#chuck mead

[womenofwrestlingfashion]

Chuck Taylor All Star Lift Sneaker in Converse Egret & Fever Dream from Converse ($80)

[aces-to-apples]

Grey Whiskey: "Vintage: Warden Aeducan. Tastes like apples slices and blood, flecked with gold and lyrium dust."

Ritewine: "Vintage: Warden Cousland. "High as ever!" Aromatic with notes of sweet bay."

Conscription Ale: "Vintage: Warden Surana. A harrowing mouthful."

[mercurycft]

𝐓𝐎𝐎 𝐒𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐓 — 𝐊𝐌

## katie mccabe x reader !!

hi pookies!! once again i apologise for the lateness.. but i really hope you enjoy this.. my little tattoo-lover heart got a little carried away with this, but i love this concept so much and i hope you do too! its a little different than the original idea for the direction of this, but either way, i really enjoyed this!! happy reading! love always - RG! x

i would also like to say! this is inspired by a fic i saw on my feed about a tattoo artist x alexia (i think) and i loved it! if i find the account i will top the link to their fic here!

contains: tattoo artist reader! shameless flirting! angsty make up sex, cocky!katie, fight for dominance, oral - both receiving, rough grabbing, dirty talk, fingering, useless lesbians, top!katie and brat!reader, foul language.

r's masterlist - requests open!

4.6k words

CONTAINS ADULT LANGUAGE & CONTENT 18+

a knock at your door was a disruption to your night time routine - pyjamas already on, makeup off, hair tied back and your toothbrush hanging from your lips. you slipped on your slippers and headed down the stairs, still brushing your teeth when you pulled the door open to reveal a familiar face.

she was in a similar state. hair tied back messily, loungewear on and no makeup accept for her eyelash extensions. your eyes lifted from the floor to finally meet hers on the other side of the threshold

“katie..?”

“can i come in?”

3 months ago.

a notification past 7pm would usually be ignored.

and it was the first time, then the second, then the third. the fourth, however, was followed by a groan from your sprawled-out position on your sofa. although tempted to put your phone onto 'do not disturb' and continue the twilight marathon you started the previous night, you stretched across the empty space and patted around to locate your phone - simultaneously pausing the tv and shifting to sit with your back against the pillows for a change.

katie_mccabe11 liked your story.

katie_mccabe11 liked your post.

katie_mccabe11 started following you.

you have 1 new message.

"katie mccabe.." you whispered into the emptiness of your apartment, crossing your legs beneath you and clicking on the notification on your screen. "why do i know her.." you racked your brain, pursing your lips. you noted the football shirt in her profile picture alongside the blue verified tick beside her username and used your critical thinking skills to put two and two together, chuckling at the thought of your younger sister losing her mind at another footballer dming you.

you waited a few seconds before opening her message, reading it carefully and silently. "that's how i know her.." you replied to yourself, whilst alone.

last week you had beth mead in your seat at the shop, getting a small paw print behind her ear and chatting yours off in the process. you spoke about a lot of things, you're used to that though. sometimes people just need someone to talk to - and who better than their tattoo artist? you liked beth, she was lovely, easy to talk to. the kind of person you would be friends with. she wasn't with you for long, an hour tops and it flew by. at the end of the appointment you exchanged socials and she left with a 'i'll tell the girls about you!".

you didn't really watch football, but you knew enough - and you would be lying if the thought of your name being chucked around between a very attractive group of women didn't make your stomach twist.

you typed your reply to katie quickly. starting with your usual friendly opening, explaining your upcoming availability and then ending with a single kiss. you had no available appointment spaces for the next three weeks, but you hoped that beth really sold you and your passion enough that she would consider waiting. she read it almost immediately, making your eyes widen and quickly swipe away from the message in an effort to not seem like a total weirdo.

her reply flashed across the top of your screen a few seconds later.

'ill take it x'

—————————

appointment day.

it was appointment day and god were you a nervous wreck. you arrived at the shop an hour earlier than normal to open up and clean before she arrived - she was your first and only appointment of the day and you wanted to make a good first impression. you prepared what you would need, laying your tools out on the table beside you and making a coffee - which would no doubt be freezing cold by the time you actually got around to drinking it.

you connected your phone to the bluetooth speakers around the room and shuffled your playlist just as the doorbell rang from the front of the shop. 7:59. you didn't know much about katie, having restrained yourself from going full-on stalker mode over the last few weeks leading up to her appointment. but clearly she was punctual.

as you unlocked the door and smiled to her through the glass, you couldn't help but realise how strikingly attractive she was. her hair pulled into a tight and slick ponytail at the back of her head, a deep green tracksuit complimenting her tanned skin and bright eyes.

"good morning!" you greeted cheerfully, welcoming her in.

you watched as her eyes scanned around the room, studying the artwork on the walls before they landed back on you and a smile spread across her face to match yours.

"mornin' hope i've not been a fuss this early.." she joked as you embraced each other in one of those awkward-but-friendly-first-meeting hugs, causing you to laugh softly.

"oh it's no bother, serious." you waved her comment off, shutting the door behind you both and leading her over to your station at the back of the shop. you didn't expect her accent to be so thick, but the way her voice sat heavy in the space between you had you clenching your jaw.

the pair of you made small talk as she got situated and sat on the leather bed whilst you pulled up a stall and your phone to take another look at the pictures she had previously sent, grabbed a pen and then pulled a pad of paper onto your lap. laying the phone down so she could see as well.

you sat across from katie, discussing designs and what she would and wouldn't like. she was engrossed in the conversation, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm as you shared ideas and suggestions. you found yourself doodling on the paper, absentmindedly drawing whatever came to mind as she chatted about the specifics of what she wanted. every now and then, your eyes would meet hers, and a playful smile would tug at the corners of your lips.

there was silence between you for a few beats as your pen etched across the paper and completed the first sketch of the possible design. when you finished you looked up and turned the paper towards her before you could ask how she felt about it she spoke up.

"how do you do that?"

"do what?" you replied playfully with a smile.

"how can you just listen and draw? it's so cool.." she sounded genuinely bewildered for a moment and you couldn't help but laugh lowly.

"honestly, it just happens. when someone describes what they want i see it in my head and just let my pen translate it." you explained with a shrug, looking at her again.

"well its sick, i won't lie!"

"thank you.. i'm a woman of many, many talents.." it came out a lot more suggestive sounding than intended, mental cursing yourself and begging internally that she wouldn't see the pink tint you could feel spreading across your cheeks. you looked back down at the page before she could notice, avoiding her eyes.

"oh i bet." she added, smirking across from you.

you both sat like that for another ten minutes, brainstorming ideas and katie watching you bring them to life like a magician until you both finally settled on a design. you couldn’t believe how natural the interaction was coming and conversation flowing. you embraced the shared banter between you and leant into her jokes.

the design she had settled on was small and intricate but you knew you could free-hand it, so decided against using a stencil for the work. “right, i am gonna wash my hands and get everything sterilised, you get comfy and have a think about where you want it. okay?” you said as you stood up and ripped out the page you were using, placing it beside your other supplies so it was easy to use as a reference. katie replied with a small “sounds good to me,” and you heard her shuffle around the bed and as you made your way to the sink you could feel her eyes on you, following you away.

when you returned to her, she was sat more comfortably and had discarded her hoodie. the ribbed vest she was hiding left little to your imagination, revealing her arms and more of that heavenly tanned skin to your prying eyes. you tried not to look, but were made too aware of yourself failing miserably when she caught your gaze and you watched her suppress a chuckle.

once you were situated on the stool again, you took a deep breath and turned towards her. “so where are you thinking?” she sat silently in response, deep in thought.

“either here,” she pointed to the inside of her bicep to punctuate her point “or here..” she added quietly as her thumb hooked into the waistband of her joggers and shimmied them down a couple of inches until you could see the skin at the bottom of her stomach- in line with her hip. perhaps you looked for a second too long, or she heard you gulp, or maybe your fears were real and she could in fact hear your heart rattling against the boney cage of your ribs in your heaving chest - but the way you heard her exhale a humorous breath and tense her stomach muscles snapped you back into reality.

“which one would you prefer?” you questioned, professionally.

“probably my hip.” you nodded in agreement, smiling and internally celebrating at her decision. “and as a bonus i get to watch you gawk at me for however long it takes,” she teased, earning a small smack to the upper thigh and an eye roll.

“i was absolutely not gawking!” you defended with a smile.

“oh yeah, alright then..”

you rolled your eyes again and stood to grab a small bottle of sanitiser and a disposable razor, placing them on the table - once you made sure she was comfortable you sat down again.

“i’m going to pull your joggers down a couple inches, is that okay?” you waited for her reply before making any moves closer to her.

“of course,”

“perfect.”

you got straight to work, dragging them down until the area she had pointed out was revealed again - only this time you could see the band of her underwear peaking out from beneath the fabric and it had you drawing in a careful breath. you circled the skin with your pinky finger lightly and showed her the length and width the ink would cover, double checking that was exactly where she wanted.

the tattoo itself took no longer than forty minutes to complete. once you were finished you sanitised and made sure it was exactly how she wanted before moving to discard any disposables used. she took it like a champ the entire time, only slightly flinching when the needle grazed a particularly tender spot.

you spoke to her about the aftercare and how to take care of it whilst it healed, then covered it with second skin and soothed the area - moving to wash your hands and stand against the counter. “any questions?”

you sat speaking for another hour, and you were sure at times she was stalling so she wouldn’t need to leave.

“when do you finish?”

“whenever you want to go,”

“why didn’t you say! i don’t want to hold you up, love..” she tutted and began collecting her stuff. you laughed at her huffing like a child and led her towards the front desk.

the petname made your stomach jump, twisting and twitching in your abdomen as you studied her. the way she moved and smiled, how her eyes pierced through you like she was reading your mind - how you were so sure she actually could see and read the filth behind your own eyes.

at the front she paid and thanked you another couple hundred times as you let her out the door. she stepped over the threshold and gave you another small hug. “thank you again, i really love it.”

“stop thanking me! i’m just glad i could do your vision justice..” you smiled and shrugged, “you’re welcome anytime, just pop me a message!”

“that’s just because you want to look at my stomach again..” she called, walking to her car and waving.

