#sailor knot

[artbymyth]

“First you will reach the Sirens, who bewitch all passerby…Around about them lie great heaps of men, flesh rotting from their bones, their skin shriveled up.” -Odyssey, Book 12

“We have lingered in the chambers of sea By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown Till human voices wake us, and we drown” -T.S. Eliot

The many interpretations of the Sirens! A temptress mermaid with wings, the traditional ancient Greek bird woman with her standard courtesan hairstyle (also I made her bird body an Albatross for Rime of the Ancient Mariner vibes), and two more monstrous versions in mermaid and bird beast forms.

[felidaefatigue]

Doodled myself a quick nona to cheer myself up

[puppyeared]

modern au ft @crow-cap's oc sailor <3

the wood markings on xins face were inspired by @zah-likes-tea's art of them hehe

[ltwilliammowett]

Wind Knots

Knots have long been thought to have magical properties, including the power to control the wind. So called wind knots were tied into a piece of rope or a rag and sold by so called wichtes to superstitious sailors, especially captains, who would untie the three knots they contained to release the wind. The 17th century Norwegian Poet Petter Dass explained what happend next:

" Untie but the one for a gentle, good breeze, The sails will be filled, you make progress with ease; But if you the second will loosen, You pull in the canvas to barely half mast. The third will send wind that will race you so fast that pumps you will have to resort it."

So be very careful with your wind knots and use them wisely.

[dozydawn]

hmm, do i actually think the disappearance of rope from rhythmic gymnastics was a blow to the sport (like how i think the elimination of compulsory dance really hurt ice dancing) or do i just always want what i can’t have? or alternatively, am i just feeling sorry for inanimate objects again?

the “official” reason for rope being demoted from the other apparatuses was: too many injuries. it doesn’t hold much water though. yes, rope routines contained more leaps & jumps which took a toll on gymnasts, but those weren’t so heavily required by the time rope was phased out. in terms of hits & bruising, most gymnasts say the clubs are the most injurious apparatus. also the idea that fig cares about injuries🥴you have to laugh.

the much more widely-accepted rumor for its elimination: rope did not film well on television & was the least impressive & exciting apparatus to watch. this is much easier to believe, because it’s the same reason compulsory dance was nixed from ice dance: casual audiences were bored.

& yeah, there’s lots of old rope routines from the 80s and 90s that i haven’t posted, that i can’t fully enjoy because the rope becomes invisible in poor definition. i’ll also admit that in my early days of watching rg, rope was my least favorite. it was on its way out, the least flashy & recognizable apparatus, nobody seemed to care for it.

but the best things are an acquired taste & i’ve come to really appreciate rope & the era of rg it represents. i think it is the most mature apparatus & requires a mature gymnast to truly get the most out it: that’s why it’s a shame rope is only being performed at the junior level. i guess i should just be happy it still exists at all.

rope is also the most malleable and impermanent apparatus, constantly changing. even more so than the ribbon, which becomes useless when it gets tangled. the rope was purposefully knotted, tangled & untangled by the gymnasts as part of the apparatus skillset, which became all the more impressive in the group event.

[practicecourts]

Late Monday, Tuesday Snippet

Thanks for the tag @jamesunderwater

here's a wee snippet (but I think it's familiar to you)

… She takes the sturdy wind-light from where she left it on the floor but before she can light it, she hears footsteps outside. Even with the storm, it’s clear someone’s running up the paved path toward the lighthouse.

For just a moment she hears the pitter-patter of small feet, like a memory, but it’s the sound of a drizzle starting.

The footsteps are heavy and fast.  She wonders who it is. She does not expect any visitors. Apart from the Harbour master the villagers rarely come up here. She always wonders if it could be him. Even when it’s been years her heart still beats faster, every time footsteps come up the hill to the lighthouse.

The door opens a fraction with a creak. It’s jammed, she will have to oil the hinges before they rust completely. The moist sea wind settles on everything. It is patient, with time everything rusts through, everything is worn down, every wall crumbles.

The handle almost slips out of her fingers, the lamp jiggles and she lets the unlit match drop. In the door opening stands a man, he’s staring at her, as if she’s the apparition, instead of him.

“James?” she breathes.

