#so i'm happy to see i've improved a bit over time :)

[salsflore]

i think i posted abt this before but anyways i found this old "progress update!" drawing of mine on a discord server i use for saving stuff.. so i was like let me redraw it in 2023, a whole 3-4 yrs later

[sophiamcdougall]

I am never going to complain about Greek Duolingo again

I mean, I am. But still.

So, as some of you know, my family has been coming to this tiny Greek seaside village for several years. Just over a week ago I came out here with my mum, under the impression that early September, after the height of the summer heat, would be a good time to have a holiday. ANYWAY Storm Daniel had other ideas about that. Locally things are improving (I'm actually really pissed off about the disaster-porn tone of most English-language media coverage, but that's another post). The power is back on, there's running water most of the time, and though the latter is not drinkable, a truck from the government came and handled out free bottled water yesterday. But we are currently kind of stuck. Can't do tourist things. Can't go home. There aren't any local flights out until Saturday and the road to Thessaloniki is still closed.

So this evening, feeling kind of aimless and depressed, I go down to the nearest beach with a couple of binbags and start cleaning up in an effort to at least do something positive. I always try to do this at least once out here and obviously, after the storm, there's a lot more plastic and rubbish than usual.

At some point I find this large, round bit of metal - some kind of machinery part, I think -- that's too big for the bag, so I take it to the bins on its own, leaving the rubbish bag on the beach. And when I come back for it, something among the stones beside it moves.

Specifically, it pulls its head sharply inside its shell

So, meanwhile I've been trying to learn some Greek with the help of Duolingo.

I currently have a 33-day streak and... I have questions. Shouldn't I be able to use the past or future tenses by now? Shouldn't I be able to say "x is like y"? I can't do those things. But one thing I absolutely can say all day long is έχω μια χελώνα : I have a turtle.

This is far from the limit of Duolingo Greek's turtle-related content. "An obsession with turtles" is my mother's characterisation. I can inform you that the turtle is not a bird, and, improbably, that the turtle is drinking milk. I can introduce you to a turtle in company with a horse and an elephant. As far as Duolingo is concerned, it really is turtles all the way down.

Now this, you may be able to see, is not a turtle. It has claws rather than flippers. It is a tortoise. I know there are wild tortoises in Greece: my aunt once rescued a pair of them shagging in the middle of the road -- but that was up in the mountains. I've even seen one myself, but it was also on a road and very dead.

I am 95% certain they don't belong on beaches. There's nothing for it to eat, except, unfortunately, a lot of plastic. Even if it gets off the beach it will immediately find itself on a road where it could get hit by a car. I'm pretty sure it must have been washed down by the floodwater and has been just sitting there, dazed, ever since.

Now obviously the first thing I want to do on encountering this unusual animal is to go and tell my mummy, so I do. The tortoise immediately brightens her day. She agrees that the tortoise is not happy on the beach and needs to be taken somewhere safe. it gets surprisingly wriggly when picked up so we put it in a carrier bag with some grapes and cucumber and go looking for somewhere to rehome it.

We find a path leading up between the houses towards a likely-looking field, but before we get very far a dog in a yard goes berserk and a man's head pops over a fence and demands to know what we're doing. He does this in English, as evidently we're just that obviously tourists.

"I found a tortoise on the beach!" I explain. "We want to find somewhere to put it."

"A what," he asks.

"It's like a, you know," I begin and then to my astonishment I find myself saying... "μια χελώνα"

"Oh! A turtle!" he says.

"But from the land. δεν είναι χελώνα", [it is not a turtle,] I say, as I am worried he will tell me to put it back near the sea where I found it. As it turns out it actually IS a χελώνα, Greek does not distinguish between turtles and tortoises, but I don't know that; I can't even name the days of the week or identify any colours other than pink yet, give me a break.

The man's entire demeanour changes and thaws. He does not worry about my turtle-that-is-not-a-turtle conundrum. He knows where οι χελώνες come from and where η χελώνα μας belongs. He leads us through a gate into a courtyard area.

"[somethingsomething] μια χελώνα," he explains to the assembled onlookers, of whom there are, suddenly, a surprising number.

"ΜΙΑ ΧΕΛΩΝΑ!!!" crows the throng of delighted small children, who are, suddenly, everywhere.

"μια χελώνα!" I agree, accepting that at least for current purposes, that is what it is.

"Μπορούμε να δούμε τη χελώνα σας; [can we see your turtle?]" asks an adorable little girl, shyly, and I understand??

The children fucking love looking at the χελώνα and showing it to them is kind of magical?

I finally put the tortoise down on the grass of this wild area off to the side of the courtyard, and marvel aloud that it is weird that I barely know any Greek except how to say μια χελώνα.

"I think she will soon run off," a kind lady called Aspasia assures me, seeing I remain slightly anxious about its fate. "I don't know why I'm saying 'she'. I suppose because χελώνα is feminine in Greek."

"Yes! I know that!" I exclaim, thrilled.

"Well done!" she says. And also she asks if we are OK for drinking water after the storm and if we need any help with anything and is just generally incredibly lovely and now we know more of the neighbours!

So "μια χελώνα" has just become, by a long way, my most-used and most understood and all-around most conversationally successful phrase in Greek. So I guess I have to admit I was wrong to doubt Duolingo's wisdom: it is correct to be obsessed with turtles. And I concede that prior to learning how to count to ten or to distinguish right from left, the simple ability to yell the word TURTLE over and over again is, it turns out, a crucial element of the responsible traveller's social skills.

(I am pretty fluent in Italian and turtles haven't come up in conversation even once?)

[beeseverywhen]

laundry and chemistry (starring: coin cleaning chemicals)

so i saw a post on here about laundry stripping and i wanted to try it out as i live somewhere with really hard water and can’t use very strong detergents day to day as i have very sensitive skin, so it seemed like an interesting thing to try and see what happened

(my suspicion is, it will leach the dye and i’ll have to redye the towels but thats no big issue as i kinda feel like a new colour anyway and am gonna make sure i only put the same colours in together during my trial)

anyway so immediately, i read the instructions and know that some adjustments are gonna have to be made, as borax isnt sold here (banned) so i’ll need a substitute for that at the least. the post directed me to use borax, laundry SOAP not detergent, and washing soda

now straight away i know i need to be on my guard here as a lot of stuff like this will have the same name as an american thing, but be a whole different product. (cleaning products are very different here, in part cause of different regulations, but i think a big factor is actually how we clean stuff? american washing machines tend to be a lot bigger, and with toploaders you can soak stuff/have cold cycles which allows you to use laundry bleach which isnt really used so much here) when i visit my family (non us country but american appliances are common) i have a complete nightmare finding like for like laundry stuff i’m not allergic too

anyway, i’m not so worried about allergies here as after the soak i’ll be rewashing anyway. so laundry SOAP i figure they mean plain soap, like castile soap; washing soda, i figure is likely the same as the soda crystals we use for cleaning, which brings me to the borax. now this i know i definitely cant get here, so i find out that i can make a borax substitute from soda crystals and bicarb of soda, as i’m already using the soda crystals, this seems like a good option.

so i go to buy myself some bicarb, and the shop are selling a product called ‘borax subsitute’ so i decide to pick up this and the bicarb and compare the two.

so soda crystals= sodium carbonate

bicarb of soda= sodium bicarbonate

borax substitute? that’s sodium sesquicarbonate

now i’ve got the borax substitute the bicarb seems a little redundant, however. if i’m mixing any kind of chemical i want to make sure i know what i’m going to end up making, and make sure i’m aware of any risks.

leading me on the the chemistry of this all. i find myself on a coin collecting site, where they explain that by mixing sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO₃) and sodium carbonate (Na₂CO₃) with water i can make sodium sesquicarbonate (Na₃H(CO₃)₂ ) AND CO₂ (so i need to ensure i have good ventilation!)

however i clearly have no need to make my own sodium sesquicarbonate as i have ready made borax substitute. which made me wonder, as i am using sodium sesquiocarbonate rather than borax (sodium tetraborate decahydrate) is the addition of soda crystals (washing soda) (sodium carbonate) now redundant? in fact, why did the original recipe say to mix washing soda and borax, when the washing soda is made of the same components as borax (minus the borate), is there a secondary reaction involved here, or is it a case of overengineering the recipe? and what about the laundry soap? will that react as well?

when i tried to investigate further i stumbled upon sodium percarbonate, otherwise known as oxygenated bleach, and made by mixing soda crystals and hydrogen peroxide. now, while i am willing to risk the dye in the towels somewhat by stripping, i’m not looking to bleach them, so i realise pretty soon that sodium percarbonate is to be avoided

i’m not intending to add any hydrogen peroxide (don’t have any, not very common here), but i do need to make sure that it isnt in any soap that i may use. i know that castille soap is made from olive oil, water, glycerine and potassium hydroxide (lye), so i need to check that mixing the lye and the sodium sesquicarbonate is not going to make anything a) dangerous b) bleaching (like sodium percarbonate). when i tried to research this, i came across a very alarming chemistry forum post in which someone mixed the two, and it lead to a exothermic (hot!) reaction producing a mystery chemical, which they poked??? noting ‘I touched the tip of my finger to it and didn't get any chemical burns.‘ i mean i know this isnt labwork, but have some awareness of health and saftey! don’t tocuh mystery chemicals.

anyway, this reaction turned out to be a one off, likely caused by the soap they’d made containing soy oil, which introduced acid in to the mix, luckily i am not at risk of this as i have a deadly allergy to soy, so no soy oil is in the building. anyway.

by this point i’m really starting to doubt the need for additional detergent, when there is already sodium sesquicarbonate and possibly, washing soda, in the mix. i’m also starting to think that american ‘laundry soap’ is not pure soap as i’d assumed, but maybe something else entirely. looking up american recipes, they all seem to mean something different by laundry soap and some of them are using detergents, honesly i’m still a little unclear on the benefit of combining washing soda and ‘borax substitute’ when washing soda is used to make ‘borax substitute, it seems to me that changing the proprotions of ingredients is unlikely to be helpful (or may be more helpful if it makes something better i guess, but this i doubt) i’ve been hoping i might come across an old web style forum or webpage, where a chemist might explain the benefit of using 3 ingredients rather than one, and explain what is being created when they are all mixed. as i’ve yet to find this, i’ve decided to go with equal amounts of all 3 and then i will experiment with removing one ingredient at a time and comparing the results, in the future.

by comparing the various laundry detergents in my house i have found that they actually vary quite a bit ingredients wise, even tho they are all sensitive non bio detergents, one of them includes optical brighteners including oxygenated bleach, so we will not be using that one with the coloured clothes (funnily enough this is actually the one that i avoid using and only use for rugs and sofa covers and stuff as my skin plays up with it. the other ones don’t seem to have anything major that’ll react with the rest, so lets see

i have also learnt that borate requires hot water to activate it, so the americans i saw using it without hot water, probably arent getting much benefit from it

[entitled-fangirl]

howl at the moon.

Cregan Stark x wife!reader

Summary: The Boltons wish to correct their behaviors and win back the Stark's favor for a previous mishap. But a Stark should never trust a Bolton.

Warnings: cursing, blood, physical fighting, poisoning, death, pleading for life

A/n: based on an ask! This is one of my darkest ones, so please read at your discretion!

Masterlist

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

Cregan groaned as he stretched, sitting up in bed and looking over to the sleeping form next to him.

He hummed happily at seeing the woman lying beside him with her messy hair and a grin even in the dream world.

He leaned over, smoothing the hair from her forehead to place a kiss there. 

She shifted at the feeling and soon, her eyes peered up into his, puffy with the aftereffects of sleep.

Cregan smiled before he willed himself up from bed to begin dressing to break fast.

"Joining me this morning, pretty girl?" He asked over his shoulder. 

She sat up, holding the furs to cover herself. "Perhaps I need a good reason to."

His smile turned to a grin when he turned around to look at her, "And perhaps I have a good reason."

She let out a soft laugh, "Oh really? Pray tell, my lord."

He took steps to her side of the bed, each one heavy to match the darkening look in his eyes as he neared her. "Am I not a good enough reason, wife?"

A teasing grin came to her lips, "Prove it."

His eyes lit up with a fire. He threw his leg over her, pulling himself onto the bed above her. He leaned down to brush his lips against hers, "Perhaps I need to."

They skipped breakfast entirely.

…

"Any word from the prince?"

Cregan shrugged, "Not yet. I don't believe we should hold our breath either way. We have other matters currently to attend to."

The men at the council table all nodded in tandem. 

"If that is all," Cregan sighed. "We're done here."

They all stood, giving various words of thanks as they left. 

Cregan stood and pulled his cloak over him, stopping when one of the men approached him. 

"My lord, may we speak?"

The Lord of Winterfell nodded, "Speak your mind, Bolton."

Lord Bolton sighed, "I fear I've angered you. And if I have, I owe you a plea of forgiveness."

That was the understatement of the century. 

Bolton had wished since his daughter was born that she be betrothed to Cregan. In fact, Rickon Stark had actually heard out the man's plea years before. 

