#the worst thing is i have leftovers so i'll have to have it again. but maybe i can take out the potatoes and reheat them separately before

[katya-goncharov]

i just tried to invent a stir fry with chicken and pineapple and sweet potato chunks even though i've never made stiry fry before, and it did NOT go well

[yayll]

~ a little something about the complicated way you and Dazai acknowledge each other's feelings ~

"We can't let it end like this. We simply can't."

"Dazai, what are you talking about? I'm literally just going on my lunch break."

"... I'll find a way for us to be together! Someday!"

You've been bickering back and forth with him ever since you stepped foot in the agency this morning, or more like he's been performing a whiney one sided narrative that you and your co-workers are more than familiar with. Though it's only ever directed at you. The confusing declarations of love, the lack of personal space, and then there are the days he won't even look or speak to you at all. It was emotional whiplash, but you did your best to drown out the feelings he evoked in you.

Dangerous ones you wouldn't dare indulge in, because if so, you get the feeling your heart would never recover from a man like Dazai. You grab your wallet, and push in your desk chair when he calls out to you once more in a much more serious tone, one that sounds bored.

"If you must leave, will you please pick up something on your way back for me?"

"What is it this time?"

"Bandages, I suppose"

He says that like it's an afterthought, like he couldn't care less for whatever he was asking for.

He's been asking you to go on odd little shopping trips for him for weeks now, and you being the dog you are, say yes every single time. You think about how Dazai loathes dogs. It makes you physically ill the way you feel about him. Whatever it is. You nod, and reply softly.

"Okay. Sure."

"So compliant! If I didn't know any better l'd say you're madly in love with me. Should we run off into the sunset and get married?"

You simply stare at his sardonic smile for a long while, and he stares back. It's like you're sending each other psychic waves, secret messages only you two could decode. Only you two could fathom. He stares into you with that piercing gaze of his, the one that might as well call you an idiot for ever thinking there's a real person behind his heavenly face. His eyes are pretty, they make yours feel dull in comparison. After a while, a faint half smile creeps onto your lips, trying to feign the same indifference as his. You fail, obviously.

"Mm, sounds too hopeful, even for you."

"Yikes! Right you are. Commitment. How awful.... No one wants that kind of trouble."

Dazai states cruelly, leaning back into his chair at his desk, arms crossed. He has to bite down to keep from smiling and giggling like a fool, as this is exactly what he wishes would happen.

His heart flutters for a brief moment at the visual of such a fantasy, such privilege to have you forever. He knows how badly you secretly want this too, but he doesn't plan on putting you out of your misery just yet. Shame on you to think of him as a real person who's allowed to pursue the things he wants! He continues when he sees you've gone completely silent, standing with your keys in your hand like a mannequin.

"Besides, I'm sure you've met plenty of other guys that are far more suitable for you. I mean, look at me, I used to be a criminal." He winks at you, hinting at his sketchy past. He's such a fantastic performer when he's at his worst.

"... And no one wants that kind of trouble, right?" You echo his past words back to him, once again failing to match his rejection.

"Oh you wretched little creature. Right again!"

You can't take much of this any longer, smiling politely as you simply turn around, and walk out of the agency. Your eyes sting.

Dazai just sits there, staring at the door, counting the seconds until you're back. He rests his chin on his palm, unblinking. He taps his fingers on the desk, and lets out a deep sigh. It's all he does, all he looks forward to every single day you leave.

You finally come back nearly an hour later, carrying a small bag and leftovers from your lunch. He lights up like the moon during the clearest night sky, and stands up immediately. His demeanor completely changes as he flashes you a delighted grin, rushing to you.

"You're back~"

"Yeah, here are your bandages."

"My what?"

"The bandages you asked for..?"

His eyes widen for a moment, and then he chuckles, shaking his head. He flicks his own forehead.

"Of course! Thank you. Now, may I have the receipt as well?"

He looks excited, his open palm cupped in front of you, as if you were giving him a treat. You raise a brow and shrug, handing him the crumpled piece of paper. You don't even question it anymore. He frowns. You think he looks like a disgruntled little kid.

"Ugh. You wrinkled it."

"What? Why does it matter?"

"Well I obviously wanted to keep it, silly goose."

You try to make sense of what he could possibly mean, and you decide it's not worth getting into. You can't afford the heartache nor the brain cells.

"That's the weirdest thing you've ever asked me."

"Not true. I've never asked you for a kiss~"

You almost drop to the floor with the way his eyes darken, despite his tone being the complete opposite. You stare at him yet again for what feels like ages, your heart set ablaze, with Dazai being the pyromaniac who won't let your embers die out of his own amusement. Your voice comes out low, meek.

"Well I'm clearly not the person you dream of, so no."

You could swear his awful smirk falls off just a tiny bit, but any evidence of that is gone in a blink of an eye. His voice comes out soft and laced with a hint of honeyed bitterness.

"And if you weren't, l'd dream of you anyway."

He mutters under his breath as he looks out the window, as if you weren't supposed to hear that. the sun is slowly setting and the moon will illuminate soon after. He wishes he could see what you look like at night.

You roll your eyes because if you don't, you'll bury your face in his chest and sob. Oh, he's the worst. You put on your best cynical voice followed by a scoff.

"That's lovely, Dazai."

"You look lovely." He states simply, still looking at the way the moon ghosts in the sky.

"... Thank you."

"It's my pleasure." He murmurs, solemnly. In that moment, you don't catch it, but he's telling you he loves you too.

And just like that, you slowly walk past him and sit at your desk. You might have a stroke, but you still have reports to finish.

Dazai quietly does the same, sitting down and opening a drawer, and then a secret compartment within it. He glances at you for a moment, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he flashes you an exaggerated smile when you catch him looking, then turns his attention back down, the smile dropping.

He places the wrinkled receipt into a larger stack of countless other receipts, all from past errands you've run for him lately. He smoothes it carefully, for it is a priceless sentiment amongst his collection of the things you so graciously give him. It's pathetic, but it's like holding your hand. It's like kissing you. It's like true love.

[doe-eyed-fool]

Guess who’s back!(sorry if you’re sick of me but my squirrel brain has blessed me again!)

Lucifer X Reader whose love language is food, loves eating, cooking, and sharing food. Shows their care for Luci by buying him or cooking food, making sure that every time they’re together that he’s fed. Cuz you can’t tell me that this man doesn’t forget to eat. Reader always asks if he ate today and always insists on making something if he hasn’t. Packs up leftovers for him to enjoy later and almost always knocks at his office door with a plate of food, a snack, or something sweet she baked.

I love this so much, he deserves to be taken care of like the princess he is🥺

Also no way am I sick of you, I like getting requests! Especially cute ones like this

Made With Love

Lucifer x Reader

Being the king of hell came with a lot of responsibilities. Meetings with the other sins and powerful demons, mountains of paperwork, and now he was a full time father again.

It was all time consuming. But whenever he had some time for himself, he would usually pour himself into his, duck focused, creations. He'd be tinkering away for hours, he wouldn't even know that it was the middle of the night until he nearly passed out in the middle of his work.

At that point, he was too tired to feed himself and would just flop down onto the bed. Only to wake up and repeat it all over again.

That is, until you showed up. You and Lucifer had been dating a little while after the hotel was rebuilt. And once you learned of his unhealthy habits, needless to say, you were a little more than upset. But mostly concerned.

"Luci?" You open the door to Lucifer's workshop. Lucifer responds with a light "hm?" as you walked inside. He didn't even look at you, he must be really invested in whatever he was working on. You walked up beside him and look down.

There were noticeable bags under his eyes, and his hair was a bit of a mess. Worst of all, his hands were shaking. "Lucifer? How long have you been at this?" You ask.

"Oh uh, a few..." Lucifer looks up at the clock. His eyes widen slightly. "Hours..."

You frown and cross your arms. "Lucifer." Your tone was stern, but not harsh. Lucifer sighed and set down his tools. "I know. I'm sorry." You place your hand on his shoulder. "Have you had a break at all? Or eaten anything since you started?"

Just as you asked that, there was a rumble that came from Lucifer's stomach. And that was all the answer you needed. "Alright." You say before helping Lucifer up. "Come with me." You walk him out of the room. "B-But my-"

"You can finish it later." You interrupt him. "Right now, you're going to take a break and eat something." You lead Lucifer to the kitchen and sit him down at the table.

You would have started on something new, but you were willing to bet Lucifer hadn't ate since breakfast. So for right now, you decided to heat up last night's leftovers.

"It's not new but, you need to eat something now. I saw you shaking back there." You say as you placed the dish in the microwave. You turn and walk to the table. "Luci, you have to start taking better care of yourself. I'm worried."

Lucifer frowns slightly. "I know. I'm sorry, Y/n, really. It's just...I get so busy and, whenever I get a minute to myself, I usually just go to my workshop. It's a stress reliever, you know? But I understand, I get a little too into it and loose track of time and everything else."

You place your hand on his. "Well, it's a good thing you have me now." You chuckle. "I'll help you out with this, I promise." Lucifer smiled and held your hand. "Thank you, Y/n."

And so, you decided to do something nice for him. Every morning he'd wake up, you'd present him with breakfast, truly fit for a king. You'd also make sure to send lunch with him whenever he had a meeting. And at the end of the day, you'd make dinner for you and him both.

Lucifer was a tad overwhelmed by this, but of course he was appreciative every time you cooked for him. You worked so hard after all. And it was always very delicious.

One day, when he was in his workshop, you walked in with a tray in your hands. "Luci, I brought you something." Lucifer looked up from his work and faced you. On the tray was apple slices with a side of peanut butter and caramel, along with his favorite tea.

"Oh, Y/n you didn't have to." He says with a smile. You sat the tray down on a table next to him. "But I wanted to." You tell him. "You also give me no choice mister." You say teasingly. Yes, Lucifer knew, or finally realized more like it, that he wasn't taking care of himself like he should have been.

He had no idea how much he missed a good home cooked meal before he met you.

"Heh, yeah...Thank you, Y/n. Really, you do so much for me. I have no idea how I could repay you."

You smile softly and hand him the tea cup. "Just try to take better care of yourself, that's thanks enough. Oh, and I was thinking tonight I'd make something really nice. Maybe we can invite Charlie over too?"

Lucifer graciously took the cup and nods. "That sounds nice. It's been a while since Charlie's come over. Maybe she can bring Maggie with her too."

"Vaggie, Lucifer. Vaggie." You laugh. "Oh. Right." Lucifer chuckles lightly. "In any case, I look forwards to it. I'll help you too, if you want."

"Sure, I'd like to see what the big boss can do in the kitchen." You say with a playful grin. "You'd be surprised." Lucifer smirks. "But no magic. You're doing it by hand." You tell him. Lucifer's confidence dropped.

"Oh. Well, shit."

You laugh and pat his shoulder. "You'll do fine. You have me to teach you."

Lucifer's smile returned. "Yeah. You always do make the best food."

[hero-israel]

So I've seen a lot of talk from people who allow that Israel was justified to attack Gaza after October 7th, but they feel that Israel still attacked too indiscriminately, killed too many Palestinians, and destroyed too much of Gaza. Two particular hangups I've seen most commonly are the idea that Israel should have done a "tactical counter-terrorism" action rather than a ground invasion, and a specific objection to Israel dropping 2000 pound bombs on Gaza specifically. I don't feel that I know enough about military tactics, so I don't know how legitimate it would have been for Israel to go into Gaza "tactically" or to drop smaller bombs, but I suspect Hamas would be a lot stronger than it is currently, and the same people would still be tut-tutting Israel's actions (if not calling them out with equal outrage). It's very frustrating

Everyone wants a better alternative but nobody describes what it is. Reminds me of the recent post about the Houthis - "don't bomb them, you need to find a way to get rid of the Red Sea embargo that only kills the badguys and nobody else." Okay, I'll just ask the genie of the lamp to magic them away. There are no options for going into Gaza that aren't utterly horrible. Hamas knows this, it was the whole point of their trap, and it is working.