“shut up.” you rolled your eyes, laughing. “don’t be a stranger!”

—————————

during the appointment you and katie exchanged numbers and for days, weeks, months you texted each other everyday. you met for coffee, went to watch her and the team (who you got along with swimmingly) practice, you even went to watch all of their matches.

you had been inseparable since that first meeting, you shared things about each other previously unknown by anyone, spent evenings and nights at each others homes and got aquatinted with family and friends.

after spending so long together, the pair of you had become incredibly close - often sharing a bed, and clothes. you couldn’t help but feel things for her, for katie. your stomach became a harvest ground for butterflies and your heart rattled with longing for her.

you came close to telling her, to explaining how you felt - until one day, it just stopped.

the meetings stopped,

then the match invites,

then the messages,

everything stopped.

—————————

present day - 2 months later.

over the last months without talking to katie, you threw yourself into work and university in an attempt to distract yourself. you felt like you were going through a break up - could you even call it that? could you categorise this into the break up section? a friend break up? whatever it was, it hurt, and you found yourself still thinking about her.

friday nights felt weird now. usually sat on the sofa with a takeaway, katie sat on the other side with her food in her lap - laughing at some stupid program she had put on. now it was empty in the apartment, and you sat on the sofa alone with a cup of tea watching telly until it was time to get ready for bed.

you showered, careful to avoid putting soap the area of your newest tattoo addition on your wrist - letting the warm water run over the skin. when you were done, you made sure to moisturise and then cover it up again before getting dressed into your pjs.

you brushed your hair, and then began brushing your teeth - staring at yourself in the mirror and studying the ink that now littered your arms and chest.

you were deep in though when a a knock at your door disrupted your night time routine - still brushing your teeth when you pulled the door open to reveal a familiar face. your eyes lifted from the floor to finally meet hers on the other side of the threshold.

“katie..?

“can i come in?”

“uh, yeah- yeah- sure,” you stammered and stepped back to open the door wider for her, stepping away into the kitchen area to spit the froth from your toothpaste into the sink and quickly rinse before running back to shut the door behind her.

it was awkward. she stood in front of you in silence for a few beats, looking down at the ground as if she was figuring out what to say. you stood a few steps away, leant on the wall beside you with your arms crossed across your chest.

"why are you-"

"look i dont know why-"

you both spoke over eachother, breaking the silence that sat heavy between the walls. you shared a smile, it was brief, but it was there as you met her blues and waved your hand - gesturing for her to continue.

"look, i don't know why i'm here. i just got in my car and then i was on the drive and i just needed to speak to you. i just wanted to see you-"

"oh god you never shut up mccabe.." you whispered with an eye roll as you advanced towards her.

one step. what if she doesn't want this?

two steps. what if i've read this all wrong?

three steps. jesus her perfume..

every step you took was narrated by that voice in your head, you know, that one that tells you to shut up in uncomfortable situations and the one that speaks to you when you watch something brilliantly but so stupidly funny. you couldn't stop to think out loud, you couldn't stop full stop. point blank. period.

your feet were moving faster than your thoughts, and your thoughts were moving faster than your logic until you were so close you could feel her soft breath caressing the skin of your face.

"tell me not to, and i won't." you said softly

"god, you've always been too sweet for me."

there was no time to register what she said, her lips were on yours. they were everything you had thought of, they were soft but she kissed you with urgency. breathing heavily as her hands raised to either side of your face, pulling you closer than physically possible. your lips moved together sweetly, full of love.

you stayed like that for a few minutes, soaking each other in until she pulled away. lips swollen, taking a deep breath. there were no words exchanged between you, only eye contact - the sound of breathing shared. then you crashed together again, lips connected for a second time in the space of five minutes.

this time however, was harsher, and fast-paced. she was in control, gagging for it. hands grabbing at whatever fabric they could find on the opposing body, a small moan falling from your lips when her hands squeezed the skin of your waist and her lips broke from yours momentarily to grunt out a "jump." to which you gladly obliged, legs wrapping around her waist and her hands finding the skin at the top of your thighs - she held you like nothing, with no struggle as she passed through the hall and up the four steps to your bedroom.

when she placed you back down onto your feet you were quick to tug your top up and over your head, discarding it on the floor. before you could continue she grabbed your hand, finger tracing gently over the still-fresh tattoo across your wrist.

"this is new," katie whispered.

"i had a lot of time on my hands." you replied at the same volume, shrugging. she chuckled lightly, reading the words now littering the skin. "and you were always saying i was sweet.."

"aye, and you're yet to prove me wrong."

"don't start something you can't finish, katie."

"oh i'm very, very good at finishing, actually."

"shut up."

this time you had her, hands on the back of her neck as you pulled her in. grabbing the fabric that sat at the nape of her neck and pulling it over her head, only breaking the kiss until your path was cleared again. you span around, walking backwards until the back of her knees hit the edge of the bed causing her to lay down. you wasted no time in straddling the top of her thighs, arms on either side of her head.

"behave." she muttered, hands gripping your thighs and switching your positions on the bed, now towering over you, arms replacing yours on the bed. mouth moving to your neck, nipping at the skin beneath your ear. "stop acting like you don't want me to have my way with you."

"stop acting like you've got it in you." you quipped back, smirking when her teeth grazed your earlobe roughly. her hand raising to grip your jaw and forcefully turn your head to face her.

"is that a challenge? hm?" it was rhetorical, her eyebrows raised and voice low.

"prove it."

she didn't need further pushing, lifting herself off the bed and taking a few steps back. you propped yourself up onto your elbows to watch, head tilted when she stared at you blankly. eyes flicking to your shorts before back up to your face.

"take em' off."

"you take them off."

"take. them. off. i won't be asking again."

you gave in with a huff, rolling your eyes and lifting your hips to peel your shorts off. biting down a smirk as you lifted your legs back onto the bed - revealing yourself to her.

"awfully cocky there, love."

"as if you don't love it."

"do you always have such a smart mouth?"

"i have a very lovely mouth."

"oh i bet."

she was on her knees then, face level with you. eyes locked on your gleaming pussy, fingers gliding through your folds and collecting your slick before bringing her digits to slip between her lips - tasting you. she laid her fingers back against you, prints flat against your clit, applying the perfect amount of pressure to make your head fall back on the bed behind you with a desperate moan.

she drew tight circles, watching you throb beneath her fingers. you moaned at the contact, your clit already sensitive. you didn't know how she managed it, but she had you falling apart from the pressure alone - and you could tell she loved every second of it with her lips drawn into a cocky smirk at the sight of your mouth falling agape when you began rutting up into hands as a plea for more.

“does that feel good darlin'?” she asked from between your thighs, her lips pressed against the soft skin of your leg, stopping their sloppy kisses for a second. you whimpered in response, nodding slowly. “use your words, love.”

“yes it feels good..” you whispered, licking your lips, your mouth increasingly dry.

“good girl..” she added, jaw clenched when she attached her lips to your thighs again. you savoured the feeling, the delicious feeling as she dragged her fingers roughly against you. the praise made your legs tense against her lips, sending a rush of pleasure down through the depths of your stomach.

“i want more. please.”

"hm? what was that?”

“i want your fingers..” you confessed, dragging your own teeth along the back of your hand which you were using to muffle the sultry sounds tumbling from your lips - biting down against the skin when you felt your face flush.

“please,” you begged, hips rising off the bed in a desperate act for more friction. she shut you down quickly, using her free hand to pin your hips back to the mattress.

“please what, darling..” she stalled, slowing down to an unbearable speed.

“i need you to fuck me,” your words made you squirm, eagerly waiting as you felt a single finger travel down and tease your hole before she pushed into you slowly. her own thighs clenching at the sound of you gasping as she added another finger, curling them methodically inside of you.

she stretched you out perfectly, her fingers moving at just the right speed to have you moaning with every thrust into you. her pace and pressure increased with the volume of your whimpers, back arched into her touch and face buried in your arms as her fingers pressed perfectly inside of you. she curled her fingers to press against your g-spot, mentally noting how perfect you sounded chanting her name. taking advantage of you being preoccupied by the pleasure, she moved to lay her tongue flat against your clit. fingers still moving inside you as she carefully flicked the bundle of nerves between her lips.

a moan rattled from the back of her throat as you coated her taste buds, the vibrations travelling straight to the fire now raging in the pit of your stomach and coursing through your legs - coaxing out a moan of your own.

she felt you tense and squeeze around her fingers, your clit throbbing against her mouth when she lifted her eyes to survey the scene above her. your eyes screwed shut and teeth gripping your bottom lip so tight it was sure to leave a mark. chest heaving and hands twisting in the sheets.

"you going to cum for me?"

“y-yes,” you stuttered, eyes rolling into the back of your head when her fingers curled a final time and she took your clit into her mouth with a pop.

“thats it. good girl.”

that was all it took for you, your orgasm crashing through your body and shaking through your limbs. legs shaking beside her head and cunt tensing around her fingers. back arched and screaming out her name.

katie let you ride it out, only stilling her fingers and withdrawing her tongue from you when your back finally laid against the bed again - catching your breath. she brought her fingers up to your mouth and slipped them past your lips for a second as she moved to straddle you, climbing up from the floor. her fingers dragged down the length of your chin and were replaced with her mouth, her tongue finding yours - allowing you to taste yourself from her mouth.

"wanna taste you," you managed to croak out through the kisses, gulping and lifting your hands to press against her chest. pushing her back and towards the pillows at the head of the bed until she was laid down. "my turn.." you whispered seductively in her ear, lips pursed and leaving small kisses in your path as you travelled down the length of her body.

her tracksuit bottoms were removed quickly and your fingers were hooked into the band of her underwear, pulling them down her tanned legs until they followed the rest of the clothes to reside on the floor. she was dripping, and the sight alone was enough to have you salivating below her.

the scrunchie in your hair had loosened after the previous events of the evening, and your hair was limp enough for her to slide her hand into the back of your locks. gripping tightly and pulling you closer to her pussy.

"go on, make me feel good."

you needed no further instruction, moving closer to her before she had even finished the sentence. you laid your tongue flat against her, lapping her up. she tasted almost as good as she looked. her eyes focused on you and her hand tight against your scalp, guiding you.

you couldn't look away, allowing her to take you as she wanted. moving your head against the rhythm of her hips - moaning your name when your eyes met hers innocently. her head fell against the headboard when you whimpered against her, her own noises mirroring yours as her legs started to close around your head.

