#hopefully that doesn't mess up engagement

[telamonisms]

haiiii✌️✌️ please two time x reader with reader whose a sucker for them like super fond of Two time but a little easy to go along with whatever weird cult stuff they do 😭

✦Oh boy here comes Azure²...

✦BLIND FOLLOWER✦

Tw for general cult behavours and Two Time being Two Time.

You loved Two Time, you don't quite know when it first started but you do know it's on full swing by now, so when you confessed and they said yes you were over the moon.

Admittedly at first they had somewhat creeped you out, their behavour even threatening to trigger your sense of Uncanny Valley, but the more time you spent with them, the more you got used and found out you actually quite enjoyed their company.

At first you didn't know what this Spawn they kept goin on about was, though as your feelings developed, you grew more and more interested in anything they were a fan of, it was innocent, trully it was, and yet that was the start of a very slippery slope.

You were quick to find out that it was a cult and while in other circumstances you would try to talk the person out of it or just not engage as much, by that time, you were already head over heels for Two Time so you simply went along with it.

The more they told you about the cult, the more appealing it seemed. Two Time had started by having you read some books, slowly introducing you to some of the more minor and light practices.

By that time, the other Survivors were already expressing their concerns but you decided to just brush them off and march on with whatever your beloved Two Time had to teach you about it.

Eventually you two started making offerings and sacrifices to the Spawn, you even adopted their manner of speech. It was at this stage that Dusekkar had made a pretty strong stance, confronting you and trying to snap you out of it.

Unfortunately you just brushed him off, wrongfully calling out his concerns as disrespect and leaving to continue your cultish practices with Two Time.

The two of you are almost as devoted to eachother as you are to the Spawn, your ideal dates are performing rituals together and making offerings to the Spawn, they even end up gifting you a dagger for yourself.

All in all, you ended up almost as messed up as they are but at least you're happy...

Let's just hope that Two Time doesn't get any ideas with the ammount of Killers finishing off their second life with "Next time try Three Times" lest you end up like poor Azure did...

✦Thank you for the request and hopefully it is to your tastes and has been an enjoyable read. Good luck to reader, they'll need it.

[mossclan-moons]

woe, surprise new page be upon ye

First page

Previous | next

[yellosnacc]

Welcome to a long one.

The Ciwan empire is the fastest-growing sloman power ever since the war of continents and the first to discover a form of gunpowder (thanks to their enemies being uniima lls who have been using it long before).

But even with that advantage (among slomen), the Ciwan armies are iconic for a different reason. That being the Kuiqua-trained units that Sun-cutters come from.

These units have traditionally existed for hundreds of years but are slowly just becoming a symbol for show because of the political and battling changes in the world. However, you will still see them from time to time ripping people to pieces.

Just like the majority of sloman military groups the unit relies on intense teamwork, they need constant communication and preplanned routes to deal with the opposing strategy.

The simplified average scene might look something like this:

In one unit of 30 members, three strikers (Sun-cutters) make a plan with their scholars and commanding Fire-catchers (Seconds leaders). After getting to the war zone they wait for their window in which some members spy or communicate with deeper army spies. When they know their target and best strategy they get in. The strikers use hand gestures, clicks, or whistles to save energy while the Seconds forward the orders to the rest with "ground's" (war language), wooden whistles see more use in very large units. Many times, however, often just seeing the movement of the sun-cutters is enough for the whole group to act.

Strikers will sometimes wait behind their heavies (Beasts) if their force isn't necessary (units can be as few as 5 members or as many as 50, the two extremes work very differently). Once the situation calls for it, they bullet their targets, often stabbing talons first and tearing muscles in a swift motion. This may happen multiple times as other unit members engage in direct battle with the target/s or disarm them with specialized tools. Kuiqua units both kill and capture, having healing supplies on their heavies if they need to make sure their target doesn't bleed out (or their own soldiers).

All members of the Kuiquan unit are priests of different levels but all are priests of the dead (ones that speak for their ancestors rather than gods). It's believed lands conquered with these soldiers present will flourish with life. Many former battlegrounds have turned into gardens and crop fields (hopefully they don't keep this up when landmines are invented).

To the image. What you see is a small variety of soldiers. Beasts and fire-catchers have other names and features in their armor that they are known for based on all their roles that can often switch between fights. Only Sun-cutters truly have one name.

Fire-catchers are also sometimes strikers in training and may move up if they prove themselves. Though, more often Sun-cutters rise from the ranks of regular taloned soldiers with enough talent.

-

As mentioned in the image, Sun-cutters tend to be very prideful. Their helmets are an impractical mess that pushes their ears forward. A Ciwan Sloman's ears are very important to them and if they are damaged it's a career-ending event. Still, almost no strikers bind their ears, not wanting to be shamed for cowardness.

an ex-striker

here is the whole picture if you prefer it big

Btw, Kuiqua is the city Neal lives in. He has met or been arranged to meet these units multiple times since Neal himself is stuck classified as a fancy soldier. They are also not uncommon around temples, small talk is required.

Thank you for reading this far! Next I must answer the questions of biology. This has taken me 50 000 years.

[noxemma]

First comes love a kid(napping), then comes a marriage ... Yeah, they're definitely doing things in the wrong order, but maybe, if they're lucky, they can figure out how to reverse their way into something real.

Parts 1&2 | Part 3 | Part 4 |

———

Okay, not sure how much I actually like this part or not but I’m kind of over fighting it (bc I have ideas for the next part) so hopefully it’s good for y’all

———

Even with Dean insisting they stick as close to the messy truth as possible, it's almost too easy to fabricate their fictional relationship. They decide that Dean had been waiting at the corner for Sam when he'd seen Jack looking very confused and offered to give him directions. Cas had stumbled upon them as Jack was leaning into the open door to see the map Dean has pulled up, but mistook Dean for a would-be kidnapper. After yanking Jack away, Cas had given Dean a scathing tongue-lashing only to be corrected by Jack and Sam, who'd been asking Cas a question after class. At the defense of both his son and trusted student, Cas had realized his mistake and apologized to Dean. Then, feeling bad for assuming the worst of Dean, Cas had offered to buy him dinner and Dean has accepted. Given the chance to start over, Dean and Cas hit things off. They'd been dating for over a year before Dean had proposed to both Jack and Cas over his famous homemade burgers and pie just a few days before coming to the wedding.

It's a good story. So good that Dean half wants to believe it himself. And the craziest part is that it just might work. Cas doesn't have social media at all, and Dean only uses his to post pictures of the cars he's restored or currently working on. No one would question why Jack hadn't mentioned Dean because no one, aside from Cas' brother Gabriel, had ever met or interacted with Jack. And they'd agreed to tell Gabriel that they'd been keeping the relationship on the down low because Sam was Cas' student. Gabriel apparently lived for juicy gossip so that tidbit plus the knowledge that their engagement was a ruse to make Cas’ parents lay off the custody concerns would probably keep him off their backs, at least according to Cas.

"Okay, I think we've got the backstory down pat," Dean says, pasting on a mask of a smile as he faces the last elephant in the room. "Now, the only thing we have to go over is, um, believable details." "What do you mean?" Cas asks, head tilting adorably again.

"Well, uh. Like ..." Dean tries to think of something that won't be nearly as embarrassing or suggestive as what he's thinking, "Oh, okay. Well, I saw you have some tattoos. I do too. I have an anti-possession sigil here on my chest, I have Baby's grill on the back of my shoulder, a whole mess of less meaningful stuff on my arm, except for the baseball cap. That one is for Bobby. Oh, and the Superman and Batman one's in there are for me and Sam. Long story that involves pretending we were superheroes, broken arms, and taking Sam to the ER on the handlebars of my bike. And I want to get more." Cas' eyes trail across his clothed chest like he can see the ink underneath and heat suffuses Dean's cheeks.

Fuck! I really need my body to stop doing this every time he looks at me for more than five consecutive seconds. Although maybe people will actually believe we're in love if he keeps making me blush so easily, Dean thinks.

"Hmmm, I think I understand what you mean," Cas hums, not helping Dean's blush go away at all, "There are certain things that people who have been intimate with each other would know, such as the placement and meaning of tattoos."

"Yeah," Dean manages to choke out, because, Jesus, Cas was really staring at him, and he was about one minute from squirming in his seat like a horny teenager under the attention. "Something like that."

"I have some lines of Enochian across my ribs. It's an ancient, dead language that some scholars have hypothesized was the language of angels," Dean shoots Cas a grateful look for explaining right away so he doesn't feel stupid for having to ask. "The only other tattoos I have are a pair of wings that start at between my shoulder blades and spread down the back of each arm. I admit that I have been considering getting another one or two, but finding the time is challenging. I'd love to see yours at some point, if you don't mind of course."

