#he'd rather be taming horses

[battlinghurricanes]

Hektor is irreplaceable to Troy, he is their greatest warrior and last defense, he’s the hinge on which Troy’s survival hangs, and he hates this. He is invaluable when, in truth, he wants nothing more than to be replaceable. Hektor holds bitterness and resentment for how heavily his city relies on him. Yes, he will stop at nothing to defend them, yes, he is unyielding and relentless at the cost of his own health, but he doesn’t want it to be that way. Even as he overextends himself time and time again, Hektor is aware that it takes a heavy toll on him, after all, he feels the cost more sharply than anyone. He knows it’s unsustainable, but every time, he finds it more important to sustain Troy than to sustain himself. Even so, his earnest desires are elsewhere. Hektor would rather stay in bed with Andromache when he wakes up exhausted, he’d rather take some time to let his wounds heal and not fight through blistering pain, he’d rather stay in the stay inside the city and look after Scamandrius, guiding him as he grows, than anything else.

When Hektor returns to Troy to ask Hecuba to make an offering to Athena, he refuses to remain- three times. Clearly, Hektor will not let himself rest because he leaves Troy, but clearly, he still longs to rest because he pauses. He takes a moment with Andromache and Scamandrius because he wants to, so desperately, and when he sees his baby, Hektor beams. He stops to comfort his beloved Andromache in her grief, and he takes his helmet off to bounce Scamandrius in his arms. For a moment he sets aside those things he needs to fight so he can be with them. What he believes he must do is not the same as what he wants to do. Hektor leaves, but Hektor lingers.

But he leaves because he is needed and deep in his heart he begrudges that. His own insistent drive to push himself to his limits would be difficult enough to temper on its own, but Troy’s desperate dependence on him on top of that is damning. How could they rely on him so heavily and yet have no one that might take his place if he can’t go on? And he’s never allowed to forget. Repeatedly they call him the lone defense of Troy, so much that he feels the weight of it, so much that they call his infant son ‘Astyanax’- Lord of the City- because of it and how dare they, how dare they, how dare they?

How dare they do that to him when he’s still so young? How dare they do that to Hektor, who already can’t help but relentlessly expend himself at every turn for them, and then they reward him by hitching their anxious hopes and expectations on his precious little son...?

And it makes such an elegant contrast with Achilles. Achilles, the Achaeans’ greatest warrior, irreplaceable on the battlefield, who adores and thrives on that fact. Achilles who, by his nature, is so proud and entitled that he’ll stop fighting and let them die to remind the Achaeans just how desperately they need him. As opposed to Hektor, who loathes being irreplaceable, but by his nature, is so stubborn and dogged that he will never stop fighting, at the cost of everything.

#he'd rather be taming horses #hektor #hector of troy #the iliad #trojan war #my writing #i feel a lot of things about my headcanon that hektor hates the name astyanax #the way the iliad Directly states they call him that bc hektor is troys lone defense. and that hektor Never calls him that. #'lord of the city'. something about its so sad and grim #of course this is just my interpretation #i just preferred writing this w/o a ton of caveats #this is kinda a poem #and kinda from his pov #so i dont mean to excuse his own mistakes and flaws. but i think he feels this way about it #every day i skirt closer to the themes i want to address in my full on hektor character analysis essay

[nimiana]

anyway,

Lisa Peterson & Denis O’Hare, An Iliad

#he believes in institutions he believes in the army he'd rather be taming horses #somebody give him the iliad to read and see what it does to his brain chemistry #bsd #bungou stray dogs #bsd tecchou #tecchou suehiro #suegiku

[wizardnuke]

i gave a major bad guy in my dnd character's backstory the last name "oretsev" and i've been trying to remember where on earth i heard that name and the answer is shadow and bone mal oretsev. hearing that name now has the side effect of my fight or flight vaguely going off in the section of my brain i have reserved for my little dnd guy

#my dnd guy i love him.. #he's a he/him butch lesbian he's a sword for hire he's on the run for arson crimes he's got anger issues he's an amnesiac but it doesn't #bother him he's got 20% of a conscience and it's kicking his ass. he has inexplicable warlock powers and pretends that's not a problem. #he's my silly rabbit my sweet cheese my good time gal. he'll rip ur throat out. he's tiefling lesbian jesus. he's levlia aevaris #valor oretsev aint SHIT - levlia; hiding from valor oretsev on the other side of the country #he's a cringefail nepotism baby he's a brave man but he'd rather be taming horses he's incredibly repressed and he likes daffodils the most #levlia

[amdusccias]

Watched An Iliad last night by the way. Devastating.

#some points were hmmmm but anything talking abt hector gets a 10/10 from me #he'd rather be taming horses!!!!!

[cillianhead]

Cillian married to high libido wife

Yes yes yes yes!

Thank you for your request <3

In Your Car, I'm A Star || Cillian Murphy x Reader

warnings: SMUT, unprotected p in v, semi-public sex, vulgar language, sex in a car, unspecified somewhat large age gap between Cillian and reader, general adult content ahead. I'd also like to warn that this is a bit wordy and rambly and probably poorly written but I hope you enjoy it anyways!

18+ Minors DNI

Insatiable little thing, you are, Cillian always said. Ever since you two had first met you couldn't keep your hands off of each other, the mental and emotional connection was there, of course, the love was real, and that made the physical contact so much better. His hands over your body, cock in your mouth, hands in your hair, you sitting in his lap... it didn't matter what you were doing, you just had to be touching him at all times.

You got married after a year spent together, and you'd go wherever he went, Cillian never wanted you to leave his side, he was madly in love with you, you were his muse, his everything. You two were devastatingly in love, two twin flames, you were meant to be together. No matter the age gap or what the public thought about you and how much younger you are than Cillian. Cillian didn't care, he just loved you for you.

Now Cillian being an older man, sometimes he can't handle your high libido. At first in your relationship, it was ridiculous how much sex you two were having, it was a constant. You'd go to work and then you'd see him and your clothes came off within a blink of an eye and you'd milk Cillian dry and then you'd still be begging for more. You've done it in every single room of your home, in his car, in a public park, and in other morally questionable places that you'd rather not discuss with anyone else but him. You've slowed down a bit but you're both at a healthy at least twice-a-day sort of thing. How could you not want to constantly ravish him? You have him all to yourself, completely wrapped around your finger... or maybe you were wrapped around his. He had learned ways to tame you like a wild horse, ways to get you to calm down like stuffing you full of his fingers, letting you ride his thigh while he worked, shoving his cock down your throat to mute your bratty requests. You always got what you wanted though... how could he ever deny you, his sweet little wife, of what she so desperately craved?

Now you were sat in an award ceremony, restless, knee bouncing up and down. A deep maroon gown was your outfit, pearls tightly clasped around your neck, you were dressed elegantly and stood out amongst the crowd, especially when you sat next to the one and only Cillian Murphy. He wore a sheer button-up, in complete black, he looked incredibly mysterious and honestly, you were ready to pounce on him like a jaguar would to its prey. Unfortunately, you were surrounded by hundreds of people, most of whom were some sort of important celebrity figure and you knew Cillian would hate to make a scene.

"Show's almost over, sweet thing," Cillian whispered in your ear, his hand slipped onto your bare thigh, in between the slit of your crimson dress. "Then we'll get outta here..." You knew he could feel your hungry eyes on him all night.

