#and then eventually id be like....oh we r so cooked

[gifti3]

could u imagine the type of memes that would be circulating if alternates were a real thing...

[smolbeandrabbles]

How Deep Is Your Love - Danny Rayburn x Reader (Bloodline)

GIF CREDIT: X 

@mandy23b​ @wltz-bby​ @happyskywhale​ #mendotagsquad.

Danny + 91 -  “Tell me you need me.” Requested by Anon 💙

Author’s Note: Danny is the final posted as tradition states! Here we are, 16/16! It’s taken a significantly shorter period of time than last year and would have taken even shorter if I’d have just posted them one after the other.  So, your request “He needs some reassurance after a day with his family.” might have been calling for some sweetness and angst... I accidentally gave you spice instead... Ooops... 😬😬😬

I hope it’s still enjoyable - and even more I hope this last one was worth the wait!

Disclaimer: Bloodline characters not mine / gif not mine (credit as appropriate) / lyrics not mine.

Premise: After another particularly hard day with his family, Danny is in need of a little R&R. However, his idea and yours might not be exactly the same...

Words: 3896

Warnings: Sexual Pre-Amble / Sexual Connotations / Dirty Dancing / Swearing

____

I want you to breathe me Let me be your air Let me roam your body freely No inhibition, no fear Open up my eyes and Tell me who I am Let me in on all your secrets No inhibition, no sin How deep is your love? Is it like the ocean? What devotion? Are you? How deep is your love? Is it like nirvana? Hit me harder, again How deep is your love? Is it like the ocean? Pull me closer, again So tell me how deep is your love, can it go deeper?

---

Danny didn’t look particularly happy as he closed his room door on the day. That might also have been understatement of the year, aside from the fact that Danny never looked particularly cheerful when he was in the Keys – not really. Maybe he’d smile and feign joy, but you’d been together a long time – you knew him better than that. You were only meant to be down here for a couple of days, and it was the first time you’d driven down from Miami since he’d decided to settle back here and get his life back in order, but the second you saw him you knew you’d be staying far longer. If there was one thing you hated it was to see Danny unhappy – he had enough of that as it was, without someone making him upset. You already knew that being around his family was always hard for him, although usually he got to come back to Miami for respite. Now he was with them 24/7, and you weren’t sure that you could stand for it. And he was working late too; you also weren’t sure that was fair on him, but then Danny would only argue that he needed the money. For Nolan, Danny would do anything - he’d already proven that. You’d been sitting cross legged in the middle of his bed for a little while, watching the sun sink below the horizon line and waiting for him to return to you – tonight, dinner in hand. “How was work?” You didn’t dare ask how he was; that was fairly obvious. “Yeah.” He blew out a breath and joined you, “It’s a job.” You reached out and took his hand in yours, “Danny,” but your sentence faltered, because you could think of nothing good to say, and didn’t want to start an argument about his family right now. He nodded gently, completely getting it and slipped his hand from yours to touch your cheek, “Thank you.” “For what?” “Being here.” He gave a heavy shrug, “Hell, I don’t know what I’d do without you.” “Nor me you…” Your voice was quiet, and you kissed his wrist, and then his palm before you let him go. You ate dinner in relative silence, but he did spend a little bit of time here and there updating you on his day, before Danny asked you about yours. You hadn’t done a lot, having seen him off – with more kisses than you could handle – early this morning with the wish of a good day. How you’d pulled him close and held him there in front of them all. You’d already seen the way the Rayburn’s looked at you like you were too good for him, that was before he’d come here – back when Danny was doing well for himself. It was even more important to you now that they understand just how much you cared for him - about the fact that you were his and you weren’t about to leave. You’d then subsequently spent some time on the beach and gone shopping in town. You loved the Keys islands, the little towns with quaint shopping districts. It was by no means quiet, full of spring breakers – who appeared to be frequenting a ton of venues that had all day parties going on, possibly all week. You raised your eyebrow; it’d been way too long since you’d done something like that – but you did like occupying dancefloors – and at least a little part of you wished to get back on one. But really your day hadn’t been that interesting. “Your cooking is – as ever, incredible!” Finally there was a smile at the compliment. “Thank you. You’re far to kind.” “Are you kidding? This is so good!” “It’s good comfort food, yeah!” You finished your plate and leant across to kiss him – lips grazed to his gently, soft and sweet – Danny set his food to one side and pulled you to him. You knew then how much he needed this, “Danny…” “It’s okay, you don’t have to say anything…” But you felt like you did, you could only imagine what he’d been through today. “Baby tell me. Please tell me.” You whispered the words softly against his skin between kisses, and eventually Danny gave in and told you about his day. “--And yeah, well…You know my family…” You couldn’t help your frustrated sigh, and – considering you called it like you saw it – your exclamation of “Fuck your family!” You weren’t in a good mood, despite high spirits, just because of the situation – his depiction of what was going on here just made you more livid. And more importantly, you realised it wasn’t helping him – you leapt from the bed and tugged his hand. “What?” Danny tilted his head – wanting nothing more right now than to cuddle up in bed with you. “Come on.” “What?! Where?” “I want to get you out of this fucking house!” “Well, where are we gonna go darlin’!?” But Danny wasn’t so reluctant, and curiosity got the better of him to rise from where he was sitting and allow you to pull him from the room – you kept your hand in his and tugged him down the stairs and outside, all the way to his truck. You pressed your back against it, and he pinned you there; wonder still in his blue eyes as he traced them from your eyes to your lips and back. You bit your lip gently in invitation for him to taste you again, and Danny did so. “You’ll see, when we get there…” *** You figured you were smiling by the time you got to the end of the drive; Danny already with his arm and head out of the window, enjoying the cooling night air as the breeze swept in from the ocean. You liked driving his truck too – that was just a nice bonus right now. Neither of you were really dressed for where you were taking him, but you honestly weren’t sure you cared. It was what you were going to do there that was important. First you had to scope out a good one, and seen as you’d been observing them all day, you knew which you were going to pick – backing out onto the shore line with pretty strings of coloured lights and an outdoor dancefloor on decked levels. Strangely sophisticated for spring break dive bars – and you’d been to your fair share of them. Not that the clientele were wearing anything sophisticated; in fact, when you pulled into the parking lot it looked like most of them were coming off the beach – bikini tops and short shorts. You looked down at yourself; huh! maybe you’d scratch that, you were dressed perfectly. Perhaps you were a little more covered than a fair few. Turning back to Danny, he was surveying the scenery with curious interest, a bemused sort of smile on his face. “You’re about to tell me we’ve arrived aren’t ya?” “Mmhmmm.” You leant across to kiss his cheek, before hopping out of the car, “Come on babe! Let’s go!” “Oh geeez.” He slid from his seat, still starring at the hordes of already drunk twenty-somethings (and probably teens with their plethora of fake IDs) dragging their friends towards your location of choice. Danny slipped his hand into yours as you walked, “A bar? A dance bar? On spring break? With no cash?” You rolled your eyes at his tone; “Shut it! I’ve got money and it’s totally NOT about the drinking!” He raised an eyebrow and looked to you; “With a bunch of ‘breakers half our age-!?” “Excuse you-! Half your age maybe!!” That made him cackle; “Already, yeah, that’s probably true…” Although as you pulled him towards the entrance, he already spotted those more around your age – maybe not his age. But still older. Not that he hadn’t kicked around with kids the age of most of the attendees before today – Danny would just rather not tell you that. Once in, you pulled him straight to the dancefloor; but Danny didn’t go unwillingly, gripping your hand a little tighter as you pulled him through the crowd. He wasn’t about to lose you – especially not to those he could already see turning their heads to your presence. That never surprised him, it happened in Miami enough, it was dead certain to happen down here. You were just shy (but still on the right side!) of a good age gap apart – and been together long enough now that it really didn’t matter. That of course wouldn’t stop others from thinking they were in with a shot. You had but one goal tonight; finding a good space and turning back to him – pulling him closer. Love on him; even if that meant getting kicked out of here for dancing a little too dirty. Heck Danny always deserved it, tonight he just needed it a little more. The track didn’t matter as long as you had the rhythm to the beat correct, although this was hardly about dancing. Keeping him close was barely a challenge either; it wasn’t like Danny didn’t want you all over him. Holding his body this close to yours, with his arms around you, the way you used the beat of the music to grind yourself smoothly against him in ways that caused Danny’s blue eyes to illuminate and that beautiful little smirk to appear on his face. Your attention was all his, and you didn’t take your eyes off him – the look you were giving Danny under no illusion as to how badly you wanted him – as if you’d die if he wasn’t here with you right now. You let his eyes leave yours as often as he wanted, catching those sneaky little glances he was throwing around the floor and bar area; and how that smirk, and his confidence would grow. Your goal was to make everyone else on this dancefloor jealous – hell, to make everyone that had shown up here tonight jealous; of either of you, you didn’t care. And when Danny’s eyes eventually fell back on yours, you couldn’t help but mirror his smirk. Oh, he was loving this – and you already thought that alone was lifting his spirit. If the dancing wasn’t a little dirty to begin with it only became more so. The heat between you was obvious; but you’d both always been that way around each other – tonight Danny was completely irresistible, you didn’t even have to over-act that. But he knew it; and as much as it being your aim, you knew you needed to keep that ego in check to make sure he didn’t do something dumb. Danny was partial to the occasional bar fight and drug misuse. You weren’t about to let it happen. Especially after a hard day with his family, he’d just spiral. When that happened you always feared you wouldn’t get him back. Still, this wasn’t the night to dwell on such things. And you took your mind back to the point – eyes leaving his own, look just short of shy, with an obviously seductive lip bite as you traced his body. You wanted to tease him. You wanted him to tease you – you wanted to wind each other up to that point of no return; insanity, where all you could think about was each other and nothing else in the world mattered. In your opinion, in times like this, nothing else did. You let your hands wander – running them over his chest and back; up under his unbuttoned overshirt but not quite grazing his skin until you got to his arms. The continual press of your body into his became increasingly needy – invitations for Danny to touch you wherever and however he wanted. He accepted your invitation with haste, hands tangled in your hair despite the endless string of teasing almost-kisses that never happened, down your back to trace the curvature of your spine, his other hand ghosting under your shirt, across your stomach and ribs (which you couldn’t help but groan in anticipation at), until he was simultaneously cupping both your breast and your ass. Your eyes fluttered closed, as his fingers worked their way under your bikini and you sighed again. A gorgeous one at that, which had Danny chuckling. Usually you’d have slapped him for even daring to get this frisky with you – especially in public – but tonight not one complaint would pass your lips. In fact, tonight it just made you grind harder against him and continue those little sighs into his ear. “You like that, darlin?” “Yes…” Your voice was blissful, “Danny, yes…” “That’s my girl…” By now his voice was lust filled and husky, and enough to drive you wild. There was just something about when he talked to you like that… You moved your hands down to his hips, swaying your body to the control of his. He was intoxicating; you were under his spell. It was like Danny was a drug, the best hit you’d ever get but he just kept giving you more, and you wanted everyone on this beach to know it. With those gorgeously blissful little whiney sighs and moans in his ear, Danny was on his own kind of high. Every thought from earlier today long gone at hearing you at this point of near ecstasy. The contact was so close – you were nearly one, but you wanted more – it wasn’t enough to just feel him against you like this, in the middle of a dancefloor with an energy like this. Where every other couple out here were maybe several years younger than you, but still wanted the same thing. You were pretty sure everyone out here was looking to take someone home – or a hotel room – tonight. But they weren’t nearly as caught up in each other as you were; not just because you’d been together a while, but because they were all taken by you both too. Pushing one of your legs between Danny’s allowed you to further tangle your bodies. He had a little bit of height on you, his body was bent anyway – and although he was regarding you with curiosity Danny was still smirking. You moved yourself up his body; a trail of ghosted kisses – lips barely millimetres from his skin, with the occasional brush against it, if at all. You could taste sweat and sea salt, and you could breathe him in. All you wanted to do was breathe him. He might act like he’d complain at these, but you could hear those little sighs you were enticing through him – and the groans that tried to keep themselves in his chest. By the time you were back to his lips you were gently grinding up on his thigh. Danny Rayburn wasn’t about to stop you either – removing his hand from your shirt (eliciting another desperate whine) he ran it teasingly to join his other at your ass, grasping you to him – the friction between you heightened as he deliberately increased the pressure. You didn’t care – if it was going to be sex on the dancefloor, then Danny could damn well take you now; this was tame compared to what you could be doing to him. And your mind was racing. Your sighs were no longer gentle and your body vibrated against Danny’s as you continued to ride his thigh – hands shooting up to loop around his neck, tangling your fingers in his hair. Perhaps it made you look needy and desperate for him. You had, just like Danny, caught those gawking at you opened mouthed and those quite obviously jealous, and offered them nothing more than a smirk of your own. Hell yeah they should be jealous; of you for getting to hold a man like this in your arms. Despite the way you were portraying yourself however, it didn’t stop you from being the tease you usually were. Danny could run his hands all over you, wherever the hell he damn well wanted, but you weren’t letting his lips touch yours. Oh, you would let him try to kiss you, and every almost kiss you gave him resulted in an equal and opposite reaction. You weren’t allowed to place your lips to his. Danny chased you, and in the same way you’d ghosted his skin, he traced your shoulders and up to your jawline, hand in your hair to aid in exposing the column of your neck to him. Then the kisses were real, harsh, and his teeth grazed over your throat to pull a louder groan from you. This, more than any other night, was the perfect one to be in tune with each other’s bodies. The absence of his lips on yours was making you both whine though: that strange begging for more, and yet denying your partner everything. It wouldn’t be long until you let him take you over completely and all you’d be able to taste was him – your every sense would be dominated by Danny Rayburn. And you ached for that moment; as if he wasn’t already guiding your hips as you continued to grind up against him. It felt so good; because it just was? Because it was a little sinful? Because it was so public? You weren’t sure – perhaps even a little of all of that. The dig of his nails into your hips and the next movement caused friction that had you gasping a little too loud, followed by a moan and shudder that could only mean one thing. Danny immediately chuckled – he knew exactly what he was doing to you, he barely needed that vocalisation, but it was good affirmation. He kissed your neck again before tracing his lips to your ear. “That’s my good girl…” “Danny-” Your voice was breathy, arms locked a little tighter around his neck, very nearly clinging to him now, “Danny… baby…” “Baby girl…” He kissed your jawline again, and then finally held you to him as he kissed you. It was a fierce kiss and your hands couldn’t scrabble for enough of his shirt. You wanted it off; you wanted him to push your shorts down and take you right here, right now – you wanted the world to know that you were his. And Danny deserved nothing less than such a public display of affection. You could feel his smirk against your lips, the swell of your own against his hungry kisses. How erratic the push of your hips into his leg were – but how out of rhythm your body suddenly became, void of all thought but his lips on yours. About where else on your body you may want them… Releasing you from his string of hot kisses, Danny pulled you flush to him. Enjoying your warm shaky breaths against his ear as he held you close in his arms, kissing the shell of your own ear. “Tell me you need me.” It was a shiver inducing growl, and he followed it up with a nip to your ear lobe, before repeating it slower. Voice lust laced. “I need you…” You sighed, eyes fluttering closed, wrapping him tight in your embrace, feeling as much of his body against yours as was possible; “Danny, I need you.” You sounded so desperate for him; you were and you wanted to. He loved it, and you could feel that within him. Exactly what he craved to hear. Despite what Danny was saying, the way he was saying it, and the way you were telling him what he wanted, there was an underlying reason for both. His unspoken uncertainly and insecurity; that only his family could cause, and you would blame them for for the rest of your life. Danny needed to know that at least SOMEONE out there needed him. Even if it was just one person – but he was glad more than anything that that person was you. And Danny knew you meant it, no matter whether you were sighing it against his ear in breathless ecstasy, or you were taking his hands and saying it with a sunshine smile as clear as day, you meant every word and you always would. Because you really DID need him. You loved him. There was no way you could live without him. It wasn’t ‘tell me you need me to fuck you’ but ‘tell me you need me, because no one else does’.

