#i could talk for a while about the setting. colors . lighting. the way the witness is acting with barely restrained fury

[koyehn]

"we had such hope... you would understand."

[onskepa]

Hey saw tou were open!!

Could you do a ronal x platonic female reader, who is having her first mother's day as a new mom. She goes to ronal and explains the earth holiday. As part of her tradition she gives ronal a mother's day gift and ronal gets to see cute teeny tiny human baby!

Hellooooooo~!! So when I read this one, I knew just where to put it! Enjoy~!!

Irayo pt1

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

Irayo: Best mama's around!

Ronal kept herself busy these past few days. More busy than usual. Anything to distract the lingering worry of her friend, Irayo. It has been 8 days now, Ronal counted since her last visit. Not just ronal who worries, but her daughter young tsireya is now questioning where her auntie is. Her, and slowly the villagers begin to worry. 

Not to make her worries any better, Ronal has no way to communicate with Irayo. She remembers clearly, the last time she was her friend. Everything was fine that day, irayo behaved normal, acted as normal as she could be. Made another set of friendship bracelets, helped take care of tsireya, did her part in the village. Everything was normal. 

So why now is she gone? Are the sky demons preventing her from returning? Did they deem her useless now? Is she alright? 

So many questions linger in Ronal's mind. Anything she does, her worries are not calmed down. If by day 10 irayo does not return, ronal can only fear the worse. 

“A little bit dramatic, don't you think?” Irayo asks as she plays patty cake with little tsireya. Ronal was too busy hugging her from the side, saying how worried she was and what possible routes irayo was going through. 

“Not dramatic, only worried,” Ronal says, a bit stubbornly. 

Irayo can only laugh at the tsahik’s antics. 

“What happened? Why were you gone for many days?” Ronal finally asks. Needing to know if whatever happened, that irayo was alright. 

“I am fine, its just I wasnt feeling well and I had to be examined to find out what was wrong” irayo answers. This made Ronal more worried. “And? Are you well? Why didnt you come to me? I could have helped you” ronal gently scolded. Irayo only shook her and answered in her own way. 

She smiled and grabbed Ronal by the hands, guiding them to her belly. 

“I am pregnant” 

Those three words echoed in ronal’s head, slowing taking in what the human just said. Her eyes were wide, almost unbelieving what she said. 

Irayo laughed at Ronal’s reaction. Tsireya laughs as well even though she doesn't know why. 

“And who is the fool who believes he is worthy of you?” 

Word spread of Irayo’s return and the news of her pregnancy, the people went a bit wild. Welcoming her back, many gave her gently hugs, being mindful of her belly. Even though irayo said she was only 2 weeks pregnant, none took it lightly. Pregnancy at an early stage, any stage really, is the most important. Anything can happen. 

So the villagers, and by extension ronal and tonowari, made sure irayo only did safe, light tasks. Some had given her many things for her baby when its born. Children would follow irayo and ask her so many questions, like what is the difference between a na’vi baby and a human baby. Will the baby be blue or a different color? Small or big? Cute or ugly? 

So many things and Irayo was just happy to resume it all. Even more now that soon, her little one will get to experience the same excitement as she does. Her stage is still early, but no doubt her motherly instincts kicked in. 

As time goes on, ronal allowed irayo to take care of tsireya more often, to practice in how to take care of a baby. Would talk about her experiences in taking care of an infant and so on. However Ronal does not know how much of the information will be useful to her friend. As she does not know how different a human baby is to a na’vi baby. 

And as the months go by, ronal witnesses irayo’s belly growing. While she may not fully show it, Ronal is secretly excited for the baby to arrive. One day, when Irayo was 4 months pregnant, she asked a sudden question. 

“Would you like to feel the baby?” 

This question surprised ronal. 

In na’vi customs, pregnant females only allow their mates or really close family members to touch their bellies.

Is it the same for humans? 

“Can I…?” Ronal asks hesitantly. 

Irayo nods and gently places ronal’s bigger hands onto her growing belly. 

“The baby is still small, but in future months, they will move and might even kick,” irayo explains. Being still, Ronal can sense a small heart beat. From her experience, this small heart beat sounds healthy. 

“You baby is strong,” she comments. Irayo giggles, she doesn't doubt ronal. She can feel her baby. 

“Baby?” little tsireya echos the word as she waddles over to the two mothers. Practicing how to mother with the little one, irayo feels she is ready. But slight doubt still lingers in her. 

Playing with the child's hair, Irayo confesses her inner struggles. 

“Ronal…do you think I will be a good mother?” she asks. 

Ronal looks at her friend, a sad smile on the human's face. “Of course you will be. Perhaps not perfect, but a good mother. I have seen you around my child, with the villagers' children. Why think you will not be?” 

“I don't know, maybe it is just my mind playing games. I see how you raise tsireya, when she was born to now. You are wonderful to her. You have far more experience than I. the other women, I see how they handle their babies. I fear that whatever I will try, it won't be enough. That maybe I will fail and-” 

Ronal places her hands gently on irayo’s cheek, making her look at her. 

“You will be a wonderful mother to your baby. Anything you will do, shall do, will be seen as perfection to your baby because it will be all that they know. I am not perfect irayo, no one else. I make my own mistakes, but we learn and so will you” 

“Learn!” tsireya repeated. 

Both ladies look down at the little girl with soft smiles. 

Irayo leans a bit to kiss tsireya’s head. 

“At least my baby will have someone to look up to”

9 months had come to completion. Ronal wasnt able to see irayo for a while. Irayo explained she will need to be under constant supervision since the due date was nearing. Ronal understood, but the inner fears and anxiety creeps every night. 

Will irayo be alright? Will the birth be safe? Will the baby be healthy? 

So many questions, ronal even suggested she helps to deliver the baby. Willing to push aside her own personal views of the sky demons for the sake of her friend. While irayo was happy, she couldn't. 

And it wasn't for another 3 months that finally, irayo returned. This time she wasn't alone. 

She came to the village with her baby. 

Everyone was so ecstatic! 

They all surrounded her and her baby. Welcoming her back and welcoming the baby as well. Her baby was so cute! Mothers praised the little one, seeing how healthy the baby looked. And many more for being curious, it was the first time they have seen a human baby! Who knew they could be adorable? 

However the crowd was quickly disbursed by the presence of ronald and tonowari with tsireya in her father’s arms. 

Ronal of course was the first to hug irayo, letting out a long relieved sigh. 

“Thank Eywa you have returned” she whispers. Looking at irayo, she didnt know if it was the sun, or something else but the human had a natural glow in her physic. That motherly glow all females have after birth. It made irayo look stunning. 

“I am happy to be back,” irayo says. 

Soft babbles were heard, in the small bassinet was the human baby. 

Leaning down, ronal took a good look at the human baby. 

“Has your eyes…” she comments. 

The baby stared at ronal, no fear, only fascination. 

“Would you like to carry my baby?” Irayo asks, knowing ronal wants to. Without needing to answer, ronal carefully and gently holds the baby into her arms. 

“Baby!” tsireya squeals. 

Tonowari chuckles, “yes me’ite, it is a baby. We must be careful and be gentle” he says, tsireya nodding. 

“Your baby is so beautiful…oh Eywa, maybe you bless this baby with a great life and a wonderful future” ronal prays. 

Tonowari gestures irayo to a certain direction, “come, there is much to talk about”

Tsireya was entertaining the baby, showing many toys and singing little songs. Never keeping her eyes away from her new friend. 

Irayo sits beside ronal, “I have a gift for you~” she teases. 

“I wonder what it could be” 

Already knowing what it is. 

As predicted, irayo brought out 4 bracelets, “new BFF’s bands!” irayo says happily. 

Carefully tying it around ronal’s wrist, doing the same for herself, tsireya and her baby. “We shall commemorate this day as our first mother’s day!” she goes on. 

Ronal looks at her curiously. 

“Mother’s day? What is that?” 

“Mother’s day is a human tradition. Once a year on a special day, we celebrate our mothers. Giving them gifts, a day to relax, and appreciating them overall. So, this is my gift to you and to myself. It is not often celebrated here with my co-workers but at least I can celebrate it with you!” irayo happily answers. 

Looking down at her new bracelet, tracing over the beads and sea glass, she likes it. 

“Gifts huh…well then, I have a gift for you as well” ronal says. 