He hadn't touched you all night long- wait that's actually a lie, he'd eaten you out to settle you down a bit before you got to the venue but that wasn't enough. It never was with you. But the feeling of his fingers caressing the skin on your inner thighs made you feel like you could cum right then and there. Cillian continued to suggestively stroke your sensitive skin as the night went on. People would walk over to greet Cillian, but his hand was covered by the cloth of the table so no one could see his hand gripping onto your thigh in annoyance of having to talk to someone who wasn't you. He didn't stand up, he just remained seated, nodding along and smiling as politely as he could to this person just trying to make conversation.

As soon as you got the signal that you could leave, Cillian grabbed your wrist and pulled you protectively into his side, guiding you by your lower back out of the event and towards where he had his car. It was all too swift for you to truly process, having him push you down into the passenger seat before he himself sat in the driver's seat. You watched him as he leaned over to put the car in reverse, the way he looked back out at the road, one hand on the headrest of your seat, so focused and oh so sexy.

"Cillian..." You whined, he was driving way too slow and your home was way too far for your liking. "I need you now."

"I know," He smirked at you briefly before sticking his eyes back on the road. "Trying to get us home as fast as possible, love."

"No," You complained. "Need you. Right now."

Cillian glanced at you with an incredulous look before he swerved over to the side of the road, a bit too reckless and at this point, it didn't matter... you just needed to be fucked. It was a somewhat secluded area, a dimly lit backstreet that only the occasional passerby would walk at this hour. "Get in the back." Cillian hummed cooly, checking himself out in the rearview mirror as you slipped into the backseat, spreading your legs for him with anticipation.

"Cillian... hurry..." You whispered, he was combing through his hair, occasionally making eye contact with you through the mirror before he sighed and stepped out of the car. Casually strolling over to your side of the car. Cillian opened the car door, crawling into the backseat with you and connecting his lips with yours as his fingers trailed up your shaky legs. His touch was like a drug, you couldn't get enough of the feeling of Cillian's skin on yours, no matter how little or how much you got of it.

The kiss was wet and sloppy, tongues thrashing together, teeth biting down on each other's lips. It was like you were racing to see who could consume each other faster... harder... deeper. Cillian's hand reaches up and unzips your dress, the straps falling off your bare shoulders until he tugged it off of you completely. Naked and horny in the back of his car.

"Fucking hell," Cillian gasps out at the sight of you, jaw agape as he eyes you up and down. "What am I to do with you? Hmm? So fucking beautiful." He leans in again, attaching starving lips to the hot skin of your neck, sucking deep bruises into the skin. "I'm the luckiest man in the world." You just smiled bashfully, Cillian was incredibly affectionate, especially verbally. He always told you how he was the luckiest man in the world or how you're a goddess that needs to be worshipped. You felt like it was the other way around.

You grabbed ahold of his coat, pulling it roughly off of him. "I love you in this shirt, Cillian..." You whispered, tenderly rubbing the palm of your hand over his chest. "So pretty." He just looked at you, eyes deeply filled with a wonderful concoction of lust and love. You knew that look, you'd seen it a million times; his lips parted, panting heavily, eyebrows knitted together, eyelids hung heavy, and pupils wide. It was the look of love. A look that said 'Take me, I'm yours'.

By now, you had straddled him, pushing him up against the backseat and unzipping his pants, you wanted to keep him in his shirt, you wanted to admire the view. In the backseat of his car, you slipped his cock out of his dress pants, the dirty act turning you on even further as you stroked him slowly, getting off on teasing him.

"Stop your teasing," Cillian grunted, eyes squeezed shut as he bucked up into your fist. "I know you need me just as badly as I need you, baby."

"Mmm," You caught your lip in between your teeth, rubbing your clit on the head of his dick before slowly sliding down on him. "I wish you could always be inside me, feels so good."

"I know, honey," Cillian leaned his head into the crook of your neck, taking in deep breaths as you began rocking your hips back and forth. "Ride me, baby, that's it... good girl..." He moaned loudly and desperately, hands gripping onto your hips with a sense of urgency, helping guide you back and forth on his hard cock.

You threw your head back, giving Cillian a show, tits bouncing right in front of his face and fingernails digging into the skin of his shoulders. The windows fogged up and the car rocked back and forth with each rough movement you made.

"Fuckin whore," Cillian snarled, growing closer and closer to the edge himself, head hazy and eyes watching you intently. "Can't believe how fucking horny you are all the time, can never get enough of me, can you?" He tapped your cheek with two of his fingers to get you to respond.

"No, just love you so much... I want... you all the time."

"So cute," He chuckled, you hung your head low with embarrassment at him calling you 'cute'. "My pretty girl, hmm.... my angel girl, I love you." He praised. Your hands slid up your waist and groped at your tits, fingers twiddling your nipples, making you moan further. There was no doubt that if anyone were to even just casually walk by they could tell what was going on. There was no point in hiding it now.

"God... fuck..." Your eyes were squeezed shut, mewling at the way his hands held your body and the sounds of his fucked out gasps for air. "Want your cum inside me, please!"

"Y'know I'll give it to ya, sweetheart, you've just gotta go on and take it from me."

You immediately dove in and kissed him, mouths open against each other, not really kissing, just sucking in each other's air. You felt spurts of hot cum shoot up into you as you began unravelling yourself, moaning with satisfaction at the feeling of him filling you up.

"Come on, that's it," Cillian mumbled in your ear. "So good... fuckin' so good to me, baby love."

He coaxed you through your orgasm, knees giving out around him as you fully sank down on his cock that still weakly spat his seed into you. You bit down on his neck, a tear slipping down your face, probably further ruining your makeup as your cum seeped out of you.

You sat there for a little longer, panting, coming down from how hard you came. "Thank you... Cillian."

"No need to thank me," He chuckled, pressing a loving kiss to your temple before pulling you back by your hair to take a look at your tired face. "Look so pretty after you fuck me, my goodness, I'm so bloody lucky." "Oh hush," You shook your head, biting your tongue and grinning at him coyly. "You're so sweet to me."

Cillian kissed you tenderly, hands cradling your head as you showed all your love and devotion to each other in the form of a kiss. "Let's go home and rest, yeah?" Cillian hummed, you nodded as you slid off of him. In unison, you both let out your own whimpers of sensitivity.

By the time you got home, it was around midnight or a little past midnight. You both immediately went up to your shared bedroom and into the lovely en suite connected to it. You found yourself sleepily sitting in the bubble bath, back pressed up against Cillian's bare chest as he hummed a love song softly into your ear.

"Cillian." You whined, clearly drowsy but also whiny about something else.

"Hmmm?" Cillian's hands stroked your waist innocently. You knew it was innocent, he didn't intend to turn you on but it was too much for your little mind to handle... you and your loving husband... naked in the bath together... his hands on you... it couldn't be a better time in your sex-crazed mind to be horny.

"Please touch me," You whispered. "Please."

"'M already touching you, sweet girl." He whispered back to you.

"Hmph!" You whined again, acting like you were giving him the cold shoulder and pulling away from him. You liked playing hard to get. "You know what I mean."

"Such a spoiled brat," He sits up with you this time, pushing your wet hair to the side and pressing kisses to your neck, sending shivers down your spine. "You really need me again? Hmm? Your cunt is so fuckin' greedy, so cock-hungry, aren't you?" He growled, fingers slipping down and pinching your clit harshly.

"Fuck... please..." You moaned in response. "Please... I need you always, Cillian." "Fucking insatiable," Cillian groaned. "That's what you are. How is an old man like me supposed to keep up with you?"

"Not an old man..." You sighed, leaning back and resting your head on his shoulder. "Please... baby... Cillian... just need you to make me cum..."

