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nights-flying-fox · 7 months

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Mystic Sickness Part 1

This is based on @turtleblogatlast 's post about mystic sickness idea :D Hope you like it!!!

Word Count: 2178 ☆ Fandom: rottmnt ☆ Warnings: a brief mention of throwing up, nothing else i can think of ^^ ☆ AO3 Link: N/A

Raph has had his bad mornings. He had been sick from overworking too. With how he felt today, he could tell it was a mix of both.

Except it turned out there was more than that. It must be, or else why would a clone of himself stare at him like that?

Raph yelped as he fell from the bed. "What the-?!"

His copy didn't seem to care. It lay on his bed, not even looking at Raph. The turtle blinked in confusion. That was definitely his own ninpo copy. Why was it here, and why was it moving like that? Raph tried to focus and control it, just like he always did, but he failed. The copy still lay on the bed.

He stared at him. Raph was too tired for that, not to mention how early it was-

"AH-"

Raph turned around. "Leo?"

There was nobody else in his room though.

"Is this some sort of joke?" Raph grunted. "If so, Raph's going back to bed and leavin' you to deal with today's plans alone. All day."

"RAPH NO-"

He turned around again, looking everywhere searching for his brother. Again, nothing.

"I am really not in the mood for pranks-"

Suddenly Leo appeared in front of him, "RAPH HELP I-" and disappeared.

Raph looked at the empty spot where a second ago his brother stood. First his own copy, now Leo. What was going on?

"RAAAAAPH!!"

Raph groaned, “WHAT IS IT DONNIE?”

“WHAT THE HECK ARE YOUR COPIES DOING?!”

His copies? Raph glanced at his copy on his bed before leaving his room and heading to the living room. He had many ideas, most of them nonsense considering his tired and hazy mind. But nothing could’ve prepared him for this:

Many copies of himself running around, accidentally breaking some stuff, some sitting in random places... Donnie was standing at the other entrance, looking tired and angry. Pissed off even.

He noticed Raph looking. “Dear brother, may you explain what is going on during such an early hour that you have decided bring out a whole army of yous?”

“It is not me...” Raph mumbled as he walked towards Donnie, not being able to look away from the chaos going on in the room.

“They are your copies though. Can’t you control them?” Donnie pointed out. “Genuinely asking. I am too tired to be salty.”

“I tried but it is not working.” Raph tried again, failing. Then gave his full attention to Donnie, “You are tired too?”

“I suspect I have caught a cold.” He nodded.

“Me too. I’ve been feeling down since I woke up.”

“Groan. It better not be some sort of illness.” Donnie said.

“As long as it is not rat flu, it will be okay.” Raph reassured.

Donnie shuddered. “Rat flu. Let’s forget about the failure and move on to our current problem.”

“Cold or them?” Raph asked.

“...” Donnie stared at nothing before answering. A usual sign of Donnie being sick. “Yes.”

“Okay, okay. Sickness. Leo has the most knowledge about this.” Raph said out loud. “I’ll go and ask him.”

“Mhm.” Donnie had already begun walking towards the kitchen.

Raph started walking towards Leo’s room, ignoring the messy hallway. Since when did they have all that stuff and who was responsible for this mess? Probably his clones... When he reached to the room, “Leo?” he called. He received no reply. Raph didn’t bother asking again. He walked in, not caring about Leo’s upcoming protests. Except there was none because Leo wasn’t in there. “What?..”

Oh. Right, he had seen Leo for a second in his room for a second. He had appeared and disappeared as if teleporting. But Raph didn’t remember seeing his katanas. He glanced around and saw the swords near his bed on the ground. He was right.

What did this mean?.. What was going on this morning?? Raph began getting annoyed with whatever was going on. Not to mention how anxious he started feeling not finding Leo in his room. Where was he?

Maybe he was with Mikey. Maybe they were doing some stupid prank.

Raph a bit faster from before left the room and began walking towards Mikey’s room. Normally Mikey would be up, making breakfast. But if he and Donnie were right, he should be in his room resting. As he stepped into Mikey’s room, he hopped to see him and Leo doing some sort of mischief.

