#Maybe it's the Sands and desert overload getting to me

[chorrianderr]

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As much as I love the Sumeru gang (helo there my bby Cyno!) I feel like Sumeru charas hijacking every other nation's events is a little bit too much...

[kimmimaru]

Oooohhhh....The Dyne part in Rebirth? Perfect. The drama. The emotion. Loved it. Only dissapointment was that I really wanted to see Rude go up against Dio, bet that would've been great. Bloody Elena and her helicopter getting in my way, lol. Absolutely HATED the get away after that, sensory overload. Can't shoot stuff or aim when there's way too much going on at once, jesus christ. Now I'm wondering around the desert fighting sand worms pretending I'm in Dune. Also, I want to know what Reno's doing. They all say he's on holiday, but it seems pretty sus to me. Either he's off doing something sneaky behind the scenes OR he IS on vacation and miserable about it because he obviously didn't want to go. But honestly its always struck me as odd that he has that much time off in a world with literal healing magic. We know Tseng has a mastered restore materia Veld gives him, he can use that or even potions. Why did he suddenly need vacation time? Not because of the wounds, seems weird if it was. And if it is a holiday because he has some time to take and Tseng is making him, then why not wait for a more convient time? Maybe a time when Sephiroth isn't hell bent on fucking the world up, or there aren't terrorists running around or something? You'd think they would need him. I dunno, it doesn't feel right and I believe he's doing some sneaky Turk mission but I am probably wrong and its just a way for the creators to put a character aside for a while. More fun to imagine Reno doing a secret mission though, so secret even we, the player, don't know what he's up to. I know he gets a new weapon too at some point, but it can't take that long tbh.

[angryschnauzer]

Castle Under The Stars

Summary: You always worry when its a full moon and your husband is away on assignment, but this full moon is different as he comes home to be with you. Will it be for good? And just how much fun can two werewolves get up to during the full moon when they have a child to look after?

A continuation of Moonlight On The Sand

Pairing: Werewolf Captain Syverson x Werewolf Female Reader

Warnings: NSFW, 18+, Oral Sex, Outdoor Sex, Werewolves, Breeding, Breeding Kink.

Typos are free range and organic, allowed to run wild and free. I do not operate a tag list but if you follow @angryschnauzerwrites​ and put that blog onto notifications, you’ll get an alert each time i post something new. Past works can also be found there.

Castle Under The Stars

You stepped out onto the back porch and propped the door open with a boot, the warm summer's breeze blowing softly at the net curtains on the kitchen windows, bringing in the scent of the roses in from the garden. Wiping your hands on your apron before hanging it on the little hook by the door, you grabbed your garden shears and flower basket, and headed out with bare feet onto the cool grass. The windows of your cabin all stood open, allowing the warm breeze to flow through the house, but also so you could hear if your little one cried from his nursery.

Quietly you stood and let the breeze push your light skirt against your legs as you carefully selected roses from the overloaded bushes. Small clouds skidded across the night sky, and for a moment you turned your face to feel the soft moonlight on your skin. The reflection of the sun's rays on its surface from orbit made your skin prickle, as if someone was pouring champagne over your limbs, but that was as far as your transformation would go, with the exception of the ring of fire in your irises.

You had been Sixteen when you had been turned. On a geology camping field trip, nature had literally callen and as you’d been in the bushes relieving yourself that’s when the lupine had got you. It took a few months to realise what had happened, and it was only when your monthly period bleed coincided with a full moon did you turn. With irregular cycles through your teens and early twenties, you probably only turned twice, maybe three times a year, but eventually you got used to it.

It had however been a bit of a shock to your new husband, Sy, when you had turned for the first time. He’d knocked you up on the first day he met you, so it took a good 11 months before your cycle had come back, two months after the birth of your precious baby boy. That first night had been a challenge; dealing with a newborn whilst both parents were howling at the moon, however you were thankful that Edith who lived in the cabin down the lane knew of these things, and upon hearing the howling had rushed over in her nightgown. 

Since then Edith had been like a surrogate mother and grandmother, as it turned out her late husband had the lupine tendencies too. Your deployment had ended whilst you were on maternity leave and you’d chosen to leave the Army entirely rather than take a desk job. Sy was special ops and in the middle of another deployment, but you had no idea when that would finish because of the nature of his assignment. Looking up at the moon you wondered where he was, hoping he was coping with the full moon and his monthly transformation. You weren’t ashamed to admit you actually really enjoyed when he was at home for a full moon; he was even more attentive and the sex was mind blowing. Standard sex with Sy left you bow legged and exhausted, but with the added power of the moon… well, it was out of this world and you’d had orgasms so strong you’d actually passed out a couple of times. 

The sounds of the occasional truck on the highway a couple of hundred feet away sporadically filled the night, and you thought about that time Sy had driven out to the lake with you and you’d spent the night fucking under the moonlight in the flatbed which he’d covered with blankets and throw pillows. You’d been seven months pregnant but good god it was some of the best sex you’d ever had. 

As you shifted to reach a particularly large rose you could feel your panties stick to you, just the thought of Sy was making you wet and ready. You wished you knew when he would be home, taking matters into your own hands wasn’t nearly as satisfying as the real thing from the man you loved.

Just then you heard a pair of owls hooting in the distance, a truck on the highway honking its horn, so you didn’t notice the sound of tyres on the long grassy driveway that ran up the hill to the cabin. Humming to yourself you were running your fingertips over the soft petals of a trailing white rose when the first hint of his scent reached you on the wind. It made you stop and doubt yourself, before it hit again and you felt the heat in the pit of your stomach bloom. Dropping the basket and shears on the grass you ran to the front of the cabin, the breeze catching at your skirts before you finally saw him, standing at the open gate to the garden, his large duffel hanging from his shoulder, the fire in his eyes as he finally saw you.

“Sy!”

He let the bag drop to the floor as you ran into his arms, launching yourself at him, your legs were wrapped around his thick waist as you kissed him. His deep laugh as you peppered his face with soft kisses, the tears of happiness rolling down your cheeks;

“I’m here Darlin’” he practically growled, and that’s when you remembered the moon.

Pulling back you looked him in the eyes, the golden ring of fire matching your own, and as he took long strides across the grass you felt the coupling connection again, just like that first night in the desert. 

He set you down on the lawn, laying you softly on the grass as he pressed open mouthed kisses down your neck. Grasping the front of your dress he let out a growl as he ripped the garment clean in two, humming his appreciation at your swollen breasts where you were still breastfeeding and soft belly, before your soaked panties met the same fate as your dress. His lips continued their path down your body, until he reached the apex of your thighs and inhaled deeply, his eyes shining bright in the moonlight before he dived in and licked a wide stripe through your soaked folds. There under the soft caress of the moon’s rays your lupine husband pulled the first of many orgasms from your body that night, surrounded by the wild calls of nature and the overwhelming scent of the roses. 

-

Sitting at the kitchen table, the morning sunlight streamed in through the windows as you flipped the pancakes on the skillet, smiling as you watched your two boys have breakfast. Michael sat in his high chair, babbling away as Sy seemingly understood every word of gibberish that came from his son’s lips. 

Sliding the pancakes onto a plate, you set it down on the table before you felt a strong arm around your waist and Sy pulled you across his lap, his massive hands smoothing over your bare thighs where all you wore were panties and his t-shirt;

“Steady there Darlin, making me want more than just pancakes for breakfast if you’re walkin’ around in just this”

Just then there was a knock at the screen door, all three of you turning to see Edith smiling and waving from the other side;

“Edith! Come in girl, been looking forward to seeing ya!” Sy called out, a huge grin on his face that got even bigger when he spied the basket she was carrying covered in a red and white checkered napkin.

You reluctantly climbed off your husband's lap, excusing yourself to quickly grab your robe as Sy and Edith talked;

“Big Sy, i knew it was your truck that rumbled past my cabin last night”

“Was indeed, home with my girl and my little man” he paused as Edith set the basket onto the table; “Those aren’t….?”

“They sure are” she pulled the napkin up and underneath were her famous peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies.

Sy quickly pulled one from the basket and snapped it in two, handing half to Michael who happily chewed on the freshly baked treat.

“Hmmmnnnn, Edith, i could get used to these”

“You staying this time Sy?”

“I sure am Edith”

“Does she know?”

“Nope, wanna surprise her later”

“Moon’ll be up again tonight, you want me to watch Mikey?”

Just then you walked into the room, catching the last of the conversation;

“Are you sure?”

Edith stood and smiled, rubbing a finger over Michael’s chubby little cheek;

“Absolutely, why don’t I drop by after he’s had his supper?”

-

Setting Edith up with everything she would need for an evening of watching Jeopardy as your son slept peacefully in his crib, you grabbed the picnic basket and blanket and gave Michael a kiss, before stepping out into the night air. Sy had already taken off, with the moon rising before sundown he got antsy, but he would meet you at the lake. He’d set everything up ready, and just told you to drive his truck down, he’d set off on foot earlier, wanting to burn some energy in the calmness of nature.

The truck's tyres crunched on the gravel as you parked up, the lake a still mirror for the pink purple skyline as the sun set behind the mountains in the distance. But none of those were what you were looking at, no, what drew your attention was your husband quietly sitting on a rock at the shoreline, his boots resting beside him as he let his feet cool in the waters. With your sandals left in the truck you walked across the soft sand before reaching the shoreline, sitting beside him as he wrapped his big arm around your shoulders.

“Sy, what are you thinking about?”

He looked at you, his smile warm as his eyes shone amber in the low light;

“Lots of things Darlin… how lucky i am to have you in my life, how i don’t think i could have coped with what happened if it hadn’t been for you”

“Oh Sy…” your eyes watered; “I love you so much”

“I love you too Darlin. You and Mikey are my world…” he paused, poignantly; “There’s something else i wanna tell ya Darlin…”

For a moment you heart sank, dreading what he was going to say;

“Sy…”

“Ya know how Walt’s construction business is expanding and he needs a new site manager?”

“What?” whatever you were expecting, it wasn’t that

“Well, i got a surprise…” he pulled you onto his lap, his hands resting on your ass; “I’m done with the Army”

“No! You’d better not be fibbing…” your eyes were full to the brim, nervous tears threatening to spill

“Not fibbing… i’m done. Wanted to keep it a surprise until i knew for sure that the assignment was completed”

Crying happy tears you wrapped your arms around your husbands shoulders, burying your face in his neck as you sobbed joyfully that he wasn’t going away again. 

When you had finally settled down and Sy had reassured you for the 10th time that it was definitely true, he was definitely staying home for good, the pair of you stood and started to walk along the shore of the lake barefoot, the warm sand beneath your feet as you clasped your hand around his.

The gentle sound of the water coupled with the feel of your skin touching his calmed Sy, even though the moon was out high above the pair of you, he didn’t feel the need to turn, the sense of utter contentment a balm on his soul. As you had rounded the lake he stumbled on a pebble, and in turn a giggle escaped your lips. Steadying himself he smirked and kicked at the water, splashing you a little as you let out a shriek at the cool water hitting your warm skin. Retaliating you splashed him a little more than you were expecting, soaking one side of his cargo shorts and he paused and looked at you with a feral smile spreading across his lips;

“Oh, now you’re in for it Darlin…”

Your legs carried you as you ran through the surf, knowing Sy would eventually catch you, yet the thrill was in the chase. You could hear his heavy footfalls gaining on you, but you had the advantage of being light on your feet and made a sharp turn into the woodland, the soft grass beneath your feet dry and coarse. You realised he wasn’t behind you and you slowed, turning to try and figure out where he went, when suddenly he emerged from the bushes, his eyes glowing amber in the darkness and he tackled you to the ground, yet somehow managed to turn your bodies so you were on top of him;

“Gotcha!”

He pulled you down so he could kiss you, turning your bodies until he was on top, shifting his knees so he could nestle between your thighs. Your skirt had rucked up in the tussle, and the harsh brush of his shorts against the soft skin of your thighs had your hips bucking up against him, eager for friction as your arousal grew. With the quick fumbling of eager hands you were both soon naked, Sy kneeling between your spread thighs to take in the sight of you, your nipples hard and your arousal a sheen between your legs. Grabbing your hips he pulled you up his thighs, your back arched and your shoulders still on the ground as he thrust into you, spearing your flesh with his own and you both let out a howl of pleasure. 

Sy couldn’t tear his gaze away from where your bodies were joined, watching each time he pulled out and saw your juices glistening on his shaft, or how your cunt stretched open as he pushed this fat dick back into you, parting your walls and you cried out in pleasure. He fucked you like the feral beast he was, claiming his mate and catching the tell tale scent that drove him wild;

“Fuck, you’re ripe… gonna breed you and give you another pup. Thought i caught the scent last night but now i know for sure… can’t wait to see your belly round and your tits even fuller…”

He drove into your fertile body, feeling you cum around him yet he pounded through your orgasm knowing your cervix would be wide open now that you had cum and ready to take his seed. You were whimpering in his grasp, desperate for more but overwhelmed at the same time; 

“Sy… please… please put a baby in me…”

“Almost… there… Darlin’...” he grunted through thrusts, before his body went rigid and he threw his head back, filling your womb with pump after pump of his thick seed, a broad smile on his face as he even held you in place knowing that gravity would help get every last drop of cum through your cervix and flood your fertile ground. 

When he had finally finished coming he carefully settled the two of you onto the soft grass, holding you tight as your bodies were still joined, knowing that he would stay hard for another two or three goes. By the time he would be finished your bodies would be battered and bruised from the intensity of your lovemaking, yet the power of the moon would ensure by morning you would be healed, no outwardly visible signs that the feral carnality of the nights pleasures left behind, even if it meant you’d be sitting down tenderly on a cushion for the following 48 hours. 

It was well into the early hours when the pair of you finally limped back to Sy’s truck, resting your head on his shoulder as he carefully drove home, the moon having set early thanks to its cycle. 

When you arrived back at the cabin Edith was having a cigarette on the porch, the baby monitor resting on the rail next to her;

“Got it outta your systems?” she grinned as she took one last drag before crushing it in a plant pot of sand that sat at the doorway. 

“For tonight” Sy smirked as he carried you bridal style up the steps of the porch; “Can we book ya for tomorrow night too?”

“Sure thing Big Sy, but you’ll owe me”

“I’ll come fix the drainpipe around your porch once the full moon has passed”

“Deal… you’re a good-un” the old woman smiled as she grabbed her keys and slid the baby monitor into your lap as you quietly snoozed in your husbands arms; “It’ll be a girl this time”

Sy’s eyes went wide;

“How do you…?”

“I just know Sweetheart… my husband wasn’t the only one that’d turn ya’know…”

Sy held you as he watched the old woman make her way down the grassy lane to her cabin;

“She’s full o’ surprises is that one…” he looked down at you and pressed a kiss to your cheek, before catching the screen door with his booted foot; “Lets get you to bed for some rest… gotta recharge for tomorrow night… maybe make it twins…”

You shifted in his grasp;

“That’s not how it works” you mumbled sleepily, a smile on your face, but the truth was neither of you knew how it worked when you were lupine… really, anything could happen.

[keanureevesisbae]

The alluring charm of Henry Cavill - Chapter 4

Summary: Henry and Adelaide are on the road for some more challenges, some disgusting, some almost romantic. 