This makes irayo get closer, already excited. 

“What is it?” irayo answers. Ronal answers deadpanned. 

“I am pregnant” 

NGL I got carried away but I like it! So, until next time! See ya!

[basu-shokikita]

Kloktober 2024 Day 7

Furryklok or Demonklok

Today’s entry is a companion piece to @kaanagen’s fanart because I got inspired while we were talking about it. 🔥

Set in an AU where Toki hasn’t left his family yet!

Photo credit

Toki wiped his bloody nose, holding back the tears. It had been years since the last time his parents beat him this badly. The basement? Sure, that was like his second room by this point. But being so brutally assaulted, to the point of blood…

Just because he dared to talk about his one dream, about his aspirations to be a musician…

He choked back a sob, more disappointed in himself than anyone else for ever having thought that the people that raised him would react differently. They didn’t even like having music played in the house. Of course wanting to be a guitarist would be blasphemous to hear for them. He was an idiot. A stupid, naive idiot.

But no more of that. That Toki was done for, soon to be buried.

Determined, he searched under the pile of straw and spotted it. The book about satanic spells and rituals that he had researched when he first acquired an interest in death metal. He knew his parents cleaned his room every now and then so the book would be safer here, amongst the litter and rubble that only Toki was in charge of cleaning.

He already knew what page to go to, he had already marked it. It was page 242, how to summon a devil.

Evidently, Toki thought it would be cool to summon your own guardian and thus protect himself from harm, while also enacting revenge on those who wronged him. The only reason he hesitated was, well…the possibility of hurting his parents.

Despite everything, Toki didn’t want to hurt them. They were the only people Toki really knew, after all. What was he supposed to do without them?

Against his will, he felt his reluctance come back to him, and he was about to close the book when a drop of blood fell on the page. Abruptly reminded of what they had done to him, Toki made up his mind.

With his own blood, he painted a pentagram on the wooden floor and placed his battered guitar at the center. Then, he closed his eyes and began chanting, picturing a future where he was allowed to be who he wanted to be. To do anything he wanted to do. A future where he could be free.

Music would be his freedom and he was willing to pay with his soul for it.

Suddenly, there was a rumbling and a light pierced his eyelids. Alarmed, he opened his eyes and found the ground was splitting in two, red blaze coming from where it had cracked. Terrified, he fell on his knees and began to pray for forgiveness.

When he looked up, he saw scarlet smoke was now emanating from the cracks and invading the basement. And within the smoke, there was a dark figure, approaching him with inhuman movements. He screamed in horror, wanting nothing more but to escape yet his body was frozen from the sight. A noise that could only be defined as an electric guitar riff resonated in the air.

“Nows, nows…” A deep voice spoke as the smoke slowly dissipated. “Who dares awakes me from mines slumber?” Blue eyes materialized, penetrating Toki with his gaze.

And yet, rather than be intimidated, the color eased him. It was a beautiful shade of blue, one of Toki’s favorites in fact. The color of the sky, or, well, heaven.

Heaven…

The silhouette stepped out of the smoke and Toki’s eyes widened upon witnessing its appearance.

What appeared to be a slim, naked man with flowing golden hair, cascading way past his shoulders, presented itself before Toki. It was holding a guitar, like a warrior with an axe, and eyeing him with interest. It was so beautiful that Toki would’ve thought he had summoned an angel instead, until he noticed the horns coming out of his forehead and the pointy ears emerging from his mane.

“So it ams you.” The demon said, leaning down to hold Toki’s chin between its fingers. “You looks like a good meals.”

As tempting as it was to gaze at the demon up close, Toki removed himself from the demon’s grasp. He tried his best to remember the Latin lessons his father had forced upon him during childhood. “M-Mihi nomen est…”

“Nej, nej,” The demon waved its hand. “Is understand everies lanksgage.” Its eyes spotted Toki’s guitar, now miraculously repaired, on the ground. “Ams this yours?”

Toki nodded and the demon proceeded to ditch his own guitar, which disappeared into a scarlet cloud, and picked Toki’s. Its long fingers began playing a monstrous solo on the guitar that, moments ago, was completely destroyed. It was sublime, it was godly, it was unlike anything Toki had ever seen.

“Whats yous name?” The demon asked, still fiddling with his guitar so freely that it almost felt obscene to watch.

“T…Toki.” He answered with cheeks flushed.

“Wells, Toke,” The demon hummed with a smirk. It was so tall, so tall that it was towering over him. “Does you have anythingks for me?”

Completely hypnotized, Toki was unable to answer. Though something in his mind was exceedingly clear.

He had gotten his wish.

[sundove88]

DBZ: Waves of Freedom AU (Birthday Present for @sugarbear2001)

“Sometimes, to be free, we must dive deep to find out who we truly are.”

So, ya see, I was just being my own busy self and decided that I would make a platonic merman AU for KakaVege. The title of the AU? Waves of Freedom.

To put it simply, Goku is a merman living with his family and friends beneath the waves, and one day, when he goes to the surface and shapeshifts into his human form (I got inspired by Luca for this, all merpeople can shapeshift their tail into legs to walk on land in this AU, their upper halves remain unchanged), he encounters Vegeta, a human businessman who longs for escape from his horrible working life at Empire Oil Drilling Corps (Which is run by Frieza, who is an absolute butthole of a CEO in the AU), so he comes up with a plan with Vegeta to help him escape and finally gain his freedom. Also, this fanfic is a loose retelling of The Little Mermaid (One of its BIGGEST influences). The best part? There’s actual chapters on the way!!

Synopsis: When Goku, a carefree orange tailed merman encounters Vegeta, a trapped young businessman working for the world’s biggest and most oppressive oil drilling company, their encounter sets off a series of events that could change their lives for better or worse.

Anyhoo, here are the character parallels in the fanfic:

Vegeta- Ariel

Goku- Eric

Goten and Gohan- Flounder

Krillin and Piccolo- Sebastian

Bulma- King Triton

Frieza- Ursula

Zarbon and Dodoria- Flotsam and Jetsam

Chi Chi- Carlotta

Master Roshi- Grimsby (Maybe More, Imagine)

Launch, Tien, and Yamcha- Scuttle

Ginyus- Chef Louis

Android 17, Android 18, Nappa, and Raditz- Ariel’s Sisters

Trunks and Marron- Max

Chapters Below, btw. Also, if you wanna insert your Oc or another DB character (Like Shallot) into the AU, they can either be a land dweller or a merperson (With a merman/mermaid form with any tail and a land form)!

(SPOILERS AHEAD)

Chapter 1: Where The Land Meets The Sea:

Goku decides to go up to the surface to get some stuff for his family (Waterproof books for Gohan included, don’t ask me about that one) and runs into Vegeta. Geets then witnesses his transformation and is all like, “Oh my god, merpeople are REAL!!” And they become friends and stuff like that. Goku tells Vegeta about his life beneath the waves and Vegeta tells Kakarot about how he longs for freedom and the ocean is his only escape.

Chapter 2: The Weight of Expectations:

After getting suspicious of why Vegeta isn’t showing up that much, Freezy Pop decides to give him longer shifts and more work, and that includes the very fact that Veggie has to look outside the window and see his coworkers enjoy their summer fun. As he makes his way down to the beach through the corridors, he decides what he really wants and that is to talk to Goku more. Talk about devotion! And foreshadowing since it shows Vegeta being cast in a blue light while in his monochrome suit (Spoiler alert- It’s his tail color).

Chapter 3: Making Waves:

It then shows Goku introducing Vegeta to some of his ocean dwelling friends and family, including but not limited to: Piccolo (Eel merman), Krillin (Weedy Seadragon merman), Tien (Koi merman), Yamcha (Octopus merman), Bulma (Who has her tail inspired by a Blue Tang and a single mom to Trunks in the AU), Chi Chi (Arowana mermaid), Gohan and Goten (Same Orange Disney style tail as their dad), Master Roshi (Conmon Dolphin) etc, etc. Anyhoo, there’s this work banquet later that night, and Vegeta decides to sneak out of it and get undressed so he can get changed into his swimwear, and then Goku and Vegeta have their first swim in the ocean together :)

Chapter 4: Out of The Cage:

Veggie’s all like, “I’ve officially made up my mind! I wanna become a merman and stay with you no matter what!”, and that’s where Bulma comes in- she gives Goku an artifact called a Crystal Shell that’s powerful enough to change Vegeta into a merman- but there’s a catch: The change is permanent, and the price for his freedom and fins is his life on land. Luckily, Vegeta is totally knowing what he’s getting into, and he goes along with the plan and decides to write a resignation letter to Frieza to let him know he’s not coming back- also, he packs up his shell collection and lets his new merpeople friends take it from there.

