#because sometimes the little things to you are boulders to them. sometimes it’s the whole sky

[seiwas]

the busier my friends and i have gotten with our lives the more i’m starting to understand what it means to choose and invest in the friendships you want to keep

#and it’s tough work!! investing time and effort and even money sometimes!! #bc to meet w a friend sometimes you have to grab some coffee or lunch or tickets to that movie #sometimes you have to wake up early for that run. sometimes you have to make that trip down to theirs #sometimes you have to make the conscious choice to message first. ask them how they are. listen and respond when they share #sometimes it’s supporting their endeavours no matter how small #because sometimes the little things to you are boulders to them. sometimes it’s the whole sky #and this isn’t to say that friendship is transactional or that it’s hassle in a bad way #it isn’t easy but it’s the kind if effort we don’t mind making; the kind of hassle that we’re willing to go through #sometimes it’s realising too that if you ask them of anything #they’ll answer in a heartbeat. that you have their support no matter the distance and time you’ve spent apart #idk 🥺 i’m emotional abt my friendships aksksj i love them loads and they’ve supported me tons this past year #and it’s fully sinking in now #it’s been so long since i felt so soft for my friends again #i feel like… i’m me again 🥺 #i talked so much again #super personal sel post sorry JAKSNJA

[sonder-paradise]

𝐋𝐞𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐌𝐲 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐀𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧 — 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭

◊ characters. childe, kaeya, alhaitham

◊ genre. angsty?

◊ synopsis. you can't help but feel as though the man in front of you is drifting away and there's nothing you can do about it.

— 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐞

Heaven knows you’ve tried. Over and over again, you would try to get rid of the ache and the pain you felt when he would smile at you and leave. The hours and minutes could never define the worry and confusion you absorbed when he returned only to tell you he was departing again. 

Childe was always busy with things. Whether it was the fact he never seemed to have enough time or he was off on another mission, you could see that he was fading away from you. Then again, he never truly felt whole. 

There was a brief moment when you would feel those butterflies all over again. When he’d arrive back on your doorstep with a tired look in his eyes but at least he returned back to you. But you would feel sick when he grazed your cheeks with his fingers, an empty admiration in his cerulean eyes. 

“I’m leaving again,” he says simply. And all you can do is nod because what is worse than staying trapped with those tomentous emotions? Confronting them. 

— 𝐊𝐚𝐞𝐲𝐚

At the end of the day, you try to pretend you are the people you once thought you were. Kaeya’s become distant, that’s for certain. You lean back in your seat, trying to remember the moments you would stay awake till midnight, exchanging whispers of secrecy and adoration. 

But you sit alone in the silence while you know that he’s busy. Always busy and always worried about the life he never got to live with his brother. You sip your drink, trying to rationalize the ideas in your mind. You’re unsure if this is a bump in the road or a boulder stopping your paths. 

“What are you still doing up?” Kaeya murmurs into the darkness. It’s late, you know. But you can’t help but wonder what would happen. What would happen if you left tomorrow morning? Would he search for you? 

The question plagues you as you merely smile at him. And you go back to pretending that you are the person you once thought you were to him. 

— 𝐀𝐥𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐦

There are things you don’t understand sometimes. The way he moves as if in the shadows and as if you do not exist to him. Everything to him is like a puzzle or a game and there are moments you think he thinks you are too. 

Alhaitham never slows down to explain things to you. You’ve watched him from afar, supported and loved him. He comes back to you bruised and broken and never explains himself. He whispers that it’s fine or it doesn’t matter. 

Still, it takes up all your mind. Does he truly care like you do? Does he realize just how much you’d be willing to sacrifice if only he’d let you in a little? You swallow thickly, reassuring him of problems you don’t want to mention. 

“Please don’t worry,” he whispers, brushing the tears from your eyes. But the secrets and the mysteries and the puzzles don’t make sense to you anymore. The world is so simple. So why can’t you two be as well?

taglist: @xo-cuteplosion-xo @planetxiao @nonsense-corner @ireallylikehamsters @eccedentesiast-sapphic @rebeccka @the-lost-anime-dad @lettucecabbage-kun @irethepotato @kageyama-i-want-tobiors @ajaxstar @plinkuro @kiraisastay @straymoon96 @coquettemaiden @leweird @uchihaeirin @lemontum @rocambolescomargot @fpyura

wanna join my taglist? comment under this post!!

#[🖋] writing #genshin childe #genshin kaeya #childe x gender neutral reader #childe x reader #childe angst #genshin x reader #kaeya x gender neutral reader #kaeya x reader #al haitham #al haitam x reader #genshin al haitham #childe x you #childe x y/n #genshin angst #genshin hurt/comfort #genshin impact x you #kaeya x y/n

[quitealotofsodapop]

Im sobbing and jsut imagining MK and the Noodle Gang doing a visit to FFM during Slow Boiled (either not the version where DBK dragged Wukong to live st the palace or a version where Wukong managed to convince them to let him live in the conforts of his own home) and see him working on building a shrine. First, they immediately stop him because "Wtf you're pregnant! Put the hammer down!" before asking what the shrine was for.

"Ah, it's a bit... personal. I'd been meaning to rebuild this old thing for a while after it got destroyed in... the Burning..." Wukong's face faltered a moment here at the memories, "but hadn't been able to bring myself to do it. I figured I'd finally get around yo it."

It doesn't take long to realize this shrine was to honor an ancestor of some sort, although with Wukong being well known for not having parents (as far as they knew) they were confused and asked who the shrine was for. Wukong had a sad, almost nostalgic smile as he calmly, yet somehow enthusiastically, explained.

"He was the Elder of the troupe that led us when I was a cub, before I became the Monkey King. He-"

"Wait! You weren't always the Monkey King!?"

"*sigh* Yes, kid. Once upon a time, I was a cub just like anyone else. Anyways! He was a storyteller at heart and ancient, like, old enough to remember the Great Floods ancient! See, the thing about him is that he was like me, a stone monkey. So when I hatched, he took me in and raised me, taught me about our people. As much as he could, anyway. His memory was going, and he wasn't long for the world even when I was still a cub."

"THERE WERE MORE-"

"Yes, scholar... I was not the only Stone Monkey."

DBK can't keep his little bro locked up at the Bull palace for long. Red would sneak Wukong out if he asks nicely. PIF and DBK just sigh, they can't cage a free spirit.

Wukong getting the drive to fix things up around FFM, only for the Noodle Gang to stop him from doing heavy construction. You know Pigsy makes a choked squeal the first time he sees Wukong trying to climb a ladder unassisted.

When Wukong finally explains what he was trying to fix, the gang's hearts just drop. Is it well known that The Monkey King did in fact lose people in the War - to think that he lost the closest thing to a parent even before that surprises them.

Tang ofc is nosey and must known More.

Wukong: "He was called Elder Shítougùshì. He was the only other Stone Monkey I had ever met." Tang: "Another stone monkey!?" Wukong: "Yes. He stayed behind on the island after the Great Flood even as the other survivors left for higher ground. He wanted to make sure no one forgot the original troupe." MK: "Then... you were born into a whole troupe of monkeys like you..." Wukong: "Not exactly. I still popped out of a stone egg - the "Boulder" that held me... it was my mother." The Noodle Shop Gang, thinking hard about the King's current Egg issue: "OH." Wukong: "Yeah... Elder and my Stalwarts had been the ones to find me when I finally hatched. He tried his best to raise me with help from the monkey demon troupe, but he still passed on sometime after we rediscovered the Stone Palace. Then I set out to find my first immortality." Tang, jttw-brain firing: "HE! He was the old monkey that passed away and set you on the path to find Master Subodhi!" Wukong, smiling sadly: "Yes. Yes he was." Sandy: "He sounds like a fine man- monkey Mr King. Hope he's happy to see where you are now." Wukong, tracing the old shrine with his fingers: "So do I big guy."

After the convo takes place, the Noodle Shop gang conspire to fix up some of the shrines and statues around the island. They get DBK involved since he remembers what the island was like pre-Burning. The Bull King would also jump to help honor the man that raised his little brother into the King he became!

Wukong comes home one day and finds that the shrine to Elder Shítougùshì has been reparied - not exactly how it was before the Burning, but finally clean and completed. A little ceramic monkey figure sitting on the altar.

Wukong cries like a cub when he realises MK and his friends fixed it.

#slow boiled stone egg au #stone matriarch au #stone monkies #sun wukong #pregnancy mention tw #lmk mk #qi xiaotian #lmk tang #lmk pigsy #lmk mei #lmk sandy #lmk #lego monkie kid

[presidentofthelipglossclub]

no bc deadass the rescue bots are straight up mean as hell. like, they arent evil or immoral they’re just rude. to the point where they’re meaner than the decepticons ok like megatron kept avoiding actually gettind rid of starscream despite the constant murder attempts but heatwave was willing to get rid of two of the other bots (blades after he abandoned a rescue bc of an avalanche and blurr bc blurr). heatwave is more ruthless than megatron which is so damn funny. blades keeps insulting people for no good reason (sometimes it makes sense but like quickshadow’s accent and how she talks made him so upset). chase is harder to see but he’s willing to do anything to follow the rules and he tends to repeatedly bring up other people’s issues (i dont think i have to explain but like example is little white lies. that whole episode). boulder is very sweet most of the time but the instant heatwave gets in on it he does too. multiple times in the show this has happened (off the top of my head when blades got the scoop claw hw and boulder were laughing at him and when hw made fun of blades boulder laughed, also heatwave was saying blurr was super annoying and boulder agreed).

to be clear this is a good thing. i wanna see more complex characters who are still fundamentally good people!! you can be callous, have low empathy, be egotistical, get angry, make fun of ur friends and still make good choices and still help people. you at your worst and you at your best are still both you, but your worst being bad doesn’t mean your best isn’t good. especially because morality wise the rescue bots are the best people. i mean, they aren’t war criminals (or regular criminals), they don’t physically harm others, they don’t put others at risk (at least not intentionally), and they literally had to pretend to be actual machines while risking their lives every day. these people who treated them as essentially slaves were who they had to protect. and they did it, over and over again, without hesitation. and i think they deserve to be a bit rude for that, and because their meanness comes from caring. if they didn’t care they wouldn’t bother to speak up and be heard, even if it’s in a disrespectful way. but they do.

anyways idk rescue bots brainrot and the concept of a fundamentally good society have been eating away at me.

