#the gleeful urgency of it
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Just got to Daisy's first appearance and I forgot how violent their first interaction is. Jon's fledgling beholding powers emerging, and Daisy so clearly disturbed that she told him her story. Daisy keeps saying she's done answering questions, Jon disregards that completely and keeps asking, and she keeps answering!! Even though she's so disturbed! Even though she doesn't want to!! And it's the first time in season 2, maybe even in the whole show thus far, that Jon sounds sooo completely happy. Like. He's delighted, he's well fed, he's ENRICHED, he's having fun!! And he doesn't know he's even doing it, consciously. But also. He must, deep down. He doesn't even know about The Eye and yet he's already flexing his wet little newborn Archivist wings. AAAAH Haha Jonathan a darkness is unfurling within you from which you can never escape 🤪
#drinks talk tag#tma relisten#i keep thinking about the first time daisy says 'im done' and jon says 'yes. doyouknowanythingaboutvampires???'#the gleeful urgency of it#also. thinks about how he says 'thank you' after she gives her statement.#looks at his victim in season 4#its a good podcast sir#creepy and wet also
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PENULTIMATE CHAPTER TIME! PENU-
Ahem
*whispers into mic* Penultimate chapter time. Also second TOTM Wednesday.
This one is a doozy. Easily the longest - and most emotionally intense/possibly darkest - chapter in this fic! No, seriously, this is gonna be heavy. There’s a moment in here you probably shouldn’t read if you’re squeamish.
It’s pretty much the climax of this fic, I’d say, and I am ecstatic to share it w/ you all!
Tide of Tide Minds
Chapter 5: Cosmically Opposed
Summary: The Titan Trappers finally make their way to what they call the carcass kingdom. Chaos ensues.
Chapter Word Count: 2,350
Trigger Warnings: Kidnapping (seriously there’s one scene that’s. kinda creepy when I reread it), character injury, character death, graphic (a bit)
-
The army drifts steadily across the Boiling Sea. An army with a single destination, a single goal, in mind.
They’re going to the carcass kingdom, to finish what they started.
A roiling breeze strokes the brine around them in the opposite direction - almost as if some force is trying to deter them, get them to turn back. But the army paddles forward, driven by solemn determination, a flame burning within each of them.
Before long, a series of barely audible thuds punctuate the night as each boat is gently jostled to a stop. A small, scruffy figure clambers out of one of the vessels, briefly scanning his surroundings, before motioning to the others to step out onto land. As the army gathers their weapons and makes their way onto the shoreline, the small figure gives a toothy grin.
Soon, their prey will be within reach.
-
“…aaaand that’s everything!”
The Collector waves their hands with a gleeful flourish, stepping away from the large mat, pot, and colorful winks they’d created per King’s instructions.
“Now we just need to set it all up!” the cosmic being declares.
King nods, rolling some stray winks back onto the mat. “Got someplace in mind?”
“Hmmm…” the Collector muses. His eyes shift over to a gulf a little ways from their current spot near the lower knee. “How abooouuut… there?”
King blinks, baffled. “The- you wanna play tiddlywinks- down there? I mean… do you want the shock rays to give us their complaints?”
“Maybe I do; you don’t know everything about me,” the Collector retorts light-heartedly.
King stifles a laugh. “Hey, just an idea - maybe we could… both look for a spot? Together?” King suggests, hoping to delay the notion of gulf-tiddlywinks as long as possible.
The Collector gives a drawn-out shrug. “Mm’kay.” They scoop up King and rise into the evening air, far enough so that they both have a full view of the Isles.
As King’s eyes drift across his father’s landmass form, he spots something that makes his heart skip a beat.
After a moment, he shakes his head irritably. Great - the sunlight’s playing tricks on me.
But he could swear he’d seen…
He looks in that direction again, more tentatively.
And there they are.
No.
No, not them.
How? How are they here??
The Collector seems to notice King’s stunned silence and frowns in a bit of concern, waving a hand in front of his face. “King? You there?”
King doesn’t respond. After a long moment, they follow his gaze, eyes glowing as he uses his powers to zoom in their vision. As soon as he does, the Collector gives a start, eyes widening. “Whoa- I know those guys!” Then their eyes narrow as he adds, “They’re weird.”
A shudder runs down King’s spine, making his fur stand on end. “We have to go back. Back to the Archives.”
“What? Why?” The Collector asks, baffled. “We haven’t even started the game yet!”
“If they find me…” King chooses his words carefully, trying to find some way to phrase them in a way that’ll help the Collector understand the urgency of the situation.
“They’ll take me away from you. Permanently.”
-
During the afternoon, Bill had sent out three search parties of four Trappers each. Their orders: search the kingdom for their quarry, making sure to lie low. As soon as the Titan child was reported found, they would all return, taking it to their rudimentary base in order to complete the ritual sacrifice.
Bill himself had taken three Trappers along for a fourth group, and they’re trudging along the ribcage toward the head. The youngest one of the group holds the task of clambering up each rib they come across and using that vantage point to scout for any sign of the Titan’s son.
Navigating the Isles has proven more difficult than they bargained for, as the entire place is glitter-ized with a cosmic pastel aesthetic, part of which being massive, floating blue star structures with menacing red eyes that turn anyone they zap into dolled-up, vacant-eyed versions of themselves. To top it all off, there’s some sort of structure balancing on the tip of the Isles’s horn, one shaped like a massive crown.
It’s well into the night before they finally spot what they’re looking for.
The young Trapper is peering through his sin-oculars when he lets out a shout from his perch. When the others approach, he says, “I saw something - some sort of… flat star? But the Titan child was definitely on there.”
Bill gives a start of surprise. “Wha-? Let me see!” he orders, snatching up the sin-oculars and using them himself. Zooming in, he sees the star the young Trapper described, and following it, he realizes it’s heading for the crown-like structure on the tip of the Titan’s horn. He grins.
That’s where we’re going.
Through some trial and error, the group is able to enter the structure. Bill commands them to split up and search every nook and cranny of this place until their prey is found.
Soon enough, he reaches a hole leading to a floating bedroom in the shape of a small moon.
From the bed on the right comes the unmistakable glint of horns.
There he is.
Bill feels almost lightheaded with delight.
Ducking his head out of the hole, he scrambles several paces back, then pulls out a contact crow. “Get everyone back to the base,” he whispers gruffly. “I found it.”
He returns to the bedroom almost at a run, aiming for the moon - overshooting and promptly crashing into it. Shaking his head, Bill clambers up the right side until the bed is in view.
Slowly, carefully, he creeps up to the bed to peer at his soundly sleeping quarry. After a moment, King flinches in his sleep, as if sensing something looming over him - then sits bolt upright in bed, leveling a startled look at Bill.
He opens his mouth, presumably either to call for help or blast the Titan Trapper away with one of his raucous shrieks.
Oh, no you don’t.
Quick as lightning, Bill lashes a hand forward to clamp the young Titan’s mouth shut. His now-muffled cries won’t be heard by anyone. Bill scoops him up.
“No one’ll be around to help you this time,” he growls, narrowing his eyes.
-
The Collector had been sleeping nice and cozy, until shadows had come and poisoned his dreams, turning them sour.
Pictures that they instinctively knew came from King - the small Titan being dragged off by a short, scruffy guy wearing a Titan-like skull thing, looking terrified. A whole room of what looked like Titan skulls that came with a vague but intense feeling of horror and finality. The whole thing was punctuated by King’s throat-gripping fear and despair.
It’s these that jerk the Collector rudely awake, panic prickling along their spine. Part of them hopes it had been a dream, though he knows that’s not likely.
That hope goes out the window when they glance over at King’s bed and find it empty.
Their core leaps into their throat.
He doesn’t completely understand everything he’d seen, or what they’re supposed to imply, or the feelings around them - he just knows it’s bad, and that King is in more danger than even they could know.
He suddenly remembers, too, that King had warned them something like this would happen. What had his friend said…?
“If they find me, they’ll take me away from you. Permanently.”
The line is punctuated in the Collector’s mind with another flash of the room full of Titan skulls - ones that are all close to the same size as King’s - and the overwhelming sense of foreboding that had come with it.
No. No.
They vault off their bed and through the hole to the rest of the Archives.
I have to find King right now.
The Collector searches the building, his panic growing by the second, but finds nothing. When they finally blast out of the building, they decide they need to narrow down the search and tap into his powers.
As he looks around with zoomed-in sight, it isn’t long before something catches their eye.
A group of people.
When the Collector looks at the Titan skulls - ones that are close to the size of King’s - the group are wearing, that sends many unwelcome thoughts his way.
They’ve been acting weird lately, talking about something bigger and better they could do against Titans.
They took King away.
They might have done something awful (permanent) to him.
They may have done something awful (permanent) to a lot of the little Titans I used to know.
Something finally snaps.
The Collector screeches, a pained cry of rage, and falls upon the Titan Trappers like a storm.
They barely notice the roar of the earth quaking and splitting around them, barely make out the words in the Trappers’ cries to one another. All he can process is a chaotic din of overlapping noise and a mass of swirling figures wearing (King-sized) Titan skulls.
He’s consumed and driven by a single, primal need, a need that burns in every fiber of their being, to blast, tear, hurt something, hurt anything, take all the pain they felt from King and all the pain they themselves feel and let it all out on something, make them feel it all tenfold. He needs to shake the figures around him to their core, cause them all such fear as to make sure they get and stay as far away from everyone he holds dear as possible.
He’s able to focus through the haze around his mind just enough to pin down a Titan Trapper at random, just enough to form his agonized screams into three words.
“WHERE IS HE?”
-
King doesn’t know how long it takes Bill to reach the Titan Trappers’ base on the Isles - not that he wants to know. Every second that ticks by is torture when he knows it’s a second closer to his own execution. He’s beyond the point of panic; his most overpowering emotion right now is sickening despair.
Suddenly, they both hear something - something faint but unmistakably chaotic. Bill hears it too; he stops and raises a clawed hand to where his ear is underneath the skull he wears. “What the …?” he mutters, starting forward again with more measured steps.
It doesn’t take them much longer to reach a close view of the base. Bill stops again, and King tilts his head forward to have a clear view himself.
The sounds almost aren’t enough to prepare King for the sight.
The base is in complete shambles, the earth cracked and jutting all around it as if a massive fist had collided with it. The Titan Trappers themselves are sprawled and scattered all over, some running away. At the center of it all, floating in the sky, is a familiar figure, intense and moving wildly.
Bill buckles forward upon seeing them. “He’s… free.” His voice is hushed with awe.
King feels the grip on him suddenly jerk tight as Bill rushes down to his camp, the Titan Trapper leader practically radiating manic jubilation. A few of the Trappers see Bill on his way down and their eyes light up, but he pays them no mind as he dashes to the top of the tallest piece of jutting land.
“At last!” He cries out, exulting. “Fortunate smiles upon me, for the day of reckoning has finally come!”
King sees the Collector turn in the air at Bill’s shout, their face blank for a brief second - before it twists into all-consuming rage, his teeth bared and gritted, his eyes blazing. With a shrill, wordless shout, they rocket down toward the Titan Trapper.
Bill looks up at the star child arrowing in his direction; he must be too wrapped up in his euphoria to notice their anger, because he tosses King roughly to the ground and raises his arms to the sky in glee, as if waiting for some sort of reward.
