a bunch of stupid jokes to lift the mood. Wilbur is also going to take massive care of anyone who’s sick since that’s something it never got. More distant though, more like going on supply runs for lots of extra food and medicine, but is cautious so it doesn’t get sick too. Only The Blade is fully like like nah. I’m not catching a cold thanks. Good luck bro. He also dealt with the no medicine or support thing Wilbur went through, though wasn’t worried about losing fights and can eat pretty much whatever and actually get nutrition from it unlike Wilbur. Plus he isn’t keen on the chance of it giving The Blood God better access to control. 

4. Philza: has heard it before, has tried it, and it probably works for him. Stupid metaphorical man. If asked how he thinks it works he’d probably shrug and reply something about vitamins. 

Tubbo: they don’t believe it. But they also don’t not believe it. This is less that they aren’t a little superstitious about home remedies, and more that they haven’t heard about it and they know ALL the home remedies so it clearly can’t work or else they’d’ve already used it. But they would still use it. Again this is pure Rhodes, because he wants to take care of his kiddos and Tubbo heavily associates sick days with him staying home to look after them. I can too write a healthy paternal figure! (We’re ignoring chapter 13 it can’t hurt us if we don’t acknowledge it).

Tommy: I mean he’s a lil dumb, maybe. He’d definitely poke fun while trying it just in case he’s getting pranked. 

Wilbur: doesn’t believe it for a second. It’s more a mixture of trust issues than the fact it understands how medicine works. Actually wait. How does Wilbur think that works. Because a lot of it is eaten/swallowed. Like Wil tends to be the unofficial healer of the group alongside Phil, but his experience is purely ‘birthed from the crucible of need that forces experience whether one is read for it or not’ or however that one line goes. Cause it’s gotta be a mix of reading the back of pill bottles and Foundation stuff and void trivia so I gotta imagine that man has no idea why what it’s doing works. 

The Blade: has already eaten the potatoes before you even get around to explaining.

5.Phil’s knowledge of science is filled with a LOT of misinformation and it’s hard for him to keep track. Plus if utterly convinced something would heal him it genuinely will, and confirmation bias is a hell of a drug. I also believe he suggests blood-letting 100% to mess with people. There’s a deleted scene where he almost convinces Tubbo he can’t write in English because he ‘didn’t think it would be important’ and ‘clay tablets are going to come back any day now’. I think (aside from the murder) Phil often gets pigeon holed as the well adjusted mentor figure. Sort of a Kermit the Frog thing where the crazy cast of colorful characters kinda drowns out the fact that he’s the crazy nut job who decided to hire them all, and subtly thrives on chaos. 

[nerdyneko265]

In honour of the last dungeon meshi Thursday (I know it’s Wednesday, shut up)

Minecraft cooking!

Where I go through the mob bestiary and treat it like a cook book.

Chicken, cow, pig, goat, rabbit, horse, wolf, sheep, cat, cod, salmon, tropical fish, llama- you know what these are, you don’t need me to explain. Both Laios and I are bored, moving on.

Villagers, pillagers, piglins- don’t eat people. I know piglins are half pig but listen. DONT EAT PEOPLE! You know the orcs? This is the same thing.

All zombies ever- technically edible. We’ve all eaten rotten flesh. Senshi would not be proud of us, it’s not very nutritious. Also, cannibalism.

Skeletons- I guess you could make a soup stock. But they’re better for fertilizer.

Vex and allays- ghosts. I don’t think we can make sorbet here either. I don’t think they work like that.

Bats- very small, not much meat. Hard to find and catch. But if you’re in a cave and in a pinch or just curious, sure why not

Puffer fish- cook very carefully. Probably just better for potions. But you can eat puffer fish, your chef just needs to be trained in how to cook it.

Mooshroom- now we’re talking. Beef, but with mushrooms. Comes with mushroom soup too. Usually raised for soup rather than meat, but still a good source of meat that’s pre seasoned.

Squid- mmmmm calamari… Laios enemy… also good for squid ink. I hear it goes well with pasta.

Cave Spider- venomous, could technically remove the poison like with puffer fish and boil the spider but I dont know. Small but have spawners, so you’ve have a steady supply

Spider- not venomous, and bigger. So I guess you could. Probably taste like giant scorpion since they’re both arachnids.

*dont eat spider eyes, they’re poisonous

Endermen- for personal reasons, I will not be eating endermen. They don’t even want to fight unless you antagonize them. More importantly, don’t eat endermen, it’ll probably fuck you up. They’re built for the end and full of chorus fruit. They’re also so skinny, not much to eat there. Ender pearls have a chance of giving you a parasite. And will probably teleport your stomach out of your body. You could try but it’s probably like jerky and you’ll see god.

Incidentally, I think chorus fruit tastes like vanilla

Polar bear- probably very tough meat. Very gamey. Beware though, they eat people too

Iron golem- that’s a robot. Don’t eat metal. DONT EAT REDSTONE! ITS RADIO ACTIVE.

Snow golem- probably makes good ice cream. Don’t eat it. Let it make ice cream. It’s just snow after all. It would just taste like water.

Blaze- it’s more of a spirit than an animal. Good for potion making, probably not tasty. A central core surrounded by rods, maybe that core has some meat on it, probably tastes a little spicy.

