#was looking for something else but found these like oooooh. that's GOOD

[moe-broey]

[on leaving]

"... well. for one reason or another, i just hope no one remembers me."

-

[Angry Alfonse noises]

[mj0702]

New Year🔞🔞

There is smut content in there so... MINORS NO NO!!!

What a Party it had been. Patri really went all out for this new year party she hosted. Jenni wore a simple black piece hugging her figure just perfectly her eyes in a – what you called vintage – smoky eyes in silver and black makeup her lips painted in a dark red nearly brown-ish. Alexia the complete contrast as usual wore cream light but elegant pants, a – also vintage – crop top (you'd never dare to call your girlfriends old into their faces so you always settle for “vintage” instead) and simple makeup. You – the most simple out of the three of you – wore simply Jeans (you wanted to go in sweaters but both Alexia and Jenni threatened to tie you to a lamp post and just leave you there if you would dare to leave the house in sweat pants) and a Ralph Laurent Polo. Surprise you weren't the only one. You found yourself in a corner with Caro, Ewa, Laura (Keiras girlfriend) and Esmee all sporting the Jeans 'n Polo look standing there awkwardly all of you a cup of something in your hand. It was like a scene from a bad High school movie where all the nerds standing in a corner watching the popular girls while all your girlfriends (minus Ewa who still longed after that girl in her old Club and Esmee who had a dating ban by your girlfriend – the Barcelona one not the Mexican one – after the drama caused with Esmees ex-boyfriend) had the best time on the makeshift dancefloor

“So... how was your Christmas?” Caro asked after 15 minutes of heavy silence

“Oh... yeah... good” Ewa shrugged her shoulders “... spend it with my family in Poland”

“Careful there Pajor...” you smirked nodding at Laura “... not that you get invaded... again”

“hey.... that was ONE time...” Laura rolled her eyes playfully

“Wait what??” Esmee looked confused “Laura invaded Ewa? Uh oh.. Keira won't like that”

“Yeah no...” you snorted “... Lauras grands invaded Poland... and the Netherlands”

“Oooooh....” the young player looked curious “.... why?”

“Hun... I know you're young...” Laura started patting Esmees head “... but even you should've heard of World War II … Jexias plaything over here just loves to milk them Austrian jokes”

“Ooooooh... yeah I heard of that...” Esmee nodded while Caro snorted into her drink

“England was invaded too...” the norwegian pointed out making Laura groan

“Not really no...” you pursed your lips “... our leadership knew what they were doing”

“Can we please stop making bad 1930s jokes?” the Austrian huffed but the little twinkle in her eyes showed that she wasn't mad

“Because you'd lose again?” Esmee asked innocently

“Careful there kid...” Laura pointed her finger at the youngster “... or you and I will have a little face off tomorrow”

“I still have tomorrow off...” the young dutch exclaimed

“You won't if you keep choosing the wrong side” the Austrian raised her eyebrow

“Come to the dark side...” Ewa threw her arm around Esmees shoulders “... we have cookies”

“And alcohol” you pointed out lifting your cup

“And alcohol” the polish player confirmed

“Alexia said I'm not allowed to have alcohol during the season” Esmee hung her head

“First.. she's not looking...” you quickly glanced at your girlfriend who was dancing with Jenni before you pushed you cup into the young players hands “... secondly... drink that”

“Bad influence... all of you” Caro shook her head smiling

“Are you going to report us all to Marta?” you challenged her an eyebrow raised while you “helped” Esmee drowning your drink – you simply held the cup so the young one couldn't do anything else than drink

“And get in trouble because I didn't stop you?” the norwegian snorted “Hell Naah”

“Jesus... that's strong...” Esmee now coughed a little bit after she emptied your cup “... what is that”

“It should've been a Mojito....” you shrugged your shoulders “... I might went a little hard on the Rum...”

“It tasted like... pure Rum” the young player pulled a face

“Because it was...” you said unphased “... I forgot what else belongs into a Mojito so I went for the ingredients I knew... Rum”

“Isn't there sugar in it?” Ewa wondered out loud

“Yeah... but try to find sugar in a pro athletes household...” you waved your hand around Patris home

“Huh... true” Ewa nodded while Laura and Caro started laughing

“I think our Cari is enjoying herself” Jenni husked against Alexias ear her hands on the blondes hips while Alexias back is pressed into the older ones front the Catalans arms hanging loosely around her girlfriends neck

“Mhm...” Alexia hummed after she quickly glanced over to you “... and with Caro and Laura there we don't need to worry that her, Esmee and Ewa get into trouble”

“I wouldn't go that far” the dark haired one chuckled “... she can be quite the brat if she wants to”

“You love it if we act a little out of line” the blonde smirked turning in her girlfriends arms so she can look at Jenni

“I love it even more when I get you both back into line” Jenni smirked bending down kissing Alexia softly

“Get a room” Pina hollered from the other side of the room which caused Jenni to deepen the kiss lifting her left arm and showing Pina the middle finger

“NOT my room!!! NOT any room in my house!!” Patri panicky interrupted when she saw that Pina was about to contra Jenni once more

“You just have to turn the music up Pats...” the dark haired one smirked after she ended the kiss “... both of them can get quite loud”

“Oh god” Jenni and Alexia heard your faint groan bursting out laughing

“Why would you yell at each other in a room?” Esmee asked with the innocents of a child after your groan of embarrassment making Ewa, Caro and Laura burst out laughing

“Jenni and Alexia are both....” you tried to do damage control “... intense people”

“Intense... yeah...” Caro chuckled wiping away a tear “... call it intense”

“I mean I never played with Jenni...” the young player pondered

“Y/n does that quite frequently...” Laura laughed at your misery

“Really?? When?? You play here...” dear god that girl was naïve “... and she plays in Mexico”

“Whenever she's here... ain't that right Tygrysku??” Ewa pressed out before she broke down laughing again

“Can I come and play with Jenni too?” Esmee looked at you pleadingly

“NO” you exclaimed sending the people around you into a new fit of laughter

“Gosh...” the young player rolled her eyes “... you really are egoistic... playing with the best players in the world and not even willing to share”

“Oh she's sharing alright” Caro heaved out trying to get some air into her lungs

“Can you please stop” you pleaded

“Defiantly not...” Ewa pressed out holding onto Lauras shoulder so she wouldn't fall over from laughing

“Sweetie...” Laura started in an overly motherly voice “... Y/n isn't playing football with them....”

“Well... what else would she play with them?” Esmee looked confused

“They're...” Caro started before she had to think for a second “... shaking sheets”

“That makes no sense” Esmee rolled her eyes “... I know for a fact Y/n has a woman coming in once a week cleaning her flat because she's too lazy... I bet she's shaking the sheets too”

“No she's not” Ewa snorted “... not in that way”

“I want to die...” you groaned in agony “... can't the floor open up and swallow me whole?”

“They're playing... bedroom rodeo” the norwegian now clarified waiting for Esmee to catch on – and oh you could see the moment she did

“EW....” the young player exclaimed disgusted looking wide eyed at you “YUCK!!! That's basically mi Mamí you're talking about”

“DON'T call her that” you groaned your head in your hands trying to hide your beet red face

“Even the fans say she's basically my football Mamí” Esmee looked outraged at you

“Please... for the love of god... I pay you whatever you want... just...” you looked desperate which didn't go unnoticed by your girlfriends “... stop calling her Mamí”

“WHY???” the young one exclaimed and again the three players around you exploded laughing

“I think I'm gonna pee myself” Ewa was laughing so hard she hardly got any air into her lungs “... this is gold”

“Just...” you took a deep breath “... stop”

“Everything alright here?” you know heard the voice of Alexia right behind you and at the tone you heard that she expected an answer – most likely from you

“Everything alright” you turned around putting up your best (very pained) smile

“Then why are you looking like you just want to drop dead?” your girlfriend raised an eyebrow

“Esmee and I just.... settled some...” you started before Ewa interrupted you

“Misunderstandings” the polish player snorted trying to hold her laughter in

“I didn't ask you...” Alexia fixed her player with a glare “... Cari?”

“Y/n said I'm not allowed to call you Mamí..” Esmee exclaimed “.. but even fans say you're my football mom”

“Hmm...” the catalan hummed her eyes not leaving yours making you squirmy

“Come here...” Alexia said low but not low enough but you stayed rooted in your place not wanting to give the group around you even more material to make fun of you

“Really?” the blonde just raised her eyebrow giving you a last chance and you knew it “I advice you to think hard about it...”

“Can we please not here...” you said your voice quite sharp – sharper than you intended

“Watch your tone” Alexia was instantly in your personal space towering over you not even leaving you time to react “... now be good and come here”

“You're right in front of me” you snapped “... where should I go then?”

You should've known that it was a bad idea to challenge Alexia Putellas. With her being nearly 15cm higher than you, pure muscle AND spanish-hot-blooded you knew there was no way you would win fighting against her. So the second the words left your mouth you looked up in horror right in time to see Alexias face switch from surprised to disbelieve. A second later her big hand made its way to the back of your neck locking in place pushing you past her and through the whole room. To your relief no one except the small group who were the start of all evil noticed what was happening. Well... no one except Jenni of course who always had an eye whenever Alexia and you interact knowing that sometimes both of you were to stubborn to listen to each other. So the second she saw Alexias hand dart around your neck she was already on her way to interfere whatever argument you two were “settling”

“I don't know what was in that cup you had in your hand before” Alexia sneered the second the front door fell shut behind you two “... but you better pray it gave you enough courage to tell me what THAT was in there”

“You were right in front of me...” you grumbled back wincing a little bit when the blondes hand squeezed a little tighter

“Wrong answer...” the catalan sneered “... think again and think HARD what comes out of that bratty mouth of yours next”

“Well hello...” you heard Jennis surprised voice behind you

“You keep yourself out of it Jennifer” Alexia snapped shortly glancing at your girlfriend

“Ay... I did nothing...” Jenni lifted her hands in surrender “... I'm just here to make sure you don't kill her and end up in prison.. your ass is too pretty for prison”

“Oh you find that funny sí?” Alexia snapped at you shaking you a little bit by the neck as you snorted at Jennis comment

“You do have a nice ass...” you admitted the alcohol in your system not letting you grab the situation “... I must know... I stare at it often enough”

“Are you...” the blonde got thrown off track by your behaviour “... drunk?”

“Teeny tiny little itsy Bitsy bit” you giggled the alcohol kicking in full force now that you were outside breathing fresh air

“Mierda..” Jenni chuckled under her breath “... it took her all of 30 minutes”

“I can't even punish her for being bratty” Alexia looked outraged at Jenni like the older one stole her ice cream

“Amor....” the dark haired one chuckled “... either you sober her up or you wait until tomorrow and then punish her”

“How should I sober her up right now right here?” the catalan asked Jenni bewildered

“Ice water? Coffee??” Jenni offered knowing Alexia wouldn't have the heart to dunk you in ice water

“Uh” the blonde groaned while you looked intensely at Patris butterfly figure next to the door “... she'll cost me my last nerve”

“The joys of love” the older one snorted “... let her be for tonight Amor... I'll let you do whatever you want to her tomorrow...”

“It's not like I have a choice...” Alexia grumbled “... she wouldn't remember anyway”

“Let's get her some water... and some Ibuprofen” Jenni smiled as you tried to poke the butterfly wondering why it wouldn't fly away

It's not like you planned on getting drunk. But being a pro athlete that only has a drink now and then or at some celebration at the end of the season – that Mojito really brought you down. You didn't remember Jenni and Alexia getting you to drink glass after glass of water with you getting distracted every five seconds to the point were the blonde considered just hitting you over the head with a bottle so you would sleep it off. Jenni had a field day watching the two of you bickering the whole evening only stepping in when she noticed Alexia was near losing it. You didn't remembered that you saw them two kiss at midnight sending you into a frenzy where you actively ran away from them out of the house tears clouding your vision so that you fell over Patris porch railing straight into a bush of dark red roses. When Jenni and Alexia who were hot on your heels found you crying in them roses both of them really had to hold in their laughter. What they didn't expect was that you didn't wanted to be touched by either of them – it took a drunk off her ass Ewa Pajor to pull you out of the rose bush (with Patri yelling in agony about her damn roses) and an Ingrid Engen to calm you down so at least Jenni was allowed to sit next to you. When she asked what was going on with you knowing fully well that drunk you was a very emotional you you started crying again how your girlfriend Alexia kissed your other girlfriend Jenni and they both cheated on you with each other. Drunk you also didn't do common sense. Not realizing that your girlfriends were right in front of you. Alexia let out a string of spanish curse words how one could be so stupid making you cry even harder. Jenni got you to calm down by telling you she will have words with Alexia and Jenni that under no circumstances is it okay to forget about you but only if you'd agree to go home with her. You agreed under the deal of her sleeping on the couch – you were a lot but no cheater. The oldest one chuckled and agreed. By the time you three were home you were fast asleep against Alexias chest drooling on her crop top.

