#Back Orchid Empire

[eyplaylist]

NO PAPER. NO SCISSORS. ROCK PLAYLIST #1

When you have No Paper, and No Scissors, you are left with Just the Rock!

NO PAPER. NO SCISSORS. ROCK PLAYLIST #1(MARCH 2024)Spotify – Instagram – Facebook – Twitter – Threads12 Songs – 39min 1secGenres: Rock, Indie Rock, Alt Rock, Modern Rock / Metal / Hard Rock NO PAPER. NO SCISSORS. JUST ROCK!The kick-ass playlist with the silly name returns in 2024 with another influential playlist to prove to everyone that Rock Never Died. It’s alive and well in various forms,…

[breoasis]

Portrait of the Codfather

My contribution for @empiropediazine !! It's been done since june and i'm very excited i can finally post it :] Make sure to check the zine if you haven't already, even more if you're a fan of worldbuilding. I'm not great at worldbuilding that's why i applied just for the portrait lol

I'll leave some design notes under the cut for anyone interested <3 I'd love to hear people's thoughts on the zine and the emperors portaits (i'm biased)

- Jimmy's design is very far from his original skin for Empires s1 because let's be honest, it was just a recolor of his superhero skin, we gotta make it more interesting. I have a full design ref for him but breaking it down: green and brown hues (very swampy), orange-red for a pop of color and contrast, clothes made out lots of fabric (old and shredded to emulate vines and water plants for the swampy vibe) and the Codfather's head (mask in this case) which is heavily inspired by the headwear of Link's zora armor from Twilight Princess + the red fabric to cover the back of his head.

- Holding a dead salmon for obvious reasons.

- For the designs on the picture frame i took some inspo from european medieval illustrations, that's why there's two fish with human faces, i found a picture just like that and i thought it was funny. The rest is just cod, blue orchids and orchid leaves.

[mock-arts]

In honor of me not having any more bangs on the schedule for the year, here's part 1/2 of my 2023 cover collection! This portion 100% star wars. The next bit will be up tomorrow. I've started a cover collection tag for the compilations like this, but you can always look through all my bang art in my big bang tag. Though, not all of these were for big bangs. Eh, whatever.

Links and summaries below the cut!

Cover collection 2023

So There's this Guy by @catbuirs-alt & @elsaanna007 (art) (with more art by @anstarwar)

The war is over!

Jesse, Kix, Echo and Fives live together in an apartment on Coruscant.

Echo finds himself in a new romance with a beautiful woman named Hehna. After finding himself lacking in experience, Fives offers to help him out with advice and practice.

Unfortunately for Fives, this awakens some feelings he thought were buried deep and he doesn’t know what to do about them. He decides to put them aside and be happy that Echo has found someone.

Fives’ advice does help Echo become more confident with his new girlfriend, but something is holding him back. His thoughts keep returning to his best friend and he’s not the only one who notices. Will Fives keep his role as the best friend, or will Echo realize that his attraction to Hehna pales in comparison to his feelings for Fives?

Keep by @tallnegotiations (art)

Vader is a technical genius, it is a well-known fact. So, following his defeat at the hands of his old Master on Mustafar and the rise of the Empire, Vader executes his greatest act of genius to prove his dominance: he creates an artificial intelligence modeled after Obi-Wan Kenobi.

After the rise of the Empire, nothing remains of Commander Cody except for CC-2224, just another rank-and-file stormtrooper among many. He goes where he is told to go, shoots where he is told to shoot, and doesn't question it because good soldiers follow orders.

A droid told to be human meets a human told to be a droid. They meet somewhere in the middle.

(Tooka) Cat-Scratch Fever by @pebblish (art)

Luke is lonely, and instead of joining space bumble decides to cure the problem with a tooka cat. When he visits a shelter, he stumbles upon the most unadoptable feline there- a scarred, jet black, mangy creature that tears apart the homes of any who dare to adopt him.

Darth Vader has been turned into a tooka cat by his former Master, Darth Sidious. And now, he's been adopted by some blonde brat who has no idea who he's dealing with.

The pair of them are in for some startling revelations, and each will have to learn that what you want isn't always what you need.

I Wear My Sunglasses at Night by Trillium Orchid (art)

Force Osik can make things difficult and decidedly strange. Sith versions of Cody, Fox, Thorn, Thire, and Stone get switched with the bodies of their alternate selves that are from a near-cannon timeline…

They decide to Help Things- and manage to kill the Chancellor. Meanwhile, the vod’e that they switch with is trying to get back home and hop a few universes before getting switched back… after the Sith versions kill the Chancellor.

Ripple in the Universe by @darthtarvera (art)

Jango Fett has done many things in service to Mandalore. Tricking a couple of Jedi so he can use them to get to the heart of a conspiracy seems simple enough to add to the list. Get the Jedi, get to Mandalore, and find the traitors. One more step to take on his path to fix the mistakes from the last time he did this.

Ripples on the water can have longer-lasting effects than you might think. Jango Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi meet years before they were supposed to.

This changes things.

An Hourglass in Hand by @ecarian (art) (with more art by @blog-o-randomness)

“I thought daemons didn’t eat,” Rex noted once, during a celebration feast, as he and Cody watched Boga devour her meal with some fascination. Varactyl she may be, but she was a tiny one. There wasn't much interior space for the truly momentous amount of meat she was ripping into. Boga daintily rubbed her beak against a folded serviette that looked kind of like a bird, and said, prim, “I can do anything a human can do.”

“Oh?” Obi-Wan said mildly, from where he’d been tapping at a datapad. “Shall I save you a portion of these reports then?”

No Trophies, Only Prisoners by @diviluscorner (art)

Jango’s life took a wrong turn somewhere around Geonosis and spat him out years later to haunt one of his clones.

Or perhaps Jango doesn't realize the Force has other plans for him.

Every Shadow by @kenobster (art)

The days on Kadavo were long, but the nights moved quickly. Hundreds of pairs of wide, sleepless eyes haunted the space of the holding cells. Droves of terror clogged the heavy, sweaty air, and every sound, however faint, was like a physical ripple across the crowd. Every sound. The jingling of keys, the clicking of locks, the thudding of boots, and that��s how the nights on Kadavo started—with a gradual increase in the degree of quiet.

OR—during the mass casualty event following Kadavo and Zygerria, Obi-Wan and Anakin seek ways to cope with trauma.

[historia-vitae-magistras]

25 but specifically for Matthew and Arthur?

25) What other people wish they could change about them

Oh, this one's got some kick. Matt just... God, he wishes Arthur had been just a tiny bit less severe about sucking it up. When Matthew was procured with the rest of the unholy money sink of Canada, Arthur was quite cold. He wasn't cruel but Matt isn't it his. He treats him with the same regard as any random child. He generally likes children but he has one of his own and this little shit is pure 100% distilled François by his measure. He doesn't expect to keep him, much less raise him. The reality that he would end up with him but not Alfred under his roof was unfathomable until the ink was dry on the 1783 Treaty of Paris.

François succeeded with "a son for a son" and Arthur ends up with the one neither of them prefer. So many of the reasons he loses Alfred trace back to Matt. And ignoring him was the best thing he could do. He's not treated particularly bleakly by the standards of the day. He was fed, clothed, and Arthur even acknowledged his existence once in a while but oof, Matt was practically stoned on joy when someone even so much as said his name. He would try silly little things like making conversation or tagging along or just trying to be in the same room. He'd fall asleep in random places and occasionally Arthur would wake him and send him to bed and Matt would sleepily try to snuggle against him and be gently shaken off and told to go find his bed. It annoyed Arthur to high heaven. Combine the influx of loyalists with that breaking him down so much in this period, really grinding him down to little more importance than dirt for the orchids in the green house, Arthur kind of creates the ideal conditions to reprogram Matt. He builds practically the perfect imperial lackey from the ground up. If there was much left of François in his personality, it was largely gone by the time Jack came along. Matt's an anxiety disorder with a nice swirl of people pleasing for flavour more than he is a person.

He's the "easy" child. He never has wants or needs. He goes outside to cry, he curls up and minds his own damn business when he's unwell. He takes his semi-annual pat on the head and makes it last. His own personality and wants only spurt up with his temper flares. He explodes and is more than willing to inflict violence wherever he sees it as his duty to do so. He grows up with his individuality in some negligible margin of his own personality. He becomes a force within the British empire in his own right. He does, eventually, develope a personality that's more somewhere in between who he is and who he needs to be. But he's everything Arthur could ever want in a son. He's still not Alfred, but he's everything anyone could ask him to be. He's easy. He's never a burden, he never complains. He does what he's told and far more.

Fast forward to imperial decline. Matt makes what is in some ways, the transition from Arthur's imperial lackey to Alfred's imperial lackey. But in others, he is properly, really independent this time. And now he's kind of got a dad he can push back on, who he can complain too, who he can let... Parent him. He has a partner who wants to support him. He's standing there with probably the best support network any country could ask for. And he doesn't know what the fuck to do with any of it. He feels plenty free to push back, to disagree. He can build a coalition, negotiate left right and centre. But ask for help? Affection? God no. He'll gnaw his own arm off rather than ask for a hand.

Just like Arthur wanted 200 years ago.

[vodika-vibes]

Hi! I love your Bouquet idea, it's so cute and unique. I would like to request an Echo x reader where's he's came back from the Clone rebellion to Pabu with a yellow Orchid and Corriander?

Lust For Life

Summary: The Clone Rebellion is over, and miraculously, the Clones won. And now, Now Echo has to decide where to go from here.

Pairing: TBB Echo x F!Reader

Word Count: 1571

Prompts: Yellow Orchid - New Beginnings, Coriander - Lust

Tagging: @trixie2023 @n0vqni

A/N: So, I started writing this and realized very quickly that, based on what I was writing, I couldn't made lust-lust work, so I decided to be clever and interpreted it as lust for life. I hope you don't mind.

It’s over.

In spite of everything standing against them, they won.

The Clones, his brothers, they’re free.

No one will ever be able to use them as a weapon again.

Echo presses his hand over his eyes, even as flexes the new, prosthetic hand that Senator Organa all but shoved on him several days earlier. Ah, no…not Senator. He’s Chancellor now, isn’t he?

As one of the men who helped destroy the Empire, Chancellor Organa has given him a very large room in the Chancellor’s palace. And he’s currently laying on the most comfortable bed that he’s ever laid on in his life.

Too bad that the room isn’t helping him feel any better.

Echo lifts his new prosthetic hand and holds it above his face. His scomp had been destroyed when he used it to stab Darth Vader.

It was not a clever thing to do, and he regretted it almost immediately.

But seeing Vader in front of him, telling him and Rex that he’s General Skywalker…well, something snapped in Echo and he just reacted. 

Echo sighs and drops his hand to the side. He’s tired. He wants to go home. To go to her. Maybe now he can give her a future worthy of her.

“Echo?” He glances towards the door, and flashes a weak smile at his older brother, “You alright, vod? You vanished after dinner.” Rex says as he enters the room, and sits on the bed next to his younger brother.

“Yeah. I’m just…” Echo sighs and then sits up to look at his brother properly, “General Skywalker.”

Rex sighs, “You did the right thing-”

Echo scoffs, “Of course I did. I’m not worried about that.”

“Then what’s the problem, Ech’ika?”

Echo scrunches up his nose at the nickname, but doesn’t say anything about it. In fact, he just drops his head on his brother’s shoulder, “I remember some of the stories General Skywalker told me and Fives. About how he was a slave-”

“Really? He hated talking about that stuff,” Rex replies as he lightly strokes Echo’s hair. It’s only recently started coming back in, and Rex couldn’t be happier for his little brother.

“He wasn’t really sober,” Echo explains, “And I just…he was a slave. How can a former slave be okay with enslaving an entire race of people?” He blurts.

Rex sighs softly, “I think, when Anakin turned into Vader, he enslaved himself again. He seemed to genuinely think that he was doing the right thing.”

“That’s-!”

“I’m not excusing him, Echo.” Rex interrupts, “I’m just trying to answer your question.”

“...sorry.”

“It’s alright.” Rex continues comforting his brother for a little longer, “Something else is bothering you.” It’s not a question.

“...Fives.”

Talking about his twin is never easy. Sure, they’ve always known the odds, but the reality of losing Fives was so much harder than he’d ever expected.

“...Echo, Fox didn’t have a choice-”

“What? No. I know that. I don’t blame him. Force knows that he blames himself enough for both of us,” Echo says, “I’m just��disgusted. Did Skywalker know that Palpatine was manipulating him?”

“The only person who can answer that is dead, Echo.”

He sighs and thumps his head on Rex’s shoulder a couple of times, “Do you think Fives would be proud?”

Rex hugs Echo tightly to his side, “I know he would be.”

He laughs softly, “Good.”

