#next time you see a cool tree.. please point at it and say it looks like a lina /j
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celestialspritz · 2 months ago
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Why Sims 2 has been so broken the last ten years
This is down to my own research, and I'm not saying it is the one and only reason why the game is so broken these days, but I have some points worth mentioning.
So, you're bored one day. You remember this game you had so much fun playing a few years ago, or maybe as a child. It's The Sims 2!
The game has a few issues than from when you last remembered playing, so you search on google for some fixes for the tiny resolution, and among the countless posts you may find, you may find this:
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Or this:
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(to the creators and players mentioned here this isn't me making a dig at you, i'm just pointing out some cc that could affect the game from working properly. your stuff is all beautiful :D)
Lesya's game is gorgeous!!! Oh, how can I get it to look like that?
So you, with a clean, vanilla (ugly) game you decide to download a few mods she listed, such as:
Skylines by GCKP (you can get optimised ones by me here)
Skies by Lowedeus (you can get optimised ones by me here)
Trees by Criquette (you can get optimised ones here)
No More Blurriness by Voeille (you can get optimised snow only here)
Cool! And then you notice some cheats than can give the game that open-world, interactive feel. Even better!
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And you shove them into your folder and you boot up the game. Everything's going great!
Until...
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You search hundreds of posts looking for the fix. Some recommend 3rd-party tools, but they seem to make the problem worse. You reinstall, finding you only wasted your time. Something has to be causing this, but you'd never guess it'd be the mods everybody swore by.
Well, in fact, it is. Partly.
I've struggled with pink flashing since 2019, when I reinstalled Sims 2 after I got a decent computer for once. I did everything above, searched for fixes, found Lesya's blog which was my primary inspiration. It was through Lesya's guide that I was able to make my game look pretty!
These mods, which are a staple in the modding community, are beautiful indeed... but what if I told you that the reason they're so beautiful, is because they're high-quality. With textures soaring up to 4k, when, hang on--
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In 2004, 4k resolution was... probably unheard of. With the leading monitor size being 1024x768, what would be the point of using such huge textures on an engine that was designed for monitors of at least this size? Would you be able to see the detail of 4k on a monitor of that size? Definitely not.
The max visiting sims, okay, a little hit or miss. If your sims are all wearing high poly alpha CC, then it's a problem. If not, good luck.
Then comes the cheats I mentioned. The lot skirt cheat expands the view distance a significant amount. With the mergenhoodflora cheat, that displays more trees. Combining the two, what do you get?
A massive view distance, blinded by trees.
With skies and skylines with large textures up to 4k, and trees with textures up to 2k, The Sims 2 will collapse. It's like forcing an old man with health conditions to do 20 situps, again and again.
It'll overexert him, by the very least. And you're overexerting the game by cramming custom content that is not optimised for the engine TS2 was built on.
So please, next time you encounter the pink soup, please check your CC folders, and research changes and cheats before you put them into your game. You will enjoy the game much more if you do this, and won't encounter this problem so often.
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Don't use Graphics Rules Maker
Instead, opt for a maxis original Graphics Rules uploaded here by Veronavillequiltingbee. It's essentially a rewrite of an old tutorial I made a long time ago.
Once you download the file from VVQB, open DXDIAG by pressing WinKey+R and typing 'dxdiag'.
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This value I've underlined is what you need to put after seti textureMemory. Open the sgr file and do CTRL-F and input seti textureMemory.
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Add the value from DXDIAG and then save it.
You can use GRM for adding your GPU to the game, but I do not recommend it for anything but that.
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Optimising the game... inside the game
*shoves GRM off the table*
We're going to go into TS2 in-game settings for this one.
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These settings are optimal if you play CC-heavy households. It will ease the load on your game to make space for the heavy CC you have in your current household. You can tweak these when you want to take photos outside, but for playing I recommend them all to be off - especially at community lots as there are lots of sims there.
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I never see anybody talking about Object Hiding.
Object Hiding hides objects from floors that aren't in view. If you're playing downstairs, objects upstairs won't be rendered, thus minimising the load on your game.
I have reflections and smooth edges off because I use ReShade.
Snow on Ground is optional. Sometimes snow can cause pink flashing, I believe it's due to texture replacements that are huge in size too, Voeille's is 2k. I've linked a resized one above.
This post will be updated with later findings. I hope you all found it informative :]
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zathechaosgod · 1 month ago
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Minecraft Live 2024 Highlights
I've been lied to, they started early!
It's ("just") youtubers/streamers talking abt what minecraft means to them. 15th anniversary celebration moments
dantdm is here!! (on video)
i saw someone say "please bring back copper".... who took copper from you,,
ENDERCUP MENTION!!!!!!!
throwback to when everyone wanted the final sequence of endercup to be a teaser of a new end update (but maybe this time????? 👀👀👀)
One final compilation of all the big youtubers right now (including a Lot of familiar faces from hermitcraft, life series, rats, even rtgame!)
Inside footage of the mincraft stockholm office! (Incredible decoration hoooly)
not the movie mention 💀
the original minecraft trailer!!!! that's the one that got me to play....
jeb! recapping this year
change of pace in releasing features???
more frequent regular updates instead of the big yearly one!! like the armadillos
two drops that will release in the next few months!
First drop new unique biome
Second drop is a combination of two things: hardcore mode in bedrock, and bundles!!
VILLAGER NEWS INTERRUPTION
SHOUTOUT TO INCLUDING STEVE IN THE LISTING OF MONSTERS BY THE VILLAGERS
rip villager number 31
rip... all the villagers?
new monster<333333333
few things i can say about the way they introduced the minecraft movie other than the fact it came directly after the banger villager news horror story and that i grimaced at their word choice. it might have included "authentic".
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at least chat is no longer fighting! they're very united in their hatred <3
this entire segment has me starting tiredly into the camera like i'm on the office.
"one meter by one meter was too big" go order a fucking creeper. looking at the uncanny valley and feeling at home IS THE POINT
minecraft in real life experience!!!! (a la that one van gogh exhibit if you know that)
New biome announcement!!
OOOO IT'S LIKE A DEAD FOREST BETWEEN DARK OAK AND SPRUCE CALLED THE PALE GARDEN
2x2 grey trees, hanging moss, silence, Meant to be creepy at night
SOMETHING LURKING IN THE SHADOWS
created for low visibility, new grey moss (hanging like vines and block and carpet!)
CREAKING A TREE-LIKE CREATURE, HARD TO SEE EXCEPT THE YELLOW EYES IT HAS/ IT DOESNT TAKE DAMAGE BC IT'S CONNECTED TO A BLOCK IN THE CANOPY
creaking is a hivemind puppet of the creaking heart block!!! you need to destroy that to kill the creaking
THE CREAKING ONLY MOVES WHEN YOU LOOK AWAY. DON'T. BLINK.
the creaking heart drops as a block and can be placed by players <3
i love this guy smsmsmsmsm
pale oak wood set!!!!! WHITE WOOD
moss inspired by weeping willow trees and spanish moss!!
new wood type is for bdubs personally. i think.
return to villager news! news reporter villager 9 survived along with the nitwit, who is using this newfound power to get his justice
... so no end update [breaks skateboard]
but aftershow pale garden playing!
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i love him so much,,,,,
peak commentary: "....whoops"
it feels mean to say but my main takeaway from them showing off the little village they made using different material in combination with the pale oak is "oh none of these people are very good at building" very 2015 vibes. they shouldve just given scar and bdubs a texture pack
creaking hard needs to be aligned between two pale oak logs for it to activate!! making for easy on/off switches
the block stays on and red as long as a creaking is spawned in!
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this means that 1) red heart flooring will have Basements of creaking mistreatment and 2) if you want cool particle beams, pray your server doesn't have peta
competition of farming creaking hearts that keeps spawning more creakings? banger design honestly. in gridrunners when
group of creaking has officially been deemed a crunch <3
ignoring a certain movie, absolute banger of a minecraft live. Very excited to see the next releases come to the game!
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itsgirlyki · 4 months ago
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“Princess of the island”
the jujutsu trio and their sensei take a trip for a celebration vacation but megumi likes a little more than the scenery
🌺includes: megumi fushiguro
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contains: pure fluff, fem coded reader, ooc megumi ngl
‧₊˚❀༉‧₊˚. ‧₊˚❀༉‧₊˚. ‧₊˚❀༉‧₊˚. ‧₊˚❀༉‧₊˚. ‧₊˚❀༉‧₊˚. ‧₊˚❀༉‧₊˚. ‧₊˚❀
the white haired sorcerer came to an abrupt stop after walking through milestones of trees and shrubs.
he points out to the crystal waters “here we are my cutie students. the beach of mamanuca island!” he turned to face his students and sees they already went ahead of him to explore the beautiful scenery.
“woah, this is so cool! i’ve never been on an island before.” yuuji exclaims while expanding his arms out as he fell against the warm sand. two feet slammed beside his head causing him to jerk away with a yelp.
nobara couldn’t tell seeing as she was to excited jumping in her spot. “so many views to take pictures of!” she pulls out her phone filming herself then the ocean ahead.
yuuji sat up in a hurry dusting the sand off his hair. “you almost stepped on my head!!” he huffs and pouts to the brunette.
“well your head should’ve never been in the way.” nobara shrugs not paying him any mind, keeping her focus on the device. yuuji growls and gets up out of the sand beginning to chase her. she sprints in the other direction screaming playfully, hoping not to be caught.
megumi sits quietly muttering to himself under the umbrella he set up watching the two fool around. gojo steps next to him offering a water bottle and the boy waves gojo away not wanting to be bothered by his antics. the childish man frowns and opens the water bottle letting it fall over megumi’s head drenching him.
“gojo-sensei what the heck?!” he growled shaking the water from his hair.
gojo chuckled snapping a picture of the now wet megumi “starting to act like your shikigami’s now eh? very doggish if you will.” he smirked teasing the younger male giving him a brief ruffle on the head.
megumi retracted from gojos touch almost snapping at him but kept his cool. he huffs through his nose turning around leaving away from the beach traveling elsewhere hoping to get as far as possible away from ‘the teasing gojo’.
after some time he came across a bush that was very lively which had him in confusion. he put his ear closer and could hear the slight sound of instruments playing which entranced him to come closer. inching up above the bush his view expanded bringing him to awe. beautiful color palettes of flowers and people littered the place, not to mention the aroma was mouth watering.
megumi stepped into the scene past the bushes basking in the bright sight. he sees many women approach him. he had frozen thinking he was intruding but only to receive a lei across his neck and arm. the eldest pats his cheek with a heavy grin reaching to her eyes “enjoy yourself darling!” all the ladies then giggled waving him away to find another target.
he sighed in relief then pondered around embracing the warm set up of the island wondering what kind of tradition it is. he found comfort in the place taking a seat at one of the empty stalls with wandering eyes.
a man tatted from head to foot came out from behind a tarp and saw megumi seated. “why hello there youngster, are you hoping to get a bite?” megumi tensed not knowing what to say.
“uh no thanks. i haven’t got any money on me.” the man blinks at him weirdly before laughing boisterously. megumi raises a brow with a tight lipped face.
the man halted his laughing before looking at megumi again, “oh, you were serious?” he scratches his head.
a girl suddenly came up and sat at the stall next to him entering their conversation, “i think he was definitely serious mau.”
megumi watched her from his peripheral drinking in her appearance letting a heavy blush coat his pale cheeks. she was glittered in body gems making her look glow even brighter.
“well then two bowls of saimin please mau.” she grinned.
“you got it yn.” mau nodded with a sweet smile going back past the tarp beginning on their meals.
he felt himself looking at her again only to see she was staring right back, “i see you’re not from here.” she giggles.
“uhm.. no i’m not.” he said dryly looking forward once more.
she tilted her head wondering who the mysterious boy is. she closed her eyes while leaning closer to him to catch a whiff of his scent making him flinch away and flush. “what are you doing?”
she stayed in her position still trying to sense his aroma putting a finger on her chin, “smelling you.”
after a few more seconds she leaned back opening her eyes. “you’re from kyoto, japan. and you’re not alone.”
megumi couldn’t hide the shock that was evident on his face. “how did you know all that?”
she chuckled pointing at her nose, “really good sense of smell. and you have multiple.”
he didn’t know why but he felt his chest speed up a bit at the odd girl. he coughed in his arm looking away rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. “so, what is your name?” he asked but shortly smacking himself after remember hearing the man say it.
though the girl didn’t pay mind to that, “it’s yn ln! what about you pretty boy?”
“megumi. megumi fushiguro.” he chokes back a stutter feeling the heat rush to his face.
“cute name for a cute boy.” she smiles with a wink. oh she was going to kill him with these compliments.
“foods ready to be served!” mau came out with his hands full of two saimin bowls. he placed them in front of the two as well as chopsticks.
yn claps excitedly smelling the dish. she looks at megumi and ushers him to taste. he slowly picks up the chopsticks digging into his meal. one bite after another he hums in fulfillment and gratitude.
“thank you, it taste good.” megumi bows slightly to mau then returning to his meal.
mau crosses his arms with a smirk, “oh don’t be so modest young man. you can say it’s more than good.”
yn chuckled at the man shaking her head, “don’t get too over your head mau.”
she quickly finished her food and waited for megumi to be done shortly after. they then waved off mau a quick goodbye before yn dragged megumi elsewhere. they were going further away from the liveliness and more into a calmer area that he hadn’t had yet to explore.
he looked down noticing their fingers are laced together and tried to ignore it failing miserably. yn noticed his fingers tense so she fully cups his hand bringing him closer. “why so stiff? relax a bit!” she smirked up at him causing megumi to burn brighter.
they walked past a few shrubs and hanging vines entering a beautiful garden that had just as much color as the festival. megumi was stunned at the sight letting out a little, “wow.”
yn chuckles at his reaction letting his palm go,“beautiful isn’t it? grew them myself.” if megumi’s jaw couldn’t drop anymore than he thought it would it did.
his brows risen in amazement, “all??” she nodded ushering him closer. they walked to the center of the garden seeing a beautiful hibiscus protected by glass. he noticed that it matched the one in her hair and reached out to touch it only for a vine to stop his hand.
“oh! yeah i wouldn’t do that if i were you.” she shook her head as the vines were very protective of the flower.
“they move..”
“yes! they do!”
“does the one in your hair move too?” it peaked his curiosity as things got much weirder. she flushed and nodded her head. she plucked it from by her ear and another regrew back in its spot.
“kinda, since i am the one who controls them.” she dropped a big bombshell on him like it was normal. maybe to her it was but this was new grounds for him. she saw as he was still confused and waved her hand around the garden making more flowers bloom. “see?” she hands him the flower she plucked forcing it into his hands.
she turns her back hiding the blush the arose to her cheeks, “now come along, we wouldn’t want your friends to think you’re missing.” he nods in agreement following the girl closely behind.
as they step through the shrubs together megumi trips over a branch bringing yn down with him making them smack lips together. they stayed intertwined for a good two seconds before pulling apart heavy blushes on each face.
“imsosorrywhattheheck.” megumi stammered feeling embarrassed but not regretful. he held out a hand for her to take seeing as she was still on the floor.
she gratefully took his hand which firmly pulled her up into his arms, “thanks.” she mumbled shyly flowers started to bloom around her feet and his. megumi smiles slightly tucking a hair behind her ear almost leaning in again.
“woah woah woah. back off our princess!” megumi felt a shove to his chest causing him to stumble back away from the girl.
“princess?” megumi asks in confusion. but no one has spoke up still leaving him in the dark.
“hey! don’t push him like that pali!” she frowned stepping in front of megumi. “he’s my friend.” she said crossing her arms.
“didn’t look very friendly.” pali smirked down at her. he glances at megumi curiously. “who are you anyway? not too often we get visitors.”
megumi squints and huffs, “i’m fushiguro.”
“well fushigurgur, i need to collect our princess so she can finish our ritual.” pali grabbed yn’s arm preparing to leave.
“ritual??” megumi rose a brow. yn glowered quickly denying.
“he’s being an idiot, it’s just a firework show at every ceremony. you’re free to watch.”
“well come on less chatting or we’ll miss it.” pali unhanded yn walking ahead letting her fall beside megumi so they could walk together.
“so yn?” megumi pondered.
“hm? something on your mind?” she questioned.
“yeah actually. why’d he call you princess?” yn giggled at the question feeling the answer was obvious enough.
“well silly, that’s because i’m the princess of this island.” the sound of a penny could be heard dropping. megumi was bewildered stopping in his place bowing at the girl.
“get up! none of that is necessary.” she blushed softly grabbing his shoulders lifting him up.
“now come along we have some fireworks to see.” her hand pulled his into the crowd as she settled him down in the sand. “i have to go on the stage but you can watch me from here pretty boy.” she winked at him with a thumbs up.
she stepped on stage with presumably the king and queen of the island waving. they lit the fire works letting them set off into the night sky doing beautiful patterns with many colors. but the only thing megumi could look at was yn. she was the prettiest thing of the night and he couldn’t take his eyes off her. she felt the burn of his eyes on her and turned to look at him with a smile and wave.
“megumi! megumi! megumi!” the said boy had woken up to yn pushing him out of his bed. he groaned rubbing the back of his head.
