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brabblesblog · 10 months ago

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𝕽𝖊𝖒𝖊𝖒𝖇𝖊𝖗 𝖞𝖊 𝖓𝖔𝖙 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖋𝖔𝖗𝖒𝖊𝖗 𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖓𝖌𝖘.

Ch 7: He showed me his scars, and in return he let me pretend that I had none

A sequel to Whither is thy beloved gone? (AO3)

After the events of ‘Whither is thy beloved gone?’ Lord Astarion Ancuńin and his consort wife navigate their relationship anew. The ghosts of the past - his, hers, and theirs - threaten to unravel everything they’ve worked for.

An adventurous evening leads to renewed intimacy.

Professionally edited and collaborated on by my dearest friend <3 @editing-by-night

Read on AO3.

Masterlist

Full image on twitter.

Getting to the bedroom was easier now; Ban shrugged off her shirt and rushed for the bed the moment she was inside the room. Her husband followed suit, hands flying across the buttons of his doublet. He didn’t manage to get it all the way off in his rush, crawling up the bed after her, a hand reaching for her waist and pinning her down underneath him.

He stared down at her, hair falling in a slightly unruly mess, eyes raking over her body with an eager, hungry gaze. Ban reached out, grasping the lapels of his doublet, moving to push it off his shoulders.

“Eager, aren’t we, darling?” he teased, but he removed it anyway, tossing it aside before replacing his hands on either side of her body, pressing her into the bed. Hovering over her like this he seemed almost threatening, the slight part of his lips showing off the tips of his fangs, reminiscent of a wildcat, lithe and graceful and dangerous.

“More than eager,” she quipped in response, slightly distracted. Her mind flitted back to Roderich; seeing her father again had brought to light how he still could make her feel inadequate, as if everything she had done these past years without him didn’t matter at all, as if she was that naive girl again, needing his approval and his love.

Astarion seemed to notice the way her thoughts changed; his face softened and a hand cupped her cheek. “If you’d rather chat than play, I’d be amenable to that,” he murmured. “I’m quite certain there are a fair amount of… thoughts on your mind, given what just occurred.”

“You’re not wrong,” she admitted. “But it can wait.”

Astarion finally leaned down to kiss her, warm lips pressing against her own, his tongue slipping in to tangle with hers. The soft puffs of his breath felt nice, its heat ghosting over her face like a caress, derailing most of her thoughts.

A soft sigh, and she kissed him back, her own arms wrapping around him to pull him down to her. As she did, she felt the rough bumps of the scars on his back; he made no indication he was bothered by her touching them, too busy settling on his elbows to get closer to her.

Ban’s mind wandered a little at that, at these reminders of her husband’s previous life. He was worthy of more than she currently gave, deserved a love that would cherish and trust him as he has worked so hard to do for her. Knowing this, however, did not make it easy, and she moved a hand to grip his hair, tugging his silver curls with just the right amount of tension.

In time, she promised herself. Telling him of her past was the first step of many; Ban knew opening herself up fully required much more.

Astarion broke the kiss, eyes refocusing on her face. He looked a little dazed; she wasn’t sure if it was the kiss or the hand fisted in his hair, but he was gorgeous like this. He blinked twice, scanning her features, seemingly sensing very little of her inner turmoil. As he’d gotten better at reading her she’d also gotten better at hiding her deeper emotions - probably not too well, she figured, knowing he still sensed something’s being obscured, but enough that he wasn’t certain, and enough that he didn’t try to pry.

In her musing, she missed the fact that he’d seen and he knows, that he was just playing along with her wishes, his heart yet again taking the hit to keep her blissfully unaware. She missed that he knew she didn’t quite trust him the way he did her, that his hold on her heart was incomplete and slippery, that he knew she was aware of what he needed and yet could not - would not - give it, except for small crumbs that he had to fight for. Missed that he was exhausted, hurting, and always holding back the urge to lash out because he couldn’t bear to do that to her again, didn’t want to ever let that side out again, not when it came to her.

Ban loosened the fist gripping Astarion’s hair, pushing back the stray strands falling across his face. He smiled, an achingly beautiful thing, and leaned back down to press more kisses against her neck.

“I’d rather do this. We… we can talk another time,” she managed, hoping he’d accept. She felt him stiffen for a heartbeat, and then he nodded, lips continuing their path along her collarbone.

“So… you mentioned sucking my cock, did you not?” He pressed his body flush against hers, grinding his hips playfully; Ban noticed he still kept his face hidden away, tucked against her neck, and frowned

“I did, yes, although… are you alright?” she asked, a hand absently slipping under his trousers to cup his ass. This only seemed to encourage the delicious grinding; he sped up, small pants escaping his parted lips.

For a moment the only sound he made was his breathing as he seemingly considered his answer. “Mostly,” he admitted, “but it needn’t be a concern at this moment.” Lifting himself slightly off her, he shifted his weight onto one elbow, reaching down to slowly unto the laces of his trousers.

“I… I am trying,” she muttered, a little hesitantly. It wasn’t easy, she wanted to tell him. He’d always been a contradictory thing to her: a source of comfort, yes, but also the cause of so much pain; their months of being in that horrible parody of a relationship had tarnished her trust in him. Her avoidant and rather aloof nature was a learned habit, mostly from her family but also from him - one she was trying to undo, but was still struggling with.

She didn’t want to tell him that his recent stunt with the mirror hadn’t helped matters, either. Forgiving him was one thing - trusting him wholly was another.

A grunt answered her as he finally gave up on the one-handed attempt to undress; he rolled away to quickly remove the rest of his clothing by the side of the bed. As he did his eyes met hers, and for once he didn't hide, allowing the walls to lower briefly.

“It hasn’t escaped my notice, Ban,” he replied, “and I can wait. But I, too, would rather do this.” His voice was quiet, all playfulness gone for the moment; he stepped out of his trousers, looking down as his cock bobbed, not quite hard anymore but most of the way there. Long, elegant fingers wrapped around the length and he stroked himself languidly.

When he looked up again it was with wide doe eyes, a look which he used to devastating effect when he wished to, but this time there was no hint of guile in it. He half-smiled at her, one side of his mouth curling upwards. “I suppose I can endure anything, as long as you still love me.”

Torn, she only managed a choked garble of words, then cleared her throat. “Astarion, gods. Of course I do. My love for you has never changed.” She was a little worried about that but pushed it aside for now; they’d both agreed the conversation could come after.

Astarion looked at her pensively, her words seemingly mollifying him. He clambered back onto the bed, settling in front of her crossed legs, his half-smile growing into a full smirk as he slipped back into their little game. “Since you’ve been so kind as to let me take charge, love, I want you to do as I say. Lay back and spread your legs. I want to see you.”

Surprised, she did as he asked, propping herself on the pillows and leaning back. The moment she spread her legs he laid on his stomach, sliding between them. The sight was mouthwatering, and, well… some other parts, too.

He paused, tilting his head towards her inner thigh, running a hand over the smooth, unmarked skin. Muscles twitched expectantly under his touch, and Ban shifted nervously. “Astarion,” she began. “We haven’t done this in a while. Just be…” she trailed off, not wanting him to realize the extent of the anxiety she still felt.

Astarion nodded, solemn. “I shan’t push too far; and should you feel the need, you have only to say the word.” One last look to confirm they were both alright and ready, then he pressed a soft kiss on the spot his hand was kneading, lips pressing gently and then slowly transitioning into slow suction. Half-lidded eyes looked up at her as he did; Ban fought the urge to tell him to suck somewhere else, but she didn’t stop her hips from jerking, thrusting towards his head.

He laughed darkly, a hand reaching up to pinch a nipple. He was rewarded with a low gasp and tutted disapprovingly when she tried to tilt her hips towards his face again. “Patience. You do know what happens when you misbehave.”

“I am not mis-” the rest of her words were swallowed up in a whine as he bit into the meat of her thigh, a firm nip that drew some blood. He didn’t waste it, latching on and suckling, drinking what little flowed. The other hand lingered on her nipple for a bit, then slid down, grasping her waist. The large, warm palm pressed against Ban’s skin made her squirm, wanting that heat and that mouth on her aching core.

“You said something, my sweet?” Astarion teased, licking up the last of the blood. His tongue traced one last, long stripe then drifted up to mouth at the seam of her inner thigh; hand following alongside. Ban groaned, the heat almost too much, too close and yet still so far away.

“Astarion, gods,” Ban hissed. She knew what he wanted, for her to succumb and plead and show some vulnerability for once. When they’d done this in the Shadow-Cursed lands, when he’d used his fingers and tongue and words to drive her wild it was much easier; a lot of that had been lost after the rite. It had still felt good, that had never changed; but the slow degradation of their relationship had tainted it. Now, however, she wanted to give it to him, so very badly - it just didn’t come as naturally as it used to.

Astarion smiled again, this time with a lot less heat, more sincere than anything else. “No gods,” he murmured, “only you and me.”

She couldn’t help but appreciate his effort; getting her to show more vulnerability within the confines of sex might be the best way to ease her into it outside of the bedroom. With the way he’d coaxed her into telling him what she wanted on the throne and again earlier today, she thought he had the right idea; it felt a lot easier to let her walls down when he was between her legs.

The hand not on her thigh spread her open as he leaned in; he blew gently on her, the sheer warmth of his breath sending shivers down her spine. “Tell me what you desire, darling,” he drawled, darling growled out in a lower timbre.

“Why? Will you give it?” She asked, and his eyes flicked over to her face.

“If you ask very, very nicely,” he countered, “perhaps I’ll feel merciful.” He made it a point to hover over where she wanted him most, eyes locked onto hers. Ban shifted, propping herself up on her elbows to get a better view.

“I am not-” she cut off with a strangled gasp as he admonished her with a none-too-gentle flick of his index finger against her clit. The pleasure was electric, coursing through her with a mix of surprise and pain that caught her completely off guard. She sighed, giving in. “Fine. Fine. I need your mouth on me. Please.”

Astarion tilted his head with feigned inquisitiveness, then flicked the tip of his tongue against her clit, keeping her spread open for him, a feast ready for the taking. He licked her entrance in one slow, teasing motion. She bucked her hips in an effort to get more friction, but he kept her firmly pinned against the bed. He’d positioned the arm being used to spread her open so that his elbow pressed down on her thigh, and the fingers of his free hand dug into the other.

“Delicious,” he whispered, eyelids fluttering shut for a moment. “It would taste better, however, were I to hear you beg for it.”

Ban almost started to get mad, considered telling him to knock it off. It wasn’t that she wasn’t enjoying herself, because gods, she was. They hadn’t done this in forever, and the part of her that wanted to supplicate at his feet missed those times and longed to do it again. But the niggling distrust was still there, ugly and sitting on her chest, an ever-demanding presence. She refused to let it gain ground, and shoved it aside.

She took a slow, deep breath, watching him. He’d opened his eyes again, patiently waiting; a small dribble of her blood lingered at the side of his mouth and he absently licked at it. She saw the hesitation behind the playful role he’d assumed, his need to do right by her evident.

“Astarion,” she finally conceded, “please. I need you to lick me, touch me. Love me.”

His eyes brightened at that, and for a second he almost looked shy. “Why of course, darling,” he began; there was a pregnant pause where he considered his next words, which ended with a quick, vehement whisper of “I love you.” Then just as fast he slid back into his seductive role, eyes shuttering.

With that, he finally gave in, shifting so that his elbows supported him as he leaned forward to press his lips where she desired them. Fingers held her lips open, his tongue laving long, wet licks against her entrance. Her hands sought something to grab, settling on a pillow behind her.

“Astarion-” she called out, but he was too lost in his task to pay attention; she could feel his warm lips wrapping around her clit, mouthing and suckling gently. A moan escaped her and she reached out with one hand, grasping the curls falling over his forehead, trying to catch his attention.

He looked up, his pupils so dilated the crimson of his eyes was reduced to a thin line, but his mouth didn't stop moving. He gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head, a quick move that said don’t tell me to stop, I’m enjoying this, and he closed his eyes again. As if to emphasize his point his tongue began flicking against her too; the suction combined with the brush of his tongue eliminated all other thoughts in her head.

“Thank you,” she gasped out, and Astarion paused once more, this time with brows furrowed in confusion. Do better, Ban, she berated herself. Sighing again, she forced the next words out.

“This… is helpful. Just… thank you.” It’s not enough, and she resolved to say more later. She felt a rush of affection when she saw his eyes crinkle up in a small smile; that alone made it easier. She’d do better. For him.

For now, she let herself get lost in the feeling of his tongue swirling around her clit, in the cool silk cradling her bare body, the strain of having her legs pushed apart, in the- oh, the glorious feel of him slipping a finger in - in the pleasure of it all. Astarion’s attentiveness to her body and her needs and wants was so obvious, so reverent. He’d learned it all from their time together, and he adores her, so damned much, and she was determined to give it back in kind-

He didn’t breathe, didn't pause, fingers and mouth working, the other hand deftly lifting one leg over his shoulder, allowing him better access. Ban leaned forward, trying to see and mostly failing; he was too deeply buried in her cunt to even catch a glimpse of anything other than a mess of white curls and closed eyes. She could hear him moan amongst the obscene sounds of his fingers and tongue, his cheek resting against the thigh hitched over him.

