#i need like a week where i don't see *anyone*

[nerdygirlramblings]

more omegaverse 141

You've been on base nearly six weeks and finally feel like you're setting into a routine. You get yourself up early, training yourself or your squad. You know omegas in active duty still carry a stigma, so you do your work before anyone else is up. No need trying to fight for a stall on the gun range against a bunch of alphas who don't believe you belong, or work in the gym to the whispers you know follow you everywhere. Better to get it done where they don't see.

You try to minimize your footprint on base, staying out of other soldiers' way and wearing scent blockers. You don't need to draw more attention to yourself. You're glad your work speaks for itself, but even that puts a target on your back.

You've already been approached by two alphas wanting to make you their pack omega. Both were clear, though, that they held traditional pack views. One was even ballsy enough to tell you you'd have your first pups within a year of his claiming.

He'd been stupid enough to bring all this up while sparring with you, expecting to prove he was better than you.

He ended up in medical with a broken nose and dislocated shoulder.

Price heard about these run-ins too and knew he needed to approach you differently, so when he sets his tray down a few seats from you at breakfast, you're not instantly wary. He glances at you as he eats, noting the array of fruits and protein on your tray. He appreciated that you ate healthy; it spoke volumes about how you'd play into pack dynamics.

He waits until you're nearly done to clear his throat and get your attention. You were the only two at the table, but that wasn't too uncommon. You knew your squad listened during trainings, but you weren't sure they entirely respected you, and with most of them betas, you understood the stigma that might follow them if they chose to socialize with you outside of trainings.

Price offers his wrist and waits. You look from Price's hand to his face and back before gently picking his hand up and smelling it. The light scent of smoldering embers and dying leaves and that unmistakable scent of alpha hits your nose. He smells like autumn, and you're momentarily disarmed.

"Cap'n John Price," he tells you. "Word 'a yer skill's makin' it's way 'round base." You make a noncommittal noise at that. You can only imagine the stories being told about you among the higher-ranking officers. "Got a proposition fer ya." You watch him, equal parts curious and wary. "Yer skills are just what my task force needs. 'Specially your work with ammunition. My sergeant said ya grouped head shots and center mass shots with three separate weapons."

You shrug. "Never saw the point in just gettin' good with one weapon, sir."

"And that's why 'm here," he says. "Wanna offer you a spot on the 141."

Your eyes widen and your breath catches. "What..." You've heard of task force 141. They're practically legends on base. "Are you... I mean..."

Your brain comes back online as you realize this isn't an alpha trying to breed you, this is a Captain building a strong, specialized group of soldiers, and he wants you to be part of it. There would be no higher complement, and no better way to prove omegas could be just as good in the field as betas and alphas. You quickly pull yourself together.

"That would be...it's an honor, sir. Thank you."

He watches your entire conflict and asks, clarifying, "So tha's a yes?"

"Yes, sir!" you reply enthusiastically.

[ccsainzleclerc5516]

Away From You For The Holidays

Pairing: Lando Norris x reader

Warnings: unstable family relationships, please don't take offense this is completely fictional

Since Lando and you are not from the same country, this is another holiday that the two of you spend apart from each other. You still haven't gotten to the point where you spend the holidays with his family or he with yours because during the year you're both on the road all the time and spend little time with your families, so when Christmas time comes, your family wants you to spend that time with them, just like Lando's family wants to be with him.

You came home to your hometown a week before Christmas, and now that it's already the third day after Christmas, it's becoming difficult for both of you to be so far away from each other.

Now, your family can be tough sometimes. You've never had the warm and close relationship with your parents that Lando has always had with his. You love your parents as much as they love you, and you can thank only them for everything you've achieved in life, but the truth is that growing up, they weren't always fair to you, and you never had the emotional support from them that you wanted and needed as a child.

For example, your mom always has to add something a little negative to every compliment she gives you. Always. And if you mentioned to her that her comments sometimes, most of the times, hurt you, she would somehow find herself offended. It's just always been that way, and that's why you don't like spending too much time at home with your family anymore.

It was the same today, your mom made some inappropriate comment that threw you off balance and it just all came together and became too much for you. You missed Lando, so you retreated to your room and started crying quietly longing for his warm comforting hug. Lando seemed to sense that you needed him because not long after tears started to fall down your face, your phone rang showing his name on the screen.

You quickly wiped your tears trying to hide that you were crying knowing it would upset Lando before you answered.

"Hey, baby" You spoke, sniffling a little.

"How's my most beautiful girl in the world?"

"I'm fine, I'll be even better when I see you." Your eyes water and you sniffle again.

"Baby, are you crying?" Lando notices immediately.

"I'm not.."

"Baby, what's wrong?" He asks worriedly. "Turn on the camera, let me see you."

"I'm okay, don't worry. I'm just a little emotional that's all."

"Can you please turn on the camera? I want to see you." He pleads.

You hesitate for a second, but when he asks you so tenderly, you really can't say no.

"Hey" You smile at him, but your red eyes betray your sadness.

"My baby..what’s goin on?"

"It's nothing, I'm just tired of being home and I can't wait to be with you again."

"I'm getting on a plane tomorrow and I'm coming to pick you up." You expected this from him and that's why you didn't even want him to know you were crying because you didn't want to disturb his family time at home.

"No, no! We're both flying to Spain in two days anyway so I'll survive until then, don't worry." You reassure him because you definitely planned to spend the New Year's together in Spain.

"I know, but I don't want you to spend a single second sad, especially not during the holidays. I can't sit still at home knowing that you're crying miles away from me."

"Don't worry, love, I'm fine, you already know how it goes during the holidays at my house."

"I really want this to be the last year we're not together for Christmas. Next year, I don't care if anyone gets mad, but next year on Christmas Eve I want us to be together in our home in front of our Christmas tree and under our blanket. I'm tired of being miles away from the person I love most in the world on such special days of the year."

"I know, baby, I want that too more than anything, but-"

"No but's, no, I know what you're going to say and I don't wanna hear it. You're my priority and I want you to be next to me at all times." He says and you sigh knowing it's easier said than done. "Baby, one day we'll have our own family and we'll most definitely want to spend Christmas at our home with our kids, and then later come everyone else. And I want it to be like that next year as well, you and I at our home for Christmas, and then we go and visit our families together. Okay?"

His words brought a smile to your face and warmth around your heart already fantasizing about what it could be like next year. You wanted it more than anything. You and him. Together.

"Okay, baby. I want that too and I honestly think that's the only right way."

"It is. No more crying, okay?" He says and you nod. "Ugh, I wanna kiss you so bad right now” Lando sighs tilting his head and looking at you with nothing but pure love.

"Trust me, you won't be able to get rid of me in two days."

"Baby, in two days, I'm not letting you out of my arms anymore."

[tearsofastraeax]

a/n: guys, sorry for letting you wait this long, but i'm back with the next update and what can i say, i started listening to lana del rey again so i will only be getting more dramatic from here on out

cw: we've been through this before, it's angsty, and maybe morally questionable

part 1 - part 2 - part 3 - part 4 - part 5

over the course of the next week, you dodged bullets left and right. mostly in the form of stupid presents, flowers and tacky cards announcing how sorry simon was. every single one ended up in the trash.

it didn't get easier. especially with these constant reminders thrown at you. a few days ago, you had even considered taking off a couple days from work and just booking a flight to somewhere, anywhere really, just to get some semblance of peace. 

he'd probably still find you though. 

you snorted at the thought, how wonderful. would you be tortured by your ex-boyfriend for the rest of your days? 

you tried to clear your head, your feet dragging you towards to bar you were planning to meet a friend of yours. even though you'd rather just wrap yourself in a blanket and not leave the house for the foreseeable future, your friend had made a great point by dragging you out. nothing would get better by wallowing in self-pity. 

as you cautiously stepped into the bar, you scanned the room, there were a couple of groups of people already gathered around tables, but you couldn't see your friend yet.

so, you stepped over to the bar and decided to order a drink already, you certainly needed it. you ditched your coat and plopped down on one of the bar stools. 

as you waited, you mindlessly scrolled through your phone, watching the minutes slowly dragging by, no sign of your friend yet. maybe you should have just stayed at home after all. 

your thoughts slowly began to wander again, but just in that moment the door of the bar opened, and a cool rush of air enveloped you. a smile spread over your features as your eyes lifted to the door. but just as quickly as your expression had lit up, it dropped again. 

it wasn't your friend standing in the door. it was john price, out of all people. 

your eyes darted from him to the space behind him, barely able to see if anyone was behind him, his wide body nearly blocking out the whole view. you readied yourself to search for an emergency exit in the back or hide in the bathroom for the next hours. 

as he stepped through the door and it fell closed behind him, a breath you didn't realize you were holding escaped you. he was alone.

in the next moment though his eyes caught yours, surprise crossed his features before a sheepish smile dragged his lips upward. 

you didn't know what to do so you just ended up staring at him like some kind of idiot, while he walked over to you. he sat down at the bar, and you couldn't help but feel a sense of ease as he regarded you with those warm eyes. 

"'ello doll. fine seeing you 'ere, how have ya been?" his gruff voice wrapped you in a haze. 

you couldn't help the slight tug of your lips as you watched him. 

"are you stalking me? simon send you after me now?" your voice carried more anger than you had planned, it was supposed to be a bit of a joke, though when you thought about it, you wouldn't put it past him. 

"simon sending... - what? doll, i wouldn't stalk you or nothin' like that. i can leave, ya know, i'm sorry if i was bothering you." 

he made to get up, but before you could think about it you grabbed his arm. he halted immediately. your eyes zeroed in on where you had made contact with him. the soft fabric of his shirt and the straining muscles hiding beneath it. 

you barely snapped out of your haze, dropping your hand and regarding him with an apologetic smile. 

"sorry, i didn't mean it like that. it's just -" you let out a big sigh, were you really going to unload on your ex's boss now? "never mind, sorry again, i don't mean to drag you into this." 

price regarded you with a warm smile. he dropped back down on the bar stool and turned towards you. 

