#also he is constantly carrying drinks under his coat and his body keeps them cool

[eggnogs-stupid-ideas]

Im bored and i want to post but I dont know what to post so im deciding im gonna post au refs but one at a time for now on and also in the order i finished them so tw for a character drawn in under-gardments, nothing else is shown besides that but just in case that makes anybody uncomfy

Im shocked ive not yet posted my eggnog ref on here being... eggnog- The boy! The stupid man! Yes I draw him overweight because he is santa claus and the only santa claus I will allow to be buff is nicholas saint north, next question So for some au lore summary, since I last wrote about his story... forever ago (and the old one is severely out-dated) Eggnog was born in the town Cotton was born in but way earilier, and he was born with a magic-disorder that caused him to be unable to fully process of show emotion. And then he got sick! And then he ran away into the snow mountains because Frost Queen didnt wanna pick him up I guess. He was going to be a snowflake, but Frost Queen decided it would be better to make him her assistant, with a bonus of course; she would give him the ability to process and show emotion, as long as he had a outside source of emotion to feed on. Rebirthed as Snow Angel, but still able to take the form of his past self (now with cool wings!), Eggnog later ended up joining the G.F.E foundation (the gifting cookies organization, I dont remember if theres a canon name but thats been my au one for a while so), for three reasons; -To get a constant stream of happiness in the less joyful times of month -To be able to search for children marked with the blessing of the snowflakes -And because it just genuinely made him happy to bring a smile on kids faces, since he wasnt able to have that. ANd now hes where he is in current day, woo! Fun fact, his body inside is majorly made of snow, including a system based on ice magic, so he is almost constantly cold

[steviespanties]

Special Treats For Good Cat Boys on AO3 for full tags. 2.6k, Rated E. Unapologetic smutty fluff with a chubby catboy!Steve in panties, pregnancy kink (without mpreg) and a very successful Valentine’s Day date night~ Fitting for the @harringroveheart-on prompts Lingerie, Champagne and Date Night and a belated b-day present for @rvspberryjvm 😊💗💗

It’s the second week of snow coming down on the city, covering houses and streets in sheets of white over and over again until all sound is muffled when Steve walks outside. Even with his sharp hearing, face wrapped in his favorite scarf, he has to strain his ears to not get surprised by people coming around corners.

Icy wind bites into his cheeks and once again he’s grateful for the incredibly fluffy knit hat Robin sent him for Christmas. It’s got holes for his ears to poke out in perfectly placed spots- something Billy sneakily helped figure out for her, she’d admitted on the phone.

“Good thing I convinced you to buy the more expensive winter coat, huh?” Next to him, wrapped in said coat, a blood red scarf, his hat and mittens, Billy looks a lot less grumpy when he doesn’t have to complain about freezing his ass off. Steve snickers at the glare thrown in his direction.

“How could I’ve known that winter in Michigan is even worse than Indiana?”

Steve laughs. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe someone tried to warn you in advance and you turned deaf all of a sudden?” He gets an adorable pout in response that Billy will deny up and down ever showing. He wants to reach out and kiss the corner of Billy’s pouty lips till he can’t help but react with a grin.

Bags full of groceries swing between them as they bicker back and forth. At a street crossing Billy reaches out and carefully brushes snow off Steve’s ear. He smiles back in thanks.

Steve’s ears have become extra fluffy this winter, with a thick undercoat that keeps the snow from melting and seeping into his skin. It’s like his body knew it had to prepare for the more serious cold. Billy can’t keep his hands from petting the new softness of Steve’s fur, taking every opportunity to brush his equally floofed up tail and give him head scratches. Steve’s started to feel very spoiled lately.

They arrive home to a warm apartment and close the door with relieved groans behind them, both glad to have escaped the cold. As they peel off their many layers of clothes, Steve sneaks a glance at Billy. He looks so beautiful when he’s flushed, his tan faded, but his freckles even more visible due to the winter sun. It’s not like Billy isn’t aware that he’s beautiful. Despite getting a bit soft around the middle, he’s still proud of maintaining his muscles. Gives himself finger guns and winks at the mirror when he’s all primped. But he’s also pretty. Long lashes and soft lips, a shimmery fuzz of golden hair on his body that Steve constantly wants to rub himself against. In the dark grey henley he reveals under his coat, he looks effortlessly stunning.

Of course, he catches Steve staring and throws him a smug grin.

“Ready for some food?” Steve nods and grabs his share of grocery bags to follow Billy into the kitchen.

“Starving,” he says. As they unpack, their limited counter space soon overflows with the clutter of their united assembly of their dinner: A spread of baguette slices with cream cheese, topped with caviar or smoked salmon. Cucumber salad, dark grapes and strawberries. Sliced-open croissants stuffed with bacon and scrambled eggs. Ice cream waiting in the freezer. And, of course, two bottles of champagne, already cooled in the fridge and now fizzing enchantingly in two glasses. Steve’s tail swishes excitedly at the mouth-watering smells and it takes a lot of self control not to sneak a bite. Still, Billy seems to have a sixth sense for Steve getting too riled up, because soon enough he bumps their shoulders together. “Why don’t you go ahead and get settled. Put on some music for us while I clean up.”

Steve bumps right back into him. Enjoys the way Billy barely even moves, unbothered and rooted firmly in place. “That sounds good. Thanks.” He can’t resist placing at least a quick kiss to Billy’s shoulder. This close, he can catch a good whiff of Billy’s scent, warm and a little woody because of his perfume. Billy playfully swats at him, which Steve evades in a fluid motion and a with laugh before he slips into the living room.

They’ve spent all afternoon working on a blanket fort that looks even more cozy and inviting than when they left to go grocery shopping. All the lights in the room are covered in red cloth, bathing the place in muted, warm light. Where their sofa usually stands, they’ve turned the entire thing around, thrown a futon in front and surrounded it with pillows and cushions. The cushy interior is flanked by chairs they’ve thrown a massive white sheet on top on, which trails over the back of the sofa and is illuminated by fairy lights on the inside. The mountain of blankets Steve insisted on adding might be a bit overkill, but his stomach gets all fluttery with elation when he looks at it. Like they’ve built their own little nest that calls for him to curl up between soft blankets where he can wait for Billy to join him.

So he hastily selects something sappy to softly play in the background: A REO Speedwagon album that Billy would never admit to liking, but that he has also never protested listening to when Steve's put it on or insisted on turning off either. Steve slips out of his pants, places them behind a cushion where he’s also snuck a bottle of lube and then quickly dives under a blanket when he hears Billy’s approaching footsteps.

“Hey there, kitty cat.” Billy comes into view holding a whole tray with their food, cleverly arranged so he can carry everything in one trip while an ice bucket with their champagne bottles dangles on his arm.

“Here, let me get that.” Steve leans up, careful not to let the blanket slip to reveal his surprise. He takes the tray off Billy’s hands and carefully lowers it to the ground. No snacks directly in the blanket fort if they want to sleep in here tonight. Billy huffs as he puts the bucket down. Lifts his head to make eye contact with Steve, just long enough to notice the mischievous glint in his eyes- and then he leaps forward with a whoop.

Steve yelps at a sudden armful of heavy, cackling boyfriend on top of him. Billy's happiness is infectious and he quickly feels himself join in on the laughter. It's Billy's turn to kiss him, just a lightning-fast peck on the lips that makes Steve wish he'd linger just a bit longer.

They share their first glasses of champagne that tingles on Steve’s sensitive tongue, making him chase its lightness into Billy’s slick mouth. There’s the explosion of briny, salty caviar and mild cream cheese in Steve’s mouth, more sips of champagne followed by cool, smoked salmon. The sensation of the tips of Billy’s fingers against his lips when he feeds him a bite. Holding a strawberry against Billy's lips in turn, he's enthralled by watching sharp teeth pierce the red flesh. Each sip of champagne slips down his throat easily, a perfect, decadent balance to all the different flavors that have danced over his tongue- none quite as addictive as the taste of Billy, though.

And suddenly, their tray is shoved to the side. Shirts are thrown off and Billy’s pants shoved down. The second champagne bottle is halfway empty and Steve’s belly is pleasantly full and warm in satisfaction, making him wriggle in satisfaction. Next to him, Billy inches closer. Crowds into his space until Steve leans back into soft pillows, ears standing up at attention. There’s a different kind of hunger in his eyes, now.

“I got a surprise for you,” he confesses in a hushed voice and slips the blanket down to reveal his present.

“Is that for me?” Billy’s words are smooth whiskey. Sweet and sharp and running over Steve’s body in an intoxicating caress that makes him squirm in place and his tail swish in gleeful anticipation. Billy’s hands close around his soft hips and tug him closer. Thumbs dig into the recently added softness of Steve’s tummy, all plumped up for the winter. He really feels like a spoiled and pampered housecat now, all drunk on treats and alcohol and skin contact.

Billy’s eyes are dark with want when his gaze catches on soft pink lace panties that finally show in all their glory when he fully slips the blanket off.

“You take such good care of me,” Steve says quietly. He wraps his arms around Billy to pull him in and feels a thrill run through him when Billy’s erection brushes against his leg. Clearly, the surprise is a success. “I figured this would be a nice gift.” A tender kiss to his neck.

