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dutifullylazybread · 3 days

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just found you, i see a lot of pre and post family with the teefs. what about during? and directly after? how do they care for their partner during pregnancy? especially if its a diffcult one? and afterward when their partners body has changed and maybe they're less confident about the extra weight, softer body, the extra rolls and teh stretch marks that wont go away? how does each bachelor help or make it better ir suddenly realize that is even wrong to begin with? what if they accidentally something bring out that newly found weakness in their partners confidence? ( sorry if youre busy i know you got stuff to do- i just figured youre the person who could slam dunk these thoughts i had)

Have I... GOTTEN TO THE POINT WHERE I CAN JOIN THE TIEFLING HEAD CANON SQUAD???????

ADDED 4/26/24: This might be a rough list, but I hope you all enjoy!! ❤️

OKAY. I GOTTA ADD CAL. I'M ADDING CAL. THIS SWEET MAN IS A TIEFLING BACHELOR AND DOES NOT HAVE ENOUGH FAN CONTENT... YET.

And thank you for bearing with me--I know that this ask was sent in a hot minute ago! I'm hoping I answered all of your questions; I got to a point of this sitting in my drafts where I just felt bad about how long it had been there, so I tried to be thorough but I wanted to get this out sooner rather than later. I mostly worked on this when I had a few spare moments between chapters, and then I said "screw it. This is getting done. TODAY."

So, for Cal, Rolan, Zevlor, and Dammon--let's go!

DISCLAIMER - I do not have children myself, nor have I ever been pregnant. So I shall do my best!

JUST IN CASE - A CONTENT WARNING: While writing these head canons, I did refer to the tiefling's partner as "you." If reading about being pregnant makes you uncomfortable for any reason, please be aware and be kind to yourself. I have zero doubt in my mind that I will be creating another head canon list, so if you need to pass or wait on this one, that's absolutely okay. Your mental health is important.

Cal

While Cal's partner is pregnant, he will do absolutely anything and everything to make sure they are comfortable. To say that he is doting is putting things very mildly.

He will make your favorite meals, will go out and get whatever you are craving (late night runs--not a problem), will rub your swollen ankles.

Too hot? He's asking Rolan for a cantrip scroll to fix it. Too cold? He's already piling you with blankets.

Are you feeling sick and nauseous? He's already prepping something for you to eat/drink that doesn't have an offensive smell.

And if it's a hard pregnancy? I don't see him leaving your side. If he does, he has Rolan create a sending stone set for the two of you so that you can reach out to him for anything and everything.

Honestly, he doesn't get far enough for him to even use the sending stones. He is looking for anything and everything to make the pregnancy easier on you. If he wasn't a light sleeper before, he is now because he doesn't want you to lay there in pain.

There may be points where he feels helpless because while he can do things to try and alleviate any physical discomfort, there are just times when he might just grasp at straws.

And, in situations where he can't alleviate your physical discomfort, he will do what he can to distract you.

He keeps his stress managed well enough, but that doesn't mean he won't snap at Lia or Rolan if he is too anxious. If he does get openly frustrated with them, it takes both off guard.

I also think he just holds you. A lot. Part of that is to comfort you, and the other part is to assure himself that everything will be okay.

If his partner is dealing with body image issues after giving birth, I see him being confused. You? The most enchanting person he has ever known?

Cut to him kissing you and holding you whenever possible. He'll ask Lia and Rolan to watch the baby whilst the two of you go on outings when your health permits. If it helps you to hear it, he'll remind you how lovely you are. Frequently. Hourly. Every five minutes? Not quite, but close enough.

Personally, I don't think his doting goes away after the pregnancy. And, if it is too much, it might make you feel like he views you as helpless.

If you give voice to this, he goes into immediate mediation mode. He will be extremely apologetic. He loves you and never wants you to think he perceives you as anything other than the phenomenal person you are.

Rolan

Ugh. My beloved.

He might be more stressed about having a child than you are.

He never anticipated being a father, and that might be for 15+ reasons, but he feels drastically unprepared (even if the pregnancy was planned).

He reads every. Single. Book. On pregnancy. He is the parent who gives himself nightmares when he reads about birthing complications.

Every sign of discomfort that you show is a catastrophe on the horizon.

And if it's a difficult pregnancy? Yeah. Dial that up by five notches.

He is preparing for all worst-case scenarios.

If it weren't for Cal and Lia keeping him in check, he would be safety-proofing everything in the tower.

He crafts sending stones so you can call for him if you need anything. ANYTHING.

But also, he starts shadowing midwives and asking lots of questions. If the worst were to happen and you couldn't reach a professional, he wants to be there to help you.

After giving birth, I see him splitting his anxiety between your health/recovery and the baby's overall well-being.

"The baby sneezed. That might indicate five different lethal illnesses. I'm fetching the cleric."

This is another situation where you, Cal, and Lia might have to remind him that, yes, babies do sometimes sneeze, and not everything that lands in the diaper spells doom.

Rolan might not initially understand why you're feeling self-conscious about any weight gain. Of course you're lovely. Also, isn't that what happens with pregnancies? (His words--not mine).

He assures you that you're lovely, but words might not be enough here. He might shove his foot in his mouth while trying to make the situation better.

But the best thing for him to do is remind you, repeatedly, that you are lovely. And that might not have been something he was accustomed to even saying to you prior to you conceiving. He would assume you knew that he was attracted to you.

It honestly might be the strangest (and most endearing) thing to have him say "You look very lovely today. Yes, even with the baby's spit up on your shirt."

Zevlor

*nervously staring at the tiefling I am the most unsure about writing.*

*cracks my knuckles and cries because it hurt like hell*

Zevlor has been through some of the most heinous things that can be thrown at someone. He is a seasoned soldier. A Hellrider. Surely he can help his partner through pregnancy. After all, there were plenty of soldiers in the barracks who has pregnant spouses. He's heard enough stories that he feels prepared.

He survived the Elturel's Descent. It's possible that he helped safeguard someone who was in the middle of giving birth or guided expecting parents to safety. Maybe he had to fight off the devil's skulking the streets if they caught wind/heard that person enduring birthing pains?

So maybe, he thinks, he has already seen some of the worst births ever. Maybe, he thinks, in this time of relative peace, in this home that he and his love have created, it'll be easier?

My personal headcanon for Zevlor is that he put EVERYTHING into being a Hellrider/paladin. It was his life. It was his every breathing moment. And when he became an oathbreaker, it destroyed him. His life was devoted to protecting others, and he feels that he failed in the worst of ways possible.

He certainly had friends and very possibly family that he would see on occasion, but I think that, if you didn't fight alongside him/live in the barracks too, you very likely didn't see much of him.

So maybe he has heard a great deal about pregnancies. And maybe he knows about the complicated ones--just a bit. But he himself is at a loss for when his partner tells him that they are pregnant.

Is he excited? Absolutely. Is he terrified. Oh yeah.

Regardless of how complicated the pregnancy is, he is nervous. He is worried that he will slip up in all the ways that matter, and he is terrified of letting you down.

He's a soldier though, and he prepares for everything.

He has additional blankets and pillows next to the bed.

Hot and cold compresses are ready to go.

He makes sure that he accounts for your cravings whenever shopping.

He has medicine for when the pain is severe. And when the medicine doesn't cut it, he tries his best to distract you--his mileage varies.

And this man adores you. So after the pregnancy, if you are feeling self-conscious, he will worship your body.

Dammon

I could see Cal and Dammon both being very doting, but Dammon would be juggling the forge and helping you.

If you spent a lot of time in the forge with him prior to pregnancy but find that being in there now makes you feel ill, he will absolutely feel lonelier. He is definitely the sort of person who gets very absorbed in his work, and I think this makes him feel guilty. Especially if he feels like him being there could have made things easier for you.

He becomes a meal prep king. Will cook several comfort meals for you to eat while he is working.

Massages swollen ankles and feet and anything else.

While he might have worked later hours in the forge before, he makes a point to wrap things up sooner to spend evenings with you.

That doesn't mean he isn't nervous--you're about to have a child, and he does worry if there will be enough money.

He worries that if he does slow down, commissions will dry up, and then where will that leave the three of you?

If the pregnancy is difficult, he feels guilty for leaving you alone and looks for hundreds of ways to make things easier.

Eventually, he creates a small sitting space for you near the doorway to the shop itself. It's not so close to the forge that you'll be uncomfortably hot or so close that the smell will make you sick, and he sets up a small tarp to create some shade.

If you helped Dammon in the forge before the pregnancy, he is likely hesitant to have you come back and immediately help. Especially if the birth was difficult.

But what you need, more than anything from him, is time

And Dammon wants to be a parent who is present in your life and the baby's, so he does everything to be there.

But money is still a stressor. And he might worry about you being in the forge again. So he's stressed on all fronts.

And while I don't see him commenting or changing how he treats his partner because of weight change, I do see him being VERY reluctant to have you work in the forge with him.

And this may lead to an argument. You know he is stressed about commissions and being there for you and the baby, but you still want to help.

So Dammon dials it back several notches and agrees that you know your body best. So long as you feel comfortable working in the forge, and so long as you listen to your body, the two of you can start it from there.

And it gets easier to balance the forge and child rearing. While the baby isn't allowed close to the open heat/flame until they fully understand why they must be careful (and until their lungs are developed), you and Dammon create a small swing/play area nearby.

