#the dogs… the stag… you already know who this is about

[fung-fungus]

shes not a want but a NEED

[agroteraa]

I Wanna Be Your Dog

Oliver Quick x f!Reader

My fic masterlist

Summary: Oliver's memories of one of the evenings at Oxford, where you began getting closer. And a night in Saltburn, where you try to be dominant with him.

Actaeon series spin-off, taking place between Artemis and The Wrath of the Stag.

Warnings: smut, dom!Reader, sub!Oliver, switching, oral, penetration sex.

Word Count: 2,8K

It was another spring party at Oxford. All the young people were chatting cheerfully with bottles and glasses in their hands in the slightly dim light of the dormitory's common room. Felix and Oliver were almost lying relaxed on the couch and had been silent for some time.

“Now, can you eenie, meenie India or Annabel, and take one fucking home? Because they look miserable,” Oliver suggested softly.

“Eenie, meenie, miny, moe. Catch a tiger by his toe. If he squeals, let him go. Er..." Felix seemingly forgot the text of the counting-out rhyme, but decided to finish it as soon as possible and make a choice anyway, "You're out, boy scout!"

The choice fell on Annabelle. He happily pecked Oliver on the cheek in gratitude, which made him grin widely. Oliver liked being praised. Especially by those who were important to him. Felix quickly jumped up from the sofa and, lightly slapping the contented girl on the ass, and went off with her upstairs.

“Well, what the fuck, mate? I’ve been chirpsing her for about an hour. I wanted at least a hand job...” the guy Annabelle left said in disappointment.

An hour. What did he know about waiting. How about almost a whole year, mate? Oliver smiled indulgently to himself. And anyway, how shallow that guy thoughts and desires were.

“I know. We all want a fucking handjob, mate. Get yourself a title and a massive fuck off castle.”

That where it was hard to argue. A title and a massive fuck off castle had never harmed anyone in life yet.

"Hey, here I am! And where is Felix?.." you were surprised when you returned from your dorm room and sat back down on the sofa, only this time next to Oliver alone.

"I don't know really," he shrugged, smiling, "I think he’s decided to go have some fun on his own."

"Hmm," you pursed your lips, not really surprised, but still, deep down, a little upset that Felix was acting like that again. You guessed where and why he might have gone, but decided not to focus on that thought right now. Besides, you'd already poured another bottle of your drink into yourself. There was some silence in the air. Before that, you had fun talking to the guys, mostly Felix, and you had never been alone with Oliver for long, especially at parties. You clenched your bottle tightly like a social lifebuoy.

Oliver was even beginning to interest you a little, just a little, but you still had no idea what and how to talk to him in private. He still seemed more like Felix's shadow. But at the same time, being face-to-face for at least a short time, you felt like you had to tell Oliver something meaningful, something deep... as if you should be giving away to him some of your secrets. You were vaguely disturbed by this feeling, as now you were just in the mood for small talk only.

"Um... so… how’s your study going?" you asked, not knowing where else to start a new separate conversation with him besides studying.

"Pretty well," he replied a little awkwardly, embarrassed by your close presence himself. Before that, Felix separated you on the couch, but now he wasn’t a bother anymore. Oliver definitely liked this intimacy, even though he was obviously not used to it yet. But one gets used to the fine things quickly. And Oliver was greedy for all the new truly fine things in his life.

"And yours?"

"Yeah, too," you took a small sip from the bottle, trying not to look him in the eye. At the same time, because you felt awkward and because these blue eyes have been looking at you so piercingly lately, as if they were drilling right into your soul. You couldn't tell if it was embarrassing for you, or if it was some other kind of excitement. Maybe both.

"And what about yours..." Oliver was interrupted by one of Felix's many friends, Chad, who plopped down on the arm of the sofa next to you.

"Hey, Y/N! I finally got to the party on your campus! How are you?"

"Oh, Chad! It's been a long time, it’s like you've disappeared somewhere. Have you really been studying so hard lately?" you both laughed loudly at this very bold assumption of yours. You continued to communicate, actively exchanging the latest news. Over time, you felt guilty a little. You turned to Oliver and smiled at him. He smiled back understandingly. His face visibly saddened when you turned back to the blond guy. He began to examine the empty bottom of his plastic cup, twirling it slightly in his hands. How should he get Y/N's attention? He didn't know. He had to come up with a plan. What would he do, what should he say, so that you…

"Hey, Oliver! Did you have any classes with Mr. Wharton?" you asked with interest, involving him in your conversation. He exhaled a little as he realized that you weren't leaving him in the middle of this party, where he felt like a stranger without Felix and you. You looked at him with a warm smile, and something inside him finally clicked and fell into place.

"Er, yeah... that oddball. He constantly comes up with fruit analogies for everything and even sometimes speaks on their behalf while holding them in hands."

"Ah, have you seen that too?! Y/N, I told you, he's an old weirdo! Only you are attending the wrong classes!" exclaimed Chad, and you all laughed merrily. The conversation was going well, and Oliver was incredibly happy about it. He didn't feel lonely anymore because of you.

But in return, some feelings that he had only vaguely suspected until this moment began to awaken inside him. You didn't stop drinking, and at some point, Chad put his arm around you and started lightly stroking your back. You giggled without giving it much thought, especially under the influence of alcohol. But Oliver saw perfectly well how Chad looked more and more into your eyes, lowering his gaze to your lips and lightly licking his own. It was very subtle, but Quick noticed it all. The way his hand keeps stroking your back, gripping you tighter and tighter. Oliver saw it all perfectly well, because he wanted to be in that place himself.

No, rather, he didn't really want to. He had long imagined your first kiss when you were fully conscious, willing and not under the influence of some alcohol, when you were too much mellow-minded. And he wouldn't let your kiss with Chad happen now, in this state, nor ever.

Sometimes it seemed you and him were very different. He could see through everything, and sometimes it was like you notice none of what you really should. How could you not understand that this Chad wanted to take you upstairs just like Felix did with Annabel?

You were kind and open, maybe even too friendly, oh, Y/N. Oliver was drawn to you like a moth to a fire. You were quite a complete and content person in your own right, and this was very attractive to the many-faced Oliver, who was still struggling to find a place in this life, especially here, in his first year at Oxford.

And it seems that he began to realize that he had found his place next to you. And he wanted to take this place like a guard dog, protecting it and you from all the adversity and guys like Chad.

You didn't forget about Oliver and wanted him to feel fine and less lonely, even hardly knowing him, even having so many friends and acquaintances here, even in the midst of fun of the party. You showed towards him attention and care.

Yeah, he would like to be your dog, he thought now.

Fortunately, you got up soon, freeing yourself from Chad's embrace and going to the bathroom. Great. Oliver had been carefully observing the situation in the common room all this time, so he immediately got up from the sofa and sauntered into the common kitchen, where India was smoking, still slightly displeased that Felix had not chosen her.

"How’s the party? " Oliver asked politely, grabbing a can of beer from the fridge.

India rolled her eyes, twirling a cigarette in her fingers, "What do you need?"

"Me? Nothing. But that guy has been looking at you half the evening without stopping," he nodded towards Chad and winked, "Just saying."

"Isn't he hanging out with Y/N?"

"No, he doesn't sleep with his buddy Felix's old friends. So, the way is clear."

"Oh, are they friends with Felix?" India narrowed her eyes. That was good, she needed some male attention right now, especially from those whom Catton Jr. might become jealous of. Thus, the girl went off towards her chance.

When you had returned to the common room, you saw Chad and India flirting with each other on the couch, and the girl did not let go of her hands off him. Okay. That was unexpected, but okay, it was a student party, after all. You shrugged your shoulders and started thinking about where you could sit now.

"Everyone seems to be having fun with each other tonight," Oliver, who happened to be next to you, shrugged sympathetically. Indeed, everyone around was busy with their own lively conversations, and someone was already far from just "talking".

"To singles?" he offered a playful toast, and you agreed with a grin, "Apparently so!"

"Cheers!" you clinked your drinks, continuing to talk a little more relaxed with each other. So, that how you started getting closer from that evening, and you began getting to know the real Oliver. At least that was what you thought at the time. He looked at you with a shy smile of a complete adoration as you were telling your stories full of joy and tipsy giggling. His eyes were shining like two starry sapphires at that moment.

If a guard dog wants to protect the peace of its owner and scare away other dogs, then it must inspire fear itself. Maybe sometimes not very intentionally, but instill just a little fear and sense of power even to its own master. Oliver wanted to be a good guard dog.

He would take this place next to you.

* * *

And he took it.

Now he was hovering over you, pinning you between his arms, leaning on your bed in your bedroom in Saltburn. It was the middle of the night, and finally not a single one inhabitant of this house could bother you right now.

Oliver thought all day about how he would continue his way with you at night, along the way remembering the evening of that party in Oxford, where you finally began to get closer. He looked down at you rapturously, biting his lip and breathing heavily, still not believing that all this was really happening. Not just right now, but in general, everything.

His blue eyes were gleaming with utter delight in the dim.

"What else does my sweet Y/N want?" Oliver asked you, recovering his breathing.

He bent lower, and a chain dangled from his neck, swaying slightly. The metal heated by the warmth of your bodies tickled your lips slightly. You lifted your head and gently but firmly catching the chain with your lips.

"Mm-hmm," Quick mumbled with curiosity. You smiled, gritting the chain with your teeth and began to shake it slightly from side to side. He opened his lips excitedly, inhaling sharply.

"Am I your doggie today? Oh, I'm more than willing to be, sweetheart," he said in his deep sexy accent.

He wanted to add "now and always," but didn't. Oliver was afraid that if he showed how willing he was to obey you, he would lose your interest. He was used to changing masks, adapting to different situations and someone's needs. He was an awkward and shy nerd when you first met, and that was largely true, because of his deep core nature and the new posh environment at Oxford. Fortunately, he had successfully joined Felix's company and was able to relax a little. And here in Saltburn, he almost felt like the master of the situation.

If you wished, he would always be that sweet, shy and awkward guy for you, if only you were truly happy about it. But he had learned that he interested and intrigued you mostly when he showed a more powerful, dominant and somewhat even dark part of himself. And that made him really pleased, because you viewed him the way he hoped to be in his own deep wildest dreams.

And yet, he still wanted to be your dog, an obedient dog who would do anything for you. In a sense, he was. And today he decided to demonstrate you that in more obvious way.

"What do you want me to do? I'm all yours," he leaned back next to you, belly up. Oliver smiled playfully. Right now, he was a tiger who had been caught by the toe with his own permission.

Biting your lip, you straddled him, sitting on his thighs. After enjoying this view, you ran your hand from his navel, sliding your fingers up the groove between his prominent muscles. Oliver exhaled sharply. You stopped at his neck, grabbed his chain, and pulled him to you. Now the guy was in a sitting position, he looked at you adoringly while his hands slid over your waist.

Without letting go of one hand from the chain, you slowly rose and began to descend on his cock. Oliver hissed with satisfaction, "Yes, my dear, just like that..."

"I didn't let you talk," you pulled the chain slightly, smiling slightly.

"Oh," he said in surprise, but gladly began to obey you, nodding in agreement.

You began to move slowly on his things, while Oliver's strong hands supported you with ease, guiding you, leaving hot prints on your skin.

His hands were all over you as his lips feverishly kissed everything they could reach. Finally, he reached for your lips, covering them with a hot kiss full of saliva, admiration and arousal.