Striders- why? Why would you eat these poor babies? What did they ever do to you? They’re probably reptiles, so you could definitely eat them but could you live with that knowledge?

Elder guardian- really old puffer fish. Cut carefully for good sushi. But it’s such a hassel, you’re better off having a puffer fish. Plus, they’re endangered, so like, come on.

Guardian- jokes on you, it’s hollow on the inside. Check the mob bestiary, they have no internal organs. Could probably get some meat from the outer flesh but that’s also the spikes, so beware.

Ender mite- remember those parasites from ender pearls? This is them. Could def cook them though. They’re fair sized and full on meat. You’re probably be tripping balls though.

Ghast- like a squid, but balloon. They are filled with gas, to allow them to fly. So much like a dragon, likely have a gas sac that could contain gases that could ignite, be careful. But sky octopus. Lots of meat.

Magma cube- slime but spicy. Magma cream is probably yummy. We know it’s ok to ingest because it’s in potions, so I think it should be ok to eat. Just wait got it to cool a little

Slime- senshi has recipes for these buggers.

Shulker- I can only assume it tastes like living armour. It’s definitely a mussel

Silverfish- it’s a bug, it’s big, enjoy.

Wither skeleton and the wither- please, for the love of all that is holy, DO NOT EAT THE WITHER! THIS IS HOW WE GET THE PLAGUE! YOURE GOING TO GET WITHERING AND DIE!

Sniffer- I know they’re really big, I know they’re probably full of meat and they have eggs, but look at their little faces. Could you really eat them?

The Ender dragon- I mean, you beat her, might as well I guess. Apparently dragon is delicious. But also, probably full of the end, probably going to fuck yup up a bit

And now, for the big one

Creeper- as we all know, creeper skin feels like dry, crunchy leaves. It’s a moss monster with a tnt block inside. So, if you carefully cut around the explosive, you now have a very dangerous vegetable. Thick “meat”, might make a good salad.

Thank you for coming to my ted talk

[theflyingfeeling]

so yeah, I went to the BC signing session at Nokia Arena today, because what else would I, a full-grown adult with a respectable dayjob, do on a wintery Saturday if not stand in a queue freezing my toes off surrounded by sugar-high teenagers for hours, just to exchange a few words with some band dudes? 🤡

(wrote this for me as to remember at least something about it afterwards, but you may read this as well <3)

The queuing part was every bit as shitty as it always is when queuing to any BC event really, but I was in high spirits and great company who were polite enough to laugh at my shitty amazing jokes 🥰

Niko was so soft and nice and aaaaaaaaaa the way he laughed so heart-warmingly at the silly (practiced) thing I said?? 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 I want to put him in my pocket <3

So when I was a kid I used to collect stickers (this is relevant, trust me), especially dog stickers because dogs are cute, and I happen to have a full page of dachshund stickers that look exactly like Rilla, so I thought I'd give Aleksi a couple of those, and the other day I jokingly checked my local supermarket's sticker selection to see if they have any more fun stickers I could give him, and lo and behold I actually found some cool Spider-Man ones, and naturally I JUST couldn’t help myself 😂 and awwwwwww the way his entire face brightened up and he went "NO WAY!! 🤩" when he saw the dachshund ones aaaaaaa 😭💞😭💞😭💞😭 he said he'll put them on his laptop where he has also collected other stickers 🥺💞 I gave them in a Minigrip bag so that he hopefully won't lose them before he gets home (see the picture below for the stickers)

Aleksi’s hair looked super fluffy btw 🤲 you're welcome for this crucial information

The last time I saw Olli at a signing session I was so blown away by his beauty that I could barely speak a word to him, so this time I was determined to actually have some sort of a conversation with him, and I did succeed, even if we only talked about the weather (my go-to conversation topic) 😂 it's difficult to translate the Finnish word tarjeta, but basically I asked him how's the weather been in Oulu, and he said it's been cold ("Mites Oulussa on tarettu?" "Kylmä on."), but apparently he actually likes cold weather, my reply being "well I don't you fucking weirdo &lt;3"

Joonas heard this intellectual exhange of opinions and put in his two cents as he told me how they had recently visited Oulu and that it had been significantly colder than in Helsinki 👍

Also, as you may have seen from pictures by now, he was wearing no shirt under his blazer and yeah, I may have taken a good look at his rug while he was signing my totebag 👁️👄👁️ In my defence, he had it out for everyone to see, so where else was I supposed to look? His eyes? 🙄

At that signing session I went to in Stockholm last year (see the link above) I didn't manage to say a damn thing to Tommi lol (I blame Joel and Olli), so that was my other goal for this time and yaaaay, success! I didn't say much to him though, just "hi" and "ah darn, is that bloody marker not working? and here I thought I had bought a good one" ("Olin ostavinani hyvän tussin")

For context: I had brought my BC totebag (which I bought exactly 2 years ago tomorrow and have used maybe twice during all this time) with me for them to sign, and as I wasn't sure if they'd have fabric markers, I had gone and bought one for the purpose myself, and I had tested it (on paper) at home, but I guess the cold weather had affected the ink, so it was working quite poorly. They all did manage to scribble down their autographs though, and the extra time it took for them to do so offered me some extra time to chat with them, which was nice actually 🤭 (hehe sneaky meeee)