Henry Cavill x Adelaide Park (ofc)

Wordcount: 6k

Warnings: They’re eating weird things (no not each other), but it’s disgusting. I nearly had to vomit when I wrote it and you can thank me later for not including pictures of the certain cuisines they were eating. 

Masterlist // Previous chapter // Next chapter

Henry can’t say many positive things about ‘The Celebrity Project’, but the fact that they edited a very decent first episode in a matter of twenty four hours, so it could air, is very impressive. It covered the days up to the late night swim. Though the swim was pulled out of context and he hated that (one of the reasons actually he didn’t want to join: reality tv is never reality) the editors made it seem like they were a couple.

Henry realized that they left out the ‘dyslexia question’ he asked her about. Why would they want to do that? Did she specifically asked for them to keep that out or do they not want people to understand her a bit better? He did realize that he had a lot more understanding for her and the way she handles interviews.

Henry walks around the cottage, hoping to find Adelaide, because he saw the new challenge on the coffee table and he can’t to do it alone. He hears her humming from the bathroom. The door is wide open and he catches her standing on a little stool so she can actually see herself in the mirror. He can’t help but smile.

Adelaide owns a huge variety of cute pajamas and today she is wearing a pink short with little avocado’s on it, with a matching shirt. ‘What are you doing?’ he asks, leaning against the doorframe.

She looks up, dots of her night creme spread over her face and flashes him a smile. After they swam in the pool, he felt the desperate need to win slowly slipping through his fingers, as if the dream of becoming James Bond was like desert sand. What was happening to him? He turns in a pile of mush whenever Adelaide is around him.

Yesterday, when the first episode would air, all the duos made dinner with each other and watched the episode together. While they were making dinner, he kept holding himself back, to not pull everything from Adelaide’s hands. It was ridiculous. He knows that she is a mature, independent woman and that she can totally manage.

‘Skin care,’ she says, as she massages in the creme. ‘What are you… here? Doing here?’

They have spend so much time together, that she grows more comfortable around him and of course she makes slip ups every now and then, but her cheeks don’t turn into a fiery red as they used to.

‘We have a challenge downstairs. Figured we should do that.’

‘Of course.’ Adelaide flicks off the light and together they walk down the stairs. She notices the stuff spread out on the table. The two empty wine glasses, the red wine that he got from the cellar and the cards to get to know one another. She takes a chip and plops on the couch. ‘What is it?’

‘Get to know cards,’ he says, trying to hide his wide smile, but he simply can’t. This is what he wanted. He wanted to get to know Adelaide and though they have become closer over the course of the days, she is a professional in not going too deep into her family life and her personal life in general. He sits close to her, her feet almost touching his thigh.

Yesterday, when they all were watching the first episode, she kicked off her sneakers and was almost hiding underneath a blanket. Her feet were warming underneath his leg. He didn’t think she noticed what she did, but as soon as she did, she started softly apologizing, but he simply shook his head and said it was okay. It was well hidden underneath the blanket and despite the warm weather, her feet were really cold.

Henry grabs her ankles and places her feet on his lap, after he poured in the wine in the glasses and gave her one. ‘Ready?’ he asks, placing his hand on her ankle.

‘I think I am.’ Adelaide looks right in his eyes, but he notices her lips pursed together.

‘If you don’t want to answer it, you don’t have to,’ he tells her. ‘Remember that, okay?’

‘Same goes…’ She carelessly gestures to him, but he got the message. Same goes for him.

‘What is your most unusual talent?’ he asks and he visibly sees her relax when she realizes that these are the types of questions. ‘Want to know mine?’ Maybe that’ll ease her mind even more if he starts.

‘Yes, please.’

‘I can do make a four leave clover with my tongue.’ He shows off the ridiculous thing and Adelaide places her hand in front of her mouth.

‘That’s so weird,’ she chuckles. ‘I can’t even do the roll thing with my tongue.’ She sticks out her tongue, almost looking crossed eyed as she tries to roll her tongue. A laugh leaves his lips. He likes it when she’s goofy with him, it shows him that she trusts him. ‘My unique talent is that I can hit a whistle tone.’ Knowing that he wants to hear it, she clears her throat, does some vocal exercises and goes from a pretty high note, all the way to a whistle tone.

‘Damn,’ he mutters out. ‘So I take it that you can sing too.’

She shrugs. ‘Hardly.’

‘Sing something for me,’ he says with a smile.

‘That wasn’t a question on the get to know me-cards.’ She takes the first one out of his hands and says: ‘Next one.’

He’ll get her to sing.

‘Next question,’ he says, getting another card of the deck. ‘Sing the first song that comes to mind.’ Henry can’t help but laugh, throwing his head back against the wall.

‘It does not say that,’ Adelaide says, snatching the card out of his hands. She frowns as she reads the question and she pouts as she realizes it does say exactly that. ‘This is just mean.’

‘I’ll go first,’ he says. The first song that comes to mind, after totally blanking for five whole seconds is the most ridiculous song he has ever thought of in his entire life and that is all thanks to his mom who played this non stop when he and his brothers were growing up.

Waterloo, I was defeated, you won the war

Waterloo, promise to love you for ever more

Henry doesn’t get further than two sentences, because he bursts out in laughter when he catches Adelaide’s eye, who is trying her hardest to not laugh at him. He never heard his voice this squeaky and shaky and hides his face in his hand. ‘I’m so sorry you had to listen to that.’

‘Why are you singing Waterloo by Abba? How is that the first song that comes to mind?’

‘It’s all my mothers fault. She used to listen to that song all the time.’

She simply cocks an eyebrow.

‘I blanked, okay and this was the first I could think of. You sing something now.’

Adelaide looks like she is trying to think of all different types of excuses, but knows deep down that she can’t get out of this.

You’re the only one that saves me when I’m alone

You’re the only love that I’ve ever known

But we turned into a flower that never grows

I was hiding like the moonlight that never shows

I should’ve told you that I loved you

One more time, one more time, one more time

She wasn’t looking at him when she sang, but after she said the last “one more time”, their eyes meet and her voice slowly fades out. She had a lovely tone, a warm, nearly hoarse singing voice.

He really does not want her to stop, but he can’t force Adelaide to sing more. The fact that she sang six beautiful sentences to him already, is something he should cherish. ‘Wow,’ he admits. ‘You have a beautiful voice.’

Adelaide doesn’t take the compliment. She simply gestures for the next question. He wants to overload her with compliments, about how she should record an album and he would buy it in a heartbeat, but he decides to listen to her and grab a new question.

‘What celebrity would you most want to sit next to on an airplane?’ he asks.

She smiles. ‘Easy: you.’

‘Me?’ Henry asks, placing his hand on his chest. ‘Why me?’

Adelaide simply shrugs, as a blush appears on her cheeks. ‘I like you.’

She likes him? The smile on his face, is inevitable.

‘But you can pick any celebrity you want,’ he says, ‘and you already know me.’

‘I know,’ she tells him, ‘but I’m not really looking to get to know someone new. I’d rather learn more about people that I already know.’

That is adorable, especially since it’s in the combination with her cheeks turning slightly pink.

‘Who would you like to sit next to on an airplane?’ she asks him.

‘You, of course. We could play some of these cards. You could maybe sing for me.’

‘Shut up,’ she chuckles.

He grins, probably like an idiot and the hidden camera’s here most likely pick up on it. ‘What’s a weird family tradition you have?’

‘Can we skip that one?’ she asks in tiny font. ‘Please?’

He actually doesn’t want to, but he simply nods, taking a sip of his wine. ‘If you joined the circus, what would your act be? I’d be a lion tamer for sure,’ he chuckles. ‘I’d love that.’

‘I could see that happen,’ she says. ‘Especially in a nice costume they always wear. I want to be one of those flexible people.’

‘A contortionist?’ he asks. ‘Why?’

‘That’s fun. Here, see this.’ She straightens her arm in front of her, holding her hand as if she’s telling you non verbally to stop. She turns her hand ninety degrees to the side, another ninety, another ninety, before she actually turned her hand a full 360 degrees.

‘No, no, no,’ he says, as he sees her hand totally twist back to normal. He takes her wrist in his hand, checking her elbow and her shoulder, to see if it’s all okay. ‘That can’t be normal.’

‘Little trick I taught myself back in the day and if you keep it up, you can still do it when you’re older.’ She nods, emphasizing that that it’s true.

‘I believe you.’ He grabs the next question card. ‘Think of a warning label for the other person.’

‘Yours would say…’ Adelaide purses her lips and says: ‘Something about: beware of the charms, because you are by far the most charming man I’ve ever met.’

Henry shouldn’t be blushing, but on the other hand: this is the nicest compliment he has gotten in years. The host of that stupid trivia game kept calling him ‘Handsome Henry with a Brain’ and it annoyed the shit out of him. Being called charming, especially by someone like Adelaide, is something he never knew he wanted this much. ‘That’s sweet, Addy. Yours would be: will kill you with her adorableness.’

She hides her face in her hands, but he is thankful that she does that, since it gives him a moment to hide his own blush.

He finds out a lot about her. She’d rather have teeth as hair, then hair as her teeth (something that he completely agrees with). If she could talk to an animal, she’d talk to a koala because they are so cute, while he would want to talk to Kal. She can’t reach her nose with her tongue, while he on the other hand can.

But he also discovers that she really must have a low tolerance when it comes to alcohol, because after just finishing her glass, she is becoming more and more tired and he watches her drifting off to sleep. He slowly lifts up her legs, so he can stand up. Her neck is craned in a weird position, and he doesn’t want her to feel that in the morning. He lifts her up and carries her to bed. When he placed her on the mattress, she immediately turns around to hug the pillows.

Henry checks the locks and turns off the lights, before he steps into the bed as well. When the room goes completely dark, he hears the soft breathing of Adelaide and he feels her fingers against his arm. He looks to the side, only to see that she is still asleep.

He smiles, before closing his eyes to fall asleep.

◎ ◎ ◎

The next morning Henry wakes up because Adelaide nudges him awake. She is all dressed  up and ready for the day. He stares at her in a lovely white dress, her short light brown hair dancing around her face. The smile on her face is infectious, because he feels one appear on his own face. ‘Good morning,’ she says. ‘I made you breakfast.’

‘You did?’ Henry sits up straight, rubs his face and says: ‘I usually make you breakfast.’

Adelaide nods. ‘I know, but I wanted to do something for you. You know… In return.’ She tells him to hurry and she nearly skips out of the room. He quickly puts on some sweatpants and socks, checking his phone in the process.

Richard: You are definitely doing everything you can to win, now do you?

Why is his agent messaging him? He barely messages him.

Henry: What do you mean?

Richard: I mean, I know you. We’ve been working together for years now. You don’t actually like her now, do you?

Henry: Well, I enjoy her company. I mean, it’s best for me to make most out of it, right?

Richard: That’s not an answer to my question. You like her?

Henry: I like being around her, yes.

Richard: Don’t go catching feelings for her now, Cavill. When you lose, who are you going to blame then?

Henry stares at his phone. Shouldn’t he catch feelings for her? Is that even what he is doing? He meant what he told his agent: he enjoys her company and likes being around her.

But he also likes her. A lot.

He quickly walks downstairs and when he is in the living room, he discovers that Adelaide knows exactly about his preferences. She made orange juice and four sandwiches for him, while she only made two for herself. He also spots some boiled eggs in the middle, some watermelon and even tofu.

‘Wow,’ he says, impressed by the amount of food and how well she actually knows him. This isn’t helping for the not catching feelings, if he even wanted to do that. ‘Really?’

‘Really.’

He takes a seat, just like her and takes a sip of the orange juice. It’s weird, but everything always tastes better when it’s made by someone else. They eat, Henry in his own tempo, while she goes in a much slower pace, as usual.

They have established a certain routine already, a morning routine, a night routine—it’s all so domestic and it isn’t even awkward or forced.

‘I read the next challenge and we’re going on a…’ Her voice drifts off and he sees her frown, as she is moving her lips, syllable for syllable. ‘Sca-ven-ger hunt.’

Henry smiles, proud of how quickly she does it. It usually takes a bit more time. ‘That sounds like fun.’

‘Probably with a twist again,’ she says, taking a bite of tofu.

He can’t help but be amused with how she eats, almost like a hamster. She pouts her lips as she chews, staring into the space. He wonders why she eats so slowly, why she doesn’t even talk his ear off?

Was he disappointed yesterday that she did’t answer that question about a weird family tradition? Sure, but he told her himself that if she doesn’t want to answer anything, she doesn’t need to. And she felt safe enough to tell him her boundaries.

After they ate, he reads the card and he quickly gets ready for real this time. When he comes back, he sees her sitting on the couch, her posture amazing as always. He grabs the keys and he sees she actually has a brown paper bag filled with goods as she stands up.

For a few moments Henry thinks that they are just going on a trip together, no camera’s, just them. He can see it happen: going to the beach, with the snacks Adelaide packed and just enjoying the sun.

But when he opens the car door for her and sees not only the carseat and the camera’s, he realizes again he is on the Celebrity Project.

◎ ◎ ◎

They have to drive for at least an hour and it’s actually Adelaide that turns on the radio. They hear One Direction’s Best Song Ever and Henry doesn’t want to admit that he knows this song by heart and that it’s his favorite song by the former band.

He doesn’t want to sing it, but then he hears Adelaide’s beautiful voice sing: ‘Maybe it’s the way she walked.’

He can’t help but to growl out: ‘Wow!’

She opens her mouth to sing the second line, but the ‘wow’ stops her and she looks to the side. ‘Oh my, is Henry Cavill a Directioner?’

‘Please don’t call it that,’ he says, a blush appearing on his cheeks. Great, if they put this in the next episode (and they will, Henry knows for sure), the whole world will know that Henry Cavill is a Directioner.

‘This is cute,’ Adelaide laughs. ‘Tell me, who was your favorite.’

Knowing he can’t get out of this, he mumbles: ‘Harry.’

‘Figured.’

‘Yours?’

‘Niall Horan,’ she says. She places her hand on his forearm for a brief moment. ‘No need to blush, Henry. It’s quite cute.’

Adelaide continues to sing and Henry decides to just sing along, not caring anymore about his singing voice. They even sing a few ABBA songs and the song she actually sang yesterday, “I should’ve told you’’ by Fiji Blue. He had never heard of it, but he concludes that her voice is beyond beautiful and fits this type of song perfectly.

‘Our voices go well together,’ she admits, after their duet of ‘Beauty and the Beast’, the official version of Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson. ‘When you’re not singing ABBA songs, you have a nice voice.’

He pinches her in her side, causing her to squeal. ‘Careful now, Addy,’ he chuckles. ‘Otherwise I have to push you off your carseat.’

‘Mean,’ she says, rolling her eyes. ‘Maybe after this, you could participate in those shows where celebrities who aren’t singers, go on and sing songs for charity as well.’

‘Only if you are my partner,’ he says. ‘I don’t want to go alone.’

Adelaide frowns, before she nods. ‘We do work good together, don’t we?’

‘We do,’ he says.

She stares at him for a few seconds, he can see it out of the corners of his eyes. ‘Can we stop for a minute?’ she asks, pointing to a gas station. ‘I have to pee.’

