The one conceit of this meme: humans (or human-expies, whatever beings they may be) mate for life. With this comes the typical trappings of "mating for life" - indescribable closeness, contentment around your "destined," and, of course, in your all-too-familiar worst case, jealousy and rage should the bond be threatened.
Oh, and there's also the little caveat that, should your mate die, you die as well. But that's not too much to swallow, is it? The whole thing is only a small conceit, you know.
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PROMPTS
romanticism | You approach the potential of mating with a dreamy hope. It will be just like a romance novel! distaste | Ugh, mating? You're going to put it off...or maybe even try not to do it at all. imprint | That's them. That's the one. You both know it, and you can't keep away. first | The first time you come together sets the bond in stone, not to mention sets the stage for the rest of your lives. share | Some mates are able to communicate and share their secrets through a mental link; others have to do it the old fashioned way and just speak up. calm | When one partner goes berserk, there's only one person in this world who can get them to settle down. comfort | Merely being in the presence of your mate can turn your stormy day around. heal | Scars, mental or physical, can be mended with the right love from a mate. need | Your body is going through actual physical withdrawal due to being away from your one and only. protect | Whether the threat be real or jealously perceived, you have to keep what's yours from harm. obsessed | You're beyond jealous. You've taken it too far mistake | Mating with them was not the right decision, but you can't take it back. cheat | Despite your being mated, you've chosen to break a sacred trust and go outside the home. death | There's not much will left to live in you after your mate has passed. Even if there was, it's not like you have much of a choice not to die. old mated couple | You've lasted a long time. This may be your "happy ending."
[It's a bit of a cliche name, that's her first thought. And yet it's a perfect name for a more fairy tale villain. The Adversary really sums it up and tells you plainly that this is the 'big bad'.
And yet... her eyes drift off to that castle. She wonders not for the first time how much of this he can hear. She didn't feel his presence here and if she hadn't been distracted in the tunnels she was sure she would have felt him before that crystal of his rolled into view. Now that she was actively, honestly listening to that thing that presented as gentle tugging, she somewhat understood that he couldn't just creep up again.
And she understood that he knew that too. Her brow furrowed at that thought. What else hadn't he told her? Did he know about this Adversary? Did he not? Or did he just not care?
Meanwhile the word 'war' has Hoggle leaping straight to attention.]
Not again! Ooooh, after all that with Toby and Mizumi and the Labyrinth near breaking apart! Do you know how much spraying I had t' do?! All them pixies sneaking in through the cracks in the walls round here!
[He throws his hands in the air.]
Well I ain't doin' it again if another fight or whatever comes here. You can all just get bitten up like crazy by them for all I care!
[NOBODY KNOWS HIS PAIN.
Sarah sighs out. She can't even comment on Bigby's obvious nostalgia trip or how terrible any of it sounds because Hoggle is having an absolute meltdown now.]
It's going to be alright, Hoggle. Nobody is going to break apart the Labyrinth again, trust me.
[He gives Hoggle an authentic "are you serious" face. Haven't seen one of those for a while, have you?
And finally:] Yeah, she's right. The Adversary wouldn't break it apart.
[He leaves enough of a pause there to give them a moment to feel comfortable before continuing harshly:]
First he'd roll in with his army and they'd start pillaging and killing everything they see. Every village they find, they'll kill everyone in it except the women and children. Those ones they'd split up into who gets to live as slaves and who gets saved for rations on their way through the rest of the kingdom. Everyone else, they torture to death. Then they'll go to the castle and kill everyone inside except the king, who gets to be last.
And then they fucking take your kingdom for theirs, strip everything they can from it to use for their army including stealing anything magical you have that the Adversary might want. And then they turn it into a fucking wasteland.
[He's well pissed by the time he's done. Thinking about it is infuriating, but having to explain it to someone who's more worried about pixie bites is up there too. And unfortunately, while he may have self-control and patience in some areas, there are others that.... ehhh. A little improvement wouldn't hurt.]
That's what he'll do to this place. [He gestures to the castle, to the hedge, to everything. End fucking sentence.]
