Tumgik
#.......well those tags certainly went off on a ramble didn't they
paradife-loft · 6 months
Text
so this "ethics & legal requirements for research involving human subjects" course I'm doing for class rn hasn't figured out that you don't hyphenate "cisgender," and yet has still somehow heard of "trans broken arm syndrome" and wants to inform us about it being a source of distrust in medical professionals among some trans people. what's happening here....
17 notes · View notes
mikodrawnnarratives · 5 months
Text
TW IMPLIED CHARACTER DEATH
TW BLOOD
(Just like last time, it isn't really graphic but I'm tagging just so you know)
Tumblr media
@naffeclipse
Part 1 | This is Part Two | Part Three | Extra
It. Probably won't need a part 4
I'm doing this all on one cps file so I sure hope so kjlfdkfljs
i'm at like- 750+ layers i'm so sorry my file
...there might be a part 4 but it'll be small sketches and aftermaths
Once again, long post under the cut:
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
I am not the only traveler, who has not repaid his debt.
I've been searching for a trail to follow again
Take me back to the night we met
- The night we met by Lord Hurdon
Alright, I didn't make too much of an effort to hide it but how many of you guessed it was gregory and how many of you didn't see it coming?
Gee I wonder who Gregory's companions are
Okay if you don't have a nugget of who these companions are then my rambling below makes it a little more obvious
Anyway, this little comic of self indulgence to mend my broken heart says "YO what if Gregory and other characters saved Vanessa like they did in canon"
It certainly would NOT be easy for Vanessa once she wakes up to that realization. But there are factors that make it a little bit easier for Vanessa to cope compared to other children.
Since Gregory and others proved they could fight and free her as Vanny, it gives her mind a little reassurance that they aren't completely helpless.
Plus, I like the idea of the GGY story (Dr Rabbit) existing as this au's equivalent of the same experience, that would mean Gregory has had his own bad experiences with Glitchtrap and so it wouldn't be like some random kid going against a threat he was unfamiliar with
She still distances herself a lot earlier on and the more time passes, the older Gregory gets, the less he looks and sounds like a kid.
Those make it much easier for Vanessa to stand being around them as time goes by. Earlier on, she only really interacted when absolutely necessary. But she did grow a small soft spot for them.
She remained pretty closed off about herself over the years and never delved too deep about her past. Ness left frequently for her own hunting jobs and at one point Gregory asked where she went. Somethings made it seem like these hunts weren't just random and different
He didn't get an answer of course. But later that day, Vanessa told him about Y/n. In vague terms. This is the most information he ever gets about Vanessa's past.
So Gregory's got no idea who to expect to see showing up to the gravestone ltr on and is just like
Gregory: cool, ur mysterious enough for it to be believable ur related to my mysterious older sister/mentor figure Wanna hear a story
Y/n: ...yes.
Forgive him his brain is ever so foggy from grief and no slep
Anyway, Y/n picked a day to visit Vanessa when they knew they were stable enough not to lash out and attack any humans that may happen to also be visiting the graves. They had eaten pretty recently but not so recent that they were vulnerable.
It's pretty early in the morning where it is still dark and the rain provides some more protection.
If you couldn't tell before, many MANY years have passed since Y/n has been human. Think somewhere between 20-30 years. And while, they still hate who they are now and aren't mentally okay, they've gotten a semi-solid understanding of their limits and what they can and cannot tolerate and when.
And, even though they are nervous, they can manage to have this conversation with Gregory for now.
Why are they talking to Gregory so willingly? despite the risks?
well
the next part will explain that
96 notes · View notes
rizubaby · 3 years
Text
Dinner and Dessert | Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu.
Tumblr media
genre ; nsfw oneshot.
request ; nsfw Fuyuhiko x fem!reader oneshot.
summary ; After being away for a couple days for some important business deals, you return home to find your boyfriend Fuyuhiko in a state you certainly didn't expect.
tags ; fem!reader, boyfriend experience, oral sex, L-bombs, (slight) breeding, mentions of marriage, vulgar language.
wc ; 2,7k.
note ; I had a lot of creative freedom with this one, since there weren't any specific things I had to incorporate. I really wanted to explore the softer and more romantic side of him in this oneshot, so there you go lol. Don't worry though, if this is not your style, I got some NSFW headcanons for Fuyuhiko planned for later ;)
This is an 18+ post. Minors dni.
Tumblr media
"Fuyuhiko? Where are you?"
Your voice echoed throughout your empty living room as you entered your shared appartment. You had been away for a business trip for a couple days, whilst your loving boyfriend Fuyuhiko stayed home. You were so excited to see him again, I mean, who wouldn't be? Being away from your significant other for only a couple days can often feel like weeks, and it most definitely felt that way for the two of you, too.
"Fuyuhikooo? honey?" you called out again, a hint of worry and confusion now present in your voice.
No response. Huh, that's weird. You had texted him that you'd be home in about fifteen minutes, and he replied saying that he'd be home to welcome you back. So why isn't he here?