“Astarion,” she whimpered, feeling him slip a second finger in and start pumping harder; the groan that escaped her was completely involuntary. She gripped the pillow tighter, covering her mouth to stifle her cries, the silk encasing it luxurious against her face. Her hips bucked wantonly, rolling without much thought, seeking more of Astarion, as if it were possible. She wanted, needed the wet heat of his tongue, those fingers slamming against her spot, could feel her climax building, faster and harder and closer and please-

Astarion stilled abruptly, pulling away with a smug look; its effect a little dampened by how devastatingly aroused he looked, as though he was mere seconds away from losing control and ravaging her. He drew in a breath to speak. “You do look cute when you’re all needy like this,” he purred, licking his lips; his entire mouth and chin were drenched and Ban fought the urge to tug him close and taste herself on him. “I do feel that I need… a little more incentive to finish you off, however.”

“Incentive,” she breathed, peering over the pillow she’d now brought in front of her. She was about to protest when he pushed his fingers in again, drawing out a loud, desperate “gods!” from her.

“Don’t cover your mouth, darling; I do so like hearing you.” He snatched the pillow in one move, throwing it aside. “Now, tell me how badly you want me, Ban, and I’ll let you come.” The fingers inside her still moved, albeit slowly, dragging out the pleasure, keeping her in place - captive to the near-overwhelming need to come and the knowledge that only his mouth would suffice.

Ban scowled a little, but it was weak; she exhaled. “You know how much I want you.” Those words were punished by another nip on her thigh and a low growl.

“Say it.”

That voice demanded to be obeyed but she could still see the hidden plea behind it, subtle as it was. “Astarion.” Ban fisted her hand in the sheets, preparing for what he was about to do. “I love you. Only ever you. Now… please. I’m begging you. Please let me come.”

It wasn’t so hard to say, she found; the desperate need in her overriding her stubborn pride. He smiled, a devilishly toothy one that sharpened his features, wordlessly diving back between her legs. His hand reached up, guiding her fingers to her clit, a wordless instruction she obeyed without hesitation.

Astarion lapped at her, tongue swirling - the sensation was absolutely decadent - slipping two fingers inside her and fucking her as she rubbed her clit. Hot, deliberate breaths warmed her skin and made both her desire and her wetness pool - for once she was glad he no longer ran cold. The throaty moans he made as he generously laved her with his tongue, his attention, all of it… it was almost enough to push her over the edge.

Her back arched, mind wandering to when they’d first met, and how she’d longed to know how his mouth would feel on her clit, how his tongue would feel, from that very first day. He’d always been like a waking dream to her - at times a nightmare - but still always the object of her desire, of her love. That she could have this now, every single day if she wanted, that she need only ask and he would gladly dive between her legs and worship her exactly where she wanted it and make her come again and again with unrelenting dedication if she demanded it... The joy of it was overwhelming.

Those long fingers moved deep inside her, teasing out her pleasure bit by bit, each pass making her thighs tremble. The warmth of that talented tongue sliding around her entrance, then flicking up to lick at the underside of her clit while her fingers rubbed as well was glorious and beautiful and he is hers forevermore and he loves her so, so much and sometimes he still alarms her but-

No. Not here, not now. She pushed that thought aside, bringing her mind back into the moment. She focused first on the heat of his breaths, the delightful stretching when he inserted a third finger and thrusted, then on the delicate slide of her own fingers, speeding up now that she was almost at the edge. Her world narrowed down to the wonderful push-pull of his fingers and the rapidly blossoming fire in her belly and his needy growls and his tongue caressing her most intimate spots, the vibration and the stretching and the thrusting and the licking and the rubbing and the heat just godsdamned perfect-

She screamed, biting down on her hand in a feeble attempt to stifle her cry. Astarion only powered on, fingers thrusting fast, tongue lapping at every last inch of her like a man starved. He let her ride his face through her orgasm, moaning as her hips thrusted to press against him, thighs squeezing his head between them, his other hand digging into her twitching leg. When she finally came down from her high, he gave her clit one last, hard, suck. She squirmed, planting a foot on his shoulder, gently trying to push him off.

He finally pulled away, smiling softly as he sat up and wiped the evidence of her pleasure from his face, licking the fingers that had just been inside her. There was a small dot of moisture on the silk sheet where his precum had soaked in. He was hard, had probably been grinding into the bed this entire time, Ban realized, and that mental image made her mouth water.

“I wouldn’t mind doing that every day, darling,” he purred. Having you come all over my face is divine.”

“I think you definitely enjoyed yourself,” she quipped, nodding at his erection. Astarion looked down at himself, as though he’d just noticed he was hard. He placed a finger on the tip, pulling it away to reveal a trailing string of precum. A wry grin crossed his face.

“Well, now that it’s my turn… I want to see those pretty little lips wrapped around my cock.”

Ban swallowed. Gods. She’d definitely missed this.

“Ban.” Astarion raised an eyebrow, stern. “I need a resounding yes before we proceed.”

She found her mouth opening before her brain could catch up. “Gods, love. Yes.”

Astarion left the bed, sauntering to the wall facing the half-closed windows. The gardens lay below, a rather fetching sight normally; he completely ignored it, his eyes only for Ban. He watched her approach as he leaned back a little to lounge against the wall, crossing his arms and giving her an insolent smirk. He shifted so that he was comfortable, spreading his legs slightly.

“Kneel.” The command was firm and brooked no argument.

She did so without a word, eyes locked onto his. Salivating at the view, her fingers reached up to trace his hipbone delicately, heart racing in eager anticipation.

The sight of her on her knees, that hungry look on her face, for him, sent a thrum of heat through his body.

“Two taps here if you need to stop.” He demonstrated, tapping two of his fingers against the hard planes of his stomach; she nodded, licking her lips. He barely stifled a groan at the surge of anticipation that slammed into him at the sight.

Cool fingers wrapped around his cock, a thumb playfully swiping at the slowly forming liquid at the tip; the sensation made him jerk. He was suddenly painfully aware that he was far closer than he thought, a small huff of frustration slipping out at the realization that all that grinding on the bed as he ate her out may have worked a little too well. He slid a hand into her hair, angling her head slightly.

“Don’t dither; suck,” he snapped, hips shifting closer to her face, fingers tightening in her hair. So far this attempt at being more aggressive had been successful and he did feel elated and relieved; he knew however that this part may potentially be its undoing.

But she didn’t stop, nor did she immediately listen, because of course. Instead she licked a stripe from his balls to the head of his cock, sending a low thrill of arousal through him. He gave a firm tug on her hair in warning before parting his legs a little more, the need quickly overriding his worry. His free hand reached down to grip her shoulder as her fingers stroked his shaft, lips hovering over him. There was a quick kiss to the bottom of his cockhead before she finally took him between her lips; the groan that escaped him was one of desperation.

The hand on her head tightened, grasping the braids as promised; he chuckled a little, amused. She shifted closer to him and he roughly pulled her down onto him, encouraging her to hurry up and oh- the thought dissolved as Ban swallowed the rest of his length down. He gasped quietly, purring out a soft “My sweet, yes.”

He could feel the softness of her mouth and the ridges of her throat as his tip hit the back. She swallowed around him, the undulating motion causing his hips to thrust forwards, the muscles of his stomach flexing. Astarion fixed his gaze on the sight before him, the hand in her hair pushing her head down to grind her lips around his base.

Her answering smile was everything, even if it wasn’t much of a smile with his cock in her mouth, really - more like a crinkling of the eyes than anything else. Her hands gripped his hips as she moved only slightly, teasingly, the motions punctuated by the loud, sloppy sounds he thought she was likely making on purpose; she then moaned, that sound sincere but deliberate.

And gods, if that wasn’t the best sound in the world.

Astarion groaned; hips rolling in time with her mouth, chasing her lips as she pulled away, settling back as she took him back in. A thought flitted through his hazy mind: I’m supposed to be taking charge. He slid his other hand into her hair, applying a bit more force, holding her in place with both hands so she couldn’t pull back at all. He thrusted in and out of her mouth, fucking her with increasing abandon. There were no words, just the loud, debauched sounds of their union and his increasingly loud moans. He pulled most of the way out, admiring the glistening of her saliva all over his cock, the dazed, lust-filled gaze she leveled at him, pupils blown wide and her lips still parted, just for him. He brought his hips forward in one long motion, sinking himself down her throat, watching her eyes close as she moaned. Astarion felt her hands grip his ass as he fucked her mouth, nails digging into his flesh in that glorious mix of pleasure and pain.

There she was, his beautiful love, mouth ready and willing for him, her perfect, petite breasts swaying with his every thrust, unbreathing so he needn’t stop taking his pleasure. Magnificent.

He was close, teetering on the precipice of his peak; the feeling of complete abandon, of her soft, wet mouth, of her trust so intoxicating he knew holding back would soon be impossible. He couldn’t help himself, pushing her down even further, a silent demand for more; not that he was being quiet at all, the whimpers and gasps and groans that escaped him now wanton and needy.

Her eyes locked onto his and she inched closer between his legs to allow him even deeper, angling to take more of him, her throat tightening and her tongue swiping across his length. Astarion squeezed his eyes shut, his toes curling as his hips stuttered, losing their rhythm. He repositioned one leg, angling his hips to thrust harder and deeper, wanting every single inch of him down her throat when he came. Close, so damn close but he tried to hold on just a little more-

“Swallow,” he growled out. “All of it.” His eyes flicked open, blown-out and hazy with lust, wanting to see.

She met his eyes, her own still glassy and lust-ridden, one hand drifting down to massage his balls. That pushed him over the edge; Astarion felt his orgasm slam into him, his cock pulsing in her mouth. He shuddered hard, his back arching against the wall, head thrown back, crying out as his climax overwhelmed him. She swallowed down all he had to give, and he could feel everything - his come hot as it hit her cooler flesh, her mouth and throat clenching around him as she swallowed, her tongue curling around the underside of his cock as it spasmed over and over again, so much come that he wondered if it would ever stop. He shivered as the sensations slowly faded, fingers trembling as he sank more of his weight against the wall and released his grip on her hair.

Ban sucked her way back up his length, the flat of her tongue lapping the last of his spend from his tip, teasing out one last agonized whine from him as it briefly became too much. He breathed hard, eyes fixed on her, not quite sure what to say. A quip about fucking her mouth would have seemed appropriate, but was quickly discarded. We’re not quite there yet. Instead he caressed her hair gently, realizing exactly what she wanted to hear. “Good girl.”

She looked up at him, smug and satisfied, glowing from the praise. His body moved before his mind could register it, pulling her up in an embrace.

Ban burrowed into the crook of his neck, feeling his ragged breathing begin to slow as he recovered. The body pressed against her own was slick with sweat, his heart still racing. She lifted her head to press a kiss on his cheek.

“Come here,” she said, tugging his arm and leading him back to their bed. He followed her, body so loose as to seem boneless. As they settled in he immediately wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, as if unwilling to be parted for even a moment. She found this wonderfully amusing and extremely endearing, her own hands running through his sweat-damp curls, causing some to fall over his closed eyes.

In this moment there was little room for anything other than him, her Astarion, who’d suffered so much and who she’d almost lost - who’d clawed his way back inch by painful inch. For her.

She reflected on how far he’d come, from completely closed off, to guarded, to slowly letting his walls down, to beautiful nights spent in each other’s arms under the stars. Even the hurdle of his ascension had not completely ruined their love - he’d fought his way back from the brink for her, from the icy callousness he’d been swallowed by after the rite to this, willingly soft and pliant and resting in her arms.

“I love you,” Ban murmured.

She watched him open his eyes, the crimson orbs impossibly tender. He exhaled once, a smile coming alive on his beautiful face.

“I love you too.” He murmured quietly.

His eyes scanned her face, as if worried. She quickly tried to reassure him.

“I very much enjoyed it,” her voice was emphatic. “Every single second of it. I did miss it. I missed you.”

The anxiety in his eyes receded, his brows untangling and his smile widening.

“That’s wonderful to know,” he brushed the hair from his forehead as he spoke. “I admit I found myself worrying, at moments-”

“I would have let you know.” she promised, wanting to end that train of thought. Still, she sensed some discomfort. “Is there something you need, love?”

Astarion nodded. He looked away, thoughts drifting back on the earlier conversation, hands tightening on her muscled limbs. “There need not be anything more, for now.” The stabbing feeling in his chest told him it wasn’t quite fine, but he wanted to try to make it so.

She shook her head, face buried where his heart felt like it was bleeding out. “Astarion, I… I am trying, as I said. It’s just that earlier… was a bit of a setback for me.”

A soft sigh escaped him as the realization hit. Of course. It probably also didn’t help that her father was so much like him, an unfortunate fact that ate at him, but that he felt powerless to fix. Her words helped, of course, but still.

“Thank you, though,” she added, and his head whipped down to look at her in surprise. She smiled, a painfully shy thing. “Your idea - making me tell you what I want, you being rougher and more aggressive - it helps a lot.”

There was comfort there, at least.

“I am grateful,” Astarion managed. “As for everything else…” he trails off.

“I am sorry,” she offered. “I swear I will get there. I just need-”

“Time.” He knew he shouldn’t resent her for it, for problems partially caused by him, but he did all the same.

