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oh-hell-help-me · 11 months

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Day 6: Spine

By the time Luigi was able to leave the castle again, the town square seemed to have changed entirely.

The square was its usual mix of people, of course: Koopas, Shy Guys, Goombas, Spinies, and other miscellaneous species that -before- he only saw as soldiers. He now knew better, but their presence wasn't the problem.

Mostly, it was in the way he is almost always stared at, regardless of whether or not they were friendly. To him, there seemed to be a sea of eyes that pinned him against the cobblestone. In reality, he's sure they are simply glancing at him, but...

His guards have also become fussy now, especially as two more were added to the group (Ashton and Flambo, a Lakitu and a Hammer Bro) to make his visit hard to ignore.

It made his skin itch.

He wanted to sit by the water fountain, but -looking at the crowd of people enjoying the area and knowing how twitchy the guards would be- he settled for the next best thing:

A stone bench set under a roof overhang.

Even though Luigi had been able to settle down, he couldn't quite let himself relax...

He doesn't need to look at the notebook tightly clutched against his chest to figure out why. Not when he knew that the information inside was something that might make or break the Koopa Kingdom’s economy -maybe even their faith in Bowser, after….

After.

Still, the staring was minimal as the gawkers seemed to be just as quick to look away.

It was enough to let himself relax against the smooth bench, the guards forming a loose perimeter around where he sat.

It felt… peaceful despite the crowd. The bubble of protection and the surprisingly comfy stone made it easy to let the white noise immerse him, let him close his eyes and bask a bit in the noon time sun.

It felt like a nice day for a nap…

Hacktor was an old Koopa, old enough to have watched his children have children, and then for his grandchildren to finally leave the nest of their own parents.

It also meant that he knew his grandchildren well, especially in a family of miners.

Hackson, who has carried the Hack-name with pride, was a Koopa of action -driven by emotions, mostly, but a good lad. He was the Koopa who listened to people’s problems, maybe lend a hand or even direct them to someone who can.

And then he nearly murdered someone.

An IMPORTANT someone.

It was bad enough of a scene to drive an angry mob to track him, and it was only a blessing that none of Hackson's immediate family members were there to witness it (or, stars forbid, intervene).

He wouldn’t say it was as much of a blessing to come home to an inconsolable daughter and second son-in-law who have heard the news of his painful death.

No parent should be outliving their children. None.

Privately, he thinks they are still in disbelief over the fact he tried to kill someone twice.

They were still in mourning when Hackson felt the need to visit the town square, hoping to get ingredients for a soup that would hopefully keep them fed (since they weren’t in any condition to cook).

It was high noon when he saw him: the green human.

Well, maybe not so green at the moment. Instead, the man was wearing a black assemble that seemed out of place among the colorful array of people that happily wandered the square.

It wouldn’t be out of place from a funeral….

It’s what made him stop in his tracks, basket clenched in one paw as he looked closer at the human.

He was asleep, thankfully unaware of his presence, but his outfit wasn’t the only unusual thing about him.

There was a black notebook loosely held in his lap, stamped with the Royal Seal and holding a blue shimmer around the cover. Enchanted, probably, and likely important for political reasons.

There wasn’t a sign of bandages around his torso, so either they were under his clothes, or there was magic involved. Considering how the human nearly bled to death… well, Hacktor can see the necessity.

There was a group of four guards around him this time, visibly casting worried looks at their charge, looking around all steely at anyone close to their perimeter, and back again whenever the man shifted.

He would say that, out of everything, the guards' behavior was the most unsettling- not because of their worry, but how they seem to expect trouble. Almost like paranoia, except they clearly valued their charge more than their own safety...

He wonders if the king had something to do with it.

Hacktor couldn't say what exactly had driven him to approach, but the way three of the guards instantly grouped in front of the human almost made him second-guess that urge.

"Halt!" The Hammer Bro seems to be the leader, or at least the most aggressive of the four Koopas. "State your business!"

"I wish to talk with the human."

The soldiers clearly didn't like the request, but the Troopa that lingered behind reached over and -gently- shook the sleeping human's shoulder.

"W-wha--? Dagby, is it time to-" He catches sight of Hacktor, stiffening in his seat as the notebook was pushed into his chest.

"He wants to talk to you, Luigi."

The human -Luigi- looked nervous, and Hacktor almost expected him to decline-

"Okay."

Before throwing his and the soldier's expectations out the window.

"A-are you sure?" Hacktor didn't see which one asked him, but a nod from the human had them part for the elderly Koopa anyway.

Now that he's here, standing in front of the human... Hacktor wasn't quite sure what to do.

"Um," Luigi scoots to the side of the bench, patting the other side awkwardly. "You can sit -only if you want, of course!"

He seems to be just as clueless.

Still, you don't look a gift horse in the mouth, and Hacktor's knees aren't what they used to be, so he takes the seat with a "Thank you".

However- "Aren't you afraid of having a stranger walk up to you?"

"Not really?" The human's blue eyes shone trust brighter than a mining lamp, and it takes every fiber of Hacktor's being to not have his jaw drop at the answer.

It's even harder to speak, but now that he's here-

"I want to know how he died. My grandson, that is."

Hacktor stiffened in his seat as the soldiers seem to whip around, suddenly fingering their given weapons, and Luigi-

"H-hold on!" He's gesturing at the soldiers, stopping them from getting closer. "Just- hold on! I-" He mostly seems to hold eye-contact with the soldiers, leaving himself open to the elderly Koopa as if-

"I don't think he's here to- to-" His hands tremble though, enough for the 'Dagby' fellow to step forward in concern.

Still, Luigi audibly takes a calming breath, letting his hands fall back into his lap. "Just- let me hear him out?"

Again, the Koopas present (him included) are sent into a stunned standstill that lasts for just over a minute. It's only when the Hammer Bro steps back that the rest follow suit.

"Th-thank you..."

Looking back at him, Hacktor could help but see the way emotions flashed across the human's face -sadness, horror, guilt- but not see a trace of fear even as the soldiers give them space.

...He’s got a spine, this human.

#bowuigi #KAIJUNE Prompt #HAPPY PRIDE MONTH #not much bowuigi here #but that will change next time #also this is technically conjoined to the next post #so #see ya soon!

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bratzforchris · 7 months

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hi! can you please write something with little!luke missing reader while on tour but is stuck between being regressed and not so he inadvertently takes his frustration out on the other boys and the crew (like complaining about certain things he doesn't want or giving sarcastic answers) but nobody suspects he's little until like twenty or so minutes before the show when ashton asks him about it and luke starts regressing and sobbing that he misses reader, so ashton calms him down and decides to facetime reader from his phone so luke can talk to her while little and admits what he did but he feels a lot better and maybe the next morning reader surprises him by showing up??

Homesick

❃

Summary: Above

Pairing: Little!Luke x feminine reader

Warnings: None

Word Count: 1621

A/N: Thank you so much for being patient, anon! I adore little!Luke :)

❃

Luke laid in his bunk, blankets pulled up to his chin and sucking happily on his paci while clutching his stuffed animal. He was currently on FaceTime with you for some little time before he got up for the day, and he couldn’t help the happy little squeals and giggles that escaped his mouth as his mommy talked to him.

“Missie you, Mommy!” he giggled.

“I miss you too, bug. You’re just so cute.” You cooed.

You continued to speak to Luke and do little things to make him smile before checking the time. It was nearing noon, which meant the rest of the band would be back on the bus soon and it would be time for the boys to get ready for soundcheck and the concert tonight. Luke had politely declined going to breakfast with the other three in favor of “more sleep”. Really, he just wanted some tiny time with his mommy.

“Bubba? It’s almost time to be big Lukey, honey. You have a concert tonight!” You said lightly.

Luke pouted, but nodded, eventually saying goodbye to you and hanging up the phone. Even though he was big, he felt rather sad when your face disappeared from the screen. Being on tour, especially as an age regressor was hard. He loved Michael, Calum, and Ashton, but they didn’t know about his headspace and so, Luke really only got little time at night or very early in the morning.

He sighed, tucking his paci under his pillow and propping his stuffed penguin up against his pillow. Yanking open his bunk curtain proved that it was already afternoon and he was just getting up. The blond wandered into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee, leaning against the countertop. He was in a bad mood already, but it wasn’t really an angry one. He just felt rather sad and homesick. Luke was so stuck in his thoughts that he didn’t hear the other lads enter the bus.