“I can't believe that happened tonight” the blonde rolled her eyes as she carefully slipped out from under you

“I can't believe I have to have words with myself” Jenni snorted reaching over you to unbuckle your seatbelt

“How did she get so drunk so quickly?” Alexia shook her head at your black out state

“She never could hold her alcohol” the dark haired snorted while she pulled you out of the car “... just... let's get her to bed”

Jenni should learn pretty quickly that this task alone was a whole other fight. You woke up the moment the dark haired one sat you down on the bed starting to open your Jeans. Alexia went into the Bathroom to get something to clean you up and to change you into (it's either one of hers or Jennis t-shirts) when she heard you panic screeching from the bedroom

“What's going on??” the catalan rushed back into the bedroom to find Jenni standing at the foot of the bed while you were pressed against the headboard a pillow pressed to your middle

“Ale...” you cried out

“Sí Cari?” the blonde features soften a little bit as you shuffled over to the edge of the bed, getting stuck in the blankets falling face first out of said bed to then quickly jump up wobbling behind Alexia for cover

“This woman wanted to.... you know” you whisper yelled behind Alexia with absolute urgency

“This woman???” Jenni exclaimed making you shriek ducking further behind your blonde girlfriend

“Bebé...” Alexia said softly “... it's okay...”

“No it's not!!” you huffed “.... she wanted to get into my pants!!”

“She's drunk... she's drunk... she's drunk....” the dark haired spaniard mumbled to herself so she wouldn't lose it while Alexia tried to not burst out laughing

“Normally you like it when Jenni gets into your pants” the blonde snorted “... come Cari.... let's get your drunk ass into bed”

“But....” you pouted “.... there's a stranger in our bedroom”

“Stranger?” Jenni looked at you with wide eyes while Alexia bursted out laughing

“It's okay Cari....” the catalan laughed “... she's a good friend... she just needs a couch to sleep on”

“Are you really kicking me out of OUR bedroom because of drunky there??” the older woman looked at Alexia outraged

“Just wait until she's asleep and come to bed” the blonde rolled her eyes manoeuvring you back onto the bed

“Since when am I the bad one?” Jenni mumbled as she left the bedroom

“You can come back” Alexia called out just as her girlfriend left the room

“I can't believe she declared me as a stranger who tried to rape her” the older one grumbled

“You know that she's not thinking straight when she's drunk” the blonde said as she pulled your pants off your legs

“But still... I'm her girlfriend!” Jenni huffed as she started to undress herself

“Yes you are” Alexia said carefully

“But?” the dark haired one asked an eyebrow raised

“You aren't around as much as I am...” the catalan pointed out “... we live together... and I KNOW you do everything possible to be here as much as possible... but...”

“It's not enough” Jenni sighed as she got into bed next to you

“It is Jenni... she's not thinking straight...” Alexia said softly getting in on your other side

“Apparently it isn't” the dark haired one huffed

“Don't get hung up on that....” the blonde rolled her eyes “... we'll find a solution one day”

“You both can move to Mexico...” Jenni kept her voice light even tho Alexia heard how much it hurt her girlfriend

“Not in a million years” Alexia played into it “... you know what they say... Barca is Alexia... Alexia is Barca”

“They can have a human sized cardboard cut out from you... can tape it to the side of Nuo” the older one chuckled tiredly

“You're an ass” the blonde chuckled kicking her girlfriend lightly under the blanket

You woke up because you felt so warm. Your head felt heavy and you needed a second to realize where you were and why you felt so hot. You turned your head to find Jenni spooning you from behind her arm loosely around your midsection while Alexia laid in front of you – more half under you. Of course you fell asleep in between the two space heaters you called your girlfriends. These two women had a body temperature from around 200 degrees and always complain how cold it was hence the extra blankets. You on the other hand were english – you literally melted every time you shared a bed with Jenni AND Alexia. One of them was bad enough but both of them... sudden death for you. But there was something else that made you feel hot. Alexias leg was slotted in between yours and her thigh pressed right into a very delicate area. If you were really quiet and REALLY carefully you probably could get away with getting yourself off on the Catalans thigh. You knew both of your girlfriends were normally dead to the world sleepers – even more when they have time off. So you really carefully started to move your hips a little to test the waters a little bit so even IF one of them woke up you could still play it off as getting uncomfortable and just needed to move a little. After your initial try you waited a few seconds to see if one (or in the worst case scenario both) of your girlfriends stirred but nothing. So you got bold. You pressed your centre down on Alexias thigh and out of reflex your blonde girlfriend flexed her muscle making you suck in your breath

“I hope you're not doing what I think your doing Cari” Jennis voice cut sharp through the silence

“Fuck” you swore and jumped a little turning your head quickly looking at your girlfriend with big eyes

“So...” the lanky spaniard looked at you expectantly “... where you doing what I think you were doing?”

“I....” you stammered “... no?”

“No?” Jenni raised an eyebrow “... to me it looked like you were trying to get off on Ales thigh”

“No no no no no” you quickly shook your head “.... I was getting.. uncomfortable... you both are too hot”

“Gracias Cari” the dark haired one smirked wolfish “... but I KNOW you tried to get yourself off... alone the fact that you waited to see if one of us would wake up... you know neither Ale nor I will let that slide.... even tho it was just an attempt... a very poor attempt”

“I didn't...” you started but one look from Jenni shut you right up

“Why are you two so loud?” Alexia groaned next to you

“Our dear Cari just tried to get off on your thigh and now is trying to lie about it” Jenni informed Alexia who shot right up into a sitting position

“You what??” the blonde glared at you which you couldn't quite take seriously since her hair was sporting the fresh out of bed look making her look like a confused Owl and not like Alexia “I can make people cry just looking at them” Putellas

“I... didn't...” you started but the way your lips pressed into a thin line told Alexia everything

“Oh I can promise you now...” the blonde looked down at you “... you will regret that”

“You wanted to come didn't you” Alexia whispered into ear while Jenni was busy eating you out “So you'll come... over and over and over again... until I AM satisfied”

“Ale... por favor” you whined trying to push Jenni away from you

“No Cariño...” the blonde whispered sweetly “.... you were so SO bratty yesterday... challenging me in front of everyone... then you called Jenni a stranger and hurt her with that... and THEN... if you weren't in problems anyway you thought it would be a good idea to use ME to get off... not very clever Bebé”

“Please...” you whimpered but with Alexia having your leg in a dead grip with her legs and Jenni having your other leg over her shoulder you had no chance to get away any time soon

“Come Cari...” the catalan growled into your ear “... come for me”

You did just that. Your back arched off the bed your body trembled and shuddered your eyes screwed shut as you came hard. Alexia smirked against your skin not letting go of you. You on the other hand didn't know where you were for a second. Not only did the blonde keep her hold on you also Jenni didn't stop. From your experience you knew the Madrista could go for hours.

“Ale please... no more” you begged the catalan who just chuckled against your skin before she gently nipped at it

“Oh mi Corazon...” Alexia shushed you “... you WANTED this”

“No I.... dear JESUS” you squeaked out feeling two of Jennis long fingers entering you roughly

“Just Jesus? The last time you called us “oh god”...” Jenni grinned from her position between your legs “... not doing my job well enough then...”

“Very well...” you groaned “... too well... enough well”

“Oh Bebé...” your blonde girlfriend now taunted you “... if you can still talk back then Jenni isn't doing her job properly”

“No... please” you begged again tears starting to form in your eyes when you felt the dark haired one thrusting her fingers in and out of you in a rapid pace and now on top sucking on your clit

“Ssshh Cari... let Jenni do her job and loosen you up for me” Alexia whispered sweetly her nose brushing against your cheek “.... you have no idea what I have in mind for you”

“Ale... por favor” you whined

“No mi Bebé...” the blonde kept her voice sweet “.. you wanted to come... now you'll come”

“I can't.... no more” you screamed out and still your body betrayed you reaching it's climax on Jennis long fingers

“Huh.... that just looked different to me” Alexia faked surprise knowing you wouldn't be done after two orgasms “... be good for us Cari”

“You are pure evil Ale” Jenni smirked from her position between your legs

“She ASKED for it..” the blond defended herself before she turned her attention back to you “... and whatever Jenni does to you know Bebé... I'll do too... only for twice as long and three times as often”

“No please” tears spilled down your cheeks knowing exactly Alexia would do just that to the point where you either tap out or use your safe word

“Oh sí mi Hermosa Corazon” the catalan murmured as she pressed open mouthed kisses to your throat

You groaned pitifully knowing you just.... lost. You feel Alexias evil smirk against your skin and right this moment you accepted your faith. The bed dipped but the blondes hand against your jaw and cheek prevented you from looking what's going to happen. But you didn't need to wait long until you realize what's going on.

“You're so beautiful Bebé” you heard Jenni murmur her hands stroking over your thighs her thumb digging into your muscle there “... you're gonna look even more beautiful stretched around my dick”

“No no no no no” you whined wriggling around but the dirty chuckle from Alexia told you everything you needed to know

“Sí Corazon...” the dark haired one smirked nudging your legs further apart with her own thighs making more room for herself “... just relax....”

You whined when you felt the head of the strap pushed inside you but at least Jenni was kind enough to give you a moment to adjust before pushing further until she bottomed out her hips flush with yours.

“So beautiful” the older one mumbled her hands gently stroking over your stomach “So tight”

“You're getting soft Hermoso” Alexia smirked looking over her shoulder at her girlfriend

“YOU are the one torturing her... not me... I'm just here to let her have fun” Jenni wriggled her eyebrows while she slowly started to gently thrust in to you

It wasn't something that you weren't used to – them speaking about you like you weren't lying writhing in between them. Most of the times you found it extremely sexy but today it hit different fuelling your insecurities and you knew you wouldn't be able to enjoy whatever they have planned with you if you wouldn't word your concerns

“Jenni... el alto” you grunted out and immediately Jenni stopped moving and Alexia looked back down on you – not that you expected anything else

“What's wrong Pequeña?” the dark haired one asked her brows furrowed

“I'm here” your voice raw making Jenni and Alexia looking first at each other than back at you

“Sí... we.. see that” Alexia said carefully not knowing what your point was

“... I mean.. I feel it” Jenni piped up getting slapped by the blonde on the shoulder

“I am HERE” you said lowly

“Sí Bebé... we see you” the blonde catalan said carefully

“Then don't talk like I'm not” you sniffled

“Oh Corazon” Alexia sighed leaning down again pressing her nose into your cheek “... lo siento... we KNOW you are here.... we KNOW”

“Sí...” Jenni nodded slowly not knowing if your head was in the right mindset to continue

“I...” you tried to find the words but you couldn't

“It's okay... breath for me mi amor” the catalan said her voice low “... while you are a brat sometimes you can always talk to us”

“I need you to relax for me Corazon” the dark haired spaniard above you said softly about to pull out as you stopped her

“No...” your hand basically flew to her hip your fingers grabbing the harness to stop her from moving

“Sí Bebé....” Jenni kept her voice soft “... your head isn't here...”

“I can...” you started again before Alexia interrupted you

“We know you CAN...” the blonde whispered “... but there's no use right now... I will get my way... don't you worry... but right now you need something else... you need us...”

“Don't tell me what I need” you snapped

“Cari...” Alexia warned you but she knew this was just a way of you coping “... this is going a VERY long year if you don't watch it...”

“I KNOW what I can take” you shot back a slight feeling of failure making it's way into your mind

“Basta” Jenni interrupted her voice strict “... let go Cari”

You begrudgingly let go of the harness and Jenni pulled back and out of you oh so carefully but still making you grunt in process

“I know Bebé” the dark haired one said softly as she wriggled out of the harness disposing it carelessly on the floor before crawling up your body pressing soft kisses to your skin “... you did so good”

“No I didn't...” you huffed “... failed both of you”

“Ay non of that” Alexia interrupted your train of thoughts firmly “... stop thinking... you did NOT fail me or Jenni or us... you made us proud by telling us what you need”

“Sí... so good for us” Jenni murmured against your skin “... but we need you to tell us what you need right now”

“I need...” you stammered “... I don't know what I need”

“Space? Gym? A run?” Alexia provided

“No” you looked at her shocked

“Cuddles? Bath? Breakfast?” Jenni smirked

“Yes” you sighed sinking deeper into the pillows letting yourself relax a little

“Which of the offered things?” your blonde girlfriend asked

“All of them” you answered like it was the most obvious thing making Jenni snort as she laid down next to you

“All of them?” Alexia asked her eyebrow raised but her eyes soft

“Sí...” you nodded letting the dark haired one pull you into her side

“You heard her Ale... vamos...” Jenni smiled widely keeping her tight hold on you

“You can also...” the blonde started confused and immediately Jenni shook her head

“Can't... someone has to stay with our Cariño” the lanky one smirked

“Increíble...” Alexia mumbled rolling her eyes swinging her legs out of the bed “... usarla para no hacer nada”

“Someone has to look after her...” Jenni yelled after Alexia who just flipped her off on her way to your bathroom getting started on that bath

“What do you want for breakfast Cari?” Alexia asked from behind you holding you securely in her arms while you had your eye closed simply enjoying the warmth of the water and the calming smell of Sandalwood, Chamomile and a little splash of citrus oil

With you being very open to stress and anxiety Alexia started quite early in your relationship to read and study about different ways to reduce your stress and calm your mind and body. You weren't open to everything she introduced you to like mediation. Even tho you could meditate if your in the mindset for it most times the quiet left you even more overwhelmed than relaxed. The blonde figured out very quickly that if the technique got pushed on you that you left the session even more stressed so she put a stop to it immediately and kept on looking for other solutions. Sometimes skin to skin contact helped you immensely and sometimes even the lightest body contact sent you into a frenzy. But what always worked was scent. If it was in form of a Bath like now or Candles or a few drops of oil that your catalan girlfriend sneaked on your pillow before you went to bed. And yet it was a long road to figure out what worked best. You absolutely despised anything too floral or too woody. Citrus always worked but citrus wasn't very calming so Alexia experimented a lot until she got the perfect mixture for you. She didn't mind one bit always one for learning new things exploring new directions. She even used Mapí and Pina a couple of time as a cross reference. Pina apparently was allergic to Jasmine – poor woman sneezed for two days straight after Alexia held the little bottle under her nose asking if she likes that smell.