With a teasing smirk, Billy looks down at the panties. “Oh, I’m very happy.” He snaps the waistband against Steve’s side, making a shocked mew slip out at the sting and his dick respond with a twitch. “But don’t pretend you’re being all altruistic here, babe.” A finger runs over the rapidly hardening outline of his dick and comes to rest right at the head. He pushes down, enough to give a tiny drop of pressure that makes Steve writhe in place, unable to open his mouth and ask for more. There’s just Billy’s warm hand on his hip and that unrelenting point of not-enough-contact. Steve moans.

“Ah, so- so what, not like we can’t both enjoy me dressing up for you!” For a moment, the pressure lets up.

An agreeable hum. “True. You sure enjoy being my pretty boy, though, huh?” And the pressure is back again, just at the sensitive underside of the head of Steve’s dick. That place is like a switch where he’s quickly set on fire just by Billy’s fingers and knowing eyes drinking him up. A small wet spot starts to form where a splash of precome gets trapped between his dick and the fabric of his panties.

“Yeah,” Steve admits as he rolls his hips up. Seeks the pressure and attention as another drop of precome pushes out. “Would enjoy it even more if you fucked me.” That gets him a small laugh.

“Someone’s been getting too spoiled.” Billy sounds positively delighted at Steve’s whining. He can’t help it! He’s spent most of the day opening himself up as sneakily as possible whenever he could get away with it, has made himself drip with lube until his hole has felt open and tender for way too long. Especially now, with Billy hovering above him, he feels himself want a reward for putting in all this extra preparation. He blindly gropes for the lube. Smacks Billy’s hand off his dick and the bottle into his palm and then pulls the fabric of his panties to the side to reveal his twitching, loose hole.

The frown he throws at Billy’s wide-eyed expression might be more of a pout than an intimidating glare. At least there's no protest from Billy, just a determined set to his jaw as he slicks up his fingers in a practiced motion. He shifts from confusion to palpable excitement when first one, then two fingers sink inside Steve with almost no resistance.

“Oh baby,” he croons and leans even further into Steve’s space. Kisses him slow and deep as he presses his fingers in and out in a pleasant drag that finally comes close to what Steve’s been craving all day. He grabs Billy’s arms and luxuriates in the indulgent slide of their tongues against each other and the sting of Billy’s teeth at his lip. He undulates his hips to meet Billy’s movement inside him, chasing the elusive need for more.

When they separate to breathe, he groans a desperate “Come on, I’m ready” into Billy’s ear. No matter how much of a hardass Billy likes to think he is, the strung-out tone of Steve’s voice never fails to give him a palpable full-body shudder that Steve triumphantly notices.

“Fuck, fine.” Billy looks flushed, all gold and pink and glowing in the soft light surrounding them.

The panties are stretched taut over Steve’s dick. Divine, almost too much pressure that makes him squirm as he watches Billy slick himself up. Being trapped drives him a little crazy and makes it impossible to fully hold still, even as Billy clearly tries to go slow while he savoring the sight of Steve all laid out in front of him. He doesn’t want to wait anymore till Billy finally decides they’re ready and shoves his hips down. Pops the thick cockhead inside and makes them both moan at the way Steve hole flutters around it.

“You’re so goddamn hungry for my cock, huh?” Billy thrusts deeper, clearly losing composure. “Pretty princess gagging to be filled up.” Steve helplessly moans as heat pools at the base of his spine and in his belly. He desperately meets Billy’s hips and lets out a long, drawn-out whine. “Bet you can’t wait to get pumped full to carry a whole litter of kittens for me.”

It’s like Billy has found the string he needed to tug on to open the floodgates to fill Steve with an overwhelming, fierce need. To open himself up even more for Billy to claim him inside and out, deeper even than Billy’s cock thrusting into him where it drags at his insides. “Billy,” he sobs, barely coherent, and clings to his back. Digs his fingers into skin and feels strong back muscles shift underneath his hands.

A rising pressure of something primal, inexplicable pulses through him. He drinks in the sensations- of Billy’s body heat and sweat-slick skin rubbing against Steve’s. Billy’s scent that makes Steve salivate for a taste of him. His hair falls down in soft, wavy strands that frame his face and tickle Steve's skin gently. A hand lands on his soft belly, above his trapped dick steadily pulsing hot precome into tight fabric. Billy's claiming where he’s warm and soft and still desperate for more of his touch.

“Or maybe,” Billy breathes against his ear, makes his breath ghost over the sensitive fur. His hand presses down a little harder. “Maybe you’re already carrying.”

He can’t breathe. He’s blinded by the fireworks going off behind his eyelids, unable to keep them open any longer.

There’s just Billy. Inside and out. And the thought of Steve's belly, carrying a small piece of both of them.

It’s too much. He comes, orgasm rolling over him relentlessly. He cries. Scratches at Billy’s back and pushes himself into Billy’s hand, consumed by his cock spreading him wide open, lost in the thought of more. His panties are filled with pulse after pulse of warm, sticky come, trapped mess turning into a feedback loop of shivery, delightful aftershocks.

There’s the most feather-light kisses on his eyelids. Billy’s thrusts slow to an intense, shuddering grind as he empties himself deep into Steve, all satisfied moans and grunts. Finally, there’s air in Steve's lungs again. He fills his nose with deep inhales of their satisfied scents all mixed together.

They rest. Clean up a little. Put on The Breakfast Club while they wrap around each other as they trade kisses and sips of leftover Champagne. Steve’s tail is curled around the arm Billy has thrown over his hips and he purrs in sleepy contentment while his ears are being pet. “You’re gonna be such a good parent” Billy teases at some point and earns himself a light smack to the shoulder that makes him hiss in mock-hurt. Steve places a kiss where he hit to ease the light sting anyways.

[quartzwriting]

Christmas at Stark Cottage

Pairing: Doctor Strange X Reader (gender neutral)

Description: You and Stephen spend the first Christmas after the snap with Pepper, Morgan, Peter, May, Happy, and Rhodey. Even though you all miss Tony, he brought you all together. 

Warnings: Might be emotional (has prompted tears from a few readers)

Word Count: 2.2k

A/N: Originally posted to Qutoev for Christmas 2019 / Grammar updated

Part of my Dec 2020 Holiday One Shot Schedule/Master List

Masterlist | Fic Reading Recs | Ao3 | Quotev | Coffee

The Stark cottage was covered in a fresh blanket of snow, the cold wind and fluffy snowflakes blowing by as you and Stephen stepped through the portal and began to walk up to the porch and front door. The beautiful area dashed in white and the house decorated with bright lights and wreaths gave you the impression that this Christmas day would be an amazing one.

You kicked the snow off your boots and shook out your hair of snowflakes, Stephen following your actions as you both got under the dryness of the front porch. It was not snowing this much in the city so you did not expect to be bombarded with snowflakes. You reached forwards to knock on the door with your free hand, the other holding a plate stacked with your famous sugar cookies that were a hit every year. Stepping back to stand beside Stephen, you looked up at him and smiled. The happiness on your face made him crack a warm smile of his own.

This was the first Christmas since the blip, since Thanos was taken down and everyone that flew away as ash had returned. To Stephen, it was just another Christmas, but he knew you had a few without him and that brought a little sadness to his heart. You had told him that during those years you would spend Christmas day with the Stark family, making festive memories and teaching Morgan how to make your cookies. By the way you told the stories he knew you loved it, but deep down he could tell that with him gone it was missing something.

This morning he made sure to make you pleased, to make up for all those missed years without him. Christmas morning was just perfect. Just the two of you waking up in the Sanctum without a worry, exchanging the gifts you got each other and sharing a beautiful morning. You couldn't ask for a better Christmas, but it was just getting started.

Again you were invited for Christmas dinner with the Starks, a few more people attending alongside you this year. You brought along all the gifts you got everyone and were just waiting to step out of the cold and into the warmth of friends.

The door swung open, Pepper instantly greeting you with a big grin and a hug. She let you both in out of the freezing cold. The smell from the kitchen hit you, hinting to you the amazing meal Pepper always made every year. You saw that Happy, Rhodey, and May were already here and lounging in the living room, soon the house was full of greetings and wishing each other Merry Christmas. Pepper took your plate of cookies, allowing you to take off your coat and boots. She admired how beautifully decorated they were. Then you could hear sets of footsteps running their way down the hallway followed by excited giggles.

"Uncle Stephen!" Morgan ran up to him and jumped on him before he got the chance to do anything else and gave him a big hug. He was occupied with carrying the bags of gifts you two had brought, so he put them down so he could kneel down to her height and hug her back.

While you smiled at the two, someone dashed up to you and hugged you as well. It was Peter who gave a cheery "Merry Christmas, (Y/N)!" as he threw his arms around you. You hugged him back, glad Pepper was now holding your plate of cookies. He might have knocked them right out of your hand.

"Whoa cool necklace!" Peter pointed to the pendant that was around your neck, instantly recognizing what it was. It was your present from Stephen, he had got a necklace made to look like the Eye of Agamotto, a golden eye with a little shining emerald in its centre.

"Thanks," You smiled, kissing the sweet boy on the cheek, "It's my gift from Stephen."

Peter then held up his fist towards Stephen, enthusiastically asking for a fist bump with a dumb grin on his face. Stephen playfully rolled his eyes and accepted before the teenager surprised him with a hug.