Chapter 5: Ebb And Flow:

Vegeta finally decides to deliver the letter to Frieza, and he reads it and is ABSOLUTELY LIVID. Then while nobody is looking; Goku and Vegeta immediately swim off to some secret undisclosed cove from any human eyes so that Kakarot can transform his best buddy into a merman form with the crystal shell. Cue something akin to Ariel’s transformation from The Little Mermaid (But reversed and with elements of Melody’s transformation from Little Mermaid 2 and Brother Bear from when Kenai becomes a Bear) and Vegeta becomes a merman with a gorgeous royal blue Disney style merman tail! And then they swim off to explore the ocean, but not before sharing a hug like the best buds they are. Yaaaay! :D

Happy b day anyways! (Also, I may have spoiled the plot point at the end where Vegeta becomes a merman)

@jorongbak (I hope you find this AU idea interesting)!

[waaow]

Warning for a lot of ranting about a specific Deltarune theory topic that will likely have next to no impact on the actual plot of the game at all.

A lot of the time in Deltarune fan content, the creators will have Kris meet a Deltarune version of Frisk, usually as one of Asriel's college buddies or something. I very much hate it (this is an exaggeration its just a thing that commonly happens that I personally dislike and I needed a good way to start the post).

Kris IS the Deltarune version of Frisk. It's been pretty much told to us since Undertale launched (specifically Version 1.001) via Clamgirl.

"My neighbor's daughter looks about your age. Her name is "Suzy." I feel like you two should be friends. Not knowing where I live is no issue. Fate finds a way. In life's grand scheme, she might be why you came here in the first place..."

What does Clamgirl keep talking about? What is the purpose of her dialogue? Foreshadowing Deltarune. Talking to her is what spawns the "Don't Forget" note in Sans' basement. She's the one who went goner mode to break the 4th wall a month before Deltarune launched. Everything she says about Frisk and Suzy foreshadows the relationship between Kris and Susie while also placing a heavy emphasis on the concept of fate, which is a big theme in Deltarune.

Suzy and Frisk are fated to meet each other. In life's grand scheme, Frisk's fall needed to happen for them to meet Suzy, just like how Kris and Susie were fated to meet and become heroes due to the prophecy.

Clamgirl says Frisk and Suzy "should be friends." Just like how Kris and Susie end up as friends extremely quickly. Frisk "looks about" the same age as Suzy, Kris and Susie are in the same class and thus around the same age.

Frisk is just an anagram of Kris plus a single letter Kris -> Risk -> (F)risk. Suzy is phonetically identical to Susie, just with one less letter. They are the only notable characters to have changed names between universes so far. Their UT versions also do not have the anagrams to "Risk" and "Issue," which may actually be important. We also know that "Suzy" isn't an early version of Susie's name, as Susie's name dates back to at least 2013. We can make a solid guess that Frisk's name is derivative of Kris's name due to this.

This isn't even talking about all of Kris and Frisk's numerous other similarities.

They have the EXACT same skin color and hair color.

They also most likely have the same eye color. While red eyes are commonly associated with Chara by the fandom, they only actually have red eyes when possessing Frisk's body in the post-genocide "I want to stay with you" variant of the True Pacifist ending. If we look at the hex codes of the sprites used for the scene, we can see that the sprite used in uses Frisk's color palette. Despite it looking like Chara, it's still Frisk's body, their hair and skin color are the same, so their eye color is also likely the same. Although it could also be that the red eyes are unnatural and caused by possession.

They have similar light world equipment. Both of them wear different types of bandages. Frisk has a stick, while Kris has a pencil, which is a wooden stick-like object.

Their light world item throw-away narration has them performing the same actions to items.

Kris has blue and reddish-magenta themed colors in the dark world, which is just a more vibrant version of Frisk's clothing color scheme in Undertale. Their entire dark world room that Ralsei built for them is in that color scheme. Ralsei knows about Kris and Susie's interests and desires, as their rooms have those design choices things in mind.

They're both flirtatious. Frisk is incredibly apparent with this. You can also flirt with certain enemies as Kris, and Toby has stated that Kris would get accidentally disbarred due to flirting with a witness in an ace attorney setting.

They're both mischievous as well. Kris' pranks are well described by Toriel, Rudy, and Noelle. They can prank Noelle in an incredible amount of ways during chapter 2 and seem to enjoy doing it. Frisk has a general implied goofy demeanor and showcases mischief in a lot of small little moments, especially during ACTs or the hangouts with Papyrus, Undyne, and Alphys. You can also see an example of this when passing items they flatten a cinnabun and pour sea tea under the hotel doors.

They share the "mainchara" designation. Frisk uses it in their sprites and code, while Kris uses it in the code.

They share a role as the main protagonist of the game. Even how we start the game with them is similar. You name the first fallen human ("TrueChara") or the Vessel and than get shoved into jaundice gremlins. Kris is just the natural progression of Frisk. The entire time, you were supposed to believe that you named Frisk, that they were your self insert into the world. That gets mirrored by Flowey, who believes Frisk to be the first fallen human (who you named). The game ends with Asriel and new/unspoiled players realizing that Frisk isn't Chara. In the next game, Kris gets that revealed immediately when they wake up, and they further that development by having their personality a lot more discernible without in-depth analysis.

No other theories talking about Kris' Undertale variant make sense. The Clamgirl lines are too strong. The only one that even comes close is Chara, and the similarities Kris and Chara share aren't as deep as they seem.

The things that Kris and Chara share exhibit far more differently than the things Kris and Frisk share.

Chara has one comment about chocolate that is vague and seems to imply they like it, but they alao ignore the chocolate in Toriel's fridge despite their narration/dialogue already appearing at that point in the genocide route. Kris is extremely fond of chocolate and it is a much bigger part of their character than it ever was for Chara. We never get Frisk's opinion on chocolate.

The weapon that represents Chara is a knife and they seek them out during the genocide route for murder reasons. Kris doesn't use the knife they have as a weapon and seems to enjoy them as a hobby outside of murder. We never get Frisk's opinion on knives, but they are also associated with a slashing weapon.

The big one people like to point to Chara being the adopted child of the Dreemurrs. There are a lot of problems with this.

The first one is that, arguably, so is Frisk. Frisk shows interest in being adopted by Asgore when talking to Gerson in the TP epilogue and CAN be adopted by Toriel/call her mom.

The second is that Chara is distinctly and purposefully separated from the rest of the family every single time any of the Dreemurrs mention them. Asriel always calls them his best friend. In the winter alarm clock dialogue, Toriel talks about them starting with the phrase "a long time ago I knew someone " and, in the same conversation, talks about Asriel and calls him "my son." Asgore only mentions having a single child, a son, at the end of his battle. "I remember the day after my son died. [...] I just want to see my wife, I just want to see my child." He could have easily used the word "children" in either of these two instances, but did not. In the extended spare cutscene where Flowey does not kill Asgore, he again distinguishes Asriel as his child and Chara as someone else. "Young one, when I look at you... I'm reminded of the human that fell here long ago... [...] But I believe your freedom...... is what my son...... what ASRIEL would have wanted." It is only Gerson who calls Chara part of the family. The new home monsters said they were 'like' family specifically.

Kris meanwhile is universally treated as part of the Dreemurr family. Narration, Toriel, and other characters refer to Asriel as their brother. Narration, Asgore, and other characters refer to Toriel as their mother. Narration, Toriel, and other characters call Asgore their father.

Third is that even if Chara is part of the family, they had an entirely different dynamic with UT-Asriel than Kris does with DR-Asriel. UT-Asriel looks up to Chara, while Kris looks up to DR-Asriel. Chara and UT-Asriel are around the same age, with Chara taking the more stereotypically older sibling role. Kris is notably younger than DR-Asriel, and Asriel takes the more stereotypically older sibling role. Kris.

