#to answer your question: I am absolutely HONOURED

[wheredidalltheusersgo]

Mutant Duncan!!!!

He got bit by a tarantula (he’s not Spider-Man though)

Unlike normal spiders tarantulas actually don’t spin webs to trap insects instead they hunt like most animals they still spin silk they just don’t make webs.

Duncan can make silk through his wrists (like Spider-Man) and he also has neurotoxic venom in his fangs that paralyze and then dissolves whoever gets a lethal dose!!

(How does it feel to get your first ever fan design for an au? /lh)

(Also if you recognize the pose, no you don’t /j) (it’s from the honey I’m home mv by ghost n pals)

MUTANT SPIDER BOY AYEEEEEEE!!!!!!

I think he'd get along GREAT with alejandro from The Mutant Facility! I'd hate to get bit by either of them

[ellecdc]

I HAD AN IDEA FOR A REQ BUT I FORGOT IT AND I JUST REMEMBERED AGAIN

okok so shy!reader (similar to r in the poly!marauders + lily fic that i am genuinely obsessedddd with) but with barty and she just gets so flustered and blushy when he’s so loud and outspoken about his affection for her

barty would absolutely accidentally (& lovingly) torment poor shy!reader. thanks for your request! (I'm obviously currently in my Barty-girl era - I deserve jail time ur honour)

Barty Crouch Jr x fem!reader who tries hiding from Barty, much to Remus' chagrin

There were very few places in the castle that Remus could escape to from his nettlesome roommates. Thankfully, his roommates would rather be trampled by a stampede of hippogriffs than spend their precious free time in the library of all places. Unfortunately, Remus was still too easily spotted in his current hideout.

“Rem! Hide me!” He heard you squeak as you came flying around one of the stacks of books; eyes wild like a prey animal looking for their last chance at survival. 

“What?” Remus asked dumbly, but it was no use. 

You let out a cartoonish ‘eep!’ sound and dove underneath the table Remus was currently sat at; your head basically situated in Remus’ lap as you looked up at him desperately. 

“Please.” You practically begged. “You never saw me!”

“Who’s looking for you?” 

Remus' question was answered in the form of a haunting whistling weaving its way casually through the aisles and aisles of books before pausing directly in front of Remus’ chair.

“‘Lo, Junior.” Remus greeted politely, causing the Slytherin boy to narrow his eyes at him.

“Lupin.” He drawled suspiciously. “Aren’t there usually…more of you?”

Remus grimaced as he felt your nervous claws dig painfully into his calf. “Nope.” He replied an octave too high to be considered casual. “Just me.”

Barty simply offered him a disbelieving hum. 

“So, Lupin,” Barty continued, chewing the vowels of Remus’ surname as if it tasted particularly rancid in his mouth. “See anything around here lately?”

Remus hummed as if pretending he was in thought. “No…nope, definitely haven’t seen anyo- anything.”

But it was too late.

“Haven’t seen anyone, hm?” Barty surmised with a wicked grin. “Not even…say…a certain witch who happens to be the object of my affections?”

You dejectedly thumped your forehead against Remus’ knee, hitting the nerve which caused his leg to kick out reflexively, thus pushing you over under the table.

“Merlin’s tits, Lupin, are you having a fit?”

“Oh my sodding Godric.” You finally grumbled from under the table, causing Barty’s face to brighten up astronomically. 

It took you far longer than Remus would have liked to be sitting in the awkward semi-company with Barty to extricate yourself from under the library table, and your efforts were accompanied by an awful lot of painful sounding bumps and cursing before your - albeit rather bedraggled - form materialized beside Remus. 

“There’s my girl.” Barty nearly sighed in relief; a dopey lovesick smile spreading across his face.

“Do you see it too?” You whispered to Remus conspiratorially.

“See what?”

“That look.” You whispered again, causing Remus to snort.

“The look of adoration currently decorating Junior’s face? Yeah, I see it.” 

You scoffed at him. “Barty doesn’t adore me.”

“Says who!?” Barty nearly screeched, causing Remus to look around nervously at the attention the trio was quickly gathering. “I’ll kill them.”

“What?”

“Can I be excused from this conversation?” Remus groaned as he returned to his seat.

Barty quickly agreed at the same moment that you hissed no!

“Listen - my darling angel - though I think you’re really great at just about everything you do, you are absolute pants at hiding.” Barty offered you solemnly as if he were gently giving you quite devastating news.

“Maybe you’re just too good at this finding thing.” You huffed as you crossed your arms; quite petulantly, in Remus’ opinion.

“At finding you?” Barty asked as his face broke out in a Cheshire cat grin. “Always.”

Remus was certain you were going to melt through the floor below you, and - quite frankly - if it got you two away from Remus’ library sanctuary, so be it.

[neil-gaiman]

Hiya Mr Gaiman!

It's probably unlikely that you'll see this, since ofc you're probably busy rn, but incase you do see this in your inbox but don't have time to answer due to other stuff, i just wanna let you know that i still appreciate you somehow having time to read this lil ask I've sent you! Again, thank you Mr Gaiman!

Anyway, so this would probably sound *kinda* weird in terms of the ask i'm writing to you, but do bear with me!

Ok, so uhh Mr Gaiman, if you were to have the ability to time travel to alternative dimensions/universes, would you go to an alternative universe where Monty Python member Graham Chapman never got throat cancer and was still alive and well and happy in his 80s and living his best life in said alternative universe? If so, why? If not, why?

Again, sorry if it sounds a bit out of league and sorta philosophical in terms of the question for you to answer, Mr Gaiman, but I've been thinking about this for quite a while now and it does make me both happy and emotional to think about if Graham Chapman was still alive today, and if he was still alive today, what kinda projects he would've been in, both in terms of writing and acting? Would Graham still be in contact with the other Pythons? Would Graham probably also have a Tumblr account? (ok that's a bit of a stretch but it's a bit funny to imagine imo).

I certainly think that, if Graham was still alive today, he would've been absolutely happy that same-sex marriage was finally made legal plus many other achievements for LGBTQ+ rights, and that he would've probably gotten legally married to his partner David Sherlock, with the other Pythons being the guests of honour for the wedding ceremony!

I also wonder that, if Graham's adopted son John Tomiczek (who unfortunately died from a heart attack in 1992) were to also live, would've Graham finally become a grandpa/great-grandpa?

Idk, it's just some thoughts that I've been thinking about. Thoughts about the many upon many possibilities of Graham doing lots of stuff today if he were still alive. Things he *would've* and *could've* have had the opportunity to do......that is.....if the universe didn't decide to be a dickhead one day and give Graham throat cancer for no absolute reason, and to make it hurt even more, have him pass away on the eve before the 20th Anniversary of "Monty Python's Flying Circus" airing on the 5th October, 1989.....

Again, I understand if you can't be able to answer rn due to other stuff, but I thought I'd ask you this rather hypothetical (rather philosophical of sorts) question cuz I have been thinking about it for quite a while now, and I wanted to hear your personal thoughts on this hypothetical AU situation!

Thanks Mr Neil Gaiman ❤️

It's a lovely idea. I never knew Graham (although I've met most of the other Pythons, and am friends with Terry Gilliam). I like thinking of worlds in which wonderful people didn't die.

[mythicmanuscripts]

hi!! thank you for all your work, I binge read it all and now I just go back and reread over and over! I know you do GOT too, so just to start off, what about sub!Robb with a betrothed/wife he’s known for a long time? maybe he’s really stressed out after ned leaves to kings landing and he has to take over, and the only emotional release he can find and really trust is letting himself fall into subspace with you?

His mother is preoccupied with Bran after the accident and he has to be strong in front of the rest of Winterfell, but with you he can just let himself float and get all clingy and teary and know you’ll take care of him—

haha I’ll say thank you and stop before I start rambling too much!

This is so good!! I absolutely love Robb (I think this is where my love for Jace comes from actually) so I am very very happy to start off GOT talk with him!! (Sidenote: wanna know the GOT character I love the most? Sansa. I would die for her. She went from my least favourite character to my absolute favourite, 10/10 character development)

My answer isnt too explicit but there's definitely NSFW undertones and implied sexual activity so I'm gonna put it under a cut just to be safe :)) Also, all my GOT content will have the appropriate tags such as 'game of thrones' and 'game of thrones x reader' so if you don't want to see this content then just block one of those tags.

So firstly, I love the idea of being long time friends with Robb and long time betrothed? Kinda simpler to the Jace and Baela relationship with you and Robb being promised to each other a long long time ago. Maybe after you're promised to Robb you choose to stay at Winterfell after that? Or maybe you're supposed to stay for a few weeks and then return home but when it's time to leave you decide to stay.

You and Robb get along incredibly well from the moment you met and you're both so excited to one day be married. Robb definitely constantly calls you his betrothed and will tell off anyone who says anything inappropriate about you or tries to get too close to you because you're his betrothed.

I think maybe what happens is Ned tells you both that you will finally get married when he returns from King's Landing? Of course you're both overjoyed about this. There had definitely been moments where you two came close to doing things you shouldn't before marriage, and to be honest you would have happily not waited until marriage, but Robb is the perfect gentleman and honour is so important to him not only his but yours. He would never ever do anything that would make people question your honour.

However, once Ned leaves and it becomes very clear that he's not going to come back anytime soon and Robb is having to take on the role of the head of Winterfell... then things start to come apart.

You can see how much he's struggling, and of course you'd never turn him away. At first it's just coming to you and asking for advice and venting. You have always been each other's safe space, and since you're supposed to one day be the lady of Winterfell as well as his wife, of course you listen and help him.

Robb starts to lean on you quite a bit, which he appreciates so much and he doesn't know what he'd do without you. In public Robb seems to be very put together and the pressure he's under never shows. But once the doors are closed and it's just the two of you, he allows the facade to fall and lets you see how much he's struggling.

You always listen and help him. You offer advice but you also just offer a safe space, allowing him to rest and relax. You always offer him hugs and distractions and he appreciates you so so much.

Pretty soon a problem comes up. When he's alone with you and all his walls are down, it's very hard for him to hold back? He wants so badly to just dive into your arms and kiss you and be comforted. He knows you're not married yet so he's not supposed to even touch you really, but he can't help it when he's feeling so stressed and so vulnerable and he just needs someone to make him feel good.

It starts off with you letting him hug you a lot more and then it goes into cuddling. Originally Robb feels that even this is too far, but you reassure him because you can see how bad he needs it. You also remind him that you're his future wife. He can't ruin your honour because he's the one you're supposed to keep the honour in tact for.

Pretty soon you've got a routine. He comes to you and the two of you cuddle together and you listen to him vent. Then you'll either offer him advice or just distract him? He's honestly like a cat, practically purring as you rub his back and play with his hair.

I think this is where he starts to drop into subspace? At first he's not quite sure what's going on, all he knows is that suddenly he feels like he's not close enough to you and he's getting all weepy and desperate and he has no idea why. You notice his distress of course, and you try to help him as best you can but it's very clear he's wanting to be closer, wanting more.

You'd grant him that if you thought he actually wanted it but it was pretty clear that he wasnt in the right headspace. So instead you just hold him extra tight until he calms down enough to fall asleep. The next time you're alone with him you have a conversation about it.

He tells you he's not sure what happened. But most importantly, he assures you that while he was at first scared, you calmed him down perfectly and after that he slept better than he had in weeks.

So you allow more and more of it, both because he needs it and because honestly you love being able to see him like that and you feel so privileged to look after him.

He starts to kneel for you after that and he loves it so so much. The first sexual thing that comes from it is just him eating you out? He won't allow you to return to favour, but he absolutely loves being able to do it to you.

Needless to say, the marriage date ends up being brought forward.

[vtoriacore]

Yo! It's me! I was wondering if I could request Ruggie, Idia, Riddle, and Malleus with a significant other who fights people for just breathing in their direction. Like Crowley opens his mouth and their already like "SHUT UP!" And throws chairs at people. I think the comedic potential for this is exponential

✧ alla stocatta (this chair)!

note: this is such a funny fucking concept LMFAO😭 gremlin MC agenda has gotta be my fucking fave they have the power to be so unhinged and i live for it also not proofread because it's low-key 12 am BUT. it's readable so-

characters: ruggie, idia, riddle, malleus

people who reblogged here is a special heart and a kith y'all do the most and ily 💞

♡ RUGGIE

ruggie finds it both amusing and kind of intimidating (and kinda hot but he'll die before he admits this yk) how you literally defend his honour (even when it doesn't necessarily need to be defended) but is he complaining? fuck no! 

half the time he is laughing and the other half is him cheering you on and maybe even encouraging you to do something just a little overboard (nothing that will get you into trouble, and if it does he's usually happy to take the blame) 

the first time he witnessed you literally throwing your broom at leona in joint flight class because he wouldn't stop bitching to ruggie was just about the most hilarious fucking thing he's ever seen and oh- there he goes falling off because he couldn't stop laughing (he stops when you catch him and ask if he's okay though - this mf may think he's slick but is literally reduced to a blubbering mess once he finds himself in a position considered a little too intimate with you) 

the second time he saw you trip someone up because they looked at him wrong, and your silly, sly self simply gave them the most unimpressed look you could muster with a "watch where you're going" 

the hyena was too stunned to speak 😮 no but seriously he found that both hilarious (as always) and admirable because holy shit, you did it so nonchalantly and it looked so fucking cool- he questions how he was even able to pull you (dw ruggie, you've got rizz!) 

he absolutely loves when you stand up for him for more serious stuff though, like if someone's insulting him for his status or for having to work etc. because your no-bullshit attitude actually works so well? you just casually throw a chair at the mf even daring to look at him and his heart goes ✨✨✨ all the while he's laughing and cheering you on from the sidelines. 

.

