#No shade to cedar lol

[omelu]

ok but like, the funniest canon vs fanon eah dichotomy to me is the last names. Like, so many ocs will have really thought-out last names with carefully chosen meanings and greek/latin roots and stuff...

Meanwhile in canon, Cedar’s last name is Wood because… Pinocchio was carved from wood, I guess??

[cedarsmoke4]

“Ethan Win— uh, I mean, Peter Parker…”

Sometimes the silly idea is just too perfect to ignore😂

No-glasses versions and detail shots below the cut⬇️

[fluffytriceratops]

𝐈 𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐘𝐨𝐮 - 𝐑𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐥 [𝐛𝐚𝐲𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞]

notes: part one? will probably make a very spicy part two- hehe. ;) if you know, you know. also- i imagine y/n as english here, but that's literally just me lol. there's no real hint or anything saying that she is or isn't. :D also also, i want raphael to choke me like he hates me but he loves me. :P

warnings: mature language/swearing,

tags: @thelaundrybitch @turtle-babe83 @leosgirl82 @rheawritesforfun @s-s-ironnie @post-apocalyptic-daydream @mysticboombox @drowninghell @lec743 @raphielover  @raphslovemuffin80 @squirrelfurs @bibiz82 @pheradream-15 @kikithedreamerwriter @m1dnyt3-w0lf @scholastic-dragon @moonsua1 [if i've forgotten anyone i'm so sorry please comment or dm me and let me know and i'll add you right away so i don't forget in the future!]

(if you would like to be tagged in my future tmnt x reader related work, feel free to let me know and i'll happily add you!)

i love you all sm! i'm sending all the virtual hugs and well wishes to you!! <33

---

She didn't understand what she had done. From the moment she met him, Raphael acted as though he hated her. Y/n was for at a loss. No matter what she did or said, there was always this wall between them. After a while of trying to befriend him, she eventually gave up. If he did not want to be friends, then so be it. She would spend her time with his brothers.

But that only seemed to make matters worse.

It was terribly confusing and Y/n didn't know if she could take much more of it.

She had tried so hard to please him. And despite all her efforts he pushed her away. Treated her as if she was nothing. So she turned to her actual friends, and that only seemed to anger him more. Did he not want her around at all? Did he not trust her with his family?

The thing that was the most frustrating, was the fact that no matter how hard she tried. She couldn't get rid of her love for him.

---

It wasn't as if he hated her. In fact, it was the exact opposite. Raphael had a hard time expressing his feelings. He had an even harder time when he believed that those feelings weren't reciprocated.

Y/n was beautiful. She was as sweet as honey with warm skin as soft as silk. Her eyes shone when she laughed. She always wore this lip gloss that made her lips the perfect shade of pink. And she smelled amazing. Like vanilla and cedar. A warm and comforting scent.

There was no way she liked him as much as he liked her. Raphael was so certain of this. So he did the only logical thing he could think of.

He pushed her away.

Because he knew he would never be able to love her. And being in the same room as her, knowing she would never be his, was excruciating.

The only thing he could think of doing was keeping his distance. Which was hard when she was always approaching him. So he avoided her like the plague.

That didn't mean that he didn't get jealous.

---

How could he act like he knew her? He didn't know her at all! Raphael was like a stranger to her! The only things she's learned of him was from his brothers. And even if they had been telling him about her, it wasn't the same. Her gaze narrowed at him. "I'm sorry? Can you repeat that please, because I don't think I heard you right."

Raphael gazed at Y/n from across the room. He was leaning against the wall, arms folded over his chest, biceps bulging. (she would have been drooling if he wasn't such an ass-) He moved his toothpick to the other side of his mouth with his tongue. Head tilting ever so slightly as he studied her.

"I said, that your actions don't surprise me. Figures someone as pristine and conceded as you would do somethin' like that." He didn't skip a beat. Didn't hesitate with his comment. Even if it was uncalled for.

Y/n blinked. It was almost worse hearing it for a second time. It made her angrier, at least. She was absolutely gobsmacked. Surprised he had the balls to make such an assumption and voice it so simply.

Raphael pushed himself off of the wall and stalked towards her. "Cat got your tongue, princess?" His lips twisted up into a smirk as he loomed over her. Staring down at her with his eyes made of gold.

Leonardo, who she had been talking to moments before- opened his mouth to intervene, but Y/n cut him off before he got the chance.

"You have no right to make any sort of assumptions about me."

Raph hummed, "Ain't assumptions if they're true."

Y/ns gaze hardened, her hands balling at her sides. "You clearly don't know me at all."

"I think I know ya well enough."

"And I think you're an ass!" She snapped, face red with anger. "If you have any other false assertions about me, I'd rather you kept your mouth shut!"

"And I'd rather you not be here at all!" He growled in return. Golden gaze burning down upon her like fire. "You're always around! Do ya not have anywhere else to be!? Any other friends besides us!?"

"You aren't my friend!" Y/n's eyes stung with tears, and she did her best to hold herself together.

"Thank fuck for that!"

"Raph, enough!" Leo seperated the two by physically putting himself between them. His ocean eyes were glued to his brother. "Take a walk." He demanded, nodding in the direction of one of the sewer tunnels.

Raphael's veins burned. He hated the sight of Leo coming to the rescue. Because of fucking course he did. It was always the wise and powerful Leonardo guiding them through their problems. He would have fought more. Pushed back harder. Let his anger consume him. But his gaze caught the sight of tears trickling down Y/n's face. Like stars falling from the sky. His heart ached and squeezed. He wanted to drop to the floor and beg for her forgiveness. Kiss her feet and worship the ground she walked on.

Y/n was a moon goddess. Made of pure starlight.

And Raphael was a brutish soldier, stuck on Earth while he watched her dance with the stars.

It was better if she hated him. It made things easier that way, he reminded himself.

Raphael didn't say anything else. He simply turned around and walked away. Afraid that if he stayed a second longer, he'd do one of two things.

Beg for the goddess' forgiveness.

Or break her.

---

Leonardo let out a heavy sigh before turning to face the h/c haired girl. "Are you okay?" He asked, planting his large hands atop her shoulders. They covered them entirely, showing just how much bigger they all were than her.

Y/n nodded, reaching up to wipe at her eyes quickly. It felt like Raphael had attacked her out of nowhere. It wasn't like she was doing anything besides talking to Leo. (Okay, maybe she had been flirting with him a little bit, but could you really blame her? Have you seen the guy, he's fine as hell-) It felt unwarranted. She didn't feel like she deserved his hate, but no matter what she did, he always seemed hostile towards her.

Leo didn't look convinced. "You sure?"

Y/n let out a quiet sigh. "Yeah.. Is it okay if I just go and finish my book in your room?" She reached towards the couch and grabbed it, clutching it to her chest.

"Of course. No one will disturb you there."

She forced a small smile. "Great. Thanks, Leo."

"Anytime, Y/n."

Leonardo watched as she padded away in the direction of his bedroom. Lips pressed into a thin line. He turned and moved in the direction Raphael went in. He wasn't surprised to find him in the dojo, absolutely wrecking the punching bag.

"Raph."

Said male glanced in his direction for a split second, grunting in acknowledgment.

"What the hell was that?" Leo gestured behind him, blue eyes hardening into a stern glare.

Raphael clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Nothin'. Just leave it alone, Leo." He continued to slam his fists upon the bag, watching it jolt and sway with each lethal hit.

"Y/n doesn't deserve the shit you give her. If you gave her a chance, maybe you would see that. She's a nice girl, she's our friend. You need to give her an apology."

Normally, Raphael would have fought with Leo. Arguing with him to the point where their verbal hits would turn into physical ones. But his motions stilled at this. He knew Leo was right, as much as he didn't want to admit it. He hated seeing Y/n look at him like that. With wide teary eyes and a wobbling lip. Staring at him like the ferocious monster he was.

Before either of them could say anything else, Mikey popped his head in the room. "Hey guys, dinner's ready!"

Leo nodded and turned back to Raph. "Go tell Y/n dinner's ready. You can apologize whilst you're at it." He didn't leave room for argument as he left the dojo. 

Leaving Raphael looming next to the punching bag. He lifted his arm and hit it once more. That was the final blow, the bag snapped off the chain and smashed against the ground. It's contents pouring out.

He'd have to try and fix it later.

---

Y/n sat on Leonardo's bed. Back pressed against the wall and chin propped up on her palm. One of her favourite books sat open on her lap and she read it contentedly. She did her best not to think about Raphael and his actions and words. How he was so distant and vile towards her. She had done nothing but be kind to him. To try and have a decent relationship with him. But he refused to have even a decent relationship with her. It was beyond frustrating. It made her want to rip her hair out. 

She let out a long slow sigh, tilting her head back till it hit the wall and she was looking up at the ceiling. Her mind was a mess, and while she had told Mikey she would stay for dinner earlier, now she was regretting her choice. She contemplated trying to sneak out. But that was near impossible when the lair was full of trained ninjas. Y/n couldn't sneak past them no matter how hard she tried. 

There was a rap of knuckles on the door. She assumed it was Leo, or perhaps Donnie. Mikey would just barge in, and she highly doubted she'd see Raph for a good long while yet. 

She pushed herself up and went towards the door. Yanking it open, but whatever she was about to say died on her tongue. Lips parted and throat dry. She couldn't say anything as she gazed at the mutant in front of her.  Y/n stepped back from Raphael, studying him with an intense gaze silently. Being unable to find any words to speak. 

Raph cleared his throat. "Leo sent me to get you for dinner."

Y/n dropped her gaze with a heavy sigh and turned away from him, shaking her head in disappointment. She was hoping for an apology, or something along those lines. She wanted him so bad but it felt like he was miles away. 

"Y/n?" Raph stepped further into the room, looking at her in confusion. "Are you not hungry?"

"I do not want any dinner!" Y/n spat angrily, running a hand through her hair in agitation.

Raph looked taken aback by her outburst. But he stayed silent, allowing her to take in a couple deep breaths and try to calm herself down. He understood anger better than most. And Y/n had every right to be angry with him. 

Finally, she turned to him. "I have spent so much time wanting to be alone with you. Wanting to talk to you! Wanting to know -" she cut herself off with a sharp inhale, dropping her gaze to the floor. Cheeks warm and tips of her ears dusted in red.

She shook her head again. "I understand that you do not wish to see me... That you would prefer to stay in any other room-"

"That's not true." He cut her off quickly. Molten gold gaze staring at her. Piercing her soul. 

Y/n brought her eyes back up to him. Not believing his words. "Raphael-"

"You're wrong." He said again. Voice sharp.

Still, Y/n did not believe him. "You have avoided my presence." She stated, quite simply. It was a fact. Raphael could barley stand to be in the same room as Y/n, let alone hang around just the two of them.

"In order to give you space." He muttered, swallowing thickly. She watched the way his throat bobbed with the action. 

Y/n's eyebrows dipped in confusion. "You've.. Said all but a few words to me."

"To stop myself from sayin' the wrongs things." He said, taking a step towards her. Raph wet his lips with his tongue, not missing the way her eyes followed the action. His heart pounded at the sight alone. He had caught himself staring at her eyes many times, so to find hers glued to his - she had no idea the kind of chokehold she had on him.

Y/n stared at him in disbelief. "You've barley been able to look at me in the eye."

"Because I can't stand to see the misery I have caused you!" He snapped, clearly agitated. Pacing back and forth in front of her. Like a caged animal. Skin crawling at the way she watched him. Those eyes of hers... They were paralyzing. In the best way possible.

"You did not..." She whispered, hesitantly taking a single step forwards. "I am the one who has trapped you in your own home. I should have been more understanding of your space-" 

"I'm the one who trapped you." Raph cut her off, growling out the words. "I have spent the last few weeks in agony." He admitted, glancing over towards her for only a second before he resumed his pacing. "Unable to talk to you. Unable to be alone with you because I knew you wanted nothing to do with me." 

Y/n opened her mouth to protest but he continued. "Which makes sense, I mean look at me! I'm fucking scary. I'm a freak. I have a bad temper, it ain't pretty when I'm angry. I get jealous and envious easily and I'm not the best with emotions. I'm not the best guy, my brothers are ten times better than I will ever be." 

"Raph-" 

"I see the way you look at them. I see how much you care for them. Leo especially. He's the hero. I'm the villain. That's how it's always been, that's how it always will be. If yer gonna love any of us, it's understandable that it would be him." His shoulders sunk, and he finally stopped pacing but had yet to fully turn towards Y/n. His chest was heaving with much needed air after the amount of word vomit he had spewed. 

"Leo's your perfect love match..." 

"You're right in the sense that you and Leo are different. You cannot be anymore different. You're practically polar opposites." She breathed, studying him carefully. Heart aching from the words he spoke. "But who said I ever wanted Leo..." 

Raphael slowly looked towards her. Eyes boring into her own, trying to see if she was telling the truth or not. Trying to understand the meaning behind her words. 

He was silent for what felt like a long time. They both were. The silence was thick, suffocating. They both had so much they wanted to say but neither of them had the courage to say it. 

"I can't stop thinking of you," Raph started softly, "From the mornings when I wake up, to the evenings right before bed. To the dreams I have of you.. My thoughts of you never end." His hands shook ever so slightly and he balled them into fists to control it. 

"I am yours, Y/n. I have always been yours." 

Y/n took in a heavy breath, chest rising as she sucked the air into her lungs. "I.." Her eyebrows dipped again as she tried to comprehend his words. Was he saying what she thought he was? "I don't understand.." 

Raphael shook his head in frustration, "I don't know how to be anymore clear." He huffed, lifting his arms up and turning away from her. 

Y/n's gaze hardened and she moved towards him. "Do not get angry-" 

"I am not angry!" He snapped. 

"You look angry. And bothered. Look at you, you're all flushed." She gestured towards him and Raph grit his teeth, face warm in embarrassment. 

"Yes, that is what happens." 

"When one is angry." 

"When one burns for someone who does not feel the same!" Raphael hissed, closing the distance between them. Towering over her. He lifted a hand and ran it down his face, biting down on his lip.

"You.." Y/n could not bring herself to look away from him. "You burn for me?" 

"Why do you think I got angry at you for flirting with Leo?" 

"Why do you think I was flirting with Leo?" 

Raph seemed confused by this, brows pulling together. "If you even bothered to look at me, really look at me. For longer than two seconds.. You would have seen.." What small bit of distance left between them she closed by taking a final step forward.

 "I burn for you." 

[maylilithreign]

Hi my darling,

I did the following five senses for Lyra. I'd love to know them for Elsie!

Sight - what colour is she? Lyra is a typical Gemini and has two answers for everything. She's red like her hair or blue like her eyes.

Taste - what does she love? Lyra is complex, sweet and salty or sweet and spicy, like salted caramel or chili chocolate.

Smell - what is her scent? Lyra is comforting like coconut and marshmallows.

Touch - What texture represents her? Lyra is soft, like sun-kissed skin in summer or a fluffy scarf in winter.

Sound - What sound is she? Lyra is peaceful, like birdsong in summer or those whispering breezes in winter.

Love you!! Have a super lovely day!!

ooh hi my darling Kelly!! 😍😘 What a good set of questions!! Lyra is so, so lovely and gorgeous 💓 Lmfao also I started answering this this morning, saved it to my drafts and fell back asleep. Just remembered I had it half-finished and wanted to complete it for ya!

Sight - Elsie's birthday is December 15th, making her a Sagittarius. Like her sign, Elsie is more than just human. Her colouring complexion wise is very fair, but with a healthy, rosy glow. I associate Elsie with a deep, dark shade of blue. Everything about Elsie calls to mind a deep, old well of history, or something as vast and powerful as the sea.

Taste - Elsie has a huge sweet tooth. Her favourite thing to eat is pastries, in particular maple bars. But I often think of her as dark chocolate. A fancy bar of dark chocolate with nuts and berries in it. The kind you'd get in a nice Christmas (or Winter Star, lol) basket.

Smell - Elsie smells like wildflowers and cedar. Like a fresh morning in Cindersap forest, when there is just the lightest sprinkling of frost on the ground.

