#But the commission as an organization sucks

[nirby-wirby]

“We’ve been watching you for some time.” And you only decided to come recruit him and get him out of there now? The Commission waited and waited until they knew Five would be desperate enough to take any offer they made him. The Handler waltzed in as though she was his savior when anyone could’ve done that years— decades even!! — earlier. But they waited and let him spiral until they knew that he’d accept whatever offer came around to get him out of the post-apocalyptic hell hole he was in.

[girlboyburger]

hihi i am VERY broke and need to make ends meet while i catch up on my queue so i'm offering my cheapest commissions ever! ! get a little animal drawing from me and my mouse made in 'spaint !!! HERE"S THE LINK!!!

reblogs super appreciated!! ty !!!!

[domesticandlovingmonsters]

Guard Captain Aram (M) x F!Reader (wip)

Because I feel bad with how long this is taking to come out, and I am currently stuck on how to proceed, I'm posting this as is.

I intend to complete it annd post it as a whole, but since I'm stuck, you got this. Consider this as a type of two-parter until I can work out how to write someone having a date and how conversations work. I swear I'm a good writer, guys!!! I know how sentences and dialogue works.

Words: 9.9k

Theme/Plot:  (Fantasy/Medieval)  You're a merchant, new to the city looking to start a business from the ground up. Having purchased a cheap, run-down building as your starting point, you work hard to make something of the little things you have. But after a string of robberies, you find yourself as the centre of the Guard Captain's attention.

The rain came down in pouring sheets. Deafening you inside your own dwelling as a year's worth of rain pummeled the tiled roof.

Thunder clapped overhead so close to the city roofs that the window panels shook in their frames.

It was a gloomy day. One that made the hours in the shop drag by at a snail's pace. Not a soul was out today. For good reason, or else they’d risk being washed away by the water flowing down the street drains. Thankfully, there was alot of old stock you needed to organize and catalog to keep you busy.

The storm was a blessing in disguise. Despite the chilly weather.

With the lack of customers to keep an eye on and take commissions for, it allowed you to tune up the shop within your actual work hours. And not drip over into the late afternoon like you dreaded.

And with the ample amount of downtime came the close inspection of how your little, ancient store held up in such a harsh rainstorm.

The last of your money had gone into buying this place. It was a cheap sale and the reasons for it were obvious. A small shop with a small dwelling connected to the back of it for residential purposes.

The paint on the front was peeling and much of the wooden beams needed some love and care. The windows had needed to be removed and replaced; they had been so grimey and cracked that it made the store look sickly from the outside. And dark and gloomy within.

Not to mention the rot within the wood in some places. Which had soaked up that lingering few coins you had after the sale. But it was better than leaving the place smelling like decaying wood and having openings for rats.

The roof seemed fine, the tiles were covered in moss and some were cracked, but you didn’t see any damage other than age.

It has been months since you bought it and this had been the first real change in sunny weather, so you were walking around the place constantly looking for leaks.

So far, nothing splashed against the wooden floor. Your little shack was holding up nicely under the rain, even if the walls groaned rather worryingly whenever the wind rushed through the city streets.

The shop was nothing spectacular, you knew that. But it was yours. And it was a much nicer place than the roadside stall you used to man while you traveled.

You glanced out the window as a flash of white light illuminated the dreary street outside. And winced at the image of you and your old horse and wagon in such weather.

Many times you had been caught out in storms like this. Losing stock to the water or your wagon’s wheels getting sucked into the muddy roads.

Looking back into your warm, dry shop; a new type of appreciation came to you with your decision to settle down. And you took a deep breath of dusty, humid air and smiled.

Your shop.

It still felt weird to say. But it was still just as exciting.

Over the thunder and tumbling rain, your shop-door’s bell chimed. Alerting you to two customers that all but barrelled into the dry space.

They were soaking. But smiled cheerfully as you greeted them. One had an umbrella that looked like the wind had torn it asunder and both their hoods were raised low over their faces. Leaving only their wide smiles for you to see.

“We are so sorry for dragging water in here.” One said, a woman. Rubbing her arms to retain some heat beneath the thick cloak. “But we’re in need of some alchemy ingredients, if you have any. You’re the closest store to ours and we’re low on some things to make cold remedies.”

The other customer, with the torn umbrella, looked around your small store with a grin. “You’ve really spruced this place up. It’s so much nicer here than what I last remember. The last owner did not care for this building at all.”

You smiled as their hoods were lowered. You recognized them as the potions store owners down the street. You spoke briefly once. They were nice people. But very busy. And their names eluded you, unfortunately.

“Welcome! And don’t worry about the water, it’s unavoidable at the moment. I think I tracked in half the realm’s mud this morning. Please, come in. What did you need exactly? I have a few stocks that might be what you need.”

The woman huffed with visible relief and hurried forward to your counter. Where you withdrew some small boxes of bottled ingredients and jars of various substances.

You didn’t sell anything but the basic materials. Your shop was more a general store than a particular theme. You still weren’t sure what you wanted to be in the city.

You’ve only ever known what you could carry. On the road, certain ingredients didn’t travel well. And jewelry or fine goods made you a target for bandits.

Here, within the safety of the city, you could be any type of trader you wanted. You just still weren’t sure what niche you wanted to be.

But your general goods were exactly what these two were looking for. And your eyes widened in surprise when they asked to buy your entire stock of your basic ingredients.

“I know it’ll put you out, but we’ll pay you an extra sum on top of the sale. Our next shipment of this isn’t for another week, and we have so many commissions coming in for cold remedies.” The man said. Already pulling out a large coin purse from his belt. “And you’ll be doing us a huge favor. If you need anything-”

“It’s a deal.” You said, waving away the man’s pleading stare. “We’ve got to look after each other after all. I was going to offer a discount since you’re buying such a large amount.”

The bell over your door chimed and you shifted behind your counter so you could see around the couple. A young woman shuffled into the store. Her eyes looked around the shelves with interest and a thin cloak was wrapped around her shoulders.

“I’ll be with you in a moment!” You called out to the woman. Seeming to startle her. But she smiled, it felt a little forced, and moved deeper into your store. Her eyes darted around and then back to you.

You were about to say something else when the potion’s woman handed you a sum of coins. “I insist. I know how frustrating it can be to be out of stock. Particularly ingredients like this. Please, take the extra sum. You’re doing us a huge favor with-”

The woman’s partner glanced over his shoulder as the woman at the back moved quickly towards the door. Her shoulders were hunched as she braced for the cold water to hit her as she opened the door.

“Hey! You, wait!” He shouted but the woman was already sprinting out the door. Almost slipping on the wet pavement outside. The potion’s man swore and handed his partner the purse. “That girl is the one who stole from us last week. Get the guards!”

Before you could react, the man was barreling out of your store and charging out into the rain. His partner seemed just as surprised as you but quickly pocketed the purse and looked at you.

“Do you have a way to summon the guards directly here?” You shook your head. Your heart was pounding in your chest. “I have one in my store. I’ll go call them. See if you can find out if that woman stole anything from you. I’ll be right back.”

The woman left her crate of goods behind as she hurried out of your shop. You were quick to follow, but went to where you last saw the woman browsing.

Your eyes flew from object to object. Taking note of any spots that seemed to have shifted or had missing stock.

Everything seemed fine. Until you noticed your small display of wands had been touched. These weren’t like the wands that witches and warlocks used. But temporary magical items that did various things depending on their make.

You had ordered these as a step into selling magical merchandise. To see how well they sold here. Kids adored the ones that created bubbles of light. And a few people purchased the design that acted as a quill that would write for you without you touching it.

You had recently restocked the display with other types. And there were two that were missing.

One was a water-make. Which either made water or removed it. Not enough to drain a lake or a pool, but a few buckets could be filled or emptied if needed.

And the second was a fire starter. Which spat sparks that would harmlessly bounce off of skin or clothes, but would light a small fire on even the most water-bogged logs or extinguish it.

You sighed. Already understanding why these particular items were stolen.

You’ve dealt with enough desperate people to know when it was necessity and not greed that pushed a person to steal.

You bit your lip. These wands weren’t expensive and were cheap stock to order.

Maybe if I’m quick I can stop the potions woman from calling the guards. You thought. But then you reminded yourself that the woman who stole from you, had also stolen from them. And over the first few months of owning and stocking this store, you’ve had more than your fair share of robberies and stolen items. If word got out that you let a person steal from you, this could spiral into something worse.

The best you could do for them was not press charges if the person is found.

You sighed again. Heavier than the last and moved through your store to get your cloak.

But on your way to the back, past a small lock-box display of jewelry, you noticed the glass lid had been pried open. The magical seal had been expertly dispelled and one of your silver rings, one that created a bubble of small protection, was missing.

You swore under your breath. Disappointment flooding through you.

Now you had to continue with the guards and hope they found the person.

That ring was an expensive item. The enchantment was a common one, but the ring amplified the bubble to be the size of a house. Something that was incredibly hard to do and would have taken alot of material to make such an enchantment safe and usable.

Hence why it was in a lock-box, under magical protection, and worth a decent sum of coins. Another one of your stretches into unknown territory with sales and items.

It was nothing so expensive that it would put a target on your store. But it was one of your pricier items, one that a customer had been eyeing off last time they passed through.

“They just had to steal that.” You grumbled. Slapping the lid back down on the lock-box. The seal buzzed as the box was closed again, letting you know the magic was once again activated. You gave it an experimental tug on the lid and when it didn’t open, without your key, you were happy enough to leave it.

You retrieved your cloak from the back of the shop and exited your store. Making sure the door was locked and hurried down the street to the potions store.

You were near drenched when you slipped into the two story building. But the moment your foot stepped over the threshold, you were flooded with warmth and your clothes tickled with magic that left you dry and comfortable.

You definitely needed that enchantment on your front door.

From behind the many shelves, the potions woman appeared, looking flustered as she hurried towards you. “The guards are on their way. Did that wretched thing take anything?”

“Some low magic wands and an enchanted ring.” You grimaced. “I don’t care for the wands, so much. But that ring is expensive. As long as I get that back, I’ll let it slide.”

The woman scoffed and gestured for you to follow her, leading you to the back of the store where a pot of tea and some small biscuits were waiting. “That woman stole two potions of healing and an iron-bark elixir from us. I know times are tough. And the potions were only small portions, not worth alot. But the iron-bark elixir is a very slow and ingredient heavy process. We can only make so many a month and they're in high demand with the guards and travelers. If she only stole the potions, we wouldn’t have pushed so hard to find her. But the elixir alone can fix us up for an entire month.”

Your eyes widened. “Those elixirs are that expensive?”

“Ours are, yes.” The woman said, a little proudly, as she poured you a cup of tea. “Ours doesn’t just give you thick skin and more strength, we’ve perfected a way that the aftereffect of the elixir doesn’t put you in a bed for a day. It’ll affect you for a few hours at best after you use the elixir but unlike our competitors iron-bark, you can get up and get ready for the day after a good night’s sleep.”

You whistled in appreciation for such craftsmanship. “That’s incredible. I can understand why she would try to take it then. Sell it off for some quick coin.”

The woman nodded. Sipping her tea after putting some honey in it and stirring. “I grew up very poor. I used to steal bread and clothes to get by. But stealing potions like ours? You put yourself at such risk for it. Even your ring! The wands can be overlooked. But something like that is just…silly.”

You stirred some honey into your own cup and allowed the conversation to fall away as you sipped. Thankfully, the potions man appeared in the doorway. Looking winded and red faced. “I couldn’t find her. The damn woman gave me the slip.”

