smile in darkness and pain, smile happy and smile lonely

Emma Blanchard-Nolan and Princess/Witch of Mysthaven, *not* Emma Swan. OC/AU. Mutuals only, please read the pinned post before interacting!

[smiletimeisrunningout]

Hi, I’m Ele [35+], and princess Emma/Emma Nolan (not Swan!) is an AU character, basically an OC, so you don’t have to know Once Upon a Time AT ALL. Mutuals only.

Has an about page for fantasy, one for historical-settings, and one for modern times with special focus on: TWD, LOST, Chuck, and many other shows in real world/apocalyptic settings, and there are extra pages for fandom that require writing an entire new life like the 100, so go for it!!!

about and rules // starter calls // open starters // memes (spam me!) // general permanent call (give me permission to go nuts) // shipping call //

Also currently at @savingthrcw - @lovecreature - @justaprankhan - commissions page here

extra links: tracked threads (threads with at least a few replies unless I know you are likely to not continue them anymore) // wishlist // self-promo // headcanons

Currently obsessed by: The Walking Dead, TLOU, the Doctor from Doctor Who, the Pitt. ABC LOST is a permanent love. The 100 verse is in my heart.

[alyzememes]

everyone sending ‘💋’ in my inbox gets a kiss from my muse.

if you can’t see the symbol send ‘kiss mark emoji’.

[alyzememes]

everyone sending ‘💋’ in my inbox gets a kiss from my muse.

if you can’t see the symbol send ‘kiss mark emoji’.

[savingthrcw]

these are the hardest weeks at work, relatively speaking, because it's the end of the school year and the kids are desperarely trying to pass their last exams, so I'm mostly going to be on my blogs on the weekend, with the exception of @lovecreature, you can find me there daily! (I'm not following mutuals first with some rare exceptions because I don't want anyone to feel pressured to follow, but I'm ready if you want to!!!)

[smiletimeisrunningout]

psa: I'm NOT on hiatus. However I'm prioritizing @lovecreature because it's new, and I don't have the strength to follow a bunch of new people and do lots of plotting in other blogs too, so I only show up when I have replies to do (for now)

my dash is very slow anyway, most of my rp partners in here are on hiatus or gone and I have very few drafts, so the only way to rp more would be to mass-follow. Since I can't, I'm not on these dashes. I'll be more proactive on my other blogs when I have more time! (though before you are offended, I did 99% of the meme sending, starter-writing, and plotting on this blog, I don't usually expect people to reach out! This is temporary. But I go where there is more engagement because I either hyper-focus through consistent writing or don't focus!)

again, if I get replies, I'll reply to them over the weekend, I love Emma and Hannah! (and I cherish the rp partners I'm writing with here, so there is also that)

[memepocalypse]

Gentle Care

Taking care of them...

"Hey, it's okay. Show me?"

"What did they do to you?"

"Don't cry - I've got you."

"That's okay - get it all out."

"Deep breath, I have you."

"Sh, sh, I'm going to patch you up."

"I've got a bandage for you."

"This is going to sting, but we have to clean this."

"Oh - okay - we're hugging about this, okay."

"It'll all feel better in the morning."

"I can't believe someone would do this to you..."

"I'm going to protect you."

"Get some rest. I'm not going anywhere."

"You're safe now."

"I'm just going to wipe your face."

"When's the last time you cried like this?"

"There's nothing wrong with you, I promise."

"One day, you'll be okay. For now? It's okay to hurt."

"You want a hug?"

"I've got a blanket for you."

"Nice and cosy..."

"It's okay if you fall asleep."

"Just get some rest. You need it."

"Hey, I made you food."

"I know it's easy to forget to eat when you feel like this."

"You don't need to feel guilty."

"It wasn't your fault."

"Do you want a hot chocolate?"

"There's nothing better than a toasted marshmallow."

"Just hold onto me. There we go."