Touch - Because of her powers, Elsie is initially cold to the touch. But it's just surface level. She's warm underneath, like when you're buried under a thick blanket of snow. Elsie is a creature of immense grace, despite her strength and speed. She's also soft, in spite of her muscular physique. I suppose overall Elsie's vibe feels like a maternal fairy spirit. Comforting and with an air of enchantment.

Sound - Unsurprisingly, Elsie has a beautiful singing voice. Her voice is low and husky at first, but then clear as a bell. When she sings a certain tune, she can call the fairies. Sometimes, when he's at his lowest, the only thing that works to soothe the storm inside Shane is Elsie's voice (I am cheesy, everyone hush 😅).

Thanks again for asking me, lovely!! 😍

[frostwing213]

Odyssey AU/Fanfiction I wrote for class 6/10

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Hi, I wrote what is basically fanfiction for class on, you guessed it, the Odyssey . I decided to share it with ya'll.

Essentially, I took the events of the Odyssey, shifted and removed some things, made it take place in modern times, then wrote a 29 pages with over 14000 words piece of fanfiction in a week.

Is it accurate? Lol, no. Is it fun? Yes.

Keep reading to see part 6 of 10:

Let's get a good map and go home! With only some creepiness

“Are you good?” Ody stared up at the sky. It was sunny, but one of those strange days where rain clouds passed by and poured on you for a minute or two before moving on. One had even had hail earlier. Ody was soaked as he laid on the grass and replied

“No. It’s been two weeks. I want to go home.” 

“Hermes will hopefully be back soon, then the mechanic will fix the truck and we can go.” Eury said as he sat down next to him. 

“I miss Penelope and Tele.”

“I know.”

“I love them.”

“I know.”

“I wanna go home”

“I know.”

“I hate the stupid truck. I wish teleporters existed”

“I know.” A rainy cloud passed over them and Ody said

“I hate this rain.”

“Me too. You should probably stop sulking in it.”

“I’m not sulking.”

“Yeah, you are. Come on, get up.” Eury got up and helped Ody up as he sighed heavily. As they turned to head inside, they heard a car screech past and Ody whirled around to see the source to be Hermes’s car. He smiled and said

“Finally!” He said

“Eury, go grab the crew!” As he raced down towards the car. Hermes slowed and rolled down his window with a smile, saying

“Heya! I've got the part!” Ody smiled and said

“Thank you so much!” Hermes nodded and said

“Climb in, I'll take you to the mechanic!” Ody opened the door and sat Down quickly and Hermes took off again to the mechanics. Ody’s friends showed up as the mechanic finished installing the part. Circe chuckled when she saw Ody bouncing on his feet as the mechanic walked out of the garage, saying

“It should be good to go now!” Ody clapped and said

“Thank you so much!” He turned to Circe and backed towards his truck, saying

“Thank you so much Circe, for your help, your directions, everything. Thank you so much! I’ll tell Penelope you say hi, if you don’t get ahold of her first. Thank you!” Circe laughed and said

“Just go Odysseus. Go home to your family.” He smiled and jumped into his truck, his friends quickly following. Finally, finally, they set off. 

It took three days to reach the map collector. It was only… mildly creepy. The road up was extremely silent and shaded by the trees of the forest in this area. They climbed slowly up the hill, careful to keep on the narrow dirt road, with steep drop offs at both sides. It was midday when they reached the small house on the top of the hill, it looked half abandoned. Ody parked his truck and said

“I will go get it.” Eury nodded and leaned back, saying

“We’ll wait right here. Come grab us if you need us.”

“This place seems creepy.” Permedies muttered. Ody looked back and paused, his eyes widening. He cursed and said

“We forgot Elpenor. How did we forget Elpenor?” The passengers jumped as they offered excuses. Ody sighed and said

“We’ll go back to grab him after we���re done here.” There were nods, and Ody climbed out of the car. He stuffed his hands in his jacket pockets as he walked up to the old house. He paused and looked up, it felt too dark to be midday, and the silence was deafening. The forest didn’t feel alive. It felt like a place where only the dead resided. He took a breath and was stopped in his tracks. The smell was wonderful, reminding him of old clothes, and Penelope’s old chest, filled with sentimental things. Old things. Like her wedding dress. Tele’s first blanket. Her old things from school. His wedding suit. Her senior prom dress. The dress she wore when they met. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, breathing in the smell that reminded him of home. After a moment, he identified the smell.

Cedar. It was a cedar forest. That’s why it was so quiet. He smiled. Penelope loved the smell of cedar, she’d been meaning to find a cedar grove to take him to it, as a little date. Maybe they could come back here someday, after he got home. They could make it a trip, visit Circe, visit this little woods. He opened his eyes and looked around at the quiet woods. He remembered now. Cedar forests were so quiet due to the fact it was commonly only cedar trees and there was little plant growth on the forest floor. It made for a pretty scene. The forest wasn’t dead, simply peaceful. He continued walking to the door and knocked softly. He heard a sound of surprise, and then rustling as a person came down to the door and opened it. Ody blinked at the person that answered the door, specifically the misted over eyes and androgynous figure. The person asked

“Yes? Who are you?” Ody paused, then smiled and said

“I’m Odysseus. I was se-” The person’s eyes widened and they echoed in a whispery voice

“Odysseus. Husband of Penelope. Father of Telemachus. Son of Laërtes and Anticlea. Come inside, Odysseus of Ithaca.” Ody tensed, then asked

“Are you alright?” Something seemed strange, something was off. The way the person stared at him unseeing, the way their voice changed, how they knew too much about him. The person lighty grabbed his arm and gently pulled him inside. Ody paused, then followed, closing the door behind him. He looked around the small room as the person pulled him to a chair, sitting him down and saying

“I am Tiresias.” Ody nodded and said

“It is… nice to meet you.” 

“Circe sent you, for something I posses, and something you ne-”

“Yes, a map! Circe said you collected maps.” A faint ghost of a smile passed along Tiresias’s face, and then it dropped before the voice changed back to that terrifying whisper

“Not only that Odysseus. You have a long journey to go.” Ody jumped as Tiresias began talking in Greek and their eyes began to glow. 

“Παίζεις την ίδια ιστορία, αλλά σε διαφορετικό χρόνο. Ξέρεις, αλλά δεν ξέρεις. Η Κίρκη σε έστειλε γιατί ξέρει ότι κάτι είναι περίεργο επίσης. Όλη η μαγεία αυτού του κ��σμου κάνει. Αυτή είναι η λάθος στιγμή, αλλά και η σωστή στιγμή. Ο ρόλος μου είναι διαφορετικός, η ιστορία έχει αλλάξει, ωστόσο πρέπει ακόμα να εκπληρώσω αυτό που υπάρχω για να κάνω.” Tiresias switched back to english as they said

“You have a long journey, with another challenge at your palace. Yet as long as you listen to my instructions, you will make it home soon. There is a path you must not take. One of danger. When you reach your palace, you must wait until plans have been set.” Tiresias grabbed his shoulders and their eyes glew bright as they said

“You must remember. You must listen, great Odysseus. You must finish your Odyssey.” Tiresias then collapsed into Ody’s lap. Ody jumped, then gently shook Tiresias and asked

“Are, are you alright?” Tiresias blinked and sat up, looking confused. After a second, they said

“Sorry, I blanked out for a moment. Did you say something?” Ody paused, considering whether or not to tell Tiresias what just happened. He decided against it and said

“My friend Circe sent me to get a map from you? I’m trying to go home to a town called Ithaca.” Tiresias nodded and said

“Oh of course! I have just the map.” They raced off and Ody was left sitting in the small room, filled with little nick nacks. After a moment, Tiresias came back and pressed a map towards Ody, saying

“This will show you the way home. Your path is marked out, but… do not cross Cattle road.” Ody frowned as he opened the map, seeing the path traced in red to home. He asked

“Why not?” The whisper tone came back as Tiresias said

“You’ll die.” Before Tiresias blinked again and said like they hadn’t spoken before

“It’s just usually not a good idea.” Ody nodded and got up, saying

“Thank you for the map.” Tiresias nodded and said

“Of course Odysseus. It was nice to meet you. Have a safe journey home.” Ody nodded and walked back towards the door, slipping out and walking quickly towards the car. As he got in, he set the map down and said

“Well, that was mildly creepy. Let’s go get Elpenor.” As Ody turned and started driving back, Eury asked “What happened?” Ody shook his head and said

“Don’t worry about it.” He sighed and continued driving, tossing the interaction around in his mind. It almost didn’t seem real, but it felt familiar at the same time. So strange. The glowing eyes… he must’ve imagined it. What about the warning? Not to cross Cattle Road? What was with that? He’d need to take a look at the map later to see if there was another path. Ody pushed the thoughts out of his mind. He could deal with them later, right now, he needed to get Elpenor, then go home.

After another three days of driving, they reached Circe’s town again and found Elpenor sitting in Nymph Diner, eating breakfast. He looked up at them, finished his bite and smiled teasingly, asking

“Finally remembered me?” Ody gave a small chuckle and said

“Yeah, yeah.” Elpenor chuckled and said

“You didn’t have to come back. I think I might stay here a while.” Ody frowned and asked

“What? Why?” Elpenor slid a leg in a cast out from under the table, pointing to it as he said

“One, I fell off a roof, broke my leg and got a small concussion. Two, I really like it here. Circe is really nice, and this town could use an extra pair of hands to do odd jobs.” Ody nodded, then asked

“So, we just drove three days back here for no reason?” Elpenor gave a guilty smile and said

“Yep!” Ody sighed and said

“Alright, let’s go then.” Elpenor waved as they walked out, calling

“Bye!” 

When they got in the car, Ody took the chance to open the map and plot a slightly different course, one that avoided Cattle road. Cattle road was annoying, there was only one other way to get around it, and it added much more to the trip than Ody wanted. Ody sighed and marked the path, showing it to Eury and saying

“We’re gonna do this path. Tiresias suggested staying away from Cattle road.” Eury frowned and said

“But this path looks longer.” Ody sighed and said

“I know, I just… want to play it safe.” Eury shrugged and took the map as Ody set off from Circe’s town for the third time. Time to go home, it should only take two more weeks, not that he could trust that time estimate, as he had been shown, repeatedly. 

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[greekstar]

Warrior cat name Ideas Prefixes - A-Z A Acorn Adder Amber Ant Apple Arch Arrow Aspen Ash Asher Alder Amber B Badger Bark Beech Bellow Birch Berry Bird Black Blizzard Brave Breeze Bright Brown Bell Bug Beetle Bluebell Blue Bounce Brindle Brush Bush Buzzard Buzz Bee Bumble Bass Basil Bubble Brine Beaver Bison (I feel like this only goes good with ‘horn’ or Bisonpelt/fur.) Bat Bone Butterfly Burdock Broken Bramble Bracken Bay Brisk Blossom Briar Boil Branch Bud C Cloud Cloudy Crystal Cold Cricket Cliff Cardinal Crying Cougar Coyote Cobweb Chick Cow Cave Cheetah Carrot Coral Cactus Claw Cedar Cherry Cinder Clover Copper Creek Crooked Crouch Crow D Dew Dewy Duck Dusty Dust Dune Down Dagger Dodge Dolphin Daisy Doe Dapple Dappled Dark Dawn Dead Dove Drift Dusk E Eagle Ebony Echo Egg Eel Ember F Fallen Fallow Fawn Feather Fennel Fern Ferret Finch Fire Flame Fleet Flint Flower Flow Fly Fox Freckle Frog Frost Furze Fuzzy Foal Falling Fall G Gale Gust Golden Gold Goose Gorse Gorge Grass Gray Green Grass Goldfish Guppy Ghost H Hail Half Hare Hawk Hay Hoot Hazel Heather Heavy Hollow Holly Honey Honeycomb Hummingbird Horse Happy Hornet Hound Heron I Ice Ivy J Jagged Jay Joy Jaguar Jackdaw Jump Juniper K Kestrel Kink Koi L Lake Larch Leaf Lark Leopard Lichen Lightning Lily Lion Little Lizard Log Long Lost Loud Low Lynx M Maggot Mallow Maple Marsh Meadow Milk Minnow Mint Mist Misty Mole Moon Morning Moss Mossy Moth Mottle Mouse Mouth Mud Mumble Mink Muddy Moonlight Mountain Mushroom Monkey N Nettle Needle Nut Newt Night Nimble O Oak Oat Odd Olive One Otter Owl Orange Ocean Orca Opal P Pale Perch Pool Pike Peak Prickle Pounce Pine Petal Petal Pebble Pear Patch Pirate(kittypet or loner) Polar Peach Panda Pond Pigeon Plum Q Quail Quick R Rabbit Rain Ragged Rat Rattle Root Raspberry Reed Red Robin Rock Rose Rowan Rubble Running Rushing Rush Russet Rust Rye Raven Raccoon Rustle Rattlesnake Ravine Rapid S Sage Short Sheep Sedge Shrew Slate Slow Snail Sneeze Sorrel Soot Spider Spruce Sun Sunny Swallow Shallow Shade Sharp Scorch Sand Sandy Sky Silver Smoke Snake Soft Snow Sparrow Speckle Splash Spotted Squirrel Stalking Stalk Stalker Starling Stone Storm Stumpy Stump Sweet Swift Shred Sloe Shell Seed Shimmer Shimmering Skunk Spirit Squid Shy Sound Summer Sapphire Spiraling Spiral Shark Saturn T Tall Talon Tooth Timber Tiger Twig Tumble Thorn Thistle Thrush Tawny Tangle Ting Trout Torn Toad Tiny V Vine Vixen Void Vole W Wasp Weasel Web Weed Wet Whisker White Whale Wild Willow Wind Wolf Winter Wisteria Whisper Whispering Water Wave Waver Whisper Watermelon Whistle Wood Y Yellow

Yew

Yarrow- suggested

You guys DONT WANNA KNOW how LONG this took. I’m crying. And I might’ve missed some so feel free to send me messages in chat to request me editing it and putting it in some (not like messaging but the. Chat in this post lol.)

@cryptidclaw I also did this for our Au to help us with renaming.

I will get to suffixes soon I promise.

[forevercampsims]

Welcome to my first build featured on Sim River Construction - Peacelands Academy! It hasn't been playtested yet, but should be fully accessible and usable. It is up on the Gallery, and is listed as a Generic Modded lot, as I did use one CC wallpaper.

Peacelands Academy was built on the High School lot in Copperdale with the intention of being a playable high school for those using High School Years in its standard form (so, only two classrooms for ease of playability during an active school day), with room for 6 students in one class, and up to 8 in the other).

Students at Peacelands are placed in one of two cohorts - Cedar Class or Sage Class. The cohorts have been named after traditional medicines, and Peacelands enjoys a collaborative relationship with local First Nations to teach about the land, its history and its importance.

The common areas of the school were given a black and white, modern style design, but the faculty and students have offset those with lots of greenery and natural light. Anywhere the students are expected to spend a lot of time has been warmed through use of mostly natural tones. From the main floor entry hall, students can go straight through to the cafeteria and club rooms, or downstairs to the exercise centre, upstairs to class, or over into the administrative offices.

The Peacelands Administration Office has two rooms: one for the clerk who handles the registrations, deliveries and coordinates schedules. Beyond the main office is the principal's private office. Here, they can work on reports, hold small meetings and keep an eye on students through not only the exterior windows, but also through the interior window looking out into the entry hall.

The cafeteria is the main gathering space for students while not in classes. With a full service cafeteria bar, plenty of varied seating options, and access to vending machines, students can pass their lunch hours here easily. Toilets and club rooms are also accessible from here.

Peacelands Academy has four "club rooms": Music, Computer, Library and Art. Each room has space for a few sims to gather and work on skill-building in the creative and tech areas.

The music room features an accent wall with CC wallpaper from AJ Nebula's Even Mistier Forest collection, available on CurseForge.

The Exercise Centre has everything students would need to build their Fitness and Wellness skills. There are two gender-segregated change rooms with showers available here. For those who want all-gender access to the change rooms, it's a simple matter of changing the doors from the Male/Female options in Build Mode to the Gender-Neutral option.

Now onto the outdoor areas!