“Breakfast is nearly ready” Jenni appeared in the doorway keeping her voice low seeing how you basically melted into Alexias embrace

“Vinga Cari...” Alexia mumbled against your temple “... esmorzar”

“No...” you whined your eyes still closed

“Sí... vinga” the blonde said pushing you slightly to sit up more

“If you move at this rate we can make dinner out of it” Jenni rolled her eyes disappearing again

“Come on Cariño....” the catalan poked your sides making you whine even louder “.... you know we'll never hear the end of it if we need too long and Jennis hard fought breakfast making is for nothing”

“We can eat it later... it's only cut up fruit” you whine sinking back slowly again

“I made eggs!!” your other girlfriend yelled from the kitchen knowing you and Alexia bashing her breakfast skills

“I rather get a red in a Champions League final than to end up in hospital again because of food poisoning” you mumbled making Alexia bark out a laugh

“We'll just let her eat first...” the blonde smiled “... if she drops dead from the chair we know not to eat it”

“You see....” you slowly got out of the bath “... food poisoning takes time... even IF she eats first... it's at least four hours until the symptoms kick in... I'm NOT risking it again”

“I'll never do anything for you again if you don't move your ass soon” the dark haired one yelled from the kitchen again and you heard she's getting annoyed

“We're already moving” Alexia yelled back wrapping you in a big fluffy towel

“Good...” was the answer you got as you pulled an old t-shirt (probably Jennis according to the length of it) and put on some boxers Alexia held out to you knowing you prefer those to “normal” underwear

“I don't feel good...” you mumbled your back pressed against Jennis front as you were laying on the couch her arm loosely around your midsection your feet in Alexias lap

“What's wrong Corazon” the dark haired one murmured from behind you her eyes closed as she was about to drift off to sleep

“My stomach hurts” you whine trying to get more comfortable

“Oh no...” your catalan girlfriend looked over alarmed “... not again”

“What you mean again?” Jenni lifted her head slightly looking at the blonde

“You cooked her into hospital before” Alexia said eyeing the lanky one until she caught on

“ONE time... that was ONE time” your girlfriend exclaimed

“Ale...” you whined holding your stomach

“Oh Bebé...” the blonde was up as a shot kneeling next to your body

“Hurts” you whimpered while Jenni looked flabbergasted

“I used the book you gave me for Christmas!!!” Jenni defended herself

“And still our Cari is laying here in pain...” Alexia snapped at your girlfriend “... Jesús Jennifer... why do you always have to offer to cook”

“I followed the book step by step” your dark haired girlfriend huffed starting to gently massage your stomach making you groan

“We should go to the hospital” the catalan mumbled stroking some hair out of your face

“Tea... we could make tea” Jenni said quickly “... tea is good for stomach”

That's when it happened. You quickly sat up thinking you need to puke. Alexia scrambling away thinking the same. She loved you but it was not on her new years agenda to get puked on by her girlfriend. But no... the burp that left your body was everything but NOT human. Jenni and Alexia looked at you like you were transforming into a demon right in front of you while you smiled happily instantly feeling better.

“Now I feel better” you declare grinning widely as you threw your body back on the couch getting comfortable again

“That was...” Jenni looked down at you then back up at Alexia

“... I'm at loss for words” Alexia shook her head still shocked “... how can such a pequeña Cariño make such a sound??”

“It's a special talent” you smiled cheerful “... you should look up the video where Mapí challenged me to do the Sprite-challenge... THAT was loud”

“I'm dating a child...” the catalan said bewildered “... a literal child”

“Found it” Jenni held up her phone grinning widely

“Two children...” Alexia shook her head stunned listening to Mapís voice cheering you on to ex the bottle and then the demonic sound coming out of the phone while Jenni nearly died laughing and you grinning pleased

[empressdede]

The Secretary- 5

Chapter Five

Previous

The next morning, Serena felt like she had barely slept. Her conversation with her mom played over and over in her head, making it impossible to think about anything else.

She couldn’t keep running from this. She needed help.

And she knew exactly who to turn to.

After finishing up some emails, she made her way to the SmackDown locker room area, knocking lightly before pushing the door open. Naomi was inside, tying her boots, but as soon as she saw Serena, her eyes lit up with curiosity.

“Well, well, well,” Naomi said with a smirk. “Look who finally came to me.”

Serena sighed, closing the door behind her. “I need help.”

Naomi leaned back, arms crossing over her chest. “Lemme guess. This is about you-know-who?”

Serena groaned. “Yes.”

Naomi grinned like she had been waiting for this moment. “Oh, girl, this is about to be good. Spill.”

Serena took a deep breath, then sat down across from her. “I… I think I messed up.”

Naomi’s brow furrowed. “How?”

Serena hesitated. “I admitted it.”

“Admitted what?”

Serena swallowed hard. “That I like him.”

Naomi’s expression shifted from amused to intrigued. “Wait. You told Roman?”

“No,” Serena said quickly. “I told my mom.”

Naomi’s face lit up. “Oooooh. So, it’s real real now.”

Serena groaned, dropping her head into her hands. “I know! And now, I don’t know what to do.”

Naomi scooted closer, her voice softer now. “Okay, first of all, breathe. Second, tell me—what do you want to do?”

Serena chewed on her bottom lip. “That’s the problem. I don’t know.” She met Naomi’s eyes, frustration clear in her voice. “Part of me wants to run in the opposite direction and pretend this never happened. But the other part?” She exhaled shakily. “The other part doesn’t want to ignore it anymore.”

Naomi nodded, considering her words. “And Roman? What’s he doing?”

Serena let out a short laugh. “Waiting. He’s not pushing, but he’s waiting for me to stop running.”

Naomi grinned. “Of course he is. That man ain’t gonna chase, but he also ain’t letting you go that easy.”

Serena rubbed her temples. “So, what do I do? How do I figure this out?”

Naomi studied her for a moment before leaning forward with a knowing smile. “You don’t gotta have all the answers right now. But I do think you need to talk to him.”

Serena tensed. “Naomi—”

“No, listen,” Naomi interrupted. “Not about feelings or relationships or any of that yet. Just talk. Lay everything out. Tell him your fears, tell him where you stand, and let him decide what happens next, too. ’Cause right now, you’re carrying all of this alone, and that ain’t fair.”

Serena let Naomi’s words settle in.

She had spent so much time trying to push this down, to control it, that she had never considered just… talking to Roman about it.

“I don’t know if I can,” she admitted quietly.

Naomi smiled knowingly. “Yeah, you can. And you will. Because whether you like it or not, you already know how this ends.”

Serena looked at her, heart pounding. Because deep down, she knew Naomi was right.

And that terrified her more than anything.

_

Naomi found Jimmy in the catering area, laughing with Jey over something on his phone. She slid into the seat beside her husband, giving him a knowing look.

Jimmy arched an eyebrow. “Oh no. I know that face. What you up to, baby?”

Jey looked between them, grinning. “Yeah, what kinda trouble we gettin’ into?”

Naomi smirked. “We’re finishing what y’all started.”

Jimmy blinked. “Huh?”

Naomi leaned in, keeping her voice low. “Serena came to me for help. She finally admitted she likes Roman, but she’s too scared to do anything about it.”

Jey’s face lit up. “Oh, we so got this.”

Jimmy chuckled. “Aight, what’s the plan?”

Naomi grinned. “We get them in a room alone. Lock the door. No interruptions. No excuses. They don’t come out until they get everything off their chest.”

Jimmy let out a low whistle. “Damn. You really want this to happen, huh?”

Naomi shrugged. “I just want them to stop running in circles. Roman’s waiting on her, and she’s too in her head to see that.”

Jey smirked. “So, you tryna trap them?”

Naomi winked. “Exactly.”

Jimmy and Jey exchanged a glance, then nodded in unison.

“We’re in.”

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Later that night, Naomi pulled Serena aside before SmackDown started. “Hey, girl, I need you to bring these papers to Roman’s locker room.”

Serena frowned, confused. “What papers?”

Naomi waved a hand. “Just some travel itinerary updates. He’s expecting them.”

Serena hesitated, that uneasy feeling creeping back in. She was getting major déjà vu. “Naomi…”

Naomi grabbed her shoulders. “Trust me. Just go.”

Serena sighed and took the folder. “Fine.”

She made her way to Roman’s locker room, knocking lightly before stepping inside.

Roman looked up from his seat, his expression shifting the second he saw her.

“Serena.”

She swallowed. “Hey. Naomi said you needed these?”

Roman frowned. “What? I didn’t—”

Before either of them could react, the door slammed shut behind her.

Serena whirled around just as she heard the unmistakable click of a lock.

“Hey!” She banged on the door. “Naomi!”

From the other side, Naomi’s muffled voice came through. “You two aren’t coming out until you talk!”

Serena’s stomach dropped. Oh, she did NOT—

She turned to Roman, who was now standing, arms crossed, expression unreadable.

He exhaled sharply, shaking his head. “Of course they did this.”

Serena groaned, pacing. “I cannot believe this. I knew she was up to something.”

Roman watched her carefully. “And you still walked in.”

She stopped, glaring at him. “I was set up.”

He tilted his head. “Maybe. Or maybe this is exactly what needed to happen.”

Serena froze.

Roman took a slow step toward her. “We gonna keep pretending? Or are we finally gonna be honest?”

Serena felt her pulse spike. There was no escaping this. No distractions, no running.

It was just them now.

And there was nowhere left to hide.

•

Next

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

With nowhere to run, Serena gon have to put her big girl panties onnn😭

Btw, I have over 20+ chapters, written and ready to go from my hiatus 🤣 thats why these updates fast asff😭 also hope they distract yall from the fact that my other stories ain’t done. 🌚

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[agalychnisspranneusroseus]

What do you think Marcy's relationship with her parents was like after Amphibia?

Oooooh interesting question mmmm well i AM a believer that her parents are awful, so there's that. I don't think they beat her up or anything but if Sasha fucking Waybright was a better option than them in her most desperate moments, they must be just as bad as her if not worse. Or rather, they must have been failing to provide something Sasha and Anne fulfilled. I've seen people despicting them as emotionally neglectful, which is something I think makes sense.

I do have the headcanon that they didn't really have the patience for Marcy. She was just too hyper, had too much energy, talked too much, got into too many accidents, broke too many things. I think they were often mad at her even when she did nothing wrong, like just generally pissed off most of the time. They found everything she said annoying no matter how harmless and let her know, so she started to feel it was better if she kept quiet. That meant Anne and Sasha were her only outlet to like... talk to anyone at all, and they didn't listen to her much, but at least they let her talk. They let her put on her silly little movies and sometimes humored her by playing a little bit of C&C with her. If Marcy was so happy to accept the bare minimum, it must be because she was getting nothing with her family. The fact that her way of worming her way into people's hearts is making herself useful tells me her parents mostly just appreciated her for her achievements, soooo...

I do think her parents love her. I just don't think they like her, or that they have much patience for her, mostly telling her to be quiet, to do play her little games somewhere else or they just ignore her when she talks. They were desperately looking for her when she went missing and were infinitely relieved when she got back. There were lots of hugs and tears and they didn't leave her side while she was in the hospital. They also felt a bit guilty for ignoring her so much during the past few years. Worrying they'd never see her again made them realize how much time they lost. For some time, they were a lot more patient with her, listening to her talk about her little games and her feelings and how her day at school was and the pretty friendship bracelets Anne and Sasha made for her. It almost felt like everything had been fixed, like everything would change and be alright. She felt a little bit less scared of moving now.

But as time passed, they kinda fell back into their own habits. They were a bit less mean about it, but despite how hard they tried... they just couldn't like their daughter. She was weird and annoying and never paid attention to her surroundings. For the first few weeks she'd wake them up every night at 3am in tears asking to sleep with them because she had a nightmare, and they were okay with it at first, but after a month of her disrupting their sleep they began to ask her to please stay in her room unless it's absolutely necessary. Her heart broke when they said that - she needed them.

She began to call Anne and Sasha whenever she had nightmares, panic attacks or chest pain, and they always picked the phone. Late night videocalls became their new routine, until her parents asked her not to call her friends at night because she couldn't keep her voice down when she did, so she switched to texting them instead.

Only good thing was that they were happy to pay for several plane tickets a year so she could visit them. She'd spend full summers with the Boonchuys, and they even let her spend the holidays with her friends. The latter they did because they knew Anne and Sasha were better for their daughter than they could ever be, though the former was a way for them to catch a break from her. Unsurprisingly, Marcy's mental health improved a lot whenever she was with her girls.

So... they fulfilled their basic duties as parents but often struggled to provide the emotional support Marcy needed, relying on her friends to do the work they couldn't. They do want Marcy to be happy and they do feel guilty for not being able to help her but their lack of patience always gets the best of them. Put simply, they just can't stand her no matter how much they try. They do a great effort to treat her nicely but every word that comes out of her mouth is immensely irritating to them. Actually, maybe they kinda just hate their daughter. They're really happy when, ten years after that whole mess, they hear she'll be moving back to LA with her friend Sasha. Hopefully she'll be happy there, and hopefully they'll get their lives back after 23 years of constant struggle and frustration.