They fall into a comfortable silence, and then Rex lightly squeezes the back of his neck, “What are you going to do from here?” He asks quietly, “I’m sure Bail would give you a place in his cabinet if you want.”

“I’m going home. To Pabu.” Echo replies, “The others are still there, and they need to know what’s going on.” He pauses, “And, well-”

“Yes?”

Echo sighs, “There’s a woman-” He trails off when he sees the grin on Rex’s face.

“What’s she like, Ech’ika?” Rex asks, his grin growing.

Echo huffs, “She’s…good and kind. She smiles at me like she can see the man under the machine-”

“Is she your girlfriend?” Rex asks.

“No. Not yet.” Echo replies, “I…haven’t asked.” He admits sheepishly, “But things are different now, I suppose.”

“Hm…a new beginning.” Rex muses thoughtfully, “For all of us.”

“Yeah, I guess it is.”

It has been almost a year since the last time you saw Echo, and you’re not ashamed to admit that you miss him.

You miss his easy jokes and warm laughter, and the way that he was always the first person to offer you help around the house.

And sure, his brothers are great, but they’re not Echo.

You pout slightly, he hasn’t even commed you. Not even after news came out about Emperor Palpatine dying and Senator Organa taking over the new Republic.

You’re not dumb, you know Echo had something to do with that. And a part of you, a larger part than you want to admit to, is worried that he’s not going to come back.

Your pout becomes more pronounced. Maybe this is what is meant by missed connections? You should have asked him out when you had the chance, maybe then you’d be more confident that he was going to come back.

With difficulty, you push your melancholy to the side, and grab the box of donations that need to be sorted before they’re put out for sale. Work is always pretty good at distracting you from what’s bothering you.

Half an hour later, the door to the warehouse you’re working in opens and you hear heavy footsteps through the rows and rows of stuff that need to be organized. 

It’s weird, since you are pretty sure that you are working alone today.

You set the box to the side, and get to your feet to prepare to send a customer away, this wouldn’t be the first time someone came into the warehouse looking to buy something after all.

“Sorry, you’re not allowed back her-” You trail off as you blink at the man standing at the entrance to the little room you and your coworkers made, “Echo?”

He smiles at you, “I’m back, cyar’ika.”

You trip over a box, but somehow manage to fling yourself into his arms, “You’re back!” You say cheerfully as you wrap your arms around his neck.

Echo laughs softly, as he catches you, his arms tight around your waist, “Did you miss me?”

“I wasn’t sure you were going to come back!” You reply as you push away slightly to look up at him, “Are you okay? You weren’t hurt were you?”

“I’m fine, and I was, but I had really good doctors.” He lifts his prosthetic arm and wiggles his fingers at you, “I even got a gift from the new Chancellor.”

“Oh! Look at that!” You take his hand and trail your fingers lightly over the metal, “It’s beautiful.”

“Yeah, I like it.”

You look up at him, and scan his face curiously, “Hm.”

“What’s up?”

“You seem…happier.” You note thoughtfully, “You seem less like the weight of the galaxy is resting on your shoulders.”

“Yeah? I know you liked Grumpy Echo…what do you think about this one?”

You grin at him, “I like happy Echo even more.”

He grins back at you, looking his physical age for the first time since you’ve met him, “So, I came to a decision while I was on Coruscant.” Echo says lightly. “Would you like to hear it?”

“I’d love to.”

“Have you ever heard of having a lust for life?” Echo asks as he takes your hand in his metallic one, and then twirls you, pulling a startled laugh from your lips.

“Only in books,” You reply, another laugh falling from you as Echo starts dancing with you between the rows of donations.

“Well, it’s a strong desire to live a full and rich life,” he explains as he twirls you again and again, a bright grin crossing his face at your delighted laughter. “And I’ve decided that I want that.”

You’re breathless with laughter and you’ve been smiling so widely that your cheeks are starting to hurt, and your face is flushed with delight, “I want you to have that too.” You say.

His eyes dance with mischief, “Good, that makes step one of my plan so much easier.”

“What’s step one?” You ask him.

He twirls you one more time, and then pulls you flush against him, “Convince you to be my girlfriend.”

“And the other steps?” You ask as you set your hands on his chest and stand on your toes to bring your lips closer to his.

“Hm. Step two is to kiss you until you’re breathless.” Echo replies, lowering his head so that his lips hover just over yours, “Step three is to wine and dine you at the finest restaurant on Pabu. Steps four through seven are to make sure that you’re never unhappy again-”

You push a little higher on your toes so your lips press against his.

One of Echo’s hands fists in your hair, while the other holds tightly around your waist, as he immediately deepens the kiss, as though it’s the only thing that he’s been thinking about for ages.

“Is that a yes?” Echo asks, his lips hovering just over yours.

“It’s a kriff yes,” You whisper, “I should have asked you a year ago.”

“Ha! I win at romance,” Echo teases, before he crashes his lips against yours again.

[belovedstilldear]

WARNING!! -> Violence (Towards others, toward eggs), Self Harm (Not caring for wounds), Alcohol (Alcoholic character), Religion and Cult-like things (Cubito/s, Sanguine Arc), Stalking (Obsession), Parasite (Blue Orchids)

Backstory

Beloved originally came from a swamp. They weren't born there; they formed or at least spawned there. The flowers, blue orchids, weren't so bad back then. Bel spawned in with nothing, no clothes, no items, just them and their flowers. They found a witch hut nearby and luckily found clothes left behind. A few days later after wandering around, they found a nearby village. They go up to the village and try to communicate with the villagers inside. However, the village were horrified by demons. They kicked Bel out, which made them think that everyone must be scared of them, right?

Years later, Beloved managed to learn how to farm and collect some books. This was the same year that a slime had wandered over to their home. Bel was deprived of anything relating to people and attention, so they were excited to see this slime walking around. 20 years. 20 years since they've been deprived since they've been kicked out of that village. Eagerly, they greeted this slime, finding out his name was Streqq.

The two began to go on adventures together. While on an adventure, they ran into an allay named Cloudy. Beloved and Streqq ended up dragging Cloudy along with their adventures.

Rosas

Rosas is a fraction founded by Streqq, Beloved, Cloudy, Globi, Cheez, and Sprout. It formed as an idea before the server opened between Steel, Bel, and Cloudy (OOC), suggesting that they'll start a rose empire, taking all the roses in the server. Originally this idea stemmed from their own vanilla server, where they'd collect roses and destroy any dandelions (In their words: Because Fitmc didn't like dandelions.) Once QBLRsmp opened on April 11th, Steel and Bel (OOC) quickly grouped up and wandered around spawn. They ran into Sev and Stehlla (OOC) and began to build their first two buildings: The community storage and their house. Cheez (OOC) shortly came around to join this small group a few days later.

One of the best moments in Rosas (at least with the founders) was Radiation Crew, which included Beloved, Streqq, Cheez, and Midori. This group formed when they traveled around the server and accidentally accidentally stumbled upon a radiated cave. The trio version (Beloved, Streqq, and Cheez: Radiation Trio) was created when the three chased after Grace and got immediately shot with the radiation gun, claiming that Grace had bit them.

The first screenshots in Bel's (OOC) drive were of Bel and an older version of Midori's model fishing and Sprout on the first day of the server in a composter (which continued later on in character.)

The French Inn was a huge part of Rosas as well. The French Inn and Rosas were neighbors! Here, Cloudy (OOC) learned how the cooking system worked and some of Rosas had met other members!

Pumpkin Isles, Adoption Event

The first real memory Beloved remembers on Pumpkin Isles was the Adoption Event. Bel and a handful of islanders were told to go to this island to get a creature. In the chests, there were items labeled with their names. Bel's item was a sprout. Luckily enough, Cloudy's and Streqq's items were the same thing, meaning that they were partners. After everyone on the island got their item all the creatures came down from the sky. Everything was loud, everyone was so excited to find and see who their creature was. The trio were excited as well. An egg with a small green sprout ran up to the trio, holding the item that matched theirs. The four quickly went into a corner far away from the islanders so they could finally talk to their new creature. Streqq called them a parasite, to his defense he's never seen a child before. Beloved and Cloudy weren't too happy with this. Cloudy acted distant, unsure about the creature. Bel scolded the two for being so strange a few times, but mainly Streqq for being a little mean. Once they were allowed to, the four left the island to go back home to Rosas. At home, Streqq immediately began interrogating the poor egg. While Streqq was doing this, Cloudy sat on the side and watched. Bel continued to scold both of them for this and immediately took over the situation. They showed the creature around their house, and Streqq and Cloudy followed behind. Once they reached the roof, Cloudy decided it was a good time to go off to walk around, to get some air. The two, Bel and Streqq, finished showing the creature around. They talk a little bit about parenthood but it was completely cut off by Streqq wanting to show the creature Rosas. The slime was excited to be the one who could show the creature around the fraction that he and Beloved and a few others had found. Not only that he was excited about his own creature, but others as well. A few of the things that Bel remembers almost exactly was Streqq running up to a creature and shouting his hellos, only accidentally scaring the creature and making them run off. The other memory was when they first met Squash and their parents. Sprout and Squash seem to get along, Squash did attack a few times out of playfulness.

Nearing the end of the day, when the sun was going down. They began to hang out with Rosas since they were around. Cloudy also came back around this time. Beloved stayed somewhat distant, staying near their creature, Cloudy or Streqq. Rosas ran off to the neighboring island to talk and run around. Bel watched from a distance from the house. Sprout, their creature, and Halo, Soup's creature, stayed by Bel. Deep down inside, Bel was scared for the future. They turned to the two creatures as they pulled out their scythe, making a promise. If anyone hurt or killed them, Bel wasn't afraid to kill them over and over.

Unfair Baby Fight, Court

As a player-made event (hosted by Popcorn) a baby fighting ring was made and hosted at Lyre's home. The fight rules were: No armor, no cloud in a bottle, just sticks. Once Sprout was up, she was against Squash. Sprout couldn't even hit Squash, not even once. What made things worse was the fact that Squash brought out a rainbow-colored Tremorsaurus named "Gay Brother". Bel, Streqq, and Cloudy jumped out of their chairs, yelling to stop the fight due to Sprout being flung around and almost killed. The event stopped for a moment to talk to the two creatures and figure out if this was fair or not. Popcorn declared that it was fair for Squash to bring out the Tremorsaurus and that he won and if anyone had a problem with that they could take it to court. The family took this joke seriously and decided to sue both Popcorn (For the Event) and Squash's family (For being Unfair.)

The family along with Soup went home to plan out what to do. Cloudy and Soup went into full detail about what they're suing Squash and Popcorn for, what to say, who're lawyers, who're witnesses, etc.

Days passed, and more planning and more stress were put on the group's shoulders. They got two more lawyers and a "witness", Tea, Halo, and Cheez. Fly, Midori, and Mozza were also there as witnesses. (Mozza was really just there to say that Sprout was innocent and in the right.) However... During all the planning, something else also happened.

Another player-hosted event was made, a banquet to open up the Server/Community Farm! During this event, all players were able to sit down and talk to each other as they ate meals and drank wine. However, a white and black fox appeared during this event and began summoning monsters to hurt everyone there. While this was happening, Bel took Sprout and a few other creatures away to keep them safe. Everyone was confused, this was out of nowhere! Surely it was only one time, right?

Wrong! The day that the court case was going to happen, the white fox attacked again. At first Bel and Cloudy didn't notice, but Sprout noticed immediately and got attacked. Bel tried to get Rosas over to their home to help them. While monsters continued to attack everyone, Bel lost sight of Sprout. They screamed out for their baby, completely horrified by this situation.

Didn't help that also the same day, a pillar was made around the server, first appearing outside of court. This stressed the group out, not only court was stressing but both the abyss and white fox were also stressing them out!

They didn't have time to process the situation, they had to go inside and finally go through the court case. The first case was between the Citrus-Rose Family and Squash's Family.

There are a bunch of recordings for this case in particular + Streqq's funny lil evidence video against Val attacking Streqq before court. (I won't share the video for the court because I'm unsure if I can share it but let's just say... WE STAY WINNING)

The next was against Popcorn and his team. This one was a loss for the Citrus-Rose Family. In fact, Streqq was sacrificed during this case! Plus the first Sanguine appearance happened. A god had possessed Tea during the case and attacked Streqq along with Popcorn. Someone had also blown up the Judge and the courtroom! Bel managed to get Sprout out of the courtroom as quickly as they could.

After court, Bel comforted Streqq along with Tea as well. The three went off home and drank the stress away (At least Bel and Tea did. Not Streqq.) This was something they had to watch out for, wasn't it?

