#Beef Cupcakes and Him

[oleanderspride]

DON’T SCARE ME LIKE THAT EVER AGAIN.

[chimaerra]

also. sometimes my friends make me go insane

[southparktexts]

Enemies to lovers with the main four?

i love this concept so much anon !! thank you !!!

Enemies to lovers w/ main four

Kyle :

- i know damn well you guys became enemies because of grades.

- academic award fights.

- this literally all happened because you two wrote on the same topic but you had one mark more than kyle.

- gave you the biggest side eye

“I can’t believe that THEY out of all people got 100! i got 99 why couldn’t i just get a 100, it was the same topic!”

“…dude. y/n is kinda smart its not that surprising.”

- he complains about you whenever you ‘beat’ him with grades

- you dont even know he got beef with you tbh 😭

- you guys didnt even talk at all, you were just in the same class as him unironically.

- one day, you got paired up with him for a history presentation

- he literally rolled his eyes when he heard that and had a mood when you talked to him.

“so.. ill to information and research and you can summarise my points?”

“yeah. whatever. i don’t care.”

- eventually, after days of the two of you guys doing the project he realised you weren’t that bad of a person.

- i can see, after you guys did your presentation he would ask to be your partner more and you happily accepted

- one day, after having kyle over to do another assignment the two of you went to mcdonald’s together.

- that was probably the first time he talked to you, outside of school work.

- he definitely caught feels for you

- unironically invited you to game night with the main 4

“..dude i thought you hated her.”

“….shes not that bad.”

“I TOLD YOU THAT??”

- definitely got jealous when kenny tried flirting with you.

- after that he unironically got more touchy with you.

- holding hands when you guys hung out after studying maths together.

- one day he asked his dad for advice and he said just to ask you out.

- he did… on text.

- my guy wrote a whole essay on you.

Eric :

- you guys definitely became prank wars enemies. full stop.

- prank wars.

- this definitely started because eric thought it would be funny to put a whopee cushion on your seat

- you saw it before you sat down and he got so fucking pissed.

“WHO DOES THIS BITCH THINK THEY ARE? NOT EVEN SITTING DOWN ON IT. WHAT THE FUCK.”

“fatass it isn’t that personal.”

- from there you and him back to back prank each other.

- ..they got worse as they progressed.

- he put a lot of laxatives and arbys sauce into your lunch once

- in return you put a lot of melatonin into his milk and made him sleep during an exam.

- yall are both fucked up like that 😭

- definitely spends a lot of time thinking how he can prank you and you do the same.

- you’re the only thing on his mind at this point.

“i fucking hate how that BITCH is always one step ahead of me.”

“you gotta admit.. theyre kinda hot..”

“NO KENNY. NO.”

“cartman you talk about them a little too much, its like you like them or something.”

“WHAT?! NO. CMON GUYS.”

“..sure fatass.”

- after stan said that he started questioning his feelings towards you.

- he kinda realised you both are kinda similar in your own fucked up way.

- after that day he made a glitter bomb card with a note inside telling you to meet him at his house.

- you arrived and you guys actually worked out well..

- gradually eric started introducing kenny into the group.

- the three of you started planning pranks on the teacher.

- eventually eric started falling. hard.

- you were always so funny and unique with pranks and he loved that.

- eventually asked you out with a cupcake.

“will you go out with me?”

“hm? yeah sure. ..this cupcake doesn’t have arbys sauce and laxatives in it, does it..?”

Kenny :

- to be honest time !! i personally think you guys wouldn’t be enemies.

- more just mutual annoyance.

- i feel like hes not the type to personally hate someone.

- the only reason he would find you annoying is because you would take the girls when he was trying to flirt with them.

“hey doll.”

“you’re talking to me?”

“oh tammy !! exactly who i was looking for!”

- he gets so annoyed because each time he was trying to talk to them you’d interrupt and drag them away to talk to them.

- one day he was fed up with it but didn’t do anything about it.

“how come y/n knows literally every girl i try to flirt with?!”

“because dude, y/n is cool and popular. their going to know everyone dude.”

“yeah bro.”

“plus they hang around the girls as well”

- after that, you kinda stopped hanging around the girls since they were doing a whole protest about something that you didnt want to be involved with.

- kenny eventually just say you walking around the school, just being yourself.

- he oddly, like it. he liked seeing you act like yourself. not pretend like you did with the girls.

- eventually he invited you to game night with the boys.

- you guys played dnd and had fun!

- after that, kenny would invite you to game night more and you eventually unironically replaced butters.

- you and kenny slowly became close friends and he became more possessive over you.

- one day he had enough of these thoughts about you and just asked you out out of the blue.

“hey y/n! doll!”

“hm? oh hey ken.”

“wanna date?”

“uh sure?”

Stan :

- if im going to be honest.. he doesn’t get enemies, except for craig.

- he definitely gets angry but doesn’t hate you.

- he probably got jealous because of you though, that what ticked him off.

- this is probably right after stan and wendy broke up

- you were wendy’s friend but also being stans.

- he once saw you comforting wendy and he got jealous.

“that backstabbing bitch! y/n is with wendy right now.”

“..dude i thought you said you were over wendy.”

“i- i am but still!”

- complained about you to the boys, slowly he would have something against you.

- since you were also friends with him he would give you a moody response when he replied back.

“how are you holding up, stan?”

“fine. just fine. its not like you care.”

- became more cold and colder.

“god look at y/n over there. at the swings with wendy.”

“dude, why are you looking at y/n so much. do you like them or something.”

“what?? no?”

- he kept looking over at you and he slowly started noticed little details of you.

- how you bite your nails when your shy, how pretty you look when your studyin.. wait.. what..

- slowly started noticing more details about you and since you were friends with him he would hang out with you more.

- became more touchy while you hang out.

- he realised now you were just being nice to both sides. trying to be there for both.

- wrapping his arms around your waist while you two walked together.

- blushing as you talk to him.

- eventually he bottles up all his feels about you and breaks down but in a good way?

- going to your house at 3am, crying as you hold him in your arms on your bed.

“and- and my dad keeps putting all this pressure and me and i love you and its so fucking difficult.”

“i know stan, i know… its alright.. wait. you love me..?”

[sofiahchan]

What's it's like cooking with Love and Deepspace boys?

𝐑𝐀𝐅𝐀𝐘𝐄𝐋

This man loves sea food, so why not cook it? So you decide to cook together. At first, you started helping each other. Rafayel cut some tomatoes while you picked up an octopus. Then you feel Rafayel's arms hugging you from behind, and he looks at the octopus and says, "It's not so bad to cook together."

Right when he finishes the sentence, the octopus ends up splashing black paint right in Rafayel's face, and you try to hold back your laughter, but when you can't, you end up laughing while he pouts, crossing his arms. "That's... That's not funny!! Let's cook... Let's cook something else."

That's how you and Rafayel decide to release the octopus into the sea, also cleaning Rafayel's face of paint. You two decide to cook a cake, but he keeps pouting every now and then. You decide to take his cheeks in your hands. “Don't be sad... I laughed because your face with octopus paint took me by surprise, okay?"

Rafayel ends up smiling at you, leaning his head in your hands. “Okay, okay, what can I do? It's my fishy charm, even with octopus paint I look attractive.” You roll your eyes and Rafayel head fell on your shoulder, both of you decorate the cake with a blue that resembles the ocean.

𝐗𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐑

This man is a complete disaster in the kitchen. When you're not looking for a second, everything starts to burn. Xavier stares at you as he looks at the cupcake he was trying to make and at your cupcake. “What did I really do wrong? I was following the recipe and tried to improvise a little."

Improvise, right... He tried to improvise when the cupcake batter simply ended up burning, and he put it in the microwave trying to fix it. This is what Xavier's cupcake looks like: all burned, and yours is in perfect condition. You decided to try to console him, “Don't worry, it's not that bad... What do you think about doing another one? I will help you!”

Xavier nods in silence as you help him make his cupcake, also giving instructions on how to do it, and finally, when it's done, Xavier looks at you with a sparkle in his eyes. "You're good at cooking... Do you have a secret or is there a trick?" He whispers looking at the new cupcake you helped him make comparing to yours.

“I think you'll improve with time and practice too." That's all you can say, trying to cheer him up, and then Xavier smiles and says, "I'll try." This is how you two end up decorating your cupcakes together, while Xavier asks a few questions every now and then about foods and how to make them.

𝐙𝐀𝐘𝐍𝐄

This man cooks so well that even just looking at the food he makes seems to send particles flying. You wonder how he manages to make food that looks and tastes so good. Zayne staring at you says, "You're staring at the food too much, it's not your liking?”

Well, the food looks good, and Zayne seems to like it spicy enough, as he did a spicy beef stew. The beef stew smells so good. "Zayne, that smells so good! Can I taste it?”

Zayne nods his head, and he then ends up feeding you, and when you taste the flavor in your mouth, you find yourself staring at him with a red face. "It's very spicy!!" Zayne eyes widened surprised he grabs a glass of water quickly, giving it to you, you drink it quickly and he whispers "Are you okay?"

You sigh and look at Zayne. “I wasn't prepared for it to be so spicy, but can we eat it? It tastes good and spicy, but I think I'm going to need another glass of water just in case." You see the corners of Zayne's lips turn up, and he gives a small smile. "Of course, if you want to eat something else, let me know, I can cook it.”

[imomisoplays]

Beetroot Risotto

Spooky sul sul, tombler!

This post is the second part of the Halloween party for the Ito family. Borrowing Stella's kitchen, now it's Vienna's time to conjure up some witchcraft with her cooking skill. Also by @icemunmun-spicy-scalpel, tonight Vienna cooks up some beetroot risotto -- human-friendly version can be downloaded here, and a vampire-friendly version, smartly named Red Count's Risotto can be downloaded here. Don't forget to update Custom Food Interactions (its last update is November 25th so make sure you have the latest version) for the recipe to appear in your game.

This recipe is a great way to balance the intake of vitamins and fibers during the festive occasion. If you have @icemunmun-spicy-scalpel's other CCs, you can also use your own rice and red radish on this recipe.

Bibbidi bobbidi boo, let's start with choppity chop the ingredients! I think the first ingredient (radish) is custom-made because I've never seen it before.

So, I don't know how popular Netflix's Culinary Class War is, but I was definitely hooked with the show, especially because my favorite contestant managed stay in the save zone until later in the show, even winning the whole competition later. No spoiler, tho. 😉

Anyway, one contestant, nicknamed Napoli Matfia, is known for his risotto. In Korean, 맛 'mat' means "taste" -- so matfia could be translated to "mafia of taste" or something like that, which I must admit is solid nickname to choose. From his cooking, I learnt a lot about the cooking steps of risotto, which I can explain in the paragraphs below. So now, we go back to the recipe.

First, dry-toast the rice in the pan. The rice is ready if it's hot to touch. Once the rice is hot, add in the broth. Vienna is using vegetable broth because the recipe she's following is vegan, but you can use chicken/beef broth as an alternative. Keep stirring the risotto for about 12 minutes, remove from the heat and wait a minute. Then, we perform what is called mantecare. There is no exact translation for mantecare in English, but it's an important part in cooking risotto. The term indicates a technique of adding fresh, cold butter and grated cheese into the risotto when the cooking process is almost finish, and stirring/tossing it vigorously that it develops creaminess. I mean, I'm not biased or anything, but here's a video of Napoli Matfia doing a mantecare. Totally not biased, nope.

Voilà! The beetroot risotto is ready to serve! Vienna really made sure everyone got their daily intake of fibers with the roasted carrots side dish.

The adults finished decorating the Halloween table right around the same time Frejr and Soleil went home from Trick-and-Treat-ing. It was a festive spread! Brownies, cupcakes, iced lemon teas, horchatas and some beers for the parents.

The first round is for the babies! They're so well-behaved that Nanami felt it was safe to let them sit directly below the party table. The beetroot risotto Vienna made is soft enough for their smol liddol teef to chew.

Osh Cous B'Gosh gathered to dine in front of the party table for the second round. Frejr and Soleil ran off to count their candies right after they finished their venison steak.

Leia is now old enough to sit with the adults on the main dining table. She's extremely thrilled! Stella just rolled her eyes in adoration.

For her husband, Vienna specially made a vampire-friendly Red Count's risotto which features plasma fruits instead of regular vegetable. They also got him a special plasma fruit cupcake so he wouldn't miss out too much on the sweets.

So, with the Halloween party posts finished, we're at the end of my Simblreen posts. Honestly I haven't really played again since the end of October, so updates might be slow. But yea! There are several plans to do in the near future with the Ito family: the grandkids visiting their grandparents on Mt. Komorebi, aging up everyone, Leia entering university... Oof, so much things! But until then, dag dag!

P.S. Detailed cooking process for risotto is taken from this article, this article -- and completely unbiased, this video.

[sapphicmsmarvel]

modern au! competition

notes: in elains part i talk shit about The Exorcist. i’m sorry guys that movie is so so bad. Some of these are really short because i didn’t know how to elaborate LOL but yall will get the point. 

Azriel: 

This cranky bitch has beef with your kindle paperwhite. 

You took it everywhere, always made sure it was fully charged and loaded with books. You even used the app on your phone until one day you decided you would always carry your actual kindle with you everywhere. 

When he wanted snuggles and you were reading? You had pushed him away. Until one day, he’d had enough. 

