#ranchers have infected me

[lgalacticjayl]

Ok, as your resident cowboy enjoyer and person who works at a shoe store take hermitcraft*+ but what cowboy boots they would wear. Don't ask why just accept this

#oh my god that fit everyone somehow #cowboys #also all of these boots are from Ariat #and yes joe and cleo got 2 they are special #im sorry im not adding 30 image tags but it is just 30 consecutive photos of a cowboy boot next to a minecraft skin #also can someone please give me hermitcraft as cowboys fanart I need it to live #how do i tag this #meme #hermitcraft #life series #limited life #ranchers have infected me #assigning

[silvrash-797]

@ajscico The long-awaited conclusion to the Time/Fierce Deity arc! This one has a song to go with it, too - Healing Termina by Theophany

Night's dark grasp (pt 3)

Day 26: "help them"

Part 1 | Part 2

Read on ao3

Twilight had taken second watch for the night, opting to patrol as Wolfie until it was time to switch with Hyrule. So far it had been a quiet night, no nightmares or restless sleep for anyone. He was on his second long loop around camp when something shifted in the woods. A sense of rage erupted from the far side of camp, blinding in its intensity, driving Twilight to his belly in fear, whimpering. The feeling soon retreated, and Twilight stood on shaky legs, carefully sniffing the air.

That can’t be good. Twilight loped back to camp to check on everyone. Wind was curled up in Warriors' scarf, Sky and Four nearby. Wild was on his side near Twilight’s bedroll, sleeping peacefully for once. Hyrule was clinging to Legend's arm, both of their faces screwed up like they were having a nightmare. And Time was…

Where was Time?

Dread filled his belly as he sniffed around Time's abandoned bedroll. No sign of a struggle, but that sharp scent of rage burned in his nostrils, heading off in a direct path out into the woods, leading towards the abandoned temple they had been tasked to clear out.

He immediately shifted back to Hylian, tucking his shadow crystal under his tunic as he began the frankly terrifying task of waking up a bunch of traumatized heroes in the middle of the night. He started with Sky and Wind, as they were usually the least stab-happy of the bunch. With a quick, “Time's missing, get everyone up,” they helped wake the others, and soon the Chain – sans Time – was gathered around, ready to hear what Twilight had to say.

Once everyone was settled, Warriors was quick to take charge. “What’s going on Rancher? Wind says Time's missing?”

“I was out on patrol as Wolfie when I felt an intense energy shift coming from camp. I couldn’t move for a minute, but when I could I came right back here.”

“I think I felt that, too,” Hyrule interrupted. “I thought it was just a nightmare, but it felt like a rampaging hinox was crushing me.”

Legend scoffed his agreement, wincing at the memory. “Same here.”

Twilight nodded. As two of the most magically sensitive members of the Chain, it made sense that they would have picked up on the feeling.

“When I got back, he was gone and a scent trail led from his bedroll towards the temple. The scent was Time's, but…it was…off. Raw. Furious.”

The Chain looked at each other in shock. Time never got angry.

Wind broke the silence. “So…we’re going after him, right?”

Warriors gave him a small smile and pulled him into a hug. “Of course, kiddo. There wasn’t any question.” He turned to the rest of the heroes. “Pack up, everyone. We leave in 10 minutes.”

-----

Twilight, as Wolfie, led the chain through the forest, tension mounting within each hero at the path of destruction woven through the foliage. Twilight grew even more concerned when the trail they were following began to intermingle with the ever-growing scent of monsters. Worse, they smelled infected. I hope Time's okay.

When the Chain arrived at the temple’s entrance, they gawked at the destruction before them. Black blood was everywhere, and there were gouges in the temple walls, as if some great sword had been sent to desecrate the place.

Twilight shifted back to Hylian, and the heroes all gathered around Warriors who looked concerned and…resigned?

Wars took a deep breath and let it out entirely before shifting to Captain mode. “I have an idea of what happened to Time, and I don’t like it. Twilight, take Wind, Sky and Legend, follow Time's trail. The rest of us will check out the rest of the temple, clear any monsters we find.”

“Not gonna give us a hint, Cap?” Legend asked.

Wars sighed again. “Just…be careful, please. I’m hoping the only reason I’m sending Sky with you is for the Master Sword, not his reputation as a Godslayer.”

…That’s not terrifyingly cryptic, Twilight thought as he shifted back to Wolfie. Immediately the mingling scents of Furious-Time and terrified monsters assailed his senses and he sneezed, wincing at the tang in the air.

Sky looked down at him in concern. “You gonna be okay, Twi?”

Twilight huffed out a breath and nodded, leading the way further into the temple.

The four of them met no resistance, monstrous or otherwise, as they made their way through, although Twilight could sense the trepidation growing in each of the other heroes. Before long they were standing in front of a large, ornately carved door.

Legend eyed it for a moment, then smirked. “Well, that just screams boss room, doesn’t it?”

The comment drained some of the tension among the group. Wind and Sky chuckled, and Twilight managed a wolfish laugh before shifting back.

Twilight rubbed at his nose, trying to clear it. “He’s definitely through there, him and a lot of monsters.”

That caused a pause in the group. Sky finally broke the silence. “What do we think happened? Should we make a plan?”

“What do we know?” Wind asked.

Legend began listing points off on his fingers. “Time disappeared in the middle of the night. He’s angry. There hasn’t been a single monster in this goddess-forsaken temple, except apparently here in the boss room. Did I miss anything?”

“Wars chose us specifically to find Time,” Twilight reminded him.

“Oh, right. The protégé, the Godslayer, the Veteran, and the kid.”

“I’m not a kid, Lege!” Wind protested. “For your information, I know why Wars was worried about needing a Godslayer.”

Legend blinked at him, nonplussed. “You do?”

“Yes, I do. In the War of Eras, Kid Time had a really powerful mask he would use to help turn the tides of a battle if things were going wrong – the Fierce Deity’s mask.

“I thought he’d gotten rid of it, since I haven’t seen it even when we’ve had really tough battles, but…” Wind paused, swallowed, “something might have gone wrong.”

“I’ve heard of the Fierce Deity,” Legend said, “even got to play around with his sword for a bit on one of my adventures…wonderful.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose and blew out a hard breath. “So, if I’m understanding right, there’s a high chance Time's been, what, possessed by this Deity?”

“Unfortunately that is what it sounds like,” Sky grimaced. “So, a plan?”

Twilight shook his head. “There’s still a lot we don’t know. Be ready for a fight; we’ll have to play it by ear once we see what we’re dealing with. Whatever’s happening, we need to help him…help them.”

Everyone nodded in agreement and readied their weapons, then Twilight pushed the door open.

Once the four heroes were through, the door slammed shut behind them. Each flinched and glanced back in turn, but no bars fell across the door. A swift glance around the room alleviated some concerns and brought others to the fore.

The only sign monsters had ever been in the room was the thick scent of blood in the air and the dark, bloody puddles across the tile floor. Across the room, a tall figure in heavy plate armor stood with his back to the heroes.

Twilight cleared his throat and took a few steps towards the figure. “Old Man?” he called. “Time, is that you?”

The voice that responded was similar to Time's, but it was deeper, louder, with intense emotion simmering below the surface. “The Hero of Time sleeps, young Hero of Twilight. I am all that remains.”

The Deity turned its face to the heroes, and Twilight took a step back as blank, emotionless eyes stared right through him, glowing with unearthly light under a shock of white hair. “Why have you come? The infected threat has been nullified. You are no longer needed. Return to your rest.”

“Yeah, that’s the thing,” Legend drawled, voice projecting strength and confidence. “We woke up to find our leader gone, we’re just here to bring him back to camp with us.”

Wind stepped forward. “C'mon Fierce, let him go, please?”

The blank gaze turned to Wind who, to his credit, did not take a step back at the intensity contained within. “Hero of Winds. It has been a while since we met…But your pleas are useless. I have escaped the confines of the mask. I alone control this body. The Hero of Time sleeps, and I will ensure that he cannot take it from me.”

The Fierce Deity drew its double helix blade, but made no move to attack. “Your request is denied. Leave now, and I will not harm you.”

Twilight looked between the other heroes and saw the same determination in their eyes that burned in his heart. The Wolf surged inside him, and he bared his teeth at the Deity. “We’re not leaving without Time.”

“Then you will not leave at all.”

With speed and grace belied by its height and bulk, the Deity moved to strike. Sky intercepted the swipe aimed at Twilight's head, bracing himself against the strength of the blow.

“Twi!” he gasped as he pushed the Deity back. “Fi didn’t burn me – she doesn’t recognize him as a hero!” Sky parried another strike. “I’ll keep him occupied – go help them figure out a way to get Time back!”

Twilight nodded and made a beeline to the younger heroes. They were already deep in discussion, although they both kept one eye on the fight unfolding before them.

“Rancher, I have a crazy idea and it’s your fault.”

“Lege, I – what? What do you mean my fault?”

Legend, filled with nervous energy, shifted from foot to foot as he explained. “Before we opened the door you said we’d have to play it by ear. The Deity told us twice that Time was sleeping.” He paused, thinking.

“…And…?” Twilight prompted.

“…And I happen to know a song that can wake dreamers, and an ocarina to play it on. The problem is separating them once Time's awake…”

“This is basically a curse, right?” Twilight asked. “The Master Sword should be able to handle separating them – that must’ve been what Wars meant by sending the Master Sword with us.”

Wind was filled with the same nervous energy as Legend, fidgeting with his necklace as he watched Sky and the Deity circle each other. “But Fierce said he escaped the confines of the mask, so there’s nothing physical to anchor his spirit to.”

Legend thought for a bit longer, then pulled out his ice rod. He shot a thick stream at the Fierce Deity, temporarily freezing him in place. “Sky!” he shouted, “Get over here!”

Sky came, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he watched the Deity slowly free itself. “What's the plan, guys?”

“The Vet knows a song he thinks can wake Time. We need the Master Sword and something to anchor the Deity’s spirit to.” Twilight explained. A thought came to him. “You don’t happen to have a carving on you that you’re okay parting with, do you?”

Sky stilled for a long moment, staring. Eventually, he pulled what looked like a half-finished cutting board from his pack. “I was working on this for Wild, but cutting boards are pretty easy to carve in the scheme of things.”

Twilight took it in hand as Legend shot another stream of ice at the Deity. It was bigger than Time's masks usually were, but it would suffice. He handed it to Wind. “You’re in charge of this. Keep it safe, okay?” He turned back to Legend. “Give me your ice rod – I’ll try to keep him in place while you work. This is going to take all of us.”

Twilight took Sky's arm. “The moment we get confirmation that Time's awake, we need the Master Sword to seal the Deity's spirit in the wood. Do you think she can handle it?”