You sighed and dropped your suitcase on the floor, taking your heels off as you were still wearing your formal work clothing. Your usual work clothing consisted of a nice formfitting black skirt, a silk white blouse and sleek black heels. It all accentuated your features and curves perfectly, yet you always felt like all your colleagues were staring at you.
You neatly set your shoes aside and walked a couple steps further into the living room, scratching the back of your head as you glanced around the empty room. Suddenly, you noticed something red laying on the floor.
An immediate rush of panic washed over you and your body froze, as you had experienced this sort of thing countless times. With Fuyuhiko being in his line of work, it was almost commonplace for him to come home injured every now and then. After all, he never really stops working. Some wounds were worse than others, and so you feared something might've happened in those fifteen minutes before you arrived home. You slowly peered over to take a closer look, and...
...Is that a rose petal?
Just then, you hear the front door open behind you and you turn around in shock. It's Fuyuhiko, standing in the doorway with a huge bouquet of flowers in one hand and a bag from the local grocery store in the other.
"W-...What..?" you stutter, the rush of panic from a second ago having not completely gone away.
"Ah, shit," Fuyuhiko mumbles, as if caught red handed. You stare at him for a second and you see a faint blush appear on his face.
"Um, welcome back baby! Shit, haha... I thought I had just a little more time before you came home, and I uh... I wanted to surprise you," he rambled, the blush on his cheeks only appearing redder with every second he kept talking. "S-So I went to the store to get some things..."
Dumbfounded by what your boyfriend who was awkwardly standing in the doorway had just said, you felt your cheeks burn up in an instant as well. You weren't used to him being this... Romantic. You know he loves it when you shower him with love and affection, but you never expected him to return the favor, so to speak. I mean sure, he's told you countless times that he loves you, but never to this extent. Those days apart must've really done something to him...
Fuyuhiko stepped inside and awkwardly closed the door behind him, carefully placing his bag of groceries and the flower bouquet on the floor before rushing over towards you and hugging you tightly. You embraced him back and dug your face into his shoulder, letting out a soft sigh as you could finally relax, knowing you had nothing to worry about.
God, you were so happy to see him again.
"I love you, and I missed you," he spoke, his hands slowly moving down your back to rest on your hips. He moved his head and looked deeply into your eyes before pulling you into a passionate kiss. You could tell by the way he kissed that he really missed you, as his kisses were intense and sloppy. He started planting wet kisses along your neck and shoulders while still holding you in a tight embrace, pressing your body against his.
"You look so fuckin' pretty in that..." he remarked, one of his hands gliding further down to squeeze your ass. You gasped softly, finally realising how in need you were for his touch. "Fuck, I missed you so much.."
Even though it felt like you two were being pulled together like magnets, you eventually managed to pull away for a second to look into your feisty boyfriend's eyes once more. "W-What, um... what did you have planned for us..?" you asked, curious to know what was in the bag of groceries Fuyuhiko had brought with him. "The flowers are beautiful, by the way... Thank you," you smiled.
Slightly caught off guard by your sudden question, Fuyuhiko's grin quickly grew. "I uh... I wanted to prepare a nice dinner for us. I bought some expensive wine, too. And then maybe afterwards we could, y'know..."
He stopped there, because both of you knew exactly what he meant. You could tell he was holding back by not finishing his sentence. In reality, he wanted nothing more than to press you against the nearest wall and fuck your brains out. Those days apart seemed to never end, and he missed every inch of you. Your beautiful hair, your soft skin, those wonderful moans and whimpers you'd let out every time he was fucking you...
You smiled and turned around to take a closer look at where you spotted that rose petal earlier.
The sly bastard had made a whole fucking trail of rose petals leading to your bedroom.
"Hm, not a bad idea... but I've got an even better one." You said as you looked into his eyes, a feeling of pure love and arousal awakening inside you as you slowly made your way towards him.
"Oh yeah? What's that?" Fuyuhiko asked, noticing the slight change in your demeanor. You gently grabbed his hands and placed them around your sides, stealing another kiss from his freckled lips. You brought your face closer to his ear and whispered something to him that immediately made him throw all his mental restrictions out the window.
"Let's skip dinner and go straight to dessert."
After saying that, you instantly felt Fuyuhiko's grip on you tighten, and you could've sworn you heard a soft growl escape his lips before he hungrily pressed his lips against yours once again. You stumbled backwards until you hit the wall next to your bedroom door with a loud thump, as his fingers quickly moved to unbutton your silk blouse. At that point, all you wanted was each other. No fancy dinner, no wine, no idle chit-chat... Just you and him, feeling each other's skin pressed against one another and never letting go again.
He wanted to feel every inch of you. He wanted to hear you moan out his name. He wanted you to leave scratches on his back and see your eyes roll back as you told him that you loved him. He wanted everything.