“Lily,” he exhales.

tagging with zero pressure @charmsandtealeaves @nodirectionhome-ao3 @merlinsbbeard @uncertainwallflower @oneofthesirens @mppmaraudergirl @suzyq31

[ikkaku-of-heart]

@celestiialnotes asked: " Your sail looks good from what I can tell. Nothing else needs to be replaced. Typical wear and tear but nothin' needing immediate attention. " A brief pause as he gently knocks on the metal frame of the Polar Tang. " Seen plenty of different ships but this has gotta be a first for me. Ain't half bad. Looks like it's well taken care of. " - Paulie

The Polar Tang was a unique ship, and Ikkaku was generally considered the best person qualified to fix her after any given attack, accident, or just due to general wear and tear. It was a job the engineer was proud to do, giving her best day in and day out, making sure her beautiful submarine was getting the best care possible.

Yet despite her skills and natural inclination towards all things mechanical, Ikkaku also knew there was always something new to learn. And while traditional shipwrights would likely have nothing useful to add, or even have even the slightest understanding of such a magnificent, highly advanced submarine, the ones on Water 7 were considered the best in the world. If there were anyone who could teach her something, it would be them.

Hell, sometimes just getting an outsider's perspective was useful, so when the Hearts had stopped at the famous Captial of Water, she'd insisted on getting the Tang looked at, just to ensure there was nothing she could improve on or had missed.

The blonde shipwright - Paulie, if she had heard right - had certainly taken his job seriously, which Ikkaku appreciated. And she appreciated the comment about her submarine being well taken care of just as much. "Thanks," she said, beaming with pride. "She's the most beautiful and unique ship I've ever seen. From the moment I first laid eyes on her, I knew she was the best damn vessel in the four Blues. And I can promise she's looked after. I'm the head engineer, so I do my damnedest to keep her in tip-top shape."

Resting a hand on the yellow hull, she hummed in contentment. "I'd be surprised if you'd seen anything like her, but I guess if anyone would have, it'd be you folks. Bet you've seen all kinds of beauties sail in, eh?" she asked, giving the man a playful wink.

[tiderider]

extremely detailed baldur's gate 3 companion asks, taken from here & converted into a repost, don't reblog dash prompt .

general

where is your muse recruited? harry's recruited at the nautiloid crash site outside the path that leads directly to the roadside cliffs waypoint that you pull gale out of. the party will find him stomping a dead mindflayer to paste.

do the other companions have special comments or reactions upon recruiting your muse? yes. shadowheart will comment on his usefulness in a fight but will also advise the PC "be careful with that one". astarion will gleefully rejoice in having a fellow violent travel companion and that harry can always be used as a human shield if nothing else. gale, like shadowheart, will advise caution as "i've heard tales of this so called captain. keep your wits about you.". wyll disapproves of harry's recruitment as he's "seen with mine own eyes the wreckage he and his crew have left in their wake", but he can be convinced by the PC by reminding him that they need all the help they can get. lae'zel approves of his recruitment mostly because he's stomping a mindflayer to death. karlach isn't too fussed, though she does comment that she'll burn the skin off his bones if he tries anything untoward.

does your muse have any comments or advice when you recruit other companions? yes. with shadowheart he'll comment that a cleric is always useful in battle so long as their faith doesn't get in the way of doing what's necessary. if the pc fails a perception check with astarion and gets a knife pulled on them, harry will smartly remark that he's interested in seeing how things play out and is "looking forward to a show". otherwise, harry will comment that astarion seems like fun. with gale, he's mostly unimpressed that the wizard got stuck in a rock and will comment that he's not carrying him if his fragile wizard feet get sore on the march to baldur's gate. with wyll, harry is a smartass that mocks his "hero" personia and that they'll be lucky to get out of the grove before sundown as "the blade will make us stop to help every sackless sap we come accross". he likes lae'zel, will comment that he likes violent women. karlach, he also likes her in a more retaliatory way, comments that anyone dumb enough to try and cage her deserves what they get.

what sort of general actions raise or lower your muse's approval? he'll disapprove of PC's that offer their help to others without negotiating payment or favors in return. agreeing to help zevlor, kagha, mol, arabella, or nettie without getting something in return will get a disapproval. doing things for coin will usually get approval, asking for payment upfront, negotiating a deal with rugan, making a bet with lakrissa will get approval. if you choose to kill kagha and the shadowdruids he'll approve, but only if you select specific dialogues that lead to a physical showdown as opposed to failing a charisma roll. if you flirt with him, he'll usually approve. selecting violent confrontations over peaceful negotiations will earn approval, asking him personal questions in act 2 and 3 will earn approval.

