#I'm so sorry this took a bit

[akirakirxaa]

Soft prompts: 19. 'it made me think of you.'

[Soft Prompts here! Going with my Haurch Lives AU (one day I'll give it a better name than that) post-Endwalker. There will be spoilers, even if minor.]

Akira cracked open her eyes again. Though she knew time had passed, she had little way of tracking it with how erratic her sleeping habits had been while recovering. A nearby chronometer told her it was early morning, just past dawn. She was also disappointingly alone. Before she could spiral in worry that something had happened to pull her husband away, something bad, she noticed a small folded paper on her pillow.

Please do not worry, my love. I have gone to fetch more supplies as it seems we will be in Sharlayan for some time while you recover. I'll be back soon.

It wasn't signed, but she knew Haurchefant's handwriting well. Worries eased, she carefully rolled and pushed herself until she was sitting upright, wanting to get something to drink but now eyeing the space between her and the small eating area the annex as if it were an ocean she needed to cross. Though the rolling chair the Sharlayan chirurgeons had supplied her was next to her bed, her arms were still in too much pain to propel it herself. As the drowsiness of sleep receded, she realized she had overlooked a glass full of water (and a water jug full of more besides) on her bedside table. Relieved that someone had thought to make sure she would have something to drink when she woke, she drank down most of the glass in one gulping drink, not realizing how thirsty she'd been.

"Ah, you're awake!" a delighted voice called from the door, and Haurchefant bundled into her room with various packages near-tumbling from his arms as he clung to them. He tossed them on the table before crossing to her, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips before helping her into her chair and rolling it to the table for her.

"I've dropped most of what we need at the Leveilleur estate," he explained as he started opening some of the bags she was eying curiously. "Ameliance insisted you stay there instead, so that you might have assistance with anything you require even if myself or the Scions might be occupied." The first bag contained some simple breakfast foods from The Last Stand, warm eggs and crispy bacon and bagels. Relieved that her stomach seemed to be agreeing with her today, Akira dug in while Haurchefant started on the next bag.

"I was on the way back when I spotted this in the markets," he explained, unfolding what at first glance looked like a blanket. "It made me think of you."

While it appeared to be a normal blanket, upon closer examination it looked more like a backwards robe, with the arms sewed onto the solid area and the opening clearly meant to face the back of the wearer. She set her utensils aside and reached for it; it was made of some soft and warm material not unlike her favorite blankets from home.

"I know you get cold easily," he went on. "And it does snow here on occasion. I thought that, while you need the chair, this might be easier to put on and keep on than a coat or flat blanket." She ran her hands along the fabric again, unable to meet his gaze, confronted by both her frustration of her body being so beaten up that she would need it and how touched she was that he would find such a thing for her.

"It's perfect," she finally gave him a bright smile, though she could not quite hide how her eyes had begun to mist. "Thank you."

[lulu-draws-stuff]

How does that sound?

[cinnamon-flame]

Today I remembered that I made an flight rising account in 2021 (that I played for only one day and then I gave up cause it seemed too hard) and I logged in today to check it out again. Long story short I found out I had a lot of cash from somewhere apparently so I bought a couple of dragons for fun. As far as I'm concerned all the love is stored in the Aberration

[nadhie]

sewing Igneel [2014 redraw]

[caelanglang]

chuuya will go insane seeing dazai cry? zamn would pay to see that lmaoo

hi, i kinda went insane thinking and drawing about this one.

a continuation of the drunk fem!dazai post !

mini bonus:

update: now with extra here ~

[riddlerosehearts]

god i love how the twst novel characterizes trey and particularly what it does with his enabling of riddle's tyranny, how it uses this aspect of trey as a parallel to yuuya's intense anxiety and fear of confrontation and uses both of their characters to emphasize the consequences of avoiding conflict, and how you have to overcome that fear in order to do what's right, it's so fascinating to me and since i'm sure there are a lot of fans who haven't read the novel i wanna talk about it.

see, yuuya is written as someone who is so, so afraid of conflict that he doesn't let himself get close to anyone or even have any hobbies--he says he doesn't want to risk fighting with friends over a difference of opinion, and he's also afraid of finding something he's so passionate about that he doesn't want to let go of it, and having to fight to protect it. he practically avoids really living because he's just too scared of having to deal with any potential confrontation. throughout the novel there are times when yuuya wants to tell ace and deuce to stop fighting but can't get himself to say anything, and times when they ask him for his opinion but he avoids giving it so he won't have to upset anyone by picking a side. even when ace starts telling riddle off and calling him a tyrant at the unbirthday party, and everyone else is saying that ace is wrong, yuuya just stands there and does nothing--he knows he should have his friend's back but he freezes up, too terrified to speak.