Here's a fair-minded, moving essay by a Gazan Palestinian saying Israel needs "targeted, low-intensity, long-term operation[s] that could sustainably reduce Hamas’ military capabilities and create conditions to introduce a new administration in Gaza," and also admitting "tunnel warfare is dirty, complicated, costly and requires lengthy efforts and campaigns, not the short and swift operations upon which Israel’s military doctrine is built."

IOW, "go in and kill Hamas and destroy everything they have - but don't kill anybody else. Find a way to do it slower and smaller and neater, but still make sure you win."

It doesn't work that way. The tunnels are obviously boobytrapped, how are you supposed to order men in? The problem isn't expense, the problem is failure. Also a slow, prolonged ground campaign would require a lasting re-occupation, another lose-lose. Israel has purportedly been using the 2,000 pound bombs as bunker-busters to collapse the tunnels - maybe that's working, but it also kills the hell out of people on the surface, again part of the trap. I am disappointed that the IDF hadn't spent every waking hour the last decade building some technical gizmo that could make the tunnels uninhabitable, some kind of seismic or ultrasonic whatzit. I said a while back that I was in favor of flooding the tunnels and fixing the environmental consequences later. I've got messages in my inbox now urging me not to take that stance, that Israel should not be seen as "salting the earth," but it doesn't matter since it seems Israel isn't actually doing it, for whatever reason, so there's no point in a Tumblr blog taking a stance either way.

Tom Friedman is another useless Boomer leftover from the '90s and his "philosophy-of-cab-drivers" shtick is laughable, but he actually raised a good point here:

Netanyahu, I would argue, doesn’t want to win. He wants to be winning, OK, that is, he wants to be able to say, we’re winning. We’re winning. We’re winning. It’s just around the corner. But he doesn’t want to actually win because, if the war actually ends, two things are going to happen. Then he can no longer avoid what is the new political end state. And I believe there will be an eruption, a massive eruption, of Israeli anger at him that I hope and pray will drive him from power because I believe he is not only the worst leader in Israel’s history. I believe he’s the worst leader in Jewish history.

And that’s a long history. And what is Netanyahu’s calculation? It’s very simple. If he is not in power and has to face the conclusion of his trial and three corruption charges without the protection and influence that comes over the judiciary from being in power, he has a very good chance of going to jail. People forget. Israel jailed a president and a former prime minister. They’re not afraid to do that. And he does not want to go to jail. And he does not want to give up power.

And so this is a terrible situation where Israel is in a existential war, and its prime minister has basically dual loyalties, one to the state and one to himself. And at every turn, he is prioritizing himself.

I wish I could totally rule out the possibility that Netanyahu is going to try to drag this out until Trump's inauguration next year. I can't.

[becausesomething]

A cold heart cannot be warmed (Law x Reader)

Sinopse:

After the worst generation has conquered the long-awaited new era, the long-awaited future arrives for everyone. Where dreams can finally be realized and lived. However, there are hearts that are stuck in the cold of the past, which not even the warmest love is capable of melting.

WC: 2K

Relationship established between Law and Reader. It unfolds after the new era has been conquered and established.

"You can leave it, I'll finish cleaning the kitchen", I take the cloth that Sachi had in his hand and continue what he was doing. However, both he and Penguin didn't like leaving things half done so they finish what they were doing, leaving only the tables to clean.

"I'll take the food to the captain, he forgot again" Penguin was starting to place some plates of onigri leftovers on a tray. I let out a loud sigh "If he's hungry he'll show up, it's not like we're still in a fight against time, he might as well remember that his crew still exists...", unfortunately the words end up coming out in a slightly more aggressive tone than I liked. "Calm down, we know how he is, he just gets lost in his own world", he continues what he was doing but Sachi stops him, and then comes to meet me and puts his hand on my shoulder "Tomorrow we will arrive in Lvneel, we will be on land will bring good things" I grab his hand and look towards them both, in the vague hope of finding some comfort from the loneliness I felt, before returning to focus on what I was doing "How many times have I heard broken promises... I could understand when we had the objectives until the new era arrived, and after a lot of effort and struggles we manage to see this new world". I feel their eyes on me and that feeling that once again caused unnecessary concern, "Sorry, I'm just tired, and you know how I get when I spend too much time inside the polar tang. Go and rest, when I finish this I'll take you him what you prepared Penguin". In unison, they say see you tomorrow and don't forget to rest, and leave that space, lefting me alone. I sit down heavily in my chair, slump onto the table, and let out the sounds of frustration.

It has been 2 years since the crew was almost annihilated in the confrontation with Blackbeard, if it wasn't for everyone's quick action and teamwork to save Law and escape. After a few months, we met the Straw Hats again and a new alliance was formed to defeat him. 1 year ago, Luffy became the pirate king and we lost the race to find the one piece. However, no one could be sad because that person was the breath of hope that the world needed. And in a matter of weeks more changes began to happen within the crew of the heart pirates.Ikaku discovered she was pregnant, and with Hakugan they decided it was time to settle down, start building a new life, dedicate themselves to their new family and went to live on an island in the South Blue. It was a huge celebration with the birth of that girl, who was going to be a disgrace for her parents, it also meant a farewell that weighed heavily on everyone's hearts. 

This was followed by Uni's unexpected wedding, which was the result of falling in love at first sight, and it all happened so quickly that it left everyone amazed that he would give up everything for love despite knowing that it was always what he secretly believed and wanted. Jean Bart was the last to follow his own path, after being inspired by Usopp's stories and seeing the island of Elbaf with his own eyes.

My relationship with Law matured, and we spent so many nights in the room or on the deck, when we weren't submerged, talking about our own future, all the challenges we went through, after seeing cycle's close and trying to deal with the departure of the companions who were our family. It's something that brought us even closer together and fought readjustment. However, he managed to remain even more distant than before, spending days locked in his office with books and research, looking for the best island that the heart pirates could call their own. I tried my best to bring him to reality and I know that he saw and heard me, until he entered into that cycle again. No matter how much effort, affection and understanding he showed, I felt that it was often in vain and I needed something concrete and solid."Let's find an island and start building our future, maybe our own family, the time has come", those were the words that echoed in my mind, that kept the fire in my heart alive, that kept me fighting for what tomorrow would bring us.But no island was enough. We continued to be pirates in an era of conquering a name that we already had, but with each mission that appeared, it was where he put all his effort into compensating for the emptiness that sometimes weighed on the submarine. We continued to follow our captain with the same passion, but those words changed something in me. I wanted to experience the future that we could only dream of a few years ago, but that now was finally possible.

The sound of a chair being dragged next to me and a warm hug bring me back to reality. His arms wrap around and pull me against him, "You're lost in your world again, what's the reason this time?" I wanted to scream that it was him, but the words were stuck in my throat and an unexpected cry took over. I comfort myself in that hug, in an attempt to stop the tears that are already falling. "Why are you crying, sweetie? Did something happen?", I squeezed him tighter before placing a light kiss on his lips. "I'm here in a wait that never ends, being understanding and like everyone else dealing with the silence that came with their departure. My heart screams for the future you promised but that is never good enough for you", the fingers wipe away my tears, making my body shiver with that touch that I fell in love with, in the same circumstances I found myself in now. "I promise it will be the last island we visit and then I will make a decision", the look was sincere but I could hear the uncertainty in his voice, however it comforted me that he came looking for me and hugged me.I could protest those words, but we would get into an unnecessary conversation again, and I wasn't the only one who knew because it seemed like he was reading me at that moment. "What do you say if we go to the control room and expel Bepo?", he raises his eyebrow, that malicious smile appears, my weak point where I wasn't able to maintain my position.

That person to whom I gave my heart and who showed and helped me reach my potential as a crew member and wife of the death surgeon, was now in front of me arguing with Bepo. He explained it in the simplest way and without going into details to leave us alone, but you could see the veins of the little patience he had, and no matter how much time they shared, he wanted to maintain his friend's innocence. "Bepo, we want the space because we're going to make love with that magnificent view", the pale skin turns red and the hands quickly hide the features in the cap, while Bepo just puts his paws on his face happily and smiles to leave the space, but before saying some of his aye-captain to Law, leaving him now even more frustrated. "tsc, can't you be less direct?!", I grab his hand and pull him towards me, like the first day I met him I kept getting lost in those grey eyes "You know I don't, besides it's not that the reason we came here and you asked to leave us alone?" He returns the attack and grabs my waist "I need you!", his lips close to mine with a determination to only let go again to breathe as needed.

We had spent the last four days on the island, and I honestly felt like this place had always been my home. The characteristics of the island, the climate, the different cities reminded me of the island where I was born. The residents welcomed us from the moment we set foot on land, which only increased that feeling. Our name lived up to us and with those smiles, I knew that our legacy would go continue in history.

I was returning from the city along the paths laid out in the forest when in seconds I found myself on the deck of the Polar Tang thanks to his room "What took you so long? We have to leave in a few hours" I place my hand on his face and intertwine our fingers with the other "I need you, but I am no longer able to postpone a future that you don't want to come... For me, it has arrived and we are anchored in it. Law, I love you, and I know you love me too. In all the conversations about the future, I really wanted to believe that it was what we both wanted, but your actions say otherwise. Nothing will ever be enough because deep down you don't want to be stuck in one place or really build a family with me, because you're afraid that everything will disappear in a matter of hours and you'll be alone", shock takes over his features but I feel him squeezing his fingers and that confirms the words. "It's okay, I understand. Facing change is anything but easy, however, our friends who we consider family are choosing their own path, as they were always supposed to. I will never forget...", "No, it's not okay! Don't even think about finishing that sentence... I just need more time to consider, find a place for all of us", "This choice isn't up to you, it's up to each one of us" I hug him and give him time until he separates us.

"I need to experience the reality that you have always told me about, both in the past and in the future. My decision has been made", I held back the tears with all the strength I had left. Obviously I didn't want our story to end there, but I also couldn't stand being aimless and what I wanted not to be taken seriously."Don't leave me. It's true, I'm afraid and I'm terrified every time we stop on an island because of what happened now. You are my strength, and the one who always made me look forward. Please...", he grabs my wrist and forces me to look at him, which makes me can't take it anymore and my body gives in to the emotion "I have to think about myself. You're here, but loneliness has also started to take part when you go in search of excuses that only exist in your head. I can't stand feeling this way and having to hold on to the moments when you remember that I exist" I try to let go and calm the crying that made me feel like the worst person in the world. "This is hard enough, but I've always been honest with you", "Is this really what you want? Staying here?" In one of his affectionate gestures, he wipes my tears and leaves a heavy kiss on my lips, before hugging me "You are the woman of my life, I really love you for the person you are".

Promises that he would after those words were made but never fulfilled. Days gave into weeks, which became months, and ended up years. The heart pirates continued to exist, being a family that met from time to time, but without their captain who made the choice to isolate himself from the world.

It was Corazon's love that made Law become a death surgeon, it was the passion he experienced with the woman that he thought we would share his life forever, overcome the greatest battles and ghosts of his life. But both were still not enough when it came to facing the fear of a past that had left marks on a heart, which was in a closed safe in the office of a yellow submarine that continued to sail aimlessly.

Find more stories here and here xoxo

english is not my first language, even thought I use it more than my native tongue. I try my best to adapt it 🫣

[bumblebeesfromvenus]

The sweetest taste ♤

Astarion Ancunin x reader

A/N: heyyyy :) this was supposed to be a short drabble, but I mayhaps got carried away... oops lol Astarion is the tadpole in my brain and he told me to write this so yeah. First time writing for Astarion so I'm a lil hesitant to post this but I figured you guys will tell me if it's shit lmao Enjoy!

~ Fi 🪻

Warnings: blood consumption (reader licks blood off Astarions face bc I felt like it), slightly suggestive? Astarion is flustered, ooc Astarion?? maybe??? Idk

Word count: 1.2k

!short disclaimer: I haven't actually played the game.. (shame on me, I know lol)!

