#Sancho Road

[odddogblog]

Driving 26 hours straight with this pack was actually pretty easy, the hard part is wrangling them as they run wild at the lake house.

[swayziiwriter]

Petty | Jude Bellingham

summary: when your best friend Jude decides to avert his attention to a desperate blonde you decide to turn the tables on him with none other then Jadon Sancho.

WARNING: 18+, sexual content

Amongst the blaring music in the club you can still hear his voice. I'm Jude, you're not bad yourself, I could use another drink. The obnoxious blonde who had found her way to Jude now had her hands on him, tracing the collar of his black dress shirt. The worst part about it was that he was letting her.

He didn't even taken a second glance at you, pathetic you thought to yourself. Tonight was supposed to be a night of celebrations, Englands EURO qualifications games were spectacular. Though, you wanted nothing more than to go home. Jude was your best friend, your best friend who you we're undeniably in love with. So coming here tonight was supposed to be your chance of telling him how you felt, but instead you were watching from afar as Jude got felt up by some bimbo.

 You were infuriated beyond extent, your emotions mixed with the alcohol that was coursing through your body was dangerous. All your feelings were heightened, including your sexual drive. You wanted to forget about this constant pain in your heart every time Jude turned up to end up spending the night with some girl. Tired of all the countless nights fixated on how to finally express your emotions you decided that it was time to give him a taste of his own medicine. Jude wasn't clueless about your feelings, a few drunken kisses made sure he knew. But still he never brought it up, instead he avoided it like the plague and you were tired of it.

"Stare any harder and you'll burn a hole in the back of his head" a voice quipped. "That's sort of the point" you seethed, not feeling in much of a positive mood anymore. You recognized the voice immediately, it belonged to Jadon Sancho teammate and friend of Jude. You were across from the bar the huge dance floor in front view. Hundreds of sweaty, drunk and horny people rubbing up against each other hoping to get laid. "Why'd you let him ruin your mood?" He questioned with a smirk. "You can be an asshole sometimes you know that" you replied taking down another shot, the burning sensation in your throat causing you to forget about Jude for just a second.

"Dance with me y/n" Jadon proposed, "oh Jadon I don't thi-" he cut you off with a small chuckle."This isn't for me y/n, this is too show Jude just what he's missing" he continued. Your brain was telling you to say no, yelling at you to take the high road and just ignore Jude for the night. But you couldn't.

Smiling at his genius antics hand in hand you two made your way down to the dance floor. "The hills" starting to echo through the large building as your warm bodies were flushed up against each other, your back to his front. Jude was watching, he had been watching from the second Jadon left his teammate's side to be with you.

Watching as you lightly grinded your body into Jadon's, Jude was livid. Watching as his hands rose up your body had him squirming, a deep feeling in his gut enough for him to want to throw up all the alcohol he had consumed earlier in the night. Dancing with Jadon was funner than expected, he would occasionally whisper subtle "he's looking, ah there he goes squirming again" leaving you to let out genuine laughs, laughs that Jude could hear all to well over the blaring music.

The blonde who had been around Jude for longer than his own liking was soon kicked to the curb as he soon realized you had been doing the same mechanism as him. Making the other one Jealous. Jude let Jadon bring his hands from behind as far as your stomach before he marched towards the dance floor, drink in one hand and nothing in the other. He had left this go on for to long, he couldn't stand the feeling of another man touching you, feeling your soft skin, your perfect lips.

"Oh shit, he's coming over here" Jadon yelled over the music, leaning into your body. "Y/n" Jude yelled over the music, "what Jude" you spat back, still pissed that he had let that blonde touch him. Jadon returned glances between both of you before making the decision to get out of there, sending you an apologetic look as he left you to fend alone against Jude. Jude continued to look at you with wide eyes, expecting an answer. "Can't you take a hint Bellingham I was in the middle of danc-" "dancing?" He interrupted. "You were all over him y/n, fucking hell are you trying to kill me?" He yelled. "Me!?" You replied, "you're the one who's had a bimbo on your ass all night. Sue me for wanting to have some actual fun" you spat.

The air was becoming thick, the tension and smell of sex in the air was becoming suffocating. Your mind felt as if it was running a thousand miles an hour. "If you're not man enough to tell me that you want me, then there's no reason why I shouldn't go fuck around with someone like Jadon" you continued to hurl insults at him before he finally snapped. Crashing his lips against yours in a heated passion.

Your hands were roaming over his chest as his lips worked in sync with yours. Jude gives you a firm but still tender kiss the tension between you and him was killing you both. He's hard about it and tells you he's wanted you for so long, but his touch is still gentle. He is letting you know that he has also always liked you.

The music at the club doesn't bother you. You basically let his tongue investigate your own, and let your bodies press together among all the intensity, strain, and horniness.

Finally, when you both leave the room to get some fresh air, the following events that come after are neglected. In the midst of the sexual tension, horniness, and outright neediness, it is forgotten. The backseat of the taxi you are both in is a blur of hasty movements, hasty kisses, and long groaning awaiting to arrive. When you get to Jude's condo his movements are fast, your back hits his bed the midst of a heavy make out. Clothes, his tie, shoes, and your heels were all left on the floor in the trail of your exasperated needs.

He was hovering over you, taking in every inch of your body as it curved into his, his hard cock hitting your thighs as your body shuddered with pleasure. Jude brought his hand down to your core, teasing your folds as he spoke dirty words into your ear. He slipped two fingers into your dripping pussy, collecting your wetness in between his fingers. 

Your hands gripped at the sheets as he worked on your pussy, fingering you fast to your release. His voice was thick with lust as he felt you clench around him and wrap your legs around his waist as he continued to press his fingers inside of you. "you look so pretty for me baby."

Your back arched from the bed as you watched his beautiful face, and it took all of your inner strength not to cum. "Gonna cum all over my fingers?" He questioned, "be a good girl and cum all over my fingers" you body shook with pleasure white noise talking over as the euphoric feeling took over your body.

You were moaning his name in an attempt to stop the overstimulation on your core. "Wanna feel you" you managed to gasp out between breathes. He pushed your body up the bed, spreading your legs just enough to settle himself in between them, "about to be so ruined for me" he tapped his cock against your wet folds, the action alone making you cry out in frustration. "I'm not going to stop until your dripping with my cum" he said pushing into your tight pussy. Because you didn't anticipate that movement, you let out a small cry of surprise mixed with a moan of pleasure.

To fully appreciate how his cock got inside of you and how your walls tightened around it, you had to close your eyes for a while. He moved inside of you briefly, using only one hand; He placed your leg and the other on his shoulder by lifting your leg; He gave your clit a rub. You had the impression that his thrusts were reaching deeper within you because of the angle your leg was at.

Jude stopped stroking your clit to wrap one of his hands around your neck. You were certain that your moans had already turned into tiny screams while he was deep within you. You arched your back with pleasure. Before you took that forearm and squeezed it, Jude gently stroked the skin on your neck. He probably accepted that as a sign since he applied a touch of tension.

You tried to complain, but all you got was a sound that sounded like you were gasping as his pace picked up. You tried to yell, or at least try to, because your lips were being caressed by his thumb as he continued to press on them. When you were already almost there, your pussy voluntarily tightened around his cock. You were in an orgasmic state when Jude let out a deep growl.

Your pussy continued to pulse around his cock as he followed you a few seconds later. Before rolling next to you, he took your hand out of the ring around his neck. Your lungs were asking for air, your mind was a finished wreck, and your vision obscured until you could slow down and rest. You could feel beads of Judes cum rolling down your sweaty thighs.

You and Jude had given into your needs and it never felt better. You wanted to feel him every where, all the time. He wanted it too, the way his eyes never left yours was evidence of it, the way his body connected with yours was beautiful. You and Jude were in sync, complete with each other.

[nattinatalia]

Jack Harlow x Reader : STRAWBERRIES AND SOME.

WARNING : SMUT !!!! 18+

Huge thanks to my boo @harlowcomehome for this one and for helping me out 🤭🤭 I tell you every time how much I appreciate you 🤞🏼💜

Jack had suggested throwing a little BBQ with his family and close friends. He’s been on the road non stop, so he just wanted to relax and catch up with everyone.

Sadly the timing wasn’t right, because your house was getting remodeled so there was no chance of hosting at your place. Luckily, Urban, Sunni and Copelan were nice enough to offer their home.

Jack had texted everyone saying how he didn’t want you stressing or cooking due to you being pregnant. So everyone helped out and each brought a plate and Urban’s father gladly offered to cook the Pattie’s.

You were all finally seated, enjoying the company and just laughing at everyone’s crazy stories.

“Daddy, can I have somes?”

“Here you go baby.” You look up and see Jack handing Mia some strawberries.

You don’t know how you didn’t notice before, but this time you did and it got you feeling all kinds of things.

Jack goes to take a bite from a strawberry and notice how his lips are tinted red, how juicy his lips look and how hot he looked biting into it.

That goes on for two minutes max, but it was enough to get you going.

You reach out for your phone and immediately text him.

Wifey : Are you teasing me?

He doesn’t respond.

Wifey : Fuck that’s hot.

He still doesn’t respond, so you continue to blow up his phone.

Wifey : Wish it was me you were biting and sucking on like that.

Wifey : Babe

Wifey : Jackman, let’s go to the car real quick.