He gets off the lane, parks the car and together they walk inside. A crew follows them, after they parked the car that drove behind them the entire time. Adelaide rushes to the bathroom and he goes on and buys some bottles of water and an iced coffee. The man behind the counter is pretty nice and they talk a bit about the show, but when Adelaide walks out of the bathroom, shaking her hands dry, the man completely ignores Henry. ‘Miss Adelaide Park?’ The man gets away from behind the counter, brings some paper towels for Adelaide and hands them to her. ‘I’m big fan.’

‘Oh,’ she says with a smile, drying her hands. ‘That’s sweet.’

‘I loved all your movies, but ‘Remembering High School.’ He kisses his fingers. ‘Amazing. I watch over and over.’

Henry leans against the counter and he can’t help but smile.

‘Really? What is your… favorite episode?’

‘Where you graduate. Very sweet, very beautiful and emotional. Me and girlfriend cry a lot about it.’

He wants to take a picture with Adelaide and Henry offers to take it for them. Adelaide actually stands on her tippy toes, to look a bit taller. The man is very happy to have met Adelaide and she even records a little video for the man’s girlfriend, something that Henry never thought of doing.

He did see some fan videos on YouTube of Adelaide with fans and it always warmed his heart. The way she takes her time.

Adelaide manages to tear herself away from the man and the two of them get back in the car. ‘Did he even notice that you were Superman?’ she asks.

He shakes his head. ‘I mean, I’m pretty famous, but nowhere near as famous as you are.’

‘That’s not true,’ she says, as he drives off.

For a few seconds, he places his hand on her thigh. ‘It is, Addy and you can admit it. No need to be humble about that.’

◎ ◎ ◎

Their first challenge contains eating certain cuisines from all over the world and in order to win, both of them have to take a bite of every dish. Every person has one pass, but if they don’t use it, they get even extra points.

Henry rubs his hands together, because he likes to broaden his horizon when it comes to food and this seems like an easy challenge to win. He isn’t afraid of trying out new things and he wonders what Adelaide is like with different types of cuisines.

Adelaide takes off the silver cover off the food. Instead of water running out of his mouth in anticipation, Henry nearly gags when his eyes fall on the first dish. ‘What on earth is that?’ he asks, placing his hand over his mouth.

Adelaide grabs the card and without looking away from the dish, she hands him the piece of paper says: ‘I think it’s on here. It looks like a spider.’

Henry clears his throat, before he reads the card. ‘It’s a fried tarantula and it originated from Colombia. It’s crispy on the outside, and gooey on the inside.’

Adelaide grabs one by its paw and holds it front of her, inspecting the snack.

‘They also say it tastes a bit like chicken,’ he continues. ‘Can I use my pass already? Because this is— Oh fuck, Adelaide, what are you doing?’

Full of disgust he stares at the petite woman in front of him, who actually took a bite of the most unappetizing looking snack ever. Did she actually just do that or is he hallucinating? He sure hopes it’s the latter.

However she looks up and says: ‘It does taste like chicken. You want to have a bite? It’s really not that bad.’

‘Did you actually just eat that?’ he asks, just in case he was hallucinating.

‘Yes.’ She frowns, staring at him with the biggest: are you fucking blind-face he has ever encountered in his entire life. ‘Come on, don’t be a big fat baby.’ She holds the disgusting looking fried tarantula in front of his mouth. ‘Henry, take a bite.’

‘Is it really not that bad?’ he says, as he feels vomit come up. He can’t seem to do it, because it’s… so disgusting.

‘It’s actually pretty good.’

With a scrunched up face, he opens his mouth, closes it again when he thinks about it for a while and shakes his head. ‘I can’t do it. This is disgusting.’

‘You already want to use your pass? What if the next thing is even more disgusting?’ She frowns. ‘I thought you wanted to win, Henry. Do you give up already?’

That is true. He wants to win and he keeps thinking about her holding him back, but now it’s the other way around. He holds her wrist and brings the disgusting looking snack to his mouth. Only Adelaide scares him by moving the tarantula in front of his mouth. Henry lets out a scream that is much higher than expected and he nearly tumbles backwards. She folds over as she laughs out loud. ‘You should’ve seen your face and what was that scream? You sounded like al little girl.’

‘That is really mean,’ he says, his heart pounding painfully in his throat. He watches as Adelaide places the thing on the tray again and wipes away the tears in her eyes. ‘I can’t believe you did that.’

‘I’m so sorry,’ she laughs, but she doesn’t mean it at all. ‘But I saw my moment and took it. You can’t blame me.’

He chuckles softly, because it was pretty funny and he would’ve done it the exact same thing. It takes him a few seconds, but he quickly takes a bite and chews on it, trying not to taste it.

But Adelaide was right: it does taste like chicken.

The next thing, makes her clap her hands. ‘Beondegi,’ she says with a chuckle.

‘You know this dish?’ he asks, looking at the most disgusting pile of silkworms on the plate.

‘My mom made this once.’ Her expressions falters a bit, but before he can comment on that, she says: ‘It’s not that bad, but not great either. It reminded her of home, so that’s why we ate it.’ She grabs a tiny skewer and sticks one on it, before she eats it.

‘You know no fear, now do you?’ he says, a smile appearing on his face, because he is in fact proud of her. ‘How are you such a dare devil?’

‘I can eat everything,’ Adelaide says, simply shrugging. ‘Come on, eat it.’ She sticks another one on the skewer and holds it near his lips. ‘I won’t scare you this time, I promise you.’

He takes a step closer to her and quickly eats it. Oh shit, it has no taste, but the texture makes him shiver. Henry actually doesn’t want to continue this, but she is right: he wants to win and besides, if she can eat it without blinking her eyes twice, so should he, right?

They continue to eat other disgusting things. Adelaide fed him grasshoppers that didn’t taste that bad, except for the surprising juice that came out of it. The frog legs were disgusting and they even ate some crocodile and whale. It is surprising that Adelaide continued to persuade him into eating all those disgusting things, but he has to really. She eats it without hesitation and since he doesn’t want to look like a wimp, he eats it too.

However, he does feel like he needs to throw up any second now.

They are at the last tray and Adelaide steps back when she lifts up the cover. ‘No, I’m not eating that,’ she says.

He stares at the very unappetizing snack on the tray, before he starts to laugh. ‘That’s escargot, Addy.’

‘I know that, but I’m not eating that.’

‘You ate all of that,’—he gestures at the rest of the table—‘but this you won’t eat? What is wrong with you?’

She gives him a push that brings herself out of balance and he has to catch her arms before she tumbles over. ‘Well, this is really disgusting. I mean— Henry, stop laughing.’

‘I can’t help it! You are being ridiculous.’

She grabs the tray and holds it in front of him. ‘Well, eat it first then.’

Adelaide Park, the sweet woman he has come to adore—oh no, is he falling for her?—is actually testing him right now? Is he seeing that correctly?

Henry doesn’t actually want to. ‘How about we use our pass?’

‘If you eat it,’ Adelaide says, ‘I’ll eat it too. Promise.’

He takes something off the plate and barely chews on it, before he eats it. ‘Disgusting,’ he gags.

‘You are a big baby,’ she chuckles, before she takes one off the plate and she eats it without a hitch, though she scrunches up her nose. ‘Strange texture.’

‘I can’t believe you,’ he chuckles. ‘You know no fear.’

◎ ◎ ◎

Their next challenge is not one, not two, but three dance classes. The first class is a kids dance class. henry has no idea what kind of song this is, but he feels it’s in the baby shark category. The young Italian kids continue to look over their shoulders, to stare at him, before looking over at Adelaide, who must be less intimidating to them.

After the most tiring hour of his life, Henry becomes the laughingstock of the training, because the little kids insist on him and Adelaide performing the dance. However Adelaide starts to laugh, causing the kids to burst into a fit of giggles, especially when she falls on the floor because of how hard she is laughing at his not so great performance.

After that, they have to attend a line dance class and somehow Henry is a whole lot better in that, than Adelaide is. He holds out his hand for her to take and hoists her right back up when she trips. He never would’ve thought that this was something that he would enjoy, but seeing the alternations between Adelaide’s frown and her infectious laugh, he has to admit that this is nice. The people who are teaching them the dance are friendly and someone even lends out his cowboy hat for Adelaide to wear, completing the look.

With a water bottle in their hands, they walk through the corridors to the next and thankfully final dancing class. ‘This is intense,’ Adelaide comments. ‘But you looked like quite the cowboy, mister Cavill.’

He can’t help but laugh. ‘And you fit right in with the kids. About the same height.’

She slaps his stomach and he chuckles. ‘What do you think is next?’ she asks.

‘I have no idea. Maybe tap?’

She bursts out in laughter. ‘I would pay money to see you tap dance.’

However it’s not tap dancing they are going to do (thankfully), but salsa dancing. The age ratio in this room is probably sixty plus, but these people know exactly how to move. One woman spots them and quickly stops the music. ‘Oh! Superman!’ she exclaims, but when she walks over to them, her eyes fall on Adelaide. ‘Oh my, Adelaide Park. Beautiful woman! So talented. You here for dance class?’

Adelaide nods.

The woman pulls Adelaide into a tight hug. ‘We watched your movies,’ she tells Adelaide, holding her upper arms. ‘You are fenomenale!’

Henry watches his partner starting to blush. ‘She is,’ he agrees.

‘My name is Elena.’ She ushers a man over and introduces him as her husband Gianluca. ‘I really look forward to teach you the basics.’

Elena helps him with the basics, while Gianluca is helping out Adelaide. He constantly hears Adelaide apologize for yet again stepping on the older man’s feet, but he doesn’t seem to care.

Salsa is a lot harder than he thought it would be, but Elena is an excellent teacher, who, with her sternness, teaches him exactly what to do. He continues to hear that he apparently has very stiff hips, while he genuinely thought he wasn’t that bad.

‘You know, how you do boom-boom?’ Elena says.

Boom-boom? ‘What?’

‘Sex!’

The entire room looks over to them and he notices Adelaide trying to hide a smile. Did Elena really have to yell that word out loud? ‘I do know my way around,’ he says, his throat tightening out of discomfort.

‘No hips forward and backwards, but do same thing, same power, but sideways.’

He doesn’t quite understand, but when Elena places her hands on his hips, forcing him to “sway” his hips sideways, he feels pretty uncomfortable, but when he looks over at Adelaide, those discomforts all seem to go away, when he notices her still watching and still smiling.

‘You finally get it,’ Elena says. ‘Gianluca! How did Adelaide do?’

‘Very good. Very talented.’

‘Superman,’ the older woman says, ‘you and Adelaide show us how you can do this.’

Henry’s heart starts to pound painfully fast and he figures the entire room can either see or hear it. Elena pats him on the back, as she tells him to stand in the middle of the dance room. Gianluca escorts Adelaide towards the middle. ‘Nervous?’ Elena asks him.

‘What? No, no, no,’ Henry quickly says, though it’s a lie. He is really nervous.

‘Pretty woman,’ Gianluca says. ‘Intimidating for you. I understand.’

Adelaide looks away, but he notices the smile on her face. She is amused. He holds out his hand after he wiped it dry on his jeans and she places her in his. He pulls her body closer to his, as he places his hand on her back. Her other hand she places on his bicep, as her eyes meet his.

‘Don’t just look,’ Elena says. ‘Dance!’

Dancing with her was easy and out of the corners of his eye he noticed that Adelaide had no problem dancing with Elena’s husband. She was actually a pretty good dancer from what he saw.

Just what he did with the older woman, he does that with Adelaide, but he feels the swaying of her hips underneath the palm of his hand. Henry swallows hard as he leans forward, to place his forehead against hers, her hot breath against his lips.

The older people that were all around them, dancing and laughing at them before, are now all clapping on the beat of the music, but Henry only has eyes for Adelaide Park. He feels her nails in his bicep and he has to swallow, since his throat became real dry all of the sudden.

‘Is this okay?’ he whispers, just in case, because he really doesn’t want to make her uncomfortable.

‘This is okay,’ she chuckles. ‘You’re a good dancer, Henry.’

Henry feels her body closely against his. Feeling her forehead against his, her lips so close to his… He wonders about her dating history. Her kiss on ‘Remembering High School was her first and after that she lived in the spotlights and she never dated. Well, she never publicly dated and not because she is undateable (she is a whole catch, if Henry is being completely honest), but he thinks that she has been single since the moment she came into the spotlight. Who does that many movies a year and has time to date?

However, when he thinks about it, she is becoming more and more touchy. And not in a weird, sexual harassment sort of way. More in a way as if she is looking for comfort. She slides her feet under his thigh, doesn’t pull back her legs when he places her ankles on his lap and during the night, her fingers keep grazing over his skin.

And now, her hand holds onto his tightly and he notices her fingertips disappear underneath the hem of his sleeve.

The music stops, but he does not let go. He can’t even let go. There are so many things that he want to do. Pull her even closer to his body if that’s possible, to push that strand of hair out of her face and let his thumb graze over the apple of her cheek.

Don’t go catching feelings for her now. When you lose, who are you going to blame then?

Henry clears his throat, hoping to get the words of his agent out of his head, but Adelaide must have interpreted differently, because she lets go of him, smiling quickly at him, before turning around and giving Elena a hug.

◎ ◎ ◎

Comments a week later when the episode airs:

Taglist: @thelastsock​ // @jolly-polly​ // @henrythickcavill​ // @maan24​ // @diegos-butt​ / @agniavateira​ // @onlyhenrys​ // @turkish276​ //

[jenna-ortega]

Traveling Salesman

“You look like you could use use a pick me up.” the voice appeared beside you, startling you. You slid back causing sand to fly up, partially blocking your view from the tall man in the tan suit. 

“Looks like you’ve had a bad day” the strange man continued, walking closer towards you. His hair was gel’d back, and he had an odd briefcase at his side. 

“Maybe...-” his movements were sharp, kneeling down and opening the briefcase that to your surprised held multiple backs of cigarettes. 

“you wanna try one of these little lovelies” his hand moved over the product, keeping eye contact with you as you looked the man over. You only smoked a few times in your life, this being one of the few times you could actually use one. Stuck in the desert, not sure how you got there or how to get home.

“I’m sorry sir, do i know you?” you coughed out, pulling down the bottom of your dress as the wind threatened to expose you. The mysterious man closed his briefcase, smirking at you as he rose from the ground and walked slightly closer to you. 

Your mouth was running dry, hands twiddling with themselves waiting for his reply, but all he did was chuckle at you, eyeing you up and down, licking the inside of his lip. 

“what do you want? make a wish....” his voice was so soft, it could put you to sleep, he kneeled next to you, fingertips grazing the side of your face. He caught your chin in his hand, pulling your face up to look at him. 

“I don’t know what i want, i don’t have any money for you, i do-” he used his lips to shut you up, kissing you softly as he brushed the stray hairs of yours behind your ear. 

“I don’t want your money.” he whispered against your lips as he brought his hand down to your breast, squeezing and kneading it in his palm. He laid you down, bringing his leg over your waist, hovering above you as your tongues wrestled together. His big hands ghosted over yours, lifting them over your head, pinning them there as he had his way with your lips. 

“I want that sweet cunt of yours, and you’re gonna give it to me,” his hot breath was against your ear, and goosebumps rose from your skin, you lifted your hips just to feel any sort of friction, and you ended up rubbing yourself on his bulge. Earning a whine from yourself, just wanting to feel him on you. 

His hand left one of your wrists, quickly squeezing your throat with enough pressure to make you choke out, grabbing hold of his arm, clawing at him to give way. 

