#bipoc reader

[forthelostones]

ppl mad that black and readers of color want more inclusive work. like I'm about to start putting she fluffed her TIGHT COILS and brushed against YOUR BROWN SKIN. like be so fr. yall think white is the default and that's the issue.

idk if yall notice but the media for black lesbians and black queer people is LIMITED. but ik yall don't read nothing but shitty writing so ofc you wouldn't know.

[umber-cinders]

BIPOC-centered Fiction Writer server?

I really want to make a discord server where BIPOC fiction writers can talk and share stuff. No specific fandom, no limitation of writing style or themes and tropes, just a server where you can talk to, learn from and discover other BIPOC writers.

Even if its small, I might do it because there's so many people on here I never knew existed and their writing is amazing.

[yoditopascal]

•°✧ introduction ↓↓

★彡[ THINGS ABOUT ME ]彡★

↪ eren | she/they | late 20s | infp | probably high 🍃

┊ ➶ masterlist

‿︵‿︵୨˚̣̣̣͙୧ - EXTRAS- ୨˚̣̣̣͙୧‿︵‿︵

┊ ➶ hello! welcome to my page! it’s a bit of a mess but I'm trying my best to keep it organize it!

┊ ➶ status: working my ass off and going to college🫡

┊ ➶ inbox status: closed for requests (but I’m open to being convinced to write something 👀)

┊ ➶ fandoms I write for: jujutsu kaisen, demon slayer/kimetsu no yaiba, dc comics (specifically jason todd, roy harper and dick grayson), overwatch, marvel (specifically wolverine, the moon knight boys, bucky barnes, venom/eddie), star wars, james cameron’s avatar, chainsaw man, d.gray-man, final fantasy, fire force, bungo stray dogs, hell’s paradise, bleach, naruto, one punch man, aot, k project, jjba, samurai champloo

┊ ➶ what I won’t write: extreme/unnecessary violence (including r*pe) , underaged smut (not even aged up), g*nplay, incest/pseudo incest (I can’t believe I even have to add this to the list yall are gross if you’re into that shit), I wont write for underaged characters at all (not even aged up, don’t ask), bsd smut (it just makes me uncomfortable), durarara in general (too many bad experiences with the fandom)

‿︵‿︵୨˚̣̣̣͙୧ - More About Me - ୨˚̣̣̣͙୧‿︵‿︵

┊ ➶ pisces ☀️ | pisces 🌙 | leo ⬆️

┊ ➶ currently watching: rewatching moon knight!

┊ ➶ listening to: Classic Man by Jidenna feat. Kendrick Lamar

┊ ➶ currently playing: Marvel Rivals

┊ ➶ who i'm a slut for: pedro pascal, oscar isaac, hugh jackman, jason todd, wolverine, bucky barnes, venom, din djarin, shinji hirako, sanemi shinazugawa, rangiku matsumoto, pieck finger, and chobei aza

┊ ➶ please send asks if you'd like! whether you wanna pop in to drop a request, talk about imagines or headcanons, vent or just wanna have a chat, feel free to stop by!

┊ ➶ please be mindful when reading my works, some of my posts are 18+ and are not meant for minors

┊ ➶ my socials: Aequitas on ao3, cabbage_casserol on twitter!

. . . ⇢ ˗ˏˋ [ Thank you for your time ] ࿐ྂ

[blackynsupremacy]

me when i see my mutuals put out that good ass content while getting a bag and an education. real hot girl shit!

[lavendarniko]

Vash Wolfwood Meryl Milly x poc!reader (Curly wash day)

For the longest time on your adventures with the Trigun Squad you’ve always ensured to reach a city and book an Inn every Sunday. Today would have been no different except you are exhausted and fed up and do not want to put in the effort to care for your hair. Your body is sore and your muscles ache at the thought of the washing and the products and the styling. You just wanted the day to be over but you couldn’t end it- not yet. You take a room key and hand off the rest to Meryl, already on the verge of tears as you open the door and chuck your travel sack onto a bed. You start to silently cry as you sit on the bed and fish out your hair products.

Vash (the loveliest sunflower 🌻):

Vash went to check on you immediately and the moment Vash steps into the room he already knows. The man simply picks you up and hauls you off into the bathroom even if you protest.

This man is surprisingly -not really since he’s had over a century to learn all sorts of shit- adept at washing through your hair. He does it all with what I call “salon hands” just working it in so well that it’s essentially a scalp massage, that leaves you dozing off. Coming in and out of consciousness to find him finger combing through your curls, ever so lovingly scrunching product into your hair, his every touch so sweet and gentle

You finally start to pay more attention when he takes your hair shirt and gently scrunches your curls mostly dry. He combs the products through your hair. Only to again find yourself surprised as he combs your hair tip to top without you having to even explain it.

The gentle action brings you to tears as he continues to brush your hair. “Jeez, am I really doing that bad a job, (Y/N)?”, he sheepishly asks. You wipe away your tears, “No, I just haven’t- it’s been so long since anyone- No one’s done my hair for me since I was little…”

Now that Vash has prompted you into talking, neither of you can shut up. The two of you cycle through topics as he takes his time to do your hair just like you like it. You’ve never heard him this soft spoken doing any task as he twists and ties off sections of your hair giving it a fun braided off ponytail look to it.

“So how does the front part of your coat work?”, you ask as he finishes up a braid, “If I undo all the buttons will it just flop off?” “No, the collar would stay since it’s actually attached to the coat”, Vash replies as he ties off the braid, “and you’d have to unbutton the waist part too for it to just flop open.” You make a small hum as you thought about it, only to start laughing at the mental image.

Most weeks you and Vash use your wash days to be closer with each other, it just serves as a good way to check on each other and talk with each other. On the rougher weeks it’s such a simple way to help him feel like he’s doing some good. And for you, to help pull him from whatever self-loathing spiral he’s in.

Nicholas D. Wolfwood (El Woowoo 🐺):

He doesn’t come to check on you immediately, instead leaving you to stew and cry for a while. When he does finally come to the room you, he finds you shaking as you try to roughly comb through your hair. He takes the comb from your hands with a huff. “Don’t do that. Are you trying to rip your hair out?” He doesn’t pull an answer out of you as you continue to softly gasp and cry.

He acts so annoyed about helping you, huffing and puffing as he helps to comb through your tangled curly hair, but he does find it surprisingly meditative like counting rosary beads.The simple motion of holding a section of hair and combing it through tip to top and once more top to bottom for good measure Wolfwood finds relaxing. (Although if you mention anything about it he’ll simply deny it or not reply at all.)