Instead, he found Mikey levitating, golden chains around him, asleep.

“What the shell?!”

Mikey yawned, blinking. “Mmmmmorning Raphie!” He smiled, being the morning person he was. “Is there any possibility you let me sleep a bit more?”

“Mikey, you are flying.”

“What?”

“Look around, Mike.”

Mikey did. In a second his expression shifted from confused to shocked to excited to panicked. “I AM FLYING!”

“THAT’S WHAT I AM SAYING!” Raph yelled. “GET BACK TO THE GROUND NOW.”

“I DON’T KNOW HOW TO!”

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON’T KNOW?!”

“Boys, what is all this yelling for?..” Raph heard Splinter’s voice come from behind. Then he heard a gasp. “ORANGE WHY ARE YOU LEVIATING?”

“I have no idea.” Mikey answered. He noticed the chains around him, “Oooh I also have no idea what these are but cool.”

Raph took a deep breath. “Okay. Okay. First things first. Pops, have you seen Leo?”

“Uh- no. No, I haven’t.” Splinter turned his attention to Raph, less surprised and more worried.

“Mikey, did you see him?”

“Nope!”

So Leo was lost. Don’t panic Raph. He is probably somewhere around here, he thought. “I’ll text April.”

“Red, is everythin—”

Suddenly, just like how it happened in Raph’s room, Leo appeared in the room. He looked very puzzled, tired, annoyed, and a bit panicked. Before Raph could be sure, Leo disappeared again.

His voice, however, was heard from another room. “COME ON!!”

And then from another room, they heard him again. Raph couldn’t make up the words but he sounded irritated.

“Was that Leo?” Mikey asked.

“Yes.” Raph answered, still very confused.

“Where did he go?”

“I don’t know.”

“Boys, what is going on?” Splinter sounded serious.

Raph sadly didn’t have a proper answer. “That’s what I am trying to figure out.” He sighed. “Can you check Donnie? He is in the kitchen and said that he felt sick too.”

“I will be waiting you two there.” Splinter nodded. “I’ll look around for Blue on the way.”

“CAN SOMEONE—”

Leo’s voice came from his room.

“—HELP ME—”

This time from somewhere closer.

“I think I can handle him.” Raph said.

Splinter smiled, “I’ll make you chicken soup.”

“Thanks Dad.”

As Splinter left, Raph reached for Mikey. Grabbing his blanket, he pulled him closer to him. Mikey watched him with sleepy eyes. “Raphie, can we sleep more?”

“No, Big Man. We need to help Leo first, and then we need to eat something.” Raph said softly, walking out of the room meanwhile. Mikey huffed but didn’t protest. Raph decided to find Leo following his voice: “Leo? Where are you?”

“RAPH! Bathroom—” Suddenly his voice was cut. Then continued from somewhere else, “Never mind. I-” Another pause. The Leo calmly yelled, “I’ll go insane.”

“What’s happening?” Raph shouted.

“I keep teleported-” “-without wanting-” “-to every second.”

“That sounds bad.”

“You don’t say-” “DONNIE IS THA-” “THAT WAS MY MUG!!”

At least Leo didn't teleport out of the lair.

"I think we should call Draxum." Mikey hummed, somehow unbothered.

"Wha- why?" Splinter's reaction hadn't changed even after everything.

"He knows about mystic stuff." Mikey said lazily. It reminded Raph of how he was when he had eaten one of the poisoned pizza puffs.

"You think this is because of a mystic problem?" Raph asked.

"I know it is because of a mystic problem." Mikey confirmed.

"How?"

"Can't you feel it? Hm?"

Raph wasn't sure what he was supposed to feel. Donnie leaned towards them, goggles on his eyes. "He is right. There is something wrong with our mystic energies."

"I'm calling Draxum." Raph announced.

"Already on it." Donnie interrupted. He, from out of nowhere, had found his phone and was calling the yokai.

"Please tell me you're solving this." Leo appeared next to Raph, not looking good.

"We're calling Draxum." Mikey smiled.

"Oh good, because I- hrk-"

Luckily before he could throw up, he disappeared.