“Better you don’t approach her, love.” The woman said, with a soft smile. “Let the guards deal with her. They’re on their way.”

The man nodded. Taking a deep breath that his body obviously needed. He looked at you and offered a smile. “I’m sorry I couldn’t catch her. Did she steal anything?”

You explained the stolen stock and the man tsked. Muttering about the lack of respect for shopkeepers; “Especially one such as yourself. You’re just starting out! I recall my first few years as a storekeeper, my Gods, the ledger was never full enough. And every piece of missing stock was precious.”

You nodded, chuckling along with the man as he shook his head. “Well, at least our sale will help me out until I can get a replacement or the ring is found. I’ll bring the stock over once we’ve spoken with the guards. I didn’t think to bring it over just now.”

The two waved you off. Saying they trust you enough to not skip their deal because of a distraction like this.

The three of you chatted idly while you waited for the guards to arrive.

And when they did, you immediately recognized three amongst them.

One was a tall elf woman by the name of Yesrie. Dark hair with sharp eyes but a warm smile.

The second was a human man named Smith. You never got his first name because everyone called him by his second. He had been in his first year in the Guard when you arrived; eager to help and prove himself, he had taken your reports on missing items like a personal attack. And hunted them down like he was the one who owned them.

Then the third, the Guard Captain’s right hand, Briar. A green lizardman built like a stone barn. They were a stoic type of individual. Had a sharp tongue when it came to humbling their guards but professional when it came to their work.

They all greeted you a little more warmly than they did with the pair beside you.

Your first few months here allowed you to become quite friendly with the Guard. Not by any intent of your own, but your new store in town got more attention than you bargained for. And not in a good way. Stolen merchandise meant the Guard got involved. And it happened so often within a few weeks that the Guard Captain had stepped in.

And with that sort of attention watching your store, the thieves dissipated quickly.

“(Y/N), why am I not surprised your shop was involved?” Briar asked, crossing their arms over their armor plated chest. Their iron gauntlets clinked against the metal. “I had hoped that the call meant a different store.”

You shrugged, sighing dramatically. “It wouldn’t be a Thursday without something of mine going missing.”

Smith and Yesrie laughed. Briar’s reptilian face rarely showed much emotion other than a hard stare. But you glimpsed their scaly lips twitch in amusement.

“Indeed. You know the drill, then. What happened? Every little detail, as you know, helps us out.”

You explained the events that transpired within your store. Explaining why the potion-store owners were involved, which gave them a chance to explain how they recognized the person who stole from you.

Briar nodded along, taking in everything you said. Yesrie commented they were the guard that took the potion store’s report and that this thief was targeting many stores in the district, not just a few.

Smith was writing down notes in a small notebook that was the size of his palm. Asking the usual questions like the woman’s hair color or description. Which you had to let the potion shop owners answer, because you didn’t really take notice of the woman.

Then when you got to the descriptions of the stolen items, Briar’s tail twitched in irritation. Nothing directed at you, you found out. “Well, that complicates things. Stolen magical items of significant power require a formal report issued by the owner. Meaning, (y/n), you’re gonna have to go to the Guard House and fill one out.”

You groaned in annoyance. You had to fill out a report once before. It took forever. And you really didn’t feel like going across the district to the Guard House in this weather.

But if you want that ring back, or at least be compensated for its loss, you’ll need to go.

“I’m guessing I’ll need the paperwork I received for purchasing the item to sell?” You asked and Briar nodded.

“Proof of purchase or the license which came with the item. Anything that has the item’s description and magic detailed alongside your ownership. And it’s something you need to do at the House, too. We can’t issue you one, since you need a scribe to sign off on it and witness you filling it out.”

“All that for a magical item?” The potions woman scoffed. “Damn, I’m happy we never got into that side of the business.”

You wish you could agree with her. But you were definitely going to make an adjustment to your stock and protection so you didn’t have to go through this again.

“Alright. Thank you for your time. Sorry you had to march through this weather for my store again.” You said. And Yesrie shrugged, glancing out the window as another flash of lightning lit up the dim street outside.

“The weather makes you appreciate the sunny days more. We’ll see you at the House, (y/n).” Yesrie replied. And the guards took their leave.

You soon followed suit. Promising the potion owners you would bring their merchandise around soon. But they waved you off. Telling you to deal with the reports and the guards first before worrying about them.

You were beginning to really appreciate them. And made sure to lower the price on anything the two needed in any later deals.

Back inside your shop you made quick work of finding the needed documents that involved any transaction or information of the ring.

Which you then wrapped up in a leather satchel that was worn and aged from many years on the road. An old trusty item you’ve carried with you everywhere before placing it in the drawer of your new work desk.

It would protect the documents from the rain and keep them nice and flat while you trekked the stormy streets.

You wrapped yourself up in as much water-proof clothing as you could. Your cloak was your best chance at keeping yourself dry but watching the sky still bucket down torrents of water, you doubted you’d stay warm for long.

As long as the documents were safe, you could endure the rain.

And walking through the streets was just about as miserable as you expected. You stuck to any type of cover you could as you walked. Storefront canopies or trees that were planted along the paths. The thunder felt like it was roaring directly in your ear as you braced against the chilling wind.

You wrapped your cloak tightly around you and pulled your hood down so low over your face you could only see the pavement in front of you.

Every glance up at where you were going was a risk of cold water trickling down your neck and into your warm clothes.

You zigged and zagged through the district until you came upon the large stone steps of the Guard House. The House itself was huge! Meant to house many of the district's officers and their cadets. This one also doubled as a school for fresh-faced persons looking to become a guard.

As you climbed the steps to the door, you could hear someone yelling at said cadets beyond the stone wall that secluded the training yards from the streets.

You grimaced at the thought of training in such weather.

As you stepped through the doors, the same magic from the potion shop passed over your clothes. However, this enchantment felt like it was spluttering. Parts of you were left dry while other sections were left merely damp.

You were warmer than before you stepped inside but your fingers still felt icy as you approached the receptionist at the desk.

You greeted them warmly and explained what you needed to fill out. And the receptionist motioned for you to walk down a hallway and then turn right, which would lead you to the scribes that would help you out.

You thanked her and headed in your pointed direction.

The House was bustling with activity. You passed many guards through the halls, swathed in armor and weapons. A few scribes hurried by and you even made room for a woman with a mean looking hound to pass you in the hall.

She thanked you as she kept the beast on a short leash. The hound didn’t pay you any mind so you knew it was more for your sense of space than the dog’s.

But you found the scribe room easily enough and the man behind the desk went through the process of the report.

It was a long document too. With a handful of pages that you needed to fill out and agree too. The scribe looked equally annoyed with the prospect, apparently he needed to go over it and sign off as you went. It would take time out of both of your afternoon’s. But he took you to the side to a desk so you could sit comfortably and fill it out.

Excusing himself and asking you to call him over when you got to a particular section before moving on through the document.

You hoped the scribe didn’t think your agitation was directed at him as you sighed and sat down. But you got to work, reading over the lengthy questions and paragraphs with a quill in your hand.

A few minutes later, Briar entered the room and went to the scribe desk, speaking softly. When the scribe nodded and disappeared through a door, their eyes passed over you once before snapping back as they spotted you. They came over to greet you. Their tail dripped a little with rainwater. “Ah, it’s good to see someone with initiative. You got here quickly.” Briar said, leaning against another desk to your left.

“Better to get it out of the way now than later.” You shrugged. “You wouldn’t have happened to stumble across my thief with my ring by chance? So I don’t have to do this?” You asked, hopefully. But Briar shook their head.

That twitch pulled at their scaly lips again as a hissing chuckle whistled through their sharp teeth.

“If only we were that lucky. I have to do my own paperwork about it, as well. I envy you. I’d rather do your documents than my own.” Like the scribe was summoned, he appeared and placed a thick folder of paper on the front desk. Briar thanked him gruffly and went over to scoop it up. Grumbling as he showed you the thickness of the folder. “See. No complaining from you about lengthy reports. I will probably beat you on every account.”

You laughed and nodded. “I do feel a little better about my report now. Thanks.”

“Here to help. Enjoy.” Briar said with a curt nod before leaving the room.

You refocused your attention on the documents in front of you. Calling over the scribe when he didn’t look too busy once you got up to the section he requested.

And while he looked over what you wrote and ensured everything was in order, you let your gaze wander. The scribe hall looked like a bustling library. Desks and chairs were scattered about the room. And behind the front desk were many, many towering shelves of books and scrolls.

Scribes appeared and disappeared behind each corridor of paper. Some carried in armfuls of paper or were discussing something with a guard.

It was all very busy here. But the chatter was rather quiet. You wondered if there was some sort of magic that kept the sound of the hustle and bustle at a low range.

“Scribe Harry, I was told that- Oh, (y/n), what are you doing here?” Your attention snapped to the door of the hall as your name was voiced.

Guard Captain Aram strolled over to where you were sitting. Making your heart skip a beat when he leaned over the back of your chair to inspect the report.

Aram was an orc with a heavy green complexion that contrasted the pale patches of skin on his body caused by vitiligo. His blonde hair was tied back in uniform to the neat standards of the Guard.

His tusks curved out from his lower lip, decorated by silver caps on the blunt tips. His thick arms were wrapped in thick leather that slid under a heavy metal chest piece with the Guard’s symbol carved into the steel. The patches on his shoulders displayed his rank, if the better armor and air of authority didn’t already display it.

“I was robbed again.” You sighed. Pushing down the sudden rush of nervousness as you turned your attention to the captain. “A magical item this time. Briar came and sorted it out and told me to come here.”

Aram’s brows knitted together and you could have sworn you saw a spark of amusement light in those beautiful emerald eyes. Before the stoic expression of a guard captain fell back into place. “Ah, yes, the grand paperwork involved with magic. I thought you said you wanted to keep simple stock for a time.”

You nodded. Having to pause your answer to thank the scribe as he pushed the report back to you to continue writing. “Yes. But a friend of mine had some stock they couldn’t move in the settlement nearby. So, I took it off their hands.”

“And then someone decided to take it from yours.” Aram said. He glanced over at the scribe as he moved some dropped off paperwork into the shelves behind him. “Hmm, this will go quicker if I take over for the scribes. The poor bastards have had their hands full recently.” Then Aram called out to the scribe nearby, Harry, who looked relieved when Aram explained he’d be taking over witnessing you finish the report.

“Do you mind if we do this in my office? The magic in here makes my ears ache.” Aram asked. And when you nodded, Aram escorted you through the building to his office. Which you had been in once before when Aram had taken over the investigation of why your store was being targeted so frequently.

He closed the door behind you and you took the offered seat in front of his desk. Which he then slid your seat closer to the desk and made space on the surface for you to start the next section of the report.

He moved your chair so effortlessly with you in it that it made your stomach flip a little giddily. But you hid your smile as you busied yourself with reading over the next section.

“I was recently thinking about you. And, uh, the reports you had to make on your store.” Aram said rather quickly, fiddling with some papers on his desk. “It’s been a while since your last break in. I thought my trick did the job, to be honest.”

“For a while it did.” You agreed. Pausing to write down the description of the ring. “The extra patrols you had around the place seemed to scare them off. And gave me enough time to better the security of my shop. I still spot Smith on occasion in the area. But he always seems busy. I hope you’re not working him too hard.”

Aram chuckled. Picking up a quill of his own and scribbling over some papers on his desk. “The boy is fine. He’s eager for the work. But, uh…” You tore your eyes off the paperwork long enough to see why Aram didn’t finish his sentence.

His eyes were narrowed and his lips were pursed in a poor attempt at looking angry, looking over your head to the windows behind you.

