#also no worries! you're doing great!! ]

[epicfirestormer]

What I love about Hellboy and Abe Sapien's dynamic in the comics is that, if you came into this blind, you'd expect Abe to be the voice of reason or the straight man to Hellboy's impulsive and hotheaded personality. But no, Abe is more often than not the crazy one. Hellboy would deal with fighting evil monsters and bad guys by just sighing and getting it over with, while Abe is going rabid over tearing the creature apart when he does get into a fight. Hellboy acts like it's a 9-to-5 job and will reasonably talk things out with a guy that had nearly killed him before, Abe acts like a madman in a slaughter house and his first instinct is to shoot first kill second and ask third. They're both insane, but on completely different levels.

[coollyinterferes]

The unmistakable sound of footsteps approaching begins to fill the air. Whoever is coming seems to have brought some company along…

They are getting closer… and closer… and closer…

…and closer…

……until..................

"Goooooood evenin'!!" Comes the loud greeting from a certain blond man. A big smile on his face and all.

"We beg your pardon for our prolonged absence. It was completely beyond our control..." Then adds the gentleman standing by his side, apologizing on behalf of both, offering a genuine smile along with the apology.

"...BUT! We're back!" And hopefully for good this time…

[contagious-watermelon]

tomboy trans girls ily <3 by the law of equivalent exchange, there's got to be a masculine trans woman out there that i switched places with gender-wise. hope she's doing well

[angeart]

After reading the rescue rambles all I could think of is if the hermits try to force Scar off that world and just how badly Scar would react to that and how far would he go in order to prevent that, to not leave Grian again.

I don’t like the idea of Scar possibly attacking his friends, but with how him and Grian were backed into a corner since the moment they entered this world, for a full year, I worry about how in Scar’s panic over not being with Grian again he wouldn’t care for much else besides finding Grian, no matter what.

I also really worry about what happened to Grian after he left, and just how long it takes to find him…

oh yeah. love this. it's exactly that thought: he can't leave grian again.

the last time they were separated (to your knowledge, anyway), grian almost died. granted, it's been a week back then, and now it's just been a couple of hours. but back then, they weren't actively on a run. they didn't have several big groups of hunters on their trail.

the panic and desperation he feels.

the way the idea of home and safety makes no sense to him, even as his friends—people he thought he'd never see again—reach out their hands to him and offer it. it can't make sense.

not like this.

not like this.

not without grian.

[that-foul-legacy-lover]

(This ain't a req if you don't want it to be. Just me rambling about anything that comes to mind)

So I finally got around to doing the Fontaine Archon quests. My friends looked at me weirdly when I literally (excitedly) shrieked when Legacy showed up.

Anyway, I wanna affectionately bite him. But my affectionate bites are very.. rough? I put a lot of force into them and thus hurt people. So I don't affectionately bite anymore.

But I wanna. Which made me wonder how affection-biting different aspects of Legacy would feel. Like, yeah the armor will be hard, but there's (probably??) areas not covered in armor. Also wondering if neck/shoulder floof feels different from head floof.

ALSO, wondering if the cape is physical. Because it looks like space. And I love space. hhhhhhhhhhh <3

~ The anon who wanted Kaveh but didn't want Baizhu or Ganyu

P.S. Sorry this one's weird, it's, like, 3am for me and I've got a few hours until classes.

P.P.S. How are you?? Sorry I've been silent for a while, education's been kicking me into sharp corners a lot this year.

YOU!!!!!! I REMEMBER YOU I MISSED YOU HIIIIIIII :D

alright so *claps hands* Foul Legacy is mostly covered in armor, buuuuut the area around his neck near his fluff is softer- it feels like the underside of a snake, if you've ever felt one! that's why under his chin is one of the best places to scritch, apart from behind his horns. his neck is the main area that feels different, since almost everywhere else is covered in armor; when he purrs, you can feel the vibrations in his throat more than his chest, and if you want to monch him and leave teeth marks, his neck is your best bet (it also makes him shriek and let out deep, rumbling laughs because he's also quite ticklish around there). BUT if you want to give him very hard chomps, that's actually completely alright, as long as you do it on his armor instead! you'll need to be careful and make sure you don't damage your own teeth, but other than that you can bite to your heart's delight, and Legacy will give you a few much gentler nibbles of his own