You looked down saw the little girl looking up at you with excited eyes. "Come here you!" Morgan leaped up onto you in a hug as you laughed and spun her around. Her adorable giggle made you want to keep squeezing her in hugs, but you put her down so she would not get dizzy. "Merry Christmas honey."

She looked like she was about to say something to you but she caught sight of the thing her mother was holding. "Cookies!" Morgan cheered at the sight of the plate you brought.

But Pepper held them up above her so she could not reach, "No, not till later." Morgan pouted.

"Can I help with anything, Pepper?" You asked, helping Stephen to put your bags of gifts under the brightly coloured tree.

"I could use a little help with bringing the snacks and appetizers out, thank you (Y/N)."

"Does that involve (Y/N)'s cookies?"

"No Morgan."

~~~

"So I take the tank, fly it right up to the general's palace, drop it at his feet. I'm like 'Boom! You looking for this?'"

Stephen just looked at Rhodey. He then realized it was supposed to be funny, but it was not. Rhodey looked disappointed that he did not laugh, but Happy was laughing at Stephen's blank expression.

"Why does that story never hit anymore?" Rhodey mumbled into his glass as he took another drink.

"Well, how you became War Machine does sound like an adventure." Stephen tried to clear up the slight awkwardness as he smiled.

"He tells that one all the time." Happy said, "That line used to be funny-"

"Hey!"

Happy continued, "but it's gotten old."

"Okay Happy, that's enough." Rhodey tried to change the subject.

As if in answer to his prayers, it did as Peter and Morgan entered the living space, wearing their winter coasts and covered in scarves, hats, and mittens. Morgan was clearly missing one of her fuzzy socks and she was skittering around the room, looking on the rug and between the armchairs to find it.

"What are you two up to?" Stephen asked, giving Peter a look of curiosity.

"We're gonna go outside!" Peter replied, giving a smile like a six-year-old trapped in a teenager's body.

"I can't find my fuzzy sock!" Just then she found it by the Christmas tree and quickly put it on. "Found it! Okay, I'm ready!"

"But it's starting to turn into a blizzard out there." Happy pointed out.

"Well, we wanted to have a snowball fight," Peter whined.

"Snowball fight?" Rhodey asked, sounding intrigued. "Count me in!"

"Yay!" Morgan shouted.

Happy looked at the face Peter was giving him. Like the boy was trying to convince him to come too. He gave in. "Alright me too I guess."

"Stephen, come on you too." Rhodey encouraged.

The little girl hopped over to him, pulling at his sleeve. "Come on, uncle Stephen. Come play with us." He saw the excitement in her eyes, also the fact that her coat was a little too big for her body made her too cute to say no to.

Stephen looked at the bottom of his glass before shrugging and downing it in one swig. "Okay, wait for me."

Morgan and Peter cheered in content. The group all got on their winter gear and slipped outside into the cold snowfall for some fun.

~~~

You entered the living room to find it empty, swearing to yourself that you heard voices just a minute ago. There were half-empty glasses of drinks and eaten snack platters on the coffee table, signs of people but no one was there. You laughed a little but also wondering where everyone had gone so fast. Placing down a plate of finger sandwiches you were asked to put out, you straightened out a little of the messiness that had occurred since you last were out here.

Pepper and May were in the kitchen, starting to plate dishes and clean up with your help as dinner was going to be ready to serve soon. As you organized the coffee table, you noticed the roaring fire in the fireplace. The brightness called to you, you had to go and warm your hands near it afterwards. But while doing so something caught your attention.

There were a few framed pictures on the mantelpiece that instantly caught your eye. The first one was of Peter giving Morgan a piggyback ride, the smiles on their faces making it all the more wholesome. The next was one you took yourself and sent to Pepper. One of a candid picture of Morgan, Peter, and Stephen when you all went to an amusement park together, the carnival lights lighting up their laughter filled faces after Peter had dropped his ice cream cone down the front of his shirt. You were surprised she framed it, which made you feel really good.

The last one pulled a certain string in your heart. It was a picture that was taken a while ago. Near the beginning of those long five years of darkness. But this picture told you that it was not all darkness in those times. In it was a tiny Morgan, Pepper, you, and Tony having a picnic beside the lake. The memory of that day, the memory of Tony that day, came rushing back to you. You remembered Happy had taken that picture, right before Tony dragged him out to the lake to test out a little boat. Neither of them knew how to use a paddle as someone else was trying to do the same and ended up crashing the boat. You and Pepper laughed so hard when those two came back soaking wet in lake water, tiny Morgan just giggling as she did not know what was happening.

You huffed out a laugh at the memory as you looked at the picture. Then you thought about what it would be like if Tony were here now. Making everyone laugh and cracking remarks in between eating the snacks that were out. Constantly trying to get on Stephen's nerves on purpose. He would see how much Morgan has grown and just how much she has become like him.

You wondered if he was seeing you all now. His family, not just by blood but everyone in this house tonight, is still stuck together even without its glue.

The idea made your cheek twitch. You missed him so much. At that moment you realized that even with this being the first Christmas having Stephen back, it was also the first with having Tony gone. You told yourself you would not get sad about it as you returned to the kitchen.

"Everyone is just gone." You said, capturing the attention of the two others in the room.

"What?" Pepper exclaimed, looking up from spooning finished roasted carrots onto a dish.

"Yeah. I just heard talking in the living room a few minutes ago. Now it's empty."

"That's weird. I'm sure they haven't gone too far."

"Found them." May was leaning over the counter and looking out the window, a smile on her face. Pepper joined her, letting out a chuckle at what she was seeing.

You moved in between Pepper and May to glance out the window, and sure enough, there was a sight that made you smile widely. Outside in the backyard in the fresh and perfect snow, everyone was in the middle of an intense snowball fight. Snowballs were flying everywhere and the sounds of their faint laughter obstructed by the windows. The group did not seem to be bothered by the freezing cold or the continuous snowflakes that were becoming so large that were falling from the sky.

Stephen was cheating. He was using his magic to quickly form snowballs to help his teammate, Peter, attack the other team of Happy, Rhodey, and Morgan. You noticed how unfair it was that Stephen and Peter had the advantage of both of them having powers of some kind. But everyone looked like they were having fun regardless of the disadvantage some had. The smiles on their faces and their snow-covered winter clothes and their blushing cheeks from the cold made your heart warm.

Seeing them together, having all of you together, was something you would not trade anything for. To have this family together after so many years of being apart. And you had one person to thank for that. Sadly he was not here, but you knew in spirit he was.

Dinner was so close to being ready and the sun was getting low towards the horizon. You decided to call everyone in to warm up. They all came in, covered in snow and trembling from the cold. You, Pepper, and May helped the group shake the snow off their coats. Just to mess with you, Stephen grabbed your bare forearms and kissed you on the cheek; hands and lips freezing cold which caused you to jump back. He chuckled and threatened to do it again but you hopped out of his reach just in time. May started up a kettle to make hot chocolate for the snowball fight participants while you and Pepper worked on the finishing touches on a few dishes.

The whole family was in the kitchen, laughing and having a beautiful Christmas. The Stark family.

[trentaafcsblog]

Writing Challenge - Random

“Is that...my shirt?” - Harry Winks

Thank you to the lovely @penguintransporter for this one 🤍

There’s a drizzle in the air, misty and almost intangible, and the wind that carries it is gentle, but cold, feeling fresh against his freckled skin. His hair is slightly wet, the tips stick to his forehead, and he feels like he should probably find a cover under some roof on the side of the pavement, but he doesn’t do it, afraid that she won’t see him if he steps away.

It’s a quiet Thursday afternoon, almost too quiet, and the only sound he can hear is the loud laughter from the nearby pub where the regulars are getting rowdier and merrier with every pint they consume as the aroma from the nearby chippy shop along the street fills his nostrils and makes his stomach grumble.

Hopefully, she’ll be here soon.

Not long after his stomach voices yet another complaint, he notices her while she crosses the road, for a second blending in with the crowd of Londoners, and he smiles to himself as he takes his hands out of his fish-tail parka pockets – excitement filling up his stomach, and he suddenly feels no hunger any more.

“Bloody hell, Winksy,” she stops in front of him, shaking her head as she tries to shake off the excess raindrops out of her hair, “what is this weather? Didn’t we settle for today because it was supposed to be sunny? Can we go back to Spain or wherever they have sun every day?”

Harry grins.

“Hello to you to Sophie. I’ve been alright, thanks for asking. Yourself?” he teases subtly, making her look up at him with a grin, and something inside of him shifts.

“Won’t you look at the lack of my manners, huh? Hi, Harry! It’s been a while, no?” she responds – her words mumbled as he brings her into his arms for a quick hug, aware that the surface of his jacket is wet from the rain.

As he pulls away, he unzips his parka and takes out a beanie hat from the inside pocket before pulling the zip back, all the way to his chin. “Here,” he murmurs as they start walking along the Bermondsey Street and towards their favourite coffee spot, “it’s not exactly an umbrella, but it’ll do until we get inside. Keeps that bird’s nest of yours dry,” he adds to make it more light-hearted.

“And what about you?” Sophie inquires as she looks up at him, blinking away the raindrops that were trapped in between her eyelashes. “Plus, this feels freakishly expensive. Is it merino wool? I am afraid I will stretch it. Take it back, Harry, I know I will stretch it.”

“Sophie, you’re rambling,” Harry points out, sticking his hands back into his pockets, “just put it on, or I will be forced to do it myself. It’s just a hat.”