He gets one, but not the one he expects.
The moment the Collector collides with Bill, a sickening crack blasts King’s eardrums.
…
Several moments pass. If there’s not much noise, or if he just can’t hear it over the fading ringing in his ears, King can’t tell.
When he finally opens his eyes, the Titan Trappers are retreating - hurrying back to get their boats together and leave, making sure their wounded are set securely onto the vessels. Tarak in particular carefully takes Bill with him. King only flicks one glance at him and immediately wishes he hadn’t, as the scruffy Trapper’s head is at an angle it definitely shouldn’t be. They seem to be in some sort of daze, not completely knowing what to do with themselves without their leader, but clearly intent on getting out of the Isles as fast as they can - which is just fine with King.
He glances over at the Collector. There are stains of red on their right hand, as well as a few flecks on their face. They’re curled into themselves, shaking - King can’t say if it’s more from shock or their dissipating rage.
Upon realizing that he’d instinctively sent the cosmic child a mental cry for help, King didn’t know what to expect. He certainly didn’t expect to hear them rain calamity down on the Trappers the moment he got close to the base. He’d had a sense that the Collector may genuinely care about him, and what happened to him, but it would appear he’d underestimated just how much.
Tentatively, King approaches his friend and sits by him, wrapping his tail around his hind limbs and resting his chin on his knees. He feels a slight weight as the Collector leans onto him a bit, and looking up, sees their face crinkled with an internal knot of emotion.
Two godlike children sit silently over a shore. One looks at nothing, the other carefully observes everything.
#the owl house#the owl house au#toh au#tide of tied minds#the owl house fic#toh fic#toh the collector#the collector toh#the collector#toh king#king clawthorne#toh titan trappers#titan trappers#toh bill#toh tarak#my jottins#tw character death#tw kidnapping
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Continued from Here
Despite the urgency of Penny's message, the android girl seemed surprisingly gleeful... Granted, that was normal, but Winter was a little confused now. "Penny? What is this about?"
She soon got her answer, though it left the elder Schnee sister stunned. "I... You... Pardon?" She stared at Penny wordlessly, a hint of a blush on her face. "You... Wish to court me? Do you understand what you're saying, Penny?""
@a-fantastic-time
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“Yours.” | Reader x Knight!Din | Knight!Din anthology
Summary: Reader has been hiding something life-changing. Din is the first to notice.
A/N: As always, minors DNI. 18+. This is a one shot regarding my Knight!Din universe. Reader is the queen! It is a forbidden relationship! All the good stuff!
It first began as a kiss.
Something stolen in the midnight hours. Meet me tonight you’d written him in a note, small and compact in your hand as it was slipped under the backband of his horse’s harness.
That abandoned hallway on the east side of the castle was a lighthouse; a safe-haven for lovers of the highest caliber to exile themselves to. You knew it well, but only with Din. The two of you had etched yourself in its stone walls, growing with ivy from years without societal use.
Din had you pressed gently against the curve of the wall, lips tracing the shape of your collarbones. The stairs underneath you led to an attic with a makeshift bed good enough to endure for a few hours before your spine ached. But while you were used to luxury - of downy feathers and silk throws - the sleep you managed to steal in this attic was the greatest you’ve ever had.
It was also now a place of sacred ritual.
You’re waiting for Din to whisk you up the stairs, to slowly uncover every inch of frivolous pageantry this nightgown has to offer. His hands slide from your cheeks to your waist, inhaling the delicate part of your neck that meets your shoulder.
“You smell different,” he whispers.
His tone is that of sheer arousal, desire dripping from his very lips. He pulls back far enough to cast a glance at your lips, plump from the onslaught.
You raise a brow, chest heaving with breathlessness. “Oh?”
He can’t possibly…
In the flickering candlelight, Din’s expression turns to puzzlement. His hand, that had been wrapped gently around the curve of your waist, falls to the plush part of your belly. You’ve always carried a bit of extra weight so it wasn’t discernable to anyone else. The heavy fabric and stay of your gown hid all bumps and ridges on your natural-borne body. Who would be able to notice? Phillip? He hadn’t seen you naked since last month. Besides, he wouldn’t notice; it wasn’t outstanding.
So far, this secret belonged to you only.
Tonight was the full moon - you still had not bled. But Din knew your body like he knew his own creed.
He presses very gently against your stomach and you inhale sharply. It doesn’t hurt, but it does feel odd; you were a fortress now.
Penetrable. Alive. Trembling.
The resistance against his touch is all the proof he needs.
Din raises his eyes to yours and, for the first time, they are wetting. “You’re with child.”
You nod fervently, touching his hand upon your belly with a gentleness meant to calm his nerves. The two of you take a few moments to register the proclamation. It’s been said aloud for the very first time.
How beautiful it is, to announce life in halls such as these.
Din struggles to keep his composure. “Is it…”
Last month, above your heads, Din had taken you with such urgency, such fire, that it took. Phillip wasn’t capable of having children - you’ve tried. But Din, as it turned out, was capable of quenching a burn within you - a void you were terrified would remain and make its home.
“Yours.” You grip his hand, bringing the other to rest at his cheek. He leans into your touch, allowing his eyes to spill over with tears. “They’re yours.”
You can’t help but cry as well, the insurmountable joy in your cup runneth over. In your arms, the true father of your child lets out a gleeful laugh. Never have you seen him smile so brightly - not in the five years you’ve known him.
Din kneels, balancing unsteadily at first, his hands still cradling your belly like it is the heart of the world. He leans his forehead against you before pressing a delicate kiss against the slight swell of it.
He wraps his arms around you, ear pressing against the softness. “You are the most important being there ever was,” he says. “And you will do amazing things.”
For now, it is just the three of you. And that is enough.
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WIP Wednesday!
Thank you @melisusthewee and @nirikeehan for the tags!
I've been writing a bunnnnch since I got back from vacation and have been working on a Hawke and Rose smut scene on Giant's Staircase in the Western Approach for an academic-style smut writing exercise. It will feature in my long fic In the Shattering of Things down the line at some point!
"With this caution and exhortation in mind, write a sex scene for a story in which you know your fictional characters well.
Objective: To gain access to this rich material indirectly so that this experience often considered universal can feel singular, as though come to be for the first time in history."
As with all smuts, I believe the set up is just as important as the business. So here is some set up!
CW: spicy but probably mostly SFW
“Cats again, is it?” asks Dorian, smirking at us both.
“A proper hunt. I spotted a half dozen at least. It’ll take all night,” says Hawke. I slip my arms around his waist without hesitation and Dorian salutes us both. We stroll lazily toward Hawke’s chosen destination, my insides humming with the intensity of my delight as his lips meet my hair, inhaling deeply.
“Always upping the ante, aren’t you?” I remark, my eyes sweeping up the ruins. I can see the orange dance of firelight on the sandstone blocks above. He promised to find us a place we could wrap up in each other’s arms all night. At least we’ll have the high ground.
“I challenge you to find a better place to canoodle than this,” he says, handing me up. We scramble up the crumbling structure which time has miraculously stabilized, hanging on to each other for balance. The tower top glows from the light of a small brazier he brought up, blankets laid out across the stones. To my left I regard a humanoid skeleton that Hawke has clearly sat up against the parapet wall, a dusty bottle inside its bony clutches and a desiccated, ages old wheel of cheese by its side. I turn to Hawke slowly, eyebrows raised high and his fingers tap over his cursed grin the way it always does when he’s desperately trying to contain gleeful laughter.
“He was like this when I got here, I swear.”
“I don’t know how you’ll ever plan to top this one,” I remark. “And the pile of varghest carcasses was pretty outrageous.”
“Mm. Sounds like a dare. And you know I can never pass up a dare.”
From up here we have a clear view of the camp below, far enough away that I assume they can’t hear every detail of our conversation, but if they looked up, they would know that something was afoot on top of the tower.
Hawke claims my hand as I continue to survey the scene and draws me close with a sudden tug, knowing full well the effect of that little acceleration, my insides molten with anticipation. I assert myself though, aware of how I could passively ride his passion to several climaxes. I cradle his face in my hands, at least to prove I’m not resigning myself to another night with him, surrendering to his persistence the way I had for months. His chin and jaw are freshly shaved and his cropped locks fall over his forehead, too short to be tucked behind his ear the way they used to be. I run a finger over his handsome brow and then down to his soft lips which part on a wisp of a sigh.
The intensity of his look dissolves into a vulnerable entreaty for more of me, the same look he’s given me since before that time in the tower when he’d first unlocked me. We meet in a feverish embrace, our kisses having greater urgency now like they’re somehow more fleeting in spite of being less so than ever. Something to desperately cling to while bashing our way through impossible danger.
“You must have something planned,” I say, kicking off my sandals and standing on his big feet.
“Aside from ‘make my beautiful lover come several times’? Not really,” he says, his fingers grazing over the hardened peaks of my breasts, my stay joyfully abandoned back at camp.
“A bit ambitious. What if I want to turn your knees to jelly for a change?” I ask, my head dropped all the way back to gaze up at him with a grin. His brow lifts high, his smile slightly agape, his chest heaving on the deep, amorous breaths he draws. “Anything you want.”
“Anything? What if I’m secretly some sort of depraved monster?” he says, bending for another kiss.
“Well, I can always say no,” I remind him, pressing a brazen hand over his hardening length.
“Oral. In a sailboat. With a squid and a sweetroll.”
“Tempting, but no.”
“Like a dog. Covered in honey, wearing our helmets.”
“You’re going to make me guess, aren’t you?” I say, poking him gently in the belly. He shrinks back slightly, his hands leaping up protectively. “Lie down.”
Tagging in case they have WIPS to share! @crackinglamb, @rakshadow, @about2dance, @warpedlegacy, @monocytogenes, @rowanisawriter, @skyeventide AND YOU
#WIP Wednesday#Theluckywizard#Hawke x Trevelyan#Purple Hawke#But Blue-Purple Hawke really#Hawke x Inquisitor#Rawke Smut#warrior!Hawke#Garrett Hawke#Rose Trevelyan#My OCs#I love them
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Fifth OC for the Liam & Co Universe
Name: Britomartis Leocadia Floros, Arianrhod Ó Caoindealbháin (birth name)
Species: Human
Birthday: June 4th
Age: 35
Sexuality: Pansexual
Occupation: Air pirate captain of Bradamante’s Moonbeam
Abilities: N/A
Personality: She’s often inclined to assist others through their personal hardships and difficult situations. Britomartis is decently well-mannered, but she can be quite crass with her actions and words. Even though there are instances where she succumbs to her frustrations, she tries her best to have a relaxed and tolerant demeanour. She doesn’t have the greatest perspective of men because of a few incidents, but she tries not to let that view hinder her relationships. She isn’t dependent on others for livelihood and authority, which means she’s fully capable of making her own decisions with or without help. She’s difficult to control and often behaves in ways that go against traditional social norms. When Britomartis is determined to do something, it’s difficult to convince her to change her plans and attitude as she’s often unwilling to do so. She has a strong and palpable love for adventure, always excited to take on new risks and live her life to the fullest. She usually prefers to take practical action in order to tackle tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm.
