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#my brain: absolutely not. this entire activity is over. leave.
ofswordsandpens · 9 months
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I've enjoyed episode 3 the most so far, but I think the show is still struggling to find a good balance between taking itself seriously and the absurdist humor that RR writes with. My main takeaways:
The Fight Scenes (or Lack Thereof?)
It seems very peculiar to me that the show is just speed running through its battle scenes. Again, it feels very much like the product of Disney trying to sanitize anything that's too extreme?
The trio fleeing from the kindly ones in the book ended with Percy taking control of the bus and then crashing it. It explodes. They lose all of their stuff (money, food). In the show, they simply bail out the back window. No true panic. No tension. Just, okay :) we're leaving now :)
The Medusa Scene. I'll speak more to this later, but in terms of the fight we get to see... well we get to see nothing. Apparently this fight required us to view it through the lens of the invisibility cap (ie. not at all),
I understand this show is intended for a younger audience, but the books are as well. Even the movies, which are pg, came up with better ways to show things without necessarily showing things. As a result, it feels like anything that might induce the slightest bit of tension or fear are sanded down and its honestly doing such a disservice to the books and the audience.
Medusa
I actually really liked this portrayal of Medusa. The 1950s housewife vibe landed well for me. And I loved the actress's voice -- very soft and soothing but always sounding as if she were just about to cry.
Also, I really liked her dialogue. Her digs at Athena and Poseidon were perfectly tragic.
That being said, I really prefer the trio's arrival to the emporium in the book. In the books, they've been wandering the woods and are lost and exhausted and hungry because of the battle/bus crash where they've lost all of their stuff. It almost feels like the emporium popping up "out of nowhere" was more of it finding them.
Meanwhile in the show, Grover finds it through scent on a satyr path and they immediately know its Medusa, which imo takes out so much of the fun of it all??? In the books, they dont know. Grover's just like, freaking the ever living fuck out, and clearly Percy and Annabeth have let him take sole custody of the shared brain cell, cause they're more concerned about getting some food than anything else
Just... RIP dumbass shenanigans
And honestly, I'm not really sure what necessitated the change here in the show (of them not being tricked). It would have been one thing if they were going to change Medusa entirely to not wanting to harm them at all, but imo, I think its arguable/evident that show Medusa was looking for an excuse to petrify Annabeth and Grover (at minimum) regardless of anything.
Honestly, I would have had the show loosely play it out as: book arrival (they dont know its Medusa), keep the dumbass energy and banter, the trio figures out it Medusa while they're eating, Medusa is the more sympathetic version we see in the show, regardless it still ends with the battle.
Also, I do mourn the book battle. The panic and absurdity is just handled better imo. Annabeth shoving them off the bench, Grover flopping all over the place with the shoes but actively getting a good few hits in, Percy having to use to the reflection to behead her... the #TeamWork was emphasized a little more there to me.
Characterization
I think the show is absolutely nailing certain parts of the characters.
They've gotten Percy's anger and his derision towards the gods down. But, I think they're actually underscoring some of his, idk, sincerity? His kindness? It was the line "she met a pinecone's fate" that just rang off to me. While undoubtedly funny, it's just such a stark difference from his reaction to Thalia's story in the books, where he was unsettled by her fate and felt a sincere sympathy for her. The line in the show I assume is meant to criticize the gods, but still, it feels like it comes at the expense of the sensitivity that he has.
They've gotten Annabeth's bluntness, intelligence, pride, and superiority down cold. No question about it. But I feel like they just need to let her be more of a 12yo kid?
Like. In canon she and Percy banter and argue over the silliest of things. She plays hacky sack with Grover and Percy. She blushes and hyperventilates when Luke interacts with her. Episode 3 is like the first time we've gotten to see her do something remotely childish (buying all that candy) and I'm just dying for more of that!! She's not the "mom" of the group and she has her canon dumbass moments. I'm hoping more of this is captured moving forward. They've gotten a good start on the banter, but let Annabeth be more silly! Cause she is!
(Absolutely none of my personal qualms about the characterization are Walker or Leah's fault. They've done amazing. It's the writing/directing I'm side-eyeing).
OH! And I'm sorry but Percy being like "Annabeth we're going to bury medusa with your hat on" would have never ever flown with Annabeth. In no world.
But Grover eating them up at the end? Iconic. Good for him.
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garagepaperback · 3 months
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absolutely love your fic recs omg! do you have any recs for authors who are currently still active? i'll read anything but i'm a big fan of stories that take their time and have a slow slow slow burn.
aww thank you for the ask! here are some of my top-tier favorites from ~active~ authors, varying degrees of slow burn:
probationary action - @toomuchplor
this fic is like being in a carnival funhouse where the walls are writhing, panting, dumb-hot, rigorously perfect smut and then slowly, slowly, you recognize all the mirrors and the warped floor are actually soft, glancing sentiment and crisp prose and then you make it back outside to a big, real, aching world. in the parking lot you will have also important thoughts about the punitive justice system.
Harry breathes out a sigh, dropping his face into the open palms of his hands. “Thank Merlin for you, Neville,” Harry says, looking up again. “You really are the best of all of us.” “I’m not,” says Neville, “but I do want to see you happy, Harry.” Harry reaches out and squeezes Neville’s shoulder fondly. “It must be very interesting, dating Malfoy,” says Neville, standing up. “He uses a lot of sex spells, doesn’t he.”
la, who am i to love you? - @epitomereally
a masterpiece! i'm actually getting sun-soaked dazed eyes just thinking about it. perfect, heat-scoured (the riddled-with-light skies! the la fires! the radiant blooming gardens! the fucking pool!) lush location, one of the most interesting takes, and still true-to-the-marrow depictions of harry, draco, pansy, luna - the list is endless. also so hot, and so dear. even the traffic feels dreamy.
“Maybe you could list the pros and cons of moving to LA for me, Harry,” Dr Goldstein prods. Uncomfortably, all Harry can think is Draco, Draco, Draco.
the july tree - @oknowkiss
:,) this is so sweet, fun, hot and adoring from another masterful prose-maker. everything that is glanced at feels so naturally done, the vividness creeps in before you're liable to fully realize you're in fact reading and not truly looking. explorative and understanding. 10/10, wonderful, a hundred gold stars.
His neck was in shambles from where it had been bent over to one side. He tried to move but there was a heavy weight on his shoulder. He looked down and saw Potter had fallen asleep on him. Potter’s hand had slipped between Draco’s legs, just above his knees, and then the train came to a stop and Potter woke up as well, lifting his head, his glasses slightly crooked. Draco wanted to go back an hour and keep himself awake, so that he could feel Potter on him, warm and heavy and unguarded. Instead he’d had only a few seconds before Potter sat up straight, stretching his arms overhead. He smiled at Draco before standing, resting his hand on top of Draco’s head as he walked by. It was lovely, and intimate, but all Draco could think of was the hour he’d slept through, an hour of time spent with Potter he wouldn’t ever get back, his brain repeating over and over, I missed it.
cut from the sky - @mallstars
so much of what i'm desperate to say about this fic is [redacted] for spoiler reasons! such a raw romance wound around an incredible, engaging, heart-stuttering plot. i'm jutting my lip out and there's a vacant ache in my ribs where my heart's supposed to be over this one. lovely, queer, splendid, just perfect. god.
"Please," Harry heard himself say, though he didn't quite know what he was asking. Draco kissed his forehead. "Of course," he replied. "What would you like?" Harry shivered, watching the runnels of water against Draco's flushed cheek. "Please," Harry said again, dropping his head against Draco's leather-clad shoulder, thinking of his hotel room, of stumbling into Draco's store tomorrow, calling him Malfoy and pretending his days didn't revolve entirely around him, "Please don't leave. Please don't leave just yet."
gallows-bird - @jtimu
i want to describe this one with eight knife emoji's and nothing more. four chapters in and every single one individually has ruined my day. it's wonderful, dreary, just enough gray that you'll wonder if the glint you thought you saw was hope or just a trick of the light. highly recommend, misery loves company, come on through.
There hadn’t ever been anyone to soothe Harry’s hurts. To fuss over his skinned knees or brush his hair back from his temples with tender thumbs, too coo softly over a scrape. Comfort was something he’d learned secondhand, dear and hard-bought, and so sat there with his fingers twisted together, knuckles like knotgrass, and tried to wrench the words out. He wanted to touch, instinct told him that much, but he lacked the framework for how and where, and so he didn’t, and they sat there together in a thorny silence.
from love, obviously - @starsworth
counting even though bizarrestars is writing mostly (lovely! gender-explorative! wonderful! wolfstar and also black familial fic currently) not drarry because just god damn. an essential read for me. weirdo, phenomenal draco and the best teddy in the game, easily. hilarious but in that way where your breath snags after laughing really hard and the moment sort of echoes.
"You were kissing," Teddy says. "I saw it."  Harry's eyes sink shut for a moment, and he drags a hand through his hair, which Draco may have accidentally made a mess of, then he blows out a deep breath and opens his eyes. "That's—well, that did happen, yes. That was…something we did."  Teddy's eyes narrow. "I thought you were mortal enemies."  "Mortal enemies kiss…sometimes," Harry says weakly, clearly out of his depth here. He grimaces almost immediately after he says this, then seems to remember he's the adult out of the two of them and coughs, standing up taller. "Nevermind that, you'll understand when you're older."
close behind - @oflights
oh my whole fucking heart. destroyed! adrift! she died how she lived. reading this feels like listening to music, something sleek and melodic, and when i actually consider the masterfully-rendered level of complexity in the plot, it feels like trying to peer into the belly of an actively-playing grand piano. certainly does not hurt to be an enormous fan of eternal sunshine of the spotless mind, orpheus and eurydice myth, and general suffering <3
“It’ll be all right,” Draco said again, and Harry swallowed the rest of his words. He couldn’t let them out here, in their bed, in their home; not yet. And his body didn’t know how to say what he wanted it to, not with Draco this close. Harry didn’t know how to tell Draco that they wouldn’t be all right, not in any language. Not yet.
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daisybianca · 4 months
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pairing: Lewis Hamilton x femalereader
summary: Lewis proposes in a special ceremony—and it’s dirty
warnings: mentions of sexual activities, slight jealousy
(a/n): this is written from Lewis’ pov cuz I love my man obsessed
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I MIGHT BE the filthiest person in her life right now. The dirtiest one, with the most disgusting thoughts about her. Do I care, though?
Absolutely not.
Will I let another man touch her?
Hah. Funny enough.
Because when this night is over, a ring will be circled around the fair flesh of her finger. And my initial will be curved into it. I’m sure of it.
My fiancé soon-to-be has chosen a red, long dress that hugs her curved body for tonight’s ceremony. I can see my parents eye her across the ballroom.
Our names are written on tonight’s sky. Mine and hers. The night is ours. And it’ll not be over until we say so.
Y/N appears at the very top of the stairs and her father rushes by her side, helping her to walk towards me. Reaching for her hand as soon as she reached the last step, the crowd ceases clapping.
I take her hand in mine. It fits perfectly, as always. She fits perfectly. Her body against mine. Her smart brain along with mine. Her eyes on mine.
Everything is perfect because she is a part of it.
“Lewis…” She approaches me and I can detect a particular glimpse of something in her beautiful eyes.
I curl my lips in a smile. “You’re the most beautiful woman in this room.” I say. I’m positive that everyone’s eyes and ears are focused on this moment. On us. “Probably in the entire world.”
She manages a smile, even though I can tell she’s nervous. About a hundred or so people have been gathered by me and her father to celebrate this day.
Three years ago, when the date was the same as it is this day, I met her.
Three years later, I’m marking her as mine. Officially, at least. Because I made sure she knew—and everyone else around us—she’s mind since the very first moment.
“Don’t be nervous, baby,” I push her towards me gently and cup her reddened cheeks with my hands.
Across my thumb, her initial is written on the surface with bold ink.
My hands are hers to use. Hers to lick. Hers to fuck. I wanted her to know that.
I turn around and smile at the guests. Toto gives me a reassuring father as he drinks a sip from his wine next to my father.
“Let’s dance,” I brush my lips across her ear, starting to make our way to the centre of the room.
“Lewis, you know I can’t dance in these shoes.” She lifts her right leg just a few inches and waves her dress so I can take a glimpse of her white heels.
I make sure to keep my tone quiet. “Y/N, I’ve seen you pole-dancing in stripper-heels.”
Her face turns into a darker shade of red. Her hands feels cold. Sweaty.
I don’t want her to fucking feel like that on a day as special as this one.
She has to calm down. And I’m the one obligated to make her do it.
I brush her long hair and press pecks on her temple, cheeks, lips… I stop on the neck because it’s a soft spot for me. Can’t let myself lose control in front of all my relatives, friends and coworkers. It’d be such a pity to grab her and take her to the closest room and ruin such an event.
I being a glass of red whine for her knowing how much she adores it. My hand never leaves her and I can tell that as the minutes pass, her breathing feels steadier.
One hour goes by.
Two.
It’s ten past something and about time I…
“Ladies and gentlemen.” I let y/n’s hand and climb on the stage, rolling the sleeves of my white shirt as I do so. “Thank you for attending tonight’s ceremony, to begin with. It is a special day for us and we are very pleased to share such a great moment with the people we love.”
The crowd above the stage claps, I can even take a glimpse of my dog, Roscoe, swirling around in Ricciardo’s embrace… everyone is overwhelmed and that brings a smile to my lips. But nothing compares to the burning sensation in my chest.
I don’t know what it is. But I know it’s a good feeling. I also got it the first time I met y/n. Or when I asked her out. Or when we first kissed or made love.
“I would like to invite my beautiful woman, y/n…” I control myself not to exclaim “fiancé” or “wife” instead of “woman”. I’m not hesitant to go on. “…on this stage with me.”
The people go thunderous and I help y/n to walk the few steps on the stage.
We arrive at the centre of the stage and the music stops.
All the lights on us. Everyone’s eyes.
It feels magical.
I look up and find the most beautiful pair of eyes I’ve ever seen already fixed on me. She’s smiling. It’s contagious so I grin as well. “Y/n…” I start but a voice interrupts my words.
“Go on one knee!” I identify Toyo’s voice in the first row as I reach for the velvet box in my pocket.
“On one knee!” Yells my father and then the guests go crazy.
I turn to my woman and smile. “Don’t ask me to go on one knee.” I say.
“As long as you don’t ask me to get on two knees.” She replies in a dirty voice, leaning towards me.”
“Baby, I want you in all for.”
She smiles again but no one hears our conversation. They still yell for me to propose on one knee.
Fuck. I’ll have to do this.
I grab the box tightly in my hand and do as asked. I get on my knees.
In front of my woman. The woman of my dreams.
I’ve been on my knees in front of y/n countless times before, but for educational purposes only. Nothing like this.
I raise my eyes. She’s crying.
I hold onto her hand. “Y/n…” I start. “Please make me the happiest man in the entire universe and accept this proposal.” I think my heart is going to explode. “Will you please marry me?”
The crowd erupts in a chaos of applause and I find myself trapped in her eyes. I expect her to say the word first, but she doesn’t.
She melts into my hands and buries her small face in my neck.
This has to be the most beautiful moment of my entire existence.
She’s crying and I think I am too honestly. “Yes, yes, yes! A million times yes, Lewis!” She almost creams and between tears, I grab her face and unite our temples. I apply a kiss on her mouth. It’s gently at first but then I can see her craving for more.
When I let her lips to catch my breath (I actually remembered that we are not alone, but in a room with our closest people and if she went on I would without hesitation forget their existence) I look into her eyes. I grab her delicate hand and take the ring out of the box.
It fits perfectly on her finger.
I look at her again and murmur, “Perfectly fitted. Just for you, baby. Just for my wife.”
••••••••••
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evilminji · 1 year
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I Ponder The Humble Blob Ghost!
You think they are what happens when you ALMOST but not quite A Ghost(tm)? Like, you have the ectoplasm and the will to continue... but you didn't really have A Thing in life? No Final Crystalizing Thought that brings focus? Just "ow! Ah! I'm scared. Don't wanna die!" And theeeeen.... *poof!*
Why am I Orb? Am squish? No bones.
Like? Remove any one piece of the Critical Formula and you get Blob instead of Ghost? Different KINDS, mind you, but blobs none the less.
Like Skulker! Not enough Ectoplasm. Ended up Blob. He CLEARLY had the Will, the Obsession, the gory end and unfinished business... buuuut? No green goo to power the creation of a full body. He clearly knows what he's supposed to LOOK like? But it's not something FIXABLE? Even with his now unlimited access to Ectoplasm.
Like in utero damage that permanently stunted his growth. HE is fine. All his facilities are on-line and checking in as they should, for the level of sentience expected of a ghost of his people. He just... smol. Same strength, intelligence, and power as he would have always HAD...
He just got handed a really, REALLY crap "customize your eternal meatsuit" option screen. Like for real guys. Basicly NO options. His salt is eternal and entirely justified. He could have had his tattoos. He paid a LOT of credits for those! Sat for DAYS! Had to track down this One(1) artist on this SHITTY little trading hub, that BARELY QUALIFIED as one, to sit in on uncomfortable overturned crate... IN A GAS MASK because the AIR SUPPORT KEPT KICKING IT... for hoooours!
It was a WORK OF ART. You would have CRIED.
This is BULLSHIT.
But wait, I hear you say, staring at the Blob ghost chewing on a lamp post. The one that has wii music playing behind the eyes. No thoughts, head jello, one might say. What about THEM?
Good point! Remember that formula?
LOT of Ecto! But THAT... might be either an animal or a fungus. We'd have to check. ANYTHING can and DOES die. If it's alive? It can die and potentially leave a ghost. But! Consider the noble Ghost Rabbit! *holds up squirming rabbit that is ABSOLUTELY trying to both bite me and kick me in the face* A noble and friendly creature!
THIS is what happens when an animal: has sufficient Ectoplasm at the death site, a reason to continue living (fairly common. It's usually their offspring, escape, the instinctual drive to survive itself or other understandable base drives. Like love, loyalty, or hunger.), and that all important High Emotions End.
Miss any of these? You get Blobbertson over there! He's clearly a hungry boy! But! Not very DRIVEN is he? Just floating along, chewing on whatever seems interesting, looking for a snack. He's food motivated. But not MOTIVATED motivated.
Blobbertson over there? A peaceful death. Too much Ectoplasm too leave, too food motivated in life NOT to carry over, but? No DRIVE. To DEFINE and DEMAND the Ectoplasm in his little body become sharp and active. No highly emotional state to stir it into action.
Is Blobbertson INCAPABLE of higher emotions? No. He is every bit as capable as the Ghost Rabbit that has savaged my hands and escaped while you were reading. It was, in fact, NOT as friendly as originally assumed. I may be bleeding. Unimportant. Blobbertson is PERFECTLY capable of getting attached. Being trained.
Whatever level of intelligence Blobbertson had in life, still remains. And WITH that? Comes the ability to improve and grow in death! IF (and this is the big one) he ever finds MOTIVATION to do so.
Because you see, Blobbertson is quite happy. No thoughts, brain jello. Drifting along in a happy green ocean like a jellyfish. Only concerned about his next snack. It's comforting. His food obsession filled, his tiny motivation barely enough to move him place to place.
He would GLADLY sit in one place and eat for the rest of eternity. Head blissfully silent.
And that's OKAY! It truly, honestly, is. Not everyone has to be conquers and kings, crafters and cosmonauts. Sometimes you just want to spend the rest of time playing in the sand. Resting on a sunshine-y hill. Not EVERY soul is a loud one.
This is the INFINITE Realms.
And there are places like Amity Park out there. THICK as cold honey with Ectoplasm in the air, gently infusing all the life that grows there with greater and greater chance of Ghost-hood. Even the peaceful blinking awake after that final rest to look down and... little nubby green paws.
Congratulations on becoming a Blob, grandma! Yes, I imagine you ARE furious it is inordinately difficult to knit like this. No, I don't think complaining to the king will help, MeMa.
That said? I can not tell you if Blob Ghost all belong to the same Family or the same Order, but they are NOT the same species! The WAY in which you fuck up that ever vital Fomula results in WILDLY different Blobs! Was it an animal? A sentient species? A sentient PLANET? A complexe interlocking colony of fungi? What was the EXACT Ectoplasm concentration at the death site? Was that the historical levels or the At Death levels? Was the individual under sedation?
Yes! All of this IS in fact, VERY relevant!
And you think it ends THERE? HA! The SKIES are FILLED with Fighty Mother Fuckers! Ghosts LOVE to fight! It's built into their social dynamics and hierarchy! Good ol brawls to get the Ecto pumping!
......Local Blob Farmer would like to take this moment to say "GET OF HIS GHOST PEONIES, YOU HEATHENS."