"We need you here. No, we didn't put the world in danger. We aren't dying either. No, we aren't calling you so you can cook us your new abomination. Abomination as a strange creature made of food, i.e. Sloppy Joseph. No, I'm not talking about your food. Yes. There's a problem with our ninpo. Okay, goodbye." Donnie put the phone on the table. "He'll be here soon."

"Good… Donnie, what's that?" Raph pointed at the tech that wasn't on the table a second ago.

"Ah. A piece for my new project. Why?"

"When did you bring it here?"

"...I didn't."

"What do you mean I didn't?"

Donnie raised a brow. "I didn't bring it here. I was thinking about it and it appeared."

"Appeared?"

Donnie shrugged.

"Since when do things appear when you think of them, Dee?" Raph questioned.

"That's a talent of mine, dear Raphael. My ninpo is very unique in comparison to yours–" Donnie began explaining.

"Since when do they appear without you controlling them?" Raph corrected his own question.

"Ah. Yes, that would be… since last night."

"And you didn't think of telling us?" Raph was losing his patience, to be honest.

"I didn't think it would be a problem." Donnie admitted.

Raph wanted to break the table. "You thought it wouldn't be a problem." He repeated. "And what if you accidentally create something deadly?"

"Come on Raph, he creates something deadly all the time." Mikey chimed in. "Like pipe bombs."

"Mikey, don't!" But Raph was too late. A pipe bomb was formed next to Donnie's mug.

"None of us is dumb enough to use a pipe bomb, we will be fine." Donnie stated. Then took a sip from his tea.

Raph wasn't sure about that. He trusted his brothers, but he also knew how much of a trouble they could be.

Leo appeared among them again. "Dee, I'd suggest you not enter your lab." He said tiredly.

"Nardo, what did you do to my lab?" Donnie looked at him with a mixture of horror and anger.

"Adiós." He made a peace sign and disappeared again.

Donnie immediately opened his phone to check the cameras inside his laboratory. Raph could see the fury in his eyes. Maybe Leo was lucky to be teleported every second, now that he got on Donnie's hit list.

Splinter put bowls of chicken soup in front of them, "You boys look terrible."

"Thanks." Raph sighed.

"You'll feel much better after my delicious soup." He said. "Now, only if Blue could join us…"

The soup was warm and smelled delicious. Raph couldn't wait to taste it. He would already, if he hadn't noticed his copy coming in. Ninpo Raph walked towards them, stood by them, then took the pipe bomb and ran.

"What the-?! HEY STOP!" Raph got up and ran after him, leaving Mikey to float again.

He chased his clone back to the living room, but it was hard to catch yourself. Especially in a room full of yourself. He stopped, trying to find which one was the right clone. When he did, he was leaving towards the bathroom. Raph didn't waste time following him. Before he reached him though, someone made his copy trip and fell.

"This yours, Boss Man?" Leo asked.

"Yep." And with a punch, poof the copy disappeared. "Thanks."

"Save me some soup." Leo said before getting teleported again.

"I will." Raph sighed, taking the pipe bomb from the ground. He could hide it in his room for now. Then go back and drink some soup so he can focus on the situation better when Draxum arrives. Perfect plan.

He quickly walked to his room, found a nice place to hide it, and proceeded to grab his mask and stuff. Then he remembered the transceivers Donnie had put on their gear. They could use this to communicate with Leo! If only Leo can stand in a place for a moment. Raph still thought it was worth a try, so he went to Leo’s room to get his stuff as well before returning to the kitchen.

Donnie had dozed off on the table with a few weapons and tech things that Raph didn’t know their names around him. Mikey was still floating, also sleeping. He seemed to be fine though. Splinter was enjoying his own bowl of soup. Raph sat down and finally tasted the soup. It was delicious, as always, even though it wasn’t warm anymore.

“Did you boys mess up with somebody evil again?” Splinter asked Raph.

“No, we were training and patroling the past few days.” He answered. “That’s what I don’t understand too.”

“Hmm...”

“Don’t worry, Pops. I am sure it is something Draxum can explain. Then we can fix it all at once and then rest.”