I don’t think Wolfwood knows how to do much more than braids, plaids (not attached to the scalp braids), and plaid-like twists from his time at the orphanage. He’s not going to ask you what style you want. He’s gonna pick, like it or not.

“Well? You got anything to say?”, he’ll prompt once more. “Thank you, Wolfwood. I owe you at least a lollipop” “Damn right you do”, he says with a tone that’s so teasing and so him. You can’t see him but you hear his smile, “You’re done crying right?” “Yea…” you smile back.

There are times after where Wolfwood will ask if you need help- please tell him yes the man just wants to brush your hair again. He will make you sit between his knees, it secretly makes him feel like he’s at the orphanage doing one of the little one’s hair again.

It's mostly a silent activity. However, depending on how much hair you have he might whine about it. He hates sectioning your hair just to brush it out. Instead he brushes, twists, and ties off the section that he was holding. Don’t expect it to be even sections either. Also RIP to your small rubber bands he’s either breaking them or shooting them across the room. (“It’s not on purpose I swear”)

Meryl (tiniest badass 💗):

When Meryl finally makes it to the room to check on you, you’re a sobbing mess as you try to tackle the disaster that is your hair. She takes your hand and leads you to a chair, taking the comb from your hands. She gathers your products and hair supplies and places them on the table.

This might come as a shock, but Meryl doesn’t know the basics of hair care besides you have to brush it and wash it. So you do have to instruct Meryl through it all. But she learns quickly

You have to tell her how certain products work and in what order to put them in but she does it all with the cutest expression (one i think she would have accidentally gotten from Milly) where she pokes her tongue out between her lips as she tries her best to absorb the information.

When Meryl gets to brush your hair she goes top to bottom, but stops immediately when you wince in pain. She apologizes so quickly, “Jeez (Y/N) I see why you were crying. This does seem like a lot”

You and Meryl make merry as you chat about the various hairstyles you’ve had over your lifetime. “I used to have long hair before I joined the Bernardelli Insurance society” “Really?”, you exclaim. “Yeah, but it was a hassle. I’ve got no clue how Milly deals with it.” “You know…”, you trail off, “I can’t imagine you or Milly looking any different than you do now.” “No?” You start to shake your head then stop, “No, short hair really suits you Meryl” She laughs and it makes your heart race, her laugh is everything to you. The sound really brightens up your day. You begin to slouch as she takes her time to really try and brush your hair through in a way that won’t hurt you or rip your hair.

Meryl doesn’t do your hair often, but she does take the time to sit with you as you do your hair. Slowly, she learns how to do your hair until she’s one day comfortable enough to do it for you. You thank her every time and find it the perfect excuse to be close to her before you're ready to reveal just how in love with her you really are.

Milly (My beloved ❣️):

Milly goes to find you immediately. As soon as she’s given the key she leaves to check on you. She could see it on your face long before you all arrived into town. Milly has been trying her best, offering more hugs, and even offering a share of her pudding (my angel) so it breaks her heart when she sees you crying as you pull out all your hair products from your bag.

Milly forces (politely asks) you to get into the bath and let her handle it. She takes care of stripping your clothes and running the bath. She takes care to scrub you down of the desert sand, her every action done with care.

She doesn’t really know how to care for your hair type but she takes the time to read instructions on the bottles, washing your hair thoroughly and sweetly rinsing it outgoing ever so careful as to not let it sting your eyes. Any bottles without instructions she simply asks you how to use it or how much to use.

“(Y/n)”, she asks as she holds up the bottle, “How much do you need?” You look back at her bleary eyed as you respond, “I use just enough to fill my palm, sometimes a little less…” “Oh (Y?n), don’t fall asleep yet”, she scrubs your scalp with the shampoo, “I don’t know much of the conditioner I should be using.” You just smile at her, Milly is too sweet for you to resist hugging with your wet body. It makes her squeal as it soaks her clothes.

After Milly dries you and herself she carefully picks up and reads through the other bottles and jars of your hair products. She picks up a moisturizing jar and you watch her carefully read the label as you sit on a chair. She gets a large dollop and begins to foam it up between her hands. Then, to your surprise, she finger-combs it through your hair. “Wow (Y/n) this smells so sweet, and it looks just like pudding!” It draws a laugh out of you.

I would say Milly definitely knows how to brush your hair. Her long hair has a tendency to get knots and snags after a night’s sleep. So she sections it off and brushes your hair tip to root with a gentle touch. She would probably braid it off after she’s done with that particular section. If you always wear it in a particular way, she’ll have you walk her through it. If you put fun decorations in it she’ll ask to use them in your hair. Overall it becomes a fun way to include Milly into your self-care day. You find yourself including her more and more, allowing her to play and style with your hair more often than you do.

[nastyatticman]

I will elaborate further later but idk I feel like once he gets over his initial nervousness around new people, Bubba would get along really well with the average big chaotic Chinese diaspora family

his own family is pretty chaotic as is, so he’d get it. if he shows up late with you and everyone else is late he’d be so relieved

he’d be unsure what to do with himself upon arriving so if the host asks you both to help set up the dinner table he’d get into a good familiar rhythm with it and get to meet your folks in a more gradual way while moving chairs

he’d like having a chance to show how strong he is, it’s one of the things he’s confident about. good thing too, since your popo will probably want him to come back and help with carrying bags of rice from the store

if he has time he’d probably be shadowing whoever’s cooking in the kitchen, hoping to pick up on how to make your favorite foods.

Only problem is you’d have to tell people in advance he can’t really talk but you could figure out some other ways to communicate. but he’d be grateful it means he doesn’t have to memorize all the ways to refer to relatives in Chinese, phew

it kinda balances things out since if there’s a language barrier of any kind you’d be an interpreter for both him and your family

food wise I think he’d start off with char siu pork and rice (very obvious favorites) but find that he enjoys tofu with pork and glass noodles.

also I think he’d like seeing how the old folks dress. nice pattern clothes, comfortable layers, lots of color. he could spend an afternoon flipping through Chinatown Pretty some time for outfit inspiration. if you got him a floral button up he’d want to wear it next time so he can match

[littlesistersti]

Context: I commented about that time a lemon 🍋 or smut reader-insert took me out when it mentioned pink nipples and I thought “huh???”

Update: after getting The Huldra photobook by Aleksander L. Nordaas (which is a pretty cool photobook, by the way) I now know that white people can have both pink and brown nips, depending on their skin tone.

So uh… guess that one fanfic author was projecting.

On a separate note, I’m going to be in for it as a Quotev author/reader because it is always a white girl/woman with lengthy flowing straight hair (rip any body with curly hair, no matter what race you are) who for some strange reason, is always shorter than the male canon character love interest. I’m going to be alone in the fight for better Quotev experience but will die trying.