We can reasonably guess that Frisk is also younger than Flowey from a age standpoint. Even if Chara & Asriel were the same age as Frisk when they died, Flowey spent an unknown but long amount of time doing runs before Frisk fell and he directly positions himself as someone who's "grown up" in the winter alarm clock dialogue. Chara and Asriel are around the same age. Frisk and Kris are younger than their respective universe's Asriel.

My final point is that the relative timeline just works better if Kris is Frisk. All the monsters in DR are monsters we know exist/existed in Frisk's time. Even the Holiday family, with the daughters still notably being kids according to WAC-Asgore and DogCasino-Sans, the youngest one (Noelle) likely being Frisk's age like Suzy & MK are.

Kris can be Frisk with a bit of Chara sprinkled on, but even if they are, Clamgirl's dialogue alone confirms that the two of them are alternate universe versions of eachother.

Here's a short follow-up to this covering some goofy arguments I don't consider very convincing.

[prismuffin]

Toms Peter x black witch male reader ?,

maybe like a roof date where Peter conveniently forgets everything so reader saves the day? 🤭

A/n: Oooooo alright alright I'm down with this.

Best one yet

MCU!Peter Parker x black!male!witch!Reader

( summary: Peter was running late for your annual rooftop date causing him to forget everything he planned on bringing, but that's ok 'cause you've been meaning to spoil him more anyway )

warnings?: light swearing, mentions of magic and spells, witchcraft jokes,

f/c means favorite color

!-!more under the cut!-!

Peter cursed as he barely dodged a building, he was swinging rather quickly through the city. He'd gotten detention which held him back for about an hour after school which wasn't good because he has made plans to meet you afterwards. He stopped at home to change quickly before heading right back out to see you, hoping that his texts that he'd sent with his schools terrible internet had went through. With one final swing, he flipped onto the rooftop of a tall building, landing with a thud as he caught his breath. There you sat, your pretty dark skin looked stunning against the setting sun and he sighed, his eyes meeting yours. "I-I am so sorry I'm late! Mr. Harrington gave me detention and it completely threw my entire schedule off!" He rambled, taking off his mask as he neared your form, dropping to sit right beside you. "It's fine Peter I got your texts," You waved him off, scooting a bit closer to him to kiss his cheek in a greeting. He smiled at the affection, "where's the food?" You asked, and Peter's smile slipped off of his face. He groaned, shoving his face in his hands as he flopped onto his back. "I knew I was forgetting something." You heard him mumble from his hands before he lowered them to peek at you, who had moved so that you were now hovering over him. "Sorry Y/n...I was in such a rush to get here that I forgot everything.." You chuckled and shrugged, "It's alright Petey, I got this alright?" He quirked his brow, watching you as you stood up.

Shaking off your hypothetical nerves you shot Peter a wink before positioning your hands across each other. They glowed a dull f/c that brightened the longer your held their position. With a quick flip of your hand you'd conjured up a large blanket, pulling it from god knows where until the entire thing was set in your hands. "..woah..." Peter mumbled as you spread the blanket onto the concrete rooftop. "Your magic is so pretty Y/n," Peter scooted himself onto the newly placed blanket, spreading his fingers across the soft material that he assumed was cotton. Sitting across from him, you smiled, "Well you're gonna be seeing a lot more of it since you forgot everything~" You teased him and he sighed before apologizing again. "It's alright Pete, I'm just joking. At least this gives me an excuse to practice a few new spells." You dug through your bag, pulling out three crystals that Peter definitely didn't know the name of despite you ranting to him about the different types constantly. You placed them in a triangular formation before you began your second spell. Peter leaned in a bit closer, watching you with intent and curiosity as you started muttering what he could only assume is an incantation under your breath. Peter almost audibly laughed as he witnessed you pull out a wand from your bag, it's just so cliché that you'd have a wand though he knows better than to distract you while you're attempting a spell. Last time he did, you accidentally turned him into a talking frog. He shuddered at the memory, watching as your hands glowed that same f/c as before, the color making its way to the very tip of your wand. Your wand glowed especially bright as you aimed it down towards the crystals. Peter had to shut his eyes at the amount of light that had come from you.

Opening his eyes again, he stared in awe as full plates of fresh hot food, mostly pastas, were sat on the blanket along with what appeared to be sparkling cider. Glancing up he realized that f/c sparkles surrounded him, they were almost like floating stars. They twinkled, and when he touched one it only exploded into more little sparkles. His eyes snapped back to your form at the sound of pouring liquid, he blushed as you stared at him with sultry eyes, pouring the sparkling cider into the glass closest to him. " This took a lot out of me ya know, so please eat it all." He laughed, quickly covering his mouth to hide it as you switched to pouring a drink for yourself. "I will, it all looks really good! You didn't have to conjure all of this up I would've been fine with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches." He grabbed his utensils and started to dig in, his eyes widening at the taste of the food. "It's fine, I've been meaning to spoil you a bit more." You shrugged and he hummed, "This is so good! Oh my god it's like, the best lasagna I've ever tasted!" "The best?" "The best!" He swallowed and smiled, leaning over the blanket to place a quick kiss to your lips. You hummed at the feeling before digging into your meal yourself.

You both talked about anything and everything as you ate. The dark sky mixed with the glow of the f/c sparkles that surrounded you both only added to the romantic atmosphere. Reaching over, Peter grabbed one of your hands in his, lacing your fingers together as he stared at you with half lidded eyes. "You sure you didn't slip a love potion into this cider?" You rolled your eyes with a smile, "Peter, if I slipped you a love potion you'd be doing a lot more than just holding my hand right now." You smirked as he blushed a bit, a smile gracing his face as he shrugged. "Guess I just love you then," Your eyes softened at his words. He leaned over, placing a couple of kisses to your lips causing you to smile. "Thanks for the food, this date was amazing." He kissed you again and you hummed.

"Best one yet?"

"Best one yet."

----!----

( Hope I wrote this right! I kinda hate it idkkkk )

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[andguesswhat]

Timmy said he swam in chocolate....

Not much time to think, not much time to write, so if you are not satisfied, please complain to @zuzla33! 😜 She somehow managed to coerce me into it. And maybe to @Valgal78 and @gatoenlaciudad, too 😂😘 Oh yes and the butthole anon may also be somewhat to blame 🙈

Not beta-read. But I hope you can enjoy it nonetheless. If there are stupid mistakes in it, please let me know.

Drenched

*

Timmy turns the key and pushes the heavy iron door open.

"I wonder what they're doing with all that choc- " Armie is about to ask when Timmy interrupts him in a panic.

"Shhht!"

"What?" asks Armie in still relatively normal volume as they step into the hall. "It's in the middle of the night. No one is here, right? You made sure of that, remember?"

Timmy rolls his eyes. "Can you please be quiet anyway? I'm getting scared. You never know!"

"Yeah, you never know!" Armie imitates Timmy with a grin and then adds in an exaggeratedwhisper, "Okay, I’ll whisper but only if I get to choose the music and the volume on the way back because seriously my ears are still ringing and that might be the reason that I talk so loud, I can’t hear anything.”

Timmy rolls his eyes again, this time apparently at Armie's stuffiness, but can't help a little smile.

The hall is dimly lit, only emergency lighting everywhere. Armie considers asking if they could turn the lights on, just to annoy Timmy a little more, but of course there is something about it, this mood of an abandoned movie set in the middle of the night.

He follows Timmy down the hall. He's been able to see a bit of the set while he's here in London with him, but the set in this hall had only been finished at the last minute before the shoot.

And then they're standing in front of the river. The chocolate river. All around is lawn with lots of green plants and colorful flowers and it really looks pretty awesome actually.

Timmy grins enthusiastically at Armie.

It's not at all clear what they're exactly doing here. Or will do.

Timmy had sent him some photos of the shoot in the chocolate river in the morning, his clothing covered in chocolate, his face smeared with chocolate, and Armie hadn't been able to resist sending a few raunchy comments.

Although he didn't even know if the chocolate was edible.

Yes it is, Timmy had written. Just chocolate, milk and honey.

And that's how it smells now. Very pleasantly sweet.

Timmy had glamoured the security of the hall. He knows how to do these things. He's nice to everyone, and when he wants something, he's even nicer. And then a few bills, of course, to keep quiet.

Timmy's request didn't sound that strange though. Armie is used to much stranger things from celebrities. Timmy had told the security guard that he had heard that chocolate baths are the latest shit and oh, so healthy, and it would be a shame not to use all this, right? So he wondered if he couldn't take a quick bath tonight?