Sophie doesn’t say anything but smiles before putting the beanie on, gently pulling it over her ears until they were neatly tucked in.

Harry and Sophie have known each other for a bigger portion of their lives – way before they realised that one cannot get cooties by kissing someone, and way before they acknowledged the fact that being adult is not as cool as they thought it would be. Harry was five and Sophie four years old when they met for the first time, tagging along with their fathers to one of their regular pints-before-the-match meetings around Hertfordshire.

Sophie was an odd-ball, with fine, straight cut hair – a bit chubby and with pale cheeks that were constantly stained with a blush while Harry was a lanky, hyperactive boy who was able to recite all the strikers that ever played for the England’s National Team.

Growing up, week after week, they kept tagging along, sometimes actually eager to watch the match, but mostly just running around the dark pub, knocking over things and making other people and pub-owners annoyed with their antics, but, once the tiredness overpowered them, they always ended up doing one thing – sitting together in between their fathers, drinking juice and sharing a packet of crisps.

Twenty years later, despite growing up, changing interests and music tastes, schools and extracurricular activities, neither Sophie nor Harry forgot how strong their friendship was when they were kids. Even if they had different circles of friends, schedules and timetables, ambitions and aspirations, they always made sure to at least devote one day in a month for one-another.

“How’s school?” Harry asks as he walks back from the till where he had been picking up their drinks – a flat white for himself and some weird mocha-something for her, but before he has time to set the mugs down on the wooden table, he stops in his tracks, watching Sophie shrug her coat off. “Is that… my shirt?” he asks as the warmth fills up his body, and he feels his stomach do a flip.

Sophie blushes and sits down before pulling on the sleeves of Harry’s Champion’s crewneck. “Yeah,” she admits,  smoothing the collar a little, “it somehow ended up in my suitcase when we got back from the holidays, and I forgot to return it.” Sophie smiles as she takes a sip of her drink.

“Forgot or didn’t want to?” Harry teases as his mind goes back to their last trip to Mallorca together, a year ago – a trip where Harry realised that Sophie wasn’t the same chubby, pink cheeks, and missing front tooth girl he used to play tag with in a dimly lit pubs.

“Both,” Sophie responds, looking away, trying to hide her blush from Harry’s curious eyes, but he notices it and tries to hide his smile.

Harry has always had a soft spot for Sophie, and if asked to why, he was sure that he wouldn’t be able to give an answer. Maybe it was the fact that they met at such young age, or maybe it was the constant prodding and poking of their mothers, subtly hinting that they would be a perfect couple. He couldn’t tell, but whatever it was, recently it only became stronger, and it made him feel a certain kind of excitement whenever he texted her, whenever they face-timed one another, and whenever he knew that she was watching him from the stands, wearing a shirt with his name on the back.

“It looks as if it has stopped raining,” Sophie murmurs as they both look through the window of the cafe where they had been sitting for the past three hours, chatting their afternoon away.

Harry nods, glancing at her and lets his eyes linger on her for a second, watching her observe the clearing sky on the outside, and his stomach makes that familiar flip yet again. “Do you want to go somewhere for a pint? I probably shouldn’t, but I fancy one.”

“Only if you buy me a packet of crisps,” Sophie smiles, and he pulls a face at her, but he knows that he would buy her the world, if she asked him to. They quickly get up, putting their coats back on, and  he makes sure to hold the doors open for her before they step out in, now, with sun streaked London street. Sophie sighs happily as they start walking before reaching out the beanie towards him. “Thanks, but I don’t think I will be needing this from now on. But if you’re wondering what to get me for upcoming Christmas, I am letting you know that one of these, merino, alpaca or whatever hats might be a good idea, but it doesn’t have to be fan—,”

“—Careful!” Harry interrupts and Sophie yelps a little as he pulls her closer to his side.

“Jesus,” she whispers – side of her face still pressed against his side.

Harry is grinning now as he looks down at her. “Sorry, but you almost stepped into a huge puddle. See there, and I have no spare socks to borrow you if you get yours wet.”

“Oh,” Sophie breathes out, but quickly feels the temperature rise in her body as she glances at where Harry was holding her hand in his, and it makes him stop as well – his boyish smile disappearing for a second, but he never drops his hold on her hand. Instead, he intertwines their fingers together – his thumb stroking over her soft skin before he smiles again.

“I like this,” he mumbles, “I don’t know about you, Sophie, but it feels nice. Can we hold hands for a bit longer?”

Sophie is quiet, looking down at her shoes as she tries to gather her thoughts, but she doesn’t need to say anything in the first place because her blush is answering all the spoken and unspoken questions.

“I like it too, and I’d love to hold hands with you,” she answers, and Harry only grins as they start walking again – hand in hand, and with their stomachs filled with thousands of little butterflies, dancing on the beat of their hearts.

This imagine is in collaboration with Cancer Research UK 💗 please feel free to follow the link if you would like to donate, but as always, there is no obligation 🦋 if you’ve got the time, then please have a little look at their website and check out the amazing work that they do 🤍 they also have an online shop where you can buy products for yourself (mugs, notebooks, blankets) or something for those affected by Breast Cancer (anxiety help books, mastectomy bras, support cushions) - all of which have the option to be donated to out to those affected by the disease if they can’t afford these things themselves, or would prefer to receive something physical instead of a donation, with all of the proceeds going directly to the same causes as general donations x

[fanficshiddles]

Love at first sight, one shot

Thank you for the prompt! I hope you like it, maybe slightly off the prompt. 😊  Sorry it took so long to get done.

ilovekingt submitted:

Tom meets a fan after one of his plays and is mesmerized by her. He invites her to his flat and things get hot.

Tom had briefly spotted her during the play. She was sat a few rows back, in the middle. Her beauty had momentarily stunned him, but luckily being the professional he was he was able to cover it up quickly.

But he was unable to stop stealing glances towards her. His heart felt happy when he saw her beautiful smile, or when she laughed during some of the humorous moments of the play. She was completely hooked on his every word and he could see the genuine emotion on her face.

He was utterly smitten.

After the play was over, Tom was riding high on adrenaline as always. It was the rush of the crowd applauding, they received a standing ovation like they did most nights. It was thrilling.

‘Are you doing stage door tonight?’ One of the security team asked him.

‘Yes, definitely.’ Tom nodded, smiling.

He was praying that the girl he spotted in the crowd would be there. But when he went outside to greet fans, there was no sign of her. He told security he wanted to try and get through as many people as possible, to get the line flowing quickly.

But face after face, she still didn’t appear. His heart sank more and more with each person.

‘Hi, Tom. The play was incredible.’ A girl said, smiling.

‘Thank you very much, I’m glad you enjoyed it.’ He smiled back at her.

‘Would you mind signing this for my friend? She saw the play too, but she’s too shy to come meet you. She’s over there.’ She turned to the crowd across the street and pointed at her friend. Tom’s eyes widened and the largest smile spread across his face.

It was her.

‘Aww, of course. What’s her name?’ Tom tried to keep his cool, but he was almost vibrating with excitement he was so excited that she was there… So close, yet so far.

But he had a plan.

‘Julia. She’s a big fan of yours, but is always worried about bothering you. Took a lot of persuading to get her to just wait for me!’ Her friend laughed.

‘It’s no bother at all.’ Tom kept glancing over towards Julia, he could see a slight blush of her cheeks whenever her did look at her.

‘Thank you so much, Tom.’ He friend said after Tom signed the programme for Julia. ‘She will be so annoyed I got you to sign this for her, but I know she will love it!’

‘You’re welcome. And tell her there’s no need to be so shy, I don’t bite.’ He grinned.

‘I will. Thanks!’ Her friend then went off across the street to Julia.

Tom leaned over to his security and said to finish the line there. And he motioned towards Julia while whispering to him.

Julia’s stomach was in knots when Tom had looked in her direction. She was going to kill May for doing that.

‘He signed this for you. And said no need to be so shy, he doesn’t bite.’ May grinned at Julia.

‘You ass! I’m going to get you for that.’ Julia hissed at her friend, though she was secretly rather chuffed at the signed programme her friend got her.

‘Excuse me. Julia, right?’ One of the security asked, everyone around them was confused. Especially Julia.

‘Uhm, yes?’ Julia felt nervous, had she done something wrong?

‘Would you come with me, please?’ He asked and motioned for her to follow.

Julia’s eyes were wide in fear, but she nodded and went with him after a nudge from May. Who shouted after her that she would see her at work tomorrow.

Julia felt like she was going to be sick when the security guy took her across the road and towards the stage door, just where Tom had disappeared into. Her hands were shaking, she was so nervous. She was sure she was in trouble for some reason, why else would security want a word with her? What if Tom was there and saw her getting a telling off for whatever it was she had done wrong?

Did she disturb the performance at some point? Her mind was racing with thoughts of what she might’ve done.

She was shown inside the theatre and just through the first door was a basic room filled with props. And there, was Tom Hiddleston. He smiled brightly when he saw her.

He thanked the security, who then left. Julia realised it was then just the two of them, alone.

‘No need to look so scared, darling. It’s nice to meet you.’ He walked over to her and put his hand out.

Julia was still wide eyed as she shook his hand. Then her cheeks turned bright red again when he brought her hand up and he kissed the back of it.