"I can do that." He sucked a bruise onto your collarbone, slipping two fingers into your pussy.

"You're the only one for me, Cillian," You cried. "Only one who can touch me like this... only one who can make me feel this good."

"I know, love," He said smugly. "All mine, isn't that right?"

"All yours." You agreed. He kissed your jaw happily at your response.

He slipped a third finger into your hole, thumb rubbing pleasing circles on your clit. You writhed around in the hot bath, mewling like you were being murdered. Pleasure shot through you like electricity, Cillian's lips on you were too much, your mind going into overdrive as he whispered dirty things in your ear. And oh fuck, the feeling of his tongue licking up your neck quickly brought you over the edge, you spasmed pathetically, squeezing his fingers that still stroked at your g-spot. You couldn't really tell because you were already submerged in water but you were pretty sure you just squirted all over him.

"Good girl," Cillian nipped at your earlobe playfully, slipping his fingers out from your overstimulated cunt. He licked his fingers clean, moaning like a madman at the taste of your cum on his sticky fingers. "Sweet girl."

"More." You demanded in a whisper. "Want more." "'Course you do," Cillian laughed, kissing your cheek. "Let's dry off, then I'll make sweet love to you in our bed. How's that sound, Mrs. Murphy?"

"Sounds good." You hummed happily.

-

I'm back! I hope you enjoyed!

#cillian murphy #cillian murphy x reader #cillian murphy smut #cillian x reader #thomas shelby #tommy shelby #peaky blinders #cillian x fem!reader #cillian murphy fanfic #peaky blinders imagine

[ctheathy]

WRITE ME REDSON X MALE READER 😭 DID I DO IT GOOD NOW!????

Red Son General Headcanons

Redson x Reader

General+Fluff Headcanons

Author’s note: Nuh uh you did absolutely TERRIBLE😡. I should just solve the problem and ban you from my account right now. You even went against my rules dipshi- [The requester and I are friends, don't cancel me]

Possibly OOC, but I tried. I had to depend on the wikipedia for information cause I've never even watched Monkie Kid to begin with. This was really just an exception for a friend of mine.

Redson/Reader [Romantic Tendencies]

[Gender-neutral Darling|Female Darling|Male Darling]

Potential ⚠️TWs⚠️ :

!Male Reader! • Paranoia

The level of priority towards reputation are often known to depend on a rank one was born into or the image they created for themselves over the course of time, which in this case is undoubtedly high... Redson has been shown to hold a lot of family pride and takes any chance to prove his authority over his subclasses. It's safe to say the the demon bull is likely going to have some difficulty swallowing his ego to allow emotional connections to grow and much less legitimise a romantic relationship with someone from the group he has grown acquainted with.

He can also be known to be rather petty and too prideful to accept his flaws. So if happens to be something that irritates you, you're definitely going to end up having one or more squabbles with the son of the Demon Bull King. Especially when it comes to Redson having a fierce temper and such, resulting in him trying to lecture you and get a completely insignificant point across. But I also believe you'd be more capable of keeping him in line instead of if you were to just go along with his behaviour. But it can also cause in a feast of awkwardness, as there have been several occasions where you embarrassingly have to hold Redson back from lashing out at a laughing MK and Mei for calling your arguments a lover's quarrel.

Though even with his high-and-mighty and hostile nature, it is important to remember that as long as a bond is formed, he won't ever actually harm or even remotely think of hurting you. Like, at all. He can be a bit bigmouthed at times, but many of his words should regularly be taken with a grain of salt. He is quick to snap at anyone from time to time, but I believe your presence would definitely keep him tame to a certain degree, as your mere existence just happens to soothe him. So on the bright side, you might be able to kick him off his high horse for the first time during his five hundred years of life.

I can picture Redson having grown up under a domain of regulation where females are generally and more often treated extra delicately due to being more ‘fragile’, so you can expect him to behave firmer, a bit more rough yet open to his real self a lot faster than if you were a female. He'll see you less as a ‘target’ for a lack of better term, and more as a comrade. Plus, if you were to give him the approval he lacked from his parents, it wouldn't feel uncomfortable as long as you have had the opportunity to create a connection. Though primarily, I cannot view intimate scenarios as anything other than plain awkward for a little while. You're gonna have to be the one initiating the hugs with him and give implications to get more touchy feely. Though when surrounded by eyewitnesses, he'll often still end up shooing you away ...you'll perhaps, just maybe absolutely get to hold his hand at most.

I mean, when's the last time you've seen somebody behaving sappy and all goo-goo with the literal son of the Demon Bull King out in the open? He just cannot allow it! Not only for the sake of his dignity, but also to keep up his image so you'll continue seeing him as an almighty demon who has an unnerving amount of political power over any lower rank. As far deep down, hidden within... he wants to appear and be so much more special to you than he'd be willing to admit.

If you were to lack in durability, fighting abilities or overall weapon skills, I can see Redson going out of his way to strictly teach you his ways of strength individually. Not necessarily in a sense to get you to his level, but in order to give you the capability to protect yourself. He would always be there to protect you with ferocious security at a moment's notice [and scold you afterwards for getting yourself in a dangerous situation], but he cannot help but doubt his abilities to ensure your safety at times. Along with fearing for the worst that one time he might not be there to save you. And this singular thought might just be what it takes to make him evaluate how he actually feels about you.

#lego monkie kid #lego monkie kid x reader #red son #redson x reader #red son x reader #lmk #lmk x reader #monkie kid #monkie kid x reader #male reader

[hum-suffer]

We'll say hello again (nevermind the chasm between us) 9

Gauri smiles serenely as she walks the stable. Danger has always been a footnote in her life— surrounded by competent fighters as well as becoming a competent fighter herself. She knows nothing and no one short of absolute cold planned deceit will kill her, especially now that Bhairavrath is trailing behind her, armed to teeth.

She finds it honourable that he cares so much and doesn't call out his worry as paranoia.

Bahu would be totally worse— he wouldn't have let her deal with this by herself. Bhalla, well, he'd probably string up a storm if he noticed that Gauri was trying to deal with some conspiracy by herself.

He knows she bailed out of her history lessons with a lie, and she knows he will later hound her in her room to tell him just why she has disappeared, but for now, she rather thinks that he needs to focus on his diplomacy better.

(She will never lie to her brother, of course, but him getting grey hair at fifteen because he worries too much for her is less than ideal.)

She slows down when she sees an elderly man tending quietly to one of the younger mares. She looks behind her at Bhairavrath and he nods in confirmation.

"Satyaveer ji?"

The man in question looks up, as if startled by her presence as well as her voice. He straightens up with a surprising rush and bows. "Princess Gauraangi. How may I serve you?"

"Please, relax," she says, managing not flinch at her full name. How long has it been since someone called her by her full name? "You take care of my horse, Ratan, yes?"

Satyaveer nods, wrinkles at the base of his throat tightening. "Yes, yes. He's a feisty horse, that one. Always in a mood. I have experience with horses for more than 17 years, that's the reason i can tame the beast."

She instantly doesn't like the way he is talking about Ratan but Gauri keeps that to herself, her tight lipped smile widening with her increasing discomfort.

"I just wanted to say thank you for taking such good care of my horse." She says, clasping her hands in front of her in the picture of a docile little girl. "However, he has been the reason for my recent accident. As much as it pains me to think so, I must know if Ratan is stable to continue serving me or must I wish him a necessary but upsetting farewell."

They all know what she means with her words and Satyaveer doesn't know just how false she's being as she politely asks if Ratan needs to be put down.

She would never.

