#so theres a few mistakes at that

[imflyingfish]

Its so odd seeing that cow build going around lmao

[rox-of-iu]

my old blorbos are back in my brain

heart pirates my absolute beloved. shame theyre chillin somewhere in the ocean lol (do not mention the pre-time skip hats of penguin and shachi I'm still attached even tho its already been a million years since then)

anyway every time i remember that Law and Kid are assigned german and Scottish by Oda i gain one hundred years

[arthrobug]

Kobylu Week Day 1: Roleswap

LAST FEW MINUTES OF THE DAY SHUSSSSH

Okay silly lore I thought of since I'm free now-

The only ones swapped are Koby and Luffy, and I also adore the Rocks D. Koby AUs so of course I alluded to that lmao, and basically Luffy is just the most unhinged Marine you've ever fucking seen 💀

Rumor that Xebec had a descendant got out a while before Koby was born, around the time Roger was executed. Koby was soon involuntarily abandoned after he was born, since his parents got found out and killed by Marines. He was taken into the care of a communication line of fishermen, who found out Koby's bloodline pretty quickly, but decided to keep it a secret. He was passed island to island to keep his existence a secret (oh hey sorta like Luffy lol), but he was still kidnapped by Alvida at 14. However, Koby was aware of his lineage and was already trained in how to defend himself, and he managed to escape only after a few weeks, albeit badly injured. By pure coincidence, he ran into Red-Haired Shanks, who decided to give Koby some medical attention before dropping him off someplace. In the time they knew each other, Shanks decided to give Koby -instead of his whole hat- the red ribbon attached to his strawhat to Koby. Koby still wears the ribbon as a bandana to this day.

Luffy never met Shanks in this AU, and Garp drilled Marine ideology into his grandson's head harsher than ever, but it of course didn't stick right, and Luffy interprets it in bizarre ways. Luffy is still extremely motivated to find the One Piece, but not to become the King of the Pirates. He just wants to out of spite and boredom.

Luffy and Koby met during the timeskip, about a year after Ace had been wrongly executed. In that time, Koby had become a prominant pirate from both his name and his grandfather's. People assumed he was after the One Piece as well, and they weren't wrong, but Koby's real reason to find the One Piece was to end the era of pirates, not to become King. Luffy had been on a sort of off-site probation after he tried publicly saving Ace (to keep him out of the public's eye/to forcefully make him cool down/to make people believe he was dead), and ran into Koby. Luffy was briefed who Koby was, but couldn't care less, and became good friends with him extremely quickly.

And that's all I got pff, might make a fic might not, anyways see ya tomorrow for the Modern Prompt 👍✨

[gunstellations]

double trouble

[good-beanswrites]

My thoughts on how the Milgram mv machine works based on the evidence we have:

(I know there’s been discussion about where exactly the interrogations take place, but wherever they are,) the prisoners are made to sit in a specific chair near the wall that houses the machine.

It’s ordinarily hidden, but the wall panels shift aside to reveal it when the mechanical sounds play in the dramas. As well as the walls moving, the chair transforms to restrain the prisoner and attach whatever it takes to access their brain. The fact that none of the more frightened prisoners try to run or break it makes it seem like they physically cannot. This is why Fuuta sounds so panicked, and why Amane is suddenly helpless in front of Es in their T1 vds.

(My mind conjures very classic sci-fi mad scientist machines with wires, pipes, lights, nodes, needles, etc, but I’d love to hear how other people visualize it.)

In some vds (maybe all? I’d need to check,) you can hear Es take some steps right before their iconic line -- it would make sense that for safety reasons, the power mechanism is placed across the room. Once again it could be anything, but the sound effect makes me think of one of those giant wall-mounted levers you have to pull down.

The voice dramas don’t really provide the type of crime details that an actual interrogation would reveal, and it’s odd that they’re placed before the extraction rather than after Es gets to see the new details. This leads me to believe the machine functions with priming. All Es needs to do is get them talking about their murder, so it’s on their mind.

The video produced is much like a (non-lucid) dream. Even if the prisoners figure out that this is how it works, they can’t control it just by thinking really hard about something else. The murders produce the strongest emotional affect, and that’s what it picks up on. If someone else used the machine, it would default to whatever gave them the strongest emotional reaction in the ~15 minutes beforehand, hence why Es’ video focuses on their daunting task ahead. (The Undercover theory is still a bit loose, though, given the private shots that Es wouldn't have known about). It’s why the videos are usually closely linked to the vd topics/beats. I also like to think that the reason their prisoner colors appear so much is because they’re looking at those colors on their uniform 24/7.

