#fuzzy-cloud-head-queen

[bunnis-monsters]

you're probably tired of bee asks, but i have to know: how fuzzy are they? the babies are understandably very fluffy, but what about the guards, drones, and attendants? does fuzziness depend on what their purpose is and how coarse/fine it is? like the attendants have silkier fluff to look more appealing to the queen and the guards have coarser, thicker fluff to help protect themselves while defending the hive?

You’ve hit the nail on the head!

The queen’s attendants are incredibly soft and fluffy, her boy toys ESPECIALLY! Some of her attendants are her sons, and their softness depends on their father’s fluff.

Bees that leave the hive often have thicker/rougher fuzz to protect themselves from the harsh outside world.

Scientist bees have fuzz that is protective against dangerous chemicals!! It’s a gene that has been purposefully bred for many years. Bee hybrids are actually quite sensitive to harmful chemicals(like most insects are), but the scientists can take a whole lot more punishment!

They’re trying to breed this into drones as well, by selecting drones that carry the queen to breed with the queen more often.

Speaking of drones, they breed with the queen a lot and also serve as the military force. They’re strong, and have course fuzz. Fun fact though, it softens up to a bearable texture when it’s time to mate with the queen!

Bees that stay inside the hive most of their lives have no need for protective fuzz and are so fluffy and soft that they feel like being hugged by a cloud!

And ofc baby bees are just fluffy little fuzz balls!

[usercelestial]

Forever Love

General Audiences | Words: 3,753 | TW: Sexual Harassment

-

Buck misses Tommy. He always misses Tommy. He misses him when he’s in the bathroom, when he’s at work, when he’s sat across the table and their feet aren’t touching. Buck is self-aware enough to know that he has a problem. But this time, it’s serious.

He’s drunk. And Tommy isn’t here.

And they’re fighting.

He’s just a little past tipsy in a gay bar where the music is too loud and the floor is too sticky but the rainbow flags in the window give him this fuzzy feeling in his chest. It’s nice, knowing he has a community, having a sense of belonging. Having something he didn’t know he was missing, being with people who are like him. It’s queerness and tacky rainbow tank tops and seeing color for the first time and breathing in and out without the weight of something missing sitting on his chest.

“Dude, this place is great!”

Oh, Eddie’s here too.

They started the night at Eddie’s house. Buck ran to Eddie the minute he slammed the front door of his and Tommy’s new house and jumped in his Jeep.

He doesn’t remember what the fight was about, not just because the alcohol was kind of making it hard to remember details, but because it was really about nothing in particular. Or maybe it was about everything. All the little things like Tommy leaving his shoes in the doorway and Buck forgetting to load the dishwasher. One bad shift, a few small jabs, and then suddenly they were screaming at each other. And then Buck ran.

They had moved in together three weeks ago. The first two weeks were bliss, but now a heavy storm cloud has settled over their home. Buck thinks about the honeymoon phase everyone was warning him about and he aches to go back to it. He remembers when he used to think Tommy had never done anything wrong and if he had, there were perfectly reasonable explanations for it. But now he’s seeing him in more varied colors than just rose-tinted ones. And he’s realizing Tommy is having the same revelation. They're more themselves, more adult, messier and complicated. And Buck’s terrified.

But he’s also pissed.

��Can you fucking believe he yelled at me for something so petty?” Buck had said, pacing around Eddie’s living room, “It’s like he wasn’t even listening to me.”

“Well, didn’t you also yell at him?”

“Who’s side are you on?”

A small, petty part of him was smug about getting to Eddie before Tommy did. The last few fights they had, Tommy had been the one to storm out and seek solace in the Diaz home. This time, Buck ran before Tommy had the chance. He had been happy to share his side of the story and Eddie was a kind enough friend to realize Buck needed to vent his very biased account of things, nodding along and giving support where it was needed.

Then came the beers. Then the bars. Then Buck spotted those rainbow flags in the window while stumbling along the sidewalk and told Eddie that if he was a good ally, he would follow him in and let him blow off some steam.

Except now, he’s kind of running out of steam. He misses his boyfriend and the guilt of raising his voice is starting to dampen his mood. He feels regret souring on his tongue and it’s diluting all the endorphins that were released from doing shots with Drag Queens earlier in the night.

Eddie’s still going strong though. His hair is kind of messy, glitter decorating his pink cheeks, a goofy smile plastered across his face. He lost the button up he started the night with so now he’s rocking a white tank top that shows off his arms nicely. Needless to say he’s getting a lot of attention- attention that he’s either ignoring or oblivious to.

“Dude, dude, why don’t we come here more often? Why do we go to the sad bar for straight people when we could come here instead? Everyone’s so nice!” Eddie is starting to shout in his ear a little bit.

“You can just come here on your own, you know,” Buck suggests.

Eddie shakes his head, “I don’t wanna… um-” he cuts off, snapping his fingers, “intrude! I don’t wanna intrude. Do you think if I ask Josh, he’d take me? He talks about feeling weird coming to bars alone all the time! OH!” Eddie gasps, like he’s had a great idea, “Should I text Josh? He could come down here, it’d be great!”

Eddie starts to take his phone out before Buck stops him, “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Eds.”

Eddie waves him off before the song changes and suddenly he’s disappearing back into the crowd of swaying bodies. Buck should probably try to keep an eye on him but he’s busy silently mourning the quiet night in with his boyfriend he was going to have. Then he starts to mourn the night he wanted to spend distracting himself from his own grievances with said boyfriend, trying to drown out the voice telling him how badly he fucked things up. Now, he’s playing babysitter to giddy-drunk Eddie.

“Don’t you look lonely.” Suddenly there’s a body pushing against his side and alcohol-ridden breath wafting over his ear.

He reels back, cringing at the close proximity. He huffs and takes another sip of his beer.

“Oh, what, you’re gonna give me the cold shoulder?” The guy moves closer again. “Come on, what’s got you so down?”

He ignores him again, trying to turn his body away. The guy slides a hand against his side and fingers the hem of his shirt. Buck shoves him off.

“Fuck off,” Buck growls, and then for good measure, “I’ve got a boyfriend.” Who he misses. God, he wishes Tommy was here.

“Well, I don’t see him anywhere. Must not be a very good boyfriend, then.”

Buck starts to get defensive, opening his mouth to speak, before the words jumble in his throat. It’s a little hard to think coherently, but what comes to mind are images of Tommy making him dinner after a long shift, scrubbing his hands through his soapy hair in the shower, kissing his birthmark before bed every night. He’s not sure how to articulate it, all the feelings rising in his throat at the claim that Tommy isn’t a good boyfriend, a good partner, a good person.

“Buck! Buck, listen, man, you gotta try this drink- oh, who’s this?”

The guy scoffs as Eddie suddenly reappears from God knows where, “Really? This guy?” He points at Eddie.

Eddie looks behind him wildly, “Who?”

Buck thinks briefly about drowning himself in one of the bar toilets. Then decides he’d be getting out of this too easy, and this is probably karma for ruining the great thing he had going with Tommy.

“So you’re his boyfriend?” The guy is now directly talking to Eddie.

There are several looks that pass over Eddie’s face. He looks like he’s solving a puzzle for a second then there’s a little twinkle in his eye and then he straightens his back with determination and pride, “Yep!”

Buck chokes on his own spit, “What?”

“Hey, I’m Tommy, Buck- no, Evan’s boyfriend.” He looks immensely proud of himself, “So, bye. He’s taken. By me, Tommy, I’m a great pilot and subpar at Muay Thai. So leave us alone.”

The guy apparently has decided to double down on being an ass, though, “Really, you could do so much better.” He’s turned back to Buck now. “Why would you ever choose to be with a guy who can’t hold his beer and makes an idiot of himself in public?”

“He’s not an idiot!” Buck throws his hands in the air. He’s not sure if he’s defending Tommy or Eddie here, but they’re kind of blurring into one person right now.

“What do you have going for you anyways, bro? I’m a pilot!” Eddie decides to puff his chest out a little now, shoving his hands in his front pockets. Buck realizes he’s trying to mimic Tommy’s mannerisms, much to his own horror. Now is probably not a good time to mention that this guy doesn’t actually know what Tommy looks like, therefore he doesn’t actually need to pretend to be Tommy. But his heart clenches at how hard Eddie’s trying anyways. “A firefighter-pilot!” Eddie continues, “Those are like two of the hottest professions you can have. I also do Muay Thai, although not as good as my amazing friend, Eddie, but still very good.”

“Wow, self-obsessed much?” The guy tries to touch Buck’s arm, “Come on, don’t you wanna ditch him? Do you really think this guy is gonna give you what you need?”

“What do you know about what he needs? I’ll have you know that we live together, actually!” Eddie is starting to shout again, “It’s going great. Or well, it is, isn’t it?” He turns to Buck.

“What?”

“It is going great, right? Like we’re still happy, aren’t we?”

Buck thinks of Tommy at home right now, sitting on the sofa in his stupid, sexy reading glasses. He’s probably still fuming from the fight. Buck pictures him biting his nails, a habit he’s tried to kick. He whines a little in the back of his throat at the thought of being his point of stress. His bones ache to curl up in bed, head tucked into Tommy’s shoulder, feeling Tommy’s arm gently graze over his spine. He thinks about moving around the kitchen with him, seamlessly in tune with his every move. He thinks about coming up behind him and pulling Tommy back’s flush against his chest and kissing his hairline.

“Yeah, of course, we’re still happy.”

“Do you really have to ask?” The guy asks smugly, quirking an eyebrow.

Eddie’s still looking at him though, eyes searching, “I worry about that sometimes, you know? Like,” he breathes and makes a decision, “sometimes I’ll talk to our friend, Eddie. And I’ll tell him how much I love you, but how scared I am that I don’t make you happy enough. And it doesn’t matter how many times I-or Eddie tells me that you’re the happiest you’ve ever been, I’m scared you’re gonna wake up and realize there’s something else out there for you. At least, that’s what I tell Eddie. And I swore him to secrecy too, I made him promise not to mention that to you because I don't want you to think I’m a burden or anything. And because Eddie is such a good friend, he promised he wouldn’t say anything but I think now Eddie is getting tired of watching us both think the other one could do better. That’s how Eddie feels. Cause we’re both great, you know. Best friends he’s ever had.”

“Is that how uh- you really feel?” Buck asks, “You think I’m gonna find something better?”

Eddie nods, lips pursed, “Well, it's not like- I don't think you're gonna just walk out with some fuck-face you meet at a bar,” he gestures to the guy still standing there confused, “but I think I’m more worried you’re going to realize I’m not what you want. That it's too hard, I guess. And we've been fighting more and more recently and it's really getting to me, man.”

“I just feel like you keep shutting me out, though. It's not the little things that get to me, it's the fact that every time I try to talk to you about it, you just shut down.”

“Okay, I get that. But I think if I had to say why I do that, it's because I’m scared that if we really start to talk about it, you’ll come to the conclusion that you won't want to put up with me.”

“Tommy, I’m trying to build a life together, I’m in this, all the way. And don't you think I’m scared, too? It's like you’re not listening to what I’m telling you.”

“You talk about how you don't feel listened to, but it’s never really clear what you’re saying,” Eddie throws his hands up and clears his throat awkwardly, “I think.”

Buck stops to consider that. He’s tried to tell Tommy how he feels, how scared he is he’s gonna fuck it up. He still feels like he’s a guest in Tommy’s home, not because of anything Tommy’s done per say. He thinks maybe he’s still trying to walk on eggshells, not make too many waves. So he beats around the bush. He points out Tommy’s shoes in the doorway when he’s made a point to put his own in the closet, clearing his throat when he picks them up and puts them away. Tommy glances at him and hums, looking away.

It always made Buck feel like Tommy’s just tolerating him- putting up with his “clipboard” tendencies.

“Okay, I guess you have a point. I’m not actually that mad that you leave your shoes wherever you take them off, or how you leave dirty clothes on the bathroom floor, or that you always make the bed too tight. Like, I don't care about those things. I just- fuck, I don't know. It feels like it's still your house, and I’m still living out of a few drawers and an overnight bag.”

Eddie furrows his eyebrows, “Do I make you feel that way?”

Buck sighs, “Not on purpose, I don't think. I think it's just a lot of other bad experiences with living with people I’ve dated and yeah, maybe, it feels like you keep erasing the mark I’m trying to leave. I keep trying to get you to put your shoes in the closet, and you just won't.”

“I thought you said you weren't really mad about that.” Eddie seems like he’s having a hard time following their relationship lore.

“It's not that. It's more that all of the little things I’m trying to do to make it feel like ours, you’re just not having.”

“Have you ever told me that? Like in those words? Cause from where I’m standing, I think I’m just trying to give you your space and stay close to mine.”

“I don't just want my space and then your space, I want our space. I want to have things we do together, systems we can agree on. Not just because it annoys me when you don't follow my rules, Tommy. I don't want you to feel trapped with me.”

“Well, I don't want you to feel suffocated. That's what I told Eddie.”

Buck breathes in a small sob. He’s always been an emotional drunk.

“I love you, all of you. Even your messiness. I just want to feel like you're in this too. I’ve had a lot of shitty relationships where I'm the only one putting anything into it. And you’ve always felt different. Like I could actually get attached to you. And it feels like you're pulling back.” Buck sinks in on himself, heart breaking at the idea that Tommy’s falling farther away.

Eddie looks pained, but enlightened, “I think I’m pulling back because I don't want to pressure you. I think I’m really, really into you, dude. And it's scary to put so much of yourself on the line. I think I’m afraid I was putting too much of myself into this, and you're gonna get exhausted.”

“Exhausted with what?”

“With how much I love you. With how amazing I think you are. With how I think I’ve decided I wanna spend the rest of my life with you.” Eddie finishes.

“Okay, what the fuck does all that mean?” The guy is still just standing beside them.

“Bro, go away.”

“Like why are you even still here?”

The guy walks away, muttering something about them being exhausting and a waste of his time.

“He’s said all to you?” Buck ducks his head, not wanting to look Eddie in the eye.

“Some of it, yeah,” Eddie nods, wrinkling his forehead, “The feeling like you're too much of a good thing, wanting to spend the rest of his life with you, generally feeling like shit whenever you fight, yeah, we talked about all that.” He hiccups, “Some of it I improvised. I know both of you pretty well by now, and I’m tired of constantly going back and forth between you whenever you fight. Especially when you're saying the same thing. Do you know how frustrating that is?”

Buck waits for him to elaborate. Eddie rolls his eyes. “You guys are committed. It's just that you're both being really, really stupid about it. And living with another person is hard, especially when you’re trying so hard to keep so much of yourself in. You’ve got to open up a little, man. And so does he, but I think the first thing you gotta do is talk.”

“Hm. I should probably go home.” His head is starting to hurt and he feels like throwing up or passing out or crying, and he doesn't want to do any of those things outside of the comfort of his own home.

His and Tommy’s own home.

Eddie's eyes light up again and Buck had the exact same thought at the exact same time, “Uber!”

Eddie falls dead asleep on the ride to Buck and Tommy’s house. When they arrive, Buck profusely apologizes to the Uber driver for all the snoring and retching.

