#they're mostly citrus

[poltoreveur]

Seduction by the Shores

Pairing: Luke Castellan x GN!Reader (implied pussy lol)

Warning: NSFW, set before tlt, smut, PWP, piv, semi-public sex, doing it on the wet ground, dom!Luke to slightly sub!Luke and back to soft dom!Luke, choking, going in raw and creampie (wrap it before you tap it!), slight aftercare.

Word count: 5.3k+ (I got carried away).

A/N: In the wise of SZA, “now I’m ovulating and I need rough sex.” So I'm back again with another fic. Weirdly enough, I reappeared last year just to write a smut fic and leave (oops). I usually have a summary for this, but this is just pure smut.

!Not readproof! I’m too lazy to reread my own writing.

Everyone loves Luke Castellan.

He’s the golden boy of Camp Half-Blood. Handsome, generous, and kind. Helps out the new kids. He’s the best swordsman in camp by a mile. You’d even love Luke if you didn’t know better. Maybe you did anyway.

But you've always known there's more to him than his charming exterior. You've seen his eyes change like they're hiding something. That shift happens mostly when his father is mentioned, and he tense up. You've tried to avoid him, but he always seems to find you. One night, he caught you by the lake, his eyes kind but troubled. "I'm guessing you're not having a great night."

For all his charm and charisma, Luke Castellan is more than just the beloved golden boy of Camp Half-Blood; he's a human being with a complex inner world, one that's filled with secrets and conflicts. Despite his best efforts to hide it, at times, his inner struggles emerge, leaving you to wonder just how much more there might be to Luke than meets the eye.

You glanced over at him watching him approach you but kept your quiet. Luke sits down next to you, close, but not touching.

Luke looks at you, waiting for a comment or an explanation. The lake is beautiful, shining in the moonlight. It's actually quite a lovely scene, he's not sure why you'd be miserable here. He has this habit of looking at you without actually looking at you, somehow making it feel more personal.

"I could help with that, you know? Make your night a little more fun."

"Don't start with me, Castellan." You simply commented, rolling your eyes as your gaze stayed staring at the lake.

You can't tell if he smiles or not, but he laughs before speaking. It's actually just adorable when his lips curl up. Luke leans closer, not much. Just enough to make you a little anxious.

"How was I starting anything? I was trying to brighten your mood. I bet I could help."

Something comes into his eyes, a darkness.

His voice is still the smiling flirty guy that everyone loves, but his tone changes a little.

"Besides... you look so miserable. I've always been really good at fixing people's moods. It's one of my best qualities."

He leans a little closer than before. Close enough that you can smell the honey, citrus scent coming from his cologne. You're not sure if he does that intentionally, but he's quite close now.

"Come on now, you know you can tell me. Maybe I could put a smile on that pretty little face."

"You could, but I might have to kill you after." That made him smirk. The way he's looking at you... Oh Gods.

"You can try, you know I'd get you right before you got me, though. I'm too quick." He grinned. He was flirting, he always flirted, but there was something else in his eyes. Something darker.

"Come on, what could be so serious?"

“Not gonna talk it out of me, Castellan." You closed your eyes before lying down on the ground. The ground was damp but it wasn’t too much of an inconvenience, finding comfort just lying there.

He smiles and lies down right next to you.

Too close now, too close. You're practically on top of each other but he doesn't pull away.

The grass is very green, the lake is a beautiful dark blue. It's actually quite peaceful here. The air is still but not too cold.

"You're too stubborn sometimes. Why won't you tell me?" His hand brushes her hair absentmindedly. "You can talk to me, even if you don't want to."

"I feel like if someone doesn't want to, they won't talk." You pointed out the obvious, slowly glancing up at him again.

Luke smiles, his hand resting on your head now. He's actually being surprisingly gentle.

His eyes are so hypnotic in this light. His voice grows softer, a hint of that darkness in it still. “I like to make people change their minds. You would talk if I got you into the right mood."

"Not gonna happen."

"Really now?" He leans in just close enough to almost kiss you. He's still smiling, his voice a little bit softer, a little bit more husky.

"You're stubborn." He said, lightly tapping your nose. "I'm stubborn. We can stay like this all night if you want. But I'll stay here to remind you that I care."

Luke pulls back again, smiling at you. He gets a little bit closer though, until his face is mere inches away from yours. He tilts his head at just the right angle to catch the moonlight coming off his blue eyes.

"Think about that." Luke looked into her eyes for a long moment. Then he leaned forward, placing his hand on your head and kissed your forehead.

"Just a reminder."

Luke pulls away and sits up. His hands are resting on his legs now, and he's looking up at the moon.

"What do you think about the sky, you know? The stars. It's quite beautiful. Makes you think about things. Life's so short. Maybe you should do the things you want to do, while you can." Luke chuckles, sitting back down and looking up at the sky. He looks at you for a second, then looks away.

The air is thick with tension. Luke looks at you over his shoulder, with kind of a half smile on his face. His eyes are still that darker colour, but they're softer now. You're not sure why it's so tempting to lay your head on his shoulder.

"The sky is beautiful. You know, most demigods think of it as a symbol of the gods, right? But I've always thought of it as... freedom. I mean, who cares what the gods think?" He said, looking back at you.

"The sky makes me feel free. I'll look at it sometimes when I'm feeling trapped, you know." He glances back at you, expecting an input.

"You think the gods are looking down at us from the sky?"

He laughs a bit, turning back to the sky and looking at it.

"I don't know, maybe? But even so, why should we care if they are or not? I don't get what all the fuss is about the gods, why do so many people at camp obsess over their opinions so much? They're just like any other person, except they have a little more power. They don't really care about us, if they did, then we wouldn't be the ones doing all the important stuff."

“I mean, they say that Jesus is always looking down on us, do you think they meant the sky?”

He laughs again, looking at you out of the corner of his eye.

"You're really not going to let me distract you from whatever's bothering you, are you? Even when I'm trying really hard." There's another hint of that darkness in his eyes.

"I don't want to think about it, I just wanna lay down and have a relaxing moment to myself, but I'd rather it not be on this damp ground." He knows how stubborn you are. Instead, he smiled and scooted closer.

He's so close to you now, his body is close to yours and he can feel your breath. He just stares up at the sky.

"Where else?" He looks into your eyes. He's enjoying this. You’re falling for this. He smiles. "The lake sounds pretty lovely to me."

"It's wet here."

The darkness in his eyes is getting stronger. His voice is growing husky again, the way you like it.

He can’t help it, Luke leans closer again. He wants the intimacy between you. There is a subtle change in his eyes. He stares at you, and now his hand is brushing your leg.

His voice is low and rough and seductive. “The lake is fine. I prefer it, even. It’s the perfect place for us.”

A hint of a smirk rises from his lip. He knows how much he affects you. You both know exactly what he’s trying to do, and you both want to do it, but he will not let you think you have any control over this situation, he’s always in control.

He leans towards you again, his hand moving further up your leg.

"Castellan." His name came out of your lips like a warning but you said it softly enough for him.

The smirk slowly rises on his lip, and he whispers.

"What, love?" His hand keeps creeping up your leg, his voice sounding almost like a growl. It's such a change from the charming guy you know, and it's so tempting, yet so unsettling. He stares at you, waiting for a response, waiting to see what you'll do.

You can almost feel the dark energy coming off him. His presence is just so dominating right now, he wants this. He is getting closer and closer until he's practically lying on top of you. He's not looking at you anymore, he's just looking down at his hand which is resting just below your thigh. It is not moving up, but you can feel the tension.

He leans up, his eyes searching yours. You can tell that he wants something more than just a little flirting. He wants to see how far he can take this. Luke's hands are going up even higher, brushing her thighs now. He's so close now, you can feel his breath brushing your neck.

The tension builds more and more. He is so close to just taking you right here. You can feel him starting to move his hands to the sides of your back, to the small of your back. He wants this, and he can't help but try. The darkness in his eyes is getting more potent, as his breathing gets heavier and heavier.

He leans in closer, his mouth less than a few inches away from your neck. You can feel his breath. He's waiting. That anticipation, that temptation, is just so intoxicating and it's making him crazy.

The darkness of his eyes fades away as he finally makes a move. His lips come closer, so close, until they just touch, making a soft clicking sound. His eyes close, and his lips finally meet yours, his lips opening slightly to let the kiss linger longer until he pulls back and leans towards your ear.

It was such a soft kiss, nothing more than his lips barely grazing yours. But the heat between them builds when his eyes reopen. He pulls away just barely speaking.

"Castellan."

Your voice is so low, so quiet, and yet so alluring. Luke’s breathing starts to speed up, and his grin gets wider.

He looks down at her with the darkest eyes you’ve ever seen. His voice is low. "Luke." He corrected.

You only called him by his first name, whenever you’re gonna or when you’re doing it. He was certain you’ve been deliberately conditioning him with it.

Luke's movements slow, his body unweights your body.

His eyes are dark. A little bit too dark. He seems less sure of himself now. Still, Luke's hand is sliding up your thigh. Closer to what he wants.

He's so close to you now. He's moving his hand up and down your leg. Slowly. Almost teasingly. His voice is barely a whisper.

He quickly took the initiative by kissing you aggressively. But somehow your hands making their way to the back of his neck and into his hair.

His tongue flicks into your mouth as his hands grip your thighs, he squeezes tighter. Luke’s breath comes out in short little moans.

Luke is on a whole different level now. He's enjoying this more and more. His eyes are closed as he kisses you deeper. His hands move further up your thighs. This is going exactly how he wanted it to. He's got you completely trapped and submissive at this point and he knows it. He opens one eye and looks at you.

"Do you want me?" He asks, his voice dark and smooth. He's holding himself just on the edge. Right where he wants to be. He stares into her deep sapphire eyes, waiting for an answer. It's a dark question, but he wants to hear it from you.

You simply smirk at his question. You knew that he wanted you to say it, your admission is everything to him. But you weren’t going to give him that satisfaction as you pulled him closer and just started kissing him again, slowly, biting down on his lower lip.

He groans and then laughs quietly. You weren’t giving him the words he wanted to hear. That was fine. He was going to make you say it.

He kisses you back, harder, faster. His hands are moving under your shirt, tracing the curves of your back and waist.

Luke leans back, his forehead leaning on you. Your breaths are coming faster and faster. Your lips touch when you kiss. He is in complete control over you right now, and he likes that. "You want me? Say it."

"I'm not giving you that power." Your hands travelled down his shirt and slowly went underneath it, feeling the tone of his abs.

His body is still now, but you can feel his muscles tensing as you move your hands.

It's like you're pressing switches that turn a machine on. A low groan escapes his mouth, as his breath quickens again. His eyes close tight as he tries to resist the urge.

His breath hitches in his throat, but you probably doesn't notice that for a moment. His eyes snap open when he can't fight it and he stares at you, waiting for you to admit it.