Please don't copy my work! I put a lot of effort and heart into the things I write.

🩸☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆🗡☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆🩸

🩸☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆🗡☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆🩸

The latest battle had been brutal. Blood spilling, dirt and debris flying everywhere. You were wiping your sweat and grim covered forehead with your sleeve, lightly staining the fabric.

"Wasn't that so much fun, Darling?" Astarion beamed, wiping his dagger on his shirt. He was covered in blood splatters, they dyed his white shirt and his fair curls a deep crimson. Astarions pale complexion wasn't safe from the blood bath either. But,Gods, he has never looked better. Smiling, covered in blood, sure he looked a little manical but you wouldn't have it any other way.

It was cute and horrifying at the same time to see how his eyes lit up after a battle as intense as this one. He'd become all giddy and excited, the adrenaline in his veins giving him a delicious rush. It's kind of odd after you just killed people, but Astarion is, well.. Astarion. The intimidating, charming, witty, yet so lovable vampire. A small smile crept onto your cheeks. It was nice seeing him smile and laugh. That laugh. It was going to be the death of you. Just like the rest of him, really. The worst part about that? He knew it.

Astarion glanced over at you, the setting light of the sun perfectly hitting his ruby eyes. He let out a deep chuckle, twirling the ornate dagger between his slender, pale fingers. "What's so funny, hm?" You questioned, crossing your arms in front of your chest, brows furrowed. He chuckled again, lighter this time and stopped walking.

"Just the way you're ogling me, my sweet," he answered, clearly amused, "you like seeing me covered in blood, don't you, you cheeky little thing?"

A subtle blush adorned your cheeks and you let out a huff. "So what if I do?" You responded. Astarion lightly shook his head and laughed. He walked up to you and tilted your head upwards with a finger underneath your chin.

"Well... that is perfectly alright with me, my darling." he grinned.

As you arrived at your camp, the sun had already said her goodbye and the beautifully glowing moon was illuminating the dark night. "We should get cleaned up," Karlach said, stretching her back, "we've got an early day tomorrow."

You sat down on your bedroll, dampening a rag with some of the leftover water in your flask and began to wipe your face down. It felt good to finally get all of that dried blood and dirt off your face.

Astarion emerged from the woods, even more blood covering his face now. The carmine liquid was dripping down his chin. You grinned as he made his way over to you and sat down next to you. "I suppose you've had your dinner? Am I not to your fine taste anymore or have you just decided to be Gentleman and give me a break today?" You asked teasingly, not looking at him but continuing to clean yourself. He laughed.

"You know I could never get tired of your taste, my sweet. But..",Astarion trailed his fingers up your arm to your neck and gently ghosted over the two scars sitting on the side of your throat, ever so beautifully,"I could go for a dessert, dear.." he smirked your way.

You looked over at him and smiled. "I'll think on it, my love."

He nodded and returned a soft smile, his fingers still caressing the side of your neck. 

"You should really clean your face, Astarion"

"But you like it when I'm all bloodied" he teased.

You rolled your eyes. Teasing was his middle name.

"I'll do it for you" you offered. He raised his eyebrows in surprise but quickly a smirk made its way onto his face. "Why, I'd be honored, my darling."

You climbed onto his lap and his hands immediately situated themselves on your hips. You were holding the already bloody rag in on hand and his jaw firmly in the other. You leaned in and licked a stripe up his bloody cheek. Astarion froze. Did... did you actually just do that. Not that he was complaining, he would never, it just caught him off guard. And was he.. was he flustered? No way in the hells. Astarion doesn't get flustered. He's the one flustering and making other people blush. But he couldn't deny the slight heat in his face and the proud smirk on your face as you caught the slightest hint of pink on his cheeks. Astarion couldn't believe it. His innocent, oh so sweet darling, that wouldn't hurt a fly, had just licked the blood off his face.

You pulled back and smiled, slightly turning his head to get a better angle. You let your tongue trail over the corner of his mouth and along his jaw, taking off the crimson liquid. He let out a raspy groan, quickly followed by his grip tightening on your hips. "My, my... who would've known you were so... filthy, my sweet.." his voice was filled with lust and as smooth as honey. A seductive smirk was on his lips, and you just looked at him innocently.

"You're not the only one who likes blood here, my star," you whispered, tilting his head up a little and batting your lashes at him.

Astarion stared af you, full of lust and adoration. This just made him love you so much more, you had no idea.

Putting your hands on his shoulder, you began to stand up. "Well.. early call tomorrow, so, good night, my lovely, " you said, pressing a kiss to the top of his head and making your way to your bedroll. His face fell into confusion as he sat there, dumbfounded. "I- what?! you can't just-" he yelled, outraged, but he cut himself off with a scoff. You got him all riled up and just.. left! Thankfully, he couldn't see the grin on your face as you continued to approach your resting place for the night. "Can and will, my dear"

Gale stomped towards Astarion, obviously annoyed. "For the sake of the God's, Astarion! Some people would like to sleep, what's the matter with you?!" He questioned, making gestures with his hands. "I- she- SHE JUST-" Astarion still had a hard time finding words to describe what just happened, completely baffled by your actions.

"Oh for fucks sake, what is it?!" Gale spat, getting angry. Astarion just pointed your way. Gale looked over and saw you licking off a little bit of blood from the corner of your mouth. He then looked back at Astarion, where a perfectly cleaned patch of his fair skin shone through the mess on his face. Gale grinned. "A taste of your own medicine, Sir tease-a-lot?" He then turned around and made his way back to his bedroll, laughing at Astarion.

You couldn't contain your giggles as you watched the scene play out. Astarion's head snapped towards you and he stared through you, his eyes narrowing. He accusingly pointed a finger in your direction, "I'll get you back for this!" He yelled, infuriated, which earned him a distant "Shut it, Astarion!" From Shadowheart.

He probably would get you back for this, ten times worse at that, but that was a problem for the future you, because it was absolutely worth it. You blew him a kiss and turned around on your bedroll with your back now towards him. You heard him huff and mumble something quite grumpily. Smiling, you bit your lip, closing your eyes and drifting off to sleep with a picture of Astarion with slightly rosy cheeks in your mind.

🩸☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆🗡☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆🩸

[short-black-diamond]

To give you a quick break from sahed x reader

(シ_ _)シ

An Obey me request! \(≧∀≦)/

Could you do little headcannon/senario thingies of how the brothers react to you asking to kiss them except it is not the right moment at all to kiss them for the first time

eg: lucifer just gave reader and mammon in trouble and then reader asks to kiss mammon

Tehehe（*’∀’人）♥

🍓⌒(≧▽​° )

Nah I'd be happy to receive more Sahed x reader requests, also please tell me which gender I should write for, because I think I wrote the Sahed fics with a female reader?

because you didn't include the gender in this one, so I'll just try to do it gender-neutral. Also, please help me if I failed doing that.

BROOOOO omg I'd be so embarrassed if I'd ask for a kith after getting scolded at for what i did, but I'd still ask!

Warnings: Angst I guess, but also fluff in most parts, Asmo's is a lil suggestive, Beel is smooth, And Belphie's just a lil shit

word count: 2.3 k

I didn't proofread- I actually never do -why do I always write that fucking sentence down???

---

Asking for a kiss at the worst moment

Lucifer had to hold his breath as to not leash out on you. I mean, sure, he loved you very dearly and all that romantic, lovely-dovey shit, but sometimes, just sometimes, you could be an insufferable spouse.

"Do you have any idea what you've just done?!", he instead exclaimed as he looked at the stack of papers which you've spent a good amount on working. "I finished your papers.", you muttered, confused as to why he was so angry.

"I told you to let me handle the papers, ____! You should've gone to the kitchen and-" "and prepare a whole five-course meal for Diavolo and Beel, seperately. Yes, I know, I already did that. And I also made lunch for Levi, Asmo, Mammon -should he come home today early for once- and Satan. Belphie can eat the leftovers."

you did it all in favour of getting your first kiss with him, and you were very eager to get to your goal.

Lucifer looked at you in stunned silence for a moment before he checked the papers. They were all...correctly signed. On top of the stack were a few things you wrote where you had trouble with some papers, and said papers were underneath that propblem sheet so that Lucifer wouldn't have to look through every single sheet.

You actually took tons off work from him today...

"Okay...thank you..", he muttered with a small blush and fond smile, and as you were about to lean in for a kiss (your first kiss with him), Diavolo's loud and cheery voice boomed outside. "Lucifer, may I come in?! There's something amazing I'd like to discuss with you!"

Lucifer looked at your lips in desire for a moment, but before he could give in, he turned around and towards the door to open it.

You were outraged. "Seriously, not even a quick peck??", you asked, angry at the fact that your lover wouldn't even give you a small kiss. You were prepared for everything too.

Your hair was done, you brushed your teeth for an hour and nearly drank half a bottle of mouthwash, and you were all dolled up for him only to face his back?

Lucifer stopped dead in his tracks as he pointed towards the door. "I can't just have Lord Diavolo waiting outside!?", he whisper-yelled.

"So he's more important than your partner, who's only asking for an itty-bitty kiss? Alright.", you muttered before you went to your room.

Yeah..., Lucifer would have to make up for that as soon as possible.

...

Mammon can't help but hold in his laughter at your serious face. You two got scolded by Lucifer again, in account of Mammon's shenanigans, and Lucifer had tick marks on his temple by your lack of reaction.

"Seriously, I wonder what's going on inside your head at the moment, ____!", the eldest sibling yelled at your emotionless face. You looked at Mammon.

"I was going to ask him to share my first kiss with him after you were done yelling at us."

There were a few moments of silence, where you smiled at Mammon, who blushed furiously in return, and the lecture in scolding you both extending from 15 minutes to 45 minutes.

Yeah, it may have been a bad moment to ask, but it was still sweet at the end because you got to kiss your favourite demon.

Mammon passed out after you kissed him.

...

Leviathan was hyper-focused on his game. It was a group game with other players, and Levi didn't want to lose his online teammates.

However, he lost the round when you came in and asked him for a kiss. He stared at you in shock as his skin reddened. His teammates were yelling his eardrumms, but his brain only registered your sweet smile and blushing face.

The display on his computer showed "Game over!". He slowly looked to the red display, and then he cursed under his breath.

"_-____...that was a very...very important round...!", he tried to say calmly, but he slowly grew angry as well.

"Oh, I'm sorry...it's just, you're always playing, and I really like you, and I just wanted a kiss..."

Levi couldn't help but blush furiously. He felt bad for scolding you, and nearly leashing out on you, but he was still mad.

"Th-then p-prove it!"

"Huh? You want me to kiss you? I thought you were mad at m-"

"M-m-my a-anger might s-subside when...w-when I receive kisses from a special h-human..!"

there was a short moment of silence before you leaned down to his level, lifted his chin and kissed him gently. His eyes widened and you felt his breath hitch.

after a few seconds, you pulled back, touching your lips with a smile and pink cheeks. "your lips are so soft, Leviathan..."

Levi.exe has stopped working. Seriously.

I mean, today might've become one of his best days in his life, because even though he lost a round, he got to kiss you, got a compliment about his soft lips, and you also said his full name.

He felt like he lived through hundreds of romance mangas.

Yeah, he...he stopped working.

...

Satan was reading a book, where there was a very interesting scene, and he was very in it. He tried to ignore the rain outside as he was in the world the author of the book described, and his breathj hitched when he read the next few sentences.

"Oh, no, Jessica...don't do it...!", he exclaimed, turning the page quickly to read what would be happening next.

You knocked on the door and stepped inside. "Hey, just wanted to check in on you. I made lunch. Would you like to drink tea with me?", you asked, and Satan noticed a hidden undertone to your request.