[paralyziingfears]

he  laughed  softly  when  she  pointed  out  the  smiths,  her  tone  seemingly  impressed  by  the  organization  he  had  put  together.  ❛  gonna  need  em'.  never  know  who's  gonna  come  knockin'  at  your  door  ...  ❜  he  shrugged,  looking  at  her  and  sending  a  wink  her  way.  it  was  true.  you  always  had  to  be  prepared  for  whatever  may  come  your  way  and  that  included  making  sure  your  arsenal  was  fully  prepared  for  any  attack.  there  was  a  reason  they  still  stood  tall  with  their  high  metal  walls  and  barbed  wire  fences  protecting  them.  no  one  has  had  the  audacity  to  try  test  them   —   not  yet,  anyway.  it  didn't  scare  him  and,  for  some  reason,  he  could  tell  those  things  didn't  scare  her  either.  it  intrigued  him  ...  he  liked  that.  he  smirked  at  her  words,  ❛  m'  a  gentleman,  sweetheart.  there  are  other  aspects  m'  willin'  t'  admire,  but  i  hardly  know  ya,  ❜  he  told  her,  his  tone  teasing  and  playful.

once  they  had  gotten  comfortable  in  his  conference  room,  he  had  situated  himself  in  his  seat  and  noticed  she  had  made  herself  comfortable  beside  him.  he  didn't  mind  it,  at  all,  but  he  definitely  noted  it.  she  didn't  have  one  care  in  the  world  and  he  liked  that  too.  a  woman  that  knew  what  she  wanted,  it  was  attractive.  he  laughed,  a  wicked  grin  spreading  his  lips  across  his  face,  ❛  i  wouldn't  mind  't.  go  ahead,  say  what's  on  your  mind.  doesn't  seem  like  't's  stopped  you  before  ...  ❜  he  quipped,  raising  his  brows  at  @smiletimeisrunningout.  he  takes  the  gin  bottle  after  she  takes  her  own  swig  and  he  takes  his  own,  licking  his  lips  and  savoring  the  taste.  an  exhale  emits,  ❛  goddamn  !  been  a  long  time  since  i've  tasted  somethin'  that  damn  good,  ❜  he  tells  her,  still  licking  his  lips  a  bit.

he  listened  to  her  explanation,  intrigued  to  what  she  had  to  say.  ❛  i  appreciate  you  not  killin'  my  men.  people  are  a  resource,  but  m'  sure  you  already  know  that  with  you  and  your  girls,  ❜  he  responds  with  a  slight  shrug,  settling  back  in  his  chair.  ❛  listen.  how  'bout   —   instead  of  thinkin'  how  you  can  help  me  ...  how  about  we  think  how  we  can  help  each  other,  ❜  he  offered,  canting  his  head  a  bit.  ❛  you  and  your  girls  come  live  here.  food,  shelter,  water  ...  anything  you  might  need  is  here.  medicine,  we  got  doctors  ...  ❜  he  began  telling  her.  ❛  and  i'll  find  somethin'  that  suits  the  each  of  you.  ❜

[smiletimeisrunningout]

❛  m'  a  gentleman,  sweetheart.  there  are  other  aspects  m'  willin'  t'  admire,  but  i  hardly  know  ya,  ❜ 

That one has Emma genuinely snorting a laugh, "Wow, you are a better man than I, I definitely admired you at first sight. Then again, I'm not a man, so no reason to hold back. We fought for this right too." For all her playing around, though, her expression is growing friendlier, her smile wider, because really, at this point if he doesn't pull some betrayal crap it's clear he'll be an ally. Hell, a friend, if she has her way.

She has to fight for dear life to avoid making a dirty joke at his expense, the way he appreciated the drink was truly a temptation, and she shakes her head, looking at the wall to prevent failure. "Can you say that again in a month-worth of interactions? I've got jokes. It's too soon now." But she makes him sign to return the gin so she can have a new sip herself, high school style as she called it. "Funny thing, I seem to find drinks wherever I go. So if you are running low, it's possible that the freaking entirety of American supplies is in my hands. I'd really rather find food, but..."

She's curious about 'people are resources' and wonders if he really feels that way. He'd probably hate how sentimental she is about this sort of thing.

"Oh, sweetheart, already asking me to move in? You really do like clowns..." she shifts to lean forward again, amused, arms resting on the table. "I'm going to be really, really honest with you. I will give my girls a choice, and that's a promise. This seems a safe place, if you can ensure your men will behave, and they should be allowed to decide whatever they want about their future," her voice softens at that, "It's kinda the whole thing about helping women in this end-of-the-world situation we got going."

