#follow ups

[pokemontherapy]

@ Anon who doesn't like the guruminshipping name; the ship name throughthedoorshipping was recently made for Dot x Liko.

That’s such a cute name! And it fits them. Hopefully anon sees it, thanks for the ask!

[cattyfantastic]

Friday Five

While I did call the podiatrist’s office when I got the referral, I had to leave a message which has yet to be returned. That was 3 weeks ago. New shoes have mostly taken care of the worst of it and foot exercises are taking care of the rest so that’s that.

Last weekend of vacation. And last vacation week for a while. I traveled a lot last year and I like to have a nice bit of vacation hours in the bank. So will just take a day here and there for a good bit.

Have a feeling that we won’t be reimbursed for any part of our plumbing bill. I sent an email with bill attached to property manager as an agenda item for April meeting. No reply. April meeting was Tuesday. Wednesday afternoon I reached out to confirm if our request had made the agenda and, if so, had a decision been made? No reply.

We’re going to an Agatha Christie-themed tea this afternoon as part of Matt’s birthday celebrations. It’s a perfectly grey and gloomy day for a murder mystery-themed high tea. Cannot wait for those little sandwiches, sweets and, of course, lots of tea.

My favorite pair of jeans is about to succumb to chub rub. Managed to find exact style on Zappos, which was a nice surprise, and at least $35 cheaper than where I bought them before.

Bonus Marple looking very puppy-like post-groom:

[haravatat-slime]

@sleepless-rants hi!! the 'Pierro as Irmin' theory is old stuff that i thiiink started back in the chasm but may be older than that?? it stems a lot from the myth/s of Irmin (Germanic epithet for Odin) surrendering an eye to Mimir (God of Wisdom) so that he could be allowed to drink from the Fountain of Cosmic Knowledge

all of the statuettes carried by the black knights of Khaenriah are bearded and one-eyed, resembling both Irmin (of myth) and Pierro

of course this isn't to say I'm touting a 100%, "Pierro IS King Irmin" hypothesis around to people

in fact i strongly believe that Teyvat operates under the Hermetic "as above, so below" philosophy, which also continues as "as within, so without."

the reason that I think similar figures and events keep popping up around Teyvat, following similar paths, is because they're deliberately following the dictates of Fate that have already played out on the grandest, macrocosmic-est level.

Dottore may not be literally Loki, and Pierro literally Irmin - but they're unconsciously(?) playing those roles on a lesser cosmic level.

[glimmerglanger]

Snippet for Home (On the Range): I'm curious about any past relationships Cody and Ben have had, and so if you feel up to it, I'd love to watch them have the conversation about past loves that always has to happen eventually. :D

:D GOOD MORNING! I almost said this was the first of the follow-ups for "Home (On the Range)" but, in fact, there've been two already aha. This is the first one set AFTER the fic, though only by a week or so.

