#divineshark

[oceanplagues]

mizisua as the green lesbians 💚 for @divineshark

(prompt for @femslashaction!)

[biipbop]

Prompt: Cheng Yixie x Cheng Qianli — A tender, loving moment after finding each other in the 11th Door.

for @divineshark for @danmei-action

[an-ding]

He Xuan thought of a world where temples went untended, unoffered, and untouched. Against his will, he visualized fruit withering in an offering dish, riddled with bugs and rot as the god it was offered to faded into nothing. Perhaps, if he were anywhere else, the thought would evoke righteous joy. Not now. Not with Shi Qingxuan laying before him like an untouched meal.

3.1k words | explicit

beefleaf somno for @/divinesharks on twitter for tgcfaction's gotcha for congo ^_^

[chocolatepot]

Written for @divineshark for the @femslashaction Gotcha for Gaza.

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply Category: F/F Fandom: Original Work Relationship: Original Female Character(s)/Original Female Character(s) Characters: Original Female Character(s)Original Female Character(s) of Color Additional Tags: Science Fiction, Attempted Murder, Spaceships, hard-boiled middle-aged woman, adorable soft middle-aged woman, femslash gotcha for gaza Words: 1,588

When grizzled ex-miner Manda comes across a fancy ship floating dead in space, she has to help the inhabitant. She does not expect to become emotionally involved.

[jaymei]

ruchun drinking wine together for @divineshark

donations are still open @danmei-action until 31 aug!! carrd for more info

[aftersector]

some beefleaf i drew for @divineshark for the mxtx exchange a lil bit ago :3 ft. fairy!sqx and mermaid!hx

[genie-of-the-4th-wall]

Kitten Fluff

Happy (very belated) Holidays, @divineshark ! I’m your Secret Santa for the @hatofulboyfriendsecretsanta ! Again, sorry for the wait, but I finally got it done. I hope you enjoy!

AO3 Link

It was a dreary winter day. One of those days where the conditions were just not right for snow, so instead the clouds released rain that would chill any bird to the bone. It was on that dreary winter day, in the chilling rain, that Nageki was slowly making his way home from school. He knew Hitori would fuss over how long it took him to get home because he’d “catch his death out there” and so on and so forth, but he didn’t necessarily feel like making a mad dash to shelter. He just moved along at his own pace. The cold rain may have been uncomfortable, but Nageki liked to take in his surroundings. The misty tree tops, the scent of rain, the quiet mewling in the gutter...

Wait, what?

Nageki crouched down to look in the nearby storm gutter. Sure enough, there was a tiny kitten hiding away. She was skinny and shivering, and she was all alone. No mother, not even any littermates. Just a single lone kitten. Nageki felt sorry for the poor thing. He reached out his wing to her.

“Hey, it’s okay. I won’t hurt you.”

The kitten hung back, her ears pressed down against her head. Nageki tried to think of a way he could coax her out.

“Ah, of course!”

Nageki dug through his school bag, trying to find something buried under all of his books and notes. He finally pulled out a pack of jerky. Hiyoko had given it to him when he made an off-hand comment about forgetting to eat one time. She insisted he take it, even when he pointed out that he didn’t really eat meat. Brushing off those memories, Nageki opened the package and pulled out a small piece of the dried meat. He held it out to the kitten. She hesitantly approached, taking a moment to sniff the new object before ravenously eating the piece of jerky.

“You must be hungry, huh?” Nageki spoke softly.

He gave the kitten another piece of jerky before scooping her up in his wing. She didn’t protest, and huddled into the warmth of his feathers. Nageki quickly made his way home with his new friend.

When Nageki got home, he was surprised to find that Hitori wasn’t home yet. Just Kazuaki, who was wrapped in a blanket on the couch, watching some random romantic-comedy anime.

“I’m home,” Nageki announced.

“Oh! Nageki! Welcome home!” Kazuaki said, fumbling to pause his show.

“Why isn’t Hitori home yet?”

“O-oh, yeah, something came up last minute. Iwamine needed to go out-of-town on for a medical conference this evening, and the school was kinda worried to send him off on his own after the shrine incident a couple weeks back. I mean, they didn’t say that, of course, but it was implied. So they made Uzune go with him.”

“...What?”

“D-don’t worry! He’ll be back before tomorrow! He’s just gonna be gone... this whole evening...”

Kazuaki seemed depressed at that thought. Nageki chose to drop the topic before things spiraled down further. Instead, he set down his stuff and walked towards the couch.

“I found this on the way home...” He opened up his wing, revealing the kitten to Kazuaki. The quail stared at her in shock.

“Oh my! A-a cat?!”

“Yeah. I found her in a gutter. She was all alone, and she looked hungry, so...”

