#I only do local commissions (at the moment) but someday I hope I can get myself to work towards taking online commissions too 😂😭

[salmonsaur]

Dessert Table and Snowy Walk 🍰🌲 (2022)

[marshmallowprotection]

Commission for @that-russian-gal

Fandom: Mystic Messenger

Bio: You found yourself drawn in by the two of them and by the time you’re in too deep, there’s no way to turn around and escape from those devious western partners. 

Characters: Reader, Judas Choi, Minji Cho

Length: 1500

This is 100% OC Centric, so keep that in mind.

This was never any place for someone to live and travel without knowing what they were getting themselves into. 

When you left home to find someplace where you could see yourself living and changing for the better, or the worse, frankly, anything was better than staying at home, you never thought that you would find yourself in the sprawling area that amassed mountains and desert. 

But, this is where you had come and this was where you had wound up. 

There was no changing that fact so you made time to try and settle down. 

At least, for the time being. 

This area was different from what you were used to by all accounts, and though you were still going through periods of culture shock to being a fish out of water… you were settling in rather nicely for the most part. You had got a steady job working at the local bank which was an influx of visitors due to the booming gold industry. 

Some people were getting lucky and others were just slaving away in the dirt, unable to get the fortune that they so desperately wanted to hold in their hands. That’s not what you were invested in. No, you’d just wanted to live a quiet and peaceful little life in your bubble and enjoy the company of the nice feeling of knowing that you were living the way you wanted.

And not the way that someone wanted you to be living. 

It was a quiet little life but it was one that you proud of because you’d done all of this on your own. Nobody had helped you put together your house and nobody had given you anything to get to where you were today. It was built upon your own two hands and for that, you were proud of how far you’d come from that person you used to be. 

Time can change a lot about a person but one thing seemingly would never change: The fact that you’d been drawn to eye people that shined like jewels against the dusty clay soil, and as guilty as you were of this fact, you had no shame in that regard. If you saw a pretty face? You would lean towards that person in the hopes that maybe you’d be able to catch their eye someday. 

For example, you had an ongoing little game with the local baker, who made what you would call the best bread in all the west. It was made with the delicate care of her hands and each step was done with the notion that any bite someone took would have the same consistency. She took her job seriously in a way that nobody else could or would. 

Banana bread and raisin bread… all kinds of specialty items that she worked hard to get deals for considering the area that they lived in. It was hard to maintain gardens and food out here.

However, Minji was nobody to laugh at. She had managed to make deals and friendships with all kinds of people. Which meant that nobody dared mess with her in the slightest. If they did, they knew that it would not only occur the wrath of the people that cared for her but the people that had a strong need for her baked goods. 

You could never tell what she was thinking but God, you could’ve listened to her talk all day about nothing and you’d still be interested in seeing her every day. It was the same song and dance every day you visited her at her bakery once you got out of work. She’d smile at you, extend her hand, and you’d shake it with a gentle fever. 

“Nice of ya’ to drop by,” she’d beam without question. Her golden curls carefully braided and out of her face. “I was hoping that I would see you again. There’s something that I’d love for you to try out for a taste. I want to share it in the shop but I need to know that it may be good enough for my customers, and I trust you dearly.” 

“Absolutely, anything to help you out,” you responded, never once looking away from her face as she giggled and laughed. “It’s no trouble for me. You do make the best of the best, Minji. You always make sure that everything you sell is perfect.” 

Her head bobbed as she nodded, “Only because you’ve helped me so much lately. I doubt the business would be fairin’ as well without ya’ helpin’ me out, my favorite customer! Well, less yer’ countin’ my honey and darlin’, too.” 

It was always the same story but you never pressed her to do anything that she wasn’t comfortable with. She was the one setting the pace for you. She was the one luring you in with a heart of gold and making you fall deeper and deeper into a trance around her heart. 

Whether she liked you the way that you liked her or not, God, you always wanted to stay her “favorite customer”.

The way that her fingers ran through your hair and coaxed you to come closer and closer, the way that her lips lingered close to yours whenever she pulled you into a strong hug and the way that she smiled so broadly whenever you got tongue-tied from one of her compliments. As eccentric and as bubbly as she was, she never quite realized just how easy it would be for her to date someone. 

That was the portion that was hardest for you because you didn’t just have a tender feeling in your heart for Minji alone. No, because her darling that she mentioned happened to be the other person that you could never get off of your mind. His name was Judas, and he was the star of the show in the local saloon. 

Nobody could take their eyes off of him.

Not men, not women, and not anyone in-between or outside of that. 

He was always center-stage and he always knew how to make people swoon and sigh. You spent quite a bit of your free time just sitting in that bar and watching him flirt and taunt some of the patrons as the outfit you wore left little to the imagination. He would always take the time to come and see you when he noticed you were around.

His fingers curling underneath your chin and beckoning you to look at him, only him, and watch as his lips brush so sweetly against your cheek. It left your heart pounding and he always whispered so low in a sultry tone that, “Ya’ don’t owe me a thing, sweetheart. Pretty little fillies get my affection my free and you’re just my type.” 

It left you sputtering and kept you on your toes for the longest time. You never knew how to react or respond to him, all you knew that he liked playing with you and you weren’t going to tell him to stop doing that. A part of you wanted to be played with. 

The corset was snug around his waist and the unbuttoned state of the shirt lay flush against his skin. His raven hair contrasted the softness of his skin tone, and his blue eyes shimmered like starlight on a cloudless night. He had a way of purring and pawing at people to get them to pay up or to listen to what he had to say. 

Anyone and everyone that had taste was interested in getting to know him and getting close to him, but it was known that he was very intimate with the baker. The way that he always lit up when he’d seen her stop by was telling enough. Not that it made anyone jealous, no, as a matter of fact, if and when people realized that the tall girl was around her short boyfriend—

They’d wind up fawning over the two of them and sighing contentedly if they were given any little ounce of attention. 

To be pushed and pulled between the two of them was a dream and a dream that you were quite frankly living. You weren’t sure when it started or how it started, all you knew that you were right where you wanted to be. It might have had something to do with how badly Judas wanted you and how quickly you realized that Minji had just the same desire. 

Weeks of you missing their hints because you were too caught up in the idea that you were shameful for wanting the both of them when they so very clearly wanted you as their cute little partner to have and to tease with a smile. 

They had been working together to pin you down until you realized the truth that had been there all along. You had spent so long pining that you had blinded yourself to the fact that they were both flirting with you openly and presently for so long. 

It took one of them grasping you by the arm and kissing you for you to stop and think: Oh. Oh.

That was why you were pleased to be where you were at that very moment; Judas’ arms clasped tightly around your waist as you sat in his arms and he kissed at your neck with a gentle desire, all the while Minji’s hands carded through your hair and her lips kissed every single spot on your face that she had desired. Between the two of them—

You had never felt so wanted in your entire life, nor had you ever felt this warm and flustered. They’d been more confident and blasé about the entire time, and you felt like you were catching up to them but they would always be one step ahead of you. Which wasn’t such a bad thing. You could’ve kept yourself in this spot forever. 

“Darlin’, you’re just too good for us,” Judas’ voice was low and reverberated in your ears as he chuckled. 

Minji kissed your forehead. You could feel the smile brewing against her lips. “Mhm, they’re too cute, it’s not fair. I’m glad they’re our darlin’, Jude.”

This was right where you wanted to be, and you’d let out a contented sigh, melting into their touches as the hum of the cicadas echoed from outside. 

[thetravelerwrites]

Cetzu (Part 4) Lemon

Rating: Explicit Relationships: Male Changeling/Female Human Additional Tags: Exophilia, Lizardfolk, Changeling, Interspecies Romance, Monster Boyfriend, Sex, Double Dicks, Hemipenis Content Warnings: Assault, Bandits, Injury, Field Surgery, Blood, Poisoning Words: 5211

Part 4 of 5 generously commissioned by @ivymemnoch​​! Feeling guilty for killing a man in self defense, Cetzu turns himself in to his brother, the local sheriff, but when it's determined he's committed no crime, Cetzu has a crisis of conscience that the reader tries to help him through. Please reblog and leave feedback!

The Traveler's Masterlist

Cetzu slept for four days.

He healed quickly, just like Declan said he would, though he didn’t eat or drink anything while he slept. Lymera, his faun sister, assured you that was normal. The wound had closed and was nothing more than a dark red line on his shoulder, and the scales that had died and flaked off were beginning to regrow.

His gnoll sheriff brother, Feera, came down for a couple of days to check on him, and reassured you that Cetzu would be alright. Apparently he’d gotten his share of horrible injuries from hunting large game throughout his life, and the only reason this particular wound was so severe was because of the iron, which was now cleansed from his body and not poisoning him anymore.

You spent some time by his bedside every day, hoping to be there when he woke up. Otherwise you spent time with his family members, hearing stories of his childhood among the family and learning all their tales. Sad, indeed.

One afternoon, you were dozing in the chair next to Cetzu’s bed, a book from Toklo’s vast collection dangling from your hand, when you heard Cetzu snort and cough. Snapping awake, you stood and lay the book down in the seat, sitting next to Cetzu on the bed.

“Hey,” You said softly, patting his covered chest. “How are you feeling?”

“Cold,” He said roughly. “And my shoulder’s a bit sore. But I’m alright.” His eyes focused and he moved his head to look at you. “Are you alright?”

“Yes, I am,” You replied. “You saved my life.”

“I’m glad,” He said quietly. There was a pause before he said, “You know what I am.”

It wasn’t a question. “Yes, I do.”

He draped his arm over his eyes and sighed. “Damn it.”

“Why does that bother you?”

“Two different sets of parents threw me away because of what I am. Wouldn’t that bother you?”

You chewed the inside of your cheek and was silent for many minutes. “Can I tell you something? About my mom?”

He removed his arm from his face and looked at you keenly. “Yes?”

You took a large breath, held it for a second, and exhaled sharply. “My mom… was not my birth mother. My mother wasn’t the maternal sort, you could say. She told my dad early in their relationship that she didn’t want kids, so when she got pregnant accidentally, she was pissed. She wanted to get rid of me, send me to an orphanage or something, but my father begged her not to. My mother basically told him to choose between her and me… and he chose me. A week after I was born, my biological mother left us.”

He frowned seriously, but he didn’t interrupt.

“We all have our sad tales, don’t we?” You said, smiling morosely. “My dad knew he needed help, since I would starve to death if he couldn’t find a wet nurse. As it happened, there was a woman one town over who had given birth to a stillborn son. Her husband had died in an accident while she was pregnant and she had no means to support herself. In her grief, she made the kind and selfless offer to be my wet nurse in exchange for food and a place to sleep, and my dad took her in. Over time, they became close and fell in love. By the time I was a year old, they had married. She raised me as her own child. In fact, I didn’t even know she wasn’t my birth mother until two years after she died. She was more my mother than anyone ever could be. I loved her very much.”

You felt a tear slide down your face, and you dashed it away with your fingertips.

“Sometimes, family chooses itself,” Cetzu replied softly. “That’s what Mama and Papa say. If it hadn’t been for them, I’d have died in a gutter when I was a babe. I hope I can be like them someday.”

“You want to have a big family?” You asked, smiling. “Lots of kids?”

“Someday,” He said, matching your smile, but his face fell immediately, his eyes going unfocused and looking past you. “Perhaps I don’t deserve it. I’m a murderer.”

“You are not a murderer. It was self-defense,” You told him, patting his hand. “They could have killed us.”

“They couldn’t have killed me,” He said dismissively. “I was much stronger than them.”

“They almost did kill you, Cetzu,” You reminded him. “An arrow is pretty humbling, strong or not. They attacked us first; it was justified.”

“It doesn’t matter,” He said, moving to sit up. You moved off the bed and back into the chair. “I took a life. There must be balance.”

“So what do you plan to do, then?” You asked him.

He held his shoulder with a grimace of pain and stood up gingerly. “I’m going to turn myself in.”

“What?” You exclaimed, shooting to your feet. “Where? To who?”

“Feera,” He replied. “He’s a sheriff.”

“He’s your brother, though,” You said, crossing your arms. “Aren’t you worried about nepotism?”

Cetzu stopped for a moment. “Good point,” He mused, then shook his head. “No matter. I still have to report this.”

“Then I’ll go with you,” You said, grabbing your bag.

He turned to look at you, surprised. “Why?”

“I’m a witness,” You said simply. “And a victim of a crime. They’ll want to interview me.”

“Oh. Right,” He replied, and waited for you to catch up. After informing his mother of his intentions, and despite her protests, he set off down the road to town with you following in his wake.

