#endless new joys and fresh wonders

[tarotwithavi]

Love letter from your future spouse

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

How to choose a pile?

Close your eyes and take a deep breath and ask the angels to show you the right pile for you and open your eyes. The first pile that catches your attention is the right pile for you.

Masterlist

Paid services

I have been scammed recently and am now in urgent need of money. Any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated.

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

Pile 1

My Dear Sunshine,

From the moment I first laid eyes on you, my world changed in ways I never imagined possible. I remember that day so clearly the way you walked into the room with such grace, your smile lighting up the space around you. I was completely captivated. My heart raced, and I knew, in that instant, that you were someone extraordinary.

As we spoke, I found myself drawn to your kindness, your intelligence, and your genuine warmth. Every word you said, every laugh we shared, deepened my infatuation. I had never felt such a powerful connection with anyone before. You were like a breath of fresh air, and I couldn't get enough.

I often think about that first meeting and how it felt like destiny had brought us together. I am so grateful for that moment because it was the start of something beautiful, something I never want to end.

You have become such an important part of my life, and I can't imagine my future without you in it. I want you to know that my feelings for you are deep and unwavering. I am committed to cherishing you, supporting you, and standing by your side through all of life's ups and downs.

I promise to never let you go, to hold onto this incredible love we share, and to always make you feel as special as you are to me. You are my heart, my joy, and my everything.

Thank you for being the wonderful person you are and for allowing me to be a part of your life. I look forward to many more beautiful moments together and a lifetime of love.

Yours forever,

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

Pile 2

My Dearest Love,

Every moment without you feels like an eternity. I long for you with every beat of my heart and every breath I take. My days are spent thinking of you, dreaming of the life we’ll share. I am waiting for you, holding onto the hope that soon we will be together.

I have so many plans for us, my love. I imagine us exploring the world together, hand in hand. We'll travel to the places we've always dreamed of, wandering the streets of Paris, watching the sunset in Santorini, and walking through the cherry blossoms in Kyoto. Each place will be a new adventure, a new memory created with you by my side.

But more than the places we’ll go, it’s the journey we’ll take together that excites me the most. We’ll face the challenges of life, supporting and loving each other through every obstacle. We'll fight against the world if we must, standing strong together, never letting go of each other. Your strength and courage inspire me, and with you, I feel I can face anything.

Eventually, we will create our own world, a sanctuary built on our love and shared dreams. A place where we can be ourselves, free and happy, surrounded by the warmth of our love. I see us building a home filled with laughter, joy, and endless love. A place where our hearts will always find peace and where our souls will be forever entwined.

I miss you more than words can express. My heart aches for the day when we no longer have to be apart. Until then, know that I am here, waiting for you, planning our future, and dreaming of the incredible life we will share.

With all my love,

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

Pile 3

My lovely butterfly,

I hope this letter finds you well, wrapped in the warmth of your own beautiful spirit. There are so many things I want to say to you, so many feelings that often get lost in the day-to-day rush of life.

Firstly, please know that I see you. I see the strength in your independence, how you navigate life with such grace and determination. It's one of the things I admire most about you; your ability to stand tall even when the world tries to push you down.

I want you to promise me something, my love. Promise me that no matter what challenges come our way, you'll never lose hope of finding me. Promise me that even on the darkest days, you'll hold onto the belief that we are meant to be together, that our paths will cross when the time is right.

I cherish every moment we spend together, every smile you grace me with, every laugh that echoes through my heart. Your jokes, even the ones that aren't funny, they light up my world in ways you can't imagine. And your madness, oh, how I adore it. It's the spark that ignites our moments together, the unpredictability that keeps life exciting.

I want you to know that I'll never ask you to change who you are. Your beliefs, your dreams, your quirks, they are what make you uniquely you, and that's who I fell in love with.

I promise to always respect your individuality, to never force my beliefs upon you or mold you into someone you're not. Through the ups and downs, the twists and turns of life, I'll be there. I'll be your rock, your shoulder to lean on, your unwavering support. My love for you knows no bounds, it's a love that grows stronger with each passing day, with every sunrise we witness together.

So, my love, hold onto these words when doubt creeps in. Know that you are cherished beyond measure, loved unconditionally, and admired endlessly. Our love story is still unfolding, and I can't wait to see where it leads us next.

Wait for me

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

[leviismybby]

A little gift

Levi Ackerman x fem!reader, pure fluff bc we all need it now...

The sky was clear blue with a couple of clouds forming, you breathed in the fresh air as you walked, carrying a little box in your hand. You were nervous to tell Levi the news but it filled you with endless joy too.

Since the rumbling ended three years ago, you and Levi have been working on healing, well, you worked mostly on healing him. The first year was the hardest but you stuck with Levi through good and bad. It got better with time, after all, time heals everything.

You smile as the kids run past you, chasing birds, and they return the smile. So innocent and young. Then your eyes land on him, he is in his wheelchair looking through the crate of candy in his lap. As he looks up at you, you smile at him.

He no longer had dark circles under his eyes and for some reason, he looked even younger now. The scar that ran across his face no longer bothered him and he looked calm and despite not showing it much, you knew that he was happy.

"What are you doing here?" Levi asks, with a slight smile on his face as you approach him. You lean down to give him a quick kiss which he gladly returns, his soft lips pressing against your briefly.

"I came here to give a gift." You try your best not to smile, despite the obvious joy on your face. "A gift?" He asked, it wasn't his birthday, nor any special date that he knew. To be honest, you coming to see him was the best gift they could've asked for. He sees you every day, kisses you every night and somehow he still can't get enough of you.

Nodding your head, you hand him the small box. Levi takes it in his hands, a slight eyebrow arches as he looks at it. "It's light." He comments before opening the box, his eyes look at what's inside the box for a little while.

After some seconds, he takes the little baby shoes out of the box, the realization hitting him like a train. His eyes go wide as he looks up at your smiling face, a slight flush on your cheeks. Levi just stares at you for a couple of minutes, unsure of what to say.

Then, his eyes fill up with tears slightly. "You're...pregnant." You nod at his words, a happy smile still on your face. Stunning, you looked so stunning in his eyes, he couldn't believe it. He will be a father, there's a little baby growing inside of you. It's all too much to process.

Levi lets out a deep breath and then he smiles at you. "I am going to be a dad..." He reaches out to take your hand, the truth was he was almost jumping out of his wheelchair from happiness, he squeezes your hand.

"Name...thank you." He says rubbing his fingers on your skin gently. He needed this, he needed a child. All those times he looked at one of the children and wondered what it would feel like to have his own. And now he finally will.

"For what?" You smile and step closer to him, Levi wraps his arms around you, leaning his head on your stomach. "Everything. For giving me a child." He kisses your stomach, you run your fingers through his smooth hair gently. Levi closes his eyes, enjoying the feeling.

"Always." You say and look up to see Yelena and Pon both smile at you from the distance, happy for you and Levi. Nodding you turn your attention back to Levi. "I couldn't think of a better way to tell you. I remember when you saw those in a shop a week ago and I noticed the way you stopped to get a look. It was hard not to tell you then." You chuckle as Levi pulls away, a clam expression on his face.

"I'll have a little brat soon huh?" That makes you laugh, you step back slightly and take the box out of candy out of his lap and the baby shoes too. "You'll have two, you already have me." You sit on his lap and Levi kisses your jaw.

"That I do. And I'll have another one now, that I will love more than anything." He kisses you softly, his hands wrapped around you. His heart if filled with joy, he can't wait to hold his baby in his arms.

After all the hardships, he couldn't believe that he was here with you and that now you're expecting his child. Levi is sure that the baby will heal him more than anyone.

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

Taglist: @youre-ackermine @the-milk-anon @humanitys-strongest-bamf @romantichomicide95 @mrsackermannx @sixpennydame @svftackerman @hhighkey @cometlevi @notgoodforlife @levisbrat25 @randomlevithoughts @ackermendick @saenora @loveackermannn @levismylover @laurenzitaa @missyasma @sad-darksoul @thebobaprincess @la-undercover-latina @levilxvr @bpdtistic

[bloomzone]

GLOW UP DIARY#6 : ROMANTICIZING YOUR LIFE

"Another day ahead, don't wanna leave the bed you're looking at the mirror, see the tears covered in redI know that you've been cold this whole time but now I'm here to make it end"

-straykids (track : youtiful)

hi blossoms it's been so long since I posted. . . 🥹 miss you... Anyway I want to inform that I opened my study motivation/daily life account follow me there if u want ! ( @bloom-diary )

’-Finding Beauty in the Ordinary

© bloomzone

🍒: Boring days can feel endless and uninspiring, but they hold the potential for something special. By shifting your perspective, you can uncover the magic hidden in the mundane. Embrace the challenge of transforming those dull moments into opportunities for joy and creativity. Together, we'll explore simple ways to romanticize your daily life, turning the ordinary into the extraordinary. Remember, even the most uneventful days can become cherished memories with the right mindset. Let's make every day a little more magical!

#6.HOW TO ROMANTICIZING EVERYDAY LIFE

u can take your journey of romanticizing life to the next level embracing meaningful practices that can transform your everyday experiences into moments of joy and inspiration(remember that no matter how life get bad u can start again:) ). Start by creating rituals that bring calm and intention to your daily routine—whether it’s a peaceful morning routine or a relaxing evening wind-down. Allow yourself to explore new places and embark on mini-adventures to break free from routine and discover the beauty around you. Connect with your creativity through personal projects and let your imagination flourish. Remember, nourishing your well-being with mindful eating and enjoyable activities can elevate your mood and bring satisfaction. Embrace the changing seasons by celebrating them with special activities and fresh décor. Build a cozy personal sanctuary where you can reflect and recharge, and deepen your connections with others through meaningful gatherings. Practice gratitude regularly, and seek out beauty in both the big and small moments of life. Embrace these practices with an open heart, knowing that each effort you make will enrich your life and help you find joy in the ordinary.

FIND BEAUTY IN THE SMALL THINGS :

Romanticizing life involves finding beauty and joy in the everyday moments. Here’s a guide to help you embrace this mindset:

# 1.Slow Down and Be Present

- Mindfulness: Practice mindfulness by paying attention to the present moment without judgment.

- Savor Daily Routines:Turn mundane tasks into rituals. For example, enjoy making your morning coffee or tea,make ur bed in the morning..

# 2.Create a Cozy Atmosphere

- Decorate Your Space: Add personal touches to your living space, like lights, plants, or cozy blankets it will give u motivation to have a productive day

- Ambient Lighting: Use candles or soft lighting to create a warm and inviting environment

# 3.Indulge in Simple Pleasures

- Nature Walks: Take walks in nature, paying attention to the sights, sounds, and smells.

- Reading: Find a cozy spot to read books that inspire and transport you.

- Enjoy a Homemade Dessert: Bake cookies, brownies, or a cake and savor each bite try new recipes

# 4.Cultivate a Sense of Wonder

- Explore: Visit new places, even if they are in your local area.

- Learn: Pick up a new hobby or skill that excites you new languages....

# 5.Embrace Your Senses

- Music: Create playlists that uplift or calm you.

- Creating a Sensory Jar: Fill a jar with items like sea shells, dried flowers, or colored sand for a visual and tactile experience or just memories from break days..

# 6.Practice Gratitude

- Journaling: Keep a gratitude journal to note down things you’re thankful for each day.

- Appreciation: Take time to appreciate the little things, like a beautiful sunset or a delicious meal.

# 7. Dress for Joy

- Wear What You Love: Dress in clothes that make you feel good, even if you’re not going anywhere special. (Ikr wasting a good outfit in a boring day is suck 😔)

- Accessorize: Use accessories that add a touch of elegance or fun to your outfits.

#8. Nurture Relationships

- Quality Time: Spend meaningful time with friends and family.

- Thoughtful Gestures: Show appreciation through small, thoughtful gestures.

#9. Celebrate Yourself

- Self-Care: Regularly engage in self-care activities that rejuvenate you.

- Achievements: Celebrate your achievements, no matter how small.

# 10. Capture Memories

- Photography: Take photos of moments that make you happy.

- Scrapbooking: Create a scrapbook or digital album to look back on fond memories.

─ㅤ⊹ㅤ𓈒 May this guide inspire you to see the beauty in your daily life and cherish every moment.

© bloomzone

[adam-trademark]

New Year's Day 2025

Happy New Year to all of my wonderful followers!

As we enter 2025, I would like to thank all of you for the continued love and support you have shown me. Your support and thoughtful engagement have made this blog truly special. I'm deeply grateful to each and every one of you.

The start of a new year brings endless possibilities, fresh beginnings, and opportunities to grow. May this year bring you all joy, success, and fulfillment into every aspect of your lives. Let's continue to inspire one another and make this year one to remember.

I wish everyone a year filled with love, peace, and happiness!

[themuseofmilkandhoney333]

Why hello there…

Can you do me a big, big favor? You can? Wonderful! Get nice and comfy. Take a deep breath. Now, pay attention. That’s a good pet.

❤️‍🔥 Welcome to the Muse’s Lair ❤️‍🔥

Allow me to introduce myself. They call me The Muse. Oh yes, I know. It takes a bit of getting used to, but you really don’t mind jumping through a few extra hoops for me, do you, sweet thing? No, no I didn’t think so.

I also love to be called:

🖤Ma’am

🖤Madame

🖤 Mommy

🖤Mistress

🖤Princess

🖤 Goddess

I do have my certain preference that especially please me, but I’ll leave that to you to find out. Do you think you’ll be brave enough or will I need to coax you into talking to me like a lioness stalking her willing prey?

Awwww, look at you. Wet for me already. You precious thing. I can already tell that you’re going to be easy to break. No? Prove. Me. Wrong.

Now that you’re listening let me give you a small taste of my near feral appetite. Some of my Favorite Kinks are:

🌟Femdom

🌟Lactation- I do produce

🌟Orgasm Denial

🌟Chastity; long term & short term

🌟Female Led Households

🌟Impact Play: floggers and paddles mostly

🌟Bondage

🌟Sissification

🌟Overstimulation

🌟Milking

🌟Sounding

🌟Gaping

🌟Strap-on Play

🌟MD/lb

🌟Pet Play

🌟JOI

🌟Sensory Depravation & Play

🌟Intox Play

🌟Erotic Hypnosis

🌟Predicament Bondage

🌟Much, Much more…

You can find more of me here:

🌹

Ah…I see I really have your attention now. I bet you’re squirming right now, desperate to touch that thing between your legs. Are you imagining all the things I could do to you? The endless torturous and delicious possibilities. All your deepest, darkest fantasies fulfilled. You’ve been searching for someone like me. Someone who truly deserves your devotion and worship. Come to me.