The bell rings to inform Es that it’s the optimal time to use the machine -- the prisoner has been thinking about things for long enough that the video will be about their crime, and if the conversation lasts much longer they’ll start thinking of other things. It’s at a different time for each prisoner because it’s based on the specific conversation. I guess Jackalope is listening in to the interrogation, timing it perfectly. (The only one that kind of messes with this theory is Yonah, because they just keep talking afterwards lol, but it could just show that the interrogation is still in Es’ control.)

Their “Sing your sins” is the final priming nudge to get them to think of their actions as a sin, revealing their guilt.

Once activated, the prisoner enters a sort of trance/sleeping state. It’s very much like REM sleep, with the machine forcibly activating neurons and recording the output. The prisoners have asked Es what they saw, meaning they don’t remember the mvs. I like to think the prisoners do experience the mv in real time, acting as the major version of themself that appears, but can’t remember it afterwards. It’s when you experience a dream, but as soon as you wake up you’re just left with fleeting emotions and memories right on the tip of your tongue.

The video plays immediately upon extraction -- whether on a huge projection or little screen depends on which room it’s in. It simultaneously saves the memory so that Es can rewatch it later (on those old TVs in the jailbreak mix). The machine downloads the song and video together, but requires special parts to retrieve them. The technology is pretty new and fragile, so if one is broken, there might be a delay between when Es can hear the extracted song and see it with the video. (That’s my justification for Kotoko’s delays -- after 9 prisoners the parts wear out, or maybe Mikoto himself overheats it with his complex situation.)

Based on the lack of conversation we get afterwards, I picture Es leaving before the prisoner wakes from the trance. The machine adjusts their brain back to normal before they awaken, restraints freed and able to return to the rest of the prison.

It’s very much like a dream, so it’s not harmful despite the amnesia/head injuries the prisoners have. It does, however, exhaust them. Brain activity alone takes a lot of energy, so forced brain activity with added emotional strain would cause them to feel pretty drained the rest of the day.

[downsteepy]

love machine

[sodademon]

hiyori loves the sound of juns voice as much as his own

[pyrosomatic-metamorphosis]

genuine question but is there any fandom where a character is well written by the majority. im thinking about fandom culture and the spread of frustration when people dont write characters well but. honestly in all the fandoms ive been in there's only like, a Select number of authors who i trust to write Well, let alone write Well AND In Character. character analysis and writing and getting inside characters' heads are all separate skills (all of which are trained by roleplaying fyi can CONFIRM playing pretend with your friends is good for you). there's been more than once where I've disagreed with an interpretation that others agreed with, and then I turned out wrong. or i turned out right. like it doesnt matter WHO is right it just matters that differences in character analysis exist, so even if you DO write well AND write in character, your in character is still going to be someone else's out of character

there's this sort of. vibe. that to play in the sandbox you Need to be able to make a castle, and if you can't make a castle then you shouldn't bother, and it completely dismisses the idea that youre in that sandbox to PLAY in the first place. there's this Weight of disappointing someone if you can't build something that they like, but that forgets that you aren't there to build them a castle. like, be KIND. if you disagree with someone then please make an effort to do so kindly. i dont give a shit about fandom discourse but there is a reason kids get removed from sandboxes if they keep throwing sand in people's eyes. but if they don't like your misshapen sand pile, then youre not obligated to change it. even if you yourself end up hating that same sand pile later- youre not building a legacy. youre playing. and sometimes the result of that play is out of character drivel. theres a reason there are so many authors and so few who i like to consistently read and thats because everyone is Fucking Around in their hobby space. hash tag brag or whatever but i can build castles. ive built several that im v proud of. ive also dug holes in the sand for fun and then tripped on them when trying to get up. I often dug a hole and then got up and fucking- whoops, its a castle now, and i didn't realize i'd made something to be proud of until after the fact. the whole time while creating shit i was Convinced it was bullshit that didn't make sense. and then other times i was Convinced it was bullshit and then i was Right and i can look back and go. huh. ew. but it doesn't matter what the end result was, because i had fun playing in the sandbox

this wasn't meant to turn into a ramble but i have Feelings about bad art and art that's badly perceived and how public perception can screw with your head and how making art youre proud of is fucking. it's so difficult!!! it's hard!! it's really fun, which is why i try to make it, but i promise you it is Okay to not tryhard creativity. even if you CAN, it's okay not to do it all the time. or ever, even. fuck around find out have fun etc

[willczek-art]

Flashlight travels across the old picture frames, drowning in dust and cracks of the bleak landscapes and unsettling portraits.

Ghosthunters AU linocut strikes again! :D

@bratniadusza 's Ollie and my Andy are finally out of the woods, visiting a very pleasant property at totally normal office hours!! Nothing suspicious going in here!!