Peacelands Academy encourages their students to use sustainable, eco-friendly forms of transportation wherever possible to get to school, and so they've built a secure area for students to store bikes and other transport forms. (My story brain says they're skateboards, but realistically, guys, it's the ski and snowboard rack from Snowy Escape. Do with that what you will, LOL.)

Behind the school is a large patio for students who want to take in some fresh air - it's sparsely furnished, but has several picnic tables for eating, as well as a partly shaded seating area. The patio leads off to the three main outdoor spaces for Peacelands, including the outdoor basketball court.

Peacelands Academy boasts not one, but THREE greenhouse areas gathered in the back corner of the lot. One greenhouse is purely decorative, while another has a bonsai tree and the third has a flower arranging table. Students can work on building their Flower Arranging skills here.

The Shed is Peacelands' newest outbuilding. Here, students can work on building their Handiness and Fabrication skills through woodworking stations, candle making stations and a fizzing station. Toilets are available here as well. The Shed also has some outdoor seating for students to enjoy the sun on great weather days!

Thanks for coming along on my first Simblr post! If you're interested in using Peacelands in your own game, it's available on the Gallery, under Peacelands Academy (ID is ForeverCamp). I have some other builds available on my Gallery from earlier years as well.

[imwritesometimes]

soft ask game: 1 3 6 10 12 20 21 25 26 30

💜🥰💜 thank you for the ask!

1. what song makes you feel better? answered here ☺️

3. what’s your favorite candle scent? I do wax melts but same kinda thing lol I love Cedar & Lavender, Mahogany & Sandalwood, and Soft Cashmere & Amber

6. say three nice things about yourself (three physical and three non-physical). I like my curly hair now. I have pretty green eyes. I like the natural auburn shade of my hair so much I've never dyed it. I can bake pretty well. I can cook pretty well. I'm very, very organized IRL☺️

10. what’s something you’re excited for? I have a couple movies I'd like to maybe go see coming up in the future! My fave modern-day band is also releasing a new album around the same time!

12. how are you? Good! I am full from the ziti I made for dinner and I just get to chill now for the rest of the night and try to update allllll my mod files for my sims game 😵‍💫

20. what do you want most in the world right now? wouldn't turn down some cold, hard cash lol

21. if you could tell your past self one thing, what would it be? write more of your grandparents' stories/advice down so you'll remember them better

25. what’s the best personal gift someone could give you (playlist, homemade card, etc.) baked goods or a cute drawing or a little bookmark or something

26. what movie would you want to live in? Indiana Jones, hands down lmao

30. what reminds you of home (doesn’t have to mean house… just things that remind you of the feeling of home)? answered here ☺️

💌Soft Asks

[gaygardenhell]

the journey so far

there's no point in covering EVERYTHING nor will i remember it all, but here is a general summary of the process of redoing (read: getting rid of) our lawn thus far!

first we had to identify what we're working with. the previous homeowner left us the tags from the plants she'd put in, which rules. there was still some guessing about what was what, some things that had died, and the plants/trees that predated her. generally speaking we don't LOVE her choices but there's nothing that was like "that has to go immediately," and we do like the trees. i will never understand why there's a peony planted in the shade or what her problem was w the extant crepe myrtle that is now sending shoots up from the grave, but honestly her gardening choices were a lot less confusing than her aesthetically remodeling the bathrooms before putting central heat in the house.

we put central heat in the house.

the grass actually is decent - in the back especially it seems to be fine fescue and it's soft. we just hate grass and don't want to deal with it. there's a good bit of clover and violets already, so we are hoping to encourage/overseed those along with some other groundcovers.

in late summer/fall we sheet mulched a couple areas - one to plant some sedum that would grow as a neat little succulent ground cover area, and another for where katie's vegetable garden would go.

we planted a few native perennials, which are mostly coming back now. yay! these include: mountain mint, skullcap, lobelia, black-eyed susan, and fringed bleeding heart.

winter was time for a LOT of research and planning, and other repairs. we are getting our deck reinforced soon. we don't even really want a deck as they are a testament to the hubris of man, but half of it is covered in a sun room, which is basically a greenhouse. so i also don't want it to fall down.

we got our soil tested. it's a little acidic which is actually good for a lot of the things we want to grow, like leucothoe. otherwise it's not great, but it also doesn't have lead, so it's cool i guess.

we discovered it's super windy. like. ridiculously windy. i also discovered leucothoe can't tolerate wind, so that one got crossed out.

katie's mostly responsible for growing the herbs and veggies, and i'm manning the ornamental stuff (though some of it is also edible!). we got a general idea of the vibe we wanted and then started gridding out plant placements. we're focusing largely on the front lawn right now, largely because it gets a lot of sun and also because we have not... located our septic tank in the back. that's a whole other Thing. lol.

katie installed, leveled and prepped two cedar garden beds.

we planted black raspberries!

after tons of research on native plants, we ordered seeds, bare roots and live plants from different nurseries. the seeds are mostly in the process of being cold stratified, because it turns out native seeds can't really just be planted most of the time. other things will be picked up or are arriving soon.

we dug up multiple small boulders the size of a large boulder.

i got some divided shoots from a lilac my grandma planted likely about 60 years ago. lilac prefers pretty much the opposite of what our soil is, but it's also hardy, so i'll see how it does, because it'd be pretty cool to have it as an inherited plant!

katie started a lot of cold season crops (kale, turnips, bok choy etc).

i prepped another garden bed in the front for a mostly native rock garden. the boulders came in handy.

[tarisilmarwen]

RobStar Week 2022, Day 5 - Bodyguard

(Played around with the premise for this one a few times, eventually settled on the classic Violently Protective Girlfriend Starfire.

If the trope ain’t broke don’t fix it lol.)

---

Robin glanced towards her as they crept towards the unassuming threshold.

The villain dive bar's exterior belied none of the seedy happenings surely going on inside.  A single lamplight hung out over the metal door, beaming down weak white light onto the concrete step.

Starfire studied the place with a careful sweep of her eyes.  As Robin stepped back to whisper with the others, going over final checks of his and her earpieces, running through their contingency plans again, she felt a nervous shiver rise up her back.

One hand went to grip her other wrist, fiddle with the numerous thin bangle bracelets she was sporting as part of her disguise.  She and Robin were both in frayed grunge casuals, her in jean shorts and a close-fitting white babydoll top, him in loose-fitting everything, fake tattoos covering his arms and the bare swath behind his neck—"Bruce would murder me if I got real ones," he'd explained to her—eyes hidden behind dark shades.  Her hair was pulled up in two high pigtails, dyed vivid pink and the ends spiked out in all directions.  Raven had let her borrow some of her limited makeup to add black-tipped lips and smokey eyeshadow.

Starfire had caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror before they had left the Tower and started.

She didn't recognize herself.

She supposed that was the point.

Starfire tried to tell herself that this mission wasn't any different than the time they had played students at Dixon Cedar High School, tried not to think about the fact that this particular secret bar was apparently the favorite hideout of nearly all of the Titans' frequent villains, tried not to let the churning feeling in her stomach overwhelm her.

Cyborg had wanted to be the one accompanying Robin for this one—"I'm the only one who can pass as old enough to legally drink," he'd pointed out rather convincingly—but after only a moment of thought and consideration, it had been her that Robin turned to.

She would have probably insisted upon coming even if he hadn't picked her.

Finally, the moment she'd been dreading came.  Robin stepped away from Raven and Beast Boy.  She let Cyborg make a last check over her holographic ring, making sure the subtle projection to disguise her alien eyes and features was active.

And then they stepped out into the alleyway and approached the door.

Starfire stayed close to Robin's shoulder, shadowing him silently.  He knocked on the door, whispering the coded password when the peephole window slid open.  Thick locks chunked open and then the door was swinging inward, a loud blare of synth music with pounding bass hitting their ears.

Robin stepped through and Starfire followed, the dimly-lit neon-colored haze taking both of them.

Starfire's sense of danger stayed wound tight.  The flashing multicolored strobes lit limbs, bodies, the edges of tables and chairs, pulsing in time to the music.  The stench of sweat and smoke and free-flowing alcohol hit her nose.  She cast her eyes warily through the crowd.  Their informant had assured them that Slade and other big-names didn't ever come to these parties—found it beneath them—but she half expected to see a flash of his orange and black mask lurking in every shadow anyway.

She did see an alarming number of villains.

There, in a booth against the wall, Johnny Rancid, his arms draped around a couple giggling women sipping brightly-colored drinks.

On the dance floor, Fang and Kitten, entwined in an odd and rather disturbing-looking embrace.

Further in, she even spied her sister, sitting up on a bar counter with her head tilted back, apparently busy drinking her cloaked companion under the table, if the rows of empty shot glasses lined up on the counter were any indication.  Blackfire polished off her drink with a flourish, to a scattering of cheers and applause from onlookers.

Starfire frowned, and shied away from that side of the bar, stepping closer to Robin.

They scanned the room methodically, slipping in and out of gaps in the crowd, recording devices active and listening.

Robin brushed by the secret conversations without looking like he was eavesdropping and Starfire stood as a silent guard by his shoulder.  Her eyes flicked anxiously towards the digital clock on the wall.

One hour.  That was how long they would stay.  Long enough to hopefully get insight into the inner workings and hierarchy of their rogues gallery, gleam some of their future plans.  Maybe head off a doomsday plot or two.  She wasn't certain what to expect, exactly.  All she knew was that being in this place, close-quarters with some of their most dangerous villains, many of whom had it personally out for her boyfriend...

With a sharp glare and a step forward, she warded off the interested expression of a girl in the corner, blocking the girl's eyeline to Robin, sending a warning with her eyes.

The girl pouted briefly and then turned back to her circle of friends, gabbing away nonchalantly.

Satisfied, Starfire returned her attention to Robin, who was surreptitiously planting an audio bug underneath one of the tables.

They made another careful circuit of the room.  Starfire projected her prickliest "Don't touch me" vibes, shoulders back and neck straight to make herself even taller, a wary glare furrowing her brows.  Robin was never more than a foot or two away from her, and she kept careful watch over him, making note of anyone who seemed overly curious about him.

Her skin crawled with unease.  The smoke was starting to itch in her lungs.

She glanced towards the clock once again; it had been thirty-three minutes.

In the seconds that her eyes weren't on him, she heard him give a startled cut-off yelp.

Starfire whipped her head around just in time to catch the fizzle of Red X teleporting himself and Robin away.

"Plix!" she cursed with a hiss, lurching forward a step into the empty space.  Her eyes darted around frantically, looking this way and that.  No one seemed to have taken notice.

"Starfire, what's wrong?" buzzed Raven's voice in her earpiece.

Starfire stepped quickly through the crowd, bringing a hand up to shield that ear.  "I fear Red X has made us," she explained, pushing past several bodies, straining her eyes and resisting the urge to float up above everyone's heads.  "He took Robin somewhere, I cannot see where."

"He won't have gone far, his teleportation only has a limited range," Cyborg said.  A whirr on the line told her he was pinging Robin's locator beacon.  "I got him!  Back hallway, just past the bathrooms."

Starfire hurried in that direction at once.

***

"Not exactly the place I'd expect to see you, kid," Red X quipped.

Robin muffled an indignant yell through the thief's hand, clamped tight over his mouth, and with a sharp motion rammed his elbow into Red X's stomach.

The arms around him loosened as Red X doubled inwards with a groan, and Robin used that distraction to pull free, whipping around and pulling a bird-a-rang out from one of the generous pockets in his cargo pants.

He went into a rigid stance, free hand out, other hand drawn back, wary and on guard, back to the gray wall of the dingy back hallway.

"Easy!" Red X coughed, putting up his hands.  "Do you want to alert the whole club you're here?"

"Only if you give me a reason," Robin growled in warning.  "How did you know?"

Red X straightened, brushing himself off.  "Try skipping the hair gel next time, kid," he advised.  "I'd recognize those spikes anywhere."

Robin didn't relax, tightening his grip on the bird-a-rang.  "What do you want?" he demanded.

"In on whatever cool espionage you're doing, for starters," the thief replied.

Robin narrowed his eyes.  "You want to help us?" he asked, a bit incredulous.  "Why?"

"Let's just say times are tough and xenothium is a little hard to come by these days," the thief dismissed, waving a hand.  "But if you can hook me up with just a little vial—"

"Out of the question," Robin interrupted immediately.

"Aww c'mon!  I have so many juicy secrets to dish!" Rex X complained.

Robin studied the older boy, trying to gauge his sincerity.  His eyes stayed narrow and firm.  "How do I know you won't just rat us out to every villain out in that bar?" he asked.

The other boy sighed in annoyance and, in a motion so fast Robin barely caught it, flash-teleported closer to get within Robin's guard.  Even as Robin was startling back, his eyes widening in surprise, Red X had pushed into his space, forced him up against the wall, his back to the metal.  Crimson blades extended from Red X's gauntlets, the edges pressed dangerously close to Robin's throat, as the thief pinned him in place.

"If I wanted to expose you I'd have already done it," he said, and Robin tried not to gulp as the xenothium blade scraped his skin.  "You came underprepared and underequipped, kid.  You should know better."

Robin tried to formulate a brave response but didn't have to—a set of tanned fingers latched onto Red X's wrist and began squeezing and crushing.

"Aaah!" the thief cried in complaint, crumpling at once.  "Aaaaaaand that would be the protective super-strong alien girlfriend!" he wheezed, forcibly stepping back and retracting the blades, trying to pry her off his injured wrist.  "Gah!"

Starfire released him, letting him stumble back.  Robin felt waves of relief upon seeing her, straightening back up with confidence.

The Tamaranian princess was searing a violent glare at Red X, taking up position next to Robin's side.

"You will keep your distance from him," she warned.

"Noted," he keened thinly, still nursing his wrist.

After a moment or two Red X recovered his composure.

"I'd really prefer not to make a scene," he told them.  "Half a vial and I can tell you exactly who the most dangerous person in that bar is.  Full vial and I'll help you take them down myself."

Conflict flickered through Robin's heart.  His eyes pinched and he bit his lip.  He shouldn't even consider the deal—Red X was a constant reminder of Robin's failures, a glaring testament to his worst mistakes—but his baser, "Batman" instincts were strongly considering the offer.

Starfire's pointed growl of, "We do not require your help." reoriented him though.

Robin made his face soften apologetically.  "I can't in good conscience give you any xenothium," he told Red X.  "But if you really want to help, any information you can give us would be appreciated."

The thief crossed his arms stiffly, clearly frowning behind the mask.

Starfire drew slightly closer to him, her fists tightening.

Seeing the move, Red X sighed, his shoulders going slack.

"I am way too fond of you, kiddos," he said.

Robin sent Starfire a grin as the thief uncrossed his arms and started to dish some very interesting information.  A silent thank you was sent skyward for the presence of the alien princess, tough and unyielding and someone he'd always feel safe around.

It was nice to have a girl like her backing him up, he thought.

[onceupona-chaos]

Feathers and dawn (part II)

Day 18 of Elriel month/ Teach me how to fly

You can read part I here.

"Spread your wings." 

The moment Elain opened her wings, the cold, impetuous wind hit them, and the full impact made her lose balance, almost falling backwards. Instead, she met Azriel's chest, his hands tightened on her waist, and her body went cold and hot all at once.

This time Elain did stop breathing. 

WC: 4164/ Warnings: Language

(I had so much fun writing this! As usual, sorry for any mistakes, English is not my first language. Sorry for any typos as well, but I can't look at it anymore lol)

Elain had held that light inside of her with everything she got, and even so it came close to controlling her rather than the other way around.

She still could feel it, not the light that shone so bright to blind someone's eyes, but more like a gracious flame of a candle in her chest. But that was nothing compared to how the muscles on her back burned.

When her eyes cracked open, she was half expectant that all of it had been a delirious dream or one of those visions that still hunted her from time to time. But then she tried to move to a sit position, and a scream escaped from her throat at the very, very real pain punishing her upper body.

Her entire back was sore, and she could feel a complex extension of muscles - from her neck to the end of her spine - that was now linked to two massive weights coming out of her shoulder blades.

Excruciating, blinding pain.

Elain didn't notice the tears falling down her cheeks, couldn't even hear the sounds coming out of her own mouth.