Here you will find an amalgamation of my deepest desires and wildest fantasies. You will also find lots of art in many different mediums. I am called The Muse because my passion is to inspire. Whether it is inspiring you to stay hydrated, get back to work, get back to your favorite hobby, or reduce yourself into my pathetic, desperate, drooling pet…yes, I even want to inspire the hours of endless gooning you do in my name. I bask in it. As you stay and become more and more addicted to me, I will reveal myself to you and blossom like a garden before you…an endless harvest ahead.

Just to tempt your salivating taste buds, here’s the tiniest nugget into my world:

🖤Height: 5’2

🖤Shoe Size: 9 1/2 US Women’s

🖤Bra Size: 34 G

🖤Favorite Color: Carnelian

🖤Favorite Place: The Ocean

🖤 Sacral Witch specializing in Divination

🖤 Love Music & Singing

🖤 Love Nature & Outdoors

🖤 Love Animals & will walk you on a leash any day

Now, darling,a few final reminders. This is a sacred space where you are accepted, loved, and respected. Please treat my space with that same respect. I do not respond to demands. I WILL block you if you are disrespectful in any way towards me or any of the other guests here. You will also immediately be blocked for unsolicited pictures and blogs with empty descriptions, no profile pic, and/or no age.

Keep those requirements in mind and have fun. Get lost in it. Give yourself over to it. To me. And welcome…I do so love fresh meat.

I provide professional Domme services and require any new subs to fill out an application for that can be found in the link above. It does require an Application Fee.

With Lustful Intentions,

The Muse

[libby-for-life]

Inspired by @talesfromawannabejournalist, who's more than welcome to join in and turn this into a Role Play.

Lucifer let out a weary sigh as he slouched in his chair, surrounded by a mountain of paperwork. As the ruler of Hell, he was burdened with endless administrative tasks, particularly because he governed over a horde of sinful souls who were constantly attempting to exploit loopholes in his decrees. A low, menacing growl rumbled in his chest as he contemplated the audacity of certain Overlords who had grown increasingly bold in their defiance of his authority.

He found some solace in being the ruler of Hell, knowing that it afforded him the ability to provide his daughter, Charlotte, with anything her heart desired. The thought of his cherished five-year-old daughter brought a rare smile to his face. Amidst the darkness and suffering of his domain, she was the sole source of light and joy. The only one who could get him to feel something other than hate.

Not even her mother could do that.

Lilith Morningstar was a remarkable figure. Not only was she considered the First Woman, but she also held a special place in his heart when she was first created. It's possible that he truly loved her for a while. However, it became evident that she had evolved into someone quite different from the woman he initially fell in love with.

They remained in a relationship for the sake of appearances; Lucifer believed he was in love with Lilith and didn't want to face ridicule for divorcing after going through so much to be together in the first place. Ending their marriage would have felt like admitting defeat, so despite Lilith having multiple lovers, they chose to stay together to avoid gossip and judgment.

He let out another heavy sigh, his eyes lingering on the ornate clock hanging on the wall. Extermination Day was looming on the horizon. It was a day designed to prevent the forces of Hell from ever mounting a challenge against Heaven. Once a year, angelic beings descended to eradicate the Sinners. Lucifer couldn't help but feel a sense of indifference towards the fate of the Sinners. He resented Heaven's interference in his affairs, yet begrudgingly accepted it and turned a blind eye.

As he strolled to the balcony, a sense of anticipation welled up inside him. He knew that before long, the familiar portal would open, allowing the angels to enter his kingdom. His brother had assumed the role of the leader of the Exorcists for quite a while now, and every time he beheld the leader in all his majestic splendor, Lucifer couldn't help but feel a surge of resentment. Despite the physical distance between them, his status as the Devil endowed him with formidable power, enabling him to perform feats that surpassed the capabilities of ordinary demons and humans. For instance, his ability to perceive events transpiring over vast distances was a testament to his extraordinary prowess.

As he gazed at the figure adorning the majestic armor that belonged to Michael, he couldn't help but notice the subtle yet distinct differences in appearance. The way the light reflected off the intricately crafted armor only served to emphasize the fact that this new angel was unlike any he had encountered before. With a sense of intrigue and suspicion creeping into his thoughts, he carefully concealed himself within the shadows and silently took flight from his balcony, determined to closely observe and scrutinize this enigmatic new leader.

This one was beyond different and when he took off his helmet, most likely to get some fresh air on his face, Lucifer's eyes widened. No, it couldn't be. But he would never forget that face. Not even in the millennia that has passed. The new leader of the Exorcists was none other than Adam, the First Man.

And Adam looked so different than when he was in Eden. Lucifer couldn't help but tilt his head in wonder as he gazed at Adam’s beauty. He looked like he had gotten softer, especially in the thigh, stomach, and ass department making Lucifer hum in approval. He certainly looked like a snack...

As he stood there at that moment, he couldn't shake the overwhelming sense of possessiveness and greed that consumed him as it took over. The thought of Adam crossed his mind - what would it be like to be with the First Man of creation? He couldn't help but ponder the idea that no one could truly understand and appreciate Adam the way Lucifer had in Eden, and certainly not in the present moment.

So, without giving a chance for Adam to fly away, he flew out and pinned Adam to the floor of some alleyway. "What?! Let go!" Adam yelled as Lucifer materialized a strong rope to tie Adam's wrist together. "No!" He yelled when his ankles joined him. Lucifer hummed and whispered into Adam's ear. "Hello, Adam. It's been a while."

The angel lied frozen, a flicker of recognition crossing his face as the voice of Lucifer reached his ears. A sense of triumph filled the demon as he watched the angel's reaction. Why wouldn't Adam remember him? Perhaps he still harbored resentment over the incident when he had run away with Adam's wife, but deep down, Adam would always carry memories of their time together before Lilith had even come into existence.

"No...no, not you." Lucifer chuckled in amusement. "Yes. Me." He picked Adam up but not before gagging him. He didn't need to be noisy. He was well aware that Michael would try to make Lucifer give back Adam but they wouldn't dare do it themselves. Not after Lucifer makes a deal to never get involved with Extermination Day or the angels involved with it.

He threw Adam onto his bed and watched as he struggled, glaring at him. He really was cute to be doing that. Lucifer was much more powerful than he was, and if he so desired, then he could destroy him. Adam was lucky that Lucifer was content to just admire.

"Oh, Adam. It really has been a while!" Lucifer said with a smirk, watching as he heaved. Now, all he had to do was wait for his brother to call him so they could negotiate. But, while they were waiting, Lucifer could always see what was under all that armor...

[the-recluse666]

Well, before i go to bed I'll write something (i love to tease u with my non-creation😈😈)

You mentioned that you're supposedly a "hopeless romantic". But.. why then are you so harsh in bed, or does it seem to me? Idk. As a true hopeless romantic, i want to write something sweeter than that stupid, silly story about a housewife. Of course, you're not that age anymore and this story doesn't suit you, but I'll write. I just want to write you something kinder than the slutty nonsense (although that is also good in some ways).

First love is the gentle light of dawn breaking through the morning fog. It is the thrill of your heart beating in unison with a melody that only you can hear. It is like a flower blooming in a spring garden, enveloped in the scents of freshness and hope. These are looks full of promises, when the world around freezes, and only the two of you exist in this moment. Every word is like a whisper of the wind, every touch is like a spark that lights a fire in your chest. Your story is written on the pages of time, and every moment becomes eternity. First love is dreams that fly high like birds in the sky, and the fear of losing this fragile joy. It is laughter that sounds like music, and tears of happiness when you realize that you have found a reflection of your soul in someone. It can be fleeting or last forever, but its sincerity and purity remain with us forever, like a gentle whisper of memories of what it means to love for the first time.

In Yorkshire, where green hills smoothly turn into endless fields, there lived a sweet girl named Emily. Her parents were farmers, and she helped them with their work from an early age. Emily was kind and decent, always ready to help. She studied excellently and dreamed of a future full of adventures.

One day, when Emily was working on the farm again, she was sitting on a bench and combing the beautiful mane of her favorite horse named Nymph. The sun's rays softly illuminated her face, and the wind played with her hair. Suddenly she heard the sound of an approaching pickup. The car stopped at the gate, and a woman of about forty-five with a short haircut and a boy her age got out. The boy did not look the most tidy: his hair was disheveled, and his clothes seemed too big for him. He pressed his back against the car and began to look around the area. Their eyes met, and Emily felt something inside her tense. "What are you looking at?" the boy said roughly, his voice harsh and unkind. Emily quickly looked away and returned to her horse, feeling the awkwardness filling the air.

The boy came closer, his expression still wary. Emily, gathering her courage, asked, "Are you new here?"

He frowned. "Yeah, we moved here a couple of days ago. I hate this place."

"Why?" Emily wondered. She found it hard to understand why anyone could dislike this natural idyll.

"It's boring here," he replied with disgust. "Nothing interesting. Just fields and cows."

Emily smiled. "But it's beautiful! You can walk around here, ride a horse…”

“Horses? I don’t give a damn about horses,” he said with disdain.

Emily felt insulted. “Why would you say that? Horses are great! They’re beautiful.”

The boy narrowed his eyes, but curiosity flickered in them. “Do you really think so?”

Emily nodded. “Yes! I spend a lot of time with them. They can be great friends.”

The boy thought about it. “I never thought of it that way. I’ve never had animals…”

“What’s your name?” she asked, trying to change the subject.

“Jake,” he answered, softening a little.

“I’m Emily. If you want, I can show you Nymph. She’s very friendly.”

Jake hesitated, but finally agreed. They approached the horse, and Emily gently stroked its neck.

"Nymph, meet Jake," she said with a smile.

Jake looked at the horse with interest. "She's beautiful," he admitted.

Emily felt a connection beginning to form between them. They began to talk about different things: school, life in the country, and how difficult it was sometimes to find common ground with new people.

With each word, Jake became more open. He told Emily about his life in the city and how he didn't like his new school. Emily realized that beneath his rough exterior was a vulnerable soul.

"Maybe you just haven't given this place a chance," she said. "There's a lot to see here, if you look hard enough."

Jake thought about her words. "Maybe you're right. I'm just not used to all this."

They spent several hours together, discussing their dreams and fears. Emily realized that Jake wasn't such a bad guy after all, and he saw her as a true friend.

The next day, Jake came to the farm again. Emily was happy to see him and offered to show him around. They rode horses through the fields and explored the woods around them. With each passing day, their friendship grew stronger. Jake began to feel more comfortable in his new surroundings and even began helping Emily around the farm.

"Thank you for showing me the world," he said one evening after a long day of work.

"I'm glad you're here," Emily replied with a smile.

Emily and Jake grew closer and their friendship gradually blossomed into love. One day, sitting by the pond at sunset, Jake confessed, "I feel like there's something special between us." Emily agreed, and they kissed.

Their relationship deepened, they shared dreams and supported each other. But difficulties soon arose: Jake was worried about his friends' reactions to their feelings. Emily assured him that the most important thing was themselves.

Over time, Jake became more confident in his feelings. On the top of the hill, he whispered, "I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

Emily smiled and replied, "Me too." Their hearts were full of hope for a future together.

('m sleeping on the go and I don't even know why you need to read this childish nonsense, gn 😴😴😴)

the reason i'm so harsh in bed is, to put it bluntly, because of my parental issues. more specifically, my motherly issues; i was adopted as an infant, and only met my biological mother once. it was a horrendous experience and i never talked to her since. as for my adoptive mom, she wasn't really any better. people i've befriended through here know what i mean by that. i won't go into detail on it publicly, but i am willing to be THIS vulnerable on my blog and no further. these kinks saved me in many ways. they saved me from developing actual misogyny, giving up on sexual interests and exploring kinks entirely. it became an outlet for me to consensually channel my anger that i felt towards women through sex, release it, give it to a willing woman who wants it, to make me feel good by making her feel good, through pain and suffering. getting close with women taught me so much that i loved about them. it taught me that they are very complex, vulnerable, emotional people, and it taught me to not treat them poorly out of malice, solely for the fact that bad women shaped a part of my childhood. i don't let my past experiences with women who wronged me skew my vision of them or negatively impact my experiences with them now. i love women, and i always will, and it's largely in part due to this. and i guess that also largely explains why i'm such a hopeless romantic; i just wish women who raised me cared about me as much as some do now.

your story was amazing. i'm sorry i didn't really focus on it in this reply. i just never really had the opportunity to post about something like this on my blog before, and the opening to your ask kinda hit me hard. but i love your writing. hoping you can have the courage to DM me. would love to meet you.

[danaduchy]

Damien journeyed through the stars more times than he could count, each leap through the mysterious Unity pulling him into new realities. What had once filled him with wonder had faded into a quiet, persistent ache, like a lingering echo of something lost.

The novelty of exploring alternate versions of the universe had worn thin. He had seen worlds where Constellation didn’t exist, where humanity was isolated to a single system, and others where the terrifying Terrormorphs attacks destroyed full colonies. Some of these places were better, others worse, but none of them felt like home.

He encountered versions of his old friends, living unfamiliar lives. Sometimes, they were strangers, their eyes cold and indifferent. Other times, they were kind but distant, weary of his knowledge of them from different times. It never got easier. Every reunion felt like a shadow of the bonds he had once cherished, a painful reminder that in this vast web of multiverses, he was a ghost—haunted by memories that no longer held meaning to the people around him.

But then came the worlds that felt like mirrors. Universes where everything seemed nearly identical to the life he had known, only shifted slightly out of place, like a picture hanging just off-center. It was in one of these mirrored realities that he met other Him.

Not the explorer, the adventurer Damien had become, but someone simpler, more grounded—a miner, just like Damien had once been before he became entangled in the mysteries of the stars. When they first met, it was awkward, like looking into a reflection that didn’t quite match.

The other Damien—who insisted on going by “Dusty,” a nickname his friends had given him in the mines—was oblivious to Unity, to the universe-bending artifacts that had consumed Damien’s life. He was content with his life, a life of routine, work, and the occasional drink with friends. Dusty had siblings—a brother and a sister—that Damien had never had, but as he listened to Dusty talk about them, it felt like hearing echoes of a life that could have been his. A simpler life. A life that wasn’t burdened by the weight of countless worlds.

Dusty hadn’t planned on exploring the galaxy, but once he and Damien started traveling together, the allure of the stars became irresistible. He was different from Damien—there was a lightness to him, an easy laugh that Damien hadn’t heard in his own voice for years.

For the first time in a long time, Damien felt a sense of peace. Dusty understood him in ways no one else could, with his simple joy for life, he reminded Damien of the things he had forgotten to cherish—the quiet moments, the laughter, friends that were always around.