[oldmanpuppyplay]

🎶Just The Right Height for Delight🎶

[toastsnaffler]

I'm so fucking tired of ppl assuming I'm a teenage boy I'm not that young and I'm not a guy and it's funny when it happens occasionally and I'm in an amiable mood and idm being a little gnc ik I present somewhat masc even if its not rly intentional and ik my autistic/adhd mannerisms make me come across a little childish sometimes even if im constantly masking at work or in public and I can't control how other ppl perceive me and ik its natural for the human brain to make social assumptions all the time bc there's so much information going in and out it has to process so it automatically categorises shit so I don't mind it happening OCCASIONALLY but I've been getting so fucking many unnecessary comments lately and not just from strangers but ppl I know too and if one more person says some offhand shit to me I'm going to black out and bite until there's blood leave me the fuck ALONE

[josephslittledeputy]

WIP Wednesday!

Tagged by @detectivelokis @direwombat @inafieldofdaisies @clicheantagonist @socially-awkward-skeleton ty for keeping me in the loop lovelies!

Tagging @g0dspeeed @nonfunctioning-queer @marivenah @henbased

Posting a few things since I've missed a million wip wednesdays, so first up is the beginning of Willa's disastrous journey in part 1 of her dark au :)

“Ugh…” A groan forces itself through cracked, dry lips as she wakes to an insistent mumbling hum buzzing by her head. Her eyes flutter open and roam over her settings with an owlish blink. Numbly, she stares ahead, to the swaying headset that’s making so much noise, and finally to the vibrant orange ribbons, flapping in the wind outside. A few minutes tick by before her memory trickles in, syrupy slow, bringing with it an ice cold terror. Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong. She was hanging upside down with her seat belt being the only thing holding her in place. It takes another minute to realize that the ribbons outside were not ribbons at all, but flames. To make matters worse, there's a tiny waterfall of liquid, dripping down from the helicopter and splattering onto the ground into a puddle. The smell itself is indistinguishable: Gas. She looks over to her right to see Hudson, passed out, then in front of her to see Burke, also passed out, and then there was… Wait, where the hell was Joseph? “Amaaaziiiiing Graaaace.” The distant, haunting timber of his voice paralyzes her. Ironically, she can’t help but to think that this would be the part in the movie where the main character ran and hid from the killer. But she has no where to run and no where to hide, so she does the next best thing: A fumbling attempt to grab the headset dangling just out of reach, taunting her. “How sweet the sound…” She leans forward, brushing her fingertips against the headset and pushing it further away. “C’mon!” She makes another attempt and this time her hand secures a tight grip around it. With a bud of hope blossoming in her chest, she pulls it toward her, just a little closer- Joseph’s hand shoots into view like a striking viper, latching onto her wrist with a punishing grasp and her breath hitches in her throat. She doesn’t dare to turn her head, in fact she’s not even sure she’s able to. She’s frozen in place, watching him move into her line of view. “That saved… a wretch… liiiike me…” He tilts his head, watching her. Unblinking. Waiting. It’s only when she releases her death grip on the only lifeline out of here that he, in turn, lets go of her wrist. It's a short lived relief, as in the next moment he grabs her jaw, lips twitching in amusement now that he’s made sure she’ll be unable to look away from him. “I told you that God wouldn’t let you take me.” He taunts, using his other hand to blindly reach up and grab the headset behind him, pulling it close so he could talk into the mic. “Dispatch.” “Ohhh… my god.” Nancy responds with a relieved, shaky exhale of breath. The reply prompts a brief half smile, one that doesn’t quite meet his eyes. “Everything is just fine here. No need to call anyone.” No. No, no, no. There was no fucking way- “Yes, Father. Praise be to you.” He drops the headset with a dramatic flourish then leans in with deadened expression, getting close enough that she could smell him this time: Dirt, sweat, ink, old books, and… something else she couldn’t quite put her finger on. He reaches up, slowly, as if approaching a cornered animal and she can’t help but to think, oh god, this is it. Bracing herself for the pain of long, pianist fingers penetrating squishy flesh, her eyes fly open in surprise when rough, callused thumbs brush across the apples of her cheeks instead. It’s a soft, soothing gesture, one she’s unfamiliar with. He wipes away stray tears that she hadn’t even realized were there and takes a moment to watch her. A second later, he’s leaning in, getting too close, forcing her to move her head back until it hits the headrest behind her. “No one is coming to save you.” He utters those final words before climbing out of the helicopter

Next up is Willa's (failed?) cleansing!

