#Circuit Mane

[circuitmane]

Day 19: Draw a pony finding peace with themselves

I always like to imagine Diamond Tiara finding peace with herself as she got older and more mature.

[antirepurp]

hey it's our crowdsourced oc! they're a maned wolf who was created in a project researching methods for turning biological beings into data, and as a result their body is largely unstable. they're also able to use that instability to partially enter computers and similar machines, not fully though as they can't fully turn themselves into data. they prefer being and doing things by themselves and have a hard time accepting help, but a lot of it is a front they put on to appear tougher than they are. they're in a qpr with big and visit him often, especially when they just want to Exist for a while

thanks for everyone who helped make them real! :D

[deetheteadrinkingdragon]

WIP Wednesday #3

“I probably should have put this down when I was clipping your wing fur,” she muttered, brushing clumps of fur roughly off the edge of her bed before she lay the towel down where he had been sitting.

“Here,” she patted it, and N clambered back onto the sheets, parking himself in the middle of the cloth. She gently hovered her hands over his waist before placing them there, giving him a little push, and he complied with her silent request, scooting a few inches forward. Uzi smiled and ran her fingers up the small of his back and he straightened up with a cheerful trill. “Alright, lets finally get you sorted.”

---

It's Wednesday again, friends! I have a bit of a longer preview for you guys below the 'read more' because I was feeling particularly soft over them this week hehe. Enjoy a cute little moment where Uzi cleans up her sweet boy!

N watched her curiously, twisting his shoulders to peek back at her, and she gave him an affectionate, yet distracted chin scratch as she reached for the bottle of surgical spirit in her kit, setting it aside. She dumped a bowl of batteries out onto the bedside table, indifferent to the fact they simply rolled right off the edge, and very carefully poured a few glugs of distilled water into its bottom along with the last dregs of the ancient shampoo. The plan was simple enough; she would use this to help tackle his mane, while she used a spare rag dabbed with alcohol to wipe clean the years worth of oil build up on his casing.

Uzi pulled on a pair of vinyl gloves from her kit carefully – even though her body was now host to squishy, probably pretty damp internal organs, the idea of water leaking into the joins of her fingers still filled her with instinctual dread. The last thing she wanted was to fry a circuit in her arm or something - regenerating missing limbs or healing over a gaping hole in her chest was one thing, but she had no idea how well her Solver could cope with water damage.

Scowling at the mixture with apprehension, Uzi pointed a finger at the bowl firmly. “Don’t. Kill me.” She muttered threateningly. She heard N snort, his back bouncing with a little giggle.

“Should I be worried at all about this?”

“No, you’re fine. Probably.” Uzi swirled her protected fingers about carefully in the water until soapy bubbles danced on its surface. She was pretty confident in N’s safety. She was only planning on using the foam itself, and even if a little water made its way onto his casing, he’d spent who-knew-how-long living out in an eternal, deathly snow-storm. Cyn must have made him weatherproof - a few drops of water was probably nothing to him.

Uzi scooped up a handful of soapy bubbled and scrunched them into the fibres of his mane, lathering them between her fingers. Almost instantly the soft, pale pink suds swallowed up the dust and oil, fading to grim greys and near blacks. She worked her fingers through the fur enthusiastically, scrunching and twirling it and massaging the soap into the hairline where it met his casing. She could hear and feel him purring again and she smiled, delighting in how the prickled spines softened as clumps parted into something softer.

“That nice?” She asked fondly, as she watched his tail wag cheerfully.

“Mhm,” he hummed softly. “It’s feels like a massage…”

The colour of his mane was more vibrant than she initially realised. As the years of grime, dust and oil faded with each new addition of shampoo, the dull gold stripes brightened to a vibrant yellow not unlike the hue of the hazard strips lining his wrists, thighs and heels. It already looked so much healthier, despite the haphazard length and missing sections along its stretch. The wonders a simple wash could do for a drone.

With a clean rag, Uzi ruffled the fur from the base of his tail up to between his shoulders to remove the foam, and then, she repeated the process again. She couldn’t deny the relief – this was working, it was actually working. The bubbles foamed a duller pink, but a pink nonetheless, as the last remnants of his life in the wild washed away. This time as she dried his mane, it puffed up; fluffing out and bristling, each individual hair now free from the crusted prisons they had endured.

“It’s pretty,” she didn’t mean to say it out loud, but she was glad she did when N offered her the fondest smile over his shoulder.

“…It is?”

“Yeah,” she pulled the gloves off and tossed them on the floor so that she could truly feel the difference for herself. The tactile sensors of her finger pads revelled in the softness, and how it twitched gently under her fingers as she hovered them slowly over their tips. Then she dug them into the thick fluff, scratching near the roots and N’s whole body rumbled in delighted approval. His tail thumped joyfully against the mattress again, once, twice, and then curled around her, draping itself loosely around her waist.

[ohtobearandomftblog]

the amount of times he forgets his name is leo and loke is embarrassing

he had to train himself out of responding to leo when he left blue pegasus (was already conditioned to only respond to karen calling out to him, if any human did). there were too many people talking about karen or leo the constellation or leo the spirit for the first few months after her death and he tried to make it not affect him by just. discarding it and taking up loke

which worked until he became leo the spirit again. it was fine sometimes, because the humans he was around most often still called him loke for the most part, but being back in the celestial world? nightmare. 'leo, can you get me the wine?' 'leo, let me cut that mane of yours' 'leo, we have a meeting in thirty' 'leo, lucys far moooo-re receptive to my flirts than yours'

it got to the point where, around the oración seis arc, loke had two masks, similar to that celestial eclipse arc in the anime. there was loke the human and leo the spirit. loke would flirt unabashedly with anything that moved, leo would focus on the mission first and relationships second. loke would grab almost anything someone handed him, leo would be far more reserved and skeptical. loke would eat almost as much as natsu for the hell of it, leo would never touch human food.

when aries showed up on tenrou, he had such an identity crisis it heavily impacted his fighting ability. he was summoned as leo, so he was trying his damnedest to not let distractions cloud his judgement, to not let relationships hinder him, to not let memories drag him down. but aries was right there and his own memories were pulling the loke mask up while still drowning him in hurt and pain and he dealt with that with the loke mask but he was summoned as leo

the more he's been able to heal from karen, the more he's able to be both leo and loke at the same time. sometimes he jokingly ignores the other spirits when they call for leo. sometimes he genuinely forgets when the humans call for loke. sometimes he gets such whiplash when a spirit calls him loke or a human calls him leo that he just short-circuits for a solid ten seconds.

it gets to the point some of the more reactive ones (aquarius, lucy, freed, sting, etc.) start calling him 'lion'. and he still forgets that he's the lion spirit, come on dude—

[therealstacyfakename]

a continuation of this idea -- a scene from my hangster au based on the novel Done and Dusted (I just wrote an outline I'm so excited):

Jake found himself in Clementine's stall just as he had the last five days: frozen.

It wasn't her fault. Clementine was one of the family's oldest horses, the one Jake rode as a child and missed all the time on the professional circuit. She was too old now to compete but still strong and sturdy, still his girl. Clementine hadn't been the one who bucked him but that didn't matter, since the accident, all horses gave Jake the same feeling of absolute fear that locked his limbs and made his heart race.

He'd gotten farther this morning, managed to muck most of her stall and start brushing her mane before sweat burned his eyes and his fingers cramped up.

He couldn't stand behind her yet. Maybe she'd be willing to turn around so he could clean out the other half of the hay.

She looked at him and sniffed like always. Probably sensing his fear. Horses could always tell when a rider wasn't confident.

Jake tried to keep brushing and gritted his teeth.

"Jake?" Someone said quietly. Jake kept brushing. His shoulders were shaking slightly and he noticed a feeling of wetness on his cheeks.

"Jake." The voice said more firmly. It was male. Maybe one of his brothers?

Then a hand appeared and took the brush out of his hand. Jake froze. He felt strong hands leading him away. Saying something but he couldn't focus his vision past the blurry tears.

Jake let himself be led out of the stall by the hand and realized it was Bradley. His backwards cap and homemade muscle tees would be recognizable anywhere. Why did Bradley Bradshaw of all people have to see him like this?

"Talk to me Jake. What's going on?" Bradley asked in a soft voice. He was holding Jake's shoulders now, probably a good thing since Jake felt like he would float away.

"I'm fine."

"You're obviously not fine. What's wrong?" Bradley asked again. Pushing with a gentle voice. Clearly afraid to spook.

Jake sighed and rubbed his jaw.

"You can tell me."

"I'm fine. Leave it Bradshaw."

Bradley looked exasperated. "Jake--"

"Don't push it Bradshaw."

Bradley let go of his shoulders and put his hands in the air. "Why did you come home? Javy told me you didn't even call before you showed up on his doorstep. What happened." He was still pushing. The fucker.

"Why do you care?" Jake spit out.

"I'm not a monster Jake. Is it so hard to believe that I care about you? I walk in on you crying and you think I'm going to just leave it?"

Jake deflated.

"You can tell me. You have to tell someone and I know you aren't talking to anyone else."

"I got hurt." Jake admitted. "I got thrown. It was really bad. I was thrown into a fence." The weight of the secret off his shoulders Jake kept talking and suddenly couldn't stop. "I got thrown so hard I blacked out as soon as my head hit the wood. I came too and there was blood in my eye and everything was spinning."

Bradley was silent, holding eye contact and waiting for him to continue.