Kazuaki reached forward to pet the kitten. She squirmed out of his reach.

“Wehh! She doesn’t like me!” Kazuaki cried.

“It’s not that. She’s probably still scared. Once you give her some food, she’ll warm right up.”

“Oh...”

“So... what should we do with her?” Nageki asked.

“Well, I think we’re supposed to take her to the vet as soon as possible. After that, well... oh, she’s so cute, but I’m not sure if Uzune would like us adopting a cat without asking him first...”

“I... want to keep her, if we can,” Nageki murmured. He had taken a liking to the kitten.

“Oh... um, maybe you shouldn’t let Uzune know? Just until I can figure out how to tell him and all. I wouldn’t want to, um, have to give her up.”

Nageki sighed. He knew it would take Kazuaki forever to get around to telling Hitori, but he also knew trying to argue would just upset the quail. He could deal with that later. For now, they had to get their new pet checked out.

The vet confirmed that the kitten was a female, about 8 weeks old. Examinations showed she was surprisingly healthy. She was a bit malnourished, but she had managed to not catch any diseases that would require treatment (Kazuaki sighed with relief, knowing how expensive medicine would be). After a bath, her fur was revealed to be a light gray. Kazuaki and Nageki picked up some supplies from the local pet store before bringing her back to their apartment. They set her up in Nageki’s room, since Hitori knew Nageki didn’t like him poking around in there anyway. She was cautious, but she seemed to take to her new home well enough. After going back and forth for a bit (Kazuaki really wanted to name her Princess), the birds finally settled on the name Hoshi. Hoshi still seemed to favor Nageki to Kazuaki, much to the latter’s disappointment. Regardless, after all of the excitement of the day, everybody settled down to sleep.

Nageki woke up to the sound of Hitori making breakfast and a warm ball curled up next to him. Hoshi was peacefully sleeping next to him. Nageki did his best to wiggle out from beneath the covers without disturbing the cat, but he didn’t do a very good job. Hoshi sleepily blinked at him, let out a yawn, and jumped off the bed. She walked over to her food bowl and meowed at Nageki expectantly.

“Okay, I’ll get you some food. Just be quiet, okay?” Nageki said softly.

Nageki emptied a can of wet food into Hoshi’s bowl, and she quickly got to work eating. Nageki left the room to get his own breakfast. Kazuaki was up too, groggily eating the food Hitori had prepared.

“Ah, good morning, Nageki. I was just about to go wake you up,” Hitori said.

“Good morning, Hitori,” Nageki replied, taking a seat.

“Oh, I almost forgot. Kazuaki, I wanted to ask you something. Why is there a bag of cat food in the cupboard?” Hitori asked.

“W-What?!” Kazuaki startled awake.

“Yeah, cat food. Do you know anything about that?” Hitori calmly repeated.

“Oh! I, uh, well... Obviously, the cat food is to feed cats. I, uh, wanted to... um... feed the stray cats in the alley behind the apartment! Yeah! That’s why... the cat food... in fact, I should, um, probably go do that now!” Kazuaki stammered. He grabbed the cat food out of the cupboard and rushed out of the apartment.

Hitori shook his head. “So, when were you two going to tell me you got a cat?” Hitori asked Nageki.

“Well, that didn’t take long. How’d you know?” Nageki said.

“I heard some scratching and meowing coming from your room. With the cat food, it didn’t take much to put two and two together.”

“Sorry, Kazuaki wanted to tell you himself. He’s worried you won’t let us keep her.”

Hitori sighed. “He still worries so much, doesn’t he? Thank you for being patient with him. Don’t worry, I think you’re responsible enough for a pet. As long as you take care of her, you can keep her. Oh, and don’t worry about Kazuaki. I’ll sort everything out.”

“Thank you, Hitori.” Nageki smiled.

“Anything for you. Both of you.” Hitori smiled back. “Oh, is this her?”

Nageki looked down to see Hoshi butting her head against his leg. He chuckled.

“Yeah, meet Hoshi.”

[whateverwuxian]

| happy when it rains |

🌸 rated G 🌸 27k 🌸 hualian, the secret world of arrietty AU 🌸 studio ghibli vibes, friends to lovers, tiny! xie lian

my contribution to this year’s mxtx mini bang! inspired by the studio ghibli film ‘the secret world of arrietty,’ featuring a tiny xie lian, cat e’ming, and a hua cheng who just wants somewhere to call home.

i was partnered with @/divineshark on twitter - please go and retweet the amazing art she drew!!

read on ao3!

[mxtxbigbang]

MXTXRBB2019 masterlist

Here’s a masterlist of all the works that have been posted for this event. If there are any errors or if your work is posted but not in this masterlist yet, do let us know.