Being inclusive with your reader insert fic is a kindness. It tells people of color (poc) that you are considering someone who does not look like you in your fic. It shows love and dedication to our craft. It tells poc that they belong here too and they can see themselves in your story.

Poc aren’t look for activism in fic, we know fandom isn’t that serious, but we should be able to have that same level of escapism when we turn to fic and fandom. We belong here too. This space is for everyone, not just one group of people.

Just to give a few examples of how simple it can be: say “skin warmed” instead of blushed, say “cradled your head” instead of running fingers through hair, say “angles yourself to kiss” instead of standing on tiptoes, use italics to indicate Spanish to take out a throwaway line of “you didn’t understand Spanish” things like that. Small changes that do not impact the fic at all but make a world of difference in inclusivity!

And for anything you can’t/don’t want to change, simply add warning in the beginning. Things like hair descriptors, anything reader might wear, some backstory for reader (especially involving family or where the story is set), readers job, things like that. A lot of times just having that heads up before the fic makes a world of difference!

And one example of kindness we as writers always worked to change: until recently (just a couple years ago) it wasn’t common to label the gender of the reader. But those who aren’t female asked writers to label it so they know which to read and which to avoid, and now it’s common to label the gender/pronouns of the reader. So it is possible! It just takes effort! And I’m a writer myself so I know it can be done!

We can pretend to be a bartender or a bounty hunter or an actress or anything else. But we shouldn’t have to imagine we’re a white one.

[javierpena-inatacvest]

BIPOC Authors and Fics Masterlist!

Thank you to everyone who submitted so many recommendations to celebrate all the fantastic works of BIPOC writers in the Pedro fandom! Please read, share, and enjoy all of these incredible authors and fics! 🥹 If you have any other writers or fics you want to share, inbox or DM me, so I can keep this as up to date as possible!! Thanks for helping to spread some love 💛

Authors (listed in alphabetical order):

@80ssong A03 masterlist (Joel Miller, Javi G, Frankie Morales)

@artemiseamoon masterlist for PPCU (all Pedro characters)

@cxrsed-angel masterlist for PPCU (Joel Miller, Marcus Acacius, Reed Richards)

@damneddamsy masterlist for Joel Miller series

@flawssy-227 masterlist for all writing (Joel Miller)

@flightlessangelwings masterlist for all writing (All Pedro characters)

@flordeamatista one-shot: A Sweeter Place (Joel Miller)

@gothcsz materlist for all writing (Javier Peña, Marcus Acacius)

@inclusivepedro-oscarlibrary another source for POC authors!

@joeloverture masterlist for all writing (Joel Miller)

@kedsandtubesocks masterlist for all writing (all Pedro characters)

@kilamonster one-shot: Lola (Javier Peña)

@letsgobarbs one-shot: Joel Miller x Logan Howlett

@liltangerineart masterlist for all writing (Din Djarin, Javier Peña, Joel Miller)

@lovesbiggerthanpride masterlist for all writing (Javier Peña, Frankie Morales, Dave York, Dieter Bravo, Javi G, Joel Miller)

@megamindsecretlair one-shot: Break My Heart (Javier Peña)

@mostclevermiss one-shot: Sic Simper Tyrannus (Marcus Acacius)

@nerdieforpedro masterlist for all writing (All Pedro characters)

@ovaryacted masterlist for all writing (Joel Miller, Javier Peña, Marcus Acacius, Dieter Bravo)

@pedroscurls masterlist for all writing (Joel Miller, Frankie Morales, Javier Peña, Marcus Acacius, Marcus Pike)

@pedrospatch masterlist for all writing (Joel Miller, Javier Peña)

@penvisions masterlist for all writing (Joel Miller, Frankie Morales, Din Djarin, Jack 'Whiskey' Daniels, Javi G, Ted Garcia)

@superhoeva masterlist for Frankie Morales series

@stargirlfics masterlist for Joel Miller

@thundermartini masterlist for all writing (Joel Miller, Javier Peña)

@yxtkiwiyxt masterlist for all writing (Javier Peña, Joel Miller, Dave York, Dieter Bravo)

Specific Fic Recs (By Character):

Joel Miller

A Sweeter Place by @flordeamatista

Loopholes (series) by @yxtkiwiyxt

Stages of Devotion (series) by @penvisions

Deadfall by @joeloverture

Falling by @damneddamsy

All I Do by @flawssy-227

Butterfly by @stargirlfics

So Much Goddamn Talk by @stargirlfics

Let's Go by @thundermartini

Let Me Show You by @pedroscurls

Javier Peña

Unscripted Desire (series) by @gothcsz

Neighbors (series) by @gothcsz

Lola by @kilamonster

Complicated by @ovaryacted

Lap Dance by @yxtkiwiyxt

Break My Heart by @megamindsecretlair

Touch Tank by @thundermartini

Frankie Morales

Game Changer by @kedsandtubesocks

The Margay (series) by @ohforficsake

Take me Home Tonight by @80ssong

The Realm of Love by @80ssong

Marcus Acacius

Sic Simper Tyrannus by @mostclevermiss

III by @gothcsz

Din Djarin

Healing Pains by @liltangerineart

Dieter Bravo

Fire Starter by @kedsandtubesocks

Dave York

Homecoming by @letsgobarbs

[letsgobarbs]

something is in this 3am juice tonight that canva is absolutely cooking, here’s a Javier Peña x Indian Reader moodboard (could be south asian reader but I have included a picture that's written in Hindi)

Did you guys know that the Indian Embassy in Bogotá opened in 1973? Cause I didn't. They didn't do much though in the region I don't think…

Did you guys know there is a sizeable community of Hispanic and Latino Muslims? Did you guys know that South Asian immigrants and Mexican immigrants married each other and had blended families?? Here’s this really cool PBS doc I watched about it. I just think it’s so neat.

I know people (especially non-americans) make a lot of sweeping statements about America being awful. Politically and on a government level it might be. But they can never make me hate y'all. The BIPOC and queer communities there were some of the most welcoming, kind and beautiful people who actively worked to better their communities and the world around them. Because I was on a college campus, the communities were liberal and progressive, so the White people were really cool too. The diversity in America is absolutely unreal and you don't quite get the gist of it outside of America. And I know some of y'all are trying very hard to preserve that. So sending all of you guys love from a former European colony that is now a Fascist state to another former European colony that is now a fascist state. Stay strong and proud <33

also call me a fucking liar about being bad at moodboards but im not mad about this one at all please don't jinx the vibe ive got with my canva she's finally listening to me

[tojisteddy]

Just know if you and Suguru happen to have the day off at the same time, it’s now national wash day.