“Boo!” Ashton said in his ear.

Luke jumped, spilling coffee down his front. “Ugh. Fuck off, Ash.” he grumbled sleepily.

“Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.” Ashton tutted, grabbing a mug and a tea bag from the cupboard.

The blond rolled his eyes, setting his mug in the sink and stalking towards the living area. He flopped down on the couch and began to scroll through his phone, opening the various social media apps. He gnawed on his lip ring, trying to fill his mind with the endless junk of media so he wouldn’t cry. You would’ve done anything to come on the tour with Luke, but you were still a senior in high school, and couldn’t leave your studies. Luke knew this, but the less-rational and little part of him believed it was because Mommy didn’t want to spend time with him.

He angrily clicked off his phone, tossing it to the other end of the couch. He needed to not overthink right now. They had a job to do, and the world didn’t stop because Luke Hemmings was moody.

“Geez, Luke, who pissed in your coffee this morning?” Michael asked, looking over from the TV.

“Please stop!” Luke cried, his voice cracking.

“Hey man, I was just joking…” Michael trailed off as Luke got up and stalked back towards his bunk.

“What’s up with him today?” Calum asked as Ashton walked into the living area, hearing all the commotion.

“Dunno,” Ash shrugged. “Seems like he’s just in a bad mood today.”

The three boys left Luke be until 2:30, when they nominated Ashton to go talk to the blond boy. The honey-blond crept back to the bunk, slowly pulling back Luke’s curtain. The blue-eyed boy was curled up on his side, clutching his penguin to his chest, sniffling softly.

“Luke?” Ashton asked.

“What?” Luke snapped. “Leave me ‘lone.”

“Just letting you know it’s time to get up for private soundcheck, bud,” Ashton rubbed his back. “Are you okay? You seem off today…”

“I’m fine.” Luke sat up, avoiding eye contact.

“Huh,” Ash shrugged. “If you say so.”

Luke trudged his way through private soundcheck, carelessly handing his guitar to a roadie with an eye roll. If the man caught on, he didn’t say anything. The blond stalked to the dressing room, staying far away from his other three bandmates.

He missed you so bad it ached. All Luke wanted was to curl up and have some tiny time with you, but he was stuck here. He loved his job and he loved the fans, but tour was exhausting. Even when he was big, being away from you was the hardest thing he had ever had to do. Checking the time on his phone, Luke sighed, curling up into a little ball on the couch. They had another hour until soundcheck for the fans, which meant it would probably be almost seven hours before he got to be small again.

“Hey Luke, let’s get some backstage shots for Instagram, yeah?” Ryan asked.

“No,” Luke said flatly. “I’m tired.”

“C’mon man, real quick?”

“No.” Luke turned his head, burying it into the pillows.

“Luke, Ryan is asking for ten minutes of your time. Please just do what he asks.” Ashton said, ever the dad of the band.

“I don’t want to! Leave me the fuck alone!” he snapped, fighting tears.

Ashton and Ryan looked at each other before moving to the other end of the couch, away from Luke and his grumpy aura. When he was sure his face was fully covered by the couch cushions, Luke began to cry. He longed for someone to just hold him and baby him and tell him he was okay, but he had been mean, so his friends definitely didn’t want anything to do with him now.

The blond didn’t know how much time had passed until he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. He sniffled, pushing it off.

“Go ‘way.” Luke grumbled.

Ashton could tell Luke was crying, just by his voice. “Luke, what’s up, man? We’ll all be happy to help, but you have to tell us instead of snapping.”

“You won’t understand.”

“Try me.” Ashton murmured, still comforting Luke.

“Michael and Calum have to leave.” Luke said, fighting tears.

The two boys looked at each other and shrugged before going into another room of the venue’s backstage area. They knew Luke was just like that sometimes and he didn’t mean any harm by it. He was just shy and still pretty young to be on such a big tour.

“They’re gone. Shoot.” Ash said.

Luke sat up, wiping his eyes. “I like to be a baby.” he said plainly.

The older of the two looked at Luke curiously, but not unkindly. “What do you mean?”

“I, um, age regress,” Luke said, fiddling with his fingers and avoiding Ashton’s eyes. “Helps with the stress.”

“Oh, okay. Is that why you’ve been a little moody today, bubba?” Ashton gave Luke a soft smile, trying to convey that he didn’t mean any harm.

“Just…just miss my Mommy!” Luke wailed, already starting to slip into his headspace.

“Who’s your mommy, Lu? Is it Y/N?” he asked.

Ashton had a friend with a littlespace before and he had definitely explored the 5sos fanfics when he was bored, so he knew a bit about age regression. The older male scooped Luke into a hug, rubbing his back as he cried. Luke nodded against his chest to his question, whimpering softly.

“‘M sorry for bein’ mean…” Luke whispered.

“Thank you for apologizing, sweet baby,” Ashton cooed. “That’s a very grown-up thing to do. I know you miss mommy, lovely. Should we call her?”

Luke nodded gleefully. “Mhm! Pease!”

His lisp was slightly more prominent since he was teetering on the verge of headspace, but Luke was still polite as ever. He snuggled into Ashton’s chest happily as the FaceTime call rang.

“Ash?” You asked, picking up the call.

“Mommy!” Luke squealed, pressing his nose to the phone, trying to “give you kisses”.

“What’s going on, guys? Aren’t you supposed to start soundcheck soon?” You asked, checking the clock.

“We had a little meltdown…” Ashton said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Missed you, Mommy!” Luke added.

You could tell by Luke’s tear-streaked cheeks and Ashton’s slightly frazzled look that there had been a meltdown. “Everything okay?”

“We’re okay now,” Ashton assured you. “I just might need your help getting him fully out of headspace to go on stage.”

You carefully placed your math homework aside, looking into the camera. You were slightly less anxious now that Ashton said ‘headspace’, assuring you that he was a beyond sufficient carer.

“Luke?” You asked him. “I need you to look at me, baby boy.”

Luke sniffled and wiped his eyes, but looked at you nonetheless. “Mhm?”

“I need you to be big Lukey, okay? Your fans are so excited to see you, but they’d like to see big Lukey! If you can do that, you can have some cuddle time with Ashy tonight…” You paused, waiting for confirmation from Ashton, who nodded. “And if you can do that, there will be a big surprise for you tomorrow morning, okay?”

Luke nodded frantically, spurred on by the promise of a surprise. You hurriedly thanked Ashton and made sure Luke was 100% out of headspace before hanging up and clicking over to the airline site. You had been thinking about going to visit Luke over your spring break, but today confirmed for you that he really needed it.

You smiled as you clicked book and paid for the flight, smiling to yourself at the thought of seeing your baby boy in the morning.

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12pt-times-new-roman · 8 months

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c3e70

Ruidus being tidally locked to Exandria must be wreaking havoc on its ecosystem.

In Bassuras, troops from Vasselheim swarm the streets. They are from various faiths and bastions, not just the Dawnfather's. Orym sees that beyond them, gathering supplies, there are three skyships of Othanzian make, not unlike the one they saw crashed in the Hellcatch.

There are three more skyships moored outside the city's walls. As they watch, one of the skyships is hit with a fiery bolt. It sets it ablaze, but doesn't bring it down, and it lists to one side, knocking into the one next to it, and soldiers start swarming toward it.

From the reaction of the civilian crowd, which seems to be very nonplussed, they gather that this has happened before. The ships have been there for a day or two, and more have come through to head north. There have been a handful of similar "issues" with the skyships and within the town.

Keyleth does some recon, and thinks she might know some people aboard them. She sets of on her own to inquire, and will meet the Bells Hells at noon.

Duct tape exists in Exandria, canon

They get to Imahara Joe's shop, and the door is locked. They open the door, and when Laudna throws her voice in, a figure throws a heavy javelin (or something) at the spot. With detect thoughts, Imogen detects nine additional people inside the shop.

Laudna climbs up to a grate on the roof and looks through. The shop is in slight disarray, and she can see a number of figures inside: three are standing against the front door, others are behind tables or crouching. Two are pushed into a corner in the far back room, under guard -- one is cloaked but has long, fuzzy ears and a rabbit-like face (Morrighan???), and the other is Imahara Joe.

Laudna gets hit with a crossbow bolt through the grate, and we roll initiative.

These are Paragon's Call operatives. The monk is wearing a pendant of the Duskmaven, and the uniform of the Call.