When you broke the kiss, you said, a little hesitantly, but still firmly enough, "Take your hands off, next time you touch me when I tell you."

Oliver smiled enthusiastically – you learned quickly from his example, apparently. He liked the hint of his own power and dominance reflected on himself now through you.

He obeyed your request, although it was getting harder to fulfill it by every passing minute. He wanted to touch you again, guide your body and push it harder on his hard needy cock. It became unbearable after a while, and he whined a little. He looked at you a little pleadingly, but you nodded no.

He kissed your breasts again, but in response he got "Do not touch at all."

"Only I can now," with these words, you ruffled his hair and pressed harder against his shoulders. He groaned at the inability to touch you at all, it was a new sensation, or rather, its absence.

You grabbed his hair, and he put his head closer, burying it in your hand. It was the only chance to touch you in any way. Oliver closed his eyes and inhaled noisily through his nose. He didn't even mind if you squeezed his hair even harder, hell, maybe even poked his face into the sheet, where he would inhale the scent of your arousal. If you had forced him to lick it off, he would have willingly obeyed, as long as you continued to press his face to the bed, clutching his dark curls. He even imagined doing the same with the bathtub you were lying in lately. In his bathroom. This thought turned Oliver on even more.

Degrading him, talking him down, pulling his hair or chain harshly - he would not always like to be in this role, but he would like to give you that opportunity from time to time. If only you'd asked. And even if you hadn't asked. Because it was you. And because he was like that.

Reaching the peak almost at the same time, you dug your nails into his back deeply, which made Oliver's eyes darken slightly and starry at the same time. With a pleased moan, you released your grip and sank down onto the pillows. But that wasn't all of it, and you decided to play the role given to you to the very end.

Clutching his soft dark hair, you moved his head to your thighs. He looked back at you with hazy from own rapture eyes.

"Please," you said softly, still not being able to be dominant enough. But this sweetness and dissimilarity from his own, even in a situation where you could and should do it, but asking instead, drove Oliver crazy to his limit. He attacked you with a growl, delivering all the pleasure he could possibly give to you that night.

* * *

Oliver was lying with his arms around your lower back, his head resting on your stomach. Quick looked faithfully into your eyes. His face reflected the moonlight of the deep quiet night that was now in Saltburn.

You stroked and scratched him behind the ear, he rubbed his nose contentedly against your smooth belly skin.

"Is my mistress happy?"

"Yes," you laughed, starting to play softly with his hair.

"Then I am happy too," he said, closing his eyes and rubbing his cheek against your soft belly, "Now and always."

[adarkrainbow]

Since I'm on a bit of a Reynard kick, I have to ask: What are the main/reoccurring characters and their traits (of course you already mentioned some like King Nobel being arrogant and greedy and Reynard being a cunning trickster who always manages to be one step ahead of everyone else)?

Well it is a bit hard to specify that since as I said it is a very broad range of characters, and the entire point of the Reynard tale is that the role keeps switching - a victim in one tale becomes a persecutor in another.

You can always assume that all the animals however are always arrogant, greedy, gluttonous, vain and lustful ; and that everybody outside of Renart is at one level or another naive or gullible (except when they are cunning like Renart, though never quite as much). Again, characterization is HARD with the Reynart tales.

That being said the recurring characters are:

Renart himself. His three main "enemies" Ysengrin the Wolf, Tibert the Cat and Brun the Bear (though Ysengrin and Tibert also regularly form partnerships, friendships and duos with Renart himself). Lady Hersent, Ysengrin's wife, is also one of the regular female characters, alonsgide Queen Fière, the wife of King Noble the Lion (another main character). You have Grimbert the Badger, the cousin and good-natured, kind ally of Renart. You also have Renart's own family which pops up regularly, especially Hermeline his wife (who often enters into feud with Hersent due to, you know, the whole extra-marital affair business) or Rousse, Renart's mother.

Other notorious characters include Chanteclerc the rooster (very vain and proud), a host of characters noticed for being dumb and cowards (like Belin the sheep or Couart the hare, whose name "couard" is literaly the adjective "coward") ; the other great officials at King Noble's court, such as Brichemer the stag-senechal or Baudouin the donkey-secretary. And afterward there's other characters that return from time to time, like Lady Mesange (I think her son the bird ended up eaten by Renart who was his "godfather"), or Musart the camel (sometimes a Christian envoy of the Pope, other times a Sarrazin king), Roonel the large dog (not to be confused with Courtois the small dog), or Tiécelin (a cheese-stealing crow that himself gets stolen from by Renart - Tiécelin and Renart are linked to the famous fable of the Fox and the Raven).

And beyond that there's tons of characters that just briefly appear from time to time, or even are just doubles of others (for example Ysengrin is said to have a wolf-brother, Primaut, who himself has a wolf-wife, Hermengart ; however researchers agree that Primaut and Hermengart are identical to Ysengrin and Hersent, it is just that an author "doubled" them).

Oh by the way a correction about the "sodomizing" episode: I actually think it wasn't with the hare that Renart did it, but rather with the character of the rabbit, named Conil. I am pretty sure he was the one that Renart raped without noticing during a parody of pilgrimage (and I think he later killed and ate him?). Again, this is such a vast and large continent of tales it is hard to have a clear overview (at least for me), and it is better to go tale by tale, or rather branch by branch.

[ocean-sapphics]

what are ocean sapphics? & flags!

'ocean' is the umbrella grouping term for presentation labels that lesbian & bi/pan sapphics can use regarding femininity, masculinity, and androgyny.

these terms were initially coined by strwbryfemme on twitter, using their gimmick account sapphicimagines back in january of 2022. both accounts have since been deactivated and therefore this thread is long gone. i found them in an old flag hoard album on my camera roll recently and decided to respectfully reupload them in case anyone else would enjoy.

NOTE #1: i will not be putting the rest of this, admittedly quite long, post under a ‘read more’ cut due to the fact that all the information would be lost if someone decided to reblog it and the original post ended up gone sometime in the future. you would not be able to view anything under it, since whatever is there can only be seen on the original page. i apologize if you have to scroll a lot because of this, but that’s unfortunately one of the many inconvenient ways tumblr works.

NOTE #2 (MUST READ): i felt it would be best to swap their usage of 'pearl' to mean masc, not androgyne. this is because these chosen words feel unbalanced in their meanings to me. 'ocean' feels too broad and vague to cover just one category (hence why i made it overarching instead), and doesn't fit its place in the hierarchy of the theme. it'd be like saying, for example: 'cat' is fem, 'animal' is masc, and 'dog' is androgynous; instead of saying 'cat' is fem, 'dog' is masc, and 'furry' (lmao idk ok? bear with me) is androgynous. i then turned what was previously 'pearl' into 'coral' as a replacement, since that made more sense from my perspective. if this confuses you while reading the tweets below, i have put my corrections for the labels/flags in alt text, which you can click on each image to access. if that doesn't help, feel free to ask questions. i tried to make this as easy and least complex as possible, so i apologize if that didn't work.

NOTE #3: if cat (strwbryfemme) and/or atlas (ilikegaycookies, who designed the bi flags btw) finds this and would like me to take it down, i will do so upon request, directly or indirectly, and also delete this blog. i intend no disrespect to either of you and i'm posting this because i like your ideas and don't want them to rot and be forgotten anymore than they already have. i edited the words themselves because i thought they would fit better, but i can also revert them back to their original versions if need be.

with that out of the way, let’s get onto the flags first!

sapphic:

lesbian:

bisexual:

information (REMINDER THAT I HAVE RE-COINED A COUPLE OF TERMS. READ ALT TEXT TO KNOW WHICH WORDS TO SWAP OUT WHEN READING THE SCREENSHOTS!):

any and all help with IDs/PTs are appreciated! i do not have the spoons to write them out as of now due to the rest of the work i'm putting into this post, but if someone wants to volunteer then i can put all the text into a rentry (or multiple) and edit it here to make the images more accessible to disabled readers. thank you!

here is some more stuff i would like to add (please also read these too if you are interested in claiming, or even if you are not on board with all this):

you should keep in mind that i am a white tme bi sapphic who knows my history and claims 'butch', so i will not argue about butch/femme discourse because i strongly support the terms not being lesbian-exclusive. however, it should be understood that i still know my place and privilege regarding other applicable aspects and do not wish to offend anyone or start discourse here. this post is simply a reupload and attempt at re-suggesting cute terms for personal use only, entirely by choice. they are not designed to be forced on anyone or become mainstream, especially not to replace femme/butch/futch or even the infamous doe/stag/tomcat. you do not have to like these or agree with them. you are allowed to dismiss the idea and move on as it wasn't made to erase or hurt anyone. please hold anyone who does spread these in bad faith accountable, thanks.

with that being said, it is my opinion that we should grant their wishes for wanting to keep this series exclusive to the sapphic community. i do not personally consider either of these individuals to be overall 'bad people', even if we disagree on some things heavily. they still deserve respect for the positive contributions they have made to our community, which is why, again, i will remove all of the above without hesitation if asked by a credible messenger.

one last thing to be reminded of ─ if anyone else ends up playing around with the theme of these terms + flags, for any given reason (such as designing pan/trans/enby/etc. versions), please do not use the word 'fish', especially if you are also white, as that already exists within a Black-exclusive context to be a cultural identity adjacent to 'femme'! i will not speak or give an opinion about what to do or not if you are Black, as i'm sure you will be able to take it from there.

this is not necessary to read, so you can stop now lol ─ anyway, thank you for your attention, and enjoy! reblogs are appreciated, and comments will be listened to. if you have any complaints directed towards the content itself, then i unfortunately cannot help you with that as said content is not really mine. however, i will try to respond to stuff related to my act of reuploading and/or adjusting the terminology. remember that i self-identify as butch and am critical of coining ideas with a similar purpose to doe/stag, but obviously i am not against it. as long as you can understand my point of view, your opinions will matter, even if they (respectfully!) dissent. have a lovely rest of your day/night!

[stesierra]

Find the Word tag! @rmgrey-author tagged me! My words are: last, heart, death and cold. I'm drawing from Court Phoenix.

I'm tagging anyone who wants to play! Your words are kitten, stake and mash.

Last

I trudged across the village, my body and mind numb. Hes trailed after me, making worried noises, but I didn’t stop to reassure her. What could I say? I had no job. I had no home. And if I didn’t benefit the village in some way, I knew that sooner or later, they would banish me completely. Hes and I would wander the steppes alone. If we survived at all.

But I wasn’t without hope. When I reached my mother’s door, I knocked until I bruised my knuckles.

She burst out of her house, hands already set on her hips. “What?” she snapped.

I bowed my head to her. This wasn’t the time to be defiant. I said, “Mother, may I move back in? I’ll help fish for birds every morning and watch the children.”

Her eyes narrowed, and she took a long step towards me. “Move in? You have a house.”

Had a house. I swallowed. “The smith threw me out. So please—”

“Threw you out?” she screeched. For a second, hope swelled in my heart. She was outraged on my behalf. She would talk to him, turn this around. Then she said, “You worthless girl! Do you know how hard I worked to arrange an apprenticeship for you? This is because of that bird, isn’t it? Because you won’t kill it and be done.”

I clenched my hands. “Mother, Hes hasn’t done anything to deserve death.”