He's the only person at camp who actually has this level of control. He pushes you back down, his hands going down to your waist now. His breath is almost like a growl at this point. It's pure pleasure to hear that he still has complete control over uou. His voice is soft in your ear now. "Please."

You chuckled and moved down to his neck to kiss it.

Luke tenses again. His neck is his weakness.

He always liked to be in control, and his neck feels like it gives him away. He likes that you found this. "Please." His voice is low but pleading. They both know that he is very much begging you to say it now as his neck is being kissed aggressively.

Luke gasps as you continue trailing kisses down his neck. He tenses again. His breath is heavy in his throat.

The sound alone is like music to your ears. His hands are still at your waist, squeezing a little harder. He likes the feeling of you pulling at his shirt, but he tries to still keep himself on. "Please." His voice had the sound of urgency, almost begging now as his eyes dart to yours.

"I like it when you beg."

That wasn’t exactly what he wanted you to say but his body responds to your voice. His breath catches in his throat again and he arches back against your body. His eyes roll back and another low groan escapes his lips. One of his hands moves up to your neck as he pins you down against him, and starts dragging his hand down your back.

"You'll have to earn that," you purred, licking a trail along his neck that made his gut twist taut.

Luke's body moves away from you. His breath comes out in short but heavy breaths, he arches his back and lets out a deep grunt of pleasure. "I can earn it." He pushes you back down now.

He is taking control again. He kisses your neck passionately, his lips against your neck, his breath almost like a growling moan against your skin. He is moving slowly around your neck now as if he's exploring.

He positioned himself between your thighs. One hand supported your back, while the other fumbled to unclasp his belt.

It was difficult to recall how he'd ever got aroused before you came along. The way you both demanded and begged all at once sent his brain spinning.

Luke's hand is fumbling with his belt, it's not coming undone though. Like him, he's lost control. He's lost control over you, over himself, he never loses control. Maybe that is why he's enjoying this so much. Your presence and your kisses have turned him completely into someone else, someone whose only thoughts are pleasure. He leans forward again, kissing your neck passionately yet again. His breath is coming fast but heavy now. He's completely and utterly obsessed with the feeling.

You smirk before your hand slowly starts to help him undo his belt as well as unbutton his pants.

His head arches back slightly and he lets out a low groan again. "Yes..." He whispers softly. His breath is heavy in his throat. He takes a look down and is startled to see she is helping him undo his belt. Now he is almost completely submissive to you. You’re the one in charge now, completely at your whim. All he wants is you.

"Say please," you whispered, nipping his lower lip as he pulled your pants hastily down to your ankles, impatient as he is, he moved your soaked underwear to the side. “I like it when you ask nicely."

Luke is almost embarrassed. He has never been this submissive before. He always thought he’d be in complete control at all times. But you had to take control away from him and he doesn’t even mind. “Please…” His voice is soft, begging for you now. He looks down at you now, wanting you to reply. He wants to give up all control to you. All he wants now is your eternal pleasure.

You simpered before kissing him, your tongue eagerly seeking his.

You swallowed his moan as he hurried to himself free from the restraints of his boxers. He couldn’t wait anymore, he pushed himself into you. Tight, hot, and quivering as he gave you everything he had. He loosely wrapped his fingers around your throat, and you whined against his mouth, my head tilting back as my eyes fluttered shut. He tightened his grip, your own hands scrambling at his waist to encourage him deeper.

This is more pleasure than he has ever felt. The feeling of being completely submissive is a thrill that he had never felt before. He loves being at the complete mercy of someone else. Luke pulls you closer to him, arching his back again and letting out low grunts into your mouth. He holds your neck and he pulls back, looking down at you. His breath is heavy in your ear, his eyes closed tight. “You have… complete control.”

He was completely lost now. All he could hear was her begging now. All of his focus was on you now, he was consumed by you. Your hands around his waist, his mouth kissing yours passionately, your bodies moving in perfect sync with each other. His breathing grew heavier as the pace grew faster. His hand tightened on your throat, as if by instinct, but still gentle.

Luke’s breathing was heavy, his body tense and quivering. His breath was all he could hear now. Every time he moved forward, you moved her body and his would follow, and vice versa. You both lost yourselves more and more in a world where nothing mattered but you and the feeling you could give him. His breath caught in his throat, it came out in moans of pleasure. His hand was tight around your neck, but you could feel the soft grip of it.

You close your eyes in the pleasure of everything.

Everything around you felt a little fuzzy even your vision as you threw your head back while still trying to keep your hands on his waist, but you didn’t think you could hold on much longer as you gripped on his way, slowly started to falter.

The pace was getting faster now. His breath was coming faster and heavier now. “Hey, stay with me…” He whispered. It was so close. He was so close.

His body shakes uncontrollably. Every nerve in his body was tingling with pleasure. His grip on your neck tightened slightly as you moved faster and faster. His breath was coming out in short little exhales. His eyes are closed tight, his whole body quivering. All he can hear is your breath and soft moans, which are getting louder now.

He is so close, but he doesn’t want to finish right now. He wants to drag it out for you. He wants you to experience more of this. His grip tightens again, but still gently. His breathing is coming out in short little gasps now. Every fibre of Luke’s being was consumed with you and this pleasure.

You keep going, your bodies moving together, the pace has reached its peak now. His breath is short and loud now, his grip is tighter on you but not harsh.

He pulled you closer by your waist with one arm, maintaining his grip on your neck with the other, aligning me to accommodate all of him. With each thrust, I bit down on the flesh of his shoulder as his whole body tensed and his breath caught in his throat. His body shudders, and his entire body shakes with the pleasure. His hand is now tight around your neck, as he hits the peak of pleasure now. His breathing comes out in the slightest groan of satisfaction as your bodies combine together in one last movement.

Luke is shaking by this point. His breathing is deep now and his whole body is a quivering mess. Your touch is the most intense feeling he’s ever had. The pace was steady now and the feeling had only gotten more intense. The feeling of your hands around his waist, as you move with him. Your eyes looking into him. His body is twitching and tense, his breath is sharp and loud now. He can almost feel what you’re feeling as you move together.

“Luke, I’m—“

“Don’t stop.” He whispered in your ear. He was so close. His whole body was tense and she could feel the vibrations of his breath. Your touch was all he was thinking about now. He was in complete control for the first time in a long time. He was in complete control of your pleasure. Your breathing became louder, and he knew you were close to your climax too. You could feel the vibrations of his breath as you got closer and closer.

Luke’s body is shaking uncontrollably now. The grip around your neck is the tightest it’s been all night, but still gentle. His breath is coming out in loud sharp gasps now, his body twitching like crazy. Your body is twitching with his, the both of you moving at your own pace.

His grip is tightening even more as he feels the buildup of energy in her body. His breathing is like a growl now. He has completely lost control again, you were the one in control. You were the one making the pace. Now he just wants to hear you finally call out to him, call out to him that you’re almost there. Your body is the only one he feels now. You, your breathing, your motions. You are all he feels. He wants you to let go of it all, he wants you to call to him. He could feel you getting closer and closer.

“I swear to the Gods, Luke. I’m gonna—“ You finally mumbled his name again, but it came out breathless as you tried to hold onto him. You were practically clinging onto him for dear life. He could feel you clenching inside around him. Which almost made him lose control, he would’ve given up at that very moment if it wasn’t for your voice grounding him.

Your voice is like music to his ears. It’s all he wanted to hear. He was holding on to you tightly as the both of you were so close to the end. You calling out to him sends waves through his body, but he is losing even more control of himself. Your calling out to him only sends him further into the pleasure. His grip around your neck tightens even more, as he pulls you closer, his forehead coming to rest on yours.

Both of you are extremely close and are moving together at the same pace. He can feel your breath coming out in short, sharp gasps. You both move together like there is only one body moving. You both have reached your peak now and are moving like machines now. The pace is too much, you calling out to him is too much.

Your breathing is his breath. Your heartbeat is his heartbeat. The pace has built to its peak and it’s pushing you both to the end. Luke is so close to the end now, he is feeling what you’re feeling. You both finally are at the absolute peak of pleasure. You both reach their finale simultaneously. Your bodies shake uncontrollably and his grip is the tightest it has been all night as he lets everything out at once.

He came inside of you, his groaning was the only warning as you felt him shoot up his release.

He nuzzled right up against you, wrapping his arm around your waist. He was still slowly thrusting inside, just warm white liquid started spilling out of you.

Both of their breathing settles down and their bodies relax. Luke is out of his trance now, his breathing is coming out heavy but no longer is it an animalistic growl. He’s calm now, but satisfied. The whole night had been a thrill for him. It was exactly what he wanted: someone to take complete control of him, which he didn’t even know he wanted. His grip around your neck loosens and he pulls away from you.

Luke finally finds himself again. He is looking right into her eyes and his voice is low but soft. He is looking right into her eyes and he gives a small grin. “It’s okay, I got you.” He mumbles, nuzzling his head right into her neck. “Don’t worry.”

He kisses your neck softly again, but his breathing is normal now. He isn’t losing control anymore. He was now just content with your presence. He snuggles closer to you, his voice is soft and the glow of his eyes is different than before. He is relaxed, calm, and content.

“Are you alright?” Luke thought he might’ve been too hard with the choking earlier, but based on your expression, he didn’t really have anything much to worry about.

Luke was content. His body movements were slow and smooth now. He had complete control of himself now. The pace of his thrusts had slowed down but he was still inside of you. His breath was still heavy, but not because it was intense pleasure anymore. It’s just because it was comfortable. The glow in his eyes was not the same as before, his eyes were full of content and pleasure. Instead of intense pleasure, it was more like satisfaction now. His hand was still tight around your waist, and he brought his other hand up to your hand, squeezing it softly.

Luke’s breaths were coming out in slow grunts and he was keeping a pace with no intensity to it whatsoever. It felt more like he was moving in slow motion. The two of you were finally just moving together now as if you were one single person. Neither of you were looking at anything else. Nothing else mattered in this moment but this pleasure you finally felt with each other.

“I’m okay.”

It was as if his body was just flowing smoothly with you. His hand is still tight at your waist and your hand is still holding him tightly. The feeling was a complete mix of pure bliss and complete pleasure. The two of you were enjoying each other’s touch so much that nothing else mattered at all. You were just locked together, moving in an endless rhythm now.

You were still letting out heavy breaths in mere seconds, one after the other. “This is disgusting.” You motioned to the wet damp ground that you both were lying on.

He laughs at you. You both were pretty disgusting. But it’s also somewhat funny that he didn’t care, your whole bodies are soaked and sticky. Luke’s laughs are soft and low now. He lifts up one of his hands to wipe the sweat off of his brow. He looks over at the ground and laughs again as he looks back at you. He lowered himself as he planted a kiss on your forehead, his hands slowly grazing upon your cheek.

“Look at us.” He laughs silently, keeping his voice low. He chuckles a little bit, the two of you are such a mess right now.

Luke laughs a little bit more, it’s funny to him how much of a mess they both are. The ground is totally soaked and sticky as is your body and his. You both are completely covered in your own bodily fluids. It’s quite the scene to take in all at once.