"don't worry about it, darling. i'm happy to listen, but you don't have to share. let's talk about something else, how's that cat of yours doin'?" 

you couldn't hold back the giggle that escaped you, internally smacking yourself for acting so out of the loop. 

but you quickly fell into the quiet hum of a conversation, staying far off the topic of him. john told you about the new plans for his house and you went on about the new plants and decoration pieces you had bought yourself in a rush of sudden self-care in the form of online shopping. 

your earlier worries, and even your plans were all but forgotten. the alcohol cursed through your veins and settled you in a hazy state. your laughs came easier. your walls lowering. 

maybe this wasn't all that bad. 

note: sooooooo, i hope i can update again more regularly, but i did wanna put out a lil warning, i'm starting a new job on the 3rd and i'm not sure yet how that's gonna affect my creativity and especially my availability to write. i hope you understand and i'll try to keep feeding you with this angsty goodness <33

taglist: @rafaelacallinybbay @fruitymoonbeams-blog @jdeclerc @valuyhh @galactict3a @etotruski @littlezarp @kentwos @strawberrygato

[rafeyscurtainbangs]

“𝕊𝕙𝕒𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕘” #𝟚

𝚃𝚠𝚒𝚗 𝚁𝚊𝚏𝚎 𝙵𝚒𝚌

𝚂𝚙𝚘𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚄𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙲𝚞𝚝

𝕀𝕗 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖𝕟'𝕥 𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕 𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝟜 𝕡𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕖 𝕔𝕝𝕚𝕔𝕜 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕜 🩷

Main Story

Warning: threesome, angst, kissing, swearing, praise, pet names, make up sex, wet and mess, nipple play, fingering, oral sex (male + female receiving, thigh riding, choking, multiple positions, multiple orgasms, owner ship kink, rough sex, dirty talk, spanking, cum tasting, sucking fingers, fingering, unprotected p in v, anal, overstim., squirting, teasing, and degradation

❕❕𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚡 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎. 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚌𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎. 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚣𝚎𝚛𝚘 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛. 𝙸𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚞𝚗𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚘 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍. 𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚞𝚖𝚙𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗❕❕

Reader’s POV:

“You’re goin’? I thought we talked about this?” Rafe asks breathlessly.

“Talked about what?” You ask as you look at Cam, then Rafe.

“You said you loved her, Cam,” Rafe chides.

“I fuckin’ do, Rafe. You know I do…”

“Then where the hell are you goin’?” Rafe asks.

“Hearin’ all the shit I did, it’s-”

“Do you want him here?” Rafe cuts in, looking you in the eyes. You take a little breath, lips tugging to the side, nodding ‘yes.’”

“Baby…” He whispers, needing words.

“I want you here,” you breathe through trembling lips. “Please don't go.”

Cam bites his lips, brows pulling together as he tries to regain his emotions.

“We didn’t want you to feel like you had to choose,” Rafe says softly, pulling your attention back to him. “We’ve already wasted all this time tryin’ to figure our shit out, and I don’t want to lose you. I love you. And I’m not asking you to give anything up. No ultimatums.”

“Wh-What does that mean?” You ask uneasily, feeling like you did when Rafe asked to share you the first time.

“You’d be with me,” Rafe smiles softly, relishing those words as he looks down at you. “You and I… Just like before. And, Cam, you can talk to him whenever you’d like, with or without me, hang out, go on dates and shit, fuck. I don’t fuckin’ care as long as I can call you mine.”

“Are you sure?” You ask Rafe, unsure if you're even hearing him correctly given everything that happened.

Rafe exhales deeply, his expression softening as he looks down at you. “Yeah. I don’t know what to call it. I’m no good with this shit. S’just, you, baby. You’re my girl…” Rafe voice gets caught in his throat. He swallows hard before trying again. “I’d do anything for you. I want you in my life forever. I know you and Cam have somethin’ special. I don’t fuckin’ get it…” He laughs weakly, through his emotion as Cam returns the same. “M’not sayin’ it’s gonna be easy. But these past few weeks have been hell… I would rather work through this than be without you. I need you in my life, princess. I know what I want, and if this is the only way to keep you, then so be it.”

“I don’t expect anything from you, sweetheart. We don’t have to put a label on us. This is enough. And I won’t get in the way, I swear.” Cam stuffs his hands in his suit pockets, looking back at you from the other side of the suite before walking toward you again. “I’ll respect you and Rafe’s space—I’ll be grateful for anything you can give me. I don’t want to lose you either.”

Your chest tightens at his words as they all start to sink in. It seemed too good to be true.

“Just to be clear, if this were anyone else, they’d be fuckin’ dead,” Rafe mumbles, seeing the worry painted all over your face. “I know how much he wants to be with you, and I can’t take that from him or you.”

Cam nods, his gaze never leaving yours. “I want to be with you, sweetheart.”

“I wanna be with you too,” you smile weakly as you look at Rafe, “both of you… I just-”

“You think it’ll go up in flames like last time?” Rafe asks. “I don’t blame you for doubtin’ me, princess. But I promise, this time, it’s fine. We got you. Okay?” You look up at him, still in disbelief, your bottom lip wobbling as you try to keep it together. “Co’mere,” he chuckles softly as he pulls you in for a hug, lips pressing against your forehead. “You’re okay—I swear, pretty girl. Aight? Fuckin’ promise you. We’re gonna take care of you.”

“Okay,” you whisper, your voice muffled slightly against his muscular chest.

“Does this sound like somethin’ you want, princess?” Rafe asks as he holds you close.

“Yes,” you whisper. Rafe lets you go, and Cam grabs you, tugging at your hand to pull you into his arms, lifting you off your feet in a hug as you bury yourself in his warm neck. “You love me?” Your voice comes out muffled against his skin.

“Of course I do,” he whispers back.

“I love you too.”

“Yeah?” He asks happily as he sets you down on your heels, and Rafe reaches for you before you can say anything anymore, stealing you back, grabbing your hand just like Cam did, but you jump into his arms, lips crashing against his. He smiles into your kiss, holding you tight. “I love you, baby,” you whisper against his lips.

“I love you too, sweetheart,” he mumbles as his lips brush gently against yours. “Got you back…”

“You did,” you breathe as you scratch your nails into his hair, pressing gentle kisses against his lips and cheeks.

“N’you’re mine? You're my girlfriend?” He asks as he walks with you toward the bed.

“I’m your girlfriend, Rafe,” you smile. “And you’re my boyfriend?”

“I’m your fuckin’ boyfriend, sweetheart,” he groans before tossing you down on the bed, making you land with a bounce. You reach for him, pulling him down by his tie, kissing him hungrily. “Fuck, baby,” he grunts into your kiss as he grinds his body into yours, tongues tangling.

You watch out from the corner of your eye as Cam walks to the foot of the side of the bed, free of his suit jacket, pawing off his tie before popping open the buttons of his shirt.

You separate from Rafe’s lips, finishing the job for Cam as you open the last few buttons, lips pushing against his. “M’so glad you asked me to stay,” he whispers against your lips. “I don’t deserve you. I won’t lie to you anymore… I’ll tell you everything. Okay? Everything,” he pants as you pull his shirt off his broad shoulders.

Rafe moves behind your back, drawing down the zipper of your dress as he kisses along your shoulder, brushing the delicate straps off with his thumbs, letting the silky material fall to your feet. “Holy shit,” Rafe groans as he presses up into you, his rock-hard cock pushing against your ass. “You’re so fuckin’ perfect, baby-”

“So perfect,” Cam mumbles between deep kisses, his voice heavy with longing. Rafe’s rough fingers unclasp your bra as you work on the button and zipper of Cam’s pants.

Rafe spins you around, pushing his lips against yours as his fingers play with the hem of your lace panties, snapping them against your hot skin, making you whimper against his soft lips. Rafe pulls them down, leaving you bare and the boys in their boxers as you all climb onto the bed.

They sit beside each other, their backs pressed against the headboard. Rafe tugs you right where he wants you–your wet pussy pressed against his thigh, close enough to Cam where he could pull you in for a kiss. And that’s exactly what he does; your tongue dances with Cam’s as you grind yourself on Rafe's muscular leg while he plays with your tits.

The kiss is rough and needy; Cam quickly controls the situation. Rafe pinches and rolls your nipples, making you moan into his brother’s mouth as little spurs of pleasure spark between your thighs. Rafe captures your nipple between his lips, sucking and biting–chuckling wickedly against your skin. “Holy fuck, you’re wet, sweetheart,” he hums as he grips you by the hair, pulling you off Cam’s lips and onto his.

You let out a moan against his mouth, Rafe taking the opportunity to slip his tongue inside, reeling with yours as you start to rut faster. Cam takes his chance to play with your tits, palming his cock through his boxers, but you push his hand aside, making him laugh sleazily as you do it for him. You wrap your fist around his thick dick, squeezing him, feeling the wet spot of precum gathered on the fabric.

Your stomach starts to coil, and your movements get more desperate by the second. Rafe grabs your hips, pushing you down, using his muscle to rock you, Rafe, sending you over the edge, making your pussy flutter around nothing.

“That’s our girl… Fuck, princess? Does that feel good? You want some more?” He asks.

“Yes,” you whimper, shaky breaths fleeing your kiss-swollen lips.

“You’re cumming all night, baby,” Cam hums as he pushes your hair back, kissing your neck. “Gotta lot of time we need to make up for.”

“That’s fuckin’ right,” Rafe hums, reaching around to slap your ass. “I’m gonna taste you, princess. You wanna taste him?” Rafe asks, soothing the sting with the palm of his hand.

“Yes, baby,” you whisper, kissing him tenderly.

“Well, aren’t I lucky, huh?” Cam mumbles hot against your ear. The two boys lay you down, tugging their boxers the rest of the way off. Your eyes darken, mouth-watering as you take in every inch of tight, tan skin, muscles to spare, their dicks achingly hard as they move a little closer. Rafe grabs your thighs in his big hands, pushing you open.

He flicks his tongue against your puffy clit, still sensitive from your first release. Rafe laps up your pussy, moaning into your cunt, burying his face in you, inhaling your scent. He starts to grind himself into the mattress, his fingers finding your bud, tongue swirling around your hole.

“Fuck, Rafe,” you cry out as he presses his tongue inside, tongue fucking you like you’ve been craving for weeks; the man chasing your second orgasm of the night, already thinking about the third as he works his cock against the bed, getting off on your taste at the moment.