his fluff does feel different from his hair, the fluff feels considerably softer and lighter, almost like a poofy lilac cloud. it becomes even softer and fluffier when he's particularly pleased or trying to impress you, ruffling up his fur and purring happily when you comb it back down with your fingers- but it's at its absolute fluffiest when he gets startled by something, the fur poofing up into a purple cotton ball, and his hair bristles a bit when he's frightened, too. also, the upper part of his cape is physical! it's smooth and cool and feels like fine silk, even when it shifts into a pair of wings. the tips are intangible, dissolving into nothingness and starlight, but occasionally you can feel light pecks on your skin like raindrops, almost as if the stars themselves are landing and shattering on your hands. you can pet his cape-like wings too, as long as you're gentle, and soon you'll have a drowsy, rumbly Abyss monster curled up in your lap <3

[carcarrot]

its important to go see a low stakes concert sometimes

[bumblingbabooshka]

"Everything you went through was meaningless." [St Voyager S3 E7: 'Sacred Ground']

[softquietsteadylove]

thenamesh has rotted my brain so much that 4th of july fireworks spooking my dog obviously made me think of how thena would probably get spooked by them too — so of course i had to bring it to you as a prompt! maybe featuring our sweet jack and some comfort?

Thena squinted as yet another firework went off. Terrible, incessant things, she thought. They were loud and made a mess. But ever since their conception - for which they had all been present - humans loved them.

They had declined to attend the show at its source, mostly out of consideration for the Eternals and their heightened senses. Thena, especially, although she did offer to attend for Jack's sake.

In years past, Phastos and Ben had taken Jack to all of the typical Fourth of July festivities, as Americans wishing to take part in the celebrations. They went to the parade, they attended things in the city or had backyard activities at their home for the neighbours. They had also declined that, this year.

It was determined to be too much, the possibility of strange kids running around and screaming with water guns and sparklers. Phastos and Gil did cook on the grill just for them. They had all attempted to lure Jack outside with the promise of baseball and soccer and football. But all day, Jack was busy inside making a fort.

By this time it was taking up most of the living room, constructed with couch cushions and the futon from Phastos' home office and plenty of pillows and blankets. It was somewhat hard to navigate, but Jack was adamant that it not be disturbed all weekend. Thena had defended his magnum opus.

Another one went off, and even Ben and Phastos admired the twinkle of it, each with a beer in hand. Ben looked around their chairs all lined up on their back deck to see the display at a distance. "Jack?"

Phastos shook his head. "He's still working on that fort."

"He's missing the show," Ben frowned.

Gil leaned forward in his own chair, mindful of Thena in his lap. "We told him it was starting, but he said it was almost ready."

"Ready for what?"

None of them knew. Phastos was especially put out that his son was seemingly over the childhood wonder and joy of the fireworks show. "This is how it starts. Next, he's gonna be in his room all day and night and we'll never see him except-"

"Habibi," Ben chided his husband, reaching over and rubbing his hand. "We have discussed this."

"Yeah," Phastos sighed heavily, though, taking another swig of light beer. "Just wait, he's eleven now, but he'll be thirteen before we even know it."

Thena pressed her ear more firmly against Gil's chest as another one burst in the air. She blinked rapidly at the red colour of this one. She was doing respectably well, though. She had the odd moment of swearing she could smell gunpowder and smoke, but she could still correct herself. They weren't witnessing the slaughter of Tenochtitlan, they were visiting their brother's family in America.

Gilgamesh ran his hand over her hair, whispering soft nothings to her to help her weather the storm. "You sure you wanna do this? Jack isn't even here."

As with most other things, she had agreed for Jack's sake. She was still overly conscious of potentially ruining any fun for him because of the gentility with which she needed to navigate human life. Of course she would deny it, but it did melt her heart completely every time he showed concern for her state of mind.

She gripped the lapel of Gil's shirt, but nodded with her head under his chin. "I'm sure he'll join us. If I go inside, he'll just offer to keep me company."