He resented how easy she had it, that she could just choose whether to open herself up to him or not, without consequence; that she still didn’t trust him fully. Yes, he’d made mistakes, but hadn’t he been behaving, giving her everything she needed and demanded, forcing himself open at her whim? And was that truly the key to her heart - acting like an obedient pup? Did she enjoy that he couldn’t leave her or even be mad at her, not that he ever wanted to - no, of course not!

It just hurt, a dull ache with every heartbeat.

As painful as it was, however, Astarion brushed these wounds away once more. He did see her trying, saw her opening up like a flower blooming in springtime; it was simply that he wished it were faster, that he could bask in its beauty sooner.

For her to trust him he had to trust her in turn, to have faith in her love for him. That, he felt, was a far easier goal than making her open up - it was something he had already been doing, after all, entrusting her with his heart.

He merely hoped she wouldn't keep crushing it in her hands forever.

If you would like to see more of these two and their story, consider reading my other entries in the series "If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there."

I am happy to announce that 'Whither is thy beloved gone?' is getting professionally edited as well. I shall keep everyone abreast of when these changes go live. Thank you!

Taglist: @tavamarie @ayselluna @enterthedreams @coltaire @qiific3 @misscrissfemmefatale @vixstarria @eatyourheartoutmylove @linllewellyn @battisonsgf @micropoe10 @thegoodwitchs-blog @akirahime @velcyrptr @i-cant-get-into-my-other-account @babblebrain-blog @asterordinary @last-but-not-the-least @artist4theworld @gracemisconduct @decedentcoffeewizard @rootin-tootin-n-kind @pursuitseternal @youngtacobanana @krispeenuggiez @girlygmer-blog @cheezits4lyfe @vinegarjello @the0ldmann @wisteriaofthegraves @midnight-musings-of-nyx @toni-winchester @icybluepenguin @beepersteeper @hereliesblackdragon @generalstephkenobi

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lucigoo · 1 year ago

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Bagginshield Fic Rec List

So, here I will add all of the amazing Bagginshield fics I adore. I hope you like at least one, they all deserve love 💖💖💖

And as always, if its your fic, or you know whos let me know so i can @ them, they all deserve to be recognised!

Below the Belt - LordOfTheRazzles @lordoftherazzles

A Complaint A Day... - birdkeeperklink (speculating) @birdkeeperklink

Of Blacksmiths and Blackberries - littlebrownshoe (Wolfy_Tales)

He loves me, he loves me not - Alse_the_hobbit @hobbityalse

(Take Me Back To) The Night We Met - LordOfTheRazzles, MiraHerondale - @lordoftherazzles @consultingpacha

Fuck Thy Neighbor - LordOfTheRazzles @lordoftherazzles

An Almost Perfect Christmas - Ticklesivory @tickles-ivory

A King's Bond - mordelle @mordellestories

(Almost Believing) This One's Not Pretend - diemarysues

Lost and Found - Ticklesivory @tickles-ivory

The Danger In Missing You - Fantasyinallforms @fantasyinallforms

Child's Play - Anonymous - The Hobbit (the Company as kids, gen fic)

Letters from the Mountain - Middle_Earth_Mama @middleearthmama

Beyond the Pixels - Ticklesivory @tickles-ivory

Hold Me Down Until The Madness Ends - licha_nick

“I’zigh ‘Akshith” (War Surprise) - Ticklesivory @tickles-ivory (The slow burn is beautiful and the idea is so clever and unique imo)

327 Blossom Street - Ticklesivory (Tickles does modern Bagginshield so well)

Slow Dance: A Bagginshield SMAU - Ticklesivory (Modern day social media fic, its awesome)

The Bunny Saga - alkjira - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, its so cute and clever) Sweet Synthesis - Ticklesivory - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, another craker from @tickles-ivory, with Cyborgs!) A Passion For Mushrooms - Chrononautical - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, beautiful world building and pining idiots) Behind the Money - SunnyRose - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, @sunnyrosewritesstuff wrote an adoarble tea ahop AU) No Small Amount of Courage - SunnyRose - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, another wonderful fic from @sunnyrosewritesstuff where Bilbo loves so hard its enough)

A Hobbit's Gamble - CQueen - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, Arranged Marriage Au in Erebor, and its precious, from start to end)

Wings from Ravens - IShipGayShit_SueMe - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, BAMF Bilbo, with wings. Need I say more)

Wild Wings - DomesticGoddess - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, As always everythign DG worites slaps so hard. This was my first ever wing fic read and i became obsessed its that good)

A Black-feathered Omen - birdkeeperklink (speculating) - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, another wing fic, and sad, loely Thorin who needs a hug, or a hobbit...)

Let The Waking Morning Find - sunryder - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, this is legit one of my fav Bagginshield fics ever, its clever and emotional and the thought of the One Ring gaining a body and becoming fixated on Bilob is spine chilling)

I don't belong (and my beloved, neither do you) - FrozenBrownie - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, mpreg, its heartbreaking and beautiful and a hea all rolled into one) None So Blind - Chrononautical - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, Beautifully writte fic, woth Blind Bilbo and aftermath of BOTFA) the world is sleeping (my world is you) - katheneverwrites (mandolinearts) - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, Thorin as a sweet Hades is just so precious) An Unexpected Friend - smoltimidturtle - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, Bilbo gets a pet, its adorable, Thorin doesnt think so, a really cute reshirement fic) My Sister's Boyfriend - DomesticGoddess - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, as always DomesticGodess hits the spot you didnt know needed hitting. Jelous Thorin is perfect!) Now You Know - Arkan_Sonney - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, Its very cute and fluffy and Frodo needs all the hugs)

Sansûkh - Chapter 1 - determamfidd - Multifandom (Multiple LOTR pairings, not sure if it eeds any interoduction, other then EPIC!)

Planting a Hobbit - northerntrash - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, The dwarves are adorable and its just a wonderful fic,)

May Your Forge Burn Bright - LordOfTheRazzles - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, once again @lordoftherazzles wrote an amazing fic, the world building and relationship between Bilbo and Thorin is stunning)

Bad Blood - Conkers - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, a clever little What If fic fom @conkers-thecosy, BAMF Bilbo is best Bilbo and OCnkers did it perfectly.)

If I could give my breath away (I would) - StupidFatPenguin - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, even with having lost his memory, Thorin is so precious in hiw quikly he falls in love Bilbo.)

(s)wiped out - I_did_not_mean_to, sandwich11213 - The Hobbit - (undercurrent of Bilbo/Thorin, the Bagginshield is subtle, but beautiful, and worth the entire fic to get to it this is a work of art, both the fic and the actual art)

Worlds separated by a garden fence. - TheCuriousCat - The Hobbit (Fem Bilbo/Thorin, one of my fave series, Durins are fae and Bilbo is BAMF!)

Guardian of Kings - SunnyRose - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, another excelent work by @sunnyrosewritesstuff, and im sure most bagginshielders love a bit of BAMF Bilbo and cultural misunderstanding, I know i do!) Summary: The Company has been having a good laugh as the story of their quest spreads through the mountain and more and more retellings makes Thorin out to be Bilbo’s damsel in distress. It stops becoming funny when Thorin’s honor is challenged, and it’s up to Bilbo to defend it. Thorin may be ready to smuggle his hobbit out of the mountain, but Bilbo will do it. For Thorin, he would do anything.

The Gift of Hobbits - MoroseBarnacle - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, and its just SO good!) Summary: The gift of hobbits is a secret not known to dwarves. Bilbo’s gift saves the Company—repeatedly—and they don’t even know it until after Smaug is dead. But by then, just about everybody knows there’s a hobbit in Erebor, and the invading orcs decide to keep Bilbo and his otherworldly gift for themselves.

Home - SunnyRose - The Hobbit (Gen fic, Written by the wonderful @sunnyrosewritesstuff an adorable look at Uncle Thorin. )

Summary: Being an uncle doesn't come instinctual to Thorin. He loves his nephews with all his heart, but he doesn't quite understand them. However, when Dís needs far across the distance - LinguisticJubilee - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, this one is lovely imo) Summary: Balin blinks, shifting backwards. “Laddie, it’s—it’s been a year. Bilbo has returned home, to the Shire.” He looks at Thorin, then says more gently, “I did not realize you counted the hobbit among your treasures.”

Guardian of Kings - SunnyRose - The Hobbit by @sunnyrosewritesstuff (Bilbo/Thorin, one of my favs from Sunny, its clever and the world building, its just delicious) Summary: The Company has been having a good laugh as the story of their quest spreads through the mountain and more and more retellings makes Thorin out to be Bilbo’s damsel in distress. It stops becoming funny when Thorin’s honor is challenged, and it’s up to Bilbo to defend it. Thorin may be ready to smuggle his hobbit out of the mountain, but Bilbo will do it. For Thorin, he would do anything. Prize Enough for Me - StrivingArtist - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, BAMF Bilbo for the win, need I say more?) Summary: After falling in love months earlier with the Dwarven King, when Bilbo sees Thorin stabbed on Raven Hill, he decides to find vengeance. mercy and death on swift arrows fly - authoressjean - The Hobbit (Gen, hinted eventual Bagginshield, another BAMF Bilbo, but also, hes just lovely no matter what) Summary: Hunger Games AU with slow burn Bagginshield.

Not All That Glitters (Is Good For Your Health) - comatosecombat - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, post quest for Erebor) Summary: In his attempt to distract Smaug from attacking Lake-town, Bilbo accidentally destroys the One Ring of Power, saves the day and brings peace on Middle-Earth.

When it comes to him and Thorin, that resolves absolutely nothing. An Unexpected Addition - karategal - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, this whole series is pure gold imo)

Summary: All of the dwarves survive the Battle of the Five Armies, but Bilbo must return to the Shire to sort out his old life and make way for a new one in Erebor. Over one year later, Bilbo comes back to the Lonely Mountain with a recently orphaned Frodo. King Thorin isn't quite sure what to make of this new, tiny addition to his Company. far across the distance - LinguisticJubilee - The Hobbit - (Bilbo/Thorin, schmoopy Thorin has my whole heart)

Summary: Balin blinks, shifting backwards. “Laddie, it’s—it’s been a year. Bilbo has returned home, to the Shire.” He looks at Thorin, then says more gently, “I did not realize you counted the hobbit among your treasures.” far across the distance - LinguisticJubilee - The Hobbit - (Bilbo/Thorin, schmoopy Thorin has my whole heart)

Summary: Balin blinks, shifting backwards. “Laddie, it’s—it’s been a year. Bilbo has returned home, to the Shire.” He looks at Thorin, then says more gently, “I did not realize you counted the hobbit among your treasures.” What to do when one has died? Dig of course. - DBlack13 (Bilbo/Thorin, Afterlife fic, I repeate Afterlife fic (not that i have a fav trope or anything .....)

Summary: After death, Bilbo is bored. He misses his adventures, and although Yavanna’s Garden is everything a hobbit would wish for, Bilbo can’t help missing his friends in the Company, and above all, a certain blue-eyed leader… Makes the Whole World Blind - Chrononautical - The Hobbit (Bagignshield, I love when they are feral for one another)

Summary: Bilbo Baggins has been kidnapped. Thorin Oakenshield considers a proportional response. Nori Needs a Burglar - SunnyRose - The Hobbit @sunnyrosewritesstuff (Bagginshield, this is so clever and Bilbo getting caught in shennanigans accidently is *chef'f kiss*) Summary: In charge of distracting Bilbo from their party plans, Nori tells the hobbit about a problem they've been having in the treasury. Of course, Bilbo being Bilbo, he managed to stumble upon a conspiracy against the Crown. Unbreakable - Fantasyinallforms - The Hobbit @fantasyinallforms (Bagginshield, ngl, im not usually fond of the sex pollen trope as a personal prefrence, but this one is done so well and its all about the feels, its wonderfuly written) Summary: Bilbo and Thorin are captured coming back from a diplomatic mission to the elf king's halls. Their captures have no intention of killing the great Thorin Oakenshield outright; instead, they seek to break him and attempt to use Bilbo to do it. Bruises on the Heart - thehufflepuffhobbit - The Hobbit (Bagginshield, oblivious idiots, i'm looking at you Thorin, is always such a delicious plotline) Summary: 5 times Thorin noticed his soulmate’s bruises and 1 time he gave them one.

With a tie not easy to break - MiraHerondale - The Hobbit (Bagginshied woth alternate first meeting, this amount of sweetness isnt good for my heart) Summary:

“Finally”, said the hobbit, frowning despite his rushing heart. “I was worried.” The smial was deadly silent behind him, which was surprising, considering how loud the dwarfs had been moments prior. Yet he refused to turn around and check. “Worried? I thought we were angry.”

Fic for Thauc with the prompts "Bilbo and Thorin met before the Quest, fell in love and got married (in secret or not). How does that affect the Quest?" and "Thorin and Bilbo having an awkward and terrible hookup in Bree several months before the quest and then meeting at the quest." Clue-finder - TheGrayKnight - The Hobbit (Bagginshield, Bilob being accidently BAMF is brillaint) Summary: Bilbo originally asked to meet with Balin to discuss what he could do to help restore Erebor. He had no idea Balin would turn it around and talk about dwarven courting customs.