To Joel I said the new song is great ("Helevetin hyvä se uus biisi"), which he was pleased to hear. He gave me back my totebag but not my marker, so I had to ask for it lol, to which he said his brain was not working properly anymore (felt 💀), to which I said that at least he hasn't been standing in the freezing cold for hours, to which he said: "yeah, you're the actual heroes here" and hell yeah we are lol, I wouldn't do this shit for any other band 😌

Then he tried to give me the autograph card of the next person in line dfdggdgdgddd poor Joel, I guess his brain really wasn't working

Afterwards my mouth was SO dry from talking so much in such a short time lol, but I was happy I got to say most of the stuff I had wanted to say to them. I was planning to show Aleksi a picture of our family dachshunds like I had done in Stockholm, but with all the hassle with the marker I kinda forgot about it (I kept grumbling about the shitty marker to literally all of them except Joel), and anyway I didn't want to slow down the queue any more than I already was 🙈

After the signing session we had pizza and went to the local Christmas market that just opened today and I bought some organic coffee beans for my brother for Christmas, so all in all I had a lovely day (ignoring the cold-as-balls weather) 🥰💞

here are the stickers I gave to Aleksi:

and here's my freshly-signed totebag (why is Olli's autograph so cute 🥺)

(I know it looks like there are some strange stains on the tote but there really isn't, as I said I've barely ever used it, so I guess it's just the fabric doing a weird thing in that lighting)

[yourpicasso25]

Picasso adventures part 1

"Hello people! My name is Picasso Doggy and I am having adventures in Fouilly

Since this is where we live at the moment. Or do we? Apparently there are version of me and Mommy everywhere, ancien Greece to strange islands and more. I'm not sure about this multiverse thing, but as far as I can tell, our Simgodess is a bit weird but a decent sort. Build mommy and me nice houses and then sorta leaves un alone.

Could be worse, or so I hear.

Doesn't mean life is always peachy... in fact, tonight it was really bizzare

it sarted okay with mommy deciding to change clothes for the new season:

Wich, okay I guess

And then there were crèpes which are great since stuff is falling often and I'm here for it, trust me.

Well, not today, since there suddenly was a very weird noise, sort just when the first bit was supposed to go down.

Now, I am a smart doggy and when I hear a weird noise like that, I'm under the sofa faster than you can say "woof"...

But Mommy?

She went out (wearing something that made the simgoddess grumble since she was not supposed to own that. Priorities)... and started at the lights like a stupid idiot.

So....

And she didn't put the plate on the floor!

No more Mommy!

Oh, don't be like that, I looked around.

Went out in the cold and everything!

Met a newt friend, too!

He's a native and he told me it could be some sort of horse thing. I'm still a young doggy, so I'd never seen that sort of rainbow farting horses he was talking about, but as long as it's not a big bird, I'm ok with that.

But the night was getting all frosty and everything, so I went back home.

I was tired, so I got in my own personal bed (sleeping on mommy's bed is only fun when she's here to be annoyed about it, after all)

I am a mite worried, though.

Is mommy coming home? If no, who's going to cook me the gastronomic chicken paté the Simgoddess says I'm entlited to? (100% behind that idea, I am)

So, will SimManu come back? (sane is optional)

Well, we'll find out next episode.

[moldy-mold]

Hey, long time no update! We’re almost halfway through the year and I’m only just recovering from February. :’)

I got into two car accidents (no one was hurt) back-to-back in February where I was not at fault for either, and sadly, one was a hit-and-run. Due to just… tons of issues with insurance, I am finally getting my car fixed. It was a struggle, but now we can have a happy ending!

We formed a hiking group in the spring when the weather was nice. I won’t lie, it was a really great decision. We’ve been trying to go to a new place each month to see the sights.

So random, but my mom back in FL found a pigeon chilling in the garage, so she picked him up and took care of him. His name is Jorge. Birds are my true love so I am very excited to meet him!

Work is fine and more stable now, compared to 2021 when the struggle was real. I have more freelance work on top of office work that I am kept busy 24-7. It’s been tough trying to draw fanart at home when you’re already drawing at work haha. Last month, I went a little too hard and injured my wrist and had to keep it in a brace for a few weeks. I still have to be careful, even now.

In other news, my roommate of 10 years is finally moving out to discover her life’s calling. It is a bittersweet feeling, kind of like a breakup haha. As a creature of habit, I had resisted the change. It took some time, but I’ve come to accept it. Money is still kind of an issue though (a single person apartment? in this economy?), so I’ve been trying to find a new roommate! With NO LUCK! :)

On a whim, I finally started Xenoblade 3 in April after my 31st birthday. My brother had gifted it to me for xmas, but I didn’t want to open the black hole (or “The Hole” as my friends lovingly call it) until I had drawn all that I wanted to draw for YGO. To be honest, I didn’t end up drawing all my ideas but I hit a road block in my creative drive. Well now I’m in the hole AND I have to find time to draw stuff! I have this dilemma every single day.

My friend and I booked tickets to see our friends in Mexico this October! I haven’t been abroad for 15 years, so I’ll have the pleasure of going to the beautiful city of Monterrey as my first international trip without my parents. I’m so ready…! Let me out…! *rattles the cage*

The Plant Saga

I took this photo a few months ago when the sun was finally coming out and my plants were in bloom again. I was afraid Lorenz (miniature rose) was going to die because he had spider mites… every single year. I managed to fend them off and now he’s doing quite well!