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toomanywordsnllines · 1 year

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Soap being giggly when he's happy is a hc very, oh so dear to me.

But he also seems to be the type to giggle when he's about to cry/nervous.

I don't know the image of him talking to Ghost after maybe a more dangerous mission, starting to giggle because Ghost probably said something funny and then him just suddenly dissolving into tears while giggling. Little laughs that turn into a sob. Because he just got hit by the grief of what they do for a leaving and maybe he could've lost Ghost. Simon being hit hard with whiplash by Soap's reaction and feeling very very worried and heartbroken.

#also ghe giggling when hes nervous is for just more tame things #like yeah he might've stolen captains price hat how do you know???#he asks between trying not to laugh his ass off #but yeah these man make me feel so normal smile #brought to you by someone that sometimes laughs before bawling my eyes out #it's all about projecting baby #also getting to write things about characters... publicly is so weird i usualy just leave everything in the brain #cod #call of duty #simon ghost riley #john soap mctavish #ghost/soap #ghostsoap #soap/ghost #soapghost #i love them so much it's insane #it's very funny how i see a happy hc and say to myself #what if it was also sad?

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greypetrel · 18 days

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WIP Wednesday

Tagged by @pinayelf : thank you so much Ellie! <3 Since it's the next week, you're tagged back if you have anything new to share :D

@shivunin (hi Mo, you're tagged!) sent me this cool video + analysis… I HAD TO draw Aisling doing it. With the right conditions, she'd fight on horseback, yes. Will say that it's not a big deal, horses are that much more stable than halla, it's not that difficult if you trust your horse. (seriously, look at the video... the skill it must take to make it look so effortless???? Insane.)

A death stare inspired by a recent theory going around. It's a collaboration. Try to guess.

Saw a video on maternity stays and corsets from the XVII century onward. Had to draw one to fully understand how it worked. Featuring Aisling, with her daily announcement of her pregnancy symptoms in details. She won't be the greatest fan of the experience, overall, but she'll feel very pretty once morning sickness stops. The city should really give her its keys, if you ask her. The city won't give her its keys becase she's obnoxious about it and will add 10 very embarrassing and gruesome details and isn't embarrassed by discussing bodily fluids.

A couple of sketchbook Whale (not) AU things that aren't as pretty. Meanwhile tagging: @salsedinepicta @ndostairlyrium @shivunin @melisusthewee @blightbear @daggerbeanart @dungeons-and-dragon-age @hollytree33 @inquisimer @heniareth and YOU!

#wip wednesday #cw: pregnancy #cullavellan #pregnancy #aisling lavellan #I hope I tagged this right to be blacklisted #if you see this and I didn't: tell me which tag to put to hide it from you I'm a little on pins and needles over delicate topics #and an apology in advance #I don't think I'll finalize that but eh I wanted to try something new corsetry is something I'm very much interested into #If I had not just theoretical knowledge of sewing past attaching buttons I'd love to make myself a pair of stays #and I just like to know how things work #yeah I'm nervous and I talk a lot ahahahahahah :"D HELLO

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fossilizedhysterics · 21 days

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angel Ɛ✦3

#hiiiii im posting my fursona here for the first time. very nervous #idk why. this is literally the Having A Fursona website #im just gonna. ramble about him for a sec bc hes my guy and hes very silly #his name is roadkill!! technically not but his actual name cant be comprehended by humans #he got that name because of how often he gets run over. he does it on purpose most of the time. he thinks its funny #hes a possum/angel/demon/eldritch horror/incubus/somehow part borzoi thing #and he can shapeshift #and he has a youtube channel where he murders people #hes very controversial. they make video essays about him. but still tons of ppl defend him #(dont ask me why his channel hasnt just been deleted)#but yeah!! he dies a bunch and kills people and tempts people to sin!#there is no like. actual story with him really. hes just a silly guy i draw a lot. dont question it #ok ill shut up now #furry #furry art #fursona #anthro art #furry fandom #furry oc #my art

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good-beanswrites · 6 months

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Hello! So like I've been having that Lights, Camera, Sing Your Sins AU rent free in my head for a while, and thought this up.