“you’ve been sleeping since 3pm! gojo told me to come check up on your before we went to our next mission… but you’re not even ready.” she shakes her head with a facepalm.
“oh.” he blinks up at her from the floor looking around.
yn scrunched her face with a questioning look, “oh? did you hit your head or something?”
“nevermind. get out so i can change.” he told the girl blankly.
“well okay meanie! i’ll be waiting for you outside.. by the way your hair looks a mess.” she chuckled walking outside closing the door behind her.
megumi got up off the floor stretching before rubbing his face, “way to ruin a good dream.”
‧₊˚❀༉‧₊˚. ‧₊˚❀༉‧₊˚. ‧₊˚❀༉‧₊˚. ‧₊˚❀༉‧₊˚. ‧₊˚❀༉‧₊˚. ‧₊˚❀༉‧₊˚. ‧₊˚❀
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for more like this follow @itsgirlyki !!
( this is based off a real abandoned island with hawaiian traditions )
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magicalbats · 1 year ago
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Kinktober Day 18: Spanking
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Rating: R-18+
Word Count: 7590
Warnings: Afab!reader, gendered language, brat taming, forced submission, corporal punishment, non consensual spanking, over the knee spanking (my favorite cmdmdmd), paddling with a hairbrush
A/N: I really hope this one isn't too messy, I haven't been feeling super great and I am posting this at *checks clock* 4:26 in the morning skdnfksnf so please be gentle with me! 🙈
The Duke of Meropide was a truly infuriating scoundrel! 
You’d been arguing with him in his office for almost an hour now and it felt like all you’d done is go around in endless circles. One moment he would in all seriousness shoot down a suggestion or a point you’ve made, and the next he would abruptly ask you about tea or cookies with equal sincerity. You couldn’t make heads or tails of it, and you were quickly reaching the end of your patience with him. Had the topic of reform and rehabilitation of ex inmates not been so very important to you, you’re sure you would have stormed out of his office a long time ago. 
“For the final time, my lord, I care for neither your white tea nor your black tea.” You intone as mildly as you can manage given the state of your nerves. “Please, just listen to me for a moment. That is all I ask.” 
Perfectly casual, Wriothesley reclines back into his tall chair and brings his hands together over the bend of a propped up knee. “I have been listening. Quite attentively too. However, I just don’t see how your proposal is going to work and I think you might be barking up the wrong tree, miss. My apologies for saying so.” 
“No offense taken.” You clench your jaw so tight it hurts. “But why do you think it isn’t going to work? Have I not explained the steps to successful rehabilitation enough for your liking?” 
“No, you’ve been perfectly thorough. Excessive, even.” 
Spine snapping straight at that, you pin him with a furious look you don’t even try to conceal but he just waves it off without missing a beat. 
“The problem is, I don’t think you understand how the Fortress of Meropide functions. It is you who hasn’t been listening to me, I’m afraid.” He continues on, as stony and impassive as ever. “As I already said, the inmates are free to leave once their sentences are served in full. It’s just that the vast majority of them do not wish to return to the surface world and choose to stay here of their own volition. There’s nothing I nor you can do to change that.” 
“But — but that’s because there weren’t any systems in place to help them!” You stammer, desperately rifling through your stacks of paperwork and statistics in search of the findings collected on job and housing placement welfare. Finally locating it with a triumphant puff of air, you jump to your feet and shove it at him over the desk even when he tries to once again wave it off. “The proof is right here, your grace. It should take only a moment of your time to read and understand the data presented in this report for someone as no doubt well informed as you are.” 
Stilling, Wriothesley steadily meets your look of challenge with a cool stare of his own. A beat passes and then, heaving a rather terse sigh, he reaches out to reluctantly accept the sheet from you. “I’ll look at it but I’m telling you, miss. These graphs and numbers don’t mean anything in the real world.” 
“We’ll see about that.” You scoff and cross your arms over your chest, impertinently standing over him while he reads even when you know you’re really pushing your luck here. He was a duke, a by all accounts certificate wielding lord in the flesh and blood, and you, a lowly commoner, had no right to try and force his hand like this. Still, you hold your ground though, confident that you knew what you were talking about when you had the data to back it up. It was he who didn’t understand how the real world worked after spending so much time underneath the ocean in this rust bucket of bolts he called a fortress. 
His eyes steadily move over the page, taking in everything at an agreeable enough pace to placate you into silence, and Wriothesley eventually gives his head a curt nod when he reaches the bottom. “I see. It’s just as I thought.” 
You have but the blink of an eye to feel the first dawnings of hope start to crest over your heart and then, unceremonious as can be, he reaches over to neatly deposit the paper into the trash bin. 
“It’s garbage.” 
“Wh - wait just a minute - what do you mean it’s garbage?” You stammer, spit and sputter in white-hot affront so potent you start to feel your cheeks becoming warm. It takes every single ounce of self control you possess not to round on the desk and throttle the life right out of him! “If you didn’t understand the information all you had to do was ask, your grace and I would have gladly taken the time to - -“
“I understood it perfectly, miss, and I am once again telling you that it is your understanding of the situation that is inherently flawed, not mine. You simply can’t make the prisoners do something they don’t want. I trust that you do understand that much, at least?”  
“It is not a matter of making them!” You seethe, hands clenching into tight fists at your sides. “It’s giving them a viable option between spending the rest of their lives trapped under the sea or being able to rejoin their friends and family on the surface. I expected you to have at least a little bit of sympathy for the people under your care!” 
Heaving another soft sigh, Wriothesley unfolds his legs and sits forward to brace his elbows on the desk in the most impolite slouch you’ve ever seen from someone who was supposedly a part of the aristocracy. “Don’t take this the wrong way but I think I care about them a shade more than you do. We’re talking about people who have made a new place for themselves down here and it would be remiss of me to start kicking them out just so you can get your brownie points. This is their home.” 
You jerk as if he’d physically struck you. “Now you listen here - -“ 
“No. I have listened to you enough for one afternoon, miss.” He cuts across you like the crack of a whip without either raising his voice nor sharpening his tone, but the low rumble in it is still enough to stop you in your tracks. 
Eyes widening slightly, you watch him stand from his chair and sedately step around the desk to come loom over you with his imposingly massive frame that leaves you pitifully craning your neck back when he stops in front of you. 
“It’s time for you to listen to me now. I’m sure you had good intentions in coming here with this little scheme you cooked up but I’m telling you it isn’t going to work. The inmates who choose to stay here like the simplicity of life in Meropide and the stability it provides them. So long as they work hard and stay out of trouble they’ll have no problems earning a living for themselves but can the same be said about the overworld? What’s going to happen when they get fired from the jobs you place them in after running late one too many times? Or what about when they fall asleep during their shift from exhaustion? Do you know what happens when either of those things occur down here? They simply don’t get their regular number of coupons for the day but they can always come back and do better the next. Will they have that same security up on the surface?” 
“T - that’s why rehabilitation is so important.” You rush to say. “We can teach them to reintegrate into society so that they won’t have to worry about things like that - -“ 
“Everyone worries about things like that, little miss. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.”
Your eyes flash at him dangerously. “Do not call me that! In fact, I believe I’ve had quite enough of you at this point! I want to speak to someone else! Preferably a person with something more substantial than rocks for brains!” 
Wriothesley scowls at that, narrowing his own eyes back at you in warning. “You can want it all you like but that doesn’t mean you’re going to get it. I’m the only person you need to speak to right now … and I would suggest you reconsider how you’re speaking to me.” 
“Hah! Or what?” Riding high on adrenaline and jittery nerves, you impulsively reach out to jab a finger at the center of his big, beefy chest. “You can’t throw me into a cell just because you don’t like the tone of my voice! Is that the kind of operation you're running down here? Maybe when I get back up to the surface I should contact The Steambird about the tyrannical power trip his grace is on!” 
He snorts a brief laugh as if the very notion was a ludicrous one, though you couldn’t tell if it was your assertion or the thought that you might go to the papers that he found humorous. “That’s funny, but I don’t need to throw you in prison just to put you in your place, miss. I’m giving you one final warning to knock it off and calm down.” 
You take an aggressive step closer to him, head tilted all the way back now so you could see his face past the bulky mass across his pectorals. “Enlighten me then, my lord. What are you going to do to me if I don’t bend the knee?” 
“I think I might start by taking you over my knee first.” 
Giving a startled jerk, you go stock still and just stare at him for the span of a single heartbeat. The ice suddenly gripping your veins is instantly replaced by a hot, raging inferno that seems to make your blood boil and, seeing red, you viciously bring your heel down on the top of his boot, grinding it in for good measure. “I’d like to see you try it, you ba - -“ 
His hand shoots up and, much to your squawking surprise, he grabs around the meat of your upper arm to tug you into him, making you stumble and half fall against the bend of his elbow. Before you even have a chance to draw a full breath to berate him with his other hand cracks across the meat of your ass with a deafening whap! The sharp pain is immediate and splintering, rocking you against him with the abrupt impact as your mouth warbles open in equal parts hurt and shock. He gives your arm a tight yank to keep you pressed in against his side when you try to scuttle away, nudging you insistently until you realize you have no choice but to look up at him except … except you’re not sure if you do so with impotent rage darkening your face or if it’s a tearfully remorseful expression he sees looking back at him. 
Perhaps it was a frustrating combination of the two? 
Wriothesley regards you in contemplative silence for a long moment, his own facial expression not giving much of anything away while the blinding sting across your backside gradually settles into a constant burning throb, but you don’t know what else to do other than stand there and wait for him to say something. You couldn’t believe he’d struck you like that — like a child! You’d only just met the duke today so for him to be putting his hands on you like that was beyond ridiculous, and completely inappropriate. But for as mad as you were, even for as much as your body trembles with frantic, clawing anger, you didn’t quite trust yourself to speak just yet … he would hear about it soon enough. In great detail and at even greater length, once you’d recovered enough to not need to worry your voice would crack and waver over your words. Very soon indeed. 
“I told you what was going to happen,” He says at last, perfectly calm and even toned as ever considering he’d just hit you. “Didn’t I, little miss?” 
Glaring daggers at him, you give your body a furious wrench against his hold but he keeps you in place easily enough. His hand was just so big it seemed to nearly encompass the total width of your bicep, allotting him the perfect hold on you that would only cause pain and discomfort if you were to truly struggle which left you with very little in the way of options. Grudgingly, you go still again and petulantly turn your head so you wouldn’t have to look at him any longer. You needed to focus on calming yourself before anything else. Acting rash now was only going to get you hurt. 
“I don’t know who you think you are,” You finally manage to hiss. “But you've got a lot of nerve to put your hands on me like this.”
“And what are you going to do about it?” He volleys right back, not missing a beat, and you irritably twitch when you realize he’s thrown your own words back at you. He’d be in for a rude awakening soon enough, if you had any say in the matter. 
“Enjoy your fun while you can, your grace. I was only bluffing earlier but now I think I really will go to The Steambird and tell them everything that’s transpired here today! What do you think about that, hm?” Impulsively, you whip your head back around to pin him with a biting look of challenge, but he just lifts his brows up at you as if in surprise. 
“I think you are indeed a mouthy little brat in need of a good spanking to correct that attitude of yours. What are you going to do at The Steambird then? Take your pants down to show them your red bottom and let them take pictures for the morning paper?” Clicking his tongue, Wriothesley shakes his head as if in disappointment. “You’re not thinking this through all the way, but I suspect that’s a problem you regularly struggle with. Come, let’s get you sorted out.” 
You suck in a horrified, raking breath when he shifts as if to move back towards his chair and quickly dig your heels into the ground to stop it. “W - wait! You can’t do this!” You wail, and a foolish pitter patter of hope skips across your chest when he actually pauses to look at you again. Maybe you could still talk your way out of this. It might cost you some of your pride, but that seemed a reasonable sacrifice given the situation. “Ah, what I meant to say is … I’m sorry?” 
A sudden, clipped bark of laughter bursts out of him. “No you’re not.” 
“I am, really! I’m very sorry for, um, stepping on your boot like that. I’ll have it cleaned and polished if you’d like. Just please let me go. Please?” 
“I don’t think so.” 
Wriothesley starts to pull you into motion again and you reel back against his hold even when it makes his thick, blocky fingers sink into the meat of your arm. “Wait! I promise I’m sorry, I really, really am! I didn’t mean it! I swear!”  
Breathing out a patient sigh through his nose, he gently (surprisingly so) tugs you around to stand in front of him even when you stumble and drag your feet in a blithe attempt to avoid compliance. “You’re only sorry right now because you’re in trouble. I’m going to give you something to think about and a chance to reflect on your actions, and then you’ll really be sorry. Is that clear enough for you, miss?” 
“You can’t do this …” 
“Oh, but I can. Take a look around you and tell me where you’re standing. This is my fortress which means I get to make the rules here. If I decide bratty girls who like to run their mouths even after being told to calm down — repeatedly, might I add — need a spanking to get them in order then that is exactly what’s going to happen. And do let me remind you that I gave you plenty of chances to heed my warnings but you didn’t. You can thank your own attitude for getting you into this predicament.” 
You try very hard to keep your expression in check but you’re pretty sure you fail rather miserably at it, and a flash of that vulnerable fear still manages to creep into your face. “I am not a child!” You insist, shuddering violently. “You can’t treat me like one! That’s not fair!” 
“Oh, I’d say what’s not fair is barging in here like you own the place and not listening to a word I say. You’ve certainly acted like a child so I think I’m perfectly in my right to treat you like one now.” 
Not giving you a chance to think of something else to say and further stall, Wriothesley suddenly swoops down and curls his arm around your thighs so he can yank you right up off your feet. You choke in surprise as much as at the sudden rush of movement, but there’s nothing you can do to stop it when he straightens up with you clutched across his front. Stinging hot tears flood your eyes all at once and you seethe, kicking and flailing, as he effortlessly carries you back around to the desk. It’s like you barely weigh anything in his arms which neither shudder or strain to hold you no matter how wildly you try to fight him. Even when he takes his seat again he still manages to much too easily manhandle you into place across his lap like you weren’t even struggling with every single ounce of strength you possessed. 
In shockingly quick order you find yourself spread across his legs, on your tummy, but still you hiss and twist until his hand abruptly strikes across your upturned ass again. You jump so hard you nearly collapse right then and there but the thick, burly arm now curled over your trembling body keeps you firmly in place when you lurch. Wheezing frantically, you try to push yourself upright but it’s no use, and his palm swats you over your pants again, rapidly draining you of the energy to keep up the effort any longer when it hurt so bad it seemed to rob you of the ability to even think straight. Mewling at the deep hurt, you jerk forward at the next strike and let out a pitiful, broken little sob. 
“I warned you to stop.” He reminds you again, falling into an easy steady rhythm. Whap, whap, whap, whap. One cheek and then the next, each hit somehow worse than the last as the burning sting grows and spreads across your defenseless backside. Even your desperate squirming was not enough to dissuade him from finding his mark as he peppers your sit spots in quick, agonizing succession. “I gave you so many chances too, but you just wouldn’t listen. Why is that, huh? Didn’t anyone ever teach you any manners?” 
“Please stop — oww! T - that hurts, you damn brute — oww!” 
“Keep it up and I’m just going to keep adding more. When you can’t sit right for the next week you’ll think back on this, I promise you that.” 
Clenching your teeth, you fiercely try to keep the tears at bay so he wouldn’t get the satisfaction of seeing you cry but the intense, constant crack of his hand on your ass soon wins out and they start to track wet lines down your burning face. You sniffle sadly and weakly kick your legs out behind you, making an attempt to curl them up and shield your already sore behind, but he just roughly tugs you further across his lap. Abruptly finding yourself slipping forward to half dangle over the side of the chair, you gasp and mindlessly stiffen up across his lap to stop your balance from tipping. That quickly proves to be a mistake though when the tense way you’re now holding your body just seems to make it hurt even worse, and you plaintively shake your head with a wordless shriek. 
“Please stop it, your — ah! Your grace! I’m begging, I can’t — oww!” 
“Perhaps you should have thought of that before you kept acting up.”
Whap, whap, whap, whap 
“Ow, ow, owowow, ow! You’re … you’re doing it too hard! Stop it!” 
Wriothesley chuckles somewhere far above you, the low timber of his voice blanketing over your muddied senses to make you shiver. “Actually, I don’t think I’m going hard enough yet. Not for the way you were behaving. Not to worry though, all in due time. This is just the warm up, after all.” 
You go stock still across his legs, your heart skipping a long, harrowing beat. A warm up - -
“Yeow! Sto - ah - ahhhp! Please!” 
Whap, whap, whap, whap 
Hanging your head low, you openly sob and kick at the air now, clutching his thick boot with one hand while the other hangs onto the chair leg in a death grip to somewhat steady yourself. The sharp stabs of pain seem to chip away at your consciousness bit by bit, each slap of his massive hand taking with it a little piece of you each time it recedes. You’re so dazed by the constant onslaught that you almost don’t notice when he abruptly pauses and grabs under your arms. 
Then you’re suddenly being hauled up and forced to stand on legs that immediately threaten to give out under you but Wriothesley just guides you around to stand between his legs. Furiously trying to wipe the evidence of tears from your face with a sleeve, you blearily watch as he brings his hands up to unbutton the front of your pants which he unceremoniously tugs down your legs to leave them bunched around your ankles. You can’t help but gasp, your cheeks burning even hotter at having your panties suddenly exposed to him, but you don’t get the chance to so much as suck in a shuddering breath let alone actually voice your protests. 