"It was trippy as fuck. Then I don't know for sure things kind of slid together and they took me to the hospital. I had a real bad concussion but nothing else was wrong. I mean thank fuck it wasn't worse it could've been really bad considering I went head first into that wall." Jake was talking a mile a minute, starting to stumble over the secrets he was spilling. "I was given a clean bill of health and allowed to come back to training a few days later, but I just couldn't get back on. Every time I got in the saddle I was worse somehow I just couldn't do it."

"I'm sorry that happened."

"So then I realized if I can't ride I can't exactly do my job. I let the league and my trainers know I would be taking a leave of absence. They offered me a spot if I ever want to come back but I don't know when that'll be if I start crying when I brush Clementine." Bradley winced, Jake pressed his palm to his eye and continued. He was past the point of no return and crying. "And it gets even worse because of course it does. I explained everything to my boyfriend, or I guess now I have to say ex, Derek, that I couldn't ride and I needed time off and he dumped me. We'd been living together for a year and this man dumps me and moves his stuff out of our apartment within twenty-four hours of me telling him."

Bradley's face morphed from concern to furry. "He dumped you because you're hurt?"

Jake laughed, sounding like he was clearly on the edge of another breakdown. "I mean I'm not hurt anymore. Just crazy. Can't be with Jake Seresin if he's not a winner I guess."

"Don't say that about yourself." Bradley said with a terse frown.

"What? It's true. I can't do the one thing I was good at anymore. I'm not a winner and I won't be. I'm officially a has been." Jake sniped back.

"You're not crazy you're hurt. Come on Jake that fucker clearly didn't deserve you if he left over this. I mean think of it this way, if one of the kids you saw me teaching was bucked and they were scared to get back on would you call them crazy?"

Jake faltered. "Well I mean that's different."

"Is it?" Bradley replied. Hands now on his hips. "You got hurt and now you need time to build your trust again before you can get back on. And it seems like you're torturing yourself thinking you have to do it by a certain date or ride a certain way."

Jake opened his mouth to protest but Bradley cut him off.

"No listen I'm serious. You are also so much more than barrel racing. I you never get back on a horse again I don't want to hear you say anything negative about yourself. Me, Javy, your dad, we all care about you because of you're Jake. Not because you win trophies."

"I appreciate that. But I want to get back on the horse Bradshaw. I want to compete again. I love it, it's my life." Jake said quietly. Disarmed by Bradley's charm offensive he didn't have anything snippy to say.

Bradley nodded. He lifted his cap off his head and ran his fingers though his hair, one of his signature moves when thinking. Jake couldn't take his eyes off his hands, suddenly thinking about running his fingers through Bradley's hair, now much longer than it had been back in high school. Jake shook himself, just like when he ran into Bradley at the Hard Deck, now was not the time to ogle his brother's best friend.

Done thinking, Bradley put his hat back on his head and hummed. "Well why don't I try teaching you how to ride. I do it with scared kids all the time. I bet it could help." Bradley offered.

Jake scoffed. "I don't need someone to teach me to ride. I just need to force myself back on."

"And how is that working out for you?" Bradley asked with a raised brow. "I'm not saying this to be a condescending dick. I know you hate me, but I'm serious. I teach kids, no sorry I teach people, how to overcome their fears and I think I could help you. You're torturing yourself with this. Come on Jake let's try a different approach."

Jake considered it. Bradley wasn't wrong, what he was currently doing really did suck. Maybe he could give it a try.

"Ok." Jake sighed. "Let's try it. Can't get any worse."

Bradley smiled. "That's the spirit."

[shirefantasies]

Horse-Maid- Eomer x F!Reader

I’ve been really wanting to do more one-shots, so here we are- enjoy this short little imagine 😘

“What happened to you, huh?”

Chuckling, you bent down to take up a brush. Sneoan, your horse, had somehow gotten a mess of leaves and brush tangled in his pure-white mane. Smiling at the way your horse’s eyes fluttered shut in contentment, you gently dragged the brush through the tangles, working out the leaves from the coarse hair with your fingers.

Your father had long cared for that stable, but ill health of late had driven him to grant its care to you, his eldest daughter. And with joy had you said yes! Your people’s love of horses carried naturally into your heart even without the wonder of seeing how your father groomed and sometimes armored your proud Riders’ mounts. Truly the trust he had for you to continue it was an honor.

Sneoan suddenly turned his head; you followed, gaze tracking the swing of stable doors. Thuds of boots and rustles of the hay littering the ground alerted you further to the presence of another.

“Where is Havner?” No malice colored the man’s tone, just a serious inquiry.

Finally turning around, you were met with an expression of curiosity across a face that perfectly matched his tone. Long golden hair fell to his shoulders and around the look of regal inquiry, swept as it was away from his dark eyes.

“Retired,” you replied simply, eyes trailing lightly across the man’s features as one of your hands still combed Sneoan’s mane.

The man’s brows arched and rose. “Ah, I see. That is news to me. Well, would you mind terribly directing me to the new master of the stable?”

Your hand finally faltered, a single freed leaf fluttering to the floor. “That would be me. Which of these fine horses is your mount?”

“You?”

“Yes.” A faint frown began creasing your forehead- for all his looks, was this man truly that dense?

“Never before have I seen a stable in the hands of a horse-maid,” he remarked.

Striding over to the wall where you rehung your hoof pick, you shrugged and gave a small roll of your eyes, not that the man could probably see it. “Well, now you have.”

“Why did Havner choose you?” He pressed on, shuffling closer as you tidied.

“My father chose me after years of training and even observing the farriers,” you countered, crossing your arms and smirking drily, “and if you really still doubt me, ride with me. See who completes the circuit faster.”

Apparently forgetting whatever errand had been at hand, the man shrugged lightly with a cocky look of his own. "Very well. Let's."

~

Sneoan saw you through. It was a tight race, but in the end you pulled ahead, creating a respectable difference in your finishes. Turning around, you fixed the stable man with a pointed look of satisfaction.

“You have bested me.” His grace and decency met you such that you felt shock; you’d expected more fight, greater upset at loss.

Your mouth opened once to speak, twice, before a reply emerged, your ire nearly all drained. “Indeed I have,” you replied, easing the grip you had on your reins as the both of you slowed down, “so?”

“So,” he shot back, “you have proven yourself a more than worthy heir to your father’s work.”

Squinting in the sun as you may have been, you caught the glint of pride in the man’s dark eyes. “You know, you are quite like my sister. You have spirit. She would be very fond of you.”

“Sounds as though she is of sound judgment,” you teased as your horse trotted evenly aside his, inclining your head his way.

“Indeed she is!” He chuckled, shaking some golden hair off his shoulder.

You smiled. “So, may I finally know my opponent’s name?”

The almost childish look of surprise that dashed across his face was something you couldn’t help a giggle at, feeling another rosy rush of warmth to your face complementing the sun’s touch.

“I never…” He cleared his throat, finally returning to his look of gentle stoicism. “Yes, well, my name is Éomer, son of Éomund. At your service.”

You gave your name in turn. “And I, it would seem, at yours. Your horse there? He’s a good one. Always puts up with my prodding. Don’t you, sir?” Reaching across to bridge the gap, you stroked the flowing mane of Éomer’s horse.

Leaning to look back up, you were surprised at the intensity in your fellow rider’s gaze, his eyes boring into yours. “He knows a good hand when he sees it. Might we do this again someday?”

“Have a race?” You replied, perhaps a bit dumbly, beneath that stare.

“I could try my hand at a rematch.” A smile teased upon his lips. “Or we could simply ride together. Whatever you prefer that day, I suppose. I will be happy for the company. What say you, horse-maid?”

[painted-bees]

August 12, 2008.

 Magritte had only ever heard good things about Vancouver's Granville Island and so, naturally, it was the first place she set out to find upon arriving in the city. The Greyhound station her bus pulled into had been only a short walk from the Skytrain that would carry her two minutes to Granville Station. And it was here that Magritte had the good sense to find a nice, unintrusive space to sit cross-legged and lay her old, faithful piano keyboard across her lap.

  The instrument, pulled out of its cozy bed from within her large duffel bag, was a well loved Yamaha PSS-270. Its dull, black, plastic body was covered in ancient, disintegrating stickers, and a generous amount of electrical tape served to hold its batteries in place.

  With an affectionate press of a button, she woke the machine up from its slumber, selected her choice presets and, with no specific setlist in mind, began to improvise a little tune. Something cute and fun, perhaps a little bit like Donkey Kong’s Stickerbrush Symphony in tempo and progression. Or just…”Stickerbrush Symphony”, wholesale, why the hell not? Improvisation melted seamlessly into the classic video game tunes that were fondly familiar to her.

The beloved instrument cradled in Magritte’s lap had been pulled apart and reassembled more times than she kept track of. But still, it held together and played its charming FM sounds dutifully. A tidy row of silver metal switches, lined up along the side of its body, were left carefully undisturbed as her fingers danced across the yellowed plastic keys. Magritte had learned very early in her busking career that the general public did not appreciate the unpredictable discordinance of a bent circuit as much as she did. And so that row of silver little switches connecting the data lines stood stoically in their ‘on’ position, not allowing for any delightful surprises, but also not deteriorating the synth-chip’s sound into glitchy noise on a bad turn. Perfectly vanilla, perfectly agreeable, endearingly nostalgic.

 She had placed an old ball cap upside down infront of her, tossing in a few quarters of her own as a way of inviting more from friendly pockets. Ideally, she’d play an hour or two and leave with enough change to buy a coffee. Not just a Tim’s coffee–no. She wanted a decadent foamy latte from a cute, artsy little cafe she could sit in. She couldn’t bear to walk through the streets of Granville Island without having the spare change to treat herself on an impulse. And so–she’d not leave the train station until the passing public funded her frivolous spending habits.

