#galaxy-eyes cloud dragon

[tubbytarchia]

Galaxy-Eyes Cloud Dragon does a little dance Slightly extended version (And any support on YT is very appreciated 🥺🥺) (I deleted this previously, idk how it's still on Tumblr in some form but here it is again)

[platypusundercover]

May i request something for Argenti and boothill. For each of their scenarios, theyre being reckless on behalf of others as usual and get seriously injured. Their eyes closing, believing fully that theyre going to die. Only to open their eyes again to reader gently caring for their wounds and teafully scolding them.

@dragon-anon

Thank you for the request !! Went a bit crazy with Boothill here, it's like twice the size of Argenti's... First time writing reader-insert, I don't know if it fits well with my usual style but I tried my best. I hope this meets what you were looking for ! Please let me know what you think :D

Argenti

The chase for Idrilla brought him every corner of the Galaxy, from the most beautiful of villages to the war-ravaged plains. Beauty was in life, in the seed turning into a flower and in the first cry of a newborn. For as much beauty as there was in life, and equal amount could be found in death. In the leaves falling in autumn to the sweet smile of a loved one ready to depart.

Was he ready to depart? He didn’t think so. Yet it was not his choice anymore. He reassured himself with the fact that he wouldn’t fall to the Omen of Evil. He pressed a few buttons to enter your location before sitting in the command chair of the One and Only.  He could feel the warmth of his blood coating his shirt and vest, sticky under his fingers. Yet he could only think of one thing… How he wished to see your face one last time, to witness beauty once again before dying.

When he reopened his eyes, he met a vaguely familiar ceiling. His head felt like it was filled with fog and nothing made sense around him. As his mind processed all the sensory inputs one by one, a gasp caught his attention. You were sitting beside the bed, his arm in your hands, eyes alert, although they were red and puffy as if you had been crying. He looked at you without saying a word. His emerald eyes roamed your face, your lips, you nose, your eyebrows, then stopping on your eyes.

He sighed with a gentle smile and closed his eyes again. If this was to be death, then he’d accept it. He had seen you one last time, what a blessing.

“Argenti?” You whispered, voice cracking.

He reopened his eyes and moved his head in your direction. You exhaled shakily.

“Thank the Aeons you’re alright.”

You leaned and put your elbows on your knees, his hands still in both or yours. You had just finished treating the minor cuts. You leaned your forehead against the back of his hand.

“I thought you were dead…” Your throat was tight, chest heavy with tears threatening to fall again. Freely now.

Argenti blinked.

“Am I not?”

“Of course you’re not!” You looked up, alarmed. “I found you bleeding all over your ship and I’ve been taking care of you for the past 2 hours!” The tears finally fell down your cheeks. “When I received the ping from your ship as it got close to the station, I was so happy I went out to wait for you at the docks.” You swallowed a new wave of tears. “But you didn’t come out. So, I called for you and you didn’t answer. I forced my way inside and- You- you were-” You sob. “There was blood everywhere. Never do that again. Please.”

The knight took a deep breath, your tears somehow guiding him out of the fog of his senses. The hurt in your voice pierced his heart. He can’t begin to imagine how he’d feel if he had found you in a similar position. He turned his hand to grasp yours.

“I’m so sorry.”

Boothill

Well, fuck. He was sitting in an alley after a chase with some IPC goons, and usually it was to catch his ‘breath’ and celebrate. Now though… his vision was clouded with warning messages. Oil leak, low battery, low coolant level, stuck fans, foreign object in ammo tank. He recognized only a third of them but it was pretty clear, he was not in the best shape. His eyes unfocused and refocused on loop, trying to make sense of his surrounding. He looked down, one of his legs was clearly busted, by some kind of shrapnel round. Bastards.

Another error blasted his vision, this one larger and redder than all the others. The countdown made it obvious what this one meant. He was going to shut down, and in a back alley like this, hiding behind the trash cans, the math was simple. He was going to be tossed by the garbage bots like any other piece of trash and that’ll be the end of his tale. Fucking hell. He didn’t even get close to his goal… What does that make him? What about his promise? What about his family? No one will be there to remember them now… Well, not no one. There was still you. He smiled, content with the thought of you carrying some of the tales of his home and his daughter. Aeons, he missed her so much…

His systems partially came online. He could hear first. The noise of screws and metal and fluid pumping. Then he could smell. The hot soldering iron and motor oil. The he could see. You, running around, grease on your gloves and cheeks, goggles firmly posted on your nose, completely ignoring him. So, he hadn’t been trashed. Not yet. He was held upright hovering off the ground by the port on his back, supplying his body with all the energy it needed. He tried to talk but his voice box must have been removed or disconnected because no sound escaped his mouth but a quip of static. That’s what made you turn around from the soldering iron to face him.

You removed your goggles and the look on your face would have silenced him if he was talking. You were glaring at him, clearly mad, your eyebrows furrowed, eyes swelled. You stayed silent as you went to dig into his torso once again, putting in the fan you just finished fixing. He didn’t try to move and do anything, he knew why you were mad, and didn’t want to aggravate his case.

Once it was snug into place, you retracted and closed Boothill’s chest panels, screwing them back on. The silence was heavy. You ran back to your monitor and he kept staring at you, although it didn’t garner any reaction from you.

You typed a few things and Boothill could see the telltale lines of logs of a full diagnostic running in front of his eyes. He closed them. Then he saw a list of his systems in green, all online. That must include his voice box.

“Hey Doc.” He tried, voice still recalibrating after the shutdown. “Got a bit bruised up there, huh?” He joked.

You refused to look at him as you approached to reattach his missing legs; its hinges, reconnecting the compressed air tubes for the joint, then latching the cable for the captors. Your eyebrows were scrunched together still but not in anger anymore it seemed. You turned back to your monitor, staring at it for a few second as if the recompose yourself and before you could click to start the automated joint test, he talked again.

“Thought I was going to be tossed like garbage, honest. Glad I ended up here instead.”

You pursed your lips and approached again, checking the execution of the synthetic limb as it was responding to commands to bend, flex, and turn. All seemed to be working great. You reattached the metal panels there too to cover the joints and sealed it shut, like you did for the torso a few minutes before.

“Aah c’mon, you gon’ ignore me now?” You stopped in your tracks. “I know the gear’s expensive but I’ll pay you back I sw-“

“I don’t care if it’s expensive!” You blurted out, a mix of anger and sadness in your voice.

Boothill stayed silent and as you returned to the monitor one final time, you hit a key and the mechanical arm holding him afloat lowered, gently putting the cowboy down on the ground. You lowered your head and grasped the edge of the desk with your hands, tears finally spilling over your cheeks.

“I don’t care about how much your spare pieces cost; I don’t care if you scratch the brand new panel I installed 2 weeks ago.” You explained, voice strained, finally looking up at him. “What I care about is not having you almost die on me every month or so. Why are you so reckless?” Your anger wavered. “Why do you have to disregard your own life like that? I am trying my hardest every time to make you stronger, but you always manage to find more trouble.”

You breathed deeply and looked at him in the eyes. His face was painted in remorse.

“Aeons, and then what? What happens if I’m not here to scrape you off the pavement and piece you back together, huh? Then what? That’s it?” You sobbed.

He took long strides over to you and took you in his arms, in a hug. He had always been reckless, that’s true. He couldn’t just stand by when witnessing the shit some officers would let fly. He had to do something, damnit! But he didn’t expect this to affect you so much… His heart dipped.

“I promise, I’ll be better.”

© platypusundercover - 2024 || Request rules

[jymwahuwu]

Heyo, back again with another request 👋😊. Can I request a yandere Dan Feng x dragon Reader smut request/ reader x Bailu (platonic mother-Daughter)/ Yinxing x reader (platonic like a big brother-little sister relationship)

It goes like this, Reader darling is a moon dragon from another universe (I got back on my fairy tail beat, but she’s a gentle type) and was under the care of Yinxing who she bond with as family. One day he invited her out to meet his friends he was getting together with. At the meeting, She meet his friends, one of his friends, the high elder imbibitor lunae, Dan Feng, was smitten with her and that there was another dragon from a different universe from his.

He became possessed of her and wanted to keep her by his side, despite her small protests which she gave up on. Dan Feng wanted to make sure his mate stays with him forever and thought of a plan to make her stay is by making her bear his offspring. He knew he was at a disadvantage but remember the transmutation arcanum and Yinxing mentioning his darling fertility inducement ability to undo an infertility and sterile species.

Dan Feng put his plan to action when he told his darling reader that he needs help with something that she can do, as the darling reader didn’t know that he made a ceremony breeding ritual. That night, Darling Reader became his mate and an excepting mother to an dragon cub (Bailu) egg.

There was an celebration for them and the dragon cub by the people of Xianzhou Luofu. And I leave the rest up to you. 😊👍

the dragon egg part at the end is cute😚I tried to write it!!

CW: yandere, non-con, forced breeding, spawn but not described in detail (The setting here is that Bailu is the baby of the reader and Dan Feng. It does not reflect any leaks or spoilers of HSR. If you cannot accept it, please skip or close the page!!)

Lonely. Responsibility. Reincarnation. Even though there are other people who are also Vidyadhara, only the High Elder has the dragon horns and tail and can inherit this responsibility. The meaning of inheritance from generation to generation is given by the outside world, just like the destiny that is locked. Fortunately, High-Cloud Quintet gave him some comfort. Sometimes others wanted to give him an immortal concubine or spouse, but Imbibitor Lunae refused.

You accidentally entered a certain space and device, causing you to be transported to the Xianzhou ship. Yingxing was the first to discover you and took you back for healing and care. After the wound on your tail healed, Yingxing proposed to take you to their friend's party because you had been in bed and didn't have time to meet people. It's time to hang out more.

Dan Feng couldn't take his eyes off you. Here you are, descended from a world. A dragon. Just like him. You may be able to hide your dragon features, but a dragon like him can detect the crystal clear horns on your forehead and wagging tail with just a glance. While drinking, the High Elder pretended not to care and asked for information about you, knowing that you basically have no way to leave this galaxy now. This is not enough. After the party, Dan Feng offered to take you around Luofu, such as Earthrise Agora and Starwatcher Avenue.

He paid for all the snacks and watched you chew Xianzhou delicacies while holding his chin. He bought you beautiful silks and fabrics so that you could give them to the maids to weave clothes. He talks to you about interesting experiences and trivia about life, and responds to you. He didn't like you eating those fast food a little bit, but he kept it to himself. Dan Feng knows the courtesy of pursuing his future spouse.

Just like that, you and Dan Feng "date" 5-6 times. He held your waist and kissed you as the maple leaves fell. You are stunned. It took a few minutes to realize that you were in a "dating" and were already "engaged."

It's not that you don't like the dragon in front of you, but that you don't know these things at all, and isn't the progress going too fast…? Besides, you have to go back to your planet one day. Dan Feng listened to your concerns and nodded, indicating that he understood, but he was already preparing for the breeding ceremony.

For the breeding ceremony, it can be with or without physical contact. If not, then Dan Feng has prepared for you to sit in the middle. You just… felt a sudden swelling, something weird. Something has been permanently changed. And then…you hold the smooth and lovable dragon egg in your hands, shocked and confused. If there's physical contact, it's your hands on his shoulders, begging him to stop, but still sitting on the dragon's cock and feeling the fertile seed ejaculate into you…

Eventually, you also get an egg.