and then trey... this will probably get a little long, so i'll put it under a read more, but oh, trey.

in book 1 of the game, when riddle has some poor student collared for not wearing pink to feed the flamingos, he tells trey and cater to escort the student away and they both just say "yes housewarden" and do it. in the novel, we have this additional moment:

notice how trey does not say this is okay, but he also doesn't exactly say it isn't. he doesn't really share an opinion on the situation at all, he just says there's nothing he can do, and then thinks to himself that he can't afford to think about it, can't risk letting riddle be pushed over the edge.

this is when ace, deuce, yuu, and grim then come in to ask trey about his friendship with riddle. in the game, grim asks him why he hasn't told riddle off already, given that he's the older of the two, and trey states that he doesn't think the situation calls for it because "these sorts of strict rules are what created riddle". but in the novel, it's deuce who asks trey "i know you're the vice housewarden, but you're older than riddle, right? wouldn't the housewarden listen to his elder?", and the way trey's response goes is a little different, with grim saying he must be scared of riddle and trey once again (well, twice actually) saying that he can't do anything about the situation:

he tells the rest of the group all about how riddle's parents are famous magical healers, how his mother planned out every single aspect of his life for him, how he obeyed every rule she set and had his signature spell mastered by age 10, and how riddle genuinely believes that the enforcement of strict rules is a service to his dorm members and he sees the violation of those rules as an inexcusable offense. grim wonders why this is and yuuya realizes the following, which is also a perfect explanation of why trey believes that standing up to riddle about his overly strict attitude would be rejecting him: "if riddle accepts that rules can be broken, then that's basically a rejection of his own self. because he was created by rules".

in both the game and the novel, trey then mentions that he knows how hard riddle's life has been and says he just can't bring himself to hold riddle's way of doing things against him, to which ace responds by telling him "so it's YOUR fault riddle is like this". but in the novel, yuuya is surprised because he didn't think trey bore any responsibility, and trey's response to the question of "you always thought what his parents did to him was wrong, didn't you?" is described like this:

it's very similar to the various descriptions throughout the book of yuuya desperately wanting to speak up but being unable to get the words out whenever there's any sign of conflict. clearly trey, like yuuya, is afraid, not necessarily of riddle himself but of having to hurt his friend by telling him he's doing something wrong, and in the novel ace calls him out on that:

(the dialogue at this part of the game is largely the same, but the sentences between "that's pathetic" and "you guys are supposed to be friends" are brand new).

and then, trey's response, or lack thereof is very telling:

what ace says to trey here even prompts yuuya to apologize to ace for not standing up for him before, because he empathizes with trey. he understands trey's inability to stop riddle, his fear of rocking the boat, the desire to avoid causing a conflict and upsetting his friend no matter what else happens, because it's exactly what he's been afraid of for his whole life. and as a result yuuya feels ashamed of himself and believes that ace was right to push trey the way he did. in response, ace tells yuuya that it's okay for him to not want to force himself into fights because, unlike trey, at least yuuya will tell ace if he thinks he's wrong.

but that's not enough for yuuya, who decides that he has to finally, finally stand up for ace and deuce when riddle has them collared and everyone is cheering for riddle during the duel. he walks right through the crowd and tells riddle that he doesn't even care who's wrong or right, he just wants the fighting to stop. it's a simple thing, but it's such a difficult step for him to take.

for trey, we know how this goes--just like in the game, he intervenes when riddle summons rose bushes to attack ace, because seeing his friend almost become a murderer is where he draws the line. in the novel, he also tells riddle that if this doesn't stop he'll only end up more and more alone. he reaches his hand out to his friend and tries to urge him to calm down.

of course, none of this goes the way either of them expected, and in the novel cater tries to get yuuya to agree that they should run from the danger of fighting riddle, but neither he nor trey will yield. so all of our main heartslabyul boys and ramshackle join together to find a way to win. and right after trey uses his magic to save cater from riddle, we get this dialogue:

and while what trey says after riddle escapes from his overblot state is basically the same as it is in the game, i think the description of his actions here is lovely:

and it may seem like a simple thing, to just be honest with a friend, but it's such a big step for trey to finally take with riddle, after spending so much time enabling his harmful behavior out of an incredibly flawed sense of loyalty toward him.