Poking the Bear with a Stick

Beloved goes to Cheez's house which was infested with sculk from the abyss. They held shears in their hand, wanting to test something. Wanted to see how Cheez would react to them messing around with the sculk. Cheez waited inside, sitting on a chair. He greeted Bel with a soft and welcoming tone. Bel and he talked for a little until they began cutting the sculk. Then, Cheez revealed his axe and began to target them. Outside, Cheez aimed for the leg first, then their stomach. Streqq ran to Cheez's house in a panic, begging him to stop and asking what was going on. For a final hit, Cheez slammed his axe down on Bel's face, on the flower side. Luckily, it didn't kill them, but it did wound them for a long time.

Later on, Beloved gave the shears to Gray to research.

New Rosas

Old Rosas had plenty of warnings for being the most laggy fraction on the spawn island. Everyone decided that they should probably move if they wanted more builds like planned. First, they traveled to the moon (which was already pretty far from spawn) and they went from there. They found some (kind of) flat and green land, however a village was also nearby. So what did Rosas do? That's right, end crystal!

Then, Rosas found a nearby pumpkin, which they fought once the village was done getting destroyed and after all the tall grass was gone:

Rosas got to building. The first thing they built was the gazebo. The gazebo was mostly built by Streqq and Bel (Bel really only did the paths meanwhile Streqq did the rest.) New Rosas was a fresh restart for everyone, they could build so much more and much bigger without problems of lag. (There were problems later down the line but it was an entity issue.)

With New Rosas being built, it also introduced a very important character... Willard. Okay, he's not a character but he's still important to Rosas, he had an entire SHRINE before it had to be taken down closer to the end of the server because of lag! I like to believe he was very important... :C

Normal Dinner

Normal Dinner (Not the ones Levlies had planned, but they were there too!) was a Rosas event to welcome Cheez back. Cheez was hibernating after Bel had been attacked by him. The seating arrangements were awkward. Everything at this dinner was uncomfortable. It just wasn't a good dinner at all. At first, it was quiet. No one knew what to say in front of the bear in front of them. Once Jay began serving food the conversation began.

Almost quickly the conversation turned into arguments between each other. Beloved couldn't stop staring at Cheez, Streqq, and Tea. Horrified at Cheez, upset at Streqq, and finally, wanting help from Tea.

Cheez noticed Bel's stares, which brought up the attack back at home. The group suggested that they should apologize to each other, which they did. Admittedly, both of their apologies weren't genuine. Cheez was still filled with anger. Beloved was still scared of Cheez.

The group got up from their chairs to take a break and noticed the back of the chairs being scribbled with degrading words. Everyone was shocked and scared, they worried that it was Sanguine's doing.

Possession, Obsession

Before the dinner, Streqq agreed to be possessed by Sanguine, which drove Beloved over the edge. They were scared of losing Streqq, they were attached. Slowly over time, they became obsessed with the slime, and soon the serpent god possessing him too.

The first attack was when Streqq, Beloved, and Chickadee were traveling away from New Rosas. Streqq suddenly snapped and began to hit Bel with a sickle, out of fear Bel ran to get Chickadee and teleported off the island to Globi's Temple in New Rosas.

Beloved began watching Streqq from afar. A few islanders noticed them, but they simply didn't care. They took photos of Streqq, for their secret room.

In this secret room located in the Secret Casa had photos of Streqq (poorly done), a wine bottle that Streqq drank from, Streqq's last slime sample from Tea, Streqq's first note, Streqq's blood, and finally Streqq's shirt. There were plenty of books written about Streqq... Or even Sanguine. Writing about how much they missed him or how something affected them. They didn't like certain people such as Nightmare because he was too close to Streqq, claiming he could help him. They were jealous of those with relationships, they had something Bel wanted.

During the boiling, Beloved sacrificed themselves. They screamed out "finally" over and over, saying how they were finally useful to someone. Once they've died, there was a note left saying:

"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Finally, I'm useful for something. Never in my 23 years of existence have been used for something so great like this. Finally. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."

Their heart was ripped out of their body and used to continue on with the boiling. Beloved respawned and watched silently as Streqq got boiled right in front of their eye. They captured Streqq's sin in a cage to put in their room in the Secret Casa.

Sanguine used Streqq as a vessel. Beloved couldn't help but follow him around nonstop... Listening in on things they shouldn't listen to such as Soup's deal or Gummy gossiping with Sanguine. Bel kept silent. Bel kept silent about these things and only brought them up when it was needed after the possession.

While Sanguine was around, he had killed many people. Beloved was killed multiple times because Sanguine was simply bored. Bibi, Gummy's creature, was killed. Then Stick. Stick was Citrus-Rose's foster child. Beloved at first before adopting Stick teased him, but they slowly got attached in the adoption process. Bel, Streqq, and Stick went to the market to hang out as a family. Bad idea. Once they reached the orphanage to visit it while it was empty, Sanguine came out and attacked Stick, saying it was some kind of game to get home quicker. This angered Beloved. They brought out their scythe and repeatedly downed Sanguine nonstop until their arms got tired. The last blow was an accident. They accidentally killed Sanguine. In the moment they worried for Stick more than Sanguine. Bel held Stick close, trying to comfort their child while Rosas rushed into the orphanage.

One thing Beloved remembered almost vividly was the day Halo got downed by Sanguine. Halo wanted to show Streqq a special spot that meant a lot to her, so the two left. Beloved and Sprout had a feeling deep down that this would go wrong so they went to Halo's stasis chamber and waited. Then it happened. Beloved quickly slammed the trap door shut while Sprout threw potions at the door. However, Halo got teleported to another chamber right after. Gray and Fly went to Site Null to check on the family. Halo shortly came back after, clearly traumatized from the events. Beloved told Gray to keep an eye on Sprout and Halo while they checked on Sanguine. Fly was very against Beloved doing this but he went along with them. Beloved went to New Rosas and tracked down Sanguine. Turn of events, Sanguine reveals that he has Beloved's heart and has control over them. If they did one wrong thing, he could easily destroy this heart. Destroy their respawn anchor. Beloved backed down, submitting to Sanguine once again. In Nightmare's house shortly after; Sanguine, Tea, and Beloved talked. Sanguine began to blame Tea for causing all of this and convinced Beloved to attack Tea. To take their bottled-up emotions out on Tea. If Tea hadn't found this dying god, Stick wouldn't have died. If Tea didn't go through with all of this, Halo wouldn't be traumatized. If Tea hadn't pulled Streqq into this, they wouldn't be hurt like this... Beloved pulled out a ritual knife and began to stab Tea in the stomach 17 times. The same spot Bel was stabbed in when they were sacrificed. After this incident, Bel repeatedly apologized for what they'd done. Tea reassured them that he wasn't mad at what they had done.

Streqq and Tea had a plan to get rid of Sanguine. The plan was to nuke themselves in the Grotto so their bodies couldn't be used as vessels. Beloved was against it at first but soon had to give in because that was the only thing that would get rid of this serpent. Days getting closer and closer to this end, Bel became more and more guilty about their actions. They showed Streqq the Secret Casa and accidentally, their secret room. Didn't help that Streqq called them a freak for this... Once the day hit, Beloved couldn't say their goodbyes while everyone else was trying to. They wanted a goodbye alone in the Grotto. Bel hugged the two brothers tightly, calling them the greatest best friends they had ever had in their life. Bel then left the Grotto slowly, listening to the Nucular Creepers in the distance. Once they reached the entrance of the Grotto, they heard them go off. After they went off, after a few more moments, Bel went back inside along with Soup and Fly. Inside the lab was a cacoon covered in both blood and sculk. The cacoon hatched and revealed a gulber who could walk on its two feet like a person. This gulber called itself Prison.

Fly and Beloved stayed in the Grotto to talk to Prison. To figure out what it was and what it reacted to. It would freak out almost the entire time, saying they itched or they hurt. Bel and Fly assumed this could be related to Sanguine and Lady Abyss. Once Prison got tired, Bel and Fly left the Grotto. They'll deal with it later...

A few days later, Streqq came back from purgatory and happily greeted everyone. Beloved was hesitant along with Halo and Sprout, but, the three slowly warmed back up to Streqq.

Beloved went back to the Grotto to check on Prison, only to find out that Prison completely destroyed one of Globi's wards. Bel, frustrated with it, yelled and scolded the gulber. They stopped once Streqq, Fly and Globi came in to study Prison. It took time, but, they managed to get Prison out of the Grotto. Lots and lots of yelling and scaring it out... They got Prison to Tea's new lab (that Tea was trying to build before dying) and began to experiment. Alcohol, food, puzzles, flesh, acid. Then they trapped Prison in an obsidian cage. The group discussed if they should kill Prison right here right now. It was mixed but they decided that Globi should go through with it. Streqq left the room while Fly and Beloved stayed to watch Globi kill Prison... Or well... Eat Prison actually... Something inside Bel felt relief, it was finally over. Sanguine was finally gone. Their family can be safe...

Final Days, It's Time to Go

Beloved hadn't taken Tea's and Streqq's death well. Even though Streqq came back, something deep down felt off. Bel had already put Streqq's urn beside his grave but they haven't let go of Tea's. They held both of their urns around, almost attached because of their grief. They felt deep down guilt from what happened. They could've stopped this. They could've done so much better. They blamed themselves for not helping Tea or Streqq before the nukes. They felt like they made it worse.

They still hold Tea's urn, however, once Rosas finds a location for their new home, Tea's urn will be placed down for good. Preferably a new grave or whatever Tea wants.

There was an invitation in the Citrus-Rose mailbox, Soup was hosting a dinner at their manor. Bel was unsure about the dinner at first, they were going to go but the past dinners they were invited to ended horribly. This dinner was nicer, in the beginning at least.

At this dinner, they talked about gossip, bad news, the past, and some good news. Like said before, it was going well until Soup led the group downstairs. Downstairs was a ritual room. Soup wanted to do a ritual, one last attempt to become human. It failed.

On their body, there were potions and a key to their office. Jay took the key while Beloved snatched up some of the potions. The door leading them out of the big ritual room led them to a maze. A blood maze. This maze freaked out the group, especially Streqq who was trying to calm himself down, verging on a panic attack. The group accidentally split up. While trying to group up, Beloved found the exit to the maze by accident.

Out of the maze, Jay unlocked the door to reveal the True Lab. It was overgrown and messy, it had books and notes left behind by Soup. The group read the books and notes, revealing what Soup had planned all along and their last message. A goodbye for if they died. Soup's death left Beloved unsure. They didn't know how to feel at this point. They were worried about breaking the news to Halo back home since Halo had already gone through so much the days before and today. Like old times, Beloved just listened to the group, following them around. They didn't budge into Streqq comforting Nightmare due to not wanting to be scolded by Nightmare, being told it wasn't their place like before Sanguine. Watching Fly react badly to these events hurt Beloved, they felt bad for Fly but they gave him his space.

Today was the final day on Pumpkin Isles. Beloved and Streqq spent some time together in Sprout's Sanctuary, it was almost like a date! Then they went to the Temple to put their stuff away in the archive along with everyone else. Everyone in Rosas (along with a few others from other factions!) gathered in the tavern to listen to Angel sing! Sprout hummed a song as well which made Streqq and Beloved emotional.

Everyone gathered at the blimp to leave Pumpkin Isles. Almost panicking over closing the door and gathering everyone for a photo! But luckily, everything worked out. Thank you.

Thank you QBLRsmp for helping me make so many friends <3

[thelreads]

With the power of Google, I was able to find that "Mitera" is Greek for "Mother" so the Miteran Empire being their Ancient Greece checks out. I had a harder time with "Geschocran" but what I eventually got from it was "Projectile Crane" when translated from German.

There's a post on tumblr somewhere with translated Japanese comments who read it as "Gesshokuran" which apparently translates to "Lunar Eclipse Orchid". I'm not sure what to make of it or if the Witch's Crib comment means anything. Another thing about the flower is that it doesn't seem to have male flower parts, so I assume this flower is strictly female. Interesting imo considering the "Mother" & "Witch" references.

There's certainly something cooking, question is what? I feel like I need to go back & see if it can be connected to anything; especially chapter 90.1. Maybe Anya's mother is from that region?