The baby dragon hatches out of shell and turns out to be a lovely daughter!! She subconsciously stretches out her hands and snuggles into your arms, carrying her dragon horns and tail. The Vidyadharas were astonished that this was a success!! The new baby dragon was born! They held a grand ceremony to celebrate together. Luofu also received the news and felt happy that their race had made such progress! They sent an official message to congratulate and announce the birth of the dragon cub.

You held your little daughter in your arms, leaned on Dan Feng's arms, and shed tears. He wiped the tears from your cheeks and kissed your forehead gently. His spouse, his family. You are one of the few changes in his hundreds of lifetimes of constraint.

[stalkerofthegods]

Lady Nyx/Nox deep dive, straight to the point info

Lady Nyx is wonderful, her beauty even ascends the stars, May we respect and adore Lady Nyx as a goddess and as a wonderful mother.

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆

Herbs • Dahlias, Cannas, Some lobelia, Night-blooming jasmine, Moonflowers, Datura, Tuberose, Evening primrose, Queen of the Night epiphyllum, Herbs that only grow at night, black leaves, black flowers, Blackthorn, Cypress, Holly, Juniper, Locust, Pomegranate, Witch Hazel, Comfrey, Honeysuckle, Ivy, Lavender, Mugwort, Patchouli, Primrose, Vervain, Nectarines, Dragon Fruit, Morning Glory, Nightshade, Roses, Lilies, Poppies

Animals• Horses, Owl, dogs, bats, black bulls, Blue Jay, Crow, Sparrow, Snake, Turtle, cat

Zodiac • your moon sign. 

Colors • Black, Dark blue, Dark green, Dark Purple

Crystal• Obisidian, Morion, Jet, Hematite, Onyx, Black tourmaline, Black Sapphire, Black moonstone, Black agate, Shungite, Black calcite, Eye Agate, Amethyst, Andalusite, Apophyllite, Cat's Eye, Hematite, Moss Agate, Moonstone, Petrified Wood, Smokey Quartz

Symbols•  Black wings, Dark clouds, Black fog, Egg, New Moon, Stars, key, veil, poppy, serpents, owls.

you can wear in their honor• you can veil in their honor, PJs 

Deity of• Night, she is the personification of it

Patron of• Night, Sleep, Death, the Fates, Nemesis, Old Age, Darkness, Light, Motherhood, Magic, Mystery, and the unknown;

Offerings•  Black candles, Poetry or songs related to the night, Images of the night sky, Beef, Milk, Black flowers, Black fruits, Dark red wine, Black animal votives, Dew (the one that gathers after sunset), Dark feathers, Dark liquors/beers. Black Tea/Coffee, Symbols of Her children (ex-torch, skull, scissors), Black fabric/veil/cloak, Dark chocolate, Honey/molasses, Viniq (shimmery liqueur that looks like a galaxy in a bottle)

Devotional• Go star gazing, donate to owl shelters, go to the zoo to see her animals, draw her, listen to a playlist for her, go camping under the stars, go glamping to look at the stars, Take a night time walk, Get a good night’s rest, Learn a new star or constellation each week, Stay up late, do something you enjoy without fearing the dark, Sleep with your windows open, Burn a candle that represents the stars, Sleep in every once and a while, Watch an astronomy documentary, Be extra polite to those who have to work the night shift, Wear dark colors, Learn about which animals are active at night in your area, Go for a night drive, Do divination at night, Listen to music with your headphones in, Use silver, black, and gold glitter, Plant some flowers that only bloom at night, Use a star/constellation app, Read the House of Night series, Watch the evening light fade away into darkness (you can do this in your window, or watch a lapse on YouTube of it), Wear more things with the stars or planets on them, Defend someone who is vulnerableble, Turn your electronics off a couple hours before bed each night, Drink an herbal tea with cinnamon before bed, If you’re staying up late already, make your night productive. (Ex- Complete some homework, tidy up your room), Keep a dream journal, Learn how to identify owls by their calls, Make the night sky your screensaver/home screen, Wear scents that remind you of the night, watch a video of the stars, and sleep with stars in the background.

Ephithets• Bringer of Night, Mother of Daimones, Mother of the Cosmos, Subduer of Gods and Men, Mother of Mysteries, The Dark and Shining, The Winged, of the Great Shadows, Dressed in Stars, Dew Bringer, of the Witching Hour, 

of the Deep and Silent Dark.

Equivalents (alike but not the same)• Nótt (Norse), Selene (Greek), Hecate (Greek), Nox (Roman), Nyx (Greek), Al-Qaum (Arabian), Nabatean (Arabain), Itzpapalotl (Aztec), Metztli (Aztec), Tezcatlipoca (Aztec), Khonsu (Egyptian), Nut (Egyptian)

Signs they are reaching out• Sudden fascination with stars, seeing her Symbols and attributes all of the sudden, a pull to her and the night.

Vows/omans• None, maybe wedding vows, but many say she just has Erebus as a boyfriend, not a husband.

Morals• Unkown, but most suspect Morally grey.

Courting• Erebus (darkness)

Personality• She is motherly and protective of her children, 

Home• Tartruas 

Mortal or immortal • immortal 

Fact• The first Deity to exist, 

Roots• Gaia, Birthed at the beginning of time, lived in Tartarus. 

Parentage• Chaos 

Siblings• Gaia (goddess of the Earth/mother nature), Erebus (god of darkness), Uranus/Ouranos (god of the heavens), and Tartarus (god of the underworld).

Pet• The two/four horses pulling her chariot 

Children • Aether and Hemera (Day) by Erebus (Darkness), Thanatos (gentle death), Hypnos (sleep), she also made the spirits - the Fates, Sleep, Death, Strife, and Pain. Aether, Moros, Apate, Dolos, the Keres, the Moirai, the Hesperides, Oizys, Momus, Philotes, Geras, Eris

Appearance in astral or gen• In ancient art Nyx was depicted as either a winged goddess or charioteer, sometimes crowned with dark mists.

Festivals • Wiccan Yule, Wiccan Samhain, Winter solstice, you can do a ritual for her on the full and dark moon, but there is a feast you can hold in her honor, which is called Lemuralia.

Day • her time is Twilight, Dusk, and Midnight, and her day is Monday  

Season• winter 

Direction• north 

Status• Primordial Goddess of night, even Zeus fears her, one of the first primordial beings alive, she was there for the creation of the universe.

Planet• Moon

Her Tarot cards• Death, Temperance

Scents/Inscene • Myrtle, Camphor, Patchouli, Lavender, watery, musky, earthy

My opinion • She is a very hard divine being to find information on, I hope this helps, but I've never met her before, I assume she's great, my friend says she is kind and calls her ‘Mother’ 

Prayers• 

In general

Beautiful, black-eyed Nyx, cloaked in darkness, older than old, daughter of misty Chaos, mother of great and mighty spirits, I call to you. Ever-present one, you live in the shadows; we know you in the dusk, in the comfort of the night. Broad-winged Nyx, you clasp the hand of bright Hemera, each eve and morn, you greet her with love and sorrow for only in those moments may you embrace your child. Goddess, awesome one, in your realm are we all unblemished, in your realm do lovers’ promises ring true, in your realm are all things possible, if only until daybreak. Nyx, I honor you.

Small prayer 

“Nyx, mother of the night, mother of sleep, mother of death: Might your darkness embrace me Might your energy caress me Might you be mine and Might I be yours Blessed be.“

In general 

O ancient Goddess, born of Chaos and steeped in shadow, I honor you now and always. With eyes which have watched the beginnings of all that is, see us now embracing your sleep and mystery. With power that strikes fear into the hearts of the most revered of Gods,

I remember your strength when I am searching for my own. In the starless night where light shines not i will give my thanks to your Greatness, And surrender to the dark.

Links/websites/sources • Nyx - Greek-Goddesses Wiki - Fandomhttps://www.theoi.com/Protogenos/Nyx.html mystical-sleepy-musings <a href="https://greekgodsandgoddesses.net/goddesses/nyx/">Nyx – Greek Goddess of The Night: https://greekgodsandgoddesses.net</a> - Greek Gods & Goddesses, June 10, 2018 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyx https://www.theoi.com/Protogenos/Nyx.htmlhttps://www.britannica.com/topic/Hypnoshttps://greekgodsandgoddesses.net/goddesses/nyx/https://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends-europe/nyx-goddess-0017255 https://www.worldhistory.org/Nyx/https://gods-and-demons.fandom.com/wiki/Nyx https://www.moonfallmetaphysical.com/s/stories/nyx-greek-goddess#google_vignette https://www.moonfallmetaphysical.com/s/stories/nyx-greek-goddess#google_vignette https://mythopedia.com/topics/nyx https://oldworldgods.com/greeks/nyx-greek-goddess-of-the-night/https://www.vintageisthenewold.com/game-pedia/what-does-nyx-goddess-look-like https://aminoapps.com/c/hellenistic-polytheism/page/item/nyx/Vn7V_bmCvIP7XMLvlKzJJbl2lGY55JLxDZhttps://thebacchichuntress.tumblr.com/post/127160005123/offerings-to-nyx/amphttps://www.tumblr.com/heatherwitch/161308460295/nyxhttps://tuiliel.tumblr.com/post/139053552874/epithets-of-nyx/amphttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_night_deities https://greekpagan.com/category/prayers-2/nyx/#:~:text=older%20than%20old%2C%20daughter%20of,the%20comfort%20of%20the%20night.Magickal Spothttps://magickalspot.com › nyxGoddess Nyx: Prayers, Symbols, Books & More [Guide]https://www.tumblr.com/moonlitmagic/189775766368/prayer-for-nyx

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆

This post is payment to my friend @briislame

May Nyx cover you with the calmness of night.

I use resources, I do not own the info, and most deep dives have UPG (that I use in my work.) And I only take some information from sources. I am 14, this is my hobby, I am learning but I spent many hours and days on this, and I am always open to criticism. I have been doing worship for 5 years. Please know you can use the info, I do not sue, but I will take action if this work is used without permission and not put as a resource if used in any work. without permisson and not put as a resource if used in any work, for the public.

[givemeonereason]

Meditations: First Flight

Part 1 Part 3 Part 4

Rating: Cotton Candy

Dragon Ball Masterlist Givemeonereason Masterlist

Plot: You meet up again with Piccolo. Is that a good or a bad thing?

A/n: I back burned this one for a little while (like two weeks) I wrote a portion of his and lost it due to Tumblr crashing on me. I was PISSED. Creators work so hard on their stuff and things happen. No ones fault in particular. A lot of the time you have to just step away for a moment and then get back to it.

╒══════════════════════╕

The day is dragging on…

You stare blankly at the black pen you’ve been twirling between your fingers. Ink smudged into your middle finger, exposing the intricate lines of your identifying pattern.

You look to the time on your desktop computer, 4:48 pm.

Kami, could the last twelve minuets of this day be over!

You set the pen down on the desk and sigh.

I just want to see him….to see if he’s even there.

My…the green Martian guy from that “Nam” place.

Not Mars!

You tap your finger against your forehead.

Stupid.

You look out the window towards the hill. His white, flowing cape catches your eye.