Wifey : I’m so wet, just seeing you bite into the strawberry like that, got me dripping.

“Y/N, who are you texting so much?” Druski pulls you out of your thoughts. , “You texting your sancho?.” He teases.

You look up, a little lightheaded and hot, so you laugh it off. “Oh yeah, sure.”

You notice Jack is looking at you with a confused and irritated look on him. His eyebrows are furrowed and he tilts his head to the side.

You look down to your phone and send him another text.

Wifey : Babyyyy, let’s sneak off real quick 🥵

Wifey : 🍆🍑 💦 JACKMAN, I need you baby.

You’re getting annoyed that he isn’t responding to any of your text messages, so you grumpily slam your phone on the table, turn to look at Jack, but notice he’s already looking at you but he seems annoyed, his vein on his neck popping out.

He stands up from his seat, and nods towards the house. “Excuse us, I need to speak to my wife privately.”

You quickly stand up and follow behind him, getting excited and nervous.

You two are on the side of the house, away from everyone.

“Baby, why didn’t you correct Druski? Who were you texting.?” He asks you, rubbing at your belly.

You noticed the tone of his voice, Jack rarely got jealous but when he did you caught on quickly.

You feel like ever since you got pregnant this second time around, he’s been somewhat territorial, with both men and women, it didn’t matter. He just didn’t want anyone near you, he wanted you all to himself.

You can’t help but smile and stare at his lips, he has a bit of strawberry juice on them, so you get on your tippy toes, and give him a quick kiss, but not without licking his bottom lip.

You pull back, smile at him. “Check your phone dummy.”

He raises his eyebrows but pulls out his phone from the back of his pocket. “You texted- oh? OHHHH?????”

“Let me fuck the earrings off of you?” You smile at him cheekily.

He’s smirking at you, “Let’s go then, what my baby wants, my baby gets.” He walks you both inside the house and into the bathroom, he quickly closes the door.

“In here?” You giggle as he sets you on the counter.

“Tell me, what did it for you?” He rasps, the eager smirk painted across his face.

“The way you were eating the strawberries, your entire mouth was sucking around it, and I just imagine it being me.”

“Yeah?”

“Let’s see how wet you are for me.” He spreads your thighs apart.

He pulls up your dress to your waist, and with his index finger he brushes your clit in one quick movement.

You whimper out, “J-Jack, no teasing baby, I c-can’t. Need you now.”

He continued to play with your clit “You’re wet, like” his breath hitches “really wet.” He quickly removes your panties, tossing them to the side.

“Please baby, I need you now” You look at him with begging eyes.

“Let me eat you like those strawberries?” He smirks, his dimple prominent which didn’t help the twitch you felt against your clit.

“I can’t wait any longer” you whined and Jack knew you mean business, ever since you got pregnant the most subtle things turned you on, and he wasn’t complaining. At all.

You reached for his pants, unbuttoning them as he sloppily kissed you. You could feel him coming undone already, as he let out moans into your mouth.

“Baby- you’re loud” you giggled and he did too.

“I can’t help it, you started it” he smiled.

“You did! You were eating those strawberries like that on purpose” you salivated as his dick sprung free.

He lined himself up, pushing his hips against you and pushing past your walls as you tightly hugged his dick.

“Boobs” he moaned and you were all but incoherent.

“Hmm?” You hummed but he was already lifting the remainder of your dress over your head. He hurriedly took your bra off, your boobs bounced freely in front of him.

Jack continued to thrust into you, but his mouth went from sloppily kissing you to sucking on your already sensitive nipples.

“Fuck” you exhaled, “baby, baby, I’m going to…” your voice was shaky and urgent.

“Don’t cum, don’t you dare” Jack rasped, he always challenged you to hold back. The sweat was forming in his hairline making his curls stick to his forehead and that image alone wasn’t helping you hold off your orgasm.

“I can’t, I can’t” you felt your legs trembling and your stomach growing hotter by the second.

“Whose pussy is this?” He moaned, he was panting in your ear.

His moans always made you urgently reach your climax.

“Your- yours” your voice trembled as you reached your orgasm. You threw your head back, and Jack continued to thrust into you chasing his own.

He was nearly ready to orgasm when the bathroom door flung open.

You yell out in shock, Jack mumbles a quick “Shit” and rushes to cover you up.

“We have a guest bedroom for that, you nasties.” Urban chuckles. He closes the door after a moment of realization of who was in there and what was happening.

You and Jack fix your clothes in place, and try to look somewhat presentable before walking out.

“Let’s hurry up and eat so we can get home.” He walks you both out of the bathroom. “After Mia goes down for her nap we’re going for round two and we’re not stopping.”

You smirk, “That was the plan baby.”

You two are walking back outside and sitting down at the table. You thought fucking him in the bathroom would calm you down but it only got you more hot and needy for him.

“Damn Jack, your wife fucked the earrings off of you?” Druski yells out, making everyone stare at you both.

Jack goes to touch his earlobe and smirks, “I guess she did.” He winks your way.

“Here you go baby, can’t have you losing them.” You hand him his diamond earring with a smile.

•••••••••

TAG LIST

@heavyhitterheaux @harlowsbby @arination99 @cmalass @jackharloww @minkookie95 @deannaard @jacksmoviestar @harlowcomehome @fdl305 @httpkoylinnn @xoxokiaraaxoxo @hoodharlow @automaticpeachsong @amethyst09 @aliciacat20 @allyson15 @gabbylovesreading @stefansalvatoresgf @violetdreamsworld @carma-fanficaddict @jasminxts @itsaaliyah2 @itsyagirljaz @harrycanyonmoonn @neon-lights-and-glitter @awhore4moree

[wisecrackingeric-2]

One thing I’ve found with watching a bunch of Don Quixote movies back to back to back is that Sancho Panza really is like Barbie or Miku or Spider-Man in that he can be ANYONE like he can be some random kid or Alonso’s neighbour or his girlfriend or an old man he found on the side of the road or a biblically accurate bumbling fool but no matter what he’s always consistently the character that changes the most and that’s SO interesting to me

and if we’re being so totally honest here really makes me think so so much harder about Leon’s role as Luis’ ‘Sancho’

[ravetillyoucry]

PUPARIA

Chapter 4 - A Lot’s Gonna Change

prev - chapter 1

The two didn't expect leaving for lunch without their phones to be too big of an issue, but the near hundreds of missed calls seemed to say otherwise.

It was a miracle Hosah's shitty flip phone hadn't imploded by this point, as Jeanne had been endlessly spamming both his and Teddy's mobiles. This was never good. Jeanne was not the type to be the one to call anyone, meaning something had to be extremely urgent.

The ringing of the phone as the two now waited for Jeanne to pick up was painful to say the least. Waiting for an answer to just what their superior needed them for killed, Hosah's stomach churning as he anxiously stayed put in the assistant's pocket, knowing they'd probably have to leave again as soon as they'd gotten details on just what was going on.

"Thank god, I thought I'd never get ahold of you. I need you both over here, as quick as you can. I'll text you the address." The voice on the other side of the call was hard to make out, but even through the static, the panic in Jeanne's voice could be heard loud and clear. This was extremely out of character for him.

Teddy opened his mouth to inquire further, but the other line had already been put down and hung up before he'd gotten the chance to.

Jeanne must've had a lot of money to pay for so much phone credit. The address texted to them was one neither of the two recognised. It didn't seem to be a specific location or house, just a street name and a few directions following. Now they'd just have to catch a cab in the middle of the busy city. It'd be a hell of a lot easier if Jeanne hadn't worded his texts as if it was some sort of treasure hunt, Teddy wasn't sure what 'far down to the left' would even mean depending on where abouts the taxi dropped them off.

Eh, surely the police tape would make it easier to spot.

Neither of them had any idea what would be waiting for them when they arrived, but they didn't want to take any wild guesses that'd get their hopes up. It must've been something massive, and given the tone of their superiors voice, it was most definitely something tragic. Without failing to check whether Hosah was ready or not, the assistant began the mad dash to the scene of the crime.

Unfortunately, Hosah was it's certainly not ready. He'd never been in a car accident before, but he could assume this is pretty much how one would get whiplash. As the running slowed and Teddy got out into the streets, it was deemed safe to hang back out of the pocket to get some fresh air, and to hopefully avoid having to sit in his own throw up.

Chasing down a cab was tough enough, but dealing with an overly nosey and annoying driver was the hardest part. After multiple failed attempts at waving a taxi toward the detectives, Teddy was not going to let the one person that had stopped for him go without the two of them in that bright yellow car.

Like his life depended on it, the assistant jumped into the backseat, not even waiting to collect his breath. "Sir.. I need to get to.. Uh-"

The driver cut him off right as he was about to get to the most important part of the journey.

"Hey, hey, slow it down sancho. Where we going?" The man turned around, hand outstretched for the rookie detective to shake it.

The fuck? Teddy stared, dumbfounded for a moment. Deciding getting offended wasn't worth his one hope at getting to the scene quickly, he begrudgingly returned the handshake and repeated the address.

"Ehh, that's no house, not even a building. Fuck you going there for, ah?" At this point, he'd actually started driving, thank god.

Hesitant to answer truthfully, the backseat passenger decided to give a brief synopsis of all he knew, which in reality was nothing but the address.

"Work emergency."