“Not this one.” He holds a hand out, stopping the peggie at her side and giving them a look before handing over the book he’d been reading from. His blue eyes—looking almost colorless in the moonlight—flick back to her and the water parts around him when he moves closer. “This ones not clean.” Then he lunges, pushing her down until she's submerged underneath the water again. She struggles, trying to gain purchase on anything, but the effort is futile and a few seconds later she’s already resurfacing. Her chest heaves with her gasps for air, her lips trembling from the cold temperature. “Y-you mm-muh-mother-f-fucker!” “Ahhhh!” He clicks his tongue with a smile, “Shhhh.” Expecting it this time, she holds her breath just before he pushes her under, the cold water shocking her system as if she were doing a polar plunge. She manages to grab hold of his shirt, pulling him with her and delighting in the blurry shock on his face when he stumbles and falls. He barely manages to catch himself and in using her to regain his balance, he sends her back slamming into the ground, driving the air from her lungs. Out of instinct, she opens her mouth and inhales water, gulping it down like she hasn’t had a drink in years. It gives her a bone chilling sense of dreadful déjà vu. Her frantic movements grow more sluggish the longer time passes until soon, she isn’t even struggling at all, but weakly smacking at whatever part of his body she could. But he doesn’t relent, he doesn’t let up, he keeps her there until her vision darkens at the edges. Then he keeps her there even longer, sharp fingers digging into her shoulders as he takes out his rage and frustration on her. She can’t do anything but exhale… and let go. . . . “N’aww, you really thought this was over? It’s only just begun…” . . . Someones pressing on her chest—one, two, three—then pushing air into her lungs. They repeat the motions again. One. Two. Three. Air forces its way into her lungs. She doesn’t respond. Again—one, two, three—more air. She responds this time, coughing and throwing up water that spills over her face. Sweet, sweet air fills her lungs and there’s a multitude of voices all mumbling by her ear. Her eyes lazily open, idly noting that her chest feels heavy, that it aches. Above her, with the moonlight behind him like a halo, she can only think that Joseph Seed looks just like an angel in that moment. Or maybe it’s the bliss—yeah, she’s sure it's the bliss. His lips were moving and the words don't register with her, but the relief was clear on his face. Raising a hand, he pushes wet strands of hair from her face and slowly, the words begin to fade in. “You’re not here by accident or by chance. You are here by the grace of God. You’ve been given a gift.” His lips pull up into a smile, not like the half ones that she’d seen earlier in the crash, but a real one. His hand smooths over her hair again, the motions setting her at ease, making her relax, disarming her. “Now it remains to be seen whether you choose to embrace it…” His voice lowers into a despairing whisper, ”Or to cast it aside.” Chirping crickets fill the silence while he continues to stare, memorizing her features.

[well-dressed-sewer-rat]

fyodor when he. exists

[gibbearish]

am finally back home and can say without a doubt that i am just fundamentally not built for long distance travel however the train was much nicer than planes

[ark1os]

.

I didnt know the tags woulr be so much i shouldve just wrote a long vent 😭😭😭 rip

[my-st0ff]

Something Soft and Delicate

Chapter One

Fandom: Dragon Age

Pairing: Cullen Rutherford x human female rogue inquisitor reader

Chapter Song: Jack the Ripper - Morrissey (lyrics in bold)

Summary: Set after the events of Dragon Age Inquisition where the inquisitor (you) has completed the Cullen romance.

A beautiful and private ceremony for just the two of you went incredibly, you can now both call one another husband and wife. Something Cullen had always wished to find with another. For now, the two of you can rest, finally not in the midst of war. But Cullen still carries fear and dread on his tired shoulders and you are tormented by your past.

You couldn't have even dreamt of such a gorgeous ceremony. You'd been to a wedding, just one, to assassinate the bride for a bounty... something that haunted you quite often. This sort of jarred your perception of how a wedding could be, you'd since subconsciously associated weddings with bloodshed. As you had no previous experience. Cullen had taught you once again the beauty in something you thought to be unimportant or 'not for you'. Another thing that Cullen had taught you was that as soon as you had stepped through the doors of the Haven Chantry you were a new individual, because you were no longer backed into a corner and fit-ting in rage like you had been your entire life. The bounty hunter lifestyle was one you had grown comfortable in, as comfortable as one can be. You'd lived it for a solid 9 years, after you and Cullen had to part once again... after you'd lost everything again.