After all, it was her birthday. She deserved a little gift.

 Busking in a transit station was always a bit of a trade-off. It was a bustling place full of foot traffic but the people here were focused on reaching their destination; busy and preoccupied. In a place like this, Magritte had no expectation to captivate loiterers. Not many transit-goers could spare a minute or two to sit and listen while she hammered out her cheap little tunes on cheap little piano keys. And so, when a well worn pair of tan colored, loose-laced Timberlands entered her field of vision, stopping definitively to stand before her, Magritte turned her gaze upward to welcome the listener with a wide, sloppy smile.

 Without giving her brain time to register the face she was speaking to, Magritte opened her mouth to chime a cheery greeting. She was cut off faster than she could process his expression.

  “You’re in my spot.”

  The man’s voice was curt, and the cold annoyance in his tone was mirrored in the expression on his short, square face. Pale blue eyes looked down a sharp, slightly bent nose at her. His narrow lips were pressed narrower still in a stern line, framed by a full, sandy colored beard and moustache. Atop his head, long hair of the same light color was pulled back into a small, tight bun; more slick and tidy, but far less full than the sloppy bun that Magritte’s unruly mane of curly rust colored hair had been wrangled up into.

 Her dorky smirk dissolved with a few confused blinks into a slack jaw of nervous apology. “O-oh! I uh-s-sorry!” 

Her startled gaze snagged itself on the acoustic guitar slung over his shoulder, and the instrument’s exciting potential made her straighten her back with intent.

 She found her smile again. “What if–maybe we could jam? For a few minutes! And then I can scoot on outta here and leave you to it if you want. It’s been a long time since I’ve had the chance to–”

 “Do you have a permit?” His tone was unchanged by her eager proposition.

 “Huh?” It wasn’t that Magritte didn’t hear him, but she needed a moment to process what was being asked.

 “You can’t be here without a permit. Not the stations, not anywhere in Granville either.” The unaccommodating man took a few steps towards her duffel bag and used the top of his foot to lift and slide it away from where she had safely tucked it. “Get a move on.”

 Magritte protectively reached out to grab her bag as the man carelessly footed it out of ‘his’ space. And in doing so, she caused her keyboard to slide off her lap, forcing her to clumsily abort her duffel-grabbing effort in favor of clutching her instrument before it could somersault over the edge of her knees and land face-down onto hard ground.

 The man, it seemed, was done with words and had already begun moving into the small space that shoving her bag out of the way had created. She felt her face turn hot as she began to gather up her items. Any desire to engage the guy more than she already had was lost along with her nerve.

 As she relented to stowing her keyboard back into her duffel bag, an unfamiliar hand shoved a cold, unopened can of Coke in front of her face.

 “Here you go.” Another man’s voice. A softer one, this time. Magritte glanced up to meet eyes with the stranger who was offering her a free drink, only to gaze into a pair of red, plastic, star shaped dollar store sunglasses.

He gave the soda can a little shake, prompting her to take it into her hands. “Sorry I took long, I had to give someone directions to the aquarium.”

 “Is this…for me?” Holding the can in both hands, Magritte stared at the unopened beverage, unsure what to do with it.

 The new stranger leaned onto his back foot. “You said coke, right?”

 Before Magritte could stammer out a response, the new stranger turned his attention to the man with the guitar. “‘Ey, Kurtis. You mind, dude?”

 The unaccommodating man, ‘Kurtis’, had just started settling in, and looked towards the new stranger with an expression that appeared as perplexed as Magritte herself felt. He turned up both his palms in a slightly contentious gesture. “Didn’t know you were playin’ here again. I’ve had this spot for, like, a year. People don’t usually park here without asking me first.”

 “Okay, but you can’t just kick ‘em out like this, man.”

 “I didn’t know she was with you–”

“Doesn’t matter,” Magritte’s new best friend replied. “Sixty minutes. It’s not a long time to wait if you gotta wait.”

 Magritte, who had been watching Kurtis’ confidence slowly drain from his body with each passing second, turned to examine the cut of her spontaneous new accomplice. His hair was a shade or two darker than Kurtis’, and trimmed much, much shorter, with longer locks in front that fell in straight tufts over the tops of his ears and just past his thick, blocky eyebrows. His eyes remained obscured by the cheap plastic shades, and their childish novelty paired strangely with the well trimmed goatee that fanned out from under his lip to define the curve of his somewhat long but gentle chin. And he had with him a rectangular instrument case of…some variety. Not big enough for a guitar, not small enough for a flute. It didn’t give away the shape of the instrument inside, but the black oxford cloth and gold colored metallic detailings of its exterior gave it a classy, charming look she had not seen for an instrument case before. It was cute. Magritte wondered if such a style was available for portable keyboards.

 His hands, which wore white fingerless driving gloves, cracked open his can of sprite, and he took a casual sip while waiting for Kurtis to, “Get a move on.”

  Relenting, Kurtis shuffled away from the spot he had been deliberately crowding Magritte out of. With a snort and a nod of his head towards her, Kurtis said, “Can’t exactly play Paganini on a Portasound, Raf. What’s on your setlist?”

  Raf brandished a lopsided smirk and jutted his chin in the direction of Magritte’s upturned hat on the ground. “Put a toonie down and I’ll show you.”

  “Fuck off.” Kurtis’s scoff was accompanied by a laugh–one that sounded surprisingly genuine to Magritte's ear. “I came here to earn change, not spend it. But I’m curious to hear how the Ephrem Classical pairs with Toy Piano.”

 Raf let out a low groan that could have been mistaken for a growl. Moving into the corner that Kurtis had surrendered, he unslung his instrument off his shoulder with a shrug. “There’s plenty you can play on just forty-nine keys.”

 Being very confident about this fact, Magritte couldn’t help but provide her insight on the matter. With an enthusiastic lean-in, she interjected, “Yeah, like Kirby’s Dreamland!”

 Raf’s head flinched in her direction almost imperceptibly, and if she had caught the subtle downward twitch of his eyebrows that betrayed a pang of confusion, she might have felt a bite of embarrassment. But instead, she heard him agree. “Like…Kirby’s Dreamland, yeah.”

 He turned to look over his shoulder at her, his sunglasses mercifully hiding the bafflement in his eyes. Magritte beamed gleefully back up at him.

  “Well, have fun.” Kurtis levelled a stern yet somewhat pleading glance at Raf.” I’ll be back here in an hour. Don’t let anyone else move in if you leave early, please.”

 Raf simply shrugged and sipped loudly from his can of sprite in response.

  As Magritte watched Kurtis disappear into the foot traffic, she began to tentatively scoot back towards where she had previously sat. “I didn’t mind giving that guy his spot back, he was just kinda–”

 “A dick. Nah, I saw that. S’why I stepped in.” Raf had carefully set his instrument case down, and was in the process of zipping it open.

 Leaning slightly to get a peek at what he was playing, Magritte said, “Thanks for the pop, by the way! I can pay you back after. If uh–you’re actually gonna stick around and jam with me.”

 He pulled his instrument out of its protective cradle; a pale varnished wooden violin. “Don’t worry about it.”

Inside the carrying case, Magritte noticed two bows neatly stowed. The bowstrings on the bow Raf selected was a standard white color, but the strings on the one he left in the case were an eye-catching red.

“Truth be told,” tucking the chin rest of the violin beneath his chin, he played one string, and then two experimentally, “I don’t really play anymore.” His fingers closed around one of the tuning knobs at the head of the violin, but if he had tweaked it at all, it wasn't perceptible. “So it’s gonna be pretty rough. But uh…gotta commit to the bit, I guess.”

  Magritte took the moment to open her soda and enjoy a refreshing sip. “What kinda music do you normally play?” 

  “Classical,” he replied almost too quickly. “You?”

  Magritte hesitated for a second. She should have had an easy answer for this by now, but all she could manage was, “a bit of everything. Anything, really!”

  Raf ran his bow over the strings again to hear their tune before turning to look at her. “Yeah?” His eyebrows were raised, and his smirk favored one side of his face; an expression Magritte interpreted as incredulous. He fidgeted with a tiny, lone knob on the violin's body where the strings ended.

  “Y-yeah! I, um…” Settling her keyboard back into her lap, she turned it on. “You can just play whatever, and I can fill it in. I can improvise, I think.”

  Raf paused and stared down at Magritte’s little Portasound with a sigh much heavier than he intended. The thing was lacking, not just in keys, but in sound. It was a struggle to think of something he could play that she’d be able to accompany. The titles which did come to mind where…overplayed and would have to be simplified considerably to suit the keyboard's limitations. Weighing it in his mind, however, he decided that ‘simple’ may benefit not just the limited range of her instrument, but of her musical skill as well.

 He ran the bow over his strings to measure their tune one last time before tentatively, very slowly playing the first few crystalline notes of Für Elise. He felt a tension he didn’t know he was holding melt off his shoulders as he watched Magritte’s face light up. She curled over her little piano in a hurry to play his accompaniment. She knew this one.

  She picked a soft, more ambient sound from the keyboard’s voicebank, electing to quietly cushion the violin’s notes rather than chafe against them. It was…difficult. Her little yamaha and its quaint library of FM chip sounds did not get along nicely with ‘real instruments’ that were being played ‘straight’. It wanted to be weird and annoying, just like her. But the notes Raf played, while simple, were extremely clear in tone; neat and tidy. The bow did not once stutter on the rough strings, it glided with practised ease. And with a great deal of restraint.