"And I can even guarantee that if they choose to stay, they'll be of help. I taught them to survive no matter what, they know how to do everything. From changing a tire to dismantling guns. Except cooking. I'm a poisoner. But they have that covered, usually. But..." her smile is almost embarrassed and then more and more amused, "Me? No, darling. I give the orders. Pretty sure you feel the same way. We can't co-exist in the same place. And I mean this in the most sincere, non-threatening way possible: I have an issue with men giving me orders, it's literally safer if I stay away from that chance. I hit when I snap. So you and I can be friends at a distance. We can help each other, I can visit, I can definitely share more drinks and make that joke about stuff that tastes good that I wanted to make, but... staying? Top is my place."

And if he's offended by that, this is the time to show it. This makes it or breaks it, if he can't accept it and tries to force her, god help her, this place will be burning with him in it. If not, new flirt.

@rapookiesmonsters

[smiletimeisrunningout]

“That doesn’t look good.” — from negan @rapookiesmonsters

"Watcha mean, boo? I always look great, look how blonde I am." She can't say it without laughing, even with all the blood and the way her shoulder looks wrong. But at least that one she can fix, it gets dislocated so often ever since her last bike accident, long before the end of the world, that she just grabs and pulls. The noise is awful and she can only hold back a scream because she's being manly, thank you, but that one is not a problem anymore. Still hurts a lot, but she can shoot, which is all that matters. Now, if it wasn't for the billion dead who are surrounding the place, and the fact that the only way out is up, and she can't climb that easily anymore? Would be a piece of cake.

"What... what did you use to be before this? Before Dead walked around?" she asks, because she knows this might very well be her last conversation with Negan. He's to leave the safe way, and she'll have to roll in blood and hope she can sneak out some other way. "It's better if you wait until the sun has set before you take the stairs up... we may as well talk." Out of pure habit, she's tying her belt around her leg to stop the bleeding, "Crime? Or is it like 'I was a cop so now I'm a cowboy' thing?"

[smiletimeisrunningout]

@rapookiesmonsters: " the fucker deserved it. " — from simon

"Maybe, but it was still an accident. We are trying to keep some semblance of civilization, bud, we ain't gonna let people get eaten on purpose-" she had waited just enough for Ashley to be out of earshot before leaning against her bike, relaxing her stance, "Of course he did. Son of a b.itch is lucky it was quicker than what I had wanted, but with the girls right there, I couldn't really express my feelings."

No point in pretending with Simon, of all people. It's not like she was some kind of bloodthirsty monster, but the guy had threatened her friends, and that was the price to pay, easy as that. The girls, though, the girls didn't need to hear that version. "His little friend better tell the rest of the group to stay away, or I swear, you ain't even gonna find pieces big enough for the Dead to snack on." She pulled the bottle of gin from her bag to get a sip, but remembered her manners and tilted it in his direction: "Wanna?"

[lovecreature]

adding this to my rules in all of my blogs:

"If I follow ONE of your blogs it doesn't mean I'm open to interactions with ALL of your blogs, nor that all of my blogs are now open to you. In fact, I am selective with characters from the same blog too: interactions aren't only about 'which character I like/I can write with' but also 'which interactions would be interesting to me based on personalities and backstories' and the two don't always coincide."

I have a tremendous hard time saying no, and if we get along and you suddenly use a blog I specifically didn't follow from one of mine to rp? I will force myself to write and end up unable to respond to EVERYTHING. It happened before.

[savingthrcw]

resting after work, i might take meds for my headache because it didn't go away and then HOPEFULLY be here even if i can't promise decent writing (but if I can physically write I'll write anyway because I need cheering up)

priority to my @lovecreature, buffy and my other muses here, then emma and hannah

[lysimachias]

Not "The Character did nothing wrong" or "The Character is irredeemably awful" but a secret third thing: The Character may display moments of deep love & compassion, may even have a strong sense of ethics, and may also be capable of brutal cruelty that is irreconcilable with those traits. The constant tension between the different sides of The Character's nature is exactly what makes them compelling, and attempting to reduce them down to simply "a terrible person" or "innocent & misunderstood" is missing the point of the questions a media with nuanced characters is asking you to consider