Luke’s laughter dies down slightly, though it’s still somewhat there as he just chuckles at the whole situation. He looks over at you and smiles a small and soft smile at you. He shakes his head slightly, just still finding it funny. The whole scene is just utterly ridiculous and disgusting.

“You think they’ll notice us missing and coming back all sweaty and disgusting?”

He laughs again slightly and his body shakes in amusement. The thought of them both coming back to camp in this state is a funny thought to him. The two of you are covered in your own sweat and fluids, it’s not exactly a pretty sight of the two of you. So much so, that people will notice at first glance.

“Let’s wash up a little by the lake.”

He nods his head. He doesn’t even really feel that sore right now. You really were covered in so much sweat and fluids. The thought of even being around other people makes him feel awkward. Your suggestion is good though, a good old rinse-off is just what you both need right now. He pulls you off of him and sat up.

“Pull up your pants, Castellan,” I commented, looking down at him as I sat up straight, brushing off the debris on my clothes.

He is still lying at your feet. He shakes his head and he nods you off of him. He stands up slowly and he laughs at your comment. His pants actually fell down further and they are hanging around his ankles. He pulls them up and zips them up.

You were being direct, and it cracked him up a little. He is completely covered in yours and now his own juices.

“I feel sticky.”

“You think you feel sticky?” He laughs again and shakes his head. He grabs your hand and he pulls you up off of the floor and holds you close to him. He takes a quick glance around at the surroundings before looking right back at you.

“Let’s find a place where we can wash off.” He says with a smirk on his face. His body is a hot mess and he can feel every bit of it. He didn’t even believe they could get this dirty, but they did. So you need to get cleaned up now, especially before any of the other campers notice the two of you. That would be absolutely horrific.

“Nobody can find out.”

He chuckles again and he nods his head. You were absolutely right about that. Nobody can find out about this, it would be so embarrassing. You both would go down in history as a complete disgrace if anyone found out.

“God, we’re so nasty.” He muttered, leading the way towards the lake.

#luke castellan x reader #luke castellan smut #luke castellan imagine #luke castellan x you #luke castellan #luke castellan pjo #pjo #pjo series #percy jackson #pjo fandom #percy jackon and the olympians #charlie bushnell #charlie bushnell x reader #i’m ovulating #i want this man all over me fr #smut #imagine #pjo disney+ #pjo tv show

[brain-rot-central]

Sonnet of the Lone Cardinal, Ch. 3

A/N: Thank you all for your patience. She's finally here.

Word count: 3.5k Rating: M (nothing sexual; mostly topics that may be uncomfortable) Pairing: Ascended Astarion/Fem!Tav Warnings: 18+; Mentions of murder, violence, death, blood, gore (very minor), blood drinking, sexual acts. Angst, alcohol consumption.

Summary: Tav and Shadowheart finally reunite for a simple lunch date. Their discussion turns toward Astarion, and a particularly unsettling event.

Chapter track: Cry - Cigarettes After Sex

♥ Previous Chapter ♥ Next Chapter ♥ Link to Ao3

Dawn breaks over the horizon. The subtle stirrings of a city coming to life once more fill the streets. Maids and matrons pat down their mats just beyond their front doors. Street vendors begin setting up their carts. A young boy with a satchel carrying copies of the Gazette goes from home to home delivering the day’s latest print.

Tav kneels before her front window, watching the street below. A few days have passed since her meeting with Jaheira. Astarion hasn't been to see her; the longest stretch of time between visits since they began their ordeal. She fully expected a visit last night. However, he never came. She hates admitting it to herself, but she feels a shallow pit in her stomach beginning to form having gone without him for so long.

Standing up, Tav closes the window and brings herself into the washroom to prepare for the day ahead. An old friend has requested a lunch date; she hasn’t seen Shadowheart for many months, and owes her dearest friend an audience.

Tav pours the carafe of water into the wash basin, dipping a cloth into the water before bringing it to her face. Studying the various soaps and creams she has lined along the shelf, she chooses one of nettlebark, smelling of citrus and pine forests. This scent is one of her favorites, and she’s relieved she can still find comfort within the smell. Scents are still a trigger for her nausea at this stage in her pregnancy. The usually tempting smell of breakfast wafting about the air of the city turns her stomach upright, now. Tav has found that if she holds off eating until mid-morning, she's in the clear. 

Yet… odd cravings have begun. 

For instance, she's since gone back to the butcher's, profusely apologetic to poor Gideon. Of course, the kind soul that he is, he was nothing but understanding and even offered her a few rations free of charge. Tav politely declined his offer, yet as she stared into the display cases full of various raw meats, she found herself practically bewitched by the sight. Rich, bloody beef; cut straight from the animal. She recalls how intensely saliva pooled within her mouth staring at the provisions. Tasting the metallic twang of the blood on her tongue, swallowing thickly as Gideon returned with her order.

Patting her face dry with a small towel, Tav returns into the main room and begins rummaging through her dresser for the day's outfit. The midnight blue bottle Jaheira gave her sits atop the dresser. Tav considers the potion every morning, but quickly declines as her heart aches at the thought. 

She believes the weather to be rather warm today, so she settles on an airy, light blue sundress and a wide brimmed hat. The gray scarf she recently bought matches perfectly as she stands before her mirror, assembling the ensemble. 

The ghost of scars catches her eyes as she adjusts the scarf around her neck. They're light enough; most wouldn't notice, though to her, they blare. Permanent gifts from her months-long affair with Astarion during their journey to defeat the Absolute. His bite was always a clean one, never marring her tanned skin. Two faint fang marks are all that remain, Tav taking the index and middle fingers of one hand to press lightly over the imprinted flesh as she lifts her chin.

Lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub.

The rhythmic beating of her heart can be felt beneath her fingertips as she pushes slightly into the artery. Accurate, Tav notes, a shiver running down her spine. She makes quick adjustments to the scarf and grabs her hat off the edge of her bed, placing it atop her head. 

Returning to the mirror, Tav smiles approvingly at her reflection as she gives herself a final glance over. The dress is loose enough that it hides the new softness of her body, something she's thankful for. Curiously, she places her hands over her stomach, pushing the fabric of the dress down and under the small swell of her lower abdomen. A pleased laugh escapes her lips while admiring the sight.

Tav turns her body from side to side, tracing the movement with her eyes. Her breasts now fill the top of the garment. The deep plunge of the dress’s neckline displays her new cleavage in a flattering manner. Feeling suddenly bare, Tav unwraps the scarf from around her neck, repositioning it lays across her chest like a bandana. Better. A bit more modest.

The satisfaction doesn’t last very long as she thinks of Shadowheart. How can she tell her? Will she tell her? While Shadowheart has never been anything but supportive, Tav worries how she may respond to news of her pregnancy. Tav is not ready for the backlash and potential lecture her best friend would give her, hearing Shadowheart's scolding voice echo within her mind. 

You cried over him for months! Tav envisions clearly, sour facial expressions and all. How many times did you come to me distraught in the middle of the night? Only to end up like this?

If the conversation doesn’t occur naturally, Tav decides on not discussing it. Not yet.

Swallowing past the sudden lump in her throat, Tav grabs her satchel from behind her main door, throwing it over her shoulder and across her chest. She inspects the contents quickly to ensure everything is present. Slipping her feet into brown sandals, she makes her way down the stairs to face the day ahead.

----------------------------------------------------

The morning is spent strolling around the park not far from her apartment. Tav recalls an altercation with Bhaal’s followers in this very park so many months ago. Today though, people are enjoying the sun and the company of one another. Lovers lay out on the grass, hands interlaced as they speak freely of their devotion to one another. A book club gathers in the middle of the park to discuss their latest obsession. Tav overhears bits and pieces of mixed conversations, finding comfort in the fact that life is slowly returning to normal for the citizens of Baldur's Gate.

The midmorning quickly slips into afternoon, and Tav begins her trek over toward the Elfsong to meet with Shadowheart. A few people nod in recognition as she passes by. “That's our hero!” they shout. “The savior of the city!” Tav smiles and bows graciously toward them, never quite comfortable with everyone suddenly knowing of her existence. Still, she is thankful for their praise and support.

Upon entering the Elfsong, Tav scans the tavern and quickly finds Shadowheart seated at a booth along the wall. Their eyes meet, Shadowheart waving her over with a warm smile on her face. “There you are!” she exclaims as Tav draws closer. “My goodness, I feel as if it's been ages!” The two women exchange a quick embrace, planting chaste kisses upon eachother's cheek.

“Good to see you again, Shadowheart,” Tav says as she settles into the booth. She removes her hat and scarf, placing both items on the cushion to her left.

Shadowheart soon joins her, taking a sip from her glass of wine. “Shall I ask for another glass?” she proposes, nodding to hers. “We could just order a bottle,” she quickly adds with a smirk.

“Oh, no, I'm quite fine,” Tav declines, a sharp twist in her abdomen forms at the thought. “Truth be told, I haven't had the best stomach, as of late.” Bile begins to rise in the back of her throat as a quick wave of nausea passes over her. She quickly swallows it back down.

Taking another sip from her glass, Shadowheart cocks her head to the side. “Truly? Why haven't you been to see me yet?”

“Not to worry,” waving a hand in reassurance. “I've been to a healer. All is well,” Tav replies with a liar’s smile.

All is not well. None of this is well.

Fortunately, Shadowheart takes the bait and quickly switches subjects. Waiting for service, they begin a pleasant conversation about resettling back into their lives. They speak of their new jobs and all other mundane activities of day-to-day life, sharing a few laughs between remarks as they pursue the menus in front of them.

The waitress takes their orders – Shadowheart keeps it light, ordering salad with grilled chicken; Tav orders a rare steak with potatoes and a side of vegetables. “Rare?” Shadowheart comments as soon as the waitress is out of earshot. “You hate all meat, unless it’s well done.”

She's right. Any hint of pink in Tav’s portion would go right back into the fire. “I-I've been trying new things lately,” Tav explains, rubbing her neck coyly. The cravings only seem to grow as the days pass, and she briefly wonders if it's a consequence of having a half-vampiric pregnancy.

Shadowheart raises a brow again, but fortunately does not pry further. The women then delve into a discussion regarding their old companions as they wait for their meals. Tav talks of her efforts to bolster the city watch with Wyll, now the Duke after his father's unfortunate death. Shadowheart speaks of Gale, who she notes has since opened a school of wizardry back in Waterdeep. Neither has heard much regarding the others, though they agree that they're most likely doing well.

Shadowheart wastes little time once their meals arrive, forking salad into her mouth. “So, have you heard from Astarion at all?” she asks casually after swallowing.

A shudder passes over Tav as she begins slicing into her steak. “No,” she feigns with eyes cast downward, “I-I have not.”

Gesturing toward Tav with her fork as she chews, Shadowheart swallows. “I read something interesting in the Gazette a few days ago,” she suggests.

“About him?” Tav questions, bringing a potato wedge to her mouth.

