#i literally work at a museum. it’s so small and i barely work at it because i’m usually at other stores

[butchsaint]

i may. have hacked my way into some museum/historian experience

[trans-yllz]

the place I worked at before that I had an interview at a few weeks ago was supposed to be doing the second round of interviews this week but I haven't heard from them yet and I'm like. if the place I've worked at before and have applied for an Easier job at won't even hire me then who the fuck will 😭

[moonpascaltoo]

steven grant / marc spector / jake lockley

MASTERLIST • OSCAR ISAAC CHARACTERS • 05/26/24

˚‧⁺ ･ ˖ · ୨ৎ recs two

moon knight one three

𑣲 building love I @laaundromat

Steven has unconsciously set himself up on a date with his crush.

𑣲 how things are I @storiesforallfandoms

now that they’ve learned how to share the body, they must come to terms with the fact that they also have to share their wife

𑣲 uncomplicated I @little-worm-grant

Deep down you knew Jake wouldn’t be calling if he didn’t think he needed you. Or maybe that’s what you told yourself to make it more tolerable to be out of your warm bed at this hour.

𑣲 just a touch of your hand part 2 part 3 I @mccn-bcys

when you turn eighteen, an ink stain appears on your skin wherever your soulmate touches you for the first time. the boys each are dealing with their stain in their own way.

𑣲 sensual pleasure? I @/mccn-bcys

your friends take you to the museum but you never were interested in the history. Until your friend introduces you to a cute gift-shoppist who gives you little history lessons. Suddenly, a ring sparks becomes a little more than a cool item he showed you.

𑣲 open my eyes I @missdictatorme

Jake and Steven were more than happy when you agreed to be in a relationship with them, but Marc barely fronts when you're near. Will he warm up to you over time?

𑣲 third ones the charm part 2 I @/missdictatrome

Jake Lockley was fine. Really. Marc and Steven are happy with their girlfriend and he's okay staying in the shadows. He's used to staying in the shadows. He managed to stay hidden from the boys for years, but lately something makes him take control more and more. Or rather, someone makes him take control more and more.

𑣲 the thin line I @/missdictatrome

Steven and Marc are literally glowing with happiness since they were in a relationship with you. Jake is mostly annoyed and is constantly trying to make you leave. Marc and Steven are having none of it.

𑣲 forget me not I @/missdictatrome

You and the boys (uhm…) decided to break up after the fights became more and more frequent in your relationship. Marc was mostly disappointed, Steven was sad and Jake… Jake was bitter. And angry. So when you send them a text weeks after the break up to ask them to collect their remaining stuff from your apartment, maybe Jake isn’t happy when he sees you might have moved on.

𑣲 our little thing I @wysteria-clad

you have a specific thing with each of them. It's not like you don't do it with other two, but you do enjoy a little act of intimacy that is special to each of them.

𑣲 the already over series I @m00nsbaby

𑣲 weightless I @/m00nsbaby

The feeling of being trapped goes beyond the ankle bracelet that keeps him tied to the bed.

𑣲 canonic jar I @bruhstories

marc is exasperated by you, but he needs to behave because you're steven's girlfriend.

𑣲 formal wear I @eyelessfaces

𑣲 the jake problem part 2 I @bensolosbluesaber

Jake hates you. Like really hates you, which wouldn’t be a problem if you weren’t dating Steven and Marc. But maybe, just maybe, Jake doesn’t hate you.

𑣲 talk deity to me I @starryeyedstories

You’re an Egyptologist invited to the museum to give a talk to a group of school kids, and Steven might have a bit of a crush on you.

𑣲 dozing I @juneknight

A man falls asleep on you during your bus ride to work. 

𑣲 i should have been there I @januaryembrs

Marc had always carried her with him, since they were small kids playing pirates in the yard, before things got messed up by grown up feelings and burdens. It's not until he sees her twenty years later, he realizes he should have saved her.

𑣲 sleeping beauty I @redeyerhaenyra

After having sex with Jake, you both fall asleep in your flat. Only, it's not Jake that wakes up, it's Steven.

𑣲 shadow of a doubt I @writefightandflightclub

marc was first. steven was second. khonshu’s never going to love you. …and you’re wondering if jake will ever get there at all.

𑣲 no fish were harmed in the making of this meet cute I @/writefightandflightclub

You have a dilemma. You don’t want to sell the man any more fish. But you do want him to keep coming back to your shop

𑣲 chocolate I @bits-and-babs

After weeks of pining for your coworker Steven Grant, sharing chocolate over a late shift causes sparks to fly.

𑣲 bumpy ride I @/bits-and-babs

The handsome man who you see on your commute to work every day is always on your mind.

𑣲 cake I @spctrsgf

𑣲 a night at the museum I @thatsthewrongwallcraig

After asking you out, Steven invites you to a private tour of the National Art Gallery.

𑣲 on the mat I @thatredheadwriter

You’re Marc and Steven’s ‘guy in the chair’ for lack of a better term, helping them with all things techy. When you get injured trying to help on a mission, Marc decides you need to learn how to take care of yourself so it doesn’t happen again. Gym training with Marc turns into something else entirely.

𑣲 mine I @/thatredheadwriter

The suit, the suit is amazing. Honestly it is. But you can’t help but be the slightest bit annoyed when it erases the marks you leave all over him. Lucky for you, Steven’s more than happy to let you have another go.

𑣲 outnumbered I @/thatredheadwriter

You’re Layla’s adoptive sister, and Marc’s former lover. Being reunited with both of them stirs up some old feelings, but that gets pushed to the backburner when you’re severely injured during a fight. But things tend to boil over when they’re left too long, so what happens when you have some time alone with Marc.

𑣲 spectre series I @ivystoryweaver

Marc Spector and his alters Steven and Jake have lost the love of their lives. They each try to move on, in their own way, but getting over you is the hardest thing they've ever faced. Marc starts to see you everywhere - he's haunted by your memory. No, literally, why are you sitting on the end of his bed? He believes in ancient deities, seeing how Jake still serves one as Moon Knight. But ghosts?

𑣲 first kiss I @asimplearchivist

there was no possible way that you could have romantic feelings for steven. right?

𑣲 sad ending I @/asimplearchivist

you and jake enjoy having movie nights, but he has the habit of spoiling the endings for you. this time is different, though.

𑣲 speed dating I @/asimplearchivist

you're down in the dumps about the disheartening lack of prospective romantic partners interested in initiating a long-term relationship with you. your ever-helpful coworker amy decides to give you (and a highly interested would-be suitor) a nudge in the right direction—just not in the way you might expect.

𑣲 is that my shirt? I @/asimplearchivist

you and the boys have a set of rules. jake doesn’t like it when you break them.

𑣲 stop looking at me like that part 2 I @luc-k-y

𑣲 anything for you I @/luc-k-y

𑣲 insomnia I @campingwiththecharmings

Steven can't sleep and you, uh, help him out.

𑣲 each time you fall in love I @peterthepark

you play mercenaries with marc. you play lovers with jake. you play house with steven. you suppose romance comes in all forms of their differing love for you.

𑣲 to the rescue I @ofstarsandvibranium

showing up on Stevens date from the first episode

𑣲 unexpected addition I @oddballwriter

Steven and Marc know about Jake's existence and they have been trying to get used to him and get to know him, and during a mission where they need help they found out Jake has been having like a long term relationship with the reader (who is Sekhmet's avatar)

𑣲 hospital bed confessions I @sailorkamino

As long as Jake can remember he's only had Marc and Steven to protect - then you came into the picture. Jake is scared to admit just how much you mean to him until you're injured, then he can no longer hide his feelings.

𑣲 a rose under the moon I @angel-of-the-moons

You've waited your whole life to meet your soulmate. You just didn't know your soulmate was so close by, all this time. But...How the hell can you handle being thrown into a world full of gods and magic? You're just a shopkeeper! Why is your heart being tugged by three different threads?

𑣲 stuck I @psithurista

You stop by Steven’s place one night after work. Somebody else answers his door.

𑣲 the coffee incident part 2 part 3 I @reallyrallyauthor

No coffee in the morning leads to a mystery for Marc, an apology from Jake, and guilt from Steven.

𑣲 paying your debt I @/reallyrallyauthor

Moon Knight saved your life, and now you're Marc Spector's glorified assistant. But when you pick him up one night after a fight, you get to feel the suit first hand, and what he keeps underneath it.

𑣲 free lunch I @/reallyrallyauthor

You're teaching Steven how to drive, but he’s so tense that you absolutely have to get him to relax first

𑣲 cupcake man I @/reallyrallyauthor

Jake helps his favorite bartender out w/ a problem they can’t solve themselves (which I like to imagine is Jake’s #1 all-time favorite hobby)

𑣲 bad girl I @/reallyrallyauthor

Jake has a smoking kink, and a way for you to indulge him without consequences.

𑣲 a friend I @/reallyrallyauthor

You and Marc Spector have a purely physical relationship. Both operating in society’s gray area, you try to avoid conflicts of interest. But when you’re hired to steal an artifact from a London museum, you wonder if even Marc himself knows all of his secrets.

𑣲 museum date I @/reallyrallyauthor

Marc gets set up on a blind date at an art museum

𑣲 slow songs I @/reallyrallyauthor

Your friend, Marc, pretends to be your boyfriend at a wedding, but is it pretend?

𑣲 here we go series I @/reallyrallyauthor

𑣲 the shape of youniverse I @bit-dodgy-innit

A full blown AU of forging a life and family with a post-Khonshu Moon Boys that’s as heartfelt as it is filth.

𑣲 tilt part 2 part 3 part 4 I @the-little-ewok

Steven Grant wants to tell you the truth about why he missed your date, but it isn't Steven you meet... 

[luvkyu]

May I req a top!bangchan x bot!mreader where the male reader had past memory with bang chan when they had a big fight in the kitchen but bang chan make it out for the mreader by dancing him the kitchen *its inspired to taylor's 'all too well' cuz I want to cry af so make it more angst and a little bit fluff* In the present they met again in an art museum and its up to you whether they'd be back together or not (if not make it more angsty)

PS: I LOVE UR WORKS ❤️💯😘

all too well ( bang chan )

top!chan x btm!male!reader

chan meets an ex lover after a long time apart.

content : 0.9k words, angst/kinda fluffish at the end

( a/n ) i changed this just a little bit but i hope you like it <33

y/n blinked away the tears that were welling up in his eyes. he took a deep breath and looked at his boyfriend, who was standing across from him in his kitchen. the room was dark with the exception of the light that came from y/n's refrigerator, which neither of them had bothered to close yet.

chan was silent. his gaze continued to rest on y/n, face softly illuminated by the refrigerator light. the pair had been arguing for a bit, and they were both exhausted.

"chan, i'm sorry. i don't know what you expect me to do. quit my job?"

"no..! i know you love your job, but.. i don't know, i barely feel like i have a boyfriend anymore. you're just always working."

y/n sighed and rubbed his face.

"okay so, do you wanna plan more dates or something?"