Eddie leans against his shoulder as they walk up to the door. Buck notices a wreath that wasn't there before and remembers talking about decorating the house for the holidays early. Tommy hadn't been completely sold on the idea at the time but there it was, displayed on their front door. It felt like a peace offering in of itself.

He fumbled with his key and accidently locked the already unlocked door, which Eddie laughed at for the full minute it took him to realize and then unlock the door again.

“Shhh. He’s probably asleep.”

“Evan?”

“Oh shit.” Then Eddie falls on the floor somehow. Buck isn’t really paying attention to whatever Eddie’s issues with gravity are. The moment he sees Tommy standing in the hallway in his sleeveless red top and sweats, he bolts and throws his arms around his neck.

“I’m sorry.” Buck mumbles into his neck.

Tommy sighs and hugs back, “I know, baby. I’m sorry, too.”

Eddie stands back up, celebrates quietly to himself for a second, and then redirects his attention to Buck and Tommy, “Hey, Tommy.” He waves politely.

“Hey, Eddie.”

“I don’t wanna be Buck’s boyfriend anymore. You can have him back. You’re both so complicated. Josh wouldn’t be so complicated.” Eddie starts mumbling to himself, swaying back and forth on his feet while fiddling with the leaves on the plant they have in their entrance.

Tommy seems to take a second process of what he just said and is doing mental gymnastics to decipher it, “What?”

“There was this guy, right? And he was kind of an asshole about it. So I pretended to be you, so he would leave Buck alone.”

Buck feels Tommy’s chest rise with jealousy, “A guy was messing with you?” Buck is man enough to admit that the heat in his voice does something for him.

“Mostly just being annoying.” Buck shrugs, arms still tied around Tommy’s neck.

“Hey, don’t worry. I defended his honor.” Eddie pounds a fist to his chest and then stumbles over to the couch.

Tommy worms his way out of Buck’s grip so he can close and lock the door and then turns back, “So, we’re good, then?”

Buck smiles, shoulder’s rising to his ears, laughing a little. He’s back to feeling giddy, a rush of love flooding through his chest, “Yeah, we’re gonna be great, Tommy, I promise.”

Tommy smiles and gravitates back to him, slipping an arm around his waist and kissing his collar bone.

“No funny business while I’m still here.” Eddie turns over on his side, tugging the throw blanket off the back of the couch.

“We gotta talk, though.” Buck traces a finger down Tommy’s chin, parking it in the little divot that used to taunt him. He has a cleft, Buck giggles again.

“About what?” Tommy goes still. His arm freezes up and the soft, gooey feeling in Buck’s chest gets a little chillier.

“I know about your annoying habits and you know about mine. We need to talk about ‘em to move past ‘em”

“And what if when we talk about it, we can’t find a way to move past it.” Tommy says quietly. For a second, Buck feels like he’s looking at himself. The facade of confidence cracks and suddenly there’s a lonely boy in a cold, empty house that starts to leak through. Buck’s chest hurts thinking about little Tommy. He was lonely and afraid. Buck remembers that feeling like a ghost whispering up his spine and he hates it. He hates that he ever thought this wasn’t something he could have. He hates that Tommy thought he’d be lonely and afraid forever. He hates that they both did.

He hates that Tommy feels like that right, standing in their home, in each other’s arms, where it should be safe from old wounds and lingering ghosts.

“Hey,” Buck’s finger on Tommy’s chin tightens and he brings his thumb up to force eye contact, “Don’t do that, please.”

Tommy shudders.

“Tommy, I’m gonna spend the rest of my life with you and you,” Buck grabs Tommy’s face with both hands, “Tommy, you are my forever love, okay? Your bad habits are not going to get in the way of that. You’re not getting rid of me any time soon.”

“Forever love, huh?” Tommy muses.

“If you let me, I wanna be your forever,” Buck places his index finger on Tommy’s lip, swiping. He wants to reach forward and never let go.

“Gladly,” Tommy leans over to bridge the gap, connecting their lips. They kiss for what feels like an eternity, with Eddie's snores as background music. Tommy slides an arm around Buck's waist and gently guides him to their bed.

Tommy kisses his birthmark and covers him with their warm cotton sheets they had picked out together. The bed is still too tight but he’ll tell him in the morning. They’ll talk, fight a little more, cry, and make up. They’ll fight for it, even when things get hard.

They fall asleep wrapped gently in love. Forever love.

[ariseur]

hey!!! ive been reading your sephiroth fanfics recently and it has been such an intricate work of art i genuinely feel the emotion and love put into it, your writing is just perfect in terms of how you write his character! i was wondering if i could request a seph x reader maybe during or post advent children and is really angsty with some fluff regarding his return??? it's vague (sorry😭) but i know if you did take up on it youd do fantastic!! 💖🫶🏻

liberabo volucres 𓆩ꨄ︎𓆪

sephiroth (ffvii) x reader

┊ ˚➶ notes ｡˚ 🎼

omg you are literally so sweet!!!! thank you so much for this request, although i don’t think i did it justice 😭 i wasnt quite sure how to go about this considering after advent children, the remnants of seph faded into the lifestream (i think?) so it’s more angsty with lots of mentions of kadaj, but i hope you like it either way!! i’m glad you enjoy my sephiroth fics and don’t hesitate to send more asks!! love this one 💕

┊ ˚➶ warnings ｡˚ 🎼

mentions of kadaj and remnants of seph, written in a yearning type of way where you still have a hole in your heart left from sephiroth, don’t ask where you came from at the beginning!! just enjoy it 😭, intended lowercase, mentions of kissing kadaj’s forehead, lmk if i missed anything!!

┊ ˚➶ word count ｡˚ 🎼

1327 words, 7173 characters

. ˚◞♡ ⃗ *ೃ༄ . ˚◞♡ ⃗ *ೃ༄ . ˚◞♡ ⃗ *ೃ༄ . ˚◞♡ ⃗ *ೃ༄

“cloud,” your voice only a faint whisper as you called out to the blond, “what did you do?” he lifted his head, his skin glossier with the droplets of rain falling on his face. his eyes widened at the sight of you, chest still rising and lowering rapidly as he recovered from his battle with sephiroth. how foreign that name felt on your tongue, now.

you got up from your hiding spot beyond the debris, knees aching from how long you were crouched as your feet slammed against the flat surface of the floor. you watched as your kadaj’s catlike slits for pupils— pupils that constantly reminded you that he was still apart of sephiroth, despite his role as being only a remnant of your lover— flickered towards you with whatever energy he had left. the corner of kadaj’s lips quirked upwards ever the slightest as you rushed over him, cloud moving out of your way as he stood up.

cloud’s words, albeit firm, lay dormant in your brain, “he was going to kill me—kill us all.” and even with his sharp tone, you didn’t pay him any mind. the only thing you could focus on was kadaj’s eyes trained on yours, scoffing as he rasped out, “such— a drama.. queen.” you softly shushed him, watching as his eyes became emptier by the minute. your throat stung as a choked sob threatened to escape its enclosure behind your uvula. kadaj lifted his hand only for you to grasp it, moist leather clutched in your palm as you placed it back to his chest. he intertwined your fingers, a wince leaving his lips as you held his head up.

it took everything not to look away from him. his hair, his eyes, even the way he smelled, reminded you of sephiroth. sometimes, you wish it had been different. you wish you would’ve been there when it had happened, and even now, your memory’s fuzzy of the events. all you remember was the day sephiroth left you, and you haven’t stop thinking about him since. you wished he had come to you, and apart of you was angry. maybe you were angry that he left you with no word, or maybe angry that instead of opening up to you, he decides to burn a village down in his spiral, or maybe you weren’t angry at all.

you paused, taking another look at kadaj’s furrowed eyebrows and his lidded eyes. you wonder if this is how sephiroth felt upon his notice of who he really was— what he really was. he was only in his twenties when it happened, you couldn’t have imagined how he felt. you remembered; his friends, gone and turned against shinra, and with all the pressure on him about the cover-up, you thought that maybe it wasn’t entirely his fault. you realized now, that you can’t get what you want from this world without taking it yourself. saying please didn’t scratch the itch in the back of your throat the way that anger did, and you assumed sephiroth felt the same.

clasping kadaj’s hand, he let out a weak sigh. you let your hand, although shaky and so weak that you can’t make a fist, card a piece of his hair out his face; your heart ached at your hands in his silver hair, mind racing back to when you’d brush sephiroth’s hair for him. a true honor, you’d always call it.

the way kadaj’s eyes widened and his ears perked up made you pause, like he was listening for something. even with cloud’s tense presence behind you, you refused to let go of the part of sephiroth, your part of sephiroth. the only part you had of him left. you couldn’t be angry at cloud. he was only doing what he thought was best— and in the end, maybe it was for the best, you thought. you couldn’t even be angry at yourself, your mind only clouded with grief as your sniffles and teary sighs filled the air.

the sound of kadaj’s arm moving, leather rubbing against itself, interrupted your soft cries as he lifted his hand up to the sky. a soft whisper of, “mother—?” left his lips.

your hand snaked up and you rubbed your thumb against his cheek, watching as he turned his head towards you slowly. a teary sound left your lips, you weren’t even sure if it was a sob or a laugh. but you leaned down, pressing one last kiss to his forehead as his eyelashes fluttered, just the way sephiroth’s did when you’d lay with him in the morning where golden rays would seep through the curtains and shine onto your beloved.

all good things must come to an end, you realized, as you watched the only physical evidence that sephiroth had coexisted with you fade into the lifestream, his arm fading into reduced crystallized mako. you closed your eyes, shoulders heaving as you tried stifling your thick cries; after all, cloud was still behind you. you held onto kadaj’s hand until it was no more, his body being lifted up and vanishing although you couldn’t bear to watch it. and you didn’t open your eyes, not for a long while, in hopes that maybe you’d be back in the comfort of your home as you heard heavy footsteps trail behind you to the kitchen, sephiroth’s content face across from yours at the dinner table. and you didn’t open your eyes until you heard a low hum, beyond the loud sounds of the rain hitting the concrete, beyond your own shaking breaths. this couldn’t have been cloud, you thought. your head lifted up and squinted so as to not get any rain in your eyes.

and there he was— or more so a faded version of him. even in the rain, you couldn’t help but gawk at him in awe, his hair flowing so gracefully even in the humidity of the rain. even if you were dreaming, you’d wish you would never wake in hopes of spending one last minute with the one you held dearest to your heart. one last moment with sephiroth and you’d feel like you’d finally be complete.

his eyes, still sleek and catlike how you always remembered, almost look amused. he held a smile at you, his head cocking at the sight. you didn’t want to think of the possibility that this was just a hallucination of your grief. this was more than that. sephiroth was more than that.

he gave you a nod, a nod of which you didn’t understand. ever so esoteric, you thought. the way he always was after nibelheim. you sat back on your haunches, your knees still against the wet, cold floor— taking one last look at sephiroth before he turned around. his head tipped back, fingers twitching as he let himself face the sky, until he finally let himself go and faded away as well.

your lip trembled, a teary laugh releasing itself from your throat until cloud put a soft, awkward hand on your shoulder. head turning to face him, your eyes met his. you realized now that cloud did what was best, and you couldn’t possibly blame him for that.

he cleared his throat, almost cautiously as if you’d snap at him for interrupting the silence, “we have to go. i’m sure tifa’s waiting for us.”

you sniffled, wiping your eyes from both the rain and the tears that littered your cheeks. looking back down at your lap, once where kadaj laid, you were met with emptiness. closing your eyes once more, you inhaled and let the air fill your lungs. the first deep breath of air that you’ve taken in what feels like years, one that felt fresher— almost bittersweet. and when you turned back to cloud, you gave him a firm nod.

the urge to be changed is not metamorphosis, you realized. you can’t be changed without making a change of your own.

[nobodygetsza]

┆𝖥𝖮𝖱𝖬𝖠𝖳･｡ﾟ — series

┆𝖲𝖴𝖬𝖬𝖠𝖱𝖸･｡ﾟ — a background of how Araya met Armando and how she found out she was pregnant with their daughter.

┆𝖶𝖮𝖱𝖣 𝖢𝖮𝖴𝖭𝖳･｡ﾟ — 2,070

┆𝖶𝖠𝖱𝖭𝖨𝖭𝖦𝖲･｡ﾟ — swearing, smut, oral sex ( female receiving ), pregnancy and giving birth.

┆𝖭𝖮𝖳𝖤𝖲･｡ﾟ — if you wanna be tagged just leave a comment ♡.

┆𝖳𝖠𝖦𝖫𝖨𝖲𝖳･｡ﾟ — @violetmuses

Chapter 0⛓️: How The Queen Met Her King

📍TIJUANA, MEXICO📍

╭ 4 Years Ago, 2016 ╯

THE MUSIC ECHOED off the walls of the nightclub as the dance floor was filled with people from shoulder to shoulder. Araya didn’t have a care in the world as she danced with her best friend Desiree with a bottle of Corona in her hand. Both women were here on a little vacation together. They needed this getaway from the bullshit they had going back home. Especially Araya.

From across the establishment, a pair of dark mischievous eyes stared at the young woman. Slowly trailing from her head to her full lips, before lingering on her exposed breasts and finally on the curvature of her hips. Armando became mesmerized watching the voluptuous woman wine her waist to the beat of the current song. The two women attracted a group of people and a young man came up behind Araya and wrapped an arm around her body. Seeing this Armando’s blood started to boil, getting higher and higher by the second.

Downing the remaining D’usse Cognac in his glass Armando stared at them as he stood up and walked to where they were. Armando wanted her. Something within him made him crave her body and want to hear her moan beneath him. He reached out, tapping the guy on the shoulder. The young man turned around to protest but the look Armando gave him made him second guess.

The music played before switching to a slower song making Armando grab Araya by the hips. Araya presumed it was the gentleman who had her by the waist before and continued to buck and whine her waist. Armando held her hips pressing her body against his as he moved his hips in sync with hers. His hand rested on her lower stomach while the other trailed up her torso, past her full breasts to her neck, and gave it a light squeeze. As the woman let out a soft moan, the air around them grew thicker and clouded with desire.

“¿Quieres poner en práctica estos movimientos?” Armando whispered in her ear, running his bottom lip along the shell of her earlobe. ( “Do you want to put these moves to use?” )

An instant heat rushes through Araya’s body straight to her panties, soaking them. Who could have a voice so soft yet husky? Araya turned in the man’s embrace and came face to face with the most handsome and scrumptious human being she had ever seen. Standing at 5 '11, with a killer body, chiseled features, a beard she wanted to moisturize, and a smile that god had created to make a woman’s panties drop to the floor, Armando stared at Araya with lust clouding his dark brown eyes. She couldn’t believe her eyes and for a minute she thought her mind was playing tricks on her.

“¿Cómo te llamarás, cariño?” Araya purred in his ear, running her right hand from around his neck, down his muscular chest before settling on his waist. ( “What might your name be, sweetheart?” )

“Armando. ¿Cómo te llamas hermosa?” He replied, snaking his hand around Araya’s waist to settle on the cleft of her ass, right under the cheek, and gripped it. ( “Armando. What’s your name beautiful?” )

“¿Cómo sé que puedo confiar en ti?” The young woman questioned, staring at Armando as she tugged her bottom lip between her teeth as the sexual tension grew. ( “How do I know I can trust you?” )

Armando smirked before leaning down her ear and whispering in English, “I wouldn’t have told you mine if I didn't trust you. So what do you say, cariña?”