[lucky-clover-gazette]

kings rising highlights & annotations

chapter 9

indented text is from the book. some quotes have commentary, some do not. some comments are serious, and some are definitely not. most of them will only make sense to people who have read the series. and, like, there are spoilers. so please read the books first if you're interested!

also: part of the reason i'm doing such a close reading is to study cs pacat's style, especially in terms of how she does romance and erotica. there are "craft notes" that might seem weird, like i'm being redundant or restating something rather than analyzing, but those are more things that i want to remember/take away from the writing!

i'm going to tag these longer posts with "sam reads capri" in case anyone wants to read them all at once.

this is a google doc i wrote with overall content warnings for the captive prince series. it's not perfect, but i do think it's important to include.

The next morning, they had to sit next to each other.

me when i’m a high school junior and had a huge falling out with my best friend who i’m totally not in love with last night but we still have to coexist in ap english class

The joint thrones today were under a silk awning, raised to protect Laurent’s milkmaid skin from the sun.

BRUTAL

Lady Vannes murmuring into the ear of a new female pet

oooooh what happened to the old one? drama alert!!

A part of Damen acknowledged, a little guiltily, that Laurent probably hadn’t deserved to get thrown around the training arena as a result.

laurent would disagree

Nikandros said, without looking next to him, ‘Your uncle has wiped out half of our army with two hundred men.’ ‘And a belt,’ said Laurent.

nikandros private twitter vent #11. incoherent violent stick figure jpegs

Damen said, ‘At least someone else has a chance to win at javelin.’

i understand that people like sports and it’s a fun thing to add to a pretty serious story but i am the buzzkill here and ugh. sports

In the stands, slaves rhythmically raised and lowered fans and brought shallow cups of wine that everyone drank except Laurent.

me getting ginger beer at the bar yesterday while the dude i was with drank an espresso martini and two whiskeys

He came forward naked, as was the custom in Akielos.

i feel like violent dangerous sports are a really good occasion to wear MORE clothing, but go off i guess

The two men scooped oil from the receptacle brought to them by the stewards, anointed their bodies with it, then they slung their arms around one another’s shoulders, and, on the signal, heaved. The crowd cheered, the men grappled, their bodies straining against each other in slippery hold after slippery hold, until Pallas finally had Elon panting, on the grass, the sounds an eruption from the crowd.

this is like the not-evil twin of the veretian court wrestling

Damen rose from the throne, and put his hand to the gold brooch at his shoulder. His garment dropped and the crowd roared its approval.

you know, damen’s lack of freaking out about some of the indignities of the veretian court make more sense now

‘Good fight,’ he said, taking his place again on the throne beside Laurent. He waved over some wine. ‘What is it?’ ‘Nothing,’ said Laurent, and found somewhere else to put his eyes.

hang in there buddy

‘What can we expect next? I really feel,’ said Vannes, ‘it might be anything.’

i love the slight disdain here

‘Who did this to you?’ ‘I did,’ Laurent said. Damen turned. Laurent stood in the entryway of the tent. He was arranged with elegant grace and his lazy, blue-eyed attention was all on Nikandros. Laurent said, ‘I meant to kill him, but my uncle wouldn’t let me.’ Nikandros took an impotent step forward but Damen already had a restraining hand on his arm. Nikandros’s hand had gone to the hilt of his sword. His eyes were on Laurent furiously. Laurent said, ‘He sucked my cock too.’ Nikandros said, ‘Exalted, I beg permission to challenge the Prince of Vere to a duel of honour for the insult that he has done to you.’ ‘Denied,’ said Damen. ‘You see?’ said Laurent. ‘He has forgiven me for the small matter of the whip. I have forgiven him for the small matter of killing my brother. All praise the alliance.’ ‘You flayed the skin from his back.’ ‘Not personally. I just watched while I had my man do it.’ Laurent said it with a fronded, long-lashed gaze. Nikandros looked physically sick with the effort of repressing his anger. ‘How many lashes was it? Fifty? One hundred? He might have died!’ Laurent said, ‘Yes, that was the idea.’

LAMEN HR COMPLAINT #8

god i FUCKING love this little confrontation. i appreciate how we can start easing into some more comedy with these specific characters, because nobody here is like actively enslaved or abused. they’re all on even footing, so shots can be fired for fun, and can be read as such. the analysis here, in short, is that damen and laurent are both insane about each other and nikandros just has to deal with it. laurent thinks it’s amusing to mess with nikandros, and to a lesser degree damen. and damen tolerates it because he knows laurent behind his performative cruelty, but can’t possibly explain that to nikandros. regardless, laurent has immunity from damen, which means he also has immunity from nikandros.

this is also a good way to show how both damen and laurent have started “settling” the matters of damen killing auguste and laurent punishing him in vere, since the last scene where both subjects were heavily referenced.

Angry as he was, Nikandros wouldn’t disobey a direct order. His training was too deeply ingrained.

i like this subtle moment. damen grew up in the same culture, yet one of his main Things in this series has always been disobeying orders he disagrees with. built different!

‘Why would you do that? He’ll defect.’ ‘He’s not going to defect. He is your most loyal servant.’ ‘So you push him to breaking point?’ ‘Should I have told him I didn’t enjoy it?’ said Laurent. ‘But I did enjoy it. I liked it most near the end, when you broke down.’

laurent calculated and performative cruelty to protect himself from being vulnerable, you know the drill by now

‘You didn’t have to come here. You could have sent a messenger.’ In the pause that followed, Laurent’s gaze shifted involuntarily sideways. A strange prickling passing over his skin, Damen realised that Laurent was looking at the polished mirror behind him at the reflection of his scars. Their eyes met again. Laurent wasn’t often caught out, but a single glance had betrayed him. They both knew it. Damen felt the hard ache of it. ‘Admiring your handiwork?’

damen: i know you came here on purpose to spend time with me alone when you totally didn’t have to laurent: [very obviously checks out damen’s bare back, and not just for the symbolism reasons] damen: you want to look at me so bad (because you have an emotional attachment to the marks and you want to torture us both about it, and also because you think i’m hot. in both cases you’re the desperate one here, i win)

‘I’ll join you after I’ve dressed. Unless you want to step closer. You can help stick in the pin.’ ‘Do it yourself,’ said Laurent.

this sounds like their prince’s gambit-era antagonistic, vaguely horny, reluctantly fond banter. we’re getting somewhere!

The fever pitch of the crowd was bloodthirsty. The okton brought that out in them, the danger, the threat of maiming. The second of two targets was hammered onto its struts, and the attendants gave the all clear. In the heat of the day, anticipation was an insect buzz, rising to a commotion on the south-western side of the field.

this is such a fucking terrible idea you are in a WAR. damen you are going to be KING. why are you risking your life to play a sports right now. it would be like if the person about to cure a disease decided to play a game of bowling with a 80% survival rate right before they finished the vaccine

Damen heard the reaction of those around him. The Veretian Prince was, at a glance, Damen’s athletic inferior. Certainly, he avoided the training fields. No Akielon had ever seen him fight, or take exercise. He had not participated in any of today’s contests. He had done nothing more than sit, elegant and relaxed, as now. ‘Veretians do not train in the okton,’ said Damen. ‘In Akielos, the okton is known as the sport of kings,’ said Makedon. ‘Our own King will take the field. Does the Prince of Vere lack the courage to ride against him?’

makedon wants that twink obliterated

Damen waited for Laurent to sidestep, to evade, to find, somehow, the words to extricate himself from the situation. The flags fluttered loudly. The stands were silent, to a man. ‘Why not?’ said Laurent.

FSIUFHSDIUFHSDF i love laurent so much it’s unreal. this is the same response you’d give if a friend asked if you wanted to get takeout on a thursday night. “yeah, why not?” mr. “probably” laurent strikes again

Mounted, Damen faced the course, holding his horse ready at the starting line. His mount shifted, fractious, eager for the horn that would signal his start. Two horses down from his own, he could see Laurent’s bright head.

their horses who are canonically in love with each other get to do homoerotic sports too!!

But the true challenge of the okton was this: if you missed, your spear might kill your opponent. If your opponent missed, you were dead.

i was going to say “thankfully there are no real-life sports that sacrifice the physical well-being and possibly lives of eager-to-impress youths looking for glory and compensation” but then i remembered american college football exists

Laurent could also throw a spear. Probably.

probably.

But all of that meant nothing in the face of the okton. Men died during the okton. Men fell, men suffered permanent injury—from a spear; from hooves after a fall. Out of the corner of his eye, Damen could see the physicians, including Paschal, who waited on the sidelines, ready to patch and sew. There was a great deal at stake for the lives of the physicians, with royalty from two countries on the field. There was a great deal at stake for everyone.

not beating the american college football allegations

Damen could not aid Laurent in the contest.

he’ll kill one of his own people by throwing a sword across a clearing to save his captor in book 2, but he won’t use his kingly authority to say “hey guys maybe let’s not put both of the army’s leaders, one of whom is the love of my life and also my divorced husband, in the hunger games right now”

There was something intellectual in the way he assessed the field, and it set him apart from the other riders. For Laurent, physical pursuits were not instinctive, and for the first time it occurred to Damen to wonder if Laurent even enjoyed them. Laurent had been bookish as a boy, before he had re-formed himself.

“he should be at the (afterschool dungeons and dragons) club”

Laurent dealt with the danger of the okton by simply behaving as though it did not exist.

that tracks externally, but i also think that inside laurent’s brain he does acknowledge it, he just has a precise threshold of acceptable risk

Instinct reacted before thought. The spear was driving towards his chest; Damen caught it out of the air, his hand closing hard around the shaft, the momentum of it wrenching his shoulder back. He absorbed it, tightening his grip with his thighs to keep himself in the saddle.

this would be even more impressive if it was not the solution to a dangerous situation you ACTIVELY MADE HAPPEN

All his attention was on the other spear, flying towards Laurent. His heart jammed in his throat. On the other side of the course, Pallas was frozen. In that stricken moment of choice, Pallas could only decide whether to dodge and risk his cowardice killing a prince, or stand his ground and receive a spear to the throat. His fate was tied to Laurent’s, and unlike Damen, he had no recourse for what to do. Laurent knew it. Like Damen, Laurent had seen it early—had seen the strut collapse, had judged the outcome. In the handful of extra seconds that this afforded him, Laurent acted without hesitation. He released his reins—and as Damen watched, as the spear flew right for him—he jumped, not out of the way, but into the path of the spear, leaping from his horse to Pallas’s, dragging them both to the left. Pallas swayed, shocked, and Laurent bodily kept him down low in the saddle. The spear sailed past them and landed in the tufted grass like a javelin.

an akielion wouldn’t think to do THAT, would they!!

(also, love the little parallel to prince’s gambit, with damen ripping the grate out of the wall and laurent’s meticulous scheming. here it’s not as much a competition as it is a mutual/cooperative victory, with damen stopping the javelin mid-air and laurent intelligently evading the other one headed towards him)

The crowd went wild. Laurent ignored it. Laurent reached down and neatly filched Pallas’s last spear for himself. And, keeping Pallas’s horse at a gallop—as the sounds of the crowd swelled to a crescendo—he threw it, sending it flying right into the centre of the final target. Completing the okton one spear ahead of Pallas and of Damen, Laurent drew his horse up in a little circle, and met Damen’s gaze, his pale brows rising, as if to say, ‘Well?’ Damen grinned. He hefted the spear he had caught, and from where he was on the far side of the course, threw; let it go sailing over the full, impossible length of the field, to thunk into the target alongside Laurent’s spear, where it rested, quivering. Pandemonium.

they are both That Bitch. perfect for each other, and now everyone knows it (kinda) <3

After, they crowned each other with laurels.

cute

There was a warmth in his chest whenever he looked at Laurent. He didn’t look often for that reason.

Their men would ride out unified, and if there was a crack down the centre, no one knew about it. He and Laurent were good at pretending.

no they’re not. they’re just becoming more entertaining and endearing than annoying and frustrating, so people are more likely to listen to them

Laurent took his place on one of the lounging couches like he was born to it. Damen sat alongside him.

and all was right with the universe

The whole room went silent. Makedon and Laurent faced one another. The silence stretched out. ‘You have the mind of a snake,’ Makedon said. ‘You have the mind of an old bull,’ said Laurent. They stared at one another. After a long moment, Makedon waved at the slave, who came forward with a fat-bellied bottle of Akielon spirits and two shallow cups. ‘I will drink with you,’ said Makedon.

i love this unlikely friendship. laurent is being socialized like a feral kitten

Laurent glanced at the wine that the slave had poured, and Damen knew with absolute certainty that if it was wine, Laurent wasn’t going to drink. Damen braced himself for the moment when every scrap of goodwill that Laurent had garnered for himself was thrown away—as every tenet of Akielon hospitality was insulted, and Makedon swept forever out of the hall. Laurent picked up the cup in front of him, drained it, then returned it to the table. Makedon gave a slow nod of approval, lifted his own cup, downed it. And said, ‘Again.’

extremely loud airhorn goes off SHOTS SHOTS SHOTS

Later, when a great many overturned cups scattered the low table, Makedon leaned forward and told Laurent he must try griva, the drink from his own region, and Laurent downed it and said it tasted like swill, and Makedon said, ‘Ha, ha, true!’ Later, Makedon told the story of his first games, when Ephagin won the okton, and the bannermen grew misty-eyed, and everyone had another drink. Later, everyone roared when Laurent was able to balance three empty cups on top of each other, while Makedon’s cups fell over.

is this just what frat parties are like?