The cabbie kept turning his head back, despite the road safety violations he was sure to be racking up in the process. He looked to be about middle aged, white european, probably Spanish given the rude nickname he'd assigned to Teddy. His thick moustache similar to a 70's indie rock star, with a denim baseball cap barely covering his already balding head of hair. Essentially, a look that resembled that of your average truck driver.

"Psh, what job do you do? Field inspector? Count one less grasshopper than yesterday? Aye, back in my day, we all did real jobs. I worked since I was ten years old yeah? Now look, society and all that. That computer, just destroyed all we knew." The man's rant was nonsensical and incomprehensible at best.

Teddy was already exhausted, "I'm a detective. There's been a murder there. I only just got the call, everyone else is already there."

That seemed to do the trick, as the man muttered a quiet 'Thank you for your service' before actually focusing on the road.

This guy must be allergic to silence or something.

"... So, murders huh? How'd you sleep at night?"

"Well, I didn't do them. I know I'm bringing them justice, that helps me sleep soundly." Hosah was kind of taken aback as he stayed silent in the pocket, he'd never heard Teddy speak to bluntly before. In all honesty , he didn't think the rookie had it in him.

The man just laughed, so hard as if it was the funniest thing he'd ever heard. "Ahhh I like you, I like you. Funny guy huh? You tell jokes? You're joke guy?" in all honesty, what he'd said really wasn't that funny at all, but as long as he got to his destination, Teddy couldn't really care less how his small talk went down.

Soon enough, the obnoxiously vibrant vehicle had long exited the blocks upon blocks of buildings, now cruising around the scarce outskirts of the city whilst Teddy kept his eyes peeled for any signs of his team. Thankfully, 'Best of Blur' CD blaring out from the radio seemed to keep taxi driver quiet for the time being.

Despite the next day being the first of September, it was unnecessarily hot out, so much so that Hosah desperately needed to poke his head out if he wanted to either keep his guts inside of him or stay conscious. He'd never been particularly good with warm weather, given it was snowing three quarters of the year back in his home town, and having a weak stomach on top of that was just a downright evil mix. If there truly was a God, it wanted nothing but to mess with Hosah just the littlest bit.

He'd never seen this part of the city, if you could even consider it that. Scarce buildings, lots of fields, something unheard of around these parts; and a particularly good part of town to hide a body or two. Even the goriest of scenes Jeanne didn't bat an eye at, which is what unsettled Hosah so much about earlier. This had to be mass devastation of some kind to shake his boss so badly.

The breeze blowing through the crack of the passenger window blew Hosah's hair back from his face, and he finally understood why dogs liked it so much. Although he was worried, the tiny man couldn't help but enjoy the sights out of the window and his short break from stuffy confinement within the pocket.

As a familiar hand crept upwards against his lower half, Hosah realised his freedom was short lived. Looking up at the giant, he pretending to just be fidgeting with his face- as Hosah did himself almost constantly, with a conveniently placed finger up toward his mouth as he made eye contact with the pocketed detective. Hosah's eyebrows furrowed, now he just wanted to yell out and bring the drivers attention to himself out of spite. He was sure Teddy was just looking out for his safety and whatnot, but it didnt piss him off any less.

Approaching a red light, Hosah took this as his opportunity to snoop out of the windows. Luckily for them, when he squinted into the distance, he could just make out a few out-of-place cars parked in a neat row by the side of the road. If this wasn't it, they were stranded and would have to survive off of dead grass for the rest of eternity. At this point, Hosah was elevated enough that his entire upper half poked out of the pocket, enough so that he must've caught the taxi driver's attention through the rear-view mirror.

"Hey- Hey!! You can't sneak another passenger in my car man, I don't care tiny or what, you pay the same fees." The guy got so worked up he didn't even realise the light turning green. Although Teddy was sure taxis were supposed to charge off of distance travelled and not passengers taken, he didn't want to get into a petty argument in front of his boss, whom he so desperately wanted to like him.

"Right, right, sorry, he's ah.. He's sick, passed out, didn't think to-"

"Whatever, I don't discriminate. I'll take anyone, as long as they're paying." Sure. Now Hosah really was feeling sick, being spoken about like he wasn't there right infront of his face was always an easy way to annoy him.

It was a good thing there was no one else around them taking this route, as they'd been sat at a green light for a minute at least before the taxi started going again. Approaching the aforementioned parked cars, familiar Honda Accord came into clear view, Jeanne's car!

"Think we've found your buddies," The driver slowed, passing by the taped area to get a good look at the scene of the crime. He turned and handed Teddy his business card "You call this number and you ask for Felix next time you need a ride, yeah? Twenty dollars, I give you discount 'cause I like you two."

Without arguing, Teddy took the card and gave him what he asked, insisting he should keep the change, mainly because he'd definitely be seeing Felix again in the near future if he couldn't find a car in the next twenty four hours. The two rushed to go and find Jeanne as Teddy uttered a few quick Thank you's on their way out.

It certainly looked like nothing from the outside. Just a whole bunch of police and detectives in an empty field. Hosah almost doubted the urgency of it all, until a familiar face appeared in-front of them.

"Fifteen bodies. Can you believe that? Fifteen? All in one plot, lined up shoulder to shoulder." Jeanne's voice shook as he described what all the officers were stood looking at.

The plot of land they'd all huddled around was way too small to fit even half of a regular sized body, they'd had to all been shifters.

Jeanne continued, seemingly unsure of what he was about to say, "The officers were just cruising around after someone had called talking about a suspicious guy walking around with a miniature shovel. Like, the flower planting kind, anyway, they caught him digging something up, and when they came out to ask him what was up, he ran." He could barely string along what he wanted to say, Hosah didn't think he'd ever seen him so stressed, or even showing so much emotion at all.

"There weren't any shifter paramedics available as soon as possible, the last of the bodies must've been killed.. I don't know, barely a few minutes before they'd spotted him. If you'd have been here when we got here, might've had a shot.. Nevermind. I- Yeah. Just, don't stress yourself out about it."

Oh. That guilty feeling rushed straight to Hosah's head, he couldn't tell if he could see, or hear, or even breathe. If he'd have been here. If none of the past week had ever happened, there could've been one less body. Hosah knew getting hung up on 'what ifs' was pointless, but it was the fact Jeanne had said it that cemented the thought into his mind. If he could've been here, he could've done something.

It certainly wouldn't have been the first time he'd taken the role of paramedic, and hell, he'd even been successful on the rare off chance, but that's what stung so badly about it all. Even if he gave it his all and failed, at least he had the fact he tried his hardest to cushion his fall. But he wasn't there, he couldn't have tried, and it was all too late now.

So clouded in his own guilt and selfishness, Hosah couldn't hear Teddy's pleas to just say something, anything. Anything that would tell him he was still, at least on a physical level, alive and well. The ringing in his ears was far too loud, and his vision far too blurred, even his heart in his throat prevented him from making a sound.

The tiny man blinked, snapping back into reality,

"Hosah, Hosah, hey-" Teddy's voice was panicked now, although there was no reason to be really, it's not like his boss could've died in the minute or so he spent wallowing in the pocket. "Hosah. You're crying."

"What? No, no I'm," he felt for his face, realising there were in fact tears streaming down his face. "Shit, ah, I am," Hosah had to laugh, or he'd probably start sobbing for real.

"He's wrong, you know. I took a look at the photos, and, looks to me like the fifteenth body bled to death. I- Well, I don't really wanna sit and describe it, but, you know," the assistant blabbered on, trying to find any minor detail that'd bring comfort to the disheveled man in his pocket. That didn't really matter to him, though, he didn't want to hear logic, he just wanted to drown in sorrow for a while.

-~-

The rest of the day was a blur. Hosah was all too caught up in his own head to really know what was going on around him. He sat once again on his assistants desk, pacing from one end of the paper to the other, reading body number #15's report until he could recite it from memory. Young girl, barely an adult, unidentified but matches description of a recently missing person.

He pulled his hair and scratched at his face, but that didn't change her fate. Teddy seemed to be right, upon close inspection to the pictures, there were decently wide piercings through the palms of both her hands. Hosah was no forensic pathologist, but that seemed enough to do the trick if left long enough. It made him sick to look at the pictures, whoever did this must've thought themselves to be some kind of artistically edgy try hard. Kneeled over the stack of files, notes and photographs, the detective scoffed to himself.

This wasn't artistic, this wasn't beautiful in any regard. None of these fifteen people had any interest in dying, they were just accessible and easy enough to use for whatever sick message this individual was trying to put out.

"Still looking over these?" The voice seemed to appear out of nowhere, making Hosah practically jump to his feet. Jeanne always had a way of emerging out of thin air when he'd least expect it.

He cleared his throat in an attempt to brush off his surprise, "Yeah, you know how it is."

The two sat in the quiet of the practically empty office for a few seconds. It had already gotten dark outside, and Teddy had wandered off to get coffee a good while ago by now.

"Mm, I'm sorry I told you , that, earlier. We were all stressed out, my brain went, I wasn't thinking straight. It's not your fault." Jeanne had leant down close to the surface of the cluttered desk.

The shrunken man just shrugged, too exhausted, both mentally and physically, to argue about it. "I get it. It's fine. I know not to get worked up about that kind of stuff." He lied, he really didn't know not to linger on the possibilities, what could've become of everyone he had the chance of saving.