We're getting closer to the truth I can feel it

[stirringwinds]

i feel like victorian-era arthur very much had an acquisitive streak towards the natural world. it’d be a departure from younger arthur, for whom nature was the realm of the fae, or something he treated with more watchful respect, simply because he knew he was at the mercy of nature and the seasons (if crops fail, they fail—just as ships before steam power were more vulnerable to being blown off-course by storms). by contrast, imo, victorian era arthur is full of the triumph and arrogance of the british empire and the possibilities of industrial power; he’s building huge arse greenhouses where he can recreate environments nothing like english weather (because why not). he’s paying thousands for collectors to bring him rare tropical orchids, palms, pitcher plants and ferns for him to show off. very much that gentleman-naturalist-imperialist vibe. granted, he does enjoy nature watercolours and the scientific aspect of it—but it’s also about collecting and hoarding for the sake of it. 

arthur nowadays would simply go birdwatching with a binoculars in hand (dire post-war finances and being shamed by david attenborough and the entire bbc natural history unit works wonders); victorian-era arthur probably had one of those eerie-looking wooden-framed glass cases with hundreds of hummingbirds posed in an imitation of life, alongside his numerous boards of tropical butterflies. does he enjoy watching these hummingbirds and butterflies in their natural environment? probably yes, but arthur back then isn’t content with just paintings or nature-watching and needs to have��them, needs to be able to bring them home with him somehow and to exhibit them to visitors— just like all those tropical plants filling his greenhouse. there’s a distinct artificiality you can’t disguise but to him then, that’s fine—just like the pavilions of the great exhibition in 1851, it’s a show of the utter ease and power with which he can arrange the world to his liking.

[books-and-strawberry-tea]

Books I always forget about cause they are on my kindle:

Am I the only one like this? I always forget what I have when its a digital collection. I've been collecting since I bought my kindle. I read heaps on my kindle. But I just keep adding more and more to my collection. So here's a list of books a want to read that's on there. If anyone has any feed back or recommendations about my list, please leave a comment! Also if you decide to look into the books on this list, be aware some are 18+ and have TW.

Vampires: Hollow - Legend (Series) Tethered (series) Court (started) The southern book clubs guide to slaying vampires (Started) Twilight (series) Court of the vampire queen (40%) From blood and ash Bitten and bound Vampire academy Die for you (aus) The vampire in the bookstore Bound to the vampires Empire of the vampire - Empire of the damned (series) Feathers so vicious (series) House of crimson hearts Shade of a blood moon blood oath - shadow heart - twisted soul (series)

Manga: Somethings wrong with us (Manga) Say i love you (Manga)

Contemporary/contemporary romance/dark romance ect: Den of vipers The predator The ritual Things we never got over The virgin suicides Ninth house - Hell bent (series) God of Malice Hate mail Hate (JAMES) Bridget jones diary Hunting adeline (Started) Kiss the sky The seven husbands of evelyn hugo Moments of mayhem Lights out Mine (AK ROSE) Falling leaves Twisted friction Saint - sinner - priest - midnight mass (series) Love of my after life Theif (MASSERY)

Fantasy/fantsy romance: The spell shop Yumi and the nightmare painter Gideon the ninth Kingdom of blood and betrayal (35%) - A kingdom of venom and vows (series) Heir of the beast (series) Whispers of the deep The crimson moth The orchid and the owl (started) The song of the marked A court of silver flames (started) Half a soul (series) The god and the gumiho A discovery of witches Psycho fae - psycho shifters - (series) Daughter of the moon goddess (30%) - Heart of the sun warrior Powerless The liars crown Forged by malice - bonded by thorns - Woven by gold (series) Heaven officials blessings The dragons bride Dark heir - dark rise (series) Legends and lattes Lightlark - Nightbane (ugh) The very secret society of irregular witches One dark window - two twisted crowns (series) The invisible life of addie larue One little nightmare Daughter of no worlds The unmaking of June farrow Feather so black Songbird of the sorrows What is dark within me (series) A dream so wicked - Sleeping beauty retelling Of darkness and ruination

Ghosty/Hauntings/Spirits/Halloweenie ect: When stars come out Black silk and Sympathy (Aus) Love letters to a serial killer Good girl bad blood (started) - as good as dead (series) House of hollow Chlorine Carving for cara Her soul to take (series) A soul to keep The curse of the flores women The haunting of blackwych grange Leather and lark Starling House A deadly education Spells for forgetting Rouge In the clearing (aus) In a dark mirror Creations captive

Japanese stories: 夏物語 (Breasts and Eggs JP ver) The full moon coffee shop If cats disappeared from the world (ENG/JP) Conveniance store woman Butter コーヒーが冷めないうちに - 川口 俊和 Days at the morisaki bookshop (series)

[ladytesla]

The Great Faerun Baking Show (part two)

I've decided I'm going to run with this anyway. It is a beautiful day in Faerun and I am a horrible goose fanfiction writer. There are several things I need to get done today, so obviously I'm going to not do them and write this instead.

For those of you who are just stopping by, I had a horrible idea a while ago and this is the result. I have no idea what's going to happen or who's going to win. I’m just going to roll a D20 ‘bake check’ for everyone and write out the results, including what everyone rolled so y’all know I’m not cheating just so my druid boyfriend can win.  The person with the lowest total score (out of a possible score of 60) goes home.

We've got the main 6 companions, Jaheira, Halsin, Minsc (and Boo), Minthara, Dammon, and my tav Medora (who y'all can just pretend is Alfira if you don't want someone else's tav in the story, since they're both female bards)

Week One, Cake Week: Star baker was Karlach, Minthara went home

Week Two: Biscuit Week, or "Viconia's Walking Florentine"

Signature Challenge: Sandwich Biscuits

Astarion: Bourbon biscuits. He and Shadowheart took a shot right when the bake started. He took a few more shots after that just because he could, and ended up making a bunch of vampire jokes with Noel Fielding. Despite the alcohol handicap, his biscuits turned out quite nice.

Dammon: Dulce de leche and banana biscuits. The dulce de leche overpowered the banana a bit, but the texture of the biscuits themselves were great.

Gale: Tara's coffee biscuits. He really wanted to bring back the memories of caffeine-fueled all-nighters at Blackstaff Academy. He also used a cat-shaped cookie cutter. The biscuits weren't exactly identical, and the coffee cream was a bit too runny.

Halsin: Lavender and vanilla biscuits. He used a duck-shaped cookie cutter because he likes ducks. They were all perfectly identical and the flavors were incredible. He got a Hollywood Handshake for them.

Jaheira: Malted milk biscuits. She wasn't able to get them as identical as she would have liked, and some of the biscuits were a bit underdone.

Karlach: Peanut butter and jelly sandwich biscuits. She was determined to have Paul like something with peanut butter in it. Unfortunately he still doesn't. They were also a bit messy. They were adorable in their messiness though.

Lae'zel: Pistachio custard creams. They were messy, and the dragon cookie cutter she used was a bit too delicate, resulting in some dragons missing their tails.

Medora: Raspberry and almond linzer biscuits. They had a lovely classic flavor profile, and were nearly identical.

Minsc: Coconut biscuits. He tried to use chocolate designs to make them look like tiny coconuts, but it wasn't completely successful. The flavor, however, was nice.

Shadowheart: Blackberry and earl grey biscuits. She tried to shape them like night orchids, colored with activated charcoal. However, the color made it hard to judge whether or not the biscuits were overcooked, and several of them were burned. The earl grey was so faint it was overpowered by the blackberry and the, well, burn.

Wyll: Empire biscuits. He grew up sneaking them from the kitchen as a boy, and wanted to stick to his 'classics done right' style. Unfortunately the biscuits weren't as crisp as Paul and Prue would have liked. Noel still stuck one in his pocket for later though.

Technical Challenge: Coconut Macaroons

(I think I'm going to list them from worst to best from now on)

11. Dammon

10. Shadowheart

9. Medora

8. Karlach

7. Lae'zel or Wyll (they both rolled a 9)

6. Wyll or Lae'zel

5. Halsin

4. Astarion

3. Jaheira

2. Gale

Minsc (honestly how does he keep doing so well idk man)

Showstopper: Gingerbread Showpiece

Astarion: To keep with his Brand, he decided to make a graveyard with several little gingerbread mausoleums and monuments. His, of course, was the biggest and fanciest one, with the door open and a little paper cut-out of himself coming out. Very tongue-in-cheek. Some of the monuments were sloppy, because he had so many he didn't have time to make them all super polished.

Dammon: He did his best to make an anvil, a hammer and a little piece of pulled sugar as the metal to be forged. He then discovered that despite working with molten metal on a regular basis, molten sugar still burns just as much when hitting the skin, and dropped it. He spent so much time on a backup sugar piece that the presentation on his anvil and hammer suffered a tiny bit.

Gale: His scene was an open book with a little wizard casting Fireball standing on the pages. There were huge cracks in the gingerbread book, but the wizard and his fireball were nicely detailed. He wasted a lot of time because he needed the spell piped on to the gingerbread to be ACCURATE DAMMIT.

Halsin: He created a peaceful woodland scene with trees, a family of bears, and some mushrooms. The largest bear broke, but he was able to fix it somewhat and prop it up against a tree. Bears lean against trees all the time. He hoped the judges might think it was purposeful. They saw right through him, however.

Jaheira: Years of helping her children with various projects has paid off. She somehow in the time limit created Wyrm's Crossing and just for show a poured-sugar River Chionthar. That earned her a Hollywood Handshake.

Karlach: She made an impressive replica of her tent, complete with a small army of teddy bear cookies. She even took the time to make little bears shaped like her friends and the judges. When asked if she hadn't wanted to make something more badass, she shrugged and said she could like cracking skulls and teddy bears at the same time.

Lae'zel: Her red dragon looked more like a guinea pig, unfortunately, so she changed her answer last-minute and said it was a giant space hamster. Due to its red color, though, the judges saw right through her story.

Medora: She attempted to create a lute, a mandolin and a drum. The neck of the lute broke and the piping on the drum was far from precise, but it wasn't a complete disaster.

Minsc: He made a treasure chest mimic. Originally he'd wanted the lid to open, but the hinge broke. It was still beautiful regardless, and quite big. It nearly took up the entire counter.

Shadowheart: Her little gingerbread cottage was already precariously lopsided, and when she turned to grab another piping bag it fell completely off the bench and onto the floor.

Wyll: He replicated his favorite park in Baldur's Gate out of gingerbread, even sculpting a statue with modeling chocolate. It was very impressive.

The Results

Our star baker this week with a total of 45/60 is Halsin!

And unfortunately, with a score of 9/60, Shadowheart has to leave the tent.

Feel free to play along, roll bake checks, and comment with what your Tav would make! Yeah I can't be stopped we're on to bread week next.

[ask-orchidthemew]

ASK: Pffftt- wow! Good job leaving the only people who wanted to help you, Orchid! Good luck getting your memories back now!

ORCHID: Oh boo-fucking-hoo, I seriously doubt that smooth-brain and his band of shut-ins were gonna be oh so instrumental in helping me get back my memories. Didn't need him to find that scroll either, did I? Where the hell is it?

PALI: I knew it.

AQUA: Oh, that didn't take long!

ORCHID: The scroll. Where is it?

PALI: Yeah yeah, here. You left it back at the temple. You're lucky some other mon didn't make off w--

ORCHID: Save it. Who the hell said you could take it at all?

PALI: I could ask the same thing of you.

ORCHID: Whatever. Fuck you and all that.

PALI: Hey, wait! I'm not done with you! Why did you need a scroll about some empress from the old empire!? Did you know her? Did you know her children? They all died and mew society went to hell around the time I was born. Did you have something to do with that? For Palkia's sake, Orchid, ANSWER ME!! Give me something! You owe me that! I deserve about my past, about my father, where I came from, just as much as you!

ORCHID: I don't owe you SHIT. You want answers? You want "closure"? Figure it out on your own. Don't whine to me about it.

PALI: Orchid! ORCHID!! Why that insufferable-- Don't think you're getting away from me that easily, you arsehole. I've hunted you down before, I can do it all over again.

[darthvashtique93]

Aftermath

After the Chaos Lords' attack, cleanup became a monumental chore. While alien lizards had wreaked havoc in Gotham, other monsters spewing green vomit terrorized California. Dragons manifested in space, and other creatures—snakes, demons, possessed unicorns, murderous water beings, and etc.—popped out of portals across the globe. Heroes and villains alike fought side by side, but once the chaos subsided, the villains left the cleanup to the heroes, slipping back into their villainous routines.

Midway through the cleanup, Superman and other heroes finally returned from space, providing much-needed help that greatly sped up the process. Heroes with powers to swiftly repair buildings and bridges were dispatched, working round the clock. It took a little less than two weeks to restore order worldwide. Fortunately, the Chaos Lords had only visited Earth and no other nearby worlds.

Things had returned to a semblance of normalcy. Garfield had somehow received personal phone number of the Princess of Vlatava, who was a devoted fan of Tork and a powerful advocate for meta-humans. It definitely didn't hurt that, at one point, Garfield had leaped in front of her to block a blow that never came. Bart joked the princess would soon get over her infatuation with him as soon as her head trauma healed. Raven wasn't so sure. Garfield had eagerly showed her his texts with the queen-to-be. It seemed serious. At t the end of the day, Raven felt relieved that he was slowly moving on from his crush on her.

Presently… Raven drummed her fingers on the table in the school library. In their last therapy session, Dinah had alluded to college—a topic they had breached months earlier. She had, without Dinah's knowledge, submitted applications to Ivy League schools: Metropolis University, Ivy Town University, Empire State University, and Harvard. Sure, her grades were decent, but they weren't Ivy League material.

So why am I looking at a late acceptance email from Hudson University? My grades aren't that good, and Constantine wrote my letter of recommendation. What on Earth could he have written?

After school, Raven instantly teleported into Constantine's mansion. "Raven," Black Orchid greeted her.

"Hello," Raven replied, scanning the room. "Is Constantine here?"

"I believe Ms. Zatanna Zatara has recruited him to help with her magic school. May I be of assistance?"

Raven hesitated. "Well… six months ago, I asked Constantine to write a letter of recommendation for my college applications. I hoped he would screw it up. But I just received a late acceptance email from Hudson University. My grades couldn't have gotten me into any Ivy League college, so I want to see the letter he wrote—see if he added anything magical to it."

"Ah," Black Orchid said, a knowing look crossing her face. "I remember this day well. He had just exorcised a level 5 demon from a little girl, reminding him of one he couldn't save. He wrote it while he was deep in his whiskey. Allow me to locate it." The house shuddered, and a laptop appeared above Orchid's hand. "Allow me," she said, placing her hand on the closed PC. Seconds later, the laptop vanished, replaced by a piece of white paper in her hand. "Here," Black Orchid said, handing the letter to Raven. "Techno-magic," she added.

"Thank you," Raven said, taking the document.

"I watched as Constantine typed in his alcohol-induced state," Orchid continued. "He drunkenly telephoned someone named Tim Drake using techno-magic."

"What?!" Raven exclaimed, her surprise evident.

"Yes, it's a magic that allows technology—"

"I know what techno-magic is," Raven interrupted, staring at the essay in her hand. "I mean—he called Tim?" She read a few sentences, her disbelief deepening. No way he wrote this himself. "Trigondammit," she swore in her native tongue. "Why—I—thank you, Black Orchid," she said gratefully. "I have to go."

"I sense anger and embarrassment. Are you going to kill Constantine?"

"I may have to."

Raven had teleported to the mountain in a huff. She had set her things on her bed and prepared to teleport to Tim's apartment when a sensation hit her. She knew, she just knew, he was in the mountain—specifically, in their gym. So, not in complete control of her emotion, Raven marched through the surprisingly empty mountain. Sensing he was alone in the weight-room, she paused in front of the door and centered herself.

Once she felt her emotions settle, she entered the gym. Honestly, I should have known better, Raven thought in annoyance. She wasn't annoyed that Tim was hanging from a pull-up bar doing inverted sit-ups while holding a crossword puzzle in front of his face. It wasn't even the fact that he was shirtless. No, what annoyed her was that she should have known he was shirtless and mentally prepared herself accordingly. "Trigondamn," she muttered.

"Hey, Raven," Tim greeted without looking at her and without pause. "Our bond must still be in place because I felt you walking down the hall. I can also feel your displeasure at something." He paused and lowered, or lifted, his crossword book from his face. Raven looked away with a flush when he stared at her with his electric blue eyes. Honestly, was it a rule that you had to be considered good-looking for Bruce Wayne to adopt you? The Richard in this universe was still young, but Raven knew what he would look like when he turned 18. Even Jason Todd was shockingly gorgeous, if not obnoxious with an anger problem. Anyway, Raven returned to the present and said, "I received an acceptance email from Hudson University."

"That's amazing," Tim said, still hanging upside down…shirtless…glistening with sweat.

A small part of her wanted to purr at the sight. She swallowed thickly instead. "No," Raven shifted on her feet, "it's not." Tim gave her a curious look. "My grades aren't good enough for an Ivy League university. So, I figured Constantine—who wrote my acceptance letter—must have cast a spell or something." Raven watched as Tim's eyes widened with understanding. "Turns out, you wrote most of it."

"Yeah, he called me," Tim replied. "I don't know how he got my personal number."

"Techno-magic," Raven said.

Tim gave her another questioning look. "Techno-magic? The ability to talk to technology?"

"Something like that," Raven said. That was the one genre of magic she was unsure of.

"That's too simple. Is it technology that runs on magic?"

"Yeah…I guess."

"That is extraordinary. So, Constantine has—"

"No," Raven interrupted him, holding up a finger. "No, you will not go on a tangent or rant until after we have this conversation."

"I'm sorry," Tim apologized, blushing. "Yes, to answer your question. Constantine called me and asked to write your letter of recommendation, but I doubt that's why you got accepted."

"Well, it wasn't my grades."

"I think it was the other letter of recommendation I wrote and handed to the dean at a charity event," Tim admitted nonchalantly, resuming his sit-ups.

Raven's whole body shook with multiple emotions. "Why would you do that?" she asked through clenched teeth.

"Why would you apply to multiple Ivy Leagues and then ask Constantine to write you a letter of recommendation knowing there's an 18.7% chance he'd be blackout drunk while doing so?" Tim paused midway, turned his torso, and looked Raven directly in the eye with a smirk. "It's almost like you were purposefully trying to sabotage your chances of getting into college." Raven opened her mouth to respond to the accusation, but no words came out. "That's what I thought," Tim said, resuming his sit-up.

"Why does it matter to you?" Raven asked. "And can we please talk face-to-face, right side up?" Raven was having a hard time concentrating on their conversation.

"You don't enjoy watching me move?" Tim asked in a manner that could only be described as flirtatious. Raven gave him her best blank stare. "Give me a second," he smiled. Lifting his torso, he held onto the pull-up bar with one hand and undid the straps on his ankles with the other.

Placing his bare feet on the mat, he grabbed his water bottle that was nearby, and Raven looked away as he gulped down mouthfuls of water. "So…why are you upset with me he asked when he was finished drinking.

"I'm not upset with you," Raven turned to him. Now, he was standing in front of her, sweaty, blue eyes looking at her through damp bangs. This is way worse, Raven thought as she struggled to keep her eyes on his. I should have waited until he was done working out to have this conversation. "I'm not upset with you," Raven repeated. "I'm just wondering why?"

"Why were you trying to sabotage your chance at receiving a higher education?"

"Tim," Raven gasped as he took a step closer to her. Suddenly, she didn't know what to do with her hands. She couldn't pull her hood over her head, she was still wearing her school uniform. "I'm interrupting your workout," she muttered. Is my voice shaking? "I-I-I should go," Raven said, taking a small step back.

"Raven," Tim caught her soft hand in his rough one. Raven looked at their joined hands. "You're shaking," Tim said, caressing the back of her hand with his thumb.

Raven's breath caught in her throat as her heart raced and heat coiled low in her belly. She was weakening under the intensity of his gaze, and her mouth was suddenly dry. "Yeah…it's cold in here," she said, suddenly dizzy. "I should go get a sweatshirt."

"I don't think so," Tim said breathlessly, before pulling her into his body. His free hand went to the back of her neck as he pulled her into a kiss. Instead of freezing like she had the first time, Raven responded instantly. Tim's mouth was hot and insistent against hers, though his lips remained soft. The world around her dissolved as she opened herself up to him. The warmth in her stomach exploded and Raven became hot all over when he yanked the ponytail holder from her hair, tossing it somewhere. T

he kiss deepened, growing more fervent as Tim tilted his head, tangling his tongue with hers. Raven wasn't sure which one of them moaned, but the vibration against her mouth sent shivers down her spine. Tim released her hand and wrapped his arm around her waist, crushing her to him, and Raven could feel his heart racing in his chest. His hand then inched up her spine, sending jolts of electricity through her body. Raven wanted to get even closer to him as this unfamiliar need arose in her. Sucking on his lower lip, Raven could taste the salt of his sweat.

Barely pulling away, Tim, their lips still tenderly brushing each other, Tim maneuvered them over to one bench in the gymnasium. Sitting down, Tim tenderly pulled Raven onto his lap so she was straddling him. Settling onto his lap, Raven gasped, and before she could register what she was feeling, Tim pulled her into a deeper kiss. While his fingers carded through her hair, his other hand worked its way beneath her sweater, still on her shirt. Raven could sense his desire to go further, as well as his hesitation to go too far. He was so sweet, but even half-demons like her needed air. Raven eased the intensity of her kisses, and Tim followed her lead. Eventually, they were both resting their foreheads against each other, panting. What did I just do? Raven pulled away to look into his eyes, but something happened. She was no longer looking into intense blue eyes; she was staring into angry green ones. "How could you do that to me? I trusted you!" Wally screamed.

"Wally," Richard said warningly, placing himself protectively in front of Raven. "Wally, let her explain."

"Was any of it real?" Wally cried, ignoring his best friend. "Any of it?" Raven sucked in a breath as her tears continued to fall. She wrapped her arms around herself. "Do you even love me?"

"Yes," Raven looked at him desperately, "I do. That's why I told you the truth."

"And how am I supposed to trust anything you say?"

"I'm sorry," Raven apologized. "I was desperate. The Justice League had just sent me away. I didn't know anyone else. I knew I wouldn't be able to get to Richard."

"So, you manipulated my emotions?"

"I was afraid you'd turn me away, too."

"I wouldn't have."

"Really? Can you honestly say if I came begging for help–if I came to you saying an interdimensional demon war lord was on his way here, and I was his daughter–you would have dropped everything and helped me?"

"Well, I guess we'll never know. You took away any choice I had in the matter."

"Raven?"

Raven blinked once.

"I think…you're not used to having full control of your emotions," Nightwing said to her. "I think you've been manipulating mine." Raven stiffened. "Not on purpose," Nightwing quickly added. "Not on purpose, but I think the feelings you're feeling…the feelings I'm feeling…are somehow coming from you. Think about it."

Raven frowned and thought. Is this what Kori was trying to tell her? Nightwing was right. Was that all this was? An overzealous crush holding so much emotion it spilled over and was affecting Nightwing negatively? Her frown deepened the longer she thought about it. It did and didn't make sense to her. Turning to Nightwing, she prepared a question but paused. She was 21, but likely had the emotional maturity of a 4-year-old being that a couple of months ago she wasn't able to fully embrace emotion without Trigon taking over. And…what she did to Wally years before was always present in her mind. Biting her lip, she realized Nightwing was right. It was just a crush with overflowing emotion affecting those around him. And it was only affecting Nightwing because they'd been hanging out nearly every day. He was right. This isn't love.

Raven blinked again. "Raven?" Tim called her name, this time placing a hand on her face. "I'm right here, Raven." Raven blinked, her body and mind returning to the present. She was staring at a very confused Tim…sitting on his lap. Oh my gosh, I'm on his lap, her body tensed as she began to panic.

"Raven?" he said her name again. Raven blinked as her body and mind fully returned to the present. "Are you okay?" he asked, genuine worry on his face.

"Omigosh," she gasped before quickly scrambling off his lap. "It's happening again."

"What's happening again?" Tim asked, remaining seated.

"I think I may be influencing you by accident."

Tim furrowed his brow as he stared at her inquisitively. "What do you mean?"

"I think…I wanted you to kiss me so bad that…I accidentally affected your emotions."

"Excuse me?" he asked with a cocked brow.

"I may have accidentally manipulated you into kissing me."

"Wait," Tim's face remained serious, but Raven could sense the amusement radiating from him, "you're saying I wanted to kiss you because you wanted me to kiss you? That you accidentally forced me to kiss you?"

"Yes," Raven sighed.

"You're serious?"

Raven nodded. She then watched as Tim tried and failed to hold back a laugh. Now I'm confused. Tim laughed like Raven had just cracked a joke. And the sound did something to Raven's stomach. I love his laugh. Crap. Raven blinked and frowned at Tim. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry," Tim gasped between laughs. "I'm not laughing at you. I'm laughing at…Raven, no one forced me to kiss you. I kissed you because I wanted to."

"Tim…"

"No," he smiled as he stood to his feet, "I know my mind. Trust me, I know what it feels like to be manipulated. You did not manipulate me."

"But you kissed me," Raven stressed.

"Yeah," Tim said, humor dancing in his eyes. "Because I wanted to." He held her gaze, watching as confusion crossed her face and she took a small step back. It was almost like—his eyes widened. "Raven…did something or someone…?" Tim paused. He didn't know how to word the question. "Raven," he said, reaching for her hands, linking their fingers. "I like you. And it's not because of your powers." He saw disbelief and confusion cross her face. "I've felt your touch in my head," he continued softly, "I'd recognize if you were doing something in there. Raven…?" Tim was trying to make sense of what Raven just said. "Did something like that happen to you?" Tim knew he hit the nail on the head when Raven's face tightened. She looked down and away, and her arms wrapped around her torso in a show of vulnerability. His heart cracked. "Raven, is it so hard—what happened?"