Just like that, he’s dragging you back down over his lap and you twist against his hold with renewed fervor, clawing viciously at any part of him you can reach. His palm mercilessly swatting you across the back of your underwear freezes you in place though, and you let out a high pitched, keening sound at this new level of hell he’s introduced you to. It’s so much worse without your slacks in the way and just the thin layer of cotton to protect you from the full brunt of his punishing slaps. You’re so caught up in trying to process the extent of it when he shifts over top of you that you don’t even think to shriek at him to stop — but then his unoccupied hand fists the material of your panties and yanks them up to pull firm against your screaming backside. You outright squawk and choke at the sensation only to realize what he’s doing a split second later when he swats your ass again and the hurt suddenly feels like it’s skin to skin. 
Howling in distress, you jerk and writhe against his legs but Wriothesley’s hold on your underwear effectively stops you from crawling away. You simply can’t escape it and the space between your ears is soon once again filled with the sharp swat! of his hand lighting you up. It was easily the worst thing you’d ever experienced, even putting aside the inherent humiliation of being spanked over his knee with your pants around your ankles. 
“Waaa - aahhaaaaaa! Your grace, I - I’m sorry … owwww!” 
“Are you now?” He murmurs, punctuating the soft tone of his voice with two blistering slaps, one to each cheek to leave you withering in his hold. “And what are you sorry for, little miss? Come on, speak up.” 
That was incredibly difficult to do when he wasn’t letting up on your ass for even a moment but, hoping against hope that placating him might make this end quicker, you suck in a haggard, gasping breath to steady yourself. “I’m sorry for - eek! I’m sorry for all the rude things I said to you earlier! Oww! I - I shouldn’t have come in here and - ahh! Ahh! I shouldn’t have disrespected you in your fortress, your grace! I promise I’m sorry!” 
“And what else?” 
What else? What else even was there! 
You desperately try to think, to figure it out, but your head is swimming so fast you start to think you might pass out. Loosing a broken moan, you agonizingly kick back and try to find purchase on the floor, only succeeding in half sliding off his knee. He easily readjusts his hold and rather meanly pulls harder on your panties though, making you squeal when they dig into your cunt and it essentially forces you to straighten your legs instead of slouching away from the continuous barrage of his hand. You choke on some kind of mindless animal sound and try to shove yourself forward in your desperation but he just spanks you even harder for the trouble. 
“Well? I’m waiting.” 
“I don’t know!” You cry out, dancing on the tips of your toes as if that would somehow alleviate some of the deep, throbbing ache encompassing your rear end. “I don’t know your grace, I don’t know but I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” 
You just barely manage to catch the sound of him clicking his tongue over your wailing. “How can you be sorry for something if you don’t even know what it is? You’re really not taking this seriously, are you?”
“I am!” 
He stops so abruptly you lurch, gasping, as if he’d followed through on delivering the next blow. Shuddering uncontrollably, you warily twist to look over your shoulder with big, wet eyes to watch him fold your panties down over your ass to join your slacks around your ankles. Realizing what he’s doing your fight or flight instincts seem to kick in like never before, and you hysterically wrench against his hold. To your stumbling surprise you actually manage to slip free for a split second, for the span of but a single heartbeat, and then he’s reaching up before you can get your trembling legs to cooperate and he roughly tucks you down across his thigh again. This time with that heavy, corded steel arm locked around your waist. 
“Wait, wait, wait - -“ 
Smack! 
Your ass promptly erupts in splinters, every single nerve ending in your behind vibrating numbly at the impact. It punches the air right out of your lungs, leaves you gasping for even a sliver of air, but he doesn’t give you a chance to fully process the hurt. Smack, smack, smack, smack! The crack of his hand across your bare skin sounds deafening now and you shake uncontrollably as you cry out in unrestrained agony. Back and forth between each burning red, swollen cheek, he pays equal attention to both sides until it feels like the tingling flesh is quite literally on fire. You writhe against the blinding hurt and sob so hard the shudders wrack through you from head to toe even as you weakly try to push up and squeeze through his arm. It’s no use though. Wriothesley’s hold is as good as iron and all you can do is wrench at each blistering crack without any way to escape it. 
“Well?” He expectantly prompts, but you’re a little too far gone in the swimming daze to properly respond now, just noising a series of incomprehensible whines and mewls with every strike. Quickly picking up that you were slipping under now, he breathes out a stilted sigh. “If there is but one thing you take away from this,” He intones, still bringing his palm down again and again, and again. “Let it be to pick your opponents more wisely in the future. You don’t just get to walk in here and start calling the shots, do you understand me?” 
You croak out something that might be a yes, incomprehensibly slurred between all the tears and snot running down your face, and the sad little hiccups making your throat constrict. That seems to be good enough for him though, and he just presses on. 
“I was nice enough to invite you to come to Meropide,” smack, smack, smack, smack “Even though I could have turned you down right from the start. I already knew your little pet project wasn’t going to pan out,” smack, smack, smack, smack “But I figured I’d at least hear you out first and this is how you decided to repay me? Despite what you probably think, I don’t like having to punish people,” smack, smack, smack, smack “But I’m not about to let some upstart little brat come in here and try to tell me what my inmates need. You don’t know the first thing about this place no matter what all your worthless charts tell you.” 
Smack, smack, smack! Smack! 
You flinch, weakly rocking forward when the next slap never comes. Groaning thickly, you squirm and dance on your feet, trying to shake off some of the discomfort even though it’s useless, but still he just sits there. You’re distantly aware of him breathing a bit heavier than before, either worked up from the act itself or the physical exertion of delivering a sound spanking, and you just whine low in your throat at the resounding throb throughout your body. It seems to claw through you and set every single nerve to trembling vibration, leaving you quaking violently in his hold. 
Finally, what feels like an eternity later, Wriothesley draws a steadying inhale. “Have you learned your lesson?” 
“Y - yes …” You croak out with no shortage of effort, but his blocky fingers just dig into your hip to give you a brief jostle
“Wanna’ try that again?” 
Your already strained heartbeat somehow manages to become even more wild at the panic that rushes in to smother over you. What did he want? Would he spank you again if you didn’t figure out the answer? 
“Yes, sir?” 
“That’s better.” He relents, giving your shuddering thigh an amicable pat. Silence descends over the office for a drawn out beat and then he suddenly leans forward, half dragging you with him while he opens one of the drawers on the desk to rummage around. “I don’t think you’re really sorry, not yet. But you will be soon. I know I have that damn hairbrush Sigewinne gave me somewhere.” 
A hairbrush? 
Your blood turns to ice at the implication, and the fresh wave of fear that abruptly grips you in a chokehold seems to clear some of the fog from your head. You could think just a little bit clearer now and you did not like where your thoughts were going, not one bit. Surely he wouldn’t actually take it that far after already abusing your ass so much with his hand. 
“Your g - grace?”  
Ignoring or just not hearing the weak little mouse squeak, Wriothesley settles back into his chair again, grabbing a pinching handful of your inner thigh to drag it over his knee once more. He doesn’t quite force your body across his lap but he does make sure you’re stretched out in a rather inelegant sprawl that leaves your legs embarrassingly spread and you start to shake in earnest now. You hadn’t thought it was possible for the human body to vibrate at such a high frequency but that's exactly what seems to be happening as the crushing reality of the situation gradually settles over you like a shroud. 
And then, the press of something solid and flat touches your burning ass, and you practically jolt right up off his legs altogether. 
Your skin crawls with it making you feel truly sick and nauseous even as you frantically try to twist your neck around to see. He’s got you at such an awkward angle though that you can’t make out much of anything and your panic rapidly starts to ratchet up into damn near a full on attack until he gently taps the object against your behind to pull your attention back into the moment. 
“I’m going to give you twenty spanks with this brush, little miss. I want you to count them, and don’t forget to show me some respect while you do it.” 
“I - I - I can’t, sir, I can’t, I can’t take anymore, p - please, it’s too much - -“
“Hush. I’ve got you,” He coos, unexpectedly gentle and soft, but it doesn’t do much to ease your heaving gasps or the erratic pounding of your heart. Still, you find yourself grudgingly getting pulled into that tender croon and you make a conscious effort to calm down even as you sway unsteadily over his thigh. “You’re alright. You’ll just get yourself all worked up over nothing acting like that. Deep breaths. That’s it. Now take another for me. Good girl. See? You can listen when you want to. It’s not so bad, is it?” 
He offers the pudge around your hip a reassuring, possibly even approving squeeze when your breathing starts to slow to a normal, wheezing pant rather than the thin lungfulls you’d been sucking in just moments ago. You decidedly disliked him a great deal, perhaps more so than you’d ever disliked any one single person in all your life, but you were at least glad he was able to keep you grounded. Never mind the fact he was the cause of it to begin with, you were just thankful it didn’t feel like you were going throw up and pass out anymore. 
And still the throbbing burn across your ass keeps pulling tiny little whimpers from your dry throat. It really was too much. 
“Is it necessary?” You finally manage to rattle out. 
“The brush? In my eyes it is, yes. This will show me whether or not you’ve been paying attention this whole time, if you can be respectful towards me throughout this last leg even though you’ll probably want to curse me to high heaven and back. If you can tell me you’re really sorry when we’re done then it will be over. Does that sound agreeable to you?” 
Groaning in defeat, you hang your head low and just take a moment to think. Your options were regretfully limited but … you wanted to trust him at his word and, more importantly, you just wanted to have it done and over with already. The pain crawling across your backside was immeasurable, gradually receding to a dull, distant, but no less teeth clattering ache that reminded you it was there with every thrumming pulse, and he was right to say you wanted to curse him for it. You would have given anything to do just that but Wriothesley had made it clear what he expected of you. Obedience, compliance, respect. 
Perhaps you should have expected no less from the reclusive Duke of Meropide but you certainly would not be making this mistake again. 
“Yes, sir.” You whisper into the stillness at last, a sort of numb surprise curling over you at the lack of bite in your own voice. You’d expected to hear bitter tears, anger, defensive pride, not … such a soft, almost shaky little note of submission. 
The very idea that his unjust treatment of you had somehow accomplished exactly what it was meant to chills you almost as much as it brings you a strange sense of comfort which he only further enforces by warmly caressing his unoccupied palm over the curve of your bare waist. 
“Good. Then let’s get started.” 
An expectant pause and then — whap! 
You violently lurch, dizzy and disoriented from the sudden intensity of the impact. It was so different from his hand, so hard and unforgiving that it made your stomach feel like it was about to burst right up out of your throat. Reeling and weakly gasping in the aftermath, you futilely arch against the sting, kicking your legs out, but there’s no escaping it or shaking it off. The pain seems to engulf you all at once, making you choke on a haggard, gutted little sound. Like you couldn’t even scream around it and only whimper in breathless, mind numbing agony. 
“O - one, sir.” You finally manage to rattle out to his humming satisfaction. 
Whap! On the other sore cheek. 
“Oh! Oh, oh, oooohhhh, n - nnghhnhn!! Two, sir …” 
Whap! Back to the first. Whap! The second again. 
You can’t quite formulate the words now, just laying there spread out on Wriothesley’s lap while your legs uncontrollably shake and you suck in quick, faltering thin gasps of air in an attempt to reorient yourself. It was like the sharp, oppressively heavy stroke of the wooden brush was knocking your brain around and making it hard just to remember how to breathe. Sniffling back a rush of fresh tears, however, you force your mind to stay focused in the here and now rather than drifting off to some faraway place where you currently weren’t getting your ass beat. And that was the crux of it, wasn’t it? Why he was making you count like this, to keep you firmly planted and present to ensure your attention didn’t start to slip at the first chance and you remained attentive for this final part of your trial. The sadistic bastard. 
“Four, sir …” 
Whap! Whap! 
“O - oooh, gods … s - six, sir.” 
Whap! Whap! 
You have to take a moment to collect yourself, to breathe through the sickening pain that encompasses your backside, and he waits patiently until you eventually lift your head again. “Eight, sir.” 
Whap! 
“Eeekk! Ahh, ah … nine — ahhn, sir!” 
Dazed and more than just a little lost in the hazy delirium swimming around your head, you slowly start to find and grasp at a tiny fraction of your inner strength. Your voice comes quicker, albeit thinner, as you hold your breath tightly over the course of the next few swats of the brush, finally seeing an end in sight just over the horizon. A few more and then you would be done. You could leave this place and never see the duke again for as long as you lived. 
“Fifteen, sir!” You hear yourself blurt out, nearly sobbing in relief only to choke on it when the next swing cracks down on the opposite cheek a second later. Seething viciously, you shake for a moment before gritting out the next number. And the next. 
You’re practically hysterical when you finally get to nineteen, all but blubbering across his lap, but you take the last strike like a champ, squealing a cursory, “Twenty, sir!” And then immediately giving in to the urge to dance on your toes, trying in vain to chase away some of the skin crawling ache by moving around. He leans back into the chair, just giving you a moment to process it on your own terms, before eventually loosening his arm around your middle so he can help you up. You move gingerly and wheeze through the process of getting your jelly filled legs underneath you but, at last, you find yourself standing between the wide spread of his knees and you cautiously reach back to rub your sore bottom. 
You regret it immediately, hissing at the intense heat coming off the abused skin as much as the stabs of pain just brushing your fingertips against the tender area causes. But before you can truly process the full brunt of it, he takes your wrist in hand and tugs it away from your behind so he can hold it between the two of you instead. 
“You’re welcome to try but it isn’t going to do much to take away any of the pain. You’ll have that reminder in the back of your mind for the next few days, any time you sit or your clothes rub against it.” A pause while he studies you with that frustratingly impassive expression, taking in your wet face, the clumps of your eyelashes where they’re sticking together, the distant look in your eyes. He takes it all in and then offers you a small, brief smile. “Are you sorry now?” 
You almost choose petulant silence but, not wanting to tempt fate any further, you slowly nod your head. “Yes, sir. I’m very sorry for how I acted towards you today, and for not listening when you told me to stop. I won’t do it again.” 
“Good girl.” Giving your fingers a quick squeeze, he reaches down to take hold of your hips in both of his massive hands and carefully guide you back a step so he can rise to his feet as well. “Alright, go stand in the corner. Face the wall and keep your cute bottom uncovered.”
Immediately planting your feet into the floor when he tries to nudge you in the general direction of the wall, you send him a flustered look of warning. “You said that would be the end of it.” 
“It was, and you did so well for someone whom I suspect hasn’t been spanked nearly enough in her lifetime. But,” Wriothesley quickly holds up a hand to stop you when you draw a sharp, scathing breath to snap at him with. “It’s usually customary to give you a chance to further reflect on your punishment while the sting settles the rest of the way in. Besides, I need to run down to the infirmary to get a cream for your butt and you can’t very well sit down right now, can you?”
“You are infuriating!” You practically spit at him, fists clenching with the urge to reach out and punch him square in the solar plexus. “What exactly do you think this is, your grace? A fun little afternoon we’ve shared together over tea and gossip? I don’t want your stupid cream! I want to leave this place and never be forced to look upon you ever again, do you hear me?” 
“Oh, I hear you loud and clear.” Wriothesley murmurs with an accompanying quirk of his brow to go along with it. “Gotta’ say though, I wasn’t expecting you to bounce right back to your earlier attitude so fast. Usually brats like you need a bit more time to recoup some of their charge after getting it all out of their system like that.”
You reel back in abject shock. “Brats like me? You have some nerve acting like I’m the problem when you just - -“ 
He reaches up quicker than you can react and abruptly pulls you into the front of him, one hand lifting to cradle your head against the firm, muscular wall of his body while the other curls around your back so you can’t escape. Your skin positively crawls at the contact, lips pulling back in a vicious snarl, but then … he just gently rocks you back and forth, softly petting your hair while he does it, and you go stock still in your surprise. You didn’t understand it. What he was doing or why he was doing it, and you understood even less why it almost made you feel a bit — funny inside. Tingly, almost. 
“There, there,” Wriothesley murmurs, just holding you tightly enough to prevent escape but still soft enough not to smother. “Is this what you need instead? I didn’t take you for the sort but I have no problem giving it to you as long as it gets rid of that grumpy frown for a little while. You’re way cuter when you don’t look so damn mad ��” 
You stand there for a long beat unsure of how to react. Knowing you should kick up a fit, fight him tooth and nail, drag his name through the mud for how he’s treated you here today and yet — somehow the heat of his body, the heady scent of his muted cologne seems to drain the fight from your body. It leaves you feeling empty and hollow, and a sudden rush of emotions quickly floods in to replace it all. You don’t really understand it, nor are you entirely sure you want to, but you were a little too tired to keep up the pretense any longer. Not while there was a veritable storm whipping up inside your chest.
Eyes watering with a new, inexplicable sheen of tears, you slowly bring your hands up to clutch at his waistcoat. Maybe it would be okay if you entertained this for just another moment longer … maybe you could attack him when his guard was down after you’d finished fighting back the sobs suddenly threatening to wrack through your body. He’d chipped away at you, wiped the slate clean, so to speak, and now he was filling you back up with a comforting warmth you wouldn’t have expected from him given his icy demeanor. 