"we've tried that already. you always end up busy and there's just not much time to be together," chan muttered in response. a scoff left y/n's lips in turn.

"well, babe, i'm really trying to work with you here..!" y/n's slightly raised voice made himself wince. he sighed again and clenched his fists out of frustration. "i've worked so hard to get to the position i'm at with this job, chan. i can't just put my responsibilities aside whenever i want. i literally take out my calendar to try and sort out my schedule to make time for us. is that just not enough anymore?"

chan was quiet again. the next words that left his mouth made y/n's heart sink.

"no, maybe it's not.."

three years later

"oh, i love this one," minho said quietly. chan nodded in agreement after following his friend's gaze to the next painting on the wall.

chan's head soon turned in different directions, realization hitting him. "uh.. i think we lost seungmin."

minho's brows raised at this, also looking around for their third friend.

"i'll find him, you keep going around the museum," chan assured.

as he started walking around more in search of his missing friend, his eyes soon found a familiar face. it definitely wasn't seungmin though.

y/n stood alone, looking up at a sculpture that was a ways away. his hair had grown out a little and he was wearing a rather nice outfit. chan felt his heart skip a beat, unable to tear his gaze away from his ex-boyfriend. and soon, y/n's own gaze met chan's after looking around while he moved to the next artwork in the exhibit. they now stood in silence, eyes locked from across the room.

when y/n finally looked away, a small smile lifted at the corner of chan's lips. y/n was always the shy one between them and chan couldn't deny that he loved it. the way his eyes would flicker away and the rosy pink color would blossom on his cheeks made chan want to gush at how cute he was.

after some debate in his head, chan finally decided to go stand beside him. he gazed up at the same painting that y/n had moved over to.

"you always liked this artist," chan said happily.

y/n looked over at him, a little lost for words. he simply nodded before looking back at the painting.

"so, how you been?" chan asked, clearly determined.

y/n looked at him again. "what are you doing?"

"making conversation. is that wrong?"

y/n frowned.

"you know i don't like small talk, so yes, that's wrong."

"oh right," chan quickly responded. "okay, i'll think of a better question.. mm.. would you like to get some coffee with me?"

y/n turned to chan in surprise.

"coffee..?"

"or tea if that's better," chan suggested. he could see the gears turning in y/n's head before his attention went right back to the painting in front of them.

"i'm looking at art right now," y/n answered with a blatant tone.

chan nodded, still smiling. he could tell the other was just being stubborn.

"alright, take your time. i can wait."

y/n stayed quiet. they both continued to admire the museum's works for a few minutes. y/n would travel between art pieces, chan following patiently as if he were looking on his own.

"tell you what," chan finally spoke quietly, "there's a coffee place right across the street from here. i think i'll go sit there for, maybe.. the next half hour? maybe i'll see you there."

y/n looked back at chan one more time, now watching him give a sweet smile before he turned to to leave. he walked back over to minho, seungmin still missing somewhere else in the museum.

"was that..?"

chan nodded at the question from minho. "y/n," he finished for him.

"shit.." minho mumbled.

"we're gonna go get coffee i think."

minho looked over at y/n, who seemed to be staying put.

"you are?.. he doesn't seem to be going anywhere."

chan smiled and nodded.

"well, i invited him to come for coffee, at least. i think he's just being stubborn right now. he'll meet me there, don't worry."

"..how do you know?"

"i just know, i guess," chan answered in confidence. "i know him all too well."

[this-is-what-makes-us-fandoms]

All’s Fair In Love and War || Part One ||

Requested: Hii can you do a "enemies to lovers" trope with max and reader imagine? :)

You’re a well-known thief, always able to steal whatever target you’re given. When you’re hired to steal a ruby from the Metroburg Museum, you come face to face with the famous ThunderTwins. Who, having been defeated for the first time in a long while, are determined to take you down. But you can’t help catching the eye of one Max Thunderman and him yours. How will things work out when you’re on opposites side of the playing field?

Pairing: Max Thunderman x Reader

Warnings: Enemies to Lovers, she/her pronouns, violence/fighting, mentions of blood/bleeding

Words: 2.3K

A/N: A while ago I made a poll for something and everyone voted for Max, this was that something. Inspired form the Spider-Man/Black Cat relationship I made this for the lovely person who requested it. This is going to be several parts, so I hope you guys enjoy.

|| GIFs not mine, Black Cat GIF is just a reflection of what your villain suit looks like not your actual self ||

It was late into the night, most of Metroburg was already sound asleep with a few exceptions of course. The few villains who were out and about, and the heroes who were trying to stop them. You, being one of them, stood on the roof of the Metroburg Museum; right by the ventilation system. You were pulling it apart, tugging the cover off the vent and throwing it to the side. You snuck in once it was off before falling through the vent and landing on your feet. You landed crouched down, leaning forward and placing your hands down in front of you before you started crawling. It was a small, narrow crawlspace, barely enough room to get through it.

There were a couple turns here and there that followed, taking each one as you had memorized it beforehand. Then coming to a stop above a vent cover and peeking through the blinds, spotting what you’d come for. You smiled to yourself, crawling back a few paces before moving to rip the cover off. Throwing it aside once you did and slipping through the vent hole. You fell, a small rush of air hitting you in the face and sending a shiver of excitement through you as you landed on your feet. The fall was rougher than through the vent, causing you to land crouched with your hands planted down for support. Lucky for you, you always landed on your feet no matter the height.

You straightened up after, rolling your neck once and relaxing your body before taking a glance around you. You were quick to catch what you were looking for, a glint of red hitting your eye. Turning full face towards it, a grin appeared on your lips, stretching wide and almost Cheshire-like. Just a few feet away from you stood a bright, red ruby encased in glass. It was called the heart of the museum since it was a literal heart shaped necklace. The ruby had been kept there for years, rarely ever shown to the public since it was worth millions. If it were to go missing, it would certainly strike disaster in all Metroburg. It only made you want it more, and in turn you could sell it for so much more than it was worth. After all, there were plenty of people willing to pay top dollar for it. More so, the person who hired you in the first place.

The hard part of it was slipping it out of the box without sounding the alarm. You didn’t need to alert whatever supes were patrolling around the museum. Approaching the case, you reached towards your tool belt and pulled out a spray can. Uncapping it, you were quick to spray all around the case, showing the censored lasers that surrounded the ruby. There was more than you imagined, making you sigh as you looked for an opening between the glass and the censors.

When you found it, you slipped your hand through, being careful not to move your wrist. You laid your fingers against the glass, outstretching them some and watching as your nails grew long and pointed. You pressed them tight against the glass, turning your wrist after you did and watching as they cut a perfect circle through the glass. Once it was done, your nails retracted back, and you laid your fingers back on the glass. Twisting your hand around slowly and turning the circle until it came off. You pulled your hand back with the glass, being careful not to touch the lasers again.  

After that, you crouched down, setting the glass on the floor and reaching for your tool belt again. You pulled out an object, one that weighed the same as the necklace. You were sure there was a pressure censor on it, knowing that if you just snatched it up, the alarm would sound. When you stood back up, you reached your hand back in and towards the necklace. You had to time it right to set the figurine where the necklace sat and pull the necklace away.

You took a breath, steadying your hand as you set it on the display plate and slowly inched it to the side. As you did, you pushed the necklace along and stuck your pinky out. You hooked it around the band, pulling the rest of it out and letting it dangle off your pinky. Once the figurine was set down, you pulled your hand out of the case, grinning once again. You’d done it, you managed to steal one of the most valuable items in the world. You slipped the necklace into one of the pockets of your utility belt, ready to go on your way.

“That’s far enough,” you heard a voice say behind you.

You scoffed at the impeccable timing, standing up straight and rolling your neck before turning around. Behind you stood Max and Phoebe, the hottest superheroes in metroburg at the moment. They had risen to the top faster than any superhero ever had, given their own task force before even becoming full-fledged heroes. Though you hardly saw them as a challenge, knowing about their numerous failed missions from before. They were messy, which meant you could escape them easily.

“Well, if it isn’t dumb and dumber,” you said.

You smirked at the looks of offense on their faces, mirroring each other in a perfect twin sense.

“Okay, that was rude,” Phoebe scoffed. “No matter, we’re still going to take you down.”

“Sure, give it your best shot,” you mused out as you reached into your belt and threw something at them.

It hit the ground a few inches in front of them, exploding and releasing smoke. It clouded their vision immediately and you took the opportunity to run away. You didn’t want to deal with the pesky telekinesis they both had. You could hear coughing as the smoke invaded their lungs, but you didn’t look back. Instead, you took a turn and ran for the exit you had planned. You were avoiding going through the front, knowing there would surely be police waiting for you.

“Not so fast,” you heard from behind you.

“Shit,” you mumbled out, feeling a force acting from behind you.

It was Max who spoke, using his telekinesis to pull you back as you fought against it. It won in the end, he managed to pull you back enough to try and capture you. You didn’t let him though, turning around in a roundhouse kick. One you managed to land, kicking him in the stomach and watching him fly back against the wall.

“Sorry, pretty boy, but I have somewhere to be,” you told him before trying to run off again.

“Think again,” Phoebe said, appearing at your side.

She threw a punch at you, but your reflexes allowed you to evade her punch. You let out a breath of air as you stepped back, irritation slowly rising inside you. You really didn’t have time for this, you had somewhere to be, and they were getting in your way.

Just as you had deflected Phoebe’s punch, Max had recovered and jumped back in. He threw a punch of his own, one he landed square on your jaw and sending you flying back. This time it was you who flew into the wall from the force, an ache growing on your jaw. You steadied yourself against the wall, looking up and sending a glare Max’s way. Now you were pissed, it was rare for a superhero to get in your way. You were an excellent thief, always able to get in and out without trouble. Except for now.

“Tch. Pesky wonder twins,” you mumbled again.

You straightened up, looking between both twins and trying to come up with a strategy. They were both in fighting stances, ready for whatever you were going to throw at them.

“Give up, you aren’t getting past us,” Phoebe told you.

“I wouldn’t be too sure about that,” was your response.

You went for Phoebe first, knowing you could take her down faster before focusing on Max. You threw a punch at Phoebe, watching her evade it like you expected. You didn’t let her recover before your leg lifted and made contact with her stomach. You kicked her down, watching her land roughly on the floor and holding her stomach. You knew it would take her a while to get back up, meaning you could take care of Max in the meantime.

You turned to look at him, just in time to step back before he hit you. You shot him another glare and went in for a kick at his side. He dodged it and grabbed ahold of your ankle before pushing you away. It caused you to lose your balance, falling back on your ass. You clenched your jaw, looking up at Max and the smug smile on his face. You hated it, you wanted to wipe it off his face, but there was something about it. Something that caused a stir in your stomach and sent a tingle down your spine. For the enemy, he was so damn hot.

That wasn’t the point right now, you couldn’t let your thoughts distract you from escaping. So, you stood back up, along with Phoebe who had recovered. You were back to facing the two of them. You shook yourself off, arms outstretching at your side and claws extending out. They were long and sharp, enough to leave deep wounds if you really wanted to. You didn’t wait for either of them to make the first move, stepping forward and striking with one of your hands. You went for Max first this time, claws barely scratching his suit as he leaped back.