The walk to Willowridge was a quiet one. You felt like there was a wall between the two of you now, and it was painful. You thought the two of you had gotten so close, and now these bandit thugs had ruined everything. Even if he didn’t have the same crush on you that you had on him, the two of you had been friends. Was that over? You hoped not. He was the only real friend you’d had since you were young. You weren’t ready to let that go.

Cetzu was on edge when the two of you arrived in Willowridge, though he raised a hand in greeting when a few people when they called hello. The jailhouse was situated on the other side of town, right on the edge between the town and the woods. Beyond it was the orc-run horse ranch, and beyond that was the stronghold, Willowshield. It was from this stronghold that Feera’s head deputy, Padcha, was from.

Both Feera and Padcha were sitting on the front porch of the jailhouse, playing dominoes, when they saw you approach.

“Cetzu!” Feera said, laying his tiles face down on the table. “It’s good to see you up and about. How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine, brother,” He said shortly. “I’m here to turn myself in.”

Feera and Padcha exchanged a confused glance. “For what?”

“Murder,” Cetzu said grimly. “I killed one of the men who attacked the wagon.”

“Cetzu, that was self defense,” Feera said. “They shot you, you defended yourself.”

“I already told him that,” You said, scowling up at Cetzu. “He won’t listen to anyone.”

“I didn’t kill the man who shot me,” Cetzu replied. “I would have, but I was stopped.” He gestured to you. “I killed the other one. He was no threat to me. I was angry and I killed him.”

“Did he have a weapon pointed at you?” Padcha asked.

“Well, yes,” Cetzu admitted. “But--”

“Did you attack before or after you were shot?”

“After, but--”

“Was your intent to kill, or subdue?”

“Well, I only wanted to subdue him, but I’ve never been in a fight with a human before. I underestimated my strength, I guess, but that doesn’t…”

“Cetzu,” Feera said, putting a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Face it. This was clear-cut self-defense. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Yes, I did!” Cetzu exclaimed, shrugging off Feera’s hand. “How can you say such a thing? A man is dead because of me!” Cetzu scrubbed the scales on the back of his head with the claws on his hands, making a strange rattling sound. “Can’t you at least do an investigation? Go out and find the man and examine the scene. Look at the evidence.”

“If you want me to, I can--” Feera said, but Cetzu stopped him.

“Not you,” He said. “You’re family. I don’t want favoritism. Padcha and the other deputies should do it.”

“Cetzu, you’re being ridiculous,” Feera said in exasperation.

“Actually, boss,” Padcha said, rubbing the back of his neck. “He’s got a point. It’s not proper for a sheriff to be part of an investigation of their own family member. Conflict of interest.”

Feera sighed. “Fine. Where did this happen?”

“Halfway between Coleville and the farm,” You piped up. “About five hours from here by cart.”

“I’ll take Victor and Louie and we’ll go by horseback. We can get there just after lunchtime,” Padcha said.

Feera nodded curtly. “Get on it, then.”

Padcha nodded and went off to find his deputies.

“Well, since you’re here, want to go to the tavern for some ale while we wait for news?” Feera asked the two of you.

Before you could speak, Cetzu shook his head. “No. Put me in a cell.”

Both you and Feera rolled your eyes.

“If you don’t do it, I’ll do it myself,” Cetzu said, crossing his arms.

“By all means,” Feera said sarcastically, stepping aside. “Pick one. They’re all open right now.”

Cetzu stepped past him and walked right into a cell, closing it behind him, and sat on the cot. “Are you going to lock it?”

Feera scoffed. “No!”

Cetzu scoffed in return and lay down on the cot, his arms still crossed as he stared at the ceiling.

“How are you doing?” Feera asked you.

“I’m fine,” You replied. “Really aggravated at your brother, but fine.”

“I’m with you there,” Feera agreed, staring his brother down. Cetzu ignored the two of you.

“Has he always been this obstinate?” You asked in a whisper.

“As long as I’ve known him,” Feera responded. “He’s as stubborn as a mule when he gets an idea in his head. There’s no compromising with him when he gets like this. You just have to let him burn himself out.”

“I can hear you,” Cetzu grumbled, turning to face the wall.

“Good!” Feera called back. “I’m going to tell your girlfriend all your awful habits so she dumps your pigheaded ass!” He chuffed out of his nose and jerked his head at the door. “Come on,” He said to you. “I’m going to sit down with Eris and the boys for a while. Kurran has a stomachache and I want to check on him. Have you had breakfast?”

You followed Feera back to the home he shared with his wife, Eris, and his two boys, two year old Kurran and six month old Declan. You held the wiggling, giggling bundle of fluff that was his youngest son while Feera cradled his older boy, consoling him through a tummy ache while Eris went out to buy medicine from the apothecary.

You had heard Eris’s horrible tale from the family, and that in the attack against her that led her to first meeting Feera, all of her hair had been cut off, but it had grown back into a beautiful river of gold cascading down her back. Eris was a kind but shrewd woman, and you guessed by her cautious demeanor that some cuts don’t heal as quickly. Feera was gentle and affectionate with her, and watching the two of them together made you pine a little for something you hadn’t yet experienced.

The day wore on. Eris returned with the medicine and made lunch for you and Feera before putting both of the boys to bed for naps. Feera escorted you back to the jailhouse, where Cetzu had fallen asleep.

“Play a game with me?” Feera asked. “It’s been slow around town, but spring’s a slow season. Everyone’s working. People are more likely to start trouble when they’ve got nothing to do.”

“Sure,” You said, sitting out on the porch with him. He set up a game of dominoes and you arranged your tiles.

“The boys will take time looking at the scene, so they may not be back until tomorrow,” Feera said, placing a tile. “This may be an obvious cut-and-dry case of self-defense, but we still do our job properly. I trust Padcha to be thorough.”

“What if Cetzu doesn’t accept your conclusion?” You asked. “He’s convinced he has to atone for killing that man.”

“I don’t know,” Feera sighed. “He hasn’t broken any laws. If we determine he’s not responsible for a crime, and I’m sure we will, that’s the end of it. I’m not going to imprison him to assuage his personal guilt. It’s something he’s going to have to figure out himself.”

You sighed too. “I don’t know what to do. He’s shut down and won’t talk to me.”

“Yeah,” Feera replied. “As much as he tries to deny his nature, he’s just as tight-lipped and secretive as any fae I’ve ever met. He’s still young, though, by fae standards. Maybe he’s just not old enough or strong enough to control his natural tendencies, just like when he was little and couldn’t control his magic. Restraint is just as much a necessary skill as any other.”

“How do you mean?” You asked.

“Well, take gnolls, for example,” He said, holding his arms open and gesturing at himself. “We have a reputation for being aggressive and brutal. Hell, my parents sold me and my brother because we were runts and therefore useless to them. People expect us to be… well… animals. I don’t know if it’s because that’s how we actually are or if that’s how people perceive us and we changed to match, but that’s the way it is. Same with orcs.” He gestured toward the north, where the stronghold was. “Everyone thinks orcs are bloodthirsty raiders, rapists, and murderers. Maybe that’s the way it used to be, but it isn’t anymore. We all fight against our nature and our history in some way. Cetzu is no different.”

You thought about your birth mother and your true mother and contemplated what part of your nature you fought against.

Feera had been right; the deputies hadn’t returned by nightfall. Feera invited you back to the house for dinner, and you brought some food back to Cetzu. Despite the invitation to room at Feera and Eris’s house, you decided to stay at the jail. There were beds, after all, and you didn’t want to leave Cetzu alone.

The next day, the deputies returned mid-morning.

“Well, we found the scene,” Padcha said. “We found the dead man just laying in the road. His friends couldn’t even pull him out of the way. We also found their camp abandoned. It was clearly a bandit operation and it looked like they’d been there for a while; there were horse carcasses and bits of wagons they’d likely couldn’t sell and chopped up for firewood. You scared them off, though. They left their tents and such, but took whatever valuables they managed to steal.”

“So… what now?” Cetzu asked.

“Nothing,” Feera said. “You killed a bandit that tried to kill you. No crime was committed, by you at least. You’re free to go.”

“No!” Cetzu said, slamming a hand against the wall, making you jump. “This isn’t right! There has to be balance!”

“There is balance!” Feera replied exasperatedly. “They committed an offense against you! You defended yourself! What else do you want, man?!”

“You don’t understand anything,” Cetzu growled, pushing past his brother.

“Where are you going?” Feera called after him.

“I’m going home,” He said. “This was a waste of time.”

“You’re telling me!” Feera shouted back angrily.

Cetzu began stalking down the road and you had no choice but to run after him. It wasn’t more than a minute before he had made his way out of town and down the road, starting for the farm.

“Cetzu!”

He was a good ten feet ahead of you when he stopped, looking back. “What is it?”

“You’ve barely said two words to me this entire trip.”

“You didn’t have to come,” he replied shortly.  

“Are you angry with me? Have I upset you?”

“I’m not angry with you,” He said, though his brow furrowed. “Don’t worry about it.”

“What are you talking about, ‘don’t worry about it’?” You exclaimed. “You’re obsessed with punishing yourself for something that’s not your fault, how can I not worry?”

“I’ll have Kurra escort you home. I need time to think. You should have stayed at the house.”

“I came to help you!”

“I didn’t ask for your help!” He snapped, stopping and turning toward you, his body tense. “My job was to protect you! I almost got you killed! This is why I should never have left the farm! I’m only good for planting and harvesting! Kurra should have been the one you hired to go with you. I’m nothing but a liability!”

“That’s not true!” You argued. “I’m not hurt! You did protect me! You did your job! I don’t regret hiring you and I don’t think your brother could have done anything differently! Do you regret being with me?”

“Yes!” He shot back.

You were stunned to silence and fell back a step, your heart dropping into your stomach. He backed up a step as well, looking immediately remorseful for his response. He scrubbed his eyes.

“I don’t… regret the time we’ve spent together,” He clarified. “I regret not being as effective as I should have been. I failed.”

“Cetzu,” You said, walking up to him and taking him by the shoulders. “You haven’t failed. I don’t know what to say or do to make you believe you’ve done nothing wrong, that you saved my life. I hired you to protect me, and you did that. What more can I say to convince you?”

“You can’t,” He said. “I’m a murderer.”

“Stop saying that!” You shook him a little. “You’re not the only person who’s had to kill someone! What about your father? He killed a man to save your mother’s life! He told me so! Is he a murderer?”

“...no,” Cetzu said, looking away from you.

“What about your brothers?” You asked, advancing. “They were forced to fight in the gladiator ring as children. If they didn’t fight, they’d have been killed. Are they murderers?”

“No!”

“Then why is this different? Why are you holding yourself to a different standard than them?”

He refused to meet your eye, his jaw clenching. “We should get back to the farm and hitch up the wagon. You’re overdue to return home.”

“Is this what it’s going to be like from now on?” You asked, feeling upset and on the verge of tears. “You ignoring me and treating me like cargo to be delivered? Is that all I am to you now? Are we no longer friends? Do you plan to quit? Because if so, I’ll go back home and find another bodyguard and you’ll never have to think of me again!”

“That’s not true!” He exclaimed a little loudly, making you step back. “I’m always thinking of you. I never cease thinking of you!”

You sere silent for a moment, processing what you’d just heard. He turned his back to you but didn’t continue walking. He just stood there, silent.

“What are you talking about?” You asked quietly.

“I…” He took a deep breath and sighed. “I think about you all the time. You’re the first thing I think of when I wake up and the last thing I see when I fall asleep. I dream of you. I see you dancing when the wind blows through the high grass. When I feel anxious, I hear your voice, and it calms me.” He bent his head, still turned away from you. “I… don’t want to quit. I want… to stay with you.”

“Why aren’t you looking at me?” You whispered.

“Because I’m afraid of what I might see,” He rasped. “I have hurt and worried you over the last few days, and I’m sorry. I know you’re angry with me. I know what I am, and you may not want… what I want. I am… still your friend… but…”

You walked forward and pressed your hand flat against his back. “I never told you… I’ve always thought you beautiful.”

He spun so quickly that dust and rocks flew from under his feet. He almost smacked you with his tail, but he snapped it out of the way at the last second.

“What?”

You gulped but continued. “You… look like you’re built of onyx and silver. When you stand still, you look like one of your lovely carvings. I don’t care that you’re fae. It wouldn’t matter to me what race you were. You’re kind and selfless and I feel safe with you. I don’t want you to quit either. I want...” You gulped again. “I want what you want.”

“I… I want you.”

You nodded. “That’s more than alright to me.”