Damien made a decision he hadn’t anticipated: he would stay in Dusty’s universe. He had no desire to continue the endless, lonely trek across the multiverse, always searching but never finding what he was looking for. Here, in this place that felt so close to home, he could rest. Dusty was more than happy to join him, and together they crafted a simple story to explain their likeness to others: they were twins. It was a story that others accepted easily enough, and to those outside Constellation, it provided an explanation that required no further questions.

They explored the stars together, side by side. They charted uncharted planets, always having each other backs. For Damien, it was a fresh start, an opportunity to rebuild the life he had lost, without the weight of regret that had followed him for so long.

In this universe, he found his old companions again—Sam, Barrett, and the others. He and Sam grew close again, sharing the camaraderie they once had. But as time went on, Damien realized that rekindling their past relationship felt wrong. It was like trying to recreate something that no longer fit, a puzzle with missing pieces. He had changed too much, and though there was affection between them, it wasn’t the same.

It was during this time that someone unexpected entered Damien’s life: Ezekiel. He hadn’t known Ezekiel in his original universe, and perhaps that was why their connection felt so new and exciting. Ezekiel was warm, curious, and had a perspective on the universe that was entirely his own.

Their friendship grew slowly, but steadily, and over time, Damien found himself drawn to Ezekiel in ways he hadn’t expected. There was a depth to their bond that felt different from anything Damien had experienced before. It wasn’t built on shared history or the weight of old memories, but on something new, something that felt like hope.

For the first time in years, Damien felt like he had found a place where he belonged. Not just a universe that was familiar, but a life that felt real, grounded in the connections he had made with those around him. With Dusty by his side, and Ezekiel’s steady presence grounding him, Damien realized that he no longer needed to search for answers in the far reaches of the cosmos. He had found his peace, not in the endless stars, but in the people who made the vastness of the universe feel small and full of life.

In the end, it wasn’t the mysteries of Unity or the multiverse that gave Damien a sense of purpose—it was the simple joy of living, of sharing his life with others who truly understood him. And for the first time in a long, long while, Damien was content. He had found his home.

[goggles-mcgee]

Ashes of Rage: Act 1 - It Would Take A Miracle

Chapter 4 of the story for @miner249er

AO3 Last Chapter

Summary: Luka's heart had never felt so broken, his world so dark and his music so static. He hasn't had any motivation to do anything besides stay in bed. It would take a miracle to make him do so...or a sympathetic and determined kwami.

It Would Take A Miracle:

Static. 

All he could hear was static. 

There were no melodies, there were no solos, there were no symphonies. All it was was disheartening static and Luka didn’t know what to do. His life three days ago had been so loud and comforting but now it was silent, muddled and so dark. He felt listless and refused to get out of bed. It was a good thing that he and Juleka got their own rooms finally, it had taken a lot of convincing for his mom to let them clean out one of the storage rooms and turn it into his new bedroom. It had actually been Marinette who had convinced his stubborn mom and it had made Marinette all the more wonderful. She was always incredible, but seeing her out stubborn the most stubborn person in Luka’s life had only made him love and value her more. A fresh wave of tears washed over the forlorn teen at the thought of his crush and friend. His heart twinged with a twisted pain he was slowly getting used to. Pain. He was in so much pain. He wanted it gone. He wanted her back. But like every time before, his pleas and wishes were ignored and just led to more heartbreak. 

His appetite was all but gone and he barely ate what his mom made or bought him, he still drank though and maybe that was why she wasn’t pushing. He hadn’t showered in three days but with the way he was feeling he knew it would be longer. It was hard to get out of bed even if it was to use the restroom, taking a shower just felt like too much work. He would see the shower and a barrage of thoughts would crash into him, reminding him all he would have to do to feel clean again and it was like he was tranquilized or something because he would just feel this bone-deep tiredness that wouldn’t go away no matter what he did so it would just lead to him laying in his bed and starting the twisted routine all over again. It was like he was in one of those groundhog day movies or like his own power Second Chance, was glitching and not letting him out of the situation.

Luka’s emotions felt too big for his body, his skin itched with his frustration and the days passed without a shower, his teeth ached in his longing, his muscles screamed in his sadness, his heart clenched in its breaking and his lungs drowned in his guilt. As much as he craved to do something, anything he also couldn’t help the thoughts of ‘why?’ Why do anything at all when his world had crashed and burned around him? Why plead for things to be different when his prayers fell on deaf ears? Why get up when nothing he did would bring back Marinette? It was a lot and there was never a break form the never-ending torture. Not even his dreams were safe. Dreaming of Marinette led to more heartache even if the dream was normal to past ones he had had that had previously brought him endless joy. The nightmares were the worst but he would take them over the bittersweet ones that just made his longing deeper and his hope stronger. But reality would hit him once his eyes opened and he would cry for many minutes, maybe even hours. Time didn’t register to him really. 

The only reason he knew how long it had been since he had showered was because of his mom and Juleka. He knew they were trying to help but he had been angrier than he honestly expected after Paris learned of Team Miraculous’ Finale Fight, he hated it but that was what everyone had now dubbed it. It hadn’t been a fight, at least not from his and the rest of the team’s point of view. No one knew what exactly happened in the underground chamber since the only ones who could tell them were two comatose Kwamis and three villains who would probably twist the events. It was hard to come to the realization that Chat Noir was Adrien Agreste, even for Luka who had the unique skill of ‘reading someone’s heart.’ That’s what others referred to it as but according to his long talks with Sass, Luka seemed to be someone who could read a person’s aura which mixed with his Synesthesia. He had Chromesthesia, specifically, but his was more along the lines of seeing color and the color had a sound. He saw colors in a lot of things but it was constantly people, their auras and tones of voice would bring color and the color would bring the music. 

It did get overwhelming sometimes and it had been a big factor in him doing his schooling online for a while which turned into permanently. He just enjoyed it more than when he did go to school and his former teachers told him they saw remarkable improvement in his grades. He still met up with his friends, they still hung out and had study sessions, so he was still a social teen but he didn’t have to worry about migraines or coming across weird to other people who weren’t his friends. His former bandmates in Kitty Section had also been really understanding and never treated him differently and helped him when some days were just too much. But they changed, their music’s changed and it had been jarring, when he eventually left the band he knew it had been inevitable. There was no doubt in Luka’s mind that if he hadn’t quit he would have been ‘politely’ fired and he had strong feelings about that. The one constant had been Marinette, when the others changed she didn’t. She remained strong and melodious. 

Even if she was going through something her melody was still recognizable. He was still coming to terms with the fact he would never hear her song any time soon or ever. She had been there when he left the band, she had been there when he begun fighting with Juleka more than normal and she had been there when he decided to get to know his dad more. She had been such a strong light guiding him through some of the roughest seas he had ever experienced. Kagami had also been a constant presence before everything happened. She was a calming presence and often kept him and Marinette from getting lost in their projects. Both he and Marinette tended to get distracted easily and they both fed off each other’s energy and Kagami would be the one to keep them grounded and focused. Kagami’s music was a new sound he had gotten used to hearing and it was easily in his list of top ten songs from people he heard. When Marinette, Kagami and he would get together he would hear such wonderful melodies. 

Marinette had often joked that they were the Three Musketeers with how often they would hang out together when they could. Without Marinette it felt like a knife to the heart to use the group chat between the three that was titled as such so he and Kagami never touched it when they spoke. Phone calls were still too much for Luka at the moment so the two just texted each other but it still brought him comfort all the same. That was probably another reason why his mother wasn’t pushing too much, it probably would have been a different story if he had cut off all his friends but especially Kagami since his mom knew how close they along with Marinette were. But he still overheard his mom talking on the phone over how worried she was and how she didn’t know what to do. Luka always felt like telling her she was doing all she could and just comfort her but he didn’t have the energy. He suspected she was talking to his dad or Penny, most likely both. He knew from the sounds of it his dad wasn’t doing so well either with the news. 

“Snakelet…” 

The voice of his Kwami cut through the current haze Luka found himself in but he couldn’t bring himself to look at his friend but he did manage to hum as a response. 

“I have thought about what I could say that would make you feel better for ages. I came to the conclusion that no words I could offer would make you happy. Nor satisfied. But I don’t want to leave you with no words from me. I…I am lost. I have been through this situation more times than I’d like to admit and yet all those instances have left me with no answers.” Sass admitted in his soft voice as he flew to sit in front of Luka’s face on his pillow. Luka couldn’t look away, he wouldn’t look away, he knew it would hurt his small friend if he did so. 

“Though there are few words I can give you that express my condolences and support, I simply will say, I am here for you.” Sass said and did his best to give Luka a hug, though it was more like he laid himself on Luka’s nose. “I am here for you and I will continue to be here if ever you need me.”

Luka felt himself begin to cry again, which astounded him as he felt like he was all out of tears. “Sass…” He choked out, he tried his best not to sound like he was going to sob but he knew he failed when he felt Sass try to hug him harder. 

“What do I do?” He asked in a small voice once his small cry ended. Sass was no longer on his nose but instead sat in his hands as he finally sat up after what felt like ages. 

“ We do our best to move forward.”

“We?”

“I did say I will be with you. I mean it, every step of the way, I will be here.” Sass didn’t say he promised but Luka could hear it in his tone of voice. It was a promise but it felt like more. It felt like a lifeline. 

Luka couldn’t really think of an appropriate response without risk of crying again and he already had a cry-headache settling in. “What…What do we do?”

“We need to go to…Ladybug’s house, her room specifically.” Luka was about to protest that suggestion, because he was absolutely not ready to do that. He didn’t think he would ever be ready. “I know that is probably the last thing you want to do Snakelet, but I can’t communicate with the other Kwami to see if one of their holders can do it. The Miracle Box is sitting in…Ladybug’s room unknown and unprotected. If someone with ill intentions were to find it there would be great difficulties and more tragedy.”

“More?” Luka felt his anger rise at an alarming speed. “Hasn’t there been enough?”

“Luka…I understand you are in pain and worried. I…I am also going through the same. My friends  are unconscious and unresponsive…I…I can barely feel them even if they are in the same room.” At Sass’s words Luka’s anger all but left him in an instant. “Besides obtaining the Miracle Box and keeping it safe, I feel something telling me that Tikki and Plagg need the Miracle Box. I can’t explain and I know you are hurting, but-”

“Okay.”

“-it is…Wait. Okay? You…You will do it?” Sass asked and the wide-eyed hopeful look on his face broke Luka’s heart a little bit more. Sometimes it was hard to remember that he wasn’t the only one hurting even if it felt like it at times. 

“You and me, Sass, you…you said you were here for me and I’ll be here for you. We’re friends.” Luka said softly as he brought the Kwami to his chest in the best hug he could give, it was somewhat like the hug Sass gave Luka earlier. He wanted to make Sass feel as safe and loved as the Kwami had made him feel despite their size difference. After their hug Luka forced himself to get out of bed and ignored how weak his legs felt and softly said his transformation phrase. It felt weird being Viperion even though it really hadn’t been that long since he had last transformed but there was this odd feeling like being in his hero form was wrong without…Ladybug there to lead. Ladybug, it was easier to think of her as Ladybug, it didn’t lessen the pain but it made it just a bit more bearable. But now he was going to her house, to her room and he knew what it looked like, smelled like and there would be no way to think of her as Ladybug when he was in there.

He had to do this though. For Sass and for Ladybug, he would rather die than let the rest of the Miraculi fall into the wrong hands. He'd be damned if he didn’t protect the city that Ladybug loved with her whole heart and soul. So he made his way to her home, to her tower. He and Kagami often joked about Marinette being the princess in the tower and Mari-Ladybug only laughed. She loved her tower. Kagami once joked when it was the two of them that Kagami was M-Ladybug’s knight while he was her minstrel. He had laughed and agreed but later he would think about it and decided he would be a knight if she needed him to be. Though she had needed him and he hadn’t been there. Nope! No! He would not fall down that line of thinking as he was jumping across rooftops and using his lyre to help him along the way. It was a weird day when they found out his lyre could turn into a crossbow, the end of his “arrows” could also change into a grappling gun. 

Apparently he and Sass had been bonding pretty well and slowly harmonizing which is why his lyre upgraded to one of its forms. The arrows of the crossbow themselves were weird as he didn’t carry a quiver or anything but an arrow would be equipped if he needed it. Some had no arrowheads, some had normal arrowheads, others had barbed arrowheads, and sometimes the arrows had string attached to them. Whatever kind of arrow he needed, it would show up on the crossbow already loaded. Sass had told him that that showed just how in tune the two were becoming and that soon they would probably be able to communicate with one another while Luka was transformed. It was something he had been looking forward to. He was sure it would come in handy and besides, he already talked out loud when transformed, it may have looked weird but he had been talking to his kwami even if he didn’t think he could hear him at the time. He hadn’t but now he would, hopefully soon. 

Finally, Luka touched down on the roof of Ma-Ladybug’s tower and looked around in sadness as he noticed the plants up there had wilted. Before he could talk himself out of it he opened the hatch of the roof and jumped through and onto the floor of the bedroom. Some dust had begun to settle and it broke Luka’s heart more but he willed himself to take deep breaths before he dropped his transformation. He and Sass needed to be able to talk and they weren’t quite at that stage of being able to communicate with one another. As the transformation dropped he looked down at the dirty pink bag that he had taken to looking after and opened it to look at the kwamis who slept inside. Tikki and Plagg, as he had learned from Sass, were normally darker in their colors but looking at them they seemed shades or tones paler, well according to Sass.

“So what are we looking for?” Luka asked as he refused to look anywhere else but his kwami. 

Sass had opened his mouth, probably to respond but both of them froze when they heard thumps coming from the roof and the unmistakable murmur of voices. Luka scooped his kwami out of the air and quickly hid behind M- Ladybug’s .( Ladybug. Goddammit .) chaise. The light in the room was off and he himself had been wearing some of his darker clothes…er well, pajamas. Both kwami and teen held their breath as the hatch to the roof was opened and down came two? No, three, actually make it four, people. It took a minute for Luka to recognize them as his teammates. He didn’t know whether or not to greet them but that choice disappeared when a purple kwami and blue kwami flew out from somewhere and floated in the middle of the room. 

“Please don’t be scared!” The purple one pleaded. “I am Nooroo and this is Duusuu. I am the kwami of the Butterfly Miraculous while Duusuu is the kwami for the Peacock. I know that alarms you but please listen. I called my friends here and they probably don’t know why or just had a feeling they had to come here so you followed.”