Gil chuckled, kissing her temple. She was right, and he knew she was.

Phastos looked at his watch, "well, if he doesn't get out here he might miss the end of it."

Thena lifted her head from Gil's chest. "It is odd for him to be so reclusive. I'll find him."

Gil let his hand trail down her back as she lifted herself from his embrace. "If he doesn't wanna come out, you two can have fun in there."

She smiled at him, letting their hands drag apart reluctantly.

"Sure, if she goes he'll come right out. If I do it, it's 'Dad, I'm busy!'."

Thena ignored her brother's lamenting over his child's growing independence. She slid the patio door closed behind her. "Jack?"

"In here!"

She walked into the living room, finding the lamps were on, illuminating the truly impressive sprawl of the fort. She tilted her head before bending at the waist. "Jack?"

"Aunt Thena, in here," he whispered, a hand sticking out just to wave.

She crouched down, bending her knees in her skirt so she could crawl into the small tunnel leading to his domain. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, it's finally ready!"

What was finally ready? Thena crawled on her hands and knees over the carpet and into the fort's main body. Never before - and never again - would she have to crawl like this. It was unbecoming of a warrior. But this was for her nephew.

"What do you think?"

It was actually quite remarkable. The far 'wall' actually was connected to the large window of the living room, offering a glimpse outside that looked in the direction of the city's epicentre. The rest of the fort was cushioned by thick blankets and using the plush structures of couches and chairs and automans.

"This is rather well done, Jack," she praised with a smile. He truly was a remarkable human--nothing short of brilliant, the son of the Fabricator Eternal.

"Here," he said gently, sitting himself on a pillow set up by the window. There was one beside him, which he patted for her. "The view is perfect."

"The view?"

But Jack was right. It was possible to see the more distant fireworks that were being displayed over the city harbour. They were more distant, therefore not as bright against the dark sky. And within the house, they were much quieter.

"Is this what you've been doing?" she asked as she watched the tiny but still beautiful display within the window.

He nodded, also watching, captivated. "Baba said there were two fireworks shows, this one just started."

She gave her young nephew a look, attempting to appear stern with his utterly adorable face. "Did you construct this just for me?"

"Well," he cast a sheepish glance to his sock feet, wiggling his toes and twisting his lips.

"Jack," she frowned. "You mustn't worry about me so much. You should be enjoying the fireworks with your fathers as intended."

He looked at her with big, pleading eyes, shrugging his shoulders. "But I can't have fun if I know you're scared."

She sighed. Such a sweet boy, with such a big, human heart. She put her hand on his head gently, not quite patting his head and not quite ruffling his hair. "It is not your place to quell my fears. And discomfort is not a fear."

He scooched a little closer to her pillow. "Can I tell you a secret?"

She nodded, leaning down for him to whisper to her, even within the protection of the fort. He moved her hair out of his way, his little hand feeling barely bigger than her ear.

"The fireworks are too loud for me, too. But I never wanted to say 'cause Dad and Baba like watching them."

She watched him sit back on his own pillow again. The thought crossed her mind if he was lying in order to spare her feelings, or her pride. But Jack wasn't a very good liar (she had seen him try to lie about reading comic books after bed time). "Is that so?"

He turned his attention back to the window. "We always go, ever since I was little. But it gets cold, and they're cool and all, but they kinda look the same except for the start and the end. And they're really loud if you're too close."

Thena looked away from the lights display to her brother's son. His maturity and knowledge of himself never ceased to impress her. She truly thought human children were less intelligent than this. Although it was possible Jack was an exception among human offspring. "And here I was, out there so that you wouldn't feel the need to stay inside with me."

He looked at her, illuminated by the far off show. "I like being inside with you."

She put her hand on his shoulder, allowing him to lean against her arm. "I like being inside with you too, Jack."

The boy went quiet, perhaps bashful of the quiet affection passing between them. But he made himself comfortable against her, as affectionately as a boy his age could allow.

She held back a laugh as she heard a small yawn escape him. "It has grown late."

"That's okay," he excused, although he was leaning more heavily on her by the second.