I remember now, Namek.

5:00

You hurry out of the office towards your compact car. You dropped your work bag and purse in the trunk. Just your small lunch bag with you as you started up the side of the hill.

“Hello.” You stood near where he sat.

There was no answer. His eyes remained closed. You almost would have mistaken him for a statue had he not readjusted the position of arms against his chest.

You walked over to his side. “Piccolo?”

“Not now, Nail.”

“What?”

His eyes shoot open when you touch the shoulder pad of his cape. You jump at his suddenness. “Gosh, don’t do that. You scared me half to death.” Your hand pressed against your chest.

You took a breath before sitting down beside him. “What is the nail about?”

His eyes are closed again. This is going to be a difficult question to answer. “Not what, but whom.”

You scrunched your face in confusion. Do you even want to know at this point?… “Okay, whatever Yoda.”

The crack of a soda opening broke him from his concentration once more. “Oh, I brought you one if you’d like.” You pulled out the carbonated beverage from your lunch bag and set it down onto the grass beside you. “I also have corn chips. Please help yourself.”

He looks down at your tribute beside him. “I do not eat, nor drink this. However, thank you.” He looked to you nodding his head in thanks.

“Oh. I had no idea.” An over loud crunch as you bit down into the chip in your hand. “What exactly do you eat?”

“Nothing. I only need water to survive.”

“Nothing!?” You’re shocked. He is an alien, what exactly did you expect? Only the best prime rib, rare…or juicy bugs?

Yuck!

Crunch.

“Could you please be more quiet?”

You tried chewing slower, moving your mouth in what felt like slow motion. A damn chip going down the wrong pipe.

You coughed!

Coughed!

His tone is irritated, “are you okay?”

You got the tickle out of your throat and took a sip of your soda. “Yeah, it’s just the wrong pipe is all.” You swiftly changed the subject, “so I tried looking up some info on Namekians online and it didn’t come up with anything.”

“Where Namek used to be, there wouldn’t have been technology to know of its existence. Only the Briefs were able to locate it.”

You turn excited, “you mean the smartest family in all of existence?”

He rolled his eyes, closing them when he felt the pull of his eyelids. “I don’t know about all of time….”

You didn’t hear him mumble that under his breath. You looked towards the sky riddled with white fluffy clouds. “Space is a mystical place. There are so many galaxies out there, planets with life that we don’t know about.” You look to him. “I’m sure you know about so much life out there, right?”

He’s looking out at the water of the lake in the valley.

Small crunch, crunch.

“How did you…”

Surely she knows about King Piccolo?

“I was hatched from an egg that my father regurgitated.”

“Whhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhha?” You choked on another chip and began your second coughing fit.

I knew she would react this way.

Piccolo, she is only human. It was is if he could hear Kami calming him, bringing him back to his center.

He gritted his teeth and hunched over where he floated.

You cleared your throat from overly coughing, putting the bag of chips down. “I don’t think I should eat any more chips right now. Imagine, that would all I be known for, asphyxiating on chips.” Gesticulating as you speak. “She died doing what she loves most, eating!” You tried pretending to heartily laugh, but it ended up making you actually laugh. And then cough, again. “Okay, I should really stop.”

She’s just a human.

You noticed his silence when you became more lax, leaning back against your palms firmly on the grass. You intently studied him. His brows furrowed, the rich green of his cheeks deepening in the afternoon light. His headdress wrapped tightly around the to of his head, making his pointed ears push out more on the sides.

All things considered, He is quite a beautiful creature, is he not?

You shook your head, trying to shake the thought from your mind.

You noticed the purple of his gi when his cape fluttered to the side as a squall of air passed through. The wind making him look ethereal. You watched with widened eyes as the shifting draft whipped your hair into your face. You pushed the strands away.

If you could just get closer.

You looked away, blush heating your cheeks.

“Hatched from an egg, huh?”

He said nothing, remaining still, and effortlessly floating statue.

And curiosity got the better of you. You got up and walked over to him, standing slightly of to his side. You looked closer at him. His sharp jawline against the oversized shoulder pads. Surely, his shoulders weren’t that wide. You reached out, but he caught your wrist in his hand, only opening one eye to look at you suspiciously.

“I….I….I was….” You couldn’t get any words out. His grip was tight enough to send a pang up your arm. “You’re hurting me.” When he let go you pulled your hand against your chest, rubbing the skin at your wrist.

He doesn’t apologize. He just goes right back to shutting himself out.

She’s only human.

Despite the roughness you received at his hands, you didn’t move away. You simply turned out towards the view in front.

Why is he being this way?

Maybe I should just leave him alone from now on?

I just..

I don’t know why I came back again here today.

“So, are you evil? You sit here so peacefully, but are you some sort of bad guy?”

Please don’t be a bad guy. Please.

Your heart flutters when you hear the deep tone of his voice. You didn’t realized how much you needed to hear him speak. “That’s not for me to say.”

You shut your eyes.

Please, don’t.

“Do you believe me to be malevolent?”

“No.” You are unwavering, standing there firm in your opinion.

I just know, I can feel it.

He placed his feet on the ground. He’s looking at you, your eyes closed, fists closed.

He sighs deeply.

Don’t.

In an instant he grabs you by the waist, pulling you at his side. A small upward push and he takes off flying in the air.

Everything was so quick, but when you finally realized you were several hundred feet off the ground you screamed. It was guttural, ultimate fear. The wind blowing into your face as he flew took your breath away. You turned as much of your upper body you could and pushed it into side of his abdomen, hands white-knuckled, gripping onto his gi.

You heard the deep reverberations in his chest. “What of it now? Do you really believe me to be good? Are you honestly that gullible?”

You pressed your face tightly against his chest, your body shaking. You can barely breathe. You feel as if you might pass out.

Piccolo is seething. His grip on you tightening. His teeth clenching.

Piccolo…Kami is calling out to him.

I don’t understand these people! She barely knows me and yet she trusts that I would not harm her, nor anyone else?

Piccolo…

How can humans be so weak?

A draft swept up into his face, the sweet smell of your perfume catching him off guard.

He stopped flying. Citrus and floral notes rushing through his senses.

He looks down at you in his arms. Your shaking body against his, tightly gripping onto him with all your might. Whimpers vibrating against the exposed skin of his chest. Your hair whipping about as the wind rushed around you both.

She’s…she’s weak….no, soft. She’s soft.

He looked about the ground below to find a place to land. Slowly, he floated down, placing your feet down onto the dust covered ground.

You couldn’t hold your own weight, dizzy, you fell down to your knees. Your hands pressed against the dirt catching your fall. You scrape your fingers against the dust and grabbing at some debris and balling your fist.

The ground. The ground. The ground.

You’re shaking uncontrollably, tears welling up in your eyes and spill over down your reddened cheeks. You can’t help but sob, crying hard, defeated and frightened.

Piccolo shifted, his hand very lightly reaching out towards you.

Soft.

I’m sorry.

When you catch your breath you look up at him, your eyes red and glassy from crying, your nose running. You're hunched over, fist clenched. You could hit him if you had the strength. As if that would help anything.

“You’re fucking crazy you know that!” You coughed, your voice ragged from being unused. “You can’t just do that! You can’t take people and fly off like that. Normal people don't fly!” You start to cry more, wrapping your arms around yourself, lightly rocking back and forth.

He crouched down at your side, hesitating when he reached out to gently brush the hair that was sticking to your wet cheeks away. You shivered at his touch. Holding your arms tighter against yourself.

His voice was low, full of sorrow. “I am sorry.”

You turned your face away from him, skin still hot from anger.

“I was out of line. I acted on my own anger and irritation.”

He wiped away a tear rolling down your cheek. "Please, forgive me."

In one scoop he effortlessly lifted you into his arms. Floating above the ground where he stood. He placed you down into his lap. You curled so gently against him, gripping at his gi.

He's seething with anger on the inside. His eyes closed, but his mind was ablaze.

How can....why would I? Why do I even care about this?

Something so trivial as a human woman, and yet I care about her feelings.

I care about the way she views me.

This ultimately doesn't matter in the slightest.

The light shivering pulled him from his thoughts. He opened his eyes and looked down at your frame in his lap, holding onto the obi around his waist.

With a swift pull at both sides, he wrapped his cape around you as much as he could, gripping you closer against him.

You sunk deeper into his lap, relaxed. Your soft breaths and light snoring have a soothing rhythm, falling into a peaceful slumber.

Shifting in his lap, grabbing onto his forearm, your nose rubbing against his skin sending a shiver through him. His head falling forward when he caught the smell of your perfume once more.

Just a little while longer.

We can stay like this.

━━━━━━»» ««━━━━━━

He nudged you awake, the daylight fading into the western sky. You groaned, pulling his arm tighter against your chest.

Though he has such a strong voice, this came softly. "You have to wake up. I need to take you back before it becomes dark."

You rubbed your eyes, blinking, looking up at him with sleepy eyes.

He feels your eyes on him, looking down, his face relaxed in the twilight glow of the evening. "Do you think you would be able to trust me? I need to take you home."

You sit up and look about you, there is no way you would be able to call for a ride here.

"I don't want to fall." Your body shook from the thought of what happened earlier.

He picked your chin up to look at him. His eyes widened by his own actions. He pulled his hand away, his voice returning its strong cadence. "I had no intention of dropping you."

Without protest he slips his arm under your legs and firmly holds your waist in bridal style. Your grip on him just as tight as before. No looking down. You pushed your face into his shoulder. He smells like nature; this beautiful mix of deep woods, dew on grass, crisp morning air and something else you couldn’t quite pin down.

Piccolo flies to the top of your work building, placing you down onto your feet near the roof access door. “I will find a new place to meditate. I do not want to frighten you any longer.”

“No!” Your voice came out louder than you would have liked. “You really don’t have to.”

He shook his head and turned away.

“I just didn’t like the flying. It really scared me.”

Don’t go.

Please.

His back was still to you. He turned his cheek slightly but not enough to look at you. “Goodbye.”

No.

“Please don’t leave yet.”

He was already flying away.

“Come back!” You screamed after him.

“….I forgive you.” You stand there watching him until he’s out of sight.

Can we just start over?

My green alien man, who can fly, with me.

Next time I won’t be so scared.

“Piccolo…”

╘══════════════════════╛

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[leggerefiore]

Entropy

cw: giratina volo, pokehybrid au, volo centric, 3333 words,

pairing: Volo/Reader

summary: Volo escapes from his banishment and plans to forcibly usurp the powers of Arceus. Sadly, he finds himself played in a trap by the deity with a certain human sent to stop him and his own feelings.

-----

It was a lonely existence that he lived.

He lived in shadows, in a corrupted, distorted world that was unlike the one he could only observe from a distance.

Why was he banished here, unable to interact with others, you may ask? Well, the Renegade pokemon had perhaps made a certain creator deity a bit too mad with his violence. Still, Volo could not help but feel anger for his situation.

Cogita – Arceus – Whatever the damn deity wanted to call herself today, banished him to this world and prevented his reentry into the one he observed. Sure, he had foolishly attempted to stand against her and take her power as his own, but her own strength and that of Dialga and Palkia sent him here and left him. He felt his blood boil the longer he watched humanity through his empty glances.

Hisui, the land in which Arceus supposedly first made, had caught his attention for numerous reasons. It was where his first violent outburst had happened. The blond sighed.

