Tumbl'd 3: Forever TAZ - Chapter 46 - InterNutter - The Adventure Zone (Podcast) [Archive of Our Own]

In this chapter: The Twins get married, and only one of them is getting married again.

Tumbl'd 3: Forever TAZ - Chapter 45 - InterNutter - The Adventure Zone (Podcast) [Archive of Our Own]

In this chapter - Young Angus takes care of a sick Taako… for a change

[AN: First, I’d like to apologise for taking so dang long with this. It’s been a busy week]

Angus shivered in his bed and dreaded opening his eyes. He was cold and soaked and terrified that, if he could breathe in through his nose, he would smell someone else’s pee. It certainly felt like he was huddled in a bunch of lumps that wanted to dig holes in his skin.

He could hear jingling jewellery and someone singing. “Good morning, starshine, the earth says ‘hello’… you twinkle above…” the singer trailed off, and a too-hot hand seared into Angus’ forehead. “You’re not okay, little man.”

The shadow above him glittered and gleamed. He managed to focus on golden hair and dusky skin that was mottled like a fawn and sprinkled with gold. He wasn’t in the orphanage any more, but it sure felt like he was in an orphanage bed. “…hurts,” he croaked.

“Hmm…” said Papa, who scooped him out of bed and into a thick, fluffy dressing gown. “Looks like Summerfaire Sniffles, there, buddy. Caught something from someone durin’ the holiday.” Papa was comfortingly warm, whilst Angus felt like his entire body was a loose sack full of snot.

“…’m sorry, papa…”

“Not your fault, hon. ‘S why the schools give people a whole month off after Summerfaire. Get all the viruses outta the system before they can recirculate.”

“…’r you mad at me?”

“Naw… It’s nothing some soup won’t cure. Cream of chicken soup with ginger, garlic, and all the fixings. All your favourite ingredients.”

“…’m n’t h'ngry…”

Papa cooed and juggled him around as his Mage Hands filled a hot water bottle and wrapped it up. “We’ll find something to tempt those tastebuds later on, punkin. Anything you need, you’re getting. Just say the word.”

“…cuddl’s…”

“M’kay,” Papa curled up with him, the hot water bottle, and a lot of blankets (the cats came to nest on them later) on the big cuddle couch and turned the fantasy television on to something that required no brainpower to appreciate.

Dad looked in on them in an hour or two. “Everything all right, babe?”

“Summerfaire Sniffles,” said Papa. “Some fantasy tylenol, a lot of cuddles, and some chicken soup and we’ll be fine.”

Dad’s touch was a little chilly, but welcome all the same. “Nothing to worry about,” he said.

When he said it, you could be sure.

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dualityandsuch:

dualityandsuch:

Rockport Limited Boys

@internutter

For your attention: some very good boys.

Watch it.

You’re welcome.

cradleghost:

best way to figure out how you want to draw a character: make an 8 page comic

(Transcript under the cut in case my handwriting is # bad . Edit: ok nOW its under the cut)

Keep reading

(via litches-get-stitches)

A Tradition

penbattles:

Barry asked Lup to marry him in cycle 50.  In later years, a part of him would wish that this moment, a culmination of their love that was decades in the making, was less innocuous.  He didn’t plan to do it.  There was no ring, no grand romantic gesture.  There was just the two of them, lying in bed one sleepy morning.

“I love you, Lup,” he said, tracing his hands gently down her back, her arms.  “I wish I could tell the whole world how much I love you.  The whole planar system.  I wish I could just stand up in front of everyone and just make them see how much I love you…”  He sat up suddenly, an idea occurring to him, and Lup made a disgruntled noise at having her source of warmth taken away.

“Wait, we can do that last one!” Barry realized excitedly.  “Holy shit, Lup, do you wanna get married?”  And of course, Lup said yes with the zeal and fervor that she agreed to anything, and especially anything to do with her bluejeans-clad boyfriend.