You turned your head. And you caught a glimpse of something quickly darting out of view of the office. The room was enclosed but anyone in the hallways had a clear view of you sitting at Aram’s desk. The Guard Captain grumbled and stood, clearing his throat as he flicked a small switch and curtains fell down over the windows leading to the corridor outside.

“Nosy bastards.” You heard Aram mutter. But you pretended not to hear him as he returned to his seat and continued working on whatever was in front of him. “I was going to say he wanted to be set in that district. Apparently, his aunt lives around there.”

“Aww, that’s sweet of him. I’ll be sure to annoy him any chance I get when I see him.” You said, refocusing on the paper in front of you. You reached the next spot the scribe had told you to call for him and offered the papers to Aram.

Who went over the report swiftly and then handed it back to you after he signed off on the part he needed too.

“A ring of protection, huh? That didn’t move at your friend's establishment?” Aram asked, surprised. And you shook your head, writing as you responded.

“Their town was going through a drought. Which is probably being washed downriver right now with this rain. But no one had the money to purchase a ring like that. I offered to buy it off them and then give them a percentage if I manage to sell it. We used to travel together before they bought their store. They helped me get my place. Since I had no idea how to purchase property.”

Aram made a thoughtful noise, watching you as you worked. “Why didn’t you buy a place outside the city? Probably would have been cheaper. And also get you a better place than that splinter shack.”

“Hey, that’s my splinter shack you’re insulting.” You playfully snapped. Which made the Guard Captain laugh. “But I wanted to try the city. I’ve never stayed in one for long. And I thought a change of lifestyle would be refreshing.”

“And is it refreshing?” Aram asked.

You paused to look up at him, smiling. “Well, the people are much more interesting.” You let the sentence hang in the air for a touch longer before continuing. “And there’s always something happening here. And the food! Oh my Lords, I’ve never had such a wide variety of food always available. Every morning I get a fresh coffee with a freshly baked bun. A much better change than living off of dried meats and stale bread with cheese.”

Aram grinned at that. His eyes seemed to sparkle in the candlelight. “So, you think you’ll stay here for good then. This string of robberies hasn’t scared you off?”

You scoffed lightly and shook your head. “I’ve fought off armed bandits and kobolds from my goods before. A few hooded figures isn’t going to scare me off. I’ve gotten too comfortable sleeping in an actual bed now to give it up.”

Your words seemed to widen Aram’s smile. “Well, good to hear. The city always needs more good people like you in it. It would be a shame to see you go.”

Something in the way Aram spoke made your pulse quicken. Or maybe how his fingers brushed over your hand as you handed him the documents again for him to look over.

Either way, you were suddenly very aware of how little room there was between the two of you. Even if the desk was large enough to sit such a big man behind it, it felt like Aram was close enough to touch.

And as you took back the paperwork, you thought it was silly of you to think that he was putting his hand directly so that your fingers brushed over his.

It didn’t stop you from feeling how warm his hand was. Nor notice how much larger his hand was compared to yours.

You felt your cheeks flush with heat and you tried very hard to concentrate on the papers in front of you.

It still took an hour to go over everything, but you managed to finish the documents required. Aram took it upon himself to file it away as soon as possible. And asked you a few more questions about the robbery before opening the door of his office for you.

“I’ll be in touch in a few days.” Aram said, leaning against the doorframe. “If we find anything, you’ll be the first to know.”

“Thank you for your time, Captain Aram.” You said and then added jokingly. “And I’ll be sure to let you know if something else goes missing from my store.”

Aram laughed. “Let’s hope that doesn’t happen.” Then he glanced to one of the nearby windows as a crash of thunder sounded overhead “Have you got a way of getting back to your store? It’s still pouring outside.”

You grimaced and a shiver ran over you at the thought of the walk back. It was later in the afternoon now. The sun wouldn’t be set yet, but with the dark clouds overhead and closing to sunset, it was already pretty dark outside.

“No. It’s not that far of a walk, though. I’ll be fine.” You lied. And knew Aram would know this was your attempt at being polite and not complaining.

Aram’s warm smile dimmed and he shook his head. “I’m not having you walk home in this. I’ll get someone to drive you back.”

Your eyes widened and you tried to make an excuse that would justify not needing a driver. But Aram caught sight of Smith walking past and called him over.

“Yes, Captain?” Smith said as he approached. Looking between you and Aram worriedly.

“Get a carriage and drive (y/n) back to her store. And no side stops on your way back, got it.” Aram said, his voice harsh with authority as Smith’s confusion turned into something close to amused glee. He nodded and then looked at you.

“Your chariot is this way, ma’am.” He said with a little more bravado than needed. And you looked at Aram with a joking glare.

“You’re really going to subject me to this?” You asked. And Aram’s stern facade broke with a smile.

“I’d rather not hear that you got washed away by a river on your way home. Get her home safe, Smith.” Aram said before closing the door and leaving you to a beaming Smith as you followed him through the House.

“So, what did you and the Captain talk about in there?” Smith asked. Wiggling his shoulders in a teasing manner as he led you out into an enclosed barn connected to the Guard House. Where a carriage was currently being connected to two brown horses.

“He was overseeing the report I needed to fill out about the ring.” You explained. Ignoring the tiny flush of embarrassment that crawled up your neck. “The scribes were busy and he had time.”

Smith blew a harsh breath out of his lips. “Puh-lease, the Captain never has time.” And then so quietly you almost missed it. “But that seems to change for you.”

You chose to ignore him and wait by the House doors while Smith spoke with the person hooking the animals up. He then waved you over and opened the carriage door for you.

“My Lady.” He bowed his head and you tsked playfully at him.

“Stop that. It’s embarrassing enough as it is. Being escorted back home by a guard.” You mumbled as you climbed inside. Which got you a laugh from Smith.

“Come on, enjoy it! How many times have you been safely escorted home like the rich folk? Beat on the roof if you need me to stop for anything, alright?”

Smith closed the door once you were comfortably seated and you heard him clamber onto the front of the carriage.

The carriage itself wasn’t anything extravagant. The seats were plush enough to stop you from sitting on hard wood and there was enough space to fit four people.

It still felt a bit excessive for only you to be in here. But at least you weren’t going to be walking in the rain.

Your body lurched a little as Smith urged the horses into moving. And soon enough the carriage was filled with the deafening roar of rain pelting the roof above you.

You felt bad for Smith sitting up front. You had glimpsed a small canopy over the driver's seat. But that would be very little protection against the storm as it whipped around him outside.

You sighed. Relaxing against the seat as you glanced through the fogged window to the passing streets.

They were mostly empty. Apart from a few store fronts preparing to close for the afternoon. And some carriages that trotted past.

You haven’t gotten to experience a carriage ride in the city yet. You’ve been so busy with the store that any luxuries you usually would have gotten with your money were forgotten. Or spent on the store itself.

It was kind of peaceful watching the city pass you by.

You would definitely be sending another bakery basket to Aram for this. He had enjoyed the first one you sent after he helped keep your store safe last time.

I’m not having you walk home in this.

His words bounced around in your head like an endless echo. And you found yourself smiling.

And the way he had put his hand in the path of yours? It made your heart skip just thinking about it.

You shook your head. Trying to scatter the thoughts that were attempting to wriggle into your mind.

“Oh, stop it.” You sighed to yourself. “He’s just making sure you’re safe. That’s his job after all.”

You knew you wanted it to be a lie the moment you said it.

But you refused to think of any other reason that Aram would be doing this. You didn’t need something like that in your life just yet. You were busy as it was.

But…A small voice whispered. You definitely need something like him. Even only for a night or two.

Your cheeks burned as the thoughts spiraled and you shook your head again. Refusing to let those thoughts get any more traction than they already have.

It…has been a long time. But you were a business woman now. You had more important things at this moment than scratching that itch. Once the store was a little more organized and things calmed down, then maybe, maybe, you’d think about it.

You sat in your hurricane of a mind as Smith drove through your district and finally came to a stop just outside your store.

You went to open the door but Smith was already there. Drenched from head to toe but all smiles, bowing his head dramatically.

“My Lady! A pleasant ride, I hope.”

“Oh my Gods, you poor thing. Get back as quickly as you can before you catch a cold.” You gasped as you slipped out of the carriage. Hurrying to the safety of your store front.

“I’m fine. Get inside! I’ll let the Captain know you’re safely at your castle.” Smith called over the rain. And you didn’t even bother retorting, merely stuck out your tongue at him as you waved him off.

You heard him laugh and watched through your store windows as the carriage pulled away and disappeared into the heavy sheets of rain.

~*~

A few days later, the bell over your door chimed as someone entered. You called out to the customer that you’d be with them shortly and finished what you were doing in the back before greeting them behind your counter.

“Aram!” You beamed as the Guard Captain approached you. “What a surprise! Good news? Or bad news?”

Aram made a face like he was deciding, jokingly clicking his tongue as he leaned his arms on your counter. Crossing them over each other and coming down to your eye height.

“Which do you want first?” He asked.

You pursed your lips, hopelessly ignoring how Aram’s gaze flicked to your mouth before returning to your eyes as you said, “Good news first.”

“We found the woman who stole your items. Your ring is being processed and looked over to ensure it hasn’t been tampered with. It’ll take a few days to get back to you.”

You sighed with relief. “That’s good. But…the bad news?”

Aram’s grin made his eyes crinkle adorably as he shuffled his weight on his feet. He cleared his throat and it felt like he was forcing his gaze to stay on you. “The bad news is that I lost a bet involving the case. And you unfortunately will be put on the spot as I ask you out to dinner.” He cleared his throat again and stood at attention in front of you. Your heart pounded in your chest as he swallowed hard and said. “Would you like to go out to dinner with me?”

It was almost adorable at how worried Aram looked as you stared up at him. And it was even more so when relief washed over his expression as you nodded.

Before you realized you were even replying, you had said yes. You laughed sheepishly, shaking your head. “You lost a bet and you were forced to ask me out to dinner?”

“I wouldn’t say forced. That makes it sound like I didn't want to.” Aram replied. Scratching the back of his neck, under the thick braid of blonde hair. “I want to take you to dinner. I have for a bit now. I just…things got in the way and I wasn’t sure if you would be interested in me and…I’m sorry. I’m rambling.” He cleared his throat again. “This is me asking you to dinner, sincerely.”

“What would have happened if you didn’t?” You asked.

“Probably be called a coward by my men.” Aram replied. “Or someone would have done it for me, I’m sure. Or somehow talked you into asking me out. I don’t know. They’re very nosy. Very much like a bunch of highschoolers.”

“But they gave you an opening to ask me out to dinner. So, I would forgive them.” You said with a chuckle. And Aram visibly relaxed with the sound. “When would you like to set this dinner? I’m free most afternoons. I’m sure it’s your schedule we have to work around.” You said teasingly. And Aram nodded.

“I’ll free up my night next Friday, if that’s ok with you? I know it’s a while away but this week is choked up with work already.” When you nodded, Aram’s smile broadened and your body became heated under his sparkling gaze. You both discussed a place to eat, but since you rarely went out other than cafes and small take-away establishments, Aram promised he’d surprise you with a brilliant place to dine. “I’ll pick you up around seven? If the rain hasn’t stopped by then, I’ll bring a carriage around for us to use.”

You sarcastically rolled your eyes, “Please do not make Smith drive us. That was torture last time.”

Aram laughed but shook his head. “No, no. I won’t be letting those vultures anywhere near our dinner. I promise.���

Once you confirmed again the time and date, Aram excused himself, having to continue his patrol around the district. And the moment he left, your heart soared with excitement at the thought of dinner with Aram.