"You weird Americans,” the very British security guy had replied, shaking his head. “But don't you dare do anything ugly that gets me in trouble, or I'll have you drowned in that river and then you won't be able to smile so nicely anymore."

Armie hasn't met that security man yet, but likes his humor already.

"And what if this guy has a crush on you and shows up here too?" he wonders.

"Don't give me that shit! You better take your clothes off!" Timmy answers while starting to undress himself.

"Me? I'm not going in there."

"What?"

"I said I'd be happy to help you lick it off, but I can't imagine -"

Timmy's t-shirt hits him square in the face. "Pussy!"

"What?" Armie's voice is way too high. "Well, I really don't know if that necessarily has anything to do with being a pussy, if-"

"Oh fuck you!" laughs Timmy as he takes off the rest of his clothes and finally stands stark naked in front of him.

"Okay..." Timmy looks kind of nervously excited at the chocolate pond and Armie feels way too many feelings for his man again.

How he now stands there so skeptically with his beautiful slender figure, indecisively crosses his arms in front of his chest and finally carefully dips a toe into the chocolate river, looking like some modern version of Botticelli's Venus.

"I don't know... So completely naked now it's something else..."

Armie laughs. "But making me look stupid. Come on! Go for it."

"I thought we were doing this together! You could have said something about not going in!"

"But I didn't say I was going in either!"

"But so alone now... feels kind of stupid!"

"You know, we can stand here and argue... or - "

And then he pushes Timmy unceremoniously into the chocolate.

Blutsh!

That fall alone is a sight he will never forget.

How the chocolate sloshes around Timmy in huge waves and coats his body with the liquid chocolate.

Epic!

And Timmy squeals happily. What more could you want.

"Oh god, this is so good!"

Armie lies down contentedly on the grass, one arm propped on his elbow, watching his man move happily in the chocolate pond.

"Please come in. It's so much more awesome when you feel it on your bare skin..."

"I'll take your word for it, but thanks, no."

Because he wants to watch Timmy experience this, explore this. It’s just so adorable. How he's fascinated sliding his arms through the chocolate, making ripples, and then doing some steps, bending his knees a bit and realizing in amazement, "God... it feels so good…” he wrinkles his nose, “Especially in certain places…"

And when Timmy then curiously lets his hands disappear behind his back in the liquid chocolate and everything looks like he's pulling his butt cheeks apart, plus his facial expression suddenly becoming all sensual, including a slight opening of his mouth, a little excited gasp... Armie involuntarily has to swallow. And is suddenly horny as hell.

With Timmy, the switch is apparently also flipped, as he puts one arm somewhere in front of him, and yes, he certainly is touching his cock and definitely liking what he feels.

That little sexy bastard. Armie gets hard just from watching him.

He wonders if he will have to get into the chocolate now after all, but then Timmy looks at him so darkly, wades towards him through the chocolate, crawls out of the chocolate, and Armie can’t think straight anymore.

Timmy’s whole body is covered in this sweet, wet chocolate, some of his curls are drenched, too, the chocolate is dripping, dripping from his curls, from his body, and fucking dripping from his already hard cock…

Who wouldn’t find that extremely delicious?

Even more delicious when Timmy crawls over Armie; it’s dripping everywhere, and then he already has Timmy's chocolate smeared hands on his cheeks and Timmy's chocolate smeared lips on his mouth and he can't say that's bad, quite the opposite. It’s fucking luscious.

Chocolate, milk and honey. Everything smells so good, tastes so good.

He lets Timmy kiss him, enjoys the moment, enjoys the literally sweetest man imaginable kissing him, tastes the chocolate on Timmy's lips, on his thumb sliding into Armie's mouth and running over his tongue, sucks on it, and then he can't stop himself, he has to slide his hand over Timmy's smeared neck, has to lick the chocolate off his lips, off his chin and god, off his neck. And Timmy moans with satisfaction.

Armie feels like he is in heaven. His naked man smeared with chocolate, looking so sexy and apparently feeling so sexy, all that smearing and licking… it is just so fucking hot. Plus the sweet smell, the sweet taste, and he wonders why didn't they think of this before?

Armie runs his hands over Timmy’s chest, smearing the chocolate as he licks Timmy's neck, licks it clean, inch by inch, wants to taste Timmy’s chocolate nipples, sucks at them, and licks them clean, too. All the while Timmy's eyes darken with lust, low moans coming out of his mouth.

And that's why Armie then grabs Timmy's cock too, is about to pump the already hard chocolate dripping dick, when Timmy suddenly whispers, "I can't do this here. I'm shooting a movie here! I can't do this."

What?

Armie tries to stay calm because he wants his man way too much right now and is afraid that if he says something wrong he won't get him, but he has to at least comment on the obvious."You already are totally naked and you already have a boner."

"Yeah, but making out like that is another thing from actually doing it!"

"Timmy!" Armie takes a deep breath. He'd like to say, ´you can't get me all hot and bothered here right now and then say, nah, you don’t get me`, but he knows he won't get anywhere with that line of reasoning, so he says softly,

"God, Timmy, you look so fucking hot, you smell so fucking good, taste so fucking good, I want you so bad, baby" because this is so fucking true and he kisses him, on the lips, on the cheek. "And besides, what are you going to say to the car rental company when you smear the chocolate all over the car seat, I kind of need to lick you clean first, don’t you think?” More soft kisses. “And that’s what you want, too, isn’t it?” He whispers into Timmy’s ear before he licks on Timmy’s neck again.”You want me to lick you clean, right? Like everywhere. You love that, don’t you, baby?" Timmy’s breathing is getting heavier, so Armie dares to carefully put his hand back on Timmy's cock, starting massaging it lightly, with all the slick chocolate around, and smiles contently when he sees Timmy's eyes flutter shut.

"God, you're so fucking hot, baby. Can we please go on a little more?"

"Okay..." answers Timmy, breathing heavily.

"Really okay?" asks Armie just in case.

"Yeah..." and a small smile flits across Timmy's face before the lust takes over again.

His man is horny as fuck and that is good because he is horny as fuck as well.

Quickly Armie undresses himself, everything has to go, shirt, shoes, pants, shorts, while Timmy lies in the grass on his back, looking at him darkly and running his hands over his slick body. God, he loves it when Timmy does this.

Finally, he squats down and once again takes in his beautiful, chocolate-soaked man before leaning forward and beginning to lick him from toes to head.

Of course he lingers for quite a while in the middle section, the inner thighs deserve a lot of attention, and the way Timmy moans he seems to think so too. Especially the hollow between leg and hip needs a lot of thoroughly licking, there is really a lot of chocolate accumulated. And then of course there is Timmy's beautiful chocolate covered cock. First he licks the balls, then the shaft, then the tip. Armie licks it and sucks it while Timmy moans and groans and buries his fingers in Armie's hair.

At one point then, Timmy whispers, "You need some chocolate too," before he bites his lip and bends to the river, dips his hand in the chocolate flow, pulls it back out, the chocolate dripping, and reaches for Armie's cock, rubbing the chocolate over it and Armie can't help it, the squishy, slippery feeling is too much, he has to moan out loud.

“Fuck!”

Timmy giggles.

"Can I taste it? I want to taste it so badly" he whispers and without waiting for an answer he starts licking Armie's shaft.

Fuck, this feels good! Timmy swirling his tongue around his cock, licking it. And fuck, this looks so hot when Timmy lets Armie's cock slide deep into his mouth, the chocolate spilling over his lips left and right.

Timmy is sucking him devotedly until he can't get any harder and Armie would like to come into his mouth so badly but he knows he definitely needs his boner for what is yet to come.

Timmy knows this too, because when he lets the cock slide out of his mouth satisfied, he asks "Wanna see what my hole looks like?"

And god yes, since Timmy has pulled his butt cheeks apart in the chocolate pond, he desperately wants to see this.

Timmy flips over onto his stomach. Timmy's backside isn't quite as darkly smeared with chocolate anymore because he was lying in the grass, but that makes the dark wet spots leading between his butt cheeks all the more appealing. And so it is, Armie spreads Timmy's cheeks with his hands and his mouth gets dry involuntarily when he sees Timmy's butthole completely drenched in liquid chocolate. This is only topped when his entrance twitches.