"You might have a little body, but you have a big heart. Big, bleeding heart. You're empathetic, and you can't let this job take that away from you. You know, I wish I could feel like you seem to do." These kinds of sweet words meant a lot coming from someone Hosah had looked up to for so long.

Jeanne had always been the 'cool older cousin he so desperately wanted to be like when he grew up' type of figure. A mentor, someone that stuck up for him and helped him out. Honestly, the pair didn't really know much about each other and their pasts, but they didn't need to. They didn't even need to be anywhere near each other to know all it'd take was a call, and they'd be there.

The, lack of, response from Hosah seemed to make his superior nervous, "I worded that really weirdly, but you get what I'm talking about."

"Thanks. Don't overthink it, I get what you meant in the moment and I get what you're saying now." Well, he understood the sentiment at least. What he didn't really get was how one could feel in the same way as himself, was it not normal to experience every emotion as if it took over your entire body and mind? Weird. Hosah was aware he wasn't the most Average Joe, but he thought he at least had the same inner works that made up every human.

"Well," Jeanne stood to his full height, which wasn't too substantial, but still towered above Hosah's, "Don't be hanging around too late. I'm not sure Edward will appreciate it."

And just as quickly as he came, the illusive detective disappeared into the dimly lit maze of hallways. Although he could've sat and stared at the case file for another minute or so, staring at the empty space where Jeanne stood just a few moments ago seemed more productive. Besides, he worried if he stared back down, he'd fall straight to sleep right then and there.

Familiar footsteps approached, shaking Hosah's attention toward the opposite direction. Teddy was back with coffee and a singular bottle-cap. Eugh. The shifter knew all too well what this meant. Suddenly he felt as though he had been transported into the kinds of romance dramas his mom would watch back home, sweet and shy girl-next-door shrinks and is found by her dashing and mysterious boy crush, and only a true loves kiss can return her to normal. He wasn't actually sure how the two correlated, but it seemed to be a common enough trope to be laughable.

The assistants voice was hushed as he profusely apologised for taking so long, sitting back down in his seat and preparing a portion of the hot drink for Hosah.

"We're even now, you make me coffee, I make you one," Teddy wheeled his chair up closer, taking the first sip for himself.

Hosah couldn't tell if it was the sleep deprivation that made him laugh, or just the overall stupidity in the statement. Either way, he could use the caffeine. He'd already spent far too long trying to forget about the fact he'd let a few tears slip back earlier in the day, falling asleep on the commute home would be the ultimate loss of pride he had for himself, and any respect his assistant held for him.

Looking into the small sea of black coffee before him, the shifter realised just how disheveled he looked. Damn. Mental note taken, see a doctor immediately. Realising the fact he could barely keep his eyes open, Hosah took that as a sign he should probably drink up now too. There was just something about a bottle-cap full of coffee being so difficult to lift that was particularly embarrassing. Worried his shaky arms might slip, potentially ending up with a piping hot liquid burning at his skin, Hosah hurried to finish as quickly as possible. Luckily, partaking in such a mundane activity such as sharing a drink with a coworker didn't result in a disaster.

Focusing on something else in the room was a good idea. The tiny man's eyes nosied around his surroundings before landing on the digital clock to his right. God, almost ten o' clock already.

"We should head back now. It's getting late." Hosah stood to his full height, ready to be chauffeured via pocket all the way home. 

By now, he was very much tired of the pocket, and the subway station, and of his entire existence. The process of back and forth every day was getting increasingly boring. There was no fun in being cramped up in a stuffy coat all day.

Fortunately, the fact Hosah was slipping in and out of consciousness the whole way home made the journey much more bearable, although the falling feeling and the jolting awake so often became increasingly annoying after the third or fourth time.

He couldn't really care about dignity right now, just the fact he was able to sleep at all given the repeated mental beatings he'd received just in one day. This kind of job was bad for his health, high stress causes higher chances of being stuck at his shrunken height, or so that's what his doctor theorised. Most shifters had a cause for their shifting. Strong emotions, high stress situations, imbalance in hormones, underlying diseases, but Hosah, after years of bi-weekly checkups, had no excuse.

Hosah's shifting was a total mystery. There wasn't a single thing in the book he hadn't tried to get himself under control. Medication, therapy, monitoring his diet and his heart rate, hell, he'd even been hypnotised once, but his height changed were so sporadic, they couldn't be predicted in the slightest. In fact, the only commonality in it all was that stupid dream.

On the topic of dreaming, the pocket-sized detective was shrugged awake by the rustling of keys against the fabric of which he leaned against. Home at last.

A sudden urge to stay stiff had taken over the tiny body, although he was awake, something inside of him refused to let him move. Even when Teddy gave a little sing-song 'We're home' , the shifter couldn't find it in him to budge.

Despite the fact regular, fully conscious Hosah will hate himself for it in the future, current sleepy Hosah just wanted to be held and carried all the way to bed. This wasn't like him, being touched, no less by Teddy, was not something he particularly enjoyed, but here he was, heavy lidded and drowsily smiling to himself as the gentle fingers wrapped around his waist.

Still in his work clothes and boots, Teddy set down the tiny form down on his sheetless futon. In his best attempt to make a quick and seamless exit , Teddy could barely get out a ‘see you tomorrow’ before being confronted by the scene in front of him;

“Don’t go, please” If the Hosah with half of a mind could hear himself right now, he’d be immensely disappointed in what he’s become.

There was no way in the world Teddy could ever say no to that request.

He’d never felt his heart beat so fast as he awkwardly leant back to lay besides the impossibly small man lounging by the side of himself. Despite the fact he could definitely use the sleep, Teddy didn’t mind spending this time lying awake praying he didn’t accidentally roll over on-top of his co-worker.

Trying not to even make the slightest sound, Teddy twisted his body toward where Hosah lay. There he was, fast asleep surely enough. He wasn’t sure he’d ever seen the man so peaceful, his eyebrow no longer furrowed as his body curled up, knees to his chest and arm folded the bottom of his face.

Teddy had secretly thought it many times before, but the man he’d carried around his pocket the last week was, in fact ,extremely beautiful. The first thing he’d noticed was Hosah’s big brown iris’ that made him look like a deer or something of the sort, then his high cheekbones and sharp jaw, now it was just how pretty he looked in such a serene state.

He was barely able to contain himself, his face from curling up into a smile as he watched the tiny chest rise and fall. That was another thing Teddy had found so beautiful about him, Hosah was just so small, the only thing he could think when he saw him this way was just how much the man looked like a little doll, the big eyes, the soft face despite having such sharp features, the detective just had an air of gracefulness that Teddy had only associated with the rococo style found in paintings.

For a moment, Teddy wondered what his boss would look like if he got an adequate amount of sleep and learnt how to shave properly. It already took a lot of will power to hold back from doing anything that could be humiliating or emasculating for the little guy. Such as, calling him things like that to his face. Teddy was just glad he was asleep so he didn’t have to witness just how badly his assistant was swooning over him. He’d already had to contain himself to an extortionate amount when Hosah had come up with such a cute nickname for him, now this was just too much to handle.

There had to be some kind of way to avoid getting these workplace crushes, but Teddy had already fallen too deep into it by now, and there was no shaking this one off it seemed.

[wolvzephyr]

what are your thoughts on Don Quixote (the book) so far?

i'm not super far into it, but this thing is seriously like an episodic cartoon in book form LMAO. i'm reading the edith grossman translation, for the record

my favorite thing is that don quixote keeps attacking random-ass people on the road and either getting his ass completely beat or winning by scaring them so bad they run away. rocinante gets knocked down too but always stands up right after like nothing happened. that horse/donkey is really built different. also sancho's complaining is fun

[rainwaterapothecary]

For the micro story prompt, #7 :3

7 - Silent Fury

Early 20th Century. Little Italy, America.

Leone S. Candreva was a boy on a mission. Fiorire bounded along beside her counterpart, big adolescent paws hitting the cobblestones as her now-wolf nose lifted into the air to scent their friends between the open windows of the bakery, the bookbinders, and finally the schoolhouse.

“There, Leon!” She called out through their Bond, turning sharply to guide the duo into the playground. If Leon’s soft jaw wasn’t set and his expression thunderous, it surely would have turned so.

Fiorire smelled blood.

She couldn’t smell Panza at all.

Something’s wrong. Something's really wrong.

Her boy’s fists clenched, drawing blood away from his knuckles.

Only the friendship bracelet with her name on it showed any sign of his innocence as he tore into his bullies to save his friend.

“Leon, no!” Little Luis Serra from down the road held out a hand to stay the inevitable beatdown, but Leon came from Sicilian stock and he was silently enraged.

The upperclassmen didn’t see his tiny fist coming.

“Ay Dios mío.” The young boy sighed, holding his dormouse-shaped daemon to his chest. Panza was good to him like that, changing easily to whatever form he needed comfort from the most.

Luis’ mamá’s bombón was a badger, and having a tiny heartbeat nearby calmed him.

Especially when bullies started calling him awful names and pulling at his clothes.

Panza had tried to help but, like his human, there was only so much he could do before turning to the preservation of his boy. Luis and Panza weren’t like their friends, brave and combatative, and they tried to tell themselves that this way okay…

But when the younger boy was fighting three upperclassmen with nothing but Fiorire’s snarls (she’d taken the form of a wolf from Luis’ homeland, he noticed with shock) and Leon’s fists- and kicks, and teeth- just to protect someone else, someone who hung out with him after school when one of their grandparents had to work late, or taught him how to make friendship bracelets in the dusty backyard of a tenement, or gossiped in their Mother tongues just because they could…

Well, it made Luis feel awful.