This is a (not that) little Codywan snippet. Established relationship and it got VERY SPICY. Grown-up conversations ensue.

~~~~

The temperatures had dipped well into chilly, at least overnight, when Cody suggested they head out deep into the ranch one evening. “You can see every star up there,” he said, pulling Ben into a kiss. “Thought it might be nice. And we’ll want to do it before it gets any colder.”

Ben wondered if the suggestion had anything to do with the astronomy lessons he’d been prepping for class, even as he hummed agreement. They piled blankets into the bed of Cody’s truck, along a sleeping bag and a few thermoses full of something warm.

It was dark by the time they pulled up onto the ridge of a hill, deep inside the borders of the ranch. Cody turned the lights off, nothing but the rumble of the engine breaking the stillness of the night, and said, “It’ll take a bit for our eyes to adjust. Half an hour, maybe.”

“Oh, really?” Ben said, hooking a finger into the collar of Cody’s shirt and pulling him over, murmuring, against his mouth, “whatever shall we do to fill the time?”

Cody huffed a laugh, mouth welcoming and warm, swearing briefly when Ben added, after a beat, “You know, I’m not sure there’s any way I can fit into your lap over there.”

Cody’s eyes caught the light of the stars outside, just a little, as he rasped back, “Good thing we’ve got the entire bed of the truck, then.” And he popped open his door, allowing in the cooler outside air, even as he turned off the truck.

The air felt nippy on Ben’s face as they climbed up into the bed of the truck, but it wasn’t so bad, really. They’d spread out the sleeping bag along the bed, keeping away the chill of the metal, and there were plenty of blankets.

And, well.

Kissing Cody always warmed him up, anyway. Ben thought about pulling his close, the stars as yet unseen stretching overhead and the hills rolling all around them, the Tetons watching, sentinels in the distance.

Cody swore when his phone buzzed, pulling it out of his pocket and taking a step away from the truck as Ben finished sorting the blankets, considering that he’d never had sex in the back of a truck before. It seemed a nice idea, making love out under the endless sky.

He grimaced when he recalled that he’d left his wallet back at the house, condoms along with it, though he’d slid a packet of lube into his front pocket. He frowned, swinging over the side of the truck to see if Cody had brought his wallet, plucking it from his pocket as he said, “--Rex, I swear to God, if you try to come out here right now--”

He winked when Cody looked over at him, waving the wallet, and listening to Rex laugh, his voice distant and distorted through the phone.

Ben left them to it, climbing back up into the truck, flipping Cody’s wallet open, pleased to find a familiar little foil square tucked inside. He drew it out, planning to set it aside for use in a bit, when they needed it, and frowned.

It felt...odd.

He tilted it around - noting the brand - and peered at it in the light provided by the moon and the stars. He blinked, grabbed his own phone, and turned it on to get enough light to read it properly, sure that he’d misread the expiration date, because--

“Something wrong?” Cody asked, the truck dipping slightly as he stepped up onto the bed, apparently done with Rex.

“Well,” Ben said, putting down his phone and turning the condom in his fingers. “Aside from the fact that this condom expired five years ago, not really.”

Cody paused, still standing, looking down at him. “Oh,” he said, as Ben turned the little packet again and then, on a whim, tore it open. He’d never actually seen one expire before.

“Hm,” he said, wrinkling his nose. Apparently, they were not one of the things that stayed good, even long, long after they expired. Any moisture had long since disappeared. The condom itself looked like a dessicated snake skin, or something like it. “I don’t think this’ll work,” he added. “Though we could try rehydrating it, I suppose, I--”

“Let’s not do experiments on the condom,” Cody said, taking it out of his fingers and tucking it into a pocket. “Should we go back to the house? Get another one?” He sank down, close by, and Ben considered it, but--

“I’m sure we’ll find some way to entertain ourselves,” he said, looped an arm around Cody’s shoulders, and pulled him close.

He’d gotten familiar with the best ways to take off Cody’s clothes, unbuttoning his flannel shirt and pushing it off his shoulders, tugging his undershirt out of his waistband. Cody pulled the blankets up around them, the warmth from his skin translating into Ben’s body as Ben shimmied out of his jeans, pulling his own shirt over his head.

The moonlight shone off of Cody’s skin, caught in the dark curls of his hair. Their breath steamed the air - the temperature had really plunged with the fall of night - but Ben didn’t feel cold, not as they tangled close together, trading kisses that set a fire in his veins, not with Cody putting off heat like a furnace, warm hands all over Ben’s skin.

And Ben had become rather fond of the idea of getting fucked under the stars, in the brief time he’d had to consider it. Just because it wasn’t going to happen the way he’d initially assumed didn’t mean it wouldn’t happen at all.