"Nothing," Raven closed her eyes, shaking her head. "Nothing. It was a mistake…I was mistaken. I'm sorry," Raven tried to brush past him, but Tim's hand shot out. He wrapped his hand around her wrist. "Wait," he said softly. "Raven, is it so hard to believe that someone may like you…for you?"

Raven gradually turned her head to look at him. Her heart raced in her chest as she stood captivated by Tim's beautiful eyes. "Raven," Tim closed the distance between them. He cupped her face in his hands and stared deep into her eyes and asked her pointblank. "Raven, are you using your powers to manipulate me in any way, shape, or form?"

Tim's face became blurry as tears formed in Raven's eyes. Tears trickled down her cheeks. Why am I crying? She felt Tim's thumbs move as he wiped the tears away. "I…" Raven began in a broken voice. Her shoulders slumped. Admitting this would only bring back painful memories. But, she could sense Tim's emotions—his sincerity, his kindness, his lo—I can't lie to him. "No," she whispered, "I'm not using my powers on you."

"Were you using them on me that night I kissed you?" he asked kindly.

"No," Raven admitted tearfully.

"And were you using them on me just now?" he asked softly.

"No," Raven said.

"Well, if you weren't using your powers on me, that means my feelings for you are genuine. That means, that night, I wanted to kiss you. And, if the TV hadn't broken," he chuckled, "I would have kissed you longer, harder, and deeper…the way I just kissed you now."

"Tim," Raven gasped.

"I don't know what happened on your world all those years ago…but, Raven, my feelings for you are genuine. They're mine. No one is manipulating me, least of all you." He looked at Raven with a gentle gaze. Raven's heart raced. She didn't know what to say about that. Because if Tim liked her just for her, that would be mean…that would mean…Raven looked up at Tim with wonder. He likes me! "I…" she backed away. "I have to go. I'm sorry. I have to check…something," she said.

"Are you okay?" Tim asked, instantly worried.

"I'm fine…or…um…I will be. I just…I don't know what I'm feeling. I…need to go…."

"It's okay, I get it," Tim nodded. "I understand. I'll see you later…okay?"

"Okay."

Raven marched into the House of Mystery and Black Orchid greeted her. "Hello again, Raven," she greeted. "Something is wrong. You are…frazzled."

"I am, but…I need to see an old friend, and I'm not sure how long it will take. Can you let John know? I will have my communicator on me if there's an emergency. I just need…" tears gathered in her eyes again. I'm falling apart.

Black Orchid placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It is okay, Raven," she smiled comfortingly. "Do what you need to do."

Dick smiled at his phone, cooing at the screen as he listened to his wife. "And remember…formula. The blue canister with the bunny on it, not the red one." He curved his lips into a grin, but the moment was interrupted as he sensed something off—he was being followed. "What's wrong?"

"I am being followed."

"Old habits die hard," his wife replied, her voice light with humor.

"Apparently," he chuckled. "Alright. I'm gonna go have a chat with my stalker."

"Be careful, Dick."

"I will, Babs. I'll see you in a bit. Bye, John," he cooed at the baby before ending the call. Taking a deep breath, he approached the alley, feeling a mix of dread and determination. "Bad idea, Dick, bad idea. You promised you would stop. You're a family man now."

"Talking to yourself? That's a nasty habit," a voice emerged from the darkness. "Stupidly entering a dark alley alone? Tsk. Tsk."

The familiarity of the voice made Dick freeze. No way, he thought. As a figure stepped out of the shadows, his heart raced. She looked different—her face youthful yet hauntingly familiar. There was no doubt in Dick's mind; it was Raven—the teammate he had sort of buried ten years ago. "What would Batman think?" she smiled, a teasing glint in her eye.

"Raven?" He breathed her name in disbelief, emotions welling in his chest, threatening to overwhelm him.

"Hello, Richard," she replied with a small, almost nervous, smile. "It's been a while. Have you missed me?"

[burnwater13]

Concept art of Krrsantan holding a bowcaster with Jabba's Palace in the background on Tatooine, by Christian Alzmann. Image from The Book of Boba Fett, Season 1, Episode 3, The Streets of Mos Espa. Calendar by DateWorks.

“Kashyyyk is a verdant, if swampy planet, with a single sun and enjoying the spectacle of three moons. Kashyyyk has been a valuable ally to…” the voice drifted to a kind of dull drone and Grogu began to consider what he had learned at the Jedi Temple about the Wookiee home world. Mostly is was that Kashyyyk was the planet where wroshyr trees grew and some very pretty orchids. 

It's not that he wasn’t interested in learning more about the planet but it seemed like every time you started to learn something about a planet that had unique beauty, intelligent inhabitants, and some sort of valuable anything, it ended up under the control of some corporation, the Empire, or some other group willing to burn the place to the core in order to get that valuable something.  It had happened to Corvus, Mandalore, Corellia, Coruscant, Lothal, and even Kashyyyk. Sometimes things like that were better left in their past. 

After all, no one knew why Tatooine was a dessert planet. Something had happened. Geologic evidence suggested that once Tatooine had been covered with water. Not all of it. It wasn’t like Camino. But something more like Cantonica. Beaches every where. Lush fields. Meadows. Huge trees that made wroshyr trees look puny and sickly. 

But if you went there today, you’d never even dream that the Dune Sea had actually been an inland sea and that a very distant ancestor of the sand beast had actually been aquatic, with gills and everything that a fish might need to survives. You also wouldn’t understand why a Wookiee would want to live on a planet that was covered with rocks and sand and barely anything that could pass muster as a tree or even a bit of greenery. 

Apparently Krrsantan didn’t mind and Grogu wondered why. The huge, battle scarred Wookiee could have returned to Kashyyyk and helped with it’s redevelopment and protection. Instead, he had remained on Tatooine to make a name and place there. 

Grogu could understand part of that. While he and his dad had their base of operations on Nevarro for some unknown reasons, they spent a lot of their time on Tatooine. They had friends there. Knew the lay of the land there. And generally liked the vibe there. 

Sure, that vibe was a bit of cantina thrown in with a smoke filled back room, reinforced with a strong Mandalorian presence and smoothed over by a complete absence of ex-Imps, their tools, equipment, and hidden bases. You couldn't say the same of Sorgan, Corvus, Nevarro, or even Mandalore. So, the kind of place the scum and villainy of the galaxy came to play a hand of sabacc and chew the fat with Peli Motto. It felt like home. 

It occurred to Grogu that Krrsantan probably felt the same way. If he went back to Kashyyyk he’d have a lot of work to do. If he went anywhere else, the New Republic would have questions for him that he wouldn’t want to answer. Add to it that currently, for that moment, Tatooine was free from the Pyke Syndicate, well, you certainly ended up with a planet that wasn’t filled with people trying to hunt you down or make you work for them. It probably felt like a vacation, particularly when you factored in the sand and twin suns. Although you’d want more free standing water than the Pika Oasis had to offer if you were after a beach vacation kind of vibe.

Grogu laughed at the thought of that. He’d never had a vacation of any sort. When you are raised by the Jedi Order you spend the vast majority of your waking hours in pursuit of knowledge, discipline, humility, and self-control. Vacation, just as a concept, was as anti-Jedi as the Sith were, in many ways. No significant responsibilities. Focused on play or at least relaxation. No bad guys trying to grab you. You good guys trying to recruit you to their cause. Just time to contemplate an ‘all you care to eat buffet’ that had no vegetables and spending your time with your friends. 

That gave Grogu a great idea. Everyone needed friends. Even a warrior like Krrsantan. He could take some time and befriend the Wookiee and learn to speak Shyriiwook, which couldn’t be worse than Gal Basic, and the two of them could play sabacc, go fishing together, and challenge new comers to feats of strength. He felt sure that they’d clean up doing that. People expected a Wookiee to be immensely strong, but no one thought that about Grogu. 

“Hey buddy, how is your history lesson going? Do you know everything about Kashyyyk now?”

Grogu smiled at his dad and asked him when they could go to Tatooine again. He had a proposition for Krrsantan.

“Oh, you want him to help you with your Kashyyyk term paper?”

Grogu almost fell over laughing about that and when he was calm again and had wiped the tears from his eyes, he explained what he’d been thinking about.

“Buddy, you spend entirely too much time with Peli. I think you may need to travel back to Ossus and train with Luke for a while.”

Grogu growled the one phrase he’d taught himself in Shyriiwook, which translated roughly to ‘Dank Farrik!’.

Dank Farrik!

[queen-scribbles]

Unbalanced

Finally wrote Endrali and Senya having a conversation that's been floating around in my head for longer than I care to think about. 😅(aka one of two scenes standing between Ardrali and the Unmasked Regret convo👀👀👀)

---

Endrali had learned early and well after forming the Alliance to take days of peace when she got them. Even now, the larger dangers settled--Eternal Empire dealt with, Fleet pacified and under her command--there was still plenty to keep busy. From threats like Tassar or the Sith on Ord Mantell to people who simply wanted a neutral arbiter and sending aid to... everyone, her to-do list hadn't gotten any shorter.

So when a day like today came along, the whole thing to do as she pleased, she took it without hesitation. Most of this one was going to be spent with her flowers. The snow orchids were thriving in the beds that framed her personal landing area--she checked after meditating with Arcann, since she was right there. That had her in a good enough mood to be humming as she headed for the room off the Force Enclave she'd turned into a greenhouse for some of her acquisitions less suited to Odessen's climate.

She'd left the tending to droids for too long. It would feel good to get her hands dirty--perhaps literally--seeing to them herself today. This was one of the best ways she'd found to help her mental balance with all the demands on her time and attention. It was, she had to admit, also her favorite. Something about the connection to and care of other living things centered her better than just about anything.

There was someone already here.

Her stride slowed at the recognition, her senses reaching out to determine who.

An unnecessary effort, as Senya stepped around one of the large planters in the middle of the space. She smiled. "Hello, Commander."

Endrali matched the smile and greeting both. "Hello, Senya. I wasn't expecting to find anyone here."

"I can leave, if you were wanting to be alone," Senya said with a glance at the door.

Endrali shook her head. "Not at all. It's just I thought most, if not all, of the Alliance had forgotten this room exists. If you were planning to meditate or something I can be very quiet."

"I finished." Senya chuckled and shook her head. "I was enjoying the atmosphere." She reached to brush her fingers lightly along the petals of a Balmorran ashmantle. "There is a sense of peace here that has helped greatly... in the aftermath."

"I'm glad." Endrali shifted. "It provides the same sense for me."

Senya cocked her head. "Are you responsible for this, then? I do remember Lana mentioning you have a talent for it."

Endrali nodded, casting a fond look at the vibrant plant life that filled the room. "My favorite way to relax."

"Don't let me get in your way," Senya said, raising her hands apologetically and stepping toward the door. "I know how rarely you get a chance for that."

"Oh, you can stay, I don't mind," Endrali said quickly. "I'm happy someone else is enjoying it. Today's just the first time I've had in a while to take care of them myself, and it surprised me to find someone else here, too."

"I believe I'll take you up on that, then," Senya nodded. She smiled again. "Just tell me if I'm in the way."

"I will," Endrali smiled back, and turned her attention to the black and gold blooms nearest the door. They were thriving; she should split them or shift to a larger planting bed... The contentment of losing herself in her favorite hobby soon had her humming again, the same tune as before.

It was only a few moments before a flicker of emotion rolled off Senya, surprise mingled with something less tangible. Bittersweet and melancholy. "I... didn't know you were familiar with Zakuulan music, Commander."

"Hm?" Endrali spun in her direction, hair slipping loose of her stubby ponytail. I'm not, really...

"That song. It's a Zakuulan lullaby." Senya smiled despite the emotions Endrali had sensed and slowed by a tall plant with curling yellow petals. "I used to sing it for my children." She shook her head as Endrali opened her mouth. "It's a good memory, not a painful one. It just caught me off-guard here, from you. It's been awhile, since..."

"Ah. I... don't even know where I heard it, to be honest," Endrali admitted with a sheepish laugh. She paused to think as she fixed her ponytail, but the last few weeks had been absurdly busy; she'd been everywhere in the galaxy it seemed, except Zakuul. And it wasn't like Arcann was the type to sing to fill silence during the time they spent together. (Which was most of that running around.)

"A little mystery," Senya said, something mischievous or knowing at corners of her smile. She was silent a few moments, fingers running along leaves as she moved on, pacing by the the dark green gold-splotched fern, the climbing vines from Yavin 4, the drooping white bells of Leaders Heart.

Endrali worked contentedly in the silence. Some of the Felucian violets were starting to wilt, and a quick check of soil composition showed why. She'd just set about replacing it when Senya spoke again.

"I've been meaning to thank you, Commander--again, I know." She studied a shade lily in one of the recessed corners. "For trusting me. When we first met, and about Arcann, both times I asked it."

"Of course," Endrali replied (as she had before), tamping the fresh soil around the violets. "Everyone deserves a chance at redemption." Atonement. She snorted softly. "Even those who feel like they don't deserve it." Besides, Arcann was hardly the first she'd extended that mercy to.

"Still. I am aware it couldn't have been a... popular decision, even if you found it easy. And it warms my heart to see the faith you've placed in my son."

"He's earned it." Endrali brushed dirt from her hands as she faced Senya. "It was apparent he's changed, I'm happy to give the chance to prove it."

"Oh, you've done more than that," Senya chuckled. "Some would say anything short of execution was second chance enough; confined to Odessen in an advisory capacity, banished from known space, something... less pleasant. Not many would trust him with assignments, let alone watching their back."

Endrali briefly rubbed the scar at her ribs as she crossed her arms. "He's earned that, too." Smiled at the ironic truth of her next words. "There are few here I trust more." Even if he was trying to kill me less than a year ago. "We make a good team."

The knowing smile was back. "So I've noticed." Senya brushed aside a trailing tendril of ivy that draped against her shoulder. "You've been good to him. Good for him; helping bring out the man I knew he could be."

"I do enjoy making things grow," Endrali joked lightly, gesturing to the greenhouse surroundings. "And he's become a good friend, Senya." The warmth twisting in her chest made friend feel like the wrong word, but that's all... that's what they were. She cleared her throat and shook off the wrongness. "Aside from watching my back and saving my life several times, I like talking to him." She focused on picking dirt out from under her nails rather than Senya's smile that made her feel too seen. "Or, more talking at him. It frequently turns into him listening to me chatter, which I appreciate. I'm always willing to listen back; I know part of why he'd quiet is he's... carrying a lot, and not undeserved. I can pick up on it sometimes when we meditate."

There hadn't been any sense of that the last few times, however. Including that morning.

A glimmer of satisfaction--contentment--rippled from Senya as she leaned against a planter. "He knows he can talk to you," she said softly. "And trusts you enough to do so."

Endrali bit her lip to hold back a threatening grin, the warmth dancing in her chance again. "I'm glad."

Senya chuckled. "It's the mark of a good leader who can make friends out of enemies and gain their trust." She pushed off the planter and headed for the door. "I've taken more time than intended for what was supposed to be a simple thank you, so I'll let you go back to enjoying your free time." The shimmering satisfaction lingered as she paused in the doorway. "But as I said, Endrali; you're good for him. Thank you."

Thoughts knocked askew by the heartfelt emphasis of the words, Endrali managed a nod and murmured thanks of her own.

"He's good for me, too," she whispered to the Felucian violets, which nodded in turn from the rush of breath as if in agreement. It was a struggle to get back her equilibrium with the words ringing in her ears, but Endrali (eventually) shook it off and went back to tending her plants, humming under her breath once more.

"The burning star of Izax bathes the sea in light..."

[joifee]

Hello joifee I am once again here to ramble about my ideas!! :3

Ive been working on a little spinoff for eal, like a little "what if jimmy and fwhip found each other after the world ended" scenario.

Gem and fwhip having been living by themselves for about a year or two when they find jimmy. Or when he passes out in their front yard. But unfortunately he doesn't remember anything, even fwhip, because he's been away from the water too long, and now they have to figure out a way to get his memories back.

Putting him around water helps but it's a very slow process. And the whole time fwhip is just suffering. He's happy jimmy is back and alive, but they can't really pick up where they left off. (Plus they both have baggage and trauma from the world ending) fwhip just doesnt feel comfortable doing anything romatic if jimmy cant remember ya know? But he is scared to qnd does have to resist the urge to be casual affectionate a lot because of it. He really misses his orchid but has to hope they can get him back :(

Gem hates seeing what jimmys memory loss is doing to both of them, and gets really determined to help them. She starts studying magic again, and tries to find spells or something to help jimmy get his memories back faster. She also researches any magic that helps with severe pain/healing, because all three of them suffer from phantom/chronic pain, damaged limbs and a whole list of other medical and mental issues (jimmy living in the woods made his so much worse lol). Fwhip jokes about her becoming a doctor of sorts

Jimmy is just, really confused for the first few months. And every new thing he remembers doesn't help. But he can tell he and fwhip were more than friends before (he still gets butterflies around him <3) he doesn't know how close he was with gem before the memory loss, but he figures they weren't strangers, since she's working so hard to help him. All he remembers at the start is his cat, but that's because normans been following him around the whole time. Norman kinda becomes a constant actually, when jimmy’s memories get all scrambled and he's not really sure what to feel about fwhip

This story does have a happy ending!!! Maybe they finally get married once all of jimmy’s memories are back <3 that's all I have for right now but I'm sure I'll come up with more later hehe

One good thing about my current insomnia sure is that i was able to see that before I attempt to sleep! NGHHH DELICIOUS DRAMA gosh that just hurts so well like the happy moment of "omg my orchid is alive!!!" and "oh no he doesn't remember me at all" is just too good. Like the pain of longing to go back to what they had before but also then the fear that it wont be the same

also fwhip just pushing his desires and feelings aside to aid jimmy, because he knows that this is more important like its so important jimmy heals from his time and the apocalypse

Gem just being a hero but then i figure she also just misses jimmy in a way of a piece of her former life coming back. Because i can imagine while she didn't lost a lover, she sure did loose a friend which also hurts - considering all the other people they lost as well.

norman is just the best cat and genuinely happy that he sticks to jimmy. gosh i cannot imagine what happened to jimmy in those two years being probably very confused about everything.

ALSO YES HAPPY END AHHHH SUCKER FOR THAT also genuinely fics with marriage in the end - gosh i love them so much

I shall tell you one of my new ideas soon when i rested up a bit! But its empires season one x impulses dwarfen empire; current ships in my head gemximpulse, scwhip and maybe flower fwhimmy

[lunarsands]

ESMP S1 Fanfic: A Garden's Path - Prologue

Characters: Mythical Sausage, Scott Smajor, Bubbles the Dog, Sir Carlos, appearances by the cast of Empires SMP S1 including Xornoth, featuring blaze-hybrid emperor TangoTek, and introducing: The Children of Mythland (specific characters to be tagged when they appear in each chapter)

Relationships: MythicalSausage/Scott Smajor, LDShadowlady/Smallishbeans, Shubble/Katherine Elizabeth, Jimmy Solidarity & TangoTek

Tags: Empires SMP S1 AU, scosage, adoption, fluff, wholesome, so much wholesome fluff you would not believe, a bit of angst here and there, Sausage has a few nightmares for Plot reasons, acknowledgement of amputation (not sure how else to tag that but just in case)

WARNINGS: fantasy racism (human vs elf), loss of parent (with adoption inevitably comes orphans), minor character death in a later chapter

Summary: Having weathered a new set of trials and finding love together, Sausage and Scott look toward a whole new future and adventure together: raising some adopted children. Surely after everything else they can handle two sons, a daughter, two or three others, a foundling infant…and a handful more along the way.

Set in an AU where Scott’s sacrifice at the end of Season 1 led to the creation of an alternate timeline. Scott retains his memories of the previous version of the world – as does Sausage, due to his ability to traverse parallel dimensions.

(Also available on Ao3!)

Prologue: The Aftermath

[ A/N: This is a sequel to an illustrated story by Cynthrey! :D Since I will be avoiding some of the spoilers for that story, we’ve decided to run them concurrently. You can read The Champion of Exor AU for information on things like: Why is this scosage? What is Tango doing here? Why does Sausage have a prosthetic arm? Now also available on Ao3!]

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It had seemed like just another of Sausage’s exaggerated theatrics when, during a Wither Rose Alliance meeting, he bemoaned being unable to properly hug anyone with only one arm. Gem and fWhip had expected a different turn to the conversation when the wizard had asked how he had been adjusting after returning to some of his kingly duties. He certainly seemed like his old self, gesticulating as he talked, although now it involved waving his left arm around and merely lifting what remained of the upper half of his right, the sleeve of his shirt neatly rolled and pinned above where his elbow would have been.

The loss of one arm hadn’t slowed Sausage down for long, aside from the initial few months of recovery. Gem’s healing spells along with some holistic elven care had him back on his feet and in full architect form soon enough. With Scott’s help, they had rebuilt the parts of Mythland that had suffered from Sausage’s own actions. This included renovations around the castle, where walls were either removed or relocated to allow for open spaces, in particular a grand garden that featured some of the new orchid varieties Sausage had promised to bring to Mythland, and artful layouts by Scott’s hand of many other flowers and decorative hedges. The combination brought some natural healing, as well, to bodies and minds.

fWhip sat back in his chair as he watched Sausage while he went on about construction difficulties. The inventor clasped his ginger-bearded chin with one hand while beginning to tap on the papers in front of him with the other. He could remember just how Sausage’s right arm would look similarly flailing around with animated speech. fWhip abruptly flipped over a piece of paper and began sketching out a rough blueprint. The movement of the quill caught Gem’s eye and she glanced over at the drawing talking shape. Her eyebrows went up, then she smiled but refrained from offering more than a quiet and intrigued, “Ooh…” to not distract fWhip. He was in The Zone though, tuning out Sausage, and even grabbed Gem’s papers to have extras to scribble more details.

Gem now made sure to throw comments at Sausage to keep him distracted after she saw fWhip write a note of ‘deadline: wedding surprise’ with a big question mark. “You can do it,” she said, which could have been taken as directed at either of them. Sausage, of course, assumed she was talking to him and he proceeded to rattle off several reasons for why he probably could not and should not be doing any extensive cave explorations just for some emerald ore, because how would he manage both a pickaxe and a shield, unless he tried strapping a shield to his upper arm, but anyway how would he switch over to a sword fast enough if there were any monsters and also he was still retraining how to sword fight with his left hand instead of his right – and so on.

When the meeting ended, Gem had thought to offer any help fWhip might need with the project, but he was off and not-literally-running, pouring over the papers as he walked with only a hastily spoken, “Mm-hm, mm-hm, see you next time.” He stopped to lean on a barrel to make another notation, then tucked the papers inside his jacket to protect them as he stepped into the bubble elevator.

They’d had to replace ladders in various places since those were a little difficult for Sausage to use at the moment, but if fWhip’s plan worked, that would only be temporary.

~*~

Although the prosthetic had a solid copper casing in the shape of an arm proportional to Sausage’s left one, the prototype was still simple and more of a rush job than fWhip would have liked, but the deadline seemed to come up faster than expected, and the salmon forge wasn’t predictable enough for such precise work. As it stood, he nearly made Sausage late for his own wedding, but he had to insist they take the time to get it working so he could not only properly hug Scott, but properly hold his hand while exchanging rings.

That thought convinced Sausage to hold still despite glances toward the clock while fWhip cinched up the metal rig that went over his shoulder to hold the prosthetic in place against the stump of his right arm, then connected a series of redstone wires between the two parts. Sausage flinched at the small jolt as the redstone fired up, but then wonder dawned on his face when he was able to slowly straighten the arm and bend the fingers partway.

fWhip did warn him to think of it as a simple tool and not a full replacement; the range of movement was severely limited and wouldn’t hold much weight, and there wasn’t enough grip strength in the fingers to pick things up, but it would serve the purpose needed for that day. Sausage thanked him for even that much ability, and after fWhip helped him get his single-sleeved dress shirt and similarly modified ceremonial doublet on, he covered the prosthetic with his cloak and they hurried out to the garden for the ceremony.

Scott, waiting with everyone else, wore exquisite traditional elven wedding robes, a circlet made of gleaming ice crystals with a short veil attached atop his head, and clearly looked like he had been worried that Sausage had gotten cold feet. Instead, he saw the grin on his groom’s face that gave away that he was up to something and Scott couldn’t help a smile of his own, wondering if that giddy expression was for more than just the fact that their wedding was even happening. The elf’s own look of surprise, then of joy, when Sausage lifted the arm from under his cloak to cup his substitute hand underneath Scott’s hand, then slip the wedding ring on, was worth the minor discomfort of the not-quite-perfected redstone signals.

And then, once pronounced man and husband, Sausage carefully put both arms around Scott to hug him the way he had longed to since the moment he had woken up after the battle and found that his love was shared.

The redstone wiring failed partway through the reception, causing need for an impromptu sling to hold the prosthetic up until fWhip could remove the rig later, but Sausage didn’t mind. It had worked for just the right amount of time that it needed to, and anything else he could do fine with just his left hand – or with Scott’s help.

There were a few more designs that fWhip tried out after that, with variations on how the redstone wiring read signals and how the assortment of gears moved. Ever the adventurous type – and maybe just eager to have two working hands again, because what was a builder with only one arm – as well as possibly an unhealthy amount of pain tolerance, Sausage made for a good test subject. He put up with the occasional shorts in the wiring that left the prosthetic hanging useless, weathered the zaps if the power distribution was off, and let fWhip tinker without being picky about how the arm looked.

During the final test of getting conscious signals from Sausage to transfer to the prosthetic, fWhip resorted to a different sort of experiment with Gem’s help that involved embedding a transmitter inside a magic crystal that was attuned to the Mythlandian’s personal magical frequency, creating a small device that fit over Sausage’s ear and could be hidden behind it. This linked up with a matching crystal inside the prosthetic, and greatly increased Sausage’s control over the parts of the arm.

From there fWhip refined the inner workings. Smaller gears, a new type of copper wiring, some of the same old redstone technology, and then a series of overlapping struts on the outside to form the shape of flexor, radialis, bicep, triceps, and other assorted muscles but retaining superior functionality. He added a few aesthetic details as well, like invoking the vambrace he used to wear on his forearm that contained a second attuned gemstone for a backup.

The rig also no longer needed to go over his shoulder, with a basket-like inner structure that fit snug against what remained of his arm and the outer struts still forming a muscle-shaped support over it. An extra, simple strap was attached to the basket that could be tightened just in case, making it easier to remove for sleep or if it was irritating him for any reason. Sausage would wear a fabric cuff to cover the end of his stump for a little padding and protection for the scarred skin, the cuff itself buttoned on one side to also offer easy removal. He could choose to either drape a partial shirt sleeve over the top half of his upper arm or do away with sleeves on that side of his shirts altogether; the only drawback to the new design being that fabric could easily get caught in the struts if left sitting against them while he was using it. fWhip offered to test out full cover casings for temporary use in future versions, but Sausage still preferred functionality over appearance.

The real test came when attempting to pick up and carry boxes of supplies and materials, and how well the prosthetic held up while actually building. Of course, fWhip also cautioned against letting too much dust or small debris get into the arm, so Sausage was still limited on that front anyway, but getting to do at least a little of his favorite hobby was an improvement, and now he had Scott to help him – and to remind him when to take a break, or keep track of how much dust was getting kicked up. Still, even just drawing up architectural designs and taking measurements was easier with two hands.

fWhip was, however, resigned to knowing that part of the regular maintenance on the prosthetic would be cleaning the internal mechanisms. Although, to look at it another way, it served just as much of a learning experience for him to see what other types of improvements he could make to protect and perfect the internal parts even more.

~*~

With such a wedding as auspicious as a king marrying an elven prince, it was inevitable that there would be other parties of a more public nature, with the nobles of Mythland wishing to congratulate their ruler, and envoys from Rivendell visiting to honor their prince now become a king regnant. Things generally went smoothly, so on one occasion Scott and Sausage separated to mingle with crowds of their respective fellows to thank them.

Scott ended up accepting a gift from the Rivendell merchant’s guild of bottles of spiced cider, the best of each’s stock, and shared one with them over some idle chatter about recent Rivendell affairs until one of them made the casual comment, “Say, good move securing yourself a kingdom.”

Scott was about to question what they were implying but another of the merchants cut in with a laugh, “Ah, yes – why else a human then, hmm? What a quaint dalliance.”

A third asked, “He only has, what, fifty years left in him? Any lucky elf in mind for when that day comes?”

Scott forced his expression to be neutral then twirled his finger in the air. He froze their drinks, then caused frost to form over their hands so they were stuck to their goblets. He tossed what was left of his drink into the face of the first offender, then he spun around with his chin held high and walked away.

Meanwhile, Sausage had been chatting with some nobles from the far side of Mythland, and after showing off the latest version of his prosthetic, was fielding reports on the land holdings plus a little trouble with zombie hordes, which he promised to look into.

One of the men kept eyeing any of the elven guests who meandered nearby, then finally spoke his mind. “So, an elf became your choice? I can’t blame you. They have such… unusual color hair. Such pretty things…”

His tone made Sausage feel cautious that this was some type of judgment. “Well, there’s plenty of other things, just like you and me. Fighting skills, magic talent—”

“I suppose,” the man droned on as if dismissing those details, “They’re not all as delicate as they look. Say, are the ears like handles for when he’s—”

Upon the word ears, Sausage could guess where it was going and began to draw back his right arm. He then cold clocked the man right in the face before he could finish the sentence, buckling a few struts and popping a redstone wire somewhere in his prosthetic. The hand went limp and he had to lower the arm by pushing on it with his left hand, but he only glared as the offender’s fellow noble tried to help him, walking him away from the enraged Mythland king.

Sausage turned away as well and stormed off through the staring crowd, whispered gossip following in his wake about what the noble could possibly have said to make their king react like that.  He found a quiet spot with fewer people and started to inspect his arm. Aside from the struts making up the back of the hand and one by the wrist, he figured whatever wire had broken was key to letting him control the hand. He could only move the elbow partway so he forced it into a folded position, then removed his ceremonial cape and hung it over the arm to make it look like he was merely holding the cape as one normally would when feeling warm.

He figured that would suffice to ward off comments until he could contact fWhip to fix it. He should probably ask the inventor about reinforcing it so he could use it for such occasions without breaking it. He did feel a little foolish, however, that he had used it instead of his left fist, but the anger had struck pretty quickly, and his right side had been in a better position to hit first…

Well, what was done was done. He wasn’t about to allow such crude comments, and now people knew it. He turned back toward the crowd – in time to see Scott stalking by looking upset. He reached for the elf’s arm to stop him. “Hey – are you all right?”

Startled, Scott looked over at him, having not noticed he was there, then promptly hugged him and explained what the merchants had said. “It’s just so… callous of them to think I only married you because I wouldn’t become ruler of Rivendell, and that I would just… wait out your time…”

“Well, you… shouldn’t have to be alone after I go,” Sausage said softly. “It’s just a fact I’ll pass first. And I wouldn’t do anything like mess with magic to extend my lifespan, that would be crazy, eh-heh…”

Scott gave an earnest but gentle smile. “You’ve already thought about that, haven’t you?”

“Ah— haha. Yup,” Sausage admitted. “I won’t though. I know it won’t end well. We have the time together that we have.” He clasped Scott’s hand and brought it to his lips for a kiss to his knuckles.

Scott then hugged him again, only to realize there was something odd when Sausage returned the hug with only his left arm. The elf stepped back and looked down questioningly at how the prosthetic, hidden by the cape, was positioned. Sausage cleared his throat and slid the cape back to show the damage to his hand. “I, um, needed to defend your honor. The condescension runs on both sides.”

Scott sighed and helped arrange the cape back over the hand. “And we thought demons were the worst of our problems…”

“I know. Turns out it’s really other people. Come on, we’ll stick together for the rest of the night.”

“I like that plan.” Scott smiled, then paused and removed his own cape, draping it over the prosthetic as well. “Look how nice my husband is, carrying that for me.” He kissed Sausage on the cheek, earning a grin, then they rejoined the crowd.

.

It was sometime later when they were approached by the nobleman whom Sausage had punched, a sizeable bruise marring his face. “I expect an apology!” the man hissed. He flicked his gaze toward Scott and began to sneer.

“No,” Sausage said calmly, then yelled, “Guards! Escort this—” He spoke a word in Elvish “—out of here!”

Scott feigned a horrified gasp. “Sausage! Don’t call him that!” He had to suppress a smile until the man was hauled away, then he burst out laughing.

“What?” Sausage asked. “Was my accent that bad?”

“You called him a tree branch.”

“Oh. Well. Close enough.”

.

The rest of the event passed without incident, and soon enough the celebrations tapered off. With life getting back to normal and quiet, peaceful days ahead of them, Sausage turned his thoughts toward the future and the other possibilities that might await there.

~*~

One night, as Scott was helping him remove his prosthetic to get ready for bed, he decided it might be time to share some of his thoughts. He felt a little nervous, however, but instead of fidgeting just tried to lay still when Scott lifted it away from the protective cuff that covered the remaining part of his upper arm, the flicker of combined magic and redstone signals tapering off from his awareness. With the utmost care Scott placed it in its fabric-lined case where it wouldn’t be accidentally knocked over if either of them got up during the night.

Sausage sat up and leaned to reach and catch the elf’s hand before he could move around to the other side of the bed. “Can I… Can I ask you something?” Yet then, hesitating, he let go of Scott’s hand.

Curious about his tone, Scott sat down on the side of the bed. “You can, although it seems like you’re not sure if you want to. Everything okay?”

“Yes, I was just, um -- Well, I’ve been wondering… What, uh, what do you think about having… children?”

“Aside from the obvious issue with that?” Scott uttered a light laugh, but seeing Sausage’s face flush a little, he rested his hand over his. “Honestly? I hadn’t thought about it much before. Between the old world and this one, I always had other things on my mind.” He went quiet as he gave it some thought now, gently caressing Sausage’s arm in apology for seeming to tease him. “I guess… I mean we could… start considering adoption. Did you have something specific in mind? One, or maybe two – son, daughter, other?”

“Doesn’t particularly matter, just, ah— whoever we find that will accept us as we are, too. I mean, I don’t know how a child might feel about a father with only one arm.” Sausage looked at him sheepishly. “I would ask fWhip to reinforce the other one so I can pick them up and carry them around and stuff. Well, if they happen to be small enough for that. I guess age doesn’t matter too much, either.”

“Probably not an infant, though. We’re not equipped for handling anyone that young, and it might be easier to adjust our lives around an older child – you know, one who would know to be careful about your arm. There is one other consideration,” he added softly, a single possible repercussion coming to mind. “…Human, or elf?”

Sausage glanced down for a moment, understanding the implication, then smiled when he lifted his head. “Doesn’t matter. Whichever we find.”

Scott smiled in return and patted Sausage’s leg, then stood to dim the lanterns before going to his side of the bed. He had just gotten settled when more thoughts started occurring to him. “What would they call us? We can’t both be ‘dad’.”

“Dad and… ice-dad,” Sausage joked.

“No.” Scott pretended to act offended.

“I’m kidding! I called my father ‘papa’ when I was little. I’d be okay being that.”

“I’ll be ‘dad’ then.” He went quiet for a minute, weighing his next thought before saying out loud, “Should we tell them who we are right away? ‘Hi, we’re the rulers of Mythland, do you want to become royalty?’”

“That could be intimidating, or influence a match that doesn’t work out, depending on the people who run the place.”

“Right… It could be a surprise, maybe?”

“Yeah, let’s do that.” Then Sausage frowned sadly even though Scott couldn’t see it in the dark. “We won’t tell them the truth about my arm. That stays in the past. We’ll…make something up if anyone asks. Or just say that we don’t talk about what happened to Papa’s arm.”

Scott sought between them for Sausage’s left hand and gave it a squeeze. “All right.” He let a silent moment of that comfort pass, then said, “I’ll go to Rivendell in a day or so and find out what options there might be.”

“Sounds good. Maybe I’ll change some rooms around while you’re there.”

“Okay.”

They fell back into silence, if not sleep, with Sausage feeling grateful that Scott had been open to the suggestion, and Scott now realizing how much more of a future was available to them. His mind went to comments made by other elves about Sausage’s shorter lifespan. The idea of children meant their marriage, and the future of Mythland, could outlast them both…

~*~

Xornoth attempted to stare at his younger brother as if he wasn’t crazy, but darn if it wasn’t difficult not to. “You would like me to what?”

“Just to help me vet a few locations, if you will? I don’t know how appropriate it would be for a former prince of Rivendell to start touring every orphanage in the realm with his human husband…”

Xornoth chuckled. “Oh, but it’s appropriate for the current ruler to do it?”

“Well, I didn’t mean for you to go in person—”

“I understand your concerns but, Scott, why don’t you?”

“What?”

“Just go! Take Sausage with you and go meet some kids! Don’t worry so much about criteria, I’m sure any place will be overjoyed to know there will be dedicated parents looking after some young ones! Remember, I’ve seen you two together and the hearts are flying between you all the time now.”

The tips of Scott’s ears burned and he stared back at him as if he had never in the world expected him to say something like that.

Xornoth went and pretty much read his brother’s mind. “What? Did you think I would discourage you? You with your former inability to control elemental powers and him being a former demon? You’ve both gotten second chances and the world is wide open. You deserve a family of your own, too, if that’s what you want.”

“Maybe let’s not mention that second part ever again. Can I trust you to not bring that up? Our one rule is going to be we don’t talk about what happened to Papa’s arm.”

“ ‘Papa’? Oh, that’s adorable.” Xornoth laughed. Scott folded his arms, indicating he was serious. “Of course, I promise – I would no sooner tell about that than I would how I was once a demon, too.” He winked, but at those words Scott knew the secret was safe. Xornoth then began chuckling again. “Wouldn’t want to make Papa sad by reminding him about his arm, no… Ha! All right,” he said as Scott elbowed him, “Let’s get out a map and find you a town or two where you might not be easily recognized.”

Coming Next: Chapter One – The First Princes