I’m most proud of my handling of MOMO (moth orchid) who is blooming again! I heard it was challenging to get orchids to rebloom, but I honestly didn’t have to do anything?

Other plants include: Zeon (taro) and Gimli (mint) and Shouyo (hens and chicks succulent) with the weird antennae.

The weather in GA has been really temperamental, and it hasn’t been as warm in May as it was last year, so some of my tubers haven’t regrown yet. Guess I’ll take more pictures in the late summer!

[basingstokemercury]

Adam Getting Excited About Trains (transcribed because it's a lot to screenshot and subtitle by hand)

From S1E9, Mr Henry Comstock - a bright point in an episode I'm overall not that fond of.

Adam (looking up at tree): There's timber up there to build whole new cities. Launch fleets of ships.

Joe: Hear that, Hoss? Older Brother Adam is plannin' to build that Yankee fleet of his again.

Hoss: Yeah, well, it's gonna take a mite more water than we got hereabouts to float it in, Little Joe.

Joe: Water? Oh, now, you don't think Adam is plannin' to sail his ships on just plain old water, do you?

Adam: I guess you two mountain boys haven't heard. Just so happens I'm planning on ships that sail across sand.

Hoss: I remember walkin' across about six hundred miles of it the last time Pa sent me to Salt Lake City to file them claim papers.

Adam: How'd you like to be able to do it in under three days?

Joe: (laughing) Aw, come on, now! From here to Salt Lake City in three days? How you gonna do that? I think he's gonna fly through the air, Hoss.

Adam: Maybe two days.

Joe: (still laughing) Maybe one day?

Ben: You talkin' about a railroad, son?

Adam: I be talkin' about a railroad, Pa.

Ben: Dreams are mighty good things to have, son. You know what it takes to build a railroad?

Adam: Track. Track that... runs across sand... 'round mountains... and over rivers. And track ain't nothin' but a lot of rail, and a bit of ties to lay it on.

Ben: You'd cut down all these wonderful trees to provide ties for a railroad?

Adam: I'd cut 'em down, Pa. And I'd put new ones in their place.

[laundrybiscuits]

(Hanahaki AU tag)

“And you’re really sure he wouldn’t go for it?”

“He’s straight, man.” Eddie shrugs. “It is what it is.”

“Yeah, but still. You never know.”

Eddie cocks his head inquiringly. Steve flushes, looking awkward as hell.

“C’mon, you know what I mean. You’re a catch, dude. And the way you talk about him…even if he’s never, I dunno, thought about it before—if he’s cool enough for you to be into like this, I bet he’d think about it at least.”

Eddie laughs. “So your argument is that I could turn a straight guy? You trying to tell me something, Harrington?”

His dumb heart is in his throat, a delusional little tendril singing what if, but Steve just ducks his head and says, “Shut up, I’m trying to give you a damn compliment here.”

“Thanks, I guess.” Eddie swipes at his face, trying to smear away the sweat building up from standing right in the sun like a dumbass. “But you know thinking about it’s not gonna do the trick.”

“Well, are you sure you can’t…get over him?” Steve winces like he knows it’s a pretty fucking callous thing to say, and reaches out to touch Eddie’s back, so light it’s almost not a touch at all, just an impulsive spasm. “I just mean. Honestly, I can’t picture this guy who’s, I dunno, badass enough for you to be…”

“Blooming,” says Eddie. “In bloom.”

It sounds almost nice, that way. Like a blush and a springtime smile. Not like hunching over and hacking up a fucking weed in the gray morning light. Not like the physical manifestation of unwantedness forcing its way up his esophagus.

“Yeah.” Steve’s hand hovers for a second, then drops. “I just. I’m trying to understand.”

“You don’t have to understand.” Eddie stares out over the bleached ground, the salt ridges, and thinks, this love is killing me.

———

By the time they reach Sequoia National Forest, the road starting to snake up and up through the mountains, Eddie’s got a plastic bag permanently sitting in his lap so he can hack up flowers every so often and just throw them out all at once when they get to a rest stop.

His stomach and throat hurt a little bit all the time now. He thinks he might’ve been a mite optimistic, giving himself six weeks.

It’s also been a few days since he’s picked up his guitar. It’s not like that’s never happened before, but there’s been a fear slowly simmering in the back of Eddie’s mind that if he leaves it too long, before he knows it, the last time he plays will already have been in his past.

So when they stop for a late lunch at a pull-off just inside the park, Eddie shimmies between the seats and grabs his guitar, climbing out the back of the van. He leans up against a wooden fence and tunes it by ear, wishing he’d thought to bring fresh strings along.

The slightly muddy sound works pretty well for the way he’s just fucking around, though. He doesn’t need it to be crisp and bright, he just wants to pull some vibrating harmonies out into the afternoon air. He just wants to let music move through his hands while he still can.

He strums a quick, choppy chord progression that might be a lead-in to War Pigs, but it doesn’t feel exactly right for the moment; not the way the air smells spicy-sweet and fresh with cedar and alive green things, the way he can tilt his head all the way up and let his spine arch back and back until he’s swaying on his heels and still can’t see the tops of the trees. Instead, he segues into some Simon and Garfunkel, singing along under his breath: Michigan seems like a dream to me now.