But she was far too young, and it left a bad taste in Cregan's mouth at the thought. 

Denied of it, Bolton had left in a huff, nearly cursing the Stark name as he went.

That was years ago, and things had calmed.

But the wound had reopened when Cregan took Y/n to wife. 

She was no northerner. 

And Bolton hated her for it.

He had grown rather defiant of Stark's commands after the announcement of their betrothal, and it seems even after the wedding, things hadn't changed.

Until now.

Cregan grunted, "I am a man that does not pretend, Bolton. Do you wish for my forgiveness because you are truly regretful, or only because your defiance has gotten you nowhere?"

Bolton let out a tense smile, "Indeed, I am ambitious, my lord. But I truly wish happiness upon you and our lady of Winterfell."

Cregan bit his lip as he stared at the man. After all this, he's suddenly sorry?

He walked past the man, exiting the meeting room and calling over his shoulder, "I'll forgive you when I see improvement."

He then turned around, "I'm a man of action, Bolton. You better be as well." And continued down the hall as if the interaction had not happened at all.

But it seemed Bolton had been adamant about it because his son was begging forgiveness from the lady at the same time.

…

"I don't understand," Y/n said with a tilt of her head.

Randall Bolton, Lord Bolton's only heir, walked with her outside of the stone walls of Winterfell.

"My father… he… he was rather upset when my sister didn't become a Stark. I suppose he's feeling regretful that now that you're here."

She nodded, "I see." She mulled it over before asking, "Well, Cregan didn't swear to it, did he?"

"No, no he didn't. His father only entertained the idea. Nothing became of it."

She hummed as they continued their walk. She finally stopped to fully look at him, "I have no ill will towards your family, if that is of any reassurance. However," she paused. "I will not speak for Cregan. I will not make him decide based on me alone."

Randall smiled, "That's all I wished for. The last thing I want is the Lady of Winterfell to be angry with me. I don't believe I'd rest at night with that knowledge."

She laughed lightly, "Then I do hope you rest well tonight."

"I surely will, my lady."

Another smile from her, "Wonderful. I must return to my duties, but I do hope we get to speak again."

"As do I."

The two walked in opposite directions before he stopped, "You know, I've just considered this."

She turns to look at him.

"Should Lord Stark truly give us his forgiveness, perhaps you'll visit the Dreadfort."

"I wouldn't wish to intrude-"

"-Nonsense." He smiled, "It is on the way to the Wall. Next time Lord Stark makes his trek there, we will be happy to house him." He paused, "And you, of course, if you accompany him."

She nodded, "That sounds lovely. I'd like that. Thank you."

…

"They're all pigs, really."

"Cregan!"

"They are!"

She sighed lightly and leaned back against the headboard of their bed, pulling her legs up, "You're too firm."

He turned to her. His eyes softened a bit at the sight of her so comfortable on their bed. He let out a soft breath. "And you're too kind."

"How are they to prove themselves if you never give them the chance?"

Cregan grunted, "If they want my approval so badly, they should not have acted so in the first place."

She rested her head on her knees as she looked at him, "Can you blame a man for wanting the best for his daughter?"

He whipped his head around to her at her words. 

Perhaps he hadn't considered it like that.

She continued, "If there was even a slight hint that your daughter could do well in life, would you not push for it all you could?"

He stared at her, his eyes studying intensely. "One chance. A disapproving stare and I'll gut them all."

She threw her head back with a laugh, "You cannot gut every man you disagree with!"

He grinned, "It's not for me. It's for you."

Her brows furrowed.

"I'll not have disrespect to my girl, that I promise you."

…

"Got everything, my love?" He asked. 

She tried to answer, but was too occupied trying to tie the strings of her cloak together with gloved fingers.

He let out a breathy chuckle, "C'mere, girl."

He gripped the strings with ease, beginning to tie them.

She tried to look down at it, but he gently pushed her chin up with one of his fingers, "Can't see when you do that."

She opted then to stare at the broad man in front of her. So focused on tying the strings of his little wife's cloak.

Once done, he shifted the cloak, righting it on her shoulders, then running his hands up and down her arms to make heat for her, "You're ready?"

She nodded, and the two moved to begin their long trek.

…

The Dreadfort wasn't as far as she had thought it was. 

And thought it had fort in the name, she still didn't expect it to be as intimidating as it was.

But Randall and Lord Bolton were quick to greet the group.

Cregan made no effort to initially return the greeting as he moved off his horse and immediately go to hers to help her down.

She was the first to speak to them, and all the while, Cregan kept a steady and firm hand on her at all times. 

It was one thing to beg for his forgiveness, but to use his girl for her empathy so easily?

They played her like a fiddle, and he hated the sound of it.

…

A few hours of rest and recovery and the two found themselves dressing for supper.

"They've been kind thus far, Cregan. You have to give them room to improve."

He let out a long sigh as he buttoned his vest.

She took that as answer enough.

She turned to the mirror, righting the dress on her as reached behind herself to tie it.

She stared down at the ground in concentration of what she was feeling, and almost jumped when his fingers joined hers.

"C'mere, pretty. We'll be here all day if you do it like that," he teased.

She laughed lightly and pulled her hands away to let him do it.

It wasn't the first time Cregan had messed with the thin strings of her gowns.

All the practice had made him quite good at it.

He leaned into her, "This is their one chance."

"But if you are constantly looking for something to be wrong, then you have no intention of finding them right."

His jaw clenched and he accidentally pulled too tight, making him let out a soft apology before continuing, "I have trusted them with the most precious thing I have. What more of a chance can I supply them with?"

She looked up at him in the mirror, "And what's that?"

He tilted his head and raised his eyebrows, "Must I say it?"

Realization dawned on her and she smiled, "Am I truly the most precious thing you have?"

He had to hold in the laugh he procured at her question. "If I am truly a wolf, my love, then perhaps you are the moon."

She hummed as he finished tying her dress.

Once finished, he pulled her back into his chest to speak lowly in her ear, "You are truly like the moon to me."

She leaned against him with a furrowed brow as they looked in the mirror. 

When she said nothing, he continued, "I am drawn to you, pretty. I dunno why. I'm like a wolf, hunting every night, desperate to satisfy a hunger for something I don't understand." 

His grip on her tightened, "And so, I call out, hoping that the one thing that is my greatest asset is listening for me. A bright moon that lights my path."

He kissed the side of her head, "You know, my father once told me that he believe that wolf and the moon to be great lovers when on earth together."

She finally spoke up, "A legend?"

He shrugged, "Dunno. But father said their love was so strong that it outshone the gods, so they were punished and separated at death. Now stuck for eternity, yearning for one another but shall never feel the other's warmth again."

She let out a breath and placed her hands on his around her waist. "Then I don't want to be the moon."

He leaned down to kiss her shoulder, "Why's that?"

"I don't want to be separated from you."

He smiled, "Neither do I, my girl." He let her go and moved to pick up his boots, "Let us finish here before we're late to sup."

…

With a little bit of wine, Cregan had managed to relax. 

In fact, he even smiled a few times. 

"And then he brought me a donkey!" Randall announced the punchline.

The table erupted in laughs.

Y/n turned to Cregan, absolutely enamored with his laugh. 

And when his arm stretched over the back of her chair as well, she had to cross her legs to keep herself focused.

Her husband leaned over to her, "Not hungry much?"

She looked down to her plate that had been hardly picked at, "Weary from the journey, I believe."

"You know," Lord Bolton said as he leaned forward. "We have an incredible collection of tapestries hanging in one of our corridors. Perhaps Randall could show you."

She looked to the Lord, Randall, then to Cregan. Cregan stared back in silent communication.

She sipped her wine steadily then nodded, "Yes, that sounds lovely."

Cregan stood and held an arm out to help her up, which she took. 

She turned to him and placed her other hand on his chest. "I'll retire after for the night." She tilted her head, "Enjoy yourself, but don't leave me waiting too long, my wolf."

He grinned, "I wouldn't dare."

She laughed lightly and moved to Randall, but a confused emotion ran over her face.

"You alright, Lady Stark?" Randall asked. 

She nodded, "Yes. Yes, I'm just fine."

Cregan watched them carefully until they were out of range. 

…

"And this one," Randall pointed out, "was weaved by my great grandmother. They said she predicted the choosing of King Viserys over Princess Rhaenys."

She looked up with a furrowed brow, "Do you believe that?"

He smiled, "No."

She hummed and moved towards the tapestry, but her legs buckled on her before she could and she fell to her knees.

Randall was quick to move to her. He crouched down, "My lady, are you alright?"

She held a hand to her forehead. Everything was spinning so fast. 

"Let me grab the maester-"

"-I don't-"

"-Stop. I'll not have my Lady Stark ill."

He made quick work to barking at a servant to find the maester.

He practically picked her up himself, helping her to her chambers.

…

"Lord Stark," one of the servants interrupted.

Lord Bolton grumbled, "This better be important."

"My lord, your presence has been requested in your chambers."

Cregan's brow furrowed. That was unlike his wife.

Bolton grinned, "Perhaps you've kept the lass waiting too long. Needy little things, wives."

The servant shook her head, "The maester was fetched for the lady, my lord."

Cregan immediately moved to his feet, not caring about the chair that fell over loudly at the force. 

"Lord Stark," Bolton started.

"I have no time," Cregan stated with no hesitation.

And he made quick work to journeying down the halls of the fort to her. 

…

"Why not? I don't understand," A voice whispered in one of the corridors.

Cregan paused, moving down the hall towards the sound.

"I'm sorry, but that was my order." A new voice.

"And what if I'm the one demanding something?" The first voice asked angrily.

"I follow your father, not you, Randall. I'm sorry."

Randall.

"You're the fucking maester, you can't just-"

"I do what I am told. As should you."

Cregan's eyes widened and he began to travel faster, hoping to relieve the horrid pain that started in his heart.

…

When he entered their chambers, she laid asleep on the bed, the furs pulled over her to preserve heat. 

But her skin was already too pale and a layer of sweat had formed. 

Cregan cursed lightly as he sat on the bed. 

What the hell had happened so suddenly?

His hand started to shake as he brought it up to her face.

Her skin was cold. 

He began to shake his head in denial. 

The maester entered and Cregan jumped. "Forgive me, my lord. I did not mean to frighten you."

Cregan felt weak. He had never felt weak before.

The maester moved to the bed, "We've done all we can for her. It's a passing illness. Only time will heal it."

His teeth began to grind. "I don't believe you."

The man looked thrown off, "My lord?"

Cregan grabbed the man by the tunic and shoved him to the wall, growling in his face with a fire that was terrified of being extinguished. "You're letting her die."

The maester's breath quickened and denied his words, "My lord, I'm doing all I can."

"What's keeping me from ripping your throat out here now?" Cregan asked with a set jaw.

"I… um… I suppose nothing my lord."

"Then fucking work."

But when Cregan released him, he ran from the room.

He growled and moved to follow him when a cough sounded from the bed.

A groggy and weak voice came from the woman, "Cre…Cregan."

He moved to her, pulling her hand in his as he sat on the bed, "I'm here, my girl."

She let out a whine, "It all hurts."

He nodded, "I know."

She stared at him in thought as hot tears flooded her eyes.

"Am I going to die, Cregan?"

A breath involuntarily left his throat. 

He'd seen death. Looked it in the eyes himself. Watched it take everything from him. His father. His brother. Kings and rulers fell everyday at its hands. 

He couldn't let it do this to him. 

He shook his head, "No. No, my girl. You'll live."

They both knew it was a lie.

When the tears began to run down her face, he cradled her to his chest like she was glass. 

"Don't let me die, Cregan! Please, please. I'll… I'll be good. Please… d…don't let me go!"

He stared at the wall in pure fear. 

When had he ever felt fear?

He wasn't sure he had before.

He'd have recognized the feeling of that twisting in his gut with every sound of her sobs.

She began to hiccup profusely and he was practically holding her up all by himself.

He pulled her flush against him.

"Shhh… you've gotta breathe for me. Please. Please."

All of a sudden, there was silence. 

He just stared at the wall. He couldn't move. Couldn't breathe.  

He didn't want to look at her. But human nature made him yearn to look disaster in the eye.

He pulled her from his shoulder.

Dead.

The sound that ripped out of Cregan's throat was animalistic. 

And he pulled her to him once again, rocking her back and forth in an attempt to comfort her. 

Even he knew it was in vain, but he couldn't bring himself to do anything else.

…

"I'll kill you!" Randall roared.

"Keep your fucking voice down," Bolton cursed.

"You're killing an innocent girl for what? Revenge? On something that never happened?"

Bolton's eyes locked into stone, "Don't speak on something you don't know, boy."

Cregan walked in, a mere shell. 

His eyes were looking nowhere and everywhere all at once, as if waiting for a hidden truth to reveal itself. 

To wake up from a dream. 

Bolton feigned innocence, "Is everything alright, my lord?"

"She's dead."

Oh fuck.

A breath escaped Randall and he began to shake his head, "I can't sit by with this."

"Randall-"

"My lord," Randall ran forward to Cregan. "My lord, he's plotted th-"

"-Quiet!" Bolton yelled.