You still weren’t particularly fond of his methods but at least there was some amount of peace to be found in his embrace, and you may or may not have liked it just a teeny tiny bit. Not that you’d ever admit that to Wriothesley, but what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. You could certainly keep the secret.
Crossposted: here
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maddiedott · 19 days ago
Note
Logan Howlett x GN!Reader where the reader is a somewhat introverted person that has a passion for drawing, and when Logan asks to see one of their drawings, the reader shows them a drawing of a Wolverine (the animal :3)??
This is so precious, wolverines are so cool, I did a little bit of research for this story so I learned a lot lol. Thank you so much for my very first request! I tweaked it just a tad, but I hope I did this story justice.
Also did you know they eat artic foxes? :(
Sketches
Warnings: Omnivert!Gn! Reader, fluff, Logan teasing, established relationship, not proofread, I did a lot of research on wolverines
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You weren’t entirely sure what sparked this inspiration this time. Perhaps it was the interest on what a wolverine actually was, or perhaps it was the man who had named himself after one. Either way, it was the only thing that filled up the pages of your sketchbook, breaking it in with graphite and charcoal sketches of the fluffy and ferocious mammals. It’s where you find yourself now.
The day was nice, just a small breeze but not one enough to disrupt the page of the sketchbook in your hands. The students were either inside or out but a few yards away so their screaming and laughing weren’t bothersome. Storm, Logan, and Scott were out on a mission, they had left a few days ago and would be assumed to return early tomorrow or the next day. So, with Logan’s absence, it gave you a lot more time to draw. You missed him, of course, but you were thankful for the solace in the sound of the pencil against paper.
Settled under a shady tree, blanket settled underneath your thighs and protecting yourself from the itchy grass that hurts your skin if you sit on it for too long, the blanket acts as a barrier from that. Your sketchbook opened, the leather bound cover resting against your thighs as your feet were planted comfortably against the blanket which had your knees bent in order to comfortably assume the drawing position you had a habit of falling into. It caused you to slouch and your back to ache for the rest of the day, but you couldn’t draw any other way.
At first when you started drawing these creatures, you needed a reference and opted for the textbook you had read on them, but now you have the memorized and only needed to refer to the book for movement reference. 
“What are you drawin’, Sweetheart?” Logan’s voice sounded, heavy thuds of his boots headed your way.
Your head whipped upwards at the sound, unexpected but pleased nonetheless. Despite the lack of social interaction at certain points throughout the day, Logan’s was always welcomed. Often there were times where you both would simply just exist in your own bubbles when you were feeling a little more introverted. He could read you better than you would imagine that you could read yourself,
“Nothing special.” You replied, sketchbook shutting and sitting up straighter and changing sitting position where your knees were pointed outwards and your feet laid under them. “You’re back early.”
It’s then that you notice his attire. He wasn’t in his black x-men uniform that they wore out on missions. He was adorned in his casual clothes, a beater under a maroon cotton button up, worn jeans and that silly large buckled belt, and his worse-for-wear biker boots. He had been back for a while.
“Cyke wanted a shower.” He explained as he settled down beside you, half his body on the blanket and half on the spiked grass.
You slowly nod in response, not wanting to imagine what the mission entailed for Scott to rush home and shower. You set your sketchbook off to the side of you, small smile on your lips at his presence. 
“So, what are you always drawin’ in that book of yours?” He asks, looking at you curiously.
What were you supposed to say? Certainly not the truth. How were you to explain that you had become hyper fixated on drawing the animal that he had named himself after? It was silly when you thought about it and you were sure he would laugh, maybe not at you but definitely at the subject of your drawings. 
“Like I said, nothing special.” You repeat, shrugging in indifference but your fingers slightly push at the spine of the book to tuck it out of sight.
It didn’t work. He had much faster reflexes than you, so when he reached behind you with what seemed like an inhumane speed, you had little time to retaliate or guard your precious secret. With his body turned slightly and hands already flipping through the pages, you had little else to do than sit in shock beside him and feeling all the warmth from your face and body.
“What the hell are these? Badgers?” He queries, confusion evident on his face as his brows bunched together.
“No… they’re uh, wolverines.” You answer, eyes finding a group of students running around and kicking a soccer ball around as if it was the most interesting game ever.
“Wolverines? It’s an animal?” He questions incredulously. Surely he didn’t think he had just made that name up. He didn’t remember why that was engraved in his dog tags but… really?
“I mean, yeah? They’re really cool, they have a reputation for their ferocious nature and strength. They’re also pretty solitary animals too. They���re actually really similar to you.” You ramble, brows furrowed in concentration. 
“Yeah?” He flips through the sketches, eyes lingering on each drawing.
“Mhm! They also eat animals that are often much bigger than they are…”
You had quickly delved into a long research essay of facts that you had learned about wolverines, and Logan was more than content to just sit beside you and listen to your rambling knowledge.
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ihavethedreamies · 7 months ago
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Watermelon | Juicy Fruit | Mark
Mark Lee - NCT Dream
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Rating: M (18+) MDNI
Word Count: ~1.6k
Pairing: Mark x AFAB!Reader
Genre: Reader-Insert, Smut, Established Relationship, Porn without Plot
!!This is smut…if that much isn't clear you should probably leave now!! MDNI!
Warnings: She/Her Pronouns used, Swearing, Kissing, Quickie, Sex in the Bathroom, Unprotected Sex (Don’t!!)
Summary: You end up making a bit of a mess with the watermelon…
Author's Note: This series was supposed to be of drabbles, and this is the second shortest one…sorry.
This is only vaguely based off of Smoothie…I say this because I got the idea for a fruit theme, but past that its unrelated.
-> Series Hub <-
🍇 Renjun 🍇
🍌 Jeno 🍌
🍒 Haechan 🍒
🍑 Jaemin 🍑
🍓 Chenle 🍓
🍍 Jisung 🍍
I am cross-posting this on Archive. Please reblog! If you know anyone that would like this or future fics but they aren't on here my name and icon are exactly the same on the other site. Happy reading!
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It was hot. For you, too hot. And it was just your luck that the boys wanted to dick around outside because the weather was nice. Nice? No, it was hot as balls. While they ran around screaming, playing games and throwing stuff, you sat on a canvas camping chair. Your electric fan's batteries had died so you were futilely fanning yourself with a paper plate. Your thighs were sticking together, and your shorts were no help against the chafing. You shuffled again, grunting in discomfort, adjusting your sunglasses since they had slid down your nose from the sweat. Even in the shade of the tree and a slight breeze, it was still much too hot. Mark had offered to run to the convenience store down the road from your rental house and get something to cool you off. Glancing at your phone for the time, you wondered what the hell was taking so long, you were about to melt away.
"Noona~" Chenle called but you couldn't see him. Finally, he and Mark appeared from around the house as they went to the backyard where the rest of your group was. The second youngest had several bags of snacks, but what really caught your attention was what your boyfriend had in his arms. It was to no one's surprise he had somehow acquired a watermelon.
"Finally!" You exhaled harshly and Chenle dashed over to you, digging a cold bottle of water out and you yoinked it from him eagerly, chugging it down and he laughed.
"Slow done, babe." Mark huffed, letting the watermelon wrapped in a mesh settle on the grass near your feet. He watched as a bit of water slipped past your mouth and down your throat, landing on your white tank top, making the fabric darken. Swallowing, he shook his head to focus his attention elsewhere and kneeled near the melon so he could start cutting it.
"Uh, no." You shook your head, taking the knife from Mark that Renjun had brought out.
"I can do it!" He whined and you gave him a deadpan look and he just grumbled. Mark scooted over and you sat next to him, wrapping your legs around the big fruit to hold it in place. That looked even more dangerous than what he was planning, but you didn't keep it like that for long. Once you had dramatically stabbed the knife into the end of the rind, you adjusted and easily and evenly sliced it in half. Everyone watched in amazement as you deftly cut up the melon, laying each quarter of a slice into the big bowl Renjun had also brought out.
"Wow, she actually cut it evenly." Jaemin pointed out, giving Mark a very pointed look. The eldest looked back at him, slightly confused then offended.
"Hey!" He grumbled again and you grabbed a few slices with Mark and put them on a plate. While the rest of them continued to do whatever nonsense they were doing before, you and your boyfriend sat on the grass under the tree to eat the watermelon. Not thinking anything of it, because who would, you started to eat. It was very juicy, and the man's attention kept going back to your collarbone. After a big bite of the fruit, the juice spilled over your bottom lip and ran down your chin, your throat, pooled on your collar bone, then continued down to run into your cleavage. When you took another bite and even more juice spilled out you cringed, sucking in to try and keep it in your mouth.
"Geez." You mumbled, looking for a paper towel or napkin, something, to dry the juice. The pink liquid was already soaking into the white of your tank and luckily your bra was nude. Not only was your face and chest a mess, but your hands had gotten sticky. Mark watched your tongue lick furiously along your bottom lip, trying to get some of the juice off your chin.
"Let's get you cleaned up." You were shocked at the speed of your boyfriend, who had stood, hauling you up with him, and into the rental house. You both barely slipped your sandals off up entering and you were a bit surprised he dragged you toward the bathroom and not the nearby kitchen to get to a sink.
"Where are we going?" you questioned, blinking in shock as he pulled you into the bathroom, shutting and locking the door. As you stood near the vanity, hands in the air to avoid getting things stuck to them, you watched in surprise as he pinned you against the sink, his face getting very close. Even though he was your boyfriend, the proximity and intense look on his face made your own warm up red. His tongue flicked out, lapping at the drying juice on your face that was just as sticky as the stuff on your hands. He groaned as you shivered, his lips sealing over your own. Immediately you forgot about your sticky hands, going to the back of his shirt to hold on as he lifted you to rest on the bathroom vanity. You did at least have the subconscious thought to not touch his hair. His own sticky hands had met your waist, sneaking under your flimsy white tank, running his thumb over your smooth skin, it stuttered a bit from the juice. When his tongue entered your mouth, you both tasted the sweet watermelon on each other. A trail of saliva connected your lips when he finally pulled away, both of you panting.
"Fuck." He loved the dazed look that had spread across your face, and his smirked when his lips met your neck and you whined. His tongue ran along the path he had watched the juice flow over the skin, cleaning you off and at the same time heating your skin and core. Your hips jumped up from the counter, your denim covered mound grinding against his cock tenting his swim trunks. Mark continued to suck and nibble at you as he moved to follow that path of the watermelon juice, before your shirt covered the final destination. He pulled back just enough to get it off of you, the white material sticking briefly to his fingers. Yours stuck even more to his shirt as you hauled it off of him. Mark's mouth and tongue traced and nuzzled your breasts as he got your bra unhooked and off. Using his tongue to follow the trail of juice, he diverted at your sternum, sealing his lips over your nipple. You sighed, resting back on the counter so your bare back touched the cold mirror. As your boyfriend focused on the other side, he helped you wiggle your shorts off. You didn't have any panties on since your shorts were so tight, and it was so hot out anyway.
"Fuck… (Y/N)~" You would never get used to way he would moan your name.
"Mark, hurry." You furrowed your brow in playful frustration, trying to reach the waist band of his swim trunks to get them off. He huffed in amusement, having a better reach to do it himself.
"Hurry, hurry~" You nearly bounced in anticipation and his chuckle turned to a groan as he started to sink his cock inside of you. Your body shivered, your hand went to your mouth to try and muffle the pitiful moan you let out as he bottomed out. Like usual, you were soaked for him, making the entry easy.
"Try and stay quiet, baby." He rested his forehead on your shoulder, hands on your hips. You hiccupped when he gave a short but hard thrust, keeping up that pace, rapidly bringing you close to your orgasm already. His pelvis would grind against your clit every time he filled you fully, and your breath hitched each time. He gave a breathless chuckle at how cute you were, not noticing that his thrusts were strong enough to shake the vanity. The ceramic cup holding some toothbrushes rattled each time, growing closer and closer to the edge.
"Damn-" Mark groaned as quietly as he could, pulling your hips to the very edge of the vanity, your back slid down the mirror before landing on the marble. You wrapped your legs around his waist, hand pressed hard over your mouth, the other gripping the bar on the wall that held up the hand towel. Your boyfriend ran his tongue over his smirking bottom lip, enjoying watching you try desperately to stay quiet as he fucked you. He only slightly paused when the cup finally fell over, landing on the tile floor and shattering. It was out of the way, so his hips stuttered a bit, but he continued with a huff when you whined in desperation at the halt.
"Shit, babe-" He groaned, and you moaned as well, feeling your own climax getting closer. You both fell over when he did a final grind against your clit, as deep as he could go, spilling inside of you. The heat of his cum brought you over as well, and you pulled your hand from your mouth, panting quietly.
"S-sorry." Mark suddenly felt guilty for hauling you into the bathroom to fuck while all of your friends were possibly in ear shot.
"Th…that's okay." You gave him a tired smile and he kissed you softly with a giggle. After cleaning up a bit and straightening clothes and hair back up, you slipped back outside, and it seemed like no one had even noticed you two had been gone. Later, when you were inside to eat supper, you heard a loud shout from the bathroom.
"Who broke the toothbrush mug?!"
-> Series Hub <-
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Master-Master List
NCT Master List
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liliesonpandora · 2 years ago
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His Little Girl Is Not Yet a Warrior
Jake Sully x Daughter! Reader
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Plot: You are Jake and Neytiri’s only daughter. You and Lo’ak disobey your parents and travel to a dangerous cave where you fall and hurt yourself. Your dad rescues and comforts you while you’re being healed. The two of you have a discussion around your safety.
Warning: blood, injury
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You and Lo’ak laugh as you race each other through the thick forest. Your chest burns and your legs are starting to ache, but you refuse to quit. He might be older, but you are for sure faster and you are gunna prove it. You pick up speed and manage to pass him for a second before he inches in front of you and tags the tree marked as the finish line.
“Ha! Point for me baby sister,” Lo’ak says with pride as he jogs in place and pants from exhaustion.
“Yeah yeah whatever, I almost had you at the end there,” you reply with annoyance.
You often hung out with Lo’ak while Neteyam was out hunting and going on missions with your parents. The two of you had not yet become warriors, meaning you had to miss out on all the important missions. Despite how incredibly annoying Lo’ak was as a big brother, you had a connection with him because you both felt like you were living in Neteyam’s shadow.
Lo’ak was the middle child, often ignored unless he was causing trouble… which he usually was. And you were the youngest, always sheltered despite being better at hunting than most kids your age. But for the most part you accepted it, knowing you would prove your worth when the time came.
You bend over with your palms resting on your knees to catch your breath after the race. Just then you got the bright idea to prank Lo’ak. It would be the perfect revenge for when he scared you earlier this morning. You place your hand to your chest and start to breathe heavy, as if you are struggling to get air through your lungs.
“Y/N, you okay?” Lo’ak asks with concern, but you don’t respond.
He runs over to you to see what is wrong. He takes your hand and lifts your face to look at you. “Do you need to sit down?”
“Gotcha!” You shout in his face and push him backwards. He stumbles and falls to the ground.
“No fair, you’re playing dirty!” he yells while sitting up.
“Looks to me like you’re the only one playing in the dirt big brother,” you tease him before holding out your hand to help him up.
Lo’ak takes your hand and proceeds to yank you down onto the ground where he is.
“Another point for me… you never learn,” Lo’ak throws his head back in laughter.
You playfully slap his arm and you both laugh with each other before taking a break to figure out what to do next.
“Wanna head back?” You ask.
“Nah, it’s not even close to eclipse. If we go back now, grandmother is going to force us to do those chores we forgot about.”
“Oh yeah, you’re right. Hmmm, we could check out that cave we found that one time when we were hunting!”
“I don’t know… Dad said we werent allowed to go there without him cause the terrain seemed unsafe. He would kill me if I took you there.”
“You scared or something?”
“Im not scared, I’ve just been on thin ice with Dad lately… I’m trying not to screw up again.”
You give him an annoyed look. You couldn’t believe that out of all the times Lo’ak would want to start a clean streak, it would be now.
He rolls his eyes at you. “Of course you don’t get it, mom and dad let you off easy. Me? Not so much.”
You knew that he was right… your brothers always got into more trouble because your parents gave them more responsibility. But you weren’t giving up that easy. You put on your best pouting face and look up at Lo’ak.
“You and Neteyam got to go with dad last time and he made me stay home. You said the cave was so cool, I just want to feel included.”
Lo’ak looks like he is thinking the decision over. You slip your arms around his waist to hug him and plead. “Please big brother? I’ll love you forever.”
“You already love me forever.”
“I’ll love you forever times infinity.”
After several moments of silence and contemplation, Lo’ak agrees.
“Fine, I’ll take you. But no playing around while we’re there, okay?”
“No playing around, got it. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
Lo’ak calls to his ikran and hops on. Then he takes your arm and helps you up as well. You sit in the front of him and he holds onto your stomach with one hand to keep you in place while holding the reigns with the other.
You were used to riding as a passenger because you had yet to pass your iknimaya. But the time would come soon, and you couldnt wait to have your own Ikran. Maybe then, you’d be treated a little more seriously. For now, you enjoy the feeling of the wind on your face as you lean into your brother’s chest and begin the journey to the cave.