(Amrendra says Gauri has a bad habit of getting attached with things she has no business caring for beyond her agendas. Gauri doesn't listen to him anyway, because he's a hypocrite and he, too, cares far too much to be healthy for him.

However, when Bhalla says the same thing to Gauri in contempt, he doesn't let her ignore him until he's yelling at her that she will only hurt herself if she cares and that's a stupid form of masochism. Bhalla made her cry when he first said and apologised with a new pair of armbands for her. He says it often these days, but his apologies have turned to words—lest he empty the treasury in the name of Gauri's forgiveness.)

Satyaveer looks down and licks his lips as he thinks of an answer to her question. Gauri holds her breath. This answer will define just how suspicious she will be of him.

"Truth be told, princess, that horse has descended from a stallion that your father was gifted with by some lord. I've been here exactly since that beast's youngling days and he's always been as unstable as this. I would recommend it if you just accepted fate and said farewell to the horse."

Gauri works to reign in her rage at the man talking about her horse like that and never using his designated name but she ends up smiling at him. "Why didn't you say so before? You were there when I chose him to be mine, weren't you?"

Satyaveer swallows and licks his lips again, stuttering out,"I was— I am, I mean, I am a mere servant. I can't give you any advice without, uh, without being asked. Princess."

Her title leaves his mouth in an almost afterthought and it's laced with annoyance. Gauri nods.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Satyaveer ji."

»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»

Gauri paces in her dance practice room— the only one she knows will be completely neglected for a couple of days since her teacher is sick and has cancelled the classes for the day.

Bhairavrath stands in a corner while she paces.

Gauri gestures with her hands in the air as if she's holding tangible pieces of information as she speaks. "Satyaveer claimed that he's been around since Ratan's young days but Ratan is barely six years old. Which means he must have done some other palace work before becoming a stable boy."

It is a rule of hierarchy, any servant of the palace either comes from a disaster that needs employment to dissolve or they are recommended as a good servant by someone already employed by the crown.

"The vet said that Ratan had eaten something that choked his food pipe," she recounts,"and he also said that Ratan is a behaved horse, at least during the quarterly check ups— the last of which happened a month ago. My accident happened three weeks ago. So, Ratan had one week to be jeopardized."

"If I may, my princess?" Bhairavrath asks. She nods encouragingly, stopping her pacing to give him all her attention. "The facts aside, we must note that if Ratan was indeed jeopardized, which he was, someone made an assassination attempt on you. There must be a motive for such an act."

Gauri nods. "I don't think there can be many people with such motives. I haven't interacted with anyone outside of the circle that you already know. I'm not in line for the throne—due to my gender of all things," and she is still bitter about being unequal to her brothers,"who would even want to waste their coin in assassination of someone who is basically inconsequential in the bigger picture?"

"You're absolutely not inconsequential, my princess!" He says vehemently, eyes wide and lips in pout at his passionate insistence. "You are perhaps the smartest person in the palace, pardon my unintended offenses. You are already working towards becoming a minister of the state someday, which requires immense knowledge and also gives you immeasurable power—second only to the ruling royalty. Someone wants to stop your power from rising, my princess."

Gauri suppresses her giddy smile at the praise and nods,"We must find out who knows about my future plans, as that is the most probable cause of motive."

Bhairavrath nods and before he can say anything else, a conch sounds, indicating dinner time.

Gauri rushes out of the room after seeing if someone is in the corridor and takes a pair of ghunghroos in her arms— to have an excuse if someone sees her flitting around the dance room without reason.

As he is closing the door behind him, Gauri turns to give him a smile.

"Thank you for your praise, Bhairav."

»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»

Amrendra hounds her as soon as they're done with dinner. Katappa looks at the two of them in surprise but falls in step beside Bhairav, trailing them till Bahu's rooms and standing guard outside.

"Where did you and Bhairavrath run off to?"

Gauri opens and closes her mouth as she tries to think of something that won't make him yell.

"I don't know how to start this correctly, so I will give you the basic fact: I think someone sabotaged my horse in a potential assassination attempt. And I tried to interrogate a suspect today."

"What?" Amrendra yells.

(Okay, that idea failed.)

Gauri shushes him. He continues, in a softer but still furious tone,"And why on earth did you not tell me about your suspicions earlier? Or are you waiting for another attempt? Or maybe you're waiting until you're dead so you can come back and haunt me as a ghost?"

She doesn't defend herself right away. She knows she deserves this.

Finally, she grabs his hand. "I'm sorry for not informing you of my suspicions earlier, Bahu. And I'm sorry that I didn't take you with me today. I just needed to confirm my theory before worrying you, in case it was useless, you know?"

Amrendra sighs and pulls her by their joined hands and engulfs her in a hug. "You should tell me these things, Gauri. Who will trust you uselessly, if not me, sister? Who will follow you blindly, if not me? Who will wage a war for you, if not me? It's I who can do unimaginable things for your well being, sister. I daresay, it is my right to worry for you."

"I know," she says, her voice muffled and nose pressed in his collar bone,"I just wanted to keep your peace. Ignorance is a bliss, and all that. I'm sorry. I'm extremely very sorry."

"I don't forgive you, Gauri," he says but he tightens his arms around her and drops a kiss on her head. "I understand why you did it and I would have likely done the same, but I don't forgive you."

Gauri nods, she's ready to take whatever she can get. And she will earn his forgiveness back sooner or later, she knows. Bahu is her other half.

"I love you." She tells him, relaxing and melting into his body, pulled into that sense of warmth. Sleep overwhelms her and she suppresses her yawn.

"I love you, too." Amrendra says, sighing into her hair. "Now, tell me everything you know or suspect."

Gauri groans at the thought of her sleep being delayed but doesn't protest— she knows she's tested Amar's patience at a damn high level, keeping this thing from him.

When she's finished talking, he hums. "Satyaveer..." He shakes his head dismissively and says,"I think I've heard of him, I'll look into him. Don't you think we should inform Maa if someone really made an assassination attempt on you?"

(The instant change from "you" to "we" makes her heart irrationally warm. She shouldn't be feeling so giddy at the thought that her twin loves her and they share everything— especially problems. It is obvious and shouldn't be surprising, he's probably not even aware of the change. But it makes her happy all the same.)

It's a suggestion and Gauri is extremely grateful for that. He knows Gauri requires autonomy in her life, he knows she likes to do things her way and that she's always been impertinent. Bahu knows Gauri definitely hates anyone poking their noses in what's supposed to be her business.

He's right, they should involve an adult— especially Maa.

"We should, you're right." She sighs, twisting down on his bed that they had migrated to while she was speaking,"But Diwali is coming up. Maa is already busy in the preparations for it and if word goes out that someone tried to kill the only princess of Mahishamati right before Diwali, the general public will be in pandemonium. They will panic and fear for their own lives— what's stopping someone from killing them if just anyone can make a swipe at the princess' life? Maa will also surely put a stop to the upcoming festivities and it will stagger the economy. You know the Diwali celebrations of Mahishamati bring enormous opportunities of export and tourism— cancelling all that will imbalance the year's economy and will also affect upcoming years."

Bahu sighs, pushing his head down onto the mattress because he knows she's saying the truth. "I don't think Maa will care for the economy above you."

"I know. But she will face extreme backlash and it will all circle back to her being a woman who cares about her children too much to remain objective in her actions. I'm not insulting her, I'm just saying what will actually happen." She adds the last part because of the incredulous look on Bahu's face and also punches his shoulder for ever thinking that she'd insult Maa like that.