Since the prisoners weren't allowed to meet at first, they could hear the others practicing their singing nearby/next door. Some are awed by how passionate they put into their songs (eg: Haruka & Shidou), how into it (eg: Fuuta & Kotoko), how emotional (eg: Kazui), etc. This allowed the prisoners to imagine what the others are like.

...Then there's Mikoto with Red going all out with their MeMe song and it stunned everyone into silent fear until the prisoners meet him and go "YOU SANG THAT!?!"

I've been going so so crazy over this omg!!

No matter how big the facilities are, I'd imagine it would be difficult to keep ten people undergoing a full filming process completely separate from each other. Though they don't actually see each other, they overhear recording booth sessions while while walking down the hall. They spot unique outfits and props in the costume closet. They hear crew members giving Jackalope weird updates ("sir, where do you want the massive tarot cards when they're finished?" "the order of thousands of fake flowers has arrived" "we ran out of medieval outfits" etc.) They see teams lugging around massive set pieces from one stage to another. They hear a few hushed rehearsals from behind dressing room doors.

Mahiru totally tears up listening to Kazui. Meanwhile Kazui is blown away by Mahiru's enthusiasm and speed. Yuno thinks After Pain sounds really fun. Amane is awed at the other songs, (she's never even heard rock music before). Kotoko finds herself singing bits of Weakness. Muu is moved by Shidou. Fuuta is torn between being jealous of Mikoto's song and excited there's someone else with some yelling.

And so of course, the prisoners go crazy trying to piece together predictions about their upcoming cellmates. One the experiment begins, they subconsciously start matching up the voices they remembered hearing with their expectations. I think Shidou, Amane, and Kotoko would surprise people the most -- it seems hard hard to get a day-to-day read on them from their songs alone. Fuuta is simultaneously exactly what people were expecting and nothing like what they thought. Everyone's ideas of Mahiru were spot on. Haruka sang so confidently that the group is surprised to hear him stutter so often. Anyone who heard a bit of Meme is shocked when they meet Mikoto and make the connection. When asked about it, he just shrugs and laughs innocently, which only makes it harder to believe. Fuuta, excited to find someone else who did a rock song, is sorely disappointed at first.

#milgram #now im sappy over the thought of haruka getting really nervous in his own dressing room #but overhearing someone messily rehearsing/talking nearby and its very human and it comforts him ;-;#alternatively you know when you have to memorize something or just happen to repeat something a lot you start saying it in a goofy voice #when youre by yourself?#yeah #and i pictured mikoto trying to keep Red a secret to the others and really play up the 'i dont know why im here' bit #so that would be extra funny if it took them until his interrogation to be like oooohhhh that makes sense now #😂#ahhh thank you so much for this! it made me so happy to get yesterday :D #i just love that idea -- i was sad that they couldnt interact even though story-wise it had to be done #so this is such a nice little exception to that ;--;#lights camera sing your sins #analysis/thoughts #ask #oh i forgot to add but kotokos va mentions she sings weakness to herself at home sometimes #hence that line :)

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raspberryzingaaa · 1 day

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Dad: so, what's new with you? What are you up to?

Me: so I've been thinking about the Odyssey, and-

Dad: [deep sigh] I just hate that you aren't spending any time with real people. It makes me so sad

Me: ☺👍 twinsies! So, anyways!

#nia post #yeah i feel the same way steve but where am i supposed to find them huh? they dont grow out of the ground and you forget im insufferable #people dont usually like me and im very picky with new people Especially if im nervous and uncomfortable.#hes like. 'when i move to town i am going to make you meet new people.' yeah sounds great im in. just let me know #also him 'im really dreading looking for a new church' YEAH DUDE IMAGINE BEING ME