Laurent maintained a scrupulous posture until they were all gone, his eyes dilated, his cheeks slightly flushed. Damen spread his arm over the back of his own seat and waited. After a long moment, Laurent said, ‘I’m going to need some help standing up.’

i love that damen just Waited. he knew. he wanted laurent to admit it. they’re so funny

He wasn’t expecting to receive Laurent’s full weight, but he did, a warm arm slung around his neck, and he was suddenly breathless with the feeling of Laurent in his arms. His hands came up to steady Laurent’s waist, his heart behaving strangely. It was sweetly, impossibly illicit. He felt the ache in his chest. Damen said, ‘The Prince and I are retiring,’ and waved the lingering slaves out. ‘It’s this way,’ said Laurent. ‘Probably.’

‘Is today the first time you’ve been beaten in an okton?’ ‘Technically, it was a draw,’ said Damen. ‘Technically. I told you I was quite good at riding. I used to beat Auguste all the time when we raced at Chastillon. It took me until I was nine to realise he was letting me win. I just thought I had a very fast pony. You’re smiling.’ He was smiling.

drunk laurent happily telling damen about auguste :’) also the “you’re smiling” is so adorable, i love how we’re getting some dorky soft laurent finally. he contains multitudes. this, like, “suddenly aware that he’s being cute and appreciated for it, slightly indignant but also allowing it because it’s damen who thinks he’s cute” thing is wonderful and tbh i hope i can someday allow myself to be like that too :)

‘Am I talking too much? I can’t hold alcohol at all.’ ‘I can see that.’ ‘It’s my fault. I never drink. I should have realised I’d need to, with men like these, and made an effort to . . . build up some sort of tolerance . . .’ He was serious. ‘Is that how your mind works?’ said Damen. ‘And what do you mean, you never drink?

drunk laurent is so funny. and i love how damen is amused, endeared, and absolutely fascinated by the inner workings of this man. me too.

also, it's insane that laurent would ever ask if he's talking too much. taking too much is like his entire thing

side note: this is 100% how i am when i use any kind of mind-altering substances, like a sedative before a root canal. i remember detailing how i felt in my notes app at the time and then reading it later and being both impressed by the determination to remain incoherent and amused by the inserted notes of “why am i laughing” “why is everything funny”

You were drunk the first night I met you.’ ‘I made an exception,’ said Laurent, ‘that night. Two and a half bottles. I had to force myself to get it down. I thought it would be easier drunk.’ ‘You thought what would be easier?’ said Damen. ‘“What”?’ said Laurent. ‘You.’ Damen felt the hairs rise over his whole body. Laurent said it softly, and as though it was obvious, his blue eyes a little hazy, his arm still around Damen’s neck. They were gazing at one another, halted in the half-light of the passage. ‘My Akielon bed slave,’ said Laurent, ‘named for the man who killed my brother.’

“no shit, i got drunk”

It wasn’t unusual for two young men to wander the halls together, swaying, after a revel—even among princes—and Damen could pretend for a moment that they were what they seemed to be: brothers in arms. Friends.

you guys got publicly married-divorced and laurent told an entire army that you fucked each other multiple times. you wear matching arm cuffs. even your horses are in love. be so serious rn

The guards on either side of the entrance were too well trained to react to the presence of royalty leaning all over each other.

They Pretend They Do Not See It (not an HR complain bc they’re not really bothering anyone or breaking rules)

‘No one is to enter,’ Damen ordered the guards. He was aware of the implication—Damianos entering a bedchamber with a young man in his arms and ordering everyone out—and he ignored it. If Isander suddenly had a startling reason why the frigid Prince of Vere had foregone his services, so be it.

oh nooooo what a shame if isander backed off from your man, what an unintended and unfortunate consequence, oh nooooooo

Laurent, intensely private, would not want his household present while he dealt with the effects of a night’s worth of drinking.

just got a vision of laurent as heather chandler in the hangover/death scene. wearing that cunty little robe and talking shit

Laurent was going to wake with a blinding headache fuelling his corrosive tongue, and pity anyone who ran into him then. As for Damen, he was going to give Laurent a push in the small of his back and send him staggering the four steps to the bed. Damen unlooped Laurent’s arm from his neck, disengaged himself. Laurent took a step under his own power, and lifted a hand to his jacket, blinking. ‘Attend me,’ Laurent said, unthinkingly. ‘For old time’s sake?’ said Damen. It was a mistake to say that. He stepped forward and put his hands on the ties of Laurent’s jacket. He began to draw the ties from their moorings. He felt the curve of Laurent’s ribcage as the tie threaded through its eye. The jacket tangled at Laurent’s wrist. It took some effort to get it off, disordering Laurent’s shirt. Damen stopped, his hands still inside the jacket.

:)

Under the fine fabric of Laurent’s shirt, Paschal had bound Laurent’s shoulder to strengthen it. He saw it with a pang. It was something Laurent would not have let him see sober, a keen breach of privacy. He thought of sixteen spears thrown, with a constant effort of arm and shoulder, after rough exertion the day before.

fuck, that’s right. damn laurent

Damen took a step back, said: ‘Now you can say you were served by the King of Akielos.’ ‘I could say that anyway.’

he may be white girl wasted but he’s still our laurent

Lamp-lit, the room was filled with orange light, revealing its simple furnishings, the low chairs, the wall table with its bowl of fresh-picked fruit.

this time, the fruit basket guy just showed the kitchen staff a bunch of ao3 fics tagged “in vino veritas” and told them to make it work

Laurent was a different presence in his white undershirt.

makes him sound like a cryptid. blonde man jumpscare

They were gazing at each other.

we know.

‘I miss you,’ said Laurent. ‘I miss our conversations.’

he would not have admitted this under torture

(also, i really like how he misses their conversations first and foremost. laurent really does love damen for his mind and heart, more than anything else. damen is the same, but he's a lot more vocally into the other parts of laurent too)

It was too much. He remembered being strapped to the post and half killed; sober, Laurent had made the line very clear, and he was aware that he had crossed it, they both had.

damen is still afraid to potentially take advantage of laurent, especially because of what happened the first time laurent interpreted his advances in such a light (ow)

‘You’re drunk,’ said Damen. ‘You’re not yourself.’ He said, ‘I should take you to bed.’ ‘Then, take me,’ said Laurent.

Laurent lay where Damen put him, on his back in a half-open shirt, his hair tumbled, his expression unguarded. His knee was pushed out to the side, his breathing was slow as one in sleep, the thin fabric of his shirt lay against his skin, rising and falling with it. ‘You don’t like me like this?’

first thing, good for him. second thing, not good for him, because trauma, and the fact that he sees himself as a sexual object (i went a lot more into this during the chapter 7 re-analysis)

‘You’re really . . . not yourself.’ ‘Aren’t I?’

i do think damen means this as a “you could punish me for taking advantage,” but i also think there is the fact that damen doesn’t want a version of laurent who isn’t in his right mind (like slaves, who aren’t given the ability to have minds of their own). this calls back to the whole “you like it simple” thing in chapter 7, and it’s pretty satisfying to see damen prove laurent wrong!

‘I tried to kill you. I can’t seem to go through with it. You keep overturning all my plans.’

said with hearts in his eyes <3

Damen found a water pitcher and poured water into a shallow cup that he brought to the low table by Laurent’s bed. Then he emptied the fruit bowl of fruit and put it on the floor alongside, to be used as a drunk soldier might use an empty helmet.

THEY WORKED HARD ON THAT THEMATICALLY RELEVANT FRUIT BASKET >:( although perhaps this is its true thematic relevance? a means of damen helping laurent care for himself in recovery?

‘Laurent. Sleep it off. In the morning, you can punish us both. Or forget this ever happened. Or pretend to.’ He did all of this quite adeptly,

at least he’s getting more self-aware about his own blind spots, or at least his ability to have them

Laurent, falling through scattered thoughts into sleep, said, ‘Yes, uncle.’

i think this line honestly might have been a step too far. not necessarily because it’s a bad thing for laurent to say, i get that it makes sense for him to associate this kind of vulnerability with [redacted], and it’s even possible that laurent doesn’t drink now because the regent got him drunk before he [redacted].

why i think it miiiiiiight not work, is the fact that damen doesn’t oh fuck wait i JUST made note of a line where damen acknowledges how he can “quite adeptly” ignore things, literally a few sentences ago. i can’t even say he would have noticed, or made note of it, because that is his character. and the irony is like right there on the page. it’s frustrating to read, but it’s an intentional choice. well played as usual!

[lemonmaid]

Video games that I think Vice Dorm Leaders would play.

Since alot of y'all liked the headcannons about the dorm leaders I thought, 'hell might aswell do the vice dorm leaders'. I'm glad that so many of y'all liked it, request are always open!

Here's part 1 with dorm leaders

Trey Clover : Cool Math Games

I don't think this guy has ever played a video game besides the one that was available on the Chrome-books, (when class got slow and boring).

"Trey what are you doing?".

"Not now, I'm on day 40 of Papa's Freeza".

Ruggie Bucci : Spiderman 2.

This guy only allowed to play it because Leona doesn't play his Playstation 5 that his family gifted him.

"Is that spiderman 2?"

"Yup..."

"How long have you've been playing that?"

"..."

"Does it meet your expectations?"

".."

Bro is in the zone, he's addicted, he has never had this much dopamine in his LIFE.

Jade Leech : Minecraft

When Jade doesn't want to go hiking or do Azul's dirty work, he would really enjoy a good minecraft game.

"Perfect look at what I found"

"Oh. That must have been an update, I don't think I've seen this Biome"

"Oooooh Perfect!! Look at what I built~".

"Floyd is that a penis?"

On second thought, he definitely keeps villagers prisoned for trading and... torture...

Jamil Viper : Walking Dead ( Telletale )

I like to think that Jamil is a casual enjoyed of Telltale games, why? Because no one else had given him this much emotional and power.

"Are you okay?"

"No..."

"Why.... I just finished the series..... and found out that Telltale is out of business"

"Oh... don't kill yourself"

Bro takes the choosing characters fate game too seriously.

Rook Hunt : Red Dead Redemption

This man, has replayed story mode so many times. Everytime, he gets Low Honor and the Bad Ending.

"Oh~ perfect, I don't know what I am doing wrong!"

"Okay... let me watch you play"

*two hours later of murder after murder spree*

"What the actual fuck is wrong with you".

Ortho Shroud : Project Sakai

Perfect combo after Perfect Combo after Perfect combo. Do NOT play in a room with him, because he will be the motherfucker to leave when everyone else has failed or just one.

"Ortho... I think you're taking this game too seriously".

*replays audio in mocking tone

Lilia Vanerouge : He's been around for a long time I think he's played most games in existence. Unless he is behind a few decades, I would say Mario Kart or Gutiar Hero.

"Am I hip perfect?" Lilia breaks down the weridest fuckinh combo behind his back.

"You're....something".

This man still has an Xbox 360 in his room and is still gaining Xbox points.

Grim: Fruit Ninja

This is the only game that he can play because he has no thumbs.

Otherwise, he is a tablet baby, that phone.... scratched, stained, cracked, and weird stench.

A/N

I'm finally mining away the drafts!!! I hope yall enjoy what's coming this week because I'm going to be do drained afterwards lol.

Hopefully more male reader povs.

[crazylittlejester]

How do you think the Chain would react if they found out one of them had an allergy to a certain food after the hero ate the thing they were allergic to? The allergy can be as severe or as mild as you want it to be, and the hero who has the new found allergy also just found out with the rest of the group.

oooooh, okay okay

so i base Warriors’s food issues and fear of poisoning very much off of my own food allergies, and the reactions he has to said poisons (the way i write them) are based very much off of allergic reactions. So with that being said I think it would take him literally .5 seconds to understand what was happening and how to get someone a life saving potion or a fairy even though their throat is literally closing up. because he could probably recognize the symptoms just by looking at them (because i was able to look at my friend who was in the middle of trying to figure out if they really HAD just eaten an allergen and just know because I recognize those kind of panicked facial expressions and i know why someone might be testing to see if they can swallow okay and if their tongue is swollen. when something that threatens YOUR life is actively starting to threaten your friends, you kinda just know and you recognize the signs even before they start breaking out in hives)

but if Wars DIDNT have knowledge of a similar experience, i think it would take everyone a hot minute to understand the situation. food allergies are fucking weird and also fucking terrifying. sometimes your tongue is just tingling and you’re thinking to yourself “oh haha it must’ve just been spicy” or “ooh the food just has a scratchy texture” and you’re not really thinking “oh huh my life could be in danger right now-“. sometimes the same way eating spicy food makes your tongue feel is exactly how it feels when it’s swelling up because you ate something you weren’t supposed to and it takes a second for you to figure out which one it was

I headcanon Wind has peanut allergies (BECAUSE NO ONE CAN STOP ME 🫶), and if he found that out with the chain I really think it would take himself and everyone else a good minute to figure it out. Like i can see Wild making some dish with peanuts in it and Wind being like “oh this is just spicy or whatever”, and trying to either force himself to think he’s completely fine or maybe he really just doesn’t understand what’s happening to him. and i think he wouldn’t tell the others until he was dizzy and nauseous or his throat was swollen shut, because that’s what would alert him something was SERIOUSLY wrong. I don’t think he’d try to hide it from the others on PURPOSE, i just think if it was his first reaction he’d be so confused as to what was happening to him

at some point tho I think someone would honestly just grab him and try to get a red potion in him, because at some point the visible symptoms would be so obvious to the others. and if it got to a point he couldn’t drink because his throat was so swollen, they have fairies

lmao sorry for rambling and if this was a bit incoherent, i just had spicy food and accidentally freaked myself out 🥺 (<- i am stupid, and also fine, it’s just been a long day lmao). THIS WAS A COOL ASK THO AND IT GAVE ME A CHANCE TO YAP ABOUT A HEADCANON SO THANK YOU, I JUST HOPE IT MAKES SENSE AND ISNT TOO REPETITIVE

[quinloki]

Not me coming up with a whole AU brain rot over this song

BUT

I did.