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coconutredbulllover · 2 days

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little rant type shit about azzi and paiges current and kinda future media presences

i think azzis reposts are like her way of letting people know shes gonan be okay without having to be actually present and ibteractive on socials. she was literallt just comibg back from her drought/break/pause (wtvr u wanna call it) and likely wont post for a while because dawg camp and the draft content was like the most we’ve had from azzi in so long. i think shes probably doing alright considering the amount of support shes surrounded by and honestly she didnt really seem like in any hurry to suddenly become active like an instant unpause after not beibg active for so long, like i dont rlly think her being “on a break” was all that deep she was probably convinced to post but didnt really seriously care to upkeep not postibg in the first place so itd be practically no change in her lifestyle to go back to not posting i dont think she was like resisting the urge to post or anything. specifically now post-situation it might not be “i dont psot often but i sometines do wheneveb i feel like it” instead she might purposely stay away and actually jsut take time away from media focus for a little and we’ll get like a crumb once and a while.

and i think paige being active rn is a mix of moving on from the incident and also the fact that the season is over and shes back on media and does like beibg on it like for example on lives and stuff. i feel like shes trying to show that shes moving past it as well as not letting it effect or stop doing what she enjoys. i also think that if paige had gone media silent after what happened it mightve brought even more attention to it with people speculating the effects it had or twitter running wild as it always does. i think her vague-ish thanking for support tweet near when it happened was good because it further fueled people who had been covering the timeline and helped speed up efforts to get tweets taken down but didnt actively add crap tons of spotlight on it. plus her normally posting and tweeting helps spread around what people are focusing on when she appears or if shes mentioned and it js moves the crowd on. we also know shes been described as/has said about herself that shes the type to put on a strong front in stressing times so even if shes beibg active on media and seemingly doing alright she could be doing it for all the reasons i just mentioned about moving the public on (like damage control/reputation padding) and still be literallt depressed behind the scenes and js doing it bc she feels she has to. either way we have no way of knowing whats actually happening and we will probably never know, i can only guess abd assume just as much as everyone else, i could be insanely far off or completely spot on, even if it doesnt match how any of us assume or imagine her acting just remember that we literally do not know any of these people!

i hope things settle and we can see them together again i dont think the situation would have effected their relationship with eachother theyre like ride or die and its not like its their fault it happened. obviously no one wouldvt wanted it to happen but i like to think that behibd the scenes theyre supporting eachother or they could be givibg eachother space but all n all i dont see this being the reason they suddenly drop eachother and i have ful lconfidence theyll come out the other end still side by side.

if anyone has any thoughts or responses feel free to add on or share or if i left smth out or got smth wrong feel free to correct me bc its literallt 6:30 am rn and im suppsoed to be awake in less than 2 hours 🤣🥲

#paige bueckers #uconn wbb #azzi fudd #pazzi #rant #my eyes burn #im tired and not at the same time

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kay-then-i-guess · 3 days

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This redesign page of my Roleshuffle AU Techno has been sitting in my drafts for a while, so let's talk my Techno design! I already have a post discussing why I made him based off an overworld pig, so check that out first if you haven't seen it. I can't really summarize it.

Something I'm doing to show "the voices" getting louder without having to use text is making his pupils get bigger, and potentially have little red glints. I know normally the more insane a character gets, the smaller their pupils gets, but I wanted him to appear a little more animalistic. While the small pupils give a very manic, crazed look, I wanted Techno to look completely focused--almost too focused. As aforementioned, animalistic. I probably won't get to the point of what actual pig eyes look like (fully black with the whites in the back), but I do want to get a similar idea across. This choice also makes him look less aware of any dialogue going on, which I is something I've been trying to do with "the voices". No thoughts, only Blood For the Blood God.

Also! I swear during a Techno stream he had a skin with a blue sweater. Maybe I dreamed it, because I couldn't find it anywhere, but I distinctly remember his chat teasing him for it, with him responding "It's a sweater!" But I digress. Perhaps I just imagined that.

Below is the original design I had for him, and was one of the first design sheets I did (if not the first ever; I don't particularly remember). I was originally not leaning into such a cartoon-y style, but I really got into that style as I started actually making the comic. (His mildly realistic teeth in that top left image haunts me.) In other notes, I think either because of the way I did his legs originally or the way I did his head originally (both were a bit elongated), he didn't look short. Part of that is because if you measure out his full-body shot, every portion of him is roughly the same length. I.E. his head is the same length as his torso, and his torso is the same length as the legs. If you take any character design course, one of the things they'll probably note is that for unique character designs, it's a good idea to mess around with proportions (both length and width). It's tough to figure out, but once you have that idea in, you can make your characters look more unique. For instance, while Techno's longest bit is his torso, in width, he has smaller legs and a bit smaller head. On the other hand, Ranboo's longest bit is his legs, and in width, the widest part is his head (if you count his little floppy-ear-thingamajigs). I really struggled implementing this tip for a while, but woooo, once I did, my designs got a lot better. I still could stand to put it in more, to be honest haha.

Also, personal note: I didn't mean to go on such a long break, but finals have been rough (3 essays, all at least seven pages...yikes). Anyways, I'm going to have a lot to catch up on, but I AM NOT DEAD. The comic will go on! It just might take a bit, and I thank all of you for your patience! :) (Also, I'm still running character asks if you're interested!)

#dsmp #dream smp #dsmp au #artists on tumblr #dsmp comic #dsmp roleshuffle #dsmp fanart #mcytblr #mcyt #mcytbr #mcyt tag #mcyt fanart #dsmp techno #dsmp technoblade #technoblade #mcyt art #mcyt technoblade

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sophieswundergarten · 2 days

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Thingy

Tired. Take it or leave it, it's been rotting in my drafts for a while now.

“Hmm.” Reynie said to himself. “This is probably not good.”

He was standing in the dining room, looking at a glass of what was now very obviously not water. It was clear and about the same consistency of water, but it tasted ever so slightly… off.

He knew enough from living in a house of scientists that he should not be drinking unidentified liquids, but in his defence this one was currently being housed in a regular drinking glass that had been sitting on the table right next to an actual cup of water.

Sticky came racing into the room, holding an erlenmeyer flask. His face fell when he saw Reynie standing there, examining the glass of not-water.

“Oh no. Reynie, you didn’t drink that, did you?” Sticky looked apprehensive, but Reynie took it as “concerned about potential reactions” apprehensive, and not “you just drank something toxic” apprehensive.

“Yes,” He said slowly, “A little. I recognised pretty quick it wasn’t my water. Should I be worried?”

Sticky looked mildly horrified, then slumped into a chair. “No, no. That is, it’s not harmful. But you might want to stay away from Constance for the remainder of the afternoon.”

“And why would that be?” Reynie carefully set the cup on the table in front of Sticky and sat down next to him. His friend quickly grabbed the glass and poured it into his flask, capping it.

“It’s a truth serum,” He sighed, “I was testing out a potential formula that might be similar enough to the compound Curtain has, to see if I could then make some kind of antidote. But I had run out of flasks so I put it into a regular cup until I could come back with this one. I’m so sorry, Reynie.”

Reynie thought about this. “So I’ll have to answer any question truthfully for the next… several hours?”

Sticky nodded ruefully. “It shouldn’t be for too long; this is a much weaker formula than Curtain’s. But, yes, definitely an hour or two. A mouthful is about twelve or so millilitres, which converts to around two hundred and forty drops, or about four hours. But, like I said, this is not as potent as that compound.”

He sighed again. “I really am so sorry, Reynie. I knew I shouldn’t have left it just sitting there like that, but I thought I would have enough time to run and get a flask before anyone came in. This is all my fault.” He put his face in his hands.

Reynie patted his friend’s back. “It’s alright, Sticky. These things happen sometimes. I’m not mad.”

Sticky peeked at him from between his fingers. “Are you sure?”

Reynie gave him a deadpan stare.

“Oh, right. Truth serum.” Sticky remembered sheepishly.

The next forty-five minutes passed smoothly, with Sticky tentatively engaging Reynie in careful conversation, but that became a lost cause as soon as the girls returned from their trip to the park.

“Hello, boys!” Kate crowed, bouncing into the room. “How was your afternoon?”

Sticky looked fearfully at Reynie, who simply answered, “Interesting. How was the park?”

Constance stomped in after Kate, taking great delight in shedding her raincoat with the most drama she could muster. “It was great! There were rain puddles everywhere, and I even managed to get Kate wet.” She smiled, seeming very self-satisfied.

Kate rolled her eyes, but she grinned anyway. “Mr. Benedict wants us to do another memory challenge with Connie here, like that one we did before. You know, where we think of embarrassing memories or secrets and Constance has to try and pick them out? There’s hot chocolate in it once we’re done.”

Sticky looked mortified, but Reynie just smiled quietly. He had been preparing for an occasion such as this for a while, and had a collection of memories that, while certainly not pleasant, wouldn’t be too hard to discuss with his friends.

Constance saw his smile and narrowed her eyes. “What are you smiling about, Reynie Muldoon? Should we start with you first?”

Reynie shrugged. “Sure, why not?”

He waited for Constance to get herself settled at one of the dining room chairs, then folded his hands and looked at her, waiting.

It wasn’t too intrusive when Constance was sorting through his thoughts, especially since she’d been getting better at it. He was focussing on a memory of one time he had spelled a word wrong out loud when he had been called on, but it was still difficult to keep his mind locked onto the memory when he felt Constance moving around in there.

Eventually, she found the image and her face screwed up in concentration.

“You… You’re in class, and I can see writing on the board. You’re… You’re… You’re spelling something!” She called excitedly.

Reynie opened his eyes, smiling at her and letting his thoughts wend free.

But Constance didn’t relax. Her eyes remained shut, and her expression darkened.

“There’s… There’s something else…” She scrunched her eyebrows together. “You got it wrong. You got it wrong, and the teacher… The teacher made fun of you!” Her eyes popped open and she looked at Reynie accusingly. “You got in trouble, and the teacher hit you with a ruler!”

Reynie winced. “Constance, it’s not a big deal.” He muttered, embarrassed that she was continuing to dredge up parts of the memory.

“Reynie,” Kate said, aghast, “That’s not a good thing.”

Reynie looked at her, puzzled. “I know it’s not a good thing, Kate,” He emphasised, “But it wasn’t that bad.” He turned towards the others uncertainly.

Sticky pushed his glasses up, considering. “Well, corporal punishment is generally frowned upon, but there is no federal law making it illegal nationwide. In some states it is outlawed, but in others it’s still completely allowed.” He looked unhappy as he said this, glancing sideways at Reynie.

“It hurt.” Reynie said simply. Then he gasped, covering his mouth with a hand and shaking his head violently.