Was this envy? Desperation? Did he want the deity that had created him and then refused to take responsibility for him to be forced to lay her eyes on him once more? He was lonely, he knew.

His long wings, shadowy and like tendrils, swished behind him as he moved. He wished to leave this place. It was both his home and his prison, but he was tired of being locked inside. Centuries of isolation could weigh heavily upon even an immortal being like himself.

His eyes landed upon the clans of Hisui, led by the two that had helped seal him. More rage bubbled up inside him. There had been enough of him waiting around.

An attack called forth from him, slashing the very fabric that tethered the space and time of where he was trapped and into the other world. Without hesitation, he stepped inside.

For a moment, there was nothing.

Then… there was everything. His body forcibly shifted in this world, wings fusing together into a singular entity and his ridges along his neck sealing into the pale flesh underneath. He gasped in a breath. Icy winds lashed around his as chilled water fell from the clouds. He tried to flap his wings, but he had not yet adjusted to his new form. The ground grew closer and closer…

And he crashed.

Volo laid on the muddy ground, eyes peering at the sky distantly. The portal slowly closed, leaving him where he was. He felt exhausted. Everything around him was too distant for him to gasp on to. His eyelids felt like lead as they slowly began to close.

Suddenly, however, a weight crawled onto him. He opened his eyes from the surprise to see a small pokemon had got onto his chest. The pokemon was egg-like and let out a small chirp, nuzzling into him. Confusion rushed through the dragon's mind. Carefully, he reached a hand out to touch the pokemon. It rubbed its cheek against his skin.

Volo felt completely awake.

A smile spread across his lips.

He had made it.

Arceus could no longer restrain him, and he would usurp her power for certain this time.

~

Time passed, Volo entirely managed to hide his features that gave away his true nature, both physically and psychologically. A merchant's guild had taken him in and employed him, much to his luck. He easily became a friendly face among the humans of the Galaxy Team and the clans. A travelling merchant who preferred to spend his time staring at ruins and artefacts rather than selling things.

He felt lucky.

His disguise had given him a perfect opportunity to go to the temple that lied at the peak of Mt. Coronet and begin his plan.

Once again, he unleashed his move and tore a rift in space and time above all of Hisui.

He watched as a poor sap was pulled through from some other place and time in the world. There was little reason for him to seek after the by-product of his destruction, however.

Over the coming days, he watched as the populace of Hisui became aware and frightened of the looming portal hovering above their lands. The person who had fallen through his portal had not a single a memory of what had happened to him before waking up in the frigid lands of the north most icelands. A certain pokemon of the lake had made sure of that.

He watched as speculations went wild, but not one dared to involve him. Volo escaped any suspicion of foul play by his friendly yet distant nature as a merchant.

Soon, the portal would force the clan leaders to act and try to stop the portal, lest it pull them in itself. Dialga and Palkia would fail, he knew. This trap of his design was impossible to stop otherwise.

That was what he thought, but then something he never could have expected came forth.

Arceus sought to spite him by bringing out a human to stand against him. Taken from out of space and time, falling through a portal similar to his own. He encountered them carefully, observing how they acted. They were nearly as confused and lost as the person he had accidentally brought through his own portal. He even challenged them to a battle to observe their capabilities there.

Needless to say, they easily beat his low level Togepi. He could feel their potential and pondered how to stop them before they became too much of an issue for him. There was something that he noted as they spoke to him, however. A twinkle of trust in their eyes toward them. He could not understand it himself, but any opportunity that bared itself to him would be exploited.

The legendary would set out to become your trusted ally. His friendly demeanour was obviously a welcome change to the harsh looks and suspicious glances of the Galaxy Team. He felt smug as he watched you head out to do your tasks, keeping an eye on you from a distance. Even scaring you once, much to your obvious distaste. You gave him a glare, but he offered you catching advice and an amicable grin.

It was only after you truly quelled a raging Noble, another side effect of his plan, that he realised that you would truly become a problem if he did not stop you. Volo felt frustrated Arceus would spite him with such an odd and cruel punishment. He felt even more mortified when you presented him a plate of Arceus.

… But Volo was no idiot. If his first plan failed, having a backup would never be a bad idea. You had a plate. A plate he knew very well could call out Arceus from her realm.

Poor you just had to be dragged into this by a cruel deity.

Volo's continued monitoring involved battles and attempts to dissuade you from your actions or helping you to the best of his abilities. It was most unfortunate that these involved your random bursts of bright smiles or blissfully ignorant words.

It was only after he found you utterly dejected after being banished from Jubilife when you had just helped everyone with their nobles that he realised something. A strange feeling had been beginning to bud within him for a quite a while. You were pitiful, truly. Brave and reliable, but pitiful. An outsider forced from your home by a deity to fulfil its job since it refused to play its game. When he called out to you, he watched as you turned to look at him, completely deflated. Even the clans had denied you assistance in your grave time of need, fearful of Team Galaxy.

He wanted to laugh at how pitiful the gods of time and space had proven themselves to be. Softly, he laid a hand on your shoulder and promised to take you somewhere for you to stay.

His campsite was certainly lacking, but it was not as though he could take you to his true home. Then you would be fully aware of how easily he was playing you. A pokemon from the team had appeared not long after you settled down. He shook his head at the action. If they truly cared for you, why would they have allowed your banishment? Volo understood your situation with ease. Which is why he decided to go with his second plan completely now. He was well aware of the plates you had collected through your journeys.

That is why he helped you mend the very disaster he had started. Gathering the power of the lake trio and using the red chain to stop Palkia and to stand beside her to stop the frenzied Dialga. He felt annoyed, watching from a distance, but amazed that you had the willpower to stand against the very people who wished ill-will upon you and stand alongside legendaries regarded as deities so easily.

Of course, he remained out of sight and away from them for good reason. One glance at him from either of those two would blow his entire cover completely away. Even disguised as a human, they would recognise him. He did not miss the glance back they would give back to his general area when he stood out too much.

Volo felt something when he watched Dialga embrace you after snapping him out of his frenzied state. Rage poured into his heart. Something about you made him want you all to himself, just as pitiful as you were during your stay in his camp. His plans were to keep you at his side after he stole Arceus's power for his own.

He would just have to convince you now, to help him with his next plan. After all, gathering the plates now on his own would be useless, as he only had a single one in his possession. Besides, he found himself oddly entranced with the idea of spending time with you.

Of course, you eagerly agreed, clearly happy to spend more time with him and wanting to know more about the mysteries of Hisui, too. Volo easily led you around the region, searching for the item required for his next plans. An unintended side effect of his plan unfortunately arose as he spent more and more time with you.

Hi chest tightened when you smiled at him, leaned against him during colder nights, hugged him after a difficult battle, or said such sweet words to him. There was no time to second guess himself at this point. He was too far into his plan to lure out Arceus once more to snatch you away and hide you in his dimension for all eternity, but, he supposed, if this plan failed, he would do just that.

Somewhere in the middle of his hunt with you, a familiar woman appeared before him and you while searching for information on the final plate he needed. Her grey eyes identical to his own, and an ancient, primordial energy swirled around her. He bit his tongue, knowing better to play her in her own domain. She just sighed and shook her head at you both. You tilted your head at her sudden appearance in the village.

“… Volo,” her voice was filled with heavy disappointment, “Have you learnt nothing?” Your gaze went between them curiously.

“Mistress Cogita, how rare to see you,” he forced a smile on his face to continue playing his part, “You know very well how deeply I love to learn about Hisuian legends and myths more than anyone.” As if he had not watched them develop over time from his prison as her unwanted child. She shook her head.

“You haven't then, I suppose,” her attention shifted to you, “He hasn't been too awful, has he?” You shook your head and turned to him with a sweet grin.

“I… I really like him, actually,” your voice was soft, “Doing all this with him has really made me see how much he loves his hobbies…” Cogita's eyebrow raised curiously.

“… I see,” she turned away from them both and gave one last look over her shoulder, “The Pixie Plate is in the Ancient Retreat. You know the place well, Volo.” With that, she walked out of the village and disappeared.

You looked at Volo curiously. He sighed and made up a story about her being his grandmother. They were distant, and that is why he never mentioned her before. You believed it easily. Assembly much easier than you would have believed her to be, the very being you were working towards summoning.

When he told you the story of Giratina, himself, as you walked to the remote location of the location given to you both by Cogita. Your brows pressed together as you listened to him carefully. In the end, he wondered what your opinion of the situation would be. You stopped dead in your tracks and hummed.

“If Giratina was unwanted, why would Arceus make it then?” you asked him curiously, “… You make it sound almost personal, actually. Do you sympathise with Giratina, Volo?” He froze, too. How astute were you? He supposed his bias was not hidden.

“I do,” he said plainly, “I believe Arceus should have taken more responsibility for its creation rather than banishing it. You should know all too well how cruel banishment is.” You were the stunned one this time. Your eyes went to the ground, but your hand grabbed his own.

“I do, Volo, I do know,” you told him, “But… I suppose I can understand why Kamado did, too… I don't know. Is Giratina still banished even after all this time?”

“… Yes,” he said simply, “I'm hoping it will make its appearance at the Temple of Sinnoh after we obtain all the plates.” You nodded but kept your hand locked with his. Stepping to his side, you leaned against him.

“Well, maybe after freeing Giratina from its banishment, it will understand why it happened,” you wondered aloud. Volo resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Still, the feeling of being so close to his goals, and you, made him elated.

~

The time came as Volo stood in his true form at the destroyed Temple of Sinnoh. Cold winds lashed at his skin as he stared intently at the sky where his portal once reigned. You were going to arrive soon. How would you react to this truth? Anger? Rage? Dare he even consider… Acceptance? Either way, you two were about to stand opposed. He could already tell that you would not support his urge to create his own, better world than this one.

As much as he had come to care and even… love you. He knew you could not support this, not as Arceus's chosen one. His brain had been a mess since that horrid portal spit you out and laid you before him.

“… Volo,” your voice was soft as he turned to face you. Your eyes were not wide but rather red and glossy. No words had to be said, you understood it all at a glance. “… You were behind it all, weren't you?” you decided to ask the question which held the weight of the world.

“Of course,” his eyes grew cold, but he would still try to have you see his side, “This world is cruel. Ruled by an apathetic deity who would rather banish a being she created rather than take responsibility for him. She is only intervening now as a means to preserve her power. I will create a new, better world.” His hand reached for the pokeball of the first being that had greeted him in this world. You shook your head and imitated his action.

The battle was intense. Volo had not shown you his true hand until now. Battling was something that came naturally to him, especially in a moment where everything lied upon his victory. You were no pushover, either, obviously experienced in your own way. Even after you defeated his last pokemon on his team, he refused to accept it.

If he…

If he lost, he would be banished again. Left in complete and utter isolation and only able to observe distantly.

He would lose you.

In his madness, Volo himself took to battle against you as Giratina, both of his forms employed. Still, even despite the harsh adversity of going against someone as physically strong as he was, you managed to rip victory from his hands.

He fell to his knees. Rage and terror brewing heavily with him. Sadness creeping in from the edges. You breathed heavily, watching him for any more unpredictable actions.

Nothing came.

A hand rested on his shoulder as light poured too brightly behind him.