You took a swing at Phoebe next, hand going to her face and managing to scratch her cheek. You could feel the skin split open against your nail and watched blood seep through. Phoebe’s hand flew up to her face, gloved hand rubbing at her cheek and wiping away at the blood. She looked at her hand, shock on her face as she looked between you and her palm.

“Woah, that is so not cool,” she scoffed out.

“I’m sorry, did I hurt you?” you asked, feigning remorse.

She shot you a glare, not appreciative of your sarcasm. “Don’t worry, I’ll return the favor.”

You faked a look of fear before rolling your eyes and retreating your claws back. You’d gotten what you wanted out of them, and they weren’t exactly your favorite to use. You dug a hand in your belt, pulling out a device and throwing it at Phoebe. It attached itself to her suit and distracted her as she tried to pull it off. It was too late; the device activated and shot an electric pulse over her body. It wasn’t hurtful but it was enough to knock her down and let you leave.

“Okay, that was kind of funny but dude, that’s my sister,” Max yelled out, holding back a laugh.

“Sorry, like I said, I have somewhere to be,” you said, once again feigning remorse.

He rolled his eyes this time and shot forward, swinging recklessly as if he were tired of fighting and just wanted to knock you down. You dodged each punch he threw, stepping back to create some distance so you could strike back. He wasn’t letting you, continuing to swing at you and hoping for the best. You had to give it to him though, he was persistent which sort of made him hotter.

“You know you’re pretty cute for a superhero,” you told him.

Your words caught him off guard and he stopped, looking at you like you grew an extra head. You took this as your chance, dropping to the ground and placing your hands in front of you. You used them to balance yourself before extending your leg out and sitting back on your heel. You spun around after, aiming for Max’s ankles and using your leg to swipe him under his feet. You managed to hit him clean through, knocking him off his feet and onto his back.

You smiled to yourself, standing up and looming over him, looking down at him. He groaned in pain, slightly curling himself up into a ball which only made you smile more. “But you’re not my type. Until next time, pretty boy.”

With both twins finally down, you took the opportunity to make your escape and disappeared before their eyes. Phoebe regained consciousness and sat up, hand against her temple to soothe the building headache. She looked over at Max who was lying next to her, staring up at the ceiling in defeat.

“She got away,” he mumbled out bitterly.

“You let her get away?” Phoebe shrieked.

“It’s not my fault, she got the better of me,” he answered. “But damn, she was hot.”

“Max! She stole the heart of the museum, and you called her hot?” she continued to yell.

“We’ll get it back, we can find her,” he said, sighing out heavily.

“You better be right,” Phoebe grumbled out.

She stood up after, hand outstretching towards Max and helping him up too. They were going to have report this back to the president, ashamed that they would have to admit defeat.

[ghouly-boiiiii]

The Snooze Olympics

Ghoulcy Week Day 3 - Somnophilia

I'm late, but here's my contribution to to Ghoulcy Week Day 3 - Somnophilia! I was not expecting to do this, but I couldn't think of anything clever for the Target Practice prompt, so here we are. 😜 This was definitely something new for me, but I have to say actually like how it turned out, heh heh. Hope you enjoy!

Lucy x Cooper Howard / The Ghoul

Tags: Consensual Somnophilia, Oral Sex, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex, One Shot, Challenge/Event

Rating: Explicit

Word Count: 3,599

No spoiler warning

No trigger warnings except sexy time with a zombie man and consensual somnophilia

Summary: Cooper and Lucy had been together for a while now. One thing the pair quickly realized about their relationship was that they were both kinda freaky. The Ghoul’s been fucking his way across the wasteland for over two-hundred years, and things had gotten a little boring. But Lucy, little miss goody-two-shoes, had this insatiable appetite to experience every imaginable way to fuck that could possibly exist. And that was never boring.

Cooper had asked her before if she would mind if he touched her while she slept. Her answer was simply, “I let you touch me while I’m awake, why wouldn’t I let you touch me while I’m asleep?”

When he proceeded to be more specific, she rolled her eyes at him and told him he was a weirdo, but that she wouldn’t mind. Then, somehow, it ended up becoming a discussion about a game they could play. One where they would each take turns trying to see how many times they can successfully get the other riled up in their sleep. It started out as kind of a joke, but became more and more serious as they carried on.

Now? It was a full on competition.

Cooper licked his bottom lip as he stared down at Lucy’s naked body. She was sound asleep, sprawled out on their bed without a care in the world. 

It was late, or rather early in the morning, in the city of Necropolis. One of the few places the old bounty hunter was welcome, and they were accepted as a couple. 

They'd managed to save up enough to purchase a small house on the outskirts of town. A bit nicer than the common shanty, thanks to The Ghoul's reputation. It was something the bounty hunter was never really interested in. Since he was always traveling, it didn't seem practical. But now, he had her. And it was nice to own a place where they could have a little peace and privacy now and then. And where she could keep all those weird little knick knacks she collected on their travels like she was building a fucking museum. It wasn't much, but it was home. 

It was a warm night, and she’d thrown the sheets off her, leaving her completely exposed. The former vault dweller was beautiful. Her delicate curves. Flowing dark hair that spilled over her shoulders and laid messily over her soft, perky breasts. Perfect face. She almost seemed to glow where the pale moonlight touched her bare skin.

As Cooper gazed at her, he realized just how unbelievably lucky he was to have her. It was painful, because every time he looked at her, looked at that bluish finger, remembered the fear in her eyes… he knew he didn’t deserve her. Why she would choose him over literally anyone else, he couldn’t understand. But here they were. 

It wouldn’t be unreasonable to say he was in love. A feeling he never thought he’d feel again. And it wasn’t just her beauty, of course. She was something else. Strong and brave and smart and quick witted, if a little weird. Who would have known, back then, just how well they would end up getting along, how much they would end up having in common, just how much they would end up meaning to each other.

He quietly stepped forward, admiring her while she slept. She was spread out with her arms above her head, which was turned to the side. Laying with one leg straight, and the opposite knee bent to her left. In this position, her labia was open just enough to see her pink little clitoris. 

The Ghoul licked his lips again and smirked as he tilted his head. He’d just gotten up to take a piss, but… upon returning, to be granted with this breathtaking sight, it stopped him in his tracks. His cock began to twitch and tingle as he stared at her, and he took a deep breath through narrow lips. 

Cooper had asked her before if she would mind if he touched her while she slept. Her answer was simply, “I let you touch me while I’m awake, why wouldn’t I let you touch me while I’m asleep?”

When he proceeded to be more specific, she rolled her eyes at him and told him he was a weirdo, but that she wouldn’t mind. Then, somehow, it ended up becoming a discussion about a game they could play. One where they would each take turns trying to see how many times they can successfully get the other riled up in their sleep. It started out as kind of a joke, but became more and more serious as they carried on. 

Now? It was a full on competition. 

One thing the pair quickly realized about their relationship was that they were both kinda freaky. The Ghoul’s been fucking his way across the wasteland for over two-hundred years, and things had gotten a little boring. But Lucy, little miss goody-two-shoes, had this insatiable appetite to experience every imaginable way to fuck that could possibly exist. And that was never boring.

Saying they liked to try new things was an understatement. Their sex life had quickly developed into a scorching hot primal frenzy, and had continued to escalate in ways he was shocked a normal human could handle. It’s really a wonder they had time for anything else. And one of them wasn’t dead.

He grit his teeth together and looked up at her face. Lucky for him, Lucy tended to be a remarkably heavy sleeper. She could sleep through just about anything. Must come from living down in those vaults where you get to feel safe, he thought. And aren’t always listening for the next thing that’s going to jump out of the dark and kill you in the middle of the night. 

Also, they had a few beers earlier, which knocked her out even more. Especially since she was such a lightweight. 

All that, coupled with the conveniently accessible pose she’d decided to sport, he found himself with a grand opportunity. 

The Ghoul, with his growing cock, crept closer and leaned over the bed. That was another thing he had on her. He knew how to be quiet and avoid attracting attention. In fact, it wasn’t really a fair competition at all. She was so noisy and clumsy, and he was a light sleeper. He typically wakes up fairly soon after she starts. At least, that’s how it seemed. In fact, he’s pretended to be asleep for longer than he actually was just so she could feel like she’s in the running, but the amount of times he’s messed with her for a full half an hour, for her to wake up screaming and clawing at his bald head. 

Let’s just say, they both enjoyed it. 

He kept coming closer until he was just at the foot, then quietly made his way around to his side as he calculated his plan of attack. Her exposed clitoris was calling to him, shining like a pink little gem through the darkness. 

The Ghoul leaned down and slowly crawled onto his stomach, horizontally across the bed, positioning himself next to her hip. The leg next to him was the one outstretched, and the other, bent away from him. 

He looked down, his mouth now just above her inviting pussy, and looked up at her one more time. With her still sound asleep, he brought his attention back to the task at hand. He bit his lip and sucked on it a moment in anticipation, then stuck his tongue out and leaned in.

The bounty hunter tasted her, ever so lightly. Keeping his tongue soft, not tense, he gently brushed it down her clitoral hood, then back up. Carefully and steadily, he continued to move his tongue from side to side, up and down her clit, until her breath started to increase. 

He stopped for a moment and looked up at her. The expression on her face made her look like she was concerned.

That’s how he could tell it was working.

Cooper lowered his head again and used his lips to open up the labial folds just a little more. Just enough for him to get his mouth around her clitoris, and gently begin to suck. 

There was an art to this sort of thing. You had to be careful not to get too excited and move too fast. Any sudden movements could get you busted. You had to go very slowly. Make the lightest of contact. All in order to minimize the chance of the subconscious mind perceiving you as a threat and alerting the brain to wake up.

“Nnn…” She whimpered lightly. 

And so it begins. He wondered if she was dreaming. Dreaming of him? Maybe. But more likely it’s something odd, like… being abducted by aliens or… trying to hump a talking tree… As she had told him before. Her dreams got weird.

He began to lightly stroke her clit with his tongue again as he carefully moved his hand over her leg. His cock was throbbing, but he had to ignore it. If he started pleasuring himself, he wouldn’t be able to focus. He took a moment to wet a finger with his mouth, then found her vagina and slowly slipped it inside.

The Ghoul took a deep breath, which shook just slightly as he felt the intense heat around his finger. She was so wet already, which made it easier. Slowly, he slid the finger in and out and began to suck on her clit again. 

She squirmed a little and let out a sleepy groan. He paused a moment to see if she was waking, but she peacefully went back to sleep, lightly sighing as she turned her head the other direction.

They both had agreed, should one of them get to full on intercourse while the other was asleep, it was game over. One-hundred points. Not that the points mattered. But truly, it would be a feat. And she was so damn drunk last night, he thought he might actually have a chance, if he played his cards right. He doubted it, but he was gonna try. 

But first, he had to prepare her a little more. 