Being apart from you for only a couple days made him realise how much he actually cared for you. You had never really been apart for this long and it made him go crazy. Every day he would think about you and imagine all the things he'd do to you once you got back home. It almost physically hurt him, not being able to hold you in his arms as he laid awake in bed those nights. You always said you were his and that he was yours forever, but in that moment, he realised he wanted to make it official (in whatever way he saw fit).
In a matter of seconds, your white blouse and laced bra were thrown on the ground as you were both frantically trying to undress each other. Fuyuhiko wasted no time and hungrily started sucking on one breast, squeezing the other. You let out soft moans in response and wrapped one leg around his waist, trying to pull him even closer to you.
"M-Mmh... F-Fuyuhiko, please... I-I want to feel you," you mumbled, desperate for him to fuck you like he always did. He liked to tease, but you weren't in the mood for that this time. The need was high, and you couldn't wait for him to be inside you.
"Hold on baby, I want to taste you first..." he replied, letting go of the breast he was sucking on and kissing you everywhere whilst making his way down. He was on his knees and he carefully lifted up your formfitting skirt to expose your beautifully laced panties. He stared at them in awe for a second, the longing to taste you only growing more and more.
He gently but quickly pulled them down in one swift motion, exposing your wet pussy. You heard a soft grunt from between your legs and felt his warm hands hold a tight grip on your legs.
"Turn around for me, baby."
You did as he asked, now facing the wall with your hands supporting you as you leaned into it. His hands were exploring your backside and squeezing your ass, a feeling you didn't know you had missed this much until now. Feeling his breath against your inner thighs, you felt shivers going up your spine and a soft whimper escaped your lips.
As he couldn't possibly contain himself any longer, Fuyuhiko hungrily started lapping at your folds while stimulating your clit with his fingers. You let out a louder moan than you were expecting, but at this point neither of you cared. Fuck, he's so good at that. You felt your body start to tremble and your climax was already fast approaching, his tight grip on your thighs as he was eating you out making it even better.
"F-Fuyuhiko, fuck, I-I'm going to-" you said, feeling your mind blanking as you nearly tipped over. He heard you loud and clear and quickly started picking up his pace, hitting all the right spots with his skilled tongue. Before you knew it, you were shaking uncontrollably as your first orgasm of the day washed over you, incoherently babbling his name as you rode out your high.
"F-Fuck, Fuyuhi- Ah! F-Fu..."
As little beads of sweat started forming on your forehead and you panted heavily from your intense orgasm, Fuyuhiko quickly stood up and turned you around, immediately starting to kiss and plant hickeys on your neck.
"S/o, I fucking want you, right now," he whispered, his lustful tone giving you goosebumps all over. His profanity in the bedroom was so incredibly hot, you couldn't possibly begin to describe it.
As he got hold of you again, you quickly stumbled into your bedroom and fell onto your kingsized bed, never once breaking your passionate kiss. Once you were laying there, you looked around and noticed the flower petals scattered around the room and the lit candles on your bedside tables. A surprised giggle escaped you and Fuyuhiko grinned widely in response.
"You like it? I did this for you, baby..."
All you could do was nod, because no words could possibly describe this. You pulled him in for another kiss before he quickly got up and started undressing himself. The way he undid his tie was something that always turned you on for some reason. He just looked so manly, it made you crazy.
As he was busy undressing himself, you wasted no time in taking off the remainder of your clothing until you were both completely naked. He threw himself onto you and needily continued kissing you all over, leaving a trail of hickeys and faint bite marks all over your body. You couldn't wait any longer. You needed to feel him inside you.
"Fuyuhiko, please.. Please fuck me, I want you inside me," you pleaded, the desperation in your voice making him even harder than he already was.
Without another word, he pulled open your legs and positioned himself against your soaking entrance. God, that look he gave you made you melt instantly. You looked into each others eyes for a brief moment before he pushed himself into you, filling you up instantly. You let out a wanton moan in response to the feeling of finally having him inside you again, something you longed for ever since the first day you were apart. You grabbed hold of his arms and held on tight as he quickly started moving his hips, aroused moans and grunts filling the room.
"G-Goddammit, I missed you so fucking much... You feel so good baby, f-fuck..!"
Heavy panting, loud moans and profanity echoed throughout your apartment. Fuyuhiko was pounding into you at a godly speed, yet still managed to make every thrust sensual and loving. He was fairly average in length, but this man knew what he was doing. His pace and all the other things he would do made for such an amazing fucking that you'd never want anyone else.
"S/o, I-I love you, I love you so fucking much," he mumbled, burying his face in the crook of your neck as he slowed his pace, putting more pressure behind every thrust which made you squirm and tremble from pleasure.
"I-I love you too baby."
He stopped gently nibbling on your neck and raised his head to look at you. A moment passed, his cheeks were bright red and his gaze felt like it was piercing right through you.
"S/o, W-Will you marry me?"
"W-What?!" you exclaimed, utterly perplexed by his sudden proposal. I mean, you were in the midst of having sex! But still... You felt like it seemed so right. In the time you had been apart it made everything fall into place. You were meant for each other. And somehow... This felt like the right time.