As he leaned back and stared down at Araya he could see the wheels turning rapidly in her mind. He made her mind go fuzzy or maybe it was the drinks she consumed. All Araya knew was that this man was about to eat this sweet punani from the front to the back. Smirking, Araya slid her arms back around Armando’s neck and smiled.

“Marca el camino, Armando.” She whispered before turning around and walked away. ( “Lead the way, Armando.” )

Armando couldn’t help but look down at the way Araya’s ass switched from left to right as she walked. He wanted to reach out and smack it but told himself to wait. The man chuckled before following Araya outside of the building where his car was parked. A sleek black Mercedes-AMG SL63 Roadster. Araya was in awe and also impressed.

Loud thumping echoed through Armando’s apartment as the pair stumbled inside. Their harmonized moans and groans bounced off the walls as they were entangled in a heated kiss; their tongues fighting each other. One by one an item of clothing came off as they tripped over the other's feet laughing. It must’ve been the liquor coursing through their veins. Or maybe the sexual attraction.

Araya moaned, spreading her legs as Armando traced his fingers along her clit, coating them in her sweet juices. He stuck them in his mouth before easing them into her. Instantly Araya’s walls tightened around those wet digits making her moan, throwing her head back. Armando leaned down, taking the woman’s clit into his mouth, sucking on it. She thought he had an outstanding mouth.

“Eso se siente tan bien.” The young woman moaned, placing her hand on the back of his head. ( “That feels so good.” )

Her legs shook, a signal that she was about to have an earth-shattering orgasm. Something she hasn’t experienced since her teen years. Araya could feel his circle beard scratching against her sensitive pussy giving her that extra stimulation she needed. With a loud gasp, Araya’s legs shut around Armando’s head as the snap within her broke. Armando overstimulated her even more by removing his fingers and replacing them with his tongue.

“Tu coño sabe tan bien.” Armando groaned, pulling away to watch her body shake. ( “Your pussy tastes so good.” )

Armando’s duck was hard as a rock as he shifted Araya’s legs in the air, pushing her knees to the bed. The stretch Araya felt made her eyes roll to the back of her head as he slid inside of her wet tight walls. Araya moaned, holding the back of her knees as the man above her started taking her to Pound Town.

“Shit, it’s so good.” Araya moaned, holding onto Armando’s wrist that rested on her thigh.

“You feel so good, beautiful. So tight.” Armando whispered in Araya’s ear, softly nibbling her earlobe. He immediately felt Araya clench around him.

She always loved a man with a nice deep husky voice and damn it I think she found one. Araya wrapped her arms around Armando’s shoulders from underneath scratching her nails down his back. He groaned, pounding her spot again and again. Tears brimmed Araya’s eyes from the intense pleasure and this didn’t go unnoticed by Armando. Armando smiled down at the woman and rubbed her clit with his thumb.

Araya was so dazed in pleasure so much that she could feel the knot within her stomach beginning to tighten. “Oh yes! Right there!” The overstimulation of his rough finger and the pounding made Araya’s eyes roll to the back of her head.

Her fingers gripped the sheets, almost pulling them off the bed as her moans bounced off the apartment walls. “No voy a durar mucho. Te sientes demasiado bien.” Armando could feel his body heat up and his balls clench.

“¡Oh dios mío, sí!” Araya cried out as her orgasm smacked her like a semi-truck on the street. ( “Oh my god, yes!” )

The feeling of Araya’s pussy clamping down on his cock made him thrust in her a few more times before coating her walls with his cum. Armando stared at where they met as he slowly pulled out of her seeing both of their creamy essence mixed. He could stare at cum coated pussy all day. As he fell beside her heavily breathing he noticed Araya’s legs shaking and knew he accomplished what he planned to do.

Armando also knew that he had to keep her around; he had to keep her. With a pussy as good as hers he couldn’t let her go that easily.

📍MIAMI, FLORIDA📍

╭ 3 Years After, 2019 ╯

After Armando and Araya slept together in Tijuana he knew he wanted her so they exchanged numbers and kept in contact. Whenever they were in the same area they met up and had sex with each other and it was incredible every time. Armando became so comfortable around her that he told her what he did for a living. Of course, Araya wasn’t phased seeing as she dabbled in the same profession as he did. Everything was going well; they’d bring justice to those who needed it until she found out she was pregnant.

Araya sat on the toilet staring at the pregnancy test in her hand. This couldn’t be right, can it? The test couldn’t be right. She grabbed another one off the counter and peed on it. After waiting five minutes the same result came up.

Pregnant +

A knock on the bathroom door made Araya look up out of her thoughts. Her best friend Desiree was with her because she called her in a panicked state.

“What do the results say?” Desiree asked from outside the door.

Araya opened the door and showed the sticks to her. “Hold shit bitch you’re going to be a mom!”

“Why are you so happy? What if Armando’s pissed off?” Araya responded, shaking her head.

“Girl, first of all, relax. Armando has feelings for you, deeply. Talk to him.” Her best friend consoled, seeing Araya’s nervous face.

“We haven’t even talked about having kids.” Araya sighed, running her hands through her hair in frustration.

“Well, you two fuck like rabbits whenever you’re around each other,” Desiree responded, shrugging her shoulders. “It was bound to happen since you guys don’t use condoms either.”

“Shut up,” Araya said, rolling her eyes.

Araya knew she was going to have to talk with Armando eventually so why not today right? Grabbing her phone she sent him a text saying they needed to talk, to come to her apartment and he responded with an okay. When Armando arrived Desiree left to give them privacy. Nervousness ran through Araya’s veins as she and the father of her unborn child sat in the kitchen.

“¿Qué pasa?” Armando asked, crossing his arms in front of her chest. ( “What’s wrong?” )

Araya sighed before answering, “I’m pregnant and I don’t know what to do.” She looked up and stared into his eyes.

Different emotions ran through his mind as he tried to grasp the concept of what Araya just said. “You know what this means right?”

“What?” She asked, waiting for an answer.

“No one can know and you know that you won’t be able to get back out there,” Armando answered, referring to going on missions with him and her friends.

“So you’re not upset? You don’t want me to get an abortion?” Araya questioned, feeling uneasy. “Although it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve had one.”

“No, although considering the circumstances.” He responded, smiling at her. Armando got up and went over to Araya and pulled her into a hug.

From that moment on Araya knew that Armando was her safe place.

Those thirty-seven weeks of pregnancy for Araya was a damn roller coaster. Her emotions were up, down, and looping around. She craved weird things like anchovies and chocolate milk, Oreos, and hot sauce. Armando bought her anything she wanted. He went to every appointment and didn’t miss one.

Whenever she was in pain he’d be there to help her through it. In the hospital room, Araya pushed as her life depended on it. Whoever said labor is easy she wants to shoot them in the face because that was a damn lie. She wanted to strangle Armando as he whispered sweet things in her ear. Nurses laughed when Araya told him to shut up or she was going to suffocate him with a pillow. After ten hours in labor and pushing their baby girl Auraina Maeve Aretas was born at 6:27 PM.

As Armando held his daughter he fell in love with her immediately. He knew that he’d kill anyone that would make that little girl upset or cry. Also, he knew the news of this couldn’t get out to the streets for the safety of Auraina and Araya.

[mochinon-yah]

How would you describe your friend's art/writing? (E.g.: scenario, food, memory, etc.)

OMGGG ANON THANK YOUUU LET ME SMOOCH U RNNN <3333

But i'm gonna twist the question a bit since i haven't read everyone's work so yeah 🥹 i'm gonna describe the way they talk or how they 'feel' like to me lolll

@beloved-brynn: (<- my dear sweet hallow) whenever brynn is talking about something, it could either be the most mindblowing thing ever or the funniest thing ever 😭 i love her sm (platonically) since she's my first ever mutual and the first ever person to just... kinda welcome me to tumblr (i can hesr her in the distance saying smth smth abt i traumatized her despite the warm welcome- /silly) also she's good at giving advices! She's somebody who would cofmort you in an objective but warm way while also try to joke around so you won't feel like you're being nagged at (good grief, i cried more while she did that lol) ALSO A SIMP FOR DIMITRIII ‼️‼️

@meimeimeirin: tbh rin's writing or way of speaking is so so uniquely her that even if she tried to mask it up, i could guess that it's her 😆 she's an amazing mutual that i have no clue how the heck did we even be friends and be close like this??? Is it the same thing like how me and brynn get close- i gave you a drawing- anyway, she has a very elegant way of doing things, and especially when she starts to ramble or write about something that she loves! It's always so lovely reading her posts <3 btw rin, keep a chicken head with you always, yeah? 😋

@leftdestiny-posts: NOW THIS IS AN ENIGMA BECAUSE I HAVE NO CLUE HOW DID WE ACTUALLY BECOME MOOTS????? Shiro, did u just somehow in someway adopt me- 😭 but anywayyyy, shiro's way of talking is so so so soft and cute and warm and it makes me wonder how the heck did they mask their craziness so good like that- /smacked sorry sorry, enough jokes, what i meant to say is that shiro is such a down to earth person, and honestly i could see them go "wah, the clouds are really pretty today~ the flowers too~~" their writing or talking style has that vibe to me! It's so warm and fuzzy to me 🫠 i feel so comfy with themm 💗💗

@a-bookworms-teashop: i took a liking to one of her series and ever since then, i am a fan of her works!! I like to leave comments and just yk... support her works! Suddenly, bam! She dm'ed me or smth and we just kinda talk 😆 i love when she goes to ramble about her works because it shows how much love and effort she pours into each and every one of them!!! Im still waiting for an update to that series hiks but in any case, her other works sre also a masterpiece! Example? The yandere ceo one! It's so interesting and honestly bae, i would read every chapters 😻 i mean i already did, but eh YEAH READ EM GUYS!!!

@jessamine-rose: bae jess, ur works are amazing pookie, i once read one of ur work before eventually falling in love with how u write but i forgot which one was it... (it was a long time ago) was it abt capitano...? I'M SORRY I FORGOT HDBSHSJSJ 😭😭😭 but anyway, jess has the mom vibe that it always made me think of those asian moms (I'M ASIAN- THE TRAUMA IS THERE- /silly) who would hit their kids with sandals and be "i told you don't be like that!" >:o also her way of speaking and the amount of kaomojis she used is so so her that i would just imagine her every time i see one of those kaomojis 😆💗 please keep using em, i love ittt <333

@harmonysanreads: i simp for u. Yes, you read that right, my friends... I SIMP FOR HARMYYYY (shoo shoo eun- /silly) 😻💗 harmy has a very distinctive vibe and personality despite being similar to rinrin, and uhh how do i describe it...? It's like talking with a mom figure (no harm, i don't see u as a mom figure-) who knows you so well!! Her way of talking is so elegant, but it's not the warm-like elegant! It's like seeing a queen (?) and you can't help but to be mesmerized by her mannerisms! I also love the way she can form her words, they're always so thoughtful and really straightforward in a way lolll (she's my argue buddy too- anyway prince hirang 👎 /silly)

@navxry: NAVI ACTS LIKE THE MOM FRIEND!! Not really the mom mom friend, but navi is our server mom 💗 they take care of us and sometimes pop in and say either the most horrendous down bad thing ever for female game characters (while im like "oh yeah so true lmao" but i don't usually pop in and say that) or they'll help us around the server because apparently most some of us are not pretty... tech-savvy (me included HAHAHHA) navi is such a mood sometimes and i absolutely love them for ittt 🫶 u go girl (/gn) be as silly as you wsnt for your fics, or in other words, kill em all- *cough* i mean what

@calxlu: a fellow infp who really loves albedo 😆 i love when one time i made a bedo art for them and they reblogged it so many times,,, it made me super happy and super proud that the art made them that happy 💗 anyway, vivi talks similarly like me methinks but like ummm how do i say it? Vivi is like cuter...???? IDKK HAHAHAJDJ- um, moving on 😆 i love it when vivi describes or tell smth because it could either be the most cutest thing ever or the funniest thing ever (i still remember that grandma comment pls 😭) anywayyy i hope your life has been less stressful!!! Also will be hoping that ppl won't bother you especially when you don't want to get bothered 🫂

@teabutmakeitazure: ZURIII MY BELOVED 🙌 HELLO HI <333 muach muach i hope you're doing well when you read this post /gen /pos !!! When zuri comes in the server and say smth, i will always imagine someone wesring a glasses, talking in such a monotone voice but tries to appear caring and sweet because YES they are actually really sweet and very much loveable and smoochable <3 it's just how you 'feel' like to me, so don't mind em too much loll 😆💗 also, i see that zuri and speckled can match each other vibe so well and it makes me think that they'll be such a great and cute duo together sbsnsjkssk

@vennnnn-diagram: VENNNNN OMG MY PARTNER IN CRIME 😻💗‼️ (<- we never did any crime other than bully brynn... i think-) ven is so funny and chaotic that it makes me wanna smooch em every time they appear <3 how do i explain this... uhhh, like ven always seems to be the silliest person ever whenever they talk in the server, but GUYS they're like really thoughtful and so overall nshdjisks i can't describe it but i will fight anyone who diss or insult ven /hj kinda srs actually ✨️ ven, if u think that being silly feels weird out of nowhere, bae we're all weird, so dw abt it 😆 im also very silly, so we can be silly together!!! ALSO ONE IMPORTANT FACT, ven is our music genius 🙌‼️ i'm so serious abt wanting to hear ur music for an hour straight-

@stickyspeckledlight: speckled...... well, uh, the word 'silly', 'random', "what in the world-" as a person fr 😆 i also just kinda deem her as the gamer pro in our server and well.... i gotta say she's real good when gaming (<- has never seen her gaming stream) BUT LIKE WHATEVER THOSE GAME TERM STUFF, SPECKLED KNOWS IT ALL ‼️‼️ like whenever she said oh this and that about hsr or genshin, i'd be "oh yeah so true" despite me not understanding her words (sorry yall i'm not a gamer 😭) alsoooo it's pretty noticeable, but uhh speckled (and zuri) is aventurine lover and she's pretty crazy abt him *cues me looking at her fics* keep going bestie 🙌 you (and zuri) are our aventurine truther lol

@ainescribe: AINE MY SPOUSE ✨️ THE LOVE OF MY LIFE /pos 💗💗 ainneee, one of our talented super amazing artists in the hostelry 😻 thought despite me saying that aine is the loml, we haven't talk or interact much, but i know that she's a sweetheart hehe 🫶 aine has a very bubbly way of talking, she likes to yap yap like eun especially if it's about.... uh lores? Idrk the kind of stuff that aine likes to talk about, but it's always fun to hear her (and eun) yap ‼️ also, i can't describe it but she makes me wanna smooch her but also nom her (it's just cuteness aggression-) ALSO I HAVE TO SAY IT AGAINNN, HER ARTS ARE REALLY PRETTYYY 💗🙌 LIKE 100/10 PRETTY ✨️