"Fuck no, I don't mind!" Dean blurts a little too eagerly and he forces himself to take a breath before continuing, "And, if you're willing, I'd love to see yours too. Those wings sound amazing." "Of course. I'm very proud of them," Cas replies with a little nod, fingers fiddling with holes in the cuffs of his hoodie.

Silence settles between them for a few seconds as the sounds of Ramblin' Man fade, replaced briefly by a hum marking the end of the cassette. Dean hits the eject button but doesn't replace it. "I probably should have asked this sooner, and I know you agreed to this, but I would never want to assume-" "Just spit it out, Cas. Contrary to what my brother might think, I'm actually pretty damn hard to offend," Dean teases, trying to ease the obvious anxious cloud beginning to coalesce in the passenger seat. "You are interested in men, right? And single? I mean I was just thinking that, well, we'll have to act like we're in love, like we're engaged, which will probably require at the very least hand holding and- What exactly about that is so funny?" Dean can't help it. It's nearing one in the morning and he's too tired from driving almost six hours straight with only piss breaks to keep from cracking up at the hilarity that is Cas asking his relationship status and sexual orientation this far in. "You are, man," Dean wheezes, wiping tears from his eyes as he manages to regain control of himself. "We've already thought up a whole backstory and driven several hundred miles and now you're asking me if I even like dick? You have to admit it pretty damn funny." Cas’ face is serious and unmoving when Dean sneaks a peek at him, but then he hears the softest snort and he cracks up all over again, laughing so hard his stomach aches when Cas finally does join in. "So? Are you? 'Into dick'?" Cas asks after they're both mostly recovered, though his use of air quotes almost sets Dean off again.

"Yeah. Though I’m not strictly into sick. I'm bi. Although, I've never been in a serious relationship with a guy before so this will all still be kind of new to me."

"If it makes you feel better, neither have I," Cas admits. Instinct has Dean opening his mouth to make some joke about how someone as gorgeous as Cas had to have people lining up around the block to date him but the streetlights whizzing by illuminate a faraway look in Cas' eyes, a type of longing Dean could never put a name to but knows intimately. "We'll figure it out together," he offers instead, daring to reach his hand out to give Cas' a squeeze. "I'm sure we will," Cas murmurs and Dean can hear the slight smile as he flips his hand, lacing their fingers together and squeezing back. "Hmm. I suppose we should talk about PDA. I'm just along for the ride here, so whatever you want to do, I'm down for," Dean offers, probably a touch to enthusiastically but he bats the worry away, focusing instead on the heat of Cas' palm against his. Cas seems to ponder his statement, absently starting to rub his thumb across Dean's wrist and up the side of his thumb as he thinks. Dean damn near melts at the touch. It's so gentle and sweet and weirdly intimate and those are things he hasn't had in a long while.

He hadn't had much time to date on the road, plus John would probably have killed him if he'd found him fooling around with another guy, and then he'd been busy trying to raise Sam. He'd been content with one-night stands and a little fun every now and again, but now he wanted more. He just didn't know how to find it or worse, how to ask for it.

Maybe that's why I want to do this so bad, why I suggested being fiancés in the first place. Maybe this is as close as I'll get to the real thing.

"Hmm. I didn't really think about public displays of affection. My family has never been big on them; Gabriel of course is the exception as he is for many things. Plus, as I mentioned earlier, they are extremely religious and, no matter how much I disagree with them, I don't really want to antagonize them by throwing my queerness in their faces." "Noted. Do not make out sloppily in front of the parents no matter how funny it would be."

"Dean!" Cas lets out an exasperated sigh and Dean just knows he's rolling his eyes. "Sorry. Jokes aside, you want minimal PDA. Is like, hugging and holding hands, okay?" Dean asks because he has to know. He prays that Cas says yes, that he will have an excuse to touch and be touched like this again. "Yes, that's fine. And I'm sure that we'll have to kiss at some point to really sell the fake relationship to Gabriel ..." Cas trails off. His free hand comes up to his face and his fingertips ghost over his lips.

Is he thinking about kissing me? Dean wonders, his heart picking up pace as he definitely thinks about Cas and how his full lips might feel. "I'm sure I would survive having to kiss you," Dean whispers. He means for it to come out as a joke, something to jolt them both out of the weird tension that has begun building and winding between them, skittering back and forth across their connected hands.

But it doesn't come out sounding like a joke at all. At least not to Dean's ears. No, to Dean it sounds exactly like what it is: a lie.

Dean is saved from however Cas was going to respond to that by the thwak thwak thwak of Baby's wheels hitting the rumble strip and he jerks his gaze and the wheel away from Cas' profil back towards the center of the road. "Are you okay, Dean?" Cas blurts, concern clear and genuine. "Yeah, yeah. Uh, sorry about that. I gotta put in another tape so I don't fall asleep or start hallucinating sheep on the road or something,” Dean spews.

The rest of the drive is relatively silent, though, to Dean’s utter shock, it's not uncomfortable. Probably because Cas keeps his hand in Dean's but he's not going to question it, not when he's fighting to keep his eyes open.

It's near three in the morning when Cas finally gives the last direction and they pull up to the fanciest hotel Dean has ever seen.

He drops Cas off to get checked in while he hunts down a parking spot in the hotel garage.

It isn’t until opens the back to get their luggage that he realizes his mistake.

He’s so used to traveling light with Sam that he forgot just how much luggage there could be.

He pulls out Cas' rolling bag, determined that it should come in. He also grabs Cas' wedding gift, just because the large wrapped box would probably draw the wrong kind of attention and he didn't want to risk it no matter how much security the swanky hotel had.

Tucking the box under one arm and gripping Cas' bag with his hand left him with one free hand to choose between Cas' briefcase, his duffle, the suits, or the boxes of their fancy shoes that Cas had also purchased at Kendricks. Dean sighs, knowing there is really only one choice, and fumbles with his free hand to wrestle out the small bag that has his toiletries. He shoves it in his pants pocket before gently sliding out the suits, folding them gently over his arm so they wrinkle as little as possible and then reaching in to clutch Cas' briefcase in his fingers. He's pretty sure he looks like some kind of urban scarecrow as he makes his way out of the parking garage and into the hotel, but he tries not to let it bother him.

The hotel is so big and confusing that he gets lost a few times before being pointed in the right direction by a tattoo shop that's just closing down for the night.

"Gotta love Vegas. This is the real city that never sleeps," he mutters blearily before perking up when he finally spots Cas standing by a counter. Cas is fuming when Dean comes to a stop next to him, whisper-shouting into his phone before slamming it on the counter and pinching the bridge of his nose. "Wha's wrong, Cas?" "My idiot brother, is what's wrong," Cas groans. Dean must look super pathetic as he blinks stupidly at Cas because he takes pity on him and elaborates. "He didn't think I was actually bringing a plus one, so he only booked me for a single room."

"O-" Dean yawns so wide that he thinks he hears his jaw pop, "Kay. So, what's the problem?"

"There's only one bed, Dean," Cas splutters

“Cas, babe. That's not a bad thing." "It's not?" Cas asks and Dean doesn't see the pink that begins to emerge the other man’s face as he fails to stifle another yawn. "No, if anything it'll, it'll just solidify our story." "Oh, right. Our story."

Dean frowns at the way Cas' shoulders droop but he doesn't have enough brain cells to process the conundrum of Cas being upset at having to share a bed, then upset that they're only sharing the bed to further the plot of their fake relationship. Dean blinks again and when he opens his eyes Cas is standing in front of a door, wedding present now under one of his arms as the other swipes the plastic card to admit them into the suite.

The room is huge compared to the dinky motels he and Sam grew up in. Dean hangs the suits up in the closet before really taking the time to admire the space.

"Damn. This place is nice," Dean says to no one in particular.

"It should be for what Gabriel is paying for it," Cas mutters, hefting his bag onto a chair and digging through it for something.

Dean leaves him to it, turning to snag the remote off a desk and turn on the giant TV positioned perfectly in front of the bed. He flips through channels until he hits on Forensic Files. It was stupid that the grainy show gave him comfort in an area he felt so out of place in. Every dingy hotel or moral that has a TV got Forensic Files and too many sleepless nights with it being the only thing to keep him company as he watched over Sam and waited for their Dad to wander back from the bar had made it feel like home. Dean allows himself to flop stomach first onto the mattress, not even trying to hold back the moan that escapes at its plushness. Cas says something too him and he grunts in affirmation, but he has no clue what Cas said, too busy enjoying the deep cushion of the mattress and being lulled to sleep by the rerun on the screen.