“That creature is going to burn the town down!” My mother slashed a hand through the air. “Fire will eat our walls and windows. It’ll jump from roof to roof, spreading like a storm. But you don’t care, do you? You don’t care about anything except yourself and your pet.” She spat the last word.

I stood guard in front of Hes, my heart beating desperately. “She won’t! She’s smart and careful. She doesn’t burn things down accidentally.” As a prank was something else.

“And you expect me to believe that thing wouldn’t see us all dead out of spite?”

“She wouldn’t do that,” I insisted.

She snorted. “It doesn’t matter. You can’t move back in. You’re not welcome. Go live by the lake. Maybe your animal will keep you warm.”

Heart

We found the city’s trail long before we saw it. A million hooves had trampled the steppe grasses and flowers, leaving a long path across the plains. Chujulan turned us east to follow it. The sun glared down into my eyes. I wanted to shield my face, but my hands were busy holding Hes and clinging to the saddle. I’d never ridden an animal before, and the galloping deer seemed to wobble beneath me. The saddle, I was certain, would slide off any second and dump us all on the ground, but Damrag ran on, his long bounds effortless.

“There,” Chujulan said in my ear after an eternity on the stag’s back. “Look, fisher, at your glorious new home.”

Skyfire glided across the plains before us, brilliant in its blues and reds and greens. No walls encircled this metropolis, unlike the hotland cities of fable. A taunt to their enemies that said 'we don't need walls to defeat you.'

Row after row of round buildings stretched twenty — fifty — times the width of my own village, sometimes linked together into large complexes, other times split by white stone streets. A palace rose from its heart, a maze of round walls, red as blood, that stretched up and up until they domed into finial-tipped roofs. At this distance the city looked unreal, a series of perfect miniatures. But all around it ran the herd, unmistakably, unignorably, alive.

Deer spread out across the whole eastern horizon, shifting and shying around the moving city like a school of brown and white fish. At this distance, I couldn't tell where one animal began and ended, and their overlapping antlers rose like tangled brush from a field. Men and women rode at the edges of the herd, and immense white dogs ran with them. How many deer did they eat in a day?

As I clung to the saddle, the sun burning holes in my vision, the reality of the city hit me. This place was my new home. I felt a twinge of fear. A people who created this would sneer at a landbound villager, whether she had a phoenix or not. But no. I straightened up in the saddle. I would prove myself indispensable, the perfect phoenix-keeper, so that no one would ever try to send me back to my village.

Death

Chujulan slouched into a chair. I fell into one and thought about closing my eyes and passing out.

“How do you like this house?” my visitor asked. “The last keeper bragged about the plumbing to all who would hear.”

“It’s fine,” I said. “Did you know him well?”

She waved a hand. “In passing. He was of little interest to me.”

And I was of interest to a rial? She kept showing up when she surely had better things to do. Surely I could use that somehow. “How did he die?”

“Oh, that.” She laced her hands together and offered me a sardonic smile. “He died of a heart attack.”

I jabbed a finger at her. “That’s not true! When I came here, the bed was still covered in bloodstains!”

“Was it? Well, the doctors said it was certainly a heart attack. It’s a common diagnosis in these parts for the dead both young and old. We are a sickly bunch, apparently.”

“And I suppose all those dead left behind bloodstains in their beds.”

She rested her chin in her hands. “Not all of them. Some died at the dinner table, after eating something suspicious.”

I scowled at her. “Poison?”

“Around here, we call it all a heart attack.”

Hes called mournfully, and I invited her onto my lap. “Why did he really die? Should I be worried?”

“A heart attack, of course, strikes whomever it choses. But I heard, not long before his death, that he was having an affair with a married woman. And she had a jealous wife. I’m sure there’s nothing for you to worry about unless you intend to do the same.”

Cold

The next evening, the sagan held his court in a bubble of ivory and gold, its stone bones buried under pale tapestries stitched with precious metals. A servant led me inside, and I hurried after him, Hes in my arms, trying to ignore my shaking legs and the sweat that clung to my skin. I rarely sweated, immune to overheating, but today I was clammy and cold. Only my eagerness to prove myself kept me walking.

Embroidered legends, wars and emperors swirled round everything until I felt dizzy and unreal. The room was more dream than architecture.

The lordly swept from one small group to another, and so many factions lined the walls that I stopped counting. But in the middle of that circular room, nothing moved. Some invisible fence marked off a line that could not be crossed, and at the center of it all a narrow throne stretched towards the ceiling that arched high overhead. A massive set of antlers, bigger than any I'd ever imagined, crowned the back. Below, it was draped in a thousand blood-red curtains and veils until it was impossible to tell if wood or metal or bone lay underneath.

Upon the throne sat a white-robed man with Chujulan’s sharp face, Batoktoa’s eyes and Gehiral’s pale skin. Red braids wrapped a crown of gold and silver. He wore the same black and red makeup as his children, but faint wrinkles marked his face and bags marred his eyes. Whatever was involved in ruling the saganum, it had aged him. It occurred to me I did not know his name. He had to have one, but everyone just called him the sagan. Something about that struck me as terribly sad.

Tag for everything

@anonymousfoz

@moremysteriesthantragedies

@elizababie

@sm-writes-chaos

@bellascarousel

@palebdot

@macabremoons

@the-dragon-chronicler

@teacupsandstarlight

@vorskra

@wrenofthewords

@amostdelectablescribbler

@savvy-minnow

@mysticstarlightduck

@phantommill

@gracewritesbooks

@aziz-reads

@owlsandwich

@symbioticsimplicity

@squarebracket-trick

@fishythewriter

@koala2all

Just chapters and snippets

@da-na-hae

[housewarningparty]

BRI I need you to know that you have inadvertently SPOILED ME as one of the only people online who understands Amberfield. Everyone else has small brain however we are living in the era of ENLIGHTENMENT

Josie of Appreciation (she stole my roomie’s dogs bed hehe). Thank you for carrying me bc I am going insane looking for anyone who understands why their dynamic is cute

STAG!!! Look, they're incredible. It's such a fun dynamic. kicking things off with a LITTLE bit of jealousy and tension they're both trying to be polite about re: The Chloe Thing and then mellowing that out with them hanging and getting to like each other? And then Rachel, smooth and confident, kind of just floundering bc she's smart enough to know that her usual aggressive flirting tactics would be kind of overwhelming for Max and she doesn't really know HOW to play things? Max being kind of an oblivious geek because GEE there's no way THE RACHEL AMBER would be into HER... she must be holding Max's hand and taking flirty pictures and telling her how pretty she is. As a friend.

It's great, I love it. Especially bc I think Max and Rachel in an amberpricefield context kind of disrupts the status quo in a way that lets it all be a little healthier than it might have been otherwise. Max being there gives Chloe and Rachel the freedom to kind of eschew the boxes they've sort of put each other in, Rachel breaks the holding pattern Max and Chloe are kind of locked into and pushes them into action, Chloe basically gives Rachel and Max the common ground to even start to care about each other and want to be in each other's lives. Love it. You made me think about them for like 5 minutes and i already miss writing LiS SO MUCH.

Thank u for Josie please tell her that she's very beautiful and her fur looks so soft, I hope her naps on the stolen bed are soooo cozy and comfy.

[sugarmarbles21]

The myth of Artemis and Actaeon

I thought about what I should post today and then I remembered this classic. This story is from Ovid’s metamorphosis which, as you might know, derives from Greek. “Meta” meaning “after” and “morphe” meaning “form”

Actaeon was a famous Theban hero, who was the son of a priestly herdsman named Aristaeus and Autonoe, a member of the ruling house of Cadmus.

One day when Actaeon was hunting, he stumbled upon a spring where the goddess Artemis and her nymphs were bathing. Keep in mind that Artemis was not just the goddess of hunting, but also virginity. As a matter of fact she took great pride that she had let no man see her naked body. So you can already guess that things are not going to end well for our hero here.

Actaeon was in awe at this sight of the beautiful goddess and he lingered until one of the nymphs saw him. Artemis was angry to say the least and punished the hunter for peeping on the goddess. He was cursed to never speak or he would be turned into a stag.

When Actaeon heard his hunting party calling, he cried out to them and was immediately transformed into a stag. He ran away from his party so they would not kill him, but his fifty dogs hunted him until he couldn’t run anymore. The hounds, not knowing that the stag was actually their master, tore him apart in a gruesome way.

At least that’s one version of the myth which is not unusual with these kinds of stories tends to change over time. In one version Artemis didn’t bother to turn him into a deer and just had his dogs eat him alive. In another he made the mistake of wooing Semele, one of Zeus many lovers, and by Zeus command he was…eaten by his dogs.

Seeing a pattern here? Actaeon was kind of treated like a meme in the Greek mythos, probably because they saw his death as kinda stupid. Makes you feel sorry about him.

[artsy-hobbitses]

when sideswipe heard Sunstreaker say “thankful” and “ungrateful” during their argument… how did he react. Did he full silence in shock and hurt that slowly morphed to visibly being upset and that triggers him to finally take Sunny down.

At the point where Sunny blurts that out, I figure they’re already sort of grappling with each other after a shoving and yelling match escalated when Sides demanded that Sunny come clean about what happened and Sunny refuses/tries to talk Sides out off doing that himself, and it’s definitely not playful/gamely as they tend to do, but there’s still a sense that Sunny is trying to establish dominance as he usually does in these sort of ‘jousts’, big brother-style, and Sides is more on the defensive—they’re basically going at it like stags.

Sides has never told Sunny about his blowout with their parents which lead him to move out at 16 (the one where they told him they wish they never had him after he finally had the courage to call them out on the way they treated him, tell them how all he ever wanted for them to love him the same way they did his brother, who he literally shared a womb with—and demand to know what else could he possibly do to be good enough to be seen as a son and not a burden in their eyes)

So he’s been carrying this festering hurt since, but Jazz—who he looked up to and helped him during that time—does know a bit about it and told him that there were people out there who were going to love him for who he was, and not move the goalposts to earn it or have him break his back bending over to accommodate them, because he deserved better than that.

Sunstreaker, for a long while, was someone he thought was among those people, but the moment Sunny unthinkingly repeats that important component of their parents’ verbal abuse of him at him verbatim, it opens up that wound he’s never shared with Sunny (He wasn’t wanted, he was never wanted, their parents wished he never existed — he’s carried with this sense of worthlessness throughout his life which he effectively hides under a devil-may-care attitude, and he wants to carry that moment to the grave) and he’s the one now on the offensive, and his punches are landing for real. Straight up wreckingball haymakers.

Just completely fucking floors Sunny for the first time in his life (500-1) and asks Sunny (who’s very dazed at the moment) straight up, inches away from his face, if he realizes who the hell he sounds like.

Takes Sunny a few seconds for the anvil to land as he pieces together the possible reasons for this very unusual display of true fury from Sides, and to Sunny’s credit he immediately tries to backpedal his words.

But the damage is done and Sides (whose momentary fury has now died down this quiet despondence that makes Sunny wish he was yelling, please for the love of god yell at him because it would feel less like a gut punch) tells Sunny that he not here change the way Sunny views their brotherhood, but if his blind obedience was the toll Sunny expects him to pay to earn it, then he’ll be the ingrate Sunny thinks he is, because he’s vouched for you so many times but nothing, nothing can justify the amount of hurt you’ve unleashed on people who trusted us—there was a literal kid on base, did you even think about that? (This is why Prowl is SO FUCKING MAD at Sunny—at the point this happened, Springer is still growing/a kid, circa 14 years of age in their growth spurt, and it’s their first harsh lesson in the dangers the Autobots face because green bean child has never been off-base, and it’s Prowl’s first taste of Legitimate Fear/Anguish when he thinks Springer’s been crushed to death trying to save Dakshi—Kup’s dog—but it becomes a moment of revelation on Springer’s unnatural strength/durability).