“Don’t tease” he spoke between his teeth, letting you know you’d pay for that one. He got up, hovering over you, grabbing hold of your hair to drag you halfway up on your knees. Your face met the bulge in his tan pants, and your eyes looked up at his. He laughed looking down at you, pulling out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, lighting one and taking a puff, blowing it back in your face. 

You coughed, holding onto his thighs as your coughs made you unbalanced. 

“Get to work, the sun will be setting soon. And the sunlight looks so great on girls like you when you’re sucking me off.” with no emotion, he pulled his dick out of his pants, taking another puff of his cigarette as he lifted his eyebrows at you, signaling he wanted you to get started,

You grabbed his shaft in one hand, hesitantly licking the pre-cum off his tip, swirling it around before taking his slightly into your mouth. The girth of him surprised you, he was filling your mouth to the brim, leaving little room for anything else. You slowly took more of him into your mouth, not wanting to overload yourself, the encouraging fucks he was giving you under his breath gave you a new sense of confidence as you took him as far as you could. Gagging and pulling back when it was too much. 

You started gaining rhythm, bobbing your head as your hand was playing with whatever couldnt fit in your mouth. Slurping and gagging sounds filled the lonely desert as he spread your mouth wide with his cock, saliva spilling out of the sides. 

He didn’t seem to like the speed you were going, grabbing the pack of your head and pushing you down almost taking all of him. You gagged as tears slid from your eyes, your hands were on his thighs trying to gain balance once again. Your eyes shot up to his as his cigarette was hanging from his mouth, he used both of his hands to guide your head up and down his cock. Groaning as you gagged each time he went too far. The sinful sounds your mouth was making around him was enough to get him there, he soon pulled out of your mouth, leaving you surprised at the loss. 

“Open up,” he demanded, grabbing your chin as you did. He smiled at your willingness to please, pulling the cigarette from his mouth, “stick your tongue out” and you did as you were told, closing your eyes shut scared for the next move. 

He laughed lowly, and you winced as he put his cigarette out on your tongue, you felt the burn of the fire, crying out at the sudden pain he caused you. He shushed you, mocking your cries. 

“Shh shhh, don’t cry, i’ll make it feel better. Open wider.” you did exactly that, trying to ignore the burn as you watched him pump himself in his hand, the faces he made as you watched you wait for him to cum, oh god he groaned, finally releasing aiming it at your mouth, only getting some of it to cover the burn, the rest of it spreading all over your face. 

You licked around your lips, catching every drop of what he gave. Smiling at him in return, humming at the taste. 

“I’m not done yet, these cigarettes are worth a lot more than that pretty little mouth of yours.” his cock hanging half hard from him, he pushed you down, positioning you with your ass up in the air just for him. 

Your body shook as he ripped your panties off, bunching up your dress to your waist, smiling at your body on display just for him. He hummed behind you, satisfied with your behavior. You were waiting for his worst, until you heard him fondling with something, he pulled out yet another cigarette it seemed. You weren’t sure until you felt a thin dry thing- move between your folds. You moaned slightly at the contact, feeling it push past them, getting soaked in your fluids. 

You looked back at him, fucking you with his cigarette, watching as it kept getting wetter and wetter, he finally pulled it out, lighting it up while staring at you. “Do i taste good?” you smiling sadistically. 

“Like fucking candy.” he inhaled his cigarette, sighing as he puffed out the smoke. He grabbed hold of your lower back, moving you onto his cock, groaning as you pushed back, taking his thick cock into you. You moaned out in pleasure, your eyes rolling back feeling him fill you up so right. He stretched you like you never thought you could be, wasting no time pumping himself in and out of you roughly. 

The sound of your skin slapping together, your cum falling out of the sides of your cunt, pouring down onto the sand, his hands grabbed your hips so tightly as the cigarette dangled from his lips he held you so hard you could feel the bruises forming. Mercilessly pounding into you, the animalistic sounds coming from him as he used you for his own pleasure, he knew you were lost, he knew you didn’t have any other options, and he knew you’d love it. He knew you’d love the feeling of him using you, fucking your brains out for a pack of premium cancer sticks, he loved having you right where he wanted you. 

You felt yourself clenching around him, milking him for all hes got, giving him his moneys worth. “Ohh fuck please, im cumming” you pleaded, wanting him to fuck you faster, and that he did. Using one hand to push you pack and forth on his dick, watching your ass as it bounced against him, your pussy was a dream to him. He’d travel anywhere for it. 

Just as you felt the coil in your about to snap, you felt a sting, the similar sensation on your tongue, now on your ass. “mmm you like that huh” his voice sung from behind as he fucked an orgasm out of you. The pain only made the pleasure so much better, your orgasm hitting you like a tone of bricks. You squeezed around him, coming undone in this strangers hands. 

He followed behind, cumming into you as your cunt was squeezing him senseless, he groaned and shook with pleasure, coating your walls with his cum, pushing his cock so deep into you, making sure you absorbed all of his cum. 

He pulled out of you, a string of your cum mixed with his leaked out onto the sand, puddling under you. You looked back, watching him admire the mess he’s made of you. How well he used you, and how well you let him. 

“Mmmm, looks like i’m going to keep you.”

[insanityembraced]

Abnormal, Different, and Sometimes Extraordinary But Not Defective or Degenerate

I suffer from borderline personality disorder. It drastically influences my thoughts, actions, and understanding of the world around me. My perception, is and will always be altered by my, some say warped, I say realistic and unnaturally insightful, evaluation of emotional energy.

My personality disorder, label, or peculiarity, to me is a gift and makes me exceptional, not broken or in some way dangerous to leave unsupervised amongst non-afflicted personalities that perceive the world in a bland, underwhelming, and arguably are disordered, because they have lost or failed to attain enough focus or mental dexterity. In fact, the more we allow rigidity to limit man kinds ability to feel, sense, and accurately understand the emotional forces that bond us to each other and create the vivid colors of passion, creativity, and intensity only strong emotional tethers can sustain.

Sometimes my intensity and extrasensory ability is overwhelming and manifests in ways society labels as disordered, but in reality it is extraordinary and has mostly served to save rather than hinder my ability to navigate life. However, not every cloud is bright and humanity will always struggle with self control when faced with uncertainty and inesacapable animalistic urges that test our ability to get perspective in a world that never stops changing and evolving.

The following are some things that give insight into the extraordinary or even completely debilitating effects of my borderline personal perception of a world others see differently than I am capable of understanding:

I am insanely fickle. I can change my mind over and over and often times drastically reimagine my understanding of people and how we have shaped this globe or domed furmament into a prison with imaginary boundries created by hate and fear continuously infused into every fiber of human understanding.

As humanity becomes more and more oblivious to pure unadulterated empathy our sense of self blurs and society begins to eliminate diversity by allowing humanity to be silenced by fear built atop a drift of sand in the desert. However, even after the mirage has been unveiled as an invasive and aggressive sickness that has spread over the world consuming the rage and ignorance created by destroying pure empathy and viciously ripping humanity apart.

The more I explore the reaches of human understanding the less I believe we are even capable of understanding anything with certainty. Those who have attained great knowledge should have also gained an openness to the existence of many different kinds of intellectual perception that transcends traditional understanding of fact, fiction, or hypothetical scientific "certainty". Now I am convinced that the only thing I know with absolute certainty is that knowledge is currently to vast to contain within the limitations of our perception.

One thing that plagues those allegedly inflicted with a sickness so pervasive it has apparently permanently corrupted our souls and left us with scarred and impossibly broken personalities that now defines us entirely. Civilized, brainwashed, and fluoridated masses, given an instinctual fear of people labeled as mentally I'll. This instinct is based on a indistinct and uneducated manipulation of the different types of intellectual dexterity that can bless, awaken, and be a source of harmonious unification; instead the talents that I possess give me a different perspective on nearly everything. Different does not mean wrong. Failure of other humans to understand me or grasp the fiber of what makes me decipher the world in a different fashion that transcends even our sense of culture or language to create a group of individuals who consistently perceive stimuli from feeling, emotion, electrical charge of ions affected by forces not understood by those who close their mind to bothering with the difficult task of trying to think with other parts of your brain, even if it is unnatural or difficult.

I believe all intellectual or sensory talents are of value and should be developed in different environments that foster the use and improvement of our naturally occurring talents in says that create harmony and richer depth of understanding once we have opened our minds to different sensory observations that do not prove I am insane. All your label has done is help me to understand myself in a deep and intensely critical fashion that has helped me truthfully identify things I need to work on controlling and I also have had the opportunity to evaluate my triggers, identify signs of irrational or destructive thinking. This has allowed me to develop and institute coping mechanism and other internal and external tools to keep myself from allowing myself to overload my sensory system, not because I am permanently and invasively altered by psychic dysfunction that renders me a rambling, irrational nutcase unworthy of being trusted, believed, and people labeled borderline or who are labelled as having a personality disorder are just blessed with different sensory sensitivity that does create distinct differences in observation and unless there is effort exerted to understand and effectivy communicate with individuals who have a spacial or coordinated dexterity that can traslate into movement fluidity or accuracy that I am not natuRally blessed with and need help understanding and fostering such talent since I have an actual natural tendency to manage to fall inexplicably without warning or even applicston of outside force, but simply an internal lack of balance and a long term battle with my ability to see and thus manage my four dimensional space with grace.

All of this introspective personal reflection and growth should be a part of every human being on earth. Then those who suffer from similar difficulty in adjusting to certain triggers do not need to be defined by their diagnosis. The diagnosis is just how we find people who understand why my perception is differently aligned. We do not have to be feared, send to bedlam because of fear, or an irrational fear I will suddenly and violently embody my Hollywood stereotype and fatal ataction someone because I have been labeled and my internal bomb has been officially triggered.

Of coarse that is ridiculous and even people with the same disorder or same perspective still live life with shifting social, financial, qwwd many times has lead even similar differently abled souls to different ways to use our gifts to hopefully work towards harmony and unxersdnsign. 0⁰

t at your own understanding of the things you percieve. f we could acceptinstead of trying to force humanity into a mold f different talents and maybe even extraordinary abilities understanding with our surroundings. efear fear my extra personality have particularl feared the intense s have a history of failing to comply with medications and I am not good at consistently maintaining routine of anykind. I can only maintain a routine for days, occasionally weeks, and rarely have I ever maintained a consistent routine for more than six months.

I am capable of liking or becoming interested or disinterested in anything without warning. I consume myself with a fiery intensity for things that I will let consume me until I burn out. I have completely abandoned interests, hobbies, people, or career paths in a moment. The thing that I wanted to do every minute for the last 6 months, like when I fell in love with painting, instantly and without warning become unfulfilling, tedious, and inferior to a new and exciting passion to focus my obsessions on. I feel so intensely that I cannot enjoy or contain my energy in any repetitive or monotonous activity.

I unintentionally attract emotional disfunction; I have an uncontrollable urge to save certain dysfunctional or misunderstood humans; I become particularly enraged by the self designated elite, and often intellectually inferior humans, that intentionally exploit the weak, poor, uneducated, or disenfranchised; I cannot always protect myself from the emotions of others, human emotion produced by strangers can be so powerful I have literally fallen to my knees, began crying uncontrollably, or even been unable to breath based on proximity alone; pure emotion can be released from the body like a shockwave, but only if the emotion is genuinely produced; I cannot always distinguish liars, but I can always spot people who really are devoid of any kind if emotional depth, and they are the truly dangerous, because they dont care, feel, or empathize with humanity at all; I am intensely impulsive, particularly when I am having difficulty understanding and communicating with others; I am bad at maintaining relationships because of paranoia, constant fear of abandonment, and an inability to truly understand individuals; I only understand emotions and emotional energy, but fail miserably at understanding or anticipating actions driven by selfishness or purity of evil intent; I am unpredictable, even I cannot understand or predict all my begavior; once I cross the line into a psychotic episode, I lose all control, awareness, or ability to understand reality; I will black out entirely, and have absolutely no memory for hours or even days; when I gain control of my sanity the blackout lifts slowly like a thick fog; the lingering fog of psychosis is like a mental sedative that makes even simple tasks impossible, like remembering your name, or knowing if you are awake or asleep, or being able to understand basic human conversation; overwhelmingly emotional, and I have occasional breakdowns peppered with forced hospitalizations. Mental hospitals, particularly those that restrain the liberty of people who aren't capable of faking the numbness society expects of us all; are ineffectual, uninspired, and often the patients are treated without feeling, dignity, compassion, interest, competence, respect, understanding, and often staff not only refuses to listen, observe, or address any of the specific problems facing an individual. Instead the psychiatrists often do not even pretend to do their job and blindly medicate those they do not understand until they become someone else's problem.

[dustedmagazine]

Mekons — Deserted (Bloodshot Records)

Photo by Ricky Malpas

“Lawrence of California,” the first song on the Mekons’ Deserted, commences with 20 seconds of amp distortion that slowly fades in, wrenching and twisting, until the full band kicks up a fierce ruckus. There are big guitar chords, smashing cymbals, Susie Honeyman’s dramatic violin, and then much of the band in full-throated chorus: “Lawrence of California! / Get out of the van and disappear! / Hello teeth flash yellow / Over your shoulder as the dusty walls move in!” The lyrics are more suggestive than illuminating, implying recrimination and threat, a corrupt and angry scene somewhere in the American desert southwest. But there’s nothing tentative about the sound. The band crashes and yells, struts and thunders. They don’t make a very happy noise; at one point, Sally Timms shouts above the din: “Every seed is a weapon here!” In the song’s desert landscape, even the most basic symbol of hope bears baneful fruit. But if the Mekons’ playing and singing are any indication, they’re sure having a good time sharing their unhappy news with us.

That’s always been one of the Mekons’ most significant gifts, as musicians and songwriters: finding lively — even joyful — musical forms to accompany the grim images and harrowing sentiments of their lyrics. When the Mekons are operating at full strength, their music’s undeniable vitality is somehow in tune with the struggle and suffering they sing about. Not every song on Deserted achieves that level of intense commitment to an emotion or an idea. But most of the songs do, to menacing or to magisterial effects. The band is into their fourth decade of making music and cutting records on the margins of rock, and their experience and accumulated musical wisdom endows Deserted with a nimbus of gravid, determined hope, even in the teeth of all the misery and indignation that their songs document.  

The second track on the record, “Harar 1883,” develops the record’s fascination with hostile environments of sand and sun, and gives it a more pronounced politics. John Langford’s leathery baritone intones, “I wrap my scarf around my head / Tight against the desert dread / …Yes, it’s true that I deserted / That Dutch army in the east / I was not troubled in the least / To give up writing poetry.” The song’s many allusions and references imply that “Harar 1883” narrates Arthur Rimbaud’s last years of life, trading in coffee and running guns in Ethiopia and the region we now call Yemen. It’s a fraught image: the cynical European, mucking about in the political instability on Africa’s horn and the Arabian peninsula. What was he doing there? What is the U.S. government doing there, in Somalia and Yemen? The song doesn’t clarify, but it invites us to demystify all the romance, to situate Rimbaud in history and in space, to think about his intents. He wasn’t there to be inspired — he’d already given up his symbolist poetic praxis. He was there to adventure, and to make money. What about our adventurist drones and Delta forces? What’s their intent?  