Sky grasped the sword’s hilt with both hands and closed his eyes. It flared brightly for a moment before a gentle chime rang from the metal. Sky opened his eyes and nodded. “She’s ready.”

“Then let’s get Time back.” Legend wasted no time in pulling his ocarina from his pack. He raised the instrument to his lips, beginning to play a lilting, haunting melody.

The moment the notes sounded, the Deity roared, fighting harder to free itself. Twilight sent another stream of ice its way, silently apologizing to Time for the cold. Sky hovered close by, ready to fight if the Deity escaped.

As the last notes of Legend's song echoed through the room, the Deity stilled, frozen in mind as well as body.

Twilight watched its face anxiously. “Come on, Old Man. Come back to us,” he whispered.

A shudder rocked the Deity's frame. Color flickered in its left eye, resolving into a familiar deep blue iris. Its mouth opened.

The voice that emerged was weak but immensely familiar. Time’s voice. “Pup,” he whispered, “help…”

Powerful relief washed over Twilight, and he grinned as he shouted, “Now, Sky!”

Sky held the flat of the blade to the right side of the Deity's face, keeping it steady as it worked to pull the Deity from Time's mind and body. Time's eye, tired, terrified, pained, stayed fixed on Twilight through the process.

Slowly, the armor vanished piece by piece, the light blue tunic fading to Time's cream undershirt. Golden blond hair replaced the white. The markings on the left side of Time's face disappeared as the otherworldly glow faded from the right eye before it shut of its own accord.

In just a few eternal minutes, the Deity was gone, and Time stood, trembling, before them.

Legend shot a gentle blast of heat from his fire rod to melt the ice, and Time collapsed. Twilight caught him before he could hit the floor, pulling off his pelt to wrap around the freezing hero. Time shivered, panting, in his hold.

They watched Sky as he took the Master Sword to Wind and placed its tip to the cutting board in the Sailor's hands. Waves of blue, white and gold rolled off the blade as the Fierce Deity was channeled into the heart of the wood, until a bright flash of light caused each hero to close their eyes.

When they opened them, the colorful waves had stopped, the sword was still, and a tiny Triforce had been branded into the wood, surrounded by the chevron and stripes of the Deity's marks.

Time heaved a deep sigh then looked at the four heroes surrounding him. Gratitude shone from his eye. “Thank you,” he whispered. “Thank you for freeing me.”

Twilight returned the look with a watery smile, pulling the older hero into a tight embrace. “You’re welcome,” he whispered back.

#silvrash writes #febuwhump #day 26 #linked universe #linkeduniverse #lu twilight #lu legend #lu sky #lu wind #lu time #lu fierce deity #the other links are here but don't do much

[sixhours]

Chapter 15 - The Ghosts of Babylon

Series Chapter Index | Read on AO3 | Complete

Rating: Explicit, 18+, here be smut and violence Series tags: Joel Miller x You, Joel Miller x Reader, Joel & Ellie, mostly follows canon, LGBTQ+ characters, y/n is bi/pan, y/n is ~45, violence, pregnancy, abortion, medical trauma, emotional trauma, panic attacks, sex work, suicide, smut, slow burn, angst with a happy ending, hurt/comfort, romance, no use of y/n, reader has longish hair, Joel can lift you, smallish age gap (~11 years), I've probably forgotten some so please let me know <3

~*~

You’re walking back from lunch at the mess hall when you see Ellie standing outside the clinic, looking lost. Her eyes widen when she sees you coming and she steps out to meet you at the door.

“Ellie? What’s wrong?”

“M’sick.”

She looks pale, a fine sheen of sweat on her brow. You press your wrist to her forehead, finding it warm. 

“Come in, let’s check you out. Does Joel know you’re here?”

She shakes her head, looking wan.

You reach for the walkie on your belt. “I’ll radio–”

“No!” The girl stops halfway through the door, looking up at you with wide eyes.  “Don’t. He thinks I’m in school.”

You narrow your eyes. “He’s not going to be upset at you for being sick.”

She shakes her head furiously. “Just…can you please not tell him?”

“Ellie, I can’t–”

She rolls her eyes, looking like she’s about to cry. “Fine. But…can you just wait? Please?”

You bite your lip. “Let’s go talk.”

You lead the way to the back of the clinic and set her up in the exam room, closing the door behind you.

She hisses when you move to take her right wrist to check her pulse. When you look into her face, she won’t meet your eyes.

“Ellie…did something happen?”

Her lashes are heavy, her breaths shallow and fast.

“Let me see,” you whisper.

She swallows hard, then grimaces as she pulls up her sleeve to reveal a patch of dirty gauze pressed to her inner forearm. The bandage sticks to her skin when you try to remove it, and Ellie makes a pained whimpering noise as you pull it from the wound. The place where her scar used to be is an angry pink splash of bubbled skin in an almost perfect rectangle. It’s a second-degree chemical burn, blistered and oozing, clearly infected.

You sit back, searching the girl’s face. “Did you do this?”

Ellie doesn’t answer.

“What did you use?”

No answer.

“Look, you need to tell me,” you say, trying to soften your voice. “I don’t want to try to treat it and do something that will make it worse.”

“Cleaner,” she says softly. “Found it in the supply closet at school.”

“When?”

She shrugs. “A few days ago.”

The clinical part of you admires the fact that she’s not writhing in agony, that she managed to hide it from Joel and her teachers and friends for so long–she probably would have succeeded if it hadn’t gotten infected.

“I can give you antibiotics for the fever and we have aloe for the burn. It’s probably going to scar. But…I’m guessing that was the idea?”

Her silence tells you everything.

“Are you frequently in the habit of harming yourself?”

Ellie snorts softly. “No.”

“Then what provoked this?”

She gives you a long look as if you should know the answer.

“And Joel doesn’t know,” you say more softly, a statement, not a question.

She shakes her head, lower lip trembling. “He’s gonna kill me.”

“Let’s get you some antibiotics, I’ll take you home…then we’ll figure out what to do about your dad.”

~*~

You give Ellie a shot of penicillin and re-dress the burn, then let Shiela know you’re taking the girl home. Ellie drags her feet down Rancher Street, visibly tired and in pain but not eager to get there.

You send her upstairs as soon as you cross the threshold. “I’ll bring up some Tylenol in a few minutes. That should help with the fever.”

When you pad upstairs a few minutes later with a glass of water and two white pills, Ellie is sitting up in her bed wearing one of Joel’s gray T-shirts as a nightshirt. The sleeves go down to her elbows, the collar stretched over one shoulder. The white bandage on her arm stands out against her pale skin.

You sit on the edge of the bed and watch as she takes the Tylenol with a gulp of water. She regards you warily, pulling her knees to her chest under the blankets.

“You’re gonna tell him, aren’t you,” she mumbles, not a question.

“The school radios your guardian when you don’t show up. He probably already knows.”

“Oh…right.”

“So will you tell me why you did it?” you ask softly.

She considers you miserably. “I was with Dina…we were…um…and she…I wouldn’t…couldn’t take my, uh…my shirt…”

Her face flames red, her fingers picking at the skin around her cuticles until it bleeds. You reach over, gently separating her hands so she can’t make a bad situation worse.

“M’tired of being a fuckin’ freak,” she whispers, wrapping her arms around her legs and pressing her forehead into her knees.

“Ellie, does Joel know that you and Dina are…?”

She shrugs, then shakes her head, ducking her face into the sleeve of her shirt to wipe her eyes.

You remember your father calling your relationship “that lesbian phase” and how he insisted on introducing Joanna as your “friend” to extended family at holiday parties. Your father, well-mannered in his sharp suits and ties, couldn’t fathom why his baby girl would choose such a life for herself.

And then there’s Joel–rugged and gritty in flannel and plaid, an all-American man’s man–and you can’t blame her for thinking he’d see things one way. But he didn’t balk at your past and has never said an unkind word about your inclinations. You open your mouth to tell her as much, but you’re interrupted by the sound of the front door creaking on its hinges.

“Ellie! You here?”

Joel’s voice booms up the stairwell. He’s back from patrol, her name on his lips laced with panic.

“Here comes the firing squad,” she mutters.

“I’ll talk to him,” you sigh, closing her bedroom door behind you as he storms up the stairs. His eyes widen with dread when he sees you waiting for him on the landing.

“What happened? Got a call on the radio, said she missed school–”

“She’s fine. She’s resting.”

He tries to go around you, but you put up a hand and he all but crashes into it, pressing his chest into your palm. He glares at you in disbelief, jaw tightening as his concern turns to anger.

“What are you–”

“Joel, stop,” you say, in the tone you reserve for unruly patients. “She has a minor infection. I gave her antibiotics. She’s going to be fine.”

“An infect–what? Swear to god if that Jesse kid did anythi–”

“It’s not that kind of infection.”

“Then tell me what the fuck is goin’ on,” he growls.

“Christ, Miller. She needs a father right now. Not an attack dog,” you say, trying to keep your voice low. “If you can’t do that, you need to turn around and get that shit out of your system.”

His nostrils flare as you stare him down. You can feel the press of his breastbone against your palm, warm and heaving. For a second, you think he’s going to throw a punch, and part of you thinks you’d like to see him try.

Then the pressure on your wrist relents as he takes a step back, breathing hard.

“You good?”

“M’fine,” he says through gritted teeth. “M’good.”

“Alright.”

He sags into the doorframe when he sees her, curled on her side under the blanket, facing you both.  

“Ellie?” he clears his throat. “What, uh, happened?”

She looks at him, then back at you. You nod.

Show him.

She sits up, grimacing as she pulls back the fresh bandage to expose her forearm.

You watch his fists clench and unclench at his sides, and that far-off look drifts into his eyes. You find yourself moving closer, ready to step between them. Then he’s kneeling by the bed, taking her elbow in one large hand, careful not to touch the blistered skin.

“Does it hurt?” he whispers, voice cracking a little.

Ellie nods.

He swallows hard, tenderly replacing the bandage. He looks into her eyes. “Why?”

“I don’t want to hide anymore,” she whispers.

He considers this for a long time, then, without a word, gets up and leaves the room. You and Ellie make eye contact as his bootprints sound on the stairs and the front door slams.

“Wow, I feel so much fuckin’ better,” she groans.

“Rest,” you sigh. “He’ll come around.”

She gives you a look of bitter unbelief, then turns on her side and flops down, pulling the covers over her head.

You find him on the porch, hands gripping the railing like a lifeline. You can see the clench of his muscles under the sweat-soaked back of his T-shirt.

“That was good,” you say dryly. “She still thinks you’re mad at her…but points for not raising your voice.”