Sides makes it clear that of Sunny doesn’t tell them, he will—someone has to—but he urges Sunny to please, please own up to this because enough people have suffered directly and indirectly from it, and whatever fallout comes from this, he’ll still be here for Sunny, as he always has.

We all know Sunny’s going through a major crisis of self at this point and takes what he himself will always say was the ‘coward’s way out’, which emotionally wrecks Sides to a point he’s never been at in years.

[stardust-in-my-mind-blog]

to father-in-law 9/7/23

You said something about having Ben train Fi to sing with his guitar. All three of the kids are able to sing this song together. They all did it at once one time and it sounded like an angel choir. (Link to Goodnight My Angel by Billy Joel.)

Music is a healing thing.

Theo might sing it for you a night he comes over!

This is also one of Theo's favorite songs.

I sing it in the shower every day as a prayer to my own well designed pantheon of divinity. But Venus loved war just as much as she loved beauty and peace. Your son has some outdated software in his subconscious that needs redirection when it comes to how you treat a woman you love and respect.

My Phoebus is now Apollo.

And like Daphne I will make like a tree shake off the mantle of your name that I accepted like the rotting leaves of a dying tree.

I am Andromeda and Perseus is getting too damn close to the sun.

Pegasus has bucked off plenty of Princes.

Raja has eaten their underwear.

Aphrodite was born from the old man of the sea being made into a ennuch. Sea foam.

I'm thinking in mythology these days, Zeus.

I can be the headache you'll never forget.

Or your adoring daughter.

But like Diana I will turn men who scorn me into the stags their dogs devour.

I think I'm telling you this because I love you and your family.

But it hurts too much.

And I've been here too many times.

And part of me is dying.

And I have risen back from the dead far too many times to fear death.

My given name is Mckeag, our motto is to neither dread nor yearn for the final day.

That's not my name either.

I'm still looking for it.

I hate to use a story you trusted me with to... illustrate a negative thing.

That's my broken heart talking.

But you told me when you went deaf, you didn't learn how to read sign language. I can't begin to understand the grief that comes with losing your sense of hearing.

You value music so much.

You're rough, but you're a secret music box like me.

The mother in me, the gypsy in me, the woman who has been fucked by guys your age since I was three (literally and can recall each memory in cold detail, by the way.)

Shirley Temple syndrome.

But my hero was also Gilda.

Anyways, as a woman who has had to fight for every damn good thing in her life....

I heard the man that stands of law in the place of Father

"When I lost my hearing I chose to become blind."

"My wife and children learned a new language to keep me connected to the family, but I chose not to learn it for myself."

And it's a pattern I can't rise above in this relationship with your son.

I don't like bad boys.

And he will regret me forever.

Trust me, I already have one dude who did the same shit finally treating me with respect a decade after bearing his children.

They say Danae, my soul ancestor, was cast out to sea by her father who learned that her son would become more magnificent than he.

Fear of the gods.

But as humans, don't we wish that our legacy be more magnificent?

Maybe not. I don't know. I've always thought differently than everyone else.

And I've paid for it with a body broken by hands that never thought I had value.

So if this is our last convo bc I've been too disrespectful.

(which is valid. I've said nasty things and made even uglier metaphors.)

But I need to express to you everything I feel at this crossroads.

And I promise with all my heart and soul that I had to build myself...

that I will never speak against your family or the members of the name in a public way with this kind of reckless talk.

Even if I'm not under your banner, or your protective shade, I will respect you as Theo's grandfather.

I just think that's important to state things clearly before anything starts getting tense or emotional.

Again, sorry for the unpleasantness. I've been very angry for a few days now and managing it well... but my period is coming.

When I'm bleeding it's more difficult to channel my rage in a polite way and I wanted to express it before gasoline is poured on the fire. Maybe more than you want to know, but I like my sincerity to be detailed.

[severus-snaps]

So I have a lot of thoughts about this topic bc I went down a rabbit hole of Snape Patronus metas lately 😂

Aside from the obvious writing issues - if it was that important, we'd have been shown in the story somewhere that Lily's patronus was actually a doe, not told by Harry who as far as we know is just guessing; and so it would be made clear that Snape's patronus changed, not just sort of... implied, especially when most people literally can't cast a patronus (Lupin says many adults can't cast a corporeal patronus I think), or that they don't (especially if they're Dark? I can't remember but I'm sure there's a line somewhere about dementors being a natural ally to the "Dark Side" or something, so Snape literally wouldn't have needed to cast one prior to working for Dumbledore, by which point Lily was already in danger).

Anyway in short we have no firm idea from the books alone whether Snape's patronus changed, or that what it changed into represented Lily, beyond Dumbledore sort of implying it did. For all we know Snape cast it one day and Dumbledore took one look, saw it vaguely resembled Lily's, and just ran with it.

It also bothers me that James (whose animagus form would presumably match his patronus bc others' do and bc of external writings by JK I think, which I'm only accepting bc they support what's in the book instead of patching up holes for what should've been in the books) also doesn't cast a patronus. Like how much more galling would it have been for there to be one scene where James and Lily's vaguely matching deer patronuses (patroni?) met Dumbledore when he was in a sneaky meeting with Snape, perhaps also in a forest at night

There's also at least one meta that points out that a doe isn't a female stag, that's a hind - but I'm willing to forgive that JK didn't know enough about deers because I certainly didn't until I read about it elsewhere 😂

But I actually enjoy that as a theory. Like, James and Lily may have had deer-like Patroni, maybe they matched specific species and maybe they didn't, but the idea that Snape's is also a deer (but a different type so everyone including Snape thought it was an identical match) really tickles me. Bc his actions don't align necessarily with a man doing it all for Lily. We can argue (and the one line I like from cursed child also suggests) that he did it to honour what she wanted and transformed himself/his morals along the way, but idk. There's something off about it

It's also just like... bizarre really that the only sizeable interaction we see between james and Lily is SWM and then we're supposed to believe that they're a perfect match or something? Especially when other couples who are shown as "endgame" aren't? (E.g. deer and stag, otter and dog). I'm not personally a strong shipper of Hinny or Romione but I appreciate that they're different but complimentary, and setting one romance up on such shaky foundations to have the metaphorical "perfect match" just seemed like a weird choice when it also seems to imply Snape would match with James, and neither of them wanted that 😂

There's also another meta that goes into more detail about what you said about Snape's doe as a symbol for nurturing etc, and I'll try to find it if you haven't read it already. It argues that Snape has all of those qualities, he just hides or expresses them harshly

Firmly agree with his doe representing what could've been, but I think that's separate to Lily in a way. If he'd had a better upbringing, if he'd had more friends like Lily, if he'd not been in Slytherin, etc.. he was a curious, shy, cautious child. As an adult he's generally physically gentle, with a focus on defence not attack, and protective of his students and his allies. He has a tendency to fawn to powerful leaders and given the choice between fight or flight literally flies one occasion. I really think if he'd been given another chance in life he'd be a doe regardless of Lily 😭 there was a post I think on here about how his represented his desire to be gentle, and treated gently, and it broke my heart

Also I didn't get doe vibes from Lily. Granted, I didn't get otter vibes from Hermione either, but Lily in school was apparently feisty and cheeky and charming, defended Snape, refused Voldemort. I think she's the one less likely to be a doe tbh and something more outgoing 😂

Final thought; I think JKR was playing into the unrequited love/grief fuelled "obsession" trope with Snape's doe, poking fun again at his lack of masculinity (or at least pointing it out), but I love it. I love that Snape has these feminine qualities and this gentle patronus and he's got to wrap it all up in brutality and secrecy, but when Harry sees his Patronus, he sees something pure and lovely, and maybe that's what Lily saw when they were kids

A ramble about Patronuses and does and stags

Something about Lily and Severus and James and Harry is that they all have the same Patronus. But it's Lily and Severus who match, and Harry and James who match.

Harry idolised his father specifically, felt more of a connection to him, so his being a stag reflects that. Snape loved Lily, so of course his is a doe. That part is simple.

It's Lily and James that interests me. Doe and Stag. At first you'd just go "oh, they match, the patronuses are just gendered to match them". But then look at Severus. His is also a doe. Of course, it's to match Lily.

But here's the problem: Severus is a man. If he matches like James does, then it should be a stag. But it's not, it's a doe. Exactly like Lily's.

It's a bit strange, really. Especially when this is I believe the only known case of gendered patronuses. When Tonks's changed, it was just a wolf. Not a male, nor female. And okay, perhaps it's because there are less obvious gendered differences in wolves, but there's another thing.

Stags and does don't represent the same thing.

The doe is a symbol of beauty, grace, nurturing, and care. The stag symbolises protection and strength (incidentally, it is surprising James is a stag and not a buck, which symbolises more recklessness and energy). So while they are compatible, they are not the same. And as Patronuses tend to have an affinity with their caster, someone having a doe or a stag would be reflection of them, not their gender. Someone kind and nurturing would have the doe, someone bold and protective would have the stag. (This of course is excluding Patronuses that have been influenced by other people, like Tonks' wolf because of Remus. Then again the wolf does fit her too, in my opinion).

Another point for this is Severus Snape. Severus, who is severe, harsh, bitter. Who also has a doe Patronus. Of course, this is because he loves Lily. But that's the thing- it wasn't a stag, it was a doe. For me, that proves that Patronuses do not reflect the caster's gender (unless of course we want to make an argument for Severus being a more feminine character, which is also very plausible due to a lot of symbols of feminity connected to him, but I'm not going down that rabbit hole here). So Severus matches because he loves Lily. And it's a doe, not a stag, because does and stags are not considered the same.

But then where does that leave James? Her husband? Well, there are at least two possibilities in my opinion.

Firstly is that their patronuses actually don't reflect their love. They only "match" because they're from the same species. To me, it seems to be more of a happy coincidence, rather like how Harry first thought his Patronus was a horse and Ginny's is a horse, or maybe it's the qualities that the patronuses represent that led James and Lily to be compatible. Personally I think (and this is completely headcanon) that maybe the patronuses are what led them to connect, considering their patronuses go well together it would have started some conversation. And I don't think it's a guaranteed possibility that Patronuses change based on being in love, it just sometimes happens (I could be wrong). Also, there's the fact that James' Animagus form was also a stag, and again I may be wrong but I believe Patronuses and Animagus forms do match. So his at least is guaranteed to not be that way because of lily, but because of his Animagus form. As for Lily, there are other animals that would reflect what does do, however it wasn't her who was in love, it was James who wanted her, so I feel like it's even less likely for her Patronus to be the one that changed for James. So I geniunely believe their patronuses matching was a coincidence.