"fuck, thats it. i'm gonna cum," she groaned, both hands on the back of your head as you drank her in. nodding eagerly between her thighs, silently begging for her to cum for you.

and she did. hard. crying your name out into the room around you, followed by a string of curses until she finally released your head from her hands and her legs laid limp beside her on the bed.

"jesus christ."

"nope, just me." you teased, now occupying the space beside her on the pillows. both of your bodies coated in a sheen layer of sweat and your eyes threatened to close with the sound of her steady breathing when her arms moved to embrace you.

"i didn't mean to just disappear how i did," she began, causing you to look at her again. "i just didn't want you to get caught up in the shit show that is my life,"

"katie, you could've just said you needed a bit of space,"

"but i don't think that's what i wanted, i just didn't to ruin what we were doing, and well, making.." she paused, taking one of your hands into her own and bringing her lips to press against the skin.

"you were just too sweet to me,"

[m30wk1ttycat]

whoops!

pairing: newt x reader

tw: mild cussing ? oh, and thomas and minho are really close.

summary: you and newt get caught cuddling, even though you're supposed to be enemies.

re-did an old draft. for my enemies to lovers trope fans, 'cause i'm feeling nice today.

you and newt never got along. enemies - that'd be the first word that came to mind when people asked you/newt about what you and newt were. never friends, just enemies. he didn't seem to even want to attempt to be nice to you. there was just something about you that drove him insane - and you weren't sure if it was in the good way, or the bad way. if it was your sarcasm, your voice, how you got along with mostly everyone, you had no clue. he'd probably never tell you, anyways.

though - not that you'd admit to it -, deep down, you were hurt, watching him constantly act the way he did. mean, cold, avoidant, - the complete opposite of the newt that the others saw.

⚝

bonfire night, the day every glader looked forward to. no work on afternoons, the infamous homemade mead - apparently, gally's secret recipe -, the random games you guys made up. it was all fun, way better than being stuck doing chores in the glade all day. so, naturally, when the new greenie, thomas, came up from the box - as the gladers called it -, you were excited, and so were the others.

however, you didn't expect to get that drunk. drunk so much, that at some point during the night, you ended up in the grass, with newt's chest pressed against your back, his arms comfortably resting around your waist as you both gazed up at the stars. for what seemed like the first time, you could've sworn you saw him smile at you.

⚝

all warm and cozy, you jolted awake when you heard a certain runner's voice.

"what are you two, dating?" minho teased, thomas giggling as he looked down at the brit's sleeping face nuzzled against your neck.

it seemed like the greenie's soft laughs seemed to awaken him, judging by the little groan he let out against your - now, flushed - skin.

"my head hurts," newt complained, voice raspy from lack of use.

"yeah, shocker, right?" said minho, who's reply was ignored by newt.

"um," he started, "how drunk was i? we, i mean?"

thomas shrugged, sitting down next to you and newt. minho did the same, smirking. "drunk enough," was all that thomas managed to say, not elaborating further.

newt let out a hum, eyes still half lidded when they met minho's. "are you just.. gonna watch us?"

"are you still drunk?"

a beat. ".. no?"

the two other boys exchange a knowing glance, not lost on the fact that he was still holding you. quite tightly. and you weren't protesting, too exhausted to do so.

after a few moments of silence, you spoke up; "we missed breakfast, didn't we?"

"yeah," replied thomas, who was toying with his sleeve.

"but we decided to be good friends, and bring you two shanks some food," minho cut in, gesturing to the weaved basket that he brought with him, sitting in the grass.

"not hungry," newt grumbled.

"more food for me, then," you said, voice hoarse from the sore throat accompanying the throbbing pain you felt at the back of your head.

newt's hands slid off of you - albeit hesitantly -, allowing you to sit up. once you did do that, you grabbed a strawberry, popping it into your mouth.

"what happened last night, again?" the blond behind you asked, still laying in the grass, only that now he was propping himself up on his elbows.

"a lot," answered minho. "but what the shuck were you two doing, just walking off? together??"

"shut up," you mumbled, annoyed.

"no, really - are you two, like, friends now, or what?" thomas questioned, grabbing a berry for himself and minho while you weren't looking.

"like," he continued, "i know chuck told me that he hates you-"

"i do not!!" newt protested. "i don't hate y/n."

this was not only shocking to hear for you, but for thomas and minho too, apparently.

minho almost choked on the fruit in his mouth, leaving him coughing. "dude, since when?"

"since forever?"

"how come you're always such an asshole to y/n, then?" thomas asked bluntly. "apparently," he added.

"i'm not!" he tried to defend himself, only for you to glare at him in protest. "you are, though."

"fuck," he muttered under his breath. "i get anxious around you, a'ight?"

if it weren't for thomas' giggling and minho's little wheezes cutting you off just as you were about to speak, you'd ask him 'what do you mean?' or something of the sort, expecting something along the lines of 'shut up' from newt.

"i'm sorry," minho laughed, "what?"

"you get anxious? around y/n?" thomas repeated after calming down.

"m'not explaining myself to you," you heard him mumble. leaning forwards, he extended his hand to grab a berry, trying to change the topic to..

"where'd you get these, anyways? frypan's kitchen?" he asked, feigning curiosity.

berries? seriously?

"newt," minho warned. "if you're trying to avoid the topic, it's not working."

thomas nodded, agreeing with minho. "and don't think we'll tell you where we got the berries."

"fuck," newt grunted, swallowing dryly. "i don't know what you want me to say - that i've liked y/n all along? is that what you wanted to hear?"

he went silent, unsure how to continue. hell, he wasn't even sure if he should continue.

"well, i like you too, newt," you told him, voice barely above a whisper as you spoke. at this point, the other two boys felt like the biggest wigmen ever, watching you both confess to eachother.

"right, um," thomas cleared his throat, slowly getting up. "we have to go, chuck wanted to hang out with us.."

minho, too, rose to his feet. "yeah, don't wanna keep the little shank waiting, do we, thomas?"

"yeah, uh, certainly don't want that," he nodded. "have fun, you two," the other winked. thomas grabbed his arm, giggling as the two walked off, leaving you alone with newt.

you turned to the blond boy, only to find him already looking at you. "m'sorry," you could fainty hear him murmur, sounding almost guilty.

"what for?"

"for acting the way i did," he answered, ignoring you when you told him that it's fine. "i like you, i really do, and i know this isn't in any way an excuse for how i acted, but i'm bad at expressing my feelings, especially around you."

"newt."

"yeah?"

"did you not hear a word i said? it's fine," you muttered in response.

".. and, i love you too."

"i love you more," he argued.

"do you, now?" you challenged, a smile playing at your lips.

"mhm," he whispered, leaning in slightly. cupping his cheek, you pressed your lips against his, smiling through the kiss. one specific thing that you noticed was that he tasted like berries.

"you taste like berries," he chuckled, forehead against yours.

and apparently, so did you.

[dancingbirdie]

Would you plz do a fic with Astarion when tav and the party looted a bunch of alcohol and take it back and drink it and celebrate at camp but tav gets a little drunk and astarion starts realising his feelings for them? 😳

I’d love astarion to take care of me after a few drinks 😂

Bless you anon, for gifting me this fic idea. It practically wrote itself and saved me from being bored all day at work. I hope you enjoy it!

A Night of Drinks and Realizations

Rating: Teen

Word Count: 3,120

Warnings/Tags: Astarion x GN!Tav, minor act 1 spoilers, drinking, drunkenness, descriptions and references to Astarion's trauma/trauma responses, FLUFF! Non-sexual HEARTWARMING FLUFF!

Song Credit: The Galway Girl by Steve Earle (I do not own rights to the music, lyrics modified slightly to fit the fic)

************************************************************************

Chultan Fireswill tasted exactly as its name suggested - like the last charcoaled bits remaining in a dying campfire. But, Tav had to admit, it got the job done. It was as strong as horse piss on a hot day. They were absolutely soused from just half a bottle. Although, to be fair, Tav hadn’t been a heavy drinker in their past life, before all this illithid tadpole business had come about. Now? Well, they supposed they had much more reason to imbibe. 

Tav sat around the campfire with most of the others, enjoying spoils from the goblin camp the party had handily defeated - mostly due to the help that Halsin and Lump the Enlightened’s group had provided. They had yet to make it back to the Emerald Grove as Halsin had requested. Utterly spent from the fighting and fleeing, Tav and the rest of the party had opted instead to rest for the night in the blighted village on the outskirts of the goblin camp. At least there were semi-usable beds in some of the abandoned buildings. 

Shortly after setting up camp, Gale had retired early, eager to continue reading some of the dusty tomes he’d been collecting throughout their journey. Astarion had slunk off in search of something to satiate his thirst, leaving the rest of the group in various states of relaxation around the fire. It was a quiet, peaceful evening. Everyone seemed to be deep in their own thoughts, ruminating.

That was until Tav hiccupped loudly, breaking the thoughtful silence that had overtaken the party. Karlach guffawed at the sound, smacking her hands on her thighs.

“Tav’s absolutely PISSED, look at them!” she managed between cackles. The other party members turned to observe them, curious. They had all been running about, fighting, nonstop for the past few days. No one in the party had ever been well and truly drunk in front of the others. There just hadn’t been the time, or the relative safety, to be inebriated.

Tav blinked blearily at Karlach across the bonfire, trying to focus. “‘M not,” they garbled. “‘M perffc-ly fine.”

“Chk. Your tolerance for this weak slop is an embarrassment,” Lae’zel spat from her seat next to Tav. “Give me that,” she said as she grabbed the bottle from their hand, upturning it and consuming the rest of the foul liquid in one go. 

Tav smiled amiably and patted her on the knee. “You’re *hiccup* lovely. I forgive you *hiccup* for takin’ my drink.”

Lae’zel stared at them, eyes widened to the size of saucers. Wyll, Shadowheart, and Karlach were nearly bursting at the seams to keep from laughing openly. 

“I do not require your forgiveness, ska’keth,” she snapped. 

Tav just giggle-hiccupped and smiled again. Looking to the rest of the party, they put a hand to their mouth and stage-whispered, “she’s a little grumpy, that one.”