He almost thinks it's a dream when a new noise causes him to turn his head and he sees Cas exit the bathroom, dark hair spilling droplets of water down his bare chest, flannel pants slung low on his hips giving Dean a perfect view. His eyes glide greedily over the lines of inked writing placed just across the lower left side of his ribs, which naturally draws Dean's attention to sharp hip bones and the hint of a happy trail.

All his blood rushes south and Dean drops his face into the mattress, thankful that it can hide his hard on

"Dean?" Cas whispers. "'m awake, just restin' m'eyes," Dean mumbles through the comforter. "Oh, well, I'm done in the bathroom if you need to use it." Dean makes an ambiguous noise, strategically waiting until he hears Cas move toward the head of the bed before he rolls off and makes as fast a beeline for the bathroom as he can without being suspicious.

Once he's safe inside with the door locked, Dean contemplates his options. Which is to say, he can walk back out with a boner, or he can take a cold shower because he sure as hell isn't jacking off with Cas on the bed just beyond the door.

He sighs and turns the shower on to cold. He shucks his clothes quickly and forces himself under the frigid spray before he can chicken out, cussing and shivering the whole time.

He turns the spray to warm once he's flaccid again and he is finally able to appreciate the luxury of the rain shower head.

Dean's so relaxed by the time he finally turns off the water that it isn't until he's stepping onto the tiled bathroom floor and wrapping a towel around his waist that he realizes his predicament.

"Son of a bitch!" "Dean? Is everything okay?" Cas calls with sleepy concern, the sound getting loud enough that Dean knows he must be waiting just on the other side of the door for Deans reply. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm- Well ... no. I uh. Well, we had so many bags and things and I figured your stuff and the suits were more important and-" Dean cuts his babbling off and forces himself to get to the point. "I left my bag in the car, and I don't have anything to change into."

There is silence for a moment and Dean's stomach clenches. Then Dean hears Cas going deeper into the room before returning again. The door opens and his hand appears holding a bundle of fabric.

"Cas, what-?"

"I'm a bit of an anxious packer so I always have a spare set of everything. These should do for tonight and we can get your bag in the morning. And before you argue, we're already sharing a bed so what's sharing clothes. Just think of it as getting into character for being fake fiancés."

Dean can't really argue against that so he accepts the clothing and gently shuts the door.

It turns out that Cas had handed him some grey sweats and a pair of neon orange boxer briefs. He tries not to think about Cas wearing them as he pulls them on but fails miserably and he's half hard by the time he yanks on the sweats. They're a little short and a little snug but way better than having to pull on his dirty clothes or sleep in the towel, no matter how plush it is. He fishes the toiletry bag out of his discarded jeans and brushes his teeth longer and more forcefully than normal as he tries to will his dick to stand down metaphorically and literally. Finally, he's as ready as he can be and he slips out of the bathroom into dimly lit room. Turns out Dean didn't need to worry at all because Cas is passed out on the left side of the bed. He must have nodded off waiting for Dean because he's sitting against the headboard with his head flopped onto his shoulder, a small trickle of drool crusting as it dried on his chin. He looks so adorable and it reminds Dean of when Sam would fall asleep studying. Only Dean's heart didn't do an entire acrobatics routine at the sight of a drooling Sam.

"Cas, sweetheart," Dean breathes, "Can we get you under the blankets?" Cas groans and mutters something unintelligible without opening his eyes or moving an inch. Dean chuckles and starts pulling the blanket out, managing to get him tucked under the sheets and comforter in a few minutes. Once he's under the blanket Cas shimmies himself down to snuggle into the pillows. Dean takes one more moment to admire him before he turns out the side light and slides in on his own side.

His eyes feel like they’re holding the world but he manages a brief, mostly coherent text to Sam.

Dean: Made it to hotel ok. How as Jack?

Sam likes his message and it's all Dean can do to keep his eyes open until the blinking dots turn into text.

Sam: Jack and I are great. He really is a good kid, super smart and kind. Dean: Course he is. Well call and chek in in the AM

Dean doesn't wait for Sam's reply, just slips the phone back onto the nightstand and waits for his usual struggle to fall asleep, bracing himself for it to be worse because he's in a new place on top of sleeping in the same bed as someone.

He wouldn't necessarily label himself as an insomniac, he just happens to usually only get between four and six hours of sleep. Probably shoulda warned Cas about that. Should ask him if he's a morning or night person. And if he's a heavy sleeper or if the TV will wake him up. Should ask him if he likes coffee or... Dean falls asleep making a list of all the things he wants to know about Cas.

---

Something wakes Dean, but he can't pinpoint exactly what it is and then he forgets to look for it because the pillow in his arms is warm, and soft and smells like heaven.

Dean keeps his eyes closed as he wiggles closer to the pillow, breathing in deeply in hopes of drowning in the clean yet somehow spicy smell.

Then the pillow moves, pressing back closer into his chest and Dean realizes that somehow in the night he'd ended up spooning Cas.

And now he was stuck. Frozen with one of his arms bent beneath his head while the other was draped across Cas' torso, fingers brushing just above his belly button, his nose ghosting the inked ridge of Cas' shoulder, and his hips and cock flush against the curve of Cas' ass. Dean slams his eyes shut again as if not seeing will somehow magically take his erection away or keep Cas from waking up to find that Dean had turned into a handsy creep during the night.

Fuck. Okay, don't panic, let’s start by just slowly scooch-

"Holy shit balls, he’s real!"

Dean cracks his eyes a sliver and searches for the source of the voice. He sees a man shorter than Cas with shoulder length dirty blonde hair, holding a phone above him and, presumably, snapping pictures of him doing his best impression of an octopus.

"Honest to god, I was eighty seven percent sure that Cas had made you up,” the voice appears to mutter to itself. “Okay, one for evidence, one for the baby book, and one for blackmail.” Dean is about to open his mouth and tell this weirdo to get lost or get wrecked when he feels Cas move, rearranging the tiniest bit so he can maneuver his head up to pin the man with what Dean assumes is a death glare by how the guy freezes in place. "Gabriel, I swear, if you wake him,” Cas growls. The sound is so deep and vicious and protective that Dean can feel the reverberations of it in his own chest.

“Castiel, is that any way to talk to your favorite brother?” Gabriel replies, though his voice is softer. “I was coming to pre game brunch but it looks like you actually slept for once. Should I be worried you’re dying?”

“No,” Cas hisses, irritated voice barely above a whisper. “I just sleep better with Dean. Now, get out before I make you!”

“And how do you plan on doing that my dear, baby brother? You going to sic your beefcake here on me?”

“Worse. I will revoke all fun uncle privileges and I will move into a shitty apartment where Jack will be miserable and you’ll have to sleep on the couch when you visit.”

Gabriel gasps like he’s really been scandalized, and Dean can hear his footsteps retreating.

“The photos Gabriel, I want them-”

Dean is sure that Cas meant to say he wanted them deleted or gone but Gabriel interrupts before Cas can finish the command.

“No problemo, boss. Done! Cute pics of a tatted hunk wrapped around you signed, sealed, and delivered to your phone. Don’t be late for brunch! If you leave me alone too long unsupervised I may just lose my senses and murder a few of our relatives and then you’ll have to bail me out of jail.”

“Get. Out,” Cas snarls and Dean hears something soft hit the wall in Gabriel’s general direction before the door clicks open then shut.

“Dude, your brother is weird,” Dean whispers before he does something selfish like pretend he’s still asleep and continue to subject Cas to his morning wood. He pulls away from Cas but stops when Cas’ hand clamps around the one Dean had slung around his waist.

“Wait, please don’t- You don’t have to-,” Cas starts before giving up and releasing Dean’s hand. “I’m sorry Gabriel woke you. I get the feeling that, like me, you don’t sleep much.”

“Borderline-insomniacs of a feather?” Dean quips to cover the way he immediately halts the retreat he never wanted to initiate.

Dean can’t breathe when he feels Cas laugh, still close enough that the sound echoes across his body as well, warm and tingly and so alive.

“Is- Are you- Do you mind this?” Cas asks, voice quiet and unsure and nothing like the confident growl it had been earlier.

“Do I mind? Cas, I should probably be asking you that since it wasn’t your dick jabbing into my backside this morning. I’m sorry for that by the way, but that should have been a pretty clear indication that I didn’t mind at all and maybe even enjoyed cuddling a little too much.”

“There’s really nothing to apologize for, Dean; it’s a natural response. But responding naturally to stimuli is not the same thing as wanting or enjoying it, so I just wanted to make sure.”

Dean didn’t know how to respond to that and the implication he could clearly read in between Cas’ words. Rage boiled in his veins at the idea that someone might have touched Cas, or worse, without his consent and he nearly drew blood with how tightly he was biting down on his lip.

“I didn’t mind, by the way, so please don’t think that you, that you somehow took advantage of me or something. I wasn’t lying when I told Gabriel I slept better with you here. This is probably the first time in over a month I’ve gotten over five consecutive hours of sleep,” Cas confesses.