He snorts like a bull, rolling his eyes to the heavens.

“Look, I know we’re not supposed to talk about her scar–”

“Stop,” he says. It comes out as a plea, not a demand.

“...but I don’t think it’s about that,” you continue. “Not entirely.”

“S’that why she tried to burn the fuckin’ thing off?” he growls.

You shake your head. “She’s…different, Joel. And I don’t mean the scar.”

“You think I don’t know that?”

You fold your arms, cock your head. “I don’t think you know as much as you think you do. I think you’ve been so focused on her safety that you haven’t been listening to what she’s trying to tell you.

“She’s scared, Joel. She grew up in a military prison for children. She doesn’t know who she is, and she can’t figure it out because she’s terrified she won’t be who you need her to be.”

He stares at you, dumbfounded, muttering, “I don’t need her to be anything–”

“Every time you look at her, she worries you’re seeing your dead daughter.”

It’s a blunt weapon, and it lands like one. He sags back against the railing with so much hurt in his eyes, breath leaving his lungs in a wounded huff.

“I don’t know what happened out there,” you continue, gesturing beyond the walls. “But whatever it was…I think you need her more than she needs you…and that scares the shit out of you.”

 His jaw clenches.

“I’ve…never denied that,” he grates out after a long pause. “But I never ever saw her as less than whole. Never. Ellie is her own person…and she’s just as much a part of me…as…as Sarah was.”

There’s a heavy silence, with only the sound of his breathing and the crickets singing in the grass.

“I’m not the one who needs to hear it,” you say softly.

He closes his eyes, wincing, the pain flashing across his stoic face before he can button himself back up. You resist the urge to reach for him, to comfort him, because you know he won’t have it. You settle for putting a hand on his shoulder as you make for the stairs.

“I’ve got to get back. Just…listen to her. And tell her the truth.”

#fic recs #fanfic #the last of us hbo #joel miller #the last of us #joel miller x reader #joel miller x you #joel and ellie #ellie williams

[life-winners-liveblog]

Agree with Frista friendships are the best kinda ships (qprs too, but mostly frens)

Romance is a plague and im immune to the sickness but its still annoying to see all the infected peoples acting like its romance is the only option (im maybe a bit salty about romance being everywhere, dont get me wrong i dont mind shipping or couples most of the time, its just that when its always there at all times its easy to get annoyed)

9.2

I know right?!? I mean, its everywhere movie cartoons... I mean It's funny sometimes like the whole ranchers situation but still It's annoying.

...

At least if It's of any confort you don't live nextdoor to the literal god of romance so-

You called?!? Oh Drista!

NO! Go away, this is my thing! I am doing it not you!

...chill... anyway-

Velvet 2 deities are perhaps already enough I don't think theres a need for you to be here as well.

So yeah you can go-

But I want to help out with the dandelion husbands pining!!!

...ok he can stay.

What? I tought you disliked him?

As much as I REALLY don't want...him...here, Scotts and Jimmy's denial is going to phisically hurt me.

Yeah!!!

BUT don't be weird, or I'll ask Kristin to kick you out of this world.

*gasp* When have I ever been- nevermind... I promise to dial it back is that fine?

...And don't talk to me.

It's not like I would want to anyway... I am not even going to be here that often don't worry.

Children *sigh*

#asks #trafficblr #traffic series #kristin #drista #red velvet

[thethistlegirlwrites]

Vampires Anonymous

Joey looks around the abandoned office-turned-Vampires-Anonymous and wonders how this night is going to go.

There’s about ten people scattered throughout the room. A guy playing a harmonica in a corner, some upbeat tune that’s probably actually a folk ballad about how some guy died in the old west, two heavily tattooed girls playing some kind of card game that involves a lot of yelling and smacking the top of the deck, a young guy with a frowzy shock of dark purple hair, an old man with cowboy boots and a weather-lined face apparently dozing off with his feet propped up on a battered desk, a guy who looks like he could have been a lawyer in his past life brushing off the seat of a wobbly spinning chair, and a woman with a dandelion poof of hair and a patch-covered jacket perched on top of a four-foot-tall filing cabinet. Then there’s Joey, and Shay, and the listing stacks of paperwork, file boxes, and busted chairs the previous tenants left behind. 

Part of what Shay’s doing as community service for his own mentorship is starting a support group for fledglings that’s connected to the mentor program. It’s one thing for young vampires to have a connection to someone who can offer advice and the wisdom of experience, but it’s also good to have people who are at the same spot, sharing the same struggles. 

Joey’s got her halfway house ‘sisterhood’, but she agreed to come anyway because Shay should have at least one person he knows to offer support the first few weeks. 

But if Shay’s nervous about his first night leading the group, he’s not showing it. 

Lawyer-guy looks around the room. “Shouldn’t we be, like, making a circle of chairs or something?”

“You wanna hold hands and sing Kumbaya, too?” Cabinet-percher asks. 

“This group is what we make it,” Shay breaks in, with the same authoritative calmness Joey remembers from the days when he drove off jerks harassing her. “In my experience, too much structure makes everyone feel too formal, or too put on the spot because we’re all looking at each other. We’ll try it this way first.” He looks around. “I would like everyone to introduce themselves but only as much as you’re comfortable with, and no last names right now. I’ll start. I’m Shay. I’ve been a vampire for a little less than two years, but I was bitten in college and it took me quite a while to actually die and turn. The reason I got picked to work with this group in the first place is that I was trying to deal with the chronic venom pain and got hooked on heroin. I’ve been in and out of mandatory rehabs and group therapy most of my adult life. The point being, I know something about what makes a group work or what makes them useless, and we’re going to try to be one of the better ones here.” 

Joey tries to pay attention as the others follow suit. 

Tattoos and Tattoos Two are sisters, Kai and Lia. They got turned the same night when they played a punk-rock gig at the wrong bar and ended up on the menu instead of onstage. The old man is Loren, a name that makes Lawyer-guy snicker until Harmonica throws a ball of crumpled paper at him. He’s a former rancher who ended up bled dry by both the banks and vampire loan shark he turned to in desperation. Purple hair is Francisco, whose story is disturbingly similar to Joey’s, except that the vampire who took him and four other people across the border decided to hang onto them for a while. He’d been the only one infected, and had woken up in the middle of a body dump in the desert. Like Joey, he’s on Chimera’s case docket for home earth citizenship. Harmonica turns out to be a very unassuming Jay, which feels like way too short and normal a name for his charismatic aura. He’d been a bit part actor in sitcoms until he tried to break up what he thought was a rape in the backlot and ended up surprising a hungry vamp instead. Lawyer-guy, whose name is actually Keith, really was a lawyer, apparently. A divorce lawyer whose less than above-board methods led to him crossing paths with a sleazy vamp offering PI services for his clients. One argument over payments later, his practice and his life were over. Cabinet-percher is Aaliyah. Former LA cabbie who got literally stiffed on a fare. Twice over, unfortunately for her. The first time by a vamp who bit her rather than pay up, and the second time by a desperate guy who was fleeing an armed robbery. When the radio gave out his description, and Aaliyah had looked into the mirror to confirm it was her passenger, he’d shot her in the back of the head and bolted.

Joey didn’t really mean to go last, but it kind of just happened. She’s not the sort to break into the conversation, and she was trying too hard to take in everyone else’s story.

“Uh, I’m Joey. I’ve been a vampire for about eight months. I was bitten when I was nineteen, by a border smuggler.” She kicks at a dust ball on the floor. “I spent the next six years in LA and when I died, my family buried me and I turned. Now I’m in the mentor program to get a chance at getting them back in my life.” It feels painfully slow. Two weeks is too long to wait for the physical visits, but if everything goes well, in another month she’ll get moved up into the once-a-week bracket. “I hadn’t told them I was going to become a vampire. Mostly because I didn’t actually think it would happen.”

One of the two tattooed girls (it’s going to take weeks for Joey to remember who’s who) scowls. “Let me get this straight. You didn’t know you had the venom in you?”

Joey laces her fingers together and looks down at her hands in her lap.

“Not for sure.” She sighs. “I didn’t want it to be true. I couldn’t afford it to be.”

“Didn’t you feel anything?” Aaliyah asks. “I felt like my skin was going to burn off whenever someone touched me. It hypersensitized me to everything. And my teeth were killing me.”

“I kept telling myself everything I felt made sense.”

She was driving her sister to appointments, working the fights at night, scared she'd be caught and deported because she couldn't get a visa. She’d figured the stomach pains meant she’d end up like Jorge across the hall, with a stress ulcer before thirty because he too had overstayed his legal welcome. She thought the hunger was from skipping meals so her siblings got more. 

She was ignoring the pain because Via came first.

“Everyone else in our neighborhood was just like me. Always tired, alert to anything that might be trouble, not enough in our pockets to put enough on the table.” Even the teeth had made sense. She’d always ground them in her sleep. Mauri used to complain about it in the camps, say she was keeping him awake.

The one thing she’d never felt was the aggression Shay had described, that drove him to the fights where she’d met him. Chimera’s been theorizing for a while that there’s a subclass of vampire in which the venom activates the victim’s flight instead of fight response, creating a stealthy, shadow-dwelling vampire when they finally turn, an ambush predator rather than one that stalks its prey actively. 

They still don’t know if it’s linked to the person’s inherent responses to traumas, or if it’s connected to a specific strain of sires. After all, one could argue that the vampire who turned her was the same sort. That kind of alert wariness would be an asset to someone in his line of work. 

“That’s messed up.” Jay shakes his head. “I can’t believe you just ignored that.”

Joey swallows. No one will blame her if she stops talking now.

She’s not sure telling anyone the specifics about her family is ever a good idea.

But that’s something born out of years of running and hiding and fear.

She doesn’t want to carry that with her into this place. 

“I wasn’t alone when I came across the border. I made the deal I did in exchange for him getting my siblings and me here, so my sister could get the medical help she needed. Via was always the brave one. Facing her pain with a smile even on her worst days. If she could be okay, how could I be anything else?” Joey swallows. “It felt like nothing compared to what she must have been living with. She needed me to be strong for her, and I had to make sure she could get to the doctor, that we could pay for her treatments, and that she felt safe.”

“Damn. You just ignored vampire venom poisoning because taking care of your family was the most important thing in your life. That is bad-ass,” Aaliyah says. “You told something killing you from the inside out that it was gonna have to get in line because your little sis needed you.”

Joey didn’t think what she’d done was that impressive. She’d just been getting herself out of bed every day for Via, like she’d done every day since their mother was murdered. But apparently, to a room full of vampires, she’s managed to pull off something extraordinary.