No they would NOT like to join your 24/7 thunder dome in the sky, THANKS! Martha here is trying to compose some Atlantian Shell Poetry. Blobby Jr of Blobbington and Blobbington Incorporated is TRYING to study! You've DESTROYED THE COMMUNAL ZEN GARDEN!!
Get! GET!!! *swings broom*
And THEN you look not even a mile east? And it's the floating island of Blobs. They LIKE that rock. It's just an ever shifting, accidentally rolling off the edge, falling slightly, making an offended squeek, and floating back to the top of the pile to repeate the process, MOOSH of thousands of blobs. No one's certain if they used to be seals or some sort of cat.
Apparently THAT island is Warm(tm).
So there they sit. Making contented noises, chirping and shoving for the best spots. They never leave. You can literally just... float up and sit on them. It's amazing. You gotta be careful not to get buried, but it's So Soft and bouncy? And they are ALL making that soft happy Blob vibrate noise. It's like a giant, island sized, warm and almost fuzzy but not, water bed that massages you.
Just DON'T start anything there! Holy SHIT are they territorial. You Will Die. They SWARM.
And THATS not even getting into the Blobs that are? Literally brainless. Some people eat those. Which? I guess? They ARE basicly Ectoplasm jello. But SOME of them are NOT? Like... it's a debate. Hot button issue, ya know?
Some fungus turns into Ecto Jello with negative IQ and delicious insides. Is this food? But OTHER fungus was SENTIENT in life and become a whole RANGE of Fungus ghosts, from Blob right on up to complexe dryad like ghosts! Clearly NOT food unless you are a MONSTER. But THEY argue the FIRST group are ALSO not food?
Plant Ghosts have strong opinions and are willing to Gruesome Violence about it.
Which brings us back to the Humble Blob Ghost! Check before you pet! That might be grandma! Or planning to eat your hand! Just as Mammal tells you little to nothing about what animal you are looking at, so too does Blob and Ghost! Stay safe out there! And if anyone sees a glowing green rabbit? I want my blood back! That's supposed to be in MY body! Rude!
This has been, the daily ghost!
@hdgnj @stealingyourbones
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Text
★ of literature and lingering contingence ★
pairing: Gale Dekarios (BG3) x fem!reader (unnamed, no use of y/n, second person)
tags/warnings: fluff, teasing, literary references, established relationship, post-canon, shameless smut (soooo much of it), soft dom gale, porn with plot, praise kink, multiple orgasms, orgasm denial, oral sex, rough sex, love confessions, a lot of sappy stuff toward the end, explicit sexual content: MDNI please
word count: 12,400
a/n: recently was gripped by the most powerful wave of Gale brain rot that I have ever experienced and this absolute monstrosity emerged as a result. initially vaguely inspired by this fanart that has rerouted and taken over every single one of my functioning braincells (I don't know the artist, pls pls let me me know if you do! I owe them a life debt for creating that piece!) this was also inspired by the literary masterpiece Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (let's just pretend it exists in 1492 DR, alright?) if requested, I will consider writing a second part to this story, seeing as I really enjoyed writing this. as a fair warning, this is about 85% filth and 15% sappy lovesick stuff so enter at your own risk!
★ AO3 link ★
✦ playlist link ✦
Enjoy!
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image taken from Pinterest
Out of all the days in the week, Sundays had to be your favourite.
It was the one day where you never had any obligations or responsibilities to worry about, and you often found yourself with nothing to do but relax. 
It wasn't, however, this lack of routine that you loved so much but rather the fact that Gale's schedule followed a very similar pattern as yours, leaving nothing for both of you to do but spend the entire day in each other's company. After the perilous, action-packed journey you'd both come back from a mere few months ago, you were both more than happy to catch up on quality down time together.
And this Sunday had turned out to be no different. You'd been tucked away together in his tower all day, watching as the bright sun rose early that morning through the crack in the balcony's drapes, your bodies tangled both together and in the soft sheets. Later on that afternoon, you'd watched it set again from where you were nestled together on his worn antique couch, his head using your lower stomach as a pillow and his body encased between your legs beneath the blanket he had thrown over the both of you, a worn copy of Jane Eyre open in his hands. 
A few weeks prior, the two of you had been discussing your favourite books over dinner (as was a popular topic of discussion wherever you and him were involved) and at one point, you'd casually quoted that very same literary work. This earned you a puzzled look from Gale, his brow quirking in a way you realized he genuinely didn't catch your reference. You were equally surprised by this revelation; until then, you had yet to mention a book that Gale hadn't already read and meticulously analyzed. 
This was a definitely a first. 
The thought made you somewhat giddy, already planning to be up at the crack of dawn the next morning to grab your equally well-loved and annotated copy from your place on the other side of Waterdeep. You were in the process of selling your old apartment, seeing as you had moved in with Gale after the War and spent the majority of your time outside of work with him at his tower. It would be a good opportunity to bring a few more of your things over to his place, as you had been doing over these last few months.
So that was exactly what you did. Every night from then on, after Gale had finished grading papers for the students he taught at Blackstaff and you'd cleaned yourself up after a long day at the House of Healing, the two of you would curl up on the living room couch next to the blazing mantle and read the story of Jane Eyre together. The idea that his initial reading should be a group activity and that he would be the narrator of the story was entirely his idea, and one that you'd found hard to refuse. You did love the sound of his voice, so listening to it perpetually for hours was only an added bonus.
This was precisely where you found yourself now, once again curled up on his couch watching as dusk fell and lingered on the corners of the room, the addition of flickering candlelight creating the coziest atmosphere in the little space. Head nestled in the space between your lower abdomen and pubic bone, your lover's voice read the words off the pages in front of him with a hushed enthusiasm that made you think he would be wonderful as a children's storyteller. You would have to mention that to him later.
"...still he looked preciously grim, cushioning his massive head against the swelling back of his chair, and receiving the light of the fire on his granite-hewn features, and in his great, dark eyes; for he had great, dark eyes, and very fine eyes, too—not without a certain change in their depths sometimes, which, if it was not softness, reminded you, at least, of that feeling. He had been looking two minutes at the fire, and I had been looking the same length of time at him, when, turning suddenly, he caught my gaze fastened on his physiognomy." Gale read aloud, his voice hypnotically rhythmic. 
Each word he spoke reverberated on to your stomach, sending gentle, electrical pulses all throughout your body. The feeling was enough to warm you a little more with each passing minute, a familiar yet patient desire beginning to grow inside of you. Your fingers began to lightly play with his loose locks in an attempt to distract you from your growing arousal, his hair so gently manipulated you doubted he could even feel your ministrations.
"'You examine me, Miss Eyre,' said he: 'do you think me handsome?'"
You smiled as you immediately recognized this as one of your favourite parts in the book, your hands idly starting to braid a small section of his hair to mask your excitement. By the way the pitch of his voice had changed ever so slightly, you were inclined to think Gale was genuinely interested in where the dialogue in the story might go from here.
"I should, if I had deliberated, have replied to this question by something conventionally vague and polite; but the answer somehow slipped from my tongue before I was aware—'No, sir.'"
Gale let out a hearty chuckle as he read the last dialogue tag, resting the book face down for a moment on his lap to peer up at you. 
"This girl reminds me of someone I know, actually," he said with a grin.
This earned him a quiet laugh back, only briefly pausing your braiding to look at his smiling face. "Oh yeah? And who might that be?" You asked playfully, your minding immediately thinking of your mutual friend, Shadowheart. 
"You, my love," he answered, his grin now taking on a more mischievous air to it that rendered your lungs temporarily useless as your heart skipped a beat, the feeling leaving you a little light-headed. With how much his smile grew after your reaction, you were sure he had a fairly good idea of how he was affecting you. 
"Keep going!" You laughed before the blush in your cheeks could grow anymore, setting him back on track with a light tap of your free hand against his stubbled cheek. Looking pleased with himself, he picked the book back up and continued reading.
"'Ah! By my word! there is something singular about you,' said he: 'you have the air of a little nonnette; quaint, quiet, grave, and simple, as you sit with your hands before you, and your eyes generally bent on the carpet (except, by-the-bye, when they are directed piercingly to my face; as just now, for instance); and when one asks you a question, or makes a remark to which you are obliged to reply, you rap out a round rejoinder, which, if not blunt, is at least brusque. What do you mean by it?'" He finished reading the last line with a sigh, lowering the book slightly to look up at you once again. 
"I'd say he's definitely into her, wouldn't you agree?" He conjectured aloud. 
You smiled, happy to see his engagement in the story you loved so dearly. "Uh-huh," you agreed, focusing your concentration on finishing the little braid in his hair.
"What is it that you're so busy with up there, hm?" He asked, reaching his hand up to touch the braid you'd just completed. A smile spread back across his lips as he realized what you'd done with his hair. "Oh, that feels like it looks lovely. Thank you, dear."
He reached over to set the book onto the coffee table, pushing the empty mugs the two of you had been sipping warm tea from earlier aside to make room for it. With a small, barely audible sigh, he sat up between your legs and twisted his torso to face you, his hand resting just beside your outer thigh to support his body weight.
"I might make this to be part of the signature look. What do you think? I'll admit I feel considerably more handsome with it." He said, caressing the braid with one hand, his big eyes boring into yours with a lingering glint of mischief. "Do you think me handsome, young lady?"
Every functioning braincell in your body screamed "yes!" at the question he posed to you, especially seeing as you had let him know how attractive you found him on more than one occasion that week alone. If he hadn't quoted Mr. Rochester so eloquently, you might have been inclined to answer in this same way. Something mischievous, however, bubbled up inside you when he said it, your curiosity wanting to see what might become of teasing him ever so slightly.
"No, sir," you answered, a slight quirk in your lips. 
His eyes seemed to grow darker almost instantly, a smirk forming as a product of your quip. For what it was worth, you assumed the borrowed line would earn you little more than a hearty laugh and an incentive for him to continue reading. Your emphasis on the title (one you had never taken to calling him before) looked to have stirred something more than innocent amusement inside of him and you briefly wondered if calling him that was the best decision on your part.
You did need your legs to work come tomorrow, after all.
The thought sent a shiver down your spine, your mind giving you flashbacks of that time on the road with the party when you'd decided to tease him a little too thoroughly. The result? Yours and Gale's night of passion had become so intense that you had no choice but to stay back at camp the next day, every muscle in your body sore and aching. Gale had stayed back with you, ever the gentleman, doting on you and almost ridiculously apologetic for the adventure you'd be missing out on that day because of him. As sorry as he was, however, it didn't stop him from fucking you senseless against a tree in the forest a short distance from the camp when you'd begged him. Against your better judgement, you'd teased him like that on more than one occasion since you'd been back from your travels together and each end result turned out to be better (or worse) than the last, if that was even possible.
Without breaking eye contact, he slowly moved closer toward you, walking his hands forward along the cushion underneath of you, the insides of his wrists just barely brushing the sides of your torso. Your breath caught in your chest as he hovered over you, dark eyes staring back into yours like a starved predator that had just found its next meal. 
"No?" He breathed, his face mere inches away from yours. Candlelight flickered off his sharp features, the sight momentarily mesmerizing you and causing you to shift your gaze away from his intense eyes and onto his rosy lips, delicate and soft looking compared to his somewhat rugged features. He noticed this shift in your attention almost immediately, bringing his index finger up under your chin to gently guide your gaze back toward him.
"Say it again." He commanded, voice stern. 
A familiar dizzying feeling that originated in your stomach came over as you processed his words. It left you a little breathless once again, your senses now properly heady with growing desire. 
"No, I don't think you handsome." You near-whispered back to him, his lips so close to yours now that they were almost touching, causing your eyelids to droop slightly with desire. "Sir."
His head dropped painstakingly closer at your confession, the space between your mouths so miniscule it would've only taken you to flinch to touch your lips to his. His warm breath mixed with yours and you wanted nothing more in that moment than to wrap your arms around his neck and properly smother him. But at the same time, you also wanted to know what game he was playing at, genuinely curious to see where this might lead. You were the one who had started it, after all.
Slowly, he lowered his lips to yours, only giving you the faintest whisper of a kiss before you felt a smile grow on his lips and he whispered against your mouth, "And I think you're a liar."
The words reacted with your body in a way that threatened to prove him right, that warm feeling pooling in your lower abdomen turning a temperature not far off from molten lava. Gale must have easily picked up on this from the way he let out a breathy little laugh into the corner of your mouth, his neatly stubbled chin brushing against yours slightly. 
"And you know how I feel about liars, don't you, love?" He teased in that voice usually saved for his classroom at Blackstaff, his mouth moving to place delicate kisses along your cheek and slowly working his way down, his head burrowing itself in the crook of your neck. Your hands finally betrayed you, your arms snaking their way around the sides of his head, your fingers threading themselves through his soft hair in an attempt to keep him in that position. 
His affections moved lower down your neck and into the space just below your clavicle, his one hand moving to fiddle with the little buttons that held closed one of the old button up shirts of his you'd thrown on earlier that morning. It was your usual Sunday attire, the length of it long enough to rest just above your knees, the need to wear pants with it futile when it would just be the two of you for the day. That and you knew how crazy it drove him to see you in nothing but one of his shirts and a thin pair of underwear. 
Freeing the first button, he brough his mouth back down to your skin as he worked on the next ones. "Not only do they need to be punished for their miscreant behaviors, but that behavior also needs to be rectified if there is any hope of them recovering from their impropriety." He said somewhat breathlessly against your chest, the sound vibrating throughout your entire body.
No sooner did the final button on your shirt give way was the thin material being yanked open by eager hands, the slight chill that lingered in the tower causing your bare nipples to perk. Gale pulled away slightly to rake his eyes over your partially exposed body, his gaze like a comforting caress you'd come to know so well and long for so often.
He whispered something under his breath that sounded much like 'Gods...' before shifting back down to press his warm mouth to the space between your breasts. The feeling was like no other. It was magical; he was magical, with or without the power of the Weave. 
His soft lips drifted over your breast to land on your nipple, kissing it softly while looking up to meet your eyes, asking for permission. You sucked in a short breath and managed to nod ever so slightly, too focused on what he was doing to be able to think clearly. Slowly, his wet tongue met with your sensitive nipple, the sensation of that mixed with the suction his mouth had created driving you wild. Against your own volition, your back arched upward into him as if you were nothing more than a marionette whose strings were tied to his practiced fingertips, every movement your body made just an extension of his careful manipulation of your desire. You didn't particularly mind; Gale was one of the only guys you'd ever met who had taken so much time to learn in great detail the ways in which to make you feel good. It was something you never thought you'd come to have in life, though now that you had it, you knew you would never be able to settle for anything less.
A pathetic-sounding whimper escaped past your lips as his tongue swirled around your nipple for a final time before alternating to your other breast. You could feel how his breathing had increased since he had started his form of worship on your body, his exhales fanning out in little pants of warm air over your breast. It was almost too much to bear. 
Before you could open your mouth to demand he just take you already, his mouth detached itself from your breast to trail intermittent kisses down your stomach, his eyes never leaving yours.  You felt your heart skip a beat as he passed over your navel, his fingers coming to rest at the waistband of your underwear. 
"Shall we continue?" He asked with his chin hovering just above your pubic bone, a certain hunger palpable in his aura. "Or will I need to find other ways to change my pretty little liar's mind?"
You managed a desperate nod and when he didn't make any move to continue, a strangled, "Yes, please."
Your words seemed to appease him and with a swift motion, your underwear was down your legs and being slipped off your ankles, falling to the floor along with the blanket the two of you had been covered up with earlier. He snaked his arms under your knees, pushing them up gently and guiding your feet over his shoulders so that you were fully exposed to him. You felt your heart rate spike a little when his hands came to rub along your outer thighs and hips reverently, placing little kisses along your inner thighs and inching closer and closer to the apex of them. 
A breathless gasp escaped you as you watched him place a firm kiss to the center of your clit, the sudden sensation making you squirm in his grasp. A quick, victorious smile spread across his lips at your reaction and you had the sudden premonition that you were really about to be in for it.
Opening his mouth slightly, he placed that 'practiced' tongue of his flat against that little bundle of nerves before curling it wickedly to swirl the bud around in a way that made your head spin. The sensation itself was almost too much to bear, though in the same breath, you prayed to any god you could think of just to beg that he would never stop. 
As if he could read your mind, his mouth moved further down your slit to lap at the pooling wetness that gathered farther down. A low moan escaped your chest at the sight and you felt him smile again in response, his eyelids fluttering slightly to look at you through thick lashes. 
"How's the view, my dear?" He asked teasingly, pulling away from your heat slightly to give you a good look at the thick layer of your juices that glistened on and around his lips, showcasing the sinful mess like some kind of artwork. "Changed your mind yet?"
You contemplated this for a second while frantically trying to catch your breath, the way he was looking at you from between your dampened thighs making this a near impossible task itself. As much as you wanted to admit how you loved the way he looked from your current perspective, you loved toying with his ego just as much. It was simply too much fun, not to mention exceptionally rewarding (sexually and otherwise) for you more often than not. 
"I- I'd like to see the full extent of your talents before... coming to a decision." Throwing what you hoped was a seductive smile his way, you added, "If you'd be willing to indulge me, that is."
This earned you one of his heart-stopping smirks, that sparkle in his eyes a telltale sign of both his amusement and arousal. "Oh, finally found your words, have you? If you insist, my little minx." He retorted, voice suddenly dropping down to that husky octave he knew drove you wild. "I'd be my pleasure."
Yep, you definitely were not going to be walk out of this one on functional legs. That much you were now certain about.
His eyes still locked with yours, he sank his face down between your legs once again, his tongue moving to press against your entrance this time while his nose nestled itself against your clit. The feeling set off an intense fluttering sensation in your stomach and you had to fight the sudden urge to buck against him. 
Without warning, his hands curled themselves around the back of your thighs and gripped your hips firmly, pulling you up to meet his face at an even more flush angle. With the better access granted to him from your new position, he started lapping away at your pussy with such fervor you couldn't help the desperate whimpers you tried to supress from escaping the back of your throat. He continued to work his tongue up and down your delicate folds, occasionally breaking rhythm to push his tongue into your tight pussy teasingly.
The way he was working your sex felt nothing short of heavenly, a juxtaposition to the absolutely sinful noises coming from both his mouth and intense suckling. His eyes closed at some point in the process, his brow furrowed in deep concentration and - from what you could see in the dim candlelight - a light blush beginning to creep into his cheeks, staining them an adorably rosy pink. The sight itself was nearly enough to send you over the edge. He truly was beautiful.  
Your pleasure took on new heights when his thumb crept along your hip to land on your clit, circling it with just enough pressure to make you squirm uncontrollably. Your hand moved instinctively to clutch the top of his head, your fingers finding purchase in his smooth tresses in yet another desperate attempt to keep him right where he was. The added stimulation was almost too much, and you felt that familiar string of desire grow taught behind your navel with every swipe of his tongue. Gale, sensing the fast-approaching crest of your orgasm, took this as motivation to increase the intensity of his ministrations, his tongue lapping at your wet cunt like a man starved. Your chest heaved to a point you were certain you couldn't take anymore, a few sections of your loose hair sticking to and curling around your neck a little more each time you tossed your head from side to side on the plush pillow your neck rested on.  The change in pace caused the cross between a whimper and a moan to escape from the back of your throat and your grip on his hair grew impossibly tighter. 
"Mmm... that's it, darling. Let me hear that pretty voice of yours. You're doing so good for me, so good..." he breathed against your pussy, his warm breath on your sensitive parts only adding to the sweet torture. His eyes flitted open, locking directly onto yours while his thumb - ever persistent - continued it's own form of artistry on your clit. "Now, come for me."
His words were enough to finally push you over the edge, your climax surging through your body in wave of pure ecstasy. A desperate moan erupted from within you as your hips bucked into his face, your voice ringing out suddenly in the space around you. A low, guttural sound released itself from deep within his chest and reverberated deliciously off your pussy as he ate you through completion. The feeling was utterly intoxicating, and you were certain nothing you had ever experienced up until that point felt nearly as good as this.
"Good girl, falling apart so beautifully for me," he praised as he softly lowered your trembling hips back down to meet the couch cushion after giving your clit one last kiss and pulling away slightly. His chest heaved with exertion as he licked his lips with a lascivious smile. "Might I dare ask for the verdict? Or is it too soon?"
Your hands moved to brush away a few loose strands of hair from where they fell in front of his eyes, your palm resting on his stubbled cheek. Taking quiet notice of the way his ends of his hair had started to curl slightly from your mixed perspirations, you realized you felt about as flush as he looked though you had no intentions of leaving the extent of your fun at that for the night. A blissful post-orgasmic haze washed over you and you felt that you were all but glowing with how much love you harbored for him in that particular moment.