He, disbelieving, tentatively reached for you, but you jumped at him, putting your arms around his neck and kissing his leathery lips. He hesitated for only a few seconds before reciprocating, kissing you back and wrapping you in his arms, lifting you off the ground. You ran your fingers over the scales of his head and he gave a purring sort of growl.

You wrapped your legs around his waist and he put his arms under your rear, holding you up as the two of you snogged like teenagers. You weren’t sure how well you were doing; you’d never actually kissed anyone before. He seemed to be enjoying it and showed no sign of wanting to stop.

You were the first to break away. “I don’t want to go back to the farm yet,” You said breathlessly. “Is there somewhere we can be alone?”

He swallowed hard and nodded. “There’s a place I go to. It’s safe.”

“Safe?” You echoed.

He nodded again. “I’ll show you.”

He set you down on your feet and took you by the hand, leading you into the forest. After about ten minutes, he lead you to a clearing. It was the most beautiful place you’d ever seen. It was a perfect circle, perhaps thirty feet wide, with soft clover and moss blanketing the ground. It was surrounded on all sides by wisteria, cherry, and maple trees. Looking up, you could see a bubble of the blue sky lighting up the space. Everything glowed luminously.

He led you in and said, “Wait for a moment.” He let go of your hand and pressed his to one of the trees. A shimmer spread from his hand and extended outward, encompassing the circle. “There. Now no one can find us. It’s completely safe.”

“How do you mean?” You asked.

“It’s a shield,” He replied. He pointed upward. “Watch.”

You looked up and watched a cloud pass over the opening in the canopy. Suddenly, rain fell, but not a single drop entered the clearing. Everything around you was dry.

“It also hides us,” He continued. “We’re invisible to anyone passing by.”

You turned to him in shock. “You can control your magic?”

“Not as much as I’d like,” He said. “But I’m learning. I created this place to practice in peace and secrecy. You’re the first person to ever see it.”

“I thought you hated magic,” You said.

“I do,” He replied. “But if I don’t learn to control it, I’m more likely to hurt someone on accident.”

“It’s beautiful here,” You told him. “Everything you touch becomes beautiful.”

“That’s not true,” he said, smiling. “You were beautiful long before I ever met you.”

You blushed and looked down. He put his claws hand under your chin and lifted your head to look at him. He bent and kissed you again, slower and deeper. You touched the muscles of his stomach, working your way up his chest, then back down and around his back. Your fingers touched the waistband above his tail and discovered the buttons that secured his pants around his waist that allowed his tail to stick out of the back. Without thinking much about it, you undid the first button.

His arms tensed around you and he pulled back. “I… um… I’ve never…”

You nodded before he could finish. “Neither have I. It’s alright. Do you want to stop?”

He shook his head fervently, tugging at the laces of your bodice. “No. I want you.”

You finished unbuttoning his trousers and they fell away, leaving him naked. You couldn’t see his… parts, but there was a slit between his legs, swollen and puckering. Cautiously, you touched it, and he gasped, his legs shaking.

“Does that hurt?” You asked in concern.

“Uh… no,” He said with a laugh. “It’s nice.”

“Sit down,” You told him, and he obeyed, propping himself up against a stump in the center of the circle, likely were Cetzu sat to practice his magic. You began to undress in front of him slowly. You felt a little awkward and unsure, but his eyes never left your body. As you watched, the slit opened a bit wider and you saw something bright red beginning to poke out. Your heart began to race.

When you were fully nude, you knelt in front of him and reached out to touch the pulsing slit, stroking it and teasing it a little. Cetzu groaned and his head fell back. His breathing was heavy and uneven.

“Tell me if I do something wrong,” You told him.

“What you’re doing is great, please keep doing it,” He begged.

As you touched it, it opened like a bloom, and not one but two thick, sharp-tipped members slid out of it, slick with his own lubricant. You felt your slit dripping as well, pulsing and throbbing. As you took one of his cocks in your hand, pumping it up and down, you reached between your legs and stroked yourself at the same time. The both of you moaned breathily and moved your hips in time with each other, completely in sync though you had yet to join together.

He reached out and cupped your cheek with his claws, pulling you forward to kiss your mouth and face and neck. He was doing that purring sound again, and it sent a tingle through your skin. He was now fully extended and erect. You pressed your body forward against his, your breasts pressed against his chest, and used him as leverage as you swung your right leg over his hip, and then the left, and pushed yourself up. Reaching down, you took the lower of the two and pushed it to your entrance.

“Ready?” You asked. He nodded wordlessly, petting your hair away from your face.

You lowered yourself down slowly onto him, feeling a little pop, though it wasn’t painful, and slipped all the way down the shaft. He gripped your hips, applying gentle pressure until you were flush against him, then held you close to him so that his free cock was pressed between the two of you. Slowly, you began to move, rocking against him. His hips moved at the same pace, pushing up into you as you rocked into him.

You raked your nails against his shoulders, speeding up as the throbbing got more intense. His purring became growling, but you weren’t afraid. His claws tightened around you, but you weren’t afraid. He thrust up into you harder, taking more control, but you weren’t afraid. Even when he grabbed you and flipped you onto your back on the ground, looming over you, kissing your bare breasts as he thrust, you felt a thrill, but no fear.

You reached between the two of you and took the second member in your hand, and he thrust against it, his body taut and trembling. He was close, you could feel it. With your other hand, you reached down and rubbing your pearl furiously, bringing yourself to that crest as well.

His back arched and he grunted as he came. You could feel the release inside you as well as painting your stomach and chest. Another few flicks of your fingers and you came after him, crying out against his shoulder.

He collapsed on top of you, and you wrapped both your arms and legs around him, holding him against you. The both of you gasped for air and lay in the soft clover, safe inside his magical shield.

He rolled on his side and kissed you. “I don’t know what to say now.”

You laughed. “It’s okay. This was a little… sudden.”

“Do you regret it?” He asked.

“No, of course not,” You said. “But I do think we should talk about what this means for us.”

“How so?”

“Well…” You sighed. “I’m all my dad has, and I know you don’t want to leave your family.”

Cetzu frowned. “I don’t know. I still feel an imbalance. I want to find a way to fix it.”

You sighed again but nodded. “I know, and I don’t know if I can help you. It’s like Feera said: it’s something you’ll have to figure out on your own. As much as I want to help, I don’t think it’s my place to assist in that.”

“Maybe not,” He said, taking your hand and kissing your palm. “Should we… stop this?”

“No! I mean, I don’t want to,” You said. “I care for you very much, but we both have responsibilities we can’t ignore.”

“So what do we do?” He asked, holding you closer.

“Perhaps we should slow down,” You replied thoughtfully. “This is new for both of us and we should take time to explore it. There’s no reason to jump into a life-long commitment right away. We could court each other, visit each other, still go on the merchant trips together. A long distance courtship could be… romantic. And it would give us both time and room to figure things out. What do you think?”

His grip around you tightened again, but he nodded. “As much as I’d like to be with you all the time, I think you’re right. There are factors in our lives that we can’t brush off. Your father needs you, and I need to find what it is I can do to feel like myself again. It may take time.”

“I know,” You said sadly. “It frustrates me, but it’s part of who you are, and if I’m to love you, I must love all of you, even the frustrating parts.”

He smiled at you fondly. “Heaven only knows how you put up with me.”

“It’s not easy,” You teased. He tickled you breathless.

You stayed there for the rest of the day, making love again, and when the temperature began to drop, signifying the coming of nightfall, the two of you cleaned up and dressed. He dismantled the shield spell with a wave of his hand and the two of you began the walk back to the farm, holding hands.

Thus began your new and uncertain courtship.

Since my work is no longer searchable, please do me a favor and reblog this story if you enjoyed it. Help me reach a wider audience!To help me continue creating, please consider buying me a Kofi, becoming a Patron, or donating directly to my PayPal!

Thanks for reading!

My Masterlist

The Exophilia Creator’s Masterlist

[janiedean]

Ahhh if it's possible for the Springsteen Birthday Extravaganza, I keep thinking how I would love a Moonlight Motel/JB fic SO MUCH but maybe with a less sad ending (yes I am still on my Western Stars bullshit after an entire year)

That would be AMAZING, but if fic inspo is not striking then otherwise an analysis of Atlantic City would make me v happy ❤️❤️

Thank you thank you thank you and happy Bruce Birthday Extravaganza!! 🎉🎉🎉

(ALSO have you heard his weekly radio show because it's absolutely lovely?)

NOW THE FIC IS IN PLANS/INCOMING/MAYBE BEING USED FOR JBWEEK so hold out for that but meanwhile I’ll be delighted to give you atlantic city which I’ll link in my favorite live version Ever u_u

background for the new people: AC is the leading single from bruce’s masterpiece nebraska from 1982 (original version here), most known for a) its stripped down nature b) the bleak nature of the songs and AC was the first single most likely because it was one of the few palatable songs in that sense as it has a very catchy refrain and it’s not as Dark™ as most of that record, but still, not a walk in the park song either. on to it:

Well they blew up the chicken man in Philly last night Now they blew up his house too Down on the boardwalk they're gettin' ready for a fight Gonna see what them racket boys can do

not counting that according to me ‘they blew up the chicken man in philly last night’ is a masterpiece of an opening line, we need to unpack the context here because there’s quite some and as usual, bruce being a Good Lyricist, he gives you everything you need to know in the beginning. first thing: the chicken man in question was a philadelphia mafia boss named philip testa who was indeed blown up by its rivals in his house in 1981 (thanks bruce for the american history trivia that gives me a culture in random local criminals), so we know that chicken man being blown up in philly is what starts the entire story we’re about to hear.

now, ‘down on the boardwalk’: there’s no boardwalk in philly but there’s an extremely famous one in atlantic city, which for anyone not in the know is the gambling capital of new jersey and a fairly large crime hub, therefore now we know that the mafia boss being dead in philly means repercussions in atlantic city and that the ‘racket boys’ will do something about it in revenge. so far so good. Now there's trouble busin' in from outta state And the D.A. can't get no relief Gonna be a rumble out on the promenade And the gamblin' commissions hangin' on by the skin of its teeth

on to stanza two... ‘trouble busying in from out of the state’ means that pennsylvania criminals are getting into nj or the consequences are spawning across two states, which means the situation is so bad that all the police involved are in a hard time (the DA can’t get no relief, the gambling commission is hanging by the skin of its teeth) while a rumble on the promenade is in the works, most likely a bad clash between gangs that has to do with gambling which, AC being a gambling central casino city, would indeed be the logical consequence.

Everything dies baby that's a fact Maybe everything that dies someday comes back Put your makeup on fix your hair up pretty And meet me tonight in Atlantic City

now, refrain: we’ve moved on from large picture to small picture where we have one person talking to his girlfriend (baby/put your makeup on) who tells her to meet him in atlantic city, so we can presume that it’s where either of them live or work or usually hang out... but the first two lines are pretty damn haunting though they give an idea of death/rebirth in the sense that yes maybe everything goes to shit but it can go back to good at some point so it’s not absolutely bleak, so: our guy is in a shit situation, he’s seeing maybe a way out, he wants girlfriend to meet him in AC, so far so good.

Well I got a job and tried to put my money away But I got debts that no honest man can pay So I drew what I had from the Central Trust And I bought us two tickets on that Coast City bus

we find out what went on immediately after, as in: our guy had a job, tried to save money, couldn’t, has debts most likely with the mafia or crime because no honest man can pay them (they’re probably gambling-related at this point) - now, he could pay them up (which he can’t) or take his money from the bank and run, and buy *two* tickets, so: he’s in debt with the mafia, he wants to run, he wants his gf to come with, and we have again the refrain asking her to come with him... and then we get to the bridge:

Now our luck may have died and our love may be cold But with you forever I'll stay We're goin' out where the sands turnin' to gold now Put on your stockin's cause the nights gettin' cold and Everything dies, baby, that's a fact but maybe Everything that dies someday comes back things between narrator and gf are not in a good moment of their romance (their luck has died and their love is *cold*, same as in a lot of bruce songs where the couple isn’t young and in love anymore but has gotten to the stage where both of them are cold with each other but are still together), but he swears he’ll be with her forever so he’s still loyal to here regardless of anything, to the point where he promises her they’re going ‘where the sands turn into gold’ which suggests they’re going to the beach/somewhere warm... which lasts for not long because then he tells her that the night is getting cold, so they’re going nowhere warm and the sense of doom keeps on never quite going away, also thanks to the everything dies/someday comes back repetition outside the refrain. Now I been lookin' for a job but it's hard to find Down here it's just winners and losers and don't get caught on the wrong side of that line Well I'm tired of comin' out on the losin' end So honey last night I met this guy and I'm gonna do a little favor for him

now we’re closing on the end: narrator is looking for a job but he can’t find it and says that the only thing you can do to survive ‘down here’ ie in AC is being on the winners’ side or you’re out, and then he says he’s tired of being on the losing end... which means that he didn’t eventually leave with his gf nor went to florida or the sea, because instead he met a guy and he’s going to do a little favor, so he’s gone from small time gambler to small time criminal and there’s no going back from it, which brings us to the vague optimism of the above part to bleak again..