As a captain, she sees it as one of her duties to be reliable and trustworthy with her crewmates and those personally close to her, only putting her foot down when it’s reasonable. She’s emotionally aware, being able to recognise when feelings are present within herself and others. When Britomartis isn’t stubborn, she’s open to the opinions and perspectives of others, and is willing to consider new ideas. She unfailingly remains loyal and steadfast in relationships, and often puts her loyalty into consistent practice regardless of extenuating circumstances. As a reckless thrill-seeker, she isn’t afraid and doesn’t fully care about going headfirst into dangerous situations. She’s very insensitive to criticism and insults that are directed towards her as she’s aware that they mean nothing unless they’re genuinely worthwhile. She is often easily bored when there isn’t much to do and has high standards on how her plans should operate. Britomartis is a lover of drama, taking gleeful joy in watching others and eavesdropping when conflict arises. She’s not extremely ruthless, but she often shows no remorse and mercy when hurting those she doesn’t care about.
Likes: Exciting adventures, partaking in gossip that interests her, Shemihazah, walk-in gardens, sword fighting, calligraphy, the sounds of chirping birds, gambling, expensive jewellery, and playing the accordion and harmonica.
Dislikes: Hailstorms, simplicity, wind and damp weather, mutiny, men who act like children, creepy remarks about her appearance, annoying mermaids, neglect, the sound of scraping metal, and most of her family.
Physical and outfit appearance: Her approximate height is 5’ 3” (160.02 cm) and he has a mesomorphic body type with decently muscular arms and slightly broad shoulders. Her skin is ivory and she has brownish freckles on her face, neck, and hands. She has a nasty scar that runs from her left upper supraspinatus to the middle of the latissimus dorsi. Her eyes are a gleaming amber with a coppery tint and she has a mole on the right side of her forehead. She has a silver second premolar and lateral incisor, and often prefers to paint her nails a metallic colour.
She wears a thigh-length oxley green coat with golden floral embroidery, a bone-white poet shirt, and a pair of woollen stockings. She is also donning cannon pink petticoat trousers with hopbush and light orchid vertical strips. The petticoat trousers are very full and open at the bottom, and they somewhat resemble a garment called culottes. She wears a woody brown tricorne that’s made from beaver-hair and it has gold lace and three feathers: the feather of a male Indian peafowl’s tail; the feather of a blue-and-yellow macaw; and the feather of a helmeted guineafowl. She wears a pair of lace-up revolver boots and she dons her scarab-shaped amulet around her necks. She has a bronze shoulder pad that’s shaped similarly to a wolf’s skull, but it has a protruding horn.
Equipment: A cutlass (formerly, Arsinoe stole it from her), a Gothic hilted British infantry sword, a blunderbuss, a fully functioning mechanical cockatrice named Ophiuchus, a bronze compass, a silvery monocular telescope, steel knuckles, her blimp, an accordion, a harmonica, and a scarab-shaped amulet.
Family:
Unnamed maternal great-grandfather
Dubhshláine Ó Caoindealbháin (father)
Blodeuwedd (mother)
Lóegaire Ó Caoindealbháin (younger brother)
Lughaidh Ó Caoindealbháin (younger brother)
Rígbarddán Ó Caoindealbháin (younger brother)
Betelgeuse (adoptive father)
Shemihazah (lover)
Biography: On a rainy afternoon during June 4th, she was born into the noble family of Ó Caoindealbháin. Her parents named her Arianrhod and she lived a relatively peaceful life. Her mother loved her, while her father was disappointed that she wasn’t a boy because he wanted a male heir for his printing business. After the birth of Lóegaire and Lughaidh, her father would give them more attention than her. Dubhshláine saw potential in his first two sons and saw Arianrhod has a pitiful pawn, a bystander to his plans. She hated him for this and would run away from home when Rígbarddán was born. After an arduous journey, she ended up in Sunken Reef Lagoon and met a lesser known pirate captain. He was simply referred to as Betelgeuse and took pity on the young girl, deciding to take her in. He and his crewmates treated her with respect, and they would travel across the New World. After she turned 23, she set off on her own, named herself Britomartis Leocadia Floros, and created her own air pirate group. Her and her crewmates would later steal a blimp that had half of an Eastern dragon protruding from the gondola’s front and a pearlescent envelope with the three most common regal hues, naming it Bradamante’s Moonbeam. She would eventually meet Shemihazah and their friendship blossomed into a romantic relationship.
@ask-liam-and-co
#writerscorner#writing#creative writing#original character#captain#pirate#air pirates#blimp#might go through a couple of changes and add ons but let's see
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jax had constructed this program aimlessly and within a singular night, caught within the flames of despair & restless urgency, assembled with trembly hands and iron will. a riveting, gleeful game that bore the name ' who can kill jax first ??!! ' !! it had come to him in a feverish flash and devoured his consciousness; had pecked away at his psyche & gnawed at his cerebrum, festering inside him like a frankenstein's monster that pleaded to be brought to life. the idea materialized through an absurd arsenal of weaponry, any object available on the circus' property conceivable as a physical threat and whatever else jax could get his white-gloved hands on, thrust hastily into the hands of his fellow performers.
ultimately, none prevailed in lifting the curse caine had laid upon him. bullets passed through him effortlessly, his head detached and reattached seamlessly, and his organs knit themselves back together after being mangled by a blade.
and now, the primary, circular arena of the circus is barren, blood mopped up & limbs reconnected to his body, and jax stands alone, within his arms, a chainsaw, ignited, thundering, vibrating; and with little effort, it is tossed skyward, up into the eerie darkness, where blaring lights of the arena could not quite reach.
nearly killed by the blaring clamor of the mechanical beast, a familiar voice resonates from somewhere beyond the borders of the arena, and jax's eyes flicker open, attention seized by the hushed query:
@filejpg asked, are you willing to die ?
the chainsaw, flung roaring & shouting through the air, plummets rapidly to the ground and shatters into countless slices & chunks of plastic & metal, sent hurling across the canary-yellow floor like an explosion of solid materials. after the collision, a gentler, muted ' thump ' ensues, and it is jax's severed arm, that now lay limp & motionless beside the wreckage. the quietude that ensues coils its angled, bony fingers around the rabbit's uncritically harmed frame like a palm around a wilting rose.
thick, sleek, shiny crimson spurts from the arm's torn end like a fountain of wine, and jax is neither repulsed nor appalled. but he ought to be !! why isn't he repulsed or appalled ? why does familiar ennui engulf his senses instead, when he looks at his severed arm ?? why doesn't a thick knot of nausea form in the pit of his stomach, fill his throat ??? he observes the detached limb, bleary, mute, and lifts it to the stump that is his bare ( in the most literal sense ) shoulder. almost instantaneously does the torn flesh begin to knit itself together, sinews melding back into place in a surreal spectacle, flesh and bone reuniting & the arm reattaching itself seamlessly back to jax's body. so rapid is the process, that jax could just about assume the arm was never parted from his physique in the first place. such delusion, however, is far too perilous to even begin to entertain and thus, he rolls his shoulder once, twice, meat shifting into place.
" are you willing to let me ? "
#cw gore#is this rlly gore idk idk how to tag it#no icon yet !#〝 ℂℍ𝟛ℂ𝕂 : __ 𝘔𝘈𝘛𝘌 ` ȺTH̲3̲IST̲S̲ — *⁽ VER. HELLAVERSE.#〝 ℂℍ𝟛ℂ𝕂 : __ 𝘔𝘈𝘛𝘌 ` ȺTH̲3̲IST̲S̲ — *⁽ TXTL. INTERACTION.#FT. FILEJPG.
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"LOOK AT OUR BABIES !! LOOK AT THEEEM!! O U R B A B I E S"
showers him in pictures of their children, sobbing while doing so.
For the most part as soon as she had approached him Sephiroth didn't understand what the urgency was so he blinked. That was before he'd heard the rest of what she had appeared gleeful about. If he could call that. But as he was presented with said photos with their children, a smile would come about upon his face. His face began to hurt and he began to chuckle just thinking about it because he must've looked a sight just now. And he just so happened to have caught himself with a bit of a toothy one. This doesn't really happen with him. Hardly ever if one wanted to be blunt about it. Scooting close next to her once he patted the area on the couch next to him, he'd glance over the photos more closely. He wanted to join in with her gushing about their children. Even when he wasn't particularly someone who was set in his ways with fatherhood. It was still pretty new to him at times.
Who would've ever have thunk someone like him as fatherly material? He had definitely never thought he'd ever have come the day he'd see it happen. After a moment he'd fish out his phone and snap all of the photos only to make his own copies of them and then uploaded them. At least there'd be extras if one or both of them had happened to have lost the originals. One hand over his face half way and he'd still laugh again. This was more like an awe thing then it was ever about amusement. Well, a little of both. It was just like it happened yesterday when they were first born. Sure, there would come times he'd have to yell at them and they'd drive him insane, but that wouldn't mean he'd love them any less. He'd only yell at them for 'Dad reasons'. He knew there would come moments when he cross beyond that line, and when he realized it happening and when it suited the moment within reasoning, he'd apologize and make amends.
That's when the stubbornness would subside and be over with.
#thedarkhuntress#awww#also sorry it took a while#i had trouble braining tbh#bow your head if you wish to keep it: ic asks
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I'm going to umbrally kill anyone who has argued that Pathologic 1 is a "bad" game about the developers deliberately inflicting suffering and stress on the player with gleeful impish abandon, evidenced by [checks notes] the game having Opportunity Costs, Choices, Items With Trade-Offs and Downsides, and Immersive Elements that service Time Management aspects of its design.
I think so many people would enjoy this game a lot, but I'm left wondering how many people have resigned themselves to merely watching a video essay or playthrough of it, and chalked it up to "well, I'll never play this, it doesn't look all that fun to me anyway, the Internet Person in the video said it was stressful to play and not fun at all."
The reality is that the game is fun, and I don't need to bend logic over backwards to make a contorted argument for that fact. We're talking about a game where the acquisition and exchange of items is far, far more complex and multi-faceted than nearly every other game, and it does this without throwing all the items into a trendy haphazard crafting system! That's not entirely true; one of the three playable characters gets to use items for crafting, but it's only a small fraction of the total available items, and those items have other uses as well. Furthermore, he gets to do crafting because His Entire Story Arc Is About Crafting. There's a narrative and mechanical reason he has a crafting system, and that system is locked away from the other characters because it doesn't suit their storylines or skillsets. The crafting system itself is not quite as rigid or exhaustive as some other systems, either. But even if we set aside the crafting system that 1/3 characters gets to interact with, the item economy in Pathologic 1 is extremely exciting and unique, as every item has multiple sources and multiple purposes.
Most items can be sold to shops for cash, but the pricing can change based on what items you're selling, to whom you're selling them, and when you're selling them. You always have ways of acquiring what you need, you just have to think and weigh options according to urgency, time investment, and other resources.
That's just one facet of the overall game, but it's a substantially important part. The game is all but built around its item economy; what items do, how you get them, how you can use them, and some quests even require certain items for completion. I cannot believe people have been getting away with calling this game bad or unfun. It's just blatantly inaccurate.
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I love your page! Was there a past, presumably embarrassing, experience that you think led to you developing this very specific fetish?
No really. But then again kinda?
As far as I can remember, I've never had a personal experience like the ones I describe in my captions and stories. I never wet myself (unintentionally) past an age at which that sort of thing would be considered normal.