~*~

Friday couldn’t come any quicker.

The rest of the week fell into a snail like pace, dragging day and night until the morning of your dinner date with Aram.

The rain didn’t subside. Most of the city was now flooded or close to it.

You had braced your store for the worst. Purchasing new tables with waterproofing and protective surfaces, so if the water started to rise and your store was flooded, at least some of your merchandise would be saved.

Coincidentally, as you were unloading the transport carriage that had said furniture, three city guards came over to help unload them.

You didn’t know any of them, but you thought it was sweet that some passing guards saw you and the transport man struggling to move a table, and decided to help.

But that seemed to become a pattern over the course of the week leading to Friday.

You saw more guards than usual in the district and some greeted you as if you knew them. Smith came over to you whenever you were out. Conversing until he needed to leave for his patrol and you needed to return to the shop.

Briar dropped by and returned the ring to you. They was a lot more friendly than the prior meetings you had with them. They actually cracked a few jokes with you.

You finally caved when Yesrie just happened to be in the area on Friday morning. Popping by with a coffee for you. “Are all of you around here because I’m going out with Aram?” You asked. And Yesrie was terrible at feigning ignorance, even if she was joking the entire time she replied.

“You’re going out with my captain? That’s amazing! I didn’t know at all.”

You rolled your eyes and shooed her out of your store. Thanking her for the coffee and company before you needed to get to work.

But finally, the time came to close the store and begin getting ready for your date.

You chose something simple to wear but something to also make you look downright gorgeous. Being in the city had its perks and the ample amount of shops around allowed you to browse and pick something amazing for yourself.

You had half the thought it could be a touch overdressed, but you weren’t sure where Aram was taking you. And you did look good in it! So you wrestled down the nerves and waited for Aram to arrive.

You kept your hands busy with small things in your shop before a heavy knock sounded on your front door.

You quickly opened the door for Aram and he stepped inside wrapped in a thick cloak and hood sprinkled by the rain.

“Damn, look at you, (y/n).” Aram beamed. His eyes didn’t seem to know where to look. They definitely lingered along your chest and hips, but respectfully flicked up to hold your gaze very quickly when he caught himself staring. “I feel a little underdressed now.”

You glimpsed his attire beneath the cloak. Dark dress pants with a deep brown shirt that hugged his large frame snugly. He had decorative leather bracers along his wrists and his hair was neatly bundled up in a collection of braids. Each had small trinkets adorning the strands.

“Nonsense,” You said a little breathlessly. Have you ever seen this man out of uniform? “You look very dashing.”

Your words made his smile crinkle his eyes and he opened his cloak up to you. Nodding to the carriage waiting outside. “I forgot to bring you an umbrella.”

“Ah, yes. I also don’t own one.” You said, hoping the way you moved up beside him didn’t seem too eager.

And you absolutely had an umbrella. But you were not going to miss an opportunity to snugly press yourself against Aram.

Once you were standing against his side, Aram lowered his arm enough that the cloak surrounded you almost entirely. A sweet scent wafted off of him to you and you shivered as your arm brushed against his side.

He was so warm!

Together you exited the store, halting long enough to lock the front and then quickly dash to the carriage. Where a driver was waiting in the rain to open the door for the two of you.

You felt utterly terrible for the man. But as you clambered into the carriage, you caught a glimpse of your driver.

An automaton. A being made of metal and mechanical parts bowed their head as you greeted them. Their clothes were drenched but they didn’t seem to mind as Aram joined you in the carriage, taking the seat next to you, and the automaton closed the door behind him.

“Did you hire a driver for tonight?” You asked. Baffled by the beautiful interior of the carriage. It was much fancier than the one Smith drove you in. And the rain didn’t thunder the roof in this one. You could barely hear it as Aram responded.

“No. This is my carriage. Anthony out there works for me.” Aram said this as if it was a normal occurrence for someone to have an automaton driver. Or their own fancy carriage.

You tried not to balk at his words. Instead made room for him to remove the damp cloak and fold it on the seat across from the both of you.

“I didn’t know being a Guard Captain paid so well.” You teased. Watching Aram as he adjusted his shirt and ensured his bracers were still correctly placed on his wrists. There was a slight scruff along his cheeks and he had replaced the silver caps on his tusks with gold ones.

Damn, he dressed up nice.

Aram smiled and your heart shuddered when he winked at you. “It also pays to have been a successful adventurer beforehand.”

Your eyes widened and Aram laughed as you said, “Wait, you haven’t been a stuck up captain all your life?” Though your words were sarcastic, you couldn’t help but be impressed. “To be honest, I wouldn’t have guessed that was your past. Maybe a soldier of some kind? But not an adventurer.”

“You’d be amazed at how many guards of mine are retired adventurers or travelers looking to settle down. I knew the old captain before he retired. It sped up my promotions, I’ll admit, but I proved myself just like everyone else.” Aram admitted. Relaxing against the plush back seat of the carriage. “Chasing down burglars and walking the streets at night is a much better alternative to dungeon crawling.”

You hummed in agreement. “I do not miss the cold nights or falling asleep hungry. But there was definitely a charm to traveling that the city doesn’t have.”

It was Aram’s turn to agree with a grunt. “I do occasionally miss having the time and freedom to do whatever I want. But I wouldn’t give up my position for anything. Least of all, leave my Guards behind just to go treasure hunting.”

You caught a light twinkling in Aram’s eyes as he spoke. And his smile curled warmly at the corners. It was no secret that Aram was as loyal as any to the Guard, but there was definitely a type of kinship between them all as well.

“That does remind me,” You said, tilting your head teasingly at Aram. “Did you order more guards to patrol my district? I keep tripping over them everytime I leave the shop.”

Aram didn’t look surprised, but he didn’t look pleased about what you said either. “Ah, I was wondering why some of them took longer to return after their patrols.” You waited for Aram to say something else. And when he didn’t, you set a pointed stare on him, urging him to continue whatever thought was bouncing around in his head. Aram chuckled with a half roll of his eyes. “Alright, alright. This is a little embarrassing, but I believe they’re keeping an eye on you for me. On their own accord. I haven’t ordered anymore than the usual patrols in your district. But since…well, they’re a loyal lot and they want to make sure you’re safe.”

You laughed. It made sense why you saw Smith and Yesrie more than anyone else on your streets. “All because you asked me out to dinner?”

“Well…not just because of dinner. But that’s a conversation for later.” Aram said sheepishly. And he expertly changed the subject to your store and how it was faring in the weather. You let the conversation be swept into other topics, but you definitely would hold onto that little kernel of a question for later.

The ride through the city took a little longer than you expected. But soon, the streets outside transformed into a string of establishments on the docks. And the carriage was taken through a route that ran along the rough, crashing oceanside.

The beach looked absolutely ruined from the harsh tides. And the dark gloomy horizon was nothing more than a black screen of storm clouds.

Despite the rain, the street itself was bustling with activity. Lights illuminated the roads brilliantly in warm orange. And all along the sidewalk were canopies and large overhanging roofs to give shelter to the patrons that walked by.

Your carriage was taken to a restaurant that had a grand glass ceiling and a large balcony with many tables seated beneath it. Your table was directly next to the balcony edge, where a shield of magic protected you and Aram from the torrent of rain slashing down from above.

And you found yourself pleasantly warm as Aram pushed in your chair as you took your seat. The business must have heating enchantments placed around to keep their patrons comfortable.

“This place is lovely.” You said as your waiter passed you both a menu. Excusing themselves to give you time to look over their drink choice.

“It’s one of my favorite spots in the city. The ocean view usually is better, but I can at least trust the food will be good.” Aram explained, glancing over the railing to the harsh waves and dark waters. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“I don’t mind at all.” You quickly reassured him. “I’m just happy to have an excuse to go out. I’ve been putting off going out for dinner for a while. I don’t know alot of people here yet. I wouldn’t know where to start.``

“Well, I hope my choice becomes one of your favorites.” Aram smiled.

The conversation fell into a simple one of work. Aram asked more questions about your store while you prodded about his life in the Guard.

“Things have gotten better over the past few months.” Aram admitted, drawing idle circles on the condensation of his cup of mead. “But I’m sure…activities will pick up closer to the holiday season. I dread to think about that time of year. But it is at least never lacking on slow days.”

“I used to avoid cities during their festival seasons. As backwards as that is for a traveling merchant.” You said in return. “It always caused me more grief than coins. But I guess it’s unavoidable now that I have a permanent spot here.”

                ~~~~To Be Continued Because my brain is stuck~~~~~~

As always, feedback or suggestions are welcome!! 

[monstersdownthepath]

I had a dream last night of a mage attempting to create a renewable source of extradimensional spaces to make mass-production of Bags of Holding possible, so they magically infused a spatial anomaly into a bunch of rodents and crossbred them until the alteration finally stuck to see if it was possible to easily create bags from their leather and organs.

However, what ended up happening was whatever entity(/entities) is on the other side of a Bag of Devouring slipped a tentacle across space into the swarm of rodents, so what the wizard ended up with was a bunch of insatiable, all-consuming hamsters that could, if starved, belch out feeding limbs eight times their size to tear through whatever was getting between them and their food, and suck human-sized meals into their teeny tiny extradimensional Cheek Pouches Of Holding to nibble on at their leisure.

The dream ended before anything else happened, but I'm definitely saving this to work on (or commission thecreaturecodex to stat) during my break!

[trickphotography2]

Santa's North Island Delivery Service

Stuck at work, Bradley is missing his daughter's first Christmas Eve. But when the squadron decides to turn the hanger into Santa's Workshop, the pilot is able to sneak away to spend a little time with his girls. (Inspired by a true story; Rooster x Reader Christmas fluff)

Word count: 2.4K

Ao3 | Masterlist

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Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw was officially having the worst Christmas Eve. Not only was he stuck at work doing absolutely nothing, he was missing his daughter’s first Christmas Eve. 

With his boots kicked onto his desk, he leaned back in his chair and scrolled through the photos you’d sent him throughout the night. At eight months old, Bennett was too young to really know what was going on, but it didn’t make it suck any less. He wanted to see her lying under the tree, colored lights reflecting in her eyes. (He’d already set that picture as his home screen.)

“Hey, Lieutenant?” A knock on his door drew his attention, and he looked up to see Petty Officer Second Class Wagner, one of the head mechanics, standing there. 

“Yeah?” Rooster said, sitting up. Even though he outranked the enlisted man, Wagner was one of the most respected non-commissioned officers in the squadron. To cheer up the men stuck working the night shift, he’d organized a movie night after doing a Christmas movie bracket throughout the week - National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation had barely edged out Die Hard. 

“You got anything at home that needs to be assembled before going under the tree?” 

“Huh?” 

“Any gifts for the kiddo that need to be put together? We’re getting a list of stops together for the trucks.” Rooster gave him a confused look, which made the man chuckle. “We’re bored, so we figured we’d set up some presents for everyone’s kids in the hangar. The first group of guys are heading out now to get stuff, and then we’ll swap.”

“Oh, uh… yeah, I think there’s a couple things. Let me check with my girlfriend.” With a nod, Wagner left, leaving Rooster to stare at his phone. After a moment, he called you.

“Hey, babe,” you said, answering on the third ring. He could hear babbling in the background.

“Hey. Have you started getting things together to go under the tree?”

“Not yet. We’re just finishing up bath time, and then we’re gonna get cookies out for Santa and go to bed, aren’t we, Benny girl?” 

“Any chance you can hold off for about an hour?” Bradley asked, unable to keep from smiling at the sound of his daughter giggling. 