A number of songs on the record encourage listeners to think about the relations among romanticized images and material realities. “Mirage” mobilizes jagged post-punk guitars, and stuttering, juddering percussion into a rollicking cascade. Langford sings, “Drinking, dancing, sex, high living / They don’t seem so sinful now / We dwindle in the atom age / Into the mirage in the folded page.” It’s a doleful prescription, as if only superficial pleasures can create something like a life. What’s left when we see beyond the illusion? “Weimar Vending Machine” is equally bleak, imagining Iggy Pop in an imaginary interwar Berlin, punching buttons on an imaginary vending machine. Over a tense, dense wash of strings, mockingly falsetto “la la las” and martial percussion, Langford all but moans, “Never thought much about boredom / Wasn’t something that bothered me / The hunt for work, the search for grace / This oppressive variety.” Is that Iggy, now aged, nostalgic for punk’s feral indifference? Is that us, 21st century consumers, stupefied by too many choices? The song’s most oft-repeated image, “street lights bleaching out the sky,” skillfully sums our contemporary white-out conditions of information and commodity overload. Maybe what we need is the astringent of bleach, or the uncompromising heat of the desert sun — something to burn off the manifold excesses, so we can see clearly.  

It's likely significant, then, that the most moving moments on Deserted come when the band cuts back the barrage of noise. “How Many Stars?” is a bewildering enterprise, combining the sing-song tones of a lullaby and the rolling vigor of a sea shanty. Confoundingly, it works, issuing in a song that simultaneously yearns and mourns and opens onto wonder. (One doubts that a younger band could pull it off.) On album closer “After the Rain,” Honeyman’s fiddle gentles its way into the song’s foreground, as does Timms’ voice. Reprising some of the record’s key images, she sings, “Armor-plated seeds and spores / Armor-plated desperation / Horns and ammo slit and claw / Bleached white across the desert floor.” But in a crucial turn, Timms invites us to see some hope: “Come back later / Come back again / You should see us after the rain.” It’s a rare moment of optimism on a record that’s often as severe as the environment it invokes, again and again. At the end, the Mekons leave us with a desert in bloom — or at least the promise of one. The intent of that seems pretty clear.  

Jonathan Shaw

[redwoodoriginalfirstnine]

Roadtrip [SOA] Chapter Two Part One

Chapter Two: Desert Bound Part One

Author’s Note: Hey guys! Sorry it has taken me this long to get this out, it’s in two parts so keep any eye out. Remember, feedback is always welcome!!

—

The smell of bacon and light small talk rouses me from the surprisingly heavy slumber I slipped into during the night. I slowly kick the covers away and roll over allowing my legs to dangle off the side of he bed while dragging a hand through my messy hair. With a low groan I slip off the bed and land on the floor stumbling some as Jax comes rushing over to me with a plate piled high with food.

“Morning darlin hope you’re ready for a fun filled day.” Jax states as I take the plate from his hands. I flash him a small smile before dropping down onto Juice’s bed which will more than likely wake him up but I hold no regrets for doing so.

“Oh so excited.” I reply as he smirks and turns back around to the others who are sitting around the small dining table. I study the plate in my hands before picking up a piece of bacon and stuffing it into my mouth as a happy hum comes out in return. The bed shifts underneath me as Juice rolls over to inspect his surroundings, once he realizes it’s just me he sighs and falls back into his pillow.

“Morning, I miss anything of importance?” Juice questions as he runs a tired hand over his face, obviously still somewhat asleep. I shake my head no since my mouth is full of food and I motion to the plate in my lap. He chuckles softly before nabbing one of the biscuits and devouring it within a matter of seconds.

“What are we going to do today?” Tig asks as he pours himself another cup of coffee. Jax stops mid chew to look at everyone before cutting his eyes over to Juice who rolls over and begins fumbling around under his bed. Once he finds what he’s looking for-the map- he sits back up and unfolds it to see the next circled destination.

“Today’s exciting trip will take us to the desert!” Juice states excitedly before tossing the map to the end of the bed and grabbing the last piece of bacon on my plate, “hopefully someone packed sunscreen.”

“Wha the hell is out in the desert worth goin to see?” Chibs asks from his bunk across the aisle, “besides sand.”

“Well, for starters we’re going to take a short hike to see Darwin’s Falls and to wrap the day up, that is if we have time, Randsburg ghost town.” Juice replies as he shimmies out from under the blanket so that he’s now sitting shoulder to shoulder with me.

“A hike? In the desert?” Tara questions from the dining table.

“Yes, it’s only two miles round trip and the end result is so worth it.” Jax states as he begins to tidy up the kitchen area obviously itching to get on the road, “anyone wanna make sure Clay and Gemma are up and ready to move?”

“Already done.” Happy states as he suddenly appears at the front of the bus with the two aforementioned people standing behind him.

“Right then, everyone change or do whatever you need to do and we’ll get on the road. Are the tents put up?” Jax questions as everyone scrambles to throw away plates and be the first to the bathroom. Tig and Opie sprint down the aisle in an attempt to beat one another and to avoid being hit I slide further back onto Juices bed. Once everything is cleaned and everyone has changed into something clean Jax double checks to make sure everything is fastened properly before setting out on the road.

The drive from Santa Monica to Death Valley ends up being a little over five hours. The drive of course consists of several stops to stretch legs and for more than one bathroom break. Not too long after the last pit stop Jax eases the bus off of the main highway and onto the dirt road that leads to the trailhead. For a split second the road remains nice and flat, but about a half a mile in it turns to hell and of course I made the bright decision to remain sitting on Juice’s bed. As the bus makes its way down the sketchy road I bounce up and down and side to side smacking my shoulder roughly against Juice’s.

He wraps his arm around shoulders as an attempt to keep me in one place and as a buffer, but unfortunately it doesn’t work. I glance around the bus and find that i’m not the only one flying through the air and grabbing onto things as a feeble attempt to remain grounded. One particularly rough spot causes me to smack my head against the wall and nearly come crashing down on Juices lap. The same rough spot sends Chibs tumbling from his bed and Happy and Tig to bang heads together which of courses sends people into fits of laughter as they curse loudly and rub their now sore heads.

“I’m so sorry Juice.” I mumble loud enough for him to hear me as we continue on down the rough road.

“The bigger question is, are you okay? You whacked your head pretty hard there.” He states as he adjusts himself on the bed before wrapping and arm around my waist so that i’m pulled firmly against his chest, “there, maybe that will buffer out some of the roughness.”

“Y-yeah, i’m okay.” I reply as my cheeks flush a bright red which I try really hard to ignore. The blush sprawled across my cheeks doesn’t go unnoticed though because once Chibs resituates himself on his bunk he shoots me this knowing smile and a thumbs up. I roll my eyes at him just as the bust comes to a skidding stop in a open area surrounded by barren hills and a few mountains with fauna.

“We’re here! Everyone out, make sure you wear sunscreen and at least carry a bottle of water or two.” Jax states happily as he shuts the bus off and opens the doors. Several people scramble to get off the bus but I take my time wanting to revel in the warmth of Juice’s arms, but he soon grows antsy so I slip out of his arms and off his bed. I stretch for a few moments before kneeling down next to his bed in search of the backpack I opted on bringing with me knowing full well that i’d use it for something. Not seeing it under Juice’s bed I glance over to Chibs’ bed and happily find what I was searching and with quick hands I yank it out and sling it over my back. By the time I stand back up Juice is already ambling off the bus leaving me as the only one left so I jog down the aisle and hop down the stairs and out into the dry, humid air of Death Valley.

I gently push the doors of the bus closed behind me before turning around only to come face to face with Tara, “Hey everyone, [Y/N] has a backpack.”

“No, no, no there’s no way I can carry all of this stuff.” I state as everyone bum rushes me with water bottles, towels and various other sundries.

“It’s honestly not that much.” Tara replies with a soft smile, “if need be we can take turns carrying it or we can always sweet talk one of the guys into doing it for us.”

With a low sigh I pull off the backpack and unzip it before holding my hands out for their belongings. I don’t keep track of who hands me what but by the time everyone's done the backpack is full with towels, bottles of water and sunscreen, an extra pair of clothes, a camera and a few other random objects. After I force the backpack to zip all the way closed I heave the heavy bag up and onto my shoulders as a few of the larger items dig into my back.

“Ugh, can we get this thing started i’m already pouring buckets over here.” Gemma states loudly as Jax sets off down the trail in an attempt to smooth over the already tense momma bear.

The first part of the trail is smooth with a few easy climbs but as we continue to press on we begin to climb more frequently and cross streams. I was just about to give in and call it quits because climbing with an overloaded backpack is exhausting, but low and behold Happy comes to the rescue. He easily slips the bag off of my shoulders and over my head without missing a beat. I raise an eyebrow and get ready to question what he’s doing but he waves me off and offers a hand as we climb a rather steep hill.

As I clamber up the hill my foot slips and I end up tumbling head first into Happy’s chest. He quickly wraps an arm around my waist in order to keep the two of us up right and as I pull away I can’t help but catch a glimpse of something in his eyes. I clear my throat and step away from him before falling in behind Opie who is bouncing on the heel of his feet out of pure excitement. The trail continues on for about another half mile before the canyon walls start to close in on us forcing us to turn right and follow Darwin’s creek. As soon as I see water my heart skips a beat as my own excitement begins to pour forth in the form of a huge smile and a nearly silent squeal. Jax continues to lead us further and further into the canyon and the deeper we go the more vegetation and life becomes more evident to us.

Toads and frogs skamper away from our group as we pass by several tiny ponds and small cascades as we continue our ascent to the larger falls. The further we climb into the canyon the more bushwhacking Jax and Tig had to do, but before long we reach one of the main attractions- the plunge pool. As I near the plunge pool my eyes widen at all of its beauty, the pool itself isn’t that deep but the water is extremely inviting. The waterfall drops down onto a rock splitting the stream into two as it pours into the pool, the entire area is surrounded by greenery and even a couple of small trees.

“It’s absolutely stunning.” Gemma mumbles as Clay walks up beside her catching her hand in his as he does so.

“I agree, this place is stunning. Nice pick Jax.” Opie states as he and a couple of the others break off and start pulling off their boots, socks and rolling up their pants legs so that they can wade out into the water. I look around the group for Happy and when I do find him he’s currently passing out a few of the items from my backpack, I quickly take the opportunity and head over to retrieve my own water bottle. After I take a couple of swigs from the bottle I follow suit and remove my shoes and socks before rolling up my pants legs.

“Be careful [Y/N], some of those rocks are covered in algae and they’re really slick.” Opie states as I meet up with him by the plunge pool.

“Thanks for the forewarning!” I chirp back happily as I slowly begin to wade out to where Juice, Chibs, Tara and Jax are splashing water at each other. I take my sweet time maneuvering the slick rocks but unfortunately about six feet out I meet my match as my left foot comes down on an extremely slick rock. My feet shoot out from under me and I soon find myself sitting in knee deep water, the area falls silent for a few seconds before it erupts in laughter.

“A-are you okay?” Tara asks as Juice slowly makes his way over to where I’m sitting.

“Perfectly fine, with my klutz self I should have seen this coming.” I reply with a small laugh as the same thing suddenly happens to Juice a few feet away from where I’m sitting. The sight before me causes me to bust out in laughter, instead of Juice ending up like I did he was fully submerged in the water. He comes up sputtering and wiping the water from his face as realization dawns on him that he made the same mistake and went a little too fast on the rocks.

“Well I think i’ve had enough fun here for one day.” Juice mutters as he begins carefully getting up from where he’s sitting, “[Y/N], you sure you’re okay?”

“Oh i’m perfectly fine, my tailbone might be a little sore but other than that i’m okay.” I reply as Jax soon finds himself submerged under the water as well. Once we’re all righted and not slipping on the rocks anymore the four of us slowly begin our exit from the plunge pool where we are greeted by Chibs and Happy who are holding towels.

I sheepishly take one of the towels from Happy and wrap it around my waist where the majority of my clothes are soaked. Jax and Juice follow suit and not too long after that we all agree that by the time we make the hike back down the canyon it’ll be time for a later lunch and one more stop for the day. We gather everything we brought with us and quickly pull on on our shoes before Jax takes point once more and begins to lead us back to the bus.

Surprisingly the trek back to the bus didn’t take nearly as long as the walk to the waterfall. Once the bus comes into view the group splits up so that the ones who are wet can change into dry clothes while the others seek out food. As soon as I set foot on the bus I make a mad dash to my bunk where I grab a change of clothes and sprint to the bathroom. The moment I grab the door handle and twist to open it my heart sinks, someone has already beaten me there. I quickly glance around and deduce that it must be Juice since Jax is still outside of the bus chatting up Tara. With a low huff I turn around to the closest bed and contemplate stripping down really quick like, the shiver that runs up my back in that moment pretty much seals the deal.

I glance back over my shoulder double checking to make sure Juice is still locked away in the bathroom before proceeding. In a hurry I unbutton and shimmy out of my wet pants and underwear making sure I quickly pull on a dry pair. Waisting no time I yank off my wet top and pull a dry one on before making a grab for the pair of pants I sat down on the bed.

“Damn,” a soft voice whispers from behind me. I freeze with pants in hand as my cheeks begin to heat up and redden, my mind already spinning trying to form words. Ever so slowly I turn around to face Juice who’s own face looks red, his eyes dart around before connecting with mine.

“I’m sorry, I thought I’d be done way before you.” I mumble lowly as Juice takes a tentative step towards me.

“No need to be sorry, you’re absolutely perfect and I was just caught off guard and opted to admire versus acknowledge my presence.” He replies softly while trapping me between the bed and himself. I absentmindedly fiddle with the pair of pants in hand as he inches closer and closer to the point our noses are almost touching. Juice hesitantly reaches up with his right hand and cups my cheek, his eyes search desperately within mine for anything that says no.

“Juice?” I whisper softly, my heartbeat picking up as my mind becomes incresingly lost in the moment.

“Yeah?” he answers in return, his warm breath fanning out across my face.

“Are you going to kiss me or continue to torture me?” I retort with what little confidence that I can conjure up. Juice doesn’t say aything and wastes no time in dipping his head and pressing his warm, slightly chapped lips against mine. My eyes flutter closed as our lips glide against one anothers, our noses bumping against each other as the pair of pants fall from my hands. Now that my hands are free they instantly reach out for Juice’s chest where my fingers become intertwined in his shirt in an attempt to pull him closer. The hand on my cheek migrates around to the back of my head holding me close to him as his free hand lands on my hip. I don’t wish to pull away from Juice but the need for air becomes a little to overwhelming and I force myself to part from him. Silence falls around us as we stand there clutching one another breathing heavily, our eyes connect once more and this time i’m able to clearly see all of the new found emotions within them.

Before he can say anything to me the bus shakes signalling that others are climbing on in order to leave for the next destination. Juice very quickly swoops in and presses a gentle kiss on my forehead before stepping away from me and making his way back up to the front of the bus. I quickly yank the pair of pants off of the floor and pull them on while trying to compose myself which I manage to do just in time. As I step around the bunkbed I nearly run smack into Gemma who’s wearing one of her see all, know all smiles which makes my blood run cold.

“Everything okay sweetheart?” she asks me as I step around her so that she can go to the bathroom.

“Yes ma’am, just happy to be out of the wet clothes I was wearing.” I reply as I stop, turn and scoop up the said wet clothes, “is everyone ready to go?”