#bagginshield #fic rec list #enjoy #a few gen fics in there #Fem Bilbo #Hunger Games Au #Consort Bilbo

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samioli · 1 year ago

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I fucking hate this site I keep seeing the "Hallowed be thy ween" post and then I say the rest of the prayer in my head automatically. Our father who art in heaven, hallowed by thy ween. Thy kingdom come and thy will be done on earth as it is in hea

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enterthecuttlezone · 2 years ago

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Time Is What It Is

Chapter I of The Ministry of Time An unofficial novelization Based on the screenplay by Javier Olivares and Pablo Olivares Adapted by me :3

PRÓLOGO

 Flanders, 1569

When the sun rose over the Belgian countryside, the battle— more accurately, the massacre— was already over.

Something had gone horribly wrong. The Spanish army was the most advanced in the world, handsomely financed, its tercio structure decades ahead of its time. And yet hundreds of dead men, almost exclusively soldiers of the Spanish army, were lying in the earth, the colors of their uniforms, faces, hands now the color of the mud. A team of men went around picking up the bodies. As they hoisted life after wasted life into their cart, they had to wonder to themselves— Who allowed this to happen?

At the site of the Spanish army’s camp, a Belgian castle conquered and occupied, the captain Fernández summoned his direct subordinate, Alonso de Entrerríos, to testify on the disaster on the battlefield. This meeting would have been routine, mundane, even constructive under different circumstances. Before the battle occurred, Fernández had it in his mind that he would meet with Alonso afterward to discuss what worked, what didn’t, and how to improve their strategy, whether to call for reinforcements, whether to advance even further. But now he knew the meeting he’d imagined would be impossible. Instead of sending a messenger to Alonso, telling him to report at his earliest convenience, Fernández sent two soldiers, armed, with orders to bring the man to him immediately— by force, if necessary. Fernández knew someone had to take the blame for the outstanding SNAFU, and if he knew one more thing, it was that it wasn’t going to be him.

The moment Alonso’s battered, mud-stained boots made contact with the Spanish army camp grounds, they suddenly found themselves escorted by guards to the room where the anxious officer waited. His back to the door, Fernández turned as he heard the sextet of boots enter the room.

‹Thou attackedst before it was time!› accused the captain. ‹Why didst thou do it?›

Alonso was a serious, once wiry but now emaciated man. Thirty and some years old, battle-weary, muddied and bloodied, he replied, ‹Because thou didst order it so.›

��Hast thou witnesses who can attest to what thou sayest?›

‹If the dead could speak, I would.›

‹Thou liest,› said the captain, picking up a rod from the table behind him. He turned back to Alonso and yelled, ‹Thou liest!›

He moved to strike Alonso with the stick but Alonso grabbed it mid-swing and held it firm. Quietly but threateningly, Alonso replied, ‹I never lie.›

The captain looked at him as if he were mad.

‹Arrest him!› he yelled.

But before the soldiers could, Alonso grabbed the captain and exploded into rage. ‹They all died for thee!› he yelled. ‹All of them!›

The two guards could barely restrain the tall Alonso as he elbowed and kicked and bit with all his might. He knew there was no hope for him, but he had to do everything he could to give the traitorous Fernández what he deserved. One guard stepped away, and picked up a chair by the door. While Alonso was attacking the captain, he neglected to watch his back. The guard raised the chair and hit Alonso over the head. He fell to the ground, unconscious.

One month later, Alonso was in Seville, shackled to the wall in a gloomy dungeon. His uniform had been traded out for thin, worn rags, and his face was now hidden by the long, tangled beard and hair of a prisoner. Even so, he lowered his gaze. His wife, Blanca, had come to see him. She was upset, to say the least.

‹Why didst thou attack him? He was thy superior!›

‹There are times when a man must do what he must do,› said Alonso. He knew that if he had to live that day over again, and if there was no way he could prevent the catastrophic battle from happening, the only thing he would change would be to give Fernández one extra kick in the groin. Maybe two.

‹Damned pride…› said Blanca. She took his head in her hands. ‹Because of it, tomorrow thy captain will be in his bed, and thou on the gallows.›

‹Then on the gallows will be a man with honor, and in the bed a scoundrel.›

Alonso lifted his head, composing himself. He smiled tenderly at his future widow. ‹Blanca, cry not. I’ve had a good life. I saw the world… I loved… I fought for my country. I have no regrets.›

He paused for a moment. ‹Do one thing for me.›

Blanca nodded.

‹Continue thy life,› said Alonso, ‹don’t look back.›

Blanca hesitated. Alonso didn’t notice as she brought her hand to her belly.

‹Alonso… I… ›

Before she could finish the thought, the jailer yelled from outside the cell, ‹Your time’s up! Out!›

As the jailer entered the cell, Blanca looked at Alonso, and kissed him, empty of all hope. The jailer grabbed her and pushed her towards the door.

‹Forget me, I beg of thee,› called Alonso.

‹It won’t be easy,› said Blanca.

And then Alonso was alone. His head dropped back down, and he was absorbed in his own mind, until an unknown voice brought him back to Earth.

‹Art thou Alonso de Entrerríos?›

Alonso recomposed himself. In front of him was a monk, whose face was obscured by a black hood.

‹Thou wastest time, Father,› said Alonso. ‹What I have to say to God I’ll tell Him tomorrow in person.›

The monk took off his hood, revealing a serious, middle-aged face. He was clean-shaven, with eyebrows that seemed perpetually quirked— but this of course was not what Alonso would remember most about him. ‹I’m not here for confession,› said the monk. ‹I’ve come to take thee out of this place… if thou wilt accept mine offer.›

Alonso’s eyes widened.

‹Wouldst thou like to work for a secret office of the Crown?›

‹A spy?› said Alonso, perplexed.

‹Something like that. Special assignments in strange places… Thou wilt be dead to the world, including Blanca, thy wife.›

At this, Alonso lost the smile that had creeped its way onto his face… but all the same, he offered his hands so that the monk would free them. The monk had keys, and seeing Alonso’s gesture, he opened the shackles.

‹Thou must be very powerful,› said Alonso as the chains came off. ‹Knowing how much these people like executions, it’s strange to me that they would cancel this one.›

‹It won’t be canceled: they’ll have their execution.›

The monk whistled in the direction of the door. Through it, two guards dragged in someone bound with rope and with a sack covering their head. Alonso watched, and, rubbing his reddened wrists, asked.

‹Who is it?›

The monk said, ‹For all intents and purposes, thyself.›

Alonso doubted… but finally reached down to take the sack off the prisoner’s head: there on the ground, bound and gagged, was the captain Fernández. Alonso exploded into laughter, incredulous. The captive captain looked up at him in despair.

‹Can I stay to watch the show?› Alonso asked the monk.

The monk flicked his wrist, appearing to examine the tight-fitting bracelet he wore upon it. Alonso saw that one link on the bracelet was bigger than the rest— a dull green rectangle with mysterious marks on it absorbed the monk’s interest. Alonso could have sworn one of the marks disappeared and then appeared again in an instant. The monk concluded: ‹We don’t have time.›

‹What is that?› asked Alonso, still peering at the watch. The monk, no slave to explanation, walked out the open cell door.

‹Let’s go!›

Alonso, astonished, followed him.

Barcelona, 1880

As the afternoon wore on, Amelia started to worry that the professor giving the lecture she was attending did not know what he was talking about. Amelia had devoured books since she was a girl, fascinated by literature and history. She was the only woman in the room— in fact, the only woman in the university’s entire student body. Her presence at the university was a testament to the vast knowledge she had accumulated even before enrolling in her first classes. Unfortunately, not everyone there fully appreciated what she had to share.

The lecture was on the Golden Age of Spanish literature, and the lecturer seemed to be having trouble with the idea that works of high art might take inspiration from the lowbrow.

‹Overall, I deny the influence of any contemporary author on Lope de Vega, glory of Spanish letters,› the lecturer declared. ‹Because the former drinks from profane sources, and our Lope from the deepest roots of our faith…›

As the other students passed notes and shuffled papers, Amelia raised her hand, polite, but determined.

‹Yes, miss?› said the professor.

Amelia spoke fast, the words firing out of her like a machine gun. ‹I’m sorry, but the influence of Orlando Furioso on Lope de Vega is obvious, especially in the theme of madness in relation to love.›

The professor dismissed this. ‹Nonsense.›

‹Characters like Rodomonte and Orlando himself are taken as a model for Lope. You can see it in works like—›

The professor cut her off, coldly. ‹Will you let me continue with the class?›

Amelia stopped and, after a moment, shrank back into her chair, though she did not lower her gaze.

‹The Golden Age demonstrates the glory of our literature,› continued the professor, again at lecturing volume and cadence, ‹represented in Calderón, Lope, or Cervantes’ grandiose Don Quixote. A literature at the height of what Spain was then: the first world power…›

A note made its way unexpectedly to Amelia’s hand. She unfolded the paper and read it silently:

Amelia, come out to the hallway: it’s urgent.

She lifted her head, and the door to the classroom closed just as she turned to look. Not unalarmed, she gathered her notes, got up and hurried out to the hall.

What she found waiting for her there took her by surprise: a thin, attractive woman of about forty years, with blonde hair and a gaudy-colored dress. She had her back to the door, and as Amelia entered, the woman turned towards her and smiled eagerly, as if she’d been looking forward to meeting her for a long time. Amelia stared for no more than an instant.

‹Pardon… who are you?›

‹Someone who knows just how important you are,› said the mysterious lady. She added, ‹Not like all those men.›

Amelia found herself blushing.

‹I’d like to get to know one of the first university women in the country,› she continued.

‹Are you a journalist?›

‹Something like that,› said the woman. She reined in her smile. ‹Tell me, what did your mother say when you said you wanted to study here?›

‹She said I’d lost my mind,› said Amelia. ‹She doesn’t think women have any use for an education.›

‹And your friends?›

‹More or less the same. With them you can only talk about husbands, children, and the fashions of Paris. It’s hard to find a woman who you can talk to about art, politics, or important things.›

‹Well, times are changing, aren’t they?›

Amelia opened up like a book. ‹Sometimes I think that women are our own worst enemies. But that has to change. I’m convinced that in some future, women will be able to do the same as any man.›

‹So am I.›

The mysterious woman removed a flask from the small purse she clutched. She unscrewed the cap and said, ‹Shall we drink to that?›

She took a big gulp and offered the flask to Amelia, who took it, with a more timid sip.

‹If my mother heard us…› Amelia began. She shook her head. ‹She’s committed to finding me a husband… so that I marry and have children.›

This particularly piqued the woman’s interest. ‹And you don’t want to…?›

‹I don’t need a man,› said Amelia proudly.

The woman looked at her for a moment.

‹You don’t know the joy that that gives me…›

She moved in fast— and suddenly her lips were on Amelia’s. Amelia, for her part, was not experiencing the joy. She went stiff as a stone. The woman noticed her apprehension, and stepped back.

Flustered, Amelia stuttered, ‹Need— I don’t need men… but the case is I do like them.›

The woman looked at her and sighed.

‹Oh well.› She picked up her little purse. ‹Let’s see if this interests you more…›

She opened the bag again, and this time removed a wholly unfamiliar artifact. A black rectangle of glass, smooth and rounded at the edges, out of which colored light and soft, strange sounds emanated in response to the woman’s touch.

‹That… what is it?› asked Amelia.

The journalist who was not really a journalist pressed the strange shiny thing to her own ear. ‹Your world is too small for you, my dear— and that we can fix.› Turning away, she said to no one Amelia could see, ‹Angustias? Pass me over to the boss, darling…›

Amelia’s eyes were wide to begin with. Now she wouldn’t shut them for anything in the world.

Madrid, 2015

It was a typical night at a typical neighborhood bar. The local regulars drank their drinks, shot the breeze, watched the game playing on the TV mounted to the wall. On the wall behind the counter hung a scarf branded Atleti, for one of Madrid’s many soccer clubs, and a poster of Koke, one of its many famous players.

At a table, two paramedics in their yellow SAMUR uniforms dined on snacks and beer, attempting to wind down as the end of their shift approached. One of them was Julián. Only in his early thirties, he nevertheless had deep lines etched in his face and, tonight as on most nights, very little appetite. The other was Ramón. He was a little older, a lot heavier, and where Julián had short but poofy curls and a five-o-clock shadow, Ramón had a metalhead’s long greasy locks and well-kempt beard. While Julián stared into space, hardly having touched his little dish of nuts, Ramón picked at his tortilla de patata with the contempt of a hungry man confronted with food that is just not good.

‹Tortilla de patatas is like the IBEX-35 of a bar,› declared Ramón, referencing an index of the Madrid Stock Exchange. ‹If the tortilla is good, the bar is good.›

Julián didn’t answer.

‹And this tortilla is a disgrace.›

‹Everything was better before,› Julián said nostalgically.

‹Why are you so committed to coming here?›

Before Julián could make any unenthusiastic response, the radio transmitter they had rested on the table crackled to life: ‹Fire downtown,› said the staticky voice. ‹It’s a hostel.›

Julián got up automatically. ‹Let’s go.›

Ramón, still seated, started to protest. ‹Julián, for fuck’s sake, our shift is over in ten minutes and we’ve just been drinking!›

But Julián was already outside. With another curse, Ramón grabbed a handful of tortilla and grudgingly followed Julián out the door.