I’m thinking high profile ceo/rich Marco who regularly gets voted most eligible bachelor who just hasn’t found someone to connect with being so busy

And maybe you’re the daughter of someone a bit high profile, business type. A couple high profile failed relationships. You get introduced to him at an event and while you both think the other is attractive, nothing happens.

But then stumbling into him in a bookshop, literally. He helps you pick up your books, and yall talk and he asks you out.

Maybe he had glanced at the back of one of the books that was spicy and was interested based off that or something >.>

And of course after seeing eachother for awhile and it going great, getting invited as his date to a company function where all the peeps are trying to shoot their shot and getting dirty looks bc how did YOU land the most eligible bachelor???

And you know some petty drama here and there but marco is a solid guy and takes care of it

Ahhhhhhhggh

Imma think about this more later I just need to get it off my brain rn bc I have things to do 🫠🫠

Oooooh I love this! I love this a lot.

There's just a few things I'd probably change, personally, but the vibes are the same. Man, I love the whole Both in the High Life vibe (usually someone is and someone isn't, y'know? Or they're both just kind of middle/middle high class, and - anyway.)

I love the idea of this, but they meet at the bookstore first.

Both dressed casual, both just there to get away for a bit. Maybe both in the same section (shared interest in romance books, or mysteries, or whatever). Maybe you're muttering about how there's nothing new that is grabbing you attention.

"Read, read, read... this one?" pulling out the book you look at the back. "Ah, now I remember."

"Oh? Pardon me, I was thinking about reading that one." The voice is relaxed and even and you look up, and up, to see a tall man with blonde hair and hooded eyes giving you an easy smile.

His height would be intimidating alone, but he looks and sounds so genuinely interested in the book.

Looking back at the book you straighten up, giving the back a closer read to jog your memory. If you're going to give a recommendation, you want it to be accurate, even for a stranger.

"It was good. I'm a big fan of the genre, but not this author." You admit, handing it over. "I don't think it's a waste of time, but depending on what you enjoy, there might be a better pick in here."

And so he tells you what he likes in a book, and you offer up a couple suggestions, hitting on a few books he's already read. In the end he buys one or two, and offers to either get you a coffee or buy a book for you as thanks.

It's not until later that you're lamenting not asking him for his name at least.

And maybe that lament follows you to the charity event a couple days later, sighing into the city high-rise air, cooling off on a wide balcony to get away from the stuffy people inside.

"I almost didn't recognize you," says the smooth voice that's been flitting at the edges of your mind. Turning around you see the #1 most eligible bachelor in the city - how you didn't make the connection in the book store was almost laughable seeing him now.

And yeah, you might be an heiress, maybe even fully capable of taking over your family's business. But you're like fortune 500 and he's like fortune 10. So there's still this perceived disparity within the rich bitch community that doesn't understand how YOU got HIS attention, of all people.

XD Maybe the reader is closer to fortune 100 or something, maybe they are on the same-ish level, but reader has a reputation as the Shrew - like from Taming of the Shrew.

"There's the pretty bird." He says softly. You snort softly.

"Don't you mean the Shrew?"

"Both are better untamed, don't you think?"

idk that's off the top of my head. My brain is screaming "I'd let him tame me" and I can't think of anything else rn XD

[deathbxnny]

Oooooh I’ve been thinking of this one on and off.

Yanqing with a HTTYD! Reader. Reader has a Nightfury that they ride into battle and their dragon only likes Reader and Yanqing. It kinda disregards everything else.

Imagine Jing Yuan just looking out his window and seeing a dragon start flying off with his boy. After so many times, he just sighs and accepts it.

-----

A/N: I absolutely love this idea and find it super cute! I don't know much about the HTTYD series though, beyond basic stuff, so I hope this is still okay anyways and that you'll like it! Thank you for the request!

Content: Fluff, dragons, vague mentions of battles, Jing Yuan being over everything, established relationships, a little unserious, sfw

Reader has no mentioned pronouns! ((Not fully proofread))

-----

Yanqing was completely amazed by your dragon the moment you introduced him to it. His hand instantly reached out to pet it and was practically glowing from the excitement, when your dragon leaned into his touch with no resistance. It also made you glad to see them get along so well, especially when you flew on him for the first time together. It was wonderful and so peaceful, despite it being used to get out of training.

Something a certain general was not even slightly happy about. He tried catching you two several times, but he seemed to always be just slightly late and only see you flying away by the end of his chase. It was annoying, especially when he knew you two were giggling at his failed attempts. It made him wonder if he should just spite you two and request a law against it... but he found himself ultimately too lazy to do so.

But one thing he could consider good about all of this, was that it made you two get to emergencies and battles alot faster, which was very useful and made his plans work alot smoother. The intimidating sight of your nightfury was ofcourse a great help in intimidating any enemies as well. His abilities were a plus too, as they were quite the distration for Yanqing to get his finishing moves in.

And so, Jing Yuan eventually let you two be, simply sighing to himself, whenever he saw Yanqing jump onto the back of the dragon and fly away with you.

He was too old to deal with this anyways.

-----

A/N: Alright, this turned out to be a little short, but I didn't know how to make this any longer. I hoped you liked it tho and thank you again for the request!<33

[charlescoded]

oooooh eby!!!! 5. myster writer/serial killer for lestappen????

i had like 4 different ideas for this and at first i couldn't decide which one to write lmao, but i hope you like it!!! <3 and as a warning: there's some mentions of blood and a dead body

ROMANCE PROMPTS ASK MEME — found here!

“Is he dead?”

Charles rolls his eyes, but Max isn’t looking at him anymore, clearly not expecting an answer. He’s already taken out his notebook and started scribbling into it like a madman. The corpse isn’t going anywhere, obviously, but Max prefers a fresh reference. It would be endearing if wasn’t so annoying.

The pool of blood is still growing and Charles watches as Max steps around to avoid it, crouching down next to the head to note something else down. He frowns at the page.

“What’s the timer at?” He questions abruptly.

“3 minutes and 27 seconds,” Charles says, disgruntled. He crosses his arms over his chest and glares at the dead body. “It hasn’t been that long yet, the flow of blood will keep going for a while.”

Max doesn’t reply and Charles presses his lips together in a thin line. He knows his boyfriend wants to be as accurate as he possible can when he’s writing a murder scene for his newest book, he’s a perfectionist like that, and Charles will always indulge him by finding the right victim, but he doesn’t like how Max shuts him out when he gets focused.

He sighs loudly, duly watching Max shuffle around the body. He’s methodical in his craft, passionate to the detail, but all he knows about death is at Charles’ hands. Max’s hands are good at other things, of course, he knows how to work a pen like no one else, and he’s brought Charles to the point of screaming more times than he can count.

Maybe he will do so again later, once they’ve cleaned up and gotten home. Charles bites on the inside of his cheek, watching the curve of Max’s ass as he leans forward. They will, if Max doesn’t disappear into his study, bending Charles over the couch, or maybe Max will press him against the bathroom sink, forced to watch his own reflection get wrecked in the mirror. The fantasy sends a shiver down his spine.

“Timer.” Max says, snapping him out of his thoughts.

Charles grinds his teeth together, thoughts souring. “4 minutes and 39 seconds.” He forces out.

It feels like Max is edging him. But without the promise of eventual satisfaction.

When Max straightens his back, Charles perks up, silently praying for him to be done, but he isn’t. Max simply moves to the other side of the body and Charles deflates again.

He sullenly glances around the room, at the red-stained knife he’d dropped onto the cold concrete floor, at the cut cable ties discarded on the table, the gloves Max had used to examine the then-alive man’s head wound, used only because he doesn’t like to get blood under his nails.

Cleanup will need to be done later, it’s been a long day and he wants to take a hot shower.

“Timer.” Max says again, and Charles groans and rubs at his eyes.

The red numbers glare back at him. “6 minutes, 15 seconds.” When he looks back at Max, blue eyes are focused on him, not the notebook hanging from his loose grip. He flushes slightly. “What?”

Max’s gaze is calculating, dissecting, like he’s trying to figure Charles out. The intensity makes him look insatiable. Like Charles is his pray. His throat goes dry.

No words are spoken out loud as Max approaches him, his movements slow and deliberate, and Charles takes an involuntary step back until his back hits the wall. Their close proximity makes his head spin.

Sometimes it’s easy to forget that Max is a normal person, a cat owner, a horrible baker, a writer—famous, but ultimately normal—. It’s easy, because Max makes him feel like he’s getting eaten alive, like he’d devour all his flesh, like he’d cut him up into pieces. 

It’s easy to forget that Charles is the one fucked in the head.

“Are you jealous, Charles?” Max asks softly, gaze piercing through his heart.

His face scrunches up, unsure, his back cold against the wall, but he doesn’t like the sound of that. Jealous of a dead body… “Why would I be jealous?” He deflects.

Max’s lips curl upwards. Charles’ chest feels tight. “Because you want attention?” He whispers, reaching up to press the pad of his thumb against Charles’ lower lip. “You’re pouting, baby.”

“I’m not pouting,” He argues, but his face feels red. “You just took your sweet time…”

“You gave me the perfect reference, of course,” Max praises, and his smile turns smug when Charles squirms. “But there’s no need to be jealous, you’re the only one I want.”

Charles’ body betrays him as Max digs his nails into the flesh of his ass, drawing out a gasp. “I know that,” He says, petulant, but he falters when Max pushes his thigh between his legs. “Max…”

“Let me make it up to you, baby.” Max whispers.

He shudders. “I didn’t bring any lube…”

Max’s smile looks feral. He looks ready to devour him. “But I did.”

“Oh!” Charles bites his lip and he forces himself to relax. His heart is still racing in his chest. Max drives him insane, with want, with need, with a thousand thoughts and desires he never dared to share with anyone before he met Max. It’s like he’s stuck in his web, his heart attached to strings, Max his puppet master, making him love love love, and all he can do is whisper, “Please.”

[angelic-writer]

Roderick and Kevin - "Friends Till The End"

Sorry I could NOT think up a good title

(Oooooh. OOOOOUUUGH!!)

"Hey Roderick?"

"Hm?"

"Will you always stay by my side?"

"Of course, Kev! I mean, I'm your friend. What are friends for?"

"Well, I just..." Kevin sighed and looked down. "I don't really trust a lot of people. You, Sam and Jay are pretty much the only ones I can trust. I mean, you guys haven't called me a psycho or anything yet."

"You shouldn't listen to them, Kevin! They're just a bunch of losers who have nothing better to do!"

Kevin chuckled. "I-I guess that's true..."

"And hey, if they try to threaten you with a knife or anything, I won't hesitate to kick their asses!"

His heart fluttered at his words. He softly smiled. "Hehe, thanks, Roderick."

They both stayed silent for a while, looking down at the river. Kevin picked at his backpack strap, thinking about what Roderick said. Maybe... Maybe he finally found someone he can truly trust.

Maybe...

Just maybe....

Where were you when I needed you most?

His head was held under the water, almost drowned by the bullies that were expelled.

Why didn't you listen to me when I told you it was a bad idea?

"But the principal's his dad! Shouldn't we not like, tell him?"

"We tried. Probably with, what the fuck's her name again?"

Kevin sighed. "Okay, okay, let's do it quick. We gotta get ready for the game after."

When I needed you, you left me alone...

"Roderick, it's-" His head pounded. "I'm not... feeling well!"

"I- I'm sorry, you say that like I'm supposed to know what the fuck you're talking about!"

He blinked. "What?"

"Anyway, I'll be in the kitchen. Catch you later, okay? Like I said, Kev," He called out. "Bathroom. Upstairs!"

I trusted you... I trusted all of you...

"You're a nutcase, Kevin! So what? Are you gonna dial my number, huh?! Is that what you're gonna do? Kill me because I didn't give you a fucking hug at a party?!"

"We can't trust you. None of us can! You'll always choose yourself! You don't care about anyone! You never did and never will!"

Why couldn't you be there for me? Why couldn't you be the friend I wanted?

I should've known that all of you are the same. You're all just the same as everyone else. You all wanted me dead because I was related to my grandpa.

"Sam. Sam... You voted?"

"I... I had to."

You never cared about me.

None of you ever did.

As I convulsed in the chair, the most unbearable pain imaginable coursing through my body, I looked to you, Roderick. Deep down, I hoped you would say sorry. You just stared, looking at me like...

Like...

I couldn't think. My screams drowned out the ringing in my ears. The pain was replaced with numbness. Something wet ran down my face. Was it tears? Was I crying? I have no idea.

As my vision slowly faded, I kept thinking back to times where I wish things could've gone differently. I wish I could've been better for you guys. I wish I could've been better for Roderick. Who knows. Maybe we would've gotten along better. And maybe we wouldn't have gotten into this mess.

I wonder what you're thinking about right now, Roderick. Are you feeling guilty? Satisfied? By the look on your face, you didn't want to do it in the first place. That was the problem with me. I jump to conclusions way too quickly, my mind getting the best of me and I wouldn't let anyone talk me down.

I had signed my death warrant with my stupid mouth and now, I'm paying the price. Just a few hours ago, all of you were praising me for helping us win our second game. You were all so happy...

I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, guys...

If I died, would you even care?

I don't think you would.

[jadetheblueartist]

Oooooh,, Spider's Web Widens?

What's that about? It looks super interesting!!!

Thank you for the question! Here’s the original post.