*** Eventually even being lorded with so much attention, neither you nor Danny could take the sexual energy currently running through both of you. It was do something about it here – and maybe get charged with public indecency – or go somewhere else. It was dirty dancing sure; but you were both one small step away from touching each other in places you really shouldn’t be. Danny moved away first, curiosity in his eyes as he tipped his head; smile a little lopsided, maybe even a little innocent. Not that you should believe that for a second. You smiled back with an encouraging nod, before pressing your lips to his. He brought you a little closer again; lips leaving yours to favour your jawline and cheek, before kissing your ear – signature smirk back in place. Danny stepped back, taking your hands in his, and he pulled you from the dancefloor. You held his hand tight as Danny pulled you through the crowd – seemingly everyone swivelled with you to watch you leave, and for the first time you felt like you were getting away with him.  You finally got to be the one to steal him away, even though he was leading you. He kept you close as you headed towards his truck, both knowing that it probably wouldn’t be going anywhere any time soon. You were tangled together before Danny had you pushed up against it again, and this time you let him take what he wanted; you couldn’t get enough of him. Every gentle needy sigh against his lips, those you let escape into the night air as he pushed your shorts from your hips and laid you back in his truck bed. Your fingers tangled in his hair as his trail of kisses ran lower on your body to match the wander of his hands – before he desperately came back to your lips again. Danny was certainly not going to waste the opportunity to kiss you now you weren’t going to tease him. But there was no haste, this wasn’t a quick fix no matter how long it might actually be allowed to last. You unbuttoned his slacks, winding your legs around his. ”Danny…” You whispered it; your breathing heavy – heart on overdrive. All that ran through you was unbridled joy and you pulled him closer, catching him safely back in your arms. His hands held you to him, as close as Danny could get until you were one once more. Neither of you need say a word; you could feel his heart beat in the exact same way as yours. All that mattered was him, all that had ever mattered to you was him. You smiled gently, and realised you were crying; tears of nothing but pure happiness. And you bit your lips together despite the cries of elation you wished to release. They could hold on, for just a moment longer. This was more important. ”I need you… I’ve always needed you.”

---

All 16 done! Thank you everyone for being a part of this years request month! Time for me to start thinking about what I might ask for next May... Holiday fics will also probably happen again this year in December! 😁

[primatechnosynthpop]

Somehow a very simple drawing idea spiraled into me Thinking About Things.... I didn't end up doing any additional drawings for the concepts I wound up considering (aside from some notebook doodles that didn't turn out good enough to post) but I'm putting some ramblings under the cut (ID in alt text)

So, suppose Neil does encounter Yotsuba Koiwai in the field instead of the bad luck demon. How'd she end up in Massachusetts? Don't think too hard about it, but let's assume that she got lost somehow and is wandering around all by herself. Hey, actually, maybe this is from before her dad adopted her... or in an au where he never met her? Hmm, much to think about right off the bat. Anyway...

Neil decides that she's a good luck charm because of her hair and he cheerfully shows her off to Ryan and Kevin. They decide to take her home with them (because they're a bunch of bozos who don't consider the ramifications of something like that)

Yotsuba is kind of confused by these guys and their whole deal ("New kids? Ahaha, but you're grown-ups!") But they make a good impression on her because she's never met grown-ups who hang out in fields picking clovers and flying kites before. It's weird but it's also fun, y'know?

You know how the second scene from the lost episode was supposed to be them building a house of cards? I think they're still doing that while Yotsuba is sitting on the floor next to them stacking blocks. Eventually she says she's hungry; cue the "oh geez what do kids like??" discussion

She says she likes milk so they give her some "milk chocolate" to tide her over while Ryan cooks her something

K: Ryan's a good cook, y'know. He makes a deadly batch of cookies, literally.

N: Geez, don't put it like that, you're gonna make her think we're trying to poison her or something! [Aside] You're not putting any poison in there, are you, Ryan?

R: What was that? Put poison in this?

N&K: NO DON'T!!

It's fine, he makes a normal plate of curry or something and Yotsuba loves it enough that she decides to keep hanging out with them

We already know Kevin is good with children because his introduction as a character is him entertaining a kid and he canonically ends up with grandkids as an old man. He takes Yotsuba to the park and they play catch with a football

However, the football accidentally hits her in the face and she becomes distrustful of him from that point, much to his chagrin

Now clearly nkotr doesn't take place in the same universe/timeline/whatever as the video "MarcoBat16 Visits Neil Cicierega" but I'm going to borrow a bit of lore from that video and say that Neil is protective of his puppets and doesn't want other people touching them. This causes a bit of tension at first but the issue dissolves once Neil and Ryan bring out some other puppets and toy-type things that they don't mind if Yotsuba borrows

On that note I think Yotsuba is just young enough not to register anything about Ryan as creepy or weird. Like you know those stories about little kids who love scary monster animatronics or whatever because they haven't been taught that those things are scary yet? It's like that. Ryan is like "and here's my weird mannequin head and my voodoo doll!" and Yotsuba is like "wow awesome!! :D"

I also think that she braids his hair and puts lots of bows in it and stuff. She's never met a guy with long hair before so this is an exciting new opportunity for her

Neil tries to teach her to play video games and it doesn't work at all, she's still too little to really get how the games work and just hammers madly on the buttons. He somehow takes this as another sign that she's a good luck charm, because ever since he started playing against her he always wins!

Kevin makes several attempts to win back Yotsuba's good graces, including introducing her to Rocky because kids generally like dogs. This backfires because Rocky jumps up and barks too loud, which startles Yotsuba. She warms up to the dog quickly enough, though

What finally does succeed in getting Yotsuba to trust and like Kevin again is him agreeing to lend her some money so she can buy candy after both Neil and Ryan told her no

Assuming that the premise here is just that Yotsuba got extremely lost while visiting overseas, this would be about when her dad finally finds her and takes her home. HOWEVER, assuming that this is a timeline where Mr. Koiwai never adopted her....

After she hangs out with them for... let's say a couple of weeks? The new kids decide she should "start pulling her weight" and get her to help them out with filming their next webisode. She has lots of fun with the camera, but they don't really teach her how to use it (they assume she already knows even though there's no reason why she should know something like that) so all the shots are really unfocused with lots of shaky cam and poor framing, etc.

But it's too late to re-record so they submit it to the studio as like an avante-garde found footage piece and the studio actually approves

After a quick "background check" to make sure she's not going to turn out like Spencer (she passes this test with flying colours because she doesn't even understand the concept of liking things ironically, or know what Myspace is or what onion rings are) they officially welcome Yotsuba onto the team :3 Her theme colour is green, of course

[barnesandrogersfanfics]

Saving Grace - 12

"Are you sure your going to be okay? we don't have to go...." I said to Wanda as she walked out to the car with Bucky and I.

"Will you just go!" she laughed "how many times do I have to tell you, we will be fine! Besides any problems I'll just use my powers on them and put them straight to sleep" she shrugged making me look at her with wide eyes "I'm kidding!! god Y/N what do you take me for?"

"Okay doll, lets get on the road. Stop worrying they are in the safest hands possible and I'm sure Wanda will call us if she has any problems... right?" he looked at the red head with raised eyebrows "you will call us if you have any trouble?.... it wont take too long to get back if we have to"

"Will you both just go! your just as bad as her by the way Barnes..... now go before I use my powers on you"

"Okay, Okay! We're going" I rolled my eyes throwing my bag into the back of Bucky's car, Bucky walked over to throw his in next to mine and closed the trunk.

"You guys have fun, we all now this is long overdue" Wanda chuckled before turning around and heading back inside the compound.

"its a good job I love that woman I swear to god" I shook my head getting into the car, I could hear Bucky laughing as he climbed in behind the wheel.

"all set?" he asked looking over at me smiling.

"god yes! lets go".

2 hours later and Bucky was parking the car outside the cabin.

"wow! this place is beautiful doll" he said as we stood overlooking the lake, he wrapped his arms around me from behind resting his head on top of mine "we really get to spend two whole days here.....just the two us....alone??? this is like heaven"

"Wait until you see inside, its amazing Buck, needs a little updating in place but i like it. Did I mention there's a hot tub?"

"No!! I didn't bring my shorts though...."

I looked up at him and smiled "who said anything about swim wear?" I winked making him groan and bury his face against my neck.

"you are going to be the death of me doll and I've been through a lot in my life you know?"

"come on, let me show you the rest of this place" I grabbed his metal hand and pulled him towards the cabin.

"Can we just stay here forever?" Bucky asked as we stood at the sliding doors in the bedroom that looked out onto the lake and the hot tub on the decking.

"You'd really want to move out here?"

"Why wouldnt i? It so peaceful up here"

"It wouldn't be that peaceful for long with two kids here" i chuckled.