You arrive at the cave opening and Lo’ak helps you down.
“Hold my hand the whole time, okay? I know the path, but I dont want you to fall.”
“Okay,” you respond and you take your brother’s hand.
Lo’ak begins to lead you deeper into the cave and you look up and around in awe at the colorful crystals surrounding you. “Its so beautiful here.”
“I know right, look at these cool structures over here,” he says while pointing to the left.
“Woah!” You exclaim. Lo’ak smiles at you, feeling happy that you are enjoying it already.
You reach a leveled platform in the cave and he releases your hand. “You can walk here on your own, but be careful. Step lightly.”
Excitedly, you leave his side and walk around to observe all the intriguing shapes and patterns on the cave walls. You stop and stare at one structure with spirals and shimmering purple stones. Pandora was your home, but there was always new things to explore… even more beautiful than the last. You turn back to glance at Lo’ak and see that he is admiring the illuminated stones on the ceiling.
After looking around a bit more, you see that there is a small pool of water to the far right of the area. A pond in this cave? So cool. You walk over to it and kneel down to get a closer look. There are tiny fishes swimming around, creating streams of bioluminescence the water. You dip your hand in and let them graze your fingers as they swim. It tickles, which causes you to giggle.
At the sound of your laugh, Lo’ak turns to see what you’re doing. “Y/N! Get away from there, it doesn’t look stable!” He yells.
“Huh?” You ask and you swiftly stand and move to turn towards him. But as you shift your weight, your foot slips, causing you to fall further down into the cave. Your body scrapes against the rough walls but you barely feel anything with the adrenaline from the fall.
“Y/N!” Lo’ak screams.
You finally stop sliding and your body hits the cave floor hard. You grunt in pain, putting a hand to your head where it hurts.
Lo’ak runs over, carefully slides down to where you are laying, and puts a hand behind you to support your head while he examines your body. His eyes travel to your legs. “Shit, this cut is bad.”
You look down and see a gash running from below your right knee to the middle of your calf. You barely felt it before, but once you see the blood, the pain begins immediately. You wince and feel the tears rising up.
Without question, Lo’ak turns on his comms and calls for your father.
“Dad!”
“Lo’ak?”
“Y/N’s hurt… it’s a huge cut on her leg.”
“Where are you?”
“We’re at the old cave. I know we shouldn’t be here, Dad. I’m sorry.”
“You should have something to wrap her cut in the pouch on your ikran saddle. Don’t move her, go get it and bring it back to her. I’m coming right now. Copy?”
“Copy.”
“Let me talk to her.”
Lo’ak connects the comms to your ear. “I’ll be right back,” he says before leaving to start climbing the cave walls.
“Dad?” You call to your father.
“Hey babygirl, I’m coming to get you. How you doing?”
“My leg is cut, there’s so much blood. And my head really hurts.”
“Lo’ak is getting something to wrap your leg and stop the bleeding. Take deep breaths, okay? I’ll be there soon.”
“Okay.”
Lo’ak comes back quickly, trying to be extra careful around the slippery, unstable edges. He jumps down to where you are, kneels in front of you, and lifts your leg onto his thigh. He wraps it carefully and tightly with some cloth. You hiss in pain as the fabric touches the wound and stings. The blood quickly stains the cloth, but it was the best he could do for now.
You turn to your brother apologetically, tears now streaming down your face. “I’m really sorry. I shouldn’t have forced you to bring me here.”
“It’s okay baby sister, don’t worry about it,” he assures you as he wipes your tears and rubs your back.
“Dad is gunna be so mad that we came here. I’m so stupid.”
“He could never be mad at you. I’ll take the blame,” he says as he moves to sit behind you, pulling you into his lap and being extra careful around the more smaller cuts and scrapes on your body.
You and Lo’ak always bicker and tease each other, but you know he would do anything for you. This was a clear example of that. He is selfless when it comes to others, and you feel guilty that he is willing to do this for you.
“Thanks Lo’ak. You can have all the points, okay?”
He laughed in response. “Don’t mention it.”
“It hurts,” you cry.
He places a hand gently on your head to soothe you. “I know, Dad is gunna be here soon and then they can fix you up.”
You close your eyes and wait for your father to arrive. After about 10 minutes, you hear the screech of his ikran and the flapping of it’s wings above.
“Lo’ak! Y/N!” He shouts.
“We’re down here, dad!” Lo’ak replies.
You hear your father run across the cave floor and carefully slide down to meet you. Lo’ak moves aside so your father could get to you.
“Daddy!” you cry. Feeling the tears well up again at the sight of him.
Jake puts a hand on your cheek, “I’m here, babygirl.” He moves to your leg immediately and carefully removes the blood stained wrapping to examine the wound. Blood continues to pool out.
“Fuck,” he blurted out in shock at the sight of the gash, forgetting to censor himself around his children. “That’s gunna need stitches, baby.” He tosses the bloody bandage to the side and begins to wrap it with a new one.
You groan at this statement, anticipating more pain when you get home.
“We gotta get you up this ledge,” he says as he helps you up. He drapes your arm over his shoulder and grabs your side. You hiss from the contact of your scrapes with his body.
“I know it hurts, we’ll be home soon” he says to you before turning to your brother.
“Lo’ak, go up first so you can help her.”
“Hop on one leg baby, I got you” he says to you.
They manage to hoist you up over the cave ledge and your father starts to carry you over to his ikran.
He turns to Lo’ak in the process, “what the hell were you thinking? I told you never to come here without me or your mom, and you took Y/N with you?! What if something worse had happened?”
Lo’ak looked ashamed, but prepared to be scolded as he was so used to it. “I know, I’m sorry Dad.”
“You clearly don’t know, cause you did it anyway. I’m gunna deal with you when we get home,” he says sternly.
“It’s not his fault, Dad. I begged him to bring me here, he didn’t want to.”
Lo’ak raises his head to look over at you in surprise. His expression turned worrisome, wondering what his dad would say.
Jake looks down at you in his arms in frustration. “Alright, we’ll discuss this later.”
You squeeze your eyes shut and bury your face in your dad’s chest, wanting to cry once more. Your wounds are painful… but surprisingly not as painful as getting your brother into more trouble with your dad.
He presses his comms and calls to your mom. “Neytiri, do you read me?”
“Ma Jake, did you reach them?”
“I got em, she cut her leg badly but she’s alright.”
Your mom sighs in relief. “Thank you, great mother.”
“We’re on our way back now, meet us there when you can,” he tells her.
He secures you on his ikran as best as he can and you all take off towards home.
Your grandmother immediately gets to work once you arrive back at the village.
“Lay still my child,” she says to you.
“Grandmother, how much is this going to hurt?”
“Only a little stinging. Once this is over, I will give you something to numb the area. You will not feel the stitches after that.”
You nod to her to continue the treatment.
“Squeeze my hand when it hurts, sweetheart” Jake tells you as he moves to sit beside you. You nod and interlock your fingers with his, preparing for the worst.
“Take a deep breath,” Jake tells you as he breathes deeply, instructing you to follow. He rests his available hand on your heart, mindful of the way it is racing. You feel calmer already, grateful for his presence. “It’ll be okay, I’m right here.”
As your grandmother disinfects the wound, you feel the painful stinging and you grip your father’s hand tight while squeezing your eyes shut. He rubs your back to soothe you.
Mo’at reaches for a small bowl and passes it to Jake. “Ma Itan, rub this generously on her smaller wounds,” she instructs her son-in-law.
Jake obeys and releases your grip to begin placing the medicine gently on each of your cuts and scrapes.
“Does that hurt, baby?” He asks with concern.
You shake your head and he gives you a light smile.
Your grandmother was right, you barely felt the needle from the stitches. Your dad talked to you the whole time to distract you from it. Once it was done, he picked you up and carried you to bed.
“It’s been a long day, we’ll talk in the morning” he tells you as he leans down to kiss you on the forehead.
“I’m not tired,” you lie. You were exhausted, but you needed to speak to him now.
“Hm, I would’ve thought all that crying you did earlier would tire you out” he teased playfully.
“Stay with me, dad? Just for a little while and then I’ll sleep.”
“I’ll stay with you for as long as you want me to, my love.”
He pulls you into his lap and hugs you tight. You let your body relax into his hold. “I’m sorry, I really am. I didn’t mean to make you and mom worry.”
“I know,” he assures you as he holds your head to his chest and tucks your stray hairs behind your ear.
“Don’t punish Lo’ak, he was just trying to do something nice for me.”
“I know.”
You looked up at him in surprise. “You know?”
He laughs lightly. “You cant fool me little one, I know your brothers take the fall for you sometimes. You give em those eyes, and they can’t say no to you.”
“What eyes?”
“The ones you’re giving me right now,” he says before placing another kiss on the tip of your nose.
Your father’s affection makes you feel so much better. You smile and lower your eyes, your face feeling warm from embarrassment.
He let out a deep sigh. “What should I expect though. You are my daughter, trouble calls and you answer I suppose.”
Your smile starts to fade. “It’s not like I wanted to get into trouble.”
“Then why? Why did you convince your brother to take you to do something that I specifically said not to. I told all of you that it wasn’t safe.”
“Because you took Neteyam and Lo’ak there last time. I had to stay home, it’s not fair dad.”
“They are older than you.”
“I’m only 2 years younger than Lo’ak, but you treat me like im a baby.”
“You’re MY baby.”
“Im serious, Dad. Even now, you’re not listening to me.” You sit up and cross your arms, wanting to create some distance between you two. You continue. “Admit it, it’s not cause I’m young. It’s cause I’m a girl, you dont think I can handle it.”
It hurt Jake to hear you say this. Had he let his little girl think she was not good enough?
“That’s not true, Y/N.”
“Yes it is! But I’m a good hunter too, even if you don’t think so! And in a year, I’ll pass that test and have my ikran, and then you cant keep me trapped here.”
Tears begin to roll down your cheeks and you quickly wipe them away, not wanting to show more weakness in front of him.
Jake’s expression softened at the sight of you. He hated that he made you so upset. And he hated that you felt trapped. Had he been going overboard?
“Come here,” he says as he opens his arms for you.
You shake your head in defiance, not wanting to give into him.
“Please, baby? I’m sorry, just come here.”
You began to uncross your arms but your father closes the gap before you have the chance to. He pulls you into a hug and rubs your back. It feels nice to be back in his arms. No matter how mad you were with him, you always felt so much comfort in his embrace.
“Y/n, I know you’re capable. I know you’re a great hunter… and you’re right, maybe I did shelter you a little too much.”
Your expression turns hopeful, surprised that he agreed with you.
He continued. “But… that doesn’t give you the right to disobey me and put yourself and your siblings in danger. Can you understand that I need to protect you?”
“Yeah,” you reply while lowering your head, not wanting to face him.
He lifts your chin so that he could see your eyes. “I’m sorry that I made you think you weren’t good enough to be out there with me and your brothers. And I’m sorry that I don’t consider taking you more often.”
You look up at him as he says this and tears start to form in your eyes again. You blink and they fall down your face.
“You are enough, and you can do anything you put your mind to. Don’t let anyone make you think differently, not even me.”
You smile at him brightly, appreciative of his apology and wise words. “Thanks, Dad.”
Jake cups your face in his hands and wipes away the wet streaks with his thumbs. “There’s that smile, so beautiful. Where’d you get that from?”
“Mom, I think” you say while grinning.
He smiles at you. “Definitely from mom.” He sighs deeply and you both sit for a little while in the silence. “You’re still so little, even though I know you’re getting older. It’s scary sometimes, I just don’t wanna lose you babygirl… but I know I’ve got to let you go at some point.”
You wrap your arms around his waist and squeeze him tight. “I’m not going anywhere right now, daddy.”
Jake chuckles and squeezes you back while running his hand over your hair. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too.”
“Okay, promise me something?” he asks while he holding out his pinky.
You sit up and stare at him intently, waiting to hear the rest.
“Promise me that you wont do something dangerous like this again… and as long as it’s safe… I’ll promise to take you with me on the next mission.”
“Really?”
“Mhm. You need to know what it’s like out there.”
You gasp excitedly and hook your pinky onto his. “I promise.” You connect your thumbs together to seal the deal and he brings your hand up to his lips.
“…after your leg heals up of course.”
“Oh… right,” you reply as you slump over in disappointment.
Jake throws his head back and erupts in laughter.
“Not funny!” You yell.
“Okay okay, I’m sorry. It’ll heal in no time, sweetheart.” He pats the spot next to him. “Come on, let’s go to sleep.”
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haveyouseenthisskeleton · 4 months ago
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Undertale cast react to their S/O getting struck by lightning… and just walking it off.
(Bonus points if the lightning is completely out of the blue and/or hits them multiple times in succession)
Undertale Sans - He runs to you, in shock, but you're actually more than fine? What? You can see his scientific mind working at 300% right now to try to explain what he just witnessed. Because he's pretty sure you should have at least burned alive. How are you fine??? No, but please, tell him! He won't stop asking you until you give him an answer.
Undertale Papyrus - He gasps loudly, then calms down when he sees you're actually perfectly fine. ??????? He's pretty sure that's not how it works but he doesn't know everything so maybe that's just perfectly normal? Perhaps it explodes only big trees like the one in his garden but not humans? He's a bit confused, but glad you're fine.
Undertale Toriel - Her soul leaves her body honestly. She runs to you, screaming to not move, and immediately starts to heal you, even though you're perfectly fine, and tries to tell her. Except she doesn't believe you. You put your ass on the floor and you stop moving this instant. You're not moving before she allows you to!
Undertale Asgore - Uh. That's all that escapes from his throat. He got a little spooked by that and swears he saw you get hit by lightning at least three times. But surely, he was hallucinating because it would mean you being very dead, and obviously you're not. Maybe he should see someone to talk about this. He's an old man, who knows if he's not seeing things.
Undertale Undyne - That was AWESOME. Do it again! She's cheering you! She wants you to get hit by lightning again! Do her next! She wants to be struck by lightning too!
Undertale Alphys - She got a soul attack, both because of the noise and you just getting struck in the face by lightning. She's a bit in shock when she sees you walking out of this somehow still alive and not cut in half. Uh. She should have recorded that. Maybe Sans knows why you're alive? She so needs to gossip with him right now. She wants to nerd for hours about this.
Undertale Frisk - That was awesome and super cool! They got struck by lightning once and they almost died right in front of Toriel, how can you even survive that? They want to know! Share your cool secrets, definitely, not so they can do it again!
Undertale Chara - They look up their phone to make sure you're still alive, and since you seem find, they walk over your body and continue with their day. They're not impressed.
Undertale Mettaton - He is impressed, even though it's probably his fault you got struck with lightning honestly. Maybe going out during a storm when you're full metal was not his brightest idea. He takes two steps and the lightning struck him too lol. That's going to be a long walk back home...
Undertale Gaster - It hurts, right? He understands. The last time he got electrocuted, his whole body literally flew into the lava of the CORE. He can understand your pain. Even though lava hurts more if he has to make a classification. Uh. That's not the info you wanted to learn today.
Undertale Grillby - He ran to you to help but he got badly spooked and, uh, his flames are really burning right now. Good news is, you don't get burned by lightning! Bad news is you get burned anyway by Grillby lol. He won't stop apologizing to you for the next three centuries he thinks.
Undertale Muffet - Well, you were used as a spider car for a lot of her baby spiders, and let just say she's not too happy about the thousands of little spiders that got killed first with the lightning and then with you falling on your back, crushing hundreds more under your weight. She's counting the casualties, looking pissed off. I hope you have money. Because the workforce is expensive. You wish you weren't fine after all.
Undertale Burgerpants - He got so scared he puffed up. His fur is all dishevelled and all his claws are out. Please don't do that again. You almost gave him a soul attack for Asgore's sake. Now everyone will mock him all day long because he looks like a spiky pillow. He's mad at you, even though he's glad you're fine. But still!
Undertale Flowey - Well. Unlike you, Flowey is really not ok right now. He was in your arms when he got struck by lightning and let just say he felt this a lot more than you did. He's lucky he doesn't have a soul because he swears it would have dusted again. Flowey is mad at you and refuses to talk to you for an entire month after this, mainly because he lost all of his petals in the battle and had to go in cure with Asgore for two months to grew them back. He hates you, never talk to him again.
Undertale Gerson - He shrugs and gently pats your shoulder. "Better you than me, kid. Better luck next time. Ya won't have my life insurance so soon." You're confused but walk away. Wait, does Gerson even have life insurance? You're curious now!
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linabirb · 1 year ago
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aw these are cute :) and yes i am indeed a palm tree in heaven and a crazy loving girl who cares for everyone
just a lil game for people who are bored: look up your name in the urban dictionary!!
i did my real name and all the descriptions are really sweet <33
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malk1ns · 6 months ago
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this post and its tags gave me brainworms that i had to purge so that i can properly focus on SGE for the next month, so…
overstimulation, forces orgasm, and crying during sex. blame @yabagofmilfs. i hope you like it!
It’s too hot in the bedroom.
Sid’s lake house in Nova Scotia is usually cool—breeze blowing in off the water and big trees shading over the roof and the patio mean that it stays comfortable even on warm days. Sid keeps the AC on for the sake of the gym, but it’s set to 70, otherwise it gets too cold when the sun is down.