At this, they all laughed uproariously. Lae’zel rolled her eyes, reaching for another bottle of alcohol piled near the rest of the camp supplies.

“YOU-GUYS,” Tav suddenly shouted in a slur, tottering over to snatch up a new bottle of Chultan Fireswill. “We should have a party. Like, right now, have a party.” 

“FUCK YES!” Karlach cheered, chucking an empty mead bottle onto the ground with a resounding crash. “I’m all in, baby,” she said, reaching for an unopened bottle of Ithbank.

“Here, here,” Shadowheart echoed, raising her own bottle. “We could do with a bit of levity and foolishness, I think. Does anyone play an instrument? Some music would be lovely.”

“It’s been a few years but I believe I can still pluck a few tunes on the lyre. Let me give it a go,” Wyll replied, rummaging through his pack supplies to retrieve the instrument. 

Moments later, he began plucking a jovial tune that had everyone besides Lae’zel tapping their feet and nodding to the music. After it finished, he continued with a dancing jig Tav was familiar with from the taverns in Waterdeep, although most of the footwork eluded them in their drunken state. 

“Where’s Gale and Astarion?” Tav shouted in a sing-song voice, twirling around in a laughable attempt at dancing. “Wake their asses up and tell them we’re having a party!” 

“No need for ass-waking, at least for me,” Gale called, joining the party from the direction of one of the abandoned houses. “No one can get an ounce of sleep with you lot frolicking around the fire.” 

“GALE!” Tav shrieked as they dance-skipped over to him, tripping slightly and smashing into his chest. “You made it!”

Chivalrous as ever, the wizard kindly grabbed Tav’s arms to keep them upright and restore some semblance of balance to their swaying form. “Quite literally impossible to miss it, Tav. Your voice carries extraordinarily well,” he replied, chuckling.

Tav gave him a rueful smile. “I drank, jus’ a lil’,” they explained. 

At this, his face broke into a wide grin. “I can certainly see that. Looks like I’ve got a lot of catching up to do if I'm to match the rest of you!” 

He guided Tav over to where Shadowheart was sitting, delicately perched on an old traveler’s trunk near the fire. “Perhaps stay here while I go peruse our stockpile.” 

Tav plopped down unceremoniously next to Shadowheart, who quirked a smile. “Enjoying ourselves are we?” she asked.

“Oh yes,” Tav sighed out. “Although it would be even better if Astarion joined us. Where IS he?” they asked, swiveling their head around the village square, hoping to spot his telltale white blonde locks. 

“I’m sure he’ll turn up eventually. Maybe he caught himself a big bear and is drinking it dry,” Shadowheart said teasingly.

Tav nodded seriously, “He deserves the biggest bear, ever,” they said, absolutely failing to notice the joke. 

Shadowheart scoffed. “Lovesick, little pup?” 

Tav giggled, abruptly hiccupped, and then giggled again at that. 

“He’s just beautiful,” they finally replied in a dreamy sort of voice. 

And then, “Inside and out,” they added, more softly.

Shadowheart threw her head back with a laugh. “Oh gods! You really are lovesick.”

Tav hummed happily. “I think I am, but - OH MY GODS!”

“What?” Shadowheart shouted, startled and peering about to assess the apparently impending danger. 

“I LOVE THIS SONG!” Tav shrieked, jumping to their feet and swaying about once more as Wyll began playing another lively tune. 

Confession utterly forgotten, they were lost to the strumming of the lyre, spinning like a top that might never stop. 

************************************************************************

Astarion had not planned to eavesdrop on the conversation between Tav and Shadowheart as he made his way back toward the camp. Truly, he hadn’t. But, at the mention of his name from Tav, he couldn’t help but wonder what the conversation was about. 

Stepping quietly around the corner of the decrepit tavern, he paused to listen. His heightened senses easily picked up on their voices as clear as if he would be standing next to them. 

Tav had… feelings for him? Astarion didn’t know what to do with this information. Why were they admitting this so openly? And to a person they barely knew? Was this a ploy? Was Tav banking on him hearing this supposed confession and trying to lull him into some false sense of security? The paranoid part of his mind was absolutely convinced of it.

But no, surely that couldn’t be it, another more reasonable part of his brain asserted. Lost in his thoughts, he observed Tav whirling about the campfire with their bottle of booze spilling out. They accidentally doused Lae’zel with a spurt of liquid, causing the Githyanki to swear loudly and move to the other side of the campfire. 

Astarion huffed a laugh. No, Tav was… many things… but devious was not one of them. He had observed them enough throughout their travels the last few days and had come to the conclusion that Tav was as harmless as a week-old pup to those they liked and trusted. They were genuine, transparent, and… open… to his utter confusion. And, okay yes, his considerable annoyance. 

But Astarion was truly hard-pressed to remain annoyed at Tav for long. They were just so gods-damned pure. As pure as the sun’s rays. Being annoyed with them was like being annoyed at the sun for existing. It couldn’t help what it was. Tav couldn’t help who they were. It would be a mistake, a waste of time, to despise them for their nature. 

He envied them for that. But above all else, if he were being totally honest with himself, he craved their attention just as much as he relished the actual sunbeams he’d been able to feel on his skin for the first time in over 200 years. 

But still, Astarion had no idea how to process this revelation, that the-pure-sun-incarnate-Tav had love for him. Love. Not merely lust, desire, or attraction. Now those he was familiar with.  Those had been a currency he’d transacted on Cazador’s behalf for so many years. But love? Love was an unknown concept to him. It had never been something he’d tried to cultivate in the minds of his victims. Astarion wasn’t even sure he understood what love actually was.  

A series of loud bangs startled him from his circling thoughts. He looked up and chuckled at the sight he beheld.

Tav had found several scrolls of minor illusion in Gale’s packs and had begun to set off fireworks. Bright green, pink, and yellow sparks were careening into the sky, exploding into images of flowers and pixies to the utter delight of Tav. The rest of the party were loitering about, laughing at Tav as they clapped their hands in joy. 

Seeing as this would perhaps be the best time to integrate himself into the party, Astarion strolled toward the campfire. Grabbing a bottle of some cheap swill they’d looted, he took a seat beside Shadowheart and nodded in a cheers sort of motion to the cleric. She raised her bottle in acknowledgement. 

“Come to watch the wonder that is Tav utterly debauched?” she quipped.

“I must say, I rather like them like this, all uninhibited and bawdy” he replied, his eyes following Tav as they danced and gyrated their way over to Wyll, who was plucking out another familiar tavern tune.  

“Wyll, do you know the song ‘The Amphail Girl’?” Tav asked too loudly, hiccupping.

“I do, but gods Tav, I don’t know that I’ve ever tried playing it,” Will admitted.

“Okay, okay,” Tav sighed in a mock-morose tone, stopping Wyll from playing by placing a hand on the lyre strings. “Then you must pass the lyre my friend and be ready to take some *hiccup* notes.”

Wyll, ever the good sport of the group, obliged Tav’s demand and relinquished the instrument. 

Astarion chuckled. “Oh, dear. They’re not about to actually put on a performance, are they?” he asked in a somewhat-rhetorical question toward Shadowheart.

She chuckled. “It appears so. Liquid courage really does wonders, it seems.”

They both watched as Tav began plucking at the strings of the lyre until they stitched together the right tune. After a few beats of strumming, they began to sing.

“I took a stroll down the old long walk

Of the day I-ay-I-ay

I met a little girl and we stopped to talk

Of a fine soft day I-ay

And I ask you friends, what's a fella to do?

Because her hair was black and her eyes were blue

And I knew right then I been takin' a whirl

Down the Salthill Prom with an Amphail girl”

The entire party watched, enraptured, as Tav sang the lyrics in a beautiful, high tenor voice. Their hands never missed a chord, performing as though they knew the song by heart. 

“Did you cast Guidance on them?” Astarion whispered to Shadowheart, as Tav strummed the bridge of the song. 

“No, I haven’t touched my magic since this afternoon,” she replied. “This is all Tav. Shocking, considering how inebriated they are.”

It seemed the rest of the party members were in equal disbelief that their drunken compatriot could perform so flawlessly. Tav continued the song, smiling as they sang, eyes closed and blissfully unaware of the stares they had garnered. 

“We were halfway there when the rain came down

On the day I-ay-I-ay

She asked me up to her flat downtown

On a fine soft day I-ay

And I ask you friends, what's a fella to do?

Because her hair was black and her eyes were blue

So I took her hand, and I gave her a twirl

Oh, and I lost my heart to an Amphail Girl”

And the longer Tav sang, the longer Astarion realized there were cracks now forming in his long-held aloof façade. There they were, singing with their heart and soul, radiating unobtrusive joy. Astarion was enamored by Tav’s utter lack of pretense. He couldn’t take his eyes off them, even if he had wanted to.

“When I woke up I was all alone

With a broken heart and a ticket home

And I ask you now, tell me what would you do?

If her hair was black and her eyes were blue

'Cause I've travelled around, I've been all over this world

Boys, I've never seen nothin' like an Amphail girl”

Tav concluded the song with a final series of strums. They opened their eyes slowly and looked around curiously at the party, as though they had forgotten where they had been before the song began. Astarion thought they had an almost ethereal look in their eyes. Everyone had grown quiet, the meaningful pause leading them toward more introspective thoughts.

Of course, that was before Tav doubled over and hurled the contents of their stomach on the ground. In a blink, that otherworldly moment was gone, and the party members groaned at the mess of ick now puddling in the center of their circle. 

Tav wobbled on their feet, very nearly careening to the ground. 

Strong arms caught them about the waist before they collapsed. 

“Now, now darling, the fun is truly over, it seems. Let’s get you to bed, shall we?” Astarion coaxed, leading Tav toward the tavern. 

“You alright taking care of them, then?” Karlach called after him and Tav. 

“Yes, yes, I can keep the pup from choking on their vomit,” Astarion promised.

“And make sure they drink plenty of water!” Shadowheart added.

“Astarion?” Tav mumbled, seeming to finally come to, blinking up at the pale elf’s face. 

“Yes, darling, I’ve got you,” he murmured, an arm wrapped solidly around Tav’s waist. 