Well I guess everything dies baby that's a fact But maybe everything that dies someday comes back Put your makeup on fix your hair up pretty And meet me tonight in Atlantic City And meet me tonight in Atlantic City And meet me tonight in Atlantic City And meet me tonight in Atlantic City

and at that point we go back to the refrain again which in this context doesn’t sound 50/50 which also is obvious from the music, in the sense that (especially in the live version) the last meet me tonight in atlantic city is repeated almost obsessively before it goes into the instrumental part that starts after each refrain, as if the guy is really trying to convince himself she will meet him or as if he’s trying to desperately convince her except that we can’t know if it’s going to work out the way he hopes to, if she’s leaving him or where he’s going to end up, but everything in the text suggests that he’s headed for failure... except that there’s that tiny sliver of hope that he won’t (very tiny) which makes it not the bleakest song on that record. which is probably not... not-depressing but still, in absolute tune with the rest of the record - which is all about people who lose their battles or don’t win them or try to do better by their circumstances and don’t manage to or don’t solve their issues, so it makes sense that in that context the guy ends up becoming a criminal, loses the girl and dies in some fight while wishing he went where the sands turn into gold, but you can still hope that she did meet him in atlantic city after all. personally I’m for the bleak interpretation but could be that I’m not wholly correct at the end of it ;)

[of-wrens-and-whirlwinds-blog]

Swings

Another commission for the lovely @auspiciousagape! This time from the view of their character Jayson! I hope you like it, friend! Commission info is here!

~

It was a very lovely summer night, and Jayson was in a bit of a bind.

Marcus had snuck out of the palace to spend the night with Jayson and his aunts—again. This was the third time in a month and Jayson was worried something was wrong. But he couldn’t just ask, now, could he? Not when any subtle question about the current state of the court made him flinch and change the subject in the wildest directions.

Jayson idly lifted his hand and scratched Marcus’s ear… then snatched his hand away as Marcus stirred and mumbled something about pizza in his sleep. A blush crept into Jayson’s cheeks, but Marcus wouldn’t see even if he was awake. His head was firmly planted on Jayson’s shoulder, and the young king himself was snuggled under Jayson’s arm. And since they had claimed the hammock for their star-gazing tonight, they were of necessity pressed together so tightly that it felt like they were melting into each other. Not an unpleasant feeling, with a cool breeze sighing past and the hammock gently rocking. But, well…

Jayson tilted his head back and stared at the moon. He was enjoying Marcus’s touch a little too much tonight. Maybe his friend wouldn’t remember this in the morning.

Friend. When would he get over the little pang of sadness that hit every time he remembered he was Marcus’s friend and nothing else? He hoped it would be soon.

Marcus smelled nice. Like warm earth and honey.

Jayson tried to remember when he’d first started having a crush on his friend. It was when they were young, certainly—back when they were both shy and nervous and really just wanted someone to be close to. But he couldn’t really even pinpoint a specific year. It had just… happened. And then Rosalia had very kindly pointed out that he was being a doofus again with his own feelings.

He smiled crookedly, remembering the brief moment of panic before he’d accepted it. Of course. Of course this flush of warmth and joy was particular to Marcus in a way other than dear friendship. An empath surrounded by love and care every day, and he couldn’t figure himself out.

His hand rose again without his knowledge, petting Marcus’s head and scratching his ear. Marcus let out a sleepy purring sigh and shifted to press closer. Jayson’s heart stuttered, but he reassured himself it was just instinct. It didn’t mean anything. They were friends. No more, no less.

~

“A pox on the chamberlain and his ilk,” Marcus muttered, slumping in his chair next to Jayson’s at the breakfast table. Jayson ladled oatmeal into a bowl and passed it to him.

“Eat, you need your strength. What’d he do this time?” Jayson asked, starting on his own oatmeal.

Marcus groaned and rubbed his face with both hands. “He wants me to have more footmen. More! Four is terrifying enough, why do I need more?” He dropped his hands and perked up, looking at Jayson hopefully. “Hey, Jay, can you send a pox to him?” he asked eagerly.

Jayson shoved his shoulder gently. “Healers can’t breed sickness,” he retorted, ignoring the little flush of warmth at the nickname. “And even if I could, I wouldn’t. He’s a fusspot but he doesn’t mean to hurt you.”

“Hmph.” But Marcus didn’t insist, just started eating.

Aunt Celeste reigned over the breakfast table while Aunt Lydia bolted her food and hurried out with a mishmash of words that were probably meant to be a goodbye. She was late to her shift for once and while Aunt Celeste seemed concerned, Jayson understood the need to be to work on time. Even five minutes could make a difference for someone in need.

Marcus watched Aunt Lydia go with longing. “She’s lucky she likes her job,” he muttered enviously, then darted a frightened look at Aunt Celeste, who just frowned at him.

“Hurry up and finish so I can walk you back to the palace,” Jayson said firmly. Marcus scowled but obeyed.

~

Sometimes the little moments annoyed Jayson. When he’d look at Marcus and the light would be on him in a certain way and his ears would be at an angle and his face would be cheerful or thoughtful or stormy or sad, and Jayson would get a little pang of longing. Someday, he’d tell himself, and then have to squash that thought before it got in the way and made him say something stupid.

Sometimes the little moments were so absolutely precious to him, usually when Marcus smiled at him, yellow-gold eyes shining as he watched Jayson heal or talk to his cat or start singing whatever song was in his head. There would be this bloom of warmth in Jayson’s chest and he’d have to stop and take a breather and smile back.

Someday, the voice in the back of his head whispered wistfully. Someday, I’ll tell him.

But that just wasn’t practical. And what if Marcus was targeted by more bigotry, or even actual subtle revolt within the court?

And Marcus seemed to be getting more and more agitated. One minute he’d be practically snuggling with Jayson as they laid on a blanket and watched the stars, the next he’d be wriggling away and pretending to find a different angle to look at the sky. Jayson began to worry Marcus could sense Jayson’s emotions, because the stepping (or wriggling) away always came after a slow bloom of warmth and love that left Jayson breathless. It was… upsetting.

Sometimes he’d feel that bloom while Marcus wasn’t looking, and when Marcus turned to him, Jayson had to avert his eyes because he couldn’t really think of an excuse for staring at his best friend with a small, sad, hopeful smile.

Rosalia said he was being an idiot.

“Just tell him or something,” she ordered in exasperation as they wandered a local arboreal garden. “You’re getting annoying with the way you look at him like a lovesick puppy until he turns around.”

“I’m not that bad,” Jayson objected, feeling his ears flatten in shame.

“You are, though.”

Moth, surprisingly, was the next person to say something.

“You know Marcus likes you back,” she said softly while they were folding linens in the House’s laundry room.

Jayson jumped, then hurried to gather the sheet he’d just dropped. “No he doesn’t,” he replied, too flustered to ask how she knew Jayson loved Marcus at all.

“Then why does he give you presents all the time and hang out with you?”

“He’s my best friend.” He said it firmly, but there was a hint of unhappiness in his tone. He’d been trying so hard to convince himself that all of Marcus’s little kindnesses were just his usual sweetness, the kind that he showed everyone—but now Moth had planted the seed of doubt.

No, surely not.

Jayson continued to visit Marcus, despite the glares and sweet-toned insults from the courtiers and even some of the servants, because he just couldn’t stay away. The pure giddiness he felt seeing Marcus grin at him in relief after a long day of being king was something he just couldn’t get enough of. Sometimes it felt like there were two tones to it; a yellow tone and a brown tone. But surely that was silly. Surely Jayson was the only one feeling giddy every time they smiled at each other.

The first week where Jayson was busy with a flu outbreak that was being strictly monitored by hospitals and Houses alike, he was fine, though he did miss his friends outside the House, Marcus included. But as the outbreak continued, and he, as the healer most needed for the worst affected, was kept at the House to make sure he was on call and not contagious, the strain of staring at the same walls every day and only getting to wave to people not busy with this outbreak started to tell. He was never snappish or rude, but his mind wandered more and more easily, and distressingly often, he found himself longing to walk through the markets with Marcus. Maybe hold hands. Marcus didn’t mind walking arm in arm; maybe hand-holding would be okay too.

But there was work, and he was needed, and his frustration with the persistence of this illness kept mounting.

Finally, new cases were no longer coming in, and the first to fall ill were healthy enough to leave. Jayson cast small, slow healings on each of them, to make sure they would stay strong enough for the next few days for the last dregs of illness to leave them. He never missed their relief, their gratefulness, even when some scowled and claimed they didn’t need it. Proud, most of them, too proud to admit they were still in recovery. But they were safe now.

Jayson grew tired as well as frustrated, and finally the head Healer told him to go to his room and sleep for as long as he could, and eat as much as he could, to rest and replenish. Jayson protested, but he was still only a junior Healer, so he bowed to the head Healer’s wisdom and went to lie down. He expected to lay awake for an hour or more. Instead he fell asleep in five minutes, and slept for the whole night.

When the last patient was cleared, he rejoiced—until he realized he now had a backup of other patients. Damn it.

Marcus visited him at the House five days after the last flu patient was discharged, carrying a takeout box of…

“Squid rice!” Jayson gasped, delighted, and jumped up from the bench he’d been resting on. “Marcus you are a live-saver!”

Marcus blushed and grinned. “Least I could do,” he demurred, and returned Jayson’s enthusiastic hug just as fiercely.

They settled on an out-of-the-way bench in a hall down by the linen closets for the long-term care patients, and Jayson attacked his meal with glee, while Marcus sipped a juice box. Jayson had barely been allowed some toast and an apple that morning for breakfast; an early lunch of his favorite savory food was an absolute joy. He hummed happily to himself and leaned on Marcus, who leaned back. Marcus still smelled like earth and honey.

“Thanks for this,” Jayson said, when he was halfway done and already mourning the end. “I didn’t get much breakfast.”

“You should eat more,” Marcus muttered, poking Jayson’s side. “You’re too thin.”

Jayson laughed and leaned his head against Marcus’s. The warmth was so intense he thought he might choke on it, but it felt just as good as a full stomach and a full sleep, so he didn’t care. “I’ve always been this thin, Marcus.”

“Hmph. Eat your rice.” Was Marcus flustered? Jayson couldn’t tell. He took another deep breath of Marcus’s scent, subtly, and sat up straight again to continue eating.

When he was done, they just sat together. Somehow Jayson’s arm ended up around Marcus’s shoulders, and Marcus was snuggled against him again.

“Remind me to bring you your birthday present next week,” Marcus murmured. “I had it made special so it’ll be late, but I hope you’ll like it.”

“If it’s from you, it’s certain I will,” Jayson replied with a chuckle, squeezing Marcus’s shoulders gently. This felt so nice. Holding him. Sitting quietly and holding him and feeling the two-tone warmth and giddiness. He didn’t really want this moment to end, not for a long time. It was… nice.

I’m in love with you, he wanted to say. Marcus, I’m in love with you and I understand if you want to stop being friends but I’d like to stay by your side. I love you so much.

Instead, Jayson said softly, “Do you want to come over for dinner tonight?”

Elation filled him as Marcus pressed closer and said happily, “Yes, absolutely! I would love that, Jay.”

Jayson closed his eyes to better savor the rush of warmth. Yes. He could handle not saying anything. As long as they could remain close, that was all he needed.

[msaluna]

MUN / MUSE :

Name Mun: Go by the name of Ray. Use to be known as Thirst Master, currently too busy to keep that title but hope to someday remind you all of my power.   Name Muse: Luna Eirian, named after her mother according to her father. Eirian means "bright, beautiful" in Welsh. 

Age Mun: 29 (be 30 next April) Muse: 26

Gender Mun: They & Female pronouns Gender Muse: Female

Occupation/Student Mun: Freelance illustrator & graphic designer. Color Assistent for @thepurpah​‘s WebToon Suitor Armor. (Commissions are currently closed)  Occupation/Student Muse: Researcher for the Mystery Skulls paranormal investigation team, local witch at Sun & Moon’s Fortune (a potion / fortune telling shop), and ex-crypt hunter. 