@lucienbarkbark: girl, idk what goes on in your mind but you're a mood 😆 i am always so surprised whenever rika appears and say something, it's too straightforward but i love her for it <333 she seems like someone who would just do whatever she wants, and i would totally support her for it 💪 rika and her... 66 or more men that she would (respectfully saying) sleep with 🔥🔥🔥 HAHAHHAH THE LIST IS SO LONG AND LIKE 😭😭 i can never not laugh whenever i remember it hdjdjsjwkw pls never change your frank and honest attitude, i love it 🫶 btw, uh, pls have some rest bestie 😭 like an actual rest and also a mental rest 🫂 wishing the best for you rikaaaa >:o

@mixed-kester: esther! While i may not know much about you, but i KNOW one thing!!! It's that she's a really great artist 😻 i'm telling yall to check her arts because (from my opinion) her art style looks like one you would find in a cute short comic (that i would totally devour-) AND YEAH she's just really sweet yk 🥺 also esther talks in a very direct way that it makes you want to just know what's up inside that head of hers 😆 she's also part of the 'would eat mochi 😋' gang and i just.... have to accept that....... anyway LOVE HER 💗‼️ please be more braver and accepting of your feelings, you're precious and worth it, okay? We love you, and i hope sincerely that YOU love YOURSELF 🙌

@euniveve: OHOHOHO OUR RESUME DESTROYER HERE /silly ✨️ jokes aside, i think me, jess, and shiro would say "what can't eun do atp" if we're talking about eun 😭😭 wdym she can write amazing fanfics, great artist, good at debating, a highschool athlete, a student council president- LIKE EUN WHAT THE HECK DID YOU NOT DO???? Is it the intj in you- /silly LMAO anyway, all that aside, eun talks in a very pookie way, so full of.... love (especially if she's talking with harmy) and she would totally yap yap abt smth altho sometimes she's a bit direct about stuff (not in a harsh way tho) all in all, i hope you're not too harsh on yourself 💗 OH AND i love how confident you are!! You know that you're amazing, and i think that's great pookie 🫶

@fishanonishere: FISHHHHH 🫂 the 'albedo' in my life LMAOOOO 😭 they're so cute i wanna smooch them fr ✨️ they like to yap about their works and honestly yap more bestie (I HAVEN'T ANSWERED THEIR DM IN DISCORD BUT YEAH YAP MORE BESTIE 😭😭) they have a distinct way of talking and it's hard for me to describe it, but imagine albedo talking with such an interest while also keeping it low with how monotonous his face is and you're a bit confused whether he's excited or chill with it 😆 fish is also an amazing artist, their art style is very very 😋💗 yeah i'd eat all of em HAHAHAHA anyway fishhh, i hope you keep being 'you'!! It's always fun talking to you, but i think my energy is just not that big enough for us to keep talking for so long 😭🙏

[lilacmingi]

ALICE IN WONDERLAND AU ♤ PART 7: JIN

My works are 14+ ONLY. If you’re under 14 DO NOT interact with me or any of my works

Pairing: White Queen!Jin x fem reader

Word count: 2,655

"Y/n! Look at this!" Jungkook laughed.

Lifting your gaze, you saw him making a silly face while balancing a teacup on his bunny ears.

Joyous laughter bubbled up and slipped out of you while you clapped your hands, applauding him for his entertaining trick.

"You're so cute, Kookie!" You gushed. "Will you let me pet your ears?"

"Of course." He laughed and walked over, bending down to let you stroke his soft and fuzzy bunny ears.

Another happy giggle spilled out of you.

What's going on? You wondered. Is this a dream? Why am I so little?

You were seeing things from your point of view, but you couldn't control what you were saying or doing. Was this a memory, perhaps?

"Would you like more tea, Miss Y/n?" Taehyung offered.

"Yes! Your tea is the best, Tae."

"The best in Wonderland." He winked as he poured you a cup of tea.

Scampering along the table was the dormouse, who pushed the container of sugar cubes over to you. You giggled, thanking the small animal before taking a couple and dropping them into your tea before taking a sip of it.

Looking over, you saw Namjoon blowing smoke in different shapes that grabbed your attention, your eyes following them as they dissipated into the air.

"Joonie, you're so talented!" You gushed. "How do you do that?"

He grinned, showing his dimples. "Lots of practice."

All of a sudden you were lifted up onto someone's back. It was Jimin. He started to run around the tea party, lightly jostling you as he did so.

"Jiminie, run faster!" You giggled.

Before he could fulfill your request, you were abruptly lifted off his back and into the air.

"Hey!" Jimin frowned.

"It's my turn." A deep voice spoke.

You recognized it as Yoongi.

He held you bridal style and floated around.

"Cat boy!" You squished his cheeks.

"I told you to call me Yoongi."

"I like to call you cat boy."

He rolled his eyes but laughed anyway.

Gathered at the table below were the boys, all of which you recognized except one. A handsome man with dark brown hair sat at the table, laughing happily with a small pastry in his hand. Little you waved at him to which he returned the gesture, blowing you a hand kiss.

Childhood you seemed to know who he was, but current you had no idea.

All of a sudden, you were no longer in Yoongi's arms and were stood in the rose garden at Hoseok's castle. There was a bucket of paint in one hand and a paintbrush in the other. Hoseok was standing over you smiling brilliantly as you painted the white roses red, coating them in the crimson hue.

"Good job, Y/n. You're so smart for suggesting this." He grinned brightly.

Your eyes slowly opened only to be met with a gray, cloud-covered sky. Glancing around, you realized you were in some sort of outdoor execution area. You could see Namjoon, Jimin, Taehyung, Yoongi, and Jungkook in front of you. All five boys were stuck in guillotines, their hands and necks bound in place.

Sitting up high in a theater balcony and looking down on them was none other than Hoseok. His eyes met yours and it felt like he was piercing daggers through you.

You tried to go after the boys to free them, but you were being held firmly in place by the card knights.

"Please let them go, Hoseok!" You pleaded desperately.

"It's too late for that my dear Y/n." He said.

All five of the imprisoned men looked at you and your heart sank with an overwhelming sense of guilt. Somehow you felt this was all your fault.

"Off with their heads!" Hoseok shouted and all the blades on the guillotines fell down.

"No!" You shrieked and shot upright at such a brisk speed that it almost made you dizzy.

Your chest heaved with each heavy breath you took and a thin layer of sweat covered your forehead as your frantic gaze moved hastily about to room only to realize you were in an unfamiliar place. Everything was white except the tiles on the floor, which were black and white checkered. You were lying on a couch of the same chalky shade as everything else, still in your dress from Hoseok, which was tattered and stained with dirt.

The sound of heels clicking against the floor reached your ears. When you looked up, you saw a woman in a short, white dress. Her hair was the same snowy hue as her attire and she wore dark makeup that stood out from her pale appearance. In her hands was a tiny tray with medical supplies lined along it. When she finally saw you were sitting upright, she let out a gasp, immediately exiting the room in a hasty manner. A few seconds later, a handsome man in a white turtleneck and thin wire frame glasses walked in carrying the tray of medical supplies. Your gaze was glued to him, mesmerized by his beauty. It was then that something connected in your head, like two wires coming together to form a spark.

"Jin!" You uttered the name like second nature, shifting to stand up.

"Whoa. You don't need to move." He advised, pulling a chair over to sit in.

The supplies were set on a nearby table and Jin carefully pulled your dress up to your knees, revealing multiple cuts and scratches on your legs.

"So you remember after all." He stated.

"I guess I do." You spoke quietly.

The way his name left your mouth like you'd said it a hundred times was strange. When you saw him in that dream—that flashback, you didn't know him, yet when you awoke and laid eyes on him, you knew exactly who he was.

"Your friends are here."

"Really?"

You couldn't help but feel a sense of both relief and happiness. Everyone was okay.

"They came to me after Hoseok's knights took you away. They were very worried." He grabbed a washcloth and dipped it into a bowl of water before wringing it out. "This might hurt." He warned before carefully cleaning your injuries.

You winced as the cloth passed over the tender and damaged skin, pulling your lip between your teeth in an attempt to get through the stinging sensation.

"You took a nasty fall out there." Jin commented.

"How did you find me? I was alone."

"You weren't far from my castle. One of my loyal subjects was out walking and found you passed out in the grass. You're very lucky."

He set the stained cloth aside and took some ointment on a small cosmetic spatula, gently spreading it over the cuts. He then retrieved some bandages and wrapped them around the injuries on your legs, touching you with the utmost caution, acting as if you were delicate porcelain that would break if he was too harsh.

"Thank you."

"It's no problem, my dear." Jin smiled.

Your heart fluttered. Wow. He's dreamy.

"I'll go get you some fresh clothes." He excused himself, walking out of the room.

He returned moments later with a stack of white garments. You thanked him once again and started to stand up only to fall down onto the floor, the cuts on your legs hurting more than you thought.

"Here. Let me help you, princess." Jin offered, bending down to help you up off the marble floor.

You slung your arm over his wide shoulders as he pulled you to your feet, slowly walking out into the hall and bringing you to a small room.

"You can change in there. I'll be right out here." He informed you, taking a seat on a small bench in the corridor.

You stepped into the room where you changed out of the dirt-stained dress and into the fresh clothes Jin had so kindly provided you with. While in the room, you removed the red extensions that had been clipped into your hair, glancing in the mirror to check your appearance.

The outfit Jin gave you was casual, but not anything frumpy-looking. It consisted of a fuzzy cardigan, a white tank top, and loose pants. For shoes it was a pair of simple slip ons. The drawstring pants he provided you with were extremely loose in the legs and made of soft fabric that you couldn't seem to keep your hands off of.

Jin stood up and looked at you as soon as you emerged from the room, a bright smile spreading across his face.

"You look lovely."

"I know I keep saying this, but thank you... for everything. You brought me fresh clothes and took care of my wounds." To further convey your gratitude, you wrapped your arms around Jin, giving him a light squeeze.

He hugged you back, humming softly in contentment. "You're welcome, Y/n."

When you pulled away, he gazed down at you with a fondness in his eyes that made your stomach flip. Leaning down, Jin placed a chaste kiss to your forehead.

"C'mon. Your friends will want to see you."

Jin's hand took hold of yours, careful to walk at a more leisurely pace since your legs were injured and more than likely in pain. He escorted you down a wide set of stairs that led to the common room located at the entrance of his castle.

As you descended the staircase, you spotted all five of the boys sitting around, all of them looking worried as they waited. When they heard footsteps approaching, they all looked up to see who it was.

A cheery chorus of your name was exclaimed as all of them started making their way towards you.

"Hey! Be careful. She's injured." Jin scolded before they could get any closer.

The five of them stopped and let you get to the bottom of the steps before engulfing you in a group hug.

"Thank goodness you're okay." Taehyung sighed.

"I was worried." Jungkook spoke. "I didn't know if you'd made it to Taehyung after you left us."

"Me too." Jimin agreed, his eyes looking glossy.

"Thank you all for worrying about me. Really. It means the world."

"Jin said it seemed like you tripped over a tree root and passed out." Namjoon shook his head. "Clumsy girl."

Though his words were a bit brash, you could see concern and relief behind his brown eyes.

"Well, when you're scared and running from an army of knights, you're bound to trip over something." You shot back playfully. "Ah. I have news! While I was unconscious, I had the strangest dream. That dream turned out to be memories of this place from when I was little."

"You remember?" Taehyung's face lit up.

Unable to hold back the grin on your face, you nodded, smiling brightly.

"Oh. Yoongi, sorry I called you cat boy all those years ago."

He chuckled and shook his head. "It's okay, darling. You were little."

"Jungkook and I heard Hoseok captured you. What happened?" Jimin asked.

"Did he hurt you?" Taehyung inquired.

"Did he throw you in a cell?" Jungkook questioned.

"No. None of that. He was actually very nice."

"What?" Everyone's eyes went wide, their mouths agape in disbelief.

"Don't be like that." Jin chastised. "Let her talk. I'm sure she has an explanation."

"He's got some anger issues." You began.

"Tell me about it." Yoongi grumbled under his breath.

In turn, Jin shot him a warning glance which shut him up.

"He told me how you all used to be friends and that you made him feel left out. He said you all preferred to hang out with Jin rather than him and it made him sad."

"That's not true!" Jungkook protested.

"Yes it is and you know it." Namjoon crossed his arms. "It's our fault he is the way he is."

"That's true." Taehyung agreed. "There's not a day that goes by that I don't feel bad for the way we treated him."

"Hobi was actually really fun to be around. I guess we all just forgot about him when Jin joined the friend group." Jimin voiced. "We never meant to cast him aside."

"You all know that was a pretty crummy thing to do." You frowned softly.

They all nodded, agreeing silently.

"Hoseok still seems really upset by it. Though I'm no different than you all."

"What do you mean by that?" Yoongi inquired.

"I ran away from him. He figured out at least one of you had... kissed me." You uttered the last part quietly. "He wasn't happy about it. In fact, he was enraged. It terrified me, so I took off. As I was fleeing, he called for his knights to capture you five so he could cut off your heads."

The group shared a brief look of concern.

"Cut off our heads?" Jimin echoed.

"He wouldn't do that." Said Namjoon.

"How do you know?" Yoongi challenged.

"Hoseok was never like that."

"We haven't spoken to him in years. He could have changed."

"Yoongi has a point." Jungkook spoke up.

As the five of them bickered back and forth, Jin stepped forward, gently tapping your shoulder.

"Y/n, will you come with me for a moment? I'd like to talk to you in private." Jin requested, pulling you away from the group. "Let's walk."

You fell into step with him, walking into a separate room that put some distance between you and the commotion.

"You probably think I'm the bad guy after hearing Hoseok's story." Jin sighed.

"Not really. Truthfully, I think it's just a big misunderstanding that never got fixed. I think you all went about it the wrong way."

"I believe you're right. I still feel awful about it. Hoseok was my best friend. I should have apologized and fixed things already."

"Why haven't you?"

"To be honest, I'm scared."

"What's there to be scared of?" You inquired.

"Facing Hoseok after all these years, I suppose. That's what I'm scared of. He could refuse to accept my apology, and he has every right to do so."

"I'm going to be totally honest. Is that okay?"

"Of course it is." He spoke sincerely, reaching out and grasping your hand.

"I think Hoseok is still open to an apology. He's still hurt. If you apologize, it would be the first step to rebuilding your friendship. You should make amends."

"You think he'll accept it?"

"I know he will. I could see the hurt in his eyes and an apology would begin to fix that."

"Thank you, Y/n. You truly have grown up to be a brilliant and beautiful young lady." Jin leaned down, kissing your cheek softly. "Let's go back to your friends."

On the way back down to the common room, concern for the boys' safety crossed your mind. Jin agreed to apologize, but Hoseok didn't know that. For all you knew, he was still in a blind rage.

"Jin, are the boys safe here? Hoseok won't come and try to behead them will he?" You questioned fretfully.

"Of course they're safe here. And no, Hoseok isn't that violent." Jin said. "He's all bark no bite—and I mean that in the best way. I know he seems scary, but he wouldn't hurt a fly."