"Y-Yes, Yes! I will!" you smiled, pulling him into another loving kiss. He didn't need to say anything else, his reaction said everything you needed to know. He was ecstatic to have you as his bride. A huge smile appeared on his face, and that same smile quickly transformed into a lustful grin as he finally started bucking his hips again. A breathless moan escaped you, and pulled him into a tight embrace.
Fuyuhiko quickly picked up his pace again with his newfound excitement, and managed to throw your legs over his shoulders so he could pound into you even deeper than before. Your back arched and all you could bring out were incoherent moans and screams. You let your nails dig into his back and he let out a surprised yet aroused moan in response.
"S-S/o, I'm gonna cum soon... Fuck, p-please I want to cum inside you," he groaned, leaning forward to lustfully suck on your tits. "I want to make you mine."
For someone with such a babyface, he really knew what to say and what to do to push you over the edge. You felt the knot inside your stomach grow bigger with every thrust and you desperately nodded in agreement.
"Y-Yes baby, please, keep going- A-Ah!"
With his last few thrusts, you felt the knot inside you untangle and you moaned out his name in pure bliss, feeling his thick seed paint your walls. Your head shot back and your eyes closed as your mind drew blank, the high of your second orgasm almost being too much to handle.
His strained moans eventually died down as you felt the last drops of cum shoot out of him, collapsing on top of you and immediately planting kisses all over you again. He was so in love with you, it felt like he was on cloud nine. Hell, he even came inside you. He rarely does that, since he just loves the sight of you swallowing it or playing with it once he cums all over you. But not today. He wanted to make you his.
You laid there in silence for a moment to catch your breath, feeling the fog inside your mind slowly clear up. Once he pulled out, you could feel the mix of your juices slowly seep out of you, and it was such a satisfying feeling.
He plopped down next to you and you snuggled up against him, giving him a couple of small pecks on his cheek. Your fingers gently ran through his short blonde hair as you stared into each other's eyes. You were the happiest you could've ever been in that moment, and neither of you ever wanted it to end.
"So... how about that dinner I promised? I mean, we have something to celebrate after all."
244 notes · View notes
justice4harwin · 3 years
Text
Light’s Corruption- Chapter V
Pairing: The DarklingxAlina
Summary:With few friends at the Little Palace, Alina must work to win the favour of her fellow grisha and their commander, who makes her feel light headed every time she sees him.
After training in Os Alta for two years, the king grows tired of waiting and demands the Sun Summoner joins a western post near the Fjerdan border along with the rest of The Second Army to test her abilities.
Something happens. Suddenly, Alina wants blood to run down the rivers and those who stand in her and The Darkling’s way will be blinded by her light and swallowed by his shadows.
It won’t be pretty
Rating: 18+
Click here for chapter 4
As usual, tags are in the comments. If you dont wanna be tagged, dont be afraid to let me know. If you wanna be tagged, let me know too. I dont bite...anymore lmao
Tumblr media
Chapter 5: Heartrenders
Days went by, and they turned into weeks. The leaves fell off the trees, a crunchy sea of red, orange, yellow and brown, and Alina wanted to pile them all on and throw herself inside.
She'd do it the first chance she got, but for that she had to beat the gardeners before they took the piles and burnt them to depressing ashes.
She talked to Michail some more during they rounds around the lake and had her rematch with Natasha.
She lost. Again. She laughed it off. Again. Natasha said she hadn't been so easy to defeat that second time, to which Alina smiled almost genuinely. Progress.
Baghra refused to see her still, and Alina was too proud to go back to her, so she tried to practice on her own. She'd hide away on the far sides of the gardens where the other grisha rarely went to and try to gain more control. It was a slow process; the temptation to let her power run free and vast was always there and trying to tame that always left her exhausted. She had no trouble falling asleep, yet each day the bags underneath her eyes seemed to deepen, as did her appetite. Alina was pretty sure that summoning should be for the better, but more than once, she had thoroughly considered laying down on the cold grass and take a nap there instead of walking all the way back to the Little Palace.
The General wasn't back yet, and much to Alina's confusion, frustration and shame, she worried. Maybe that too had something to do with the bags underneath her eyes. She tended to dream of him in all kinds of scenarios, each less pleasant than the last. It made her wake up sweaty and choking for air.
More than once, she almost wrote to him, only if just to make sure he was alright. But he had to be. Otherwise, word would've spread quickly…right?
She always talked herself out of it though. His presence was missed, her mind was making up all kind of tricks to make her reach out to him like a pathetic girl begging for attention.
The thought reminded her of Baghra's opinion of her, which only strengthened her resolve to not write to him.
She had had enough of begging, enough of getting scrapes of affection from a man who hadn't even bother to write once; she wouldn't do it again, no matter how much her heart tried to pull her to him.
But then her eyes would drift back to the black, shadow rose that laid on her nightstand, the little bit of gold on its inside long dead, and her heart would race and some form of reassurance would fall gently over her, like a blanket shielding her body.