  This guy…he was playing beneath his skill level. For her sake, presumably. Like a gentleman.

 As Raf brought Für Elise to a close with the last, steady draw of his bow, Magritte swapped her soft, ambient voicing out with an annoying music box sound, and began hammering out a choice section from the 3rd movement of Appassionata. Her fingers slammed the keys harder than was necessary, solely because she enjoyed the percussive sound it added to each obnoxious, feverish note. 

  Lowering his violin, Raf watched Magritte’s fingers flutter furiously across the mini keys with respectable precision. Holding both the bow and the neck of his violin in one hand, his free hand reached up to remove his sunglasses and he rubbed his eye with the heel of his palm. A humbled snort escaped through his nose. “Yeah, okay.”

  “Play any song.” Magritte slowed her fingers to a stop without completing the movement. “Even if I don’t know it, even if it goes beyond the range of my little piano, I can improvise something nice for it, I promise!”

  Fitting his sunglasses back on, Raf let out a tentative hum. “I’m not much of an improviser–”

  “You don’t have to improvise anything! Play whatever you want, however you wanna play it. I will improvise around whatever you give me!” Magritte’s voice had risen to an excited shout, and instinctively, she withdrew into herself just a little bit, as if making herself smaller would also make her voice smaller, too. “It’s my favorite thing to do. It’s a lot of fun.”

  His incredulous smirk returned, but this time his brow furrowed slightly, encouragingly, under his growing sense of intrigue.

  “It’s–” Magritte held up both hands haltingly, “it’s probably not gonna be like how you know it should be. Just…so you know. It might even be…bad? In some parts? But-! Mostly it’ll be neat! I promise!”

  “Neat…” Raf brought the violin up once again to rest under his chin. “Neat’s cool. Alright, let’s see, then.”

  As though he had been inspired by Magritte’s aggressive interpretation of Appassionata, he began with a series of fast, chirpy, clean notes of his own. A wholly different song, but Magritte recognized this one too. She had most often heard it as a phone ringtone, but she couldn’t recall who composed it nor what the song was titled. She provided a jaunty, equally bouncy accompaniment that she’d have described as ‘percussive’. The violin’s unwavering confidence was a delight for Magritte’s deft little fingers to dance around. He never fell out of tempo, and she was able to punctuate his notes with hers in perfect time. Maintaining synchrony for the entire length of the fast paced composition filled her with such satisfying joy, she had failed to properly appreciate an obvious fact about her musical accomplice until he brought the song to a close; he was a skilled musician.

  Staring up at him from her spot on the floor, Magritte’s wide eyes almost sparkled with delight. “You’re like…Concert hall good, aren’t you? Are you part of the local orchestra? Or at least like–aspiring to be?”

  Raf’s gaze hung on her as both his jaw and posture slackened. “Uh…” 

  She didn’t give him enough time to respond, hitting him with another question. “What was the title of that song? I just know it as one of the Nokia ringtones.”

 “P–” Raf’s stunned silence cracked with a laugh that sprang forth from his chest and took him by surprise almost as much as Magritte’s line of questioning had. “Paganini. It’s–it’s Paganini, Caprice number…number 24.” The response was punctuated with warm chuckling. “Or, you know, that one phone ringtone, yeah.” He smirked at her for a moment longer, studying her for any sign that she was putting him on. “How do you…accompany me that well, on that little machine, and not even know the song?”

 Magritte waved her hands in front of her. “No, no, I knew the song! I’ve heard it before, I just didn’t know what it was called.”

 “Yeah, alright.” He snorted one last incredulous laugh and brought his violin back up for another song.

 Magritte stopped him before he could settle on his next pick. “Do you play professionally? I mean, it sounds like it but, like–”

  “No.” Before Magritte could inquire further, the first notes of their next song filled the space between them, drawn out of his violin with long, purposeful strokes of his bow.

  The next several songs, Raf played seamlessly one into the other–without pausing for conversation. That was just as well for Magritte. It had been ages since she was given the chance to play music with someone, and never had she played with someone who was so…solid? Consistent? The real deal. Usually, she had to avoid getting carried away when playing with another person. It was very easy for her to close her eyes and get taken to places that her musical partners could not follow along with. But with Raf, she was finding herself challenged to keep up with him. Most of the songs he had chosen, she had not heard before. And so she needed to keep an attentive ear out if she wanted to pick out repeated phrases, and predict melodic trajectories.

  Finally, they arrived at the end of an especially eclectic piece, and Raf did not immediately follow through into another composition. Instead he lowered his bow, and Magritte took her opening to converse again.

  “I really liked that one. It was super janky, in a fun way.”

  “Yeah,” Raf said. “I was always fond of it, too.”

  “I liked the plucky bits. Did you write it?”

 “Did I–” Raf palmed both his bow and violin in one hand, and massaged his eyes and browline with the other. “No, some guy named Ravel did. Tzigane, that one’s called.”

  Magritte chewed the inside of her cheek. “R-right.”

  He furrowed his eyebrows at her. “You knew that one, though.”

  “I didn’t.”

  “...You just let me solo the first four minutes based on vibes?”

  “I thought I missed the bus on it.”

  “The actual composition has no accompaniment until about half way through, so…bravo.”

  “Wait, really?” Magritte leaned forward eagerly. “Did I play the accompaniment correctly, too?”

  “Not even close.”

  “Drat.” She slumped.

  “Was good, though.” Raf picked up his sprite from where he had placed it, on the ground next to his case, and drained the last bit of its contents.

  Magritte perked up again. “Yeah!?”

  He held the lip of the empty can between his teeth as he began tucking his violin back into its carrying case. “Mmhm.”   

  Magritte watched him pack up for a moment longer than it should have taken her to realise, “Wait, you’re leaving already?”

  Raf zipped his instrument safely away before removing the empty soda can from his mouth. “Yeah, I gotta get going. But look,” He bent over to collect Magritte’s upturned ball cap off the ground. The few quarters she had started with now had a generous handful of friends with them; more quarters, some loonies, a few toonies and–

 Magritte accepted the hat when Raf handed it to her, and pulled a crisp twenty dollar bill out of it. “W-who left this!? I wasn’t even paying attention, I should have said thanks!”

  “A mystery.” He slung his violin case over his shoulder.

  Magritte urged him to wait, fluttering a hand at him. “Half of this is yours!”

  “Nah.” He favored her with a smile. “Genuinely, this was a treat in itself. It’s been a long time since I’ve played for fun like this. It…was fun.” That last part sounded as though it came as a surprise to him.

  Frowning, Magritte pleaded with him. “Okay, okay but–okay. Lemme treat you to a coffee then, at least? If you’re in no real hurry.”

  Raf paused to regard her with a measuring stare. He then sighed and shoved his hands into the pockets of his black denim hoodie jacket, waiting for Magritte to stow her keyboard away into her bag.

  Zipping the duffel closed, she hoisted it with effort over her shoulder and beamed up at her new friendly acquaintance. “If you know any cute, cozy coffee places with a real decadent latte, I’m open to suggestions!”

  “There are…a few.” 

  “I’m Magritte, by the way!” She extended her hand out to him.

  With slight hesitation, Raf shook it. “Rafael.”

  As the two of them began to make their way out of the station together, he dared to ask, “Are you here visiting, or..?”

  “Oh!” She bounced on the balls of her feet, “I just came in from Calgary like…two hours ago. Ideally, I’d like to stay until the spring, but that’s gonna depend on things.”

  “Calgary?”

  “Yeah! I was in Edmonton before that, and in Winnipeg before that–but that was mostly a fever dream. I wasn’t there long. Montreal before that, though, was nice..!” She talked the entire walk, and he was content to quietly listen. part ii

[acknowledge-reigns]

No Yeet (Roman Reigns x Fem!OC SMUT) 18+

Description: Roman hates the word yeet. His bratty sub loves to push his buttons.

Warnings: Dom/sub dynamic, bratty sub, pet names (babygirl, princess, baby. Lil, short for Lilith...), light degradation (use of the word slut), orgasm control and denial, oral (f receiving), fingering, teasing, begging, edging, spanking, aftercare, fluff at the end, tiny bits of angst if you squint.

Kayfabe compliant. This is a story about Roman, not Joe.

18+!!!! MDNI!!!!

Face claim is Megan Thee Stallion.

See my other stories here.

It had been a couple of months now since the press conference where Jey and Cody had affectionately been dubbed 'team yeet' by the fans, due to Jey's obsessive ussage of the word and getting even Cody, although in a drunken state at the time, on the 'yeet' train as well. It was like overnight the word was re popularized, amongst the WWE Universe and the wrestlers in the locker room at least.

Two Months. Eight weeks of hearing that damn word non stop. Roman had lost count of the amount of times he's yelled at Jimmy not to say yeet, simply explaining "I don't like that".

That explanation was a hell of a lot easier than the deeper reasoning.

He missed Jey. His little cousin, his right hand man. While Roman refused to admit that he was in anyway jealous of Cody, he refused to utter that word. That word was a symbol of betrayal. Of his cousin leaving him and aligning with the enemy.

A lot has happened as of late. More recruits to the bloodline. Specifically a newly signed Lilith "The Vixen" Obsidian.

Fresh out of the independent circuit but with plenty of experience, Lilith knew what she was doing. Not just that but she practically grew up with Roman and The Usos. They had been close childhood friends. She and Roman had shared their first kiss, went to prom together and so much more.

There was never a question of where her loyalties lie. The two had gone their seperate ways after high school with no hard feelings at all. They just wanted different things in life at the time. Roman was pursuing football, and Lilith was ready to begin a wrestling career.