And just a few months later, they were married.  Taako always teased them about the fact that it had taken them decades and decades to get together, but just three years after that to get hitched.  At any rate, the wedding was perfect, at least to them.  Magnus spent weeks building a gazebo in a forest clearing, and they had a little ceremony with just the seven of them.  It was beautiful, and neither Lup nor Barry got through their vows without crying, and afterwards they celebrated long into the night, the new couple’s faces flushed bright with a happiness that they had never quite matched before.  So, when the end of that year came and they had to watch the plane get consumed by the Hunger, Lup felt a deep sadness in the pit of her stomach.  This was their plane, and… it was gone.  Barry noticed this, as he always noticed things to do with Lup.  So the first thing that he did when they returned to their recorded states was ask Lup to marry him.  Only since they technically weren’t married on this plane, he explained hurriedly to Lup’s look of confusion.  And of course, Lup said yes, throwing her arms around him and kissing him long and hard until Taako groaned loudly in disgust.

After that, it became a bit of a tradition.  Arrive on a new plane, get married once again.  Some things always stayed the same.  Taako walked her down the aisle.  Merle officiated, or Cap’n’port when the former had gone to Parley early in the year.  Magnus cried.  But it was always a little different.  Sometimes they got married planetside, on a beach or at the peak of a gorgeous mountain or in a cave filled with strange, luminous plants.  Other times, when the plane was too inhospitable, the ceremony took place on the Starblaster itself.  One long, dark cycle, Barry died just a few weeks in, and there was no wedding that year.  But one other thing remained the same throughout every cycle, every iteration of their love, and that was the look on Lup’s face as she walked down the aisle, as if even after all this time she could hardly believe that this was actually happening.  That was the smile that Barry gave her when she reached the altar, so soft that she could see the love practically exploding out of him. 

And so, when the Hunger was defeated and they were all reunited once again, Lup wasn’t exactly surprised when Barry got down on one knee and proposed.  “For the last time,” he told her, and as always, Lup said yes.  And Lup didn’t realize it at the time, but this wedding was to be different from any of the others.  This time, it wasn’t just the seven of them sharing this moment.  An entire planar system had heard their story, had shared their love, just like Barry wanted when he asked her to marry him for the very first time.  This time, when she turned to face the guests at the wedding, the seats were packed with the faces of friends and family, and even some people who she didn’t know at all.  It should have been overwhelming, but somehow it wasn’t.  Lup was filled to bursting with the sheer amount of love that filled the room, and the realization that for the first time, this really was for forever.

And Taako walked her down the aisle

And Merle officiated

And Magnus cried

And they were happy.

They took a few years to begin. Having the actual legends available in real life, in the newspapers, in the bookstores, tended to quell those of a cultish mind. Nevertheless, they began all the same.

There was the cult of Jeffandrew, which fizzled for the most part and lead a secluded life in the cracks when it did find a rare foothold. It was always covert. It was always discrete. It was always unreliable as a faith.

People could really get to Believe in the Seven Birds. They were real people. Real people with extraordinary abilities, granted, but real people all the same. The Twins wrote a series of books about their exploits: before, during, and after their hundred-year mission to strange new worlds and new civilisations.

For the most part, the Seven Birds had had enough of adventuring, and that was perfect for creating… cults.

Altars sprang up inside the first decade. Not just to the Seven Birds, but to those heavily associated with them. Those who came to The Twins prayed to be re-united with lost family members. Those who came specifically to Lup’s altars hoped to resolve a long-lasting crush. Those who came to Taako prayed for resolutions to great wrongs.

People came to The Lover to reaffirm long-held vows, to swear new ones, to ask for true and lasting love, and to beg for more time.

People asked The Protector for strength in battle, for the power to keep their loved ones safe, for help in dire straits.

Those who prayed to The Lonely Journal Keeper prayed for fortitude to endure, as Lucretia had endured. They prayed for a dissolution of writer’s block. They prayed for a third option when the initial two were abhorrent.

Nevermind that it was Taako who saw it, the people Believed, and they Believed that Lucretia was the one who gave it to the entire world.

Those who went to The Peacemaker never went there for healing, which was probably just as well. They came to ask for a means to end conflict, and some for bountiful crops… though it was better not to investigate what those crops were.

The ones who prayed to The Wordless One prayed for successful journeys, for clarity of mind, for clarity of speech… for success at cards. For restoration of memory. For restoration of that which was lost.

They weren’t always successful prayers. That wasn’t the point. The point was that people prayed. In prayers, in belief, there is power.

