#(now these two are gonna be at it for ages xD)

[aziemniak]

Y'know what I'm just gonna take the opportunity to rant about the projects I keep vagueposting about a little XD

Hi, I'm your local ManyNamed dumbass with a dumpsterfire of a tumblr blog occasionally interrupted with some og doodles of my idiot menagerie (you can look for them on my blog under #dropping this at your feet and scurrying back into the cave).

In my free time I'm trying to balance visual art with writing... in practice I overfocus on one or the other. Most of my og writing stuff (snippets and other WIP-relevant posts) is here: #graphomanic sweat and tears. Unfortunately I'm not planning to post snippets more often because I generally don't write in English (I don't want to know how many typos already slipped into this post) and I either need to translate them myself or throw them raw in a language virtually no writeblr can read. (I might engage in some prompts from the summer fest though, they seem fun!)

My current big writing WIP with the greatest chance of Actually Getting Finished is Crow Chronicles, a novel about a crusty old cynical grim reaper that got relocated from an overloaded megalopolis office to a rural province after one of his collegues disappears without a trace. The increased risk of disappearing as well nonwithstanding, Foster expects his work there to be much more tolerable than the big city crunch. That hope is quickly dispelled as he is thrown head-first into literal age-old schemes and feuds of the town. All while dealing with the strangest neighbors he had this half of the century. (Shitposts, art and writing blurbs here: #this fossilized geezer is literally too uptight to die just let him do his job)

The second WIP that keeps taking up my brainpower is Magic's Tide, a story about an absolute circus of a family starring an unaware mage kid who's too curious for his own good. He and his friends from their paranormal and cryptid enthusiasts' club accidentally discover that magic is not only real, but abused by malicious parties, which eventually spirals his life out of control as he naively tries to handle the mess he got himself into all on his own... well, if you don't count the mage trapped on the other side of the mirror that agreed to help him learn magic after years of silence. Hopefully one day I'll be able to bring this saga to life, the current version of the story will include themes I'll need to give a lot of care to so the 1st book keeps getting pushed aside. For the blorbo shenanigans and art, however, the tag is #two sets of incompetent parents try to raise a blissfully unaware demigod.

I was also working on a comic script some time back, which I'd love to go back to someday and compress that behemoth of the current version into something achievable. Twisted Fate is about a man destined to become a vessel for an ancient demon that'd lay waste to the entire world if not for this mortal form... Except, when Silhart's time comes, for the first time in, well, forever, the vessel actually survives, trapping and making the demon truly powerless. Unless you count the maddening chatter of primordial magic that will make Silhart and his loved ones question everything he is. Frankly this project is mostly an excuse to write garden-variety dumbasses, doomed/toxic yaoi and family drama. The tag for this one is #the local gays miraculously dodge the cruel claws of fate and still manage to fuck it up.

I'm also planning to go back to short-form stories once I finish the Crow Chronicles draft (or I get burned out lmao), which should be easier to translate if I have the time.

Ok that's it for now thank you so much for paying attention to my shenanigans <3

Introductions!

Take the time to tell us about who you are and what your wip is. Say hello to the community! Reblogs and comments are HIGHLY ENCOURAGED!

[shower-phantom-ideas]

The Batman gets locked up in walkers prison! 😲

Walker left the zone to arrest him too why? Because clearly he is neglecting the child king! Smh. 😔 Walker greatly respects the rules but now that King Phantom is in place he respects something more. This child has brought order back to the zone (not really he kinda just wrote off some rules for Walker to enforce to get him out of his hair) and even after Walker imprisoned him too! So now hes back to his old ways of bending the rules to fit his whims. But this weird Bat Man person is deserving of a harsh punishment, that or a good thrashin’, for how hes done gone and treated their new King! Can’t the man tell the boy has a familial bond with ‘em? For cryin out loud the youngin already gave em core charm! No all the others can clearly see plain as day that hes apart of the boys family. (Danny made Batman an ice ward that helps protect from other ghosts… or so he thought oops it’s telling all the other ghosts that hes Danny fam)

Yet despite all this the man still is refusing to bring the kid into his fold. You don’t just go on and do that to a young one. Their King is only a baby and now this man has gone and ignored him like hes plans to go out to get some milk and never come back. Can’t he see how this is affecting his development? Walker wont have anyone doin that to his ghost King No Sir. Hes gonna education this man himself if he has to. Rehabilitation is something he can do. It’s within his jurisdiction after all.

[just-a-simpel-narrator]

Ok..lets do this.

Finally responding to @akirapolarbear !!

I couldn't get the thoughts and ideas out of my head.

(Au and the Designs of Donald&Webby belong to the amazing @diogxnxs !)

Everything based on This Post!

Trust me this went very out of Hand haha

Also Raider got Tail Feathers if anybody cares

[willyoubemycherryy]

Round & Round. (Bo Chow x Reader)

Summary: When sneaking around leads to something more… Why is sex always better with someone you aren’t supposed to be with?

Contains: MODERNAU!, age gap relationship, ur 22 and if not act like it, flirting, established relationship, kissing, smutty, light for3play, making out, cursing, ur insanely gorgeous, like birds falling out the sky to be near you type fine, Bo still has a country accent, hair pulling, secret dating, allusions to nighttime Funtime, petnames, he’s also a lil obsessed

A/N- This is part of the best friends dad! college secret dating au which I just now decided was a thing :)

XD • XD • XD • XD • XD • XD • XD• XD • XD • XD •

Bo had a feeling it was going to be something when he saw you running out to his car out from the side of your dorm building’s door way after lights out, in a pretty little black number.

The snug thing wasn’t too tight but the way the fabric fell and molded against your body was a bit too perfect, and it was short too. Smooth pretty cleavage on display. Your hair was down and he could feel himself losing his breath when suddenly you’re sitting in his passenger seat looking at him with those starry eyes and his heart stops.

Since the day he first met you, he’d noticed you always picked and chose your makeup differently. The lashes, blush, gloss, everything was always different or missing entirely and you were pretty either way. But this?

Your big doe eyes look almost sleepy because of the way your lashes were done, blush high on your cheekbones, tinted glossed up lips, white sparkly shit on the inner corners of your eyes making you look almost angelic with your smooth soft legs, re situating yourself in your seat- toes painted his favorite shade of red through your heels. Then he notices your smell and actively has to fight to keep from eating you down. It must have been new because he’d have definitely remembered that smell on you. It was candy sweet, light, and on you? Arousing. The longer he smelled and looked at you, the more he swore you were intentionally trying to drive him crazy.

You on the other hand were trying so hard to hide the victorious smirk at Bo’s “subtle” reaction. You’d planned this all the way to the T but there was a catch: Bo could only get some after the date, no skippies and as you look down, you know that’ll be a bit of an issue. For him.

Wanting to keep up your clueless act, you do what you always do and climb halfway over the console, swinging your leg over his thigh, half sitting in his lap with a breathy ‘hi baby’ as you cup his face- ignoring your dress riding up. Pouting your lips slightly before pecking at his in lingering, syrupy, kisses that only get harder as his strong arms wrap around you. His lips chasing yours.

Letting your mouths fit and slide against each other, they grow slick with your lipgloss, until you pull away with a wet ‘pop’ when he starts suckling on your bottom lip; denying him entrance, you hiss slightly at the sensation, moving up a little on his lap to get a good look at him.

That ends up being a terrible error on your part because he looks about ready to eat you. Bo’s normally brown eyes are almost black, only a bit of the color visible past his blown out pupils, his already pink lips parted as they shine with your shared gloss.

However, if there’s one thing you are it’s a tease so you let his hands wander over your body shamelessly, squeezing and massaging while you eye fuck each other after barely exchanging more than two words.

“Are you gonna take me or did you forget?”

Your words are purposely double sided as you raise an eyebrow, batting your lashes. You know he catches the meaning because you feel his hands tighten around your hips with a low groan.

“Mmhm. Keep playing. You cute now but you and I both know I only need 5 minutes to get you singin’ a real different tune.”

Even though his tone had no actual bite- all amusement, you knew he meant business and it makes you gasp because it usually took a lot more to make him crack even slightly.

Your gasp quickly tapers off into a moan as Bo pulls you into his lap completely, burying his face in your neck, inhaling deeply before groaning out,

“Fuck. You smell so good. Good enough to goddamn eat and lookin’ just as delicious.” Your body flushes with pure heat as you shiver at the visual his words give you and the throb in your core follows. Without missing a beat, Bo’s grabbing your hips, grinding dazedly up against your wet clothed cunt. A pleasured moan shoots from your chest; both of you breathing heavily and you try not to be too loud since you two were still on campus.

“Yeah? I got it just for you but,” you pause, struggling to get your words out without moaning through to the way his strong hands felt roaming all over you. Still, you push on.

“We have to go, mmm- our date remember? You said we’d go do some dancin’, plus we’re still on college grounds- ah! At least pull off-!” You were cut off as you felt his hand run smoothly up under your dress, right over your pussy as his other hand locks in your hair and pulls. The sting sends shocks through your and you throb. Bo exposes your chest as he starts lapping and sucking wetly at your cleavage. The harsh sucking of his sultry lips on the top of your tits and neck added with his teasing fingers, has you whining and writhing in his lap in record time, lips parting as you cry out his name.

You were getting carried away.

It all just felt so good.

The way he looked at you, how well he treated you, the way you always wanted each other, the way he just looked so good, so effortlessly-all the time. You’ve only been dating for a few months but being together felt so natural and that’s what really did it for you.

And damn was he fine. It really was starting to become almost impossible for you two to separate.

Logically, you knew you had to because the risk was simply too high. Your campus gossip vine was no joke and if Lisa heard and found out you were sneaking around with her dad after being spotted in his lap kissing like he was a second away from laying you across the dashboard and railing your lights out- she’d kill you and send your ashes somewhere else.

You were both adults but it still felt like a betrayal and you knew that if it ever did get out, you wouldn’t be able to bring yourself to keep being with him anymore. Just the thought of breaking up made you feel sick. So, you kiss back just as feverishly. Whining when he sucks your tongue into his mouth, lips molding together again. When his fingers get to swirling those delicious little circles into your clit, you force yourself to pull away just enough to press one final kiss against his swollen lips- moving back altogether and putting a hand on his chest to stop him when he tries to follow you.