Myosotis by caramelt, art by Bastet406

gemütlichkeit by KidoTaka, art by ratman_inc

ice skates come in pairs by youtiao, art by @cielly_art

high hopes by gintokitas, art by saph_arts

From sunset to daybreak by cottonee, art by pidoodle

to the you, who holds his heart in his hand by huilien, art by Alli_Littorella

Demonic Cultivator's Blessing, or: Curse of the Bunny God by FayJay, art by Saph0000

The Desperation of Liars by dragonofeternal, art by @cielly_art

Here 'til the Morning Breaks Us by SetsuntaMew, art by kitshunette

hate kills this world, but it won't kill me by Karratran, art by Nie_Mingay

Body Talks by lonesomewriter, art by ella-marie2804

The Man Who Leapt Through Time by weiyuanxiong (gracon_bacon), art by LokiNekoDraws

begin again by offlight, art by stlj_23

Fairy XianXian by Silver_Flame_2724, art by h4ntai

Cross-dressing by nagi71, art by HakuuEffect

for you it's twice as sweet by DiRoxy, art by cielly_art

Becoming mine by LEWDZILYLURKING, art by jack_mado

When The Lights Shine As One by K1mHeechu1, art by iwontcomeonover

Re-Creation of Azoth by Bowandtie, art by honeycombbbb

silver bell by Willowcatkin, art by gebriyeel_

a lingering existence by paranoid_fridge, art by iya_aayy

luo binghe’s guide to harvesting stubborn root vegetables by snakeandladders, art by tediouslynormal

Resonance of echos by Thestarswillburn, art by honeycombbbb

A Guiding Hand by shadhahvar, art by myminiwheats

A Maiden, Ice-White by dornishsphinx, art by devkymm

a love that transcends hunger by tunnelOFdawn, art by urarara1809

virtuoso by tinygrunt, art by NutterFox

the truth of us by StarsinmyTea, art by chi_tsuu

Lotus Clinic Dog Walkers Club by Carcharias, art by chi_tsuu

What I Would Give to Fly by tbiris, art by nutterfox

bleed me a melody by tinyoongi, art by ella_marie2804

A Fae Bargain by Pteropoda (SilentP), art by ratman_inc

towards the infinite darkness by avenqelic, art by ierlix

another set of wings by fireflavoredwhiskey, art by watermelom520

the way the world should be by queen_gee, art by mi_se_ra

Snakeman teaches local couple how to fuck, click to learn more by Sammie224466, art by wooperly

story by soundlolgic, art by moroll1

whisk away your heartsigh and bury it in mine. by bloodfruit, art by eatmeout_gege

shang tiantang by fuckwarlock, art by diannedjarjayes

TRIO by lotusdepths (icedtears), art by maunnieh

Dew Over by ataratah, art by fishporridges

anatomy of infatuation by esterase, art by voidgalaxxy

The Dragon's Companion by CarterWritesStuff, art by homra-kid

the happiest place by wincechesters, art by diannedjarjayes

Guardian Angel by XiaoYingTao, art by 27sen3

in vino veritas by synonemous (sussiekitten), art by watermelom520

Among galaxies by twoheartsx, art by divineshark

Wei Ying & Wen Ning vs. Evil by Pumpkatchu, art by squidspawn

I'll be the spring to your smile by Alch, art by _shaycreates

You Give Me The Best of Me by cruelest_month, art by s_whiskeyjack

Spring by SophiaRemembers, art by hokannko

Yule Night by yumeniai, art by fuma_mdr

wasteland, baby by Minilolli, art by seastar_sebs

hold me in your arms tonight by ibreatheakaashi, art by moroll1

Words Unspoken, Sights Unseen by GlendaloughGoddess, art by kitshunette

Be Still by yanyan_eggs, art by divineshark

Drunk Of Love by Moriachi, art by hallowsivy_

everything, anything, all about you (and me) by ZodiacRiver, art by mayofenna

...Husband? by OneTrueFangirl, art by theresadraws

please forgive my wildest transgressions by Ad_lucem, art by LokiNekoDraws

When Life Was Just Like When We First Met by LeVen, art by s_Whiskeyjack

Honeysuckle and Green Tea by Holyangelheart, art by Fartashiapls1

in the face of cruel fate by sunlaozu, art by mooglepuffs

I’ll Be Waiting by takeitoffhemmo, art by reakimy

icarus is flying too close to the sun by seo_cb, art by wei-yiing

Witness Me in a Pit of Fire by pastelaliens, art by byewenjun

if you wanna stay by corpsesludge (shibecafe), art by scrapimmortal

denumerable by chinxe, art by SeeQSee

To Sail Beyond the Sunset by Letters2Elvinscend, art by ripejc

The cheap, unusual and really terrible guide for Matchbreakers by lanjingyeets, art by aimthrice