Barely after speaking, the kwami - Nooroo, was sped into by Sass who flew so fast the two kwami shot off into the air. Luka figured there was no point in hiding anymore and stepped out from his hiding place and awkwardly waved at his teammates. They seemed to be in shock before Noc-Turtle mumbled something and their transformation dropped revealing Marc Anciel. Fox-Tail’s jaw dropped before he hastily said his detransformation phrase and there stood Nathaniel Kurtzberg who hurried over Marc and hugged him. Donryu had been looking at Luka the whole time and quietly made her way over to him, once she was in front of him she too dropped her transformation and there was Kagami. It shouldn’t have shocked him as much as it did but the two just stood there staring at each other before they heard an odd wheeze come from Bee-Witch who was staring at everyone with wide eyes. She too dropped her transformation and only to the shock of Marc and Nathaniel, she turned out to be Chloe Bourgeois. 

“I don’t know how to handle all these revelations at the moment but I can work through them later with my cat.” Marc said, clearly still in some shock. “Er-Nooroo right? Can you explain more?”

Nooroo who was in the middle of a kwami group hug along with Duusuu nodded and reluctantly left the hug. “Like I said, I was able to call you all here to meet, I had to borrow power from the other kwami in the Miracle Box though. I’m not at full power and even then my messages would have been more feeling than anything. Sorry, I’m rambling. It’s been a while since I’ve been able to talk so freely.”

“You are fine, Our Friend.” Pollen reassured while glaring at everyone else like she was daring them to argue. 

“Take your time.” Sass murmured from his spot next to his friend. Luka wanted to comfort the little kwami but he didn’t think it would help given how Luka could imagine he was treated by his former user. If Luka were him, he would be wary of humans no matter how well intentioned. 

Nooroo took a deep breath and nodded. “I…I don’t really know where to start. What I have to say is…shocking to say the least. I know all of us here have been through a lot…have lost a lot…but I felt like if I stayed quiet I would be betraying Ladybug just…just like Chat Noir did.”

It was quiet. So quiet. Until Nathaniel choked out a small, “What?”

Duusuu merely nodded in response along with Nooroo. “It was awful. Chat Noir and his father planned the entire thing. Chat Noir planned to be suspicious of Gabriel Agreste once more and had you guys purposefully find out he was guilty of being Hawkmoth. Ladybug was the big target and you guys would have been just…collateral. So when Ladybug proposed the ambush…”

“Uncle Gabe already knew.” Chloe stated in a voice full of disgust even if her eyes were filled with tears. 

“He did.” Nooroo confirmed. “Chat Noir played his role well and the ambush was happening so fast. Ladybug could barely try and fight back before she was secured to the chair. She was so angry…so heartbroken…she did all she could to fight against Gabriel and his son…”

There were some gasps among the humans at the information but Luka merely took a much needed breath in. He had guessed as much since the only ones in the house after the explosion had been Adrien, Gabriel, Nathalie and the body of Emilie Agreste. It just clicked. Sure Chat Noir could have disappeared like Marin-Ladybug did but that didn’t feel right. Chat had already been acting off before the ambush and confirming he was in fact Adrien was like the final nail in the coffin. Luka had had suspicions of who the Chat was and just whose side he was on but after everything, the confirmation was bitter. According to Sass, Luka had known who he and Ladybug were but the memories of their identities faded as a safety measure to keep the team’s identities safe. Luka would only have kept the memories if both heroes had accepted he knew and trusted him. It was weird but Luka just chalked it up to Miraculous Magic. 

He wished he had been able to remember, if he had then maybe all of this wouldn’t have happened. He wouldn’t be standing in M-Lady…no. He had to stop. It didn't matter how much he told himself, Ladybug was Marinette. Marinette was Ladybug. They were one and the same and denying it to himself was more likely to hurt him than bring him healing. He couldn’t delude himself anymore. It hurt, it hurt so much, but he had to acknowledge the truth because that was the only way he’d be able to move forward and help protect the city that Marinette adored. He missed her. He missed her so much, but he had to do the healthy thing and not try and separate her from herself. It would be like he wasn’t giving her, her due credit and Marinette deserved so much credit. “If Adrien and his dad got the earrings…then why did the mansion explode like it did?” Luka asked so they could continue. They could all mourn and scream and cry after, but right now they needed information.

“I’m not sure.” Nooroo admitted. “Everything was happening so fast. Gabriel was so close to making his wish and magic was everywhere in preparation. But I felt it, it was this enormous feeling of betrayal and anger that washed over all of us. Tikki looked so scared and worried and Plagg looked shocked. I had turned to where I felt the emotions and it was no surprise they were coming from Ladybug…but just as I looked at her, there was this awful cracking and whistling. Like something was breaking through the roof and flooring at high speed. I panicked as did the other kwami but Tikki looked…she looked like she recognized what was happening.”

“She looked like her heart broke.” Duusuu mumbled, their voice was soft and scratchy. They seemed to be in pain. 

“The room filled with this bright, bright red light and then next thing I know…the mansion exploded. Ladybug was nowhere to be seen.” Nooroo flew over to Luka and pointed at the open pink bag in his hands. “Tikki and Plagg know what happened, but because of all the ambient magic, plus the overwhelming emotions swirling in the air, and their own merging being interrupted, they were hurt.”

“Something like this hasn’t happened in a long time.” Wayzz admitted. 

“So there is a way to help them?” Kagami asked. 

Wayzz nodded. “Yes. But it will take time…a lot of time. I’ve never seen them so bad. The best we can do is return them to the Miracle Box. It will heal them, but the damage is great and as I said, it will take time. Nooroo, I imagine you called us here, not only to tell us the truth but also because of the Miracle Box.”

“That’s right. The Miracle Box will be vulnerable if there is no one to watch over it as it heals our friends. I sensed the box here and that’s only because Duusuu and I are both still being affected by the interrupted magic. We’re more sensitive right now.”

“One of our holders will definitely protect the box.” Pollen declared. “They are all brave heroes.”

All the humans looked at one another in disbelief. Marinette had been guarding this box all while being Ladybug? They knew she was amazing but this was something else entirely. Luka sadly guessed that this is why she was always so stressed. If they had to watch this box and protect it then so be it. He’d do it for Marinette, no matter the cost. Now all that they needed to decide was who to send the box with.

Next Chapter

[manawari]

~ Lifeguard!Byung-gyu × Lee Ju-hee ~

After months of endless work at the hospital, Lee Ju-hee finally broke free from the chains as she embarked on a trip to the beach with her friends. In the midst of joy and carefree moments, a certain lifeguard suddenly caught her eye.

"We're here!"

"Oh my God, I missed this place!"

"Hee-jin, quickly get the camera!"

"I can't wait to put on my new swimsuit!!"

"I wonder if there are any cute boys around. . . "

"Ye-rim! I thought this vacation was going to be about ourselves only?" Ju-hee playfully chastised her friend. "Think about boys for some other time."

"Wow, Dr. Lee Ju-hee has definitely signed off, huh?" Ye-rim snickered.

"Can you blame me? I have been waiting for this trip for a year!"

"Sweetheart, aren't we all?" Gina grinned from the driver's seat. "Mr. Choi was kind enough to let Bora and I take a few days off."

Lee Bora laughed. "I can't believe we left Ki-hoon alone!"

"He can handle anything, Bora. And he wants to be promoted, remember? Take it as us doing him a favor."

"Right."

Ju-hee chuckled along, resting her chin on her hand as she leaned closer to the open window, allowing the wind to brush against her like a mirthful embrace. It felt different than when she was in the city — the wind was fresh and no responsibilities chained around her mind. Well, Ju-hee had set them aside on purpose, choosing to spend her short vacation with moments she would cherish forever.

Gina maneuvered the van into one of the available parking spaces and the girls climbed out, bringing along their bags to make their way to the reception. Hee-jin conversed with the receptionist about the cabin she had reserved.

"Se-mi and Ji-woo would've loved to be here," said Bora. "Sadly, organizing schedules with your friends as an adult is tough."

"Then let's go here again next time," Gina suggested. "If they can't still be available, I'll drag them here myself."

Indeed, it was difficult. Ju-hee had missed several trips due to her med school, choosing to focus on her path toward her career above the desire to create new happy memories. She couldn't remember the last time she found herself in such a paradise called the beach.

Hee-jin returned to the group with the key in her hand. Ye-rim squealed in excitement and grabbed her friend's arm, urging her to take the lead to where their cabin was located. Palm trees swayed lazily amidst the warm, fragrant breeze that carried the scent of saltwater and flowers, pristine white sand stretched throughout the place, glowing beneath the inviting sunlight, and the waves rolled over the shore in rhythmic whispers, leaving the sand drenched in its wake and foams sparkling as it retreated to the sea.

Mingled laughter echoed and a symphony of birds chirped, weaving into the blissful atmosphere. Beach cabins and huts added a fine touch for those who wished to be closer to the sea. The girls arrived at their designated cabin — the place accommodated two beds, though mattresses were available in the closet for those who could not fit in the beds.

Once they settled their bags and luggage, the girls quickly brought out their swimwear, getting ready for the sea instead of a few moments to rest after hours of ceaseless driving. It was clear their excitement got the best of them. While Ju-hee had brought out her brown halterneck swimsuit, she still chose to wear her jean shorts, not quite fond of showing a complete expanse of her legs. The swimsuit only managed to cover her chest, leaving a portion of her stomach exposed, and it also embraced her figure like a second skin.

"Wow, you got some sweet figure there, Ju-hee!" Gina remarked, spraying perfume on her strawberry-blonde hair. She was already clad in her two-piece outfit, accentuating her curves.

Ju-hee blushed at the compliment. "Well, not as good as yours, Gina."

"Nonsense! Everyone looks so pretty right now!" Ye-rim chirped, clad in a floral bikini. "Oh my God, we should look for a nice flower to put on you, Hee-jin!"

"Maybe later. I don't want to soak the poor flower the second we jump into the water." Hee-jin chuckled.

"Let's go look for seashells too!" Bora exclaimed, tying a purple band around her hair, matching her outfit. "I saw some pictures on the resort's page, and I wanna see if they are true. And hopefully, we'll bring home for each of us, and Se-mi and Ji-woo too."

Her friends agreed ecstatically.

The group soon exited their cabin, giggling once their feet touched the scorching sand. Ju-hee's heart raced rapidly as she made her way to the sea as if hearing it call her name, and the happiness had never overflowed so hard.

Water splashed upon their weight and the waves collided with their skin. Ye-rim plunged into the saltwater and started splashing Gina, who immediately retaliated. Ju-hee laughed until she felt her arm being grabbed by Hee-jin, who was smirking as she dragged her across the waves. Ju-hee yelped and fought against her friend's grip, only then to have Bora rush in to push her into the water.

She resurfaced and coughed out the water. Hee-jin and Bora laughed, making her glare icily at them, so Ju-hee grabbed Bora's wrist to bring her down. She turned to Hee-jin this time, the raven-haired woman held her hands up and told her to not do it, but Ju-hee wouldn't allow Hee-jin to keep her hair dry when the rest already had been soaked.

"Nope!" She grabbed Hee-jin by the wrist, causing her friend to protest.

Eventually, Hee-jin crashed into the water, with Bora laughing at her as she floated. The group of friends played under the cloudless sky, the sun was at its peak, and not a tinge of worry lingered in their minds, breaking free from reality to appreciate the beauty of their paradise.

Suddenly, a splash collided with both of their bodies. Ju-hee instinctively pulled her niece close and looked up, spotting a man running across the water and eventually diving into the sea.

A few moments later, Ju-hee found herself on the shore, letting the waves lap over her feet. Gina, Ye-rim, Hee-jin, and Bora had begun to search for seashells, to which Ju-hee elected to sit out to take a break, yet she promised them to join once she restored her stamina. In the meantime, she drew her finger across the sand, forming shapes and doodles.

"My son!"

A wail from a mother caught her attention. Ju-hee raised her head and saw a small crowd gathering, surrounding the woman, who was crying her heart out for her child. Curiously, Ju-hee stood up and made her way to the crowd, just in time to spot a lifeguard emerging from the waves, striding to the shore with a kid in his arms.

"Don't worry, ma'am, your kid's going to be fine!" The man said to the woman, bringing the kid over to gently place him on the dry ground. The lifeguard parted the kid's mouth and lowered his ear, sensing if there were any signs of breathing, then he put his hands on top of each other, curling his fingers to the front, and pressed them onto the chest.

Ju-hee watched in bated breath whilst the lifeguard began to pound the unconscious child's chest. The mother sobbed, afraid of her son's fate. As much as the beach was fun, there could be risks underneath, especially with the sea that could drag a person to its depths.

Finally, the young boy let out a gasp and the lifeguard placed his hand on his back, helping him rise and allowing him to cough the air and bits of water clogged in his lungs. The mother cried out her son's name and rushed to pull him into her arms, cradling him gently.

Ju-hee sighed in relief, smiling at the sweet moment between the mother and her son. She was glad that the kid had survived. The lifeguard stood up and walked in her direction, only to have her heart skip a beat, seeing his athletic build and the droplets of water glistening under the sun. His fingers combed through his sleek black hair. It was as if she was seeing the Greek God Apollo himself. . . But before she could think of anything else, their bodies bumped in contact.

"Oh, sor—" her sentence fell short. Ju-hee realized the placement of her hand on the lifeguard's firm chest, causing her to flush in embarrassment. She turned away and intertwined her fingers on her front as she stared at the mother and son to distract herself until the lifeguard finally walked away.

What the heck just happened to you, Ju-hee?! She scolded herself.

Min Byung-gyu had a deep love for the sea. It brought him peace and warmth. The sound of the waves splashing the shore was music to his ears, as well as the distant chirps of the soaring birds in the sky. His profession as a lifeguard gifted him that opportunity, but also being there to help someone in need as the sea could be more than just its beauty — it could be someone's biggest fear.

To be a lifeguard meant dedicating one's life to the safety of others, ensuring that everyone was safe on the beach while they enjoyed the sun. It brought him joy to see people having the time of their lives on the beach, enjoying the place as much as he did.

The wind carried a cool breeze as the sun was beginning to set. Byung-gyu dismissed his position from the lifeguard tower and brought his clean shirt along as he dismounted from the ladder. Some people had begun to retreat to their respective accommodations for a rest, and he too deserved a rest after watching the beach since sunrise.

Hmm, a historical movie? Maybe a box of ice cream or ramyeon on the side? He wondered.

Then, his eyes caught something. A young woman sat alone in a tree trunk, draped in a white cardigan that hung above her shorts. It took a second for Byung-gyu to remember her as the one whom he had bumped into earlier, and needless to say, she was pretty too — long, sleek ginger hair with fair skin, and striking blue eyes that bore semblance to the sea and sky.