Panza snuggled into his tiny palms, snuffling at the scrapes his boy had gotten after a bully had tried to tear his shirt and sent him to the ground.

Leon went flying, his small form bouncing as he landed in the sandy playground.

With a sniff, the blond devil picked himself back up and swiped the blood from a cut on his cheek. His steps were solid as he returned to the other kids, each footfall had purpose and his daemon twitched as her teeth sharpened to needles and her form shrunk.

Luis shivered as her ears began to thin and a bright white Glasgow Smile rippled across her chest.

Fiorire the Tasmanian Devil bared her teeth and Leon’s eyes glinted like death.

The shivering youth remembered what the menagerie said about those.

Ferocious. Mean and bloodthirsty just because they could. Would tear apart any enemy, no matter how big.

God, he hoped Fiorire didn’t Settle there.

As a bully’s skull thwacked into the unforgiving metal slide and Leon raised a ripped-up shoe to slam down onto the dazed kid’s head, Luis shook himself out of his horror and his gray eyes set.

"¡Sancho! ¡Basta!”

Enough.

Panza flowed out of his hands and landed in a very familiar shape.

Fiorire’s preferred lion cub form looked back at her with clear eyes and a lips pinched in concern.

She shuddered to a stop, her shock freezing Leon with his foot still poised to stomp his enemy into the metal edge.

Luis was many things: an intellectual, a bookworm, a hit with the girls…

But most of all he was sturdy.

He had held his Abuelo’s hand when his mama had died. He had set his jaw and ripped up one of his favorite shirts just to keep his own chest from betraying him.

He had reached out to the hurting, angry Italian kid when the blond showed up at the schoolhouse two years ago without parents and without anything to hold on to.

So Luis had reached out and he had held on.

"Vete." he mentally snapped to his daemon, the cub pouncing for his heart’s dearest friend where she stood frozen.

Leon felt the hit in his chest.

“L…Luis?”

If he hadn’t known Leon like he did, Luis would think he was betrayed.

Thankfully it was just shock.

Then Luis took the fists his mamá had given him and, with the savagery of her badger soul, he threw a punch.

-

-

-

The boys didn’t win, their enemies were the sons of dockworkers after all, and at least one was using his fists in a mirror to the way that dockworker used his: on smaller boys who couldn’t hope to win.

But they put up a damn good fight.

Panza had taken Fiorire into the trees at the soonest possible moment, utilizing that brain of theirs to remove the daemons from the circling bullies – one or two of whom had already Settled into cruel, muscular forms.

A quetzal from the menagerie led Fiorire’s mourning dove into the leaves where they left the slobbering dog, fox, and panther on the ground, glaring.

Luis’ long hair was pulled nearly to the point of blood and Leon was lucky that the teeth he lost were coming out anyway.

-

He spat blood into the dust on the side of the road and winced when his skinned knuckles touched his busted lip.

“Nonna is gonna kill us, Lu.”

The bookworm looked over in alarm before seeing the grin on his friend’s face. His shoulders relaxed and he shook his head, stray hairs still slipping loose.

“Not if we told her you were sticking up for me. You know she likes me best.” He knocked shoulders with his friend. Leon nodded to one side like ‘true’.

“’Sides, you’re famigghia. I wasn’t just gonna leave you n’ Panza.”

Luis froze in the middle of the street.

His friend raised an eyebrow and turned back to take him in.

“You okay?”

Luis began patting his pockets, alarm and terror filling his eyes past the point they had even when he had three bigger boys ready to tear him apart.

“I have to go back! Say hi to Nonna for me!”

“Luis-!”

The taller boy turned on his heel and took off back towards the schoolhouse, his hands shaking and a prayer running through the back of his mind.

No, no, no-

Leon’s footfalls followed him, along with the awkward not-yet-silent paws of a baby lioness. Panza circled his human’s neck, the bright reds of a fire salamander flickering as dusk lit his smooth skin.

Luis could handle the cruel names, the violence (Panza usually found a way out before it got too bad), and the stares.

It was when the idiotas touched his stuff that he felt that cold rush of terror shoot up his spine.

The one time he brought his copy of one of the Don Quixote books to school and a mean boy knocked it out of his arms he had frozen.

Panza had nearly turned into the pterosaur from the journals Luis hoarded and taken his tormentor’s hand off before Leon (then too young to be in school full-time) had run over and picked up the book.

Now the bracelet Leon had made him with Panza’s name on it was missing.

It had probably flown off his wrist when one of the big pendejos grabbed his arm and he slipped away, but it wasn’t there and he was panicking.

“Luis?”

He had begun muttering in quiet Spanish at some point as he ran up the road, drowning out the world as his thoughts orbited the small piece of jewelry made of old beads and flaking paint.

Panza’s throat frilled as he cycled through forms on Luis’ shoulders, the boy’s distress open in the rapidly vacillating form of scales, feathers, and fur.

Sometimes Leon wondered if Panza would ever Settle…

(Some part of him hoped not. That his mercurial, fanciful best friend would keep his whimsy and window to his moods on his sleeve for the rest of their lives.)

Panza launched himself off of Luis’ thin shoulders, gliding on the wings of the sharpest-eyed owl they could think of. Luis’ chest rose and fell rapidly, breath coming shorter and shorter.

"There!"

With uncharacteristic gracelessness and lack of care for his clothes, the frantic boy fell to his knees and picked up his friendship bracelet with shaking hands.

It seemed alright, nothing was snapped or broken. He bounced it on its thread once or twice, just in case any of the beads were hiding cracks.

“Luis? Hey…”

Leon could fight. He could swear. He could help his Nonna make meatballs with the best of them. (His hands were the perfect size, she’d said so herself! And you never doubt Nonna).

But he was at a loss when his friend started crying.

What would Nonna do…Fuck, what would Abuelo do?

Wincing as his bruised thigh twinged, Leon knelt on his knees before his friend.

“Luis? You okay?”

The two daemons held one of their silent conversations before the lioness translated into Leon’s head:

Your bracelets are one of his dearest possessions. He’d hate to lose his.

Leon blanked.

His young mind couldn’t fathom how important their afternoon of laughter and craft materials from neighbors must have meant to his friend to have the boy silently weeping.

Suddenly his arms were filled with his friend and he could do nothing but hold on.

-

-

-

-

-

Arctic Islands Research Compound

Nearly 19 years later, when one of the faceless scientists slipped an item the test subject had nearly forgotten about into his pale hands at the Dust trials, faded blue eyes snapped into understanding.

“What they’re doing here is wrong, my friend. And I won’t let them take anything else from you or anyone else trapped here.”

The bracelet in his hands matched the tattoo on his wrist, though it said a different name.

The beads were sun-bleached, the paint nearly gone, but as the man tethered to his daemon only through strength of will and the thinnest of threads turned it reverently one direction and then the next…

Laughter, bright and joyous filtered to his ears from between the claustrophobic tenement walls where two boys knelt over beads from a Romani laundress and paint from a German clockmaker.

His fist clenched around the bracelet that was still warm from another person’s skin.

The sewing thread from his Nonna had been replaced somewhere over the years with a thin, leather cord to fit the wrist of an adult.

When now-sharp blue eyes shot up to the retreating back of the scientist in a white coat, the warm eyes of a fire salamander looked right back.

Panza, the bracelet in his fist read.

Panza, the scientist whispered as he slipped into the nearest holding pen.

Fiorire, the salamander called…

And a wolf with dull eyes snapped to clarity and attention.

Panza was still an escape artist.

Leon was still vicious.

Fiorire still loyal.

Luis still whip-smart.

…And he had long stopped being afraid when it came to anything or anyone his still-soft heart held dear.

Besides, his Abuelo’s gun fit his hands, his old volumes of Don Quixote sat secure on a shelf in his safe-house, and his dearest friend held his bracelet.

What did he have to be afraid of?

-

Leon’s grin was feral as he heard Abuelo Serra’s gun going off in the hallway in front of his cage.

---

A/N Thanks for the prompt!!! This started off as that good good scorched earth Leon and then turned into babbies and then turned into 'I wanna do a Daemon au so I'll add it in' And now I have feelings and Ideas about where this au could go, so we'll see! :3c >:3c

Now with a [part 2]!

[profesor-javaloyes]

Profesor Javaloyes, “Memorias… fotográficas”.-

Capítulo XII

Londonstán 2030, regreso a "Abbey Akbar".-

Queridos niños, al cumplirse los sesenta años de la publicación del álbum "Abbey Road" de The Beatles - el último que grabaron como grupo aunque se comercializara antes de "Let it be" que es anterior pero fue el último en publicarse - el viejo Profesor Javaloyes que fue quién produjo, dirigió y guionizó el disco con una pequeña ayuda de sir George Martin, le dijo a Caótico Alberto, su secretario particular, ayuda de cámara, gran chambelán y una especie de Sancho Panza pero sin gracia ni ingenio alguno:

"Joven (claramente un eufemismo para un tipo que ingresó hace tiempo en la hermandad de la tercera edad) prepare el equipaje, nos vamos a Londres a celebrar este aniversario".