♡ IDIA

at first, idia is fucking terrified! bro is borderline crashing because how the fuck did you have the strength to haul that heavy ass cauldron at the person making a snide remark about him? he was going to say he's NEVER coming to class again but after this, he changes his mind so quick

like, you looked so badass doing that? the savannaclaw loser who tried insulting him barely got two words out and you just- oh wow! he just got the "in love" status applied to him again! 

nah but fr he is literally fucking grinning as he stares at the poor, poor fool laying on the ground and is so fucking smug about it too! 

"that was an ez no scope, didn't even have to be 360 lol'

"idia ily but what"

"it's a roundabout way of saying this bozo stood no chance, you pulled up on him too quick lmao"

at first, he is a bit concerned that you might end up in trouble with someone for doing all this but . . . yk, his money speaks for itself and if something does ever happen covering up wouldn't be too hard so he lets you do as you please

this hades-rapunzel secret love child thinks its low-key hot too, but he'll never admit it and he literally turns bright fucking pink anytime he even thinks this. you tried prying the answer out before, but he pulled out his secret trump card - fainting on you so he wouldn't have to say a thing

idia is another mf to absolutely egg you on as you cause some more chaos, it's getting to the point ortho had to warn you of nearly breaking someone's arm before you stopped. idia was just standing there, the most villainous, evil grin to have ever graced his face; "no, no! let them cook!"

.

♡ RIDDLE

riddle. fucking. FAINTS! 

he was NOT ready for that strawberry tart to end up lodged down someone's throat as you victoriously shrugged your shoulders with a "what? they had it coming."

"oh great heavens what have you- where is the decorum? what could have possibly compelled you to-" aaaaaaaand man's down!

when he awakes, he's frantically shaking your shoulders and asking why you would even think that nearly suffocating someone (not really, you pushed the tart far enough they could swallow) was appropriate 

but let me tell you, when he hears it was because they've insulted him and brought his mother into it, he low-key feels light headed and oh wow his cheeks are getting pretty warm huh? 

riddle, in his own spiteful way, actually doesn't probe you on this any longer and makes you promise that you won't do this in his vicinity again

you of course, nod along. you won't do it in his vicinity, but will be perfectly fine exacting your revenge straight after he's out of sight

when you actually end up having a . . . a chair duel. yes, he read that right. (he wasn't about to even question how that came about but nontheless) he ends up both impressed at you exploiting a loophole you've found within his statement and at the fact the person you've just beaten (both literally and figuratively) is miserably sitting on the floor apologising for giving riddle the wrong look at 12:34 AM on the 3rd of march. very specific 

riddle doesn't even chastise you for this one, he is exasperated but does actually pull you away from the scene and thanks you for defending him. this time, he makes you promise to resolve your fights for him verbally, but he won't be stopping you from this point on (it's because he doesn't want to and enjoys you standing up for him)

.

♡ MALLEUS

the student walking away from malleus makes him feel a bit bad. so naturally, to remedy this, you end up shouting at them! now they're backing away from you instead, isn't this the meaning of true love? (no)

this silly little very capable of looking after himself fae is fucking over the moon! absolutely smitten! completely in love! when you come to defend him and angrily shout at people for not treating him like a being worthy of respect and love.

he low-key debates proposing to you on the spot after you also somehow manage to get a student to apologize to him for fearing him for no good reason! he appreciates the sentiment and you caring for his well being, isn't that basically marriage already? no? he'd like to digress immediately

malleus does get a bit concerned when things get physical, not that he doesn't trust you to take care of yourself or anything but he worries that you might end up hurt. oh, did you think he'd care for the person you're fighting? or you getting in trouble? nah, he could literally BBQ anyone who even dared harm you anyway and if crowley even thought to step in, he'd soon be reconsidering because he doesn't want to end up an elaborate crow dish

however, on the occasion that you do outsmart your opponent (aka the savannaclaw student who just rolled his eyes at the dragon fae) he feels hella proud and is very amused at your antics. i mean, the way you just psychologically destroyed the fool in front of you for their comment on malleus not even being that good at magift is very sure to leave them questioning why they even bothered coming  out the womb for the rest of their life. 

he is another one that finds it low-key 😳😳😳 like damn, did you always look this badass when flipping someone off for even breathing wrong near him? sane thoughts just weren't made for malleus

[piggycyberwarrior]

How the Arcane Characters would react to a smart!s/o

a/n: hey guys so yeah.. i am backkk. love you all and pls request or talk to me if you want <3 don't be shy!!

Contains: Viktor, Vi, Ekko, Silco, Jinx

Disclaimer: Okay so i know people can be smart without reading books- but reading online articles or there are different reasons BUT there is no "world wide web" in the Arcane Universe. That is why the reader's a massive bookworm-kinda-smart person (?)

warnings: itsy bitsy teenie tiny mention of mature themes (turn on; feral) but NO further description; mentions of kissing (?), goofy Jinx (like what did you expect T-T) not proof read

let me know if i missed any warnings!!

Viktor

LOVES IT

like really he would be so thrilled to have a smart partner

would constantely go to the library with you- buying old science books or books about stuff that you like to read.

^ he never lets you buy them tho <3

Asks you when there are some issues with his work.. like this is such an honour (my bby has some issues when it comes to asking for help)

Viktor would always and I mean ALWAYS compliment you

-"look at my smart darling"

He just feels understood and so comfortable with you as you are on the same wavelenght as him

Loves to hear you ramble to him about the most random things at night, during walks, breakfast, in the morning, just simply at anytime

peppers your whole face with kisses while you ramble to him in the morning- loves to make you laugh, giggle or chuckle

Also adores it to have deep conversations with you

He just loves you<3

Vi

it would turn her on so much to be honest

like its so attractive (fr guys)

she would listen to you all the time, rambling and or reading to her- even tho she doesn't understand shit sometimes

loves it when you put her in her place when she did something stupid

also loves that you are a walking wikipedia

"Cupcake, what do you mean the dot over the "i" has a name??"

- " yeah its called the tittle or superscript dot- not only the dot over the i but also the dot on top of the j"

"WhAt?"

would constantely brag about you to EVERYONE like its almost embarrassing stopp vi please

used to steal you books from Piltover (still does it to be honest)

sometimes asks you if that one random fact she heard was true

loves to kiss you after you answered her question- as a price for being this smart <3

Ekko

lmao i don't know why but Ekko is such a sucker for intelligent/smart people

like dis man would be on his KNEES for you.

he would be always crafting stuff with you, always making sure you've got a new book in your hand, always kissing the ground you walk on

he wastes no time getting you anything that you need for your studies, crafts or freetime.

Has no shame- will show you off to EVERYBODY ON THIS GOD DAMN PLANET (like Vi)- especially to his teammates tho

loves loves LOVES to spend time with you and teach him the things you know or learned

"So the Midas effect is about people becoming more generous after a simple touch?" "Exactely, but the effect isn't scientifically proven- its just an assumption." "I see.."

also loves your fascination for knowledge

I'm sorry but he would go absolutely feral when he sees you teaching stuff to the small kids in the HQ.

it would make him so happy ngl

He would kiss you after that everytime- praising you that you're so smart

Silco

he would think it's so hot

Lets you read or craft in his office so he can watch you

^ it calms him

i don't think he would brag about you but he would be so proud of you neverthless

tells you that too

isn't stupid himself so he sometimes reads the books you enjoyed reading- he does that because he wants to know what you're talking about- never admits that tho

"What are you reading, handsome?- "Oh.. History of the World- it's quite interesting" you looked at him dumbfounded but quickly smiled "It really is interesting- the text structur is just beautiful!" you happily cheered

he loves it when you ramble to him at night- him laying on your chest and softly carding your fingers through his hair i love this man

just stares at you with that unreadable hot gaze of his when you start mumbling to yourself about some equations.

doesnt look all that dazed but on the inside he is GONE!!

he is so in love

grabs your chin and turns it to his face- pressing your lips onto his. Loves how you squeal- suprised that he interrupted your train of thought

Jinx

she adores it SO MUCH

constantely wants you to talk to her like she sits there- criscrossed, head resting in her palms- listening as if she has nothing else to do.

always wants you to tell her anything that you learned

^ she deadass throws a tantrum if you don't

only really listens to you- thinks you are always right

just like her sister- you have to keep her from doing stupid stuff

^ you cannot tell me she wouldn't do anything stupid lmao

decorates your book covers and doesnt know why you're so stressed everytime she does it (like thats a no-no , darling pls)

like thats so weird and all but she loves to read Picture books while you read Aristotle- just to feel the vibe

"How is your book?" you asked her with a raised eybrow while flipping to the next page- hearing her hum as she was reading that picture book. "Oh it's great, pudding- the ducks finally found their home!!"- "Really, that's good to hear" you chuckled softly

gives you suprise kiss-attacks when you're absorbed in your work

brags to sevika how smart her s/o is but gets jealous when others tell you that you're smart like gurl?

please do reblog, sweetheart <3

[spectrerie]

Ok I have no idea if your requests are on or not because I literally never request but I love your writing so here I am! Anyways I can’t stop thinking about ghost x hacker reader who works with 141 and they have to go with the guys on a mission to like hack through security systems or something (idk) but ghost absolutely refuses to let them go like he is so against it. And maybe while they’re on the mission the reader gets hurt or something idrk I haven’t thought that far ahead but I thought you would do so good with this idea!!! Thank you!!

Hello!!!!!!! This request is so good! I got a bit carried away and wrote 3.5k words on it lmaoo, but I'm happy with it now, so I'll post it as an answer to this ask

If you die, I swear I'll kill you.

Simon Ghost Riley x gn!reader

Please enjoy this anon, and anyone else who reads it.

TW: injury, slight workplace bullying, enemies(?) to friends

“With all due respect, sir, no. I don’t need to babysit some egg-head while I’m in the field.” Ghost sat with his arms crossed, knees apart, filling his chair and the room with his presence. 

You glanced at Price, you’d both expected this reaction, but it still hurt to hear him say it so easily.  For nearly two years you’d put your best foot forward. Did everything to get him to like you until it became clear that he never would. You were ready to settle for respect, for a crumb of acknowledgement. Though soon that too was clearly out of your reach. Now you were just happy to keep out of his way. You weren’t part of the 141, no matter how much information you’d stolen for them, no matter how much data you mined for them, no matter how many sleepless nights you’d given them. You weren’t a soldier. Ghost made sure to remind you of that at every chance he got. 

At every debrief he treated you like you were just a piece of the furniture. He ignored you with ease, asking questions to everyone but you. Making plans and strategising with everyone’s strengths in mind but yours. Any information he needed about what you could do he’d obtained through Captain Price. Often with you in the same room, going over your head like you were some machinery he’d be crazy to speak to. 

You typed and looked through files. You were a glorified intern as far as he was concerned. 

“Well Lieutenant, it’s not up to you, is it? Owl is going with you, and that’s final.” 

A part of you cringed at the nickname despite the joy it normally filled you with. You’d felt honoured when Soap had coined it. The night owl of the 141, playing with mice and bringing veritable feasts of information back to the nest. But hearing it used in front of Ghost felt wrong. You could feel his eyes roll without even looking at him. 

You didn’t need a call sign. 

You didn’t need to be closer to the 141.  

You didn’t even need a name, because they didn’t need you. 

“Yes, sir.” He said as he stood to attention, mumbling his acknowledgement to the Captain            as he prepared for his dismissal. 

“Final brief at 0400. Wheels up at 0500, understood?” Price barked out at the two of you. You both gave your acknowledgement and he nodded, satisfied for now. 

“Alright, dismissed.” 

Ghost made a quick exit, as though being in your presence was more than enough to make him ill. You sighed and began to move, but a hand at your shoulder stopped you. 

“Owl, don’t let him get to you. You’re a part of this team, and you’re needed on this mission. I wouldn’t send you out if I didn’t believe you needed to be there.” 

You nodded, dropping you head to pull back the tears that threatened to fall. 

“Thank you, sir. I won’t let you down.” 

“I know you won’t. Your intel has always been good. We don’t have the time to wait for the boys to bring the drives back, if they even knew what to look for, time isn’t on our side.” 

You knew that better than anyone. If only Lieutenant Riley would admit that you weren’t an incompetent civilian, maybe things would go along quicker. 

 — — — 

“Alright boys, this one should be simple, yeah? We go in, subdue any hostiles, grab the tech and get the fuck out. I don’t want any mistakes, I don’t want any problems,” Ghost’s eyes stopped at you as he said the last word, “I don’t want any bad news, understood?” He said as his voice boomed over the sound of the plane's engine. 

“Yes sir!” The group called out as one. This would be easy, as he said. You didn’t have to do too much, just follow the group and live long enough to break through the encrypted drives. From their you could relay the information back to Price and Laswell. Simple. 

Your eyes drew closed as you took in a breath, trying to centre yourself. Get in, get the drives, get out. Job done. You repeated your mantra until you fell into a fitful sleep.

You woke with a start as your name was barked out. 

Lieutenant Riley stood over you, arms crossed. An obvious scowl beneath his mask. 

“Gotten enough beauty sleep, sunshine?” 

The plane was empty, your teammates stood out on the makeshift runway, watching your change out of earshot. The late evening sun hung low on the horizon, casting long shadows into the plane.

“I’m sorry sir, I just wanted to be rested for the mission.” 

“Well, aren’t you considerate, thank you so much, Pigeon.” His voice dripped with a saccharine sarcasm that cut you to your core. You hate that he’d made a mockery of the callsign you were so fond of. You were sure other people had slept on the flight over. Why was he singling you out so cruelly? 

“Are you still on your bloody arse?” He barked out, loud enough too draw the attention of your teammates. “Sorry, sir!” you replied as you jumped up. Your body was yanked back with a start, bucking against the fastening that had kept you in your seat. Your head knocked back against the body of the plane, tilting your helmet over your eyes. 