[ohisms]

✱ ˚｡⋆ ↪ MORBID CURIOSITY ... [ REMASTERED ] ( a collection of various original dialogue prompts centered around asking questions. adjust phrasing / gendered terms as necessary. )

give that to me! where did you find this?!

do you drink coffee or tea?

sorry– am i crazy, or have we met before?

do you trust me enough to close your eyes?

when were you planning on telling me?

at the risk of being a cliché, do you want to get out of here?

can i convince you to stay the night?

do i look like someone who knows what that means?

would you consider giving me a second chance?

do you really think that's helpful right now?

would you mind showing me around?

do you ever plan on forgiving yourself?

are you thinking what i'm thinking?

can we ... go out and do something crazy?

why are we whispering?

who exactly are you, anyways?

can't we just be civil for a minute?

does the past ever keep you up at night?

if you have nothing to hide, what's the problem?

how long has it been since i saw you last, [ name ]?

did the power just go out?

are we still doing the thing where we pretend not to care?

how should we celebrate?

can we just ... start over?

why is this so important to you?

how was i supposed to know that?!

do you want me to stay? it doesn't have to mean anything.

where are you? nobody's heard from you.

can you help me zip this up?

why do these things always happen to me?

you don't secretly hate me, right?

can i get you something to eat? –or drink?

ready to see what i've been working on?

where have you been disappearing off to?

what's that perfume you're wearing?

you're laughing?! do you really think this is funny?

are you planning to stay for dinner?

did you think it was going to be easy?

you see where you went wrong, don't you?

when did we become so cold and distant?

who are you working for?

did you really do all of this for me?

can i open my eyes yet?

haven't you heard the stories?

[ name ], what are you doing here?

what's it gonna take for you to trust me?

do you believe people can change?

how about we catch the ten o'clock showing?

don't you remember what happened last time?

why is it so unbelievable that i'd want to help you?

you're [ name ], aren't you?

who did this to you?!

how did you know i'd be here?

what's that supposed to mean?

do you think i'm irredeemable?

what kind of mess have you gotten us into?!

do you see anything you like?

what do i owe you for the food?

why won't this stupid thing work?!

does tonight really have to end?

holy shit. can you believe we really pulled that off?!

i can tell you're upset, [ name ]. what happened?

how long have you been standing there?

do you ever wish you could just ... run away?

haven't we been here before?

wait, shush ... did you hear that?

did i miss today's newsletter or something?

can we put our differences aside for a second?

what are you getting out of this, exactly?

you'd tell me if something was wrong, right?

are you willing to bet on it?

would you kill for me?

what made you think that was okay?!

do you believe people can change?

what's the worst thing you've ever done?

you were going to leave without saying goodbye?

[ name ], can you sit up for me?

can i kiss you?

where are your keys? you're not driving like this.

how's life been treating you?

where have you been?!

aren't we supposed to be alone tonight?

aw, has someone had a little too much to drink?

where are you going with this?

are we really doing this right now?

have you eaten today?

can i crash here for the night?

how did you learn to lie so well?

can i at least buy you a drink?

where should i meet you?

is that  ...  blood?!

are you trying to make me jealous right now?

what’s your problem? you're acting weird.

[ name ], you're ... real, right?

where’s your sense of adventure?

do you like horror movies?

what are you trying to prove?

can you give me a ride?

do you have any idea what you've done?

shouldn't you answer that?

why should i be the one to calm down?

have you been up all night?

why are you lying to me?

is that my [ jacket / hoodie / shirt ]?

what are you so afraid of?

do you want to grow old with me?

you’re gonna walk away from this?

are you nervous? your hands are shaking.

where am i supposed to go?

how many fingers am i holding up?

you want me to just walk away from this?

[ name ], slow down– what's wrong?!

are you embarrassed of me?

what's that smell? something's burning.

how can i make it up to you?

why can't you stay out of it?

is this some kind of trick?

come on, what do you have to lose?

do you ever still think of me?

idiot. why didn't you tell me?!

can we stop and think about this rationally?

how long has it been since you’ve slept?

what's your ideal first date?

are you ready to tell me the truth?

i almost died, and you're laughing?

what do you mean, "sort of"?

can we just stay like this forever?

when can i see you again?

can we put this behind us?

oh ... you thought of me first?

where did you learn to do that?

oh my god,  are you bleeding?!

where are you?  nobody’s heard from you.