Rain Sought Flower by Fallowfield, art by mirai_eats

A Way To Fall by smile667, art by TricksterDraws

we got to fight (the powers that be) by backspacedintooblivion (Evil_and_I_know_it), art by jack_mado

My Heart Is A Storybook by geckoholic, art by Shizuna_610

Against All Odds by yuushoku, art by sora2396

The big night hunt by Cherrylotusflower, art by delleminou

The Strands that Sew our Song by Jafndaegur, art by thefacade-23

mission report by bosbie, art by ataratah

every love story is a ghost story by aisthuu, art by ataratah

Will We Be by Kiranokira, art by mi_se_ra

your flowers and your roots by Razia, art by junijie

Cuteness... It's our family trait! by Chisie, art by SumiMaoam

Hello from the Other Side. by spirithorse, art by acwellenart

and yet we still bloom by gdgdbaby, art by ripejc

the butterfly lovers by museaway, art by ammybuns

The Remnants of our Struggle by Naamah_Beherit, art by thisiskeets

The Fox Groom by pengiesama, art by shibe_sann

As the World Changes by Dgcakes (ficsnfun), art by dyeingdoll

The Way to a Man's Heart is His Stomach by CheckersXIV, art by Ezrazzle

Hunting You Down by Lucielin, art by meggehyesmee

Snowflakes by Crystallizes, art by tkacz-art

Blind Foresight by EHyde, art by makaIaure

Petrichor by ahzrha, art by mlieul

like sweet persimmons by astronicht (1Boo), art by kunehoarts

the orbit of meteors by forever_wandering, art by acwellenart

the promises we break by Miphan, art by ArtofKazuki

for your eyes only by dearly_anonymous, art by unknownbird27

Memento Amare by shatteredcrystalwings, art by glendalough-goddess

the stars are in no one's favor by dearly_anonymous, art by starsbegantofall

[neige-leblanche]

here is a preview of my fic for the mxtx reverse big bang! it features swd and demon!sqx, and is based on the beautiful beautiful art of @divineshark !

it will be posted on my ao3 on december 12!

tag as inc*st and i will eviscerate you

[marketajanouskova]

With beautiful talented @divineshark by great eye of @jeremyknowles.londonberlin #wannabe #model 👩💄👩🎀 #hardday #violin #piano #recital . . . . . . . . . . . . . @chichiclothing dress #musician #duo #concert #posing #musicianphotography #berlin #violinist #pianist #insta #claseek #classicalbuzz #reddress #dress #blacktie #suitup #classicalmusic #violinistofinstagram #photography #classical #stage #lifeofmusician #czechgirl #girl #mozart

[the-honey-bear]

Daystar

Title: Daystar

Pairings: Genis/Mithos, referenced Genis/Lloyd

Rating: T

Word Count: 2,697

Summary: Kratos’ gaze moves to the cruxis crystal embedded above your collarbone.  “Do you know the cost those wings come at?”

Genis chooses Mithos.

Notes: This is a commission I did for @divineshark who wanted Genis/Mithos with a side order of suffering. I do love a dark AU.

----> read on ao3

The flickering tendril in your hand is a new fascination. In your palms it quivers, trembling from the exertion of being brought to life. How  alive  it seems, a tiny heartbeat cupped between your hands.

“Genis! You  mustn’t.”

There’s fear in your sister Raine’s eyes as she strikes at your hand. The tiny will-o'-wisp of fire dies as she yanks the curtains to your apartment in Palmacosta closed in a desperate tug.

Your fingers sting. You’re five years old, and it’s too difficult not to cry. Raine folds you into her arms, and her own magic flows into you, warm, washing away the pain. “You must be  careful, Genis,” she tells you, voice cracking with both parts guilt and anger.

Your sister has been an adult since she was eleven years old, shackled with a baby brother in an unforgiving human world. But the fear in her eyes, now, makes her look much younger.

“Promise me,” she demands of you, and her fingers tighten around your own, so hard it  hurts.

*

Fire takes the dilapidated house from across the bakery. Another half-elf boy had lived there, a few years older than yourself. Your eyes had met at the market, recognition flaring between you. Half-elves could always recognise their own cursed blood. It had taken Raine, tugging on your arm, to tear you away. You mustn’t. It wasn’t safe.

Fire takes the house. No trembling will-o'-wisp but a blazing inferno, devouring everything in its path, the heat a physical force on your face, Raine’s hand around your wrist. A group of men hurl bottles and laugh, drunk on the destruction. “Filthy half-elves!” they shout. “Scum, living right under our noses!”