She'd reach out and take it in her hands. It had no thorns. Her fingers would run through its petals, as soft as those of a real rose, but with something deeper in there. There was something more alive inside that rose than in any flower in all of Ravka; it was deep, powerful, and dark. It scared and alluded to her in the same measure, and she'd stare at it fascinated for an unfathomable long time.
She wondered if The Darkling could feel her caressing his shadows; and how he'd feel about it.
Besides Michail and Natasha, Alina didn’t seem to be progressing very much. They exchanged niceties and some jokes, even paired up during training, but there was not much more to it.
She told herself to be patient. These things took time.
One early afternoon, Genya showed up on her room unannounced. Alina hurried to hide her rose inside her nightstand; she wasn't sure why, but she wanted it to be her little secret.
"The Queen just left Os Alta." the redhead smiled. "As did the king. They'll be gone for two days on a hunting trip."
"A hunting trip?"
"Yes, where they kill animals for the fun of it. Like one of those brutish size competitions men seem to like so much."
Alina snorted.
"So?"
"So…"there was a gleam to her friend's eyes, and the summoner leaned back and frowned slightly, almost scared. "I could sneak you into the Grand Palace and into Her Royal Bitch's wardrobe."
"We'll get in trouble, Gen."
"Oh, please; have some faith in me." she placed her elbows on the desk and her chin atop of her hands, almost looking angelic. "Do you really think I'd get you in trouble?"
"Yes."
"Well, then you're wrong." she straightened up and tugged on Alina's arm. "C'mon; there's so many gowns and habits: she rarely wears them twice. We're not stealing; no one will know."
"How many gowns?" she asked, genuinely curious. She had seen the queen on two official occasions, the first time when she arrived from the camps near Kribirsk, and the second when she was invited to her ridiculous tea parade. Still, she had seen her in passing a few times as she strolled the grounds. A part of Alina felt ashamed of the jealousy she felt upon seeing her beautiful clothes and jewels.
There she was, living in a palace, wearing a kefta and being pampered, yet she dared to want more.
"Hundreds!" the Tailor whispered excitedly. "And they'll look much better on us anyway."
She gave in a little to temptation. They would just try them on and leave them again. No one would know, and maybe she'd be satisfied then.
"Alright, alright. But we better not get caught."
"Don't worry, we won't."
They left the bedroom and ran down the stairs, Genya holding onto the blue sleeve of her friend as she rambled about all the different fabrics and patterns and accessories while Alina tried to keep up with her, listening to every word while watching her step. The last thing she needed was to trip down the stairs.
That'd be a sad way to go for her.
"You'll love it. I promise!" Genya turned to give her a smile, but Alina's eyes drifted to the looming figure appearing in her line of vision.
The Darkling walked into the Little Palace accompanied by Ivan, Fedyor and a third heartrender.
It was a woman, a little bit older than Alina probably, but only for a few years. She was tall, with long, brown hair cascading down her back. Her kefta, which hugged her rounded figure nicely, gave her away as a fellow heartrender.
The Darkling noticed them approaching. Alina tried to search something in his eyes, anything that gave away any sort of emotion that could cause in him to see her again, but she saw nothing but his usual coolness.
The Summoner and the Tailor came to a stop and bowed.
"Moi Soverennyi." they bowed respectfully.
"Miss Starkov, Miss Safin; it has been some time." he looked from one to the other. "May I inquire as to your present activities?"
"Nothing we're not supposed to do." Alina spat out, earning herself a dainty elbow to the ribs.
General Kirigan rose an eyebrow.
"I see. See to it that it stays that way."
"Of course, sir." spoke Genya, serious all of a sudden.
The man turned and contemplated the strange woman for a moment, then gestured at Alina with a gloved hand.
"This is Alina Starkov, our Sun Summoner." he looked at her, those pools of grey catching her breath. "Miss Starkov, may I introduce you to Nina Zenik. She is one of my best agents and has just recently returned from an assignment in Shu Han."
The woman's green eyes settled on Alina, taking her in. Something glittered in there.
"So, she is real after all."
"Would I lie to you?" was The Darkling's reply.
"You forgot to mention how pretty she is." Nina ignored him, taking a long, stealth step towards her and catching a tendril of Alina's dark hair in her fingers.
"Um, it's a pleasure to meet you." The Sun Summoner managed to say, nervous under the woman scrutiny.
"Oh, a pleasure indeed, sun bean." Nina smiled, amusement shining in her eyes as Alina's face heated up. "I can't wait to make your acquaintance."
Before Alina could even think of an answer -for the woman's pretty eyes were too distracting- The Darkling cleared his throat.
"Not for some time, I am afraid." he said. Alina finally turned her gaze to him. There was something dark and intense in the way he was staring at Nina's back, his jaw tense. "Miss Starkov has quite the busy schedule."
Alina felt Genya tensing beside her. Nina's eyes slid momentarily, as if she could see The Darkling behind her, and nodded, winking at her before receding.
"Certainly. I can only imagine." she turned a charming smile on him. "Should we discuss my mission in private?"
