iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

The Arcana Drabbles: Storm Traditions

~ written for the @vesuviaweekly prompt "snuggle weather" - enjoy some found family platonic fluff! ~

-- written so that reader does not have to be romantically involved with Asra to be considered part of the family --

"Watching the storm?"

The change in view is drastic enough to give you mild whiplash. Outside, torrents of rain are battering the cobblestones as the canal rushes by. Inside, Aisha is offering you a shawl to drape around your shoulders while Salim sets a fresh pot of tea next to the incense burner on the low table. She smiles as you accept the warmth.

"Asra was like that as a child, too. Always observing every new detail. We used to say that he would memorize the stars if he let him stay out late enough."

Salim laughs from the tea table. "Some things never change. Did you see him in the marketplace yesterday? I thought he was about to dismantle that poor new merchant's cart!"

You can't help but smile. Watching their family slowly knit back together has been a highlight of the last year. That said, this is perhaps the second or third time you've been with the older couple without Asra present, and you're a little unsure of where you fit in without that connection. There's a brief pause bordering on awkward where they share a look with each other before Salim breaks the silence.

"I'm so glad you decided to come over today and spend some time with us. Do you have a tradition of watching storms when they come in?"

You shrug. "I'm ... not sure. I might have picked that up from Asra when ... well, you know."

"Ah."

Another awkward pause. Salim scratches at his stubble sheepishly as Aisha gives him a look that says "seriously?". You pull the shawl tighter and scoot towards the tea table with a smile.

"It's okay, really. I don't mind talking about it."

"Oh, we shouldn't have brought it up -"

"In that case, where's your family?"

It's slightly hilarious to watch the breakdown in how synced they usually are. They both give each other wide-eyed "what was that??" looks, Salim absentmindedly passing you a cup of tea as Aisha sets a plate of treats down. You wrap your hands around the warm glass and shrug.

"I'm not sure. Asra knew about my aunt, but it's only been safe for him to tell me more about the past in the last year. Everyone else has been helping me search for clues - Nadia let me look at the city ledgers and census and Julian and Portia have been asking the ship crews that come in - but it's taking a while."

"If there's anything we can do -" Aisha begins,

"Yes! Anything at all -" Salim adds,

"Let us know."

You sip your tea and nod. "Thank you, I will."

"And ..." This time, it's Aisha who risks taking a relational step forward. "If you find yourself in need of a mother or father to talk to ..."

"Oh," Salim straightens, "Yes - not that we'd try to replace anybody -"

"- of course not." Aisha affirms. "But ... please, as much as you're comfortable with it. We'd love to be your family too."

You don't expect the sentiment to hit something so deep inside you, but it's hard not to tear up for a second. You nod.

"I'd like that. ... thank you."

They both light up. Aisha moves to a corner and picks out an old book from their shelf. "In that case, may we introduce you to one of our stormy weather traditions?"

Salim claps his hands, clearly caught up in the new idea. "I'll go get the powder!"

"What's the tradition?"

"May I join you?"

"Sure." You scoot to the middle of the couch. Aisha curls up next to you, tucking her feet in and showing you the cover of the elaborate story book in her lap.

"We used to do this whenever it rained. We'd all snuggle together under blankets and read stories, while we played with the pictures."

Salim reappears with a heavy quilt thrown over one shoulder and a pouch in his hand. He pulls out a pinch of sparkly powder and tosses it into the air before approaching the sofa. "May I?"

You nod and he sits down on your other side. The quilt gets spread across your laps and you find yourself cozily situated between two people absolutely delighted to dote on you.

"Now then," Aisha opens the book and passes it across your lap to Salim, "I think we should start with the one about the seesaw."

He adjusts his glasses and peers through them down at the page with a fond smile. "This one's a favorite. Ahem -"

Aisha raises her hand and the powder floating around the room seems to come alive with a subtle lavender glow. An image of a child and their parent appears, walking hand-in-hand across a grassy, hilly plain. Salim begins to read.

"Once upon a time, a giant built a playground for their little one. There was a slide, a swing set, a sand pit, and most importantly, a seesaw."