By the end of it all you’re both panting, your dress has ridden up almost all the way with your wetness soaking through the front of his slacks where you were seated tightly against him. Darkening hickeys are scattered all over your chest; shining with his saliva, and he was no better off. Bo was sweating- so hard he was straining against said pants and his hair was in all kinds of disarray with your lip tint smeared all over his face and jaw.

You both look at the each other’s handiwork, breaking out into almost embarrassed but happy smiles. Bo takes your hands, holding them delicately in his rougher ones- pressing tender kisses on your knuckles. Holding them to his chest and smiling boyishly up at you and you feel your heart swell with affection as you look at him sweetly.

“Y’really do look lovely. I meant ta say so earlier but you have a way of gettin’ to me.” He confesses so earnestly that you might as well be flying on cloud nine.

“Thank you- you’re just as easy on the eyes yourself”, you purr. Kissing him on the chin with a smile.

“You still wanna go? I’ll go wherever you want but you got a lil’ um..”, he points with his finger, “on your neck..and chest…”

He’s so sweet about it you laugh as you slide back into your seat; feeling around until you hold up your clutch with a light ‘ha!’ Leaning over as you meet in a soft kiss.

“It’s okay, I bought stuff for touch ups.”

“Of course y’did.”

You two finally pull off and you turn on the radio as you fix your makeup and cover the marks. Looking over when you’re done, you admire how fine Bo looks when he’s focused.

You were never a subtle girl. He can feel your eyes burning into him and he grins, chuckling lowly under his breath.

“Y’wantin’ somethin’ from me, pretty?”

God, you love it when he talks to you like that.

“Oh I do. But I know you’ll give it to me later. Right baby?”

He grips your thigh, fingers dancing dangerously close to your pussy when he drawls out,

“Mhmm. Y’can get whatever you want f’me.”

You almost break your neck with how fast you turn to face him, jaw slack at the liquid heat suddenly boiling your blood and you need to calm down. Busying yourself, you take a makeup wipe to clean around his mouth and jaw where you got your lip-stain.

“There. Want me to fix your hair back?” He’s quiet for a beat before he answers,

“No, but thank you princess”. You beam at him and nod, enjoying the music before he asks you if you plan on putting the hurt on him too bad tonight.

“Depends…”, you answer vaguely but he’s all too familiar with your brand of dog and pony. Turning your chin with his index finger at the next red light, he turns to whisper against your lips.

“Oh yeah? On what?” He watches you swallow as his own blood starts to rush.

“How fast you tire me out first.”

He smirks.

“Trust, baby…that won’t be a problem.”

[eviesaurusrex]

"ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴇʀꜰᴇᴄᴛ." | ꜱ. ꜱᴛʀᴀɴɢᴇ

Stephen Strange x Witch!Reader

summary: [request] How about strangexofc where they are dating and going to meet your family for the first time. But there’s an age gap and you’ve kinda been keeping your relationship a secret. Then you catch strange trying to dye his grey hair and stop him and tell him you love the grey and maybe show him how much you love him … 😈 Also like an epilogue of him meeting the fam and they love him??

word count: 3.3k

warnings: insecure!Stephen (and his showing clinginess and touch starved behavior), fluff, Wong being Wong, encouragement, smutty allusions but nothing graphic, more fluff, boyfriend!Stephen because yes, he is a warning, loving parents (we’ll see how I gonna suck at this part lol), more fluff, my inability to end fanfictions, not entirely proofread

author’s note: Another pretty old request! I’m not sure what today is all about, but I’m trying to work through those I deem interesting and fun xD Hope you enjoy it! The dividers belong to @enchanthings-a and @strangergraphics <3

The double door to the Sanctum Sanctorum opened with a swoosh of New Yorker winter air following the arriving woman; snow crystals dancing over the floor of the foyer and forming intricate details in the woman's braided strands. A shiver ran through her body for the hundreds of times this day, reminding her again that winter most definitely had arrived in her most loved city.

With a groan, YN shrugged off the heavy coat and shook it to deliberate it from the layer of frost, snow, and half-melted ice before hanging it on the detailed wooden clothes rack standing next to the doors. The frost-crusted scarf and beanie followed closely. Now, only armed with her trusty souvenir bags, which she had acquired in every city she had ever visited—it wasn't an obsession, nope—YN put the grand staircase behind her and entered the second floor. She turned right, followed the hallway, and let the bags pile onto the kitchen island after getting there. Wong turned at the sound—steaming cup in hand and letting another one appear in front of the frozen witch.

"I know again why you're my favorite sorcerer," the woman sighed, closing both hands around the warm mug, her eyes falling shut in a flutter as the warmth seeped into her skin. "Tell me that again when he is in the same room, and I'm tempted to believe it, Elsa." YN opened her eyes again and grinned over the mug at the older man, softly shrugging her shoulders and rolling her eyes. "The movie insults won't hurt me, Maui," she returned, winking at the sorcerer with a grin still on her lips. "And I will say it in front of him when he infuriates me again. Give us a few more weeks; the closer we get to Christmas, the more likely it will become."

She loved Stephen with all her heart and every fiber of her being, but this man never knew when to shut his mouth—especially if she was already stressed out because Christmas was a huge deal for her. She loved Christmas. She lived the Christmas season as soon as nasty Halloween lay behind humanity and Thanksgiving was finally coming up. But Christmas was also the most stressful season for her, and now, as part of the Avengers, it seemingly grew increasingly frustrating. YN never had to think about so many presents because before, it had always been only her parents, maybe some co-workers, and Stephen and Wong after the sorcerer had entered her life.

Speaking of which…

"I will keep that in mind," Wong said after taking a big sip of his tea. YN turned to see if Cloaky had already come floating through the hallway like it usually did as soon as she came home but was greeted by emptiness. "You don't know by any chance where he is?" The woman had turned back to him, but Wong couldn't even open his mouth because the sound of a portal interrupted them. They looked both in the direction of approaching steps, and Stephen appeared in the hallway, seemingly not expecting any of these two to see here. His brows knitted, and YN cocked an eyebrow at the sight of him trying to hide the paper bag from Target behind his long legs.

"What are you doing here? I thought you said something about errands." His voice held an edge to it she couldn't pinpoint, so YN's brow wandered up even further until it almost reached her hairline. "Well, I was done sooner than expected. But I can leave again if you prefer it that way." The witch had already turned to find her purse, not hearing as the paper bag dropped to the hardwood floor and Stephen's hurried steps came closer to her. His hands softly took hold of her shoulders before the Sorcerer Supreme snaked his arms around them and leaned his forehead on her right shoulder. "I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry, darling," he whispered, not caring that Wong stood opposite them and chuckled behind his mug.

To be honest, the other sorcerer had seen much worse in the past one and three-quarter years ever since Stephen had brought his girl to the Sanctum. And yes, he counted the months since the woman in his arms had told him she loved and came home with him. He was the luckiest bastard on this damned planet after all.

Stephen pressed a soft kiss to YN's neck, tightening his hold. He could hear her sigh before she settled her back against his chest and caressed one of his hands with the tips of her fingers. The sorcerer closed his eyes at the feeling of her lips against his reachable temple and how she leaned her head against his. "Is everything okay?" Her soft voice asked, and Stephen nodded quickly, not wanting to let her into his head to see the boiling mess in there—she would probably laugh before running away, changing her mind over everything that concerned him and their relationship. He couldn't let that happen. Not so shortly after he had finally found the one woman who could keep up with him and who loved him with every single damned flaw he possessed. "You can talk to me, Stephen. Whatever might be bothering you, I am here to help. It's my job."

She meant every single word because YN knew how the man in her back tended to be as soon as he spiraled. And because she knew every single red flag, she was worried to her bones—his behavior right now was a single big, screaming red flag. But she also knew she couldn't push him, so she had to wait and sit this one out as long as it might take.

"I know, darling, but it's nothing." He grew silent for a moment before continuing. "Would you mind cooking alone? I… I need to check some books that arrived this morning from Kamar-Taj, and they can't wait until tomorrow." YN furrowed her forehead at the shakiness of his voice, his barely audible stutter, and counting more red flags. Even Wong seemed not convinced. But instead of calling Stephen out now and not in their bedroom later after dinner, the witch only turned in his tight grasp and cupped his cheeks with both hands. She smiled up at him. "Of course, love. Go and do your work. I will get you when dinner is ready. Mousse au chocolate for dessert, or does Doctor Strange prefer a chocolate cake tonight?" Stephen pressed a long, lingering kiss to her forehead. "Whatever Miss LN is up to tonight," he returned with a soft whisper, followed by another kiss on her head.

And then he disappeared upstairs—but not without the ominous paper bag.

YN turned to Wong with heavily furrowed brows and deep creases between them. "Something is wrong," both spoke in unison and sighed before they started to prepare dinner together, a heavy silence dominating the kitchen.

Knuckles knocked gently on the hardwood door leading to Stephen's study after almost two hours of cooking dinner—lasagna just like he loved the dish—and baking his favorite cake—chocolate, with a soft chocolate core. She even got him his favorite whiskey in preparation for a cozy night in front of the fireplace, with some of their favorite vinyl playing in the background.

At the silence greeting YN from the other side, even after another soft knock, she huffed and opened the door without another warning. "Stephen?" But the study wasn't even lit, and twilight was all the witch saw. The snow still fell in front of the massive windows leading to the nonetheless busy New Yorker streets, and curiosity got its best of her. So the woman wandered into the grant but still cozy-looking room and rounded the wooden desk. Her fingers stroked over the scattered books—some opened, others closed—and got a hold of an opened letter written by one of the masters back at Kamar-Taj, dated a week ago.

"Books my ass," the witch mumbled under her breath and left the study again after a last displeased look at the books Stephen most definitely had already worked through. She closed the door behind herself because she was taught to be a decent human and raised her right hand softly. YN tried to not get distracted by the ring Stephen had gifted her at their first anniversary—a promise to a future, as he had called it. But she couldn't admire the piece, not now. Now, she had a task to fulfill.