“Are you getting off work early?” It was hard to miss the sound of hope and excitement in your voice, and he hated to dash it.

“No, but I’m gonna run home and pick up some stuff.” You hummed.

“Okay. I’ll try and keep her up. I’ll see you in a bit.”

“Alright, love you.”

“Love you too.” Hanging up the call, Bradley dropped his head and tapped the phone against his forehead. It was only your second Christmas together and the first as parents, and he was already missing things. You’d assured him it was okay and that you understood that his job sometimes meant spending time apart, but he hated it. 

“You’re a mean one, Benny Grinch,” you sang, gently bouncing your daughter as she howled. Letting your head fall back, you blew out a long breath. The crying fit couldn’t last forever. 

Though overly tired, she was fighting against going to sleep. It was a nightly battle, but one that Bradley usually helped to fight. You’d learned early on that he had what you lovingly called the Sleeper Hold - the minute Benny was tucked into her father’s arms, her eyes would start to close. Shifting her onto your shoulder, you glanced at your watch and sighed. As much as you wanted to wait to finish the bedtime routine until Bradley got home, it was getting late. “Alright, sweetie,” you cooed, grabbing your water bottle and retreating to the nursery. “Let’s get settled in.”

With the white noise machine and night light on, you settled into the rocking chair and lifted your shirt. Benny rooted for a moment before latching onto your nipple, making you inhale sharply at the pinch. Digging your toes into the carpet, you gently rocked back and forth, holding your daughter’s gaze as she ate. “Merry Christmas, Bennett,” you whispered, stroking her cheek. Her eyes fluttered closed as she grunted. You closed your eyes, comforted by the warm weight of your daughter in your arms and the tugging at your breast.

“Hey.” The soft, raspy voice roused you from the trance you’d fallen into, and you lifted your head to see Bradley standing in the doorway.

“Hey,” you replied sleepily. His long legs ate up the space between you until he was beside you, leaning down to press his lips to your forehead. The familiar scratch of his mustache had your eyes fluttering closed again. 

“She done?” Bradley asked, a large hand coming down to cup your daughter’s head. 

“Should be soon.” At his touch, Benny startled from her doze, suckling hard and squirming. 

“You need anything?” 

“The sleeper hold in a minute to finish her off.” In the dim lighting, you saw Bradley grin before he leaned down again to brush his lips against yours. 

“I can do that.” As if on cue, Bennett released your breast, her breath a soft pant against your tender skin. Without a word, Bradley took her and settled her on his shoulder, patting her back. “Hey, Benny, were you good for mommy tonight?” He paced the nursery as you reached for one of the breast pads and cleaned up. When a loud burp sounded, you heard him chuckle. “That’s my girl.” 

You took a moment to appreciate the sight before you - your boyfriend in his tight khaki uniform cooing to your daughter as she rubbed her face into his shoulder to fight sleep. “How long do you have before you have to head back?”

“I’ve got about thirty minutes,” Bradley replied, turning on his heel to face you while pacing the room. “Benny girl, the sooner you go to sleep, the sooner Santa comes.”

“I’m not sure she’s old enough for that bribery to work yet.” His grin blinded as he kissed the back of her head, lightly bouncing her. 

“Gonna be fun when she is. We’ll track him with NORAD and everything.” Shaking your head, you stood and kissed both of their cheeks.

“You get her down, and I’ll start pulling out the gifts.”

“Put aside anything that needs to be put together or wrapped, and I’ll take it to the hanger. Apparently, that’s what we’re gonna do for the rest of the shift.” With a mocking salute, you left the nursery to the sound of him humming a lullaby. 

Ten minutes later, Bradley crept out of the nursery with the baby monitor in hand and joined you in grabbing the presents stashed around the house. The Daggers had dropped off their gifts throughout the week, and your family had mailed theirs. The craftsman that you’d helped Bradley purchase when he moved to North Island didn’t have the best hiding spots - it wasn’t exactly something he needed when you’d been his real estate agent - but with Benny so little, it was a problem for the future. “I think we may have overdone it,” you sighed, setting an unwrapped toy on the couch. The floor by the tree was already covered with wrapped presents.

“Nope, just enough,” Bradley chuckled, opening his arms. With a scoff, you stepped into his embrace, smiling as he swayed you. A dark spot decorated his shoulder, and you gently wiped away your daughter’s drool. “Gotta spoil my girls.”

“I really hope you kept to our budget for each other.” When he stayed silent, you pulled away and cocked an eyebrow. “Bradley Bradshaw, you stayed within the budget, right?” 

“I stayed within our Christmas budget,” he answered, his hands gliding down your back to cup your ass as his mustache tickled your throat. “Love you, baby.” 

“I love you too. Now, help me get all of this stuff under the tree. Did you want to do her stocking?” 

There was a whoop, and Bradley turned to see three guys crouched on the hanger floor cheering as they played with a racetrack. Another corner had been designated as the bike assembly space, an array of tools spread on the ground. One of the card tables had been dragged out from the break room, and it was covered with popcorn and an assortment of cookies. 

Unsure of where to go, Bradley walked towards a few other officers standing in the corner. “Hey, Rooster,” Captain “Taco” Bell said as he neared. “We were just talking about ordering pizza for everyone. Would you throw in?” 

“Yeah. Does anyone know if there’s a system here, or does it just go wherever?” 

“Wagner’s in charge,” Payback shrugged, nodding towards the NCO helping assemble a kitchen playset. “You got stuff for Benny?” 

“Just a few things. Brought some of the smaller stuff to wrap, too.” The two men quickly went to the Bronco to unload the gifts. Setting them in a pile with a couple of rolls of wrapping paper, they quickly assembled the play sets. A few other guys drifted by, helping to slot the plastic pieces together or offering to help wrap. Boxes piled up on one end of the hanger, and a sign-up sheet for folks who had larger gifts at the house that needed to be assembled was passed around. It looked like at least six families were getting swingsets or trampolines. Bradley idly wondered about setting up a swing in the backyard in the summer. In the meantime, he assembled the small slide that would be perfect for the living room.

The pizza arrived around 10:00PM, and there was a quick break. As they sat around the hangar, the Santa letter exchange happened. Wagner supplied blank papers with a printed Christmas border, and the parents swapped letters for others to write the replies. “This saved my ass one year,” Wagner shared. “My middle daughter was starting to question Santa, and boom - different handwriting. Got her for at least another year.” 

Around midnight, the squadron split into three sections - one to stay back and clean up the hanger, and two to deliver gifts and set up the presents. Bradley packed up his gifts and put them into the back of the Bronco. He was joined by three guys to set up a trampoline. Aided by headlamps, they were able to get it done in about an hour with only a few pinched fingers in the process, which was worth it to test it out. 

A trampoline was added to the Christmas list when Benny was a bit older. 

After touching base with Wagner, they headed to the second house to set up another trampoline before returning to the hangar. The third team left to assemble a swingset while they settled in to watch Die Hard for their last two hours on shift. 

Tucked away in his office, Bradley set about wrapping his last present. 

“Benny girl, look here!” you cooed, trying to get your daughter to look as you snapped pictures. Sitting in her father’s lap, she slapped the present in front of her and shrieked. Bradley laughed, quickly shifting his hold to wipe the drool from his wrist onto his sweatpants before retrieving his cup of coffee. Even with just two hours of sleep, he wasn’t willing to push back Christmas morning. After taking a sip, he set the mug down and took Benny’s hand, sliding it under the paper seam. Her hand flew up, ripping the paper.

“Good girl!” he chuckled, helping her tear the rest away to reveal stacking cups. It took about an hour to get through the presents, trading off the baby to get pictures. 

A small stack of presents surrounded you as Bradley opened his new electric razor. “Thanks, baby,” he said, crawling across the living room floor to kiss you. With one hand on Benny’s stomach to keep her upright in your lap, you cupped his cheek and ran your thumb along his scars.

“You’re welcome, babe. Merry Christmas.” 

“Merry Christmas.” Pushing onto his feet, he quickly shoved the wrapping paper into the trash bag and ran a hand through his hair. “That looks like almost everything.”

“Unless Santa left something somewhere in the back of a closet, it looks like we got it all.” 

“Hang on,” Bradley said, reaching around the back of the tree and retrieving a small box. “Looks like we missed one.” Holding it up, he glanced at the gift tag. “To Mommy, from Bennett.” 

“What?” Grinning, he sat down across from you and offered you the box, holding out his arms for the baby. A quick glance confirmed it was Bradley’s handwriting on the tag. “What’d you get me, Benny?” you asked, smiling as your daughter laughed when her father tickled her. Lifting it to your ear, you shook it gently and heard it rattle. Tearing away the paper, you laughed at the kid’s jewelry box. The ballerina twirled when you opened it to reveal a bunch of plastic necklaces, rings, and bracelets. “Oooh, fancy! I know what I’m wearing today,” you laughed, quickly putting on a pair of clip-on earrings and a necklace. 

“There’s a note,” Bradley said, leaning down to press his lips to Benny’s head. He looked a bit nervous.

And there was. Buried under the plastic was a folded-up piece of paper. Your mouth fell open when you read it.

I couldn’t get you jewelry this year, but Daddy could.

With wide eyes, you looked up to see Bradley grinning at you. “Open the drawer.” 

Slowly, you pulled the handle to reveal a diamond ring. “Bradley?”

“Will you marry me?” 

Later, when Bennett was asleep and the baby monitor was tossed onto the couch, Bradley watched the Christmas tree lights dance across your face as he took you apart slowly, savoring your taste. The ring sparkled on your finger when you pressed a hand to your mouth to muffle your moans as you shook apart under him, thighs bracketing his ears. 

Kissing his way up your body, Bradley paused to suck on a tender nipple, groaning when your nails raked his scalp. The tree shook when he continued his ascent, knocking the lower branches as he tried to reach your lips. “Fuck.” 

Laughing, you lifted your head to meet his gaze and wiped your thumb along his mustache, feeling your arousal coating the coarse hair. “Merry Christmas, Daddy.”

“Merry Christmas, Mama. Now get out from under the tree so I can unwrap my present in bed and fuck you properly.” 

-------------------------------------------------------

Author's Note: This was inspired by my dad and his squadron when we were stationed in Japan. He had to work overnight Christmas Eve and they ended up making a run to everyone's house on base to pick up gifts that needed to be set up. I definitely believed in Santa for another year when I didn't recognize the handwriting on the letter the Christmas morning.

The jewelry box and note are also pulled from real life. Dad went remote for a year (he was over in Korea and we were stateside) to ensure that we got orders to Florida, and came back just in time for Christmas. My sisters and I got mom the fake jewelry (we were all in high school/college) while Dad got Mom a new necklace.

Thank you for reading my (late) self-indulgent Christmas fic! I hope you enjoyed it, and my first foray into writing Rooster. And a major thank you to @mamachasesmayhem for encouraging me to write this, even if she's just dipping her toes into Bradley and would have preferred it to be Jake 😂

[nixite117]

Worldbuilding

If there’s anything I suck at more than anything in fiction, it’s world building.

So let’s get started.

The general idea of my sci fi world is that Earth has just joined the stars. While this is public knowledge, there is very little known about its dominating species, “humans.” However, Earth has been classified as a Class D planet.

Every planet in the universe can fall under certain labels and classifications based on their abilities to sustain life. N Class planets are incapable of sustaining life, and are what make up most of the universe. Whenever a planet with life is found, it is first classified by what kind of life inhabits it. The two options are sentient and non-sentient. Then, if sentience is recognized: advanced or primitive? A society becomes advanced when they have an established connection to technology.