Strong, calloused hands were pushing her hair away from her sweaty forehead a second later, and then Azriel’s beautiful face was there.

He was like a hiding spot in the middle of a storm, anchoring her from her agony, even though his expression was contorted in worry.

Azriel's eyes were wild, lips forming her name, but she couldn't hear a sound. Pain was all she knew, making her senses numbed.

Black dots started to dance in front of her eyes, her head getting light, and hazel ones full of terror was the last thing she saw before the world bleed into darkness again.

_______________

The next time Elain emerged to consciousness, first she smelled the leafy odor of salvia. Then the feeling of gentle, experienced hands massaged the line of her spine while she was lying on her stomach.

Heavy eyelids opened to the Velaris sunset, shades of pink and purple coloring the blue sky were visible through the familiar floor to ceiling windows, making her recognize her room in the river house.

Elain caught a movement from the corner of her eyes, and she inclined her head slightly to see Azriel, kneeling beside her bed, worry still printed in his face, but his eyes filled with relief now.

His hair was in complete disarray, the dark locks pointed in different directions as if he had run his hands through it repeatedly.

“You’re awake,” he breathed.

Those hands, unfamiliar hands, were still rubbing her exposed back, the gentle touch soothing the pain.

“That’s Majda, she’s almost finishing.” Azriel must have sensed her confusion. “How’s the pain?”

Her mouth was dry and it was an effort just to make words come out of it. “Tolerable” she said, voice raw.

He just nodded and then they fell in a comfortable silence. It was always like this with him - no need for empty words.

Azriel just stayed there in his vigil, shadows curling around his ankles, watching her with those familiar hazel eyes. Not the blazing gold of Cassian's, but rather an embrace shared between warm brown and stark gray, with hues of emerald green that would stand out according to his mood.

Eyes as complex as Azriel's himself, candidly observing her whilst Majda worked, her hands putting the exact amount of pressure to soothe her muscles, the salvia tuning the sharp pain into a dull ache. She didn't touch Elain's wings.

Wings.

Even with their weights on her back, even with the feeling of that warm power in her chest, Elain still was prone to believe it all had been a dream if it wasn't for the pain.

When Majda finished the healing massage, she merely told them she'd come back the next few days to do it again.

The bedroom’s door clicked shut, and Elain was already trying to get up, Azriel immediately protesting, "You should stay in bed.”

"I want to see them" was her only reply. She needed to see, to look at them. To know they were real.

"Your muscles aren't strong enough to support the new weight -"

Indeed, when she tried to stand, her balance wavered and she toppled forward.

Azriel caught her before she could fall on her face, hauling her up. Gently, one of his hands passed behind her knees, the other around her waist, and he scooped her up.

Elain let her head fall against his chest, breathing his scent as he walked through the room. A few moments later, far more than was necessary to reach her mirror, he put her down, but remained close.

She didn't see her pale face or even care about the fact that she was wearing nothing, but a nightgown that reached the middle of her thighs. Not when two massive wings rested on the floor behind her, the soft, white feathers touching the carpet.

Elain turned around to see her back, to see the point where the skin ended and the feathering began.

They were beautiful.

But she never had felt more unworthy of something. She couldn’t even hold them up, couldn't even lift them from the ground. It had been so exhausting spent months trapped in that murky realm, visions blending together with reality, that she hadn’t want find out what else the Cauldron had given her, hadn't want to touch that flame burning in her chest, not when her own body felt foreign and now -

Only when she felt tears dripping onto her chest, Elain realized she was crying, exhaustion falling upon her as a blanket, covering her to the bones.

She stood there for enough time that the next time Azriel spoke, she had almost forgotten he was there.

Almost.

Because she always seemed to sense whenever he was around.

"I will teach you everything."

It didn't sound like an offer at all. His words were a promise.

Slowly she turned from the mirror to face him - and nearly sobbed at how lovely and fiercely his eyes were, almost shining with sheer compassion.

Compassion for her, yes. But also for an Illyrian boy who didn't know how to fly, who found himself all alone in a war camp long ago. "I'll be with you and I'll teach you everything."

She didn’t know what to say, what to make of everything. So Elain only took his hand, interlacing their fingers and squeezing firmly.

But then, a thought struck her. "Truth-Teller," she gasped.

A smile curved his lips. "It's with me," he said. "I went back to the Cave. Turns out, without the Orb, the wards were gone."

Relief washed over her. And guilty.

"I'm sorry. I should - ."

Before she could finish her sentence, Elain was again in his arms. Azriel chuckled, but hadn't missed how heavy her eyelids were getting. "Not your fault. You weren't exactly in position to remember it," he said while gently carrying her back to bed.

But before he could lay down the mattress, he stopped by the side of the bed, and turned to look at her. Every ounce of amusement gone.

"I thought…" his words died and he shook his head.

No trace of that mask he so often used, no sign of his usually neutral expression.

The look on his face was Azriel in his most raw state. And she could see it.

I thought I had lost you.

She wished she wasn't so tired as she buried her face in the crook of his neck and breathed, "I know."

He nodded. He understood.

He murmured as he lay her in the bed, "Sleep. I still owe Nesta an explanation."

Elain smiled sleepily, and mumbled, "Good luck."

Just when darkness came to claim her once again, Elain felt the ghost touch of a light kiss in her temple and the smell of mist and cedar. ___________

The next day, Elain was sitting at her usual spot by the window of the living room in the river house, the Orb laying on a desk right in the center of the room. What was unusual, however, was the many pairs of eyes glued to her.

Cassian's jaw was still on the floor by the time Amren, the last one to arrive, entered the room. Even her face went a bit slack when she took in the wings and some emotion sparkled in her silver eyes.

Elain tried not to blush, but all that attention wasn't helping.

Although Feyre had helped her before to retract and summon her wings, which she was grateful for, Elain didn't want to summon them in front of everyone, so she decided to just get straight to the point.

She didn’t know how Azriel explained what had happened to the others, especially to Nesta. But given the look on her face fixed on Rhysand and on the spymaster, a perfect I Will Slay My Enemies look, according to Cassian, Elain wasn’t sure she wanted to know.

But as for now Azriel just held her sister's gaze, his face neutral.

"So…" Cassian began, waving a hand towards her wings. "What the hell?"

"I think what he's trying to ask you is," Nesta gave a look at her mate. "Where did those come from?"

Elain took a deep breath. "Well..." She bit her lip, trying to choose her words in order to make sense. "After I found out what I was, I've never accessed the full extension of my powers. I knew the Cauldron had given me something else,something more, but I didn't want to find out what it was."

Rhysand asked, "Why."

"Because I was too scared," She replied honestly. That was all she could say. She didn't want to, didn't know if she could relive those days when she couldn't tell reality and dreams apart.

She glimpsed at Azriel, who was at the corner of the room, sorrow shining on his face while he gave her a reassurance nod.

"So when I grabbed the Orb, it… whatever powers I have just grumbled in answer, as if they were the same… they came to the surface. It tried to stop them, push them back, to let go of the Orb, but I couldn't… it trapped me"

"That's because they are the same," Amren said. As soon as the words left her mouth, Elain understood what lay on her eyes: recognition.

"What wicked sort of plans the Cauldron may have for the three of you," Amren went on, nodding to Elain and her sisters.

"Amren," Rhysand said, the voice of the High Lord. "If you know something, just tell us."

The petite female gave him a hard look, before turning to Elain. "The Cauldron didn't make you any Seer." Amren tilted her head, studied Elain. "He also happened to make you an Oracle." Her eyes were practically two blazing stars, and Elain had to fight a shiver, before asking "An Oracle?"

"That 's right, girl."

"What's the difference?" Nesta demanded.

"A different group of Seers… powerful ones", Rhysand murmured, running a hand through his hair. "I thought they were just a myth."

"They were as real as you and me, Rhysand," Amren said, shaking her head.

It was Feyre's time to demand, "Someone please explain."

"Before the High Lords, there was a time where this world lived in complete, unshakable peace," Amren began. "The Oracles were the great responsibles for this time of harmony, a group of Seers who used to celebrate life and pulled the threads of Fate. They travel through words just like we travel between courts, using their Seer powers to See and manipulate the future to their will… to prevent any cause of conflict before it even became a conflict. Subtle, swift creatures those females"

Elain wasn't sure if anyone in the room was breathing.

Azriel asked quietly, "How did they disappear?"

"No one truly knows." Rhysand answered. "The legends don't go that far."

"Common Seers have the gift of sight, but it's limited in its own way," Amren explained. "Oracles, however, have other sort powers as well and they can see further in the future, no matter how distant."

There was one question in Elain's mind, essencial and terrifying. "What is my power?"

Amren's smile was a thing of pure wickedness. "I guess you'll have to find out."

"But why the wings?" Nesta asked, brows furrowed.

Amren eyes softened a little. "Some claimed some of them heritaged from an unknown race of warriors. But not every one of them had wings. If you were blessed with them, they would call you the Leader. The others would fly on their winged horses by her side, travelling through the world and maintaining their balance."

Elain's head was spinning. "But what about the Orb?"

"I might have an idea, but I'll need to do some research in the Helion's libraries first." Rhysand shot his mate a look, his lips curving. "Care to join?"

Feyre only rolled her eyes.

Cassian let out a long breath. "So you're telling me Elain could see if a war is truly coming and stop it before it even begins."

A sick feeling gathered on her stomach, and she blurted, "No."

Silence.

"No what?" Amren asked thighly.

"No, I won't use my powers to play with Fate." She couldn't help the edge of rage in her words. "Espeacilly not when Fate itself had been playing with me all along."

Silence fell.

"You're right," Feyre offered at last, her voice soft. "It's your choice."

Gratitude washed over Elain.

"I want to learn how to fly, though" she blurted, glancing at Azriel, who was already smiling.

Feyre looked between them. "You'll find Azriel has… harsh methods, but they are quite efficient."

Rhysand, who had been just observing, suggested, "Maybe you, Feyre darling, can teach Elain, too."

"I will train her." Azriel's words were practically a snarl, challenge filling every one of them.

Elain looked at the shadows gathering around him as he stared at Rhysand, who just narrowed his eyes back. Strange.

"I'm sure Azriel is the better option to teach Elain, he was the one who taught me after all." Feyre was looking pointly at her mate. "But I can participate in a few lessons when they get tired of training alone." She said looking at Elain, eyes shining bright with an edge of mischief.

Elain ignored that.

"You'll have to build some muscles, you know that, right?" Cassian asked.

Muscles. It wasn't that Elain was opposed to that, but… she couldn't see herself as a warrior like her sisters. Surely, she wouldn't mind learning one thing or two, but...

"I'll help you."

Elain turned to her older sister, with raised brows. "I don't…"

"You don't have to learn how to use a sword, but I can help with your core muscles," Nesta offered.

Then, Elain couldn't stop the warmth in her chest - not from that source of power, but from pure gratitude. "Thank you."

Amren shocked her head and huffled a breath, edged with amusement, making Elain's brows furrow at that.

"A Made, reborn Fae and a Valkyrie training a new Oracle." Her lips curved in a feral smile. "Three Cauldron-blessed sisters, indeed."

Elain didn't have to use the Orb to know Fate had listened to Amren's words.

--------------

"Shit."

Azriel's curse hit Elain's ears, before her arm hit the rock as she fell on her face right into the lake.

They had been training for weeks now. At first, it was more about how to summon her wings and keep them up instead of resting on the ground.

Sometimes Feyre would join them, or even Nuala and Cerridwen made an appearance for what Cerridwen called "emotional support".

Which means they watched as Elain jumped just to fall right into that gods-damned lake and tried not to laugh. Cerridwen often failed spectacularly at that.

But after one particularly hard training lesson that ended up with more bruises Elain would care to admit, especially to her pride, Cerridwen had come to her room with a gift: a brand new and very pink apron with a winged fawn carefully embroidered at the front, the chain stitches meticulous done.

It was the most ridiculous apron Elain had ever seen - and she wore every chance she got with a stupid smile on her face.

But most of the time it was only Azriel and her. First they would stick to training, and she was able to focus only on the lessons. Until one day they had sat side by side at the shore, talking about everything and nothing, and, gods, she had missed him.

But then she felt that ravenous pull towards him and had to look away, before she could do something stupid again - and just like that she remembered why they had kept their distance in the first place.

She knew he desired her just as she desired him. She had seen the longing in his face, and had smelled his scent that night, darker than usual. Had read the hunger shining in his eyes as he looked at her.

But she had crossed a line he didn't want to cross.

Good thing now she had other things to worry about. Like ignoring the pain in her left arm, finding her way to the surface to get the hell out of that chilling lake.

But before she could do any of those things, Elain found herself looking at the sky and then the ground was beneath her.

And a very, very shirtless Azriel was by her side. "Are you alright?" he asked, wrapping his tunic around her shoulders, scanning for injuries.

Even with her teeth almost chattering off her mouth from the cold, Elain couldn't help but take one good look at his muscled chest, those intricate tattoos on display and she felt her face heating. Not from embarrassment, but from pure desire that was pounding in her blood, traveling through her body. All she wanted in that moment, and so many before that, was to touch him, taste him. Be with him, by his side.

She imagined what would be like to have that powerful body hovering over hers.

Then she blushed a bit at those thoughts, too.

"I"m fine," she blurted after a considerable time, enough to make Azriel blush as well. And make her consider throwing herself at the lake again.

To distract herself, Elain closed her eyes and accessed that flame in her chest, letting it shine bright inside her, waves of heat running through her veins and bones until she was no longer cold.

When she looked at Azriel, he was already watching her. He cleaned his throat. "You kept yourself on the air longer this time."

Elain raised an eyebrow, "I fell on the only rock in this entire river."

A gleam shone in his eyes.

Elain narrowed hers at him.

"Are you trying not to laugh?"

"No," he said, clapping his lips together.

Every pound of desire in her blood died. "You said it wasn't funny anymore after the first four times!"

At that, Azriel tipped his head back and busted out such a rich laugh, that even Elain couldn't stop the small smile on her own lips. "You are a terrible teacher."

Except that he wasn't. Azriel was patient and thoughtful. He had refused to let her practice anywhere but the lake, and when she said she didn't need to be coddled and could practice on land, he had scanned her face, so many emotions passing across his, and told her he wouldn't see her getting hurt.

So they practice on the lake. Every day.

That was weeks ago and Elain was starting to think she would never take to the skies. She still couldn't sustain herself on the air for more than a few seconds.

"What is it like? To fly, I mean." she asked, eyes fixing on the lake before her.

She felt Azriel's eyes on her. "It 's freedom." Truth echoed in his words.

Elain nodded to herself. "I can hear the wind calling me." Her wing ruffled as if in emphasis."I can feel every muscle in my body begging me to jump out of the windows and it just… it's getting harder to ignore."

Elain tried to stop the burning in her eyes, her voice was broken when she breathed, "Why me, if I can't even get close to being airborne for more than five seconds?"

Azriel kept silent for so long, she didn't know if he heard her, but she was too much of a coward to look at him. Didn't want to look at him, not like this, not again.

But then gentle fingers found her chin and slowly turned her head to meet hazel eyes shining bright as the sun above them.

"Come with me."

Next thing she knew she was taking his extended hand and he shot to the skies, his tunic flying from her shoulders while she was being cradled against his bare chest.

Even though he was made of muscles hard as rock, his skin was warm and soft as the finest velvet.

Azriel landed right on the top of one of the highest mountains surrounding Velaris, the city bursting with life so far below that it seemed one of Nyx's toys.

And Elain almost stopped breathing. "Are you going to push me?"

Azriel chuckled, but didn't answer. "Turn around and close your eyes."

"So you definitely are going to push me," she murmured, but did as she was told.

She didn't know what she was expecting, but it wasn't Azriel's large hands on her waist or the warmth of his body behind her.

"Spread your wings."

The moment Elain opened her wings, the cold, impetuous wind hit them, and the full impact made her lose balance, almost falling backwards. Instead, she met Azriel's chest and his hands tightened on her.

This time Elain did stop breathing.

Especially when Azriel's breath caressed the

shell of her ear. "Focus on the wind passing through your wings, how each feather answers to it. Try to understand its direction, its temperature."