Bahu hums. "So, you, me and Bhairavrath know about this?"

Gauri nods, spreading on her brother's bed like an X. The stretch on her back feels delicious and her already cramping leg feels relief. She mentally tries to remember when her periods will return, the only happiness she can have is that they'd get away before Diwali.

Gauri has no wishes to spend her Diwali, writhing on her bed and crying because of severe stomach cramps.

Sometimes she wishes she were a boy too, at least she wouldn't have to relive that pain every month. But she also knows she's a princess— if she had been a prince, she'd be a contender for the throne and the idea of competing with either of her brothers and becoming bitter since these early days doesn't sound appealing.

Look at Uncle Bijjaldev, she thinks, look at what the lust for the throne did to him, his relationship with Gauri's father, and even his own marriage. His lust for the throne will someday spread onto Bhalla, Gauri knows this. She's tried to keep Bhalla with them, being subtle to try to limit his time alone with his father but she knows Bhalla loves his father and it's morally incorrect to separate a parent and a child in any condition, unless they are harming each other.

"Gauri, go to your room and sleep."

She knows he's being correct but the sentence brings back the memories of the days when she fought to remain close to him and he didn't. It's almost forgotten, that slight, hidden away and healed by his promise to never make her feel unloved again.

So she takes his words in good humour. She gets up, promising,"I'll say the same to you when you come to my room to sleep when you're tired." She says, knowing she wouldn't.

"Yeah, yeah. Good night, get out, sleep." He's already closed his eyes and has his arms out to find that pillow he's stolen from Gauri. She shakes her head and removes his rings and kada from his hands, loosens his cummerband and removes his layered necklace.

It's therapeutic. It takes her back to the days they shared a room and he would fall asleep while Gauri read her books to him outloud.

He's almost half asleep. Gauri runs her hand through his hair, it's shorter these days, and kisses his head. "Good night, brother. I love you."

"I love you, too, Gauri," he mumbles, opening one eye. "Please stay safe, sister."

"I have you, don't I? I'm always safe with you around."

»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»

Gauri wakes up at midnight, when Bahu crawls in her bed and embraces her tightly.

"Amar?" She grumbles, still disoriented,"what's wrong, beta?"

She feels him shake his head behind her. "I couldn't sleep, knowing that you might not be safe. Go to sleep, I won't disturb you."

Gauri rubs her hand over his arm that almost has her in a chokehold and nods. She hums a tune she doesn't remember the origin of and tries to sleep, caressing his hand until she feels him completely relax behind her.

Tears prick her eyes and all she can think about is just how much she loves her darling brother. She can't imagine being even alive without his words to hear, without his face to see and without his petulant whining as he gets sleepier and sleepier.

»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»

Two days go by in a blur.

Gauri gets her periods the next afternoon after she confessed to Bahu and she can't even command enough energy to stand most of the time, let alone go and interrogate the vet.

Bhairav does his magic and goes in her stead—infinitely stealthier and smoother than her.

He tells her that the vet diagnosed that Ratan was fed something that caused him to choke on it and also caused him to vomit several times. Something, that induced a fever in her poor horse.

Gauri deduces that it must have been fed to Ratan either just before the trip or during the trip, when they had all settled down to tie the boar up and Gauri and her brothers were talking with the soldiers over the fate of the boar.

"My princess!" Bhairav says on the evening of the second day, when Gauri insists on going to the arena to practice sword fighting. "You should rest, you don't feel well already!"

Gauri grits her teeth, already at her wits end with just about anyone who breathes in her direction. "I am on my periods, Bhairav, not dying." He opens his mouth to say something but Gauri beats him to it,"Besides, the enemies won't stop and delay an assault just because I'm on my periods, right?"

Bhalla side eyes the two of them when they enter the arena and she can feel his watchful gaze on her back as she spars against Bhairav and absolutely fails. It's a good way to let out her frustrations, sparring, but it ends up making her want to be foolish in hitting something solid, if only to let out her anger again.

She feels too hot in her own body and even the hair sticking to the nape of her neck is irritating her and the feel of her saree isn't right at all and she can't stand the idea of sitting down somewhere in the fear she may leave a stain behind.

"Mahadev should have made me a man." She growls to herself as they put away the laathis they had been sparring with.

Bhalla laughs,"Cheer up, sister. The pain is only temporary. You being a boy would have meant that you'd be always annoying, rather than only sometimes."

Gauri doesn't care for the yelp he makes when she kicks his calf rather forcefully.

____________________________________________________

Hello darlings!!! So, the next chapter will mark the 10th one and I'm thinking that i should make it an interlude in the boys' pov (yes that includes our baby Bhairav obv). What do you think?

Publishing this chapter early in the honor of the birthday of King Kohli and his 49th century. GOAT.

Tagging: @vijayasena @alhad-si-simran @o-merebholebalam @satanicallysatanicchild

#desiblr #suffer ye suhana nahi #desi tumblr #baahubali #bahubali #devasena #ss rajamouli #ram charan #writers on tumblr #fanfiction

[skyloftian-nutcase]

Forsaken AU's back on the brain, have some fun facts

Mystery Link!

Although he has a horse named Epona, he rarely uses her. She journeyed with him in the early years of his adventures, but after she sustained grievous injuries and almost died, Link set up her in the best stable he could find and she is retired from Hero Duties in his book. He still visits her and rides her, but she's the stable's baby now and relaxes and helps the local village children learn how to ride.

As a result, Link doesn't really have a horse. He tames wild horses long enough to get where he needs to go before letting them go again. Because of this, he's quite the expert in recognizing horse breeds and knowing their temperaments and qualities quickly.

Link is a major introvert. He'd really rather not deal with people at all. He comes in, saves the day, and he leaves ASAP. When traveling he rarely, if ever, uses the roads, instead going through the forests and thickets and plains and fields. He'll go months without talking to anyone.

Has worn the same clothes for actual years. Villages that see him on more than one occasion gift him clothes because he'll wear what he has until its threadbare.

Speaking of gifts, many villages leave offerings for him in places where he's likely to find them, far from people. They know he doesn't interact with others much. They tend to leave gifts for him in pots on the edge of town. He didn't accept them at first, but when people go out of their way to find him and insist, he learns to accept it.

Wielded the Triforce of Courage on his first adventure, but this time when the Triforce shatters Wisdom chooses him instead. He keeps this fact to himself, though he sadly, quietly reflects that it's appropriate he lost the right to Courage.

Gerudo Link!

He grew up in a settlement on the edge of Gerudo Desert. His mother never wanted him near her people's own cities (of which there are multiple) because she didn't want anyone to know that a Gerudo male had been born.

Link had the option of being a scholar like his father, but he much prefers working with his hands and seeing more immediate results. He also just likes to make people happy.

He's curious to see the world, as his father has told him so many stories. While he isn't hugely adventurous, he is willing to leave his comfort zone and familiar area to travel to his father's hometown and try to start a life for himself there.

His massage therapy is hugely popular - the entire region is sad when Zelda drags him away.

Due to said popularity, he's surprisingly well off for an almost-nineteen-year-old kid just starting out on his own.

His favorite season is spring - although he is used to the heat and prefers it, summers in his new area are too humid for his liking. Spring is perfect, though.

Princess Zelda!

She's an excellent rider and loves pushing her horse to run as fast as possible. Her horse, in return, loves to run, so they're a good match.

Grew up on legends and stories of the royal family protecting Hyrule and is enamored with them. She 100% wants to be the next queen who protects her people.