Edited (it needed a more edge) 2019-05-25 00:27 (UTC)
Hoggle stammers out something or other. It might be words but it's incoherent enough to be nothing at all in the end. Real honest-to-goodness war is so outside of the dwarf's purview of life that he doesn't seem completely sure how to take Bigby's words. The biggest tyrant he's ever known had been Jareth after all and the Goblin King's deeds are nowhere close to Bigby's description of what the Adversary does.
And at seeing Hoggle so baffled, there's a quick protective flash of anger all through Sarah that leaves her muscles momentarily tense. And yet... if what Bigby says is true -- and she doesn't doubt it if for all the vehemence in his words -- it could quickly be something that the dwarf and many, many others here would have far too intimate knowledge of.
Bigby's being harsh and sharp for a reason, so she thinks. And so she can't bring herself to react to that initial flash of protective anger inside herself. She can still react though and her voice gentle as she speaks to Hoggle himself and calls his attention back to her.]
Hey. Let's just focus on getting out of here first, okay?
[The dwarf snaps his gaze to her. And then bobs his head a little, still looking a little ill.]
Yeah. Sure.
[He seems happy to head off first and the brunette herself sighs, hands on her hips a moment and eyes directed skyward before she looks back to the man himself. A gesture of her head in the direction Hoggle has went, the direction she had been meaning to go before the Exposition Dump Stop, with the distinct look of a teacher herding up disruptive students.]
You too, let's go.
Edited (i started a thought and accidentally a word in the process) 2019-05-25 00:48 (UTC)
[And once the intense but brief burst of anger passes, Bigby's left in awkward silence. It dulls even more when Sarah addresses him in that disappointed tone, prim and terse with a look in her eyes to match. It reminds him very distinctly of how Snow acts whenever she has to rein him in, and it makes him feel just as embarrassed. His brow creases and his eyes avoid hers.
But regardless, he slowly and dutifully follows behind anyway. If he had a tail, it would definitely be tucked between his legs.]
I have a name, y'know. [Which he just remembers he never gave to her. Goddamnit.]
[The weird thing is, he's only a inch or so taller than she is. He doesn't feel big or angry right now walking behind her, just kind of like he's along for the ride and the best way to enjoy it is to keep his foot out of his mouth.]
Only if I can call you Highness. [He says that lowly, more like he's talking to himself rather than her.] You actually almost had the first part of it right. It's Bigby. Bigby Wolf.
[She tests the name out, then nods before glancing over her shoulder at him again.]
Alright then, Bigby. I'm not exactly sure where we're going from here. I've only ever headed for the castle, not away from it. Like you said though, I'm going to trust you and you're going to trust me.
[A beat, then:]
So please, try not to give Hoggle a heart attack before we get out of here.
[» I'll try. » He started it. » I was only trying to help. » ...]
I can try. Don't know how long it'll last though. [Which comes from him watching Hoggle further up ahead who stumbles on the stone walkway, either out of disorientation or hearing that comment. He catches himself and shoots a glare over in Bigby's direction.
Well, he doesn't recognize that language. He looks away, chewing back a lopsided smile. Oops.]
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bakerstreet2019-05-20 09:28 am
no subject
And yet... her eyes drift off to that castle. She wonders not for the first time how much of this he can hear. She didn't feel his presence here and if she hadn't been distracted in the tunnels she was sure she would have felt him before that crystal of his rolled into view. Now that she was actively, honestly listening to that thing that presented as gentle tugging, she somewhat understood that he couldn't just creep up again.
And she understood that he knew that too. Her brow furrowed at that thought. What else hadn't he told her? Did he know about this Adversary? Did he not? Or did he just not care?
Meanwhile the word 'war' has Hoggle leaping straight to attention.]
Not again! Ooooh, after all that with Toby and Mizumi and the Labyrinth near breaking apart! Do you know how much spraying I had t' do?! All them pixies sneaking in through the cracks in the walls round here!
[He throws his hands in the air.]
Well I ain't doin' it again if another fight or whatever comes here. You can all just get bitten up like crazy by them for all I care!