But, he shook his head. "No, but thank you. I just need to read that scene quickly, before-"

"C'mon, I haven't seen you all day. I missed you, Satan. Please, just twenty minutes-", you tried to reason, but you were suddenly pressed against the wall as Satan put one of his hands against the wall next to your head, his other one tilting your chin up to look at him.

And Satan didn't have a happy expression on. "Why do you have to be so stubborn, ____...?! There was an interesting scene and...", he stopped talking when he took notice that your eyes weren't directed towards his, but a little more down.

Towards his...

"A kiss is what you wanted, right? naughty ____...", he whispered, and he relished in the fact that you were blushing in embarrassment as you averted your eyes and tried to give him a reason.

"n-no, I wasn't! I-I just wanted to bring you some croissants and t-tea!"

Satan chuckled before he leaned down to your face, his lips mere milimeters away from yours. "You wanted to share your first kiss with me, weren't you?", he asked softly, and you sighed.

"Yes...sorry for b-bothering you, if you want to, I can-mmh!?"

Satan's lips crashed against yours as he pecked your lips with ultimate passion. He kissed you again and again, praising you and thanking you for bringing him food and being so pretty that he can't stay mad at you for long.

You were left breathless as you slid down on a chair as you tried to catch your breath. "Next time, please tell me right away when you want a kiss, ____. I'm always happy to deliver you your wishes, alright?"

You nodded as you tried to calm down your fast heartbeat.

You were happy that your first kiss happened like that.

...

Asmodeus would have normally kissed you after you'd had asked, but he was applying some expensive make-up. He was doing his eye liner when you softly knocked on the door and stepped inside.

"Hey Asmo, what'cha doing?", you spoke quietly as to not disrupt him. "Applying some eyeliner...", he muttered as he slowly traced the line from the inside of his eyelid to the end of his eye.

You watched him for a while, looking at his beautiful face before your gaze stopped on his lips. "Hey...uh, Asmo?"

Asmo stopped shortly before turning to you. "What is it?"

"Uh...well...", you trailed off, and Asmo waited for you as he went back on applying the eyeliner. "I would like you to be my first kiss..."

Asmo's eyeliner went into his hair. he yelled with his mouth closed as he quickly stood up and went to the bathroom. You took a look at the makeup set. It was the one Asmo gushed about for months, and it was also quite expensive.

You felt bad.

You quickly went to the bathroom and knocked. "Asmo? I'm sorry...I didn't really look at the make-up set and-"

the door opened. Asmo's usual cheery smile was gone, instead laced with annoyance and boredom. "And?", he repeated sassily, leaning against the doorframe with his arms folded against each other in front od his chest.

"I ...just wanted a little kiss...I mean, I wanted to have my first kiss-"

"Your first?", the pretty boy asked, this time in disbelief. He couldn't imagine that your lips haven't gotten in contact with someone else's before, and you wanting him to be your first kiss?

He felt ecstatic, love for you, and shy, but he also felt very guilty. You just wanted to have a kiss form him -your very first- and he gave you an attitude over some make-up which didn't even fit well with his skin tone.

"Yeah...sorry again for the make-up -?!", you couldn't speak any further when you felt Asmo's, with sweet lipstick applied, lips on yours, in a sweet and tender kiss.

He stroked your cheek gently, and then his lips parted. "How was that?", he asked softly as he looked into your face, which looked absolutely perfect and etheral to him.

you blinked a few times before smiling giddily. "Perfect. Thanks.", and you giggled while hiding your face.

Asmo's face darkened, as he panted slightly, and his cheeks got red all of a sudden. "I could also be your first in se-" "No."

...

Beelzebub had bought a food from the human world he's never tasted before. It was a döner/ kebap, and he was nearly dying at the delicious smell.

The turkish burger was still hot, and Beel took his time to actually take a pic before eating slowly, bite after bite to relish in the otherworldy taste.

However, you showed up and sat yourself next to him. Today would be the day you'd ask Beel for a kiss. Your first kiss with anyone, and you wanted it to be Beel. I mean, you loved him, after all.

Beel's food was starting to go from hot to warm and he wanted to quickly bite down- "Say, Beel...could you be my first kiss?", you asked after he was about to swallow the first bite.

He choked on his food, and you grew panicked. You slapped him hard on his back and he coughed out the first bite, staring at it sadly and in dissappointment as it landed on the alumium-foil.

"My first bite...", he murmured, and he sighed. His appetite emptied rapidly. you then came to realization that this was Beel's first kebap, and he wanted it to be special. you just blew it.

"Wait, is this your first time eating kebap?! God, I am so sorry, Beel! Wait, I-I'll get you a new one-"

"No need...say, were you honest about the kiss part?", he then asked.

You blushed in embarrassment. "y-yes, but-" "Then kiss me. As a form of payment for ruining my moment with the first bite."

You blushed even more. "A-are you sure? I...I don't wanna pressure you-"

"____, if there's anyone in Devildom or the human world I'd like to kiss, it would be you. Now pelase hurry up or my kebap will grow cold."

you hesitated for a moment before you went towards Beel, whose cheeks darkened when you stepped closer. "Tell me when to stop...", you murmured before you pecked his lips softly.

You parted, and Beel kissed you back before you could say something. He placed the kebap on the table, forgetting about it the moment it left his fingers as Beel kissed you more and more feverishly, and in the end, you two made out, with Beel invading your mouth with his tongue.

You couldn't have asked for a better moment for a kiss from Beel.

(he ate it even after it got cold and invited you to a date afterwards.)

...

Belphegor was always asleep, so it never was a good moment to wake him up and ask him for a kiss. Still, you wanted to kiss that lazy bitch and woke him up by force.

"What the hell...?!", he groaned before he caught sight of you. "What do you want?"

"A kiss. My first kiss for you to take, actually.", you stated, crossing your arms in front of your chest. If it were for the other brothers were you'd ask for a kiss, you'd be shy and bashful, but you somehow fell for Belphie and here you were now.

Belphie looked at your thighs for a moment, remembering how he'd have the best naps on them, but he snapped out when you made an "ahem" sound. "So, you wanted a kiss and had to wake me for it? Couldn't you just wait until I was done sleeping?"

"And when would that be?"

"..."

"Nevermind, let me ask Lucifer-"

"I'm up! I'm up!", he exclaimed tiredly as he sat up as quick as possible. He sat up like a grandpa and even held his back.

"Come here.", he demanded, and you scooched over to him with a smile. 'Yes, finally, my first kiss!', you thought when you closed your eyes in anticipation.

Belphie looked at your face for a moment with a fond smile before dropping the smile, putting his lips against yours and then falling back down the bed and passing out on the spot again.

You were outraged.

---

heyyyy, sorry if I didn't make it how you liked, I had to rethink what I was writing, because in Levi's part I wrote it so that they were doing a bet at first and the loser would have to do what the other one said, and that ending in a sweet kiss before I remembered your request and deleted the paragraphs💀

Anyways, it was actually fun, and I hope I wrote it how you'd expect it from me. If not, please tell me, I'll try to write it again, but better.

Read you in the next post!

[paper--machete]

idk if you did this before but ummm rank all qotsa albums including them crooked vultures

I'll do you one better! I'll include the desert sessions 11+12 cus imo it's too thoroughly produced to not include

10. lullabies to paralyze

no hate on lullabies but honestly the whole vibe of the record is just sooooo 2005. in my head has to be their worst song just because of how embarassing that chorus is and also there's just a lot of fluff, even the deep cuts on this album feel like throwaway tracks (which I would even say about my favorite songs on the album, tangled up in plaid and broken box). the whole album just feels like a radio-friendly attempt to prove they still had their edge after Nick was kicked out

favorite songs: tangled up in plaid, little sister, i never came, the blood is love, broken box

9. villains

villains gets too much hate. people always point to Mark Ronson for ruining the album but honestly I'm glad we live in the alternate timeline where qotsa made a pop album. the way you used to do is awesome (ESPECIALLY the live version), domesticated animals is awesome, un-reborn again is one of their best songs. hideaway has always sucked tho and I hate the ending of the evil has landed because it just sounds like they were trying to do 3s and 7s again for some reason (with the slide guitars and Josh going "way-ee-ay") but otherwise also one of their best songs. also I wanna mention that Jon Theodore is at his best on this album, you can really hear his background in prog shine through on certain songs

favorite songs: the way you used to do, domesticated animals, fortress, un-reborn again, the evil has landed

8. desert sessions 11+12

first and foremost noses in roses forever is one of the best songs jho has ever written. DS11/12 basically feels like josh decided he wanted to do his own Gorillaz style collaborative project thanks to the increased production values and honestly it just makes me want another desert sessions release just like it.... which contradicts the other thing I wanted to say which is that there's really no album that sounds like 11/12 out there. nowhere else will you hear a song like chic tweetz because any other album would’ve left it on the cutting room floor for being too stupid. i love it

also I wanna say that i think crucifire is for royal blood what ultralight beam was for chance the rapper lmao

favorite songs: noses in roses forever, chic tweetz, easier said than done

7. in times new roman

damn I'm surprised the recency bias isn't getting to me on this one lmao. ITNR has a lot of really good songs on it but put together into an album it really feels like they’re just treading old ground. (I was originally gonna write a review of it when it came out titled “new dog, old tricks”). despite this there’s a lot of great stuff, paper machete and emotion sickness are two of my fav qotsa songs and straight jacket fitting might be their best closer? idk. this would be higher if it didn’t just feel like a “more of the same” type album

favorite songs: paper machete, negative space, made to parade, emotion sickness

6. self-titled

this placement hurts so much because like a year and a half ago this wouldve been #2 😭 anyway i love the self titled so much because it sounds so different from the rest of their discography�� you can hear alot of the leftover kyuss influence in the heavier songs and riff writing, plus what other album is gonna try some crazy shit like walkin on the sidewalks or hispanic impressions? (btw hispanic impressions is their most underrated song) also the expanded edition is better for having spiders and vinegaroons but worse for having droids

favorite songs: regular john, avon, how to handle a rope, hispanic impressions, you can’t quit me baby

5. songs for the deaf

i’ve always had beef with songs for the deaf…. i’ve always felt like the best songs on it are so good that they make the lesser songs seem worse in comparison. like another love song is great but when it’s sandwiched between god is in the radio and song for the deaf its like. well obviously this is one of the weaker songs on the album. anyway it’s still good, being the other nick-era qotsa album you can really hear the collaboration between the band’s all-star lineup across the whole thing

favorite songs: hanging tree, go with the flow, god is in the radio, song for the deaf, mosquito song

4. them crooked vultures 

TCV is just a really, really solid album. the sequencing is great, the songs are all great, the musicians are all at their A game, ESPECIALLY josh as it’s not an unpopular opinion to say this album is where he really started tapping into his skills as a vocalist. while i consider TCV to be the honorary bonus qotsa album, i feel like it also manages to stand on its own thanks to the creative contributions of dave grohl and john paul jones.

favorite songs: mind eraser no chaser, dead end friends, bandoliers, warsaw, spinning in daffodils

3.5. over the years and through the woods

maybe I'm biased cus qotsa brainworms but the dvd of this is the best concert film/album I've ever heard. there's a perfect balance between songs being played as they are on the record and songs having things tweaked or even reworked entirely, which is something i’m picky about when it comes to concerts (i saw jack white two years ago and he changed waaaaay too many songs :P) also there’s a lot of neat little bonus things in the set, like an early version of make it wit chu, another desert sessions track (covered in punk’s blood) and of course the live performance of fun machine which is a top 3 song for them and always will be

favorite songs: feel good hit of the summer, avon, little sister, you can’t quit me baby, the fun machine took a shit and died

3. rated R

rated R is a perfect album! i think its greatest strength is its sequencing tbh, it succeeds at both giving the impression of it being a concept album (while not necessarily conforming to the concept) as well as having a super diverse tracklist where no two songs sound alike. also characteristic of nick-era qotsa, i love how rated R isn’t afraid to have short songs or long songs, though unlike on songs for the deaf the short/long songs here feel like they don’t sacrifice length for substance relative to other songs. 

favorite songs: feel good hit of the summer, leg of lamb, auto pilot, better living through chemistry, i think i lost my headache

2. era vulgaris

there is no album that sounds like era vulgaris. why does misfit love sound like that? why does battery acid sound like that? WHY DOES I’M DESIGNER SOUND LIKE THAT??? it’s so fucking weird and rich with ideas, there isn’t a single moment on era vulgaris where the band isn’t trying something new. even my least favorite songs on here have something new and unique to offer while also being the most fucked up little beast creature thing youve ever heard.

favorite songs: turnin on the screw, i’m designer, into the hollow, 3’s and 7’s, run pig run

1. ...like clockwork

i’m an artsy kid, i like artsy albums, and i love like clockwork for how mature it is. every song feels like a statement, an emotion concentrated into a 4-minute masterpiece. while the lows on here are lower for me than on other albums, they still make important contributions to the album experience as a whole (not to mention the highs soar, i appear missing and fairweather friends are top 5 material for them. I appear missing might even be top 1 tbh.) i’m out of things to say so uhhh yeah like clockwork is my favorite :)

favorite songs: i sat by the ocean, the vampyre of time and memory, fairweather friends, i appear missing

[clickerflight]

Clove: Part 15 - Quiet Pains

Hello hello! I swear I'll get back on my writing game soon. I have learned I need to write before I draw. And definitely before playing minecraft lol.