“Oh good. Did you get a beat grig bear? Oops,” Tav chuckled, grinning. “I meant a great… big… bear. Shadowheart *hiccup* said you would.”

Astarion didn’t have a bloody clue as to what Tav was talking about, but he nodded along, charmed by their innocent look of excitement.

“We should drink to celebrate!” they said suddenly. 

Astarion well and truly laughed. “No, my dear, I think we’ve both done enough drinking for the night,” he responded. 

Tav sighed. “I suppose you could be right,” they grumbled.

The two fell into a companionable silence. Astarion carefully walked Tav up the steps of the tavern and guided them toward an old boarding room near the back. There was a bed there, mostly left untouched by grime and pests. In any case, it was a more favorable alternative to sleeping on the ground.

Gently, Astarion pushed Tav to sit down on the edge of the bed. Crouching to his knees, he began pulling their boots off their feet. Tav watched in a daze before lifting a hand to cup Astarion’s cheek. 

Concentrating on the laces of Tav’s boots, he hadn’t been expecting their touch. He jumped slightly in surprise. Casual touches were not something he was used to. 

At his response, Tav removed their hand from his skin but kept it floating there in the air, as if unsure what to do. 

“Sorry,” they murmured. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Astarion held their gaze, pondering them thoughtfully. After a moment, he took Tav’s hand and returned it to his cheek. 

“It’s all right,” he said quietly. “I’m beginning not to mind those touches from you.”

Tav gave him a sleepy smile. “Thank you, Astarion,” they whispered and began to slump over onto the bed. 

“No no, not yet you don’t,” Astarion said hastily, rising to his feet and walking over to fetch a carafe of water from his pack. 

“Here. Drink all of this,” he said, extending the bottle to Tav.

“I don’t want water,” they said, frowning. 

“Trust me, darling, you’ll thank me for it in the morning,” Astarion chuckled. 

Tav gave a sullen huff. “Fine, but only because you asked.”

They downed the carafe in a couple of drinks before collapsing back onto the bed. 

Satisfied that Tav wouldn’t perish from alcohol poisoning - at least not tonight - Astarion made to leave the room. A quiet voice gave him pause just as he was about to cross the threshold. 

“Could you stay with me, please?” Tav whispered, watching Astarion through half-closed eyes. 

Astarion balked inwardly. Staying in the same bed with Tav would mean something. To Tav. To him. Was he prepared for that? What would Tav expect from him then, in the days that followed? Was this a step toward some kind of commitment? Did he want that?

As the seconds ticked by, he watched Tav’s eyelids close completely. They may not have even been aware that they had uttered that request aloud. They certainly weren’t aware of the effect it had on Astarion. He could just as easily pretend not to have heard them and walk out the door, leaving things as they were between them now: a curious potential.

But watching Tav’s chest slowly rise and fall with peaceful breaths, Astarion felt that craving again. The desire to be in the warm sun. To be touched by the sun’s rays. 

Fears be damned, he thought. At least for tonight. He could have this moment, he reasoned. He could have this one night. 

And, climbing into bed next to Tav, a part of him thrilled at the way their body turned and curled into his. The complete and total trust they had in him, that he wouldn’t harm them. That he - Astarion - was a safe harbor in which they could rest. 

The realization was too much to take in. So foreign. His mind couldn’t make sense of it. 

But, as he lay there in the quiet, his hand gently brushing Tav’s locks back from their forehead, listening to their even breaths, Astarion knew one thing. Whatever this new feeling was that Tav was drawing out of him? He wanted more than just a few stolen moments of it.

[clonefandomevents]

Trans Clone Week 2024 Prompts!

Prompts are here! We have three prompts, a quote prompt, an image prompt and a battalion prompt for the first 6 days! Choose one, choose them all! Day 7 is a free day, anything you like or a prompt you couldn't decide between for an earlier day.

Day 1- July 14th:

Kamino Guard-

-Cadets

-Gender Affirming Technology

-Snuggling

-"For my part, I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream." Vincent Van Goh

('Becoming' banner by Jasper Alexander- https://www.tumblr.com/sunshineprincejeremyknox/744761034799202304?source=share)

Day 2- July 15th:

212th-

-Trans Commander

-Gender Affirming Dirty Talk

-Intimacy

-"Will I be something? Am I something? And the answer comes: You already are. You always were. And you still have time to be." Anis Mojgani, from “Here I Am”, Songs from Under the River: A Collection of Poetry

(A State of Mind by Robert W. Chambers- https://images.app.goo.gl/7BF1f723M5GKoGJDA)

Day 3- July 16th:

501st-

-Clone Gender Expression vs Other's Expectations

-Vod'e Cultural Gender Markers

-Tattoos

-"God has given you one face, and you make yourself another." - Shakespeare

(Barbie and Ken- https://images.app.goo.gl/4LEZ424od96RffeY7)

Day 4- July 17th:

104th-

-During Wartime

-Trans4Trans

-Hair Braiding

-"Invigorated by the possibility of reinventing my own body. The meaning was mine, as long as I was with those who had the vision and vocabulary to understand my creation." -Nick Krieger

(https://www.tumblr.com/sunshineprincejeremyknox/722124686135361536?source=share)

Day 5-July 18th:

Coruscant Guard-

-A Senator/Natborn Finds Out

-Internalized Transphobia

-Nightclubs(79's)

-"Nothing of me is original. I am the combined effort of everyone I've ever known." -Chuck Palahniuk

(https://www.tumblr.com/sunshineprincejeremyknox/742328449316880384?source=share)

Day 6- July 19th:

Original Units-

-After the War

-Gender Euphoria

-Community

-“Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.” -Margaret Mead

(https://www.tumblr.com/sunshineprincejeremyknox/722349367302012929?source=share)

Day 7-July 20th:

Free Day!! Create any and everything for your favorite clones!

[vaspider]

Hey! Long time follower first time asker- is there a tag for your canning content?! I love it and I dream of one day having the space to do it. Currently I am happily making an absurd amount of mead.

Also if you have any tips on storing chicken stock I will be in your debt to hear them.

Have a good day!

No, but I should come up with a tag for it, since APPARENTLY I have a new special interest, which everyone else in my house figured out before I did.

Okay, I have one now, and it's on this post.

As far as chicken stock is concerned, unless you're going to invest in a pressure canner*, the only way you can safely store it is in the freezer. When I've done this in the past with stock I've made, I've cooked the broth down until its really really concentrated, then allowed the broth to cool until I can put it in the fridge without melting any plastic. Then I filled an ice cube tray with the chilled, concentrated broth, and put the cubes in a (labeled!! You will forget what's in the bag and when you made it!!) Ziploc bag and put it in the freezer.

Because you cooked it down to a concentrate, it'll take up less space in your freezer, and you can just chuck one of those hyper-concentrated cubes in a pot of boiling water to make stock!

* anything containing meat and low-acid foods must be canned using a pressure canner. Failure to use the right tools for the job can lead to botulism and that shit can be fatal. Always follow canning recipes precisely.

[dalishthunder]

Throw a Dart at the Map (p4)

Pairing: Nebarra/LDB (gender neutral reader) Rating: Explicit Words: 1938 Additional Info: Pure, unadulterated smut for all you horny people out there, breath play, Nebarra is a lil shit (affectionate)

Nebarra pulled back just enough to look into your eyes, drinking in the desire, the longing there. And you smiled up at him, hands cupping his cheeks before pulling him in for another kiss. He slid his tongue along your lower lip, and you let him in.

Your tongue curled against his as he pressed deeper, exploring your mouth. And while normally he found the taste of mead to be unpleasant... in your mouth it was as intoxicating as the finest wines. Your hand slid down to tangle with his, fingers lacing together. Nebarra pushed them above your head, pulling back just enough to breathe out, "Tell me how you want me."

"Just want you." You pressed a chaste kiss to his lips. "However you wish to have me."

He kissed your cheek before leading a trail to your ear, "Well, in that case, I can think of several ways."

The way you flushed under his touch made something stir in his heart that he was sure had been dormant…. But he supposed that a lot of what you did awakened things in him that he’d tamped down and stomped out.

He ground against you, reveling in your shiver, pressing a kiss to your jaw and catching your wrists in one hand while the other played with the hem of your shirt. You wrapped a leg around his waist and whatever hesitation he had left fled.

How long had he wanted this? To have you? To hold you? To claim you as his own?

And you… you wanted him.

For how long? How long had he been denying you both?

Oh, Old Soldier how… blind was he?

He kissed down your neck, nipping and sucking, and committing to memory the way your body arched against his. Your skin was warm in his hand as he slid his palm under your shirt and up your abdomen, cupping your chest before giving a firm squeeze. You bucked your hips up against him and he could already feel himself growing hard; Pants quickly becoming too tight.

Nebarra pinched a nipple, biting down hard at the juncture between your neck and your shoulder and you cried out his name, writhing under him. He soothed it with his tongue, knowing full well how beautiful the bruise would look on your skin tomorrow, before licking a stripe back up to your ear.

"Any way I'd like to have you?" He purred, grinding down so you could feel him through the fabric, relishing in the throaty moan you gave him. "I hope you understand what you're in for, Dragonborn."

You just threw your other leg over his hip, bucking up against him again, turning your head to kiss his cheek. You nipped at his earlobe, and he let out a soft chuckle. "The only thing I don't understand is what you're waiting for."

"Patience."

He sat up a bit, grinning down at you, admiring his handiwork so far. The hunger in your eyes was unmistakable, and it was all he could do not to tear off your clothes and pound you into the bedframe right then and there. But he had intended to show you what your fake honeymoon had been like and he had plans.

Patience.

He used his free hand to push up your shirt, exposing you to the cold night air before lowering his head to swirl his tongue around your nipple. Your legs tightened around him, and you arched your back. His teeth scraped against your skin as he nipped down the side, hand coming down to squeeze your ass.

He fumbled with your belt buckle for a moment before the clasp came undone, and you loosened your legs a bit to give him enough room to slip his hand into your pants, teasing you over your underwear. Finally Nebarra released your wrists, and you immediately chucked off your shirt, attempting to relieve him of his own not long after.

What sort of husband would he be if he couldn't oblige such a simple request?

He pulled it over his head, and you ran your hands along his chest, down his abdomen and back up. Your lips found his neck, sucking his skin before biting down. Hard.