A few people stop to watch him, so he starts leaning into it, performing for real, singing louder and letting his scratched-up throat give the song some edge. They clap when he’s done, and Steve joins in with the clapping like a dork.

Eddie’s always been a sucker for a little positive reinforcement, so he grins big and bright at a girl with a Kate Bush pin on her bag and leans over the neck of his guitar to pick out the intro to Running Up That Hill.

He sort of wonders if he’s going to fuck up the lyrics, because it’s not like he’d ever really listened to the song before it saved Max Mayfield’s life, but it turns out they’re burned into his brain. In his hoarse baritone, d’you see how deep the bullet lies sounds less ethereal and more like it’s being ripped right out of his guts.

A small crowd is gathering, which is what he gets for making a spectacle of himself playing pop songs on a late summer afternoon in a tourist area. He soaks up the attention, hopping off the fence and doing a playful little spin between downbeats on the chorus, belting out if I only could! to the happy crowd.

That’s when he notices Steve isn’t smiling so much anymore. Fuck. Eddie hadn’t even thought about—he hadn’t exactly been on the scene when Max’s eyes rolled up in her head, either time, so to him it’s just a song that saved her life. To Steve, this probably brings back all kinds of shitty memories. Eddie’s such an asshole for forgetting.

He wraps up the song and waves off the half-hearted requests for another, slinging the guitar over his back. He jogs over to grab some lukewarm Gatorade from the van, passing a bottle over to Steve too, just kind of checking in.

“Hey,” he says when folks have moved on and it’s just him and Steve among the tall trees. “Sorry. I didn’t think about how that might be, um, a bit of an issue for you.”

Steve just shakes his head. “No, Eddie, c’mon. If, if there’s something that makes you happy, you should do it. You should—get to do stuff you want. I told you. Anything I can do to help, I will.” He smiles over at Eddie, always so fucking sweet. “And hey, the crowd was pretty into it, right? You’re a rock star, dude.”

Eddie tries to smile back, but has to catch himself on the van door as flowers fill his throat so suddenly and violently that he feels like a puppet being jerked around. He shakes and coughs for a very long time.

[genderdotcom]

ffxivwrite2024 day 19: taken

the warrior of light and the twins ponder the topic of surnames. (post-shb spoilers)

She can’t help but bare her teeth at the Forum’s representative, politics be damned. He doesn’t spare her a glance. If she cared only a mite less, she’d be across the clearing already, teeth in his throat- and yet that wouldn’t make the twins any happier. They stand, now, by her side, gazes downcast and fists clenched, glimpses of the children she sometimes forgets they still are. 

Fourchenault Leveilleur turns on his heel and storms out of the glade with nary a look back. Alisaie calls after him, shouts, screams- to no avail. Alphinaud stands there, fists clenched, eyes on the ground, and tells her not to bother. Fickle places her hand on Alisaie’s shoulder, to remind herself as much as the girl; not now. Nothing we do now will change this.

They’re walking through Gridania later when she speaks up.

“Alphinaud. Alisaie.” They turn to face her as one, putting on a brave face though their eyes are still as glassy.

“I know nothing can really make up for- for what just happened there. And I can’t rightly claim to know what it’s like. But I want you to know that-”

“Fickle, please, it’s all right-” Alphinaud interjects, or tries to.

“-That you’ve got us. Me, the Scions, Estinien too. Any one of us would be happy to give you a surname nobody can take away. You’re family, alright? I mean, look at me. I don’t have much of a family name, but I’ve got people I can rely on- that’s you all, if you hadn’t guessed.” Alisaie is almost smiling.

“And what surname would you have us take?” “Ahhh, well… Roegadyn names aren’t exactly right for that sort of thing, unless you two want to be my little Slashlings, heh, and Hrothgar surnames also aren’t really like that… Oh! Estinien!” 

“Estinien?” Alphinaud’s eyes flit from side to side cautiously, as if expecting the man to fall out of a tree.

“He’s not using his family name for much, is he? I’m sure he won’t mind if we get some use out of it.”

Finally, the smile threatening to cross Alisaie’s face bursts forth.

“He won’t mind if- if we- pffhahahaha!” She cackles, slapping Alphinaud in the shoulder. “Alphinaud, do take her up on it! With the way you go on about him, you’d be a perfect fit!”

“A-Alisaie!” She’s still laughing as he pushes her away. “And what would you do, in that case?”

“I’m sure I could manage without a surname.” There’s the confidence Fickle missed, its edges brittle and thin but shining nonetheless. “We have friends backing us up, after all.”

[thehowlingbanana]

What if one of the Nazgûl was a Breelander?

Group of friends, hanging around the Prancing Pony (which is pretty much exactly the same in ~2000 S.A. as it is some 4400 years later in FotR)

"Now boys, y'know I'm not much for stirrin' the pot an all, but I was pokin' around a bit the other day and, well, it seem odd to anyone else that Lord Mayor's been Lord Mayor for some 300 years? I mean, he's a good sort, I reckon, but sometimes you talk with him an it just seems like, I dunno, he's some kinda deathless force for evil, y'know?"