However, I do remember once in elementary school, right around the time I was developing a serious interest in girls, when a group of female classmates accused me of wetting myself. Even though I had nothing to actually be embarrassed about, it really played on my anxieties about appearing grown up, especially in the presence of girls, whom I'd been repeatedly told "mature faster than boys".
I also remember having a strong sense of urgency in stressful moments, such as when time was running out on a test. It never resulted in anything outwardly embarrassing, but it always reminded me of how mortified I would have been, had I given anyone a reason to believe that I was still an immature little kid who didn't know how to make it to the bathroom on time.
I may have had an accident at some point during kindergarten, though I can't remember it. What I do remember is sitting directly across the table from a girl who suddenly and completely wet herself while sobbing. I was fascinated by that vulnerability. I wanted to protect her, but of course that impulse was at odds with the desire to see her, or someone else I liked, reduced to that state again.
Even though this blog is like 95 percent about men wetting around girls, my interests in childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood were almost exclusively focused on female desperation and wetting. At some point, I guess in my late twenties, a switch flipped and I stated fantasizing a lot more about dominant women reacting to accidents, or making them happen, and taking on a role like that of a school bully with a gleeful sense of superiority.
My interests still go back and forth between dominance and submission, but the roots of the fetish are the same either way. I am helplessly hung up on childhood ideas about boys and girls competing to see who is more mature, and thus who is in control. Now my fantasies exist in a world where it's still possible for one little mishap to prove that a man and a woman are not actually on the same level, even if they're the same age.
Obviously, there's more to it than this, but those simple childhood experiences were definitely foundational.
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Linzin
Praganant cake!
Okay, and now here's the last and final chapter! Here's the cake in reference.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6 is below the cut & you can also read it on AO3.
The next morning, the newly affianced airbender had transformed into a ringmaster of sorts in trying to manage the circus that was Air Temple Island. While it was of great impedance to announce this long anticipated engagement to the crowd; it was of grave urgency to let Lin know that she was pregnant.
Tenzin couldn't decide how to feel: resulting in having his excitement for his promised nuptials being masked behind the gleeful anxiety of being a parent with the love of his life.
The two of them spent the night in the stable itself. The combination of the hay and fur proved to be quite the cozy accommodation for the couple. Even Oogie was more than happy to engage in a couple of snuggles through the night. So, come morning, Tenzin was fresh and ready for the task at hand.
He was frantically staring at the wall in the kitchen, processing the myriad range of emotions he had kept safe within him through the night just so he could accomplish the one mission he had profusely failed his whole life: surprising his much-too-clever-for-him- girlfriend.. ahem.. fiancée.
"Tenzin! There you are." The voice of a nettled woman called.
In his daze, he couldn't even recognize who the voice belonged to, but fortunately, he knew it didn't belong to his nettled fiancée.
He turned in the direction of the voice, and let out of a brief sigh of relief.
Kya.
"Lin is not in your room!"
Her panicked expression fell into annoyance when she saw her brother sporting a big smile on his face instead.
"Where is your girlfriend?" She placed her hands on her hips, "I have some news to give her, remember?"
"What girlfriend?" He smirked.
Kya's frown at his cocky words lasted a mere second until her eyes blew wide with joy and a big toothy grin spread across her face. She jumped up into Tenzin's arms, giving her little brother the tightest of hugs, "She said yes!"
"Naturally," Tenzin blushed pulling away, "We slept in Oogie's stable last night and I think she may still be there-"
"Oh, can I give her the good news?" She asked, barely holding her excitement in, "I'll go find her-"
But no sooner did she step towards Tenzin than he ran his arm through hers to stop her by turning her path around, "I have a plan and you're going to be part of it."
Lin was awakened by a large wet tongue rolling over her face. She instantly recognized the smell of that breath- although she couldn't be rude enough to admit how unpleasant it was. She opened her eyes to see Oogie yawning and bellowing beside her, singing the morning greetings of his people. It was sweet, it made her smile, she loved the furry guy.
Sadly for Lin, that smile was short lived for she had to jerk up and hurl herself across the room to barf into a bucket. She spent a good couple of minutes facing the bottom of the bucket until her insides settled down and head stopped spinning. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and whispered to herself.
"Kya."
The metalbender slowly made her way through the temple to enter the main house and look for her boyfriend or his sister.. ahem, she meant, her fiancé or her to-be-sister-in-law. Ever since this stomach bug had infested her body, her Earthbending had become quite unstable and inconveniently unreliable, so she had to walk from room to room in search of the Island's inhabitants.
Her search, however, was cut short once she entered the kitchen: everyone was present here.
Aang, Katara, Uncle Sokka and her own mother sat around the tiny kitchen table with their breakfast plates filled while Kya and Tenzin stood by the stove. Everyone seemingly looked very happy to see Lin for whatever reason.
The airhead told everyone, Lin groaned internally.
"Okay," Aang began, "Now that Lin's here too, what did you have to tell us?"
But just as Tenzin stepped forward to run an arm around Lin's back to make a unanimous announcement, Sokka perked up, "Nice necklace, Linny. Since when do you indulge in jewelry?"
All eyes (excepting Toph's, of course), fell to the necklace in question.
Lin didn't even realize she was wearing it. She walked through the grounds. She greeted the acolytes. Oh dear. Everyone was going to know.
She would've fainted from already being dizzy if Tenzin weren't holding on to her body for dear life. He gave her side a light squeeze, letting her know that it would all be okay, that they were in this together. And when she turned her neck a touch to glance over at his face, she realized that this was the happiest moment of his life- or so what his smile conveyed. Lin relaxed and leaned into his shoulder a touch, giving him the green signal to go forth with his announcement.
Tenzin kissed the top of her head and whispered into her hair, "Together."
"WE'RE ENGAGED!"
The room burst into joyous laughter. Aang and Katara got off their seats to hug the happy couple, only to have Sokka join the four of them from the back and squeeze them with all his might. Toph stayed in her seat, sipping her tea with her feet on the table, shaking her head in some semblance of joy, "Congrats kids."
"This calls for a celebration!" Katara exclaimed.
Tenzin couldn't have agreed sooner, "Tonight!" He smiled down and leaned over to kiss her forehead, "Let's have a grand party tonight, dad?"
Happily surprised that his own son finally wants to part-take in some kind of celebration, he nodded excitedly, "Yes! I will send out the invites and-"
"And I will take care of the rest with Kya's help." The young airbender gleamed.
"Oh-" Aang looked surprised, "All right. You kids plan your parties the way you like and I'll just-"
"Make yourselves scarce, dad?" Kya fluttered her lashes.
Aang rolled his eyes affectionately, he could never say no to his little girl and the not-so-little-anymore-girl knew that too well.
"Fine. You kids can handle everything, we'll stay out of your hair. Just don't sink the island-"
"Tenz," Lin interrupted, her mind finally catching up with everything, "I won't be much help because-"
"Auntie Toph," Kya fluttered her lashes again, "Give little Linny the day off, please?"
"You know, I can't see you flutter your lashes, right Sugar Queen junior?" Toph deadpanned, "But sure." Then without moving so much as even a muscle, "Lin, take the day off and barf up the Island instead of headquarters for today."
"Barf up..?" Sokka asked with confusion.
"Lin has a really bad stomach bug!" Kya spoke up, "So I'm going to get her feeling great- pump her up with some good drugs so she’ll be good as new in time for the party tonight and work tomorrow!”
“Oh, Kya, thanks, I-” Lin started off all confused, but was cut off by her Uncle Sokka, “Toph, just give the kid a break!”
“I am!” She argued.
“Dad, what happened to making yourselves scarce?” Kya whispered.
“All right, sweetie, all right. Toph, come on. Let’s go to Sokka’s and celebrate..” Aang placed an arm around his wife’s shoulder, “We could bring some of your special cactus juice for the kids tonight.”
Katara suddenly perked up, “Oh, I think there’s some in the cabinet. Why not get started now?” She was just about to make a point to Toph about how she isn’t a stickler for the rules as she was often blamed to be, but Kya beat her to it, “Oh, mother! What a wonderful idea as usual, but let’s save the drinking for tonight so we can focus on the planning-”
“One shot won’t do any of you any harm, if I remember correctly.” Sokka chuckled.
“BESIDES,” Kya urged forth, “Tenzin gets drunk way too easily and Lin- I’m going to give her the medication that she can’t have after alcohol-”
“But she can before?” Katara shook her head, “I’ve never heard of-”
“I think what Kya’s trying to say-” Tenzin tried.
“Okay, okay- that’s it!” Aang silenced everyone, “Obviously, something’s cooking here and they’re not going to make sensible arguments unless we’re gone, correct?” He looked over to his daughter with a glint of sugar in his eyes, “We’re going and we’re leaving you kids in charge, all right? Out of your hair.”
“Thank you, daddy!” Kya’s eyes glittered.
“Are us old folks at least invited to your party though?” He joked.
“Of course, Uncle Aang,” Lin smiled, giving him a light hug in the process.
Realizing that while they were safe from the Earthbenders inside the house with the wooden flooring, one-on-one hugs might just not be the best idea, if they wanted to continue keeping Lin’s pregnancy a secret. So Tenzin and Kya hopped into the hug as well, with Kya running her arm around Aang such that it acted as a barricade between him and Lin’s person- belly and heart alike.
“Come on, come on!” Kya let go, dragging her father with her and rounded everyone up, “Let’s give the happy couple some alone time before we get started.”
The group laughed and left the room, distracted by Kya’s babbling: no one suspected a thing.
Tenzin draped his arms around Lin and pressed a soft kiss on her forehead, “I love you.” He whispered.
“And I love you.” She replied, kissing his bearded chin softly, “But,”
Tenzin pulled away, smirking down at her.
“I’m on to you.” She grinned devilishly.
The airbender laughed out loud and pressed her into his embrace, “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” Lin confirmed, giving in to his humor, “I know that party’s a ruse for something else.”
“Maybe?” He raised his eyebrows innocently, “Maybe not?”
Lin grabbed him by the collar and pulled his face seductively close to hers, “As soon as I get Kya to flush this bug out of me, it’s over for you, airhead.” She said from between gritted teeth; which only seemed to amuse him further.
“Are you going to name the bug?”
Lin scoffed, and lightly slapped his chest.
He had come a long way from babying her miseries to mocking them for her delight, which she preferred on any given day.
“Love bugs!” Kya called as she entered the room, “We have a lot to get done for tonight!”
Lin swirled out of Tenzin’s arm and instantly saw that Toph had left her Chief’s badge on the table accidentally.
“Let me get that to my mother before she leaves.”
The brother and sister thought nothing of it, until Lin had a minute long head start in getting to the docks. The docks where the ground wasn’t wooden, but pure Earth.
The two of them chased after her and as soon as Lin stepped foot on the cold outdoor grass, she found herself levitating on an air scooter: one obviously, of Tenzin’s making.
She groaned and just as she was dizzily about to fall off, Tenzin was at her waist to catch her and bring her back inside the house.
“I’ll take this.” Kya said, grabbing the badge from Lin’s hand and rushing out before the metalbender got a chance to speak.
“Tenzin what was that? You know I’m dizzy from the-”
“I just don’t want you running errands, honey.” He smiled stupidly.