One of my favorite parts about CR combat is the open table thing. Like, it's 100% normal for players to just get up and leave for a while, or to go to the other side of the table to see that part of the map, or even to run behind the GM screen for a second (see: Ashley's entrance in C2E86).

One of the assailants is General Ratanish! He embeds a battleaxe into Chetney's shoulder, and fails his save against FCG's banishment, which completely changes the layout of this battle. It sounds like Ratanish was meant to be the central and most powerful figure in this fight, so getting him out of the way for 10 rounds is major.

(minor) Ashton Rage Build Update: their wormhole strike is a melee attack, not a ranged attack. This is relevant for abilities like the monk's deflect missiles.

Dancer joins the fray. She's an artificer, likely with the magic initiate feat to give her find familiar.

FCG build update: FCG's Changebringer coin is magical! Once per day, they can give themselves advantage on an attack roll. It's unclear whether they can apply this to any d20 roll, or just an attack.

Chetney aesthetic update: When Chetney transforms, his equipment -- including his armor -- stays on them.

One of the assailants hits an ally with their own spell, indicating that the Paragon's Call isn't a particularly close-knit group emotionally. Sounds similar to the Angel of Irons cult, honestly.

A good clarification: concentration save DCs are determined by the damage the caster takes, not the total damage dealt.

Ashton rage build update: When Ashton critically hits a creature, the next attack against that creature has advantage. When the space build is active, there's just a hole where their eyes should be, straight through to the back of their head.

One of the casters -- a druid -- transforms into a giant eagle, grabs Imahara Joe and the unknown figure, and tries to fly away. It's stuck in the doorway, just barely making it through and flying away.

Ashton uses their wormhole strike and knocks the fucker out of the air, and all three plumet down to the spiked wrought-iron fence --

and we go to break.

Ashton rage build update: When Ashton brings a creature to 0 hit points while their space build is active, violent gateway activates. This causes them to be pulled through a gateway they created, adjacent to the creature they reduced to 0, and Ashton decides to grab Imahara Joe and put their back between Imahara and the ground.

Orym jumps off the fence and tries to catch the other individual, using bait and switch to face his back to the ground.

Someone remind me to write another post about Ashton and the way they just willingly fell from the sky for someone they care for, the way they pivoted their own back to the ground to project Imahara, the way they put their own fractured body between Joe and the ground.

And, someone remind me to write a post about Orym in this moment, about how he immediately leaped, grabbed, and pivoted himself underneath a complete fucking stranger, planned to take the terminal velocity impact of a spiked fence to his back rather than let this mystery person get hurt.

Imogen is the MVP of the moment. She uses telekinesis to push the fence flat against the ground, so Orym and Ashton take fall damage instead of impaling damage. Orym, Ashton, the mystery figure, and Imahara all still take damage, but not nearly as much as they would've had the fence been there.

The mystery figure's hood falls back, and the Hells see that they're a lagamore -- a half human, half rabbit figure with floppy ears and brownish fur. (This is 100% Morrighan Ferun from EXU: Kymal, yeah?)

Everyone groups up frantically and forms a circle around the place where Ratanish will reappear. FCG heals Imahara. They all prepare attacks.

FCG drops banishment, and everyone's held actions go off. (Oh, how far Matt has come, from managing the fight in the Invulnerable Vagrant to this one.) 25 damage from Chetney. 38 damage from Laudna. 13 damage from FCG. 24 damage from Fearne and Mister. 24 damage from Imogen, and he's incapacitated until his next turn; she also uses call Ruidus, taking 5 points of damage to deal 6 more points of damage. 16 damage from Orym, he disarms Ratanish, then another 16 points --

Orym gets the HDYWTDT on Ratanish. He slices the weapon from his hand, then sticks his blade into the leg, spins him around, drops him so Ratanish's head falls in front of Ashton, and Ashton makes the final blow -- "you really should've killed me, that time." Ashton sticks the handle of the hammer into his chest, then all the way out. "You pull the soft bread out of the sub."

And combat ends with the death of General Ratanish, the Paragon Call's second-in-command beneath Otohan Thull. The druid bleeds out, failing all their death saves.

They shutter the windows and surveil the streets. There are people taking interest because they know and look up to Imahara Joe; but he himself addresses the crowd. "All good, folks! Just put the wrong connector to the wrong focal point... it's all good, I'm fine, go back to sleep." He slams the door and turns around to the Hells. "I am so happy to see you."

The other figure steps in. "Well, we have suddenly been put to task outside of our preferences..." Joe speaks up. "Everyone, this is Verna the Viper."

Lagamore are rare people in Exandria -- a fey-based people, so Fearne is familiar with them. They're a hare/bunny-folk -- Exandria's version of harengons.

Verna is a part of the Overmind Sect of tinkerers, who specializes in strange esoteric explosives.

Meanwhile, everyone else loots the bodies. They get a very fine battleaxe and set of boots from Ratanish. There is a little over 2300gp on Ratanish and the rest. There are also 7 golden Duskmaven pendants, which they put in the portable hole.

They also notice that on Ratanish, there is a brand of the Duskmaven's symbol -- a raven's skull -- on the inside of his left shoulder.

They present Ludinus' vest to Joe and Verna. Joe explains that after the "moon stuff" went down, Ratanish seized Joe's shop and ordered them to create explosives like the ones that hit the airship. They also had Verna and Joe building a "brumestone nullifier" that would disable brumestone -- which powers skyships -- in a certain radius.

On the vest, Imahara Joe remarks that it is of elven make, containing a mix of magics that should make it unstable but which are somehow in harmony. Whoever designed this was a genius, incredibly gifted. He has a grasp on it, and it seems repairable, but he'll need time.

Both Imahara and Verna start to grab things from throughout the shop that they'll need to repair the harness. They take everything useful from Imahara's shop as guards approach. Laudna projects a ghostly image to scare the guards, and they all escape through the back door and the bent fence.

By this time, they have a number of hours before they need to meet Keyleth, so they head to Hondir's safehouse.

Imahara looks at the vest more closely. "It seems like the device can attach to a powerful magical source, whether it be object, creature, or location, and channel or syphon the energy into the back of the neck of the wearer... mind you, raw energies being infused into an incompatible host will likely destroy the host unless they are inscribed with similar runes or share a similar essence. This one... this one seems specific, but I suppose it could be adjusted by a powerful enough enchanter once repaired."

Two things: this implies that a) Ludinus is a fey entity of some sort, and that b) it could be used on any one of the Bells Hells if its runes are adjusted. Each of the Hells seems to have a material source of their power that the vest could be tuned to (i.e. fey for Fearne, elemental for Ashton, arcana for FCG, etc).

Residuum is apparently an important material used to make or enchant the vest, and Imahara Joe needs some to repair it, so the Bells Hells gives him what they have left.

They discuss sending Imahara, Verna, and Dancer to Whitestone so Percy can help them tinker with the vest, and apparently Imahara knows him as "the Terrible Tinkerer of Tal'dorei."

Ashton and Imogen head toward the Deathwish Run to ask about Pocket. It seems like, given the recent activity, Pocket has gone underground, along with most of Bassuras' criminals.

Plan B is to find Justie at the All Minds Burn. When they arrive, they are greeted by Shady Sally, one of the nobodies. "Well! Pleasant surprise to see you still alive." When Imogen contacts her telepathically, she senses one mind shared among each of the people in the chamber, like background radiation in their thoughts.

Ashton rage build update: As a reaction when someone misses (or possibly hits, since Tal said that Ashton took the hit) them with an attack, Ashton can roll their rage build die and cause an effect based on that. Time causes the target to fall prone.

"I spent so much time indentured to that fucking bitch (Jiana Hexum) to pay off your debts. Now, we're gonna get even." They want Sally to gather up the Nobodies.

Justie swoops down and stares into the hole in Ashton's head. "You haven't been in here yet... it's like a fucking funhouse in there." "Okay... there's someone I'd like you to meet." She hands them a mask to cover their nose and mouth.

All walls here are covered with this crawling black dust, like mold or some kind of fungus. It's the same as the residue at the corner of the eyes of those who connect psychically to the All Minds Burn.

"It asked for you." Justie leads them to a chamber. When Imogen drops her defenses just a little bit, she senses an oppressive mind, and the minute she shows a minute opening, it pushes into her will -- not quite invasively, but scarily. The presence is alien, unlike anything she's experienced -- fractured, but unified. Odd, but not dangerous. Yet.