#they love everybody so much that they snap so often #heatwave cares about his team. when he says someone needs to go its a big deal #because he cares about that member but he also cares about the rest of his team #one wrong move and they’re dead. it’s life or death every day #he doesnt want to invite the day where death will be the winner #blades getting so pissed and confused by quickshadow’s accent and speech was so damn funny tho #i too am confused and pissed by the british #boulder being the nicest kindest most gentle bot immediately going away when heatwave decides to be petty is always delightful #“hmm this person is doing something funny/wrong/objectively dumb but everyone makes mista— oh? heatwave is making fun of them? count me in! #homosexual behaviour #heatwave makes people worse <3 #chase bringing up the oldest shit to make a dig at someone is so silly #you make one mistake and years later he’s still bringing it up #looking at my tags as i write them and hw’s are so serious and everyone else’s are like “lmao silly little guy says silly little things” #rescue bots #tfrb #tfrb heatwave #tfrb boulder #tfrb blades #tfrb chase #transformers rescue bots #transformers

[innocent-cat]

I saw the Vox Machina with an Eda like reader and liked it, can I get a platonic one for Reader who is like King?

Not human thinks they are something related to monsters (but it turns out they are powerful creatures), are basically like a kid who gets frustrated when something doesn't go right and releases a squeak of rage, and is on a journey to find their family.

Waitttt I actually love this idea?

HEY!!! YOU!!!! my comms r open!! please request me!!

PartTitan!Reader x Vox Machina

HEADCANNONS

warnings - none

"Temper Titan", Titan!Reader x vox machina

everyone at once (devil emoji)

Nobody really quite KNOWS what you are, but they know you're part.

Referencing to the title, Percy has said he thinks your part titan, but due to advancements, there is no way to know for sure.

Because of that, Vox Machina had become known for having a "Temper Titan."

It's kind of embarrassing, at first when you heard of it, but you are pretty terrifying when you're mad.

Much like King and other titans, when you stomp or yell, the ground shakes and often things that should be strong enough to be stable such as a boulder, break.

Vox Machina also calls you this… but.. at least they accept you?

Anger issues goes crazy as a titan. you're real sensitive, but you can often end up sad instead of angry when they try to wind you up mid-battle.

Scanlan often tries to make fun of you during a battle but instead he just tugs on your strings and makes you cry.

A little upsetting when it happens, and you end up not talking to Scanlan for a while.

called you a whole loser dude

He was MEANNN man.

Of course, your cries are just as powerful if not more powerful than your stomps and yells.

he likes to pretend you couldn't drag him with and without magic

Sadly, when you do have a temper, Keyleth can feel it through her plants.

Its a downside, so when you're going nuts, Keyleth is down and coping with the fact the ground and plants are in pain.

its also a battle field issue a lot.. thankfully Scanlan's bard magic can always lift them up, but, it makes them a big, chunky target.

You being a little kid they don't want to be up too long without you.

Percy is especially careful about this.

Vex and Vax on the other hand could not care LESS.

swim or drown in their little world.

Keyleth scolds them about their carelessness for you, but when it comes down to it, they are the first ones to dive in and save you.

Vax especially.

They both see you as a younger sibling.

They try to keep your temper under control, but it doesn't work out sometimes, and you guys end up having to run away while in public

Like.. literally mid tantrum they'll just pick you up and put you on trinket.

sent away for poor behavior!!!

Vax buys you literally anything you want and its crazy..

its not even because he doesn't want you to be mad, its because he wants you to have what he didn't in his childhood, but Vex has a different view, and still wants you to grow up and be a responsible person.

BUT ANYWAYYYYYYY MORE KEYLETHH??? YES MORE KIKI

she often likes to take you out to nature just because

her connection to it makes her feel you have one too because they all think(know) you're a titan.

its really nice because you'll literally just lay there and you'll feel vines and grass growing around you comfortingly

like a big ol' blanket

Sometimes, you'll go out to her little spot without her, and you'll literally just be there for HOURS.

You gave Percy a heart attack.

he kinda scolded Keyleth for it so you started crying.. and.. titan tantrum.

he kinda just sighed and picked you up and brought you home with Keyleth

Grog is also low-key protective of you???

a lot like how he is with Pike

Pike might have told him to protect you, but either way, he is quite the man for the job.

consider him a body blocker

PIKE WILL MAKE YOU FUCKING MEDITATE WITH HER

not for religious reasons, just to help you calm down sometimes.

She's super sweet to you man.

mama pike

usually the one cooking for you because she strongly believes you should not be eating all the crap Vox Machina eats because they're all raging alcoholics with mommy or daddy issues(most of the time both)

#x reader #percy de rolo #vox machina #fluff #percival de rolo #percy de rolo x reader #the legend of vox machina #keyleth of the air ashari #keyleth x reader #pike x reader #pike trickfoot #child reader #titan reader #the legend of vox machina x reader #the legends of vox machina #vox machina x reader #legend of vox machina #headcannon #vax x reader #vex x reader #vex and vax #grog x reader

[kirislovelygf]

hiiiiii could you maybe do one where reader is metkayina (tsireya and ao’nung’s sister) and when the sully’s come she develops a big crush on kiri and one day while the rest of the sully siblings are training with tsireya and ao’nung, reader shows kiri to a secret spot and they confess their feelings for each other?? and it’s just really cute and fluffy

the waterfall (kiri sully x fem! metkayina reader)

contents: wlw confession, crushing, wlw loveee, teen crushes, young love, secret spot, kisses, just fluff

wrd count: 1.6k

a/n: AWW THIS IS SUCH A CUTE PROMPT <33 ty to whoever requested it, i did my best to carry out the prompt, i hope you love it!!

̩͙✧ ₊˚𖦹

ever since kiri, arrived, i was obsessed.

not in a creepy way.

but i love spending time with her.

and teaching her about the ways of my village.

she’s so funny and kind and beautiful.

like the other day, when i was teaching her about the sea animals.

i was showing her a fish i knew a lot about and was telling about all these cool facts i learned about it growing up.

and everyone i took a breath to look at her, she’d be smiling with her bright curious eyes on me.

and earlier today, when we met up for morning feast, or break-fast as she calls it, she came with her two front hair strands in little braids.

and two hair clips i have on either side of her head.

she was absolutely glowing and i just, i couldn’t stop smiling!

she looked so cute!

and now it’s later and all of us are on the beach.

we’re supposed to be training them with their ilus.

“hey.” kiri whispered to me as we stood next to each other on the beach.

i smile and glance at her.

“you wanna get outta here?” she asks.

i look over at my siblings as they teach the sullys about ilu behavior.

“yeah, let’s go.” i whispered back. we tiptoed away from the group until we were far away enough to run and not get noticed.

i took her hand and we ran into the jungle of the mainland.

“where are you taking me?” she laughed.

i turn and hold both her hands in front of me. i look up at her excitedly.

“i have a spot i want to take you to. i think you’ll love it!”

she nods and i continue to lead her through the jungle.

we finally reach a clearing and i push giant leaves out of my way to reveal my favorite spot on the whole island.

a cove with a waterfall. the most relaxing place i’ve ever known.

plants and flowers surrounding the pool and vines hung from tree to tree over it.

“woww.. it’s just like the forest at home.” kiri gushes as she stared at the wildlife around her.

i watch her in admiration as she stared at birds fly by.

“yeah, i.. i sometimes come here to be by myself.” i told her.

she looks down at me and smiles.

“come. i have another spot to show you.” i smiled.

i take her hand again and we walk around the pool to the giant boulders where the waterfall was formed.

under it was an opening where you could sit behind the waterfall.

we sit down next to each other and despite the load chaotic noise from outside, the waterfall made little noise where we were.

i watched as kiri stuck her azure striped hand into the water. it splashed on her palm and she giggled at the sensation.

i laughed softly at her reaction before she shook her hand and the water droplet got all over me.

i rolled my eyes and wiped it off my face.

“very funny, forest girl.”

“i know.” she smirked.

i sit with my legs crossed, facing the water.

tell her, tell her, tell her, don’t miss your chance, tell her!

“how do you like the island so far, kiri?” i asked her nervously.

“that’s the thing, you’re the best part of it.” she chuckled.

i don’t think she knows i took that seriously because my cheeks are heating up so much, i think they might catch fire.

i laugh nervously in response.

“but seriously..”

ugh.

“..i love learning about the island every day. and your culture and your people.” she smiled.

she’s so perfect.

“that’s nice. i’m glad you’re comfortable here.” i said.

“and i’m also happy to have a new friend.” she nodded.

“what about all the friends from your home? don’t you miss them?” i asked.

“oh.. yeah. i didn’t have many friends in my old clan.” she admitted.

i look at her confused. “you’re joking.”