But Cregan had heard it.

His eyes slowly wandered up from the ground to the older man's body, each inch giving him more life.

When they settled on the Bolton's face, the wolf of the north was seething.

His voice was so low, it sounded like thunder, "I'll have your fucking head."

"Now, Stark-" he tried to reason.

Cregan marched forward, quickly closing the distance between them before he grabbed him by the tunic and landed a heavy punch in the face.

Blood seeped from the man's nose, but Cregan was far from finished with him.

Servants rushed forward to stop him, but Randall quickly aided him in keeping them away.

Cregan landed hit after hit on the man.

And when he fell to the ground, it only spurred Cregan on. 

Blood stained his hands, tunic, pants, even his hair. 

Cregan didn't care.

When the man let out a bloody smile, and Cregan's hand faltered.

The man spit blood to the side, "Maybe if the bitch hadn't indulged herself in the wine, she'd have this by now."

He pulled a vial from his pocket. 

An antidote.

Cregan turned into an animal, panting harshly with a wild look in his eyes.

He only saw red, completely out of reason with his actions. 

Only when Randall had physically pulled him from the man did he come back to.

Bolton's face was unidentifiable. 

And Cregan finally felt the stick residue of the blood on his hands. 

It felt like it stained beyond his hands. Deep into the bone.

He sat on the ground, holding back the overwhelming urge to cry.

…

Never did a day pass where Cregan didn't wear the vial around his neck.

And he couldn't bring himself to leave the walls of Winterfell when the moon was out there to greet him.

A painful reminder of what had passed.

She had said she didn't want to be the moon.

So he had to promise himself to not become the wolf.

However, it didn't stop his howling at night in dreams, yearning for the love he had lost due to the jealousy of not the gods, but man.

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

Cregan Stark taglist: @cosmosnkaz, @sithapprentice, @kaniromi, @lovemesomevesey, @its-jackie-bb, @callsignwidow, @8812-342, @nyxbranwenn,

[fangsandfeels]

The vagueness of Astarion sleeping mechanics drives me mad sometimes

So, the game says that elves don't sleep - to the point where it's ironically stated that the only way for them to experience sleeping is to either drink a potion of Angelic Slumber or "get hit really hard with a chair".

Instead, they enter a semi-aware meditative state (Revery) where they experience memories from their past lives (usually most positive and emotional parts). Or they just sorting through their current memories.

Now, we've seen Astarion meditating if his way of lying on a bedroll is anything to go by. He is also immune to sleeping spells. We could also see him sleeping (in a Durge run). I know that devs technically recycle the same sleeping pose for all romanced companions, but still. Also, Astarion has nightmares, which is not typical for elves.

Of course, when I was going through the lore, I scratched the surface, but from what I understood, Revery is supposed to be a controlled state, and nightmares aren't exactly controlled.

But, I've found a very interesting bit that (so far) is still considered part of the official canon:

Elves can sleep and dream just like any human, but almost all surface elves avoid doing so. Dreams, as humans know them, are strange and confusing to elves. Unlike the actual memories of one’s primal soul, present life, or past lives, dreams are uncontrolled products of the subconscious, and perhaps the subconscious minds of those past lives or primal souls as well. An elf who dreams must always wonder whose mind these thoughts first arose from, and why. Priests of Sehanine Moonbow are an exception: they sleep and dream to receive signs from their god, and elves consult such priests to interpret their own dreams."

From: Mordenkainrn's Tome Of Foes, Chapter 2: Elves

And not only does this little bit explain a lot, but it also provides some food for your fic writing purposes.

Now, I'm entering the headcanon territory, so be warned.

Astarion's access to Revery got horribly fucked up after he had been Turned. Not only does he no longer have access to his previous lives since he is technically dead and plucked from the cycle, but he also can't even have his happy or good memories before he became a spawn. Even if they are still there, somewhere in the memory palace, getting to them requires going through the catalog of traumatic and painful memories he acquired after being enslaved by Cazador. It's like running through a burning house trying to rescue your family photo - and the hall gets longer each time. So, entering a trance means confronting the worst memories of his life over and over because there is nothing else there.

Due to this Astarion may resort to sleeping, which elves don't usually do. Elves don't like dreams because dreams are subconscious, and they can't be controlled, which scares them. For Astarion, however, it means there is a chance of him subconsciously dreaming of something nice or just being blissfully empty. However, it doesn't safeguard him from nightmares which (because they are the product of his unconsciousness) get even more twisted than simple memories.

Additionally, there can be a possibility that after becoming a spawn he got cut off from meditation and trances completely, relying on sleeping only: at least, the cut spawn epilogue by Withers mentions how while Astarion needs to sleep again, he doesn't sleep alone. While we don't know what that means exactly (and whether it will ever be implemented in the game), I assume that the tadpole gave him the ability to meditate back, but it was a small improvement because his memory headspace no longer holds happy memories capable of offering solace or refuge.

So, my personal headcanon is that he switches between meditating and sleeping depending on how aware he needs to be, and whatever option feels less torturous at the moment.

For instance, in his Origin run, when he remembers the moment of Cazador carving scars into him, he is in a trance. Which is why the memory is so horribly vivid, as if he is reliving it anew.

However, when he has a nightmare where Cazador finds him, he is sleeping and experiencing a memory affected by his subconsciousness. Which is why he jolts himself awake and desperate to know the limits of his freedom.

So, yes, the man literally can't catch a break.

On a happier note (and for your hurt/comfort fanfiction purposes), once Astarion starts traveling with Tav and the group, his memory bank gets updated with memories that are actually fun and nice, so he has something to linger upon when he is meditating. Sleeping gradually becomes a bit more pleasant experience because his subconsciousness got more material to work with, so the quality of his non-controlled dreams has to gradually improve.

[makanidotdot]

You've been one of my all-time favorite artists for years now. I was wondering if there was any random tips you'd like to share when it comes to creating art? Perhaps a bit of your mindset when working? Would assume you get a lot of these type of asks, so feel free to ignore it.

I'm happy to see your posting here a bit again, by the way.

I've been thinking abt this all week lol UHH I think a good general artist-y tip I could give is maybe just: if you want to make something, make it. Do as much of, or as little of it as you want. Learn to mentally repel anything internal or external that makes you feel insecure or lazy or cringe or whatever for what you want to make. Because it's not specific exercises or routines or types of art that will make you a better artist- it's just Doing. And if you indulge in what you like, you will do more. The more you do, the more you'll learn, the more you'll level up and want to learn the next new thing that will help you make what you want to make better, and then voila you've got the makings of a decent robust skillset.

The reverse tip of that is don't force yourself to make art if you're not feeling it either. Taking breaks is actually really good for overall improvement too.

Also take an anatomy course and learn how to pose 3d models and draw over them lol

[thyfleshc0nsumed]

So I'm a phone sex operator and given the fact that I'm a trans woman, the vast majority of my clients come to me with sissy or sissy adjacent fetishes. Some of them are perfectly happy to keep their 'feminine expression' kept in a box most of the time. Some of them are a okay with it being just something they do to get their rocks off. It's a hobby for them.

But a lot of them aren't. So many of them want to be, cuz frankly, being fulfilled by dressing up on the weekends means that change is not required. If I can cordon off this part of myself and be perfectly happy, what is there to change?

A lot of my clients clearly aren't happy with that arrangement of their lives. Some of them will never do anything about it. But some of them are on the precipice of change. The come to me to talk through it.

I've talked to a bit under two dozen of these sorts in depth. One things that I see over and over and over again is this preoccupation with this question--"am I really trans?", and I think it's the wrong question to be asking, cuz, well, it kinda doesn't really matter.

Whatever it is that makes us feel these particular feelings about ourselves is placed within the context of our society's systems of gender. What 'trans' is is not fixed, natural, or god ordained, it's socially created.

So this question of "am I trans" just isn't very helpful. What I really wish they were asking themselves is "I feel xyz way, what am I going to do about it?" Cuz that's a material question. "What steps can I take to live a happier life?"

A lot of these girls are carried by inertia. In many ways, it's easier to keep things the same and be unhappy than make changes to improve our quality of life. But I think we owe it to ourselves to do the scary shit, to live authentically. Cuz we've only got this one life, best to start living it.

[ninja-knox-ur-sox-off]

Alright, here we go

First and foremost I want to talk about what flying bark's animation has meant to me.

In a world where every day I see 2d animation being rejected for cheaper 3d and puppet animation at every turn, Monkie Kid's animation was the one of the first things that gave me hope for the future of 2D animation. I can't tell you how long I've been wanting a 2D animated show, growing up I wanted one so desperately, I craved good animation amongst the stiff 3D and flat storytelling, so when I got it, when Monkie Kid happened, I was so unbelievably happy. It was everything I wanted in a show, gorgeous animation, excellent voice actors, romance free and friendly to my desperate friendship-craving, romance-overstimulated brain and written in a way I enjoyed so much. I struggle to describe exactly how much I’ve adored everything this show has been up until this point. It truly is a masterpiece.

Monkie kid has kept me company during the lowest and roughest points in my life. I got to such a bad place mentally but Monkie Kid’s fast-paced, snappy, detailed, colourful bright animation brought light into my darkest mental times and not only helped me stay connected with people but kept me creating even when I wanted nothing more than to lay on the floor and never move again. I'm aware most of the flying bark team is active on the bird app and none of them are gonna see this most likely but I still just wanted to say thank you. Thank you so much for animating this show, thank you so much for giving it your all. Thank you so much for giving me something I’ve always wanted so perfectly. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you for keeping me company at my lowest, thank you for sharing your joy of animation so I could catch some of those rays of sunlight and feel a little of that joy too. Thank you for your positivity and good vibes, thank you. 

I know so many people have gotten inspiration from flying bark and I have to add myself to the infinite list. My art has improved so much thanks to their inspiration. My style has developed, I’ve had so much fun, I’ve written some of my favorite works ever based off of expressions that the characters make alone. My last amv I made because I was so grateful for the animation that we'd gotten up to that point. I wanted to showcase, to thank, to appreciate. I didn’t know it would be a goodbye. Words can't describe all that flying bark's animation and even their storyboards have done for me. When nothing could make me happy, monkie kid wormed its way into my brain and somehow kept me in one piece. I know that wouldn’t have been possible without the animation that left me at the edge of my seat, breathless and laughing over how incredible it really was every single time. Every new clip, every new episode I’d pause and rewatch again, I’d rewatch over and over, I’d take screenshots of every goofy background character, I’d screenshot every expression I could, I’d go through episodes frame-by-frame, literally one at a time for hours on end just so i could catch every detail, I’d open my eyes wider and wider to try and take in every bit I could in a way I’ve never been able to do before because there is nothing else out there like monkie kid. There was nothing as fun and as joyful as every single frame that flying bark gave us. And I am going to miss that so much.

The fact that season 4 was a sendoff is so heartbreaking to me, it's hard to describe how devastated I feel knowing something that kept hold of my hand when I was facing hard hard things in my life is suddenly gone. I don’t know how to ever express how important this show has been to me, it’s kept me going and helped me get to a place where I could breathe again. It’s connected me with some of the greatest people I know. It’s given me incredible experiences, introduced me to what animation could be and I can’t lie and say it doesn’t hurt having to say goodbye so suddenly. 

I know this isn’t the end of Monkie Kid as a show. I know season 5 is still coming. And I also know Monkie Kid has lost a huge part of what made it unique and special, a huge part of its heart and soul. Without flying bark it feels like half the show is missing and although I hope I can still support the show, no one can deny the cavern-sized hole that is left by flying bark’s absence in it. The animation team has such an incredibly positive atmosphere around them that just absolutely radiates from the things they create. I am going to miss that so desperately in monkie kid. I’m going to support every other show flying bark works on, I’m still going to love their animation wherever it goes, but I am going to miss it in monkie kid like nothing else I’ve ever missed.

I do have some other thoughts regarding the new changes in monkie kid but I wanted to keep that separate from the actual farewell, so that’ll be it’s own post and I just want to end this by saying thanks for everything Flying Bark you’ve been a real one. Thank you, thank you, thank you. You’re already being missed so hard it hurts. Keep those good vibes and keep up what you’re doing. You all really are incredible and an inspiration to artists everywhere. We love this show because of the voice actors, because of the writers, because of the music but a great deal of people loved this show because of you. You’ve inspired a community of artists, you’ve inspired me. Thank you flying bark for everything you've given us, you gave it your all and I’m gonna carry the impact you left on me for the rest of my life. 

LOVE YOU FLYING BARK. Here's to a bright future. Thanks for everything <3 

[parisoonic]

I just want to say I love how you do your lineart, it looks so good! ahhhhhhhh!!

I'm gathering a lot of advice about the topic of lineart and I just wanna know how you get it to look like that? My line weight is getting better but the drawing itself just comes out a bit.. weird.

Thank you so much! Lineart is probably the thing I've been working hardest on as I am not a lineartist (and still struggle a lot) but it's something I really need to get better at for my job. UM there's honestly so much that could be said on the topic of lineart. Big things for me are:

Weight -> Use line weight (aka thickness) to describe form, lighting, contact and scale. Thick lines imply shadow, contact and nearness-to-camera. Thin lines imply tension, recession and light.