[NOBODY KNOWS HIS PAIN.
Sarah sighs out. She can't even comment on Bigby's obvious nostalgia trip or how terrible any of it sounds because Hoggle is having an absolute meltdown now.]
It's going to be alright, Hoggle. Nobody is going to break apart the Labyrinth again, trust me.
ow the edge 2019
And finally:] Yeah, she's right. The Adversary wouldn't break it apart.
[He leaves enough of a pause there to give them a moment to feel comfortable before continuing harshly:]
First he'd roll in with his army and they'd start pillaging and killing everything they see. Every village they find, they'll kill everyone in it except the women and children. Those ones they'd split up into who gets to live as slaves and who gets saved for rations on their way through the rest of the kingdom. Everyone else, they torture to death. Then they'll go to the castle and kill everyone inside except the king, who gets to be last.
And then they fucking take your kingdom for theirs, strip everything they can from it to use for their army including stealing anything magical you have that the Adversary might want. And then they turn it into a fucking wasteland.
[He's well pissed by the time he's done. Thinking about it is infuriating, but having to explain it to someone who's more worried about pixie bites is up there too. And unfortunately, while he may have self-control and patience in some areas, there are others that.... ehhh. A little improvement wouldn't hurt.]
That's what he'll do to this place. [He gestures to the castle, to the hedge, to everything. End fucking sentence.]
no subject
...
Hoggle stammers out something or other. It might be words but it's incoherent enough to be nothing at all in the end. Real honest-to-goodness war is so outside of the dwarf's purview of life that he doesn't seem completely sure how to take Bigby's words. The biggest tyrant he's ever known had been Jareth after all and the Goblin King's deeds are nowhere close to Bigby's description of what the Adversary does.
And at seeing Hoggle so baffled, there's a quick protective flash of anger all through Sarah that leaves her muscles momentarily tense. And yet... if what Bigby says is true -- and she doesn't doubt it if for all the vehemence in his words -- it could quickly be something that the dwarf and many, many others here would have far too intimate knowledge of.
Bigby's being harsh and sharp for a reason, so she thinks. And so she can't bring herself to react to that initial flash of protective anger inside herself. She can still react though and her voice gentle as she speaks to Hoggle himself and calls his attention back to her.]
Hey. Let's just focus on getting out of here first, okay?
[The dwarf snaps his gaze to her. And then bobs his head a little, still looking a little ill.]
Yeah. Sure.
[He seems happy to head off first and the brunette herself sighs, hands on her hips a moment and eyes directed skyward before she looks back to the man himself. A gesture of her head in the direction Hoggle has went, the direction she had been meaning to go before the Exposition Dump Stop, with the distinct look of a teacher herding up disruptive students.]
You too, let's go.
no subject
But regardless, he slowly and dutifully follows behind anyway. If he had a tail, it would definitely be tucked between his legs.]
I have a name, y'know. [Which he just remembers he never gave to her. Goddamnit.]
no subject
What, Big Angry Guy? Can I just call you 'BAG' for short?
[Okay, okay, amusement aside.]
You know mine already but I'm Sarah Williams. Now, what do I call you?
no subject
Only if I can call you Highness. [He says that lowly, more like he's talking to himself rather than her.] You actually almost had the first part of it right. It's Bigby. Bigby Wolf.
no subject
[She tests the name out, then nods before glancing over her shoulder at him again.]
Alright then, Bigby. I'm not exactly sure where we're going from here. I've only ever headed for the castle, not away from it. Like you said though, I'm going to trust you and you're going to trust me.
[A beat, then:]
So please, try not to give Hoggle a heart attack before we get out of here.
#lethogglesayfuck
» He started it.
» I was only trying to help.
» ...]
I can try. Don't know how long it'll last though. [Which comes from him watching Hoggle further up ahead who stumbles on the stone walkway, either out of disorientation or hearing that comment. He catches himself and shoots a glare over in Bigby's direction.
Well, he doesn't recognize that language. He looks away, chewing back a lopsided smile. Oops.]