The other possibility is that James doesn't love Lily the way Severus does. James went after Lily even though she turned him down so many times, he didn't leave her alone. Severus on the other hand did, when she said she was done. And yes, I've heard the "oh if he loved her so much he should have left his group for her" argument. Did James leave the Marauders? Did he stop bullying people for her? No, and no. In fact, he went behind her back and still bullied people. James had this more selfish love for her in a way (I'm not saying that he didn't love her, just that he was more selfish). Severus was more selfless in a way. He couldn't leave his group (can you imagine what they would do to him if he betrayed them?), and he didn't pretend he did or bother her after that. He put himself in incredible danger to ask Dumbledore to protect her, and agreed to do anything, when he didn't need to (what was Dumbledore gonna do, NOT protect the potters?), and in the end, Severus's love was more self-sacrificing than James, and I think that's why his Patronus is the exact same as Lily's while James is almost but not quite. Severus didn't have that selfishness James did, nor did he have that layer of deceit in their relationship like Lily and James did.

But what if the stag and doe really do match? If the two are considered the same, even with their different connotations, then that still leaves the question of why Severus doesn't have a stag. If all of the above is wrong, then why does Severus have a doe? Well, I do have a theory on that too- Severus's Patronus is a doe because he's the one who aligns with a doe. Which is interesting, considering he's so bitter and angry, but I do think that the doe also symbolises him, or what he could have been. A lot of Severus is focused on the past, on Lily, and probably on what could have been if he hadn't said that one word, if he had done this one thing differently, if this was different, if that was, and so on. The doe, with its gentle, nurturing connotations, may be also a symbol for how he could have been a gentle, kind person if he hadn't been so shaped and scarred by the world, if he had been the person Lily wanted him to be, if he had been like Lily. There's also the phrase "a deer caught in headlights" and how deer are known to be timid and easily spooked- perhaps he's, deep inside, just a mess of nerves. So perhaps Severus could have matched Lily with a stag like James did, but it just wasn't his nature, so it was a doe.

Anyway those are my very messy thoughts. Maybe I'm right, maybe I'm wrong, maybe it's a combination of all these or maybe none. I really do think the doe isn't just a reflection of Lily but of Severus too, that he's compatible enough with a doe so his Patronus was able to become a doe too despite having the demeanour of a depressed, moody raven than a doe.

also for all we know Severus may have always been a doe and it's lily's who matched him and then James matched her but that's entirely just a theory but also low-key funny if James's entire thing of being a stag is because of lily who's a doe because of Severus so James is a stag because of Severus and I don't think he'd like that lmao-

[messers-moony]

Secret Boyfriend | R.B

Paring: Regulus Black X Lupin!Fem!Reader

Summary: Keeping secrets seem to run in the Lupin family but one of the two twins has a bigger secret than the other can imagine. 

Pitter-patter could be heard inside the Gryffindor Common room. The Scotland weather never really seemed to make up its mind during the period between winter and spring. Nevertheless, it brought a calming atmosphere to the red and gold common room. The five Marauders sat in front of the fireplace, speaking to one another. Remus, Y/n, and Sirius sitting together on a couch. James on an armchair, and Peter sitting on the ground in front of the sofa. 

“So, Little Lupin.“ James drawled, “When are you getting a boyfriend?” 

Remus chuckled, quickly putting an arm around his twin sister, “Hopefully, never.” 

“Maybe I already have a boyfriend, and you lot just don’t know.” Y/n snipped as she elbowed her brother in the ribs slightly, “Oh, come on, paws!” James exclaimed teasingly. 

Paws was Y/n’s Marauder name. Her animagus was a Siamese cat, which resembled her personality quite well if you asked Remus. Y/n was quick-witted, independent, intuitive, curious, and affectionate when comfortable. She and Sirius were known to flirt all the time but recently - meaning a couple of months - they hadn’t done it at all. Perhaps Y/n was actually avoiding his flirtatious remarks. Nevertheless, Y/n’s animagus was a direct correlation with her personality. 

“Yeah, paws, you’ve been neglecting me recently. I’m not too happy with it either.” Sirius added with a fake pout, “Oh hush it, you two. Leave my sister alone. She’s got no hidden boyfriend.” Remus defended, looking at his sister. 

“Right, Y/n?” Remus coughed, and she jumped out of her daydream, “Mhm! Of course.” 

Conversation went on as usual. They began discussing new pranks, but Y/n’s jumper pocket felt heavier than usual, knowing what’s inside. It was a cream-colored envelope with the Black family crest as a seal. Y/n knew more than anyone that Sirius wouldn’t be happy to see the familiar logo, but this wasn’t from his parents. It was from his little brother, and Y/n was anxious to give it to him. So when James, Remus, and Peter went upstairs, Y/n pulled him aside before he could leave. 

“Padfoot, wait.” Y/n called, and he turned back, “What's up, paws?” Sirius queried, turning to face her. 

She sighed and pulled the envelope from her pocket, “Please, read this. It isn’t what you think it is despite the seal.” Y/n stated, handing him the parchment. 

“Where did you get this?” Sirius asked as he opened the packaging, “Regulus.” Y/n’s answer was firmer than expected. 

Nonetheless, the letter inside seemed essential to his fellow Marauder, so he opened it. Inside he was met with his little brother's prominent handwriting. The black ink treaded so seamlessly across the brown paper. Y/n remembered watching him write it at his desk, desperately trying to collect his thoughts while his hand shook relentlessly. She couldn’t do anything but sit from his bed and watch. Regulus needed to do this alone. 

After reading, Sirius slid the letter back inside its packaging, “Well, it’s his fault.” 

“Actually, it isn’t.” Y/n quipped, “Listen, Sirius, Regulus is trying. He really is.” 

“You would know this how?”

“Because we’ve been friends for a long time.” 

“Oh really?” Sirius questioned sarcastically, crossing his arms, “Since when did you and Reggie become so close?” 

“He began tutoring me in third year for Potions.” Y/n answered, “You couldn’t have asked Remus?”

“No. “ Y/n shook her head, “Slughorn wanted Regulus specifically.” 

“Well then. Full moon tomorrow, hope you’re prepared.” Sirius chirped as he began walking up the steps to his dorm, “I’m always prepared.” Y/n replied to essentially no one. 

She sighed. It was apparent Sirius didn’t want to believe what Regulus had written. It would’ve been hard on anyone. But Regulus wanted it to come from him instead of Sirius finding out. Since Y/n’s third year - Regulus’ second year - she felt attracted to him. He always made time for her. It wasn’t until their fourth year when she realized it. In her fifth year, they made it official. Regulus Black and Y/n Lupin were a couple but hidden beneath an invisibility cloak. 

Seventh year wasn’t easy. The upcoming war, her brother's lycanthropy, N.E.W.T.S, and Regulus getting the dark mark. Nothing seemed to be working in her favor. Books didn’t even seem to please her anymore. Her eyes wandered while she began to daydream about anything rather than reality itself. People began to notice how lost the girl appeared. 

Especially her brother. 

Study sessions with her weren’t the same. Some days her eyes would appear glossier than usual as if someone put a coating of lip gloss over them. Maybe they were rimmed with a pastel pink seeming tired and unhappy. The tremors in her hands were hard to ignore as she wrote with her quill. If there’s one thing Remus Lupin was good at, it was being observant; however, there wasn’t time, and he didn’t have the patience to deal with this right now. The full moon approaching meant that Remus’ patience tolerance was down to about none. 

There was one thing that brought her clarity. Regulus Black. The Gryffindor common room was always a warm and welcoming atmosphere. In contrast, the Slytherin common room was cold and damp, but it brought her comfort because of the person inside. Y/n padded quietly inside of his prefect hallway, which was beside the Slytherin common. She walked into his bedroom, which was dark. 

No candles lit. Just dark. Regulus always felt comfort in the dark, but it wasn’t dark because of that. It was dark because he was absent. Y/n peered over to his desk, where letters sat from his mother and some cousins. Andromeda seemed to try and reach him, but the letter looked unopened. There was one that caught her eye. It was Remus’ handwriting, and it was from him. It was also opened. Y/n knew she couldn’t stay all night. The full moon was due to rise in just two hours. 

Picking up the parchment, she began to read:

“ To Regulus Black, 

You need to step up. I get it. Sirius has been disowned, but he tries to make an effort. Can’t you see that? Sirius really needs you, and I know that you miss him too. This whole stubborn game of not wanting to talk to each other has gone on long enough. 

I know what it’s like to argue with a sibling, and it isn’t pleasant. Suck it up, swallow your pride and talk to Sirius. You don’t have to ultimately make up, but please, he’s trying. 

From, Remus Lupin. “

Y/n swallowed down her anger. Who was Remus to get involved in their affairs? If Sirius and Regulus didn’t want to interact, that was their problem, not his. It infuriated her. But she didn’t have time to babble around. Y/n pointed her wand at her and became a cat. Perks of her animagus being allowed at Hogwarts, she could roam around freely without suspicion. Quickly she sprinted down to the Whomping Willow, where she was met with her three Marauders in human form. Y/n transformed back. 

“Where were you! I was worried sick!” Remus scolded, “Nowhere, but we need to talk later.” Y/n answered. 

They got Remus in the shack and changed into their animagus forms. A stag, a rat, a dog, and a cat. The dog and the cat had the most interaction with the werewolf. Sometimes the dog and werewolf would cuddle up beside each other, whereas the cat would sleep on its own along with the other two animals. The following day Y/n and Sirius lugged Remus up to the hospital wing. Y/n sat beside him the entire time while the other three went off. Sirius and James were off to Quidditch practice. Peter was off to see his girlfriend in Hufflepuff. 

Y/n tapped aimlessly on Remus’ hand, “M- Morning.”

“Morning, Moony.” Y/n greeted, “How are you feeling?” 

“Phenomenal.”

“Sorry.”

“What did we need to talk about?” Remus questioned, and Y/n tilted her head, “You said we needed to talk before going to the shack.”

“Yes, I did. Um- uh- did you send Regulus a letter by any chance?” Y/n stammered, “I did. Why?” 

“I saw it.” Y/n replied shortly, “You saw it?” Remus repeated incredulously. 

She nodded, “How did you see it?” 

“Regulus and I are friends. Sometimes we hang out in his dorm.” The words seemed like nothing as they rolled off her tongue, “You hang out in the Slytherin dorms? Is that why you always know the password so we can do pranks?” 

“Of course.” Y/n chuckled, “I use my privilege to its advantage.”

Remus began to get up but grimaced, causing Y/n to jump up to help him. Gently she eased him to a sitting position. A new scratch on his cheek and multiple on his arms. It’s evident that the cat and the dog had to stop him. The thin scratches on his arms were a cat's nails. The thicker scratch on his cheek was a dog's nails. Remus looked down at his arms. 

“I’m sorry.” Y/n muttered, “Not your fault, paws. Who was it this time?” Remus asked. 

“Prongs. Apparently, you wanted Prongs.” Y/n answered, and he kissed the top of her head, “Thank you for stopping me.” 

“Anything for my brother.” 

“Just like anything for our Moony?”

Y/n laughed, “Yeah.”

Paws began to tap on his hand again, until a voice echoed through the hospital wing, “Y/n?” 

“Y/n?” The voice called again, and Remus quirked his eyebrow at his sheepish sister, “Y/n!” 

Suddenly a black-haired, grey-eyed, pale figure was beside her. He didn’t realize what he was doing until he had already kissed the top of her head worriedly. Y/n turned pink at the affection and the embarrassment of it happening in front of her brother. Remus coughed, and the male stood straight. 

“Regulus, what a surprise.” Remus retorted, “Didn’t think you’d ever visit me in the infirmary.”