A scream fills the night. You pull against Raine’s restraint, but she holds fast.

“We have to do something. It’s not fair!” you rail.

“We can’t,” says Raine, “and no, it’s not.”

*

After the third Desian raid that month, you and your sister leave Palmacosta. You make your way across the ocean to Iselia, a village rumoured to be protected by a Desian treaty. The people there are a little less suspicious about your supposed full-blooded elven heritage, probably owing to the fact they’re not being hauled off by Desians in the middle of the night. You even manage to make friends: Lloyd, and the Chosen of Mana, Colette. By day you laugh together and play, but by night you wonder: what would Lloyd do, if he knew of your real heritage?

By night you think of fire, your boyhood fascination now tempered by another emotion. You think of the boy’s eyes in the market: impossibly blue, Raine’s hand closing around your wrist. The boy’s crime was being born. Being a half-elf does not make you a  Desian. Yet you and your sister have been tried and judged before you were ever even conceived. And humans act as though  you  are the inferior beings.

You think of fire, and you burn.

***

Mithos has the same blue eyes as the boy from the marketplace.

Mithos is also Mithos Yggdrasil.

He’s not in his bed, so you venture outside Altessa’s house. It doesn’t take you long to find him, sat on a fallen log, looking up at the stars, his fair hair a beacon in the night.

“Mithos,” you say, and it’s as though you’ve called him back from some far away place, as far as death, as the dearth of space. It’s chilling, how cold his eyes are, and for a moment you catch a glimpse of the millenia old angel in Mithos. But then, at your call, your friend returns, mouth hooking up in his shy sweet smile. You ought to be more afraid. This is your enemy, a ruthless and pitiless immortal being. But it’s also Mithos, your friend, who saved you, who helped you collect medicine for your sister.

  Let’s be friends forever.

Mithos had taken your hand; you hadn’t wanted to give it back. He’d moved his thumb in slow circles over the soft skin of your palm, and the world had disappeared around you.

“Genis,” Mithos says. He doesn’t sound surprised to see you. “You couldn’t sleep either?”

You want to give him a chance to explain himself.

You hold out the panpipes. There’s a brief moment of opaqueness, Mithos’s eyes going wide, and then he says, “I’ve been looking for those all afternoon. Where did you find them?”

“The Tower of Salvation,” you say, and you plunge ahead, because you can’t bear to hear him make up any more lies: “Mithos… I know who you are. I just… I want to know why.” The seams of your words split at his betrayal. Where the warm feeling in your chest had been there’s an  ache.

Mithos’ expression goes somber. He takes the linkite panpipes, and then, offering no explanation, he begins to play.

The melody is very sweet, and very sad. It makes you think of ancient trees, standing in a still, untouched forest. The music moves through you, and stranger still, when Mithos puts down the pipes, there are tears in your eyes.

“I… I don’t know that melody,” you tell him.

He rests the panpipes in his lap. He hunches. Everything about him is heavy. “You wouldn’t, Genis. No one has played that song in thousands of years. It was Martel, my sister’s favourite. Although I don’t play it half as well as she did.”

“So your sister, the one you told me about, who was… murdered by humans…”

“Yes, that was Martel.”

There’s a lump in your throat you can’t swallow. “All those things you told me… were they lies?”

Mithos holds your gaze. “Well, I’m not from Ozette. But I was abandoned by my parents and raised by my sister, the same as you were.”

“And when you said we were friends…”

In reply, Mithos takes your hand. “I would never lie about that, Genis. You’re my friend. My dearest friend.”

The same feeling from the mountaintop pools into your chest: warmth like liquid sunshine. You’re holding hands with Mithos Yggdrasil, his thumb chasing circles on your knuckle, and you can’t bring yourself to let go.

All the same, your conscience kicks in. Eventually, you pull your hand away.

“But Mithos, you… you hurt so many people. The Desians, the ranches. So many people, suffering.”

“You have to understand, Genis. I made the decision I did thousands of years ago because the world was dying. If I hadn’t split it in two and set this system into place, nobody would be alive.”

“But…” you protest.

“I told you I hated humans before, and that was no lie. I do. I detest them.” Viciousness twists Mithos’ words, and you can’t help but flinch. “If I wanted to, I could wipe them all out. All humans and elves. Believe me, it wouldn’t be difficult. But my age of lifeless beings will eliminate discrimination. There’ll be no more need for war, for famine. The worlds will be able to be rejoined.”

Lloyd had always been the more emotional thinker. He tempered the side of you that swayed towards cold rational logic.

“But, if we could just rejoin the worlds and germinate the great seed…” you protest.