are there any instances where your muse can permanently leave the party, depending on PC actions? yes. if you don't interfere in the shadowheart and lae'zel confrontation over the artifact, he will permenantly leave the party. choosing to let shadowheart attack one of their party members in their sleep while they're unarmed and admitting she plans on lying to the party that lae'zel was "turning" is unacceptable to him. failing a charisma roll won't cause him to leave because the PC tried to interfere, however, it will cause him to be extremely distrustful and cruel to shadowheart throughout the remainder of the 3 arcs. also, in act 2 if you choose to abandon his crewmate in moonrise towers while he's in your party, he will leave the party permanently.

do they have any secrets that can be revealed? what are the prerequisites for the secret coming to light? yes and no. harry's "secrets" are the crimes he's committed which can and are brought to light by gale, wyll, and by npc's throughout the arcs that will either recognize his name or who have actually faced him and his crew in battle. harry isn't necessarily keeping his crimes a secret, he just doesn't admit to them of his own volition. with each "crime" revealed, the PC can question him about them and he will answer them honestly.

do they have their own personal quest that spans the course of the game? can it take different branching paths depending on the choices the PC makes? yes, harry's personal quest is reuniting with his captain and crew. hints of his crew are spread out across the arcs, most notable is a crewmate found at moonrise towers but in arc 3 the PC and co must rescue his captain and crew from being hung by order of gortash. the mission is triggered by finding one of his crewmates at the blushing mermaid and the execution is a public spectacle along the coast of wyrm's crossing. it's best to rescue them after destroying the steelwatch factory as there are multiple steelwatchers and flaming fists present.

what do they say when the PC asks them to stay in camp and what do they say when the PC asks them to come adventuring again?

❝ sure, i'll stay. not because you told me to, but because i feel like it. ❞

❝ you sure? fine. but don't come weeping to me when you get hurt. ❞

❝ you sure you want to leave me behind? who'll watch your back? ❞

❝ leaving me behind, ey? don't think i won't remember this. ❞

❝ you better come back in one piece, or i'll hunt you down myself. ❞

❝ stay here? i didn't realize you were in charge of my free time. ❞

does your muse have any escalating conflicts with one of the other companions like the lae'zel and shadowheart knife-fight? nothing quite as lethal, but he does have two cutscenes in camp with wyll, one in act 1 and another in act 3. the first is wyll confronting harry with his crimes and can only be triggered if harry and wyll have been in the same party and traded conversational bouts. the second is harry confronting wyll on his relationship with his father, the confrontation is mocking and provocative but essentially lies in harry attempting to make wyll admit his anger and resentment.

are there any unique npc's associated with your muse that can show up in the course of the game? a crewmate called johnny is found in the cells of moonrise towers having been tracking the nautiloid that kidnapped harry and been taken prisoner by followers of the absolute. there is also gil, the quartermaster found in the blushing mermaid, and his captain and crew found at wyrm's crossing.

are there any moments in the game that trigger unique dialogue for your character? unlocking the gilded chest beside alfira will trigger a conversation with harry where he talks about the first lock he picked. the ship found in the underdark will trigger a conversation with harry where he talks about his first time in the underdark and that "this boat is shit.". accepting auntie ethel or raphael's deals will trigger conversations with harry where he comments he prefers to rely on his own strength and abilities rather than those of beings that enjoy treating them like toys. gods, goddesses, fey, dieties, demons, they're all the same.

story specific

how does your muse advise the PC when it comes to the dream visitor? if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. harry advises the PC not to listen to the dream visitor, advises that it's best to kill them at the first opportunity, not to trust a single thing they say and that something "isn't right" with them.

how does your msue advise the PC on raphael? similar to above. never trust a devil. rely on your own strength and the strength of your allies if you have to, but never accept deals from devils. they'll take and keep taking until you're a shell with nothing left.

how does your muse react to astarion biting the PC? he finds it funny. makes commentary that he thought the PC and astarion were getting down and dirty and that this is much more entertaining. advises astarion that if he tries it on him without asking he'll make him regret it.

how does your muse react to the PC letting abdirak whip them? again, he finds it amusing. he'll comment that abdirak hits like a schoolboy and will say "my turn" at the end.

how does your muse react to the PC taking their first tadpole power? he disapproves but it's the PC's decision, he'll ultimately just tell them that if they start eyeballing people's heads for snacks he's going to have to hurt them.