It was a rough day at work, he wanted his girlfriend. He saw you on the couch, with your emotional support water bottle, his hoodie, fuzzy sock-clad feet and a blanket. And you were holding your kindle. 

He knew he wanted to join you in that cuddle pile, so he did. 

He took away your blanket which caused you to yell an indignant, “hey!” Then he spread your legs which had you saying “oh?” 

He rolled his eyes at your dirty mind and laid down on top of you. Your kindle was in the air, he laid his head between your boobs and snuggled in. 

Breathing in your scent, he hummed contentedly. 

He felt you shake with suppressed giggles, “you comfy?”

“Mhm.” He hummed, his eyes closing. 

“My big baby.” You said softly, kissing his head and running your nails through his hair. 

He didn’t need to look up to know you were still reading, just multitasking now. After all, that’s what the pop socket is for. Multitasking while reading. 

(get your heads out of the gutter) 

He loved how happy it made you, though. He also loved the sex that came from the books that you’d want to reenact. 

Cassian: 

don't get him wrong, he loves that you wear makeup because you love it. 

however that damn plumping gloss is gonna kill him. 

“It’s spicy!” 

“You’re being a baby, it’s minty.” 

“it’s fucking spicy!” 

It’s not his fault that your gloss is out to make him croak. He can’t help kissing you though, your lips look so plump and juicy, just perfectly kissable. And the gloss tastes like vanilla cupcakes until the spice kicks in. 

Rhysand: 

He's got beef with the sims. You’ll go missing for hours in your “cozy room” as you call it, and 9 times out of 10, he’ll walk in and see you hunched over like a cave creature playing the sims. It kind of scares the shit out of him because sometimes he’ll walk in on you like that, with a murder podcast playing on your TV. 

Eventually, he loves the game. Because he discovers that you can make your own families. You two have five kids in the sims, because even Sim-Rhysand is horny. 

Eventually he gets his own PC, he’s very excited. Owns and buys you all of the sims packs. 

Feyre: 

Your IPad. You do everything on that thing. Work, planning, reading; writing, even. It’s with you all day, sometimes all night depending on the activity you’re doing. You can’t stop playing candy crush or some other game. She’s fully pulled the IPad out of your grip before to cuddle.

She didn’t get it until you got her her own with procreate installed. And now you’re the one who has to pry her away. She, like Rhysand, has learned the naughty things she can do with her new hobby. AKA, lots of drawings of you. 

Naked, clothed. You two together being naughty. 

She’s learned to love the wonders of an IPad. 

Morrigan: 

fucking theme parks. In the beginning of your relationship she didn’t know how to feel, eventually she fell in love with them. She used to be against them because she hated being sweaty (who doesn’t) but with your help she was able to be comfortable and enjoy a nice theme park day with her girlfriend. 

You two are out of state disney pass holders. Taking random flights on random days for a day at disney. Flying in that morning and leaving that night. Or driving for a long weekend. 

Amren: 

her competition is concerts. you’ll go to any show at any time. Your friends favorite indie band is having a show with 20 dollar tickets? sold you’ll be there. 

She’s not a fan of intense crowds, mosh pits aren’t her scene. But if there’s an artist you wanna go see and your friends can't go? She’s buying you the tickets as an early birthday or christmas gift. She’s even used mother’s day as an excuse to buy you tickets. Or Veterans Day. 

And she calls you dramatic. 

Nesta: 

she genuinely doesn’t understand how you can play video games for hours. She does love it though because you’ll leave her alone to read while you play. 

You rarely play intense games, if you do you’re playing with friends and not some random lobby (because being a woman, a queer woman no less is not fun in random online lobbies). And that’s when you go into a different room because your friends and you are quite loud. 

But when you’re playing stardew valley or any zelda, mario game, or nintendo in general; you’re sitting by her. 

Your usual set up is you both on the couch next to each other, some asmr room video in the background and a few candles lit. 

She can even admit that your video games have awesome soundtracks. 

Elain: 

horror movies. you were a fanatic. On your first date you brought this up to her, nervous she’d be against it. She was all for watching them. She had never seen them, growing up her mother forbid her daughters from watching them. It didn’t stop Feyre and Nesta, however she was a bit of a rule follower. 

She thought it couldn’t be that bad. After all, they're fictional and the effects can be very cheesy. 

However, she hid that she was scared pretty well in the beginning and then when you two saw Jigsaw that killed her “street cred” with you. (her words, not yours) 

So after the intensity of Jigsaw, you had her watch The Exorcist, a movie you thought was ass but was a good movie to introduce her to horror with. 

She ended up thinking the movie was shit, too. But, it gave her a bit of a baseline to go off of.  

After that was The Conjuring universe, then The Paranormal Activity franchise ended up freaking her out in a good way. 

She liked watching supernatural, ghost hunters, and american horror story with you though! And she did enjoy the scream franchise as well as the scary movie franchise! 

She began to love them, and loved the adrenaline. 

She liked the idea of going to a haunted house during halloween, but it scared her a bit more. It was different with a screen in between her and the scare. 

Lucien: 

Your stuffed animal collection. You personified almost everything you owned (which made it a bitch to declutter when you knew you needed to; but you couldn’t stop imagining objects with personalities). 

He loved how passionate you were, how cuddly you always looked however: 

You’re supposed to be cuddling him!! Not a damned stuffed animal! 

Then one time, he came home after a long work trip and found you asleep on the couch, you were waiting for him. 

He found you hugging a fox build-a-bear with one of his shirts on it.  

How can he hate that? 

Eris: 

His own dog is his competition. 

The fucker will cuddle with you then give him a smug ass look like “haha she chose me, she dont want you.” 

He loved the immediate love you had for his (son) pet. And he reacted to you the same way. You two formed a bond, the dog would follow you everywhere around the house. 

His dog was supposed to be a hunting dog, then when you (mom) came into the picture, that’s when you began babying him and forbidding Eris from taking him hunting. 

“My son will not go through the mud! He’s a baby!”

“My love, his whole life’s purpose is hunting. He’s a hunting dog.” 

“His life purpose is being the cute snuggly idiot he is!” Said snuggly idiot was wagging at your feet with an expression on his face that Eris could only describe as a “you go, mom!” look. 

“What if he gets hurt?” Your bottom lip wobbled and he knew he couldn’t say no to you. 

You were sensitive when it came to animals. It was pretty easy to make you cry, you just had to look at the dog being cute and you’d start bawling. 

But, he loved waking up in the morning to you snuggled into him with his beloved (but an asshole) dog with you two. 

Even when the dog pushes in between the two of you in the middle of the night. 

Tarquin: 

Surfing. He can’t believe he’s competing with his own hobby. 

He introduced you to it, but you cannot stop. You spend hours out in the ocean, and he wishes he could be out there with you all the time. But he’s always working with the city's ocean conservation teams and is the leading man in marine biology in your city.  So he can’t leave the office a lot, but when he can, he does join you in the surf. 

You two began a surfing contest to raise money for ocean conservation too. 

[extra-stout-stories]

Full Moon

The couple from last year's Werewolf / Sweater Weather enjoys some bedroom fun on their favorite night of the month. (SSBBW, SSBHWW -- that's "big handsome werewolf." CW: The fine line between desire and fear; explicit sex, but mostly implied rather than descriptive.)

Here's my belated contribution to Day 10 of Feedist Kinktober '24. This one is a few weeks late, but as soon as I saw the "Full Moon" prompt I knew what was going to happen.

As long as @fatguarddog keeps giving us an annual list of Kinktober prompts, this fictional couple will keep making appearances. I might bring them back before the month is over, if I have the time to write.

Monsterfucking isn't a kink of mine, but using a monster character to think about some of the primordial forces that inspire our kink was an illuminating exercise. This one was a lot of fun to write. Reblog if you enjoy it.

--

He gets hungry when the change hits. Hungry for her cooking. Hungry for her.

Sometimes, on these nights, he'll leave the house to hunt. But sometimes, when the snow is piled up in meter-high drifts, he stays indoors.

She knows what to do then. For a few days beforehand, she'll cook and cook and bake and bake until every surface in the kitchen is covered with food. Meats, lots of them, beef and mutton and venison, roasted and grilled and fried, stewed and sizzled. Always rare, always tender and dripping.

Bread, loaves and loaves of it. Cakes. Cupcakes. Puddings.

The kitchen is right next to the bedroom, and she can hear him moving around, ravenous, devouring.

When the change hits his appetites seem even more bottomless than they already are.

--

She feels vulnerable then, in a way she rarely feels around him otherwise. He's as much beast as man when the moon is full, and sometimes he's more beast than man. When that happens she can see the struggle in his eyes, the struggle to hold both sides of himself in balance, to regard her as his lover as well as his prey. The beast is very different from the man, who is as unfailingly as tender as he is strong, unfailingly kind to her and others even when his strength would allow him to be cruel.

The beast is different. And she is so vulnerable.

She's just as fat as he is. Or maybe he's just as fat as her. They've made each other this fat.

But while his rolls of fat and quivering belly are layered on top of powerful muscle, hers are nothing but softness. It's not that she doesn't pull her weight. On an isolated homestead in the woods there are always chores to do, and not just the cooking. She stretches and even lifts light weights to stay mobile, mobile enough that she can get around the kitchen and the garden. But by the end of the day the effort has left her ready to beach herself in bed and eat and eat.

Like she's doing now. He's not the only one with a hunger. She lifts a forkful of blueberry pie to her lips. She can hear him in the kitchen, tearing through the beef stew and the chops and the pot roast. She can imagine the trails of grease dribbling down his chins, stubble and sweat, ferocity, appetite.

They've made each other this fat. If it were entirely up to him, if the duties of the real world didn't intrude, her fat would be nothing but an ocean of immobile softness. When the moon isn't full, when the change hasn't taken him, his lovemaking is kind, eager, attentive. Pampering. He loves to spoil her, to satisfy her. To see her grow and grow and grow, rolls folding over onto rolls, all for him.

Warm. Soft. Pampered. Endlessly inviting.

Tender. Easily winded.

Unable to run.

Prey.

--

She's made herself so vulnerable. There's a cold fear inside of her, dancing in circles with the heat of her excitement. She eats to still the fear and to stoke the excitement. I trust him, she tells herself. He can control the change. For me he can control the change.

Some people would think it was madness. To give up a career and a condominium and designer handbags to live in a cabin in the cold, dark forest, miles from the nearest town, hours from the nearest city. But she had known from the moment she first set eyes on him that she would do it if he asked.

He was so kind, so thoughtful. So fat and so hungry, for her cooking and for her.

He didn't ask her to move in with him until he had explained to her about the change.

And she still did it.

--

I've made myself so vulnerable, she thinks, shoveling the last of the blueberry pie past her lips, her own breath ragged with fullness. I'm not sure I could even get up from bed right now. The stuffing has pushed her over the edge; when she's this full, she feels as if she might lose her mobility entirely. The thought makes her burn with heat. The thought makes her freeze with fear.

So soft. So tender.

So appetizing.

--

When he crashes through the door, beast and man are one thing. His strength is supernatural now. It moves with the same rhythms of the full moon that move the tides, that pull great waves of force up from the depths of the ocean until entire coastlines, in places far away from their ice-cold forest, drown in a surge of water and heat.

She's drowning too. Her breathing, ragged with fullness, grows shallow with fear. Heat and moisture, sweat and desire, churn like the ocean around the cold knot of fear at the pit of her stomach as he crashes through the door, hunger in his eyes. His belly is swollen and taut underneath its softness, filled to the brim with the tender dishes she spent days preparing.

On another night she'd rub it gently, smile, run her fingers through the hair of his chest and nuzzle her face against his stubble until she felt the softness of his chins yielding to her kiss. On another night she might comfort him, tease him. Did my hungry boy eat too much?

But there's nothing boyish in him now. Not a boy and not a man, or not only a man. A man and a beast, two hungers at war with one another.

Looming over her.

--

"Can you really control the change?"

She had asked him that after seeing it happen for the first time. So frightening but so exciting, like something out of an old and terrible legend.

He nodded. "It's difficult but I can do it. It's like… I know I want you, but I have to remind myself why I want you. Does that make sense?"

She nodded. "I think so. It's scary to see you like that." She pulled him in closer, feeling the strength beneath his fat as he relaxed and let himself sink into her softness. "But it's also hot."

"I'm glad." He grinned and squeezed her. "A lot of girls would run away the first time they saw that."

She laughed, playfully shoving her belly against his. "Do I look like the kind of girl who runs?"

Now he laughed too. "Nope. You look like a girl who sits and eats. My kind of girl." He kissed her. "Don't worry. I can control the change. You're safe with me."

But she had been so much smaller then.

--

Beast and man are one thing now and his strength is supernatural. How many hundreds of her pounds does he shift with his sheer brute strength as he takes her and mounts her? He could throw me across the room if he really wanted to, she thinks. The thought is frightening. Exciting.

His belly spilling onto her back rolls, over the sides of her hips. His hands on her thighs, then her shoulders, then wrapping themselves in her hair, pulling her head back. His breath on her neck, ragged and fierce, a wordless growl.

Hunger.

Her heart is pounding. The beast has teeth, she thinks. He could tear my throat out. Tear me to shreads.

Then she cries out as he thrusts, a force beyond human penetrating deep inside her. Wet with sweat and excitement, her fat rolls shake and quiver, crash against him like tidal waves.