If no sentient species is established, then the planet is analyzed for threat levels of wildlife and disease. This is their “danger class,” and trumps all other classes. If the danger class is high enough, it is then considered a “death planet” and thus is much too dangerous to land on.

The Interstellar Safety Commission is the governing body responsible for this, and publicizes information about such on all planets that are candidates for resource harvesting and/or colonization. They also do this for private companies who are hoping to mine out various planets.

This organization has existed for almost 30,000 years.

Earth was the subject of this classification just before human’s began building civilizations. At the time, not only did the federation find that the planet had, at one point, been hit by an asteroid, but that the planet was teeming with violent creatures. The federation was newer at the time, it’s many members being unfamiliar with the many shapes that life can take. Thus, sights like the glyptodonts and prehistoric hippos were new and unfathomably terrifying.

Because of the mass amount of planets across the universe, typically the solar system around a “death planet” will be quickly archived. Organizations that apply for legal planet mining can easily find new ones nowadays as tech has grown significantly since the start of the ISC. So Earth was largely forgotten, as was our solar system. So much so that our little corner of the Milky Way was one of many little things that was forgotten. This is a loophole that many exploit but that will be discussed later.

Because there was no observation of our planet after this, Earth was pretty much left to evolve in peace. 10,000 years later, it’s the year 2088 and Earth has joined the stars. Upon reviewing the planet we came from, the ISC was baffled by our ability to survive, much less evolve on what is largely considered a “death planet.” Due to this information being public, many rumors started about the human race. We’ve been amongst the stars for almost a decade, which is nothing in the great span of the universe.

Humans have barely begun diplomatic missions with the universe, as our tech is extremely primitive in comparison to most alien tech. This contributes to the grand mystery around humans.

The main misconception is that humans are naturally aggressive and deadly. They are also all huge, hulking creatures with sharp teeth and a kick like no other. As time passes in space, and we learn more about our place among the stars, many of us learn one great truth about our impression on the universe.

Humans.

Are space orcs.

[kamidoodles]

sharing my gofundme again because i am genuinely desperate. i have applied to nearly 800 jobs since i was laid off in january, and only 180 of them have responded, of which only a dozen have asked for interviews

unemployment just isn't enough to cover rent, especially since my landlord, tho he's being somewhat understanding, is tacking on late fees

10 april 2024: i need $3600 for rent + late fees ASAP so that i do not become homeless

any help at all, even $1.00, would be extremely beneficial. if you don't want to give me smth for nothing, you can also commission me for art.

thanks to everyone who has supported me so far, i really appreciate you!

[yaesnovels]

. impatience !

kamisato ayato x fem!reader w no pronouns, oral (reader receiving), he’s a teasing little shit, breeding / impreg kink, multiple orgasms, overstimulation, dacryphilia 

a/n: happy birthday ayato !

it had been such a long day. 

already late at night, the moon shining so beautifully bright and you were sitting next to your husband on a blanket, head leaned on his shoulder as you were stargazing. 

“thank you”, he mumbled before he planted a soft kiss on your forehead. you had organized a small dinner for him with ayaka and thoma; just a little get-together to celebrate his birthday. 

he had been away on commission business for a couple of days so the little celebration had been a pleasant surprise to him. ayato could swear that seeing his loved ones celebrate his birthday was the most beautiful gift he ever could have received. 

“of course, love. you deserve all the best”, you looked up to him before you pulled his head down for a little kiss on his lips. you had been holding yourself off from any sort of pda because you still got slightly embarrassed to kiss your best friend’s brother in front of her. now that you were stargazing at the kamisato estate’s beautiful garden and were alone together, you simply didn’t care anymore. 

the little kiss quickly turned into something more intense. not only you had missed ayato a lot, he also had been dreading the moment he would return home to you (and his sister, obviously). 

“mhm, i missed this”, he cooed, unable to get that smile off his lips. “i missed you.” 

your heart pretty much melted on the spot. he always said that but he never was able to do anything about it because of his workload. 

“can i show you how much i missed you, love?”

– 

oh, and how he did show you. 

the moment you were locked in the safety of your shared bedroom his hands were all over you, roaming, feeling your body up before he settled them on your waist as he kissed down your neck. as he slowly led you to the bed, he couldn’t help his smile at how gorgeous you were. 

“now tell me, love. did you do anything while i was gone?”

the embarrassed and shy smile was telling stories. 

“i’ll take that as a yes. tell me, what was it that you did?” 

“i… did absolutely nothing. i swear”, you giggled. “come on, i was waiting patiently for you, love. i’m just teasing you, i promise.”

“you better be”, ayato laughed before he was kissing you again, now on top of your body on the comfortable bed. you loved having these playful moments with him, especially shortly before he was going to fuck your brains out. you knew he never was serious about this kind of things.

“come on, let’s get you out of these. ‘m getting a little impatient here”, he groaned, pulling off your shirt before he started unbuttoning his own. ayato was so impatient to please you that the moment your bra was off, he was sucking on your nipple, playing around with the other one. you couldn’t help the soft moan leaving your lips when you closed your eyes, arms around his neck as you planted kisses over his jaw and neck. 

“but this isn’t fair”, you pouted. “it’s your birthday. i should be the one spoiling you.” 

“shush, you spoil me enough by just laying there underneath me and letting me do whatever i want to with your body”, he replied. “i’m perfectly happy here.” 

he proved his point by pulling off your pants and burying his head between your legs, holding your thighs spread wide open before he licked up a your folds and had you whimper in surprise. 

“mhm, you taste so good like always. what a perfect dessert to finish the night with, huh?”, he grinned before he simply dived in and didn’t let you answer at all. and the moment he slipped a finger inside, you were totally gone, unable to produce a word or a thought because of both stimulations. 

“doing so good for me”, ayato murmured against your cunt, tongue playing around with your clit as he continued fingering you at the same time. “come for me, love. i know you’re close, i know you can do this.” he was so smug about making you come for him, the grin on his lips never leaving as he had you close your legs around his head. you were so close to finally lose control over your body, so, so close.. 

as he pulled off so suddenly, going back on top of you, chin and lips glistening with your slick. “did you really think i bought that shit off? ‘i promise i didn’t do anything’, do you think i didn’t see the cum on that toy you thought you had hidden, oh, so well? could’ve at least washed it off, love. not only did you play with yourself, you lied to me. i would’ve been okay with you playing with yourself, but the lie?”, he was using his authoritative voice on you, the one that always had you weak in your knees. “simply unacceptable.” 

“okay, i’m sorry for lying. but i just missed you so much. please, i–”, he shut you up by kissing you deeply, you tasted yourself on his lips. 

“cut it, love. you will take what i give you. i will fill you up so much, until you’re pregnant with my child”, he was so quick to pull off the remainings of his clothes, aligning his cock with your entrance before he slid all the way in. 

your eyes closed in the moment of ecstasy rushing through your veins, crying out in pain and pleasure. ayato couldn’t help the low moan escaping his throat, immediately picking up a fast and hard pace, the sound of skin smacking against skin was echoing from the walls and you were so sure you were going to get teased by ayaka the next day. you were unsure whether you’d be able to look into her eyes again from the embarrassment. 

“i’m going to fuck you so good, all fucking night, baby. you will be so full of my cum that the sheets will be soaked, darling”, he groaned, rubbing your clit at the same time to get you to the edge faster. 

“please, ayato, please. i need it so bad”, you cried, legs wrapped around his waist, fingers digging little marks into his back in attempt to have some sort of hold. 

“aw, are you getting impatient? you need to come? well, too bad”, he replied, pulling out of you as he tapped his tip against your clit a couple of times. “you’re going to go through this a couple more times, i’m afraid.”

he kept his promise. he didn’t let you come for a couple more times until your body simply couldn’t handle the stimulation and you came all around his cock, thighs shaking like crazy. in the meantime he had already filled you with his cum once, making you feel all warm and fuzzy in your tummy. “mhm, you did so well, love. i’m proud of you”, he praised you. 

once you were somewhat calmed down again, ayato easily slid back into you, continuing his crazy fast pace once again. the initial stretch had tears rolling down your cheeks, the whines and moans you let out were pure music to his ears and he simply couldn’t help to wipe off your tears off your cheeks. 

“please, ayato, please come inside me”, you cried. and simply because of how desperately you asked for it, he was considering to tease you and cum all over your belly, paint your skin with the droplets of his cum. and he actually ended up doing that, pulling out the moment he was coming, jerking himself off as he groaned and came on your body – the image he created for only his eyes to see was absolutely gorgeous. 

“don’t worry, love. i got so much pent - up need for you saved. we won’t be done anytime soon. after all, i still need to make sure you get pregnant with my baby, don’t i?” 

when he finally thrusted back into you, you were unable to keep your cries down, he had to kiss you to shush you down. 

“mhm, yes, baby, you feel so good”, he groaned, holding up your legs over his shoulders, while he was fucking back his cum into your hole. “you take me so fucking good, i’m so proud of you, darling. just come for me, baby. you can come for me all you want. don’t worry, i won’t stop. i don’t have the patience to stop and tease you anymore. i’m just going to fill you up over and over again, until you’re absolutely full of me and don’t remember anything except for my name and the way i make you feel.” 

he simply couldn’t stop babbling nonsense, the stimulation slowly getting to him, taking over his mind. 

“you can take it, baby, i know you can. you were able to take way more before, i know you can do this”, he panted, breathless. 

and shortly after, he was once again filling you up as he made you see stars, eyes rolling back, and he was watching his cum drip out of your hole as he pulled out, making you whine in desperation. 

“aw, look at how much you’ve came already. but i’m not done yet. i got so much in store for you, love.” 

though he was unsure how much more he would be able to handle, with the overstimulation slowly getting to him, making it harder for him to focus on ruining you. but he was absolutely determined to have you lose every sort of control you had over your body.

[cherry-pop-elf]

A Moment Of Peace

Morax x Chronic Pain Reader

Requested by Anon

You suffer from chronic pain, and that doesn’t help when you are in hell. You just wish to have a moments peace, and your designated nurse offers a idea

Warnings: 18+ ((gore wise)) talks of pain, chronic pain, gore, mental health, also it’s What In Hell Is Bad so is gonna be heavy in its sexual tones. NO ACTUAL SEX THO-!

Writing Commissions open

“Child of Solomon-?” You heard him knock, before entering the bedroom you were given. It wasn’t quite your speed, but it’s better than nothing. Very…..Red. Red and well….Yeah it’s a room Lucifer would give you. At least it was very comfy. Snuggled into a bed that was built for an orgy than a single person. Least it made it less suffocating, when you are trapped to lay there for hours at a time. All the free space to stretch, and make things work to exist.

“Come in, Morax.” You called, as you cuddled into one of the pillows. The stress of everything was finally catching up to you, and your body was suffering. Even in hell, you still could never find words to describe it. The aches, the burning, the existing. It’s hard, but Morax was the one demon that can grasp it. The designated healer, who has seen more than any one should. Demon, or not. It’ll take a toll.

“Ah, there you are. I figured. I could feel the heat of your nerves from half way across the castle-“ He announced, as he would come to your bed. There were books in his bandaged fingers, and a tray of sweets with drinks. You were very confused by it, as your stomach was not ready for such a thing. Your stomach was twisting and turning, not to mention lake of motivation at all to consume. Yet, he’s never shown incompetence with the field of medical care. Had you curious.

He was soon sitting next to you, in a chair by your bed, as he set the tray on the table. He was also working his clothes off. As if that’s a surprise, but even Morax had more politeness than this. He didn’t completely strip. Couldn’t if he tried, since he was soaked in bandages. Left to his shorts, and wrappings. Blood forever seeping through, and gore to be mush under the texture. That one working eye looking down at you, and holding so much emotion in it. He seemed excited even. Those hands would claps together, as you watched him. Holding your pillow so tightly.