“Remus, please-“ 

“I wouldn’t.” Regulus snapped, “Then why are you here?” Remus inquired. 

Regulus’ hand was playing aimlessly with the ends of Y/n’s hair, “Moony….” Y/n began at a whisper, “Regulus is my boyfriend.”

“This-“ Remus pointed at them both with a laughing smile, “Is funny.”

“Nice prank, paws, but it isn’t going to work.”

Y/n sighed, “It isn’t a prank, Rem.” 

“We’ve been together for about two years now.” She confessed, and Regulus stiffened, “Friends, my ass.” Remus scoffed bitterly. 

“Remus, please-“ Y/n began, “No, please just leave. We can talk about this later when I’m in the right frame of mind. Because if you don’t leave, now I might throw a punch.” Remus replied. 

She sighed and reluctantly left with Regulus trailing behind her. Y/n didn’t want to cry. It was pitiful. Regulus never had a good relationship with Sirius since Hogwarts, yet he didn’t seem to care. Thankfully, after building the Marauders Map, she knew every little crevice and hiding spot. Pulling back a tapestry, she sat down on the cement floor. Regulus doing the same beside her. Hesitantly he pulled his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his chest. 

“This is pitiful.” Y/n chuckled bitterly, “I’m sorry, Reggie.”

“It isn’t pitiful. You and Remus have a close relationship. It’s okay to be sad about him telling you off.” Regulus replied, placing his chin on the top of her head, “Sirius and I are different. Don’t compare you and Remus with us.”

Y/n nuzzled into his chest, “I saw the letter Remus sent you.”

“I- I saw the way he spoke to you, and I’m sorry.” Y/n stated, “I hope he comes around.” 

“I do too, love.” Regulus kissed the top of her head, “ I do too.”

It was quiet for a moment until two figures pulled back the tapestry, “Oi! Get off, little Lupin!” James exclaimed, and Y/n sighed, “Sirius, James, please just leave.”

“What are you doing with my mate's little sister, Regulus?” Sirius interrogated, “Comforting her. She needs me.” Regulus retorted, tightening his grip on her shoulder. 

Y/n stood up and pulled Regulus with her, “Come on. We four need to talk.” 

The four of them walked into a broom closet. It was a quiet walk. Eerily quiet. It brought shivers down Y/n’s spine at how silent the walk was. The tension was so thick you couldn’t cut it with a knife. The pressure felt like sludge. It was thick and mush. But when Y/n opened the door, the lot of them walked inside. James and Sirius stared expectantly. 

“Regulus and I have been dating since my fifth year.” Y/n began, and Regulus intertwined their hands. 

“Little Lupin!” Sirius exclaimed, “You weren’t lying when you said you had a secret boyfriend!”

“You scandalous little thing!”

“I can’t believe this.” James stated after running his hand through his hair, “How did Remus take it?”

“Not very well.” Y/n replied, “He kicked me out of the hospital wing when Regulus showed up. “

“He’s- He’s not in the right mindset, though. He’ll come to. I know he will. He has to.”

Sirius’ eyes softened, “Moony will come around. It might just take him a minute.” 

“Regulus.” James called, and grey eyes stared at him, “Y/n is a Marauder.”

“I know that.” Regulus interrupted, “She is my little sister as much as she is Remus’” James continued. 

“And mine!” Sirius added, smiling brightly, “Y/n is our little sister. The lot of us depend on her. We can’t, and we won’t have her heartbroken.” James explained sternly, suddenly looking a lot like Mrs. Potter. 

Regulus’ cheeks flushed with pink, “I love her, I really do. I don’t plan on breaking her heart anytime soon.” 

“You’re gonna be my sister-in-law!” Sirius squealed, hugging Y/n forcefully, almost knocking her over, “Oh, little Lupin.” He cooed. 

“You’re all grown up!” 

They laughed, and Sirius kissed her forehead, “Take care of him, will you?” He whispered so only she could hear, “Of course.” Y/n smiled. 

“Alright, alright, I’d like my girlfriend back,” Regulus replied, taking her away from Sirius’ arms. 

Sirius gulped, “How’s mum going to take this, Reggie?” 

“I don’t care.” Regulus retorted, “Mums gonna have to deal with it.” 

The smile on Sirius’ face was brighter than the sun, “Oh, Reggie!” He wailed, pulling Regulus into a tight hug. 

The two brothers smiled as they hugged each other. Regulus sleeve slipped up, and James stepped back, pulling out his wand. The two Black brothers pulled apart, and that’s when Sirius saw it. The dark mark on his brother's sleeve. Y/n stiffened as Sirius lifted his sleeve up further to see it clearly. 

“Reggie…” 

“Sirius, please, I didn’t want it.” Regulus pleaded, “She- They- Please.”

James watched intently at them. Sirius’ eyes had filled with tears as he embraced his younger brother. For the first time in a long time, Regulus felt protected in his brother's arms. James walked closer and joined them. Hugging both Black brothers as close as he could. James Potter, the man who never stops giving. They pulled apart, and James took Reggie into his own arms. 

“You need anything, you come to me, okay?” James informed sternly, and Regulus nodded, “Ye- Yeah.”

“Remus and Y/n always come for the holidays. You won’t be alone.” James stated smiling, “My parents already have one Black; they won’t mind another.” 

The Black brother smiled, “Thank you….”

The days went on, and Regulus still avoided the Marauders altogether. Remus glared at him from the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. Deep emerald green eyes were flashing at the grey ones that sat at the Slytherin table. Until Y/n jabbed him in the ribs, taking his attention away from the younger Black brother. 

“Remus.” Y/n scolded, “Stop it.”

“I think you’re too hard on him, Moony.” James began, “He loves your sister. Maybe talk to him.” 

“No.” Remus snapped, “You guys can accept this, but I can’t.” 

They didn’t push any further. Y/n and Remus had been distant from each other. It was weird to watch the twins who were typically attached at the hip to be so - abroad. Regulus didn’t like that he was now the cause of their fussing. After all, they were the reason Sirius and him were on speaking terms now. So Regulus and Sirius made a plan. It involved them being locked in a broom closet, and so it happened—one night after dinner. 

Remus was shoved into a cupboard, not by his own liking either, “Come on, Sirius! This isn’t funny. I have prefect duties to do!”

“Actually, someone else has taken them over.” Regulus informed, and Remus whipped around, “What are you two doing here?”

“Remus, explain it to me.” Regulus began, “Why you don’t approve of me with your sister.”

“Because! You’re a bloody death eater! You probably forced her to be with you.” Remus exclaimed. 

Y/n scoffed, “A pureblood forcing himself with a half-breed? Doesn’t seem likely.” 

Remus ran his hand through his hair, “Okay, he’s still a death eater!”

“I was forced!” Regulus exclaimed, “They strapped me to a chair and embedded the mark into my forearm. You don’t think I wasn’t thinking of her the entire time?! I was scared out of my mind!”

“The entire time, all I could think about was ‘How is Y/n gonna take this.’” Regulus admitted, “My heart aches for her. I didn’t want her to be scared.”

Remus’ green eyes turned soft, “Does she accept you? Does she love you? Do you love her?”

“Yes, Remus. I love him for who he is. James offered him a place to stay at the Potters.” Y/n replied, “And yes, I love her.” 

Tears filled her eyes, “Remus, please. I don’t want to lose either of you.”

Remus held out his arms, and she walked right into them. He placed one hand on the back of her head and one on the small of her waist. Holding her close to his heart, rubbing his thumb through her hair. Regulus’ grey eyes stared at the two siblings before him. Remus’ heart softened at his crying sister. He never wanted to hurt her, ever. 

“Paws.” Remus began as he pulled away slightly, “Does he make you happy?”

Y/n sniffled and nodded; Remus wiped her cheeks, “Okay.”

“Does he know you, for you?” 

“Mhm.”

Remus turned to Regulus as Y/n parted with him, “Where’s paws favorite place to be scratched?”

Regulus chuckled, “Behind her ears.”

“Take care of my little sister.” Remus pleaded, “Please, Regulus.” 

“Of course. I wouldn’t expect any different.” Regulus answered. 

Remus walked forward and put out his hand. Hesitantly Regulus shook his hand. Grey eyes met green ones. Remus couldn’t help the smile that placed itself on his face. Without hesitation, he pulled Regulus into a tight hug.

“Take care of my sister, and I’ll take care of you.”

“Always.”

[goodomensandbadpress]

Cute fic idea? That came to me while i was trying to distract myself from anxiety so i could sleep.

But Regulus being reincarnated as a little black cat who gets adopted by the Lupin family, because Tonks recognizes something odd about the grumpy little kitten (Its eyes, hes looking at me like he knows me) and Remus isn’t a cat person but he can already tell toddler teddy is in love with the cat and Tonks promises that shell do the vet stuff and litter changes. They call him Bagheera They bought a VHS at Tonks request, Teddy’s just watched the jungle book and hes convinced the kitten is actually a black panther.

He’s the grumpiest cat in the world, terrified of water, won’t go out in the rain for roast beef. And hes small for his age but within a week he has the neighbours dog cowering and the Tom down the street crosses the road when hes out prowling. But hes the best rat catcher and he never scratches or bites (so long as you let him have the best spot right next to the fire place) and it takes a while but soon he curls up on your lap and purrs so loud it sounds like there's a lawnmower in the living room.

Remus wasn’t really convinced. It was Tonks and Teddies cat really. Then the full moon came. And even after all these years, with the wolfsbane and experience, hes still ashamed. He’s no threat but he hides from his wife and son down in the basement. The beast has aged with him, its fur is greying, its skin is gnarled with scars. He curls up on a mattress covered in blankets (Tonks insisted he have at least something nice to lay on, even though he refused any other amenities). Suddenly two big blue eyes open up amidst a see of darkness and Remus is transported back 30 years through the wolfs eyes, scared, angry, when two grey eyes appear. followed by a big black dog that doesn’t understand boundaries, a stag who stamps and paws the ground impatiently, wanting to race him down to the river, and a big brown rat that climbs up his leg and nestles in his fur, scratching just the right places.

The full moons weren’t so lonely after that. With a cat that was just half a step too familiar. They weren’t cuddly by any means. But in the early mornings he would creep out the basement, in just a dressing gown, limping down the corridor to the kitchen. Bagheera would walk with him, at Remus’ pace. They would watch the sun rise, over a cup of tea, or a bowl of water. Remus didn’t want to wake Tonks.

And on nights before and after the moon. When Remus was restless and in pain he would make his excuses to his wife, go outside to smoke even though he swore he was going to quit this time.  He would sit outside and Bagheera would follow him, and look up at the stars with his big eyes that looked like they understood more than a cat should know. Remus told him about everything on nights like that. About James and Lily, the marauders and their pranks, about Peter, when he was his best friend. He cried when he talked about Sirius, the brightest star who grew up in an awful place but was still kind and the truest Gryffindor. The cat just watched the stars. He watched Sirius.

[bellaphomet3]

I’ve seen shit people criticizing him for making and attack helicopter joke “defending it and then eventually walking it back saying he ‘didn’t know it was transphobic.’” Meanwhile the public apology for making that joke from one of my childhood hero’s was one of the biggest drivers in pulling me out of the alt-right pipeline.

That’s not even mentioning the fact that he made the attack helicopter joke in response to seeing it a bunch on a survey he did, because he did a survey with options to fill in any gender and made casual jokes about answers that were clearly not serious without knowing the full context of them.