--

Half excitement, half terror. A night that seems to last forever. She wants it to end. She never wants it to end.

His grip growing stronger and stronger, his breath more and more of a growl. His thrusts more forceful. He takes her ferociously, as if he can barely control his desires, the appetites of the beast mixed with the urges of the man who knows every inch of her fat body by heart.

How much she trusted him. To come all this way. Miles from the nearest town, hours from the nearest city. To risk this danger.

To get so fat for him, so fat that she could never leave.

She screams. Half pleasure and half terror. His teeth are at her throat.

Maybe this will be their last night together. Maybe tonight the dam holding back his hunger will finally break and he'll lose the man entirely, lose the man and become the beast.

She screams again.

Can she trust him to control the change?

When she comes it's like wave after wave crashing across the coastline.

And when the sun rises, it's like the storm has passed and her languid body is the surface of the ocean grown placid.

--

The beast is gone from his face now, thin lines of sunlight giving a golden cast to his pleasantly fatigued smile. She reaches fat fingers for his face, strokes the softness of his chins beneath the stubble.

"Are you hungry, big boy?"

He laughs. "Yeah. I worked up an appetite. And I could use some coffee, too."

She grins. "I set the timer for five A.M. It should be ready by now. Put plenty of cream in mine."

He sticks out his tongue puckishly. "Plenty of cream." He grins back. "Got it. Big girl."

She can see satisfied exhaustion in the way he heaves himself up from the bed, rolls quivering beneath body hair, turning slowly towards the kitchen. "Breakfast's in the locked cabinet?"

"Yup. Just toast the waffles and pop the pancakes in the microwave. There's plenty of butter and maple syrup. I'll cook the bacon and sausages later."

He turns back and bends down to kiss her. "Breakfast in bed?"

She smiles. "Yeah. You wore me out. Once I'm full again I want to cuddle and nap."

"Sounds perfect." He squeezes her thigh and she watches appreciatively as he turns again, his naked body quivering as he moves.

He's all man now. The beast is elsewhere, somewhere beyond the tides.

But she can't wait until the next full moon.

[princessbrunette]

I feel like deer!reader likes to bake. Like a lot. To the point that she's bringing cookies everywhere, to popes parents, to the pouges hell maybe even to some of the nicer kooks

one thousand percent !!!!!!!! it’s not just a hobby it’s a stress coping mechanism . if pope goes on a pogue mission that takes him out the obx for a few days when he returns he walks into your house to find you covered in flour, sleep deprived, stacks on stacks of cakes and cupcakes and cookies piled up on the counter.

i also think you catch wind that the pogues are having some kind of beef with rafe so you take it upon yourself to bake him a batch of cookies, showing up at his door at tannyhill sweetly asking him to leave your friends alone. he thinks it’s cute, eats the cookies, but only uses your attempts to taunt them </3

[hotcheetohatredwastaken]

what do you think the chains favorite breakfast foods are (if they eat breakfast)

I WAS HALFWAY THROUGH ANSWERING THIS AND MY PHONE DIED AND DELETED EVERYTHING I HAD WRITTEN, DEATH AND SORROW AND DESPAIR.

Okay I'm good now.

ANYWAYS, I split you ask into two sections: first, their favorite food ever if they can get their hands on it, the second what they like to eat on the road. And then a final unhinged rant at the bottom about the one thing about teenage boys/young men and their food that I'll never understand: Bacon.

Legend--I have a feeling that he likes sweets. Specifically, waffles with whipped cream and berries. They're a little burnt, but Ravio made them for him, so he'll pretend he doesn't notice (and grows to like them better that way). On the road, he'll go for coffee/tea (he's not picky) if one of the others make it, or nothing at all.

Hyrule--does he have a favorite breakfast food? Food isn't very stable where he comes from--Legend and Wild would spoil him so much in regard of expanding his palate. But I imagine that something like a fried mixture of beef/sausage, vegetables, and a starch (perhaps an even poorer version of an already poor person food Shepherd's Pie, perhaps? it could be a breakfast food) would be a sort of filling, tasty, and easy to procure/make/preserve food that he'd like. On that note, I would say something simple, easy to get and preserve, and hardy would be his go to breakfast on the road--maybe meat jerky.

Wild--Also a sweets person. Fruit cake, cinnamon rolls, frosted cupcakes, basically all the little delicacies he could get at a dumb party 100 years ago, he ain't picky, it's for breakfast and it's fueling a day long sugar high. On the road he, unlike the other Links, can be pretty creative with his breakfasts, and he likes his spice as well. So, I think he'd like Meaty rice balls.

Four--direct this question to someone else please. He has four voices in his head fighting to answer right now, and none of them agree. I surely dont know if he doesn't.

Time--Pancakes and farm-fresh scrambled eggs and toast with jam. Malon makes it for him. What can I say. On the road he is a habitual coffee drinker, he wouldn't be functioning in the mornings without it. But he'll also take a poached egg if he has the time (heh).

Warrior--unlike Time who is a habitual coffee drinker, he is a coffee connoisseur. He likes the breakfasts they serve at the castle--a lot of meats and fruits, expensive, and on top of it all, well plated. Not to say that he can't eat simply--he was in a war, mind you--just that he prefers not to. On the road, he strikes me as the kind that would drink those tasteless quick oats (y'know you just add water, shake and go?) and also be very vocal about much time (heh) it's saving him (being none). I don't know what the Hyrule equivalent of those are.

Twilight--our favorite country boy. I think he likes a true southern breakfast. Ham and pan-fried potatoes and eggs over-easy, with a side of cheesy grits and sausage biscuits and gravy like Uli used to make for him (I HC this man has a black hole of a stomach, out of all the Links). On the road he'll inhale a boiled egg or two (salted and peppered if he's feeling fancy) that Wild made for him. I also head canon that Twilight likes tea with an intensity. And not only sweet tea, but like, ALL of the teas. He gets obsessive. I literally have in my detail/subplot tracking documents for BDOR the following entry underneath chapter 8--Tea: "Twilight’s cure to Wild’s voice is tea. His cure to life’s woes is tea."

Wind--whatever his grandma is making, probably with seafood involved. I've had a crab-spinach-egg casserole for breakfast before, it was good, so I'll give him that. On the road, I can see him packing a lot of bread and some meat (dried fish if he can get it).

Sky--This guy honestly has me stumped. Do those on Skyloft eat Loftwing eggs, or are they considered taboo? They have a lot of pumpkins around--do they incorporate them into their meals?@needfantasticstories you know a lot of Skyward Sword lore, bequeath me your wisdom. Anyways on the road he's a meat and bread person like Wind. Practical.

Now, for my rant about young men and their food quirks:

Bacon. Bacon, as I have witnessed, drives the most reasonable of men insane.

I just a few things to say about this. I have younger brothers, and I born witness to many male sleepover parties. I--as the resident nasty fe-male XD--have been (forced) to cook for them in the mornings. Set a pile of bacon in front of them (or really any meat, but I have found that bacon has the strongest affect) and they turn into WOLVES. They start to crowd around and stare as soon as they begin to smell it (which hey, give me space in the kitchen, please!), snatch it up before the grease even cools, and then retreat into their separate corners of the living room/kitchen and scarf it down, all while avoiding eye contact and projecting just how much they don't care about the bacon they're eating (perhaps so one of the others don't take notice and try to steal it). There's an odd little ritual/rules to the thing, too: for example, it's frowned upon to take more than three or four pieces at a time, there has to be enough for everyone, obviously; but if you finish a second and third serving before some poor sod stumbles in and gets himself a piece--why that is acceptable, even encouraged. But at all times, you could feel them watching each other, judging whether each person had taken acceptable amounts. 6 at once, I have determined, is veritably considered too much, as I have watched an entire group of mid-late teenage boys chase another through the house and outside for this crime of greed. Another thing was the presence of literally any other edible food. If there was anything else--eggs, fruit, even something like a few slices of unbuttered toast or coffee or juice sitting out, this reaction was largely tempered--even if none of the boys took the other foods, they would take a meager one or two pieces of bacon and be satisfied, perhaps reassured that other food was present and their hope of a filling breakfast was not in vain. Most, at that point they would restrain themselves from eating anything (other than their bacon tax) and wait so that everyone could eat together. But the mad scramble that occurs when there is bacon and only bacon in the kitchen (even if other things are cooking, nearly done, and visible to them) is otherworldly.

I never saw it with anything else, not eggs, not fruit, not even sausage or any other breakfast food. And it must be noted that I was exempt from their little ritual of judgement--perhaps as the only woman, or perhaps as the cook, I was allowed to take as much bacon as I liked from the pile, once the initial wave had attacked and retreated with their bounty (and the strips of bacon had cooled enough that mortal human hands such as my own could pick them up). And while they behaved like beasts, I was always very politely thanked for making breakfast once it was over and the frenzy had abated.

Anyways, your ask got me thinking about Malon making a pile of bacon for the boys, activating the beforehand undiscovered "PANIC! BACON!" mode in their brains, and just being utterly confused as they turn into animals. Just the boys descend, and then a few shouts of "Thanks, Malon!" drift in on the wind as they scatter like racoons with treasure, leaving an empty plate spinning behind them.

[idiotwithanipad]

HC

Each year on each ghost's birthday they become corporeal, still dead, still ghosts, just corporeal. If they were to walk into the wall, they wouldn't glide through it like they usually do, they'd just bump into it. Livings still can't see them, except for Alison, and Alison is the only living they can touch without feeling sick since she has the sight.

It's also their only chance to leave the grounds. They still can't change outfits; their clothes would just go straight back on them like in canon. So if they go on a day trip with Alison, they'll get a lot of weird looks. It's also the only opportunity they get to eat something or drink.

(Edit: They can change outfits but livings would see them. By 'them' I mean that the living would just see an outfit standing and walking on its own, like an invisible mannequin. So changing outfits has to be kept in the house only)

All the ghosts thought this was some kind of miracle work at first but as the years went on it turned into their birthday parties. All except Robin; the others thought he'd be bouncing off the walls, but no. He stood rock solid in place for most of the day, unable to move. It's been so long, so so long since he's even felt what the ground feels like under his boots, or the breeze, or all the scents of nature that he'd forgotten.

But it's not all bad, when he finally started walking around, he met up with his mouse family and finally got to stroke one of the newborns with his pinkie. He was a fluffy mess after that.

For the first few birthdays, Robin didn't want to leave the house at all ( it was over stimulating for bby🥺) , not even to go outside, but as the years went on he started to enjoy it again. And Alison always liked to surprise them with some of their favourite foods. Robin's was a little difficult at first, so she had to substitute mammoth steak with beef. Rump steak just how he'd like it. She made it authentic by converting one of the outdoor dog kennels into a mini smokehouse to cook it.

Humphrey's head actually stays on during his birthday, just as long as someone places it on his shoulders before midnight. (When Amy dies, she tries to get everybody to try some Monster even if it's only a sip, just to see their reaction). If the door is open, Alison always catches Robin heading to the lake to drink, so she teaches him how to use the taps and the kettle (He doesn't bother with those and instead becomes obsessed with Fruit Shoot blackcurrant cause why not? 😂)

Alison obviously bakes birthday cakes for them:

Robin: Basic vanilla sponge decorated to look like the moon

Kitty: Any kind of lava cake or Sticky Toffee Pudding

Fanny: Lemon Drizzle or Victoria Sponge

Cap: Says he'll take a Victoria Sponge but falls in L O V E with the Battenbergs

Pat: Prefers little cupcakes so that there's plenty to choose from rather than one big cake. So, he opts for Sprinkle cakes or Flapjacks

Thomas: Black Forest Gateau or Chocolate Eclairs

Julian: Says he'd like a Rum cake Or Spotted Dick just to crack jokes about it but secretly loves Bakewell Tarts

Humphrey: Red Velvet cake or any kind of dark chocolate cheesecake

Mary: She likes muffins, anything colourful. Jam Tarts are high up on her list but Rainbow cake wins her over

[derangedanomaly]

OVERCOPY - ASKS

THE SERIES OFFICIAL MASTERLIST

Songs I listen to while drawing them

The truth about the boys

The Boys' voice claims

The Boys' sexualities

Strange hobbies?

The growth of my characters (yapping season)

Incorrect quotes

ASKS:

CHAOS

Motorcyclist Chaos part 2

Meeting genocide player

Reaction to his partner wearing something revealing

Lovesick

Hugging Chaos (dad version lol)

Calling Chaos "Daddy"

The cupcake :3

The reaction to the smut fic

A microwave joke

Poem for Chaos

A bra?

Desperate

Freckled kisses :3

NIGHTMARE

Killing for him?

Down bad 🤨

Coffee or Tea?

Flirting with him again??

Fashionista

Feeding off on your nightmare

MTT

Aces theories ^^

Blade angst

Aces fav song from CAS

Hugging Blade :3

Papyrus just there to watch the show ☕️

Love tap for Blade

Aces favorite cartoon

Aces sleep schedule

Soulmates

The bracelet

Troublemaker

Running away after kissing Blade lol

Gifting Blade a mask!

Cheating on Ace? 🤨

Cheating on Ace 2

Unfiltered Blade

Ace and scars

A trap...

Attractive?

Ted's uncertainty

Ted's uncertainty 2

Arson with Blade

THE BEEF

Letter

Blade's thoughts on B.A.

The ongoing beef

Wearing Blade's jacket?

The outfit

Being a yandere for him??