So she did. And she could feel it. She could feel the most external layer of feathers absorbing the temperature impact of the icy wind. Could feel the most little plumes, so sensitive they could perceive the slight change in any air current direction.

She became aware of everything around her. But mostly of the heat emanating from Azriel's body on her back, of his thumbs now drawing small circles on her sides.

"When I was a boy, I used to think the same thing as you do now," he whispered. "I was locked away and had to suppress so many instincts…" He let out a breath. "These wings are yours and only yours, you command them. It might take some time, but you will fly and control your powers. Be patient. You can do whatever you want, Elain."

It was his words, the meaning. He believed in her, had always believed in her.It was that certainty that had her leaning into his touch.

She folded in her wings and tilted her head, slowly opening her eyes to find his beautiful face inches from hers, close enough for her to see the hues of green in his eyes.

"Thank you," she breathed.

Azriel said nothing. No, he just let every word shine in his gaze as he leaned down and brushed his nose against hers while his thumbs were still caressing her sides leisurely.

She sucked in a breath, eyes falling close as she lost herself at the pure intimacy of that touch. Elain's whole body went molten and she wanted nothing more than to melt against his chest.

But she couldn't cross that line again.

So she pulled back, just enough to look at his face and made herself say, "I think Nesta is waiting for me."

Shadows darkened his hazel eyes. "Right."

On their way to the House of Wind, she thought Azriel would keep silent but he surprised her when he said quietly, "Nuala and Cerridwen never told me you were training with them."

Despite everything, a faint smile curved Elain's lips. "You can't expect to know everyone secrets."

He lifted an eyebrow. "That's my job."

And Nuala and Cerridwen's, too.

"I don't want to be a warrior," Elain blurted. "But… maybe I can use my gifts - my sight gifts, I mean - to..."

A whisper of those shadows still filled his gaze, but Azriel gave her a small smile. "Like spying?"

Elain blushed. "Perhaps."

"You'd make a good spy, but you have to be patient."

Elain looked at him. At that male who had intrigued her and made her feel comfortable and safe from the very beginning. At that male who found her when no one else would, who had seen her. Had truly seen her.

No, she wouldn't cross that line now, but...

"I can be patient, Azriel," she breathed. Promised.

This time, hope shone so brightly in his hazel eyes that no room was left for shadows.

[zmediaoutlet]

my year of fic (2020)

I had a lapse in doing this, because the end of 2019 was just---a haze---but I thought it might be fun to try again on this, my first day off of 2021. Ignoring for a moment the armed sedition and the pandemic and the general feeling like the world’s about to spin upside down, I think it might be a good day. Let me try to feel some joy in writing, so that I might do some more writing this weekend. There’s a chance!

Per the AO3 stats tracker:

Total words written in 2020: 278,664 (Compared to 2019: 201,375 -- definite improvement!) That brings the overall AO3 published total to: 1,160,723. Jesus. I need another hobby, haha.

I’ll try to collect a year masterlist below, but let’s see what happened with stats first.

fic with most hits, which is not the same thing as best: no disguising truths i’ve sold -- y’all are fiends for the dadsex, just admit it. It always gives me a giggle how many hits these ones have with so few people actually interacting. :)

fic with most kudos, which I guess means people admitted they liked it: there will be better days -- which I guess isn’t a surprise, written when it was, but it’s still super gratifying to see that people enjoyed it. This one takes top spot for most of the other categories, too, so I’m going to go for the 2nd-placers on the next few...

fic with (2nd-)most comment threads, which I guess means people wanted to chat about it: In a Cursed Hour, which is a pleasant surprise! This is the very long gen (with sneaky pining!Dean), the first part of which was technically finished this year. I hope I come back to it at some point, because the story is... great, haha. Just super hard to write. Gratifying that people wanted to talk about it!

fic with (2nd-)most bookmarks, which I guess means people want to read it again: see things so much clearer -- aw, now that’s a nice surprise! This kinda felt like channeling old-school weecest, in some ways, so it’s cool that people seem to have enjoyed it.

fic with (2nd)-most subscriptions, which I guess means people are hoping for more: welcome to capitalism -- another nice surprise! I almost forgot about this one: a little ruthless, a little kind. Logical choices in a world that sucks, kind of my favorite genre, haha.

longest fic: what comes after certainty -- ow, ow. This is a---strange one---started in 2019 before the haze, published finally in a bit of ignominy, still not read by the recipient I’m pretty sure because it’s fucking depressing, haha. But I’m kinda proud of it, or at least proud of myself for finishing it, so I guess it’s good that I spent this many words on it.

least popular fic, if we’re going by kudos: transference -- lol, that makes sense -- Umbrella Academy momcest? That said tho, it’s kinda fun and you should read it. Diego’s just the biggest mommy’s boy. Ahem.

The best thing writing-wise about this year was stretching into stuff I wouldn’t normally write, thanks to the charity drives. Maybe I’ll try to do that again this year; I’m sure something horrific will happen that will need some monetary support.

In the meantime, here are all of the fics I wrote this year, in order that they were written. Probably Sam/Dean unless otherwise specified. Imagine retrospective montage music:

January

none. no surprise here.

February

the hollow summer - E. Boy King Sam, AU.

March

‘he has a kiss stuck in his mouth’ - M. Pining!Dean, Stanford era.

no disguising truths i’ve sold - E. John/Deanna, pre-series.

“I almost died” - T. Jared/Jensen, firefighter!Jared fluff.

‘sam waking dean up with his mouth’ - E, somnophilia, married!sex.

relay - E, D/s play.

April

extreme pollen warning - E, sex pollen, established relationship.

whatever we were before - E, Dragon Age AU, mage!Sam/warrior!Dean.

‘cokehead!Alex’ - T. Alex/JDM; part one.

pragmatics - E. Established wincest, past Dean/others. Prostitution.

May

teamwork (makes the dream work) - Alex/Jared/Jensen. cokehead!verse pt 2.

to dream of the next - E. First time, pining!Sam.

In a Cursed Hour: Protesting Fate Supreme - T. Men of Letters AU, ch.6.

June

FFFB 1 - M. Gabriel/Rowena, meeting through the years.

FFFB 2 - E. A/B/O, first time.

FFFB 3 - E. Jensen/Jeff, voyeur!Jared, Non-AU.

FFFB 4 - M. Cloud/Sephiroth, mindfuck.

FFFB 5 - M. Amos/Alex, pantykink.

FFFB 6 - E. Dubcon shading to noncon, pining!Dean.

FFFB 7 - M. Hannibal/Will, first kiss.

FFFB 8 - E. Post-Michael possession, piercings, body mods.

FFFB 9 - M. Tony Stark/Stephen Strange, AU.

FFFB 10 - M. Dean/Bobby, Stanford era.

FFFB 11 - E. Mommy!kink, bunker era.

FFFB 12 - M. Gen, Sam’s wall, mild self-harm.

FFFB 13 - M. Sam Wilson & Bucky Barnes, racial discussion.

FFFB 14 - M. s2, Sam’s cast.

FFFB 15 - E. Jared/Jensen, established relationship, CBT.

FFFB 16 - E. weecest, first time.

FFFB 17 - M. Sam/Dean/Jack.

FFFB 18 - M. Amnesia.

FFFB 19 - E. BDSM, sub!Dean, dildos.

FFFB 20 - E. A/B/O, demon!Dean, noncon.

FFFB 21 - T. Established relationship, Stanford discussion.

FFFB 22 - E. Dubcon, time travel, soulless!Sam/young!Dean, prostitution.

FFFB 23 - M. Implied Dean/John, jealous!Sam.

FFFB 24 - E. ‘The End’!verse, Lucifer!Sam/Dean, noncon.

FFFB 25 - E. Tentacles, body horror, oviposition.

FFFB 26 - E. Belly bulge!kink.

July

none. apparently I needed a break.

August

have a cigar - E. Sam’s powers, slight D/s.

welcome to capitalism - E. Jared/Jensen, prostitution.

September

the wealth gap - E. ‘capitalism’ pt 2; Jared/Jensen, prostitution.

what comes after certainty - M. Mutual pining, amnesia.

reunion theory - E. Cloud/Sephiroth, Cloud/Hojo. Body horror, torture, mpreg. Fic for fire relief 1.

the honeytrap - E. Jared/Jensen, mob!AU. FFFR 2.

scotch courage - M. Sam/Kevin, hair play. FFFR 3.

he will tear your city down - E. Damen/Laurent, slight D/s. FFFR 4.

cyrano - E. Jensen/Antony Starr, established J2. D/s, consensual infidelity. FFFR 5.

two runners on base - E. Dean/Deacon, established relationship, BDSM, DP. FFFR 6.

what’s to stop me, pretty baby - E. Noncon, MoC!Dean. FFFR 7.

the need to choose - E. A/B/O, pregnant!Dean. FFFR 8.

transference - E. Diego Hargreeves/Grace, mommy kink. FFFR 9.

vertex - E. John/Dean, Stanford era, pining!Dean. FFFR 10.

faith without works is dead - M. Sam’s powers, violence, dubcon. FFFR 11.

be subject to each other - E. Photography, facial. FFFR 12.

October

you know i’m gonna be like him - M. Past Dean/John, child abuse. FFFR 13.

unbalance - E. A/B/O, Jared/Jensen, prostitute!Jared. FFFR 14.

buccaneer - E. Crowley/Deanna, demon!Dean, always-a-girl!Dean. FFFR 15.

make much of time - E. Sam/Dean/Jack, virginity kink. FFFR 16.

see things so much clearer - E. Pre-series, first time, diaries. FFFR 17.

won’t let you let me down so easily - E. Sam/Brady, Sam/others, Stanford era, mind control, gangbang, noncon. FFFR 18.

the beams of our house are cedar - E. Bunker era, panties, feminization. FFFR 19.

November

negotiation tactics - E. Homelander/Soldier Boy, D/s, superpower sex.

finale coda - M. Heaven.

15.19 coda - T. Jack as god.

there will be better days - E. Heaven, first time.

December

a leaden anchor - E. Post-Playthings.

That’s it. I haven’t had a single writing thought in my head since that last one. Here’s hoping it comes back in 2021!

[minnochu]

Lustrous (pt 19)

Hybrid!Kook x Fem!Reader AU

Pt 1 | Pt 2 | Pt 3 | Pt 4 | Pt 5 | Pt 6 | Pt 7 | Pt 8 | Pt 9 | Pt 10 | Pt 11 | Pt 12 | Pt 13 | Pt 14 | Pt 15 | Pt 16 | Pt 17 | Pt 18 | Pt 19 | Pt 20 

(A/n): This has been in my drafts for the past week, debating if I wanna post this or not, ‘cause it’s a bit of a filler but I also gotta feed my readers at some point in time y’know lol! 

The pining is almost endless I feel bad. Just a little. 

 Also the only time my irl knowledge in tkd comes in handy is now, and still shits on my lack of ability to write anything having to do with action lol.

Once again, let me know what you think!! Love you all a bunch <3

.

.

The sun hits your eyes through the blinds the very next morning. As your eyelids flutter open, you reminisce the happenings of last night. 

“Will you forgive me then?” Jungkook’s voice had asked quietly after a moment of silence, the both of you busying yourselves at that time with staring at the night sky. The way he glanced at you in search of an answer stole your breath. 

His eyes shimmered with a glint of his azure glow so quick, you wondered if he’d even shown his true colors in the first place. You admire the way they hold so much emotion, vulnerability. Outwardly, he’s closed off, a defense mechanism after hurting Hyejin and his pack, in order to protect others and himself from going crazy. His gaze that constantly shifted between an earthy cedar and a roaring sea, you loved them all.  In the beginning, they appeared cold and lonely, but fuck all if you didn’t love the way they reflected the light of the moon and the stars. Even the emotions you had yet to witness, it was bound to be as beautiful as what he’s allowed you to see.

“Hm… I don’t know…”  You had answered back with a teasing lilt to your smile. The wolf had visibly been taken aback by the reply, wondering if he was being too indecisive. The panic that crosses his expression is so apparent that you can’t help but find it too cute. The bubble of a giggle soothes him, his shoulders sink with relief, eyes drinking up the beginnings of a smile that graces your lips.

Better than before, the air between you both had finally begun to calm and it felt more serene and secure, just as it was before this whole mess.

“Come back to us, (Y/n),” He said, more like a command than a request, but the way he whispered your name that time sent you soaring. The way the syllables of your name sounded on his tongue seemed almost unrealistic. You almost forgotten that he was fated to another lucky woman. 

Until Jimin interrupted the two of you of course. 

Both of you went rigid when Jimin’s messy brunette hair pops up from the edge of the roof. 

“You both are real loud you know?” His smile is goofy as he wiggles his eyebrows at the two, “You know… ‘cause us were-creatures have enhanced hearing.” He taps his right ear with a smirk before taking his leave when a growl emits from Jungkook’s chest. 

Glaring up at the familiar ceiling, Jungkook’s ceiling, you missed the sense of security you felt laying in his bed. His sheets, dare you say creepily, were drenched in his scent. Vanilla and a twist of floral, not the scent you’d expect of a growing boy, but you grew fond of it nonetheless as you continued to stay with the boys. 

You hadn’t realized it until now, the inexplicable warmth curled around your body. Turning over, you don’t expect Jungkook’s giant wolf form lying asleep behind you. 

How unexpected, you think, despite all this, the hybrid sleeping in the same bed as you was the most least likely to happen after all the tension between you both. If you recalled correctly as well, Jungkook was very adamant on sleeping on the floor last night.

Shades of pink blossom over your cheeks, a warm sensation settling in your chest as you reach out a hand to gently stroke your fingers over his fur. Soft. It doesn’t even feel like he’s a wolf, more like an extremely oversized puppy. His ears twitch at the sudden stimulation, and you’re suddenly aware that his tail had been curled over your hip. The long appendage rises and falls, wagging just slightly as you snicker softly and move to scratch your fingers behind his ear. 

An azure eye peers open, and his tail immediately halts before it can fall back over your side. He seems to grow increasingly aware that he’d slipped onto the bed in the middle of the night and despite his less expressive state as a wolf, he turns away in embarrassment. You, however, take this as disturbing his sleep. Smiling softly, you sift your fingers one last time down his spine with a whispered apology and good morning before getting up to head downstairs for some breakfast. 

A puff of air shoots from his nostrils, mimicking a sigh as he watches you glance back at him one more time before closing the door softly behind you. He’s hyper aware of you bumping into Hoseok at the stairs, no thanks to his enhanced hearing, and feels his tail bristling with jealousy when he can hear Hoseok laughing with you about something he hadn’t cared to remember.

“Are you a dumbass?” 

Jimin stood up from his seat, chopsticks clattering on the ground as his eyes flashed a dangerous gold hue at the hybrid. Namjoon stays steely, taken to resting his chin on his knuckles, eyes watching patiently as Seokjin pries their chairs further away from one another.

“I thought I’d spare her the pain knowing that a disgusting monster like me imprinted on her.”

“Spare her the pain? Are you sure you’re not trying to protect yourself from the possibility that she might reject you? Don’t even try to convince yourself that you’re pushing her away because you want to protect her,” Yoongi scoffs this time, his face doesn’t show it but his eyes swirl with a relentless storm, anger and disappointment as the younger scowls back at him. The hybrid doesn’t have a comeback, because he and everyone at the table knows that Yoongi’s right.

“She’s a mortal,” Hoseok speaks up, trying to lift the tension between his pack mates, although he was also quite upset at Jungkook’s childish and self-deprecating tendencies, “He has some right to being scared, she doesn’t feel the pull like he does, she might run away or have second thoughts about his feelings.”

“You do… like her… right?” he asks a little tentatively this time. All eyes turn to the youngest, eager and curious. He almost feels intimidated like he wants to shrivel up until the floor swallowed him whole. He can’t even bother trying to lie in front of them either, not when there were two vampires and a warlock that could force the truth out of him if need be.

“I do. So much it hurts. Ever since I decided that she and Hyejin are two different people and merely a present and a past, I couldn’t stop thinking about her, she’s all I can think about and I hate it. But I’m scared, I’m so scared, I don’t wanna hurt her. I was angry initially, frustrated, and torn. Why did the stars give me someone I could just as easily kill? I wanted to hate her, but I can’t. 