Has never truly been independent in her life, so when she runs away to seek out the Hero she quickly realizes she has no idea how to cook, camp, anything. Eh, I'll figure it out! Wisdom is inherent to my bloodline!

She stole multiple magical artifacts from the royal library to help in her quest, including an adventure pouch that has endless storage and a staff that compels people to tell the truth--but only if wielded correctly. She's yet to figure out how to use the staff, but boy does she want to use it on Mystery Link.

Loves drama and romance, and tales of them as well. She'll read all the young adult novels, she'll ship all the characters, and she has drawn fan art of her favorite stories. Her favorite story is The Tale of Two Swords, a legend of twin spirits destined to be eternal enemies despite their eternal love for each other. She cries every time she talks about it.

Blue is her favorite color

The Chocolate Chonkster!

Is the best

Will always be the best

Loves everyone (but especially Mystery Link)

Knows deep pressure therapy (she's a snuggler and she senses that it helps calm Link) and can sense when Mystery Link is in need of comfort. Will pin him to the ground whether he likes it or not.

Loves going hunting with Mystery Link and will retrieve anything he kills. Has sometimes retrieved monsters, much to his exasperation

Did I mention that she's the best

#forsaken au #skye time travels through the queue

[kellterntempest]

ya think that if robotnik has to go on a mission of some sorts with stone, you think that he'd would ride stone in his werewolf form like a horse as quick transportation??

oOOOOOOO yes galaxy brain idea!!!

I was just writing a snippet where Stone has been researching for ages a way to trigger the wolf transformation at will, rather than it being controlled by the phases of the moon.

I think when Robotnik finally finds out about his lycanthropy, together with both of their genius they find the secret to controlling the wolf transformation .

Yess!!! Werewolf Stone gets a little saddle for Robotnik to ride on his back. His monster steed ❤️🔥💯👏 pulling up to the function on his giant alpha werewolf. All the other hunters are shocked and can't believe it. The guild doesn't know what to make of it, no one has "tamed" a lycan let alone an alpha. The Pentacle is furious with Robotnik for garishly violating the hunter's code but the doctor's legend keeps growing.

#werewolf au #werewolf!stone #asks #stobotnik #dr robotnik #agent stone

[ravynfyre]

Dogs and Politics - a Rant

I genuinely cannot fathom the fact that there are people out there justifying the bullshit that kristi noem pulled.

I live on a farm. I have livestock. I also have EXCEPTIONALLY high drive dogs. Most of my high drive dogs have EXTRAORDINARY prey drive. Those drives are most of WHY I have those specific dogs - either because I looked for those specific traits myself, intending to tap into them to train for emergency services, or because those drives got those dogs into trouble in their previous homes and I was their "last chance".

I have been dealing with, training, and learning FROM, drivey dogs for over 20 years now, as an actual intentional thing... however, looking back on my 49 years of life, it is quite clear that drivey, "unruly", "problem" dogs have always been the kind I gravitated towards. My current sighthounds - half borzoi (russian wolfhound) and half scottish deerhound - are probably the most "mellow" dogs I have ever had.

And even the beerhounds have killed animals on my farm.

My female beerhound snagged a feral kitten once that tried to cruise through my yard. my male beerhound was accidentally left outside for a couple hours in the ass end of a morning once (in a secured yard) and he managed to kill a guinea, a hen, and a rooster, DESPITE being mostly blind. My whole pack got ahold of a feral kitten I was taming once, when I left my farmsitter in charge while I was out of town for a day. I was attached to all of those critters, yes, even the fucking guinea. I was disappointed and upset that they were killed.

I did NOT take those dogs "out to the gravel pit and shoot them in the head".

TWO of my malinois (that have both since passed due to old age) had managed to catch at least one lamb each and had a big ole time. One of those malinois managed to kill *three* lambs in his life, because every time I managed to thwart his ability to reach them one way, he would find another fucking way. Now, my farm is a hobby farm, and my livelihood doesn't depend on my livestock - more like my livelihood is dragged *down* by my livestock, if I was being honest - but I'm not in this shit to kill animals. EVERY animal death on my farm is terrible and tragic and *MY FAULT*.

Not the dogs'. Not the cats'. Not the sheeps'. ...okay, so the year that one horse I had started killing newborn lambs... that was his fault. But know what I didn't do? I didn't take the horse out back and shoot him in the head. I moved him into a pen where he couldn't get to the lambs and then I looked for a new home for him that didn't have lambs. (And no, I have no idea why he started killing them, except that he'd never been on a farm with sheep before, and hey, guess what? That made the issue MY fault, too! I should have been more cautious about assuming that he'd be fine with lambs since he had no issue with sheep. That was MY BAD.)

Every single time a dog managed to capture an animal and kill it, that was on ME for allowing it to happen. For allowing the circumstances that put that animal in the place where it was *able* to be caught. That put that dog in a position where it had access to something that would trigger its instincts to that degree.

My placid, sweet, docile sighthounds? Borzois and Deerhounds are HUNTING DOGS. They are bred to hunt wolves and the european version of our elk. And they are damn good at it.

My malinois? Malinois are herding dogs... the type of herding dog known as a "header" rather than a "heeler", because they use their predatory instincts to intimidate their herds and flocks into moving where they want by giving them a true and real predatory staredown, and when that fails, *biting them in the fucking face*. Or trying to, anyway. Herding dogs are NOT "livestock guardians". They aren't there to *protect* the livestock... (so that whole "sheepdog" movement about worshiping cops and gun nuts "protecting" the populace just makes me fucking laugh, but I digress) they are there because they are, at heart, a *predator* whose instincts have been honed to help us manage and move livestock.

But even my true livestock guardian dogs - all great pyrenees - will only take so much from their livestock before even *they* will attack to protect themselves. I have horses and sheep and cows and geese and chickens all free roaming in the same pastures. The cows, when the most recent pyrs arrived, got snarky and stupid with the pyrs, and tried to intimidate them. The dogs put up with it for a while, until they felt threatened by the charges, and then they chased back. And if the cows hadn't quit their shit, the pyrs would have actually drawn blood, because the dogs know they are there to protect their livestock, but they won't let the livestock kill them to do it. But the cows learned, and now the pyrs only chase predators and "pests". BUT! One of the livestock dogs *does* have a taste for baby chickens. Adult chickens are perfectly safe, but there is just something that is TOO tempting about chicks up to a certain size, and if he has the opportunity, he'll munch one down in about two seconds flat.

My hens have adjusted to guarding their chicks better... because I didn't take that dog out back and shoot him.

COULD I stop him from snacking on baby chicks? Sure. I would literally have to break him to do so. Like, break his spirit until he was a shadow of himself, I mean, and then he would be an absolutely worthless livestock guardian. Just like stopping my sharper malinois from snacking on lambs would literally destroy them, and their ability to train for the kind of independent problem solving I GOT them for. And I am honestly not sure if I could break the sighthounds of their prey drive... it's just too intrinsic to their blood and soul.

HOWEVER! What I *can* do is ensure that none of these dogs are put into a position where they can make that decision in the first place. Every feral cat that shows up on my farm now gets trapped and fixed, so I don't *have* kittens scampering through the secure dog yard anymore. I have organized my fences and pastures better to exclude dogs from the pasture unless I allow them in... and my current malinois problem child, even though I *think* she just wants the chase rather than the kill, I have a set routine that ensures that she never has the freedom to even *attempt* to access the pasture where the sheep are. Inevitably, that will not be foolproof, and I do expect that someday, she'll figure out a way, or I will literally fuck up, and she'll get out there, or one of them into the yard, and she'll get herself her first lamb.