Masterlist

Part 14

Content: Sunburns, grief, watching a friend get old without you. Honestly a soft one for you guys this time.

.......................................................

Hyrum woke up, still held in Ephraim’s arms. It would be nice if pain wasn’t still radiating from his skin. It was not the worst pain he’d ever experienced, but it was scary either way. 

Hyrum stirred a little, stretching out his legs, kneading at his stomach until he was satisfied with the stretch in his muscles. He loosened again, and while he was a little tired still, he was more tired of sleeping. 

He rolled in Ephraim’s arms to get away, but the grip only tightened as Ephraim stirred awake. Hyrum whined and Ephraim chirped at him, pulling him a little closer and nuzzling against Hyrum’s head, still chirping. 

“Ephraim,” Hyrum whined, wriggling to get away. 

“Go back to bed, Benny,” Ephraim said softly and Hyrum realized Ephraim was still somewhat asleep. “It’s still day.”

“Ephraim, it’s me,” Hyrum said, rolling again so he could bat at Ephraim’s face. 

The vampire opened his eye, the other still glued shut, his hair a mess. “Mmm? Oh….” he let go of Hyrum as the werewolf sat up, stretching again on all fours. 

Ephraim sighed heavily before he sat up, running his hand through his hair. “Are you alright?”

“Yes. My skin is hot.”

“Yeah. Looks like you got a sunburn, bud.”

Hyrum hummed. “I don't like it.”

Ephraim chuckled. “No, I imagine not. How about you put your clothes back on and we can see if there is still food from last night we can have and go talk to Margie.”

“Why would we need to talk to Margie?”

“She would have some creams to soothe your burns,” Ephraim said as he got up, rearranging his own shirt, tying the collar a bit tighter. 

Hyrum nodded eagerly. He liked Margie’s potions and creams. He didn’t itch nearly as much and she did have things that really soothed his pains when he had them, even if he didn’t really like her. 

He grabbed his clothing and put it on, discovering a new sensation of pain as it brushed over his burns. 

He came out to a sandwich made with leftovers, the bottom wrapped in a cheese cloth to keep everything together. He took it happily as Ephraim finished eating his own sandwich as he put his shoes on. He held his hand out for Hyrum, who took it while eating his sandwich with the other. 

They stepped out into the morning sunlight where people were out and about, working on their morning chores. They waved at the two of them as they passed. 

“Good morning, Ephraim,” Anna called, her eldest hanging off of her skirts sleepily. 

“Good morning, Anna,” he replied. “I should be moving up to my cabin again today. I’ll have your Dimitri’s blanket done soon after that.”

“Oh, thank you, Ephraim. Don’t feel like you need to rush. I know that children require extra time,” she said, smiling at Hyrum who smiled back hesitantly. 

“That they are,” Ephraim said lovingly, squeezing Hyrum’s hand gently. “Have a good day, dear.”

“Thank you,” she replied with a smile. 

They walked past towards Margie’s cottage. It was a little more weathered, one of the older cottages in the villages. Ephraim walked up and knocked as Hyrum took another bite of his sandwich. He waited until he heard Margie inside shout, “I’m decent!”

He rolled his eyes and opened the door, coming in with Hyrum close behind him, still holding Ephraim’s hand. 

“Good morning, Margie,” Ephraim said warmly. “We’re here for some balms or creams for Hyrum here. He played out in the sun for a bit too long today.”

Margie sighed from where she was sitting at a long table smack dab in the middle of the living room picking out herbs and crushing them in different mortars. “Yeah, I should have something for that in the pantry.”

“What container is it in? I can go grab it,” Ephraim said, moving as if to do so, but Margie put her hands on the table, hauling herself up. 

“No no, I’m not that old quite yet, Ephraim,” she said in a scolding tone of voice. “I can get you things from my own pantry.”

“Of course,” Ephraim said, though Hyrum saw the way his eyes trailed after the old lady, as though worried for her safety as she left the room. 

“How old is she?” Hyrum asked curiously, taking another bite of his sandwich.

Ephraim sighed. “Nearly seventy.”

“Is that a lot?”

“Yes,” Ephraim said wistfully. “It is a lot. Vampires live until they are killed, werewolves tend to live for about 4 centuries if they do not die from disease or battle before that, and humans only live for about 80 years. Less, if their lives have been tough or if they get sick in their later years and no one is there to care for them. And out here, away from the cities, it is usually less. I worry about her.”

Hyrum hummed. Margie did look rather fragile. “So, she did not always look like that?”

“Oh, no, my dear. She used to be a force to be reckoned with. She still is. Just in different ways now.”

“Oh… okay….. Ephraim? How old am I?”

Ephraim looked down at Hyrum in surprise. “Oh, I am not too certain. Do you remember how many winters or summers you have experienced?”

Hyrum frowned and shook his head. 

Ephraim nodded, judging Hyrum’s features. He was starting to look much younger than he had seemed at first now that he was healed and fed, but Ephraim was not very sure he could guess an age. The scars made Hyrum look so much older. There was something in his eyes that spoke of sufferings untold.

“Well…. You don’t look as hold as Isaac. Perhaps… Simon’s age? If I remember correctly he should be coming up on his 15th winter here shortly.”

Hyrum thought about it for a moment before he realized it didn’t really matter and he shrugged, going back to finishing his sandwich. 

The two waited in silence for Margie to come back, listening to her faintly moving things back and forth and grumbling things to herself. Hyrum, with his big fluffy ears, was learning a lot of words he didn’t really know the meanings of. They sounded like hexes so he would likely have to be careful speaking them. 

Margie finally came back with a small tub of something, giving it to Ephraim. “Now get out,” she said with a grumble. 

Ephraim frowned. She was getting grumpier in her age, but this was a lot more grumpy than he was used to. 

“Margie? Are you alrig-”

“Get!” she barked. She groaned as she sat back down. “My knees are aching and I don’t want to talk to anyone until I’ve had enough willow bark tea to actually get to my chores.”

That made sense. It was early in the morning and she did tend to be pretty grumpy when she was in pain. Ephraim thought about asking her why she didn’t let him go into the pantry, or if there was anything he could do, but he knew not to ask at this point, so he nodded, said a quiet goodbye and left, tub in hand. 

They went back to Guntar’s house and Epraim had Hyrum sit down, pulling the lid off the tub so he could get some of the cooling cream out with his fingers and rub it into Hyrum’s skin. 

Hyrum had finished his food and was folding the cloth as tightly as he could before letting it spring back out, kicking his legs and swishing his tail as Ephraim applied the medicine. 

“Who’s Benny?”

Ephraim’s cool hands froze. He stared down at the pup before he slowly continued in his work. “Where did you hear that name?”

“This morning. You called me Benny.”

Ephraim winced. He’d had a dream he was taking care of Benjamin when he was just barely fledged. 

He cleared his throat and said, “Ah, Benjamin. He was Margie’s brother. He and I were friends.”

“Oh. Did he get old and die?”

Ephraim wondered how much to tell. He wanted to lock the topic away, to keep trying to grieve and heal in silence like Margie had, but he was feeling nostalgic. He could still picture Benjamin’s smiling face in his mind, his fangs shining in the sun. two pairs of them instead of the regular set. Ephraim had been so proud of the power Benjamin demonstrated nearly right away, at how quickly his fledgling took to being a vampire. 

“Not quite…. He would leave the village and go on adventures. He would come back with wonderful things, but he had an accident coming home one day. A tree fell on him and he was going to die. I decided to turn him into a vampire so he could keep living. He agreed.”

“Oh, you can make vampires?”

“Yes. All vampires can.”

“Could I be a vampire?”

“I am…. Not certain. Being a werewolf might mean you cannot be a vampire.”

Hyrum huffed, disappointed. “Well, where is Benjamin, then?”

Ephraim took extra care rubbing the cream on Hyrum’s face, avoiding looking into his golden eyes. “He… Margie and I had to fight some fae to get back a child of the village and Benjamin helped. We got the child back but Benjamin was taken in his place. The fae…. Do not like vampires. He is likely dead.”

“Oh. Was it… sad?”

“Yes,” Ephraim said in a heavy tone. “Sadder than anything else that has happened to me.”

Hyrum stared up at Ephraim in shock. Ephraim had lived a long time, so a lot of sad things probably happened if Hyrum’s own life was anything to gauge from. That was hard to imagine. The two must have been close. Hyrum wondered if Ephraim treated Hyrum the same way he treated Benjamin. 

“Can you ever forget how sad it was?” Hyrum asked. He was wondering for himself as well. He had been through many many sad things. Through things that hurt him in all the different ways he could possibly be hurt. Could he ever forget it?

Ephraim sighed. He cupped Hyrum’s face in his hands and said, “I will never forget how sad it was, but there will always be things that can help me remember how happy I am too. Like you, dear Goldenrod.”

Hyrum leaned into Ephraim’s touch and closed his eyes with a soft sigh. He was pretty sure he was beginning to understand that. 

Part 16

Clove Taglist: @wolfeyedwitch @the-blind-one-speaks @whumpsday @extrabitterbrain @inkkswhumpandstuff @honeycollectswhump @whump-blog-reblogs @pigeonwhumps @mj-or-say10 @percy-frayer

[fern-writes-whump]

Write vampires for me >:3

hi >:3

I made two whole ass new characters for this because the brainrot runs deep this time. I'll post a little blurb about the characters later, for now have this ✨✨

I'm 100% writing more of this but I need a better idea for the plot other than "pining"

content: vampire ch, mentions of blood, mention of self harm (not graphic), mentions of violence

"What are you doing?" Finn would have jumped a foot in the air if he still had the strength to do anything more than limp from his bed to the kitchen and back again. So he limited himself to simply shrieking a rather creative string of curses, and turning around to glare at his roommate. The same roommate who, he might add, shouldn't even be awake given it was nearly three am.

He swallowed before addressing him, still clutching at his heart like an outraged old lady. "What the fuck August?" He stared at him some more, then, sure his disgruntled expression had gotten across everything it needed to, he turned his attention back to the fridge. He opened it, squinting at the dim light that was still managing to give him a headache.

"You look like shit." August sounded almost annoyed, like he was the one having the worst week of his life and not, you know, just the guy who had the misfortune to witness it.

"Thank you, I try." He muttered, rummaging through boxes of leftovers and half-empty bottles of condiments. He would have loved to make more of a joke out of it, banter like he usually did before disappearing back into his room. But he truly didn't have the energy for it. The taller man sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. Finn didn't need to turn around to know he wasn't amused.