He had never seen such beautiful eyes.

His footsteps began to make a beeline toward her, greeting. "Hey there, miss."

She looked up and their eyes instantly met. "Er, hello." The woman said.

"You seem all by yourself. Did you come alone to this beach?"

"Oh, no, I didn't." She kindly shook her head with a small smile. "I actually came with my friends. They're back at the cabin we are staying in, but I decided to head out and see the sunset. I've never seen the sun like this before in Seoul."

"You came for a vacation?"

She nodded. "Yep! Work has been tough ever since I graduated from med school."

"Med school? Congrats!" Byung-gyu smiled. "I used to study medicine too, also first aid, but I decided to pursue being a lifeguard."

"Really?"

"Yeah—" He paused, gesturing his hand on the spot next to her. "May I?"

"Sure."

Byung-gyu sat down and flashed her a smile then continued. "I like being at the beach. It's peaceful. And being a lifeguard has both of the two things I want to do — help people in need and the place itself."

"I understand the feeling," she smiled. "As much as I would love to live in a place like this, I still prefer to stay in the hospital where I can save lives."

"Impressive," he grinned. "Oh, I'm Min Byung-gyu, by the way."

"Lee Ju-hee."

Lee Ju-hee. He took note of it in his mind. "Beautiful name, Ms. Lee."

Her cheeks reddened. Identical to how he had seen her when her hand accidentally went to his chest. However, given the growing darkness in the sky, the color wasn't as prominent, but it did not stop Byung-gyu from chuckling.

"Have you seen that lifeguard over there? He looks cute!"

"Why is he staring at us?"

"No, he's not!" Ye-rim told Gina, who had a blunt expression on her face. She giggled. "He's looking at Ju-hee!"

"Wait, what?"

"Come again??" Both Bora and Hee-jin looked at Ye-rim in question.

Ju-hee, on the other hand, chose to ignore her friends and pretended she wasn't hearing anything. She proceeded to pad her hands across the water as she sat on the stone. The girls chattered amongst themselves, giggling even, and it made her roll her eyes in chagrin; who cares if Byung-gyu was staring at her? It could be that he was merely doing his job, watching over people at the sea.

"Watch this— Ju-hee! Wave your hand!" Ye-rim told her.

Ju-hee glared at her friend. "No."

"Come on. . . " Ye-rim pouted.

"Come on, Ju-hee! It's only a test." Hee-jin chimed in.

She sighed. No result would come out if she kept protesting and her friends nagging her. Ju-hee shifted on the stone and looked in the distance, noticing Byung-gyu from his seat at the tower. Her lips curled into a small smile and raised her hand to wave.

He reciprocated the gesture.

Her friends burst into squeals. Lee Bora began to splash her and Ju-hee used her hands to shield herself from the attacks, yet fully aware that her defenses were futile.

Ju-hee eventually left her friends and swam back to the shore. The waves rolled over her ankles as her feet left marks on the sand, she made her way to the deckchair where her and her friends' belongings had been kept. Grabbing her sheer cardigan, Ju-hee pulled it across her arms and tied the hem on the front of her stomach; her black halter bra could still be seen through the thin fabric, but she paid no mind and went for the long white sarong to knot around her waist.

"Hey!"

She turned around and smiled. "Byung-gyu."

"What's up? Your friends didn't tease you much, hm?" He snickered, lifting his sunglasses to his forehead. This time, he was shown in a grey compress shirt with the resort's logo.

Ju-hee scoffed. "Don't mind them. I just left because I am thirsty and craving coconut juice."

"Want me to accompany you?"

She flashed him a funny look. "Aren't you supposed to be on duty, Mr. Lifeguard?"

"I'm not the only lifeguard here," Byung-gyu rolled his eyes.

"Still. I can handle myself." Ju-hee winked at him. "Now, if you excuse me—"

"How about later?" Byung-gyu stepped in to block her path. "Sundown? After my shift?"

"Uh. . . What for?"

"A swim, perhaps? It's been a while since I swam without the intention of rescue." He shrugged. "C'mon! Unless you have other plans with your friends. . . "

She had. There was a band arriving at the beach for a small concert, Lee Bora urged everyone to go watch the live performance, and obviously, they all agreed to go. Ju-hee was also thrilled when she heard the news, she had been listening to the band for so long and knowing they would soon have a concert in the same place as her for free, it was like a chance of a lifetime.

But here she was. . . Min Byung-gyu just invited her to hang out with him.

This trip is about you and your friends only, Ju-hee. A voice spoke in her mind. You cannot simply break it just because a cute guy asked you out! Fight the urge—

"I'll see you then." Words inevitably came out of her mouth before she could stop herself.

Byung-gyu smiled widely. "Alright. Meet me at the shore?"

"O— okay." Ju-hee almost stammered. She quickly walked past him and her hands curled against her skirt, grasping for self-control, but her heartbeat pounded against her ribcage so fast to the point it could break through.

She couldn't believe she had chosen to ditch her friends and one of her favorite bands for a lifeguard.

Lee Ju-hee came up with a plan.

First, she would come along with her friends to the stadium where the band would be performing. Second, she would stick around for a few moments or songs until she came up with an excuse to leave the concert. Third, and lastly, she would meet up with Byung-gyu at the shore.

God knows what would happen if she told her friends that the guy they had been teasing her about was the reason. . .

People gathered at the stadium and several of them were already cheering for the band members even though the show hadn't officially started yet. Ju-hee squeezed through the crowd behind her friends as they searched for a good spot to view the stage.

The show finally began. The audience sang along as the group raised the lively atmosphere, encouraging everyone to dance to the music and feel the rhythm with them. But all Ju-hee could think of was Byung-gyu, wondering if he had already been waiting for her at the shore, she glanced at her friends, guilt nibbling in her chest as she was about to move on to her next step.

"Uh, Hee-jin?" She tapped her friend's shoulder. Hee-jin gave her a confused look, and judging the atmosphere around them, Ju-hee leaned up to whisper in her ear. "I don't feel good. Do you mind if I head back to the cabin and rest?"

Hee-jin frowned. "Aw, Ju-hee. . . "

"Sorry!"

"No, it's okay! It must be from what you ate earlier. Go, I'll record some videos for you, so you can see what you missed." Hee-jin encouraged her. "Just don't forget to take meds, alright?"

Ju-hee smiled. "Thank you."

Squeezing Hee-jin's hand in gratitude, Ju-hee left and snuck through the crowd of people to get to the exit. The noise faded from her eardrums as she walked farther, bringing relief to surge through her veins, followed by excitement.

She saw his silhouette where the waves touched the shore. Ju-hee took a deep breath and tucked a strand of her hair behind her hair as she approached him. The sky was painted in hues of purple, pink, and gold, as the sun was dipping from the horizon, casting a soft glow across the sea, and the waves whispered gently upon the shore.

The wind had grown colder, hinting at the arrival of the beautiful night. Ju-hee couldn't help but stare at the ethereal sight of the sea, shimmering under the last rays of sunlight, a magical and delicate mix between the farewell of day and the greetings of the evening.

"Byung-gyu." She finally spoke.

He whirled his head over his shoulder. "Ju-hee. Wow, you looked quite dressed."

"I was at the concert with my friends," she shrugged. She had a white blouse and a pretty black skirt, which swayed against her hips in the soft breeze. "But I planned to stay there for a while since I made a promise. You don't have to feel bad or anything, Byung-gyu, as it's completely my decision. It doesn't matter if I missed anything or not."

"Well, I won't be held responsible if you regretted anything from the concert," he flashed her a grin.

Ju-hee rolled her eyes. "I doubt I'd do."

Byung-gyu chuckled. He twitched his head as if in signal. "Come with me."

And so, she followed him. Ju-hee increased her pace to walk closely alongside Byung-gyu. Silence wrapped them like a blanket, comfortable and not a tinge of tension between them. . . Only a few inches separating their hands — Ju-hee noticed, but she suppressed the urge to link their fingers together. She wondered if his hands were warm, contrasting against the cold atmosphere, or soft enough when held.

She flinched upon realizing what she was thinking. Control your thoughts, Ju-hee.

Byung-gyu brought her to an area behind the large stone on the shore, revealing a stone path toward the sea. Waves crashed against the rocks with a harmonic, soothing cadence, yet harder than in the sand. As Ju-hee observed it, she suddenly caught Byung-gyu in the middle of taking his shirt off. . . But it was too late for her to look away now. The fading sunlight traced the fine contours of shoulders, subtly glowing down to the evident muscles in his arms and his torso.

Tossing his shirt aside, Byung-gyu sprinted forward and lunged for a dive into the sea, staying underneath for a few seconds before submerging. He released a quick gasp and ran his hands to his hair, sweeping it to the back of his neck.

"You can sit over here since I forgot to tell you to bring spare clothes." He pointed at the rock near them. Byung-gyu moved his hand to the back of his neck bashfully. "My bad."

"Don't worry, I— uh, I am actually wearing a swimsuit underneath." She blushed. "Just in case!"

Byung-gyu smiled. "Alright then."

To her surprise, he turned around to let her take off her clothes. Ju-hee's heart fluttered, knowing she'd be completely uncomfortable if someone watched her strip clothes, and since he had given her space, it made her feel some things.

Ju-hee slipped out from her sandals and discarded her blouse and skirt together on the ground, leaving her in a halterneck swimsuit she had worn on her first swim at the beach. She held onto the rock as she carefully stepped down on the stone beneath her feet, the water increased to her chest-length when she padded toward Byung-gyu, tapping him on the shoulder.

"Hey," he told her softly. "So, wanna let me show you something?"

"What is it?"

"It's one of the things I learned when I was training to be a lifeguard. Do you know how to float?"

"Uh. . . No, I do not."

"Good. In situations when a person is found drowning, we usually tow them to safety and make sure their throat is protected. Here, let me—" he waded closer to her and extended his arms. "Don't worry, I'll be holding you the entire time."

In a bated breath, Ju-hee grasped onto his forearms, her nails digging into his skin as he began to wade through the water, away from the shore.

"S— shit—" she cursed, no longer feeling the stones under her feet.

"Hey, hey, it's alright! I got you." Byung-gyu's soothing voice exuded through her senses. His thumbs rubbed her soft skin in reassurance. Ju-hee jutted her chin forward to keep the water's surface from rising higher, somehow struggling as she had nothing to stand upon, only relying on the man in front of her for dear life. "Now, let the water carry you. Float."

"H— how?"

Byung-gyu shook his head and changed his position, shifting to the other side. Ju-hee instantly clung her arms to his neck, watching him move gently until she felt his hand under her legs, lifting her weight to the surface. She didn't fight against it anymore and allowed herself to be light.

"Just relax," he whispered. "It will be easier for the water to carry you if you're calm. Simply put, the sea will treat you the way you treat it — if you panic, it'll bring you down. But if you're calm and trust the waves, the sea will take care of you."

Ju-hee nodded. His hand glided away and her legs remained afloat. His touch returned to her forearm, finding herself relaxing for once. She exhaled softly through her nostrils.

"See? With conscious victims, we try to calm them down first, earning their trust and reassuring them that they'll be saved." Byung-gyu explained. "The only time we take desperate measures is if the victim keeps panicking. But in your case, you have done well."

"Have you—" she swallowed to keep her voice steady. "Have you done this with someone else? Just curious."

"Nope."

"Really? Are you not joking? As in, not at all, Byung-gyu?"

"Uh, why should I lie?" Byung-gyu raised an eyebrow. Then, he let out a smirk. "What would you do if I said yes?"

Ju-hee glared at him deadly. "I don't hang out with guys who like to entertain multiple girls, Byung-gyu."

"It's the truth! Don't tell me you strike me that way, Ju-hee. I'm anything but that — my mom raised me to be a gentleman."

"Fine," she grumbled. "The way you act seems like you easily capture attention from ladies. Charming them effortlessly and all that."

"Lee Ju-hee, do you find me attractive?" Byung-gyu jested. "If that's the case, then I have successfully captured your attention, yes?"

Ju-hee turned away, choosing not to respond. She didn't know if she could give him the obvious answer — yes, right the second you showed up! Her heart screamed. She came for a vacation, to build new happy memories, not to find herself infatuated with someone. . . But heavens, all it had to take was a mere lifeguard to sway her off her feet.

"You intrigue me, you know?" He murmured. The way his breath was close to her ear brought shivers down her spine, causing her to tremble "It's like in historical dramas, you're a princess who hailed from a wealthy kingdom who wished to break free from responsibilities and choose her happiness for once."

"How accurate."

"It really is," he chuckled. "So it's no wonder why I found myself drawn to you."

Same here. Butterflies swarmed her stomach. She sighed. "I won't stay long here. After this night, I'll be leaving with my friends to go back to the city."

"I see no problem with that." Ju-hee opened her mouth to protest and Byung-gyu cut her off. "I'll leave my number in a sticky note next to your cabin's door for you to see once you leave."

"Byung-gyu. . . "

"Hm?"

Ju-hee ended up shaking her head. "Nothing. Let's swim instead of lingering here."

She brought down her legs and languidly turned around, trailing her hands across his shoulders. A rosemary scent wafted to her nose, mixed with a salty undertone and coconut. Her heart almost skipped a beat when he held her waist, though Ju-hee masked it with a confident look, letting out a giggle, and plunged down past him, dragging his hand along with her. Byung-gyu easily joined her under the currents, entering a world of their own where nobody could see them, hands linked and hearts intertwined.

It was a moment Ju-hee would never forget. There had been a lot of memories formed at the beach, but the ones with Byung-gyu were her favorite.

"Boy, are we really leaving already?" Ye-rim sighed, zipping her bag closed. "I don't want to go back to work just yet. . . "

Hee-jin laughed. "Relax, Ye-rim. We'll go back soon."

"Unless you want to lose your job," Gina joked. "Just think that these past two days have been a blast!"

"Next time, we'll take a leave for a week. Oh! Should we look for a new resort?" Lee Bora piped up. "This one looks so beautiful, but I want to travel more!"

"Sounds like a great idea! What do you— where are you going, Ju-hee?"

"I'll just be heading out for a bit," said Ju-hee, making her way to the door. She pulled the knob open and looked around until her eyes fell on a small box on the floor.

Smiling, she made her way over and peeled the paper from the top; it had the written contact number of Byung-gyu and a small note that read 'don't forget me! ;) hope you'll like the present I got for you inside the box.'. Ju-hee glanced at the box and took the lid open, causing her eyes to widen at the sight of its content.