Her pointer and ring finger twitched, barely visible, and the warm-feeling magic glided almost gracefully through the hallway and highlighted a golden path leading upstairs to the second floor. The witch followed her conjured marks, not really having to pay close attention to them because now, she was sure where she would find her boyfriend in distress. And that's where the path brought her—right in front of the door to their shared bedroom. This time, YN didn't bother to knock. Instead, she pushed the wood open and was faced with twilight once more, but the golden gleam of the bathroom lighting drew her steps closer.

And what she saw there let her pause dead in her tracks.

Stephen stood in front of the mirror, only wearing his sweatpants, a towel hanging over his shoulders, and his left hand held a plastic bowl with something thickly dark inside. His right hand had a tight grip on a brush, typically used for hair accidents requiring a re-touch before an important occasion. Inside the sink laid an assortment of at-home hair coloring products, all ripped open, and the instructions scattered around the sink's edge—one was even taped to the mirror in front of him.

YN gently cleared her throat before Stephen could even think of smearing this stuff into his hair. "Would you mind telling me what you are trying to do, love?" She leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed in front of her chest, and eyes settled on his widening eyes before the sorcerer turned to his girlfriend—stupid contributors to his spiraling mind still in his hands. He looked from the brush and bowl to the woman he loved, the unpleasant smell of hair dye lingering in the air. "Would you believe me if I said nothing is happening right now?" Stephen had to try to lighten the mood a bit, at least, but YN couldn't have any of that. She pushed her body off the frame and walked over to him before taking both items out of his hands and placing them into the sink.

Her entire focus was settled on him.

"Did you try to dye your hair?" At the confused sound of her voice, Stephen only shrugged. "But why?" Another shrug followed, but because he didn't dare to look into her eyes, YN already guessed where his mind had wandered off. "Is this because we're gonna see my parents next weekend?" His heavy swallow was answer enough, and the witch couldn't hold back anymore. Her hands gently cupped his face, just like earlier, before her fingers carded through his salt-and-pepper hair. "Oh, Stephen…," she mumbled and pulled him closer until she could feel his hands resting on her hips. "I wanted… I… You…” His deep rumbling sigh was evidence enough for the woman to feel the boiling emotions running havoc in this usually composed man. "It's okay." She took one of his hands and pulled at it. "Come on, love," she encouraged him to follow her back into their bedroom.

YN's hand flicked to light up the many candles inside their room while she pushed Stephen to sit down at his bedside. She stayed in front of him, right between his thighs that spread to make space for her, and her hands were back on his handsome face, grounding him and clearing his mind at least a bit. He never knew if it was just inherently YN or her magic that pushed through to him. Either way, he didn't object in the slightest.

"Tell me what's going on in that brilliant mind of yours." She sounded as if she was begging, and maybe she was because YN had felt a pit forming in her stomach ever since seeing what Stephen tried to do. He started to play with the hem of her oversized hoodie—his Columbia University hoodie. "I tried to dye my grey spots to seem younger," the Sorcerer Supreme mumbled, ashamed to admit it out loud. YN stayed silent to give him enough space to sort through his thoughts and let them out in the open. It took a moment until he spoke again. "I never met parents before. I never had to think about how I appear in other's parent's eyes… All I can think about is how old I look and how old I am compared to you, and I thought that it might help my case in convincing your parents that I am good enough for their pride and joy if I dyed my hair to at least look somewhat your age." He sighed deeply and let his forehead fall against her chest, letting it rest there.

YN started to comb through his soft strands, staying quiet once more because she had never thought about what the question of whether Stephen wanted to come with her might do to him. She had only thought about the fact that this man was the one she wanted to spend the rest of her life with and how much she wanted her parents to meet this handsome, loving, and compassionate man she had stumbled upon—quite literally. The witch would've never suggested it in the first place if she knew what it would do to him, and now, guilt washed over her, but she had to take care of Stephen's spiraling mind before she could tend to her very own troublemaker up there.

Tenderly, she took his chin between her thumb and pointer finger and nudged Stephen's face up so he would look her right into her eyes. "You will listen to me now, love," YN started, and Stephen stared into her eyes, unmoving. "You are not old. We may have a slight age gap—but nothing as vast as you picture it—and yes, some may object to it, but not my parents. They are happy if I am happy, and I can tell you, I never was happier in my entire life. You make me the happiest and most content version of myself, Stephen, and this is all that matters." YN stopped to press a soft kiss to his forehead, easing his deep worry-wrinkles. "And now, to the one point I may never have made perfectly clear." Her voice dropped to a whisper, and the witch cupped his face again. "You will never touch those grey spots, do you understand?"

Stephen still stared at her, utter wonder written in his eyes and on his face, and his hands grabbed her hips to coax her into his lap. "Are you trying to tell me you secretly love them?" A grin tucked at YN's lips, and her eyes wandered over his grey strands, her fingers following close as they combed through them once more. "I think they make you incredibly hot and deadly handsome, love," she giggled before burrowing her fingers in the short hair at the nape of his neck. The sorcerer let out a raspy groan at the feeling of YN's nails scratching over the sensitive skin there. He cupped the side of her own neck with his much bigger hand, his thumb caressing her jawline slowly while his eyes took in the beauty that was her face. "Oh, really?" Stephen asked, almost teasingly, and pulled her closer to him until their chests were pressed against each other. YN nodded softly, a gasp leaving her parted lips, and a moan soon followed when Stephen dared to steal a deepening kiss from her. "Those spots make you appear like damned fine wine, aged into perfection and promising me the most perfect taste of summer, dreams, and sunsets. Don't you dare touch them as long as I am here," she whispered against his lips, drinking him in when the sorcerer kissed her once again, reveling in his taste and the feel of this man who had chosen her of all the women he could've selected from. "You are perfect just the way you are."

Stephen's hands gripped her hips in a tight, almost bruising hold and pulled the witch flush against him, tickling out yet another moan when their cores made contact. "You mean that?" He still felt insecure about this whole ordeal despite his mind slowly stopping to spiral out of control, but Stephen would be damned if he didn't ask for more reassurance, knowing well enough that YN would never hold back with it. The following smirk growing on her face? He did not expect that, nor what she had in mind for them, his eyes following her gorgeous body when she slowly sank down on her knees, right between his parting thighs.

"I have no qualms in proofing my words," the witch giggled in anticipation when the palm of her hands caressed his strong thighs, up and down, her eyes never leaving his. "When I'm done, there won't be a single lingering doubt, Stephen Strange, I promise you that."

—

And she would be correct.

"Stop fidgeting." Trying to soothe his over-worrying mind, YN smoothed out the lapels of his pristine coat as they stood in front of her parent's home in the dainty and quiet suburban around New York City. "Easier said than done," the sorcerer grumbled back and let her push back a salt-and-pepper strand, and after rising to her tiptoes, she pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek, leaving a faint mark of her lipstick on his skin. Humming, YN erased it with the pad of her thumb, perfectly timed with the sound of steps echoing behind the front door. "Everything will be fine, Stephen, believe me," she all had time but to whisper before the door opened and welcomed them with a wind of warm air.

Her mother smiled brightly as always when she took in her daughter, arms already wide open to gather her in a tight, motherly hug. "Oh, my sweet girl. Look at you." She held her at arm's length, eyes mapping and cataloging everything she could see under the thick coat and layers of fabrics. "How is it possible that you still turn prettier every time I see you again? It must be magic," Mrs. LN smiled widely, and YN pressed a loving kiss to her mother's cheek. "Oh, please. You over-exaggerate."

"She is right, darling," Stephen chimed in, his unoccupied hand finding the small of her back when he stepped closer. Her mother instantly took him in as well, eyes like a hawk observing its potential prey, but the hardness vanished as quickly as it had appeared, and her smile returned. "You must be Stephen. I've heard so much about you—welcome!" YN had already grabbed the transport box filled with chocolate cake, so they could shake hands, but instead, the Sorcerer Supreme found himself in a welcoming and tight hug, making YN giggle in delight. "Come in, come in! It's freezing out here."

They both got ushered into the warmth of her childhood home, and the sound of her father rummaging in the kitchen welcomed them as her mother accepted the cake and watched with a softening expression when Stephen gently helped her out of the cloak and kissed her cheek while doing so. "You two are just too sweet," the mother hummed, showing them to follow her.

YN gathered Stephen's hand in hers and squeezed it softly, her other hand naturally wrapping around his bicep. "See? I told you," she whispered as quietly as possible, letting one brow rise when the man beside her huffed. "I still need to survive the introduction to your father, sweetheart," he answered just as quietly when they arrived in the living space with the open kitchen and her father smiling warmly at them. "I think this will run smoother than you give yourself credit, love."

And again, she would be correct.

Thank you so much for reading! Please consider leaving a like, a comment, and a reblog. It would mean the world to me <33

[simpforrooster]

i love when you call me pete.

pete ‘maverick’ mitchell x f!reader

t/w: mentions of an age gap, some smooching. drunk!maverick

summary: maverick almost drunkenly tells reader how he feels about her

a/n: lowercase intended! wrote this on my phone and have autocaps off xD two fics in one day!!!

maverick laughs as jake, one hand over his own eyes, takes aim at the dart board.

jake hits a bullseye. mav pulls out his wallet, and reluctantly hands jake a folded bill. your eyes roll at the captain’s stupidity. jake never misses a bullseye.

the guys surely hustled the poor man. mav’s hand falls on jake’s shoulder as he finishes off his beer.

“how long are you gonna stare at him?” phoenix asks with a raised brow.

“i am not staring,” you counter, knowing full well that you are indeed staring.

not that you could help it. the man may be twice your age, but he’s hot. even phoenix, happily engaged to bob, gets her an eye full of the elder captain.

you wipe down the bar in front of phoenix and hand her another lemon drop. tucking the rag in your back belt loop, you turn to hand another regular their drink.

ever since penny hired you, you’ve managed to take care of the bar almost as good as she does. she lets you take on the slower days of the week alone, and the two of you manage the weekend crowds together.

once everyone has been taken care of, you turn your attention back to your friend. you catch her admiring her ring. she looks up at you with a grin.