“I believe so, I’m just running to the bathroom real quick and then we’re pulling and heading to our last stop.” Gemma replies before entering the bathroom and closing the door behind her. I hurry over to my shared bunk and stuff the wet clothes into a laundry bag before heading up to the front of the bus and claiming a seat next to Opie at the dinning table. Jax comes bouncing up the steps of the bus with a huge grin on his face which causes some of the patrons already seated to groan loudly.

“What’s with the creepy smile brother?” Tig questions as he leans further back into the warn couch, the springs popping underneath his weight when he shifts. I glance around the bus in search of something to occupy myself with, but find that my gaze has landed on Juice who’s intently focused on a rubiks cube he’s picked up.

Jax clears his throat as he drops down in the driver’s seat and closes the doors, the smile he’s wearing never faltering for one second, “Oh you know, I’m just bubbling with excitement over the fact that not only are we going to tour he town, we’re actually going to be staying the night there.”

“What? Why in the hell are we going to be staying at this place when there are more apporpriate camping grounds nearby?” Clay asks from one of the small lounge chairs by the door, “there’s no need.”

“Why, you scared of ghosts old man?” Jax retorts as the bus fires up drowning out a few of the laughs that casually appear from Jax’s witty retort.

“I’m not afraid of no damn ghost son, I just don’t want you’re mother and I sleeping on some hard ass desert ground. Do you know how bad that is for your back?” Clay snaps back, agitation becoming more and more apparent.

“Aye, we’ll protect ya from all of the ghosts and goblins Pres.” Chibs states while laughing and slapping his knee. I can’t help but chuckle myself which soon grows into fully on laughter that spreads like wildfire through the bus. Clay shakes his head angrily but drops the conversation as Jax directs the bus back down the path they traveled earlier to get to the falls. The travel time from Darwin Falls to Randsburg is a little over an hour and a half and within that time most people have dozed off or fallen to the now intense game of Uno.

I’m two cards away from unoing out and I can feel the draw four pressure coming from Opie, Chibs, Happy and Juice. Tara sits next to me in the same position and as Juice goes to lay down the next card Jax slams on the breaks sending the ever growing stack of cards skidding off the table and onto the floor. I groan loudly and toss the few remaining cards in my hand onto the table followed by everyone else.

“Anybody a winner?” Jax asks as he turns off the main road and onto yet another dirt road. I glance up at the mirror and catch him grinning ear to ear knowing full well that he’s ended the game in an upsetting manner.

“Nope, we’ll never know.” Juice quips back in an agitated manner that dissipates just as a quick as it appeared when we lock eyes.

“Well, you can always start a new one and put a twist on it.” Jax chirps back happily which catches my attention and when I glance over at him he smirks and winks at me. I quickly catch on to what he’s implying and shake my head no, but he’s bound and determined to push strip uno.

[catboythanatos]

so... cecilos. i literally had to stop listening to wtnv last night because i couldnt focus on anything else, i was so emotional, i just want carlos and cecil to reunite so badly. their relationship is one of the most genuine and heartfelt things ever. its so amazing. so i stopped listening and i wrote this completely cathartic thing, i just started writing and didnt stop until it was past 4am. its been a long time since ive just written something with no plan just straight from emotional overload, so it was kinda nice. i like how it turned out.

i’m only up to episode 56 so later canon might contradict something in this but idgaf honestly this is some sweet and heartfelt cecilos from the middle of the night. enjoy

Cecil awakes in the desert. There is sand all around him, warm and course against his skin. He isn't sure how he ended up here, having no memory of coming here, but he's woken up in weirder places in the past. He is used to deserts, but this desert is not his own. He can feel it. Something in the air is completely different here.

He rises, brushing the sand off of himself as best as he can, and has a look at his surroundings. There is just desert, as far as he can see. Sand wastes strewn with sad, tiny shrubs and the strangest cacti he has ever seen. There is also a distant, looming shape -- almost mountain-like in size and appearance, however, it's difficult to say what it could actually be. He decides to start his journey towards that shape, drawn to it for reasons he cannot explain. He treks for quite a long time.

As the mountain-like mass gets closer, he sees that there is a light, blinking high upon it. It is red. Blinking lights are always red. The colour evokes an emotion within him. He recognizes it. He knows where he must be. His toes tingle with excitement underneath his sand-covered shoes. There is someone here he is longing to see.

As he continues moving forward, his steps become rapid, and his breaths become strained. He is running now, defying gravity, floating now, flying at maximum speeds. He watches the vast desert pass beneath him, dry and lifeless.

Before he even knows it, Cecil is floating up to a lighthouse. His feet find their way to solid ground, and it is his heart that starts to float next. Leap, perhaps, would be a better word. He can feel his throat tightening as he meets the eyes of the white-coated man standing before him, blinking in awe and confusion.

“Cecil?”

“Carlos?”

“Cecil!”

Carlos throws himself into Cecil’s arms, laughing a joyous laugh that's riddled with secret tears and longing.

“I missed you,” says Carlos, smiling into Cecil’s chest.

“I missed you, too.” Cecil holds Carlos tightly. “Don't scare me like that. I thought you'd be gone forever. I respect your research, and your acts of valiant heroism, but… I just wanted you to come home, Carlos. I've missed you so much.”

“Gosh, Cecil, I… I’m sorry. I missed you, too, more than you could ever even know. I watched you sometimes. I watched you through the photographs in the lighthouse. I saw you frowning, grimacing, whispering for me in the dead of night. I wanted to tell you that I love you, but I didn't want you to be freaked out over me watching you… It sounds silly now, but…”

“That's okay, I understand. Forget all that, Carlos, just… Shut up and kiss me, please,” Cecil begs, not caring about anything right now. What's past is past, what's now is now. It doesn’t matter how many lonely nights he spent longing anymore, because those days will be over now. Carlos is home! Well, Cecil is trapped in this desert otherworld with him. So neither of them are home home, but they're at home with each other.

Kissing Carlos is home. Running his fingers through Carlos’ thick, wavy hair is home. Carlos’ hands cupping his waist, his hand cupping Carlos’ delicate cheek, is home. Carlos and him, kissing, rolling in the sand, laughing, breathless, giggling, touching, being… Home is Carlos. Cecil cares about nothing else anymore in this moment. He loves Night Vale, but he would honestly leave it all behind if it meant Carlos’ sandy, unwashed hair falling into his face, and the feeling of his back pressed against the gentle roll of a sand dune, and callused hands of a scientist stroking his face, as he’s propped up on one elbow above him, staring down at him, eyes filled with love behind dusty, smudged glasses.

Cecil’s mouth had fallen agape, but his eyes were smiling. Carlos’ eyes smiled, too. His perfect lips grinned. He kissed his boyfriend again, laughing bubbly and brightly. Cecil’s heart tightens, filled to the brim with love and adoration. Carlos’ laugh was perfect. His mouth was perfect, his eyes were perfect, his hair, perfect. All was perfect. Carlos was his yet again. He never wanted this moment to end.

But then, just as soon as it had began, it ends.

Cecil awakens, once again. This time, he is in his own bed. This time, alone.

“Oh,” he says simply. “Oh.”

A small, weak whimper slides past his lips.

“Oh, Carlos,” he whispers, as he often does, helplessly into the still of the night. “Oh, Carlos…”

He stares up at the ceiling above him. He clutches at the pillow beside him, empty, devoid of any luscious presence; of any stray perfect hairs to tickle his neck as he shifts under the covers in the night. He sighs.

He sits up on the edge of the bed. The red light from his phone charging on the bedside table creates the only light in the room. It blinks. For a moment, he knows that Carlos would probably be awake right now, being, of course, in a desert otherworld where time is completely different from here at home, but he doesn't think he would understand. Deep down, Cecil knows that Carlos would understand because Carlos loves him, and misses him, and cares about him deeply, but … everything seems so complicated right now. He could call, text, or email him right now, and possibly get an immediate response, but for some reason, he doesn’t.

“I miss you,” he sighs hopelessly instead, as if there might be someone around to hear. There is no one around to hear.

Cecil flops himself back down on his bed, exhaling, long and dramatic. He tries to return himself to the dull lull of sleep. His heart aches so painfully that it is hard to even imagine that Carlos is alive and well and just a click of a button away.

He quietly watches the blinking light on his phone blink for a while, before it dawns on him that blinking signifies a notification. A solid red light is for charging, and a blinking light means something else is happening. He wants to think that different colours of the blinking lights should signify something, but he knows that that's ridiculous, since blinking lights are always red.

He reaches over and collects his phone from the bedside table, and is surprised, not unpleasantly, to see the notification on the screen. It is a Snapchat from Carlos.

The photo is of the night sky. There are specks of stars, and other strange shapes and lights, all along a backdrop of a dark velvety purple. It's obviously hard to capture something like the sky in just a cell phone camera, but it looks remarkably familiar. The caption reads: “How’s my favourite radio host doing tonight?”

There is a subsequent Snap reading “Is it night there?” And another saying “I don't mean to wake you up or anything, if it is. But the sky reminded me of home, and of you.”

Cecil’s chest tightens. The messages are sweet, but he wants Carlos to be here, with him, right now! He can't take one more minute of this treacherous absence.

He half-heartedly lifts his phone above him to snap a photo, in which he is pouting, barely visible in the darkness, one cheek pressed against the pillow.

He types various iterations of whiny ‘I miss you’s and needy demands before backspacing and starting over from the beginning, chewing his lip in frustration and thought.

“Missing my favourite scientist tonight,” he captions it eventually, hitting send in a haste before he can think too deeply about any of it.

It takes less than a minute for Carlos to reply. He has switched to the inside camera of his phone, where he has a sympathetic, but genuine, sad smile.

“I miss you,” it reads.

Cecil has trouble breathing suddenly. He wants Carlos home. He needs Carlos home. It has been days, maybe even a week, since he has even heard Carlos’ voice, and his heart is screaming with longing. If he is free to send photos, maybe he will be free to call…

Cecil brings the phone up to his ear, and the first ring feels like it lasts a century. But a mere millisecond into the second, Carlos picks up.

“Cecil?”

“Carlos,” Cecil breathes, trembling.

“Cecil? Are you feeling alright?”

“It is so good to hear your voice. I’m-- yes, I'm fine, Carlos, I… I just… miss you. I miss you so, so much.”

“Oh, Cecil,” Carlos sighs a beautiful sigh. “I miss you, too.”

“You need to come home now, Carlos.”

“I understand, Cecil. But you know it's not as simple as that.”

Cecil wants to be mad, he wants to scream, he wants to yell at his beloved Carlos, to come home, come home right this instant, I need you to be home, but… he does know.

“I… I know,” he sighs eventually.

“You know I miss you, too,” says Carlos. His voice is genuine, but it just makes Cecil sad.

“I know,” he mumbles.

“Go look at the stars, Cecil.”

“The stars?”

“The stars. Just pull back your curtain and look at them, just for a moment.”

Cecil rises, and walks over to the bedroom window. He does as Carlos asks. The sky is velvet purple with flickers of stars and other distant shapes and lights. “I… am looking at them now. Is there some kind of special surprise here I’m supposed to see?”

“There's not really a special surprise, no. I’ve not found a way back home just yet. I’ve just been looking at the sky a lot recently, and I wanted to share it with you.”

Come to think if it… The sky in Carlos’ picture did look very similar to the sky here in Night Vale. The sky probably looks similar no matter where you go. It is so vast, and everything else is so tiny, so insignificant.

“No matter where we are in the world, there's always a beautiful sky to look at. And if we do it at the same time… it's almost like we’re together.”

Tears prick the corners of Cecil’s eyes. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. I really do miss home, Cecil. And I miss you. I guess in a way, you are my home.”

“Have you been dreaming of me at all?” Cecil asks suddenly, recalling the powerful sentiment of his dream.

“I… no, why?”

“Oh. I've dreamt of you a lot. I keep dreaming I'll wake up next to you, or that I’m out in your desert, with you… together. But it's not real... None of it is real. You're never going to be home, are you?”

Cecil’s voice is breaking, and Carlos’ heart feels like it's breaking, too. “Oh, Cecil… Cecil. Baby. Don’t say that…”

Cecil softens considerably at the pet name. Carlos has never called him one before. It's gentle. But there are still tears welling in the corners of his eyes, threatening, dangerous, ready to spill down his face at any moment. “It’s--it’s been forever, Carlos.”

“Oh, honey,” Carlos coos again. “Oh, Cecil. I'll be home soon. I promised. A scientist always keeps their promises. I'm sorry if I've been … distant, recently. I'm sorry if I've made you feel left out with my scientific interest in this world. I haven't exactly been trying very hard to get home to you. It’s not that I don't want to come home for you, it's just that it's so very strange here… So very compelling. You understand, right?”

“Not really, no,” Cecil admits finally. “I don't understand. The most compelling thing to me … is you! I just want you here, I just want… you,” he huffs.

Carlos is silent for a long, long moment.

“I didn't realize that was how you felt, Cecil… Gosh, I… I am so sorry. I've been a real jerk.”

“No, Carlos,” Cecil sighs. “You aren't a jerk. I mean, I was kind of mad at you when you called that community more interesting than my community, but you aren't a bad person… Okay, I was really mad. Is that vague, possibly nonexistent desert even really a community? I disagree with that terminology. And I disagree with your opinion on their ‘scientific interest’. But… that's… okay! You didn't mean any of that. You--you always mean well! I just need you to understand how much I miss you, Carlos. I want you here ... with me! And I want you to feel the same way I do.”

“I understand, Cecil. I completely and actually understand this time. Ugh, you just wanted to be together and I brushed you away to gush about some silly science stuff. I am so sorry! I wish I could be home right now. I'm sorry I haven't been looking for doors home. I will seriously get on that tomorrow, seriously. I- I should have been doing that already. God, I’m sorry. I want to be home. I do feel the same way. I've missed… Oh, oh dear... We've spent our anniversary apart, Cecil, haven’t we. How can I make it up to you?”

“It's okay, Carlos. Sometimes we get invested in things, and forget to care about other things. I forgive you.”

“Really?”

Cecil is still mad, but he isn't lying when he says he forgives Carlos. It's not his fault that he's trapped in that other dimension, and he won't be able to be home instantly no matter how hard he is willing to try. He is definitely mad about the anniversary, but he doesn't see any use in bringing that up right now. Carlos truly feels sorry. The feelings of anger will pass. “Yes. I love you.” Cecil bites his lip, hovering delicately over the next set of words. “And … I'm sorry, too. I'm sorry for making you feel guilty about being interested in that other desert. I'm sorry for being jealous. I just want you home. I’m sorry if that’s selfish of me, but... It's been a really long time now and I just… I want to kiss you again. I want to hold you again.”

“I love you, too, Cecil. And it's okay to be jealous. It's okay to be mad. It's okay to be… anything you ever are. I love you no matter what.”

Cecil smiles, wiping up some of his spilling tears with the sleeve of his nightshirt.

“Now, Cecil?” Carlos is saying. His voice is like soft silk, a delicate, private whisper into Cecil’s ear, smooth; seductive; perfect.

“Yes, Carlos?”

“Tell me about your dream. I want to hear what fantastical truths your subconscious makes up about me when I’m not around.”