"You've never looked so beautiful as you do now," you answered, trying to catch your breath. "How is it that you're my man?"
He smiled, a rare and bashful boyish kind that only emerged as a result of any praise you gave him. Over time, you'd found this to be a reaction only you could stir from him, whether it was in relation to his beautifully bright mind and the extensive knowledge he kept within it or his considerable talent both in and out of the bedroom. Either way, you always loved seeing the way your words could affect him. After all, you'd just experienced (yet again) how much a few words from him could affect you. It only seemed fair. 
Speaking of fair, you were reminded of how much you suddenly longed to even the scoreboard between the two of you and at least attempt to show him an equal act of reciprocity as he came over you again, the noticeable bulge in his trousers brushing briefly against your thigh as he brought himself to hover over you. The feeling intensified as he brought his lips down to meet yours once again, the lingering taste of yourself on his tongue driving you even more wild. 
"I am yours, body and soul," he whispered between kisses. "And you, my dear, are all mine." 
His tongue tangled with yours with a way that moved from sweet and gentle to hungry and primal, as if he was trying to further prove his point by claiming you with his mouth. The intensity of it was enough to stoke the fire in your core again, the thought of him laying claim to you in such a way intercepting any coherent though from forming in your head. You nearly forgot about your improvised plan as his hands roved their way up your sides and kneaded your breasts in a way you knew he wasn't finished wringing pleasure from you and showing you the ways in which you were his. Appealing as it was to you, the thought of how he would look writhing under you as you drew out wave after wave of pleasure from him was really what set your loins alight.
"There is another angle that I'd like to test out, however," you managed to breathe out against his fervent kisses, causing him to slow ever so slightly in interest.
He raised an eyebrow, a curious look glimmering in his eye. "Is that so?"
You nodded.
"And what might that be?" He asked.
You dragged your hands along his torso just as he had done to you, goosebumps rising in their wake. "Let me show you," you whispered against his lips.
His lips met with your again as you began to sit up from where you lay on the couch, placing a gentle hand to his chest as you pushed him onto his back and your other hand moved a pillow under his head, careful to never break your kiss in the process. You felt his breath hitch as you fumbled with the buttons on his long cardigan, his hands coming up to weave themselves in your hair. The thought of pleasing him so easily made your heart soar; you wanted to nothing more than to make him feel as good as he had made you feel and it made you indescribably happy to know you were already on your way there. 
Little time elapsed between the point where you finished undoing the last button on his sweater and when it was being shrugged down and off his shoulders, landing somewhere on the floor beside the couch. You finally broke your intense kiss to move slightly back and take in the view of his bare chest before you.
The sight of him never failed to take your breath away; his broad shoulders and defined muscles looking like they were carefully crafted by the hands of the gods themselves, the flickering candlelight highlighting the depth of his considerable pectoral muscles and the swirls of dark hair that ran along them and down his chest. You couldn't help but follow the little trail from where it was thickest across his sternum down to where it thinned out slightly over his abdominal muscles and then grew denser where his trousers rested. The thought of what lies beneath them made your core clench around nothing, your need to pleasure him growing with each passing minute.
You watched the rise and fall of his chest quicken as you laid your hands on his stomach gently, moving them up slowly toward his pectorals in exploration as you lowered your head to burrow into his neck. His hands took hold of your torso to bring it flush against his as you alternated between placing delicate kisses on his neck and gently nipping at it, moving into that spot just below his right ear you knew made him particularly responsive. Sure enough, a low groan escaped him as your lips met his skin there, his hands tightening their grip on you. You smiled before jutting your tongue out to press it against his warm neck and then sealing it by pressing a kiss over it once more. 
This seemed to stir something entirely new and hungry in him, his hands now desperately seeking purchase on the sides of your head and bringing your lips up to meet his once again. He let out another groan as he devoured you, your mouths moving in a frantic tandem against each other in an intense dance of tongues and lips. You wanted it to last forever.
Pulling away slightly for air, you watched as a small string of saliva connected your bottom lips. The sight of it made you feel weak with desire, suddenly picturing what that same string of spittle might look on other certain parts of him. From the way he was eyeing your lip in return, you guessed the sight ignited something similar in him.
"You torture me, wicked girl" he rasped.
"Oh, sweet thing," you smiled innocently, "we're only getting started."
You saw his eyes widen ever so slightly at your insinuation and you felt a sense of pride in your choice of words. It wasn't easy to leave Gale Dekarios speechless, though you'd just done it singlehandedly.
Lowering your lips back to down to meet his chest, you heard him sharply inhale above you as you placed gentle kisses down his sternum and through the trail of hair that grew there. His scent filled your nostrils: a mix of the sweet-smelling body wash he used, the musk that rubbed off the ancient leather-bound books he always had his nose stuck in, and a tinge of sweat that had accumulated over the course of the day. It had to be one of your favourite scents, so familiar to you by now that it had, at some point, started to smell like home to you. You relaxed at the thought, any lingering anxiety you harbored and carried with you up until that point melting away into nothingness.
Your kisses trailed lower down his stomach as you dragged your fingernails lightly along his chest as you went, his breaths increasing a little more the closer you got to the waistband of his loose-fitting trousers. When you could travel down no farther, you moved your hands to rest on top of his hips, gently massaging the muscles underneath and looking back up to meet his eyes once again.
You knew this type of intercourse - one where he was the one on the receiving end, rather than the other way around - was a sensitive area for him. For years, he'd become accustomed to sexual experiences that only served to satisfy the other party: his goddess. Gale was nothing if not a generous lover and as much as you believed him when he told how arousing he found going down on you, the thought of him not receiving the same amount of care and devotion he gave to his goddess - to you - simply didn't sit right with you.
Mystra had him smitten from a young age, using her celestial power to always extract exactly what she wanted from him. The thought made you sick on the best of days, and what was even worse was how Gale had stood completely oblivious to her toxic manipulation of him until you entered his life not even a year ago. To heal from the damage that she'd inflicted over such a considerably long time was no small feat for him, though it was a battle you refused to let him fight alone in. You were in it together, no matter how rough the road ahead got at times. And oh, could it get rough. 
You recalled one of the nights you'd spent together early on in your relationship when you'd begun to explore each other's bodies more freely. What started as an innocent make out session in his tent quickly turned heated and desperate, the thrill of the newfound lust sizzling between the two of you giving you the confidence to attempt to try something new. You'd accumulated a certain amount of guilt over the previous few nights from how he would spend literal hours pleasuring you in ways you hadn't dreamed possible up until that point and then proceed to tuck both of you into bed when he sensed you were well and truly spent for the time being, not giving you the chance to even attempt to return the favor.
On this particular night, however, you'd managed to beat him to the chase. All was well until you'd shimmied his night pants down his legs and took hold of his cock, stroking it in a way you hoped felt at least alright to him. His muscles tensed at your touch and his face contorted slightly, raising himself up suddenly on his elbows in alarm. 
"W-What are you doing, love? I thought..." he asked, his sudden concerning behavior instantly causing you to believe you'd done something wrong. It was your first time having done such things to a man before, and the confidence you felt in your abilities was already scarce and dwindling to start off with.
You instantly pulled back, taking your hands off his body and shoving them under your arms as if you'd been burned as your heart began to hammer in your chest. "Oh gods, I'm sorry, Gale. I- I can't believe I... I’m really sorry, I've never done this before and I was... just... just trying to make you feel good too, as you've done for me all these nights. It just seemed... fair to me." You rambled as your voice began to quiver, desperately fighting back the sudden onslaught of tears that threatened to prickle through and overflow so easily. The last thing you wanted to do was upset him and ruin this beautiful thing you'd built together.
The look on his face at your confession was equal parts remorseful and understanding. "Oh love, no. You are doing wonderfully. I'm the one at fault here and I apologize, I regret not wording that question better. I just... well, these are new sensations to me, you see. I am uh... somewhat unexperienced in this area as well." He scratched the back of his head, his cheeks reddening slightly from what you assumed was both his own confession and how his body was currently fully exposed. You reached over to retrieve one of his blankets and drape it over him gently, hoping it would help him to feel less self conscious. 
Realization hit you like an early morning light as you smoothed the blanket down. "Have you ever had...?" You asked quietly. To think Gale - your sweet, precious Gale who could give head intense enough to cause you to nearly leave your body all together and was by far the most doting lover you'd ever known - had yet to experience a basic level of reciprocity from a lover at this point in his life was something you had a hard time wrapping your head around. If that was simply something thing he wasn't into, then that was completely understandable in and of itself. But to never have had that offer given to him in the first place? What kind of relationship had he had with this goddess of his?
"Would you laugh if I said I hadn't?" He answered, his voice dropping down to the same octave as yours.
"Are you kidding? Of course not!" You reassured him, taking one of his hands to give it a firm squeeze of solidarity. "Though the question is... is this something you want? I would really love to give this to you, but only if you're comfortable with it."
His hand gave yours a squeeze back almost instantaneously, maneuvering the placement of his to thread his fingers in between yours. "I would love nothing more. Though I will warn you, the experience might not... last very long. Considering..." He said sheepishly, giving you a half smile and motioning to the tent that had been created between his legs when you placed the blanket over him.
"Gale Dekarios, you are an utter fool if you think I care even for a second about such things." You leaned over to kiss him once before returning to your original position between his legs, taking the blanket on his lap with you. 
Gale had been truthful in his confession, as always. He had come undone for you with little more than a bit of light teasing and a few strokes to his cock, your warm mouth wrapping around the tip to catch his spend in an attempt to please him further. It definitely seemed to work, the intensity of the orgasm that ripped through him bringing him to literal tears. The reaction flattered you more than anything, though you were a little concerned about the true meaning of the tears that erupted from him so suddenly.
After gently redressing his lower half, putting out the lanterns in his tent, and pulling a blanket over the both of you, you settled beside him in bed for the night. He'd nuzzled his head into your shoulder and wrapped his arms around you, bringing your body as close to his as possible.
And then he'd gently wept into your shoulder for the better part of an hour.
It was the most vulnerability he'd shown you until that point, and your heart broke to know he'd been carrying around that hurt within him for heaven knows how long. Despite it all, you felt a certain energy change in the tent that night, as if years worth of trauma had begun to lift itself off his shoulders. You'd be lying if you said you hadn't cried along with him when he started whispering how sorry he was; sorry that he was so weak and naive in the face of Mystra, sorry that he loved you so much and smothered you with his emotions like this, sorry that he was the one you decided to love. 
How he could ever believe such things to be true felt like someone driving a stake right through your heart and twisting the handle maliciously. Since the moment you made the decision to pull him out of that mysterious rune after you'd crashed on the Nautiloid, you'd felt nothing but pure, blossoming adoration for the man. With his flowery language and bad jokes, he emerged as a small but bright and persistent beacon of light in your otherwise bleak life and for that you were forever grateful. When he told you the story behind his need for magical artifacts and of what Mystra had done to him - how she'd used him for so many years and then simply tossed him aside at the drop of a hat - you'd struggled to fight back tears the entire time he talked, his face alarmingly calm and passive as he spoke of his mistreatment. His words replayed themselves in your mind as you tried to fall asleep each night from then on, utterly and thoroughly disgusted with the woman this sweet wizard worshipped and even more furious at the fact that she'd done such a good job of pulling the wool over his eyes for so long. And then came the night when dear old Elminster barged his way into your camp to deliver Gale his death sentence, handed down by none other than the conniving goddess herself. His emotions had been intense that night, though you could hardly call your moment in the meadow together "smothering". You loved him, even with all his strings attached. You loved him, and nothing could ever change that, not even death.
And so, this was exactly what you told him, your voice unwavering as you professed your conviction into the top of his head. His tears began to slow as he whispered over and over how much he loved you and how glad he was to have found you between jagged inhales. You echoed his sentiments and placed soft kisses to sporadic spots on his head, wishing there was a way to kiss all the hurt off of him. While massaging small circles into his bare back with your fingertips, you felt his breathing begin to slow and after a few minutes you knew he had fallen asleep in your arms.
Something between you had shifted that night, as if both of you had finally realized how much you needed each other. The rest was history from there.
How far you'd come in those few months to end up where you were now, lounging and making love to each other on his couch in Waterdeep. You could recall when the very idea of relaxing a random Sunday away on a couch seemed like a luxury, never mind being able to spend that day alongside the love of your life. There was a time when certain death loomed over your head so heavily it might as well have been set in stone, making the idea of dreaming up a future beyond a few weeks in advance feel laughable. Hells, Gale had even been given orders to sacrifice himself by his ex-goddess, hadn't he? Yet here you both were, against all odds. 
As you looked into his eyes from your position between his legs - a position so similar to the one you'd been in that night - you briefly entertained the idea of his mind drifting back to that very same memory you shared with him. You wondered if he too contemplated the unexpected turn your lives had taken you in and the mystery behind the lucky hand both of you had ultimately been dealt. Either way, you were contented to know that everything had turned out for the better.
"Tell me, baby," you whispered, your tone equal parts seductive and playful. "Is this what you want?" You slipped your index finger just under the waistband of his trousers and dragged it along his skin lightly, watching his reaction carefully. 
He sucked in a breath, his eyes growing dark once again. "Yes. Oh gods, yes." When you simply raised an eyebrow, he added a pained, "Please."
Satisfied, you undid the fastenings on his trousers and pulled them down his legs, throwing them in the general direction he'd thrown your underwear earlier. His cock sprang free from it's confines immediately, painfully erect from where it stood in front of your face. You looked back up at him once more, waiting for just one more sign of approval.
His hand squeezed the one that rested again on his hip in return, his other hand reaching down to cup your cheek gently. His fingers brushed against your jawline briefly before threading themselves through your hair and gathering it up and away from your face. You smiled at the endearing gesture (even if it was only to give him a better view of what you were doing) and placed your hand around the base of his cock, marveling at its size. Gale truly was a work of art, inside and out. 
Slowly, you brought your hand up his shaft and rested your thumb on his swollen tip, relaxing your hand to mold to his girth as you went. You saw him tilt his head up to the ceiling in your periphery, his other hand detaching itself from yours to tangle his fingers in your hair on the other side of your head. Any loose strands that had potential for getting in the way went with it, clearing the way for you to work your own kind of magic on him.
After stroking his length a few times, you lowered your lips to gently kiss the tip of his cock. His fingers in your hair tightened in response and you couldn't help but smile; how fast this man could fold from simple foreplay never failed to amaze you. Lifting slightly to lick your lips, you lowered back down onto his cock, this time slowly taking him into your mouth. Breathing through your nose, you took as much of him as you could before hollowing out your cheeks and sucking in that way you knew made him melt beneath you. 
"Oh - oh, fuck! Yes, just like that. Don't stop, please - don't..." he cried out above you, that usual eloquent vocabulary he was so predisposed to using now replaced by half-finished, non-sensical sentences.
You eagerly take his encouragement to continue and begin what starts as a slow bob along his length, your lips stretching around his girth as his cock stinks a little farther down your throat with each pass. Your pace gradually picks up, the little beads of saliva escaping your lips mixing with his milky precum, aiding your ability to glide along his length. As you do, you feel your tongue trace down one of his veins and his pulse began to hammer in your mouth. You'd never felt anything quite like it before, the sensation sending tangible pools of heat between your legs once again, your body and clit alike buzzing with arousal. 
Your hand drifts back to the base of his cock as you come up for air, his tip slipping from your mouth with a little pop that coaxed his eyes open again. He looked confused at the sudden loss of stimulation coming from your mouth and you tried telling yourself it was only to tease him along, not because your vision had become almost completely obscured by your watering eyes and you were in desperate need of a minute to catch your breath. Well, you thought, maybe it was a bit of both.
"Is it oh-" he started, interrupted by a clever flick of your wrist around his shaft. "Is it your intent t- to break me into a thousand pieces with your sweet torment?" His voice shook a great deal more than you presumed he intended for it to with each syllable that passed through his lips. "Because if it is... you've shattered me."
Smiling, you continued to pump his length torturously, moving to settle back down to where his balls lay to pepper wet kisses over the surface of them. "Perhaps..." you teased as he moaned again loudly, your explorative ministration clearly affecting him in the best of ways. "Besides ... your mind is my treasure, and if it were broken, it would be my treasure still." 
Your quote's origin was lost on him, though the meaning of your words definitely was not. You looked forward to the day when the two of you would come across that very same line in the book you were reading, however long that might take you. 
"Waxing poetic as we're making love, are you now? If I didn't know any better, I might think my habits are starting to rub off on you."
You shot him a wicked smile before trailing your tongue up his length, already dripping with your combined fluids. When you reach the top, you take one last inhale through your nose before taking him in your mouth again, doing your best to concentrate on relaxing your throat as you take him in as far as you can manage. You feel the little patch of curls at his root brush against the tip of your nose as you hold yourself there, the fingers he had threaded in your hair pulling at your scalp painfully.
Although you sensed his release was fast approaching, he pulled your head off his cock forcefully with little warning. His sudden change in behavior confused you, though you knew from the wild look in his eye when he brought your head up to be in line with his that you had done nothing to upset him, but rather the opposite.
"Did you really think you'd get away with that, little minx?" He taunted, propping himself up on the hand that didn't have your hair in a death grip, leaning in to give you a sloppy, breathless kiss. When you gave no immediate answer, he yanked your hair back a little, causing you to gasp. "Hmm? What was that?"
The sudden dark edge he had taken on shifted something within you, the increasing amount of adrenaline now running through your body igniting you need for him in ways you didn't know were possible. You knew this game he aimed to play; he told you he once read how a little bit of danger - of fear - could heighten other senses simultaneously as a way of flirting before your relationship had taken flight. Of course, you had given it right back to him, much to his incredulity, though he had yet to demonstrate his knowledge of the subject with you up until that point. 
You shook your head weakly in response to his demanding question. When he merely raised an eyebrow, you managed to squeak out a pathetic, "No."
"No? 'No' what?" He asked again, shifting his bodyweight to sit up fully on his knees, his hand drifting to lazily stroke his cock beneath you. When he purposely dragged the tip along your stomach, you attempted to advert your eyes from his to look down. He was, unfortunately for you, already one step ahead of you and pulled your head back a little harder this time to force you to look at him over your nose. "Not yet, little mouse."
The new pet name had you feeling like you were practically coming apart at the seams and you barely managed a shaky inhale through your nose, all other senses completely and utterly overwhelmed. 
"No, I didn't think that," You panted, voice barely above a whisper. The pieces finally clicked into place in your head and you added, in the most innocent way possible, what he really wanted: a squeaky little, “Sir." 
If getting him to absolutely ravage you meant you were to be a helpless little mouse in his eyes, then you swore to fuck you were about to be the squeakiest little rodent in all of Faerûn.
"Turn around." Came his curt reply, letting go of your hair abruptly to allow you to move freely. You had no objection to his order, spinning around to sit obediently on your knees with your back to him. With hurried desperation, he helped you shrug the shirt you hadn't fully taken off before down your shoulders and onto the floor, wiggling back into him until his knees brushed the backside of yours, your shins abducted to rest along his outer thighs.
He wasted no time in rising on his knees, snaking his left arm around your hip to laying his hand flush against your lower abdomen while his right curled its way around your throat, tilting your head back slightly so you could glance over your shoulder at him. He had made sure to press his body as closely as he could against your backside in the process, his hardness pressed into the curve of your ass in a way that would've had you squirming if not for his firm grip on you. 
"Look at you, needy little thing. What do you say we try another form of stimulation, hmm? Perhaps one that involves me bending you over and fucking you completely senseless until your mind is shattered into a thousand little pieces, just as you had intended for me?" His left hand trails lower to the apex of your thighs as he speaks, the pad of his middle finger rubbing your clit menacingly. The sensation has you whimpering in frustration, tears beginning to prick at the corners of your eyes from all his tortuous teasing. 
"Yes, please, yes," you beg, desperately grinding back into him with a force that had him panting in your ear along with you. 
Much to your dismay, he abruptly removed his adept finger from where it swirled idly around your clit, your body aching at the loss of such sweet stimulation. Before you could think much of it, however, his hand began manipulating his member, sliding it along your slick entrance and through your clenched thighs. It wasn't long before he was pressing the thick head of his cock into you, your back arching in response.
With what remained of his self-control, he gradually pushed into you, allowing you a few extra moments to adjust around his girth. Both of you let out a low groan of relief when he was finally fully seated inside you, his cock buried to the hilt. The feeling was nothing short of exquisite and you could feel your body already thrumming with pleasure.
Slowly, he started to thrust his hips up into yours, his warm sex burying deep within of you as his hand moved to grip your hip hard enough to leave bruises. The snap of hips gradually turned more forceful, and you could feel where the tip of him gently nudged at your cervix with each thrust. The sensation had you crying out, his loose grip on your throat suddenly growing firm. 