Y allí nos presentamos. ¿La experiencia?, bueno pequeñas criaturas, el paisaje no había cambiado mucho y las cosas parecían prácticamente iguales. ¡Prácticamente!.

PD: si observan a la izquierda de la foto se puede apreciar el momento en que la policía de la moral detiene a Caótico Alberto por pasear por la calle sin el reglamentario hiyab y la obligatoria compañía de un varón de su familia. El pobre desesperado gritaba que se trataba de un error, que él era un hombre con melena. Pero los policías implacables no lo soltaron y parecían no entender de qué y en el idioma que les hablaba,

En desesperado intento preguntó: "¿alguno de ustedes habla inglés?". Y ahí sí que se armó, "ahhhhhhh y encima viene provocando", dijeron mientras los arrastraban al camión policial.

No he vuelto a saber de él. Imagino que lo habrán lapidado o peor aún... vendido como esclava sexual al harén de algún rico emir del Golfo. ¡Total, entre golfos se entienden!.

[jasmineleeplays]

Welcome, one and all to a brand new play-through of the Roads to Power DLC! We start at the 1066 AD start date under the bookmark of "The Wandering Exiles", playing as Rodrigo Diaz "the Campeador" - El Cid himself!

At the start, we find Captain Rodrigo "the Campeador" and his adventuring band The Loyal Vassals camped at Burgos, Castille in the Capital county of King Sancho "the Strong". Captain Rodrigo is famous for his expertise and prowess on the battlefield, not to mention his exemplary character - Trusting, Diligent, Brave and Temperate - the distinguishing marks of a true gentleman and knight.

The Loyal Vassals are Swords-for-Hire whose purpose is to take up mostly mercenary or martial-inclined contracts. As of now, should Captain Rodrigo die, the Camp will be inherited by his Heir and Nephew, Pedro Fernandez de Vivar who is Loyal and a Formidable Banneret.

House de Vivar has only 2 members, Captain Rodrigo and Pedro at the moment, and is under the wider Osorio Dynasty. The House motto is "The Fox Falls Before the Sword".

Captain Rodrigo appoints his Best Friend, Alvar Fanez who is Loyal as his Second. Alvar's aptitude to the tasks of Second is Good, as he gives Captain Rodrigo a +3 boost to all his stats.

Next, Captain Rodrigo sets his sights on his historical wife, Ximena Diegez de Oviedo who is the sister of Count Rodrigu Diegez of Asturias de Oviedo, the Head of the Osorio Dynasty. Unfortunately, Captain Rodrigo is unable to propose marriage to Ximena as Count Rodrigu considers him an undesirable match as he is an Adventurer.

Captain Rodrigo and Pedro enter the town and castle of Burgos, happening upon a disgraced former Bodyguard named Vela who is a Blademaster and formidable fighter, not to mention Loyal. Captain Rodrigo offers him a chance at redemption, recruiting him to The Loyal Vassals.

Captain Rodrigo takes up his first contract - Collecting Taxes for Count Munio V Gonzalez of Asturias de Santillana, King Sancho's Steward. Count Munio wants him to collect an extra tax imposed on the City of Santander and deal with their leader Mayor Esteban.

At the same time, Captain Rodrigo receives word that King Sancho has exiled him from the lands of Castille which he must vacate his Camp from soon.

Captain Rodrigo investigates Mayor Esteban and the businessmen of Santander to see if there's any corrupt practices or taxable coin, and finds nothing - no evidence against the men. And so, he pronounces that the men have to pay half of the taxes, which means a qualified success for the contract that he took with Count Munio.

For his next contract, Captain Rodrigo agrees to help Infanta Urraca Fernandez of Castille to Rescue a Fair Subject from the woods of Zamora in which they were lost. Although Infanta Urraca mentions that the subject in question is a beautiful woman, Captain Rodrigo seems to be confused calling the woman a fair man. Whatever the gender, we will know once the subject is successfully rescued.

Unfortunately, Captain Rodrigo realises too late that his beloved Ximena has been married off to another men residing in the Court of King Sancho in Burgos. Captain Rodrigo then decides to Romance Ximena in order to make her his wife. Hopefully he can elope with her once he makes her his Soulmate.

[red-ropes-of-avalon]

They Can Live In My New World Or Die In Their Old One- Chapter 3: People Will Whisper

Summary: You are known among the kingdom as The Mad Queen, a ruthless woman with a large military. Seeking to take your rightful throne, nobody who has ever seen you has returned before, all thought to presumably be dead. Your strength is unequal. Ser Leon Kennedy is a knight sent by King Graham to ask for a temporary truce. Hordes of monsters and the undead rising, the kingdom couldn't fight two wars. But how does one reason with a Mad Queen?

When the morning sun rays began to shine, Leon was up first, hurrying to the stables, after the night’s display of the queen’s justice. Leon was eager to leave as fast as he could. Sleeping on it, he recognized it wasn’t unreasonable, but it was unethical. Entering the stables, one of the horses was already gone. He privately assumed it was just a messenger, off delivering news from the previous night to other parts of your army. He saddled up his horse, preparing it for the ride to meet up with the rest of the expedition team. 

By the time Luis was up, the sun had fully risen, and servants had begun bustling around. Breakfast was laid out for the castle’s residents. The Queen’s Guard laughed with the servant girls as they ate, even Setanta was there laughing. The only one missing was the Queen herself. “Where is her majesty?” Leon asked Luis as the man picked at his food. 

“She’s out. We got a large number of sick that came from the North the day after I arrived. The False King, he didn’t take care of them, let them die and infections run rampant in the refugee camps. She goes there every day alone, washes them herself by hand, gives them medicine. She has those dragons of hers burn trees down, uses the ashes to help in cleansing them. And if any of them die, she buries them herself.” 

Leon fell into silence, hurriedly eating. How can a queen be so cruel one night, and the next morning, go and take care of the sick all by herself? He pushed his plate back and stood up, Setanata quirked a brow at her. “Setanta pass my regards to the Queen, I thank her for her gracious stay and for lending her aid in this journey.” Leon then turned from the table and began his leave for the stables once more. Luis quickly followed after the blonde, picking up his speed to catch up. Luis was fast to saddle up his horse there, a gorgeous chocolate brown mare. “You travel light I see,” Leon quipped. The man didn’t wear the armor of knights, nor did he carry any obvious weapon. 

“Si my friend, a scorpion is only as deadly as the hidden poison they pack.” He mounted the horse in one swift motion and rode out of the stable. Leon just shook his head before mounting the white stallion he rode and joining the man outside. Luis rode in front as they passed through the Mad Queen’s kingdom. People waved to the two and Luis merrily greeted them. The shadow of one of the dragons passed overhead, drawing amazed awes from the public and Luis. Arriving at the gates, the guards saw Luis off with a vast kindness and even treated Leon kindly. Leon took the lead heading away from the capital and off along the kingdom road towards the North. The two conversed as they rode for hours, the team already far surpassing the expected position, due to the extra night staying with the Queen. “Y’know Sancho, the people there have already taken you in. They don’t like the king’s men typically. But you’re different. Maybe it’s the courage to stand before her and her dragons and challenge her.” 

“How did you know about that?”

“Well she told me in her letter, I wouldn’t agree to work with a Knight of that King otherwise. Besides me, I wouldn’t be surprised if some of her girls heard and spread it around. Everyone there loves her a lot, the last to actually challenge her was Setanta. And now he’s her loyal Wolf.” Luis had a shit-eating grin, and Leon just stubbornly rode forward.

“I’m loyal to my King. That thing last night- that isn’t justice. That’s a public execution.” Luis stilled, briefly, before snapping back into action. “Enough of this, it’s a long ride, and speaking on opinions of a woman that may or may never actually achieve the throne. Right now, we are facing a threat outside of the mortal world.” Luis grew silent, and the two pressed on. The camp wasn’t much further just an hour or two of riding, but things were tense now. You were unexplainable, the way you could never leave his mind. You were like the fire you commanded, wild and unpredictable- you could be brutal and destructive, but you could also be kind and help purify. You were an unexplainable variable in his mind.

Smoke was billowing from further down signaling the camp’s location. Leon and Luis approached slowly, and sure enough, the camp was there. Chris was nestled near the tree line, ready to defend the little camp. Piers and Ethan sat around the fire, Ethan cooking food for the little group, meat skewered and roasting over the open flames. That only left Ada missing, though she might just be in a tent. Leon dismounted his horse, holding the reigns and leading him over to the camp, Luis approached apprehensively behind him still on the back of the mare. Piers looked to Leon before getting up to shake his hand. “Glad to see you arrived Ser Leon, there’s a large storm ahead so we can’t progress any further today. Ethan’s making a late lunch, early dinner from some animals we hunted. Who exactly did that mad woman give us for this journey?” Luis ground his teeth as he dismounted. Piers took the reigns of Leon’s horse and stretched his hand out for Luis’ reigns.

“This is Luis Serra also called ‘El Escorpion’ and his Queen asked him to aid us. He’s from the Southern Isles. He’s not just a skilled fighter but a competent doctor,” Leon was quick to speak instead. Before the conversation had soured on the road he had learned about Luis time as something of a doctor in the Isles. Luis reluctantly handed the reigns over to Piers. Luis joined Ethan, the quieter man by the fire. Ethan offered a polite wave before returning his attention to the food cooking. 