“sorry,” she shrugs. you shake your head.

“no indeed. i’d be gawking at that rock all day if it was mine.”

“you know you said that entire sentence looking at him and not me, right.”

you startle. she’s right. you’d basically been undressing maverick with your eyes. imagining your left hand heavy with a ring.

“you’re impossible,” she laughs.

your heart picks up its pace as maverick saunters, or better yet, sways up to the bar.

“four more, please. on my tab, babe.” maverick holds up five fingers, a giant grin on his face.

babe?

you lean over the bar and lay his thumb back against his palm. “that’s four.”

maverick looks down at you and then back to his hand. a chuckle falls languidly from his lips. “you’re right.”

phoenix raises a brow at you, out of sight from mav, who is looking at you like you’re his center of gravity.

“have i ever told you how gorgeous you are?” maverick says, still holding up those four fingers. the comment turns your insides into jelly.

“are you drunk, pete?” you ask him. there’s no way he’d be saying any of this if he were sober.

his hand falls to the bar top and his eyes fall closed. he stands there a moment, gathering himself, you assume.

his eyes open, those blue irises almost knocking you off your feet with how intense they look at you.

“i may be drunk, but that doesn’t mean i’m lying about you being gorgeous.”

phoenix grins at you over his shoulder, maverick completely oblivious to her.

no, he’s definitely only noticing you. every moved you’ve made, he’s tracked it. well, as well as he can given that he’s shitfaced.

maverick shrugs a shoulder. “maybe sober me is just nervous to tell you that.”

“pete,” you breathe. “you’re a naval aviator. there’s no way i make you nervous.”

“god, i love how you say my name,” he admits. before he can say anything else, jake and rooster appear at his side.

“come on, pops, we’ll get you home.” the men each take an arm, seeing as maverick can hardly remain upright.

he tries to shake them off. “i can’t go until i ask y/n out.”

your hand comes up to your mouth, your heart picking up pace again.

“let’s try tomorrow, mav,” rooster murmurs to his godfather. maverick vehemently shakes his head.

“no. i have to tell her now. i have to tell her i—,”

“oh no you don’t,” jake says, forcing maverick away from the bar. “you will not finish that sentence until you’re sober. she doesn’t deserve a drunk admission.”

rooster shoots you an apologetic look, handing you his card to close out the three of their tabs. you move on autopilot. punching in the men’s names, clicking on them, swiping the card, repeat. you hesitate on pete’s account. god, he did have a lot to drink.

that’s all that was. drunken words. he won’t remember any of this in the morning.

once the men are out the bar and pete is loaded in the back of the bronco, you turn to phoenix.

“what the fuck?” she screeches.

“i told them not to let him approach her with as far gone as he was,” bob comments, saddling up in the barstool next to his fiancé.

“what are you talking about, bob?” you ask.

bob shares a look with phoenix.

“you’re nuts if you’ve never seen the way he looks at you.”

“please don’t get my hopes up, bob,” you tell the bar, already fearful of those hopes plummeting once maverick comes to his senses and takes everything that just happened back.

you close out the remaining people at the bar. phoenix and bob hang around with you, walking you to your car once you’ve got the hard deck locked up.

the dagger squad take turns staying with you when you have a closing shift. they’re more protective of you than a set of new parents.

you hug your friends goodbye and drive to your apartment.

~

the next morning, your doorbell wakes you up with a start.

literally rolling out of the bed, you hit the floor tangled in your sheets. the doorbell chimes again. searching for a pair of pants, dread fills you as the doorbell rings once again.

what could be so urgent at..7 am?!

your mind runs through every possibility.

the doorbells chimes for a forth time just as you throw the door open, shrieking, “what?!”

pete mitchell stands on your stoop. he looks like hell. the two of you stare at one another, while pete grips the flowers he’s holding with a death grip.

you open the door wider, silently inviting him in. he follows you to the kitchen and settles at your island. the silence in the room thickens as you set to work making coffee. you feel his eyes on you the entire time.

“listen, y/n,” maverick starts, but you cut him off, sharply holding up a finger. you fish two mugs from your cabinet. you fill his mug to the brim, spooning two teaspoons of sugar in it. you fix yourself a little coffee with your creamer. setting the coffee in front of him, you step back and lean against the counter across him.

waving your hand, you tell him to proceed.

“i’m so sorry about last night,” he says, finally laying the flowers down. he runs his hands down the front of his jeans, wiping away the sweat.

“if you’re about to take it all back, i really don’t want to hear it, mav,” you tell him.

“mav..” he repeats to himself, looking at your counter top. “last night you called me pete.” he brings his eyes to yours.

you stare at him. okay, he remembers that.

“i don’t want to take any of it back, y/n.”

your breath catches at the back of your throat.

“i want to apologize,” he continues. “you didn’t deserve a drunken admission. i was being cowardly. because believe it or not, you’re ten times scarier than an f-18.”

when you say nothing, he keeps on.

“i know how to handle an f-18. i know what makes it work, how to get it back on track. i know that plan inside and out.” he takes a breath. “i don’t know how to navigate this. you.”

“me?”

“you. god, y/n. you have the ability to wreck me to my core. and i have so terrified to admit my feelings to you.”

“come on, pete, you can’t mean that,” you tell him, folding in on yourself.

“of course i do. the guys told me talking to you drunk was a bad idea. i thought i could handle it, but you just looked so gorgeous, i couldn’t help it.”

you are fully aware of how you looked last night during that fiasco. and gorgeous surely wasn’t it. not with your tank top and cut offs. and you know your hair had to be a mess. it always was at the end of a shift.

maverick rises from his stool. coming around the kitchen island, he stuffs his hands in his pockets, looking terrified as he walks over to you.

“i am sorry i tried to do this shitfaced,” he whispers, a breathe away from you. “tell me i didn’t ruin anything.”

he’s never stood this close to you, and it’s doing odd things to your heart.

“you didn’t ruin anything, pete,” you tell him. his eyes drop down to your mouth, silently asking permission. you nod, not trusting your voice to not betray how much you want this.

maverick pins you to the counter, his hands on either side of you, holding his weight off you. you speed him up by balling your hand in his shirt and pulling him down to you.

maverick grins as his mouth meets yours, falling back into his normal self. you can fill the confidence flowing through him as his hands move from the counter to your body.

his expert hands fall exactly where you need them. he deepens the kiss, his tongue running along your bottom lip. opening up to him, he pulls you tight against his body.

“fuck,” he breathes against your lips.

“tell me about it,” you murmur.

he plants tantalizing kisses along your jaw and down your neck.

“pete,” you moan. he tightens his hold in response.

“i love it when you call me pete,” he says, returning his kisses to your mouth.

masterlist.

[kabukiaku]

I don’t know if you’ve done this yet but what is your lore for Terzo (and everyone in general I guess) and how did it divide from the original lore? Like how do you head cannon all the Papas (Nihil to Perpetua) and Sister (if at all) I just love your stuff and wanna know all the world building you’ve done for these guys :3

I think for that im gonna scramble together a rough presentation with what each characters' role is in my own version. cause- i like to visually present things!

warning this post gets long and i dont think ill get to everything. just some of my most notable differences.

here's a family tree i made a while back. now, mind you, I tried my best to represent nihil's insane situation in having multiple affairs thus resulting in the brothers. so, i apologize if it's not correct, I don't think this is very common for family trees xD

So, to set a few main points, I see Papa Nihil as the father of all 5, 3 of each had different mothers. To make it more believable that Primo was a son of Nihil, I am aging him down just a bit. The years I haven't quite nailed down for Primo and Nihil.

Terzo and Secondo, brothers from another mother- yet spent the most time growing up together. Secondo was born in 1957, while Terzo was born in 1962, giving them a 5-year difference. I wanted to do the 3 months thing, but given how I've depicted them as boys, I think it makes more sense lol. if tobias can retcon his own lore, i can too.

In my AU, Copia was raised in the Clergy by Siblings. He had no idea he had parents, yet Sister was always attentive to him. I haven't given much thought to Perpetua to be honest, but maybe something will come to mind soon.

His relationship with his half-brothers is as complicated as a Rubix cube.

Copia never had a normal childhood thus it derived him from developing healthy (can we all relate)

one very obvious deviation from the canon lore is that the ghouls are demons, summoned from the Pit. These are otherworldly beings who have adapted the likeness and language of the humans over the centuries.

Each papa was tasked to summon their first ghoul, whom arguably plays the most important role for each papa and soon-to-be papa.

these two, had a history of course, being that they've played on stage together since Primo's era, and had a on and off relationship behind the curtain. they are my 'it's complicated' type ship. my toxic yaoi ship----Alpha still feels for Omega. Eventually the two (moreso Alpha) make peace with their past. That---my friends is something I am planning on in form of a comic.

the most obvious deviation from the canon--- Terzo and Omega. i sometimes realize how far i've gone from the band's lore, here I am imagining a multi-chapter rom-com-drama-supernatural queer story with complete imaginary versions of these stage personas xD

a relationship between a ghoul and a human is not unheard of. there may have been a few one-time flings here and there done in secrecy within the congregation, but nothing came close to the genuine connection Omega made to his summoner Terzo.

I would want to go a bit more in depth with how I have two different 'endings' for the Papas and how it shifts towards Frater & Perpetua era, but my brain is very much stuck in limbo during the mid Meliora era. (big chunk of my AU happens there)

TD;LR: it is VERY divided from the original band lore.

[captain039]

Cold morning

Hugh Jackman x reader

Warnings: swearing. Fluff, age gap

Blurb: That big jacket oodie thing Hugh wore while filming. XD

It’s cold, it’s freeze your tits off kind of cold. Your shivering, your teeth might as well be chattering. Your miserable heading to the set, wishing you didn’t have to get out the car and the nice heater that finally warmed up on your drive over, wishing you didn’t have to wake up, it was gonna be a shit day. You grumble hiding under your hoodie as you make your way over to the set. You’ve got about ten layers on and you’re still fricken cold.