"That is true" he grinned pulling me into his arms "but i wouldn't mind" he leaned down and kissed me, really kissed me! The take your breath away, toe curling kinda kiss....I couldn't help the moan that escaped.

"You okay doll?" He teased making me roll my eyes at him.

"Im fine, that just kinda took my breath away a bit"

"How about we have something to eat and watch a movie for a while? Then I'm getting you in that hot tub"

"Sounds good to me" i chuckled suddenly feeling nervous. As much as i wanted to practically jump Bucky and have him fuck me six ways from Sunday, i was totally overthinking things now.

"Babe you okay? Your heart is racing..."

"Yeah Buck im good" i nodded quickly with a smile i really didnt want him to know how nervous i was about this. Id wanted him for so long and now i was freaking out!!

"Your a bad liar you know that" he smiled taking my hand and pulling me over towards the bed making me sit down with him "so you wanna tell me whats really going on in that head of yours?"

"Its all good i promise. Its just.... god Bucky i want you SO bad believe me but I'm so fucking nervous im starting to freak myself out!" i blurted out and felt myself blush keeping my eyes on the floor.

"Hey, look at me" he said softly placing his hand on my face and gently coaxing me to look at him "you dont think I'm nervous too?"

"You dont look nervous..."

"Im just good at hiding it" he smiled "I've wanted to be with you for so long doll, I'm terrified that I'm gonna be a disappointment"

"As if you'd ever be a disappointment"

"I might be, i mean its been ALONG time since I've been with a woman"

"When you say along time...."

"Before this" he said looking down at his metal arm and flexing his fingers.

"Wow" i said with wide eyes, i was surprised to hear this, id always just assumed that he would have been with women when he was in Bucharest or Wakanda, even after the snap when he was more himself. I mean look at the man!! his gorgeous, he must have been fighting the women off.

"Wow? What does that mean?" He laughed.

"Im just surprised is all. Look at you! You must have been fighting the dames off"

"Nope, ive only got one dame im interested in and no way am i gonna be fighting her off"

"Oh? do i know her?"

"Funny!" He laughed before diving on me and peppering me with kisses.

After some heavy making out like a couple of horny teenagers, we eventually made it out to kitchen where i cooked dinner while Bucky brought our bags in from the car. After we ate i called Wanda to check in on the kids just so i could relax and enjoy the rest of the night.

"Kids okay?" Bucky asked as i walked towards the sofa where he was sat waiting for me to join him and watch a movie.

"Yeah she said they've both been angels" i smiled "makes me feel better knowing everything's going good back home"

"Good.... come here beautiful" Bucky took my hand and pulled me down into his lap so that i was straddling his waist.

"I thought we were gonna watch a movie?"

"Yep.... we are"

"But i cant see the TV like this"

"You cant??.... huh thats too bad babe because my view is great" he smirked that sexy as fuck smirk as he looked me up and down, his hands on my waist tightened slightly and rocked me in his lap. I could feel how hard he already was through his sweats and moaned at the pressure against my clit.

"Ah fuck" he said under his breath but i heard it and it went straight to my cunt!

"Shit Bucky, your really trying to kill me here" i pushed harder against him and leant forward until our lips met in a heated kiss.

"I cant help it doll, you already feel so good and I'm not even inside you" he said as his hands trailed under my

t-shirt "can i take this off?" He asked one hand pulling at the shirt.

"Yeah...." i nodded nervously biting at my lip, before i had time to register the shirt was gone and Bucky's face was buried in my chest.

"Your so fucking beautiful..... i love you so much" Bucky said leaning back getting a good look at me sitting in his lap.

"I love you too baby, how'd i get so lucky with you huh?"

"Im the lucky one, have you seen you!?"

I laughed and shook my head, it seemed crazy to me still that Bucky thought these things about me.

"How about we skip the movie and head to bed? You've got me so worked up right now Buck I'm not gonna be able to concentrate on the movie at all!"

"I think that sounds like the best idea!" He beamed suddenly standing up with me in his lap still, the sudden movement made me lock my legs around his waist and laugh as he carried me to the bedroom.

Saving grace tags @jennmurawski13 @kenzieam

@captainchrisstan @s-t-r-i-k-e-us @lets--be-honest

@ms-betsy-fangirl @damnaged-princess

@farfromtommy @disneylovingal @lbuck121

@billweasleey @rynabarnesrogers

@heathens-takeitsl0w @lacontroller1991

@supervengerslock @barnesandrogersworld

@mariswritingforfun @perpetually-tuned-out

@thummbelina @marvelousstyles

@broco8 @ineffableg-irl @ilovesupersoldiers

@writeroutoftime @ek823 @Imjstaghoststory

@patzammit

[spirit-shroud]

i replayed kz again tonight and managed to beat it in 4 hrs instead of 11 !!! which is rly cool imo, i think i got a max of like 50 deaths or less for the full run ??? i was just playing regularly but usin the prism blade for the cool blood effects, not in speedrun mode for the counter, and i managed 2 drag my friend into hyperfixation hell with me :} but also i have some thoughts and opinions im not rly sure how to compile in a meaningful way, so here’s the like. pure brain-down-on-blog post version under the cut. if this gets auto-tagged into the real actual tag for this game im very sorry for my hubris im just. thinking emoji

so id like to start this with the final boss makes me SO sad :( like yeah she doesnt have much dialogue but idk she just makes me so sad. she’s so desperate and she Knows shes going to lose and im just like. no!!!!!!!!!!!!!! you’re so cool!!!!!!! Please Be My Friend We Can Work Together. I Know A Guy :c like usually final bosses are like weirdly emotional for me but she was just SO COOL and realizing like WAIT THIS BOSS OPERATES UNDER THE SAME RULES I DO was just like WOW even if as i kept dying (and i think i spent like... 3 hrs on the final boss alone lmao the first time, i killed her on my third attempt this run which was very cool of me) i finally realized that she IS pretty repetitive and got all her patterns n variables down super easy, but like, fighting another null who Should for all intents and purposes be just as absurd and powerful as i am, and eventually being able to down her effortlessly, and then the withdrawal affects of the chronos kicking in as well, and its just like. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

dont even get me STARTED on that ‘to be continued’ like yeah there’s a dlc comin but the game mentions repeatedly that its just the first act which has me like OKAY. SPECULATION TIME (what am i speculating on? literally no idea im not even rly at the speculation phase im still in the WOW COOL VIDEO GAME phase) 

and i rly like the dragon/fifteen but the first time i saw him i was just like. who’s this f*llmetal alchemist looking bitch ??? what’s he doin here?? go HOME and controlling him is AWFUL i hate the dragon tape so MUCH >:C but also he’s like. cool. i want to know more about him n his plot 2 take down Juncture n the government n whatever. 

but also i was listen 2 Full Confession bc it’s just. what the heart wants rn. i need to be sad and caffeinated in order to get into the Writing Zone rn and then i was THINKIN like my friend mentioned while we were playing the dragon tape that the song that plays is very similar to Full Confession (which i had sent him earlier while i was losing my mind over the final boss) and then i was like. Hm. these are very similar but have such wildly different moods -- Breath of the Serpent is much more like. ‘you’re going to be afraid of me’ while Full Confession is like ‘i’m afraid of you’ and i think that the different Vibes from these two soundtrack bits about important Null characters is just like. WOW and i wonder how a version of it that was purely Zero’s might be. would it be more triumphant? more flat? what desperation or emptiness is in there that could be drawn out by this melody??? i dont KNOW and i can’t write music unfortunately but im just like AAAAAAAAAA

i also rly wanna know what snow has going on ??? like. shes clearly important. she is a vital npc. but Why. she didnt even rly do anything except Show Up???

fuck V. all my homies hate V. the motorcycle fight was a lot of fun tho i rly liked that section even if my therapist was mad at me afterwards

also i think elizabeth/the little girl is rly cute and the fact zero was just like. ‘hm. well guess i have a daughter now’ so fast w/ her (at least, with the dialogue trees me n my pal kept going down) and im just. So Hoping we can rescue her in the dlc :( i miss her so much and im so like. worried abt that like pls give me back my daughter you dumbasses i cant even read ur dialogue without my brain being like ‘yeah these r just squiggly lines, boss. gl’ 

i also want to believe that the masked men arent real (bc idk, it’s just easier for me to process that they’re the result of chronos withdrawal) but the problem w/ that is like. they definitely kidnapped elizabeth, and i want so desperately to believe that elizabeth IS real n that zero genuinely wants to protect her (and by extension, the part of himself that is still human) 

ALSO THE PSYCHIATRIST i was just like. Okay. I Must Get A Good Grade In Therapy. n kept being nice n cooperative and helpful to this clown ass and then THAT ENDING ??? like i didnt even get the Bad Therapist Ending i was just like. fucka you! attacka you with a rock! (i do however want to try the therapist boss it sounds like a lot of fun) but i just. i hate him! he sucks! find a better therapist zero u rly need one im sorry for ur problems disorder :( like hes clearly a guy who just works for the government n wants 2 keep a leash on our man 

n the contradictions, hes like. yeah ur killing everyone related to chronos so it can no longer be produced ♥ but dw ur special we totally wont just withhold chronos from you as soon as u finish ur tasks dw about it ♥ and its like. Hm. I Dont Think Thats Right !!!! 

also i wanna learn more about what Juncture has going on??? what are they like. Doing besides poisoning water n making lighters ?????? it’s clearly a lot 

also the art for this game is just so GOOD,,, like. i didnt rly notice a lot of the backgrounds my first playthrough bc i was just losing my mind the whole time trying to solve each puzzle but the second playthrough im just like. AAAAA. and the soundtrack? effervescent. groundbreaking. perfect. So Good 

and the GAMEPLAY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! oh my GOD i was SO vibing with it, the difficulty curve was kinda extreme imo but as soon as i started like. Getting It? and started looking at each room less like combat/fighting and more like a puzzle that needed to be solved it made it so much easier 2 get into the headphase of ‘okay how do i clear this’ and it was just like. YOOOOOOOO

and zero is just a lot of fun 2 play as. legitimately everything about him is just so ridiculous. his dialogue options? ridiculous. his design? absurd. the implications that hes like. 22 and just having the worst 10 days of his life? mood, buddy. this guy likes samurai movies and card games and mushroom pizza and has worn the same outfit every single day for who knows how long and hes also a war veteran, an emotionless serial killer and a drug addict. and hes 22 and 5′10. literally NOTHING about those traits make sense together but here he is, just Vibing. 

i love him so much. im going to make a self insert oc that’s just giving him a friend who knows how to cook n is just like ‘oh wow, that’s rough buddy’ when hes like ‘i only feel alive when i kill people’ and conveniently knows how 2 get bloodstains out of things bc i think he needs that kind of person in his life since his like. therapist is conspiring against him n he keeps having 2 kill his friends 

also, unfortunately, i want to get every achievement, which i feel like is going to become hld....2!! where i get all but 1 of them and am stuck at 96% for 2+ years >:T

[miathecinnabunny]

Apartment 42 -- A BuckyNat AU

Master and rival assassins unknowingly live together for almost a year, making sure their real jobs remain a secret from each other and everyone around them.

Chapter 2

Natalia and James stood outside the apartment door, key in hand, staring at each other.

"It's one forty-five," Natalia eventually said.

"Couldn't sleep," James lied, "went out for a walk and a drink."

Natalia peered at him, squinting. "You don't look like you had a drink." She sniffed the air. "Don't smell like it either."

James smiled and leaned down to her height. "Soda, Natalia, I went out to get soda. You know, the convenience store a few blocks away from here?"

"Uh . . . I, uh. . ."

"Got you one while I was there," James said, handing her a can. He thanked his instincts he'd thought about the fact that he would not make it back before her and thought to solidify an alibi.

"I'm sorry," Natalia sighed as James opened the door. "I didn't mean to accuse you, I just . . . work is stressful and it really doesn't help that I've got to be at someone else's beck and call for who knows how long."

"It's all right," James said, ushering Natalia in.

They sat at the table and finished their cold dinner, talking about mundane and trifle things, before splitting in the hallway to their own rooms. Neither could sleep, thinking about the job they would begin preparing for once the sun rose.

///////////////

"Pancakes?" James offered when Natalia stumbled into the kitchen, yawning.

"Oh, yes please," she said, eyes brightening as she struggled to pull her hands from the gown pockets. She shuffled over to the stove and pulled one off the plate next to James.