“… Volo, that is enough,” Cogita's voice was harsh yet pitiful, “I do not hate nor do I consider you unwanted. I simply do not trust you to interact with humans and pokemon of this world without harming them.” You gasped at the sight of her, thoroughly different from the dark clothing she had worn in her human disguise.

You stood up tall.

“Please… Don't banish him alone,” you begged her, “Don't banish him at all… I'll watch him. So, please.”

She gave a curious glance at you and shook her head with a sigh. “Volo… You claim you love them, do you not? Why not protect the world they so love, then?” she questioned him. His head remained low.

You had been through so much pain, just as he had at the hand of Arceus. You were kindred spirits, but you had her favour while he did not.

“… Would you even allow me to come and go into this realm as I pleased,” he wondered? Cogita gazed down at him intensely.

“Of course, if you swear to quit causing problems,” she knelt down and softly brought a hand to comb through his hair, “I do care for you and want you to be happy despite what you believe me to be. Why do you think I even bothered to let you do all of this?” He froze from both her words and the unexpected affection.

You smiled down at him. He felt stuck. If he denied everything Cogita had said, he would be banished back into the Distortion World with no hope of ever escaping, and you would be let here alone. If he agreed, he did not know what to do.

“Fine,” he relented, “… Just don't expect me to be like those two.” Cogita laughed, unexpectedly.

“I never expected you to be like Palkia and Dialga in the first place,” she stood herself and him up. Her eyes, now glowing green, turned to you, “I will hold you to your words to watch him.” You nodded.

You walked over to carry him on your shoulder as you took him from her, his injuries from the battle still needing to be tended to. She watched you both with curious eyes.

Before she left, Cogita leaned into your ear and whispered that Volo was truly her favourite of the three before disappearing into the clouds above. You understood her feelings entirely as you watched the blond man barely keep himself on his feet.

“I love you, Volo,” you told him plainly as you headed back towards the nearest base camp, “I didn't want you to be alone again… I didn't want you to be banished from this world.”

He was silent for a moment after your confession. Closing his eyes, he soaked in the feelings that the words brought him.

“I love you, too,” he managed to get out.

Sadly, despite your love, he was still a wanted criminal in Hisui for the whole nearly destroying the world thing, so he had to return to his dimension for the most part. On the bright side, you could visit him and get away from the stresses of your Survey Corps duties.

[pluralquotebook]

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there's so many anons wow :0

[roundseys]

Finally finished Anu's bio after fiddling around with the aesthetics forever !!

Accessible version of the bio below the cut. Wingdings, zalgo text, binary, morse code are all translated, and the untranslated portions are omitted for screen readers. Caps-locked text is moved to normal sentence case for readability.

[Image description: A circular icon of a simulation of the cosmic web, a sponge-like texture where areas of high density are a warm pinkish orange, and areas of low density are a deep purple.]

[Wingdings text, translated: "Anu, the Universe"]

The Eternal Cosmos, the World of Worlds

[Binary text, translated: creation and destruction and stagnation]

[Wingdings text, translated: boundless]

[Morse code text, translated: recognition reconstruction]

The Cosmos was infinite. The Cosmos was unfeeling. The Cosmos was ambivalent.

The very fabric of spacetime buckled and dipped and bent and curved. Strings of galaxies twisted and wove together to form one great tapestry. Nebulae bloomed and collapsed. Stars shone brightly before winking out. Ravenous black holes tore atoms apart.

Billions of years of this. It was all the same in the end. The Cosmos was infinite. The Cosmos was unfeeling. The Cosmos had seen it all before.

Yet still, a hunger grew deep down. Curled and tugged and churned; itching, burning, blazing. The cosmos became aware. The Cosmos became curious. The Cosmos had not seen this before.

The hunger pointed towards a planet. Nothing more than a small speck of dust. Insignificant, were it not for this novel feeling. The Cosmos watched and saw.

It saw petty wars and bloodshed. Anger, hatred, phobia of the unknown. Haste and desperation. Destruction of the self and mutilation of the other. Dragonkind and beastclans and the ones who came before. Unimportant beings clinging to old ways, trembling in fear of impermanence, blinded by ignorance as they were on that small rock, unable to touch the endless universe beyond. Bound by the limits of space and time, they knew nothing but the violence that their world had been born into.

But the Cosmos also saw great kindness. In this great pool of chaos, life had found its way towards connection and companionship. Parents hugging their children close, lovers embracing after long departed. Friends comforting friends. Strangers saving strangers. Communities congregating and growing together, voices raised in unison, plant roots weaving together, a hand held in another. Each creature connected to the next, each a part of a larger whole: a great web of life, strung together like galaxies in a supercluster.

In this single, small little rock, the Cosmos saw itself.

It made a decision. As this planet's lifeforms reflected the Cosmos, so too shall the Cosmos reflect them.

[Wingdings text, translated: bounded]

[Morse code text, translated: rebirth protector]

It began like how the cliffs of a canyon erode: particles of sand scattering in the breeze, falling away millimeter by millimeter over millions of years. It began like how a new forest grows from barren land: blades of grass reaching for the sun for the first time, giving way to shrubs and saplings, until ages later the grass is overshadowed by the arching bows of ancient trees. It began like how a spider weaves its web: string by string by string until a grand tapestry is born.

It began like all things do. It began slowly, a series of minuscule changes unseen in the larger structure, but changes nonetheless. It began with hydrogen atoms and charged particles ejected into the galactic wind. A slow trickle, molecule by molecule, drawing closer together over time.

Atoms and molecules gave way to gas and dust. Dark clouds of it clustering in the empty space. Instead of collapsing under its own gravity, it stretched its limbs out. Arms, legs, head and tail - a mimicry of what it had witnessed on that small planet. It wiggled its fingers and blinked its eyes and marveled at the sensation of a body.

It took on the form of a dragon. Hydrogen its circulatory system, stars its nervous system. Dust clouds condensed into muscle and bone. Nebulae bloomed into wings. Each heartbeat a supernova, each blink of the eye the spinning of a pulsar. Mathematical physics a mimicry of magic.

The planet was named Sornieth, and it had ensnared the Cosmos itself in its orbit. It had become the center of the Cosmos, the world of worlds. The Cosmos cradled the planet in the palms of its stardusted hands and vowed to protect it.

As long as Sornieth existed, so would Anu.

Cosmic web graphic by the Millennium Simulation Project (Springel et al. 2005)

That voice is the same voice you heard on the same night that everything glowed, took you into the air, and the arms of the Universe kept you from falling.

[rafent]

𖥔 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐒 𖥔

* fell child mastery drabble

' Only like this did end seem as beginning; she-twin, he-twin, Nel and Rafal the corruption of some adam and some eve. '

...

Always did our Child gaze at angels, the heavens of Gradlon never remiss in them.

Dreamy eyes tracked the flights of bat-winged cherubs burning bright, sisters and brothers fulsomely fledged, their scales in wonderful midnight array. They couldn't be less like him; Rafal son of dragons, yet unable to fly.

Rafal named for wind, but unfit for wings.

- ✶ -

Often the flightless one braced his fingers against the sky.

On clear days, it was filled with many siblings. He couldn't match them in their transformations, so instead he imitated their aeronautical exercises the best he could. He climbed to the peak of the highest rock just to jump down. As he bruised on the pits at the craggy base, he clung to the belief that one day such reckless falls would awaken flight. A fool's placebo reconciling him to the unattainable, but it wasn't longing he insisted, it was training.

Other times the method was different. When he bit into raw meat he thought that he’d wake up the next day, a little more changed, a little more dragonlike. The snake he found flattened on the road weighed so light between his hands. It went so heavy down his throat he retched it back up.

It wasn't longing he insisted, it was training.

Rafal insisted, wanted, blistered, sometimes cried. He exhausted his options, his little legs and weary mind, but there was no training he could do for the second thing he really, truly wanted. Maybe that thing he desired just that little bit more. Flightless and twinless, he watched those gamboling children in the clouds.

Always flown in pairs.

- ✶ -

Always did our Child gaze at devils, the hells of Gradlon never remiss in them.

Many behaved as they were created to be; selfish, yearning, wanting, destined for more. Countless fledgling devils of Sombron and each a growing supernova that burned in the greater scheme of his galaxy, where many would die, and others would shine brighter, where that decision was decided by the violent expansions of others or the sanguinary excellence of oneself.

Only blood natural, only power law.

"Failure. You looked at me just now, didn't you? It feels disgusting, you know. Being stared at by someone like you."

"I di–" I didn't.

—crunch.

A sane and lawful beating because only power was law. The other godling wiped his blood off his cheek, never mind that it was shared. Especially because shared. Even afterward his eyes still glowed with calculation, like he were the master, the king, the one who decided every fate weaker than his own. He and all others - he and all siblings who brought Rafal one heartbeat closer to madness in the healthy circulation of their own minds, and the rightful stretch of their wings.

- ✶ -

Ancestor; Three Houses; Brash General; Lonely Heir; Strategist; Doting Sister; Shepherd Exalt. Seven archangels sprung from people's fervent yearning. An eighth for whom Rafal would kneel, pray, and yearn equally if only asked. Awaiting them at the promised crossroads that was, to him, all but promised land.

"Were you waiting long?"

Not really, he said of minutes, stretching an hour from his limbs. The statue encased in stillness until anticipated thaw, the loyal dog not once derelict across winter storm or summer scorch, he sat under the same barren tree without counting the time, for only one reason. Because there was no place he would rather be than their spot of promise. Two to meet here.

Lamb who could never be devil, petal-soft hand entered his, a shy smile for him. Always did Rafal gaze at an angel.

Nil was his name.

- ✶ -

The bruised and haunted eyes with which 'Nil' enters Lythos eventually abates, replaced by shy welcome of the new garden and the new company, even so skittishly clinging to Nel, to his tree, and to the place at her side he must convince others he has always known. Deceive Nel, Nil asks in parting, and Rafal obeys. Deceive Nel, Father orders in parting, and Rafal...obeys.

For many years, for some centuries, it has been Nel and Nil. That it still was, if now also come to several more pairs; they and the Divine One, they and Zelestia, and now Nil and his fruits. Peaches for example were only grown in Lythos, and pink, peachlike Nil finds lush bounty in lieu of arid scarcity agreeable - finds a place here.

Half-bitten fruit nesting in one hold, he used the other to turn a page. Reading on that bench of a sunny patch, there was peace in paradise, even if he knew it wasn't for an imposter. Even if he balked to sleep alone without Nel, nightmares of not yet severed reality startling him awake with a whimper. Gradlon though out of sight did not fail to be totally gone. The serpent planted its whispers, coiled curse heavy over his heart.

—someday, you'll betray this eden.

Peach finished, the apple this time.

- ✶ -

Apocalypse; Eschaton; Ragnarok; serpent-fulfilled prophecy and world's end by any chosen name. The Fell Heir with his scarred ambitions and his belated ascension with none to weather his squall. Rafal meaning gust, and only his breaths flowed through his desolate planet. Rafal named for wind, and his Four Winds departed on divine ark, he the fifth to stay behind for his sins. Peace like the crack of a whip for his kind that halcyon dreams did not suit, and yet there was some of it, perhaps, at the edge of existence.