Lin almost didn’t believe him, but knowing how Tenzin was capable of being, she decided to play it cool and let him have it. The man adored her, and even more so, loved giving her all the special treatment he could, much to her chagrin.
“Fine.” She said, almost giving him a tiny smile, “I thought you wanted me to help with the party tonight.”
“I do.” Tenzin whispered, “Which is why I don’t want you running these petty errands.”
“Oh, really?” She humored him, “What’s the important non-petty task you have in mind for me?”
“I want you to shadow Bumi.” He grinned.
Lin’s face dropped.
“Where even is he?”
Bumi returned home about an hour later, hands filled with grocery bags. It wasn’t unusual for the non-bender to be helping around with the more benign household chores, but it was strange how carefully he was moving about.
As soon as he entered the kitchen, he placed the large paper box on the table, letting out a big sigh of relief.
Not only his person, but also his task had arrived in one piece.
However, once in the kitchen, he was not greeted by the metalbender he was expecting.
Suyin.
“What are you doing here?” The youngster rolled her eyes at him.
“This is my house.” Bumi reasoned.
“Sure. But aren’t you too old to be living still in your parents’ house?”
Bumi shook his head with disbelief, “You do know I’m on leave from the United Forces, right?”
“United Forces?” The young Beifong scoffed, “More like United forced you to leave.”
“Why do I waste my breath on you, again?”
“Because your breathing proves to be a colossal waste of space anyway-”
“Su!” A voice scolded her from behind.
“And there’s your narc to save you.” Suyin shook her head, “I’m going to go sulk somewhere else. Congratulations, loser, on marrying a loser.”
“We’re not married yet.” Lin deadpanned.
“Either way- it’s going to be a loser union-”
The metallic plate holding the hinges of the door flew out in a jiffy and slapped itself across the young lady’s face momentarily. Suyin immediately bent the metal off and groaned.
“Act right, else you’ll be spending more time brushing grandma’s long white locks, kiddo.”
“Fine.” Su whined with exasperation, “I’m going to look at the cake though, that Commander no-bending has been handling so delicately.”
“There’s cake?”
But just as Suyin was about to get to the box, Bumi snatched it away, opened it up himself, and smashed his face into the cake.
The Beifong sisters looked at him aghast.
“Are you okay?” Lin asked, more concerned than confused.
“Yeah-” A pair of lips moved from under the white cream and cake covered face, “Just wanted to taste it and see if it’s any good.” He licked his lips, that directly forced a large chunk of the broken up cake into his mouth, “Mmmm, delicious!” His fingers dug through his skin and forced another chunk between his lips, “And it’s got good moisturizing properties too!”
“Yeah, okay, you’re really weird, Bumi.” Suyin cringed, “I’m going to try and be busy with absolutely anything else. Far from all of you.”
“Goodbye, Suyin!” Bumi sang as the young lady left the room.
“I think I understand why Tenzin wanted me to keep an eye on you.”
“Well, I’m just going to have to buy a new cake, right?”
“Yeah..” Lin said unevenly, “Try and not bring that home carefully just so you can destroy it, okay?”
“Aye, aye, Captain Beifong!” Bumi saluted with his creamy hands.
Once Tenzin and Kya learned of what had happened with the cake from Lin, they were initially appalled, but soon enough realized what Bumi had really done. He was only trying to protect Lin.
Tenzin had sent word out to Lin’s favorite bakery in the city for a cake to be made just for her. Bumi’s job, however, arose from his expertise in the kitchen: he was to purchase the cake and then write a secret message on it with frosting.
The message was on Tenzin’s behalf and it read, “I’m sorry for getting you pregnant.”
It was the perfect way to surprise Lin. She’d be asked to open the box in front of Tenzin and Kya, read the encryption and be shocked beyond compare- and well before the party no less. They couldn’t risk having her oblivious through the party since it would be hard to ensure she wasn’t drinking, given as it was a celebration after all.
However, none of them were expecting Suyin. Rather, they figured Su would only make it by evening: but little did they know that the young metalbender had already run away from Gaoling and was intercepted in Republic City itself. So now, the cake had to be hidden from a member within the house.
"This is a really interesting side of you, I must admit." Lin made her way stealthily over to her where her boyfriend.. ahem.. fiancé was blowing balloons. He simply pinched the orifice and used his airbending to inflate all the gold and silver colored celebratory balloons. She sat by his side on the floor and placed one hand on his bicep to stay him from his movements.
"What do you mean?" The airbender gave her a distracted smile.
"Taking charge." She shrugged, "Taking control of the situation instead of running off."
Tenzin placed the balloon down to his side and turned to face his girlfriend.. ahem, mother of his unborn child, "What?" He chucked with disbelief.
"This is a new look on you, and I have to admit," She stroked his beard affectionately, "I'm quite liking it."
Tenzin blushed and brought her hand over to his lips for a kiss, "Well, I'm going to be a married man soon, better start acting like it."
"I admire that, Tenz." She said genuinely, "That you understand what a marriage really is."
"Of course, Lin." He cupped her cheek with one hand and pulled her close for a quick peck, "I can't wait to be married to you and.."
He trailed off nervously, looking to the floor.
"And neither can I," She finished for him, bringing his face up by the chin, "I can't wait to be a family with you."
"Our own family." Tenzin bit his grin, resulting in a tiny smile.
"Some day." She winked, "Soon."
Before his rapid heartbeat could give away anything else about him, Tenzin picked up the next balloon and got to work. He had come so far in keeping it a secret and there was no way he was going to let it slip now. His plan had to work.
If only Suyin hadn't been there to be his foil.
Now Bumi had gone back to the city to pick up yet another cake and who knew how long until he got back. Thankfully, he'd be back in time before the party to have Lin read the cake- but this also meant that there was no more room for mishaps.
Within a few minutes, they heard the door to the main house fling open in the distance.
"Bumi?" Tenzin asked in the general direction, checking to see if Lin could answer for him.
"Wooden floor, remember?" She replied, knocking against it, "Plus, my bending is very off balance right now. I'm feeling two heartbeats in my own self, how am I to distinguish Bumi from a raccoon-fox?"
Tenzin's heart was elated. She could feel the two heartbeats- but she just had no idea. He wanted to kiss her in that moment, drop the charade and just tell her. But, he knew the look of surprise on Lin's face would be priceless too.
So instead, he resorted snorting with humor, "Honey, no amount of bending would show you the differences between Bumi and a raccoon-fox."
Lin only laughed her infectious laugh in response.
The two of them made their way to the main house, where they saw Bumi (as predicted) with none other than Izumi and Uncle Zuko.
"Guess who gave me a ride on Xinyi from the city!" The man announced.
Tenzin and Lin hurried outside to greet the newcomers. Izumi flung herself onto Tenzin while Lin jumped in her Uncle's Zuko's embrace.
"Congratulations, my kids!" Zuko laughed lovingly, giving Tenzin's shoulder a friendly pat while his other arm held Lin, "About time, don't you think?" He glanced over at his daughter.
"Absolutely!" Izumi smiled back, pulling Lin into her embrace as well.
While the pair accompanied the fire nation royalty, Bumi quietly snuck inside the kitchen along with the same cake he had begged the bakery to make for him one last time. He carried the piping tube containing his special blackberry frosting in his pocket and got ready to write on the cake.
Bumi took extra care to make sure that this time, it was perfect.
The party was to begin in the next two hours and Lin had to know of her pregnancy before she decided to drink to toast her nuptials.
“I’m sorry for getting you pregnant." Bumi read aloud, pleased with his work.
Now all he had to do was get the two of them into the kitchen along with Kya and they'd have their big reveal.
Except, Kya was missing, busy making some other preparations. Not that she was important to this time sensitive revelation, but he knew how badly she would've wanted to be there.
So, he waited in the kitchen, with the hopes the just the three of them would enter and there'd be no Suyin to thwart his efforts this time.
Instead, within a minute of his prayers, Izumi and Lin walked into the kitchen.
"Bumi, Lin says we’re on cake duty! Can I see it?" Izumi commented.
But Bumi threw himself in between her and the cake before she could open the box up and read the message.
"Oh yeah," Lin rolled her eyes, "Bumi's really weird about the cake. Don't even ask."
"Yeah," The non-bender heaved, "Nobody gets near the cake."
Lin snorted.
"I am to protect this cake with my life until I find Tenzin and K-"
Before he knew it, a zipline of sorts flew over him lining the ceiling of the kitchen. He must've barely looked up to recognize the young metalbender in flight when she kicked the back of his head with her toe- using just enough force to disorient him and then finished the job by shoving his back against the kitchen island only to have his face fall straight onto the box and smashing into the cake.
Yes, a second cake had been demolished.
Thankfully this time, the ruins were contained within the box with nothing on anyone’s face.
The devastation had extended into scotching out the words on top of it too- which in all fairness was a good sign so that no one could have caught onto its confidential information.
"Suyin!" Lin shouted, "What the-"
The young girl was just about to fling another set of cables in her sister's direction when Lin flung out her own set and averted her attack.
"Hey, hey-" Izumi fell in between, "What is going on here? Su, you ought to apologize to Bumi and Lin and-"
"Suyin!" Bumi shouted angrily.
No one had ever heard this rage in the Commander's voice.
Even Suyin had her tail between her legs at his tone.
"Do you not realize that that's your fucking sister??!"
"Bumi-"
"No, Lin!" Bumi walked forward towards the younger metalbender, "You're not going to destroy your sister's big day just because you want some attention from your mommy!" Izumi was almost holding him back from behind while Lin stood a short distance away, undecided between Bumi's alleged yet warranted over reaction and Su being Su.
"You're going to go back to your fucking room and behave your damn self, you understand me? Do my words percolate into that thick, dense Beifong-" His voice and tone dropped, "No offense, Linny," and she just nodded in fear as Bumi turned back around to face Suyin, "-Skull of yours?"
"Yeah-" Suyin feigned disinterest by rolling her eyes, "Whatever."
Bumi stomped his feet, and by this point, Zuko, Kya and Tenzin had entered the kitchen too- worried and distressed.
"I'm not your mother, so I don't want your attitude." Bumi continued, "Now get out of my sight and only show up for the party, behaved, or else you're leaving the Island and I don't care where you go-"
"Okay, Bumi!" Kya spoke up and ran her arm through her older brother's, "I think your message was received, loud and clear," She glanced over at the young girl, "Yes, Suyin?"
"Yeah." She replied softly.
"To your room then, please?" Kya acquiesced further.
Suyin simply turned around and left the kitchen without another word. She didn't even dare to look at anyone in there.
"That was a little harsh-" Tenzin started from behind, one arm around Lin's back.
"Harsh?" Bumi argued back, "She needed to hear it. She destroyed the cake-"
"That's fine, it's just cake-"
"She could've hurt Lin!" He maintained, louder than Tenzin.
Suddenly, it occurred to him too what his brother meant. Lin's condition was delicate- whether or not she knew it.
Lin looked over to Tenzin, who looked at his brother differently- with some kind of reverence coming from a place of love. It was strange. It was sweet, however, Lin decided. Bumi really cared for her- not that defending herself against Suyin's antics weren't part of her daily schedule- but it was nice to have someone pick a clear side once in a while instead of playing the diplomatic card.
"Thank you," Lin whispered, giving him the warmest of hugs, "Thank you, Bumi."