“Five? What time is it?”

“It’s around …” Cas checks his phone on the nightstand, “Nine-thirty.”

“Damn. That’s almost unheard of for me. Sam would probably ask if I’m dying too,” Dean admits.

They go silent, content to let each other steal a few more selfish moments in bed. Finally though, Cas let’s out a groan and rolls away from Dean, huffing something about stupid brunches under his breath.

Dean doesn’t have time to be devastated by the loss because Cas immediately sits up and stretched his arms, unintentionally giving Dean a glorious and unobstructed view of the magnificent wings decorating his shoulders and arms.

He can’t help himself, reaching out and lightly stroking one of the photorealistic feathers, awe and wonder possessing him to caress and admire.

Cas back muscle ripples beneath the touch and he turns his head slowly to look over his shoulder. His eyes latch onto Dean’s fingers, still just brushing his skin as if Cas is some holy figure he shouldn’t be daring to touch, tracing the trail of his arm all the way up to his face.

Blue eyes ensnare Dean and he wouldn’t be able to look away even if he wanted to. Something taut and coiled begins to warm between them, getting so hot it scorches the air from Dean’s lungs and strips him of all rational thought.

He’s just about to lean forward and do something reckless like place a kiss on one of those magnificent feathers while maintaining direct eye contact when Cas’ phone starts ringing, startling them both away to their respective edges of the bed.

———

@colorlessjay @destielfangirl24

[danieyells]

UPCOMING CARD!!!

This is so fucking late because i did not pick up my meds yesterday and i got so mentally engaged in something that i did not even consider what time or day it was. TAKE YOUR MEDICATION KIDS. AND OLD MEN. LIKE ED. WHO IS IN THIS NEW CARD. ALSO THANK YOU ANON FOR REMINDING ME!!! orz

It skipped my mind until it was pointed out to me that Ren was skipped. Because my brain is skipping everything. There is no method to this release order. (That's a joke. Unless Ren comes within the next two releases it's probably rank or year order with the captains released in house order. Either way my joke about Jiro's card being released on Zenji's birthday gets ruined lol)

Character Card: Oneiric Trap(「夜毎語らう夢の罠」  "Nightly Dream Talk Trap") 'oneiric' means 'of or relating to dreams' in case I wasn't the only one who didn't recognize the word Skill: Philosophic Words(「哲学者の言葉」  "Philosopher's Words") Fully Awakened Skill: Eternal Love(「永遠の愛」  "Eternal Love" could also be 'Immortal Love'--you get the picture) Warding Card: Letter From The Professor(「教授からの手紙」  "Letter From The Professor")

Uuuuh i'm floundering for more to say haha. Sorry this one is so late--they're about to release their own preview!! I was gonna pick up my meds today/yesterday but i fell asleep and woke up after the pharmacy closed so. First thing in the morning then!! Sorry you don't care about that stuff hahaha

Gacha is gambling! Banners rerun! If you have the misfortune to know what a credit or debit card is unlike Ed and to have access to one or some other form of digital currency, please recognize how easy it is to overspend when you can't see the numbers in front of you. If you're going to spend on the gacha, please set limits for yourself and keep to them! If you find yourself struggling to keep yourself from spending, please try and seek help--gambling addiction is serious but it doesn't have to be forever!

My Japanese is not better when I haven't taken my meds I'll tell you that much. Most of the translation I give here is fine but still take it with a grain of salt. Localizers are paid professionals!

Ask yourself questions. Ask yourself why. Ask others why. Look at the world and the unknowns and consider them. Understand that sometimes something Just Is. Consider the meanings of things. Look beyond your feelings and into actual effects. Do research. Think critically. Or just let someone else do it for you I suppose. Ed doesn't even put his own socks on. What does that guy know.

Statkatakas.

I'm gonna finish the code I was messing with for the past four hours and hopefully this won't happen again on Monday haha. 👍🏾

[sunny374940]

Don't do that again

And I'm back at it with those two. Emmrich gets sick and won't admit he needs help. Free continuation of my story Adventures in baking, which is here https://www.tumblr.com/sunny374940/769611729043931136/adventures-in-baking?source=share

.................

Rook was bored. There were no outings planned for the day, he wasn't on cooking or laundry duty and he had been poking around the Lighthouse for a better part of the morning. The others were all engaged in some of their own projects and he didn't want to intrude.

He was moping outside on the stairway, worrying about the battles they were yet to face, when he decided to see what Emmrich was doing. Maybe he could convince him to take a break and spend some time with him. Yeah, that would cheer him up. And surely Emmrich would be happy to see his partner? lover? something? They haven't really given a name yet to whatever it was between them and it was driving Rook mad. But right now he wanted company, not to solve the mystery of their relationship, so he got up and went to Emmrich's room.

Rook knocked on the door and waited for Emmrich to answer. But there was no sound coming through the door, so Rook opened it carefully and entered the room. Emmrich was sitting at his desk, slumped over a thick tome. He didn't seem to have heard Rook’s knocking and startled when he saw him approach. The abrupt shake of his body sent him into a coughing fit. Rook eyed him suspiciously.

“Emmrich, are you alright?”

“Yes dear, right as rain,” Emmrich said hoarsely. He cleared his throat and appeared to reconsider his answer. “Perhaps a spot of cold, nothing to worry about, I assure you.” He tried for an encouraging smile, but its effect was quite diminished by his red cheeks and glassy eyes.

“You have a fever,” Rook accused him with narrowed eyes. “You should rest. You’re always badgering us to take a break and now you won’t take your own advice.” There was a tinge of worry in Rook’s voice.

“Nonsense,” said Emmrich. “I am perfectly capable of judging my needs and right now I need to work. Was there something you wanted? Or have you only come to pester me about my supposedly failing health?” He said tersely. There were dark circles around his eyes and his hands seemed to be trembling where they were resting on the desk.

Rook’s eyes widened at Emmrich's words. "I see you are busy,” he said, feeling more than a little hurt. “I’ll leave you to your work, see you around, Emmrich.” He turned, not meeting Emmrich's eyes, and left the room. He didn't hear the quiet “Rook, wait”, as he was closing the door. He ran straight to Harding, to enlist her help.

“Hi Rook, whatcha doing?” she asked, looking up from her gardening with an easy smile.

“Emmrich'ssickIneedyourhelpplease,” he spilled in a single breath.

“Woah, slow down, I didn't catch all of that,” she laughed, but her merriment was quickly exchanged for concern, when she saw the worry on his face.

He took a deep breath, wiping a hand across his face, and tried again. “I went to see Emmrich and he seems to have a fever and he's coughing horribly. And he's being stubborn and insisting that he's fine,” Rook sighed. “I don't know anything about medicine, but you understand herbs, right? Do you have anything that could help him?” he asked hopefully.

“Hmm,” she hummed, thinking for a moment. “I've managed to grow thyme and peppermint here, those could work. Let's gather some and we'll go make him tea. Oh, and my Ma swears by chicken soup, she would make me some every time I was sick as a kid. Aw, but he doesn't eat meat, so that's out the window. We could maybe ask Lucanis for help figuring something out?”

“You’re the best,” Rook smiled brightly. “Let’s get to it.” They picked some of the herbs and walked together to the kitchen. Lucanis was standing at the counter, cutting up vegetables for lunch.

"Hello, Rook. Have you come to make a mess of the kitchen again?” he teased.

Rook opened his mouth to defend himself, but Harding spoke up first. “Actually, we need your help, Emmrich is sick and we thought some soup might make him feel better. And herbal tea, but I can make that.”

“Mierda, I told him that all that trudging in the nasty water in the Wetlands was bad for him,” Lucanis sighed. “He was shivering a lot the last time you came back.”

Rook cursed himself internally. Emmrich asked to be included in their expeditions to Hossberg, saying something about putting the spirits of the dead there to rest and Rook didn't even notice that he was suffering the whole time.

Harding placed a hand on his arm. “Hey, he's gonna be fine,” she said. “I can see you beating yourself up, but it's not your fault. He can make his own choices.” She gave him a small smile. “Let's get to work, so you can go back to him, alright?”

“Alright,” he said gratefully and went to fetch water. As they were brewing the tea and making a start on the soup, the kitchen door opened and Emmrich staggered inside, leaning on a walking stick with white knuckled hands.

"Rook, you’re here,” he rasped, chest heaving with the effort of staying upright. “I meant to apo-” He got no further than that and fell down on the floor unconscious. They rushed forward to help him.

“Is. He. Dead?”