Cooper decided to give her clit a break, so she didn’t get too excited, and slid in a second finger. He gently spread them apart, stretching her to make room for his cock. The bounty hunter licked his lips as he looked up at her beautiful figure. While he did find this hot and kinky, he definitely preferred it when he could hear her moaning and writhing. He almost wanted her to wake up. Every time he did this, he couldn’t wait for the moment her eyes shot open and she started screaming out of surprise and pleasure. It never got old. And she never seemed to get bored of it either.

He paused and bit his lip, and decided he was ready. He just had to figure out how to position himself in a way that wouldn’t wake her, starting by moving her leg.

The bounty hunter carefully lifted himself up off the bed and went back to the foot, where he could easily climb between her legs. Before he did so, he reached down, taking her ankle with one hand and her knee in the other, and gently bent it to the side, spreading her leg out to mirror the other one. 

Now her pussy was fully exposed, glistening in the moonlight. He couldn’t help himself. He had to taste her one more time. He leaned over and crawled on his stomach, then dipped his head down, running his tongue up and down the length between her lips, drinking her dripping fluids like nectar. 

“Hahh…” As he pulled away, he let out a needy exhale. His cock was throbbing and leaking and he couldn’t help but rub against the sheets a little. But he had to maintain control. He was so close to the finish line. He’d be damned if he let a little thing like a raging boner get in the way of his ultimate victory. 

Carefully, he pushed himself up with his strong arms, and slowly crawled over her, being careful not to touch her and to disturb the mattress as little as possible. Looking down, he was able to position himself so that the head of his cock was right at the entrance to her pussy.

He looked up and watched her closely. Still sleeping, perfect and gorgeous, with her hair messily in her face, and just a little bit of drool dripping out of her mouth. 

Cooper bit down on his tongue. She was always so horrified when she woke up and found out she was drooling. He didn’t mind, though. He thought it was cute, the way she got so flustered about it, and it always made him laugh. But he couldn’t laugh now. He was on an important mission.

With an intense focus, he watched her face for any sign of stirring as he moved his hips forward and pressed the head of his cock against her vagina. He bit down on his lips when he felt the slight resistance, then exhaled as she took him in and he slowly slid inside.

Cooper grinned and had to hold back his laughter, cackling in his head. He did it! Son of a bitch did it. He was deep inside her and she was still fast asleep. Just wait until she gets a load of this, he thought. She’s going to be SO pissed. 

Now, the only question is, how long could he go before she finally did wake up? He was sure all the rocking and fucking would wake her. If not, well, he might start to be a little concerned. But he was sure she just had too much to drink. And also, his mad skills. 

So the bounty hunter started slowly and smoothly moving his hips, gently sliding his cock in and out of her, not all the way, just about half. He parted his lips as he started to breathe heavily. She felt so fucking good, and he could feel his cock throbbing and pulsing inside her. It took all his self control not to pound into her, and the restraint made him shake and tremble. He desperately wanted her to wake up, but he also relished this challenge and wouldn’t be satisfied unless he took it as far as it could go.

Could he make her come in her sleep, he wondered?

She started to squirm and lightly moan, her brow furrowed and her lips pursed in a look of confusion. “Ohhh…” She sighed. “Mmmm…”  

The Ghoul bit his lip and sucked on it in thought. He needed to get to her clit, but holding himself up with one arm would be difficult. If he could get his legs under hers, that would make it easier. 

Slowly, he moved his legs, one at a time, to the side and in front of him, carefully tucking them under hers. Once he was successfully on his knees with her legs hooked around him, he had to stop himself again from chuckling. The sly dog was getting too good at this. Now with his knees to support him, he sat up, his cock still half-inside, and looked down. 

He tilted his head at the sight of her wet lips stretched around his cock, both their genitals twitching slightly against each other. Licking his bottom teeth, he let out a shaky breath as his eyes fell on where the lips came together. Her now erect clit had swelled and gone from a soft pink, to a light cherry red. He knew it would take both if he was going to get her to orgasm before she woke, or at least as she was waking.

If he could accomplish that, he thought, he could officially give himself the title of ‘Master Fuck Machine’. He could see Lucy rolling her eyes now. 

Cooper licked his thumb to add a little extra lube, then brought it down and began to lightly stroke her clit downwards. Once he got the rhythm, he started moving his hips at the same time. Brushing his thumb down as he pushed his cock in. 

He swallowed hard and opened his mouth, nearly sticking out his tongue as he took heavy breaths. God, this was so hot. And she wasn’t even awake to enjoy it with him. If only he could find a way to film this and show her. He wondered if she would find it hot. He bet anything she would. 

Christ, he wanted her to wake up so bad. How the fuck was she still asleep?

Finally, she started to stir a bit, her brow furrowed hard as she moved her head to the other side again, letting out a groan. “Ohhh…” 

“Ohh… Lucy…” He whispered softly, then bit his lip, trying not to moan himself. 

“Mmmm… hohh…” She moaned as she started to squirm even more. Her whole body started to move, hands coming down to her sides and gripping into the sheets as she tried to pull herself somewhere. Her legs began to stir, moving up and down as she let out a shaky gasp and pressed her head back against the pillow. “Hah! Oh, God!”

Cooper’s lips curved up into a toothy grin. This was it. Moment of truth. 

“Ahh!” Her eyes shot open suddenly and she looked down at him with her mouth open wide. “Cooper!”

The Ghoul let out the loud, triumphant laugh he’d been holding in. “Good mornin', my Queen.” He purred in a deep, sexy tone.

She gasped hard and threw her head back again. “Motherfucker!” 

He ran his tongue over his bottom teeth as he laughed again. “What's the matta'? You want me da' stop?”

“Don’t you dare fucking stop!” Lucy yelled breathlessly. She turned her head back down and started clawing at his shoulders and squeezed her legs around him. “Oh my God, I’m gonna come!”

If Cooper could grin any wider, he would. No use holding back anymore. He grabbed her legs and lifted them up, then leaned over her and started thrusting into her. “Like that, baby?” 

“Oh! Fuck! Yes! Yes!” She gasped and moaned so loud, he wondered if the neighbors could hear. It didn’t matter. He didn’t fucking care. And they were probably used to it by now, anyway.

He let out his own moans as well, and it became a veritable pre-orgasm symphony as they both whimpered and cursed and groaned in ecstasy. 

“Ghhaahh…!” Finally, Lucy let out a raspy scream as her head flew back, then she scratched at his shoulders and her body began to tremble.

The Ghoul grit his teeth as he felt her muscles suddenly close in, squeezing his cock and quivering all around him with each contraction of her climax. He wanted to come too, but not yet. He knew she wasn’t done. It was quite common for her to need at least three orgasms to be satisfied. Sometimes four. Sometimes five. Sometimes fourteen. She was a beast, this one. A horny, freaky, sexy beast. And definitely gave him a run for his money. 

He continued to pump into her, despite the resistance and the fact that her pussy was squeezing so hard it was almost painful. He brought his thumb back down and started swirling it over her clit, and that earned him even louder moans. She spread her legs wider and pushed her hips towards him, thrusting a bit herself as well, until she cried out and came again. 

“Ohh! Cooper! Cooper!!”

“Fuck yeah, Lucy.” He hissed as he shuddered, trying to hold himself back from bursting.

“Ah! Ah! Ah!” She cried out with his thrusts. “One more… One more!”

“Come with you?”

“Yes! Yes, come with me! Hohh...”

The Ghoul bore down, and leaned in close to her, putting his weight on the arm that was holding him up and gripping the sheets in his hand. He started to thrust, deep and hard into her, at a faster, but steady pace as he continued to rub her clit. “Oh, fuck baby…” He breathed as he felt himself getting close to the edge. All it would take was one more…

“Gyahhh!!” Lucy screamed as she threw her head back one more time. Her whole body tensed and she shuttered over and over. 

As her sopping wet pussy bit down on him again, squeezing the life out of his rock-hard cock, he released into her. “Ahh… fuck!” His penis twitched and throbbed and pulsed as it spilled gush after gush of cum into her. And his whole body followed suit, quivering and trembling as he closed his eyes and tilted his head up. Clenching his teeth and breathing in through them, he gripped her hips as he desperately and shakily continued to thrust into her, momentarily losing control.

The two of them soon paused in unison, their bodies tense and quivering, as they clung onto each other and savored the quaking ripples of their shared orgasm. Letting out whimpers and groans with each escaped breath until their bodies started to relax.

Cooper let out a sigh before he opened his eyes and looked down at his lover, who was smiling up at him with tired eyes as she caught her breath.

“You bastard.” Lucy said with a grin.

He grinned back and let out a breathless laugh. “Seems to me you enjoyed that.”

“Hmm… it was good.” She admitted, then rested her head back against the pillow and closed her eyes. “But you’re still a bastard.”

“Hundred points.”

“Pfft…” She snickered. “Whatever.”

“Champion.” 

“We'll see, we'll see." She said with a shrug.

“Master Fuck Machine.”

She let out a light cackle, “Okay, mister fuck machine.” and lightly slapped his leg as she looked up at him. “Get the fuck outta here.”

“Master.” He corrected. “With an ‘A’.” 

Lucy laughed again. “Okay, MASTER fuck machine. I’m hungry.”

Every time. It never failed. Especially after an orgasm like that. She always had to eat afterwards.

“Whatchu want, Darlin’?”

“Is it breakfast time yet?”

“Could be. Want me to cook?”

“Would you?”

“Anythang for you, Queen.” He leaned down and they shared a passionate kiss before he started to move off the bed. 

“I’ll stay here and plot my revenge.” She said with a playful smile, resting her hands behind her head. 

“Good luck with that. You’ve got a hard act to follow.” He snickered.

“Pssh…” She scoffed and threw a pillow at him. “Cocky bastard.”

“Damn right, I am.” He said with a grin as he caught it.

She laid back, and started to brush her hair out of her face, then stopped in horror when she felt the wet streak on her cheek. “Oh my GOD! Was I drooling the whole time!?”

“Yes, babe. Yes, you were.”

The End

[rin-fukuroi]

𝐀 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐨𝐥𝐥 [𝐋𝐮𝐨𝐜𝐡𝐚]

Please do not translate or publish my works without my permission.

The originals of my works can be read here

Fandom: Honkai: Star Rail Pairings: puppeteer!Luocha x fem!reader Warnings: i think nothing, except that this work is simply saturated with tension and a gloomy atmosphere with hints of serious crimes

Note: English is not my native language, so I apologize if there are errors in the text qq

Happy last Halloween! I'm a little late, but still want to share this amazing man, revealed, imho, in full glory in this story. I hope u enjoy it (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧

These are troubled times on Lofu. Your superiors strongly recommended not to delay work and immediately return home before dark, focusing on the fact that young girls like you are now in particular danger after recent unpleasant events that have plunged most of the population into fear. Yes, the girls disappear one by one, leaving no clues behind, and the General in particular is concerned about this problem, which created even more panic. But you were surprisingly calm, lazily wandering through the streets after another tiring day in the warm light of the night lanterns illuminating Lofu. What a foolishness to try to avoid something inevitable, if fate has a predetermined destiny in store for you. Besides, you are quite able to stand up for yourself, so the tense atmosphere hovering over the deserted paths caused you only fits of irritation.