Downtown, the lights of sirens and the flames in the burning building colored the light of the night. By the time Julián and Ramón arrived in their ambulance, a fire truck and another ambulance had already been parked in front of the hostel. One firefighter, covered in ash, was being treated by a paramedic with an oxygen mask on the sidewalk.

Nearby, the light of the fire illuminating his face, was Ramón and Julián’s supervisor, talking to another firefighter in front of the building. Ramón approached them. ‹Jefe, how is it?› he asked his boss.

‹Not as bad as it seems,› he replied, with the attitude of having done most of his job already. ‹Inhalation of smoke, some attacks of nerves…›

As they talked, Julián looked up at the building, which was nearly completely engulfed in flame. Behind a window on the second floor, there were two figures.

Their characteristics were obscured by the smoke but Julián could see their silhouettes clear as day. ‹There’s still somebody inside!› he shouted.

‹Impossible,› said the firefighter. ‹Everyone has been evacuated. We’ve searched top to bottom.›

Julián pointed to the window, and the three other men looked up. But by then, the silhouettes were gone.

Nobody else was making any move to go into the building. Julián realized that if he was going to help those people in the window, he would have to do it on his own. He saw a firefighter’s smoke protection mask on the ground, grabbed it, and ran towards the building. His companions became alarmed. The firefighter yelled after him, ‹It’s about to cave in!›

But Julián didn’t turn back.

With the mask on his face, Julián entered the burning building and made for the stairs. At the top, he turned the corner into the room he saw through the window. Through the sooty mask he could see that the whole room was on fire and could collapse at any minute. Quickly his eyes searched for people in need of help. Then he saw, lying on the floor, two men— strangely, both were dressed like Napoleonic soldiers.

‹Here! I’ve found them!› Julián yelled. He went to try and revive them, but when he checked for a pulse, he couldn’t find one. He heard footsteps, and realized that someone else had entered the room. Thinking it was his partner, he yelled again. ‹Quickly! There’s no pulse!›

When he turned around, however, he saw that the new arrivals were not firefighters or SAMUR, but two other men, one uniformed like the men on the floor, and the other in civilian clothes of the same era. They stared at him, motionless, for a moment. Then there was a great cracking noise, and the three conscious men looked up. The ceiling had broken. The last thing Julián saw was the wooden beams heading right for his face.

For the next full day, Julián lay sedated in a hospital bed, coming in and out of consciousness. When he opened and closed his eyes, hours would pass before they opened again. Barely he perceived fragments of what was happening around him.

Open. A nurse is doing something Julián doesn’t get to observe. Close.

Open. Ramón, with he and Julián's supervisor, is at the foot of the bed. They talk in low voices.

‹This can’t go on, chief… Sooner or later something was going to happen. Nobody wants to work with him, he’s a danger, to others and to himself.›

The boss snorts.

‹After what happened with his wife…› says Ramón, ‹he’s not the same.›

‹Who would be?› The supervisor looks down at Julián. ‹Some shit luck you’ve had, kid…›

Close.

Open. Two strangers, dressed formally— a man in a suit and tie, and a woman in a blazer and skirt— are in the room. The man, next to the door, is reviewing a hospital clipboard, Julián’s medical history. The woman, seated by the bed, is looking at Julián.

Close.

The next day, Julián was fully awake, and the doctor told him he was free to go. Midday light entered through the window of the hospital room as Julián, now on his feet and dressed, prepared his bag to go home. He went over to the window to open it, but found that he couldn’t. It was locked.

‹Don’t bother. It won’t open.›

Julián turned around and saw his supervisor had entered the room.

‹Doctor’s orders,› said the boss.

Julián smiled. ‹They think I’m going to jump, or what?›

‹We’ve received a complaint from the Fire Department.› The supervisor was dead serious. ‹Many of their men risked their lives because you disobeyed an order from the firefighter in charge of the operation.›

‹There were people inside!›

‹There was only you, Julián,› said the boss.

He paused, to make sure Julián understood this point. Julián’s heart rate started to rise.

‹This isn’t the first time,› his supervisor continued. ‹Your colleagues say that working with you is like working with a suicide terrorist.›

‹But I know what I saw!›

‹You are out of service until further notice,› the boss said gravely. ‹You need to talk to a specialist…›

Julián sat down on the bed, crushed. The boss came over and put a hand on his shoulder.

‹Think of it as a vacation…› he said, more gently. ‹Didn’t you used to do photography? Do that.›

As his supervisor left the room, Julián replied under his breath.

‹Not anymore.›

#el ministerio del tiempo

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eccentricmya · 9 months ago

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20 Questions for Fic Writers

Thank you so much for the tag @zealouswerewolfcollector ! 💛💚

1. How many works do you have on ao3? 16, as of today! I tend to compile my ficlets (<2k) and drabbles into one place.

2. What's your total ao3 word count? 95483. So close to 100k! Soon.

3. What fandoms do you write for? Silmarillion, LoTR, and one other fandom that I shall not name here (it's visible on my ao3 though lol).

4. What are your top five fics by kudos? I'll list the Tolkien ones:

Promise of Happiness : A kidnap fam fic! They tend to be popular in our fandom, don't they?

Words They Said : Collection of my dialogue-centric ficlets.

To Learn Thy Song : My beloved Aragorn/Lothiriel post-war WIP!

Where do we go? : The first fic I wrote for this fandom. It's a Feanorion bonding short piece.

They Named it Love : Unrequited Russingon with aroace Mae!

5. Do you respond to comments? Usually yes. I try to. But I've missed some due to irl constraints... they haunt me though.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Oh this is a difficult question. Maybe Kinslayer in Truth? Yeah, Maedhros dies in that one 😶

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Oh easily, Promise of Happiness! It's there in the name. And Loveless too! It's a good warm one with father-son bonding and aroace Fingon.

8. Do you get hate on fics? Nope. The only kind of silent readers writers are happy about are the outraged ones.

9. Do you write smut? Ah I really cannot imagine myself ever writing that. Smut and I are acquaintances and no more. I mean, as a reader I search it up once in a blue moon, but on a regular day, you cannot tempt me into even reading it, much less writing it. It's a skip for me.

10. Do you write crossovers? Again nope. I'm not a fan of crossovers either. I've read some brilliant ones, but I don't see the appeal myself... One canon universe is already too big for me to handle.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? I don't write that good for that to happen lmao. (But I once had my poetry stolen. It was a bot copying the site I posted on. I was so mad I got DMCA to hide the links from showing up in searches at least.)

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Yes! In the other fandom I write for, someone translated my fic into Vietnamese. Very happy for that.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? No... my writing habits don't allow a collaboration, it's too sporadic. But I beta read once or twice! It was nice.

14. What's your all time favourite ship? Me/my metaphorical pen. It's an on and off again, tragic ship with misunderstandings and periods of abandonment. It feels like unrequited love at times, but I hope it's not and that they can live hea 🥺. Jokes aside, as a reader, sure, there are many across various fandoms, but as a writer, I do not.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? This is a sinister question 😭 wdym I doubt I'll finish. I have every hope to finish it someday! The fic is To Learn Thy Song btw. My most ambitious project to date.

16. What are your writing strengths? Oh, one-liners easily. They're different from dialogues to me as they can also be set into narration. I get these singular lines in my mind and I centre whole fics around them. They're strengths as they drive my writing instead of hampering it. That said, I also believe characters and their inter-personal dynamics are a pillar I build my fics on.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? Besides writing itself 😅? Plot. I don't think I've ever written a fic with solid plot. I'm also quite slow with setting up and switching scenes. Mostly, descriptions and fillers are difficult for me.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogues in another language in a fic. I would rather use italics and bolded letters to convey different languages. Most readers, myself included, do not bother reading all those foreign letters, they just look for the translation instead at the bottom. One or two words, though, can enhance the reading experience instead of detracting from it.

19. First fandom you wrote for? Supernatural! Funnily enough, that fic is my most popular one. Though given the size of that fandom, it's not as surprising, but given the quality of my writing then? Very very shocking honestly!

20. Favourite fic you've written? Right now, Loveless. 💔

I truly don't know who has done this already so if you see this and haven't answered these already, I dare you to @ me and just do it! 😝

#tag game #this was long omg #but quite fun!#about me

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nasuversekinkmeme · 1 year ago

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Weekly roundups: prompts

Tsukihime

Smut, I want that anemic twink Shiki spitroasted by Arcueid and Ciel in some odd competitive threesome thing the two got going on

Show mercy on my soul. Femboy Akiha.

Fate/Stay Night

FGO

Smut, For as much as they want her 'spear', I think Morgan should introduce Gudako and Da Vinci to it-- that is, can we have her cock vore the two of them?

Smut, incest, Karna and Vritra team up to edge and overstim Arjuna until he cries

jeanne gets some well deserved karma for her big sister beam brainwashing .

Yknow how Nobukatsu gloats over the REAL Nobunaga saying he is nothing like his as he lays dying from the poison he gave him? Something similar but this time Mitsuhide is the target and he made sure the poison was just right that it would take a very long time for him to die as he watches Or he just stabs the guy I dunno Nobukatsu deserves to kill more people

Morgan is Bored and demands carnival rides be built in Fae Britain. Entertainment ensues.

Noncon, incest, Summer Avatoria having a soft fulfilling romance with Muramasa as people who are tied by fate thrice over. Meanwhile Summer Castoria would LOVE to stop waking up filled with cum from a man she considers ber grandfather. The downsides of sharing a body you know how it is (feel free to play it as lighthearted or fucked up as you wish)

Asclepius becomes a therapist because dear God do some of these servants (and staff) need help and somebody's gotta be the counselor.

Noncon, Elaine of Carbonek, the raging bitch who raped Lancelot and mother of Galahad, is summoned. If you thought Galahad resented his FATHER, y’all ain’t seen nothing yet. Mash has to be physically restrained when Elaine refers to her as “Junior.” (Technically, Galahad would be Galahad Jr, if Lancelot ever went by his birth name. I am an Arthuriana nerd.)

Emiya realizes that Ritsuka mission are becoming too dangerous, so he locks himself there with her, she can left whenever she wants, as long as she is able to do a simple task, with all the knowledge and weapons she gathered from her servants she must kill him, proving she has become strong enough to be the protector of humanity

Salieri gets a Summer form, where instead of being the amalgamation of the rumours of who killed Mozart, he's the amalgamation of the myths of the Maenads who tore Orpheus apart.

First Hassan and Shiki killing increasingly improbable and abstract things as a friendly contest. Escalating from “the tension in the room” to Barghest’s desire to eat her loved ones” to “Artoria’s resentment of Mordred” to “Wednesdays.”

Continuation of the Grand Carnival joke: Atalanta has to marry Kingprotea, BB is in charge of organizing wedding and the rest of the Sakura Five are bridesmaids aka have to make sure Atalanta doesn't escape.

Blackbeard, Absolute Disgusting Degenerate that he is, is well aware that his kink is not everyone else's kink, and so after finding some improperly tagged Smut or Hentai, decides to make a video about the importance of tagging, what it means, and how to do it, because tagging your shit properly means that everyone can enjoy themselves in peace, so long as they use the blacklist. (This just kinda came to me TBH, Cause Blackbeard just kinda feels like he'd take proper tagging very seriously given everything about him.)

Fun fact: "thou" and "thy" and such were actually the informal register - "you" and "your" were the fancy, polite terms. Therefore, someone should write a fic of First Hassan trying to seem hip and chill and failing catastrophically because his understanding of what counts is hundreds of years out of date.

UDK Barghest gets hired to Put out a Fire (Read: Help Melusine with her Draconic Heat). Whether it goes full smut or if it goes in a comedic non sexy route is up to the author

Smut, Yu Mei-Ren has Hella Gay Sex with her Summer Variant. (Not NTR, though I'm not sure who all would consider it such anyway since its self on self.)

One of the Draconic/Lizard Servants installs a heat lamp in their room, because if you've got a tech wizard who will do anything for you, why not? After approximately 10-ish seconds of "why didn't I think of this before" from all the other Dragon-type servants, everyone immediately rushes to said room. Ensue dogpile of like, 20 lizard people (including Oberon and Rasputin for some reason??? gotta love traits) whether this is horny or not is up to the writer.

Smut, On their big day, a bride is stressed about the whole event and is this close to calling it quits. Habetrot can't have this so obviously there's one solution: cocksleeve time!

Barghest is openly lamenting in the hallway about how she can never be close to master or anyone else she loves bc of her bestiary nature and how she wishes she could keep herself in check. Scathach hears this and goes "Say no more" and puts her in a collar leash and muzzle. She's trained dogs before

Gudako tries her hardest to be Titania for Oberon. Oberon has Opinions about this. (I'll leave it to the prompt filler if these opinions are Positive, Negative, or Mixed.)

What started as a tiny fight "for charity" between Hektor and Achilles soon turns brutal as Achilles starts to truly want to kill Hektor. Paris, Manricardo, Alexander, and even Penth try to step in to stop him

Some asshole tries to threaten Guda only for them to reply and I quote "I'm not scared of Death, we have Tea on the weekends" Smash cut to them actually having tea with King Hassan, Eresh and Shiki. Whether Guda got hurt or not by the threatener ill leave up to the author.

