#squirrel writes

Hi there, anyone order a 6k oneshot with a double dose of hurt/comfort, a shot of melancholy, a serving of hope, and friends braving insomnia o' clock together? This one's Gen, rated T, featuring Erin Ruunaser with a generous helping of Dainix and a side of Falst. Link below:

Gonna give a gentle warning that some of the characters' internal thoughts veer into passive suicidality territory in this one. It's not extremely dark or grim and is more in passing than in dwelling, I think, but figured I should flag it.

Like, a dwarf from Orzammar has, by definition, lived literally under a rock their whole lives!! They've never left the underground, and yes, while that also makes their ignorance of surface squabbles (the mage issue, the Ferelden/Orlais conflict, everything with the city elves and the Dalish, etc.) make a lot of sense, it also comes with so many interesting new angles that I'm honestly so surprised still that I've never really seen it mentioned very often, if at all. (Even though we even get an explicit moment to reflect on it, when leaving with Oghren.)

In Origins, the moment a dwarf first steps out through the gates of Orzammar and begins the game, is a profoundly life-altering experience. Dare I say, even more so than it is for an elf or a human. Because stepping out, for the first time, they are entering an entirely new world, and for the first time, in front of them is a vast expanse of nothing but air.

The end of the prologue, it's not just a fundamental personal change that awaits you, it's also a displacement so complete, that it's absolutely dizzying to even think about.

That first time a dwarf feels the sun on their skin, they are made sun-touched, a surfacer: stripped not only from caste and kin, of identity, but also faith and memory, any favor their ancestors may have still held for them, and any possibility of ever returning, as far as they know. (Aeducan may even have a bitter little chuckle over the irony of how they could very well have just one day before shrugged off the concerns of their surface brethren completely, only to be made one of them now.)

Their whole lives, they had always been able to see the opposite wall of the cave, or at least to know for sure that it's there, along with the miles and miles of unchanging, crystal-littered rock stretching protectively over their heads-- now all of that is gone. There's nothing between them, and the infinite and ever-changing blue, grey, orange, black of the open sky they've never seen, and in the distance, there's no wall-- just glorious, humongous mounds and spires of rock jutting up into the belly of the sky, the likes of which they've only ever seen from the inside.

Orzammar, despite no sunlight ever penetrating that far, is always lit bright, and it's heated by the lava streams and pools below. A dwarf has never known anything colder or warmer, brighter or darker, never seen seasons change... the biting winds and the frequent rains in Ferelden are completely new to them, not to mention the terrifying cracks of thunder that sound like the very Stone over them cracking in two, the bright flashes of lightning illuminating the night for but a moment, or waking in the middle of the night to what sounds like countless fingers pat-pat-patting the tarp of their tent, or the fact that animals -which are varied and plentiful and wholly alien- sometimes just randomly fall into the sky, like the rumors say! They might know academically that with birds, that just sort of tends to happen, but they've never seen one take off!!

Hell, all of surface flora and fauna are completely new to them-- it's likely they've only ever seen a tree or a dog in a picture book. Flowers, they've likely only ever seen as an expensive and frivolous luxury few can afford to have for a while, and even then, they are by necessity brought in removed from their roots, dead, wilting, taken from their natural place... while here, blooms just spring up underfoot willy-nilly, not entirely unlike mushrooms at the home which is not theirs anymore.

And... there must be something organic, something comfortingly animal to the scent of hundreds of warm bodies crammed into a sealed hole in the ground-- which is just gone now. The air is fresh, clean... empty, cold, lonely. No smell of spilled ale, piss, and vomit, no thick scent of the combined breaths and bodies of all their people... no scent of belonging, the air that moves their lungs now is no longer that which has moved those of all they've ever known, and every breath washes more, and more, and more of who they once were from inside their very body.

Being on the surface, it's like being thrust into an alien world, with which all just expects you to be intimately familiar. What do you mean the grass, the bugs, the birds, the leaves are strange? What do you mean you've never eaten leaves from this plant, fruit from this tree, the flesh of this creature you've only ever heard about? They laugh when you avert your eyes from the sky and try not to think about falling into it, or when you startle at the feeling of falling water suddenly hitting your skin, as if that was somehow funny, charming.

The night, which you've never before seen fall, is a comfort from all that endless, boundless seeing- but after the Joining, not even that is a relief.

Because if you're a dwarven Warden, all the dreams you've had in your life have been nightmares.

So you cope. You learn, and adapt, and endure.