You and Cullen grew up together, him - an aspiring soldier, more than excited to protect and provide, a bright yet quite shy kid. This military interest of his kept him bullied most of his childhood. You on the other hand, a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed young lass with a rebellious twinge in her aswell as your constant chomping at the bitt to explore. You didn't have a plan - as Cullen did - growing up you dreamt of adventures alongside a horse and a lover, Cullen to be specific. You'd always loved him, your first love as was his as you both confessed to one another at age 17 and his 18. One year, one beautiful year where you felt nothing could ever dent the purest of joys you held in your soul now that you and Cullen had decided to stick together as more than just the strong unit you were before but as passionate lovers with the dream of pursuing your lives hand-in-hand. Before you knew it your, what you called for years after, silly teenage fantasies were crushed and cursed. Brutally so. Cullen left to join the military miles upon miles away at just 19. He told you the line of work he was pursuing was to put him in frequent danger and he was doing this to protect you and your heart, those being his very words as he left you. No promise to write or visit, ending everything just like that. Right after this was when you realised your absence of planning for your future was crashing down on you, collapsing and suffocating you. You had unsupportive parents and were mainly raised by yourself or spent your time with Cullen's family - after he was gone you never visited them again, you felt you shouldn't. Though it was mostly selfish, you didn't want to see them knowing you couldn't ever see him again, it would hurt far too much. You spent a lot of time on the streets, squatting and pursuing bounties for cash to keep yourself alive. You found it easy work with your trained agility and precision with a bow aswell as a set of daggers. After the uprising of darkspawn attacks you were undeniably worried for the safety of the man you no longer knew, but not enough to do anything about, you had yourself to look out for and that was all now. All was as good as it could be until you received a hit request from an aware government official who had taken note of your work of a soldier working in quite a far area from the city you usually reside in - you never usually took hit requests the prize was unreal, enough for you to even start over again. It didn't you long to realise this slimebag you were hunting who had infiltrated the army was working in close quarters with Cullen Rutherford. You did everything you could to prevent your paths from crossing and were successful all the way up until you had finished the job and were planning on leaving to go back home the next morning. That very night hell broke loose in the Tower of Magi, you knew full well Cullen was in that tower, you'd overheard the operation being discussed previously when getting a gage of the military camp earlier in the night before you killed the hit. Instinct fully took over, you ran shooting first and thinking later into that tower to find a weak, terrified Cullen. He teared up at the sight of you and took convincing to believe you were truly there. Everything that he and the other templars had done disgusted you to your core, and even though you knew Cullen was afraid and never wanted any of this, you couldn't excuse it but most of all, after he begged you to, you couldn't stay. This money you were soon to receive was about to change your life forever and you refused to give it all up for someone now, it was too late. Upon returning you soon learnt you were being deceived by the shady individual who had plans to kill you once the job was done in order to avoid the promised payment. You survived but stripped of everything of the very little you had. Back to bounty hunting and misery. For 9 years you never lived, just survived. Until the day you gained the mark and once again, perhaps fatefully, your paths crossed.

"sweetheart?"

And with a single sound emitted from the warm chest of the love of your life you were home, say from the suffocating depths of your thoughts.

You: "sorry, drifting off"

A smile breaks the concern on his face and one of his hands flees from the reigns of his beloved and pampered clydesdale horse 'Destrier' to cup over one of the hands of yours that gripped so tightly around his waist. He rode you both slowly, still in your dress and he in his suit.

Cullen: "something on your mind"

You: "how could there be, I just married the greatest man in all of Thedas"

You smile with a small huff of a laugh and lean your head forward to rest on his shoulder. His eyes maintaining forward with most of the motion as he turns to place a quick kiss to your temple.

Cullen: "you must have me mistaken"

He laughs

You: "not as far as I know"

You peck at his shoulder a few times

You: "so, why don't you just tell me where we're headed hm?"

He smirks

Cullen: "I refuse"

You: "Cullennn"

You whine

You: "it's getting late"

You add as the sunset on the horizon catches your eye

Cullen: "oh, you don't care if it's late, don't play at that"

He smiles, loving every moment of your anticipation.

You: "and you don't care if your lost"

You laugh

Cullen: "oh y/n, we're not lost"

He rolls his eyes

Cullen: "I promise you'll love it"

You: "how are you so sure"

Cullen: "I know you"

He reassures you in the gentlest of tones. He had, in the most literal sense, pulled you away not so graciously almost immediately after the ceremony had ended into the saddle of his far too conveniently close-by horse for this to be unplanned or on impulse. He sat with his arm extended to pull you up without a word of permission, you don't agree, but you don't refuse and evidently followed him up and we're led here.

Cullen: "But tonight you presume too much"

You: "presume?"

Cullen: "your all tense... darling I promise you I am not going to ruin any aspect of our wedding night"

You: "I know, I know... I trust you"

Not so many trots later and you had reached what seemed to be a dead end, screwing up your face in confusion at the stone wall covered unforgivingly in vines and other colourful plants. Cullen dismounted without a word and, similar to how he had previously ushered you onto the horse, placed his hand in view for you to take and be escorted off of the back of Destrier. You took it and carefully lowered yourself, making sure to avoid any and all dirty or muddy spots to save your elegant gown.