“no. i’m serious. the other girls always thought i was weird because.. well, you know.” she hold up her hand and wiggles her tiny finger.

i laugh and put her hand down. our fingers end up interlocking and our hands stay there.

“i didn’t think that would be possible.” i said.

“i know you think i’m very cool and beautiful but the other girls never felt that way. so the only friends i had that i were a girl were my mother and little sister.” she said.

i chuckled softly.

“that’s kind of sad, kiri.” i said.

“i know.”

we stayed like this for a moment.

“but you have tsireya now too.” i said.

“huh? oh! yeah, of course tsireya.” she continued.

i look at her suspiciously.

“is she not a good friend to you?” i asked her.

“no! no, she’s great! it’s not like that uhm-“

“so-“

“let me start over.”

i laugh softly and watch as she takes a deep breath.

“i like ao’nung as a friend. i like tsireya as a friend. but with you… i like you just not in that way.”

my heart started pounding.

“i think i know what you’re trying to say..”

she sighed out in relief.

“but you can say it still.”

“you’re seriously gonna make me?” she laughs out.

“i mean.. yeah.” i shrugged.

we both laughed softly. she sighed.

“i like you, y/n. since i got here and you said hi to me first. you were so nice and i just.. fell for you. really.” she admitted.

“aw, kiri..”

“so.. will you be my girlfriend?” she asked nervously.

i was so excited that i threw her arms around her and hugged her, squealing in excitement.

“aw, kiri! yes!” i laughed out. she laughs and hugs me back with one arm, the other holding her up because my whole body weight was on her.

i picked my head up to look at her.

she watches me for a moment, looking in admiration, before my lips crashed against hers.

her hand gets lost in my hair as she holds my head. i smiled against her lips.

we helped hands all the way back to the village and spent the rest of the day together.

when i got home for what kiri calls dinner, my family asked why i was so smiley.

kiri wanted to be a good girlfriend and ask my parents for permission to take me out on a date.

my parents already like kiri and i know they’d have no problem with it, but she wanted to do it her way.

and it made her happy, so i kept it a secret for now.

̩͙✧ ₊˚𖦹

#writing blog #atwow fluff #atwow x reader #avatar the way of water #writers #kiri x y/n #atwow kiri #kiri sully #kiri sully x reader #kiri x reader #wlw post #wlw blog #wlw pride #wlw writing #wlw community #sapphic

[nixtwix]

alr, so...I have no clue if having your OC being shipped with canon is neccesary or not...so I asked people I knew what ships for Nix would be good. The main ones were Bark or Ray. This causes a literal fight in my family, one wanted bark,the other wanted Ray. So I asked the youngest and she didn't want part of it. So my mom was the tie breaker. And she chose Ray. So boom. there's finally an Oc ship. I present to you: Strawberry Lemonade (there's no yellow so it'll work) I have no clue what Rays Age is though mainly because by the time I got fully emerged into the sonic fandom enough to want to know there ages was around the time Sega took away there ages. and Archie aswell as the wiki didn't help because it would say "He looks 12, but he's actually 16!" or it would say there ages from when they first debut to now which would be 31. (Which mighty and ray's birthday game wise is June 1st!) So I was walking on eggshells, so I thought to keep the ship wholesome for now. instead of kissing they clean eachother's fur, and They Nuzzle eachother (which causes nix to have static electricity like surge and shocks both of them) They don't spend as much time however, due to Ray travelling with Mighty. but when they meet they make up for it with cuddles and hugs. Also during the modern time, Ray gets a little protective over nix due to what happened to her and she has a little bit of naivety. not as much as when she was younger, but still there. and he doesn't immediately jump the boat, he actually learned from the chaotix (and watching knuckles and rouge) to tell the difference between conversation,flirting,negging or if someones trying to get help without saying it. So when this happens he comes up and wraps his tail around nix, to and outside person he's just using his tail as a fancy scarf for her to keep her warm. on the other hand he's actually being protective and if things get out of hand will pick her up and go. (luckily it never has gotten that far yet.) also, Nix has a hard time keeping warmth or heat especially now that she doesn't wear as many sweaters so she tends to steal Ray's Scarf. Because if you unfolded it That Scarf looks THICK like three steps to a wrap around Poncho. Another thing, Is that Nix is very Shy and given her scars she's pretty self conscious about it. Ray Doesn't understand why and tries to help her accept her scars. occasionally, mainly when they get older, he sometimes kisses her face Scars to let her know he's not afraid of her and that she's not ruined. (another thing that has nothing to do with the ship, (well it might) is that Ray self proclaims he's weaker when in reality he's actually pretty strong, not like mighty or knuckles but when you think about it, Ray does A LOT of acrobatics and has agility (which you need at least some muscle from what i've heard. Added with almost his whole life he travels and trains with mighty. He is bound to have at least some strength over the years, I think he doesn't realize it, because we mainly see mighty and ray hang out with Amy,Knuckles and Maybe Bark. all who have or had some serious strength even before the modern timeline. so while he's not strong enough to move boulders or crack mountains, He can sure as heck leave a dent in metal...if only he got the chance...)

#oc x canon #sonic mania #sonic archie #ray the flying squirrel

[twoidiotwriters1]

The Curse of Oenone (Leo Valdez xFem!Oc)

A/N: Fun fact! Leo x Echo is my favorite noncanon ship, they would've been much better than Caleo tbh -Danny Words: 2,148 Series' Masterlist Previous Chapter // Next Chapter Listen to: 'Cloud 9' -by Paravi

VI: I Can't Beat the Simping Allegations

"Who did you see in Nemesis, Ara?"

The question is so straightforward it catches her off guard. Leo is allowed to ask that kind of stuff, but at the same time, he should shut up and mind his business.

"Aunt Rosa was the one who kicked you out, right?" Ara asks back.

Leo makes a face. "Yeah..." he moves on to Hazel so Ara can't keep asking about Aunt Rosa. "What Nemesis said about your brother..."

"Nico," Hazel's voice cracks. "He found me in the Underworld. He brought me back to the mortal world and convinced the Romans at Camp Jupiter to accept me. I owe him for my second chance at life. If Nemesis is right, and Nico's in danger... I have to help him."

Ara wants to help Nico, even if they have a complicated history. She doesn't hate the boy like that. "He probably never mentioned me..."

"I think he did," Hazel replies. "Sometimes he'd talk about people he met throughout the years, he'd mention this girl a lot... Lily Saggio. He said she's Italian too."

"That's our best friend," Ara responds. "She understands your brother better than anyone else."

"You're Birdy, right? That's how he calls you," Hazel gives her a sympathetic smile. "He respects you."

"What? Really?" She frowns.

Is Ara the only one holding onto the past? Or was Nico keeping things hidden because he couldn't give the context to Hazel? The truth is, she avoided him for a whole year thinking it was the only way to keep a civil relationship, and now she doesn't really know him.

If they rescue him, maybe they should talk without getting defensive, maybe he'll surprise her in a good way.

"Ara, stop threatening to hit Nico with your book!"

"Then tell him to stay on his side!" I whine. "His stupid jacket is too big..."

I glare at Nico. We found him in this weird farm that's placed above a labyrinth's entrance, and for some reason, everyone thought it was a good idea to sit me next to this jerk.

We're trying to ignore each other, but at some point, he starts to squirm and insists he has important business to attend to with the owner of this dumpster, Geryon.

"He's good at making clothes? Is he going to cut your jacket in half so you stop looking like a dwarf?" I taunt him. "Can't even see your hands in that..."

"I'm not talking to you," he clenches his jaw.

"Lily's worried about you. You left without saying a word, and she's your friend."

"She thinks my father will kill her if I get hurt," he corrects me.

I frown. "So she deserves to fear for her life because of your tantrum?"

"My sister dying is not reason enough to be mad?" He turns to me with angry dark eyes.

"I didn't say that. I'm just telling you how Lily feels. It'd be nice if you went back to camp, but you can stay here and die for all I care."

"Ara!" Percy looks at me in shock from his cart. "Don't say that!"

I look away and sink into my seat, sulking. 

Nico's voice is a little quieter this time. "You're still training?"

"Obviously," I glance at him with disdain. "You're still a shitty swordsman?"

His face turns red. "The labyrinth is above your skills, but if you die, you and Percy will get what you both deserve."

"Nico!" Annabeth gasps.

"You're a crybaby and an idiot who follows the ill advice of dead men!" I bark.

Everyone's looking at us from their carts unable to stop our argument. Nico and I continue to fight each other all the way to Geryon's place.

Ara sees some boulders ahead. "There, let's take a look..."

She reaches the top easily, Hazel climbs after her and Leo is the last one to go up, but he slips and both girls reach out simultaneously, leaving them in an awkward position with Leo's face only a few inches apart from theirs.

"Um, thanks." 

He lets go of Hazel's hand first and uses Ara's to steady himself. That should give her some reassurance, but it only increases her torment, because she can feel the anxiety coming from him. They cannot stay there huddled together without risking one of them slipping again, so she slips forward.

"I'll check the other side."

"Wait, you don't know—"

"It's my job," she says, eyes darting away so she doesn't have to look at him.

Ara's so distracted by her feelings that she doesn't see the young girl beside her, even though the girl makes a huge effort to be noticed. It's only until Hazel and Leo start talking again that Ara realizes she's there.

"...Cursed boy she mentioned." Utters a voice beside her.

Ara draws Almighty out of instinct. When she points it in the direction of the voice, she finds a young girl, wide-eyed and petrified. "Who are you?" She points the sword at the girl's chest. "Step back!"