“How long do you think it will take before humanity will destroy itself again? Do you think I haven’t given them a chance? Again and again, I’ve watched them dig up the ancient magitechology to make war with one another. I know you have friends among them, Genis, but humans cannot be trusted. The only thing they can be trusted to do is to make the same mistakes.”

It hits you, now, that the boy by your side is a four thousand year old being. What must have he seen? What must he have endured?

“Come with me Genis,” Mithos says, offering his hand, his eyes intense. You can’t help but fluster under them.

“Wha— but, Mithos, I…”

“I want to show you. If you still don’t believe me, and you want to return to your friends— I won’t stop you.”

“You promise?” you ask.

“Of course. I wouldn’t betray you— not my only friend.” There’s a turn of desperation in Mithos’ voice. The hand he offers wavers.

You think of Welgaia, that empty city of angels. You think of Mithos, utterly alone, for centuries, millenia. Unaging, unmoving.

I hate them, you’d admitted to Mithos, alone on the mountaintop. I hate humans. It was a seed that had long laid dormant inside you.

Strange, how it seems like the easiest thing in the world, to reach across and take your friend’s hand. It feels like a choice you made long ago, on a night in Palmacosta with a sky choked by ash.

***

In your short anxious escape through the angelic city, you’d only seen the tiniest part of Welgaia.

Mithos’ utopia stretches on for miles, a perfectly run engine of moving parts.

The angels go about their business. It’s strange to think they are not the holy deities you’d learnt about at school, but half-elves, like you. Mithos’ city is clean, perfect. Its angels are polite, impartial. There’s no discrimination here. No pain.

Yet, you can’t help but wonder: no joy, too.

The chill had vanished from Mithos’ eyes. He took your hand, and you were flying through the city in his eagerness to show it to you. Under your friend’s bright eye the city seems to take on a different gleam. You alight on the roof a belltower, overlooking the sprawling metropolis. Mithos still hasn’t let go of your hand.

“This is the way things are supposed to be,” he says.

In the night sky float the separated worlds: Sylvarant and Tethe’alla.

You sit atop the city of angels, on a comet in space. Away from the confusion and messiness of dirt and living and  life  on Aselia, this is a place to dream of ideals.

Mithos closes the gap between you. It’s no immortal’s kiss but the shy and fumbling kiss of a young boy. You’d kissed Lloyd like this once, when you were younger, hesitant and bumping noses behind the back of the schoolhouse in Iselia. Practise for when we’re grown up, Lloyd had said. But you’d turned down his further offers of  practice, because if he wanted to kiss Colette, he ought to go ahead and do it already.

(Be careful, said Raine, who’d noticed your growing attachment to your friend. Be careful, your sister told you, because if Lloyd knew your half-elven heritage he wouldn’t be half as free with his kisses.)

But it’s hard to think of Lloyd and Colette here, on an alien world, with Mithos’ lips on yours and eyelashes fluttering against your skin like butterfly kisses. When he pulls back his cheeks are burnished pink, eyes of palest blue, not the colour of Aselian oceans but of moonlight.

*

You don’t think of Lloyd at all.

*

Time passes strangely in space.

You keep hold of the days only by the rise of the Daystar, tracking its phosphorous cartwheel across the always-night sky.

With each rise, Mithos speaks to Martel.

He plays his panpipes, or speaks low, in a quiet whisper. In her stasis, the goddess seems merely sleeping.

“She’ll rule over this rotten world, purify it,” Mithos tells you. “She improved everything and everyone she ever touched.”

Colette’s fate leaves a heavy pit in the bottom of your stomach, but as the days go on the more muted it feels. You are a long way from Iselia.

Sacrifices must be made. And, the dark seed inside you murmurs, Colette is only a human.

*

Mithos gives you your cruxis crystal. In your hands, it feels like fire: it feels alive, it has a heartbeat.

“I want you to become my fifth seraphim, Genis,” Mithos says, and he corrects himself: “No, my  only  seraphim.”

Yuan has long betrayed him, he goes on, and he can trust Kratos as far as he can throw him.

Why, you ask.

“Didn’t you know?” Mithos leans on his hand, utterly amused. The two of you lounge in your bed. “The boy you’ve been travelling with, Lloyd, he’s his son. I thought the mother had killed him, but humans are resilient.” He laughs; something in you wavers. Mithos takes your chin by the hand, brushing his thumb against line of your jaw.

“All the others are traitors. You’re the only one left I can trust, Genis.”

This is the way things are supposed to be.