“She thinks I imprinted on Hyejin and I’m such a big dumbass I can’t bring myself to tell her that it’s her. She’s gonna think I’m playing with her, that I was only forced to like her. But fuck do I like her, it’s ruining me, smelling Yoongi’s scent on her made me so angry, I wanted to hurt you hyung, why does she smell like you when it should be me? I’ve messed up… but I can’t even trust myself around her.”

“Then tell her Kook-ah,” Seokjin smiles softly, “Obviously not that you imprinted on her since you’re obviously not ready yet… just that you’re not ready yet to disclose that part of yourself yet, I’m sure she’ll understand as long as you’re not simply pushing her away without saying anything.”

“Yeah Kookie! She’s a teenage girl, she’ll be more hurt that you continue to shut her out.”

Yoongi catches the teen once everyone had said their fill, motioning him to follow the elder into the thicket until they reached what was once the clearing where you and Jungkook had fought for your lives against the hunters. Seokjin had meant his word and returned to the area and cleaned up, no bodies, no damage from magic or fighting. Trees covered the area as though two meteors did not just come raining. Kneeling down, he sighed at his own reflection in the pond, the vibrant colors of the fish greeting his eyes. 

“I think you make her out to be a lot more weak than she really is, you know?” Yoongi finally says, standing at the top of the hill with his hands shoved into the pockets of his slacks. His eyes stare down at the water, his gaze pinned on the pond skater racing back and forth on the surface. “I can’t say I’m not disappointed in you, but you’re smarter than that.”

“I’m glad you took my food for thought and finally used your brains to realize what (Y/n) means to you, but I think you’re underestimating her a little too much.”

Jungkook opens his mouth to protest but the withering glance from the older wolf has him deflating and clamping his mouth shut once more.

“I get it, but she’s been taking everything handed to her head on, the girl just found out she was a siphoner, had to fight her dead mother, and she’s just now trying to get the hang of using her abilities. You don’t think she can handle a little confession?”

The hybrid scoffed this time, tossing a pebble into the water. Its inhabitants fled the area as the rock broke past the surface with gentle ripples. “It’s not just a confession. You forget that she’s still mortal with human feelings. Hoseok-hyung said himself. She doesn’t full that pull and it will only confuse her. She’ll start thinking about the unnecessary like what if my feelings are all a lie. It’s not really me who likes her, it’s my wolf.”

“But you do like her?”

“I do! So fucking much it’s tearing me apart!”

Yoongi tapped Jungkook on the shoulder, waiting for the younger to turn before sending him stumbling into the pond with punch to his face. Slipping on the uneven ground, the boy fell backwards onto his rear with a large splash. Water goes flying from his sudden weight and he’s soaked from head to toe, simmering in the pond as he glares at the elder.

“Now that’s a look,” he chuckles, “Cool off a little will you? There’s nothing wrong with telling her, do it at your own pace sure, but you know you’re inevitably going to have to tell her someday. If she questions it, all you have to do is prove that you like her with or without the pull of your wolf.”

“Rejection is harsh, but seeing her move on without you is even harder, but she’s your soulmate in simpler terms, you just need to grow a pair. She can handle you, you just don’t give her the credit she deserves, you ass.”

Yoongi bends down to offer the boy a hand, to which Jungkook relents his glare and clasps his hand in the other’s. He should have seen it coming as the elder is yanked forward, head first diving into the pond. 

“You little fucker!”

“That’s what you fucking get, asshole.”

The two stare at each other pensively before bursting into laughter. Yoongi smiles softly at the younger, eyes warm as he nudges the boy with his fist.

“Still, I can’t believe I get to see the day you get all mushy over your imprintee”

“H-hyung!”

“I know Hyejin was something else, but still, you lucky bastard I still haven’t found my own mate yet.”

Jungkook stretched with a drawn out yawn, bones melding together and steam unfurling from his bare skin. Eyes struggling to stay open, he scratches and ruffles his hair before finding the energy to get up from bed. Looking for clothes, he pondered over the thought.

Was he really underestimating you?

“Glad to have you back,” Seokjin greets when you appear in the kitchen, offering to help as he prepares breakfast for all the boys. The warlock happily lets you set up the table with side dishes as he finished up the main plates. 

“Sorry for worrying everyone,” You say a bit hesitantly when you finally face the warlock. It hadn’t caught up to you just yet, but being around the boys again reminded you of how childish you were for running away like that.

“Don’t be, Kook’s just an idiot,” Taehyung hums when he walks in, ruffling his already messy hair as he yawns and rummages through the fridge. Returning to his full height, he winked your way while dangling a pouch of pork blood in between his two fingers. “If you get tired of waiting on him, I’ll always be an option.”

“There will be no options when I rip your head off,” Jungkook’s growl enters abruptly, startling you as you greeted him warmly. Releasing the vampire from his withering glare, he refocused his attention on you with a soft gleam in his chocolate gaze. 

“How scary,” Taehyung whines in feigned fear, emphasizing a shiver as he pierces the pouch with a straw, “And here I thought you let me off the hook for forcing her memories out.”

“And then shoving them back in you fuckhead!”

The two bicker and you can only muffle a giggle at how lively they are in the morning. You don’t realize the addition of another aura, until Namjoon’s large hand is gently squeezing your shoulder. You turn to look up to him, slightly surprised by his sudden entrance. If you didn’t know any better, the warmth of his smile that matched the gentleness in his dark eyes nearly made you forget that he was the vampiric leader of this rowdy bunch.

“At the very least they’re back to normal,” his deep voice rumbles with the ghost of a pleasant chuckle, “Yesterday was a little… tense… so let’s not run away again, yeah?”

“Y-yes sir!” You gulp, expecting his eyes to flash gold, but he merely laughs at your apparent fear.

“(Y/n), lighten up, I only say that since we are protecting you, the recent attack has us all on edge, you know. Jungkook’s a prick but nothing’s stopped you until now right? He’s just a bit... dumb.”

“I heard that hyung!”

Namjoon raises his hand from your shoulder quickly, holding it up with a cheeky grin when Jungkook turns his glare over to the blatant hand on your shoulder.

“Heel puppy,” Taehyung tsks, rolling his eyes at the youngest’s irritation. The second youngest moves to take a seat at the table when Jungkook elbows him, causing him to momentarily choke on his blood.

“Oh my Gods you children,” Seokjin sighs exasperatedly as the two bicker once more, whispering a silent spell that none too gently shoves them into the dining table chairs. The eldest shakes his head in disapproval as they pout and stare each other down.

The rest of the boys coming bounding into the room, at least on Hoseok and Jimin’s part. Yoongi could barely go a second without his mouth opening wide in a long yawn, dragging his feet and falling onto the chair with a slump.

Breakfast came and went, and you can only think about how fond you were starting to become of this scene. In the beginning, when you had first started staying with the pack, this scene felt weird. Like an outsider intruding on a happy family. But Hoseok was boasting to you about the dream he’d just had, and Jimin was conversing about the recent cartoon on television last night. It didn’t hit you when Jungkook had said it last night that the boys saw you as their own pack member. You didn’t even realize it until Jimin’s voice had melted into concern, blinking at you as others turned away from their conversations and breakfast to regard you with the same confusion and worry. 

“Hey, (Y/n), you’re crying, are you okay?”

You remembered Taehyung’s comforting words on the morning after the first attack.

“Family is Yahiko, family is us. That is… if you see us that way…” He said with a meek smile that day, “A family should be a place or people you can go home to and feel safe and loved. Evidently, the Blackwells do none of that.”

Then Jungkook’s words from last night.

“Then don’t hate yourself for being a burden to the pack, you’re not just a guest in our house now, you’re pretty much a pack member. The boys don’t treat you any differently than they would each other.”

Yahiko had been your only family up until now. Then Hyejin. Then Jungkook and the rest of the boys. Without your memories, you forgot what it was like to have a mother and a father, besides the ever doting kitsune who beckoned you to try liver and intestines, siblings and whatnot. Although you did have your mother before your memories were sealed, your coven brothers and sisters barely wanted to associate with you. Until now, you hadn’t thought about how the pack saw you, and you only thought that they were forced to have to keep you around and protect you because on your own, you had nothing and knew only the basis of what you could do as a siphoner. It all seemed obligatory from the start.

Maybe. Just maybe you found a place to belong with them. 

“I’m okay… just I’m sorry for causing so much panic yesterday…” You smiled meekly, accepting the napkin from Hoseok and wiping away the wet trails your tears had left in their wake. 

Would it be selfish to want to stay? 

“Hey, if you’re up for it, we can start some self defense training after you get home from school okay?” Seokjin says, offering a brief hug as the four of you prepare to leave for the day. You reply with a nod, much happier than you were minutes prior. 

Would it be too much to want to be with them even after all this is over?

“You’re such a cry baby,” Jungkook comments during lunch with Hyejin clinging to your side, the two exchange menacing leers with stuck out tongue from your best friend and a finger pulling down his eye lid from the male’s part. 

“I was being sentimental jerk,” You scoff, forcing your brows to scrunch in mock annoyance. 

“You were sentimental enough last night, quit it,” He frowns. In reality, he felt like he was being torn into two at the sight of tears. 

Hyejin rolls her eyes at them, “Would you two just make out already or something?” 

Heat rushes to your cheeks as did Jungkook’s, the ghost of a blush blossoming over his cheeks as he weakly glared at the girl. Jimin burst into obnoxious laughter, Taehyung looking away to very poorly muffle his own chuckle. 

I would if I could, you both thought, neither having enough courage to look the other in the eye right now. 

No no no, I told him I’d give him time to sort himself out, he has his own imprintee, I can’t just do that, you think to yourself.

What the fuck is wrong with you, you dumbass dog, Jungkook groans inwardly at his own reaction and thoughts. He’d be a liar if he denied wanting to, heavens above he’s wanted to for so long. Only problem was, if he started, he wasn’t sure if he could keep his hands away. Fuck, he was ready to combust right then and there. The image of your lips, their plush pressed against his, setting him on fire the same way he had when he first set eyes on you, stayed engraved into his mind. 

The remainder of his classes were spent distracted, half paying attention when he found his eyes drawing towards your form hunched over the desk beside him or even across the room with Hyejin beside you. By the time Potions had come around, he was ready to smash a flask into his face.

To rub salt to injury, Seokjin asked him to help out in training you. 

“I know we’re gonna be facing witches, who are more likely to attack using spells, but I just want you to be able to defend yourself if something like those bounty hunters happen again,” the warlock explains as the hybrid fidgets in his spot beside the elder, “We’ll keep studying and practicing some defensive and offensive skills, so you can get the hang of using your magic more often.”

Despite the obvious tension between the two of you, Seokjin teaches you how to punch correctly and to specific points like the inside of the arm. Jungkook forces down his heart in his throat and does his best to be your sparring partner.

Using a spell that covers your flesh in a layer of magic that protects you from the brunt of Jungkook’s punch and kick, Seokjin directs you and guides your body into a balanced stance. It helps make sure you don’t get knocked back too easily, as he fixes the awkward angle of your arm in a better block.

By the next day, Seokjin has you moving onto redirection and throws. You’re still a little sloppy at blocking and dodging, but he smiles and assures you that with more practice you’ll start getting the hang of it. He has Jungkook throwing punches your way for you to use your hand to push it aside. 

“Chances are, your attacker might be just a large as this brick wall,” the warlock grins as the hybrid frowns, “And I don’t expect you to be able to lift him with just brute strength, but you can use his weight to your advantage and be able to flip him over your shoulder, as well as knock him down.”

Jungkook can barely concentrate on what the elder is explaining, his senses overwhelmed at the close proximity with his arm around your neck in a mock choke. Your scent invades his nose, the beginnings of a blush crawling up his neck as your fingers curl over his forearm, pulling him down as you spread your feet into a base stance. Your right hand twists around the shoulder of his sleeve, pushing your hips back into his. 

“Good good, he’s off balance, now take use of that to step forward with your right and throw him.”

The hybrid is too distracted to realize what’s happening, when his world goes flying and suddenly he’s on his back and you’re on your knees beside him, hands still curled on his arm and shoulder.

“Perfect! Just don’t fall with him too!” Seokin chuckles as you bow in response and offer the wolf a hand. Not wanting to be rude, he gives in and clasps his hand over yours, wincing when his heart pounds at the simple touch of your skin on his. Your skin retreats from his, but the skin of his palm is still tingling with what’s left of your lingering warmth. 

Damn the mutt inside him. 

“A-are you okay?” You ask worriedly, noticing how spaced out he was.

“I’m fine, that was one helluvah throw though,” He says with a tight lipped smile, knowing he was very well distracted by holding you close like that. 

“Alright you two, if you’re done chatting, we can do a few more throws and try some leg sweeps.”

True to his word, you have your left arm splayed across Jungkook’s chest, holding his left arm with your right. Pressing against him, your leg moves forward before swinging back against Jungkook’s, swiping it from the ground. The pressure of your left forces him down, moving your hand the way Seokjin had instructed around his head and guiding him down. 

It was exhilarating, although in a controlled and safe environment, you felt confident being able to take down Jungkook. Although he obviously wasn’t putting that much resistance, you felt a little more safer being able to know such techniques. 

“How you feeling?” He asks nonchalantly when you get ready for bed that night. The hybrid made it routine to sleep on the floor in wolf form now, only to always end up crawling onto the bed in the middle of the night right after. Despite knowing his clothes were only going to be kicked under the bed after he turns, he settles on the foot of the bed to chat for a little.

You offer him a smile, drying off your damp hair after a much needed shower, “Muscles a little sore, but I’m glad to be able to learn how to defend myself when the time finally comes, you know.”

“That’s good,” He mumbles, unsure what else to say without sounding weird or desperate. Hey I really like the way you slammed me into the ground today or wow you looked so fucking hot standing above me. Oh heavens what even was that last thought? 

“You seem pretty versed in fighting, I mean you were always good… not that you were ever bad or anything… you held your own against those two hunters really well… and er… okay I’m gonna shut my mouth now.”

He couldn’t help his own sputter, a small pfft passed through his hand covering over his mouth. The attempts to muffle his amusement failed and he noticed the way you weakly glare at his reaction.

“I enjoyed Taekwondo when I was younger, they were wary of me as a supernatural, so I mostly practiced by myself or with Junghyun, and… after that…” His voice faltered momentarily and you can guess what he was referring to, “I practiced with Namjoon and Hoseok sometimes. Times are peaceful now though, so I never really had a reason to fight seriously until your dumbass came around.”

“Okay, listen, I did not ask to be attacked like this,” You frown at his jab.

“You played yourself for even breathing,” He cracks a subtle smile that you take in greedily. This was good. This was very good progress. You both were talking, and he even showed just a minuscule of emotion. Something was better than nothing at all. 

“For someone who’s never had to fight or protect themself, you’re doing pretty well,” He says after a moment of silence, eyes peering over to you, “A little more practice and I might actually feel a pinch when you hit me.” He cracks a mischievous quirk at the corner of his lips with a subtle twitch of his eyebrow. 

You however, puff out your cheeks and launch one of his pillows at him.

When Jungkook has long curled up in his wolf form, lying at the foot of the bed while you take up your usual spot on his bed, he’s abruptly awoken by the heavy musk of distress. Marine eyes fly open in alarm, darting back and forth within the darkness of his room. His dry nose twitches in recognition of the obvious discomforting scent. Ears flicking, he raises his head to glance towards the bed where you lay. 

As he thought, you’re tossing around, curling into a fetal position. Your breath hitches, eyebrows furrowing from what he can tell in the dark. 

Knowing himself, he can’t just leave you alone. Not like he was able to stay away anyways, always waking up curled beside you on the bed for the past few mornings. The lack of self control was astounding. 

And just like those nights, he rises from his position, shaking his head briefly before stepping onto the bed. The frame whines at the added weight, mattress dipping as he crawls to your side. Silently letting his large body curl around you, tail swishing in excitement before falling over your form, he settles comfortably. His azure gaze is hooded, watching as you toss once more before finding his warmth and relaxing against him. 