The humidity this week has been oppressive, though, and the air still, and even with the thermostat bumped down to 68 the second floor of the house is too warm, especially in the bedroom with its south-facing windows that get sunlight all day.
“Sid,” Zhenya gasps. His vision feels foggy, just as humid as the shimmering air over the lake outside, blurring at the edges. The wood paneling on the ceiling looks warped, and Zhenya’s breath feels hot as he pants. “Please, Sid, can’t.”
“You can,” Sid says, voice almost kind. “At least one more, bud, I know you’ve got it in you.” He crooks his fingers and rubs, and Zhenya jolts, but he can’t tell if he’s moving towards or away from the touch.
He’s sore. Sid’s been fingering him for what must be hours now, the slow maddening buildup he prefers when it’s the offseason and he has time to spread Zhenya out over beds across North America and Europe and really take his time, and Zhenya’s already come twice; the first one so gradual he was begging for relief by the time Sid relented and jerked him to completion, and the second one so quickly after it almost hurt.
And Sid’s not done yet. Not by a long shot.
“Are you crying?” Sid asks, and Zhenya blinks, trying to focus. Sid’s moving, keeping his hand where it is but stretching alongside Zhenya on the mattress, studying his face. “You are. Already?” The press of his fingers against Zhenya’s prostate is brutal and unrelenting, and Zhenya feels pinned under Sid’s regard. “You know you’ll thank me for it later.”
“No,” Zhenya says, rolling his neck so he’s facing away from Sid. He’s shivering like he’s cold, thighs shaking as Sid works him over, and the lazy sweeps of the ceiling fan do nothing do relieve the heat. “No, don’t, you—”
“Shh,” Sid says softly, dropping a kiss on Zhenya’s shoulder, and then he pulls his fingers free.
Zhenya whines, clenching around nothing, overwhelmed at how empty he feels, but then Sid’s hands are on him, rolling him onto his side and pressing up against him. Sid runs hot, and their bodies skin-to-skin like this is almost too unbearable.
The sound of Sid slicking up his dick with lube is almost obscene in the quiet room; Sid always uses so much, always groans like it’s the best thing he’s ever felt when he gets a hand on himself, and all Zhenya can do is squirm as he waits.
His whole lower half feels like it’s throbbing, like a bruise he can’t stop pressing on, like the place a tooth used to be that he can’t stop tonguing. His dick is barely hard, smeared with come at the head from his first two orgasms, but when Sid slides into Zhenya’s body, barely giving him time to adjust to the stretch, it twitches, sending a shockwave of pleasurepain up Zhenya’s spine.
“Stop,” he sobs, but he doesn’t mean it, and Sid knows that, gentling him with a hand on his stomach.
Sid feels enormous inside him. Zhenya’s oversensitive, and every pass of Sid’s cock over his prostate, every thrust, makes him shiver and shake in Sid’s arms.
He cries out when Sid’s hand closes around his dick. It’s too much, surely he can’t again, but then Sid’s stroking him, pressing murmured words into his back as he runs his fingers up and down Zhenya’s shaft, squeezing at the head the way Zhenya likes.
Zhenya sobs as he hardens in Sid’s grasp.
“Attaboy,” Sid grunts. “C’mon, let me see it. You can do it, baby, give it to me.” His hand tightens past the point of pleasure, and Zhenya wails and tries to curl into a ball as he comes. It feels like something is being ripped out of him, and his dick hurts, twitching through an orgasm that’s almost entirely dry.
Almost, but not quite.
“You’ve still got some left,” Sid says, lifting his hand and pressing his fingers to Zhenya’s lower lip. Zhenya opens his mouth obediently, letting Sid feed him his own come. “Gotta get it all out or you’ll just be begging for it later. Hold still, baby, and I’ll take care of you.” He pulls his fingers free and gets a hold of Zhenya’s hip, holding him hard enough to bruise as he fucks into him harder, panting hotly against Zhenya’s neck and practically flattening him forward into the bed. He’s not gentle, he’s not careful, and all Zhenya can do is lie there and take it.
“Fuuuuck,” Sid finally groans, hips stuttering forward as he comes. Zhenya can feel Sid’s balls against his own, and Sid’s sweat is dripping off his chest down Zhenya’s back. They’re disgusting, and Zhenya wants to marinate in how this feels all day.
Sid stays in him until he can’t, letting his dick slip out with a sound that makes Zhenya want to hide. He sounds sloppy—loose—wet with lube and come and fucked open by Sid’s fingers and his dick. When Sid rolls him onto his stomach and parts his cheeks to get a better look, Zhenya tries to kick him away, but his legs are heavy and tingling.
“Nice,” Sid says, voice low and dirty and appreciative. “You look pretty sore, bud.”
Zhenya lets himself relax. Three times in one morning is surely enough; now, Sid will go get a washcloth and some lotion, and he’ll clean Zhenya up and give him a massage, and then they’ll go lie out on the deck in the shade until Zhenya feels human enough to shower.
“I better kiss it better,” Sid says instead, and the touch of his tongue to Zhenya’s used hole is so sharply good that all Zhenya can do is writhe and press his poor, abused dick into the mattress and hope Sid finishes him off quickly.
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gentlebeardsbarngrill · 10 months ago
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01/26/2024 Daily OFMD Recap
TLDR; Renew As A Crew/Hoist The Ads; Cast & Crew Sightings; Queerties; Twitter Watch parties; Articles; Reasons to keep fighting; Love Notes; Daily Darby/Tonights Taika;
== Renew As A Crew / Hoist The Ads ==
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Tumblr Post / Twitter Post /Instagram Post
Link to vote
==Cast & Crew Sightings==
While the sighting hasn't occurred yet... looks like Vico Ortiz, Nathan Foad, and Con O'Neill will all be attending Galaxy Con in San Jose on August 16-18, 2024 at the San Jose Mcenery Convention Center. Tickets available now. Src: _irene_adler on IG
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One thing to note.. Chaos dad has been pretty consistent about reaching out every 3 days-ish lately.. I'm interested to see if tomorrow he shows up again. Just a theory.
== Queerties ==
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If you're down, please vote for the Queerties each day! If you want to just vote for OFMD categories, feel free to visit: TV Comedy Best TV Performance Wanna help another Taika/Rhys verse Queertie? Vote for Kaimana for Best Film Performance in Next Goal Wins!
==Twitter Watch Parties==
Sadly, today #PirateOmens came to an end, but our friend @dandeebakes is already fast at work getting other cool Watch parties together! Please send them some love!
=HuntForThePirateHome=
HuntForThePirateHome Watch Party Starts Sunday Jan 28 at 3 PM EST, 12 PT, 8 PM GMT. Hashtags for that event are:
#HuntForThePirateHome
#AdoptOurCrew
#SaveOFMD
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Thank you to @blueberreads for catching these trends on twitter during the Pirate Omens watch, definitely kept engagement up.
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==LubeAsACrew==
#LubeAsACrew is back on 1/31/24 at 4PM PT, 1PM ET. Next up are S1 Episodes 5, 6, 7.
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== How To Help ==
How To Help Save OFMD Task List - US How to Help Save OFMD Task List - Outside US
==Articles==
15 Things We’ll Miss About ‘Our Flag Means Death’
2024’s Canceled Shows, for Your Final Consideration
Relisting The Guardian's article from yesterday because they've opened comments, and it can help with engagement so feel free to comment on it now!
Also, @itsmfgames Has been kind enough to be keeping up a running list of Articles about the campaigns -- so if you have the time and want to go catch up on some articles, please checkout the guide below and visit this google doc for the list! It's been added to the Daily Renewal List for both US and Outside-US, so feel free to check it out there as needed.
== Reasons to Keep Fighting ==
Throwing in some great points from our tumblr folks regarding the cancellation that really helped me feel pumped today.
@celluloidbroomcloset's Our Flag Means Death was cancelled because it’s gay.
@queerly-autistic's break down on why Not All Fan Campaigns Are The Same.
@saltpepperbeard's reasoning for Clinging Onto Hope
@tulipseason's lovely reasons The Show Is Irreplaceable
== Love Notes ==
Alright lovelies. I have so many words to say about how great you all are, how much I love you (and I'm sure you're tired of hearing them), but I went back to work today after 7 days of being sick and now my brain is mush. So instead I'm going to put the text of one of my son's books in here because I think every one of us should feel loved like we were when we were 5.
On The Night You Were Born - By Nancy Tillman On the night you were born, the moon smiled with such wonder that the stars peeked in to see you and the night wind whispered, “Life will never be the same.” Because there had never been anyone like you… ever in the world. So enchanted with you were the wind and the rain, that they whispered the sound of your wonderful name. It sailed through the farmland High on the breeze… Over the ocean… And through the trees… Until everyone heard it and everyone knew of the one and only ever you. Not once had there been such eyes, such a nose, such silly, wiggly, wonderful toes. When the polar bears heard, they danced until dawn. From faraway places, the geese flew home. The moon stayed up until morning next day. And none of the ladybugs flew away. So whenever you doubt just how special you are and you wonder who loves you, how much and how far,  Listen for geese honking high in the sky. (They’re singing a song to remember you by.) Or notice the bears asleep at the zoo. (It’s because they’ve been dancing all night for you!) Or drift off to sleep to the sound of the wind. (Listen closely… it’s whispering your name again!) If the moon stays up until morning one day, or a ladybug lands and decides to stay, or a little bird sits at your window awhile, it’s because they’re all hoping to see you smile… For never before in story or rhyme (not even once upon a time) has the world ever known a you, my friend, and it never will, not ever again… Heaven blew every trumpet And played every horn On the wonderful, marvelous Night you were born
== Daily Darby / Tonights Taika ==
The gifs today are courtesy of our lovely @ofmd-ann who blesses us every day with gifs that make me swoon. Darby / Taika
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Warning to all you gif makers, I'm gonna be bugging the crap out of you soon for permission to share on these recaps :P -- feel free to say no!
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fvck-the-rest · 1 year ago
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Comfort in a Freind
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Highschool!Nanami Kento x GN! reader
word count: 2612
/warnings/ nanami being soft for reader, season two spoilers, slow burn
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This was not how this mission was supposed to go, it was supposed to be only a second level curse, not a local deity. Why did it have to be them that went to go deal with it, did noone go and make sure that the curse was what it was supposed to be? How did it all happen? What happened while they were out there on the mission? How was Haibara killed and what did it take for Nanami to be able to come back alive with Haibara?
Why? Why? WHY? Was all  you would think about right now. You had yet to even go find the other first years. You were supposed to go with them, but the higher-ups decided that only two people were needed for this mission. 
What if you went? Would they be okay? Would you be dead, would you all live? You could not stop the spiral that you were going down. Nothing could pull you out of it. Every way that you thought maybe it would have been different and that you three would still be alive right now and they would tell you all about the mission and how it went and that maybe they were able to do something that they haven’t been able to before. 
You were standing in your dorm when you figured out what had happened. Shoko had come to find you and tell you in person, neither of you thought that you would stand in silence in front of her. Shoko has assumed that you would run to go find the other two and make sure that it was true yourself. But here you were, standing in the doorway without a word, without a single tear. Everything was numb and there was nothing you could do and there was no way you could change what the outcome was either. There was nothing anyone could do. 
“Do you want time alone? I can ask Nanami or Geto or someone to come over if you want. Are you going to say anything? I know you're not okay, please say saything y/n.” Shoko was trying to pull you out of your spiral. You heard her words but couldn’t bring yourself to talk. You wanted to say something, to do something, you wanted to go and see for yourself, see if this was really just some sick joke. But you couldn't, you could only stand there.
 You felt Shoko grab your arm and lead outside of your room and bring you to the morgue. She knew that you wanted to go there and make sure for yourself, but couldn’t bring yourself to do it. She led you to the door before she spoke up, “You can go in if you want to, but know you don’t need to. He’s lying on the table under the white cloth, Geto and Nanami are in there as well if you want to go in and see him one last time.”
You managed to look up and see through the window of what was going on in the room. Nanami was on the other side of the room sitting down with a cloth over his face and Geto was standing next to Haibara on the table. You say now that this was true, and now the only two first years were left. You say the state of his body too, the blood had sipped through the cloth. It was bad, and you could just hope that he died quickly and painlessly, but that was too much mercy for someone of this line of work. 
Not being able to take it anymore you ran away from the morgue,  letting your feet carry you to wherever they wanted you to go. Ending up in the small wood the lines the school. You always liked it here and went here to cool down after a mission or argument, or even just to be alone and forget about being a jujutsu sorcerer for once. You sat down under one of the trees, your legs pushed against your chest, arms wrapped around them. Burying your head into your knees and cried. Enough to make yourself feel even just a little bit better and to moron everything that is going on. This was too much, more than a sixteen year old should have to.
At some point you had fallen asleep under the tree. There was still plenty of light when you came out here and now the sun had fully set and it was dark now, maybe almost midnight. You looked around for your phone and say that it was almost midnight, just as you thought it was. Deciding if you should get up and go back to your room, or just stay where you were. It was cool outside and it was nice to be outside. 
Just as you decided that you were just going to stay outside you heard footsteps coming from behind where you were sitting. Standing up quickly and turning around you realize that it was just Nanami. He looked like a mess, but who could blame him, his hair was a mess and his uniform was unbuttoned and he looked like he dragged himself here. 
“Why are you out here? I’ve been looking for you everywhere, everyone else is in their rooms sleeping. You’ll get a cold staying out here all night.” as he approached he was slowly fixing his hair the best he could. He reached out to take your arm. “Come on, let's get you back to your room. When was the last time you ate, I can get you something if you would like.” 
He was pulling you along with him back to the dorms. You didn’t answer any of his questions and just walked along with him, now with your arms wrapped around his left. The cold was finally getting to you wearing just your uniform without your jacket. 
It took a few minutes to get to the dorms, walking you to your room. It was unlocked as Shoko had just closed it when she took you to the morgue. 
Nanami led you to your bed and had you sit. 
“Go take a shower, you look horrible. I’m going to go get one too and I’ll be right back and we can make something to eat.” with that he turned around and left the room. 
Getting up and grabbing your sleep clothes, you got a shower. It helped with getting the chill off of you and to relax a bit. Feeling better and less dingy after taking one. Turning off the water and putting on your oversized shirt and pants you walked back out to your room. Nanami wasn’t back yet so you sat on your bed and plugged in your phone. Grabbing your book as well and sitting with your back on the headboard and legs stretched out you begane to read. 
After a few chapters Nanami knocked on your door and walked in with a bag from the local convenience store as well as a cup holder with some warm drinks. Seems he had showed and left to go get some proper food for the two of you to have. 
“I went to the convenience store after my shower, hope you didn’t have to wait too long for me. They didn’t have much but I managed to get some things for us to have." He walked over to your bed, setting the bag down on the edge and handing you the drinks. Then he began to pull things out of the bag. Pulling out some onigiri, instant ramen and a meat bun. Along with a random assortment of small candies. He handed you the meat bun in exchange for the drink, taking them out of the holder and setting them on the nightstand. 
He picked up the ramen and went over to your desk where you kept a kettle, turning it on. Eating the meat bun you watched him make the ramen from across the room. He seemed to care a lot about right now. Both needing the comfort of someone after what had happened in the last 24 hours. Neither of you truly knew how to handle things like this, but this was nice, even better if it wasn’t under these conditions. Nanami was kind to you and always helped you with anything you asked for. THe second always jokes about how you and him would make a great couple, even go as far as say that you two would get married if only you two say what they did. Right was one of the first times that you see what they have been teasing you two about. 
“Here I’ll set this here, it’s too hot to eat right now. Oh and I got green tea for the both of us, I was going to get coffee but we need sleep. Is the bun okay?” Nanami had finished making the ramen and brought it over to you and sat it down next to you, grabbing his and going to the other side of the bed and setting his things on the nightstand before climbing on the bed beside you. 
“Mhm, thank you Nanami. You didn’t have to do this you know”  Answering him before taking another bit of your bun. It was actually very good, but not sure if that was just because of the lack of food for the day or if it truly was good. 
“We both need it, so it was really nothing. I know neither of us have eaten well today. You were also the one who fell asleep under a tree” He grabbed his ramen and began to eat from it, not looking at you. Letting out a giggle and a “I was tired”, you finish your bun without another word. 
Pulling out your laptop you clicked a few things and brought up a video for the two of you to watch. Setting the computer on the bed where you both could see it. Then picking up your ramen to also eat from it, it was cool enough to eat now but it was still warm.
The two of you sat and ate in silence, watching the screen in front of you two. Soon enough you both were down with your food and drinks, but neither moved to throw away anything or go to their room. You found you that you were starting to grow tired again, though trying to fight off the sleep, but the feeling of safety that Nanami brought to you didn’t help, soon closing your eyes and falling asleep again. 
Soon enough you feel something next to you start moving, blinking awake. You remember the night before that Nanami was with you on your bed, remembering that you fell asleep while watching videos.
Blinking your eyes open you see Nanami getting up and cleaning up what was left. Throwing away all the wrappers and empty containers. He walked over to your side of the bed and grabbed the empty cup of tea and ramen taking them to the trash. Back over to you, picking up your book, marking it and setting it back on the stand. Looking up he scanned the room before looking at you. 