Straights vs Curves -> Use straight lines against curved ones for maximum interest. This is partly a character design thing but as we're using lines to describe our characters it's worth mentioning :)

Complex vx Simple -> Use complex lines against simple. Faces are always complex so therefore the backs of heads should always be simple. Chests are quite complex so backs should be simple. Dorsal sides of the arms are complex (Delt, tricep, bicep) whilst the ventral side is more simple (tricep...mainly) etc.

'Think in Ink' -> Lower your sketch layer almost to 0% opacity so you're not getting hung up on how nice/energetic your sketch look and instead are approaching the piece from an ink mindset. BUT it's digital! So if there's something in your sketch that you like just bring it forward (copy and paste) into your ink layer. I sketch and ink with the same brush so I can use this workflow

'Confidence' -> small hesitant feathery lines will look nervous compared to big swooping lines. Less is always more. I'll redraw arms/limbs until I can get the appearance that it was done in one brush stroke. Again it's digital so you can erase to cheat this look : )

MISC 01: I always hear 'draw from the shoulder'........meh............it's digital so draw from your wrist...it's fine honestly. If we were working at A1 in a life drawing class then we could get some shoulder action going but most of us are hunched over 16inch tablets. I think this advice aims to pull people away from feathery-nervous lineart honestly which you can improve on without relearning how to draw from your shoulder.

MISC 02: For a 'smoother' look do your lineart at a larger canvas size than you need. Once I'm happy with a sketch I usually double the canvas size and do my lineart then.

MISC 03: In PS (at least) anti-aliasing goes funny at any zoom level that isn't in the 5 times table. So try not to look at your canvas when you're zoomed in to 87% or 71.39% or something crazy. Just stick to 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% if possible.

UNFORTUNATE TRUTH: Lineart is incredibly based on raw draughtmanship I've discovered. When you're working with colour you can hide a lot in rendering (shadows, highlights) or post-processing (depth of field) but in lineart all your mistakes are just...there for people to see. There's ways round this...which I use A LOT. 'Flourishes' (I use 'flourishes' to mean over-confident lineart where it veers particuarly thick or particuarly thin in contrast to your approach in the rest of the image) can sort of trick people into thinking you're more confident about an area than you actually are.

As well as leaving 'breathing room' within your lineart instead of actually...resolving the area. I do this the most around the face and hands.

Hopefully some of this helps? Honestly there's a lot of deep dives that could be done into indivudal things and there's also the massive caveat that all of these are 'guidelines' and not strict rules. I also favour a more...concept-arty? animation-y? storyboard-y? look to my lineart which favours flourishes and breathing room for a incomplete/work-in-progress feel which would make methodical colouring (ie: for a comic or something) a pain.

Keep up pratice is the main thing and doing studies of artists who you like that have great lineart - you'll pick up draughtmanship skills along with the lineart studies. Here's some of my lineart from a year or two ago...it varies between very 'standardised' (which makes it difficult to read volumes and to be honest, it's boring) and 'TOO EXCITING' (which...also makes it difficult to read volumes and for the eye to rest).

I'd like to share my brushes at some point as I've found 3 that I really like and use for everything more or less. I discovered that a shocking low amount of people use PS on tumblr (shocking to me I guess as i'm so used to PS being the standard) and everyone seems to use Procreate or Clip Studio Pro...so I want to check that the brushes are Procreate compatible at least before I share!

[brigdh]

Okay. My thoughts on the Our Flag Means Death finale. Obviously I'm not very happy with the ending, though I'm also not as upset as some people are. I would say I'm discontent. Unsatisfied. Too aware of how it could have been improved, and a bit bitter that we didn't get a better version, but I also don't hate what we did get.

I know a lot of meta has attributed the problems to a shorter season, and absolutely I would have loved to get 10 episodes instead. I would have loved 22 episodes! Why don't we do that anymore? But I don't think the 8 episode length was the ultimate problem. A) The showrunner and writers knew they had only 8 episodes, so they needed to choose a story that fit into that length, but even more importantly, B) my problem is not that they had too much story for too little time, but actually that they had plenty of time and chose to fill it with too little story.

As I've sat with it over the last few days and thought more about the season's arc, it feels to me like we got eight episodes of filler. Filler episodes can be great! Filler episodes can have some of the funniest lines, the greatest scenes, the most intriguing ideas. But filler episodes do not progress character arcs or major themes, and that's exactly the problem this season had.

The only characters who got arcs this season are Izzy, and to a lesser and more rushed extent, Lucius. Which sure is a choice.

Ed and Stede and their relationship did not meaningfully change from S1. (Okay, yes, they had sex, they said I Love You – but these are external changes, not internal. They don't represent character growth. Stede realized he loved Ed and was telling everyone back in 1x10. Ed clearly would have slept with him in S1 if they'd had a little more time.) Ed and Stede in 2x08 are not different from who they are in 2x01. If Ed had asked Stede to be innkeepers in 2x01, does anyone think Stede wouldn't have immediately agreed? One of the big moments in 2x08 is Ed reading a letter that Stede wrote in 2x01! Stede's exact words from the very beginning of the season! What better way to underline that none of the subsequent seven episodes had important growth or changes?

Another one of 2x08's big shippy moments is Ed and Stede running to each other across a beach – deliberately paralleling the dream Stede had in 2x01. What are we supposed to take from this parallel? My original thought was that we're supposed to see how different the real version is from the dream, but there's honestly not many differences. Neither one has a beard, now? The dream mocked how Stede knew they needed to have a conversation about their relationship that he wanted to avoid, but they don't have a conversation in the "real" version either. They exchange about two sentences (which includes Ed's I Love You, yes, which is a big deal but still isn't a conversation) and then they charge right back into the fight, without discussing anything like Ed abruptly dumping Stede to go be a fisherman, Stede killing Ned Low when Ed asked him not to, their differences of opinion on being pirates, if having sex was a mistake or if that's only a thing Ed said because he was panicking, etc etc. They have just as many issues to address as they did in the dream, but just like the dream they act like everything is magically okay without talking about it!

So I think we're meant to take the beach-run parallels as "here's what Stede's been wanting, and after waiting for so long he finally gets it". Which is fine, a very sweet take-away for a finale. But it underlines what I'm saying is the problem of the season: Stede has just been waiting for eight episodes for his dream to come true. Not changing. Not growing. Not doing anything to bring the dream about, other than trying to get himself and Ed into the same physical location. Just... waiting.

This is an extra surprising development, because the show was really good at giving Ed and Stede character arcs in S1! Ed and Stede in 1x10 are significantly different than they were in their first introductions. Also, just to preempt some criticism, by 'progressing' I do not mean 'wrap up literally every loose end and make a firm final ending' – S1's finale is an excellent example of both moving the characters forward and leaving a ton of room for future stories. I wasn't expecting for 2x08 to show us a Stede and Ed who were perfectly on the same page and would never again have a problem. I was expecting them to be somewhat different than they were in 2x01, and I just don't see that.

Instead of arcs, we got little pieces of single-episode growth here and there that never added up to an overall whole. The season brought up a ton of potential arcs for Ed – violence, piracy, guilt, suicide, daddy issues, self-loathing, apologies, redemption, his tendency to idealize escaping into a different life – but didn't do anything with any of these options. Stede had nothing resembling a season arc at all.

Stede works to improve as a captain! Stede kills someone and has regrets! Stede confronts Ed's dark side! <- All potential arcs, but none of which lasted for more than an episode or had consequences. We don't even know what the ending means for Stede: does he want to be an innkeeper because he failed as a pirate in 2x07? Because piracy was always just a displaced search for love, and now that he has love, he doesn't need piracy? What does the crew of the Revenge leaving mean to him? Stede's understanding of their new arrangement literally happens off-screen and we're left to fumble at guesses for its significance to him as an individual.

Ed and Stede's last big conversation in the season is their break-up fight in 2x07, which is a shocking way to send off your main couple in a rom-com. Yes, there's the I Love You on the beach (again: two sentences) and the brief 'let's try to be innkeepers' conversation at the very end, but that's it for them in 2x08, except for their inclusion in some brief large group conversations about their fighting skills and the plan for escaping the British. How can you end your rom-com with the main couple exchanging only a paragraph's worth of dialogue in the finale? None of the stuff was brought up in the fishing fight in 2x07 is ever addressed at all!

Again, I don't think this is solely a matter of time crunch. Instead of using the eight episodes to progress the two main characters, we got a bunch of filler episodes that used the time in amusing side tangents instead of forward progress. I don't think that's the inevitable result of having to work with eight episodes.

Look, I can come up with a better Ed/Stede relationship arc without needing more episodes, and despite only thinking about this for a couple days and not having an entire writing room to work with:

(Note: this only addresses the Ed/Stede relationship. It doesn't fix Stede completely lacking an independent character arc and Ed having about ten thousand of them, none of which went anywhere.)

In 2x05 to 2x07, I would make Ed's motivations in their relationship very clearly that he's pushing Stede away so he doesn't get hurt again. Basically play up Ed's comment about "I was all in" in 2x04, and make him determined not to get 'all in' this time around. This aligns the "let's take it slow" conversation in 2x05, the "sex was a mistake" in 2x06, and Ed running away to be a fisherman in 2x07 into a single arc. He wants Stede, but he's afraid of what that wanting will do to him. He's trying to find a way to have a relationship without making himself vulnerable. He keeps pushing off commitment and openness.

Then, in 2x08, I'd make it more explicit that Ed thinks/fears Stede is dead when he sees the pirate ships burning. I think it's subtext in the episode as-is, but give him a line or two to make it really clear. Ed and Stede still see each other on the beach, have their dramatic run to each other, and Ed says, "I love you". Now this moment is Ed acknowledging his love, exactly what he's been avoiding for the last three episodes.

Near the end of the episode, Ed and Stede have a conversation where Ed says something like, "I didn't want to get hurt again, I was afraid of the risk of falling in love and you leaving again, but thinking you were dead made me realize that never loving you would be worse" (but better written, ha, this is a tumblr post that's already too long). (Also possibly you could tie in Izzy's death here to underline both Ed and Stede not wanting to lose another person they care about, if we must have that plot point for some reason.) We actually get to see Ed asking Stede to come be innkeepers with him, paralleling asking him to run away to China (and paralleling NOT asking Stede to a fisherman), Stede voices some of his worries (paralleling him keeping them inside in 1x09, but also giving him a chance to explain what piracy and love mean to him and why he'd give up one for the other), but ultimately they agree that they at least want to try.

This both puts them into a much clearer place for a happy ending, has clear growth from S1 and the beginning of this season, but also leaves open a ton of room for S3, because welp, it turns out trying to have a relationship entails all sorts of problems! Especially with these two. It also would make me feel like they'd at least addressed some of the issues between them.

Right now I feel like S3 will have to spend at least the first few episodes running through exactly the same "don't talk – break up – get back together dramatically" arc that Stede and Ed have already done twice but have never discussed and never learned from. I liked it, but I don't need to see it yet again. That will – ironically – feel like yet more wasted time, more episodes that are just churning through beats without moving the characters forward. I wanted them to have new, different fights in S3, but now I don't even feel like they've made enough progress to have a fresh set of problems.

[smallestapplin]

aaaaaa i just saw that you take stardew reqs!! i've been following for a bit but i NEVER get your posts on my dash i stg,,,

may i request some cuddles and reassurances for shane? i can't fix him but i want to just hold him and pretend I can,, can be platonic or romantic, up to you!

I love Shane, cause I'm depressed and self destructive too mf now get over here so I can hug you-

Romance is hinted and it's mutual but neither have confessed.

TW : just Shane having some self deprecating thoughts but nothing serious.

-

-

-

Shane has been doing much better in the months following when you found him drunk by the cliff side, you two have grown closer allowing you to watch how therapy continues to improve him.

Some days are better than others, but you're so proud of the improvements he's been making. But even then he still has some bad days, and those are the days he doesn't want you to see.

He feels so tired, so worthless, so useless, all he can do is lay in bed and rot.

He's watched his clock tick from 8am to 12pm to 5pm and so on, he just doesn't have the energy to get up, the fight he had been carrying just feels like a burden now.

He had been doing so good to, he's sure you'd be disappointed in him for slipping into a depressive state like this. Shane is so lost in his head he doesn't hear his bedroom door open or close, but he dos feel his bed side dip at the newly added weight.

But he doesn't bother looking up, afraid he may start crying, which is all the more likely when you so tenderly brush his hair from his face.

"Rough day today?" You ask, though you know the answer.

You smile at him, even as he finally looks at you with tear filled green eyes. Even now, you still look at him with such care and warmth, what did he ever do to deserve you?

You kick your boots off and lay down behind him, curling up against him with your face buried into the back of his neck and your arms around his waist. You know he will tell you when he is ready, but for right now you just want to distract him from his pain.