[ name ], are you drunk?

how can i make this go away?

someone's jumpy today. are you feeling okay?

are we safe here?

what can i do to convince you?

what could possibly go wrong?

you have no idea who i am, do you?

how do you really feel about me?

why can't you look me in the eyes?

did you know you talk in your sleep?

were you following me?

can we just pretend this never happened?

are you just barely getting home?

are you even listening to me right now?!

where does it hurt?  can you show me?

are you trying to get yourself killed?!

how about we just forget the world exists?

how long have you been keeping this from me?

were you ever going to tell me?

what do you make of this?

[ name ],  what the hell?!

can we just be honest with each other, here?

are you trying to keep me a secret?

why does your story keep changing?

how long have you known?

it can't be that bad, right?

are you happy? i mean, really happy?

isn't this place amazing?

did i interrupt something?

how am i supposed to trust you?

are they still following us?

are you fucking serious?

do you remember our first kiss?

can we take a break for a minute?

how about we disappear for awhile?

you're going to walk away from this?

can you please just cut the crap?!

why didn't you tell me you were hurt?

how can i make this go away?

can you just look at me, please?

is there anything i can do to change your mind?

do you ever stop talking?

that depends. are you done lying to me?

are you sure this is legal?

how do you take your coffee?

can you keep your voice down?

why does your phone keep buzzing?

[villainsmemes-deactivated202503]

GENERAL

“Can you walk?”

“How did this happen?”

“What the hell happened?”

“I hit my head.”

“Did you hit your head?”

“Can you hear me?”

“Don’t close your eyes, stay awake!”

“Come on, stay with me!”

“No no no no no!”

“You shot me!”

“I didn’t mean to shoot you!”

“You stabbed me!”

“I didn’t mean to stab you!”

“Take the knife out!”

“Don’t take the knife out!”

“It was an accident!”

“That/this wasn’t an accident!”

“That looks broken.”

“I think my leg/arm is broken.”

“That doesn’t look good.”

“Am I going to die?”

“You’re not going to die!”

“Calm down!”

“Don’t panic!”

“I can’t help you if you don’t let me!”

BLOOD

“Are you bleeding?”

“Don’t move, you’re bleeding.”

“Is that blood?”

“Whose blood is that?”

“That’s a lot of blood.”

“Do you know how to get bloodstains out?”

“Why do you know how to get bloodstains out?”

“Damn, I got blood on my shirt.”

“Don’t move, you’re losing blood!”

“I won’t let you bleed out!”

“You have blood on your face.”

“I swear to god, if you get blood on me…”

“What’s your blood type?”

“Why in the hell would you need to know my blood type?”

WOUNDS

“That cut is nasty.”

“You have a massive gash in your arm/leg!’

“Don’t touch it!”

“Don’t move, you’ll only make it worse!”

“I’ll get some bandages.”

“You’re going to need stitches.”

“That looks infected…”

“Did you get bit by something?”

“There’s no exit wound, the bullet is still in you.”

“There’s an exit wound, the bullet went through you.”

AFTERCARE

“How are you feeling?”

“How does it feel?”

“It’s still not healed, but it’s getting there.”

“Let’s go home.”

“I just want to go home.”

“Let’s get you into the bathtub.”

“We need to change your bandages soon.”

“Get some sleep, okay?”

“You need to eat something, you’ve been through a lot today.”

“I’ll check up on you in a bit.”

“You’re going to be fine. I promise.”

[rpmemes-galore]

the violently protective … sentence starters  lots of mentions of violence and death throughout 

the protector 

“Of course I killed them. they hurt you.”

“They made you cry…? Where are they?”

“Don’t feel sorry for them, they deserved it.”

“Don’t worry, they won’t be bothering you, again.”

“These bruises are worth it to make sure you’re safe.”

“Why would you want to protect them? They hurt you.”

“Who did this to you? No, don’t lie to me… who did this?”

“If they even step foot near you, again, I’ll take care of it…”

“No, they don’t deserve any mercy. Not after they hurt you.”