Height Mun: 5′5″ Height Muse: 5′3″ (Yeah, she smol what of it?) 

Best Friend? Mun: There’s too many to count both IRL and online ^^’ (same)   Best Friend? Muse: Ella from @littlemediumella​, Onyx @askmilomsa​, and Lucan @nerv0usm3chanic​ at the moment. 

Boyfriend/Girlfriend? Mun: Single, but have plenty of love from my friends.  Boyfriend/Girlfriend? Muse: She has a poly relationship with @askmsanelson​ and @askmilomsa​ in one AU. In another she is dating @nerv0usm3chanic​‘s Arthur. She had a crack ship with @threeskulls​‘s Midas XDD!! Not many others have tried to date her I think? At least not recently. She is pan/poly if you get curious.

Relationship with Family? Mun: I feel like I only know my direct family members and maybe one or two of my outer ring of family. Even get along with my brother, we can even talk politics and religion topics without it getting heated. So very blessed to be raised by them and feel chill with most sensitive topics, as for the rest of my family...honestly, I am okay with not seeing them as often. Seeing as I have a low tolerance for bigotry.  Relationship with Family? Muse: Luna has only a few family members that truly knows about her. That is her father and her uncle (no posted information on him yet cause he is developing.) And Luna wants nothing to do with her father. Being completely separated from both sides of her family, Her only ‘family’ would be the close friends she has. Even adopting Ella as a sister. 

tagged by: @bluescarfvivi​

tagging: @nerv0usm3chanic​, @askmilomsa​, and @askmsanelson​. But only if you want to. <3 

[pixieungerstories]

Housemates 16

Vinny rushed in from her homework session at the library, she pounded up the stairs to drop off her books then back down to Bazur’s office to get the grocery money for the day.  He always had cash in an envelope waiting for her.

Today, he was on the phone.  He waved her over to the couch.  Vinny sat but bounced nervously, she was cutting it close to catch the bus.

After a while, she heard the bus go past and she stopped bouncing.  Bazur was explaining the history of a property.  He finally just referenced the local history room, said good day and hung up.

The phone had barely clicked off when he said, “I’m ordering in Thai for supper and I want you to quit your job.”

Vinny was floored.  “What?  I…  Have there been complaints?”

Bazur frowned at her, “Your other job.  I closed a six million dollar real estate sale last week.  I make three per cent commission.  I will give you a raise so that you can afford to just work here.”

Vinny blinked.

Bazur continued, “My calculations say that you are working three, three hour shifts and two eight hour shifts a week at the cafe.  That’s twenty five hours, call it ten dollars an hour.  I will give you an extra four hundred dollars a week to quit.”

Vinny was stunned, “Why?”

Bazur grinned, his stone teeth were both pointy and slightly coated in black.  “You are one of us now and we take care of each other.  Plus, you keep Kevin in line.  That is no small job.”

“I-” she stopped. She wanted to say, ‘you don’t have to do that,’ or ‘I’m fine,’ but really the only thing she could say was, “Thank you, Bazur.”

“You are welcome, Vinny,” he said seriously.  Then he grinned again, “Plus, you will make an excellent tax deduction.”

The thai was quite good.  Vinny was happy to have the night off.  

Derick walked her to class before heading off to work.  She told him about Bazur’s offer.   He was pleased.  “Please tell me you are going to quit at the cafe.  No more rude customers.  No more frantic running back and forth.  Just… let us help, please.”

“I’ll give my notice at my shift tomorrow,” she promised.

Derick relaxed a little, “Good.  How is the lab going?”

“It’s ok.  The prof is kind of a jerk, but I’m learning a lot.  I’m hoping to get a job as a research assistant next year, so this kind of practical experience is great.”

“I’m surprised you only have one lab to be honest.”

Vinny shrugged, “I will have two next term.”

Derick nodded, “Think you will go for your masters degree?”

Vinny considered this, “Someday, maybe.”

----

The lab just made Vinny tired.  She was surprised to see Tristan waiting for her when she finally got out.  Tristan and Stuart.  Great.  This time she didn’t even try to engage Stu.  “Hey!  Tristan!  Let’s go home.  I’m tired.”

Stuart opened his mouth to say something, but Vinny had already turned toward the park and started walking.  Tristan hurried to catch up.  It was a dark and misty night.  Walking through the abandoned, unlit park full of trees gave the walk a horror movie vibe.  Vinny was ignoring it.  Tristan was vaguely uneasy.

“He’s an asshole, isn’t he,” the minotaur whispered, more for something to say than anything else.

“Yes, he is,” Vinny agreed.  

They walked in silence for a while.  

“Vinny?”  Tristan waited until she was looking at him before he continued.  “Um…  If you aren’t working this Saturday, would you come to a trade show with me?  It works better if I have a human along.”  He hesitated for a moment, “I could pay you-”

“Nope.  I’m good.  I would love to.  I’m scheduled to work, but I’m sure I can get someone to cover for me.”

“Thank you,” the relief pouring off of Tristan was palpable.

“That bad?” Vinny asked.

“So much worse than the grocery store,” he agreed.  “They all assume I’m the hired muscle.  No one believes I own a business.”

“Ugh.  Don’t worry.  I’ll set them straight.”

“Uh… actually, I was hoping we could good cop/bad cop them into better wholesale deals.”

Vinny froze.  Then she laughed.  “That sounds like fun.”

It turned out work didn’t want any notice.  In fact as soon as Barry saw her letter of resignation, he fired her on the spot.  Vinny then dug in her heels and wanted that in writing.  He got pissy, scribbled ‘your fired!!!’ on a napkin and threw it at her.  Vinny snickered at his spelling and gave it back to him to sign.  Once he did, she left.  

Of course the bus had just been.  She sent out a group text explaining what had just happened and to warn the guys that she would be home as soon as she could catch the next bus home.  Then she sent a smirk emoji and the single word ‘pants’ to Bazur.

He texted back as a blushing emoji.  

Kogan also texted back that he was in the neighbourhood and would pick her up in five minutes.  Vinny sat down on the park bench in front of the cafe to wait.  She wasn’t there very long when Barry came out and threatened to call the cops because she was loitering.  Kogan pulling up, climbing off his noisy oversized bike and coming to loom next to them put a crimp in Barry’s temper tantrum.

Kogan’s insistence that, since Vinny was fired, she get severance was not well received.  Nor was his offer to have his lawyer call corporate headquarters to get that arranged.  Vinny gave his arm a tug.  “We should just go,” she insisted.

Kogan narrowed his eyes at Barry.  “Sure.  But I’m not letting this guy take advantage of you.  Only fair to let him know that and give him a chance to do the right thing.”

Kogan, however didn’t take her home.  No.  He took her to a bar.

“What’s up, big guy?”

“I need to talk to you, but I’m so inherently shy and demur that I need a shot of courage first,” Kogan answered.

Vinny just laughed.  That was not how she would have described him.  It was an orc bar.  That was… unusual.  Vinny hadn’t very been to one and from the looks on the patrons faces, they didn’t get many humans in here either.  It was dark and old, but had beautiful Edwardian high ceilings and millwork.  It was just that everything was slightly yellowing.  You could tell that this place had been in operation since well before the indoor smoking ban.  Kogan put his hand gently in the small of her back and led her to a table near the bricked up fireplace.

An orcess came over to the table and completely ignored Vinny. “What can I get you Kogan?”

“A pint of Guinness and a glass of Heineken.  Thanks, Maxine.”

Vinny was curious that the waitress knew Kogan by name but couldn’t figure out how to ask about that without it sounding like she was implying either that all orcs knew each other or that he had a drinking problem.  She knew that neither was true so she just let that go.  She was sipping her beer when Kogan finally said, “I have a good pension.”

She blinked, “Um… congratulations?”

He shook his head, “I know how hard you work.  I’m really sorry you got fired. I could top up your salary at the house.”

Vinny wasn’t sure what to say to that. “Um…” She would have thought that Bazur would have told the guys about his offer.  Maybe he hadn’t.  Maybe he didn’t want them to know.  “I made other arrangements, Kogan.  I wouldn’t feel right about taking your money.”

“We take care of each other, Vinny.  Please let me do this,”  he was so ernest and worried that Vinny got a little choked up.

“Thank you, Kogan.  I think you should talk to Bazur before you do anything.  I will be fine.”

He fumbled in his shirt pocket and pulled out something that he handed to her.  It was a credit card with her name on it.  “I added a second card to my account for you. For emergencies.  In case you are ever stuck somewhere and need a cab or you have unexpected expenses.  Or anything.  It had a thousand dollar limit on your card, so you won’t accidentally bankrupt me, but if you need it, use it.  I’ll take care of the payments and you won’t have to pay be back.”

Vinny was flabbergasted.  “I.. I don’t know what to say.  I can’t-”

“It’s for emergencies,” Kogan stressed.  “Don’t say you can’t accept it.  Take it.  If you don’t use it, that’s fine.  But if you are ever stuck, I want you to have a way out.  Orcs are tribal.  We are used to large family groups.  I think of you as family.  I want to make sure you are safe.  Please let me do this,”  he repeated that last line with a look of intense pleading in his eyes.

Vinny nodded.  “Thank you.”

Kogan nodded, “Good.”  Then he finished his beer.  He nodded at her again, “Don’t rush.  I need a moment with the owner before we go.”

Vinny took a sip of her beer.  Kogan headed over to the bar.  Maxine came over to clear his glass and wipe the table.

This time she looked at Vinny.  “Kogan’s pretty old school.  I’m not sure you understand that he is treating you like one of his spouses here.”

“What?”

Maxine just shrugged.  “Orcs have group marriages.  Not like humans where one guy takes a few wives.  Actual group marriages.  Several males, several females, no one knows (or cares) who fathered the children, group marriages.  Look.  This is me telling you don’t fuck this up.  Kogan is well liked in the orc community.  He’s going to ask us to keep an eye on you.  If you are leading him on, just break it off now.  If not, well, you found a good one.”

“Um… Thank you?” Vinny really had no idea what to say to that.

Supper was already in the slow cooker, so she didn’t have much to do when she got home, so Vinny headed up to her room to research orc group marriages.  She was barely settled in when Derick knocked on her door.

“I hear it didn’t go so well.  I’m so sorry.”

Vinny waved him into her room, looked to see if Kevin was in the hallway then closed the door.  “I had the weirdest conversation with Kogan.”

“Oh?” Derick asked.  If Vinny had been paying attention, she would have noticed the look on his face as he said that.

“Yeah!  Um… He gave me an emergency credit card.  Then the waitress at the bar said Kogan was treating me like one of his wives.”

“Huh.  He finally worked up the nerve, huh?  He’s been carrying that thing around in his pocket for a couple of weeks already.”

“Derick!  She said I was like his wife!”

Derick considered that.  “I doubt it.  Orcs don’t have a word for wife.  They have a word for spouse, but it translates to ‘adult I live with and may sometime have casual sex with,’ so I have a hard time believing he would have called you his wife.  As for the spouse part, everyone else in this house fits the definition, so I don’t see why-”

“But I’m dating you!  I can’t have sex with Kogan!”

Derick just looked puzzled.  “I would never insist on that!  I mean, I would much prefer you didn’t sleep with anyone outside of the family, but -”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes.”  He looked at her shocked face and sighed.  “I completely understand that monogamy is great for preventing the spread of disease and knowing who the father is.  But those are human concerns.  None of us are going to be able to get you pregnant.  If you turn up pregnant, we would all come together to raise the baby.  And really, as long as no one is playing favourites, there are a lot of advantages to living in a pack.”

Vinny stared at him and then sat heavily down on the bed.

“I… I don’t know what to say.”

Derick just shrugged.  “You don’t have to say anything.  It’s your decision.  I’m not going to pressure you into anything.  But if the thing holding you back is some catholic idea that I want you to be faithful, well, you need to understand that doesn’t really apply to these guys.”

“Derick?  Are you sleeping with them?”

He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.  “I was, before you got here.  Since we’ve been together… well, I’ve been off limits because we weren’t sure how you would feel about sharing.”

Vinny felt like her brain just shorted out.  “I don’t know how I feel about sharing!”  She was quiet for a moment.  “I never even considered that it would be an option.”

Shrugging, Derick replied, “It’s up to you.  No one was expecting to even like whoever we got in here.  Turns out we all love you in our own way.  If this is going to make it weird, or make you want to leave, then don’t.  I’ll never bring it up again.”

“I… need some time to process,” Vinny admitted.

“That’s fair,”  Derick replied.  “Anyway, if you are OK, I’m going to go set the table.  Dinner smells amazing.”

Vinny nodded absentmindedly as he left.  Yeah, she was going to need some time to think.