“Oh fucking hell, Pigeon. If you get yourself killed on this bloody mission, I’ll murder you.” His hand made quick work of your seatbelt, snatching it off you in one sharp motion, sending you lurching forward.

If only you’d had the confidence to tell him off. 

If only you had the kind of easy relationship with him that he had with everyone else, one that transcended rank enough to quip back at him. 

If only he didn’t hate you. 

If only he could see you. Not just look at you scornfully, but see you. See your efforts, see your strength. 

“Yes, sir. Sorry, sir.” You said with your eyes focused on the floor. Your gaze could have cut two pinholes in the undercarriage of the plane. You grabbed your gear and rushed down the gangway, thankful Ghost hadn’t pointed out all the things he found wrong with your apology. With your posture, with your face, with your breathing, with your existence. 

“Alright. It’s 30 klicks to their base, but we’ll have to trek the last 5k. Johnny, you get us in, Gaz and I will clear a path while you watch our six. You,” Lieutenant Riley said with derision, “don’t die and find the drives after we’ve swept the place, understood?” You nodded sharply. 

“Alright lads, this one’s easy. Any hostiles will be eliminated on sight, in and out, home in time for Eastenders.” Soap and Gaz laughed easily at Simon’s joke. You weren’t sure if you were allowed to show any crumb of happiness in front of him. Maybe he’d yank your tongue out if you so much  as chuckled and bring it home for his dog. 

As you made your way to the jeep Soap fell into step with you. 

“Ye alright?” He asked, a gentle smile playing on his face. How could you be alright? He was always so kind to you, and Kyle always treated you with respect. Even the KorTac boys said ‘hello’, or ‘thanks for the intel’ once in a while whenever you ran into them. Ghost seemed pissed that he had to breathe the same air as you. 

A short sigh escaped before you could regain your composure, “yeah, I’m okay. It’s just… I don’t want to mess up. It’s my first time really out in the field and—” and Lieutenant Riley, your best friend and our commanding officer hates my guts and doesn’t care to hide it. “And I just want to do well.” Soap nodded, though he couldn’t really understand. He’d been a soldier since he was 18. He’d proven himself time and time again even before he ever saw active duty. His abilities were undeniable. 

You, as Ghost loved to remind you and everyone around you, were a desk jockey egg-head recruited after you’d been caught ransoming credit card companies and running stings on pedophiles with your ‘internet pals’. Caught or betrayed, the thought still plagued you, though the end result had been a job offer from the British Army in lieu of prison time. Soap and Gaz thought you were a genius, some sort of cyber Robin Hood fighting the good fight from smokey internet cafes or 6 monitor supercomputers. Captain Price saw you as a clever kid with good intentions but questionable methods. 

Ghost… well Ghost made no secret of the fact he thought you were an egg-head. An energy  drink guzzling college drop-out with a lot of free time and no common sense. A basement dweller with more waifu body pillows than real life friends. A useless kid with no place in battle, regardless of the fact that your intel was what told him where to go more times than not. 

“He doesn’t hate you, he’s just… well he’s just Ghost. He’s never worked with you, I’m sure things will change after this.” You nodded, thankful for the reassurance though you didn’t really buy much of it. As you opened the jeep door and slid into one of the back seats you noticed Ghost’s eyes were trained on you through the rearview mirror. Watching for something to pick on you for, of course. 

You held his gaze as you closed the door and dropped your gear bag between your feet. ‘That’s right Lt, I can sit down without strangling myself on the seatbelt’ you longed to say to him. You settled for holding his gaze and raising your eyebrows at him. As the jeep rumbled to life you could have sworn you heard a laugh. 

— — — 

Ghost glanced at the pistol holstered on you thigh, as well as the knife sheathed at your hip. The urge to ramble about your right to protect yourself and defend your teammates bubbled up in your chest, the citric need to bite back at him almost won. Thankfully he spoke before you did. 

“You do know how to use that, right?” He whispered to you, crouched to your right, Gaz to your left. You’d gone through basic gun training and safety as well as first aid at Captain Price’s insistence once you’d begun working more and more with the 141. A fact you were sure Ghost knew. He’d never let you carry a weapon without a direct order from Price. A direct order not to snatch it on sight and send you to sit in a corner and think about how stupid you were. 

“Of course, sir,” you quipped back. Your sarcasm was cut with anxiety. This was real. You didn’t have to kill anyone, you just had to keep up and not die. But this was so real. A gun range was nothing in comparison. The slide of the gravel beneath your boots, the heat of your comrades beside you, the dull green of the night vision. This was real. 

“Ghost, do you copy? 30 seconds to detonation.” Soap’s voice was tinny through the comm on Ghost’s shoulder. 

30 seconds? 

Seconds?!

Your heart pumped a punishing beat as the reality of it all sunk deeper and deeper. 

A hand on your knee brought you back to the moment. “Look at me,” the last voice you’d ever expect to comfort you was all that filled your ears. The surprise washed away the fear for a moment as you looked into Ghost’s eyes. 

“The second you hear the blast, stay low and follow us, okay? You’ll want to jump up, don’t.”

“Okay.” 

His dark eyes stared into you as he spoke. “Keep your weapon in your hands, keep your eyes on me, keep up, and keep calm. This is the fun part.” A low chuckled from Gaz calmed you further. 

“I’ve got your six, just focus on moving with the group, okay?” Gaz whispered beside you. 

“Okay.”

All you could do was agree, any eloquence you’d had before had long since dissipated. 

A deafening boom rang out and the urge to run flooded every nerve in your body. You watched Ghost. 

Keep your eyes on me

You focused on Ghost’s broad back as you moved with him. Focused on keeping close. On surviving. 

The next minutes were a blur of gun fire and barked out commands. The muzzle flash of the weapons around you was enough to make the night vision useless and so with shaky hands and shallow breaths you pushed the goggles up as you moved through a maze of rooms with Ghost as your guide. 

A heavy hand against your chest stopped you before you had a chance to run into your Lieutenant. 

“Gaz, now.” He barked quickly as a heavy boot made contact with the door, pushing it from the frame. Garrick fired as he moved deftly into the room, sweeping the corner as Ghost fired at a figure hunched over a laptop. 

Everything was happening too quickly. You were pushed into the room, or pulled, you couldn’t know. As your body entered your mind stayed back and watched as a figure rose from a position under the desk. Before you could even see their eyes they hit the floor with a thud. 

A wave of nausea spread through you as you moved to where they’d been, pushing the bodies away from the computer as you grabbed it and began to type a series of commands into the terminal. Your hands shook as you pushed a thumb-drive into a port and watched as your code froze the deletion process. You left that to work as you pulled open desk drawers and riffled through their contents, shovelling everything in sight into your pack. 

“Hurry up!” 

You obeyed, moving quicker as you grabbed files and thick plastic drives with greedy, shaking hands. The final drawer was locked tight. You wanted to call out for a key but shame held you tongue. You pulled at it and it held firm. Ghost could have yanked it open with one hand, you were sure. His presence in the room motivated you to think like a soldier. Think like him. 

‘I’m not useless. I’m not useless. I’m not useless.’ You chanted to yourself as you reached to you side and gripped your knife. Jamming it into a gap in the drawer you pushed your whole weight onto it and heard a click. 

Yes. You weren’t useless after all. 

“Owl! Wait!” 

With unbridled euphoria you yanked the drawer open and felt your body and mind reconnect with a violent snap. Like a spark to gas you ignited with something you couldn’t recognise. Warmth spread through your middle as you glanced down into the drawer. It was empty. 

“Oh shit.”

“Soap call in a medevac, now!” 

Why was it empty? Were they all shouting because it was empty?

Your hand dug into the wooden cube, patting around until you felt something give. You pushed up into it and heard something drop. Another hard drive. 

“Owl, Owl you need to move, now.” 

A firm hand grasped you by the shoulder and you shook it off. You bent down to pick up the drive and a white hot pain seared your abdomen. You ignored it, and with a sharp wince you grabbed the final drive. 

Why were your hands shaking so much? Was it the excitement of war?

You turned to collect the laptop but it was already in Gaz’s hands. He was shoving it into your pack as Ghost grabbed the drive in your hand and tossed it to him. 

“No! No, I have to decrypt the—”

“You have to move. Now.” Ghost retorted sharply as he angled himself to block your view of Gaz. 

When had they stripped you of your pack? 

Why was Lieutenant Riley suddenly pushing you out the door you’d all just come through?

How were you able to see your group moving through the halls? Watching the retreat from an unnatural vantage point, making note of the thick trail of something syrupy behind you. 

Was that blood? Did your sloppiness get one of them injured?

— — — 

The jeep you’d left 5 kilometres away speed into view in front of the compound you’d just sacked. 

Was it moving or were you? 

Hands pushed you into it and began pulling off the kevlar and fabric of covering your torso. 

‘Is it bad?” Soap’s voice came from the front of the vehicle. 

“No, its not too bad,” Ghost said to you rather than Soap. You craned your head down to look at the wound, but a strong hand tilted your chin away. 

“I thought I told you to keep your eyes on me, Pigeon” he said lowly as you searched his face for some clue of what was happening. His derisive diminutive sounded odd now, it was laced with something tender. 

“Sorry lieutenant, I just wanted to—” you didn’t know how to finish. 

I just wanted to see for myself? 

I just wanted to be a part of the team?

“— I just wanted to impress you. I’m sorry, sir.” You mumbled as your lids grew heavy. 

The pressure on your stomach increased as Ghost spoke to you in low whispers. “Impress me? How? By falling asleep? We’ve already talked about that, soldier. I told you to keep your eyes on me. That’s an order.” 

“Yes, sir. Sorry, sir.” 

— — — 

Your eyes fluttered open, catching a glimpse of a white stucco ceiling. 

Shit. 

Ghost would kill you for falling asleep again. As you tried to sit up your body barked out in protest. A dull ache blanketed your left side and pulsed through you. 

A hand pushed you back down gently. Resting for a beat on your shoulder before pulling away.

“Slow down, kid. You’ll rip your stitches out.” You knew that voice. You turned your head to look at the Lieutenant. You’d already known it was him, all that surprised you was the lack of contempt in his voice. 

You couldn’t speak. You just looked around, taking in the small makeshift clinic you’d found yourself in. 

“The hospital was too far,” Ghost said, answering the question you mind was already forming, “so they set this up in a safe house nearby.” You nodded, laying back against the pillows. “Sir? What happened?” 

You heard Lieutenant Riley sigh as you stared up at the ceiling above you. Too timid to look at him as he recounted your failures on the mission. 

“The drawer was rigged. If you’d been taller, or wider, the shrapnel that hit you would have been fatal, Owl.” 

The name drew your eyes to him before you could stop yourself. 

“I’ve graduated from Pigeon?” You asked, trying to cut the tension in the small room. He laughed,  and the sound was enough to make the pain in your abdomen dissipate. 

You’d made him laugh.

You had made Ghost laugh. 

“You got injured, and didn’t give up. That was a tough thing you did, Owl. I’m proud of you.” 

Tears pricked the corners of your eyes, it took everything you had not to let them fall. A warm  on hand your head was what completely undid you. Hot tears slipped out of your closed eyes as Lieutenant Riley stroked your hair more gently than you’d ever thought a man of his size was capable of. 

“You did well, don’t worry.” 

You gathered yourself, remembering the objective of the mission. “How long was I out, sir? Has the  operation window passed?” 

He pulled his hand back slowly before he spoke. “Intel over here took a look at some of the materials before sending them back with Soap and Gaz. The boys back home will decrypt as much as they can while you’re healing up here. Doc said you’d be okay to fly within 48 hours.” 

You nodded, trying to keep your disappointment in check. You wouldn’t even get a chance to do what you were good at. 

“But,” Ghost said slowly, drawing your attention away from the pity party you’d already began throwing for yourself. “No one could make heads or tails of what was on the laptop.” 

“So its useless then?” You asked, trying to push the hurt out of your voice. 

“Oh I wouldn’t say that,” Ghost let out a low chuckle. God, you’d become addicted to that sound already. “Whatever you plugged into it before you got hurt completely stumped everyone, they said only you’d be able to retrieve anything from it.” 

A warm pride filled your chest. No one could do what you could. You weren’t useless. 

“So… unfortunately for you, Pigeon. I’ve brought you some homework while I babysit you. Are you up for it?” 

Ghost dropped the laptop onto your lap. Your thumb-drive was still plugged into it, filled with malware and viruses you’d cooked up over the years. 

You smiled at him, beaming with pride as you opened the device. “Of course, just keep your eyes on me, sir. I’ll be done in no time.” 

[gayf1hoe]

Behind the Pit Wall

Scenario - Y/N is a new race engineer for Williams but he never expected to become a race engineer straight away, bit following the resignation of Logan's race engineer he receives a very prompt promotion. The two quickly hit it off professionally but their relationship quickly exceeds professional.

Race 1 - Spa 

Nervously and full of anticipation I take my seat on the pit wall for the first time as a race engineer for Williams.

Ever since graduating University I have been working in F1 for the past 2 years, last year I was with Sauber as a junior race engineer and I applied to Williams on the off chance they would actually agree to take me but to my genuine surprise they did. 

When I first met with James he said I would be a secondary Engineer in other words I was just there to assist the main engineer. However when I walked in this morning I was told I would be Logan Sargeant's permanent race engineer after his engineer resigned unexpectedly. 

As I'm sitting in the pit wall looking at all the data, it's starting to set in. I'm a driver's race engineer with just a year's experience, talk about being thrown in the deep end. 

Logan hasn't got the best track record but he's a great person with a great sense of humour and undeniable charm so I am honoured I get to work with him. 