How amazing — you thought to yourself when your eye was attracted by a showcase with unusual-looking mannequins. You've never seen anything so extraordinary. The skill of the person who created something like this is really admirable, forcing you to stop and carefully study every small detail in exquisite outfits, but what interested you most of all was how frighteningly realistic the faces of these fake girls looked, exposed behind the glass of a spacious window overlooking the main street of Lofu.

How much time did the artist spend painting these eyes, in which you can read so many emotions that your heart involuntarily freezes in your chest? One of the mannequins seems insanely sad, as if frozen forever personification of the sorrow of all living things, which is reflected in these brilliant blue irises, which almost bring tears. The other pair of eyes was permeated with fear, which you felt somewhere in your stomach, unable to take your eyes off those barely noticeable furrowed eyebrows and brown eyes, which seemed to fade right at this moment when life leaves them. But none of those faces seemed happy to you.

What an interesting approach.

You carefully open the heavy vintage doors, stepping inside. Your ankles seem to be pinned to the floor when you freeze, looking around a gloomy room that looks more like a small museum. These dolls… are like the victims of a madman who forever made unhappy women freeze at the most tragic moment of their lives. You feel nausea rising in your throat, and your heart stops in your chest. You can almost hear voices begging you for help, but you are inevitably consumed by a feeling of utter despair and powerlessness, forcing you to remain only an indifferent spectator. No work of art has ever aroused so many emotions in you, displacing any thoughts from your head.

Stunningly.

— Oh, I'm sorry for my long absence, I didn't hear you come in. Welcome, — a soft, sugary male voice literally pulls you out of a completely different dimension, bringing you back to the reality in which you are frozen like these mannequins, silently and hopelessly suffocating in a whirlwind of emotions swirling in this dimly lit room.

Your eyes meet green eyes that seemed even less filled with life than the dolls surrounding the man they belong to. For a moment it even seemed to you that one of the mannequins was talking to you, this man looks so unrealistically beautiful. Pale, like porcelain skin, perfectly styled golden curls falling neatly over his shoulder, and an unusual outfit for Lofu, as elegant as the manner of speech of a stranger.

— That's all… Did you do it yourself? — you again glance at the numerous mannequins neatly arranged around the room.

— It's great, isn't it? — the man's lips are touched by a soft smile, exuding benevolence, which frighteningly contrasts with the atmosphere of the store.

— Y-yes, but… would anyone buy such big dolls?

— Oh, no, no, dolls are not for sale. They are from my personal collection, — the man's warm voice oozes with the pride inherent in a real artist, whose skill you would not even dare to doubt, looking at the terrible art created by his hands. But it's beautiful in its eccentricity, and you relax a little, grabbing the handle of your bag, before coming closer to the doll, a little like you, dressed in an exquisite long dress, exposing expressive collarbones and the curve of the neck due to thin straps and an almost provocative neckline, perfectly balancing on the verge of vulgarity and sexuality. — I suppose you came here because you liked one of the outfits? I could help with that.

You flinch when a man's voice is heard so close, forcing you to turn around, meeting his gaze in almost indecent proximity.

— Hm-m… Yeah, this dress would look perfect on you. Do you want to try it on?

— Hah, I hardly think something so exquisite will suit me. But you are still a true master of your craft! These mannequins… Amazing.

— How sad it is to hear such words from such a beautiful lady, — fingers in a black glove, contrasting with the white clothes of a man, cling to a couple of strands of your hair, causing the same strained but warm smile on the stranger's face. — However, discard excessive praise. I'm just a traveling merchant.

For some reason, you don't pull away from his touch, which is too intimate for the first meeting, while continuing to remain calm.

— Come on. I can't imagine how much effort you put into creating these masterpieces.

— Ha-ha, I am flattered to hear such a thing from such a lovely visitor! I suppose I can say that this is all the result of pure inspiration.

— And what inspires you? — you glance again at one of the dolls, frozen in a sitting position with a book in her hand in a vintage chair behind the man.

— People, — light green irises sparkle, looking into your dilated eyes. — I am inspired by the people who come here. Even you… You'd make an amazing doll.

Your heart skips a beat in your chest, and you awkwardly look away, blushing slightly from the compliment that none of the men who have appeared in your life have given you.

— Well… I don't even know what to say to that, — you giggle softly, shifting from one foot to the other, still feeling the gaze of the blonde on you.

— There's no need to say anything. How about I make a dress especially for you? I assure you, it will be more beautiful than all those with which my modest store is now filled.

— No, no! I don't have enough money to pay for manual work, especially custom-made!

— Haha, you're adorable. I think the fact that you brightened up my evening and have already become my muse will be enough as payment for my work.

Your cheeks flush even more from the flattering words coming from the suspended tongue of the merchant.

— Who am I to stop an artist from creating, — an awkward laugh escapes from your chest. — Then I'll come to you tomorrow?

The man smiles, gently nodding his head.

— Of course. I'll be waiting for you for at least an eternity.

Slightly confused, but with a pleasantly elated mood, you were already ready to jump out of the store and return to your usual route to the house, when suddenly you stop at the door, hurriedly turning around.

— Excuse me, may I ask your name?

For a moment, it seemed to you that you saw the mask on the man's face crack when he freezes in the same place where you were standing a few minutes ago, looking at a doll that looks like you.

— My name is Luocha, — the merchant pulls a friendly smile again, scanning your figure with his gaze. — I can't wait for the day when you add to my collection.

His words seemed strange to you, but you politely bowed before saying goodbye and leaving the mysterious shop. Passing further down the street, you turn around for the last time, noticing how the lights go out inside the shop. There was something in this place that fills your chest with an inexplicable mixture of warmth and anxiety. But, anyway, one thing you knew for sure — you definitely had to come back to see this man again.

Luocha, is that what he said? You are sure that fate did not order you to be in this place on this deserted day for nothing. For some reason, the thought has settled in your head that this new acquaintance has just marked the beginning of something inevitable that you cannot resist. It's as if the current is taking you in a direction that is so unknown, but so attractive that you don't want to resist, and you can't wait for the day when you can contemplate the masterpiece created by this unknown artist.

And the artist can't wait for the day when you will become a real treasure in his gallery.

[moonshine999]

Ok literally so sorry to bother butttt🫣🫣🫣 i was wondering if you had any hcs for modern Nyra/alicent with their husband/bestie Cole and their gaggle of children??

Totally ignore my lmao if you don’t!!! I literally love your modern takes on them and honestly just anything about them that you post!!!💓💓💓💓

You’re never a bother love, thank you for this ask (srsly means so much coming from you) 

I’m going to assume that these will be taking place in the old money AU 

🍸 Rhaenyra loves to spoil Alicent and their children so much

When they first started dating and an argument would break out, it was almost guaranteed that a bouquet of flowers would be at Ali’s doorstep the next morning. It grew to chocolates and tickets to concerts and museum tours on valentines and pendants, earrings and watches on anniversaries. And then on their 5th anniversary, Nyra pulled out a box after Alicent gave her a portrait that she made of them together. Ali scoffed and made a joke that Rhaenyra doesn’t remember because she was too busy staring at her dearest’s eyes.  She chuckled. And then got down on one knee.  The rest is history now.

Aegon being the first born in the family, he was one of, if not the most, spoiled. He accompanied his parents on all their pretentious dates, he got showered with kisses from Alicent and Criston, and got the fanciest of birthday presents when he wasn’t even able to walk.

“Rhaenyra.” “Yes love?”  “You realise you can’t give a 1 year old a Rolex, right?”

Basically, no she doesn’t.  They talked it out though when the other children came along. 

(P.s, this is part of the reason why he turned to his “habits” as he did and also the reason he inherited this need to spoil his own family) 

🍸Aegon and Helaena’s wedding 

When Aegon and Helaena were going to get married, Alicent wanted to take her  dress shopping but Rhaenyra insisted that they should try to have the dress custom made. 

“There’s a certain experience in dress shopping, dear.” “There can be a certain “experience” in having it custom made too, dear.”

(Yes both of them are speaking from experience. No their mothers are not dead. Why? Because I said so.) 

Helaena just sits between them, comically darting wide eyes from one mother to the other until Criston comes to the rescue (with Aegon giggling like a maniac behind him)  and reminds the couple that they have a company to run.

They glance at each other, sigh and walk out of the room. The ,still, giggling Aegon immediately crashes into his fiancée, leaving them both in fits of laughter. Criston just shakes his head with a smile on his face.

Some side points : 

Criston walks Hel down the aisle

Daeron cheers the loudest when they kiss

Alicent is elegantly wiping tears while Nyra is full on sobbing with her face in her hands

Aegon can barely say “I do” because he’s crying so much

Helaena’s fine.

Aemond is the most reluctant to dance at the reception but gives in when teased/encouraged (means the same thing in this family) by the newly weds

Oh and some Helaegon wedding vibes : 

Just some other small hcs :

🍸 Alicent and Criston love art museums. While Ali is a painter herself and goes there for inspiration, Criston is more interested in the history of it all. So when Rhaenyra is too busy to come with them, both of them go off to a museum and spend hours there together.

🍸 Rhaenyra and Aemond have a tradition where they go apple picking in the fall and discuss all things books and writing. During one of these ventures, Aemond accidentally lets it slip that he has been publishing his works under a pen name. Rhaenyra is a bit taken aback at first but she just breaks out into a smile and hugs her son. (Bonus points if the pen name is a new author that she is a fan of)

🍸 Daeron often looks to Helaena and Aegon for guidance. The youngest is someone who is not a fan of being in the company, he wants to explore, travel and break the bounds of what the media always perceives him to be. He told this to Hel and Aeg once when he was babysitting the twins. They gave him guidance and assured him that all would be good and their mothers are the most understanding people they know. He hums, smiles softly and goes back to the twins.

these are all that I can piece together rn. You have literally opened a whole new can of worms and I won’t be surprised if I do a part 2 of this. Again thank you for the ask (I really enjoyed it) and your sweet words.

[grandhotelabyss]

Thoughts on Trump picking a writer as VP?

I haven't read Vance's book, so I don't know if he's a good writer, but I've heard it's a reasonably effective memoir, written mostly before he had this level of political ambition.