“What?” Kate was on her feet like lightning, looking furious and agitated. “Reynie, you never say when something hurt you. How bad was this that you’re willing to admit it?”

“I– Uh,” Reynie looked panicked, waving a hand frantically at Sticky.

After a few seconds, it dawned on the other boy what he wanted. “Reynie accidentally drank a truth serum I’m working on!” He blurted out. “He wasn’t supposed to, but I left it out and he drank it and now he’s got to tell the truth for the next… couple of… hours?” He finished sheepishly.

Kate opened her mouth, flabbergasted. “First of all.” She said, whirling on Sticky, who cringed away at the ferocity of her voice. “How do you just accidentally leave truth serum lying around? And, secondly,” She continued, turning back to Reynie, “Why does it take a truth serum for you to be honest with us? We’re your friends, I thought you trusted us.” She sounded hurt.

“I do!” Reynie hastened to say. “I do trust you. I just… I don’t want to talk about the things that have gone badly in the past. I don’t want to have to bring it up, especially not around you guys.”

“But why?” Constance interjected, crossing her arms and tilting her head at him. “You say you trust us, but then you don’t want to tell us things?”

“I want to tell you!” Reynie’s eyes glistened with frustrated tears. “I always want to tell you guys everything. But this stuff, it’s not fun. I don’t want you to be sad or have to think about it. It’s my burden to carry, not yours.”

That took all the air out of Kate. She sat down, looking confused. “Reynie,” She said softly. “Why wouldn’t we want to know?”

Reynie stared at her, utterly bemused.

“I think,” Sticky began cautiously, “What Kate is trying to say is ‘Why should it only be your burden to carry?’ We care about you, and we want to know all the things you’re willing to tell us. Even the bad stuff.”

“Especially the bad stuff.” Constance piped up.

“Okay,” Sighed Reynie. “If you really want to know…”

#mbs #the mysterious benedict society #reynie muldoon #sticky washington #kate wetherall #constance contraire

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earthtooz · 1 year

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mentions of injuries, post-mission description ig but FLUFF!

when todoroki shouto confesses to you, it's raw, desperate and his behaviour catches both of you by surprise. he pours his heart out to you, squeezes it dry into your hands, fully trusting you to catch every part of him that he is willing to give you.

because you have a connection that he would do anything to preserve. he would do anything to be by your side.

so when the building you were in collapses before you could make it out, todoroki feels his world crumble a little and no one could stop him from running towards the rubble. he can't hear the concerned calls of his name, he can't hear his brain's logic, he can't hear the screaming of the rescued citizens around him, he can't hear anything but the demands of his heart, pulling him towards the disaster, urging him to find you if it's the last thing he does.

he calls your name loudly enough that his voice begins to fail him, his throat beginning to feel scratchy from all the yelling and the dust from the debris but he won't stop shouting until he gets answers.

to his right, there's a small crumble and todoroki feels like he can finally breathe again when he sees you emerge from the rubble, holding a small child to your chest.

you're alive, you're breathing, you're okay.

"y/n!"

you look at him, and you smile as best as you can. he feels his chest jump even faster.

"shoto," you weakly call out as he closes the gap between you as quickly as his legs can take him. you look tired. he wants to take you in his arms where he can protect you and retreat into the most private, secluded corners of the world; where he can look after you.

"you're okay."

todoroki's voice fails to address how relieved he truly is.

"used my quirk just in time. we're okay aren't we, little guy?" you look at the small boy in your arms who was holding on to your neck for dear life. his face was full of snot and tears as he shouts out his 'thank you's and cries for his parents. you hand the boy to todoroki who takes him without thought. "here, can you take him to the medical staff?"

"what about you?"

"i'm okay. i just... need to sit down. there's no more people left in the building by the way, you can report that back for me," you mutter, squatting down with the help of a large boulder, collapsing on the uncomfortable debris.

todoroki doesn't want to leave your side, especially in this vulnerable state of yours, but he listens to you regardless, skating away on a solid ice path. it's not even been a minute later and he returns, melting the crystallised path behind him.

he stumbles off the ice and collapses in front of you, ignoring the pain of the rock digging into his left knee.

"are you okay?" he whispers. the air around you is quiet, timid, soft, vulnerable.

you nod feebly, "i'm so tired."

he extends his arms for a hug and you gladly fold into him as todoroki envelops you with his frame.

"y'know the boy we rescued? i think he was braver than me in the moment, was telling me to keep fighting and all that-"

"save your voice, you can tell me about it later."

you sigh, nodding, "thanks for coming back."

"thank you for staying," he pauses, trying to find the right words, "i- i was terrified when i saw the building collapse. i do not think i can do this without you-"

"-well don't talk about me like i'm gone-"

"-no, you don't understand-" he ripples out a frantic, uneven breath, paired with a humourless chuckle. "i love you."

the air around you freezes. todoroki hugs you a little tighter as his shoulders begin to shake, tear drops landing on the neck of your tattered hero uniform.

the world around you feels too delicate in this moment and if your perception of reality was not rocked before by the collapse, it certainly was now in todoroki's careful hold. you feel it tilt a little more when he continues:

"i absolutely adore you, want to stay by your side for as long as you'll let me. please, do not go off running like that again, i beg of you."

a beat of silence passes by.

todoroki feels his world cave in, taking your unresponsiveness as a premature rejection.

then you utter the most ridiculous statement ever: "you tell me you love me when i'm looking like this?"

todoroki takes his head out of your neck and you see the tear streaks rolling down his beautiful face. he's so pretty it almost hurts, in fact, it hurts so much that you can taste a little blood in your mouth.

"seriously, out of all times to confess your undying love for me, you had to choose the moment that i'm all bruised and battered," you joke lightheartedly, unable to contain your smile, "i feel the same about you, shouto."

he's even prettier when he smiles, cradling the hand that you brought up to cup his face, "i think you owe me after the heart attack you gave me."

you laugh breathlessly, "will a date suffice?"

"a date will absolutely suffice."

#had this in the drafts for a long while - wanted to get it out #todoroki x reader #shoto x reader #shouto x reader #bnha x reader #my hero academia x reader #mha x reader #my hero academia #todoroki shouto x reader #shoto fluff #shoto x reader fluff #shouto x reader fluff #shoto fic #shoto drabble #shouto fic #shouto drabble #todoroki shoto x reader

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humming-fly · 29 days

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Happy to report I have finally started listening to Malevolent and to no one's surprise I am already obsessed (I'm almost done with s2 atm please don't send me spoilers yet sdlkfj)

I'll skip over my usual formality of having one normal art post before diving into shitposts let's not waste anyone's time here

#to no one's surprise the body-sharing eldrich horror buddy comedy is right up my alley #this one's been on my 'to listen' list for a long while but the stars finally aligned to make it happen #okay time to figure out how to tag this uhhh #malevolent #malevolent podcast #arthur lester #john doe #i will probably change how i draw arthur a Lot as this goes on lol but enjoy these early drafts #unlike him I had a good idea how I wanted to draw john from the get-go #though the scrawling chaotic scribbles are actually a bit tedious to do in cleaner art #the pencil comic at the end is about the easiest way to do it he's just a bit more formless there #which is only really confusing when I also want to draw the hand like in the first shitpost #if i draw anything for s2 i'll update him a wee bit though probably pretty easy to guess what #i'll be playin with it i'm sure #idfk what tags people use for these i'm not allowed to search the tag till i'm caught up #so for now these'll work!#shorthand i'll probs just use #mp #pretty sure i haven't used that before #probably #my art #doodles #comic

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icewindandboringhorror · 1 year

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a boye whom'st loves to attack paper balls

#cats #nhgnhmmm.. yommy... paper favorite food #(I do not actually let him eat paper)#ALSO I'm still working on doing the poll adventure thing I've just had a lot going on. as usual. It's actually harder than #I initially thought to regularly find time to do a quick ms paint sketch and a small writing blurb #it's like even though it doesn't take extremely long it's still one of those things that is hard to carve out a little portion of the day #to do if your day is set up in a way not conducive to portion carving #BUT .. at least I have posted many drafts #as usual.. my style of like.. post nothing for 3 weeks then randomly post 25 things at once #NO idea why my brain works that way. it just does. it's easier #even though I know it's worse in terms of like. social media #the algorithms in most places prefer consistent steady uploads over time. not jarringly wavering between absence and hyper presence #then absence again. but .. alas...#Good to clear out a few drafts once in a while anyway. And I do really want to get back to scullptures and costumes. I stopped as much for #a while due to the pandemic (can't go to the bins anymore to get new supplies for costumes and stuff) as well as my worsened #health things/lack of energy and also my chest injury (so repetitive movements with my arms such as sitting in the same #position sculpting for 4 hours or changing clothes multiple times in quick succession etc. could flare it up) but obviously #none of those things are going to get better any time soon. so I should probably just try to do it here and there anyway. It's still not #safe to go to the bins. still having muscle problems. still low energy. But I could make it work maybe. I just feel bad having gotten out #of the habit when it is really fun stuff that I enjoy. Some things just get more difficult for me over time #But even like 3 sculptures and 10 costumes a year is better than 0 of any of those things. So. eh #I'm also just trying to clear out pictures still. My spring cleaning (which I do at the start of every new year instead of actual spring)#was kind of delayed this year due to me feeling sick and everything so even late into april I'm still working on the side at like orgnazing #all of the files on my computer. deleting things and backing up whatever I want to keep. clearing out photos.#editing and drafting (and maybe one day posting) old stuff form a while ago. etc. etc.#So any progress is good progress. I suppose.#ANYWAY.... a son... he gets very excited everytime he hears anyone anywhere crinkle up a piece of paper

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irritablepoe · 9 months

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ok i wrote a little over 1k words today, somebody tell me they're proud of me :')