"Naughty thing, I should be putting you in your place." He murmured, pressing a kiss to your lips, catching the bottom one between his teeth. You shivered under him, and he dragged his tongue over. "But I suppose I do have a bit of a soft spot for you so maybe I can overlook it this time."

"Well I can think of a hard spot you have for me too." You grinned as though you had just said the cleverest thing in the world, and his hand wrapped gently around your throat.

"It seems I spoke too soon." He gave a tentative squeeze, just enough to make it a little harder to breathe, testing the waters.

Your surprise melted into a heated gaze and you licked your lips.

"Now what am I to do with you, my darling spouse?" He trailed his blunt nails down your side, "I can really only think of one way to jog your memory, but that would require giving you exactly what you want, and we can't have that, now can we?"

You opened your mouth to say something, but his hand tightened, cutting off your air for a moment before relaxing his grip.

"I'm sorry, Dear, I didn't quite catch that."

You just reached up and tweaked his nipples.

Nebarra resisted the urge to kiss you again, instead sliding his free hand into your pants again to tease you over your underwear. You ground against his palm, eyes fluttering closed as your head fell back.

"C'mon, Cor." You moaned, "I need you."

He tightened his grip around your throat again, and you writhed against him all the harder, arms wrapping around him, nails digging into his back and surely leaving red stripes. He relaxed his grip again and you panted.

"What's the magic word?" His voice was lilting, fingers teasing.

"Please, Cor. Never wanted anyone so much."

"Not even your akaviri lapdog?"

You shook your head.

"Not your lovely little lizard."

You shook your head again.

"Not even that wizard in Markarth?"

"Only you."

He pressed a kiss to your lips, letting you go to pull off your pants.

"How could I truly want anyone but my husband?" You whispered with a grin, helping him by kicking off your underwear.

Something settled in his gut that he couldn't quite put a name to, both familiar and not. Like seeing a childhood friend all grown up... or visiting a hometown after being away for thirty years. He swallowed, pushing you into the mattress and kissing you hard. You moaned into his mouth, eyes full of fondness and an emotion he... couldn't place... didn't want to place... when he pulled away.

Your fingers laced through his hair, giving it a tug, and he let out a low moan.

His hand slid up your leg, along the inside of your thigh, touching and teasing you without any barriers, working you into a writhing mess. He pulled back after a moment, reaching over his bed and fishing around in his pack, finally pulling out a health potion and pouring a little bit of the viscous liquid onto his fingers, and working a digit into your entrance. He gave a few shallow pumps, drinking in the way your back arched for him.

"Cor, please."

A second finger slid in next to the first keeping a slow, languid pace. "Please, what?"

"Harder."

"Are you sure, Dragonborn?" He nipped at your ear, feeling your emphatic nod. Nebarra upped the pace, scissoring his fingers as you panted and moaned and pulled his hair. He could hear the buildup, the way your body twitched around him, and as you keened a soft "There!" he pulled out and made sure to avoid touching you where you needed it the most.

You huffed in frustration, shooting him an annoyed look. "Gods, why did you stop?"

"I thought it would be obvious, Dear." He gripped your chin, locking eyes with yours. "I want you to come undone on my cock."

You swallowed, eyes wide as you gave a very small, quick nod. Nebarra pulled his pants down, the way your eyes followed his cock as it bobbed free from its confines was impossible to miss. He grabbed the healing potion again, pouring it over your entrance and his shaft before lining his tip up with you.

He leaned down to press a kiss to your temple.

Gods he really was getting sentimental wasn't he....

He gave a shallow thrust, only enough for his head to slip in and you gasped, wrapping your legs around him and urging him deeper. He steadied your hips with his hands though, focusing on the feeling of your tight hole around him.

"Patience," He breathed, though he wasn't quite sure if it was for you or him at this point.

"Please, please, pleasepleaseple-"

Nebarra snapped his hips, sheathing himself in one go, your babbling erupting into a high keen. The way you twitched around him, warm and slick... he only managed to hold a slow pace for a moment or so, steadily working his up until he was panting as hard as you were. He did his best to remember where you'd been most sensitive, his suspicions being confirmed as you cried out his name, fingers curling roughly in his hair.

He let out a pleasured hiss, "This hard enough for you?"

You nodded, kissing every square inch of skin you could find, and he nuzzled into your neck, leaving another vicious bite on the other side. He pulled back just enough to slide your legs up, ankles over his shoulders as he folded you in half, pounding you deeper with the new angle, doing his best to hit your sweet spot over and over. You clenched around him like a vice and his hips stuttered for a moment before hitting his stride again.

If your babbling was anything to go off of you were close, another few thrusts sending you over the edge as you spasmed around him, calling his name out into the night for everyone to hear.... If anyone had been around.

But he didn't let up even as you started to come down from the high, chasing his own. He was close too....

Your fingernails bit into his back, clearly on the verge of overstimulation.... But he was so, so close.

And then it hit, and he pulled out, stroking himself a few times as he spilled himself in ropes on your stomach.

You looked up at him, slack-jawed, panting, thoroughly debauched; The bite marks beginning to bloom into beautiful bruises; Your eyes filled with something soft as you reached up a hand, fingers gently tracing along his cheek, his jaw, his ear before tucking some hair out of his face. And you leaned up to kiss him, soft and long. He returned it without hesitation.

You pulled him close, and he slumped against you, ignoring the stickiness of his own seed on his belly. "That jog your memory?"

You snickered. "I think so.... But I'm sure my memory will need more jogging in a bit."

He nipped at your skin, "Give me a minute and I can remind you as many times as you need."

Your laugh echoed throughout the cabin and he held you close, savoring the moment.

Throw a dart at the map indeed... because wherever you chose to go, he would be right there by your side.

[clatterbane]

This evening's cooking project underway: Turn a leftover baked half-chicken carcass and pan drippings plus a chicken leg quarter out of the freezer into broth. (Plus a leg's worth of meat to use.)

Likely going to simmer it until the leg is done and tender, then pull that out, strip the meat off, and chuck those bones back in the pot to go longer with the rest. That approach has worked well in past.

Then it's eventually time to turn some of the resulting broth into yummy soupy goodness, and stick the rest in the fridge to use over the next few days.

Soup of the day details yet to be determined. Though they will probably involve some other leftovers.

Mr. C took off this morning for the wars, with his swords and more than a little homebrew mead. This year's SCA Double Wars, in fact. 😁 So, I immediately start stewing up shit that only I would really find appealing. (I mean, he's fine with chicken broth, just not most of what I have in mind to do with it.)

Really need to roll out after some more zucchini, eggplant, okra and maybe some nice fresh fish from the seafood stall at the shopping center. Maybe tomorrow. In the meantime, I do also have some chicken livers in the freezer, besides pinto beans and plenty of cornmeal.

[tfc2211]

Whiskey And Rock & Roll - Black Frogs Rockabilly Band Rockabilly Rhythm - Tom Stormy Trio feat. Rhythm Sophie Hillbilly Rock'n'Roll - Voodoo Swing Everybody Needs To Rock - Phil Haley And The Comments Train Kept A Rollin' - Imelda May Come Rock With Me - Ray Gelato Purr Kitty - The Firebirds Diana - The Silverballs Dirty Baby - Danny Rockabilly & His Clan Doin' Time For Bein' Young - The Prison Band Be Bop a Lula - Chuck Mead & His Grassy Knoll Boys Jumpin' Record - The Wise Guyz Dismissed Man - Boppin' B No Heart To Spare - The Go Getters Stranger Girl - The Slapbacks Move On - Jack Baymoore And The Bandits Country Roads - CandyMen Duo Boppin' Mary Lou - Marc & The Wild Ones You Ain't Nothin' But Fine - The Jets Gonna Rock And Roll - Cave Catt Sammy Rockabilly Boogie - The Obscuritones Drinking Gasoline - The Baboons The Wanderer - The Lennerockers Don't Bug Me Baby - The Swamp Shakers Roll Roll Roll - The Rock'n'Roll Kamikazes Mary Lou - Darrel Higham American Music - The Woodchoppers Folsom Prison Blues - Chili & The Barracudas Stray Cat Strut - Stray Cats

[fandom-is-my-game]

Just Imagine...

A snow storm illuminates the New York City apartment, a continuous twilight through the night. A large fireplace brings a soft orange glow further into the space.

Loki lays on a large velvet couch reading by the fire light. Amael enjoys some spiced tea while taking in the relaxation, serenity.

Buzzing permeates the air, turns into whining, groaning. Growing louder. Ends in a thud. Stillness. But now accompanied by a blue glow.

"Better get the log," Amael says to the warm silence. Loki hums his agreement, not looking up.

Amael rummages through a side cabinet while someone exits the blue box now occupying the dining area.

"Hello," says an equally jovial and solemn voice. A familiar voice.

"Oh, gods, I thought I would never see this face again," Amael says relieved and ecstatic, bounding towards the Doctor for a hug.

He embraces her warmly for several seconds. As Amael steps back still grasping his arms, she notices a fondness in his eyes.

(..those eyes..)

"Your eyes have seen more, but your face…" she breaks off confused.

"You have regenerated. Many times," Loki says simply after a pause, now standing a few paces away.

"Yes," says the Doctor, finally walking over to give him a hug as well.

Amael continues to stare, theories being solidified slowly in her mind.

"Never remembering my past," the Doctor starts suddenly, talking quickly. "Uncertain always, but hopeful. It is why you accepted me as one of you; an Immortal. But I am not close to what I imagined. Possibilities all twisting, turning. Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle--" the Doctor, formerly pacing, slumps casually into a fire-side chair.

There is a wisdom about him. Same face but (…those eyes….) he has seen leagues of life; the dark areas that most only have terrors about before dying. Sitting with him, Amael takes his hand and he warmly accepts.

"I am not Gallifreyan," he says with sadness yet relief in his face. "I have seen horrors, lost countless people, ran from a past I never knew. All to have the universe spit back to say 'You'll never know,'" he finishes with a snarl, tears creeping into his deep eyes.

"Why this face?" Amael asks after a few moments.

He looks distant and lost, but clutches Amael's hand firmer. She gives him another hug, loving and filled with a thousand years of words.