It was indeed late. The summer made the sun set so late that the fireworks couldn't start until rather close to Jack's bed time anyway. Thena moved her arm, allowing Jack to fold himself against her more comfortably. This was also something she never imagined herself doing as the Warrior Eternal. But as the boy's 'Aunt Thena', she would be quite capable of anything.

She continued watching the display, checking every few minutes if Jack's eyes were still open. Perhaps partway through the display, he was completely asleep. She ran her hand over his forehead, resolving not to move and disturb his sleep, no matter the cost.

[andthentheywilleatthestars]

If we find life on Europa I hope that everyone's properly jubilant about it. I want people flooding the streets cheering. I want there to be iconic photographs of people celebrating the discovery of life outside of earth.

[steakout-05]

as an Australian you American blokes have got to stop talking about huntsman spiders like that. don't diss my weird little lanky wallclimber friends, they're not horrible awful freaks of nature who chase you and bite you on contact. they're actually very docile and timid and they're very reluctant to bite. like, all they really want to do is hang out on your walls or your ceiling and eat bugs all day. huntsman spiders are way more likely to run away from you and go hide away in your pantry than they are to go out of their way to bite you. biting you would probably put them in even more danger than if they just ran away, and if you are messing with a huntsman spider enough for it to bite you, you were likely being an asshole to it. they do not want to bite people! they don't chase you either, not on purpose anyway. the reason it might seem like one is running towards you is because huntsman spiders have pretty bad eyesight and literally cannot see you properly. it can absolutely be frightening and jarring, yes, i would understand as i have arachnophobia and have expereniced the fear of a huntsman unintentionally jumping or sprinting towards me, but they do not want to chase you or scare you. they are trying to run away. they are in the same boat as you, they're scared out of their wits and are trying to avoid danger. huntsman spiders are not these horrible dangerous freaks, they're just little (and sometimes not so little) guys. they can be scary, but all the miconceptions about them are not warranted or deserved in the slightest! and anyway, they're not even "only in Australia". we are home to many huntsman spiders, but they are also present in Asia, Africa and some places in America. they're not even exclusive to this country so i don't get why "only in Australia" gets hurled at them a lot.

actually, the whole attitude Americans have of Australia having weird and dangerous wildlife and the same old "only in Australia!!1!! kill it with fire lol!!!!1!" reddit drivel is pretty shitty overall tbh. every continent on the damn planet has weird and dangerous wildlife, why are we acting like it's JUST Australia you should stay away from???? America has some fuckin strange animals living there, you don't see as many people making a big stupid spectacle out of that. Australia's wildlife is unique and beautiful and wonderful, no Australian wildlife slander in my notes.

[arionwind]

So there's a trend I've been seeing, well for a while, but lately it's been grating on me especially hard with regards to the Crimew No-Fly List "hack". It's that genre of post that, often angrily, but sometimes just condescendingly/disappointingly tells people that they aren't taking a topic seriously enough or focusing on the correct part of it. I wanna break down just why I am find it so upsetting, and this event is an exceptional case study for it.

Because on the surface, it's entirely understandable. This is public-facing evidence in the government's own hand of a staggering litany of human rights abuses that really does deserve more in-depth discussion than it has been getting. People are absolutely justified in feeling frustrated that more discussion hasn't spawned at all social levels about this and while it's natural to cry out asking why that isn't happening, I think there's a few points that need to be kept in consideration.

A lot of us have been, in one way or another, dealing with this for years. Part of the horror of the No-Fly list is the sheer scale of it - so many people have been and continue to be harmed by their baseless inclusion on the list that it is difficult to even conceptualize how much pain has been inflicted, and that does matter. And I promise you, every single person on that list knows how big a deal both the list itself and this latest (though not the first) leak of it is.

The people on the list know. Their families know. For those lucky and brave enough to try and fight their inclusion in court, their legal teams know. All these people know, viscerally, how wretched this list is and have been bearing up under its weight for years, only talking to the select few they trust. My partner has been open about their inclusion, but I also have professional ties to people who have worked on cases trying to get names removed. Attempting to talk about their work publicly results in harassment by law enforcement and, if kept up, inclusion on the same or similar watch lists.