“Yeah. Don’t think I can top that,” Keith says with a shrug. 

“You literally got infected and died in the same day, of course you can’t,” Kai (Joey can tell now because she’s spun around in her office chair and there’s a big stylized K inked on her shoulder) retorts. 

“Beginning to think you should be the one leading sessions,” Shay says, a hand resting gently on Joey’s shoulder. 

She shakes her head. It was scary enough telling a roomful of vampires about her siblings even existing. She’s not someone who likes the spotlight. Ever. 

“No way.”

He gives her a smile. “Well, in that case…” He holds out a chipped bowl full of strips of paper and pens. “Write down your favorite vamp bar. Has to be a legal one though, and not a coven-members-only kind.”

“Okay, why?” Francisco asks.

“Because I think we’re going to have a much better time getting to know each other over drinks.” Shay says with a grin. “We’ll draw names every week, rotate through.”

“That seems like a weird way to run the vampire version of AA,” Keith mumbles.

“We’re not trying to stop drinking synth-blood,” Lia says. “We’re trying to learn how to cope with being vampires. I think it’s great.” She tosses her slip in the bowl. “Heads up Kai and I have the same pick and it’s karaoke so be prepared to sing for a round because there’s double the chances ours gets picked.” 

“Oh no,” Jay groans.

“What do you have against music? You were playing that harmonica for a solid ten minutes.”

“Music, fine. Me singing, so not a good idea.”

“Then you’d better start practicing and hope it gets picked a couple weeks from now,” Aaliyah says, tossing her own pick in.

Shay swirls a hand around the bowl. As the only member of the group without a suggestion, he’s the most unbiased picker. He pulls out a folded paper, opens it, and shakes his head. “Okay. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but who possibly suggested a dive like the Vein Drain?”

No one raises their hands.

“Well, it is a legal establishment, but can we at least try not to start a full bar brawl on our first meeting night?”

There’s a pretty mixed response of nods and shrugs.

Shay looks at Joey with the first really concerned expression she’s seen all night, but all she can do is shake her head. “You let them pick.”

“And I think I’m going to regret it.” Shay sighs. “I’m going to be really bad at this aren’t I?”

“I guess we’ll find out if Lawson has to read us the riot act and bail us out of holding in the morning,” Joey says. “In the meantime, I guess we’re going to find out why this place is one of our new friends’ favorite hangouts.”

(You can read this story and others from this universe on my WorldAnvil here!)

@catwingsathena @nade2308 @the-one-and-only-valkyrie @telltaleclerk @ettawritesnstudies  @writeouswriter @whump-place @the-lovely-wren

#febuwhump #febuwhump2024 #febuwhumpday26 #help them #vampires anonymous #shane barrett #josefina quintero

[skyward-floored]

Absolute mad house in my head, but uh remember that time you took a shower and I (belatedly) bribed you with a story?? I didn’t. I remembered it, definitely, hahahahhahaa *ahem* Have a snippet:

* * *

“Got ‘em?” Legend asks, withdrawing his sword and fishing a cloth out of his bag.

“Yep.” Twilight confirms, copying him. He notices a red stain on Legend’s right arm as the Veteran wipes the black blood off his sword. “You’re hurt?”

“A small cut,” Legend says dismissively, not even bothering to look up from his blade. “I’ll bandage it in a second, but it’s not worth using a potion on.”

“Let me see,” Twilight presses, sheathing his sword. He has no reason to believe Legend is lying, but he’d feel more at ease if he could see it for himself.

Legend submits, extending his arm and letting Twilight roll up the sleeve. Sure enough, it’s just a cut, two inches long at the most and just deep enough to tell it was made by a sword and not a cat’s claw. All in all, one of the more underwhelming injuries Twilight has seen. Still, infection was entirely possible and the Rancher has every intention to do a little more than bandage and ignore it.

“Do you have any alcohol?”

“Yeah.”

Twilight pours a bit over the wound and then trades it for the aforementioned bandages, wrapping it snugly.

“You’re almost worse than the Captain when it comes to fussing, you know.”

“You’re almost worse than the Champion when it comes to taking care of yourself,” Twilight counters. He pats the bandage and gives Legend a feux-pity face. “There. Your boo boo is all better.”

Legend wrenches his arm away and sticks out his tongue.

“You’re welcome.”

And I definitely didn’t totally forget about it either, so no worries XD

Eheheheehhe this is great I’m very excited 👀 also I love how you write Legend and Twilight they’re so goofy. “Your boo boo is all better” sbdjdhdndbdhdh

#answers from the floor #lovely plink #seriously do not fret #take your time :)

[hybbart]

Oh damn, 7 days?! What sorta things happened in the meantime? Other than severe blood loss

Let me tell you. A lot of hiding and waiting and running scraping together what little they could.

I'll zoom out and give a little bit of perspective on the whole situation from more than the rancher's pov. It's a bit long , so sorry.

Basically the city was a nearly 3 hour drive through the mountains, 2-3 days if you walk there. It's a long drive but there's supplies there, especially for tech guys like Impulse and Tango, or Jimmy, Cleo, and Scott who have medical needs.

While Gem's place is self-sustaining for food and doesn't have to worry about zombies for the most part, it's in an inconvenient location for anything else, especially starting from scratch without any sort extensive survival or homesteading knowledge.

On top of that, they have one vehicle, and it's difficult to find a usable vehicle in an accessible location. Gas is also getting harder to come by. So the plan was to take the van (and a small trailer), pile everyone in with minimal supplies, drive out, and stock up as much as possible over the course of one night. Finding another vehicle was one of their goals, but...

Not that raiders and zombies weren't a known possibility, but both were in much bigger numbers than they expected, and they got caught out. What little supplies they had were either destroyed or taken, and much of the accessible city was scavenged by the raiders themselves.

GGG were the only one to actually get out of there after the first night. Luckily the van wasn't found but getting to it and escaping in it when on enemy terrain is a task, and like the ranchers and Impulse they had no supplies. They made it back to Gem's but had their own wounds to lick before they could plan on going back.

Jimmy's time was a struggle, a lot of sitting still and hiding. He couldn't risk fighting by himself, and he couldn't fly. So it was a lot of waiting.

Impulse was in good condition but Tango was beaten bad and infected. With Tango in his state, escaping on foot was just Not An Option, even if they could get past the raiders and zombies, so they hid. Tango was out cold entirely by the 283th day.

Jimmy eventually found them and with both him and Impulse they were able to do a lot better, but they also still couldn't escape and had no way to contact the Gs or know what happened to them or the van.

And the rest played out as is shown. Jimmy used what little first aid kit supplies and knowledge he had to keep Tango alive while Impulse tried to contact the Gs and find supplies, they got pinned down by zombies and started preparing more drastic attempts to escape, and then finally made contact with the Gs.

#raau ask #raau notes #raau notes: character #raau notes: setting

[jinmukangwrites]

Choose Your Own Adventure: Linked Universe

Warnings for entire project: potential gore, injury, swearing, and character death (if you guys fail to keep someone alive).

Mechanics will be explained as we go, so no worries. For now, just read and vote 🩷

----

The forest teems with life, and not all of it is friendly.

Nine heroes, all of different shapes and sizes, travel through the thick forest, some more alert for dangers than others. Twilight, however, is one of the ones who does walk with an ear turned away from the familiar chatter between his companions and toward the shadows between the thick oak trunks; shadows that only grow darker with each passing minute as the sun sets over the distant hills.

They’ve gone too long now without something going wrong. Not a monster, not a storm, not a single obstacle in their way. Legend, of all people, even walks with a slight skip to his step. Twilight knows that can only mean one thing, that they’ve gone too long without a hick-up, and something big was destined to happen soon.

And if nothing does happen, well, Twilight will eat one of his boots; steel-toe and all.

“Lighten up, Rancher,” a voice suddenly piques up. Twilight blinks his gaze away from the forest to see Four, grinning up at him as they walk. “You’re strung tighter than one of Champion’s bows. And I know those are strung tight; probably too tight. I think that’s one of the reasons he keeps breaking the strings…”

“I’m not strung tight,” Twilight insists before sighing and looking back at the forest. He truly isn’t strung tight. He’s just keeping watch, and it would be helpful if anyone decided to help him. He’s being productive.

“Uh huh,” Four says, not sounding convinced at all. “You’re so focused on the forest, you didn’t hear me when I said your name the first three times.”

“You said my name three times?” Twilight blinks back down to Four, but the little hero smirks up at him.

“No. But the fact that you couldn’t tell if I lied right then kinda proves my point.”

“Oh fuck off,” Twilight says, but he can’t help a slight smile. “Someone’s gotta not let our guard down. We’ve been too long without something going wrong.”

“Oh things have gone wrong,” a new voice speaks up. Warriors inserts himself expertly into the conversation. He looks, quite frankly, upset.

“I said I was sorry,” Hyrule says, not looking very sorry for something at all. It’s then that Twilight notices Wild whistling happily with his hands behind his back. Both boys are smeared with damp dirt; perhaps from their new favorite game of catch the mud glob. Judging by the slight stain hastily half-hazardly hidden within the folds of Warriors’ scarf, one of the globs went off target.

“My week is ruined,” Warriors insists. “If this stains permanently I will have my revenge in blood.”

“No one is killing anyone,” Time shouts from the front of the group.

“I didn’t say I’d kill anyone,” Warriors grumbles, “just string up and skin alive.”

“Wonder what a skinned Traveler would look like,” Four says, looking too serious.

“Probably still more handsome than the Collector on his best days,” Warriors replies.

Hyrule hums in agreement, the little shit, while Legend sputters.

“Okay,” Twilight says. “I’m ignoring all of you now.”

“Who’s side are you even on, Rancher?” Hyrule demands. “You heard Captain, he wants to skin me!”

“Keep bugging me I’ll make rugs out of all of y'all.”

Wild snickers. “Y'all.”

Twilight glares at him and his smile widens.

Laughter breaks out in the group, and Twilight sighs. He can’t truly be angry with their good moods. There’s so much to be in good moods about. The sky is clear, the evening breeze is nice, birds sing in the distance, and there hasn’t been a single ambush in the past two days by any infected monsters. Perhaps he’s just getting antsy—perhaps his over-vigilance is unwarranted.

A snap in the woods proves that last sentiment wrong, however.

And perhaps, Twilight was wrong too to assume that none of the others has that budding worry that something bad is bound to happen. He’s not the only one to immediately pull out his sword.

He slowly takes a few steps forward, placing himself neatly between the source of the sound and the rest of the group.

“You think it’s just an animal?” Wild asks, stepping up besides Twilight, a worried crease to his brow and three arrows already loaded into a bow.