So Spider’s Web Widens is the working title for my Frida story/au. It will follow Frida (and most likely Camille 🤞) as she has character development that will not yet be disclosed :). The title was from one of rise’s scrapped episodes that never got to air, and I thought the name fit, so I snatched it. That wip specifically is a few pages of me trying to write the story. I didn’t take into account however that I don’t enjoy writing and would much prefer to tell the story through art (which is now the current plan).

I don’t plan on doing much else with the wip but here’s part of it:

“Big Mama has two rules that must be followed if you are to become a Battle Nexus champion.” The soon-to-be nexus fighters shifted uncomfortably in line as their instructor stalked passed each of them, the sharpness of her frame carrying into her speech. Why did she have to do this when she was trained for so much more? This little demonstration was hardly worth her time.

“One- always entertain the audience,” she continued then paused, noticing one fighter fidgeting and glancing quickly around the room. Fear. In a swift motion, she swiped a sword from the weapons rack to her right and swung directly behind the yokai’s head. He froze. So he wasn’t a complete fool.

“Two,” Frida sneered, “Never show weakness.” With a stern look, she returned the sword to its place and stood at the head of the line to survey the new batch of contestants. Maybe she was put in charge of these ones because they held promise that Big Mama wanted to unlock. It was unlikely. The twelve yokai before her were hardly the material of future champions, and Frida couldn’t make something out of nothing, after all.

“You will have ten minutes to prepare yourself with the armor and weapons found here,” she gestured to the weapons rack and the armor hanging on the wall, before turning and heading to the staff door opposite the large barred gate to the arena. Most likely, this was punishment for something Frida had done- having to give a half hour lecture about Nexus protocol to a dozen oafs that weren’t likely to be paying attention to a word she said. Big Mama knew how to choose a punishment.

I don’t personally like any of my writing so idk what’s good and what’s not hahaha hopefully this just gives some background for the au if nothing else.

[kiruamon]

Paper Heart (Part 1: The Past)

Story part for the possessed doll au I was talking about. Your eight-year-old you is alone at home one evening and hears an unfamiliar voice coming from the usually locked basement. Of course you had to go down there even if you weren't allowed to do so.

_

„Young one. Come closer.“ He could feel the child - feel you - standing there in hesitation at the open basement door. "Come to me. I can fulfill any of your wishes," the being cooed empty promises to the child. He didn't cared if the human he lured to him was a child or an adult. It didn't matter. Soft pattering of feet on the basement floor echoed through the dimly lit room and soon the child came into his view, looking at him out of curious eyes. "Were you talking to me?" the child asked coming even closer. "Indeed, I did." "And you can fulfill any wish?" "If you form a pact with me, yes." "A… packet?" Apparently, this human boy was not very… matured yet. "… I need something from you young one. Bring me a suitable heart and place it in the chamber of my chest. A heart as black and cold as the night. A heart burning as remorseless and torrid as the sun itself. Most certainly something of use will be found among the things down he-." "Oooooh! I know what to do! Just wait here! Don't run away! I'll be right back!" the child shouted, running up and away. Humans. Despicable. A slight anger rose in him before it subsided. As long as the child came back with a heart everything would play out as intended. A living one was always preferable, as they were the strongest. Full of fear, terror and the desire for revenge. But possibly that was too much to expect this time. An inanimate object would do just as well. There was so much in the cellar surrounding the entity that would have served as a strong, well suited heart. He felt the suppressed presences slumbering in the items around him. But for now, he would be willing to settle for less. As soon as the child would present him a new heart, a dark shadow would settle in its soul. From the inside he would corrupt it little by little. Twist every single innocent wish in the child's heart into horrible nightmares ready to be unleashed at humankind. In order to create the bond, the vessel, which the human child had to offer him, did not play a major role. It held only a symbolic value. Some vessels were still more preferable. However, the heart and soul of the child would soon be lost. So he waited for the child to return. When it did, its tiny hands were grasped around something. "I'm back!" announced the clueless thing cheerfully.

One glimpse was enough for the creature to know that this was a pathetic heart. Made out of paper and silly little trinkets. So weak it could easily torn apart. It was full of dreamful wishes. It was… innocent. Too pure. He shuddered. Wanted to scream at the child to scare it away from him along with this abnormality. But the little hands were already placing this wicked thing in his chest! He immediately felt that something was off. That this heart was somehow different from all the other ones he ever recieved before. How it began to change him. Changing his entire being. What he was. What he would become. He tried to fight it, but to no avail. It frightened him to feel his mind slipping away. How it no longer felt like his own.

When he awoke, he didn't knew exactly what he was. He remembered parts of his old being, but he felt like something else, something new. He had never felt so confused. He had never felt so… warm. At peace. A face popped out in front of him. "Do you like your new heart?" He tilted his head to the side, looked at his clawless hands, his smooth body, thought about these strange new feelings, and then nodded. It was all so strange, but somehow… he liked it. You smiled at him, wide and a little proud, and held out your tiny palms for him to look at. Full of glitter and glue. "I made it extra sparkly for you. Put a lot of good stuff on it, too." As you're still telling him about it, you climb - to the entity's shock - into his lap without any sign of fear. Baffled, he looks down at you. So brave. So small. "Can I… tell you my wish?" you ask him as quietly as if you were about to tell him your utmost secret. He looks you straight in the eyes and suddenly you seem a bit shy. "Of course," the entity replies gently and a little curious about your request. "O-okay. You know… I'm already a big kid and all that. But… tonight my parents aren't home and… and I'm not scared, but it is a little lonely up there. So… I… I would like to have a friend with me and… wanted to ask if you… want to be my friend?" There is so much hope in your eyes. So much loneliness, too. Ever so carefully, the entity wraps his arms around you in a gesture of comfort. He never tried such a thing before, yet the gesture feels almost natural to him. "I would like that. Very much so," he says, and it isn't a lie, like half of his words in the past were. "I'll be your friend," he tells you, this time with even more certainty in his voice, and he feels a smile flit across his face. You smile at him, too. So bright. So happy. It fills his new heart with warmth. Makes it flutter from sheer happiness. He likes this feeling.

The rest of the night you show him your house. Your room. Your favorite toy. Your little collection of treasures - things you found at one time or another and included a very pretty button that now rests on the heart in his chest. You show him the glow-in-the-dark stars glued to the ceiling of your room. Together you read one of the books you like so much. When he sees you getting sleepy in his lap and how you can barely keep your eyes open, he gently lifts you into his big arms and carries you to your bed, where he tucks you in. He sits next to your bed. So close by your side. Your small hand rests on his so much larger one. You are seeking for his presence. Some closeness. "… do you… have a name… ?", the question comes out slowly. Already tired and accompanied by a yawn. The being thinks. He had a lot of names over the time. But none that fits his new self. "No," he answers, and his free hand gently strokes your head. The steady motion feels soothing. "Oh… maybe… I can… give you one… " "That would be nice." You don't get the chance to give him a name. You're already fast asleep. It's okay. He will wait for it.

[broodwoof]

Happy friday!!! For Calpernia/Solas, "monachopsis [ the subtle but persistent feeling of being out of place ]" from the eerie loneliness prompts?

oooooh thank you! this is such a good prompt for them <3 @dadrunkwriting 1129 words cws: none notes: no spoilers for her arc/the templar route

She didn't fit here. A loose piece of the puzzle, her edges incongruous with the rest, a frustration. A discordant note. A distraction.

Perhaps it had been a mistake to ally herself with the Inquisition after all had been made clear—not that she regretted switching sides, but she worried that her presence here weakened the organization.

The Tevinter altus, Dorian, he treated her well enough, but in his gaze lay a pity that she struggled to tolerate. She supposed that she should be pleased that any highly ranked Tevene mage would look at an ex-slave in such a way, but it rankled more than it soothed and she tried to avoid him whenever possible.

The others were less welcoming—with one notable exception. She did not know why the elven apostate seemed so at ease around her, but his company alone left her feeling seen in a way that no one else did. Over time she found herself in the base of the rotunda more frequently than not. Eventually she read there, seated against the wall—an unpainted portion—until one day he offered his couch. A few days later he was seated there reading when she came in and without meeting her eyes he just patted the seat beside him.

So it was that they developed a habit of reading together in peace. On occasion they would discuss what they were reading, and over time those discussions spiraled to become debates—never heated ones, for he was a calm conversationalist who seemed to invite different perspectives rather than spurn them. But they were intense. Sometimes she felt woefully out of her depth, being introduced to so many concepts she had never considered before—but there were a few times that she had surprised him, too. Moments where his mouth opened to respond before he closed it and considered her words. She loved those moments, watching him puzzle over some small twist of logic she'd presented him with, or a wholly unfamiliar perspective.

During one such conversation she had let slip a note of frustration in how limited her magical education had been, how cursory, only enough to keep her from becoming a risk to her magister and what she had learned on her own through dedication, observation, and experimentation. He had met her eyes then, seemingly considering something before he nodded to himself and stood. He gestured for her to follow him and she did, curious. He led her down to the courtyard and then further, pausing only long enough to grab two basic mage staves from the armory.

He then led her across the drawbridge and out of Skyhold, and she shivered at the cutting wind—and stared at his barefoot ease with the weather, the sight making her feel the cold all the more intensely. He turned to face her, studying the way she had tightly crossed her arms over her chest, the staff held at an angle as she attempted to contain her quickly dissipating body heat. She regretted not having questioned him, but he looked entirely unrepentant. “Hold your staff like so,” he told her after a moment, positioning his own in front of him. She narrowed her eyes before doing as she was bid, hoping to finish whatever he wanted from her in short order and retreat to Skyhold’s comforting hearths. “Good. Do you know how to create a barrier?”

“Of course,” she said sharply. Barriers were one of the easiest spells, the most intuitive. A simple protection. He said nothing, apparently waiting, and she sighed before casting a barrier across herself. He examined it for a moment before nodding a little.

“Good. It is strong. But you can see that it is already fading.” So it was, but that was their nature. Was it not? “Try it again, but don't put it around yourself and don't make it so strong. Imagine it like water running down your body. An even, thin coating.” She frowned before closing her eyes, trying to find her way to what he was describing. The cold was making it hard to think, her arms and face stinging, and she could barely feel her hands. She'd have to leave soon, for her own safety– “Concentrate,” he interrupted her musings sternly. She thought about opening her eyes to glare at him, but her curiosity got the better of her.

So she concentrated. Like water running down her skin… an even, thin coating… “You're getting there,” he told her approvingly. “Bring it in a little tighter– yes, just so.” Her eyes snapped open as the cold vanished and she stared at him, at his little smile, with wide eyes. Did he look smug, or proud? “You can maintain this one for much longer. Eventually, it will become second-nature to cast and maintain.”

“How did you learn this?” She didn't mind the awe in her voice, not just now. Especially not when it brought just a hint of color to his cheeks.

“Ah… it is an ancient Elvhen technique. I came across it while exploring the depths of the Fade.”

“It's so… comfortable.” He nodded approvingly at her observation, a warmth in his eyes that she found herself surprisingly moved by. 

“A second skin to maintain one's temperature. It works in hot climes as well—although you should not expect it to protect you from sunburn,” he noted wryly and she smirked, suspecting he spoke from experience.

She was curious about something, but was uncertain about whether or not to test it. She did not wish to destroy this delicate comfort that had grown between them, but nor did she think the way he looked at her was without desire. Feeling a deep hesitance that she did her utmost to not display, she approached him—he arched a brow but did not otherwise react. And when she reached out to touch his face he frowned, puzzled, but did not withdraw. “Calpernia,” he said after a moment, the weight he gave her chosen name thrilling, “what are you doing?”

“I was curious whether it blocked sensation,” she explained simply, staring at his lips. He was a bit taller than her… most unusual, for an elf. But she found it as intriguing as everything else about him. She met his eyes for a long moment before she pressed herself against him, their staves held to the side. She felt his sharp inhale as much as she heard it, his chest pressed tighter against her own for a moment, but he did not step away as she had feared.

“We should not…” he said softly, but she shook her head.

“Have I misinterpreted your interest, Solas?” She asked him quietly, making a point of using his name now. He glanced away for a moment before sighing, meeting her eyes once more before shaking his head.

“You have not,” he confirmed. “But it does not make this wise.”

“Then let us be foolish,” she insisted, watching the struggle play out across his face before he sighed again.

He bent down.

She angled up.

Kissing him for the first time was a profound relief. She let her staff fall to the snowy ground in order to wrap her arms around him, pulling him even closer—a moment later he followed her lead, staff dropped and his hands at the small of her back and her neck.

[trashyandtiredsol]

Second Live Reaction Thing

OKAY FINALE ACT OF ARCANE SEASON 2 LET'S FUCKIN GOOOO :D

Starting with episode 7:

(Ps: this turned out WAY longer than expected, like, over double as long)

1. YO THAT MUSIC DISK THING AT THE START HAS EKKO AND POWDER THIS TIME INSTEAD OF VI AND POWDER :0

Hope that means we finally get Ekko

2. YO YO YO THERE IS EKO LESS FUCKIN GO

Also- TIME FUCKERY SHIT IS HAPPENING I KNEW OTHER TUMBLR PEEPS WERE ONTO SOMETHING

Okay I'll tone down the yelling text now andhsjfjskg (hopefully- okay this is a lie, it will happen again)

3. ALTERNATE JINX I REPEATE ALTERNATE JINX HOLY SHIT- or is it Powder-

4. Bro Ekko is fucking GOING THROUGH IT my gosh

ALSO WHERE'S HEIMERDINGER

5. VANDER TO???!!?!??

6. MYLO AND CLAGGOR WHAT THE FUCK-

7. OOoooh it's Powder then, not Jinx, subtitles just confirmed it 👍

8. Oh hey Heimerdinger!! :D

9. OH FUCK YEAH HEIMERDINGER KNOWS TO ABOUT THE PARALLEL UNIVERSE SHIT SHOW THAT'S GOING DOWN

10. Oooh and now they're discussing what the absolute FUCK happened to Jayce

Also- Heimerdinger: "The anomaly behaved differently around him.'