You pout your lips in overstimulation; Cam takes the opportunity to slap his tip against your pillow lips. He traces his fat head against your mouth, spreading his precum all around your pout, watching with lidded eyes as you lick your lips clean, your eyes locked on his. “You look so pretty, baby–fuck, you look pretty with your cum on my lips,” he mumbles.

Rafe’s tongue glides up your slit, sucking down on your clit; fingers plunging inside you. Your mouth hangs open as he sucks down, curling and scissoring his fingers. Cam pushes his cock between your lips, making you moan at the weight of him on your tongue. You wrap your fingers around his thick base, stroking where your mouth won’t reach. Cam runs a line of spit down on his cock; your fist working over him fast, keeping time with Rafe’s fingers deep in your pussy.

“Fuck, baby…” Cam moans. “Just like that.”

Rafe could feel your body getting close to yet another release, pounding his digits into you roughly, his other hand holding onto your fleshy hip to keep you from moving as Cam starts to pump deeper into your mouth.

Your lashes flutter shut as Rafe hits your G-spot again and again. Cam reaches down, wrapping his big hand around your throat, making your eyes flash open. “Not yet, princess… I’m almost there, alright? You’re suckin’ me so fuckin’ good,” he praises, his voice husky and worn with pleasure. “Don’t cum… Not yet.”

Your eyes screw shut, trying to listen, stars dancing behind your eyes as you fight against your body, the pressure of your pleasure almost too much to handle. You cry out around his cock as tears slide down your hot cheeks, Cam’s hold on your neck growing tighter.

“Cum for us,” Cam grunts, quickly filling your mouth with his warm cum. You swallow it all as your body falls apart, quickly reaching for a gasping breath.

Rafe doesn’t let up pounding you with his fingers through your orgasm. Cam reaches down, slapping at your clit, making you wail pathetically, both brothers going at you nonstop ‘til you’re gushing around their fingers.

Rafe hums out a moan, licking up the sweetness between your thighs. He lifts his hands, and you quickly take his fingers into your mouth, sucking them clean. Cam leans down, kissing you deeply, tasting you on your tongue, groaning against your lips. “Just as sweet as I remember, princess,” he mumbles against your mouth.

“So fuckin’ sweet,” Rafe sighs, completely pussy drunk. He kisses your clit, making you whimper in sensitivity, fingernails scratching into his hair. You tug his hair by the root, pulling him to your lips; he crawls toward you, eyes raking up your body. He looks down at you underneath him, his eyes softening as he sees your face looking up at him: glossy lips and wet eyes, the sparkly R pendant clinging to your dewy skin.

Rafe bites his lips, scrunching his nose as he’s hit with a wave of emotion, just knowing you never took it off, even after everything.

“I love you more than anything, princess,” he whispers.

“I love you too,” you breathe as tears shimmer in your eyes. You blink them away, and he cups your cheeks, brushing them away with his thumbs. Rafe leans down, kissing you gently, and it feels like home.

“Are you ready for us, baby?” He asks against your lips.

“M’ready,” you whisper.

“Ready already?” He asks through a breathy laugh, teasing you playfully, trying to push through his feelings.

“Please, baby…”

Rafe looks away and smiles, doing his best to collect himself, absolutely elated at the moment, before turning his focus back to you. “Greedy girl can’t wait to be filled, huh?”

“I’m a slut for Cameron cock,” you sigh breathlessly, repeating those words he said in the shower before that first night–the night that changed everything. Rafe chuckles deeply, looking down at you with lust and love as he brushes your hair off your face.

“Have I told you you’re perfect,” he subsists, rolling you on top of him fast, making you gasp against his lips.

You rise on your knees as Rafe takes his cock in his big hand, pumping his dick a few times as he takes you in. “I get your pussy,” he smiles.

“Well, shit,” Cam smiles as he slaps your ass playfully. “Keep gettin’ lucky, don’t I?” He leans in, kissing you gently, lingering on your lips as Rafe runs his throbbing tip up and down your folds. “You’re gonna let me fuck your pussy later. Aren’t you?” Cam asks, making you smile against his lips.

“Yes, daddy.”

“Think we both knew the answer to that, buddy… Just a whore for us, aren’t you, princess?” Rafe hums as he wraps his big hands around your hips. Rafe biceps flex as he pulls you lower, guiding you to fall on his cock nice and slow. “Jesus fuckin’ Christ,” he pinches his head off the pillow, feeling your warm wet cunt swallow him up. Rafe lifts you off of him, using his strength to move you up and down, playing with your pussy like a toy.

Rafe drops his hand, pressing his fingers against your clit, making you throw your head to the ceiling as Cam’s muscular body moves flush with your back. “Feels so good, baby,” you whimper as your body trembles. Cam cups your tits in his ringed hands, squeezing as you start to bounce on Rafe’s cock; the wet skin between you and Rafe sticking and smacking together.

“Again?” Rafe asks through a breathy laugh, acting like he’s surprised to see you seconds away from another orgasm.

“Rafe-”

Cam lowers his grip, grabs your waist, and helps you bounce up and down, your eyes squeezed shut. Rafe smiles up at you wickedly, playing with your clit.

“I’m–Fuck. I-” You ramble as your body surrenders to your release. Cam lets you go, and your hands come down, gripping Rafe’s chest for dear life as your head hangs between your shoulders, trying to get your feet under you. And just when you start to have a semblance of control, you feel Cam’s fingers press against your tight hole, pussy clamping around Rafe.

“Relax, doll,” Rafe coos, his eyes loving but his tone almost condescending. “You’re good n’ wet.” Crack. He slaps your thigh, making your bottom lip quiver as you look down at him. “You’re so beautiful like this, princess,” he praises as he cups your cheek, slipping his thumb between your lips. You suck on it for a second, your body utterly numb with pleasure.

Rafe hisses out a breath as you bite down on his finger when Cam pushes into your second hole; Rafe chuckles teasingly, taking his hand away, eyeing the bite marks left behind as Cam wraps his arms around you, burying himself in your neck, his cock nestled in your ass; Rafe still buried balls deep in your cunt.

“Relax, baby,” Cam whispers. “You okay?”

“Mmm… Mhmm,” you sigh as the pain subsides, your trembling hand resting on your lower stomach, feeling the outline of Rafe’s long, thick cock pressing against it. Rafe rubs his thumb on your clit, his other hand squeezing your hip. You relax a little more, your body getting used to the feeling again.

“Doin’ so good for us, baby,” Rafe hails. Cam kisses along your neck as he draws out fucking back into you a little rougher. Your pussy clamps down around Rafe, making his brows tug together. “Goddamn… Feels so fucking good,” he mumbles under his breath as Cam starts to fuck into your ass hard and fast, making your pussy bounce on Rafe’s dick from Cam’s backshots alone.

“Rafe… Fuck, Cam,” you mumble drunkenly. Going so dumb on their dicks you can barely think. Rafe smiles at you blissfully, hooking his big hand around you to pull you to his mouth. Your trembling lips smash against his, the new angle making you gasp and cry even more. “I can’t…” You sniffle between gentle kisses.

“You are though… You’re doin’ so fuckin’ good,” Rafe whispers.

“Fuck, baby,” you whimper as Cam moans behind you, watching his thick cock plunge into your ass with each stroke.

“Does it feel good, princess?” Rafe asks as he sucks off your bottom lip.

“So fuckin’ good...”

“Then you gotta take it…”

Your climax sneaks up on you fast, bringing Rafe with it; his muscles tremble with yours as he fills you with his warm cum, your tight cunt milking every last bit of him as Cam fucks you through your orgasm, filling your ass with his seed as well.

“Good fuckin’ girl,” Rafe whispers

The night stretched on, Rafe and Cam, never letting you go. All the tension you held in your body seemed to ease in his arms. Their strong hands trace your bare skin, holding you like they’ve wanted to for weeks.

Apologies were said, but even so, the pain of the past few weeks lingered on, the sincerity in their beautiful eyes making you believe that you could get back to where you were before, maybe even somewhere better now that Cam’s here too.

Cam’s large hand rests gently on your body as he sleeps, snoring lightly behind you as you look at Rafe, wide awake, his beautiful eyes still on you like he’s afraid you’ll go away again.

“Baby,” he begins, his voice wavering, “Can you forgive me? Please.”

"Rafe..." Of course forgive you," you assure as you snuggle a little closer.

“I was nothin’ without you. You are the best part of me,” he whispers as he lifts your hand to his lips, pressing kisses on the top.

Without another word, Rafe tugs his ring off his finger, gliding it back onto yours and setting it back as if it has always belonged there–and it has. Rafe’s expression softens as he lives in your sweet words, knowing that you still wanted to be with him even after everything that had happened.

“We’ll take care of you like you take care of us. Alright?”

“Okay, baby…”

Rafe tips his forehead, sharing his breath with you. “I love you, princess.”

“I love you too.”

"I get you last... I always get you last," Rafe whispers breathlessly against your kiss.

"Always."

A/N: Alternate ending | Rafe x Reader Link

[goddessinnerglow]

Become Your Best Version Before 2025 - Day 29

Prioritizing Yourself and Your Needs

Hey Goddesses! As we near the end of our journey together and after exploring how to stay motivated yesterday, let's dive into something equally important, making yourself a priority. This isn't just about self-care; it's about fundamentally restructuring how you value your own needs in your daily life. Think about it: how often do you postpone your own dreams because someone else's needs seem more urgent?

Research shows that people who prioritize their wellbeing are not only happier but also more effective in their relationships and careers. Yet, 78% of us regularly put others' needs before our own essential requirements. Let's break this cycle together.

Building on yesterday's motivation strategies, let's create a sustainable plan for putting yourself first. The key is understanding that self-prioritization isn't selfish, it's essential for your growth and ability to support others effectively. Look at it this way: if you’re running on empty, you can’t give your best to anyone or anything. Think of it like recharging your phone, you wouldn’t expect it to work on 1% battery all day, right? The same goes for you.

Understanding Your Current Patterns

Start by noting when you typically abandon your own needs:

Do you skip meals to finish work?

Cancel exercise plans for last-minute requests?

Postpone personal goals to help others achieve theirs?