Fast forward and years later, Lilith couldn't have gotten signed to WWE at a more perfect time. With the bloodline's rivals growing more powerful by the day something had to he done.

The minute Rhea Ripley sat in Roman's locker room and said for Paul, Roman's Wiseman, to acknowledge her.. That was when Roman knew it was time to make the call. Lilith of course eagerly agreed to join the bloodline and handle any potential drama and disrespect from Rhea. And things grew from there.

Feelings were quickly rekindled. It started as a one night thing. Roman needed to blow off some steam, Lilith was ready and willing. So they had sex. From there it moved on to friends with benefits. Any time either of them were in need of pleasure, the other was one call away.

It continued to grow though until eventually Roman asked Lilith to be his girlfriend. And she said yes.

Roman sat in the chair in his locker room, Lilith perched in his lap playing with his long gorgeous mane.

"Yeet" Jimmy says

"I already told you, I don't like that." Roman snapped. To be fair he was already frustrated as hell with LA Knight of all people having the audacity to challenge him. And he'd hurt his finger in the process of the scuffle with that nobody, to say he was in a pissy mood was an understatement.

Lilith though, ever the brat didn't miss a beat seeing the look on his face. She looks directly in his eyes with a challenging smirk.

"Yeet" Lilith says as if daring him. You could hear a pin drop in that locker room.

"Everybody but Lilith, out. NOW." Roman's voice boomed. Lilith giggled, clearly amused with herself as Solo, Jimmy and Paul quickly headed out of the room at the tribal chief's command.

As the door closes, Roman faces Lilith. With a determined look on his face, he takes a step towards her, his dominant aura emanating from every pore. Lilith's eyes widen slightly.

Roman firmly grabs Lilith's wrist, his grip both gentle and commanding. Lilith's heart races, her bratty facade crumbling under the weight of Roman's dominance.

Standing in front of her, Roman leans in, his voice low and authoritative. "Now babygirl, I know you know better than breaking your tribal chief's rules." he spoke.

Roman maintains his dominant stance, his eyes locked with Lilith's as he contemplates the appropriate punishment for her bratty behavior. He smirks, sensing her nervous anticipation.

With deliberate slowness, Roman reaches out and gently brushes a strand of Lilith's hair behind her ear, his touch sending a shiver down her spine. He leans in closer, his warm breath grazing against her earlobe as he whispers, "You know, I think you need a reminder of who's in control here."

Roman's hand trails down Lilith's neck, his fingertips grazing her collarbone, before slowly sliding underneath her shirt. His touch is both firm and tender, igniting a mixture of pleasure and anticipation within her.

Roman's eyes gleam with a mix of mischief and dominance. He leans in, his lips grazing against her earlobe, his warm breath tickling her skin yet again. "You've been a very naughty girl, Lilith," he murmurs, his voice dripping with a potent mixture of authority and desire.

"You remember your Safeword, Princess?" Roman asks.

"Oreo" Lilith stated.

"Good girl." Roman responds as his hands move lower, skimming over the curve of Lilith's waist before slipping underneath the waistband of her pants. His touch is tantalizingly light as he traces circles along her hip bones, teasing but never fully satisfying her growing need. Each touch leaves her craving more, her body yearning for release. Once he pulls his hand away, he relievers delivers two quick slaps to her ass.

He leans back slightly, his eyes locked with hers, relishing in the sight of her desperation. "You see, Lilith, I am the one who decides when and how you receive pleasure, I'm the one who makes all the decisions around here." he says, his voice a low growl.

Roman's lips curl into a smug smile "You want my touch, don't you, Lilith?" he whispers, "You're craving it, yearning for it. But you gotta learn, babygirl." he muttered.

Roman's fingers trail along the edge of Lilith's pants again, teasingly close to where she desires him the most. He watches as her breath quickens, her eyes pleading for his touch. However, he remains steadfast, denying her the relief she so desperately seeks.

"Tell me, Lilith," Roman continues, his voice dripping with authority. "Tell me how much you need me. Beg for my touch."

Lilith's cheeks flush with a mix of embarrassment and desire as she hesitates for a moment before complying with Roman's command. With a trembling voice, she whispers, "Please, my tribal chief... I need you. I need your touch. Please."

Roman's grip tightens ever so slightly on her waist, his dominance palpable. "Good girl," he murmurs, his voice laced with satisfaction. "But I'm not finished with you. Strip." he added.

Roman watches with lustful eyes as Lilith begins to strip for him immediately. He couldn't help but grin, she probably thought he was going to let her cum. She would be wrong.

For the next couple of hours He pushes her to the brink of climax repeatedly, only to deny her release.

With a calculated touch, Roman continues to tease Lilith's body, his fingers tracing a maddening path along her sensitive skin. He brings her to the edge of climax, skillfully manipulating her pleasure until she's on the verge of losing control.

Just as Lilith's body trembles with anticipation, Roman withdraws his touch, denying her the satisfaction she craves. A whimper escapes her lips, a mixture of pleasure and frustration. Her eyes plead with him, silently begging for release. She was laid back on the couch, her legs spread wide displaying her glistening pussy and allowing his fingers and mouth to work their magic.

He continues to repeat the tantalizing cycle, each time bringing her closer to the edge before abruptly stopping. The waves of arousal crash over Lilith again and again, intensifying her desire and driving her to the brink of madness

"You're mine, Lilith," he whispers as his fingers pump in and out of her pussy with a steady rhythm. "Your pleasure, your release, everything belongs to ME."

Lilith's breath quickens, her body yearning for release. "Please" she whimpered and begged.

"You think you can defy me and still expect pleasure? Nah, princess. Not today." He chuckled.

"Look at you," Roman continues. "Pleading for release like a desperate little slut." he says as he denies Lilith release time and time again, "MY desperate little slut."

Roman slowly and sensually explores Lilith's body, his touch becoming more intimate and passionate. He pays meticulous attention to her responses, ensuring her pleasure reaches its peak.

"You can cum for me now, babygirl." Roman says as Lilith's arousal builds under Roman's skilled ministrations, he carefully listens to her body, attuned to her every moan and whimper. He knows exactly when she reaches the point of no return, when her pleasure is on the cusp of overwhelming her.

With a final flick of his tongue against overly sensitive clit, Roman pushes Lilith over the edge, allowing her to climax with a wave of intense pleasure that echoes through her entire being.

Roman grins, his beard still glistening with her juices as he lifted her gently into his arms and sat again with her in his lap.

With a tender touch, Roman runs his fingers through Lilith's hair. He leans in, pressing a soft kiss against her forehead, his lips lingering against her skin. "You did beautifully, my love," he whispers, his voice filled with admiration and affection. "I'm so proud of you."

Roman wraps his arms around Lilith, pulling her close to his muscular chest, offering her warmth and security. He gently rocks her back and forth, creating a soothing rhythm that helps her unwind from the heightened sensations.

As they bask in the afterglow, Roman peppers Lilith's skin with light kisses, his lips tracing a path of tenderness along her neck and shoulder. He murmurs words of reassurance and comfort, reminding her that she is cherished and loved.

"So, what's your problem with.. that word?" Lilith asked curiously, refraining from repeating the word that had led to her punishment in the first place.

"I don't want to be reminded of how I messed things up with Jey." Roman stated honestly. Lilith was the one person he could share his true emotion with.

"Ro, you know you could try talking to him. Apologizing. He'll forgive you." Lilith encouraged.

"I can't be seen as weak. That makes the bloodline vulnerable." Roman said.

"Baby, you are anything but weak. And whatever decision you make, I'm gonna be right here along for the ride." Lilith assured him.

"I love you, Lil." Roman says.

"I love you too." Lilith smiled as she kissed him.

[making-your-fave-in-fr]

I request Piko Utatane, please! :) Thank you!

I made Piko Utatane from Vocaloid in Flight Rising!

M Pearlcatcher (Pastel Wind eyes) Cream/Basic | White/Bee | Black/Circuit

Silver Steampunk Vests, Silver Steampunk Spats, Silver Steampunk Tail Bauble, Sinister Dress Shirt, Dour Sailor’s Pants, Lightning Aura, Malachite Tail Enhancement, Silver Unicorn Mane

[circuitmane]

Day 18: Draw a pony taking the heat 

I haven't been in a dry sauna in forever. Honestly I kinda want to now

[strangesthirdeye]

Hints and Half-Measures (Arthur Morgan x male!reader)

Summary: Sometimes, you need someone to give you advice on how to love someone. Warning: WIWIWIW..NYOMNYOM, Hosea being supportive dad, advices, short one cuz i'm sleepy (i wrote this at 3am) sorry!, reader has a crush on Arthur, love, Arthur being cautious with affections, , love in the air, Hosea Hoseaaaaaaaa

based on this request, tq!

As usual, I'm sorry if there are any wrong sentences or typos or grammatical mistakes, please forgive me and again English is not my first language, so I try to improve my language and writing in this way.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Camp had long since gone quiet for the night.

The fire crackled low. Crickets hummed in the swamp grass. You sat with your arms crossed at the edge of camp, chin resting on your fist, watching Arthur across the way as he cleaned his guns like it was a sacred ritual.

He looked annoyingly perfect. Coat half off, sleeves rolled up, his hair falling just a little into his face in that way that made your stomach flip and your brain short-circuit.

You sighed. Loudly.

"Something on your mind, son?"

You startled slightly — turning to find Hosea easing himself down beside you with a small grunt, nursing a cup of coffee he probably didn't need at this hour.

"Besides the fact I'm going to die alone and unloved because your favorite outlaw's denser than a river rock?" you muttered.