YEAH probably cuz his doomed yaoi partner in science is connected to the Arcane AND they both literally created HexTech, with the HexTech core thing sucking Jayce and Ekko and Heimerdinger into wherever the fuck they are right now, like- yeah DUH it's gonna act differently around Jayce

11. Yay Vi mention!! :D

Wonder if she and Cait are dating or married in this universe-

12. Welp- time for the Jayce shit show to commence

13. OH THIS BETTER BE VIKTOR BEING OMINOUS AS SHIT RN

OKAY no Viktor... HOWEVER

14. THE FUCK KINDA APOCALYPTIC UNIVERSE IS JAYCE IN RN?????????

15. IS THAT PILTOVER!!???!!?!?!!

16. Lol Ekko questioning this Powder like she's Jinx- my man you're paranoid as all hell- but yeah, understandable

17. WAIT WHAT VI'S DEAD HERE D:

18. Ekko my boy PLEASE don't fuck up this universe and whatever relationship's this you has going on hfhajfjskgja

19. OOoooh jeez yep now Powder's upset at him

20. FUCKIN WHAT- okay now it's another alternate universe way more similar to the main one, with Jinx dead now

21. Oh nope- back to the "good future" one of sorts

22. Heimerdinger that song is way to upbeat for the shit fest going on right now- especially with Jayce

23. YO WE'RE GETTING TI SEE JAYCE'S OLD APARTMENT NOW IN THE UNIVERSE EKKO AND HEIMERDINGER ARE IN :D

Hope alternate Jayce in this universe isn't dead tho- the whole place looks abandoned

24. And now we're back to main Jayce, in an apocalyptic Zaun now! Think he's looking for Viktor

25. OH SHIT- VI DIED ON A JOB TO CHECK OUT JAYCE'S APARTMENT ALTERNATIVE UNIVERSE EKKO SENT THEM ON

26. Oooo main Ekko found an early development HexTech crystal!! :D

Sweet sweet help yourself get home my dude!!

27. Damn Jayce is finding a LOT of standing dead people- or.. husks of dead people from what it looks like

28. OOoooh what else is watching you Jayce huh? Also please don't die figuring that out

29. OOOOH SHIT THE HUSKS ARE MOVING OH SHIT RUN JAYCE RUN

30. Oh so THAT'S why he has a brance on his leg earlier in the season after coming outta the parallel universe(s)

Fuckin his HexTech hammer absolutely knocked that knee out falling down that hill

31. Well shite that was a fucking hard as fuck impact Jayce

32. "How can I forsake a brilliant lad in need.. again." Well Heimerdinger definitely has some guilt, also that cut right to Jayce when he said "again" so I believe he's talking about him, even though I believe Heimerdinger forsake Jayce AND Viktor

33. Ohh shiiiit that leg looks baaaad as fuck

34. BRO WHO'S THAT WHITE CLOAKED FIGURE THAT JUST APPEARED THEN VANISHED?????

Hope it's Viktor honestly-

35. Does he SERIOUSLY spend the entire time he's in the parallel universe(s) trying to get outta a fucking huge hole in the ground??????? Fuckin hope not

36. The husks are watching him start to go insane in the solitude??? Fuckin REALLY?????

37. OH SHIT THERE'S THE HALLUCINATING, YA GOT black eyed Mel with the gold pupils and Viktor before the arcane bullshit with fully black eyes and Mel's makeup for some reason

38. OOoooh okay he made a brace outta his Hammer alrighty

39. Yay he's outta the hole!!! :D

40. Aww Ekko painted main Vi as an apology to Powder 🥺

41. Where the fuck are you going Jayce???

OOoooh the husks are watching- glad they're not attacking!! Which I think may have to do with Viktor?

42. YAY Ekko got Powder to help him and Heimerdinger with the HexTech crystal shards!! :D

43. Yay they're making progress!! Also I think Ekko just went back in time a little- oh yep yeah definitely

44. Well fuck that's definitely a way to know the limit being 4 seconds ajfjsjfjsjf

45. OOOH AND THERE'S SILCO! Weird eye thing going on but still Silco

46. And now Ekko made it awkward ajdjsjfjdkfk BRO IT'S A DIFFERENT UNIVERSE- like yeah obviously that's the fucking case with the eye Ekko don't bring up past trauma you're probably not even supposed to know about here

47. OOoooh and there's Powder making an entrance!! At least her and Jinx got that in common

48. Awww Powder and Ekko being adorable as fuck rn ahdhajgisjgu

49. YOO KISS TIME LESSGOOOOO

50. Fuckin flash banged by the change to Jayce in the post apocalyptic world from that wholesome moment ajfhsjfhsjfj

51. Well- looks like Jayce found his alternate universe self, dead- but still definitely him- at least I think- cuz that husk is I believe holding this universe's version of his hammer????? Oh yep definitely his hammer

52. OH THAT WHITE CLOAKED FIGURE HAS TO BE VIKTOR- IDK IF IT'S THIS ALTERNATIVE APOCALYPTIC UNIVERSE'S OR THE MAIN VIKTOR AFTER HIS DEATH BUT I REALLY HOPE IT'S VIKTOR

And if so- yep Viktor is definitely implying here that Jayce needs to kill main Viktor

53. AND WE GOT MAIN EKKO IN HIS ARCANE (Main universe in this case) LOOK AGAIN FUCK YEAH

Alrighty and that concludes this Live Reaction of episode 7!! Or in other words the first episode of season 2 act 3!! :D

Gonna probably go eat something then get back to watch the next episode

[polarisdelphi]

Another Arthurian concept, we have now Sir Galahad - just like everyone else, with his trusty sword and little "titles" I gave him. Pure of heart and youngest of all seem to fit him nicely :)

Everything about him is constant and reliable - hence so many rectangular and square shapes - but he is very soft as well, very emotional and understanding - so we also have round shapes and edges are pretty much rounded.

And I guess it's pretty clear he's a catholic/christian (hello, yes, I was raised in the religion and TO THIS DAY I still go like "is this catholic? is this christian? it's pretty much the same to me *puts on clown makeup*)

Also, very sober look and sober colours that contrast with how young he looks. Little scar on his face because, you know, not even the most perfect of beings are 100% perfect, it's a little reminder he also has his flaws.

And, of course, upon testing the layers, we have dear Galahad in the church, lit up by some vitrals:

His design is purple, because it compliments Lancelot's blue. Alsoooo, they look very much alike, right? Well, that has a lot to do on my view and my Arthurian world, so let's get to it!

~fangirling and overexplaining under the cut~

First obstacle I got was "Oooooh Galahad is Lancelot's son in a LOT of accounts and most of the early texts as far as I remember".

But the idea and approach I have to Arthurian legend is a lot more on what I call ~realistic~. Not a 100% though, because if you do not believe in magic and the power of new and old gods, you wouldn't think of my version as realistic.

Personally, I enjoy very much the portrayal of Hugh Dancy on the 2005 movie (as you guys know, that Lancelot lives rent free in my head, 24/7, the bastard), and recently I really enjoyed Bernard Cornwell's characterization of Galahad - so when it comes to my approach, I like leaning a lot more to that one because, personally, it makes Galahad looks much more human.

Like I said, I was born and raised in catholic faith. I went to a catholic school, knew and still know all the church songs by heart, have thousands of crucifixes, rosaries, medals of saints and images of saints laying around. To this day, I still go with my mom to church wehenever she wants to and I do enjoy churches - they feel very soothing to me, even if my faith has changed.

This disclaimer matters, trust me HAHAHAHA

All that to say, the guilt is real. With literally everything. And when I started rebelling against the faith I was taught since I was born, gotta be honest, watching that scene in King Arthur where a priest tortures people because they were pagans and says it's God's will and Lancelot just turns at him and screams savagely "NOT MY GOD!!!!" I was

👁️👄👁️

And I only went downhill with this man from there Lancelot was the death of my christian/catholic faith

Ok, ok, why does this matters when it comes to Galahad?

Well, usually, he's Lancelot's son. And/or he is this absurdly freaking perfect young man, the peak Knight in shiny armour. But that doesn't really work for me - I like having something more grounded in a grittier side of history, something more ~dark fantasy~, because we all know medieval times weren't pretty.

All those perfect Knights with pristine behaviours and morals, to me, feel too much like the Bible I grew up with - not real history with real people.

Enter Bernard Cornwell's Galahad. He's Lancelot's cousin and, in Cornwell's books, Lancelot is FUCKING INSUFFERABLE. I am looking SO FORWARD to have this man dead, because he is vile, narcisistic and a lying bastard. Galahad, in the other hand, quite despises his cousin for that. They are different sides of the same coin.

(Another disclaimer: I'm not watching The Winter King TV series 'cause they have NOTHING to do with the book and I am MAD about it, so definitely not based on that)

And what I love MOST about him: he found some balance between his faith and his human condition. He is a Knight, he kills and is pretty good at it, he doesn't shy away from battle and bloodbath. And then he prays to God and asks for forgiveness for his actions, knowing, someday, he will die himself and maybe God will allow him to enter Heaven.

He won't stop living his very human emotions to be this naïve saint walking on earth - quite the contrary, he's strong and feared in battle, and can be pretty much of a little bitch taunting people.

There's where I stand with my Galahad, then. I wanted him to be the youngest, to have this sort of naïve look to him - as well as that skinny constitution and more of a confident but reserved behaviour (quite different than Lancelot, who's posing proudly with his sword and smirking like the sassy bitch he is).

He's still learning things, so his hands are a little softer than others. Nevertheless, he already has a scar on his face, showing he's not that naïve. Galahad is pure of heart and cannot understand evil - he understands it logically but never emotionally - but he isn't a perfect naïve sweet summer child. If Arthur tells him to go and kill, he will do it.

And probably pray later.

That's why here he has the same hair as Lancelot - curly and dark, but a little shorter and more tamed - they are cousins. His eyes are more rounded, his face more oval to indicate he's still young and has a lot of good in him. His purple compliments Lancelot's blues, but his cape is a lot heavier and less flowy and dramy than his cousin's.

He has crucifixes everywhere to indicate his unweavering faith in God - even his sword looks like a crucifix. His clothes are sober in colour, but still regal with the purple, given he is a prince. I looked at some priests clothing to take some aspects of that and work on his armour - so we have things like a high button up, probably thick leather vest with a more off-white/lavender collar... Like a priest.

Not so many details and all that because of his personality: given his faith, Galahad does his best to rely on practicality of a chain and leather armour, sober colours to move around the dark settings of Britain and crucifixes to remind him he's supported by God. After all, not all of faith is just giving love, it's also receiving that love - and, in Galahad's point of view, he can feel and see God in the little things that happen to him every day.

All that faith is important to his character because he's the one that goes after the Holy Grail and succeeds, as far as I've read, something Lancelot didn't manage to do. Since I'm not much into ALL that catholic/christian religion thing, because I do think it outshines all the potential the characters have together and I have a personal beef with it, I think a man at that time who could find the balance between faith and life, without falling in cult behaviour and hysteria, honestly trying his best to live according to those values as far as his flawed human existance allowed him... That is the Holy Grail in itself.

Now, I do enjoy the concept of Galahad and Lancelot being different sides of the same coin, so ooooooooh yes, they have so much potential for philosophical and existential discussions, with Galahad always thinking about the salvation of the soul and trying to put some sense in his cousin's head and make him a better person, and Lancelot just indulging in whatever and dismissing everything he says with a good laugh - that is, when he is not in a bad mood and Lancelot just spits all the horrible things people do in the name of Galahad's God and honestly, there's no reasoning with him when he's like that.

They always end up having a drink together, in silence, thinking about everything they have talked about. Galahad does think Lancelot has a point in there and seriously questions people regarding their morals when it comes to their putrid behaviour in the name of God. And Lancelot knows deep down Galahad's words about him are drenched in truth, even if he doesn't have the same faith: he cannot deny he has too many flaws and too many behaviours that, sometimes, are questionable even to those who don't think they'll burn in Hell.

I did draw a little thing I need to find, with the Knights dining and laughing while teasing Galahad about his upstanding behaviour and not wanting to bed a woman every night they had the oportunity, while he's just "Well, there are things in this world more important than fleeting pleasures. At least I am worrying about my soul. You, in the other hand, are all going to Hell." and of course, he says that with the most content smile in the world, teasing them back. All Knights and Arthur fall silent, thinking about his words. Until Lancelot just side-eyes his cousin and "Are the women from Hell beautiful?" - everyone breaks in laughter and Galahad just smiles with a 'you're hopeless' plastered on his forehead.

That's pretty much how they all work in a nutshell. Big questions, big philosphizing around faiths and morals, big doubts and existential dread. But a lot of teasing and jokes, bloody fields and battle rushes, big feelings and an unbreakable companionship based in loyalty.

Even if he is a very level-headed man, very literate, confident, young, passionate and restrained in his expressions of his emotions out of combat, Galahad is still very pure of heart - Lancelot would never say it in front of him, but he believes you can always find a hint of hope and love in his cousin's eyes.

If that is God or not, well, that's up to you to decide.