Shadowheart shakes her head in disapproval around a sip of wine. “Not in particular,” she clarifies. “They don't name him explicitly, though it made me think of him.”

Silence befalls the table as Tav awaits her companion to continue. She doesn't trust her voice enough at this point to offer more to their conversation now that Astarion is the topic at hand. Playing idly with the vegetables on her plate, she chooses a small piece of broccoli to bring up to her mouth. The heavy pull of dread is beginning to creep in, her chest tightening.

“They… mentioned an incident that occurred in the sewers but a tenday ago,” explains Shadowheart, a sour expression befitting her face. “Some sort of deal gone wrong.”

Tav looks up to meet Shadowheart's gaze, puzzled. “How exactly does that involve him?” she inquires.

“Well, that's just the thing,” Shadowheart continues, “those first on the scene mentioned five victims in total, all young males.” She interrupts herself to feed another forkful of salad into her mouth, swallowing before resuming, “They were all reported as being exsanguinated, though only three had their throats slashed.”

Tav swallows hard around another piece of steak, silently savoring the rare flavor washing over her tongue as she focuses her attention on Shadowheart. “And the other two?”

Shadowheart looks sheepishly around the bar, discomfort evident. She dips her head. “Tav, I know of your history with Astarion. I don't wish to speak ill of him out of respect for you.”

Tav's fist tightens around the knife in her left hand. The tightness in her chest has traveled up to her throat. Her heart pounds rapidly as she drinks from the glass of water within her right hand. “What of the others?” Tav insists, placing the glass back down on the table with force.

Eyes falling closed, Shadowheart sighs heavily. “The other two…” she begins, voice trailing off. She pulls in a deep breath. “Well, they're reported as having two pin marks on their necks.” She gestures to Tav's throat with a soft nod of her head. “...Not unlike the scars you bear.”

A prickling heat spreads across Tav’s face. A tenday ago? she speaks within her mind. Rather close to when she'd last seen Astarion. Tav recalls again how miffed he'd been that night; impatient and direct, wasting little time coaxing her down onto the bed.

She pushes around a chunk of potato on her plate, anxiety mounting. “What makes you think it was Astarion? It could have been a kobold, or a spider, or-”

“They were gone the next day,” interrupts Shadowheart, bluntly.

Tav’s heart nearly freezes. She locks eyes with Shadowheart. “Gone? What do you mean gone?” she asks frantically, furrowing her brow.

“Gone,” Shadowheart reiterates, raising the wine glass to her lips again. “When the investigators returned the following day alongside the medical examiner, only the three with the knife wounds remained.” She pulls a long drink from the glass. “The other two were nowhere to be found. As if they'd simply gotten up and walked away.”

Tav shivers, entire body twitching with the thought. “T-that doesn't mean it's Astarion, Shadowheart. It could be-”

“Could be what? Another vampire?” suggests Shadowheart, sarcastically. “I don't think Astarion would take kindly to someone else moving into his territory.” She sighs, clicking her tongue. “I'm sorry to say it, Tav, but it sounds an awful lot like him.”

The sounds of the tavern flood Tav’s ears. Her vision narrows to a single pinpoint, the edges of her vision growing fuzzy. She leans back in her seat and closes her eyes. “We don't know that,” Tav states, trying desperately to calm the wild beating of her heart. “We don't know what happened.” She shakes her head, slowly opening her eyes. “We won't know until the case is settled.”

“Why do you still defend him?” asks Shadowheart bluntly, mouth pulling into a displeased pout. “Surely you remember how badly he hurt you. Why continue to defend him at all?”

The question echoes in her mind. Why does she defend him? The man is a monster; an abomination, as Jaheira had called his child. Tav knows not who he’s become. Small glimpses of the man he once was shine through now and again, mostly when they argue. The stubborn selfishness of him reveals itself, inevitably bleeding into raw passion once she works at him enough. It almost makes her feel at home in his arms, albeit for a few hours.

“He wouldn't, Shadowheart. It's not like him…” Tav says, quietly. She's unsure if she believes it or if she's lying in an effort to convince herself that it's true. She's suddenly lost her appetite, pushing the plate of food away from her.

Shadowheart is quiet for some time, eyes cast down at the table. “Well,” she says, cutting through the silence, “let's hope he's as innocent as you say.”

Silence stretches across the table before the two women agree to shift the conversation elsewhere. They inevitably tie up their gathering, sharing an embrace and chaste kisses to the cheeks once again. They vow to meet the following week, and head out on their way.

Walking back toward her apartment, Tav's stomach begins to sour as she thinks over her conversation with Shadowheart. Vivid images of Astarion sinking his fangs into the necks of the alleged victims flood her mind's eye. She feels a tingling sensation over her own scars as she imagined how they must have felt. Could he have really done such a thing? The sounds of the city are almost absent from her ears as she ponders the question.

“Wait a minute,” she speaks aloud, freezing in place. Her eyes are cast down to the cobblestone street below as her heart fills with horror. Her mouth dries quickly, choking as she tries to breathe.

The last night she'd seen Astarion coincides almost exactly with the timeline of the murders within the sewers. If the report is true, then Astarion's enthusiasm that night wasn't solely due to want, necessarily. Tav dips into a small alley between two buildings, leaning against the brick wall as her knees grow weak.

No, his insistence was not due to missing her. It was attributed to blood-fueled lust, a state Tav has seen him in a number of times. She clasps a hand over her mouth as a sob suddenly racks her chest. Her whole body shakes as the horrific realization sinks deep into her bones. The puzzle aligns near perfectly as the thought continues to blossom.

Astarion had come to her bed after draining two people dry. He didn't spend time on their typical foreplay because he couldn't. Tav knows the power mortal blood has over him, and she doubts the ascension has changed that. She recalls how it all but possesses his thoughts, his feelings, and his body, enslaved by the sheer power of unbridled desire running through him.

Lurching forward, she begins to dry heave; a million thoughts race across her mind. He couldn't have done this on purpose, could he? He wouldn't. There's simply no way he would. Denial clouds her thoughts as saliva drips freely from her open mouth, gathering it together to spit upon the floor. Holding a hand to her stomach she rises, leaning her temple against the cool brick of the wall next to her. She closes her eyes, trying to calm her excitement with slow, deep breaths.

“No innocents; you have my word.”

Astarion's past promise to her rings loudly in her ears. It was from this promise their almost nightly affair to keep him well-fed began. Tav tries desperately to block out the memories of what would transpire after their sessions; how could she have not noticed? All the signs were there.

Because he didn't drink from me.

Her stomach churns again and she rubs her hand in a circular motion above her navel. Her chest burns as she chokes back tears. What to do, now? Does she wait until his next visit to confront him? When will that be? The anticipation will burn a hole through her soul, she knows. But, what other option does she have? 

A small voice wrestles from within as she wipes her mouth with the back of a hand.

…Do I go to him?

The decision is made before the logical side of her mind can argue a rational point, her feet carrying her toward the Crimson Palace. She second guesses the choice; from some place within, a voice yells for her to reconsider. 

He'll tell me the truth, surely, she argues against her doubt. 

Right?

Aware that she's potentially putting herself in a grave position, Tav cannot rest until he tells her otherwise. She needs to hear from Astarion's own mouth that he didn't murder five people only to share her bed mere hours later. She needs to hear from him that he wouldn't do this, that he still abides by his promise to her, that her blood is all he's ever known.

“Why do I care so much?” Tav questions aloud to herself, practically running now toward the monastery. She shakes her head in an attempt to clear her thoughts; he will eventually drink the blood of others. If he is to create an army of spawn as he'd so claimed after the ritual, that would be the only way to do so.

They're no longer lovers; no longer deeply acquainted. They just sleep together, and she fell pregnant as a result. 

Why does she care so much?

Before long, Tav stands before the immaculate palace. Grand mahogany doors stand proudly at the building's entrance, adorned with intricate carvings along the wood. Black metal knockers depicting the faces of gargoyles signal a way in. Tav’s hand reaches instinctively around the bell of one, pulling up.

Before she can complete the knock, the door creaks open. A faint glow from a distant light source cracks through the opening of the door and Tav releases the handle, stepping back. She freezes in place, fully expecting the door to continue opening. Yet, it halts, remaining only slightly ajar. Stale air greets her nostrils and a shiver passes through her.

Silence suddenly engulfs her, the sounds of the city falling dormant. As she surveys the area around her, Tav notes no other presence out on the street for as far as the eye can see. Her ears pick up the soft sound of someone humming, and she determines its origin lies within the palace. 

An assimon carved into the middle of the marble trim along the heavy doors catches her attention as she looks up. Tav turns her head as she studies the figure; a young woman with long hair, eyes closed and wings outstretched as she holds a lance within one hand.

The humming from within the building turns into a tune and cuts through Tav’s daydream. She shakes her head briefly, regrouping. She can turn away now and forget this entire thing. Forget that this was even a thought that crossed her mind, leave, and no one would ever know she was here.

A quick flash of Astarion’s fangs piercing into skin flits across Tav’s vision. She winces. I simply must know, she reassures herself. Drawing in a deep breath, she steps forward.

Resting the flat of her palm against the door, Tav slowly pushes it open. The old metal and wood fuss loudly as the door gives way under the force of her hand. The faint glow of the light from within now pours out, illuminating the street behind her. With some hesitation, Tav steps over the threshold, disappearing into the palace.

#astarion #ascended astarion #bg3 astarion #fanfiction #astarion ancunin #astarion angst #astarion smut #astarion x female tav #astarion x tav #bg3

[myfanfic-urfantrash]

Honkai Star Rail A/B/O: Express Trio

Characters: Caelus, Dan Heng, and March.

CW: omegaverse, implied nsfw

A/N: I thought about my fave trio for a second too long :3c

-------

Caelus

People often get confused on his secondary gender and are torn between a strong smelling Beta or a weak smelling Alpha, but he's truthfully an omega. Another reason this is, is because he has little idea on how to be an omega so he just does whatever feels right to him.

He also just refuses to wear a collar, finding it uncomfortable even with the softer kinds.

Smells like citrus, specifically oranges including the bitter peel regularly but during his heats the sweetness of sugar gets added. He smells delicious.

Prefers to spend his heats surrounded by stuff he's found on his travels...and trash cans. At least he cleans the items up before he adds them to his nest?

Has a favorite blanket that MUST be in his nest or he'll freak out. It was one of the first gifts he received from his dear friends since he joined the Astral Express and thus one of the very few things he can call his own.

When he's with his partner, regardless of their secondary gender, he loves to build his nest with them and include their own bedding with his.

Wants to spend his heats with his partner no matter their secondary and gets sad when they need to leave his nest even for short periods. Don't worry he bounces right back into being a content omega once they rejoin him, just give him extra cuddles for leaving he deserves it.

Dan Heng

He's an Alpha but his pheromones are a bit of a mess due to his...past so he mostly keeps his scent glands covered up as much as possible.