You: "are we... here?"

He smirks

Cullen: "almost"

He, instead of letting go of your hand when you were safely on the ground, leads you gently forward whilst his other hand reaches toward a clump of vine. Boggling you. Cullen pulls away a few spots of plant to reveal a mystical-looking hidden archway within the wall. He looks back at you with unmatched giddiness.

Cullen: "come on, don't be shy"

He tugs playfully and moves forward through the arch at an upped speed. You giggled and followed through to a small, desolate and abandoned balcony, sitting on a cliff that eyed what seemed like all of Thedas. The now starry sky stretched across the most perfect view you had ever witnessed, your heart fluttering madly.

You: "oh... my... I have no words"

Cullen: "I hope it's not boring- I- there's not much to do but every now and then I come here to watch the night sky- I thought you'd appreciate it"

The tips of his ears turning brighter than before, you cupped both of his hands in yours before drowning yourself in his moonlight-filled deep brown and doughy eyes.

You: "this is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen"

Cullen: "I- I'm so glad"

You smiled uncontrollably at one another before you pulled away to close the gab between you and the broken down walling protecting you from the ledge.

Cullen: "careful, this place is old"

You could soak up this view for hours and it would still be impossible to not be able to find something new to look at. Cullen took a few steps toward you but kept his distance. He watched you, he found doing so irresistible. Every inch of yourself bathed in moonlight, he'd never seen something so perfect and pure, he'd never loved someone or something so much in his life. He wished everyday that he could take back all those years he spent away, he wished he could have just swallowed his pride and lived them out with you. But as of this moment, none of it mattered. You were here with him now and he couldn't have asked for anything more. His hand trails softly down your upper arm until it reaches your wrist and slowly works to your fingertips. He massages and caresses your hand whilst your head stays faced outwards to the landscape.

Cullen: "I love you"

You finally turn back to him

You: "I love you... more than anything darling"

His tender and needing eyes beg for you. You take a step or two closer so that you could fold your arms around his shoulders, one hand naturally landing in his perfectly groomed hair as your lips land automatically onto his. He pushes for the kiss to be delicate, not wanting to force anything but you egg him on as you deepen said kiss. The kiss becomes more and more indulgent and it's oh so soon before Cullen begins to hum and whimper little affirmations of content into your mouth. He'd always done this when you kissed, he never really could help it. The whole action of being able to kiss you was all so pleasant for him that he had no other way of expressing himself other than non-worded small noises. He'd done the same with most of your affectionate touches, whenever youd carress his sore back or run a few fingers through his hair upon greeting him. His hands lay gently on your hips. He'd also always been a little shy when it came to his way of physical effection, he desperately wanted to be close with you but was just so wrapped up in his irrational worries of you not recuperating this. You moved your hands to his and usher him to squeeze a little more. Eventually he began to work his hands around your hips and waist. Your set of fingers that are not in his hair end up by his torso, squeezed between your warm bodies. Your index and thumb rimming around a button on his shirt that sat close to the centre of his chest after your hand had worked it's way within his blazer. Undoing said blazer with such a discreet motion that once he felt your hand underneath another layer of fabric his heart skipped a little in wonderful suprise. You pull your lips just an inch or two away from his so that you could mutter to him:

You: "I want you"

Cullen opens his eyes finally to reveal a dazed look in each brown pool that made him almost look drunk. Upon take a step back you noticed just how much brilliant torment you'd caused his what was before perfect presentation. His hair pointing in jags in different directions; his cheeks with a light rose tinge and his blazer now just hanging onto his body.

Cullen: "I know a place-"

You cut him off

You: "absolutely not, we're going home to our warm bed"

You smile

You: "come on it's not all that long of a ride"

You add and with unmatched willpower push yourself off of Cullen and toward the same way you entered the hideout.

Cullen: "whatever you want darling- I just thought... I just need you..."

His voice gruff on the last addition to his sentence, making you look back into his needy eyes. You take a few steps back towards him and tease him with a peck on the lips, leaving him leaning foward towards an absence of reciprocation.

You: "don't worry, I'll get us home quick. And if it's the last thing I ever do, I'm going to give you what you need tonight"

You smile light-heartedly, fully aware of his urgent state and yet still toying a little.

Once upon Destrier (you had insisted on taking the reigns, joking that he'd detour the two of you, but Cullen demanded childishly that he take control) your arms seemed to keep creeping further and further around his torso as Cullen rode at just a bit over a medium pace. Your hands explored his core, noticing and lingering on where you could feel his rapid heartbeat aswell as where his tender stomach lifted and fell shakily. You moved your head forward towards this and placed a peck to his temple and then to his ear. Soon you were nibbling gently at the shell and lobe of Cullen's left ear, causing his pants to now be rather audible. A small whine escaped him.