And I won't take her out back to shoot her for it, either. Because she's a dog. She's a dog who has all the instincts that I PICKED her to have, which means she is NOT livestock safe, and so it is incumbent upon ME to ensure everyone's safety. Because yes, I am training her... but there really *are* limits to the amount of instinct resistance one can impose on a dog, when you deal with the level of dogs I do.

And when the accident happens, I'm *still* not going to kill that dog. I'm probably not even going to rehome it, which would have been the CORRECT fucking response to a dog killing your chickens or your neighbor's goat (rehoming). I'm most likely going to examine exactly how *I* fucked up to allow the accident to even occur, and try to figure out how to keep that from ever happening again. Because that is the CORRECT response, and not to sociopathic one.

And before anyone comes for me with the, "but not every dog can be saved", yeah, I fucking know. I took in two dogs once, and tried my hardest to rehab them. One had attacked a child, one had attacked a horse. The child... The story I was told was that it was provoked, and I believed that. The horse? I saw that one happen, and it was a case of excessive prey drive and an unstable dog - a bad situation that was HUMAN CAUSED. I took both dogs in to try and save their lives, because both owners *wanted* to "shoot" their dogs right then and there...

And I failed. I spent a year each working on those dogs, and I couldn't fix them enough that they would ever be safe, except for one of them in a very specific situation that 1) I couldn't find, and 2) couldn't guarantee would not change. They were two of the only dogs in my life that I was ever actually afraid around. And I couldn't fix them. I could not make them "safe enough" to go to new homes. Their quality of life sucked, and it wasn't fair to them. Hate me if you want, but, yes. I had them put down - safely, quietly, and *humanely* at a vet's office after an evaluation, where the vets agreed with my opinion. What I did not do was take them out back immediately and shoot them. I gave them a chance, tried to fix their training, and gave them time and security. So no, not all dogs *can* be saved, but all dogs deserve the CHANCE to be saved.

A 14 month old hunting dog deserved better than to be shot in the fucking head in the back woods because he killed some chickens. That bullshit didn't make Noem a "country girl", or some sort of rural badass, or "pragmatic"... it made her a fucking sociopath.

And anyone who agrees that she "did the right thing"? Can suck my fat fucking ass. I'll stake out an acre for you, you fucking sociopath.

#tw animal death #cw animal death #kristi noem #lots of cussing #bad language #animal death

[askadrianalucardtepes]

Sophie Tepes -.

The silver, frosted sheen, and slate, helped little to mask the harsh yapping of winters wind against the windows of the home, which brimmed to life with the uproar of flames, sinking themselves into the skin, and blistered furniture ; drawled in a glaze by the tamed fire, sat neatly in its brick hold. 

       The warmth was held so tightly in the comfortable home - worn through years and years of winters, and the pitter patter of youth, and rain- that it felt near unbearable on the sensitive, fever ridden skin and eyes of young Sophie. Child of Dracula Tepes, Lisa Tepes.

The girl instead, in her slight delusion, and human defiance, elected to lift herself very quietly from bed. Drawl herself down the stairs - of which there were so many, it was wearying - and plant herself, blanket in tow, in the stables! She elected it was better than dying of heat exhaustion within her bed, despite how sick she was.

       But she made herself quite comfy, a blanket pulled taut around her, as she rather rudely curled herself with the warm, welcoming nuzzle of the gargantuan percheron horse,  an older gelding, war torn and retired. Though he in his grumpy age made room for the youngling.

       She seemed unbothered, in the warmth of the stables, though uncomfortably cold for all else. But her comfort brought the very eminent, and strong discomfort of all else, as it wasn’t very … wise, to in a fever, and winter chill, exit her room, and leave the house, during witching hour no less.

//“… He In his grumpy age made room for the youngling.”//

//It did not take long for Sophie's absence to be noticed by her family. And with a stern command from father dearest Alucard was sent on his way, off to track down his younger sister somewhere in the depths of this wretched castle. The dhampir roamed the halls quietly, using his senses to the very max in order to try and locate Sophie. Eventually he manages to pick up a trail, leading him down the spiralling staircases and through the many halls of the castle all the way to the stables. "Oh, she did not go out here. Please tell me she didn't." //he mutters to himself, lightly grinding his teeth before taking a deep breath. It was fine, she'd be fine, if she were here he could scold her about it later. First, he'd have to get her back inside. //He opens the door to the stables to peer inside, eyes scanning the area until they land upon a familiar little heap of feverish misery. "There you are." //he mutters under his breath, making his way to the older beast and his little sister beside him. "So. Trying to play hide and seek, are you? Why the hell did you come all the way out here in the cold? You've got mother in a frenzy right now you know, she's worried sick about you."

#castlevania rp #alucard #castlevania #eggshe77y #askadrianalucardtepes

[wizardnuke]

really really big fan of when characters with terrible tragic backstories and heroic arcs mention that they had always wanted to have a small life. he's a brave man but he'd rather be taming horses.

#HE WANTED TO BE A CLOCKMAKER #my own little guy he was a blacksmith

[ravusnightblossom]

@kaaras-adaar carried from here because Legacy (oi) :

So it was like a pony ride, but on a bird... Kaaras couldn't imagine the lack of stability on something that only walked on two legs compared to four. Horses had been used for centuries when it came to Thedas, and other four legged creatures. Elks, even Druffalo had their riders every now and again. And then there were the legendary griffons as well. It was not the wings that made him nervous (he thought flight was an amazing thing), it was the idea of riding on two legs. It was like a piggy back ride, with less control he imagined.

Nonetheless, Kaaras had grown up around animals. He was not afraid of them. Just like people, he would approach them with respect, and compassion.

His head turned to the opened door, and he made his way out behind Ravus, ducking his horns. When his feet hit the ground, he felt a sense of ease in his shoulders. There was something so safe about being back on the ground. Perhaps it was his need for control.

Birds weren't uncommon in Thedas, although he'd never seen a bird this big before. They were taller than people--although if they were to support someone on their back, then they needed to be.

"They're rather cute," he commented, a little laugh in his voice. One of the birds looked at him in question, cocking its head and fluffing its feathers. No doubt, much like most tamed beasts, it thought that he had food. It was not shy and approached him, and he allowed it, gently reaching his hand out. It nibbled at his fingers and he smiled before he was allowed to run his fingers through its little tufted crest.

"I'm sorry, my friend, I don't have any treats for you," he said, scratching beneath its chin as it investigated his pockets--much to disappointment, he was sure.

Kaaras was careful, noting just how large those legs and feet were. No doubt they could give a powerful kick.

One brought another, and then another followed, much like any flock or herd, and soon, he and Ravus were surrounded by the Chocobos.

⋞⁘♔⁘⋟    Ravus chuckled as he watched Kaaras getting acquainted with the large birds and he was content to let him continue doing so for a time. In a moment such as that, it was very easy to forget their purpose for being in Eos. He should have been convincing Lunafreya to return with them, not exploring the region and introducing Kaaras to new sights.

How could he resist though? It wasn't as if another opportunity to do so was ever likely to present itself. As such, he let the moment carry on, even when one of the birds decided to begin attempting to investigate his own garments for snacks of any sort.

He was so lost in what was happening that he nearly missed the faint sound of static from the incoming transmission on the parked ship. When the realization dawned on him, Ravus' eyes widened. He cursed under his breath and all but ran back to it. Hurrying inside, he made it to the radio just as a very familiar voice cut out. His heart leapt in his chest, pulse rising.