"You feel so good, you know that?" He praised in your ear, your hair falling in your face from the force he was pounding into you with. His statement was punctuated with a low moan that just about made you lose your mind, the sound of his skin slapping against yours only adding to the effect. You felt like a ragdoll in his grip, your legs now completely useless and the rest of your body not far off from being delightfully limp. 
As if sensing this weakness in you, he moved to gently hinge you forward so you could rest on your forearms, thoughtfully placing one of the thicker pillows under your stomach for support. You were instantly thankful for the short reprieve, especially when he lowered down to press his stomach into your back, his thrusts growing in intensity and desperation. Almost every part of his body was flush against yours as he fucked into you with abandon and you almost screamed aloud when his hand came to rest on your clit once more, massaging it in a way that nearly had your vision going black. It was no surprise to find your orgasm rapidly cresting once more, the buildup to it releasing frustrated tears from your eyes.
"That's it, my love, keep going. You're being such a good girl." He praised in your ear, using the hand he kept at your throat to turn your head to the side. Between his words and the speed at which he was suddenly strumming your clit at, you felt about ready to explode from the intensity of your pleasure. "I want you to come for me. Don't you dare hold back, I want to hear everything. I want to feel you."
It was the million sensations you felt crashing down on you all at once that finally tipped you over the edge, writhing beneath him helplessly as wave of earth-shattering euphoria washed over you. A synchronized moan released from both of you as you clenched around him, coaxing Gale to his own end. Driving into you one final time, you felt him spill himself as far inside you as he could manage, slumping against your back as you both fought to catch your breath. 
"That was... wow," you breathed after a moment of silence. "Who taught you how to fuck like that?" As soon as the words left your mouth, you instantly regretted them. "Actually, never mind. I don't need to know that."
He laughed, kissing your cheek as you felt him twitch inside you for a final time. The feeling caused instant butterflies to take flight behind your navel, a contented little sigh leaving your chest. Despite both of you being truly and utterly spent for the rest of the night, his cock remained buried deep inside you, neither of you possessing the strength to peel apart from each other quite yet.
"Funny enough, a good portion of that came from that novel on your beside table you seem to like so much. The rest... well, I'm afraid that was all improvisation on my part, darling."
Your eyes widened at his words, instantly chiding yourself for leaving that book out in the open where his curious eyes would no doubt take a peek into it.
"You're kidding! Oh, please say you're messing with me!" You pleaded, somewhat horrified. You supposed you couldn't be too angry with him, though. The circumstances had turned out to be highly in your favor, after all. 
"Unfortunately, I'm not. Though I already presumed you to have an excellent taste in fiction, the scene where he makes love to her on the kitchen table was truly riveting, if I do say so myself." He teased, idly drawing squiggly little lines up your spine.
"I'm never living this one down, am I?" You asked with your face buried in palms, though you already suspected what the answer would be.
"Not as long as I'm around, sweetheart." He confirmed placing a firm kiss to the bony prominence in the back of your neck. "I love you, so, so very much." He confessed into your shoulder, the sincerity in his voice stealing the air from your lungs once again. 
Just as you were about to echo the endearment, you eye caught on a colourful flash of something in your shared room across the hall. Raising your head up to squint in the mysterious object's direction, you quickly realized it was the dress you'd pulled out to wear tonight. To Morena's birthday dinner. With Gale. Tonight. 
You whipped your head around to look at the clock on the wall, panic quickly setting in. 
5:47. 
Oh, this was about to be disastrous. 
"Gale! Your mother!" You exclaimed, pulling away from him abruptly. You felt his spend leak from you slightly as his now flaccid cock exited your pussy, eliciting a pained groan from him. 
"What does my mother have to do with this?" He gestured vaguely to your ravaged features, leaking sex and all.
"It's her birthday and she invited us over for supper, remember? We're about to be late!" You picked up the previously discarded blanket on the floor to wrap it around your naked body and scurried into the bedroom, your legs still a little weak and wobbly. 
"Surely she won't mind if we're a little tardy, dear." He protested from the couch, lying back into the cushions. 
It took you giving him a stern look and trotting back to physically drag him off the couch to get him to acquiesce to your warning. Just as you were about to turn back to getting yourself ready, you remembered how your previous conversation had been cut short.
Taking his hand in yours and looking up to meet his gaze, you said, "And you must know I love you, too. Beyond what words could ever describe."
A shy smile spread across his face, his eyes shimmering in the flickering candlelight. Bringing your hand up to his lips, he placed a the softest of kisses to the back of it, his eyes never breaking contact with yours. You clutched the two ends of the blanket wrapped around you together desperately, as if it was your last piece of sanity rather than the only thing keeping you - against your better judgement - from climbing him like a tree right then and there.
"Of course I do, my love. But I enjoy hearing you tell me all the same." Time seemed to slow as you stood there together, the sight of his naked body before you making it difficult to think straight.
"C'mon, you tease. We've got..." You glanced at the clock again, your tone taking on a more playful edge, "...under 10 minutes to get out the door and you don't even have any clothes on."
"Maybe I would," he countered with a laugh, "if you hadn't stripped them off of me so eagerly."
"Don't act like you didn't do it to me first!" You laughed back, swatting at his chest and heading to the bathroom this time, waiting until the physical distance between you forced you to let go of his hand.
"I'm going for a shower," You announced as you walked away, looking over your shoulder at him when he remained suspiciously quiet. Sure enough, a smug grin had taken form on his face, and you knew what was going on in that pretty head of his almost immediately. "That wasn't an invitation, wizard!
Under the guise that you were too short on time, he had decided to treat your declaration as an invitation anyway, despite your initial protests. It was certainly a struggle cleaning the smell of sex off you in a few short minutes whilst also trying to keep his ever-wandering hands off you, but you'd managed just fine in the end.
The next few minutes passed in a flurry of frenzied last-minute preparations. Gale used a spell to instantly dry your hair to perfection, casting the same one on himself shortly after. You quickly rolled a pair of pantyhose up your legs before shimming into your new dress as he slotted a belt through the loopholes in his pants, his hair adorably ruffled.
To commemorate Morena's 65th birthday, you'd decided (with some reluctance) to splurge on a new dress for the occasion. It wasn't until you went dress shopping one afternoon a few weeks prior, however, that you realized how difficult it was to find a nice one that didn't cost you a whole month's wage. After an entire day of scouring what seemed like every store in Waterdeep to no avail, you'd nearly given up all hope of finding one.
That was, until you bumped into a familiar looking pale elf on the street after dusk.
He had greeted you with his signature, "Darling!" immediately after recognizing you, pulling you in for a friendly hug.
"What are you doing, roaming the streets at such an hour? That foolish wizard of yours hasn't lost his touch already, has he?" He asked, ever the gossip as he linked your arms together and near dragged you up the road with him with his ridiculous amount of enthusiasm. 
"It's nice to see you too, Astarion," you laughed, jogging a little to keep up with him. "I was out looking for a dress. Gale's mother's birthday is in a few weeks' time, and I have absolutely nothing to wear." 
"Oh dear. That is quite the problem indeed." He replied, a grave look on his face. "Though, one I might be obliged to help you with, if you so wish."
You surveyed his face for any signs of mockery but quickly came up short. "In exchange for..." 
He placed a hand to his chest, a gasping dramatically in mock offense. "I am hurt that you think so lowly of me, darling. What do you take me as? Some deceitful, thieving rogue?"
You laughed again, glad to be reunited with the deceitful, thieving rogue once more. "I am not letting you suck on my neck in exchange for making me a dress, Asty. Those days are long since over." 
He stuck out his bottom lip at you, pouting. "Not even a nibble? I can suck on your wrist instead, if that's the problem." He asked innocently and you had to swat him away playfully when he tried to take hold of your wrist. 
"I will pay you in gold, just as in any other regular trade agreement. Do we have a deal?" You stopped to look at him straight on, letting him know you were serious about this. 
He pretended to ponder your offer for a moment before coming to a conclusion. "100 gold, you keep me company for an afternoon back in Baldur's Gate and the most magnificent dress you have ever laid your pretty eyes upon will be delivered to you in no more than 10 days time." He reasoned with an air of finality. When you raised your eyebrows at him expectantly, he added, "And the wizard can come, too, I suppose. I quite miss his terrible jokes, if I'm being honest." He reached his hand out for you to shake. "Deal?"
Smiling, you gave his hand a firm shake. "Deal." You had been meaning to visit him more often anyway, so you were quite satisfied with his added condition to the deal.
He smiled back at you, pleased. "Wonderful. Let's get you measured up." 
After a good hour of wrapping a measuring tape around you in about a hundred different angles and coming up with a general design, you'd invited him to spend the night with you and Gale rather than pay for a room at the inn, an offer he agreed to readily. The two of you scurried arm in arm toward yours and Gale's abode, giggling your way through the now dark and winding streets, excited to see your what your lover's reaction might be when you walked through the door with a dear friend to both of you.
Apparently, Astarion had been in Waterdeep at the time to sort out some kind of business deal he had made with a local bard who hadn't kept up his end of the bargain. He only flashed you both a wicked grin when Gale had asked how he intended to handle the dispute before quickly changing the subject, causing you to chuckle softly into your glass of wine. That poor bard, you thought, though you supposed he had it coming if he was so dense as to cheat Astarion of all people over.
He was gone before either of you awoke the next morning, a note with the address to his place in Baldur's Gate scrawled on it in neat cursive and placed inside a beautiful vase of wildflowers on your kitchen table. Within the following week, a skillfully decorated box was delivered to your door from Baldur's Gate, a beautiful dress made just for you tucked inside.
The colour of it was a dark enough purple to almost be considered black, sleek and formed to hug your every curve perfectly. The length of it trailed down to brush no lower than your ankles, the material fanning out past your knees in a little skirt that allowed you to move your legs easier in it. He had added two-tiered layers of frilly hemming around the bottom of the skirt, the material a pearly, ivory white that shimmered ever so slightly in the light. He'd chosen simple heart-shaped neckline for the dress, using that same pearly material to create thin straps on either side for support, little white bows tied to where they met with the dress on either side. As you observed the way you looked with it on in the mirror, you were certain you wouldn't find a more perfect dress in all of the Sword Coast. 
Gale came over to you just as you were putting in your finest pair of heart-shaped silver earrings, your dress still unzipped in the back due to the impossible range of motion you'd have to possess to do it up yourself. He was already dressed up in a sharp looking suit you'd picked out with him a while back in Baldur's Gate, the purple of his suit jacket a similar shade of purple to your dress. Delicate-looking flowers embroidered in silver crawled up artfully alongside the silver clasps holding the jacket closed on each side, the pattern stopping at his shoulders where a sweeping cape was clasped into place. His pants were made of a smug-fitting, leathery material to match his high-collared undershirt, the few silver rings he adorned on each hand glinting slightly in the firelight. What you loved most of all about his outfit, however, was the charm that hung from his right ear: a simple sliver sword pointed downward with a heart driven through it. You'd gotten it for him a few weeks after you'd come home from your adventure, the earing he wore in honour of Mystra long since been discarded along the road to Baldur's Gate and immediately swapped for the new one. 
His hair seemed to be the only thing he had left to get ready, and you chuckled when he approached you with this comb and a hair tie. You both knew he was perfectly capable of doing it on his own, though he was thoroughly convinced it always looked better when you did it. Turning around and crouching down a little for you, you swept the top portion of his smooth hair up and back toward the back of his head, the strands of gray usually well-hidden by its rich brown colour now well apparent to you in the firelight. The sight of them only made you love him that much more, a gentle reminder of how very human he was. 
Tying off the loose bun, you fixed any fly-aways and adjusted its position to perfection, proud of your quick handiwork. 
"Zip me?" You asked him, turning around yourself as he turned back to face you.
He was more than happy to oblige, his finger gliding the zipper up your back at a much slower speed than necessary. When he reached the top, he leaned down to give your bare shoulder a quick kiss before whispering in your ear.
"Wait here." Was all he said to you before walking over to his bedside table and pulling a small box out of the drawer. As confused as you were in that moment, you obeyed his gentle order, only stealing a quick peek over your shoulder to satiate your curiosity. 
All you heard was the soft sound of him removing the box lid before his hands came around your head to drape something around your neck and close the clasp at the back with a barely perceptible clink, the little cold piece of metal resting an inch or so below the jugular notch between your clavicles. You held it between your fingers and looked down to find a singular sliver charm identical to the one hanging from his ear threaded through a delicate silver chain. The gesture made you start to tear up, turning back around to face him. 
"I wanted to wait to give it to you until your birthday, but you look so beautiful in that dress that I-" You cut off any remaining words in that sentence with a passionate kiss landing directly onto his unsuspecting lips, standing up on your toes and cradling both side of his face with your hands. He quickly deepened the kiss, his hands gripping your waist and gently pulling you into him. 
"Do you like it?" He asked when you both came up for air, his magnificent brown eyes searching yours for anything that might answer his question. You thought it was probably the stupidest question that you had ever heard come out of his mouth. You were still too tearful to tease him about it, so instead you indulged him.
"I love it, Gale. Just as I love you." You punctuated your sentiments with another soft, languid kiss to his lips. Pulling back after a few moments, you were reminded of a line you particularly adored from the novel you were reading together earlier. "All my heart is yours, sir: it belongs to you; and with you it would remain, were fate to exile the rest of me from your presence forever.” You quoted to him, each word flowing from your lips with unwavering confidence.
He leaned forward to rest his forehead against yours, his eyes glassy and brimming with tears. "And every piece of my heart is yours, along with my soul, my body, and whatever else you'll have of me. It's yours, and it was always going to be yours, in the end."
You brushed a lock of hair from his eyes and took one of his hands in your other, stroking the back of it with your thumb reassuringly. "I think it's time to go, love." You reminded him gently.
He nodded, picking up the gift basket you'd made together for his mother. He looked to you again, his gaze soft.
"Ready?" He asked.
"Always," you answered, giving his hand a little squeeze. Your gaze remained unwaveringly focused on him, wanting to absorb this wholesome moment you'd shared as best as you possibly could, locking it away in your mind for safe keeping. 
If fate had been so generous to grant you this soft epilogue, then by the gods you were going to make sure every minute that brought you closer to the end was spent to its fullest, your lover's hand in yours.
~★~
Thank you for reading!
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withoutyouimsaskia · 6 months
Text
Sometimes It's Fated (Sandman Short Story Part 4)
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7
Tumblr media
GIF: Originally posted by @teenwolf-theoriginals
Pairing: Morpheus/Dream of the Endless x AFAB reader
Summary: Reader Self-Insert. After restoring the Dreaming and locating the missing dreams and nightmares, Morpheus turns his attention to finding you, the human he believes fate has chosen for him. (Title inspired by Placebo's "This Picture".)
Warnings: Minors DNI. Dark!Morpheus. Soulmates. Angst. Obsessive and possessive behaviour. Tension. Threat. Dubious/non consent. Groping. Language. Kissing. Nudity. First time. AFAB receiving oral/manual sex. Fingering. Mentions of overstimulation.
Word Count: 3.3k
A/N: Hello there my lovelies! I come bearing a new chapter and this time it is pure smut. It's probably the darkest, filthiest thing I have ever written so brace yourselves. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. In other news, I watched All of Us Strangers on Friday and it broke me in half. Hope you are all doing well. All my love, Saskia xx
Sandman Masterlist
---------------------------------------------
The first thing that registers upon returning to your physical body is the touch of Morpheus' hands and mouth.
Warmth blooms at every point of contact and counteracts the biting winter weather.
Both hands have gone under the hem of your shirt to explore the skin of your back. The top three buttons have been undone to give access to your throat. Morpheus nuzzles there, pressing possessive kisses to the sensitive skin.
Navigating through the lingering brain fog, you realise that this was the source of the ghostly grazes you had felt during your meeting with the Fates.
Even when your mind was disembodied from your physical form, he was still able to affect you.
The connection between your souls is strong.
His sense of curiosity is strong too as he creeps a hand round and upwards to cup the flesh of your left breast. Your mind fully snaps back into your body and you make a squeaking noise, overcome with the intimacy.
He removes the exploring hand and pulls back from the crook of your neck, speaking your name eagerly.
Gentle fingertips stroke from your temple to your jaw bone. The world undulates when you try to open your eyes, and you sway on the spot.
He takes the weight of your body until your strength returns. Your eyelids flutter as you try to blink away the excess moisture that has accumulated there.
"That's it, come back to me," he murmurs.
You see the ocean blue of his eyes first, and then pan out to take in his whole face. Once again, you are wonderstruck by his exquisite beauty. Have you ever seen a bone structure combination as exemplary? No. Absolutely not. No one ever has.
The angles are balanced perfectly with his pouty lips, all pink and swollen from use; the sight of them urge you to replicate the same activity with each passing second.
There is no chance allowed for Morpheus disrupts your objectification. "Did you gain some clarity on the situation?"
You pull your coat closer to protect your décolleté from the weather, and take time to thoroughly contemplate his inquiry. There was much to unpack and while you had no inclination to do so standing out in the winter-washed street, you believe that for now Morpheus at least deserves an abridged version.
"Yes. And no. I may have more questions than before I spoke to them..."
"I see." He swallows visibly, hinting at trepidation. "You need not tell me of the specifics of which you conversed. All I need to know is that they have not changed their minds. That you are still mine."
You are smiling reassuringly before he has even finished the sentence. Your intuition tells you it was agony for him the entire time you were gone and you cannot leave him lingering in that state any longer.
"I am yours," you say ardently as a blissful, expanding feeling blossoms in your chest. "My soulmate."
You brush your knuckles over his cheekbone and cup his face with the gentlest of touches. "My Morpheus."
Saying his name in front of him for the first time has a considerable effect on him. His pupils dilate, lending him a feline air and he groans lowly and quietly in the back of his throat. Hips then roll forwards to give further evidence to his arousal.
You reflect this lustfulness by putting both hands on the back of his neck to pull his face down to yours. He goes willingly, of course, laying claim to your lips like he is an addict and you his vice.
The previous kisses you had shared had been led by Morpheus. You had participated with enthusiasm but he was clearly the one conducting the order of events. Now it was a duet.
Your confidence is shown in your touches. The placement of your hands on his nape and the small of his back, gripping tightly to maintain his closeness. Peppering in open-mouthed kisses in an attempt to get him to open his mouth in return. You want to taste inside him with your own tongue.
He lets you.
You both moan as you trace the inside of his upper lip with your tongue. The taste is just like before; a heady and delicious mixture that blinkers and exposes you in equal parts. You open your mouth further, intending to go deeper when he suddenly delves into your mouth too.
You kiss and kiss and kiss, all the while becoming aware of a trembling heat just above your sternum that carves a path straight and true down to your core.
The hands that were at your sides disappear and the wind begins to pick up. There are gritty specks hitting your bare skin, but you are too overcome with pleasure to wonder why. Morpheus takes hold of your hands and squeezes tightly.
Your head begins to swirl. Is it due to a lack of oxygen? You breathe in through your nose. The adrift feeling persists. The grip Morpheus has on your hands is causing them to go numb.
There's a pressure in your ears similar to that created by the ascent of an aircraft. You feel it straining against your eardrums and spreading across your sinuses. All sound then disappears, as does the floor beneath your feet. Your heartbeat thuds frantically in the back of your throat, pulsating with red flashes behind your closed eyelids. You don't stop kissing him though. He is the only thing that has sense and stability in the disorientation.
The spinning ceases and the pressure fades as your feet find solid ground again. The chill factor has reduced to an ambient temperature. Morpheus extricates himself from your mouth slowly and unwillingly.
There's a sleepy dust-like substance in your eyelashes; you dislodge and wipe it away and open your eyes.
Your location has changed.
The puddle strewn pavements are now white marble. The stinging light emanating from the lamp post replaced by a peaceful mixture of moonlight and starlight through vast windows.
It is extremely familiar. You are trying to figure out why when your focus falls on the statues.
The niggling thought that you put on the back burner is suddenly set free from its cage.
The King of Dreams and Nightmares. That was what the Fates had called him.
You had visited this gallery as you slept and touched yourself in front of a ethereal man.
You vocalise the end of your train of thought as mortification clenches in your gut.
"You were in my dream last night."
"Yes." There's a tiny movement of his lips that suggests pride at your comprehension. "I've been in your dreams for many nights now."
"In the crowds, and that room?"
"Yes."
It all made sense now. It was him you had been waiting for in the blank room and after then, he was the one you had been able to feel watching you from afar. That was why he seemed so familiar. He'd been with you for weeks.
"I can't believe I did that in front of you."
The predatory gaze is back as he surveys your flustered form.
"Hmm," he purrs, "You were quite the spectacle."