When the two of you rejoined the group, you filled them in on what you and Jin had discussed. If anything were to change, the boys would have to do something.

"Are you all open to apologizing and making amends with Hoseok?" Jin asked.

There was a resounding and collective yes from the group, all five of them in agreement.

"Good." He gave a nod of finality. "We'll all go together."

Before anyone could move an inch, the front doors to the castle burst open and in stormed Hoseok, looking angrier than when you had left him.

"Give her back to me, Jin!" He demanded.

➯ Finale

Masterlist ᝰ

DO NOT steal, plagiarize, copy, repost, alter, or translate my works in any way

🏷 @h3arteyes4mingi @weird-bookworm @poppy2007 @parkjennykim @evidive @mxlly143 @lizzymizzy-blogg @minhanbyeol @dinossaurz

[bonefall]

just read through the full thunderclan family tree, saluting you and your efforts so hard right now 🫡🫡

do you have anything in specific in store personality or plot-wise for the first arc thunderclan kitten saves? (cricket, mistle, chestnut, tulip, elder) (besides dying horribly in the plague, of course 😅)

I do! Unfortunately the Plague Victims won't be getting much screentime, but I do have a good vibe on what everyone's personality was. I'll go in order of age,

CHESTNUTFACE is the daughter of Fuzzypelt and Robinwing, and a late birth as Robinwing had some odd fertility issues. She was born with Tulip around the start of Bluestar's reign, putting her on the later end of 4-ish when she died. She was named for a distinct 'plate' shape on her head, which passed down to Dustpelt. They're remarkably similar, but Chestnut was a richer, redder brown.

TULIPFLIGHT is the littermate of Chestnut. He was a darker red-brown with an orange belly, like his mom, and fuzzy fur that he was constantly trying to keep smooth. He was being trained to take over some of the fancier duties of Kitchen Patrol, and his death is a big reason why cooking wasn't so prevalent in TPB. He was a passive, good-humored guy.

The entire family was taken out by illness in Spottedleaf's Plague, with Ravenkit being the only one to catch and survive it. His growth was stunted as a result.

MISTLECLAW is the younger sister of Goldenflower and Lionheart, from a second litter. She was around 2-ish when she died, looking forward to getting her first apprentice. She was snappy like her mom, Speckletail, but there were doubts that she would make a good mentor as she was pretty flighty and easily distracted.

CRICKETCLAW is the littermate of Darkstripe, and the only one of this list who was alive during the Plague and survived. She is around 3 years old at the start of TPB, and was Redtail's first apprentice (so that he did not mentor his mate's sister). She is the 'distinct tabby queen' from canon, but did not have any surviving kits. She's one of the high-ranking members of the Construction Patrol, and was pretty jealous when Dustpelt got a secondary apprenticeship from One-eye. She has a friendship with Goldenflower.

And, lastly,

ELDERBERRY is the littermate of Ferncloud. She's an impulsive little daredevil, ride-or-die loyal with a bit of a sassy streak. Cloudkit was always dragging them into trouble, Elderkit enthusiastically following along, and Fernkit going broke from having to post bail.

(Ken and Barbie meme of Cloud and Elder both being Kens while Fern is the only Barbie)

Elder and Cricket are both planned as kills in the Forest's destruction of TNP, though Elder in particular is open to shuffles as long as she's dead before TBC

[shittyartestries]

In New York City, it’s always a rare blessing to see the sparkle of even a single star. It doesn’t get dark here. Even in the small hours of the morning, the sky remains illuminated by the thousands of blinking lights below—of the cars, of the buildings, of the houses. The lights reflect on the clouds, on the heavens themselves, turning them gray or an ugly muddy brown. There is no night in New York City, at least not in Manhattan. Queens can be different. On cold, moonless nights in Ozone Park, the stars come back to dance with me. At my bedside against the window, the stars twinkle and bathe me in a sleepy light. They’re pale and neutered, but I know they’re the same ones I see in my dreams. When I was younger, eight or nine, they visited me every night. When I lived in Punjab, in India, with my Nani and Nanu. When I had no worries. No cares. In the afternoons, I ran endlessly through the streets with my cousins, playing chicklets or pakdam pakdai. I never wanted to stop, so I didn’t. I ran and laughed and played. But when the light of the sun dimmed, we all collapsed in a pile in front of our house. Out came Bruno, a fuzzy black friend, to get his daily pats from the neighborhood kids. As we retired to the rooftop, we all laid in silence, altogether under the net of stars. Mendy and Boozi, our family dogs, whined softly, ready for bed. Our chests heaved, our hearts pounded, our feet ached, and our eyes grew tired. Cold breezes and hard concrete kept me always on my toes. Now though, it was worth it. My hands were a pillow behind my head and I watched the countless stars as they spread out in a never-ending array before me. The Milky Way was so radiant and bright, Hai Ram, it cast a shadow and my legs stretched ten feet. In these moments I was, without a doubt, the tallest girl in the world. With my head in the heavens, how could I not be? Drunk in starlight, I blink and I am back in the city. Years passed by; I find myself an adult, no longer a child. My head lies crooked on my windowsill once more. Tonight is one of those rare and lucky nights. I can see the sky from my bed. Three scattered stars blink back at me and this time the moon smiles at me too. They remember the moments we shared.

-

[honeybeezgobzzzzz]

𓅨 Dreamswept: Chapter Five

Dreamswept: In which Dream’s imprisonment brings out his darker side. Y/N’s mother works for the Burgess’s as a nurse, and after stumbling across what is hidden beneath Fawny Rig’s mortars one summer, Y/N’s life will never be the same. A darkness has attached itself to her and no matter how long she is kept from the Endless in the basement, he has not forgotten her kindness and brief moments of comfort. No, he has not forgotten, and now he craves it.

Warnings: Language, Foreshadowing.

To Note: Dark!Morpheus/Dream x Female!Reader, Inspired by 'Claiming His Queen' by @moonmaiden1996 (Go Read It!).

Word Count: ~2.6k

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Wednesday had come quickly through a storm of packing, tears, and celebration. Joey had pulled through with her proposal and she and Blythe were on cloud nine. You and Isabel were almost sick of the romance at this point, yes, you were happy for them, but did you need to see them kissing every five minutes? No, no you did not. Excessive displays of affection aside, when you had gone to the train station early in the morning, the tears had come likes floods and you had all but dragged yourself away to board the train in time. The first half hour of your ride you spent texting back and forth between Blythe and Isabel.

Finally the pair had to get back to their own list of things they had to do and left you to spend the rest of the train ride in peaceful silence. As much as you were looking forward to returning to Fawny Rig, you did feel like you were returning to a place you didn’t know. How much had changed at Fawny Rig? Your memory of the place was still quite fuzzy so would you even recognize any changes? Thinking about it made your head hurt and you did not want a headache to ruin your day so you cleared your mind, sat back, and relaxed…. Well you would have, if the woman sitting next to you wasn’t so chatty.

“First time going to Wych Cross? I saw your friends, didn’t seem like they wanted you to leave.” The woman asked, a pleasant smile on her lips. You shook your head at her.

“Oh no, I lived in Wych Cross years ago, when I was a child.” You explained with a small chuckle. “My friends have been my roommates since primary and they were sad to see me go.”

“Oh that’s quite a change!” You nodded in agreement.

“It is, but I’m glad to be heading home, I haven’t been back in well over a decade.”

“I can imagine, where do you live? Wych Cross is such a small community these days I’m sure I’ve met your parents at some point.”

“It’s just my mother and I, I’m afraid,” You explained, running your fingers over your cheek absentmindedly. “My mother is live in nurse for the Burgess’. We live at Fawny Rig.” At the mention of the old manor, and odd look crossed the old woman face.

“Fawny Rig, you say? Love, you are going to live there?” She seemed distressed at the thought. Your face twisted in confusion.

“Yes?” The woman’s face practically went white.

“Oh dear, have you not heard? A devil lives in the basement! It’s not safe for you to go there. I suggest that you find new lodgings and quickly. You seem like such a nice young lady, I’d hate to see anything happen to you.” You were taken a back by her words. A devil? In the basement of all places? Where was this coming from?

“What do you mean by devil, and why would you think that a devil was in the basement of all place?” You questioned her in confusion. You had never heard of such rumors of Fawny Rig before, it sounded ridiculous!

“Love, it’s been a known fact for decades!” The woman tutted, shifting in her seat to look at you more closely. “Everyone knows that Roderick Burgess tampered with dark magic and summoned the devil in his basement. The entire manor is cursed. I dare not go near that place and neither should you.” You were well beyond flabbergasted at this point and almost short of full of snorting and telling her off right on the spot… but then flickers of memory entered your mind and a dull throb developed at your temple. You went to rub your temples as images of an old looking basement surfaced. There was your child self, wandering around, trying to break thick glass, your face was filled with determination… your face didn’t have the scar that now marked it. You blinked rapidly and touched the scarred tissue upon your cheek once more.

You had always wondered how you had gotten such an unsightly scar on the crest of your cheekbone. The glaring injury had ensued some rather nasty comments from some of the girls at Wycombe Abbey and it certainly didn’t help your dating life. It was always the first thing people saw when they looked at you. They didn’t see you, they saw the scar. Of course Evan had been different. Evan had been nice, kind, the sort of boy any shy girl would fall for. But he wanted more than what you were comfortable giving at the time, and you had dropped him and his pushy wishes faster than a hot potato. No one was going to force you into something so intimate.

The old woman patted your arm and you drew out of your inner thoughts, a fresh headache beating at your forehead.

“Take it from me, love, you don’t want anything to do with that cursed place. The devil might steal you away and your family will never see you again! You’re much safer staying far from those grounds.” You decided not to speak of Fawny Rig anymore and let the topic go. It was in your best interest to just nod and agree.

“I will take your words of advice, thank you.” With that, the unnerving conversation ended and you were left in echoing silence with a pounding headache that seemed to only worsen the closer the train drew to Wych Cross.

When the train came to a stop in Wych Cross and you disembarked, your eyes immediately searched for Kingsley, who you had been told would be here to pick you up. You didn’t see him, but you did catch sight of another.

“Paul!” You exclaimed with beaming happiness, hurrying up to the elderly man. He chuckled at you and opened his arms for a hug. “I’ve missed you terribly!” You hugged and when Paul pulled away, his hands took your cheeks and he beamed at you.

“Oh you’ve grown so much since I last saw you, Y/N.” He said with tears in his eyes. “We’ve missed you so much, darling, you’re presence at the manor always brought smiles to everyones faces.”

“Then why did you send me away?” You asked him softly. His eyes crinkled in sadness. “Paul, why did mama send me away for so long? Was I bothering you? Was it because of the accident?”

“Oh, darling, no, no, none of it was your fault.” Paul replied with a sniff. “We— Alex and I simply thought that you were deserving of the best schooling in England. Darling, it was never anything you did. We only wanted the best for you.” Your face relaxed slightly as you were somewhat comforted by the notion that your essential exile from Wych Cross was never your doing. Alex took your arm in his. “Now come, you must tell me everything that has happened since your last letter!”

So you did as you walked to the car. Paul was ecstatic to hear about Blythe and Joey, and naturally asked who was next out of the two of you remaining, giving you a side eye. You rolled your eyes at him.

“Come on, Paul, my cheek scares most boys off before I even get in a ‘hello’.” You responded dryly, flinging a hand up to your face. “It’s kind of the first thing most people see.” Paul frowned at your words.

“Darling, tell me you aren’t disparaging yourself with a scar.” Paul sighed as Kingsley, who had been lurking in the background, started the car and began driving to Fawny Rig.

“I’m not the one doing the disparaging, Paul. But it’s not like I’m clueless why most people tend to steer clear of me in romantic endeavors.” You returned flippantly, well used to the idea that your scar would lead the path of romantic endeavors in your life. You expected that path to be exceedingly short.

“Y/N…” You held up a hand and gave Paul a look. Surely he wasn’t going to argue with you on this, you’d have thought he would try to steer all boys and men from your path. He was quite overprotective.

“That’s that, Paul, my boyfriend in University was more than enough for me to figure things out by myself.” You said pragmatically. “I’m not in Wych Cross looking for a boyfriend let alone a husband.”

“As you say, darling, but you never know, there might be someone out there just waiting to sweep you off your feet. Someone who sees past your scar.” Paul softly mumbled as Kingsley turned down a drive that twisted and turned around numerous trees. You focused your eyes outward, watching as grounds that were faintly familiar appeared. You recognized the pond you used to hunt frogs in, a dirt patch that was now full of flowers and brushes, the gazebo you had spent so many hours sitting beneath with Paul was still there... then your eyes landed on Fawny Rig. The manor looked exactly the same as it had all those years ago. “Your mother was working with Alex when we left to pick you up, they should be finishing up.”

Kingsley promptly took your luggage up to my old room while you slowly looked around the old manor, reacquainting yourself with the rooms. It all felt familiar. Looked familiar, too, but at the same time, it all felt so foreign. Paul moved you to the study and had one of the house staff bring a tea tray. Sitting down, you took the offered tea cup from him with a smile and sipped, enjoying the blend of tea that Paul was ever so fond of. You didn’t have to wait long for mother and Alex to make their way into the study. You frowned the moment you realized that Alex was in a wheelchair. You moved to stand up but Paul grabbed your hand.

“He’s fine, darling,” Paul told you. “We’re just getting up there in age as you can imagine. We tire more quickly.” Your frown remained but soften as Alex gave you a gentle smile.

“Y/N, you’ve grown into such a beautiful woman.” Alex spoke, his voice a little raspy. “I’ve greatly missed hearing you running around these halls, but I am glad that you got to have a good education. You’re a smart and clever girl.”

“It’s good to be back, Alex,” You replied with a smile before looking up at your mother. She looked anything but happy. In fact, she looked like she was mad that you were here. “Mama?” She wouldn’t even look at you.

“I have some paperwork to fill out,” She stated flatly. “We’ll talk later, Y/N.” With that, she promptly turned around and strode away from the study, leaving you in a confused state. What was that all about? Surely mother wasn’t mad that you had come back. If anything, wouldn’t she be happy that her only daughter was finally coming home after over a decade of being away? Deflating slightly in your seat, you looked down at your tea cup.

“Don’t worry about your mothers mood, Y/N/N, she’s just been stressed lately” Paul said in an attempt of reassurance. It did little you improve your mood.

“What have I done wrong this time?” You quietly questioned, more to yourself than Paul than Alex.

“Never mind that, how was the train?” Alex broached, shifting the conversation elsewhere. “I’m sure you had to get up early, did you make it to the station alright?” You nodded.

“My roommates dropped me off, granted it was a chore to get them to stop hugging me so I could actually get on the train…”

“Mama,” You called as you knocked on her door.

“What is it, Y/N?” Mother grunted back. Your eyebrows pinched together in confusion at her hostile tone as you entered her room. She was folding her laundry.

“Mama are you not happy that I am back?” You asked, looking at her with a frown clear on your face. “I’ve been away for so long, are you not happy to see me?” She refused to look at you, her eyes remaining trained on her laundry folding. Her reaction hurt. It hurt a lot. “Mama will you not have the decency to look at your only daughter?” Her hands slammed down on the folded pile of close and she sharply turned her head to look at you.