Shit. His ship wasn't supposed to be traceable! Leave it to the Chancellor to have figured out a way to do so without him knowing. It was a direct violation of his privacy according to agreements, but he knew the fool must have found a way. Eyes closing, he took a few slow breaths, then turned to walk back to the door of the vessel.

"They realized I took this for a venture," he stated, loud enough for Kaaras to hear as he patted the side of the ship. "We should venture back, unless we want them to find us here." If they made it back before the Imperial Army decided to investigate, that was.

#(Do I have the speed of cold molasses? Yes I do...) #kaaras-adaar #(Your Arms Feel Like Home :: kaaras-adaar) #Verse;; Into The Breach

[ask-red-okuri-inu]

@directors-moving-studio: Modern!AU and Idol!AU for bestest brother Saburo pls!!! Oooh! And Royalty!AU too!!!

((You got it!))

Modern AU:

Probably a relatively tame, almost slice-of-life type AU. Saburo dealing with adulting. I feel like he'd work in road maintenance, but is handy enough to help out neighbors with any building troubles they're having (plumbing, electricity, repairs, ect.). Sometimes he considers community college for some sort of certification, but he tends to push that to the back of his mind as 'not an option right now'. What is his priority, of course, is his siblings, who he would do anything for in a heartbeat. No matter how busy he is, he's never missed anything of theirs, and doesn't hesitate to wake up at 2am if some comfort and a lullaby or two is needed. In this AU, he doesn't tend to go out as much at night, so 'taking care of random strangers in danger' isn't as common of an occurrence, partly because he doesn't want people thinking he's going out drinking every night and leaving his siblings alone. Finally, I feel like this AU would have more potential to explore Saburo's love life than other ones might-but he doesn't make it easy. He's pretty openly affectionate with everyone (unless told otherwise-puppy instinct activate), so you can't tell if he's being romantic or platonic (spoiler: neither can he). But he might get there one day.

Idol AU:

((Aging Saburo down a bit for this one)) Somehow, Saburo does surprisingly well in the idol world? You'd think he'd get confused and overwhelmed with everything going on, but routines are like games to him, and he loves to pour his all into them. He's also never pays much attention to gossip or drama (which, to some managers, is a bad thing-sometimes you really have to sit him down and tell him to stop acting a certain way). The main source of any drama about him is that he can get very protective of other idols nearby, whether they're competing against each other or not, and at least seems like he'd be willing to get physical. Between that and his cheerful disposition, he's earned the nickname 'Puppy Knight'. He seems to perform best in upbeat pop songs, although he's got talent for sweet romantic ones too. If needed, he can force himself into a more punk style, but not for very long. His mood noticeably dampens when he has to go on tour, and he spends a lot of his free time checking his phone...wonder why...

Royalty AU

Saburo really, really doesn't want to be a prince. It feels too important, too...heavy. He's not good at this type of stuff. He'll behave at parties, rub elbows with the elite, follow all the rules he has to in order to make his family look good...but is this really the life he's fated to? He'd rather saddle his horse and flee as far as possible. The only thing stopping him? His siblings, who he loves so much and who have so much more potential than him as royals. He wishes he could bottle the joy they bring him and keep it close to his heart forever. It would tear him apart to leave them. So he'll put his nose to the books again, try to make sense of what he's supposed to be doing. Just a few more hours, and then it will be tea time, and he can unwind with his siblings, maybe practice his archery after that? Anything except another book.

#directors moving studio #saburo aus #these were fun but the first made my heart hurt a little

[narraboths]

I'm that Hector "he'd rather be home taming horses" but he'd rather be home writing obscure fic for a flop show

[vendettamuses]

@maximuses said: The Second Sister was content that the rescue had gone well enough. There were some injuries to be shared among the Agency's forces, but they would all survive. Still, she couldn't help but notice a bitter taste in her mouth as she'd nursed Savage back to health. A tugging in her chest that'd ultimately made her more upset. Why did she feel so strongly? Why was she so drawn to someone like this? The last time she'd let herself get so attached to someone... Cere's name crossing her mind made Trilla flare with resentment. Even after the talks she'd shared with Rayn to come to an understanding of the situation. She knew Cere was only trying to save the Younglings. She knew Cere would never abandon her. She forgave her. But the Dark Side was powerful, and it kept a firm hold on Trilla's heart. Which is why when Savage had silently questioned the sudden influx of tension between them, she snapped. "You nearly got yourself killed. You weren't thinking of what could have happened rushing ahead of me like that." She watched him, eyes calculating as a cocktail of emotions built in her expression. She was regretting this already, but the words kept coming. "I'm more than capable of defending myself, you know. You were already injured! I could have-!" I could have lost you. "... We will work on your self preservation when you are ready to train. Rest." (muse almost got killed meme)

⚔️ Almost Killed Meme // ACCEPTING ⚔️

Savage was not like his brother. He was not like Maul at all. He lacked the carefully concocted poise and subtlety that the former Sith possessed. He did not have wit and cunning in spades. Rather, Savage's strength was in his strength. Brute force, stamina, endurance. All that which made him a powerful, capable fighter. A Warrior. Yet at times, it still remained to be seen that there was some greater gentility that bled through the hardened visage of hatred that fed his power through the careful training of the Dark Side. Flickers of an old life in which his strength was used to protect rather than attack. Echoes of gentler, more considerate version of himself. Sometimes, it was more prominent than what he was now.

This had been one of those times.

There was no thought behind his actions. Only blind instinct. The old, almost primal urge to act in the defense of the Second Sister. Devotion in every swing of his lightsaber, ferocious protectiveness in ever snarl and swipe of his claws at the threat that persisted. He fought and fought, until he was disarmed. And even then, he fought on, until his muscles were taught with the grip of iron and rope, and he was forced to his knees. He bucked like a wild horse, refusing to break or be tamed, swinging his head about with such fury in the drive to catch something on his horns and gore them. Even in defeat, he refused to yield. The fight only left him when he turned to see that she had been left behind unarmed.

Only then did he allow them to lead him off like a lamb to slaughter. Docile. Unprovoked. As though he'd never been violent to begin with. Because as long as she was safe, his purpose was fulfilled. Damned be the torture, the starvation, and the cramped cage they left him to die in. Only when she came for him and he saw she was in danger again did the fight seem to return to him. Like a switch flipped on and off, a robot serving one purpose: to defend and nothing more. The drive, that devotion carried him until she was safe again. Only then did he allow himself to collapse from the exhaustion and the pain.

Awakening to her scolding was hardly pleasant. But comapred to how he'd been spoken to in the past, it was tame. He did not flinch, did not grimace. His expression remained blank and emotionless as she spoke. He watched her, blinking slowly, sluggishly. Allowing her her piece before response. "My job is to serve and protect you, Mistress. We are kin in our betrayal by the Sith, and so I give my loyalty and devotion to you. I am ready to give you my breath, my life."

The words might have been romantic. Might have been perceived as a confession of love if they weren't spoken so... plainly. As though he was simply stating a fact. As though the underlying subtext that he was nothing more than a servant, a tool, a weapon was normal. And perhaps that was what Savage saw himself as. Just another tool in someone's arsenal. A personal servant. A weapon with no other purpose than to simply destroy all who he deemed a threat. And at her dismissal, he leaned back and closed his eyes, thinking nothing of it. The switch flipped off.

The tool was put away for now.

#ask : is this what you wanted #mutual : all of my best friends #maximuses #dynamic : i still got a whole lotta love for you #[ trilla suduri x savage opress tbt. ] #( cm : savage opress ) #drabble : the higher the climb the harder the fall