The angry calls for greater discussion will certainly cross the dashboards of people who are treating this whole thing like a silly meme, but it's also going to hit those of us who have been not discussing but living this constant pressing horror for years now. Hearing people say that, because we are enjoying some levity being injected into this constant source of suffering in our lives we don't "really give half a fuck about tearing down imperialism and colonization" or that we are "laughing and not actually caring" is gut-wrenching. Especially when it comes from people who also regularly talk about the need to avoid activist burnout or for marginalized people to care for themselves.

But I get the impulse to lash out like that. I have had to write and rewrite this very post more times than I can count now to cut out angry and inflammatory phrasing on my own end. And I know that, both in personal posts in the past and in reblogs, I often still fall prey to that thinking of "this is (rightly, justifiably) upsetting so I am going to lash out at people who don't seem to care".

But in this introspective moment, I am trying to stay aware (and want to try to stay aware in the future when I am tempted) that at least some of the people reblogging and posting these things are also hurting and responding to that. And while my first impulse is to cast aspersions on the people hurting me (even in this sentence I had to stop myself from slyly giving an "example" of what I would say if I wanted to lash out and thus satisfying that spiteful desire without admitting to it), I'm also trying to keep in mind my goal here.

I am hoping that at least a few people who have made (or at least reblogged onto my dash) these furious posts - both about this and other issues - will also consider what it is they are trying to accomplish. I also (again) want to keep in mind that I and people like me who are hurt by these posts aren't the only ones impacted by the No-Fly list. That people making these angry posts can be too, and as such I don't want to say that their justified expressions of frustration and rage need to be made more palatable, because they don't.

I do need to point out, though, that I've found the best way to start a discussion of a topic on the internet is to start discussing it in an open medium where others can join in. And when I look in the notes of the inflammatory calls for discussion (or even just awareness), I mostly see people talking about the call itself.

And there's nothing wrong with being angry and wanting to vent. There's not even anything wrong with being angry and wanting to vent in a public space where others can commiserate with you and help you feel less alone. But it *is* going to be much better for everyone - yourself included - if calls for awareness focus on calling for awareness and venting frustrations focus on venting in ways that don't further compound frustrations. Because looking at the notes of all of these more furious posts on these topics, I cannot imagine the constant fighting the OPs wind up doing feels soothing.

[kindsokind]

Why do people waste the most precious thing they own -- the time left on Earth -- to post about a character they don't like, explain why he's bad, and how the rest of fandom don't truly "get" the character if they make him their blorbo?

Like I'm talking making screen grabs and gifs to tell their followers, without any irony, that a character who murders is not good at all

They don't seem to be having a good time... So, like, why? lol

[kae-karo]

do you ever find that a scene you have to write to get to The Next Bit of the story is hard, or boring, or just for some reason impossible to actually write? if so any tips on getting through it?

oooouu GREAT question honestly !!! i think the reality is i have probably three solid methods depending on the Circumstances lmaooo

method 1: just don't write it. easiest method in the WORLD and i think this works best when the thing you have to work on is boring specifically. it could probably do with a little analysis around "how Actually Important is this scene to the story" before making a decision like that, but if you're having a hard time getting excited about writing it (ESPECIALLY in shorter stories) i find 'don't write it' to be the best method in the book. i'd say it's not ALWAYS the right choice, and it probably helps to have a fair amount of experience under the belt to say when and where this method makes sense

-> a variant of this one is the "it doesn't have to be GOOD it just has to be THERE" which looks like instead of writing a whole scene to get a character from point A to point B, or a whole conversation to get to the point of a character saying they're going somewhere, doing something, etc, just...say it. start the next scene with "after walking from A to B, [blah blah blah]" or "[character] can't believe they agreed to meet up here, but here they are, [etc]". i also sometimes do this with inserted little flashback lines in the context of the scene i actually want to write, which gives the added benefit of picking and choosing when and where things are relevant without adding too much additional exposition