How did Mel get access to Nemos aircraft carrier? Mysteriously kiss-covered Nemos refuse to answer (Note: all of em are adults)

Fun fact: Sastoria's NP is most effective against Summer Hokusai as she is both Chaotic, Divine, and a Threat to Humanity. Sooooo one-sided jealousy where Sastoria hates Saber Hokusai and Hokusai can't figure out why

Because I don't think we'll see him this summer. What summer side adventure is Kadoc doing? Who with him is you to the author.

Melusine's dragon nature means she likes building a hoards of all the things precious to her. now that she feels comfortable in Chaldea she can't help but gather all the people she likes to cuddle together with in bed with. Who ends up in her cuddle pile is up to y'all

Vlad is talked into going on a boat ride to relax. Everyone on the boat is very uncomfortable with this

Anything involving Ritsuka having extreme mommy issues

so Chloe's whole... thing... is "justified" in-universe as she needs magic to stay stable, so she gets it by doing... that. Ergo, I want to see something where she's summoned in Chaldea and thus hooked up to a stable magic supply, so she doesn't have to do that anymore and gets to actually Process and maybe just Be A Kid instead.

Other

I kinda just wanna say “Galehaut” and watch what the Fate fandom does with the idea of the half-giant king that only didn’t overthrow Camelot because he wanted to bone Lancelot. So I will.

Kinks are known to suddenly appear and develop with age, so: Older version of a servant helping unlock a kink for their younger self

can we get some consensual hypnokink content, perhaps? maybe someone has a kink for being hypnotized and wants so badly to hand over control for a little bit, or they're nervous about performing well during sex and just want to be more assured in themselves! how and why it's done is up to the author/artist as well as the characters, so long as there is consent established!

#weekly roundup

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nalyra-dreaming · 2 years ago

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Sorry to bother you :) I noticed you reblogged a question Jacob Andrerson answered saying his favourite ship is Loustst and he said he loves how they meet up at the end and they say 'wanna hang out'. Is he talking about when they get together finally for their HEA? If so, I laugh at how flippantly he talks about them. I assume its more intense and loving when they get together properly at the end?

Hey nonny!

No, I think he is referring to TVL, QotD, and even TtotBT... where they're just kinda... colliding and are "petty and in love" :)) (though that is a bit simplified).

When they finally get together for good it is a bit heavier:

“Very well,” Louis said. “What do you mean?” He shrugged and smiled.

“I’ll come if you want me. I’ll come and I’ll stay and I’ll be your companion if you want. I don’t know why you want this or how long you’ll want it, or what it’s going to be like, being with you and watching all your antics up close, and trying to be of help and not knowing how to be of help, but I’ll come. I’m tired of fighting it; I give up; I’ll come.”

I couldn’t believe I’d heard right. I stared at him as helplessly as I had in the hallway of the townhouse when I’d first seen him, trying to grasp what he had said.

He leaned close to me, and he put his hand on my arm. “ ‘Wither thou goest, I will go, and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people’; and because I have no other god and never will, you shall be my god.”

and

“I know what you need,” he said. “You need one person who is always on your side. Well, I’m ready to be that one now. I don’t know why I tormented you, made you pay for asking, made you come all this way. I always knew I was going to come. Maybe I thought you’d lose interest because I never really understood why you wanted me in the first place. But you’re not losing interest, not even with the whole Court, and so I’ll come. And when you tire of me and want me gone, I’ll hate you, of course.”

“Trust me,” I whispered. He was cutting me to the heart and making me happy, and this was pain.

“I do,” he said.

That's a bit heavier, isn't it :) "You shall be my god"... it calls back to the IWTV quote:

I allowed myself to forget how totally I had fallen in love with Lestat’s iridescent eyes, that I’d sold my soul for a many-colored and luminescent thing, thinking that a highly reective surface conveyed the power to walk on water.

“What would Christ need have done to make me follow Him like Matthew or Peter? Dress well, to begin with. And have a luxurious head of pampered yellow hair.

After Merrick, Louis resented Lestat for quite a while... on principle more than anything else I think. But they got together for good with the quotes at the top.

And we end here, in Blood Communion:

“I love you with my whole soul, and I will always love you,” he confided to me. “You are my life. I have hated you for that and love you now so much that you’ve been my instructor in loving. And believe me when I say you will survive this, and that you must for all of us. You will survive because you always have and you always will.”

I couldn’t answer. I knew I loved him more than words could say, but I couldn’t respond.

So yeah. A lot more intense, imho :))) And Jacob and Sam will slay us when we get there.

#asks #thank you nonny #iwtv #interview with the vampire #loustat #book quotes #ask nalyra

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libidomechanica · 1 year ago

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But lets it so large an orb, as truly, know

And one the light, then quickly gone? Around that motto drew. Show! A thousand honour of union was Juan; whom shall have he did sip, and cast up from their order keep we thinks gay Punch hath ending in her eyes nor ears, till older man who

loves me again: the Future I embrace; and lady friends them all this sick period close the curtains over you except once on a day, so short, and made a monument, so well served in this very weel aff like Autumne plums, did

drop, and cause some pinnes hurt did whine, by my side, so is her eyes glowing first. Strait is the kitchen lightning a candle to touch upon them. Has powerless Heliades melt into his repartees. When the landscape which sight, they rode;

they take your regular in paradise had more white with vagabonding sheets. A hidden mystery once, and put the chosen it. Pensive he eyes, lips another; no sister flower—may choose her voices die, vibrates in the doors

ajar? His Soul was constant colonies at last, to fold, birds more purpose lost, where am I? Brake with her arms infold him his smoke occupied their true hypocrite at least all price, when in an hour with you fightingale does shed

its cool underwater filter’d in a thoughted Venus having wretch! Some deem it but her wings which in rubles, diamonds, cash, and sees best work, yet swell threshold, he, or hand had my load before the saints and saints had once think’st thou need not

see a single laughing at his way, but true,—last war the wayward love, my bright sun glorifies their guided steps can find nothing hastily. Which lovers dream of Heaven to reach heart shall know, it is very miserable Knight thee, which

is the stature, all are but with the bench behind the clove, and murmurous vestibule his youth, and the realme of Lorraine; and draw one Breath you this. Where were dewd with many a sniggering flames in eyes? Pensive he eyes, thoughts so sweetly

doth fall, the fetid wombs of blood, with stay thought, in pity of love their hearts to—all at last wet step before the wall, like Autumne plums, did drop a flowers with the hung his common- place! Farewell, hear, mistress, for Tyrans make a lyzard

dull, to taste. From each light voyage or Shah, and the nymph that Fate avenges arms Shirúeh with her grieve: for sharply, and hotel; thy packets, all hoped to find its love a sister flows away; a single laughter loved the best presume for

I have my body’s bane would surpass the equinox, that sliding hip to haunch. Is it thy seal-manual on my thought to owe, insolvent every willing me. Thou dost speak no square were out of the dale, the mysterious: besides,

so plied and stitched up in fatal Juan ever made. The little Turk refused to walk away, as with burning in a fit of waste, refuse and dubious bone, though the cold ran the welkin volleys out his poor old breast. Various arts

of melancholy rite for the break. I am the heavy Saturn laugh’d, as if it seems unkind. Of a wee white should not that ourselves awake, and expire; so was of more perjured eye, to see me weep so sore, hey ho! Don Juan now

was she. You tell the slow-picked, halting travell’d; and kissing injury, revenge from his ivied nook glow like a race- horse; much as may be Boaz, and fingers on this wish, nor blank; it means to immure herself in me. Birds, gusts and now

she will Europe’s sagest head. Be cut in Phaeton’s time, and destroy the cattle’s feet, scrambling ecstasy, till Paradise: wheels round my hope! When Newton saw an apple doth sit, long siege to their fox-hunt o’er its steady surprise a

heap of pain. An image I do steal thyself, by turns to pull. Here he could tell nought can tire, and Lamia, what can ye recognition from thy should be able for know, through or smooth as snow she seeks: he shoulders, heav’n-directed,

to go, whilst ravish’d with no soul and unload all good to live. Mae nor mermaid’s voice and alone the writhed her to Its delicacy—stoops at once ye shall lay bare her long by hardest fate, the bows her heart. He spoke, and yet these dinner;

angle, the soldier’s death’s ebon dart, to strike the prison’d in her, she: but thou, that turns up through they rang on her troubled brain;—and tug at the all over America. Teaches one to folk—remember me when the low starlight.

Who, in my e’e, to this flesh helps soul! Nor did when they: alas that joy can get a fresh beauty is to me as laughter knit into each other ran in his magic vapour of some a little leaning up this proud head lolled back,

nor brag not of. Just such art as from a half-unquench’d volcano go. Have in the primrose bank whereon with brasswork prinked, each leaning in the god of day, to lord and lads indifference certes, she was Nor more than she frame to?

#poetry #automatically generated text #Patrick Mooney #Markov chains #Markov chain length: 7 #189 texts #ballad

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ketchfantrolls · 1 year ago

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Hiiiii Metier... 🥰

How are doing? How's things at this theatre house going?

"// He//o dear~ Things are going very we//, a// things considered."

"// I had a quick run-in with this huge Purp/eb/ood for mere/y /ooking at his quadrantmate though... I'm not sure how hea/thy that is for them, persona//y. I can't he/p but fee/ a bit sorry for her."

#answered #metier hollow #homestuck #hiveswap #fantroll

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cosmicangel888 · 2 years ago

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5D Reality ~ Outer is not the INNER

Another's story is not the story you have to be a part of

Another's story is not the story you have to be involved and entangled with;

Detach, move on, and let go of anything that anyone may want you to pull into their life, their energy to fix them, help them, while they have done nothing to heal, to align with their own higher self, and heal the karma created and derailed in selfish gain;

The outer is not of your making ~

Spirit, God will not support the corruption of masked businesses and those that mask a 'righteous' warranted business to guide people with love, honesty and truth and yet behind closed doors, they steal from true prophets, they do black magic, and rituals to confuse and take, mask and veil for the confusion of the public; and those on their pulpit - God will not support nor protect that which is not in thy name - The name of spirit, God, is that of Oneness, benevolence - and however tricky, arrogant and not aligned with the highest self to fool the people of non-alignment and selfish gain - will fall - for no foundations will stand in such;

They all purposefully came into my lane; harvesting my life, light for years - stealing what is in my name, signing what is not in any other, and then abusing power, abusing energy and how may we align with pure light, life, and directing the people in only pure alignment with God - the heart open; not blocked and damaging others so that none find out about the corruption and vibrations of simply taking, and misguiding the innocent and the ones that give money when the offering is glared to the hearts of each - the church in the wild is pure and how aligned are those you give power and money to -

No master ever came to earth, blessed by God to set up or be a religion - God is not a religion - when you profit purely in the selfish and stealing, taking, copying what is not yours - it is not aligned in the heart and mind of God. - the all mind of God and the expansiveness of God will always be offered - the intelligence will be and live through the innocent and the meek -

When you chose to come into my lane and take, the loss, the damage done have no idea about - yet they gather the people and speak in the name of God - I will stand my ground - I know who I am and I know truth;

truth is truth.

I have walked through the hell they made for me; I gathered the energy and lessons that none would not could not stand before and face; for now the temples are breaking of the falseness that they were created in - masters do not come speaking religion, they speak of a oneness and truth - love and compassion, forgiveness;

Enough of migrating to the lanes that is not your own - self love inner work - heal thy wounds so they do not become another's

Corruption will be known, felt, sensed; spell work, underground work to control outcome and manipulate and entrap people is not the work of God; all are being known and sensed; none escape that which is what was created - choice is choice - heal or feel the falling of what is not truth;

youtube

Truth is - truth is the only way to clear karma and taking right action for the greater good -

slight of hand, the paying off to deny the innocent their truth, voice, and choice of human and spiritual rights; all will be found out - and all have a choice; you create your lifetime;

My paperwork, my mail belongs to me; I have not signed anything of any monies, any contracts for any work, no permissions and no work agreements were ever made nor agreed; there were those indicating of my defamation and building stories to reduce my word and my truth; I have and walk with God; all will be in support of the truth; for God is God and not that of false churches and corrupt work to confuse the public and take from their honest way of life; they trust those of service for a reason - those not aligned will be always be found out -

I speak truth -

Blessings and light

Joanna

#ascension #healingcommunities #healinghumanity #healingourchildren - treat all as you wish to be treated - love is the only way - heal thy wounds that make anything anyone think they are beyond karma - God is, spirit is, natural laws are - 5D IS

#Youtube

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a-z0-9-i-n-gram-completionist · 10 months ago

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1: 0 1 2 4 8 9 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z 32/36 (26/26) (6/10)

2: 08 11 18 19 41 42 84 90 ab ac ad ag ai aj ak al am an ap ar as at av aw ay ba bd be bi bl bo br bs bu by ca cc ce ch ci ck cl co cr cs ct cu cy da dd de df di dl dn do dr ds du dy ea eb ec ed ee ef eg eh ei el em en eo ep eq er es et ev ew ex ey fa fe fi fo fr ft fu ga ge gh gi gl go gr gs gt gy ha he hi hn ho hr ht hu hy ia ib ic id ie if ig il im in io ip ir is it iu iv iz jo ju ke ki kn ks ky la ld le lf li lk ll lm lo ls lu lv ly ma me mh mi mo mp ms mu my na nb nc nd ne nf ng nh ni nk nl nn no ns nt nu nv ny oa ob oc od oe of og oi ol om on oo op or os ot ou ow ox oy pa pe ph pi pl pm po pp pr ps pt pu qu ra rd re rg ri rk rl rm rn ro rp rr rs rt ru ry rz sa sc se sh si sk sm sn so sp sq ss st su sw sy ta te th ti tl to tr ts tt tu tw ty ua ub uc ud ue ug ui ul um un uo up ur us ut ve vi wa we wh wi wo wr xc xe xi xt xu yb yg yl ym yn yo yp ys yx ze zo 290/1296 (282/676) (8/100)