The smell moves from mustiness to rotten citrus and dry moss. The mold becomes thicker, textured, like puss-colored veins. The stairs grow soft beneath their feet. The chamber is massive, and in the middle, a "mass of organic matter of that same twisted yellowish-green, striations of black. Skeletal remains bound and attached and held within, skulls pushing through, all tied up into it. And there's this faint glow just beneath the skin-like surface of the mass, 20 feet tall."

This is 100% an Elder Brain, right? Just reskinned to be fungus-like?

"How old is this?" At Imogen's question, the mass pulses, and all the skulls turn their eye sockets to her. It doesn't speak with words, but with thought and replicated emotion, like it's learned from watching others. These thoughts are not natural to itself. Justie speaks up. "This is the All Minds Burn... [the skeletons] were those who, at the end of their days, rejoined, when it was time."

Imogen reaches out to it psychically. "How old are you?" There are splashes of memory from the individuals that are part of this mass. Their body is gone, but they still hold a fraction of life connected to it. She sees many lifetimes go by -- hundreds of years, maybe. Not as ancient as other parts of Exandria, expanding slowly. "Where do you come from?" It isn't quite sure, but it wants to meet more, it's just... this is its home, and it's hard for it to go further. But it lives a little bit through the eyes of those that take of it.

As Ashton speaks about the thing in his head, Imogen senses that the All Minds Burn is sort of hesitant to connect to Ashton. It's probing her memories, cross-referencing, and she lets it -- her childhood, riding horses, destroying a city block of Bassuras. Drinking water by the river with her father, her first cry as she was born under the red light of Ruidus -- pulling back to watching Laudna die, being a young girl collecting firebugs, stepping through the dark shadow of this chamber, being above the moon and seeing Exandria in the sky. Then it withdraws.

Imogen gets the sense that it wants to help. "It [Ruidus] will put an end to all of us. To all of you." It acknowledges that. "If we took part of you with us, if we had people inhale, would you be able to see through them or use them?" It might be able to temporarily do so, but its strongest connections take time. However, it recalls again parts of Imogen's memory -- the dust storms, the red, the dry, arid landscapes, and there is a longing, a curiosity. "You wanna see the moon?" A little portion of its central "stalk" seems to split slightly and a hard shell the size of an orange rolls to Imogen's feet.

It's a "brood pit." Justie tells them to take it, and Ashton picks it up. "What do we do with this?" Imogen recalls being in the storm, in the red. "It wants to be seeded... maybe... you have our aid, there are many of us who are a part of it, when you need us, we can be of aid. All that we ask, all that it asks, is that if you go, take it with you and leave it there."

The All Minds Burn pushes into Imogen's mind again, not unkindly but adamant. It will help, and when it offers to help, she gets a glimpse of the many, many minds around the city, in the valley and beyond that it can call upon when the time is right.

As they leave, everyone who had been staring at them cautiously instead bows to them. "We'll be back." "I know -- we know."

Ashton finally feels like they're important, like they matter. "Every hit feels like a hit someone else doesn't have to take... I have spent my entire life taking up and being ignored. And I'm starting to learn that it's the things you ignore that get you in the end, one by one."

The All Minds Burn sounds very much like an Elder Brain, and I honestly can't tell if it wants to go to Ruidus because it's related to it somehow, or just because it's the most appealing environment it found in Imogen's memory. It only being a few hundred years old kind of rules out it being related to Ruidus' creation or early history, but it could be that it fell from Ruidus sometime later and is trying to get home. It being near the Tishtan site makes this more likely, I think, since Ruidus passed directly over it during this solstice.

They meet back up with Keyleth. She did know someone on the ships; she learned that forces from across Exandria -- not just Issylran or religious forces -- have traveled to the Hellcatch and are forming a circle of barricades and battlements around what they're referring to as "the Bloody Bridge." Their orders are to hold and only attack in retaliation. There's a sizeable army surrounding and protecting the Tishtan site, and no one's quite certain what it's capable of; their abilities in the skirmishes that have happened are mysterious and unrecognized. Right now, it's a cold war, but both sides are fearful that this holding pattern is giving the other side more time to execute their plans, so Keyleth predicts that it won't be long before someone has to make a move.

Keyleth also agrees to take Verna, Imahara, and Dancer to Whitestone.

Next episode, they head to the Shattered Teeth to find Jirana and Evan'travir!

#critical role #note watches c3 #critical role spoilers #critical role campaign 3 #critical role c3 #critical role liveblog

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criticalrole-incorrectquotes · 1 year

Text

Ashton: Okay, but all I've done today is sleep.

Ashton: I woke up at noon, ate lasagna, and went back to sleep right after.

Laudna: Method actor Garfield cosplayer.

Ashton: SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!

#submission

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merochu-blog · 9 months

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I go to sleep and once more I MISS IT ALL!!!!! Fearne gets herself a betrayer God champion tatto ring with a line up to the big guy himself. XD noone is immune to Fearnes Fey flirt nature

I need pics of that hand kiss!!!! And ashton just facepalming in the background or covering chetneys mouth. God, I love this campaign so much!!

#critical role #campaign 3 #bells hells #fearne calloway #critical role c3 #ashton greymoore #critical role spoilers #chetney pock o'pea

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santoschristos · 1 year

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Love is not yours, love is not mine: It is the tranquil twilight heaven Through which our pauseless feet are driven Into the vast and desert noon. Love is not mine, love is not yours: It is a flying fire that passes, Perishing on the blind morasses After the frail and perished moon. - Clark Ashton Smith

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5sosfanfictioncatalogue · 6 months

Text

Hurt/Comfort (2) Masterlist

part one

Days Like This (ao3) - LunaT2345 G, 2k

Summary: Ashton's having a bad day. Calum will always be there to help pull him out.

floating then drowning (ao3) - lovelymuke michael/luke T, 9k

Summary: As Luke stands over the bathroom sink and swallows one of the pills, he knows that this is it. There's no turning back after this. As long as he can make the bottles of pills he has stashed in the bottom of his suitcase last until the end of the promo run he’ll be fine. So he doesn’t worry. Instead, he just knocks back the second pill and walks out of the bathroom to his waiting boyfriend. He’s going to prove that he’s still worthy of being in the band, that he can hold himself together.

If he needs medication to do that, no one needs to know.

for real - @sup3rbloom (haveufoundwhaturlookingfor) calum/ashton, brief calum/omc T, 4k

Summary: Michael keeps trying to set Calum up on blind dates, and one day Calum accidentally slips and says he has a boyfriend when he doesn't, so Ashton offers to be his fake boyfriend. It works, until Calum messes things up.

Have Faith In This Fragile World (ao3) - SilentlyFighting michael/calum, luke/ashton N/R, 19k

Summary: Michael Clifford is well known in his school, not for being popular, far from it, he is the nerd. The goody-two-shoes hasn't had the best past but his peers do not know this and a couple of the football team decide that he is their next target. A mysterious group of boys make an appearance, saving him multiple times, and when Michael runs out of money to buy food, they even find ways to get him food.

The boys do not scare him that much but they certainly catch his attention. Michael learns the names of two of the boys but the leader is set to keep his identity a secret. But, when Michael has another run in with the football team and they use him as bait, will the boys identity reveal itself?

I'll look after you (like I've never done before) (ao3) - anykindofgal N/R, 5k

Summary: No one had heard from Michael in a few days. No texting, no calling, no hanging out. They had their own lives and things to do, they understood that much. Only, they all stayed in touched with Michael through the power of memes. But it had been four days, to be exact, and Michael hadn't texted anyone in the group even one meme. Calum decided to text his friend, and if they hadn't heard anything back by the next morning, they were going to his place to check out what was going on.

So, the next day around noon, the three boys arrived at Michael's place.

((in which Michael gets sick and the boys need to care for him))

i'm better than him (just saying) - @sup3rbloom (haveufoundwhaturlookingfor) michael/luke T, 3k

Summary: Luke's boyfriend is a total loser, and all of his friends keep telling him. Especially Michael, who's been in love with Luke for as long as he can remember. Michael's always there for Luke whenever his boyfriend treats him like garbage. But after a disastrous date, everything goes downhill, and Luke realizes that maybe Michael has been right this whole time.

Last Night - @daydadahlias (cornflowerblue (daydadahlias)) luke/ashton E, 3k

Summary: Luke’s voice is hot near his face when he says, “Gonna moisten my mouth,” and Ashton wants to absolutely throttle him for it.