“Spite, for fuck’s sake,” Lucanis mumbled wearily. Though Emmrich wasn't looking very much alive from Rook's viewpoint. The redness of his cheeks from earlier that morning had been exchanged for a sickly pallor, the circles around his eyes were even more pronounced and his breath was coming quick and shallow. Rook stood frozen to the spot, unable to act in the face of Emmrich's collapse.

It was his fault, again and again. Why did he have to drag Emmrich everywhere? And why didn't he notice sooner that something was wrong? He couldn't bear to lose him- But Harding's words cut through his self-pity.

"Rook, come on, help us get him to bed, he's burning up!”

“Shit, yeah, sorry,” Rook stammered and rushed to assist them. Together they managed to move Emmrich into his bed and Rook was left in charge of the patient, while Harding and Lucanis brought in the tea and soup. He got the fire going and dragged a chair over to Emmrich's bedside.

“Right as rain, my ass,” Rook grumbled as he was mopping Emmrich's brow with a damp cloth, trying to bring down the fever that was ravaging his body.

At last Emmrich's eyes opened. He looked around blearily, until his eyes alighted on Rook's face.

“Hello there,” he said, his voice so weak it made Rook wince.

“Hi. Are you still going to insist that you're fine?” Rook asked, his annoyance at Emmrich not caring for himself coming back again now that he didn't have to worry whether he would wake up. Whether he would make it…

Emmrich glanced aside, looking embarrassed. “I… am sorry about earlier. I truly didn't want you to worry about me. You have so much on your plate without me adding to it.”

Rook chuckled mirthlessly. He was wringing out the cloth into a bowl on the nightstand without looking at Emmrich and said: “Yeah, well, I think I ended up worrying a lot more, so that didn't work out much.”

He turned back to him and immediately regretted his words at the look of profound sadness on Emmrich's face. He found his hand where it was lying on the bedcovers and gave it a small squeeze.

“Hey,” he said softly. “I'm not angry, you just scared me. I was worried I'd lose you. Just… don't do that again, alright?”

Emmrich simply nodded, the small movement drawing another coughing fit out of him. Rook helped him sit up and pressed the tea into his hands. Emmrich drank gratefully, a little color returning to his cheeks. He leaned back against the headrest and looked at Rook with a shy smile.

“Would you care to keep me company a while longer? I hear bedrest is an awfully dull endeavor without the right companion.”

Emmrich patted the space in bed next to him, inviting Rook to join him there. Rook wasted no time getting on the bed, settling close to Emmrich, shoulders touching. They sat there, Rook doing most of the talking, until he noticed that Emmrich had fallen asleep, head leaning against Rook's shoulder, his breath coming deeper, calmer. Rook smiled to himself and closed his eyes as well, enjoying his partner's presence.

[seducemefanficsandheadcanons]

Can you do some headcanons for the boys’ love languages? (Giving and receiving:))

Sure, Anon! I'm very, very sorry about how long this took. I'm extremely burnt out right now because of a mix of family problems and holidays. But hopefully, I'm back to normal enough to finally get all of my requests done!

James

Giving- Gift giving. James is the type to bring home flowers for his S/O. He also is very attentive, so if they mention something they want, he's very good at remembering it for later. If he sees something in the store or online they've mentioned or he believes they will want, he will get it for them. There are many times when he will bring them home their favorite candies and favorite type of flower.

Receiving- Listening to him yap. James is a certified yapper and a type of affection he enjoys receiving, is someone who'll listen and engage in his yap seshes.

Erik

Giving- Words of affirmation. And I don't just mean the typical flirting we see him do in the game. This man is poetic when he reassures and hypes up his S/O. He will do everything to make sure they know just how amazing he thinks they are.

Recieving- also words of affirmation. He's very secure in his relationship but very insecure in himself. Mostly because he's not even sure who he is sometimes. Constantly feeling as if you're in an identity crisis can really mess up someone's self-esteem. So sometimes he needs his partner to assure him that he is a good person and is still lovable without the mask.

Sam

Giving- Acts of service. He's the quickest to complain when James tells him to do a chore, but he also will do all of the chores around the house if he knows his S/O doesn't want to. He's also carrying his S/Os bags, especially if they're heavy and the S/O is struggling slightly. He's like. Why should they have to struggle with that when I could carry those with my pinky??? ~~He's low key showing off~~

Receiving- Quality time/physical affection. Sam sees himself as a monster, it's a major part of his character arc. He just thinks he's a bad person. So, his partner just genuinely wanting to be around him makes him extremely happy, even if he keeps up the nonchalant act. It's also nice to know his partner feels so safe around him.

Matthew

Giving- gifts. But instead of bringing home flowers for his S/O, he makes them things! He'll bake them tons of their favorite sweets and, of course, invite them to join him at times. He also makes them tons of plushies if they like. And I can see him spending a lot of time perfecting conjuring jewelry for his S/O.

Recieving- physical affection. Like Sam, he loves cuddling and being close with his partner. He's just less subtle about it. He never even tries to hide the happiness in his eyes every time they ask to spend time with him or cuddle up to him in bed.

Damien

Giving- Quality time. He likes going on walks around the mansion and through town with his S/O. He also likes the intimacy of laying in bed and simply sleeping together while cuddling. (I also headcanon this for Sam but forgot to mention it.)

Receiving- Acts of service. But not like them doing chores for him and stuff. But them reading to him, teaching him how to read and write, taking the time to spend time with him. Things like that. It makes him feel loved and like he matters to them.

Hope yall like these!

[patrophthia]

hii, congrats on 600 followers!! i was wondering if you could write some theodore nott exes to lovers with slytherin or ravenclaw reader. if not, that’s fine. anyway, thank you for your time :))

this ask was sent a few moons back and im so very sorry it took me so long to get to it, i’ve just never written exes to lovers before so it was hard for me to but i tried my best here, i hope you like it!

i also got a bit carried away and went over the 600 word counts thing (this is 1.1k), and the characters are aged up/adults here so the houses aren’t the biggest focus on the story (im sorry)!

this was supposed to be part of my 600 followers celebrations but it’s been long closed!

try again | theodore nott

Blaise Zabini does not understand Theodore Nott, neither does he understand you. It baffles him on another level how you could sit there, smiling at Draco while Theodore sits across the table looking as gloom as ever. 

Maybe he was assuming things; maybe you were having a hard time but is plainly putting on a happy face to celebrate a mutual friend engagement. After all this was Draco and Astoria's day. Maybe —and he was pushing it here, if he messed with you the slightest bit, he could rile Theodore up enough to fix things between the two of you. 

"No," you say before Blaise could even get a word in. You've been friends with him long enough to know that he was planning something the second he turns to you. "Whatever you're thinking, it's a no." 

Blaise feigns a disappointed look. Placing his glass of wine down, you reciprocate his action soon after.  "But it's just a question, doll. You're not even going to let me ask you a question?"

You fix Blaise a look. One that anyone could tell you that you were ridiculing him but he only grinned, processing with his question. 

"Is it cheating for your boyfriend to zip your friend's jacket up for them?" 

Neither Blaise nor Theodore missed the glance you unconsciously cast his way. You lay your hands flat on the table, careful of your surroundings —and furthermore, words. "I don't have a boyfriend." 

Blaise cocks his head to the side. "It's a hypothetical question." 

"Okay well, hypothetically I don't have a boyfriend," you reply sneakily. And if you noticed the slight shift in Theodore's lips, biting back a laugh; you don't show it. 

Blaise rolls his eyes, turning his attention before asking the blonde the same question. Draco takes a long look at Astoria and shakes his head. "I guess not," he says first, "mostly since I'm friends with dumb-arses like you that it's only fitting you wouldn't know how to zip your jackets up yourself." 

"Ass-hat," Blaise mumbles under his breath, clearly annoyed but takes in his answer before shifting his attention back to you. "Now what about you, doll?" 

You decide to answer him this time round, maybe he didn't actually have an ulterior motive behind something for once. "I guess not," you tell him, "I just wouldn't feel very comfortable if Theo— if my partner zips someone else for them." 

"Oh?" Blaise murmurs, his eyes shining at your slip up —and to your defence, it had only been a few months since the two of you split and it was only a force of habit, it'll go away soon. Hopefully. He then turns to Nott, eyes bright and filled with curiosity. "What do you think? How would you feel if your partner did that?" 

Theodore is slow, he is careful and hesitant. He doesn't answer straight away and for a minute you remember just why the two of you didn't work out. Theodore wasn't the most willing to talk, and it's hard —it's hard when your relationship was built on communication and one of you wasn't willing to communicate. 

He gazes at you and says your name. 

"What?" You're confused, maybe a little daze from hearing Theodore say your name after months of radio silence from his part. 

"My answer is you," he says. "I agree with you." 