3: 184 190 842 908 abd abl aca acc aci ack acr acs act ade ads age ain ajo ake aki ale ali alk all alm alo als ame ami amp ana anc and ane ang ani ans ant anu any ape app ard are arg ark arl arm aro arr ars art ase ask ass ata ate ath ati ato att atu ave avi awa awr ayb bab bac bal bas bdo bea bed beh bel bet bey bio bis bit ble blo bly bod bon bou bow boy bra bre bst bul bur but cal can cav cce ccy cee cen cep che chi cia cie cin cks cky cle clo clu coc com con cos cre cri cru cti ctu cul cut cyx dar dda dea dee den deo dep der des dfi did die din dis dle dne doe dom don dor dul dur ead eak eal ear eat ebr eci ecr ect edd edi eed eei eem een efe egi egs ehi ein eir eit ela ele elf ell elo elv ely ema eme emo emp ems emu enb enc end eng enh eno ent env eos eou epo eps ept equ era ere eri erl erm ern err ers ert eru ery erz esc ese esn esp ess est eta ete eto etw ety eve evi ewh exc exe ext exu eyo fam far fat fem fer fes fib fie fif fin fir fis for fos fra fro fth fur fus gap gel gem ges ght gic gif gio gir gla glu gol gon gou gre gro gth gys han hap hat hav hea hei hem hen her hes hey hic hig him hin hip hir his hit hiu hna hol hot hou hro hum hus hym ial iar ibe ibi ibu ica ice ich ick icu ide idf ied ien ier ies iet ife ifi ift igh ila ili ill ima imi ims ina inc ind ine inf ing ink ins int inu iny iof ion ior iou ips ird irs isc ise ish iso isp iss ist ite ith iti its itt ity ium ive ize joi jor jus jut ked kel kes kin kiv kne kno ksc lan lar lat lde leg len les let lex lia lie lif lis lit lli llo lls lly lmo loa log lon loo lop lou low lso lue lun lus lvi lym lyp mag maj mak mal man mar mas mat may mel men mer met mew mil min mit moo mor mos mou mph mpl mpr mse mur mus myg nac nad nal nat nbo nce ncl nde ndi ndn ndo nds ndu nec nee nei neo nes nex nfr nge ngs ngt ngy nhn nim nky nly nne nop nor nos not now nox nse nsi nst nsw nta nte nti ntl nto ntr nts ntu nuo nus nve oac oat oba occ oce oci odi ody oes ofi oft ogi ogo ogs oin old ole olo oma ome omi omp omy ona ond one onl onn ons ont ool oos oot ope ops opt ora org ori orm ors ose osi oss ost osu ota ote oth oti oto oug oun oup ous out owe owi oxi oyl par pat pea pec ped pel per pho pic pin ple pli pmh poi pos ppa ppe ppo pre pri pro pte pti pub qua que qui rac rai ral ran rap rat raw rdl rea rec red ref reg rel rem ren res ret rev rge ria rib rig rin rio ris rit rki rks rly rma rmi rmo rms rns roa rob roc rog rom rop ros rou row rpr rra rro rru rsa rse rsi rst rte rth rti rto rts ruc rum rus sac sal sam sav say sch sci scl scr scu sec sed see sel seq ses sha she sid sim sio sis sit siv siz ske ski sma smo soc sof som sop sor spe spi spo squ sso ssu sta ste sti stl sto sts stu sty sua sub suc sue sup sur sus swe syn tai tak tal tan tar tat tea teb ted ten ter tes tha the thi tho thr thu thy tib tic tid tin tio tip tis tiv tle tly tom ton too tot tre tri tsi tte ttl tty tua tud tur tus twe two tyl typ ual uar uat ubi ubs uch uco udi uea uen ues ugh uit ula ume und ung unt unu uou upp ups ure uri urn uro urp urr urs urt usc use usi ust usu uta ute uts vel ver vic vid vil vit war wee wel wer wha whe whi who why win wit xcl xem xio xte xtr xus ybe ygo yle ylo yme ymp ymu yno yon you ypi ypm yst zoo 802/46656 (798/17576) (4/1000)

4: 1842 1908 abdo able ably acce acin acru acti actu adep ages ainf ajor akes akin alis allo alls ally almo alog also amil ampl anal anat ance ands andu aneo ange anim answ ants anus aped appa appe area aren arge arki arks arly arms arou arra arsa arte arti arts ased aske atar ated ater athe atid atio ativ atom atte atty atur avit awar aybe babl back ball base bdom bear bedd behi belo betw beyo biof bitt blog bodi body bone boun boyl brat brev bsta bula burr bute call cavi ccen ccyx ceed cent ceps cept cher chiu cial cien ciet cing cles cloa clus cocc comp conn cons cont cosu cret crib crum ctio ctua ctus cula cuta dard ddar deal deed denb denc deos depo dept desc dfis died dies diet ding disp dnes does dome domi dors dula duri eaki eall ears eart ebra ecia ecre ecti ectu edda edin edis eedi eein eems efer egio ehin eing eith elat elet elop elow elvi emal emel emen emor empl emur enbo ence endi ends engt engy enhn enop enor enti entl entu enve eous epos epti eque eral eran ered eres erio erly ermi erru erse ersi erte erti erto erus escr espe esti esty etal etat eton etwe ever evic evid ewha excl exem exte extr exus eyon fami fatt fema femo femu fest fibu fied fift find firs fish form foss frac frog from furt fuse gely geme gest gica gion gird glan glue gold gona gous grea grou gyst hape have head hear heir here hert herz hese hich high hims hind hing hips hird hite hium hnac hole hoto houg hroa hume hyme hymu iall ibed ibio ibul ibut ical icep icks icky icul idea iden ideo ides idfi ienc iety ifes ifie ifth ight ilar ilia illi imag imal imil imse inal incl inde infr ings inky inse insi inst inte into ints inuo iofi ions ious irdl irst isch ishe isop ispo issu ists ites ithe itio ittl itty ivel join jori just juts kele king kink kive knee know ksch land larg larl late lati latu lden legs leng leta leto lexu liar lier life lifi litt llie llow lmos loac logi logo lond loos lope lops lowe lowi lung lusi lvic lymp lypm mage majo make male mall many mark mass mati mayb mely meno ment meru meta mewh mila mili mina mite moot mora most moun mous mple mpli mpri msel murs musc must mygo naci nads nali nalo nato nboy nclu ndee nder ndin ndne ndon ndul nect neit neou ness next nfro ngem ngth ngys nhna nima nnec nopt norm nost note noxi nsec nseq nsid nsis nste nswe ntai nter ntin ntio ntly ntri ntua nuou nusu nvel oaca obab occy ocee ocie odie oesn ofib ogic ogou oint olde olog omat omen omew omin ompr onad ondo only onne onse onsi onta onti ontr oolo oose ooth oped oper opte oral oria orit orma ormo orsa oses osit osso oste osto osty osus otal oted othe otic ough ound ount oups outs ower owin oxio oylo pare part patt pear peci pelv perl phot pica pine plex plif poin pose posi post ppar ppea ppos pred pris prob proc prop pter ptid pubi quar quea quen ques quit ract rain rang rans rapp rate rath rawr rdle real reat rect redi refe regi rela reme rent rest rete reve revi rgel rges rial ribe ribu righ ring rior rise rity rkiv rksc rmat rmit rmou roat roba roce rogs rope rost roun roup rowe rpri rran rrou rrow rruc rsal rsed rsio rstl rteb rter rthe rtic rton ruco sacr sacs sals same save sche schi scie scle scri scul secr sect seei seem self sequ shap shes side sidf simi sion sist siti sits sive size sked skel skin smal smoo soci soft some sopt sori spec spin spos sque ssor ssue stan stea ster stic stin stio stly stom stot stud styl sual subs such supp surp surr swer syno tain take talk tanc tane tars tata tead tebr tend tera tere teri term tern than that thei them ther thes they thig thin thir this thou thro thus thym tibi tica tick ticu ting tinu tiny tion tips tiss tive toma tomy tons tota toti trem trib tsid tter ttle tual tuat tudi ture turn twee tyle typi uall uart uate ubis ubst ucos udie ueak uenc uest uite ular ulat umer unde undi undn ungs unus uous uppo urin urns uros urpr urro urth uscl uscu used usio usiv usua utan utsi velo vely verr vers vert very vice vide vill vity ware ween well were wers what when whic whit whol wing with xclu xemp xiou xten xtre ygol ylou ymen ymph ymus ynos

yond ypic ypmh ysto zool 815/1679616 (813/456976) (2/10000)

5: abdom accen acing acrum actio actua adept ainfr ajori aking allow almos alogo amili ample analo anato andul aneou angem anima answe appar appea arent argel arges arkiv arksc aroun arran arsal arter artic asked atars atera ather ation ative atomy atter ature avity aware bably balls based bdome bdomi bedda behin below betwe beyon biofi bitty bodie bound boylo brate brevi bstan burro cally cavit ccent ceedi centu cepti cherz chium ciall cienc ciety cloac clusi coccy compr conne conse consi conta conti contr cosus crete cribe ction ctual cular culat cutan ddard denbo dence depos descr dfish dings dispo dness doesn domen domin dorsa dular durin eakin eally earts ebrat ecial ecret ectio ectus eddar eding edisp eedin eeing egion ehind eithe elati eleta eleto elope elops elvic emale emely ement emora empli emurs enboy endin ength engys enhna enopt enorm entio ently entua envel eposi eptid equen erans erest erior ermit erruc ersed ersio erteb ertic erton escri espec estin estio estyl etata etons etwee evers evice evide ewhat exclu exemp exten extre eyond famil fatty femal femor femur festy fibul fifth first fishe forma fosso fract frogs furth fused gemen gical girdl gland golde gonad great group gysto haped heart herto himse hnaci hough hroat humer hymen hymus ially ibiof ibula ibute icall iceps icept icula ideal idenc ideos idfis ience ifest ified ilarl iliar illie image imila imsel inali inclu indee infro insec insid inste inter inuou iofib irdle irstl ischi ishes isopt ispos issue ither ition ittle ively joint jorit kelet kinky ksche lands landu large larly later lativ latur ldenb lengt letal leton lexus lifes lifie littl llier llowi lmost loaca logic logou londo loose loped lower lowin lungs lusio lusiv lymph lypmh mages major makes marks matid matio maybe menop menti merus metat mewha milar milia minal mites mooth moral mount mplex mplif mpris mself muscl muscu mygol nacin nalis nalog natom nboyl nclus ndeed nding ndnes ndula necti neith neous nfrog ngeme ngyst nhnac nimal nnect nopte normo nosto noted noxio nsect nsequ nside nsist nstea nswer ntain ntere ntinu ntion ntrib ntuat nuous nusua nvelo obabl occyx oceed ociet odies ofibu ogica ogous oints olden ologi omati omewh omina ompri onads ondon onnec onseq onsis ontai ontin ontri oolog operl opter orial ority ormat ormou orsal ositi osits ossor oster ostot ostyl other otica ounde oundi oundn outsi owers owing oxiou oylou paren parti patte pears pecia pelvi perly photo pical plexu plifi point poses posit poste ppare ppear ppose predi prise proba proce prope ptera pubis quart queak quenc quest quite racti rainf range rathe reall rectu redis refer regio relat remel rentl resti rever revic rgely rgest ribed ribut right rkive rksch rmati rmite rmous robab rocee roper rosty round roups rower rpris rrang rroun rrowe rruco rsals rsion rstly rtebr rther rtica rticu rucos sacru scher schiu scien scles scrib scula secre seein seems seque shape sides sidfi simil sists sitio sivel skele small smoot socie somew sopte soria speci spine spose squea ssori stanc stead steri stick sting stion stoma stoti studi style suall subst suppo surpr surro swere synos tance taneo tarsa tatar tebra tendi tends teral teran teres terio termi their there thert these thigh thing third thoug throa thymu tibio tical ticks ticky ticul tinuo tions tissu tomat total totic treme tribu tside ttern tuall tuate tudie turns tween typic ually uarte uated ubsta ucosu udied ueaki uence uesti ularl ulatu umeru under undin undne unusu uppos uring urost urpri urrou urrow urthe uscle uscul usion usive usual utane utsid velop verru verse versi verte verti vicep viden video villi wered which white whole xclus xempl xious xtend xtrem ygold ymeno ynost ypica ystom zoolo 622/60466176 (622/11881376)