Armie can't stand it a second longer, he puts his lips to it, sucking out the chocolate, greedily running his tongue around and finally over the luscious wet chocolate hole.

Not that he doesn't love eating out Timmy otherwise, but tasting the sweet liquid chocolate out of Timmy’s ass while Timmy squirms with moans beneath him is something he won't soon forget.

He could do this forever; every time he has licked him clean, he spreads some more chocolate over his hole, when Timmy suddenly desperately pants, "Fuck me, Armie…Please!"

Timmy is already a wreck, Armie can feel it. All the licking was teasing enough, and that's why Armie doesn't make him wait any longer. He quickly stretches him by the most necessary with his fingers, puts his cock at Timmy's entrance, pushes it inside him inch by inch and starts fucking him.

“Yes”, Timmy groans in relief.

Armie has to grip hard because the chocolate skin is so slippery, ramming his cock into Timmy again and again, who cries out in ecstasy with every thrust.

He is just considering increasing the speed when Timmy pushes his butt back and breathlessly says, "I wanna ride you."

He gets on top of Armie, lowers himself on Armie’s cock, rides Armie, rides himself further into ecstasy, milking Armie's cock with his tight hole, writhing his body, moaning loudly and Armie has to concentrate not to cum at the sight.

Timmy's sexuality is like no other. He can lose himself completely in it.

Moreover Timmy knows exactly what he wants. "Oh God, fuck me, Armie, I'm so close," he gasps and quickly lies on his back and spreads his legs and just as quickly Armie bends over him and sinks his cock back inside him to fuck him again.

They've had sex in places where Armie had to put his hand over Timmy's mouth so Timmy's moans wouldn't give them away, but here, here, when Timmy's unrestrained moans echo through the hall, it brings him close to the edge.

Timmy’s thick cock is lying heavy on his stomach and Armie grabs it with one hand to pump it while he keeps thrusting into Timmy’s hot hole.

“I’m coming, Armie..!!” Timmy pants and just one more thrust and Timmy spurts his load on his belly, his cum mingling with the chocolate, and just the thought of tasting this brings Armie over the edge.

A deep and loud groan and he comes in Timmy, and then…. only panting.

God, fuck, this was good.

When Armie has caught his breath again, he leans forward and licks the white cum with the brown chocolate off Timmy’s raising and lowering belly, licks his way up until he finally gets to Timmy’s face and kisses him tenderly on the lips.

They lie there for a few minutes clinging and snuggled together before they slowly get up, completely exhausted, and collect their clothes.

With their T-shirts they scrub the lawn a bit to make the chocolate disappear, but they only do it half-heartedly because Timmy thinks they won't shoot in the corner anyway.

On the way back they listen to Barry White at a moderate volume, which is important if only because Armie can then better hear Timmy singing along softly.

In their hotel room they take a shower. There are still remnants of chocolate on their bodies and Armie loves to wash every inch of Timmy's body with the sponge.

Afterwards they lie down in bed and look at each other dreamily. They both have a smile on their lips. How could they not, with what they just did.

Timmy still smells of chocolate and Armie involuntarily takes his hand, smells it and kisses it.

And then all of a sudden reality-Timmy stops by, he does that sometimes, not often, but sometimes, and for a second Timmy's whole body tenses, his look a picture of pure horror as if just in that second he realizes what had happened and shouts startled,

"What the fuck did I do?"

As if he hadn't even begun to think about reality in the last few hours, but was just in his own world. Not even when he said he couldn't do it was about reality, but was just an unconscious way to make Armie beg and make everything that much more intense.

"Maybe there were cameras?" He looks at Armie with the biggest terrified eyes and Armie can’t help himself, he has to laugh out loud at this.

Oh man, life without Timmy would be so boring.

And after he kisses Timmy softly on the mouth, he says, “Well I would say, make sure to get a copy of that footage. You have a good connection to the security guard, haven't you?”

*

[triumphingmybest]

Crimson Refrain: A BG3 Fic

Rating: M Ships: Astarion/Original Female Character, Gale/Original Female Character Tags: Established Relationship, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, More Tags to be Added

Nearly a century after Baldur’s Gate is saved, their once adventuring party has settled into normalcy. Xalyth the half-drow fighter and Gale reside in Waterdeep, where Xalyth picks up odd jobs and Gale devotes himself to his research. Ashe the redeemed bhaalspawn and Astarion reside in the Underdark, where Ashe researches the local flora and fauna and Astarion leads the settlement of freed spawn.

Their peace is disrupted when Ashe begins having disturbing and prophetic dreams. Concerned about a potential bhaalist uprising, the party dusts off their boots and hits the road to Baldur’s Gate once more. What follows is a tale of loyalty, trust, and the lengths one would go to save themselves.

A new adventure set post-canon.

Chapter 1: Things Buried and Rotted Word Count: 7.1k Read on AO3

What would it be like for the Pretender to fall?

Ashe awoke with a start, her chest heaving as she collapsed from her dreams back into her body. A cool hand on her chest stilled her.

“It’s alright,” A trance-rough baritone assured. “We’re here in our bed. You’re safe. I’ve got you.”

Ashe looked to her side and was met with her partner’s calm face, the colored light of the jarred mushrooms in their Underdark home painting colored shadows across his pale skin. There was no sunrise in the Underdark, but the timepiece on the wall confirmed that it was well before morning. “Sorry, did I disturb you? I didn’t mean to-” 

“Don’t apologize. It’s alright.” Astarion gave her a smile, pushing her hair from her face as he placed a gentle kiss on her sweat-dampened forehead. “The nightmares again?” 

“Yes,” Ashe frowned, her brow furrowing. She had kept the nightmares from Astarion as long as she could, but at some point her partner’s concern had won out over his respect for Ashe’s desire for secrecy. 

I told you once that I’m not afraid. Not of you, your darkness, or our future. Living this past century of life with you has brought me more happiness than I could ever deserve. But living this life with you means sharing your triumphs as well as your struggles. I love you, and I’m worried about you, please let me in. 

Well, she couldn’t very well hide it from him after that. It was hard to admit her concerns out loud. She thought- they all thought- that she had left Bhaal behind in that blood soaked ruin under Baldur’s Gate a century ago. But these nightmares, the voices… There was no other explanation. “They’re getting worse, Astarion. I thought- I don’t-” 

Astarion shushed her before she could attempt to finish the thought. “Let’s let your nerves settle before we talk this through, hm? Take a moment and wash your face, I’ll make you some tea, and we can talk in the sitting room.” Ashe nodded, and immediately mourned the loss of her partner’s cool touch as he stepped away.

She watched as Astarion rose from the bed, the blankets slipping from his shoulders to bare his naked form. To know that a vampire was ageless was one thing, yet it was another entirely to witness it. 

Life in the Underdark was difficult and taxing, but the exertion of it all did not even begin to compare to their time on the road. While Ashe’s edges and belly had softened, Astarion’s hard lines of muscle remained. As an elf, the years had not touched her in the same way they would others, but she still saw the creases in her face that had not been there before a century laughed and lived through. Astarion had laughed and smiled more than he ever had, and yet his face remained unchanged. The scars on his back still stood as a harsh reminder of his torment and always would, even with the scars on his mind beginning to fade. Ashe had thought hers were beginning to fade too. 

Ashe watched as Astarion pulled his red silk robe over his shoulders and walked down the hall before rising out of bed herself. She crossed their room to the shallow washbasin and lifted the water jug only to find that it was empty. Well I could just… Astarion had forbidden magic in the house after the most recent time she’d accidentally summoned a cambion to their study. But surely a simple create water spell would be fine. Ashe listened to ensure that Astarion was far enough out of ear shot before she whispered the words. There was a shimmer of red-violet light and the jug filled with fresh, cool water.

And no cambion in sight. 

With a smile at her small victory, Ashe poured the water into the basin and washed the sweat from her face. The cool water felt nice against her skin, and it did help to ground her. After drying her face with the nearby towel, Ashe slipped on her own robe and padded across the hall and into the sitting room.

“Feeling better?” Astarion asked, placing the warm mug on the table before sitting on the sofa, arm held out to his lover.

“Much.” Ashe confirmed, picking up the tea and accepting the invitation to curl up against him. Astarion wrapped his arms around her, and Ashe let out a contented sigh. She blew across the top of her mug before taking a sip of the tea, the bitterness of the oversteeped leaves drowned by the sweetness of the love that went into its preparation. 