After qualifying yesterday we are in P11 and we missed out on Q3 by 0.012 so it's a little frustrating but the way things go in F1. 

“Logan radio check” 

“Yep, your voice sounds great, and mine” 

“even better, 30 seconds to lights out maintain focus and be clinical” 

When the lights go out my heart pounds faster and my palms sweat a little. 

We don't have the best start as Logan ends up in P15 and with the weather conditions around Spa showing no signs of improving cars are spinning left, right and centre. The strategists and I decide to bring Logan in now for the inters before everyone else 

“Logan box, box” 

As he comes in I see a train of cars following behind him but our crew do a fantastic job at fitting the new tyres that will stay on until the chequered flag.

Logan emerges back on the track at P11 which is a great advantage for us and I coach him through every lap telling him where he can improve and with that he manages to overtake a few people, and by the final lap he's probably sick of my voice. 

“Logan that's P7 really good job today, do your cool down lap and we will see you in Parc Fermé”

“Yeah good job, thanks for all your guidance today we did great today, we will continue to improve”. 

“Absolutely, sorry if my voice became annoying”

“Never I loved hearing your voice every second, and that's not sarcasm”. 

After the race I am interviewed by a reporter about what I think of my first race as a lead race engineer.

Reporter: Y/N great result for your first race. How did it feel to be thrown right in at the deep end and get such a great result?

Y/N: Yeah of course it was stressful being thrown in at the deep end, I arrived in the paddock this morning and was told I'm Logan's new race engineer so it was a little stressful but we did really well despite the conditions and it's a good start for Logan.

Reporter: We saw you too having lets say some ‘flirtatious moment's’ . Is there a relationship brewing?

Y/N: Haha me and Logan are just naturally flirtatious people and I think we have a good work relationship together.

As I'm answering questions Logan comes from behind me and jump scares me and the reporter turns her attention to him.

Reporter: Logan what do you think of your new race engineer?

Logan:  He's amazing and he really helped me out there today so I'm grateful I have got him

Reporter: You complimented his voice a few times, is there something going on there? 

Logan: Well yes he has a naturally calming voice and it's great to hear in stressful situations. 

Race 24 - Abu Dhabi 

As my second season in F1 comes to an end I am extremely happy where Logan is at P8 in the championship with only 1 point separating him and Stroll. 

Coming into this season we could never have predicted that me or him would do this well this season and since Logan has been performing so well this season consistently he is on the move to Mercedes next year but what he doesn't know is that I am also moving to Mercedes. 

Additionally since the season exposition mine and Logan's relationship has well let's say developed. It is sort of unconfirmed knowledge that we are dating but neither of us confirmed it but our constant flirting and physical contact has confirmed it for us.

“Logan 30 seconds to lights out I want a great finish from you today” 

Logan starts from P6 which is his best starting position in his career so I'm anticipating a good race. 

He gets a good start and quickly takes P5 from Norris and maintains a good pace. 

When he comes in for his first and only pit of the race and he drops down to P10, one of Logan's biggest problems is that after a pit stop and he loses positions he thinks it's all over so we have been working on his

resilience and as he was the first car to pit I know that the cars in front will pit soon and he will be bumped up a few places. 

With 15 laps to go Logan has made his way up to P5 and is chasing Lance for P4 and heading along the DRS straight he manages to get past and we now set our eyes on Oscar Piastri.

“Alright Logan it's Piastri ahead 2.1 seconds they are having mechanical issues with their brakes” 

For 14 laps straight Logan is tailing Oscar and it's painful and nerve wracking to watch but in the final lap in the final DRS zone Logan squeezes past him and whilst it's a good move the team doesn't celebrate just yet. But when he crosses the line there is a roar of cheers from the garage behind me.

And my normal angelic radio voice turns into a coarse shout 

“Logan that is P3, well done, I'm so proud of you and the improvements you have made and those 15 points put you in P6 in the standings”

“Y/N thank you for all your hardwork and dedication this year you have really helped me achieve great things and I will really miss hearing your voice”

“Well, do you want another piece of good news?” 

“Of course” 

“You aren't going to Mercedes alone, I'm coming along as well as your race engineer” 

“Holy shit that's the best thing I have been told, I would have missed your voice on the radio. I love you Y/N”

“I love you to Logan”

For the first time Logan is on the podium and the entire team is here watching him and cheering him on. 

It's a great sight to see him smiling and finally believing in himself. 

[uniquexusposts]

Her || Charles

Main characters: Charles Leclerc x OC Genre: fanfiction, fluff  Story type: novel  Part: 26/? Word count: 4989 Co writer: @mistrose23

Story summary: Matilde Jørgensen, the new Scuderia Ferrari team principal, faced the nerve-wracking challenge of reviving the team's fortunes and aiming for a championship. Leading a historic team as a 'newbie' and separating her work and personal opinions posed a significant challenge. The big question: is she capable to do so?

Previous chapter

Chapter 24. Her Driver, His Boss

“Het is regenachtig, koud en wat ben ik toch trots op jullie dat jullie het zo uithouden in de stromende regen, dames, heren, jongens en meisjes. Maar het is eindelijk tijd om een praatje te maken met Max zijn teambaas Christian. Matilde, de teambaas van Ferrari, is er ook bij! Zoals vele van jullie weten heeft Matilde ook voor Red Bull gewerkt en is zij mede verantwoordelijk voor Max zijn eerste wereldtitel. Hebben we toch nog een oranje interview. Mag ik een ontzettend warm applaus voor Christian Horner en Matilde Jørgensen!” the interviewer announced. (TRANSLATION: It's rainy, cold and I'm so proud of you being here in the pouring rain. But it's finally time to have a chat with Max's team boss Christian. Matilde, Ferrari's team boss, is also here! As many know, Matilde also worked for Red Bull and is partly responsible for Max's first world title. We still have some kind of an orange interview. May I give a very warm round of applause to Christian Horner and Matilde Jørgensen!)

Cheers filled the Dutch race track and two people entered the arena stage and they looked around; they were both standing under umbrellas. Christian waved around and Matilde could only look her eyes out.

"Welcome, both of you," the man said. "Thank you for joining us."

"Absolutely, always," Christian replied and gave the man a nod.

Matilde smiled. "Thank you for having us," she responded.

"It is an honour to have you here. What do you think of the Dutch Grand Prix so far?"

"The atmosphere is incredible. I mean, look around: a sea of orange. The Dutch fans are so passionate and it's so fantastic to see them supporting Formula 1, and their favourite driver: Max. There's just so much enthusiasm even in the rain," Christian answered the question. 

The fans cheered once again. The rain didn't bother them, they weren't made of sugar. 

Matilde couldn't stop smiling, it was so beautiful to see the love of these people. She saw it at Spielberg en Spa already, but this was the next level. "It is just amazing to be here, I can't say anything else," she shared her thoughts. "I've never seen this kind of energy before, wow."

"But you have been at Zandvoort before, right?" Christian then asked.

She nodded. "Yes, in 2021, when there were still COVID regulations. I've seen a part of it, but not like this."

The interviewer laughed. "And how is it for the team to be here? Do you feel the extra pressure to perform?" He looked at Christian.

"I would be lying if I said I didn't feel the extra pressure, but it's good to feel the extra pressure, it gives us energy to get out the most of this weekend," Christian said. "We're aiming for the top spot. Max is on home turf, and being able to be here at a historical track is just phenomenal."

The fans were cheering once again.

"Matilde, how are you doing? You missed three races due to a medical situation. How does it feel to be back?"

Slowly, it stopped raining. Matilde closed the umbrella and nodded at the question. She knew it was a routine questionnaire, since everyone was here for Christian and Max. "I'm fine, thanks," she replied and smiled gratefully. "I had my appendix removed during Silverstone and I am fully recovered. It was hard to watch the races from home, so I'm glad to be back - even though I was at Spa to watch the race. I can't wait for what the second half of the season can bring us." She looked around. 

"And how does it feel to compete against your old team? You've switched from Red Bull to Ferrari between seasons, Zandvoort is one of the home races of Red Bull, Max and Charles are fighting for the top spot. Is this race different for you than others?"

Matilde loved how much this man was framing her into the Dutch side. The Dutch would do this so often and easily. Everything that they would do to get a quote about Max. "I will give them Zandvoort, I will get Monza," she joked and looked at Christian. They were both laughing. "Perhaps. Maybe. We will see how it goes. But, err, it's incredible to see Max and Charles, and Carlos, fight. In the beginning, it was weird to be on Ferrari's side after being at Red Bull's side for a few years, but it's a pleasure to work for Ferrari, to work with brilliant people and get the most out of it. It's a privilege and I hope we have more fights in the future."

The interview continued. Matilde and Christian enjoyed the atmosphere, also because they could joke around for a bit. Luckily, the Dutch fans understood the vibes and went along with them.

When the interview came to an end, Matilde and Christian thanked the interviewer and the crowd. The crowd returned some cheers to them, and the pulsating beat of the music from the boxes filled the air again. Matilde and Christian were still standing on the side of the stage, still talking to the interviewer for a moment. Well, Christian did and Matilde was waiting. Some fans could still see them.

A massive smile appeared on Matilde's face. "Tu, tu, tu, tu, Max Verstappen," she sang along, when the song boomed from the boxes. "Tu, tu, tu, tu, Max Verstappen. Tu, tu, tu, tu, Max Verstappen. Tu, tu, tu, tu, Max Verstappen. Tu, tu, tu, tu, Max Verstappen." She listened to the song carefully. "Let's take it to the max, put your hands up, hands up." Her eyes met Christian's, who almost gave her a side eye. Only for that look, she raised her hands up in the air. "Let's go, let's go." When the beat dropped, Matilde jumped and moved along with the rhythm. It was a spontaneous moment filled with joy, carefree expression of excitement and the passion that racing and the incredible Dutch fans had stirred within her.

Everyone witnessed the unexpected spectacle of the Ferrari team principal dancing with enthusiasm to a song of her rival. The crowd cheered and laughed, but still sang along with the song.

Christian couldn't contain his laughter at the sight. It looked like Matilde had the time of her life. He clapped and then jumped along with Matilde for a second. It was a break from the competition, and Christian appreciated the spirited energy Matilde brought to the scene.

* * *

Max Verstappen private: Are you almost there yet?

Matilde privé: Almost! Just getting out of the metro

When she heard the announcer say they've arrived at 'De Pijp' she stood up and waited for the metro to stop. Along with some F1 fans, who just came back from Zandvoort, she stepped out of the metro and took the escalator upstairs. She checked out with her debit card and walked out of the metro station. Luckily for Matilde, the fans didn't seem to recognize her. While walking towards the bar where she was supposed to meet with Max, she looked around and took in the typical architecture of Amsterdam.

After a short walk, she saw the bar and made her way to the entrance. A man stood next to the door and he eyed her up and down. A slightly uncomfortable feeling washed over her and she tried to shake off the feeling. He had a drink in his hand and a cigarette in his other hand.

"Matilde?" he said.

"Yes?" she answered, slightly unsure. She didn't know how to respond correctly.

"Great, come on in," he told her and he laughed. "I just had to make sure that you aren't a fan."

Matilde smiled as well. This man was probably a bouncer that Max had hired to ensure no fans would disturb his night out after the race. She opened the door and stepped into a hallway and after opening the next door, she was welcomed with the music and the chatter from the people inside. Before she had the time to properly look around, a piercing scream filled her ears.

"MATILDE!"

Many people looked at the entrance, to see Matilde looking like she wished the ground would swallow her up. Charles was one of those people who looked at her, the shout by Max' engineer GP pulled him out of his conversation with Pierre Gasly. He recognised his team principal and turned his head back to Pierre to finish his sentence. However, the image of Matilde in a dress, made him forget all the words and he had to look back at her.

There she stood, smiling widely and pointing at GP. She rolled her eyes, took off her blazer and made her way to him. Charles' eyes kept following her. This was the first time he saw her in a dress. The dress hugged her curves perfectly. The light green colour fitted her skin tone and her light coloured hair - which was now in a loose braid which resulted in an exposed neck. She had never looked like this before.

Pierre looked besides Charles and followed his eye sight to see who took Charles' attention. A smirk grew on Pierre's lips when he saw her. He looked back at Charles; a soft look glazed in his eyes. "Hello," Pierre said and punched Charles' shoulder.

"What the fuck," Charles mumbled and he glanced at Pierre.

"Are you going to finish your story or what?" Pierre grinned.

Charles rolled his eyes and punched Pierre back, he tried to remember the conversation they just had, so that he could continue the conversation.

On the other side of the room, Matilde had finally found Max and they were having a gin and tonic together. The whole place was crowded with drivers, colleagues and other people who were important to Max. Matilde had to raise her voice at Max to make herself heard.

"Where did you find all these people?" Matilde asked with a smile on her face.

"Oh, most of them are paid actors," Max casually said and he took a sip of his cocktail.

Matilde shook her head. "Who is the most expansive?"

"You."

"When can I expect the payment?"

"You receive my love; that's enough," he replied. He wrapped his arm around Matilde's neck, bringing her closer to him, and kissed her cheek.

A laugh rolled over her lips and right at that moment, a photo was made of them. Gemma stepped towards the two friends and showed the picture on her phone.

"This is so cute!" Matilde yelled enthusiastically and looked at Max.

The corners of Max' mouth were about to curl up, but he straightened his face on purpose. "I've seen cuter photos of us before," he said and walked away, welcoming the next guest. While he walked away, he looked over his shoulder and smirked at Matilde and Gemma.

Gemma's jaw dropped and looked in disbelief at Matilde.

Matilde squeezed her eyebrows together and looked at Gemma while bursting into laughter. "What a fucking dickhead," she laughed.