‘H… Hi! Nice to meet you, too.’ She said shyly.

‘Did you think you were in trouble?’ He asked with a gentle smile, reluctantly letting go of her hand.

‘I… did. Yeah.’ She laughed nervously.

‘I’m so sorry. I just really wanted to meet you. I know this may seem slightly odd. But, I am going to be honest.’ He rubbed the back of his head, slightly nervous himself.

‘I saw you in the crowd and I must say, you are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.’ He said honestly.

His words made her heart soar. She couldn’t believe it. And she was sure her face was on fire, it was bright red.

Tom then invited her through to the bar for a drink. She didn’t say no, hoping the drink would help give her some more confidence. And it did, a little bit anyway.

They drank for an hour and talked, Tom was so intrigued with her. He was starting to regret it, because he was falling head over heels for her… This wasn’t good.

She was shy, but sweet and kind. Not once did she ask about his work, she was interested in him as a person which was refreshing for him. And she was interested in what he had to say, completely hooked on his every word.

In the end, once the bar was closing, Tom invited her back to his place. He wasn’t sure what came over him, but he just had to. He wasn’t ready to part ways from her yet… If at all.

Julia wasn’t sure how it happened, how she ended up in the back of a car with Tom Hiddleston… On their way to his home. It was insane!

When they arrived, her nerves returned tenfold. But Tom picked up on that.

‘Please, let me take your coat.’ He offered and helped her with it, then hung it up by the door next to his own.

‘Would you like a drink? Or something to eat?’ He offered.

‘A drink would be nice, thank you.’ She smiled.

She was in awe at his home, especially with the extensive amount of books he had in his living room. She was busy looking over them all when he joined her with their drinks.

‘You have so many books. Have you read them all?’ She sat down on the sofa, secretly giddy when he chose to sit right next to her, his thigh touching her own.

‘Not yet. I’m working my way through them.’ He chuckled. ‘Do you like to read?’

‘I do. I don’t have as many books as you though.’

They talked again for a while, finding that the conversation flowed well between them. Tom was flirty with her, making her constantly blush and giggle. Then he became bolder, placing his hand on her thigh or touching her arm.

Once he was sure she was comfortable and accepting his small advances, he took a chance.

He leaned in close, slid a hand round to the back of her head to hold her still as he closed the distance and pressed his lips gently against hers. He smiled against her when her breathing hitched.

The kiss was slow and sensual, Tom moved his lips with hers for a while before taking another chance and slipping his tongue into her mouth which she allowed with ease. Their tongues danced together, turning them both on something hellish.

When Tom’s hands started to wander, his left hand slid under her dress and up her thigh. But then she tensed up and he stopped.

‘Too far?’ He asked quietly, stroking her hair.

‘I… no… I just. Uhm… well, I…’ She paused and sighed, looking away nervously.

Tom gripped her chin and turned her face back towards him. ‘It’s ok. If you don’t want to.’ He said with a smile. ‘I just got a bit carried away there.’

‘It’s ok. I do want to. It’s just… well… you’re going to laugh.’ She sighed.

‘Try me, darling.’ He said so gently, brushing her cheek with the back of his hand.

‘I’m still a virgin.’

Tom’s face didn’t change at her admission. Except for a small, reassuring smile.

‘That’s nothing to be ashamed of, love. If anyone did laugh at you for that, they should be shot.’ He said honestly, making her feel so much better already.

‘It’s just, so many people do laugh. A twenty-eight-year-old virgin.’ She said anxiously and fiddled with her hands in her lap slightly. ‘But I have done stuff... Just not all the way!’ She said quickly.

‘Well, they shouldn’t laugh. It’s your life, your body. What you have done and do is nothing to do with anyone else but you and your partner at the time.’ Tom’s words were so calming for her.

‘Really?’

‘Yes, really.’ Tom nodded. ‘If you don’t want to do anything tonight, I completely understand. But also, if you do… I would love to be your first.’

Julia felt like she was tearing up at how sweet he was being. ‘I do… I do want to. I’ve not been saving it for any reason really. I just… never felt comfortable enough before with anyone.’

‘Well, I promise I will be gentle with you. If you want to stop, you only have to say… If you want to.’ Tom held her hands with his and squeezed gently.

‘I do really want to. If you do.’ Julia said.

‘I definitely do.’ Tom grinned. ‘But let’s do this properly. I want it to be a night you’ll remember.’ He took her hand and stood up, taking her with him.

He led her upstairs and into his bedroom. Her nerves returned a bit, but when he started kissing her gently again and his hands roamed across her body, the nerves started to slip away.

He asked for permission each time he removed a piece of her clothing, until she was completely naked before him. His hands were large, powerful yet comforting as they explored her body. He knelt down on front of her, hands on her hips.

‘So bloody gorgeous.’ He purred and kissed her abdomen, making her squeak.

His hand slipped down between her thighs and he had her spread her legs open further. She felt a bit embarrassed with the way he was looking at her down there, but when his fingers started gently exploring her, she soon lost her train of thought.

His fingers felt amazing as they slid through her folds, finding her soaking wet already. He managed to seek out her clit easily and rubbed over it repeatedly, making her legs tremble.

Tom didn’t trust her legs, so he stood up and backed her up to the bed. He lay her down and then god rid of his own clothes before joining her on the bed. She was still shaking a little, but he lay next to her and kissed her again soothingly while his hand went back down between her thighs to explore.

After bringing her to orgasm once with his fingers, he moved down her body and did the same with his tongue. She was positively dripping wet, his tongue feeling so good down there. Especially over her clit. He was a master of oral, she never wanted him to stop.

The rub of his beard felt great against her sensitive skin. But it was the light nibbling on her clit that set her off like a rocket. He licked her clean, tasting every inch of her, sucking her folds until he was happy with his fill.

Then when he crawled back over the top of her, he positioned himself between her legs. She was worried about the size of him, when she reached down to hold him, he was heavy and throbbing in her small hand.

‘You’re… so big.’ She gulped.

Tom chuckled and tilted her chin up, to take her gaze away from down between them.

‘I will look after you, darling. I promise.’ He purred and kissed her.

He took her gently, slowly. Allowed her plenty of time to adjust to his size once he got inside of her. She was so tight, he struggled to keep himself composed. But looking at her beautiful face, he managed to put her first.

Once she was accustomed to him more, and only then, he started moving into her. Julia had never felt anything like it. The fullness, the delightful friction as he filled every part of her inside and rubbed over the right spots with every thrust.

Tom’s devilish fingers sneaked between them and he stroked her clit while making love to her. Making it even more pleasurable for her. She was so surprised when she came, soaking his cock in the process making it more difficult for him to keep himself in check.

Julia was riding high in her pleasure as Tom gave her more orgasms. She couldn’t help herself from digging her nails into his muscled back as she was thrown into another one. That was it for Tom.

He thrust into her once more, rather abruptly. And he held himself deep as he came, spilling into her with a moan.

Afterwards, once the two had recovered they lay together in one another’s arms. Julia was feeling happy, content and floaty. Yet also slightly vulnerable, in a way. Thinking it was no doubt just a one-time thing… But giving her virginity to this gorgeous, incredibly sweet and kind man, had only made her heart want him even more.

‘Thank you, Tom.’ She whispered and hid her face to his neck, too shy to look at his face.

‘No, thank you for allowing me to be your first. But there is a slight problem now…’

Her stomach dropped. Was he going to chuck her out already? She raised her head and looked at him with worried eyes.

Tom stroked his thumb across her cheek.

‘I want to keep you.’

[lostallblue]

OCs #1 + #2

in other news, i have way too many ocs. i can’t even. i hate myself. but these two dorks are two of my favourites and also they come as a pair so i have to post them together. it just can’t be otherwise, mate.

so here we’ve got actual murder child celia and soft, book-nerd horatio. me? have a problem naming characters so i just name them after shakespeare’s characters? would i do that? it’s more likely than you think. incidentally, i hate epithets so much. how do you come up with them? i don’t have a clue.

@hundredsunny enjoy my nerd ocs (i’m thepinkfluffyunicorn btw, this is just my one piece blog). they’re both idiots but i love them.