"Did you make me do it?"
"I set up the parameters of the dream. Your actions within it were your own."
"I don't remember choosing," you comment in a small voice.
You feel his hands about your waist. "Perhaps you were guided by instinct, rather than conscious thought."
It sounds very plausible for instinct had undoubtedly been in the driver's seat since he touched you for the first time.
You decide to change the subject from your exhibitionism. "So this is your realm?"
"We are at the heart of it, within the palace. Few are able to come here when they sleep. Even fewer are permitted to see it with a cognisant mind."
You look down as a bashful blush stains your cheeks. It is truly moving that he let you into his inner most sanctum, even before he had divulged your connection.
A strong thumb and forefinger find purchase on your chin and tilt your head up so he can assess your countenance. "What are you thinking of?"
"I'm just... all of this. What's happened tonight, it's beyond anything I could -"
"Dream?" He offers with a quirked eyebrow.
You laugh. "I was going to say imagine, but dream works just as well."
He brings you in for another passionate kiss, one that goes from lips to earlobe to neck, designed to make your head loll back and knees go weak, and you do both with a sigh.
"I would like to take you to my chambers now," he whispers against your pulse point.
That delicious vibration in your sternum shifts up a gear and you let loose a faint groan in lieu of a reply.
He speaks your name.
The inflection of his voice as he says it is so beguiling that you would probably do anything he suggested.
You are nodding, hazily repeating the word yes a few times even though Morpheus hasn't technically asked you a question.
The pressure you felt before in your ears returns for the briefest of moments and in the time it takes for you to blink, your surroundings have changed once more.
The first thing you notice is the bed, the lone piece of furniture in the room. The frame is an ornately carved pale stone, it twists and turns with gorgeous fluidity. The silk sheets upon it are a stark contrast; black with an iridescent quality that looks like the wings of a corvid. Its presence carries a raft of expectations with it and sets forth a barrage of nervous energy. You ignore the bed for now and look to your soulmate who has moved a few steps away from you.
He looks correct here, you note with intrigue. It's not as if he was out of place outside the function hall, for he has a humanoid form, but the grandeur of this private place is casting him in a different light. Here, with the omniscient gaze, assured tilt of his chin, graceful poise; he looks like the King he is.
And through a funny quirk of fate, he is all yours.
Your chest begins to ache, you raise a hand to it and frown in confusion. It's like your soul is pining, calling out for help.
Morpheus is by your side in an instant.
"I need to touch your bare skin again."
You waste no time in permitting this, shrugging out of your coat and letting it fall onto the black marble floor. Next to be shed are your heeled boots and socks. The height difference between you is lengthened by a couple of inches as you relax the tendons in your feet. You're left in your underwear after you take off your button-up blouse and trousers.
Morpheus' lips part as he observes your body. His eyes dart up and down and you can see the hunger within the darkening irises. His long fingers skim liberally and indiscriminately across your skin, diligently taking away the pain and cataloguing the sensitivity of your body at the same time.
The fingers of his right hand then twitch and his all-black ensemble dissolves into nothing, leaving him completely naked.
Your flush must be fuchsia as you notice his size, and twitches that traverse the length. You look to your own pile of clothes that took you several minutes to remove, hoping that a change of focus will steady your stomach's ever burgeoning butterflies. "That was efficient."
"Once you are dressing in garments created in the Dreaming, I will be able to disrobe you just the same."
You're not entirely sure how you feel about that. It's risky yet also kind of sexy.
"As long as you don't ever do it in front of people by accident," you assert playfully.
"You need not worry, I would never do such a thing to taint your honour."
You nod and close the gap between you.
To say you are astounded by his nude form would be an understatement. Whispers of sinew cord through slender limbs and across his torso, and for each angular peak proffered by bone there is a counteracting swathe of soft, flawless skin that covers it.
You yearn to touch him.
Morpheus' stares are intense as you place your palm over his heart. He hums out a sound of pleasure at the warmth this new skin-on-skin contact has created.
He draws you closer and suddenly lifts you off the ground, knocking the breath out of your lungs. You feel safe in the strength he possesses yet you cling to him with all four limbs regardless, pressing against his bare chest. Having so much of his skin against yours is creating a heat that is close to burning in the most wonderful way.
He lays you onto the bed and watches you with unwavering focus.
"Are you going to perform for me again, or would you like me to take control?"
The notion of that kind of pleasure being administered by him causes your reply to be breathless, "Touch me again, please."
The mattress dips slowly as he gracefully joins you on the bed, straddling himself on top of you.
He starts with your face, caressing you with adoration. Next, pressing kisses to your neck and shoulders before reaching down your body. One hand fondles your breasts while the other cups between your legs. You sigh, relishing in the warmth and how slowly he is taking things.
Deft fingers then dip below the waistband of your underwear.
You jolt and moan, simultaneously thrilled and taken off guard.
"Good," he says with dark delight. "You respond well to me."
He teases at your entrance and you are all at once very overwhelmed.
"I look forward to seeing how you react when I push inside you."
It truly does sound like something you want him to do - you've longed for a physical relationship for years however there's a detail that you know your soulmate should be privy to before you try. How it will be received, you cannot begin to guess, but you need to be upfront.
"I've never been with anyone in that way," your words sounding even more vulnerable than you feel.
Morpheus stops his attentions immediately and for a handful of heartbeats, you are admonishing yourself for the bluntness of your admission.
He moves back up your body and his eyes find yours. His expression is gentle and devoid of judgement, the following sentence backing up what your optic nerves are perceiving.
"Then I will teach you."
He presses a single chaste kiss to your lips; an act that seals his promise. Your apprehension melts away. You run your hands through his hair as you bask in the sweetness of the moment. The Fates were right: Morpheus really is perfect for you.
"I am going to worship you now."
He's ridding you of your bra and underwear immediately after you consent. The second he sees you fully bared, his eyes turn black.
You wonder what you've just agreed to.
He kneels on the floor at the foot of the bed, grabs your ankles and pulls you towards him until your legs hang off the edge.
You've seen depictions of oral sex in media however you have always reasoned that they are likely to be unrealistic; fantasies created in controlled environments and you would be naïve to hope that it could be like that for you, when it happened. Until now. Morpheus is the expert in dreams after all. Maybe you are allowed to get your hopes up.
His lips tease your inner thighs as he settles himself closer and closer to your throbbing, wet core until you feel the tickling of his breath.
He observes you for a moment, parts your folds with a single finger, grasps your hips and then goes down on you like you are an enticing, delectable treat that must be devoured.
Your lips falls open as his own closes around your clit. The heat that is brought from this touch is an inferno. You moan, and look at him, at this otherworldly being smothering you so adeptly, and how his intense eyes dance with pleasure of their own. He is enjoying this. It makes you gush.
Morpheus, taking advantage of this, very quickly collects the slick on both his index fingers and reaches up to lubricate your hardened nipples with it.
You groan from this additional stimulation and throw your head back with abandon, getting a good view of the vaulted ceiling above you and the seemingly literal constellations that float glimmering and glowing in the rafters.
Soon you are writhing on the cool silk of the sheets and he is forced to resume holding your hips to keep you still.
He then switches to a two-fronted approach. Two fingers sink into your cunt, the thumb of the same hand curling up to press on your clit. It's quite the step - letting another person inside your most intimate place and his reverent groans at feeling your tightness envelop his digits shows that he acknowledges this too. All it takes is a few deep, well angled pumps and then you are granted a mind-shattering orgasm.
His hand presses into the softness of your lower abdomen and the ecstasy becomes ten fold. You repeatedly moan his name as vibrant colours explode behind your eyelids, like the green and purple phosphenes that form if you rub your eyes too hard.
"Was that to your satisfaction?" He asks once your body has gone limp.
You look at Morpheus through the pulsing haze of aftershocks; his cheek resting against your inner thigh as his skin gleams with the same divinely beautiful quality as the stars above you.
"It was more than that," you declare emotionally.
What he's just given you is beyond your highest hopes of what intimacy could be. You had let another person see you at your most vulnerable, and reaped the rewards of that trust. Now, you must show your devotion to him.
"Your turn."
He stands and shakes his head. "No."
You are crestfallen but catch on when he begins to spread pre-cum over the length of his erection.
"Oh, um, Morpheus, I'm sorry. I don't think I can take you right now."
The notion of any kind of touching so soon after climaxing would be the guarantor of pain.
He ignores you, his movements calculated as he adjusts your position; arranging you in the centre of the mattress and splaying your trembling legs.
"Morpheus. I appreciate that I'm inexperienced but I know my body. I can't -"
His tone is dangerous as he interrupts you, "You are my soulmate. You have been made for me and as such, you will be able to take me."
You sit up. "I want to do things for you too."
He climbs on top of you, takes your wrists in his long-fingered hands and leverages you back towards horizontal.
You still don't concede. "Morpheus, tell me what you want."
His voice rumbles with authority, "I want to fuck you without delay. Pour myself into you. Possess you. Merge with you and have us become one."
He ups the persuasive tactics, leaning in close so all you can see are dark eyelashes framing even darker eyes. The heat under your skin is stifling.
"This is the final stage in your awakening. Don't you want to know what will happen when it's done? Allow me to guide you there. Be your first and only, make you feel exquisite with my touch."
He places a palm onto your chest and smiles a twisted smile when a luscious shuddering in that spot above your sternum makes you whimper and squirm.
"Submit to fate," he whispers. "Let me tie our souls together."
He is so eloquent and compelling and he delivers the killer blow as he lines his thick, long cock up at your entrance.
"Will you surrender yourself to me, Y/N?"
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Tag list: @herfantasyworldd @kpopgirlbtssvt @littleblackcatinwonderland @1950schick @lollipopsandlandmines
"In the middle of the night in my dreams, you should see the things we do. In the middle of the night in my dreams, I know I'm going to be with you so I take my time. Are you ready for it?"
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batsvnte · 1 year
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How would it be if the Lovesick! Wally found out that the reader is immune to his disease? Bonus: what if the reader still spends more time with other friends of wally, like Howdy. Would that make Wally jealous? What would he do?
𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 • 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠
Pairing(s): Wally Darling
Warning(s): obsessive behavior, Wally 0.01% from actively loosing it (?), ooc maybe, spelling mistakes, not proofread
Notes: black gender-neural reader (they/them pronouns). Honestly Lovesick Wally has been stuck in my brain for the longest time and he is not leaving anytime soon. Thank you for requesting this might be short
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Lovesick!Wally wouldn’t mind that you are immune.. for the most part. It would make Home’s life possibly even easier since you’re one of the few who aren’t at risk of being infected by him. Even if the constant calls would remain constant through out the day and into the night.
Lovesick!Wally would try to coax you into coming over for a visit. Even if you were well aware of his disease, and not being one of risked. Even with those little debates in your head to go try to visit will always be shut down by another neighbor asking you to come hang out with them. Or on occasion, Home locking you out. For your own safety, of course.
Lovesick!Wally calls every single day of the hour once you were settled in your home. Asking about what you did, what time you did it, how you enjoyed you time either acting with Sally or playing a game with Julie. Always starts the convo and never the one to end it.
Lovesick!Wally somehow manages to keep an eye on you. His ‘loving’ gaze only fixated on you as you walk around the neighborhood with his friends. Accurately ‘guessing’ what hour of the morning you’ll be out of your house, and what time of the night you’ll be at home.
Lovesick!Wally would absolutely love to go out to spend time with you. Those calls that the two of you share (if you picked up the phone) would only feed into his love for you. The thought just to be with you, his dear neighbor!
Lovesick!Wally however would be livid if he were to see you with any other neighbor. No hate to Howdy, but Wally’s jealousy would honestly sky rocket. Why are you talking to Howdy instead of him? He deserved your attention, not him.
Lovesick!Wally’s patience only goes for so long. It would only grow if you end up spending more time with the others. He was almost desperate to hear you voice again, almost to where he nearly begged Home to let him out to go see you.
Even if you weren’t face to face with him, you could sense and practically imagine how infuriated Lovesick!Wally was when you picked up the phone. He tried his best not to show his jealousy, but there was little slip ups. Every now and then. Those calls going from the hour to hour would just be the entire day. Keeping you on the phone line so he can hear your voice for hours of the day and night.
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507 notes · View notes
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Call this an early birthday thought/gift
Chan and Pretty mirror sex
Like he gets to see a lot of pretty normally, but also getting to see her face while feeling her push back on him. He’s admiring her glorious everything and she just gets to soak it in and see her alphas face throughout the entire process.
But also a cute tender moment where their eyes lock in the mirror and Chan gets a shy little smile maybe a little blush🫠🥲🥰
-🥝
i read this a couple of days ago and i knew i wanted to write something for it, i just didn't have time to do it for my birthday sdjfskjdfhsf but close enough!
thank you kiwi for always sharing your big brain ideas and tickling the little lizard that controls my brain.
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Pairing: Werewolf!Chan x Human!F.Reader (one of the main pairings of my WereRoomies series. you don’t really need to read any other instalment to understand/enjoy this piece). | Word Count: ~2k | Themes & Warnings: fantasy/supernatural AU · smut · established relationship · unprotected penetration [piv] (reader is presumed to be on birth control) · cum-eating · this was barely proof-read.
minors do not interact.
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Chris knew you were smart, he’d never had doubts about it. But this… This was probably one of the best ideas you’d ever had.
He couldn’t help but wonder if you had taken what you were doing right now into consideration when you thought of this. He wasn’t even sure which option he preferred… for you to have known, or for you to be blissfully unaware of the potential such a purchase could have.
A new wardrobe for the spare bedroom of your shared flat was something you had been wanting for a while, and you’d finally gotten it a few days prior. As soon as Chris saw it in this room, after you’d so carefully put it together, he knew immediately what he wanted to do with it.
‘We need a big mirror in this room, considering we’re using it mostly to store our clothes and dress up’, you’d told him when he’d entered the room, and he agreed. A big mirror was a good idea, but not only to aid in the mundane activity of putting clothes on…
“O–oh, baby…” Your constant whines and moans always fueled him, but right now, looking at you through the mirror, they seemed to be affecting him even more.
“Mmm… That’s it, pretty. You feel so, so good, love. So good…” 
With your knees and chest planted on the floor, with your lower back arched just right, Chris had the absolute perfect angle to fuck you nice and good from behind. He was able to see your bum bouncing off of him with each thrust, he could hold your hips tight to pull you back to him, or place his hands on your waist to squeeze your soft sides. But, best of all, he could do all that and see your face through your shiny new mirror while he did.
The wardrobe doors were just two big mirrors, going from the very top, all the way to the floor. What an excellent add-on, in his humble opinion. It was perfect for Chris to see even more of you when he took you like this.
Whenever he was fucking you, he usually struggled to look at just one part of your body, there was just so much to see, so much to ogle, so much to worship and appreciate… That had never been more true than it was right now.
It was almost like his eyes didn’t know where to look. To what was right in front of him, in the flesh, or to what he could see in the mirror…? Any option was acceptable, honestly, but he just wanted to see it all.
Your hands weakly tried to hold onto something, desperately opening and closing over the tiled floor. It was an action that simply spurred him on, almost like he had his own personal challenge to fuck you as dumb as possible, to wipe you mind of anything that wasn’t him touching you, taking you…
Leaving one of his hands gripping the swell of your hip, Chris brought the other to your shoulder to keep you from moving away from him. He made sure to drag his hand all the way up your back when he did it, desperate to feel every centimetre of plush flesh. The motion had you furrowing your eyebrows, closing your eyes, and moaning his name oh, so sweetly, in a way that had his lower abdomen harshly flexing with need.
Holding onto you like this gave him even more leverage to go harder, and as soon as the strength of his thrusts increased, one of your hands found the one he had on your shoulder. His eyes zeroed in on the movement, looking away from the reflection of your face just in time to see you link your fingers with his.
The tender gesture had the pool of arousal in the pit of his stomach growing exponentially, especially when his eyes started to focus not only on your interlocked fingers, but also the skin right next to them, on the skin at the juncture of your neck and shoulder… Mindlessly, he stroked the area with his thumb–without letting go of your fingers, or slowing down his hips’ motions.
Oh, how soft it looked right there… just soft and perfect for him to sink his teeth into–
Shit.
He was doing it again…
He was thinking about marking you again. Not only that, but the thought was incessantly repeating in his mind over and over again. It was just impossible to ignore it.
Claim, claim, claim, claim… Mate, mate, mate, mate…
“Oh, fuck”, Chris threw his head back with a groan.
Your walls were squeezing him so tight, you were moaning so prettily… If he kept looking at that area he just knew his canines were going to enlarge on their own, he’d start drooling, and the need to bite you and mark you as his would just consume him whole, to the point where he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to hold himself back.
This had become a common problem. He used to think about it sometimes, but lately, especially when it was this close to a full moon night, the desire to mark you was absolutely unbearable.
Chris loved you. He hadn’t told you yet, he’d convinced himself that, in your human standards, it was probably too soon into your relationship to outright say it, but he knew he was absolutely in love with you. He knew, with zero doubts in his mind, that he wanted you all to himself for the rest of his life, and at moments like these, where you were both lost in your utmost primal needs, it was just hard to ignore his feelings.
But because he loved you, he couldn’t just let his instincts take over. He just couldn’t. Claiming you without a prior conversation and mutual agreement, without your consent, would be something he’d never forgive himself for. There was just no way he’d force himself on you like that just because of his idiotic dog urges.
So he tried to hold onto his humanity with all the strength he had, to keep his mind within the logical realm–or, at least, as logical as he could be while relentlessly ramming himself into you.
When he opened his eyes again, he diverted his attention to the mirror in front of you, and his hold on your shoulder tightened the moment your eyes found his through the mirror. The hand that had previously been on your hip moved, he wasn’t thinking, he just desperately needed to make you feel good.
Your eyes fluttered a bit when his fingers found your clit, and you bit down on your bottom lip to keep your moans somewhat contained. Even then, you didn’t look away from him, your gaze had him trapped right there, barely aware of the movement of his hands, focused solely on your blown pupils and your delicious warmth around him.
Mine, mine, mine, mine, mine, mine…
Before he knew it, heat was pooling on his cheeks. He was blushing, suddenly overcome with his feelings for you.
“Fuck, baby, come here…” Chris’s hips stilled briefly, only to pull you back towards his chest.
Oh, he could see so much more of you like this. One of his hands found your tummy to knead the soft flesh, while the other found one of your breasts to play with your nipple, coaxing a quiet moan from your lips. You reached back and gripped his hair for stability before your lips pressed on his flushed cheek.
“You’re so cute”, you mumbled the words against his skin, and his blush immediately deepened.
“You’re cute–Shit–” His words caught in his throat when you started to push back against him, fucking yourself on his cock like you knew it was yours and yours only.
All for my mate, all of me, take it, take me…
“Chris”, you whined his name, and he was starting to truly feel lightheaded. “Don’t stop, baby, please. Fuck me, hm?”
His hips started to move on command, he didn’t even need to think about it. You wanted it? He’d give it to you. Whatever you wanted, he’d just give it to you. He’d give you the world if you asked him for it.
His lips attached to your neck, his pace increased, and one of his hands immediately resumed its previous motions on that precious nub at the apex of your thighs. “Like this, pretty baby? Is this what you want?”
You nodded, eagerly offering him an enthusiastic ‘Yes, fuck!’ that had his chest swelling with pride.
My mate, for me, mine, mine, mine… Claim, mark, all mine…
Chris detached his lips from your neck when his instincts started pulling his thoughts in all sorts of directions. Instead, he looked ahead, and focused on your face, locking eyes with you again through the mirror. 
“C’mon, pretty. Aren’t you gonna come on my cock? Wasn’t that what you wanted?” Chris rubbed quick circles on your clit, eliciting a string of swears from your lips.
You nodded once again, rocking your hips to meet his harsh thrusts. “Gonna–Oh, fuck!”
Your body started trembling with your release, your walls fluttered deliciously around his length, and Chris was sure he was about to burst.
“Fuck, that’s so fucking good. I’m so fucking close, love”, Chris mumbled the words against your cheek, he wasn’t sure if you were aware of what he was saying, but if there was one thing about him was that he wasn’t going to shut up about how good you always made him feel.
When he came, he did it deep inside you, and he started seeing white. He was sure he was ascending and this was how being in heaven felt like. Chris could vaguely hear himself repeating ‘Fuck, fuck, fuck…’ over and over again, just like he could vaguely hear your words of encouragement.
Love you, love you, love you, love you… My pretty mate just for me…
It was genuinely hard to hear anything at all over his instincts squeezing his mind and heart along each purposeful clench of your walls.