Behind them, the others stand with their guard up—even Wind, who was previously napping on the back of Sky, wields a sharp weapon and an even sharper glare into the forest.

"Are we ever that lucky?" Twilight asks.

Wild smiles, which helps a growing knot in Twilight's stomach loosen ever so slightly.

#linked universe #fanfiction #jin writes #choose your own adventure

[sleepimoff]

Hi

*hands you my Regretevator oc*

Some info stuff under the keep reading

~ His level/floor is a large arcade of which he is an employee of, in charge of running the prize booth (meaning he gives prizes in exhange for tickets).

~ He can enter the elevator, but only if 3 or more players win at least 1 of the (fairly easy) arcade games.

~ These games also reward coins and tickets, which can be saved up to buy prizes at the prize booth.

~ The mouth on his face is purely for aesthetic purposes. His actual mouth which he eats and speaks from is on his stomach, which has purple sharp teeth and a black tongue.

~ He has a impressive collection of fun but random button up shirts which he alternates between wearing to work daily.

~ When he enters the elevator, there's a fair chance he's wearing a fun button up other than his roller rink/arcade carpet button up. For example, yellow with rubber ducks, navy blue with music notes, or a swirly pattern with many pastel colors.

~ He's friends with Gregoriah due to him stopping by the arcade almost daily. They have very good conversations while Kennedy counts his tickets.

~ Infected also stops by the arcade on occasion.

~ He has beans on his hands, with a star-shaped bean in the palm of his hand.

~ Thoughts on other NPC's: He finds Split and Poob funny and nice, Pest moody and annoying, Pilby quiet but kind, finds Bive a little weird, he's neutral toward Mark and Wallter (especially since he sometimes gets trapped with them in the elevator when they're arguing), he hates Gnarpy, also hates MR, neutral leaning on good thoughts on DrRETRO due to her healing him when he gets injured, he sees Infected as a cool dude, neutral toward Enphoso, also neutral towards Emerson (the drive thru guy)

~ Whenever Mark and Wallter start arguing while he's in the elevator, he has to resist the urge to do some random shit to lighten the mood. Shit like saying "the girls are fighting", "girls, girls, you're both pretty", stuff like that.

~ He leaves on the floors Fun Flood At Squishy's, Shop Space, Slide 4 Admin, and Underground Subway.

~ His humor is mostly inappropriate jokes.

~ His favorite food is cheese pizza with barbecue sauce and pieces of steak on it, specifically with garlic butter flavored crust.

~ He also controls the music for the speakers of the arcade. His only rule for music is nothing explicitly innapropriate.

~ He also puts hours of silence interrupted by random meme sound effects along with it for shits and giggles.

~ While there's barely anyone at the arcade, he vibes to the music he plays, laughing his ass off about the random meme sounds.

~ He has a little collection of random pins he puts along with his employee badge on his shirt. His collection so far is; a smiley face pin, a transmasc pride pin, a queer pride pin, a "I tried" star pin, a arcade token he turned into a pin, a red uno reverse card pin, and a small assortment of enamel pins with the faces of other NPC's on them (the ones he has so far are Reddy, Split, Gregoriah, and Poob).

~ He occasionally ties up a part of his hair to keep it out of his face.

~ He likes putting stickers on his face. Mostly stars and smiley faces.

~ Him and Gregoriah have matching bracelets. Gregoriah's is red, black, and cyan with yellow glittery star beads and "Gregor" in letter beads. Kennedy's is black, white, and purple with clear glittery star beads and "Kenne" in letter beads.

~ His design/character in general is based on one time I did a "make your weirdcore oc challenge" I found on tiktok.

~ He doesn't enjoy drinking without a straw as it gets his drink spilled on his shirt 9 times outta 10, so to hydrate while on the job, he will munch on straight up ice cubes for hydration. Yes, you heard me right. Straight up ice cubes.

~ Sometimes, he'll put pieces of fruit in the ice cubes to make it more enjoyable.

~ His favorite candies are Reese's and Jolly Ranchers (specifically the grape and blue raspberry).

#hashtag #regretevator #regretevator oc #silly guy #Kennedy (oc) #shoutout to purple themed characters #gotta be one of my favorite genders #regretevator fandom

[cielcreations]

Infection Spreads - Skulk Infection AU

When Tango first heard Solidarity was alive, he didn't care how weird or how odd it was. He went to run and find him immediately, but was stopped. Everyone (all of Empires and Hermitcraft) met up at spawn so Joel could tell them all at once. However, Joel screamed at them that they couldn't go to him, that something was wrong, that he was not the same.

"Then we help him!" Tango screamed.

"N-NO!" Joel yelled, "He's been taken by the skulk! He's just-"

"Skulk...?" Grian's eyes widened, "...Tango, we can't... We can't save him..."

"What?! Of course we can-"

"No, Tango." The dirty blonde grabbed the blaze hybrid's shoulders, "Listen... You need to let go."

"WHAT?!" Tango pushed the other off, getting angrier by the second, "Grian, that's-"

"I know, but listen, listen! If Timmy is infected by skulk, he's just a walking corpse. He's not..."

"...Then... Then we have to heal them and-"

"Tango, he's gone! He's dead, we can't-"

Without thinking, the blaze hybrid punched Grian back. Chaos ensued as some people held back a screaming Tango as Grian held his cheek. Tango got out of the other's grasps and left to Tumble Town, alone as the others tried to think of a way to deal with the "problem." Tango looked around Tumble Town, confused on why it was now covered completely in skulk.

"Is that my rancher?!"

Tango turned around, "J-Jimmy?!" As his eyes met the dirty blonde's, he finally understood what Grian and Joel meant.

"OH MY GOD! IT IS!" The other ran over, taking the other's hands in his, his eyes glowing teal, "My rancher! Light of my life! I missed you so much!"

Tango blushed, Solidarity was never this flirtatious or bold before, "...J-Jimmy, what happened to you...?"

"What do you mean, love?" The other tilted his head, confused before he gasped, "Oh! Do you mean the skulk?"

"...J-Jimmy..." Tango gently held his cheeks, "...You're so cold..."

Solidarity held the other's hand to his cheek, smiling, "You're so warm. Opposites really do attract, huh?"

"...This... What happened to you? Why..."

"Oh! I was killed but then brought back because of the skulk! Isn't that amazing! Norman's back too! Do you want to see him?! Or do you-"

"Does it hurt...?" Tango looked over the other's arms and wings, "...It has to hurt, right...?"

"It did when I was killed. But it's-"

"Your neck. Oh my god..." The blaze hybrid tilted the other's neck up, tears in his eyes, "M-My rancher... I... I should have been there. I should have protected you..."

Solidarity widened his eyes, "...No, no, light, you couldn't have done anything! I..." Tears came to his eyes, "...They killed me when they knew everyone would be away."

Tango watched as some of the skulk seemed to die, looking into the other's eyes. He watched as one turned to look... normal. His eye looked like a normal, human, blue eye.

"I-I'm scared, T-Tango!" The other whimpered, tears streaming down his face, "I-I don't want to be like this! I-I don't... don't want to loose you..."

The blaze hybrid smiled softly, "Oh, songbird... You'll never loose me." He gently tuned Solidarity's face, "I-Is there a way we can fix this? That you know of?"

"N-No..." The dirty blonde hugged the blaze, whimpering, "Y-You promise? I-I won't loose you?"

"I promise." Tango hugged him back, "You'll never loose me. I won't leave you alone. I'll find a way to give you back your beautiful yellow wings... We can have you stealing my color!" He teased.

Solidarity chuckled, "...Tango, I love you."

Tango blushed before he smiled, "I love you too, Jimmy."

"I don't want to loose you."

"You won't."

"I know."

Tango let out a yelp, feeling something stab into his back. He went to pull away, but Solidarity held him close. The dirty blonde leaned back, his eyes glowing teal again.

"S-Soli-"

"Shhhh, it's okay, I won't hurt you, I could never hurt you~" Solidarity cooed, stroking his cheek, "Everyone else will either join the skulk or die trying to fight against it. But you? You're going to rule over it with me!"

"I-I do-"

"You do?! Oh, perfect!" Tango began to loose consciousness, "Don't worry love, just close your eyes. Go ahead and sleep, I'll see you in your dreams~"

The blaze hybrid groaned before he passed out.

Solidarity picks him up and takes him back to his base. He lays Tango on a bed of skulk, the blaze hybrid in an sleep only Solidarity can wake him up from.

#empires au #empires smp au #empires jimmy #empires smp #empires shipping #jimmy solidarity #Solidarity Gaming #solidaritygaming #empires solidarity #tango #tangotek #hermitcraft tango #hermitcraft x empires #empires season 2 #skulk #skulk infection

[factual-fantasy]

I gots 21 moar ask :}

aaaaaaa I’m hanging in there as best I can-- also aaaa sorry for the lac of posts!! I’ve been so busy with life and trying to get part two of Bits and Pieces done aaaaa--

AAAAAAA Its almost done!! I got all of the line art done and it just needs to be colored!!

AAAAAAA I ONLY HAVE 8 CANVASES LEFT IM GOING AS FAST AS I CAN AAAAA---

@immortalwithoutaname​ (Comic in question)

XD Well we’ll see what it ACTUALLY is in a future comic.. :}}

(Also thank you! I’m glad you liked it! :}})

I have a comic planned that will address Roxy and Chica’s rocky relationship. So you’ll find out then!

(Comic in question)

Actually.. The Daycare Attendant never came back.

In the story he did go to an employee the next day. But they told him the same thing. “We cant find anything wrong with you, so go back to work”

Sunny knew they were full of crap. So he figured to keep everyone safe.. He would keep the lights on at all times and not leave the Daycare until he could fix himself.

..A few months have gone by now, and he still hasn’t left the safety of the Daycare.

..DJ’s worried sick.

I never really cared for it too much. That’s mostly why I made Sunny/Moony one person in my AU.

Having them be two separate characters sharing one body just got confusing. And I couldn’t see a reason why Fazbear Entertainment would want to have a dual AI animatronic like that.. So I just made him 1 person.

Also aaaaaaa nooooo my Gravity Falls art ehk-- 

My Chica’s eyes are almost identical to her “infected” eyes. The infected eyes are a bright toxic purple while her normal eyes are like a soft purple-ish pink.

@waffleking193  After part 2 of “Bits and Pieces” comes out, I plan to take the time to flesh out my AU and really organize the timeline.

If I decide to keep the part where Chica gets crushed by the trash compacter thingy, she will not have been lured in by Monty Mix. She would have been lured in by a pizza.

Because in my AU, its just food in general that Chica wants to eat. And Pizza is the thing she is most consistently recognizes.