But he wants to throttle himself even more when all he can find his mouth doing in response is nervously wetting his lips and stuttering his way through a fumbly, “Let me know if you need to... keep it... keep it m-moistened.”

perfectly fine... (not) (ao3) - lovelymuke michael/luke T, 7k

Summary: In which Luke is sick, stubborn and trying to deal with his problems on his own. Michael is unaware, exhausted and honestly kind of, just a little bit, sick of Luke’s shit.

secrets no longer kept - @sup3rbloom (haveufoundwhaturlookingfor) ot4, luke/calum/ashton, michael/ashton T, 9k

Summary: Michael had only wanted to help when he decided to disguise himself as a beta. Their alpha was becoming stressed. Unfortunately for Michael, one slip up causes his mates to find out his secret. His mates react accordingly when they find out Michael's been an omega this whole time.

Sick Day (ao3) - TylerM ot4 G, 4k

Summary: The one where Ashton gets sick on the WWA tour and tries to keep it from his band, and fails miserably.

Subject Line - @daydadahlias (cornflowerblue (daydadahlias)) calum/ashton E, 20k

Summary: Maybe the sunrise doesn’t matter much after all. Calum can watch the sunrise any day. How many days will he get Ashton like this? Shirtless, sporting bedhead in a hotel room, with just the two of them for a few lazy hours alone?

Soon enough, they’ll be back on the tour bus and Calum won’t be allowed to hold Ashton’s hand anymore.

Talk Fast (ao3) - no_clue_who luke/ashton T, 2k

Summary: "What is it about then, huh? What is the fucking line 'won't last I'm ok with that' about?" Luke said, blinking back tears. He just wanted to hear Ashton say it, say that he didn't love Luke the way Luke loved him. "What does it mean?"

"It's only a matter of time." Ashton said. His voice was shaking.

"It's only a matter of time till what Ashton?"

or how not to write a song about your relationship

Should've kept you close to me (ao3) - kittenmichael luke/ashton N/R, 6k

Summary: The one where Ashton needs to pick up his drunk band mates at a party, and how on earth did he just manage to lose their youngest member?

Unexpected Places (ao3) - The_Lady michael/luke T, 2k

Summary: The last thing Michael expects to find when heading home from his morning shift at the bakery is a slumped over Luke Hemmings sporting a black eye and split lip. Yet, there Michael’s school-hood rival is, clear as day, sitting on the concrete and leaning against the alley wall. Well, there goes pizza and DnD.

you got me trippin', stumblin' (ao3) - prettyluke (parting_ways) luke/ashton, michael/calum G, 4k

Summary: Luke breaks his ankle and won't tell.

Your Insecurities Make You Who You Are (ao3) - orphan_account michael/calum N/R, 3k

Summary:

"Cal?" Michael sighed out, voice sounding tired. "Yeah?" Calum asked, pressing his palms flat to the door. "Do...do you think I'm fat?" And if Calum was worried before, he was on the edge of full-on panic now. "What? No, baby, not at all." He said, hands pressing harder against the door than before. "Luke said I was." Michael mumbled softly.

Or the one where Michael is insecure, and Calum wants to show him how much he loves his faults.

#5sosfanfictioncatalogue #5sos fanfic #5sos #5 seconds of summer #hurtcomfort #hurtcomfort masterlist #masterlists

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austinsgirl · 1 year

Text

Rather Die | Chapter 12

warnings: talks of pregnancy, jealousy, fluff, swearing

word count: 1776

———————————————————————

A couple days have gone by, and Victoria is ready to talk to Austin about her possibly being pregnant with his baby.

She texts him, as her heart pounds.

"Hey, I know I'm probably the last person you'd be wanting to hear from right now, but there's something I need to talk to you about. Can we meet? In private?"

Austin replies, "Hey. Uh, yeah sure. You can come over my house right now if you want."

"Okay, that works. Send me your address and I'll be on my way."

Austin sends over his address & Victoria heads over to his place.

It's a decent sized house. Not too big, not too small. Definitely bigger than anything Victoria has lived in.

There's lots of wooden walls, which seems to be a trend in homes nowadays, giving them a mid century modern feel, which is definitely what Austin is going for with his decor & use of cool and warm tones.

"So, what's this you need to talk to me about?" Austin says, letting Vic inside.

"Um, we should probably sit down for this." she says.

"Okay."

Austin leads her into the living room where a grand piano sits & a movie poster for Elvis' movie "King Creole" hangs on the wall above.

"You can have a set anywhere." Austin says. "Do you want anything to drink? Water? Soda?"

"No, I'm okay. Thanks though." Vic sits down in a chair. Austin sits across from her on the couch.

"Okay. What's up, Vic?"

"Um, there's no real easy way to say this, so I'm just gonna come out and say it I guess. I....am pregnant. And it's a very good possibility that...you're the father."

Austin sits there in silence for a moment, in shock before he says anything. "How is it a possibility that I could be the father?"

"Well, from the time that we hooked up to the time I started having symptoms, it would make sense."

"And you took a test?"

"Yes, Austin, of course I took a test."

"You know those aren't always accurate, right?"

"Um, I think most of the time they are, and I took two of them, both being positive."

"And I assume it could also be Ashton's because you were fucking him at the same time."

"Correct. The same day actually."

"You fucked both of us in the same day? That's some Eliana behavior."

"Oh shut up, Austin. You're one to talk. And you more so fucked me than I fucked you."

"What do you mean?"

"You made out with me & Eliana in the same night."

"Yeah, but I didn't fuck you both in the same night."

"Same difference."

"Are you keeping it?"

"Yeah. I'm keeping it. It's a miracle I even got pregnant with being told my chances are low. I've always dreamt of having my own baby someday, and if I can have this work out, I'm going to do it. I never know if I'll ever be able to get pregnant again."

"I guess that makes sense. If I am the father, I want to be apart of its life."

"You do?"

"Yeah."

"You'd want to co-parent with me?" Vic asks shocked.

"Yes. If it's my baby, I'm going to take responsibility & I won't let you do it alone. I wouldn't want any of my children not knowing who their father is if I can help it."

"Wow...um. Okay. I'm just surprised you'd want to do that with how we are."

"Look, I don't completely hate you. I could be civil for the rest of our lives for the sake of our child."

If Austin was being honest, he'd say he doesn't hate her at all & is in fact, in love with her. But still, he keeps playing along as if he doesn't because he's pretty well sure that Victoria doesn't & won't ever feel the same.

"If you can do that, so can I."

"Great. I'm glad we're on the same page. Now, what's the next step? A paternity test?"

"Yes. I, um, actually already made the appointment. It's my first ultra sound, and then paternity test as well. Technically, only one of you needs to test, say if we're not a match it's obviously Ashton's. Ashton will be testing, but you're more than free to join."

"I'll be there. Just give me the info & I will be there. Also, how is it very possible?"

"Okay, it's next Friday at noon, at the St. Joe's doctors office in Studio City. And it's very possible as we didn't use any protection, unlike Ashton & I did."

"Oh.." he responds. "Even if I'm not the father, I know we're not the bestest of friends, but if you ever need anything, let me know."

"Thanks, Austin."

It's now next Friday, the day of the appointment.

Victoria is joined at the doctors by both Ashton & Austin.

The boys haven't said a single word to each other except "Hello" & the room has a very awkward silence as they wait for the doctor, which is driving Victoria insane.

"Okay. I know this is awkward, but can we just not sit in silence? I feel like I'm being put in the middle of a feud right now." Victoria breaks the silence.

"I just don't know what to say." Austin speaks up. "Um, I'm sorry, Ash. And Vic. For putting you in this situation. I shouldn't have even tried to have sex with you."

"Thanks, Austin. No worries, man." Ashton says.

"Good, I'm glad you guys are like, cool. Also, Austin, I'm sorry too. If I hadn't fell for it, you wouldn't have been brought into this. It's just all my fault for being an idiot."

The doctor walks in before either boy could respond.

"Hi, Victoria, nice to see you again." Dr. Martin, Victoria's gyno comes in. "I see you got yourself into a little predicament?"

Victoria laughs nervously, "Haha, yeaaah."

"And we're also surprised this even happened, aren't we?"

"Very."

"Now who are the possible candidates?"