“Hey hood” you frown but smile when you see Hugh.

“Hey” you greet raising an eyebrow at whatever long ass jumper he’s got on.

“You look cold” he grins and you huff rolling your eyes.

“Yeah well some of us don’t get special, whatever that is” you say gesturing to him as you head under a tent. You shuffle through some things hands shaking, fingers numb, you hate gloves, hate the feel of them, so cold fingers it is.

“Why don’t you have gloves?” Hugh frowns by you grabbing your hands stopping you from what you’re doing.

“Cause they’re icky” you say and he raises an eyebrow and laughs making you pout.

“I’m teasing princess, but icky?” He repeats saying the word funnily. You shake your head and smile. His hands are so warm though cupped around yours.

“How are you so damn warm?” You say wanting to huddle against him like penguin. He chuckles softly bringing your hands to his mouth to blow on them. There’s a rush of warm air and your heart beat picks up a notch.

“I can warm you up” he grins and you raise an eyebrow not sure how to take it. He bunches up the large blanket like jacket he’s got on and suddenly you’re draped under it. You yelp in surprise as he unzips the top slightly so your head can pop out. You’re laughing though, you’re surprised you both fit in this thing but damn is he warm.

“You’re a damn heater!” You say and he grins.

“Put your arms around me” he says and you hesitate but do. You groan softly at how warm he is, you lean your head against his chest and close your eyes sighing. His arms go around you rubbing your back warming you up more and you swear you’ve died and gone to heaven.

“Better?” He says after some silence and you hum nuzzling closed if you could. He chuckles and you feel his lips press to your hairline making your cheeks flush.

“Hey Hugh” you hear Ryan and jolt a bit, he’s gonna tease you non stop for this.

“Hey Ryan” Hugh responds not letting you go.

“What ya got there?” Ryan laughs and you know he knows a groan leaving your lips.

“Oh you’ve captured a live Y/n” Ryan laughs popping into your view and you flush.

“She’s ice cold” Hugh says.

“Oh I bet she was” Ryan’s got this evil glint in his eyes and you glare at him mouthing ‘no’ at him.

“Toasty now?” He asks grinning.

“I hate you” you say and he laughs as does Hugh. You turn your head away from the man and he just snickers like an evil villain.

“I’ll leave you two be” Ryan says and you groan again letting out a huff.

“You warmer now?” Hugh asks voice softer after Ryan’s left. You nod but you don’t let go making the older man chuckle.

“Alright, hang on shuffle this way with me” he says and you shuffle with him.

“I’m gonna sit down ready, fall with me” you frown wondering how the hell this is gonna work exactly. He sits and you do fall, laughing as you do. Hugh’s hands grip your thighs though through the material and hoists you up so your knees are by his hips and you’re in his lap. You’re blushing furiously, you’ve forced the zip down a little more too. You’re looking slightly down at him, your top half out in the cold and you shiver again.

“I don’t see how this works” you laugh the zip half way undone.

“Lay on me” he says and you’re trying to ignore your heart racing. You really want to lean in the moment and you allow yourself too. You shuffle back on his legs and lay on his chest as he zips up the jacket again. Oh this is so much better.

You sag against him everything you were miserable about gone, shivering gone. You feel high shuffle and feel his arms snake around your body instead. You frown a bit seeing his hands gone from the sleeves of the large jacket.

“How you feeling?” He asks and you smile.

“Better now” you close your eyes.

[ibrithir-was-here]

Did another redraw of an old Silm piece of the Silm Triplets, added in the Ring Babies as well. Thought I’d give a little overview of both sibling sets in this AU for those just finding it through the redraws

So when I first made these AUs they were pretty wobbly but its firmed up since, so here's the layout of the 'canon' of the AUs xD

Big Credit to @yellow-faerie for helping set some of these points in their fic "All Good Things Come in Threes"

Everything is the same, except that Feanor not only creates the Silmarils but gives them life as well, to his delight and the deep concern of everyone else (though Nerdanel and the boys do love their new additions). Due to their

The girls revert to silmaril form when they feel threatened/sense evil, so when they're stolen as children by Morgoth, they're basically trapped in stone form for years in his crown, and don't age until they're freed.

The fate of the girls is as follows :

Altafinwende/Narewen--Radience of Finwe/Woman of Flame: The silmaril that Maedhros eventually jumps into the fiery chasm with, when he realizes that his own little sister (still in stone form) senses the evil he's done and rejects his touch. In despair, he decides to release them both from their misery and jumps--but she survives to eventually be awakened by the dwarves of Erebor (cuz yeah we're gonna make the Arkenstone into a Silmaril cuz it just works. She lives with them for a time, treasured as a blessing from Mahal, until Smaug comes. She next awakens again when Bilbo takes her out to bargain with Thranduil and ends up staying with around Lake Town/The Lonely Mountain, helping them both rebuild, and she stays until the end of the Third Age

Mirefinwende/Eabariel-- Jewel of Finwe/Sea Traveling Daughter - the silmaril that Maglor throws into the sea, too wrapped in pain and guilt to realize he's just thrown away his baby sister. In this AU though, for fun and angst, and because she's sentient, the Sea returns her to the shore, and Maglor finds her--but is still unable to bear her touch. But he raises her as best he can, traveling the shores together, teaching her song craft. And they stay together until the end of the Third Age

Harmafinwende/Tellumaien-- Treasure of Finwe/Sky Friend-- the silmaril that is rescued by Beren and Luthien. She eventually reveals her elf form to them, and they raise her as their daughter alongside Dior. She rejects returning with her Feanorian brothers when they try to take her back by force, and escapes with her niece Elwing. She is in and out of stone form due to her trauma, taking it again when the Havens fall, and does not awaken again until Earendil takes her onto Valinor. She ends up sailing the sky with Earendil as his companion.

The three are reunited at last at the end of the Third Age, when the other two sail back to Valinor. Since basically all their families are in the Halls of Mandos, they stay with Elrond's household.

Now to the Ring Babies!

Celebrimbor, in his wonderful creativity, manages to accidentally figure out how to reacreate whatever Feanor did to awaken the Silmarils when making the rings, and they too manifest as children. Each one, along with the elemental they're meant to conrrol, has also something of the essence of their intended bearer

Vilya, the youngest and most carefree, has the courage of King Gil-Galad

Nenya, the thoughtful and quite middle child, the cunning of the Lady Galadriel

And to Narya, the eldest, the charm and cleverness of his original intended bearer--Annatar, before he was revealed to be Sauron the Deceiver

Celebrimbor has a few happy years with them, waiting for Annatar to return from his travels--and then several heartbroken, very tense years trying to plan how to protect his children, his city, and ultimately the world when Sauron is revealed to him.

As in canon Celebrimbor is able to send the rings off to safety, in this timeline forced to separate them in the necessity of better insuring Sauron not being able to track them all down and unmake their physical forms to gain their power.

The three Ring Children grow up under the watch of their caretakers/bearers, reuniting with their siblings whenever they're able/it is deemed safe by their gaurdians.

Vilya becomes a member of Gil-Galad's court, and afterwards follows Elrond to Imladris, becoming a captain of his guard.

Nenya is an attendant of Lady Galadriel and serves her faithfully in Lothlorian, being a younger foster sister of sorts to Celebrian while she remains in Middle Earth

Narya helps Ciraden with his ship building as best he can, but doesn't truly feel a deep bond with him. Of all his siblings, he feels the most conflicted with himself and his place in the world, knowing that part of his essence was based on a falsehood perpetrated by the Enemy. Eventually, though, he finds a mentor in Gandalf, becoming a his companion and apprentice. Gandalf helps him feel he can truly help others and trust himself. (He'd be the biggest canon divergance in this AU by dint of being around the Fellowship, though its possible he stays in ring form for a good while when The One is around, so as not to attract undo attention. Only taking physical form in the Two Towers when Gandalf comes back)

The Ring Babies can also take their original ring forms at will, and will resort to them if their physical forms are badly injured enough.

They of course also sail at the end of the Third Age, and are reunited with Celebrimbor in Aman at last.

_____

Couple of extras here as well

(There's also a couple of AUs of these AUs 😅

The Happy Silvergifting Ending timeline with the Ring Babies where Sauron decides to just stay with Tyelpe and not take over Middle Earth and they raise the babies together--but still have to deal with Ar-Pharazon and Numenor later. With Pharazon capturing Annatar and Narya and Tyelpe and co trying to rescue them.

One where Sauron still decides to be Sauron, but also wants his cake so he takes Tyelpe and the babies back to Mordor with him, which was wonderfully written in "All's Well that Ends Better" by @trashipsinc

With the Silmarils there's an AU where instead of Tellumaien being raised as a sister to Dior its just Dior straight up who was the Silmaril, which makes the attack on Doriath waaay more complicated, as does the whole situation with Elrond and Elros being part Silmaril

And then there's the vauge AU concept of "What if the One Ring gets turned into a Ring Baby" with Malya

So yeah, that's the overview of all these 😅 Feel free to ask any questions you like about them!

[incorrectfatui]

ok only one person asked for this, but I'm really bored, so: memes about our government collapsing, here you go. feel free to ignore it otherwise, next post will be about more harbingers xD

But politics talk beyond this point- dw, I get it if you dont wanna see that

Context will be below the pictures- please keep in mind that german humor is...well, german. Also, I can't figure out how to post multiple pictures at once, so uh...this is gonna be a long one. ALSO look at the ALT text I tried my best to translate & give more context

So of course, everyone immediately started memeing about Lindner. Why? Because most of the country fucking hates the guy. I don't think I specified enough how awful he is. The current government is incredibly inneficient, and he's a major reason why. He's an ultra-capitalist, in love with a free market economy, frequently has temper tantrums in parliament, and is INCREDIBLY anti social. He wants higher pension ages, less subsidies for unemployed people, the works. What people are also making fun off is Scholz, our chancellor, who was practically nonexistent for the last 3 years, only to deliver a VICIOUS speech about how awful Lindner is. So yeah! Government collapse is fun if you have the right memes. Hope at least some of those were funny to you guys as well

thaaats most of the ones I could fit. Which brings me to: the context. oh my god where do i begin.