I just read his personal essay about his conversion to Catholicism today. I am cautious around writing that proclaims its humility and thereby forces me to search for its will to power; this is why I proclaim my will to power and allow you, but only if you want, to discover my humility, my debility, my "male vulnerability." Other than that, the essay is most moving and persuasive where it refutes the simplistic materialism of the likes of analytic philosophers and Sam Harris, and where he details his real spiritual experiences (I believe him). His critique of the left's superficially compassionate but actually cruel attitude toward the poor ("like sympathy for a zoo animal") is also exactly right. But I find it overly solemn, anxious, barely concealing the abandonment of his natal Protestantism for its plebeian or peasant quality—no less part of his desire for acceptance by an elite than was his earlier atheism. I was raised in plebeian or peasant Catholicism myself, on the other hand, which has nothing at all to do with the authorities he cites, like René Girard and St. Augustine. I look slightly askance on adult converts drawn in by the theology and morality. It has always seemed to me that the point of Catholicism—and I mean this much more religiously and much less blasphemously than it sounds—is the architecture and the incense, the barely sublimated sex and the eros of death. But I also love, as an outsider, the reckless, almost doom-seeking individualism of certain strains of Protestantism, some of them laundered as atheism. Since these seem to me to be the point of America, I am wary of overly intellectual Catholics and social democrats, their philosophies literally reeking of the over-crowded warrens of 19th-century Europe, moralistically tut-tutting about it. His second long quotation from Augustine gives me a chill, not in a good way. "[I]n his own affairs let everyone with impunity do what he will in company with his own family, and with those who willingly join him," our theologian jeers. Yes, Bishop, that's the American dream. Why not be a climate-doomer de-growther flinging soup in a museum with an attitude like that? The solution to poverty is abundance.

Possibly more significant for practical purposes, however, is Vance's tie to the literary-philosophical network around the Silicon Valley dissidents: Yarvin, BAP, and their associated publications and social media presences. (This is a good time to revisit James Pogue's Vanity Fair piece on the new right from 2022.) As Walter Kirn observed yesterday, that makes this election different from the last two. The last two were organized around the force of Trump's personality as he tried to hold together a fraying and fracturing Republican coalition of "provincial capital" (the proverbial boat dealer), the (mostly but not entirely) white working class, and the old Reagan Republican business constituencies of defense and energy, even as finance defected to the Democrats, while entertainment, academia, and intelligence pursued total war against their almost undefended reactionary enemy. The belligerent entrance of Musk and Andreessen into this election on Trump's side as representatives of big tech, with Vance as the political figurehead of big tech's literary and philosophical vanguard wing, makes it a much more even and generally significant contest: a true class war between incumbent and emergent elites. Literature has played no small part in this class war, as so many now widely-read writers and thinkers, love them or hate them, have resigned from the old left-liberal consensus. I don't mean to sound excessively neutral on the subject, but I belong to neither of the contending classes, and neither is at all democratic. I'm still not totally sure how the emergent elites' values are connected to a downbeat puritanical Augustinian Catholicism either, but since it seems to have everything to do with the aforesaid René Girard, we are still in the realm of literary theory if not literature.

In any case, the service of literature to any political faction or project should be the taming of its worser tendencies and the opening of its members to dialogue, irony, sympathy, and fresh perspectives. I will be told this is too idealistic.

[pub-lius]

I just wanna say, DUDE. The majority of what I know about amrev comes from your blog. Your in-depth posts literally have me FOAMING AT THE MOUTHH I don't have much time to read longer books due to school but I wanna feed my obsession so do you have any books on the shorter side or some websites/archives I can research/read a bit quicker? If not it's totally fine.

Also off topic but I'm loving "It Began About Dusk" on AO3 <3

OH MY GOD THE FLATTERY‼️‼️‼️ you’re making me blush here anon. im so glad that you find my posts helpful!!! AND IM SO GLAD YOU LIKE MY FICS i have a chapter of it began about dusk in the drafts rn so you’ll get more content soon

now this is a tricky question because im absolutely insane and ive barely ever read short books. right now im reading His Excellency by Joseph J Ellis and i recommend it!! its only around 2-300 pages which is the shortest history book ive got VSJWBW primary sources can be really good to get in book form, things like Common Sense by Thomas Paine, Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior (Washington’s rule book), and Memoir of Lieut. Col. Tench Tilghman, Secretary and aid to Washington are all primary sources i have on my shelf that are short and sweet.

i also have Hercules Mulligan by Micheal J. Obrien which i haven’t read but is VERY small. there is also James Monroe by Gary Hart which is short but i have not finished (i dont even truly remember reading it but i annotated part of it apparently), The Drillmaster of Valley Forge by Paul Lockhart is a little longer than those others, but still isn’t chernow levels of wrong, but i also haven’t read that one. Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates by Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger isn’t the most serious history book, but it is pretty good and an easy read.

as for secondary source websites, start with encyclopedias ie Britannica, which post short articles on different historical figures and events that give you the overview. from there im gonna point you to the National Park Service. this is the best thing the US government has ever made for researchers. this is all your battlefields, winter encampments, historical reproductions, and former capitals. also check out private residences turned museums, such as Mount Vernon, Monticello, and Schuyler Mansion. these institutions have an abundance of easily accessible information on more than just the people who lived there.

now the Library of Congress was a good decision on Jefferson’s part, but it can be inaccessible if you don’t know how to use it well because their website is one of my least favorite things about being alive. so instead, i recommend using Founders Online for any primary source regarding the founding fathers or amrev figures. the Washington Papers are filled to the brim with almost everything that went out of headquarters during all 8 years of the war. founders online is the shit

all of these websites i’ve mentioned are free to access, because i do not pay money on any research tools besides books out of spite for late stage capitalism. also any primary source is 100% accessible online. that includes memoirs and court transcripts, which can be very helpful

also i really do recommend watching documentaries and informational videos on the subjects you’re interested in while doing work or other things if you’re someone who does that (ik some people don’t have background noise but im just assuming you’re as neurodivergent as i am) because you can absorb just a little of that information and it being about a subject of interest can make academics seem a little less miserable!

i hope this is helpful and if you have absolutely any further questions, feel free to ask. i know im very privileged to have the time and resources to read long ass books, which is why i very freely share the information i absorb with the public bc i believe education should never be gatekept by anyone. so if you have any questions, im happy to research them for you, or at least point you in the right direction. love ya!!

[sergeant-angels-trashcan]

if you have not seen discowing era dick… you need to. you may rethink the fashion stance lmao 😂 just imagine kate giving him shit for that, which he of course will defend by going after the Infamous Hip Holes

also while he has been a cop (ugh) dick really just picks a career and magically gets it???? like epitome of a nepo baby, bruce just buys him jobs I am CONVINCED. he’s been a social worker, a museum curator, a cop, he owned a crossfit studio (if you see babs on the yoga mat upstairs in GK, it’s a nod to that!), and depending on canon he has a law degree????

and riffing off of that degree… nightwing vs. daredevil rivalry WHEN. they are parkour badasses. they’re street level heroes who are just regular guys. they have fantastic asses. dick you cannot also have a law degree you CANNOT TAKE MATT’S ONE THING— my running joke is that if dick shows up and he’s better than matt at everything, matt might have a Small Existential Crisis

xoxo dickate anon 🩵💜

oh i KNEW about discowing when i called him a fashion boi. I did not specify it was good fashion. nightwing is that one tiktok. "I don't dress for men, I dress for little girls (children?) who have been told at some point in their lives that this is not a fashion show, and for old women drunk on their porch."

also nepo baby dick is hiLArious considering that I have been thinking all day about how in a separate-universes world, everyone in Kate's world thinks he's a golddigger. The tabloids and gossip mags are so confused??? He's a stay at home boyfriend? He literally doesn't have a job. He basically doesn't even exist. Kate's always saying he's home visiting his family, or traveling. Is he a spy? Does he do crime? He didn't know who Captain America was, he's just a himbo. He absolutely could not be a spy. Dick LOVES this, I feel like. It's much funnier when people think that about him than when they think that about Kate (which is what happens when she goes to his universe)

There's a post from forever ago about someone who's supervisor called their partner "Boytoy" at work, like, exclusively. And the guy knew and was fine with it, but anyway he came in one day and the op went "Mr. Toy, I presume?" and he went "The very one." This is very much Dick and Kate. also somehow he meets Anthony Bourdain, and this is a Good Timeline where he's still alive and Dick winds up traveling with him for a few episodes? That would be a fun dichotomy

Kate turns her back for five seconds and Clint and Dick have gone undercover at a circus. Kate expected this from Clint, but Dick knows better. Which prompts Dick explaining that CLINT is the brains of the operation, not Dick, he's the beauty, and Clint getting mad because HE'S the beauty, and Kate just sighs. Clearly neither of you are the brains.

Dick loves that there are no expectations of him in Kate's universe. It's like a vacation. He gets to be a himbo here. There's absolutely a pic of them on insta that he captioned "this barbie is an Avenger. He's just ken" and he will not HEAR Kate's arguments about how technically by Barbie/Ken rules he is also a Barbie. Dick pouts and is like I AM KENOUGH.

All of this leads to a mostly funny conception the Avengers have of Dick. They know he's Nightwing, he doesn't really need a secret identity here, but they don't...get it. He's bouncy and casual because he's still watching Kate's teams, figuring out how best to support, and he doesn't want to step on Kate's toes by accidentally being Too In Charge. So there's this idea that he really IS a himbo until Kate gets injured or captured. If she gets injured on a mission he's on? Look. It clears things up right away. He will absolutely rip apart whatever faction or organization caused that to happen with his bare hands. And God for-fucking-bid he encounters the actual individual responsible for harming her. I'm not saying someone's getting kicked off of a roof but, someone is moving from the roof to the sidewalk in the most expedient way possible.

This is also funny because it makes very clear how different their preferred fighting styles are, because Kate picked A VERY DEFENSIBLE POSITION, please stop worrying, Dick. And she's right! It is! IF YOUR PREFERRED WEAPON IS RANGED.

Now Dick is standing over his mostly unconscious girlfriend who looks like her face got scraped against the ground (because it did), preparing to defend them from all sides. fucking snipers.

It also leads to a fun moment where Kate can't lead. Eli isn't there, so normally command of the team would slide into Cap's purview (if cap and whoever his second is are down, Avengers command would slide over to Kate) so Cap is getting ready to start giving the YA some orders and Dick, not even THINKING about it, just kind of assumes command of the young Avengers and NONE OF THEM QUESTION IT???? He doesn't lead like Kate. He doesn't give orders like Kate, he doesn't even sound like Kate, with cadence or whatever. But there's something that is just kate like enough that her team is like yep this is correct. (The same thing will happen in reverse with the titans) After that the Avengers stop roasting him behind Kate's back.

Also, THE HIP HOLES. look. We need to admit that Kate, canonically, does not have great taste in her avengering uniform. Why did she choose this look? why is she so attached to it?

Like if Kate has the audacity to genuinely criticize discowing?? If for some reason she's wearing a different costume or they got tossed into Gotham in their civvies, her team will absolutely throw her under the bus in order to get brownie points with the batkids.

You can't talk about the deep vee when you had YOUR ENTIRE ABDOMEN OUT BABE. Nothing! Not even a tissue! The body confidence is great Kate but seriously how did you not die. (he's into the scarf, though)

And if Kate actually wears the hip holes? Dick is poking at her trying to figure out if they're actually holes? Is there mesh there? Is it flesh toned fabric? No?? It's actually holes? This man is going to stick his hand in one just to see because what the fuck, Kate, and Kate's going to be like. Dick. Dickie. Nightwing. Your hand is under my costume. Do you realize where your hand is.