in the end, yuuya realizes that his way of living, spending his life stubbornly avoiding confrontation, had kept him from being able to make friends. similarly trey being so afraid of upsetting riddle that he hid his true feelings and let him do whatever he wanted, kept him from being able to be a true friend to him. they both learn to finally be brave enough to take action and to be honest with themselves and others, but yuuya mainly needed to learn the value of standing up for your friends while trey had to learn how important it is to stand up to them when necessary.

yuuya also says, after ace and deuce call him stubborn and opinionated, that he may have just hated bending his own principles more than he wanted to have friends, which i find really interesting because essentially part of yuuya's arc is to stop avoiding forming relationships with others for the sake of his principles, because true friends will have each other's backs even if they don't always agree on everything. and then part of trey's arc is to stop bending his principles for the sake of his relationship with riddle, because true loyalty goes hand-in-hand with honesty. and while i feel like you could figure a lot of this out about trey just by reading between the lines a bit in-game, i love how the novel really brings it to the forefront by making their arcs parallel each other like this.

[ineffable-romantics]

I have admired the work of the amazing @anotherwellkeptsecret for YEARS, following her originally from the height of my Sherlock obsession all the way until now where she has (to my delight!) crossed over into Good Omens as well.

She also just had a baby!!!! So partly as a congratulations, partly as a thank you for being such an artistic inspiration, and partly so I could practice my own digital art techniques and play with Procreate for the first time, I asked if she would allow me the privilege of coloring some of her favorite pages from her comics while she's on maternity leave. And she said yes!

But she asked me to pick my favorites instead. So I took her at her word and chose one favorite page from each of the ten comics I have saved and loved over the years.

Exactly two weeks later (and in no particular order) here is the final result!! I am so grateful to Kelley for letting me do this, and I have discovered so much about my own style and what I like (excessive lights, apparently lol). I hope you guys like them as much as I do, and please please please go support Kelley's tumblr and Patreon, she absolutely deserves the world. 💕

---

One Night in Bangor (And The World's Your Oyster)

(more art below cut)

Oh What A Night

The Losing Side

(Sequel to Oh What A Night)

Points Of Interest

(Sequel to Oh What A Night and The Losing Side)

Who Wants To Live Forever

That Certain Night

A Romantic Affair

(Sequel to That Certain Night)

As Long As We Both Shall Live

(Sequel to That Certain Night and A Romantic Affair)

Change Of Pace

Temptation Accomplished

[regheart]

Do you have any fic recommendations that are jily but also have a jily critical tone to them (like it isn’t bash-y, but just something that doesn’t depict them as perfect and shows some flaws in their relationship)? Thank you!

anon, i think you might suffer from the same anguish as me. i love jily (i really do!) but sometimes i get tired of romcom plots and enemies to lovers and school sweethearts and i wish instead that i had something to explore the gruesome reality of war or the suffocating boredom of hiding. or even, maybe, something that is more honest about the obstacles of their get together, that doesn't ignore snape or the different social standing between lily and james or the war

fluff and yearning are essencial to the ecosystem of a fandom, i just want to get the other stuff half as easy

so i picked a few fics that diverge a bit from the genre conventions of your typical romance fic, and instead deal with the more human aspects of lily and james as characters and realistic troubles they might have faced during the war

morbid little game by darkbluedark has james and lily discussing how all of their friends would die before voldemort got to them, which is the bleakest pillowtalk ever, but a darkly funny fic

i desperately need to reread like a rabid dog by emerqldv and catch up with the sequel, but i remeber being so captivated by the messy of being essentially a child soldier and just learning to live a life as an adult. beautifully written!

the art of dying by the_wig_is_a_metaphor takes some creative liberties with a brand of dark lily, and because james is the narrator there's a huge dissonance between the two of them. unexpectedly, this is probably one of the funniest fics i've ever read

pretty white smile by clarewithnoi is a story about jily getting together in school but there's so much about what lily faces as a muggleborn that just makes it more realistic and more interesting

one thing (or the other) by rougeatre is another lily centric work, this time focusing on her relationship with other women. the section on bathilda has the most interesting jily commentary imo!

privilege and prejudice by acciosalmon explores a landmark on jily's relationship affected by the bigotry of others "and a well-meaning fiancé ignorant of his privilege", a likely fault for james to have

and my last rec is an ongoing fic that has just started and i only finished the last published chapter this morning but i'm very very excited to see how it goes. an ever fixed mark by thestralsofspinnersend is a portrait of a complicated relationship in complicated times. lily and james both feel very human and the secondary characters (remus, mary and snape being my favorites so far) are rich and complex on their own

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Lan Wangji Goes To Lotus Pier AU: Part 3: Enveloping Feelings.