“I swear to god, I’m going to rip him/her/them apart for this.”

“Stop? Why? Don’t you want them to pay for what they did to you?”

the protected 

“Make them hurt for this… please.”

“Stop! Stop, don’t hurt him/her/them!”

“There. That’s the one who did this to me.”

“Violence doesn’t solve anything, just let this be.”

“They made me bleed. Maybe you should return the favor.”

“I don’t want them dead, I just want them to leave me alone.”

“Why did you do this? Why…? I never asked you to fight them.”

“No, I don’t want you to fight them for me. It’s not that big a deal.”

“I don’t care what you do to them, just keep them away from me.”

“I’m not worth you risking your life for… for what? Getting even for me?”

[musesforthedamned]

Bill squinted at her from beneath the brim of his cap, expression caught somewhere between disbelief and exhaustion. 

The kind of look that said I can’t decide if you’re brave or just terminally stupid.

“Christ, you don’t shut up, do you?” he muttered, kneeling beside her leg with the kit open on the table. His hands worked without hesitation, antiseptic bottle uncapped, gauze stacked, needle laid out- but his eyes flicked up every few seconds, studying her face like he was still waiting for her to morph into a threat.

The way she grinned through the pain, the way she talked like bleeding out was an inconvenience instead of a death sentence, he hadn’t seen that kind of stupid optimism in years. It put a lump in his throat he refused to name.

“You get stabbed once and keep talkin’ about it like it’s a funny bar story,” he grumbled, pouring alcohol over the wound. “No wonder you keep findin’ trouble. You keep flirting with it.”

Pixie wagged like she agreed, nose buried in Emma’s jacket. Bill sighed through his nose. “You encourage her, she’s gonna follow you home, and I’m not buyin’ another bag of kibble ‘cause you made a new friend.”

Then, quieter, almost under his breath, “Damn dog’s got better taste in people than I do.”

He started cleaning the blood away, movements efficient, rough but not cruel. “Bone’s not broken,” he said, voice low, all business now. “You got lucky. If that Bloater’d been closer, you’d be soup.” He threaded the needle and gave her a sharp look. “Bite something if you need to scream. Not my hand.”

The needle went in; his hands were steady as stone, but he didn’t look her in the eye while he worked. Easier that way. She smelled like gunpowder and rain and the kind of hope that got people killed.

“Security guard?” he echoed, dry laugh scraping out of him. “Lady, the only thing I guard is my damn fence. And maybe her.” He nodded at Pixie, who’d curled protectively by Emma’s foot. “World ended, and somehow I got promoted to dog dad slash neighborhood watch.”

He tied off the last stitch, cut the thread with his knife, and leaned back, wiping his hands on a rag. “You’re patched. Don’t try to stand yet, you’ll undo it.”

When she mentioned missing home, her brother, the bleeding, the fondness tucked behind every sentence, he went still for a moment, then said, voice quieter, “Yeah. I know the type. Always pissed, always fixin’ what ain’t theirs to fix. You sound like trouble he couldn’t quit worryin’ about.”

He sat back on his heels, staring at her like he was seeing something he’d forgotten existed. “You talk about ‘decent people’ like there’s still a lot left,” he said, tone flat, but not cruel. “That’s brave. Or dumb. Maybe both.”

Pixie whined softly, pressing closer to Emma’s hand. Bill’s jaw flexed. “Don’t prove me wrong.”

He stood, bones creaking, and pointed a finger toward her leg. “You stay off that for a day or two. You walk outta here too soon, you’ll rip it open again, and I’m not redoing that stitch job ‘cause you’re impatient.”

Then, almost as an afterthought, voice gruff but not unkind:

“…You’re lucky you ran into me instead of one of the bastards down the road. They’d’ve taken your boots and left you for the birds. So yeah-” he glanced toward the window, checking the fence line again. “Maybe it’s safe. For now.”

He picked up the shotgun from where it leaned by the couch, slinging it across his back. “And if you wanna pay me back,” he added without looking at her, “eat somethin’ when I tell you to. Rest. Heal. That’s it. I don’t need your bullets.”

He paused in the doorway, one hand braced on the frame, shoulders rigid but voice softer.