You’re washing each others hair, doing hair masks, oil treatments, trimming split ends— the works.

Suguru is extremely diligent when it comes to taking care of your curly hair. Watching videos on how to detangle it, reading up on the best hair care regimen for your hair type, setting timers so you don’t spend all day doing your hair because you have spent entire days off just doing your hair. Hell, rewatching and rewatching videos to properly give you a trim that doesn’t look fucked up because he has given you just a slightly uneven trim before—

“Oh fuck Dollface, ‘m sorry.”

You felt the tears well up in your eyes, “ ‘s okay, just— just, maybe we’ll have to cut it shorter—”

“—God no, we’ll just set up an appointment f’er tomorrow. We don’t wanna make it worse—”

Sometimes, just sometimes Suguru said the wrong thing out his face hole because he opened the flood gates of tears.

“Suguruuuuu!” You whined.

The only way to fix the mess?

Fuck an apology into you— both of your hair everywhere, hair care products covering the counter of the sink, combs and brushes galore— and the man has you right against the sink, drilling into you like there’s no tomorrow, both of your sweatshirts still on and sweats pulled down, his hand around your throat so you can look at yourself in the mirror.

“Look at how pretty you are. You’re so pretty Dollface. Hmm? Aren’t you my pretty girl?”

And of course, you were his pretty girl. Was there anyway to have you?

The better wash days, you spent it complementing each others hair, looking up styles in bed after a long day of work, cuddling, catching up on the murder mystery shows you both liked and of course, eating your cares away—

Because you two loooooved to eat.

[salingers]

honeymooners. [joel miller x bipoc moodboard].

content credit: image two & three, nana. image four & six, stacy. image nine, indya. a/n: this post inspired me. please, comment and/or send any requests. <3 npt: @80ssong. @gothcsz. @joeloverture. @ovaryacted. @yxtkiwiyxt.

[reverie-verse]

Ooops Mating Bond - Azriel x Reader

Prompt: The time you accepted the mating bond by force feeding your mate who hadn’t eaten all day. Your a younger than Tarquin so like 40. You’re a chef for the inner circle.

Yoo so this is my first time writing an Acotar fic, ummmm also Az is my favorite right now so don’t judge. Umm I hope you enjoy it!

Also fluff❤️ lemme know if you want more! Ps I promise in the future I will grammar check okay, cuz this ish is so getting out of hand 😭😭😭

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When you first joined the inner circle it was Mor, Cassian and Nesta who had found you. You were just a plain old fisher woman, you would go out on your little boat in the early mornings (mostly) to catch as many fish you could. You’d sell them to the other restaurants. You’d take whatever earnings you’d receive and hit the market. You’d buy various Ingredients for various dishes. In the time between you would take a nap before you prepared your dishes. Later in the evening you’d wake up and begin preparing different meals and pack them. It would be nearing toward the later part of the night. You’d pack your food cart and push it towards the direction of Rita’s. The night life there was always vibrant. You figured a change in crowd might be more beneficial to you.

There you stood with your cart and all, food hot and ready to be eaten. Mor had stumbled out of the club with Amren, Varian, and Azriel. They had been giggling to no end with smiles on their faces and twinkles in their eyes. Mor was the one who had rushed to your cart when she had smelt the variety of foods. She was more than delighted to pay for the entire cart of food. Amren complained that it was too much until she had tasted your food. Then she argued with Mor even though she particularly didn’t enjoy food about getting half the cart. Varian only laughed at his lover while Mor very seriously attempted to pull out money to pay for the entire cart. Azriel on the other hand had remained quiet. He watched you with careful eyes assessing you, and the cart. He had found it odd that he had never seen you before anywhere in Velaris. The fact that you had parked your cart out and near Rita’s. He had no reasons to truly believe you were to cause any harm.

Azriels face remained stoic and brooding but as a shadow singer and one of the most fear Illyrian spy you only smiled and offered him a pastry and some savory food. The Shadowsinger was taken back, everyone was so afraid of him he hadn’t expected you to outright smile at him. He reached into his pocket to fish out his money, his sapphiron's flickered in the street light. You moved your hand over the cart stoping his.

“ It’s on the house-”

He looked at you as if you spoke another language and you continued grinning. “ -For now. But when you come back I’ll charge you and your crew. Shadow man-.” You watched as he bit into the food. His whole body sagged at the taste of the food. It was rather comforting and it certainly hit the spot. You had packed the food into containers as you handed them to Azriel who was quietly enjoying his food. Mor and Amren had squealed with joy as Varian helped the struggling eater with the containers. You had closed up shop heading on your way home. Sure you had made money that night but it was worth it watching them express happiness over the food they had consumed.

It was like that for weeks and each time they had paid for the entire cart. With each passing day a new member of the inner circle would visit the cart along with your returning customers. At one point Feyre had asked why Mor, why everyone was so invested in a small food stand. To which she only replied “ The food is divine” So Feyre went and tried it with her friends and family. Needless to say she immediately demanded Rhysand to offer you a job to work for them. Whether it was at the River House, the Town House or the House of Wind. Rhys agreed without a second thought everyone was overjoyed that their favorite person would be joining them.

The High Lord and Lady appeared on your boat offering you a job which you gladly accepted. Months later you found yourself working in all three houses cooking breakfast, lunch and dinner. You enjoyed your job more than anything in the world. The best part was that you got to live there and a person who lingered in the shadows…. Traveling became much easier. Though it was horrible when you had to walk up those ten thousand steps with groceries. When you reached the top Azriel was quick to help you with the groceries it was a coincidence he had gotten there the same time you did. Thankfully that only happened one time. That was the only night the inner circle had no dinner and everyone was mad at those stairs because of it. This time around everyone had decided to stay at the River house.

You smiled at the memory as you finished today's breakfast having Nuala and Cerridwen place the dishes on the table. You began working on lunch for the day. You could hear the inner circle chatting at the table eating their food. Busy Bodies all of them, you chuckled to yourself. You waited though for a voice in particular one that was always brooding in the dark corner, with flying globs of shadows. Speaking of shadows one in particular found a safe place to rest as it wraps itself around your wrist. You looked at the shadow and whispered to it “ Where’s your master?” You were definitely joking when you had asked the question. Though the shadow seemed to believe you had meant it. It unravels itself from your wrist in a hot pursuit to find its master. You shake your head as you roll the dough.

After an hour or two everyone had cleared the table and set off to do their duties for the time being before lunch. Even as Nuala and Cerridwen were the maidens of Feyre they stuck close by you. They watched every movement you made and you knew who they reported too. Between them and the shadows you had no idea what to do. Azriel seemed to have kept all eyes on you at all times just as Rhys does with Feyre. The two were far more alike than you’d be willing to admit out loud. You and Azriel were barely mated. It snapped a month ago when he had come home from a mission. It had been a rough one and you both found yourselves together expressing hidden unrequited love amongst other things. However you hadn’t made a meal specifically for him yet.