NAME: jernigan celia EPITHET: the nightwalker -  because she murders people at night, truly an imaginative name. NICKNAMES: lee (literally only horatio gets away with this), most people just call her by jernigan unless they’re close friends. AGE: 21 (pre) 23 (post) BDAY: 1st of december BIRTHPLACE: arden island in the grand line - a foresty spring island with lots of big, terrifying monsters. heck yeah. GENDER: female HEIGHT:  5.8 WEIGHT: 69kg HAIR: black, v straight. EYES: dark. APPEARANCE: celia is this tol girl with kind of medium-brown skin? she looks vaguely arabian? she tends to tie her hair back with complex plaits that mean things in her culture. she has one that means honour, another that means something overcome and three for each member of her family that were killed or went missing. the rest tend to vary depending on the situation. her style is very casual when she's not in assassin-mode. jeans and a graphic t-shirt are her sort of thing. with strong boots that can handle lots of work. she also has a leather jacket that she pinched from a shop in loguetown once. she loves it. she does, however, love the chance to dress up. she goes for really gorgeous dresses that are all long and shiny. but she only rarely gets the chance. when in assassin mode, she wears tight, dark clothes with a hood and light shoes with a good grip. and knives. lots of knives. SMELL: the blood of her enemies. FAVE FOOD: lasagne FAVE DRINK: berry cider (and by that, i mean the sort we have over here that's alcoholic) FAVE SEASON: summer REPRESENTATIVE NATIONALITY: welsh BOUNTY: 100 000 000 - but not for celia the person, just for the nightwalker the assassin. they don't know who she is. because she’s a snek. DEVIL FRUIT: none! PROFESSION: private assassin CREW: none PERSONALITY: celia is an angry bean who wants to fight you. she's pretty good at concealing her feelings, but is pretty much at ease with them. she's fine with being a pretty emotional person. she's also hecka oblivious. she doesn't notice when people flirt with her. it just goes right over her head. horatio thinks it's hilarious. she would 10/10 flirt back if she realised - not that she's actually any good at flirting. her version of flirting usually involves knives in some way. she loves her knives. a lot. never leaves home without them. has named all of them and can actually tell them all apart, even the ones that look identical to literally anyone else. she loves horatio a whole lot. would literally tear the world to shreds for him. he's basically her brother in every way that actually matters. he makes her laugh when nobody else can and is the only person who can draw her out of her own head when she gets lost in her thoughts. he's also basically the only person she cares about. she hates slavers and murders them. she also appreciates money a lot. would definitely rip you off if you gave her the chance. she has a big thing about being able to make her own choices and having control over her own life - a consequence of being a former slave. she's also illiterate, so that's a problem. she doesn't deal well with being reminded of it. horatio's tried to teach her, but she's probs dyslexic so she struggles a lot with it and doesn't have the patience to actually commit to learning it. anyone who calls her stupid will face her knives. LIKES: her knives, horatio, generally pasta, tomatoes, alcohol, murdering evil people who own slaves, pretty dresses, make-up. DISLIKES: slavers, feeling stupid, spring because she has a pollen allergy WEAPONS: celia has knives. celia's life is made up of knives. she loves her knives. she would marry her knives. she's also very good with her knives. HISTORY: celia was born on arden island which is a pretty cool place. mostly forest with a few villages and a few bigger towns. no big cities. celia's home village was on the edge, looking out onto a beach and the ocean but with a forest at its back. it had one of the only three docks on the island so they saw a lot of business from both marines and pirates. anyway, a couple of years later, celia's little sister - rosalind - was born. celia and rosalind were really close as kids, they both loved to explore the forest outside their home. but when celia was nine, slavers raided their village and a bunch of people were killed, including celia's parents. both celia and rosalind were taken as slaves. they managed to stay together at first, but when they were sold at sabaody, they were seperated and celia never saw her sister again. she became a celestial dragon slave and everything was pretty bad for a while. when she was fourteen, yuji - a former marine who'd started his own group of rebels separate to the revolutionary army because he didn't think dragon was doing enough - freed a bunch of slaves of which celia was one. celia joined up with his group because she didn't have anywhere else to go and yuji taught her how to fight and kill. he basically used her as his assassin, sending her out to kill his enemies. celia adored him though, he had saved her and yuji was pretty good at making people like him. when celia was eighteen, yuji brought horatio back severely injured and celia watched horatio get better and then - in her eyes - steal her place at yuji's side. see, that was kind of yuji's shtick, manipulate people into caring about him and then pit them against each other so that they didn't band together and turn against him. so at first, celia was super jealous and that meant that she and horatio did not get along. at all. they fought constantly. but because celia was no longer quite so focused on by yuji, she started noticing how...awful and manipulative he was toward horatio. she noticed how often he'd emotionally abuse and manipulate him and make him feel like he owed yuji the world. which, she realised part way through, was pretty much exactly what he'd done to her. so she started trying to befriend horatio. at first, horatio didn't trust her. but they did slowly become friends. and celia started trying to convince horatio to leave with her. because she could see how much damage yuji was doing to him and she was Not Okay with it. horatio completely ignored her at first, but bit by bit she managed to convince him that yuji wasn't as good as he thought. and eventually, they managed to run away and headed for the grand line together. this would be when celia's about twenty. they basically set themselves up as slaver-hunters. they assassinate big people in the slave-trading business and, along the way, celia looks for her little sister.

and the next dork.

NAME: tveit horatio (not that he uses his surname) EPITHET: NICKNAMES: AGE: 18 (pre), 20 (post) BDAY: 4th of january BIRTHPLACE: icthus island in the north blue GENDER: male HEIGHT: 5.6 WEIGHT: 55kg HAIR: horatio has floppy, straight white hair. and yes, that is natural, he hasn't gone white because of stress. although he 10/10 probably would have done, if that was possible. EYES: blue APPEARANCE: horatio is actually? pretty good-looking which makes celia hiss because then people start trying to flirt with him. he's mega lanky, noodle arms all over the place. a smol boy who is just...v short, for a guy. he was tol once, back when he was like eleven, but he hasn't grown since, so......concerning. for added shortness appreciation, he's shorter than nami. chopper is the only straw hat he's taller than. this is hilarious to me. he also appreciates looking good, so most of his clothes are pretty well-made. he likes the woollen top-coat over jumper and shirt Look because he thinks he looks distinguished. celia think it makes him look like a nerd.   he has a lot of pretty horrible scars all over his body, so he tries to stay as covered up as physically possible. he likes the coat because it covers his neck when he keeps the collar up. and whenever he can get away with it without looking weird (read, whenever it's not too hot for it) he likes to wear a dark red wool scarf that he knitted himself. he likes a good pair of oxford shoes, but he tends to wear boots more because they're easier to run and fight in. he also carries throwing knives, but they're normally under his coat. he uses a long, black cane to walk - because his hip is really badly damaged and he has a bad limp. but! at least he has a cane with which to look cool and also to break the bones of his enemies. SMELL: butterscotch FAVE FOOD: banoffee pie FAVE DRINK: hot chocolate FAVE SEASON: autumn - he likes the colours and anything pumpkin/pumpkin-spice flavoured. REPRESENTATIVE NATIONALITY: norwegian BOUNTY: currently none and they're desperately trying to keep it that way. DEVIL FRUIT: none! PROFESSION: spy - as in, he spies and finds information about targets for celia, who then kills them. CREW: none PERSONALITY: horatio is an anxious nerd, okay? he's such a nerd. he's actually on the autistic spectrum so he has Special Interests such as astronomy and history. he also fixated on linguistics years ago and has never let go. he tends to feel emotions really strongly and cares a whole lot, but struggles a lot with both processing and actually showing his emotions. feelings in general are very confusing to him. he tends to do his absolute best to ignore his feelings until they become overwhelming and cause him to shut down. he sometimes loses his language when that happens. he also has OCD. so that's a fun time. he's pretty charming when he needs to be though. v flirtatious, which is hilarious considering he's hecka aro-ace. he knows how to make people do what he wants them to do. an important skill considering his job. but don't let any of that fool you, horatio is actually an idiot. sometimes he does stuff and he doesn't even know why he did the thing. he just did it. when he isn't on a job, he doesn't think about the consequences of his actions. he just acts on impulse. he's a dumbo. LIKES: books, history, linguistics, astronomy, dancing, pumpkins, stimming and also the ocean in general - horatio loves the ocean a lot. DISLIKES: potatoes, his family, slavery + slave owners, having Feelings(tm), lilies because he's allergic, bad rulers/monarchs, the marines as a whole annoy him a lot because he thinks they're all idiots which, i mean, in all fairness.... WEAPONS: like i said, he uses throwing knives a lot and also his cane which he can swing around with deadly efficiency. not to mention, nobody ever takes it away from him when he's going into places where weapons aren't allowed. you know that scene in lord of the rings: the two towers where the rohirrim are trying to take gandalf's staff away from him but gandalf's like 'you wouldn't take an old man's stick away from him, would you?' and they let him keep it. that's horatio. horatio is not above using his disability to manipulate people. HISTORY: okay so horatio was born on icthus island. but he wasn't just a random person. he was born into the royal family! specifically the tveit family. he had five brothers and a sister. all of them hated him. the tveit family is awful. in general. they're cruel rulers. so pretty much from day one, his family were terrible to him. see, they picked up pretty quickly that he was Weird because it took him like four years to talk for the first time and then it was in full sentences. and from then on, he was just...odd? from their point-of-view. they were really stiff and formal and, also, they owned slaves. because why not? at first horatio wasn't against what they did both to others and also to him, because he didn't know any better, but then. a thing happened. his nurse - aurora - who helped him to speak and taught him to handle his anxiety and sensory issues when his family would just dismiss or punish him for his bad moments, was blamed for a theft when he was nine. it was actually horatio's older sister who broke the thing that was 'stolen' then lied about it and...everybody knew. but that didn't really matter to the king and queen, so they executed aurora for theft. and horatio lost the one person who actually cared about him. it was this that really jarred him out of the whole 'this is okay' thing and he realised how awful everything they did really was. and he started trying to protect the slaves in their palace. but that just made his family more annoyed with him. and so it carried on for, like, five years in pretty much the same way. horatio did something that upset them, they beat him for it or locked him up or starved him. everything sucked. and then everything really went wrong. when he was fifteen, he made the terrible mistake of befriending a slave called antonio. antonio was from the grand line - specifically alabasta! - and told him stories about the nefertari family who are amazing rulers and so kind. horatio low-key didn't believe him, but he still has a vague dream of going to alabasta and meeting nefertari vivi and her father. but then horatio's brother found out about his friendship with antonio. before then, horatio had mostly just tried to protect the slaves, but had never actually befriended them before. his brother was disgusted at the idea of his younger brother actually befriending a slave and 'disgracing their family' in such a way. his brother told their parents and... they had both horatio and antonio brought before them. after confirming that what horatio's brother had said was true, they executed antonio. but they didn't stop there. instead, they cheerfully went on to sentence horatio to death for disgracing the family name. they basically had him tortured for days. his siblings went to town on him. and after like two weeks, they left him outside the palace to die on his own. and it was here that old yuji found him. horatio was barely alive, but yuji took him back to his nearest base and managed to save his life. this whole fiasco - btw - is why horatio needs a cane. which sucks. horatio's family believe that they murdered him, so they had this big funeral for him ala sanji and the vinsmokes, except they actually think he's dead. and this is the big reason why celia and horatio are trying to hard to make sure he doesn't get a bounty. because they do not want to risk his family finding him again. so we already know how the whole thing with yuji went. celia realises what's going on and tries to convince horatio to leave. but it takes him forever to believe her because one of the big issues that his family left him with is that, well, he has absurdly low expectations for how people treat him. in his mind, if they're not physically abusing him, then everything's cool. because they're not as bad as his family. so that's why it took her so long to convince him. horatio's about seventeen when they leave.