“You’re so good to me”, was the first thing you said that Chris could fully understand as the final spurts of cum filled up your cunt. “You’re so good, Chris, baby…”
If his cheeks hadn’t been almost permanently flushed for a while now, he was sure he would have blushed right then and there.
When all his senses returned to him, he looked at you through the mirror once again, finding you already looking and smiling at him.
A smile appeared on his face as well, and he kissed your shoulder, bringing his hand further down your centre as he pulled out. Only a few seconds passed before his cum started trickling out of your hole and onto his fingers.
He kept kissing your skin leisurely as he squished your soft tummy, and spread his cum all over your core. You giggled softly, caressing his arms tenderly while you let him play with your mixed fluids to his heart’s content.
Finally, he brought two fingers to your mouth. You simply let him in, suckling his digits, diligently cleaning them up and swallowing the remnants of his release.
“You are so, so good to me”, Chris mumbled against your hair, where he placed a soft kiss after.
He pulled his fingers out of your mouth, and you smiled at him once again. After turning around, you gave him a quick peck on the lips before you laid down on the bare floor. Chris, of course, immediately laid down next to you, and quickly shuffled so he could lay his head on your chest.
“This closet was an absolutely brilliant purchase, pretty”, he brought a hand to one of your knees, and started to massage it softly.
You chuckled, burying your fingers in his hair to play with it. “I’m afraid you won’t want to leave this room now”.
Chris further wrapped his limbs around your body, giggling mischievously at the thought, moving his hand to the other knee. “Can you blame me? I can look at my pretty girlfriend from so many different angles now. It’s like a dream, y’know?”
“Easy to please, aren’t we?” You chuckled, playfully tugging on his locks before you pressed a kiss to his head.
“You know me. I’m a simple wolf, with simple needs”, he mumbled against the skin of your chest, then placed a kiss on it. “Are your knees okay?”
“They’re fine. Don’t worry”, you hugged him tighter, and Chris all but melted in your hold.
You both laid down there for a while, just relishing the skin to skin contact, until you lightly tugged on his hair again, but this time just to get his attention.
“C’mon, babe. We need to actually pack our clothes. It’s my first time going to your monthly trips, don’t wanna forget anything”.
Ah, yes.
That was what you had originally come into this room for… to pack your bags for the trip. Chris definitely got carried away when he saw you here, wearing nothing but his t-shirt while you spoke about helping him and the rest of your packmates during their monthly run…
He couldn’t even bring himself to pretend he was sorry that he’d interrupted your task. And, surely, you already knew he wasn’t sorry at all.
In fact, he was certain you already knew it’d happen again.
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© therhythmafterthesummer 2023. all rights reserved. do not repost or translate my stories.
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320 notes · View notes
artful-aries · 1 year
Text
​​Genshin Headcanons: Sleeping With You (SFW) Childe, Kaveh, Xiao
Finally got around to writing something about my boy Kaveh. He lives in my brain rent free~
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​​Childe:
​​He’s a bit clingy at night, always has to have an arm around you tight or he can’t sleep
​​It stems from his desire to protect you; his line of work isn’t a bed of roses, and it makes him a lot of enemies. He likes the physical reminder that you’re safe in his arms even when he’s unconscious
​​Childe snores, but it’s not very loud. It would be more akin to very heavy breathing than it would actual snores
​​If you’re a restless sleeper you don’t have to worry; once he’s out he is OUT. He’s likely not going to stir again unless you actively go out of your way to wake him up
​​Despite being entangled with you almost the entire night, Childe doesn’t radiate much body heat, so it’s not too uncomfortable to sleep with him in that regard
​​With his snores occasionally comes with a bit of drooling, so be prepared to not be in the splash zone before you fall asleep
​​In the morning when he starts to wake up, he pulls you even closer to his chest, almost as if he’s scared you’ll leave if he doesn’t
​​He would never admit this to you, but your presence in bed has rid him of his nightmares, a fact he is extremely grateful to you for
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​​Kaveh:
​​Another cuddle bug, but not as extreme as Childe. He would just have an arm wrapped loosely around your waist or lay his head in your shoulder
​​Kaveh is mostly quiet as he sleeps, sometimes his breathing gets a little heavier if he’s completely wiped out, but overall it’s quiet
​​Sometimes when he dreams he sleep talks, but it’s mostly unintelligible murmuring. Once in a while, you can tell he’s arguing with Alhaitham in his sleep by the furrow of his brow and the word “arrogant” being muttered several times
​​He has a comfortable amount of body heat, it’s not too cool but not uncomfortably hot either
​​The biggest struggle with sharing a bed is miraculously getting his hair all in your mouth at some point in the night
​​If you complain to him, he will start wearing his hair in a ponytail to bed, but it inevitably falls out in the middle of the night
​​Kaveh will get a little whiny in the morning if he wakes up to find that you have migrated away from him. He almost takes it personally, wondering if he did something wrong to earn your lack of physical affection during the night
​​You’d have to remind him that you can’t control what your body does when unconscious, and that you definitely do still love his clingy self
​​
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​​Xiao:
​​He’s honestly one of the worst people to sleep with if you’re a light sleeper. Nothing is worse than rolling over and finding him just staring at you, unblinking in the dead of night
​​You can’t blame him though, what else is he supposed to do as you sleep? As an Adeptus, he doesn’t need sleep like mortals do. It’s something he only does if he gets very injured
​​Xiao does understand that mortals need sleep regularly at least, so he does his absolute best not to wake you
​​He almost tries too hard, becoming rigid like stone in an attempt to minimize his movements
​​You’d have to teach him how to relax in bed with you, but he still never fully gets the hang of it
​​Xiao gets better though, he will wrap an arm around your waist or let you sleep on his chest if you asked for it
​​Sometimes to help you, he will close his eyes and pretend to sleep so that you aren’t put off by him watching you sleep
​​When you do finally fall into a deeper sleep, he takes the time to admire you, perhaps even gently stroking your hair as he does. He finds it easier to be soft with you when you aren’t awake
​​While he does take some joy in watching you in a peaceful state, Xiao is extremely grateful for when you wake up. Laying down for eight hours with nothing to do can get a little awkward for him at times, and he misses your company, though he would never say that
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hypnoneghoul · 3 days
Text
Symbol on the Surface Chapter 4
WC: 2,1k
Relationship: SwissAlps
Tags: Transmasc Swiss, Pregnancy, Food Repulsion, Fluff, Tickling, Panic Attack, Pregnancy Announcement, More Fluff
“Say what?” Mountain asks, confused. “That you are going to be an amazing father.” “I am going to be an amazing father.”
Notes: Tysm to @jimothybarnes for beta reading :3
Chapter 1 here or on AO3.
Read chapter 4 under the cut or on AO3.
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Swiss and Mountain leave for their cabin in the woods the next morning. 
The earth ghoul insists on carrying all of their stuff himself, only letting Swiss drag a lightweight cart with food. He may be barely two months pregnant, but Mountain is not willing to risk putting him in any kind of physical distress.
The cabin is quite deep in the forest, but it’s not a terribly long walk. They’re both still tired so it takes them a little longer than usual, but soon enough they make it.
Mountain makes Swiss lay down and do…well, absolutely nothing for most of the day, claiming that the walk itself was enough physical activity for the day. Swiss giggles at his overprotectiveness, but obliges. In the meantime the earth ghoul cleans up a little and then moves on to making dinner for them when it’s starting to get late.
It smells and looks absolutely delicious, but when Mountain sets the plate before his mate, Swiss’ stomach turns unpleasantly.
“Sorry, my love,” Swiss mumbles, “it looks great, but I just…I can’t eat, I’m sorry.”
“No, don’t be sorry,” Mountain smiles softly and comes up to cup his mate’s cheek with his hand. “It’s probably all the stress, it’s okay.”
Swiss leans into his touch and closes his eyes. The earth ghoul crouches down to embrace him fully, but gets a better idea after a second. He worms one of his arms under Swiss’ ass and picks him up; he yelps as Mountain stands up and turns to the bed.
“What about your food?” Swiss whines dramatically, stretching the last word out. Mountain gently puts him on the bed on his back and fluffs up the pile of pillows around him.
“I’ll heat it up later,” he shrugs. For a moment the multi ghoul thinks his mate is trying to eat something else—which he would decline this time, not being in the mood—but Mountain moves further and further down until he’s off the bed entirely, kneeling at the foot of it. He takes the fluffy socks Swiss’ is sporting off,  wraps his long fingers around his feet and digs his thumbs in.
“What are you doing?” he giggles as Mountain leans down to kiss the arch of his left foot while massaging it.
“Giving you a foot rub,” he explains bluntly. 
“I can see that, but why? I’m not that pregnant yet.”
“Are you telling me I can’t dote on my mate whenever I feel like it?” The earth ghoul looks up at him with one eyebrow raised comically high, making Swiss snort.
“You look ridiculous!” he laughs. “Like that–that one emoji!”
Mountain can’t hold out for longer and bursts out laughing too. He drops his head and the sight of Swiss’ feet right in front of his face gives him an idea. He changes the heavy rubbing of his thumbs to lighter touches that immediately make the multi ghoul start squirming and squealing.
“No, oh my–no, Mountain, don’t–don’t tickle me!” he yells in between breathy giggles, but Mountain knows he isn’t actually asking him to stop. He knows when to do so; it’s when Swiss’ breathing starts to get a little wheezy and his toes curl.
The earth ghoul crawls up the bed, then, to hover over Swiss and only leans down to kiss him on the tip of his nose. He pulls him down and Mountain falls into the plush bedding right next to him.
They’re quiet for a moment, before Swiss speaks again, “My brain just provided me with an image of you playing with our kits like this.”
Mountain’s chest warms.
“I can’t wait,” he sighs.
“Me neither,” Swiss adds.
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After five days in the woods, Mountain and Swiss decide they have rested enough and are ready to go back to the Abbey. They make their way back around midday, spend some time in their room, and then move to the kitchen.
Mountain texted the band’s new group chat earlier, saying that he and Swiss are making dinner this evening and that everyone—including Copia—is invited because there is also going to be an important announcement made.
Cooking side by side effectively took the expecting parents’ minds off of the conversation they are going to have soon, and now as they’re eating with their family they both think—unknowingly—about the same thing.
How these kits couldn’t have been sent into a better pack.
Swiss still doesn’t eat much (they have been told by Omega that food repulsion is common at this stage, so they’re not worried), but enjoys the light conversation with Rain on his left. Meanwhile Mountain, sitting on his right, is talking with Dewdrop over something they both seem quite passionate about.
But soon enough the table is cleared and it’s time for the announcement to be made.
“Okay, uh–so…” Swiss starts, clearing his throat, as he stands up. Mountain does, too, and he puts a hand on the multi ghoul’s waist in a protective and supportive gesture. “There’s something important—but not bad—that we need to tell you because, uhm…well, because you all are our family—you too, Papa—and we want you to know first.”
Some mutters of ‘we appreciate it’ and ‘we’re honored’ can be heard around the table, as well as some content chirps and trills. Swiss opens his mouth again to finally let the words tumble out, but they…don’t.
He looks up at Mountain with pleading eyes and his mate nods, understanding. He takes a deep breath before turning back to his pack and speaking for them both, “Swiss is pregnant, we are going to have kits.”
Jaws drop and it’s dead silent for a moment.
But then it explodes.
Everyone is asking questions, someone is already congratulating them, someone is squealing and then there’s a hand on Swiss’ shoulder and he–he can’t.
Suddenly painfully overwhelmed, he turns with a whine and hides against Mountain’s chest, hands over his ears. His mate wraps his arms around him and growls loud enough to make the whole room shut up.
“Sorry,” Aurora is the one to speak up and apologize for them all.
“One at a time, please,” Mountain asks them before sitting back down with Swiss in his lap. He’s already calming down from the initial panic and he just realizes how…skittish he’s been lately. Probably another pregnant ghoul instinct thing.
Nobody speaks, though, until Papa raises his hand. It’s a little silly, but both Mountain and Swiss appreciate it.
“How far along are you?” Copia asks.
“Around eleven, maybe twelve, weeks,” Swiss answers and the human nods with a light smile.
Rain goes next, “You said kits, as in…multiple?”
“Yeah, there’s three cooking in there,” the multi ghoul chuckles, poking his stomach.
“Woah,” Dewdrop and Sunshine whisper in unison, making a few others laugh.
“When are they gonna come out?” Aeon asks with a curious tilt of his head.
“Omega thinks sometime in February,” Mountain is the one to answer this time.
Cirrus perks up next. “Do you know their elements already?”
“No,” Swiss says, “with a mixture like us two we’re not going to know until they’re born.”
“Will you let me make some cute clothes for them?” Cumulus all but pleads, already so excited at the prospect of making teeny tiny kit clothes.
“Duh,” the multi ghoul laughs. There’s more questions and congratulations and promises of support. A specific one makes the room fall silent again.
“Omega said it’s, uhm…that it’s possible they won’t live,” Swiss admits despite wishing he wouldn’t have to say such a thing.
“That’s why we are only telling you for now,” Mountain adds, “and we don’t want anyone else to know yet.”
The pack nods and promises to keep it between them.
The atmosphere is nice, but a little overwhelming, so Swiss and Mountain decide to say their goodbyes and go to bed early—both exhausted. They skip the shower and jump straight into their nest to curl around each other and fall asleep while purring loudly.
Some time after he’s fallen asleep, Mountain’s eyes snap open.
He sees nothing but darkness.
He looks around frantically and blindly slaps around his bedside table, hoping to light his phone up. It does; it’s three in the morning.
The earth ghoul uses its gentle light to look over at his mate sleeping beside him—curled up a little with his arms around his stomach; a protective position a pregnant ghoul would usually take in the Pit. It’s actually amazing how their hellish instincts surface in moments like these.
Mountain wants to smile, but instead something unpleasant makes his stomach turn and suddenly he remembers why he woke up. It was some strange dream, he doesn’t remember any details, but it left him shaking with anxiety.
He feels a panic attack incoming and crawls out of bed not to disturb Swiss. The earth ghoul leaves their bedroom and makes his way to the common room to get some cold water. 
Mountain doesn’t even bother to turn on the light, operating on autopilot until he’s leaning against the counter with a glass of water in hand. He sips it slowly and breathes deeply in between, trying to push away the panic that’s beginning to swallow him whole. The earth ghoul slides down to sit on the ground and puts his head in between his knees, still breathing in and out.
“Mount?”
The earth ghoul jumps, dropping his glass on the floor. Thankfully it’s empty already and the distance from his hand to the ground isn’t especially big. “Lucifer, you scared me!” 
“Sorry, didn’t mean to,” Aether chuckles. He must be coming back or leaving for his infirmary shift—Mountain isn’t sure which. “What are you even doing here at this hour, are you okay?”
“Woke up and needed to get some water,” the earth ghoul shrugs, but his thoughts do not stop spiraling. Aether will sense that soon enough. “Had a…uh, a dream.”
“Not a good one, I assume?”
Mountain shakes his head. “I–this is so scary, I’m–I’m not cut out to be a–a father. A father, Aether!”
“But you always wanted to have kits,” the quintessence ghoul reminds him, “and I’ve known you for long enough—and have seen you interact with the Siblings’ children—to be absolutely sure you will be a great dad.”
Mountain grimaces and drops his head between his knees again. “But what if I won’t? What about Swiss, then? What about the kits? There’s going to be three.”
Aether doesn’t reply—he only sighs and comes over to sit next to the other.
“If they even survive…” the earth ghoul adds in a quiet voice.
“Hey, no,” Aether stops him right away, “don’t go there. They’ll be fine. You will be fine. I can only imagine how scary that is, but I know that this is a dream come true for you, Mount.”
“Well…yeah,” he admits, “it is.”
“Exactly! Stress is valid, but you can’t doubt yourself or your mate right now. I’ve already told you, you are going to be amazing parents.”
Mountain lets out a shaky breath and nods, acknowledging Aether’s words. He’s right and it’s not only a dream come true, but also a quite literal miracle. A miracle granted just to Swiss and Mountain.
“Okay,” he says after a moment. “Okay, I’m–I’m good. Thank you, Aether.”
The other pats him on the back before standing up and extending a hand to hoist him up, too. “Anytime. And I mean it. We’re a pack and you are definitely going to need all the help you can get once these three little demons pop out of Swiss.”
Mountain chuckles despite the…slightly worrying implication, “Yeah, we will.”
“Alright, now, go back to your mate,” Aether tells him. “Don’t let him doubt your decision.”
“I won’t.” The earth ghoul puts away his glass and turns to the door.
“Now say it for me.”
“Say what?” he asks, confused.
“That you are going to be an amazing father.” Aether grins.
Mountain shakes his head with a light laugh, “I am going to be an amazing father.”
“Atta boy,” Aether praises and leaves. The other switches off the light, that he hasn’t even noticed was on now, and follows, albeit in a different direction.
As he gets back to their room and snuggles against Swiss again, he mutters the words to himself one more time “I am going to be an amazing father.”
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Taglist: @arkeusruin @skele-bunny @everybodyshusband @ratsummer @jazz-bazz @mac-and-thefox @karmicbias @wine-irytatus
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bluginkgo · 6 months
Text
So you know that thing that was hunting N down?
Yeah, I wanted to see it closer and well...
Spoilers duh
Even going at a snail pace of 0.25x speed, it's nearly impossible to catch it. These images are some of the clearest ones I could get, and were almost frames apart.
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This one being one of the clearest.
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I added some guidelines to attempt to make out the body shape and characteristics, but the blurred framing and rubble makes it really hard to see anything (and also I'm fairly blind, so feel free to draw it out better 😅
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Are they clearer by any means? Absolutely not XD
Why did I even bother? Just for fun. And also to guess what the heck it is. Because Nori assumed it was either Doll or Uzi, but was not sure who it was.
It can't be Uzi, because she was watching the tape at this time. It could be Doll, but that would have to mean her core took form... But it didn't?
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Tessa entity ate it later in the episode, which means that the core was with Doll the entire time she was waddling over to warn Uzi. So, it leaves two possibilities:
The Absolute Solver: the same one that was dragging N into the wall of flesh. Con: N blasted the tunnel to keep the solver contained.
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2. Tessa entity: I will assume that around the same time, or just minutes prior, Tessa entity jump scared Doll in a different tunnel. Con: It's unknown if Tessa entity can change as quickly as Cyn could between Eldrich version and contained/drone/human version.
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And the question once again comes, why bother even doing this? Well, my question would be: wtf is Tessa entity/1001? Because a DD core, when it takes form, looks like this:
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But then, there is also Cyn's form, which looks like this:
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And technically they are the same, my issue is how they manifest differently. J's core activated when it decided it needed more materials to rebuild the body. But Cyn's form is not broken, it simply switches between the three forms: WD, Eldrich Cyn, and Absolute Solver form (with camera looking heads).
So technically, it could be said that the drone that is used to put Tessa's skin on is Cyn's WD body.
Very little evidence? Yes. Am I slow? Hell yeah. (I mean, half of the names I see are Cynessa for the entity. Give me a break, my brain is slow af ;w;) But given that 1001 generally means it's the first of many, it could be a nod to Cyn being the first Absolute Solver host that we KNOW of. There could have been other drones that were also discarded incorrectly and were possessed by the Absolute Solver.
At this point I'm spouting random thoughts and non-sense. Have a cookie and be on your way. ^_^ 🍪
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lunarreverb · 3 months
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Just finished the silliest BG3 run that was.... not really a speedrun, but a mess-around solo run to see what happens if you effectively skip Act 1 and 2 (to the extent possible) and recruit nobody. Here's Bunnie the gnome; she's quick like a bunny!
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Some of the most interesting things I found under the cut!
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If you immediately jog over from the Nautiloid to the mountain pass area, Shadowheart will catch up to you and try to party up.
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You can reject her company, of course; if you do, the artefact just appears in your inventory later after this brief cutscene saying ''you got the plot device.' The Emperor never addresses this at all but I have to assume it just looked at the both of you liked your main character energy better.
(For her part, Shadowheart will hang out indefinitely in front of the path to the mountain pass, insisting that you need her to come with you. She never seems to realize that the artefact ditched her, but seems to have the 'shielded' effect on her for as long as you can still go back to that area to check on her, so idk. I assume she dies/ceremorphosizes at some point after you leave the shadow cursed lands.)
If you leave for the mountain pass without encountering Raphael, he just shows up in your camp, and you do NOT have a choice to go to bed without speaking to him, lol.
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What happens to Lae'zel is SUPER interesting. If you don't encounter her in the cage outside of the grove, the game gives you a second chance by setting her outside of the monastery, wandering around.