You: "what's the matter baby?"

You play in a whisper, the hot air from your lips landing on the inner shell of his ear with little to no travel between as you sat your face painfully close to his.

Cullen: "I- nothing I-... this is rather embarrassing"

You: "hm?"

You momentarily question before both of your hands had driven down his body enough to land by his lap, noticing the not very discreet bulge sitting not so comfortably within his smart trousers.

You: "oh sweetheart, there's nothing to be embarrassed about"

You add, one of your hands now caressing the mound gently, making him jitter and let out a short, stuttered moan and then a chain of stuttered, shaky sighs. The sight of Skyhold working into view for the both of you was the best relief Cullen could ask for. He rode Destrier erratically into the stables before leaping off immediately and hauling you down afterwards, making you let out a small squeak of suprise and then a few little giggles as he held you in his effortlessly strong grip. Carrying you bridal style in a pace straight into the stairwell that led to your shared room. Upon peeking upwards you were met with a determined and straight face heading straight forwards with just a few specks of sweat. His jaw twitching. Once finally in the bedroom he all but drops you down onto the bed. Standing above you, you grab at his shirt collar and slowly pull his upper body towards your face. Breathing hot air between one another but denying contact. Suddenly, he swiftly, but still making an effort to be gentle, pulls your hand by the wrist away from him.

Cullen: "no more teasing"

He says in a husky tone, an excited smirk soon growing in place of your dominating glare. Cullen was gaining confidence and for this you were gaining lust. He leans down at his chosen above medium pace and begins to kiss and tooth just a little at your neck and collarbone in almost an animalistic manor. His heavy pants very audible. He crashes into your arms, you bringing them up underneath his arms and allowing your fingers to dig into the region of his back around his shoulder blades whilst he holds himself at a perfect level of elevation so that he can bury his mouth and nose into the crook of your neck whilst not burdening you with his whole weight by leaning on his lower arms sat by each side of your head. He hums with pleasure into your skin. His body all-together is working up yours, him still on his feet for the most part. Your legs separate and cling around his waist to allow him to shuffle himself up against you, beginning to gently rut into you, needy. Small gasps (in the sense that he was genuinely surprised at how good the little contact felt) and 'mm's began to escape his lips, quiet but close to your ear, as he subtly humped into you. One hand of his lifts up for a moment to begin unbuttoning his shirt, whilst doing this he kisses first at your lips and then down your jawline and behind your ear to your neck and then works his way around the area repeatedly. Cullen was completely in a trance, under your spell if you will, unless you were to command to stop or to whack him on the back of the head in more violent terms he would happily be in this state with you forever. Though happy wasn't enough, he needed absolute ecstasy, and Cullen's ecstasy had been found on both of the two occasions you had layed together before. Once not so soon before your final battle and once when you managed to sneak away at the party afterwards, in a way that made you appear similar to a pair of loved up teenagers, it was so nice to make up for the time you lost when you were infact the prime age for those shenanigans.

Cullen was soon unbuckling his belt, his lips attached to yours. You'd managed to slip and shuffle out of your gown with a bit of hand-sy help aswell as your underwear. He desperately pulled off his underwear, it was almost humorous. Before you knew it he was standing above you once again, his hands by each side of your head so he was still leant over you but now there was a big enough gap between your faces for a strong eye contact. His brows contorted downwards of the inner sides, closest to his nose.

Cullen: "may I?"

You nod your head over a few times excitedly with a smile which soon spreads to him. You reach out your hands and cup his face so you can comfort him a small rub of your thumb on one of his cheekbones as the sudden waves of pleasure crash into him whilst pushing himself slowly into you and also so you can watch his face contort as he does so. As the tip pushes into you he immediately lets out a shaky sigh, his eyes falling shut for a moment and his mouth hung wide but he soon flickers them open once more to maintain eye contact.

You: "good boy, that's it"

Your thumb begins to caress as you'd planned. He pushes in further and bites his bottom lip painfully hard in response. More intense whines escape him and his chest stutters with every slow rise and fall. He sits for a moment when you gasp, not even fully in, he's hit a very sensitive spot of yours.

You: "all the way, that's it"

You reassure in a high tone, your mouth now gaped also. With this reassurance he pushes in excruciatingly slow, at the fear of hurting you, until his balls make contact with your skin. He slowly sinks into your again, resting his head in the crook of your neck. He slowly begins to work himself in and out, moans and pants squeezing out of him every second. You bring one hand to his hair and stroke it comfortingly and the other to one of his big arms so that you could hold onto it for your own comfort.