CANON TIME-PERIOD CONNECTIONS: they - as a duo - have their first encounter with canon one piece characters about half-way through the pre-time skip era? they arrive in alabasta post-war and end up in a Fiasco that leads to them meeting vivi. which was their intention anyway because horatio really, really wanted to meet vivi. vivi gets on with horatio the best - the old both being royals thing really helps with friendship, apparently. celia spend roughly half the time pouting because she thought horatio liked vivi more than her. she is easily made jealous. but they do end up friends in the end and it's all good. vivi told them stories about the straw-hats and as a result, the Dynamic Duo really want to meet them. just because of that. they end up leaving about enies lobby time and heading off along the grand-line for more adventure. and murder. that too. they also run into old jewelry bonney part way through her journey, after they leave alabasta. celia fights her. then they end up bonding over mutual pasta appreciation. so that's nice. horatio was Amused. i haven't fully thought through their time-skip existence, but i know that celia wants to meet luffy even more just so she can congratulate him on punching a celestial dragon. the day she heard about it, she literally cheered. it was great. 

[wearecylons-blog]

“To love at all is to be vulnerable” ch. 2

I was told I couldn’t end the story like I ended the first chapter, so I decided to give these two some more time together. TBC, I guess ;-)

L xxx

Time was a human construct. She could have been standing there for a whole hour or only a couple of seconds, she really had no idea. The only thing she was aware of was the slightly calloused skin of his hand under hers, the blue of his eyes boring into hers, his bulk close to her own body radiating a heat she was constantly craving, his mere presence a soothing source of comfort and hope. Yes, hope that there was more to life than the one she was currently living.

Suddenly, she jumped and nearly lost her balance when a voice grumbled at them from the nearby side entrance of the tent. “Godsdammit, Bill, if you feel like you have to come planet-side unannounced, why do I have to hear about it from frakking Starbuck who just came to me, boasting that she got some fine stuff to drink from you, holding that bottle in my damn face?“ Bill, who had also jumped away from Laura when he'd heard his oldest friend's voice cursing at him, chuckled. “Saul, come on, you'd really think I'd only get something for her? Frakking idiot!“ With that, he shuffled over and slapped Saul Tigh playfully on the chest, then wrapped him in a short, but tight embrace. The other man was still glaring at him, but after a few seconds, his mouth started twitching and he presented Bill with one of his signature lopsided grins. “Well, you better come over to my place later then. Ellen's mood's been killing me for days, nah, weeks now, I guess she won't mind a nice glass of whatever you've brought.“

Laura, who had kept quiet during the exchange of words, had to suppress a giggle when she thought of how many times she had met the Tighs lately, unable to stop quarrelling over insignificant stuff in public. They had always presented an amusing distraction from her rather foreseeable daily schedule. Not that she minded working in her old profession again, not at all. She actually did love it. But rather often she, and it was something she would never admit in front of anyone, actually did miss the hustle and bustle of her job as president, the hard decisions she had to make on an almost daily basis, and yes, the arguments with a certain Admiral who was now bidding his friend goodbye.

After Saul had left the tent, making Bill promise he'd drop by before he'd leave for Galactica again, he turned around to face Laura and mumbled with a shrug and a lopsided grin that could very well compete with that of his friend: “So much for keeping my visit here as quiet as possible...” Laura covered the small distance between them in two strides and asked him with a twinkle in her eye: “And why would you not want people to know that you're here, Admiral?” Sensing that she was in a more playful mood than last time, Bill wiggled his eyebrows and then stated with a more serene expression: “Hm, I guess because I'd hoped I'd have plans here at least for the rest of the day and didn't want to fill my schedule with too much stuff?”

Laura had to stop herself from taking a deep breath again and from chickening out and just leaving him standing there. She knew what this was about and one half of her was absolutely cheering for her to just go with the flow and live again for once. The other half put its claws into her heart that was reaching out to him in order to stop her from making the mistake of getting involved again. Of course, Bill sensed her sudden change of mood and carefully, he laid one hand on her shoulder and gently nudged her chin up with the other to force her to look at him.

Once again, he detected a hint of the vulnerable side of Laura – not the cool, presidential mask of Miss Roslin – in her eyes that were connecting with his with a slightly sad expression. He whispered to her, kneading her shoulders gently. “Hey. I'm not going anywhere.” When she neither moved towards him nor turned away, he took a chance and leaned closer, their foreheads connecting. He could, beneath all those layers of warm wool clothes, smell her sweet scent, a mixture of sandalwood and other spices, and he presumed she'd been praying and reading the scriptures again before class. Bill pushed an errant strand of hair out of her face and softly stroked her cheek with an index finger. Still, Laura had not moved one bit and was standing rather stiffly in front of him as if she was frozen to the ground, unsure of what to do and what to think of the situation they were in.

And it wasn't like they hadn't had this kind of situation before. They had known each other for some time now, but New Caprica had given their relationship a new angle from which to look at it. Bill was more than ready to give in, let his heart win over his mind and simply allow things to unfold. But he was also aware that they had parted without moving forward in this direction the last time he had visited her. Even if a voice inside of him told him to push further and show her that he was sure of what he was doing, he was equally scared that she would distance herself from him if she wasn't ready and he was not prepared to lose her as the good friend she had been to him for so long already.

A hand caressing his cheek stopped him from diving into his thoughts any deeper and when he focused his eyes on her again, he saw that Laura was now watching him with a very open and gentle expression in her eyes while her fingers tenderly stroked the rough skin on his face. With a quiet voice, she addressed him: “Let's go home, Bill,” and with a sigh, she quickly added, “well, you know, to my tent.” Taking his hand in hers, she moved toward her desk, grabbed her coat and stuffed her books, her pencil case and what was left of her school lunch – she had not been really hungry again – into her two bags. Bill helped her into her coat and, although she protested, carried her bags for her. They let go of each others' hands before leaving the privacy of the tent, but walked close to each other nevertheless.

Of course, Bill caught the attention of several of the colonists who wanted to take the chance and talk to him, not neglecting to throw curious glances at the bags in his hands and the woman walking beside him once again, so it took a while until they arrived at the rather small tent Laura had been living in since she had moved down here. Laura opened the tent flap for Bill and followed him into the small space where it was only slightly warmer than outside. She immediately moved over to the fireplace that had probably stopped giving off heat hours ago and chucked some twigs inside to get the fire started, followed by a couple of bigger logs.

Meanwhile, Bill cast off his coat, placed Laura's bags next to the small wooden table at the rear end of her tent and was looking around the place. “You've got a new chair,” he noted. Laura, still kneeling on the floor, busy to keep the fire burning, turned around and faced him with a smile. “Yeah, I thought if I ever got a visitor again, it might be nice for them to be able to sit down once in a while.” Despite her downplaying it, Bill knew that she had gotten this one for him because he had been nagging her about it. She was not the kind of person who invited other people into her place that often, but rather visited them in their homes where she could leave again when she felt like she'd had enough company for the day. But the last time he'd been there, Bill had insisted on her taking the chair for their meals while he contented himself with the cot.

Finally, the fire crackled and bathed the room in warm light. With a sigh, Laura sat down on the chair next to the fireplace and reached out her cold hands towards the metal vessel. Placing the second chair next to hers, Bill sat down as well and stared into the flames that were partly covered by a lid that allowed the smoke to escape through a small hole in the tent roof. If it weren't for the occasional whiffs of cold air that made it inside, this could have been a cosy little room in a cabin somewhere in the woods, one of those where people would stay for the weekend to go hiking or fishing or to just enjoy some peace and quiet.

For now, though, he was more than happy with what he had here. He looked over to Laura and what he saw made his heart flutter happily: she had moved closer to him on her chair, sitting there with her eyes closed and a smile on her face, soaking up the warmth surrounding them, her hands resting in her lap. He'd never take it for granted that she would actually drop her guard and be simply Laura without any titles or jobs or duties she'd had since they had met. Only Laura, the woman he loved and had come here to spend some precious time with.