------

The landscaping trade show was interesting.  Tristan had given her the heads up on what he was shopping for.  Then, as it turned out, all he needed to do was step back and let Vinny take care of it.  He didn’t even need to bad cop.  She would smile and flirt and put her hand on the sales guy’s arm.  She would put up with them talking to her like she was as idiot.  They would give her a ‘special deal, little lady’ then offer her 10-30% less than Tristan was used to paying.  In the end, she got contracts for everything on his list for the year at a substantially lower amount than he had been hoping for.

It was dark and raining by the time they ran out to his truck as the show was shutting down.  Tristan held open his coat to try to cover them both until he lifted her into the cab.   He climbed into the driver’s side and reached around to the back seat to grab a towel.  He scrubbed off his face where his hair was longest, then turned to look at Vinny.  “You were amazing.  Thank you.”

She smiled at him and reached out to push his hair out of his face.  Then she stopped and looked horrified.  Tristan tried to ignore how much that stung.

“I am so sorry!  I just became another woman touching you without asking.”

Tristan paused, “You aren’t some woman touching me.  You are my friend, VJ touching me.  It’s different.”

Vinny blushed.  “Can I borrow the towel?”

He handed it over silently.  She tried to dry her hair a bit.  Despite their best efforts her t-shirt was soaked and sticking to her in places.  “I was going to take you out for dinner to say thank you, but maybe we should go home and dry off first.”

Vinny nodded and did up her seat belt.  Neither one of them said much on the ride home, but when Tristan parked in the garage, Vinny caught his arm before he got out of the truck.  “Is it true this whole house is one big open relationship?”

Tristan coughed, “Sort of.  I mean, I don’t trust my dick around Derick’s teeth and I’m pretty sure Bazur is ace, but.. Um.. I guess.  Sometimes.”

Vinny chewed thoughtfully on her lip for a moment,  “I would be OK with my friend Tristan touching me too.  I know you don’t.  Except for helping me in and out of the truck, you don’t ever…  Anyway.  You don’t have to be careful with me, and I promise not to try to take advantage of you.  If friendly touching is ok, I mean.”

Tristan smiled softly. “I’d like that.  It was really nice have cuddles after a bad day.  It would be great to even just curl up and watch a movie sometime.”

“We can still get take out and do that, if you want.”

Tristan grinned, “I’d like that.”

----

Vinny was comfortably dozing on Derrick’s chest.  She had her hand in his shorts and was cupping his dick.  He liked that and over the last few weeks it became their default sleeping together position.  It was extra nice that Derick was spooned up behind her with a hard on pressed against her back.  She wasn’t awake enough to understand the incongruity there.

Derick looked up at Tristan, who was sitting up in bed enough to watch Vinny’s hand in his shorts, and whispered, “Sorry.  It’s kind of our thing.”

Tristan grinned, “I can understand why.”

[drinkupthesunrise]

Okay, Luke/Wedge, Leia or Han gives Wedge some romantic advice. (They can give Luke advice too, or not, or one can advise each one, or whatever you want to do with it.)

In which advice is given, Wedge has insecurities (what’s new) and Luke gets into mischief, and Han and Leia try their hardest to get these two idiots together.

Also on ao3, because let me get my prompts organised early on this time :D

“Hobbie’sdown on injury,” Wedge tells Leia, barely able to keep a groan ofagainout of his statement, “sowe’ll be here for a couple of days before medical clears him. It’llgive High Command a chance to work out where they send us next.”

Leiarefrains from pointing out that High Command have a list ofdestinations for the Rogues a mile long, planets in which theirparticular skills would be highly valued. That, and the fact thatsince yesterday’smeeting of High Command, Leia herself no longer has a say in militarydecisions – Mon is attempting to untangle the confused web of theAlliance’s upper echelons, separating out the soldiers from thepoliticians, as she moves it to a democratic republic.

“Acouple of days rest time will do you good,” is what Leia does say.It would do them all good, frankly, but Leia at least has managed toclaw a little time away with Han, a honeymoon of sorts, since Endor,and she’s almost certain Wedge hasn’t. They’d managed to gethim to stop for a few hours on Endor, to join the celebrations, buteven the next morning he’d been up working, sorting through dutyrosters and taking on the duties of the squadron leaders who had diedin the attack.

“It’lldo me bored,”Wedge replies. “Especially if you get your way and lock me out myoffice.”

“NowWedge, why ever would you think I’d do that!” Leia bats hereyelashes at him, the picture of innocence, as if she has not, infact, done exactly that in the past. “I’d lock you out the hangartoo, if I had my way, but you and your pilots will be needed forpatrol.”

“You’reno fun.”

“Andyou work too hard.” Leia stabs him in the chest with her fingerbefore he can retort back that she does too. “I have Han – atleast, when he isn’t off flying missions – and I’ve actuallyused some of the leave that we’re all due. Which is more than I cansay for you.”

Wedgemurmurs something Leia doesn't quite catch, and runs a hand throughthe back of his hair, almost abashed.

“Thewar’s over, Wedge. We can all finally move on with our lives. Havethings we couldn’t have before.”

It’snot like Leia doesn't knowthat Wedge does want things. She saw the way his eyes tracked Luke atthe celebration on Endor, gaze steady with desire. And she’soverheard a few of the Rogue’s drunken odes to Commander Skywalker,and well… Wedge isn’t being nearly as subtle as he thinks he is.

“Warain’t over yet.” Wedge, always the pragmatist, might betechnically right, but he’s missing the point.

“Thewar is ending,which amounts to the same thing. We’vewon. Which means you ought to start thinking about what you want thatisn’tStarfighterdrills, squadron command, or endless datawork.”

Leiaand Han had both hoped, when they’dseen Luke tug Wedge aside on Home One in the week after Endor, thatmaybe they’d sort this damn thing out between them. But whateverthey’d talked about, it hadn’t changed their relationship oneiota.

“Justbecause you got your happy ever after with Han, doesn’t mean thatthere’s one of those waiting for the rest of us.” Wedge says thiswithout any malice – Leia knows that he’s happy for them – butit is said with the slightest hint of despair.

“Youknow, you could just ask my brother out. I’m sure he’d bereceptive.”

It’sworth it to see Wedge choke, sputter, and almost trip over his ownfeet. Leia sighs. Men.Useless, the lot of them. Well, apart from Han, but he’dtaken his sweet time to get his act together – though so had she,so she guesses she can’t blame him too much.

“Idon’t—” Wedge stops short of a denial when he sees Leia’sarch glare directed straight at him. “I don’t have time. Hedoesn’t have time. He’s half a galaxy away and he’s going tostay half a galaxy away for a bloody long time while he tries to sortthis Jedi business out and I’m not going to get in the way of that,Lei, I’ve got a job here and besides—” Wedge takes a deepbreath, trying to dam the flood of emotion that’s breaking forth.“He doesn’t even like me that way.”

“Youknow, I wouldn’t be so sure about that if I were you.” Leia isn’tthe only one who’s noticed that Luke treats Wedge differentlyto everyone else. She would bet good money on Luke’sinterest being romantic, even if he too, is being wilfully ignorantof the whole thing.

“Don’ttease Leia.”

Aquick-fire response dies on Leia’stongue as she regards Wedge’s despondent face. “I’m not,” shesays, openly and honestly, leaning across her desk to put her hand onhis arm. “You really do like him, don’t you?”

Wedgenods mutely, too afraid to open his mouth for fear of the flood ofemotions that would come rushing out.

“Thenlet’s get started on a plan.”

.

“Kid,you look like you’ve taken a dive into the oceans of Krellin Six,what in blasted hells happened to you?”

Gopick Luke up, Leia had said. Escort him back to the fleet. Well, shehadn’tsaid anything about him turning up on the Falcon dripping wet,covered in goodness only knows what filth. Chewie roared a louddisapproval at the smell emanating off the boy.

“Alocal lady didn’t take particularly kindly when I didn’t respondto her advances,” Luke explains, pushing his dripping fringe awayfrom his eyes.

“Andyou couldn’t think of a polite way to reject them that didn’tinvolve—” Han waves at Luke to get his point across. “Force, Ithought the Jedi were supposed to be diplomatic.”

“Weare.” Luke gives a cheeky little grin, quick but bright enough forHan to catch.

Chewieroars again, and Han says: “He’sright, y’know. Go get in the refresher before you stink up theentire ship. We tossed a bag of your stuff in before we left –you’ve got fresh clothes under your bunk and don’t you dare comeback until you’ve changed into them.”

“Yessir.”

Hansighs – he should have known from the very first moment in MosEisley cantina that the kid would be the death of him someday – andturns back to getting the Falcon away from this planet and the sortof woman who would attempt to drown a Jedi Knight for not dating her.By the time they’veshot away into Hyperspace, on course to rendezvous with the Fleet,Luke has managed to get himself out the refresher, into some cleanclothes, and is towling his hair dry in the middle of the Falcon’scommunal area.

“Bleugh.”Luke makes several sounds of discontent as he surveys the state ofhis hair. “This is going to take days to come properly clean.”

Hanpulls a chair out and sets it down backwards, sitting on it so he canrest his arms against the back of it. “Wellyou know the solution to that. Don’t do anything that would getyourself dunked in whatever the hell it was.” Honestly, Han doesn’twant to know.

Lukedrops the towel back around his shoulders. “Whatwas I supposed to do? Lead her on?”

“Sometimesisn’t the worst thing in the world, if it’ll get you out of ascrape or two.” Luke isn’t exactly one for deception, not when itcomes to the personal at least, but it’s worth a shot. “Not likeyou got your eye on anyone, is it?”

Lukeblushes.

That’snot a surprise. Han knows full well who it might be. He and Leia havelong harboured suspicions about the true nature of Luke’s feelingstowards Wedge Antilles. Han had a comm message from Leia the otherday, confirming that their suspicions were true – at least as faras Wedge was concerned.

“Spill,kid.”

“It’snothing.” Luke dismisses Han’s concerns in a flat voice, but Hanhasn’t been friends with the kid for all these years withoutknowing when Luke’s lying.

“It’ssomething.” The fair dusting of pink on Luke’s cheeks is turninginto a fierce bright red. Han’s only seen him this embarrassedonce, when a Rogue prank war got out of hand and Luke got caughtstarkers in one of the corridors by Mon Mothma herself. “Hmmm, whocould it be?” Han pretends to muse on the identity of Luke’scrush. “You haven’t fallen for Lando’s charms, have you? Can’tsay I blame you there. Or that Gold Squadron pilot, Wexley – thoughhasn’t she resigned her commission? Can’t see that going anywherefast. Or who’s that new recruit of Wedge’s, the girl with theshaved head—”

Lukecan’tcontrol his reaction to Wedge’s name, the bashful downwards glance,the darkening of his cheeks.

“Comeoff it Luke, I know it’s Antilles.” Han skips the teasing. “Youaren’t his commanding officer anymore, there’s nothing stoppingyou from making a move.”

Lukeflops against one of the Falcon’sbenches. “He’s not interested – and before you say anything,I’m not imagining things, I tried.”

WhateverLuke thinkshe did, it clearly did not get the intended effect across, becausefrom the sounds of Leia’smessage, Wedge has been pining away for quite a while now. Han haswitnessed a few of Luke’s attempts at romantic escapades. Smooth,the kid is not. Luckily, he’s cute and with enough natural charmthat that’s never usually mattered.

“Tellme what happened, because I’ve got good evidence to the contrary,and quite frankly kid—” Han eyes Luke up, bashful and withdrawn.“You don’t exactly have a good track record on this sort ofthing.”

.

Thereis a window of approximately eight hours after Han arrives with Lukeback on Home One before Wedge departs with the Rogues on a missionthat Leia, much as she has triedto beg Admiral Ackbar in the name of love, cannot get him out of.

Still,it’senough time to trap them in a room together, force a confession, and,if they’re lucky, resolve some of the blasted tension that’s beenbetween them way too long.

“So—”Luke is sitting in the Falcon’s co-pilot seat, as the Falcon pullsinto Home One’s hangar as Han talks to him.  “You know whatyou’re gonna say to him?”

They’vetalked it over on the way back, exactly how Luke went wrong the firsttime. (And oh boy, Han knows that Luke is not a wandering innocent,he’s heard the tales from what the kid got up to on Tatooine, butLuke has no idea how to make a pass at someone. Add to that Wedge’sobliviousness and general blind spot when it comes to the idea thatLuke Skywalker might, actually, want to kiss him, and it was a recipefor total disaster.)

“Iknow.” Luke gives a sage little nod.