“You can go back to sleep, I was just cleaning up. I’ll go back to my room to try and get more sleep.” He said in a low voice, he had fallen asleep as well. His hair was a mess again and he sweats he had on where slightly messed up as well. This was a better messy look on him than what he looked like when he found you under the tree in the middle of the night. Really getting to look at his face now you could tell that he was not doing any better than you, he eyes were puffy and slightly red, he cried in his sleep, he also was slightly shifting his weight from where he stood. But, then he turned around, you didn’t want him to leave you alone. 
“NO, wait Nanami,” you yelled out when he started to walk towards the door, “Don’t go, please. I… I don't want to be alone. Please stay”
He turned around to look at you, he didn’t think you would actually want him to stay with you. Slowly walking back over to you, he circled the bed to the other side and laid down on your bed before talking. 
“I suppose I’ll stay with you until we have to get up for training.” It was barely above a whisper, just enough for you to hear him.  He pulled you over in his arms, your face into his chest, bringing the blanket over the both of you. 
“Please don’t leave. Promise to always be by my side, always.” you whispered back to him. In your half asleep state you were not truly listening to what was being said or what you were saying in return, in the morning you won’t remember why Nanami had stayed with you throughout the rest of the night. 
The man next to you let out a small chuckle, saying “I'm not going anywhere, I'll be here if you need me. I won't be losing anyone else.”
Soon your both were fast asleep well into the day and missed morning training, but when the second years say that you two had cuddled up next to each other in order to bring yourselves comfort, they left you alone. There were some things that were best left the way they were, beside you two needed the rest and comfort.  
Besides seeing you two do something with the feelings they all knew you had for each other was a nice breath of fresh air for everyone. Leaving you two to sleep together in peace. 
~bonus~
Blinking your eyes awake you feel Nanami begin to get up out of bed, not wanting him to leave yet and take all his warmth with him you wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him down back into the bed. 
“y/n, we should get up and do training, it's almost noon, we missed morning training already.” he tried to convince you to let go of you, and trying to steady himself, an arm of either side of your head. 
“But Nanami, I'm comfy and you're warm. I don't wanna get up yet” you wined back at him
“Then I will go to train by myself, then you can join when you're ready.” He was still trying to get you to release your grip on him.   
“But you said you wouldn’t leave me, you can’t go back on your word now. I want you to stay with me forever.” winning again at him and pulling him just a bit closer to you, now you're faces only a few inches apart, your eyes were closed so you couldn't see the blush growing on the blond’s face. 
An idea popped into his mind and decided it might be the best way to get you to let him go. Leaning closer to you he closed the gap that was between you to. Kissing you for only a few seconds. In shock you let him go with a small squeal. Pulling away, the blush had grown across his face and a small smirk was on face as well. 
“After training, I won't go anywhere y/n '' was the last thing he said to you, and for never wanting to do overtime, he really pushed himself to make sure that you were always happy and nothing ever hurt you. 
“Oh and call me Kento” before hearing the door close. 
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b0r3dtod3ath · 1 year ago
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No brakes, part 1
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Summary: Every time Y/N has been featured in a “No Brakes” episode (1,2,4,5)
F1 Masterlist 
Word count: 1.25k I think
Warnings (also mentioned before every paragraph): Mentions of working out; a sex joke; mentions of body dysmorphia
Ep. 1 
Daniel had a few weeks in between races and he decided to take you on a trip to Austria. He has been there many times and he wanted you to know how beautiful this country is. The trip was full of bike rides, hiking, and eating schnitzels. After a few days of vacation Daniel started recording a Youtube series called “No brakes”.
You decided to go for a hike. After an hour of climbing a semi-tall mountain you were greeted with an amazing view. You wanted to take a closer look at how high above the ground you actually were. You were about to get closer to the edge when you felt a pair of hands grabbing you “Please be careful. If you were to fall I would jump”. The strong need to keep you safe would often result in Daniel shouting at people. He’s not an irascible person but when it comes to you he has no limits. 
“We are gonna scare them. We’re doing something really cool.” All the camera could see was a smiling face hidden in the bush. You were going down at your own pace, careful not to slip, so you were a bit behind most of the group. It was around noon, green trees hid you from direct sunlight allowing a slight breeze to pass through. As you walked down a small path a group of four people jumped from the bushes. After a short mini heart attack you started dying of laughter causing everyone to laugh too. 
“You want to go up the mountain in the evening and watch the sunset? A few locals said it was really good.” Daniel lowered his voice a bit as you were sitting at a table, eating lunch with a bunch of other guys and his offer was to you only. A lot of the time you were surrounded by other people but he always made sure you two could have a moment alone during the day. He is a busy guy but he always tries to find some quality time for his lover. Whether it’s 15 minutes in his driver’s room before a race or a full evening after a race week. He likes to make sure that he is not distracted, so he would mute his phone and focus on you. 
As you were climbing the mountain, Danny was humming a song that has been stuck in his head for the past few days. At this point you could probably recite the full lyric because you have heard it so many times. “I’m glad you like it here.” says Daniel “Yea, we should come here more often. I think you should rest more, overall.” You were always scared of Daniel overworking himself. You knew being a driver was a hard job and you didn’t want him to feel burned out. You were always there for him. Always gave as much space as he wanted, always gave a shoulder to cry on after a terrible race. You two always cared for each other. 
Ep. 2 (tw: mentions of working out, a sex joke)
Next video featured preparing for the race in Monaco. Daniel was just about to leave the place you were staying in. “I’m going to do a quick workout.” he says, grabbing your waist and kissing your cheek. He always did it before he left. “Oh! By the way, I’m gonna go for a run. I just feel like doing a quick cardio, I don’t know. I just feel this energy.” His lips form the characteristic smile “I thought we were going to do cardio tonight”. He squeezes your hip as you respond “Don’t get your hopes up, Ricciardo. Now go, Michael is probably waiting.” Daniel only moves closer to kiss you. His hands on his hips - trying to convince you that his trainer can wait. You suddenly pull back “Go!”. “Okay, okay. Don’t forget your phone when you go out! I love you.” he laughed. You always had each other’s location shared. He wasn’t controlling you by any means, he just wanted to know you’re safe when you are not with him.
Ep. 4 (singer!reader; solange lyrics; tw: mentions of body dysmorphia) 
You always wanted Daniel to be on your album, even before you two started dating. He always pushed it off saying that he isn’t a good singer but you would find ways to feature him in other ways. You wanted him to read one of the sentences that really got stuck in your mind. He said it one night when you weren’t feeling the best in your body. He knew something was off but he didn’t want to push you. He noticed a pattern when your self confidence was a bit low. Little things that you didn’t pay attention to but he used to read you like an open book. He would always make sure to treat you even better than usual. He would treat you like a literal goddess. He would run you a bath, wash your hair, shower you with kisses constantly reminding you of how beautiful you were.
 It was just gonna be a half a minute interlude. His voice would be a bit edited so it would sound more dreamy. “Ok, so you go in there and you just read this.” You said giving him a piece of paper and pointing at a recording booth. He didn’t really look at the paper until the mic was recording. You gave him a thumbs up and he started to read “Do you realize how magnificent you are? The god that created you is a divine architect. That created the moon, the sun, the stars, Jupiter, Mars, Pluto, Venus. You are the walking embodiment of god consciousness.” As soon as he realized these are the words that he said he instantly started smiling. You did a couple of takes in case and told him to come back. “Aw! I didn’t know you remembered what I said that night!” he pulled you into a hug. He got a bit emotional to be honest. “Are you kidding me? That was the most beautiful thing you have ever came up with. You are gonna get credit for that. A beautiful “Daniel Ricciardo” written in the writers’ rubric.”.
Ep. 5
Daniel loved to impress you by doing donuts. He was about to park when an idea popped in his mind- he could get some extra footage as well as impress you. You were looking at your phone as you felt the car moving unusually, you knew what was going on. You turned to face your boyfriend and gave him a look that told more than words. He started laughing as he saw you in the corner of his eye.
You were supposed to meet Jenson and watch him and Daniel drive go karts. “You sure you don’t want to try? I can teach you.” says Daniel as he is done changing into his racing suit “Nah, I’m good. Don’t worry” you say. Danny always wanted to involve you in everything but you didn’t want to be stuck to him if that makes sense. You would show up to his races and support him but you weren’t really the first one to be on camera. He always respected that but didn’t want you to feel left out.
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maniculum · 8 months ago
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Bestiaryposting Results: Haesorog
Welcome to this week's bestiaryposting results! This is an unusual one in that the entry is short, but we have plenty of physical details. We're also following up two obvious ones with a description I genuinely think nobody can identify unless they're familiar with the bestiary tradition itself, or the sources thereof.
If any of that was confusing to you, please consult past posts on this matter at https://maniculum.tumblr.com/bestiaryposting. You can also keep up with the current beast of the week -- and participate -- by checking out the tag "maniculum bestiaryposting". The entry that our artists are working from this week can be found here:
Anyway, art below the cut in roughly chronological order:
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@silverhart-makes-art (link to post here) took this in a rhinoceros kind of direction, drawing something that reminds me of paleoart depicting prehistoric rhino relatives that I have seen & enjoyed. I was going to say something like "I'm not sure if that was the vibe they were going for", but the linked post cites Brontotherium as an inspiration for the horn, so that's probably what I'm picking up on. The depiction of it defending its young makes this a really interesting image, I think; I like it a lot. Also, the design decisions explained in the linked post are genuinely pretty interesting, so I encourage you to check that out.
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@moonygryffin (link to post here) ran with the "ibis feet, deer head" thing to produce something kind of like a flightless peryton, which I think is pretty cool. What's really clever here, I think, is how the body effectively blends elements of both animals so that it looks like a natural transition between the two. It's kind of bird-shaped, but you can see some deer-shaped elements at the top, and it's got this furry kiwi kind of vibe that's plausibly both "deer" and "bird".
Moonygryffin also suggests that the thing with the feet is the result of our favorite game, Manuscript Telephone, and it was originally the footprint of an ibex, which I think is probably correct. From some quick searching, it looks like Pliny just described this beast as having "cloven hooves". I think it's plausible that a later author changed it for purposes of parallelism -- "size of an ox, fur of a bear, head of a deer, feet of an ibex" -- and then someone else misread it and gave it bird feet. (Do ibexes/ibices* have cloven hooves? I'm going to assume they do, they're goats, right?)
*I checked the OED; both plural forms are attested, though the first is the more common. Which is probably why Tumblr is giving the second one the red underline.
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@cheapsweets (link to post here) went for a similar concept as the above, but in a different medium and interpretation. Genuinely impressed by the realistic detail on the legs and head here -- CheapSweets has mentioned seeking out some reference material and art books recently, so I'm inclined to assume those are really paying off. Look at that thing. There's a lot of interesting material in the linked post, speaking to influences, research, and design decisions, which I think is definitely worth checking out. One thing I want to point out specifically because I missed it the first time I saw this drawing: take a look at the people & dog in the background at the top left. Now look at the trees next to them. One of them is a Haesorog cleverly disguising itself. Excellent.
(Also thank you for providing alt text.)
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@pomrania (link to post here) has collaborated with @theforceisstronginthegirl on this one, which is a delight! Pleased to see you back, Theforceisstronginthegirl. Anyway, they've also clocked the error with the ibis thing: while they don't suggest it's an error for ibex, they do suggest that it refers to cloven hooves, which as previously mentioned is indeed what Pliny says about it. And then they also decided to give it bird feet anyway because that's more fun, which is very much in the spirit of the thing, excellent call. Anyway, the focus of this design is on the camouflage aspect. They've interpreted it as simply having stellar natural camouflage, which is why it's shown next to a tree here -- we can see that the pattern of its fur lets it blend in with the coloration of the trees around it, and that leaves tangled in its antlers along with its ability to stand on two legs enhances the effect.
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@sweetlyfez (link to post here) went with a similar quadrupedal design, shaggy deer-like thing with bird legs, but went the opposite direction with the camouflage. Her post indicates it's shown here "shedding some leaves from the last time it turned into a bush," which means this version of the Haesorog is suggested to have actively supernatural camouflage that allows it to shapeshift. (Which is definitely suggested by the text.) There's something very evocative about the eyes here, which I like. (Also, thank you for including alt text.)
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@coolest-capybara (link to post here) continues to deliver beautifully stylized art. I'm really delighted by the the pose the second Haesorog is taking in order to blend in with the very pretty Stylized Plants around it -- I think this is maybe not the environment where color-shifting is hugely useful, as I have no doubt the first Haesorog is fully aware of its presence. Something that makes this particular design interesting is that between the default coloration displayed on the left and the shape of the feet, you get a kind of "this thing is a step too human for a quadruped" feeling that makes it a little more unique-looking than it might be otherwise. (Also, thanks for including alt text.)
Over all of these entries, I'm noting that one effect of the clear physical description is that it does provide a more restricted space in which artists can play -- it's much more obvious than in other weeks that all of these are the same animal. Whether that's an upside or a downside is, I think, wholly subjective. Now let's look at the Aberdeen Bestiary.
...
Okay, we can't do that actually. The page with the illustration is missing from the Aberdeen Bestiary. So we're looking over to its sister manuscript, the Bodley Bestiary. (MS. Bodl. 764, also digitized online.)
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So this beast is of course the Parander.
Yep, bet everyone feels foolish for not recognizing such a common and well-known animal as the parander.
Also, of course, known as the Tarand or Tarander, of course. Or parandrus / tarandrus in Latin.
Right, so the reason that I was so confident nobody without a thorough background in the bestiary tradition (or Pliny the Elder) would recognize this one is because it's not a real animal. And it's not even one of the mythical ones that managed to get a foothold in the modern consciousness.
I might be overstating the "not a real animal" line, actually; odds are good it's based on one. Let's talk about that.
There have been some guesses as to the parander's identity in scholarship. The Bostock translation of Pliny has a footnote that cites two competing theories: "reindeer" and "elk [aka 'moose']". The reindeer one gets an explanation -- differently-colored summer and winter coats -- but the elk one is just kind of tossed out there as a proposed alternative. My guess (based on it already being past 10:30pm here and not wanting to put in the time to track down a source that's cited only by a last name with no other identifying information) is that that one's about the parander's size being emphasized.
You may say, "excuse me Maniculum, neither of those animals lives anywhere near Ethiopia. What are you playing at? Are you going to try and convince me that the pre-modern definition of 'Ethiopia' was so broad it encompassed the Arctic Circle?" The solution is that the parander wasn't originally described as being from Ethiopia -- Pliny says it's from Scythia. Which... also seems a bit too far south. But it's entirely reasonable that the Scythians were reporting on something seen on a trip north or something they heard about from northern neighbors, which would put "reindeer" and "elk/moose" both back in as options. Scythia is close enough to the range of both of those animals that it's plausible they would be familiar with them.
Someone you may have heard of took a stance on this issue, interestingly. An 18th-century biologist named...
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... Linnaeus. Yep, it's codified right into the scientific name for "reindeer" now, and has been for as long as binomial nomenclature has been a thing. Anyone who wants to make the "elk/moose" argument is going to have a bit of an uphill battle.
All that out of the way, now take a moment and scroll back up to that medieval illustration. Mentally compare it to the description and the art shared in this post. There's something different, right?
You may notice that the artist has given it cloven hooves rather than bird's feet, having not been confused at all by the "footprints of an ibis" thing. Now, often this is the result of the art not actually being directly based on the text, but copied from art in a previous manuscript, so a scribe can write down the wrong word and it won't affect the art at all because the artist may or may not even be reading the text as they work.
Often, but not always. In this case, I would like to float an alternate explanation.
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On the left is the translation of the Bodley Bestiary I have on my shelf, to which I referred when filling in material from missing pages in the Aberdeen Bestiary. On the right is the Bodley Bestiary digitized manuscript.
Now. I am not trained in Latin paleography, so it's possible that I'm misinterpreting an abbreviation. But that word on the right... the penultimate letter certainly looks like a C, doesn't it? Not, e.g., an S? (It would be a long s here, but that doesn't actually help.)
Which means that the manuscript says ibex. The ibex -> ibis confusion is a case of Manuscript Telephone, but it was telephoned in the 1990s.
Again, like I said, I'm not an expert. I've never translated a single page of a Latin manuscript, much less had a book-length translation published in a handsome slipcover edition. So it's very possible I'm missing something. But right now I'm pretty sure that everyone's been drawing bird feet not because of an error made by a medieval scribe, but by the modern translator.
Anyway, that was exciting, right? I hope that makes up for me posting this a few hours later than usual.
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hwanchaesong · 6 months ago
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↗🏢Entering 5th floor: A drug that is more addictive, sweeter than honey, more dangerous than a crime— all equates to you. 🌌
🎧: Chase Atlantic - Falling
wc: 1.0k
genre & warnings: fluff, sprinkle of angst, cursing, hints of friends to lovers, college setting, sneaking out at night, driving, jokes that might be sensitive to some (mental hospital and dying are mentioned), etc etc
a/n: this is a part of The Paradise Hotel series. if y'all want, you can read the other album inspired fics of other groups here.
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The knocks on your glass window made your soul escape your body for a second, waking up your whole sleepy being and alerting you of a possible intruder.