Feral for kisses from Blade (suggestive)

Comfort from Blade??

Losing HP....

Doing the job

THE BOYS

Reaction to age-regression

DREAM

His personality

ERROR

Me acting like a simp-

A gift

EATING HIM?! 😨

Reaction to Kitoto (an oc by @kitoto-the-babybones )

Thoughts about Ink

INK

His personality

SWAP

His personality

Lipstick stains

THE DIVINE

The pointing meme

some meme dump lol

Kissing Blake :3

ART:

Doodles 1

Chaos :D

Slasher Blade?

Chaos meeting his past self (CONTAINS SPOILERS!!!)

Mine.. (TW: EYESTRAIN)

POV: Chaos is not around

POV: CHAOS IS NOT AROUND 2

Unfiltered Blade

Unfiltered Blade 2

Unfiltered Blade x reader imagine!

Diet Mountain Dew

Unfiltered Ace

Unfiltered Ace 2

If Chaos was mean

Kinda unfiltered Nightmare

Chaos using you for weightlifting

Good boy Ace

Bf (animation)

Good girl...

Good boy...

Motorcyclist Chaos (redraw)

The cards

Unfiltered Ted 1

Chaos' favorite

FANART:

Amazing FANART based by my designs!

Awesome Chaos fanart

Blade fanart by @miilkycloud

[cruesuffix]

How would the crüe spend Micks birthday? How do you think he spent his birthday in the 70's? (With Whitehorse, post divorce 😔)

can the headcanon girl make a stunning comeback?we’ll see with this one!

Ok…in order to get back into the good graces of the general public, I’ll give you the mick mars birthday bonanza special!🎉🎊

So, i’ll probably start with whitehorse headcanons…you know just to match up with the timeline

- as we all know, mick moved into the whitehorse house once he separated from his wife, so he probably spent most of his birthdays in the band…with the band. now these assholes were very much broke and struggling so i feel like the most they’d be able to do is like buy a cupcake and put a little candle on it as a birthday cake. (but he’d still appreciate it, because at least he has somewhere to be on his birthday)

- his present? getting to stay in the house and live there of course! i think jack would probably take him out to the bar as a present. he’d only be able to buy mick one singular drink, but at least they could watch whatever band was on that night together.

- oh also this band would totally make fun of him, constantly teasing him for “getting older.” just the idea of their kid guitarist aging just makes them laugh cause he’s like 24 with a moustache and two kids, he’s practically already a middle aged man. he already looks the part at least. also they would totally give him birthday beats…so try to imagine four guys ganging up on this little ass ginger haired man, punching the shit out of his gangly arms. (i’m sorry peepaw but it’s just a bit funny ngl)

- also i kinda like the idea of harry and mick having beef, so like harry’s just passive aggressively like “oh, happy birthday…how old are you now, 85?” (even though mick was like one of the youngest members of the band during those times lmaoo)(also, if you’re wondering why im headcanoning beef between harry and mick that’s because that might actually be canon, mick in an interview quite literally said that harry had always bothered him…though harry did help finance one of the bands mick had been in after whitehorse so…maybe one sided beef ig, ok anyways sorry for the lore dump)

- there’s not much birthday celebrating for whitehorse tbh…they’d just treat it like another day. hell, they might even do a gig too, and maybe they’d make a reference to it being their guitarists birthday just so mick feels extra special that day.

The Crüe however…now that’s a different story

- when the band first starts, mick doesn’t tell them when his birthday is. when they ask all he says is “oh, you just missed it.” and nothing more.

- finally, around ‘82, someone finally gets him to tell them when it is (probably tommy, we all know he’d annoy the old man until he snapped). if he manages to tell (possibly Tommy) before his birthday, he’d probably rally the others into trying to do something nice for him. if it’s in the middle of a tour they’d probably celebrate backstage and surprise him with a gift. If they have a day off, they’d try to save up enough money to bring him to a restaurant.

- when they get more established, the celebrations become more elaborate. mick never wants to make a big fuss about his birthday (it’s just another reminder that he’s getting older)…too bad the Crüe don’t give a fuck! during the girls era the boys would definitely bring him to a strip club and pretty much set up a nice little lap dance for the old man (like i can imagine them dying of laughter at micks face when he realizes what they’ve done)…omgggg

- also, side headcanon but i can’t get rid of the idea of tommy accidentally making mention of his age (something like, “34 years old, how do ya feel?”) and then micks automatically turning around and threatening to leave and everyone’s trying to calm him down (cuts to vince going “tommy you promised you wouldn’t mention his age!!” and tommy in the background yelling “I FORGOT!!!”).

- also their gifts would become more expensive the more famous they got. guitars mick could only dream of getting, a motorbike, vacation getaways (because lord knows this man needs one with the crue around). he’s almost entirely too embarrassed to be given such expensive things and every year he keeps telling them to quit getting him things…and every year they keep ignoring him.

- they’re almost always on tour so they’re always celebrating his birthday on tour, backstage, maybe a nice dinner after a show. i like the idea of all of them huddling in one of their hotel rooms and just lighting a cake and singing happy birthday and watching in delight as the guitarist squirms in embarrassment about all the attention being on him. it would be the one and only day he lets them be as overly affectionate as they want to be towards them. as long as he can pretend it never happened after.

- now this probably couldn’t happen irl but check this: maybe the crue hasn’t acknowledged micks birthday all day. they’ve continued on like it’s a normal day. this doesn’t particularly bother mick…sort of. he is surprised the band forgot, because they sure didn’t last year! but, he pretends like it doesn’t bother him. does he wish they’d just hurry up and remember and like get it over with. (he doesn’t realize he feels forgotten, he just thinks he wants to hurry up, sing the song and eat the cake…no babes you want them to remember you exist and secretly…maybe you do want that extra affection??)

- anyways, they get onstage and start the show, and mick has to push his feelings of unease down. they really don’t remember? he pretends he doesn’t care and continues on with the show. halfway during the show they have their first break and mick is walking offstage to go wipe his face, fix his makeup, maybe have a drink or two (or four…he needs to relax and forget about his own feelings about the whole thing!) until he hears vince say his name. he looks back and sees him beckon for him. this has never happened before, so he’s automatically walking back onto the stage. vince introduces him (as if he needs to at this point) and then announces that it’s his birthday. mick is automatically shying away, trying to tell vince to stop, but before he can, vince says something and then music starts playing.

- before mick knows it, the entire crowd is singing happy birthday to him, while a couple of staff members wheel in a three tiered cake. he’s quite literally speechless. nikki and tommy walk in with the staff and they all sing together. mick is in complete and utter shock. those fuckers managed to pretend they’d forgotten all about his birthday while planning this whole thing out. all he can do is stand there with his mouth wide open as they all finish the song and the crowd starts cheering. all he can say when the mic is passed to him is; “oh my god I can’t believe this! thank you so much!” he’s like profusely thanking the audience, while pointing at the rest of the band and going “you bastard you tricked me!” of course he’ll thank all the members for this after the show (the last thing he needs is to get teary eyed on stage (someone has to keep up the “evil tough guy” schtick!). then the band takes pics with the cake, tommy wipes frosting on micks face, they all taste it and then throw chunks of cake into the audience. once the celebration is done, they continue the show. afterwards, mick lets the band hug him…as a thank you for everything ofc! (if you really want the emotionally repressed bastard to have feelings…maybe he sheds a little tear or two and talks about how that was “the nicest thing anyone’s ever done!” for him. but ofc, he’ll pretend that never happened…unless someone took a pic of the occasion!)

omg who wrote a whole damn fic in here?? (pointing at myself.) i guess it’s extremely important for me to redeem myself, but i probably yapped a bit too much! this one was real fun, i love thinking about a man who probably didn’t like celebrating his birthday much surrounding by ppl who want nothing more than to give their old man a good time. i know the crue celebrated nikkis birthday onstage once, but im not sure if they were able to celebrate any of the others birthdays onstage as well. i would also like to state i had top era in mind when writing that last (lengthy) headcanon…but tbh you can just imagine any other era too. anyways i hope you enjoyed this one, think of it as a distraction from that slop i posted like two hours ago!

[birdie-yaps-alot]

GRAHHHH MY WIFI IS BACK NEW OC JUMPSCARE

@mayisgoingnuts @paperbagirlratlover @cupcake-catastrophe11 @luzxii

This is Olson. They’re an animal breeder! Specifically, magical and supernatural creatures! Their house is essentially one big sanctuary for supernatural animals! They breed them for genetics and looks- like a dog breeder or whatever!

They’re working towards getting a perfect breed of miniature Spinx they can sell as house pets. They’re not entirely unethical- and deeply respect the creatures they own for the most part. They have MAJOR beef with Dexter- and genuinely despise him.

(TW for animal death)

Dexter was responsible for the death of one of the first litters of Spinx cubs. Dexter only noticed the “cat” he was killing had wings and a nearly human face until it was dead. He only actually killed one cub himself- but he scared the others off, where they got picked off by wildlife. Olson was LIVID- and Dexter just barely got off their property with his life.

[goldfishontheceiling]

some random reboot headcanons because I just finished season 1 but you can clearly tell who my favorites are

Lauren/Scary Girl is so transfem demigirl to me and I can't explain why

Lauren showed Damien smile HD and/or cupcakes and now he's traumatized

Damien got into science from those grow your own crystal kits

I feel like he has a favorite word

Lauren got Damien a cactus and he named it after the shade of green it was

Raj taught Bowie how to ice skate

Raj has absolutely no storage space on his phone so Bowie's always the one taking photos

Wayne will tease Raj about literally anything but if he notices Raj getting upset he immediately stops

They play wrestle CONSTANTLY (and Bowie has to watch and make sure nobody breaks anything)

Wayne LOVES pies

He actually gets pie for his birthday more then he does cake

Bowie wears perfume (sometimes)

He eventually starts understanding Wayne and Raj's hockey lingo after hanging around them so much

He most definitely took Raj clothes shopping atleast once

Bowie got Raj a fidget slug and he fucking loves it and takes it everywhere

Wayne and Raj started collecting fidget toys after that

Axel keeps having this recurring dream where she cooks and eats her neighbor's cat (this started as an inside joke but I kinda see it)

She cuts her bangs herself

Chase livestreamed himself reading fanfictions about himself with Ripper and Zee (it ended with Chase curled up on the floor crying, Zee trying to comfort him, and Ripper going on a rant about why Andrew Tate isn't an alfalfa male)

Chase has been banned from multiple public places including but not limited to: Disneyland, Disneyworld, every Walmart in Canada, most Targets, about 5 McDonald's, and two malls

Chase has low empathy, while Emma has high empathy, which leads to a lot of disagreements

This mf is like the JayStation of Total Drama of course he makes 3am challenges and dark web videos (and of course has gotten canceled)

His parents most definitely said that "boys will be boys" bullshit

Zee most definitely likes the emperors new groove

Actually, he likes a lot of movies, but he sometimes forgets that he's watching them halfway through

Zee's a skater, and really well liked at the skate park he goes to

Everyone assumes he hates water because of how much he drinks soda, but he doesn't and says that soda is just "more his vibe"

Zee's absosexual and agender with all pronouns

When I tell you Emma has Chase blocked on EVERYTHING I mean EVERYTHING

She has slight anger issues (and trust issues)

Emma really likes sunsets

Ripper has dandruff and I can't explain what makes me think that I just do

He's also dyslexic because I said so

Priya's parents were friends with Sierra and were super jealous when she got on the show, which led to them falling out

Sierra actually recognized Priya for this reason, and got into contact with her after s1 ended

Sierra is basically Priya' crazy aunt

Priya ran away after s2 because she didn't want to face her parents after losing, and she moves in with either Millie or Sierra

Millie makes video essays where she just infodumps

Nichelle is so cupiromantic idk why

MK has been wearing that same beanie since they were 9

They had an emo phase in middle school

Also non-binary they/she/he MK is so real

Julia and MK have so much Twitter beef

Julia sold her crystals after s1 (Damien bought all of them)

If you recognize her in public she will RUN

Blaineley is her wine aunt and you can't tell me otherwise

and some random charts

[floweryvibes]

The Human Who Fooled All of Prythian

33. Dangerous Dreams

"They've promised that dreams can come true - but forgot to mention that nightmares are dreams, too."

- Oscar Wilde

Cosette sniffled. Her brother had yelled at her. Yelled! Who yells at their younger sister? Probably asshole brothers like hers. 

Sure she had been annoying him while he had been playing a videogame with his friends but he had promised to spend time with her today! She had finished her math homework like they agreed and everything.

Cosette sniffled again.

Mom was right, teenage boys really do suck.

A small knock sounded on her door. Cosette looked up to see her brother, holding two strawberry cupcakes that Mom had made yesterday. 

‘Go away.’

‘I brought your favorite.’

‘I hate you.’

Nicholas took a deep breath, clearly trying to control his own temper, ‘That’s a hurtful thing to say.’

‘Don’t quote Dad to me.’

‘What can I say, the big man speaks the truth.’

Nicholas remained at the door.

Cosette rolled her eyes, knowing he wasn’t going to go away, ‘Fine. You can come in.’

Nicholas walked over, sitting next to her on the bed.

Cosette made a demonstrative motion of scooching away from him.

He sighed, ‘Cosette please, I don’t want to beef with you right now.’

She remained quiet.

‘You were in the wrong too.’

‘No I wasn’t!’