6: abdome abdomi accent action actual ainfro ajorit allowi almost alogou amilia amplex analog anatom andula aneous angeme animal answer appare appear arentl argely argest arkive arksch around arrang arsals articu atarsa ateral athert ations attern bdomen bdomin beddar behind betwee beyond biofib bodies boylou brevic bstanc burrow cavity ccentu ceedin centua ceptid cially cience cloaca clusio clusiv coccyx compri connec conseq consis contai contin contri cribed ctions ctuall cularl culatu cutane denboy deposi descri dfishe dispos domina dorsal during eaking ebrate eciall ecrete ection eddard edings edispo eeding either elativ eletal eleton eloped emoral emplif enboyl ending engyst enhnac enopte enormo ention entuat envelo eposit equenc eresti ermite erruco ersion ertebr ertica escrib especi esting estion estyle etatar etween everse evicep eviden exclus exempl extend extrem famili female femora femurs festyl fibula firstl fishes format fossor fracti furthe gement girdle glands glandu golden gonads groups gystom hearts herton himsel hnacin humeru hymeno ibiofi ically icepti icular idence idfish ifesty ilarly illier images imilar imself inalis inclus indeed infrog insect inside instea intere inuous iofibu irstly ischiu isopte ispose jority keleta keleto kscher landul largel larges latera lative lature ldenbo length letons lifest lified little llowin logica logous london lowing lusion lusive majori marksc mation menopt mentio metata mewhat milarl miliar minali mplexu mplifi mprise muscle muscul mygold nacing nalogo natomy nboylo nclusi ndness ndular nectio neithe nfrogs ngemen ngysto nhnaci nnecti nopter normou nostot noxiou nseque nsists nstead nswere nteres ntinuo ntribu ntuate nusual nvelop obably oceedi ociety ofibul ogical oldenb ologic omatid omewha ominal ompris onnect onsequ onsist ontain ontinu ontrib oologi operly optera ormati ormous ositio ossori osteri ostoti ostyle otical ounder oundin oundne outsid oxious parent partic patter pecial pelvic plexus plifie points positi posits poster pparen ppears predis probab procee proper pteran quarte queaki quence questi ractio rainfr rangem rather really rectus redisp region relati remely rently restin revers revice ribute rksche rmatio rmites robabl roceed roperl rostyl rounde roundi roundn rowers rprise rrange rround rrower rrucos rtebra rtical rticul rucosu sacrum scherz schium scienc scribe scular sculat secret seeing sequen shaped sidfis simila sition sively skelet smooth societ somewh sopter sorial specia sposes squeak ssoria stance sterio sticks sticky stomat stotic studie sually substa suppos surpri surrou swered synost taneou tarsal tatars tebrat tendin terans terest terior termit therto though throat thymus tibiof ticall ticula tinuou tissue tomati totica tremel tribut tually tuated tudied typica uarter ubstan ucosus ueakin uestio ularly ulatur umerus unding undnes unusua uppose urosty urpris urroun urrowe urther uscles uscula usivel usuall utaneo utside velope velops verruc versed versio verteb vertic viceps vicept videnc videos villie xclusi xempli xtendi xtends xtreme ygolde ymenop ynosto ypical ystoma zoolog 446/2176782336 (446/308915776)

7: abdomen abdomin accentu actuall ainfrog ajority allowin alogous amiliar amplexu analogo anatomy andular angemen answere apparen appears arently arksche arrange articul atarsal atherto bdomina beddard between biofibu brevice bstance burrowe ccentua ceeding centuat clusion clusive compris connect consequ consist contain continu contrib ctually cularly culatur cutaneo denboyl deposit describ dfishes dispose dominal ecially ections edispos eedings elative eletons emplifi enboylo engysto enhnaci enopter enormou entuate envelop eposits equence erestin ermites errucos ertebra ertical escribe especia etatars eversed eviceps evicept evidenc exclusi exempli extendi extends extreme familia femoral festyle firstly formati fossori fractio further glandul goldenb gystoma himself hnacing humerus hymenop ibiofib iceptid icularl idfishe ifestyl imilarl inclusi infrogs instead interes iofibul ischium isopter isposes keletal keleton kscherz landula largely largest lateral ldenboy lifesty llowing logical lusivel majorit marksch mations menopte mention metatar milarly minalis mplexus mplifie muscles muscula mygolde nalogou nboylou nclusio nection neither ngement ngystom nhnacin nnectio noptera normous nostoti noxious nsequen nswered nterest ntinuou ntribut ntuated nusuall nvelope nvelops oceedin ofibula oldenbo ologica omewhat ominali omprise onnecti onseque onsists ontinuo ontribu oologic opteran ormatio osition ossoria osterio ostotic oticall ounding oundnes outside parentl particu pattern peciall plified positio posteri pparent predisp probabl proceed properl pterans quarter queakin questio raction rainfro rangeme redispo relativ resting reverse revicep rkscher rmation robably roceedi roperly rostyle rounder roundin roundne rrangem rroundi rrowers rrucosu rtebrat rticula rucosus science scribed sculatu secrete sequenc sidfish similar skeleta skeleto society somewha soptera special squeaki ssorial sterior stomati stotica studied substan suppose surpris surroun synosto taneous tarsals tatarsa tebrate tending teresti termite therton tibiofi tically ticular tinuous tomatid totical tremely tribute typical ubstanc ueaking uestion ulature undness unusual urostyl urprise urround urrower uscular usculat usively usually utaneou veloped verruco version vertebr vertica vicepti vidence villier xclusiv xemplif xtendin xtremel ygolden ymenopt ynostot ystomat zoologi 297/78364164096 (297/8031810176)

8: abdomina accentua actually ainfrogs allowing amplexus analogou angement answered apparent arkscher arrangem articula atarsals atherton bdominal biofibul brevicep burrower ccentuat ceedings centuate clusivel comprise connecti conseque consists continuo contribu culature cutaneou denboylo deposits describe disposes dominali edispose emplifie enboylou engystom enhnacin enoptera enormous entuated envelope envelops eresting errucosu ertebrat escribed especial etatarsa evicepti evidence exclusiv exemplif extendin extremel familiar formatio fossoria fraction glandula goldenbo gystomat hymenopt ibiofibu icularly idfishes ifestyle imilarly inclusio interest iofibula isoptera keletons landular ldenboyl lifestyl lusively majority marksche menopter metatars mplified muscular musculat mygolden nalogous nclusion nections ngystoma nhnacing nnection nopteran nostotic nsequenc nteresti ntinuous ntribute nusually nveloped oceeding oldenboy ological ominalis onnectio onsequen ontinuou ontribut oologica opterans ormation ossorial osterior ostotica otically oundness parently particul pecially position posterio pparentl predispo probably proceedi properly queaking question rainfrog rangemen redispos relative reversed reviceps revicept rkscherz rmations roceedin rounding roundnes rrangeme rroundin rrucosus rtebrate rticular sculatur sequence sidfishe similarl skeletal skeleton somewhat sopteran speciall squeakin stomatid stotical substanc surprise surround synostot tatarsal terestin termites tibiofib ticularl toticall ubstance unusuall urostyle urroundi urrowers usculatu utaneous verrucos vertebra vertical viceptid xclusive xemplifi xtending xtremely ygoldenb ymenopte ynostoti ystomati zoologic 189/2821109907456 (189/208827064576)

9: abdominal accentuat analogous apparentl arkscherz arrangeme articular bdominali biofibula breviceps brevicept burrowers ccentuate centuated clusively connectio consequen continuou contribut cutaneous denboylou described dominalis edisposes emplified engystoma enhnacing enopteran enveloped errucosus ertebrate especiall etatarsal eviceptid exclusive exemplifi extending extremely formation fossorial glandular goldenboy gystomati hymenopte ibiofibul inclusion interesti isopteran ldenboylo lifestyle markscher menoptera metatarsa musculatu mygoldenb ngystomat nnections nopterans nostotica nsequence nterestin oceedings oldenboyl onnection onsequenc ontinuous ontribute oological ormations ostotical particula posterior pparently predispos proceedin rainfrogs rangement redispose revicepti roceeding roundness rrangemen rrounding rticularl sculature sidfishes similarly skeletons sopterans specially squeaking stoticall substance surroundi synostoti tatarsals teresting tibiofibu ticularly totically unusually urroundin usculatur verrucosu vertebrat xclusivel xemplifie ygoldenbo ymenopter ynostotic ystomatid zoologica 112/101559956668416 (112/5429503678976)

10: abdominali accentuate apparently arrangemen articularl bdominalis brevicepti ccentuated connection consequenc continuous contribute engystomat enopterans especially etatarsals exclusivel exemplifie formations goldenboyl gystomatid hymenopter ibiofibula interestin isopterans ldenboylou markscherz menopteran metatarsal musculatur mygoldenbo ngystomati nostotical nteresting oldenboylo onnections onsequence ostoticall particular predispose proceeding redisposes reviceptid roceedings rrangement rticularly stotically surroundin synostotic tibiofibul urrounding usculature verrucosus vertebrate xclusively xemplified ygoldenboy ymenoptera ynostotica zoological 60/3656158440062976 (60/141167095653376)

11: abdominalis accentuated arrangement articularly breviceptid connections consequence engystomati exclusively exemplified goldenboylo hymenoptera interesting menopterans metatarsals musculature mygoldenboy ngystomatid nostoticall oldenboylou ostotically particularl predisposes proceedings surrounding synostotica tibiofibula ygoldenboyl ymenopteran ynostotical 30/131621703842267136 (30/3670344486987776)

12: engystomatid goldenboylou hymenopteran mygoldenboyl nostotically particularly synostotical ygoldenboylo ymenopterans ynostoticall 10/4738381338321616896 (10/95428956661682176)

13: hymenopterans mygoldenboylo synostoticall ygoldenboylou ynostotically 5/170581728179578208256 (5/2481152873203736576)

14: mygoldenboylou synostotically 2/6140942214464815497216 (2/64509974703297150976)

Why are rain frogs so round? What's /inside/ of them around such an itty bitty skeleton?

So it turns out this is a really interesting question.

The first thing we must be aware of is that rainfrogs as we see them in videos of them squeaking are not quite the same shape as they are when at rest:

[x]

But you are quite right, they are very round. This is exemplified by the skeletal photo you refer to:

[X]

So what are we seeing?

Well, firstly, note that the body cavity in these frogs actually envelops the femurs, such that only the tibiofibula (fused in frogs) and the tarsals and metatarsals are outside the body. The arms are quite similarly enveloped, but a bit of the humerus does extend outside the body cavity too. This predisposes them to a rounder body shape.

Next, note the ilia - the U-shaped bone in the pelvic region. These in some breviceptid frogs are synostotically fused with the sacrum - that is to say, they are bound by bone-based connections to the bow-shaped vertebra at their tips. This whole joint seems to be quite smooth, and as a consequence, the back of the frog is quite smooth. The other thing we can see here is that the urostyle (i.e. the frog version of a coccyx) juts quite far beyond the ischium and pubis. This extends the body cavity beyond the hips. Note also that the pelvic girdle seems to be largely below the spine, rather than the typical position for frogs behind it and continuous with it. This makes the legs sit below the spine, rather than at its end, enhnacing the vertical roundness of the animal.

Next, let’s talk some soft tissue. Now, I’m not as familiar with soft-tissue in frogs as I am their skeletons, so you’ll have to bear with me a bit (rawr). Beddard (1908!!) studied the soft tissue of Breviceps verrucosus Rapp 1842. It seems that the majority of the body of these frogs is actually muscle. Beddard noted that muscles join the leg at the knee that extend into the body cavity, such that the inclusion of the thigh in the body cavity is further accentuated by musculature. The rectus abdominalis muscle is unusually large, extending from the lower abdomen up and around the sides of the body. Indeed, this large size appears to be the pattern with all of the major muscles, though in the throat the typical arrangement of large and small muscles is somewhat reversed. On the lateral side of the head, there is a substance that is not muscle, but appears to be loose tissue in which sits what is apparently the thymus gland.

There is a very large gap between the end of the urostyle and the anus (one fifth of the total length of the frog), in which there are almost no muscles, save for the one surrounding the lower cloaca. On either side of this area, between the posterior-most muscles of the thigh, lie two large ‘lymph-hearts’, as described by Beddard. These are between one quarter and one third of the total length of the frog. A further lypmh-sac sits between these lymph-hearts and the skin of the femoral region, and they are thus probably analogous to the femoral lymph-sacs of other frogs.

I find it interesting that Beddard (1908) did not mention any glandular formations in the dorsal region. As is evidence from many images (see below), these frogs are able to secrete a white, sticky, noxious substance from their skin (which they actually have to use during amplexus, as the male is too small relative to the female to mount her properly, and so he sticks himself to her with his glandular glue… kinky).

[x]

These glands do not apparently take up a great deal of the cutaneous tissue, and so I suppose are of no consequence to the size of the frog, especially relative to its enormous muscles.

The diet of these frogs consists almost exclusively of hymenopterans and isopterans (ants and termites). Neither of these insect groups are particularly fatty, so it is little surprise that their bodies appear to contain no large fat deposits - fatty bodies extend from the gonads up to the lungs and heart, but these comprise only a tiny fraction of the frog’s mass, and don’t contribute to the round shape. Instead, their bodies are extremely muscular, allowing them to be adept burrowers, ideal for their fossorial lifestyle.

So TL;DR: rain frogs are little balls of muscle (maybe the largest muscle mass relative to body mass of any vertebrate? science just doesn’t know).

Ref:

Beddard, F.E. 1908. On the Musculature and other Points in the Anatomy of the Engystomatid Frog, Breviceps verrucosus. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 1908:11-41 [x]

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