"From now on, you handle grocery runs and I'll handle the cooking, okay? I don't think I can take another shitty dish."

Natalia rolled her eyes. "Fine, but only because you're right. And I'm only not fighting you 'cause you deserve some rights after I almost killed you last week."

"I need that plate," James called as Natalia left with the pancakes.

"Take a new one," she yelled as she disappeared back into her room. When she returned with four pancakes, James was sitting at the table with a laptop open and an empty plate beside him. "I left some for you," she said, swapping their plates, "big project?"

"Hm?"

"I saw layouts," Natalia said as she washed off the plate. She studied the ceramic disc as she spoke. "Building layouts. You an architect or what?"

"No, I uh . . . I wanna build a dream house one day. I wanna be able to build it as big as I like, as expensive as I like, with whatever furniture I like. When I'm not busy with something or the other, I like to just . . . design. Dream, if you will."

"Oh. So, what do you do, then?"

Before she came back to the table, James closed down the building plans for the Stark manor. "Uh, I'm a freelancer."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. I, uh, work for this extermination company." James nodded. He had not prepared for this, despite knowing the question would crop up sooner or later. "They call, I go. You know how it is."

Natalia scoffed as she returned to pick up her bag and car keys. "Oh, yeah. I know. Listen, this new job I've got, it's ridiculous hours. I have no idea what time I'll be back, but I do promise to stock up the bar fridge."

James nodded. "No problem. If you're late, I'll put your dinner away for you."

"Thank you!" Natalia called as she hobbled to the front door, trying to walk and get her shoes on at the same time. "Don't ruin the apartment while I'm gone," she warned before closing the door.

Once she was gone, James pulled up the building plans again and continued planning his infiltration.

///////////////

Natalia spent approximately ten minutes getting her false credentials verified before she was finally allowed to input her biometrics to the system and then meet Howard Stark. As she stared at her ID, her thoughts strayed to her meeting with Madame B earlier that morning.

"What's my cover again?"

"You've been in our service for four years and you have never once failed a client. You're the best and that is why we have assigned you to Mr Stark. Did you get all that?"

"I did, Madame, but I meant my name, my look. . ."

"You will go as you are, Romanova. There is no point in hiding. This job may take years. Would you be able to hold a facade daily for that long?"

"Years?!"

"Until we get from Stark whatever it is Hydra wants, he is under your protection and is your responsibility. No matter how long it takes."

"I . . . yes, Madame."

"You will wear your graduate uniform if required. You work for a company called Royale Rouge Security, or R2S, and it has been known to provide security to several monarchies and some celebrities. Make it as grandeur as you like, but do not forget to check in and update us so our agents can ensure a solid ruse. Understood?"

"Yes, Madame."

"Then get to work, Agent."

Natalia dropped her ID into her bag and threw the landyard security had given her over her head. She straightened her jacket and walked on, searching for Howard. She eventually found an indoor boxing ring, two people sparring with one another, both so heavily padded, Natalia could not make either out. Seated on one of the two chairs and watching was an elderly woman Natalia recognised from the data the Red Room kept on her.

"Ms Carter?"

Peggy Carter, in all her salt-and-pepper glory, stood up and smiled. "Yes?"

"I'm Natalia Romanova, from Royale Rouge Security. I've been assigned to Mr Stark."

"Right. Have a seat, dear, I'll have him fetched," she said as she walked up to the ring. "Anthony!"

The young boy stopped beating his butler up and pulled off his mask and helmet. "What now, Aunt Peg?"

"I need you to stop sparring with Mr Jarvis for a moment. Your father's new employee has arrived."

Edwin Jarvis was delighted to be freed and happily peeled off his protection, springing out of the ring. He barely offered Natalia a greeting before leaving, almost forgetting his shoes.

Anthony stared at Natalia. "What’s your name, lady?"

"Anthony!" Peggy scolded, her expression aghast.

"Romanova," Natalia said, offering Peggy a small smile and a subtle wave away, "Natalia Romanova." 

"Russian?"

"Used to be."

"Huh. Front and centre. Come into the church."

"No," Peggy said, "you’re seriously not going to ask--"

"If it pleases the court," Anthony cut in. He noticed Natalia slipping out of her heels. "Which it does."

"It’s no problem," Natalia told Peggy.

"I’m sorry. He’s rather immature sometimes."

Natalia watched Anthony carefully as she hopped over into the ring. She knew the facts. He was seventeen. MIT. Best friend was a James Rhodes, also MIT. She knew he loved Peggy Carter first and Maria Stark second. She didn't know if he loved Howard Stark. The Red Room's records didn't go far into personalities and emotional backgrounds.

"You ever boxed before?"

"Of course. I have extensive training, but I'm quite fond of your particular style. Mr Jarvis would certainly not approve."

Anthony grinned up at her. "Really? Dirty boxing?"

"Mhm?"

He scoffed. "I don't believe you."

"How you spell your name, Ms Romanova?" Peggy called from her chair.

Natalia knew Peggy was searching her up. She also knew the Red Room agents assigned to this case would handle it. "Romanova, R-O-M-A-N-O-V-A."

"Thank you."

Natalia kept her gaze on Peggy as the woman scrolled through her job listings as a Royale Rouge agent. She knew Peggy would try to hack as many systems as she could, but she knew Peggy had a limit. The woman was brilliant, but she was a war strategist, not a tech genius. Natalia had full faith that her agents would be able to keep Peggy out.

Anthony was not impressed and decided to show off. "Rule number one, never take your eye off your opponent."

He moved to attack Natalia and without even looking away from Peggy, Natalia caught Anthony's arm and threw him over before pinning him down by his own arm.

"Oh my God, Anthony!" Peggy cried, standing up quickly.

Natalia released Anthony, whose eyes were sparkling. "Can you teach me how to do that?"

"Do what?"

"What you just did," Anthony said, wildly gesturing to Natalia.

"That was instinct, Anthony. It's a skill. It takes years to master it."

"How long did it take you?"

"Two, three years. Maybe."

"Can you teach me, then? As long as you're here, working for my father, can you teach me what you know?"

Natalia studied the excited teenager, the bright look in his eyes, the raw delight on his face. Who knew how long she'd even be there for? "I suppose it can't hurt to teach you some self defence."

"Yes!"

Peggy watched as Anthony jumped out of the ring and sprinted away. Natalia slid under and out of the ring. "You're not really going to teach him self defence, are you?"

"Why not?"

"I . . . er, fair enough. Cone with me, Mr Jarvis has sent Mr Stark to a boardroom to meet with you."

Natalia quickly slipped her heels back in and straightened her suit. "Presentable?" she asked Peggy, running her fingers through her hair.

"Mm, hold still." Peggy pulled a few pins from her hair and pulled back the sides of Natalia's straightened locks, twisting them into a small, neat bun that she pinned in place. "Right. Let's go."

Natalia tried very hard to quell the warmth she was receiving from Anthony, Peggy and even briefly, Edwin Jarvis.

///////////////

"Look, Mr Stark, I understand that you believe you need the entire military watching over you, but it's obvious the United States government cannot provide that. I'm very good at my job, Mr Stark, and I can assure you that your security is of higher importance than my own."

Howard Stark leaned back in his chair and studied Natalia. "They couldn't send someone . . . scarier?"

Natalia smiled. "Trust me, Mr Stark, nothing is scarier than a woman who can kill someone with a crayon."

Howard frowned. "How do I know I can trust your credibility?"

"Well, I've prepared a report, but you can ask Ms Carter to list off my records for the last two years if you'd prefer."

Peggy sat up alert when Natalia casually gestured in her direction. Howard turned to the woman sitting across his new bodyguard. "Peg?"

"Uh. . ."

"Anything to say?"

"Uh, well, Ms Romanova is credited with over seventeen prevented assassinations in the last two years, of which eight have been monarchs, two have been presidents, four were minor celebrities, two major celebrities, and one paranoid civilian. Her training includes mixed martial arts, several forms of pure martial arts, stealth and surveillance, marksmanship, as well as undocumented and unofficial street fighting. She is undoubtedly Royale Rouge Security's best agent and more than qualified for this job."

Natalia slid the report to the stunned Howard and watched as he checked Peggy's statements against it.

"How did you know?" Peggy asked, curious.

"You asked me to spell my name, Ms Carter. Deduction."

Peggy shrugged and leaned back, satisfied. She leaned forward again. "How did you know I only went back two years?"

"Given the length of my record and the time between spelling my name and leaving the room, you can't have scrolled very far. If you did, you would not have caught everything. It was an educated guess."

Peggy nodded and leaned back again. "Well, I do believe Howard is safest in your hands, Ms Romanova."

Natalia know this was the perfect opportunity to ask why Howard needed her protection, why they believed someone was after Howard. She knew she should ask. But she could not. If she did, Madame B would change her task, order her to get the item with no regard for anyone else.

Natalia did not frown, but she wanted to. Why should she want to prolong not knowing? Why should she want to be in the company of these people any longer than necessary?

Why was she latching on to Howard's admiring gaze, Jarvis's polite smiles, Peggy's approving nods, Anthony's amazed stares?

Why?

prev || next

Masterpost

[flusteredmountainman]

Since a bitch got sent one (1) ask only about. my ask meme that I created lol I’m going to go through and answer B) all of them bc i can... its selfcare.....

First 3 answers above the cut, other 47 below lmfao

Favourite of the main 6? I think the title of my blog speaks for itself lol

Least favourite of the main 6? Garbage stink piss man (Lucio)

Which of the main 6 do you want to slap the most? The aforementioned piss man but.... also kjaenfjkfea at times. Julian very badly because he’s just Like that but he’d probably enjoy that unfortunately

^

^

^

Which of the main 6 have the most similar interests to you? (favourite colour, flower, food, drink, season, hobbies etc.) Portia tbh!!! She’s a very sweet spring girl and I also have a fairly similar personality to her. 

Who has the most tragic backstory? Mmmm.....muriel.......... I mean everyone has a pretty sad past but Muriel’s really is something else. The man is Heavily traumatised and I desperately want to give him a hug :(

Favourite side character? Mazelinka.... adopt me challenge kjaefkjnaf. i cant stop thinking about “goat bitch” what a fucking icon

Favourite animal friend?  Faust!!!! shes a good girl!!!

Best/worst of the courtiers? fuck i dont remember any of their names but valerius is. hot basard. worst is vlastomil hands down im kinkshaming anyone who wants to fuck the worm

Fuck, marry, kill (asker’s choice) Well skajfnkajf I’ve shot myself in the foot but. TBH its like. Marry Muriel, fuck everyone else, kill Lucio (full disclosure I only just finished julians upright ending and haven’t played Nadia’s yet so this may change except for wanting to marry Muriel and kill Lucio lol)

Romance or fluff? (Muriel) Fluff!!!!! Muriel deserves all the affection in the whole wide world. He gets sick? Bundle him up in furs by the fire and cuddle up into him with a good book. You look at him once? he blushes. it really doesnt get fluffier than that ++ a lot of his character arc in general is going to be.... letting himself trust you............. which is. so fucking wholesome

Wild night out or quiet night in? ( Muriel ) Quiet night in lmfao. We’d just hang out inside drinking hot chocolate and talking until we fell asleep propped up against the wall in his tiny house having completely lost track of time. 

Adventure or domesticity? ( Muriel ) I wanna say adventure because. I love travelling! I love going out and trying new things! And Muriel very does Not but I feel like getting him out of his comfort zone would do him some good! Starting small would probably be best, like maybe a tramp or going camping once in a while, then building up to bigger trips to other cities once you’ve convinced him you’ll both be ok as long as you’re prepared.