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reel-fear · 8 months

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👀👀👀 Hey Bendy fandom~

#batim #batdr #bendy #bendy and the ink machine #bendy and the dark revival #this is SUCH a change for the better omg #I think having more fan games going around in the fandom will both be a lot of fun for the fans but also will help make waiting for more #official games easier if we have stuff to check out in the meantime #+ just generally being able to see other peoples fun takes on Bendys concepts or ideas sounds awesome! So many people I know have such #interesting and cool ideas with the concepts Bendy has and I would love to see those become full on games!#Heck this makes me super happy bc it means I dont have to feel so nervous and unsure about whether or not Its Showtime is a good idea or if #it would end with it being taken down #this fr makes me very happy #I hope theyre very serious abt this #bc I would LOVE to play some bendy fangames or maybe even help with them art wise for practice #but to stop my own rambling yeah huge W for the Bendy fans #maybe its a bit late and Id have preferred it MUCH MUCH SOONER #but better late than never #ramblez

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bitegore · 29 days

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idk about the rest of you but i genuinely don't make decisions high that I wouldn't make sober

#half because i think about things when i do them by either a) no thought instant impulse straight to action OR b) very close overthinking #and drugs dont usually do anything besides make me do more of one or the other #i dont really Do 'back off bc nervous' *except* when under the influence tbh bc i overthink tapping the brakes #so like i'm more likely to be like 'may be i shouldn't get an impulse tattoo from this random person' while high than sober #this is a me problem #other half is just because i will commit to such dumb shit anyway and have enough wrong with me that my sober instincts and desires are #p much totally in line with my influenced ones as far as i've seen #im never sobering up like 'what was i thinking' i always know what i was thinking ans usually im like 'yeah good call' about it #being DRUNK is the only one I don't really feel that way about and is because it's bad for my mental health but like ive never really done #something while drunk i wouldn't do while sober either i just usually feel a little off kilter about it #red rambles

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ghouljams · 10 months

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Are you okay with people writing their own take on characters you haven't included in your AUs? (With credit to you of course!)

If you mean other COD operators sure! Also if you have fae ocs that you want to write about within my world thats cool too! I'd love to be tagged in whatever you write and I'm happy to talk shop about the world I'm building as well. Go onto the magic, the Seasons in the faewild, the Court, all that.

The only thing I ask is that you are kind to my darlings if they make cameos, and also that you keep The City walkable (that's the real fantasy *crying in usamerican*).

Liebling's shop is open to all Fae and Darlings and it will continue stressing her the hell out.

#had to read this a couple of times cuz i thought u meant writing about my characters #and i was like i mean flattered but also shaking like a wet cat because that makes me very nervous #but yeah the 141 and König are my various breads and butters #theyre who im most comfortable with and so theyre who I'm most interested in writing for #that said... los vaqueros and valeria might...... make fae cameos #mostly because i am gay and valeria is 👀👌#ghoul speaks #fae au #i can even give short darling descriptions if people truly want though i do try to leave it as ambiguous #look at any of lulu's doodles of könig and liebling thats what she looks like

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madame-mongoose · 4 months

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i saw a post that made a really good point that yes man probably wouldnt like you messing with his insides due to what happened to him and now i have to sit here in silence, mourning that i cant get my hands mangled by his gears and wires

#like yeah #sighs #that makes sense #itd probably make him really nervous and sick to even have maintenance done on him #its very invasive to him #he would probably refuse maintenance and just hop to a diff securitron or fix himself #gahhh #head in hands #yes mannnn let me help you #monnie rambles

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tripthelightfandomtastic · 1 year

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So I just edited my first ever Greta video edit for Meeting the Master. I have a college degree and background in professional video editing, but my job has made me so burnt out on editing, so I thought I'd edit something that makes me happy, so I'm excited to put it out, I think I'll post it here tomorrow for y'all if you wanna watch it. 🥰

#lowkey so nervous because omg what if it flops #but my job has made me hate editing #so to prove im not bad at what i do and that i love what i do and can make cool shit #i made this #so yeah im very proud #lol i hope im not hyping it #gvf #greta van fleet

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androideql · 5 months

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do u have an opinion on . yakumond re: bugs my mind is in factions, warring . edmond brave, yakumo baby. BUT yakumo farm boy. edmond city kid. yakumo destroying farm pests with his bare hands? out of habit? it's on SIGHT?? but nothing scares vice captain, right? so what if yakumond just turns my trope upside down and NEITHER of them are scared of bugs. what then. what do i do

I spent a while thinking how to reply to this ask. And. OK. Bear with me.