(Part 1, Part 2, Part 4)

[its-hai-time]

WE'RE SO BACK

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[dragqueenstarscream]

Personally, I'd kill for a Starop fic/ onshot where Starscream finally manages to cut ties with Megatron and it's just fluff of Optimus comforting him and assuring him it was the right thing to do, that everything will be ok for the both of them

-💌 anon

i wanna scream at the top of my lungs

tfp starscream x optimus prime

i've been waiting for an excuse to write something like this! i already have a fic like this planned for my monsterformers continuity, but let's do one for tfp because i just really want starscream to stick it to this particular megatron.

title comes from "lost in the ocean" by glass animals.

contains: established relationship, starscream leaving megatron, implied abuse, angst, fluff, optimus being a supportive partner

the night sky stretched on endlessly over jasper, nevada as the town slept below. apart from a few busy establishments, the people had turned in for the night. the same couldn't be said for the autobots, who were living it up in the omega base, passing around high grade and celebrating a hard fought victory.

away from them, though, sitting on a cliffside, sat one bot in deep contemplation.

starscream looked a mess. though ratchet had patched up his injuries, he still had filth packed into his seams and a smear of energon along his jaw. his thick brows were furrowed in concentration, as if pondering some impossible question.

but one thing stood out above all else.

starscream was alive.

he couldn't believe it himself, the more he thought about it. sure, the evidence for him being alive was right there; he could see the sky above him, feel the ground beneath his pedes, hear the night breeze swirling around his wings. but he felt as if it shouldn't be real. this existence, this reality was obviously nothing more than the dreams of a dying bot, and they would fade any minute now as he joined with the allspark.

but they never faded, and he never died.

the planet turned. the stars above passed by. the night grew shorter. the world moved on.

but starscream still felt stuck in place. mentally, whenever he lost focus of his environment, he found himself back outside the nemesis, daring to look megatron in the eye while his leader held his fusion cannon to his head. he couldn't bring himself out of that standstill. how could he? he was about to die. how could he move on when he was staring death in the face?

the stars drifted by overhead like ships on a glassy black ocean. a lone car drove by on the highway far below. the world moved on.

the sound of heavy thumps tugged starscream out of his thought spiral. for a moment, he thought that megatron had come to finish the job, but he knew the sound of his leader's steps from anywhere.

former leader. he had to keep reminding himself that.

"starscream?" a familiar rumble of a voice said from behind him. of course. it was optimus, doing his team leader duty, as usual.

"what do you want?" starscream grumbled, pulling his knees closer to his chest.

"ratchet told me i'd find you up here," optimus said. he came up on starscream's right and took his seat at the cliffside. the two bots stayed quiet for a few moments until optimus broke the silence. "how are you feeling?"

"how do you think i'm feeling?" starscream snorted derisively. "i'm now public enemy number one of the entire decepticon legion."

optimus only nodded, and his silence allowed starscream some more time to vent. "i can't believe i did that. i can't believe i actually did that. what kind of glitchhead says something like that?"

"what do you mean?" optimus asked, turning to look at starscream.

"what are you- i told megatron to go frag himself!" starscream exclaimed. "no one does that unless they have a death wish!"

"starscream," optimus started to say, but starscream wasn't done rambling.

"i should be offline," he said bluntly, getting up and starting to pace back and forth. "i shouldn't even be here. i told him off, and now, the entire decepticon legion will come for me."

"starscream," optimus spoke up, but starscream had more to say.

"why am i still here?" starscream asked, shaking his head, optics turned skyward. "i don't even know how i'm still online! primus, optimus, he had his cannon to my head! i can still feel it! and yet i told him to his face to stick it up his aft! how am i still here? how am i still online?!"

"starscream."

the stern tone of optimus' voice made starscream jump. he fell silent as he looked over to his partner, whose face was now fixed in a hard countenance. after a minute's quiet, optimus' face softened, and he began to speak again.

"you're scaring yourself with things that never happened," he said. "there's no need to be saying that you should be dead, because you aren't. you survived."

"but why?" starscream asked. "i still can't process it."

"because you were right," optimus said, "and megatron knew it. you may have been his second in command, but you were also his tool."