What were you dreaming about? He wonders as his mouth opens in a long yawn. 

What has you so antsy at night, even when you were long unconscious and deep asleep?

Maybe he’ll ask tomorrow.

Morning falls over the cabin once more, the day passing as you attend school and return to another day of training. 

“Alright, hope you know how to clench your teeth, a lot of physical fights end up on the ground, so we’re gonna practice some falls and then some ground fighting.”

Some what?

“Clench your teeth Kookie-ah!”

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[andisinger]

The Black Crow

Chapter 2  A/N: I went off with all these words lol. A little bit of backstory thrown throughout.  Word count: 4877 Warnings: Violence, gore, descriptions of blood    

    Myomel was in sight, the changing leaves falling around my galloping wargs and myself, the guards at their posts near the front gate. Halting to a stop, I received warm welcomes from my old friends.  “Creosa iant Mellon!(Welcome old friend)” Calanon greeted, a warm smile spreading across his face. I dismounted quickly to embrace my dear friend. My arms wrapped around the cold steel of his armor as I smiled and was whisked from my feet.  “Aminaya elea lle anta!(I should see your face)” I joked as he dropped me to the forest floor once more. Removing his helmet, I reveled in the familiarity of his dark skin tone. His glimmering eyes, the shade of dark, starry night; his cheeks blushing the color of a pink rose he once gifted in friendship. Smiling at each other, I embraced him once more.  “Uma lle brien somethien? (Do you bring something?)” He asked as we stood by the gates, my wargs now playful pups among friends in the city. I nodded and hummed, extending the Caragor’s tusk.      His smile faded quickly.  “Caragor?” He asked, taking the tusk to examine it closely. I nodded again, explaining to him how I came of it.  “Y' witcher?” Calanon prodded further.  “Uma. (Yes)” I confirmed, looking around at the fallen leaves amongst us.  “Ta il- tulunka. (It would not steady)” I said, my hands picking up an oddly shaped grey stone that fit into the palm of my hand. Calanon chuckled, returning the tusk to my hand.  “I' witcher? (The Witcher)” I scoffed.  “I' caragor.” I corrected. He shook his head with another bright smile.  “Lle atar naa eska. (Your father is home)” My heart skipped a beat with overwhelming joy. “Ro wishes a' elea lle. (He wishes to see you)”     With Calanon’s words I was off to see my father once more. Galloping through the empty streets, the fellow beasts roared, barked, howled, and pulled at their chains at us. Around the corner, father’s own beasts stood on hind legs unleashing a booming roar. Hod yipped and howled once I dismounted with the Caragor’s tusk. Our beasts rustling around the property with each other. Opening the door timidly, I announced my presence.  “Atar?” I called out.  “Tinu?” A hopeful voice called stepping into the hall.       My father stepped into view; a short man with only 6 fingers and tanned skin, his soft brown eyes wet with tears. I nodded and ran to him, embracing him in a tight hug.  “Atar, amin brien y' gift. (Father, I bring a gift)” Kneeling before him, I presented the tusk. I knew his emotion would be disappointment; killing animals in Myomel was seen as a sin worthy of a heavy punishment. Dropping my head and closing my eyes, I felt the weight lift from my hands.  “Tinu.” He whispered.  “Sut ume lle tul a ed' sina? (How did you come by this?)” He whispered examining the dreadful gift.  “Brinegulf.” I mumbled, my chin beginning to quiver.  “Caragor?” He asked, moving around me to sit at the table. I moved with him, nodding.      I sat down, the small chair creaking under my weight, my father's eyes now ballooned in size as he gaped at the sharp tusk.  “Nae ta mith ri' mor? (Was it gray or black)” He asked in a hurry.  His brown eyes looking up at me then flashing back down.  “Mith (Grey).” I said, my arms crossing over my chest.  “Nae lle ereb?(Were you alone)” I shook my head.  “Eller nae y' witcher. (There was a Witcher)” Father looked up at me, his hands dropping the tusk and grabbing my hands. His eyes flashed black, no white in sight as he spoke in common; a language unknown to him. “Three people traveling. Tracking dangerous beasts, you will have to face the hardest decision of your life. Your people are in danger so long as you know this Witcher.”      Father’s arms shot out to his sides and his head dropped behind him, his jaw was slack as his premonition left him as soon as it had started.  “Atar?” I called gently, moving from my chair next to him to hold his hand. As I had grown, Father’s premonitions had their truths; I learned from a young age to never ignore the spirits' words and to always thank them for their wisdom. He found me as a child, wandering through the woods. Quickly, his eyes returned to normal, his hand tightened around mine.  “Atar?” I asked once more, he nodded his head with a small smile.  “Lasta a' i' ooma.” He said, patting the back of my head as I rested my head on the back of his hand.  “Amin anta utu- ner wargs. (I need to find more wargs)” I told him honestly; father nodded his head and took to his feet, moving about the small house to grab his book.      The book laid between us; the pictures of all animals moving about either in herds or by themselves.  “I' witcher naa travelien Rhun. (The Witcher is traveling East)” I informed Father who looked at me once more with his sweet brown eyes. “Lye can il- lava ho san- ner coia. (We can not allow him to take more lives)” Father said. I nodded while watching the herd of wargs traveling through the woods. I thought of the best way to meet them; traveling back towards Brinegulf, I could cut them off in the woods with some help from the members of my clan.  “Esta sina undome, lye mista tul're amrun. (Rest this evening, we roam tomorrow morning)” Father said, closing the book and preparing dinner.      I sat on the chair by the kitchen, my eyes playing tricks on me; seeing a small, black haired child with gleaming eyes of love as father taught the child to cook. His face was still as gentle as the day he brought me home, his smile was soft, welcoming; father hadn’t aged as I had. My eyes began to water as I watched the two laugh and joke as the little girl learned his language and the new world around her.  “Mankoi naa lle cryien? (Why are you crying)” Father asked, grabbing my hand to soothe me.  “I' fea nyara amin en' iire amin nae y' hin. (The spirit tells me of when I was a child)” Father wiped the tear that had fallen onto my cheek and placed it on his cheeks; a tradition usual for parents with children blessed by the spirits of the forest.      While father cooked our stew, I told him of what the spirits showed me and how much those times meant to me; Father rejoiced in the memories of those times. We spoke as we welcomed the animals into the barn for the night; Hod and Kav cuddling together for warmth while Father’s beast grunted as she rolled onto her side, exhausted from the days roughhousing. Father tucked me into bed as he used to, his hands tucking me tightly into the sheets as he told me a famous story of the spirits of the forest and how they brought me from the sky. The smell of the sweet, sharp cedar of the house filled my nose and swirled around my head, the sounds of the sleeping animals in the barn nearby rolled throughout the house, my full, warm belly only aiding in the exhaustion now helping to close my eyes as I fell asleep in my old bed.       In my dream, I saw the Witcher; his white hair and gold eyes, his pursed lips as he yelled at me about my beast’s; how they cost him his coin, how they could’ve gotten him killed. I retorted with how he stole my coin the first time our paths crossed, how he caused me to lose the caragor. The dream ended with a slap then a kiss. But not from the Witcher, from the spirits. I shot up from my bed; the darkness around the room folding me back into bed, now is the time to catch. Father’s light footsteps trodden around the house before he knocked on my door, the smell of dragon's breath wafting through the house. “Naa lle desiel? (Are you ready)” He asked. I nodded with an excited smile; breakfast went down in a flash and we were off. The six of us ready to tame more beasts for Myomel.      We cut off the small herd as I had thought; running around the herd, separating them into easier tameable amounts. Hod and Kav surrounded the two wargs, circling them with the fur of their backs sticking straight up; their jaws open and chomping if they attempted to run. The two different colored wargs had their tails between their legs, their teeth a marble white showing their youth. Approaching slowly with extra amounts of dragon’s breath, I held out my hand; Kav snapped at the paw of the silver warg who cried as he stepped back into the circle, lifting the injured paw while he knelt down to lay on his side in submission of the older, stronger Warg.  “Look at me.” I told him; his golden eyes shooting towards me. His lip lifted slightly to reveal his white teeth. “Are you hungry?” I asked moving closer, Hod snapped at the black warg, his teeth pinching the back of the neck. The black warg was tossed back into his place, Hod lowered his head; his aggressive stance overpowering the young warg who was attempting a challenge.       Reaching forwards to the silver warg, he attempted to snap at my hand; snapping back, I stood up straight and pushed my shoulders forward. Dropping his lip, he sniffed at the air; his ears resting on his neck. I stepped forward once more, extending my hand for him to smell. The silver warg sniffed gently; the air around my hand turned cold as he sniffed the licked at the calming dragon’s breath in my palm.  “Good.” I praised allowing him to eat the sweet treat from my hand. Hod barked and snapped as the young black warg charged at him. His back toes spread out to hold up their weight as they battled each other for dominance.  “Kav.” I motioned with my head for her to help Hod tame the youthful beast. My wargs had the young beast on his back with his jaws snapping at their throats or feet, leaving trails of blood and slobber in his wake. Hod’s jaws shook as he hovered over the slowly defeated beast. The silver warg, now realizing I wouldn’t harm him, rested on his side watching the show beside us.      He looked back at me; the golden eyes shimmering in the growing sun. Reaching out to scratch the fluffy chin of the youngling, his eyes closed as I scratched the delicate skin under his mouth.  “Come.” I said, pulling more green dragon’s breath from my pocket to get him to his feet and following. I stood to the side, watching the black fur of the youngling shake as he fought against my two wargs who I had gotten on a similar adventure. Finally paying his head down in exhaustion, his spotted tongue dangling against the green grass while his eyes closed in final submission. The silver warg sat on the grass next to me; I made sure to leave a pile of the dragon’s breath while I established the bond between the black warg and myself.      I stepped forwards, red dragon’s breath in my hand.  “Watch the other one.” I said to Kav who ran to sit next to the young male. Kneeling next to the black warg’s face, I stretched out my hand. Taking the offering quickly, Hod jumped to the side; his tail wagging. Petting the thick fur on her neck, she opened her eyes once more; her pupils dilating, a bond.  “Good.” I praised the black warg with a smile and more red dragon’s breath.  “Come.” I announced as I walked towards Kav. She stood still for a moment as I mounted. Setting off towards Myomel, our traveling hoard now triple the size of before. Calanon welcomed us with a smile and a bowing head, the members of the city stood by their gates with their children happily celebrating as our group proudly walked by. Reaching out to me was a small child, a blue flower in his hand; his eyes were as green as the leaves surrounding the city.      Nodding my thanks, I placed the blue flower on Kod’s head, behind her ear. Hod kept a close eye on the young wargs that walked on the inside of the road, the more experienced wargs closer to the edges of the fences to protect the men, women, and children. The wind blew weakly, my black hair being pushed behind my shoulders; the wargs sniffed the air, their ears forwards in attention. Looking behind me, the young wargs pranced up beside Kav for handfuls of dragon’s breath.  “Y' beleg unity. (A strong unity)” One of the members of the community said with a smile on his face; heavy scarring across his face, a proud tamer commenting on my skills. I dropped my head and pressed my hands together, my fingertips touching my forehead. A sign of respect amongst us few; he followed my movements, respecting me as well. Kav and I continued towards our home with our new possibilities of hunters, guards, riding scouts, or even breeders. Father dismounted his large beast; round and dark in color, a large cone shaped head with a drooping bottom lip that exposed it’s pink and black gum.      His three wargs seemed older than mine, their purpose would serve as guards; I followed father into the barn with excitement.  “Lye naa findien n'ner ar' n'ner. (We are finding less and less.)” Father said opening the stalls in the barn. I nodded.  “Atar, amin can il- stay.(Father, I can not stay)” I told him, gently petting the silver warg who closed her eyes as she panted and kicked her hind leg. Father stopped to look at me; his mouth closing in shock.  “Eller naa ner n'e Rhun. (There are more out East)” He said brushing his new animals.  “Atar,” I started while stepping over to him, “Amin will entula. (Father, I will return)” I told him, placing my hand on his arm. Father looked up to me with a small smile, hopeful while being sad.  “Amin mela lle.” He said wrapping his arms around my torso. I smiled as I rested my head on the top of his head.  “Amin mela lle.” I repeated.      I spent another night in my childhood home; another dream from the spirits of the woods of the Witcher and my animals, a strange man and woman, and a blonde child of royalty. Father had packed more food, coin, and dragon’s breath to aid in taming the beasts of far lands. Having four wargs was a drastic improvement; the two young wargs having to earn their names as we traveled together. The young wargs learned quickly, picking up on habits from their mentors and myself. Stalking being the black wargs favorite, trapping and chasing being the silver wargs favorite.      Today would be the first day of their riding training; the silver warg being first, Hod watched intently as I slowly mounted the smaller beast. He shook uncomfortably, his feet shuffling awkwardly. I praised the young beast, reaching forward to give him the green dragon’s breath which he took with unbridled glee. Hod clapped his teeth, catching our attention; he was correcting him. Smiling to myself, the two wargs working together made my heart swell with pride. The larger black warg was more of a challenge; she would attempt to roll and buck, trying anyway she could in an attempt to rid her back of me. Father taught me well, how to hold onto the wargs with my thighs and the areas of fur that would not hurt them simply remind them of their direction.       Kav growled, her head dropping low to the floor as she licked her dripping teeth. The young warg whined as she attempted to roll again, pulling her to the left; she moved hesitantly; surely her confidence would grow over time. I dismounted, extending my hand with a palm full of treats. She refused the treat which worried me. My heart sunk, I immediately fawned over her; checking her stomach for digestive noises, checking her coat for dehydration or symptoms of illness. Her wet nose poked around in my pocket, reaching for the smell of red dragon’s breath.      The five of us traveled around, collecting coin for taming the beasts of towns as Hod, Kav, and I had done for many years prior. On the outskirts of Blaviken, a sharp smell of hot shit and blood burned through my nose.  “Kav.” I said, cringing at the lingering smell. Her bright face lifted into the air as she followed the scent to the side of a small lake. The four wargs surrounding me growling and snarling, their jaws clamping and opening to reveal their unraveling tongues. I looked around, checking for tracks nearby; deep holes burying themselves among the sand filling with water. Bubbles popped as they erupted from the water; a tall grey beast outstretching it’s spider-like legs, underneath was a wide man with shoulder length white hair.     A quick stab from the Witcher into the beast's gut caused it to flail it’s wretched spindles. The witcher was as white as snow with eyes as black as coal. The young, eager black warg launched itself onto the face of the Kikimora; the Witcher pulled his sword from the beasts chest, black blood falling polluting the water around them as it squealed and cried. The grey skinned Kikimora fell to the Witcher’s feet who then raised his sword to the black, snarling warg. I whistled loudly, bringing the four warg’s to my side; the Witcher licked his lips as he readjusted the handle of his sword in his gloved hand.      The wind blew around us; wafting the smell of the Kikimora into my hood. The witcher and I watched each other in silence; he panted heavily as he dripped with water prepared for more fighting. Hod stepped next to me, his head turning to rest on my shoulder.  “What are you doing here?” He asked, lowering his sword. I stayed silent as the five of us watched him, observing his every move; how he sheathed his sword, dragged the massive Kikimora from the water onto the shore between us almost as if it’s an offering. Nearby a small doe lay on her side, panting heavily from the fresh wound that would take her life in some time.      The white haired man strode over, speaking softly to the poor animal before ending the suffering of the poor animal. My wargs and I stayed nearby, observing the Witcher while he dragged the dead creature towards the edge of the forest; his chestnut gelding stood calmly and quietly as he tied the Kikimora carcass to itself then rested it on the back of his horse. I remembered the words of the spirits; how he would put all of Myomel in danger. I weighed my options, attempting to kill the Witcher would bring further problems, there was no option to stay around him, I had to stay as far away from him as possible; his kind was nothing good.      The Witcher glanced back towards the edge of the woods once more as he walked towards Blaviken in silence; the four warg’s watched with perked ears and bright eyes as the Witcher turned and walked away once more, his face now returning to normal color. Turning back to the forest, I found the carcass of the doe. I buried the small, lonesome creature and praised the spirits of the woods; the smell of the Kikimora dissipated for a moment, a sign from the spirits. I stood and mounted Kav, we all took off through the woods, deeper East. A vision appeared before me; a man in white, long black hair, standing before our path.      Stopping before him, he revealed his face; a ball of white light blinding me for a moment before fading into a face I recognized. My father stood before me, a gleam in his eye and a smile gracing his face like flowers in a field. His arm reached up, his tan index finger pointing behind me towards Blaviken. Furrowing my brows, I was supposed to stay away from the Witcher, I was supposed to keep him away from Myomel. “Auta a' ho.” The voice was different from my fathers; deeper, strained as the words escaped from between his brown lips.  “Amin uma il- rangwa. (I do not understand.)” I told him, his smile widening as his hand never fell.  “Auta a’ho. (Go to him.)” He repeated.      My wargs stood calmly, before turning after father outstretched his left hand to rub the cheek of my mount. I faced the other direction, Kav’s feet moving slowly back towards Blavikin; I turned to see my father’s face once more, only, he was gone. A spirit had come to me, given me an order that I was to follow. I sighed heavily, a breath of white smoke chasing the heat from my lungs. The walls of Blaviken stood tall and proud, high above my head, in dark grey stone. Dismounting, I stood beside Hod and Kav, the two younger and smaller wargs followed obediently behind us.      The entrance was void of any people, silent and still despite the warming torches on either side of the gate; the quick wind blew ashes against the cobblestone ground. The wind blew on my hood covering my face, hiding my identity, as the cold breeze pushed us further into the city. I dug deeper into the city, hearing joyous voices announcing items for sale, the smells of food and drink and of the barn nearby, clashing of the blacksmith’s tools in his small work space. I looked around, searching for a sign of the Witcher or a sign from the spirits. The crowd was thick, careless as they nearby bumped into my beasts.     They would leap back with apologies as the whispers came, surrounding me at every angle; questions on who I was, where we came from, how my people could so easily tame the beasts among the lands. The people of this town walked besides us, observing the large mounts that stood taller than some of them. A young girl approached, walking besides me reveling in the warmth of Hod’s side. She attempted to reach her hand out, to gently touch the beast. “Do not touch him.” I demanded, tilting my head slightly towards her.      Her hand dropped to embrace the other as she continued to walk with me.  “The Black Crow does speak.” Her chipper young voice said. I nodded in silence once more. “I saw you run passed, why return?” She asked.  “The spirits ordered me to.” I replied slowly; unsure of how she would react. “Good thing they did, we have a beast who must be tamed. Where would you take him?” She turned her shoulders in an attempt to gain a look at my face.  “What beast?” She tilted her head with a hum.  “Can not say, my father knows; I can take you to him, he can tell you where.” I thought on the offer, looking around aimlessly for any sign of the spirits, but they had all left me; they pointed me in the direction, perhaps this is why I was here.       The young girl took me to a large, wooden door; a deep feeling in my chest, a feeling of magic nearby.  “What is this?” I asked, turning to her. She shook her head.  “I can not feel it nor see it. Like you and the Witcher.”  “He was here? Is he in there?” I asked, my hands touching my wargs rough fur. She nodded, babbling on about his kill and what they spoke of. My eyes darted around the surrounding area, looking for the chestnut horse he walked in with. Spotting it, I smirked. The spirits brought me to this place, this moment, but I couldn’t think why.      I was suddenly reaching out towards the gate, touching the magic before it; I walked through, it was a cold wash of air that transferred into the warmth of the sun. Everything was different; the smell of fresh citrus and the summer air, the sounds of birds chirping and fluttering their wings as they flew in the open space overhead.  “Ah, Warg Rider.” A gentleman's voice welcomed me. Two sets of footsteps setting towards me; the first eager, the second more hesitant to follow the first man. My hand was stolen from my side, a quick peck on the back of the cold skin.  “Drop your hood, you’re in knowing company.” The older man said, I kept my head low for a moment; I could only see the white hair that fell shortly from his chin. The man dropped my hand, which I used to pull my down to rest on my tensed shoulders. The thick wool opening to reveal the brightness of the sun. I could only wince against the light, then look around the room; beholding naked women pulling fruit from the full branches of thick trees, the tall, broad Witcher standing but a few feet away. His face in slight shock as I revealed my face.  “My name is Stregobor.” The ruffled haired man said walking back towards the Witcher.     He told me of how the Witcher and I served the same purpose with the same odd request; to kill a woman named Renfri, a woman born under the black moon. I inhaled sharply at the request, going against the spirits could prove fatal.  “I understand how this may be difficult for you, Warg Rider, your people have never killed a living thing unless proved truly necessary. But might I assure you, this is truly necessary.” He looked at me, his brows lifted in truth. I nodded slowly, silently praying to the spirits for forgiveness.  “This will be my coin.” The Witcher said, his eyes closed as he slowly looked at me, his jaw tightly clenched. “You’ve taken my coin. I take this coin.” I replied, I expected the sounds of my wargs but none came; I looked around me once more in confusion.      The Witcher crossed his arms over his chest, ignoring my statement for the returned coin. The conversation was over before it had begun; I had all I needed, the description of the woman and where she last stayed. I made my way out of the magic room back to my beasts who yipped excitedly to see me as I tugged up my hood once more.  “I saw your face, you know.” The girl said, holding my foot while I adjusted myself on Hod’s back. Smirking down at her, the young silver warg approached my side; his teeth peering from between his black lips.  “No. You did not.” The five of us traveled through the woods once more, smelling for any sign of the woman.      Stopping suddenly, I caught a strong smell of smoke from a fire nearby. I climbed the tree nearby to follow the smell unnoticed, the branches slightly falling under my weight then relaxing as I jumped to another. From tree to tree, I climbed and chased the smell through the pine trees. I saw a small fire warming the thoughtfully rotating food of the Witcher, close to his horse as it slept. A twig snapped nearby, alerting us to the presence of a woman; the woman I needed to kill for my coin. I looked back to the intrusive Witcher, his gold eyes peering up at me through the branches of the trees.      I waited for my moment to kill her with a single arrow, but had no way to take the body from the man before her. I retreated to my Wargs to wait until the next morning to claim my coin. The Witcher did not take my kill to take my coin; why should I be better than him. I was enveloped in the warm, coarse fur of my animals as I was taken by the spirits through another dream. The woman with short brown hair, large eyes, and cream skin, she fought almost as well as the Witcher and I. The Witcher would not claim the coin. A demon with a large head and sandy colored skin, short curled horns above its head, a voice and blight flash of light. “Posada.” My father's voice echoes through my ears as I sit up still among the snoring animals. The day was grim, death lingering in the air around us like we were trapped in a room filled with fire. I moved carefully, each step calculated as I reentered the city; it was absent of all sound now.      I went to find the old man, collect my coin the Witcher stole from me, but the magic was gone; the door now just a block of wood planks and metal hinges. Cursing to myself, I made my move in order to follow the spirits.      Towards Posada.