"This is my boyfriend, Ashton, and this is my costar for my new movie, Austin Butler." Victoria introduces them both to Dr. Martin.

Austin dies a little inside hearing her call Ashton her boyfriend.

"Oh, I thought you looked familiar." Dr. Martin says to Austin. "You play Elvis in the movie right?"

"Yes, yes I do ma'am." Austin says, blushing & smiling.

Victoria feels butterflies seeing him all cute like that. She immediately shakes them off, remembering her actual boyfriend is right there.

"You were fantastic in that. Must have taken a lot of work to get the voice down."

"Oh, yeah. Definitely. But thank you." he replies.

"Okay, so we'll do the ultrasound, see how far along you are, and then we'll do a noninvasive prenatal paternity test. I'll take blood from each of you to conduct a fetal cell analysis. A genetic profile compares the fetal cells present in the mother's bloodstream to the alleged father's. The result is more than 99 percent accurate. Those results will take a of couple weeks, just keep an eye out on your St. Joe's online account for the results to be posted."

Everyone nods their head in agreement to everything that's going down.

The ultrasound starts. Victoria & Ashton hold hands, as Austin leans against the wall. Jealousy eats at him seeing the happy couple. He wishes it was him that was holding her hand.

"Well, I can confirm that you are in fact pregnant. Congratulations, 'Mom'." Dr. Martin says as she finds the embryonic sac.

Victoria & Ash smile bright, Austin gives a shy smile, still being filled with jealousy.

"Alright, there's the little one right here. Looks like you're measuring out to be about 6, almost 7 weeks. Here's the head starting to form, and then the body. Very similar to a tadpole."

As soon as Austin sees the little fetus on the monitor, the jealousy goes away and his heart swells, knowing that could be his. He gets misty eyed, which he wasn't expecting.

Of course, Vic & Ash are the same. All happy tears.

Dr. Martin takes some photos before cleaning up Victoria from the ultrasound gel & putting the machine to the side.

"Here's the first pictures of baby. I'm going to go get the stuff for the blood samples. I'll be right back." she says.

"I can't believe this is real. I really never thought I'd be here in this moment right now. As much as this is going to suck because my career is just now getting somewhere, I'm excited." Victoria says, looking at the pictures.

"You're gonna be a great mom, Vic." Austin says.

"Thanks, Austin." she says, with a kind of confused tone. She wasn't expecting to hear that from him.

Dr. Martin comes back into the room & she gets a blood sample from each person.

"Alright, everyone is free to go. Like I said, it'll take a couple weeks for the results. Just keep an eye online for them to be posted."

"Will do. Thank you, Dr. Martin." Victoria says.

"Of course. You guys have a good rest of your day."

A couple weeks have passed & the results are in.

"Mila, open it. I can't do it." Vic says to her, passing Mila her phone.

"Are you sure you want me to read it?"

"Yes, I can't. Just read it & tell me."

"Okay. Now, don't yell at me if I say it's

Austin, because I know that's the result you don't want."

"I promise I won't."

"Good. Okay, I'm opening it, I'm reading it, and the father is....."

"Please be Ashton, please be Ashton." Victoria says to herself."

"Austin."

"Goddamnit, Butler. I fucking knew it. Of course it's his."

"I'm sorry, babe."

"It's fine, I guess."

"How are you going to tell them?"

"Girl, I have no idea. Do I tell Austin first? Or Ashton?"

"I don't know. I guess Ashton. You're seeing him tonight right?"

"Yeah. I guess I'll tell him first."

Later on...

"So, I got the results..." Vic says to Ashton.

"And?"

"I'm so sorry." Vic starts to cry. "It's Austin's. I wish I would have never had sex with him so the baby could be yours. I know we used protection, but you know that's not always effective & maybe it could have been you. I'm so sorry."

"Baby, baby. It's okay. I told you, things happen. And I'll be with you every step of the way. I love you so much and we're not going to let anything come between us."

"I love you too. So much"

Ashton gives Victoria a sweet kiss as she wipes away her tears.

Now all that's left is to break the news to Austin...

————————————————————————

#austin butler #austin butler fanfiction #austin butler imagine #austin butler one shot #austin butler smut #austin imagine #austin butler rather die #elvis #elvis presley #elvis 2022 #rather die

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lgbtqreads · 2 years

Text

New Releases: August 2022

Riley Reynolds Crushes Costume Day by Jay Albee (1st) Note: This is the first book in a new series that has four books releasing on this date. It’s book week at school, and nonbinary fourth grader Riley and their best friends craft hard for the Dress Like Your Favorite Character Day. Colorful fabric! Paint! Glitter! They are ready to make the biggest and best group costume ever! But most of the…

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finncakes · 1 year

Note

What are your favorite small ashrym moments? (Also love your art!)

oh man...that's a lot, but i love when ash tries to slip smth into fearne's bag and orym says they're a giving person and that it's sweet (bonus points matt says "aww.") and generally the way orym and ashton are almost always last to leave a dangerous situation...like. they always have eachother's backs and won't abandon eachother. (like when ash was immediately downed in the otohan fight and orym just went right to them and gave them his healing potion)

idk man it's a lot of small things. not nessicarily moments? they both seem to have similar sense of humor (the PUNS.) and ultimately similar ideologies, orym's maybe a bit more noble but that's very much changed since exu prime. they're both becoming very much the leaders of the group (imogen goes back and forth) and you can see orym struggle to handle the hells without ash there backing up literally everything he says (note everytime ash just loudly exclaims "THANK YOU." when orym makes a point) or voicing similar opinions/plans/concerns. they're very in-sync and i find it funny how unpopular ashrym is when i find so many posts talking abt how they're made to know eachother.

oh and ofc i think abt the fact that orym was the first of bells hells to ask ashton if their head wound and scars hurt. literally episode 1 and there's not even subtitles for it RIP. bertrand asks fcg to heal them and if you listen you can hear orym ask "yeah does that hurt?" sadly noone seemed to notice it :[

#asks #anon #i have to go to work now but thank you for enabling me to yell abt them #also thank you !!!!#ALSO SORRY LONG RESPONSE #smth is wrong with me

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unicyclehippo · 2 years

Note

If you’re still doing imodna prompts - scratch. :)

ashton isn’t the first to notice the way laudna never lets herself alone with FCG but he is the only one who’ll do shit about it, sick to death of interrupting long, sorrowful gazes that have a tendency to slip sidelong into loathing. so when FCG announces that he needs a tune-up, and that joe had reached out with some information on the ruin-delver who brought him into basuras, ashton says,

‘i have some people to visit today, can’t go with you. but there’s no fucking way you’re going alone.’

‘oh!’ FCG brightens, little head tilting, curious. ‘who’re you visitin’?’

‘people. you don’t know ‘em.’

‘well, alright! that’s fantastic, ashton! it’s so important for people to engage socially, and it’s great to see that you’re willing to practice that!’ if it were anyone else, ashton would thump them for insinuating, however correctly, that he’s shit at talking, but FCG’s voice is earnest, bright as his copper plates.

‘they’re right, though,’ orym agrees. ‘you shouldn’t go to joe’s alone.’ he meets ashton’s eyes, lifts his brows.

ashton glances casually at laudna.

‘i was planning on scouting the seat of-‘

‘dis taint?’

orym rolls his eyes. ‘just for that, you’re coming with me,’ he says. imogen just smiles and doesn’t argue.

off to the side - she’s always off the side now, lurking in the periphery of their group the sad, sodden witch - laudna’s liquid black eyes widen, fixed on imogen and orym, waiting for an invitation, some sign that she’s welcome to go with them. ashton would feel bad about the manoeuvring, about maybe distressing laudna, but she’s already distressed. imogen doesn’t look her way—another thing to fix, he wonders, or silently helping his plan? she could have skimmed it off his brain the second it sparked to life, he has no fucking clue how that shit works. still, she says nothing, and ashton speaks in her stead, calls over to their friend,

‘hey laudna!’ she jumps and he fights the urge to soften up. she’s gotta know he’s not scared of her. she’s gotta know she doesn’t have to be scared of them. ‘you good to go with fcg? they’ll all wanna pick him apart on sight, fucking vultures, but you’re scary enough to keep ‘em back, i reckon.’

laudna shrinks back into the little shadow she’s found—or made, maybe, since it’s almost noon and the sun is blazing down direct on their head. ‘i—perhaps chetney,’

‘sure,’ the wolf man agrees. he swallows a yelp when ashton kicks him in the ankle. ‘sure-ly not, is what i meant to say, words got stuck. all this dust, so thirsty.’