Seriously watch this clip knowing that he later apologized for not knowing that attack helicopter was a transphobic dog whistle and try to convince me he had malice towards the trans community https://youtu.be/tyufH9GAVe4?si=SMEQcMtH-d9DOrXf.

BUT WAIT, THERES MORE TRANSPHOBIC STUFF HE DID, LIKE A VIDEO FROM 2013 THAT DIDNT AGE WELL AND HE HAS COMMENTED ON SINCE SAYING IT ISNT GOOD IN RETROSPECT.

When 12 year old me first watched Matpat play through Doki Doki literature club I laughed off MatPat criticizing the main character for being a total piece of shit saying that they were all harmless fun, so when the big twist happened, it really affected me, and made me act as less of an asshole.

The final straw that broke me away from that the alt right pipeline was also thanks to Matpat. Because of watching Matpat, I was interested in science, and had trust in reputable scientific sources like the CDC or WHO. In addition watching Matpat led to me exploring out to other more explicitly science focused YouTube channels. Then, when Covid hit, I saw all the people I trusted for scientific fact disagreeing with all the people I trusted for political news, and I picked science.

And now I’m a trans lesbian socialist.

And that’s not even mentioning the fact that my dream career of being a scientist which I’m currently pursuing in college is also something I’m only interested because of watching him growing up.

And that’s not to mention the smaller stuff, the stuff that doesn’t have massive, clearly life changing effects on my life. Stuff like all throughout middle and high school being taught in school things I had already learned years before from Matpat, like punnet squares from the Mario galaxy theories, making those classes easier.

Stuff like introducing me to fnaf, which has been a massive part of my childhood, and bringing me to one of the queerest fandoms on the planet, which helped make me less bigoted before Covid, and figure out my true identity afterwards.

Stuff like how because of watching Matpat talk about/play fnaf and DDLC when I was young, I became a fan of horror, especially psychological horror because of DDLC, which I continue to be a massive fan of today, both classics like scream and Friday the 13th, and analog horror like Mandela Catalogue, The Backrooms/Oldest View, Greylock, White Stag Education, and Vita Carnis, plus YouTubers who make content on them like Wendigoon.

Stuff like sitting alone in my room, feeling just a little bit better about not having any real, close friends at school, about having nobody to share my interests with. Feeling like I’m not alone for liking the things I like, for being a nerd, for liking things like school and learning instead of sports, despite what the kids at school said. For seeing someone else who was a nerd like me, happily married, giving me hope that someday I might find someone else who likes hearing me rant about fnaf and Nintendo games.

Thank you Matpat, you’ve helped me more than a lot of people who were supposed to.

In light of Matpat’s ‘retirement’ is wanna say a couple things,

firstly, there is better things that you could be doing with your time than scrounging around looking for something that you can use to criticise someone for some perceived bigotry. I’ve seen some examples of him ‘being transphobic’ and since I’m trans I think I can speak a bit better about that. The most used evidence I’ve seen is one video theorising about pyro’s gender which is from TEN YEARS AGO. Using something from a decade ago as damning evidence of a persons current beliefs is not only silly but also it denies them as a person of their humanity and their ability to grow

As a trans person myself I think it’s antithetical to our own identity because to be trans is to change and grow, whether that he in your appearance or in your own mindset. And to be human and to simply be alive as a creature on this earth is to change and evolve because that kinda what we do. I know on the internet it can be hard to realise that people have probably changed in the time since they posted anything but that leaves no excuse to attack people over stuff they said a decade ago because I think you’re more mature than that.

I wanna leave this post on a positive note so if there’s anything to learn from Matpat it’s that you don’t have to change the world to have made an impact

Simply the act of making someone smile means that you have made an impact. So keep making people happy whether it be by telling dumb jokes to your friends or by making a dumb tumblr post because that can really make somebody’s day better and you never know when someone’s day being a bit better will lead them

additionally do stuff that makes you happy, tell a dumb joke to your friends because it’ll make you happy, make a dumb tumblr post about something you LIKE (for the love of god hate blogs cannot be healthy for you) because you never know when you’re simply where that might lead you

As always I’m simply a person on tumblr not a professional in anything I have no authority on this but I do just like to see people happy. To summarise; that’s just a theory. Thanks for reading. 🩷

[sulfurousdreamscapes]

There's a weather vane on top of the building opposite the square, and there's a writer on the third floor who only writes when the wind is blowing East. The binoculars don't lie. Focus on the vane, there, and the cock is facing North. Now look down at the third floor, and the writer is having a smoke at the window.

His face is acrid like he's living above a corpse. When he moves, though, his shoulders bounce and his waist shakes, and you can tell he's listening to music coming out of the radio sitting on his writing desk. There's a typewriter behind it, which is what he sits at.

Now look at the cock again. Strong wind, and it's going East. And of course, the writer is typing at his keyboard. He puts out his cigarette in an ash tray, counts on his fingers, and goes back to tapping on the keyboard.

You might wonder how I came across such a peculiar phenomenon. Truth is, I was just lucky I can see the weather vane and the writer's window in the same view. The big question is, how many such phenomena exist in the world for each of us?

Consider if I can only cook the perfect omelette if I flip it at the same time a stag is born. I would never even know.

---

Two men, two women, business casual clothing, they were milling about in the square for fifteen minutes before they agreed to head towards my building. I leaned over the window to see them enter the building entrance.

The doorbell rang twice in rapid succession - an impatient party. I opened the door and saw the same four people standing in the corridor, awkwardly making way for the kid with the skateboard. She looked at me like she knew I was in trouble.

We sat down at my sofa, and they laid out a briefcase full of documents on my coffee table. The men got up to investigate my apartment, and they looked like they knew the place so well, you'd think they'd lived here before.

The women studied my face, and I think they were waiting for me to let something on, to make a mistake, or to look at the suspicious thing they were looking for.

They asked me a lot of questions. The quick follow-up questions they asked made it clear they already knew the answers. It wasn't out of the ordinary for the police to ask you known questions over and over, waiting for you to slip up.

"If you're in any kind of danger, we're here to help," they said.

I smiled at them, because I know not to mess with people who look like authorities. "What kind of danger could I be in?"

"You don't know, do you?" they asked, but they didn't smile back. It was odd that they didn't smile back.

---

The next morning, the weather vane was gone. The pole was still there, so there was proof that it had existed, but otherwise, all I could see in its place was an empty sky.

It wasn't entirely empty, of course. It had a few clouds.

The writer on the third floor tore his hair out and threw his coffee mug at a corner. He seemed to be shouting, but I couldn't hear him from this distance. He banged the walls with his fist, and at one point, he held the typewriter out of the window. It seemed dangerous. If it fell on someone's head, I'd hate to imagine what would happen.

Then the wind blew East. I could tell from the fur on the dog in the square, and the skirts of the people crossing the street.

And there he was, at his typewriter again, reaching for a coffee mug that wasn't there any more.

[hozierandco]

Sam Fender x Reader / smut / If Friday don’t come soon

A/N: Some good-old enemies to lovers. Unprotected sex.

Plot: When Dru's brother gets married, the stag do may become the most interesting part...

"No! I'm with Dru!"

"We've been at if for ten minutes now. I've already made my point that I know him for a longer time than you do" Sam trumpeted to an enraged Y/N.

"C'mon, be a gentleman for once. Let me go with him"

"You know what? He'll decide, how about that?"

"Sounds fair"

Who would have thought that for a common friend's stag, the hardest would be to pick the teams rather than to choose the actual activity.

Y/N had the priviledge to be the only woman amongst the boys at the stag, since she didn't know any guest on the side of women apart from the bride and since she was Dru's girl best friend, Dru being the groom's brother.

What it means however was that Samand Y/N would have to take on themselves not to ruin the night. It was a funny thing that Dru's closest friends were so different from one another. Ever since he had introduced them to one another, they fought like cat and dog.

The activity was set on paintball since Dru and his brother had played to it growing up. They were therefore reputed to be ruthless to the point that both Sam and Y/N wanted him on their team.

"Dru" Sam called for his drummer who was discussing with Joe.

Dru sighed, knowing that leaving Y/N and Sam together was not a good idea.

"We're facing a problem there. This diva here and myself both want to be on your team next Friday. We just need to fix it once and for all"

"Oh... I thought you knew that I'm teaming up with Eddie. Since you know, I'm his best man. And you know, his brother"

"Clearly, we stand zero chance to win if the Michaels team up" Y/N fainted pouting. She was eager to win to prove Sam she was good for something but now, she had no chance of that happening.

"Oh well then... Joe? Pairing with old Sam?"

"Thanks, Fender, always like to be the second choice! But I'm already with Emmett"

"Actually, I think you're the last two" Dru added with a grimace. It would be a blood bath.

"I better be alone in that case. Better than being with Fender"

"Yeah, thanks! As a matter of fact, I'm pretty good with it but you're right on one thing, I'll better be alone too"

"Yeah.. Not possible. Reservations are made for two"

"C'mon now!" Y/N sighed.

"That's bullocks" Sam grunted.

"You promised to behave!" Dru chided.

"Fine, I guess but you better be good!" Sam threatened.

"I'm a pro, Sam, who you take me for?"

Both Dru and Sam knew it was a lie and that the two of them together would fail miserably.

If it was not for the lack of brain cells they shared, it would be by lack of teamwork.

In an effort not to ruin the stag do and to stand a chance at paintball. They now knew they wouldn't be the first but there was no way they'd be last.

They agreed to see each other alone to discuss past disagreements and strategies.

"You're stubborn, Fender! I wasn't the first to be rude. You came up and pulled out that silly Aldo Maccione play at me"

"That's utter BS. I didn't do that! First, you're not my type at all and second, I don't fuck Dru's friends!"

"Yeah, I know the feeling. I care too much to do that too, I wouldn't risk losing him for a random bloke"

"I'm glad to hear you say"

"I'm sorry I misjudged you"

"Yeah, I'm sorry I sent you mixed messages. Let's start over, shall we?"

"Yeah, alright! So what's your type then?"

Sam scoffed "Easy now, you might be a part of the boys' club but I ain't talking about that with you"

***

The Friday arrived and all the guests had arrived by the paintball spot.

"Alright, ready to get slaughtered by the Michaels?", the groom-to-be asked while Dru began a haka of his own creation.

In spite of the rain that was softly falling down, the troops advanced and got their weapons of choice.

"Let's split here!" Y/N suggested as Sam and her reached a cabin that had been a collateral victim of many painters.

"Alright. It's 7.30. Let's meet here in an hour, okay?" Sam asked.

"Sure"

In the forest that was to be the battlefield, all of the groom's friends were shouting when approaching one another. The rain was getting thicker and Y/N hoped that her way back to the cabin wouldn't be sprinkled with a mishap like falling in the mud.

As she arrived by the cabin, earlier than expected as she was seeking for a shelter, she noticed Sam's shirt covered with large spots of green, purple and black on his jacket that was once white.

"Really? You got hurt how many times to end up like that?"

With the rain, the paint had started melting.

"Come under" Sam indicated so Y/N wouldn't get soaking wet "I might have overrestimated my talents"

"So have I" Y/N unveiled her shirt that was covered with the same range of colours.

"Making me feel bad for being lame when you're in the same state, really?"

Y/N's bra started showing off through the white blouse she had picked.