Hosea raised an eyebrow. "Arthur?"

You groaned and flopped back into the grass like a corpse. "Yes, Arthur."

Hosea hummed into his cup. "And here I thought I was the subtle one."

You sat up again, running a hand through your hair, frustration bubbling under your ribs.

"I've tried everything, Hosea. Everything. Compliments. Looks. I've touched his damn arm more times than Sadie's shot a man in the back. I made him coffee yesterday and called him sugar. He said, 'thanks, partner,' and walked off."

Hosea chuckled. "Ah. The classic Morgan maneuver. Ignore the obvious and go clean your saddle."

You pointed across the camp. "Look at him. Sitting there. Smug. Unaware. Beautiful."

Hosea nodded solemnly. "A tragedy."

"An absolute tragedy."

He sipped his coffee. "So what's your next plan? Buy him flowers? Serenade him with your shirt off?"

You hesitated. "...I did write a poem."

Hosea nearly choked on his drink.

"Oh lord."

"I didn't give it to him," you grumbled. "I'm not that desperate."

Hosea gave you a side glance. "Son, you tried to braid his hair two days ago."

"That was affectionate pestering. There's a difference."

"Uh-huh."

The two of you sat in silence for a moment, listening to the quiet crackle of the fire. Then, gently, Hosea nudged your shoulder.

"Arthur's... well. He's not stupid, but he's cautious. Spent most of his life being told he couldn't have soft things. Can't fault a man for not recognizing love when he's never believed he deserved it."

That hit you like a slow arrow.

You looked at him, brow furrowed. "You think he doesn't believe he deserves it?"

Hosea shrugged. "I think you look at him like he hung the stars. And he looks at himself like he's only good at breaking things. It might not be that he's blind, son. He might just not believe it could be real."

You let that sit.

The fire popped.

"...So what do I do?"

Hosea gave you a half-smile — that soft, knowing kind he only gave when he actually liked someone.

"You be patient. Be loud if you have to. Or hell — just tell him."

You groaned, dropping your head onto his shoulder. "You make it sound so easy."

"Love rarely is. But it's worth the trouble."

A Few Days Later...

You handed Arthur a cup of coffee and stared him dead in the eye.

"Arthur."

"Yeah?"

"I like you."

Arthur blinked. "...You what now?"

"I like you. I want to hold your hand and maybe kiss you and braid your hair and your horse's mane. That clear enough?"

Arthur opened and closed his mouth like a fish.

Then flushed red as hell.

"Oh," he said, voice slightly hoarse.

You raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"...Can I finish my coffee first?"

You rolled your eyes, but couldn't hide the grin spreading on your face.

Later that night, Hosea passed by you two by the fire — Arthur sitting awkwardly close, your pinky brushing his, neither of you talking much but both of you trying.

Hosea didn't say anything.

Just gave you a wink.

You nodded back, heart stupid and full.

[a-sad-mage]

New Neo Cavern - (Slugterra) Head Cannon's # 5: What happens in New Neo, Stays in New Neo [Edition]

⋆༺𓆩⚔𓆪༻⋆

I've been putting this off till I finished 'The First Time is Never Easy', and now that its done(yes its done go read it), here a massive HC post about my fan Cavern that I really want to talk about because Brain Rot lmao, That and I thought an HC post would be a grate thing to post after a month haha

well, I guess it less head cannon more informational with HC stuff sprinkled in ig

and friendly reminder, anything underlined has a hyperlink.

🎉[Part 1] 🎉[Part 2] 🎉[Part 3] 🎉 [Part 4] 🎉 [Part 4.1] 🎉 [Part 4.2] 🎉

⋆༺𓆩⚔𓆪༻⋆

Big Cavern, like real big, its literally two Caverns stacked on top of one another

24/7 party all the time every time

there are approximately 3,000+ residents, a mix of Cavern born and raised and those that moved to New Neo

Everyone's got some kind of job to keep track of

there are regular homes/radiances hidden away between and behind other building and attractions

some Scientists Futuria Cavern participate in Robo-Mayhem every few months

it is very fun to see them go full 'mad scientist' and let loose

Governess Fay has been in charge for damn near a century, and she's still chaotic good about her responsibilities

straight up, Blakk once tried to buy out New Neo, only for Fay to laugh him out of her office because New Neo makes more gold than god

Blakk had wanted to buy New Neo and turn it into a Dark Water farm, and major strong hold. but again was laughed out of office.

this led to him digging though New Neo's constitution and finding out he could challenge the Cavern Head to a set of three challenges for ownership.

^[technically the figureheads/leaders can't participate, they have to pick three induvial to participate in their place for each match, a Race, a Talent display and a high stakes Entertainment Duel. Blakk took a demotion as head of Blakk Industries preemptively, giving ownership temporarily to Maurice, before officially issuing the challenge, so Blakk himself could do the third challenge. Loopholes baby]

all Blakk and his team had to do was win one of three matches,

spoiler alert they lost, bad, and where permabanned from New Neo Cavern

the three New Neo-ites who participated where Ace, Doc and Mane, while for Blakk Industries it was, C.C., Saturday and Blakk himself.

this happened between the whole Club Slug thing and the Slug Run, its a whole thing

And yes this is what prompted Blakk to Higher Vance Bolt for the Slug Run

Blakk paid to not have the whole NN-C ordeal monetized, and all footage delated, because it was just embarrassing

Status be damned, Fay wants to deck BOTH Jimmo Shane and Will Shane for very different reasons

Doc (the Cave Troll doctor) is trans, MtF

The Mane line is confusing as shit because technically, while it is considered a 'bloodline mantle', the third Mane isn't actually related to the to the others-

Ace, uses they/them pronouns, and is non-binary. But is in no rush to get top surgery.

As mentioned in TFTiNE there is a magician called Majesty

He's a dramatic SOB, and no one is totally sure if the guy can actually do Magic or is just that good

Neo New had an annual Entertainment Duel tournament where the prize varies each year, from a top model Visor, to premium Blasters, Mecha Beasts and even rare slugs

The whole Cavern goes all out on decorations and the festivities

There is a tally for how many fires Ignis starts.

^[It's in the quadruple digits]

There is a Moleinoid Restaurant in Neo that makes the best mushroom dishes

Peach Blossom Park dose actually produce Peach's making New Neo one of the only Caverns able to sell the stone fruit

the Entertainment Duelist Circuit is open to everyone, not just Cavern residents

it's got brackets, ranks and everything you gotta slog through just like regular Dueling Circuits

'Beginners Night' is more for people to test the waters and get a feel for Entertainment Dueling without any real pressure

Pro's will volunteer to oversee BN, and offer pointers and general advice, even make basic small talk to help calm some individuals down if they are feeling nervous

Heresy and Nikki are the Power Couple and are disgustingly in love

The Pit not only has regular matches between humanoids, but there is a side section for Slugs as well

its like Slug Fight Club, but monetized

Mane has a type and its not men lmao

As you can imagen, New Neo, like many other Caverns, was in chaos during Return of the Elements whenever of the Elementals got ghouled

Malvolio Drake and his crew come to New Neo, just for the food

which fair, there are a lot of options

The Hooligang have been to NN, they spend a lot of time at the carnival games and Slug-Hub's

Shorty love's the fact she can dress up her slugs for Slug Fashion Shows

Billy tries to hide it, but he kind of likes it too

Glasses just likes he gets to hang with his friends and not get shot at for once

no one has 'survived' a full lights out(night) in the Haunted Hollow

Following the events of Into the Shadows when the Gang realized it was Eli's birthday, and that they kind a missed it for like, a celebration the day of, they give it two days of no major emergency's before dragging Eli to New Neo for a belated 16th birthday party.

he's hesitant about it at first, but quickly finds some joy in it, and being able to 'act like a normal teen' at an amusement park with his friends

honestly they all needed some fun

John Bull, Munch, Sedo, and a number of other mercenary's/slingers for higher, duke it out in The Pit,

its nothing official, just a (debatably)fun surprise when they see one another and get matched for a fight

Heresy has a band with other members of the LOC its called 'The heretics'

They are banned from participating in half-time shows at the Opalescent Stadium, the first and last time they did, it psyched out the other Entertainment Duelist

its a whole thing, but they rock out, hard core in Paleo

lots of mock stand-offs

If New Neo had an anthem is would be [Could Have Been Me by The Struts]

Nikki can Rap like its nothing

the Power Trips, Marcus, Gabe and Fav, can be adrenalin junkies and really enjoy the rides, both in Neo and Paleo.

the Power Trips also part take in Entertainment Dules for the fun of it, they have official rankings, and are in the Silver League

The Game Master, was a New Neo Resident and worked on making escape rooms before he went full Riddler

There is an 'Day Without Incident' tally for both the LOC and LOT, it's perpetually stuck at 0

its a joke at this point because something aways goes wrong

the Double Dare Restaurant host cooking contests once ever year.

its like Master Chef

The King of Sling and his Phosphoro, very much so love's the Slug Fashion Show's

C.C. used to frequent clubs in Paleo, he's kind of low-key pissed he's banned and can't do that anymore

Fashion Shows/Contests take place at the Pink Palace the, Winners design get's turned into official cloths and sold a boutiques, with the Winner also getting an agreed on percent of the profit, and/or featured on posters.

depends on which prize is advertised

Max Jackson highers most of his stunt doubles from New Neo

the Movie star even did a feature film in NNC

The Central Tower's viewing deck has a gift shop(like the CN Tower lol)

Blite used to a New Neo-ite, before... you know...