You were about to call 911 but the shadow figure spoke from outside in a hushed, familiar voice.
"It's me, Kai! Please don't call the police on me."
You cringed at the way he perfectly replicated your thoughts through words, detaching yourself from your study table after 16 hours and trudging towards your window.
Pushing the curtains aside revealed your best friend since birth, clinging to the branches of an oak tree, beaming and motioning for you to do something.
You couldn't quite comprehend what he wanted, so you opened the window and asked him in an aggressive manner, with the decibel above a whisper, "What the hell do you want?"
He then points down, your eyes following the direction and only then did you notice his parked car outside your gates.
"No." you said, crossing your arms and was about to close the window but he went wild. Doing kinds of gestures before explaining his motives for the late night visit.
"You could use some break, Y/N. You've been studying non-stop." he pouts, and you can see how sincere he is.
You sigh, looking back at the stacks of paper and endless tabs on your laptop that you have yet to read.
"But-"
"No buts! Come on, Y/N! You need to have some fun too or else you're gonna go crazy soon enough." he then stopped talking, pondering what to say next and you wait for him to finish, "I really don't want to visit you in a mental hospital."
You rolled your eyes at his joke, "Ugh! Fine."
He cheers and you watch him struggle to go down the tree, laughing to yourself before quietly slipping out of your house, meeting your friend who is already waiting for you.
"You don't need to act cool." you remarked, judging his rehearsed pose, leaning on his car with his arms crossed over his chest.
"Way to ruin it, bestie." he says, tossing you the car keys to which you clumsily caught.
"Wai-! What? Hyuka, I can't." you whined, your eyes literally begging him to not make you do this.
Unfortunately for you, since you dissed his cool as fuck pose a while ago, he's not willing to listen to your pleas.
"Nuh uh." he says firmly, opening the driver's door for you to get in, "I've taught you this a million times. You can do it."
He waits for you to enter the vehicle before going to the passenger's seat, making himself comfortable while you sweat yourself to death due to your nerves.
It is true that he has taught you how to drive, even without your license, (not a million times though), but it still makes you anxious.
What if you get into an accident?
What if someone carnaps you while you're in the middle of nowhere?
What if-
"Hey," Huening's calming voice snaps you out of your worries, his hand covering your shaky one, "take a deep breath and calm down. You'll be okay, I'm here with you."
Your glassy orbs met his, and for a moment you felt like the problems on your shoulders have been thrown away.
He always has this effect on you.
When everything is becoming too much to handle, Huening Kai seems to sweep you off of your feet like a divine intervention, giving you a sense of comfort and ease.
"If we die tonight, just know that my father will hunt our ghosts." you joke and he waves it off, saying that he doesn't care about your uptight dad.
You revved the engine up, slowly driving away from your suburbs and out in the city.
It was a fair trip, all is well and you're actually having fun, especially when Kai turned up some street music.
Then all of a sudden, in a dimly lit street, and just when you were daring enough to drive into higher speeds, a cat decided to cross the street.
The car came to a screeching halt, your yells surprising Huening to no end while he also shouts some curses.
"What the fuck was that?!" you wailed, clutching your chest in an attempt to cool your racing heart.
The adrenaline pumping through your veins made you act recklessly, but the funny thing was, you don't mind what happened.
"My god!" Kai laughs, you know that crazy sounding one, and that had you cackling with him.
He peeks at your giggling form, and he thinks that it's illegal for you to be this intoxicatingly gorgeous.
He unconsciously puts a hand on your cheek, his index finger tracing the dark bags under your eyes.
"You haven't been sleeping, have you?" he asks, and your mood becomes sullen when you are reminded of your looming responsibilities in life.
You think it's time to open up to your best friend.
"Been studying non-stop instead." you laugh weakly, removing his hand on your cheek and holding it on yours, playing with his fingers absentmindedly, "It's an important exam and my family wants me to be the top of my class. The pressure has been killing me, to be honest."
Huening's eyes soften, taking the initiative to intertwine his fingers with yours, "I'm proud of you."
You were shocked, happy, and overwhelmed for some reason, "I haven't even done anything yet." you rebut, gazing at his prince-like features.
"You are doing your best, and I'm proud of you for that. Have always been and will always be." he confesses, his words making you feel loved and cared for, appreciated.
"Thank you, Hyuka. That means a lot to me."
It was a tender moment, delicate at its best. Still, you two are on this together, so you only have one thing to do.
Keep stirring the wheel until you're both lost in your dreams and success.
"You're welcome, Y/N. Now, continue driving and let's get some drive-thru." he orders, giving the back of your hand a light peck before letting it go to allow you to drive.
Rolling your eyes at his sassiness, you flipped him off, "Aye aye, captain."
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taglist:
@hyunjinheartbreakprince @lun4kazumii @once27 @purrplegyuu @yawnzsof @baeksofty @shakalakaboomboo @eclipse-777
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kybercrystals94 · 9 months ago
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Hide and Seek and Training
Read here on Ao3!
Febuwhump 2024 | Day 9 | Prompt 9: Bees
Rated: T | Words: 2496 | Summary: Training with Omega goes awry when bees become involved. [Character Focus: Tech, Omega, Hunter, Wrecker, Echo]
“I love this game,” Wrecker whispers loudly to Omega, interrupting Hunter for the third time.
Tech adjusts his goggles irritably. “This isn’t a game, Wrecker. This is training.”
“If it’s training, then why is it fun?”
“I think all training is fun!” Omega pipes up happily.
Hunter sighs. “Can we just get through the instructions before we decide what’s fun and what’s not? Please?”
Echo chuckles from his perch on the Marauder’s ramp. “Kids, listen to your dad!” he calls out.
“Maker help me,” Hunter mutters. He takes a breath and starts again. “Alright. Omega, Wrecker, and Tech…you three, separately, are going to find places in the woods to lay low. Make sure to cover your tracks. After ten minutes, we’re going to see how long it takes me to find you.”
“And the last one found, wins!” Wrecker practically shouts.
Another sigh. “Sure,” Hunter agrees reluctantly.
“This sounds a lot like hide and seek,” Omega comments, smiling brightly up at Wrecker.
“The strategies are similar,” Tech admits, “however, this is a survival simulation.”
Wrecker laughs. “Can we start, Sarge?”
“Get out of here,” Hunter says, waving them off with a grin.
Wrecker and Omega are off like blaster shots, tearing into the forest like their very lives depend on it. Hunter can hear them crashing through the undergrowth even after they’ve disappeared from sight. At this rate, he won’t have to use his enhancements at all to pick up their trail.
Tech takes a much more tactical approach, starting the timer on his chrono and heading out in the opposite direction of his far more enthusiastic siblings. He is absolutely going to give Hunter a run for his credits.
Hunter ambles over to Echo and sits down next to his cyborg brother, glancing at his own chrono to keep track of the time.
“Who are you going after first?” Echo asks.
Hunter chuckles. “How upset do you think Tech would be if I made him lose to Wrecker?”
“You’d better start sleeping with one eye open if you go that route,” Echo muses.
“Well, then, I guess I’ll just play it by ear and see what happens,” Hunter decides, leaning back on his elbows, ready to enjoy the peace and quiet these ten minutes will indulge him.
<<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>>
Omega stops suddenly, turning to look back at where she came from. She can’t see the Marauder through the trees anymore. Perfect. Glancing around, she kneels and touches the cool, damp earth with her fingertips. Hunter will be able to track her to this point easily. Just as she planned. It will make it much more fun when she disappears like a ghost.
With little effort, Omega clambers up the nearest tree, the toes of her boots finding quick purchase in the gnarled bark, and her fingers easily curling around protruding knots. She makes it to the first branch in seconds, and straddles it for a moment to plan her next move. The neighboring tree has a branch nearly touching hers, so she stands and edges her way toward it. A small jump later, and she claims the adjacent tree.
A few minutes lates, Omega is more than half a dozen trees away from where she started. Hunter will begin his search soon. She might have the advantage of him going after her more experienced brothers first; however, she can also imagine him coming after her first, if only to make sure she is safe. Therefore, she needs to get herself out of sight as quickly as possible, just in case.
Omega begins to climb higher, where the leaves and branches become denser. She smiles to herself, wondering if Hunter will be surprised at how well she has done. Her training is finally paying off.
She is so distracted by her joyous thoughts that she doesn’t notice the humm of agitated buzzing just to her left as she settles comfortably onto a thick branch, peering down through the soft leaves.
After a few minutes of quiet, Omega feels the sensation of legs on the back of her neck. She stiffens, resisting the urgent impulse to reach up and slap away the unknown creature. If she threatens it, whatever it is might sting or bite. She prays it has wings and will just fly away on its own. Then the sensation tickles down to the collar of her shirt.
No, no, no, Omega thinks desperately, not down my shirt!
She catches movement on her arm out the corner of her eye. Turning her head, she sees an insect, brightly colored, winged, and armed with a stinger. Omega releases a shuddering breath when she sees another join its friend on her sleeved arm, and another flying lazily past her face.
She notices the buzzing now.
Slowly, Omega looks back at where the branch she sits on meets the tree. Tucked into the crook, a muddy looking structure is swarming with the colorful insects. Bees, Omega’s memory supplies frantically.
She needs to get down from here.
<<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>>
Tech has found the perfect hiding place when his comm pings. Internalizing a sigh of frustration, he glances down at the source code. Crosshair’s old source code…Omega’s current source code. He answers immediately. “Omega?”
“Tech,” Omega’s voice is strained and hushed. She sounds terrified. “I need help. I don’t know what to do!”
“Alright. First, we must remain calm. Tell me exactly what is wrong and where you are,” Tech says, keeping his own voice temperate. He pulls out his data pad and begins the trace on Omega’s beacon.
Omega’s voice quakes, and Tech thinks she might be crying. “I’m–in a tree…and there’s bees? A lot of bees, and they are everywhere! They have stingers, and I’m afraid they’ll sting me if I move.”
Not an unreasonable fear to have under the circumstances. Tech climbs down from his hiding place and begins to follow the beacon at a brisk pace. He plans to briefly research the type of insects Omega has encountered during his trek. It might be vital to her safe extraction from the situation. “Can you describe what these ‘bees’ look like? Do you see their domicile?”
“Uhm,” Omega’s voice wobbles through distractedly, “Yeah. They’re colorful…red and blue and orange and yellow with black stripes. And they have a hive that looks like it’s made out of mud…maybe?”
Tech types in the brief description and pulls up an article on the species. Polychromatic Wasps. His eyes drift over the information briefly. “Alright, Miss Omega, I am enroute to your location now. It seems that this particular species of wasp - or bee - will not attack unless they feel threatened. My recommendation is that you remain perfectly stationary until I arrive.”
“I’m scared,” Omega admits weakly.
Tech hesitates. “I understand. We will have you out of this situation in short order, and you will be fine. I promise.”
“Okay,” Omega says. A slight strengthening in her tone suggests that she believes him.
<<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>>
Hunter is surprised when he hears Tech’s familiar tread coming toward him, and is even more surprised at the speed at which his brother is moving. He comes into view a moment later, not even glancing up from his data pad as he approaches Hunter. “Omega is in distress. We must get to her location immediately.”
Tact and gentle verbal blows are not among Tech’s enhancements. Hunter’s heart rate accelerates to what feels like an inhuman speed. “What? Where is she?” he demands, falling into hurried step next to Tech.
“I’ve got her location locked,” Tech tells him. “She says that she came across a wasp nest when she climbed a tree. She is unharmed at present, just frightened.”
Hunter at first questions why Omega would comm Tech before any of her other brothers, especially brothers that might be closer to her aid. It dawns on him that Omega – always resourceful – would have called Tech first in order for him to provide her the information she would need until rescue came. She knows how to utilize her brothers’ strengths, and for that, he is incredibly proud of her.
“Here,” Tech says, stopping at the base of a tree. He looks up. “Omega?” he calls out.
A small voice calls back from the depths of the leaves and branches. “I’m here, Tech. They haven’t stung me.”
“Excellent!” Tech calls back. He starts to remove his pack.
“I can go,” Hunter says, already putting his hands to the trunk to find his first grips.
Tech shakes his head, dropping his pack to the ground and nudging Hunter aside. “I am far better suited to the task…and I’ll need you down here to catch her when I drop her down.”
“Wait, what?” Hunter asks in alarm, but Tech is already climbing.
<<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>>
Omega almost bursts into tears of relief when Tech appears through the leaves and branches. But she holds them back with a painful swallow, keenly aware that she now has at least a dozen bees crawling over her person, with dozens more flying about, perturbed about their motionless intruder.
Tech climbs the rest of the way up onto the branch, bracing himself so that he is facing Omega. “I have a plan,” he says immediately.
Omega gives the tiniest nod. “Okay.”
“It seems that the wasps are becoming agitated, probably due to the presence of your scent in their territory,” Tech continues. “That is why we are going to remove you from the situation rather abruptly.”
“How?”
“I am going to drop you down from the tree, and Hunter is going to catch you. That is the fastest way.”
“Am I going to get stung?” Omega asks. “They’re all over me!”
Tech moves closer, slowly. “I can see that. Unfortunately, there is the possibility that any or all of us will be stung. While it is painful and not ideal, it is not deadly. Clones are not allergic to bee or wasp stings.”
Omega knows Tech means to be encouraging; however, just the idea of being stung renews her impulse to cry. She sniffs, willing herself to be brave. After all, she got herself into this mess, and her brothers are bravely getting her out, at the risk of being stung themselves.
Taking a deep, fortifying breath, Omega says, “Okay, tell me what I need to do.”
<<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>>
Hunter hates that the canopy of leaves is shielding his siblings from view, although he can hear Omega and Tech talking in hushed tones — which means, he supposes, that they are okay for the moment. If she hadn’t happened to come across a wasp nest doing it, Hunter would be very impressed with Omega’s hiding place. Obviously, though, they still needed to work on her spatial awareness…
His comm crackles to life. “Hunter, I am going to be lowering Omega through the branches, and on the count of three, I will release her. Are you ready to catch her?”
Instead of speaking through his comm, Hunter calls up, “I’m ready!”
“I should note,” Tech adds, as an obvious afterthought, “there is a high likelihood that you and Omega will be stung. I was not able to get many off of her without angering the hive.”
Hunter grits his teeth. He would rather none of them got stung, especially Omega; however, a sting or two is better than the alternative. “Got it,” he calls up.
There is rustling, and then Omega’s boots appear, immediately followed by her legs, torso and head. She is dangling by her arms, both hands clinging tightly to Tech’s forearm. Hunter can see the multicolored wasps crawling against the muted fabric of her clothes. There must be about a dozen of the things. He hopes most of them fly away the moment she drops.
As if they’d be so lucky.
Hunter shifts his stance, readying himself.
Omega’s eyes meet his for a moment, and he sees the tears glistening on her eyelashes.
“We got this, Omega,” he says encouragingly, hoping his expression doesn’t appear as frantic as the blood pounding in his ears.
She nods and looks up again at Tech, who is still invisible to Hunter. “I’m ready.”
Tech says over comms, “One…two…three!”
Omega drops then. It is only a split second between watching her fall and catching her, but it stretches for hours, especially when Omega lets out a squeak of terror at the brief free fall. Hunter catches Omega under her arms and places her on the ground. Using his gloved hands, he swats away the wasps that cling to her. Most of them fly away, but a couple decide to fight back against the assault.
Hunter feels a couple of stings immediately on his exposed wrists, and one just under his right ear. He is more focused on Omega, who seems to have been stung on the back of her neck and hands.
Tech drops down from the tree a moment later. “I suggest we run,” he says as the sound of enraged wasps buzz louder.
Hunter scoops Omega up and runs.
<<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>>
Tech hates being fussed over but Echo is relentless. So he tries to hold as still as possible as Echo analyzes each sting to be sure they are healing properly, and dabbing bacta ointment over the wounds.
“Are you about finished?” he asks with a hiss after Echo accidentally prods a wound a little too hard.
“You are making this harder than it needs to be,” Echo says without a hint of remorse as he pokes at the next sting.
Tech rolls his eyes, but allows Echo to finish his checks without further complaint. At long last, Echo leaves Tech alone to do as he pleases, which is to sit in his rack with his data pad and try not to irritate his minor injuries.
He isn’t left alone for long.
“Tech?”
Tech looks up to see Omega standing at the foot of his bunk.
“Are you doing alright, Omega?” he asks her, noticing the swollen welts on her hands and neck from her own stings. They don’t look red or irritated, which is excellent.
Omega nods, wincing slightly at the movement. “I’m okay. I just wanted to thank you…for helping me…and I’m sorry you got stung more than any of us.”
Tech smiles. “No thanks are necessary. I was more than happy to assist.”
Omega smiles back, but it doesn’t reach her usually bright eyes.
“Also, I meant to tell you,” Tech continues offhandedly, “that had the wasps not been involved, I am quite confident you would have won the training exercise.”
This catches Omega’s attention. She stands a little straighter. “Really?”
“Absolutely,” Tech says. “I was hoping you might share with me your strategy. It could prove to be a valuable resource in the future.”
Omega looks absolutely delighted. “Sure! Are you going to write a report about it?”
“I’ve already started.”
At that, the little girl in their care practically radiates light as she rushes to his side to give him all the details.
END
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