I honestly don't see either of them being afraid of bugs. I can see them not liking them, with Edmond being a more indiscriminate "bugs have no place in this house and should be squashed" compared to Yakumo's "will remorselessly kill pests but not harmless insects."

That being said... I kinda like the idea of Edmond having a very specific weakness to just one (1) bug and being utterly fucking embarrassed about it, and Yakumo (being the anxious baby he is) somewhat mirroring Edmond's response to it despite usually remaining very calm. They can be a disaster together. They've got that potential.

In fact, I liked the idea enough that I have this deleted short scene from a fic that I'm working on and that I will be releasing it into the wild now. Mind you, it's a draft so it's way more functional that it is polished.

------

“Sir Edmond, why don’t you go to sleep right away? It's already very late.”

Edmond looked up from the blank paper. At the lack of a desk, a small wooden crate he'd found here in the hayloft would work just fine. Until he saw that he'd finished writing the letter, he was not going to be able to calm his nerves enough to sleep. It didn't matter that it could be done the next morning. Why leave it for later if it could be done now?

“I’ll be finished in a few more paragraphs, don't worry,” he said, dipping the pen in the inkwell. "You shouldn't stay up longer than necessary, either. Is something holding you up?"

"Ah, well..." Yakumo looked at the lamp on the crate. It would be rather difficult to sleep with it still on, and he couldn't ask it be turned off if Edmond was still writing. "It's fine. I can wait a little longer. I'll make sure the tent is properly set up."

"Haven't you already done that twice?"

There wasn't much else left to do here. Maybe he could go outside or look around the barn for things that might be useful next morning? His eyes tried to look around. It would be rather difficult to do this in the dark... Besides, he didn't want to do anything that would be too distracting. Edmond was very particular about this letter.

As Yakumo looked around from where he was sitting, he could see something scuttling up one of the sides of the crate. He frowned at the presence of the insect. People commonly referred to those as "claw traps." They had a crab claw-like pincer and a nasty habit of biting people in their sleep and hiding in boots. What if there were more around? Thankfully, he'd had the foresight to bring some repellant.

Yakumo crawled closer to the tent, where he'd left his belongings. He rummaged around his bag for the repellent and something to kill the insect with. However, Edmond was so absorbed in writing his letter that he hadn't noticed yet. It was probably better to warn him before he got bitten.

"Sir Edmond, there's a claw trap going up your desk."

At the mention of the bug Edmond haphazardly grabbed all his things and scrambled backward in panic, spilling black ink on the wooden floor, splashing some of it on his shirt.

Yakumo's heart made a jump. He dropped his bag and reacted without thinking.

Squish, crack. He immediately squashed the bug with his bare hand.

For a moment, there was silence. He stared at his hand, at Edmond, who looked way too tense over a single bug. When Yakumo realized what he had done, a shudder ran up his spine. He lifted his hand. It was wet and crunchy, and he probably just stuck the claw into his palm because it hurt. He looked at it. Yes. There it was. Like a massive splinter.

He was more worried about how Edmond hadn't taken a single breath ever since he'd killed this thing, though.

"S-Sir Edmond, is everything alright?" He asked as he shook the remains of the claw trap off his hand.

Snapping out of his panicked state, Edmond nervously cleared his throat, his cheeks burning red. He looked aside and took a deep breath with an angry expression on his face.

"Y-Yes... I... Oh, how embarrassing... I need a moment."

With a nod of acknowledgment, Yakumo rushed to wash his hands in the basin, just the get the gooey and feeling off his palm. Now he was going to have to go back into the house to change the water. He was not about to wash his face with cold insect soup when he woke up in the morning.

The act of cleaning and removing the pincer from his palm helped him calm down and think about what just happened. He turned around to look at Edmond, who examined the stained sleeve of his shirt with an air of inconvenienced embarrassment. That ink stain was not coming out, and he probably knew that.

"Umm... Do you have something in particular against these insects? I've never seen you react like that to any others before..."