‘We agreed that I would play with you after you finished your homework. I was in the middle of a game with my friends when you announced that you were done.’

‘You can pause!’

‘I can’t just pause Cosette, it’s a live shooter game. I am playing on a team with my friends in real time, I can’t just abandon that commitment.’

‘You had a commitment to me first!’

‘Yes, but I also told you when you went to do homework that I would play games while you finish. You knew that I would be playing.’

Cosette glared, ‘You promised.’

‘I did, and I said to give me two minutes, after which we would go play together.’

Cosette looked away, pulling her knees closer to her chin.

Nicholas sighed, flopping down on the bed, ‘I am sorry.’

She looked at him.

‘I shouldn’t have yelled.’

‘Yeah, you were being very hurtful.’

He rolled his eyes.

‘You quoted him first.’

‘Guess I did.’ he sat back up, ‘But, next time, please don’t tug on my arms when I am actively in the middle of a game. When I say I’ll be done in a couple minutes, I’ll be done in a couple minutes.’

She snorted, ‘You conveniently ignore Mom whenever she calls for you.’

‘Well, you’re not Mom.’

Cosette glowered.

‘Fair point, it’s an asshole thing to do.’

‘It is.’

‘I’ll do better.’

‘Right.’

Nicholas hesitantly opened up his arms; an offer of a hug, ‘I am sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.’

‘I am sorry too.’ Cosette hugged back, careful not to tip over the cupcakes.

‘I promise not to yell.’

‘Good.’ Cosette huffed, ‘And I promise to not tug on you while you’re playing your stupid games.’

‘Oi, they’re not stupid.’

‘They are if they keep you away from me.’

‘Aww, are you jealous?’

‘Don’t even dream of it.’ she took a cupcake off the plate and began eating it.

‘Right…’ he rolled his eyes, eating the second cupcake.

‘Did you all even win?’

‘No…’

‘Ha, losers.’

‘Oi, it was a certain blonde’s fault that we lost.’

‘Looooooser.’

‘Alright, that’s it.’

Cosette shrieked, dodging as her brother threw one of her stuffed animals at her. 

Nicholas smiled, letting her finish her cupcake in peace, ‘Well, what do you want to do then?’

‘Hmm, I wanna play monopoly.’

‘I swear you’re a masochist.’

‘Am not!’

‘You’re going to grow up to be a politician with how much you adore that game.’

‘I am going to grow up to be a doctor that helps people! If I truly loved monopoly as much as you insist I do, I would be a businesswoman instead.’

Nicholas shrugged, ‘My point still stands. Manipulative as all get out.’

Cosette cleaned her hands with a napkin, moving a guitar out of the way to reach the board game in her closet.

‘You still practicing on that thing?’

‘Yeah, you?’ Cosette began setting up the game as Nich finished his own cupcake.

‘Ehhh…’ her brother made a vague hand gesture, ‘I plucked the strings a couple times.’

‘Weren’t you going to be the one to teach me, big brother?’ Cosette raised an eyebrow.

‘Well, you know, highschool is hard. And busy. Very busy.’ Nicholas countered.

‘Nich, at this rate you’re going to be that guy in college who has a guitar just for aesthetics sake.’

‘Hey, I am more classy than that.’

‘Right…’

Suddenly, the sound of the front door opening and closing were heard, their parent’s voices echoing up the stairs.

‘I thought they were going out for a dinner date, why are they home so early?’

Nicholas shrugged, getting up and heading downstairs to greet them. Cosette followed.

‘Mom, Dad, why are you back so early?’ Cosette approached the blonde woman, who didn’t respond, instead pouring herself a glass of wine.

Cosette frowned.

‘Mom?’ she quickly turned to her father, ‘Dad, what’s going on? Did the restaurant close or something?’

Her father also ignored her, asking his wife, ‘We should go there again sometime.’

‘Agreed.’ Cosette’s mother nodded, taking a swig of her drink, ‘The steak was divine.’

‘I make better ones.’ the Dad huffed.

‘Of course you do, but for a restaurant they didn’t perform half bad.’

What on Earth was happening?

‘Nicholas, are you seeing thi-’ Cosette gasped, as a pain shot through her stomach.

She looked down, seeing the end of a knife sticking out, her hoodie quickly beginning to stain red.

Cosette stumbled forwards, whirling around to face her brother, who had taken out a knife from a kitchen drawer while she was trying to get their parent’s attention.

‘Nich?’ she whispered.

Her brother merely smiled, grabbing another knife from the drawer.

‘Nicholas what the fuck are you doing?’

‘Young girls like you shouldn’t use such foul language.’

She gaped, ‘You just stabbed me, and you’re concerned about foul language?!’

Nicholas took a step forward.

‘Don’t you dare.’ Cosette took a step to the side along the kitchen counter, one hand still holding her knife piercing her.

Nicholas tilted his head, the motion inhumane, the angle too sharp, ‘Dare? Or what? What will you do little human?’

Cosette stared at her parents, tears of betrayal threatening to spill down her face.

Why weren’t they responding?

‘Mom! Are you seeing this?!’

The blonde woman didn’t respond, giving her husband a small kiss as he began cooking a steak to prove without a doubt that he was superior to the chefs at the restaurant.

‘DAD!’ Cosette yelled, waving her arms, hitting her father in the back for good measure.

Nothing. Nada.

Nicholas laughed.

Cosette cowered, moving away from him once he took another step forward.

‘I forget how reliant the little ones are on their parents.’ Nicholas muttered.

‘Nich, I don’t understand.’ Cosette felt her legs begin to shake, from fear or blood loss, she wasn’t sure. 

They didn’t cover stab wounds in health class for seventh graders.

‘Of course you don’t. You’re quite stupid aren’t you in this state.’ Nich took another step forward, ‘Granted, most creatures are.’

‘What are you talking about?!’ Cosette cried.

Was this about the damn video game? I really hadn’t meant to upset him, but this was taking revenge a bit too far! A silly prank would have sufficed.

Nich stood still, watching her unblinking, before he lunged.

Cosette screeched in fear as she tried to dodge him, but was quickly caught and shoved to the wooden floor of the kitchen.

Small hiccups of fear and sobs escaped her as she tried to claw her way to freedom, the odd position she was in only pushing the knife further through her.

‘Let me go!’ she cried out as the second knife cut her back. Nicholas forced her to roll over and face him.

‘No.’ his expression was blank as he stabbed his sister in the chest.

‘Mom!’ Cosette struggled, trying to shove her brother off but he held her down, ‘Dad, tell him to stop!’

Their father finished cooking the steak, putting it on a plate and surrounding

‘Help me!’ she screamed, her voice weakening from the lack of oxygen. Cosette’s bloody hands left small stains on the kitchen floor.

Their mother kissed her husband, smiling happily.

‘Child of depravity. Child of plight. Child of suffering, death and despair, cease your struggles and follow the light.’ Nich muttered, his voice not his own. 

Not Beron’s.

Someone else’s. Something beyond Cosette’s understanding and knowledge.

‘Die for our futures. Die for yourself.’

‘I don’t understand.’ Cosette begged, as she was stabbed again, ‘Please stop this.’

‘Your existence is a mistake.’ he plunged the knife into her once more with glee, his eyes watching her as she choked on her own blood 

‘Mom, Dad, help!’ she screamed, ‘Please…’

Anyone, please, help me.

I don’t want to die.

I don’t want to die.

I don’t want to die.

I can’t die.

Not here. Not now.

“Cosette wake up!”

“Cosette!”

“Cosette!!‘

Cosette would have fallen out of bed when she opened her eyes if Amelio hadn’t caught her, pushing her back into the blankets.

“Oh thank the Mother.” Amelio exhaled, “You scared us when you weren’t waking up.”

Her body felt like molasses. A gooey feeling settling over her insides.

Cosette’s eyes glanced around the room rapidly, her breathing uneven. Amelio was still dressed in pajamas, with Linus standing in the doorway of her cabin wearing a casual shirt with proper pants.

He clearly had been in the middle of changing.

“Linus called for me saying that weird sounds were coming from your room, are you alright?” Amelio tried to explain the situation, hoping that it would calm her but Cosette remained panicked.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself as everything in her body burned. Amelio was saying something, the words unintelligible, her ears ringing louder than any church bell.

Cosette pushed Amelio’s arms away, throwing up over the side of the bed, except what came out wasn’t last night’s dinner but blood. She coughed, feeling Amelio’s arms firmly pull her back into a sitting position.

He muttered a curse, “Linus call a healer, now.”

Cosette tried to breathe.

My chest hurts. Everything hurts.

“Cosette, can you hear me?”

She nodded shakily.

“Where does it hurt?”

“Chest.” She managed to croak out.

Amelio nodded, “May I?” he gestured to her clothes.

She nodded, her body shaking as he unbuttoned the top part of her shirt, his eyes widening.

“Linus, where is that healer at!?”

“Coming!” Linus returned, bringing the ship’s doctor with him.

The faerie rushed over, her eyes widening as she took in Cosette’s state.

“I’ll take it from here.”

Amelio obeyed, moving away from Cosette’s side, letting the healer get a closer look at the blonde.

The faerie gently pushed Cosette’s shaking body down into the bed, her eyes narrowing as she pulled off her shirt fully, examining her chest.

I can’t stay here, it’s dangerous.

Cosette sat up, only for the healer to push her back down.

She wasn’t sure where she would run to or why but she just knew she had to. It didn’t feel safe here.

The air, the water, nothing was safe. She didn’t know why, it just wasn’t.

“Don’t move.” the healer pulled out vials from their suitcase, applying some sort of liquid to Cosette’s skin, “I need you to calm down.”

What do you mean calm down?! Nicholas just tried to kill me!

The healer began chanting whispered words, shoving Cosette back down after she tried to sit up again.

“Breathe in for 1…2…3…”

Cosette tried to follow the instructions.

“Good, again. 1…2…3…”

Wiping away Cosette’s sweat, the healer gently encouraged her, relaxing a bit as the blonde’s breathing and heartbeat slowly returned to normal. The oil that the healer applied had a calming scent to it, making her take deeper breaths. The doctor’s hand remained at her chest, monitoring her breathing.

Cosette sat up in bed, leaning against the headboard. The doctor didn’t stop her this time, instead observing her state, and helping her cover up due to the presence of men.

‘What happened?“ Cosette’s voice cracked midway.

“Linus reported weird sounds coming from your room. He said it sounded like you were choking.” Amelio said, leaning against the farther wall of her room.

Cosette looked at Amelio, searching for Linus behind him but the younger faerie was already gone.

“How do you feel now?” the healer asked, handing her a glass of water.

“Better, though my chest still hurts.” Cosette murmured, wincing as she drank from the glass; the liquid managed to burn her insides while soothing the dryness of her mouth.

“Hm well that would be due to the chest injury.”

“What?” Cosette looked down her shirt, her eyes widening as she saw the large bruises forming across her chest and stomach, “How?”

“It's possible you were hexed Miss.”

“What?”

“Hexed, a mini curse if you will.”

“Who….why?”

Amelio and her exchanged a look.

“Well…you're a foreigner.” she said carefully, “Many don't take too kindly to faeries like you.”

“You're telling me someone was willing to hurt me just for being from another court?” Cosette didn't like how small her voice sounded.

Amelio put a hand on her shoulder reassuringly, addressing the doctor, “Is there a way to know who did it?”

“Unfortunately, no.” the healer sighed, placing a couple vials on Cosette’s bedside table, “It’s strange, when a faerie casts a spell some residual energy and magic remains, however I don’t detect any on you..”

Cosette stared at her.

“That would mean whoever hexed her was powerful enough to hide their trail.” Amelio’s face hardened.

“Yes, that would be the case.” the healer turned back to Cosette, “Do you remember anything before waking up?”

“Huh?” Cosette felt a bit stupid with her body responding as well to stimuli as a fly could stuck in honey.

“Before you woke up, was there anything out of the norm? Pain before you went to sleep?”

Cosette shook her head.

“What about while you were sleeping?”

Cosette paused.

“Did you experience a dream of sorts? One where you were hurt?”

She nodded hesitantly.

I guess a hex would explain my brother’s behavior. Here I was ready to believe that my brain was just really into self sabotage. Wouldn’t be the first that it turned a family member against me. Although, usually they turn into Beron. They never hurt me as themselves.

“That makes sense.” the healer sighed, “Like I said, it’s a hex.

“Are you sure it’s not a curse?” Amelio looked suspicious, “Her injuries look severe.”

“They might be on the serious end but they’re not deadly.”

“They could have become deadly if Linus hadn’t found her.”

“If it were a curse I wouldn’t have been able to snap her out of it so easily.” The healer stood up, packing up her suitcase, “Miss, I have left you some medicine for the bruising. Just in case I suggest not sleeping until we leave tomorrow.”

“What?” Cosette croaked.

What do you mean no sleep?

“Usually a hex is a one time thing but some can last a bit longer. I recommend waiting it out until you leave Night Court waters. The caster’s magic will weaken by then due to distance or ideally, the spell will have run its course.”

“If they’re such a powerful mage then their magical power might not weaken.” Amelio pointed out.

“It’s our best bet for the time being. Once we exit Night Court waters I will monitor you during your sleep and if the hex is still present we will start looking into ways of dispelling it.” the healer said, “However, just to make sure we cover all our bases, did you meet anyone during your time in Velaris who would qualify as a powerful mage, and did you take anything before sleeping? Food, medicine?”