I hate it :/

Nothing against Jack Black and Chris Pratt, but I really hate them for the voices of Mario and Bowser. And although I haven’t heard the voices of the other characters, I imagine I’m gonna hate them too.

Kamek’s voice was alright though, and Toads could’ve been worse. But I just couldn't get over Mario and Bowser.

The ONLY way I will be 100% fine with Mario is if they go with the Storyline of Mario being some random guy from Brooklyn or something that got transported into the mushroom kingdom. If they try to sell him as Italian I will be ANGRY

Also there’s nothing you can do to make me like Jack black as Bowser, I just keep hearing Po from Kung fu Panda. When ever Bowser talks he loses all of his intimidation.

Uhg and I bet they’re gonna make Bowser witty and quirky and the awkward comic relief character and whatever instead of the intimidating ruler that he is.

aaaaa other than the animation I’m so disappointed and have no hooopeeee

XD I saw the results. Honestly not surprised in the slightest that Sans won.

In all honesty, if Sans was in the poll and DIDN’T win? I would be shocked and super confused. XD

Tbanks bro

Oh gosh eww you found my Gravity Falls content oh no--

Anyway although I still ADORE that show and all of its characters, I haven’t drawn Gravity Falls stuff in a long time :/

*Part 3 --

And maybe! I haven’t forgotten about it. Just hit a brick wall in the planning process and am still sitting on it :/

@ar1-thecat​ 

I have SO many things I wanna draw like Mario and Luigi brother stuff and Sky OCs and Splatoon OCs and Kirby OCs but I REALLY want to wait until part 2 of “Bits and Pieces” is done before I draw all that but life keeps getting in the way and I keep getting busy and keep getting really tired and unmotivated to work and I wanna play slime rancher 2 and Pokémon legends Arceus and Splatoon 3 and Sky but I gotta wait until part 2 is done but life keeps getting in the way and I keep getting busy and I k 

They probably wouldn’t tease Freddy about being Gregory’s dad/Freddy adopting him. Since Freddy, being a robot, standing in for a human parental figure doesn’t really.. compute for them.

BUT, they would definitely tease Freddy for being Gregory’s “favorite”. :}

@sighlentknight 

They have not, but they have heard of her. Gregory told them both all about her and what happened when he came to the Pizzaplex that night.

They do not like Vanessa.

@hugsandchaos​ 

@blue0fox Awww! Thank you! I’ve never gotten a compliment on my Gregory before! <:’DD 💗

@milk-post oooo those are good ideas! :0

@hugsandchaos​ I always imagined that Kwazii turned away from his life of pirating by choice. I favor of being a lieutenant on the Octopod and helping sea creatures. As to how he did all that I have no idea--

Also somewhat unrelated but I liked to imagine that Calico Jack was proud of Kwazii for his decision, despite being all about that pirate life. I imagined that he would talk to Kwazii and be like.

“Just look at ya lad. Dedicatin’ yer life to helpin others. Yer really somethin Kwazii. Yer the best of all of us.”  😭

XD Spoiler alert, yes, Emmet will be fine. I’m not THAT cruel XD

#my response #fnaf security breach

[skyloftian-nutcase]

So, for the Sicktember prompts, could you do pneumonia/bronchitis/general respiratory infection with Wars and Twi? I love their dynamic but sickfics with them are so rare! Thanks in advance ^^!

Brotherly bonding time! <3

(Click here to read on AO3)

He’d known it was going to be unpleasant when the coughing had become productive. Warriors had done everything in his power to isolate himself from everyone else; he didn’t want to get anybody sick. He’d offered to patrol the perimeter and still be useful while also maintaining a safe distance from everyone. He figured it wouldn’t take long for some of the others to notice he was sick, but if he assured them that he had the situation under control they’d probably leave him be.

Probably. Hopefully.

Warriors coughed again, feeling his chest rattle with congestion. He just couldn’t get the blasted stuff up.

“That doesn’t sound fun.”

Warriors sighed. He’d heard the oncoming footsteps and already had a hand on his sword, but the subtle drawl in the voice gave it away. Turning, he said, “Yes, well, it’s all right, Rancher. Just a cough.”

“Uh huh,” Twilight huffed, crossing his arms. “I know. I’ve heard you coughing for the past couple of days. Did you think we wouldn’t notice?”

Warriors glanced around uncertainly, making sure no one else had tagged along for this confrontation. When he only observed the rancher, he sighed again. “I don’t want to get you sick. Just leave me be, okay? I’ll be fine.”

“You practically missed dinner because you were too busy avoiding everybody,” Twilight noted, his brow furrowing. “If you’d just admit you were sick then we’d get stuff for you.”

“Yes, and then get too close,” Warriors immediately interjected. “Look, you haven’t traveled in large groups like I have, so trust me: when one person gets sick, if you’re not careful, everyone gets sick. This stuff can spread like wildfire. The entire operation is crippled at that point, and if we’re all ill we can’t help each other. I’m—I’m not—”

Here his breath hitched, and he tried again, miserably, to bring up the junk clogging his lungs. He managed to spit out a little phlegm, but the majority of it was still stubbornly planted in his chest. He leaned heavily against a tree, exhausted.

“I’m not risking that.” He finished with a little defeat in his tone.

Twilight sighed and tutted like a mother with an unruly child. “And here I thought you were trying to maintain that pretty knight in shining armor façade. Captain, you of all people should know that being part of a group means we look out for each other.”

“Yes, you’re doing a great job of that,” Warriors commented, panting a little to catch his breath. “Splendid, even. Congratulations. Your concern is noted. Now get back to camp, please.”

Twilight watched him a moment longer, narrowing his eyes. Then he took a deep, exasperated breath, and reached into his tunic, pulling out a black pendant. “You underestimate a lot of us, Captain. I am more than capable of taking care of you without getting sick.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Warriors snapped before coughing some more. Blast, his chest was hurting so much. “You can’t just assume you won’t get sick.”

“I don’t have to assume,” Twilight replied evenly. “Wolves don’t get sick like Hylians do.”

The captain started, confused. “Wait, what?”

Grasping the pendant itself, Twilight started to bend down towards the ground, being encased in a familiar bizarre shadow he’d seen once on that horrid day two weeks ago. Warriors watched, alarmed, as the cloud coalesced into a wolf.

Warriors’ mouth dropped open. “That’s how you do it?”

Wolfie—Twilight—snorted, his ears a little peeled back in annoyance. Then they perked up as he walked towards him calmly. Out of sheer habit, Warriors shuffled away, holding out a hand. “N-no, Rancher, don’t—”

He doubled over as another coughing fit tore through him. A cold nose sniffed at his cheek tentatively, and he heard a small whine.

Blast it all, he could easily say no to a Hylian, but not those eyes.

This was a cruel move.

Grumbling, Warriors slumped to the ground, leaning against the tree. “Fine. But I don’t see how you’ll be able to help much as a wolf, you cad.”

Wolfie wagged his tail and traipsed off happily. Warriors watched him go, confused. Just as he was starting to accept the fact that he might be in the clear, Twilight came prancing back, still in wolf form, carrying Warriors’ bedroll and supplies slung over his furry back.

Exasperated, Warriors took his supplies and glared at the wolf. “Now what?”

Wolfie pointed sharply at his bedroll with his nose. The captain rolled his eyes. “Come on now, I don’t need to sleep, it’s not that bad.”

His lungs decided to argue against his point, making him finally cough hard enough to nearly throw up. Admitting defeat, the captain wordlessly set up his little sleeping space and sat down. Wolfie nipped at his scarf and bopped his armor with his nose. The captain grumbled, pulling the articles off, and glared irritably when the wolf wagged his tail in victory.

“I can see the smug look on your face,” Warriors harumphed as he settled against the tree, crossing his arms.

Over the course of the next hour, Wolfie came and went with delivery runs, bringing food and water. When there was nothing left to do, the wolf stretched out with a loud yawn and settled beside the captain, nearly throwing himself to the ground. Warriors automatically reached over to pet him and then paused, remembering who it actually was. Sighing, he slid into his bedroll and tried to ignore the burning in his chest. He fell into an uneasy sleep, the soft fur beside him keeping him warm.

He wasn’t sure how long he was out, but it didn’t seem to be long enough when he woke up hacking and spitting up some phlegm.

A wet nose sniffed at his cheek, and he turned and saw blue eyes staring at him. It was uncanny seeing Twilight’s eyes in the wolf’s face, seeing the familiar markings, having the realization that it was so obvious who the wolf was slam into his skull. Sighing, the captain waved his friend away. “S-sorry. I’m okay.”

The wolf’s ears peeled back, his fur ruffling a little, hackles clearly raised. He let out an entirely too grumpy sounding woof.

Warriors narrowed his eyes. “Are you… back talking me?”

Twilight snorted, sitting. Warriors sighed, rolling his eyes. He was about to respond when his throat caught on even more phlegm, making it suddenly difficult to breath, and he wheezed, sitting forward with his hands on his legs. He took a deep, shuddering, involuntary breath and then coughed so hard he grew dizzy.

The coughing fit lasted entirely too long. Warriors got on his knees, trying to open his lungs up as much as he could, and he felt guiding hands assist him to sit up more. By the time he was finished he was crying silently from the effort and completely exhausted.

“You know, you don’t have to be the captain all the time,” Twilight muttered as he rubbed Warriors’ back. “You can just be Link. You can just be a part of the group. You can just be our brother.”

Warriors felt his heart clench, but instead of commenting, he asked between little coughs, “Why—are you in—your Hylian form?”

“Because I can’t do this as a wolf,” Twilight answered as he pulled him into a side hug.

“Rancher—”

“Relax,” Twilight interrupted him with a low, rumbling tone, setting the captain at ease despite his best efforts. “You’re not going to give me your sickness, Captain. It’s okay.”

Warriors sighed in defeat, resting his head on Twilight’s shoulder. “You don’t know that.”

“Well, if I do get it, then you’ll look out for me, right?”

Warriors smiled, closing his eyes. “Of course I will.”

The two sat in stillness, listening to the crickets come forth from their hiding places as evening fell. Warriors wasn’t sure when he fell asleep, but when he awoke the next morning wrapped in a wolf pet with the younger Link curled into his side, he didn’t bother arguing the fact that he was still in his Hylian form. Feeling more relaxed than he had in weeks, the captain—Link pulled his brother closer and fell back asleep.

#you ask skye answers #writing #sicktember #ask game #writing prompt #linkeduniverse #linked universe #lu warriors #lu twilight #I love these two <3

[hermitdrabbles56]

Thinking I might take this out of the fic it's in because it's a rambling tangent. And I don't know how to continue it. But it's still good so I'm gonna share it here. It's mainly just scar talk and Twilight being an idiot.