Okay, so, the german parliament is made out of multiple parties, right? When we have elections, the chancellor is from the party with the most votes, but they don't rule alone, because they need a majority (<50%), and we have so many parties that they don't get there. So, they have to form coalitions with the other parties. When they do that, the leaders of the other parties get to be in high positions as well. Every party that isn't in the coalition is the opposition.

More often than not, we have what is called a Grand Coalition- the two biggest parties, CDU and SPD. However, in our last elections (which was also the first time in 16 years that our chancellor changed), this did not happen. We instead got the so called traffic light coalition, made up of the SPD (winner, got the Chancellor), FDP (our other main protagonist in this story) and the Greens.

So, they've ruled for about 3 years now, and it's been an utter shitshow- because of multiple factors, of course, but one of the major ones was the FDP. See, the Greens and the SPD are (or, well, were, but thats for another story) more left leaning, ESPECIALLY on stuff like climate change, while the FDP are mostly focused on the economy. So, there's been lots of conflicts, and all the parties in the coalition, but especially the FDP, have lost immense support. The FDP to a point where they might not get ANY seats in parliament for the next election.

Now, some of our current biggest issues are inflation, climate change, and the war in Ukraine. I'm simplifying this to hell and back, but essentially, we have a so called debt-brake in our constitution, which means that the country cannot go over a certain amount of money. Sounds good, right? Well, not entirely. Right now, we are trying to go over this limit. See, the debt-brake has an intentional loophole, which says that in emergencies, you CAN go over it, like natural catastrophes (e.g. COVID).

Germany, right now, wants to fund our infrastrcuture, our military, Ukraine, and social subsidies. For this purpose, the SPD and Greens agreed to go over the limit. Except they can't, without the approval of their coalition partner, the FDP, and their finance minister, Lindner, who RUNS the FDP. They've been fighting about this for A WHILE, and yesterday, Scholz (the chancellor), gave Lindner an ultimatum: allow them to go over the limit, or get fired. Lindner asked for snap-elections instead, did not accept the proposal (which was already heavily in his favour) and got fired.

Which wouldn't be a problem is he was any common minister- but he's a coalition partner, so the coalition broke apart- and without the FDP, the SPD and the Greens alone do not hold a majority in parliament.

What this boils down to, is that we will likely have a minority-government (who will have BIG difficulties passing any laws) until January, and at the start of January, the Chancellor will call for a vote of confidence (yes, like in star wars), which he will lose. Meaning: Snap Elections in March (at the latest), less time for the parties to prepare their candidates, and MASSIVE profts for the right wing parties, which are currently leading in the polls.

[earthnashes]

HEYOOOOOOOOO ya'll! Apologies for the brief bout of silence there; I had to lock the fuck in for my first powerlifting competition.

For anyone new around here; I've been lifting weights for a lil while now, but only recently (as of this year) have I decided to go the athlete route and started pursuing Powerlifting. Last saturday was my first time competing as a powerlifter in an actual meet (federation is NPL, a relatively new powerlifting fed), aaaaaaand to TLDR:

I got two 1st place medals in my weight class Set the state record for Bench @ 82.5kg (181lbs) Set the state record for Deadlift @ 145kg (319lbs)

If you wanna see the lifts themselves + my overall thoughts on the experience, that can be found under the Read More! :) Alternatively, for much shorter version + more photos of the event, just check out my post on my instagram HERE. uwu

I was fuckin' nervous the day before meet and the actual meet day itself. I've been to a powerlifting meet before and I had a ton of fun, but it's always very different watching a sport vs participating in a sport. Felt a lot like I did back when I played Basketball competitively; sweaty and hot and couldn't sit still. I like that feeling though, it feels like a challenge, and that's the best part of being competitive.

Once I actually got to the meet and did my first lift though that's when adrenaline kicked in and suddenly I felt like I could lift the world, bro. I'm feeling pretty confident I could've lifted an additional 5lbs on my bench and maybe another 10lbs on my deadlift, but I've very happy with the outcome I got.

My thoughts on the meet itself: it was fucking incredible. I think the best part of the competition is the people: both the athletes and the crowd. One thing I found with Powerlifting is that the energy is almost always entirely positive. It's a competition, sure, but no one is there booing or looking to see you fail. Everyone, including your fellow competitors, are hoping you succeed your lifts and beat your last score. The main aim in powerlifting is to win against yourself, and that really shows in the competition.

Every lifter is met with applause, cheers, and aggressive positivity. I fuckin love that aggression too; no one's afraid to get loud, get hyped or excited. Since this federation is relatively new, the crowd (everyone's friends and fam) kinda didn't know what the proper etiquette was for the comp was, but they quickly learned: yelling, shouting, cheering. It's fuckin great man.

And the lifters themselves are such a treat to meet; you get to see the varied potential of human strength in a wide array of genders and ages and it's somethin' to behold, man. Not to mention they're all just genuine people. I enjoyed every second, bro. ;w; If you're curious, here are my lifts:

They were the last attempts of each lift: for those who are curious, Powerlifting Comps have it where you get 3 attempts for each of the lifts (Bench, Squat, Deadlift). The idea is to successfully lift your first attempt with a simple, "lightweight" lift, or one you know you can sink no sweat. The last lift is when you YOLO and go fuckin' hard with something you know is a challenge, OR you're gonna go for a completely new PR.

For my bench, I knew I could sink 82.5kg without too much trouble. I actually wanted to attempt 84kg (roughly 185lbs), but I'm pleased with my bench's performance.

My deadlift, however, is a PR. I've never lifted 320lbs before this meet, and with it being the last lift of the day I told coach to lemme give it a shot. Glad I did! Shit moved relatively well, better than I anticipated it would. xD

Before I competed, my highest bench was 170lbs, and my deadlift was 260lbs. As seen above, my bench has officially increased to 181lbs and my deadlift to 319lbs. I myself weigh 177lbs. All in all, pretty proud of the results!

------

It took me roughly 6 months of prep, mostly on my own program and planning, to successfully compete in this meet. The base goal was to get an official taste of what it was like to prep, lift, and compete competitively, to see if I actually would enjoy the entire process from start to finish.

The answer is yes.

I've learned a lot from this experience, from what works in my training and what doesn't, to how much lifting is half-ways raw strength, half-ways a mind game, how competition works and the rules/regulations surrounding it. The nuances of my rest cycles, my eating habits, so on. It's all fascinating and helped me learn about myself. And now I know the answer to my next question, which was: would I do this again? Absolutely.

SO! My first meet is now in my back pocket and I have two medals and state records to show for it. My next goal is to compete in my next meet, in a drug-tested meet, and go for it's state record, maybe try to win Best Lifter. I ultimately wanna be nationally competitive; I wanna be known as one of the strongest lifters in the books. Maybe, if I'm lucky, compete in the Arnold Sports Festival one day? We'll see!

But ye. More powerlifting coming from me that's for sure! If ya'll are interested in seeing how that journey goes, I have the idea of officially turning my Instagram into my fitness/lifting journey blog. It won't necessarily be a guide to anything, just to show yall my progress and talk more about my lifting in general. :)

In any rate, I'll quit yappin! More from me soon! Until then stay sexy, my friends uwu

[milk-is-stable]

No! I Always Loved that Caravan!

Sickday rewatch requested by @sw33t-transv3stit3. I'm sick! send me a longform to watch and I'll make a commentary/headcanon post about it! (using the tag #sfth liveblog, so that's what to blacklist if you don't want your dash taken up by this)

Pre-watch thoughts: I don't rewatch this one a lot, so this'll be fun! Of course looking forward to the classic caravan brothers scene, but I do feel like the rest of this one often gets forgotten in favor of that one moment, so looking forward to seeing what other hidden gems are here!

Liveblogging:

Right off the bat, we've got one plot thread being set up that I know is going to be dropped/twisted later on. Classic AJ starts out the scene wanting his son to sell the caravan, and then after getting confused by all the Arthur Scargill talk, is on the "I DON'T want him to sell it!"

NO OTHER BEACHES. Brighton is a MYTH.

(honestly there are a lot of geography jokes in this one that are harder for me as an american but it's still very funny)

MEDIA STUDIES are a MYTH

The saga of stealing chairs from the rest of the cast begins.

(god luke and sam look so young in this one. am i the only one who thinks that in the older videos, luke and sam just look like little guys? I know the recording is only a from a few years ago, but in your late 20s/early 30s sometimes that makes a lot of difference. aj and tom are quite ageless but luke gains a new age every time he changes his hair and sam is very baby faced without the beard)

This fandom sleeps on Jericho, honestly, what a guy. I don't know what accent Tom is going for, but whatever it is he did NOT achieve it and we love that for him. We're also very concerned about your speech impediment, Jericho.

Tom's old money speech feels very reminiscent of the temple to destruction speech, not in vibes, but in a "I think Tom just blacked out on stage and has NO idea what he's saying" way.

Love that this is one of the examples of AJ's characters being the ones to bring pathos into the stories. I feel like each of the four of them have their moments/longforms where it was their choices that brought that element to life, but in this show it's definitely AJ. Without his father's internal motivation, we'd just have tom, luke, and sam's insanity bouncing from scene to scene. Despite his initial plot point switcharoo, it's AJ who really grounds this one.

Sam's Arthur Scargill is....certainly something. Not one of his more coherent characters, to be honest XD Also AJ's deadpan "He was a ghost" is perfect XD

Sam WHY are you bringing the us southern accent into this mess, this is the last thing we need XD (also we call them RVs, Sam. Winnebago is a brand, and not even in a bandaid way).

THIS IS WHY AJ GROUNDS THIS PLAY. Sam what are you even talking about rn XD

"Our oldest tradition is 250 years old" hey now XD

"some change can be bad."

CARAVAN HUTCH

Never noticed the way that Tom looks Sam up and down after asking if he has the caravan on him, as if he's expecting him to pull it out of his pocket.