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If you don't join her there, either, you will find her at the entrance of the Shadow-Cursed lands, extremely dead. I imagine this is just the game's way of making sure you see she's dead, but I would have assumed for sure that without player intervention she would've died in the zaith'isk? I wonder what sequence of events is implied by this? Maybe she broke out of the zaith'isk on her own, escaped the creche, but had nobody to warn her that she needed a torch in the Shadow-Cursed lands? Maybe the gith sent her on an errand before they let her have a turn in the cleansing machine? Unclear!
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Your dream guardian comments that it's impressed by your efficiency by skipping over the grove entirely:
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This is different from what it says if you actively durge the grove, where it insinuates that you did what you did to infiltrate the cult and asks whether or not you have regrets about that.
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If you don't go to Last Light Inn at all, you can meet Jaheira for the first time at the bridge to Moonrise tower. She does NOT react well if you answer her question by saying "I'm busy, get out of the way"; this will aggro the Harpers (understandably). I ultimately decided to sneak around the back and I didn't canonically meet her for the first time until after defeating Ketheric. She will automatically join your camp for the one night on the way to Baldur's Gate, but she will leave forever (leaving you a letter saying "bye") once you get to the Lower City if you tell her at Moonrise you don't want her in your party.
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She does not survive the events of the game if you do not let her join your party, it seems. (I did not pursue the Minsc storyline and I do not know if it's possible to prevent this outcome that way.)
This next bit is REALLY wild; in all of my other playthroughs, I don't think I ever tried defeating Gortash before I disabled the Steel Watch. You can defeat Gortash at his inauguration, and the Absolute will immediately be your bestie about it and will helpfully murder any of the witnesses (including Ulder Ravengard, I think; I took care not to kill him but he vanished anyway.)
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The next thing that happens doesn't actually make sense but is interesting nevertheless. Once Gortash is dead, the Steel Foundry is automatically blown up, and the Absolute speaks encouragingly to the player through the Steel Watchers:
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I'm actually stumped about how the Absolute can control the Steel Watchers without the corresponding tadpoled brains in the Foundry (which I have to assume got crushed in the rubble?) Oh well. In any case, the Steel Watchers are friendly and will even be allied with you if you get into any scuffles with the Fist, until you kill Orin. After you kill Orin, every Steel Watcher is immediately hostile AND will sic the Fist on you, too.
(Funny story, I actually managed to down one of the Watchers next to the Steel Watch fan group on the north end of Wyrm's Crossing and uh. The Watcher blew up one of the fanboys. Oops. RIP Trinigan Gazotts.)
I kinda want to write a whole post about just this, but Shadowheart's parents are still put up on display in the House of Grief basement in spite of the fact that she is almost certainly (?!) dead and/or a mindflayer by this point:
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You can talk to them but you cannot help them in any way. I'm aware that this is just a tease for Shadowheart's plot, but I want to nitpick this so bad. The Sharrans have regular prison cells in the building; what is the point of hanging up these two on the Spencer's Gifts lights indefinitely? Whatever bummer vibes Shar is getting off of them can not be enough to pay for their magical upkeep. Do the Sharrans have to take them down at mealtimes, or are they fed with sandwiches on sticks, or...?
The love test at the circus is NOT interesting; the dryad assumes that you are in love even if you are forever alone and gives her usual sales pitch about bringing the one you love to her.
If you didn't save Wulbren or Barcus, the entrance to the Ironhand Gnomes' cave is just blocked off.
Astarion's unfortunate end if you don't recruit him has been covered in great detail by other posts, but I will remark that it is funny to kill Cazador yourself as a gnome because you have to hop up to stab him. It's also very, very funny to see Cazador explain his whole evil plot to you, random gnome woman who just showed up, if Astarion isn't around. This man is desperate for somebody to think he's cool, so I guess he'll settle for attention from the cattle if he's gotta.
Volo still shows up tied to that trolley cart by the foundry, but there's no angry mob around him.
If you haven't encountered the inquisitor at the creche, or the avatar of Vlaakith in the shadow cursed land, they both show up in the Elfsong's basement
There is no hag plot if you did not encounter Ethel. The captain at the Blushing Mermaid is just as she seems, there's no hag lair, and Vanra and her mother want nothing to do with you. There's no hag support group; that house has a group of random hostile thugs in it instead (with a tenuous tie-in to Ninefinger's Guild).
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In Act 3, Raphael will totally say "listen here you little shit" if you hassled him outside of the mausoleum in Act 2 by, oh, I don't know, casting Silence on him? (after which he does NOT give you the Yurgir quest, he just leaves).
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Bluurg and Omeluum do not show up at the Society of Brilliance's lodge if you did not meet them in the underdark in Act One, but there is a letter indicating that they will show up later. I checked, and Omeluum is also not in the Iron Throne.
Nothing funny or new happened with Orin. I threw her in a pit. BUT worth mentioning? You can skip the entire Bhaalist powerword kill trial if you just send one invisible party member through the area and just find the warppoint near the temple afterward. You're welcome.
If you get to the epilogue alone, Milil will comment that he expected more guests, but Withers will speak as if multiple people are there no matter what
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Also, if you are a lonely little mindflayer, this has no effect on the refreshments offered at the epilogue party. Mindflayers can drink alcohol, apparently, but obviously nobody is here to eat all the food Withers put out. WTF, pee paw.
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And I think that's mostly all the was interesting or different in this run. It was a fun challenge!
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des8pudels8kern · 1 year
Text
If I were to write a Star Wars fic (which I won’t, as working full-time does not leave me with enough mental energy to be properly actively fannish), it’d be an epic AU where Obi-Wan also falls down the shaft at the climax of his fight with Maul, is presumed dead, and then pops up during the Clone Wars as a mysterious agent of chaos whose initial goal is just to rattle and provoke the Jedi into shedding at least a bit of their apathy disguised as serenity and their superiority complex (so, Obi-Wan choosing to help an entire planet of children caught in a horrific war was bad and aggressive, deserving of first repudiation and then probation, but when Knights and Masters order enslaved sentients into battle it’s duty and necessary to uphold the values of the Republic and thus Order?). He’s bitter, he’s angry, and he wants to destroy the Order. Well, the Order as it is. All talk, so little regard for actual decency, and no infrastructure in place to protect the children under their care.
There’d be a semi-humorous scene where Cody (who is... compromised, okay, he knows it, but this evil fallen force user is just different from the other evil fallen force users, okay) comes across Obi-Wan, bleeding from a fresh gash on his head (”What happened to you? - Oh, nothing, dear one; I just tripped.”) one eye clenched shut where the blood is dribbling down, yada yada, they do their usual song and dance about no, you question your allegiance and join my side, and then.
What’s that?
Cody bends down and picks up the thing that’s caught his attention. It’s round, and not quite flat, and ye--- yellow. He narrows his eyes at the infuriating pain in the ass in front of him.
“Tripped, huh? Deliberately, I assume?”
The man’s gaze flits down to the coloured lens balancing on Cody’s finger now, the exact same shade as his one open eye.
“When you arrived, the light of your presence overwhelmed me and caused me to falter. It can be quite challenging when one has delved as far into the dark as I have,” the fucker tries to lie to Cody’s face, voice as serene as the calmest of Jedi Generals fresh out of meditation, and maybe Cody needs to reconsider how trustworthy anything spoken in that tone really is.
Cody throws the lens at him, and the offending item manages to land on his chest, where blood has soaked into the shirt, and sticks to the fabric, staring at him accusingly.
“What kind of nerf-brained idiot fakes being a Sith? The entire Order is after you!”
The nerf-brain winces, then sighs and droops. He rubs a hand through his suddenly tired-looking face. The blood from his apparently actually self-inflicted head-wound that was meant to disguise the missing lens is smeared all over his cheek now, which looks ridiculous and is somewhat worrisome because Cody is used to bloodshed and knows that it’s usually not a good sign when people forget that they are bleeding. It does match the bone-deep exhaustion etched in the other man’s features, though, now that his mask of flirtatious nonchalance has dropped.
“In my defence, I honestly did not expect it to go this far.” He spreads his hands and pulls a somewhat forced-looking version of his usual boyish grin. “I assumed I would get in two, maybe three strikes before the Order went on alert and I got caught. When they didn’t, I decided to... provide further motivation.”
His right eye is grey-blue, as fathomlessly deep as the waters of Kamino, and Cody wonders what can drive a man to pretend to be evil incarnate to catch the attention of an organisation of essentially super-powered sentients in the middle of a war.
Another trickle of blood from the absolutely needless head wound snakes its way down the side of the man’s face, making it clear that, whatever his motivation might be it’s not a healthy sense of self-preservation.
Maybe Cody can get him to take out the other lens, too, so he can check his eyes for signs of a concussion.
And get a closer look at the colour.
...At least now he’s not compromised by a Sith anymore?
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silentglassbreak · 8 months
Text
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Fragmented
Noah Sebastian x OFC
The next chapter of Noah & Leena's story
I was so on the fence about writing a sequel, yet here we are. I saw the sequel in my head, and decided it was worth the write. This story is told from Noah's perspective. This time, I'm going to put warnings in on each individual chapter, as some may not need any. Also - something worth mentioning; the names of each part in the first story were obviously Bad Omens song titles. This time, they will be titles from songs that just inspire me. If you're here, thank you for reading! Leave me your thoughts, and let me know if you'd like to be tagged. xo
Warnings: Just some gool ol' fashioned smut with some kinky stuff added in. (Also mention of marijuana smoking)
+It goes without saying. This is a work of fiction. My words are mine. Plagiarism is a crime.
Taglist: @flowery-mess @lma1986 @myownthoughts12 @poisongirl616 @missduffsblog @reidsblessing
Part 1 - Shame On Me
I've been a morning person my entire life. Even before I was active, and in the shape I'm in now, I was usually risen with the sun. However, after having spent the vast majority of my days the last year running on fumes, I found myself still laying in bed, hugging my pillow, letting my brain drift comfortably in and out of consciousness.
That is, until I felt something tugging at the edge of the blanket I had draped over my midsection.
I rolled over, eyes cracking open, seeing the miniature fingers grasping at me, Addison's eyes bright with a smile plastered across her face.
"Da da da da!" I smiled back at her, sitting up and lifting her onto the bed, flopping her down on the pillow next to me. She giggled wildly and I pulled the blanket up over the both of us.
"Five more minutes, baby girl."
Her tiny hand was pulling at the hem of my tank top, trying to 'wake me up' as I laid there, dramatically snoring.
"Da da!" Her voice was getting angrier, and I laughed.
"Da da's tired, Addie! I get to sleep in!"
"Nooo!" I snorted at one of the few words she had come to learn very well.
"No?!" I grabbed her sides, pinching and tickling her, causing a roaring laughter to burst out of her. Her onesie was wrinkled and nearly popping open at her diaper from how hard she wriggled under my grip. "You don't get to say no to me, lady! I am your Daddy!"
She thrashed her head back and forth, gasping for air between happy squeals.
"Addie, would you let your Daddy sleep?" Mileena's voice floated in from the doorway.
I turned my head, and my hand stopped the torment on Addison. Leena was stood in a pair of black leggings, white crop top exposing her belly button, and her dark brown faded hair now pulled up in a messy bun. She looked so comfortable, so unkempt, and absolutely fucking delicious.
I reached an arm out toward her, earning me a small grin when she walked toward me. She placed a hand in mine, and I pulled her close to me. She bent down, her face stopping only inches from mine.
"Happy Birthday, Noah." Her voice was even, but her eyes were hungry.
With everything we had been through the last few weeks, with shows, Addie's first birthday, a bout of the flu, and Laura announcing she was getting a divorce, there had been very little time for us to be alone. I knew she felt it, but we weren't there yet. We needed to get through today, the Halloween party/birthday celebration, before we had any chance of spending time together.
"Thank you, my love. Happy Halloween."
Leena's eyes lit up. Halloween was her favorite holiday even before her and I met, so getting to have a huge celebration was right up her alley.
After Addison was born, it became abundantly clear that living with a newborn and all of the band members was no longer ideal. Addie was as colicky as they come, keeping everyone up at all hours of the night. The constant crying, mess, and general irritation that it caused made our living arrangements difficult. As much as Uncles Nick, Jolly, and Folio loved baby Addie, they needed a change.
I had offered to move us out, buy a new house, but Nick insisted that they would get a place - promised to be close by - to allow us our space. I was eternally grateful, and will never be able to pay him back for everything he had done for me. Eventually, they moved out, and the house was left for just us.
Aside from the struggle that being new parents took on Leena and I's sex life, it also took a serious toll on our recovery. Nothing sounds better to take the edge off from three-day long sleepless binges than a rum and Coke. Leena confessed her drink of choice was Vodka, and she nearly broke down once, driving to the liquor store, but never making it inside.
We both went back to our meetings once Addie was old enough to be babysat, spending a few hours at a time with either Laura or the guys.
After spending a few more minutes smothering Addie in kisses, I finally began getting out of bed. Leena was folding laundry on the dresser, putting it away meticulously.
"What time is it?"
"Almost noon. Laura will be here in a few hours to pick up Addie for the night." She folded one of my pairs of pants, placing it neatly in the dresser drawer.
I turned my attention back to my daughter, wiggling my eyebrows at her. "Nah, I think she's going to stay here with me. Hang out with Daddy on his birthday!"
Addison squealed, her legs kicking at me. I grabbed her hand and began pretending I was going to eat her fingers.
"As fun as that would be, I don't know that her being here when the sheer amount of musicians in our house come by is such a great idea."
I didn't look at her, still pretending to take bites out of the baby's arm. "What do you mean? Andy loves kids! Oli does too, said Addie was the next Stevie Knicks!"
Mileena shook her head and snorted. "Yeah? Are you referring to the last party, when she was kept awake most of the night, and we had a miserable day afterwards because she was so tired?"
I narrowed my eyes back at her. "Listen, Folio promised he wouldn't play drums this time."
She gave me a look that told me I wasn't winning this.
"You sure she isn't old enough to trick or treat, yet?"
She shook her head at me. "Honey, that's what the trunk or treat last night was for."
I pursed my lips. "Fine, but tomorrow, I'm taking you guys somewhere. Just the three of us, yeah?"
I was standing now, shirtless, and pulled Addie down onto the carpet. She immediately crawled toward Angel laying on the floor.
"That sounds fun." Mileena was bent down, putting one of her shirts in the drawer in the bottom of the dresser.
I walked up behind her, my hand grazing the back of her thigh, coming to rest on the curve of her ass. My touch startled her, making her stand up straight in a flash, her back bumping into my chest.
I took the opportunity to wrap an arm around her middle, pulling her back into me. "Mmm," I hummed into the skin just below her ear. "think Addie's going to nap today?"
Leena pressed her ass against me, pushing into the fabric of my shorts. She leaned her had back against my collarbone, eyes closing comfortably.
"Probably not." Her voice was breathless. "She slept in."
“That’s too fucking bad.” I kept my voice low, glancing at Addie, who was leaned against Angel’s sleeping body, holding her feet in wonder. “Because it’s been so long.” I let my hand graze over the hem of her leggings, slipping a thumb in the waistband.
She groaned. “Noah, don’t start something you can’t finish.” As annoyed as she sounded, she was still pressed against me, hands now gripping my arm where it held her in place.
“Oh, baby, I’m finishing it. The second I get you alone, I’m ripping you to fucking shreds.”
She giggled then, pulling away and turning to peer up at me, her eyes as dark as mine.
“Yeah? You always say that. Yet, somehow, I can still walk afterwards?” Her smirk was devious, and I raised an eyebrow at her.
She chuckled, and picked the laundry basket up from the bed, making her way back toward the hallway.
Oh, she was dead.
-
The living room was buzzing with energy, music playing over the speakers, and conversations filling the air. I stood, leaned against the bannister of the staircase, hands in my pockets. The smell of marijuana permeated the air, which was to be expected.
Hearing we were having ‘dry parties’ didn’t sound like much fun, until people learned we made other accommodations. Although Leena and I didn’t partake, we weren’t opposed to others having a good time.
Speaking of my girl, I had lost her at some point in the night. When Ronnie and Saraya showed up, she had excitedly grabbed the latter’s hand and drug her off to the backyard, where her garden was flourishing. The girls were undoubtedly gossiping. They usually did.
I made my way through the sea of bodies toward my kitchen, where I found Jolly and Nick, ripping a joint, laughing about something I hadn’t heard.
I had to raise my voice for them to hear me. “You seen Leena?”
Jolly exhaled his smoke, a rough cough coming out as he passed it back to Nick. “Last I saw, she was outside talking to Oli.”
I nodded, heading for the back door. I stopped at the dining room table, catching sight of her. Her floor length black, unforgivably tight dress hung so beautifully off of her frame. The sleeves reached her wrists, the neckline plunging disrespectfully. Her, now freshly dyed, black hair was pulled up into a ponytail, the length falling down her back. I drank in the sight of her.
My gaze was disrupted when I saw her hand reach up, grabbing an arm. It was a thick, muscular arm covered in tattoos. I then realized that she was, in fact, talking to Oli. Her lips were pulled in a smile, her teeth flashing. She was laughing. And she was touching him.
He was towering over her. Oliver was nearly as tall as me, his frame poised so you could see the ripples of his chest under his shirt. Something inside me tightened. I didn’t like it.
Stepping outside, I consciously kept myself calm as I approached them. Oli saw me first.
“Hey, there he is! Birthday boy!” His thick accent made me smile, my primitive rage fading slightly.
“Hey, what’s going on guys?”
Leena turned, her body pressing close to me instinctively. “Hey! Oli and I were just talking about that tour you were on with him in Europe?”
I nodded. “Fun stuff, man. Cant wait to do it again.”
Oliver nodded, a lazy smile spread across his face. “Oh yeah, we had that crowd eating out of our hands, man. What a fucking rush.”
Leena giggled at Oli’s excitement, it made my spine stiffen, and my blood run cold.
She shouldn’t be laughing like that, not because of Oliver. That giggle was so high-pitched and squirrely. I didn’t care for that at all. It felt flirtatious.
I knew before Leena and I even got together that Bring Me The Horizon was one of her favorites, of course Oli being, by extension, one of her favorites. However, she was also a huge Falling in Reverse fan, but she sure didn’t giggle like that around Ronnie.
Ronnie was also not Oli Sykes; a big British brute with a natural sense of seduction, whether he was trying to or not. Regardless, I still did not like that laugh, not when it wasn’t pointed at me.
“Hey, could I borrow her for just a few?”
Oliver nodded, clapping a hand on my shoulder. “Well, of course, man! Listen, I’ve got to get out of here anyways, got to head back to the motherland in the morning. Early flight and all that.”
He reached an arm around me first, pulling me into a tough, tight hug. “So good to see you, mate. Come see me on the other side of the pond some time, right?”
I slapped his back while embracing him. “Of course, man. I appreciate you being here.”
Oli excused himself inside the house, leaving Leena and I stood on the patio, alone.
She smiled brightly at me, but I still had this unnerving itch. She must have noticed my stiff demeanor, because her face fell some and she raised an eyebrow.
“You alright, babe?”
I exhaled. “Yeah, why?”
She took a step back, putting a hand on her hip. “Well, you asked Oliver if you could borrow me? And you look irritated?” Her eyes were soft, which contradicted the sass in her stance.
“Mm.” I sucked my teeth and glanced back toward the house. “How is Oliver?”
Anything soft fell right off her face, her eyebrows scrunching together. She saw right through me.
“He’s great.”
I inhaled deeply.
“What did you need to borrow me for, Noah?”
I looked back at her then, realizing I didn’t have a reason to pull her out of her conversation aside from disliking the way she was touching another man. Running it back in my head, it felt stupid.
“Oh, uh,” I ran a hand over my mouth, thinking. “just wanted to see if you heard from Laura? How Addie’s doing?”
She wasn’t buying it. “Addie’s fine, like she always is with Laura. Last update I got was an hour ago, when I came and found you.”
This wasn’t going well.
“Well, good.” I pulled at the skin of my bottom lip with my teeth.
“Noah?” I looked back at her. “What’s going on?”
Shaking my head, I tried to look clueless. “Nothing, why?”
She crossed her arms. “Cause you’re acting weird.”
Something about her tone, her body language, I couldn’t put my finger on why, but it irritated me. She was feeling up on someone else, and I’m getting questioned?
I mimicked her and folded my own arms over my chest. “I’m not the one acting weird.”
Eyes narrowed at her, I held my face even.
“And how is that?” She didn’t falter. Leena was one of the only women I knew who could give my poker face a run for its money.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Were you not just getting all grabby with Oli?”
Her eyes widened then in disbelief. I knew, because when I heard it come out of my own mouth, I realized that was a pretty big stretch. She grabbed his arm, not his cock.
But still, we were already here, and I wasn’t in a place to back down. Not right now, feeling this attracted to her when she was pissed off.