“Pixie’ll stay with you while I check the perimeter. If she starts barkin’, you crawl under the table. If she brings you one of her toys…” He sighed. “You tell her she’s a good girl. She gets sad if you don’t.”

Then he was gone, muttering to himself as he stepped outside: “Goddamn idiots. Both of ‘em.”

[smiletimeisrunningout]

He gave her the same kind of look all of her closed friends offered her - the one that wondered if she was a complete idiot. And Emma was sure that, much like her friends, he'd come to learn that no, she was not a complete idiot, maybe just half. But the other half? It got everything it wanted, through either affection, luck or violence.

"You are not the first who marvels at my ability to talk while dying. I think it's really my gift to the world," she joked, "Now, if only men responded to my flirting the way trouble does..." If they did, she ran to the hills next, but she wasn't going to say that.

He half-heartedly complained about the dog, and Emma giggled, kissing the dog's precious head, "I always wondered how good dog food is supposed to be. Reckon I'll find out one of these days. How sick can it possibly make you, it's meat."

Now, she was not made of stone, so she couldn't be fully silent and still while getting stitched - so that slowed the conversation down. Deep breaths, and observing Bill, learning about him while he worked on her wound and commented on what she said.

He was alone. He had been alone a long time, that was sure. Good guy down to the bone, if he was still so decent after everything that had happened to the world. Plus, liked dogs, and that was always a good sign. Gruff, but he definitely didn't hate what she said as much as he was complaining about it. Might just want company or maybe really just to make sure he hadn't patched her up for nothing.

“You talk about ‘decent people’ like there’s still a lot left. That’s brave. Or dumb. Maybe both.” he said, and this time there was no humor in her voice, only certainty as she said: "There are. They are just so sad they forgot." A philosophy that should've gotten her killed fifty times over, so if she was still here, there had to be some truth in it.

"I'll eat double of whatever you offer, I can promise you that," she answered cheerily to his instructions, "As for resting, you'll see my blood pressure go to four hundred if I'm stuck in bed, I'm one of those annoying people who need to do stuff or it will be everybody's problem, but I promise you, it will be my version of resting even if it looks like I'm busy. Girlscout's honor. No reading, though, I will literally re-open my wound on purpose."

Ah, she couldn't wait for the chance to point out to him he was as much of a sweetheart as she was, after everything he had already done for her, but as a thank you for his effort she'd listen to him now.

She waited until it was a safe time to get up without doing more damage, then rummaged in her bag to find something to use to clean her various weapons, but also made sure to find a branch to throw Pixie in case she could play catch. The whole time, she chatted with the dog about all sorts of things, and was still singing to her while mending her jacket when Bill came back. "Hey bud, depending on how much food you got, or other resources, maybe when I'm better we could negotiate some trading? If you need stuff you can't get from these woods yourself. I'm always traveling, I like finding things for people. Or finding people. Depends on the day. Do not like finding bloaters, but hey, guess they gotta eat too."

[rpmemes-galore]

the violently protective … sentence starters  lots of mentions of violence and death throughout 

the protector 

“Of course I killed them. they hurt you.”

“They made you cry…? Where are they?”

“Don’t feel sorry for them, they deserved it.”

“Don’t worry, they won’t be bothering you, again.”

“These bruises are worth it to make sure you’re safe.”

“Why would you want to protect them? They hurt you.”

“Who did this to you? No, don’t lie to me… who did this?”

“If they even step foot near you, again, I’ll take care of it…”

“No, they don’t deserve any mercy. Not after they hurt you.”

“I swear to god, I’m going to rip him/her/them apart for this.”

“Stop? Why? Don’t you want them to pay for what they did to you?”

the protected 

“Make them hurt for this… please.”

“Stop! Stop, don’t hurt him/her/them!”

“There. That’s the one who did this to me.”

“Violence doesn’t solve anything, just let this be.”

“They made me bleed. Maybe you should return the favor.”

“I don’t want them dead, I just want them to leave me alone.”

“Why did you do this? Why…? I never asked you to fight them.”

“No, I don’t want you to fight them for me. It’s not that big a deal.”

“I don’t care what you do to them, just keep them away from me.”

“I’m not worth you risking your life for… for what? Getting even for me?”