They prayed also to The Detective, to The Bard, The Wedded Warriors… they prayed to The Artificer and The Deals Warlock and The Reaper and The Inventor’s Son. Some even prayed to The Bugbear.

Time ran out for living legends, as time inevitably does. Some lived their full span of life, some more than that. Some had far less. What mattered was the prayers, the Belief.

It’s quite a shock to wake up dead. It’s even more of a shock to wake up dead and deified.

A new pantheon made of people who once were flesh and blood. Given power, given elevation. Given a place in the Celestial Plane. All through Belief. New gods and goddesses, with new powers and responsibilities… and new dumb-ass followers they had to look after.

Just like all the other gods.

[TAZ Prompts Remaining: 0]

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[AN: Why not both?]

Young Angus

Angus McDonald was seven years old, today. If there was a cake, Angus hadn’t seen where Papa had hidden it. Instead of that, he was packing a picnic basket.

It had to be dimensionally transcendent, because Papa was packing way more stuff into it than a regular basket could hold. He had that sneaky face on that meant he was plotting something.

“Good morning,” said Angus. “Do you have something special planned for today?”

“Nope,” lied Papa. He added yet another huge container to the basket.

“I thought today was a special day,” teased Angus. “I’m pretty sure something important happened today. Something… seven years ago…”

Papa pretended to think about this for three containers. “Nope. Nothin’ coming to my mind.” He added a wink. “We just need a little time outdoors. You’ve been cooped up indoors since your welcome-to-the-family party. Sunshine’ll do you great.”

Dad carried him on his shoulders, all the way to the park where the others of this huge, weird family were gathered.

Aunt Lup was the one who had the cake. She could do confectionary if she put the effort into it, Angus knew. It’s just that she preferred quicker recipes. The fact that she had done the cake meant that she thought he was worth the extra effort.

Magnus had some of his best trained dogs. The whole family had everything ready for the best seventh birthday a little boy could hope for.

Baby Angus

Here’s the thing about having a baby - going anywhere with one is almost a kingdom-conquering exercise. There was so much stuff involved in taking an infant anywhere that one could easily mistake it for a military event.

“Stroller, check. Diaper bag, check. Bottles, check. Formula, check. Spare clothes, check. Washers, check. Binkies, check…” Taako ran down the list. “Blankie… where the heck is the blankie?”

“I got it, Dove.” Kravitz added the blankie to the significant pile of baby accessories.

“Booties, mittens, tumby…” the essential companion toy, a chubby cloth moppet that Lucretia had made by hand, thus paving the way to Taako actually talking to her by the end of the decade. “I think that’s everything.”

“Except…” prompted Kravitz.

“Except what? We got the baby stroller, the baby bag, the baby bottles, the baby formula… what are we missing?”

“The baby?” Kravitz already had him in his arms.

Angus blinked owlishly at his Apa and said, “Blpth.”

“Of course. The most essential part of a day out with baby.” Taako welcomed both his men into his arms, spared a smooch for them both. “Okay. Now we’re all ready for our first day of shopping.”

It was an interesting day, nonetheless. Taako happened to trip over one of his family or friends on the regular. So regular that it seemed suspicious.

He finally snagged Barold about the fifth time they chanced to meet. “Spill it, Bluejeans. This ain’t no co-incidence. Confess.”

Barold turned bright red (natch) and stammered out, “Yeah, well. Uh. We know it’s your first day out with the kid anduh… we… thought we’d make sure you were all okay.”

Lup appeared out of nowhere. “Not that we were all that worried,” said Lup. “I knew you’d crush it. You’d never do anything stupid like pack everything and forget the baby.”

“Hardy har har,” deadpanned Taako.

[TAZ Prompts Remaining: 0]

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corinnamariedrawsstuff:

ok not really worth a punch in the face… but still…

Is there more? I want context! I want to know the source of all this angst!

Give. Me. That. Juice!

(via snizardtheesnailwizard)

[AN: One universe at a time, pls. The combo thing means - combos of words. My bad for not saying that. Three stories for the price of one!