………………….

You had finished with lunch fairly early helping the twins set the table. You watched as the entire inner circle piled in. Elain sniffs the air gently “ Oh Y/N this smells amazing!” as she settles herself down in a chair. Nesta, not far behind her sister, finds a place to sit and she grins, which was enough said in her case. Cassian right behind Nesta and Mor hot on his heels, he shoves Mor. “I AM STARVING!”

Mor shoves “ You Pig, save some for me!!” She lunges for the table Cassian doing the same. You laugh at the two as they fought for a specific dish they wanted. Feyre and Rhys both emerged making their way to the table.

“ Don’t start fighting, guys there's plenty of food” You laughed at your two friends who were eyeing the same pastry platter but further down the table, within a second both were scrambling for it.

“ Oh wow Y/N I think this is the best spread of food you’ve made” Feyre smiles at you before taking her place at the table. Grabbing her plate and piling on the food. The table had been covered in various fruits, vegetable dishes, sandwiches and meat dishes, even some rice dishes as well. You attempted this time around to try a new pastry dish which was completely devoured by Mor and Cassian. You could see why everyone was so eager to eat it looked good.

“ Thank you, I really appreciate that” You gave her an accomplished smile. You were proud that it looked even though you felt you could’ve done better. This was good for now and everyone had the look of It hit the spot on their faces. So take that overthinking brain.

Rhys turned to you he was about to say something when Amren came barreling into the room, excitement etched on her face. “My favorite time of day!” She too also lunged for the table.

“ Looks like you finally curbed your appetite,” Nesta says from her spot.

Amren glared at Nesta “Even in this fae body, I wouldn’t mind attempting to see if my old appetite still lingers, girl”

Rhys chucked “ Enough Amren eat your lunch Y/N had worked so hard to prepare this exquisite meal for us” Rhys had taken his seat as well gathering food to put on his plate. You took a seat next to Elain taking a rest before heading back to the kitchen. You liked to hear the chatter amongst the group and about how their days were going. You were quiet and just enjoying the simplicity of it. Until your mind wandered to Azriel, who hadn’t been there for breakfast and now lunch.

You felt talons in your mind gently tapping on your shielded mind. You knew it was Rhys by how his mental talons scratched at your mind. Feyre had never done it to you but you assumed that she was a much more gentle experience than Rhys, no offense to him. You let him slip into your mind easily.

“ Why so sad little chef?”

“ Little Chef? Haha, very original old man. Where is he?” You watched as Feyre and Elain talked about her garden in the town house. Cassian slumped back in his chair giving himself a tummy rub. Nesta rolls her eyes at him as he gives her a rather suggestive look. Mor cackled when she noticed the interaction. Amren paid no mind to anyone sneaking more food onto her plate while stealing off of everyone else's.

“ Ouch, old man? Do remind me of who we are talking about again, Little Chef ” You sided eyed Rhys as his shoulders shook slightly from holding in a laugh.

“You play too many games, old man. You know who I am talking about ” You mentally rolled your own eyes, showing him the gesture while also mentally flipping him off.

“ Okay, okay, I do play games. I rather enjoy them. However your ‘old man’ of a mate is taking care of business for me.”

“ Feyre was right”

“ About what?”

“ Your all Busy bodies”

“ Hey, you looked like you needed some reassurance. It would be wrong of me to not help a fellow friend”

“ Uh-huh so when will he be back?”

“ He should be back in an hour.”

“ I am so telling Feyre you’re a busy body” By this point you and Rhys locked eyes, both of you continued communicating mentally. Any other person who looked from the outside would have guessed that maybe the two of you were staring each other down to see who would break first.

“ Y/N, that is far from the truth.” Rhys looked away briefly to roll his own eyes at you.

“ It is the truth! You swear you don’t ‘meddle in other people's business’ here you are telling me what I wanna know” You mentally pointed a finger at him as you laughed softly.

“ You looked sad! This is the last time I help you ease your mind” Rhys attempted to defend himself but it was no use, he in fact was a busy body whether he wanted to admit it or not.

“Guilty busy body old man”

“ Don’t you have food to make, Little Chef”

“Thanks,”Your eyes lit with humor as you smiled before heading off to the kitchen to prepare dinner and Azriel’s lunch.

“Of course” Dipped his head at you returning that same humorous expression.

………………..

The hour had passed and you had finished making Azriel’s plate and some of the dinner spread. You could feel the buzz of energy that belonged to him. Your bond had begun sharpening itself lately between you two. It hadn’t completely fortified itself just yet and you couldn’t figure out why. This would be the first meal you’d bring just to Azriel, your mind unbeknownst to you had not caught on to what was happening. You weren’t exactly lucky in the learning of mating. Your parents were different. You knew that, and everyone else knew that, so this concept to you was entirely new.

“ Miss?” Nuala called out to you.

“ Yes?” You replied as you fixed a missing piece to his plate before grabbing a glass of water along with it.

“ You’re running behind Miss” Nuala gives you a small smile as she shifts her gaze to the clock. You follow it cursing at yourself grabbing the plate before making your way hastily out the kitchen. Cerridwen had smiled at herself knowing what was about to transpire.

Nuala called out to you again “ Uh Miss he’s in the High lords study”.

“ Oh right, yes Okay, thank you! I will be back to help with the rest of the dinner!” You called out as you left the kitchen.

“ Should we warn her?” Cerridwen giggled. Cerridwen couldn’t help but be happy for the pair. Azriel deserved to be loved just as the rest of the group is.

“ No, let the happy couple be,” Nuala replied, continuing her work as well. Azriel deserved to be loved just as the rest of the group is. Nuala looked to her sister as they both shared a giddy giggle of happiness.

You had followed Nuala’s advice practically running down the halls to get to Azriel. You knew he had to be starving; there was no way he would not be hungry. You hadn’t realized what was happening when you entered the room. All three bat boys had been in a meeting which was abruptly stopped by you. You didn’t seem to notice as your feet carried you to Azriel. Azriel noticed the plate in your hands. His face is tinting a shade of pink. Now was definitely not the time to be giving him food. Cassian and Rhys both coughed, finding everything else in the room rather interesting.

“ Y/N now isn’t the best time for-“ Azriel started, though you cut him off quickly.