‘you’re thirsty?’ fearne widens her eyes over at the old gnome.

chetney fakes a cough. ‘parched. ‘fraid i won’t be any help in this - ah - this heat,’ he tells them all, dramatic bitch, and winces up at the sun, lifting a hand to cover his eyes like he could swoon at any second. ‘i need to lay low. say, in a bar?‘

‘what a good idea,’ fearne agrees breezily. ‘we can drink near the - what are they called? paragon’s call. make some friends,’ she says with a coy smile that has orym on the alert. it’s a total coin toss whether or not she’s picked up on ashton’s plan or whether she’s playing a fun little game of her own.

‘i like it!’ chetney says, dropping his fainting act for his usual suspicious intensity. ‘someone’s gotta get on the level of our -‘ he lowers his voice, scans the crowd, ‘- our enemies. you and me, sneak into one of their bars. keep an ear out for their,’ he spins his chisel masterfully in his palm, sheathed it in a smooth motion, ‘movements.’

‘bowel movements.’

‘sure,’ he shrugs.

‘suspicious movements.’

‘definitely.’

‘and i could do with some milk.’

‘if you want milk, that’s what you get,’ chetney insists, somewhere between smitten and ferocious.

‘anyway,’ ashton drawls. ‘looks like it’s just you and FCG,’ he says, and scratches at his cheek to hide a grin when laudna looks about at everyone like she’s trying to figure out how that happened.

‘of - of course, yes, you certainly shouldn’t go alone. if, if that’s alright with you, of course, fresh cut grass?’

‘sure! it’ll be an adventure!’

#cr spoilers #critical role spoilers #not rly but just in case #tagging my stories #prompt fill #this was actually supposed to be a mainly laudna talking with fcg prompt but I have a meeting alas #maybe I’ll do that next

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thisisnotthenerd · 1 year

Text

c3e54 thoughts and musings/liveblog

pre-episode

who are we going to see today? i’m hoping for laudna, ashton, and orym so we can get a good look at what’s going on closer to the blast site, see the guests, and follow up with some of the npcs that we don’t yet know about. team wildemount bells has had a fun time and they’re at a relatively same and comfortable place right now--having released umudara, they don’t have any super pressing commitments. that being said, based on matt’s tweet, whichever team is present is working with sketchy history--that could hit chetney, but also ashton. this is the big backstory arc for both of them.

wherever they are, whichever half of bell’s hells is present, it’s going to be tricky to navigate.

pre-break

okay it’s team wildemount bells. anyway. missing team mom friend hells. i’m feeling more of an rp episode, maybe shopping?

edit: i was wrong.

yay for cool parades. royal recognition like i expected--this is their luxon-bright queen moment.

sending still isn’t working--maybe message instead? it’s transmutation, but maybe the distance aspect is really what’s being regulated.

deanna’s house! i love it! deanna & imogen bonding! the room arrangements and little character interactions. it’s lovely. the completion of the tonal change of being away from the solstice planning.

do aeormatons dream of electric sheep? christian created this character to be in platonic love with deanna and tell fcg the world is round. Humanoid legs???? a child??? embedded in their body??? spiritual hug? the eyes glow? i was meant to protect this boy! omg frida i love you. finding the old programming and using it as a source of hope and something to tie back to.

fcg’s power of friendship. aeormaton bonding. i’m excited to see where sam and christian go with this from here--the mortifying ordeal of being known in your dreams and sharing in the experience of finding someone who you identify with uniquely is so cool to explore.

deanna’s breakfast. all of the time they spent in her home. this is shaping up to be fun and very silly, with lots of shenanigans coming--i can feel it. good ol’ drixlitch (dick licks) & oltgar (old fart), and macaroni retconned to parmesan

we found santa! he’s sad! he’s lost the meaning of winter’s crest! he’s oltgar dredagon! All of the petty nonsense is so good. i feel for oltgar, and i do hope that this works out for chetney. D&O’s seems like a predatory business relationship, and i hope that they have a chance at getting rid of drixlitch. also, the ‘war wound’ & brand of castigation combination is so funny.

post-break

battling again! a few things to consider: swarm tactics from the bugs, and the objective of keeping the worm in its larval stage. really highlights the guy’s idiocy--anyone could have popped a dispel in the store at some point and then where would you be. i’m assuming the bug is guaranteed to die before the enchantment goes up, unless they’re just releasing the firebugs on the populace when the enchantment fades.

lots of fun tactical moves: imogen with telekinesis, deanna’s blindness & dawn, all of the snares, the flyswatter, good uses of feats and mechanics from christian, and that crucial polymorph from fearne that turned into just a hilarious slaughter. that’s the second beast bell’s hells has released based on something fearne did.

meanwhile all of them are looting. by my count they have a bunch of the toys, lots of quality wood, the paperwork, enchanters’ gloves, and two boxes of extremely angry firebugs, as well as 400 platinum in payment.

edit: i somehow forgot that frida straight up walked out with a chair. just right out onto the street. i have to assume they’re still carrying the chair as team bells heads to the citadel.

they came into uthodurn, immediately started their time there with the procession and of a divine bull. then proceed to have some crazy aeormaton interactions in dreams. the next day, as they are on their way to a noon appointment with the diarchy, they just casually walk up to chetney’s old place of work, defeat a bunch of released bugs and a transformed baby worm, find out about the child labor scheme the owner was running as well as other general bad guy nonsense, and then loot the place for supplies. chetney then reconciles with oltgar, a guy he’s held a grudge against for the entire campaign so far, and successfully intimidates him into leaving uthodurn and becoming exandrian or at least wildemount’s santa, who has a shithead and okay list instead of naughty and nice.

all in all, lots of shenanigans, very funny episode, and some real callbacks to the origins of chetney. my prediction for next episode is that they meet with the diarchy and generally finish their pressing business in uthodurn. the episode after that, i think we’re looking at a return to laudna ashton and orym. maybe. it depends on how they want to apportion their episodes based on the break week and guest availability.

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talkfastromance4 · 1 year

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Luke's Birthday--Luke & Lily oneshot

a/n: little disclaimer; I switch between using 'mama' and 'you' because while I'm writing it in my notebook both of them are just so interchangeable and I'm too lazy to change it now😅 so, I apologize but the last part I'll post was written in 'you' format. but now you have a glimpse in my brainstorming/writing while I draft lol. also, the ending might be confusing as to how I ended the halloween oneshot but I promise...it'll make sense soon

Enjoy!

****

After Luke was home for 20 days, mama and the kids went over to Crystal’s for a visit with KayKay and Rayna. They all get a little blue when the boys leave again so it’s been a habit they get together as soon as they’re gone

‘Next time they’re home will be almost the end of July,’ mama sighs watching as the girls help Oliver go down the slide in the backyard

‘You’re not going out for Luke’s birthday?’ Crystal asks adjusting the umbrella over the blanket that Chloe and Maddox are laying on. KayKay and Rayna are on the blanket with them

‘I’d love to but it’d be difficult with three kids by myself, and because Lily isn’t a big fan of flying.’

‘I could go with you,’ KayKay suggests tickling Maddox's little toes. ‘I was going to fly out for Ash’s birthday but if I tell him we’ll all be coming together for Luke’s, he’ll be ecstatic.’

‘You know what I really want to do?’ mama smiles .

‘What?” Crystal smiles back

‘I want it to be a surprise for Luke. I don’t want him to know we’re there until he starts talking and we’ll come out with a cupcake and a candle.’

‘That would be adorable,’ Rayna comments.

‘He’d love to see you all there,’ KayKay agrees.

‘Get Michael and the others involved, too so it’ll be a perfect surprise,’ Crystal says

‘Good idea.’

‘I’ll look up flights now!’ KayKay pulls out her phone and starts tapping away

Later that night after mama put Olly to bed she sat Lily and Posy down

‘How would you two like to go see your daddy for his birthday?’ mama asks

‘He’s coming home?’ Lily asks

‘No, he’s playing a show on his birthday but I thought we could go surprise him! Auntie Kay will be coming with us, too!’

‘Gonna see daddy and Unca Ash!’ Posy claps in excitement

‘We are! But it’s a secret to daddy. So when we talk to him on the phone we can’t say anything, okay?’

‘Okay! Can we bring presents?’