Something about this was making her irrationally emotional too. She really didn't want to stop hugging Bumi.
"That was hot, by the way, Bumi," Izumi smirked, "If I weren't married-"
"Izumi," Zuko cleared his throat, "Dear,” He almost pleaded.
"Right." She blushed.
Everyone giggled uncomfortably.
"Okay you all, get ready for the party and meet me back here? Our guests and families should be arriving soon and we don't want them seeing you without your makeup and what-not, right?" Bumi clasped his hands together.
As everyone dispersed in a cacophony of plans, Bumi continued, "Zumi, I need your help."
Tenzin was the first one to get ready as usual. He had a lot playing on his mind to worry about silly things like appearances. After ensuring that Suyin was still in her room, behaving, Tenzin made his way back to the kitchen to let Bumi know that the cake plan was off. That he had gotten a little too in over his head with surprising Lin and that it just wasn't feasible anymore. There was no way Bumi could've gotten another cake in time for them,
But the airbender was surprised at the sight before him.
With Izumi's help, the Commander was just taking out a precious looking loaf of cake from the oven.
"Hey, Tenz!" Bumi said, wiping the sweat off his brow as he delicately placed the cake on the table to prepare for frosting before it cooled, "So, home-made cake, okay? She just needs to read the message anyway, right?"
"Right." The airbender replied distractedly.
"What's wrong, Tenz?" Izumi asked.
Bumi looked up as well, observing Tenzin's look of utter dejection.
"I've used my best recipe," The Commander tried, "What other choice did we-"
Tenzin cut him off with a tight hug. Bumi's face relaxed and smiled.
"Thank you," The airbender whispered, "For the cake, and for looking out for her like that."
"Of course," Bumi spoke softly, coddling Tenzin's head, "You know how much I love Lin, and I'd never let anything happen to you or the little bug. Even if that meant putting Suyin in her place for once." He chuckled.
"Little bug?" Izumi was trying to catch up.
"Lin's got a stomach bug." Bumi said nonchalantly enough to make Tenzin snort out a little laugh instead of the tears he was holding back.
"You know that cake isn't going to make itself while you ladies sob and kiss, right?"
The men broke off and turned around to see their sister, dressed up and looking beautiful as ever, standing there smirking at them.
"Right," Bumi smiled, turning over to his brother, "Bring Lin in here in fifteen minutes, we'll be quick!"
"Make that five," Kya corrected, "The ferries are already docking in. Unless you want everyone to be here for the big reveal-"
"Let's hurry!"
"Reveal..?" Izumi shook her head.
Tenzin rushed back inside to fetch Lin from her bedroom. Normally, she wasn't one to take as long in getting dressed, but it was her special day- so who's to say?
He opened the door slightly to alert her of his presence and knocked, "Lin, are you about ready?"
No response.
Tenzin pushed open the door fully only to find that Lin wasn't in the bedroom. He looked about the room to find tiny traces of her presence, an open window- enough to incite a little panic, but when his eyes fell to the ajar door of the attached bathroom, he sighed in relief.
"Lin?" He asked softly against the door.
"Tenzin," She cried, "This was a bad idea."
He swiftly yanked the door open only to find her sitting on the floor with her arms around the toilet. She was wearing her royal green backless, halter gown with her hair spilling in a kempt mess around her face from holding it back. As elegant as she looked, her face was all dried tears, reddened eyes and pale cheeks. Tenzin sat down beside her and pulled her hair back.
"Talk to me?"
"This party," She began, "I want to marry you and be with you and have your babies and all of it- even if it wasn't in my immediate plans- but," She panted softly, "I'm just so tired of being sick- I can't believe I'm saying this, but I need a damned break to get my health in order and this makes no sense, I’m so emotional and-"
Tenzin cut her choked up voice with a hug.
She nuzzled into his arms comfortably as he soothed her with his hands.
"Come with me to the kitchen," He whispered, "I have a surprise for you."
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Bumi was just adding up his finishing touches. Which involved writing a certain word. Which also meant letting Izumi in on their little secret. She was thrilled to say the least, but she hated how she couldn't express her joy just yet.
"I'm sorry for getting y.. o... u-"
Bumi was laser focused on his piping work. This was it. But just as he got to the last word, his parents along with Toph, Zuko and Sokka were heard entering the main house.
Izumi quickly fell into stealth mode: Kya, get Lin and Tenzin, I'll guard the entrance and make sure no one gets in here.
However, Bumi was frantic, doing his best in keeping his hands steady. The main word couldn't be shabby. Anxious as he was, he kept peeking up to make sure there were no intruders- as much as he trusted Izumi with keeping guard, so much so that spellings were no longer a concept in his head.
Luckily, Kya's job was cut short as Tenzin and Lin emerged from the corridor. She grabbed both their hands and quietly spoke, "Our guests are here." Letting Tenzin know just what was happening.
When the three of them entered the kitchen, Bumi stepped away from the cake- looking at it with morbid fixation.
"Check out the cake, Lin." Tenzin whispered, making his best effort to mask his devilish grin.
They were all acting strange, Lin decided, but did as she was asked, nonetheless. Whatever this surprise was, couldn't possibly catch her as off guard as these dummies thought.
Oh, but she was so wrong.
"I'm sorry for getting you praganant?" Lin furrowed her brows, "What?"
"Pregnant!" Kya echoed.
"Bumi?" Lin looked at him aghast.
"Oh, no!" He shouted, "It's from Tenzin. I'm the mere laborer-"
"Tenzin?" She turned to him, shocked, holding the cake in her arms stupidly with a fickle grip.
"It's not a stomach bug," He smiled, "It's a love bug. Our little love bug."
"What the-"
"Code red!" Izumi yelled from outside as she led everyone into the kitchen.
Just as the lot of them entered, Bumi was the only one capable of thinking quick on his feet. He made note of Suyin entering the kitchen too from behind Tenzin due to the commotion, so there was no escape now. They were cornered. As Lin stood frozen in place facing the airbender, Bumi made his way around, gripped her hands from under the cake and slammed it straight onto her face.
Katara, Aang, Zuko and Sokka's faces fell. Toph announced, "I smell cake."
"Congratulations!" Bumi shouted, "On being part of this family."
Despite the cake covering her face, Lin wore a visible scowl for them all to see.
"Whoopie. I'm jumping with joy." She deadpanned.
"Oh dear," Katara began, "Let me get you all cleaned up my-"
"No!" Suyin exclaimed, "Tenzin has to kiss the cake off of Lin!"
At that, everyone sensed the humor in the room and lightened up. Tenzin walked forward and smashed his face into Lin's, kissing her with all his might, unbothered by all the cake flailing away to the floor. He continued kissing her while the others watched (rather, covered their eyes), until he was just as caked up as Lin.
"Now come here, Suyin." Tenzin and Lin smiled unanimously, "Let us give you all a hug."
Suyin laughed and ran up to them, and while Bumi was about to escape, Lin cornered him by bending the metallic handle around the kitchen into a belt to around his person.
"And you too, Kya," Lin added sarcastically, "For keeping me well informed."
But Kya gladly joined the cakey hug along with Izumi and Su as they huddled up against Bumi.
"Is it weird that I’m tempted to join that?" Sokka commented.
“Coming from you?” Toph replied, “Not really.”
"I love you," Tenzin whispered into Lin's ears, placing an inconspicuous hand on her belly.
"And we love you." She smiled back, squeezing his hand softly.
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Ectopic Ents is proud to announce the long-awaited vinyl reissue of the second Foetus album, ACHE, to coincide with it’s 40th anniversary. Released under the moniker You’ve Got Foetus On Your Breath, the ACHE album was originally released in 1982 on JG Thirlwell’s Self Immolation label, whilst he was resident in London. It was recorded at Lavender Sound studio in South London and engineered by Harlan Cockburn.
On its release it was acclaimed by the music press, John Peel and even cited by Leonard Cohen on more than one occasion. Over the years the album has become a highly sought-after collectors item.
The 2022 reissue was meticulously remastered by Josh Bonati and is pressed on white vinyl in a limited run of 1000. The album is packaged with a reproduction of the original promo poster from the album and a download code for the album in either high quality 320kbps mp3 or wav files. In addition, each order includes a 5″ x 5″ sticker of the album cover art personally signed by JG Thirlwell.
You can order the album at www.foetus.org and https://jgthirlwell.bandcamp.com/ (and yes, it's Bandcamp Friday!)
“Ache is possessed by a bristling, maniacal intelligence which spews out a jostling, surreal collage of subverted musical and verbal cliches, wired word associations, epigrams and sheer invective with frantic urgency and gleeful black humor. Ache is one of the most violently compelling records I’ve heard in ages.” Mat Snow, NME 12.11.1982
#Ectopic Ents#Foetus#ACHE#You’ve Got Foetus On Your Breath#JG Thirlwell#Self Immolation#Lavender Sound#Harlan Cockburn#John Peel#Leonard Cohen#Josh Bonati#Mat Snow#NME
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Chapter 4
Her body twisted effortlessly as she turned to envelope and wrap her arms around me .. sliding her tongue deeper into my mouth.
I felt it flutter, like a delicate butterfly , beating its wings in a gleeful frenzy.. teasing me as I tried to consume her.
She withdrew it slowly .. sliding it out through my lips , I was desperate to keep some part of her inside me. The tip curled cunningly, sliding under my top lip softly. I felt that desire and yearning again.
It whispered through me , rumbling up like a summer thunderstorm above the hot dry Savannah grasslands.
[yourname]’s tongue flicked and danced under my lip before dragging its tip , tickling up my nose before settling around an eye socket. Her mouth no longer a danger but a succulent loving warmth that left my face wet . I didn’t even care.
[yourname] wriggled her hips to turn over and her shoulders followed. I wrapped an arm around her , my hand firmly cupping and holding her tit, pressing it tight against her chest like it was her beating heart and I was its only protector. I wedged her little nipple between two fingers.
I pulled her close , feeling the length of her body fit into mine. The touch of skin , electric along its whole length. It stunned me , and i felt a glowing yearning covering my like a blanket. I wanted nothing else but to remain like this till the world rolled and the sands of time blew over us , turning us into ageless stone being stared at by the stars.
The movement was so slight I didn’t know if I felt it or not. She held my hand pressed hard against her breast with force, but her hips rocked slowly. So slowly. Like the lap of waves against the shore. Gentle but Relentless. The tide started to come in.. and she arched her smooth buttocks up, grinding them down with increasing urgency against my loins. I shifted awkwardly .. wedging my rising cock between her cheeks so she couldn’t edge me. Her body moaned softly and the tide broke over me.
Slowly , I lifted my thick thigh against the back of hers , forcing her delectable derrière up. I could feel a warm wetness as the juices of [yourname] insatiable cunt began to run down the back of her leg. Reaching down , I rubbed my shaft through the mess , pushing and mopping the slick into a puddle I could dip and roll around in.
And her hips swayed like the pacific waves.
I suddenly realized her tailplug was gone. A shockwave sent the hairs on my neck ablaze . A bubble rose slowly and popped somewhere deep in my simmering blood stream. The heat was almost uncomfortable as my heart thumped everything into my engorging cock.
It was lukewarm compared to the dark crevice between her legs. The tiny fissure of a long dormant volcano unable to be contained anymore. I had reawoken [yourname]’s soul.