"Give me another chance." | Trapped | Misunderstanding | Deception

This is a continuation of day 1 and day 2 :)

cw: restraints, shock collar, male whumper-turned-whumpee, female whumper, allusions to domestic abuse & sexual assault (perpetrated by whumpee)

Oh. Oh no. She’d done her research. He couldn’t think. He was trapped, and no excuse he made could save him. There were too many of them. He should have been more careful.

My sickfic writing debut!! A little rushed but done in time for today’s prompt! @monthofsick

Fandom: my OCs (members of the band Space Cola)

Warnings: fever, vomiting, written from the POV of an anxious character

.

Annette peered over the top of her book at Kyle, who was curled under the covers and shivering violently. No change from the other 5 glances she’d spared in the past 10 minutes. That was when Ulysses had called her.

“Hey Ann, I was wondering if you could go hang out with Kyle for a while. He’s super sick, like, I’m pretty sure he’s got a high fever. I’m running to CVS for a thermometer and some Tylenol.”

At the time Annette had said “sure, no big deal”. Before that phone call, she’d thought that Kyle’s malaise was limited to what he felt after their concert last night. He had complained of a sore throat and had just seemed really out of it. “I’ll feel better in the morning,” he’d told his friends. “I can practice tomorrow. Don’t worry about me.” Sam and Brent—the members of their partner band The Nutcrackers—had bid Space Cola goodnight and left the worrying to Annette and Ulysses.

But Annette had seen Kyle at the hotel’s continental breakfast. He’d seemed ill, but not “super sick”: his “g’mornin’” was quieter and raspier than usual, and he’d only finished his bagel when Ulysses insisted. Then he’d gone back up to his hotel room to take a nap.

“I was looking over the lyrics to The Nutcrackers’ songs, y’know, as a backup singer.” Ulysses’ voice on the phone had sounded tense. “Then I looked over and Kyle was asleep, but he was making these little noises like he was having a bad dream or something. I woke him up and it’s like he’s somewhere else. He’s under all the blankets but he says he’s freezing. Which doesn’t make sense, because he’s soaked in sweat. You think room service will give us dry blankets if we ask?”

As Annette looked at Kyle now, worry clouded her brain. Her friend had an energetic spirit. Nothing kept him down for long. Seeing Kyle reduced to twitching beneath a hotel comforter…. Well, it was disconcerting.

Kyle stirred, startling Annette out of her thoughts. Slowly he sat up. The comforter fell from his shoulders and he shuddered in the cooler air. He coughed a few times, raising a fist to weakly cover his mouth.

“Gotta take a piss,” he mumbled hoarsely. He hauled himself out of bed, almost falling, then found his balance and staggered to the bathroom. Modestly, Annette returned to her book, but only until Kyle returned. Then she watched him like a hawk as he slithered back into bed. He stayed sitting up and cast his bleary gaze around the room, not focusing on anything in particular. When Annette called his name he jolted like he’d just woken up.

“Ann? What’re you doing here?”

Annette closed her book. “I’m here to keep an eye on you,” she replied, trying to keep her tone light. “Ulysses went to the pharmacy.”

“OK,” Kyle deadpanned.

“How are you feeling?” Annette asked tentatively.

“Shitty. Tired. Wanna sleep.” He laid his head back on the pillows, closing his eyes.

“Got it.”

Annette picked up her book again. It was weird being in the room with an awake sick person. She could hear Kyle’s breathing, metered and shallow, from where she sat. Hopefully he’d fall back asleep and stop breathing like that. It was making her uneasy.

The book became interesting, Annette tuned out of the world, and Kyle’s odd breathing faded into the background. Twenty minutes came and went. Annette returned to the present when Ulysses called her.

“Ann, there was an accident that happened right in front of me. I’m fine, but I had to pull over and wait for the cops to show up. That was 15 minutes ago. How’s Kyle?”

Annette shot a glance at her friend. Kyle was restlessly twisting under the covers. “Uh, not great. He still seems really feverish.”

“Try and cool him down,” Ulysses suggested. “A cold washcloth on the back of his neck could work.”

“I’ll try that,” Annette promised. “Good luck with the, uh, cops.”

“I’ll try not to get arrested,” Ulysses joked. “I’ll let you know when I’m on my way back. See ya later.”

Annette put her book aside and headed to the bathroom to fetch a washcloth. She passed by Kyle’s bed and paused to take a good look at him.