"Home Sweet Rave" is a common phrase

The Hive Mind Network that connects the Visor system is maintained hourly by the tech-heads of the cavern to keep it form crashing

Sargent Slug is on a New Neo watch list, because the guy is a scam artist and they do not want him selling his messed up Slug Food in New Neo or giving his messed up advice in Slug care.

New Neo can host just about any kind of event you can think of

despite his goth aesthetic, Heresy will put on some frills and glitter at his girlfriend's request, or to surprise her for date's

he dose end up looking like a vampire thou

Nikki can go Gothic Lolita for Heresy, and join him on stage with the Heretics

New Neo is very much so, 'controlled chaos', and the residents are all 'chaotic good', 'chaotic lawful' or just plain chaotic at worst

Ace has a plan for just about everything given their bad luck

Stage Names are like a cursed, yet affectionate, right of passage

I like to think Dana's mom used to be a New Neo-ite, who was a regular at The Pit, and that's why Dana is so badass,

she had a badass mom who taught her how to kick ass

there are fail compilations on the official New Neo SlugNet account of Entertainment Duelist's wiping out.

Its amusing

Ignis can and will find a way to light anything on fire

Because Paleo is rather deep, and has a few literal 'underground' clubs, they have to do regular inspections for Dark Water/Dark Water Vapor leaks

that stuff can mess you up man :(

"What happens in New Neo, stays in New Neo"

until it doesn't

what came first, Neo or Paleo? Neo came first, but when they broke the layer to Paleo, it was noted it looked like it had been inhabited once, then abandon before they found it.

If the Haunted Hollow, supposes Shadow Clan territory is anything to go by...

Mane has such a weird set of skills, she could probably fix a Mecha with a paper clip

Ace once had a good day with no misshapes, everyone that knew them was prepping for the apocalypse

there is a rehab center for both human/humanoids and slugs

Governess Fay is possibly the most chaotic individual in and out of New Neo, simply because she knows just about everything about everyone

"Welcome to New Neo, try not to let the glitter blind you!"

You would be surprised how often crimes are committed in this cavern-

there are discounts for special occasions

Mario participated in the annual Entertainment Dule tournament once, and won.

his prize? a New Mecha Beast and some gold, which he later used to help set up Ricochet Pizza after his loss to Blakk

Story time at the Neo Library

there are puppet shows

There are 'Pet spa's' for the non-slug pets

New Neo fashion is a mix between Cyberpunk, a hit of victorine, modern and personal preference

doesn't mean you wont find a few who dress in the traditional attire of their culture, because you will or those who dress purely in there own style

Judge Logan once got super drunk in a bar in Paleo

^[this lead to him 'drunk ordering' his enforcers of his Cavern to release several inmates, via texts on his work tablet, it was a whole thing]

As mentioned in the OG NNC post, Peach Blossom Park was Founded by one of the original founders over two centers ago, and it was done so as a homage to their home

if you haven't guessed, this Founder was from the Eastern Caverns.

funny story, their actually one of Junjie's ancestor's

^[so, two odd centers ago, this particular ancestor used to the Champion of the Eastern Caverns, and was not too thrilled about it since they were more of a free spirited individual. so when their sibling came of age, and became a Slug-Fu Master, they kind of dumbed responsibilities of Campion(and Joo-Joo) on their sibling, and went off to do their own thing. Some how some way, they found an active Terra Portal, and ended up in the 99 Caverns with no real way back, and ended up befriending a band of traveling entertainers/misfits and they founded New Neo together, and yes, the former Champion did teach his friends Slug-Fu and that ended up being the base of what's now known as the 'New Neo Style', unfortunately no one in modern day has truly mastered the art, or unlocked their Chi, but three individuals Doc, Ace and Mane but to varying degrees]

-

man, I used a lot of pink...

also uh, ask's are open again :)

[bedroom-kingdom]

Is it reckless that my effigies are running loose? The serpent sees in red and blue But I can see me next to you When the moon approaches cautiously like it's abused You practice being so confused Pray away tomorrow Pray away tomorrow Pray away tomorrow These static walls They all extend I sit inside and rot behind my VPN You swallowed all of my innocence And I let you in I let you win Let me descend You were monotone You were satisfiеd You just can't decide Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh You're a circuit board You'rе a dinosaur You just can't provide Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh Pray away tomorrow Pray away tomorrow These static walls They all extend I sit inside and rot behind my VPN You swallowed all of my innocence And I let you in I let you win Let me descend These static walls They all extend I sit inside and rot behind my VPN You swallowed all of my innocence And I let you in I let you win Let me descend These static walls They all extend I sit inside and rot behind my VPN You swallowed all of my innocence And I let you in I let you win Let me descend

VPN by LIL UGLY MANE on VOLCANIC BIRD ENEMY AND THE VOICED CONCERN

2021, United States

[dr-lizortecho]

🐞🐜

Recommend a favorite fic or several from one of your friends, or a fic author you really look up to!

Oh damn- one friend??? One author I admire?? Imma cheat- it’s has to be three or whatever

@ajna-eye-cogitations is one of my favs ofc

Heartlines : a beautiful echo fic thatshows a sweet and emotionally intimate moment between the couple, really putting Max’s romantic -and kinky- side on the table, and being written really poetically as always

Blanco Navidad : a Christmas time fic that is sooooo sugar sweet it gives me a toothache and also is super sexy but in an understated way- weaving together imagery through memories and experiences and emotion instead of physicality

Thicker Than Pod Vapor : a look at the stress and destress Max would feel welcoming his kids into an unwelcome world- lines of this still haunt me, like knowing he will never fully be at peace and believe himself safe nevertheless his children

@rewritingroswell’s fics are also amazing <3

Impulsive Decisions Made Under The Moonlight : for those Max/Charlie cravings :P

The Consequences of Being a Tease : Delvecho- what’s not to love. Also, super sexy as always. And like… my brain short circuits everytime Max calls Maria ma’am. Also, just the decision to make a fun little competition to make Liz orgasm? Instead of an angsty who’s better in bed? Glorious.

I’m Burnin’ Up On You : t4t echo! They’re soooooooo. And then they’re- ugghhh- this fic captrued them so well, their earnest communication, their burning desire. It’s all there and more. Go read it. Please.

Cheating a second time with @ladynox and @beautifulcheat with two joint works and then one individual (cause I can’t not- they’re too good to pick just a few)

The Truth is Right Here : xfiles. Meets rnm. Malexa and Kaliz and mystery. And just- it’s so god. Truly one of the most intricate and well handled stories (emphasis on story not fic!) I’ve ever had the pleasure to read. From Michael and Max pretending to be ghosts, to Liz fiercely gathering mushroom samples, to Kyle bumping shoulders with Max, to Michael buying Maria a tacky bracelet, to Alex accidentally implying a threesome vacation, to Maria wearing Michael’s hat, to all the fucked up alien stuff (and lemurs) and Jesse Manes it’s a wild ride more than worth taking. Go read it. Like truly- even if you haven’t seen the show, you’ll fall in love with these characters.

Dealing With Dragons : Maria is a witch. Michael a dragon. Fate brings them together in a magic forest? What more could one ask for? The answer is a beautifully written fantasy setting that will have you purchasing the inspiration book to sit on your nightstand.

Nox’s Rough Stock : ummmmmm sexy. like so sexy. brain dead type sexy. Maria pegs Michael- need no say more? Well I will- it’s slow and sensual and just so well done. Sorry- your work is so amazing and I’m like ah the smut.

Beautifulcheat’s Surreal Estate : *hides cause I’m behind* Just the best. Like these three girls are perfect in this setting. Not only that but the romance and the ghosts as metaphors is so well done. I’m on the edge of my seat every chapter head spinning to figure out all these mysteries. Also there’s a cute little demon dog. Precious.

Recommend a fic that makes you laugh! A crack fic, or something that's just really funny!

Ohhhhh- I just rec’ed this in like two servers, but Guerenti Gay Chicken in which they have a kid before someone loses????? Perfection.

That’s How You Lose The Game by @andrea-lyn

Ask Me For A Fic Rec <3

[missvelvetsstuff]

Miss Velvet

Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: Y/N aka Miss Velvet, is a disabled equestrian and therapeutic riding instructor who helped Tony Stark with his PTSD after returning from Titan. When the Avengers bought everyone back he hired her to work with the Avengers and SHIELD hired her to work with their agents as therapist and teaching basic riding skills because you never know when a horse will be the best mode of transportation.

Bucky Barnes is a manwhore who is enjoying his freedom for the first time in decades and pays no mind to y/n when she meets the team because he knows how to ride and is always on the prowl for his next conquest.

Post Endgame but everybody survived, because I said so. Written before TFATWS or any of the multiverse saga. Steve helped get Sharon Carter pardoned so they are together.

Chapter 2

Warnings: swearing, marijuana use

Velvet was jolted awake by a hazy dream that involved crunching metal and breaking glass, her heart racing. Again.

Indy crawled up from his spot at the foot of the bed, looked at her concerned, then started licking her face until she smiled and hugged him.

"Thanks buddy, what would I do without you?"

She looked over at her clock and it was 3:59, one hour before her alarm. No point in going back to sleep. Velvet stretched before getting out of bed and heading to the bathroom to start the day's work.

Splashing water on her face she looked in the mirror and told herself that she can do this, that she still has use and can make a difference even if it's not what she had planned when she was a kid. Maybe even a better purpose, if not changing the world directly she can help support those who do.

Velvet grabbed yesterday's jeans and a sweatshirt and headed out back with Indy to start feeding the beasts. The horses are all poking their heads out of their stalls, nickering and stomping their feet, impatiently waiting to be fed. She took a minute with each horse to scratch their favorite spots and kiss their muzzles good morning. Once everyone is content she went to work mucking out their stalls while they 'discuss' her nerves and the days to do list.