You: "good boy, does that feel nice?"

You mewl

Cullen: "mm- mhm"

He moans in response

Cullen: "your amazing... your amazing to me"

He adds in a pant. One of his hands has now made its way to your clit to rub slow circles on the most sensitive nub that sat in the centre .

You: "o-oh god, Cullen"

Cullen: "I know baby"

He responds as he begins to thrust his hips into you quite a bit faster than before.

You: "m-more, please"

These words escape your lips without a second thought, suddenly you'd just spoken them and even shocked yourself. Cullen stops moving his hips for just a moment so that he can fully stand above you again, you still laying comfortably before him on the edge of the bed. His shimmering-with-sweat brow furrows in focus and his lips disappear, folded inwards. A similar face to as he makes when carefully inking a letter or organising most things work related. A concentrated look that only you had ever been able to break with your distracting self. But this time, the thing he was focusing so hard on was the rhythmic flow of his hips reaching the perfect angle that made your squeal and jolt in place as he began moving faster than you'd ever had him before. The noises you were emitting were terribly gorgeous to Cullen and he couldn't help himself but to want more and more, even though his movement felt so so incredibly good to him and if kept up was going to end things for him all too early. His moans were now the loudest you'd ever heard and the tenseness of his lower stomach indicated exactly what was happening. You had no issue with this though as Cullen seemed to presume, you were not far from the same and you wanted to be stable enough to keep your eyes wide open and glued to his expressions when he came. Cullen was beyond overwhelmed and his stomach was growing achy and legs tired.

Cullen: "darling- t-too much, too much"

Were the only words he could possibly produce as he began slowing again.

You: "ssh, it's okay, it's okay"

You manage through trembling lips and sit yourself up, keeping yourself positioned so that he could remain inside of you but you could wrap your arms around his neck and press your forehead to his. His hands instinctively gripped your waist and you hear him gulp hard, you could hear every little noise his body was emitting perfectly from this close.

You: "let me do the work baby"

You coo and begin the roll your hips onto his, moans uncontrollably vibrating from your bitten lips. You caressed your fingers up and down the back of his neck with one hand and used the other to support yourself by having it wrapped fully around his back and gripping to the shoulder on the other side from behind. Your fairly slow movements were working you both to the very edge of release.

Cullen: "I- your gonna make me-"

You, in a silent response, rut yourself into him faster until Cullen goes for a deep inhale but instead his breath is hitched and his mind goes fuzzy. His hands grip painfully hard on your hips, possibly bruising. Once he can breathe again the most lewd moan you'd ever heard escaped his chest followed by a string of frantic and high pitched 'I love you, I love you's. You grip his shoulder tight as his blissful-to-watch orgasm pushes you right over and your hit with a gorgeous release that has your squealing into his chest once your head had flopped onto his chest in surrender.

You: "o-oh baby"

You cry, actual tears escaping you now with the intensity of the feeling you were finally working down from.

For a moment, the two of you panted into one another, your head now risen again to press foreheads. The silence was broken by a small, breathy giggle that emitted from Cullen. You reciprocated.

Cullen: "your... too good for me"

He puts, one of your hand working down to intertwine fingers with one of his.

You: "you and I both know that's far from the truth"

You respond and place a tender, vulnerable kiss to his soft and still trembling lips.

You: "you did so good for me, sweetheart"

A flushed smile lands on his face, he never failed to become overly joyous and flushed at praise from you. You begin to shuffle backwards on the bed. Cullen takes the absent-of-word invite and follows to snuggle himself next to you. As you were both a little too sweaty to wrap yourself in duvet you rather placed a throw over the two of your still-exposed bodies. You'd never felt so comfortable around someone as you were with Cullen, comfortable to be vulnerable and true to yourself, your real self. Not the woman you'd had to portray for so many years in self defence. The little tip of Cullen's soft nose soon found itself nuzzling at your collar bone before his content and tired face found a comfortable spot to lay itself upon your pillow closely to your face. His eyes already shut. One of his hands found itself ever so comfy on your boob as the other played softly with your hair. You turned your head to place one gentle kiss to his creased forehead.

You: "I love you, ya, know that?"

Cullen: "more than anything"

He answers shortly, making your heart flutter. Not having to word the obvious for you to understand. He'd often answer you with this phrase and it never failed to bring a cheesy smile to the next however long of your day or night. Whenever you'd catch him and give the quick "I love you" and instead of the automatic "love you too" he'd more than often but less than always respond with "more than anything”. Your mind drifted over this very fact for quite a while, subconsciously sending you to sleep.

Chapter Two: