#2024/12/21

[saoirseyun]

⸝⸝ x fem reader

—You're not meant to be for eachother, beast!dazai is very well aware with it. but oh, oh, can a man not feel zero guilt once meeting you of all people that night under rain's harsh highlights? The red umbrella used as your own cover, stepping close to Dazai and see the ironic same shade of burgundy—his scarf. and you've stiff a terrible choke.

"Boss of port mafia?"

He stares to the sound of where the voice calls his name. at this rate, Dazai's gaze met your generous pupils which spoke to tranquil serenity, gentle. Albeit, too gentle, for these kinds of streets filled to the brim with dangerous ruffians, bums. Even your dress—how eyecatching, sweets for the eyes. Without a thought, he answers, yes.

"What's it to you? it's rare to find such beautiful women out in the night."

"Nothing, nothing. I figured it'd be no harm to meet someone like you right here... would it? It's hard to believe you do exist, but here you are in the flesh." Dazai can't help but smug to that, it strokes the ego of his heart. Whilst flattery won't take a girl somewhere good but it's strangely effective towards dazai.

For sure, a weird feeling, foreign to his mind. it's like a some kind of temptation for the unwavering soul of his own stubbornness—dazai can't afford to love someone now. especially the plan he's taken to plot over the few years since he became the port mafia boss... since acquired the book, dazai knows he can't be with you in any universe, undoubtedly this one too... but...

...he isn't going to stand a chance against you. you can see it in his eyes—head fallen over heels and lovesick cider eyes, oh, what have you done?

[georgenotfound-archive]

George tweet 2024/12/21

[eepymeepy]

my christmas shopping is going slowly. i have so few ideas

[135481403135481403]

2024/12/21(土) 21:15:01 観たかった··😭 Quote dodeko @dodedodemix · 2024/12/21(土) 18:30:29 不意に粉雪🥰❄️

ミュージックフェア 冬の名曲特集♪

#レミオロメン #粉雪

https://twitter.com/hiroko_fujimaki/status/1870442852733563130

[7taiyou5kinsei]

2024-12-21 土曜日

・今日の星の動き

今日は月が1日中、おとめ座♍️を進みます。

「実務の賢者」みたいな1日。忙しさにある中でも、氣配りを忘れず、分析しながら、しっかり1日をこなしていきましょう。

①3時ごろから15時ごろまで、月はいて座の水星とスクエア。

感情を表す月と、「知性・思考」を表す水星が、ハードアスペクトで結びつきます。

「言葉に注意」

感情と思考が噛み合いにくい時間帯なので、放つ言葉には注意してください。誤解を招く発言・ポストをしそうな時です。

②14時ごろから翌日の午前3時ごろまで、月は２つの天体とアスペクトを結びます。うお座の土星と、ふたご座の木星です。この２つの天体は、現在スクエアを組んでいます。そこに月が参加することで、Tスクエアという図形を描きます。

「基礎と発展」

月が滞在するおとめ座は、実務の得意な有能な秘書みたいなイメージのサインです。そのおとめ座の月が、ふたご座の木星と、うお座の土星の影響を同時に受けます。

ふたご座はいろんな情報を拾ってきて、可能性をかき集めようとします。そして、うお座の土星は、自身の「浪漫」を強固にするために、月にプレッシャーをかけてきます。

自分の浪漫を固めるために（うお座の土星）、さまざまな可能性を（ふたご座の木星）、取捨選択していく（おとめ座の月）イメージです。

おとめ座の実務と、うお座の「浪漫」は相反するワードですが、浪漫の実現のためには、現実の諸問題の解決や、無駄のカットが必要です。浪漫のために、自分の実務能力の発揮をしていくような時間帯になりそうです。

・まとめ

今日1日は、頭を使う場面が多いかもしれません。

長い目で見た時に、追いかけたい自分の浪漫を見据えながら、物事の取捨選択をしていってください。

お休みの方が多いかと思いますが、色々やることがあって、忙しさもあるかもしれません。忙しさに振り回されて、適当な言葉を放つこともありそうです。発言や、SNSでのポストには氣をつけてください。

☀️おまけ

今日12/21の、18:20に太陽がいて座♐️から、やぎ座♑️へと移ります。

これから誕生日を迎えるやぎ座生まれの皆さん、お誕生日おめでとうございます🎉

皆さん、今までのいて座期間で、自分を今までより大きな世界に開いたり、向上心を持って取り組んだことはありましたか？

私はといえば、満月・新月読みのハウス別の解釈を載せるようになったくらいでしょうか。自分の毎日やってることを、もっと応用させました（出来はまだまだな上に、月に２回しか機会はないですが）。

太陽がいて座（宗教・哲学・海外などを表すサイン）の期間だったので、海外小説を読んだり、海外のニュースの動向を追ったりということでも、いて座の太陽のパワーを使った方もいるかもしれません。振り返ると、この太陽いて座期間は、アサド前大統領に大きな動きがあったり、韓国でも動きがあって、海外ニュースからは目が離せないような状態でしたね。

これからやってくる太陽やぎ座期間は、いて座で得た大きな視野を活かして、自分の現場を活性化させる感じです。海外留学で学んで（いて座）、日本に戻ってきて、学んだことを活かして仕事を始める（やぎ座）ようなイメージでしょうか。

目標達成のために頑張れるサインなので、何か１つ、自分に現実的なハードルを掲げるといいかもしれません。数字に出して、わかりやすいものが良いと思います。

結果を出さなくても、「毎日〇分はこれを継続してやる」とか、そういう目標を掲げて、頑張れる時です。

寒くて大変ですが、頑張りましょう！

ホロスコープ作成サイト

[thewisestdino]

24 with tawnypelt mayhaps?

Just as you were in my dream

Now let me off easy

And I’ll slip down through the drain

To release my scattered brain

My enemy

[vhscorp]

Un sourire, c’est comme une caresse qu’un cœur envoie à un autre cœur…

V. H. SCORP

[mikeywayarchive]

kristincolby: The magical ❄️ Winter Wonderland ❄️ that @lakehousehotel creates every holiday season is quickly becoming a family tradition for us! The girls said the igloos are one of their favorite things we do and I must agree. This year they added a Build-A-Buddy which was a big hit too! 🤍 We had so much fun I took my mom and sisters back to @brickmanssd for the Miracle Bar pop-up and some festive cocktails! 🎄Do you have a favorite place to go during the holidays??

[Dec 21, 2024]

[serickswrites]

Tattoos on the Heart

Warnings: pet whump, captivity, body modification, noncon body modification

"You are by far the worst investment I have ever made," the Master said as they loomed over the Pet. "I don't even know what I am going to do with you."

The Pet prostrated themself at the Master's feet. "Please, Master. I beg forgiveness. I am still learning. Please."

The Pet had burnt three breakfasts, broken six crystal vases, and ripped two sets of sheets today. And it was only ten in the morning.

"You have the most rotten touch of any house Pet I have had. I want the others to know how completely useless you are!"

The Pet's heart was in their throat. "Please, Master. I will learn. I will be better. I promise!"

The Master nodded and three other pets came forward. Two held the Pet down, pinning them so well that the Pet couldn't move though they tried to buck their body. "The first mark you are to receive marks you as mine forever. The second mark marks you as completely useless. And I am having some hardware installed as well."

"PLEASE!" The Pet screeched. This couldn't be happening to them. They had to get the Master to stop.

But the Master didn't listen. They merely ordered the third pet that had come in to begin. "Start with the tattoos. We can add the dermals later."

The third pet got to work quickly, running off to grab a cart and wheel it over to the Pet. They were so efficiently pinned they couldn't get away. They heard the third pet rummaging through drawers and setting things out. A loud buzzing had the Pet's mouth running dry.

"I know you don't have any tattoos. I paid extra for unmarred skin for you. It's only fitting your first tattoo is one that I designed. You are mine forever and you will wear this mark forever."

One of the pets pinning the Pet down pinned the Pet's head, exposing the back of their neck to the tattoo gun. "Ready," they said gruffly.

The Pet squealed with pain as the tattoo gun's needle made contact with their neck. Their whole body reverberated with the needle tattooing their skin. Their world narrowed to the feeling.

"Put the rotten touch on their hands. Both hands." The Master ordered. They sounded bored. "So everyone knows how useless those hands truly are."

By the time the Pet's tattooing session had stopped, they were shaking. Their body ached. Their head ached. And most of all, they couldn't believe the Master had ordered this. That their fellow pets had done this to them.

"You know where to pierce," the Master said as they started towards the door. "I have other matters to take care of. I expect the piercings to be perfect and in place by the time I return."

The Pet swallowed. Wherever the Master wanted the piercings could not be good. But as the door slammed behind the Master and the other pets settled in, the Pet realized they were powerless to stop what was happening to them. Forever.

Tags: @mousepaw @jumpywhumpywriter @knightinbatteredarmor @hufflepuffwritingstuff2 @anightmarishwhump

@steh-lar-uh-nuhs @celestialsoyeon @st0rmm @ay5ksal @pedro-pedro-pedro-pedro-pe

@artisticdemon

[ilidaeandquill]

He loomed over the sleeping Lamb, finally risking a touch by poking his finger at the Lamb's shoulder. Another poke. A small grab. He shifted their body so they rested on their back. The bell on their neck did not ring.

Narinder held the blade over their chest. Pry out their heart. Make it quick.

"Oh, how the mighty do fall."

[cleoenfaserum]

LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy (1280)

What am I going to tell you? Something that you probably already know much better than me. I am not a fan of these movies or books. The Hobbit aside, which I liked very much and read when I was 15 years old, I'm now 76, I still remember some passages that has stuck in my mind. Yes, I've seen a movie or two of the franchise. The films are well done, but I felt stupid watching them, more for kiddies to be awed by, the same with the books that I had to put it down. But it's just me. Don't take it to heart and continue to be a fan of  J. R. R. Tolkien turned cult figure. The IMdB ratings of the trilogy of the films are over the top, so they must have done something right.

The Lord of the Rings is a trilogy of epic fantasy adventure films directed by Peter Jackson, based on the novel The Lord of the Rings by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. The films are titled identically to the three volumes of the novel: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Two Towers (2002), and The Return of the King (2003).

The Lord of the Rings (film series) - Wikipedia

The Lord of the Rings - Wikipedia

Cutting to the chase,

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - Wikipedia

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) - IMDb 8'9

link https://ok.ru/video/8388634806965

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - Wikipedia

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) - IMDb 8'8

link https://ok.ru/video/6815037655615

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - Wikipedia

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) - IMDb 9'0

link https://ok.ru/video/6528573311690

[135481403135481403]

dodeko @dodedodemix 2024/12/21(土) 18:30:29 不意に粉雪🥰❄️

ミュージックフェア 冬の名曲特集♪

#レミオロメン #粉雪

https://x.com/dodedodemix/status/1870401445255942219

[nikki-tine]

So it's come to my attention that despite the page I have set up within the desktop version of my blog, I don't have a mobile version of an introduction post here. Oops! This one's newly written, too, in a different format than the other.

So, that being said - Hello!

I am Nikki/Niko (Whichever you prefer!) and I am a 27-year old Genderfluid artist person (My birthday is on January 9th!). I don't think there's too much to be said here, but I can and will say with confidence that this blog has been, especially in the last few or so years built up to be a catch-all for whatever I deem good to reblog or post (All of which typically related to fluff stuff, feel-good vibes or something that I may feel strongly about).

This place is, and always will be a safe space for a) People with disabilities (I am autistic, have ADD and Bipolar as well as Anxiety) and b) LGBTQ+-identifying people (I am, as mentioned before Genderfluid, and I'm Pansexual Panromantic!).

If a reblog or post makes you uncomfortable, then I will happily delete it if asked.

I make it a point to keep these posts SFW especially nowadays - however, I can't quite vouch for possibly the oldest of my posts (as I've been here since the early 2010s along with some ol' dumb teen thoughts involved and it'd take forever to sort absolutely everything out from over a decade ago at this point). I'm pretty sure that I've removed most of the NSFW stuff already from those years ago, but if I missed something then I don't mind deleting it as long as you let me know first (I'm incredibly disorganized and would appreciate a nudge in the right direction).

With these details out of the way - I am an artist that dabbles in various fandoms with no real sense of rhyme or reason outside of either hyperfixated interest or otherwise with the intent to update old ideas and refresh them into new ones. Like most artists on the internet, I ask that you do not repost without credit, trace and/or copy my work. I'm quite literally living paycheck by paycheck with my family right now. You CAN however use my artwork as a reference or as inspiration for your own work - If you do, lemme know! I'd love to see the result!

Here's a vague list of fandoms I dabble in (though my post history doesn't quite show that as I tend to leave most of my stuff to posting on Discord instead):

Pokemon (I've been a part of this one almost my entire life lol)

Sonic the Hedgehog (Another fandom I've been in for a grand majority of my life! I'm more of a casual fan as I haven't made much art recently, but I still absolutely love looking at what others come up with for OCs and stuff.)

Undertale (ESPECIALLY AU-centric)

Digimon (Passionate about this one specifically - I have a project I've been working with under this fandom since 2014 on and off)

Cookie Run (Kingdom primarily with a minor Ovenbreak focus for AU concept ideas)

Dark Cloud/Dark Chronicle (This one's SO obscure, but if you know these games then I give you a virtual baked good of your liking! These two games hold a very special place in my heart.)

Dance Dance Revolution, NotITG, Friday Night Funkin (I'm a rhythm game nerd and love the creativity of the communities surrounding these three - I just haven't been able to piece together anything for it yet visually except for FNF stuff on and off)

A Dance of Fire and Ice (Same as the DDR fandom part, but I've made a couple fanart pieces before so this one I may have an easier time of conceptualizing later)

FNAF (Specifically Security Breach AU work! This one's not as frequent as others but I still have stuff in mind for it. Security Breach is how I finally caved with the FNAF series as a whole after watching how the fandom grew over the years.)

Warriors (Warrior Cats, in our year 2024? Eeyup. I just like the funny spiritual witties!)

Team Fortress 2 (This one's in and out but it's one that I come back to a lot as my boyfriend, regularly interacting and involved in the GMOD animation community reminds me of my own TF2 stuff with his presence alone lol. Love you James! <3)

Persona 3, 4 and 5 (This one's a lil self-explanatory but I have AU ideas surrounding these games that I want to make more art for eventually)

If I have anything else not listed before, I'll add it to the list. C: Please keep in mind that although I dabble in these fandoms, AU versions of existing characters may be changed in terms of sexuality, personality etc to reflect the AU they are from (For example, I have a version of Cream Unicorn Cookie that uses he/they pronouns, and my Redeemed!Pomegranate Cookie from the same AU leans bisexual over lesbian for reasons relating to reflection of character and overall character development. I like to make characters more flexible while self-indulging, so keep this in mind). I note this because my own headcanons about certain characters have set off one or two people in the past unintentionally and they VERY much have pushed things in an effort to keep canon down my throat out of retaliation. Let's just say that this part in particular is a thing that taps a sore spot for me for personal reasons. :/

When it concerns making art of my characters - surprise or not, feel free to make art of them and mention me in post (and/or message me, either way works)! It makes me feel SO loved when I get art from others, and I appreciate every piece dearly. 💜💜💜 (I go so far as to hold onto an archive of art that was done for me - with artist names in-tact within the file name nowadays!)

A few things to consider when it concerns tickling-related matters with me:

I am a Switch! I'm unsure how far Ler or Lee I am just yet, but I do enjoy tickling both ways. Unfortunately, however, I'm the kind of person that practically flies across a room when poked,, (if it comes down to tickling my sona - Niko Spirata - tie or hold 'em down if you want to wreck 'em with tickles lol)

My interest in tickling alone is purely SFW - It feels too weird looking at IRL photos/videos with very rare exception (a lot of the exception is the giggle the lee produces from ticklish contact). As a result, all the stuff I'll be reblogging and posting here is art or animation-related instead!

My favorite tickle trope is the one where a shrunken someone or a small something wiggles under the unwitting lee's clothing to tickle them! (Points at wormonastriing's Squirmles as an example of this trope :3) No, seriously. If I end up with art of any of my characters getting destroyed with tickles in this manner I will ASCEND BEYOND GALAXIES.

My favorite spots with tickling overall are belly, side and rib tickling - on rarer occasions, I enjoy tickling in other places (I prefer foot tickling if the lee has paws instead of normal feet!). This lines up with a particular enjoyment of characters being slightly chubby! I looove a good squeeze of the sides or belly, enough to get the lee blurting out giggles.

I have only a few tags I use now on a regular, but these are:

#nikki-tine (This is my user tag and I put it in with my art posts and other things I post sometimes. You may also see others' posts under this tag, primarily with stuff related to asks or when art's been posted for me in the past <3)

#art, #tickle art, #tickling art (These are self-explanatory!)

#NJEGNJ (Something to that effect, lol. It's not exact but keyboard smash tag is typically wrote similarly or around the same for several posts, all of which ones that got me chuckling or giggling like a dork!)

~

My Commission Status is currently set to OPEN (paypal prioritized for now).

It's really complicated, however, and I don't have any other methods than Paypal and Robux right now so if you have questions about that then feel free to message me and I'll try to clear it up as best I can!

I only have two prices, both fully colored and shaded.

Chibies are $25 USD (+ 5 for an extra character)

My normal art style is $50 USD (+ 10 for an extra character)

I do best leaving the BG transparent, but if I HAVE to work on one then I can do nature-themed backgrounds pretty okay. It’s not a strong-suit of mine, however…

My Art Trade Status is Busted Wide Open™ to Mutuals, but I'm a little picky and choosy with random people.

If I decline an Art Trade, please don't take it personally!

In terms of Roleplay, It's Closed on-blog, BUT I'm Open to Roleplay in Discord servers (Provided there's a Tupperbot there for me to use).

I've been looking to find an RP server that has mutuals/friends and allows Undertale-related stuff (especially of the tickling-related kind!), so if you're a part of one please let me know!

DM Status overall is Open (As long as you are kind to me, I will return kindness back!).

My Asks are ALWAYS OPEN! I really like getting stuff in my inbox (and I unfortunately don't get asks often at all).

I'm most comfortable interacting with other adults and SFW blogs (this is more-so for safety than anything else on my end. I don't have the emotional or mental energy to handle potential drama involving context-disconnected words). I don't mind interacting with NSFW blogs here but only if in the context of specific interests of mine and not much else.

I don't really have much in the way of who can't interact with me as long as you are respectful/mindful of chat etiquette and are aware of the kind of impact you may make in messaging people like myself.

I do my best to look at blog descriptions and respect DNI's - If I end up poking at something I shouldn't by accident, as long as it's not met with aggression in DMs, I will happily fix whatever problem you may have related to that. I HATE making others uncomfortable/upset!

If you have questions, feel free to ask! I don't really use other forms of Social Media, but I do use some websites with a social aspect to them casually.

Links:

Flightrising (Funny dragon site)

Chicken Smoothie (This one's a fun lil adopt site from the late 2000s)

GPX Plus (This is literally Pokefarm Q before Pokefarm Q lol)

Gaia Online (Another old site with unfortunate currency inflation, but it's the site that's kept me going with character designing and such over the years! The blog part here is old, but the avatar is updated from time to time. This site is the reason I lean on Monochrome + a color as an aesthetic a lot lol)

Bluesky (mostly inactive - want activity there? nudge me here!)

DeviantArt (It's VERY rare I post here now. Also a warning for those under 18 - there's suggestive and nsfw art in my favorites dotted here and there so look with caution. my gallery itself is SFW however and all the works that would have been nsfw are archived.)

Artfight (Self-explanatory!)

[emptybattlefield]

"seeing double"

twinstuck orphanstuck. A PLEA TO THE MOD FAIRIES: i beg of thee please reblog me!! It is my deepest desire! I appreciate you guys!! <3

“There. That boxcar.”

Tavros led his sister down a hill to where they would settle to sleep for the night. Soft Christmas snow was underfoot. 

“I can smell it from here. Are you sure?” Vriska asked. 

“Positive,” Tavros tells her, out of breath. “This is definitely the A95 train. Which means it won’t leave again till Thursday—Friday, if it’s delayed.” He gingerly held the train schedule pamphlet that he nicked from the station. “We can camp out for at least the next few days.”

The two climbed inside the traincar. Tavros started kicking a pile of hay together for them to sleep on. 

“I was right about being able to smell it,” Vriska said with revulsion. 

“I can’t smell anything. But, I read that hay is a natural insulator. So, should keep us warm in here, too,” Tavros said wearily. 

“I don’t feel feel like it’s working yet,” said Vriska, helping to shape the horse’s hay into a bed.

After just a little bit of exertion, Tavros was thrown into a coughing fit. It echoed badly throughout the traincar. 

“Are you sure you’re better than yesterday?” she asked him as they chose the least dirty corner to settle into. 

“Much,” her brother said, “and definitely over the worst of it.”

They knew nothing else but sleeping shoulder-to-shoulder. And so that was how Mr. Vantas encountered them. 

“Dave…”

Vriska swam into awareness. Somehow, the boxcar was colder than they’d found it. The street lamps were off—it was the dead of night. There was a face looming in the mouth of the boxcar. 

“Dave—it looks like you’ve got some friends in here.”

Tavros was awake, but bleary eyed—Vriska was still shaking him when a second face loomed before them. This time, a human one. 

“Urchins! Scram, you!” yelled the human, named Dave. 

“The boy looks like he’s poorly,” said the troll uneasily. 

Vriska’s heart pounded. How was her oaf brother still asleep?

It’s because he’s a furnace, she thinks dreadfully. He’s sweating and feverish, and there’s little straws of hay stuck to his face and neck.

“I know a doctor. Let me take him to him,” the adult troll said to Vriska, now climbing into to boxcar. 

“He’s sick! Leave us alone, you creeps,” she shouted at them. 

“Uh, in case you haven’t noticed, wench, these are my train cars,” said Dave lackadaisically. 

“Come now, girl. Is this your brother?” asked the troll. 

“I won’t let you take him. He just needs time. We know your train doesn’t go out till Thursday evening. We’ll be out of your hair long before then,” she said to the both of them. 

“Your brother needs a doctor—or I’ll be surprised if he survives tonight. Don’t be stupid, girl,” the troll said. 

Tavros still wouldn’t rouse. His breathing sounded heavy and ragged. Vriska’s armpits were suddenly growing intensely itchy.

The troll man swiftly bent down, and cradled Tavros in his burly arms. He hopped down from the train car.

Then they came into the light, and Vriska’s breath began to come short. Her eyes grew wide. Not only was the troll a mutant, but a mutant wearing an apron, covered and dripping with bronze, cerulean…rainbow blood!

“Oh, quit looking at me like I kill children. I’m a butcher. The name’s Karkat. What about yours?

Dave climbed into the coachman’s seat of a carriage parked up the hill. 

“You’re…you’re a mutant,” said Vriska. 

Karkat blinked, still holding out his hand for her to step up into the back of the carriage. “Uh. Indeed I am. And what did you say your name was?”

“Vriska,” she answered as she climbed into the back.

Dave fed the horses a quick snack. Next to her, Karkat looked sorely down at the limp Tavros. “And who’s this young bloke?”

“His name is Tavros.”

“And he’s your brother?”

“We’re twins,” she said. 

While they careened away from the trainyard, Karkat tried one-handedly to bundle the shivering Tavros into an empty burlap sack from the floor of the carriage.

“Are you and the human…flushed?” Vriska asked with surprise and disgust. 

“Yes.”

“That’s…forbidden.”

Karkat turned to her bitterly. “You and your brother are of completely different blood colors. You do know what kind of love twins like that are made from, don’t you? That’s forbidden as well, isn’t it?”

Vriska said nothing more, and resorted to staring out the carriage window.

***

“Found him inside one of Dave’s boxcars. He’s wrought with fever…”

Perhaps Vriska shouldn’t have been so surprised—Karkat’s brother was also a mutant. 

Vriska was now fully observant, and on her guard. She didn’t believe yet that the societal untouchables could be fully harmless. She noted that the one mutant called the other, “Kankri.” 

Kankri had answered the door in his pajamas and nightcap. He looked kind of pathetic, really—not like a doctor at all. He swung his head both ways down the street, and then ushered them all inside. 

In Kankri’s house, there was a small room with a cot that seemed to be fit for the very purpose of housing a single sick person. From a tiny dresser drawer, Kankri withdrew a trumpet stethoscope and a thermometer. Tavros looked paler in the candlelight.

When Vriska tried to enter the room, Karkat put his hand in front of the door to prevent her from entering. “You are not to bother him while he’s doing your brother a favor,” he said. 

“Feed the girl, if you must keep her occupied,” said Dr. Vantas lazily. “She’s no doubt starving.”

Karkat led Vriska into the most lavish and beautiful kitchen she’d ever seen in her life. Karkat slapped a loaf of bread and a block of cheese onto the counter. 

He threw his whole weight into them while he was cutting, as you would for meat. He served it to her on a blue and gold decorated plate that for a moment, overwhelmed even her sense of hunger. She simply stared at the carefully gilded animals—ram, bull, cat, horse, goat, fish… rather than eating her first meal in almost a day. 

“Do not try to clean up after you’re done,” he warned. “The Mrs. is very attached to her bone china.”

Vriska inhaled the bread and cheese, and Karkat gave her another one, and she wolfed that down, too. 

Karkat shook his head, smiling. “Come with me, I’ll have you try some of my stuff from the shop.” 

He fetched some sausage from the icebox for her to try. He laughed when her eyes grew wide with delight—it was clear to her that it was delicious. 

“Tav needs to try some of this,” she said.