She twisted against me , pressing her head to my chest as her mouth sought my ear.
“ I need you to love me , just in this moment. Fill the last hiding place I have and claim me completely. Tear me apart and hurt me if you must. Destroy me. Set yourself on fire so we can become a pile of ash irrelevant to the world , together. “
I smothered her words, sucking them into my mouth and stealing her breath.
She sucked them back in a gasp as the tip of my shaft marauded towards her copper penny. I grabbed one ass cheek roughly and with force , lifting it to open her rudely. My fingers pressed into her flesh for purchase and I guided [yourname] down onto me.
We lay like that silently for a moment .. each of us waiting in anticipation for the collision that would mark the end of both our worlds.
A shooting star screamed a white hot blaze overhead as the tip of my cock pressed against [yourname]’s hole . It buckled inward at the pressure but remained firm in its determination to stay closed. She was so stubborn .
I pushed my hips forward with the slow force of a tectonic plate . I thought my shaft would bend and buckle , but it held strong , firm as a steel monolith.
Slow.
Slow.
I could sense her mouth open and her eyes shut tight as she winced at the pressure.
Her hole began to open slightly .. reluctantly.
The muscle bands of her sphincter unfolding and stretching. Like a rubber band pulled to its breaking point .. and held there.
Time stopped and the warm breeze paused to listen for a twang.
Suddenly, there was give. The head of my cock plunged forward an inch .. like the tip of a spear piercing through the stretch of a taunt hide.
[yourname] cried out sharply .
“ ouaawww .. slowly .. please slowly .. it hurts .”
She whimpered and held back a sob.. panting to try contain and master the pain.
I was doing the same .. my eyes shut tight as she clamped my cock in her hot vice. The ring around my head holding my shaft with immense force.
I pushed in more .. my throbbing veins fighting not to collapse as they pushed groves into her delicate anal skin.
[yourname]’s whimpering was arousing but swung through my body like a scythe cutting wheat. It tore me down onto a hollow husk. She was all I could have , all I could be and was. She owned me. And we were married in flesh and soul as the moon blushed above us.
I continued to push .. giving her everything the universe would allow me to. She was holding her breath in a lip bitten gasp, but now released it as if I was pushing the air out her body myself.
I felt at any moment she would split clean in two. I needed her to accept me .. I would make her.
The skin on my cock slide over the shaft like a rug on a polished floor as [yourname] held me .. her hips gyrating in time to mine as she accommodated me . I felt her inner tubes hugging me even as I pushed .
“ Fuck ! … Fuck fuck fuck ! “ my pleas were the amalgamation of every fiber in my body as they went twang .
“… Mon amour , … , … , “
My heart surged as it prepared for the frantic wild bucking .. I grabbed her hips with both hands and pulled myself into her with all I had.
“… please , please , … Mon amour “
[yourname] turned to look at me , her face was flushed and red and her eyes glazed with primal lust .
“ show me “ she whispered.
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We Can Never Leave This Place by Eric LaRocca
"'How could you do this to me?' the creature asked. And the blind man said, 'I wanted to be the only one to hurt you.'"
A twisted, disgusting, and unhinged fever dream about the relentless hunger of grief, the revelation of traumatic secrets, and the struggle to end a cycle of abuse. Rarely an easy read, Eric LaRocca's handling of the themes throughout is as imaginative as it is frustratingly cringe-worthy as it is downright nauseating. Teetering on the line bordering gratuitous, he brings them to life with urgency and a gleeful depravity that helps pack a punch without ever resorting to the easy way out. The ending is shattering, and even more so in hindsight as the reader begins to connect the many cleverly brilliant moments throughout the pages preceding it that it brings to light.
8/10
-Timothy Patrick Boyer.
#booklr#book review#we can never leave this place#eric larocca#new books#horror books#library books#book reviews#2022#2022 books#novella#novellas#fiction#reading#readers of tumblr
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UNPROMPTED.
@drolliic asked ;; "I hope this doesn't come off as odd, but I've, uhm, I've noticed you're always snacking when out and about so I..." soft voice trails off and instead Sucrose pushes a small jar of candies in Minette's hands "I took the liberty of preparing a little something for you. I hope they are to your liking." prepared from scratch by the alchemist herself. Should Minette desire more, she can always drop by Sucrose's laboratory.
Oh !
Honestly , it wasn’t something many people picked up on. Or if they did , they didn’t tell her , and . . She kind of preferred it that way. Though Minette knew it was what she had to do in order to keep herself upright and functioning it didn’t stop her from being self conscious of the fact that she had to eat almost constantly to get any field work done. As a young woman , it frazzled her already shaky self view.
That was why the moment Sucrose mentions it , the knight colors over pink , mouth opening to spiel off a panicked explanation (as if it was a big deal.)
Though she pauses as the jar is handed to her , eyes wide and blinking inquisitively as they turn to her palms , her fluster beginning to calm.
Frozen in processing , Minette’s gaze soon turns back towards the alchemist , a look of disbelief present therein.
“ You . . Made these ? All on your own ? For me ? ”
The warm tint to her cheeks makes a comeback as disbelief turns to an excitement. Smile almost painfully large as she takes the time to pop the jar open and give the candies a sniff.
Minette could already tell from the smell alone they would be delicious . . And her stomach growls.
Carefully replacing the jars top and securing the jar safely within the bag at her hip , Minette reaches out and (gently) takes Sucrose’s hands in her own.
“ Th - Thank you so much , Sucrose ! These will help me a lot while I’m out working ! They’re amazing . . YOU’RE amazing ! ” The rush of emotions has brought her tail to a gleeful frenzy behind her person , and an urgency to the way her stomachs started to rumble . .
#drolliic#ϟ ▌╏ASKS.#ϟ ▌╏ IC.#ϟ ▌╏V ; 001.#((HDVNFB IM SORRY THIS IS SO LATE AAAAAAA))#((ALSO SHES SO EXCITED))#((Not only did sucrose not think any less of her for the snacking))#((she took the time to make something to help her))#((and that sends Minette to cloud nine BDCDHFVF))
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Souls at Sunset
Chapter Two ~ The Ropes
Moose, who had been absent-mindedly and rather inharmoniously humming sea shanties into the night, noticed a slender middle finger poke through a knot in the hatch. Announcing boisterously, “‘Vander's back!” He unlocked the small wooden door.
Evander climbed out, closing the hatch behind him, careful not to lock it this time. “He’s gonna need a minute, mate.”
Collin turned to the rest of the crew to jab, “Few hours with ‘Vander was torturous. Anyone would need to recover after that therapy session.” Evander rolled his eyes and clasped a hand on Moose’s wide shoulder “His name’s Vagor. Count to 200 then tell Cap he’s up.”
“What happened down there? Heard ‘em knocking.” Moose inquired with a deep chuckle.
Evander smiled wide, letting his eyes sparkle a bit by the moonlight. “We’ve got a fighter on our hands.”
Moose tried to match Evander's wide smile, but due to scars and sheer lack of practice, it only went about halfway on one side. He sat by the hatch and proudly started counting:
“One… two…. three… six…” effectively giving Vagor roughly a minute before finishing his error-riddled task and gathering himself to fetch Cap, something he likely couldn’t mess up. Emphasis on likely.
“Don’t think anyone’s slept this long since Moose knocked out ‘Vander last year.” Cap said gruffly as he approached the hatch. “C’mon out ya freeloader!”
Moose glanced at Evander and mouthed “Sorry” to which Evander merely shrugged and softly said “It’s in the past," absentmindedly rubbing his temple.
The hatch opened slowly as a very large and discombobulated figure muscled his broad shoulders awkwardly through, appearing rather disheveled.
Vagor took a moment to scan the small audience now surrounding him, a fact with which he found himself wholly unamused. He threw a hopeful glance Evander’s way, looking to him for reassurance that it would be okay to speak, to act - to be here.
Smiling in gleeful amusement at this absolute brute of a half-elf, both twice his size and twice his age, looking to him - all of twenty-four years of age - for advice and wisdom and comfort, Evander uncrossed one arm to gesture encouragingly for his new friend to speak up…
I’m gonna hate this kid, I can tell, thought Vagor, in a begrudging attempt to deny that he didn in fact, find himself every bit as reassured as he had hoped to be by that bright little pipsqueak of a man.
Vagor turned himself to face Captain, a charade of confidence backed by the knowledge that he had at least one turdish sailor looking out for him here. He clenched his fists at his sides, “I ain’t no fucking freeloader. I didn’t ask to be here. But here I fucking am.”
“So is everyone else here. Ye ain’t special. I don’t care much for how ye fell from the heavens, or for any sorry sob story 'bout yer dead mother. We make port in two weeks. Ye can sail, or ye can swim. Yer choice.” Captain Taprick wasn’t a busy man, but he had an urgency about him that encouraged fellow men not to waste his time with idle conversation.
A low growl of frustration echoed from Vagor’s throat as he leveled his gaze to meet that of Captain’s in a silent battle of will.
“Sail.”
He turned his back to the Captain and the rest of the crew, decisively maneuvering around the ship’s deck, taking it upon himself to check every bit of knotwork like he owned the place.
He tilted his yellow eyes up to catch sight of the stars that had only just begun to grace themselves upon the black canvas of night sky, assessing the ship’s heading for himself. He angled himself toward the quarter deck, grabbing the stair rail as if to make for the helm. He stopped short, however, shaking his head before casting an annoyed and purposefully condescending glare at the ship’s actual captain, and silently resumed his work amidst the ship’s rigging on the main deck.
“Vander, check his work. I won’t have my ship failing on his account. See that he has a bunk and let ‘em eat with the crew.” Captain Taprick turned to the crew before him, awaiting instruction while the stranger wandered nearby. “Back to yer posts, enough rubber neckin’ the newbie. Ain’t nothing special to see here!”
Evander rocked back and forth from heel to toes. “Aye,” he resounded with the crew as they scattered to their respective corners of the vessel.
Leaning against the mast, arms crossed with one foot resting on the beam, Evander watched Vagor inspecting the ropes, the ties, and equipment on deck.
“What kinda ship is this anyways?”
“Retired war sloop, think we still have some dusty canons in the hold. It hauls cargo now, Makir to Kepkot mostly. Sometimes Cap takes on private work and we get to go north to Chillwhim,” seeing Evanders words fall on deaf ears he added with a hopeful smile, “All places you’ll come to know and love.”
“Hasn’t anyone ever told ya what happens when you assume stuff?" Vagor huffed, faking disinterest, before caving and inquiring further, "What kind of cargo?”
“All kinds. Supplies and food. Nothing valuable beyond flour and cloth. Cap has some agreement with The Waters that he won’t carry gold.” Evander shrugged.
"Pity," Vagor replied, "Of all the ships I coulda landed on, I just had to find myself on this sorry excuse for a boat." He patted a hand on the ship's rail, adding apologetically to the vessel itself, "Apologies lass, it's not your fault."
"Technically, you didn't land on this ship, you landed right…over there." Evander squinted one eye, extending his right arm straight in front of him to point to the exact location where mere hours earlier, Vagor went splat.
"Shut up, smartass."
Knowing from many past experiences that nicknames, however unpleasant, were a sign of breaking ice, Evander let that one fall to the wayside.