His face was as pale as the sheets tangled around him, but his cheeks were flushed red like he’d been slapped. His mouth was ajar, and he was panting like he’d run a marathon. Annette’s heart stung with pity. Kyle really wasn’t well at all. On a whim, she reached down and touched his forehead. She exclaimed at the heat there; he jolted at the sudden cool of her hand.

“Hey,” she said softly, soothingly. “How are you feeling?”

“I—” Kyle swallowed convulsively. “I’m g—” He clamped his mouth shut. His eyes were glazed over and darted back and forth across Annette’s face, refusing to focus.

“That’s quite a fever you’ve got,” Annette continued, awkwardly trying to calm him by running her hand along his jawline. It was sticky with dried sweat. “I’m going to get a wet washcloth for you. That’ll help you feel a little bit better. OK?”

In response, Kyle’s whole body jerked with a massive hiccup. A trickle of something brown dribbled out of his mouth. Annette yanked her hand away in time for the floodgates to open. Before Kyle even knew what was happening, a wave of vomit was surging up his throat and splashing down his front.

“Shit!” Annette yelped. “OK, OK, uh….”

Kyle choked, shuffled upright in his bed, and let out a gargling belch. He couldn’t stay vertical for long: his upper body lilted toward his lap. He retched toward the bedspread, letting his jaw hang open loosely. Saliva pooled in his mouth and dripped toward the bed. He was going to be sick again.

Annette had retrieved the room’s wastebasket and presently shoved it into Kyle’s hands. Just in time—Kyle immediately heaved up a thick stream of vomit that spattered on the bottom of the container. He didn’t have time to breathe before his body ejected another massive mouthful. That left him coughing, a harsh cough that piqued Annette’s anxiety.

“Oooohhh,” Kyle groaned. He hiccupped and spat into the can, then rested his head on the brim, panting.

“Kyle?” Annette ventured. “You all right?”

“I dunno,” Kyle mumbled. His voice was faint and wobbly, which made Annette even more uneasy. She stood and walked over to his bedside, crouching to see his face better. He was even paler than before, his eyelids fluttered, and despite the exertion he wasn’t sweating anymore. Just being near him she could feel the heat coming off of his battered body in waves. Fear stirred in Annette’s gut. How do you care for a sick person? Did she have to take Kyle to the hospital? When would Ulysses be back? Hell, would Kyle be well in time for Space Cola’s next performance? That wasn’t for several days, but still….

Annette’s phone rang once again, startling her. She answered it with a shaky “Hello?”

Ulysses skipped the introductions and spoke rapid-fire. “The cops let me go, I’m on my way back from the pharmacy. Not much I can do when two rednecks are arguing about who rear-ended who, you know how it is. Uh, I’ll be back in a jiffy. I got the stuff. Everything ok, Annie?”

“Um.” Annette swallowed back her anxiety. “Kyle threw up.”

Ulysses clicked their tongue in displeasure. “Great, delightful. I can stop at Walmart for some Gatorade or something—”

Annette interrupted them as Kyle’s heaves began anew. “Actually, can you just come back? It’s a little—I don’t know if I can by myself—”

“Gotcha, gotcha. That’s no problem. …Hey, Ann.”

Annette pulled her attention back to her friend. “Huh?”

“You’re doing a good job. Don’t worry too much about Kyle, he’s a tough cookie. I’ll be back soon, and we can take care of him together. Got it?”

Raven’s advice

Dark walked home to the house he shared with his, well friend to be honest. The Host, or Issac as he was better known was an interesting character both physically and personality wise. He was an radio host-cum-podcast creator who had a dry wit and sharp tongue. the only thing that hurt more than being hit by his cane was his insults, somehow creatively unique for each person. 

Physically he was a few inches taller than dark, this infuriated the goshawk which normally made Issac chuckle. On his back where a pair of glossy black raven wings tucked tightly in, never used, not because they where clipped, the conspiracy revolution to got them rights to fly, claiming that they ate fruit and seeds too so they should be allowed to fly, but many protested. Issac was attacked by some teenagers with a knife when he was 16, causing him permanent blindness. This meant without help he was grounded.

Dark opened the door and heard the raven in his room just finishing recording a podcast. The podcasts and radio show where fairly popular with the grounded, as the Host interacted with them daily, finding relevant topics to them and their interests, hopes and dream, something many radio hosts failed to bring. 

Dark walked into the kitchen and grabbed a glass and filled it with water then taking a sip as he listened to the raven come down the stairs. He watched at the other man came through the door wearing a flannel and dark jeans.