"I..." Gemma looked perplexed. Matilde figured out that Gemma already had a few drinks in. "A huge dickhead, jeez man." She put her phone away and hugged Matilde tightly. "Where is your juichcape?"

"My what?"

"Juichcape? That orange cape with a lion on it? That thing you wore today before the race?"

"Ooo, yeah, Ferrari took it from me, party poopers," Matilde playfully smiled.

Gemma frowned. "That is ridiculous. I hope you will get it back and wear it at Monza."

A laugh rolled over Matilde's lips. "We will see."

As the evening progressed, the atmosphere in the bar grew livelier with each passing moment. Matilde found herself caught up in the whirlwind of conversations, laughter and the occasional clinking of glasses. At the beginning, she stayed with the same group; GP, Gemma and Max, who had a pitstop at the group every now and then. Later on, she bumped into familiar faces from the grid, moved through the crowd, exchanged greetings and engaged in light-hearted conversations. For a moment, she had forgotten that she was a team principal; she was just Matilde.

Matilde walked past the bar and kitchen to the toilets. There was peace - as far as possible. The banter was in the distance. Matilde washed her hands and looked in the mirror, the baby hairs around her skin started the curl up, to her annoyance. A sigh left her mouth and she tried to smoothen the hairs, but she realised it wouldn't do anything to her hair since water would only make it worse and without any product it wouldn't do anything. But whatever, she thought, she didn't have to look at it.

Her eyes shot up in the mirror when someone walked behind her. "Oh, hey," she smiled and turned around.

Charles stopped walking and looked over his shoulder. "Hey," he smiled.

"I didn't know you were here," she mentioned.

"Yeah," he chuckled. "Small bar, but so many people."

Matilde chuckled and agreed with him. Charles stepped into the men's bathroom. Matilde turned back to the mirror and took a deep breath: 'I didn't know you were here', an enthusiastic move. Disappointedly, she put on some tinted lip balm and was about to go back when Charles stepped out of the bathroom.

"Max surely knows how to throw a party," Charles said and washed his hands. "Is it a party?" He looked at Matilde.

"It's a party, but I get what you mean," she replied. When someone said a party, she would think of a birthday party, but this was a casual party in a local, modern, typical bar in Amsterdam. "I like this bar, it's so typical Amsterdam." They weren't in an old brown bar, but more the modern version of it. If she remembered it correctly, it used to be a brewery.

He nodded and dried his hands. "It is surely different from Monaco," he agreed. "How do they do it in Denmark?"

"Monaco is fancy, huh?" A playful smile played on her lips. Charles rolled his eyes. "Copenhagen has the same vibes, but I like it more there." They walked back to the bar. "Have you ever been to Denmark?"

They were welcomed by a lot of noise again; people who were talking, laughing and some music.

"Do you have something to drink?" Charles asked, almost raising his voice. He didn't wait for an answer. "What do you want?"

Matilde read the menu above the bar. "I will take a Radler." Charles nodded and went to the bar to order a Radler for Matilde and a glass of white wine for himself. "Thanks," she smiled when Charles handed her the beer with lemonade. They moved through the people towards the back of the space.

"Sante," Charles said.

"Skål," Matilde said and clinked her glass against his.

He took a sip. "But I have never been to Denmark. I've been to Finland, though."

A chuckle left her mouth. "Yeah, but that's not Denmark. It's far from Denmark." She took another sip from her beer. "I've never been to Monaco, but I've been to France," she cheekily said and winked.

"But you have bee- oh, come on, Matilde. Don't be ridiculous."

"Don't call out the wrong counties."

Their conversation flowed effortlessly, punctuated by shared jokes and teasing. Even though they shared their love for racing, they didn't talk about it. They were interested in each other. Being in an unfamiliar, non motorsport area - besides being surrounded by people of the motorsport, gave them the shot to get to know each other on a different level. Unnoticeably, Charles stepped closer to Matilde to hear her more properly. The music became louder, which caused everyone to raise their voice to make themselves understandable. Matilde leaned in to him when she shared her words and to listen to her words. Her arm touched his arm and he sometimes felt an electric shock through their arms. Matilde looked down when she felt her cheeks heating up, because she realised what was happening. She bit her lip and placed a lost piece of hair behind her ear.

"Hello."

Matilde looked up and Kevin was standing in front of her and Charles. The shy look on her face changed to a confused, but surprised look. "Hej."

"I'm gonna steal her from you," Kevin informed Charles while smiling. His eyes shot from Charles to Matilde, who couldn't hide her blushes, Matilde followed Kevin to the bar, where they both ordered sparkling water. "How much did you drink?"

Matilde squinted her eyes and leaned against the bar. "Gin & Tonic and a Radler beer. Why? You? How did you even get here? Since when are you friends with Max?"

"Only a beer," he replied. "And Max invited Nico and Nico took me with him. Anyway, you're going to Denmark next week, right?"

"You know, Kevin, your conversation skills turned into detective skills," she mentioned. A smile curved on her lips. "But yes, after Monza."

"Do you have a free evering that week?" Before he let her say anything, he accepted her feedback by turning his question into a conversation. "Because next month is my birthday and you are busy so I was thinking of going out for dinner with Louise, Lars, Lene and you to celebrate it ahead."

"Yes, that sounds amazing," she said. "Of course, I will be there."

A happy smile came on Kevin's face. "For how long will you be home?"

"The entire week, I'm working from home," she shared. "I have a few meetings in Copenhagen, management wise, and I will give the students of Lars a masterclass about PR."

He nodded impressed. "Ready to leave it all behind for a week?"

"No, but if they fuck it up, they fuck it up," she shrugged. They both laughed. "I'm still working from home, though."

As Matilde and Kevin continued their conversation at the bar, Charles watched them from a distance, a twinge of jealousy tugging at his heart. He knew Kevin had a wife and children, and he knew that he was just friends with Matilde and that she knew his wife as well. But he couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment at the interruption, wishing he could have more time alone with Matilde. Despite his initial jealousy, Charles felt happy for Matilde that she had a good friendship with Kevin. It was always a nice feeling to have someone in the same world that came from the same country. He had always been on her side.

At some point, a Dutch song blasted through the speakers, a song everybody knew: Europapa by Joost Klein. They all shouted some familiar words and when the part came on to hak, some made an attempt on hakken, but there were a few who could pull it off. Matilde was familiar with the scene, a cousin of hers was obsessed with hakken. She pulled off an attempt, and it looked like it. But at least they all had fun. It was like they ended up at a party with songs everybody could easily shout along.

The night was nearing, and many people decided to leave and the bar was about to close in twenty minutes. Just like Matilde and Charles, who happened to stay in the same hotel, so they decided to leave together - well, Charles insisted on leaving together since he didn't feel comfortable with Matilde walking back to the hotel on her own.

Matilde grabbed her blazer from the rack and was about to put it on, but a familiar tune entered her ear. She looked into the crowd, finding Gemma. Gemma looked up from her phone, looking for Matilde. A smile grew on Matilde's face and she looked at Charles, who raised his eyebrows by her glance. "Hold on," she said to Charles and pushed her blazer and purse into his hands. She made her way back into the crowd.

"I am unwritten. Can't read my mind," Gemma sang dramatically, singing along with Natasha Bedingfield's 90s hitsong Unwritten.

A laugh left Matilde's mouth. "I'm undefined. I'm just beginning. The pen's in my hand. Ending unplanned," she sang along.

Gemma's eyes lit up as Matilde joined the duet. The surrounding crowd turned to watch as the two friends lost themselves in the moment, their laughter filling the air as they sang. As they reached the chorus, Gemma threw her arm around Matilde's shoulder and they began to jump.

"Feel the rain on your skin. No one else can feel it for you. Only you can let it in. No one else, no one else. Can speak the words on your lips. Drench yourself in words unspoken. Live your life. with arms wide open. Today is where your book begins. The rest is still unwritten."

For a brief moment, everything else faded away as they revelled in the simple pleasure of music and friendship. It was a happy moment for them, but it even made the others in the bar happy. The two women were enjoying life and the moment. And as the song came to an end, they hugged tightly, their smiles reflecting the pure happiness.

On the side, close to the exit, Charles was watching the two women. He adored Matilde's spontaneity and her happiness. With a smile on his face, he leant against a table and waited for her. During the song, his eyes scanned the people around them; Max was grinning and silently singing along, Kevin was sitting at the bar and was also singing along and many more people enjoyed the song. It was just a happy moment.

With a big smile on her face, Matilde walked back to Charles. "Sorry, I just needed to do that with Gemma," she said.

Charles held the blazer behind Matilde so he could help her with putting the blazer on. "No worries, enjoy the moment."

"Happiest three minutes of the night," she breathed.

They made eye contact with Max and he waved at them. Matilde waved at Kevin as well. Before the song came on, they said goodbye to everyone, so their wave was just a final goodbye for now. They stepped outside, facing the chill but stuffy weather. Charles put his hands in his pockets and got surprised when Matilde hooked her arm in his.

"I wish I had a bike right now," Matilde mentioned when she was looking at one of the twenty bikes in the street. "My feet are killing me."

He looked down at her feet; she was wearing heels, low heels. They looked comfortable to him. "I can book an Uber," he offered.

"Meh, that's not necessary," she replied. "As long as we will not get recognised, we can just walk." She looked around. "It's funny how some countries are bicycle counties and others are not."

"It's so weird to look around and see at least one bike here."

"I believe there are more bikes in The Netherlands than people."

Charles smirked, the random facts Matilde shared was precious. "How is that even possible?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "So... Are there more wheels or doors?"

He let go of her because there was an obstacle on the pavement. However, he hooked his fingers into hers and walked in front of her. "When seeing all these bikes... Wheels. What do you think?"

"Definitely wheels," she answered. "I don't know why, but wheels." When they could walk next to each other, Charles made sure Matilde was walking on the inside of him. Neither one of them let go of the other's hand. "Did you enjoy this evening?"

He nodded. "I did. You?"

"Good. And I did too. I enjoyed how casual it was, no fancy dancy talk, just casual talk," she replied.

"But Max and gin & tonics..."

Matilde stopped walking and did the move: Max was holding his hands in the air and his index fingers were pointed to the top, and then he would move them up and down. Charles did the same and they both started to laugh. "Such a dad move," she laughed.

Charles clapped his hands and couldn't stop laughing at the impression. "That is a classic Max move," he laughed.

"It's just sweet," she commented and smiled. However, it quickly faded away when she felt the irritated sensation around her feet. Those sandal heels looked cute, it was simple, elegant, chic, but a feet killer. They were mid heeled, not even that high, but that didn't matter. "You know what," she said and looked at Charles.

"Hmm, what?" Charles said, waiting for a serious answer since she had a stern look on her face.

"I am gonna take off these heels because I can't do this anymore," she revealed and grabbed Charles' arm for support. She took off her heels.

"Matilde, stop," he advised her sternly. "Don't do that."

"What? It's so fucking painful."

"Don't go barefoot, that's fucking disgusting."

"I would rather have dirty feet than painful feet."

"What about glass? Or... cigarettes. They will end up in your feet and then I have to bring you to the hospital for a treatment," he told her and raised his eyebrows.

Matilde thought about it and nodded. "Uh, no. That will not happen," she convincingly smiled and stepped away from him, resuming her way to the hotel.

"Matilde," Charles warned her and wrapped his hand around her wrist. He pulled her back to him. He would not let her stubbornness get the best of her.

"Charles," Matilde copied his tone and stood in front of him, she was not amused.

Matilde's lips were set in a stubborn line while Charles wore a disapproving expression.

"You don't know what could be on the ground," he said, his grip on her wrist firm but gentle. "Let me call an Uber."

"The hotel is literally there," she replied and pointed at a building a kilometre away. She knew he was right, but calling an Uber for a short ride was not necessary. And many people lived barefoot. So what could happen to her? "I'll be careful."

Charles studied her for a moment, his gaze softening when he recognised the stubborn streak in her eyes. He knew he couldn't force her to do anything she didn't want to, but he didn't want her to feel uncomfortable either.

Their eyes locked in a silent battle of wills, each refusing to back down. They just stood there, somewhere in Amsterdam, grumbling about heels and the pavement. They were centimetres apart from each other. Charles felt a surge of protectiveness wash over him, the feeling became stronger after the incident in Silverstone. Matilde's gaze softened as she scanned his face, she could see the concern etched in his features, the worry lines that creased his forehead and she couldn't help but feel a flutter of warmth in her chest.

Charles closed the remaining distance between them, his hand reaching up to her cheekbone. He stroked a piece of hair behind her ear and looked at her lips briefly. When he looked back into her eyes, he saw a sparkle. He leaned in, his lips brushing against hers in a sweet kiss.

Time stood still as they savoured the sweetness of the moment. Matilde's heart fluttered in her chest as she melted into his touch, the sensation sending shivers down her spine. Her hands tenderly touched his chest. The kiss was soft, yet filled with desire, longing and a sense of belonging.

When they pulled away, Matilde leaned her forehead against his, their breaths mingling in the night air. Her heart was racing. She could feel the warmth of his breath against her skin, sending more shivers down her spine.

"Let me take you to the hotel," Charles whispered, his voice barely audible over the pounding of their hearts. "I don't want you to get hurt."

She lifted her head, meeting his gaze with a soft smile. "How?"

"Here, hold this," he said and handed over the purse he had been holding. "And jump on my back."

"Charles," she giggled and covered her mouth with her hand. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," he smiled and turned around.

Matilde jumped on his back and wrapped one of her arms carefully around his neck. Charles put his hands around her legs and started to walk to the hotel. "You smell nice," she whispered. She wanted to make a comment about how men's cologne would stay on them for days and women's perfume for a second, but knew it was better to keep her mouth shut.