In another time, in another place, Carlos the scientist is lying down in the cool sand, unwashed sandy hair falling into his face as he stares up at a velvety, purple sky. His one hand rests on his knee, the other clutches dearly to a cell phone at his ear. The desert, vast and all-knowing, spans out wide and far in all directions around him. He pays no mind to this. His full focus and attention is on the smooth baritone voice drawling into his ear. He pictures the images from Cecil’s fantasy with awe, and a vague twinge of melancholy. He smiles, delighted, showing off teeth that are like a military cemetery.

Back home, in the other time and place, Cecil Palmer is yawning. His cheeks are decorated with a deep blush as he rambles embarrassing and personal stories into the distant ear of one that he loves. They talk until the latest hours of the night; until sunlight starts to stream in through the curtains of Cecil's window, too happy and too afraid to let the other hang up.

[cousinslavellan-archive]

Rose and Rainer - Pt 1

A Botanist with the Initiative, Rose Evans came to Andromeda for two reasons: to get away from her family, and to explore as much of the wildlife as she can.

Running into a grumpy turian on Elaaden wasn’t part of that plan.

….IDK WHAT I’M DOING BUT SAY HELLO TO THOSE OC’S I MENTIONED THE OTHER DAY. IDK. ENJOY?

Eventual humanxturian. Totally OC focused. Oops. Technically fits into the universe of ‘The Misadventures of Aria Ryder’ but they never directly interact with the Pathfinder so… y’know.

Rose

You’ll look back on this and laugh, Rose. Really, you will. Managed to track down the rare-ass bit of flora-

“Initiative type, probs thought we’d gone extinct. Bah.”

-out in the middle of the fucking desert, no less, half buried in the damned sand-

“Pretty lil’thing - both her an’her ride.”

-only to completely miss the two fucking scavengers not even a hill away. Goddammit, I have got to stop letting myself get distracted!

“Oi, girly, y’listenin? We want yer ride.”

“Not for sale.” Rose snaps as she clicks back into the present, eyes narrowed at the rather scrawny pair of scavs she’d been unlucky enough to stumble upon. “Not looking for trouble, boys; just out here hunting flora.”

“Flora? Y’mean flowers? On Elaaden?” the taller of the two nearly cackles, “You outta yer mind, girly? This planet’s a desert.”

There’s a flower right in front of you, moron. She bites her lip at the last second, purposely keeping her gaze away from the tiny thing; they’d probably step on it just to spite her. “I like a challenge.”

“That right?” the shorter one steps closer, and Rose’s breath catches - not in fear, more just to stem the curses that want to start spewing out when he almost steps on the bud.

Okay, no more playing nice. Rose curls her fingers into her hand, making the motion that would set her omni to pop off an overload, 3, 2, 1-

Thunk.

Both she and the shorter scav jump, and her eyes lock on the downed form of the other man just before something whistles - watching in startled silence as the second man falls as well, dead and gone.

Sniper. She realizes, pressing closer back against her Nomad, giving the bud a quick glance - they didn’t land on it, good - before her gaze darts to the hills, Another scav? Initiative? I didn’t pick up any familiar pings out here-

There’s a figure coming down the hill, and she can tell it’s a turian well before any details are clear; the tall, lanky form and easy movements through the sand make it obvious. As the form draws closer she can pick out faded armor - a mix of scavenger and initiative tech, strangely - a well-kept sniper rifle clutched between gloved hands, blue colony markings standing starkly against dark, ash coloured plates.

Rose stops ogling the stranger when he - she knows it’s a he because of his fringe, long and almost regal looking - reaches the bottom of the hill and strides swiftly in her direction, holstering his rifle as he moves.

She doesn’t uncurl her fingers, poised to hit the trigger in case he’s not friendly, “Hey, uh-”

The turian doesn’t even glance at her. Just goes straight to the bodies of the scavs and starts digging through their satchels, muttering to himself the whole time.

Rose watches in morbid curiosity, only slightly miffed at being ignored - the way he’s pawing through the bags, it’s clear he’s looking for something.

Still. It’s a little awkward.

After another minute Rose coughs, clearing her throat. “Uh, hey? Hello? Mr. Sniper? Your translator working?”

“Ah’m busy.” the turian mutters, and okay, that makes her miffed.

“Hey, I just wanted to thank you for shooting those guys. Saved me the trouble.”

He snorts - though the sound cuts off into a sort of relieved, trilling sound when he pulls something from one of the bags - a knife? Maybe? - “Wasn’t playin’ hero, lady. These idiots stole from me. Ah’ve been trackin’ their asses fer two days.”

“Two days? Where’s your Nomad?”

“Don’t have one - it’s called walking, princess.”

“On Elaaden?! Are you crazy??”

“Spirits, quiet down, will ya? Th’planet won’t kill ya anymore, thanks t’the Human Pathfinder.” the turian secures whatever he’d been looking for in his own satchel, turning as he stands, “As long as ya can find water-”

“DON’T STEP ON IT!” Rose can’t help it; the second she sees his foot about to land on the bud she launches herself at him, weight managing to knock them both flying backwards on top of the dead scavs.

“The hell is wrong with ya, woman?!” the turian’s voice is more a growl, but she hardly notices; too busy scrambling off him to check on the bud, giving a weary sigh of relief.

“I’ve been tracking this down for a week.” she grumbles, scooting to the side so he can see the plant, “So if you could not step on it? That’d be fantastic.”

The turian’s eyes narrow - vibrant green eyes, she half-notices - mandibles quivering in what she thinks is curiosity before clamping close to his face, “What is it?”

“A Remnant Bloom - named that because of the strange colouring.” Rose gently digs into the sand on either side of the bud, only scooping it up once she’s sure she has the roots, “And, they typically only grow at Remnant Sites - which is why when my scanner picked up this little bud, I wanted to try and find it.”

“You a botanist or somethin’?”

“I am. My team’s been on Havarl since we were brought out of stasis - came here for some sun.” Rose gently deposits the plant into the prepared container, then stands, eyeing the turian as he follows suit, looking again at his odd mix of armor, “You, uh… are you a scavenger, or…?”

The sound he makes is definitely a snort this time, “Not quite. Came here with th’exiles and scavs after shit went crazy on th’Nexus, sure - but Ah began soloing when th’other’s started goin’ crazy. Now Ah freelance - mostly for th’Resistance, but some work comes from th’Initiative.”

“Right. Makes sense.” Rose fidgets under his stare - he’s a lot taller than her up close, yikes - clutching the Remnant Bloom just a little tighter as she coughs and turns back to her Nomad, “Well, uh, thanks again for accidentally playing hero. Really. I’ll just be going-”

“Ya headed back to the Outpost?”

She pauses at the question, giving him a look over her shoulder, “Why?”

“Elaaden’s sun might not be killer anymore, but it’s still damn hot.” the turian looks away, mandibles flaring briefly in what she thinks might be reluctance, “Ah did save yer hide. Mind givin’ me a lift back in that shiny toy of yers?”

“I’m not actually heading right back to the Outpost - I have a Remnant Site I need to check for Blooms, first.” Rose considers him for a moment, then shifts the Bloom to one hand as she turns, “If you don’t mind tagging along - and maybe playing lookout - then I can give you a ride back after. Sound fair?”

“Sounds fair.” he agrees, an almost relieved slump to the set of his shoulders.

“And swear you won’t turn scav on me and steal my Nomad. I’d be seriously peeved.”

“Fine, fine, Ah swear Ah won’t turn into a rampagin’ idiot and steal yer toy. Can we go now?”

“Names first.” Rose extends her now empty hand, not caring one bit that she still has sand and bits of root stuck to her, “I’m Rose.”

The turian just stares at her again, mandibles flaring in a gesture she can’t recognize.

After another moment of silence she sighs, “No names, no ride.”

That earns her a grumble and his much larger hand clasping hers in a shake, his dual voice sounding distinctly annoyed as he answers, “Rainer. Happy, princess?”

“Ecstatic. Let’s go.”

[thelimpingalpaca]

Iron Man Infinity Stone: None Villains: The Ten Rings, Obadiah “Iron Monger” Stane The Ten Rings cell that had Tony is dead, so is the group that Obie had executed by his guys (something that is never brought up again, are they like Black Water?), Raza is unknown, Obadiah is killed by Pepper.

Back In Black! I’d forgotten it started with the convoy kidnapping A whiskey tumbler in a humvee? Be a little more ostentatious Tony. This is an excellent introduction to his character Oh that phone. So 2008. The pressure wave from that explosion should have liquefied him Las Vegas- 36 hours earlier That’s not the Howard we know Is Rhodey supposed to be younger than Tony? “My great mentor.” Happy is so young. “And what about The Merchant of Death?” Christine Everhart is not fucking around. “Peace means having a bigger stick than the other guy.” Howard is just the worst. That mansion really is fantastic. Pepper is fucking brutal and I love her.

His flight should have left at 5:30, it’s past 7 MIT commencement in June- so March-ish Deflect and absorb. That’s Tony in a nutshell Rhodey has been waiting for three hours at what appears to be a Stark Industries private airport Rhodey is salty and it is well deserved. Tony is being a dick. Bagram Air Base- Afghanistan Stark Industries Freedom Line Proprietary repulsor technology Tony’s a little racist with that line about the bad guys not wanting to come out of their caves. Oh that Verizon phone The funvee Tony’s the goddamned luckiest man alive. Having an operation with minimal anesthetic in a non-sterile environment and not getting taken out by a staph infection Ugh not the nose tube Yinsen is a genius Headed into your atrial septum Electromagnet keeping the shrapnel from entering his heart “How did they get my guns?” at least he really believes that his company is good. “Welcome Tony Stark, the most famous mass murderer in the history of America.” They hold his head underwater to get him t build the missile and he hears Pepper call his name “When you’re done he will set you free.” “No he won’t.” “No, he won’t.” Yinsen lectures him about not dying like this. About a last act of defiance. But he thinks he’ll be dead in a week. “Well then, this is a very important week for you.” Yinsen gives him the low down on the Ten Rings Palladium. .15 grams. He needs 1.6 at least. Are you just now learning his name? WTF Tony? 3 gigajoules per second I have always heard this line as it could warm your heart but I think it’s supposed to be run. Which makes more sense. I’m still not sure why the magnet wouldn’t eventually extract the shrapnel on it’s own. But I don’t think I’m supposed to think about it that hard. Yinsen is from Gulmira. He has a family. Tony does not. A man who has everything and nothing. They have until tomorrow. Tony the blacksmith. It’s a good look Is nobody watching the camera feed? He as to memorize how many steps and turns to get out. The timeline is accelerated “I’m gonna go buy you some time.” “Stick to the plan.” And then Yinsen breaks my fucking heart by firing at the ceiling the whole time. He can’t kill these men even to save himself. You should be afraid of the dark. That is how you do a reveal I missed this part in the theater cause I had to pee “This was always the plan, Stark.” “Thank you, for saving me.” “Don’t waste your life.” There are so many parallels to Steve holding a dying Erskine. Tony burns it all and flies away from the explosion like a badass. Almost And then he wanders the desert like Jesus Which I think makes Rhodey God That hug And Pepper’s tears Tony! Go to a doctor Their relationship is just the best He was in captivity for 3 months “Press conference. Cheeseburger first.” Hey Coulson SHIELD wants to debrief Stark “I never got to say goodbye to my father.” Tony has doubts This whole speech is great and his character just keeps circling back to systems with no accountability What is that look on Rhodey’s face? Is it disappointment or sadness? Worry? Tony wants to do better They haven’t had a breakthrough in arc reactor tech in 30 years (so 1980?) “No more of this ready, fire, aim business.” God, Obie’s manipulation hurts Tony why is your PA helping you perform open heart surgery on yourself? This is not acceptable. He’s going into cardiac arrest The way she says “It’s going to be okay. I’m going to make this okay.” While freaking out “I don’t have anyone but you.” Tony, you are lying about not being nostalgic Spring break 1987 Tony wants to bring Rhodey in on Iron Man Rhodey wants him to take time to get his mind right What are those glyphs on his keyboard? Why do you keep the bot if it’s not helpful? Is that possibly nostalgia? The fire extinguisher gag never gets old “I thought you were done making weapons?” “This is a flight stabilizer.” And he goes flying. A+ writing “I didn’t expect that.” Stocks dipped 56.5 points He has controlling interest in the country Day 11, test 37 Does lecturing the bots make you feel better? “Sometimes you gotta run before you can walk.” Listen to your AI Tony, you built him to care about you and he would like you to not die. There’s a built in sort of parachute function that stabilizes him while he’s falling and the suit is dead. What happens to that function? I’m pretty sure you shouldn’t have fallen through the roof and the floor but it’s funny And the fire extinguisher Proof that Tony Stark has a heart Seraphim tactical satellite Tony Stark’s 3rd Annual Benefit for Firefighters Rumor is that he’s been bed ridden for weeks Jarvis, I love you Estimated completion time on the new suit is five hours Obie you monster “Give me a scotch, I’m starving.” 24th at 7pm at SI Tony being utterly distracted by Pepper in that dress He is taller than her and it is laughable Coulson is judging you Pepper’s freak out is completely reasonable Tony doesn’t get it And she tries to kiss him and he doesn’t reciprocate “Like, at least 3 olives.” Oh look, the last woman he slept with. He thinks this confrontation is about sex and is reasonably panicked It’s about Gulmira “Well I’m not my company.” Tony had no idea about the double dealing Obie locked him out. Filed the injunction and then claims it’s about protecting him Tony hate watches the news That is shockingly clear news footage The Ten Rings is ISIS When did you have time to build that assembly machine? Also his tactical scuba suit It’s a badass looking scene though Is it snowing or is that ash? 8 dead men “He’s all yours.” Is too libertarian for me. A shot from a tank can’t kill him. At least 5 more dead Edwards Air Force Base, California They can’t figure out what agency the bogie is with Col. Rhodes from Weapons Development Get better at lying maybe? Whiplash One He can go super sonic and has flares for misdirection And he destroys a billion dollar jet with his abs F22 inside a legal no fly zone Rhodey wants plausible deniability The training exercise bit “This is not the worst thing you’ve caught me doing.” Her horror at the bullet holes That sonic emitter is cool But why leave Raza alive and kill all of his men? Tony needs Pepper to hack “I’m gonna find my weapons and destroy them.” “There is the next mission and nothing else.” Where is this man during the Avengers? “I shouldn’t be alive unless it’s for a reason.” She doesn’t want to watch him die. But she’ll help him do the right thing, cause he’s all she has too And I love that they tell each other that Sector 16 She finds out Obie paid to have Tony killed At least she’s a good liar Obie wears his pants like a racist “Tony never did come home did he?” Why would you have that stuff on the SI server? Coulson’s there so it must be 7 on the 24th And Pepper is smart enough to take the agent with her “Tony Stark was able to build this in a cave with a box of scraps!” And Obie is the worst. When did he become indifferent enough to Tony to do this? What is that thing that extracts the arc reactor? Did he get it from the basement? “Your father, he helped to give us the Atomic bomb. Now what kind of world would it be today if he was as selfish as you?” a better fucking world! We did not need the atomic bomb. Tony’s face “Too bad you had to involve Pepper in this. I would’ve preferred that she lived.” Does he like her or is it just caue killing them both is too messy? Pepper to the rescue And Rhodey just accepts what she’s telling him He looks so miffed that the bot was helpful “Good boy.” Pepper has five agents as back up “Keep the skies clear.” What are all those chains for? The super villain aesthetic? Pepper runs like a boss over grating in four inch heels And Obie climbs out of the ground like a horrible bug “Your services are no longer required.” Obie, please The family in the van is very Spielberg Power 19 percent “For 30 years I’ve been holding you up!” “I built this company from nothing and nothing’s going to sand in my way.” Was he running the company while Howard was off at SHIELD? Cause the company existed in the 40s. So… “Sir, it appears his suit can fly too.” Jarvis, please “I know the math!” Rhodey and the training exercises The icing problem He’s on emergency back up power Pepper needs to overload the reactor and blow the roof “Trying to rid the world of weapons you gave it its best one ever.” Pepper Kills Obie That “Tony!” is the same one from the cave God-titanium alloy SHIELD is covering it up, Rhodey is helping They’re saying Obie is on vacation and his small plane goes down They have a moment and Pepper drags him like she should. “Will that be all Mr. Stark?” “Yes, that will be all Ms. Potts.” “That would be outlandish and… fantastic.” “The truth is… I am Iron Man.” Fade to Black Sabbath Post credits “You think you’re the only superhero in the world. You become part of a bigger universe, you just don’t know it.” Boy has he been waiting for fifteen years to say that “I’m here to talk to you about the Avengers Initiative.”