the key benefit of 'just don't write it' as a method is if/when you return for editing, there's always an option to add the scene back in. the way i personally edit involves forgetting about the story for like a week while working on other stuff and then coming back, which usually gives me the exact set of fresh eyes i need to decide whether the scene i decided not to write is actually needed or not. sometimes, it rolls seamlessly without it !!! sometimes i'm like damn i really need something in here to highlight what this character's emotional state is before [next scene], and maybe it's that scene i skipped or maybe it's a different thing altogether. either way, 'just don't write it' lets me get to the bits that i AM excited to write, and usually highlights for me whether the scene i'm avoiding is actually needed or not

method 2: like method 1 but a little more extreme, which i call 'write literally ONLY the parts of the story you're excited about right this second and forget about all the stuff you don't want to write cause it's boring/hard/etc'. which is a very long title, but i think it would do numbers in certain circles. this is basically method 1 on steroids and probably benefits from a longer story with LOTS of parts, especially ones you can skip between non-linearly. for me, this usually works for the hard parts especially, because i can build myself into a corner where, when i return to the hard part, i have a lot of clear detail on what has happened before it and what needs to happen in order to make the next parts make sense - usually this is reserved for the "i KNOW I have to write this or the story won't work, i just don't Wanna" type of scenes

method 3: the 'grin and bear it'. what it says on the tin. sometimes you just gotta buckle down and write the parts that suck, cause there are usually gonna be those parts in some places sometimes. what i WILL caveat here is that when a thing sucks to write, it can be helpful to examine why it sucks - what about it is boring? do you not like writing dialogue, or exposition? is there a way to not do the specific thing you don't like but still get the key elements across? would there be a more fun way for you to convey those elements? maybe a nontraditional format like a text message convo or a flashback? when something is hard to write, what makes it hard? is it conveying a character's emotional state? their physicality in the world? their relationships or thoughts on them? is there something about the character's personality you're struggling with that makes the situation challenging to write because you yourself are confused about the character or what's going on? sometimes i legitimately will step back and just type out something like:

character current motivation: [what they're trying to accomplish, do, say, etc in this exact scene] character actual/overall motivation: [in the realm of the entire story, what is their goal? to overcome loneliness? to find peace with their past? to get together with the other character? to destroy everything the hero holds dear?]

anyway this can sometimes be a super helpful mental reset to make sure i'm keeping on track with both the story as a whole and the character themselves, especially when there are multiple characters cause i'll go through and do this for all of them that are in a scene and that can help identify the tensions, what direction things might need to go, who gets what they want and who maybe doesn't, etc. ultimately just a good way to refresh the brain, and sometimes that leads to making a hard scene feel suddenly a lot easier/feel like you know where you need to go next

secret method 4: arguably the even Worse method, which is 'wait it out'. sometimes there's just no getting around the brick wall right this second, and taking a break to refresh your brain by either working on other projects or like, doing something that isn't Creation is a good idea and can help jog things into place to relieve the boring/hard/etc problem. i say this as someone who does not touch grass nearly enough, but touching grass can also be very helpful lmao. and if literally touching grass isn't feasible, just getting out of your normal habits/routines and doing something different can make a difference too

ANYWAY let me just say: i seriously feel this ALL THE TIME lmao. i'm definitely a serial skipper these days (funny as i used to be a very serious 'i must write everything in order or else i'll DIE' type of writer) but it's ended up being quite good (probably?) for my creativity in that it's allowed me to spend more time excited about what i'm writing and less time stressed or frustrated with getting stuck. your mileage may vary, of course, but hope this is helpful!!

[that-foul-legacy-lover]

Chatter box anon here and struggling !

saving up for the scribe during exam week is work out, fckin kill me ;; buut hey! he's worth it, i'm in love with grass lmfao

have this prompt while i'm at it; Childe and Legacy are the same, "Legacy" is simply Childe's true and unfiltered, pure feelings, no human filter, just intent. it's why his anger is lethal, his grudes become terrifying, but his love? oh my, oh my.. his love is as obvious as his biased human heart. it almost makes him look dumber. What i'm getting at is, Childe confessed to S/O because they found him with no filter, and he had a mini crisis once he was back to human because OF COURSE. of COURSE he confessed as a monster, but oh my god didn't S/O- THEY SAID Y E S??- WHY DID THEY SAY YES?????