*

Pronyma passes often, and she and Mithos speak quietly but intently. For her he assumes his older countenance, which disturbs you less when you realise: Mithos is only playing pretend. His swaggering gestures and contemptuous laughter: no more than an elaborate pantomime. Later, he’ll thread his fingers through yours, curled up on your bed, and whisper like a secret: “I hate adults. They’re all so selfish. All they want is to use you.”

This contempt stretches to Kratos. The seraphim sketches a small bow as he begins his report, and his eyes drift to you, and to the electric blue wings you’ve been sporting as proudly and cockily as peacock. He, distinctly, blinks.

There’s a few moments, where he’s able to take you aside. He meets your eye gravely. “Genis. Are you certain of what you’re doing?”

“Mithos needs me,” you tell him. Mithos sweats in his sleep, eyes moving restlessly beneath his eyelids. Some nights, he wakes shouting. Some nights, he doesn’t even see you, his eyes looking past you, as he screams and cries for his sister. Eventually, his eyes clear, and he clings to you, ship-wrecked sailor to a spar. He needs you.

Kratos’ gaze moves to the cruxis crystal embedded above your collarbone. “I see,” he says. “Do you know the cost those wings come at?”

It had burned, when you’d equipped it: it had melted the rest of your regrets away. Your fever had run for several days, or, at least, the Daystar had risen and set several times. Mithos had stayed by your side, wiping your brow, telling you how loyal you were, how  good.

You’ll never betray me, will you Genis?

Of course not, you’d promised him, as he’d clutched at you, too tightly.

***

There hadn’t been a choice. You’d had to defend yourself. Lloyd hadn’t left you with a choice—

Raine sprawls unconscious on the gleaming marble of the Tower of Salvation. Mithos bends down, lets her hair fall through his fingers. You’d no choice—

“She’ll make a fine angel,” Mithos says. “She’s intelligent. She’ll see sense, in the end.”

You swallow. Nod. The exsphere at your throat is hot.

“What— what about Lloyd?” you manage to ask.

Mithos’ spell had hit him directly in the chest, but he’s still breathing. Which is more than you can say for some of your other old companions— Regal with his legs bent at an unnatural angle and Presea, god, Presea laid like a puppet with her strings cut. And you hadn’t meant this, you hadn’t—

“Oh, I’m sure we’ll find some use for him. Kratos may actually  behave himself. His son always was the best carrot to hang from the stick.” Mithos bounces in his palm Lloyd’s exsphere, bloody from where he’d torn it from his hand. “Always good to have a backup, anyway, if we need another angelus crystal.”

Mithos laughs, and the sound is is high and cruel; not the laughter of a child but of something deranged. Your exsphere is so hot it scalds. There’s blood on your hands, in your hair. To your horror, you discover you don’t know  whose. Mithos’ voice is deafened by the blood pounding its bass in your ears. Your sister lies limp, and you’re burning. She’d always told you not to play with fire, but you always were a know-it-all, you always thought you knew better.

Mithos swings round, laughing as he tosses Lloyd’s exsphere high, only to snatch it out of the air.

“Don’t you think, Genis?”

I know you won't hurt me, Lloyd had said, and of course there was a choice. There's always a choice.

“Yes, Mithos,” you reply, but it’s not really you. You stand outside your body. You watch yourself burn.

[jaytheunseen]

inktober day 3, my character ming yue and @divineshark‘s character shen mi

[nelfes]

Internet friends day is ending and Valentine’s is beginning and oh god I have no chocolate to give u but I love y'all @taiintiisms

@alotofmomos @revolutionaryduelist @axelerate13 @fugientem-articulus @lesbian-deity @echoelbo @emil @jaytheunseen @divineshark @forgottenluck @tanabrae

[divinehealthandfitness-blog]

Haha wow #divineshark

[taforashia]

divineshark:

1. Anise/Ion (because I wanna know what you think, too-!) 2. Pacifica 3. Raquel, Aer, Rita, Raine, Lina

Not too spoilery, but I'll put it under a cut for length.

Anise/Ion (Tales of the Abyss)

1. When I started shipping it: I first played Abyss years ago, so it’s a bit hard to remember, but I’m pretty sure I started shipping it early! Like with Ion teasing Anise and then the party teasing her about Ion... The prequel gaiden showing their meeting makes it even better. Or worse. ;A;

2. My thoughts: THEY’RE TOO CUTE. Seriously, though, I love how Ion perked up when Anise showed her true colours in front of him. He likes her when she’s being herself, and she doesn’t suck up to him even though he’s the fon master. And although she was shocked, she doesn’t treat him any differently when they find out he’s a replica.

3. What makes me happy about them:  I think I sort of went over that already, ahaha. But their relationship with each other is wonderful.

4 .What makes me sad about them: ........Canon. ._.