How it was utterly fascinating to look at him. How you have seen him taken on so much pain, yet keep going. Acting like everything was fine. How familiar. For once, someone could genuinely understand your perspective. How much it sucked. Course, you couldn’t help but feel dramatic about it. Given you’ve seen under those wraps. The missing flesh, the gouged eye, the scars, blood, cuts, bruises, the falling out organs, all of it. Yet, he never dared compared. Your pain was just as real, to him, as the blood soaking the bandage over his empty socket.

“As you know, I take on the burdens of those with wounds and pain. Hence why I have not healed my own, as they are constantly being fresh-“ He begins, as if you didn’t know this already. He was still the smarter of the demons, so you didn’t say anything. You knew he was going somewhere, but your brain was just so foggy. You could hardly hear him honestly. It’s just a blur of noise, and ringing from the pain. Seemed he was aware of it, as he was soon silent. Allowing himself to let actions speak louder than words.

Before you knew it, he snuck into bed with you. Not a first, by many demons, but a first for him. You were about to question it, before you suddenly held immense clarity. It was like a thick blanket was lifted off of you. Your heart wasn’t ringing in your ears. Your breathing was steady. Your limbs didn’t tingle. You could actually comprehend the world around you. It was beyond words. You didn’t know such a feeling was possible. You were, for a moment, normal.

“So warm-“ You heard him mutter, as he was snuggling you. He couldn’t deny the comfort it gave him. A beautiful excuse to hog you all to himself, while everyone else had to go do important demon stuff. He was able to hug you, smell you, even taste you. It was worth taking all your chronic pain, and holding it. It was so worth it. How his fingers were dancing across your skin, and his breath inhaling you. Savoring the scent of human, with ancient magic. It was delicious, and sweet.

“It doesn’t cure it, does it?” You had to ask, as he shook his head. Figured. Makes sense. There were demons born without limbs, and he couldn’t exactly give them limbs back. They were born with it, so the body was forced to function as such. A default, if you will. Regardless, you were hugging him tightly. Just thanking him in your own way. Swore the bastard might jizz himself if you held him too tightly. He’s earned it, in your defense. His eye out right fluttered, as you held him tightly.

“Whenever there is a moments rest, between this war, I hope this can bring you some peace. I know I can not offer perfection, but I’ll be heaven bound if I do not try.” He said, as you were squeezing him tightly. It was mind numbing to have your body not be in this constant pain. You knew this would still be a drop in the bucket for Morax, but in a morbid way it was nice. Nice to know you weren’t burdening him with this. That he got a relief, in your stolen pain. pretty sure the bastard har to have developed a kink for this by now. Had to.

"New order, you sleep with me now.” You demanded, as you were going to get your use out of him. He held zero arguments, was giddy if anything, when you gave that command. How he snuggled into your neck, to inhale more of your sweet human scent. Seeming to be in his own pure heaven, well hell, by such actions. Now you knew why he brought the books and snacks. So you could actually enjoy a quiet moment, that he’ll hardly provided. He found a way to give you peace. He really did it. He found a way, in this madness.

You would grab one of the books, as your other hand would rub his back. To try and give him some emotional support all the same. To show him how grateful you were. Oh sex was so on the table for him. You knew damn well you COULD enjoy sex, even more, with him. Given the physical content meant he took your pain away, leaving you in true pleasure. That had you excited. You had so much energy again. The world was your oyster.

For now, though, you were going to finally enjoy something so many people took for granted. You found yourself a comfortable position to snuggle him in, and started to read. Actually able to focus on the words, and feel the pages in your fingers. The brain fog finally gone, as you snuggled him. How wild that your pain was also his pleasure, as it finally gave him an excuse to get a nap in as well. To heal his own wounds, he has taken for others. Your pain was his excuse.

This was going to be your new normal, and you were excited for it. To have clarity, and be able to focus again. To read the book, and study up more on hell, while Morax finally was getting rest. To finally get some healing done, while you could have a moments rest from the pain. To comprehend the sounds around you, like the distant rumbles of hell shifting and turning. The smell of fire, wine, and death. The textures of the blankets. You could actually be in the moment.

Despite how much energy it gave you, the escape from pain just made you crave sleep. Real sleep. Out like a light you were, with lying against Morax. How your body curled against his, and his arms tangled around you. The book left to be open next to you, drinks emptied, food eaten, and just at peace. Knocked out cold, and having a deep slumber. No tossing and turning from muscle spasms, and no nightmares from the anxiety and pain. You were resting, and with someone all the same.

It was peaceful. You had peace, for the first time in your life. Morax was truly your savior, and he deserved proper rewards for it. After you BOTH got a well deserved nights rest. A tangle of limbs, soft breathing, and the sounds of hell. All to lull you into dreams of hope, prosperity, and joy.

[mcromwell]

i hope i can be a professional artist like you one day. i just.. dunno where to start, since i'll never be able to handle college.

Don't sweat the college thing. If no one's paying for it, it's not worth it to go to college for art. Especially fine art, what I do. Hot take for someone who did, in fact, go to college. I only went because my folks pre-paid for state college credits with an installment plan state program. (Look, my middle class privilege!) But honestly, you don't need to go to art school to do the type of stuff I do. I don't even think I got as much out of my education as I could have (due to being socially anxious I made 0 connections and overworked myself taking care of too many pets/working retail/going to school/living away from home/dating someone who sucked). I learned a lot, sure, but I squandered the most important thing a fine art degree gets you: art world connections. (And college didn't teach me fuck-all about how to run an art business by yourself, only how to do it the traditional, rub-elbows-with-gallery-owners way, which is morally fucked imo).

If you want to make art, sell it to private collectors for a living, or do commissions, that type of thing, the only thing you gotta do is

draw all the time

get better at it (on purpose or by the natural consequence of just doing it a lot)

learn how to speak kindly and encouragingly to yourself so you don't lose momentum

Start with drawing what makes you happy. When you get bored, challenge yourself. Take a class. Buy a good instructional book. Network with other artists in similar situations as you. Try new things, even things that you don't think will pan out. Always keep your eye on getting better, but don't put yourself down for not being there yet.

If I can do it, you can, too! It's a long journey! I'm 33, in the lowest tax bracket, but happy and making as much art as I want, which is how I like to structure my life for myself the organism to thrive.

[staycait]

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Who Is Prey?

CW: NSFW, Choking, Drugging, Kidnapping, & Unprotected Sex. ⠀⠀⠀Minors DNI. Corrupt!Albedo x Fem!Reader Maybe going to Dragonspine for a commission and trying to find warmth for a little while to rest was a bad idea.

Albedo! That took you into his small campsite because you said you needed to cool off a little bit.

Albedo! That made you a nice warm meal and gave you a blanket to feel more warm.

Albedo! Who made conversations with you about alchemy and what your opinions on about it.

Albedo! Saying goodbye to you after you told him you had a great time with him and that you needed to finish this commission.

It was the wrong potion.

...

Corrupt!Albedo That went through all of Mondstadt to find you and kidnap you to bring you back into his campsite.

Corrupt!Albedo That constantly fed and injected you drugs to make you feel a crazy amount of desire for him.

Corrupt!Albedo Ramming his cock inside your tired cunt that had been continuously getting fucked by him, having your hands tied up together and your legs wrapped around his waist as he goes deeper and faster in you, making sure to hit your g-spot all the same.

Corrupt!Albedo Whispering sweet nothings into your ear..

"Stay here with me, I'll protect you." As if he wasn't fucking you on the hard ground, oh, he loved that sounds of skin slapping against skin. Pounding harder into you as if there was no tomorrow.

"You don't need other people, you have me. Do you not think the same?" Sucking on your neck, giving you hickeys as if he wanted everyone to see you were his. But he didn't let you go anywhere so it was pointless. Because only he sees those marks.

“I love you, and only you. Rest assured I will never pick another, that is not you. Archons, your hole fits perfectly with my cock..” You heard from behind, your hair getting pulled and having your tortured seeping cunt that couldn’t get a break anymore, making you feel like a slut. It was so obvious that he had intentions of rearranging your organs.

Corrupt!Albedo That ignores all your cute little begs and pleas for him to stop, everything falling straight to deaf ears. Filling you with his white sticky fluids to the brim. Your body quaking and pussy so sore from hours of getting completely rammed by him. Getting choked by his hands wrapped around your neck while you have your nth orgasm.

Corrupt!Albedo Thrusting into you for hours without ever feeling like he’s even halfway through at all. You whine as you almost reach your climax, he goes faster into you making sure that he hears all your sweet singing for him. Pounding into you ever so hardly as if he’d mold the shape of your pussy into his dick. You especially taking him in so good.

Corrupt!Albedo Who was always rough when having sex with you, never giving a break, so dominating and punishing. Giving you aphrodisiacs every time, and you couldn’t get a Single break from his potions and experiments.

Corrupt!Albedo Who has made you sensitive, very sensitive. Him making sure to massage your clit to make you cum more and more to tease you and to give pleasure. You giving him erotic facial expressions in return.

Corrupt!Albedo That gives the best aftercare, a nice warm meal and a massage where it usually hurts(Your back and stomach) as if he hadn’t just made you look like a total slut.

Corrupt!Albedo.. That just loves and admires you.

[burning-academia-if]

Hi again. If you've been around a while you're probably going to be like "Em, again??" But guess who got sick for the 6th time this year and this time it was a full on chest infection!! It has been three weeks, and somehow I am still Not Free!!

Anyway, BA fell to the wayside this month because it was Velox Fabula time and I've yet to miss a Velox jam (also...chest infection). I also needed to get my sudden and newfound Pirates of the Caribbean obsession out of the way so! I made a short pirate visual novel for the jam and I'm normal again. I also released the prologue of my side IF To Taste Sweet Silver (@sweetsilver-if) just to have it out. Feel free to check it out if you want, but it likely won't be updated for a while as I'm shifting gears back to BA for September!

I don't have much to report but:

UI update should be out in the next week or two depending on how I'm feeling. It won't look like much to y'all since it's more for my sake via cleaning up the code LOL but there were things added (friendship indicators, open dyslexic font option, character page updated, stat page updated, glossary page added) I'm not a graphic designer but it's better organized I think. There won't be an Official Post about it because it isn't new content, but I will make a small announcement when it's out. It'll also include the originally deleted Lars/Zoe/Nevio lunch scene in Chapter 2 as well. Sorry this is taking so long, I just really struggle with the coding side of things which has made the process slow.

Writing in August was also slow, and honestly, I think I really needed those few weeks off not thinking about BA. My inbox being very quiet helped as well, so I really did take a real break from BA. When I opened up the writing doc, I felt a whole lot better about working on BA again, and we have hit 100k words finally!

Anyway, I don't want to lament much, but I did have a personal goal of releasing up to Chapter 4 this year which obviously is Not Going to Happen. It honestly sucks I got sick so often this year because it cut into so much time for creative projects, be it BA or anything else.

I'm not really going to be hard on myself for it, though. I think releasing 3 chapters this year considering everything that kept Going Wrong this year is actually pretty good. I just think its annoying when I know I could have done it but the universe said no instead akfjalfa Anyway, I'm not sure when Chapter 3 will release but I do have a good feeling about September and I think I'll be able to at least get a decent chunk done this month!

Finally, September marks the one year anniversary for this blog and October marks the one year anniversary of BA releasing!! I feel like I literally just started writing this, the fact it's September already is wild.