Aching to feel her closer to himself, he reached out for her hands and tucked them in both of his, rubbing them gently to help restore the warmth they had lost during the day. With a hum, Laura leaned closer and rested her head on his shoulder. Neither of them felt the need to speak since they seemed to communicate non-verbally what they both needed and wanted: to feel the other close to themselves and to savour those moments of unadulterated peace.

[aumolc]

Source : Google photo of black mold that can release mito toxins

Synopsis : The world we live in brings us closer and brings with it problems like virus that can jump from people to people. But if we take simple precautions that the blog looks at then we can avoid most of the problems. 

A female passenger flying somewhere declared that she had just come from China and the whole plane was emptied because the passengers were so scared.  She sat alone in the plane bemoaning the fact that we now live so precariously in today’s connected world where a disaster in one part affects directly the other part quickly.

Source Google photo of Corona virus 1 and 2

Take the case of the Corona virus that started in Wuhan in China and now has spread to many countries killing numerous people who came in contact with an infected person. All countries are now worried and have put in strict measures to contain the virus by keeping the travelers in quarantine for 2 weeks to see if they develop the symptoms. The ships coming from China have been restricted off shores in many countries and the passengers or the crew are kept on the ships because of the fear that they may have the virus and may spread it among the unsuspecting people.

The scientists and medical people are working feverishly to find a vaccine to fight this latest menace while the bozos are claiming a cure by drinking cow urine or some such outlandish remedies as if it was that easy. I will not be surprised if some enterprising crooks are already selling the cow urine as a surefire cure at a premium price because panicked people will do anything.

It reminds me of the plague that broke out in London that killed 100000 people in just a few months. The Great Plague, lasting from 1665 to 1666, was the last major epidemic of the bubonic plague to occur in England. … The Great Plague killed an estimated 100,000 people—almost a quarter of London’s population—in 18 months. ( wikipedia)

Approximately 4 100 000 patients are estimated to acquire a healthcare-associated infection in the EU each year. The number of deaths occurring as a direct consequence of these infections is estimated to be at least 37 000 and these infections are thought to contribute to an additional 110 000 deaths each year. ( wikipedia)

Our body has a built in mechanism to fight infection if we are healthy so we may not even know what bacteria, virus or other harm causing things enter our nostrils everyday because our immune system quickly overpowers them and destroys them but the immune system works when we are healthy. When we are not healthy then a simple infection can cause major problems. Germs of all kinds are emanated by very sick people specially if they have tuberculosis or other infectious diseases so coming in contact with such people can land you in big trouble.

Although our nose is not as sensitive as that of a dog, we can smell a wide array of noxious things in the air. I can tell just by entering a house if someone is sick there because of the smell of sickness pervading the air. If the house is damp and not well ventilated or aired, it becomes a breeding ground for germs of all sorts specially the deadly ones like tuberculosis. Molds grow on walls in such houses that can be extremely toxic to breathe in. You will notice that people who keep dogs and cats and play with them all the time may develop severe forms of asthma because these animals constantly shed hair making the house very dirty.

The Chinese Feng Shui people are often laughed at and not taken seriously but they will tell you all sorts of things that are wrong in your house if you invite them. They will tell you that your house is wrongly oriented meaning it does not let natural sunshine and air enter your house or that your main door is placed in the wrong place meaning it blocks the natural flow of energy through your house etc. You may not believe in all they say but somethings do make sense.

Sunshine is a natural bacteria and mold killer as any doctor will tell you. So keeping your house well aerated, ventilated and dry is a major step to ward off infectious germs that are always in the air or brought by someone who is sick. Keeping your house spotlessly clean and washing drapes, sheets and covers regularly will make your home a healthy place to live in but I have seen how people suffer in Africa from malaria when it is so easy to prevent it. Walking bare feet on dirt like they do can land you in big trouble in Africa.

We lived in a village in Mali where I designed a 5 room round house interconnected to each other through covered passageways the villagers built for us. The round rooms were well ventilated through well placed windows and we screened the doors and all the windows to keep the mosquitos and flies out. We lived in a malaria endemic area but we never had any problem because we took such precautions. Our kids were given Nivaquine as a prophylactic measure and we always filtered our water. But the Africans in our village suffered from Malaria because their huts had open windows .

It is now known that coating our floors with cow dung paste once a week not only gave it a good hard dust free finish. it also killed germs. That is the power of cow dung that most people do not know anything about. A farmer in India has built a house in his village only using local materials found on his farm and coating his mud brick walls with cow dung that keeps his house cool in summer and warm in winter. His dung coated walls kill all germs that enter his house. I would like you to watch this video here that shows his award winning house that is so beautiful that it will take your breath away. It is in Hindi but you will understand how the farmer used only local materials in such an artistic way that won him numerous awards that the Prime Minister Modi himself praises.

Source U Tube video of a beautiful , clean and hygienic farm house in India.

It says the use of cow dung, urine and natural materials that were used to make this house in a village in India makes you feel like paradise. 

We all know that germs and virus spread through contact that may not be physical but just being near an infected person can infect you because the air he breathes out is full of virus that you may breathe in. It can happen in a closely packed train or metro or a bus or where there is a huge crowd milling around and spreading infectious germs and deadly virus. In such cases you must protect yourself with a face mask and avoid shaking hands with people you know or meet.

When people died in London in the bubonic plague outbreak there in 1665, people did not know that rats were the culprits. London in those days was a very dirty city giving rise to a huge rat population that carried the plague carrying tiny insect. But now the medical science has evolved to the point when the diseases and their source can be readily identified by thermal scanners in airports or other ports of entry.

It is a very unsettling fact that now a person carrying an infection of sorts caused by a deadly virus can travel to other parts in just a few hours and spread the disease there. That is how the Corona virus is spreading to so many countries. It is unsettling because until now they have not found a vaccine that works although doctors and scientists are feverishly looking for one.  Remember the Ebola crisis that started in Africa somewhere and killed so many people including the doctors and nurses who were treating the sick people ? It became a very serious problem that brought together many countries to fight it so eventually it was controlled.

Often the animals carry the sickness. It was found that monkeys were responsible for spreading Ebola but in other cases it may be other animals. We still do not know what started the spread of Corona virus. Some say that it was spread by bats that the Chinese eat but the Chinese eat all sorts of things that you and I may never do while the Europeans eat somethings that no Asian worth his salt will dare to eat. It is a fact that the humans are omnivorous that can bring in its own set of problems. In essence we are what we eat and of what quality. We should understand that food is not something universal. If we do not eat it, it is not food although others may call it so.

It is also known that the vegetarians are in general healthy people but we the non vegetarian people can’t have enough of animal protein that can bring in its own set of problems. Pork meat can carry tape worms or other types of worms while beef may carry tuberculosis germs . In many countries where people eat beef and pork , the animal hygiene is less than what is standard so people get sick. Chicken are not all that safe to eat if they are not raised in clean environment and with proper care.

I am particularly worried about the Western countries where half cooked beefsteaks are served because that is what the customer wants. Cooking any meat thoroughly kills all the germs it may carry but the restaurants will serve you raw meat if that is what you want. They don’t care. So it is up to us to examine what we eat and how our food is prepared under what conditions. I like to see how the cook prepares my meal. Once we were in a Mongolian restaurant near Orting where the cooks had a giant hot plate or a wok where they cooked your food in front of you which was very nice.

Another thing that often worries me is the practice of hugging and kissing to show friendliness that can transmit germs easily from person to person. I like the Indian way of greeting each other by bringing the palms together and saying Namaste but some imitate the Western culture so hugging and kissing on the cheek is also spreading among the younger generation.

Finally , it is all up to us to learn to live a healthy life, take precautions that are simple but very effective and keep our house and surroundings spotlessly clean. The world we live in is now more connected than ever bringing in all sorts of trouble from far places. We must not take anything for granted so should examine the expiry date of foods that we buy. Some people live on canned goods but that is a very unhealthy way of living because we all know that the canned goods are preserved with all sorts of preservatives that have long term health problems associated with them.

There is nothing better than fresh vegetables that are organic meaning they do not use pesticides on them and there is nothing better than fresh eggs from self supporting chickens. The deep orange colored yolks are the best. Live fish if you can find them is always better than dead fish and fresh cow milk with full cream is better than the refrigerated kind you buy in the grocery stores. Our Mother Nature provides us with all the good things to eat but the crooks adulterate them before selling them so that they can make money. Just don’t be taken in by their fancy advertising.

Fresh fruits like bananas , papayas, avocados, oranges and others are better if you can find them. Sometimes you have to go to a farmer’s market where you can buy all sorts of fresh farm produce like fruits, vegetables , milk , cheese etc.

The precarious living sounds awful but it does not have to be.

  Note : My blogs are also available in French, Spanish, German and Japanese languages at the following links as well as my biography. My blogs can be shared by anyone anytime in any social media.

Mes blogs en français.

Mis blogs en espagnol

Blogs von Anil in Deutsch

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My blogs at Wix site

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Blogger.com

Medium.com

Anil’s biography in English.

Biographie d’Anil en français

La biografía de anil en español.

Anil’s Biografie auf Deutsch

Anil’s biography in Japanese

Биография Анила по-русскиu

        Precarious living Source : Google photo of black mold that can release mito toxins Synopsis : The world we live in brings us closer and brings with it problems like virus that can jump from people to people.