"Have you got a driver guy?" Luke: MY TIME HAS COME

"Fiiive Graand What?"

"I wasn't listening, were you?" this further supports my point that whenever Tom comes on as these types of characters he just Fully Blacks Out

This scene could also be renamed "Luke and Tom try to match/one up each other's freak for three minutes"

How did we get to Brighton I thought we were going to London- oh ok we are in London......Tom why did you come on as the spirit of Brighton what did that add to the scene XD

I love how proud of himself AJ looks whenever he makes a particularly good joke. "NEXT. CHANNEL."

"Two...REALLY creepy guys are gonna go pick up the caravan." Luke: MY TIME HAS COME AGAIN

Sam: you're adding new elements into this story quite late, aren't you? AJ: you thought there was pathos before? Time to ADD MORE, BITCHEEEES

"I suppose I've got the five grand, maybe there are no stakes left here" AJ: Oh right, here, let me inject some last minute danger into this then. Luke: MY TIME HAS COME FOR A THIRD TIME!

Sam: Ok, you know what? We've lost the plot on this way too much, so fuck it, this is the film now. This whole thing was the film. Jericho: Oh....okay then, fuck me I guess. Luke: fuck you again, actually.

AJ: THE PATHOS guys, remember the PATHOS!!!

And scene! Honestly, not one of their more coherent stories, but has some of the most laugh out loud moments, making it extremely fun.

[quitealotofsodapop]

Diet peach soup would probably have the celestials and Marshalls get involved a lot sooner. Overpowered babies are not a good idea to leave unsupervised. As for Macaque, the lady bone demon is most likely going to just shove him onto the thrall, as his problem. Either to be raised as her soldier, or as a potential backup vessel.

Prev.

Yeeeaah the Stalwarts have to get involved sooner than later since their king is now in his terrible twos (again). They present themselves to Pigsy and Tang as village elders who want to help them in raising the boys, and introducing them to their culture. Pigsy was eh on the idea, but Tang was uber excited! Monkey demon culture lessons!

Peaches and MK honestly thought that the Stalwarts were their grandparents for a long time, especially since they didn't know Papa Tang's side of family and assumed he was a just patchy-furred monkey. XD

Nezha, checking in on Wukong: "Why do I sense two baby stone monkeys- WHAT THE SCALLOP!?"

Peaches still gets his school bestie in the form of "Nez", albeit from an earlier age. Nezha can risk a mini-god running around without a voice of reason. Moksa tags in on his younger bro's behalf + as a kindness to Guanyin, as a "cool older kid" watching out for the little monkeys. The -Zha brothers want to keep Sun Wukong's condition as much as a secret as possible from the rest of the Celestial Realm.

Erlang takes one third-eye-look at the situation and goes "Ah crap, I'm gonna have to be their mentor." Cue an Athena and Telemachus dynamic developing between Erlang and the boys once they lift the Staff. But for now, he's Babysitter Jian - the only kid Pigsy and Tang have ever seen feed, wash, and entertain the little monkeys without so much as a grumble. (Jian, shrugs: "I have little cousins.")

Even the Peach Maidens who attended the Orchard with Wukong long ago ensure that he and his little brother are well-watched - glamouring themselves as a gaggle of old ladies in their favourite park. Always ready to pinch cheeks, give fresh fruit treats, and tell the boys how big they're getting!

The Thrall is currently reforming his body after Wukong slapped him across the country for stealing the Stone Egg (aka unhatched MK) + forcing him to drink some nasty potion (Meng Po's soup), so he's not much help in raising de-aged macaques rn.

Macaque accidentally dodges LBD by being a slippery little guy! Falls and crawls through so many shadows that its hard to keep track of him from the Underworld. Lives rough on the street for some time before ending up in the hands of someone who would truly care about him.

Sandy: "Aww. You're an odd little kitten aren't ya?" De-Aged!Macaque: (*spitting and hissing at the giant with all his might, violently protecting the cat food he found. Is barely the size of a football*) Sandy, gently picks up cub: "Hey hey... I used to be an angry little guy too. I learned that when a lot of people are upset, they're really just scared about something that hard to explain." De-Aged!Macaque: (*angry grumbles as he's picked up! Presses ears against fish man's chest to drown out the sound of the city*) Sandy: "Are your ears at you, little buddy? I can see why. One, two three... six ears! Thats a lot of earmuffs." De-Aged!Macaque: (*grumbling gets quieter. Absent-mindedly sucks on his fingers.*) Sandy, conflicted: "I... I really should just bring you to a police station or something. But something tells me that you'll need someone in your corner who understands how messy life can be. If I can manage it, would you be ok staying here with me?" De-Aged!Macaque: (*uninterested squeak*) Sandy, smile forming: "I'll take that as an Okey-dokey. Now... how about a name? Your white fur is super shiny in the moonlight... how about Moon?" "Moon": (*tares up at his new guardian with big violet eyes, one is milky and possibly blind. Makes a curious chirrup at the name.*) Sandy, heart-warming smile: "I think thats a winner."

Little Moon is a curious little guy. Not only because of his ears (the fish man jokes that it's his son's axolotl-like gills), but from an early age Moon has had control over shadows.

It began as simple fascination with stage magic. Moon watched stage magicians preform their tricks of misdirection and illusion, and wanted to see if he could replicate it.

Sandy: (*makes a bunny shape in the shadow of a lamp*) Moon: (*excited cheep!*) Moon: (*manipulates shadows to make many bunnies!*) Sandy, surprised: "Oh!"

Sandy was worried that this power wasn't something that could be trained easily, and an incident where Mo disappeared into one of Moon's shadows for an afternoon (reappeared unharmed once the treat bag was shaken) prompted the fish man to try and find an outlet for his kid.

Thats how he met The Nine Tailed Vixen. The elderly huli jing was hosting a children's acting class at her theatre, and Sandy wondered if it would aid his son's creative drive. It turned out to be a blessing since the heavenly fox was quick to identify, and help Moon tame his wild magic.

(Jiuweihuli is so relieved to have her protégé safe and sound again. Sandy is a good man, and she's glad that her little shadow has found a kind papa.)

Sensing a hunch, the old fox contacted Nezha on whether there wer other de-aged little monkeys...

Peaches and Moon meet during one of the acting camps. At first they cannot believe their eyes.

On sight they feel as though they've known the other their entire lives and beyond.

At the end of the day's acting camp, a group of old friends reunite.

Pigsy, with MK in a sling: "Sandy!?" Sandy: "Pigsy!" Peaches & Moon, running to their respective parent: "Baba!" Pigsy & Sandy, both surprised: "Baba!? You?!" "Yeah!" "Since when?" "Since I found him on the street!" "Whoa. weird."

Peaches and Moon are hard to separate after that meeting. Even if acting camp didn't turn out well for the ginger monkey (stage fright activated), they rarely go more than a week without an excited play date or visit to the theatre.

DBK's gut reaction to the young monkey demon holding his sworn brother's staff is; "Did Sun Wukong have a child- wait. What in Yama's name happened to you!?" Peaches doesn't answer the question as he nearly passes out screaming. Moon is half-way across town wondering what's scared his bestie so bad.

[rudzcrudz]

🙏🙏Mayuri as baby, kid.

Scrunkly.

Thank you XD

Okay, so this is amazing because I have soooo much to say about this LMAO (doodles interspersed in between paragraphs)🎀

Huge post, so I shoved it under the cut

Me yapping:

So. Kurotsuchi behaves like the type of person who had an insane childhood, and the first thing that comes to my mind is "He was raised by his grandparents" type weird (nothing against grandparents raising their grandkids, btw) and then I realized.. if we're sticking with my headcannon that he's Osage, he was!

In Osage culture, when you have a child, your parents will raise them and teach them. Then, when they're almost an adult, they'll be passed back to you and you can teach them how to live depending on their gender. Assuming the Soul Society (when he was a kid) is in the Edo period (1603-1868), the Osage tribe began around 1200 CE, and was still pre-colonization during 1620 AD. (This is also assuming there are cultures other than Japanese in the Soul Society) SO, taking that into account as well as the fact that the Soul Society seems to stick to old clothes and style, as well as using butterflies instead of phones, etc etc; I'd assume the Osage tribe in the Soul Society would as well. (ALSO assuming they're not being mass-murdered or colonized.)

A Google search tells me he's around 300-400 years old, and he was already an adult 110 years before the story in Bleach starts, so I'm gonna take ~340 as his age going onwards. ((P.S: I'm not even gonna get STARTED on his name and the Osage naming system

Taking all this bullshit into account: Mayuri was raised by his grandparents until about the age of 14-16, where he was then sent back to his parents and taught by his mother. Now, you've probably heard the term "two-spirit" before. This basically means transgender, as two-spirit people would take on roles associated with the opposite gender. Most were not only accepted but held specific roles and were said to be instructed by the moon; so, basically, they're important people. As far as I know, this is the only term for transgender people that they had, so was this Kurotsuchi? Maybe. I'm not gonna talk about this too much, mainly because I don't know enough about the comparison of two-spirit and being transgender to be confident that I'm giving a correct answer, and I don't wanna spread misinformation. 😖

I can imagine at first him thinking his yearning to be a man was stupid to him and didn't make sense. He's a mama's boy in my mind, so he would've confided in his mother. As to what she'd say; I think she was a really sweet woman (imagine the opposite of Mayuri), so even though she might not understand, she'd be like, "well.. whatever makes you happy, you know yourself best", and just to make her proud, and he would.

He gives off vibes of being that nerd that was bullied by other children, so he developed an "I'm better than you" complex.

I imagine Mayuri's dad to be a very scary warrior, the infamous type where you're not scared until you hear his name.

(Mayuri Kurotsuchi, adult)

[blackjackkent]

Incredibly self-indulgent and questionably canonical drabble time! Set not long before Rasaad's admittance to the Sun Soul monastery.