"You know my chickens missed you today, Jopeep was not happy when I was the one trying to give her pets, made this clucking sound that i swear sounded like she was sassing me."

You chuckle, your smile growing when Shane gives a small snort.

"And then Eggatha, bless her, hopped on my shoulder like she usually does, but kept looking around like a bird on a mission."

He can almost imagine your day with your flock, your chickens have always had such personalities it was a delight.

"I misssed you too, I was worried when you didn't stop by or answered my text, I figured you were sleeping. But I did bring over some stuffed peppers for you."

You sound so happy, like you don't mind being here with him while he's like this.

"You don't have to do all this." His voice is rough and gravely from not being used all day today, but it sounds so weak.

"I know, you make it sound like I do all this out of some obligation. You do know I do all this because I want to, right? You deserve some peace and joy, you've been through enough."

You're doing all this because you want to.

You help him practice the coping skills and thought processes his therapist has given him, because you want to.

You cook his favorite dishes because you want to.

There is no needing to.

There is no feeling pity and doing these things.

You want to.

"I like having you around, it's fun having you over at the farm and I get to see how many starws of hay I can put in your hood before you notice, I like our inside jokes, I like our time together, I like you and your company, even if you can't see it, it's there."

His body trembles, leaving him shaking like a leaf as he tries to hold back the tears that are already falling down his cheeks.

"But why, I'm not..." he trails off, letting out a choked sob, but that doesn't stop you.

"Healing takes time, it's a slow process and there will be days or times you slip back, to take a few steps back, but you're still working on it, you are still trying to change for the better. And i don't know if you have noticed, but even in two months of therpay you have changed, you seem happier, you seem livelier. You will always have rough days or even rough weeks, but that doesn't mean you're a failure."

Shane can't stop the sobs that leave him, he finds himself flipping around to hug you, buring his face into your shoulder to let it all out. You hold him tightly, gently shushing him and reminding him to breathe.

"I will be here no matter what."

You know your love won't fix his pain, but you know your support can help him feel more confident about going about it.

You want to tell him you love him, that you adore him and his dry sense of humor, that his gentleness with the chickens and Jas make your heart swell.

But maybe you will wait a few more months and see how he is feeling.

You know he means the world to you, even as he cries himself to sleep in your arms after muttering 'thank you's over and over again.

He deserves a safe place to feel happy.

And you want to be that for him.

[poomphuripan]

Hello Claire,

First of all, thank you so much for everything you have been sharing these last few weeks about My Stand-In and Poom (and Up). It's such a treat ❤️

Was My Stand-In Poom's first project out of CH8 or was it Bake Me Please? I hope his popularity will rise and allow him to be cast in different kinds of show and role. Because it must be frustrating to always play the same type of character... And do you know in which agency does he belong please?

Have a nice day ❤️

hiiii (⁠*⁠˘⁠︶⁠˘⁠*⁠)⁠.⁠｡⁠*⁠♡

well thank you for following and always supporting my gifs i see you (⁠｡⁠･⁠ω⁠･⁠｡⁠)⁠ﾉ⁠♡

So Bake Me Please is actually Channel 8 (CH8)'s first ever BL series where they got their rising male actors (Ohm, Guide, Poom, Atom, Prame, Tawan) to star in, so BMP is actually a CH8 series.

I believe Poom's first ever non CH8 work is Saneha Stories Season 4: Saiyai Saneha (2022) which is a two-episode mini series based on the real life story of a gay man. This was aired on AIS Play and produced by TV Thunder.

Poom also has another comedy series Jenny A.M./P.M. (2022) on AIS Play but this was in collaboration with CH8 which is why there were some CH8 actors (Poom, Nonny, Prame) in the series. Poom plays the straight best friend of the male protagonist (played by Singto Prachaya).

So technically My Stand-In is Poom's 2nd or 3rd work outside of CH8 (depending on how you view the two projects above) but it is Poom's first lead role in a major production and Poom often refers to My Stand-In as his first ever lead role in interviews so that's Poom's position on it 😅

For some background on Poom's agency. He is managed by RSDG - a production/talent management subsidiary company of RS Group, a Thai entertainment and media company that owns CH8. So basically Poom is a Channel 8 actor but it seems that CH8 is a bit more laxed about their actors partaking in series outside of their network (but that also comes with a cost).

I've heard rumors that CH8 gave Poom an ultimatum between becoming 2ML in another CH8 lakorn or choosing to star in My Stand-In (a non CH8 work) and not having any CH8 lakorn projects left for the rest of the year. I have no idea the accuracy of this rumor but I guess all we gotta do is look at Poom's schedule for the rest of this year and see if he's got anything else other than MSI fanmeetings here and there ಥ_ಥ

But I have a lot of fun watching Poom playing his evil lakorn villain roles at CH8 as well and I think those scenes helped greatly in honing his acting skills throughout his acting career so far (you can watch Poom being very stiff in his early works and the gradual improvement progress over the course of his lakorn works). If you pick a random CH8 lakorn with Poom, his character is sure to be killing or dying or crying or getting mad or fucking someone (sometimes all of the above).

Whatever the future holds for Poom, I'm very happy that he chose My Stand-In because I can't imagine a world where we do not get Poom Phuripan as Joe. Poom expresses a lot of happiness from finally getting positive reactions about his acting performances for the first time, which is a thing that I think lakorn actors will hardly get (especially if you play supporting roles at an obscure TV channel with low to average viewership). I also feel like Poom is pretty happy to finally get to play a character that's so close to his personality in real life (bonus the fact that his character isn't dying or going to jail).

I too hope that My Stand-In will be the breakthrough project Poom needed to get the attention and the opportunities he deserved after being much underrated and typecasted at CH8, manifesting many interesting scripts and acting opportunities come his way 🥹

sorry op i hope i answered some of your inquiries. i totally get carried away whenever i'm rambling. tldr: poom is managed by rsdg group so officially speaking, he's an actor for channel 8 but sometimes they let him out to star in non-ch8 works.

[campbenji]

*JWCT SPOILERS* very messy first thoughts

OH BOY here we go

-ben and darius's dynamic was epic. the hug. the roadtrip scenes. "is your friend okay?" "no 😊". ben getting darius out of his isolation cabin and darius grounding him in ep2. the parallels with s3ep7. "you kiss your mother with that mouth?" i'm gonna be thinking about that scene for days. their ship is still a swim to me but please they better keep whatever the fuck they have going on in s2 because it's fucking wonderful

-i love that they took the chance to give more light to duos we didn't see much in jwcc. teamups we didn't often see like ben and sammy, THE B-DUO, and darius and sammy got very special moments here

-the amount of pictures/videos from the six years in between??? the brooklynn flashbacks??? we were so well fed

-BRAND!!!!!! i got so happy when i heard him the first episode, he's clearly been checking on his brother and i'm glad he's ok

-bowman family FEAST. brand and darius talking over the phone. the pictures on the cabin. kenji saying he calls mrs. bowman once a week and all the nice things he said about her. the whole mess between kenji and darius. "we're brothers, right?" i died dead. i love this family your honor

-sammy. she's got so much going on and we desperately need to talk about it. i'm so worried about her, she's desperately trying to avoid confronting what happened with brooklynn, with yaz and her own trauma, and then they casually dropped on us that her family isn't speaking to her and never elaborated on that?? sammy, who's love and care for her family was her biggest motivation in jwcc?? i need to know what happened because it must've been big

-mateo!! i liked him a lot, he definitely doesn't want to get into any of this mess but still dabbles around a bit to help the kids, which i respect. also i hope we get to meet his daughter hiraya, she sounds really cool

-MS MICROBANGS (or the handler, or whatever name we're calling her). what is her deal. who is she working for. she's so uncanny, literally almost robotic i need to know more about her

-brookenji over i cheered. don't take this personally i've never been a fan of this ship and a part of me knew they weren't going to last long

-the animation increased in quality so much. the scene after ben, yaz and sammy get out of the sinking van is so well done it's so pretty to look at. and the t-rex with the explosion behind her? it reminds me so much of toro in the tunnels in s1ep8, and i haven't tested this out but i feel like if you put them one next to the other the improvement would be so noticeable.

-also related to the point above: that thing when a character's eyes start filling up with tears but they don't cry just yet? 10/10. chef's fucking kiss

-sure jwct has the same tv-y7 rating as jwcc, but from minute 1 it's obvious it's not the same audience they're talking to. it's not a big change in tone, like for example adventure time/distant lands/fionna and cake, but it's there, you can tell they know it's not little kids watching anymore

-BUMPY IS HAVING A BABY BUMPY IS A MOM NOW they had me shit scared for her and then they pulled a freaking egg my heart was literally pounding. anyways i hope they get both bumpy and the egg somewhere safe and that they name the new anky "speckles" (i've gotten so attached to that name in the last 24 hours it's insane)

-YASAMMY THE QUEENS THAT YOU ARE. their relationship was stellar this season, i was scared when i saw that they were apart but their issues felt organic to their relationship and i just love how they were written in the show, they are still so in love with each other and i can't wait to see where they go next season. they're everything to me

-yeah they were apart for half the season but. benji crumbs. the egg cradle scene. kenji helping ben after he got hit with the stun gun. basically all they did was act like they knew each other but idc. we are so back.

-the brooklynn reveal was... meh?? it could've been more rewarding if they waited until s2 to reveal she's still alive, but at least i hope they take their time before reuniting her with the rest of the camp fam. also i can't believe ppl even guessed what arm she was going to lose y'all have prophetic powers or smth

-bringing daniel back to kill him the same episode was an insane move btw. i would've normally complained but it's all worth it for causing the panic attack scene in ep7. kenji's reaction felt so genuine, i'm forever in awe at how well this show writes grief and trauma

-i'm so conflicted about darius's confession. i like dinostar, but i feel like it wasn't needed for darius to be in love with brooklynn to explain the voicemails and the way he was dealing with her death. she was one of his closest friends, his grief made sense even with them being platonic. on the other hand, i love how he admitted it to kenji and the fact they didn't turn it into a huge fight between them; also, "i didn't know i could even feel that way" aroace/acespec darius truthers never lose

-maybe it's just that i need to rewatch, but i'm lost as to where they're going next season?? i know they're getting on a boat but where does that go?? what are they trying to do?? there's so much happening my head is spinning

-ben... he kind of felt like the comic relief for most of the show, the first episodes showed him as being really paranoid again and struggling with being alone, but halfway through the season they just sort of forgot about it?? idk something was off

-bring back kenji's old latin spanish va idk who this guy is but that is not kenji i can't do this. i'll survive the loss of ryan potter but i won't survive this

anyways yeah i think those are most of my uncooked thoughts, overall i really liked the season, i can't believe we got to see the kids again this is still so unreal to me

[myshunosun]

I keep forgetting to post my dollhouse edits on Tumblr, but here's one that I love quite a bit. I'm really proud of the Simmify Music Nook series items, and it makes me so happy to see that I've been improving my object creation skills over time. Ok thanks bye!

[marshallpupfan]

New Marshall Pics - Season 11, Ep. 03

A new episode aired in Canada today, and... oh, it's the new animation style! It's here at last! I'm quite happy to share some new pics of Marshall with his updated visuals! :)

The first segment - "Pups Plus a Plucky Chicken".

Of all the ways to start the series with its updated visuals, they went with... a Chickaletta dream episode. That... wouldn't have been my first choice. Or my second. Or my third. Sadly, it's another where the pups are barely present during the before-the-mission parts, and some of them didn't even talk. I never like it when that happens. On the bright side (for me), Marshall was called in as backup to help at one point, so I was certainly glad to see that. He... certainly made plenty of puns though, but then again, the other characters throughout the episode did, too. It was all... quite punny.

And the second segment - "Pups Save a Pet Show".

This one was pretty meh, too. Not a great start for the show with its new visuals. Sadly, I've not much to say about this one. Being my second-favorite, I'm glad Chase was called in so I could see him in action, too. Both segments called in Rubble, which I hope doesn't become the norm (dude already has his spinoff, we don't need to see him a lot here, too). Skye was called in as backup. If you're a fan of Rocky and/or Zuma... you'll have to wait a bit longer to see them in action (sadly, neither talked much, either).

That's all for now. Again, not a great start by any means, but I didn't think either one was terrible or anything. The new animation style looks nice, but while getting some screenshots, I thought some scenes certainly looked a little... rough. It'll no doubt improve in time, but for now, I think it looks fine. If you're skeptical of the new visuals, I can't say if what we seen today will win you over, but maybe later on.

I... hope the next episode turns out better than this. 😅

[2cutie]

Midnight Challenge

Raiden x Female virgin!Reader

summary: 18 + content! Raiden requests you to join him to dinner after relinquishing in the victory of battle together. You both delved into each other's flirtations and push to see just how far the other is willing to go...

a/n: elder god Raiden(no specific game/media). light master/sub. i like my older men & Raiden supplies. def self indulgent huehuehue

You watched him with a soft expression as he took off his hat and breathed in the calm air. You both had teleported back to the Shaolin temple after completing a mission together, the tranquil and gentle atmosphere much more serene than the energy of the battle. The silence was a welcome contrast and he sighed, content.