OHHHH MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS I LOVE THIS SO MUCH

Childe keeping his love for you a secret because he's scared that you'll get hurt or that you'll reject and hate him afterwards- he's already got your friendship, and that should be enough, especially considering his position as a Harbinger! he tries so valiantly to extinguish his romantic feelings for you, but.... Archons, you're just so amazing and he loves you so much, so instead he quietly pines for you and keeps his mouth shut- until the day you catch him in Foul Legacy form and he inadvertently confesses, delicately holding your hands in his claws and staring at you with such affection and adoration you immediately believe him

of course when he transforms back it takes a moment to remember what exactly he just did, and when he does he's absolutely overcome with embarrassment- he just CONFESSED to you in his FOUL LEGACY FORM- he said "I love you" while looking like an Abyssal monster and- why are you laughing???

it's a kind laugh though, and you pull Childe's hands away from his face and cup his cheek in your palm before leaning in and pressing a gently kissing his forehead. Childe's already burning cheeks blush further, and he wants to run and hide when he hears something like a purr hum in his throat. tell him that you love his Foul Legacy form and he melts from overwhelming affection for you and embarrassment <333

[pyrriax]

ANYWHO goodnight tumblr i'll be back on the art grind tomorrow i think 🙏

[softquietsteadylove]

you know the *really* spicy fic just written? Can we have some aftercare for that please (I just kinda want more detail on that part)

Gil wrung out the cloth, making sure it was soft to the touch, and a perfect lukewarm. Cooling to overheated skin but not so cold that it wouldn't be useful.

Thena was curled up on the couch.

The ego in him was a bit pleased to see her satisfied to the point of exhaustion. But this wasn't about him congratulating himself for being a good lover. This was about Thena.

He crouched next to her, starting at her delicate wrists. He dabbed the cloth against her skin, still faintly red from where he had kept her bound. They had never experimented quite like this before. But he had a good feeling that she enjoyed it too.

Gil ran the cloth over Thena's body lightly, wiping away the sheen of sweat she had developed. He would get some water and a snack into her next, but this came first. It reminded him of when she was in Sersi's poison ward and he had given her a sponge bath.

Thena didn't exactly like recalling that time, or that specific event. But he thought there was something kind of beautiful about it. He hadn't had any ulterior motive in it, he just wanted the woman he loved to be comfortable.

"Hm," Thena hummed as he turned her over to wash her back.

"It's okay, Princess," he whispered. She squirmed the lower down her back he got. She would probably develop some bruising there shortly. He would ice it and apologise on his knees if she wanted.

He then moved to her legs. He bit back a smile; she had never been at such a particular point of pleasure before. He ran the cloth up her legs. They were faintly sticky, she wouldn't like that. He made it up to her thighs before he paused. "Honey."

Thena cleared her throat at him, keeping her thighs together and slightly crossed so as to hide herself. She was roused from her sleep and glaring at him with all the strength she could muster (it wasn't much).

He chuckled. His wife was willing to go to such lengths with him, but as soon as the cold, hard light of day hit, she was somewhat shy. He ran his fingers up the back of her calf until he could slip his palm into the back of her knee. "Come on, Sweetness."

"I am capable of doing this myself," she grumbled as her legs - so devoid of strength that it took nothing for him to open them again - unfurled.

"I know," he mused easily. He moved his eyes away from his precious target and to hers. She squeezed her eyes shut as he wiped away the most significant evidence of their latest foray. He balled the cloth up in his hand and left a kiss below her naval. "But I like doing this for you."

Thena gave up scolding him, flopping back again as he moved back to the bathroom attached to his office. "I recall I have a rule about lying around naked in the office."

Yes, but she was so much better at it than he was. He came out again, having also given at least his upper body a quick and lazy wipe down. He retrieved his shirt, long, long forgotten in their excitement.

"No one is still in the office, are they?" she asked, sounding half asleep as he got her arms through the sleeves and let him button it around her willowy frame.

"Nope, I gave everyone the evening off. Everyone on our floor, at least," he smiled, undoing the first set of buttons he had done up. She huffed at him but he gave her a little peck. "I like seeing your cleavage, Ice."

"Insatiable man," she chided.