Cute date to the aquarium/zoo/park or elegant dinner date? ( Muriel ) I already answered this one B) I said: “ Definitely somewhere casual!!! I feel like he’d be most at ease somewhere like the park on a sunny day! Pick a nice grassy spot by a creek and bring a basket and have a really nice, chill picnic, and have a nap together in the early afternoon sun. Go for a walk after and talk about Plants (because i. am a biology student lol)  and generally just have a really relaxing time. Give the man a flower? Tuck it behind his ear? and he’d die kjnaefjnaej. Alternatively….. aquarium………. “

Coffeshop AU, high-school/college AU or modern AU? Give a headcanon about the one you chose jnakfjkjaf coffe shop AUs are so cliched but I actually love them for the settings of meetcutes. You meet Muriel when he’s on his rounds as a part time dog walker around the block and you barrel straight into him coming out of the shop when you’re checking an email, spilling the (now cold) remnants of your beverage all over him. You apologise profusely and he shrugs it off, blushing over your fussing and awkwardly tries to excuse himself. You insist on helping him finish his walk with All these dogs, anyway, you like dogs so it’s no trouble, and he begrudgingly agrees to finish the interaction sooner. You end up having a nice chat with him and notice in the weeks after that he starts coming by the shop without the dogs during the times you’re usually around, even though he doesn’t drink coffee. Your conversations with him during these short interludes quickly become the highlight of your day, and you start to suspect, eventually, that he feels the same :)

If (Muriel) turned up on your doorstep at midnight covered in blood, how would you react? Well I’d clean it off.... of .......course............. 👀👀👀

You’re stranded on a desert island; which 2 of the main 6 do you want with you? Muriel of course not only because I adore him but he’s. also a mountain man. Handy. And Asra because hes a good good magic boy and can make sand into water so.... handy. also asra is just an incredibly blessed person so kajefnkjaef

If your apprentice could go back in time and change one thing before the events of the game, what would it be? lucios birth :^)

You’re sick; who do you want to take care of you and why? I think I’m becoming predictable but. Muriel kjaefnkjafnjf you took such good care of him so it’s only fair that he should return the favour. He’s got a surprisingly good bedside manner and is generally just very gentle. Cooks eggs and grumbles that you should be taking better care of yourself but when you say thanks for all his help he blushes and kinda. stands up slightly straighter bc hes secretly happy he can Help

If you were trapped in an elevator with one character for 8 hours, who would you want it to be and why? Jojaefafjoafe ok so. Porbably Portia because she seems 1. one of the least likely to panic and 2. Would have fucking great conversation the whole time. 

Give a headcanon about Nadia She loves romcoms!!!! She would never ever admit it to anyone though, but she’s a huge sucker for romance stories in general. Cries at the end of mamma mia. Uses it as an excuse to snuggle all the way into your shoulder.

Give a headcanon about Asra He’s extremely lactose intolerant but he eats it anyway bc hes Chaotic and gives 0 fucks about how bad his guts feel afterwards, the cheese was Worth it dammit (and I say this bc thats also me kjaenfnef)

Give a headcanon about Julian Had a brief stint in his teen years where he unironically identified as sapiosexual

Give a headcanon about Portia She loves playing with hair/having her hair played with! Catch her falling asleep with her head in your lap as you weave your fingers through her hair.

Give a headcanon about Muriel I also already answered this one!:  “ He’d be really into gardening if he knew how! Catch me digging up all the dirt around his house and planting herbs, flowers (*cough* forgetmenots *cough) and other medicinal plants, and some strawberries for when spring comes! “

Give a headcanon about Lucio Unironically identifies as sapiosexual now even though he’s a huge dumbass himself 

Give a headcanon about a side character/the apprentice (asker’s choice) Nadia’s dad gets pegged

Give a popular opinion that you disagree with People calling Muriel a dom. have you. looked at this man. I have to laugh

Give an unpopular opinion Lucio sucks lol

Tarot or zodiac? Zodiac!!! Mostly bc I know exactly 0 things about tarot, I appreciate the aesthetic tho!

What is your patron major arcana? Oh worm I just looked at all the explanations in the wiki and tbh. The empress uh. dragged me with how much I ID with that (both reversed and upright) so akejfkjfae thats mine

Upright or reversed ending? Upright

Ot3? Me x muriel x asra (muriel has 2 hands and 2 tiny partners)

Brotp? jakjefnkanfe i love. portia and julians sibling banter. the good shit

Favourite non-apprentice-based ship? asriel............................. till i die............. (pordia is also fucking god tier)

Is the apprentice you, or your OC? thats just me bich kajefnkjnafe we living our best self indulgent lives 

Tell me about your Apprentice(s) im a big bi mess and i would die for muriel and thats it really

Favourite piece of worldbuilding lore? already answered: “ I really love how much of a shithole Vesuvia is kjbanefknaefk like. No formal process of trial/law? Public executions just being how people Do things? someone fucking help this city lmfao”

Favourite background/location? ok i really love nopal bc of all the cacti but tbh like. really anywhere theres a lot of cool nature? the forest is fucking good

The Forest or Nopal? bring the cacti from nopal to muriel’s hut in the forest and it’s perfect

The Palace or the shop? thheeee shop. i like the palace but i think id get Overwhelmed not being able to just. be in my own space a lot lol

The Rowdy raven or the library? the library with a healthy amount of alcohol lol. 

Favourite sprite?

43. Favourite character design?  I !!!!!!!!! really. love Asra’s design bc of its howl callback but all the designs r fucking cool 44. Best masquerade outfit?    Nadia’s..... glamorous..... 45. Best scene? Muriel. hugging. faust you and asra. hes so fucking wholesome ill cry...... or just straight up both of his books akjenfkjafn 46. Worst Scene? Honestly any containing lucio 47. Favourite song on the soundtrack? I love Crowd hammer! (predictable) but also memory 48. Best tale/bonus content? I dont remember names im terrible but i/ love the muriel one ofc kjneafkjn 49. Best CG?/ 50. Favourite memory?

[7wanderingpaws]

1st MOONSTAR.

⭐Star Gazers and Moon Watchers🌙. *A GOT7 SERIES.*

Genre: friendship / dreamy AU

Word count: 3.5K

GOT7 members present at the Starry Hostel tonight: Jinyoung, Yugyeom

☔ Weather forecast for today's meeting: Clear, starry skies with no clouds; fullmoon is over however the moon’s light is still strong. No wind but the temperatures at night time are chilly. Please, dress warmly.

                                     29th August 2018

The summer was slowly coming to an end and the sunsets came faster and yet lazier. Sunshine was no hotter as it was reflecting on the people seas that were gently hugging the shores of Jeju Island. Only the sound of waves was the proof of life still moving on, Earth still rotating and lives getting crashed.

The Starry Hostel, as it was called, was very well known among Koreans for its peacefulness and one of the nicest views of the stars. All the astronomy fans would end up reserving a room in this magical, cosy host just so they could properly observe the sky that seemed still and yet all of it was moving.

There was a local legend being whispered among locals that if a true friendship would be made under these skies, thousands of stars would fall and all the wishes the friends would come true.

Despite it being a legend, there were some who would insist that it did, indeed, happen and all of it was magical and almost unbelievable. Those people left the country to live in Hawaii.

“Right. That right there ruined all the glory around the silly legend. No wonder those people never came back. It isn’t true,” said Matilde, pushing her black hair out of her face as she was working on dough in the hostel kitchen. Her hair was quite the curiosity for people who noticed; under the right angle her hair had shades of deep purple.

“Matilde, this is just a legend. You don’t need to get worked up over it,” said Gyuri, the older lady who owned the Starry Hostel. She was on the meaty side and had a generous smile that left wrinkles around her warm, brown eyes.

“Yes, I know,” sighed Matilde. She grabbed the dough and brought it to the other counter to fill it up with minced meat. “It would just be so nice to have such a friendship, you know?”

“Of course, dear, but you do have friends. There is no reason to be sad about anything.”

True. Gyuri seldom said something that wouldn’t make sense in Matilde’s eyes but this time she felt a pang in her heart at the thought of her friends. All of them already left for Seoul to prepare for the start of another semester in uni while Matilde was still stuck on the islands with issues that suddenly attacked her and her family.

A sudden ding coming from the entrance made Matilde stop. She wiped her hands in her apron. “I’ll go answer. There are new guests coming today,” she murmured on her way out.

“If they are job applicants, tell them we don’t want any new workers!” shouted Gyuri from the kitchen just as the door closed. Matilde nodded for herself and stepped into the tiny lobby that was of bright yellow colours making the tourists feel like they were on a sunny island.

“Hello, how can I help you?” She asked kindly as she stepped behind the tall desk and looked curiously at the two young men standing in front of her.

“Hello, we made a reservation for one night,” said the taller one with blondish hair. He was probably the older one.

She nodded, focusing her gaze on the computer screen. “Can I ask for your name?”

“It’s Kim Yugyeom and Park Jinyoung,” answered again the older one. He handed her his ID and was a little shocked to find that he was younger than her. Oh. A 1997 liner.

Geez, I’m old, thought Matilde trying not to show her surprise. Then how old must have this black haired guy been? Don’t tell me he is from 2000s!

“Alright, it’s all set. I see you already paid for the reservation. You will be staying in the room number 3 with a lovely view of the ocean. The breakfast is from 6am until 10am so make sure to catch it. We cook quite delicious food here,” Matilde said with a kind smile, handing them the keys.

“Korean food?” asked Jinyoung with a spark in his eyes.

She nodded. “Yup, fresh octopus all day everyday!”

They laughed and said their farewell as Matilde let them go.

She quickly typed in the necessary information when the doors opened again. A shorter girl danced her way to the reception looking way too excited.

“Hello, I’m looking for a job here-”

“Sorry, we are not looking for anyone now,” interrupted Matilde before she could finish.

“But this hostel is so nice and cosy, I could clean - I’m very good at that - and I also like to cook-”

“I’m really sorry. Maybe try the next season,” answered Matilde with a sad face.

The girl looked very disappointed as she nodded, thanked and left, her shoulders down.

Matilde sighed and looked out of the window. There was still sunlight but she could see that the sun was going down now. The colours of the sky were turning light and tired. Time for stars to come out.

⭐🌙

When it was the right time, Matilde left the hostel with the necessary food and beverage, her notepad and binoculars and eventually the black cat of the hostel. She just followed people around but she was a good kittie.

“Look, Pancake, it’s all out and beautiful again,” Matilde whispered excitedly to the cat, making her way to the beach just behind the hostel. It was quiet, there were no city lamps disturbing the sight in front of her and she held her breath in as she was soaking up the beauty.

The sky seemed a little purple tonight, the shade of Matilde’s hair.

Before Matilde could make herself comfortable in the sand and enjoy her shrimp chips, two taller figures were approaching from the hostel towards her little place. They were talking quietly in a respectful manner and when they saw Matilde looking at them with big, squirrel eyes they bowed and stopped not far away from her.

“Wow, the sky is beautiful,” sighed Jinyoung in amazement. He wanted to take in all the glory in front of him but his eyes could see only so much.

“Where are your glasses? It will be better with them,” said Yugyeom.

“It’s actually the best if you just lie down and stare. Your eyes will adjust after some time,” Matilde said, the pack of shrimp chips still unopened in her chubby little hands.

She was surprised when they walked towards her. “Mind if we join you?”

Matilde nodded, gesturing with her hand on the sand. “Please.”

She was used to talk to the guests. She was quite chatty and was not embarrassed easily which was for some people admirable. Although she had her little circle of friends at Jeju and Busan (where she was studying), there was always a special magic weaving around the guests who would come and stay at the Starry Hostel. That’s why she actually found herself enjoying the company of strangers.

These two were, not surprisingly, no exceptions. Yugyeom was a bubbly youngster with honest and the warmest eyes and highly respectful manners. He was too tall for Matilde’s liking but he was a gentle giant as some dreamers would call him. He said he was entering uni this upcoming semester and he was looking forward to it very much. He was going to study music as he aspired to become either an indie or an R&B singer. He intended to create his own style that would be unique.

Jinyoung, the quieter one, had a pleasant laugh and he was actually older than Matilde by two years. He loved reading books and not talk too much if he didn’t have to. He was studying in Busan as well which surprised Matilde. “I’m from the south so I always felt closer to the southern cities than the northern ones,” he would say. Despite having two sisters, he was still shy around women (Jinyoung didn’t say that, Matilde made the obvious observation).

“And what about you?” asked Jinyoung once he finished his resume. “What is there to know about you?”

She sighed. They were all full of Matilde’s snacks now, lying down and staring at the stars. Sometimes one of them would point out a special sight but otherwise they would just murmur random information.

“Hm, what shall I say... I also study in Busan. But that’s not important to know… Hm, maybe this was one of those harder summers for me so I can’t wait to get out. On the other hand I wish I could stay,” she said and smiled kindly, turning her head towards Yugyeom who was lying beside her. “What a feeling, huh?”

“It’s a very annoying feeling, to be honest,” answered Jinyoung, intertwining his hands behind his head for support. “You love the place where you live but the circumstances make you want to leave it. Sometimes, they even make you hate it.”