‘Of course, and we’ll have cupcakes,’ mama grins

‘And balloons!’ Posy shouts.

‘We’ll see about balloons,’ mama laughs.

When it’s time to go their flight is at noon, KayKay is there by ten so they can get to the airport on time. Andy and Sarah will be watching Petunia. Oliver sits on mama’s lap and is pretty content. Posy watches a movie with KayKay and Lily watches her own show leaning against mama, she does surprisingly well on the flight

It’s about 3:30 when they land and 4:00 by the time they’re picked up from the car Ashton had arranged and assured mama there will be cupcakes and balloons when they arrive; he’s been sure to keep Luke occupied. With traffic, it’s 5:30 when they make it to the venue, it’s very windy and Posy loves how it blows her shirt up, Lily is frustrated that her hair is in her face so mama puts it in a ponytail. The girls start to complain that they’re hungry, mama promises they’ll eat soon

‘I told Ash we’re almost there and they’re just about to eat,’ KayKay says. ‘There’s plenty of food. Luke mentioned how he wants to call you before the show.’

Once they arrive at the Pavilion they’re escorted where the buses are, mama tells the girls to be quiet until they see Luke. they’re giggling and whispering to each other. You see the boys on a grass turf area, a table is laid out with food. Luke’s back is to you, you place your finger on your lips shushing the girls, they mimic it back and then you tap Luke’s shoulder

‘I heard it’s someone’s birthday today,’ you say

He pauses before turning around and his eyes widen. ‘y/n!’ he gasps pulling you into him just as the girls exclaim, ‘Surprise!’

Luke gives you a hard kiss then rubs Oliver’s head before taking his son into his arms.

‘Did we surprise you?!’ Lily asks bouncing on her feet excitedly

‘You did! C’mere girls,’ he bends down so the girls can hug him. He kisses their cheeks. ‘I missed you so much.’

‘We missed you, too,’ you smile, brushing Posy’s hair.

‘Daddy,’ Posy pokes Luke’s cheek

‘What’s up, bug?’

‘I’m hungry.’

You and everyone else laughs then Ashton pops over after greeting KayKay with a hug and a kiss

‘We’ve got plenty of food, little one,’ he tells her.

‘Unca Ash!’ Posy barrels into his legs and he picks her up effortlessly with one arm to give her a big bear hug

Luke keeps Oliver in his lap while you all eat and Lily and Posy are glued to his sides. Posy keeps asking when they can give him their presents

‘Presents?! You got me presents?’ Luke asks excitedly

‘Let’s finish eating first and then we can open presents, Pose,’ you laugh

Luke opens his presents (a new notebook from Lily to write songs in and a painted rock that Posy made in her pre-k class), the group play bags together. Lily and Posy just like throwing them while Cal and Ash cheer them on. Michael is keeping Oliver occupied by showing him around the lot and you and Luke have a moment alone while he’s getting dressed on the bus before the show

‘I’ll never understand how you don’t sweat buckets in these suits,’ you comment as he pulls on the gray suit jacket over his skin tight shirt.

‘I usually end up taking the jacket off,’ he smiles, ‘and I don’t sweat like Ashton. How long are you guys staying?’

‘Right before you leave to Cincinnati,’ you move a stray curl from his forehead. ‘I wish we could stay longer but Oliver is still so young–’

‘I get it,’ he nods putting his hands on your waist. ‘I’m just so glad you’re all here.’

‘Me too,’ you lean up and kiss him. ‘There is one more present I have to give you.’

‘Yeah?’ he grins eying up the empty tour bus and out the window at the kids who are still distracted by their uncles

‘Not that,’ you laugh rolling your eyes. ‘It’s a little early but–’

Their tour manager calls Luke from outside to get his battery pack with the others

‘Tell me after?’ Luke kisses you

‘Yeah, go on.’

You and the girls watch from the side of the stage as they play, then when Luke is about to talk, the crowd starts singing ‘Happy Birthday’ and you use that as your cue to take the girls out with the cupcake. Posy is holding it so gently in her hands, Lily stays on your side away from the crowd who collectively gasp between singing at seeing you and the girls. Luke is beaming when he sees you and bends down to Posy to make sure she doesn’t burn herself. When the singing is over he blows out the candle, lifts Posy in his arms and kisses her on the cheek. The crowd ‘aww’s’

‘You guys just took me over, huh?’ Luke asks the crowd, ‘thank you, I appreciate it and look who surprised me today? My beautiful family.’ Ashton bangs his drums, Posy waves at him and Michael strums a few notes on his guitar. Lily is standing by Cal who has a comforting hand on her shoulder, he knows she gets anxious with large crowds

‘I’ll take them back, Lily doesn’t like the noise,’ you tell Luke in his ear.

‘Okay, I love you,’ he kisses your cheek quickly

‘Love you. Do your thing, rockstar,’ you smile. He kisses you quickly on the lips and the whole crowd goes ballistic, you give him a look and he returns with a wink and they continue on with the show

After Youngblood, Lily and Posy are buzzing while Oliver is asleep in your arms. You and KayKay head inside the bus and the girls are practically bouncing off the walls talking about the show and singing a conglomeration of the songs they played. You try to quiet them down so they don’t wake up Oliver, you’re waiting for the crib for him to arrive

‘Can you stay with them until Luke comes?’ you ask KayKay. ‘Olly’s starting to wake up.’

‘Sure thing, I’ll try and calm them down.’

You move to the back of the bus and shut the collapsible door, it makes it a little quieter and you hush Oliver. He stops squirming then places his thumb in his mouth. Five minutes later, Luke pops in with the crib.

‘Where are the girls’ pajamas?’ he asks quietly setting the crib down against the wall

‘Should be in the front of the bus along with Olly’s diaper bag.’ You place Olly in the crib and he stays sound asleep

‘They can sleep in my bunk so you and I can sleep back here with Olly,’ he explains.

‘Okay, I’ll come help with the girls.’

It’s a bit of a hassle getting them changed because they’re so excited to sleep in their daddy’s bunk on the bus. Ashton, Calum, Michael and Kaykay kiss them goodnight and sweet dreams and they get ready for bed

‘Our turn,’ Luke hums to you rubbing your back

‘Ugh, please no sex,’ Calum groans thumping his head against the wall of his bunk before he climbs in

‘Calm down,’ Luke rolls his eyes, ‘we don’t do it with our son right there.’

‘Thank God for Olly,’ Michael climbs in his bunk. I’m too tired to try and ignore y/n’s noises.’

‘I hope you all have nightmares,’ you glare at them individually then makes her way towards Oliver

Luke closes the collapsible door, they get changed and slip into bed. He lets out a long sigh then sits up because you’re folding your clothes in your suitcase. You have on one of Luke’s shirts and cotton shorts

‘I don’t mean to sound greedy…but didn’t you say you have one more present for me?’

‘I don’t know, you’re birthday’s almost over, honey,’ you check your watch smirking at him

‘I have time to open a present,’ he encourages

‘You can’t really open it…’ you sit next to him on the bed. He’s confused. ‘I don’t know if now is the best time to tell you.’

‘Why not, is it bad?’

‘No…’ you bite your lip

‘You’re confusing me, lovie. Whatever it is, I’m ready for it.’

You sigh. ‘Okay. it’s a little early but…I’m pregnant.’

He stares at you, his mouth popping open no doubt thinking of the last conversation about having another baby. You hadn’t really discussed it since your anniversary week and it wasn’t a pleasant one

‘You’re…are you serious? How do you know?’

‘I’m really late, and I’ve been getting headaches a lot. We haven’t had blueberries since you were last home because they make me sick and I think that’s when it happened, when you were home from the end of May to the beginning of June. Aren’t you happy?’

‘Are you?’ he asks, touching your cheek. ‘I know when we last discussed it…it wasn’t all that happy. You made valid points, lovie and I’m sorry I didn’t think about them at first.’

‘It’s okay, and I am happy,’ you smile, touching your belly. ‘I know I said no before, I still think the timing isn’t ideal but…is there really a ‘perfect time’ to have a baby? I love being pregnant and I love our babies.’

‘y/n,’ Luke sighs and hugs you close. He kisses the side of your head then places his hand over yours on your stomach. ‘This is the best present you could have given me.’ He gives you a deep kiss then pulls you down to lay on top of him.

‘Happy Birthday, Luke.’

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#luke & lily #luke & lily fic #luke & lily fluff #luke & lily oneshot

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