1. Saccharine - LA

[AN: LA stands for Little Accidents. A universe in which a WAY younger La’ming and a WAY nastier Sazed manage to create half-Elf Angus. La’ming and Taako raise him and Nono in a loving -if mobile- home with La’ming pretending to be older and Taako pretending to be hetero and married to La’ming. 90% angst]

The fair was under full enough swing that Taako couldn’t give food away. Which meant that Sizzle it Up! was not doing any shows until after a majority of the other food carts had closed for the evening. On the plus side, plenty of time to spend looking around for ideas. On the minus side, he had to keep the kids entertained as well as himself.

In a fairground, that meant the potential for encountering processed sugar and, in the case of tiny little Angus, someone using cow milk instead of any of the perfectly reasonable alternatives. Taako knew he couldn’t go anywhere near a peanut, and as for the rest of their little family of four… staying away from processed sugar was just smart.

“Oh look. Miller Labs. They’re always good for a giggle. They’re doing a food science show.”

Minmin, pretending to be an adult, also pretended cheer for her babies, Nono and Ango. “Yay,” she said. “Food science.”

The kids were less than enthused. However, the bribe of some spun maple candy and a hot dog in combination with a place to sit seemed to keep them appeased. They would be appeased and sticky in less than ten minutes, Taako guessed. He kept an eye on the kids -all three of them- and watched the show.

This one was a new alchemical wonder. Sugarless sugar, called saccharine, and Miller Labs was so sure of its safety that they were allowing volunteers to come up and taste their saccharine-laced fare.

“I wanna,” piped tiny little Angus.

Taako took the baby boy into his lap. “No you don’t, son-of-mine. You’re a little young to turn into a guinea pig.”

Since he had his hands full with Angus, and Minmin was busy trying to take him back, Nono leaped up, waving a hand in the air and bouncing out of parental reach. “I want to try!”

“…gods damn it…” muttered Taako. Too late, he handed Ango back to his mother and stood, ready to field an errant Elven teen…

…who already had a cake in her mouth.

“Damnit, Nono…” he sighed. “This is not the time or place to be rebellious streaking. Fuck.”

Nono was wincing. “Too sweet,” she complained. “It’s like way, way too sweet… it’s–” no further words came out of her, but there was a torrent of regurgitated cake, dissolved maple sugar, and hotdog.

Taako wasn’t about to sabotage a fellow food show. “Aw, honey,” he said, pitching his voice to carry. “I told you three goes on the Chunderwonder was two too many.” He sampled a cupcake for himself. Eugh. WAY too sweet. “Needs more lemon curd,” he said, and then quickly got outta dodge because -damn- that stuff made him want to hurl, and he’d survived the slop they served at Saint Vingo’s.

He didn’t get as far as that, though, but did find cool relief in a green patch far away from the smells of the fair. Nono fanned him with his wizarding hat and Minmin provided the damn cloth for his brow.

“Are you okay, Daddy?” said tiny little Ango.

“I will be. Eventually,” Taako panted. “Moral of this story, try new foodstuffs with caution. They always test on Humanmen… ooogh…”

The things he did for love.

2. Sunbathing - Monty Pithon

It had been a rougher winter than Varmvale, and therefore the circus that stayed there, was used to. The spring had been weak, for the first month, but now the sun was out with a vengeance and all the cold-blooded species were out, too.

Lulu and Koko, also thawing in the sunshine, found Monty, Mrs Monty, and all the Montlings spread out on a stretch of dark stone and sighing in the sunlight.

“Say, chief, aren’t we late to get on the road?” said Koko with fake enthusiasm.

“Yeah,” said Lulu, who knew that a cold-fogged Monty was a gullible Monty. “We got a circus to put on. Acts to plan. Rubes to bilk…”

“Time to quit sunbathing and start moneymaking,” said Koko, hoping that Monty hadn’t heard that last bit.

Montgomery Pithon was neither impressed nor swayed. “The roads will still be mud, the people know to expect us closer to summer, and I’m not falling for that horseshit again.”

Drat. Koko sighed and settled down on the rock. “Mind if we thaw with you?”

3. Harsh Whisper - Little Domestic

There is but one truth of life on the streets - cold kills. Pass out or try to sleep away from the warmth - any kind of warmth - and you could die. Even in summer’s last hurrah before winter moved in, you could die from the cold.

Lulu had been looking for more clothes to line their little nest-box with. Koko was prone to chills at the best of times, and this coming winter wasn’t looking to be the best. They were lucky they got through the last one with all their fingers and toes intact.