"...What is your definition of a nick or a scrape?" Legend asks. 

Twilight raises an eyebrow a bit but thinks on it a moment. "Well..a scrape is a scrape-"

"No no, don't brush it off. Show examples and explain how they happened." Legend says pointedly. 

The rancher raises his hands in a placating manner for a moment. Then carefully kicks off a boot, undoing the tie at the end of his pants so he can roll them up past his knee. "This one is from my journey, happened my first time falling into the Zora river…didn't know the currents and ended up rammed against the rocks rock, got a matching one on the opposite hip," 

He runs his fingers along the knot of scars running from ankle to knee. Nearly shuddering at the memory of how much it hurt. He'd been a wolf at the time and it scrapped the fur and skin right off of him. Then he had to limp around and find the rest of the bugs after Midna bandaged him up..that Giant bug had been a bitch, and the way it stretched when he turned human had burned like fire. 

"This is what I'd call a scrape..a bad scrape, but still a scrape.." 

"...got..an example from while traveling with us..?" Legend pushes with a confusing gentleness. 

"Uhh…I don't..think it scared? Don't  actually know, hard to look but I had a road burn from one of the mornings when we got jumped and I went flying?" He says as he pats the back of his right shoulder. 

Hyrule timidly gets up and moves over to him. So Twilight lets him look so no more tension is created. 

"...theres…some uneven scarring..think you, might even have something in there..?" His delicate fingers prod a bit at something that does make the wolf hero wince. "Y-yeah..that….that's a rock or something."

"Ah..well shit, not the first time that's happened, I'm fairly certain I've got arrow pieces in me in other places.." Twilight says with a slight grimace. Getting another horrified look from the group. "That has not happened while with you guys..I let you know about arrow wounds because I've learned my lesson especially when I can't reach them." 

"...so you don't count those as a nick..?" Legend presses. 

"No, I count that along the lines of being stabbed..but if it's just a shallow graze as one flies by? That's a nick." He explains. 

"And if it's a sword..?" Warriors asks. 

"Oh a knife..or a claw…?" Wind adds carefully. 

"Depends on how deep it is." He says honestly. "I've been taught enough about medicine that I can care for minor wounds, so if I can care for it on my own, I do so." 

"Buddy I've cleaned up some of your wounds that have gotten infected." Warriors says in a very tired and stressed tone. 

"Those times I genuinely didn't know they were there." 

"One was on your dominant arm!!" Wars snaps. 

"Ah- yes, no lie, I really didn't know about it and there's a reason why." Twilight admits. 

"Oh.." Wild manages in a small voice. 

"Yeeah…that, that reason…" Twilight sighs before untying the laces of his shirt so he can easily expose his shoulder. "You guys have seen this one before.." He murmurs as he taps the thick jagged and uneven scar on his shoulder. They are all well aware it goes all the way around. "Because of this one, I have nerve damage in the entirety of my left arm, so I don't always notice injuries I take in this arm because I can't feel all that well." 

"...is that..why you trained your right arm..?" Four asks quietly. 

"...no…..that was something else. I can still use my left arm just fine, you've seen that, though I get tremors and phantom pains that can sometimes make my grip unsteady. So I guess yes, training my right arm helped compensate for that. But it's really only bad weather and extreme over use that messes with it. And the dead spots are in random places and not near as bad as they were." 

"They've…gotten better..?" Hyrule asks softly. 

"Yeah….my Shaman friend has a treatment he does on me whenever he can that helps a lot." Twilight says as he looks back at the teen and gives him a smile. 

Though, they all know very well that they've never been to Twilights Hyrule. Meaning that for almost a year now at least, he hasn't had any of the treatments his friend would do for him. 

"...How..did that scar happen…?" Wind asks very quietly. 

Twilights ears flick a bit as he picks up the question and looks back to the kid. Biting his lip a moment with those sharp teeth if his. "My uh….my arm was cut off." 

"..cut…you mean your arm was cut right..?" Legend asks hopefully with a horrified tone to his voice. 

Twilight slowly shakes his head a bit. "No, Vet. I mean removed….severed in one strike at the crowning start of my journey." 

"What the fuck?!" The vet exclaims as he leaps to his feet. 

"How the hell do you have an arm at all!" Four asks just as loudly. 

"Uhhh…spirit..? Or well…more like mini God? It happened in the spring if Ordon. I was…drowning and bleeding out? so I don't actually remember how it got reattached? Ordonia did their best and they also pour as much of their magic into it as they can when they can so that's helped a lot too, but the human nervous system is complex…combined with scar tissues from such severe and hastily healed injury? I'm just thankful I still have use of it at all…"

"What the fuck…no seriously what the actual fuck!?" Legend manages. 

Twilight lets out a heavy sigh. "Legend, compared to a lot of the shit the rest of you have been through, this is really not that bad.."

"WHAT?!" The raised tone of outrage of eight perfectly in sync heroes is enough to make his ears ring. His hands quickly covering the sensitive things as everyone immediately starts tearing him a new one. 

#linked universe #lu legend #lu wild #lu four #lu hyrule #lu warriors #lu twilight #fic thoughts #twilight princess manga references #lu wind #sky and time are there but they arent talking in this part #Time definetly is giving the glare by the end of this #twilight his concerning definitions as to what qualifies as a serious injury #fic drabbles #hermit writes

[hamsamwich23]

Hello and welcome, Silly Critters

About me

My name is Sam and/or Mort, I'm 19 years old. I identify as pan + demiromantic-asexual, and my pronouns are he/they/it/xe. I am also polyamorous and have one partner (whom I love very much💛).

My hobbies include writing (mostly fanfiction), playing video games, role play, photography, and more. I am currently working on two AU's, which will be mentioned later. (After my DNI)

My interests include: Hello Puppets, Doki Doki Literature Club, 1nv4d3r Z1m, Adventure Time, The Mandela Catalogue, Hollow Knight, Cult Of The Lamb, Milk inside a bag of milk +Milk outside a bag of milk, Amanda The Adventurer, Welcome Home, Smile For Me, Happy Game, Slime ranchers, Among Us, Minecraft, Fall Guys, GHOST and pals music, Vane Lily music, R.I.P music, Limbo, Inside, Bojack Horseman, Yo Kai Watch (1st and 2nd Games), Nexo Knights, Night In The Woods, Deltarune, Undertale, Undertale Yellow, The Dog Island, The backrooms, Liminal Space, Tomodachi Life, That's Not My Neighbor (Bolded interests are my current special interests and main focuses)

My DMs are always open, and I'm always up for making friends! However I would like to mention that I am neurodivergent, I have AuDHD and struggle with OCD and heavy mental health problems. I simply ask that you be patient with me. As I may misunderstand things at times, as well as go offline or isolate myself at times.

❗Writing Commissions and trades are currently: CLOSED

❗Requests for Unreality Au one shots are OPEN

❗Infected Au fanfiction coming soon... :]

🍉This Blog Stands With The People Of Palestine🍉

DNI

I'm aware that people don't Technically have to follow DNI's, but I would still like to state my boundaries. I block freely and often, and will block you if you make me uncomfortable and/or treat people like shit.

I would prefer if you didn't interact with me if you're any of the following or if any of the following applies to you:

Prosh1p/Comsh1p/Prof1c/ECT, shipping discourse blogs, against oc x canon/self shippers, if you engage in lgbtq+ discourse and/or are a lgbtq discourse blog, support the boyfriends webtoon, hardcore DSMP fans, k1nk/f3tish blogs that are not run by people i personally know, support either or both fox_an_draw and/or scatteredkitbrainzzz/kitruckus, hardcore stranger things fans

Please do not talk to me about: Ship discourse, Lgbtq+ discourse, TheWaltenFiles (unless we're mutuals), IZfandom discourse, The Amazing Digital Circus.

You will be blocked immediately if: you are bigoted in any way at all (TERFS/radfems, rad-exclus, abliest, pro-isreal/Zionist, antisemitic/Nazi's, conservative/republican, anti-lgbtq+, sexist, anti-choice, ECT), L0Li/Sh0t4c0n, Pro-harassment/people who tell pr0shippers to hurt themselves/k1ll themselves/to relive their trauma, people who harass others over general shipping, ai "artists", people who support the use of AI to steal from content creators, people who believe "blackwashing" is a thing and/or defend whitewashing, If you support any of the following people: JKRowling*, Viziepop*, proshippersaretheproblem, thelocalvampyre, inky/Spencer/snax/grey(IZ), Dream/DreamWasTaken, mr-saturnnn, Vqler, Fluffyphobias, kittensneeze, izzydrawsforfun, lunasol, refrainbow.

(*Fans of Harry Potter and HH/HB who are critical and don't support the actions of the creators are okay to interact)

This list can and probably will be updated at any time

Socials/Other blogs

My other blogs on Tumblr:

@unreality-au-content-hoard - A blog for my Unreality Au, A crossover/multifandom AU inspired by weirdcore, horror, and Liminal Space themes. (Includes characters from Hello Puppets, Doki Doki Literature Club, Inv4d3r Z1m, Hatsune Miku(/hj), and OCs!! (All content warnings are in the pinned post. Fan content for this au is OKAY with me!!)

@morts-infected-au - A Hello Puppets AU inspired by the MLP infection Aus!! (this blog is still under construction and this Au contains heavy elements of horror and gore)

Discord: hamsamwich23

Instagram: hamsamwich23

Wattpad: judgment23

SquidgeWorld: hamsamwich23

Thank you for reading

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

AirLock AnonS

gotta stock up- >:)))

Request:

Fem Tarr!Reader x Rancher![ego of your choice]

Plort/Lore

[haha pun] Y/n Saved them from feral slimes and their still processing that y/n is a Tarr.

Illinois trekked through the Wilds carefully, yet excitedly at the same time. This adventure into the past would go down as one of his favorite excursions on the Far Far Range.

He was warned about the many Saber Slimes here as most were in their natural feral state. This was going to make collecting those unique “kookadoba” fruits difficult if they were surrounded by angry Slimes.

Apparently this fruit tasted absolutely disgusting to humans, but he still wanted to challenge himself and gather as many as his vacpack can handle.

Plus he was here for the thrills. Not riches.

However, like many of his previous adventures, he was in great peril, about to meet an unfortunate fate.

He discovered a small Tarr outbreak forming, threatening to consume several Saber Slimes. And he did the heroic thing by splashing them with water and throwing the evil goopy monsters into the slime sea.

And this was the thanks he got.

Now those Slimes were the ones threatening him, backing him into a corner. There was no altitude he could fly up to help him escape this situation. He was certain they were going to eat him alive. 