Hanconcentrates on bringing his ship into land – for once, shecooperates perfectly, and they’rethrough landing procedure before he knows it. Han leaves Chewie to doa run through on the Falcon’s systems – check that none of thegunk Luke brought back ends up contaminating anything – and followsLuke down the ramp.

Lukescans the hangar, as does Han. He’sprepared to cuff Luke by the arm and drag him over to Antilles if hehas to. But Luke picks out the correct dark-haired, orange-cladpilot, and sets off in their direction just as Han notices Leiasidling up to him.

“Heysweetheart,” Han drawls, pleased as ever to see her.

“Youthink they’ll sort it?” Leia asks, casting a glance over in Wedgeand Luke’s direction. Wedge still hasn’t noticed Luke, tooconcerned with checking something in the innards of his X-Wing.

“Well,Luke and I made a plan.” Luke has to tap Wedge on the shoulder toget his attention, and the man staggers out his X-Wing lookingslightly perplexed, but pleased to see Luke. “They’re gonna gosomewhere and chat— oh.”

Hanis cut off in surprise as Luke grabs Wedge by the shoulders andpushes him back against the X-Wing and kisses him.

Leiaarches an eyebrow. “Itake it that was notthe plan.”

“Well,it was words and then the kissing, I think the kid missed a step.”

Wedge,after his initial surprise, has curled his hands into the back ofLuke’sJedi tunics and is kissing back, so no one can say that it wasn’teffective.It goes on for long enough that Han is almost concerned for Wedge’sair supply, but they do part, Luke leaning his forehead againstWedge’s. There are a few whispered words between them, then anotherkiss. And then, possibly aware that the entire hangar is watchingthem – and that Wes and Hobbie are not entirely subtly exchangingmoney – Wedge tugs Luke away, down a corridor, hand in hand.

Leiaturns to Han, looking up at her husband. “Well,dear, it seems we might have been successful, even if they didn’tquite follow our advice.”

Onlytime will tell that, but it’sa start at least. Han reaches out, catching Leia by the waist andpulling her in. “You know Princess, I think they didn’t have theworst idea.” He leans down to kiss Leia, just once, before tuggingher off in the same direction – which also happens to lead toLeia’s own suite of rooms, and well, now that Han has fixed hisbrother-in-law’s problems, he hasn’t seen his wife in two weeks.

Andhe’llbe damned if he lets Wedge and Luke have all the fun.

[bigtinyworldtravel]

We’ve finally made it!!  Welcome to Day 1!  We’ve been planning this trip for about three years now, and it’s always been something “out there” in the future.  Now it’s here.

It’s been a whirlwind of emotions for us, especially over the past month.  This is what it really feels like to completely uproot your life and take the leap into the unknown.

Anticipation

By the time you read this, we’ll likely be in the air, just beginning a 38-hour journey to a continent rich in life – the source of humanity and home to some of the most fascinating and majestic animals on the planet.  I’ve always wanted to visit Africa.  I can’t wait to see all of the photography opportunities: wildlife, dunes, tribes, landscapes, trees, sunrises, stars – squee!

And that’s only one aspect.  Then we’ll have the people and culture, the food and hikes.  It’s unlike any place I’ve visited; I can’t wait to discover it all.

And that’s only one country!  Europe will be entirely different: cities and architecture, history and art.  Then South America: sweeping landscapes and breathtaking mountain ranges, ruins and llamas!  Southeast Asia: people and beaches, food and scenery.  And finally, to Australia and New Zealand (a second visit for me and new territory for Aaron): unique animals, coastlines, reefs.

This all lies ahead of us, and we’re excited for every moment of it.

Worry

But at the same time, we’re worried about all the little things.  Do we have everything we need?  Will we be able to get the things we don’t?  What if something goes wrong?

We could drive ourselves insane with worrying about all the unknowns, but in the end, we recognize we can only plan for so much.  Not everything will work out according to plan, so we have to be willing to be flexible.  And some things will inevitably go sideways, but we try to anticipate what might happen, and protect ourselves as much as possible.

Safety is a legitimate concern, so we’re doing what we can to not make ourselves look like targets.  We’ll try to blend in with the locals and avoid anything that makes us stand out as “rich tourists.”  We’ll protect our valuables with “pickpocket-proof” pants and slash-resistant backpacks.  We simply aren’t bringing our (sentimentally) valuable wedding rings (and we got placeholders, instead).

We’re also checking, double-checking, and triple-checking that we have all the items on our packlist, that we have all necessary cords for charging electronics, and that we don’t accidentally bring something out of habit we didn’t intend.  In places where we might not have cell service or even an outlet to charge our gadgets, we’re bringing hardcopy backups.

I am also extremely protective of my pictures.  I’m going to be carrying them around with me for the entire year we’re gone, so I have to do whatever I can to make sure they survive should something happen.  I am taking with me two hard drives.  They will be duplicates of each other, and they will never be stored in the same place; if I lose one, I’ll still have the other.  I’ll be backing up to the cloud, as well, but that will only work when I have internet access.  And my camera has dual SD card slots, so my camera will save pictures to both.  After every shoot, I’ll remove one and keep it on my person.  If my camera is stolen, I’ll still have the pictures.

We can only do so much, and in the end, we know we can’t worry about every little thing.  Life will come as it comes.

Saudade

We are leaving a lot of things behind.  We love our lives in Portland.  We love the food and the quirkiness, as well as the outdoor opportunities and beautiful Pacific Northwest environment.  We’ll miss the trees and waterfalls we know so well.

We’ll also miss the friends and family with whom we discovered them.  As a military brat, relationships are very important to me.  For someone who has never missed it with my family, Christmas will be very different for us this year.  However, we hope some of our friends and family will come travel a bit with us.  And we know the time will pass quickly and we’ll see them again soon.

The hardest separation, though, is from our kitties.  They are our children, and we love them to pieces.  Leaving them is very difficult.  We’ll miss having them meow at us for breakfast each morning or having them snuggle with us with purrs at night.  I’ll miss Holee lounging in my lap.. or Mochi rolling around on the floor.

But I also worry for their happiness.  They won’t have us around anymore – to pick them up or brush them, to give them pixie kisses or butt scratches.  Sure, they are in amazing hands, being fostered by my parents.  But they’re still different humans to the kitties.  Our girls have been adjusting pretty well, but Holee still can’t stand the other resident feline (Dolce), and Mochi is out-of-her-mind terrified of the puppy (Elee).  I wanted to see them get more comfortable with their new environment before we left, but it takes time.

Stress

Who would have thought there’d still be so much to do even after we moved out of our apartment?  Believe it or not, we’ve been a flurry of activity here in this final month.

We had to order the last remaining pieces of our travel gear.  I was missing a shirt here, a hard drive there.. We needed our collapsable water bottles and our Namibia map.  And then we had to pack it all.  And weigh it.  And make some sacrifices.  And repack.  And reweigh…

We wanted to make copies of our passports and laminate them.  We had to finish the signup process for Servas.  We had to look into travel health insurance and get our last travel rewards credit card.

Aaron has been planning the next phase after Africa (how does Latvia sound??) and making Couchsurfing requests.  I’ve been sprucing up the website.  We now have a customizable packlist you can download when you sign up for our newsletter!  And did you notice our adorable new logo??  I’ve also been signing myself with a software freelancing agency so we have an income option while abroad (though I hope we don’t need it).

Digitally, I’ve also been making sure I have access to all my most important (and pretty) photos.  That all necessary backups have been made, hard drives are appropriately stored, and software updates have been made.  It’s a lot to think about!

And we’ve been settling the kitties in their new home.  Encouraging them out into the rest of the house, despite the other animals in the household.  Rescuing them from under the couch.. and from behind the washer and dryer.. and from on top of the cabinets.. and from inside the pantry….  Establishing them at a local vet and acclimating them to new household mealtimes.  Poor kitties have been through a lot.

Disbelief

Speaking of getting used to things, even though we’re literally in transit, we still don’t believe we’re doing this.  It’s always been something we’ll do “someday.”

Honestly, aside from all the hype we’ve been placing on this thing (and aside from orders of magnitude more planning involved), this has been just like any other trip.  Book flights, pack bags, plan activities… none of that is different.  We’re just planning many little trips back-to-back…-to-back-to-back-to-back.

We haven’t quite grasped the fact that this will be our new life.  I suspect it still won’t really sink in until at least two or three weeks in, when we finally realize we’re not going home anytime soon… when it passes the point of a normal vacation.  I also think we’ll treat the first few weeks much more like a vacation – going out to eat more, packing in activities, go-go-go-go-go-go-go… until we just wear ourselves into the ground and force ourselves to slow it down a bit.  There will certainly be an adjustment period before we settle into a rhythm.

Pride

Regardless of the other emotions we’re feeling right now, we can’t help but feel a sense of accomplishment that we’re actually making this happen.  We’ve heard so many people say they wish they could do what we’re doing (and we believe if it’s something you really want to do, there’s nothing stopping you!), but few actually do it.

We took the leap – as scary as it is – and we put it into motion.  That’s the hardest part!

Now, we love sharing our story with others, and we can’t wait to share this journey with you.  It’s all ahead of us.  It’s a new beginning.  It’s just getting started.

We are excited, nervous, a little homesick, overwhelmed, surprised at ourselves, and thrilled.

“It’s a new dawn; it’s a new day; it’s a new life…. and I’m feeling good.”

How do you feel leading up to a big trip?

If you like this post, please help us grow by liking it and sharing it on social media.  We also welcome your comments below – we would love to hear from you!

Don’t miss out on new posts!  Follow our blog for new posts every week.

Disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links.  If you purchase using any of these links, we receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.  This helps us keep traveling and bringing posts like these to you – everyone wins!

There have been a lot of #emotions leading up to our trip #aroundtheworld. We're finally in the air... and this is how we feel about it! #longtermtravel #worldtravel #travelanxiety #coupletravel We've finally made it!!  Welcome to Day 1!  We've been planning this trip for about three years now, and it's always been something "out there" in the future. 

[kristinastorey27]

Raise Money to Start Your Business by Selling Your Real Estate for Cash

  Raise Money to Start Your Business by Selling Your Real Estate for Cash

Are you looking for ways to raise funds for starting your business? If you own a piece of real estate that’s been more of a money pit than a cash cow, you might want to consider selling it for cash.

  Why Should I Sell My Real Estate for Cash?

Maybe you’ve been holding onto a piece of real estate for, let’s just say, sentimental reasons. Is it the home you grew up in? A piece of land you once planned to build on if some ever-elusive “someday” were to arrive?

It makes little financial sense to hold onto a piece of real estate that’s costing you more money than you could ever hope to make from it. Time and weather do take their toll, after all, and maintenance is an ongoing concern, to say the least. If you’re dealing with a house that was constructed several decades ago, for example, one minor repair can reveal another more costly or even urgent one, turning what you expected to be an inconsequential outlay into a major expense.

On the other hand, selling that property the traditional way adds even more expense, in the form of commissions to realtors, costly repairs, appraisals, bank fees, and the like.

But if you can find yourself an honest-to-goodness cash buyer, you might do well to make a deal with that person.

Traditionally, cash sales of real estate take place quickly—usually within days—and require little or no cash outlay from the seller. What that means to you is that you could have the money you need to start your business within a very short time—and be on your way as an entrepreneur.

  How Can I Find Cash Buyers?

In order to get the best possible cash deal for your real estate, you’re going to have to do at least some of the footwork. You can’t just sit back to wait and hope that a cash buyer will find you, because you’re ready to move now.

Place an ad in your local paper or in the local real estate section of an online listing service such as Craigslist, that reads something to the effect of, “Cash Buyer Wanted – Motivated Seller.”

Also, put yourself out there on social media and let people in your circles know you’re looking for someone with cash in hand for real property you are enthusiastic about selling quickly.

You might also want to consider putting your real property up for auction in order to attract buyers who will be in competition for what you have to offer, and therefore end up with a better deal.

  Will I Have to Settle for Less Money?

Know beforehand that you’re probably going to have to sell your real estate for less than market value, but when you consider all the fees and expenses you won’t have to come up with, you still could be getting a great deal.

Then, too, what you’ll be getting in return is a speedy transaction. Most likely, you’ll have your cash in hand within days.

  What Should I Watch Out For?

Real estate has been made out to be the Holy Grail of all investment opportunities—with good reason. At the moment, massive amounts of cash are flowing through the industry.

Cash house buyers have been making bank and then some. Some of those buyers are ethical and some are not. How do you tell the difference? How can you avoid unscrupulous scammers ready to prey upon your supposed innocence?