#THE TAGS ARE LONG SO BE WARNED!!!#and it's mostly ramblings so not a vent post #i have a good feeling about this draft #i mean i just started a new one but i have kind of a much clearer idea what i'm doing now #i have a notebook where i put a timeline of all the events and it's so helpful #though i have SOOOOO MUCH fantasy names and shit that i invented like a year ago and even though i have all the origins of the names noted #i have little idea how i got there #i even invented a whole calender that i'll use in this story (hopefully) and i'm so proud of this omg #i hope i get this draft finished one day bc it would be a really cool high fantasy book if i do it right yk #AND I'M SO PROUD OF MY MAGIC SYSTEM #it's reaaaaallly complex and i spend weeks figuring it out #though it's been a while since i wrote anything in this project and i don't have all the information on paper (in the notebook) yet #so the information is kinda spread throughout all the documents that i started for like little oneshots scenes and beginnings and stuff #and i have to find them all :')#but creating is soooo fun #but writing is a pain since march for some reason #i had a lot on my plate but also... that normally helped?#well i hope i'll get to write in september bc of semester break #i looked at my progress chart-thingy over the year and i wrote so much in feburary ;-;#i want this back plsssss #nowadays i only get to do like one poem in 2-3 days (and not even that!) and 90% of them are shit #ANYWAYS #thank you for reading all this if you did <3 #this was just me rambling lmao #i haven't posted much today aaaahhh but well i'm very tired and in pain :(#i wish weekends were longer man #period.cramps.are.shit.#personal

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jaekaicx · 1 year

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design hcs i (try to) follow when drawing the calamity trio:

marcy

round face

Face scars (in chronological order: eyebrow scar, scar across the bridge of their nose, and chin scar from all in)

tanner than in the show bc i said so

thick eyebrows

messy, wavy hair

flat nose

i try to make them a lil chubby but im bad at it

they can get a lil bit of muscle. just a little. as a treat

arrow graze & claw scars mostly around his shoulders & upper arms, plus miscellaneous battle scars. plenty of assorted scars from being possessed (port scars from getting plugged into the chair)

ALWAYS gets some form of gloves

hoodies hoodies hoodies

they dont cut their hair throughout amphibia so by the end of s3 its gotten pretty long. he keeps it long for a few months or so post-show, but eventually he cuts it short again

his ranger outfit always had shorts, what do you mean? /j

anne

face scars: forehead/eyebrow scar (top left, inspired by laf au anne), right chin scar, and left cheek scar

cracks appear at the ends of the last two scars post finale. they also show up at the ends of her fingers and feet, plus a few around her chest, neck, and chin

no major scars pre-canon, only various faded scratch marks from over the years thanks to domino

also slightly darker than in the show. sometimes. i think.

brown eyes w little specs of blue from her powers post canon

she did bouldering and tennis and muay thai and lived on a farm of course she has muscle

still on the lanky side

small cuts and scars across her arms & legs from amphibia wilderness (yk like grazing stray branches and thorns and stuff in the forest)

MUST give her the little hair squiggly

sasha

sharp chin. long-ish head

straight hair. also less banana colored. got it cut short, and light brown roots start showing around mid/post s3

give him short hair as much as possible, or whatever looks cool. anything to avoid his stupid canon ponytail

large nose, broke it sometime early s1 n its crooked now

narrower eyes

buff. why is this teenager so buff

heterochromia !! gray/blue and brown, with the specific sides depending on how i feel atm (lighter than anne & marcy’s shade of brown)

post-canon piercings: helix on left ear, lobe on right ear, and one on her right eyebrow

face scars: left eye slashed/burned from above the eyebrow to right above his lip (plus the iconic canon scar)

gets a glass eye after the fucked up eye heals a bit. goes from bandages to an eye patch and then the glass eye, but she still wears the eye patch sometimes just cause

lots of various battle scars, mainly littered around his limbs

slightly sunburnt by s3, very tanned

muscle shirts/tank tops, and/or cool jackets

some extra gen notes:

they all lost a bit of weight while in amphibia bc of the new bug diet

marcy especially after getting possessed by the core bc they never feed him or rest or anything. only the bare minimum to keep them alive

all three got a bit tanner after spending so much time in the sun in amphibia

pre-canon height hierarchy: sasha > anne > marcy

height hierarchy during the show: anne (she had a growth spurt) > sasha > marcy

post-canon height hierarchy: depends. anne is usually the tallest though

#amphibia #marcy wu #anne boonchuy #sasha waybright #amphibia headcanon #ive had this sitting in my drafts for a while #like. a very long time #i keep wanting to add more but idk i cant really think of much else #fuck it. i need to get this out of my drafts #k.txt

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savrenim · 1 month

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I've got to say. I feel like the current thing holding me back from Writing the most is, like. the.... drag in the physics sense of the word of having Long Unfinished Works making me suddenly extremely cautious about publishing anything that I do not have The Rest Of The Story Written

#and honestly this is one thing when it's 'maybe I don't want to start new fic until I've finished at least 80% of the fic'#but this is also currently dragging on me in terms of like #oh gods the moment that I publish a novel that is not stand-alone #that is the Hugest Fucking Pressure to Write In That Series #like honestly this might be one of the reasons that I'm writing 'The Crane And The Knife' from scratch #instead of taking all of the two months it will take me to polish the latest draft of Opus #Opus II is going to be INSANELY long and I haven't started it at all and just #staring at it and all my unfinished fic and all the fic I want to write but also like #how much I hope people will love Opus and want more!!!!#vs how fucking Stressful it will be that Opus II is kind of two books and I wouldn't be surprised if it was close to 300k #of trying to Produce that under Pressure #it reminds me that I'm burned out and Exhausted instead of 'woot woot writing is fun!!!!!'#anyways just rambling to myself #The Crane And The Knife is really funny #and luckily The Heart And The Heartless is MEANT to be released chapter by chapter as a webnovel #so if people love TCATK it's waaaaay easier for me to get ahead in writing and then start releasing THATH instead of having to scramble #for my own sanity might want to like. write Opus II while Opus I is in beta.#my life #my writing #honestly honestly like. I was kind of hoping to be finished with ttbotr and wriu by now #I think I would feel SO much better if I had ANY complete works to my name #esp given ifmlam is probably starting up again relatively soon?#which is just going to. Bring Back The Pressure.

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yuutx · 8 days

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ೀ ׅ ۫ . 𝐈𝐍 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐓 ? 𝐋𝐄𝐓 𝐑𝐘𝐎 𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐏 𝐘𝐎𝐔 ! (𝒮𝒰𝒦𝒰𝒩𝒜 𝑅𝒴𝒪𝑀𝐸𝒩)

sukuna ryōmen x f!reader ﾉ 18+ content. ﾉ nsfw + unprotected sex / raw sex ﾉ rough sex ﾉ reader is in heat ﾉ huge size kink ﾉ creampie ﾉ slight tit play ﾉ slight dacryphilia ﾉ breeding kink ﾉ sukuna calls you 'mama' ﾉ mentions of having a baby ﾉ vaginal fingering ﾉ dildo ﾉ mdom + fsub ﾉ not proofread ! ૮Ꮚ ◞ ก ꒱১

never written 4 'kuna b4 ,, i had this on hold 4 a while, was jus . . rottin in my drafts 4 liek . . weeks . soooo i figured i shld finally finish it ! ^^ art credits go 2 @/NC9__ on twitter ♡ + ↻ are rlly appreciated ! !

You couldn't stop panting, the air around you humid and thick, heavy with the scent of your arousal. It was hard to concentrate, your mind foggy, your thoughts jumbled, your body overheating. Your skin was tingling, your stomach twisting in knots, a dull ache in your core. You were laying on your side, your body curled up, your hands gripping the sheets beneath you. The soft cotton of your shirt rubbed against your sensitive nipples, the friction causing a spark of pleasure to run through your veins, the muscles in your abdomen clenching, a moan slipping past your lips. Slick ran down your thighs as you squirmed, the girthy base of the toy buried inside of you making it impossible to move too much. Your walls were already fluttering around it, the stretch burning, your clit throbbing with every beat of your heart.

A low, guttural groan rumbled through the air, the bed dipping as the weight shifted, the mattress squeaking as Sukuna's large body moved closer. A rough, calloused hand cupped your ass, giving it a firm squeeze, causing you to whimper. "What's the matter, hm?" Sukuna's deep voice asked, his other hand sliding down the side of your leg, his touch leaving a trail of goosebumps in its wake. You whined, rolling over onto your back, your chest rising and falling rapidly. Your legs spread wider, exposing your dripping cunt, the tip of the toy poking out from between your folds. "R-ryyyooo.." You gasped, grabbing his arm, tugging on it, pulling him down until he was hovering above you. Your back arched, your breasts pressing against his chest, your arms wrapping around his neck, nails digging into his skin. "N-need you.." You whispered, pressing your face against his neck, nuzzling it, inhaling deeply. "Mmmh, please, please.." You begged, your teeth grazing over his pulse, nipping at his skin, tasting his sweat. "I-I can't wait anymore, I can't.." Sukuna's cock twitched at the desperate tone in your voice, his lips curling into a smirk. "M-maki-ing me wait… s' not fair.."

"You've waited this long, what's a little longer, angel?" He cooed, one hand moving down to stroke your inner thigh, the other gripping your chin, tilting it up so you were looking him in the eyes. Your lower lip quivered, tears gathering in the corners of your eyes, the ache in your core intensifying, the scent of his arousal overwhelming. "Please.." You pleaded, tears spilling from your eyes, your pussy clenching around the dildo inside you, your legs trembling. "D-dont want thi-this stupid thing.." You whined, reaching down and tugging on the end of the toy, the base stretching your entrance before popping out of you, leaving you feeling empty.