“I know what it’s like to be the outsider, don’t worry. I’m not even a knight, just a really durable idiot who got roped into the King’s army.” Ethan offered quietly. It made Luis feel a little more relaxed, but it also served as a reminder- he was the only one who wasn’t sent by the False King. He had complete faith in his queen if they did all turn against him, she’d answer with righteous fury and flames. She had been the one to gift him the title of El Escorpion, she saved his home, and she loved her people dearly. Leon was looking at the small camp. Piers had taken the horse to a river, allowing them to drink freely. 

“Good to see you again Leon,” Ada’s voice graced his ears. Her hand dragged along the knight's shoulder from behind. A gentle touch to entice him, but all it did was send him into thoughts of the Queen. Was your touch gentle and delicate with unblemished hands so many rulers who never worked a day had? Or were there rough and hardened like the scales of your dragons from clinging to their scales as you flew, and from tending to the people yourself? Ada’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. “I’m glad we’ll be together again, the Council is paying me well to help you. Most of all, I’m so happy you escaped that mad evil woman’s castle in one piece. This would be such a bore if you weren’t involved.”

Ada had always had hot and cold feelings for Leon. One moment she could deeply crave the knight and another she could want to be on the other side of the country. But in this journey, she wanted him, being the only woman with a group of men, she could have any of them she wanted really. She wielded her femininity as a weapon, a predatory woman, not just in a sexual nature, but also one of the deadliest women the capital knew. She almost resented the Mad Queen for taking her former spot as the most dangerous woman known to the capital. 

Ada’s words though never really hit Leon, he heard them, yes but it made his gears grind. He couldn’t stand the on-and-off nature of her affections. His thoughts once again flicked back to you. You were similar but of a different nature. You flicked between cruelty and kindness, from an outsider’s perspective. You were cruel in your deliverance of justice, and cold to outsiders. But tender to those who you were fond of, and beloved deeply by your people. You weren’t feared because you killed innocents, you were feared for breaking the cycle, for opposing the common thought. Ada was nothing compared to the bewitching nature you held, and it sent a shudder down Leon’s spine. While Ada was a master of many weapons and whispers, they would never stand to the Queen who stood before the flames on that night, the queen who commands two large dragons. Realizing the Queen, held a grip on his heart though, even for just a moment sent a panic into his bones. He was the King’s Knight, he wanted the good of the kingdom, and he couldn’t feel any semblance of love for the “Mad” Queen who loved her people and served to usurp his King. He never thought he’d live to see the day though that Ada had become boring, she simply couldn’t hold a candle to the intrigue you raised in him.

[odddogblog]

Moving to a house with a fenced yard has made a huge improvement in caring for Pasha and Sancho, they are super active little guys and love the unstructured outdoor play and yap time.

Overall after a year of living with them I often feel overwhelmed with their care. I think having one sighthound for a decade, I seriously underestimated the needs of two small dogs and my ability to fulfill them.

They are so bonded to each other and are so happy with our other pets that I am dedicated to working with them over time and hope eventually the sense of gratification will come. I just have to admit these days I find myself questioning whether I’m as much of a dog person as I thought. These two really wear me down sometimes. Maybe it’s the two dog aspect, one on one they are so much better.

Life is also just really taxing right now with intense work hours and side job. Additionally I am pregnant and processing that milestone.

I am trying to just focus further down the road, life won’t always be so hectic and my bond with the dogs will keep developing.

I don’t want to spend time complaining about the two wonderful doggos I rescued. But I have been just posting the highlights of cute daily life with them, I figured it’s seeming a bit insincere. So I wanted to just add the spice above, life with 4 cutie pets is tough sometimes.

[eternal--returned]

Something in the way he spoke gave Father Quixote cause for uneasiness. He fell silent and his dream came back to him. He said, "Sancho, do you really believe that one day all the world will be Communist?" "I believe that, yes. I shan't see the day, of course." "The victory of the proletariat will be complete?" "Yes." "All the world will be like Russia?" "I didn't say that. Russia is not yet Communist. It has only advanced along the road to Communism farther than other countries."

Graham Greene ֍ Monsignor Quixote (1982)

[melanieph321]

Super Sancho (Part 1)

Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to Super Sancho!!!!

Summary - A 10 part series where we follow Jadon Sancho on his journey to the Netherlands in hopes of improving his football performance.

Enjoy!

Ten Hag gave him two choices, either he'd  go to the Netherlands and improved what he lacked, or get ready to get transferred during the next window. Jadon chose the latter, but only because he knew that he hadn't really proven himself in Manchester. Instead of letting his teammates down further he decided that it was better to leave.

"Ladies and gentlemen this is you captain speaking..." Jadon woke up to the dimmed light zipping through his passenger window. "...we'll soon be approaching Amsterdam. Please return to your seats, fastened your seatbelts and prepare for landing. And Thank you for flying Birtish Airways."

Although it had only been a nintey minute flight from Manchester to Amsterdam, Jadon found himself exhausted from the journey. He looked forward to a hot shower once he arrived at his hotel.

"Mr Sancho?"

Someone called his name in the arrivals pit. It was a woman, wearing a suit and tie and holding up a sign with his name written on it. A smile baruaden her lips as Jadon approached her.

"Hello Mr Sancho, I'm Emily. I'll be taking you to the Ajax training grounds where you'll get settled in."

"We're headed for the training grounds right away?" Jadon asked, the fatigue from the planeride still weighing heavily on his eyelids.

"Well yes of course." Emily said. She didn't hesitate to take his bag, leading Jadon towards a black Volkswagen Transporter.

"Have you ever been to the Netherlands before?" She asked as they left the airport and took to the highway.

"No." Jadon muttered. Outside his window he approached a city he had never stepped foot in, a country he never thought he'd visit without a whole team accompanying him. The feeling was uneasy, just like it had been when he first arrived at Dortmund. Surprisingly, arriving at Manchester had been different. He knew Manchester. English football had been his youth. English football was his life and his home where he had friends and family. How could it all have gone to shit when the feeling had been so great when he first arrived to the team? He was supposed to do great in Manchester, Jadon thought.

"Well you'll love it here." Emily said, keeping her eyes steady on the road.

It had only been a twenty minute drive from the airport to the Ajax training grounds. It was a nice facility, not as nice as Manchester Uniteds, but still impressive.

"You can take your luggage with you to your room..." Nice, Jadon thought. He'd finally be able to catch up on some sleep. "...There you can change into a suitable fitness for the test that you'll undergo in the teams medical center."

"Undergo what, in the what?" Jadon said, quite dumbfounded.

Emily nodded assuringly. "The coaches are ready for you once you've changed."

"But...sleep." He muttered, however the reality seemed to be that Ten Hag really hadn't sent him on a vacation if that's what he thought. After undergoing several fitness procedures and check ups, Jadon were to speak with an Ajax assistant coach about his newfound struggles.

"Well Mr Sancho. All I can recommend is that you work closely with your foster coach and really tell him about the areas you think you lack in."

"My foster what?" Jadon frowned. "I thought you would be my new coach."

"Who me?" The man laughed. Like Ten Hag he was balled. Middle-aged and balled. They even shared the same dry sense of humor, Jadon thought.

"I'm afraid Erik was right when he said that you were a special case that needed special attention and treatment."

"Special attention?" Jadon exclaimed. Did Ten Hag think that he was disabled or something. No, Jadon wouldn't stand for it. He had not come all this way to be told he needed special treatment and attention by some foster coach. What is a foster coach anyway?

"Yes, special attention. Hendrik loves cases like yours."

"Henrik?" Jadon frowned. In that moment he really felt confused and crazy. Perhaps he was in need of some special attention?

"Yes, Hendrik. I'll send him your data the test you underwent here today. I'll send them right away. Hendrik will have gone through them by the time you get to Ursem tomorrow morning."

"Ursem? Tomorrow morning? Wait, I'm leaving again? I thought I was supposed to stay here?"

"At Ajax?" The coach frowned. He shook his head looking almost frightened. "We don't deal with special cases here. Didn't Erik tell you that?"

"He didn’t tell me anything."

"Well good luck to you then. The training camp in Ursem is very special, not for the faint-hearted. But I'm sure you'll do fine."

Jadon could only bat his eyes in astonishment. Everything the assistant coach was telling him seemed to be true. He wasn't to stay with AFC Ajax and train with their under 21 team which he initially thought was Ten Hag's intentions. No, Jadon was to be put on a bus and shipped off to another camp. This place called Ursem. Where a coach with experience of coaching ballers with special needs lived.

"What a disaster." Jadon thought, as he slumped down in his seat, surrendering to the movement of the bus that would take him even further away from home, further away from Manchester United.

[rabbitcruiser]

Puente de Briñas, Spain (No. 3)

Its construction is part of the policies of repopulation after the reconquest since the late eleventh century, both to fix the population, and to attract new settlers through the granting of charters and town charters, and for this objective the improvement of road networks was essential.

In the Ebro, having become unusable the Roman bridges of Mantible, Varea and Mendavia, the bridges of Miranda de Ebro (where today is the bridge of Carlos III), San Vicente de la Sonsierra, Logroño (where today is the stone bridge) and Briñas were built at this time.

The date of construction would be prior to 1288, since there is a notary in which it speaks of the income fixed by Sancho IV of León and Castile to the products that passed through this bridge.