Creating Your Self-Priority Framework

1.Morning Intention Setting. Begin each day with a simple question: "What do I need today?" This isn't about wants; it's about genuine needs for your wellbeing. Maybe it's 7 hours of sleep, a proper lunch break, or 30 minutes of quiet time.

2.The Energy Audit. Track your energy levels throughout the week. Notice when you feel depleted versus energized. This awareness helps you identify:

Activities that drain you

Relationships that need boundaries

Times when you're most vulnerable to saying "yes" when you mean "no"

3.Boundary Setting Strategy. Develop a systematic approach to protecting your time and energy:

Create a "non-negotiable" list of self-care activities

Practice delayed response to requests ("Let me check my schedule and get back to you")

Set specific times for availability to others

4.The Wellbeing Check-In System. Schedule weekly reviews where you assess:

How well you maintained your boundaries

Areas where you need more support

Adjustments needed in your self-care routine

Making It Sustainable

Remember our motivation techniques from yesterday? Let's integrate them:

Set small, achievable daily self-care goals

Celebrate when you successfully prioritize your needs

Build a support system that encourages your self-prioritization journey

It’s also important to surround yourself with people who respect and support your boundaries. If you’re met with resistance when you say no, remember: their reaction is not your responsibility. Taking care of yourself is not something you need to justify.

Today's Challenge:

Identify your top three non-negotiable self-care needs

Schedule specific times for these in tomorrow's calendar

Practice one "boundary phrase" you'll use when needed

Set up your first weekly wellbeing check-in

As we approach the final two days of our journey, remember that prioritizing yourself is a skill that improves with practice. Your "self-first" muscles will grow stronger each time you choose to honor your needs.

See you tomorrow for Day 30! Don't forget, this isn't about becoming self-centered; it's about becoming self-aware. When you genuinely prioritize your wellbeing, you become more present, more capable, and more available for meaningful connections with others.

♡ ☆:.｡ Keep glowing, babes! ♡ ☆:.｡ With love, Goddess Inner Glow.

[arcane-vagabond]

Hey again...

So I've kind of already mentioned it, but figured it was time to make an actual post.

A lot of you already know that I've been a participant in fandom for over a decade now, starting out in the original Hunger Games fandom and then quickly working my way to SuperWhoLock and a couple of others over the years. I took a step back from fandom because of different things going on in my life, and it wasn't really until Summer 2023 that I decided to get involved again. This time around, though, I had stories that I wanted to share and used writing fanfic as a way to navigate and cope with how crazy my day to day had become. Writing became my way to escape the uncertainty that had come with losing my job and keeping me sane while I hunted for a new one.

I could never have imagined how a silly, little U.S. military propaganda movie would change my life in such interesting ways.

I've been writing since I was old enough to tell stories, ideas floating in and out of my head faster than the speed of light, and even though my friends told me all the time how much they loved the ideas and my actual writing, I had convinced myself that I'm not a good writer. I held onto that belief for years until a story concerning a blond aviator as a an outlaw in the old west consumed me to the point where I thought I would go crazy if I didn't start to write it. So I did, and then I got the crazy idea to start posting it - just wanting to see if other people would like it too. To my absolute shock and awe, they did! A lot of people actually did! So I kept writing, and I quickly added new stories too which people seemed to enjoy. I made so many new friends, and people really did seem to enjoy my writing which made me so, so happy.

Stories have always been so special to me, and coming up with new ones and sharing them with others has always been a passion of mine. I love talking about them with other people, talking over theories and characters til I'm blue in the face. What's going to happen? Why? How will this affect the other characters? All things I love discussing, but...fandom doesn't like to do that anymore. All it is anymore is an endless sea of likes, which are...okay, but why are people refusing to talk to me? Are they bored? Are they shy? Was that last chapter too lackluster? Should I have added more action? Romance? Surely not because people are demanding more? More scenarios, more smut, more words, more, more more. Maybe I should step away for a day or two, just to give myself a break? Okay, yeah, that should be fine. Okay, what about a week? I have some stuff going on at this new job that I need to deal with. Okay, now people aren't even sending requests in. Now even fewer people are commenting or sending messages in. Why? Did I do something? Was I away too long? Surely people know that I'm a person behind this screen. Oh, now most of my friends are leaving the site...Now I haven't talked to anyone in weeks.

So...what's the point? Seems like people aren't even reading what I'm putting out these days, so why continue writing for a silent audience?

This is all to say these are some of the thoughts that have been going through my head lately, and I've decided that it's not healthy. Demanding attention from people unwilling to give it is not serving me anymore, and neither are the jealous and hateful people who hide behind the anonymous feature. People who have screamed at me since I started because they've been jealous of the attention I've gotten in the past, trying to get me to quit the entire time. Well, you win. You get your wish, congratulations. I hope you feel happy with the number of people who read your fics because surely they'll come read yours now that I'm not posting anything. Hating on me and my work was never going to make you a better writer or person.

As for me, I'll probably still make posts from time to time if I don't go back to my old blog again. I've decided to dedicate time to writing my actual novel that's been in the works for 12+ years now, and I have a renewed excitement for it now that I know my writing is worth reading. Thanks, strangers on the internet! And who knows, maybe TG3 will prompt me to write fanfic again one day.

For now, my stories will stay posted, but that may change as I decide more on what I'm doing, so please don't be surprised if one day they're actually gone. I've already cleared out my inbox, so...sorry if I didn't manage to get to your request.

I'd like to thank @sorchathered @pinguhub and @attapullman for the late night calls and vent sessions. @goldenseresinretriever and @fanficfandomlove for being constant rocks and sources of inspiration for my fics. And @roosterforme for being a solid head to rely upon and gab with. You guys rock, and I hope you'll stick with me for the journey that lies ahead.

Until next time.

Liz~

[gachagon]

Love your Eden’s Garden analyses my dude. Seriously, you’ve tackled aspects of certain characters I hadn’t even considered. I agree about Eloise being one of the blackened, girl is hiding nerves of steel behind a thin layer of shyness. I also think she’s gonna be connected to Desmond as the thing he guards and trusts the most (in reference to what was described in his blackmail). Upon further analysis, Desmond strikes me as someone who wants people to trust him, but has issues trusting others, outside of maybe Eloise. In a nutshell, he wants people to trust him without him putting his trust in other people. That’s his hypocrisy, in my mind at least.

I’m also gonna keep an eye on Grace in the chapter(s) going forward, in addition to Diana and Kai. Her silence after Eva’s execution speaks volumes. Mayhaps she’ll be going through a character arc? I feel like even SHE thought that execution was way too cruel.

On to my questions though! Out of curiosity, with what you’ve said about students’ deaths being linked to their hypocrisies, who do you think is the least hypocritical in the cast? By extension, who do you think is most likely to survive and/or die, at least within the next chapter or two?

Thanks so much lol I'm glad people ave enjoyed my thoughts so far and I've loved hearing everyone else's opinions and theories as well this whole week!

As to answer your question, I've got to say I think the "least" Hypocritical student so far is actually a controversial opinion of mine since I've noticed lots of people don't like his character T_T

It's Kai Monteago. (Note: I have NOT done everyone's FTE's yet but I'm gonna watch each one for this update soon!)

Now, this does not mean I don't think Kai lies or is a hypocrite, just that I think out of everyone on the cast so far he's the one who's the most honest about how he actually feels.

If Wolfgang is the most Hypocritical person because he hides everything he's feeling and doesn't let anyone know what he's actually thinking, then I think Kai is the least hypocritical out of the student body (minus Damon & Diana bc I think they're both being set up obviously as the protag and antag) because he's so honest about everything about himself and doesn't actually feel the need to hide his own insecurities, worries, fears, and anxieties.

Whenever anything goes remotely bad, Kai is always the first out of the cast to admit he didn't actually trust anyone, he's also the only one who's outwardly always wary of others and nervous. He just doesn't like thinking about the potential for someone murdering him or someone winding up dead. But it's pretty clear just from how he acts in his FTE's, trial, and body discovery that he not only doesn't trust anyone there but that he's not afraid to admit that openly when shit hits the fan.

For Kai, it seems like he's fully aware of the situation and thus knows that just agreeing with whatever the rest of the cast is talking about will keep him safe. He obviously is still a bit of a hypocrite because he's judging the ones who openly admit to not trusting other people, but he's also the first of the cast to always admit he had reservations about trusting them to begin with.

In a way, I can't exactly say Kai is a bad person because of his hypocrisy. He's only been an Ultimate for like 1-2 years, which is way less time than most of the student body. All of this is very new to him, he reminds me of Makoto in that sense where he was someone who would've never thought they'd be an Ultimate, or someone who became one by chance. Even the story he shares of how he became The Ultimate Influencer makes me believe that it really was just dumb luck that he got his title.

And he's only really falling in line because he obviously sees the way everyone treats you when you don't agree with the majority opinion, even if that majority opinion is rooted in rationality. In a way, it makes sense that Kai would act this way because he's an Influencer and has to deal with widespread groupthink about himself daily lol Any small action he did in the outside world was scrutinized and judged by an invisible audience, so now when he's in a situation like this he just goes with whatever will make the most people like him.

Though I can definitely see Kai breaking out of that kind of mindset the more he becomes friends with other people, and now that Wolfgang is gone, I definitely think the rest of them will act more freely instead of looking towards a leader of sorts. This is also why I think Kai will be the "support" character for Damon that we thought Eva would be. Kai is the one person left now who's wholly honest about himself, meaning he and Damon can become friends quicker that way and potentially work on investigations.

Also the two of them have very similar talents in the sense that "anyone could do this". But their ideas about their talents are swapped. Someone mentioned earlier that they think Damon might hate being a Debater or that he has some kind of insecurity rooted in the fact that he's a Debater. And I kind of agree. Where as Kai is wholly proud of his title as the Ultimate Influencer, Damon is very insecure about being seen as the Ultimate Debater and makes up for it with a big ego.

He doesn't let anyone look down on him for being an internet personality, and doesn't let lies about his past or things people wouldn't know about anyways (like the scandal he mentions in his FTE) get to him. But Damon flounders when someone even remotely challenges the idea of his talent being "useless" to society. In truth, the both of them are like foils and will probably be paired more often especially since they share a room together.