5. Things done in fanfic that annoy me: I don’t read a lot of Abyss fic, so I’m not sure what people do. The few that I have read about them were good as I recall.

6. Who else I’d be comfortable about them ending up with: Ion/Luke is cute okay. I don’t think I have any other ships for Anise... She has other plans for the future now, after all.

7. My happily ever after for them: (This ship is too sad for this meme) Imagine if everything turned out okay and the game ended after the Absorption Gate...

8. Who is the big spoon/little spoon: Good question :|a Clearly the answer is Tokunaga as the big spoon and both of them as the little spoons. B3

9. What is their favourite activity: Meeting diplomats or other new people, because Ion enjoys discussing things with them and then enjoys Anise’s colourful opinions about them in private later, ahaha.

Pacifica (Scrapped Princess)

1. How I feel about this character: I love her! Pacifica is strong in her own way, even if she doesn’t actively fight, and she comes through some really rough things all the stronger for it.

2. All the people I ship romantically with her: Furet, Leopold.

3. Non-romantic OTP: Pacifica and her family ;v;

4. My unpopular opinion: This show doesn’t even really have a fandom so I don’t know what’s unpopular. I like Pacifica’s haircurls, though... I had some friends who thought they looked weird.

5. One thing I wish would happen/had happened in canon: Ultimately, I’m happy with how things turned out for Pacifica. She finally has the life she wanted. Maybe if she had been able to meet the queen properly and hadn’t forgotten...

6. My OTP: Pacifica/Furet ;A:

7. My crossover ship: Pacifica and Natalia from Tales of the Abyss, if only for the fun little differences in their personal stories. One is a real princess who was unwanted by her real family, the other a fake princess who is at first rejected by her adoptive family.

8. Some headcanon: Pacifica tries to get Senes to do farmwork when she visits their village and probably has a great time.

Five characters in order of preference:

Oh noooo, this is difficult. It’s really hard to choose between Raquel and Raine as well as Rita and Lina. Buuuuut:

1. Raine (Tales of Symphonia) - I don't often pick a top favourite character in one canon, but I think Raine is my ultimate favourite of all Tales. She doesn't have a typical healer personality; she's not against leaving a potential enemy to die, for instance. I like the way she plays off of Lloyd: she doesn't necessarily agree that his decisions are the best course of action, but that doesn't mean she thinks they're wrong, either! And eventually she believes in his will to change the world. Oh, Raine, she's usually very good at keeping cool and calm, so you know that things are extra heartbreaking in the few scenes where she can't quite contain her emotions.

2. Raquel (Scrapped Princess) - I love, love, love Raquel...in the anime. I don't know if she improves in the novels that were never translated, but anyway--anime!Raquel! I get the sense that Raquel keeps up this cheery and carefree/ditzy act as a facade. The family is in a really, really tight spot, and one of Pacifica's favourite things is to just spend fun times with her siblings, so Raquel does what she can to fulfill that. Every so often that facade drops, and we see that Raquel can be pretty calculating. Sometimes I wonder whether or not she was bluffing about killing Keydarf; it's possible that she's more prepared than Shannon to kill their assassins if necessary. And even though she mentions that she thinks praying is a waste of time, in the end, there was no other action she could take. And that just makes me ;A;

3. Rita (Tales of Vesperia) - Total tsundere, which isn't anything groundbreaking, but I still really like her ;v; Vesperia was great with its character interactions, especially in the skits, and I love that she has great relationships with both Estelle and Judith and we also see a little bit of how she grows to like the guys, too. Even the victory quotes at the end of battle are really cute--like how she goes from calling Repede Dog, to Spot, to his actual name, or how she eventually takes part in the victory pose with Karol and the other girls. I also really like mages, and she's pretty awesome with that magic!

4. Lina (Slayers) - Lina! Lina is a fun character all-around, novels and anime. She's usually in things for fun and treasure, but even though she loves her rewards, I still think she's pretty heroic in the novels. This is especially in the second half (9-15) where they're constantly saving towns from demons (and Lina doesn't Dragon Slave the places, hahaha). I also like that, in the novels, you really get the sense that although she's a strong human, she's still just a human who's gotten in way over her head and it's starting to weigh on her. Someone like this would probably drive me crazy in real life, but as a character, she's so much fun to read and watch. Slayers is wonderful ;v;

5. Aer (Simoun) - Sorry, Aer! Anyway, I also like Aer, even though she's an oblivious blockhead, ahaha. I like that even though she and Limone didn't function well as a pair, she still encouraged her and they became cute talented friends. She would also drive me nuts in real life, since she totally disregards rules and authority 90% of the time and does what she wants, though at least she has her reasons, even if they're not necessarily smart ideas. And she's so, so oblivious about love, ahaha.