"You need to eat, Finn." His voice was gentler this time, making Finn's shoulders slump.

He grabbed a random container and shut the fridge door, leaving the only faint illumination in the room coming from the corridor. He popped the lid off of the container, revealing two-day-old meatloaf, and shook it a little in front of August. "I am."

"You know it doesn't do anything."

"Stops me feeling hungry." Finn shrugged, retrieving a fork and pushing the meat around like the motion might make it more appealing.

"Does it stop the dizziness? The migraines? The cramps?"

Finn let the fork clatter to the counter and threw his hands up in both frustration and surrender. "What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to eat."

"I can't do that. I'm not-" He inhaled and held his breath for a few seconds. "I'm not doing that." His tone was final, they had already had this argument and he didn't want to repeat it another time. He hadn't slept since the night he was attacked. It wasn't even the hunger, it was the fact that every time he closed his eyes he could feel that pain again. He would rather starve than become the same monster that had ruined him.

"And what, starve?" August dragged a hand across his face, surely suppressing all the colorful appellatives he wanted to use at that moment. "I'm not going to just sit here and watch as you let yourself die, Finn."

The silence was heavy. For a minute or so they just stood there, looking each other in the eyes. Neither had said it up until that point. August had brought up feeding multiple times and Finn had always refused, but they had always tiptoed around what that actually meant. If Finn refused blood for much longer he was going to die, properly this time. As sure as he thought he was of his plans, hearing it still knocked the wind out of him.

"I. I can't… I don't-" He cut himself off when August stepped forward and he instinctively stumbled back a few feet. Not that it made a difference, he could smell him from anywhere in the apartment. That was another thing he refused to say out loud. He could feel how alive he was, and he craved it. It terrified him to no end. He silently watched August walk past him and rummage in a drawer, puzzled at first, then shocked when he turned around holding a knife.

He took another step back, colliding clumsily with a cabinet. "What are you doing?" His behavior up to this point didn't really hint at any murderous intent, especially since he was the sole advocate for Finn to not die left in the apartment.

August's voice was shaking ever so slightly, but his hands were not. "You're hungry. It doesn't matter if you don't want to feed. If you smell blood then you'll drink it." He balled his left hand into a fist and hovered the knife above his wrist. He stared at it for a few seconds then at Finn.

"That- that's the entire problem!" He shouted. He didn't know if he should press himself further into the corner he had backed himself into or if he should dive for the knife. "I- I don't know if I would be able to control myself!" He took a careful step forward, his hands open in front of him. "August, don't do anything stupid." He looked at him, then at the knife, still out of reach.

August huffed, shaking his head. "Don't make me do anything stupid then." He huffed and set the knife down on the counter. In two quick strides, he was by Finn's side, way too close for comfort.

"Please." He didn't say anything else, simply raising his arm between them, an unmistakable offer. It took every ounce of self-control in Finn's body not to jump on him right then and there. And that was why he couldn't accept. That was why he didn't have a choice.

With trembling hands, he reached for August's forearm and held onto it like it was the most fragile thing in the world.

"I don't want to hurt you."

August had the audacity to roll his eyes. Finn was nauseous with the anxiety of potentially killing someone and the fucker rolled his eyes at it. "You won't. I trust you."

If that was supposed to ease his nerves, it had the opposite effect. How could he trust him? He barely trusted himself. He swallowed and nodded. He had no idea what was about to happen to either of them, but he was too hungry to think anymore.

He slowly lowered his head, bringing his lips to the soft skin of August's wrist. He could hear his heart hammering in his chest. He was scared. He didn't want to show it but he was.

Finn glanced up at the other man, letting his eyes linger there for a moment before finally sinking his teeth into his skin.

[ut-scatteredextension]

I think it's been long overdue for me to talk about what happened to Sans after I promised I would, so, here we are!

When I said I threw him in the Void, I was not lying dgshshf.

Sans had been somewhat involved with the efforts to revive Papyrus after he died. Chara came to him with the idea, and he was the one who provided them with Papyrus' scarf/cape, which was what a lot of his dust had settled in.

Sans wasn't totally on board with the plan and was skeptical that it would work (since, y'know, people who die aren't supposed to come back from that). But a tiny part of him still wanted to have hope that maybe he would get to see his brother again. Ultimately though, Chara's safety was more of a priority to him. Tori'd kill him if he let her kid get hurt on his watch, after all. So, I'd say that he did make some half-hearted attempt to discourage Chara from trying to revive Papyrus, but also didn't actually do anything to stop them when they insisted on going through with it.

As I've said before, Chara had less Determination available to work with compared to Alphys when she did her experiments. Alphys had extracted all of her samples from the human SOULs that had been collected (as mentioned in canon in the True Lab). Those SOULs disappeared after Frisk's battle against Omega Flowey, though, so Chara wasn't able to do the same. They found and used the leftover Determination that Alphys had previously collected, but it wasn't enough. So, from there they had two options to get more:

They extract some from the Amalgamates (not actually an option; the process could be painful, they refuse to harm a monster, absolutely not, no way are they doing this)

They extract some from their own SOUL.

In Chara's mind, there was only one choice.

So, with Sans' hesitant supervision, they hooked themself up to the DT Extraction machine.

However, as I'll get into some other time, Chara's SOUL is massively Fucked Up. Their Determination is pretty much the only thing holding it together.

Y'know, the very same Determination being extracted from them?

So, because the extraction process is basically killing them, they try to RESET on reflex. However, their ability to RESET also depends on the amount of Determination they have. Which they are currently in the process of losing.

This put the timeline in a weird, unnatural state of an incomplete RESET, causing time, space, and reality as a whole to begin tearing itself apart.

Sans intervened at that point, terminating the extraction process early and saving Chara's life as a result. However, his interference forced him to get very close to the source of the space-time disruptions (and thus where the destruction of reality was at its worst). He, unfortunately, got sucked into that whole mess, causing him to get sent to the Void and erasing him from the minds and memory of every living person in the process.

So! Sans got Gaster-ed lmao rip. Though actually, his erasure wasn't as complete as Gaster's was. Gaster got erased from all of existence entirely, whereas Sans has only been erased from his specific timeline (and all the other timeline iterations that branched off after his erasure). He exists outside of time now, watching over the world that he can no longer interact with. If anyone here happens to be familiar with Chrono Trigger, I'd say Sans' situation is somewhere in between Gaster's and Gaspar's. ...Funny how their names are. Fairly similar actually dgssgf

As for the out-of-universe reason why I threw Sans in the Void, it's the best way to make his role as the "game's" narrator work. Being a monster instead of a human, it doesn't make sense for him to have some sort of "soul connection" or something with Trace that Chara had with Frisk and/or the player.

So, he doesn't! But by existing outside of time, space, and the game itself to some extent, he, similarly to Gaster in Deltarune, is aware of and interacts directly with the player. Trace themself doesn't actually know about Sans' presence for most of their adventure. All of the narration and UI stuff is Sans talking to and interacting directly with the player specifically.

[milomaxxy]

So, February of 2022 my family and I became homeless after the income based apartment complex we had been in had been bought and the new owner decided it was time to evict everyone and charge the same rate as a two bedroom house in the area. It took over a year and a half for us to get into a place again, and that was after moving to several states in attempts to get into a home again. It sucked ass, we literally ended up being abused and held hostage by a guy I thought was my friend at one point. The worst part was being in a homeless shelter and having to constantly be surrounded by people without any privacy or respect honestly. In October last year we finally got into an apartment over a thousand miles away from where we started, and even tho we've "rebuilt" there's still so much that feels like it's missing or wrong now?

Like, I miss my giant beanbag chair that I used to nest in with my cat. And I miss my old bookshelf I covered in stickers, and my tall bed frame, and my pop-up closet, and my pots and pans. I miss the clothes I had to leave behind and the bedding I don't have anymore. I miss my old TV setup with my Switch dock that got lost somewhere along the way.

But most of all I miss things I'll never get to do or see again. Like my best friend coming over after he got off work at 11 at night to hang out and eat some leftovers. Or being able to swim in the Ninnescah River after cruising around. Or going to the little old-fashioned diner that had the best cherry limeades ever. I'll never get to take my kiddo to the Cosmosphere like I loved taking trips to as a kid. I won't see the hot air balloons flying through the sunset during Balloon Fest again.

Like, Washington is amazing and I'm glad we have a place again. I feel like I'm broken are something because I still can't get over the things we lost. I miss the comforts I'll never have again and the people I'll never get to see again. And it feels like whenever I talk about it people think I'm being ungrateful for not being homeless anymore

[invisibleraven]

It’s three in the morning why are you in my kitchen? and Rulie?

Julie never used to be a light sleeper.

Unfortunately, after her mom passed, that all changed. She had a lot of trouble sleeping and staying asleep. Nightmares kept plaguing her, and she'd wake up in a cold sweat, unable to find rest again for a long time after. She knew Carlos was also having trouble, but his issue was that he slept too much, becoming lethargic after dinner and had lost a lot of interest in his many hobbies.

But it was her dad who had it the worst-he started sleepwalking. Wandering around the house, never doing anything dangerous, and was always easy to direct back to bed, but it happened pretty frequently. Julie secretly thought that he reached out for her mom in the middle of the night, and when he couldn't find her, went looking.

So when she hears a noise in the middle of the night that wakes her, she assumes it's her dad and she needs to direct him back to bed.

Only when she goes down to the kitchen, it's not her dad that she sees, but Reggie. She rubs at her eyes, but nope, it's still Reggie, standing there, looking sheepish with the door to her fridge wide open.

"It's three in the morning, why are you in my kitchen?" she mumbled, suppressing a yawn.

"Woke up from a bad dream, got hungry and decided to eat the leftover pastales?" Reggie offered.

"But why are you here and not raiding your own fridge?" Julie asked, hands on her hips.

"Oh, I was asleep in the studio," Reggie replied, as if that explained anything. At Julie's fierce look, he rubbed the back of his head. "My parents were fighting again, the throwing bottles and insults kind. So I left, and I knew your dad wouldn't mind me sleeping out there."

"Do you do that often?" Julie asked, taking the pastales from the fridge and warming up two plates of them. Hey, she wasn't letting him eat alone was she?

He shrugged in response. "A few times. I can't go to Alex's with his parents being mental, and I don't want to disturb Luke and his folks after he just went back home. I figured if your dad was cool with Luke almost living here, he wouldn't mind me."

"You know my dad didn't know about that until Luke went home right?" Julie asked. "He was fine with it, but he told me next time let him know so he can set up the guest room."

"I couldn't impose like that," Reggie shook his head. "The couch in the studio is fine with me."

"But it's not fine with me," Julie argued. "There's no heat out there, or food, or a real bed. You're more than welcome to stay here any night you need to, no questions asked."

"I'll try to remember that, but I still don't want to be a bother," Reggie replied as they polished off the food and soaked the dishes in the sink. "I should probably head back home now anyways..."

"Nonsense, come on, I'll make up the guest bed, you get your stuff and dad'll probably make pancakes in the morning."

"If you're sure it won't be a problem..." Reggie trailed off.

"If you try to stay out there or worse, go home, I will be so mad at you Reginald Peters!" Julie stated.

"Well I can't risk the wrath of Julie Molina," Reggie chuckled. "Be right back."

Julie quickly put new sheets on the guest room bed, and impulsively added a few of her old stuffies to it, knowing Reggie liked soft comforting things like that. She even grabbed a spare toothbrush and a set of sweats that Luke left there for him.

Reggie looked kind of small when he appeared in the doorway, but he almost glowed when he saw the lengths Julie had gone to in order to make him comfortable. "Julie... this is too much."

"Hush, this is nothing. Get ready and go to bed, I'm doing the same before the sun starts rising," Julie said. Then she leaned up and pressed a sweet kiss to his cheek. "Sweet dreams Reggie."