[27spoons]

CRUSH | ACT ONE: HOW CAN I MAKE IT OK?

pairing: natalie scatorccio/reader

summary: A frustrating vending machine and a stolen BuzzBall draw you further into Natalie Scatorccio’s chaotic orbit.

wc: 5180

warnings: (TWO) uses of y/n im SORRY IT WONT HAPPEN AGAIN, reader is a bumbling idiot again whoops, petty theft, brief!reader alcohol consumption, slut-shaming(?)

a/n: am i allowed to say that this photo of sophie just does things to me or nah

ao3 / masterlist

PREVIOUS - ACT ONE: CIGARETTE DAYDREAMS

NEXT - ACT ONE: DO I WANNA KNOW? (WIP)

The following week seems to drag on like any other, and, much to your surprise, your parents didn't question your absence from AP Chem that afternoon you ditched with Natalie. That had you wondering, could you do it again and get away with it? You've spent the majority of your life building us this carefully crafted persona—one that not a single person would guess would ever act out. If you did it again, would anyone raise an eyebrow at you? Would people believe whatever lie you fed them? That you were sick, had a headache, car troubles?

Either way, the thoughts linger. But you don't see Natalie again until the end of the week, loitering near the vending machines after school, throwing her hands in the air in frustration and kicking one of them. "God fucking—!" She groans and kicks the machine again before turning around and leaning back against it. "Stupid fucking piece of shit vending machine…"

You hesitate, standing a good few feet away from her as she mutters something under her breath and slams her fist against the vending machine's glass. She looks just about ready to rip the machine apart. 

You hesitate, the door to the parking lot just a few steps away. Maybe you should keep walking, let her deal with the vending machine on her own. But then her eyes catch yours, and it’s already too late to slip away unnoticed.

“You just gonna stand there, or are you gonna help me?” she calls out, a teasing edge to her voice. She gestures dramatically to the machine, like it owes her something. Which, in a way, it does.

You step closer to her and the offending vending machine, "What happened?" "What happened?" Natalie scoffs, "What happened is this piece of shit—" She kicks the vending machine again, "vending machine stole my cash and didn't even spit out my fucking M&M's." She glances around, eyes landing on a fire extinguisher, eyes lighting up like she just got an idea.

"Nope!" You say immediately, fishing some loose change from your pocket, "Just… here. How much is it? Two dollars?" You place down a handful of quarters and dimes into her hand. "Just punch in for another one. Please don't break the machine." You glance around as if someone's watching the interaction, but the halls are empty.

Natalie stops and looks down at the change you've given her, back at you, the change, you, the change, then shrugs and slots the coins into the machine. "Fuckin' rich people…" Which seems to be her way of saying, "Thank you for not letting me break the vending machine because the last thing I need is another suspension," but what do you know?

You watch her stuck M&M's fall to the vending area alongside the bag behind it, meeting again at the bottom of the machine. "Fuck yeah." Natalie grins as she sticks her hand in, pulling out two bags of M&Ms. 

Naturally, you assume that Natalie will give you one of the bags.

Naturally, you're proven wrong as she stuffs one of the bags into her pocket, ripping the other open and dumping them right into her mouth. "Mmfanks, princess." She grins as she chews, and for a moment, you wonder if she's ever learned not to talk with her mouth full, but you quickly get your answer when she keeps talking. "Y'should be in class." 

You glance around, and that's when you realise why the halls are so empty. The bell rang a good five minutes ago. "Damn." You murmur, quickly stepping back and glancing toward your next class, when you hear a noise of disapproval coming from behind you.

"Where y'going?" She says, mouth no longer full of M&Ms. "You should just skip the rest of that day. Already running a little late, what's just… not going?" She shrugs.

You make your own noise of disapproval, "No, I… I would be skipping another chemistry class with Mr. Carr." You fidget, glancing between the direction of your class and Natalie.

"Okay…" She drawls, "Did he care last time?" 

"Uhm…" You shift awkwardly, staring at the floor now, "no…"

She hums, popping a single candy into her mouth, "Did your parents?"

You don't answer that—because the answer was also a no. You gave some excuse to your parents about not feeling well that block, and they believed you. And you're pretty sure you could just get the notes from today's class from that guy that sits across from you…

"Exactly." Natalie's voice cuts through the quiet, "You don't have any reason not to! No one gave a fuck. And you're, like, smart." She gestures at you, "I'm sure you can handle missing one class without your GPA dropping or whatever."

You open your mouth to retort, then click your tongue and cross your arms, a pout on your face. Usually, you could probably find some retort to that. But… maybe a part of you has already made your mind up for you.

"I… really shouldn't…" You murmur, trying to convince yourself that you should go to class.

"Yeah, you should." She rolls her eyes, tossing another M&M into her mouth, "Come on. Live a little. You keep letting this…" She gestures to nothing, "Fear control you; you're never actually gonna live!" Natalie laughs to herself, "Dude. Princess. Come on. What's one class? At the end of the day?"

You're about ninety percent sure she used that logic last time.

That being said, you've never been that good at putting your foot down before.

You sigh and pinch the bridge of your nose, "Dammit." With a resigned shake of your head, you look up at Natalie, who has a smug grin on her face as if she already knew your answer. "Fine."

"Mm, try not to sound so excited, yeah?" She pops another chocolate into her mouth and starts walking to the exit, clearly expecting you to follow. 

"Do you ever wait for people?" You whisper-yell as you walk after her, taking quick strides to catch up. 

"Nope." She pops the p, "If you wanna come, you'll come. If you don't, you won't." She shrugs and actually offers you the bag of M&Ms. "Want one?"

"Oh, uh, sure." You stick your hand out and she dumps a few chocolates into her hand before she throws the doors to the school open and walks out into the open air, taking an exaggerated inhale.

"Ahhh, air. See, this is what you miss when you stay cooped up in school all day, Princess." She grins smugly to herself, tossing the candy wrapper in a garbage can as the two of you walk. "Fresh air and the smell of cigarettes." And, before you can say something about not being able to smell cigarettes, she fishes a pack of smokes out of her pockets, placing one between her teeth and bringing a lighter to the end.

"Do you ever not smoke?" You ask, more to yourself than her, and (affectionately) roll your eyes. "Nope." She pops the p again, "Always got a cancer stick in my mouth." She grins to herself as if she's proud of herself for that fact. 

"But it's a nasty habit." She adds, after a beat of silence, "I don't even remember when I stopped smoking for "fun" and started smoking because I had to." An exhausted sigh leaves her, and she wipes the nonexistent sweat on her brow with her thumb. 

Silence follows after she shares that piece of information—as if it's the first time she's admitted that out loud. An unreadable expression crosses her features, although you're sure you can detect her underlying unease with admitting that.

"Where are we going this time?" You clear your throat, trying to ease the sudden tension that appeared. "Back to the skatepark?" Nat shakes her head as she ashes the cigarette, "Nah. I need a Redbull or something. Got shit I need to do tonight, and I might as well have been hit by a train. Fuckin' exhausted."  You glance at her as she says that, looking for signs of exhaustion, but find nothing visible. Maybe it's the fact she looks like a raccoon, the bravado she carries, or just… her, but she seems fine. Maybe she just hides it well.

"Honoured to, uh, join you on this very meaningful adventure." You say sarcastically, which earns a snort from Natalie.

"God, you're such a dork. It's cute." You find yourself flushing at the compliment despite yourself, finding yourself extra embarrassed for reacting like that, especially considering that she said it sarcastically, but you can't help yourself. "Yeah, whatever." You mumble, which earns a snort from Natalie. 

"An embarrassed dork." She remarks without even looking at you, a low chuckle falling from her lips. "Now that's cute."

Oh, God. Your cheeks feel like they're on fire. Simple compliments shouldn't be getting to you the way they are, and she seems to know and bask in this fact. She lets a shit-eating smirk don her face, but you're lucky enough she chooses not to embarrass you further.

"Hey," Natalie speaks up after the two of you walk in silence for a few blocks, "Y'know, thinking about it, I don't think I ever got your name." She glances at you, "Mind spilling a secret to me?"

"Oh, uh, yeah. It's y/n." "Hmm." Natalie hums, "Right, right. That is… y/n is a name for sure. A good name! But I think I prefer Princess. Therefore, I will keep calling you that." She says, seeming overly pleased with herself.

"Right." You mumble, wondering why you thought there would be any other outcome to this conversation. "Don't take it personally." She muses, taking a drag from her cigarette, "Princess just suits you." A beat, then she blinks a few times and almost bashfully adds: "In a good way. Obviously. Not in a…" She gestures with her free hand to nothing, which she seems to do a lot. "Not in a "you're an uptight bitch" typa way, alright?" A small crack in the facade, genuine bashfulness from the woman you swore was never anything but sure. But, it's gone as quickly as it appeared as she clears her throat. "Whatever. Just… don't take it personally." She waves her hand dismissively. 

"Thanks." You murmur, a small, excited grin on your face as you walk beside her, feeling like some type of schoolgirl interacting with her crush for the first time at the… almost compliment. 

"Yeah. Whatever." She responds, pointedly avoiding your gaze for the rest of the walk.

…which, in all honesty, isn't that long. Maybe another minute before you're walking into a QuickChek.

The store has seen better days, without question. The floors are all scuffed, the air conditioning is making this weird creaking sound that honestly scares you a little bit, and the clerk looks like they couldn't honestly give a single fuck about anything. A tornado could blow through the shop, and they wouldn't care.

Natalie seems to already know where she's going, walking with a purpose to the far left corner of the store. She walks her fingers across the fridges that line the walls, humming an imaginary tune to herself as she does. She stops at a particular door and swings it open, grabbing herself a RedBull before pausing to look at you, "You getting anything?"

"Oh!" You fumble for a moment, grabbing a water bottle that was in your backpack and waving it briefly, "I'm all good." You take a small sip for effect, but it just earns a slightly confused look from her before she shrugs and closes the fridge.

As the two of you wait in line at the register (the old man in front of you has about thirty lottery tickets he wants checked), you let out a gentle laugh when you see a BuzzBall sitting on the counter.

"Y'know, I've always wondered what they taste like." You nod towards the drink, "Does it live up to the hype?" You muse out loud, "Chili Mango?"