“You washed your face?” Astarion ran a thumb across Ashe’s cheek, and she leaned into his gentle touch. “Odd, since I didn’t see you come to the kitchen, and I’m quite sure that the jug was empty…” Ashe froze and her eyes grew wide. Astarion’s lips quirked into a smirk. 

Busted. 

“It was a just a little create water spell, I don’t see how-” “And last time it was just a little mage armor before going mushroom foraging and a hells-damned cambion-” 

“- I know, I know. I’m sorry.” Astarion held her gaze a moment before he sighed, abandoning the topic. They both knew that it would absolutely happen again. “Now, let’s talk about these nightmares. You said they’re getting worse?” Ashe tensed, and Astarion’s grip on her strengthened. “Yes,” she admitted. “I keep hearing a voice, taunting me. It says how I was too weak to be a true child of Bhaal, that I’m a fool to think I had been saved. That my blood will be spilt in sacrifice to his name as the Pretender Spawn. That…” Ashe hesitated. 

I know your weakness. It’s pathetic, really, all of these people you’ve collected as friends. The half-breed fighter who saves everyone on the off chance that she may find some sense of belonging? The wizard who fumbled his chance to be a god? What about him? The one in your bed? What of the sad little vampire spawn that turned down everything to love you?  

She’d heard the words many times before, but they weren’t the ones that woke her this time. 

What would it be like to turn them all against you one by one? What would it be like for the Pretender to fall?

“Love?” Astarion’s voice broke Ashe out of the twisted memory. 

“Hm? Oh, uh,” Ashe gripped her mug tighter to keep her shaking hands steady. “It’s just violent, the things the voice says. It’s a bit unsettling.”

“I see.” Astarion frowned, and Ashe couldn’t quite tell if he bought the lie or not. “Well, have you given any more thought to visiting the ruins in the Undercity?”  

“I mean I don’t want to.” Ashe set her mug of tea down and pulled her knees to her chest. “I had hoped the whole bloody thing would’ve been buried and rotted.” 

“Even buried and rotted things have a nasty habit of rearing their ugly head when they’re least welcome.” 

Reflexively, Ashe took Astarion’s hand in hers squeezing it gently as she did when Astarion seemed ages away. “Are you with me, Astarion?” 

“I am.” Astarion confirmed, returning the comforting squeeze. “Buried and rotted the thing may be, it’s the only lead we have to any potential Bhaalist uprising. It’s worth investigating.”

“And what if there’s nothing there? Or what if there is something there for that matter?” 

Astarion scoffed. “Darling, you know I’m not good at that part. I’m just saying it’s a start.” 

Ashe hummed, turning the idea over in her mind. If nothing else, it was a start. “You’re right.” 

“Can I get that in writing?” Astarion teased, and Ashe found herself smiling as she nudged him with her elbow. 

“I guess we should set out for Waterdeep in the morning,” Ashe released her knees, slowly unfurling from herself. “We should see if we can get Xalyth and Gale to come with us.” 

Astarion lit up at the prospect. Though they hadn’t had the chance to discuss it, Ashe had taken note that Astarion was taking any excuse to shirk his duties as leader of the settlement lately. “Oh Xalyth absolutely, I miss traveling with her. Though, and I’m sorry to ask this, do we have to invite Gale along?” 

“Astarion.” 

“It’s nothing personal, he just talks too much.” 

Ashe huffed. And of course you’re a silent traveling companion, my love. “That sounds pretty personal.” 

“Always griping about his knees. Sure the wizarding and chosen-of-god thing keeps one young but if the knees were bad then-” 

“- Gale is-” Ashe interrupted, ready to jump to Gale’s defense. But, it seemed that old rivalries died hard. Gale was genuinely a friend, and one of the most powerful and talented wizards that they knew. Still, sometimes it was hard to say the words out loud. And Astarion knew it.

“Go on.” He prodded, amused.

“Gale is a generally capable wizard and an asset to the team. Also, Xalyth mentioned in her last letter that Gale was in need of-” She caught herself before she said sunlight. “He needs to get out of the tower and the academy.” 

If Astarion caught the slip, he didn’t pursue it. Instead, he twisted his lover so that Ashe was in his lap and facing him. “Well, there’s tomorrow’s plans settled.” Crimson eyes traced where Ashe’s robe had begun to slip down her shoulder, baring her tanned skin. “As for the rest of the evening, well,” Astarions hands left fire in their wake as they trailed from her hips to waist, resting on the tie that kept her modest. “I have some ideas of how to pass the time. If you’re open, of course.” 

Ashe placed her hands over his, and slowly tugged the tie loose, baring her skin to the chilled ever-night air. “There is nothing I want more.” There would be time for her worries in the morning, but for now nothing else mattered.

~

It was late afternoon when Xalyth stepped onto the landing and tossed her gauntlets into the enchanted bin next to the door. She gripped the doorknob with a bit more force than intended, swinging it open so quickly it nearly slammed into the wall behind. Xalyth reached out just in time to prevent all their neighbors from hearing her arrival.

“Gale, are you home?” she called out.

“In the kitchen, my love.”

If she’d waited just a moment, Xalyth would’ve smelled the onion and herbs coming from the kitchen herself.

“Hello! I- Xalyth, the boots!” Gale greeted her with a wooden spoon in one hand, while his other gestured wildly at the trail of blood that ended where Xalyth stood unbuckling her weapons belt. “How many times have I told you? All armor, including boots, stay outside.” It had taken her nearly twenty years to remember the gauntlets reliably, and apparently it would take another fifty for the boots.

“Sorry.” Xalyth stepped out onto the porch again, kicking off her boots and placing them into the bin. She could hear Gale cast a spell she had come to know as prestidigitation, not “pressing indignation,” as she had once called it. She recalled Gale trying not to laugh at the misnomer and failing quite spectacularly. Their magic lesson had been postponed in favor of teasing one another for personal strange pronunciations which, of course, later led them to exchange softer, more sacred words pressed to the other’s skin.

“Hello, my love.” Xalyth wrapped her arms around her husband’s plush middle, resting her head against the back of his shoulder as he stirred something delectable in a pot.

“You’re not getting blood on my robes again, are you?” Gale asked.

“I left all my armor at the door like you told me to,” Xalyth assured him. She discreetly wiped her face with the back of her hand. Only a thin trail of red had made its way onto the wizard’s robes, but surely he wouldn’t notice.

“Hm, well thank you for that. Now, I’ve just about finished with the mushroom sauce that will pair wonderfully with our roast pheasant, and later, we’ll enjoy Morena Dekarios’s spiced rum cake I’ve almost perfected. If you’d like to wash up for dinner, I’ll have it out by the time you’re finished.”

“I thought you liked me fresh from battle,” Xalyth teased, tucking a few loose strands of grey behind Gale’s ear.

“You know I do,” Gale’s voice lowered, turning his head to place a quick peck upon her lips. Xalyth smiled, moving her hands to his waist as she leaned in for more, and he…pulled away. “However! I have spent the better part of the day trying to work with those damnable mushrooms you so lovingly brought in from that Underdark trader. I know dinner is a tad early, but I will not have them go to waste now.” Xalyth rolled her eyes as she released the man from her grip and went to wash up.

True to his word, Gale had the table set with two steaming plates by the time she returned. She had to admit that for all his fussing over the perfect meal composition, she was absolutely spoiled rotten by Gale’s cooking.

“So how was your day? Weren't you supposed to meet up with Professor Runelan?”

“We agreed to meet once we made any discoveries,” Gale clarified. “And seeing as I’ve made none, there has been nothing to meet about.”

Xalyth sighed. “Gale, you’ve been holed up in this tower all summer. Surely you’ve made some progress since the end of the term.”

“Well, some, but hardly anything worth noting. You see, the subject of transcendent-”

“I don’t need to know the specifics.” Xalyth had listened to many of his ramblings about magical research over the years and knew when one was about to start. She’d be finished with her plate before he’d even started if she allowed him to go on. “I’m sure you’ll tell me all about it later, but let’s eat before it all goes cold,” she reminded him with a gentle smile.

“A capital idea, my love.”