will your muse stay with the PC regardless of siding with the goblins or the tieflings? yes. harry will show an obvious preference for killing the goblins because they're more of a challenge and will go on to comment that killing the tieflings was like killing fish in a barrel. easy and boring.

what can your muse be found doing at the tiefling/goblin party? at the tiefling party he's playing the lute, he'll comment that the party is "a little tame". at the goblin party he's using a goblin as target practice.

does your muse have comments on who the PC chooses to spend the night with? he's indifferent, he'll typically comment that if the PC gets bored they can always come to his bedroll instead.

does your muse have unique dialogue if the PC lets them die when they steal the blood of lathander? yes. it's mostly harry asking if they're mentally deficient and that they're the worst thief he's ever met, and that if they do dumb shit again he's going to hurt them.

how does your muse react if the PC licks the dead spider in the gauntlet of shar? ❝ rotten spider. haven't had that in years. ❞

what does your muse say if the PC tries to force them to go up on stage with dribbles the clown? ❝ you make me go up there and it's going to become a very different kind of show. ❞

is it possible for your muse to be kidnapped and replaced by orin? how is orin's deception revealed? how do they react to the PC rescuing them in the temple of bhaal? yes, at camp orin's deception is revealed by a successful insight check when orin!harry attempts to seduce the PC to bed. failure to recognize orin will result in orin!harry "cutting" his own throat open. rescuing harry from the temple will have him admit that he didn't think the PC would come for him.

how does your muse react to the PC either allowing astarion to ascend or convincing him to spare the 7000 spawn? allowing astarion to ascend will have harry shake his head and comment that ❝ you'll regret this for the rest of your life. ❞, while freeing the spawn will have him comment ❝ underdark's overdue for some havoc. ❞

how does your muse react to the PC becoming a mindflayer? can they offer to become one themselves? does their reaction change if they're romanced? regardless of whether or not the PC is romanced or not, harry will be adamently against the PC becoming a mindflayer. dependent on the PC's prior actions, he'll attempt to argue that the emperor or orpheus should do it. if the PC goes through with it anyway, he'll tell them that he'll take them out himself if they survive the battle against the absolute.

how does your muse react when the dark urge first reveals their amnesia and murderous thoughts to them? harry isn't too concerned with the amnesia, he advises that if their life before the nautiloid was important, they'd remember it. regarding their murderous thoughts, harry is unconcerned and more or less enthusiastic and advises they channel their violent impulses into their fighting.

how does your muse react to the dark urge killing alfira? harry's confused with a side of suspicion and distrust. he comments on how alfira was harmless and didn't deserve to go out like that, he'll also inform the dark urge that he'll be keeping a greater watch over camp from then on out.

if romanced, how does your muse react to the dark urge trying to kill them in act 2? initially he doesn't take them seriously when they attempt to warn him, once he's bound them he treats the ordeal flippantly, commenting that ❝ this isn't the first time a lover's tried to kill me. ❞ but the aftermath, once the dark urge is within control of themselves again, he takes a more serious position. he'll comfort them and tell them that they will find a way to control their violent urges together.

romance

is your muse romanceable? are there any specific requirements to romancing them? treat him with respect, hear out his concerns ( the PC doesn't have to agree with him ), return his affections, his honesty, and accept him as he is. one major requirement is that harry is polyamourous and that he has many lovers so the PC will need to be comfortable sharing.

does your muse need to be flirted with to start the romance, or will they approach the PC themselves if approval is high enough? he needs to be flirted with. you can "romance" harry even at low approval but it'll be toxic, he won't respect the PC nor will he be affectionate with them.

is your muse polyamorous or monogamous? harry is polyamorous and a requirement to romance him is that the PC is polyamorous. if you attempt to romance him alongside wyll, gale, or karlach, he'll advise that the others aren't open to sharing and that the PC will need to make a harsher decision.

does your muse have a special romance scene at the tiefling/goblin party? yes. he will proposition the PC for a night and the cutscene will happen along the waterfront. the PC has a dialogue option to remark the proximity to camp and harry will say that's ❝ part of the fun ❞ and/or ❝ let them watch, we'll put on a show. ❞.