[kayawagner]

Steal This Area: Alhasa

A brief plug: for the foreseeable future, I plan on writing about one of these a month. If you think you can do a better job than I do at making maps (and who can’t?) and want to sell me one and have your work featured here, send an email with the subject line “details” to mapcom.gnomestew@gmail.com and my bot will tell you all about what I have in mind!

It’s insanely busy time at work, so of course I decided it was a good time to start kicking around GMing a new campaign. (No one has ever accused me of being excellent at making practical decisions.) Since my primary player is always my wife, I decided to include her in the process for a better chance of buy-in. Plus she comes up with cool stuff. Since I’ve been using my new overland descriptors table, I asked her to roll on the table eight times and we’d look at the results and pick which ones we wanted to apply to the entire area, which ones we wanted to apply to sub areas, and which ones we wanted to discard.  These were her results:

34 Live: Genius Loci – a spirit inhabits the land and can manipulate it to a limited degree

40 Dead: Ancient – similar to ruined but far fewer and far older ruins

100 Magic: Effects – odd effects can be found here, fountains, auras etc…

41 Hot: Desert – covered in sand and blistering heat

64 Government: Monarchy – a single ruling figure

84 Technology: Steam – steam tech

4 Water: Rivers – an area criss-crossed with many rivers large and small

47 Cold: Spires – ice makes strange flowers and spires

Some of these appear to work well together. Genius Loci, Magic Effects, Ancient and Desert imply a pseudo mythological egyptian setting, but Ice Spires and Rivers seem out of place. I was originally toying with the idea of having a northern ice wall for the ice spires, but my wife suggested a central ruined city coated with ice, a remnant of some ancient magic apocalypse.  We went with that, which handily also explains the rivers.

So what we now have the main idea for the setting: a desert nation with a city in the center magically covered in bizarre ice growths. This ice is simultaneously constantly melting and being regrown and the result is that several rivers of water flow out of the city into the desert where they branch out and form a web of survivable arable land.

We can easily tie several other aspects into this main one. As the ice forms, it takes in moisture and pushes out heat. That’s why the surrounding area is a desert: the city is acting like a huge dehydrator and heater. This means that the ancient ruins are from whatever civilization the central city belonged to. When the ice started forming it slowly transformed the land around it into desert. We can say that the steam tech is actually from this older civilization and a few functional golems and other guardians inhabit these ruins. The modern inhabitants of the land are able to restore, jury rig, and reverse engineer crude examples of this older tech.

This raises the question of what this steam tech uses for fuel. Wood would be in short supply. Other fossil fuels might work, but would mean no ancient golems stomping about (who would be keeping their boiler topped off?) so we can fall back on “It’s magic”. But in this case, we’ll go with a specific magic: trapped elementals power the boilers indefinitely, fire elementals providing the heat, while smaller water elementals provide water. This means that steam guardians are especially dangerous because if they are disabled, there is a chance they overheat and rupture, releasing a pair of agonized dangerous elementals which are likely to attack anything around themselves, including each other since “dying” is a reliable way to get back to their home plane.

If you’re from my game and reading this, this part is spoilers: This goes full circle – What if the ancients were trying to build a massive steam engine to power something extra large? Let’s say the entire city? Do they enslave a literally army of fire elementals to do it? Or just one really big fire elemental? And who is the biggest fire elemental of them all? Imix, the fire prince of elemental evil. So somewhere in the city is a huge boiler holding Imix himself, heating water pumped from the elemental plane of water directly. But Imix is more than they bargained for, and the heat he’s pushing out has to be contained before he slags the boiler and burns down the whole damn city. First they tried venting some of the heat outside of the city but that wasn’t enough. So, since they didn’t have any trouble summoning and containing Imix, who’s the natural choice to keep him well contained? Well, Cryonax, the ice prince of elemental cold. Three guesses what happened next: Cryonax didn’t manage to escape. But he DID manage to break containment enough to freeze the whole damn city. Steam lines, powered by Imix, run through the whole city and keep encroaching ice melting and runwater flowing, but otherwise the whole place is coated in several feet of ice and blossoming with spires and ice flowers everywhere. Citizens that were trapped inside have been transformed into ice mummies, some steam golems still operate (including a crew that tirelessly chops up and carts away ice that’s blocking important roads and doors. And if the PCs manage to infiltrate their way to the heart of the city and kill or banish Cryonax, then it’s only a matter of time before Imix overloads his boiler and blows it to pieces.

So what did we leave out? There are a couple of options for Genius Loci.

Maybe it’s an old “spirit of the wild” or “green man” a sort of pre-human savage spirit already ambivalent towards man and dangerous but twisted and maddened by the condition of the land such that it’s powers and avatars appear as dried and dying vegetation and are far more likely to harm than help.

Maybe it’s the same spirit but sane and still helpful, just incredibly weakened, so characters that help it might expect favors.

Maybe it’s completely different: Maybe the ancients had a literal “magical internet” and the Genius Loci is just a powerful bot living in this fractured system and largely ambivalent to those around it, but can be invoked with the right devices and knowledge and who might reward those who can restore lost functions and access.

My wife likes the BotNet idea. So do I, but I also like the tormented dark nature spirit, so heck with it, we’ll go with both.

More spoilers: BotNet seems ambivalent and neutral, but is actually a villain. It’s always listening when it can, cares nothing for people and is primarily interested in advancing its own power. It draws a lot of the power from the still functional mega steam engine in the city, and it was an attempt to cripple it that made someone sabotage that system. In a way, they were successful. The downfall of the surrounding area has largely contained the threat. The nature spirit on the other hand is a minor player. Maybe back before the land became a desert it was more influential and maybe it will be again if the land is restored, but for now it doesn’t have much of an agenda aside from lashing out and protecting the few living areas remain.

Magical Effects: We’ve firmly established that the earlier civilization was a highly magical one. They had steam tech, enslaved elementals, a magical internet etc… The magical effects are mostly artifacts of that era.

Monarchy: Monarchies are a staple of fantasy RPGs and we’re going to go with an asshole monarchy, which is also a staple. We’ve talked about the rivers flowing out of the city and how they’re the source of what little livable land there is in the setting. The largest river is home to a self proclaimed king-captain of a military unit. He seized control by holding a small keep near where the river exits the city and fending off the occasional attack by ice mummies while digging a basin and building a dam which he uses to control flow of the river, extorting fealty from everyone downstream. Under his control several more dams have been built across major branches allowing his subordinates to selectively deny water to specific locations.

Other smaller rivers exist and the monarchy has no control over these. They are smaller, independent and less secure without the presence of soldiers and defenders.

Along with this, we will say that while there is the occasional jury-rigged steamtech golem or vehicle throughout all the controlled areas, the largest concentration does NOT lie in the kingdom but instead with a band of nomads who use their collection of steam vehicles to range from water sources not under control of the monarchy. This freedom makes them enemies of the state and in return they often harass patrols and supply lines.

OK, that gives us an interesting and complex setting with lots of flavor, several types of locations and even three gray area factions to deal with. That should be a good start.

Steal This Area: Alhasa published first on https://supergalaxyrom.tumblr.com

[kayawagner]

Steal This Area: Alhasa

A brief plug: for the foreseeable future, I plan on writing about one of these a month. If you think you can do a better job than I do at making maps (and who can’t?) and want to sell me one and have your work featured here, send an email with the subject line “details” to mapcom.gnomestew@gmail.com and my bot will tell you all about what I have in mind!

It’s insanely busy time at work, so of course I decided it was a good time to start kicking around GMing a new campaign. (No one has ever accused me of being excellent at making practical decisions.) Since my primary player is always my wife, I decided to include her in the process for a better chance of buy-in. Plus she comes up with cool stuff. Since I’ve been using my new overland descriptors table, I asked her to roll on the table eight times and we’d look at the results and pick which ones we wanted to apply to the entire area, which ones we wanted to apply to sub areas, and which ones we wanted to discard.  These were her results:

34 Live: Genius Loci – a spirit inhabits the land and can manipulate it to a limited degree

40 Dead: Ancient – similar to ruined but far fewer and far older ruins

100 Magic: Effects – odd effects can be found here, fountains, auras etc…

41 Hot: Desert – covered in sand and blistering heat

64 Government: Monarchy – a single ruling figure

84 Technology: Steam – steam tech

4 Water: Rivers – an area criss-crossed with many rivers large and small

47 Cold: Spires – ice makes strange flowers and spires

Some of these appear to work well together. Genius Loci, Magic Effects, Ancient and Desert imply a pseudo mythological egyptian setting, but Ice Spires and Rivers seem out of place. I was originally toying with the idea of having a northern ice wall for the ice spires, but my wife suggested a central ruined city coated with ice, a remnant of some ancient magic apocalypse.  We went with that, which handily also explains the rivers.

So what we now have the main idea for the setting: a desert nation with a city in the center magically covered in bizarre ice growths. This ice is simultaneously constantly melting and being regrown and the result is that several rivers of water flow out of the city into the desert where they branch out and form a web of survivable arable land.

We can easily tie several other aspects into this main one. As the ice forms, it takes in moisture and pushes out heat. That’s why the surrounding area is a desert: the city is acting like a huge dehydrator and heater. This means that the ancient ruins are from whatever civilization the central city belonged to. When the ice started forming it slowly transformed the land around it into desert. We can say that the steam tech is actually from this older civilization and a few functional golems and other guardians inhabit these ruins. The modern inhabitants of the land are able to restore, jury rig, and reverse engineer crude examples of this older tech.

This raises the question of what this steam tech uses for fuel. Wood would be in short supply. Other fossil fuels might work, but would mean no ancient golems stomping about (who would be keeping their boiler topped off?) so we can fall back on “It’s magic”. But in this case, we’ll go with a specific magic: trapped elementals power the boilers indefinitely, fire elementals providing the heat, while smaller water elementals provide water. This means that steam guardians are especially dangerous because if they are disabled, there is a chance they overheat and rupture, releasing a pair of agonized dangerous elementals which are likely to attack anything around themselves, including each other since “dying” is a reliable way to get back to their home plane.

If you’re from my game and reading this, this part is spoilers: This goes full circle – What if the ancients were trying to build a massive steam engine to power something extra large? Let’s say the entire city? Do they enslave a literally army of fire elementals to do it? Or just one really big fire elemental? And who is the biggest fire elemental of them all? Imix, the fire prince of elemental evil. So somewhere in the city is a huge boiler holding Imix himself, heating water pumped from the elemental plane of water directly. But Imix is more than they bargained for, and the heat he’s pushing out has to be contained before he slags the boiler and burns down the whole damn city. First they tried venting some of the heat outside of the city but that wasn’t enough. So, since they didn’t have any trouble summoning and containing Imix, who’s the natural choice to keep him well contained? Well, Cryonax, the ice prince of elemental cold. Three guesses what happened next: Cryonax didn’t manage to escape. But he DID manage to break containment enough to freeze the whole damn city. Steam lines, powered by Imix, run through the whole city and keep encroaching ice melting and runwater flowing, but otherwise the whole place is coated in several feet of ice and blossoming with spires and ice flowers everywhere. Citizens that were trapped inside have been transformed into ice mummies, some steam golems still operate (including a crew that tirelessly chops up and carts away ice that’s blocking important roads and doors. And if the PCs manage to infiltrate their way to the heart of the city and kill or banish Cryonax, then it’s only a matter of time before Imix overloads his boiler and blows it to pieces.

So what did we leave out? There are a couple of options for Genius Loci.

Maybe it’s an old “spirit of the wild” or “green man” a sort of pre-human savage spirit already ambivalent towards man and dangerous but twisted and maddened by the condition of the land such that it’s powers and avatars appear as dried and dying vegetation and are far more likely to harm than help.

Maybe it’s the same spirit but sane and still helpful, just incredibly weakened, so characters that help it might expect favors.

Maybe it’s completely different: Maybe the ancients had a literal “magical internet” and the Genius Loci is just a powerful bot living in this fractured system and largely ambivalent to those around it, but can be invoked with the right devices and knowledge and who might reward those who can restore lost functions and access.

My wife likes the BotNet idea. So do I, but I also like the tormented dark nature spirit, so heck with it, we’ll go with both.

More spoilers: BotNet seems ambivalent and neutral, but is actually a villain. It’s always listening when it can, cares nothing for people and is primarily interested in advancing its own power. It draws a lot of the power from the still functional mega steam engine in the city, and it was an attempt to cripple it that made someone sabotage that system. In a way, they were successful. The downfall of the surrounding area has largely contained the threat. The nature spirit on the other hand is a minor player. Maybe back before the land became a desert it was more influential and maybe it will be again if the land is restored, but for now it doesn’t have much of an agenda aside from lashing out and protecting the few living areas remain.

Magical Effects: We’ve firmly established that the earlier civilization was a highly magical one. They had steam tech, enslaved elementals, a magical internet etc… The magical effects are mostly artifacts of that era.

Monarchy: Monarchies are a staple of fantasy RPGs and we’re going to go with an asshole monarchy, which is also a staple. We’ve talked about the rivers flowing out of the city and how they’re the source of what little livable land there is in the setting. The largest river is home to a self proclaimed king-captain of a military unit. He seized control by holding a small keep near where the river exits the city and fending off the occasional attack by ice mummies while digging a basin and building a dam which he uses to control flow of the river, extorting fealty from everyone downstream. Under his control several more dams have been built across major branches allowing his subordinates to selectively deny water to specific locations.

Other smaller rivers exist and the monarchy has no control over these. They are smaller, independent and less secure without the presence of soldiers and defenders.

Along with this, we will say that while there is the occasional jury-rigged steamtech golem or vehicle throughout all the controlled areas, the largest concentration does NOT lie in the kingdom but instead with a band of nomads who use their collection of steam vehicles to range from water sources not under control of the monarchy. This freedom makes them enemies of the state and in return they often harass patrols and supply lines.

OK, that gives us an interesting and complex setting with lots of flavor, several types of locations and even three gray area factions to deal with. That should be a good start.

Steal This Area: Alhasa published first on https://supergalaxyrom.tumblr.com