"Thank you," he softly chuckled. As he was walking, he felt a sense of peace wash over him, a feeling of contentment settling in his mind and heart.

As Charles carried Matilde on his back through the streets of Amsterdam, a sense of warmth enveloped them, cocooning them in their own little world. Matilde rested her head against his shoulder, her heart filled with gratitude for his caring gesture. She could feel the steady rhythm of his footsteps beneath her, each step bringing them closer to the hotel.

The hotel staff didn't look up when they entered the hotel. Charles made his way to the lift and Matilde pressed the button, calling the lift. There was silence between them when they stepped into the lift and made their way to the right floor. Charles walked to Matilde's room after she told him which number she had.

Charles gently lowered Matilde to her feet. Their eyes met and in that fleeting moment, a silent understanding passed between them. They shared a smile.

"Thank you," she whispered, her voice barely audible in the stillness of the hotel.

Charles smiled, his eyes reflecting the warmth of his heart. "Anytime," he replied softly. "Sleep well," he said, knowing it was the right decision to leave for now.

"Good night, Charles," she smiled satisfied and opened her room door. Before stepping inside, she turned around and quickly pecked his lips. Then, she entered her room and closed the door behind her.

When she walked to the bathroom, a smile was resting on her face. What a man could do... Matilde looked at herself in the mirror, she looked so stupid for smiling this big. What he could do... A soft giggle left her mouth and she shook her head.

What Charles could make her feel like... Wrong.

Matilde straightened her face and stared at herself. What she just did was wrong, very wrong. It shouldn't have happened. It was disgusting. Tears filled her eyes, she was disappointed in herself.

She was his boss.

He was her driver.

"Fuck."

Taglist: @itsjustkhaos@crashingwavesofeuphoria@maryvibess @chocolatefartstrawberry @snzleclerc @ironmaiden1313 @blodwyn4u

[johaerys-writes]

What do you find most influences your characterization of Achilles when you’re writing? I love all your fics so much btw! 💖

Aah this is such a good question!!! Honestly a lot of the time when I write him I think about his Iliad characterisation, I think it's my favourite. He is so abrasive and self-centered and it makes so much sense within the context of the story and his situation that you can't even be mad about it. I love how intensely he feels all his emotions, Achilles doesn’t do anything by halves: he loves to the max, hates to the max, grieves to the max. There is something so powerful about the fact that his love and his grief go hand in hand with such monumental destruction, like he’s so SCARY in how torrential his passions are but also so very human, and that is always an interesting thought experiment trying to apply those characteristics in different universes or stories. I love that throughout the Iliad we get glimpses of not only how deadly he is, but also a sweet, caring, honourable man that genuinely cares about his fellow humans in his own way, and also about justice and fairness, and it's so painful how that is turned against him in the end. He's just such a complex character with so many layers, and with every fic I write about him I want to peel back those layers and see what I can do with them lol. He contains multitudes and I honestly think he's one of the greatest characters ever conceived in one of the most compelling stories ever written and that inspires me the hell out of me lmao.

Also the fact that he's a demigod, and that he is intentionally written differently from other characters in the Iliad (in the way he speaks and acts and moves, the way he expresses his emotions, in his powers, his connection to Thetis and the sea), like he’s a weirdo by default but also extremely relatable and I find that so endearing. Achilles' weirdness is something that features quite a lot in my works.

I am also inspired by his TSOA and Hades characterisations, as well as his appearances in other ancient greek works (I think I would be lying if I said that TSOA isn't in the dna of most of my patrochilles stories LOL but I usually inject other bits and pieces from other works into his characterisation depending on the fic). I love seeing how other creators were inspired by Achilles and what they decided to do with him, which aspect of his character they chose to focus on, it's always so interesting. It's a good thing that he appears in quite a lot of stuff, both modern and older works, both in writing and in art, so we're a bit spoiled for choice.

Edit: also the fact that the myth of him hiding in Skyros dressed as a woman is so old and embedded into his general myth, and that he was feminine-looking and graceful enough to pass makes me feral....!!!!! ABSOLUTELY FUCKING FERAL!!!! And ALSO that even in the Iliad his role in Patroclus' funeral mirrors that of Andromache in Hector's funeral, like he doesn’t care about gender norms Patroclus is his HUSBAND and Achilles taking on the role of the wife is just!!! Genderfluid Achilles until the day that I die 🥹✊️

Okay I'll shut up now haha I hope I answered your question!! I'm glad you're enjoying my works 💕

[josefavomjaaga]

"All those promises have gone up in smoke..."

As mentioned several times already, when Eugène in June 1805 received that glorious post of Dork on Duty Viceroy of Italy, he did so quite unexpectedly. And while Hortense casually mentions that Eugène being elevated to such honours had caused quite some "humeur" in the family, in particular from Murat, the freshly chosen viceroy himself was equally exasperated at being thus abandoned to the hostile Lombardian wilderness left alone in Milan.

He actually had received Napoleon's promise for two trips to Paris every year. We know what became of it, the first time Eugène would return to France was in late 1809, to see his mother leave the Tuileries. If he already suspected as much or not, in any case he also, before the French court said Arrividerci and returned home, demanded from everybody who would listen that they absolutely needed to write to him!

At least that is what can be guessed from a passage in a letter to his sister Hortense, dated Monza, 9 August 1805. (There is a -minor?- caveat to this letter: it's not an original, but apparently a copy, from a notebook in Hortense's possession. The original seems to be lost. A caveat because I have already seen in other places that whoever put together these copies, and for whatever purpose - yes, I am looking at you, Madame la Reine! - in some cases has taken quite some liberties with the original text.)

[...] Would you believe, my sister, that since I took leave of Mama she has not written to me or even sent me any news of her? You wouldn't believe the pain it's causing me. She cried so much when she left me, she told me so many times that she would lose her only support […]

… and then someone showed her the latest fashion catalogue on the way back to Paris and everything else was forgotten. Come on, Eugène, you should know your mum by now.

But it's not only her.

[...] Madame de la Rochefoucauld had promised to write to me. Bessières was supposed to write me a line every morning; I have only received one letter from him so far. Clarke never sent me a word. In the end, all those promises went up in smoke. My good Hortense, Lavalette and my friend Duroc are the only ones who have not forgotten me. [...]

His righteous indignation at such treatment clearly audible, echoing through two centuries. And it is indeed a bit astonishing to see Eugène, who had been generally well-liked, even admired during the Consulate, so quickly abandonned to himself. Maybe it's just how royal courts work, or at least how Napoleon's court worked: if you are not there, under the eyes of the Master, you're unimportant.

Or maybe Eugène, 24, out of his depth with his new task, overwhelmed with work he was not used to and did not cherish much, desperate at having to displease somebody whatever he did, exaggerated. A little. His desperate pleas would seize rather quickly a year later, after his marriage.

But there's still some time to go until then. And before it happened, best buddy Bessières who had promised to write every morning and now could not be bothered, surely would hear an earful!

Milan, 24 July 1805 [...] It is very wrong of you, my friend, to write to me so little, to forget me like this, and to not answer my letters at last. Every officer or courier returning from the great army has been questioned about your health and each one tells me: Marshal Bessières sends you his compliments, he will write to you with the first courier. And they all arrive with the same message. You have no more good reasons to give now that you are in Paris, so I commend myself to your friendship. Your faithful friend Eugène N

Your faithful and rather pissed-off friend, I might add. [Emphasis in the original text, btw, underlined] Eugène doubles down on it the next day:

Please be convinced, my dear Bessières, that the only soothing tonic I can have is news from you; I am flattered that I will already have a few letters on the way, which I will soon receive, and this idea sustains me.

However, it takes until 19 August until Eugène finally can tell Bessières:

At last I have received a letter from you, my dear Bessières. I confess I was beginning to think you had forgotten me. If you had promised me less, you might have kept more. I will write you a note every day, you told me; and I had only asked you for one a week, and that one, without fulfilling my friendship, would have satisfied it.

Bessie for once being a true Gascon, talking big and promising much, apparently.

Don't tire, my friend, of writing to me and thinking of me; I need to know that the people I love have not forgotten me. My lot is a fine one, no doubt, but it cannot stop me from regretting, and regretting very sincerely, my former life.

As we do not have Bessières' letters, there's no way of knowing what excuse Bessières gave for not writing as he had promised. Maybe the friendship always had been a one-sided thing and much stronger from Eugène's side, and Bessières was secretely relieved to be rid of this overly excitable oversized toddler he had been babysitting for so long? Though, admittedly, that would make me sad.

[slavicafire]

hi! thanks so much for all the resources you share here. i'm starting to reconnect with my culture and your blog has been so nice for finding info about slavic folklore! i have a question, and i know it can be personal so it's okay if u don't wanna answer, but what are some practical things you do with slavic spirits&deities? do you journal, meditate, or make spells and charms and use candles more? that type of stuff 😊 cause i am not sure where to really start

there are two important things to know as we get into this. one: what I do vastly depends on who it is I'm dealing with - and what I want. it'll be different depending on the deity or spirit, and it will be different whether the act is one of gratitude, devotion, recognition or demand - and it is something you will probably organically come into in your own practice, too. two: while what I do in my practice is most definitely not a good starting point (for many reasons), the underlying drive of it is something I share happily and openly. and that is the thrill.

this isn't science, one absolute truth, a neat list of prettily categorised ingredients and methods and associations and meanings and recipes that have an inherent and irrefutable worth and are more true or relevant than what any other person does or believes in. the main framework should be seeking, understanding, and experiencing the thrill - do what feels good, do what excites you, do what you feel expands you as a person. for some that's reading books and solving sudoku, and for others it's spiritual endeavours. it is art, and craft, and hope - and thrill. no absolutes and no clean truths.

but! there's still plenty to talk about in terms for practical tips to begin, of course: I would definitely start with recognising exactly what sort of act it is that you want to engage in - ask yourself what you want out of it, how do you want to feel, what do you want to say through it - and plan the activities in line with that, combined with understanding of who it is that you want to offer this act to. purpose is crucial - even if it very basic, like simply the need to express yourself, to ask for help, or just not feel alone. doing things just to do them will quickly drain your inspiration and start feeling silly, so always find the exact purpose why you're doing something, no matter how simple or small that purpose might be.

purpose will help you identify the tools, too: a demand or thanks require an offering, one of material or time or feeling. recognition and gratitude will require connection or meditation or action. if your act is multipurpose, so should be the means through which you go about it - a ritual can have many tools and many layers, and be as complex as you fancy in the given moment.

think of the other end of this act - the spirit, deity, ancestor, any sort of being in whichever way you see it or understand it - and think what sort of tools, actions, and outcomes they would want to see. bluntly - and sweetly blasphemously - put yourself in the place of the god you pray to or the spirit you seek. if you were in their place, what would you want to see? what would you want to hear, or be promised, or be given? what would be meaningful?

when I want to show my devotion to Death Mother, let us say, I go to a graveyard: I read the necrologies at the gate to honour the recently departed buried there, with their names and ages and sons and daughters; I walk the length of the place to have time for contemplation, and I clean a forgotten grave or pick up trash lying around; when I want to thank her, I make an offering - of food or blood or time or emotion. there's rarely incense and sage or crystals charging in the light of the moon - because these are not tools that bring me thrill, nor do I find the act of using them fulfilling. I seek to understand my purpose and challenge myself with finding the thrill and expanding myself in the most satisfying way I can afford at the given moment.

so those acts will have to be varied - and personal, intimate, ever-changing, ever-challenging - and the thrill is in the journey and the experience, much less the outcome or some absolute truth. build your own calendar of celebrations and rituals, your own framework of beliefs, your own offerings and spells and songs. you have all the time in the world - take joy and pleasure in discovering what you find truly thrilling in your practice.

and best of luck.

[screeching-0wl]

Hi! I know it's been a while. I missed you all so much!

I'm long overdue with this post. I apologise for leaving so suddenly. I've been on hiatus since creating content for this blog became difficult for me due to being overwhelmed with studies, work and frankly, just life in general. I felt like I could no longer manage this account as well as I would've liked and might end up burnt out sooner or later, so it was best to step back for the sake of my mental health. I am doing better, though I'm still currently quite busy taking care of university, trying to move to another city and overall adapting to some changes in my life.

Thank you so much for your understanding, kind words and support. It really means the world to me and I'm immensely happy to see someone still enjoys this blog and finds it helpful.

I would like to continue posting here, although I'm afraid I can't say when this will be exactly. For now, I'll continue to be on hiatus. Though, perhaps, if I happen to have some spare time and energy, I might log on to say 'hi' once in a while and answer some of your asks or post some fun facts about antiquity.

On a side note, I did peek at some of the asks and messages, so I'll answer the most common questions:

The cheat sheet series might be continued at some point in the future, or at least I hope to do so.

If you have any recommendations for resources about a particular deity feel free to drop them in my inbox.

You can absolutely translate the deity cheat sheets into other languages, link them on other platforms and use them to suit your needs. Please just make sure to leave the credit.

Lastly, I would only like to say that it's been an honour to be a part of this community. I've learnt a lot and was fortunate enough to meet plenty of wonderful people. Thank you so much, once again!

I wish you all a blessed New Year full of joy and good health! May the gods guide your way and keep you in their care 💜

[hum-suffer]

We'll say hello again (nevermind the chasm between us) 9

Gauri smiles serenely as she walks the stable. Danger has always been a footnote in her life— surrounded by competent fighters as well as becoming a competent fighter herself. She knows nothing and no one short of absolute cold planned deceit will kill her, especially now that Bhairavrath is trailing behind her, armed to teeth.

She finds it honourable that he cares so much and doesn't call out his worry as paranoia.

Bahu would be totally worse— he wouldn't have let her deal with this by herself. Bhalla, well, he'd probably string up a storm if he noticed that Gauri was trying to deal with some conspiracy by herself.