Yet he smiled nervously, trying to stay calm in the face of doom. “Now, now, fellas. I’m sure we can talk this out-”

However, all the feral Slimes suddenly had expressions of terror on their faces and scurried off in different directions. Though grateful he was still alive, he wondered what could’ve chased them off so quickly.

Then he realized a Tarr was nearby: You.

But as the group cleared out, he could see what you looked like and realized you weren’t some big round angry blob. Instead you were humanoid in shape, maybe a foot or two taller than him. Your body had those swirling rainbow accents, and your eyes and mouth glowed white.

Despite this, you showed no signs of aggression. In fact you appeared...concerned for him?

Still, Illinois tensed at how quickly you approached him and readied his vacpack, preparing to shoot water, though you did something else that surprised him even more: 

You actually surrendered, putting your hands up and stopping when he aimed the nozzle at you. 

It seems he was wrong about Tarrs. He thought they were just mindless spreaders of this malicious disease that infected everything. And they would laugh at the suffering of innocent Slimes and panicking ranchers, showing no remorse.

But you? No. You were different.

“What the...you’re not here to eat me?” He muttered, eyebrows furrowing as you shook your head.

Okay, so you understand him, too. ‘Interesting...’

“No, I...came to protect you.”

He almost did a double-take. You could talk???

Now he was convinced he was dreaming. But you seemed perfectly calm now, so he lowered his guard and approached you. “Well I’ll be damned. You can speak.” He chuckled, though he wondered why you were different from all the rest. “So what happened to you? It ain’t everyday I see a human-shaped Tarr who knows English.”

“I was just born like this.” You shrug with a goopy smile, further perplexing the adventurer, whose eyes widened. His reaction made you chuckle. “Why surprised?”

“Surprised? Oh, no.” Quickly throwing away his shock, Illinois just smiled, playing it cool like he always does. “I’m just amazed at how handsome and/or beautiful you look. That’s all. But...are you sure some Tarr didn’t just..consume you as a rancher?” He squinted at you suspiciously. “Or maybe you don’t remember that at all-”

“Uh no. My memories are clear. I don’t even know what a “vacpack” is. Or what food these Slimes like.”

“...what about ancient Tarr artifacts? Have you meddled with any that could’ve possibly inflicted you with a curse?”

“Not to my knowledge. I know it’s strange, but I promise I’ve always been this way. I don’t know how to convince you otherwise.” You huffed, your rainbow swirls glowing brighter. Off in the distance you can hear the growls of feral slimes and gestured for the man to follow you. “Come. I think I saw one of those teleporters in a cave. I can lead you to it. Just..don’t spray me with water, okay?”

“Alright, I won’t. I’m putting my trust in you.” Nodding, he stuck by your side as you both ventured back into the Wilds. “But maybe you were-?”

“I’m not a mad scientist who experimented with Tarr goop.”

“...how did you know I was gonna ask that?”

“Lucky guess.” You simply shrugged, amused by this human who still had endless questions about you.

#clanask #airlock anon #iplier egos x reader #illinois x reader #ahwm illinois x reader #slime rancher au #monster reader #platonic

[skyward-floored]

Whumptober day 9– tossing and turning

I’ve been looking for an excuse to write something sickfic-y, and I finally got my chance :3 bit shorter than they have been, but weekends you know.

Thanks @skyloftian-nutcase for the advice with Sky’s symptoms :]

Ao3 link

————————————————————

“Has he slept at all?”

As Twilight quietly walked up and asked the question, Warriors shook his head with a sigh.

“Only for very short intervals. He just can’t seem to settle, and whenever he does finally drift off he wakes up again,” the captain murmured, and Twilight swallowed as he looked down at Sky.

The skyloftian lay under a heap of blankets, sweat beading his brow. Dark almost bruise-like shadows hung under his eyes, and he was shivering despite the blankets. He kept shifting slightly and letting out quiet moans as well, even when Warriors brushed a cloth over his forehead and gently quieted him.

A scratch that Sky had thought wasn’t big enough to bother anyone about had gotten infected, which even he hadn’t realized until he’d suddenly collapsed in the middle of the path that morning. It was now the middle of the night, and his condition had only gotten worse.

Sky let out a louder moan, and Twilight kneeled next to him, taking the cloth out of Warriors’ grasp.

“I’ll sit with him for a while captain, go get some sleep,” he said, patting him on the shoulder.

Warriors frowned. “Rancher he’s only gotten worse, and out of all of us I’m the most familiar with infection like this. You can’t expect me to just leave him.”

Twilight sighed and leveled the captain with a look. “You’re not leaving him. You’re getting some rest so you can actually function in order to better help him.”

“I’m functioning just fine,” Warriors defended, obviously pretending like the shadows under his eyes that rivaled Sky’s weren’t there.

“At the moment. Until you make a mistake because you’re so exhausted,” Twilight pointed out. “We can’t afford mistakes here captain. Sky can’t afford you to make mistakes.”

Warriors still looked reluctant, and Twilight decided to play dirty.

“I know you barely slept last night,” he mentioned, and Warriors’ ear twitched. “I... noticed you were up with Wolfie. It’s none of my business why, but Sky wouldn’t want you wearing yourself out like this when someone else could be watching him. Go sleep.”

Warriors let out an exhausted sigh, nodding as he relinquished his hold on the cloth and finally stood up.

“...fine. I’ll take a short nap. But wake me if there’s any change,” he said worriedly, and Twilight nodded as he pushed the captain in the direction of his bedroll. He stumbled tiredly away, and the rancher sighed.

Finally. He’d been trying to convince Warriors to sleep for the past three hours.

“I thought he’d never leave.”

Twilight made a stern expression as Wild appeared and sat down next to him, seemingly out of nowhere.

“You know, you should be sleeping too,” he chastised, and Wild swallowed.

“I can’t, I tried,” he said in a quiet voice, hunching over a bit. “Sky’s making too much noise.”

As if on cue, Sky whimpered, and the two heroes looked over at him worriedly.

His eyes were half-lidded, the normally bright blue of his irises sickly and clouded. Sweat continued to bead on his forehead, and his shoulder kept twitching where his injury was, small tremors running through his body.

Wild bit his lip, and ran a hand through Sky’s hair, the delirious hero leaning into the touch.

“Will he be okay?” Wild asked quietly, and Twilight sighed.

“We’re doing all we can for him champion. At this point it’s not really up to us,” he replied, watching as Sky continued to move restlessly. “We’ll just have to wait.”

Wild nodded, and they settled in to care for their brother.

The hours slowly ticked by, Sky’s condition not really seeming to change. Warriors had been giving him a potion every few hours, which they continued to do, but Sky just kept shifting and sweating, and letting out weak moans.

Nothing much happened until the very first hints of dawn shone in the sky.

“...wh...ere...” Sky whispered suddenly, brows pinched. Wild and Twilight immediately leaned forwards, and watched as his eyes flickered open a bit more, and darted between them. “De...Dem... n-not... fin-ished...”

Wild gave Twilight a nervous look, and the rancher gave him a helpless one back.

“I-I ha-ave... have to s-top, him, Zelda is... isn’t, she isn’t,” Sky breathed, and Twilight mopped his brow with the cloth.

“Sky, it’s okay,” Wild soothed, “your Zelda’s fine, she’s back in your time. It’s okay.”

“No,” Sky gasped, eyelids fluttering, “no it’s, it’s not— a-all my... t-the, the cu...curse...”

Sky sucked in a gasp, and raised a hand to claw at the bandages wrapping his shoulder. Wild gently pulled his hand off and held it in his own so he couldn’t try again.

“L-le...leggo,” Sky slurred, and Wild held his hand even tighter. “G-Ghi... let go, let... n-no.”

“Sky you can’t take the bandages off, you need them,” Twilight explained, but Sky didn’t stop struggling, his breathing starting to speed up.

“Let go,” he gasped, flinching away when Twilight grabbed his other hand, “no, d-don’t... don’t— Gh-Ghira—!”

Wild gave Twilight an alarmed look as Sky began to struggle more forcefully, and Twilight bit his lip, making a decision. He released Sky’s arm, motioning Wild back, and as the two of them let go, Sky went limp, breathing heavily.

“Sky?” Wild asked quietly, and the skyloftian whimpered again.

Twilight leaned back down and wiped the sweat pouring off Sky’s forehead again, the teenager twitching at the touch. Shivers began to wrack through him more forcefully, and Twilight gently ran a hand through his hair.

“Sky, please, try to sleep,” he begged, but the skyloftian only let out another moan.

“There must be something more we can do for him,” Wild growled quietly, reaching forward to nervously fiddle with one of the blanket’s corners. “He needs to sleep Twilight, he’s exhausted.”

“I know,” Twilight said in a tired voice. “Light spirits I know. I just don’t know what we can do.”

Wild looked down at Sky, and the blanket in his hand, then paused, looking over all the other blankets that had been piled up on him.

“...where’s his sailcloth?” he asked suddenly, and Twilight raised an eyebrow.

“It’s not there?”

“No, it’s not,” Wild said, checking again. “I thought it was just underneath all the other blankets, but it’s not here at all.”

Sky moaned, shifting restlessly, and Twilight wiped his forehead yet again. He looked thoughtfully down at Sky, and then over at Wild. Could his beloved sailcloth not being with him really be the reason Sky couldn’t just fall asleep?

Well even if it wasn’t, Twilight wasn’t about to deny him the comfort it would undoubtedly bring.

“Could you check his bag?” he asked, and Wild nodded, already having begun to rifle through the contents. He muttered absentmindedly to himself as he took out a few items and set them out of the way, and right as Twilight was about to feel bad about letting him dig through all of Sky’s things, the champion let out a triumphant sound.

He pulled Sky’s sailcloth up out of his pouch, and Twilight grabbed a corner of it, the two tucking it warmly around the knight.

“There you go Sky, try and rest, please,” Twilight said, and Sky breathed in a shuddering breath.

He was still shaking, but as his fingers skirted the embroidery on his sailcloth, his stuttering breaths and restless motions began to slow. His breathing started to deepen, and he suddenly relaxed, a small sigh escaping his lips.

Twilight leaned forward to check nothing was wrong, and gave a small relieved smile.

Sky was finally asleep.

“Finally,” Wild said in a relieved voice, and Twilight nodded as he fixed Sky’s blankets a bit further.

“Hang in there Sky, we’ll get through this yet,” Twilight said quietly, smoothing his hair from his forehead.

Sky slept on.

#warriors snuck his way in here the sneak #linkeduniverse #linked universe #lu twilight #lu sky #whumptober 2022 #day 9 #tossing and turning #writing from the floor #sickfic #fever