“I met Azriel and Elain Archeron…we had coffee together.” Cosette murmured, “Then I got back to the ship, ate dinner with Amelio and Linus, and drank a chamomile and passionflower tea before going to bed.”

The healer froze, staring at Cosette, coughing to cover up her surprise, “Well, those certainly are powerful figures, but to my knowledge neither are known for their prowess with spells.”

You don’t know what their side hobby may be!

Cosette couldn’t believe the situation.

Would Azriel or Elain do something like this? Why would they even want to hex me? I haven’t done anything to offend them.

No, I met countless faeries yesterday. In fact, it could have been anyone from the Rainbow. Who wouldn’t want to take revenge on an annoying customer…by hexing them…what is wrong with these people?

“Besides waiting out the hex, you are physically healthy, not counting the bruises of course.” the doctor smiled, trying to cheer her up.

Amelio relaxed slightly hearing that from the healer, approaching Cosette as the doctor left.

“Sorry about this.” Cosette smiled.

“It’s fine, what’s important is that you’re okay.” Amelio sighed, “Do you need me to get you anything?”

“No, I can manage, the pain is going away now.”

He nodded approvingly, leaving her to rest.

Looking out the little circular window in her room Cosette could tell it was still early in the morning. Seagulls were beginning to call for their friends, hunting amidst the rocks and waves.

Carefully, Cosette pushed herself out of bed, wincing as a dull pain shot through her body. Making her way over to the small cabinet she began to get changed.

On second thought I should have asked the healer to stay. Trying to pull on a dress by yourself is hard enough without bizarre dream-induced bruises.

After a period of struggling, Cosette decided to take a break by throwing the dress onto the floor with a frustrated growl. Her eyes fell on the mirror standing in the corner of the room. Approaching it, Cosette stared at herself in the mirror, cautiously tracing the bruises covering her body. 

All of them were located in the same spots that she had been stabbed in her dream.

Stepping out of the room, Cosette checked one last time that she had packed all her essentials from the previous day into the small bag. She adjusted the bow keeping her hair in a braid, making sure it was secure, moving her arms carefully to not further injure herself. 

“Hey…” Linus stood a couple feet away from her, still not fully changed into proper clothes, seemingly just returning from Amelio’s room, “How are you feeling?”

“Better.” Cosette said, ignoring the ache in her chest and stomach. 

“Good.” he looked away, fiddling with his door’s knob.

“Thank you for calling for help.”

“What was I supposed to do? Ignore the sounds of literal death coming from your room? Yeah no, that would have ruined my skin care routine.”

“You have a skin care routine?” Cosette raised her eyebrows.

“Of course, Amelio says that any business fae should always look his best.” he narrowed his eyes at Cosette, “You’re currently failing, walking corpse.”

She shrugged, “Considering my situation I am unsure how I am supposed to look better.”

He rolled his eyes, “That’s the point, that regardless of your circumstances no one should be able to tell the difference. I wouldn’t expect an amateur like you to understand.”

Cosette nodded, only half listening to Linus as she noticed the fluffy tail peeking out between his legs.

“What are you looking at?” he snarled, the tail quickly tucking itself closer to his body.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to stare.” Cosette looked away.

I forget Lesser Faeries hide their traits.

The pain from the bruises and the discomfort of restless sleep must have been getting to her, as Cosette didn’t think she was that obvious with her usual staring.

“It’s cute.”

“Yeah, uh huh, you say that yet you keep your Lesser Faerie features hidden as well.” he smiled mockingly, “Way to be proud of them.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Cosette tried to explain.

“Right, right.” Linus muttered, stepping into his room and slamming the door behind him.

That was definitely the wrong dialogue option. I swear, one step forward and five steps back with this man.

Cosette sighed.

It was her bad though; probably shouldn’t point out physical traits that people actively try to hide.

Cosette began walking up to the deck of the ship.

So Linus has a tail, Solene is a High Faerie, what about Amelio? What’s his trait? Imagine if he had long talons or something! Like a bird of prey!

Cosette’s brain proceeded to picture Amelio with nail clippers and a filer, filling out paperwork like an absolute diva.

Pausing before the final stairs leading up to the deck Cosette realized she didn’t actually know what Ophelia’s Lesser Fae markings were.

I sleep in the same bed as this woman and I don’t know…how well does she hide them?

Cosette was suddenly worried.

Does she not trust me enough to share?

No, it could just be a privacy thing. She’s not obligated to share it with me.

But we’ve survived so much together.

What if she’s uncomfortable? It could be intimate.

Climbing out, and taking a deep breath of fresh air Cosette instantly felt better. 

I am overthinking this. Me and Ophelia are fine. She has her secrets and I have mine. If she wants to tell me about this later, she will. No need to worry.

“Cosette!” Amelio’s voice caught her attention, “Shouldn’t you be resting?” he walked over to her.

“It’s just bruising, sitting in one spot won’t help much.”

Amelio looked skeptical, “You coughed up blood, so I highly doubt it’s mere bruising.”

Cosette shrugged, “The healer didn’t say I needed to stay in bed.”

Amelio hummed, uncertain.

“What’s for breakfast?” she changed the subject.

“The crew set up a small table. Grab whatever you want from it.” Amelio gestured to a small group of faeries huddling around a circular desk full of food, “Are you heading out into town again today?”

“Yeah…”

“I would advise against it.”

I doubt I’ll get to come to Velaris again any time soon. If I don’t seize the opportunity to learn all I can I may regret it.

“I feel fine, Amelio.” she insisted.

“I understand your desire to push yourself but you won’t accomplish much if you just get yourself hurt.”

“I won’t get myself hurt.”

Deciding it wasn’t worth arguing with a person who had clearly made up their mind Amelio simply nodded.

“The best way to learn is through failure. I won’t stop you if you wish to do this, although I have given you my advice.” Amelio began climbing down the stairs she had just come up through, “I am going to go get Linus. We need to be heading out in an hour to deliver the rest of the produce and discuss trade agreements and I am not leaving with him not having had breakfast.”

“What, does he get grouchy?”

Amelio held her gaze, “You have no idea…”

Cosette smiled, turning to the miniature buffet table and grabbed a couple slices of fruit and a piece of bread.

I don’t think I can stomach much more than this.

She chewed and swallowed, shivering at the discomfort of the food traveling through the spots where she had just been stabbed. After a couple more bites Cosette gave up, setting aside the food for later, deciding that it wasn’t worth it. 

Waving Amelio and a fashionable Linus goodbye, Cosette descended into the port via the gangway, and set off into the city of Velaris.

With it being daytime, the sun was out, albeit dimmer than normal. If she squinted, Cosette could still see the stars sparkling, like the blade of a dagger before being thrown at an enemy. Faeries with horns, fur, glittering spots on their skin, or hooves for feet were all busy going about their daily lives; chatting, laughing, trading and working.

Even though the city was clearly wealthy, Cosette could see the minor differences separating out the neighborhoods of wealthier businesses. While one street would have clean sidewalks and the shops were tidy to the point that you could eat off their floors, a couple streets down the spaces had more grime, the cobblestone rougher and the buildings in need of maintenance. It seemed that the streets further away from the center also had more bars or rowdy restaurants.

Perhaps one of them was the one Nesta visited. 

The further she walked up to the Sidra River the more those distinctions became prominent. It was not as obvious as in Winter, where the outer rings of the capital were rundown and almost forsaken to businesses that no one wished to deal with, but still noticeable.

It was also becoming clear that Lesser Fae were hiding their traits on major streets. While the action clearly wasn’t as popularized here as it was in Winter Court, it was still practiced.

What Cosette didn’t understand was why Kallias and Viviane took no action to utilize those streets for their own benefit. It seemed strange to let land and buildings on the capital city’s soil waste away.

Cosette took a deep breath, the pain shooting through her chest causing her to stumble. Ignoring the concerned gazes of fellow pedestrians she quickly sat down on a bench off to the side. 

On second thought, maybe I should have listened to Amelio.

Cosette couldn't get rid of the uncomfortable, gooey feeling that had settled over her insides. Everything felt heavy and sluggish. Lifting her arms was only becoming harder and harder.

Granted, after being metaphorically, and somehow literally, injured, Cosette assumed that this was a normal response from the body.

Taking another deep breath the unpleasant sensation eased, and she was able to stand again and continue walking across the bridge of the Sidra River. 

However, that didn’t end up being the only resting stop Cosette had to make, with her taking a break every twenty to thirty minutes during her hike. Luckily there were plenty of benches with scenic views or chairs from patios of cafes or restaurants.

While Cosette could have ordered a carriage she didn’t want to spend unnecessary money. Considering that her day was only beginning she was certain she wanted to save as much of it as possible for later.

Cosette let out a small sigh of relief as she walked, more like staggered, through the entrance of the art studio. Faeries that were chatting happily amongst themselves glanced up at her when she entered, quickly returning to their conversations, deciding she wasn’t worth the trouble.

Aranea smiled, spotting Cosette, “Cosette, welcome! I am so glad you could make it.”

“Thank you for having me.” Cosette smiled back, keeping her hand from gripping at her bruised stomach.

“Are you alright though? You look rather pale.”

“No, sorry, I just ran to make it here on time so I am a bit out of breath.” Cosette lied.

“I see. Well, there's no need to rush. We do accept late comers too, within reason.”

“Right.”

“Please, take a seat, we’ll begin soon.”

Cosette happily sat down on a stool, wiping the sweat off her brow.

This hex sucks.

“Cosette!” Elain’s voice, bright as sunshine, made Cosette want to groan.

Why did I sign up to interact with them today? Traveling in pain by yourself is one thing, but traveling with another person is completely different, it’s worse.

“Elain, it’s great to see you.” caution surfaced in Cosette as she watched Azriel and Elain sit down next to her.

Could one of you be responsible for my predicament?

Azriel only cast her a brief nod before turning his attention back to Elain.

“Alright class, since everyone is here let’s get started!” Aranea smiled, passing out materials to them, “Today we’ll be learning how to use the twining technique to create baskets!”

Standing at the head of the room behind a large work table Aranea began showing them the steps, arranging the bark pieces in a circular fashion,  “There are many versions of the technique but we’ll start with the simpler one that uses a spiral base.”

Cosette tried to copy her motions while jotting down notes about the step by step instructions. She looped the softer bark, a ‘weaver’, around the thicker pieces being used as ‘stakes’ to create a skeleton for the basket.

“Good job, you just made the two weavers! Now, interchange the two weavers between your stakes, making sure that one is always behind or in front of the other.” At this point Aranea had to correct the weaving technique of several of her students, including Cosette, to make sure they were moving the weavers correctly between the stakes.

“Make sure you pull gently, but firmly on the weaver to keep it secure.” Aranea commented while helping a student fix a basket that had already begun falling apart. 

“What material is this?” Cosette asked.

“The stakes are bulrush and the weavers are sedge.” Aranea said.

Not plants that would be easily accessible in Winter Court.

Nonetheless, Cosette still jotted down this information.

“Okay, since some of us are finishing up with weaving. I will now explain how to finish off your baskets.”

You all are already finishing?!

Cosette glanced around, relaxing when she spotted only two of the faeries with almost completed baskets.

“In order to finish off the baskets we will be using the ‘cut and tuck rin’ technique as it’s good for beginners and doesn’t involve the creation of a decorative rim. The first step is to cut the tip of your still exposed stakes, preferably at a diagonal angle and then insert the remaining length into the third row of your weavers from the top. This way you get a nice finished rim that covers the top portion of your weaved basket.”

Cosette and Elain were too focused on their baskets to notice Azriel watching the former’s note taking with interest, a subtle, insulted smile appearing on his face.

“Now, you’ll do this by carefully opening up a space between your weavers and pushing the stake through and pulling it out again to be exposed after it passes through a couple rows.”

Aranea approached Cosette, frowning at her struggles, “First of all, be a bit more gentle with your woven material. It’s not metal, it can break fairly easily in this state. Secondly, make sure you are inserting it under two rows of twining, with only the top row getting covered. That way you’ll make sure your basket is secure after finishing.”

Cosette nodded, doing her best to follow instructions.

“There you go, better!” Aranea encouraged, “Now, once you’ve done that with all your stakes you may trim the remaining lengths if they’re too long, or you may leave them to add a decorative element to the design.”

Cosette left her stakes still visible after trimming them a bit, wanting to make sure that when they got back home she and Theo could still tell with ease the technique used to create the basket.

Looking down at her creation Cosette couldn’t help but dread when she’d have to show this to Theo. It wasn’t a bad basket per say, but it certainly looked rough with little pieces sticking out at odd ends.

“Weaving is quite challenging.” Cosette said as Aranea approached their group after checking in with other students.

“Indeed.” Aranea eyed her sad excuse for a basket with sympathy, but gave her an encouraging smile, “I am sure the more you practice the better you’ll get. This was your first time, no?”

“Yeah…”

“Exactly, just keep at it and you will improve.” Aranea said, “Either way, I do hope this experience was helpful for your project.”

“It was, thank you again for letting me come to this class.”

“No problem dear.”

The moment Aranea turned away Azriel spoke up, “What project?”

“Oh um…”

Shit.

“Thought you were just a tourist?”

Cosette would have sworn there was a hint of mockery in his tone.

“I am…” Cosette scrambled to come up with an explanation, “It’s just a minor thing I am working on back in Winter Court. It’s supposed to help crops grow better.”