He knows she bailed out of her history lessons with a lie, and she knows he will later hound her in her room to tell him just why she has disappeared, but for now, she rather thinks that he needs to focus on his diplomacy better.

(She will never lie to her brother, of course, but him getting grey hair at fifteen because he worries too much for her is less than ideal.)

She slows down when she sees an elderly man tending quietly to one of the younger mares. She looks behind her at Bhairavrath and he nods in confirmation.

"Satyaveer ji?"

The man in question looks up, as if startled by her presence as well as her voice. He straightens up with a surprising rush and bows. "Princess Gauraangi. How may I serve you?"

"Please, relax," she says, managing not flinch at her full name. How long has it been since someone called her by her full name? "You take care of my horse, Ratan, yes?"

Satyaveer nods, wrinkles at the base of his throat tightening. "Yes, yes. He's a feisty horse, that one. Always in a mood. I have experience with horses for more than 17 years, that's the reason i can tame the beast."

She instantly doesn't like the way he is talking about Ratan but Gauri keeps that to herself, her tight lipped smile widening with her increasing discomfort.

"I just wanted to say thank you for taking such good care of my horse." She says, clasping her hands in front of her in the picture of a docile little girl. "However, he has been the reason for my recent accident. As much as it pains me to think so, I must know if Ratan is stable to continue serving me or must I wish him a necessary but upsetting farewell."

They all know what she means with her words and Satyaveer doesn't know just how false she's being as she politely asks if Ratan needs to be put down.

She would never.

(Amrendra says Gauri has a bad habit of getting attached with things she has no business caring for beyond her agendas. Gauri doesn't listen to him anyway, because he's a hypocrite and he, too, cares far too much to be healthy for him.

However, when Bhalla says the same thing to Gauri in contempt, he doesn't let her ignore him until he's yelling at her that she will only hurt herself if she cares and that's a stupid form of masochism. Bhalla made her cry when he first said and apologised with a new pair of armbands for her. He says it often these days, but his apologies have turned to words—lest he empty the treasury in the name of Gauri's forgiveness.)

Satyaveer looks down and licks his lips as he thinks of an answer to her question. Gauri holds her breath. This answer will define just how suspicious she will be of him.

"Truth be told, princess, that horse has descended from a stallion that your father was gifted with by some lord. I've been here exactly since that beast's youngling days and he's always been as unstable as this. I would recommend it if you just accepted fate and said farewell to the horse."

Gauri works to reign in her rage at the man talking about her horse like that and never using his designated name but she ends up smiling at him. "Why didn't you say so before? You were there when I chose him to be mine, weren't you?"

Satyaveer swallows and licks his lips again, stuttering out,"I was— I am, I mean, I am a mere servant. I can't give you any advice without, uh, without being asked. Princess."

Her title leaves his mouth in an almost afterthought and it's laced with annoyance. Gauri nods.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Satyaveer ji."

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Gauri paces in her dance practice room— the only one she knows will be completely neglected for a couple of days since her teacher is sick and has cancelled the classes for the day.

Bhairavrath stands in a corner while she paces.

Gauri gestures with her hands in the air as if she's holding tangible pieces of information as she speaks. "Satyaveer claimed that he's been around since Ratan's young days but Ratan is barely six years old. Which means he must have done some other palace work before becoming a stable boy."

It is a rule of hierarchy, any servant of the palace either comes from a disaster that needs employment to dissolve or they are recommended as a good servant by someone already employed by the crown.

"The vet said that Ratan had eaten something that choked his food pipe," she recounts,"and he also said that Ratan is a behaved horse, at least during the quarterly check ups— the last of which happened a month ago. My accident happened three weeks ago. So, Ratan had one week to be jeopardized."

"If I may, my princess?" Bhairavrath asks. She nods encouragingly, stopping her pacing to give him all her attention. "The facts aside, we must note that if Ratan was indeed jeopardized, which he was, someone made an assassination attempt on you. There must be a motive for such an act."

Gauri nods. "I don't think there can be many people with such motives. I haven't interacted with anyone outside of the circle that you already know. I'm not in line for the throne—due to my gender of all things," and she is still bitter about being unequal to her brothers,"who would even want to waste their coin in assassination of someone who is basically inconsequential in the bigger picture?"

"You're absolutely not inconsequential, my princess!" He says vehemently, eyes wide and lips in pout at his passionate insistence. "You are perhaps the smartest person in the palace, pardon my unintended offenses. You are already working towards becoming a minister of the state someday, which requires immense knowledge and also gives you immeasurable power—second only to the ruling royalty. Someone wants to stop your power from rising, my princess."

Gauri suppresses her giddy smile at the praise and nods,"We must find out who knows about my future plans, as that is the most probable cause of motive."

Bhairavrath nods and before he can say anything else, a conch sounds, indicating dinner time.

Gauri rushes out of the room after seeing if someone is in the corridor and takes a pair of ghunghroos in her arms— to have an excuse if someone sees her flitting around the dance room without reason.

As he is closing the door behind him, Gauri turns to give him a smile.

"Thank you for your praise, Bhairav."

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Amrendra hounds her as soon as they're done with dinner. Katappa looks at the two of them in surprise but falls in step beside Bhairav, trailing them till Bahu's rooms and standing guard outside.

"Where did you and Bhairavrath run off to?"

Gauri opens and closes her mouth as she tries to think of something that won't make him yell.

"I don't know how to start this correctly, so I will give you the basic fact: I think someone sabotaged my horse in a potential assassination attempt. And I tried to interrogate a suspect today."

"What?" Amrendra yells.

(Okay, that idea failed.)

Gauri shushes him. He continues, in a softer but still furious tone,"And why on earth did you not tell me about your suspicions earlier? Or are you waiting for another attempt? Or maybe you're waiting until you're dead so you can come back and haunt me as a ghost?"

She doesn't defend herself right away. She knows she deserves this.

Finally, she grabs his hand. "I'm sorry for not informing you of my suspicions earlier, Bahu. And I'm sorry that I didn't take you with me today. I just needed to confirm my theory before worrying you, in case it was useless, you know?"

Amrendra sighs and pulls her by their joined hands and engulfs her in a hug. "You should tell me these things, Gauri. Who will trust you uselessly, if not me, sister? Who will follow you blindly, if not me? Who will wage a war for you, if not me? It's I who can do unimaginable things for your well being, sister. I daresay, it is my right to worry for you."

"I know," she says, her voice muffled and nose pressed in his collar bone,"I just wanted to keep your peace. Ignorance is a bliss, and all that. I'm sorry. I'm extremely very sorry."

"I don't forgive you, Gauri," he says but he tightens his arms around her and drops a kiss on her head. "I understand why you did it and I would have likely done the same, but I don't forgive you."

Gauri nods, she's ready to take whatever she can get. And she will earn his forgiveness back sooner or later, she knows. Bahu is her other half.

"I love you." She tells him, relaxing and melting into his body, pulled into that sense of warmth. Sleep overwhelms her and she suppresses her yawn.

"I love you, too." Amrendra says, sighing into her hair. "Now, tell me everything you know or suspect."

Gauri groans at the thought of her sleep being delayed but doesn't protest— she knows she's tested Amar's patience at a damn high level, keeping this thing from him.

When she's finished talking, he hums. "Satyaveer..." He shakes his head dismissively and says,"I think I've heard of him, I'll look into him. Don't you think we should inform Maa if someone really made an assassination attempt on you?"

(The instant change from "you" to "we" makes her heart irrationally warm. She shouldn't be feeling so giddy at the thought that her twin loves her and they share everything— especially problems. It is obvious and shouldn't be surprising, he's probably not even aware of the change. But it makes her happy all the same.)

It's a suggestion and Gauri is extremely grateful for that. He knows Gauri requires autonomy in her life, he knows she likes to do things her way and that she's always been impertinent. Bahu knows Gauri definitely hates anyone poking their noses in what's supposed to be her business.

He's right, they should involve an adult— especially Maa.

"We should, you're right." She sighs, twisting down on his bed that they had migrated to while she was speaking,"But Diwali is coming up. Maa is already busy in the preparations for it and if word goes out that someone tried to kill the only princess of Mahishamati right before Diwali, the general public will be in pandemonium. They will panic and fear for their own lives— what's stopping someone from killing them if just anyone can make a swipe at the princess' life? Maa will also surely put a stop to the upcoming festivities and it will stagger the economy. You know the Diwali celebrations of Mahishamati bring enormous opportunities of export and tourism— cancelling all that will imbalance the year's economy and will also affect upcoming years."

Bahu sighs, pushing his head down onto the mattress because he knows she's saying the truth. "I don't think Maa will care for the economy above you."

"I know. But she will face extreme backlash and it will all circle back to her being a woman who cares about her children too much to remain objective in her actions. I'm not insulting her, I'm just saying what will actually happen." She adds the last part because of the incredulous look on Bahu's face and also punches his shoulder for ever thinking that she'd insult Maa like that.

Bahu hums. "So, you, me and Bhairavrath know about this?"

Gauri nods, spreading on her brother's bed like an X. The stretch on her back feels delicious and her already cramping leg feels relief. She mentally tries to remember when her periods will return, the only happiness she can have is that they'd get away before Diwali.

Gauri has no wishes to spend her Diwali, writhing on her bed and crying because of severe stomach cramps.

Sometimes she wishes she were a boy too, at least she wouldn't have to relive that pain every month. But she also knows she's a princess— if she had been a prince, she'd be a contender for the throne and the idea of competing with either of her brothers and becoming bitter since these early days doesn't sound appealing.

Look at Uncle Bijjaldev, she thinks, look at what the lust for the throne did to him, his relationship with Gauri's father, and even his own marriage. His lust for the throne will someday spread onto Bhalla, Gauri knows this. She's tried to keep Bhalla with them, being subtle to try to limit his time alone with his father but she knows Bhalla loves his father and it's morally incorrect to separate a parent and a child in any condition, unless they are harming each other.

"Gauri, go to your room and sleep."

She knows he's being correct but the sentence brings back the memories of the days when she fought to remain close to him and he didn't. It's almost forgotten, that slight, hidden away and healed by his promise to never make her feel unloved again.

So she takes his words in good humour. She gets up, promising,"I'll say the same to you when you come to my room to sleep when you're tired." She says, knowing she wouldn't.

"Yeah, yeah. Good night, get out, sleep." He's already closed his eyes and has his arms out to find that pillow he's stolen from Gauri. She shakes her head and removes his rings and kada from his hands, loosens his cummerband and removes his layered necklace.

It's therapeutic. It takes her back to the days they shared a room and he would fall asleep while Gauri read her books to him outloud.

He's almost half asleep. Gauri runs her hand through his hair, it's shorter these days, and kisses his head. "Good night, brother. I love you."

"I love you, too, Gauri," he mumbles, opening one eye. "Please stay safe, sister."

"I have you, don't I? I'm always safe with you around."

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Gauri wakes up at midnight, when Bahu crawls in her bed and embraces her tightly.

"Amar?" She grumbles, still disoriented,"what's wrong, beta?"

She feels him shake his head behind her. "I couldn't sleep, knowing that you might not be safe. Go to sleep, I won't disturb you."

Gauri rubs her hand over his arm that almost has her in a chokehold and nods. She hums a tune she doesn't remember the origin of and tries to sleep, caressing his hand until she feels him completely relax behind her.

Tears prick her eyes and all she can think about is just how much she loves her darling brother. She can't imagine being even alive without his words to hear, without his face to see and without his petulant whining as he gets sleepier and sleepier.

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Two days go by in a blur.

Gauri gets her periods the next afternoon after she confessed to Bahu and she can't even command enough energy to stand most of the time, let alone go and interrogate the vet.

Bhairav does his magic and goes in her stead—infinitely stealthier and smoother than her.

He tells her that the vet diagnosed that Ratan was fed something that caused him to choke on it and also caused him to vomit several times. Something, that induced a fever in her poor horse.

Gauri deduces that it must have been fed to Ratan either just before the trip or during the trip, when they had all settled down to tie the boar up and Gauri and her brothers were talking with the soldiers over the fate of the boar.

"My princess!" Bhairav says on the evening of the second day, when Gauri insists on going to the arena to practice sword fighting. "You should rest, you don't feel well already!"

Gauri grits her teeth, already at her wits end with just about anyone who breathes in her direction. "I am on my periods, Bhairav, not dying." He opens his mouth to say something but Gauri beats him to it,"Besides, the enemies won't stop and delay an assault just because I'm on my periods, right?"

Bhalla side eyes the two of them when they enter the arena and she can feel his watchful gaze on her back as she spars against Bhairav and absolutely fails. It's a good way to let out her frustrations, sparring, but it ends up making her want to be foolish in hitting something solid, if only to let out her anger again.

She feels too hot in her own body and even the hair sticking to the nape of her neck is irritating her and the feel of her saree isn't right at all and she can't stand the idea of sitting down somewhere in the fear she may leave a stain behind.

"Mahadev should have made me a man." She growls to herself as they put away the laathis they had been sparring with.

Bhalla laughs,"Cheer up, sister. The pain is only temporary. You being a boy would have meant that you'd be always annoying, rather than only sometimes."

Gauri doesn't care for the yelp he makes when she kicks his calf rather forcefully.

____________________________________________________

Hello darlings!!! So, the next chapter will mark the 10th one and I'm thinking that i should make it an interlude in the boys' pov (yes that includes our baby Bhairav obv). What do you think?

Publishing this chapter early in the honor of the birthday of King Kohli and his 49th century. GOAT.