"Aye...reckon I know what you mean. Don't like to carry tales, you know that, but few months ago I was headed home late one night an' happened to pass by Lord Mayor's tower...nearly walked into it, what with how tired I was an' how the black stone seems to just suck in all the warmth and light around it. Must be nice come summer though, I figure.

"Anyway, Lord Mayor comes down the steps, all hooded and cloaked in his Mayor's Robes. 'Evenin' Newell,' he says to me.

"'Evenin' Lord Mayor,' I says. 'Late night?' An' he lets out this big sigh, pulls back his hood and he's wearing his Mayor's Circlet an' there's nothin' twixt it and his collar but the fell gleam of eyes. He fixes those eyes on me and I feel my blood turn to ice water and my soul fixes to slam its way out my body and...well, we've all chatted with the Mayor once or twice. Won't bore you with all that.

"'Only always, Newell, only always,' he says, an' we both have a chuckle. 'What brings you out so late?'

"'Well,' I says, 'Mum's got a bit of a cough, an' Pa don't move around so good no more. Just makin' sure they're alright.'

"'You're a good sort,' Lord Mayor says. 'I might come around myself an' see if there's ought I can do.'

"So he did, and I guess they both have nightmares come the dark of the moon now, an' every so often I catch 'em both starin' into the East with eyes like glowin' coals. Still, the damp don't get into Mum's fingers so bad, an' she's doin' her embroidery again. And Pa's so lively he's havin' me help get his vegetable garden back in order. Reckon I can't complain too much. Still...whole thing seems a mite odd, yeah."

"Still, he keeps the roads in order."

"Oh, yeah, be fair, bless 'em for that!"

[poisonwaterlily3]

Started listening to The Magnus Archives earlier this summer. I am now halfway through season four and it is impossible to stifle the urge to write, especially horror, using this particular frame. And I also have no self control when it comes to not sharing things I've made so... (additionally, the particular institute and Archivist reading this and any future statements I write are unspecified)

A Humble Garden

Statement of Robert Mildew regarding the snakes around his home. Statement given on December 23rd, 2012.

I... okay maybe this is a weird place to start, but what do you know about the ouroboros? Well, it's a symbol in alchemy and in Egypt and a lot of other things. It has a lot of meanings depending on who, where, and when you ask. It can mean the harmony of the physical and spiritual or the passing of time or death and rebirth. I didn't used to think much of it but now... well I see it every time I blink.

I have this garden, right? Just a dainty little hobby I thought I'd take up when I moved back to the states here. Pretty modest thing and that's fine, I don't mind it. Yet modest as it may be, it seems that all of nature has become bent on making it as difficult for it to survive as possible. There's been floods, there's been droughts, one time an entire carrot just up and vanished. Yeah, I counted four carrots one day and then two the next! No hole where it could've gone missing or dig marks from a hungey animal or anything. I suppose something with more power than I has marked that poor four by four square for death, hah! The most recent attack er, well the second most recent now I guess, was an infestation of these terrible little mites that just tore things up. I feared I may have used too much pesticide, but after almost five months of those little buggers... well I had no choice but to empty the last third of the can in one day. It didn't seem to have any ill effect on the produce when it came time to eat, though I sure was worried it had I'll tell you that much!

But those events in particular aren't what brought me to your institute, not really. Not too long ago, I checked up on my garden and found a snake in it. Now of course that's nothing special on its own, it was just a measly garden snake after all I've found a dozen of them in my garden up until then but... it was autumn. Not just that, it was late autumn, practically winter. I was decked out in a rather warm outfit which meant I could continue checking up on my crops with no fear of being bitten but... well it's so odd right? A snake in early winter and it didn't appear dormant at all, just lively circling my garden. And it was then as soon as I realized truly how odd that this snake had appeared out of nowhere to slither laps around some vegetables that it stopped. And it stared at me.

Have you ever looked into the eyes of a snake? I doubt you have. It's weird you know, like you're looking dead into the eyes of another being just as intelligent and sentient as you who has intentionally, very deliberately chosen a life dedicated to killing. I stared into its eye for quite a minute, neither of us moving, until I realized that it did not have the eyes of a garden snake. No, those have always had those big round eyes that made me love when I received a visit from them. This one had the eyes of a rattlesnake. Something that meant me harm. I wanted to back away when I realized this, thinking I had misjudged, but it's gaze just petrified me, kept me planted there like the, well, plants in my garden.

Well while I had this brief staring contest, I ended up letting my mind wander until it itself happened upon an older snake-related memory. My father must have taken me to a sort of reptile showcase. It's a vague memory, really. Part of me wants to say it was a random stop during a long road trip but that doesn't really make any sense. Regardless, we park, hop out of the car, walk over and the next thing I remember was staring at this woman, the guide and maybe a snake handler. I don't remember much about her, though I'm certain that whether an 11 year old me thought she was pretty will surely be a hotly debated subject for your organization's top researchers.

Regardless, one thing that did stick in my mind was her rather fitting tattoo snake tattoo and this, I do believe, is what I stared at her for. The tattoo ended at a tail on her middle finger and crept up her arm with such a meandering pace that my eyes felt like they too slithered just following it. Does an image have a pace? Well, that one most certainly did, there is no other way to describe the delicate, foreshortened detail of it, though maybe that too is an inaccurate description. Still though, my eyes followed the tattoo up her arm, her shoulder, down under neck in a way that made it appear like a necklace before ascending back up her neck and eventually ending with an open, wide, fanged mouth ready to bite down on the corner of her jaw.