Above you, the images move and transform as the story unfolds. The storm lies forgotten behind you, Salim's voice drowning out the thunder, and Aisha's pictures lighting up the overcast room. The blanket and tea fill you with warmth. You fall into a drowsy, happy state, safe with the loving couple giving you a long-lost feeling of home.

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

Just a thought but I don't think people talk about Asra, Nadia, and Julian playing around in the palace fountain during Nadia's birthday enough. It's so cute and I desperately want to draw it

Anon my friend I am begging you PLEASE DO -

Is it just me or does the Arcana have a consistent theme of "swimming in bodies of water not intended to be swum in" xD

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

Have a good day!

@stellarstar12 thank you friend!

Have a good night! :D

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

Shenanigans ensue ...

Vesuvia Weekly: December 19th - January 2nd

You voted, so here it is!

"Fa la la la - whoops -"

With that, the "I missed this" prompt is officially closed!

The tags are the usual #vesuvia weekly and for this specific prompt, #fa la whoops. The masterlist for all works submitted for this prompt will be under the poll for next week :D

MASTERLIST

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

I’m just gonna leave this here

@floweringangel FOR REAL THOUGH

Poor guy. He really deserved to get his first kiss not in the middle of a panic attack ...

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

VALERIUS, horrified : “Sir, where did you find this… thing? Did he crawl out of the woods?”

THE PREVIOUS COUNT : “As a matter of fact, he did. He asked for a job, and I was impressed by his boldness.”

VALERIUS : “He just tried to bite a servant!”

LUCIO : “I thought she was gonna steal my garlic bread!”

…I can’t believe that Valerius & Lucio are exes. Talk about “The Odd Couple.”

@aster-spiral-30 I will say that I sometimes do wonder if, in Nadia's upright ending, Lucio eventually gets in touch with Valerius and he finds a way to bring him back to the human realm ...

I mean, it's not breaking Lucio's exile if he's holed up in Valerius's estate outside the city limits, and Valerius would be lying if he said he didn't like some of the worshipful attention he gets these days after losing so much political influence to the Countess ...

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

I've done so many snuggle prompts for the M6 already, SO

I'm going to do a platonic found family version instead, with a side character :3

Vesuvia Weekly: December 11th - 25th

You voted, so here it is!

Snuggle Weather

With that, the "Remind Me Why We Have Stairs" prompt is officially closed!

The tags are the usual #vesuvia weekly and for this specific prompt, #snuggle weather. The masterlist for all works submitted for this prompt will be under the poll for next week :D

MASTERLIST

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

Muriel

MC

@arson-the-ace OUGH my hEART

Give me more complex nuanced takes on Muriel's character please, I love them!

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

VULGORA : “Whaddya MEAN that the bucket of pig blood missed him?! He was right there!”

VALDEMAR : “I told you we should have used human blood. I still have a few cadavers in my laboratory.”

*they both crash through the ceiling*

(They tried to rip off the scene from Carrie for either Julian or Lucio)

@aster-spiral-30

I have never seen Carrie, but you know what. Somehow I still fully believe this happened xD

Valdemar is never climbing onto ceilings with Vulgora again xD

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

The Arcana Drabbles: Masterlist, Pt 2

-- because apparently that one halloween spree put me over 100 lmao --

Trick or Treat: More of Asra's eating habits

Trick or Treat: Julian and Shoelaces

Trick or Treat: Portia's Hair Storage

Trick or Treat: Confiscating Lucio's Mirror

Trick or Treat: Asra reacts (poorly doodled)

Trick or Treat: Lucio reacts (poorly doodled)

Trick or Treat: Portia reacts (poorly doodled)

Trick or Treat: Muriel reacts (poorly doodled)

Trick or Treat: Julian reacts (poorly doodled)

Trick or Treat: Nadia reacts (poorly doodled)

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

Hi! This isn’t a request, I was just wondering if you’re okay with others writing stuff inspired by/based off your headcanons? If so, do you want to be tagged/credited or anything?

Sorry if you’ve been asked this before lol, I just wanted to check, I love your writing so much

Ahhh thank you friend!!