"what do you mean by that?" starscream asked.

"he used you to instill fear in the others," optimus explained. "you were an example he would set to the other decepticons. he needed you to exert his authority over them. now, with you gone, he doesn't have that weapon anymore."

"how do you know any of this? you weren't even there to witness it," starscream huffed.

"because i know that side of megatron very well," optimus sighed. "i know how ruthless he can be. you are not the only one he has hurt."

starscream didn't say anything. he knew the history that optimus and megatron had once shared. of course optimus knew what megatron was like. arguably, optimus knew him better than anyone else.

"i suppose you're right," starscream mumbled after an awkward silence as he sat back down, knees curled to his chest. it was the closest thing to an apology that he could muster at the moment.

"this was a long time coming," optimus said.

"too long," starscream grumbled, resting his forehead against his knees.

"either way," optimus said, "you did the right thing."

"by what? running?" starscream barked out a laugh. "i just did what i've always done."

"starscream, i was there with you," optimus said. "i saw what really happened. i saw you stand before megatron and choose to live for yourself, rather than him."

"optimus, i could've offlined where i stood," starscream snarled. "he had his cannon to my head!"

"and yet you stood your ground," optimus continued. "you made him back down. that takes incredible courage."

starscream huffed and turned his head away. "the only reason he left was because you were there to kick his aft if he tried anything," he sneered. in a quiet tone, he added, "that's the only reason i could stand up to him at all."

"starscream, no one else could've done what you did back there," optimus insisted. "and there is no shame in having someone to support you. i couldn't have made it as far as i have in this war without the autobots by my side. none of us have gone through this war alone, and no one is expecting you to do so." he reached out and wrapped his arm around starscream's waist, an invitation for a hug. "though we all have our own battles to fight, it doesn't mean we have to fight alone."

starscream sighed and moved closer to optimus, leaning into his touch. optimus gently squeezed his waist and turned to kiss him on his temple.

"do you remember what you told him?" optimus asked. "right at the end?"

"of course i do," starscream snipped. he took a deep invent, then said, in a calmer tone, "i told him, 'you need me, but i will never need you again.'"

"you said the right thing," optimus reassured him. "you won't ever have to go back to him again."

"you know he'll come looking for me," starscream huffed. "he doesn't like it when his prey gets away."

"if he ever comes back," optimus began, but starscream interrupted him.

"when he comes back," starscream corrected him.

"if he ever comes back," optimus insisted, "we're here for you." he squeezed starscream's side and said, "i'm here for you."

starscream chuckled and laid his head on optimus's side. "i know you are."

optimus smiled and kissed starscream again. "i'm proud of you, sweetspark. i love you."

"the feeling's mutual, you overgrown sap," starscream smirked, which made optimus chuckle warmly.

"the others are inside awaiting your presence, if you'd like to see them," optimus informed starscream. "i have to say, they're rather impressed with your bravery."

"as they should be," starscream joked. "not many people have told megatron to shove his cannon up his aft and survived."

optimus shook his head and laughed as he rose to his pedes. he reached one servo out to starscream, who gladly accepted and pulled himself up. together, the two autobots made their way back into the base, ready to return to the party bulkhead had set up for them.

the stars turned as the night passed on. wispy clouds drifted by. insects flitted back and forth along the wind. the world moved on.

and starscream knew, deep in his spark, that he would, too.

[jujutsukgojo]

Hey Nena, Can you write about Feitan or Chrollo Soulmate AU?? I fell in love in your writing when I read about it for the first time

hiiii and thank you! I need to freshen up on chrollo and fei :)

tw: illness, angst-ish, stalking (feitan), barely edited I'm sorry if it's bad

chrollo:

   He pulls the shoe lace one more time for good measure. In the mirror, he fixes the bandana around his head to cover the evidence of his life. The ink is a reminder that this shelter over his head and crisp, clean clothes on his back is nothing but a facade, a moonlight to hide what’s deep inside. That gnawing feeling of greed for the things he steals and gluttony for rolling in it. All of it taken horribly, brutally, bloody with sins left in its wake. 

  Except for you. The second he saw you, he knew that the flower that had been drawn on his palm since he was a child was yours. It was a time that the Phantom Troupe was hiding, and he went underground as he usually does after a job. You stood out from the corner of his eye, as bright as the sun. Suddenly, the flower began to bud out of his hand and its petals blossomed. As if he had used nen to conjure it. 