“You should have stayed away Y/N! There was a reason why you were far away from this place!” She harshly bit out, her anger at your presence here at Fawny Rig well and clear in her eyes. “You had a perfectly good life in London, why did you have to leave!? You ruined all that I have worked for these last years.”

You stepped back, feeling like her words had physically struck you. Your eyes prickled and burned. You almost wanted to cry. No, you were going to cry. Your own mother didn’t want you here. She wasn’t happy to see you here after years of little contact. But you wouldn’t. This was supposed to be a fresh new start and you were not going to let your own mother ruin it for you. You hardened your resolve and clenched your hands at your side.

“I’m sorry that you feel that way, mama, but I am here now, and I am not going anywhere.” You softly spoke before turning in place. “Please try not to work yourself up, you’re supposed to be mindful of your heart. I’ll see you in the morning.” You left her room, oblivious to the tears running down her face and the teeth biting hard into worn lips. It broke her heart to speak to you like that, but it was her only way to protect you from the being in the basement. She needed to keep you away from him, that was the only way she would be able to ensure that you were safe and happy.

You entered your old room and quietly shut the door behind you before leaning back against it and fighting the hash of tears that had amassed at your eyelashes. How could your own mother be so cold to you after your over a decade of absence? You didn’t know and it wouldn’t do to dwell on it because that would just bring your mood down. Moving away from the door, you headed for your luggage that Kingsley had brought up and unzipped it.

You pawed through your packed clothing to find a shirt and shorts to sleep in. Finding a set, you changed into them, relishing not having to wear a bra any longer, before heading to the bathroom to do my nightly routine. That involved bringing your phone with you and shooting text messages with Blythe and Isabel so they knew that you had arrived alright. Both woman found it odd that your mother wasn’t happy that you had come home, but it wasn’t like anything could be done. You were home. End of story. Ultimately, Joey had called Blythe to bed and Isabel had a work related email to attend to before going to bed, so you signed off.

You washed your face, brushed your teeth, and fixed your hair so it was ready for bed, and then reached for your prescription bottle. Your hand froze half way to it. Dreams. Nightmares. A childish concept to suppress when one was an adult. You retracted your hand and looked up at yourself in the mirror. You were an adult. You had no reason to fear your dreams, and nightmares were exactly that. Nightmares. Nightmares didn’t bleed into your waking hours, so why did you need medication to repress them? You were only taking them at mother’s insistence, and after being lashed out like that, you weren’t feeling inclined to follow her wishes. You left the medicine bottle untouched and headed to bed.

Date Published: 10/19/22

Last Edit: 4/3/23

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[femmefatal-elusive]

She isn’t asleep but she’s always dreaming.

Dreaming with her eyes wide open.

Sometimes it’s hard to keep focus on conversations with her family and small group of friends. It’s hard for her to live in reality because reality is so… fake

Filled with fake people working fake jobs with fake smiles plastered on their fake filler filled lips. People who smile in your face and gossip behind your back. People who tell you everything will be okay when they know it probably won’t. People who laugh with you but look confused when your heart aches and you need someone to cry to. People who go on social media and post “check on your strong friends” but only surround themselves with people who have false personalities and live their lives through instagram stories, posting perfect pictures with lyrics from their favorite song (actually their favorite influencers favorites songs, at least that’s what their favorite IG model posted but she’s probably in her apartment in NY wondering why her vagina is burning after sleeping with her 10th sugar daddy, not that there’s anything wrong with SW or Sugar Daddy’s, just that she only heard a snippet of that song while walking to her local grocery store to buy a 3rd plan B and she snapped a photo of her coffee with the lyrics captioned “I have this on repeat” it’s all fake , is what I’m saying.” Ignoring their closest friends cries for help through unanswered texts who are drowning in their own thoughts, much like Sakiyah. But that’s killing the vibe and ruining the soft girl aesthetic. So they never reach out, and the strong friends end up on the other side of life.

Sakiyah sighed a long drawn out sigh. She felt her throat rumble as she groaned, yawning she rolled over onto her pillow; stretching her long brown limbs into the air then letting them go and dropping them lazily into a cloud of fuzzy blankets. Her queen sized bed was her happy place, with its soft silk almond colored sheets , that almost match the color of her eyes. Her fluffy pillows of all shapes and sizes and colors. She found her most elusive dreams happened here. Snuggled up in her safe haven. Her door closed and the world shut out. Just her and her breath and sometimes her cat, Olive. With her eyes wide open, she’d stare at the ceiling and think of how life could be if she actually ever had a chance to feel alive. She looked at her phone and realized an hour had past since she got in from her day job.

She worked in an office filled with people who looked nothing like her. They were all pale skinned, and blonde hair and she was all dark with a head full of curls that only grew upward toward the son and rarely rested upon her shoulders. Although she looked nothing like them she still felt she belonged in a since, at the top eating lunch with CEOs from New York and meeting businesswomen from all over the US. Laughing over mounds of paperwork with a new colleague who transferred from California, or a small town Floridian woman who knew all the latest celebrity news. She never thought she’d end up a secretary for an elite head executive of a woman-owned retail company. But she was just happy to have a steady flow of income. Her real dream was to not have to work at all. To explore the worlds deepest caves and highest mountains, to swim in the ocean or lay under the sun with a pina coloda in her hand on an island with a name she hardly could pronounce. These were some of the things she would imagine she could do if she had financial freedom and the will to do as she please without societal pressure to live the American dream. She could meet new people, laugh with strangers, and maybe even find a soulmate. Because surely, he or she couldn’t exist in New Jersey. Although she worked with women and stood for all things feminism she still felt out of place every where anywhere and nowhere at the same time. She couldn’t put her finger on what her life was missing but the lack of it had put a burning desire in her to dig deep and find out exactly why she’d been so sad, dreaming more than usual, using books to escape her life. She’d even become dazed during work meetings. She was diagnosed with ADHD and adjustment disorder at a young age. She’d never seemed to get control of her dreaming. She just knew it felt like her head was the only place she could feel free. Free to think what she thought and be who she was.

“Ding…ding…ding” she heard her microwave go off in the kitchen and hopped up quickly as the smell of slightly burnt popcorn filled her small apartment. She quickly ran down the hall and accidentally stumbled on Olive’s tale “Yeerrrr!” The cat screeched and ran “I’m sorry Papa, you stay under my feet though” she rolled her eyes and popped open the microwave.

Because of her odd habits it was hard for her to keep friends. She would do her best to stay in contact with those closest to her but it became harder on a daily basis up just be “normal”. Her life was missing something, or someone and she was determined to find it.

To be continued …

Q#freestylewriting #newjersey #writingexcercise #read #book #writer #Shortstory #Random

[bilightningwhumper]

@angstober 2024- Day 27; Curled Up

<<Previous . My Angstober 2024 Masterlist . Next>>

"Hollow Mirror" Masterlist --- TNEI Tumblr Masterlist

Summary:

Excerpt for "Hollow Mirror" (Alice in Wonderland retelling) Natalie wakes up in new surroundings

Notes:

Characters: Natalie- Alice Reid- Red Knave White-haired woman/Silvia (mentioned)- White Queen Dr (unnamed) Adamson/Natalie's fomer therapist/Reid's birth mother (mentioned)- Red Queen Smiley man/Lionel (mentioned)- Mad Hatter Moody, indifferent man/unnamed (mentioned)- Caterpillar Tressa (mentioned)- Goldilocks, Natalie's older sister Warnings: recovering from being drugged, captivity

Ao3 link

Word count: 529

Natalie PoV

The fog cleared from her head late into the night. It took a while to gather her surroundings. This wasn’t a bedroom she recognized. But she didn’t dare move. Whoever’s bedroom it was, they actually had her on the bed with them. She could feel her back against theirs as she curled in on herself. And she was dressed in a robe. The sleeves and edges she could see were worn and faded, but it was the most… real thing she’d been dressed in since coming here.

Glancing around in the dim light coming from the clouded moon in the window, she knew it wasn’t the white haired lady’s room, either of them. She’d been with her the most since being brought to the house. It didn’t look like her old therapists’ room she shared with the smiley man. Maybe this belonged to the moody, indifferent man?

She hated how her memories got all fuzzy with what they kept giving her. The sudden jarring sensation when they all became sharp always hurt, too.

It was hard to keep a sudden welling of emotions in. Why her? Why Tressa? Why couldn’t they have a normal life, a real family? Maybe then she wouldn’t have turned into a freak that they… they…

“Hey.”

She startled, rolling over to see that boy. Young man? The kind newcomer. The one who was gentle, who didn’t hurt. The son.

And he was still gentle, alone with her, brushing away her tears that she’d failed to hold back.

“What’s your name?” he whispered. “Your real name? You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, though. My name’s Reid.”

Something… she felt something. For this new man. Maybe it was because of his kindness? Or maybe it was the tingling running through her body, like the stories Tressa used to tell her about soulmates.

He kept talking, soft and hushed, as if afraid of being heard by anyone other than her. “I gave you one of my old sleeping robes. You can wear it in here. My parents will take it away otherwise. If I can get you more clothing somehow, I will, if you want. And I’ll try to keep you safe in here as much as I can. But… there are traditions my parents like to keep that I… I don’t agree with anymore. And I’m not old enough to speak out against them, not that I think they’ll listen to me.”

Reid’s voice was soothing, calming her anxiety more than his mother, Dr Adamson, ever had.

Shakily, she interrupted him. It was hard to talk, her tongue felt too big for her mouth. “M- m- name, ‘s Nat- Natalie. N- noh, Alice.”

Her chest felt warm as he smiled at her.

“Natalie.” he murmured, as if savoring it. “It suits you. Beautiful.”

She was probably as red as he turned, but noises from somewhere close by outside the room made them both freeze. Reid pulled her close, letting her curl up against his chest.

“I’ll keep you safe,” he whispered when things had fallen silent again. “As best as I can. I swear it, Natalie.”

And she… she believed him.

TNEI Taglist:

@scoundrelwithboba

[lobster-tales]

Lux's Adventures in Underland

Rating: Mature CW: Body horror mention, attempt of self-harm Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 This work is available here on AO3

Chapter 7: The Caterpillar's Tale

Lux, who had rather enjoyed flying these last several times, now found no pleasure in it. Even the exciting rise of her stomach felt empty as the Gryphon landed in the grass beside the tea party.

Caitlyn the Hatter rose from the table, shouting in unison with Jayce the Hare and Vi the Dormouse, "No room! No room!"

Lux ignored them, slipping from the Gryphon's back and staggering towards Caitlyn.

"Your majesty!" Caitlyn said, meeting her halfway. Her tone was different: comical, even, lacking it's usual severity. Caitlyn's eyes were unfocused, hazy. Mad. "We weren't expecting you for tea, your diamond-ness! Let us- oof!"

Lux threw herself into Caitlyn's arms, sobbing into her shoulder.

A moment of confusion passed before Caitlyn seized her, muttering, "Lux, my God, I'm so sorry, I... I didn't remem- what's the matter?" She led Lux to the chair at the table's head, barking, "Jayce! Napkin, now!"

Lux sniffled into the tea-stained napkin, the others crowding around her as she explained the morning's events through her tears. At the beginning of the lament, their eyes were clouded and hazy, but gradually cleared as she went on, the madness draining from their faces. Partway through, Viktor the Cat appeared as well, curling up on Lux's lap and graciously allowing her to pet his back while she spoke.

When she was finished, she wept again into Caitlyn's shoulder. "I'm just so confused," she said between choked sobs. "I thought- I thought if I just kept going along with it all, I'd understand, but... I'm so confused."

Caitlyn and the others exchanged glances. Vi hopped down onto Lux's leg, placing a tiny paw on her hand. "It's time you saw the Caterpillar."

❤︎ ♢ ❤︎ ♢ ❤︎ ♢ ❤︎ ♢ ❤︎ ♢ ❤︎ ♢ ❤︎ ♢ ❤︎ ♢ ❤︎ ♢

The Gryphon carried them all to the Caterpillar's garden, Viktor around Lux's shoulders and Vi tucked in the ribbon on Caitlyn's top hat. Among the talking flowers, Lux, Caitlyn and Jayce ate tea cookies to shrink down, matching Vi's height of approximately three inches. Viktor was the only one to remain his regular size, parading behind them with his tail held high.

The flowers were rather rude, all debating the various types of foliage that the ensemble could be (Jayce was rather put off being diagnosed as a rabbit succulent: "I'm a hare, for God's sake, it's different.").

The Caterpillar was still sitting on his large mushroom, hookah in hand. As they approached, his fuzzy blue mustache lifted in a smile. "Ah, and who are you?"

"You know us, Heimerdinger," Caitlyn said, cutting straight to the point. "We need to talk."

Lux frowned at the name: something about it was oddly familiar, like a name she had read once in a paper and had a solid chuckle over. Jayce noticed her expression, and whispered, "Dean Heimerdinger. He runs the university that Viktor and I go to."

"Well well," said Heimerdinger the Caterpillar, indignantly placing all sets of hands on his long body. "Aren't we all business, Hatter."

"This is Lux," and Caitlyn brought her forward.

"Ah, so I've heard." He peered at her through his monocle. "The Queen of Diamonds herself."

Lux, embarrassed, smoothed out her patterned skirt. Last night, the title had felt so important. Now it felt like a curse, trapping her like everyone else. "Your blue-ness," and she curtsied. "I... I followed your advice. I went to the cellar."

"And?"

Lux relayed her experience once more, while Heimderdinger listened, throwing in the occasional sympathetic nod. She finished by saying, "And I'm just rather confused, that's all. No one seems to be able to tell me what's really going on here."

He took a great puff of the hookah, the smoke billowing above his head in concentric rings. "I do apologize, my dear," he sighed. "The curse prevents us from speaking about it in plain terms. We discovered, far too late, that the only way around it is if we tell the story through rhyme."

Rhyme. Of all the characters in Underland, she realized that Heimderdinger and Vander Lane had been the only ones who rhymed. "I see."

"Therefore I was charged with composing the tale." The corner of Heimerdinger's mustache twitched. "Not to brag, my dear, but I am quite the poet."

The group guided Lux to a soft mushroom to sit, all gathering around her as Heimerdinger took another long toke from his hookah. This time when the smoke rose, it shaped itself into images, first a large figure, whom Lux recognized as Vander Lane the ghost-man.

"Vander Lane was once a fighter Who led a revolution. But faced with the cost of war He sought out retribution."

The smoke shifted and changed shape, splitting to create four new figures.

"He took four children for his own Their families torn apart, Gave them food and hearth and home And all the love in his heart."

The figures became more distinct, and Lux followed along as each was introduced.

"The oldest was named Violet, The lead role of the cast. The boys were Mylo and Claggor And blue-haired Powder was the last.

The older three adventured And tangled in many a fight Young Powder would wait at home Until they returned each night

Powder wanted to join her siblings As they all ran amok But the boys didn't want her joining See, Powder had bad luck

Violet, though, protested And brought Powder along with them And during one of these raids Powder found a glowing gem."