“Dark” the mans soothing voice stated

“Host, how are you?”

“Good, but you sound off” the host’s head turned to the side in curiosity

Dark ignored the statement and continued drinking.

“Is it a good guess something happened?”

dark gave him a glare. Issac just smirked.

“i am right then, what was it,was it a-”

“Shut up Issac” Dark snapped grumpily, “I don’t ask about your personal life”

“That because you don’t care, i’m sure you would kill me if I talked about my love life with Edward” the man walked over to the fruit bowl and grabs a handful of grapes.

“If you are insinuating i like him your wrong” the goshawk frowned

“Hey, i wasn’t, don’t get your feathers in a ruffle. I was just saying if you-”

“I don’t” he snapped again

“IF you like them you should meet up with them, now I got a date with a handsome owl so I will be on my way” and with that he grabbed his beige trench coat and left to meet his boyfriend, a owl, Dr Edward Iplier, a pathologist who works with police to examine bodies from crime scenes. 

Dark sighed after the raven left the room, and sat down at the table. How had a canary brought his day to such a halt? 

The canary could really have anyone. He was a late time TV star after all. He was bright energetic and the complete opposite of him.

NARNIA SANDERS SIDES AU?

Peter is Roman

King Roman the Magnificent. Really brave but afraid to ask for help sometimes, wants to prove that he is worthy. Sceptic of believing patton at first. "A lion?! U sure buddy?" Got the sheild and the sword. Strong and a good leader, loves his siblings very much.

Susan is Logan

King Logan the Gentle. Good problem solver. The reasonable one. Just like his older brother doesnt belive Patton untill he bring them in with him. Tries to make sence out of how there were in a wardrobe in summer and now they are in a forest in mid winter?! Uses a bow instead of a close range weapon. Also has a magic horn that can call him and his brothers.

Edmund is Virgil

King Virgil the Just. Sassy boy. Doesn't belive Patton untill he tries to scare him and ends up in a snowy forest?! 2nd one to enter forest after Patron. Meets this "King of Narnia?" He can control snow and stuff... Although the 2 different color eyes and the birthmark but be kinda scary he can make food out of snow?! LIKE HOT FOOD!?!? Weapon is a sword much like Roman although is pretty handy with a flashlight.

Lucy is Patton

King Patton the Valient. The first one to find Narnia. "WHY DOES NO ONE BELIVE ME WHEN I SAID THERE IS A FOREST IN THE WARDROBE?!" Suoer sweet and kind. Just wants to be listened to. Befriends a faun named Emile who warns him about some Snow King? Huh... Goes back home to tell his brothers. Doesnt like to fight or hurt people so he got a dagger for self defence and cutting stuff and some magical healing Juice of the Fire-Flower.

And then Aslan could be Thomas

So like the story it's a rainy day and eveyone is bored and Patton being Patton is like

"HIDE AND SEEK INDOORS!"

Logan rolls his eyes Virgil is hesitant and then Roman just looks at Patton and starts counting. CUE HIDING AND FINDING THE WARDROBE!

----

I might try to make more of this... Feel free to leave ideas of who would be who and of titles!!! For now I'm just calling it Narnia AU or Narnian Sides

(Please leave titles I am not good at naming things)

-Lau gets injured somehow (he’s in a sketchy line of business), ran Mao doesn’t want to take him to a hospital so she brings him to the manor. Lau is unconscious for several days in a spare room, in which time Ciel realizes that he’s genuinely worried about him and likes having him around a lot, and cares about him more than he realized -modern au where Ciel meets ran Mao on a dating app, agrees to go out with her, on the date she brings her weird brother who smells like weed and axe and won’t stop hitting on him. -Lau is staying the night at the manor, shows up at Ciel’s room at 2 am because he’s hungry, they sneak to the kitchen together for snacks -Lau is secretly scared of snakes snakes, Ciel takes advantage of this and makes fun of him -Ciel catches Lau telling Sieglinde stories that she is TOO YOUNG TO KNOW YOU MENACE

"You have to let me go."| Dying Alone | Drowning | Blame

This is a continuation of day 1 :)

cw: restraints, gagged, male whumper-turned-whumpee, female whumper, reference to abuse, victim blaming

She’d gagged him after that. She left him with a bucket to relieve himself and went outside with her computer bag. She was going to a cafe to work, she said. He would have asked whether accounting was even her real job, but he was gagged and anyway, he didn’t want to know the answer. Her betrayal tasted bitter in his mouth.