She tried underplaying the whole operation, closely watching Azriel to gauge his reaction.

I wasn’t technically doing anything wrong, and it was true that I was here to sightsee. 

Azriel hummed, “How big of a scale is this?”

Why must he start asking questions now? Maybe I shouldn’t have been so honest with Aranea, then I wouldn’t be in this position.

“No particular scale…focusing on me and my close friends mostly.” she lied.

“How long have you been working on this for?”

“Some months now.” Cosette was beginning to grow annoyed at the spymaster for asking questions. She of course understood that this was technically his job, but still!

“What ship did you come in to Velaris?”

“Oh, I traveled on a trading ship.”

I don’t think I can lie about this.

“Who was the captain?”

“I don’t know.”

Should I be lying?

“What of the expedition leader? Most trading ships don’t allow just anyone to come onboard.”

Cosette decided to be honest, in case her lying was inconsistent and only worsened the situation at this point, “Amelio.”

Cosette immediately knew that she had said the wrong thing as the shadows that were cast by objects throughout the room suddenly became oppressive. The hairs on her skin stood on end as the darkness hiding in the crooks and corners of the room seemed to stretch, almost engulfing her. 

The feeling disappeared as quickly as it came, with Azriel nodding and respectfully turning back to his basket, seeking out Aranea to thank her for the lesson. Elain glanced between the two with slight confusion.

Ohhhh forget being a sugar baby I just don’t want to die! Please!

Cosette quickly stood up, and headed towards the door.

“Cosette, wait up!” Elain’s voice called out.

Despite her wishes to escape into the crowd, Cosette waited, the golden-brown haired woman catching up to her at the doorway of the art studio.

“We promised you a tour of the city!”

“That we did.” Azriel stood beside Elain, “It would be inappropriate for us to not fulfill our promise at this point.”

Cosette almost groaned from frustration and discomfort caused by her bruises.

Why did I agree to this?

“Right, sorry. I got so caught up in the class that I forgot.”

“Not a very good memory you have there.” Azriel raised an eyebrow. 

“Come on, let’s stop wasting time here! We should get going.” Elain beamed, taking Cosette’s and Azriel’s hands and leading them down the street, “I picked out a few shops that I think you would love to see based on your interests.”

“Thank you…” Cosette massaged the bruises on her stomach, unsure if she should be grateful for Elain’s thoughtfulness or fearful of how this tour would end.

This was the second time they had stopped to rest since beginning the tour, all within the span of an hour. 

“I am sorry.” Cosette held her face in her hands taking deep breaths.

It hurts.

Her chest burned, the bruising making it harder to even out her breathing.

“It’s okay, take your time.” Elain said, nervously moving about the blonde, a concerned expression plaguing her beautiful features. 

“Are you injured?” Azriel spoke up for the first time during their entire walk, having let Elain do all the talking about the various shops they passed by, despite the fact that he was probably much more informed about all those locations than she was.

“No.”

“Are you certain? You keep grabbing at your stomach and chest.”

Attentive, aren’t you?

“Yes, I am just extremely out of shape.”

In a way Cosette wasn’t lying. By faerie standards she was extremely weak and unathletic. Although, if Cosette was compared to an average human in this world who had grown up carrying a sword or plowing the fields she’d also be deemed weak.

“Well, perfumery work doesn’t exactly require a faerie to swing a sword.” Elain nodded with understanding.

Taking one final breath Cosette stood up, “Alright, I am ready to go.”

“Perfect!” Elain clapped her hands, “As I was saying, since you visited the Rainbow already and one of the big Spirit shrines we should take you to some of the shops surrounding the Rainbow. There is this one perfumery that I think you would adore.”

Cosette followed Elain’s lead, approaching a medium sized building with large display windows inside which stood gorgeous perfume bottles with flowers and pearls surrounding them.

Inside, the building was filled to the brim with perfume, from the rows of shelves that lined the walls to the tables positioned expertly throughout the store. There was no second floor, instead the ceiling was decorated with a stylized mural of the night sky from which hung a massive chandelier, illuminating the space.

My selection is so small compared to this shop’s.

Elaine quickly began chatting with one of the employees who immediately recognized her and Azriel, showing them the new collection that they had just released.

Cosette followed behind, pulling out her notebook and jotting down bits of information about the perfumery’s design, style and decor. Similar to the perfumeries of Winter Court they had picked a color scheme and followed it, switching it up slightly for the various collections that were displayed across the store.

We should actually also do something similar. Pick a color or design that is unique to us because eventually Winter Court’s perfumers will start making non-hazardous perfume and we won’t just be recognized as ‘the good ones’ anymore. However, we can still maintain variety by focusing on the release of collections or sets of perfumes that can be branded under a particular style or aesthetic.

Cosette picked up a perfume bottle from the newly released collection. It was clear that this shop was well managed since they had funding for detailed bottles even when it wasn’t a custom order. The top of the bottle was a white moonflower, the color fading out moving down the bottle so that the clear liquid inside was visible. Cosette read the text on the bottle but besides the fact that it was a moonflower scent no other information was provided.

“Excuse me?” she asked a passing by employee, not wanting to disturb the faerie giving Azriel and Elain a whole presentation, “Do you write on your bottles if something contains an allergen?”

“I- what? Um, no Miss. We don’t do that.” the faerie answered and returned to her work.

Guess that was to be expected. The concept of allergies didn’t exist in the same form until modern times, and requirements for disclosures on food, health and cosmetic products are all pretty recent.

Cosette spritzed a bit of the sample onto a strip of paper, inhaling the cross between vanilla and jasmine.

This is what Linus meant. This is where my competition was hiding all along.

The scent was divine, capturing her senses in the best way possible. It was quite sweet, but its softness and airiness compensated, creating a beautiful balance between innocence and allure. She was almost tempted to ask them to see their workshop, but stopped herself, not wanting to incriminate herself further with Azriel. 

Besides, if they don’t even put the ingredients on a bottle, their method of production was probably heavily guarded.

“Found something that you like?” Azriel’s voice startled her, Elain peeking out curiously from behind him.

“Yes…I did.” Cosette showed them the bottle of perfume she was holding, “I was hoping to find souvenirs for my friends but it seems I am just finding things for myself.” she laughed.

Azriel didn’t find her joke funny, continuing to stare her down with a calm expression on his face. 

Elain, however giggled, “Oh, if you want to buy souvenirs there’s a spot down the street that sells soaps. They’re really nice.” she suggested, “We can also stop by the bookstore if you’d like. I am not sure what souvenirs you’re looking for though…”

The employee who had been assisting the two High Faeries gestured to the bottle, “Our perfumer collaborates with local flower shops that grow their own plants. In fact, these flowers were specially pollinated by bats.”

“Bats?” Cosette tilted her head.

“There’s some bats here that feed on nectar.” Elain piped in, “They’re really cute. Small and fluffy. I got one recently for my garden, they’re really good with nighttime flowers.”

“Interesting…” Cosette murmured.

A very, very good idea. One that I could in theory implement back home. Collaboration with locals is a great way to establish rapport and build community.

“How much is it?” Cosette asked the employee.

“25 gold.”

Ma’am. That tapestry was already half of my rent for the workshop back in Winter Court, and you’re upping the price even more?! Your economy is either cracked or something is extremely wrong here. Was Amelio giving me a huge discount on the two rooms?

Maybe what’s actually broken here is my understanding of your money system, because what the hell??

Cosette sent a small prayer to the Spirit of Night and Winter, asking them to keep her wallet in their thoughts.

It would be good to try and work backwards from this perfume to see how it was created by analyzing the top, heart and base notes of the fragrance. If I could I would grab more, but this one alone is expensive enough.

Behind her she could hear Elain trying to convince Azriel to try out one of the other newly released perfumes, but the spymaster politely declined. Huffing, Elain walked over to the counter after Cosette had finished making her purchase.

Cosette stared in awe and fear at the basket of perfumes Elain had selected, purchasing them all without hesitation.

How much money did Rhysand have?!

That was a dumb question, obviously it was a lot, but more importantly, how much money did he give to the members of his inner circle to use freely??

Why do you need five different perfumes at the same time, Elain? Consider expiration dates!

It was beginning to dawn on Cosette how rich the Night Court actually was, which scared her because it made her start to think about how wealthy the other High Lords must also be.

“Shall we?” Elain happily skipped outside, with Cosette and Azriel following after her.

A bit further down the street they entered the soap shop that Elain mentioned. 

The building felt like its own little pocket dimension with little bubbles floating throughout the shop, the ones hanging around the ceiling containing faerie lights. 

Cosette poked at one that floated by but it didn’t pop, instead it just wobbled awkwardly and whizzed away.

The space looked almost impossibly tall, with shelves that looked too unstable to function teetering along the edges. The walls and everything were so elongated to the point that Cosette was certain that there was some sort of spatial magic at play making the space look or be larger than it actually was.

Elain and Cosette jumped as a continuous, monotonous croaking, rapping sound disturbed the peaceful daydreaming state the shop evoked. A nightjar, perched on one of the shelves stared down at them

“Elain Archeron, how wonderful to see you.” a faerie dressed in a deep blue dress, decorated in countless jewels appeared from behind the encounter, exchanging cheek kisses with Elain.

“Oh Azriel, you two do not stop by frequently enough.” the woman shook hands with the spymaster.

The nightjar called again.

“Oh settle down, Gloaming it’s just Rhysand’s friends.”

The nightjar shifted in discomfort, still staring at the group.

“What can I do for you today?”

“We’re giving a new friend of ours a tour of the city as this is their first time here.” Elain pulled Cosette to stand by her.

“Oh how wonderful!” the lady clapped her hands together, the rings on her hands making a satisfying clicking sound, “I assume you’re here to buy souvenirs?”

“Exactly!” Elain winked, “Do you mind if we take a look around?”

“Oh of course go ahead, look at whatever you want!”

“Perfect!” Elain led Cosette over to one of the uncomfortably tall cabinets filled with boxes upon boxes of bar soaps, “Here, you can pick them up to smell them.” Elain handed Cosette one to sniff.

“It’s good.” Cosette nodded approvingly. 

This kind of soap is actually an impressive feat. Soaps as I know them would logistically not exist in this world due to the time period it’s supposedly set in, but this comes pretty close to it. Back in Winter Court we had blocks of soap but they weren’t scented, and weren’t that great. 

In fact, what if it wasn’t soap? They didn’t foam as much as traditional soap back home did. It could be made from some sort of native Winter Court plant that performed a similar function to soap.

Cosette pushed these thoughts to the back for later, trying to focus on Elain’s lecture about the soaps’ scents.

If this entire place is filled with soap, how much time does this woman dedicate to making it? There’s countless boxes, all filled to the brim. Where is the staff to do this? The resources?

Cosette glanced at the odd shopkeeper who was still standing next to Azriel, rattling off about how wonderful soaps were, the man stoically nodding along.

“Do you think your friends would like any of these?” Elain brought Cosette back to the present once more.

“Oh right, yes. I think they would. What’s the price on the lavender soap?”

It would be cool to get Blanche a matching soap to her perfume.

“5 gold.”

Finally an affordable price!!

“Is there a cedarwood scented one?”

Forrest can also have a matching one too then.

“Yep, over here.” Elain stood on her tippy toes, trying to reach a shelf above her head.

Azriel leaned over Elain, grabbing the soap just out of her reach, “Here…”

Elain blushed shyly, taking the soap from his large hand, “Thank you.”

Cosette wasn’t sure if she should have pointed out that there was a stepping stool standing right next to Elain.

Cosette shifted slightly as the two stared deep into each other's eyes.

Oh God I am third wheeling so hard right now.

“Thank you.” Elain whispered.

“It’s nothing.” Azriel looked down slightly, his hair falling forward.

Seeing that Elain had lost interest in continuing their conversation, Cosette fled to the register, giving the two some space.

“Did you find everything you want?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Did you find everything you need?” the faerie smiled mysteriously.

“I-yes…” Cosette just wanted to get her soaps and leave at this point.

“Haha, I am just kidding around with you. What else would you need from here if not soap, hm?” the woman sighed, ringing her up and wrapping the soaps in paper.

The nightjar made eye contact with Cosette, instantly making her uncomfortable. The bird tilted its head, as if trying to read her soul.

Cosette mimicked the motion playfully, offering it a small smile.

The bird looked insulted and suddenly began its chirping again, flapping its wings wildly.

“What has gotten into you?” the shopkeeper looked at the bird with concern, but the bird just kept screeching, unable to properly convey its message.

Seeing that no one was understanding him the bird decided to begin harassing Cosette, diving straight at her.

Cosette screeched in turn, ducking under the counter as the bird missed her by a few inches.

“Gloaming! Stop that!” the lady yelled, but not taking any actual action against the bird.

The nightjar landed on the other side of the room on a different shelf, still staring down Cosette with a hatred she didn’t know was possible for a bird to feel.

“I am sorry about him, Miss.” the shopkeeper helped Cosette up, “Gloaming isn’t usually like this.”

“It’s okay, we all have bad days.” Cosette smiled.

Your bird is clinically crazy ma’am. Or, alternatively, he’s just being a bird, and birds are clinically crazy.

“He’s usually so well behaved with customers. Even plays with the little ones. He’s just very sensitive today.” the faerie sighed, “Nightjars can only truly hate those that insult the Spirit of the Night Court, or those that are terrible people. However, since Elain has befriended you, it certainly cannot be the latter.”