"Poor girl, so needy, so desperate.. ya just can't get enough, can you?" Sukuna growled, his hand moving to the back of your neck, squeezing it, his thumb brushing over your racing pulse. You bit your lip, shaking your head, a quiet moan slipping from between your lips. "C-can't.." You replied, squirming, your hips bucking. "Y-you do this to me.. only you.. y-your fault.. y-you made me like this.." You whimpered, grabbing his hand and guiding it between your legs, your eyes fluttering shut as he ran his fingers through your folds, rubbing circles on your clit. "Y-you make me wan-want this, need this.. make me crave your cock.. s-so big.. fill me up so good.." You mumbled, grinding against his hand, the pressure on your swollen bundle of nerves making your toes curl. "I-I can't- can't ever get enough.." You gasped, crying out when Sukuna's finger slid inside of you, the digit moving in and out, thrusting into you, making you mewl. Your cunt squeezed around it, a familiar pressure building in the pit of your stomach, your walls fluttering around his finger. "P-please, please.." You panted, writhing beneath him, your body covered in a thin sheen of sweat. "Please, need more..n-need more..need you..inside me.." Your words trailed off into a strangled cry when Sukuna pushed another finger into you, a loud squelch filling the room, arousal oozing out of your cunt, coating his hand.

Sukuna's pupils dilated, a low growl rumbling from deep within his chest, his breathing becoming ragged, his nostrils flaring. He pulled his fingers out of you, grabbing the dildo and tossing it off the bed, the pathetic replacement for his cock landing with a thud on the floor. His gaze dropped down, his tongue swiping over his lips as he watched your hole twitch, the rim puffy and red. "Fucking gorgeous.." He breathed, his hands moving to the front of his boxers, shoving them down, freeing his erection. Venous, thick, throbbing, his cock was a beautiful sight, the tip shiny with precum. "Open up, angel." He said, grabbing your thighs, spreading your legs wide open, pushing them back until they were pressed against your chest, your pussy on full display. Sukuna held onto the backs of your knees, lining the tip of his cock up with your dripping entrance. You gasped, your nails clawing at his biceps, a desperate sob escaping you when he pressed forward, the head of his cock pushing into you, stretching you open, velvety smooth heat enveloping him.

Your back arched, the breath knocked out of you, your body seizing up as the pain from being filled by his huge cock radiated through you. Sukuna bottomed out, the thickest part of his length buried deep inside you, his balls pressed against your ass. Your walls rippled around him, a visible bulge displaying the outline of his cock on your stomach. You whimpered, trembling, fat tears running down the sides of your face, your body struggling to accommodate his size. "Y-you're so big, Ryo, s-so big..!" You sobbed, the burning stretch too much, the pressure too intense, your mind fogging over, a primal urge taking over, urging you to submit to him, to let him use you, to take everything he had to give. "S-so full..I-I'm g-gonna breaaakk!" A crackle of pure pleasure raced up your spine, stars dancing in your vision. Though it definitely hurt, it was a good pain, an addictive sensation that sent your head spinning, leaving you craving more, craving the blissful release of a powerful orgasm.

"Yer not gonna break. I'm gonna take care of you, sweetheart, don't you worry about a thing.." Sukuna purred, his fingers digging into the flesh of your thighs. "Just relax, that's it, take a deep breath.. Ryo's gonna make ya a mess, baby." His crimson eyes glimmered with excitement, his teeth bared, his expression animalistic, almost feral. A deep, possessive rumble vibrated in his chest, a carnal desire coursing through his veins, his mind hazy, his control slipping like it always did whenever you were in heat. His hips pulled back, his cock sliding out of you halfway before thrusting back in, his movements slow and steady. The pain slowly subsided, the burning fading into an exquisite sensation, euphoria rushing through your veins. "O-oh-! Nnngh-ahhh, ahh, R-Ry-yo..!" The rapid movement of his hips forced you up the bed, the headboard hitting the wall repeatedly as your bodies rocked together, the wet sounds of sex filling the room. You were delirious, a constant stream of moans pouring from your mouth, drool leaking from the corner of your lips, your body moving in tandem with his. "Fuckin' perfect, mama, so fucking perfect, ya feel so fuckin' good.. fuckin' hell.." He moaned, his eyes never leaving yours, his gaze locked on you. You couldn't tear your eyes away from him either, his beauty captivating you, your heart skipping a beat every time his cock plunged into you. "I-I l-love y-yooouu.." You whispered, a choked cry leaving your throat when his tip rubbed against your g-spot, sending a shockwave through your system, pleasure exploding in your brain.

You were lost in the ecstasy, the intensity of it all driving you mad, your thoughts scattered. You felt feverish, delirious, dizzy, drunk off of the way he fucked you, the way he took complete control. "I love you, too, angel.. so fucking much.. ya make me so fuckin' happy, yer mine, all mine.." His nails scraped against your skin, the pain bringing you back down to reality. You nodded weakly, your cunt clamping down on him, your whole body going rigid, your toes curling. "O-oh, Ryo-o..I-I'm..I'm-! S-so close, m'so-oo, m'close..m'gonna-a-ah!" Your orgasm was building fast, a coil of pleasure winding tightly in the pit of your stomach. "S-so c-c-close..p-pleasepleasepleasepleaaaase.." You couldn't help but plead and beg, needing that extra push, that final little thing to send you careening over the edge. "G-gonna c-cu-u-m.." Sukuna smirked, his thrusts becoming deeper, harder, more precise. "M'sure ya are, mama.." He teased, his hand leaving your thigh and sliding up your stomach, his palm cupping your breast, his fingers rolling your nipple. You yelped, your whole body shaking, a high pitched whine coming out of you when his tongue darted out, licking a stripe up your throat. "M'gonna cum, too, sweetheart. Gonna pump ya full of my seed, knock ya up, breed ya till yer round.." He growled, his breath hot against your skin, his teeth nipping at your collarbone. "S-shit..m'so fuckin' close, angel.."

You keened, his words making the tension in your abdomen snap, your walls clenching, convulsing, milking his cock as your orgasm hit. "O-ohhh, o-oh god..! Ry-yo-oo.. f-fuck, fuck, fuccckk..!!" Your back arched, your legs locking around his waist, your heels digging into his back. A loud, guttural roar ripped from his throat as he came, his cock pulsating, hot sticky cum flooding your insides. The feeling of his seed spilling inside you sent a thrill down your spine, the knowledge that he had bred you making you feel satisfied and content. You slumped against the pillows, panting heavily, the aftershocks of your orgasm still tingling through your body, a few whimpers leaving you. Sukuna's thrusts slowed to a halt, his hips stilling as he rode out his high, his grip on you loosening. His cock slipped out of you, the head of it resting against your pussy lips. Your mixed fluids spilled out of you, coating the insides of your thighs, creating a puddle beneath you. Sukuna pressed his forehead against yours, a small smile forming on his lips, his crimson eyes twinkling. He placed a soft kiss to your lips, his nose bumping against yours. "Love ya, mama.." He mumbled, his voice hoarse, his hands caressing your thighs, soothing the sore muscles. "Our baby's gonna be so beautiful.. just like its mother.."

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jadevine · 4 months

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Preindustrial travel, and long explanations on why different distances are like that

Update March 1, 2024: Hey there folks, here's yet another update! I reposted Part 2a (the "medieval warhorses" tangent) to my writing blog, and I went down MORE of the horse-knowledge rabbit hole! https://www.tumblr.com/jadevine/741423906984951808/my-post-got-cut-off-so-i-added-the-rest-of-it Update Jan 30, 2024: Hey folks, I've posted the updated version of this post on my blog, so I don't have to keep frantically telling everyone "hey, that's the old version of this post!" https://thebalangay.wordpress.com/2024/01/29/preindustrial-travel-times-part-1/

I should get the posts about army travel times and camp followers reformatted and posted to my blog around the end of the week, so I'll filter through my extremely tangled thread for them.

Part 2 - Preindustrial ARMY travel times: https://www.tumblr.com/jadevine/739342239113871360/now-for-a-key-aspect-that-many-people-often-ask

Part 2a - How realistic warhorses look and act, because the myth of "all knights were mounted on huge clunky draft horses" just refuses to die: https://www.tumblr.com/jadevine/732043691180605440/helpful-things-for-action-writers-to-remember

Part 3 - Additional note about camp followers being regular workers AND sex-workers: https://www.tumblr.com/jadevine/740604203134828544/reblogging-the-time-looped-version-of-my

I saw a post on my main blog about how hiking groups need to keep pace with their slowest member, but many hikers mistakenly think that the point of hiking is "get from Point A to Point B as fast as possible" instead of "spending time outdoors in nature with friends," and then they complain that a new/less-experienced/sick/disabled hiker is spoiling their time-frame by constantly needing breaks, or huffing and puffing to catch up.

I run into a related question of "how long does it take to travel from Point A to Point B on horseback?" a lot, as a fantasy writer who wants to be SEMI-realistic; in the Western world at least, our post-industrial minds have largely forgotten what it's like to travel, both on our own feet and in groups.

People ask the new writer, "well, who in your cast is traveling? Is getting to Point B an emergency or not? What time of year is it?", and the newbies often get confused as to why they need so much information for "travel times." Maybe new writers see lists of "preindustrial travel times" like a primitive version of Google Maps, where all you need to do is plug in Point A and Point B.

But see, Google Maps DOES account for traveling delays, like different routes, constructions, accidents, and weather; you as the person will also need to figure in whether you're driving a car versus taking a bus/train, and so you'll need to figure out parking time or waiting time for the bus/train to actually GET THERE.

The difference between us and preindustrial travelers is that 1) we can outsource the calculations now, 2) we often travel for FUN instead of necessity.

The general rule of thumb for preindustrial times is that a healthy and prime-aged adult on foot, or a rider/horse pair of fit and prime-aged adults, can usually make 20-30 miles per day, in fair weather and on good terrain.

Why is this so specific? Because not everyone in preindustrial times was fit, not everyone was healthy, not everyone was between the ages of 20-35ish, and not everyone had nice clear skies and good terrain to travel on.

If you are too far below 18 years old or too far past 40, at best you will need either a slower pace or more frequent breaks to cover the same distance, and at worst you'll cut the travel distance in half to 10 or so miles. Too much walking is VERY BAD on too-young/old knees, and teenagers or very short adults may just have short legs even if they're fine with 8-10 hours of actual walking. Young children may get sick of walking and pitch a fit because THEY'RE TIREDDDDDDDDDD, and then you might need to stay put while they cry it out, or an adult may sigh and haul them over their shoulder (and therefore be weighed down by about 50lbs of Angry Child).