"Of course." he answered almost, almost too quickly. He made a gesture for her to go in first.
"See you around, sun bean."
Alina choked on her own saliva as she struggled to say her farewell.
Ivan left with them without even glancing in their direction; Fedyor was kind enough to give them each a courteous smile.
Genya was giggling like an idiot.
"Shut up."
Now she was laughing. 
During their training one day, Alina decided to pair up with her. Many grisha gave her a myriad of odd looks, and for a moment, Alina feared she might be about to face another Zoya.
Nina seemed to not to notice them and beckoned her forward.
People seemed to like Nina, Alina observed. The woman had charm and wit; the Sun Summoner really had to try to not get jealous of those traits. She reminded herself that Nina had been at the Little Palace for years, not one season and a half.
They circled each other, taking their measures.
Alina didn't want to be the one to strike first. That always had seemed to go wrong thus far, so she waited.
The heartrender went to the left, so Alina turned, only to be tricked as she received a blow on her right. She winced and stood back, more alert. She didn't want to make a ridicule again.
"You're small and skinny." the heartrender whispered. Alina arched an eyebrow. "I'm bigger and stronger, so your best option is to tire me out."
"I'm not exactly the fastest person."
Nina threw a punch and, luckily, Alina blocked it successfully.
She shook her head.
"Speed and resistance don't need to go hand in hand."
Alina didn't dare to look around to see if anyone else could hear them. She hoped not. Botkin would most certainly disapprove of his students giving each other advice on how to defeat them.
So, with Nina's words in mind, Alina did her best to block and recede. She tried, mostly unsuccessfully, to punch and kick, and received a wince and an "ouch" as Nina rubbed her calf.
The Summoner could feel everyone still watching, Marie and Nadia cheering her on; Sergei and Michail more reserved since she was fighting a fellow red sporter.
Then, Alina caught a glimpse. It was a second, and before she even knew it, she was taking a chance.
Nina was placing her foot down, twisting it as if to test it, and the next she was laying on her back, Alina having all but hurled herself at the woman, grabbing her middle section with all her strength and pushing.
They landed on the ground, and in the disbelief, the Summoner almost forgot to fully immobilize her opponent the way Botkin had taught her.
"You know," Nina gasped, the breath having abandoned her lungs. "There's better ways to get on top of me, sun bean, but if you like it rough-"
Alina blushed in embarrassment, both for having potentially hurt her and for the path those words were leading to.
"Are you alright?" she interrupted hurriedly. "Did I hurt you?"
Nina tried to laugh and cried instead.
"Shit, sun bean. You do have some strength in that tiny body after all."
"Alright!" Botkin clapped his hands twice, coming over toward them. "The little girl wins again, …finally."
Alina was almost offended. At least Marie and Nadia were cheering, as were some others Etherealki. She noticed Sergei and Michail exchanging some coins and scowled.
"Healer." she called, and one hurried to Nina's side.
"It's just a broken rib." the woman said, setting herself to work.
Nina raised an eyebrow.
"Well, I'm impressed, sun bean. I didn't actually think you'd win."
Alina found a new hiding spot where to practice her summoning. It was a most secluded corner, surrounded by old trees, an unkept stone bench and a dirty sculpture of a woman.
She really wanted to be offended.
With eyes wide, she forgot all about her practice, raced and jumped in, laughing childishly to herself.
She looked up and took in the warmth of the sun with pleasure, her face basking in it as her hands ran through leaves and sticks. It was actually a little uncomfortable, but fun.
She almost wished she could sink in and stay there forever, with the sun warming her body and the crunchy leaves all around her.
There was a big pile of leaves.
"Did you fall?"
A shadow took the light from her face, and she found The Darkling standing over her, looking down with something akin to curiosity.
"No. I just jumped."
"Into a pile of dirt?"
"It's not dirt. Besides, it's fun!" she extended a hand. "Wanna try?"
He huffed. Her cheeks heated up. She should've known better.
He took her hand and pulled her up, the mere contact making everything about him feel more intense as usual.
She held onto him.
"How did you find me?"
"You are my Sun Summoner; did you really think I would let you wander about the palace grounds unguarded?"
"Do you have me followed?" she had never noticed.
"For your safety."
"I thought this was the safest place in all of Ravka."
"I am not taking any chances with you, Alina." he replied, eyes guarded, face soft.
"Well, I've never noticed them."
"It means they are doing a good job. I would not want you to live scared, looking over your shoulder all the time."
"I might as well start now that I know."
He opened his mouth and then closed it, thumb rubbing the back of her hand. Alina wondered if he noticed what he was doing.
"You are right." he stepped closer, pulling a leaf off her hair. "But you need not fear, especially while I am on the palace grounds."
"Because not even the dumbest drüskelle would dare to cross paths with you?"
"Nor would the boldest noble."
Alina frowned. The nobles of Os Alta?
She nodded slowly.
"I have scared you." he stated, studying her face. "I apologize."
"No, no." she let go of his hand. "You just made me wearier."