“Grabby?!” Her voice came out louder than I expected, and I whipped my head around to see if anyone else was outside. “How in the hell was I being grabby with him?”
I rolled my eyes.
“Well, it was pretty clear to me.” I was digging myself a hole, I knew it. So did she, but now she was waving her hands around, and her tits were bouncing in her dress, no confines of a bra. My mouth was watering, so I doubled down. “Was it really necessary to be grabbing his arms like that?”
My tone was cool, which contrasted her face that was now turning a shade of pink with rage. Was I proud? Not exactly… Maybe a little.
She’s so fucking sexy when she’s mad.
“You’ve lost it, you know that?” Her voice was filled with incredulous frustration. She then began trying to walk away, forcing me to reach out and catch one of her wrists in my hand. I was too tired, too depraved. I needed her so badly, but the idea of her being spitting mad at me made it worth the effort. I wanted her so angry that she was damn near ready to rip me apart. The idea made my dick twitch in my slacks.
“Leena,” She looked down at where I held her arm, then looked back at me with narrowed eyes. Oh she was enraged. Excellent. “I-“ I wanted to say sorry, tell her I was being dumb and to go inside and enjoy the party, but I just…couldn’t.
Something in her stare told me she had figured me out, and her eyebrows lowered, her lips twisting up in a menacing grin.
“Are you…jealous?”
I was taken back. Jealous? Of Oli? Nope. Couldn’t be me.
“No.” I said through grit teeth. “I just don’t want you to forget who you belong to.”
That was it. That sent her over the edge. She ripped her arm out of my grip, standing back defensively.
“Belong to? Like a piece of fucking property?”
I didn’t respond, just shrugged.
“You son of a bitch!” Twitch.
“How dare you speak to me that way?! As if you own me?!” Twitch.
“I don’t give a half of a fuck who I’m talking to, or grabbing. You don’t own me.”
Maybe this was going too far. Maybe.
But then she stormed inside, and I was barreling after her. She was already halfway to the staircase when I grabbed Nick by the sleeve on my way after her.
“Everyone out. Now.” No one needed to hear what I was about to get into.
The bedroom door slammed when I was about a foot away. I could hear bodies shuffling out the front door, but I didn’t care. I just burst into the room, not surprised it wasn’t locked.
She stood between the bed and the dresser, fists balled at her sides, baring her teeth. Oh it was lovely, seeing her so fucking hostile. I nearly fell to my knees in front of her, begging her to do whatever she saw fit. I didn’t, however.
Instead, I slipped the door closed and turned the lock carefully behind me. My face was stoic, doing my best to keep my own composure. It was taking every bit of self restraint, but I could feel it faltering. We were going down soon, I could feel it. My brain was sizzling just looking at her.
“I don’t care how much I love you, Noah Sebastian. I will not be treated like a piece of meat.” She was waving a finger at me, manicured and perfect.
I took a step toward her. She didn’t allow me the space to speak.
“I’m not sure where you found all of that fucking audacity, but I will tell you, it is so out of character for you.” Her voice had fallen some.
“Is it?” My words came out low and slow.
She couldn’t believe me. As if I had no idea the inconvenience I had caused her.
“Why would you do that?” Her face was now pulled into something that looked like confusion. “I can’t think of one good reason why you-“
She didn’t get to finish, my control finally slipping through my fingers, and my hands grabbing her and pressing our mouths together. She stilled at first, but when I pressed my tongue against her lips, she melted, her anger being fed through her grasp on me.
Mileena pulled at my blazer, ripping it down my shoulders and tossing it on the bed.
In a moment of absolute primal agitation, she growled at me, which sent every drop of blood in my body down to my crotch.
When her fingers began pulling at the bottom of my shirt, I wrapped my hand in her hair and pulled her backwards. She stared at me, all venom and lust, and snarled. I smiled, licking my lips. It was unbelievable. I used my free hand to rip the front of her dress open, her breasts falling out, and capturing my attention. My hand loosened on her hair, sliding down her face, neck, and reaching for her chest.
She used this opportunity to wrap a hand around my throat, which took me by surprise, my gaze lifting. She was controlling this, which was new.
Her teeth ground together, and her fingers squeezed me, the tips of her sharp acrylics digging into my skin.
“On your fucking knees.”
I scoffed. “Or what?”
Her hand tightened even further, and her other hand came up to grab me by the cock, gripping the fabric of my pants in an almost uncomfortable squeeze.
“Or I walk away, right now.”
That sounded like misery in the highest degree, so, naturally, I sunk down to the floor, sharp eyes glancing up at her. The hand on my neck was now running through my hair. She was looking down at me with an almost loving look on her face.
“You were so fucking mean, you need to make up for it.”
My hand grabbed her ankle just above her heel, sliding up the back of her calf, to her thigh. When my fingertips reached her hip, I noticed something that made me nearly fall backwards. She wasn’t wearing any panties.
Using the slit up the side of her dress skirt, I moved the fabric over to see her, already visibly wet. She loved this as much as I did. I only peered up at her for a split second, seeing she now had her head leaned back, waiting, anticipating.
Catching her off guard, instead of starting slow, building her up, making her whine and beg, I attached myself to her core, drawing a sharp breath out of her.
“Fuck, Noah!” She pulled at my hair, looking down at me while I worked her over, feeling the moisture running down my chin. “Ugh, you look so fucking cute when you do that.”
I raised an eyebrow at her, but didn’t detach. I pulled her one leg so her thigh balanced on my shoulder and dove in deeper, sliding my tongue up and down her folds. I saw her tits bouncing up and down as she bucked into my face.
I settled in, intending to let her finish before I took the reins back, but I was interrupted at her pulling me upward by the hair. The unfamiliar sting on my scalp made me wince, but I still stood up in response.
“Lay the fuck down.” She pushed me down onto the bed. “Pants off.” I smirked at her, not moving an inch. “Now.”
Her voice was terrifying. I began unbuckling my belt, and popped the button open with one hand. She must have been getting impatient, because her hands ripped my pants down and off, her eyes focusing on the bulge in my boxers. I leaned back on my elbows, waiting for her to do whatever she needed to torment me further.
I truly did not expect what she said next.
“Touch yourself.” This confused me.
“What?”
“You fucking heard me.” She jumped up onto the dresser, leaning back against the wall, and let her legs fall open, giving me full view of her. My eyes followed her every move.
I reached down and palmed myself over my underwear, feeling vulnerable.
“C’mon now Sebastian, this is no time to be shy.” This made me actually fucking blush. She was enjoying this way more than I expected.
Hooking my thumbs in the band of my boxers, I carefully slid them down low enough to let myself free. My fingers gently grabbed my dick, tugging at it ever so slightly. The sensation was good, but it wasn’t her.
“That’s it, baby.” She spread her legs, her pussy sitting just above the wood of the dresser, putting herself on full display. “Nice and slow.”
I whimpered. I actually fucking whimpered. It wasn’t lost on her, either, her eyes darting to my face and licking her lips.
“See, Noah? This is what happens when you’re an asshole. You get treated like the fucking brat you are.”
Who the fuck was this girl and how quickly could I lock her in a room and never let her escape?
My hand worked up and down my shaft, my eyes falling closed and my breathing erratic. I could feel myself getting close just thinking about her.
“Stop.” My hand froze, and I opened my eyes, staring at her in defeat. “Don’t come yet.”
I was getting frustrated. “Why the fuck not?”
She sat up, crossing her legs, putting herself away.
“If you don’t wait until I tell you to come, I swear I will put on my sweats, go downstairs, and start cleaning.”
That was the threat that made any confidence I had falter. Once she started cleaning, it was over. She would hyper-focus, and I wouldn’t see her again until the entire house was shining.
I moved my hand off of my cock to resist the temptation and laid flat back on the bed, digging the heels of my palms into my eye sockets.
I stopped when I felt the bed dip on either side of me, and looked up to see her kneeling over me, now fully nude. My heart sped up as I felt her slide herself up and down my shaft, her slick pussy gliding so fucking deliciously. Instinctively, I reached for her hips, but my hand was met with a hard slap, which caused me to pull away.
“Not this time, baby boy.” I groaned, lavishing the feeling of her on me, the weight on my hips excruciatingly divine.
“Now, what do you have to say for yourself?” I looked at her, lost on what she was asking for.
“What?” My voice was a breath, an exhale.
“For treating me so foul?” She pulled back, and grabbed the base of my cock, pulling it forward to line up with her entrance but holding steady as not to let it touch her.
“Ugh, Leena,” I moaned,
My hips trying to buck. She pulled further away as I tried to press into her.
“Say it, Noah.” She demanded.
“Fuck!” My body was screaming, fire coursing through me as she ran her hand up and down, grazing the head. “I’m sorry! Jesus Christ!”
With that, she sunk down, enveloping all of me so fucking perfectly. My eyes snapped shut, trying like hell not to finish just from the edge of it.
“That’s right, honey.” Her voice was a soft moan, her hand coming up to wrap around my throat again as her hips snapped forward. My vision was turning white.
“Now, ask me fucking nicely.”
Wild that she could think I could speak, given she was cutting all my air off. It was unholy, and I loved every fucking second.
I choked, trying to speak, and I felt her fingers loosen slightly.
“Please, baby,” I breathed in hard. “please let me come.”
“Fuck, Noah, you’re so fucking gorgeous.” She let go of my throat, reaching down to circle her clit. I felt her rhythm become unsteady.
“Leena, Jesus fucking Christ, please, baby, please.”
She thrusted faster, her climax coming uncoiled, and I felt her tighten around me.
“Oh, fuck!” She fell forward, wrapping her fingers in my hair.
“Fuck me, Noah. Fuck me, please!” Did I need to be told twice?
My hands gripped her ass and lifted her, slamming my hips up and pounded into her. She still hadn’t told me yet, so I was fighting as hard as I could to hold it together.
“Noah, come for me.” She cooed directly into my ear, her voice so fucking sweet.
I think I may have had a stroke, the sheer velocity of my orgasm ripping out of me. I let out a hard, visceral scream.
Once we were both still, her body laid lazily on top of me, I left soft kisses on her shoulder.
“I really am sorry, baby.”
She chuckled softly. “I know, babe.”
I turned my head to look at her face, looking absolutely exhausted.
“You’re so fucking amazing when you’re angry.”
She lazily lifted her eyebrow. “Did you start a fight just to have angry sex?”
I bit the inside of my cheek. That was probably the better answer.
“Maybe.” I tried to be coy, and she seemed to buy it.
I didn’t know what had come over me in the backyard, or why I got so annoyed with her talking to another man. I’m not like that, I never have been.
But something inside me told me that the feeling was going to get me into trouble.
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askmerriauthor · 1 year
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regarding pokemon sleep, it looks like you’re just looking for things to complain about. it’s designed to be this chill thing you check on during the day and leave running at night. to play it, all you have to do is sleep and feed your pokemon. no one’s telling you you to have to be the very best at it or pressuring you into paying for stuff, let alone the game itself.
If I was just looking for things to complain about, I'd still be out here whinging over Pokemon Cafe's delightfully charming art style being absolutely wasted on a junk puzzle game instead of a full RPG or cozy slice-of-life Sim.
Regarding this post here.
Hi, I'm MerriAuthor. Apparently we haven't met because anyone who follows my blog would know that I've worked in game development well on 20 years now. I've worked across the industry from little nobody indie houses, to overseas gacha-fodder, to big ol' AAA major studios. Video games and their design are a big part of my life and, boy howdy, do I have some FEELINGS about the direction the industry as a whole has gone in as the years go by. Especially in regards to the predatory monetization of gaming and how it actively preys on children, uninformed parents, people with addictive behaviors, people with hyper-competitive personalities, and similar behavioral traits solely for the purpose of making money at their expense.
it’s designed to be this chill thing you check on during the day and leave running at night. to play it, all you have to do is sleep and feed your pokemon.
As with the previous person I spoke with on this topic, that is the base function of the game. But it's by no means the design of the game. Pokemon Sleep's entire game play rotation and marketplace are designed around encouraging the Player to interact with it as much as possible within an intentionally limited time frame. Meanwhile, the game's own time scale is such that it expects Players to log hundreds if not thousands of hours of interaction with it. Its own base gameplay loop is a weekly schedule and its shop schedule is monthly. Some Pokemon require a bare minimum of 150 hours of logged sleep to even access. Pokemon Sleep wants you to be in it for the long haul.
It's also based on collection; nearly every facet of the game is listed numerically and with a percentage value or progress bar, which are functions designed to produce urgency to complete them in the Player. Human brains don't like seeing an unfinished goal, especially one represented so overtly as an unfilled progress bar or a percentage value with a decimal. Want to have your favorite Pokemon as your napping buddy but don't want to put in a ton of effort playing the game to boost up your Snorlax's power score? Better hope it's one of the low-tier Pokemon assigned into the lower brackets of the gameplay progression, because otherwise you're never going to see it. Though you could always just fork over some cash. Nearing the end of your week with Snorlax and you're just shy of a milestone you've been aiming the entire week for? Good luck! You can pay money for that extra little boost, and once you've done it you'll resent its absence enough to want to buy it again! Do you want to level up that cutie first Charmander the game gave you at the very beginning specifically to ingrain itself with faux emotional value into your favorite Charizard? Want your Eevee to evolve into one of its most popular Eeveelutions? Want a Lucario, period? You'll need to put in hundreds of hours of consistent sleep to save up enough Sleep Points exclusively toward that goal... or you can just buy access to it immediately, through first purchasing access to the Premium Subscription! A Premium Subscription which, again, doesn't auto-cancel if you delete the app and can't be canceled through the app itself, for all you distracted parents who don't pay attention to fine print and wonder why your kid's game is running up a bill on your credit card each month after the 14-day free period - just long enough for you to have forgotten all about it in the first place. Snorlax wants a specific kind of Berry this week, but none of the helper Pokemon you recruited gather that berry, or they do and are just too low on Energy to manage it? Aren't you lucky! The shop will just sell you solutions to these problems the game itself created specifically to get you to shell out money!
no one’s telling you you to have to be the very best at it or pressuring you into paying for stuff, let alone the game itself.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Here's some screen shots from the game's own app page. Buttons to make purchases and drive interaction - the app store, sleep pass, how many dream shards you have, a prompt to buy more inventory space, your missions, your current goal, the progress meter and rarity values of your Pokemon's sleep styles, your collection and their levels, etc - are all constantly and prominently displayed. The entire first day of actual gameplay in the app is a tutorial explaining how it wants you to do more than just sleep and passively collect to the point that it literally sets a daily schedule of activity for you. The mechanics explanations are so egregiously long that the Professor character literally apologizes to the Player for being so long-winded about it. Oh, an adorable moment of self-depreciation and understanding! How humanizing and encouraging of empathy from the user, done with a cheeky wink and nod. Now that we've softened your emotional state ever so slightly, here's some more microtransaction-driven gameplay elements!
If this was really just a cute little game to idle around with for its own fun, there wouldn't be a cash shop, nor would the game require a consistent internet connection to its servers. The big thing with games like these is that they're not made for the Player's benefit or entertainment. They're made to make the parent company profits. That's it. If the Pokemon Company didn't think they'd make substantial returns on the investment of development, support, marketing, and online distribution costs to put this game out into the world, they never would have made it. That is a core reality of any product put out these days. I just spent this last week helping my studio's marketing and sales team make sales projections for one of our upcoming titles, figuring out how much we could reasonably charge our potential customers literally down to the penny. And the game we're selling isn't even a service with any kind of microtransactions or DLCs. Profits are fundamental in any studio production and, where microtransaction apps are concerned, are the core focus of why the app exists.
If you're perfectly happy with playing Pokemon Sleep as an idle "pop on every once in a while, poke for a few minutes, then forget about and never pay a cent" kind of game? Totally fine, you do you. But understand that Pokemon Sleep doesn't want you as its player and will not cater to your experience. The core gameplay of Pokemon Sleep is already designed to actively degrade into a subpar experience for those who don't pay to play and that rift will only become more pronounced as time goes by. Everything around the cash shop exists for no other reason than to encourage you to use the cash shop. Over time, the gameplay will further contort itself to drive more interaction with and reliance upon the cash shop as the app sheds its non-paying users who just tire of it and move on, instead doubling-down on the lingering, paying users who have already proven themselves a reliable stream of revenue. That is how these things always go and have always historically gone.
There's also the consistently apt adage of "if you're not paying for the product, you are the product". Pokemon Sleep requires an internet connection any time you want to interact with the app - there is no offline mode. Further, the actual fine print in the terms of service (not the bubbly, legally-meaningless assurances put into the game text itself) addresses that it will collect and may share your device information, user ID, and app activity (ie, the schedules, timing habits, and spending habits the game itself has ingrained into its interaction with the Player) for analytics and advertising purposes, and that they're okay with sharing (ie, selling) that information to third parties without naming who those third parties are. And boy, does the game really want you to link your Google, Apple, and Facebook accounts to it as part of its core functionality! Worth keeping in mind as well is that the app requires constant access to your microphone and can pick up sounds as minor as a sheet rustling when you turn over in bed. The game's bubbly, meaningless text assures you that it doesn't save or transfer the snippets of sleep recordings it makes of you each night, but it makes absolutely no assurances whatsoever in the fine print that it's not using your microphone for other purposes. It does, however, point out that it will be making use of your phone's functions even when you're not using the app.
So, yeah, I'll just still be over here not playing Pokemon Sleep and encouraging others to do the same, as well as pay closer attention to the nature of so-called "free to play" games.
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beelmons · 2 years
Text
Spencer x ADHD!girlfriend.
"...and that's exactly why The Zodiac, in theory, was more prolific as a mathematician than a serial killer." he finished his sentence as he drew a couple more words and connected lines on his whiteboard. His body turned in your direction, and it made you jump slightly on your spot on the couch.
"You're so right, babe, that makes a lot of sense." you said. Truth was, you had no idea what he was talking about. You were having dinner together, and you mentioned Zac Efron on the Bundy movie, things escalated, and he took out his whiteboard, and that's what you remembered happening last.
You loved your boyfriend, and you absolutely adored hearing him ramble about whatever topic he was feeling passionate about. It was one of his most endearing features, and you vowed to yourself you would always be there to listen.
Tinsy problem, sometimes your brain was physically uncapable to keep up with his talking speed, and the second you didn't understand something and you couldn't just interrupt him to clarify it to you, your brain would fly somewhere else. It wasn't because of boredom, his speeches were never dull to you, you were just wired that way, and there was little you could do about it but conceal it from him and try to pretend that you got everything he was sharing with you. At the end, that was your true intention every time.
His arms dropped defeatedly to leave the marker by his coffee table, immediately they traveled back to his chest, crossing them over it. "Okay. What was it this time?" he asked.
"What do you mean?" you frowned in confusion. He noticed your obliviousness and decided to walk in your direction, crouching down in front of the couch.
"You zoned out. I'm curious about what you were thinking about instead of The Zodiac." he smiled.
"You noticed?!" you almost yelled out your question.
The chuckle that he let out, amused and surprised, easied the slight anxiety that you had began to feel. "You do that all the time, I'm pretty familiar with your present-body-absent-mind expression." he clarified.
Your hands flew to your face, covering it with your palms in embarrassment. "I can't believe you have known all along." you mumbled against your own skin "I'm so sorry." you said with a slightly saddened voice.
"Hey," he reached out to grab your hands and guide them away from your face, taking them in his instead "why are you sorry?"
"I really love hearing you talk about things so passionately, I promise." you tried to reassure him. He let out a smaller laugh this time.
"From all the people I've met in my life, you're the only one that's never asked me to stop." his eyes moved to yours. His sight was longing and gentle, his thumbs rubbing at your hands with adoration. Your heart beat erraticly for a second, regardless of the amount of time you had been together, he still made you nervous, he wooed you with his beauty and kindness. "Regardless of how long my ramble is, or the topic. Not even that one time I was telling you about flatulence characteristics and types." he admitted shyly.
You took back your hands and bent forward instead. Your fingers landed on his cheeks and you pulled him closer so you could place a gentle, loving kiss on his lips.
"And we weren't even dating then." you joked "Still, you should have said something."
"It doesn't bother me" he stated "If anything, I'm always amazed with the random, completely unrelated thoughts that pop into your mind during your zoning out. So, tell me, what was it this time?"
Your lips pursed slightly, eyes looking away shyly "I was wondering how faucets work." you admitted and he yet again let out a gentle chuckle.
"I actually know the answer to that one." his eyes narrowed and he turned back to stare at his messy whiteboard, his entire body still crouched before you. "Perhaps if I break it down on modules, and we have a dynamic activity in between, I can keep your attention engaged." he said once he had turned back at you.
"Or we could make out. That keeps me engaged." you mentioned, your hands tangling on his hair.
"Yeah, nevermind, let's do that."
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