"I think," she begins, breaking away carefully, "this is your true face. And I see in your eyes the belief in who--what--you truly are."

The Doctor takes a sudden, emotional gasping breath. He looks terrified; begging for answers but not wanting the truth. Loki squeezes the Doctor's shoulder as he goes to the kitchen for a swallow of mead.

"What if," the Doctor begins quietly through tears, "I don't like what I am; who I'm supposed to be?"

Amael ruffles his hair softly, placing her hand lightly on his neck. Focusing on his ancient eyes, she says boldly, "You are, and have always been, what you choose to be."

He smiles through his tears, saying confidently, "I have had an uncanny feeling that I am celestial."

With those words, Amael is overcome be memories, conversations. Images coming at impossible speeds, yet seeing them all in detail. Those words from this face, looking into these familiar eyes.

Loki, now resting against a chair arm adjacent to Amael, sees her expression and asks with concern and curiosity, "Love, you look as though you know something?"

(…it is alright, dear…)

"Doctor, in Early Enochian, means Life. You are the Angel of Existence," Amael says this as if she has known all along. "Burdened with life," she continues, "unlike any celestial. Suffering endless faces to better understand the pain of the universe; to help guide existence to its joy. A deranged Chuck left you all alone at the bottom of that spire."

All of this tumbling forth as though from a daydream, but solidified to reality with each breath.

The moment stands still as though caught on a wire in the void. Quick spurts of emotion cross the Doctor's face. Amael sits, shocked from her words. Loki's expression is empty, but passes in a moment. He clears his throat and gives a soft, reassuring smile, but, all the while, nervously twisting his hands.

Excusing himself to the library, the Doctor swiftly rises and strides away. Loki gathers your tea cup and his book, lingering a moment over the logbook filled with dates, memories.

"I will write this down; I need to," Amael says, slightly shaking hand picking up the book from the side table. Loki takes her other hand and kisses it gently.

"I will be drawing myself a bath, if you need anything, darling," he says warmly.

Loki, too, strides away, leaving Amael to process lost thoughts. Beginning to write his face and events in the firelight, she wonders if paradoxes matter anymore; wondering what else Chuck took from her.

[pbandjesse]

We got home from the Ren Faire about an hour ago. I have showered and eaten and feel very tired. But I did so good today. I had energy somehow and didn't feel nauseous until the very end of the day when we were back in the car. I honestly just had a lot of fun.

I wanted to sleep more. I ended up waking up a little before 8 and would spend most of the next hour just scrolling on my phone since I couldn't fall asleep again. I got up and took a shower. And was in a good mood.

I would braid my hair. I did two small braids on each side that I twisted and then pulled them to the back to add to the larger braid. And had an extra little braid behind my ear for fun.

I was slightly nervous about my outfit but it ended up working out so well. James would have our backpack with water bottles, snacks, and charger and would hold purchases as needed. And I would have my small hip purse with chapstick and all of the cash we were bringing.

James looked really handsome today. We still haven't been able to find our accessory box but we added some other belts and I think we did a good job pulling it together.

James made me an omelette and I ate it on the floor in our bedroom while I finished putting myself together. It was weirdly humid in here. Which was not comfortable when I had so many layers on. But it was fine. Eventually we would go outside and swing on our porch swing together watching TikToks until it was time to go.

I would have a little sandwich before we left. I thought it would be good for extra energy. And I'm glad I did because our travel time almost doubled what was expected and that was slightly frustrating.

We left a little after 10. James had cleared out the car so we could get the crib from Jess. And we started our journey. The original ETA was 1105. But slowly that time ticked up.

The gps kept changing the way we should go. There was an accident on the highway and we had to get off but it took off 12 minutes. The. We switched again. And again. I was trying to be chill. We had our own tickets. Things would be okay.

I let Jess know and she said their ETA was 1118. Which out was for a bit but then jumped to 1125. And we would finally get there, after being stuck in the line on the road to get in we would arrive at 1130.

We were going to try to link up so we could get the crib first but we were parked so far from each other so we would figure that out later. Instead me and James met Jess and her coworkers, Chuck and Emily at the gates.

I was feeling good. I was excited to just go and walk. And everyone let me just lead the way. Not that I had a destination in mind but I just wanted to walk and get the layout and see things. And it honestly worked out great.

It was warm today but not to bad. I was sweaty but it was the same sweaty I get at camp where I can mainly ignore it. Nothing to be done.

Jess, Chuck, and Emily wanted to get drinks. Chuck and Emily got mead and Jess got a bee sting. Which she shared with James. And we would go and find some snacks. We got fried Mac and cheese bites to share. We got 5 pieces so we each got one. Which was fun. They would have been improved by ranch dressing.

I think the one thing that would have improved today was more talking to Jess. But we were so much on the move and I think with the addition of the coworkers we were distracted. But I was just having a really nice time. Being with my favorite people.

We went to try honey. They had a cranberry one that was me and Jess's favorite. James would buy some buckwheat honey for cooking. And later when we went to pick it up (they let you leave it for pick up since it's glass and a little heavy) Jess would also get a jar of the cranberry honey.

I really wanted to find a new corset today. I've had the same white reversible one since I was 13. But I was slightly overwhelmed by options. I would check out every store that has them but I would wait until the very end of the day to actually pick one. We had a budget and I found ones much above and very below. But we ended up just in the middle which was really nice.

We would get fun drinks. James got a cherry limeade slush. I got a diet Pepsi. I would also get a broccoli cheddar soup bread bowl and Jess and coworkers got baked potatoes. Jess shared the baked potato with me. My soup was boring but her potato was great and I mixed a few spoonfuls into my bowl and that improved it greatly.

We would watch some shows. One was based off of Shakespeare but wasn't (?) Shakespeare. Unclear. But one of James's friends was in the show so that was neat.

I really wanted to play games today. I had given myself a little budget. And I would play the game where you smack a hammer to launch a rubber frog. I didn't get any points but I liked using the mallet. And then I played a game where I had to toss bean bag rats into buckets. I was also not good at that but I had fun.

I was in a great mood today. I was loving people watching. I was just having a lot of fun. We would take a cute little group picture. And walked the boardwalk. Me and Chuck went to the gem store to stick our hands into the buckets of crystals. It was great.

Eventually I found the place you can did the pan mining for gems and I got a bad of those and I ended up with some fun ones! A quartz. Tigers eye. Amethyst. Emerald. Some Jaspers. It was great. I'm going to frame those up I think. I may have another print box I can use in the studio.

The big thing we wanted to see today was the joust. Me and Jess usually go to the first joust. But today we were seeing the second one and that ended up being super fun for me. Cause it was different!

But we stopped for lemon sticks and fruit first. I got pineapple slices. Jess would give me the rest of her lemon stick once she was finished with it.

While we were getting our fruit James would go find some real food. They were the only one that hadn't had a real thing yet. They did get roasted cinnamon pecans, which they shared with me during the Shakespeare show. But they would go and get chicken on a stick and some potato wedges. And we sat on a bench near the joust to eat.

We would get a cute picture together on the lovers bridge. And I just felt so happy today. Secure in our relationship. I saw a couple have a screaming fight and it made me so sad. And I'm glad that our relationship has never been like that.

It was about 230 and the joust would be at 3. And we wanted to try and get seats in the shade. Which was a difficult task. The shade wouldn't actually come through until after 3 but I was able to lead us to the correct side of the field and they were pretty excellent seats. Even if the sun was killing us a bit for a while.

James would go and get us a rootbeer float to share. And Jess gave me her lemon stick. And soon the show started!

Our section was championed by Miguel. The forgotten prince of Portugal. And he did great. He won parts and it was very exciting. Keegan, who is our favorite, has better tricks in horseback, but Miguel was great and it was fun to cheer for him.

The game starts with large rings they have to catch. Then small. Then a course where they race each other. And then after a fake argument the joust starts.

But this is where it was different! The one rider plays dirty and cheats. And then everyone else leaves and came back very very dramatically on chariot! And there were sword fights on chariot! And then Miguel launched himself off the chariot onto the cheater! And then all of a sudden, during this sword fight, princess Luna comes back out and she has a gun??? And she shoots the cheater??? And I was like who gave Luna gun??!! And she sets up the storyline for the last joust of the day at 6 where there is a fight to the death between Miguel and the cheater. It was very dramatic and honestly the artistry of it was awesome. I loved the chariots. They kicked up so much dust but it was so cool looking. And by that time we were in the shade so we were all a lot more comfortable.

But the show was over. We would slowly make our way back to the markets. The main goals were to get the honey and find my corset. But we would do some other things too. We checked out the birds of prey. Jess liked the very small ones. I liked the one that sort of looked like a tiny vulture. She would also catch me up on some work drama. It was just nice to be together.

Jess wanted a juice. This would end up taking forever and I felt so bad that it was like the forgot about her order and then it ended up being mostly celery and it wasn't very good. Disappointing. She tried her best to drink it still but it was just not good.

While Jess was waiting with Chuck and Emily and James for her juice I went for a tiny walk to look at the corsets at a few shops over there. The first one was all Scottish stuff and they had absolutely beautiful pieces but they were all $345. And I would not feel comfortable with that at all. The other one I didn't like the textures and I felt like the staff was ignoring me.

I wandered a little and found a cart that sold hats and I decided I would get one when we were together as a group again. I wanted Jess's opinion on color and such.

I would get a pickle and brought it back to share with Jess. I only wanted a few bites. It was a very nice pickle but once I had had enough I gave her the rest and she was like amazing, I was trying not to eat all of your pickle. But that's why our relationship works so well.

I took them over to the hat cart and Jess and James helped pick the best color. And I felt very pretty in my new soft crown.

We would head to a book store that was next to the first corset shop. They had the best selection and I would have spent more time there when we checked it out the first time but it's very tightly packed and there were two many people in the way. But I got help from a woman who worked there this time. And she helped fit me and I found a black velvet one I really liked. I felt comfortable and like it could be used for lots of outfits and costumes. And it was way under my budget. I was very happy. And it went with my soft crown and I loved how my outfit came together today.

The last stop was to get the honey. James picked up their purchase and Jess got hers. But we were all done. Tired. Feet hurt. It was a long day. We were also all very dusty. So it was time to go. I made sure that me and Jess got a picture together. And then it was time to go.