"Step back," the girl raises her hands in surrender and stumbles backward.

"Ara? What is it?" Hazel tries to focus her gaze. "Wait, is that a person?"

"A person," the girl shakes her head miserably.

"Are you the cursed kid Nemesis mentioned?" Leo's brow furrows. "But you're a girl."

"You're a girl."

"Excuse me?"

"Excuse me."

"You're Echo," Ara studies the girl. "You came back! So you can't be a nymph, right? Nymphs don't have souls—Was I wrong to believe you were—?"

"Ara, she can't answer you," Leo slips down the boulder to join them, and Hazel follows suit. "You can't, can you?"

"Can you," the girl shakes her head again.

"What are you doing here?" Ara continues with the interrogatory anyway. "Nemesis's cursed boy... Is it him?"

"Him," Echo's eyes glisten with longing.

"Oh." Ara turns to the others with newfound energy. "I know who's guarding the celestial bronze."

Nymphs are always fighting over a random dude.

"Alright, ladies, make room!" Ara uses charmspeak. "The faster we do our job, the faster you can go back to staring..." her voice quivers when she spots him. "At your man."

Leo sneaks his way through and whistles lowly. "Dang."

"He's gorgeous," Hazel breathes out.

"I am," the young man in front of them sighs dreamily. "I am so gorgeous."

"To die for," Ara hums in agreement, but she's looking at him like he's a mythical creature, which he kind of is. "Is he glowing?"

She realizes too late that's his soul light, therefore the others can't see what she's seeing, but they don't get confused with her ask anyway, because they're too distracted by the man's looks.

"It's the reflection of that thing," Leo scowls at the celestial bronze in the water.

Ara crouches next to the young man like she's dealing with an endangered species: Mister Universe, the last of his kind.

"How is your hair shiny yet not greasy?" She asks quietly, mostly to herself. "I'm sure you haven't bathed in centuries but you don't smell so bad—And don't get me started on your skin! That jawline—"

"Ara, you know who this guy is?" Hazel interrupts her.

"Narcissus," Ara's eyes are fixed on him. "He's what some of my siblings wish they were." She grins, and her expression only means trouble. "Watch this..."

The girl dips her finger in the water distorting the surface. Narcissus tries to push her away, but he misses and only grazes her shoulder, too desperate to find his reflection again. Ara laughs and reaches out again, but Hazel stops her.

"Wait—What's going on here? Why did Echo bring us here?"

"Echo was a nymph like us," one of the fangirls replies with contempt. "A long time ago, but she was a total chatterbox! Gossiping, blah, blah, blah, all the time."

"A nymph?" Ara frowns. "So was I wrong to assume—"

"Ara, focus," Hazel prevents her from derailing.

Ara dusts off her hands, gets up, and looks around trying to find a solution. She can tell this crowd won't make it easy, they want the cute guy to stay. Leo takes her place next to Narcissus while the nymphs keep arguing with each other.

"So, Narcissus. What's up?"

"Could you move?" The young man says without looking up. "You're ruining the view."

Leo turns to Ara as if asking Can you believe this guy? then leans forward to inspect the celestial bronze lying at the bottom of the pond. Ara can't help but compare the young men: Next to Narcissus, her boyfriend is a run-of-the-mill dude, Narcissus's features are masculine and chiseled, while Leo's are ordinary and childish.

However, to her, Leo's are familiar and more human. The sunshine bounces off the water's surface and hits his face in a way that reminds her of their soul light, his curls are a mix of copper red and golden that resemble the colors of a campfire. Even while standing beside Narcissus, Leo still holds all of Ara's attention.

It doesn't take away from the fact that he's not placing boundaries on Hazel, so realizing how deeply in love she is, is only frightening her even more.

"Right, great view," Leo looks back at Narcissus. "Happy to move, but if you're not using it, could I just take that sheet of bronze?"

"No. I love him. He's so gorgeous."

Leo looks back at Ara and her only reply is a shrug. This is the bronze they ought to take, and the sun is already setting.

"Man," the boy tries again, this time annoyed. "You do realize that you're looking at yourself in the water, right?"

"I am so great," he reaches down to touch his reflection, then decides against it. "No, I can't make ripples. That ruins the image. Wow... I am so great."

"Yeah," Leo says through gritted teeth. "But if I took the bronze, you could still see yourself in the water. Or here..." he pulls out a little mirror from his tool belt. "I'll trade you."

"Hernán Cortés would be so proud of you," Ara murmurs. 

The boy looks up in outrage. "Ara, don't ever say that to me."

"Even you carry a picture of me?" Narcissus glances at the mirror before going back to the pond. "I don't blame you. I am gorgeous. Thank you." He grabs the small item and puts it aside. "But I already have a much better image. The color flatters me, don't you think?"

"I'm starting to suspect Narcissus isn't the brightest flower in the pond," Ara says sarcastically.

Echo sits beside the young man, hopelessly trying to make him look away for just a moment. Hazel pulls Leo and Ara for a private talk, and they gather away from the nymphs. Echo joins them sadly.

"Can't you just charmspeak him into giving us the piece?"

"Narcissus is too in love with himself to fall for my words. And the nymphs want him to stay, they won't listen to reason. But I got a sword and I know how to knock people unconscious?" Ara offers.

"Maybe that's our best bet. Nemesis was right," Hazel replies, almost as upset as Leo was a few minutes ago. "Some demigods can't change their nature. Narcissus is going to stay there until he dies again."

"No," Leo says with surprising determination.

"No," Echo repeats earnestly.

"We need that bronze," he presses. "If we take it away, it might give Narcissus a reason to snap out of it. Echo could have a chance to save him."

"A chance to save him," the nymph nods keenly.

"It could also make several dozen nymphs very angry with us," Hazel points out. "And Narcissus might still know how to shoot his bow."

"I wouldn't worry about that," Ara responds. "His arrows are brittle, and the string of his bow won't work properly, it's too old."

"How do you know that?" Hazel asks with surprise.

"Because I have eyes," she raises a brow. "And my friend Lily is an archer, I know how bows and arrows are supposed to look like when they're in good condition."

"Hazel," Leo continues, his eyes brightening. "Your power with precious metal—Can you just detect it, or can you actually summon it to you?"

"Sometimes I can summon it. I've never tried with a piece of Celestial bronze that big before," Hazel ponders. "I might be able to draw it to me through the earth, but I'd have to be fairly close. It would take a lot of concentration, and it wouldn't be fast."

"Be fast," Echo says excitedly.

Leo curses under his breath. He's got the broadest repertoire of bad words Ara has ever heard, and Michael tended to use pretty strong language on the daily.

"All right. We'll have to try something risky. Hazel, how about you try to summon the bronze from right here? Make it sink through the sand and tunnel over to you, then grab it and run for the ship."

"But Narcissus is looking at it all the time!"

"All the time," Echo pouts.

"That'll be my job," Leo makes a face. "Echo, Ara, and I will cause a distraction."

"Distraction?" Echo repeats.

"I'll explain," he assures her. "Are you willing?"

"Willing," the nymph nods.

"Doll?" He asks Ara making use of his cute puppy eyes.

It's not fair that he's got her wrapped around his finger like this. Usually, she's the one who makes others do stuff for her by pouting and being cute.

"Just tell us your plan," she sighs in defeat.

Next Chapter –>

Taglist.

@siriuslysirius1107 @ask-giggles1303 @asnyox-the-hoarder @im-planning-something-look @bandshirts-andbooks @coolninjapaper @thewaterlily @whenisthefall @1randomcomic @you-bloody-shank @sunflowergraves @owlalex44 @taylordaughter @typicalsolangelolover @writingmia @espressopatronum454 @slytherinnqueen @orbitingpolaris @obxstiles @ellipsisspelled

#twoidiots writing #pjo fanfic #leo valdez x oc #leo valdez fanfic #percy jackson and the olympians #heroes of olympus #doo

[askthemysterkids]

What kind of HTTYD dragons would they train?

Okay so! I had to get help from the wonderful Misty for this one! (Thank you so much!) All of the thoughts on this one is from her. She put a lot of thought behind this and it's quite impressive.

Lili: The Snaptrapper is a mystery class four headed Venus flytrap like dragon that has green scales and is one of the most plantlike dragons. It's kind of pretty but also one of the more deadly ones, seeing how it lures it's prey in with a very sweet scent. It's three-way unhinging jaws are also pretty badass. All in all, something Lili would enjoy and would take the time trying to train. Though it wouldn't be easy.

Raz: Get that guy a typhoomerang. It's large, powerful, overdramatic, fast, and breathes a cyclone of fire. Not as agile as some dragons, but it is one of the strongest, and it just fits him so much better both in style and vibes.

Wybie: Wybie would have a hotburple. It's a medium sized boulder class dragon that's similar to a gronkle in many ways, except it's larger, more bulky, and considerably lazier. It likes eating iron ore, and according to an expert dragon hunter, it's the only dragon capable of eating through dragon proof cages. It's a pretty easy going flyer and isn't good at making sharp turns or smooth landings, but that's okay since Wybie doesn't seem the type to do trick riding. It's surprisingly great in battle because it goes into some kind of frenzy mode when threatened. It's also a great partner for a blacksmith, which he would be assuming this is a question for a HTTYD au.

Coraline: Coraline gets an armorwing. They are dragons that are naturally very vulnerable, so they build an armor coating out of spare scraps of metal. I can see her adopting it when it tried to raid an armory and gave it a metallic gift to lure it out. It has a highly magnetic body, and is surprisingly agile. I just wanna give Coraline an armored dragon and it sounds really neat.