“ You didn’t eat breakfast or lunch so I made you some food.” You hand him the plate expecting him to eat it. Azriel cleared his throat nervously, he didn’t even attempt to eat it. Though his stomach growled and he so badly wanted to eat it. He also so badly wanted to have you to himself and his way with you but he couldn’t not even during an important meeting with his high lord and his general. Fuuuuccckk. He mentally groaned. This could not have happened at a far worse time than right now. He loved your innocence in all this but it was his fault he should’ve warned you.

“I understand but-“ He started again as he tried to find the words to tell you that this was extremely bad timing. You were not taking a no for an answer, the other two males had not moved fast enough to stop you either. You had shoved a piece of food in Azriel’s mouth. His eyes widened, he was shocked that you forced him to eat. Azriel made no more to chew, or swallow or make any sudden movements. Once he inhales the food it was game over for everyone including you.

“ You better chew it Az, and swallow it. You haven’t eaten a damn thing all day long and it’s the last time I tell you” You warned him. Cassian and Rhys looked at each other before lunging for you both.

Rhys was the first to grab you and pull you away. Cassain quickly grabbed the plate from Azriel’s hands carrying it like bomb “ I GOT IT!” Cassian rushed over to the window chucking it out of the study. Rhys grabbed a napkin as he marched over to Azriel “ Spit it out!” to which Azriel obliged.

Rhys handed Azriel a cup of water to which Cassian yelled “ NO NOT THE WATER” Rhys immediately switched hands and conjured up a second water.

“ You gave him water too!” Rhys groaned as he looked at Azriel who was in fact looking at you.

“ For fuck sake it’s literally water! He hasn’t eaten and I highly doubt he had water! You guys, I worked hard on that food. Cass that was also my favorite dish!” You whined as you twirled around and faced a wall that was decorated with one of Feyre’s paintings.

“ Sorry but I had to do it. I’ll buy you a new one” Cassian shrugged, though he’d have to admit it was a bit of an overreaction.

Rhys sighed “ Y/N has anyone ever spoken to you about the mating ritual?”

You froze in place, there was no way your high lord was about to teach you a lesson on mating bonds, especially the ritual, “Ooooo no, oh by the cauldron this is embarrassing” You could feel your blood heat under you skin, and creep along your chest and neck. Azriel’s eyebrows shot up realizing that maybe his brother shouldn’t express that knowledge to her. Cassian seemed to have noticed the sudden change.

“ Rhys, I think we should let Az explain to her..” Cassian suggested as he walked toward a chair and sat down.

Rhys sighed again he looked between you and Azriel, “ We aren’t leaving this room, you can explain it to her in the corner but I want you both where I can see you” Rhys walked over to his desk pulling out papers to work on while Cassian played with one of Rhys’s trinkets. Rhys reached over and took it out of his hand. “ That’s not a toy”

“ Then why is it on your desk?”

“ Because that is where I decided to place it”

“ Why would you do that”

“ Cass” Rhys had pinched the bridge of his nose as the two began a bickering of their own.

You shook your head as you walked over to Azriel shyly. Azriel reached for your wrist grabbing it as he pulled you closer to him. You were experiencing many mixed emotions and you were rather embarrassed. You wanted nothing more than to dive into your work to distract yourself. You also wanted to severely scrub this memory out of your brain. Your head hung low, Azriel let go of your wrist tucking a piece of hair behind your ear. His finger grazed along the side of your jaw before dipping under your chin to tilt your head up so that your eyes could meet. Rhys had put a shield around you so that your conversation would stay between you with no prying ears. So to speak.

“ It’s okay” His usual sharp stoic demeanor softened, his eyes gently as they searched yours. Boy did you melt into a tiny ball of goo. “ You don’t have to be embarrassed. Shall I explain the ritual to you” He offered though he was going to tell you anyway. You groaned again moving your crown against his chest as you looked at the floor and at his feet. He only chuckled at your actions.

“ I’ll take that as a yes. Well what I can tell you is that when you give a mate food it signifies the bond. It makes it, as you would put it ‘official’. It means acceptance. After the acceptance, after the male eats all of the food given to him by his mate…they- uh do- a bit of mating of their own” Azriel was not sure how to phrase that last sentence. On any other given day with his job and with his life he would have used better terms. This was new; he had never done this before.

“ Oh-ooh- Oooooh I see” You felt even worse about your decision now. Azriel again lifted your head so that your eyes could lock again.

You huffed moving away from Azriel slightly as you spoke “ So from what I gathered is that I waltzed into this meeting almost force feed you-“

“ You didn’t waltz, you ran and barged in. You absolutely force fed me” Azriel teased you which only made you glare at him.

“ That’s not funny Az, I was about to put you into a sexual frenzy. “

“ Is that such a bad thing?” He reached for your hips but you smacked his hands away, not to say he couldn’t touch you but that this really wasn’t funny. Azriel ignored the fact that you did that, completely touch starved and craving you he pulled you back to him.

You instinctively wrapped your arms around his neck. “No but- you were busy, I knew that, I just wanted to make sure you ate.” Azriel smiled as he rested his forehead against yours.

“ Tell you what, when I am done with this meeting. I will personally come find you myself. You can warm me up some food and a glass of water-” you both chuckled at that , as he leaned closer to your ear this time “ -and when I finish, for dessert,-“ he pressed your body even harder into him, closer to him impossibly close”- I want you spread out for me, so that I can devour you, leaving you wanting and needing more.”

Your eyes widened, Azriel moved away before capturing your lips in a kiss, but before it could go no further Rhys snapped the shield back, Cassian already near Azriel pulling him off and away from you. You in that moment cursed Rhys and Cass in your mind but in reality you flipped both of them off. Rhys had called for Nuala to take you back to the Kitchen. Azriel who no longer remained broody held a smirk filled with mischief and desire. His eyes twinkled with excitement, he was happy to have you as his mate. You could definitely say the same about him.

Before you completely exited the study room Azriel winked at you. You smiled at him as you shut the door heading to the kitchen with Nuala who bombarded you with questions about what happened. Cerridwen finished decorating a dish as she grabbed another, you also spilled the beans to her as she wanted every juicy detail. The three of you had grabbed dish after dish placing it on the table. You were giddy, excited, but mostly nervous about the acceptance of the bond. You knew Azriel would take care of you but you couldn’t help but worry if you’d be interrupted. Though you knew no one would bother you. Time could not have gone by any slower if it weren’t for the twins who kept you company and busy.

Once the food was ready and everyone piled in. Again you found yourself searching for Azriel. Nowhere to be found you sighed. Feyre walked over towards you and pushed you in the direction of the kitchen.