Tagging: @vijayasena @alhad-si-simran @o-merebholebalam @satanicallysatanicchild

[silverbladexyz]

Helloo! It is i, the same anon who requested the night and morning routines with the hunting dogs, and first of all i just wanted to say that i really love your writing and how detailed it is!! Everytime i read one of your fics i am literally so amazed at how you write the characters, no matter who it is. So when i saw that you’re requests were open i got so happy, and this time i would like to ask for the hunting dogs (YES THEM AGAIN, I JUST LOVE THEM SO MUCH) and how they would spend the holidays with their s/o, how they would prepare for christmas, etc. (and of course just platonic with Teruko, like a best friend reader. And also no Fukuchi lol) And once again, feel free to remove whoever you want to because i completely understand if this is too much. Anyways, i hope you have a great day/night!!

-🕯

Omg helloooo anon!!! Welcome back!! Thank you, I'm honoured to know that you like my writing >.< and I love the Hunting Dogs too, so of course I'll write for them :)

The images do not belong to me. They belong to their original owners.

TW: Slight mentions of death

Hunting Dogs spending holidays with their S/O (best friend for Teruko)

Tecchou:

-I feel like the Hunting Dogs don’t get a lot of holidays, however, for the sake of this post let’s say that they do ^-^

-Tecchou wouldn’t really mind spending the holidays in any way really, as long as he gets to spend time with you. You could literally drag him out to do a day-long hike or go shopping at the mall until it was 11PM and he would not complain. In fact, he likes it and always looks forward to going out to a new place everyday

-However, he also wouldn’t mind just spending time at home with you. Do some fun couples activities together! Like baking, playing video games, couples yoga, reading books, working out, anything really! Although please keep an eye on Tecchou when he bakes, because not only might he add some sus stuff into the mixture, he might set the house on fire

-Would probably wake up early just to exercise. I’m so sorry if you’re not a morning person, because Tecchou would drag you to exercise with him everyday at 7AM in the morning, even when it was the holidays. But sometimes, he also likes a good sleep in that includes a long cuddling session

-Holidays with him are either chill or quite adventure-filled. There is never a dull moment that goes by

-Now I feel like Tecchou doesn’t really celebrate Christmas; at the most he’ll bid everyone a ‘Merry Christmas’ and accept gifts from people. But he is more than happy to decorate a Christmas tree with you and just spend a great Christmas with you in general

-Oh but please tell Tecchou that the pine trees that are put up for Christmas are normally fake and could be bought in stores... because Tecchou is going to actually drag a pine tree all the way home to use as decoration. Yes, you heard me. A literal. Pine. Tree

-Even though it’s sweet that the thought’s there, I’m pretty sure that you wouldn’t want to be sharing your home with tons of bugs and whatever else lives in pine trees, am I right? Not to mention it probably is illegal to do that

-But other than that, Tecchou is absolutely down to celebrating Christmas the way you celebrate it. He’d help decorate the house, put Christmas lights everywhere, even put on some Christmas songs. Even when his taste in food is questionable, his taste in decoration is impeccable. Because all he wants for Christmas is to have a good time with you :)))

-Buy presents for him!!! He would be a bit clueless on why people give presents on Christmas, but he’ll catch on quickly, and even buy presents for you!! But beware, he’ll buy you a lot of presents, and they are the most random presents you have ever seen. Please educate him on this whole Christmas-gifts thing, because he’s trying :(

-Teach him everything about Christmas, because he would love to learn about it. Tecchou might even dress up as Santa Claus and volunteer at the local mall to talk to the kids, and he answers questions so seriously that the kids are lowkey scared of him lol. Please teach him before Jouno murders him

-Christmas nights are normally spent cuddling in front of the fireplace. It’s dark, the candles give a cosy atmosphere, and cuddling with Tecchou is the absolute best thing to do 💗

Jouno:

-Jouno isn’t really fussed on how he spends the holidays; so long as he isn’t exhausted by the end of the day or has to go to really loud places, then he’s perfectly fine with anything

-He strikes me more of the type to stay at home with you and spend quality time with you. You’ll find that cuddling sessions have increased by at least two times, and the amount of kisses too

-Slow dancing with him in the kitchen at nighttime!!! Even though Jouno’s blind, his other sharp senses and great reflexes make him a really good slow dancer. If you don’t know anything about slow dancing, he will teach you, but beware he might tease you a bit for how cute you looked as you were struggling to learn it. Step on his feet please

-Now that it’s the holidays, Jouno definitely is going to sleep in with you. If you wake him up early to work out with him, he’s going to be a bit annoyed, but he won’t object to working out with you. It might help him be stronger than Tecchou, afterall

-If you wanted to go out somewhere to spend time with him, Jouno doesn’t mind, as long as his senses don’t get overwhelmed. But he would prefer taking nice, long walks in the evening where the sunset is beautiful and there is just the two of you on the stroll

-In the rare moments, he might even link his fingers with yours. Hold his hand back and stroke it! It might catch him by surprise at first, but if you’re observant, you might just notice his thumb lightly stroking the back of your hand. It’s very soft though... so pay extra attention

-Honestly just wants to spend his holidays by being with you as much as he can. I feel like his love language is mostly quality time, so Jouno is going to spend as much time as possible with you

-Now for celebrating Christmas... Jouno isn’t really the type to celebrate Christmas. However, convince him and he will eventually join in with your Christmas celebration. He wouldn’t want the house to be decorated too much though, because he just doesn’t want to spend a lot of time packing them up :/

-But he will go gift shopping with you! I headcanon that Jouno has great tastes when it comes to presents, it’s just that sometimes he’s a troll and gets you something to tease you. However he will be serious and buy you some extra nice gifts for Christmas

-I feel like Jouno would be a bit more romantic on Christmas. Playful kisses, fleeting touches, and just being more romantic in general. If you tease him for being all lovey-dovey and soft, he’s going to tease you extra hard 10x back

-Would definitely whisper to you a merry Christmas on Christmas Eve, probably accompanied by a kiss

Tachihara:

-Tachihara definitely wants to get out of the house and spend the holidays with you

-I feel like he’s more of the hiking and beach type, but if you wanted to go shopping with him he’d gladly accompany you. Just please don’t buy too much stuff because he’s going to trip and fall while carrying them

-Sleeping in and cuddles is a must. Now that Tachihara has more time to spend with you, he’s not losing a second of it, so expect lots and lotsss of affection. He won’t do it every single second, but when he does, you’ll be covered in hugs and kisses

-Also loves taking walks with you. He would take you to actual 5km walks where the scenery is beautiful, and you wouldn’t feel so tired because Tachihara would keep you company. But if you were absolutely exhausted, Tachihara will definitely give you a piggyback ride, maybe even carry you bridal style when nobody’s around xD

-Video games and movie nights!!! I headcanon that Tachihara loves playing Mario-Kart and Fortnite, as well as anything you play. Most of the time you two end up trolling little kids on Roblox, and it’s mighty fun. Even then, it’s very amusing watching Tachihara play, because he always manages to make the gameplay interesting

-Now for Christmas... Tachihara secretly wants to celebrate Christmas with you so bad, because when he was younger his family unfortunately did not celebrate it with him. So go all out and celebrate Christmas in the most fun way possible! Buy heaps of gifts, decorate the entire house with Christmas lights, hang up Christmas stockings, just do everything with him! He’ll love it, and he’ll also fall in love with you more

-Definitely lights up a fire in the fireplace and watches good Christmas movies with you, alongside a nice hot cup of cocoa or hot chocolate. Also cuddles with you wrapped in blankets on the couch, and it’s just really nice and cosy

-Also sings a lot of Christmas karaoke with you. I feel like he would be great at singing if he removed the roughness in his voice. I headcanon he likes singing ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’, because it’s such a nostalgic song

-Christmas is his favourite celebration now, because he can spend it with you 💗

Teruko:

-Having Teruko as a best friend means that she’s dragging you to a lot of places to hang out in the holidays

-Most of the time she would go shopping or swimming at the beach. Teruko would definitely swim out to the farthest distance she could, and she will throw a tantrum if people tell her that she couldn’t. If you tell her that the sea could easily sweep her away or if there’s dangerous marine life out there, it just makes her more adamant to swim out. She’ll even wrestle a shark if that meant she could swim as far as she wanted lmao Teruko please don’t

-Teruko is going to buy whatever is on discount. And when I say whatever, I mean whatever. Mostly she’ll buy stuff that she thinks Fukuchi likes, but she’ll also be happy to buy stuff that you like too! Teruko will mostly judge stuff and be picky, but the stuff that she thinks are good are actually the best quality. So always trust Teruko’s gut on which items are good or not

-Working out in the gym together! Don’t underestimate Teruko’s small stature, because she can just use her ability and suddenly turn into a very strong woman. She might even have competitions with you to see who can lift the heaviest weights and who could run the fastest on the treadmill she always wins lmao

-But sometimes even extraverts need to recharge. On those times Teruko is just perfectly happy to chill with you, talking about whatever comes to mind. Or you two would watch a tv show or a movie, sometimes judging the film if it was bad

-Also don’t be surprised if Teruko rocks up to your house and announces that she’s booked a trip to a nearby island for a day. She loves planning surprises, and frankly speaking those islands that she drags you to are pretty nice, with lots of activities to do on them. And she will cover the cost, but it would be nice if you treated her to some food and stuff (dw being a Hunting Dog means you’re rich)

-Amusement parks!!! Teruko loves going on rides, especially the ones that are super tall and big and with a lot of twists and turns. But prepare yourself for a lot of her tantrums, because she’s always too short for the ride lol. Teruko ends up using her ability in the end, but she is very vocal at expressing her annoyance

-And just because it’s the holidays, doesn’t mean that she’ll stop asking for piggyback rides. In fact, her requests for piggyback rides will double. Teruko won’t force you to give her a piggyback ride if you were really tired, but be prepared to give her a lot of piggyback rides the next day

-Now onto Christmas! Teruko would love celebrating Christmas with you, and she normally would go to a restaurant with you to have a Christmas dinner. She might even invite Fukuchi and the rest of the Hunting Dogs, and by the end of it Fukuchi is so drunk, Tecchou mixes a lot of suspicious food combinations, Jouno is ready to murder everyone, Tachihara is close to crying, and Teruko is also drinking with Fukuchi. Good luck dealing with them, but don’t worry because Jouno and Tachihara are surprisingly good at dealing with these stuff

-Teruko definitely invites you over to her house on Christmas. She sets up a pine tree, decorates it nicely, hangs flashy Christmas lights and stockings everywhere, basically just going all out with decorations. If you pay close attention, you might even catch her singing some Christmas songs when she thinks she is alone. Don’t tell her you saw though, because Teruko will threaten to punch you

-You two would also spend Christmas singing Christmas songs and watching Christmas movies. Teruko is definitely in a much more energetic mood, and she will be wishing everybody a ‘Merry Christmas’ before you two go to sleep (Jouno was so confused lmao)

@pixyys @pianotross @yuugen-benni @the-mourning-stars @xxelfmamaxx @nekokinax @catzlivedforbsd @i-just-like-goats

[kievlyane]

lewis following max’s journey from his palace in another part of galaxy and slowly falling in love with him. at the same time max is travelling with fremens and trying to escape his fate. while he knows that lewis is crown prince, he simply doesn’t care about him. there was more important things to worry about. max is struggling with acceptance that he must start the war at some point.

after long months of planning, battles and mind games, max is finally challenging emperor. lewis, as heir also fled at the arrakis. he witnesses max’s and feyd-rautha’s fight at harkonnnen’s hall. after his hard win, max is forcing emperor to bow to him. lewis is so fascinated by audacity this boy, so when max makes a marriage proposal, he is surprised.

they have beautiful wedding and coronation. white elegant suit for lewis, black and gold camisole for max. prince himself crowned his husband by new massive crown. long live emperor and his husband.

lewis wasn’t expecting love from first sight or some miracle that will force young emperor to like him, but after looking into his husband’s eyes he saw not even anger, just contempt. later he discovered that max promised marriage to someone else. lewis is hurt but his ego won’t allow someone to see it. secretly prince is happy that his husband’s love interest left him.

after one of lots arguments, when lewis accusing max of not paying attention on his advices and him at all, emperor answering him that “you just another thing that i need to do for galaxy and crown, and i am not interested in being your lovely husband”. lewis absolutely not happy, knowing that he is “just another thing to do”. so he’s thinking how to get revenge on max. he knows that he’s pretty. since he was young boy, prince received tonnes of attention, comments and compliments on his beauty. every time it bothers him because, he’s not just pretty face, but now it might play in his favour.

lewis starting wearing very questionable for emperor’s husband clothes and even having some lovers from his guard. it needs some time for rumours reaching to his dear husband. and the end prince got what he wanted. emperor honoured lewis by his attention.

max threatened lewis’ guards to cut their eyes of their head if they ever touched or looked at his husband in inappropriate way. that leads to another round arguments between ruling couple. now lewis lost his every access to intimacy because nobody wants to lose their life even if the prize is a tasty prince. after one of those arguments lewis ended up on the table under heated husband’s body. he was left alone to pick up the pieces of himself after what was his best sex ever.

for months it’s just rough make outs in dark corners of palace or table in council’s room, if lewis angers max enough at the session. but slowly things between them becoming less and less tense. once they are joking at the dinners, and then they don’t want to leave each other for their separate rooms at night. slowly they stopped jumping on each other every time they have a conflict and just talking it through, by listening each other opinions on situation. things in bed were changing too, from rough, sometimes painful, sex, to kind and gentle. of course spicy thing never left, because kind, doesn’t mean slow and monotonously. lewis still wearing interesting clothing, because he found his passion in weird looking outfits, and just because he’s loving watching max’s reactions on him.

they both slowly realise that love is here. it’s not something you can force another person to do, lewis felt this on himself pretty hard. but in the end they both madly in love with each other. and nothing matters anymore.