Heavy forests, wetlands and rocky hills/mountains are also going to be a much shorter "distance" per day. For forests or wetlands, you have to account for a lot of villagers going "who's gonna cut down acres of trees for one road? NOT ME," or "who's gonna drain acres of swamp for one road? NOT ME." Mountainous regions have their traveling time eaten by going UP, or finding a safer path that goes AROUND, so by the time you're done slogging through drier patches of wetlands or squeezing through trees, a deceptively short 10-15 miles in rough terrain might take you a whole day to walk instead of the usual half-day.

If you are traveling in freezing winters or during a rainstorm (and this inherently means you HAVE NO CHOICE, because nobody in preindustrial times would travel in bad weather if they could help it), you run the high risk of losing your way and then dying of exposure or slipping and breaking your neck, just a few miles out of the town/village.

Traveling in TOO-HOT weather is just as bad, because pushing yourself too hard and getting dehydrated at noon in the tropics will literally kill you. It's called heat-STROKE, not "heat-PARTY."

And now for the upper range of "traveling on horseback!"

Fully mounted groups can usually make 30-40 miles per day between Point A and Point B, but I find there are two unspoken requirements: "Point B must have enough food for all those people and horses," and "the mounted party DOESN'T need to keep pace with foot soldiers, camp followers, or supply wagons."

This means your mounted party would be traveling to 1) a rendezvous point like an ally's camp or a noble's castle, or 2) a town/city with plenty of inns. Maybe they're not literally going 30-40 miles in one trip, but they're scouting the area for 15-20 miles and then returning to their main group. Perhaps they'd be going to an allied village, but even a relatively small group of 10-20 warhorses will need 10-20 pounds of grain EACH and 20-30 pounds of hay EACH. 100-400 pounds of grain and 200-600 pounds of hay for the horses alone means that you need to stash supplies at the village beforehand, or the village needs to be a very large/prosperous one to have a guaranteed large surplus of food.

A dead sprint of 50-60 miles per day is possible for a preindustrial mounted pair, IF YOU REALLY, REALLY HAVE TO. Moreover, that is for ONE day. Many articles agree that 40 miles per day is already a hard ride, so 50-60 miles is REALLY pushing the envelope on horse and rider limits.

NOTE: While modern-day endurance rides routinely go for 50-100 miles in one day, remember that a preindustrial rider will not have the medical/logistical support that a modern endurance rider and their horse does.

If you say "they went fifty miles in a day" in most preindustrial times, the horse and rider's bodies will get wrecked. Either the person, their horse, or both, risk dying of exhaustion or getting disabled from the strain.

Whether you and your horse are fit enough to handle it and "only" have several days of defenselessness from severe pain/fatigue (and thus rely on family/friends to help you out), or you die as a heroic sacrifice, or you aren't QUITE fit enough and become disabled, or you get flat-out saved by magic or another rider who volunteers to go the other half, going past 40 miles in a day is a "Gondor Calls For Aid" level of emergency.

As a writer, I feel this kind of feat should be placed VERY carefully in a story: Either at the beginning to kick the plot off, at the climax to turn the tide, or at the end.

Preindustrial people were people--some treated their horses as tools/vehicles, and didn't care if they were killed or disabled by pushing them to their limits, but others very much cared for their horses. They needed to keep them in working condition for about 15-20 years, and they would not dream of doing this without a VERY good reason.

—

UPDATE January 13: Several people have gotten curious and looked at maps, to find out how a lot of cities are indeed spread out at a nice distance of 20-30 miles apart! I love getting people interested in my hyperfixations, lol.

But remember that this is the space between CITIES AND TOWNS. There should never be a 20-mile stretch of empty wilderness between City A and Town B, unless your world explains why folks are able to build a city in the middle of nowhere, or if something has specifically gone wrong to wipe out its supporting villages!

Period pieces often portray a shining city rising from a sea of picturesque empty land, without a single grain field or cow pasture in sight, but that city would starve to death very quickly in preindustrial times.

Why? Because as Bret Devereaux mentions in his “Lonely Cities” article (https://acoup.blog/2019/07/12/collections-the-lonely-city-part-i-the-ideal-city/), preindustrial cities and towns must have nearby villages (and even smaller towns, if large and prosperous enough!) to grow their food for them.

The settlements around a city will usually be scattered a few miles apart from each other, usually clustered along the roads to the city gates. Those villages and towns at the halfway point between cities (say 10-15 miles) are going to be essential stops for older/sick folks, merchants with cargo, and large groups like noble’s retinues and army forces.

Preindustrial armies and large noble retinues usually can’t make it far past 10-12 miles per day, as denoted in my addition to this post. (https://www.tumblr.com/jadevine/739342239113871360/now-for-a-key-aspect-that-many-people-often-ask )

#writing #preindustrial #horse riding #horse care #writing advice #medieval

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chuluoyi · 4 months

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LOVER'S QUARREL

- fushiguro megumi x reader

“i can't do this anymore.” you and megumi are just too different; he's stoic, you're bubbly, he prefers solitude, you love being social. it starts with fights, words you don't mean, and ends with an event that would haunt him for a long time to come.

genre: angst, breaking up, post-breakup feelings, mentions and description of injury and blood, hurt/comfort, fluff in the end (you make up!)

note: dear god i’m finally getting this out of my drafts. loosely inspired by real life events i’ve seen around my friend’s relationship sooo it might hurt a bit 🤏🏻 but who can say no to angst to eventual fluff? tagging @lees-chaotic-brain and @kasumitenbaz (as per request in the ask!), you two are always here for my megumi works, thank you!! :3 and thank you for dropping by for the event!

a part of 1K MILESTONE EVENT

series masterlist | oneshot masterlist

Everyone pointed it out as a joke, that you liked him way more than he did you.

And you used to never let it ruffle you. To you, Megumi’s sternness and silence meant that he was comfortable with you. You never wanted him to change his ways just because now you were seeing each other.

But when you thought it over now, as you stood before him with an aghast expression and knives stabbing your kind, soft heart, you couldn’t help but do a double-take.

You were the one who confessed first. Most of the time, you were the one who initiated dates. You always texted him first, asking about his day, and even when he brushed you off, you would keep being this ball of sunshine and wished him a good day.

You never realized it before… that through everything, it has always been you. Unfailingly.

So how dare he spout this now?

“I can't do this anymore.”

"You... can't?" you spat out, feeling the first tendrils of anger course through you. "What exactly it is that you can't do? What do you even mean?"

"Look," Megumi stared at you squarely, and you thought now, that it was the coldest of eyes, straight and true. "It's always been like this between us lately. It's only right that we end this."

This, he said. He didn't even want to define your relationship anymore.

You scoffed. "And why do you think we always end up this way? Have you ever considered, even once, that it's because you make no effort at all?"

"I'm trying," Megumi quickly replied, almost in a hiss, and you almost recoiled. "But I just see that we'll end up nowhere, that's why I'm bringing this up now."

Oh, that freaking hurts. You boyfriend had just told you that this relationship would go nowhere. Right in your face.

Your eyes stung with tears, yet you fought to hold them back, fixing your gaze on the lamp overhead and inhaling deeply.

"You're... selfish," you stated, filled with ire. "You're always walking around eggshells around me, never telling me what is it that you really want—"

Megumi's unclouded eyes fixed on your trembling form. "We just disagree on a lot of things. You know it and it bothers you. It bothers me too. Rather than forcing our relationship, I think it's better—"

"It's always me!" you yelled then, lips quivering and eyes watering, unable to hold your emotions back any longer. "All dates, lunches—everything!" you locked your eyes with him, in mocking disbelief. "How can you say you're trying when, in truth, I'm the one putting in so much for us?!"

In that very second, Megumi thought that he hated seeing you like this. You were supposed to be the cheerful one in this relationship, and when he agreed to go out with you, he made an unspoken commitment to himself that he would at least not make you miserable.

And yet...

"...I'm sorry."

Came his reply, and you were sure that this was it.

And to rub the salt in your wound, he added, "I can't lie to you and say I haven't thought this for a while too."

As tears welled within you, you wondered and questioned what you lacked that led to this. However, the overwhelming sense of betrayal consuming your thoughts ultimately prevailed over any other emotions.

Now he could've appeared before you as a stranger and you wouldn't bat an eye, as the cold steel in his tone said, "And if blaming me is what it takes to make you feel better, then so be it."

You couldn't pinpoint the source of your sudden boldness, but in the next hot minute, you marched past him, your shoulder harshly colliding with his in a deliberate, almost spiteful manner—which, indeed, was your intention—and then you ran.

Which led to the next scene: you found yourself bawling your eyes out in the girls' lavatory.

Yuji and Nobara saw everything unfolding right before their eyes. They hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but you and Megumi were literally breaking up right the middle of their shared classroom, and it was hard not to follow the discourse until the end.

"Are you okay?" Nobara had come to your side, ensuring privacy by locking the restroom door out of your consideration. You were a sobbing mess, attempting to wipe the overflowing tears away while letting out all your emotions.

"He's..." Your voice faltered amid sobs as you gazed at your steadfast friend, your throat clogging up. "He said... he's been wanting t-to... break up with m-me..."

"That's okay, that's okay..." Nobara brought you to her arms, patting your back in reassurance. "Fushiguro is insensitive like that... don't cry over him now. He's just a wimp, okay?"

"Why is it me?" you asked her, voice brittle, still shaking with tears. "I t-tried everything! Being the supportive girlfriend..."

"If he can't appreciate what you did, then the problem lies with him," your friend stated, traces of irritation brewing in her resolute gaze. And as she firmly grasped your wrist, her next words resonated. "Not you."

. . .

"Do you really have to break her heart like that?" Yuji fidgeted with his hoodie, staring at his best friend with a blend of confusion and sympathy.

Megumi sighed, finally ruffling his hair into a mess, as if expressing his own state of mind. “This is for the best.”

Yuji’s eyebrows visibly creased. “How is this ‘for the best’? She’s miserable, and you…” he assessed him, scanning him from head to toe, “it doesn’t seem you’re faring any better too.”

“The longer she is with me, the unhappier she will be.” Megumi glanced at the bathroom’s direction. “She can deserve better.”

He was always too quiet, too boring, not able to match your energy too. He couldn’t fault you for expecting more, whereas he was just not exactly built for your expectations.

Megumi really thought he wanted it to end. At one point, it even felt like a chore, but…

How strange. Why did it feel like something was clawing at his chest?

Time heals. Megumi knew that by theory, but he really did see it firsthand when he saw you all giggling and happy again three weeks after he initiated the breakup.

With Hakari.

“Yo, what are you glaring at?” Panda asked, but Megumi didn’t pay him any mind.

An upperclassman, Hakari Kinji, was naturally cool and talented. He was laid back, knew how to have fun—all in all, a total opposite of Fushiguro Megumi altogether.

Three weeks. It’s only been three weeks since then.

“Megumi?”

Wait… Aren’t three weeks too fast to get over your ex?

“Megumi!”

“Huh?” he turned to the sentient panda with a jerk. “Oh, what is it?”

He looked at him with a concerned gaze. "Why do you look so scary? It's almost as if you're about to punch someone..."

But who was he to argue? He had no right to be upset now.

"Is it Kinji?" Panda gasped, finally putting two and two together when he followed his line of sight. "Oh Megumi... but you—"

"Just shut up, please," he blurted then, a hint of annoyance in his tone. With that, Panda didn't pursue it further, leaving him with his thoughts.

From where he was at the field, he could clearly see your radiant smile for Hakari. It was clear that the two of you shared a degree of friendship, but Megumi never knew that you two were that close.

...huh?

Why did the sight irritate him so suddenly? Why did his chest twinge again?

What a fool. You're the one driving her away, you idiot.

Suddenly these memories popped up one by one—

Of you suddenly hugging him from behind in an attempt to surprise him.

How he pressed his lips on the crown of your head when you fall asleep on his shoulder.

How you would give him that dopey smile when he pulled you close.

But on harder days after missions gone wrong, he’d ignore you altogether— the slight disappointment in your smile then. How your expression fell when he told you to go. How you slumped and looked back in hopes of him changing his mind.

“Haaaah.” Megumi turned away, unwilling to keep watching you any longer. Why? Why hadn’t it occurred to him before now?

Why did he long for you now? Why not before, when you were still his?

They were right. It seems people tend to desire what isn't meant for them.

What could have been more painfully awkward than being sent into a mission with your ex-boyfriend?

You would kill Gojo for this. Or at least give him the lowest possible score in his teaching evaluation for the year. How could he? Your breakup was an infamous public spectacle, so this setup was undoubtedly intentional!

You were losing your head over this, and yet your ex-boyfriend...

"Keep your guard up," Megumi reminded curtly, in a warning tone. He looked as vigilant and straight as always, as if he wasn't even bothered.

You threw him a dirty look, offended. "You don't have to tell me twice."

This just cranked up the discomfort to an excruciating level. The mix of unresolved tension and memories—okay, you might be an emo, but how were you supposed to be cool with all of these hanging in the air?

Your site of exorcism was an abandoned warehouse, and the cursed spirit in question was supposed to be a grade 3. You two were grade 2 sorcerers now, so you were a perfect fit to exorcise it. But there was indeed this unease in the air that you couldn't put your finger to.

"Isn't it awfully too quiet?" you unwittingly muttered, staring at the darkness of the wall. You couldn't feel any cursed energy belonging to any possible malevolent entity, and that was what unsettled you the most.

Megumi frowned at your line of sight. "It is. Stay close."

You blinked at what he said, and before you knew it, the familiar scent of him being near to you made your entire body burst with this equally familiar warmth. When you looked up to him, seeing the solid sharpness in that dark eyes of his and his jaw set, dead butterflies in your chest rose back to life again, against your heartbreak and better judgement.

Stay close, he said... So he is worried...

And in an attempt to hide how flustered you were, you looked down.

You walked a few good steps, when suddenly he asked, "So, are you with Hakari-senpai now?"

"Huh?" You spun around, your expression a mix of surprise and confusion.

"You two seem close."

Seem close? Seem close... wait, so Megumi had noticed...?

Suddenly, you felt incited and it made you angry. "That's none of your business," your voice carried a sharp edge, hissing. And you knew you were being a bit mean by adding, "You broke up with me, so why do you even care?"

In that moment, Megumi could've sworn his chest throbbed. Your cutting tone pierced directly into his heart, lodging itself there.

You had all rights to be annoyed, and he knew that. Why did that question even slip out of him?

"Nah, nevermind," he mumbled in response, looking away.

Awkwardness lingered afterwards. You hated this, but no, you weren't above being petty. He had broken your heart and it still stung even now. If your intentionally biting words did to him even a fraction of what he made you feel, then you would find a small sense of satisfaction in it.

But you weren't able to ponder about your mess of feelings further when Megumi abruptly yanked your arm, his voice soaking with urgency, "It's here!"

Sure enough, the grotesque cursed spirit with the shape of a giant bee broke through the walls with a bang. The two of you immediately readied your fighting stance. Megumi was ready with his divine dogs, while you with your cursed weapon.

For a while, you engaged the cursed spirit with all you had. You were trying to focus on the enemy, but you couldn't help but notice the way Megumi always looked at you every few seconds, checking for any signs of injury or harm.

Frankly speaking, he trusted your strength and knew that you were a capable sorcerer. You had been paired in a mission before and he knew both your potential and shortcomings. It was just there was something about this place that had his senses on high alert.

And his fears were proven true when you yelped and were flung onto the grimy floor. "Y/N!"

"I'm fine!" you shouted in a rush, scrambling to your feet. However, as you spun towards him, your scream tore through the hall as you caught sight of the bee lurking behind him. "Megumi!"

He got distracted. The bee quickly latched onto him and almost stung him, until he wrestled it off and summoned Nue and exorcised it.

You went to his side that instant. "Are you okay?!"

"I am." But then he winced and almost fell on his knees if you didn't have a secure grip on him. He savored your touch and breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that now you two were safe.

"Megumi! Oh god!" Panic surged through you as you pulled him close. His side was bleeding, and you widened your eyes at the sight.

"I'm okay, I promise," he rasped, looking you in the eyes. "What abo—"

Then you saw it, the flicker from deep from that corner of platform, and suddenly, you grasped the source of the unease that had been lingering within you all this time. It wasn't the bee Megumi had just exorcised—

At that moment, there was no room for thought, one thing was certain: you didn't want him to get hurt more.

He didn't manage to finish his sentence when suddenly you pushed him away with so much force he never thought you had. Everything crashed so suddenly, he didn't have the time to brace himself or grab you with him, as another cursed bee appeared out of nowhere and—

Reality flashed before his eyes as he stared at you in sheer horror. At how the cursed spirit tore your body, sinking its hollow stinger in you.

You didn't really know what happened next. Everything was muffled—the frantic movements around you turned into a blur, along with Megumi's yells. Otherworldly pain coursed through your entire being and your ears rang, then everything in your line of sight became distorted and faded, along with your consciousness. Next and the last thing you knew was Megumi's battered face, a final imprint before you succumbed to the void.

Megumi had exorcised the remaining cursed spirit and staggered to his feet—falling a few times, but he made his way towards you through gritted teeth. You are hurt. He forced himself to get to you and pull you into his arms.

And suddenly, suddenly, nothing mattered anymore as overwhelming terror consumed him upon seeing you. Blood streamed from your abdomen so much that it made a continuous pool.

"You stupid—!" He choked out, voice hitching. You were no longer conscious and it devastated him even more. "Hey, hey? Wake up—hells—"

You, who did everything you could to save your relationship. You, who cried tears for him when he blatantly broke your heart. And you, who put himself first—and now facing the consequences.

It crashed upon him in that very second, the clarity. What was he thinking back then? He still loves you.

"If you die on me, I won't forgive you."

Megumi scooped you in his arms, pressing you close to his chest, the blood seeping from his wound be damned as he looked at your serene face. His heart shattered in the worst way possible and he almost wheezed at the sticky sensation of your blood—and how lifeless you felt in his grasp—but he willed it away.

"Don't," his broken rasp echoed the walls as he took each step to get both of you out of this hellhole. He winced and hissed at his own injury, chewing his lip in frustration, at how helpless he was.

"Don't leave me."

It was like a distant, hazy memory.

Was it a memory though? No. It seemed far too real for that.

The throbbing headache pounding through your skull and shivers that wracked your body pulled you back to reality. There was a heavy pressure on your abdomen and any movement sent sharp pain shooting through you.

You gradually opened your eyes, squinting against the brightness. You were in a hospital gown, an IV was injected on your arm, and the sterile scent made your stomach twist, as nausea creeping through your guts. Your vision was still blurry as you tried to look around to find someone who waited for you. As you slowly turned your head to the side, you saw him, sitting in the chair right next your bed.

Megumi was sleeping in such uncomfortable position, his head resting on the edge of your bed. He appeared peaceful, almost childlike, devoid of his usual stoic demeanor.

Your heartstrings were tugged at this rare sight. He also sustained injuries and yet... he was waiting for you to wake up, here.

Your chest swelled with warmth, which was quickly followed by a sting of heartbreak. Still, you two broke up...

You jolted, and the inadvertent movement sent a wave of pain that seemed to paralyze your nerves, causing you to whimper. The noise woke Megumi from his slumber, as he shot his eyes open in alarm, catching your hand in his.

"Hey... Are you okay?" Megumi worriedly looked down at you with a visible frown, and the grimace of pain on your face, accompanied by trembling lips, was enough of an answer. He hastily scrambled out in slight panic, "I'll get Ieiri-san."

When Shoko came and got you the painkillers, your pain receded somewhat. Through it all, Megumi stood there, casting concerned glances in your way.

"Bedrest for the week," Shoko stated firmly, assessing your wound with a no-nonsense expression. "Your injury isn't minor—it's serious enough that you're strongly advised against excessive movement."

You could only nod in response. Megumi bowed. "Thank you, Ieiri-san." Once the doctor departed, silence settled over the room once more.

“Why did you do that?” he quietly asked then, referring to what you did for him. And when you turned to him, you saw it clearly.

He looked pale, and there was this haunted look in his eyes. It broke your heart a little.

"You were hurt." Your voice came out dry, and you realized firsthand just how parched you were. Seeing Megumi looking down never quite sat right with you. He was meant to be an unwavering presence, someone strong enough to sway your convictions.

However, a pang struck when he countered with stern eyes, "You didn't have to do that."

...he was right. You didn't have to. What he didn't know was that you were still holding on these stupid feelings, which drove you to shield him. It made you ponder: if your roles were reversed, would he not step in to protect you at all?

"Why are you here?" You weren't sure if the bitterness in your tone was evident, but you continued anyway. "You don't have to be here either."

"Don't have to?" His gaze bore disbelief, as if not believing your words. "I'm—"

"If it's because I saved you, Megumi—"

“Do not even think, even for a moment, that I won’t be concerned over you.” His voice, deep and hoarse, struck you to the core, silencing your words. “Never. I always, always want you to be safe.”

Your mind became a blank slate. Suddenly, all that mattered was his voice.

"Don't you realize how terrifying it was? Seeing you like that?" Megumi spat, his green eyes shining with intensity, teeth gritted and fists clenched. "How could you even think that I wouldn't be here—" his breath hitched, and then his lips trembled slightly, "—for you?"

You blinked quickly, a feeling stirred within you—stemming from that cursed, fragile heart of yours to be exact, evident from the rapid thumping in your chest.

You dumbly uttered, "But we are—"

"Oh, Goddamnit." Megumi cursed, and honestly you were taken aback. It wasn't really in him to swear, so this really bugged him. He ran a hand through his hair in frustration, and despite the situation, your heart skipped a beat at the sight. Even a mess in a hospital gown, your ex-boyfriend was still undeniably attractive.

He stared at you squarely in the eye, unflinching, steadfast and true, the very image of Fushiguro Megumi you admired from afar and fell in love with in the first place half a year ago. "You don't have to... say anything, if you don't want to. Right now... just hear me out."

And the things he said next... all of them, you could say, caught you entirely off guard.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for not trying hard enough, and—damn it, for making you sad. I never, ever wanted to see you that upset."

Megumi drew in a sharp breath, averting his gaze. "And for days, I've wondered if you and Hakari-senpai are now a thing... and you know what? I hate it so much. I know I have no grounds to feel this way, after what I did, but..."

And like a train wreck, his final words hit you hard. Tears welled up in your eyes in immediate response.

“I'm a loser, and a coward too, maybe,” he shrugged, a tinge of self-deprecation in his tone. “And I suck at telling people my feelings, but I love you. I still do.”

A sob slipped out of your throat and you hastily pulled the blanket over your face, much to his surprise. He thought he had worsened things, with the way you were turning away from him.

But then, from beneath the blanket, in a croaky voice, you proclaimed, "Fushiguro Megumi, you're a complete and utter idiot."

And Megumi didn't know that he had been holding back his breath as he chuckled heartily, relieved that you would still take his ass back after this prolonged mess. He knew he still had a lot to make up for and was determined to show it through his actions.

"Maybe I am, yeah."

"That's possibly the longest shit you have ever spouted in one breath."

"Yeah..."

But he got his chance back, and he knew that you would be alright. Both of you are.

On one sunny day...

"Hey, are you alone?"

Megumi glanced up from his phone, only to be met with a random girl standing in front of him, batting her eyelashes with an ambiguous intent. He blinked at her curiously.

"No. Can I help you?"

The girl twirled her hair suggestively. "Ah, you see... I see you all in your lonesome and I think you're quite cute—"

The hell? Megumi frowned, and he was really about to give this bimbo a piece of his mind when—

Oh, oh. Forget that. Megumi's attention snapped to you on the opposite side of the crossroad. All pretty and dolled up with that crop tee and miniskirt he once mentioned would look great on you by a slip of tongue—that accidental comment earned him your teasing quips for weeks already.

"Sorry, I'm here for my girlfriend. Bye."

Abruptly dismissing the girl, he didn't catch how comically offended she was for being turned down in a span of 20 seconds. He took big strides towards you, as you crossed the street, and you immediately beamed when you caught the sight of his face.

"Megumi!"

Ah, this is going to be a good day, he thought. As he gazed at your pretty face, and caught your hand in his, clasping it tightly, reveling in your scent and the warmth of your presence beside him—

He was content, and once again it dawned on him, that he likes you so, so damn much.

"Let's get started on our date, shall we?"

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blacktabbygames · 5 months

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Slay the Princess Concept Art

We shared a bunch of concept art on Twitter today. Sharing it here, too, where you can find it all in one post. Post contains spoilers, so proceed with caution (or just play the game already if you haven't 😉)

Going to start with the first piece of concept art Abby drew for the game.

In the earliest stages of development, we toyed around with the concept of there being multiple "end game" forms of the Princess.

The initial outline, rather than being tied together by an overarching metanarrative, structured a full playthrough as a 5-6 chapter long, self-contained journey down a single route, determined by your decisions in chapter 1. Here's an alternative late-game form:

The idea of deviating end-game forms didn't lost for very long, though. As we explored the game's themes more deeply, it made the most sense for there to be a singular "true" form.

If your reality is shaped by subjectivity and perception, then the "truth" has to be what's left when that subjectivity is swept away. the Shifting Mound's final design feels like that initial truth for the Princess, though there's also another truth if you push back against her and press on into the final cabin.

We really liked this "void" design, and I played around with the idea of it being an intermediary to the final form. The "void" Princess would be what you saw upon encountering the final Princess without understanding your own truth, but once you had that understanding, you would see her as the Shifting Mound, as depicted in the game.

That gave way to the intermediary design of the SM being a sea of disembodied limbs, and we also took parts of both designs and incorporated them into the protagonist (particularly the wings.) You can see the eyes and feathers for this void form in the ending card of the original trailer below:

You can see extremely early concept art for the spectre (top), nightmare (top-right), stranger (left), beast (bottom) and ??? (right) as well!

The eyes became a motif in the Nightmare route (Paranoid's manifestation of the fear of being watched), but I also like to think of them as a part of The Long Quiet's truth. You are space and emptiness, but you're also that which observes those things, and it's your perceptions that give the Shifting Mound shape.

Anyways, on the note of the original original concepts for the game, the Princess was initially going to remain human for several loops before taking on more monstrous forms. Some concepts of that are below. Had to get Abby to tone down some of the more horrifically cartoonish designs because they creeped me out and I didn't want to romance them in a video game.

We had to hold our cards close to our chest in the non-metanarrative early drafts, which is part of why, even in the first demo, the cabin doesn't really change much in chapter 2. More room to subtly play with the concept of transformation over time.

There were a lot of reasons we moved in a different direction for the full release. The branching was unmanageably large to write, and the game felt like a slog to write.

Using an overarching narrative as a framing mechanism in the final version gave us a lot more freedom to explore wildly divergent ideas within routes while still driving the player towards the originally planned finale.

Anyways, now we've got some concept art for individual princesses. There's a lot more than this lying around somewhere, but it's all in sketchbooks, and we'll probably wait until we make an art book to show it off.

First is the tower, who really didn't change much at all. (She got a little thicker, I guess. All of the Princesses did)

Not a lot to say about her, other than the fact that we knew we wanted a set piece where she gets so big that the trees and cabin orbit around her.

The stranger went through many many redesigns over the course of development. Here, she was a "princess skin" filled with a hive of sentient bugs. The script wasn't working for me, though, so instead she became a peak behind the curtains without the necessary context to know her.

A lot of people ask how these earlier drafts of the Stranger route would have played out, and the answer is I can't tell you, because I couldn't figure out something worth writing.

The writing process for individual routes didn't really start with outlines or plot beats. Rather, the routes started from a theme and a relationship dynamic, and I organically found their outcomes by exploring actions within those themes, and then seeing if those passed Abby's editor brain.

Neither of us found actions we wanted to explore with those versions of the Stranger, at least actions that weren't a beat-by-beat retelling of chapter 1, which contained way too much variation to put on a single chapter 2 route.

If each princess examines a relationship formed by perception and first impressions, the Stranger examines one that's fundamentally unknowable. One where you've seen too much, too quickly.

An insect hive-mind pretending to be a person seemed like a good starting point, but it was too difficult to write any interactions that didn't immediately feel knowable, if still strange. So the final version of the Stranger was designed in such a way where her unknowability makes interacting with her on a human level fundamentally impossible, and you don't get to have a real conversation with her unless you satisfy extremely specific criteria.

Anyways next up is the razor's final form. We decided she needed more swords.

Hearts became an accidental motif very quickly in the development process, too. (The fact that it is only strikes to the heart that fell her in the demo was accidental, but it felt poetic so we extended it to the rest of the game.)

So on top of adding more swords, we made her heart visible. This is something we did with the fury as well, as a way of showing their emotional (and physical) vulnerability.

Here's an early version of the Adversary and what would eventually become the Eye of the Needle, back when she was still called the Fury. Originally her hair was going to be fire (as seen on the right), but it didn't feel right in its execution.

She's hit the gym since this concept art. Good for her :)

And we're going to end with the Beast, who at this point was called the Adversary. I think this was before the Witch was added? The Beast was originally designed to be a Questing Beast who lurked in the shadows, where you'd only see glimpses of her, and where each glimpse would make her appear to be a different animal. This was too difficult to execute, though we gave her a more chimera-like appearance in the final game.

This design was from when we still has the Voice of the Obsessed, and the route was going to be a more feral mirror of what eventually became the Adversary, but it felt too thematically similar while being less interesting, so we moved in the direction of making the Beast about consumption as a form of love.

Anyways, that's all we've got for you right now. Hope this was fun!

#slay the princess #interactive fiction #character design

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