We decided to meet at a gas station down the street to get the crib from her car to ours. And say final goodbyes.

We all struggled to get out of the parking lot. But we did beat them there. I had been pretty good all day but the walk to the car made me hotter then I had been all day and I stripped off a few of my layers. I was just very uncomfy. And pretty quickly I was not feeling the best. The air conditioning helped. Sipping water helped. But I was really excited to go home.

Me and James waited at the gas station. And when Jess got there we quickly moved everything and had hugs all around. She said she's excited to have me all to herself when we go to the beach in two weeks. And I absolutely agree.

We had a much easier drive home. James phone was almost all the way dead so we used mine and I was tired and just enjoying watching the scenery and listening to a podcast.

We got back here at 6. I was really happy to be back but when we got here poor Sweetp seemed so stressed he threw up right away. Just a little bit I was like. Poor baby.

I cuddled him for a minute. And James gathered themselves because they wanted to run to the grocery store and get gas for the car. But because their phone was dead they took mine and I had there's, just in case.

While they were gone I took a shower. Washed my hair. Noticed I had a blister on my foot. Ouch. Thankfully not to bad.

I went and got my tablet to watch a video and cut up a peach and sipped water. I was not feeling amazing in but I started to feel a little better.

James got home and I came downstairs to make a sandwich. They were doing some chores down there. They would make pasta. And eventually finished the laundry and came and joined me upstairs.

And that's where we are now. James is showering. I'm resting. I am very ready to go to sleep.

I am staying home tomorrow. And the plan is to have a nice lunch date with my husband and then we're going to the Halloween store. I really hope that all the energy I had today isn't totally zapped. We will see.

I hope you all had a great day. And that tomorrow is a beautiful one. I love you all. Goodnight!!

[wosobronze]

The Canadian manager Bev used to work with England lionesses as the assistant manager during the Phil era and actually England were spied on during the World Cup in 2019 staff of the American national team were chucked out from our training facilities but there wasn’t the proof like with this case so I think they fully got away with it (according to Beth meads book don’t come for me usa)

didn’t something happen with the lionesses at the 2023 world cup too? idk if im going mad but i feel like i remember something about photos being taken during a training session but that time was from a news outlet or something like that?

crazy that they do things like this, and even worse when people manage to get away with it😑😑

[jetsteelyourheart]

God my style has changed so much in the last three years.

This was the first VA art I ever made- my character design for Rose

My design for Rose has actually stayed very consistent in terms of features but its been a while since I've drawn her. Its insane looking at this because I think my expressions have improved 10x since then, and I use totally different brushes, layering and style now!

Rose Hathaway from Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Excerpt from Chapter 1 of Vampire Academy that Honestly is so Cash Money of Rose:

Lissa and I had been best friends ever since kindergarten, when our teacher had paired us together for writing lessons. Forceing five-yar-olds to spell Vasilisa Dragomir and Rosemarie Hathaway was beyond cruel, and we'd -- or rather, I'd-- responded appropriately. I'd chucked my book at our teacher and called her a fascist bastard. I hadn't known what those words meant, but I'd known how to hit a moving target.

Lissa and I had been inseparable ever since.

[allthatisleftinthedark]

❝ you do turn a pretty shade of pink when you blush. ❞ (Makoto @ Mai)

asoiaf: feast for crows starters | accepting

Amid gaiety and rejoicing, Maisie holds her tankard of raspberry-red wineberry mead, its untouched and neglected content sparkling like rubies in the sunlight. Her brows furrow as she scrutinizes the drink, tilting the mug uneasily and watching the mead trace the rim.

A small-scale gathering in northern Argyll was an invitation never to decline. Each event is an opportunity to strengthen and foster relationships and maintain appearances. At this time, it's the seasonal Hides and Gains gathering held in Stoneyard. 

Stoneyard is one of Dewburrow's many neighbors, specifically eastward. It is an orcish settlement that existed for 300 years, which is relatively young considering the area's history. Conflicts have been seen between the northern orcs and vanara from the southern archipelago of Argyll, vying for dominance. After the last battle, the orcs secured their territory, and sightings of simian faces have become rare. 

Nowadays, there is plenty to celebrate without territory threats. In this instance, the Hides and Gains gathering was a bazaar held biannually. Initially, it was a meeting of orc tribes in northern Argyll as a grand contest to compare their proudest and more ruthless kills in hunting. It served more as an over-glorified weekend competition but allowed the young orcs to meet others not too close to home and create informal groups for seasonal hunting. As a result, Argyllian orcs have a tradition of sending their young to other tribes to spend the season trapping and gathering in hopes of bringing the best spoils home. 

The tradition became more public in the age of economics, and the advancement of boats came. The Stoneyard settlement, specifically, was more than content sending dead pheasants as invitations to their neighbors. Though its original roots are hailed and respected, it has become more 'marketable,' a common complaint made by the traditionalists in the tribes. Communing and catching up aside, attendees can secure great deals on rare resources, like furs, not readily available in the region.

Maisie, who is rarely home, endeavors to engage in local affairs when she can. This year, she is back in Dewburrow just in time to participate. However, it was her first time venturing to Stoneyard with companions beyond her village and family. Given how little their schedules coincide and how limited his threshold is with mortals, it would only be a day. 

While her companion explores the market and inspects the wares, hilariously dwarfed by the orc majority in the market stalls, Maisie reconnects with familiar and acquainted faces. At one instance, there was an axe-throwing contest, and then there was a log-chucking contest and plenty more sports events the gnome couldn't decline. Friendly conversation continued, some even better known asking about her mother. Though eyes occasionally drifted towards her left arm's scars, playfully inquiring about the creature who didn't survive her. 

All this time apart from another was anticipated; Maisie would not press expectations on him or anyone else. She only shared an open hand for an opportunity. A moment of reprieve, she was allowed.

The same untasted stein in one hand while the other is free, but her thoughts drift. Maisie's cheeks flush faintly without alcohol. Leaning against a too-tall wooden fence, she catches her breath. Associates' motives and covert schemes dissipate from her concerns, replaced by the dread of alcohol's stench and slight swelling in her feet.

It was nearing mid-afternoon, and the two of them had not met up again. At least, Maisie was unsure of his location as he seemed to slip away. A low groan leaves as she rubs her palm against the side of her forehead. 

When would she have such an opportunity again to share what home is like with anyone else? It isn't like she has friends, to begin with—a truth that once troubled her but had now become a quiet reality. She handled it with discretion, playing along and holding her tongue. 

Nevertheless, that hidden, tender side of her heart stings at every reminder.

Adjusting from one foot to another, the gnome looks over the horizon line and watches the festivities. The forecast for today is still sunny without a cloud in the sky; no sudden changes of snowfall or blizzard are to be found. In her headcount, there are no signs of any horns of the draconic kind; a tiefling here and there had their horns, but many paled to the crown on that man's head. 

A rustle of branches catches her attention, and as she turns her head, she notices him in the corner of her eye. The frostbite of Rivera, the prince of the court of Winter, Makoto Igarashi, is leaning slightly over and standing close behind her, almost like an adopted shadow. A comparison like that may peeve Silas, who tends to be quite protective of her and literally occupies her shadow, too. 

The sight of Makoto startles her, causing the mead to ripple in her trembling hand. But Maisie composed her demeanor and greeted him, " Koto, are you enjoying yourself at the festival?" 

Glacial-blue irises flit from the busybodies of the market and return to her. His fixation is evident enough. Makoto's interests rarely lay outside those he considers close, so few can be named off one hand. The draconian man crosses his arms, resting them above the fence posts, a subtle sway in his tail. 

Something occupies his eyes, and it's clearly on her, Maisie assumes. For a moment, she brushes her hand against her face, trying to find the source of his curiosity. 

He leaves no room for wondering as he hooks a brow, complimenting the blush over her cheeks. 

"I'm all flushed from the dancing and competing," a happy sigh leaves Maisie. "Thank the gods pink looks good with my complexion, or else my father's genes have cursed me," she can't help but laugh as she gestures to her carnation pink highlights. 

"The purple, pink, and yellow combination is a challenge when I need to coordinate an outfit for it. My siblings have it easier since they usually have one color from ma' and the other from pa'," her finger brushed the bottom of her short hair. She squints, unable to twirl a lock around her finger completely. "Unlike you, many of those dark colors wouldn't be a part of my regular attire if I wasn't always on the clock already. Meanwhile, you wear that extensive range since you have black hair and bright blue eyes. It looks well on you and ridiculous on me."

"But, hey, it's professional." She shrugs. "Can't go being dressed in all purple and expect someone to take me seriously." 

Maisie blinks, glancing at Makoto. "I went quite a tangent there," she can feel slightly warm in the face but holds eye contact. "Sorry for that."

"Hey," she raises the mug and pushes it against his hand. "Take this. You can appreciate this more than I can." 

As the gnome adjusts her back to the fence, she nods towards the marketplace. "Say, you want to see if they have anything you'd want to bring back for your parents?" 

[ascalonianlightbringer]

Most of my love for GW2 lies firmly in the "It's Complicated" quadrant, but I do really enjoy the canon queer and especially f/f content. It is by no means perfect—the PC's choices are often very binary, for instance—but there is a lot that I really enjoy.

There are generally admirable queer couples who make it out alive, including the game's rightly beloved signature pair, Marjory Delaqua and Kasmeer Meade.

But some of the queer characters are absolute disaster areas and I love them for it.

And you can track down the spouse and son of a random guy who got murdered and the grieving spouse turns out to be his husband.

You meet a woman who decided Life Is Too Short For This Shit after the destruction of her city and is now living her best trans life.

There's a beloved novelist who is a sort of in-universe Chuck Tingle and mostly seems to write interspecies gay porn about thinly disguised expies of other characters. This could be a joke, and is (he's a Charr for maximum comedy), but he does get a whole story line and he's very earnest about being on a Mission of Love.

There are also some characters who will flirt with you regardless of what gender you choose, but others whose responses shift if you're not their preferred gender, sometimes even in the same scene. (For instance, Baroness Yolanda will only flirt with human male PCs, but Baroness Jasmina will with any human PC.)

Even though the PC can't romance anyone or make these kinds of choices, it does make for a kind of pleasant background noise.