When he was a child, he was curious as to whose flower that was. He wanted to know all about soulmates, something that wasn’t really talked about in depth. Chrollo resorted to books about them and discovered that what was on his hand was your symbol. From time to time, he had found himself tracing the lines and giving a silent prayer. Alas, whenever his hands were soaked in blood and grime, he hated it.

  Then it happened. You were at the bus stop right across the street when a small book manifested from your arm. He had never seen someone so beautiful and as delicate at the flower that was now physically in his hand. You were looking down at the book with wide eyes. Both of you were taken back by the suddenness and of course, the meaning. You looked around frantically. Finally, Chrollo made eye contact with you. There were no questions about what was happening. 

  Chrollo straightens his tie and walks out the door of his borrowed house. Although it brings shade and comfort, he is also disgusted by it. Any time he comes around after committing a sin, he feels the need to cleanse himself before he sees you. However, there is no time for that. Before he spends even more time wishing and regretting, he has to go get you a gift like he always does. 

   When it concerns you, it is the only time he’s honest. Rather than snatch the beautiful custom bouquet behind the florist’s back, he buys them. Chrollo spends time planning and arranging the perfect flowers for you and even providing a vase he thinks you’d like. He does this every time he’s in town and always will. 

   Chrollo holds the flowers close to him, careful to not let a single one get damaged in any way. He enters the sliding doors and waves the lady behind the desk. Even though he comes and goes like a stray, the receptionists know him well enough to let him through to see you. Since it happened, he has been faithful with coming to visit you, from morning to night. 

  The doors to your room slide open. The very first thing spotted is you. In the hospital bed you sit to observe life below and wish for the air of freedom. One day soon, he’ll give you that. 

  “Darling?” You turn your head towards him. His chest flutters when he sees you breathe a sigh of relief when you see him. “Chrollo! You came to see me?” It has been a while since he has. With the Troupe, the Dark Continent, Hisoka, everything has distracted him from you. What a terrible, terrible excuse. Alas, it is an honest one. 

  “Beloved, of course I have,” He hands you the bouquet carefully. You’ve been sick for a while. He’ll never forget the day when he discovered you were sick. It was a heart wrenching agony to see you in pain. What he felt is nothing compared to what you’re going through. If it were done by a person, he’d scorch the earth and not give a damn.

  “How are you feeling?” He sits on the edge of the bed. He is cautious to not accidentally pull a wire or plug. “Better since last you were here! They’re lessening my meds, and I walked today!”

  Something so small makes you so happy. The light isn’t gone from your eyes despite your body weakening. “I’m proud of you, lovely.” He caresses your cheek as if you are a delicate artwork. You chuckle. “You don’t have to be so stiff, bud. I’m not dying.”

  “Absolutely.” He’ll see to that. For years he has been collecting healing and sensory abilities for you. Chrollo in his time has cultivated them, trained and increased them in hopes of curing and replenishing you. Finally, now that he has increased his level, he is able to mix them to create the perfect nen.

  You frown. “If you stole it, I don’t want it.” He cups your face. Your eyes are beginning to droop. He lays you down. “I-I’m not sleep-” Your eyes flutter as he goes to lay your head on the pillow. “I’ll be here when you wake up.”

  Two hours later, you awaken. Chrollo’s hand never left yours. You sniffle and try to stop your wobbly lip. “Chrollo, I’m so sorry.”

  What could you ever do to hurt him?

“For what?”

“You deserve better. I don’t want to weigh you down.” He kisses your hand. With a whisper he says, “I deserve nothing but was blessed with you. Don’t take it from me.”

  “Look at me! I can barely stay awake. Please, please go-”

“No.”

“Don’t waste your life on me. I can’t keep up.” Tears run from your eyes. “I’m not going.”

  “Why do you torture youself like this?”

He kisses your hand several times. “What will make you happy?” 

“You being happy. And I know you’re not. You’re not happy at all.”

Is he? He knows what being satisfied feels like and what contentment is. But being happy is fleeting, he thinks. Cheerfulness and excitement are something for the moment. Maybe he was happy when he still had his childhood innocence. 

  Happiness is a fleeting thing that people focus too much on. With you, it’s different. Yes, you can be exciting with your adventures and jokes; reading with you makes him content and it is something both of you like to do. He used to read to mimic the characters but you, darling you, told him to stop. Chrollo saw the world through ink until you peeled that thick layer away for him to see color. 