"Oh." You meet his eyes, dark as ever staring back at you intensely as if he was begging for you to say something else. Something more promising than just 'oh'. If you were so hellbent on communicating to the point of breaking up, then why weren't you communicating with him? "Okay."

Okay? Seriously? Blaise cannot believe his own ears. That's what you say after Theodore says that his answer is you after he was asked how he felt? Would it change how you react if he were to ask it again? It wouldn't hurt to ask again, right? 

"Then let's say," Blaise begins, "you break up with your partner because they were bad at communicating their feelings but they're still in love with you, what do you do?" 

"Blaise," Astoria hisses from the side, shooting you a cautious look. She cares more about you than the scene Blaise can cause by asking you such questions. Astoria gets up from her seat besides Draco to stand behind your chair, placing careful hands on your shoulder. "Stop asking stupid questions." 

"We're just having fun," Blaise feigns a pout. "What would you do, the future Mrs. Malfoy?" 

Her cheeks tint pink at the nickname, her hand squeezing your shoulder comfortingly. "I'd talk to them and let them know how I feel." 

"What about you?" He turns to Theodore who's eyes linger on Astoria's hand. "What would you do?" 

Theodore wants to say something sarcastic in return, but he doesn't know what to say. He's never been the talkative one in the room, he was the one who listened and learned. So instead of saying something somewhat mean, he answered truthfully instead. "I'd  tell them that I'd learned from the past and will try to change myself for them, after all they should know that I'm always on their side." 

Okay, maybe the few glasses of wine has his lips loosening up a little. Because if it hasn't, Theodore would've never admitted any of what he'd said —nor what he would continue on to say. "Even if we have to start again and talk the long way round, I'd still feel the same way about them." 

"And what is that feeling, Nott?" Blaise eggs on, reaching for the wine bottle for a refill on his own glass. 

"I don't know," Theodore admits, his gaze turning to you now. "I just want to try again."

His voice is gentle, pleading even as he says his final words. The table goes silent and Blaise feels the slightest bit of guilt, knowing that he'd been responsible for dampening the mood during somebody else's engagement celebrations. Maybe he should've thought this through. 

Theodore's eyes are soft, a stark contrast against the darkness of his eyes and even though it seemed like his gaze was fixed on you; he wasn't looking directly at you but rather something slightly above you. Avoiding your gaze at all costs. 

You've thought about trying again. Over and over again you've mulled over the idea. If Theodore told you how he felt more and you learned to read him better, would everything be alright? It's not like you can know right? Not unless you try again? 

"Okay." And then there's word again, but instead of having shoulders deflate this time round, there seems to be a glimmer of hope right before you follow up with your next words. "Let's try again."

[rei-ismyname]

The X-Men try to kill Cyclops

AKA Die Hard in the X-Mansion

Mastermind is really salty about all the times he's provoked the X-Men and it's ended terribly for him. He decides to have them kill each other through the power of illusions. Cyclops has figured it out, but gets caught slipping, not realising they think he's Phoenix. Colossus pounds him, breaking a few ribs and it's on.

All the X-Men start coming at him hard. He has his optic blasts but there's a lot of them and they have various powers. Fortunately, he knows them well and is very good at small unit tactics. If he fights them all at once he'll lose badly so he works to create some space between them and hopefully engage them one by one.

Cyclops uses Colossus as a bowling ball against Rogue and Storm, stalling the two hardest hitters, then fakes out Kurt to blast Logan behind him. He snipes Kurt out of the air then runs from Lockheed, not knowing enough about him. He's feeling his broken ribs while barreling down the hallway when Kitty phases through the wall and tackles him.

Scott holds on and throws them both off the balcony. Kitty instinctively phases to avoid injury and they move through the building into the Danger Room. Storm is like 'let's kill this motherfucker' and sends Kurt to disengage the safety interlocks.

A nerve pinch knocks Kitty out and an optic blast prevents Nightcrawler from changing the terrain to something that'll kill him. Scott has a portable module with the Danger Room controls so he sends the non-flyers plummeting and buys himself some time.

After giving himself some cover from Storm and Rogue's air attacks, Scott figures he doesn't have to worry about Kitty or Kurt. Wolverine, on the other hand, will stab the fuck out of him. Lurking in a tree gives him a good line of sight to pin Logan down with optic blasts.

Logan's briefly out of it so Scott keeps running. He doesn't say it, but he thinks a pretty hot diss towards Colossus. Then again, he lures him into quicksand easily. The Danger Room is a fucking death trap, seriously.

The exit is in sight and Scott has a gas mask on. As he runs towards it Storm very nearly kills him with a lightning bolt. It's not through any moves of Scott's either, Storm is wondering WTF is going on. This isn't exactly Phoenix behaviour. He zaps her out of the sky, trusting that Rogue would catch her.

Fortunately she does, but then the reason for the mask becomes apparent. Cyclops programmed Wizard of Oz poppies that knock out whoever breathes their pollen (high as a kite I assume) and he fires a wide beam to kick up as much dust as possible. With everyone knocked out, he locks the Danger Room and goes to kick the shit out of Mastermind. Don't mess with Cyclops, especially not in the Danger Room. It's his home ground. The X-Men are all pretty fucking impressed once they get the full story.

[wessexroyalfamily]

End of Chapter One

I hope to have Chapter 2 up sometime by the beginning of April (hopefully 😅). Chapter 2 will kick off in the Spring, about three or four months after the events of Chapter 1.

Thanks for all that have read and been engage!

Individual Parts linking below the cut!

Part 1 : Reception at Warminster Military College to honor graduates

Part 2 : Prince Richard graduates from Warminster Military College

Part 3 : Reception at Warminster Military College hosted by the Queen

Part 4 : The family gathers for dinner at Fogmorre Castle, while Richard goes out to celebrate with his military buddies

Part 5 : Richard returns back to Hyde Park Lodge to an upset Winnie

Part 6 : The family gather for Prince Thomas' birthday at the Queen's home, Claremont House

Part 7 : The family talk to Richard about increasing his role within the family, despite his resistance to the idea

Part 8 : Queen Anne II and Prince Christian, The Earl of Gloucester end the night at Claremont House discussing the best way forward with Richard

Part 9 : Richard spends the day with Winnie at Hyde Park Lodge, and he learns some life changing news for himself and his family

Part 10 : A staff member interrupts Queen Anne II and Prince Christian, The Earl of Gloucester to give them some upsetting news

Part 11 : Government officials discuss their concerns with Edward St. Andrews, The Duke of Worcester and the current Chancellor of the Kingdom

Three Reflections of Death

Reflection One : Anne meets with the Chancellor to discuss plans for her trip to Chester and the state funeral of Ranulf III

Reflection Two : William and Elizabeth upset that they won't be attending the funeral in Chester and Elizabeth is more upset at who is replacing them

Reflection Three : Richard seems to be upset with more than just having to pack for a last minute trip?

Part 12 : William watches the news coverage of the royal family arriving in Chester

Part 13 : Richard's uncle, Prince George, tries to comfort his nephew while they watch Christian take his oath

Part 14 : Funeral procession of Ranulf III

Part 15 : Richard finally sees his mother, Princess Margaret, again, but their reunion doesn't go how Margaret plans

Part 16 : Richard finds comfort in an old friend ... first name Jack and last name Daniels. Sadly it ends up getting him into quite the mess

Part 17 : Government is worried, the Chancellor is FREAKING OUT and the Queen is still out of the country, can William handle it ALL?

Part 18 : Christian has conversation with Richard about his antics

Part 19 : Only Winnie can make Richard feel better, even when he doesn't deserve her support . .. uhh-ohh is that a camera I see?

Part 20 : Richard gets chewed out by his grandfather, Christian, and calls the boys in to help cheer him up

Part 21 : Elizabeth is over giving Richard chances, while William knows abandoning the heir to the throne won't make anything better

Part 22 : The royals host the last garden party of the summer while the Queen is still abroad in Chester

Part 23 : The Queen meets with the Chancellor to discuss fall engagements and the ever pressing Chester question

Part 24 : FALL IS HERE! And Winnie goes on a coffee date with one of her friends and of course they talk all about Richard

Part 25 : Queen Anne II meets with a few members of her Chancellery (Privy Council) to discuss how the monarchy should approach the Chester question

Part 26 : It's family day at Elton College, the preparatory boarding school attended by Prince Thomas

Part 27 : William's always been a sucker for his kids, and leaving for their last engagement in Wessex before he and Elizabeth head on their week long tour of the Duchy of Rutland makes it hard to say goodbye

Part 28 : William and Elizabeth meet with the Chancellor to discuss their upcoming tour, Elizabeth leaves the meeting less that impressed

Part 29 : William and Elizabeth arrive in Rutland for their Week Long Tour

Part 30 : Elizabeth meets with her sister Louisa, The Dowager Duchess of Rutland to kick off the tour

Part 31 : A reception held in honor of William and Elizabeth

Part 32 : Elizabeth meets privately with her sister Louisa

Part 33 : Elizabeth calls the Chancellor . . . but does William know?