“So true,” sighed Yugyeom. “I was growing up in a town not far away from Seoul and I used to love it. There were many kids playing on the streets. We actually used to dance a lot, coming up with silly choreographies,” said Yugyeom looking up but his stare was far away. Jinyoung looked at his good friend with worry. “But later in life, one of the friend’s turned their backs on me when they heard what my family had been through. They judged me and made fun that I would end up the same way.”

Matilde frowned unhappily at the thought.

“I love my family, don’t take me wrong,” said Yugyeom quickly, “I would do anything for them and I want to support them financially as much as possible but I felt so embarrassed at the time.”

“People are stupid,” snarled Matilde and turned to face Yugyeom. He looked at her quizzically. “People are stupid and shouldn’t be taken seriously!”

“So should we laugh at you now?” joked Jinyoung, smiling at the furious girl.

“I mean, you can trust me! But-but the thing is that there used to be this extremely addicted alcoholic and he was very aggressive. Sometimes even abusive if you wouldn’t play the correct note around him. We wanted to help him so much; we were ready to pay the hospital bills, to put him into rehab in order to save him.” Matilde shrugged and leaned back on her back, looking at the stars who witnessed her story. “But he wouldn’t want to hear about it. He would scream and shout, call us all the beautiful swear names that possibly exist on this Earth and do nothing all day but drink cheap vodka. It was quite miserable. He was dragging everyone around him down.”

“Why didn’t you just stop caring for him? I mean, obviously he didn’t want any help from anyone. Why waste the energy?” asked Yugyeom.

Matilde smiled kindly at the younger boy. “For the exact same reason you got judged. We didn’t want people to judge, to laugh at us, to point at us that we are mistreating someone.”

“But why was he important anyway?” asked Jiynoung in confusion. He wiggled his toes, focusing on one particularly bright star.

It took some time for her the reply. And even that one was faint. “He wasn’t.”

Silence fell over the trio when Matilde decided to continue. "After some time and lots of abuses, he became sick. People would talk because they would blame us for how he ended up. Apparently, we didn’t take good enough care of him. We ditched him.” She laughed bitterly. “We were at fault but nobody saw what was happening behind the closed doors. He was a massive cross to bear for us. That’s why, dear Yugyeom, don’t pay attention to anything other people say. Don’t let it get to you. It is worthless and takes your energy.”

Yugyeom nodded, acknowledging her words. “I didn’t mean to upset you at all.”

Matilde let out a genuine laugh. “No, you didn’t. Usually, I don’t talk about it but here I am.”

“It’s the stars, I’m sure,” said Jinyoung. “And I have to agree with you, Matilde. It isn’t important what other people think. The only thing being important is you and yourself only.”

You all eventually laughed.

It was interesting how some strangers could feel so close to someone they never knew before. Matilde for sure felt closer to these people than her closest friends. They wouldn’t give two damns.

“So what are your plans exactly over here?” Matilde inquired.

“Enjoying the night sky, which we are already doing,” said Jinyoung. “We are just bummed our good friends couldn’t be here. You would like them too!”

Matilde nodded as Pancake nudged her hand to pet her. “I’m sure I would.” Just then, somebody was calling from the back porch of the hostel.

“Matilde! Come for the cakes!” Gyuri.

The boys looked up in question as Matilde got up on her legs. “Friends, would you like to join me for my midnight cake feast?”

And this is how the three of them ended up in the hostel’s kitchen while Gyuri was telling them a story about how she started managing the hostel by herself. She was a loud talker as Jinyoung and Yugyeom found out.

“You know, nobody told me anything! I was just thrown into the deep!” Gyuri was saying, her hands all over the place as she was gesticulating.

Jinyoung nodded as he stuffed his mouth with another yummy muffin. Yugyeom didn’t even bother to acknowledge he was listening; he was so into the sweets.

Matilde was smiling the whole time. She knew Gyuri’s story better than her own, but her voice was still a lovely background noise. It was so lively, so passionate it gave Matilde a motivation to work harder on herself.

“But kids, you don’t eat enough!” shouted Gyuri as she brought another plate full of cakes.

“Oh god,” sighed Yugyeom. “I’m so full I can still feel the food down in my throat.”

“Don’t be disgusting,” scolded Jinyoung. “And eat.” He smiled cheekily.

Matilde could sense he had some degree of savageness into him as she was observing the charms both boys had. However, she knew there was something behind the curtains.

  If it wouldn’t have been for them, maybe he wouldn’t become such a mess as he was now.

“Jinyoung!” shouted Yugyeom when he saw him in the school corridor. “Heey, nice to see you!” The younger one jumped on the back of Jinyoung, making him laugh.

“Ah, look at you, you monkey,” grunted Jinyoung, hoisting Yugyeom up on his back. “You have training?”

“Yup, in twenty minutes. Make sure to come and watch after you are done with your literary club,” said Yugyeom and Jinyoung put him down. He smiled at him.

“I will.”

They were walking down the corridor, both of their backpacks full of books, their uniforms ruffled from the whole day spent in school. “Jinyoung, how come you look always so happy?”

Jinyoung’s smile froze for a moment, startled with the sudden question. Yugyeom was genuinely curious about the secret behind Jinyoung’s smile. The wrinkles around his eyes were always deep and there was no doubt once he was going to get older, the wrinkles would be prominent and forever tattooed around his big eyes.

“What do you mean, silly?”

“Just,” Yugyeom shrugged. “You are always smiling and it seems like there are no bad things in your life whatsoever. I want to know what it is so I can also be so happy!”

Jinyoung gulped and gave his friend a weak smile.

If only you knew...

Jinyoung was barely two years old when he remembered his mother cheating on his father. They would be both smiling brightly, put him in front of the TV in his little chair and disappear... Flashbacks of the dark bedroom would appear in front of his eyes whenever he recalled those moments.

People say we don’t remember our childhood. Jinyoung, however, knew better.

It was almost twenty years later, before Jinyoung left for Busan to study, that he brought it up.

“Mum,” he said, walking into the kitchen where she was cooking rice cake soup – his favourite. “Have you ever cheated on dad?”

She didn’t even bother to act surprised as a pleasant smile grew on her face. “What are you talking about, dear?”

“Just answer me. Did you or did you not?”

“No, I didn’t,” she replied kindly, looking at her son. “Why would you think that way? Do you, perhaps, remember something?”

That right there proved Jinyoung his right. How could someone be so careless? How could his own family laugh in his face? Wasn’t he old enough to know the truth?

“It would be much better if you would say yes if it meant saying the truth,” muttered Jinyoung, his mood extremely cold and annoyed.

It was known that Jinyoung’s parents didn’t have the best relationship but they still decided to stay married and live together. Until the guy who his mother had secret relationship with decided to reappear in their lives.

“You are not his son if that is what you are asking me!” she shouted from the kitchen.

“I wouldn’t even question that but good to goddamn know!” he shouted back. He stormed up into his room, slamming the door behind him. First thing that came from his room was a massive bang as his fist landed on the wall, creating a little whole.

The pain was overwhelming but god, did it feel good. Angry tears were rolling down his cheeks.

“How come you are always so happy?”

“Sometimes, Yugyeom, the people who smile the most are the ones who are hurt the most.”

And Yugyeom knew. When his friend said those words, he knew them all too well. Jinyoung was definitely someone to look up to but Yugyeom also knew his own truth.

Before his entire family was the one to be pointed at in the streets, to be laughed and to be judged, he already knew that it was not an ordinary life he was leading.

“When are you finally going to stop caring about what others think?!” screamed Yugyeom’s older sister. “Don’t we already have enough problems? Do you have to create more?”

“It isn’t about that,” replied Yugyeom, too calm. “It’s the fact that we have these issues. We shouldn’t. I am not going to accept that they point at us while they know absolutely nothing about us and our problems.”

His sister snickered. “Sure, Cassanova. Then go, spread love and peace but this world is too ugly for it to care about your pure heart, Yugyeom. You either learn how to fight or you let yourself be beaten up, just like you are doing it now.”

Yugyeom squeezed his eyes shut, not liking to hear the truth. He opened his teary eyes. “I don’t want it to be this way. I just want to be happy finally.”

“And you will be,” said his sister, coming closer to her brother to soothe his aching soul. “You will be happy, once you decide for it yourself.”

Yugyeom sighed. “How do I do that?”

Her smile was cheeky, her eye gaining a mischievous spark. “You just be it. You care only for yourself and make sure your intentions are always pure and honest. This way, no guilt will eat you up alive, no frustrations will attack you because at the end of the day, you can lie down in your bed and say: I did my best.”

“People who usually come to this hostel have interesting stories to tell,” said Matilde as they lied back down under the bright night sky, their tummies full, their souls satisfied. “I knew you guys wouldn’t be any exception.”

“I think it depends on the point of view after all,” said Yugyeom. “Those who went through a lot can see others’ problems in a lighter way than those who actually have them.”

“That’s why it’s good to talk to others about your issues,” expressed Jinyoung, trying to find various constellations with his eyes. “They can give you a totally different perspective about your issue.”

Matilde nodded. “Yes, that’s true! I don’t know about you guys, but it really helps me when I tell my issues to my friends and they just laugh because they can see a resolution so quickly while I feel like I’m walking in viscous circles.”

“True,” nodded Yugyeom and he smiled. “You should meet our friend Jaebeom. He is exactly like that – always seeing solutions, not panicking... I wish he would be here with us.”

“Hey, don’t forget Mark, Bam, Youngjae and Jackson.”

“Wow, you guys have international friends from America?” asked Matilde, surprised.

“Oh, no. Well. Actually, they are internationals but they speak pretty good Korean, right? And they are from all over the world,” said Jinyoung, nudging Yugyeom with his elbow.

“Hell yeah!”

“Nice,” smiled Matilde. “Hopefully, you guys get to meet each other under this same night sky.”

“Soon,” replied the two guys in unison.

[themusesofmars]

Fanfiction Preview - Final Fantasy XV (work in progress)

@ignoctweek Ignoct Week Day 3, Prompt B: (Situational) Reincarnation/Time Travel AU Title: “Time Warp” (tentative) Rating: General (thus far) Warnings: N/A NOTE: This is just an excerpt of what is quickly turning into a novel-length fanfic. Up to this point in the story, all you need to know is Noct has wound up on Earth. He awakes in a hospital where his doctor is none other than Ignis Scientia. But Ignis doesn’t recognize him. And he doesn’t believe there is any such place as Eos, or that Noctis is a prince, or that the two of each other have ever met. The excerpt you are about to read is in rough draft format. I’m too tired to edit it and there’s no point right now because the story is incomplete. Follow The Muses of Mars on Tumblr, Archive of Our Own, or Fanfiction.net for updates!

They drove down unfamiliar streets, past unfamiliar buildings, and suddenly it began to rain. Ignis turned on the windshield-wipers and adjusted his glasses, slowing down as the road began to glisten.

“You can pull over if you need to. I don’t mind taking the wheel,” Noctis offered. “I know you hate driving in the dark, and now it’s raining, too.”

“You know no such thing,” Ignis snapped quietly. His hands were gripping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles were white.

Noct watched him for a moment. He could tell Ignis was tense, and wasn’t sure if the reason had more to do with the darkness or with the fact that he’d known Ignis didn’t like it.

One thing he did know what that a little conversation always seemed to help calm him down. Ignis didn’t like having the stereo on after the sun went down because he needed to focus on the road. But if he just sat there rigidly with his guard up the whole time, he’d have a killer neck ache in the morning.

“So, how far are we going?” he asked, to get the ball rolling.

“The rain might slow us down, but I live about fifteen minutes or so from the hospital,” Ignis answered, already sounding less grumpy.

Noct helped keep a watch on the road, though he had begun to doubt daemons were even roaming this world. “I really appreciate you letting me crash at your place,” he said.

“Temporarily,” Ignis reminded him. “I’ll help you get back on your feet while we search for someone who might know you, but then we’ll have to say goodbye.”

Noct’s hands balled into fists. Damn it, Ignis! he mentally cursed. You do know me, better than anyone! Why don’t you remember?

Ignis softly sighed. “Don’t be frustrated. I’m sure you have family or friends somewhere in the city. The police have your photograph, but we can do some searching online—Facebook or something—and see if there’s anyone you recognize.”

“You really still don’t believe we know each other, do you?” Noct murmured disappointedly.