Is THAT what it's for?!?!? Dick is now seeing how far he can get his hand. The small of her back? Her other hip? Their friends are scREAMing. Guys? Could you do this some other time?? Like maybe when we're NOT ON FUCKING PATROL?????

anyway now Dick is wondering how far he can actually get his hand inside her uniform and he WASN'T thinking about it Like That before but he sure is now

[littlemissmanga]

Greetings! I'm here for the advertised matchmaking service (this seems so fun, I'm excited)

Moon:

I am an introvert. Grey rainy days are my favorite. Running water. Books! Give me all the books. Binge-watching TV shows. I have a dry sense of humor, I am sarcastic. Literal. I follow plans or instructions, not create things. Loyal. Blue and grey, no primary colors. INFJ, if any of that even applies anymore. I love pottery that is imperfect. A vacation of museums and landmarks is much more my speed than partying or beach going.

I also am above average height for a woman, plus size, dark hair and eyes. Casual is my preferred style, I prefer my feet bare, and my hair is always worn up. I think comfort matters most with clothes, comfy materials or cuts only please.

Spending my time reading, fics or books, is likely what I am doing at any given point. I'm trying out cross stitch! Walks by a creek would be fun too.

Dislike: too much noise, my migraines can't stand it. And if we can't have a meaningful conversation about things, that would not work for me. I love to ask questions and pose scenarios and talk about things. I'm curious and like to learn.

thank you, eagerly awaiting - 🌑

Yen Ori'ken's Valentine's Day Matchmaker Services

Yen: Greetings! I'm so glad you decided to join in the fun, @moonwrecked!

For your Valentine's Day match, I believe you'd best be paired with ...

Clone Trooper Dogma of the 501st Legion.

Dogma may not be as outwardly charismatic as his 501st brothers, but his charm will make itself known. He also appreciates the pleasure of a quiet day pursuing intellectual hobbies. He's also an avid reader, though his interest skew toward nonfiction, and I anticipate the two of you enjoying a lovely day reading, sharing quiet space together.

Dogma, as his name implies, also appreciates order and structure, though he isn't as rigid as he seems while on-duty. This means he's a direct communicator - no questioning or second guessing where his head is at, ever. He's also not one for small talk, so the combination naturally leads to more interesting and meaningful communication.

Imperfect pottery is an interesting thing to note as a like, but that is a large part of why I think you and Dogma would match well. It's something that would interest him, as well. More as a curiosity at first but I think he'd come to admire your appreciation and ability to see the value and beauty in it.

For your Valentine's Day date, I think the two of you would enjoy one of those online Master Classes - something you can do at home, so no pressure but still follow the guidance of an industry expert. There are classes for painting, cooking, pottery, even kinsugi - the art of repairing broken pottery.

I hope you enjoy your date with Dogma, and thank you again for writing in!

[quillkiller]

Okay wait i NEED to hear ur regulily. Sapphic or not idc omg

good morning im so hungover and on the metro. lets do this…..

i have a tag /lesbian regulus agenda & another tag which is just /regulily <3

and! i don’t really have an au or storyline for them?? it’s all about vibes for me as of yet… and something i think about A Lot is lias @themuseoftheviolets tattoo parlor au. please ask him about it its SO good. lesbian regulily is one of my favorite ships.. something so yummy about menacing nonbinary he/him dyke reg who only dresses in hoodies and his giant of a mountain of a girlfriend lily.. salivating..

as a lot of you probably know if you’ve followed me for a while, i don’t like the remus/lily frienrship hc. i like them as friendly, but i am not a remus and lily bff truther. i think lily has earned the right to swear off male relationships entirely(friendship, romantically, sexually) after shes had to deal with both severus and james. which she always does to me !!

lily is 6ft or taller and reg is 5’6 or 5’7. reg takes one look at lily and he’s soooooo gone. the way he has to tilt his head up ???? and her being SO tall. he wants to climb her like a mountain. he can barely look away. like if you look closely there are literal hearts in his eyes. hes being absolutely pathetic with it. trying to be near her all the time but not really talking because he gets soooooo nervous. no one has ever wanted someone as badly as reg wants 6ft tall lily evans. reg is fighting the urge to like literally bend the knee and swear his undying love for the rest of time

lily is a little on the fence about reg at first, but mainly because hes sirius’ sibling and lily has worked hard to distance herself from the marauders. but she’s slowly growing intrigued with reg too and how hes nothing like his brother. regs pathetic loser aura has captivated her body and soul. she notices how he looks at her she’s blushing a little. so they’re taking small steps to becoming closer. mostly lily because she doesn’t beat around the bush and reg is flushing…. wide eyes and melting

whenever i think about regulily they’re almost always artists of some kind ? and that’s sort of what connects them. i love the idea or artist reg and his muse lily. i love sculpture artist lily and a whole ghost scene between her and reg. i love them going to museums and talking about the paintings. i love them fucking nasty in the musem bathroom

they’re both unbelievably pretentious to me. very much giving the vibe of only listening to Real music, refusing blockbusters, having deep and serious discussions, etc. and they’re soooooo annoying. hottest couple at university though :/ they’ve both earned the right to be absolutely insufferable.

they’re always touching once they’re together. mostly its tall lily and her arm around regulus. it makes reg absolutely fucking insane. he feels soooooo safe and protected and loved. and lily ALWAYS has a hand on her. reg plays with lilys hair a lot. they share clothes a lot despite not at all being the same size whatsoever.

they absolutely refer to their sex life as ’making love’. its a whole thing for them. they will plan ahead almost. like they’ll spend an entire night fucking and discovering and playing with kinks and what not.

they get high together a lot which only makes them more pretentious and insufferable. their friends almost dont want to get high with them because theyre soooooo annoying

they lowkey live together from their first date and then on. reg just sort of never leaves lilys place again after they go back to her place after their first date. uhaul lesbian realness who don’t know how to take things slow

some thoughts on regulily!!!

[mollieblue]

Hey #labour, you should hire me to talk at you about how to actually fix Britain:

Terfs are the enemy, Trans folx are the people.

Small businesses need support on the ground level in order to foster amazing communities.

Invest in education to the point teachers are as paid well as their private peers or dare I say as well as an MP. I would say that if an MP describes their role as being vital, integral and essential to running the country, who receives a handsome tax paid salary with expenses paid with the public purse, why is it that other public sector roles are paid relatively below minimum wage? This applies to all public sector workers; civil servants, NHS staff, and teachers of all stripes. They are just as vital, integral, and essential to running the country, if not more so, than the openly profiteering geezers in Westminster.

Why is it that the rule makers are more important than those ensuring that the rules work? Those holding up society and holding it together are so sorely underpaid in this country that they are giving their lives to you at pittance so you can be okay. The NHS is a wonderful thing, and it breaks my heart that we don't fully fund it. The same goes for education, social services, community organisations, and libraries. These currently literally keep people existing at the bare minimum, but when fully funded and staffed, they transform lives for the better.

Equal pay for Equal work 》 Equal pay for Equal Importance. Ignore the 'we can't pay them the hundreds of thousands that MPs get' elephant in the room. I want you instead to imagine a world in which all public sector workers are paid the exact same amount regardless of hierarchy or public aspect they interact with. I'm no expert, but I reckon £86,584, the basic annual salary for a UK MP in 2023, would be an absolute god send to a junior doctor on roughly £38k. My partner practically works at minimum wage for 50 hours when you account for the marking, the planning, the organisation of your entire schedule to an impromptu meeting with angry parents and worrying about ofsted. It has worn them down, mostly because we can't have a social life, spending money on the theatre, in shops, on things that make us happy and human. We can't save, and we can't afford nice things. That fucking sucks. It wears a person out and throws them out of the system that's holding up the world.

Everyone I know is feeling like the above, regardless if they're private or public, freelance or salaried. One solution to help is basic universal income. Give everyone over 16 £500 & everyone over 18 £1000 each month for a year and see how awesome it would be in a year's time. I already know how much good that would do to me and everyone I know.

So pay everyone £12,000 a year and then pay all public sector workers the base salary of £86,000 rising in step with inflation. If the private sector can, in theory, pay whatever wages it wants, having a guarantee that your basics are paid will eliminate sooooo much stress. Rich folx can donate theirs, college kids can do interesting work at college because £500 buys a lot of art supplies and travel to museums, exhibitions, and events. Youth would have means to explore the nation before university or set up in an apprenticeship. Our elderly can use it to afford end of life care provisions or enrich their retirement or hell, just keep the lights on. Working folx would undoubtedly benefit the most and would probably like their jobs much more if they know things are covered.

To foot the bill, impose a commons tax on all privately owned land that fairly compensates the commons, ie, the UK public, back.

Make the North part of your game plan, rather than a foot note.

On a serious note; nationalise the railway system and expand the network. It is hell going east to west here, up to 3 hours to go 50 miles west and just 3 to get to London from Selby in North Yorkshire. How is this acceptable?

Invest in working class politicians to bring the reality of Britain back into government. Without our views or experiences on the table, why are we surprised when the Tories fuck us over again? If you want true, enthusiastic support from the British people, do not talk at us as if we're irresponsible children and actually engage with the very liberal and progressive discussions we have daily. Especially people under 40 - the older generation that pulled us out of the EU will be gone soon - you need to court and actually help out.

[thiefguard]

your bruising headcanons were excellent

may i humbly request smutty headcanons too 🥺

Hi anon, thank you so much! I had a lot of fun writing them :3

Ofc you can request smutty hcs!!!

AU where Lamp was born from a mining-based economy :)

Queen

The Kingdom was built on its mines, literally and figuratively. Everyone knows of the wonders that lie beneath. Diamonds, rubies, sapphires beyond compare. As a child, (the small and future) Queen learns the smooth, cool touch of her mother’s opals long before she learns of the labour that bore them. Her teenage years are a string of suitors, each offering ever more splendid prizes. Aquamarines, from the riverland depositories. Jade from the sea-shelf, tourmaline from the mountains.

All would win her favour with jewels. None would tell her the truth of their harvest.

But the Queen has eyes, and in time she has power. Sense to see the back-breaking labour, sanity to put an end to it. She tours the shafts. Trails her fingertips along the walls until they come away black with smut. She meets the workers, listens to their stories, hears their coughs as dust rattles through their lungs.

The mines are shuttered. Past centuries bought forth enough jewels to last lifetimes. Let her people emerge from the dark and breathe in the light. Let their gemstones fill museums, not vaults. Let them trade, and smith, and work the stones for pleasure, not survival.

She styles herself to set a precedent. The court’s halls are hung with portraits of Ancestors who could hardly stand beneath the weight of their ceremonial jewels. For herself, she selects a single, simple piece. A pendant with a malachite stone, that reminds her of her mother’s eyes.

“Beautiful,” a husky voice murmurs one morn. Bold fingers brush the pendant, and the Queen gazes up into unfamiliar eyes. ‘Beautiful’, the word echoes in her mind, then ‘yes, oh yes you are.’