Part 34 : The Duke of Rutland holds a formal banquet at the Ducal Palace, but all does not end well for William and Elizabeth

Part 35 : Winnie drops some big truth on Richard, while he still grapples with royal life

Part 36 : Elizabeth and William arrive at Woodstock Palace for investiture day

Part 37 : Investiture day goes off without a hitch, but now William and Elizabeth must face Queen Anne II and Prince Christian

Part 38 : Richard grapples with what Winnie's news means for him and his family

Part 39 : the Royals gather at the War Memorial for Remembrance Day

Part 40 : Richard tells his close friend Thomas von Greville the . . . good news?

Part 41 : The Fall Day of Thanks celebrations being as members of the Royal Family prepare to leave Woodstock Palace for Winchester Cathedral. Part 41 is separated into two post (for second half click here)

Part 42 : The Crown Prince William meets with the Chancellor on his way into Winchester Cathedral

Part 43 : Royals gather back at Woodstock Palace for a banquet in honor of the Fall Day of Thanks

Part 44 : Winnie talks to her mom to get advice on what to say when she meets up with Richard tomorrow

Part 45 : Richard and Winnie meet at the Art Institute

Part 46 : A reception is held at Woodstock Palace, William and Elizabeth attend and William's brother notices the growing tension between the two

Part 47 : William pulls out the romance to mend his marriage

Part 48 : Queen Anne and Christian, The Earl of Gloucester arrive at Fogmorre Castle to celebrate the holiday season with family

Part 49 : Margaret arrives at Fogmorre Castle and of course Elizabeth is the first person she runs into

Part 50 : Richard's brother Prince Thomas, runs into him while Richard is taking some alone time in the family private drawing room

Part 51 Part A and Part B : The family and invited guests celebrate the holidays at a formal party hosted by the Queen at Fogmorre Castle, Richard drops from earth shattering news

Part 52 : The Queen's Holiday Broadcast announces big changes for the royal family

Part 53 : The royal family attend at holiday service at Carnarvon Chapel and great members of the public who have come to see the royals in person

Part 54 : The royals meet together to discuss hot to tackle their biggest problem yet

Part 55: Winnie learns of two options she has from Edward St. Andrew’s, neither of which she’s thrilled about

[pheenick]

spoilers for altheya ep 62

now that i have my faculties together—

what an episode holy shit.

gruff's message to his wife, telling him about this boy who is so much like theirs. about how he failed their boy, but he will not fail this one. and yet—

and yet.

Ophelia: Are we not all vessels for some greater purpose or another, according to our own beliefs or what not? Xantheus: Hopefully not!

there is something about this campaign's exploration of faith and religion that makes this so juicy. for gruff, especially. gruff who has been feeling his foundational faith in the scions shaken recently. both by witnessing ophelia's intense devotion and also seeing the darker and more imperfect sides of the church. in iceheart, religion was just a part of life. it was part of the motions. it was what was taught and so it was what they did.

but when gruff does reach out to a god, he reaches out to althe. he reaches out to the one whose corpse they stand upon. whose bounty they harvest in the sea. he reaches for a god who sacrificed their entire self so that others could survive and live on afterwards. what a perfect god for gruff who, for all his moral conflictions with authority and the realities of being an adventurer, has always done what he believes is right in that moment. even if the consequences are great, even if he regrets it. even if, looking at logically, he shouldn't—but he will anyway. because right in front of him is a boy. his boy. a boy who needs help and looking at him with terrified eyes that are sometimes not his own, but is still his boy, divine possession notwithstanding.

his loyalty to his own morality has always been stronger than his loyalty to faith or reason. his greater purpose has, and always will be, to help and protect and save. a knight, through and through.

and xantheus, so terrified of what lines gruff will cross because of him, who turns his chest when gruff comes up to hug him because he doesn't want gruff to touch the crownsteel. xantheus who is so terrified of hurting others that his magic subconsciously blocks the crownsteel from corrupting anyone else but himself because when the chips are down, that's who he is. he loves them. he loves them so much.

Xantheus: If I wasn’t there, where would you be? If you weren’t protecting me, who could you be saving?

this was said from xantheus to gruff, but literally the second that obsiddias turns towards xantheus with the intent to kill him, everyone squares up.

rowan doesn't even hesitate to enlarge. rowan, who is terrified and has always been terrified, standing up to literally fight a very powerful and very scary dragon mage.

ophelia engages the armour that has her kind of squeamish without missing a beat because her fears are outweighed by her own determination to protect her friend. even with all her doubts and terror about the crownsteel. about xantheus. she loves him so much that she won't kill him. she refuses to. she'll run away, get help, do literally anything else, but consider that an option. and when he's in danger? she will fight.

and daisy...dasiy trying so desperately hard to save xantheus. trying to convince obsiddias, trying to reason with him, pleading with him. even going so far as to open up her mind—obsiddias just barged into her very private space that has always been a symbol of safety and home because nim is there and nim loves her and protects her and despite that violation, daisy still tells nim to stand down because she is so desperate for obsiddias to understand and help xantheus and is hoping that showing him everything will work.

god. god. i have no idea how they're going to resolve this mess, but i fucking love how when the chips are down, this has exposed the absolute truth of who these characters fundamentally are.

[generalluxun]

https://x.com/BDupaincheng/status/1928749470990115257?s=08

So since I know you as someone who in most cases if you criticize a character you're a critic on their writing rather than the person itself but I want to ask what are your thoughts on this.

First the nitpick: If you're not mature enough to actually type out the word stalking then you're not mature enough to discuss it.

Now the response: Some day people will learn you can hold more than one thing in your head at a time, and the internet's heart will grow three sizes that day.

So here are multiple truths:

'Marinette is a stalker!' accusations are shallow reads.

'Marinette did nothing wrong!' defenses are cultish denials divorced from reality.

Marinette's stalking was a deliberate tool used by the writers for humor.

Marinette's stalking *is* an exaggeration or demonstration of behaviors teens engage in.

Marinette's behaviors as shown are *bad behaviors* and should not be repeated.

The show never addressed her behavior as a whole as a negative thing.

Those behaviors do not make up the whole of Marinette's personality.

They are however rooted in aspects of her personality in a believable way.

They would make a perfect hook for learning and growing.

Damning a child for messing up is never helpful.

SO-

We can come to a combined statement from these:

Marinette, fueled by her insecurities, did in fact engage in stalking behavior towards Adrien. These were exaggerated for comedic effect(your milage may vary on how funny it is). The show has chosen never to meaningfully address this. It wouldn't take much to address it. They could have done it in Derision.

-Even though I hate that episode, you could have had Marinette realize the 'cause' of her behavior and then *Say it didn't excuse her behavior and apologize to Adrien for having done it. He would say it was fine. She would say no it's not fine, even if I didn't hurt you that doesn't make what I did okay. He would say he forgives her. They would hug. Tikki would say later that she was glad Marinette learned that lesson. THEN WE WOULDN'T HAVE HER STALK SUBLIME IN S6!-

However, since the show will not address it I feel like berating Marinette for it is largely missing the point. Discuss how the writing isn't taking it seriously. Discuss how it should have been handled. Discuss how continuing to show your *protagonist* engaging in these behaviors 6 seasons in is not cute, or endearing. It's harmful to Marinette's character because it makes it seem like she *can't* grow past this negative behavior, and growing kind of the POINT of these kinds of shows.

So if you want to talk about Marinette's stalking you don't shout 'MARINETTE IS A STALKER!' at the top of your lungs.

You say 'The show uses stalking as a crutch way too much, and that really hurt's Marinette as a protagonist. It's hard to take her moral lessons as seriously when they keep having her repeat the same negative behaviors over and over for 6 seasons.'

I know it takes longer to type, but it's more to the point, and can hopefully lead to more discussions and fewer shouting matches.

[themculibrary]

Clint Barton & Kate Bishop (2) Masterlist

part one

always there to break my fall (ao3) - callie_caje G, 1k

Summary: Kate has had a pretty garbage week after learning that her Mother would be going to jail and is unsure of what to do next when Clint shows up and helps calm her down.

A Simple Touch (ao3) - Caiti (Caitriona_3) G, 1k

Summary: Kate had been nervous about barging in on the Barton family Christmas, but a quiet conversation with Clint definitely helps.