"Yeah," he moved his ring to the right hand again, finally scooping her up to settle her on his lap. His hand tilted her head so he could touch the tip of her nose with his. Himself from even just two years ago would laugh at him. "But I'm your insatiable man."

"Hm," she denied him the thrill of more playful arguing, settling against his chest again.

"I love you, Thena," he cooed, kissing along her cheeks and all over her face. The cloth had worked; her skin no longer felt sweaty.

"Love you too," she purred in reception of his affection. She said it far less than he did, but he was always fine with that. When she did say it, he knew she meant it.

She meant it when she kissed him goodbye in the mornings, or parting with him after a stolen lunch together. She meant it when she made it clear to his enemies than an enemy of the Tyrant King's was an enemy of the Ice Queen as well. And he knew she meant it when she let him take care of her after a crazy hot fuck session.

"I've got sushi and tteokbokki and pierogies all on the way," he continued to nuzzle her. He liked cuddling her, especially after being intimate. Sometimes Thena would hit her limit and squirm away from him, like a cat reluctant to accept cuddles.

"You spoil me," she sighed, still letting him cling to her. She truly was exhausted.

He ran his hand over her leg, soft and smooth, although he was pretty sure she would shave if not tonight then tomorrow. "You gonna be able to work in the morning?"

"Of course," she countered, and then immediately yawned and discredited herself. "It is almost as if I recommended some restraint."

Gil grinned, "I did use restraints."

She slapped his chest.

He captured the hand lazily sliding down again and moved it back to his heart. Feeling his heartbeat for herself settled her, like a lullaby. "I'm sure you can move a few morning meetings if you have to."

She puffed through her nose. "You just want me to show up for my investors meeting still glowing from all this."

So they could see his wife in all her beautiful glory and know that she was very well taken care of as a married woman?...no, of course not.

"If you're glowing then it must be because you're the light of my life," he schmoozed. Thena laughed, always amused by his silly and downright corny compliments. He always had plenty more.

She didn't even flinch at the knock on the door. "Go."

"Yes, ma'am," he kissed her cheek again, slipping away to retrieve the food delivery. He cracked the door open and leaned over to drag it inside. Not a soul was there, but he knew how Thena felt about anyone - even a security camera - seeing her at her most vulnerable.

Thena managed to sit herself up, but even the way she was leaning back spoke to her level of physical exhaustion. Gil frowned; maybe they did overdo it. "What?"

"Nothing," he shook his head, unpacking the food on the coffee table between this and the other couch.

He blinked as Thena slumped forward, laying herself over his back and looping her arms around his neck. He turned his head but she nuzzled the back of his neck. She muttered something in Russian, which she knew he wasn't good at! "Hm?"

Thena turned her face so she could speak more clearly. "I said you are a good husband."

Nothing could make him happier than hearing that. He patted her arms locked around him and bent his head to kiss her fingers. "Glad to hear it, baby."

"Hm," she concluded, slipping backwards again. "Now, will you stop delaying?"

"Yes, Ice Queen," he chuckled, turning and holding up a rice cake with his hand under it. "Open up."

"You don't have to feed me."

"Aw, c'mon, it's like old times!"

"You feeding me while I was poisoned should not be 'old times'," she huffed, at least leaning forward to accept the bite. Her eyes lit and he could see the hunger she wasn't fully aware of make itself more known to her.

"Well, you can think of this time instead," he suggested, which she ignored, as he would have expected her to. He offered a piece of sushi next.

"Are you not going to have some?" She eyed him from his position on the floor, moving food from the table to her mouth.

He grinned. With them both of the same mind, she moved from the couch and he pushed the table out more. She settled on his lap again, letting him reach around her. She took another piece of salmon roll for herself and then offered him a bite over her shoulder.

"You ever think," he began, before she put her fingers on his lips to make him chew and swallow before speaking again. He gulped. "You ever think about how ourselves from two years ago probably wouldn't believe it if they could see us now?"

Thena smiled at least at the amusing idea. "I believe if you had attempted to describe this scene to my past self I would have littered you with knives until you had more holes in you than a fine sourdough."

Ah, so romantic, his Ice Queen. He merely kissed her cheek, waiting for his next bite, "same here, probably."