I was going to do art commissions, but due to surprise car issues, I don't really have the money for that now (next year for sure though!!), so I was thinking of maybe doing character Q&As to celebrate? I've also seen some authors do raffles, but I'm not entirely sure what I would raffle off? Maybe personalized short stories with readers MCs if there's interest in that? I'm not sure yet, but I have a month to figure it out lol

But also thank you to everyone who has followed along!! It's been a really fun time both writing BA and on the blog. I know I say this a lot, but I'm really glad this is such a chill place. It's nice for me the author obviously, but it's also nice because I always want the spaces I have to feel like safe places for others as well so! Thanks again!

Lastly, I normally would end on a little snippet or preview but since most of what I wrote was just the two different openings, I feel like I have nothing fun to tease (or maybe I'm too picky about snippets idk). Hopefully Zoe's bday post tomorrow makes up for it, and I'll post some snippets later in the month instead!

Thanks for reading!

[queen-skiia]

30 Days of Productivity: Day 12🤎

07/28/2024

Hey Besties! ✌🏾 here’s Sunday’s recap:

Honestly not much happened today. I haven’t been feeling well, I think it might have to do with me not getting enough sleep and it’s possible I may have overexerted myself in the gym. I do plan on going to the doctor soon, so we’ll see what happens 🥺

Despite being exhausted and out of commission for most of the day, I finished up a painting I started on Saturday. I made an emotional support Matcha latte and organized my assignment schedule for the rest of the summer

So far I have As in both of my summer classes which I’m really happy about. It looks like the sleepless nights are sorta paying off 🥹

I also filled out two job applications before I wrapped things up and now I’m in bed! 

I really hope I get well soon because I miss going to the gym and I hate not having the energy to do anything. Also, the anxiety of not knowing what’s wrong with me sucks😓

Anywho, Gn besties! ✌🏾✨

🎧 - Melt by Kehlani

[vaalthus]

Dragonfable Book 3 Epilogue (spoilers)

Finally, upon the closing act.

They're nobles Victoria, all they do is whine to each other.

I knew it was only a matter of time before those that dwell on the other side of the Deadlands Rift were going to really amp up their incursion into our side of the fence but if they're already becoming more frequent at the epilogue then perhaps, we'll be heading there far sooner in Book 4 than previously thought, assuming it's not part of the opening act of course.

*sigh* As I anticipated in Convergence Part 1, there was always going to still be people that vehemently supported the Rose on the basis of the good that the organization stood for but boy am I not liking this guy's take when presented with the information that the Rose was engaging in acts of unwarranted cruelty.

Man do I love it when characters that are royals or nobles have the preference of their titles being cast aside with their closest friends. Only informal greetings for you my dearest of friends.

Honestly, not all that surprising. It wouldn't be the first time a group high in a governing body tried to manipulate events to their own ends through a figure that no longer holds political power, regardless if they relinquished that power willingly or not, and I could easily see many of these nobles, though obviously those that looked favorably upon the Rose, looking to Alteon to undermine Victoria's authority no matter how much the man stood to the sidelines or not. That these nobles are even callous enough to pester Brittany, as she's still recovering, would seem to be proof enough of this fact.

There is another reason why this is a matured response from Victoria on Alteon staying away, but I'll get to that later.

And here we have quite the appropriate reaction to finding out how you and everyone else around you came close to dying due to an uncaring god waking up from a nap.

The real meat of what we tell the crowd however is far more interesting however

I must say when Jaania asked the Hero what they would tell the people about her and what happened at the Fissure, I never would have expected the player being given the following options. The truth of the matter seemed straightforward. Yet, now I understand in this moment how our feelings upon Jaania and her actions might either color or highlight how we present the truth to the public. For all intents and purposes, there really are no lies in either of the speeches given just a difference in levels of gentleness or harshness depending on whether you land squarely in the camp that she was a hero that made some really terrible missteps throughout this entire saga in her quest for peace or a fool that left misery in her wake for her obsessive need to be in control.

The more neutral truth of course is that the answer lies somewhere in the middle in terms of who Jaania was as a person and the choices she made but I must admit that I do like that there is this divide between how the speeches are delivered based on how intense players might have felt about her.

Good to know that the Ateala can now move freely across Greenguard once again. Kind of sucked that they were being given no choice to remain in Atrea because the Rose attacked them.

I don't think I'm ready for a depressed Yashta. He's been stoic and vigilant so far but with the Empress currently out of commission and him now having more time to himself to be alone with the grief of "failing" his task it feels like there's no telling how he'll be the next time we see him.

It seems clear to me that Safiria's "indifference" to the matter is her way of letting Thursday slowly take the reigns as the one who will eventually "unite" Darkovia as she put it which is kind of sweet since it's making Thursday as more legitimate authority figure. Though I am somewhat concerned what this might mean for those within Safiria's own halls, though I doubt there are any vampires dumb enough to challenge her at the moment.

As I said before, on one hand it's good that the dragonslayers and the dragonlords are now in close proximity to each other so that they are less suspicious and more open to dialogue between each other but I can't say that I'm less concerned that the close proximity might also make it easy for them to start fighting again as well especially now that there is a disconnect in leadership for the dragonlords once more and if the slayers resentment towards dragons ever reach a boiling point...well I just hope the goodwill we saw at the end of Awakened Depths lasts.

It's so heartwarming to see Nythera go from the girl that wanted Warlic dead for petty reasons to the one that mourns him as one of the people she now likely respects the most.

gonna be a long while before that wound heals

Now this epilogue slide right here really shows Victoria's maturity when making decisions as queen. While less cooler heads may have been prone to simply dismantle the Rose completely and call it a day, putting the organization under state control might be in everyone best interest as it makes it accountable directly to the crown. Furthermore, it will likely make it more difficult for the nobility, be it the ones we've just seen or more egregious examples like Lysander, to try and use the institution to their own ends.

Additionally, this new arm of Greenguard might just be a worthy substitute to the already dwindling position that is the Guardian Order when it comes to giving people aid against magical threats.

I wonder what lands they'll find themselves in next if the main goal is to find a way to completely free himself of his connection to the Shadowscythe armor.

Buddy the debt was paid when we kept quiet about you to everyone else.

So glad we said it to his face

It's funny, in another time and in another place this statue is probably something new budding mages would see as they entered an academy to learn about magic and learn from the most renowned of magical scholars. A whole different life on what could have been had that tragic day never happened.

[davekat-sucks]

Oooh! I have my own headcanons as well!

John Egbert, movie critic and professional prankster, has a small Youtube Channel named EctoBiologist_143 that does a lot of skit based comedy reviews, think Nostalgia Critic without the scummy business practices. John also tries to code personal birthday card files for his friends, they work half the time, if unzipping the .ath file is recognized on the computer’s software.

Rose Lalonde loves to overanalyze kids media, especially squiddles as it’s a way for her to bond with Jade, and Rose notices quite a lot of references to the deep sea and hidden realms in the media.

Dave Strider, as much as he loves to remix and produce beats, he also learns the drums as a traditional instrument to play band, he made one EP with John Rose and Jade, he says he doesn’t want to publish because it “sounds too normal to be indie” bit really he wants a piece of his second family to keep as a memory. His first family was him and bro, and yeeeeeeah, he doesn’t like puppets, except Randy Feltface.

Jade Harley prefers to be a vegetarian, but her Bec side loves meat, she treats herself to black bean burgers and tofu sausages. Her mostly veggie diet comes from her gardening, making all-organic foods. Her Bec side also makes her droop when she’s near nuclear reactors, that’s why her job is reactor designer and not inspection.

Jane Crocker made an MSPFA called Professional Charlatan, an adventure about a hard-boiled prankster, an Adventuring Dandy and a Populist Ingenious work as a team with intelligensia from Master Kernel to defeat the insidious and undersea work of the MERMAID MOB. It is very obvious this is loosely based on Jane and her friends fighting the Condesce.

Jake English dabbles in the art, and takes from Pablo Picasso’s blue period. Rose has a very psychoanalytical idea for why he likes to draw so many blue landscapes, and round, wavy feminine shapes. Jake also draws Robots, a lot. He even gets commissions to draw corny 1950s sci-fi book covers!

Roxy teaches John how to make code in .ath that does not suck. She and John love to share simple code that range from ripoff arcade games to ascii gifs. She takes a lot of the wine her mom stored to be sold in a wine store she owns. Roxy likes to taste wine, but declines anything more than one glass to drink, modesty is policy!

Dirk Strider works with a lot of felt and soft fabrics. He actually makes quilts as therapy for living on his own for 16 years. He also likes to hang out with Dave, he looks up to Dave and how he turned out even with the worst Dirk in all of Paradox space. Dirk still has a manipulative streak where he tries to subtly convince Dave to binge The Muppet Show with him to grow a tolerance for non-smutty plushes. Dave still can not watch any scene with Gonzo without getting sweaty and tense.

This is a lot of text for 8 characters so if I ever do troll headcanons they are in a separate batch.

[wisteria-lodge]

Assorted historical notes for the second chapter of my jedtavius fic (happy pride everybody...)

~ The Thorne Miniature Rooms were the personal project of wealthy American widow Narcissa Thorne (amazing name) who was able to snap up unemployed skilled artisans during the Great Depression and commission hyper-detailed rugs, furniture and decorations. The room Octavius and Jed end up in is “English Bedroom of the Georgian Period, 1760-75.” 

~ Vagina is just the totally neutral Latin word for “sheath.” The neutral Latin word for ‘vagina’ is cunnus (where we get ‘cunt’) and the rude equivalent would be something like spurium, ‘bastard [producer.]’ Romans did go completely ham with referring to a vagina metaphorically as a field, cave, pit, oven, alter, path, crack… but not really as a sheath. What is also interesting is that a lot of these euphemisms for ‘vagina’ were also used to mean ‘anus’ (literally ‘ring’)  because the Romans didn’t really divide sex along the lines of gender. They more divided along the lines of sex acts, and whether you were a top or a bottom. 

Octavius, therefore, is not really bothered by being interested in men, but by being a bottom/being the ‘penetrated’ partner. The Latin verb for 'facefuck; is irrumo, and is honestly fine, in a macho kind of way. However, the word for 'cock sucking' is fello, and is a gigantic insult. Being a guy on the receiving end of things was more okay when you were younger and more twinky, but the older, more masc and more powerful you got - the more of a problem it became. The Romans got the idea of the erastes / eromenos relationship from the Greeks, where the erestes (lit ‘lover’) was meant to be older, more powerful, more masc, and definitely the top, while the eromenos (lit ‘beloved’) was younger, prettier, more innocent, and the bottom. 

(Obviously there were lots and lots of relationships that did not fit into this formula. Ancient writers absolutely had debates about whether Achilles or Patrocles was the top, and it is very funny.) 

~ If Octavius is a Movie!Roman, then Jed is a Movie!Cowboy, and more specifically a train robber.

He’s got the black hat (bad guy coded.) He’s got full gloves instead of fingerless glovelets (bad guy coded. It is VERY rare to see a good guy wear two gloves that conceal their hands. For one recent example, note how in Our Flag Means Death, Ed wears fingerless glovelets when he’s a good guy, then switches to full gloves after he goes villain and becomes ‘the Kracken.’) It would have been very easy to give Jed a sheriff’s star, but that's not what the film does. The first thing the character does in the franchise is tie Larry to the train tracks, villain style. It obviously doesn’t work, but that’s the basis of the joke.

(and as always, thank you to J.N. Adams and his very dry but very comprehensive monograph The Latin Sexual Vocabulary)