I am more than okay with it, I love it! Please don't hesitate to make what you want to make, and if you're comfortable, do tag me! I love seeing how beautifully you guys develop ideas and stories! :D

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

i made a goofyass meme for a buddy and i thought maybe itd make you laugh too

@tetsuooooooooooo oh my goodness

This is HILARIOUS, you're making me wheeze xD

May both sides of your pillow be cool lol

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

Vesuvia Weekly: Moments of Reprieve

~ written for @vesuviaweekly's prompt "I missed this" ~

"I missed this," Julian murmurs as you rub a warm salve on his cold, de-gloved hands. Between the freezing weather, the constant hand-washing at the clinic, and his already poor circulation, his knuckles are dry and chapped and clearly in need of some care. The firelight softens his harsh features and warms the grey in his eyes when he smiles at you. "You make my thoughts quiet - and kind."

"I missed this," Asra mumbles into your neck. They'd refused to let you get out of bed when they arrived home late, instead hurrying through their evening routine to join you and snuggle in. He can already feel your wry comeback and preemptively holds you closer for his reasoning. "I know I've been gone longer before, but when I'm not running away ... I'm finally free to come home."

"I missed this," Nadia sighs. She's sitting at the edge of the hot spring, tilting your head back into her lap so she can massage perfumed oils into your scalp. The past few months have been too busy to relax for more than a few minutes in the evenings. If you're being honest, just the smell and feel of her so close is already making your brain melt. She chuckles. "I've missed spoiling you, too."

"I missed this," Muriel mutters. You'd think he was being sarcastic (you're lying on the cold, hard ground in the middle of nowhere) but his furious blush would suggest otherwise. You haven't made the trek down to the Steppes in a while and it's colder than you remembered. One thick arm draws you closer to a body that's gotten heartier and (somehow) even warmer with good food. "I like keeping you warm."

"I missed this," Portia giggles from the carpet. Several seconds ago she was up on the couch next to you, but then you reached the cringiest part yet of the cheap novel you picked out to read and react to together, and she laughed until she fell off. She clambers back up onto the cushions and sets your drink aside to rest her legs in your lap. "Stories are so much better when you tell them."

"I missed this," Lucio groans. He sinks down into the plush satin next to you, robe shifting open to reveal more of his chest in the process. Nadia had put you in touch with an old noble friend of hers who decided give you the royal treatment when you stopped by. Lucio looked ready to cry of happiness when he saw the private room and big, comfy bed. "It's even better with you here, y'know."

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

You’re like, single-handedly keeping me sane with your writing and I’m thanking you for it 🙏🙏

You have such a satisfying, easy-on-the-eyes style of writing and you write the characters so well! It’s lovely, 10/10, love it

Thank you anon friend!! I've worried my posts are too plain in the past because they don't have any images so I'm really glad the layout is reader friendly!

Have fun reading, and I'm so so sorry it took me forever to answer this!

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

VOLTA : *pounces on a leftover roast turkey & starts devouring it*

LUCIO : “Hey, I was gonna pick at that.”

@aster-spiral-30 poor Lucio is going to have to find a Volta-proof place to keep his snacks and culinary indulgences.

He has yet to succeed.

The roof of his canopy bed was his 1134th hiding spot and she sniffed it out in a matters of hours (the middle of the night, in fact) and he woke up to her eyes gleaming down at him like a feral cat.

His scream woke up half the Palace.

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

Looking forward to this one! Let's see if the cure to my head cold is some quick minis :3

Vesuvia Weekly: December 4th - 18th

You voted, so here it is!

"I missed this"

With that, the "How to Comfort Your Loved One" prompt is officially closed!

The tags are the usual #vesuvia weekly and for this specific prompt, #i missed this. The masterlist for all works submitted for this prompt will be under the poll for next week :D

MASTERLIST

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

”WE LOVE YOU BIG BRO BRAINROT” we all say in unison

I've been keeping this in my inbox because seeing it every morning makes the coming day easier :3

Thank you anon friend, you are very loved too!!!