“I’m still quite certain we never met before you became my patient,” Ignis said sternly, “and I will ask you just once more to please stop pretending otherwise.” He suddenly put on the turn signal and a moment later pulled into a parking lot.

“Wh-what gives?” Noct demanded, sitting up straighter. Worriedly, he asked, “You’re not kicking me out, are you?”

“Don’t be absurd.” Ignis parked the car in an empty spot and cut the engine, then pulled his keys from the ignition. “You can’t just keep wearing my things; they don’t fit you at all. Plus you’re going to need your own toothbrush, a razor… And I’ve no idea what you like to eat, so I suppose we’ll need to stock up on groceries, as well.” He unfastened his seatbelt, opened the driver’s side door, and climbed out of the car. “Well? Are you coming?”

“R-right.” Noct hurriedly scrambled out of the car and Ignis locked it from a remote on his keyring. The vehicle made a beeping sound and then Ignis walked up to the front doors of a large building whose sign read: “Walmart.”

Noct looked around in confusion as Ignis procured a large shopping cart. “What is this place?” he asked as they walked past racks of clothing, an unexpected jewelry counter, and then a pharmacy. “It’s like they’ve got everything here.”

“Essentially,” Ignis agreed. He pushed the cart down an aisle in the health and beauty department and then stopped, perusing the selection of personal care wares. “Do you have any brand preferences, or are you still playing the ‘foreign royalty’ card?” Noct looked at him blankly. “All right, then. Leave it to me.” He sounded only mildly annoyed this time. “It’s probably faster if I do this myself, anyway.”

Noctis followed the other man blindly as Ignis selected a stick of deodorant; a shaving kit with a razor, blades, and shaving cream; and a toothbrush and tube of toothpaste. He left Noct to choose his own shampoo while he did his physician’s duty and went to find the boy an age-appropriate multivitamin.

Next they returned to the clothing department. “I got this, Specs,” the prince said nonchalantly. Ignis shrugged and had a seat on a bench outside the changing booths while the boy chose a few outfits and tried them on. He seemed drawn to graphic T-shirts, and while they were blessedly inexpensive, Ignis also dragged him toward a rack of flannel shirts and sweaters for something more suitable for winter. Noct found some jeans he liked and grabbed several pairs, then they found him a comfortable pair of tennis shoes and some nicer boots. Finally came socks and underwear. “Briefs?” Ignis sounded surprised. “I’m a boxer man, myself.” At last they were finished.

“Satisfied with these?” Ignis confirmed. “Then let’s pick up some food. I don’t mind cooking, but you’ll have to tell me what you like.”

“I like your cooking,” Noct commented. When Ignis glared at him suspiciously, he corrected himself to say, “I’m really not big on veggies, so…anything else is fine.”

Ignis muttered to himself about kids today and their unhealthy diets, and though such comments had warranted an eyeroll or two in the past, right now it made Noct smile to hear the other man complain about his eating habits like the good old days.

Eventually they headed for the registers to check out with their puchases. As Ignis plucked his wallet out of an inside pocket on his coat, Noct suddenly seemed awkward.

“Um, so, Ignis…” the boy began, then he had to stop and start again. “Uh, you know I don’t have any gil, right?”

“Any…what?” Ignis was giving him that look again, like he’d said something crazy.

“Don’t tell me you guys don’t have to worry about money here!”

“Oh. We use dollars and cents in America,” Ignis said, but his tone was more sarcastic than explanatory. “And I know perfectly well you haven’t got any money—gills, or whatever you called it. That’s my entire reason for taking you in for a time. I just couldn’t very well turn you out on the streets of Manhattan, could I?”

Noct still felt guilty. “I’ll find a way to pay you back,” he promised.

“Think nothing of it,” Ignis said dismissively, opening his wallet and selecting a credit card. “In case you’ve forgotten, I’m a doctor; here, at least, physicians are rather well-paid.”

“Oh. Cool.” Noct still wasn’t sure, but after the items had been tallied up and bagged, the man didn’t even bulk at the price tag, so he must have been telling the truth.

Outside it was raining heavily. They raced to the car and Ignis unlocked the doors. They had to toss wet bags into the trunk, and then Ignis jogged back to the store with their shopping cart. When he returned, Noctis was sitting in the driver’s seat.

“We don’t have time to argue about this,” Noct said insistently. “Get in before you drown!”

With a frown, Ignis did as he was told. He finally handed Noct the keys and then strapped in. “I have a feeling I’m going to regret this,” he mumbled to himself. “I know you haven’t a license. You don’t have any ID!”

“I have a license,” Noct corrected. “It’s just…lost. With everything else.”

The prince started the car, then began backing out of the parking space. “Just try not to get pulled over,” Ignis warned. “If the police insist on arresting you, I’ll leave you in their care.”

“Don’t worry, Specs,” Noct said with a grin as he adjusted the mirrors. “You always let me drive at night.”

Ignis watched Noct as the boy expertly pulled out of the parking lot and onto the main highway again. It really did seem as though Noct knew him, somehow. But it made no sense, because things the boy knew…he’d never told anyone. He’d never thought about them, really. So how did he have such intimate knowledge?

He almost wondered if the boy knew where he lived, but he seemed so unfamiliar with even the most mundane things. And he certainly did know how to handle a vehicle during a nighttime storm. But it soon became apparently he had no idea where they were going, and Ignis had to direct him sharply before they missed his turn.

They passed by a low stone wall engraved with the name Honeysuckle Terrace and entered an affluent suburb where the houses were huge and their well-kept lawns were sprawling.

“That’s my house,” Ignis said, pointing. “Third one on the right.”

Noctis whistled. “Very nice, Iggy,” he said in awe. “You’ve done well for yourself.”

Ignis seemed a bit flustered by the compliment. “Well…it’s comfortable enough,” he said dismissively. “Just pull into the drive and I’ll open the garage.”

Noct slowed to a stop in front of the garage doors. Ignis leaned in close and reached toward the steering column. Noct gasped softly in surprise, turning to look at Ignis. The other man’s face was nearly touching his. “Pardon,” the blond muttered, fidgeting with the keys until he found the garage button on the keyring and pressed it. Noct’s eyes didn’t leave Ignis’s face until the other man had settled back in his seat and ordered him, “Eyes forward. Then pull on through—carefully.”

“…Right.” Noct did as he was told, surprised when he pulled the compact car in next to a black SUV. He shifted the gear to “park,” then cut the engine and turned off the lights. He slipped the keys out of the ignition and handed them to Ignis, their fingers touching for just an instant during the transfer. “Are you sure if it’s okay that I stay here for a while?” Noct asked, quietly folding his hands in his lap.

“Of course,” Ignis replied, taken aback. “Why ask, now that we’re here?”

Noct gave a slight nod in the direction of the other car. “Well, I didn’t think about it before, but…I’d hate to intrude on your family.”

“My what?” Now the man was genuinely startled. He turned his head to see what Noct was looking at. “Oh, you mean the other car?” He chuckled softly and unfastened his seatbelt. “They’re both mine.”

“Oh.” Noct was equally surprised, and not only a little relieved. “Oh! Well, okay, then.”

They climbed out of the car and gathered their shopping bags, then Noctis followed Ignis back out of the garage and along the sidewalk toward the front door. The walkway was lit up with garden lamps, and faux candles shone all the windows. The house was a single story but looked enormous from the outside. Noct was surprised that Ignis would live alone in such a big place, but it was a relief. He still thought this was the same Ignis he’d always known, and that something crazy had happened to them, but if he’d found a wife and children in the house…well, not only would it have been a hundred times more awkward staying here, but that would also have shattered his already thin hope that Igis would regain his memories of their life on Eos.

Noct shivered on the concrete porch while Ignis put his key into the lock on the front door. “Just a moment,” he said, and then he was turning the knob and pushing the door open, gesturing for Noct to enter the house first.

Nervously, Noct crossed over the threshold. Ignis followed to shut and lock the door behind them, then turned on the light.

Noct looked around curiously. They were standing on a stone tile entryway, beyond which lay a cozy, carpeted den with a large fireplace along the far wall. The kitchen was located straight ahead and hallways stretched to the left and right. Everything looked clean and polished—just as he would expect any space of Ignis’s to be.

“A hot bath would do you some good,” Ignis said, momentarily setting his armload of shopping bags down on the floor. He peeled his jacket back over his shoulders before hanging it up on a coatrack next to the door. “I’ll take that coat,” he offered, reaching out for the white lab coat he’d lent the boy from his office, “then if you’ll step out of those oversized shoes, I’ll show you where the bathroom is.”

Noct set down his bags and shrugged off the white coat, then gave it to Ignis, but didn’t even have to untie the shoes he was wearing to step out of them. He followed the other man down the hallway to the left. “Laundry room,” Ignis pointed out on the left, “and bathroom,” pushing wide a door to the right.

“What’s down there?” Noct asked, nodding his head to the last door at the end of the hallway.

“My bedroom.”

“Ah.” The answer gave rise to another question. “Where am I sleeping, anyway?”

“The guestroom.” Ignis reached around the wall and flipped on the bathroom light, revealing a large room done in chocolate and mocha with bronze and ivory accents. He handed Noct his bag of personal items. “I’ll prepare supper while you wash up. Take your time,” he added over his shoulder on his way back down the hall. “The towels are under the sink.”

“‘Kay.” Noct stepped into the bathroom and closed the door behind him. The tiles were cool under his bare feet but the glow of the lamps on either side of the large over-the-counter mirror gave off a warm feeling, and suddenly nothing sounded better than immersing himself in a hot tub. How long had it been since he’d had a proper bath? He’d been in the hospital for, what, three weeks? This was going to feel amazing.

He found a large towel and a washcloth in a well-organized cabinet under the sink counter and carried them over to the bathtub, setting them down on the rim. Noct plugged the drain and turned the hot water tap on, then he stripped out of Ignis’s oversized clothing and unpacked his shopping bag.

The tub was large and heart-shaped, but the water was gushing with such force that it was more than halfway full when Noctis climbed inside. The heat of the water felt fantastic after being out in the cool night air in such loose clothing. He sank into it like he was melting, leaning back against the reclining wall and closing his eyes. He felt cleaner already, and the steam was doing marvels to clear his head of confusion and distress.

He was on Earth, not Eos. Conventions were much the same, yet there were no daemons here. People went driving and even shopping at night, fearlessly. The world seemed safer, yet he took no comfort in that assumption; having been born and raised in an era where day-to-day living became more perilous with each passing hour, he could not help but feel suspicious of this world. What darkness was it hiding?

The water was beginning to lap at the rim of the tub. Noct felt it rising above his shoulders and forced himself to sit up and turn the tap off. He was still bruised from his accident and his ribs ached to lean forward, but he reclined again a moment later and let the water soothe his aches. With his arms stretched out to the sides and his whole body relaxed, he felt almost comfortable enough to fall asleep. His head hadn’t ached in days, so that was a good sign. It might take a while longer, but the rest of him would heal, too.

But what then? What had brought him here, and how? When could he go home? What if he couldn’t?

Those were mysteries he would have to solve in time. For now he was only certain that in spite of the blow to his head, he had not dreamed his life up to this point, and he wasn’t crazy. He was Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum, born and raised in the Crown City of Insomnia on the planet Eos. But who was the man in the kitchen?

[theliberaltony]

via Politics – FiveThirtyEight

The topsy-turvy Democratic primary for president dominated political news for the first two-and-a-half months of 2020 — and rightfully so, it was bonkers — but now that it’s settled down, it’s time for us to check in once again on the other major political battle of 2020: the fight for the U.S. Senate.

Republicans started the cycle with the advantage, but Democrats have had reason for optimism of late. New polls have shown Democratic challengers ahead of GOP incumbents, the party is recruiting strong candidates, and, perhaps most importantly given the tight correlation between presidential and Senate voting, former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democrat who has polled the best against President Trump, has become the party’s likely presidential nominee.

The most likely outcome is still that Republicans maintain control of the Senate, though perhaps with a reduced majority: The status quo favors them, and most of the states where the Senate will be decided lean red. (As a refresher, Republicans currently have 53 Senate seats to Democrats’ 47,1 meaning Democrats need to flip four seats, on net, to take control — or three if they also win the vice presidency.) But Democrats have expanded the map to the point where they have a lot more pick-up opportunities than Republicans do, so they have a lot of upside.