Sam couldn't help but to stare at what he was given to see. It was not his habit to stare but Y/N with the rain dripping off her and paint all over her clothes was simply irresistible.

He came closer to her, not believing his eyes when not only she didn't refuse the contact but she also moved closer.

They were now inside the cabin made of stone "Here, take that" Sam gave Y/N his jacket to protect her from the cold and as he put the jacket over her shoulders, he leaned for a kiss that Y/N gave back when their lips parted.

"You don't fuck with Dru's friends, huh?" Sam ironically asked.

"I'm not your type, huh?" Y/N replied tit for tat.

"You're clearly not my type" Sam continued as he pined Y/N to the cabin's entrance wall.

"Good, cause you're not mine" Y/N said as she attacked Sam's neck.

He got rid of enough clothes, on his side and on Y/N's to feel her around him. Y/N wrapped her legs around him, allowing her partner in crime to fall deeper inside her.

By fear of being caught, Sam sped up his moves. To help himself in the process, he had displayed his arms on the wall behind Y/N.

From afar, they could hear Dru rejoicing over yet another victim of his skills as a sniper. The noise got closer, which didn't work out well for Y/N and Sam's plans as they started a little concert of whimpers and moans.

They hushed each other down by uniting their lips. It was the perfect timing since a couple of seconds later, Sam unleashed the torrent that had built inside him.

Y/N was close too and prayed that Dru would go away since she knew she'd be unable to hold back her moans.

And indeed, Dru had set on running after Joe.

"Fuck, Sam. What would it be if I was your type?" Y/N asked as she was coming back from her orgasm.

"We should find the others" Sam said in a giggle.

As the two of them left, Sam ventured to take Y/N by the hand.

"Where were you?" As Dru asked, he noticed Sam's hand in Y/N's.

"Looks like you haven't lost everything tonight!" Dru winked at them.

[legoshi-plz]

Pretenses Part Five (Louis x Reader)

Summary: Louis is a spoiled prince and you are a clumsy maid. Prince! Louis x Canine!Dog! Reader.

Warning: NSFW (+18)

Despite Louis’ outwardly composed nature, inside he was in full blown panic mode.

He had just finished up yet another uneventful dinner with his father and his future bride; now it was time to return to his chambers. His chambers he hadn’t been in since this morning. His chambers where he was currently holding you hostage.

Louis stood in front of his door for who knows how long before finally opening it with great hesitation, preparing himself for your angry, perhaps even violent response. Instead he was greeted with.... silence. You were on the bed where he’d left you, sound asleep.

Louis couldn’t help the relieved flutter of his tail at the sight of your sleeping form.

You had curled under the covers, probably to keep warm in the cold air of his chambers, your form rising and falling peacefully as you snoozed. Louis approached you slowly, checking to make sure you were actually asleep before his hands flew to throw off his royal regalia.

Once free from the confines of his complex uniform, he was under the covers immediately. Bringing your snoozing figure into his arms. You didn’t move a muscle; it was evident you were a heavy sleeper. Louis already knew this from his time watching you as you took your midday naps in his chambers but he didn’t know it was to such a great extent. He shifted so that he could lay his head on your chest, arms encircling your waist. He listened to the steady rhythm of your heartbeat, his breathing slowing down to match your own.

He was asleep in minutes.

////////

You awoke to a weight on your chest and the smell of Louis’ cologne surrounding you. When you opened your eyes, the brightness assaulted your vision, making you attempt to turn away but that attempt was futile.

The Prince, who definitely wasn’t there when you fell asleep yesterday, was laying directly on top of you with his head on your chest, arms in a deadlock around your waist. You were caged beneath him, his weight pinning you down. You contemplated screaming bloody murder, hoping you could shock him into letting you go and make a run for it but decided against it. You doubted he’d remember to lock the door behind him, that could possibly be an opportunity for you to escape. You slowly began trying to pull his long arms from you when you felt his grip tighten.

“Don’t even think about it,” Louis mumbled, nuzzling further into your neck.

“My liege, please stop this indecency. As rightful heir to the thrown, a lowly maid such as myself would only sully-

“How long did you practice that one? Is that what you were doing yesterday while I was gone? Rehearsing pleas so I’d let you go?” Louis chuckled, finally opening his eyes. Sleepy amber orbs met your own irises and you couldn’t help but notice how beautiful his brown eyes looked in the morning sun. They didn’t reflect the light but instead nearly consumed it, a complete contrast to the brown of his fur.

“You must be hungry? You haven’t eaten anything since yesterday, if that. I’ll call the kitchen and have them bring us something up. Breakfast in bed doesn’t sound too bad,” Louis bit his lip as his eyes drank in your form beneath him. He definitely looked hungry, yet for something other than food; his eyes were burning with barely contained lust.

“I-I have to go, my Prince. I have to perform my duties in the kitch-AH,” you were cut off when Louis sat up and brought you with him as he pulled you onto his lap to straddle him. You felt your fur prickle with embarrassment as you realized not only was he shirtless, but he also seemed to be only in his underwear, the dark blue embroided material providing a very thin barrier to the Prince’s most precious asset.

“What about your duties to me?” Louis hummed, rubbing his hands up and down the fur of your outter thighs. The top of your uniform was still very much ripped open, so you brought your arms up to cover yourself, the blankets you’d been curled under no longer providing you coverage.

“Ah ah ah, you should know better than to hide yourself from me,” Louis hummed, prying your arms from your chest. He leaned forward, his mouth capturing once of your hardened nipples. The feeling of his hot tongue on your sensitive peak sent a jolt of electricity through you.

“Pr-pr-princeee, pleaaaase,” you moaned lightly, your voice nothing more than a breathy whisper.

Louis ignored you, instead moving to the other peak while his hands found themselves back at your plush hips. He rocked upwards into you, his hard member making its presence know.

“Take these off,” Louis mumbled against your areola, tugging at your panties. When you hesitated, he simply sighed before ripping them off himself.

“My Pri-

“Shut up,” Louis groaned against your chest, the vibrations further stimulating your raised peak. Louis plunged his fingers into your arching cavern just as he had the day before. You felt your head swirl in embarrassment and arousal, the two emotions battling for dominance.

“Do you know how long I’ve wanted you? How long I’ve desired you?” Louis asked, his free hand coming up to cup your jaw. His eyes burned with such passion for you, it was hard to not look away.

“That’s it, ride my hand. Just like that,” Louis grunted and you hadn’t even noticed your pelvis had begun grinding into his hand to meet the thrusts of his fingers. Your body was moving completely on its own, anything to help relieve the pressure growing in your lower belly.

Suddenly, Louis ceased his movements, lifting you up slightly with one hand while he pulled his underwear down with the other. His member sprang to life, resting against his abdomen as it stood glistening with precum. Being a stag and royalty, it was natural to assume he’d be well-endowed but nothing could have prepared you for the vision that was his impressive length.

He took your hands in his own larger ones and wrapped them around his weeping shaft. He let out a soft “fuck...” as he guided your hands up and down. He let go once you found your own rhythm, no longer needing his assistance for such a simple act.

“You’re so good at this- too good, actually. Did you touch Azuki’s mutt like this? Huh?” Louis asked breathlessly, his death grip returning to your thighs.

“I already told you yesterday, we aren’t like... that...” you grumbled, swiping your fingers over his sensitive cockhead, causing a needy groan to tear from his throat.

“Then what were you two like? You were already letting that filthy mongrel close enough to scent you, it’d be nothing for you to get on your knees for him.” Louis said angrily and you suddenly remembered exactly where you were and, more importantly, who you were with.

No amount of pretty words and declarations of desire were going to keep Louis’ true nature at bay for long. He was vile and malicious at heart. You knew this. He’d proven it to you time and time again. So when was it finally going to register in your dumb little brain?

You released his cock immediately, and climbed off his lap and out of his bed. You headed straight for the door but Louis was faster, grabbing and pinning you against the very door you’d been trying to exit from.

“Why do you keep running away from me? Can’t you see what I’m trying to do here?” Louis groaned into the nape of your neck. It sent shivers down your spine and you resisted the urge to arch into him.

“You’re trying to control me, to manipulate me”

“I’m trying to love you.” Louis craned his head back to look into your eyes. He saw no warmth in them.

“You have a peculiar way of expressing your ‘love’, my lord,” you said through gritted teeth.

“Annnnd we’re back to the incorrect formalities. Every time I feel we’ve taken one step forward, you move three spaces back. Why do you insist on fighting me so? I know you feel it, I can’t be imagining this attraction between us,” Louis finished, the grip on you wrists that previously had you pinned against the door now residing so that he could caress your forearms with the pads of his thumbs.

“I fight it because I know my place. I’m a dog, your highness. Lower than any other Herbivore commoner, and amongst the unfavorable even within Carnivore spaces. Most of the animals around here think I should be banished for even working within the castle during the day, let alone catering to you.”

“Their opinions don’t matter, they have no authority here-”

“It does matter, your highness. Because once your infatuation with me ceases, which is inevitable, you will return to your fiancé, marry her, be crowned King, and produce heirs. And all I’ll have is my life as a lowly commoner. That’s the natural order of things.” You lamented, your voice feeling thick with emotion.

“So what, you believe your future is with Azuki’s guard dog? Popping out litter after litter for him until you die? That’s no way to live, he can’t commit to you. His life already belongs to another woman and that’s Azuki.”

“You don’t think I know that? I’m fully aware of the hold our future Queen has over him. I’m just grateful for every moment he chooses to share with me. Makes my life a little less lonely...,”

“I could make your life less lonely! I could do that for you, better than he ever could!” Louis was slightly begging now, he could hear it in his own voice but he was beyond the point of caring.

“Don’t you see I feel my loneliest when I’m with you? All you’ve ever made me feel was small, and stupid, and unworthy. Legoshi doesn’t point out how I misuse words just to remind me of how uneducated I am. He doesn’t point out how unrefined my taste pallet is or force me to eat food outside of the carnivore diet. He doesn’t drag me out of bed at night to look at some stupid star a million miles away on some balcony when I’m afraid of heights. He doesn’t tell me where I can and can’t go, who I can and can’t see, just because he felt like it. He doesn’t humiliate me every chance he gets! He doesn’t boss me around just because he can!” There were hot tears streaming down your face. You had been holding this in for a long time.

“I see...,” Louis said finally breaking the silence. He released you from his grasp and took a step back. He adjusted himself, tucking his forgotten member fully back into his underwear. Though he had a beautiful body envious to those of Gods, he seemed almost shy about his lack of clothing now.

He glanced at your tattered uniform before muttering a “wait here... please...”, and walking towards one of the humongous wardrobes in his room. He pulled out a pristine, new uniform and walked back over to hand it to you.

“I kept a lot of these on hand, in case you ever wanted.... a more comfortable bed to lay your head at night...” Louis’s voice had never seemed so clouded. You silently accepted the uniform.

“You have my deepest apologies for my behavior. Such veracity was never my intention. I hereby relieve you of all obligation to me. You may return to the kitchen or to the gardens or to somewhere new if you like. Whereever you choose to go is fine, I’ll notify Stallworth of my approval. I...” Louis hesitated, finally bringing his eyes up yours.

“You’re free to go.”

/////////

A/N: I finally know how I want this story to end so hopefully they’ll only be two more parts for this series and it��ll reach it’s completion! Also thank you all again for 1K!