"That is just how life at court is." he offered, not unkindly. "This is not just an army sometimes, especially for you and I."
Alina looked at him, questioning.
"There is no one else like us, Alina." he said, approaching her once more. The calmness, the facts were gone, replaced by a fire she wanted to step into. The vehemence in his voice made her shiver and want to take refuge in his cloak. "There never will be."
She thought about it. What exactly did he mean by that?
He reached out again and plucked another leaf from her hair, then took her face in his hands. She tilted her head up, desperate for a look into those eyes.
Her heart drummed on her ribcage, wanting to break free.
"I-" words failed her as he studied her face, like she was something unique he wanted to memorize.
His thumb ran over her lips, and she exhaled heavily at the feel.
"I forgot what I came here to tell you." he whispered in confidence, his eyes on her parted lips.
"I don't care."
One of his hands left her face and wrapped around her waist, pressing her against his hard chest. Alina almost gasped, hands coming up to rest on his shoulders. He pressed his forehead against hers and closed his eyes, hiding the conflict she had briefly witnessed there.
Alina made a choice.
She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his.
He reciprocated immediately, holding her tighter and pushing his tongue inside her mouth, demanding a dominance she was more than willing to give him.
She had been kissed, but never like this. It was a first kiss that felt like the last; its intensity so beautifully crushing and chaotic. It was like he was a missing part of her, long searched for and finally found. It was like she was the most precious, addictive treasure, something to be cherished and corrupted at the same time.
Alina was willing to let him do as he wanted with her.
Her hands pulled at his hair, earning a growl. Their eyes met briefly, the desire in them fighting to see whose was grander, before kissing again.
It was like he wanted to pull her closer still, the barrier of clothes too much. Something told Alina that the lack of them wouldn't satisfy either of them anyways.
He kissed her jaw, travelling his way up to her earlobe.
"You make me weak." he whispered harshly, only to proceed to ravish the parts of her neck that were exposed.
"You make me strong." she answered, craning her neck to give him better access.
Growling, he gave her ass a hard squeeze and pushed her back against a tree. She could feel the tug and crunches of the leaves as he buried his hands in her hair but didn't care.
She wanted more.
And more.
She drew his lips back to hers. He reached for the belt which held her kefta closed.
"Sir!"
The next thing Alina knew was that she was standing against a tree, her back aching and her body cold, yet her face hot.
She looked at The Darkling, who seemed almost unperturbed as he smoothly fixed his hair and clothes, standing at a respectable distance from her.
Ivan appeared, seeming to be in a hurry.
Alina narrowed her eyes at him. As if she didn't dislike him enough already, the little shit.
"Moi Soverennyi, you are needed in the king's counsel immediately."
"Tell that grump I shall be there shortly."
Ivan bowed and left, not even acknowledging Alina's presence.
The Darkling cleared his throat. She turned her dark gaze on him, cheeks burning against the cold air, lips probably bruised.
What had just happened?
She wasn't sure, but she wanted to do it again. The Darkling, on the other hand, remained stoic as he stared into her eyes, as if nothing had occurred between them.
"I understand that you have been training on your own;" he said, as if he were talking to any other grisha, ever polite and smooth, voice reassuring yet commanding." I shall speak to Baghra so you may return to your lessons."
"But I don't wann-"
With him gone, the early winter sun felt cold.
"Miss Starkov." he bowed to her respectfully and marched away, disappearing from view within seconds.
Click here for chapter 6
24 notes · View notes
abalonetea · 5 years
Note
Ok, first, let me just say WOW because you have the coolest page and I love the theme. This is.... so cool.Ok, but yes, back to the question. I was asking about horses because, yeah, I ride occasionally, but I don't really know cool horse terms. Trying to write about them and didn't know if there's good lingo for such. Or like, long term traveling no-no's. Obviously food, water, and distance, but if there were other tricks of the trade. Have any pointers?
thank you!! i’m absolutely in love with the lay-out of it, and how the theme ended up looking! i wanted something new and figured, hey, why not fully embrace the video game aspect of my wip? c:
i’m always down for horse chatter, no matter what it’s about! i’ve been working on horse farms since i was nine - which sounds strange to say, i realize, but i used to do farm work in exchange for lessons, and then it just evolved to paid farm work, haha. so, yeah, knowing how amazing your writing always is, the thought of you doing some horse related scenes just makes me incredibly happy and excited?
for long term traveling inspiration, i would check out endurance rides! it used to be primarily dominated by Arabians and half-Arabian breeds, but a larger variety becomes prominent in the circuit every year. we’ve had Morgan’s and quarter horses win the Nationals before and everything.