Smells like rain and fresh ink on parchment but covers it up with scent patches and high collared clothes.

If he has an omega partner he prefers for them to scent him rather than scent them himself, though he won't mind scenting their bedding should they need it for their nest.

His ruts don't' come consistently which is inconvenient but at least they only last for a few days. Prefers to deal with his rut alone as he's so uncomfortable it's hard for him to be in the mood. Though if his partner wants to stay by his side he'll let them and hide with them under his sheets as they lay beside him.

On the rare chance he's in the mood he's not gonna leave his bed or their nest for anything besides necessities.

Once he bonds with his partner his ruts become more consistent and he finds himself in the mood more often than not so

During his partners heats he'll tend to them but he won't treat them like they're like fragile glass. He'll stick by their side reading a book beside them and occasionally get up to get what they need. He's more open to helping out during their heats than dealing with his own ruts because he prefers to focus on his partner over himself.

March 7th

An omega as well though her scent tends to be more on the stronger side. It can get a bit overwhelming when she's upset but smells like heaven when she's content or happy.

She smells like a cool desert of marshmallows and strawberries with mint.

Likes to wear collars over wearing just scent patches as she can get super cute ones that match her adorable aesthetic. She has a whole collection of cute collars she likes to use daily and for special occasions.

Struggles with building her nests as she wants to add multiple things to it at once in one spot but give her some time and she'll eventually figure it all out. Welcomes her partner to help build her nest with her but each piece's must get her approval before it goes in. Her nests are filled with soft toys and tons of pillows.

Likes to spend her heats with her partner just cuddling rather than having fun, not that she's opposed but she mostly feels kinda achy and gross so she'd prefer some comfort until she's feeling better. Once she's ready for fun her partner better spoil her rotten!

Doesn't care too much about her partners presentation though I feel she might prefer an omega partner since they could relate and bond more.

#gender neutral reader #honkai star rail x reader #honkai star rail a/b/o #dan heng x reader #caelus x reader #march 7th x reader #I must show my adoration for Caelus somehow :D #and show some love for Dan Heng :3c #and of course we can't forget March :V #I am on a a/b/o roll

[headspace-hotel]

Do you have any tips for solid worldbuilding?

Signed, an amateur fantasy writer whose only prior fantasy worldbuilding knowledge was ToG and its ilk 😭😭😭

Don't get your ideas just from other fantasy books. Get inspiration mostly from real world things that are cool to you. Read non-fiction about stuff that is really interesting to you, even if it's just wikipedia articles. Then imagine what those things might be like in a fantasy world.

If there is any topic that you know a lot about, write that into your worldbuilding. If you know a lot about purebred cats, imagine fantasy purebred cats or purebred dragons. If you know a lot about cooking, go crazy with fantasy food. If you know a lot about fiber arts, guess what

Instead of trying to make up a "new" take on an existing mythological creature, just make something up.

Don't be judgmental. When you are building cultures, remember that cultural beliefs and practices exist for a reason, so always try to see their perspective of the world and why it is the way that it is. There is really no such thing as "superstition," only the tendency of humans to grasp at patterns in situations where they don't have control.

People who are the same religion can have very different beliefs and probably could end up arguing with each other. Also, not all religions are based on "belief/faith" or have heaven and hell, that's mostly Christianity.

Don't try to force big political events in your world to line up with the individual stories of characters; the evil ruler can get killed halfway through your story instead of at the climax of the story. Your character doesn't have to actually fight in the decisive battle that changes the course of history. Your character doesn't have to be a queen or "important figure." History doesn't have main characters; 99.9% of people are just some guy, and the .1% mostly THINK they're just some guy, and none of them understand the historical significance of an event as it's happening to them. Stories are happening all the time, they don't have to link directly to kings and empires.

BUT, if you want to write about main characters who are queens and princes and stuff, don't try to ground them in realistic political issues and down to earth explorations of social problems. Stories where the "main character of history" thing works are frequently interpersonal/familial dramas exaggerated to the world-wide stage AND/OR heavily mythologized to the point where the characters have a demi-god-like status AND/OR soap opera like dramas where everyone's vices and unusual traits and charisma are exaggerated. The climax of Star Wars or of Hamlet isn't ABOUT regime change, it's about the familial relationships of the characters.

Instead of trying to figure out big things like "culture," "food" etc, pay attention to your everyday life for a while and think about how your character would do things you do, like wash their hair or go out to buy food. Where does your character go to hang out? How do they clean their teeth? How do they learn the news?

Just make stuff up whenever you feel like it and you can write it all in throughout later.

Use sensory details to describe otherworldly things and be EXTREMELY specific and EXTREMELY confident about it. If your character drinks a potion, you have to describe the taste in a way that only someone who has drunk that potion could possibly be able to guess. So don't say it tasted "sour," say that it tasted like lemon rind, except with none of the fresh crispness of citrus, but instead a perfume-like burning that seemed to cling to the inside of your mouth and make your throat feel frostbitten.

If you think of an idea that feels a little TOO weird and bizarre, that's a sign that it's exactly the amount of weird and bizarre that it needs to be.

Ignore any of these pieces of advice that you want, don't listen to writing advice too much

#worldbuilding

[dip-the-stick]

sorry

#you can have him back now btw im bored #dipshitposts #poll

[apollos-olives]

as I am sad and sick I would like to hear some nice things. Is there any Palestinian flora/fauna you wish everyone could see?

(Personally I'm a biiiiiig fan of the cedars as a tree lover, but I've never been fortunate enough to see one in person 😭 cedrus libani... I will visit you one day...)

i hope you feel better soon!!

i don't know much about flowers in general but palestinians are very big on fruits. most palestinians grow a few fruit trees around their houses, and if they own some acres then they often have stuff like olive trees or palm trees. whenever you go to a downtown of a city, you can usually find stands upon stands of fresh fruits and flowers and whatnot. we're really also into nuts, and we spice and season nuts as a snack as well.

my grandpa has a small house in jericho, and he grows many trees of fruits around his home. he mostly grows figs, which are usually ripe when we come over so we can pick them right off the tree and eat it there. he also grows tiny oranges (?), about the size of a curled up pinky i think. you can usually pick them off the tree or bush and pop the whole thing in your mouth, even with the peel. it's kinda tart and i didn't like it very much, with it's textures and whatnot. i don't actually know if it's an orange, but it's definitely some sort of citrus. my dad said it might be called "kumquats" in english, but i just now got off the phone with my family in nablus and they said they called it "chinese oranges" in arabic lol. no one really knows what they're called but that's something that is easily grown around.

we have a LOT of palm trees, and usually if you're driving around the area you can come across many fields of palm trees and find dates. you can eat them before they're "ripe", when they're more round and yellow, and they're very sweet and delicious. in jericho, up on the mountain of the temple, you can look down on the city and see very long fields of dates being harvested. usually their harvesting season is around august/september (which means jesus would've been born in the summer since mary ate ripe dates when she birthed jesus lol), so if you go during the summer (by the way. jericho is BOILING during the summer. lowest place on earth, boiling hot. our car engine fucking MELTED WHILE WE WERE DRIVING) then you can find some really good fresh dates being served.

we just really love our fruits

#palestine #sorry it took so long to respond i called my family to ask what those lil oranges were called and then we got off track and talked for hour

[followthebluebell]

Hi! I hope this ask finds you well and you're having a great day! I had a question on cat behavior, mostly trying to figure out some issues we've been having in training our cats. They're both about a year old now, and we've had them since they were roughly ~15 weeks (they were abandoned by the dumpster at my inlaws apartment and they ended up bonding with me). My girl Sabrina doesn't do this as much as her brother Sebastian does (or at least we've caught him doing it more often), and that's scratching at doors rather than the cat towers they have. We've been trying to figure out how to get them on the scratching posts for months but he's just not having it and my sister in law has told me their mom (who was abandoned with them and she adopted) does the same thing at the wall. We've tried pretty much everything we've seen online and some things I've seen said it might be them marking territory? The only thing we haven't tried is the citrus sprays yet and that's been the next on the list. It's done some pretty bad damage to the door frame and we're about to have an inspection next month. They're the best cats in the world and we love them so much but we don't know what to really do here and I'm also a first time cat owner. My friend pointed me over to your wonderful blog and I was wondering if you might have any advice for us to try? I just want to see them happy and thriving but also not get in trouble with the housing people. Thank you so much for your time!

Hello there!

Yeah, cats can damage doorframes pretty badly; I think it's because doors just smell interesting. They bring in all sorts of smells every time they open.

So, your choices are to either redirect the behavior or discourage it entirely.

If you want to discourage it, you can try using double-sided sticky tape or silicone tape. The bad news is that this kind of tape can risk damaging your doorframe or peel the paint off. But since you're replacing the doorframe anyway, you can sort of test it out. If it damages it further, no harm done; it was going to be replaced anyway. Cats really don't like sticky textures and will try to avoid touching them (honestly, same).

You can also redirect it. You KNOW your cat wants to scratch in that location for very specific reasons: so you can give them an alternative surface to scratch on by putting a hanging scratching post on the doorknob. These are pretty cheap and are available in a few different types of surfaces. Most cats LOVE the cardboard ones. They don't last very long but it seems to be the most popular surface in my experience.

They don't have to hang either. There are also scratching mats that you can literally put on the wall. Hell, you can even cut them up into thin strips that are just wide enough to cover a doorframe. Most of these types of mats come with their own adhesive. Again, be warned that the adhesive backing can damage certain types of surfaces! It's a good idea to test them first.

I hope this helps!

[arsnovacadenza]

Bang Brave Bang Bravern perfumes on sale

COZYWAVE is releasing four scents inspired by characters from Bravern with details of each scent listed below (translated from the site using Google). From what I can tell, they're mostly dominated by citrus-y notes (is that how you say it? Idk perfume)

Bravern: CITRUS HERBAL

The top has sparkling citrus and powerful cinnamon bark spices, while the middle is filled with elegant red rose, rich jasmine, and refreshing lavender. The last scent is a powerful musk amber that gives you a sense of justice.

□ Top notes: lemon, lime, cinnamon bark □ Middle notes: jasmine, rose, lavender, lavandin □ Base notes: musk, amber, sandalwood

Isami: CITRUS WOODY

The top is a fresh leafy green like a young leaf, and the bright orange highlights the fresh Shikuwasa, while the exotic jasmine and ylang-ylang in the middle give a calm impression, and the last is a solid one and strong core. A deep woody amber scent

□ Top notes: Shikuwasa, leafy green, orange □ Middle notes: jasmine, ylang-ylang, iris, rose □ Base notes: vetiver, cedarwood, agarwood, amber

*Shikuwasa: Citrus depressa, also known as Okinawa lime.

Lewis: CITRUS FLORAL

A refreshing top scented with fresh lemon, orange, and mandarin, followed by an elegant rose and refreshing green floral middle that highlights the vibrant plumeria full of vitality. The last scent is a warm sandalwood and amber scent that creates a mood.