Raiden turned to look at you when he felt the stare, his electric eyes shimmering gently. His expression was of calmness and peace, basking in the simplicity of the moment. You smiled gently when your gaze met. The sense of completion washed over him, the battle of the outside world forgotten.

" That was quite the battle. You faired pretty well, old man," you joked in kind, scanning him quickly for any prevalent injuries. You were pleased to find none.

"Yes, I've managed to hold my own." He chuckled softly. "I must commend you for your prowess in battle as well. You fought with remarkable skill and determination."

The praise caused your chest to flutter with pride, and you bowed in generosity. "Thank you, Lord Raiden."

"Enough with formalities. We've fought together on many occasions now, and I consider you a friend. I believe we've earned the right to address each other more casually." Raiden placed a warn hand on your shoulder to righten you.

"As you insist. The feeling runs mutual." You straightened to a stance again, sighing happily. "I feel every time I have the fate to fight alongside of you, it is never less than thrilling. The joy of accompanying a god to battle, I suppose. Thank you for being my unwilling inspiration to improve."

He offered a rare genuine smile. "You are an excellent warrior in your own right. I am happy to serve as your ally."

Your eyes twinkled in delight as a soft blush decorated your cheeks. You fought the urge to bow again, but instead took the initiative to walk beside of him through the temple, seemingly with out a destination. Your footfall echoed softly in the quiet surroundings, paired with the sound of distant monks training.

"There is something refreshing about this place," the god remarked after a break, taking in the aura. "It's still and peaceful, almost as if time has stopped moving." He paused, considering his next words. "Do you ever find the simplicity of this place to be… dull?"

You tilted your head, considering his words. You gazed to the scenery, watching as some leaves blew gently across the air, the grass shifting gracefully. "I suppose… I do. It can be rejuvenating when I need it to be., but perhaps I'm too used to the way of training so now I like things to be a bit more unexpected" Your stare found him again. "Pretty to look at, maybe not to spend continuous time in. Do you find it to be dull?"

Raiden's expression seemed to grow contemplative. "Alike you, it depends. Sometimes I find the tranquility of the temple to be a much needed respite, a chance to reflect and decompress. But other times, I feel that this place can be too peaceful, that I still crave the challenge of battle outside the walls of this place." He nodded toward some of the monk's practicing in the courtyard. "I admire the tenacity and commitment of the monks to the pursuit of peaceful meditation, but battle and conflict remain a central part of my life."

You hummed. "It seems we are not so different. It's a bit amusing to think about."

"I consider you a kindred spirit of sorts."

You willed your blush to go away as he spoke, hoping it wasn't as obvious as it had felt. If he noticed, he did not saying anything. "Knowing you on a personal level, it does seems our souls align in some way." Your voice trickled off for a moment, debating your wording. "I believe you know some of my past, but that isn't something I can say for many people. Our companionship is of high virtue to me."

"I know some of your past, but I would not dare to claim to know all of it. From what I do know, I see someone who's strong and resilient, someone with a good head on her shoulders. Your words and demeanor speak volumes of the type of person you are."

A sigh released from your lips, soaking in the warmth of his words. Perhaps, and you would never admit it, you stumbled just a bit. "I don't know if I would believe that years ago. Thank you. Sincerely."

Raiden noticed a vulnerability in you that you rarely showed. His electric eyes twinkled in the sunlight, pleased to know you trusted him enough to reveal it. "It is my pleasure, truly. I believe that you are the type of person who deserves to hear words of encouragement and appreciation."

He was thrumming strings along in your chest so easily, and he did't even know it. Your body buzzed, as if you had his power coursing through you instead.

You continued walking beside him, wanting to speak more but unsure of what. As you passed a fountain, you spoke. "I should probably shower some of the battle off me. Thank you for another successful battle, and putting up with my company afterwards."

"It was my pleasure to fight alongside of you as well." The god slowed to a stop, nearing the courtyard. He paused for a moment, gazing into your eyes with a certain look you couldn't quite place. "If you will indulge me, may I ask if you have any plans tonight? Perhaps you could join me for dinner?"

"Oh!" You were truly a master of words. "I don't have plans, actually. None. None at all!" Oh gods, just stop talking. "I'd love to join you."

"Wonderful." His expression lit with genuine delight, amusement hidden just below. "I expect you are eager to rid yourself of the battle grime, as well as to get some well earned downtime. I will await your return. Until then, please rest and recuperate."

"Until then," you confirmed. You waved to him as you departed to your bedroom, under the promise of later. As you rounded the corner, you couldn't help but let out a delighted giggle. Your heart pulsed, shy yet thrilled, and continued to your room.

Your well-anticipated shower proved to be more than needed as the warm water laxed your sore muscles. You did small chores around your room to distract your racing mind.

You weren't expecting much for how the dinner may go, uncertain if Raiden even felt any emotion that you did. But even if it was just to be platonic, you were delighted to have the opportunity.

The anticipation made the time go slow, but you were ecstatic when the time came to get ready. You decided not to go over the top to look nice, deciding on a more naturalistic approach. While your heart could fool itself, your mind wasn't set to believe that it was truly a date.

When finished, you returned down the familiar path to the fountain. Unsurprisingly, Raiden was there, his back to you. He turned when you heard you approach.

"Fancy seeing a thunder god here," you teased, stopping in front of him.

"How quickly the tide changes. I recall just a few hours ago, I was the one who asked you to dinner." His eyes glinted in humour as he observed you. You exuded a certain charm and allure that was almost captivating. "You certainly look stunning in this attire."

That caught you a bit off-guard. "Ah, well, thank you. It really isn't anything divine." But you appreciated the sincerity. "You look just as wonderful, as always."

He hadn't changed from his normal clothes unsurprisingly, but was without his hat. His headcap had remained on, and you were a bit disappointed at that.

Raiden smiled at the compliment. "You're too kind. Would you mind following me to the dining hall? I've prepared dinner for us tonight, and it would be a pleasure to share it with you."

"Of course. After you." You stood tall and followed after him, intrigued. As far as you knew, he didn't know your taste palette and that was making you a bit nervous.

Raiden led the way to the dining hall below the temple so you two could dine alone, the heavenly scent of food wafting in the air as you got close. Perhaps you were afraid for nothing. He opened the door for you, and followed inside. He directed you to a decorated table that was laid out with a multidude of delicious dishes, ranging from elegant desserts to spicy foods, and even meat dishes.

You were taken back by just how extravagant it all was, mouth watering from just looking at the savory foods. "Somehow, I had a feeling you wouldn't disappoint, Raiden." You chuckled as you sat across from him, eager as ever. He didn't need to know that wasn't all the truth, and his proud smile made you feel better about your white lie.

The dinner consisted of several savory courses, from a delectable soup to tender and flavorful appetizers, all in impeccable quality. The conversation was friendly and light, compensated around the time you savored the sweet spices. It was little conversation where it was more so talking about nothing, yet it was enticing. But more so, you were thrilled to discover that his ability to be a chef rivaled that of his to battle.

"I fear that no food is ever going to compare to this again."

Raiden smiled at the admiration and leaned back in his seat, pleased. "I'm glad to hear. I am always eager to experiment with new flavours."

"God of lightning, god of cooking on the side. It's almost unearthly how good it all is." Wait… The question posed in your head. You had to ask. "Wait - is it actually unearthly? Do you seriously use your lightning to cook?"

An amused huff of air puffed from his nose, seeming quite amused at how you seemed to believe your hypothesis before even his answer. "I did not, though that is an interesting thought. I was still once very much mortal and have learned to cook the same way any other mortal does."

You hummed, impressed. "I'm now enamored for your cooking. Please, if you ever feel like cooking, be sure to invite me again. I don't know if I'll be able to enjoy normal food again after this," you jested, taking another bite of food in proof. The flavour erupted over your tongue instantly.

"The offer goes both ways, you know," Raiden replied, his tone hinting and cheerful. "I would love to share my culinary with you whenever you want to join me for dinner. I would be interested in tasting your creations as well."

You met his eyes again, a twinge of hope tickling inside you. "I can't calim I'm the best cook, but I'm not so bad that I would kill you." You laughed and finished off the last bite of your food.

"I suppose I can overlook the occasional meal that fails to kill me." He softly laughed with you, a deep and uncommon thing. He continued to gaze over you as you finished the meal. He noticed that the shared gazes would linger a little bit too long. He did nothing to regulate it.

You enjoyed the mutual silence for a moment, but you were getting a bit too curious for your own good as you eyed his headwear. Your expression clearly showed your thought process, face scrunched as you considered asking.

"You seem to be debating on something." He watched closely, awaiting with a curious yet eager expression. "Do you wish to know something?"

"It's dumb." You answered slowly, but eventually laughed. "It's so dumb…. Buut, I was just curious what you keep hidden underneath that headcap, if you'll entertain me. I just thought about how long I've known you and have yet to see what you're hiding." You hoped that didn't sound rude. "Of course, it's completely fine if not. I didn't mean to sound forthright."

Raiden couldn't help but smile, eyes filled with amusement. It was an unexpected yet a charming enough request that his smiled enough for his teeth to show. You added that to a list of accomplishments. "You've piqued my curiosity. I'm always up for a bit of fun." You leaned forward in interest. "Perhaps I will entertain your request, perhaps not. You will have to wait and see."

Your mouth fell open. He did not. "You-" You barked a laugh in shock, but it soon bubbled into guffawing. You dipped your head back, truly amused. "You suck! So bad! I never expected you to be such a tease."

He laughed along with you, his amusement growing at the sight of your mirth. "What, a god isn't allowed to tease?" He voice was playful.

"Now I didn't say that; I just wasn't expecting it. You're always so serious." You leaned back into the chair, crossing your arms over your chests and gave him a once-over. "I'm starting to like discovering these hidden sides of you. You're actually quite entertaining."

Who knew, the god of thunder had a playful side. How unseen it must be.

"I find that there is a time and place for everything. I am not opposed to letting my guard down and having some casual fun from time to time."

"It's honestly fun to see. I consider you a good friend, so it's delightful to know you aren't always so stoic."

Raiden felt something move in his chest. What, he wasn't entirely sure but chose not to dwell on it. "The same goes for me. It is comforting to know that you enjoy my company once you got past my intimidating exterior."

"I figured it came with being a protector of Earthrealm. Can't have the enemies knowing you're a divine cook," you joked and you saw his lips quirk. "Though, it's funny; your brother is such a stark contrast to you."

His eyebrow quirked at the mention. "Fujin and I are similar in some ways, yet so much more different in others. The contrast is certainly engaging, to say the least."

"He says much of the same thing." You chuckled. "I talk to him quite often, when the time permits. He shares stories about the two of you when you were younger, it's endearing how he speaks of it. Also sickening. Though, he did tell me you were one to pull his hair just to spite him when you fought."

"I see he likes revealing some of our more childish habits. I assume he failed to mention any of his," Raiden wore a high-spiried smile, chortling at the memory. "But yes, I've got my tricks."

"Dully noted. Would that be the reason for your headcap? To stop Fujin from getting revenge?" You were being instegative now, knowing that is was simply meant to keep his hair from his face.

It was a playful dig, one Raiden found himself liking. There was an air of teasing between you both, and he was very much enjoying it. "Perhaps I simply wanted to add some flair to my usual attire. I do believe it provides a certain air of authority, if I do say so myself."

You hummed, leaning on the table to get a good luck at it, as if you hadn't seen it so many times before. "You're right. I do believe you are the only one I've seen wearing it."

Passive aggressiveness suited you nicely even if he did catch onto it. "I think it does add a nice bit of distinction, does it not?"

You snorted. "Distinction is certainly one way to describe it. It looks a bit odd in a normal setting, I must admit. However, you do make it look good so at least you can get away with it."

"I'll take that as a compliment then."

The atmosphere drifted back to light conversation as time filtered between the both of you. Dusk turned to nightfall swiftly, the room slowly casting shadows as the late hours creeped in. You were completely enraptured by him the entire night, captivated by the moment. His eyes mesmerized, especially as they seemed even more alight when he spoke. You were too entranced to notice the time filtering by.

But when his eyes flicked to the windows, yours followed. It was completely pitch. "Oh, wow, It's late." You felt panic rise in your chest, trying to decide what hour exactly it was. "I'm so sorry for holding you up. I didn't realize just how late it's gotten."

"No need to apologize," he responded in a gentle tone. ""I myself didn't realize much time passed as well. What's more, I was enjoying our conversation, so I don't mind one bit."

"That's relieving, at least." You rose from your chair. "I enjoyed this as well. You have a bit of a… thrilling aura to you. You are very intriquing."

"Thrilling aura?" He repeated, amusement clear by the choice of words. He stood as well and gathered the dishes.

"Yes, like…. How should I say it." You hummed in thought and helped collect the plates as well, following and returning them to the sink. "I guess because of your status as an elder god, that spending time with someone so high above me feels like it could be 'forbidden'. I know it's not, but I just find it so out of the ordinary to share you downtime. I know I can be boring."