outside of food, water, and distance, some of the biggest things that i see forgotten about (but might not be relevant to your writing!) would be the soundness of a horse, and whether they’re still being groomed. and all this rambling is just! me guessing at the setting and situation! so it may or may not be helpful but - well, i like rambling about horses, so i hope you don’t mind! i’m mostly going under the assumption that by long distance you mean cross country, or something close to that, spanning several days or at least a week’s worth of riding. c:
depending on the setting, the thought of grooming a horse during a long distance travel might come across as strange. but if the same sweaty blanket, cushion, or saddle pad is left on the horse’s back for an extended amount of time, the sweat and the friction can rub sores - which then make the horse irate, and sometimes can even result, depending on the temperament of the horse, in being bucked off. 
solution for a desperate time - hop off, undo the girth on one side, slide the saddle back onto the haunches or up onto the neck (if a well trained horse, otherwise if the horse is young or antsy, the saddle may need to come off completely) and take a dry rag to the coat. if a hard brush or curry is available and time allows, a quick rub down wouldn’t hurt, but a dry rag will work if time and supplies are limited.
then flip the pad over, so the dry side is against the horse and tack back up. if time is extra limited, just flip over the saddle pad and skip the rag.
the other big thing is that a horse can easily injure itself on a trail. i love them, but half the time i feel like horses are held together by used chewing gum and some old string? so even if your horse doesn’t actually injure itself during the story, it might be something to keep in mind. they can pull leg muscles, bruise their frog, damage their hoof, and even cut their coronary band if the foliage is particularly thick and thorny!
so if you’re looking for extra drama, just nudge the horse into a situation that will leave it lame for a little bit, haha!
and some of favorite horse things that i love to include when writing about horses!
*when you’ve been riding for a really long time and your back is starting to hurt so you lean forward, draping yourself over the horse’s neck and it’s sweaty and dirty but the smell of horse is a comfort so you both just stand their silently for a few moments
*after a really hard ride but you can’t get off just yet so you do stretches in the saddle, like bending backwards so your shoulders are on the rump of the horse, and bending your legs in weird ways because they’re cramped
*a horse that’s too scared to walk through tall grass on its own but trusts you so much that as long as you walk in front of it, he’ll follow behind you
*horses playing with each other! halter tag, anyone?
*the specific sound of horse hooves hitting the ground, especially when it’s hard packed earth, especially if there are a lot of them
*hot horse breath on your hand when you give the horse a treat or hold up a bucket of water for them to drink out of
*that one horse who fills its mouth up with water and then purposefully dumps it on the rider’s shoulder
*the sheer exhilaration that comes from galloping a horse through a wide, open expanse where there’s nothing keeping you confined and the wind is cutting against your face and your heart is pounding and it’s like the both of you are the same being
*if you’re going long distance and are able to plan ahead of time, the pack you bring needs more than just food for the horse. pack smart and light! hay string is invaluable. so is vet-wrap (or an ace bandage swiped from the med bay) and duck tape. those three things can fix nearly any problem that occurs during your travels.
some facts from my personal life experience!
*did you know that you can fix a horse’s injured hoof with a preemie diaper and some duck tape
*did you know that you can fix their knee the same way
*did you know that you can make a sweat wrap for a horse’s swollen leg using clingwrap
*braiding a horse’s tail all the way to the tip is actually really ineffective for a horse that’s outside for any length of time. if you braid it down halfway, they still have the loose hair at the bottom to use as a fly swatter!
*horse bites are incredibly painful and not just when they nip your hand. i still have scars and tissue damage from being bit on the shoulder and thrown across the ten foot stall by a horse that was in pain and lashing out at me. it turned into a massive hematoma and i couldn’t lift my arm up past my breasts for almost three months
*getting kicked by a horse is incredibly painful but certainly not a death sentence and might not even leave you out of the field for a long time. i was double barreled out in the field one day, got the stitches put into my chin, had x-rays taken, and then went to finish my day’s worth of work. 
*that being said it absolutely can be really awful. my first trainer was thrown by a horse and landed the wrong way, so it completely shattered her arm and she ended up needing five surgeries. my second trainer was kicked in the face by a horse and it ended up breaking off parts of her teeth.
*night riding is asking for trouble, because the eyes of a horse have a hard time distinguishing things in heavy shadow. it’s why they tend to freak out over seemingly little things; the cones in their eyes just aren’t meant for distinguishing things in the dark.
*if your horse has never seen a cow or donkey before, it will terrify them. 
*ive never met a horse who didn’t like gatorade and that really has no relevance to anything, and probably is no use to anyone, but it’s still something that i wanted to share! i’ve worked with over 500 separate horses at my various farm jobs, and i’ve never met a single horse that turned down gatorade when i offered it to them
*rice bran tastes like vanilla cookies
*bute powder might smell like fruit loops but it does not taste like fruit loops
*sweet feed is edible for humans but the molasses gives it a very bitter flavor. alternatively, non-sweet feed kind of tastes like you’re eating dry bran cereal
i don’t know if any of this is even slightly useful to you, but it sure was fun to write up! and i am always up for talking about horses or answering any questions that you (or anyone else) might have! i’ve basically worked in every aspect of the horse industry at some point or another, and while i’m not a specialist by any means, i am most certainly a jack of all trades when it comes to farm work, barn work, and horse work
6 notes · View notes