"y-you too," he choked out, watching her walk away, and the soft smile she gave him before closing her bedroom door. HE quickly got ready and crawled into the comfy bed, sure he would never be able to sleep.

Only he did, and his dreams were full of wild curls and warm brown eyes.

And when he got up there was a key on his nightstand, with a note in Julie's spiky script.

You're always welcome-just no more raiding the fridge at 3 AM please.

Reggie laughed, but he slid the key onto his Star Wars keychain, a constant reminder that even if his house wasn't the warmest, he always had a home.

[zellkasin]

"Neglected Space" by Imogen Heap is such a good Laudna (& Imodna) song...

I don't have anyone to scream about this to directly so y'all are getting this obsessive thought right here on tumblr dot com.

I've been listening to the song again recently and ??? the yearning & loneliness in it ??? the desperate plea tp care for a once beautiful thing ??? the if you take care of me, i'll take care of you ? ? ? ? ? ? Imogen is the one that took the time to look past the peeling paint and sunken ceiling and found a shelter, a loving home, a lifelong friend.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dW2FFkXIdM > lyrics & commentary from yours truly under the cut / readmore <

Hello I watch you come and go I know you can hear my voice Don't walk away

Come daydream with me In closed loops and future-proof Cardboard to caviar Let’s show them how good we are

>>> Laudna trying to make friends in the woods. The trauma of being shunted everytime, of being feared, of being chased away. Yet the hope that never fades (the worst thing of my life already happened to me). The hope that is rewarded when she meets Imogen...

If you look after me, I’ll look after you

>>> I MEAN ? ? ? ? ? Laudna only wants to love ;;;;;; she is so full of it, yet she had no-one to pour it into. She had houses, the had cabins, she had neglected spaces but it took so long for her to find someone that would take care of her, and that would let her take care of them in return ;;;;

Sonar, night vision Or desperate lovers seeking privacy for they're forbidden I am their defenseless host Through my open wounds they let themselves in Sheltered... (sheltered...) They mock me... (they mock me...)

>>> This is about Delilah Briarwoods lmao

If you stand up for me, I’ll stand up for you

I’m weather-beaten in a losing battle Punctured by nature Becoming organic The air in here ages me ungracefully

>>> The 30 years spent alone that did make her kind go a bit crazy. The talk about nature and the link to her tree form of dread ? ?? ? ? ? ? ?

But if you take care of me, I’ll take care of you

Oh, my crumbling heart! If you’ll be good to me, I’ll be good to you

I’m a nest I could be the best decision you ever made A beacon, your peaceful corner Find me, cherish me Take me on or pull me down You choose

>>> Laudna will be whatever Imogen wants or needs of her... but she also wants nothing more than to just settle with her and have a little simple and calm life and space where they cherish each other ;;;

Wait! Oh, save me the ache of slow-decay! Cause I will remember you, will you remember me?

Bespoke to broken, this interwoven tapestry of tragedy Crooked frames and cracked glazing Slithers of wistful window gazes glint in borrowed light

Where doorways with no door stage a ballet of leaves Who pirouette in the footsteps of once glorious days...

But I'm peeling paint, I’m a sunken ceiling I’m cracking up, and can seem threatening

I’m falling apart I’m scary at night I'm taped up, forbidden Keep out... keep-out! No, no, no-go-zone

>>> Her appearance and vibe that scares most people and keep them at bay. Keeps them from peering in and to see Laudna's potential, and the person that she is.

A has-been, a once was, the leftovers, an eyesore Broken beer bottles, I'm bleeding, rusty nails Oxidising, a few remaining tiles Unloved, no human touch, I'm walked past, I'm a waste of space I'm a nuisance, a hazard, abandoned, unwanted Unwanted! Lights off! I’m losing grip This is not what I stand for This is not what I stand for This is not what I stand for!

It was a perfectly good grand piano

>>> To me this vividly echoes to how Laudna talks about herself. She loves herself but she also DEEPLY internalized the lowest of self esteem... She's not what people like, she's repulsive, she's scary, she's a waste of space. The "it was a perfectly good grand piano" could be about Mathilda... she was a young girl who freshly discovered her magic and had her whole life and potential ahead of her....

Stop in the name of love! I’ve got just what you’re looking for! I’ve got tree-lined interiors Where we can dine with the biosphere

If you’ll take care of me, I’ll take care of you If you be good to me, then I’ll be good to you

I’m a story in mourning, and you’re the author So pour out your masterpiece

>>> BUDDY WILL IMOGEN POUR IT !!! SHE'LL POUR HER LOVE IN LAUDNA SHE'LL FIX THE LEAKY WALLS SHE'LL FIX THE BROKEN WINDOWS she'll build a nest for them both, with Laudna's help (and she will keep some of the cracked paint and some of the burnt corners and some of the wild unkept garden because that is also what she loves about Laudna.

Entropy increasing, how long before I’m dust?

[sansxfuckyou]

Three Weed Smoking Girlfriends

Summary: Kylie doesn't smoke, her best friends do, things get intimate faster than she could imagine.

Warnings: Smoking, check ao3 port for full tags

Authors Note: I was fucking wracking my brain for all the right words and terms but I was coming up short and my dignity would not allow me to ask the local grower (my father) for help. this time we have stylenny, which uh, was unplanned, but now we have three weed smoking girlfriends which is actually an amazing unexpected turn of events.

"Want a hit?" Stacy asked, holding out the lit embers to Kylie.

"I'll pass on becoming part of the worlds worst blunt rotation," Kylie answered with a laugh on her voice as she glanced over her friends.

Wendyl pouted, "What? You really think this is the worlds worst rotation?"

Kylie nodded, "You, Stacy, Kelsey, and Claire? Yeah, that is the worlds worst blunt rotation."

"Don't be so cruel Kylie," Kelsey said as she slumped back against the redhead.

"Yeah, don't be so cruel," Claire chimed in with as she ran a hand through choppy black locks atop her head.

Wendyl took hold of the cigarette, "I learned a cool trick."

"Smoke rings?" Kylie asked.

Wendyl nodded as he took a hit before exhaling in rings of smoke, he only got a few. He held out the smoldering embers to Kelsey who gladly took it.

"Stacy you gotta get some better shit," Kelsey said with a bit of a laugh.

"It's all the leftovers from moms trimming, take it or leave it," Stacy said as she watched her partner in crime exhale a gray haze.

"The flavors clash, too much citrus," Kelsey said, Claire nodded along as Kelsey idled with the lit end. Pressing her finger to it until it stung just a bit, she'd handled worse.

"Well sorry that she won't let me buy any from her shop," Stacy complained.

"Get good and steal some," Kylie said as she ran her hands through Kelseys hair, carding fingers between blonde locks. Kelsey leaned back into her, a pleased and syrupy sweet smile on her face.

Stacy gave a groan, "My mom would kill me if she caught me stealing the stuff she sells."

"It'd be hilarious," Wendyl said with a light laugh bereft of malicious intent.

"So fucking funny," Kelsey said.

"It would not be funny," Stacy said.

"It would be hilarious," Kylie countered with.

-/-/-/-

"It's just a bit of smoke," Stacy urged as she tapped the cigarette in her hands, a haze of almost blue smoke escaping with her words.

Kylie just looked intimidated.

"It doesn't hurt," Stacy said with a sigh as she slumped back further against the chair she sat in, toque discarded. She ran a hand through her hair, deep black locks water-falling over her shoulders.

"I know," Kylie said quietly.

"Then how come you always pussy out of a quick high?" Stacy asked as Kylie walked over and sat down next to her. She nuzzled up next to Kylie, holding the lit end of her cigarette to the side.

Kylie pauses, "Government weed is fucking dogshit honestly."

"You've smoked before?!" Stacy exclaimed, Kylie nodded.

"Oh yeah, it was not pleasant," Kylie said, "They cracked open a box of cigs and said 'take a hit?' and I did, and I'm pretty sure I bruised something with how much I was coughing. It was terrible," She took a deep breath, the haze of the room just the way it always is.

"Damn bro," Stacy said, she paused, staring up at the ceiling fan, "Wanna try again?"

"Nope," Kylie said, "I will sit here with you when you're getting high as shit."

There's a hum of amusement, "Thanks girl."

-/-/-/-

"Kelsey I'm going to fucking cry," Stacy got out as she reached into her pocket, pulling out some rolling papers.

Kelsey just hummed, "What is it this time Stace?"

"Kylie doesn't smoke," Stacy said, hastily spreading a thin sheet of paper.

"Obviously," Kelsey said, grabbing her pair of scissors and a small clump before snipping it even smaller.

"And she thinks we fucking buy our shit- which we don't- and she bruised a rib coughing last time she tried," Stacy said, using the back of her fingernail to press the green into a line before rolling it up. She licked a stripe along the exposed edge before sealing it up and handed it to Kelsey. The McCormick pulled out her lighter and lit the end of the cigarette, "She's never gonna smoke with us Kelsey."

Kelsey shrugged as she handed the smoke to Stacy who took a drag far too fast, sputtering a bit as she coughed. The blonde watched her partner in crime, "And?"

"God, Kelsey that is the one thing I wanted to do with her," Stacy said, bringing a hand to tussle through dark strands of hair. She gave a long sigh, "I've been waiting and offering for so long and she doesn't smoke."

"What about shotgunning?" Kelsey offered as she took Stacys hand, stalling her motions to let the idea sink into her head. She simply glanced over to Kelsey and stared.

"Fucking what?" Stacy asked as Kelsey took a hold of a cigarette.

"I could show you but it's pretty gay," Kelsey said, "Just hold still for me and breath, like CPR."

"Like CPR?" Stacy asked as Kelsey took a drag, she rested a hand on Stacy's cheek and tilted her until they were locked in eye contact. She pulled her into a kiss and exhaled, Stacy inhaled, the contact was brief and the smoke easily exchanged. When Kelsey pulled away there was a swiftly diffusing haze of gray between them.

"That, is shotgunning," Kelsey said, hand comfortably atop Stacys cheek.

Stacy spoke next, haze spilling out as she spoke, "Wow."

"Just offer to do that with Kylie, your moms got some of those fancy plants that don't have nicotine right?" Kelsey asked, releasing her grasp on Stacy's face and dropping a knee while hitching the other.

"Yeah, we got two," Stacy said.

"Use that, tell her it won't induce a high- I'm sure she'll be down to do it with you," Kelsey said. She smiled a bit, "I might even tag along.

"That would be so much fun," Stacy said with a bit of a laugh, she drew out the 'o' as she spoke.

-/-/-/-

"What the fuck did you do to the weed?" Kylie asked as she took another deep inhale of the haze, it smelt different.

Stacy gave a lazy grin, "Special strain, less citrus tones."

"A new one?" Kylie asked, Kelsey nodded.

"Brand new, sprouted it myself, Stace did most of the work to actually prune and grow it," Kelsey said, slung over the back of the couch. She dropped a hand to run through Kylies hair, the redhead comfortably against the armrest, one leg hanging over the edge. Stacy was resting comfortably in Kylies lap, back to her front and head resting at her sternum.

"I didn't you gardened Kelsey," Kylie said as she rested her hands at Stacy's abdomen.

"I don't, Stacy just needed somewhere to put her seeds and said I could grow one or two," Kelsey said with a laugh.

Stacy gives a sigh, "So you know how you don't smoke Kylie?"

Kylie nodded, "Yep."

"I was wondering if you'd want to try out shotgunning?" Stacy asked as she pushed herself off of Kylies form, the redhead quirked a brow.

"So long as I'm not putting a cigarette in my mouth we're good," Kylie said, she lifted her leg to the couch and shifted in spot. She watched as Stacy hesitantly move to face her, her hand shook a bit.

"Cool, cool," Stacy said, "You just gotta breath and it'll work."

Kylie nodded, watching with as Stacy brought a hand to her face, hand sliding down to the back of her neck. There's a chill rolling through her as painted nails tap along her spine. With her free hand Stacy takes a heady hit, then she's pulling Kylie into a kiss. It's short, and the flavor of the smoke instantly assaults Kylie, but she breaths like she was told. She breaths deep and holds it until Stacy backs away before trying to exhale it without coughing much.