“Here,” he rasped, rolling onto his side, grabbing for the jeans and the lube in his pocket, pulling it out, “Here, like this, ah, Cody.”

Cody’s weight felt good against his back, warm and solid, Cody’s teeth scraping along the curve of his shoulder as he settled, taking the packet of lube from Ben’s fingers without any of the hesitation he’d displayed the first few times they were intimate with one another.

“Like this?” Cody rumbled, right against his shoulder, and Ben heard the wet movement of Cody slicking up his own cock, felt the smear of the rest of the lube over the back of his thighs and--

Exhaled, hard, when Cody ground against him, overheated flesh sliding together. Probably, they were making more of a mess than they should have done, out in the middle of some field, out in - in such an exposed place, but--

It was hard to care, with Cody sucking a kiss into his neck and grinding against him, panting out, “Spread your legs, just a little,” and when Ben listened, slotting his cock right between Ben’s thighs, rocking them together.

If there were anyone around, Ben hated to think what would have been overheard, the two of them swearing and gasping and groaning. He knew he cried out, loudly, when Cody slid a hand over his hip, gripping his cock and stroking him, so sure and so steady and--

Well.

The sleeping bag was going to need a wash when they got back home.

So was Ben, in all honesty.

He laughed, hoarsely, when Cody pulled away from him, leaving his inner thighs smeared with come. It was quite warm, at first, but Ben knew that wouldn’t last. “See,” he said, sprawling onto his side, thighs held apart, groping for something to wipe up with, “a condom would have prevented this mess.”

“Sorry about that,” Cody said, and then, “here, use my shirt.”

And then he used it himself, wiping up the mess all over Ben’s legs and cock. He even smeared away the mess on the sleeping bag, as best he could. Ben watched him - he was easier to see, Ben’s eyes must have adjusted, and said, “Why did you have an expired condom in your wallet, anyway?”

Cody balled his shirt up, the mess tucked away inside, and shrugged. He tossed it into one corner of the bed of the truck. “It’s just the one I’ve always had. I never really checked the date on it.”

Ben blinked, turning that over in his head, even as Cody settled close to him, naked under the blankets. Ben said, as Cody curled an arm around him. “The one you’ve always - you - what does that mean?”

Cody shrugged, stubble rasping against Ben’s shoulder, while Ben wondered if Cody had really avoided using a condom before, because that didn’t sound like him at all, and--

“I got it, ah, years ago. When I was - when I thought I might need it. But then I didn’t. I kept it, just in case. But…” He trailed off, shrugging again.

Ben blinked up at the clear, shining stars, and then rolled to face Cody, gut doing something strange. “Wait. Did you never--”

“I did stuff,” Cody said, still staring up at the stars. “A few times with, uh, with a guy I really liked. He competed, too. We were friends for a while. And then one day I just wanted to kiss him, so I did. And we, well. Fooled around, I guess. But then I beat him, pretty soundly, and he didn’t want to anymore.”

Ben blinked, processing that. He’d known that, sooner or later, they’d end up having a talk about their pasts. That kind of thing happened. “He didn’t want to anymore?” he asked, trying to get his mind around anyone not wanting Cody anymore, he was--

“Yeah, I guess.” Cody sighed, tucked his arm behind his head, and stared starward. “And I’d already bought the string of condoms, even though we’d only needed two. But then it was over, so. And I put one in my wallet.”

Ben watched his expression carefully. He didn’t seem upset. Just...relating the story. “And then you never used it,” Ben said, quietly.

“Never needed it,” Cody said, shrugging against the sleeping bag. “I’ve been busy since then. And didn’t have anyone I particularly wanted to use it with.”

“Oh,” Ben said, the cold air nipping at his exposed skin, but ever so warm under the blankets.

“What about you?” Cody asked, before he could wrangle another thought together. “Yours aren’t ever expired.”

“Ah, no,” Ben said, and then shrugged, settling against Cody’s side. “I’ve always been very careful to use them.” He felt his ears heat.

Cody hummed, curled an arm tighter around him, and said, “I know you’ve been with more people’n me, Ben. It doesn’t bother me. Hell, I’m glad one of us knows what we’re doing.”

Ben exhaled a little, snuggling in closer against the cold. It had, probably, been foolish to worry, to brace for disapproval. He traced patterns on Cody’s chest under the blanket and said, “I had no idea that you didn’t, ah, know what you were doing.”

Cody snorted, rolling onto his side, brushing a kiss to Ben’s cheek and then his mouth, fingers tracing down his spine. His expression, what Ben could see of it, looked a bit smug. “I learn fast,” he said, tone warm and low. “Especially when I get hands-on instruction.”