For sure, they'd been toiling in the fields for most of the day, and this wasn't the first time they'd dealt with a bug problem before. Usually speaking, Edmond didn't hesitate. He looked at the offending creature with disgust and slammed the first hard thing he could find against them, making it abundantly clear that, while he didn't like them, he could handle them perfectly fine on his own. While claw traps were unpleasant, this seemed a bit excessive.

Looking tired all of a sudden, Edmond took a long breath and let out a deep sigh.

"I don't like those."

"Ah... Well, yes? It's... not hard to see that at all..." He waited for Edmond to continue, and he was about to nervously change the topic and run away to change the water when Edmond cleared his throat.

"We saw a lot of them back when I was still in training. There was one summer when they were everywhere, wherever we set camp. They barely let us sleep. I've had an... aversion to them ever since. But I can handle them on my own next time. I just need a second or two to calm down."

The last part was a quick attempt to save face, but Yakumo wouldn't have minded it at all if he had to get rid of one of these pests again. He merely hoped Edmond's panic was a little less contagious next time.

Hoping to help Edmond retain some of his dignity for now, Yakumo tried to make the atmosphere a little less stilted by subtly shifting the subject away from how Edmond felt about these insects.

"You must have stayed within the Light Territory that summer then?"

Edmond gave Yakumo a surprised look.

"How do you know that?"

"Claw traps can only really survive there. The Water and Wood territories are too humid for them."

Hold on... Yakumo's brow furrowed deeply once he realized what he'd just said.

"How did it get here, then?" Edmond asked. And he was right. They were right in the middle of the Water territory, weren't they? But Yakumo didn't really have an explanation.

"M-Maybe they're mutating...?"

"No."

Edmond snapped at the suggestion. Yakumo reflexively lowered his head in response.

"Um..."

"Don't make me even entertain that idea." He stood up, slightly agitated. "I'm going the search the hayloft in case there are more. I won't be able to sleep otherwise."

"W-We have repellent myrrh. We can burn some inside the tent. It doesn't smell bad or anything..."

His voice was barely a whisper, but the night was already silent in the village and the fields. Edmond had no problem picking up what he was saying, or the tone in which it was said.

"... I apologize. My tone was too harsh."

Yakumo had never heard Edmond talk to him like that before. There was no doubt that these bugs were a touchy subject. He chuckled nervously.

"It's... fine. Don't worry. I understand."

With his cheeks turning red once again, Edmond let out some unintelligible noise that maybe, in some corner of his mind, had been words at some point. Eventually, he gave up, huffing in frustration.

"Tha-Thank you for handling it..."

"Oh. I... could do it again if we find another one."

Not enthused by the idea of seeing more of them, but still looking somewhat relieved, Edmond's voice and face softened just a little.

"I seriously wish we didn't... But I'd be quite grateful if you could."

#the reason why i waited to answer this was to make sure I was not going to use the scene at all #turns out that yeah i don't need it #should i put this in the main tag?#new fic coming to you...#... eventually #just bug squashing for now #i couldn't think of a good name for the insect also but it's not like i have to anymore #ok so here's my thinking process:#i've known enough people in the military to make me think that Edmond probably had to put up with some shit as a new recruit or trainee #and that he probably has things that he really really doesn't like as a result #the klein kingdom probably has a bunch of natural nuisances depending on the season #but a trainee probably wouldn't be sent out in the middle of winter right away cause they don't have those survival skills yet #so if those first excursions happen in spring or summer... then bugs are a problem #and Edmond IS a noble anyway. he was probably not expecting that many bugs much less for them to be bite-y #and as for yakumo i just dont see him minding bugs as long as they don't sting #he basically grew up in a cave first and then in a farm; he's super used to them #some kid probably tried to put a spider in his shoe once to try to scare him and got a very underwhelming response for his efforts #i do think he gets nervous when he sees something venomous especially if it moves too quickly #and he probably gets easily startled by jumping spiders if he hasn't noticed them before they jump in front of him #but that's more him being a nervous mess in general and less about bugs #ok enough rambling #i can't do concise answers for shit im sorry

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