Beloved, you are his peace. With you, he has a sense of direction and all of those feelings before are rolled into one. It surpasses happiness since it lasts longer. He smiles more in the morning and waits for you to laugh first. Not for him to mimic you, to pretend to be someone he’s not, but because he is living. Chrollo is in love with you and has joy and knows you do too. 

   “I have so much more than happiness with you. Don’t push me away. I want to stay.” 

  He brings your hand to his face. He pleads to you softly though in his ears as the leader of the most feared organization, it is loud. “Let me stay.”

You shake your head. “You’ll leave soon. Do it now while I’m ready.” 

  That has so many meanings. He leaves you all the time to tend to the Spider and your sickness can take you, too. Are you ready for him to leave, or for you to? Chrollo’s eyes widen as the realization settles in. Your heart breaks when he goes. You always smile and tell him to be back soon. Never have you shown that you are in pain. 

  God, he’s an idiot. 

Maybe it’s true. Maybe it is time to disband the Troupe. He has more than enough to last for a lifetime and take care of you. The nen abilities he has collected over the years to heal you, to protect you. He knows that you will do the same as you always had. 

Yes, yes. It is time, isn’t it? Almost twenty years of this fight and his goal has been accomplished already. No one messes with Meteor City, Sarasa’s killers have been torn to shreds, he destroyed the footage and used his nen to erase it from existence, Hisoka is gone, and his friends have been avenged. All of this is already done. So, why not? Since he saw you, it was his dream and his sins were addicting. He’s ready now. 

   You unwrap the bandana from his head. “You get uncomfortable with this thing on, silly.” You ruffle his hair. “Don’t stay because of pity.”

  “I’d never.” He kisses your palm. In his own, another flower blooms. Your symbol comes out from time to time. Whenever he’s away and it appears, he keeps it to himself and never lets the enemy know. When he’s with you, he happily hands it over to you, praying you’ll accept it. It is reminiscent of his sins and transgressions being forgiven by a saint, a divine angel even.

“I can’t keep up, Chrollo.”

“Please trust me.” The Head has never begged yet here he is, on his knees to his soulmate, the half of his soul that’s worth saving. Your cold fingers wrap around the stem. The flower is vibrant and beautiful, just like you. This bed you lay on with a warmed blanket and tubes around you don’t diminish your beauty and strength at all. 

You cradle your symbol to your chest. With a genuine smile, he assures you with a conviction that is stronger than when he created the Spider. “Darling, I’m staying home.”

Feitan:

You take another sip of tea. The liquid warms you up against the chill outside. You close your eyes in an attempt to ignore the hair raising feeling of eyes on you. This has happened several times now and they last differently. The first time was years ago. It was so brief and a surprise because no one was there. You tugged on your parent’s hand for them to look around but there was nothing.

  It’s sporadic and the only thing they have in common other than the peeper, is how uncomfortable you feel. When it first happened, you recognized who it was immediately.

  The other for sure way you acknowledge them is by their writing, or more like scratches. On your arm are small scars from when your soulmate hurt themselves or you, purposely. All you would do is doodle or throw in an encouraging message. Sometimes you’d even give them your location in hopes of meeting them. None of that mattered since you were met with pain. Now there are visible scars from their responses.

Since they like to hurt you so much, you decided years ago to leave them alone. There are plenty of couples who aren’t soulmates but might as well be! For instance, your neighbors; you could’ve sworn that they were written in the stars but it turns out that their soulmates sucked. They’ve been together for almost fifty years. So, all hope isn’t lost. This soulmate of yours is more like an option to you. 

Alas, this person has found you. Rather than starting a conversation, they watch you. You have no idea where they are, but you know they’re there. The creepy and menacing aura is practically tangible. You just can’t figure out the location. For all you know, they could be across the street with binoculars. 

  The tea gets to room temperature the longer you sit and think. Sighing, you down your drink and toss the cup in the recycling bin. The outside weather is chilly and the wind steals your breath. You lower your face to fight it. The eyes disappear for only a second just to emerge again like a phantom. Behind you are the steps of a few pedestrians. However, you can still faintly hear the steps of something else. It’s eerie and bone rattling. 

  Finally, you turn to the left rather than go across the street. Your mind is fuzzy from fright and instincts dulled. There isn’t anyone near you now as you press yourself against the brick wall. Taking a deep breath, you close your eyes and count, hoping it calms you down. 

  It begins to work until you feel a tingle on your arm. Whoever your soulmate is, they’re writing or doing something with their forearm. You brace yourself for the upcoming ache and agony. 