Norman: Ah, the Skrill. Or, as I like to call it, the dragon that ACTUALLY should have had the title of "the unholy offspring of lighting and death itself". It usually only comes out in lighting storms and is so epic looking, especially the lighting patterns on it's wings Very aggressive, very solitary, and very good at holding grudges Give one to Norman. Other than the lighting connecting it to Aggie, it is a very isolated dragon that is feared and lonely. He could relate to it. If he saved one and bonded with it, I can see him being the only one understanding and patient enough to earn that dragons trust.

Neil: Neil with a snafflefang. Like rain cutters they are very friendly. It's an energetic bolder class dragon that loves geodes. Very sweet dragon for a sweet guy.

Greg: Greg with a Raincutter sounds cute. They are pretty easy to train and are happy and playful dragons that love rainy cool days and eat worms. They tend to be very trusting dragons, sometimes to a fault as one of note was known to leave her eggs with any human, even dragon trappers. They aren't huge but bigger than some. They are also stated to be intelligent.

Wirt: I am so, SO tempted to give him a Hobgobbler. It's a little, very cute dragon that is known for it's big appetite and strong jaws. It can eat just about anything. He wouldn't have a whole pack of them, but I can see him having one. It's known to be mischievous and lazy, but are very strong and ferocious. A very adorable, laid back protector that causes messes from time to time. It's also known to cover itself in it's own slobber to slip through tight spots

Mabel: Mabel deserves a Hobblegrunt. It's a chameleon like dragon who's color changes based on their mood. They're considered lucky dragons because they seem to have an ability to predict things good and bad a split second before they happen. They're calm, sensitive, and quiet that love good belly rubs.

Dipper: Dipper's the one with the Stormcutter. Imagining him with a large, intelligent, curious, owl headed dragon is fun. Plus he deserves an epic dragon.

#ask the mystery kids #mystery kids #mk #ask the mk #coraline #ask #gravity falls #psychonauts 2 #psychonauts #coraline jones #Coraline Jones #Dipper Pines #Mabel Pines #Razputin Aquato #Lili Aquato #Raz Aquato #Wybie Lovat #Paranorman #Norman Babcock #Neil Downe #Over the Garden Wall #Wirt #Greg #How to Train Your Dragon #HtTYD

[togglesbloggle]

Gathering Moss

One fatal point of confusion, I believe, is that people have a way of thinking of voting as being a statement of values, or at least a statement about your preferred form of government.  Alternatives to this framework tend to discuss 'tactical voting', which is.. I think not wrong exactly, but it's kind of missing a vital ingredient.  So, for your consideration, a useful lie:

Voting is pushing a boulder.  Lots of people are trying to push the boulder at once, but this isn't a clean vector math problem like in school.  The boulder is lumpy, the ground is uneven, and people are slipping and thrashing around and fighting over the best boulder-pushing vantage points.  It's too big to see over, and there's a lot of yelling and confusion about all this boulder-pushing, and it's impossible to get the thing to actually behave sensibly no matter how hard you try, and nobody seems to agree on where we're pushing it or why.  Sometimes the boulder doesn't move even when you push really hard, other times it gives way suddenly and rolls for a while while you slip and fall.  When it moves back and forth a whole lot, the ground gets torn up and muddy and useless.  It definitely helps to coordinate with people and shout "heave-ho!" a few times to get everybody pushing at once. And so on.

People want to push the boulder for all sorts of reasons; if the boulder is next to a nice tree you can even climb on it to get fruit! But some of them want to use it to crush others.  That's not totally evil, necessarily- people can be very dangerous things, and if they're threatening those you care about, then maybe you start thinking that you should do whatever it takes to get them to stop, even if that means rolling the boulder on them.  Others really want the boulder to be in a certain place, and they just don't realize or care that there's somebody else in the way, so they push it in that direction and just happen to crush them as a side effect.  And with all this rolling going around, when a big crowd of people on the other side of the rock start pushing the boulder your way, it's very scary, and you might die, and it's easy to start thinking of them as your enemies- after all, they're trying to crush you!  And so those of you on this side of the boulder might, out of necessity, band together to push the boulder back the other way, just to save your own lives, and now the other people on that side start seeing the boulder roll back, and...

It's a very messy process, this mass enthusiasm for lithosomatics.  It's probably for the best- we do want to move boulders around, after all- but even the people in leadership roles with a top-down view are just kind of doing what they can in a chaotic situation.  It's not a controlled environment.  And that, more than anything about tactical voting, is about why it's not always a good idea to just push the boulder in the direction you think it ought to go, not even if your goal is to hurt people in righteous ways.  Because you can't actually fine-tune this situation at all.  You can't decide to just push the boulder on to somebody's foot a little to teach them a lesson, you can’t crush just the people that hurt others or who worship the wrong gods, you simply cannot arrange it all 'just so'.  You're one of many, many hands all pushing back and forth.  The question isn't just whether a particular law is proper, because the boulder does not care about your political theories.  It is a boulder.  The question is whether anything in the vicinity of that law is bad, whether it becomes bad if it gets momentum and keeps going, or doesn't get enough momentum, whether it becomes bad if filtered and echoed and inverted through a million brains, whether it becomes bad if implemented by bored or wicked or confused people, whether a crisis occurs if there are a bunch of people in the way and they push it back the other direction so they don't die.

In such circumstances, the only ways to avoid total slaughter and get to the really good fruit trees all involve the same strategy: pushing the boulder away from people, in paths or directions where the crowd simply won't get crushed by it.  Even that's not without huge mortal cost sometimes, in the process of getting it from here to there, but it at least puts you on a sustained trajectory towards something better.  This is the moral imperative of liberalism- the compromise that says we need to stop using this boulder as a weapon, and move it only through gaps and edges of the crowd so the fewest people get crushed.

Happily, nature agrees; by pure brownian motion, a boulder being pushed chaotically by a bunch of random people will tend, just by the law of large numbers, to move away from where crowds are thick and towards where they are thin.  When the chips are down, we tend to try to push the boulder away from ourselves, and when lots of people all do that, the boulder tends to bounce around randomly until it gets to a place where there aren't as many people to be crushed and to push it further.  And even more than self-preservation, pity reigns supreme here; pity may be weaker in the individual case, but it binds people together in a way that self-preservation cannot, and those bonds are strong enough to move the boulder where individuals fail.  If you’ve got a political philosophy that demands you crush certain people with the boulder, then your greatest enemy will always be the pity that people feel for one another.

So, history tends to involve the boulder hurting fewer and fewer people over time, albeit with fits and starts and the occasional true catastrophe.  We’ve sometimes made the mistake of thinking of this as a coherent political faction that’s ascendant; “Cthulhu always swims left” and all that.  But this isn’t quite true.  Look at the social hygiene movement of the early 20th century US, or the then-progressive push for alcohol prohibition.  At the time, it was all seen as a time of active reform, and they still sometimes call it the “Progressive Era”, but its legacy in modern times is muddled at best, and many of its proudest achievements were limply retracted just a few years later.  In history, this thing called “the left” has plenty of cul-de-sacs, and opposing tyrants has never been a guarantee that you’ll end up on the right side of history or avoid starting yet another cycle of back-and-forth useless violence. You won't preserve your legacy by choosing the right enemy, or pushing the boulder with the most righteous strength towards the most resplendent hill. The deeper question, the one that really matters, is this- are you trying to roll the boulder towards people, or away from them?  Is pity your enemy?

[transboysokka]

Hiiiii I’m not sure if this is too personal so you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, but I’m curious about writing adult Sokka with his leg injury. I’ve Googled about chronic pain but I think I saw a few posts you made about being able to relate to him with your own experience so I wondered if you had any tips?

Sure, I don’t mind answering this at all! I’ll try to be as informative as possible without rambling too much. Um I’ll pretty much tell you the parts of my experience that I think could also apply to him.

For context I’m pretty sure Sokka broke his lower leg and I fucked up my knee, but both injuries were from a high-impact fall. Also as a timeline note, I was probably around 20 when mine occurred but I’m in my late 20s now so that might be useful to know.

I also want to say that Sokka had access to Katara and a lot of great healers and I was in America when I got hurt— so I went to the doctor once for them to take an X-ray and tell me how bad I fucked up but then was kind of left on my own after that and didn’t do any PT or anything even after it healed so I’d LIKE to think Sokka’s injury healed better than mine? I do kind of HC a good chunk of his pain as being psychosomatic.

THAT BEING SAID, let’s talk about the pain. It hurt constantly for months and months right after the injury, and then actually I had a couple of years where everything was fine?? Then I started getting Older and now it’s always bothering me in some way or another. It’s a little different because I’m dealing with a joint, but it’s always crunchy and creaky. Like it’s impossible for me to walk up stairs without anyone hearing. It always LOOKS okay, but some days it just feels swollen up like a balloon. There are days when it just throbs, and on really bad days the pain just stabs, even when I’m not putting weight on it.

Actually, on the worst days, the pain is the same whether I’m walking/standing or resting. For me, weather doesn’t seem to play a factor but I do live somewhere where it is constantly super humid every day year round, actually really similar to how the Fire Nation would be, so keep that in mind I guess.

What helps the pain? Nothing really. Because I’m dealing with a joint I take glucosamine when I can, pain meds on bad days but I really wonder if they even do anything for it. Sometimes I wear a knee brace for extra support, especially if I’m hiking which I love. Actually pressure helps the most, like wrapping it up tight.

Speaking of hiking, the pain was always worst for me going uphill/upstairs, but I’m getting to an age now where I’m really starting to notice it going downhill/downstairs too, like it feels weak at those times.