A big, beautiful seashell nestled upon a clustered chiffon fabric. Shades of nacreous white blended perfectly with pinks and soft streaks of lavender. It gleamed under the sunlight, highlighting its polished texture created by the ocean; a natural masterpiece. The ridges extended across the surface and the curves inwardly rolled inside of the shell, adding depth to its magnificent form, as well as seashell's spiraled edge — sprinkled with brown specks — to complete the overall essence.

Ju-hee parted her lips in surprise, holding a beautiful seashell as big as this felt as if a gemstone was in her hands. She stood up and glanced at the distance, catching none other than Min Byung-gyu himself. He wore that crooked grin on his face whilst his sunglasses sat on the bridge of his nose, shielding his eyes from the stark sunlight, and his hand held a life buoy by his hip.

Another lifeguard approached him, nudging him to the sea as if ushering him to get to work. Ju-hee chuckled, tucking the seashell closer to her, giving it a light squeeze. She could only hope for fate to bring her and Byung-gyu together soon, if not, one day.

And if that day ever came, Ju-hee wouldn't mind having another swim with him.

[azdoine]

Bright Christmas

Childlike wonder does not persist at standard temperature and pressure. Growing up is the process by which it evaporates, as you convince yourself that it never existed in the first place.

The first snow of winter isn’t beautiful; it’s a nuisance that blocks the driveway.

Your toys never meant anything; they were only answers to craving.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re naughty or nice; only what the world’s coffers hold for you.

Santa Claus isn’t real; there are only lies to children and games grown-ups play.

But there still exists a joy which will never thaw, grace impossibly preserved.

What has Saint Nick brought you for Christmas this year?

Pick two.

Protoclay

A lifetime supply of foundation. Each morning, you receive a random new LEGO set, still fresh in its packaging and wrapped with a little bow. Sets can be delivered which never made it to release, or were created by fans, or are no longer in production, or which never existed at all. But you’ll never receive the same set twice.

All of your LEGO pieces respond directly to the power of your imagination. Even when following an instruction guide, your creations will grow stronger as they’re assembled, so long as you care about what you’re making - bricks snapping together at the joints with unreal precision, toy models that don’t fall apart unless they’re deliberately dismantled, clever assemblies that work as intended.

Used as a channel for your own creativity, the pieces only grow stronger, permitting the construction of impossible objects. A boxy plastic triangle that cuts food and can be cleaned like a metal knife. A LEGO armchair that feels soft and gives way like stuffed leather. Futuristic industrial machinery made out of Technic parts. A magic staff that shoots mighty fireballs from its translucent red core. There are no fundamental limits to the quality and potency of what you can assemble; only what you can convincingly translate from idea to reality.

Memento

A letter to eternity, bound within a diary. Simply pressing a point into the surface of its endless pages will see it well with ink or glue or crinkle with embossing, and a stylus hangs from the end of its long bookmark. Nothing committed to this scrapbook can ever be removed, but the strange sheen of its paper grants clarity enough to avoid unforced errors.

By your status as the master of the diary, it grants you knowledge of its contents as if each word was memorized. But its greater power is the preservation of more than memory: all historical information scribed within traces a shadow of the time in which it was still true, pale moments which can be dredged forth and cast as shadows upon the changing now. Victories recorded may be synthesized and re-enacted, wizened performance sustained with the intensity of youth. Entire spaces may eventually be locked in an eternalist present or superposed with their ancient history - the only limit to this power of manifestation is your total will to defy entropy.

Even should every other part of yourself be destroyed, you may choose to linger as a timeless memory within the pages of your diary, suspended and composited in the apex of your life.

Velveteen

A boon companion - or the boon companion, rather. They may be the treasured friend you loved the most, now awakened and quickening, or something new entirely, the toy you never had. In any case, a stuffed animal, a figurine, a doll, a childhood companion brought to life in your arms. In all respects, their personality is compatible with your own, their loyalty assured without the flaws of obedience, their love for you untainted by misunderstandings.

It would be a mistake, too, to regard them as a mere animated object now that they’ve surpassed the circle of representation and become Real. Their forms and powers flow straightforwardly from their nature, simple but overwhelmingly effective in their domains; a teddy bear who commands a healing sleep and an aura of protection against evil, a doll with supernatural beauty and mastery of all things even remotely related to housekeeping.

Though your companion may be a person and take human shape to walk with you in the daylight, they still belong to a different order of life, reproducing through the exchange of love rather than biological DNA. If you and your companion ever both come to love another companion-toy as much as you love one another, then it may become Real too, no lesser than its predecessors.

Hexahedron

The root of all brainteasers. Its form shifts wildly and without warning, taking new permutations  on the order of minutes or days - or even sooner, if you should ever solve one of its iterations with time to spare. Twisty puzzles, wire puzzles, puzzle boxes, burr puzzles, puzzle locks, puzzle rings, jigsaws… almost anything tactile enough to hold might pass through your hands, shapes rising and falling in a spiral without limit.

Each time you successfully solve the Hexahedron, it will open your mind to paradoxes and arcana, revealing some quantity of information in a random domain related to the puzzle that preceded it. Lore mastered in this fashion can include procedural skill as well as declarative knowledge, and nothing you learn this way will ever harm you or be forgotten.

The harder a puzzle is and the less time you have in which to solve it, the greater the quantity and quality of useful information you can glean from it; at the highest levels of gnosis, the Hexahedron may even grant you knowledge of functional spells and rituals. There are no fundamental barriers to stop you from sharing this preternatural knowledge with the world at large, but others will struggle to understand what esoterica you effortlessly comprehend.

Abstract

The fundamental implement. This edutainment kit consists of the materials to introduce you to a profession or hobby in a fun and easy way - an Easy-Bake cooking set, a set of Nerf guns for play-fighting, fake fossils to excavate from National Geographic. But it’s not limited by concession to practicality or lies to children.

As you continue to learn, your resources will only grow, and your tools will only increase in fidelity. Equipment that once was only an imitation will become capable of handling the real thing, diversifying until you have everything you need; handbooks of toy problems will teach you more adroitly than college textbooks ever could, guiding you along a road where each step is, if not easy, then at least as clear as the first one.

Where your skill in your chosen hobby or profession surpasses normal human limits, you may use your tools to wield it with increasing applicability and at increasing scales - a painter who uses art of surpassing beauty to argue, churning pieces out at a breakneck clip, an electrician who wires entire cities, shaping strange coils to channel the flow of traffic within it. There are no fundamental limits to what you can accomplish beyond your ability to learn.

Ouroboros

The circle of completion. A basic train table, marble run, or other looping toy set with room to grow. Just as a closed circle implies an interior, so too does your toy circumscribe a place - an otherworld within to which you can open portals to and fro at will. You are the ultimate master of the Ouroboros, and none can gainsay your right to control its circulation and borders.

The interior of the Ouroboros is a macrocosmic reflection of its exterior, a series of closed spaces moving and interlinked in greater cycles. There’s already room enough inside to live there in a pinch, but as you continue to add to its exterior, its interior will grow - each train car or marble either adding a new chamber, or being consumed to increment the scale and magnificence of a chamber that already exists.

Beyond a certain threshold of grandiosity, spaces within the Ouroboros can develop increasingly supernatural qualities: a library train car that gathers cursed tomes, a bathing world that swells with healing waters. There is no fundamental barrier to exploiting these spaces for power in the outside universe, but all advantages are ultimately derived from the use of resources within, albeit renewable ones.

Mantle

The distinction between man and beast. A few tokens of clothing for the winter and the seasons to come - perhaps socks or a scarf, jeans or jacket. Just wearing it already confers benefits based on its nature as clothing, above and beyond what mere clothes make possible - bolstering your willpower with justified confidence, flattering your body so acutely as to push its physical limits, protecting you from the world like a suit of armor.

With an exertion of will, you can choose to don your gifted clothing more completely, as far removed from an ordinary person wearing clothes as a person wearing clothes is removed from the naked. A masque donned as you move through the world becomes a sword to overturn it, permitting the flowering of aesthetics into power: a biker with a chariot of fire, a streetwear super-hacker, a goth commanding the darkness.

Should you mix your outfits and regularly wear another article of clothing together with this set for a year and a day, you may allow some of this stylistic magic to rub off on it. There’s no limit to the number of enchanted articles you can collect, and if you find something new that feels truer to wear, its potency in your hands will be increased to match.

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

Whatever your presents, know that they are a blessing true, treasures that shall never be lost or destroyed, only well-loved and shared as you please.

But there is another gift that must be given before winter’s end, and a burden that must be accepted.

Is it yours to carry?

If you know, in your heart of hearts, that duty comes before joy.

Open the mystery box?

[amournoir]

hiii! can I please request a fluff scenario, #2 for Elijah Mikaelson?

Fluff Prompt | E.M {request}

℘ prompt — #2, sleeping in and cuddling the entire morning

℘ warning — none, only fluff

℘ pairing — elijah mikaelson x f!reader

℘ count — 0.9k

A Furry Surprise

Sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting a warm, golden glow across the room. I stirred in my sleep, blissfully unaware of the surprise that awaited me just a few feet away. As my consciousness drifted closer to the surface, I felt a soft sensation against my face – wet, warm, and incredibly affectionate.

Blinking my eyes open, I was greeted by the most adorable puppy, its tail wagging furiously as it showered me with enthusiastic morning kisses. Confusion quickly gave way to delight as I realized there was a fluffy little ball of fur in bed with me.

“Elijah?” I called out, my voice filled with a mix of surprise and joy.

He appeared in the doorway, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “Good morning, love. I thought you might need a new companion to bring some excitement into your days.”

I couldn't help but squeal with delight, my heart swelling with gratitude for his thoughtful gesture. Clutching the puppy to my chest, I hugged them both tightly. “Oh Eli, you've made me the happiest person in the world! Thank you!”

The puppy's warm, slobbery kisses continued to rain down on my face as I sat up in bed, cradling the little furball in my arms. Its eyes, wide and full of innocence, stared up at me as if to say, “Hello, new friend!” I couldn't help but giggle at its playful antics, feeling an overwhelming surge of love for this tiny creature that had bounded into my life.

“Elijah,” I said, my voice filled with awe, “this is incredible! I can't believe you did this.”

He moved closer, his hand gently caressing the puppy's head. “I noticed how happy you were after spending time with Rosie's dog, and I thought this little one might bring some cheer into our home. Consider it a token of my affection for you.”

I felt tears welling up in my eyes, moved by his thoughtful gesture. “Thank you,” I whispered, my voice catching with emotion. “I can't express how much this means to me.”

Elijah smiled, his eyes softening with tenderness. “You deserve all the happiness in the world, Y/N. I want to see you smile like this every day.”

As I held the puppy close, I couldn't help but marvel at the sheer perfection of the moment. The sun streamed in through the window, casting a warm glow on our faces. The room was filled with the scent of fresh morning air and the sweet aroma of puppy fur. In that moment, I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the man before me, the one who had filled my life with such unexpected joy.

The little puppy, a bundle of energy and curiosity, seemed just as excited as I was. We spent the morning cuddling in bed, the puppy nestled between us, its tiny tail thumping against the mattress in contentment. It was as if the universe had sent us the perfect addition to our little family. As I stroked the puppy's soft fur, I couldn't help but marvel at the depth of Elijah's understanding and love. It was a testament to his thoughtfulness, his ability to see beyond words and anticipate my needs.

With the puppy in tow, we ventured downstairs to introduce our new friend to the rest of the household. The Mikaelson mansion, usually steeped in centuries of history and tradition, was now filled with the infectious energy of a playful puppy. Every corner became a new adventure, every toy a source of endless fascination.

Elijah and I took turns throwing a ball, the puppy's excitement palpable as it chased after it with boundless enthusiasm. Its tiny barks of joy filled the air, echoing through the halls and bringing smiles to our faces.

Throughout the day, the puppy became the center of our attention, its antics providing endless entertainment. We watched as it discovered the wonders of a squeaky toy, its eyes widening with delight every time it made a noise. We marveled at its bravery as it explored the garden, sniffing at flowers and chasing butterflies with unbridled curiosity.

In the midst of our playtime, I looked at Elijah, my heart swelling with love. “Thank you for this incredible gift, Elijah. I can't imagine a more perfect way to bring joy into our lives.”

He placed a gentle kiss on my forehead, his eyes reflecting the same adoration I felt. “You deserve all the happiness in the world, Y/N. I'm just glad I could contribute to that in some small way.”

As the day turned into evening, we settled on the couch, the puppy nestled between us, its little body worn out from a day of excitement. I looked at our new furry friend, a profound sense of gratitude washing over me. In its innocent eyes, I saw the promise of unconditional love and unwavering companionship.

Wrapped in the warmth of our shared love, we spent the evening in quiet contentment, watching as the puppy dozed off, dreaming of more adventures to come. In that moment, I knew that our lives had been forever changed, transformed by the boundless joy and endless love that a tiny, four-legged creature had brought into our home.

As I pressed a gentle kiss to the puppy's forehead, I knew that this day would forever be etched in my heart as a reminder of the boundless love I shared with Elijah. Little did I know that our lives were about to be transformed by the antics, cuddles, and unwavering loyalty of our new furry companion. The world outside seemed to fade away, leaving only the three of us in our little cocoon of love and happiness. And as I looked at the puppy, my heart swelled with anticipation for the countless adventures and endless love that awaited us in the days to come.

🏷️ taglist:

⤷ @mrs-maximoff-kenner @thatfanficstuff @elijahmikaelsontrash @mxacegrey @thatfictionalwh0re @catmikaelson20 @loverswillowed @panic-at-the-fiction @iiskittles16ii @original-siphon @onlyfreds @onlyfredslibrary @slinthoex @i-love-nora @multiversediaries @decoffinated-vamps @hopester08 @aloneatpeace @hopes-wife @voidcameron @klaustopia @dreamingwithrafe @sweetestdesire @cottontears @cottonreads @buckyysdoll @spnandtvdudeservedbetter @impossibleheartflower @spike-and-angels-gf

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[ofdragonsdeep]

18: Hackneyed

Lacking freshness or originality.

Ar'telan had seen all of this before

(DAWNTRAIL SPOILERS for the ENTIRE msq. You have been warned.)

The dread had been building in his stomach long before they stepped through the gate.

All the information they had added up to something horrific, at least in Ar'telan's opinion. The Regulators, the evaded questions, the machine's hunger for energy. He had braced himself a long time ago.

Their arrival had been hurried, spurred on by the nature of the threat, but now his companions paused to debate the best course of action, and Ar'telan found himself awaiting the final call. Sitting in the plaza by the Leynode and taking in the sights.