does the romance have different branching paths, or just one route to take? there's 3, an antagonistic, platonic and romantic route. with low approval the "romance" is entirely physical, essentially both harry and the PC are using one another for physical release and pleasure, within conversation they are each combative with one another. once this romance route is taken it's difficult to get out of unless the PC ends it permenantly. the platonic route is physical while also being on friendly terms, typically the PC would need to "break up with" him and harry will respond with ❝ we can be friends. friends that still do this. ❞ and he'll lean in for a kiss that the PC can accept or reject. the romantic route is difficult as it is only active in act 3 and involves several conversations between the PC and harry and later, the PC, harry, and uma.

how does your muse react to the PC breaking up with them, or choosing another companion over them? with fair or higher approval, harry will proposition a "friends with benefits" relationship with the PC that the PC can accept or reject. his reaction to choosing a companion over him depends on the companion. he's stoked for astarion, karlach, and lae'zel. he comments on the PC's lack of taste if it's wyll or shadowheart and is kind of indifferent towards gale.

what questions can zethino ask the PC about your muse in the love test?

if he could be anywhere in the world right now, where would it be? standing at the bow of his ship, making sail for treasures and fame.

tell me, what drives him to action every day? he doesn't know any other way to live.

what is the worst and greatest thing your love has done? killed his father.

if they're poly, do they have a reaction to the PC engaging in a relationship with halsin? yes, he encourages it and says he'd like to join in and make the PC lose themselves completely.

how does your muse react if the PC has sex with mizora, the emperor, or haarlep? if the PC tells harry that they're going to sleep with mizora, harry is indifferent, commenting that the PC have fun and advises not to get eaten, if he's not told then harry will be annoyed and tell the PC that the expectation of being in a polyamorous relationship is that they communicate when they're interested in someone. he's disgusted if the PC sleeps with the emperor, and threatens to cut off the emperors tentacles, one by one. he's enthusiastic if the PC sleeps with haarlep, commenting that even he's interested in how they feel.

will they join in with the PC and the drow twins? yes. very much enthusiastically.

what are your muse's plans for the future? do they propose to the PC, or is marriage not somethinig they're interested in? harry's future plans are to return to his crew and his ship and go back to the sea. if the PC has romanced him he'll offer them a place on the ship, commenting that their adventures don't have to end. however, harry isn't interested in marriage, a proposal doesn't come up and if the PC mentions it, harry will disregard the idea by commenting that he's never been interested in marriage and that isn't about to change now.

free space

by the end of arc 3, harry's dynamics with the other companions develops into something resembling friendship. he is friendly and even playfully affectionate with blade of avernus wyll, selunite shadowheart and teacher gale. he and wyll swordfight often and with wyll being preoccupied with hunting mizora rather than protecting the sword coast they have a more friendly, sibling-esque dynamic.

he and karlach get long a lot more than when they first met and started interacting. karlach still thinks harry's a little too rough around the edges, and harry still thinks karlach is too naive/kind for her own good. they slept together once but both chose not to pursue a romantic relationship as karlach deserves more than what harry could give her. he's been trying to hook her up with dammon ever since.

harry is closest with liberator lae'zel and unascended astarion. they have a good time when they're together, harry periodically offers astarion a place on his crew commenting that he can just hang out in the hull during daylight. harry is quite proud of lae'zel fighting to free the githyanki from vlaakith and offers his sword if the fight ever comes to faerun.

sharran shadowheart, duke wyll, god gale, ascended astarion and loyalist lae'zel are on harry's shit list. he really doesn't like them and while he doesn't go out of his way to pick fights with them, if they say anything he disapproves of he's quick to become antagonistic and combative. he pities mindflayer!karlach and treats mindflayer!karlach like a completely new/different person to the karlach he knows. he doesn't consider them to be the same person.

[hervey-gervey-chip]

star knot button fidget stick

[humaforever]

When Harry has a jacket with draw strings on it, he'll get bored and start tying extremely intricate knots with the draw strings.

[boricuacherry-blog]

That's crazy that Iowa has not released the full investigative file on Johnny Gosh. It's been how many years since he went missing?? Saying it's still an open case could be bec they don't want more info getting out [that's the only way the full file would be made public].

Everything should be made public atp IMO about a case like Johnny Gosch.

I think that's the same thing going on with JonBenet's dad. He keeps going on hobo tours and doing talks about JonBenet bec he wants the case to remain open ...bec then the full file won't be released.

All signs point to JonBenet Ramsey's father knowing how she died. And even if he didn't, at the very least, he heavily obstructed justice in finding out who did.