There is also a bit of a sense of fear or impending doom around it? Like it’s manageable for now but has gotten worse over the years, and I’m a very independent person who relies a LOT on walking in my day to day life, and like I said my biggest hobby is hiking/bouldering/challenging stuff. I love to be active and I know my time for all that is going to run out at some point, probably sooner than later. I’m especially conscious of it on a bad day when I do have to cancel a hike. I used to enjoy running, but already can’t do that anymore. So that part sucks.

Another thing I want to point out for Sokka is if he did hurt his leg, then the bones probably healed in a way that would leave him with one leg shorter than the other, which down the line could make some big problems for the rest of his body, like his rib cage would shift and that would be a whole other thing.

So I dunno, lots to think about here. I hope that helps a bit, and I can answer more questions about this if you like.

#quesTian #atla #Sokka

[esculentevil]

Assorted OTP Questions, Thorinduil: Who is the big/little spoon?

LMFAO I was gonna try writing a ficlet or something for this but... ah sorry v.v

Legit tho the main reason it failed was cuz I realized I can’t actually answer this with a fic: the answer would just be messy and muddled, I think =/

So!!!

The answer is kinda neither and both (see what I mean?):

It’s neither because elves don’t actually sleep (they sort of just meditate for a bit and Thranduil especially does this while sitting in his throne so often he literally wonders why he even keeps a bed [until he starts being with Thorin, of course]).

But it’s also both because, of course, Duil is an utter sweetheart and sentimental to boot so when Thorin sleeps, and Duil doesn’t have pressing kingdom matters to attend to, Thranduil will slip into bed with him--usually, yes, as the big spoon--and hold him close as he sleeps because Thorin is only mortal and, seriously, they’ve wasted/lost enough time together so even in sleep time’s important.

And it’s also both, of course, because Thorin doesn’t fully understand elves and their silly meditation thing--but he DOES understand their caretaking habits and how it’s their love language; so, when he finds Thranduil “sleeping” in his throne, Thorin will pick him up and take him up to bed (which, yes, many elves giggle at; tho, honestly, most find it utterly sweet and it’s one of the first things Thorin does that actually wins over/convinces Thranduil’s very protective people that, yes, Thorin’s a bit of a pompous prick but he does clearly love their deer dear king) before laying down--yes, as the big spoon; because he might be smaller but, damnit, he’s burly, a literal boulder, and totally brawny enough to be the big one; especially since his too tall and long love is clearly slimmer and more slender than him so OF COURSE he’ll be wrapping his slightness up in his big arms, thank you very much--and holding him close, breathing in his foresty scent (cypress, myrrh, sandalwood, and the wild berries they use for their wine), and falling asleep to it without ever really realizing Duil’s merely entertaining him (though, Thranduil definitely enjoys being in Thorin’s arms, pressed to his chest where he can feel his heart beating strongly [proof he’s alive] against his back, enveloped in Thorin’s own scent of mountain rocks [like limestone and lava], molten gold [like the labyrinth of precious metals still occupying his kingdom], mithril spools [like what he uses to weave the mail they now share] and mead).

O, and its also neither because they actually prefer to sleep face-to-face (err... face-to-chest? also face-to-neck lol) with their arms wrapped around each other--especially after some, uh, quality time together... legs VERY intertwined~--sometimes with them on top of each other like in my drabble called Bedding--although, for sure, if they’re in BED (which is SOFT) Duil might be under Thorin instead of on top of him which, shockingly, neither of them are really picky about--wherein Thranduil can spend the whole night watching his love sleep peacefully.

In truth, the main problem is that I don’t really see them sticking to one position: they like variety (especially Thranduil whom is OLD--so bleeding old...) and, since many positions (spooning especially) carry dom/sub connotations and they’re both KINGS, the equality of laying side-by-side and face-to-whatever is... well, it’s the most comfortable thing for them both so they use it the most.

Anyway! Thank you, wonderful nymesis, for your darling ask! Really appreciate you reaching out; I love answering these things Sorry again that it didn’t end up being a fic =/ Maybe next time??? Until then: All my love~

#thranduil #thorin #thorinduil #thorin/thranduil #thorin x thranduil #the hobbit #headcanon #confession #ask #ask game #a nymesis asks #rant #spilled ink #mythoughts #explainations #mywriting #snuggling #cuddles #hugs #scenting

[baileybooks]

Pastures

Out in the pastures the cows graze and wander over these here lands we call home. They’re wild, sure, but they’re ours now. My sons and daughters work their hands to the bone, but it’s good and honest work and what they don’t know ain’t gonna kill ‘em. Far as I know every random placed boulder or rock might as well be some unmarked grave, but I ain’t always able to tell which is which, so I just tell the kids to be real respectful around em. We got enough ghosts round these parts as it is. 

Our home ain’t fancy, it’s made of wood and tin and the windmill nearby creaks in the wind and when there’s a storm whipping about outside the walls rattle. Sometimes I get jealous of them there prairie dogs, they get to hunker down in their lil underground burrows, snuggle up with their families. We only got one room, so we sure end up snuggling but it’s different when your wife can’t sleep cos’ the youngest won’t stop fidgeting and your eldest keeps yabbering away in her sleep and the middle one has been staring up at the ceiling the whole time which honestly is just darn unnerving. Least they don’t know anything else really, otherwise I think I’d never hear the end of the complaining. 

The ploughs keep breaking, it’s the dark grass roots round here, thicker than iron in places I swear. The horses pull and pull, but this is the third one we’ve broke this season and each time is a five day trip for a new one. Our nearest neighbours are ten miles away, two lovely ladies in one of them Boston marriages. Real well spoken, I often wonder what brought them out to the wilderness round here, but our little community ain’t nosy. If you don’t tell, we ain’t gonna ask and I like that about this place. Same goes for the land. It’s a balancing act. I ain't gonna lie. I made the mistake of moving the wrong rock, or digging in the wrong place a fair few times and as I said, we got enough ghosts as it is. You upset em and they’ll sure let you know. We don’t go talkin’ about that stuff to the kids' mind, don’t wanna scare 'em’, keep the goings on quiet and maybe someday it’ll go away. My wife thinks otherwise mind and when we do talk about it, I sure get some harsh words from her. If I disturb anything it’s never on purpose and I do my best to put everything back where it belongs, even if it means putting teeth back into a skull and reburying it. 

I have my own theories about the gravesites around here, whatever it was it happened long before we was ever here. First of all they seem to be all over the place, ain’t no rhyme or reason. The ground round here is so hard to cultivate so I don’t know why anyone would try digging the soil round here (other than us mind, but anyone who moves out round here has to be some kind of crazy). I thought maybe there were people here before us, I mean, had to be if they’re leaving their bodies about, but I ain’t found a single scrap of habitation. No little trinkets buried away, no foundries of some kind of stand to or home, I mean there ain’t any trees to cut down and use. When we came out here we were told the only people we might see were travellers like us or nomadic native folks coming through, but that's rare.

But sometimes I see em just standing out in the long grass watching. That’s how I know I’ve disturbed a body, because they sure as hell crawl out the ground and come let me know. They never approach, when I’ve called out they never respond and if I try approach ‘em they vanish just as quick as they appeared. I catch the rustlin’ in the grass and I wonder if they’re getting closer. It’s unnerving sure, and I’ve got to stay calm and civil for the kids but not one of ‘em has hurt me directly yet. I just know it’s my job to go find what I did and put it right. 

The one thing we are sure of is they cause other things to go wrong. If I take more than a day to go put things right we end up with bad weather. The Milk can sour and the butter can curdle. A rat might get into the grain storage. I’m pretty sure our old horse Nell went lame and subsequently slipped her mortal coil due to them. But that was only once. They stand faraway and watch and that’s all I need to know I have to retrace my steps and put things right. There’s a reason the kids never work the plough, wouldn’t want them accidentally bringing misfortune upon themselves. Suppose that’s their old man’s job instead, but it’s a burden I’m willing to bear for ‘em. We’re happy here for the most part, our strange neighbours and all. You’ve just gotta have a knack for dealing with ‘em. The kids will understand someday, if this lil pasture is still ours by the time I'm too old to work I’ll tell em, or my wife will. She’d be first to let ‘em in on it, but I have the feeling she’d rather sell the farm first. I love her but she’s not as in love with the land round here as I am.

#short story #folk horror #midwestern things #writing #creative writing #prairie

[henry-fox-biggest-stan]

Finally continuing my fanfic analyzing every chapter of rwrb, please check it out

(The fic)

(By the way the analysis below is part of the next chapter, still in my drafts)

When he’s tired of being touched by strangers: Come back to me when you’re done being flung through the firmament, you lost Pleiad. (Page

Who’s the lost Pleiades? Merope.

More Hellenistic polytheism.

So, Merope had six sisters, she was the seventh. They are the Pleiades. They said than she is the one who shines the faintest, and some people said than it was because she was ashamed of having married a mortal. She married Sisyphus, famous for his punishment of pushing a rock up a hill, again, and again, and again.

Henry calls Alex, the lost Pleiad, so he’s referring to him as Merope. Which makes Henry Sisyphus.

The thing with Merope is, than she was perfectly fine before. Only when she died, she became the lost Pleiad and hid with shame because of her husband’s crimes. This is Henry implying than eventually, Alex will regret and be ashamed of Henry and what happened between them, it was only a matter of time. Merope is still in the sky, still a Pleiad, just ashamed. If their relationship ever made public, Alex would be ashamed of it. He would try to hide it and he would regret it, and everyone would only remember him for their relationship, not for who he was.