Nice, I have Elain immunity.

“Perhaps me being from a different court is triggering him?” Cosette offered.

Also, how does a nightjar know who’s a terrible person? Is it based on if I tried to feed him the wrong type of seeds? Or maybe I looked at him wrong? Like how severe must the crime be?

“Maybe, but that shouldn’t be enough.” the lady sighed, “Our Spirit is kind and welcoming. In recent months we’ve had plenty of visitors and nightjars haven’t been harassing them. I truly think he’s just having a bad day.”

“Um, I have picked out the soaps I want.” Elain approached the counter, Azriel following behind her, a small blush gracing his cheeks and the tips of his ears.

“Perfect, thank you for your patronage!” the faerie wrapped up Elain’s soaps and waved them goodbye as they left, the Nightjar still staring intently.

Stepping out of the shop, Elain handed Azriel her bags, as well as Cosette’s, sweetly asking him to carry them since they were getting heavy. Azriel, of course, obliged, quietly carrying their bags behind the duo who chatted about where to go next, but something told Cosette he would have very much preferred to throw all her stuff in the Sidra River.

“It’s turning dark already.”

“Right? It’s so strange, I still can’t get used to it.” Elain looked up at the sky, taking in the brilliant stars, “I know one more place we should go before calling it a day!” Elain spun around dramatically, “There is a cute ice cream spot near the Sidra River, let’s go there.”

Azriel nodded, “Sure.”

Is this actually a convoluted plan to actually have this man throw my stuff in the water?

Thus they began their trek to the Sidra River, taking pauses for Cosette to rest when the bruising began hurting too bad.

Eventually they made it, with Cosette letting the two of them go in first because she was in pain and her chest hurt. The other reason was that she didn’t want to watch the two of them feed each other samples while she awkwardly stood off to the side and made eye contact with an innocent faerie employee.

Cosette put her head down on the table, the cool wind gently ruffling her hair as the small waves of the river hit the foundation of the walkway that the cozy street was located on. Several painters were sitting along the edge, working on their canvases with paints. A couple of the younger faeries perched on top of the balustrade, were hard at work on their smaller drawing pads with just a pencil. The smell of waffles wafted through the air.

It felt peaceful. A true dream captured in real time.

Cosette’s tranquil state was interrupted by a male faerie dressed in a black cloak grabbing her wallet and making a mad dash down the street with it.

“Shit.” Cosette  jumped out of her seat to chase after the culprit, immediately grabbing onto the table as she shuddered, pain exploding in her stomach and chest. Gritting her teeth and doing her best to ignore the pain, Cosette continued to try and run but ended up toppling over. Cosette made another mental note to herself; practice running in heels when returning to Winter Court.

“Stop that ma-male! He’s a thief!” Cosette yelled, having to stop herself from saying ‘man’.

A couple faeries did give chase, but the man was too far away to be caught by that point.

Elain gasped as she stepped out of the ice cream shop, “Cosette, are you alright?!”

“I am fine.” Cosette forced herself up to her feet, trying to wipe away the dirt that now covered her dress, “Someone stole my wallet though.”

Which in fact was not fine.

“What? A thief?” Elain looked shocked, “How could someone do something like that?”

“Pretty easily, they just, you know, grab the item and run with it?” Cosette snapped slightly.

“Sorry, that’s not what I meant…” Elain looked down sad. 

Azriel stared at Cosette with a blank expression with eyes that held a storm within them. He sighed after a minute and spoke in a soft voice, putting an arm around Elain, “Where did the male go?”

“Down the street.” Cosette pointed.

The few faeries that did try to catch the culprit returned just then, “Sorry Miss, we lost him.”

“It’s okay, thank you for your effort.” Cosette said; she did appreciate the attempt, even if it didn’t amount to much.

“What did the male look like?” Azriel asked.

“I didn’t get a chance to see his face, he was wearing a black cloak.” Cosette said. 

“What about you all?” Azriel turned to the other faeries.

“We didn’t see either.”

“How about this; we can buy you an ice cream.” Elain offered.

“No, it’s okay.”

I would really rather not owe you anything, even if it’s a couple silver pieces, although considering the neighborhood it was more likely to be several gold coins.

“I will have my shadows try to find the culprit for you.” the shadowsinger offered, leading Elain over to a chair and pulling it out for her. After she sat down he took the seat beside her.

Does your gentleness only extend to that woman alone?

Cosette couldn’t help the sourness pooling in her gut as she took a seat across from them.

“Are you sure you don’t want some?” Elain offered once more.

“Yes, I am sure.”

Cosette watched as the two shared an ice cream covered in rose petals. 

Well, at least my wallet was practically empty.

Cosette had been bringing parts of her budget with her into the city to make sure that if this exact thing happened, she didn’t lose all her money. She wasn’t sure how she had allowed the man to get so close as to steal her wallet. Granted, she was quite out of it due to the hex. It wasn’t that far fetched that someone could have snuck up on her.

The moment Azriel and Elain finished their ice cream Cosette excused herself from the table, “I think I will head back to the ship.”

“So soon?”

“I am quite tired.”

“Understandable, have a safe trip home.” Azriel’s voice was calm, but a cold edge was clearly present.

Don’t worry bud, I am just as happy to get going as you are to be rid of me. So sorry for ruining your ‘date’, when you two literally invited me.

“You have so many bags to carry, let us accompany you!” Elain said.

“I appreciate your concern, but I will be fine.” Cosette gave them a pleasant smile, picked up her bags and walked away. The two members of the inner circle let her go.

Making her way over the Sidra River, Cosette stopped on the other side of the bridge, approaching the shore.

Right there, at the very edge of the sidewalk’s foundation, lay her wallet. Cold, absolutely freezing to the touch, even though the air had been warm this whole evening.

Cosette practically crawled onto Amelio’s ship, a heavy, invisible, sticky weight covering every part of her body.

“Cosette, you’re back!” Amelio waved her over from his seat at the table with the crew, Linus sitting beside him, devouring a chicken leg.

“Yeah I am back.” she grumbled. Cosette had ended up caving and took a carriage back to the ship, not being confident in her ability to walk all the way across the city again while carrying several heavy shopping bags. The coachman had been very confused when she gave him wet silver coins.

At least the sailors at the port were kind enough to escort me to the ship to make sure I didn’t collapse on the way.

Amelio’s smile barely faltered as he took in her rough appearance, “Had a rough day?”

“You could say that.”

Cosette had honestly thought that the tour might have ended with a visit to the guillotine. Why and for what crime she didn’t know, but Azriel’s silent stare, his shadows and masking of expressions unnerved her. 

Be more like Amelio Azriel. Smiley and happy!

“Will you be eating in your room?” seeing her exhaustion, Amelio didn’t press her for details.

“Yes.” Cosette took the offered option with a grateful expression.

Amelio nodded, “Very well. Please rest and recover soon.”

“Did you spend the whole day shopping?” Linus called out after her as she walked away from him, missing how Amelio gave his student a sharp, stern look.

One of the crewmembers offered to carry her bags and food which was a deal she happily agreed to. The two made it down to her cabin where the sailor left her, going back up to the deck.

Cosette wasn’t sure how she managed to change into her pajamas, but she did, throwing the dress haphazardly into the cabinet along with the shopping bags.

I’ll regret not hanging it up nicely now, but I don’t care.

Cosette collapsed into bed ready to close her eyes when she remembered the healer’s instructions.

‘Just in case I suggest not sleeping until we leave tomorrow.’

She was really tempted to disregard the warning but when Cosette kicked the blanket in frustration she yelped in pain grabbing at her stomach. The pain immediately changed her mind regarding her plans for the evening, not wanting to inflict more pain on her human body.

Reluctantly, Cosette pulled out the book she had opened last night, ‘The History of Prythian’s Spirits and Traditions’, and began reading, hoping it would be enough to keep her distracted and awake.

Credit for information regarding weaving a basket.

Next: Chapter 34 - A Sleep Deprived Vacation

Back: Chapter 32 - Behind Closed Doors

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[twig-tea]

Under the Oak Tree: How Do I Talk About This Show?

The Vietnamese musical BL Under the Oak Tree ended today (after a delay from last week for political reasons that affected all Vietnamese shows).

The music in this show is great. Full disclosure I am coming at it from a place of liking Vietnamese OSTs and Musicals, so I was definitely primed to enjoy it. But they do a great job underscoring the big moments with appropriate music, including very fun villain songs. You can get a taste of the music style in this teaser:

The story is...a rollercoaster lol This show has a lot going on. We go from cute high school romance to gang threats to parental trauma to forced outings and life-ruining betrayals to a timeskip and a twist and an ending that could be read as either very dark or a happy ending, depending on your preference.

My biggest critique is that the romantic relationship is not actually the core of the story; it's actually the protagonist and his friend who betrays him that are the core of the plot, especially in the last few episodes. That relationship gets worked on, but the core romance is just kind of treated as an afterthought.

That being said, there is a lot I loved about this too. There's a Lord of the Rings fantasy sequence that is fantastic, and there's a really interesting exploration of revenge and how satisfying it is (or isn't) that I found fun to watch play out. I also really loved that these were gay characters from jump (neither Dang nor Khanh really wrestled with their attraction to the other), and these actors can kiss.

Also just to say Vuong Huy did a great job, but it was sooooo nice to see some of the familiar faces again, especially in episodes 8-10! I love Duc Duy, Duy Lam, Gia Huy, and KaiBie, who have all been in several Vietnamese BLs before (Duy Lam and Gia Huy have costarred before in shows like Beef, Cupcakes, and Him, Duc Duy has played opposite Ba Vinh in The Most Peaceful Place, and KaiBie has been around since Hey! First Love, just to name a few highlights from their CVs).

If this sounds intriguing to you, Under the Oak Tree is 10 episodes, 30-40 mins each, on YouTube.

Discussion of my thoughts on the ending after the cut!

Ok, so MAJOR spoilers ahead.

Under the Oak Tree takes place mostly in 2011, but then there's a 15 year timeskip in episode 8. We find out over the course of episodes 8-10 that in 2011, after Linh betrays Khanh by lying that she saw him steal money from the band, Khanh's mother dies from shock at hearing him confess to the crime (in order to prevent Dang from being punished for defending him even in the face of Linh's eyewitness evidence). Khanh leaves Dang and the small town of Da Lat for the big city, remaking himself and his life. He runs into Linh, who has since married Dang, and pretends to befriend her and let bygones be bygones so that he can infiltrate her company and set her up to be ruined. As the final piece de resistance for his betrayal, he kisses Dang, and Linh falls down the stairs in shock and ends up in a coma.

This is the part where I think opinions will differ. Linh ends up in a kind of limbo, in which she has to either agree to go to hell and be tortured, or sit and watch her own memories over and over, unable to change them. She spends a lot of time unwilling to admit that she did anything wrong, but sitting and watching herself over and over seems to get to her and she comes to terms with the fact that she's caused terrible pain.

Khanh goes to see her in her coma, and yells at her that this is too easy, she needs to live so that she can be tortured knowing what she's done. We then get a sequence from Linh's perspective in which Khanh visits her in limbo and they reconcile and go back in time together to fix the past.

This is the part that could be read as dark if you're me lol. On it's surface, the show essentially wrote fix-it fic for itself; Linh never betrays Khanh, so his mother doesn't die, he doesn't move away, and he never leaves Dang. We leave Dang and Khanh happy and together and on the road to becoming musicians to fulfill their dreams as a team, with Linh owning a coffee shop seeming pretty content. But at the end Linh asks whether this is all real, or all in her mind, and Khanh replies that maybe her memories of the other future are what are all in her mind. It's left a little ambiguous.

That being said, the show also was careful to say that we cannot actually go back and fix the past. So the read that this happy ending is all in Linh's head while she's in a coma is a dark but realistic one.

I also need to talk about Dang and Khanh. In the present/future, Dang and Khanh are arguably not actually in love anymore; they're both too resentful of everything that's come before. This is the part that feels unreconciled to me; while Khanh and Linh got to work through their issues, Dang and Khanh never get to have that conversation, because in the revised past, Dang doesn't share the memories of the future that Khanh and Linh have, so he doesn't know who he hand Khanh became in this other timeline. He says explicitly that he believes no matter what, they'll always love each other and never leave one another; but we know that's not quite true. The smile that Khanh gives him after that speech seems a little sad to me.

I would have loved a little more time for Khanh and Dang to reconcile; for Dang to more fully own his part in not supporting Khanh in the face of his friends ruining Khanh's life, and in marrying Linh even after her betrayal, instead of going to find Kanh or at the least staying true to himself. And I would have loved Khanh to own up to giving up on Dang when things were difficult (to be fair to him, things were extremely difficult--this is another instance of a poor character in love with a rich character whose life gets ruined because of that relationship, while the rich character's life stays essentially the same), and making his life about revenge at any cost to anyone, including Dang, rather than just living for his own future happiness. With all of that hanging over them, it's hard to believe in their forever, even if the new timeline is real and not a coma dream.

Anyway! I really did have a lot of fun watching the show and the wild swings of emotional turns; I also feel like I understated how much I really love these songs. This show won't be for everyone, it's hard to recommend as a blanket statement, but to save you scrolling back up: if this sounds intriguing to you, it's 10 episodes, 30-40 mins each, on YouTube!