[brooklyn-etc]

Project Cedar - Update #1

hey friends! since camp nano begins tomorrow I figured now would be a good time to introduce my new wip! it still doesn’t have a title, so for now we’ll call it Project Cedar after the town it takes place in, Cedar Creek. this novel kind of just sprang up on me out of nowhere. within the first week of getting the idea, I had written 8000 words that were actually… good words?? I was very surprised at how quickly I came to understand the setting and the character dynamics. however, since I’m not outlining this book, I’m starting to slow down in the drafting process to make sure I establish a clear direction, clear goals, etc. so that the book doesn’t go off in random directions. I’m still learning a lot about this book, but I figured I’d share some of what I do know!

What’s happened so far:

after Elle’s father is involved in an embezzlement scandal back home and her parents’ reputations are trashed, they move to a distant relative’s cottage in a very small town called Cedar Creek in rural Georgia for the three-month span of summer. with her parents’ relationship growing more and more strained, Elle tries to stay out of the house as much as possible. while exploring the woods around the cottage, she sees Vivian canoeing across a lake with a backpack full of supplies—food, flashlights, etc. this piques her interest, so the next day when she sees Vivian leaving from the cemetery behind the old church down the road, she follows her. & that’s where we’re at! it doesn’t sound like much, but it’s 8500 words so I promise more stuff has happened lol. anyway, to the fun stuff!

Characters:

our two MCs!

Elle is our first-person narrator, and the story is told retrospectively. she is very introverted, observant, a bit cynical, naturalistic, very Impressionable. she is fifteen when the story begins but turns sixteen during the course of the book.

Vivian is vibrant, confident, a bit mysterious, has unpredictable moods, leader type, avoids talking about herself so she talks about other people a lot. she is seventeen and lives with her older brother, Wren (eighteen) and his three Quite Large dogs. 

Excerpts:

We followed a single winding road through miles of woods, and I could count the number of buildings along the way on one hand. My father drove with one hand on the steering wheel and the other picking at a loose thread in his jeans. I could tell he was growing more nervous with time. He occasionally glanced at my mother who’d remained silent for most of the ten-hour ride, at first with her nose in a book, but now just resting her head on the window, her blonde hair hiding the side of her face like a curtain. In the reflection, I could see her eyebrows pinched together either in curiosity or contempt. It was as though she was trying to see something beyond the expanse of scrawny trees and pine needles surrounding us, something far past the horizon.

The water lapped against the shore lazily, and pebbles lolled back and forth like babies being rocked to sleep. The girl became still as if she were waiting for something, listening. She placed the paddle across her lap, let the canoe bob gently in place. She turned to look at me. She didn’t seem surprised to see me standing there in the trees. It was like she knew I was there all along. My voice caught in my throat. She was bare-faced and freckled, and probably a couple years older than me. She grinned, the whites of her teeth flashing in the dark, before she began to paddle again. A faded red life jacket trailed in the water behind her.

Oop—here’s an excerpt from a flashback of Elle’s old friend Grace, who may or may not make an appearance in Cedar Creek later on in the book.

It was late November, still warm enough to wear shorts but not warm enough to drown in your own sweat. We flanked the road that stretched from behind the school, a barb-wired fence cutting between us and a pasture. There were some cows laying in the shade under a tree, two brown, one black, their ears twitching away flies, tails slapping the earth. They watched us a moment as we passed, heads following us in lazy unison. Soon they returned to gnawing on tufts of dried-up grass with their gazes focused on nothing in particular. A cattle egret landed on a wooden post ahead of us. Grace swatted it away.

that’s all I have for now! I’m not sure how seriously I’ll be taking camp nano, because I’d rather do what’s best for the book rather than try to get as many words as possible, but we’ll see!

Brooklyn

[nightwingshero]

1 to 25 for Whitney xoxo

Wow, you really went for it, huh? Lol under the cut, my dear x

1. What’s their go to pick up line/flirting tactic?

Whitney is obvious as a flirt (when she can actually flirt), and it shows in her body language: hair flipping, touching your arm and giggling at anything funny you say, crossing her legs, puffing her chest out a bit, and leaning in close to you. She’s going to wait for you to make the first move, and you will because she will have you eating out of the palm of her hand. Jedi mind trick, because sure, you think picking her up is your choice...when that decision was made before she even started talking to you. 

2. Can they dance?

Nope, not really. While Whitney does work out (she’s not shy from doing physical activity), she hardly ever dances. She believes its silly and she would rather be saved from the embarrassment. 

3. Underwear style?

Silk and lace. Usually in the colors of light pink, white, or shades of gold. 

4. Crayons, markers, colored pencils, or paint?

All of them. Whitney went to school for art and she uses a lot of different mediums. Paint is her favorite, though, and she has a sun room she uses as a studio. 

5. What was their childhood stuffed animal of choice?

A fuzzy teddy bear her mother bought her not long before she died. It has a red ribbon/bow around it’s neck and sits in her armchair in her bedroom. 

6. What’s their sleeping positions?

Whitney doesn’t move around a lot in her sleep. Mostly it’s on her back, but sometimes she sleeps on her side. 

7. Do they snore?

Oh, hell no. Whitney wouldn’t tell you if she did, to be honest. Snoring is above her and ladies don’t do that. 

8. What do they act like when they’re drunk?

Ha! Look, I’m just gonna tell you now: Wren and Jane are the worst influence over her, I swear. Anyway! White girl wasted, I’m telling you. Mostly with tequila though. She’s the fruity drink kind and she’s a light weight...it doesn’t mix well for her. Now, if it’s wine or she’s only had a little to drink--she’s just a little more emotional. 

9. Sweet, sour, salty, or savory?

Sweet. She bakes a lot and loves it. She likes sour drinks, but that’s about it as far as that goes. Whitney has a complicated relationship with salty foods, she tries to eat healthy, so she doesn’t really eat a whole lot of salty things. 

10. Can they play an instrument? If so, which one(s)?

No, not really. She knows some basic piano, but not a whole lot, so she doesn’t really count it. She does sing though and helps with the choir. 

11. What would their favorite book be?

Little Women

12. What is their guilty pleasure?

Already answered! 

13. If they got a new pet, what would they name it?

Something super cute and adorable, like Pumpkin or some shit. She had a small white dog named Snow White once...she’s not original. 

14. Beach house, cozy snowy cabin, treehouse in a forest, or desert paradise?

Already answered!

15. What would their favorite board game be?

Life, Connect Four, Candy Land, and Trivial Pursuit (although Wren and Rowan kick her ass).

16. What do they smell like?

She’s gonna have more of a floral scent, mostly roses. She will also smell like whatever she decided to bake--apple or blueberry pie, sugar cookies, etc. Honey, vanilla, Viktor and Rolf Flowerbomb perfume, and Marc Jacobs Daisy perfume.

17. What’s their favorite smell?

Florals, mostly. Anything citrus and some woodsy scents--sandalwood, cedar, and pine (although you won’t catch her dead in the woods). She loves maple and pumpkin spice (she’s one of those), honey, and brown sugar. 

18. If they were drunk, what would they get a tattoo of?

God, Wren would fucking try...Whitney would get a butterfly tattoo, she so fucking would. And yes, probably in the form of a fucking tramp stamp, especially if Wren has anything to do with it. (Istg, Wren and Jane live to corrupt Whitney). If not, she would get it on her hip or get one of those badass under-the-boob tats. I could also see her getting something simple between her boobs--Wren would totally get one with her. 

19. Describe their laugh.

Bells, honestly. I know that sounds weird. But it’s not too different from Wren’s, but Wren’s is more...wholesome. If that makes sense? Like, Whitney has a higher note to it, but its a bit sharper, while Wren’s is a tad bit high-pitched, but more full. I don’t know if I’m explaining this right. 

20. Hoodies, knit sweaters, wool coats or just a blanket to stay warm?

Knit sweaters and blankets quilts. Whitney is warm and loves things like that. She’s very homey underneath the materialistic uptight front she has (mostly thanks to Nancy and some of Joseph). She’s genuinely loving and caring, not the condescending southern rot-your-teeth sweet she uses on her enemies or the Resistance. Whitney is very much “let me cook you a good meal, you’re skin and bones, and have some hot chocolate with 30 blankets--we can watch Hallmark movies together. Or Nicholas Sparks. Do you like Nicholas Sparks?”. She will definitely be a knit sweater kinda girl. 

21. Are they good with their hands? How do they deal with household-type maintenance?

She’s useless, maintenance wise. Good with her hands? With gardening (the only acceptable time to be dirty) and painting, yes. Baking? Absolutely. Fixing things? Hell no. Woman has no idea what she’s doing, she would probably die changing a light bulb. 

22. If they had a custom car horn, what would it be?

Heaven Is a Place on Earth or Pocketful of Sunshine. If Wren’s rigging it, it’s gonna be I Wanna Dance With Somebody by Whitney Houston or Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey....Killer Queen is also on the table.  

23. Favorite carnival attraction?

Cotton candy stand and the carousal. 

24. Showers or baths?

Baths, all day long. She’s a self-care queen, and will either do bubbles, bath bombs, or rose petals. There are candles involved most of the time with a glass of wine and something she can watch Netflix on. 

25. What’s their ideal day like?

A bright sunny day painting next to the pond in her backyard with music lightly playing in the background. Maybe with some friends over for company. If it’s raining, she’s gonna be in the sun room painting or enjoying a classic movie--like Titanic or something.