Only like this did end seem as beginning. Kings and laws and civilizations lost their once tightly clutched meaning, as if everything were simply returned to the cosmic dust from which they had sprung millions of years ago. A fresh and bloodless slate by every last drop of blood corrupted.

Only like this did end seem as beginning; she-twin, he-twin, Nel and Rafal the corruption of some adam and some eve. He sinful, she faithful. They who shed the patterns of old bloodied testaments; they, new age twins born not by womb but reborn by choice.

Only like this, at both end and beginning, he awakened, understood to where and for why his cogs ought turn. Brother bled of his foolish curse by sister's veins, for another twin once more he sat, and once more he waited. Loyal beside her, not once derelict across winter storm or summer scorch, every day he looked after Nel. Every night he looked to the stars where Nil was watching in that true promised land.

- ✶ -

Always did our Child gaze at angels.

Caped in seraph feathers and forsworn of serpent scales, one remarkable Fell Child who showed they could with red and blue, once black and now white, all at once be divine. Their hand extended to another who had once lost his way: our Child, no longer powerless and ravaging to be strong; our Child no longer blinded, reaching for Gradlon to heal where Gradlon had burned.

Rafal whose final paradox breathed within the failed lungs of his world: that by twilight there was, finally, dawn.

"Welcome to you both," divinity welcomed. "It really is a lovely morning."

...

「 RAFAL 」 has mastered: Fell Child

[astralarias]

The Hope of the World - COYH Zine

Hi!! Here is my completed fic I wrote for the GW2 Commander of your Heart Zine! It was so much fun to take part and I hope you enjoyed seeing all the gorgeous art and wonderful writing from all involved.

My piece was a reflection on Jioxa and how she feels she fits into the world, her place in it as Commander. It is set in an ambiguous dream-vision, but no matter how real, a visit from an old dear friend gives her the encouragement she needs to stay strong.

1.5k words | Implied Trahearne/Commander | No content warnings

She dreams of him, sometimes.

Nights when the buzz of thoughts in her head give rise to great thunderstorms, when all her doubts and fears crash down upon her. Torrential, unending.

She dreams of him, and he becomes her safe haven from the storm. His presence is like the serenity of the full moon on a clear night; quiet, soft, watchful. It’s in these fleeting moments that Jioxa finds peace, or something close to it.

It never lasts. She wakes to a world rocked by Dragons and Gods, the chaos she wrought upon the world heavy in her veins like lead. It was the only choice, and she knows this, but knowledge isn’t feeling, and oh, how she feels. She laments, for Soo-won especially, source of all, who Jioxa only knew in her pain and torment.

But she dreams of him, and often she wishes in dreams she could stay.

Tonight is one such night. The day had been long and arduous, leaving her body aching and her mind clouded. Sleep found her easier than usual, and the waking world gave way to a more pleasant illusion.

She sits on a precipice, overlooking a soft darkness dotted with a million stars. The spiral arm of the galaxy stretches out from beneath her feet to far above her head, purple and blue and gold. Eternal Alchemy in its most beautiful form. She’s wearing a simple, comfortable outfit, and her long black hair is loose, settled around her shoulders.

He’s beside her.

Trahearne. As he was - as she remembers - before Maguuma. Back when the world was - not easier, but simpler. He turns to her, and the smile he gives warms her heart. She meets his eyes, her bright orange to his yellow, and he blurs in her vision as tears well up.

“I’ve missed you,” she says, taking his hand in her own, running her thumbs over the bumps and imperfections. The physicality of him, even in a dream - she’s missed it dearly.

“As have I, dearheart,” Trahearne replies, and her heart flutters, his love for her almost flowing between them. As if she was like him. As if she could feel what he felt, as he could do with his own kind. It’s a bitter thought, that whatever they had was not as deep as it could have been, were she - sylvari. She chokes down the word her brain had initially supplied, better.

It isn’t that she hates who she is, but she can’t discount the nights she’s spent laying awake, wishing she was more. More ‘asura’, more intelligent, more lovable. He makes her feel like she’s enough, but she wishes she could be more than enough for him. To connect with him, through thought and feeling alone; who wouldn’t yearn for that?

She sighs. As her parents had always said, thinking was like kneading dough. Helpful and necessary, but go on for too long and your bread would become chewy and tough. Think too much, and you’ll spin yourself into despair. Ugh. She wrinkles her nose. She’s using her parent’s metaphors, now? She’s getting old.

She shakes her head to clear the unwanted worries, and looks back up to the serene sylvari beside her.

“Trahearne,” she says, “can I ask you something?”

His gaze softens, warms like the spring sun. “You know you need not ask. What troubles you?”

She knows this is all an elaborate play orchestrated by her tired mind, but his presence is as comforting as it had been in life. She leans against him, and he moves his arm around her shoulder to hold her.

“Why me?” Jioxa begins. “Throughout everything, I was your first choice. You could have chosen someone better, after we killed Zhaitan. Someone - a soldier, a tactician, someone braver and stronger. Why did you stick with me? What did I bring to - to everything?”

For a moment the world hangs in silence, as heavy as a brick. When he speaks, gentle, she lets out a breath of relief. She’d almost wondered if she’d done something wrong, made some transgression by asking. The last dregs of her fear melt away as he tugs her closer.

“My heart, you underestimate yourself,” he says. “I didn’t need a soldier; indeed, I had plenty. I didn’t need bravery or strength, although you displayed both in troves, more than I had any right to ask of you. I needed you, yourself. A pure, kind heart, and a voice to inspire courage, to light the way through the dark and keep that light ablaze when I could not. Had you not been by my side, I - and the Pact - would have faltered in our first steps.”

He pauses, looking down at her with eyes full of warm sincerity. “You brought to me something more valuable than all the armies of Tyria combined. Hope. Something that had evaded my grasp for the longest time, after all those years in Orr.”

She feels heavy tears stream down her cheeks, although she doesn’t recall starting to cry. She’s silent, words slipping between her fingers despite how she scrambles to hold onto them. His own words are everything to her, a lifeline - but she can’t quite bring herself to believe him.

Trahearne turns to her, a slight furrow to his leafy brow. She sniffles, trying to wipe away her tears - unsuccessfully, as they don’t seem in any mood to stop.

“Jioxa,” he says, near a whisper. “May I show you something?”

Curiosity flickers in her chest, stirring her heart. The tears stop, and she fixes him with a quizzical look, her ears pricking up a little. Words are still beyond her, but she manages an eager nod. Whatever Trahearne has to show her, she knows it will be worthwhile.

He smiles, reaches out, and presses his hand to her forehead.

The cosmic environment fades out into a dizzying rush of color for a brief few moments. As the world stabilizes again, she finds herself in a familiar environment. Unearthly birdsong echoes in the distance, and great, towering coral colors the otherwise bleak landscape.

Orr.

And….a Pact camp. She and Trahearne stand behind a stack of crates, hidden from view of the soldiers, who lounge around a blazing campfire. Of the faces she can see, she notes a human, a charr, and a norn. There are two other figures, their backs turned. An asura, and a sylvari.

The asura is small, lithe, lively. They stand on a small box, gesturing wildly with their hands as they recall a story. It’s clearly exaggerated beyond all belief, but the others around the fire seem enraptured. Their eyes shine, their expressions ones of joy despite the war-torn environs.

The asura comes to the conclusion of their story, and the others clap and cheer. Jioxa smiles to herself. She’s not sure what Trahearne is showing her, here, but it warms her to see these people’s happiness.

The asura takes an over-dramatic bow and turns to clamber down from the box. Jioxa swears her heart stops, for a few moments.

It’s her.

Much younger, scrawnier, but undeniably her. Her face - her eyes shining with pride, her little ears, and that ponytail she used to wear day-in, day-out. She swallows the lump in her throat, turning to look up at Trahearne, who stands silent beside her.

“Why-”

“Look,” he says, softly, kneeling down to her level. “Look around, dearheart. Look at those soldiers; they’ve all lost friends this day. This was one of the hardest battles of the war against Zhaitan, and yet - you were there, always. To bring even the slightest joy to a place like Orr is no small feat, yet you did it as if nothing was more natural. You never stopped bringing hope and joy to these people, even when you, too, were scared and reeling. You were their guiding light. As you were mine.”

Raw emotion writhes in Jioxa’s chest, and she blinks back yet more tears. She glances back out at the soldiers gathered around the campfire. Trahearne is right; they look at the other-her with nothing short of adoration, reverence. She is not just their Commander; she is their reason to keep going, through all the death and despair of the Dragon.

With everything that had been going on at the time - when this scene was real - she hadn’t even noticed. She’d been doing nothing more than being herself, fearful and flawed but her, no mask, no shield.

Her gaze wanders back to Trahearne. She meets his eyes. He’s smiling, and she takes a moment to bask in his pride, lets it wash over her like sunlight. Then, she nods. Wordless, but that is all he needs; she understands. He hugs her close to him, and in his arms she closes her eyes as the scene fades away once again. She clings to his warmth and safety for as long as she can, until her consciousness fades into a soothing void, the dream - or was it more than that? - giving way to sleep.

When she wakes, it is back in her bed, and the reality of Trahearne’s absence squeezes at her heart. A familiar ache, now. But for the first time in longer than she can recall, a sense of peace permeates her mind. She opens her eyes, taking a deep breath. A brighter future is waiting for her to light the way.

[tubbytarchia]

One of the three pieces I did for @aygozineproduction. Everyone did a fantastic job and thank you for accepting me as an illustrator <3

[thirteens-lucky-tardis]

𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐄 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄 - 𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐓 𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐂𝐎𝐎𝐍 𝐗 𝐎𝐂

𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐎𝐍𝐄

≪━─━─━─━─◈─━─━─━─━≫

On the far edges of the galaxy, there was a planet called Savath. Savath was very attractive to the eye - trees of all colors, oceans, rivers, grasslands, and of course, the tall buildings of the capitol city, Tregore. Each structure was decorated in shiny silvers and golds. To any foreigner, Savath would be seen as literal Heaven. The entire planet was ethereal in every way possible, and no one dared attack the Savathians for fear that the attacker would not make it out alive, for the planet was inhabited by dragons. Not the dragons you are well accustomed to, but rather dragons in human form. Only the Elders are able to take full dragon form.

The Elders were the ones who founded the planet. Six dragons, to be exact. Three males, three females. Ryvyr, Kesoss, and Ailzram were the three males. Cigri, Ita, and Syphy were the female counterparts. Each dragon had a power that they brought to the world they inhabited. Ryvyr was a water dragon, thriving with the many bodies of water Savath had. Kesoss, being an earth dragon, found solice in the forests and mountains. Cigri was a dragon of fire and found the many small (not inherently dangerous) volcanoes fascinating. Ita was a dragon of air and could often be found sleeping on a cloud.

The last two dragons, Ailzram and Syphy, were embodying the light and dark. Ailzram had a dark personality. He never attacked anyone, but he seemed rather uninterested in every topic and would seem to anyone looking in that he was depressed. He could not live without his counterpart, Syphy, who was sunshine incarnate. She was always smiling and was rather childish at times, but in a sweet way. She loved Ailzram no matter what. They needed each other like the moon needed the sun.

Together, they made Savath what it is today - beautiful and prosperous. There was none who dared stand against them and none who defied them. They were content, and through the years, the population grew. There was never a shortage of food or water. There was always space for everyone, and just as such, everyone was welcome.