“I’m glad you like it so much. It’s nothing special.” And it wasn’t—just his cheapest meat that he was never able to completely sell. 

“Kan—what are you doing out of…”

A pair of slippers padded softly down the stairs. Kankri’s wife was a small, cerulean lady with a ink-black bob, wearing a shimmering, sapphire evening robe. Vriska couldn’t help but stare at her night slippers, which were made of red satin, with small, delicate rubies sewn in. 

Kankri’s wife raised her thin eyebrows, yet smiled when she saw Vriska. “—Oh, my. It’s like a proper soirée in here, isn’t it? Duty calls, I take it, dear?” she called genially to the doctor. 

“Yes, honey,” Kankri answered from the other room.

This wild place held two mutants—one of them flushed with a human, the other with a highblood… What kind of mad house was this? Vriska thought to herself. 

Despite this—the more Vriska stared at her, the more she thought that Aranea was the most beautiful woman that she had ever seen. 

Aranea immediately got to work on the hearth, and then fixed tea for the entire group. She brought one in for her husband, which went cold on the counter in the tiny workroom. She conversed with the two men Dave and Karkat at the kitchen table. Eventually her attention turned to Vriska. 

“Heterosanguineous twins,” Aranea marveled. “Remarkable. How rare…”

“Did you two run off from an orphanage?” Dave asked in a harsh voice. 

“No. We’re truly urchins,” Vriska replied timidly. 

“True urchins,” repeated Dave. “You know, if you aren’t telling the truth, we’ll be able to phone every orphan home in this side of England—it won’t be hard to ask if a pair of heterosanguineous twins went missing.”

“I am being honest,” said Vriska. “Our mother fell ill with fever, and died six months ago.”

“David, you may question her in the morning. I’ll set her up in the downstairs room,” Aranea said gently. 

Wordlessly, Vriska followed her. She was bathed, her hair brushed and woven into braids, and clothed in a pale blue girls’ nightgown with lace trim that was slightly too large for her. 

“Who’s clothes are these?” Vriska asked tentatively. “Are they—do you have children?”

“Kankri and I wanted our own; but alas, it was not in the cards,” Aranea replied with a sad smile. “These are the hospital’s. They aren’t new—but at the very least, they are clean. Come here, so I can get you some socks.”

Vriska’s brain ran wild—she imagined how many kids had died in what she was now wearing. 

Aranea led her to the second guest bedroom, and left the candle on the nightstand. “You may snuff it now, or when you’re ready. Good night, Vriska.”

Vriska could not sleep. She couldn’t remember the last time she slept by herself…it was not long before she got up from bed and tried to sneak into the tiny side room. But, she couldn’t do so without crossing the foyer, where the adults were still sitting and talking. Vriska hid behind the wall out of sight. 

She allowed herself only one peek. Kankri looked worn down—Aranea sat with her legs crossed, with Karkat and Dave also on the sofa. 

“You two really have your work cut out for you, this time,” said Karkat uneasily. “Do you have any interspecies couples on your wait list that will take two children?”

Aranea’s lips shifted into a disconcerted look. “Perhaps there are some out there who believe in our same principles—that siblings like them should not be separated…”

“Would you consider splitting them? If the alternative is to return them to an orphanage, perhaps that would be preferable, for both their sakes…” said Karkat.

“We still have to see how the boy fares,” answered Kankri. His head was in his hands. “If he succumbs to his fever, then we may not have a choice in the matter, at all.”

“Don’t say that,” said Dave sharply.

“He’s right, dear. You two should go to bed,” said Aranea, “and we’ll all reconvene in the morning, as to what we should do with the children.”

She and her husband ascended the stairs—as it turned out, Karkat and Dave did not live far. Once the foyer was clear, Vriska snuck into the tiny room. 

When she shook his shoulder, he coughed—and turned to her, bleary-eyed. “Vriska?”

“They’re like those people on the news. We’re in a madhouse, full of Sufferer-gettes,” Vriska blurted out in a whisper. “They’re planning to send us to a troll and human flushcouple. That’s because the law bans them from adopting.”

“I don’t care if we go to troll-human parents. Those two men didn’t seem mad.” Tavros mused, “And the mutant doctor is kind. Anyways--beats you and me getting split up. Do you care?”

“I guess not,” said Vriska. “That’s why you can’t die on me. No matter what happens. Okay?”

“Stop talking hysterical…”

<to be continued! Probably!! thanks for reading!!!>

[flowerslifearchive]