Looking at her tattoo filled me with this deep dread, like everything I knew would just vanish the moment I reached the end of it, but I just couldn't help myself. I found myself looking deep into the eye of the tattoo. Suddenly I was back in my garden, the snake now gone and the winter wind chilled my bundled body. I admit I was concerned that I had no idea where the snake had gone—I'm sure you know that feeling when you lose track of a spider—but I was all bundled up and despite that, felt cold and scared, so I decided my work was done for the day and headed inside. Winter crops have a way of enduring better anyway.

I returned to my garden the next day and would you believe it if I told you that same snake was there? A garden snake that had the eyes of a hostile rattler. Looking at it gave me that same sense of finality, of something that cannot be avoided anymore, something terrible that had slithered its way into my world. I did my work though, albeit with trembling hands, and made sure to leave it its personal space, all the while I tried not to trigger another staring contest. Then it was there the next day. And the next day after that. I felt a bit relieved that it had become somewhat routine in a way, just having a weird little hybrid snake friend in my garden. I named him Buddy.

The day after that there were two Buddys. They were identical, both of them circling the garden in perfect unison like yin and yang. Around and around, back and forth. It made my stomach drop. I stared at them on my porch for a little while, unsure of what to do about this, if there was anything to do at all. It was just two snakes. Two really weird snakes out in the middle of winter, but is that really all that big of a concern? In hindsight, yeah sure it is but when you're standing there, dumbfounded and with no idea of what's about to happen you just don't know. Regretfully, I found myself too much of a coward to do my usual garden work with them there so I ultimately turned back inside.

The next day there were three. The two from the day prior continued their circling and I noticed some shifting out of the corner of my eye. There was another Buddy in one of my trees. At this point I hadn't even stepped foot outside, just looking out my kitchen window when I saw them. I decided not to tend my garden that day.

The days after that were worse. Four, five, six, nine, thirteen... it became harder and harder to count as time went on. Eventually I just gave up and decided that the elements had won; I was not going to reach my garden again this year. Every day, I'd just stand at my kitchen window and look out at all of them, the wriggly little things and... the worst part was how they all just stared at me. All of them except the ones which chose to circle my garden like an ant spiral. I never saw them move their heads though, so I can only guess that they all just spent their days staring directly at my window.

I think it was around this point that my devices started to go all wack. It started with my laptop for my job. I work online and thank goodness because my commute would just be too long for it. Side effect of living out in the woods I guess. That and snakes. Still though, once my laptop decided to stop working I had no choice but to email my boss and request an early Christmas. He's a good one as far as bosses go and let me off. I felt terribly bad for him, but I felt I had bigger things to worry about.

It was awful. I didn't know what to do, I didn't know how I'd even begin to describe all of this to a pest control or electronic repair person, much less how they'd actually help me. Those snakes all look like common garden snakes, but they can't be. Their eyes just don't belong. They look so hostile, so full of envy. Hate. I think I decided at some point that they Buddys just hated me for some reason. It was just the impression that I got from looking into their eyes, their tongues sticking out and retreating again in disgust. They knew I didn't have any power here.

Next were my televisions, then it was my oven. I wondered briefly what could possibly be responsible for the simultaneous supernatural failures of my technological devices. Another look out my window put that question to rest. I mean, it was a stretch to be sure but Christ, what else could it be? I went ahead and updated my calendar so that I knew what day it was my phone when that decided to fail on me suddenly. It was a good call since it was the next to go on December 18th.

More snakes showed up of course. Twenty, thirty, forty, at that point I couldn't bother counting and I just had to estimate. Fifty? Seventy? Dare I say a hundred? It was impossible to tell really. I only saw them in the backyard. At some point I closed the blinds and curtains to every other window, I did not want to know how many were outside those or if they were staring into my house at me there either. But I couldn't bring myself to blind myself to the kitchen window. I always spent a brief moment looking over my garden; it was still fine, even with fifteen snakes circling it for god knows what reason. What did I say earlier about the endurance of winter crops? Really though, I just couldn't look away from them. I wonder how many hours total I've spent just staring out that window... Not much else I could do with my time but look my impending doom in their eyes. Their hundreds of eyes...

I was running out of food by this point but there wasn't really much I could do. Every electronic in my home had given up on me so I couldn't contact anyone. Well, I guess my thermostat still worked but that wasn't useful for anything besides climate control. I suppose the reptiles didn't have it in their hearts to take the heat away from me. Small mercies? I would've tried getting in my car and leaving but one look out the front window told me that the snakes did surround my house and were looking into every window, blinded or not. I felt terrible just constantly. I could hardly sleep if not from my empty stomach than with the stomach churning knowledge that this was the end. These harmless snakes would be the death of me.

I woke up on December 21st, not really expecting anything different. There were plenty of doomsayers crying out about the end of the world on that day. "December 21st, 2012 will be the end! It was written by the Mayans! It'll be the end I tell you!" None of them knew what they were talking about and yet... they were right. I knew it from the moment I looked outside on the winter solstice.