□ Top notes: lemon, orange, mandarin □ Middle notes: Muguet, lily, rose, plumeria □ Base notes: musk, sandalwood, amber

Lulu: FRUITY MUSK

The sweet and sour top full of fruit juices of apple, plum, mandarin, and pear gives an innocent impression, and the middle is a gorgeous floral with clear muguet, which overlaps with vanilla and white musk at the end, giving you the impression of an inorganic and innocent girl.

□ Top notes: Apple, plum, mandarin □ Middle notes: Rose, jasmine, muguet, pear □ Base notes: vanilla, white musk, peach

Also, you can apparently get one (?) Hawaiian Host Chocolate Covered Macadamia Nuts as a pre-order bonus? I'm totally not joking

Head over to this page for more Info or check out COZYWAVE's Twitter

#yuuki bakuhatsu bang bravern #bang brave bang bravern #bravern #ao isami #lewis smith #lulu (bravern) #uhhhh I think I'm ordering Lewis's scent #they all sound good tho I'm interested in Lulu's too

[randoimago]

Day 6 - Fantasy AU

Fandom: Ouran Highschool Host Club

Character(s): Mori (Takashi Morinozuka)

Type of Request: 31 Days of October

Note(s): Was struggling with how to write this one for a while but then an idea came to me at like 2am (funny how that happens)

Once again, some traveling stranger came into the nearby village claiming to sell love potions. And once again, Mori is keeping an eye and ear out to make sure none of them end up in the proximity of those he cares about.

He knows how popular his friends are. Prince Tamaki, Advisor Kyoya, the court jester twins. He knows they're all sought after, and he knows what extents some people will go in hopes of being the object of their affection. It's tiring and Mori just needs a break.

And so, he decides he's had enough of chasing around and listening for news of who has the potions when he decides to go to the source instead. He knows that he probably shouldn't go alone, but he does anyway. He knows he's strong. He's confident in his abilities. But he also knows to stay vigilant and be cautious too.

Mori hears of where the stranger's little setup is at. He follows the trail, and he watches as another girl buys some type of potion. It's not the stereotypical overly pink and bubbly love potion that he recognizes, but he still has a feeling it could lead to trouble.

You're just finishing another sale of one of your "potions", when the strong and silent knight walks over. You vaguely recognize him as a bodyguard to the prince that would walk alongside whenever the prince came into the village. Seeing him here is a bit of a surprise, but you keep a smile on your face.

"Hello, sir! Can I help you with something?" You ask, being polite and friendly. Mori stays silent as he observes you, looking for any hidden aggression or making sure he's not about to be tricked.

"The love potions. They've been making a mess." He's blunt as he tells you this and it does surprise you a bit to hear it. But then you give a sigh and a sheepish smile at his words.

"Let me guess, some poor girl thought she could win the heart of one of the prince's court and tried to slip a potion in a drink?" You say and the nod Mori gives makes you shake your head. "I keep telling these people that they don't work like that." You sigh and massage your temple as you bring out one of the "love potions" in question for Mori to view.

It's the same shade that the girl from earlier had gotten. A reddish-orange coloration that's light and doesn't seem as airy as many potions he's seen before.

"How's it work?" He asks and you give him a small smile as you motion for him to take the potion. He doesn't. He just stares as if this is some kind of trick and you sigh.

"It doesn't make someone in love. Hell, it doesn't even do the deep infatuation for an hour then wears off," you explain as you open the potion and waft it a bit to smell. Mori steps a bit closer, seeming more at ease that you were the first to smell the potion as he gets close to do the same.

It's an earthy smell with hints of citrus. Definitely not the overtly sweet smell that love potions give off. Just smelling it makes Mori feel... lighter? Like he's carrying less weight.

"It's got no magic enchantments at all. Just a bunch of herbs to boost the chemicals in your brain - ah, science stuff," you explain and give him a small smile. While science exists, people still rely on magic and enchantments. So to know you brew these "potions" with science instead causes some curiosity in Mori.

"So what's it do?" He asks, once again speaking in short sentences, but his tone is softer as he looks at you and you give a small smile.

"Makes you feel happier, lighter. Kind of as if you are in love, but not quite. I mean, it's mostly used to improve your mood. I like to give small doses of it to those that are sick or feel down about themselves," you tell him and sigh. "I should've known people would spread rumors and that it'd cause trouble."

"It's fine. Thank you for explaining," Mori tells you, placing a hand on your shoulder kindly as you stopper the "potion" again.

"Of course. You can take this one if you'd like. On the house for causing a fuss." Mori gives a nod and smiles as he takes the small bottle. He pulls his hand away from you and hesitates as he feels a bit of reluctancy to do so.

You give him a smile and wave and he does the same, his smile not as bright or easily seen as yours, but it is still there. Mori begins his walk back to the castle, his mind racing as he feels the small weight of the vial in his bag and the weight on his heart.

While you told him that it's not a love potion, he might need to stop by more often just in case. He just hopes you decide to stay in town for a bit longer.

#randoimago 31 days of october #ohshc x reader #mori x reader #takashi morinozuka x reader

[allthingssoulful-garden]

Hi! I know you've survived medschool or nursing school (iirc). I'm currently during my first year at vetschool, and I won't lie, its really hard to find any spare time just to clean my room. Do you have any hacks/tricks about how to keep vegetable gardening even with no free time?

Hey! I did survive med school. Currently surviving my last year of residency.

Medical school is rough (be it human or veterinary) and the first year in particular is brutal. It's a big adjustment of both studying style and lifestyle, so give yourself time to get the hang of it (and you will!).

How I made it work was by gardening only on weekends and school breaks. Choosing mostly native or resilient plants (but make sure you sneak in some plants you're really excited about as well), that wouldn't mind being neglected for longer periods of time. And most plants aren't that delicate anyway. As long as the soil is good, they're fine with some weeds or a few diseased leaves or inconsistent watering. You might not get the best results, but your garden will be fine. It doesn't have to be perfect.

Companion planting can help as well. See what kind of watering system might work in your situation to make your life easier.

I also got some plants for my apartment, mostly citrus trees and a couple of berry plants, just to get me through the week and help me decompress by taking care of them for a few minutes now and then.

I don't now how helpful any of it is as I have no idea how/where you garden or what your plans are, but if you have any other questions, feel free to ask. And good luck with your work!

#messages #gardeners on tumblr

[catchyhuh]

my fave lupin iii blog .... give me your wisdom

cologne / perfume scents for the gang

i had to do an embarrassing amount of research on this one. mostly because perfume lore goes a lot deeper than i ever could have imagined and i wanted to give you something GOOD so ALL THAT SAID if any of you disagree with this you may be right. i did five quizzes, read up on multiple blogs from the 2000s, learned the "scent families" and at the end of the day just gave up and typed "douchiest colognes" into google

lupin: generally speaking, regardless of WHAT he's getting, any "subtle" notes are going to now have the force of a freight train the way he's practically bathing in this stuff. which is pretty rough when already coupled with really strong, amber-y scent type shit. lupin's cologne does not smell light and pleasant, it smells like you walked into a dark red cloud, which is ironic considering the conclusion i came to was dolce and gabbana light blue. people fucking hate this smell, despite parts of it sounding good in theory, and since lupin's shitty cologne has been addressed canonically numerous times, i feel this is it. even a tiny bit of this perfume makes so many people seem to wither like flowers in the sun so i can only imagine what happens when a guy who's been dunktanking himself in this walks in the room

jigen: again, its kind of overpowering. not because he overdoes it like lupin, but again, these are just not very subtle people, and even if jigen does SEEM reserved, he likes making a scene just as much as the others in the right environment. like, a mix of amber and woodsy types. i ended up on dior fahrenheit on this one and it made me realize both lupin and jigen using like, excessively common brands makes sense. for lupin its brand recognition, for jigen it's convenience. he probably smelled this in the fucking 90s and just committed to it since

fujiko: this was simultaneously the hardest and easiest, because i kept looking trying so damn hard to figure this out, to pinpoint what would SCREAM fujiko while still being unique enough to appeal to her lavish tastes, but NORMIE enough that i would be able to read up the notes on perfume reddit (they seem to know what they're talking about there) only to realize. wait. this is the same bitch who won't even keep her hair dyed the same color all the time. fujiko has no specific fashion sense beyond "stylish and with the current times" and i feel that's what applies to her perfume too. well and. hot. i guess. stylish, current, and hot. that's like 50 bottles right off the bat. regardless, it'll always be bold. thats right baby we're at amber AGAIN, but because she doesn't wanna scare off potential prey there's always a faint undertone of sweet flowers. she's smart like that even her perfume is calculated.

goemon: my man does not wear cologne on any occasion. he thinks its silly because you can smell good for free if you just fucking. bathe. why pay 80 dollars to smell bad? HOWEVER (as just established) goemon is bathing and 90% of shampoos/bodywashes have a scent. and goemon's is very... crisp. kinda citrus-y at times? this is the most mundane answer (and the most accessible they got this shit at walmart) but you know that mint teatree shampoo? he's got the faintest hint of that specific scent lingering on him

zenigata: this is going to sound so funny and mean but like. imagine if a smell was trying to look cool but just kind of making an ass of itself. i feel like that's what he'd have, regardless of if the cologne did actually smell good on anyone else, it'd feel just a bit overzealous on him. it was way difficult to find something that made sense to me but wasnt like, again, 80 fucking dollars, because you know for a fact he's spending 15 tops. and that's if he even remembers to wear it. at best, for some reason, i feel like he'd be a sandalwood guy but i can't really place why? honestly i was kinda ready to give up until i saw GREY FUCKING FLANNEL BABY!!! THIS SHIT IS DIRT CHEAP HAS BEEN AROUND SINCE THE 70S AND APPARENTLY EVERYBODY'S DAD KNEW SOMEBODY WHO WORE THIS! AND YOU KNOW WHAT'S IN IT? SANDALWOOD!!!!!!

now i can finally close all these fucking perfumania tabs

#am i really your favorite :) aw. youre my favorite too anon #lupin iii #lupin the third #lupin #jigen #fujiko #goemon #zenigata #asks

[mothcpu]

With the ability to add custom music to the cybergrind out now, what vocaloid songs/songs in general would you recommend? So far i have 39 Music! But I need more ideas

I have a couple spotify playlists for cygrind (general cybergrind / malding at P-2) but those are messy as hell so I'll also link a handful of my favorites under the cut :)

Vocaloid / J-pop News 39, Love! Snow! Really Magic, Ageage Again, and Viva Happy by Mitchie M sukisukisukisukisukisukisukisukisukisuki by PinocchioP I Nyaned for Hours (' w'​) ​‼ by DaniwellP / YZYX LUVORATORRRRRRY! by Reol Virgo by Kiichi Banshee Strikes by Kiichi Bad Apple!! by nomico (a classic)

and some general songs, mostly electronic literally anything by KEYGEN CHURCH but specifically this album ONE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS by Angel Electronics Elixir by Angelspit Freedom Dive by XI Full Metal Dipshit, Mchngrl vs Wlfgrl, and This Is Your Face On Dogs by Machine Girl CITRUS! by lianhua haruhi by jarvas 9999999999 IN A DREAM by Ada Rook Robot Stop and anything off of Infest the Rats' Nest by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard Exorcism by Megachurch Nerds Trying To Dance by Pedestrian Tactics GOD RACE by METAROOM

my joke suggestions are The Seer by Swans and literally any Godspeed You! Black Emperor track. they're all really good but at least three times as long as an average cygrind run

#ask #yt-dlp is best for ripping youtube videos btw

[kerubimcrepin]

Episode 25 - SOS Adventures

Failboyfriend. Absolutely no rizz. Imagine giving a french person a croissant as a gift. Imagine talking to an italian about how much you love Mario as a pick-up line.