Democrats have pick-up opportunities in the Senate

Competitive U.S. Senate seats up for election in 2020, as rated by three major election handicappers

State Incumbent Incumbent Party Rating Minnesota Tina Smith D Likely D New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen D Likely D New Mexico OPEN D Likely D Michigan Gary Peters D Lean D Arizona* Martha McSally R Toss-up Colorado Cory Gardner R Toss-up North Carolina Thom Tillis R Toss-up Maine Susan Collins R Toss-up/Lean R Alabama Doug Jones D Lean R Georgia* Kelly Loeffler R Lean R Iowa Joni Ernst R Lean R Kansas OPEN R Lean R Montana Steve Daines R Lean R Georgia David Perdue R Likely R Kentucky Mitch McConnell R Likely R Texas John Cornyn R Likely R

Rating is the race’s median rating among the Cook Political Report, Inside Elections and Sabato’s Crystal Ball. Races with a median rating of Solid D or Solid R are excluded.

*Special election.

Sources: Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato’s Crystal Ball

The most competitive Senate races remain unchanged from late last year — there haven’t been any significant developments in Colorado or Maine, for example, that have dislodged them from their too-close-to-call status. Instead, the biggest Senate news of the last couple months came in the longer-shot Democratic pick-up opportunity of Montana, where Gov. Steve Bullock’s entry has shaken up the race. Bullock was considered to be the only Democrat who could put this red state in play, and his announcement caused nonpartisan handicappers to move the race from “Solid Republican” to “Lean Republican.”

According to Morning Consult, Bullock has a +21 net approval rating (approval rating minus disapproval rating) and at least 83 percent of Montanans are able to form an opinion of him (approval rating plus disapproval rating). This gives him a leg up against incumbent Republican Sen. Steve Daines (who has just a +16 net approval rating and at least 78 percent name recognition, according to the same poll). Indeed, Democratic pollster Public Policy Polling put out a survey shortly after Bullock entered the race that found Bullock and Daines deadlocked at 47 percent support. However, the poll was sponsored by liberal group End Citizens United, which has endorsed Bullock, so you should take it with a grain of salt.

The special election in Georgia has also seen a flurry of new candidates. After now-Sen. Kelly Loeffler was appointed to the vacant seat instead of Republican Rep. Doug Collins, Collins announced in late January that he would challenge her in November’s jungle primary. (Unlike a normal Georgia election, all candidates in the special election, regardless of party, will run on the same ballot in November; then, if no one gets a majority, the top two finishers advance to a runoff.) But Collins isn’t the only one entering the fray. Democrat Matt Lieberman, the son of former Sen. Joe Lieberman, has been running since last year, and fellow Democrat Raphael Warnock, the senior pastor at Atlanta’s historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, announced in late January that he would run. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee quickly endorsed Warnock. Then, in February, former U.S. Attorney Ed Tarver became the third prominent Democrat to join the race.

With both the Republican and Democratic vote splintered among several candidates, it now seems extremely likely that the race will advance to a runoff election in January. And unfortunately for Democrats, there’s a chance they get locked out of a runoff completely: Several early polls of the race (granted, only one of which was nonpartisan) showed Collins and Loeffler finishing first and second in the jungle primary. However, if a Democrat does make it through to the runoff, he might find Collins or Loeffler to be a relatively soft target. Collins’s hardline conservative views may make him a poor fit for an increasingly moderate state like Georgia, while Loeffler has faced a firestorm of criticism since it was revealed she sold millions of dollars in stocks after she received a briefing on the dangers of the coronavirus.2 In fact, one GOP pollster has shown her losing ground in the last few weeks — although, as always, we shouldn’t read too much into just one poll.

Meanwhile, handicappers still rate Arizona as a toss-up, but there’s an increasingly strong argument that Democrats are actually favored despite the state’s Republican lean. Five polls of Arizona’s U.S. Senate race have been conducted so far in March, and Democrat Mark Kelly led Republican Sen. Martha McSally in all five. His average lead was 7 percentage points.

Democrat Mark Kelly leads in recent Arizona polls

Public polls of Arizona’s U.S. Senate race conducted in March 2020

Results Dates Pollster Sample Kelly (D) McSally (R) Margin March 2-3 Public Policy Polling 666 V 47% 42% D+5 March 3-4 OH Predictive Insights 600 LV 49 42 D+7 March 6-11 Latino Decisions 1036 RV 48 36 D+12 March 10-15 Marist College 2523 RV 48 45 D+3 March 11-14 Monmouth University 847 RV 50 44 D+6 Average 48 42 D+7

Source: Polls

Of course, contrarians need only recall the fate of former Tallahassee, Florida, Mayor Andrew Gillum in 2018: He led almost every poll of the Florida governor’s race yet still went down to defeat. Even a small systematic polling error in Arizona could mean that McSally is actually ahead (most of those Kelly leads are within the margin of error). However, Kelly also has the advantage of being a monster fundraiser — he took in more than $20.2 million in 2019. McSally raised only $12.6 million.

Finally, the first few Senate battlegrounds have now held their primaries, which means we have a clearer picture of who will face off in the fall. In North Carolina, former state Sen. Cal Cunningham, who had the support of the DSCC, won the Democratic primary with 57 percent of the vote. That sets up a close general election with Republican Sen. Thom Tillis: A survey by Democratic firm Public Policy Polling claims Cunningham is ahead, while Tillis’s pollster gave the incumbent the lead.

And in Texas, Republican Sen. John Cornyn’s Democratic opponent will be either DSCC-endorsed veteran MJ Hegar or state Sen. Royce West. After finishing first and second, in the March 3 primary, the two Democrats will face off in a July 14 runoff that was delayed two months by the coronavirus pandemic. (This could be a problem for Democrats, as their eventual nominee will be forced to spend time and money on an extended intraparty fight rather than stockpiling enough cash to compete with Cornyn in this very expensive state.)

Also on July 14 (and also months later than originally scheduled), Democratic Sen. Doug Jones of Alabama will find out if his Republican opponent will be former Auburn University football coach Tommy Tuberville or former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Tuberville and Sessions finished neck and neck in the first round of the GOP primary on March 3, but Tuberville may have the advantage in the runoff: He leads in multiple polls, and Trump, still nursing a grudge against Sessions for not protecting him from the Mueller probe, formally endorsed Tuberville a couple weeks ago.

No matter who wins, though, things look dire for Jones. In a Mason-Dixon poll from early February, Tuberville led the Democrat by 8 percentage points, and Sessions led him by 13 points. Democrats’ best chance at holding onto this seat likely went out the window after former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore — whose profound flaws as a candidate allowed Jones to first win this seat back in 2017 — failed in his comeback bid; he finished fourth with just 7 percent in the GOP primary earlier this month.

With seven months to go until Election Day, though, there is still a lot that can change — in these races and others. The overall race for the Senate could still go either way, and we’ll of course keep you updated.

[shateandino]

HOW TO BE A CONFIDENT BADASS IN AN INSTANT

Confidence is essential.

I’m serious though. It really does make all the difference when you’re confident. It shines through your pores- everyone sees the aura of confidence. AND it’s also V contagious so sprinkle it everywhere you go, you know?

::sprinkle, sprinkle, sprinklity, sprinkle::

To elaborate, there’s nothing better than seeing women in The Skinny Confidential Community THRIVE WITH CONFIDENCE.

SOAR! FLOURISH! PROSPER! ROCK IT.

WHO DOESN’T LOVE being around confident people? There’s nothing more settling than seeing someone who’s entirely comfortable with who they are…HOWEVER I get it, 2017 social media though can be a real confidence killer. BUT instead of throwing a pity party, I WANT EVERYONE TO GET THEIR GROOVE BACK. Like up the confidence levels- kick it up a notch- confidence on crack.

Because you are all unique in your own way. You are you. There’s only one of you. OWN IT.

Before I give you five QUICK tips, ask yourself: “are you as confident as you want to be?” If not, read on & then GET ON WITH YOUR BAD SELF.

1.) GRATITUDE. LET IT SEEP OUT OF YOUR PORES.

SIMPLE. Not much to say here. Be grateful for the good. There really is so much to be grateful for. You are in charge of creating your future. Design wisely.

Be grateful to even have the option to be able to design that future.

As the amazing, Gary Vee says “you could have been a tree.”

Ya, he’s right though- you coulda been a f-ing tree.

So smile, laugh, be grateful.

I’m grateful for this platform, my dogs, family, friends, lentil pasta, Michael’s unnecessary purchases, these denim sandals, & the ability to beat to the tune of my own drum. YOUR TURN! Go…

2.) FOCUS ON YOUR OWN SHIT.

Again, simple. Gaining confidence is not a mathematical equation.

It really is that simple though? To focus on your own shit.

Stop spending time focusing on Sally who’s did not complete her work for the day or Henry whose social media following is bigger than yours…because Sally is doing Sally & Henry’s success isn’t taking away from yours.

Like WHAT a yawn.

Busy bodies are only hurting themselves.

Next time you find yourself fixating on other people’s shit or social media, CHECK YOURSELF. 7 second rule: acknowledge the feeling & move the on from it.

3.) STEP OUTTA YOUR COMFORT ZONE.

Everyone fails. Everyone. And if you don’t fail then have you ever lived? Full transparency here: I thrive off people telling me no. People telling me I can’t do something. Even people not taking me seriously. Honestly it revs my engine. This all stems from stepping out of my comfort zone. I mean the first day I nervously launched The Skinny Confidential someone said “you don’t have a nutritionist degree though, Lauryn- you should go back to school first. I think you should wait until you’re more experienced”

TYSM FOR YOUR CONCERN BUT NOPE.

I did what I set out to do that’s because I didn’t listen to other people’s opinions AND I stepped the F outta my comfort zone.

Step out, stay out ( PLZ NEVER GO BACK IN ), own it, & love every second of getting uncomfortable to eventually be comfortable.

Just by doing that, it will up your confidence levels. Trust meeeee.

4.) HANG OUT…ALONE.

This is my favorite tip ever.

I am alone all the time.

I eat out alone.

I workout alone.

I run errands alone.

i LOVE BEING ALONE.

Eating out alone is a great way to get comfortable with yourself. I bring my computer ( call & check how the WiFi is first ) to my secret hole in the wall sushi restaurant, order a spicy veggie roll, maybe a glass of champagne, & sit with a men’s hoodie on in the corner of on a high top table…sometimes for 4 ( eer, 5? ) hours at a time. CASUAL. It gives me pleasure ( & confidence ).

Besides hanging out alone is cool…& it recharges your battery.

5.) DRESS UP FOR NO ONE.

Dressing up for myself is happening more & more lately. I like to look nice…for myself. It makes me feel good to walk into a room dressed to impress. Not to impress anyone else though, just for me.

A little SPF tinted moisturizer, some VOLUMIZING mascara, brow tint or powder ( duh, of course ), & a power outfit and I’m ready to conquer the world, laptop in hand.

Maybe I’ll even stop by my hole in the wall sushi restaurant after my meeting…I’ll just make sure I have an oversized hoodie nearby.

( By the way throwing on red lipstick boosts my confidence immediately. Especially if the tone is right ).

OH & speaking of clothes? I feel like we need to discuss this outfit. BECAUSE I LOVE IT. It’s so me. From the black tight jeans to the denim strappy sandals to the Lynyrd Skynyrd tee– it’s casual chic & I could wear it everyday of the week. It’s a real confidence booster too because the whole look is F L A T T E R I N G. Anyone watch my latest IG LIVE? Well, this is the exact outfit I was wearing! The whole look is head to toe Nordstrom which I’m sure you’re not surprised about. When I’m looking for any kind of black jeans I go to Nordstrom– their shipping is QUICK AF, the jeans are always quality, AND they’re not overly trendy. For instance, these Frame jeans– I’ve worn them 100 times because they’re a real classic ( big fan of their Madewell jean selection too ). Also you should know I found a $24 version of my sunglasses. No seriously, they look JUST like them for a cool $24 bucks! 

If you liked this post, you will like the podcast– we discuss so many real deal issues…& you can listen while you cook, clean, drive, do makeup, etc.

See you tomorrow. Happy Sunday!

X lauryn

+ SHOP THE POST: tee | jeans | sunglasses ( $24 version!) | bag ( similar ) | sandals | XL hoops

++ this post is in collaboration with Nordstrom. As always all opinions are my own.

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OVERSIZED TEE, BLACK SKINNY JEANS, & A POP OF DENIM FOR YA:

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