Looking thru the barn to make sure morning chores were done she headed inside for a shower and breakfast. The hot shower under the rain showerhead that Tony insisted on installing helped ease her muscles and clear her head from whatever that dream was. Sometimes she wished the memories would just stay gone, no need to bring that back up to the surface after she accepted the aftermath.

Velvet ate her pancakes with cannabutter and Earl Grey with honey while scrolling thru her texts to see if there is anything that needs to be added to her schedule. Two more riding evaluations to bring todays total up to 6. She looked at her schedule after updating and checked the list of projects that need doing and sighed. She might have to break down and get an assistant like Tony was pushing her to do.

Velvet had a hard time accepting help but with the expectations of a govt contract she might not have much of a choice.

Gearing up for the day, hair-sunscreen-boots-hat, she headed to the barn, grabbed Lexi from her stall, tied her up and started grooming her so they can take their morning ride.

Working to clear the tangles from Lexi's mane she told the mare "your hair is more work than mine. I wonder how you would look with it buzzed."

Lexi shook her head like she understood and wanted no part of it.

Velvet walked away laughing and picked up her saddle and bridle. Once Lexi was ready to go they walked to the mounting block and Velvet gently mounted up, put her feet into the stirrups and adjusted her reins. Lexi started off and they headed out the gate into a forested area, away from Tony's equestrian center that just broke ground.

When she told him about coming up in the show circuit and all of the events at the L.A. Equestrian Ctr in Burbank, Tony set up an appt for them to tour it so he would know what Morgan would need for what he was sure would be an illustrious show career. Velvet had laughed when he told her that but quickly realized he was serious and promised to do what she could to further that goal.

Wandering thru the woods with only the local wildlife and Lexi, was about as close to Heaven as Velvet could imagine. When her phone started buzzing, she knew she had to head back so she would be ready to greet today's riders.

As she walked thru the gate she could see a small crowd of people waiting, even tho they were almost 30 minutes early.

When he saw her coming Tony cheered, "Look, it's Miss Velvet and The Pie!"

"OMG Tony, stop renaming my horses, Lexi isn't The Pie and Bubbles isn't Ozzy." She scolded.

"The Pie?" A pretty blonde lady, who was holding hands with Steve, asked.

"That's the name of the horse in the movie, National Velvet" Velvet explained.

"Oh, I get it. I'm Sharon Carter, it's nice to meet you."

"I'm Y/N or Velvet. Steve's told me a lot about you. I know he's been looking forward to your arrival."

Tony took Velvet aside to advise her of Wanda's referral from Dr Raynor for mental health services and asked her to keep it under wraps so Wanda doesn't feel singled out. Velvet nodded and thanked him. Tony told everyone good bye and headed back to the compound.

Velvet turned to address the group of people waiting "So, lets get started, looks like we have 4 riding evaluations this morning. Wanda, Sharon, Sam and Barnes. Sam, are you sure you want to do this in front of everyone or should we just save you the embarrassment and get some lessons scheduled?"

"Damn Miss Velvet, why the call out in front of the team? Maybe I'm a great rider, you don't know." Sam argued playfully.

Velvet doubled over laughing "Ok, Sam I'm sure you're a regular horse whisperer."

Sam shook his head mumbling "And she seemed like such a nice lady."

"We'll give you a minute Sam. Looks like Wanda is first on the list. Do you have any experience with horses, Wanda?"

Wanda nodded "A little, many years ago my grandparents had a small farm and sometimes let me ride their horse but it's been more than 15 years"

"Ok, we will just start from scratch. Feel free to ask me to slow down or if you don't understand something. Follow me. That includes Wanda, Sam, Sharon and Barnes." She cleared her throat

"So, today is just an evaluation, if you feel at any point like you're in over your head just say so. Y'all need to know how to catch, halter, lead, groom, tack, mount and ride a horse. I know all of those won't apply in field situations but you never know what will."

Velvet led them to the tack room and pointed out how everything is organized, each horse has their own grooming kit and bridle marked with their name while a variety of saddles and bareback pads line the wall across. She explained that the saddle used depends on the rider and their needs.

"Who wants to try their hand? While keeping in mind that a horse is a 1200lb animal with a flight instinct that can really hurt themselves or one of us without meaning to and that I would much prefer you admit your lack of experience than risk hurting one of my horses." Velvet smirked.

Sharon stepped up "I'm no expert but took lessons when I was a kid and ride when I can. Well, you know before....."

Velvet nodded in understanding "Yeah, I know. So go grab Heidi, bring her out of her stall, tie her to the ring by her stall and get her ready to be ridden." She paused and looked at the others

"While she does that, Barnes you said you know how to ride too right?"

He nodded "Then you go get Duke, and get him ready. Let me know if you need help."

While she waited Velvet chatted with Wanda and Sam, scheduling some lessons for both. "Fury told me that you aren't cleared for missions yet, Wanda, so I wondered if you wanted to come help me out here when you have spare time."

Wanda smiled, "I would love to. I have training 2 hours a day but other than that I'm just trying to keep busy. What time?"

"My schedule varies but mornings are always good for extra help. Feeding and mucking out stalls. Otherwise it would be mostly gopher duties, grabbing things from the tack room while I'm giving lessons, holding horses, opening the gate. Real exciting work'

Velvet grinned. "Feeding is at 6am and 5pm, as much as possible so meet me here in the mornings at 6."

Wanda smiled "thank you".

Velvet laughed "Don't thank me yet, it's hard work but good therapy, physical and mental."

"Miss Velvet? I think I'm ready here" Called Sharon.

Velvet checked out Heidi's saddle and bridle, "Looks good, let me check on Barnes and we'll head out to the arena and see how you do astride."

Velvet walked over to see how Duke looked. "Well Barnes, you have the right idea but a few points. First, you need to make sure you brush the area where the saddle goes because if there are clumps of dirt in his coat or nettles under the saddle he can get saddle sores and act out from the pain. Also, the headstall for this bridle is split ear so his left ear goes thru this slot. Duke prefers it this way and keeping your horse comfortable will help his behavior."

Bucky grumbled about difficult animals and fixed Duke's ears. "You did a good job picking his hooves so -atta boy-." Velvet joked and Bucky rolled his eyes.

The lesson went well, Velvet complimented Sharon on her skills. "You pass, solid B, so I will notify Fury,. That means you can come along for trail rides when I have them but if you want to be allowed to come unsupervised you will have to take my immersive horse whisperer lessons. Let me know if you are interested and I will work on a schedule once everyone has the basics down. You can go ahead and walk around the arena while I check out Barnes."

Velvet watched Bucky for a few minutes, gave him a couple of pointers "Heels down, dude and elbows in you're not trying to take off."

Bucky grumbled "I can stay on and steer, I don't care about riding properly."

Velvet tutted "Riding properly helps you stay on and control your horse but fair enough, you're passed D- but wont be allowed on any pleasure rides here unless you take some lessons."

"I don't know why anyone would want to ride for pleasure so that's fine. Dumb animals anyhow" Bucky muttered.

Velvet rolled her eyes, "some people just don't get it."

"Go ahead and dismount, remove your horses tack and brush them before returning them to their stalls. It's not hot and you didn't do much but horses should be cooled down after any heavy exercise or when its warm.  You can check their chest to make sure they are cool enough to put up." Velvet instructed them and showed how to check to see if their horse is overheated.

"I have two more evals, Peter Parker and someone named Janell Marshall on their way so y'all can go, except Wanda."

Peter and a pretty and tiny brunette showed up a few moments later

"Hi Miss Velvet, is it ok to give Laredo a mint? We made friends yesterday when you showed us around." Peter asked.

Velvet laughed "Sure, he loves those things, I have some in the office. Just one though."

She turned to Janell who was staring at Bucky and giggling when he winked at her. Velvet cleared her throat "Hi Janell, I'm Y/N aka Miss Velvet"

"Hi Miss Velvet, I have a little riding experience but it's been a few years. I was here for a tour yesterday and Lexi is so pretty and sweet, could I ride her?" Janell asked.

Velvet shook her head "Sorry, Lexi is mine and I'm the only one that rides her unless you earn it."

"But I told you I'm a good rider and she's the one I want to ride. Doesn't Tony Stark own these horses? Does he know that you are keeping Lexi to yourself?" Janell sneered

Velvet rolled her eyes "First of all, Lexi is mine and has been since before I met Tony. Second, Tony and General Ross have given me complete authority over this program and how it's run so you are welcome to waste their time complaining because you can't ride the horsey that you want. I'm sure that's the kind of behavior they expect from agents and will be happy to accommodate your tantrum. Now grow up and get Bubbles ready to be ridden. Parker! You get Laredo set up."

Janell passed the eval but Peter needed some lessons so Velvet got him scheduled and advised Janell she was good but will need more work if she wanted to ride independently.

Once the horses were put up everyone left except for Velvet and Wanda so they headed out for lunch at the diner down the road. They ate and chatted about everything. Horses, men, Avengers, clothes and whatever else the conversation leads to.

Velvet had 8 more evals in the afternoon that weren't on her schedule but Fury wanted them asap as the agents needed to leave for various missions. Velvet and Wanda formed a comfortable bond while working and took a short ride before feeding the horses and locking up for the nite.

Wanda invited her to the compound for dinner but Velvet was tired and hurting so headed inside for some relaxation time. She fell asleep on her recliner after eating an edible.

Chapter 3