The most interesting part of Savath was the culture, more specifically, a ceremony called The Selection. This was a rite of passage for every citizen and happened when one was thirteen years of age. Prior to The Selection, every child has porcelain white hair, referring to that of a blank canvas ready for an artist to create a masterpiece.

You are probably confused as to what The Selection is, and this question will be answered soon.

For now, our story follows that of a young dragon named Ember. Like every child, Ember had hair as white as snow. Most describe her as reckless, and she is. She longs for adventure and has a driving desire to leave Tregore - to leave Savath all together. This ideology was frowned upon by her peers. Why would she want to leave such a perfect planet?

Our story begins mere weeks before Ember turns thirteen and before The Selection.

◇◇◇

"Rhae, come on! It's not much further to the top!" Ember exclaimed, rushing up the grassy hillside under the warm sun. She was very carefree and curious, always looking for more places to explore.

Ember's friend, Rhaelrivera, had already gone through The Selection and had joined the water dragons in all their glory. She now donned sea foam green hair and deep blue eyes, matching the colors of the water. "Ember, we should be getting back. It's late."

Ember sent a blank stare over her shoulder towards Rhaelrivera. A soft breeze blew through the atmosphere, causing their hair to gently caress their faces. "If you didn't want to come, you could have just said so."

"I did!" Rhaelrivera countered with a scoff. "You dragged me along anyway."

"Yeah, because I'm awesome!" Ember smiled and continued to the top of the hill, gazing down at the flower filled meadow below. She turned to see the towering silver and gold buildings behind them before turning back to face the meadow. In the distance sat a mountain range where a faint smog sat around the snowy peak. A lot of dragons were taken to this point for practice with their powers. Some fire dragons must be there right now.

Rhaelrivera soon joined Ember on top of the hill and looked around. She had never been up here before, even though it was a mere five minutes away from the city. Rhaelrivera let out a soft gasp. "Wow..."

Ember grinned and bumped Rhaelrivera's shoulder with her own. "Told ya." Rhaelrivera rolled her eyes and continued to gaze out at the scenery before them. The sunlight gently kissed the freckles on Rhaelrivera's dark skin in a way that made her feel angelic. Because she was a water dragon, the sun reflected off her skin like ripples on water. Ember always thought this was fascinating and often brought Rhaelrivera out into the sun, just so she could see this phenomenon. Going along with this, the iris of Rhaelrivera's eyes had the same effect, and the color seemed to shift like waves.

"Okay... maybe I should have trusted you about this..." mumbled Rhaelrivera.

"Ha! I knew you'd like it!" laughed Ember. Rhaelrivera smiled and slightly shook her head at the excitable girl.

The two sat in the grass, perfectly content with saying nothing in the moment and listening to the gentle breeze blow through some nearby trees. The silence between them was pleasant until Ember spoke up softly. "Hey, Rhae...?"

"Yeah, Em?"

"Was it... scary...?"

Rhaelrivera looked confused and turned her head to look at Ember, who appeared rather... timid, an emotion she had never shown before. "Is what scary?"

"The Selection... is it scary...?" Ember asked, her voice hushed as she picked at some grass.

"In a way... but once it's over, you have this sense of relief and belonging," Rhaelrivera explained, hoping to ease her friends worries.

"Yeah, but... my family has been all fire for generations, and I just know I'm not going to be... I'm deeply frightened..."

Rhaelrivera seemed to understand Ember's concerns. She nodded slowly in thought before looking back to the white-haired girl. "If you aren't fire, then that calls for a celebration. If you are, that also calls for celebration. Whatever clan chooses you, you'll be amazing. I know it."

Ember smiled gently. "Thanks... you always know just what to say."

"Well, I am a year older than you, so I better be wiser!" Rhaelrivera laughed. Ember joined in with her own laugh and slightly shook her head.

"Don't go getting an ego on me, now!" Ember teased.

"Wouldn't dream of it, Em."

The two girls sat on the hill well past sunset, talking and laughing about seemingly meaningless stuff with no relevance to anything or anyone other than them. When the moon began to rise over the horizon, they finally decided to head home. They began the trek back to the city and eventually parted ways. Ember headed inside her house, only to be greeted by the darkness and silence of the empty hallways. She made her way up the stairs to her room and sat on the windowsill, gazing outside. In the distance, the first star she saw that night flickered, so why not make a wish?

"Star light, star bright. First star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might. Have this wish I wish tonight," Ember whispered as if speaking to the star itself. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

I wish for an unforgettable adventure...

Little did she know, the universe was listening, and planning out the adventure of a lifetime...

***

The closer the days got to Ember's Selection, the more nervous she became. She knew that she could get in trouble if her family wasn't pleased with the clan she was placed in, but what could she do about it? The absolute fear that came with The Selection was near the fear of death... it was terrifying in ways most minds couldn't comprehend...

Ember often found herself full of worry and anxiety, wondering what will happen and praying that she didn't disappoint her family. That would be the worst part of it all... letting people down...

As she sat on her bed in her room the night before her Selection, she could only stare at the white dress hanging in her closet. A blank canvas that she would design tomorrow. This seemed like a lot of responsibility for someone barely turning 13 in mere hours, but... there was something nervously exciting about it all. When she thought over the events happening the next day, she felt like things would be okay... that things would go right in the end...

But what truly is 'the end', if not for another beginning to an even better adventure...

≪━─━─━─━─◈─━─━─━─━≫

Also published on Wattpad: To Be Free by embers_dragon_

Tags:

@rxin3akamallory @pretty-chips @glow-autumz @evolvingchaoswitch @raccoonfallsharder @criticalcrit @thejudgyboiao3 @love-for-faeries-go-burrrr @caesarhamato22

[darkened-storm]

Mayblade Catch Up: No Prompt

Tyson moved in for the attack, with Dragoon beginning to circle the area, kicking up a strong wind in its wake. “Let’s do this,” he said.

Steph urged Seraphina forward, into the eye of the storm. Sparks flew from her beyblade and spontaneously caught alight, the wind funnelling the flames around the area and trapping the beyblades inside. Above the area, the two dragon bitbeasts closed in on Carlos’s bitbeast.

“Galaxy Storm!”

“Fiery Tornado!”

The force of the combined attacks shook the warehouse floor, knocking Steph off her feet.

The remaining flames eventually fizzled out, leaving a cloud of dust and smoke covering the area. Steph could just make out the shapes of the Carlos, King and Queen’s beyblades, motionless and scattered across the arena. Dragoon, Seraphina and Dranzer had come to a stop in the very centre.

A tie… Steph thought, blinking the dust from her eyes.

Tyson was the first to recover.

“What was that?” he asked, helping her to her feet.

“No idea,” she said. She’d never felt power like that from Seraphina before.

Kai slowly rose to his feet.

“Seraphina and Dragoon were able to combine their attacks with Dranzer’s Blazing Gigs,” he explained. “It was enough to bring down the Kraken bitbeast.”

“You’re welcome, by the way,” Step added tersely.

Across the arena, Carlos had bent down to retrieve his beyblade.

She plucked Seraphina from the ground, along with Dragoon and Dranzer, tucking the three beyblades safely into her pocket before fixing Carlos with a furious stare.

[awritersbro]

A Conversation at the End of the Universe

“You're like Atlas,” the Astronaut breathed in revelation. “Holding up the sky for us.”

The dragon's giant, planet-sized eye blinked.

The black slit of the pupil narrowed impossibly thin, to focus on the dust mite clad in a pale white spacesuit that was floating above their face.

The pupil yawned beneath her like the deep and endless abyss of an event horizon. Pitch black against the red haze of The Star.

“Do you think that I'm doing this for you?” They asked, voice growling and crackling through the Astronaut's radio. “I am a being of the stars, and you are a mite that hops from dust speck to dust speck. You are less than nothing to me.”

The Astronaut smiled behind her opaque visor. “And yet, you're talking to me.”

The dragon's scoff was almost indistinguishable from a solar flare. “Why are you here, dust mite? None of your ilk have dared talk to me since there were stars still forming in the clouds.”

“I'm an astronaut. A Star sailor. Comes from the same language spoken by the people who told the story of Atlas, actually.” She continued her survey. To… confirm her findings. Triple-check, or however many she was on right now.

“You are a dust mite and a trespasser upon my hoard,” the dragon growled, “I have eaten planets in my time. Not the little dust-specks your kind calls planets, but planets. Swirling spheres of gas and ice larger than you could even fathom. Do not think I can't do the same to you.”

“Your hoard happens to be the one remaining Star in the universe.” The Astronaut breathed in deep and kept her eyes on the surveyor instrument to calm herself down. It wasn't wise to antagonize reptiles so large that not even the word “colossal” does them justice.

“Do not attempt to belittle me, little less-than-nothing!” Continent-spanning lightning shot through the dragon's iris, “my hoard is every star that crosses your pathetic little sky, and every star beyond!”

“Yes,” the Astronaut agreed, “And every Star in the universe is This Star, right here.”

The dragon tightened their life-giving coil around The Star, but otherwise refused to dignify her truth with a response.

“…Which, apparently, is more than what could be said if you weren't here.”

The Astronaut floated there, against the infinite expanse of sheer unfathomable void, lit only by a single red Star. The Dragon coiled around it, tight as a snake around its prey.

Gentle as a snake around its eggs.

She wondered if The Star felt as heavy to The Dragon as the sky did to Atlas.

“…Perhaps you're more than nothing, little dust mite,” the dragon's eye moved to look at the infinite nothing behind her. “I haven't heard from my fellow Dragons since I came to save this star. There were twenty of us last I knew. Floating from dust speck to dust speck as your kind does, you may have seen them.”

The Astronaut looked up from the stream of data that she probably knew by heart by now and laughed.

“Imagine that.”

“I have imagined things your mind can barely comprehend, speck-hopper, what makes my request seem amusing?”

“No, it's just… You're a colossal planet-eating reptile who's been coiled around The Star for generations, and the first time in eons you talk to another person you ask the most human question imaginable.”

“We are incomparable, dust-hopper,” the Dragon growled. “I could send you across the galaxy with a single twist of my tail.”

The Astronaut almost let go of her surveyor, “the galaxy was real?”

The dragon laughed, finally causing a variation in her Solar Surveyor’s data and shaking the Astronaut's bones.

“Galaxies, little dust-hopper. Plural. As many galaxies as there were stars dancing inside them. Whirling through the void like accretion disks. Can you imagine that?”

“I can barely imagine one star in the sky other than this one.” She breathed, barely a whisper.

Galaxies. Plural. What would that even look like? Could the sky even get so bright? Surely there wasn't enough room in the sky for…

Focus.

She had to focus on her self-assigned task.

It was far from what her real assigned mission was. The opposite, actually. But the mission was based on false data. Maybe. Incomplete at the very least. She needed to get a more thorough view of the situation. To figure out what to do next, to…

“Have you?”

“Have I what?”

“So soon you are to forget, little dust-hopper. I suppose I cannot fault you for that. You are so small I'm surprised you can remember anything at all! Dragons. Do you know of any others?”

“Oh. Yes.” and oh the way their eye dilated just the slightest bit reminded her of the children back home when she surprised them with secret chocolates and cookies from her rations. She wished she didn't have to kill that light. “They died.”