There was a faint tune on the air, carried by whatever arcane mechanism animated the dead, an irritating distraction in his ears. In the distance, he could see the sights laid out before him - a sprawling city not unlike old Alexandria, an imposing castle, a volcano which he hoped was fake, and a small explosion of greenery, tucked away behind the rest of the zones. The same mechanical soldiers which had slaughtered people with impunity in Everkeep manned stalls selling trinkets for imagined coin to manifested ghosts. They all greeted the party with a cheeriness that belied the nature of the place.

Fake. All of it fake. Hollow and meaningless, a projection in electrope to ease an unending afterlife. It was so replete with electrope that the ground hummed when stepped on, just like the pathways in Solution Nine.

They had fought wars over electrope, Sphene had said. The weapon that had rent the ground so violently a cauldron of levin still simmered in the ruins had been built of electrope, to secure electrope. And she - no, not Sphene. Preservation had built their eternal paradise out of the very thing that had necessitated its construction to begin with. How many thousands had died for the electrope that made up this plaza? Were their memories preserved here, too, sucking more aether from the system?

"Ar'telan! We're going to canal town." G'raha seemed cheerful, at least, although Ar'telan was sure it was at least somewhat because he wanted to study how the electrope worked. "Are you alright?"

"Yes. Don't worry about me," Ar'telan replied, nodding to back up his statement. He was more worried about Erenville, who had gone very quiet since their arrival, even by his standards. this was not Ar'telan's first horrific recreation of life, although this time he dearly hoped would be the last. Every time he hoped the same.

---

Walking the streets of Canal Town did not help.

He had spoken to a few of the 'residents', trying to get some idea of what it was like to be an Endless. From their stories, they spent the majority of their time stored as data on the terminals, only manifesting when aether allowed. There were always new things to experience, and they did remember their time, but there was a strange dispassion to it. The idea of being trapped, ephemeral, unable to do anything but aware of being, seemed horrific to Ar'telan. Then again, perhaps they only noted their time in the terminals by the spaces between when they walked around.

They were not dead, precisely. They were no longer alive, but they still remembered. Still experienced. Everything they encountered in Living Memory was pre-ordained by the system, a neatly packaged saccharine existence, but they lived it. Ar'telan had stared at the gondolas, being rowed on their redolant way across the canals, and wondered how many people had died to fuel the nostalgia.

He considered it a nightmare. The threat of death had been very real in recent years, but the idea of not even being allowed to truly die when it came made horror crawl up his throat at the thought. Stored in perpetuity, nothing but data and emotion, every moment logged and planned, trapped in a creation that tried to evoke simplicity and joy and ran on blood.

He wondered if they had even thought about it, when they had first planned it. That the memories stored here would only ever increase, and it was only a matter of time before there were more dead than living. Only a matter of time before even basic maintenance of the systems needed more aether than the natural deaths could provide.

Why, why, had they not found some other source? At least if it had been powered by the levin crackling across the dome, he could have made his own peace with knowing he would never choose this afterlife, and watched the others without judgement. But they knew. They knew that they lived an existence fuelled by death. Knew that Sphene was planning something that could only be a massacre on a grand scale, and simply did not worry about it.

Were they allowed to? They felt alive, when he spoke to them, but could he say with certainty that the machines which sustained them even let them dissent?

Sphene couldn't. Her voice had cracked as she had made her proclamations, determined though she was. Her hesitance had always been there, though he hadn't known the reasons for it at the time. She had to sustain this place. And maybe it did not tamper directly with the memories of the Endless, but none but Cahcuia had even thought to question a system that they clearly understood.

Maybe that was why they didn't try to stop them as they walked up to the terminal.

---

The banal horror picked at him.

None of the residents of Castle Town seemed to pay any heed to the grey, featureless expanse that Canal Town had become. Those few that lingered in the grey, empty streets seemed more inconvenienced by what they knew as the cessation of everyone they had come to know. Committed, even in their final moments, to the idea of paradise.

Then there was Otis. It was not Otis. The true Otis had been contained entirely within his machine body, as Ar'telan understood it, which meant he had been reconstructed piecemeal to star in this idyllic vision. Indeed, the fact that he did not remember Ar'telan or Wuk Lamat at all only confirmed it for him.

Was Sphene still herself, below the programming? How much of her had made it into the Endless? Was there anything left of their gentle Queen from her mortal life at all?

How many others were only there as an idea of someone else's making?

Did it influence the machines? The chances of being manifested at the same time as someone you knew? He had helped reunite those lost lovers, one who had grown old with a hole in her soul she had no name for, but what if she hadn't held out for an impossible dream? Would they have passed each other by, or would she have conveniently forgotten?

He hated it. He hated it so much.

---

By the time they reached the Windspath Gardens, Ar'telan was ready to leave.

The background music had faded to a tinny, mournful note, churned out by only one of the four areas with very little strength. Behind him, the dull, empty grey painted a path they had cut through with the most final kind of death. Sphene hadn't responded. Couldn't, perhaps. And the people in the final zone carried on with their days, casual remarks about what once had been when the aether was plentiful their only acknowledgement of how anything had changed.

The others had been moved by what they'd seen. Wuk Lamat had been able to say a goodbye that the living Namikka had never got to experience with lucidity. Krile had been able to meet the parents who had left her on the Source, desperate for her to grow up free of the horror they were party to - and though their souls had long since been cycled through the system, and the memories had lasted not long after, it had done Krile so much good to see them. Ar'telan had kept his peace on what he thought of the place out of respect for what they were going through, but it did not change his view.

The mask had only slipped for a moment when G'raha had confessed he understood how Preservation had got here. But he had still kept his silence.

Erenville's discomfort he understood. Cahcuia had died without ever seeing her son again. Her memories saw him now, and asked him to kill her again. She knew what it meant, of course she did. But she was the only one he had seen in the entirety of Living Memory who had confessed that their not-life, confined to this fairytale and sustained with the lives of others, was no way to live.

Erenville had done it, in the end. Ar'telan had stood next to him as he did, and they had not exchanged words, but Ar'telan had known he needed someone to support the choice.

---

Ar'telan stared at the Meso terminal, topped with a lovingly-rendered image of Queen Sphene. Listened to the announcement over a crackling tannoy to an empty realm.

She was so desperate to save them. Every one of her subjects, who she knew so deeply, connected to her in the web of electrope that united everyone in Living Memory. She had sworn that they were precious to her, each and every one. That their survival meant everything to her.

So desperate to save them, that she could not save herself. And in so doing, proved the lie of saving every one of them. What did her life, her history, her feelings matter, when weighed against the world?

This, this one simple notion, was the only part of it Ar'telan understood.

[adelleandlaura4ever]

A New Year’s Poem for My Soulmate

Seven Stanzas for Seven Beautiful Years

.

The clock strikes twelve, the stars align so bright,

Adelle, my love, you’re my guiding light.

Each passing year, our bond grows strong and true,

With every step, my heart belongs to you.

.

We’ve painted days in colors bold and grand,

Together, always, hand in loving hand.

From quiet whispers to dreams that soar above,

This life we share is built on endless love.

.

Through seasons’ change, through life’s unsure tides,

Your love, my anchor, forever abides.

Each challenge met, each triumph we achieve,

Our story’s proof of all that we believe.

.

Oh, Peas&Carrots, where our hearts take flight,

A blog of joy, of laughter, pure delight.

Each word we write, a treasure to unfold,

Our love immortal, a story to be told.

.

This seventh year, a milestone we greet,

With hearts so full, our journey feels complete.

Yet still, we dream 😍 , for there is more to find,

Together, love, in body, heart, and mind.

.

Tonight, the stars shine brighter in the sky,

As I hold your hand and whisper, “You’re my why.”

Each kiss, each touch, a promise we renew,

Forevermore, I’ll choose and cherish you.

.

So here’s to us, to all that lies ahead,

To dreams fulfilled, to love’s sweet path we tread.

With you, my darling, the world feels brand new,

Happy New Year, my Soulmate – my Adelle, my you.

❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

My Dearest Adelle,

Happy New Year!

As the world celebrates the arrival of a new year, my heart is filled with gratitude and love for you. While others may focus on resolutions and fresh starts, I’m simply reminded of the countless ways you’ve already made my life extraordinary. With you, every year feels like the best one yet, and this new beginning is no different – because you’re by my side.

Seven years ago, I fell hopelessly in love with you, and it still feels like the most beautiful dream. Back then, we were just starting our journey, full of hopes and promises for the future. And look at us now: those dreams have blossomed into a life more wonderful than I could have ever imagined.

As we step into this New Year together, I can’t help but reflect on everything we’ve built – our laughter, our adventures, our quiet moments, our rose garden and the most beautiful blog on Tumblr. You are my constant source of joy, my unwavering support, and my greatest inspiration. With you, every day is brighter, fuller, and more meaningful than the last.

Tonight, as the clock strikes twelve, my heart is full of hope – not because of what the New Year may bring, but because I know that whatever it holds, we’ll face it together. You are my forever, my Soulmate, my Love and my reason to celebrate every single moment.

Here’s to us, to the love we’ve nurtured, and to all the incredible memories yet to come. You are my everything, and I’ll love you now and always.

Happy New Year, my beautiful Soulmate!

All my love, forever and ever ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ 🌈

@adelle4ever

@adelleandlaura4ever

[newthoughtimages]

Happy Birthday Wishes By Month For Family And Friends

Here are personalized "Happy Birthday" wishes tailored for each month, perfect for sending to family and friends:

January Birthday Wishes

"Happy Birthday! January might be cold, but your heart and spirit warm up everyone around you. Wishing you a year filled with cozy moments and endless joy!"

"As the new year begins, so does another beautiful chapter of your life. Happy January Birthday! May this year be as bright and promising as the start of a fresh new year."

February Birthday Wishes

"Happy Birthday to my favorite February-born! Just like the month of love, you fill our lives with warmth and affection. Wishing you a day full of love and a year full of happiness!"

"You bring light to the shortest month of the year. Happy Birthday, February baby! May your year be filled with all the love and joy you bring to others."

March Birthday Wishes

"Happy Birthday! March is a time of renewal and growth, and I hope this year brings you fresh opportunities and blooming happiness."

"As the world starts to wake up from winter, we celebrate you, dear March-born! Wishing you a year of blossoming success and endless joy."

April Birthday Wishes

"Happy Birthday to my favorite April-born! Just like spring, you bring color and life to everyone around you. Wishing you a year full of new beginnings and endless happiness."

"April showers bring May flowers, and your birthday brings so much joy! May your year be as refreshing and beautiful as a spring day."

May Birthday Wishes

"Happy Birthday! May is a month of beauty and growth, just like you. Wishing you a year filled with blooming opportunities and endless happiness."

"Wishing the happiest of birthdays to my favorite May-born! May your life continue to blossom and bring you all the joy you deserve."

June Birthday Wishes

"Happy Birthday to the sunshine of June! May your special day be as bright and warm as the start of summer. Wishing you a year full of adventures and happiness."

"June is here, and so is your special day! Wishing you a birthday as warm and joyful as a summer breeze."

July Birthday Wishes

"Happy Birthday to my favorite July-born! May your year be as radiant and joyful as a summer day. Here’s to another year of sunshine and smiles!"

"As summer reaches its peak, so do our celebrations for you! Happy July Birthday! May your year be filled with bright days and warm nights."

August Birthday Wishes

"Happy Birthday! August is the height of summer, just like you’re the highlight of our lives. Wishing you a year full of warmth, love, and endless happiness."

"Wishing a fabulous August-born a very Happy Birthday! May your year be as hot and exciting as the peak of summer."

September Birthday Wishes

"Happy Birthday! As September brings the beauty of fall, may your life be filled with colors of joy, love, and success."

"Wishing the happiest of birthdays to my favorite September-born! May this new year be as beautiful and serene as the fall season."

October Birthday Wishes

"Happy Birthday to my favorite October-born! Just like the crisp autumn air, you bring a refreshing joy to everyone around you. Wishing you a year full of cozy moments and happiness."

"As the leaves change, so does the season of your life. Happy October Birthday! May your year be filled with warmth and wonderful surprises."

November Birthday Wishes

"Happy Birthday! November might be chilly, but you bring warmth to everyone around you. Wishing you a year full of gratitude and endless joy."

"Wishing the happiest of birthdays to my favorite November-born! May your year be as warm and comforting as a cozy autumn day."

December Birthday Wishes

"Happy Birthday! December is a time of celebration and joy, just like you. Wishing you a year full of festive moments and wonderful surprises."

"As the year comes to a close, we celebrate you and all the joy you bring to our lives. Happy December Birthday! May your year be filled with love and light."

These month-specific birthday wishes can add a personal touch to your messages for family and friends.

[jellymellydraws]

Masterlist ~ <<Previous Chapter ~ Next Chapter >>

Astarion x Dark Urge Chapter 03 Rating: E Tags: Angst, Fluff, hurt/comfort, slow burn, two guarded people fall in love so hard it makes them stupid

Chapter Summary:

After a rough night of sleep, at least Rose could enjoy the sunrise. The party travels to the druid grove, aiming to get information on their specific affliction. Each new detail requires a change in plans, and more supplies. Seems the people in the grove have their own problems-- wonder what they'll be willing to pay for some assistance?

What she wanted was to be enveloped in darkness, for sleep to take hold and for nothingness to surround her until morning. What she got instead was a blanket of red. Endless red. Blood. All…

Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood.

Blood, gore, and slaughter filling the view behind her eyelids. Screams from her victims harmonized with the drumming of her heartbeat. Her hands clawing into endless intestines, feeling the satisfying squish between her closing fingers. 

Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood.

The faceless victim screamed and clawed at her arm, tearing her flesh open. The sensation was pure ecstacy . It wasn't until their voice quieted that she could appreciate the scent wafting from their open torso. Oh, how they still smelled fresh .

Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood.

Piles of corpses surrounded her, like a fleshy meadow beneath a red sky. The cool sensation of droplets fell upon her face, like rain falling from a cloudless sky. But the smell of rain did not come, only more of that coppery hint.

The saccharine life liquid pooled around her, seeping into the fabric of clothes. In the glossy puddle, she could see her twisted smile, the glint of her amber eyes looking back at her. Pure untainted joy radiated from that grin.

She loved this. 

She craved this.

She —

Woke up. 

Rose sat up in her bedroll, with sweat on her brow, and hands shaking. The campfire had long gone out, but the light of early morning cast a faint glow into the crypt. Well, just the area behind the destroyed wall. Someone must have gone out through the hatch. She wiped her brow and quietly sat up, trying not to wake the others. Following the light, she made her way to the ladder past the collapsed crypt wall and climbed out to the surface.