The blonde snorts, "Nah. It's blown way out of proportion." She shakes her head as the guy in front of you two complains about not winning anything on another ticket. "I'm easy for coolers. I'll take…" She gestures to nothing, "A Mike's Hard or Smirnoff Ice. Maybe a Four Loko if I'm feeling interesting. But BuzzBalls…" She shrugs and slides her drink towards the clerk as the lottery ticket guy walks off, "I dunno. Overrated."

"Huh." You consider that piece of information as you look at the offending beverage. 

You don't find much time to consider it until you hear a "Dude, what the fuck?" from Natalie. You glance over at her, and she's glaring daggers into the clerk. "I gave you a five. Where's my change?"

"Nope. You gave me two ones." He shrugs, glancing at his phone, "Must have remembered wrong."

"Dude." She makes a fist with one of her hands in frustration, but it doesn't look like she wants to punch him; instead, she seems like she's just trying to restrain herself. "I get that this job probably pays like shit, but what do you get skimming three dollars off a fuckin'... high schooler?" She makes a slightly confused expression at the "high schooler" comment, as she immediately realises that it's a stupid argument, but it's too late to change it now.

"I didn't take anything from you." He rolls his eyes, "Jesus. Calm down. Just, like, check your pockets, or whatever." He rolls his eyes again, clearly not giving a shit. Natalie, on the other hand, looks pissed. But she knows better than to argue about something like this with a clerk who would probably press the panic button if she tried anything. "Fine." She glares at the clerk a moment longer before her eyes flash to the BuzzBall you were looking at previously, smirks, grabs it from the countertop without fuss, and walks out the door. If the clerk notices, he doesn't say anything. So, you simply just skitter out after Natalie.

She's still walking away, jaw clenched, so it takes you a few seconds to catch back up with her. "Dude, what—"

She stops walking, faces you, presses the drink into your hand, and keeps walking. "There. Now you can try a BuzzBall—since you wanted to." 

"Wait, no, I'm just… what happened in there?"

"The asshole stole my change." She mutters as she cracks the RedBull open. "So I was just getting my money's worth." A large swig from the can, "Like, steal from the rich old guy making you scan hundreds of lottery tickets, and not the chick who has almost her entire outfit thrifted from Good-fucking-Will."

She huffs, then shakes her head, "Whatever. Have a drink. Tell me if it was worth it."

You hesitate, looking between her and the beverage, but eventually sigh. "Dammit…" You crack the tab on the lid and take a long sip. When you lower the container back down, you roll the drink around on your tongue a little bit before frowning. "This is just… okay, I guess."

Natalie laughs. Low and genuine and it makes her eyes crinkle. "Well, yeah, I told you that. Glad you're realising it now, though." She shoots you an easy grin and resumes the path she's taking.

You walk alongside her for a few minutes in relative silence, sipping on the drink while she smokes a cigarette and takes the odd swig from her RedBull, seemingly lost in thought.

After a few more sips of the BuzzBall, you let out a soft laugh. “You really just took it and walked out. That’s… kind of insane.”

Natalie snorts, "Relax, Princess. It's just a BuzzBall. Small potatoes. 's not like I boosted a car or anything." She grins to herself, "Unless, of course, this is your first brush with crime?" She muses in a sing-song voice, "I may succeed in corrupting you yet."

You scoff to hide your blush, "Okay. Whatever. I'm just saying…" You shrug and kick a pebble, "What if he, like, called the cops or something?"

"Cops have better things to do than chase down two high schoolers for a single drink." She snorts, "Trust me. I would know." 

You cock an eyebrow at her, "My bad, forgot you were a delinquent. Of course, you have all the information on how cops in this town act." The tone is teasing, and… wow. You've been surprising yourself a lot lately, haven't you? Teasing like this is… new. Very new. You think you like it.

And, for what it's worth, Natalie seems to like it, too.

"Mm, well, someone has to teach the nerd how to live, yeah?" She takes a swig from the can, "Might as well be the delinquent on first-name basis with the entire police population of Wiskayok." You roll your eyes fondly, "Yeah, no one better to teach me, I suppose."

"Exactly. Who better than the adrenaline junkie?"

"Adrenaline junkie?" You parrot, "I suppose that sense. I'm assuming your driving record is worse than your rap sheet?"

That earns you a laugh from the blonde, "Oh, by far. If I ever got caught, anyway. Listen, Princess, if you're gonna go double the speed limit, you gotta learn how to avoid radar. Plus, no one thinks that the forty-year-old Ford Ranger is goin' that fast. It's all about stealth." A wide grin rests on her face, smug and sure. "I got a lot I could teach you, Princess. 'lot I could sell you on."

"Nancy Reagan has taught me to Just Say No to drugs, thank you very much." You muse with a teasing lilt, "You cannot sell me on that."

"That's the first place your mind goes to? Drugs?" She laughs again, throwing her head back. "And Nancy Reagan? Jesus. How old are you?" You notice her eyes crinkle when she laughs, and the dimple on her cheek is more prominent. A careless sort of happiness that almost makes you envious for some reason.

"Old enough to remember the good ol' days before the youth of America were corrupted by these goddamn liberals…" You say in your best "old person" voice.

Natalie keeps laughing, "Oh my God, you are a fucking loser!" And, despite the words sounding harsh, you can tell she doesn't mean them in a cruel way. It's… affectionate, almost. You'd probably be mildly offended if anyone else had said it like that. But, hey. Maybe you're just too whipped to care right now.

When the laughing settles down, you walk alongside her in relative silence, occasionally glancing her way as she alternates between taking sips from her energy drink and drags from her cigarette.

The two of you continue down the street, the quiet moments between conversations seemingly ten times easier than the previous time you were alone. Natalie doesn’t seem like the type to enjoy the silence, but with her focus on finishing her cigarette and you sipping at the nearly empty BuzzBall, it’s easy to forget how quickly time is passing.

"So," You finally ask, "Have a habit of convincing people to skip classes for convenience store runs and abandoned skatepark trips, or am I just special?"

"You tell me, Princess." She grins at you, "You feel special?"

You roll your eyes, "Am I supposed to feel special, Natalie?"

Natalie glances at you, cigarette perched between her fingers. “You know, you don’t have to call me Natalie. Feels weird coming from you.”

"What, you want me to call you "Princess" now, too?"

"Nah." She laughs, low and warm. "Nat's fine. Save my legal name for my mom or the next cop that wants to book me, yeah?" She finishes with a gentle nudge of her shoulder against yours, "Seriously. No one calls me Natalie."

You raise your hands up in defense, "Alright, alright." You return her laugh, "Then let me ask again, Nat, am I supposed to feel special?"

Nat hums as she considers this, moving her head from side to side in mock thought. "You know what? Yes. I think you should feel special, Princess. Not only do you get to spend time with me, but you also get your own nickname. Pretty cool, huh?" An easy grin slides across her face, "So, yes. Honoured, special, privileged, fortunate… whatever SAT words you wanna use for it. But the answer is yes."

"Alright." You say again, "Then I feel special, Nat."

"Nice." She smiles and nods to herself, taking another swig from her can as she does, "Mission accomplished." That smile slowly slips into something goofier, and for another moment, you see the girl behind the bravado. Sure, maybe you're reading too much into it, but… you're starting to get the idea that she isn't this "untouchable hardass criminal" half the school makes her out to be.

"Wait," You glance around, "You… took us back to school? Thought you wanted to ditch?" Nat shakes her head and gestures to an alleyway between two school buildings, leading you between them.

"We are ditching, and we will remain ditching." She puts the butt of her cigarette into her now empty RedBull can, "I got soccer practice after school. So, yeah, I gotta be here even if I'm ditching class."

"Huh." You lean against one of the walls, "You're really into the whole soccer thing, huh?"

Natalie scoffs, "Yeah, shocker, isn't it? The deadbeat actually cares about something other than drugs."

You frown at that, "That wasn't what I meant. I just…" You sigh, "I meant it in a "tell me more" way, not a "I'm making fun of you" type of way."

"Oh." She seems genuinely surprised that you're curious but nods after a moment's hesitation. "Right. Well, uh. I started playing in middle school." The blonde can't seem to meet your eyes as she speaks, and you swear you can see the faintest touch of red on her cheeks. "Kept playing, I guess. Worked my way up to varsity." She holds her arms open to show off her varsity jacket. "Coach thinks we have a good chance of going to states this year, and states is just one step closer to nationals." 

"Damn. So you've been… you must be really good then, yeah? Are you a starter?" You know jack shit about sports—if you're being honest with yourself. You're just throwing around words you think are relevant to the situation.

Nat nods, a sardonic grin on her face. "Yeah. A starter." She shakes her head and lets out a gentle huff, "Varisty starting winger." A beat of confusion on your part, "Means that it's my job to get the ball to the player who takes the shot, Princess. I'm basically the assist hound. Or, well, that's what Coach wants me to play as, anyway. Keeps saying some shit about how I got "good ball-handling skill" and "the ability to weave through tight spaces" or whatever." She shrugs, acting like that isn't great praise to receive from your coach.

"Wow, so you are really good." You give her an encouraging smile, "That's cool."

"Yeah," Nat grunts, "I guess. Beats doin' nothin'."

"I dunno. I think it is pretty cool. It's one thing to play it casually; another to be good enough to make it to varsity in high school, and another to win nationals." 

"Woah, woah," Nat puts her hands up in defense, "Rewind a little, yeah? We haven't even gone to regionals yet, let alone states." She runs her free hand through her messy hair, "But I appreciate the… unwavering support, or whatever." She glances away again and scuffs her shoes on the pavement, looking uncharacteristically timid.

You get the idea this girl isn't used to receiving praise of any sort.

Interesting.

But, like most cracks in the facade, it's gone before you have time to dwell on it. "That mean I can expect to see you cheering me on in the stands when soccer season starts, Princess?" She asks, taking a step towards you, close but not quite in your personal space. 

"Uh, well, uh, actually, uh, I—" She's not even being particularly seductive. If anything, it just looks like… she's stepping closer to hear you better, or so she doesn't have to be so loud. Yeah. Something like that. "Sure, I, uh, I  just don't know when soccer season starts." You mumble while getting the feeling that your face is gonna be red a lot around her. "So, I'll, uh, I guess, need your schedule or something. Or whatever." You shrug—like the flustered bastard you are.