Kelsey gives a hum as she runs a hand through a mess of red curls, she revels in the relief Stacy is wearing and the shock on Kylies face, "Enjoy it?"

Kylie nods, "Oh yeah."

"Cool, don't think that Stacy gets to hog the fun though," Kelsey said, a smirk growing on her face as Kyle turned to face her. She raises her cigarette, lit end burning like amber, "My turn."

Kylie does nothing to stop her friend, melts into the slight pull as she takes a hit. She easily reciprocates, inhaling every wisp of smoke in the delayed exhale. A haze rests around them in the brief moments that Kelsey pulls back, bluish gray smoke spilling from parted lips and Kylie can't believe she's chasing the feeling. She can't believe she's chasing the contact that Kelsey is so willingly doling out, hands on her face and in her hair.

"How about that?" Kelsey asked when she finally pulled away for good and Kylie looks just a bit zoned out, "There's no nicotine, don't worry."

Kylie still can't make her words work, especially not with Stacy's hands coming back to her form. Sliding along her waist where her shirt rode up only a bit, she slung herself atop the red head, "Fun?"

Kylie nodded, she brings her arms to rest over Stacys shoulders, hands on her back.

Kelsey is grinning a Cheshire grin from her perch atop the couch, smoke almost at her lips once more, "Wanna do it again?"

[deathsbestgirl]

so. when i was a kid, and schools decided to try & scare kids away from cigarettes. and they talked about all the things that happen to your body, the way it causes cancer and what cancer looks like...i went home and started stealing my dad's cigarettes & lighters. i did it a lot. and one day my mom found the stash of them hidden in my room. she sat me down and asked why i had them. i told her i didn't want dad to die and she told me dad wasn't going to die. but i think i held onto that fear, it never went away.

and then it happened. he had stage four throat cancer.

before his diagnosis, he was having trouble swallowing for months. eating took him hours. he wasn't taking it seriously, insisting he was fine. my mom & i were on his case for what felt like ages.

when he finally went to the doctor, she gave him antibiotics, obviously that didn't do anything to help. the second time, my mom went with him and he went to an oncologist.

i had a trip planned with my friend, i told her my dad's had cancer & i didn't know if i could go (we were taking a very long road trip back to where she lived). she was great, but my parents insisted i go. so i did.

i called everyday, and my dad was in the hospital the entire time i was gone. when i got back home, my mom & sister told me that he needed to be intubated, at some point he flatlined but he was stable now.

the tumor in his throat was cutting of his airway when they got him to the hospital. i don't remember what he was going to the hospital for, but it was a shock.

at this time, i was still pretty sick myself. and that week i came back home was the worst i ever felt. but it was different. i can't explain to you the panic i was feeling. we were at the hospital everyday for hours. i was making us food & bringing it with us and forcing my mom & sister to eat something. everyday. i couldn't stay in the room when the doctors came in. and eventually it was more than panic and "feelings of doom" — i was so physically ill. i remember going to cvs to get medicine, and everyone in the store getting out of my way & cut the line because i looked like death. i mean a literal walking corpse. i was *grey*

it turned out to be iron or copper poisoning. as soon as i got my period, i was perfectly fine. i'll never know which because i couldn't get to the doctor in time for blood work. (i stopped taking medications & chinese herbs & supplements i was on and i never had this problem again but. this is the second time i almost died)

my mom was so mad at me for leaving the hospital room. it was one of the first days i was back & we were at the hospital. i think they might have had to remove part of the tumor, as much as they could. and then he started treatment.

before he could, he had to have his teeth pulled & dentures made. he had already lost so much weight, and with chemo & radiation, he only lost more. my dad was never a big eater, or rather, he didn't really care. he ate what was put in front of him (he has nine siblings) and always finished our leftovers the rest of us ignored. but...eating became a struggle for him for a different reason. the man never ate anything sweet. maybe a coffee cake when he was drinking his black coffee. suddenly he craves sugar, because it was the only thing that didn't taste bland or terrible.

the longer treatment went on, the weaker he got. i can't tell you how many times i had to pick him up off the floor. (once, i was napping downstairs and he had to bang on the floor to get my attention. we got him a little siren thing after that, because he couldn't yell loud enough if we weren't close by, and banging wasn't always the best option.) or how i had to take the emergency break off his car so he could go somewhere. or once, he was determined to mow the lawn but he couldn't start the lawnmower, but neither could i (the thing was a dinosaur). i was suddenly bigger than my dad.

he had to have a feeding tube eventually, because he kept aspirating. i had to hide all of the alcohol in the house. he had stoped smoking cigarettes, but he was vaping. his fucking oncologist told him it was okay. i guess this was earlier on when they first came out.

the wound around his feeding tube just. never healed. we took him to the hospital a few times because of it.

i can't remember what happened, but one night we had to call an ambulance. my mom & i followed them to the hospital after we grabbed a few things. my aunt & cousin beat us to the hospital. and when we got there, before we found them, there was some confusion with the ambulances. and they mistakenly told us that he was septic. but it wasn't him, it was another man. and as they were wheeling him in we were so confused. the man actually looked so much like my dad, it was scary. but then someone said his name and we were like no. i looked at him again and was like. oh my god mom that's not him. he has no beard. and that's when my cousin popped her head out and told us where my dad was.

it was one of those things we had to laugh at and my poor dad had no idea what was going on.

whenever my dad was in the hospital, my mom & i would go to the bar with my aunt, uncle & cousin. tbone, the bartender & friend of the family, would send us home with a huge to go cup of our drink of choice. he never charged us correctly. i can't explain what a lifeline they all were. (it was the only time my mom & i would drink after my dad was sick & couldn't.)

there was a time he wasn't sleeping, like he'd be awake for days? one day i went out into the kitchen, and my dad was acting a little crazy. i think this was early on. he had spilled coffee everywhere but he wasn't cleaning it up. which was all very weird, as in i don't think i'd ever seen him spill anything. and he was a clean & neat man. i have no idea what he was fussing about, but i told him i would clean it up and he got so annoyed at me, because he was going to clean it up. but i waited at least ten minutes and he didn't.

after that, my mom got his doctor to give him something for anxiety. xanax, and he could only take half and it would knock him out for hours. it helped him so much though. finally getting sleep made him a brand new person.

early on, i think after that first hospital stay, they gave us an oxygen tank & cpr equipment. teaching us how to use it...but my sister & i we're lifeguards. we knew. and he did have to use the oxygen tank. there was one night there was a power outage, and when you have someone on oxygen in the home, you need to call the power company to alert them. they're supposed to give you priority. i can't even remember how this oxygen tank work, but i guess it needed electricity. i can't even picture the thing anymore, and so much is a blur. but it was not a fun experience. we were on edge.

and my dad. god he was such a goofy, quiet guy. unless you got him talking and he could TALK. he was very unlike himself. grumpy & quiet in a different way. bored out of his mind. he wasn't worried that night like we were.

there was another day, he was going to an appointment on his own. i don't remember what it was for. but it wasn't supposed to take long and he was gone for hours. he didn't have a cell phone, never felt like he needed one. he had tried to go to the medical supply store after his appointment, but he didn't know where it was. but instead of going home, he just kept driving up & down the road it was on. so me and my mom and half the family were driving around looking for him. my mom & i on the phone, and i finally spotted his car and he pulled into the shop rite parking lot. he was so angry & frustrated. all of this was really scary, it was completely unlike him. i think this was another reason for the xanax, and a cell phone. (for the longest time i kept the few texts we had sent each other. eventually lost them when i got a new phone.)

he did go into remission eventually, the chemo & radiation worked...but he never regained the muscles in his throat. he was going to physical therapy (or whatever therapy) to learn to swallow again and there wasn't improvement. the doctors said he physically wouldn't be able to eat or drink again.

and then one day, after i had just gotten back from a trip to boston, i was at work. my sister left college because she couldn't stand being 7 hours away when he was sick. they had a very special relationship i wish i could describe. and suddenly, i get a call from tracey, my mom's friend from work and it was her son i was working with. she told me to leave & get home right away. of course it was like 5pm and a 20 minute drive took at least 30. my aunt kathleen, who i had no idea was even in town, also called me. and i could hear in her voice exactly what was wrong. i don't even know who called me first. i remember texting the group chat with my friends that something was really wrong, i couldn't say it but i knew. through all of it, i had never gotten a phone call like that.

i get home and there's an ambulance outside. my aunt kathleen & aunt joanne are there. my sister is in my downstairs apartment. he had a blood clot in his throat that burst. my sister was alone with him. she had to call 911 & do cpr until the ambulance arrived, and they couldn't save him. it was his half birthday.

i can't describe what i feel for my sister. she wouldn't talk about it and she still hasn't. i had to stop my mom from looking at my dad. i don't think she could have handled it.

i've talked about how i don't remember that week very well. but what i do remember is needing to get his chair out of the house. it's where he was sitting when it happened, and we only got it so he could have an easier time standing.

not too long after...my now wife moved in with us. and then my nanny had to move in and my mom gave me & renata the master bedroom. she couldn't stand being in there anymore. she redid the bathroom & we painted, and she took the smallest bedroom.

after my nanny passed, and the pandemic hit. she took a trip down to cape may with my sister and she came home with a trailer at a campground. she lived down there the entire summer until october. and then she decided she wasn't coming back. she bought a house.

for a few years, we rented the house from my mom until she had to sell it. now it's gone. i haven't felt too sad about it, but i do now.

when it was happening, the only people i talked to about it were renata (wife) and ryn & james (my best friends). more recently, it's been easier to talk about him. it's been 4.5 years. and i have the best friends i've ever had. it's good to remember him and feel a connection to him.

remembering this wasn't easy but i think about it a lot. he never really complained, so he never told us what it was like for him. but how it was during it all isn't how i remember him. i remember him before, from when i was little & the tickle fights. the time i threw a tantrum because i wanted to stay home with him instead of going to school. going with him to the bookstore he worked in (all the books we had without covers) the stories he'd tell me about when i was a baby.m (he taught me to climb out of my crib, i'd pull the cabinet doors off & he's put them back on and i'd do it again) what a weirdo he was calculating his gas mileage. how he didn't vote consistently until i started making him. all the sci-fi shows he watched & that we would watch together. when he wouldn't tell me what the word orgasm meant & just kept laughing at me. the way he would take his sweet time making his coffee christmas morning while my sister was vibrating & waiting for him to sit down. how he only ever wore jeans, even in the ocean. how he walked around the house in his boots. how he hated getting new shoes because they were never the same. the way he always gave me & my sister something for valentine's day. when i needed a cortisone shot in my jaw & he took me and didn't make me go back to school after because i was miserable. the way he danced. he loved 30s, 40s & 50s music. he didn't understand how we could listen to the same songs over & over, but he watched the same things over & over. his love of horror. how he taken (mini series) with my sister. the last picture with all of his siblings. the picture of him & my mom when he's wearing a lime green shirt. him mowing the lawn with the bandana rapped our his head. the way i wore bandanas because i wanted to be like him. the greenhouse we used to have in the yard. how he used to grow pot on our deck and my mom made him get rid of it when i did dare (finding weed in his drawer but having no idea what it was lol). how he collected all the different quarters and kept half dollars & dollar coins. the photos he carried around with pictures of all the kids in our family. the way i'm "just like him" and what everyone really means is probably autistic lol the story about a gay man hitting on him. the time he was arrested at the shore for open alcohol or whatever and the cop was basically a kid lol the way he would swim out really far in the ocean with me & my mom would be having a heart attack and eventually the lifeguards would yell at us to come back in. the way he went on the rollercoasters with my sister bc i didn't like them. the way he barely used crutches for a day after his knee surgery. i think about my uncle kevin telling me how much he loved me & my sister & my mom.