(This was gonna be short but it got out of hand as usual whoops. XD )

-----

Rasaad: "You are familiar with Calimport then?" Khalid: "Oh y-yes! I spent many a h-happy hour at the Jet Jambiya. Wonderful ale." Rasaad: "I remember it well. My brother and I would often linger outside the better taverns, looking for inebriated patrons to, ah, relieve of their valuables." Khalid: "I can't say it didn't happen to me from t-time to time. Perhaps you picked my pocket!" Rasaad: "Oh. Yes. Forgive me, my friend. I feel great shame for much of what I did before finding Selune." Khalid: "I'm sorry, Rasaad. Making you uncomfortable was the l-last thing I wanted. Please, think nothing of it." Rasaad: "I shall try to do so. I suppose I have not entirely put those days behind me. Even now they find a way to disrupt my serenity." - Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear

The air of the khanduq market is hazy with late afternoon heat. Rasaad, at seven years old, is by now hardened to Calimport's desert landscape; he knows the heat will pass, but more than that, he knows how to operate within it, keeping to shadows in between his 'fishing' expeditions with Gamaz.

His older brother is the better thief of the two of them. Rasaad is quick and clever but a poor liar, and not as practiced at spotting a good mark in the ever-shifting city crowds. Today, though, Gamaz is busy fishing in the inner market, so Rasaad is left to his own devices, drifting aimlessly among the taverns that surround the khanduq like a blanket.

The taverns are rather hit-or-miss when it comes to pickpocketing. Most of the time, the bar patrons of this district have only as much coin as will buy them a night's ale. Gamaz has little compunction in stealing even from those just as destitute, but even at his young age Rasaad finds it disquieting in some way he doesn't yet have the words to define.

But every now and then, the drudach plays host to someone more important, some visitor from the rich districts come to sample the stronger (and cheaper) ale of the markets. And today, Rasaad spots one such - a merchant by his clothes, trotting on horseback down the street with his family behind him.

The man is tall, good-looking but with his looks offset by a haughty sneer that twists his mouth up at one corner. His wife, dressed the same gaudy and gold-embroidered style, bears a matching expression, as do his two young sons, each astride their own pony and marching in lockstep behind him. Behind them is a younger boy about Rasaad's age, equally well-dressed but not on horseback, trudging along wearily behind.

A good mark, Rasaad thinks. His little face twists in concentrated thought as he tries to consider what Gamaz (two years older and much wiser in the ways of thievery) would think. The two younger men are the best target; each carries a fat purse on his belt and neither seems to have much of an attentive eye, as they are both arguing with each other as their ponies trot along the street.

He watches as they dismount at a tavern door, all swinging from their horses with practiced grace and making an ostentatious show of sweeping the dust from their fine clothes. Each of them hands the reins to the boy that was following behind, leaving him with the four creatures to manage as they disappear into the tavern's dark and noisy interior.

Good, Rasaad thinks. They will get drunk, and perhaps their sons too, and the gold and silver and copper fish in their pockets will jump to the hook. In the meantime, he examines the boy with the horses, who is awkwardly fumbling with the various sets of reins to tie them all off to the hitching posts. A servant, presumably - and a rather nervous one too, as he jumps when Rasaad approaches.

"I can hold them for you," Rasaad says gravely. It is strategic, of course; if he can fall into talk with the servant boy, it will be easier to get close to his rich patrons when they come wobbling back out of the bar. It has, of course, nothing to do with the fact that the boy looks a little overwhelmed trying to hold all four creatures in place long enough to tie them off.

The boy flinches, squinting at Rasaad warily. "Y-you will not steal them?" he stammers doubtfully. "F-father says there's n-nothing but thieves up this d-district..."

Rasaad is not a very good liar, but luckily at this moment he can tell the truth. "I won't steal the horses," he says honestly, and holds his hand out. The boy relaxes, and then grins, placing two of the sets of reins into Rasaad's palm.

"Th-thank you," he mumbles. His voice is high and earnest, touched with a stammer that thickens the occasional syllable. "I'll have it all d-done in a moment. I'm b-better with the horses than Ayaan and Jamari."

Rasaad, who has never had occasion to ride a horse ever in his life, finds that they are rather stronger than he expected; one of them tosses its head and nearly yanks him sideways off his feet. But he sets his legs hard and holds on, not wanting to look like a fool in front of the other boy. "Who're they?" he asks, trying to sound nonchalant.

"My b-brothers," the boy explains. He jerks his head towards the tavern, and Rasaad blinks.

"Why en't you in there with them?" he asks, perplexed enough to break his thin veneer of disinterest. "That was your father?"

"My b-brothers are their mother's sons," the boy says glumly. "I am not. So they care little for me, and I walk b-behind, and wait here." Then he brightens a little. "B-but the horses are nicer than b-brothers, anyhow. They don't kick me."

Rasaad frowns. His memories of his own father are muddled, and all too dominated by the smear of red with which he ended. But he knows about brothers; he has Gamaz, and would not trade him for anything, as it is the two of them against all the hard world of the Calimport streets. It is hard to imagine a life with brothers where that bond is not everpresent and unspoken.

"Your brothers kick you? You should kick them back," he says matter-of-factly, hopping up on a nearby crate, his dark eyes suddenly smoldering with mild indignation on behalf of this stranger. He doesn't usually like the rich boys he's encountered, but this one doesn't make a show of it. He seems quiet - kind, even, judging by the way he's petting each horse's nose as he Rasaad wonders if he sees much of his father's coin. "Or I could kick them for you."

The boy looks alarmed. "N-no! They would have the amlakkar on you," he says, shaking his head. "It's-- it's all right. J-just the way of things." Then he smiles, just a little, leaning against the tavern wall. "But th-thank you," he adds with a sheepish chuckle.

Rasaad grunts, folding his arms across his chest. "Why did you come around here?" he asked.

"F-father has a new business deal," the boy explains. "We-- they-- are celebrating." He frowns, not quite meeting Rasaad's eyes. "He likes t-to come this way when he wants to feel important," he adds in a low voice.

Rasaad scowls. Yes, he knows many merchants from the rich districts like this; they come to the less ostentatious corners of the city just to enjoy the way all eyes turn to them when they walk through. They make good marks, usually - but that doesn't make Rasaad like them. "Think a lot of themselves, do they?"

The boy blinks, then glances furtively over his shoulder to check that no one is listening. Then he grins a little, and nods, and hops up on the crate next to Rasaad. Rasaad grins back; he's starting to get an idea.

They've been sitting half an hour or so in cautious conversation when they're interrupted abruptly by a shout from inside the door.

"Khalid!" The boy jumps at the word - his name, evidently - and then scrambles to his feet hastily as the two brothers come staggering back out of the bar. They smell not of ale but of expensive Moonshae whiskey, which they have evidently downed with significant rapidity.

One of them claps a hand none-too-kindly on Khalid's shoulder. "Ready th' horses again," he slurs. "Th' proprietor here was not - properly - respectful, so we'll not be stayin'--" he breaks off, squints at Rasaad. "What're you looking at, boy?" he snaps abruptly.

Rasaad slides slowly off the crate, peering up at the young man and not bothering to conceal his dislike. With exaggerated politeness, he bows, backpedaling a few steps. "Nothing, saer," he says. "I was admiring your garments. If you'd step this way, I should like to see them a little better in the sunlight..."

He trails off, takes a few steps back out into the street, and his eyes narrow in sudden focus as he gathers up everything Gamaz ever taught him to the front of his mind. The two rich young men - too drunk to question the idea that someone might wish to admire them - follow him agreeably towards the shaft of sunlight painting the thoroughfare... and he strikes.

It is, perhaps, one of the deftest bits of fishing he has ever managed, and he is only sorry Gamaz isn't here to see it. He manages to make it look entirely accidental, but shifts his body as he comes off the curb as if he has tripped, and strikes his full weight into one of the boys. At the same time, he lets his opposite leg catch the other boy at the back of the knee. The dual impacts send both boys sprawling out into the street, a cloud of dust rising up around them, and as they fall, his fingers flick across their belts, lifting both heavy purses from beneath their tunics and into the wide hidden pocket in his own.

"You impudent little cur!" The older of the young men comes up off the street, and Rasaad is pleased to see that a measure of horse dung is liberally mixed with the dirt now painting the front of his finery.

"Clumsy fool!" snaps the other, who has climbed to his knees and is wiping fruitlessly at a damp bit of mud that has smeared across his face.

Rasaad lets his dark eyes go very wide, and backpedals a few steps away, holding his arms out to the side in a placating gesture. "I'm so sorry, saers. So sorry!"

"Get out of here right now, if you know what's good for you!" snaps the eldest, raising a hand. Rasaad darts backwards with practiced ease to avoid the blow, and looks past the two disheveled men to the young boy still standing by the horses. Khalid, out of his brothers' line of sight, has a wide, delighted grin on his face, his eyebrows lifted to his hairline.

Rasaad grins back, then turns and bolts, disappearing into the crowd and down a nearby alley into the shadows.

-----

(edit: forgot to include the tag list! <3

@scribblingface @writer86 @thedarkstrategist @marigoldbaker @krawwan

@eluvisen

Want to join one of my tag lists? Click here!)

[bareee]

Kid zoned

Durin a convo with a bud a mine Gale’s age came up, havin thought it was mid 40s with what I saw a year ago both of us were surprised when now everythin’s proven his to be 35 or as young as 30. Puttin’ him in the kid zone for Mark XD so yal’s old man loves are doomed as it was old man liesssss

I’ll leave it up yal in the comment(Or reblog tags here i guess…) and who actually reads these if from here I go by his official age of 35 or the age I’ve always assumed(45ish/closer to his voice actors age), cause I don’t care as much bout Gale bein kid zoned compared to mayhaps some of you commenters XD one way or another I’m still gonna make fun of how clingy he was durin’ my run but when it comes to yal’s choices I give ya and me givin’ yal more control over who Mark grows to cares about Gale won’t be on the list of ‘possible partners’. A age gap of 13 ‘s a bit much for my comfort, why half the companions are stuck behind that kid wall and Gale’ll join em. I have at least some lines I won’t cross for yal humph and there’s still two pain in the asses left for ya, Aint even gonna get in elf age dilemmas… so Shadowheart and Astarion are safe… for now~