"Right." Natalie scoffs and fishes her phone out of her pocket, unlocks it and hands it to you, "Throw your number in there, yeah? I'll text you the soccer schedule for this season."

Oh, wow.

If you were a flustered bastard before, you might as well be a complete mess now.

You stare at her phone for a solid five, maybe ten, seconds in silence.

"Right." You grab her phone, and with wide eyes, you create a new contact. 

You return the phone to her, and she immediately sends you a text, "There. You get my message?" You grab your own phone out of your pocket and check to see if you have any new messages, and you do. 

"BuzzBall." You read the message back to her, "Yeah, I got it."

"Cool." Nat grins and shoves her phone into her jacket pocket as she rocks back on her heels, seemingly debating on asking a question.

She never gets the chance to.

"Oh, shit! Look who it is!" One of the two guys walking past the alley you and Nat had ducked into chirp, "The resident burnout! Suck any dick, recently?" A cruel laugh leaves his lips as he nudges his taller friend, "Or, hey, maybe you've been sucking on something else?" He looks at you with a grin. "Find a new bitch to fuck?"

"Nah, this one don't look her type." The taller one chimes in, "She only into the bitches she gets in juvie and older guys, yeah?" They both laugh at that, seemingly finding themselves very funny. 

You had heard the rumours. Of course you had. Who hadn't? But it was one thing to hear a rumour and another to see it yelled at in her face from across an alleyway. When you glance over at Nat to see her reaction, you're… almost shocked to see an expression of hurt on her face. 

The hurt doesn't last long, and you quickly find seething anger taking its place. 

You glance back at the guys as one of them speaks up again, "I mean, hey, if you ever want a dick to suck, mine is available!" The taller guy laughs, nudging his friend. "Come on! The seat in my Beamer goes all the way back!" They both laugh again.

"Nat—" You turn back to look at her and see a deep scowl on her face as she reaches behind her, into her waistband. You really aren't sure what she's about to grab, but you really don't want to know, either. "Woah!" You laugh nervously, "O-okay! Haha! Wow!" 

The guys seem to notice the moment of her hand, and although the taller one seems to falter slightly, the other doesn't care in the slightest. "Oh, come on, Scatorccio! Don't wanna get thrown back in juvie for assault, do you?" He laughs, "Or maybe you do! Find yourself a new girlfriend for the winter!"

Natalie's jaw tightens, and her wrist twitches, clearly debating whether this is worth her time.

"Come on, burnout! You packing heat or something? Let us see it! Is it the same gun you used to rob that corner store last year?" He continues laughing, but the taller one is not having it, discreetly tugging on his friends backpack and mumbling something.

"Natalie." You laugh nervously again, this time reaching out to gently grab her wrist as you see her hand move again, "Come on. It's not worth it." You hesitate a moment, and your awkward smile drops, "Please."

She tenses further at your touch, but the next time you look up at the two guys, you see the taller one clearly trying to leave. At least one of them has some sort of self-preservation instincts. Seemingly realising that they're going, her jaw immediately loses its tension. 

A moment of very tense silence passes between you, your hand still on Natalie's wrist, her hand still reaching for something in her waistband. Luckily (or unluckily), she breaks the silence with a loud, annoyed scoff.

"Christ, relax." She pulls away from you, audibly and visibly upset. "It was a fucking knife, Princess." She pulls out a switchblade and waves it once, "You seriously think I would carry a fucking gun or something on me?"

"I didn't know what you were carrying! Gun, knife, machete, fucking… nunchucks, I don't know! I just didn't wanna see you get into a fight!" You run your hands through your hair nervously, "Especially not with two guys double your size!" "First off," The blonde scoffs, putting the knife away again, "I don't need someone looking out for me, alright? If I choose to fucking get into a fight with two douchebags, that's on me. Second off, why do you even care? Huh? You don't even know me! We have hung out twice!"

"Maybe I'm just a decent person who doesn't want to see people get into fights?!" You counter, growing increasingly confused as to why she's getting mad at you now. "It's not that I agree with anything they said, Natalie! I just…" You throw your hands up in frustration. 

You do care about her, as stupid as it sounds. Despite not knowing her that long, you do care about her safety, and you really don't want to see her get hurt right now.

"I just don't want to see you get hurt, okay?" You say, softer this time. "Okay? I know it really isn't my place; I just… don't want you to get hurt, okay?"

Natalie's bravado seems to falter at that, and you see a flicker of guilt cross her face for a moment before it's gone, and she looks away with a scowl. "Yeah, well… whatever."

There are a very tense few moments of silence before Natalie seemingly can't take it, and she shakes her head with a grunt. "Whatever. I gotta get going. Like I said, shit to do tonight." She tosses the empty RedBull into the nearby trash can and makes to leave, but hesitates for a moment.

Turning her head slightly—but not properly facing you—she offers her parting words. "For the record," she starts, her voice soft, "you really aren't that bad, Princess. I'll make a burnout of you yet." Then she's off again, leaving you alone against the side of the school.

You're pretty sure that's a compliment. That being said, you don't really know with her, but you'll take it as a positive for now. What is it with her and leaving with ambiguous comments? 

Ugh.

When did relationships get so complicated?

a/n: ok MAYBE im taking some slight inspiration from the show... sue me. also... i don't think natalie would be the type of person to just rob random stores n shit. i really think she would only do it if she felt it was justified. shes not a bad person shes just rough around the edges ok 😔✊

...I've never had a buzzball and know nothing about soccer btw

[wrestlezaynia]

"Together Forever."

A/N: This is the continuation of Perdu Sans Toi, as voted by my lovely mutuals. Thank you for voting and, as always, thank you for reading!

"I'll never forget about you, Kev. Ever." Sami's words echo through Kevin's mind as he hops into his car. It's been a week since their surprise encounter and although Sami is staying in contact, it isn't enough, Kevin needs to see him. He can't stop thinking about Sami.

Kevin arrives to the arena where Sami is performing, flowers in hand. A lot of the wrestlers have already vacated the building at this hour as Kevin knocks on the door leading to The Bloodline's private dressing room, prepared to fight anyone who isn't Sami if the situation arises. Luckily it's Sami who opens the door, looking surprised to see him.

"Kev, what are you doing here?" Sami asks, scanning the dark desolate hallway before quietly closing the door behind him.

The first thing Kevin notices is Sami's shirt. It isn't the KO shirt he lent Sami that cold rainy night, but rather a Sami Uso shirt, the mere sight making him cringe. "I needed to see you Sami, I missed you." He explains, offering Sami the bouquet of red roses he bought him. "May I come in?" He asks, trying to brush past, but his actions are halted.

"Now isn't a good time, Kev." Sami replies, lowering his voice as he steps in front of the door to prevent Kevin from entering.

Kevin's heart sinks at Sami's change in demeanor. His mind drifting back to the last time Sami joined The Bloodline and how they were forced to keep their relationship a secret, sneaking around behind Roman's back to see each other. "Sami, I drove for miles just to see you." Kevin counters, inching closer. "Please don't push me away."

Sami's heart beats faster as Kevin inches closer. He has to admit it's awfully romantic of Kevin to drive all this way just to see him. A smile tugs on Sami's lips as he accepts the lovely bouquet, fingers intentionally skimming over Kevin's as he reaches for them. "Meet me tonight at Midnight, there's a secluded spot right on the beach."

Kevin nods, counting the minutes until he'd see Sami again.

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

Kevin follows Sami's directions which lead him to a quiet secluded spot on the beach. He stares out into the vast ocean, breathing in the salty air. He keeps checking the time growing more anxious, his stomach in knots. What if Sami doesn't show up? Kevin thought, his mind racing. That's when he hears footsteps crunching in the sand.

"Hey." Sami greets Kevin with a shy smile, his soft ginger curls blowing gracefully in the breeze. "Sorry I'm fashionably late."

Kevin smirks, noting that Sami is still wearing the Sami Uso shirt. "Speaking of fashion." Kevin quips, pointing at the garment in question. "You need a new shirt, buddy." He adds rather flirtatiously.

Sami returns the smirk as he saunters toward Kevin, a mischievous gleam emerging in his honey eyes. "Why don't you take it off me?"

Kevin watches Sami intently, his heart pounding in anticipation as their lips connect in a fiery kiss. Strong hands slip under Sami's shirt to caress his muscular chest before tugging the fabric up and over Sami's head, discarding it to the shore below. "You're not Sami Uso, tonight you're Sami Owens." Kevin leans in to whisper in Sami's ear.

Feeling Kevin's rough hands caressing his skin sends shivers up Sami's spine as he follows suit, helping Kevin remove his shirt. A gasp escaping him as their bare chests brush together. "Sami Owens," Sami breathes as Kevin kisses his neck. "I like the sound of that."

Kevin halts his actions, his heart skipping a beat as he meets Sami's gaze. "You do?" Kevin asks, his voice barely above a whisper.

Sami smiles at Kevin, his eyes full of love and adoration. "I do." He whispers back, reaching down to cup Kevin's cheek.

Tears glisten in Kevin's eyes as he gently places his hand atop Sami's. "I'll drop to one knee right now if it means you'll come back to me." He replies, voice wavering. "Believe it or not, I can't live without you."

Sami can feel his emotions begin to stir, laughing at Kevin's proposal as tears of joy stream down his face. Kevin always teased Sami about hating his guts or not wanting to be around him, but Sami knew deep down in Kevin's heart he adored him and would do anything for him. "Kevin, I-" He's just about to respond when a loud crack of thunder erupts overhead and the rain starts to pour, soaking them in a matter of minutes as Kevin grabs Sami's hand and leads him to shelter. The pair scurry into the backseat of Sami's car, drenched and shivering.

Their eyes lock as Kevin tucks a strand of hair delicately behind Sami's ear, never taking his eyes off of him for a second, so deeply in love.

Sami's heart thumps wildly in his chest, leaning into Kevin's touch. "Yes." He replies softly, gazing deeply into Kevin's silver blue eyes.

"Yes what?" Kevin asks confusedly, his brows furrowed.

Fresh tears well in Sami's eyes as he brings his hand up to place over Kevin's, reminiscent of earlier when Kevin did it to him. "Yes Kev, I will." He responds, his voice a breathless whisper.