There were no snakes in my backyard. None in my garden, none in my trees. I looked out the other windows and all the same. The snakes were gone. I took one hesitant step outside in a snug jacket and my old pal Buddy slithered up at miraculous speeds onto the railing of my back porch. I tried to run but could not, instead I found myself in another staring contest with this snake. I was so sure that this was the original snake, my Buddy. I'm still sure of it though I have no real reason to think that. All of them were were identical anyway.

Buddy then began to slither and twist and bend himself, coiling comfortably on the rail. I watched in disbelief as he began to eat his own tail.

I stared this garden snake eye-to-eye in awe and fear when suddenly I completely understood what this was.

It was the first, it multiplied into many, and it became one again. And now it is destroying itself with eyes full of hatred and jealousy and rage. Think on that. It is the little I can do to make you understand.

Because I understand. I understood.

But I cannot possibly tell you what it is I understood no matter how much I wish I could.

I do not have the words to make you understand what the phrase "We will not last forever" really means, the fact that we cannot last forever. You can know, sure, but you cannot understand. It takes a revealing of truth with such enormous gravity that simply cannot be repeated, cannot be expressed, cannot be place into another's head without them experiencing those days—those weeks of hour long gazes and restless nights and starving waking hours. You simply cannot understand.

I do understand.

And it is every moment that I wish I did not.

That is all.

End of statement.

To my knowledge, there are not many statements that regard snakes and even in those they only appear in minor roles. That is to say that their decidedly major appearance here is very curious. I'll be sure to have my assistants find any others that feature snakes and we'll look into any common themes.

As for right now, I will categorize this as an instance of KnowingUnwanted given the focus on how they stare, although the crisis the statement ends on also gives me cause to note it as perhaps Impermanence. It is not unreasonable that it could be both after all. Neither of them are particularly associated with technology though so... *sigh* what a headache this one is.

End of documentation.

[shannyh25]

When Matthew came to think the matter over he decided that a woman was required to cope with the situation. Marilla was out of the question. Matthew felt sure she would throw cold water on his project at once. Remained only Mrs. Lynde; for of no other woman in Avonlea would Matthew have dared to ask advice. To Mrs. Lynde he went accordingly, and that good lady promptly took the matter out of the harassed man's hands.

Pick out a dress for you to give Anne? To be sure I will. I'm going to Carmody to-morrow and I'll attend to it. Have you something particular in mind? No? Well, I'll just go by my own judgment then. I believe a nice rich brown would just suit Anne, and William Blair has some new gloria in that's real pretty. Perhaps you'd like me to make it up for her, too, seeing that if Marilla was to make it Anne would probably get wind of it before the time and spoil the surprise? Well, I'll do it. No, it isn't a mite of trouble. I like sewing. I'll make it to fit my niece, Jenny Gillis, for she and Anne are as like as two peas as far as figure goes."

"Well now, I'm much obliged," said Matthew, "and — and — I dunno — but I'd like — I think they make the sleeves different nowadays to what they used to be. If it wouldn't be asking too much I — I'd like them made in the new way."

"Puffs? Of course. You needn't worry a speck more about it, Matthew. I'll make it up in the very latest fashion," said Mrs. Lynde. To herself she added when Matthew had gone:

"It'll be a real satisfaction to see that poor child wearing something decent for once. The way Marilla dresses her is positively ridiculous, that's what, and I've ached to tell her so plainly a dozen times. I've held my tongue though, for I can see Marilla doesn't want advice and she thinks she knows more about bringing children up than I do for all she's an old maid. But that's always the way. Folks that has brought up children know that there's no hard and fast method in the world that'll suit every child. But them as never have think it's all as plain and easy as Rule of Three — just set your three terms down so fashion, and the sum'll work out correct. But flesh and blood don't come under the head of arithmetic and that's where Marilla Cuthbert makes her mistake. I suppose she's trying to cultivate a spirit of humility in Anne by dressing her as she does; but it's more likely to cultivate envy and discontent. I'm sure the child must feel the difference between her clothes and the other girls'. But to think of Matthew taking notice of it! That man is waking up after being asleep for over sixty years."

Marilla knew all the following fortnight that Matthew had something on his mind, but what it was she could not guess, until Christmas Eve, when Mrs. Lynde brought up the new dress. Marilla behaved pretty well on the whole, although it is very likely she distrusted Mrs. Lynde's diplomatic explanation that she had made the dress because Matthew was afraid Anne would find out about it too soon if Marilla made it.

"So this is what Matthew has been looking so mysterious over and grinning about to himself for two weeks, is it?" she said a little stiffly but tolerantly. "I knew he was up to some foolishness. Well, I must say I don't think Anne needed any more dresses. I made her three good, warm, serviceable ones this fall, and anything more is sheer extravagance. There's enough material in those sleeves alone to make a waist, I declare there is. You'll just pamper Anne's vanity, Matthew, and she's as vain as a peacock now. Well, I hope she'll be satisfied at last, for I know she's been hankering after those silly sleeves ever since they came in, although she never said a word after the first. The puffs have been getting bigger and more ridiculous right along; they're as big as balloons now. Next year anybody who wears them will have to go through a door sideways." Lucy Maud Montgomery quotes- Anne Of Green Gables.

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