If someone tried to appeal to my ~cultural interests~ like this, the sims friendship minus sign would appear over my head.

I'm pretty sure this should constitute as a microaggression for sadidas.

They're all driking lemonade. Cute. Also, I really love how Joris consistently mostly uses straws to drink. He really loves straws.

He's never beating the allegations.

Anyway.

:(

Are you sure about that, Kani?

This is so funny and I have no idea why.

All your base are belong to us.

This guy would feel right at home as a Gravity Falls joke character.

Never change, Keke.

This is like watching an orange insult a lemon for being a citrus.

The funniest joke of the episode, to me.

Joris is the realest one among us. He loves chaos. He loves drama.

#ep25 #wakfu #dofus #krosmoz #ro liveblogs dofus

[stiffyck]

aaaa! Validation! I can give some more!

I imagine that different magics have a different taste, possibly even changing based on the emotion (if it's from a living creature) or who it is from.

He's learned he has a REALLY big taste for plant magic. It's extremely bountiful, and he's learned how to attract it to his areas. He essentially farms it, what with all the trees he makes. Plant magic has a light taste most of the time, but it's very filling. It loses a lot of its flavour as the seasons get colder. Summers are, as best as he can describe, "spicy".

Vex magic feels like licking a battery. It tastes like copper. It fills him with energy, but doesn't do much more than that.

Scar has found subtle ways of tasting the magic of other hermits. While some just let it off in waves (and let me tell you, he was DROOLING when he first arrived. so many flavours! and they're just GIVING it away!), most hermits will embue their builds with magic. This is mostly unintentional. But it just means Scar can walk through people's builds and "sample" some of their magic.

(feel free to make up your own, but) Pearl's base tastes weird this season, like if plant magic was struck by lightning, mixed with glow berries and something else he can't pin down.

The magic crystals still confuse him a bit. They work kind of like he does, they just absorb ambient energy and store it. The ones he had were well charged and pretty old, so they were a great snack when needed. (Magic Mountain wasn't all that magical, at least on its own. the Enchanter helped a bit.)

Also, he can eat magic in a few different ways. the one he uses the most is just being able to absorb it through physical contact, like his fingers or perhaps lips. This method doesn't yield much energy but it keeps him moving.

The more effective method is through physical consumption. He's got a wicked bite and stomach that can digest anything, so as long as he can fit it in his mouth, he can take energy from it.

The hermits were. concerned. when he broke into lookie-lookie after a few weeks missing, ravenously eating enchanted books.

(they taste dusty. and like citrus.)

YES YES I LOVE THIS

#stiff talk #asks #gtws #au rambles #magic stealer scar

[callmearcturus]

the au everyone but me is sick of

so while i was super depressed and sad, i did the Extremely Predictable and wrote more fallout AU to comfort myself. someone left a comment suggesting i write out the full epilogue so I started doing that just to ensure I was writing SOMETHING.

i have no idea if I will finish, so here is what I have so far for your amusement.

this will make literally no sense if you haven't read out here the good girls die.

Even now, Karkat had never learned how to be a morning person, and so assumed he was just never going to make that switch. Here in the late California summer, the mornings were blessedly cool and forgiving while his beloved nights were balmy until the moon was high in the sky. For comfort's sake alone, he should have adapted.

But no. Like clockwork, every morning found him here, sitting at the kitchen table with his eyes mostly shut, his head heavy on his neck in a way that let him doze for a while, yes, but also ensured he was going to get a knot lodged right at the top of his spine. This was the devil's bargain he took Monday to Friday, except for the Fridays where he decided the office could just open later, he didn't care.

"Are you conscious, ranger?" 

"No," Karkat said, managing to make one syllable into a vehicle conveying his ire.

"Poor baby," another voice said, and something was set down in front of Karkat. He blurrily opened his eyes and looked at the plate. A nice little pile of roti with a generous scoop of chutney. 

Karkat smiled to himself at the sight. He'd missed his father's breakfast as soon as he left home some ten years ago. Getting to have it again as Dave picked up on a few recipes was heartwarming in a way that threatened to cause a brush fire in his chest.

Tearing one roti, he dabbed it through the chutney. "The lemons came in?"

"They're, like, almost oranges? I dunno, your dad says citrus crossbreeds a bunch." Dave knuckled his hip and looked across the kitchen at Rose.

She shook her head silently; Rose didn't eat breakfast most days. Apparently that was the default for her, divorced from her life in the Mojave where everyone ate whenever they could, unsure of when their next meal would be. "The free lovers of the produce world," she offered in bemusement.

"Ugh," Dave said, nose wrinkling.

"Contain your prudishness."

"M'not a prude, I just don't want to think 'bout the orchard orgies this early, it's perfectly fuckin' reasonable." He held out a spoon to her. "Will you just try this, it's the first one pops let me do on my own without hoverin'."

"It's good," Karkat confirmed as he ate.

"Your constant need for approval is truly your greatest failing," Rose told him sternly as she bent to taste the chutney. Dave tried to swat her; she dodged nimbly. "Don't, I just did my hair." Swallowing, she gave him one brisk, prescribed nod. "Tart. Anise?"

"Yeah, I don't dig anise, but baba fucking insists on it."

"It's good," Karkat said again.

"What is his name?" Rose asked suddenly. 

"Who?" Dave picked up a roti for himself and spooned in some chutney, rolling it like a little burrito.

"The elder Vantas."

"Dunno. At this point, I'm playin' the long game, seeing if I can go the my entire life without knowing."

Rose crossed her arms and looked at Karkat, eyebrow lifted.

Shrugging, Karkat chewed slowly and offered no answer.

"Fine, please yourself," Rose said. She always referred to Karkat's father with dignified appellations, Father Vantas and Monsieur Vantas and such. Karkat was pretty sure her mouth refused to form diminutive sounds like *baba.* It was fun to watch her verbally dodge each one while Dave tacked more on.

He wasn't about to spoil that for them.

"You have an appointment with the teacher's union in an hour," Rose announced. "When you have sated yourself, let's be off, councilor."

"And who's your meetin' with?" Dave asked sunnily.

"What could you mean, brother-mine, I'm just the secretary." She opened the fridge and took out a nuka. Cracking the top of with a precise strike against the counter, she took a swig. "Hurry up, Karkat."

If working with the military had taught Karkat anything, it was how to march.

=

As of the last regional election, Karkat worked out of the council house. Vineyard wasn't such a political foothold in the Republic that it had been contentious, and there were enough other former military people peeled off the Navarro base that Karkat's commendation had actually meant something.

It hadn't been how Karkat intended to spend his retirement, but also Rose was right; he was civic-minded and liable to go fucking stir-crazy if he didn't have something to do. So in the end, he let the whole thing happen.

And here he was, his schedule peppered liberally with meetings, trying to figure out how to not piss off too many people, and to really piss off very specific people.

But on some level, he never stopped being a ranger and probably never would.

The representative of the teacher's union talked about their back order of textbooks from the closest press, how they'd put in the order two years ago and there was still nothing to show for it. It wasn't fair that children around Shady Sands had whatever materials they wanted while anyone even slightly off the highway had to make do.

Karkat asked what kind of books they needed, and took notes.

"Are we going somewhere," Rose asked when she caught Karkat in the living room with a map on the table.

"Another errand," Karkat muttered, walking his fingers from Vineyard to the spot on the map he needed. "You two can stay, it'll only be a few days."

"What sob story tugged at your overflowing bouquet of heartstrings this time?"

"School needs more books. Press is taking its sweet fucking time and kids are having to share texts."

"Sounds like the work of a strongly worded letter to the capital."

"Already sent one. Now it sounds like I can cut out the middle man and just hit this old vault for what they have."

"You hate vaults," Dave said from down the hall. "Why are we talkin' about vaults?"

"It's not really a vault," Karkat said. "Old Brotherhood bunker, remnants from a chapter that folded some fifty years back. All the tech got claimed by the Followers, but they'll let me have extra books for if its for education."

"And this something that must fall squarely on your own shoulders?" Rose asked, dropping herself into the armchair as she observed Karkat's manual cartography. As she did, Dave wandered in, his hair curling around the nape of his neck, damp from a shower, walking around barefoot with a towel around his hips.

"It's just…" Karkat frowned at them. "I know where to go, who to talk to, what to say. Why would I rope in some daytripper who doesn't know their ass from their elbow when I can just do it myself, the point is eliminating the middleman. I'm not going to add in another middleman for kicks."

Rose sighed loudly, leaning her cheek on her hand, as if Karkat was being disappointing in a predictable way. 

"You're staying here, I don't know what your issue is," Karkat said. "If I didn't know better, and I fucking do, I'd say you were concerned and were going to miss me."

"Luckily we do know better," Rose said dryly. "No, but Dave will, and I will have to deal with his longing looks and whimpering in your absence."

"Oh, fuck you," Dave said, turning right back around and leaving the room. "Bye, California, try not to step on a deathclaw's foot while you're out."

Pointing over her shoulder, Rose said, "See? He'll be like that the entire time you're away, and I will have to deal with it."

"Shut up, Rose," Dave called down the hall.

"I'm not even leaving yet, can you both relax," Karkat said with a sigh.

"Do try not to abandon us for too long," Rose said.

=

He didn't mean to abandon the twins for very long at all. The trip down southeast to the Follower operation was a two-book journey at most.

Karkat tended to estimate his time in that way. When he first was stationed in the Mojave, he got stopped at the Outpost. A security officer had gone through his stuff because generally speaking new people were only supposed to have one gear bag and Ranger Cancer had two.

"Is this thing just books," the officer had asked after awkwardly shifting the books around without removing them from the bag. They were very precisely arranged and stacked inside to maximize space, and the officer didn't seem like she wanted to fuck up the careful engineering.

"I'm on a two year tour," Karkat had said.

"This bag probably weighs more than a bodybag."

"Yeah." Karkat had already had this argument with his superiors back east. If Karkat was willing to carry the fucking thing, he could do what he wanted. However, if he dropped dead of exhaustion from carrying an extra bag through a goddamn desert, they'd leave him behind and write his cause of death as Stupidity.