In its construction according to Govantes, the remains of an earlier bridge that linked the disappeared village of Dondón with Briñas could be reused, although according to Domingo Hergueta it is most likely that the materials were brought from a quarry referred to in a document of 13202and that it was located 1.5 km from the bridge. It also indicates that it would have been the council of Haro who decided to build this bridge, due to the land owned by the town on the other bank, as well as the interest it had in the purchase of the village of Briñas and the benefits for marketing with Álava and Navarra.

Source: Wikipedia

[unitedbydevils]

Match review: Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Manchester United

Another game, another struggle, only this time we got the defeat we deserved.

Last time we played, we beat Spurs 2-0 in a performance that was one of the most controlled I've seen from a United team in years. It was clinical, efficient, and assured. Yesterday we saw quite the opposite.

United started brightly and were fair for the first 30 minutes, but as the first half wore on the tactical discipline - or perhaps just comprehension of Ten Hag's tactics - fell away.

Garnacho played like a youth prospect; without discipline or focus.

Antony was incredibly wasteful and drifted inwards so often it forced Bruno to move out wide right.

Casemiro and Martinez seem off the pace still.

Rashford does not want to be CF, for all he says he's happy to do it. He does not have the discipline or know-how.

Mason Mount - what he do?

The second half saw Postecoglou's Spurs sharper, and United fall away. The midfield battle was a whitewash, which put the defence on the back foot and left the forwards unable to have any impact.

Subs of Sancho, Eriksen and Dalot helped matters a little, and late additions of Martial and Pellistri didn't get much chance to impact, but all in all it felt like the end of the road for Erik Ten Hag's current strategy with this first XI.

Midfield cannot control a game at present. Amrabat, or even McTominay, might bring some balance to proceedings. The problem is Mount; he's an ideal rotation with Bruno, or a 10 if Bruno's an 8. We know the captain CAN play as an 8, so why is ETH not pushing that matter?

Beyond that, a lack of a CF is criminal. Greenwood shouldn't return but United also have an injured Højlund who's yet to make his debut (and is 20) and an Anthony Martial who is seemingly fit? but also as reliable as a Tory MP. Rashford is being asked to lead the line as a wing forward who likes to stretch a defence. Two different styles.

We face Arsenal soon but Nottingham Forest are next. Rashford left, Sancho right, Martial no9. Lets see how that works for us. Similarly, fucking buy Amrabat already. He's cheap. We're just bad at sales. Van de Beek's sale is dragging. Bailly is still here despite his fee being £0 for prospective buyers. Williams and McTominay might go. These are all tasks for the pre-season, not post-kick off. We should have the funds from these sales to bring in Amrabat and maybe Pavard. It's frustrating that we're still seeing shortages in the team.

I know, I know, Mount was £60m, you get Amrabat and Pavard for his fee. It's true. I still think he has a lot to offer though and needs time to bed in, to understand. He tries hard, has good technical skill, and I think will perform better than Antony's first season. Pressure is far higher at United than Chelsea though, especially after a tough year with injury, Chelsea's managerial merry-go-round... it's hard to settle mentally.

We're only two games in. This isn't disaster territory. It isn't as bad as last year either. Both our opponents had new manager bounce too. We just have to fix up quickly and click, because Arsenal and Brighton are in better shape than Spurs and will do a number on us. Maybe the old baptism of fire might galvanise the squad, but I don't back these lads under the cosh too much. Plucky game vs Barca? Sure. Underdog vibes, shit's exciting. League vs Brighton, who constantly trouble us? We'll panic or get frustrated and sulk our way out of a gameplan and into a 3-0 panning.

[nightsidewrestling]

D.U.D.E Bios: Urbano Marino / Bano Marino

The First of Damien's Hounds Bano Marino (2020)

The brother of Billie and one of Damien's Hounds, Urbano Marino, is a powerhouse of a man. Urbano is a wrestler and a third generation wrestler, being part of the youngest generation of wrestlers in the Marino family.

"Rule three of wrestling, if you must cheat, be smart about it."

Name

Full Legal Name: Urbano Pablo Marino

First Name: Urbano

Meaning: Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of 'Urbanus' meaning 'City Dweller'

Pronunciation: oor-BA-no

Origin: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese

Middle Name: Pablo

Meaning: Spanish form of 'Paulus' which means 'Small' of 'Humble' in Latin

Pronunciation: PA-blo

Origin: Spanish

Surname: Marino

Meaning: Derived from the given 'Marino' which it self is the Italian and Spanish form of 'Marinus'. 'Marinus' comes from the Latin word 'Marinus' meaning 'of the sea'

Pronunciation: ma-REE-no

Origin: Spanish

Alias: Bano Marino

Reason: Ring name

Nicknames: Bano

Titles: Mr

Characteristics

Age: 34

Gender: Male. He/Him Pronouns

Race: Human

Nationality: Cuban

Ethnicity: Hispanic / Latino

Birth Date: July 7th 1986

Symbols: Weights, Bodybuilding Trophies

Sexuality: Heterosexual

Religion: Catholic

Native Language: Spanish

Spoken Languages: Spanish, English, Portuguese, Italian

Relationship Status: Married

Astrological Sign: Cancer

Theme Song: 'Insane in the Brain' - Cypress Hill (2006-)

Voice Actor: Jordi Vilasuso

Geographical Characteristics

Birthplace: Bayamo, Granma Province, Cuba

Current Location: On the road / Bayamo, Granma Province, Cuba

Hometown: Bayamo, Granma Province, Cuba

Appearance

Height: 6'2" / 187 cm

Weight: 200 lbs / 90 kg

Eye Colour: Brown

Hair Colour: Black

Hair Dye: None

Body Hair: Shaves when wrestling

Facial Hair: Clean Shaven

Tattoos: (As of Jan 2020) 4

Piercings: None

Scars: None

Health and Fitness

Allergies: None

Alcoholic, Smoker, Drug User: Social Drinker

Illnesses/Disorders: None

Medications: None

Any Specific Diet: None

Relationships

Allies: N/A

Enemies: N/A

Friends: Donato Santos, Nathan Winter, Ivor Rhydderch, Januarius O'Hannagan, Keith McFarland, Caderyn McCracken, Darach Rhydderch, Faron McCormick

Colleagues: Too many to list

Rivals: N/A

Closest Confidant: Hortensia Marino

Mentor: Yago Marino

Significant Other: Hortensia Marino (35, Wife, Née Lozano)

Previous Partners: None of note

Parents: Yago Marino (57, Father), Florencia Marino (58, Mother-In-Law, Née Palomo)

Parents-In-Law: Ramiro Lozano (55, Father-In-Law), Hilaria Lozano (56, Mother-In-Law, Née Nieddu)

Siblings: Bienvenida Marino (37, Sister), Judith Ibarra (31, Sister, Née Marino), Quirino Marino (28, Brother), Natividad Marino (25, Sister), Macario Marino (22, Brother), Rosaura Marino (19, Sister), Isaac Marino (16, Brother)

Siblings-In-Law: Xavier Ibarra (32, Judith's Husband), Iris Nicchi (32, Hortensia's Sister, Née Lozano), Sancho Nicchi (33, Iris' Husband), Jazmín Lozano (29, Hortensia's Sister), Luna Lozano (26, Hortensia's Sister)

Nieces & Nephews: Emperatriz Romero-Marino (17, Niece), Antonio Huerta-Marino (14, Nephew), Triana Santos-Marino (11, Niece), Casilda Ibarra (11, Niece), Zaira Nicchi (12, Niece)

Children: Lorenzo Marino (14, Son), Paz Marino (11, Daughter)

Children-In-Law: None

Grandkids: None

Great Grandkids: None

Wrestling

Billed From: The Underworld

Trainer: Sabas Marino, Yago Marino, Tercero Marino, Ramiro Marino, Pastor Marino, Olegario Marino, Nicanor Marino, Jair Marino, Heliodoro Marino, Gonzalo Marino, Facundo Marino, C.R.C Wrestling School

Managers: Florencia Marino, Hortensia Marino, Yago Marino

Wrestlers Managed: Hortensia Marino

Debut: 2006

Debut Match: Bano VS Ivor Rhydderch. Bano won via pinfall

Retired: N/A

Retirement Match: N/A

Wrestling Style: Grappler

Stables: Los Marinos (2006-2008), The Lucifarians (2008-)

Teams: Los Marinos (Bano & any other family members), The Hounds (Bano & Quirino / Judith / Natividad / Macario / Rosaura / Isaac)

Regular Moves: Big Boot, Diving Clothesline, Swinging Neckbreaker, Diving Crossbody, Sitout Rear Mat Slam, Electric Chair Drop, Electric Chair Facebuster, Flapjack, Half Nelson Bulldog, Inverted DDT, Missile Dropkick, Spinning Heel Kick, Somersault Senton Plancha, Sharpshooter, Sitout Powerbomb, Crossface, Spinebuster

Finishers: Leg Hook Reverse STO, Spear, Lifting DDT, Standing Arm Triangle

Refers To Fans As: The Watchful Eyes

Extras

Backstory: Urbano is the eldest son of 'disgraced luchador' Yago Marino, wrestling is in his blood and he grew up around luchadores. He joined the Lucifarians as one of Damien's hounds in 2008, being a hound means he's mindless and does everything Damien orders him to

Trivia: Nothing of note