Patient as ever, Evander didn't shut up per his acquaintance's request, and continued to elaborate in fanciful detail bits and pieces about the world of Whimsie to his crew mate.
“The Waters is a myth to most. A bit of shallow bedrock that stretches a few miles. Cap says sirens target gold-bearing ships, and only those without a speck of gold can pass. The siren pod calls themselves The Waters, controlling the lynch point for any sea vessel wishing to pass through.” Carefully watching Vagor's reactions he adds “I think it’s a bit of bullshit, but sirens leave us alone so, maybe the old bat’s onto something. All the same, it’s a good thing I found you when I did,” Evander added with a jesting wink.
“You spout this dung heap to every newcomer you meet?” Vagor replied, playfully.
“You’d be the first, we don’t meet too many new people at sea.”
Vagor’s response dripped with sarcasm, “I suppose the 'sirens' are to blame for that too, then.”
“Among many other terrible beasties. Careful your skepticism doesn’t get you on the wrong side of the railing.” Evander's tone flattened, conveying his warning with a more serious note.
“The right side, depending on how you look at it.” Vagor replied, seemingly nonplussed by the supposed lingering dangers of the dark waters tossing carelessly around them.
“He also says the seawater has enabled him to see in the dark” Collin added, eavesdropping on Evander grand tales. “I think he needs to get laid. Lad's not thinking straight. We’re all a bit starved.” Collin pauses, his eyes landing on Evander, “‘Cept maybe that one. Feeds on the ‘energy of the universe’ or some shit.”
“You should try it sometime.” Evander let his eyes go slack and threw his hand back as if downing an invisible drink.
Collin grunted in reply, busying himself away from the conversation that had failed to hold his interest.
Vagor, eyebrows raised at Collin’s words regarding Evander's 'uniqueness', scoffed in disbelief. “Wait, really? That’s not just more bullshit?” Adding under his breath, “Where the fuck am I…”
Once again reminded of his own vulnerability, his absent memory, and his utterly miniscule knowledge of his current surroundings, a slight shutter danced it’s way from Vagor’s head to his toes, shaking the walls of guarded resolution he had thrown up quicker than the flash of lightning that landed him aboard this strange and unsightly vessel in the first place.
“Nothing quite as magical as 'universe siphoning', as Collin here suggested.” Evander closed his eyes, carefully choosing his explanation “I made a choice, a long time ago, to see the bright side of every situation, every person. I don’t believe in bad luck, in hopelessness, it all seems a waste of energy.” Evander opened his eyes, careful not to look at Vagor “There’s too much cruelty in the world, therefore I won’t be. I expect nothing, and appreciate everything.” Evander gestured to the crew, “You can see how this lot thinks it’s witchcraft to have hope,” laughing at himself and letting some light back into the unexpectedly heavy subject.
“Well you can count me in with the ‘lot’ then. Sounds like a load of sunflower hocus-pocus to me. It rolls off the tongue all rosy-cozy, but there’s danger in expecting nothing. ‘No expectations’ can become a whole lot of assumptions real fuckin’ quick…Hold on, you can’t manifest shit can you? Like frickin’ self-fulfilling prophecy crap? I’m not about to let some young, dumb, and restless baby sailor start writing my life story for me…”
Evander’s bright eyes flashed to meet Vagors “Look who’s making assumptions now! I’m an open book, Vagor, if you want to judge how young and dumb I am… you can just ask, but for the record I can’t ‘manifest shit’, I just have a knack for navigating.”
“How conveniently ambiguous and poetically metaphorical…” Vagor huffed, before giving in to Evander’s offer to answer any questions. His hands mindlessly refastened the nearest brace line holding one of the sloop’s booms steady, “So, Whimsie? That’s what you call this place? This ‘world’?”
“You’ll find out poems are kinda my thing.” Taking a deep breath and hoisting himself onto the railing to perch “And yeah, Whimsie.”
“I hate it.”
“I’ll get ya a map. If yer planning on sticking around ya might as well learn the layout.”
“It pains me greatly to say, but I don’t exactly have anywhere else to be. So sure. And thanks, I guess.”
Evander’s gaze cast a spirited and glistening threat Vagor’s way, cautioning more poems and fanciful epigrams ahead. Vagor rolled his eyes, but silently promised to be the one to shut up and listen now.
“There’s less war than there used to be. Riches and fools can be found in the same place. Plenty of monsters, ventures, and titles to be had. It’s quite a beautiful sight, despite the locals. You won’t have to look far to find soul-feeding sights.” Evander clasped his hands together dramatically as he realized what was happening “Ah, it’s like teaching a baby bird to fly. I’m gonna enjoy this.” Glancing above them Evander pointed to a set of stars “Look here.”
“Stars, I see stars. What about them?” Vagor responded, before quickly quieting as he remembered his promise to keep a lid on it.
“Keep watching.” Evander stayed still, the bustle of the crew slowing as they buckled down the hatches for the night and the ship glided onward through the glassy sea. The immediate area teemed with silent wonder, save for the soft echoes of the waves crashing rhythmically against the sloop as it continued its cut through the deep blue waters.
Keeping his lips pursed in this temporary vow of silence, Vagor mumbled annoyedly at Evander, hands waving wildly, as a full and awkward two minutes had come and gone with little to see.
Comedically timed, as Evander had previously mentioned his ability to navigate events, a dark, gargantuan mass thrust itself into view overhead, blocking out the twinkling starlight behind it, as a massive and powerful whale head breached the night sky, heading straight for them. Its body was armored in enormous plate scales with multiple fins and tendrils flowing outward from its body, undulating as if the creature were swimming underwater and not, as it happened, through the distinctly waterless sky. It was pure magic. And massive - did we mention massive? Not a creature on Whimsie could compare to its size and presence. At what appeared to be the very last second, startling Vagor as he instinctively and rather childishly hit the deck in fear of a collision, the anomaly turned, taking effort to slowly - painfully slow, from Vagor’s vantage - change trajectory and glide back in and out of the atmosphere.
Evander let out a gleeful laugh to break the silence. “Ha! These guys also make it a habit to fly through clouds.” Following the whale's pattern with his hand. “Maybe you’re related.”
“I reiterate. I hate it.” Vagor scoffed, as he gathered himself back to a shaky stand.
“Oh, come on. You gotta admit this is incredible. Few people in Whimsie get to witness these beasts in action. Count yourself blessed!” Evander pointed as a few more sky whales breached, albeit less magnificently than the first.
“It’s the stuff of dreams, I’ll give you that…Or maybe nightmares,” Vagor added with an increasingly relaxed chuckle, “Fuck me, that was pretty frickin’ incredible.” He dared to step closer to the rail, taking in the dancing whales before him, and for the first time since waking up, granting himself a deep, refreshing breath of salty sea air. He wouldn’t admit it to Evander any time soon, but he also certainly couldn’t deny it to himself anymore either. That was at least a little soul-lifting. Alright, more than a little. “I guess being a Wanderer might have its privileges after all.”
Evander watched as Vagor’s chest rose and fell as he continued inhaling the ocean breeze. Vagor closed his eyes, before turning to Evander, “Okay, enough gawking. Show me your knotwork.” Vagor settled on the nearest rigging line, unfastening it himself before throwing it to Evander.
Letting out another hearty laugh, Evander replied “My knotwork, old man? You’re the freshie here-“ gesturing to the rope “-be my guest.” He crossed his arms, getting comfortable.
“You’ve been watching me redo your crew’s sad-ass knots for the better part of the last two hours. I’ve had my turn. Quit stallin’. You’re up.” He tossed the rope to Evander once more.
“Aye, your mistrust is crystal clear.” Evander took the rope, fighting the urge to roll his eyes at this unwelcome test of his sailing skill. “Just ‘cause it ain’t your way, don't make it wrong” Evander tied the rope, as he had a hundred times prior, letting second nature guide his slender hands.
Vagor eyed the quick work of Evander’s hands. So not sea-green, then. Vagor mused to himself, doubting his previous assertions. He shook his head in slight exasperation at Evander’s words, before offering reply. “It’s not mistrust. Just makin’ myself useful. You’re good, don’t doubt that. It’s just…if you add a loop here,” Vagor’s voice strained a little as he tightened the knot, “It holds every bit as fast, but it’ll untie a hell of a lot quicker,” taking this moment to demonstrate just that, and hand the rigging back to Evander again. “Here, try for yourself.”
Holding the rope, Evander shook his head “Ya sure ya didn’t get sucked up in a water spout from some fancy ship and plopped back down? You sure know a lot for someone not knowing a lot.” Evander began to do it again, his second nature kicking in before he felt Vagor’s critical gaze and slowed, adding in the deliberate second loop.
“Maybe I got a touch of witchcraft in me too.” Vagor teased, wiggling spooky fingers cheekily in Evander’s direction.
“Don’t let Cap catch you claiming that.” Evander's eyebrows raised in feigned warning.
“You think I give a rat’s ass what that jaundice-laden Banana Man thinks? Heh.” Vagor snorted in retort. “Mark my words, you’ll be calling me ‘Cap’ before long.” The mischief in Vagor’s speech was unmistakable.
“Big talk, fish boy. Those are dangerous words for someone miles from dry land. I’ve no doubt you can be a "Cap" someday, but a different vessel may be in order.”
“First of all," Vagor replied, holding his index finger up, "I’m a dangerous man with literally nothing to lose - dangerous words are my forte. Second, I can fuckin’ swim, ya know? And lastly, how the hell am I supposed to acquire a different vessel, WHEN THERE AIN’T NO FRICKIN’ GOLD ON THIS BOAT? What do they pay you with anyway? Which reminds me, I gotta make it loud and clear to Cap, that my services,” gesturing to the myriad of restrung knots and rigging now neatly organized about the ship’s deck, “won’t come cheap.”
Rubbing his hands over his face with a slight groan, “I’m gonna enjoy witnessing that conversation. Regarding pay, Cap stores his gold on land in different caches, and he pays when we port. Some men prefer payment in other ways, some work for free… I don’t think Cap was planning on shorting you, but you’d do well to remember you’re a guest… however unwitting.” Evander stretched, the conversation of potential future conflict making him tense.
“And you’d do well to respect your fuckin’ elders,” the forty-something-year-old man-child quipped back, huffing immaturely under his breath, “This kid, telling me what to do…” He shook his head in amusement at Evander’s audacity.
Evander offered a sarcastic “Aye, well, time for yer nap grandpa. Crew's bedding down for the night, grab a spare bunk and rise when the sun does. Ship doesn’t need much from us tonight.” Evander grabbed a nearby satchel and started to clamber up the mast to the crows nest. He turned back, gazing down at Vagor to add, “Understandable if ya ain’t tired, given all your rest. Also understandable if you’re exhausted, given your attempt to break the sound barrier. Just remember ya can’t jump ship 'til you’ve paid me back.” With a wink, Evander climbed the mast with such speed and grace, it was as if he weighed nothing more than the feather in his pocket.
Godsdammit, I kinda like that kid.
Vagor meandered his way to the ship's bough. Taking a relaxed wide stance, he crossed his arms over his chest, letting the soft, cool gusts of wind brush over his face. He wouldn't be closing his eyes tonight. He'd spend every last second of darkness, well into the morning hours, mesmerized by the impossible twirling pods of whales crashing through the stars, secretly eager to feel his soul lift even a little more.
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