The dragon moved its head just the barest twitch towards her and The entire Star flashed brighter. “What?”

“They died. Generations ago. I don't… really know how, exactly. We still tell stories about them, back home. How they used to fly across nebulae and play among comets. How they used to eat stars…”

How knights in pale white spacesuits and helmets with opaque visors used to kill them because of it.

Lightning flashed once more in the Dragon’s one visible eye.

“We do not eat stars. The rest of what you said is true, but we do not eat stars. The stars are mine and we do not infringe on one another's hoards. We eat planets, little dust-mite. Nothing more. I will not tolerate lies about my dead race.”

There was fluid visible in the dragon's eye. Pooling atop it as the vastest ocean in the universe. Not that that was saying much, now.

A third semi-transparent eyelid blinked the ocean away, rippling spheres floating across the empty sky. They watched it slowly boil away to nothing in the heat of The Star.

“I'm sorry you had to find out this way.”

“…I was the youngest of my kind, I was always bound to be the last one to die. I only hoped… Well… That I would be there when they did. But really, I suppose I lost them long ago.”

“…May I ask how?”

“When I came to guard this star. Hoards-Black-Holes was insistent that I let entropy take its course, even when I asked them what they would do when their hoard slowly decays into nothing. Hoards-The-Clouds knew what it was like to lose everything, and still they--” The Dragon closed their eyes. “I died to all of them before my scales even touched the surface of this star, I'm sure. They certainly died to me.”

The Astronaut let her surveyor tool float freely beside her. “That seems cruel of them, to not let you keep what's yours.

The Dragon… smiled, almost. It was too sad to be a real smile, but it played the part well enough.

“It was not their place to stop me. My hold on this star is only prolonging the inevitable, but it is prolonging it. When I grow too old and tired to continue living, my grip will loosen, and The Star will die with me. It's only right for a dragon to die with their hoard.”

A neutron-star weight settled in the bottom of the Astronaut's stomach. She didn't know dragons could die of old age. How long had this one been alive?

How long did everything have left?

If it was long enough than maybe, just maybe…

“When… How long will it be? Until you die?”

Heracles built two pillars to hold the sky up for Atlas. Maybe Humanity could do the same, with enough time and Materials.

Materials.

Was there enough matter left in the universe to build something as ambitious as that?

She knew the findings of the latest Matter and Energy Census as well as she knew her surveyor’s readings. There wasn't.

The dragon laughed now, a full-body chuckle that could probably be felt all the way at The Planet.

The way The star flickered, it most certainly could be seen.

“Oh, little dust-hopper, do you think time matters to me anymore? There's nothing left to measure it. The last black hole dissipated before you dust-hoppers hopped to the little dust speck surrounding this star.”

The Dragon's eye moved past the Astronaut to look into the emptiness beyond. “I wonder… did Hoards-Black-Holes die before or after their hoard?”

The Astronaut knew the answer to their question.

She wished she didn't.

“…Before.”

The dragon's eye focused on her and she suddenly remembered just what exactly she was talking to.

“You know more than you are telling me, little dust-mite. Perhaps you would do well to consider who could swallow whom and not even notice it.”

She swallowed thickly. The saliva felt like gruel going down her throat, and not because of the threat they both knew was empty.

“Humanity, we… Generations ago, we found a way to siphon energy out of black holes on a massive scale. Truly massive. From what I'm told, it was almost like there were stars in the sky all over again. Hundreds of billions of souls all over the universe, forcing light from out of the darkness, there are still pictures in some of the older model spaceships. It was beautiful.”

The dragon's eye narrowed as the Astronaut continued on.

“I don't remember the story, exactly,” she lied. She could recite the tale by heart, backwards and forwards. Humanity as Sisyphus, cheating death once again. “But… The legend says that seven humans killed the dragon on a ship called the St George, because they were keeping humanity from rekindling the stars. Once we took all there was to take from the black holes, their corpse fueled our ship for twelve generations. Enough for us to find this star, five generations ago.”

Humanity as Sisyphus, rolling the boulder up the hill to unfathomable prosperity before it inevitably rolled back down.

Hills erode over time. The peak of prosperity shrinking lower and lower until there is no longer a hill to climb up.

Her own ship was called the Beowulf.

She tried not to think about that.

Or the five hundred thermonuclear harpoons in the weapons hold.

It took five generations to build them all.

They could have been used as fuel rods.

Five hundred terajoules of energy that could have been used for growing food. For communicating. For trying to stall the ever-taking hands of entropy. For pretending that any of this actually mattered and that the Universe wasn’t about to end cold and miserable and empty and so, so dark.

The dragon blinked.

For the first time since their conversation started, the eye moved to look at the Beowulf, at the red-blue dot of the planet. Back at her.

“So that is why you're here, star sailor.”

“…Yes.”

“I find it hard to believe that you can.”

The Astronaut said nothing.

“How did your kind kill Hoards-black-holes, exactly?”

She opened her mouth and spoke through the neutron star in her chest. “Enough thermonuclear harpoons that they say it looked like a real star was burning in the universe again. The same amount as is on my ship, according to the legend. They say the hole in their head was half the size of The Star.”

After all, there was no room for lies at the end of the universe.

The dragon smiled, “and yet, you're talking to me.”

The Astronaut's laugh was more like a huff.

The Universe wouldn’t end just yet. Maybe in a few generations. Maybe as soon as the Astronaut stepped back onto the planet with five hundred more thermonuclear harpoons than expected and a well-crafted argument as to why that she’d have to write on her way back. It didn’t really matter in what little of a grand scheme of things there was left.

For now, the Astronaut and the Dragon floated side-by side in an infinite expanse of sheer unfathomable void, lit only by a single red Star, staring at a pale red-blue dot.

[thegatesofinfinitespace]

How strange, this small dragon, alike yet so unlike the Goddess he'd grown to befriend. The air around him is frigid, as if his presence alone calls the snow. He leans, crimson tipped claws reaching out to inspect. "Tell me, дракончикa, where do you come from?" -- @everlastiingiimmortals  answered: Cold. That's the first word that enters Yingyue's mind. In the span of a single breath, it seems that time slows, condenses to the instance of a single breath, the world growing dark around her. White flecks dance before her eyes; is it the stars she's familiar with, or snow? Clouds leave her lungs in little billows, leaving her shivering involuntarily. For a moment, she is sure something is wrong. The Luofu never goes dark -- what happened to the artificial sky? The Luofu never grows cold. This coldness is unfamiliar and frightening, vague hints of memories too blurry and too ephemeral drifting around the corners of her mind, whispers of a chilling grief that escape swiftly from her grasp. Then she turns and her breath catches in her throat. A being -- taller than her, much much taller than even the general -- looms out from the darkness, seemingly materializing from the sudden eddies around her. The rattling of crystals with every step they take reverberates in her heart, and seeing the tall antlers sprout from their head sends a spike of apprehension through her heart. The Plagues Author? But no; the Abundance is an entity of sunshine and wheat, warmth and sweet smelling blooms, not darkness and snow, cold and frost. The more she watches, the more the entity's form grows clear. They are magnificent. Their hunched torso becomes digitigrade legs covered in sleek, white fur that end in cloven hooves. A mane of white hair, ending in tips of crimson like a splash of blood against snow, frame a sharp (but not unkind, she thinks) face with long, pointed ears like hers and red, red eyes. It is not the red of mara. Yingyue remains rooted to the spot, heart beating in her chest like the fluttering wings of a tiny bird. And then they -- he -- reaches crimson claws out to her, and speaks. The sound of his voice both rumbles from his throat and within her own head, a gasp escaping from her mouth. There is no questioning the presence of the God before her. She doesn't understand the word he uses to address her, but it is gentle. She hesitates, looking between his expectant claws and his face before cautiously accepting his hand. "F-from her--" she cuts herself off with a shy clearing of her throat, looking at their surroundings once more. The familiar scenery of the Luofu is no longer in sight. No — it was clear from the moment the God's chill rolled in that she was no longer home. Strangely, the thought doesn't terrify her as much as she thought it would. "T-this humble servant is a Scion of Long, Exalted One," she offers softly, eyes lowered respectfully. "O-only one of many... hailing from the Xianzhou Luofu, a s-space-faring ship that roams the galaxies."

It is as she cautiously places a tiny hand within his own, that the Winter realizes it. She... truly is small. Fragile in the way the Goddess he'd befriended was not, so easily breakable in the claws of one such as himself.

She is Mortal. In the barest of sense, she may not age and she may live for an extended period of time, but she was still within the reaches of Death.

Time is frozen here. This cold, this ice, it is his domain. The frost fogs at the feet, gathers in waves and clouds. Snowflakes fall silently, gathering in clumps on the ground. It is dark, the edge of midnight, the dangers of the night at its darkest point.

Her shoulders shudder here, at the edge of his domain. It is cold-- just like the tips of his fingers that she now held onto-- she would not last, just like any other living creature. Why is she here? Perhaps the strings that connected them, perhaps she'd discovered something that did not belong to her-- but it is unmistakable who she resembles.

Scion of... Crimson eyes look past to the border of his domain, to where she once came from. It was only an after image, the tempting of the creatures he'd kept from overrunning his Domain, but the deity can sense the Stars herself-- the realm of Death and the Silver one. And the Void. It blends with the souls lost here. Perhaps that was how...

"You will come with me." Rare that Morozko allowed anyone but his Court and his Bride to walk in tandem with himself, but this was a special case. She will freeze until He takes her. It would be wrong to allow any version of his dear friend to be taken so early. She is not meant to be here.

His touch is light but guiding nonetheless, fully aware of the ice that would seep into her skin if he did any more. "Scion of Long, do your best to ignore the beckons of those in the dark." The temptations of memories just out of reach and promises of warmth and familiar faces. "They are not your loved ones." Hands beckoning and opened doors to home.

"If you wish to return to where you came from, do not let go."

[xb0rder-7inex]

The way your name tastes in my mouth

Like the sharp blade of a razor that

I am licking in the sun shining down on me

In a gentle breeze in the long grass on a day that

looks yellow but feels blue and

Everything around you is green

Your name on my tongue like blood and ice cream your

Hands on my body like moon beams and lava your

Mouth on on my skin like holy water cleansed in the wrath of

The fires from hell and

I'm on my knees for you like a little girl prays

For her daddy and my thoughts like a mist of aromatherapy leaking out of my ears because

You consume me in ways only senses -

No. Only souls

find solice in the earth of the ground but you

I will breathe you like dragon smoke and cover my eyes with rose petals because

Well, fuck.

There are twists and turns in the crevasses of my brain that lead no where and everywhere together looking for all of it and nothing but you,

you are my sunshine in the dark and when I lay on the ground to feed my barren lungs your voice like song birds I'd find in the desert sky...

I finally understand what Dylan Thomas meant when he wrote for her that he was

Taken by light in her arms at long and dear last,

because it makes no sense to me and

All the sense in the world that a galaxy of imploding atmospheres sends me spiralling into a universe of uncertainty

and as I trace reflections of light leaks in sky shadows I climb into your cage and we both learn to fly

Chasing rain clouds and thunder the wind screams to me from above, "you are no stranger to me,

mad little bird.

This is the vision that sets fire to the stars."

- toxic. // 14.03.24