Let's be fr...no one broke in that house. And how did John automatically know his daughter's still warm body was laying in that room down in the basement? Why did he and Patsy move? Why did they keep stonewalling police? Also, Patsy wrote that ransom note. It's wild that he's out here smirking about how he can't find the killer, and ppl believe him. I believe there was a pattern of abuse taking place before JonBenet's death, based on her doctor visits. They can absolve him of all the wrongdoing they want, shit, they can absolve deez nuts..it doesn't change the facts of the case.

[grumpyfaceurn]

New level of whimsy: achieved

[puppyeared]

Xīn Yá and @crow-cap ‘s Little Sailor

[ltwilliammowett]

Sailor's knot board, early 20th century

[havithreatendub4]

#Sailor's Knot #earring worn at #Canne Film Festival in #May 2023 seen in Saudi Arabia & Ireland in #December 2023

#jewelry

[verfound]

Dingo files... tie me up

🤣🤣🤣 Did you actually remember this one or did you just get lucky? Bc I'm pretty sure I only half remembered it. 😂

It actually ties into another DF, "Who's Mary?" That one is set before Dingo meets Marinette. Dingo spends the night on the boat when Luka has an explicit dream about Marinette. Luka may have said some things in his sleep, so the next day Dingo's giving him shit about Mary, the name Luka had been moaning in his sleep (Mari).

"Tie Me Up" goes into detail about that dream. Rereading what I have here, I'm not sure how much I actually like it. I still like the concept/set up, but this is probably gonna get scrapped/rewritten before y'all see the finished bit. 🤔

Luka didn’t usually dream about Ladybug.

Even having realized a long time ago who was under the spotted mask, Ladybug wasn’t usually the pigtailed, blue-eyed beauty playing the starring role in his dreams.  Especially his more…intimate dreams.  But as the two girls in question were in fact the same girl, it wasn’t completely unheard of.  It was just…not as common.

Luka wasn’t in love with Ladybug, after all.  He thought she was amazing and incredibly brave, sure, but if he loved Ladybug it was only because he had loved Marinette first, so Marinette was the one who usually showed up in some compromising state of dress or compromising position or…and that’s the way he preferred it.

But when Ladybug had been blasted by Heart’s Desire, an akuma who had received some bad advice from a tabloid column and was encouraging everyone she hit to go after what they truly desired, and had turned to Viperion, looking at him like he was her favorite snack and she couldn’t wait to devour him…well, Viperion had done what any sensible eighteen-year-old boy would do when confronted with his longtime crush turning on him like that.

He turned tail and ran.

And if Ladybug had shot her yoyo at him, tying him up and sending him tumbling to the ground before she’d pounced on him…well, he couldn’t be blamed if it had given his subconscious mind an entirely new avenue of fantasy fodder to explore.

…even if Marinette didn’t remember any of it.  Even if she couldn’t be held accountable for any of it, as everything she had done had been under the akuma’s influence.  Even if the akuma had been telling her to chase after her heart’s desire.

He hadn’t realized that was him.  As perceptive as he was, he had thought her sights were still set on blonde hair and green eyes and…but the akuma had set Ladybug after who she truly longed for, and Ladybug hadn’t tied up Adrien Agreste.

So when he’d gone to sleep that night and had a perfectly innocent dream of standing under the stars above deck, Claire slung over his neck and noodling the song he hadn’t been able to get out of his head since the first time beautiful blue eyes had stared at him in horror…it hadn’t really surprised him when a zipping whirr rang out above the chords.  It hadn’t really surprised him when Ladybug had landed on the deck not five paces away from where he was leaning against the rail, and it hadn’t surprised him when she’d stalked towards him, her yoyo still swinging by her side.

“I am going to tie you up, Luka Couffaine,” she’d purred, and Claire had disappeared in that way things do in dreams when Ladybug reached him, her fingers dancing up his chest.  His throat had bobbed as he swallowed, her eyes sinfully dark as she smiled up at him.  When her fingers had reached his shoulder, they’d slid up along his neck and into his hair, tugging his head down to crash their mouths together.  He was panting heavily when she finally pulled back, her teeth catching his lower lip to bite on her retreat.  “We were interrupted earlier.  I didn’t like that.”

His alarm had woken him up entirely too soon, and he had been painfully hard upon waking.  If he had rushed to the bathroom a little quicker than usual that morning, Juleka hadn’t said anything.