It takes a moment to register, but when it does, Kevin kisses Sami passionately, cradling his face tenderly between his hands. Excited to see what their future holds. Together. Forever.

Tagging: @loki69zowens, @wrestlingdespairings, @unintentionaloracle, @who-do-you-want-to-be, @fantasyismyonlyrealescape.

@himbos-hotline, @expert-texpert, @wrestlingprincess80, @baybaystime, @crxssjae, @sami-uso.

@jeysbvck, @surdelcielo, @thesamoanqueen, @caktusjuice-draws and @eleanor24.

[cheapsweets]

Was meaning to respond to this much, much earlier, but the last part of the year has been a thing, and I kinda crashed out hard as soon as I didn't have the weekly deadline 😅

Regarding these specific prompts, while I tended to enjoy the weeks where we were focused on one specific critter, I did honestly have a blast with this one - a really nice variety of creatures which is unusual, and we got some good descriptions for most of them too.

I'm honestly surprised that the Chraekhret didn't end up being a remora, but I must say, I always love the descriptions where it seems so obvious what the creature is once I know, but that I had honestly no idea when I was drawing from the prompt (Fatrihrukh, I'm looking at you 🐙🦑)

Looking at it a little wider, it honestly feels weird that I was drawing at least once a week, for over a year... I had a lot of fun, and it gave me something to focus on during a few times when I really needed it...

It's been interesting seeing my progression as the weeks progress, and I feel like drawing in a physical medium a) really helped me improve, and b) made sure I dropped any anxiety about getting things perfect/making mistakes. Coming to terms this year that making mistakes is how I learn best has made me enjoy the whole process a lot more.

I was vaguelly hoping to develop a 'style' out of this whole thing, but I ended up doing a lot more experimenting with different mediums and styles than I was expecting, so I think the real win for me is knowing that I can use drawing to communicate ideas (and also, you know, just being able to enjoy drawing for its own sake too!)

I've also got at least one drawing that I want to go back and ink, so hopefully I'll be posting that up at some point in the new year.

I wanted to say a big thank you for @maniculum for running these challenges (I know you front-loaded a lot of the work, but you still had to collate them every week and always had something interesting to say about each of the entries), really enjoyed it and really appreciate it! Also thank you to everyone else who took part, for showcasing your awesome art, for commenting, for being inspiring, and giving me pointers/recommendations here and there too (including the art books)!

If you've read this far, I'm also planning on posting a couple of art prompts myself, using the Exquisite Biome game system. It's not going to be weekly, and probably won't have a specific deadline on it, but if anyone else wants to have a go, I'll try and collate them as they come in 😊 Hopefully you don't mind me tagging you when I get the prompts posted up - at the very least, if you're note interested in drawing the prompts you might find more details about the game interesting!

Bestiaryposting Results: The Maritime Finale

This is definitely the last one of these, as it's rounding up a bunch of sea creatures I've missed. I assume by this point everyone who sees this knows what it's about, but just in case: https://maniculum.tumblr.com/bestiaryposting. (I'll get the rest of the entries on there soon.)

The entry people are working from is here:

The one for next week does not exist. (Also I apologize if I seem rushed, this is a busy week for me.)

Art below the cut!

@pomrania (link to post here) has us off on a weird start with their interpretation of the Fatrihrukh. I don't have any particular nostalgia for rage-face comics (I was online during that era, just not in circles where they were common), but honestly this made me smile. Also I like imagining some fisherman on a dock, still sitting in a normal pose and holding his fishing rod, just full-throat screaming at the sky, apparently apropos of nothing in particular. This is a fun one, is what I'm saying.

@silverhart-makes-art (link to post here) has an uncanny ability to make me think, "sure, that looks like an animal that could be real" even when they're drawing something like Fish With Tentacles, which I am 99% sure is not a thing. Though if fish did have tentacles, they would look like that. This is of course also the Fatrihrukh; apparently people like that one.

@cheapsweets (link to post here) has done the whole set. A lot of these turned out really well -- I think the Ormlalaehr is stealing the show here, but the Bursgaenga is pretty darn cute. The linked post has details on each of them, which I recommend checking out. (Also thank you for providing alt text.)

@wendievergreen (link to post here) continues to impress with their delightful art style. Love the little space-invader Magtlegyegs, and the Lungyoggeas are just... wild. Extremely cool looking. (Also, thank you for providing alt text.)

@coolest-capybara (link to post here) joins the broad consensus that if you're only drawing one of these, it's the Fatrihrukh. I love the (medieval-art-appropriate) choice to give it human-like parts since the entry doesn't say otherwise. The colors are also really pretty; I like the effect on the background.

Okay. Aberdeen Bestiary. No illustrations for this one -- this whole section is just blocks of text.

Ahrmegyaeb

The wording is ambiguous as to whether whales and dolphins also do this -- but the creature in question is the seal. I have no idea how this works; either baby seals are way smaller than I think or I have completely the wrong idea about how seal mouths look.

Bursgaenga

This one is of course the scarus or escarius, which does not exist. Bestiary.ca notes that Scarus is a genus of parrotfish in modern taxonomy, and that the Rackham translation of Pliny the Elder has decided they are wrasse. No idea how well that reflects medieval understanding.

Chraekhret

Another one that doesn't exist, the echenais. Apparently Pliny has heard of some magical applications in love-charms, litigation, and obstetrics. The fish that anchors ships is a good addition to a fantasy setting, I think.

Dhrakyetor

Naturally the fish that looks like a serpent is the eel. More spontaneous generation, too, which is always nice. I swear I've heard that "giant eels in the Ganges" line somewhere before, but can't place it.

Eavbechtgi

Here we have the lamprey. I kind of wonder if this "head vs. tail" thing has something to do with its unusual head shape?

Fatrihrukh

Honestly I probably should have redacted the "many-footed" thing, because the name given is polippus, which... yeah, that actually tracks. I thought maybe this was the result of someone not bothering to actually count the limbs on an octopus, but it's apparently an obsolete umbrella term for octopus, squid, cuttlefish... all manner of tentacled cephalopod.

Griggkhraz

This is the torpedo, which is some fun etymology. The modern usage of torpedo is inherited from non-self-propelled naval mines, which were named after this torpedo, an electric ray. (Presumably they named mines after it because it hides itself & zaps you if you accidentally step on it.) The rays were named for their effect on people whom they zap: torpidus, 'numb'. This is of course cognate with English torpid. Which is a strange word to be cognate with the thing you shoot at boats.

Also:

...if a torpedo from the Indian sea is touched by a spear or rod, even from a considerable distance, the muscles of the fisherman's arms, even if they are very strong, grow numb...

Would that work if it were a metal rod?

Hretchngin

This is the crab. I did not know all of that about crabs, especially the basil thing.

Khaboghrad

Meet the sea urchin. That's why it specifies "the maritime kind" -- the other kind of urchin is a hedgehog. I don't know why the author calls it "worthless and contemptible", especially since they go on to say it can do this really cool thing. Just seems unnecessarily mean.

Lungyoggea

This one is just shellfish. All of them, apparently. The words given are conca and concle -- Latin concha covers shellfish in general.

Magtlegyeg

Naturally the pearl-bearing shellfish is the oyster, but I love the imagery of oysters going ashore to be fertilized by dew from heaven. The idea of going out at night to watch the oysters migrate onto land and catch the dew is another thing I'm taking note of for a fantasy setting.

Nolthrigyo

Someone probably clocked this one: it's the murex snail, source of the famous "tyrian purple" dye.

Ormlalaehr

Really pushing the definition of "fish" here is... the tortoise. Technically also the turtle, I guess, since the author specifies that this includes land and sea varieties. This is, I think, one that makes total sense once you know what it is, so we're moving on to our last one, which is also really pushing the "what is a fish" envelope...

Riggmungku

This is the frog, also obvious once you see it. The fact that it's being called a fish really throws you off, though, I think.

And that's the whole lot. This has been fun, but I'm also glad to have it completed. (Well, completed with the exception of any responses to this one I've missed or that came in late.) Thanks to everyone who's been looking in on this project -- thanks doubly to everyone who contributed -- and thanks triply to the handful of people who drew something practically every week.

[death-breeds-wisdom]

Lies from the main blog because i would so become an alcoholic given the chance. I wouldn't pick vodka either for my beverage of choice, I'd pick the fucking handmade pretentious ass ciders and champagne they serve at exhibition openings.

[icewindandboringhorror]

I occasionally wish to reach out to old friends/acquaintances I haven't spoken to since high school/some other even earlier time in my life, but I have SOOO little social energy even for required tasks (like making dr phone calls or etc), I never have any leftover for extra ones, and it would be very odd to message someone I haven't spoken to in like 5 years out of the blue but then take 4 entire months to respond back lol.. My natural curiosity with nostalgia/collecting details of the past/etc. (literally if I were born a little earlier I would definitely do scrapbooking or something lol) is very strong, but, alas, not strong enough to beat out the Social Issues Demons apparently

[aeolianblues]

I'm not an extrovert. At all. In everyday life, I'm a yapper, sure, but I need someone to first assure me I am okay to yap, so I don't start conversations, even when I really want to join in sometimes! It's just the social anxiety acting up. God knows where from and why I lose a lot of my inhibitions when it comes to talking to people about music. I don't know where the confidence has suddenly sprung from. I've made a crazy amount of friends in musical circles, either just talking to people about common music or (since it is after all in music circles) talking to bands about their own music. I let out a sigh of relief any time an interaction goes well, because in truth it's going against my every instinct. I wish I could do that in everyday life

[naamahdarling]

Can't wait to see what the consistently uncooperative nurse who answers my GP's messages has to say, if she messages me back. I bet you twenty bucks right now her reply makes it obvious that she didn't even glance at the rest of the thread.

Lady, you have way more going on than me. I know you're busy. I also know I am annoying. I'll stop bothering you if you tell me what you need from me so I can move on to the next step because until you do, I can't. Stop wasting your own time.

[rawliverandgoronspice]

not dipping back there again after this, but my opinion on where the discourse re: us politics is heading is not getting any nicer.

[fitzselfships]

So crazy how I can go from having a great day to all of a sudden remembering an upsetting dream I had last night and it just. Instantly ruins my mood </3