They were not lucky in the fact that the City Watch was clamping down on homeless people camping out in or near the old steam tunnels. The worse news was that more and more places that used to be safe were employing hostile architecture to try and get the homeless to move away - or at least die somewhere out of sight of all the nice, orderly rent-payers in the city.

At least here, they had a shelter from the wind and a steady supply of half-eaten food via the dumpster and the neighbouring blocks of flats. Lulu was moderately sure she could figure out how to pick the lock and get into the basement before the snows came. That way, she and Koko could huddle in a corner near the furnace and stay nice and toasty during the worst of the winter.

That had been the plan, anyway.

Right up until the instant a huge garbage bag fell on Koko from above with the sound of shattering glass and the sickening thud of one baby twin brother hitting the uncaring concrete of the alleyway floor.

Lulu dropped everything -literally- and ran to her brothers side. She could roll the garbage bag off her brother. He was beat up, cut a little, but still breathing. Okay. Okay. That was fine. That was okay.

“Koko?” she managed in a harsh whisper, lest any noise alert anyone prone to narc. She shook him a little. “Koko?”

His hair was straight. His hair was never perfectly straight. There was always a kink or a curl or straight-up frizz. Lulu couldn’t even remember the last time she’d seen her brother’s hair completely limp.

“Koko…” Lulu wrestled his head and half his body into her lap. “Koko.” Nothing. He was completely limp, just like his hair. And there was a wet patch of blood spreading out through those golden locks and -oh gods- “Koko, don’t die! Koko!”

Panic. Utter panic. Koko was going to die because some asshole dumped garbage on him and they were going to take them both away and she’d never know where he was buried if he even got a burial and they couldn’t take him away, they couldn’t! He was her heart! He was her whole heart and the only reason she even bothered waking up in the morning and Koko! Koko please! Wake up, Koko! KOKO!

There was an adult Elf leaning over them, and that was when Lulu went from ordinary hysterical to full-blown scream-crying and fuck whatever authorities wanted to take them away. She’d scream and scream and scream until the whole world vanished. She’d scream her heart and soul away if it got her Koko back.

The Sea Elf kept murmuring and cooing and gently touching them both in an I-won’t-hurt-you-ever way. She had half a bagel that she picked little mouthfuls off of to offer Lulu and things that stopped the blood and a way of showing Lulu that her dumb baby brother was still alive, just unconscious. She had a better, cleaner place where he could recover and they could both get clean and she could cook them a nice, hot meal and wouldn’t everything be better after a hot chocolate?

There came a point in a cascade of terrible events where just about anything was a step up. If it turned out that this Sea Elf was some kind of horrible, they could bail anyway and be no worse off. In the meantime, there would be a clean place and hot food and new clothes and, once Koko was back to wakefulness, a real bath with real soap and real hot water.

All the same, Lulu refused to let go of Koko and flat-out refused to let him out of her sight. All the way up to a tiny, one-bedroom flat where Koko looked even tinier inside a grownups’ bed. All the way through patching him up and getting him clean and making sure he wasn’t in real danger. All the way through a quick mercy run to the local Bodega -don’t go anywhere! Not that Lulu had any such plans.

All the way through dinosaur chicken nuggets and bubble-and-squeak patties all cooked in the microwave with ketchup on the side.

Koko was awake. Koko was okay. That was all that mattered. Koko passed the weird-ass concussion test, which was better. Koko was also amazingly cool about letting a stranger bathe them and clothe them in identical baggy I (heart) NW tee shirts and ludicrous, one-size-fits-nobody pull-cord pants.

“You sure you’re okay, Koko?” Lulu whispered after the stranger called La’ming tucked them in for the night. “You’re not complaining about anything.”

“Bad food is better than no food,” he whispered right back. “This place is okay. It’s out of the weather and she seems to care enough to want to look after us. Worst comes to the worst, we’re outta here when it gets warm.”

Lulu wrapped herself around her brother. “That’s the dumb baby brother I know,” she cooed. “Always planning for the worst.”

“Geez, make me puke,” Koko mockingly scolded. “Then she’ll call the Fantasy CDC on our asses.”

[TAZ Prompts remaining: 0]

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