Sitting in the grass, Astarion watched the sun rising over the horizon. He was deep in thought, until a purple-haired amnesiac crawled through the hole in the ground. He quickly put on his signature smile to greet her.

“Ah, good morning,” he started to purr, but quickly stopped, “are you alright? You look…”

“Like hell?” Rose finished, fully sitting in the grass beside him now.

“Rabid. Pained. Sick.”

“Does ‘like hell’ not cover those?” 

“No, you look a bit worse than that I’m afraid,” he looked her over, much to her chagrin, “You poor thing, you’re even spasming and twitching.”

Hells, he was right. She couldn’t stop her hands from shaking.

“Just a rough night,” she insisted, “a little fresh air, some breakfast, and I should be okay.”

“Mh…do take care of yourself,” Astarion requested, though it sounded half sincerely, “I don’t think I can stand taking orders from Lae’zel. She was ready to have us travel until we passed out. You’re a bit more reasonable.”

“Noted.”

The two sat in silence as sunlight washed over the ocean, slowly it rolled onto the shore. Astarion smiled as he basked in its warmth, a soft expression for the typically sharp tongued elf. Even after just a day she learned a lot about the group she found herself leading. Astarion and Shadowheart were the most secretive it would seem, but for what reasons she could not tell. In the way he spoke, it was like a melody he had sung before. His gestures, even his expressions, she saw how perfectly rehearsed they seemed. But here? In this moment? She felt like she was getting a glimpse of him.

A glimpse that he did not want her to see, clearly. For he plastered that mirful grin back on his face and turned towards her to say something. 

“How was your first night camping?” Rose asked, a smirk coming across her face when she saw him briefly stumble that she beat him to break the silence.

“Oh— well, you know,” he recovered quickly, listing off his experiences on his fingers, “uncomfortable, damp, smelled a bit moldy— not as glamorous as some adventurers make it sound.” He paused as he looked towards the horizon again, “but it isn’t all bad, I suppose…and how about you? Besides, well,” he gestured to her poor state, “whatever caused that .”

“Oh,” she scoffed, trying to regain whatever sense of composure she could, “just a nightmare…is all. Yesterday might’ve affected me more than I realized.” She hoped he would buy it.

But she didn’t get a chance to confirm that— she heard the sound of metal clanging echo in the crypt below. Armor being donned, no doubt. Rose stood up and began descending the ladder again, making one last comment as she went.

“Sounds like it’s officially time to start the day.” 

As she hoped, she was feeling better for the day after getting fresh air and eating a Gale-made breakfast. No one else mentioned her looking sickly, for which she was grateful. The prep for the travel ahead was quick, with roles being assigned with little to no issue. Lae’zel and Gale took the lead (Rose was pretty sure Gale volunteered specifically to ask about Gith history and Astral Planar subjects). Shadowheart volunteered to carry a crate of wares, which could prove useful if the grove had its own merchant. Astarion and Rose took up the rear. 

They spent a few hours trekking through the wilderness, witty banter helping the time go by. Shadowheart and Astarion seemed to become quick friends, with the way they joked at the other’s expense like it was sport. Even more of a sport was how fast Lae’zel could threaten someone for saying the wrong thing to her. In a way, Rose wondered if it was how the Gith was trying to banter. The threats held little weight, she decided. All in good fun. Maybe.

The marching stopped abruptly, and the group wasn’t saying a word. There was another commotion further ahead, one that she couldn’t make sense of. Lae’zel looked to the back of the line and tilted her head towards elevated ground when she looked at Rose. There was something ahead, and repositioning was necessary. She pulled out her daggers and took Astarion with her to higher ground.

She saw a gate, covered with vines and embedded in the stone. Well hidden, to anyone who wasn’t sure what they were looking for. Impressive. But its well hidden entryway was no match for the small party banging at the door, begging for the gate to be let up. Rose and Astarion were low to the ground, scoping out the rest of the area. Hidden by walls of stone, with few beaten paths leading towards the entrance. She heard the panic in the adventurer’s voices.

“They’re running from something,” Rose whispered to Astarion.

“I think I found what,” he nudged her and nodded towards a group of goblins creeping up the path.

“If we help them, they’ll owe us.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

She smirked to the elf as she procured a bottle from her belt. His own grin widened, realizing it was filled with grease— and he had the fire they needed. Rose stood up from her spot and threw the bottle where the path opened towards the gate. The attention of the grove was now on them, uncertain if she was friend or foe. Their blades were drawn quickly, but she’d be damned if they would be pointed at her.

“Goblins!” She shouted to the gate, just as Astarion cast his magic and sent a small bolt of fire towards the puddle.

“You fools!” The tiefling gatekeeper shouted to the small group at the gate, “you lead them right to us!”

The goblins ran up the path, with a worg in tow, trying to clear the grease before it went aflame. Several managed to make it past the grease puddle, but the explosion cut their ranks in half. The grove alerted their forces with the blow of a warhorn, and more soldiers came to their aid. Rose happily jumped down from her perch, carving into the goblin archers who hid in the backline. The sensation of their blood spraying over her face sent a pleasurable shiver down her spine.

Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood.

Their screams serenaded her eardrums, punctuated by the drumming of her heartbeat. If it weren’t for their armor, she would have grabbed their own hearts to feel it beat in the palm of her hand.

Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood.

Rose didn’t know who she was. Hardly knew her name. But this? The slashing of her dagger, the smell of liquid copper, the dying screams. She knew this was something she liked. She needed more . More carnage, more slaughter more—

“Rose,” Shadowheart’s call snapped her back to reality, “let me heal you.”

Standing in the middle of dead goblins, covered in blood, Rose hadn’t realized she was wounded. The pain in her arm finally began to register, and it hurt like a bitch . Shadowheart quickly used her magic to seal the wound.

“You were in your own world there, weren’t you?” she asked as the cool healing touch washed over Rose, “I’ve seen that look before, like a hunter who found their kill.”

‘So maybe I was a hunter…’ Rose considered.

“I guess I was for a moment,” Rose confessed to the half-elf.

“Just don’t forget who your allies are,” she warned, “I’ve seen that happen too.”

Thanks to their advantage, they sustained very few casualties on their side. Some injuries, but no deaths, thankfully. When it was safe for the gates to open, no one stopped Rose’s group from following the others inside their walls. 

“There are bound to be more,” Shadowheart noted as the gates closed behind them, “if we were hoping for sanctuary, I doubt we’ll get it here.”

“Good thing we don’t intend on staying for long,” Rose responded, getting a look at the area as they walked further into the grove. Tieflings with carts and tarps were the first sight. Prepared for travel— probably already in the middle of traveling from the looks of it. 

“Zevlor, what the hell!?” Shouting up ahead, from the adventurer who was just outside, “ You were going to leave us to die?!”

“There are children here, Aradin!” Shouted the gatekeeper, “What were you thinking?!”

“We were running for our bloody lives!”

Rose waited on the sidelines, watching their argument unfold. There was a lot she gleaned from their fighting. There was a druid with their party, who did not return. This Druid sounded important to the grove, in some way. When the tensions reached a boiling point, another skirmish was at risk of breaking out.

“Hey,” Rose cut in, “sounds more like these Goblins were an unintended problem. Arguing isn’t going to solve them. Or the friends that’ll come looking for them.”

“And who the fuck are you?” Aradin, turned to her, fist balled and ready to be thrown at a mild inconvenience.

“She’s the reason we could beat those goblins,” The tiefling, Zevlor, shot back, “And she’s right— the grove isn’t going to be safe for long with a goblin party dead at the gates,” he turned to Rose and smiled gratefully, “Thank you for your aid.”

The interruption looked to be enough to discourage Aradin’s further arguing. He waved the group off and stormed further into the grove, grumbling about bloody goblins and a shit employer.

“Sadly, we don’t have much to offer in terms of payment,” Zevlor apologized, “we were invited to stay by this Grove’s first druid, Halsin. But since he went with those adventurers, his replacement hasn’t been quite as patient. Kagha is trying to push us out and isolate this place. This attack might just be the reason she needs to do it.”

“That’s unfortunate. But maybe you can repay us with information if you don’t have the gold.” Rose negotiated.

“Sure, if I can.”

“We’re looking for someone named Zorru who we think is somewhere here. He ran into a githyanki patrol some time ago and we wanted to ask him some questions.”

Zevlor eyed Lae’zel, who returned a scowl. As expected, there would be more tension surrounding their gith companion if Zorru had a chance to tell the rest of his people about the ambush. No doubt the casualties would’ve been enough. But thankfully, under the obligation of owing their lives to Rose, Zevlor wouldn’t hold back.

“He’s further ahead, watching our supplies.”

“Anywhere we can sell our wares?” Shadowheart chimed in, lightly shaking their crate of goods.

“Ah, a few. Dammon could find a use for scrap metal. The druids also have their own trader— Arron, right by the Silvanus statue.”

“Thanks.” Rose nodded to him and proceeded to walk further into the grove.

Considering that most of their wares were weapons, they visited the tiefling smith first. While trading, she got a bit more information about the situation surrounding this grove. The tieflings were refugees, heading to Baldur’s Gate to start a new life after their hometown was sold to Avernus for a short time. Halsin sounded like a strong healer, but left his apprentice to handle his healer duties when he left with Aradin’s party. No one really knew for what reason, but he was adamant about going wherever their contract was taking them. As for the new leader, the tieflings clearly did not like her (considering she wanted to kick them out), and the other druids seemed to be mixed. As intriguing as this information was becoming, the business with the tieflings wasn’t really a problem she cared to handle. But she’d be a fool to completely ignore it. There could be an opportunity for her, yet.

Dammon handed them a small pouch of gold in exchange for the weapons and metal they brought to him, and was happy enough to give them directions to the storehouse Zorru was posted outside of.

Lae'zel sighed appreciatively, glad she was not being forgotten, before they proceeded. He was right where Dammon said, posted outside a storage building that looked like it was barely holding itself together. Zorru looked like he had seen a ghost when the whole group approached him. His hand rushed to the hilt of his blade.

“Stay back!” He commanded shakily, “Come back to finish the job? My friends weren’t enough slaughter for you!?”

“Easy,” Rose lifted her empty hands as a show of good faith, “we only had some questions about the ambush.”

Zorru eyed her cautiously, then to Lae’zel who was grinning at the cowardly display.

“Only questions?” Zorru asked. Rose nodded. When he released his hilt, Lae’zel stepped forward with her arms crossed.

“A proper greeting in my creche is a bow,” she stated. Waited. Then, threateningly, “bow.”

Rose, Astarion, and Shadowheart collectively smirked, watching as the tiefling looked to them for aid.

“I would do as she says,” Rose suggested, “if you want to keep it ‘only questions.’”

So, with the fear for his life clear in his eyes, he bowed. He continued to bow as Lae’zel demanded him lower, until he was practically kissing the ground.

“See what I meant,” Astarion whispered jokingly to Rose, “if she was our leader, she’d make us bow to her every morning. Ugh. ”

Rose couldn’t hold back her snickering, happy to play along with the elf while Lae’zel got the information she needed. Rose handed over her map when Zorru was ready to show them where the gith patrol ambushed his team. While he was marking the map, she examined the storehouse behind him. Between the crooked slats, she saw crates inside. Lots of them. She wondered what other supplies the tieflings brought with them, and if they would miss any. But before she could consider that, she would need to find a way inside.

"You aren't going to eviscerate him?" Astarion pouted, "I was hoping for a show."

"Cool your blood," Lae'zel hissed, "I'll indulge you soon enough." She snatched the map back when Zorru held it up to her, "Leave."

She didn’t have to tell him twice. Zorru bolted around them, getting another bout of chuckles from their mischievous group. Rose rolled out the map on the ground, and they all circled around it to see where Zorru had marked. Shadowheart pulled out her own map to copy the new markings. The destination was a lot further than she anticipated, leading to the foothills of a mountain from the looks of it.

“Let me see that,’ Gale ran his finger along the map, muttering numbers to himself as he went. It sounded like he was measuring the distance, “That’s a few days travel away,” he concluded, “and if I’m not mistaken, that’s the direction those goblins came from. We’ll need to be on our guard”

“I doubt this gith patrol will still be there by the time we arrive to this spot,” Shadowheart said, “Lae’zel, this is going to turn into a never-ending game of catch-up.”

“I’m not playing games, Shadowheart ,” Lae’zel snapped, “if this is where the ambush happened, it means a creche wouldn’t be too far. Even if we don’t find the patrol, we can find the creche. I assure you.”

“And the goblins? I feel like we’re glossing over the goblins,” Gale reminded.

The three went back and forth about strategy. Lae’zel didn’t seem worried about handling some goblins on the road, but Shadowheart was insistent that the small group was likely part of a larger tribe. Rose did the math herself. A few days travel, when they only had a single day to recoup and barely scrape by. They could use the wilderness around them to hunt and forage, but that would slow them down and require more time to stop and rest. The goblin situation could be an issue, depending where their camp was and how large. If it was a whole tribe nearby, getting through to their destination would be tricky. On the other hand, slaughtering a whole goblin tribe did sound like fun, though…

“It doesn’t matter if we don’t get more supplies,” Rose interjected, silencing the rest of them. Well, at least Astarion wasn’t the only one who acknowledged her as ‘leader.’ She pulled out the pouch of gold from their recent trade with Dammon and split the coins among the lot of them, “they have merchants here, which means food and camping gear. Healers, which means potions and elixirs. Scouts, which means information about the area. Let’s make the most of the next hour to better prepare for our travel ahead. We’ll regroup here before we head out.”

Shadowheart volunteered to seek information, alone. Before anyone could protest (or join her), she stood up with her map and walked back towards Dammon. Rose eyed the other three expectantly, testing who would be the next to volunteer their next task. Lae’zel and Gale decided to get potions from an elderly woman who seemed to know what she was doing with the dry herbs hanging in her stall. Astarion was still considering his options. 

“Astarion, you’re with me,” Rose directed.

“Me?” He pointed towards himself with mock surprise, “If you wanted us to be alone, all you have to do is ask.”

Rose rolled her eyes, but her grin betrayed her gesture of annoyance. 

“Listen,” she nodded to the storage house, speaking to him now in a hushed tone, “I think they’re keeping a good bunch of supplies in here. Let’s find a way inside, see what we can get from it.”

“Oh, I knew I liked you,” Astarion smirked, “alright, let’s go.”

With a smirk and nod, Rose and Astarion began scoping out the area for a way into the storage house. The clock was ticking. One hour to get in, get out, and avoid witnesses.

They could do this. 

Easily.

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