The smoke children obeyed the stanzas. Powder's shape held a small light in her hand.

"She had no idea what she'd found Of course she couldn't know That magic was sitting in her palm Gave the gem that eerie glow

Powder had an inventor's mind So she tested the gem til, at last, The gem responded to her With a terrible... fiery blast."

The smoke figures exploded in a huff of air, startling Lux. Her jaw dropped at the hazy carnage, Powder standing small and alone at the center.

"The blast killed her father Vander And her brothers died as well. Violet was blamed for the murders And sent off to a prison cell."

Lux let out small gasps with each horrible line. So that was how Vander the ghost-man died. And his sons... She shuddered.

Heimerdinger continued, solemn,

"Powder, alone now, was taken in By her father's greatest foe. He was called Silco the industrialist And he loved dear Powder so."

The figure of a thin man leaned down and embraced the smoke-child.

"Years passed under his care And Powder's curiosity only grew She kept studying the gem Whose magic studied her, too."

As Heimderdinger went on, a now grown Powder leaned over a desk, fingers brushing tendrils of light that emanated from the glowing orb.

"You see, magic lives and breathes And consumes what it can find Dear Powder was the perfect meal Because of her curious mind.

Silco saw the toll on his daughter The madness starting to spread And decided to separate her "You'll be sent abroad," he said."

The Powder figure hurled a tea tray, and Lux flinched instinctively. It reminded her too much of...

"Now Powder didn't like this, She refused to leave her endeavor, So even though she was sent away She returned, obsessed as ever."

Silco brought her to the station And begged her to go back But Powder cried and shoved him And he fell on the railroad track."

The scene obeyed. Silco's thin frame crumpled beneath the platform, a bright light approaching, Powder watching helplessly above.

"She ought to help him up, she thought But Powder froze instead. The train was coming, too fast to stop And when it did Silco lost his head."

Lux clapped her hand over her mouth, squeezing her eyes shut just before the smoke-train reached Silco's body. When she opened them, the smoke-train had disappeared, leaving only a small, hunched over Powder.

"She'd lost her fathers and brothers And sister all in kind So then she lost the only thing She had left to lose: her mind."

Smoke Powder screamed, light cracking from inside her chest, consuming her.

"Her grief mixed with the magic And took a terrible toll Created a world from her childhood Where she could be in control.

And to protect those that she loved, She brought each to her domain And trapped them here to keep them From ever feeling pain."

Lux waited for more, but Heimerdinger simply took one long toke of his hookah, meeting her eyes sadly.

She realized they were all watching her, Caitlyn, Jayce... Vi.

Lux approached Vi slowly and took her paws in her hands: Vi's head was bowed in shame and sorrow. "Violet," Lux breathed. "You're Violet, Vander's daughter." Tears welled up in her eyes. "And Powder..."

They were all silent, unmoving. Lux saw them, then, the horror of what their lives had become. Swallowed in the grief of one lost child, forced into madness against their will.

The gravity of the situation was overwhelming, dragging her down into hopelessness. What possible way could they escape? And even if they could find a way, would the Queen... Powder, even let them?

But she had to try.

Lux squared her shoulders, gathered her courage. "Our croquet game never ended," she said firmly. "I never lost to the Queen."

The group exchanged glances, unsure what she was getting at.

"Viktor," and Lux went to him, pressing her tiny face against his forehead. "Go to the Queen. Tell her to meet me at the chessboard battlefield at sunset."

"Sunset?" asked Caitlyn. "You really think she'd let it be night again?"

"She will," Lux said. "For me." She kissed Viktor's nose. "Go."

He purred, loudly, then disappeared.

❤︎ ♢ ❤︎ ♢ ❤︎ ♢ ❤︎ ♢ ❤︎ ♢ ❤︎ ♢ ❤︎ ♢ ❤︎ ♢ ❤︎ ♢

Lux spent the rest of the afternoon alone, exploring the chessboard battlefield. What had looked like castle ruins from above, she saw now were incomplete structures, pillars and floors that lay cut off at jagged angles. She first climbed through the maroon ruins, intended for the Red Queen's domain, then the white marble of the White Queen's. The latter was more polished, and she found stairs that led to a platform, likely what was meant to be a tower.

Lux took a seat there, watching the sky. She had been so confident in front of the others, but the truth was that she had no idea what would happen. After the cellar incident, Jinx might change her mind entirely, decide that she was too much of a liability. She could always transform Lux into something else, perhaps the duchess's pig-baby or the mock turtle.

She waited. There was no looking at the sun, of course, which made it difficult to tell if it was moving at all. So Lux looked at the shadows instead, marking in the dust the height of one half-formed pillar. After what felt like an appropriate time, she checked again, and saw with a mixture of delight and fear that the shadow had lengthened.

The horizon grew orange. The sun dipped, slowly, casting the clouds in hues of gold.

The air shifted, and Lux said aloud, "It really is beautiful."

There was a moment of stillness, before footsteps scuffed behind her, skirts shuffling as the person sat.

Lux turned to face her Queen. Jinx looked horrid, dark eye makeup dried in running streams down her cheeks. Her braids, which had kept so tidy, now puffed and tried to escape their binds. Even her small crown had grown, circling the entirety of her head, the spikes elongated higher.

They gazed at each other, neither speaking. The sun finished setting behind Lux, the shadows dissolving. The twilight sky was lavender above them.

"What do you want?" Jinx said finally.

Lux reached a hand out to her. "I wanted to see you."

"You want something." Her voice was venom. "If all you wanted was to see me, you would have come to the castle."

"Under the circumstances," Lux murmured. "I was quite nervous about returning to the castle. I thought you might chop my head off."

Jinx flinched. "I still might."

"If that were true, you would have tried it already."

She reminded Lux of a snared rabbit, shifting constantly, eyes wide. "You want something," she spat. "I can feel it."

"You're right," Lux admitted. "We... we never finished our game."

"So that's it?" she said, disbelieving. "That's what you want, croquet?" Her lips curled into a sneer, "You know I was winning, right? You'd be trapped here either way."

"So be it," said Lux solemnly. At that, Jinx stilled, her eyebrow cocked in curiosity. Lux had seized her attention. "I want to play a new game, with different stakes."

"... What stakes?"

"If you win, this all stays the same. I'll come live with you in the castle, be your Queen of Diamonds. The sun will never set again, we'll never sleep or dream, and we can live here forever in bliss."

Jinx's eyes widened just slightly, hopeful, before she remembered herself and narrowed them. "And if you win?"

"Then you let us go," Lux whispered. "All of us return to the real world... you included."

She scoffed, which was the reaction Lux expected. Jinx rose to her feet and began to pace back and forth, arms folded across her chest. "I'll never leave Underland."

"You must, Jinx." Lux stood, too, but kept her distance. "One day, you must return."

"No!" The shout echoed off the stone. "I can't. I can't go back." She ran her hands along her arms, pacing faster. "You don't know what I've done, Lux. Back there, I'm a monster. I've hurt people, I've kill-" Her voice caught on the last word and broke. She covered her mouth with her hand, squeezing her eyes shut.

"I know," said Lux, approaching her slowly, like one might approach a wild animal. "I know what happened. And I know it was an accident."

"No, it wasn't! I- I did that to him, it was my fault!" Jinx faced her, her braids whipping forward. "I was the one who- I'll never let that happen again. I'll never let anyone get hurt because of me."

"But Jinx, you can't keep them trapped here."

"They're not trapped! I'm saving them." She snapped her fingers, creating a silver dagger and stabbing it into her abdomen. Lux cried out, but saw that Jinx was completely unharmed, the dagger dissolving into dust. "See? Nothing can hurt them here. Everyone is safe. Everyone is alive."

"But is it really living," asked Lux. "Or is it just... not dying?"

"I'm protecting them!"

"From what?"

"From everything!" Her shoulders heaved as she glared at Lux. "You... you can't take them. The world out there is evil, and wrong. Here, they can't get hurt, can't go hungry."

The night darkened around them, the stars winking above.

"But what is the good of a full belly all the time if you can never know hunger?" Lux murmured. "Why drink tea if you never feel thirst, or feel grateful for a sound body if you can never be in pain?"

She was closer to Jinx now, who took a small step back. But Lux kept walking towards her, saying, "If the night never comes, then how can you know the beauty of the moon and the stars? Without the unknown, how can you feel fear, and without fear, how do you find courage?" Lux took her shaking hands, drawing them to her. "Without sleep, how can you dream?"

"But all I have are nightmares," Jinx choked out, avoiding her gaze.

"Nightmares are still dreams," Lux said, pressing her lips to Jinx's knuckles. "Like it or not, they are a part of you, and denying them is denying yourself, Jinx." And then, quieter, she whispered, "Powder."

Jinx tensed beneath her. "Don't."

Lux obeyed, and murmured, "If you cannot die, then how can you live?"

Her pink eyes gazed mournfully at Lux, filling with tears. "They died. All of them. I lost them all."

"I know. I'm sorry."

She looked so small then. It was hard to believe that much grief could fit inside such a small person. "My fathers... my brothers..."

"You still have a sister," Lux said gently. "And she loves you. Despite everything, she loves you, and she always will. And Ekko loves you too. He just wants you to be happy again. Not happy like this, where you pretend everything is fine, but truly happy, once you've let your grief in and allowed yourself to feel it." She kissed her knuckles again. "Both Viktor and Heimerdinger adore you: they think you're brilliant. And I'm sure in time, Jayce and Caitlyn will love you too."

"They won't forgive me," Jinx said in a shuddering breath. "How could they after all this."

"You'll never know if you don't let them go."

The twilight had given way to darkness. The moon, still in it's crescent shape, smiled down upon them. Crickets chirped in the grass and at the edge of the forest, fireflies had begun their twinkling dance.

Jinx lowered her forehead onto Lux's shoulder, wrapping her arms around her waist. They stood linked for a long time, breathing each other in, enjoying each other's warmth.

"There's one last thing," Jinx said, sniffling. "That I want to show you." She stepped back, gazed into the dark. Her pink eyes glowed, brighter and brighter, and her fingers sparked when she snapped.

The platform groaned beneath them, the loose stones around rumbling into place. The pillars rose, the marble forming into branches that held up a domed glass ceiling. The circular room surrounded them, furniture appearing along the rising curved walls.

Lux blinked and the room was complete. She gasped at the sight of a large, rectangular object against one side. "A bed," she said, delighted.

Sweat beaded on Jinx's forehead from the effort, and she wiped it away. "The first, and last, of it's kind."

The tension of the moment released, slowly. Lux took note of Jinx's obvious exhaustion, as well as her own. Now, with the comfort of the room spread around them, Lux wanted so badly to leap onto the rich blue duvet, to drag Jinx down with her, kiss her senseless. But she was frozen in place, still uncertain.

Jinx hesitated, then reached for her hand, entwining fingers. "Tomorrow, we'll finish the game. But for tonight, maybe we can just... be?"

Lux smiled, relieved, and kissed Jinx, softly, cradling her jaw.

They were gentle with each other at first, Jinx afraid of being too rough, Lux afraid of provoking her. The trust returned slowly, one kiss, one sigh at a time. Lux tugged on one of Jinx's gloves, careful in removing it, and when Jinx allowed this, Lux removed the other, then massaged the skin that had been covered by the fabric.

Lux's fingers drifted to the corset at Jinx's chest, undoing the ribbon there languidly, taking her time to loosen the cloth. Soon, the dress was pooled around Jinx's feet, leaving only the black chemise.

As Lux made to remove the chemise, Jinx's fingers snatched her wrists, and for a moment, Lux feared she had gone too far. But instead, Jinx simply murmured, "Turn around so I can undo yours."

When Jinx's fingers found the dress's top button, Lux flinched. She forced herself to calm down, to allow Jinx to undo the buttons, one by one, until the dress fell from her hips. Unlike Jinx, she was only wearing a slip underneath, her chest bare. They faced each other and shared another kiss, then another, each one growing in hunger. Jinx's fingers undid the slip's ribbon, and Lux shivered when she was naked. The fear gave way to desire, her pulse quickening at the thought of being undone again.

"Lay down," Jinx whispered, and Lux obeyed, sprawling on the great duvet.

Jinx kissed both of her ankles, then her calves, climbing up to her thighs.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Lux asked breathlessly, feeling intimidated. She found herself wishing that she had spent more time researching the art of lovemaking, as Jinx appeared to be more learned than her.

But when Jinx met her eyes, she saw doubt there. "I... I read it in a book once." Lux frowned. "What book?"

A sly smirk tilted Jinx's lips, which pressed against Lux's inner thigh. "One I shouldn't have been reading."

Lux's playful scoff was interrupted by a sharp gasp, her hips bucking towards Jinx's open mouth.

The sensation was unlike anything Lux had ever experienced, bringing her so much pleasure that she felt guilty: surely something that could bring her this close to heaven must be a sin. She cried out in mere seconds, shuddering against Jinx's tongue, and yet Jinx seized her thighs and kept her from pulling away, intent on taking her over the edge again and again.

"I'm sorry," Jinx moaned, muffled against her center, flicking her tongue in between repeats of, "I'm sorry."

When Lux could bear it no longer, her legs trembling so violently that she feared she would fall apart, she finally forced Jinx away. Lux propped herself up on her elbows, breath coming raggedly as she returned from the height of ecstasy.

Jinx shot her a wicked grin from between her thighs, her chin wet with glisten. She licked her lips, humming in lewd satisfaction.

Lux gasped, "You must allow me to borrow that book."

Jinx laughed, a high cackle that made her sound like a schoolgirl. Lux adored that laugh, adored how it revealed her as the young woman she really was, not the mad queen she was pretending to be.

She pulled Jinx close, kissing her fiercely, not out of lust, but out of devotion. Any doubts Lux had were gone. She knew without any hint of hesitation that regardless of the next day's outcome, the two of them would always be together from then on. She knew this because there was no other path, no other option. Lux could not let her go and never would, even if it meant damning herself to magic and madness.

Because Jinx was worth damnation.

Lux returned the favor, over and over, greedily discovering every sound, every mewl she could illicit from her queen. She licked and sucked and even scraped her teeth against her once, treasuring Jinx's keen. Lux made Jinx hers again and again, her claim assured by every moan, every hiss of desire.

Complete satisfaction never came: after every short rest between heights, fingers would wander, followed by lips, and the two would be entwined again, bringing each other more pleasure than either had been allowed all their lives.

"My queen," Lux sighed against Jinx's bare shoulder.

"My queen," Jinx chuckled into Lux's neck.

They escaped for one night, indulged in the fantasy, lived in a world where there was only the two of them, the massive bed beneath and the grinning moon above.

[orionsstory]

New York Nights (1) (Rosénali Superhero AU)

A/N: Welcome to my Rosénali lesbian superhero AU! Originally posted on my AO3 and Wattpad (InsaneDinosaur), I wanted to get involved here on Tumblr too! Here's chapter one :) Also, I have no beta so please forgive my mistakes! Originally uploaded Jan. 22nd, 2022 ------ Chapter One: Ice Queen -- "Welcome, dear viewers, to channel 7 news! Your most trustworthy source for New York News! This just in, the rising superhero Ebony Enchantress has captured yet another villain! If she continues this streak, she may rise to be one of New York's best! It's tough to get noticed, but Ebony..."