When the plates were placed where they needed to be, you both wandered back to the entrance. "We may be words away in terms of divinity," he began, "However it it is a privilege and pleasure to have spent the night with you. As for being boring, I don't believe that to be the case. You have shared many interesting stories with me, and I have been enthralled by each one of them."

Your cheeks flushed as he spoke, pulse a bit quicker. You shyly tucked some hair behind your ear. "I can say the same… even despite your vendetta to keep hiding what's under your headcap," you quipped. "I suppose I can let that little detail go."

Your curiosity about his appearance was cute. But for now, he liked the air of mystery to it, perhaps if just to ease you more. "Curiosity will only encourage you to continue wondering, will it not?"

You rolled your eyes when you realized he meant to still keep it a secret, but you smiled anyways. Despite the crushing interest, you felt it rather charming that he would play a bit. "Yes, yes, it will. And I'll remained bothered about it until the day." You flicked your eyes back to him, a small glaze of adoration in them. "You have many layers of mystery to you, Raiden. I find great interest in trying to solve them, and that is just one of the many."

"And what if I told you that beneath this was nothing but disappointment?"

You tilted your head. "What it is, premature balding? Or no wait - fully bald. No, no, it couldn't possibly be the secrets of the universe, right?"

Raiden hummed, shaking his head. Each of your possibilities were more ridiculous and humorous than the last. "Perhaps. Any of those could be correct. I could be bald, and not want to bring attention to it so I hide it." He spoke in a fake-slighted tone.

"Somehow, I think you would be able to pull it off. But, perhaps I'm so used to seeing the monks here. Most of them are bald."

"Perhaps indeed. Being on this planet for much of a longer time than you has introduced me to many styles. I realize that you may be correct of me pulling off such an appearance."

"Wha-" You barked out laughing at such a absurd sentence. "That was such an overdramatic and humble way of saying you agree with me! What was that?" You had to double over and grab your stomach, the words replaying in your head. It took a moment, but when you finally were able to straighten yourself, the smirk was still evident. "Perhaps I'm too delirious because it's so late, but that may have been the most hilarious thing I've heard you say."

You reactions to his foolish answer that was more playful than serious was indulging, far beyond amusing. "The night may leave your judgement compromised. But I can't help feel that it has also been truly refreshing, and I believe that the late hour is not the cause of this."

"It has been quite the wonder. I am sad that it is coming to a closure, but if I stay any longer, I fear you'll make me laugh too hard and it'll wake up Kung Lao…. He is truly someone you do not want to anger when he is sleeping."

"We wouldn't want that." He said that as if he had any idea of how hard you learned that lesson. Lucky him. "Your attempts at laughter would prove to be ill-advised."

Your eyes narrowed at him as you walked out of the dining hall, him back by your side. "Whose fault would that be then? Don't make me laugh and it won't happen." You elbowed his side gently.

"I shall endeavor not to elicit any jokes. And if I fail to do so, I shall endure Kung Lao's wrath willingly instead of laughing at you, of course." He leaned in just a bit, barely noticeable. But you caught it.

"What a generous man you are." You leaned against him as well, copying his mannerisms.

Raiden was delighted in the response to his gesture. Every moment was becoming an exchange of teasing between you two, and he found himself enjoying the rapport ever so much. The air seemed to flow easy at each exchange of witty banter.

You found yourself unable to stop smiling as you continued the way to your bedrooms. Your body again buzzed, chest alight. This was a progressive night between you both, even if it was just a friendly thing. "It's so late - dare I even say early at this point - and yet I have absolutely no interest in sleeping. I feel so energized."

"I'm quite awake myself." His body felt invigorated by your presence, admittedly.

"I blame you. I'm typically asleep at this time, so can only assume you have caused this."

"Despite that, I do find it to be quite fulfilling to have you in my company for such a late evening."

You tried to hide your laugh as you looked the other way, over your shoulder. It didn't work. "Careful with your wording there, Raiden. You're starting to sound a bit sultry."

"And is a bit of sultriness bad, if I may ask?" He watched you from the corner of his eye, feigning innocence.

"No, no, I quite welcome it. Just hoping you don't dish what you can't serve." Raiden didn't miss the look of flirtation in your eyes. Nor how you stepped just a bit closer. The night was bringing forth new things and you were starting to see a side you didn't expect from him, and it was making you swell with confidence.

Likewise, Raiden leaned back to you. Your elbows brushed against one another. The clear flirtation was quite obvious, and you both were receptive to it. "I believe I'm quite able to dish it as well as take it. Shall I raise it up a level to make up for that?"

"Will I be wooed by the Thunder God himself? I'm interested of what the next level entails. Please, entice me. I'm curious."

Your bedroom was just up ahead, leaving limited time to explore this bit of flirtation. You didn't want it to end, feared that the moment may be abolished come morning.

Yet he bit at the offer and gave a suggestive reply. "Why should I be the one to entice you? That wouldn't be entirely fair, would it? Perhaps you ought to tempt me in your own way, and then I shall do the same. For balance sake."

His sentence caught you a bit off-guard, but it was a welcome allure. "Smooth, Raiden. Very smooth." Your eyes traced over him, slowly drifting up his body, absorbing all details, and ensuring he could feel wherever your flaming stare landed. Ever so slowly, you up past his broad shoulders before settling to land on his lips, holding the gaze.

You looked away.

You had made the first move into the teasing challenge.

"Isn't there some kind of old saying to not temp a god? And here you are daring me. Regardless, I think I'd do a few sins for you."

His body buzzed. To think his flirtation had set a precedent for how you actually planned to challenge him was enticing. "That would be correct. Though, it would take much more than that to tempt a god such as myself. If anything, it is quite generous to allow you to even attempt to entice me."

"Allow me? Frankly, it sounds like you are wanting me to, since you'd be permitting it." You were putting up a false sense of bravado. Inside, your heart hammered against your chest and threatened to burst from how bad your nerves crept. But this was enthralling, and you were in way too deep. You felt your pulse skip several beats as you saw your door, wondering what exactly this was about to become.

"I suppose you may have me there. The question yet remains whether I would like you to actually tempt me, or if this is merely a game that I'm allowing you to play."

Of course he wouldn't specify which. That was for you to decide.. or to play it out and see. "I don't know if I'd consider myself much of a temptress, though your challenge seems inveigling."

"We shall have to see how the night turns out. Perhaps you have hidden talents that you are waiting to unveil? If so, I would be quite surprised if you are truly not the temptress you so believe you aren't."

He apparently had more faith in you than you did yourself. How curious.

You stopped in front of your room, considered your next plan to action. Opening the door, you turned around to face him. "I hope I can live up to at least some of those beliefs you hold in me. Half of the battle will be finding what you even crave and playing into them." Your eyes locked with his chest again, heat building in you as you traced along the details of his broad muscles. You wonder how they would feel... You pushed the tantalizing thought away for now. You gave a crooked smile, backing into the room, teasingly, cajoling. "I'd be honored to accept the challenge, Lord Raiden… Or would you perhaps prefer 'master' in this setting?" You titled your head. "If you also wish to proceed with this game... lock the door."

Raiden remained in cool disposition as he considered your proposal. He decided he was excited with the turn of events.

The challenge was set now, and the night would either be a fun game or something completely exhilarating.

"It seems that this night will be a time for experimentation between the two of us." He followed you inside, locking the door behind him as instructed. Your core flared in response.

You studied his every movement as he came into your room, watching to see what he did, how he responded. In reality, you had never attempted to seduce before and this was more nerve-wracking than you wanted to admit. You were frightened that you may embarrass yourself, or worse - shun him away.

You were walking an incredibly thin line, but the anixety of the situation churned different at the thought of what may also become, even if only for a night. "Expiermentation often is how people find their delights in life. Hobbies, crafts… Kinks, even."

"I believe we could benefit from a lot of it then. While life is a constant cycle of learning, changing, it is good to explore what we crave."

"And what exactly is it that you crave… Master?" You advanced to him slowly. You had to raise your head up as you got closer, his impressive height looming over you. You were still playing into the 'master', trying to decipher any body language to see if it any any affect.

He daringly leaned in. "If you're going to call me 'Master', you must truly be venturesome to do anything at my orders. Are you willing to prove just how submissive you can truly be?"

"Is that what you desire? My submissiveness?" You whispered the words to him since he was so close, your expression going half-lidded. You gracefully slid yourself down to kneel on your knees, and he watched you the entire way down. In this position, you had to crane your neck further. "If you are curious about that, I can prove to be very dutiful."

Raiden's lips quirked at your response. Your will to submit yourself made his mind turn to all kinds of possibilities. "How voluntary… May I give you an order then?"

You only nodded, remaining in perfect posture as you awaited.

He looked over you in almost a predatory light. But it didn't scare you. Instead, it turned you on. "I find you hair quite enticing." He looked away from your eyes to look to your hair. "I would like for you to let me have free reign over it."

"My hair is yours, master."

A simple enough order. You could do that.

The approval sparked an instant trigger within the god. The fact that you seemed so willing to do whatever he pleased to you was an irresistible thing to fathom. "Good girl."

The praise burned inside you, almost insatiably hot. He strode forward, a hand gliding into your hair. You closed your eyes and gave him the access to do as he pleased, patient and still for him.

His fingers caressed your smooth hair, running his thumb over the texture. It was clear he had you completely enraptured, and the dominant position and control over you stirred deviously inside of him. As he stroked your hair, he spoke: "Have you ever allowed a man to touch you this way before?"

Your eyes opened to only flick away, embarrassed. A light blush painted your face. "No," you admitted.

The shy and embarrassed behavior were exciting to elicit from you. It only made him want to tease your further as his other hand moved to massage your neck. "Then, I feel truly honored that I am the first to be able to touch you in such a way. Do you know what this moment makes you to me?"

Your eyes met his, curious. You shook your head, not daring to speak.

A low chuckle vibrated through his throat. It felt like it reverbrated through you. "This moment makes you vulnerable. And you allowed me to make you so. Do you know how much that says you trust me on some level, that you want to submit to me in such a state?"

You swallowed thickly. You nodded this time.

Raiden's lips curled up in an almost sinister way. To see the desire and lust begin build in you set his mind alight. It was pleasurable, for how easy it was to move you hair in any way he desired. "Good girl. I think you are understanding the game quite well. Now, do you wish for me to stop? Or will you allow me to continue playing with your hair?"

"Continue, please."

"Good answer. Do you know what this makes me want to do?" Another shake of your head. "This game is making me want to lean down and kiss your neck. Is that something you would allow to happen? Would you be able to keep yourself calm while I do this? Or are you already on the verge of breaking down?"

His words were sinful for how much of a tease they were. They made you shudder. "I can remain calm for you."

"Then I shall proceed." He wasted no time to lean down and press firm kisses to your jaw, a slow advancement downward to your neck. His lips were soft, the kisses kind yet lingering and it allowed you to keep composure to start. He felt your pulse and body's reactions under his lips to read your unspoken emotions.

You barely resisted the urge to shiver. Your eyebrows furrowed at the sensation, yet you remained still and pliant for him as you savored the feeling into memory,

Raiden's kisses deepened to being seductive, tongue swirling over your heated pulse points with his fingers twirling in your hair the entire duration. "Have you ever been kissed on your neck like this before? Is this something you are accustomed to?"

"No… This will be my first."

The god hummed in the nook of your shoulder, pleased at the answer. He pressed his body against yours where he could, lips along your throat, your jugular. "Is this something you find pleasurable, or do you find it ticklish perhaps?"

Your mind short-circuted as he pressed against you. You had daydreams about this, but actually feeling his seven foot frame was another thing. You felt small and you were willing to break under him. "P-pleasurable…"

The faltering in your speech made him growl quietly, but you felt it. Your mind was clearly losing the ability to keep itself in check, yet he would not allow you the time to recover as he continued his travel down and moved his lips to cover your collar bone, pulling at your shirt collar. "You're stuttering quite a bit." Raiden shifted his lips to land beside your ear. He mumbled softly, voice just loud enough for you to hear. "Allow me to show you how absolutely irresistible you are in this state of submission. How this is turning me on so much."

You let out a shaky whine at his hot breath spilling against your ear. You hands twitched to touch him, but you would stay patient under his orders. You nodded quickly, eyes shutting.

"It almost feels like you have given yourself up; That I am the one calling all the shots here. You are at my mercy in every sense of the word. I am the one in control now, and you shall allow yourself to be completely submissive to me. Your body and mind belong to me now. Does this excite you?"

His husky voice vibrating through your mind was starting to make your thighs tremble. You nodded again. "Yes, master. My being is at your will."

You fully subjected yourself to him and his heart thrummed. "Excellent, just the way I like you. Keep your eyes closed." He softly placed a kiss on your head, tugging lightly on your hair.

But then he moved away.

You remained where you were, still tremebling softly. His loss of body heat made a shiver work its way up your spine. You worried a bit - worried he may be leaving - but then you heard the telltale sound of clothes shifting. He was undressing.

You wanted to give in to your creeping lust and watch him undress, but you kept your mind set to his command. It caused you to vibrate in anticipation. Your thighs were starting to feel slick as the heat pooled between them.