Priestess

Tess can barely remember a time before the Sound. Logically - when her mind is settled enough for reason - she knows it wasn’t always there. She wasn’t born with the ringing in her ears. Didn’t grow with the reverberation of it pulsing through her her veins. Didn’t stumble into adulthood with the deafening urgency pulling her towards it, every moment of every day.

So. There must have been a beginning, but that moment is as lost to the surface as she is.

It was a relief, the first time she realised that the sound grew louder in proximity to the mine shafts. Because if it has a source, then there must be a Reason, and if she can understand the reason, then perhaps the ceaseless, endless, terrible noise might finally abate.

She packs little for her journey. Perhaps part of her senses that supplies will be of little use below the surface. Perhaps part of her knows that she won’t be coming back.

She hesitates, just for a moment, on the precipice. One foot inside, palm coated with soot as she presses it to the stone wall and feels the sound echoing from below.

All she truly knows is that every step, every turn, every descent, takes her closer to the source of the Sound, and she cannot, will not, must not rest until she finds it.

Guard

He refuses to be bested by a common jewel thief.

The mines are perilous, have been shuttered for centuries, but the allure of the gems within remains.

Guard has worked many roles within the Citadel. He began as a boy, guarding stalls in the central market. From there, he graduated to the docks, proved himself protecting the fisherfolk and their catch. His time at the Temple was a promotion in name, but he found that he missed the sea breeze, the creak of wood, the lap of waves. Patrolling the corridors, he learned not to ask questions, not to look anyone directly in the eye. And then… the Incident, and now – the mines.

The role is a punishment, he knows that. A lesson in guarding his tongue more than guarding the deep, cavernous passages. Only madmen would attempt to break and enter here. Madmen – and a jewel thief.

For weeks he catches only the faintest glimpses. A shadow on the wall. The twitch of a cloak. A flash of blonde at the end of a corridor, gone in a blink. He might even doubt himself, if she didn’t want him to know she was there.

At first it’s just snatches of laughter, ringing out from the end of a corridor.

As he comes to learn her favoured routes, he finds symbols crudely hewn into the stone. Trailmarkers, obviously intended to throw him off the scent. This arrow leads to a channel so narrow as to be impassable, that one to a gap only a child could squeeze through.

She’s taunting him, teasing him, and the longer it lasts, the more determined he becomes to catch her.

He sets traps, lies in wait. Follows the routes she’s prone to taking, maps the antechambers he thinks she’s searching for. Here, where the last trove of diamonds was mined. Or there, where emeralds were as plentiful as pebbles.

Once, he follows her so deep for so long that he turns around on himself. Looks up to find the paths unfamiliar, no sign of his markers to guide him. An hour passes, then another. He tries first this fork in the path, then a tunnel that leads towards a distant hum. The longer he walks, the darker it becomes. He feels the first lick of fear long before his lamp dies. He sits, then. Feels the cold of the walls seep into his skin as he tries in vain to recall his steps.

Just as panic is beginning to set in truly, a flicker of light.

A full passage away, but closer than he’s ever seen her. Blonde, yes, and smaller than he’d thought, but the dim candlelight casts a shadow that rises to the ceiling – that almost touches him as she crooks a beckoning finger.

Her cheeks are grimed with soot and her grin is all at his expense, but for a moment’s blessed relief, Guard allows himself to be bested by the jewel thief and guided back to daylight.

Teller

Teller grew up on stories of the mines, but has never set foot in one until Jul disappears.

Oh, it’s not so dramatic as all that. No sudden Vanishing, here one moment and gone the next. When she’s deep on an exploration, he can go weeks without seeing her – months, if he should travel while she’s underground.

But as summer ebbs into autumn without a glimpse, the browning of the leaves brings a sense of… unease.

It’s silly, he knows, to think that he could stroll straight out of the Temple, shimmy down the nearest shaft and find her in an afternoon. But still. He can try.

He doesn’t go unprepared. Magister would give him men, he knows, and all the supplies he could need. But first he would need to Ask, and then he would need to Explain, and neither of those are conducive to actually Doing. And so, just this once, he takes a leaf out of Jul’s book and Takes.

The map book Magister keeps in his quarters is beautifully illustrated. Teller has watched him pore over it for hours, always cleansing his hands reverently before turning its pages. The whole Citadel is here – its streets and tunnels, above ground and below. The mines will have changed shape over the centuries, he knows, altered by cave-ins and erosions and neglect. But he has a start.

The map helps for far longer than he might have expected. It charts a true course, leads him through narrow, winding tunnels that must surely pass well beyond the boundaries of the Citadel.

His guilt grows as his coal-black fingers incriminate themselves upon the pristine pages. And so he looks, learns, and stows it away. He's sure that he remains on course, certain that his recollection is true, even as he enters an unmarked ante-chamber. A vaulted ceiling that has no right to be here. A shaft of light, impossible at these depths. And a distant sound that might be running water, but sounds like no stream Teller has ever crossed.

Most curiously, most temptingly, most bafflingly of all… at the center of the room, a pedestal. Hewn from marble of a shining cream, topped by a plush red pillow of the softest silk. And there, in the center... incongruous, illogical, but oh so very real... a pristine brass oil lamp, just begging to be touched.

[hoebagbasicbitch]

So, it started with this girl.

Well, kind of. It started with a trip to Italy for a class. A workshop, where a group of 10 of us went out in to the boonies of Tuscany and worked on restoring some art in a small museum. So, at this workshop, I met the girl.

We spent three weeks in this small little town, living in a hotel owned by the diocese. There were lace curtains on the windows and a crucifix with a little plastic glow-in-the-dark Jesus hanging above all the beds. It was hot as all hell, and we were all getting attacked by invisible gnats which bit us rashy to the point of near insanity. Needless to say, we were broken down and got close with each other quick.

How to describe this girl? I’m not sure when we started to talk or what we started with talking about. I love a good story, and so I love the idea of a summer fling. Originally, I was sharing a bedroom with one of my classmates, but she had a family emergency and had to leave about 4 days into things, leaving me with a room to myself. It seemed like a perfect storm, and then this girl and I started to get close.

We just spent a lot of time talking. She was the only other person in the class who cared about restoration in the same way that I do. She had spent all of June doing another restoration workshop at the same school, and was back in July because she loved it so much. Our only real difference was that she didn’t know she wanted to pursue the career before this summer, and I’ve been on the crazy train for three years. Not that it makes a huge difference, honestly.

So we talked a lot. Yes, about our class and the work we were doing and conservation in general. We did all the basic getting-to-know-you stuff too, like how many siblings do you have and where are you from and what’s your favorite color. It was strange because we were always, always, always in a bigger group. Lots of us in the class hung out together. I mean, it was a town of 2,000 people in which there was one bar. All we had to do was talk.

Oh, and we played cards.

This was the only time that this girl and I were ever alone. Gin rummy. I was god awful at it, but I played hand after hand after hand just to be in a one-on-one conversation with her.

But we played lots of cards as a group, too.

I don’t know what made me realize that I liked her. I know that it was July 18th when I felt something stronger than friendship for the first time because I wrote it down in my journal, but I didn’t specify a cause.

My journal entries from this trip are fascinating. They oscillate between two different crises I was having, the first being my falling in love with this girl, which is something that had never happened to me before, and the second being my falling in love with art conservation. I’m not sure which of those is the stupider crisis, but they were both making me feel equally insane. Between those and the bug bites, I was not at my most sound of mind.

Dealing with the girl was easier and more fun than the career crisis. I got to flirt and make up inside jokes and find excuses to spend time with her. That was entertaining. The career crisis was silly. I mean, it didn’t feel silly, but putting it in words to me makes it sound trivial. But every night I would barely sleep, and I would pop out of bed in the morning early, eat breakfast (talk to the girl at breakfast, for an hour every day), and rush off to the museum as soon as I could. Even when the restoration work was hard (and believe me, it definitely had its moments), it still felt like the most fulfilling thing I had ever done. They made us take all kinds of breaks during work, and then an hour and a half lunch, and then they would wrap up a few minutes early at the end of the day. And me and this girl were impossible to get rid of. The professor and the TA would literally have to force us out so they could continue their work without having to keep track of students.

I always wanted to be working. Which is funny, because working was the only time I was not talking to this girl. I was working on murals in one room, she was on a painting on canvas in the other. And here is where things got to be really strange. While I was working on the restoration, I felt the same way that I did when the girl and I would talk. Except I didn’t want to kiss the wall, I guess, but that feeling in the pit of my stomach was the same. Thank god when I wasn’t with her, I was working, and when I wasn’t working, I was with her.

The two of us had a conversation about this, actually.

I mean, not about being in love with each other. That was one sided-I think. But about how we had both fallen in love with the restoration work.

The thing about getting into conservation is it is a crazy investment. There is so much education required, the education is expensive, and probably most significantly, you have to move around constantly wherever you can find education, and internship, or a job because opportunities are so few and far between. But to actually touch art was gives me such a high that I’m willing to do it. I don’t need a family or a girlfriend or a pet, I just need to be in a lab with my hands on history.

This girl was the only person I’ve ever met who felt just as insane about it as me, which is probably why I started to feel crazy over her.

So, my feelings began to get pretty tangled. Did I really love her, or was I just falling in love with conservation? I don’t think it’s worth separating the feelings, though. They’re too closely tied to each other.

There are a few conversations of ours that I remember most distinctly. There was the night we drank an entire bottle of vermouth straight while playing cards. That was the only time we ever hung out in my room. We talked about growing up a lot, I think. The vermouth made it hard to remember specifics. Another night we sat outside after going to the bar and watched stars for hours. There was a meteor shower happening, and I made a lot of wishes on shooting stars that still haven’t come true yet. Of course, one of our classmates who could not take a hint was with us the whole time. But we talked about the golden record and the size of the universe and the constellations above us. We put our faces right next to each other so we could point out constellations accurately.

I shared a lot of nectarines with her. The food situation wasn’t ideal. I ate a lot of fruit as meals. I would take the dull hotel butter knife and saw a nectarine in half around the pit, and then pull It apart and give her whichever side was less mangled. Whenever I did this to eat alone, the fruit would fall off the pit, but when she was watching, the thing would seem to fight back, trying to embarrass me. She still always took the fruit, though, with a smile.

 We talked about what we were going to do to touch art again after the workshop was over. We also laughed about how similar we were, and in one humiliating conversation, we decided that we would fuck our clones but not each other.

Oh god. I forgot to mention the shirts.

We spent a great deal of our time coming up with stupid t-shirt designs featuring images of saints and nonsensical phrases very loosely based on those saints. It was maybe the strangest possible reaction to falling in love, making these idiotic t-shirt designs. But it was really, really fun.

There was more. I’m certain that there was more. Breakfast was it’s own thing. I don’t know what else to say. It was a very odd summer full of big feelings, and it’s going to be difficult for me to split up my feelings for conservation and this girl. I must stay in love with conservation, but I also have to get this girl out of my head because I am never going to go to San Angelo, Texas ever in my life (God willing). All I can hope for is that we run into each other at some conservation conference in the future and hook up there. Even though my crush was unrequited, I still think I can make it work.