Karkat hadn't dropped dead, and he'd read through his entire bag during his tour. He'd even given some books out to First Recon as gifts; he knew sniper work was a whole lot of waiting around in boring places.

But now, in California, Karkat took two books with him. They were perfect for passing time before nightfall; the perfect barometer of when he needed to get moving was the necessary light level for reading a yellowed Old World novel. As soon as he started to squint at the words, it was time to go.

Walking through California was different than the desolate quiet of the Mojave. Back in Vegas, Karkat had walked with his rifle in hand. The sight of anyone or anything moving on the horizon was a possible threat; raiders, mutated animals, motherfucking cazadors.

And there was still danger in California, but things were less…. ornery, as Dave would say. People were less willing to tempt death by ambushing a guy in ranger gear.

At Olompali, Karkat checked into an cabin. After cleaning up, he deliberated exactly how he wanted to handle this one. The Followers of the Apocalypse were not fans of the New California Republic, but generally they respected the rangers as a self-managing volunteer group. If the Followers believed in anything, it was anarchic altruism.

Karkat left his helmet and his mantle, keeping his armor light, with his patch on his shoulder. After more deliberation, he left his service pistol and kept his rifle on his back, hoping that would be a sign he was here to be useful but not a threat.

Rose was mortifyingly right about him, Karkat thought with a scowl. The careful picking and choosing of himself to make sure he got the reaction he wanted, it was all very political of him. Thank fuck she wasn't around to see it, to needle him and ask him to explain his precise choices.

Sighing, Karkat went to the old bunker.

The whole ordeal was familiar; the Followers were very sympathetic to Karkat's plight and were openly interested in providing assistance to educational efforts. And what a coincidence, they did have most of the hoarded library the Brotherhood had collected.

But there were just a few things they'd appreciate help with, if Karkat had some time. After all, he did bring a rifle.

Karkat liked the Followers but for fuck's sake, this wasn't his job anymore.

Dave and Rose:

Made it to the Followers safely. Stuck with their honey-do list before they'll give up the books. Will be a little longer than expected. Please remember to actually go shopping and pick up food so you don't starve.

Love you, see you as soon as I can.

California

For ten minutes, Karkat deliberated on the sign off. He'd been witness so many times to the particular distaste the twins had to outright shows of affection and emotional statements.

But it was a letter and he wouldn't be there when they got it, and thus would dodge all of their sarcasm and irritated hissing.

Sealing the letter, he found a courier on the way to Navarro and asked him to detour to Vineyard.

With that handled, Karkat geared up and stormed out on the trail of the raiders the Followers wanted to disappear.

=

The little venture out to the Followers took a few weeks, which was both longer than Karkat intended and shorter than he feared.

These things usually wound up being worth it in his experience. There were times when he showed up in the name of the NCR, carrying some kind of orders from on high, and knew the way people bristled at him, at the way that kind of control chafed against them.

He also knew if he showed up and did shit like this, crossing out items from the honey-do list with blood and dust under his nails, he'd usually luck into a more longterm relationship. People who actually did shit were the truest currency of the New World, more than caps and dollars.

So with a lingering sense of satisfaction, Karkat talked to the doctor running the outpost and verified there would be a caravanner up to Vineyard soon with all the books a brahmin could haul. And just as a bonus, they'd send one of their own instructors along to give a few lectures on science and medicine.

Perfect. With that promise secured, Karkat put his back to the camp and headed home.

By now, he'd traded his books for new ones. He barely read them, eager to get home and traveling straight through one night and into the next day.

Karkat enjoyed being a ranger, but he also enjoyed being home. Having a home still carried its own novelty bias.

With the accelerated pace, Karkat had the good fortune to return to Vineyard at night. As he walked through the streets, one watchmen wandered his way, suitably concerned about someone in full armor with a rifle just out and about in the city.

Karkat waved to him, and got a thumbs up. Just the local ranger, nothing to see here.

Well, ex-ranger.

Arriving home quiet as he could, Karkat divested of his gear in the living room. It was much easier to walk quietly without the extra tonnage weighing him down, less of a risk of waking the twins when the house was dark and quiet like this.

Drinking a full glass of water and washing up briefly, Karkat wandered down the hallway. Checking the double bedroom, he found both beds empty.

Frowning silently, Karkat walked over to his own bedroom, and nudged the door open further. To his relief, someone was sleeping there. The covers were pulled up high enough that he could only see the curve of an ear and some cornsilk white hair, so saying definitively who was impossible.

He could hazard a guess and slipped inside.

When he finally put a knee on the bed, there was a sleepy mumble from under the blankets, but nothing else. Which felt a bit like dousing the warmth in Karkat's heart with moonshine. He was prepared for the usual consequence of disturbing the sleep of a New Vegas citizen, the flash of a knife, the viper's strike. But all he got was a muffled slur of consonants that might've been Rose's name with a question mark attached.

Moving over Dave, Karkat dropped himself down behind, his body fitting into the space under the windowsill, back against the wall. He couldn't help the deep sigh loosened from him at the feeling of finally being off his feet.

For a few moments, he assumed that was that, and it was time to sleep. He certainly could just fall the fuck asleep now, the weeks of work and travel coming up from behind him to smother him into slumber.

Then, Dave shifted, and the back of his hand thumped against Karkat's chest, turning to let his fingers coast over his clavicle. "Not Rose," he muttered, turning more and opening his eyes, pale little wet crescents in the dark. "Look what blew in with the tumbleweeds."

Karkat closed his hand around Dave's, pulling it up to press his lips against the knuckles. "Hey."

"Been a while." His fingertips touched Karkat's jaw. "Mammillaria."

What? "What?"

"They don't got razors in the F-O-T-A?" There was a huff of laughter. "You are so prickly."

"Was kind of busy doing their goddamn busywork," Karkat grumbled. "Didn't have time between the raiders and setting up gecko traps and investigating their water filter theft thing."

"Fuckin' itinerant do-gooder." Dave pressed his thumb against Karkat's scratchy jaw, eyes shutting again.

"Shit got done." Karkat was perfectly fine with the little touches, the point of connection stretching across the gap between them, a soft landing after so much time away. "Where's Rose?"

Dave sounded drowsily amused. "Prob'ly shouldn't tell you."

"Why?"

"Think she's, uh. Having a sleepover with the hospitality guild. Talking about… plans."

Karkat's eyes popped open as he considered that. Rose out for a clandestine 2AM meeting with the local sex workers. Which, he would probably be supportive of whatever the fuck that was about, but also he needed some plausible deniability. Karkat was a terrible fucking liar. "Yeah, don't tell me that."

"Sorry, councilor," Dave chuckled. His fingers were still skating idly around. A little considering noise escaped his mouth.

"What's wrong?"

There was enough of a pause that when Dave said, "Nuthin'," Karkat knew he was lying. Squinting at him in the dark, Karkat watched Dave press his head further into the pillow. "You know how the dust out there can make someone's skin all shiny? You're rockin' that look pretty nicely, California."

He did know it pretty well, how there was that grace period between fresh-washed to grime where it was almost like every speck of dust caught some ephemeral light and shone, making someone look like they were carved by some lost Old World master. Many times, Karkat had seen that sheen over Dave's skin and had stared for way too long, wanting to touch but certain he'd smudge it, ruin it.

Also, that was back when touching Dave was less of an inevitability.

Closing his eyes and soaking up the attention, Karkat hummed quietly.  Curling his hand around Dave's arm, he thought he could definitely sleep like this. It had the possibility of being the best sleep of his life.

"Are you for real tired?" Dave asked. "You, mister sun hater? Mister night tripper?"

"I've been traveling for almost two days straight," Karkat pointed out mulishly. "I wanted to get back to you."

"Oh. Well." Dave blew out a breath, and sounded almost a little disappointed, which made Karkat squint at him. "If you are going to conk out then you at least gotta give me somethin'."

Bracing with his elbow, Dave slid in closer to Karkat and kissed him, hands curling around his neck, thumbs stroking Karkat's cheeks.

#dumb fallout au #davekat #my fic

[minimetalxena]

Hi this is extremely late but i heard you wanna talk Lobalore?

I didn't see this until just now but absolutely!!! I love them so much they occupy a very large spot in my brain. Feel free to send headcanons or fic prompts or whatever :3

Some of mine:

Loba steals Anita's hoodies and jackets. She somehow manages to make them look glamorous. Anita pretends to find it annoying but she secretly finds it cute.

That being said, Anita isn't a fan of the cold. She's from a warm planet and gets chilly much faster than Loba does, which Loba teases her about.

Loba likes pineapple on pizza. Anita hates it. They order half-and-half pizzas because of this.

Loba’s lock screen is a selfie she took with Anita on their first real date. Her home screen is the very next moment when Anita leaned in to kiss her on the cheek.

Loba still has nightmares, but they've gotten a lot better since she and Anita got together. When she has one Anita is quick to wrap her in a tight embrace and comfort her.

They usually sleep back-to-back but always close to each other.

 Anita wakes up early (military habit) but Loba sleeps in. Sometimes she'll be woken up by Anita not being there, sometimes Anita comes back to bed to snuggle her.

Anita loves to play with Loba’s hair. She always undoes Loba’s braids at the end of the day and brushes her hair. It's relaxing for both of them.

Loba paints Anita's nails. Sometimes to match hers, sometimes to coordinate with Anita's outfit.

Anita cooks or they go out to eat. Loba can make the most basic things but otherwise is kind of a terrible cook. They do bake together though (Anita instructs and Loba follows).

Loba hates spiders (she was nearly eaten by giant spiders at one point), so Anita kills them for her.

Anita claims to hate dancing, but she enjoys it in the privacy of their home with no one watching. She and Loba dance to cheesy pop songs in their living room.

Loba often asks for Anita's help with her necklace or corset laces. It's not that she can't do it herself, but she cherishes the intimacy of it.

Loba usually wears heels which put her eye-to-eye with Anita, but when she's barefoot she's short enough that Anita can rest her chin on the top of her head.

Anita has been going to therapy for a while, and she's making excellent progress. Loba is on the fence for a long time but eventually starts going too. It's hard, but Anita supports her every step of the way.

They hyphenated their names when they got married, so they're now Anita and Loba Andrade-Williams. This has led to many jokes about the fact that Loba (a thief) now has the initials LAW.

Anita has Loba’s (complicated) coffee order memorized.

Loba uses a lot of products with sweet, bright floral scents (her favourite perfume is lilies, her shampoo is jasmine and citrus, etc). Those smells mean comfort and home for Anita.

Anita is the first person since Jaime that Loba has cried in front of.

She's also the first since him to see Loba without makeup, and she thinks Loba is just as beautiful without it.

Loba gets even more flirty when drunk (lots of touching and covering Anita in lipstick kisses, calling her pretty, etc). Anita mostly just gets silly (bad pickup lines and jokes, much more PDA than usual, calling Loba pet names and telling her she's pretty).

Thank youuuu!

#lobalore #loba andrade #anita williams #apex legends #apex legends headcanons