For one thing, make sure your buyer has all the agreed-upon cash in hand before you close the deal. Some dodgy buyers insist that sellers sign an option agreement, locking them into the deal for as long as six months. Then they scramble for investors to come up with the cash, leaving you holding the bag for weeks or months instead of the mere days you were counting on.

Others use the time allowed them with an option agreement—which is almost never a good deal for the seller, by the way—to place the property on the traditional open market, making a killing when they finally sell, but paying you only a fraction of what the property is actually worth.

Time waits for no one, and you know it. If getting your business off the ground is your prime motivator, selling your real estate for cash could be the key to the door to your future.

  from Business Opportunities http://www.business-opportunities.biz/2017/04/16/real-low-investing-real-estate/

[ask-de-writer]

FORTRESS CANTERLOT!  (Part 1 of 3), An MLP Fan Fiction

Return to the Master Story Index

Return to MLP Fan Fiction

FORTRESS CANTERLOT!

Part 3 of the TRUE HISTORY OF EQUESTRIA!

by

De Writer  (Glen Ten-Eyck)

© 2017 by Glen Ten-Eyck

11936 words

Writing begun 03/29/14

All rights reserved.  This document may not be copied or distributed on or to any medium or placed in any mass storage system except by the express written consent of the author.

///////////////////////////

Copyright fair use rules for Tumblr users

Users of Tumblr.com are specifically granted the following rights. They may reblog the story. They may use the characters or original characters in my settings for fan fiction, fan art works, cosplay, or fan musical compositions. I will allow those who do commission art works to charge for their images.

///////////////////////

Prologue: This tale takes place about 3000 years in the past of the modern MLP canon. During this time, Celestia and Luna are still fillies, though close to grown physically. The events here recorded are the foundation of the modern legends of a time when unicorns regulated the heavens.

This story takes place roughly two hundred years after the events of FROM DARKNESS TO DAWN.

.

For more background information on the canon of this tale, please read:

De Writer and the Orb of the Ages

From Darkness to Dawn

De Writer’s Tale (a narrative poem)

The Coming of Tam O’Canter and Heather Bloom O’Red Hoof to Ponyville

Hearthwarming Eve / Starvation’s Night

De Writer canon (part 1)

De Writer canon (part 2)

PART 2 is HERE     PART 3 is HERE

/////////////////////

“Shove off!  Your kind ain't wanted here!” Snapped a burly unicorn.  The others at his back where whickering assent.  “Not wanted.  We got the locals paying us and you ain't horning in on our game!”

Celestia looked at the pale green unicorn as if he were an ugly but interesting bug.  “OUR KIND? What kind is that, exactly?  We are trying to leave.  You told us to halt.  Make up your mind, if you have one.”

Luna ignored them entirely.  She partly raised her right wing and scratched with a hind hoof at her wing root.

The old white bearded blue unicorn with them raised a lip on the left side and spat expressively on the ground between the two groups.

He chuckled mirthlessly and it seemed like he flickered in place several times.  Giving the pale green leader of the group a sideways look, he said quietly, “You can quit trying to delay us until your ponies are in position, SUNLORD.  Your assassins are unavoidably delayed.”  

His horn glowed briefly and a small pile of weapons and camouflage cloaks floated out of the woods to their right and landed in front of the group's leader.  The knives snapped down into the ground point first, driven into the earth all the way to the crossgards.  The crossgards were so close to his hooves that the metal of them clicked against the Sunlord's solid hooves.

Celestia turned her head to look at the blue unicorn and said, “Well done, father.  Did you have to hurt them?”

Luna stopped her scratching to say, “Knowing father, no.  They are not injured.”  She bared her teeth in a grin and added, “Embarrassed, yes.  Probably very embarrassed.”

Striking an obviously fake innocent pose, De Writer said, “Who, me?  Why would I want to embarrass somepony?  Surely the simple fact that they were trying to murder us where we stand is no provocation for such an extreme measure!”

Then he stopped pretending.  In a stern voice he demanded, “Sunlord, or whatever you want to call yourself, YOU get out of our way or I shall have to get unpleasant.”

He started forward with such assurance that the green unicorn backed up a few steps.  Realizing what it must look like to his followers, he stopped and tossed his head impressively as he prepared a huge aura of green magic about his horn.  Releasing the blast, they all watched horror-struck as it enveloped the old blue unicorn.  The very ground where he had been standing smoked from the force of it.  There was no visible trace of his target left.

Just behind the Sunlord a quiet voice said flatly, “You missed.”

As the Sunlord started to look around, he was hit solidly in the rump by a powerful double hoof buck.  He pitched forward face first into the smoking dirt.  The unbelieving green unicorn had to blow earth out of his nostrils before completing his look behind him.

With a twisted lip sneer, the old unicorn's blue magic flared almost gently.  The so-called Sunlord's front legs sank into the turf, all the way up to his barrel.  The soil firmed up around them, a pale blue fleeing away from the affected dirt.

Another flare of blue, again, not seeming to be strong at all, lifted his hind quarters up by the tail. He was set down, hind legs sinking in into the turf up to the hocks.

“There.  Now you have all the dignity that a confidence artist deserves.  We will be on our way!” Stepping close, the old unicorn bent his head down to be on a level with the struggling “Sunlord.”  He added, with a meaningful snap of spark-like blue to the rump, “Unless you WANT me to hang around. Being a teacher of of fractious foals has taught me LOTS of other fun tricks!”

The “Sunlord” demanded, “At least have the decency to use those crazy wings of theirs to fly away!  Don't let our followers see those flank marks!  Those ain't painted on!  Besides, those fillies are an obscenity!  They are deformed!  Their horns are too long!  They got wings!  Their legs, everything about them is wrong!”

Celestia and Luna both gave the entrapped “Sunlord” a look of disapproval.  Gracefully, they stepped close.  Celestia tilted her head disdainfully.  “I will have to tell mother Skyglow, the Titan of Life Creation, that her work is a deformed obscenity.  We have the absolute authority of the Sunlord on it.

“That aside, you mentioned horning in on your game?  With a title like Sunlord, I am guessing that you ponies noticed that the heavens were fixing themselves.  You decided to use it to convince the locals that they had to pay you to keep the heavens in order?  Quite a scam.  What have you done, set yourselves up as some sort of priests?  Got a Temple?

“This could be fun.”

Even buried up to his barrel, rump upraised, Sunlord tried to gather his magic again.  A sharp snap of blue magic, just under his tail, spoiled his concentration.

De Writer reminded Celestia and Luna, “Come, my daughters, we have wasted enough time with this oaf and his followers.”

They nodded agreement and trotted away down the grassy, stone wall lined lane after their foster father.  Going deeper into the lands of the “Sunlord.”

Behind them there was a considerable commotion as his followers tried to free the Sunlord from the ground.

Luna commented, “I never saw that trick with the dirt going soft before.  Did you ever have to use it in the school, father?”

Looking back over his shoulder, De Writer replied, “Nope.  The foals that I was teaching were better behaved than that fool.”

Luna smiled at that.  “Even Reacher, when you stuck him to the roof beam by the hooves for a while was better than that Sunlord?  That is funny.”  Suddenly, she started to cry.  “He was in Evanescence.  He died trying to protect his family.  I could not save any of them.”

Celestia's large white wing gently enfolded her black as midnight sister.  Gentle many hued magic added its comforting touch.  Blue magic joined it.

De Writer said gently, “We all tried to save them.  The invaders were too many and the attacks too well planned.  Even those that we did not care for, like Reacher, we tried to spare.  We all failed too many times.  We did the best that we could.

“You cannot do better than your best.  It was not your fault that Reacher or his family died.”

Sniffling some, Luna replied, “I know that.  I keep hoping that if I tell myself that often enough, I will believe it, someday.”

Softly, Celestia agreed, “We all hope that.  As fast as father can be, he was not fast enough either.  We all lost so many.  The only consolation that I have is that we did save as many as we did.”

Behind them, a twig cracked.  Two Alicorns and an old blue unicorn whirled about in combat readiness, magics gathered at their horns.

Unnecessary.  It was a young, though grown, brown unicorn.  He had a flank mark of a pair of scales balanced across a sword's edge.  He said carefully, “I am called Justice.  I can hear the difference between truth and lies.  That is my talent.

“When you said that your mother was the Titan of Life Creation, you were telling the truth.”  He hung his head and said, “I followed the Sunlord because, though he is a liar, he was bringing something of order to the land.

“We desperately need some kind of order.  Since we came here, a lot has gone wrong.  Our leaders told lies about the rich, empty land.  Hungry bellies wanted to believe them.  

“Some of us have found the remains of dead ponies out in the brush and forests.  Others found strange jewelry and tools in the burned places that we were told were beacon fires.

Justice looked at them beseechingly.  “What I just heard confirmed the worst suspicions that any of us had.  Our leaders and their warriors took this land by sudden war.  We had no hoof in that.  I would follow you, if you will allow it.”

Justice abased himself before Celestia.

She regarded him carefully for a moment and asked gently, “Won't this break your oaths to the Sunlord?”

Justice replied with assurance, “No.  I would not take any oath of service to a liar.  I only followed him because he seemed to be bringing some order to this whole area.  The warrior pegassi are at odds with him and the other unicorns.  The earth ponies are being blamed for the crop failure this year but it isn't really their fault.

“We were all told that the big meadows of crop grasses and grains were natural and would just spring up on their own again.  When they didn't, somepony came up with the idea that Wendigoes, whatever they are, were ruining the crop.  They still blame the earth ponies for not protecting the crops better.

“I am afraid that it will break up into violence again, like it did where we came from.”

Celestia nodded her head and then turned to Luna and De Writer.  “Sister, Father, shall we take this pony, Justice, to our service?”

De Writer considered thoughtfully.  He took out the Orb of the Ages and muttered softly, “The future is forbidden.”  The Orb began its ghostly, pale green glow.  Scenes came and went within it so swiftly as to be almost invisible.  De Writer put the Orb away.

Turning to Celestia, he bowed in a courtly way and said, “This good pony speaks the truth.  If he says that he will be loyal in his service and do whatso we ask of him, then, yes.  We should take Justice to our service.”

Luna cast a pale web of midnight blue magic, set with pale stars in it.  The web settled over Justice.  He did not flinch.  Instead, he smiled.

Luna nodded too.  “I cast a dream web over him.  He had no nightmare, but did have a good dream of his hopes for the future.”  Standing proud, she raised her horn high and spread her impressive midnight blue wings.  “I say yes, Sister of the Sun.  Let us take this unicorn named so well, this Justice, to our service.”

Celestia raised up onto her hind legs, spreading her wings, her horn so high that it seemed to pierce the sky itself and said, “Justice, you have honorably sought out our service.  We, Celestia, Luna, and De Writer, Chronicler of the World About Us, are agreed.  Arise, and be, of your own will, Justice Truth Keeper.  The first of our followers.”

Justice rose from his posture of abasement and said, “If you will hear me, it would be wise to hie thee from this place.  The Sunlord, though not yet free, has sworn that you shall be hunted down and destroyed by his army of unicorns.”

Seeming to be utterly calm, Luna replied, “It will not be the first time that we have been hunted, nor do I expect it to be the last.”

Celestia looked over her shoulder at Justice and smiled angelically.  “If they are going to pursue us with an army, it would by only courteous to make it easy for them to find us.

“Good Justice, I shall carry you in my magic.  Dear sister, would you please fly father for us?”

The two young Alicorns took to the air in a thunder of hard driven wing strokes.  Both their foster father, De Writer, and their new follower, Justice, rose into the air along with them riding in safe cocoons of magic.

Celestia swooped gracefully to a landing on the steps of the Temple of the Sky, in a village called Morgan's Howe.  It was only a few miles from where they started.

As Celestia struck an impressive pose, Luna called out, in a voice just short of a bellow, “Citizens of Morgan's Howe!  Subjects of the false Sunlord and his henchmen!  Hear us!  He is pursuing us with an army. Join Him!

“You will see for yourselves the falsity of his empty words!”

They flew off before any could stop them.  They repeated the performance at every village that they passed near as they approached the mountain where we had rested on the way to the Sunrise Isles (for that adventure, read From Darkness to Dawn).

Worry in his voice and face, Justice asked, “Are you not raising a great army against you?  Will this not make it simple for the Sunlord to find you?”

It was Luna, her mane streaming like a dark flag in the wind of their flight, who answered.  “Father has not said much but he is wise. He taught us the the best way to win a battle is to not have to fight at all.  He also taught us that if you must fight, choose both the enemy and the battlefield.  We are doing all of those things.  You will see.”

//////// TO BE CONTINUED ////////