“I see that.” Ben crooked his mouth, brushing Cody’s hair back from his face. He figured, feeling soft and content, that if they were going to discuss their histories, he might as well finish it all, and went on, “I haven’t had many long relationships. Just...brief flings. A longer thing with a girl, right before I started college. And Luminara and I tried to make something work, once. But we’re much better friends than lovers.”

Cody nodded, said, “I never was very interested in girls.”

“Mm, I gathered.” He leaned in for another kiss, shivering when Cody brushed his callused fingers a little lower. He rasped, gut tightening, “Don’t tease.”

“Sorry,” Cody murmured, nipping his bottom lip. “And sorry we don’t have all the supplies we need.” Ben hummed, not overly concerned by the lack, not when they could trade sweet, lazy kisses, occasionally glancing at the stars, until Cody went on, “You know. We could - well. We’re together. Just the two of us.”

Ben turned away from his contemplation of a constellation he couldn’t name, nodding, and Cody went on, “We could get tested. I mean. I don’t think I could have caught anything, to be honest. And if I had, I think I’d have noticed in the last couple of years. And you’ve been careful, you said. But better to check. And then…”

He shrugged, and Ben considered it. He’d never slept with anyone skin on skin. Qui-Gon had been exceedingly clear about all the possible consequences of skipping out on protection. Even with Satine, young and giddy half the time, he’d always been careful.

But - he didn’t plan to share his bed with anyone else, he considered, staring across at Cody in the dark, under the brilliant light of the stars and the moon. He didn’t want to kiss anyone else. Or pull anyone else close in the night.

His heart ached in his chest, sweetly, and he said, “And then we wouldn’t need supplies to have sex in the back of your truck?”

“Mm,” Cody said, rolling closer to him, one elbow braced by his head, leaning down to kiss him, “Or to make love under the stars, either.”

Ben shivered, curled an arm around him, and felt his stomach swoop, imagining that, imagining them skin to skin everywhere. He said, his voice gone to a rasp, “That sounds very nice,” and Cody smiled against his mouth, kissing him again.

[inevitably-johnlocked]

hi there! bi anon here. i’m so thankful for your answer, seriously i truly appreciate it. and to all that resonate w my experience- you’re valid and i’m here for you<3 i def don’t want to lose what i have for the unknown. i do plan to find a therapist to discuss this! we both are not comfy w an open relationship, but i’m hoping to find other outlets like reading wlw books and having my fantasies separate from him (which he’s cool w). i’m also not “out” yet to the world, so that may be part of it

(referencing this post)

Hey Nonny! *HUGS*

Thank you so much for following up, and I'm glad we were able to help you out a bit. I hope therapy proves fruitful for y'all, and PLEASE know that it might take a few therapists before y'all "jive". But it will be worth your while, and help you make decisions that will make you happy <3

SNUGGLE HUGGLE for both you and your bf, Nonny!! <3 Best of luck, and keep us posted :)

[buttered-ghost-toast]

I think I may do a shitpost doodle for every lewd thing I draw. I’m dying laughing tbh.

[gg-astrology]

hi, there! i’m a cap sun (3rd decan so i relate with the virgo-virgo one as well) virgo moon and i read up on ur post from the sun-moon catalogue. It was very accurate! i wanted to ask you any tips for that feeling of wanting to do something really badly but it makes me so anxious that i just don’t do it at all? thanks so much 💘🌙

Oh!!! ❤️💕💗 Hello!! ❤️💕💗 Im so glad!!! I haven’t gotten a reply asking for follow up advice before but this is fantastic thank u for asking!! ❤️💕💗

Hm, here’s what I think.. I don’t think you have to do something intentionally, or look at it in the eye. I think you can just take steps to do them, subversively, because ultimately it’s your own mind/anxiety/expectations that’s holding you back. Thats the point at the end of the post I think. What’s ultimately holding back.

You can definitely take actions that wasn’t the problem, the thing thats the problem is what’s next or what the implication of following through is. An action would lead to another action, a direction to look at and be in, having to look at everyone around, resources, social, facilities - looking at where you’re going and what’s effected, where to go. 

That inevitably comes with realism, a weight, of everything expected to weigh down on you. I don’t think it’s ‘getting into your head’ it’s more like it’s understanding this reality and having to do something about it still. But figuring out what to do or where to go.

Hm. If I can offer any advice it would be to do something small and check in with people - try to think gemini or seek out air signs when you do it. I have a friend who has a similar anxiety about writing (a gem/virgo) and whilst a part of it is working through this on their own (they’re very independent and self-sufficient as well !) it does help a lot to have someone see what you’re doing, have other perspectives, and share/exchange thoughts about it in a personal/pov manner? ❤️💕💗 I hope this makes sense and helps a lil ;; ❤️💕💗It’s more like a short-term help on the thing, but it makes sense considering small steps leads to bigger one later! ❤️💕💗 I hope this helps! ❤️💕💗