Grill your way to victory (ao3) - StarflameInTheSky G, 1k

Summary: The Avengers take a rare break from saving the world to gather for a rooftop barbecue at Avengers Tower. Clint is the grill master, Kate is sick of it and the rest ate just there for the party

Hit Me Hard (And Soft) (ao3) - starryeyedbucky (ghostboywonder) T, 3k

Summary: Of all the things Kate Bishop expected to see when she walked into Clint’s apartment on a Saturday morning, it wasn’t this – Hawkeye himself, lying face down in a pool of vomit.

In My Defence (ao3) - inkinmyheartandonthepage G, 1k

Summary: Kate and Peter are having some summer fun and forget to let Tony and Clint know.

On the Shelf (ao3) - Webtrinsic G, 1k

Summary: It’s nearly the first Christmas after the battle of New York, and all little Kate Bishop sees is a wall of half-priced Hawkeye figures, hers for the taking.

Passing The Mantle (ao3) - Thorkyrie77 clint/laura, clint/ofc G, 16k

Summary: Hawkeye has finally retired. sorta. Clint Barton passed on the mantle of Hawkeye to his adopted daughter and pupil Kate Bishop. its up to Kate to go solo, find her own path and meet a few familiar enemies along the way. but Clints always ready to step in if he gets the call. especially when another threat meets his family.

Red Post-Its (ao3) - Ofibooks yelena/kate G, 67k

Summary: Kate Bishop isn't dumb. She knows there's someone messing with her and living rent free in her apartment without even bothering to tell her, but she is too sore and tired to care whether whatever is going on is due to her being haunted, sleepwalking, or a blonde assassin who likes to play with her mind. Until she finds a red post-it.

Shot Reverse Shot (ao3) - Greyspaces13 T, 7k

Summary: Kate Bishop does not want a protege. Maybe in a decade or so, when her joints start to stiffen. But at twenty-seven, she doesn’t think she’s quite adult enough to adult someone else.

Much less this someone else.

Spider-Man: Christmas with Two Hawks (ao3) - KarmaSpidr kate/peter G, 48k

Summary: Peter is alone. He lost everyone. But maybe after meeting a soon-to-be hero at a steak out-turn raid, that might change. After all, no one should have to spend Christmas alone, and two Hawks and a mafia should be enough company... right?

the strays (ao3) - oopshenangians clint/laura G, 661

Summary: Clint Barton doesn't expect to see the death of someone he once considered a friend, someone he once took under his wing, on the news. Then again, he always manages to lose a stray.

But not Kate.

warm (ao3) - gaymess yelena/kate E, 177k

Summary: Kate doesn't know when 'Kate Bishop' becomes a term of endearment in their friendship, but she's not willing to question it.

As long as it means that Yelena is here to stay, Kate is more than happy to hear her call her by her full name for the rest of their lives.

We're home (ao3) - Bonaxie G, 1k

Summary: Kate and Clint come home late at night after a mission. But there’s a good greeting committee, so it’s okay.

when the bough breaks (ao3) - polarkai yelena/kate, bucky/natasha E, 101k

Summary: Kate had the whole night planned out. They’d have dinner first, then drinks at the same bar where they had their first date. As soon as they returned home, Kate would pop the question. It was all going to be perfect, and hopefully, they’d end the night engaged.

The night went a bit differently than expected.

You've Got No Reason To Be Afraid (ao3) - Certifieddrywalleater T, 865

Summary: Kate realizes something when Clint saves her from the tracksuit mafia

[tc-doherty]

Any Northbound talk because POLITICS~!!!

Oh yeah, you read that piece of mine didn't you!

OKAY!

Northbound is actually a quartet which follows the political situations of multiple countries, all of which are happening at roughly the same time and sort of affecting one another. Northbound is actually just the title of the first one but it's my catch-all for the whole series because I haven't really considered titles for the others yet

So the first one, Northbound proper, is about a princess who accepts a controversial political marriage to a famous general in the northern region that her family had somewhat recently conquered, but she's not exactly interested in using her marriage to fuel peace between the two sides. It's more like she's interested in claiming a throne for herself starting from the north and working south rather than the other way around. Of course that is working on the assumption that she even has the ability to win the people over and solidify her position in the north. Everything that I have written for it so far is from the point of view of her personal mage/assistant who does Not get paid enough, and desperately needs a nap. Tired babysitter energy, I love that for her. To be fair, princess Keril is difficult to deal with on a good day!

The second one features the characters that you read about, and actually takes place much further north than the previous one. The area is controlled by 10 loosely related but mostly separate tribes and Risaul is, for reasons only he truly understands, currently engaged in trying to bring the entire region under his control. Eventually his ambition brings him up against the crew from the first novel who are still dealing with their own bullshit at the time and are now stuck between two enemies. :^)

The third one is to the southeast and has to do with a long-standing conflict between two countries that Almost gets resolved with a political marriage except for the fact that somebody tries to assassinate the princess when she's on the way to her wedding. It also seems like it might even be people from her own country? In any case she does not die but does get taken in by some people from the country she was potentially marrying into who are willing to help her get to the bottom of who actually tried to kill her and why (as well as eventually reuniting her with her intended husband, because she's still determined to make the marriage work once she can "come back to life".) This one is connected to the first one in the way that these countries only feel safe enough to act because the Empire is currently busy with the internal struggles Keril has created and doesn't have the attention to spare for their own strife and weaknesses. It's also a lot about the weird magic system that goes on over there and how that effects warfare, and I'm excited to eventually get to that because it's fun. I haven't really talked about this one or the characters in depth so I'm not going to bother naming them here.

The fourth one is somewhat less related to the other three other than the fact that it's also happening at roughly the same time but it has to do with two countries who really fucking hate each other but can't act on it because there's neutral ground in the middle controlled by a family too powerful for either of them to mess with, directly. (And also the other countries on either side of them sort of kept them in check until their own internal problems keep them too busy to do so). It's more along the lines of espionage and trying to root out rebellion before the middle territory topples and the other two can start killing each other because they just hate each other that much. I don't know if you have read anything about them but it's the one that has Dante and Nyari in it.

Obviously I still have a lot of work ahead of me on this series because I haven't really had much time to dedicate to it, although I was kind of hoping to get to it this year? Maybe? Hopefully!

As I get a chance to really explore these countries and their struggles and how they affect one another, I will probably continue to come up with ideas for new characters and problems and ideas of what happens next so it might eventually not be a quartet! Only time will tell hahaha

I know this got really long.. it's sort of an overview but if you are particularly interested in any specific story, let me know because I'd be happy to talk more in depth about them

[whimedy]

Just watched Transformers One today and HOLY SHIT IT'S PEAK

I had seen a lot of spoilers on social media before watching but wow, it was still super impressive

It's def great for ppl new to the franchise because it visually represents the relevant lore bits very well (I only started checking out Transformers lore a few weeks ago since I saw the Transformers One trailers and had only watched one or two Bayverse movies before - neither of them got me interested in the lore btw)

The animation is BEAUTIFUL. Definitely not sp*derverse-level, but it's still has a pleasing aesthetic

I mean, what was I even thinking? ofc it's not sp*derverse-level because it's not a multiversal mess and solely takes place on a metallic alien planet

Some ppl find the jokes "cringy" but I just think they rely more on context. You may only find some of the jokes funny if you see other parts of the movie first, and none of them are shown in the trailers

I'd say the comedy makes up only about 30% of the movie because the plot itself is engaging enough

The one issue I have with the movie is the lack of elaboration on the [redacted, hint: it starts with a Q], but it doesn't ruin the whole thing so don't worry about it (might show more in a sequel, hopefully)

Rating: 9.5/10

(definitely biassed because I was familiar with the lore before watching)

Also, fuck Sentinel Prime IGN for giving this a 5

OH YEAH, shoutout to TFHypeGuy on Twitter for being the only member of the marketing team

[odatelier]

odatelier turns 3.

three years! this is the longest blog i've ever had on this site, and it makes me so happy to log in and see the engagement and love this blog gets despite my absence.

life has been going tough these days, and i've reached the most important yet hated turning phase in my life, where i'm about to graduate in 2 months and i need to figure out what to do now. my military interview is in 3 days, and things aren't looking so good, but hopefully things go well :') if not that, then i have a second chance but not much beyond it.

that and yo girl made the biggest mistake of her life - having a crush on a man. ew, i know. but i'm trying to get myself over it even though his random bursts of attention are messing with my head and heart :') he's cute and funny and sweet and doesn't give a shit about me so he's totally my type, okay xp manifesting i get bored of him soon :p

but anywayyyy today is about you guys and my love for this little space i've created. thank you all for your interaction, support, and presence. every single one of you have made this blog special and all of you are the reason i do what i do. i haven't had time to check out the girls individual songs either and i have so much to catch up on :')

there's loads left to finish in my drafts and i promise consistency the moment this phase of my life passes gracefully.

love, hugs, and well wishes to all my lovely sweethearts on here.

vel.