After a few seconds, you could hear his footfall approach you again. You straighted your position a little taller.

Raiden kneeled down to match your height a bit better. His hands came to land on your shoulders. "Open your eyes," he uttered softly.

Your eyes opened sluggish, trying to hold onto at least some control. Your body flamed as you were greeted with his bare chest displayed right in front of you, old scars and freckles prominent against his skin. You forced your eyes to continue onward and not get distracted. They trailed up his neck - how nice it looked and how you craved to give it the same attention, if not more, than he did to you. His shoulders moved slowly with his deep breaths, and there was a slight flush to pigmentation. You continued to eye up his body, noticed his lips again.

Then, your breath hitched. Your vision dialed to his exposed hair. It was a striking and pure white colour, rather long and healthy as it brushed against his sun kissed shoulders. It draped across him beautifully, some strands framing his defined face in a perfect compliment. He looked like poetry, and you weren't even a poet.

You were still for quite awhile, silently detailing it all to memory. You craved to touch him.

Raiden released a soft sigh as the look in your eyes glistened. He felt flattered under your gaze. "Do you want to touch me? If you so wish, I will allow it. I think you've earned it."

"May I please?" Your question was so quiet you weren't sure if he had even heard it.

"Yes, you may."

Relief washed over you. You shifted, softly bringing your hands to him. Gently, you expiermentally ran your fingers through just the ends of his pure white hair. The plush feel was almost ethereal, so gentle and calming to touch. You ran a thumb against the texture, as if to check it was true, before moving up to his scalp, running your fingers through the white strands. It was perfect, there were no knots; just smooth and elegant, beautiful hair. He clearly cared for his hair despite keeping it hidden. You pushed back hair from his face, tucked it behind his ear ever so lightly as if it were delicate and not a deity. He remained perfectly still for you.

"You're so spellbinding, Raiden," you whispered in complete honesty, forgetting the submissive title to just compliment him earnestly. You trailed your hands up his chest and stopped at his cheeks. You swiped over his lips. He had kissed your neck, your skin, but his lips against yours were still foreign.

Perhaps your mind was getting ahead of yourself. Perhaps you were entranced by his beauty.

Raiden kept silent as he watched your thoughts and admiration pass over your features. It was clear to tell you were becoming enraptured, but he preffered you in this state of mind.

Your desire finally caught up to you. You had been haunted by the thoughts of his hair and his lips for so long, and they had presented themselves before you. How could you not give in?

You gingerly brought yourself closer, kissing him in a featherlight embrace. It was ever soft, sweet and innocent, an experimental touch. You fingerpads ghosted at his jawline.

He didn't resist you, but didn't move. His lips remained still as you kissed him, allowing himself to bask in the feeling you gave him, and for you to take what you wanted.

You broke away after just a moment, eyes still closed. You allowed him a second - if he wanted to pull away, to tell you to stop. He did not. So you kissed him again.

The next time you pulled away, you remained a small distance away. Your sigh landed against his lips as you entertwined breaths. Your eyes opened and took him all in once again, his true beauty stark. You could feel yourself slowly losing the battle of falling completely and helplessly in love. "Sorry," you muttered, hands crossing behind his neck. You chuckled. "I guess that wasn't very submissive of me."

"I rather like it. It allows me to see how far I can push you into becoming infatuated with me."

"If that is what you want, you're a bit late. I've been infatuated with you for quite some time."

The admission striked a chord within him. "And have you had fantasies about me for this long too?"

Your hands froze. You shot him a glare, cheeks flaring. Guilty. "Perhaps.."

Of course he had to turn the serene moment into something filthy.

He could not surpress his grin. "Just perhaps?" The god waited for your expression intently.

"More than perhaps… I have fantasied this and… more than this on multiple occasions."

What an inviting revelation. "And what would this 'more' entail exactly? I would love for you to tell me."

You thickly swallowed. "I've had quite a few… thoughts and visions. M-most of them, um, though.." You hated how you stuttered, but his predatory watch was doing nothing to alievate your lust. "I've imagined y-your head between my thighs."

You weren't sure if there was a greater sin that telling a god straight to their face that you envisioned sex with them. Yet, it didn't make you feel dirty.

Raiden's eyes were locked onto you to watch you flush red. He openly smirked. "Continue, please."

You didn't think you could blush any harder, yet you did. The heat between your legs burned deliciously as you recalled the vision. You were leaking. "You were.. Er, your tongue. And mouth. You had me on my back as you ate me out. S-sometimes, I was on top and you let me ride your face. I fantasized about that the most."

He thoroughly enjoyed that more than he thought he would, and a low growling moan of approval slipped from his mouth. It was satisfying to know how aroused and hot you were becoming for him, and how you had been imagining him before. "Your dreams are quite vivid. And now, I'm starting to get some visions to add into these fantasies of our own. Would you like to know what I'm envisioning now?"

You were too flustered to answer with words, so you nodded, rubbing your legs together.

His hands ran up your thighs. You weren't as sly as you thought. His face inched closer to your ear again, voice filled with eroticism. "I'm now envisioning you on your back, with myself between your legs as they're strung over my shoulders, your breasts moving in time with each thrust I pound into you. Your nails cut into my back to ground yourself."

You breath turned ragged as he listed the sinful details. Your body flared, pulse thumping harshly against your ribcage. Your blood felt scolding, and it all coursed to your core. Your body twitched without your notice. "Yeah? Anything else you'd like?" You licked your lips, suddenly dry. "Any other fantasies?"

Something with how his voice was more of a growl was turning you into putty. His voice, so close to your ear, reverberated through your body, the illusion of you both being one. So close, so bound together. His voice felt like it was fucking you in itself.

Raiden devoured the site before him, your utterly breathless and trembling body made a hunger within him grow. It felt primal, and he resisted urges to take you for himself then and there. His lips ghosted over yours, breath touching yours as he spoke to stir you even further. "That one in itself is quite the vision alone. But I do have another… Would you like to hear it?"

"Yes… please."

His hand came to cup your chin. "Close your eyes." The hand slowly shifted down to the back of your neck.

You shuddered lightly and obeyed, your vision darkening once more.

He slowly leaned you back, where he was leaning over you yet still elevating you by your back. His voice was becoming deeper and rougher as he began to speak in a more seductive tone. "You're on top, and your hands are on either side of me as you gyrate your hips back and forth, pleasuring yourself and using me to your own benefit. Your head is thrown back and your eyes are tightly closed, enjoying the pleasurable sensations that I am giving you."

"Fuck!" Your body shuddered against your will, and the friction of your movement made you moan. You imagined his vision quite clearly in your mind with your eyes closed. You felt as if his words spoke of reality, your body reacting in kind, leaking as if you could truly feel yourself atop of him, riding.

You were making Raiden become breathless as well, seeing the image of you playing before him. He knew what was happening, he wasn't a fool. You were causing the same affect on him, pleasure building within him without even having touch him. You were a deviant. "Your body is trembling, your breathing is heavy and your moans are echoing off the room. Your legs are tightly gripped around my waist, shaking, and you're holding yourself as tight to me as you can. Your eyes are squeezed shut as you're close to your peak, and you're letting yourself go completely."

Your head dips back, the words washing over you. Your mind was running rampant with the visage of his words. Your body followed along with the story, and you whimpered pathetically in his hands. You felt a rush start to rise quickly inside of you.

"You're reaching your climax, your breath becoming more rough and raspy. You're grabbing onto me taught as if a lifeline as your body begins to shake uncontrollably and your legs begin to tremble even more. You release on top of me, you squeeze around me."

You moan, absolutely wretched, and your body follows exactly what he instructed in his story. Your hips gyrate as you feel yourself climax from his voice alone. He pushed you so far over the edge that you didn't care how pitiful you seemed as your hips moved to their own motion. You clutched his shoulder and moaned into his neck, riding your high.

Raiden panted as he felt your moan again his throat, eliciting a shiver up his back. He loved the sight of your body letting itself go as your moan grew louder to the visions of pleasure he delivered to you. Hips lips came to meet yours once more in the midst of your release, from the fantasy of your shared creation.

You kissed him hastily in return, moaning against the taste of his lips. Suddenly, you tugged him over top of you as you pulled your back to the floor, seeking his friction. In the new pose, his mouth began to nibble on your neck. You wrapped your legs, locking them over his hips, pressing him down to your mound. You ground against him so he could ride out his own release with you.

That was a feeling he was enjoying to its full extent, one he barely felt in his lifetime. Feeling the heat of your body against his, the feeling of your soft body rubbing him this way, the damp wetness through your clothes. He growled low as he began to rock himself against you, back and forth. His lips trailed up your neck with small bites to mark before landing on your lips one final time, and he rode out his own release.

The feeling of it all made you gasp, pushing his head further to deepen the kiss and milking him for all his glory. He was big and the feel of him rubbing against you made you feel carnal. Your legs tightened in the daze of your ecstasy when you felt his body release against you.

As he broke, he groaned against your lips and you drank it down, thirsty for it. When the kiss broke with a trail of saliva connecting, he resigned his head back to the junction of your shoulder.

His body relaxed within yours as he willed himself to regain composure. Your hand in his hair slowly released its grip to a soft pet and he sighed at the feeling, combined with your body heat. He allowed himself to relax in the afterglow, waiting for his breathing to regulate.

You freely panted, and when he felt his mind was stable enough, he looked back to you. Your palm caressed his face, as if confirming he was truly still there and that had happened. "Fuck, Raiden… You're fucking good."

You were too strung out to even care that you were cursing to a god.

His eyes shut as you left soft little kisses up his cheekbones, grabbing your hand with his own. He was still in his own dazed stupor, breathing slowly. "I could say the same for you, goddess."

"Mm." You dropped your legs off his hips, glowing at the petname. "If that's how it is with only just talking about our fantasies, I can only imagine how it will be when we actually do them."

Raiden's body started to relax with yours, the heat of the aftermath a soothing warmth. He felt a tiredness start to creep, but your words kept him awake. "I completely agree." He pressed a kiss to your collarbone.

You rested with each other in a comforting silence. His body temperature was almost unnatural, basking you in a serene state as you lightly played with his hair. He leaned into the touch. "How.. how did I do for my first time seducing?"

You just had to know.

"This being your first time still remains a complete shock to me; you had completely overtaken me. I'd say you earned the title of a temptress."

That was a relief. A delight, even, to know you fell a god's resolve. "Seeing as you were my first, I'm glad it know it was enjoyable to the both of us." You felt him smirk in your skin. He would be very much inclined to be more of your 'firsts'. "Am I right to assume that this isn't a game? That you wanted me to tempt you? Truly?" You knew he could feel your pulse quicken in your chest as the anxieties phrased your questions. You wanted to know what this meant, exactly.

Raiden pulled himself from your arms and you felt your stomach drop. But he his head draped to yours, pressing your foreheads together. "Correct."

You kissed him, needing to express your gratitude. This time he kissed back, stroking your arms. How you'd love to suffocate yourself in his kiss… "I'd like to make those fantasies you spoke of come to life, Raiden. I imagine you'd look quite beautiful below me. Now that I know what your hair looks like, this completely adds a new layer to my visions. You'll look so delicious from above, your hair draped over the pillows…"

He huffed in merit as you trailed off, your thoughts clearly displayed in the glint of your eyes. "Oh? Your thoughts still run rampant even after what we've just done? You're quite naughty indeed."

You chuckled and pushed yourself to sit up a bit, wincing a bit of the feeling of your wetness inside your clothes. "Don't worry, I won't ask you for a second round, old man." Besides, you really wanted a change of clothes.

"Another quip to my age?" He helped you stand. "I'd say I can keep up just fine."

You took his hand as he led you to the bathroom. You leaned on his side and pressed a kiss to his chin, really the only place you could reach on tip-toes with him standing straight. "No worries, I'm into older guys." You gifted another kiss. "And you did extremely well." Another one. "We'll ensure you don't break a hip in the future."

"Is that so? Well, if you truly believe that and want to treat me like your personal toy, at least give me a few weeks to recover first before you ride me."

"Mm, we'll see." He sets you down on your bathtub rim and you run your hands over his chest. You gaze was nothing less than affectionate and his responded in kind. "Truly though, Raiden, I did want to thank you. I know I was persistent to know what your hair looked like. I find you mesmerizing; I hope to see you like this more often."

"I'm pleased I could sedate your curiosity in some way." His voice was soft, sweet and it dared to lull you before you could both clean yourselves.

"I think you actually managed to tire me out, admittedly. I think I'm just going to clean a bit, change and sleep. You're… welcome to join me and stay the night, if you'd like."

The smile he gave you was so charming, so handsome on him, you considered taking him again. You supposed you could wait. "I would be pleased to wake up beside you in the morning. Are you sure that's alright?"

"More than alright. I just know the morning sun looks so wonderful on you. I will be anticipating it."

The words made his heart melt with each passing moment. Your words, your praise, and just yourself, truly captivated him. "I will as well. Sleep well tonight. I am certain I will be in your dreams throughout the night."