Henry is Sisyphus, forever pushing a rock uphill. Several rocks. Rock one, monarchy. No matter what he did, the weight of monarchy is something than he would always have to carry with him, or at least, he believed so in this moment. Rock two, the weight of being famous and having such little privacy, he can’t change that. He was born famous and will die famous, he can’t gradually get out of the public eye, there will always be (sometimes more, sometimes less) attention on him. Which doesn’t happen it’s Alex. He wasn’t born famous, so if he ever chose on the future to step away from the public eye, he could. Being in a relationship with Henry meant than he could never have that choice. Another reason than would make him regret and be ashamed of their relationship (even if they broke up, even if it wasn’t actually a relationship and just a situation). Rock three, being gay. He could never change that, and, as Henry believed during this scene, would never be able to be himself.

And rock four, maybe the saddest one. The weight of knowing how it was to love Alex. Here, Henry believed Alex didn’t love him and could never love him, and than he would eventually leave him, so he was fully prepared to enjoy it while it lasted and live the rest of his life with just memories of what it was and what it could have been. Survive only of memories of what he once was able to do. How it felt to love Alex, not from afar, but to have him right there, just an email away, right in front of him. Carry the boulder of his love, since he wasn’t falling out of love anytime soon.

When he’s tired of being touched by strangers: Come back to me when you’re done being flung. Being flung implies it wasn’t his choice neither he did it, but someone else did it. Alex and the public eye again. So the firmament where Merope hides away, embarrassed, and Alex was being flung, is the public eye, the world. Again, Alex never chose that. I’m not gonna repeat myself saying again what I been saying in every chapter, so you get it. Specially the line before, when he’s tried of being touched by strangers. When he’s tired of not being treated as a person, of getting so much attention, of being on the whole world’s vision the time, he can go back to Henry.

Also, if the firmament is the public eye, and the lost Pleiad is well, lost in the firmament, it also is Alex being lost in the public eye, between all the attention. Maybe he likes it, but he was forced into it, and specially in those days were he’s tired of being touched by strangers, he’s lost. But he can go back to Henry. Which implies than being with Henry is not being lost, and coming back to Henry implies than Henry is some sort of full time “home”, a place to rest, where he can go back after being lost.

#feels so weird to post about them after so long #but a good weird #like coming home after a long holiday #rwrb #casey mcquiston #red white and royal blue #firstprince #henry fox mountchristen windsor #alex claremont diaz #red white & royal blue #media analysis #literary analysis #symbolism

[newdayslinguine]

Goodness gravy, I’ve got a story for you guys today. Listen, in the pursuit of life, sometimes we run into bumps along the road. The bumps vary in size, and severity- sometimes it’s a little tiny pebble in the road and sometimes it’s a giant fucking boulder like uhm for instance if you were hiking and you got hit by a giant fucking boulder. We’re doing our best, alright? And sometimes, things don’t work out the way we would- we would prefer. Today is one of those little interesting conundrums that we run into every now and then in our lives, and it happened to me! I ran into a bit of an issue. So sit back, relax, and let’s talk about how i once accidentally drugged myself with the largest edible I’ve ever eaten.

Last February, before all the coronavirus garbage happened, I travelled to Los Angeles for Spring break, and one of the things that I had to do was I had to sign a shit ton of posters for youtooz. There was probably more than three thousand posters that I had to sign, and the posters were being kept at the house that the misfits youtube group were staying at in LA. Carson was there, Schlatt was there, Cooper was there, we were all just tryna like, sign all of these posters as fast as we could, cause there’s so many of them and it was ta- it would take us- it was taking us literally hours to do. At this point there was maybe about five or six people in the house at this time, and that was because at this point, the whole main misfits crew had gone out to dinner somewhere. I don’t know if you know this about the misfits in general, but they smoke a lot of weed. Every trip they do, they probably spend a couple thousand dollars on weed, ok? They smoke the Mary Jane. They do the weed. In order to make the process of signing these posters go a little bit smoother, I had smoked like half a joint of weed, so I was already decently high, because I hadn’t smoked in a while either. Signing away, crossing my i’s, dotting my t’s. However my personal reaction to weed is that i get the munchies. I get the munchies pretty hard. I smoke a little bit of the marijuana and then I say ‘oh! I’m gonna eat an entire sleeve of club crackers with no cheese, because gluttony!’ I had originally planned to go to dinner with my girlfriend and her father, so I was trying to wean off of the high and just kind of sign the posters and wait until it kind of wore off and then I would go and do that. One of the things that they had in this house was they had a giant counter on which a bunch of snacks were all laid out. There was chips, there was more chips, there was I think pizza, I don’t fuckin remember. As I look out across this horizon of bountiful snacks, I see a nerds rope, and my munchie brain is like, ‘… Oh!’ And I’m thinkin to myself, ‘Man, I remember nerds rope, I haven’t had nerds rope in fuckin forever, dude!’ Im thinking back to my childhood where we would go to a campground in Maine and I would waddle on down to the snack shack and i would grab myself a nerds rope, and before eating it, considering its potential application as nunchucks, OR, trying to tie a knot with it, but then realising, I’m a kid! I don’t know how to tie knots! And my prefrontal lobe won’t even be done cooking for another 20 years, so what’s even the point? Get me a slush puppy, get me a gameboy sp, let’s fuck it up. But lord have mercy, did I learn in this moment I no longer was a child but a man- A man who experiences consequences in the worst way possible. So I’m signing more posters, you know, I’m cruising, I’m having a great time, alright? Nerds rope, tastes a bit strange, but that could also be my perception that I have of being already high, and it kinda, if you’ve ever been high before it kinda messes with your perception of taste a little bit? It was like drinking a diet coke versus a normal coke, where there’s like ‘… there’s something there. There’s something there!’ But I don’t fully process why it tastes different. So, I finish the nerds rope. And then I go to have another nerds rope, because I’m high, and have the munchies. As I’m biting into the next nerds rope, one of the misfits guys says

‘Ted! Don’t eat those! Those are edibles!’

Hm? Sorry, I j- shj- I’m- gdbl agh- I musta- I must’ve heard you wrong- um. Scusi?

Yeah Ted, that’s an Edible.

So I say, ‘no fucking way. How much was it?’

And he says ‘I think it might- I think it might be like 60 milligrams.’

What!? Sixty milligrams?

To give you context, the largest edible I’d had up until this point in my life was Twenty milligrams. So of course, I ask ‘Are you sure?’ One of the guys walks over to the counter and picks up the package of the nerds rope, and with the most ‘You Are Fucked’ face I’ve ever seen in a person, he says; ‘It’s actually 400 milligrams.’ Now remember! I’ve already freaked out when I heard it was a fifty milligram edible- and I’ve just been told that it is actually eight times that amount. So you may be asking yourself, ‘Ted, how the fuck did you not know that that was an edible?’ And that’s a good question! Let’s start with the packaging. That’s the packaging. It uses the same packaging as the actual branded nerds rope. It’s got a thing that says ‘tear and share’ as if it’s just a normal candy. In hindsight that’s- very much so implying, for a good reason that you really should be sharing it and not eating it entirely on your own. If you’re not really paying attention and it’s been like, Eight years since you had a nerds rope, this is pretty easy to mistake for a nerds rope. In addition to that, there was a very specific and deceptive way that everything was laid out as snacks in the Misfits house, and I’ll just let Swaggersouls explain that for me.

(Cut to interview/podcast clip with Swaggersouls)

Swaggersouls: So there was a very reasonable way like we set it up, cause the nerds rope was an edible, it was a 400 milligram edible, and he didn’t read the packaging. But we have, on that bench, it’s a big-ass bench, it’s snacks, and food, chips, pringles, gummy bears, all that shit-

Someone else: munchies.

Swaggersouls: -and then there’s weed food, which is edibles, in between that and the weed. Which makes sense, if, you know,

Pokimane (overlapping): ahh like a spectrum, mm.

Swaggersouls: yeah, like a spectrum. But-

Someone else (overlapping): progressively dangerous as you go along.

Swaggersouls: but that’s the thing, is that it would make more sense to kind of put the weed food away so that you don’t confu- confuse the food with the weed.

Pokimane (overlapping): confuse it with the actual food (laughing).

Others: (indistinguishable)

Swaggersouls: which is what happened to Ted, he was trippin’ balls.

(Cut back to main video)

If you’ve ever been in a car crash, even if it’s not your fault, there’s a certain feeling after it immediately happens. It’s this mind racing feeling when you have absolutely no idea what to do, but you also know that something has to be done, or you’re fucked. AKA. Panic! So at this point I begin to freak out, for three reasons. First of all, I didn’t know if i was personally prepared mentally to get as high as i was about to get. Second of all, I had made plans for dinner, with my girlfriend and her father that night, and I DEFINITELY won’t be making it! And I’m pretty sure she’s gonna be a little bit pissed. And the third reason, I hadn’t smoked weed in two months. Which meant that my tolerance was rock bottom. I’d like to explain this with what I like to call ‘the skyscraper analogy’.

Right here we have the tolerance skyscraper, which represents my tolerance to marijuana. Let’s just say that whenever I smoke weed, I start at the ground floor, in the lobby. If my tolerance were higher, then maybe i’d go a couple stories up to the mid-level apartments. That’s where all the stoner kids from high school hang out. And they’re all pretty high up there, but it’s nothing really to be worried about. You’re probably couch-logged, but you’ll be fine.