  There’s nothing. 

Shivering, you pull your sleeve down and see the word, “Hi.” written in shaky handwriting. It’s uneven and looks hesitant. Almost like a child writing. 

Wait, back when you would write to them, the lines didn’t look methodical but like scribbles. The cuts weren’t straight either. Now that you think about it, you wonder if it is because they pressed too hard when they tried to write. Maybe, they can’t write. If so, does that mean they can’t read either?

 You close your eyes again and whisper ‘stop’ to yourself. Despite this reminder, there is a fondness and mushy feeling that makes you want to be lenient and soft; to be understanding and run over to them to introduce yourself. 

  You write back, “Hi”. Still, you brace for pain. Instead, a scribbly word appears. “Feitan.” Ah, his name? You write your own as straight as you can. Hopefully, he’ll learn from it. Perhaps you can teach him. 

  Curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought it back. 

“Are you following me?” 

“Yes. I see you.”

  Your eyes dart around. “Why?”

“Because.”

He seems to be a man of few words. “Why do you hurt me?” It needs to be asked. 

“Accident. Sorry.” The 'sorry' is bigger than 'accident'. Feitan. Feitan? The name sounds familiar, on the tip of your tongue yet nothing clicks. “Do I know you?”

  “No. I know you always.” 

  There’s so much you want to ask. To pick Feitan’s brain and figure out what’s going on. If you ask too much, will he hurt you? That damn cat.

  “Can you read or write?” After a few moments, he responds with, “Learning.” You pause and nod. So you’re right. There is a strong possibility that he wasn’t purposely trying to hurt you. His admittance of him ‘knowing’ you could be…a soulmate thing? Or has he always watched you and is just now making himself known. Is he just now doing it since he’s learning how to communicate? It would explain a lot. You haven’t written anything in years and neither has he. 

  “I would like to know you.” You write straight and slightly spaced for him. He replies quickly. “Go home, dark is soon.”

  You look up and notice that it is getting darker. The sun is about to set. You mutter a curse and walk home. It’s not as busy out as you dodge people to go home. Now that you’ve talked to Feitan and got some answers, you feel better, lighter even. Just before you enter your apartment, you look around. Rather than that creepy feeling you have had, there is a new sense of protectiveness. Although you don’t see him, you know he walked you home. 

  Has it always been like this? 

“When will I see you?”

You stand on the step of your apartment, not ready to go in. The sun is bidding goodbye by the minute. You feel warm despite the breeze and know that you are weak. That conclusion doesn’t bother you right now. You have answers and are talking to him.

“Later.”

Before you can reply, he writes, “Will you write again?”

A smile blooms. “Of course. I promise.”

 It’s not much but it is enough for you to know that you will know him and one day meet him.

[vaard]

Same anon as a while back about the alternate race Vaard art. I hadn't realised their was also a Lightforged one too until I stumbled on the pic today. So cool how different he felt even though he was still a Draenei. Your art is always brilliant.

Thanks, anon! Vaard being mistaken as Lightforged comes up a lot, it's the most asked question and ask I've gotten since Legion.

It definitely makes him look so different. It's such a different vibe from normal Vaard. The one Lightforged Vaard I drew for a prompt was 8 years ago, hard to believe, so I figured it's time for an updated one!

[rox-of-iu]

my old blorbos are back in my brain

heart pirates my absolute beloved. shame theyre chillin somewhere in the ocean lol (do not mention the pre-time skip hats of penguin and shachi I'm still attached even tho its already been a million years since then)

anyway every time i remember that Law and Kid are assigned german and Scottish by Oda i gain one hundred years

[daily-smol-silm]

Can you draw Finrod and Galadriel as kids, with a dandelion wreath, Galadriel is holding it high with all the pride a toddler can have, and Finrod (who would probably be a teenager at that point and even this is bending the canon) is biting it? Like, full on going "munch munch" on the wreath.

Yes, this is a heraldry reference. Also reference to the post about Finrod and dandelions.

If it's too specific or you don't feel like it, or whatever, no pressure. I just had this idea of them mimicking the snake heraldry (because Finrod absolutely would try to eat a dandelion wreath, just because he never tried it before) and thought "this would look great if smol slim did it".

Thank you and be well!

Day #214 - Nom

I couldn't find the snake heraldry, but hopefully this works alright ^^

[lilac-cat-draws]

Haven't drawn my LoP oc in a while so why not make some dramatic art of him, got inspired by one of the game's official art for this