The voice on the television grew fuzzy as Denali Foxx began to drift off, sinking further into the couch in her living room. Before she could get more comfortable, however, Jackie's voice cut through, waking her up. "Wow, Ebony Enchantress has been on the news a lot lately, the media loves her! Have you ever worked with her?" Denali sat up, rubbed her eyes, and yawned. "No- she doesn't seem to work too much at night. Plus, she mostly works in Manhatten." Looking up, Denali was greeted with a warm mug of coffee from Jackie.

Jackie Cox, her saving grace (and roommate). Jackie was a gorgeous Persian girl, she had beautiful brown eyes and brown hair, and Denali was shocked when she learned Jackie was single. The two met when Jackie had put out an advertisement for a roommate that Denali applied to. Denali was new to New York City, and as a fellow quiet college student like Jackie, the two were a perfect fit. They had been friends for around 4 years, Jackie has now graduated college and is an engineer, while Denali is in her last year of online college, working towards her degree.

Denali accepted the mug, muttering a 'thanks' to her roommate. She steadily drank, becoming more and more awake. "Awake now, 'Ice Queen'?" Jackie teased. "Oh, leave me alone!" Denali whined, "I had just gotten my powers! I couldn't think of anything else to call myself!" Jackie laughed at her, "Go get ready. You said you were going out tonight and need to make good on your word! I wanna see you on the News someday!"

Denali got up and made her way to her room. Around three years ago, she had mysteriously received her ice powers (hence her very creative name). There were only two ways to get powers, you could have them passed down to you or you could be born with them. Neither of which happened to Denali. She didn't really know how, but by this point, she stopped caring. She was a hero, and that was all she focused on.

She looked at herself in the mirror: she looked a bit messy from her nap earlier. She brushed out her bright blonde (almost white, really) hair. Her hair went down to her upper back, and she carefully braided it. She washed her face carefully and then changed into her hero costume- a simple icy blue skin-tight suit with fur around the edges, something she and Jackie made together. Her brown eyes were her most notable feature, a stark contrast to both the suit and her hair. Hearing Jackie pacing around, she headed back towards the living room.

"You look gorgeous!" Jackie smiled, handing her a jacket. Denali rolled her eyes and slipped the coat on, "You say that every time! I've only been doing this for three years!" The two exited their apartment and went to the roof using the stairs. Once on the top, Jackie handed her the mask that matched her suit and took the jacket from her. "Be safe!" Jackie called out to her as Denali made her way toward the edge. She waved goodbye as she watched Jackie disappear back down to their apartment.

Smiling, Denali looked over the edge towards the people below. Their apartment wasn't the tallest building around by any means, but it still had a pretty good view of the street below. She sat on the ledge and produced a snow cloud in her hand. Messing around with the flurries, she sighed before getting up. "Well...crime isn't going to solve itself," she muttered before flying into the cold, December air.

-

Flying came with the powers, thank god. Denali couldn't fathom how she would have gotten around without it. She patrolled around the city for a while, before bumping into Tina Burner. "Hello, Ice Queen. Still using that one?" Denali sighed, "It's the only one I have, Tina. We can't all use our regular names, y'know. Some of us wanna have private lives!" she teased. Tina rolled her eyes, "Could have at least picked a better name~" she sang, "Well, I'll see you around, I've got business in Manhattan." she gave Denali a small wave as she flew off.

It had been a few hours with no sign of trouble, no one for the Ice Queen to save, not even a cat stuck in a tree! Denali sat on the ledge of some building and huffed as she looked below, her police scanner hadn't picked up anything either. Sure, there were a lot of superheroes in New York- but this was unusual. Thankfully (or not- it is crime, after all,) Denali heard some noises from a nearby warehouse. 'Could just be someone working...but, it's probably safer to check it out.' she thought, smiling. She stood up and began her descent toward the warehouse.

Denali quietly tiptoed into the warehouse, peering around the door. It was dark inside, so she wasn't able to see anything- but, she could hear something. There was a quiet clattering in the distance, followed by what sounded like a whisper. Denali confidently stepped out, flicking on the lights. "Something tells me you're not supposed to be here!" she sang, spotting someone towards the other end of the warehouse, grabbing something from a box. She couldn't make out much of the other person, only that there was a lot of pink.

As Denali made her way toward the figure, they turned around. Instead of running, like she thought they would, they came charging towards her. "Hey!" Denali yelled, "Freeze right there!" she stamped her foot and ice rushed across the floor towards the opposed. Snagging the other person's foot, they paused for a moment, before they broke free. Denali was flabbergasted 'That...hasn't happened before!' she thought. Before she could send off another attack, the other person lept at her, and Denali was barely able to dodge.

Up close, she was finally able to look at the other woman. She had bright, hot pink hair tied up into pigtails and stunning hazel eyes which she could see through her black mask. She was dressed in a pink bodysuit, a leather jacket over it. 'Stunning...' she thought, 'Ugh, I can't believe I just thought that!' She sent a blast of ice at the other girl, who dodged out of the way.

"Hey, doll," the other woman said, "do we really have to fight? I'm not causing any trouble!" Denali gritted her teeth, "What's that in your hand? Certainly doesn't seem like yours!" The woman laughed, and produced a ring of pink energy from her hand, and fired it off at Denali. "Shit!" she muttered, the blast sending her back. "I think I recognize you," the woman said, as Denali sprang back to her feet, "aren't you...Ice Queen? Didn't realize you were this cute!"

Denali ignored her as she shot a bigger blast of ice at her, the woman producing her own blast of energy- breaking Denali's ice. "Well, this has been fun, but I really have to go!" the woman called, lifting off into the air. "Not a chance!" Denali yelled, sending off another blast of ice. It caught the woman's leg and she fell to the ground. The woman grimaced, "Listen blondie...you should've ignored this.", Denali was running across the warehouse towards her, "I'd say I'm sorry, but you're being a real pain in the ass!"

All Denali could see was a giant wave of pink coming toward her. Unable to block it, the giant wave of energy hit her. Hard. She dropped to her knees, her body felt tingly- she tried to move, but couldn't. She saw the woman breaking free from the ice as Denali's vision blurred. Denali heavily breathed out, her vision fading in and out. Soon after, she passed out.

-

She didn't know how long had passed before she woke up, but when she opened her eyes, it was still dark out. Denali rubbed her head, slowly rising to her feet. She stumbled out of the warehouse and tried to take flight. Her vision was still slightly blurred, and she felt weak, so she had trouble staying steady in the air. However, she was able to make it back to her and Jackie's apartment in one piece. She knocked on the door, having left her belongings with Jackie.

"Denali!" Jackie breathed out, ushering her inside, "I was so worried! It's 4 in the morning!" Denali mumbled an apology, before falling onto the couch. "'Nali, are you okay? I'll get your pajamas." Denali nodded as Jackie went off to fetch her clothes. She felt a sharp pain in her side and grumbled in pain. "What happened tonight?" Jackie re-entered the living room, "Are you hurt?" Denali nodded, and Jackie helped her sit up. "I fought this girl tonight," Denali started as Jackie fetched the first aid, "she hit me with this huge blast of energy...I think I passed out for a while."

"You poor thing...where does it hurt? Let me see." Denali took her costume off and let Jackie examine her. Jackie put some bandages around her left side, her wrist, and a few bandaids on her face where she had been scratched. "I'll get you some medicine, and then you should go to bed. Here, change into your pajamas." Jackie said softly, ushering her towards the bathroom.

Denali shuffled into the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. She could see some bruises peeking out from her bandages. She laughed to herself, "Thank god for Jackie," she muttered, "you'd be dead without her." She pulled her hoodie over her head and put on her pajama bottoms. She took her hair out of her braid and brushed her hair out, she stifled a yawn and headed back out to the living room.

"Here, take these." Jackie handed her some pills and a glass of water, and Denali took them gingerly. "Thanks, Jacks," Denali said after swallowing the pills, "I don't know what I'd do without you." Jackie smiled at her, "Of course, you're my best friend! Now, let's get you to bed." Jackie led Denali to her room and tucked her in. "What? No kiss goodnight?" Denali teased. Jackie rolled her eyes and kissed her forehead. She whispered a 'goodnight' as Denali drifted to sleep.

-

"Nali...Nali, wake up!"

Denali grumbled, turning over in her bed. She felt herself being lightly shaken and groggily opened her yes. "Hmmm?" she mumbled, waiting for her vision to adjust. "Wha?" She turned back over and saw Jackie standing over her bed. "I think you've slept long enough, don't forget- you've still got a degree to earn!" Jackie sang. "Don't you have work!" Denali grumbled, "I'll get up eventually!". "My boss is letting me go in late today, now come on! Get up! Breakfast is waiting!"

Denali shifted out of her bed and towards the bathroom. She began her morning routine, brushing her teeth, her hair, washing her face, etc. She felt a lot more refreshed than she had last night, but also a lot more sore. She headed back to her room to get dressed, deciding on a simple long sleeve striped shirt and some leggings. Stifling another yawn, she looked herself over in the mirror before heading to the living room.

"There she is!" Jackie cheered, "Breakfast is in the microwave, I'll be back later tonight!" Denali smiled, "Someone's bright today. Have a good day at work, Jacks." Jackie left their apartment, and Denali fetched the pancakes (hell yeah) from the microwave. She watched the news for any sign of the mysterious pink girl from yesterday, but when nothing seemed to come from it, she began working on her online courses.

-

Her phone chimed a few hours later, when she was halfway through writing her essay, notifying her of a text from Jackie. 'Hiiii Denaliiii' it read. 'What is it?' she sent back.

'How would you feel about a double date tonight?'

'Double date?'

'I've been talking to this girl, Jan, and she brought up the idea. I...may or may not have already accepted on your behalf, oops!'

'JACKIE! Ugh, who is she? When is it?'

'Jan's sister...I think her name is Rosé? And we're having dinner at 7 ;))'

'Like...like the alcohol?'

Denali sighed to herself. 'Jackie...I can't believe you!' she thought to herself. She considered it for a moment...it had been a while since she had time for a proper date. She debated with herself for a few more minutes before she sent Jackie a message. 'Okay. I'll do it. You owe me though!' Her phone lit up with a flurry of 'thank you!' and 'love you!!' texts from Jackie, she smile to herself as she set back to work.

-

She finished her essay earlier than she expected, so Denali decided to spend her free time at the skating rink. Skating was her favorite pastime, she also worked part-time there, giving skating lessons to children. The rink was like Denali's second home, before she was a superhero, she would often stay after closing hours and skate to clear her mind- she still loved to do that when she could manage. Grabbing her skates from her room, she set off down the street.

She quickly arrived at the rink and gave a wave to the hockey coach, Joey. "You got lessons today?" Joey called to her, "Nah," she called back, "just here for fun!" Joey nodded as she drank from her water bottle and headed to the locker rooms. The rink wasn't too busy for 4 pm on a Friday night, Denali laced up her skates and stepped out onto the ice.

It was refreshing. She pushed off, the motions came so naturally, they felt like clockwork. She did a few warm-up laps around the rink, easily gliding past the other patrons. Soon, she made her way to the middle of the rink and began practicing her jumps. An axel, salchow, and lutz- each executed perfectly, Denali could feel herself getting looser and releasing the tension from last night. She felt freedom on the rink, and before long it was six o'clock.

Denali quickly hustled off the ice and out of the rink, mentally cursing herself for not paying attention to the time. Jackie would kill her if she was late, and she still needed to shower! She whipped into the apartment, barely spitting out a 'hello' to Jackie as she hopped into the shower. She was out of the shower by 6:30 and spotted a silver dress hanging on the door that Jackie must have put in for her. She made a mental note to thank her later.

She quickly dried and brushed out her hair, and started on her makeup. Some quick eyeshadow and eyeliner, and a lip gloss were what she decided on. She then added on blush, and then lashes, and before she knew it, Jackie called out to her that they were on their way up. Denali cursed to herself as she slipped the dress onto her, running out of the bathroom and grabbing her heels as a knock sounded on the door. She frantically put her heels on and ran to the door with Jackie.

Jackie took a deep breath before she opened the door. On the other side stood a woman with blonde hair pulled up into a ponytail. She had bright brown eyes and was a bit shorter than Jackie. "Jan, hey! So glad you guys could come over tonight!" Jackie smiled, blush rising to her cheeks, "Oh! This is my roommate, Denali!" Jan hugged Jackie and soon moved to shake Denali's hand. "Hi there, lovely to meet you! I'm Jan! And this," she gestured to the other person in the doorframe, "Is my sister, Rosé!"

Denali turned her attention to the woman in the doorframe. She was taller than Denali, she had a leather jacket on and Denali noticed her hazel eyes...a stark contrast to her bright pink hair. Denali's eyes widened in recognization at the same time Rosé's did.

'Oh no.'

[niuniente]

FOR REAL they made complex character, with grey morals that at the end turned out to be good freaking morals... A character with SO MUCH potential and that could have done so much good to the trollhunters team and they just- kill him. They did our boy SO WRONG

It wasn’t only grey morals. Angor was kind and compassionate and he was being used as a slave who had nothing to say. I don’t know what convinced him to keep serving Morgana and be the assassin for her needs but my assumption is prolonged abuse?

Live a quiet life before the war? Check

Be a troll who has compassion for humans whilst every single other troll hates humans? Check

Realize that everyone in your home village will get killed unless you do something to stop the war? Check

Realize that you need power and a way to get it is to seek out this witch who could help you out to save your home and everyone in it? Check

Get lied to, getting enslaved, have your soul stolen and be turned into a slave for this witch? Check

(If we take the novel in here, try to get rid of this enslavement and have your soul back by turning to Merlin, who instead of helping imprisons you and leaves you to die in the jungle? Check)

Be unable to save your village because you’re a slave now? Check

Have remnants of your compassion appear during the story, like the shock when Morgana starts randomly kill trolls? Check

Be abused by everyone you encounter? Check

Desperately try to get out from this deal by getting your soul back, search for the ring? Check.

Have the witch, who enslaved you, say to you that if you don’t do as I say I will kill you? Check

Oh yeah get killed and never get to live in peace anymore because apparently this heroic death someone eradicates all the shit that went through? Check

And so on and so on... It’s a really sad story where Angor Rot just doesn’t have anything to say what happens to him and whenever he tries to save himself, he gets even more fucked up by others or things just don’t work out. He’s nothing but a weapon of someone else’s against his own will.

All this ONLY because he wanted to save his home village and everyone he cared for. All this for having a too big heart, too much kindness and too much compassion for everyone around.

[stix-n-bread]

Thank u for providing me the daily cursed images to torture my friends with

:D no problemo 💛💛💛

[gold-kobold]

"So?" Dictatious says as he overthinks every single move he makes around angor rot even tho he has clearly been told that he isn't about to get murdered

AFDSGDHJF YEAH EXACTLY LMAOO-

angor rot: no, seriously, i’m not going to kill you. like, ever.

dictatious: sounds fake but ok