With my tolerance at zero though, I knew in my heart and in my soul that i was going all the way up to chichen chang’s* fucking penthouse as an unwilling and unexpected guest for an undetermined amount of time. As things stand right now? I don’t even live in the building. I’m from out of town and I sometimes commute into the city. “Oh, it’s a Friday night! Oh, we should go- we should get drinks in the city!” That’s what I’m operating on. I know that I’m on a timer. Most edibles take about 45 minutes to an hour before they kick in. But! I know that I’ve taken this edible about ten to fifteen minutes prior. Which means- ehh math- I’ve got about 45 minutes before this edible hits me and I die. Although, other things can affect this, such as being on an empty stomach! Which I was. My first thought was that I need to make myself throw up, because if I could get rid of as much of this edible as possible, I could POTENTIALLY mitigate the level of inebriation that I was about to experience. So I stumble over to the bathroom, and I start to gag. And I’m trying to make myself throw up, but I’ve never made myself throw up before. I don’t know how to DO it. So, the next step is that I got Carson on his phone looking up ‘how-to’s on wikihow on how to make myself throw up, and then Cooper’s in the kitchen and he’s making cups of salt water for me to chug, cause apparently if you chug cups of salt water it helps with the throwing up process. I’m not sure how true that was? It just ended up with me throwing up a bunch of pinkish, salt water. So… I ca- I can’t speak for its effectiveness, but. There ya go. And I’m pretty sure since the nerds rope was sort of a candy, sugar based food, it was really easy for my stomach to digest it really fast.

So I’m pretty sure after if I hadn’t thrown it up within maybe five minutes there wasn’t really much that I could do from there. So by the time that I was done throwing up the food that we had ordered earlier arrived, and cooper basically advised me that the best thing that I could really do for myself would be to just fill my now completely empty stomach. From this point on, all I could really do was uh. Buckle up. Strap in. And get ready for the fuckin. High of a lifetime. God bless my soul.

So I’m gonna give you guys a walkthrough of what this high was like. It wasn’t fun. I also have some video footage that cooper took so, link to his channel in the uh, in the description. Once I came to terms with the fact that I was gonna have to ride out this high no matter what, I decided to give myself a home base. Just somewhere where I could ground myself, and not really need to worry about moving around or anything. I found myself a nice armchair. And I sat myself down there, and prepared for the ride of a lifetime.

*idk if this is right this is just what youtube automated subtitles came up with

#ok thisll take a while and my youtubes just crashed so i’ll finish this later #ted nivison #long post

[highfunctioningflailgirl]

Blood Brothers

Chest pumping, Dean slides into the shadow of a big tree and leans against the trunk. He wills his breath to calm down and pricks his ears while his eyes scan the eternal murkiness around him. Purgatory is never entirely quiet. Ghosts seem to whisper between the trees, and the far-away howl of a werewolf speaks of some monster’s violent end. But at least there are no snapping twigs, no footsteps approaching, no sniggers in the haze. 

Has he shaken them off?

Dean stays motionless and quiet for another minute or two, his pulse slowing, his body shaking off the adrenaline. Then, exhaling, he closes his eyes and rests the back of his head against the bark. 

That was fucking close.

He opens his eyes again and looks at his hands. One is still holding the hunting knife he’s jacked from a dying chupacabra. Trembling, he slides it into the make-shift sheath on his belt. Both of his palms are slick with bright red blood. His or a monster’s? Dean isn’t quite sure.

The fight against the rabid trio he’s just escaped had been violent and vicious. What species they’d been, Dean doesn’t know. Some half-reptilian breed with snake eyes, scales and claws sharp as razors. 

He’d killed two of them - or at least he hopes he did - by slashing one’s throat and stabbing the second in the chest where he assumed its heart would be. The third one had gone down howling after Dean had slashed the back of its knees, severing tendons. 

Dean had run after that, not willing to risk the other two coming back to life, as things sometimes did in Purgatory. It seemed the place was reluctant to let its prisoners escape to another plane - whatever and wherever that may be. Instead, they were doomed to prey on each other for eternity, to die and come back again, hungrier and beastlier than ever. 

During the fight, those claws had swung dangerously close past his face several times, and he’d faintly registered his shirt ripping when he’d killed the second monster. Adrenaline must have drowned out the pain, because when he looks now, lifting his bloody shirt up a little, he discovers three deep gashes across his stomach. Another, more superficial set decorates his arm.

“Shit…”

As he inspects his wounds, as if on cue, they start to sting, and Dean hisses. The gashes on his belly go deep enough to expose white muscle tissue, but at least his intestines don’t seem to be in any danger of falling out. In the real world, he’d have Sam stitch him up and disinfect the whole affair with whiskey, inside and out. But this is Purgatory, and injuries either heal on their own, or they kill you. 

The best Dean can do for now is tie his bandana around his arm and bunch up his shirt and press it against his bleeding stomach. Then he stumbles on, looking for shelter, for water, for a place to rest and not die.

When twilight turns to the inky black night that’s always thick with fog in this godforsaken place, Dean finds a cave hidden behind a pile of boulders and thick shrubbery. Exhausted, he drags himself inside and drops to the ground.

He’s shivering in earnest now, from blood loss, exhaustion or the invading cold, he doesn’t know, and it really doesn’t matter since there’s nothing he can do about it. There’s a lighter in his pocket, but he’s too injured to collect wood and build a fire. Plus, a fire would attract monsters, and he’s too weak to fight. Whatever supplies he’s collected or stripped from killed creatures are in a backpack that he lost during the fight; he has no bandages, no weapons other than the hunting knife, no food, not even a water bottle. 

All he can do is curl up on the hard and cold ground, around his stinging wounds, and hope that the leaden tiredness pulling him under will bring the sleep of recovery and not death. 

XXX

Dean comes to again an indeterminate time later - or maybe it’s just a dream. He’s not sure. Everything is fuzzy and distorted. There is the heat of a fever and a looming presence. Hands are gripping him. The wounds on his belly are screaming. No- Dean is screaming. In the darkness, he tries to fight off whoever’s grabbing him, fights tooth and nail, seeing fangs gleam above him.

I’m gonna go down swinging.

He does, landing a desperate punch against solid flesh, before something clocks him in the head and he’s out again.

To his own surprise, he’s not dead when he regains consciousness the next time. There are no hooks in his flesh. He’s not strung up on a torture rack. This isn’t Hell. Instead, his surroundings are the same as before: Purgatory. The cave. And he’s still on the ground. But the orange glow of a fire is dancing near him, casting comfortable warmth his way. There’s something soft underneath his head, and he’s covered by a heavy jacket that isn’t his.

“What the…”

Dean turns his head and sees a figure crouching in the shadows. Instinctively, he sits up - or rather attempts to, gasping and falling back again when his belly lights up with pain.

“Not a good idea, my friend,” a familiar voice grumbles in a deep Southern drawl. “Those wounds need a couple more days to heal.”

Eyes watering, Dean blinks into the semi-darkness. 

“Benny?”

The large vampire rises to his full height and steps into the pool of light. 

“Yup.”

Dean gasps in a mixture of relief and incredulity.

“How did y-  … sshhh…“ He hisses as he shifts on the ground and the movement pulls at his injuries. “I thought I’d… I’d lost you. Last time I saw you, you had a pack of hellhounds chasing your ass.”

Staring at his friend, Dean feels a pang of guilt. He’d believed Benny to be dead. Hellhounds belonged to the few species even someone as strong and tough as the vampire stood no chance against. One hellhound was a lethal threat. Four were an irrevocable death sentence.

Benny chuckles darkly. “What? Those pups? Kicked ‘em back to Hell where they belong. Bet they still got their tails tucked between their legs. And just your luck.” The tall man squats down by Dean’s side. “Cause you looked like death warmed over when I found you in here three days ago.” 

Dean’s eyes widen. “Wha- three days ago? I’ve been here for three days?!”

He pushes the jacket that’s covering him aside - Benny’s jacket, as he realizes now - and finds his belly wrapped in clean strips of cloth. His arm is likewise bandaged. Underneath, he feels the fading throb of infected wounds.

“You had a fever when I found you. I had to clean those gashes, an’ it wasn’t pretty. Made my fangs come out. Didn’t help that you thought I was one of them beasts.” He points at the exit of the cave. “You fought me so hard I had to knock you out.”

Only now does Dean recognize the remnants of a black eye and healing scratches on Benny’s cheek. Immediately, he feels guilty.

“Sorry, pal,” he says, cradling his arm to his chest. 

Benny waves him off with one of his big paws.

“You’ll make up for it. Plenty of opportunities later.” 

The vampire reaches for something out of Dean’s line of vision. He pulls up a duffel bag and, reaching inside, retrieves a banged-up flask from it. 

“Gotta get you back on your feet first,” Benny says and unscrews the flask. “Thirsty?”

Gingerly, Dean pushes himself up onto his good arm. His whole body feels stiff and sore. “Please tell me that’s whiskey,” he grunts.

Benny shrugs. “Ain’t no liquor stores in Purgatory, I’m afraid.”

“Shame.” 

Dean drinks, the water cool and heavenly on his tongue. Half the flask is empty when he hands it back to Benny.

“Thanks, brother,” he says seriously, looking his friend in the pale blue eyes. 

Benny’s mouth curls into a one-sided smirk. 

“Your turn next time,” he replies simply. Then he pulls a rusty can of beans and a spoon for Dean from the duffel bag.

#whump #hurt/comfort #supernatural #spn #purgatory #dean winchester #benny lafitte #blood cw #injury cw #this was intended for whumptober but it didn't pan out #might as well post it before it starts collecting dust in my drafts