“ There’s something in the kitchen I think you should look at” She tells you and you knew what or rather who she was referring too. You giggled nodding, you head into the kitchen, when a little shadow flew towards you, wrapping around your wrist, your hair and caressing the sides of your cheeks. You grinned knowing that the man of your dreams was sitting at the island you were working on. He had a plate, a fork and nice ready to eat. A glass of water sat next to his plate. He offered you a sweet smile. He beckoned you closer and you couldn’t resist. You grabbed a chair and sat next to him. He waited for you to sit down. “ Have you eaten today?” He asked you before digging in. You grabbed a fork of your own getting ready to eat with him.

“ I’ll pick off your plate” You replied as you held the fork in hand getting ready to grab a potato.

Azriel watched you for a moment taking it in that you were his. “ I don’t know if I can last”

“ What come on listen I’ll eat one half of the plate you eat the other side. It’ll be fine-”

“ No-I meant I doubt that I’m going to be able to eat this without wanting you right now” He whispered.

You felt your blood heat up again. “ Az, eat first and then we’ll see if there’s room for…me…” Azriel’s skin tinted pink when you whispered those words. He hadn’t expected you to flirt back like that. That made him want you even more.

“ There’s always room for you” He whispers.

“ I guess we’ll have to find out. '' You teased as you began eating a few tiny pieces so that Azriel could eat the entire plate.

Azriel only shook his head as he quietly dug into his food with you by his side.

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

It's never too late to add diverse books to your TBR. Here are a few books to consider adding to your reading list for 2025!

[thesophiewhit]

PHONING FAUST -- A Sapphic Novel of Demonic Contracts, Demisexuality, and Yearning by me! A cool queer author ~

Are you LGBT+ or BIPOC or just REALLY LOVE BOOKS? Interested in being an ARC reader and reading a book and helping a fellow queer indie author out? (Pretty please? -- ARC links all the way at the bottom of this post (beneath the rainbow banner) for those who like Sapphic demon x human angst books ~)

AND LOOK AT THE CHARACTER ART OF MEMPHIS (BADASS DEMON) AND DIAN (HUMAN) BY MY ARTIST FRIEND SNAX

https://linktr.ee/artsnaxk

ABOUT ME

Demisexual?? Queer? Nonbinary? All these were magical words to me until it hit...

Oh-- that's me.

It took me a while to come out as queer, longer to come out as nonbinary, and then some more time to reconcile all this with being a mixed Indonesian kid. A dash of mental health, a sprig of figuring out asexuality and neurodivergence. But atop all that? One thing has been constant.

I've always been a writer.

That's some live footage of me summoning some forces to reign my characters in from being feral.

WHY I WROTE PHONING FAUST

Well, well, well, after years of battling imposter's syndrome, I did it. I wrote another book! It's called PHONING FAUST and it's getting published with queer indie publishing company @ninestarpress-blog because they're all cool and LGBT+ and super talented!

Why did I write PHONING FAUST?

What is... a Faust?

A Faustian bargain is what's popularly known as the devil's bargain. A usually losing situation or a trick where the devil tricks someone out of their soul in exchange for ULTIMATE POWER!

I rewrote Faust to be Sapphic as can be. It stars a mixed Indonesian lesbian named Dian Faust who battles depression tooth and nail and ends up calling a mental health crisis hotline. Bc... she's lonely.

PAUSE-- and this is a horror comedy. Comedy. COMEDY-- you might say?

WHY? HOW? Sounds sad and depressing, right?

WHAT'S FAUST?

Well... in the original retelling version of Goethe's Faust (who retold it from folklore etc etc) the main character of Dr. Faustus accidentally summons the devil or something when he too is about to consider the meaning of life and it gets sad bc he doesn't see one so he makes the devil's bargain FOR ULTIMATE POWER. Or something.

But in my version-- it's based off my experiences as a queer person. Before I had community. Before I understood and accepted myself-- I had a rough time. For a whole bunch of factors outside of that-- I didn't feel like my life was in a good place. And even worse-- I felt isolated.

THE PLOT

I didn't want to bother my friends with my problems. So-- I'd call the Trevor Project or a crisis hotline just to have somebody to talk to. In the same way-- Dian Faust is struggling with depression in the story I write. So she calls a hotline like the Trevor Project just to not be alone.

And guess who she finds?

A super hot genderfluid devil called MEMPHIS, short for Mephistopheles. A pierced and tatted punk rocker who has an interest for telling tall tales and serving Dian Faust's every wish and command! (No, not like that!)

Because Dian Faust, like me, is a mixed Indonesian kid trying to figure out what it means to be queer AND demisexual (finding attraction only after really getting to emotionally connect with someone and feeling, as I explain in the book, a lack of that before then for anyone). And she's figuring plenty out--- including how to save her immortal soul and her feelings for a certain genderfluid demon but if you want to know more-- YOU CAN BUT YOU HAVE TO SCROLL TO THE END OF THIS POST TO FIND OUT !

I wrote this book PHONING FAUST (coming out in 2025 sometime with NineStar Press btw. I have these books CATCH LILI TOO and WAKE THE DEAD also starring Sapphic demiace MCs if it's helpful while you wait!

I WROTE MORE QUEER BOOKS (if interested)! (ARC SIGN UP LINK IS STILL BELOW THIS ONE THO! > FOLLOW THE RAINBOW !!)

MY OTHER QUEER BOOKS: https://sophiawhittemore.com/books/ ) <3 <3 <3

I wrote PHONING FAUST (train of thought, sorry, that's the neurodivergence) because I wanted people to feel less alone.

I was, like Dian Faust and like a lot of people, a queer person who felt like I was on an island unto myself. I didn't know who to turn to-- so I turned to no one. By reaching out to hotlines (no hot devils unfortunately), I managed to get the help I needed to avoid making rash decisions-- to get the help I needed to get better. To take that first step.

PHONING FAUST is a novel that raises the importance of mental health and finding community, and most importantly, not giving up. As Dian Faust says in my upcoming book...

There are stars out there-- I had only to see it.

***

🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈

🌈🌈🌈🌈ARC LINK SIGN UPS HERE 🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈

ARC LINK SIGN UPS IN LINKTREE <3

Want to be an ARC reader for this queer book starring a demisexual Sapphic couple and BIPOC cast?

Sign up here! : https://tr.ee/mWPM8I9Zev

***

Hmmm, demon contracts...now where might young 2010 emo me have heard that before... ? ?

[blackterrae]

𝑺𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅 𝑳𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝑺𝒚𝒅𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒆

𝚂𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝟷 𝙴𝚙𝚒𝚜𝚘𝚍𝚎 𝟷

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 𝟏.𝟐𝒌

𝖡𝖺𝗇𝗇𝖾𝗋 𝖻𝗒 @blackterrae

𝙰.𝙽: 𝙳𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚢 𝙸𝚁𝙻 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚙𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚖𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚗𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚊𝚗𝚏𝚒𝚌! @gosling441

𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤, 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘪𝘵. 𝘋𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦'𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥’𝘴 𝘰𝘳𝘣𝘪𝘵.

𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰. 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘳𝘦𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘦𝘷𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘶𝘱 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦.

𝘜𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘦𝘵 𝘊𝘩𝘢 𝘌𝘶𝘯𝘸𝘰𝘰, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘶𝘭𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭. 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴.

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝟷𝟹 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘭𝘥. 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘢 𝘵𝘰 𝘒𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘢 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘫𝘰𝘣 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘸𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵.

“𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴. 𝘞𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘫𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳. 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧?”

𝘋𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘒𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘯, 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘶𝘱 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘶𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘨𝘦. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺.

“𝘠𝘦𝘴, 𝘮𝘢’𝘢𝘮, 𝘮𝘺 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘴 (𝘠/𝘕), 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐’𝘮 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢.”

“𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧. 𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘌𝘶𝘯𝘸𝘰𝘰. 𝘌𝘶𝘯𝘸𝘰𝘰, 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥?”

𝘈 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘪𝘳. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘣𝘰𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘺 𝘤𝘶𝘵, 𝘌𝘶𝘯𝘸𝘰𝘰.

𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘌𝘶𝘯𝘸𝘰𝘰.

“𝘐’𝘮 (𝘠/𝘕).”

“𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸,” 𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦

“𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘌𝘶𝘯𝘸𝘰𝘰! 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶!”

𝘌𝘶𝘯𝘸𝘰𝘰 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥.

𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘯𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘴𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴.

𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘩 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘰𝘶𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘫𝘰𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘮. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥, 𝘴𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘌𝘶𝘯𝘸𝘰𝘰.

𝘈𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝟹𝟶 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘈𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘵, 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦. 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘣𝘰𝘯𝘥.

𝘏𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦, 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘴. 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘶𝘺𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘹𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴. 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘥. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤 𝘰𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘵. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵.

𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘚𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘸𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘌𝘶𝘯𝘸𝘰𝘰 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘏𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘷𝘶𝘭𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨.

𝘏𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳'𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴.

𝘈𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥, 𝘴𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴. 𝘏𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘦.

𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘹𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭; 𝘐 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘮𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘒𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘢 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘰𝘸𝘯, 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴. 𝘚𝘺𝘮𝘣𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦, 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘭 𝘴𝘢𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥.

𝘈𝘣𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘸 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥—𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭'𝘴 𝘝𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘯. 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘦𝘤𝘩, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥.

“𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴. 𝘉𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦. 𝘋𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺, 𝘪𝘧 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵, 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦. 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘧 𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦.”

𝘌𝘶𝘯𝘸𝘰𝘰’𝘴 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴.

“𝘕𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘶𝘱. 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴, ”

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘣𝘭𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯.

“𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥,”

𝘚𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥. 𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴, 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥.

“𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢 𝘣𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵. 𝘕𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦.”

𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘥 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯.

𝘐𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘵. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘴, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘌𝘶𝘯𝘸𝘰𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘶𝘻𝘻𝘭𝘦.

𝘌𝘶𝘯𝘸𝘰𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘦𝘤𝘩 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥-𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦; 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮. 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘌𝘶𝘯𝘸𝘰𝘰 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘈 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.

𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘌𝘶𝘯𝘸𝘰𝘰 𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘈𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘥. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘶𝘺𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘭𝘦, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘥.

“𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘦𝘤𝘩 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤!” 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘥

“𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴, 𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥’𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦-”

𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘣𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘰𝘧𝘧.

“𝘌𝘶𝘯𝘸𝘰𝘰, 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘵; 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵.”

“𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 (𝘠/𝘕),” 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶.

𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘌𝘶𝘯𝘸𝘰𝘰 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴, 𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦. 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝟸𝟷 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘵 𝘠𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘪 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺.

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘥𝘺𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘤 𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘯𝘶𝘮𝘣 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘌𝘶𝘯𝘸𝘰𝘰’𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘦𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳.

𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘊𝘩𝘢 𝘌𝘶𝘯𝘸𝘰𝘰. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 she 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦.

Taglist:

@wintrrxxo @zu8her @muntitled @babeyvenus @iridecsense @ladylaviniya @cutelittlesugarfairy @bonnet-bunny-writer @jimblejamblewritings

[tightjeansjavi]

aut inveniam viam aut faciam - I will either find a way or make one

🌊~ emperor geta x bipoc!mermaidf!reader ~🌊

Geta has forever lived a life in a gilded cage the same shade of gold as the laurels that rest upon his head. The weight of the crown feels like a burden, one that he cannot shake. He yearns for freedom, to live without worry or care. He seeks adventure, friendship, romance beyond his wildest dreams— but his duty to the empire, to his brother, to Rome and her people constricts his heart like a vice. As if a coiled serpent rests around his neck like a necklace, squeezing and tightening with each shaky inhale of precious breath he takes.

When the world he lives in becomes too much, too crushing and real for him to endure, he feels drawn to the sea and the realm that lives within it. He has heard tales a many of beauty from plebeians sailing to Rome in hopes for a better opportunity—stability and riches. A dream of fools, but a dream nonetheless. Stories of sightings at sea: creatures with a woman’s body, but a fishes tail instead of feet, and scales that shimmer even brighter than gold and expensive gems.

Mermaids.

Upon one evening, after the troubled emperor consumed enough wine to make his head feel fuzzy, he finds his way to the sea. The breeze upon his rouged painted cheeks is refreshing, he can taste the salty air upon his wine tainted lips as he sways like reeds of seaweed drifting in the tide. He does not see you, at first. The night is dark, but the stars are bright. The moon is like a beacon against onyx silk that is the heavens.

“Gods,” he whispers, “is this what freedom tastes like?”

He startles at the sound of fins slapping against crested waves, the sound so clear even in his drunken haze. He squints through the darkness, swaying with one ringed hand clutched over his heart. And then, he sees you, head bobbing through the gentle waves. You are one with the sea and the emperor finds himself slowly sinking to his knees, falling to the sand unceremoniously.

“I must be dreaming.” he blinks, rubbing his knuckles against his eyes, but you are there: as real as the gold that shrouds him. “Or I have consumed too much wine,” he murmurs, nodding to himself. “Too much wine that I am seeing things that aren’t there.”

He squeezes his eyes shut so tight that behind closed lids he can see stars painting his vision. When he opens them again, slower this time, you are no longer there.

He returns to the sea every evening since, hoping—yearning to see you again, to be graced with your presence, but perhaps he was dreaming, or hallucinating the very image of you.

As an emperor with the world at his very fingertips, the one thing he could not have was you. The words “aut inveniam viam aut faciam” echo in his mind, but even the most powerful man in the world cannot manifest something as beautiful and free as you. You haunt his dreams and his waking hours, reminding him constantly of what he can never have; freedom.