Xalyth made sure to compliment her husband’s cooking out loud, though she generally preferred to pay her respects by cleaning her plate in record time. “The mushroom sauce turned out very well. An earthy, nutty flavor, but also unique in a way that adds depth to the whole dish. It’s good.”

“Why thank you.” Gale looked pleased with himself for a moment before he continued. “I’m concerned about the cake though. My mother had a certain way about it, something she didn’t write down that I can’t seem to-”

“Gale,” Xalyth stopped him. “We’ll get there when we get there. Enjoy your dinner without worrying about dessert. Of course it’s not going to taste the same as when Morena made it. I don’t think it has to do with the recipe, maybe just the memories.”

Gale sighed, resting his fork against his plate and reaching over for Xalyth’s hand. “Astute as ever.” He smiled fondly at his wife, the creases by his eyes reminding her of the many years he had spent looking at her this very same way. Xalyth couldn’t help but smile back. “You’re right,” Gale said. “Enough worrying for now. I haven’t even asked you about your day. What was the quarry this time? A dastardly hag? A horde of ill-mannered goblins? A foul-smelling ogre?”

“Oh, nothing so dreadful,” Xalyth brushed it off as she polished off the last of her pheasant. “Just some gnolls who made camp near the trade route. The standard fare.”

“That sounds pretty dreadful to me,” Gale admitted. “I could live another lifetime quite thrilled not to encounter another gnoll. Nasty creatures. Well, I’m sure there’s not another in sight, and the merchants are all supremely grateful for your help.”

Xalyth shrugged but took the bait. “Well, it was rather challenging when my partner went down and I had to fend the pack off myself. What kind of mercenary forgets their good armor? Anyways, the merchants were all very frightened and traveled far behind us. We drew out the first wave, and I thought it was over. Roscwinth, the other merc, was looking a little rough, so I passed him a potion—thank you for restocking me, by the way—and not a moment too soon. When we gave the all clear and the caravan started their approach, we heard growling and then more gnolls were on us. Roscwinth fell unconscious, and I thought he was a goner. But, one of the merchants had a stroke of bravery and threw a clay jar at a gnoll, distracting it long enough for me to drag him behind a boulder out of the way. A few of the other merchants noticed and threw things to distract them so I could pick them off one by one. Not the support I had been expecting, but successful, nonetheless.”

“They must have really believed in you,” Gale smiled. “You rallied all those people to face the thing that scared them for weeks. You know, I don’t miss the days where our tadpoles and my orb threatened our existence, but sometimes I miss seeing your victories for myself.”

“You could come with me, you know. I’ll be stopping by the Yawning Portal tomorrow to see if there are any new jobs. With your magic, I know you’d make a much better partner than the one I got for the last job.” Gale did not seem convinced. Xalyth sighed. “Fine. I can look for a new job, and you can tag along—bring your books, get a drink, soak in the atmosphere. You know, get out of the tower for a bit.”

“The Yawning Portal is so loud, hardly the place for studying,” Gale countered.

“Then let’s go to the Fiery Flagon. It’s not nearly as busy. Plus, it’s been awhile since our last visit. I’m sure the old captain misses swapping stories with you.”

“But if we go there, you won’t find any travelers who might be in need of some work.”

“Forget about that for now. Let’s just go out on the town. We haven’t been out together in awhile, and I think it would be nice.”

“I like staying home.”

“You’ve stayed home all season. You need to get out of this tower, Gale.” Xalyth collected the dirty dishes and set them on the far table.

“Oh, allow me.” Gale got up when he noticed Xalyth looking around for a rag to clean with.

“Gale, I can take care of a few plates. Don’t trouble yourself with it; you already did so much to make this delightful meal.”

“I was just going to use a little magic,” he admitted.

“Oh, very well,” Xalyth relented. She had to admit his magic did come in handy more often than not. “So, it’s decided? Tomorrow we’ll pay a visit to the Fiery Flagon?”

“I…can’t.”

The definitive word gave Xalyth pause. She turned to face her husband. “Why not? What’s wrong?” Xalyth made her way back to the table and sat down again. She took his hands in hers and looked into his eyes. “Did something happen?”

Gale sighed, slowly removing his right hand from hers and raking back his silver hair. After a few beats of silence, he picked up a knife from the table, balancing the silver on his upturned palm. The knife wobbled as the muscles in his hand trembled, his knuckles knocking together and causing the silver to nearly slip. Gale rested the back of his hand against the table to steady it, but the knife still vibrated in his open palm. “See?”

“I don’t understand what you’re trying to say,” Xalyth said. “So you can’t balance a knife in your hand. What’s wrong with that?”

“The problem is that I cannot hold it still for even a second,” Gale clarified. “I- my- everything just shakes all the time. I thought my knees were going to give out the other day when I was on the stairs going to feed Clawdia-”

“Did you feed her today, by the way? I haven’t seen her since I got home,” Xalyth interjected. Gale huffed and gave her a look. “Sorry. Please continue. You were complaining about your knees?”

“Yes, yes I am,” Gale emphasized. “I cannot simply go out on the town anymore. It just feels different. When people look at us, have you not noticed the lingering stares?”

Xalyth shrugged. “The people who know us know who we are and what we are. It doesn’t bother me.”

“Well of course it doesn’t bother you,” Gale gestured at his wife. “You still look like that and I- well, the last time you visited Blackstaff one of my students made a comment about how could you be my wife when I look like I could be your grandfather?”

“Really?” Xalyth looked unimpressed. “You’re upset because some snot-nosed punk called you old?”

“Well, did you not see how some of those snot-nosed punks were staring at you? Their hallway discussions were quite disturbing. I’d rather not repeat the things they said about your…assets.”

“You could tell them your age hasn’t taken a toll on your libido, I bet they’d find that equally disturbing.”

“I am a distinguished professor. You know very well I cannot say that.”

“Well I can.”

“Xalyth.”

“Look, I’m just saying you should worry less about what you think people are thinking about you. We live in a city. People see stranger things all the time,” Xalyth squeezed Gale’s shaky hands. “Yes, you are aging, but you are not dying. I promise you I am aging too, even if my body shows it less. But we are both very much alive still. Your senses, your mind—they are the sharpest they have ever been, my love. I have no idea how you can bear to read those tiny inscriptions on your magic books, or how you know the exact spice missing from a soup. They say memory is the first to go, and yet you still remember every one of our tressym’s birthdays, past and present. You’re studying transparent, er, translucent-”

“Transcendent physiology?”

“That, yes exactly.”

Gale seemed to relax at her words. “I suppose you make a good argument. It’s just that sometimes I feel like I’m living on borrowed time already.”

“You once told me Elminster lived for over three centuries. If he’s any estimation, then you really shouldn’t concern yourself yet.”

“But I’m not Elminster.”

“No, you’re not. You’re Gale Dekarios.”

“Gale, and Xalyth Dekarios,” Gale reminded her. “You know, I think you’re right. Maybe they do have a few adventures left in them still.”

“Now that’s the spirit! And you know, I heard a rumor that if you start making Mrs. Dekarios go into town to do all the shopping alone because you’re afraid of your knees giving out, she will put you in the grave herself.”

Gale went to speak, but stopped. Xalyth could see the gears in his head turning as he held up his index finger. “Wait, is that- are you threatening me? Xalyth! You know, I could end this right here and now with a well placed fireball, or frankly many spells. I won’t because I love you, but I will have you know I’m quite a powerful wizard.”

“You are! You’re my powerful wizard, and I love you.” Xalyth whispered, pressing her forehead to his. Gale closed the space between them, pressing a kiss against her lips. They parted naturally after a few moments, Xalyth standing up once more. “Now that that’s settled, did you actually feed Clawdia today?”

“No, I thought you did it.”

“I did not. No wonder she hasn’t returned yet. I’m sure that new rug you ordered is about to pay dearly.”

“Weave save us all.”

~

When Astarion awoke, his lover was still trancing soundly beside him, a lock of her hair falling into her face. Gently, he brushed his fingertips across her warm skin, tucking the strands back into place. She stirred at the touch, and Astarion stilled, holding his breath. After a beat, Ashe quieted once more and returned to what were hopefully much more pleasant dreams than the ones she’d had earlier in the night. 

Loath as he was to leave her, he did suppose that someone should tell Aurelia and Leon that he would be taking a leave of absence. Presumably, that someone should be him- they hadn’t taken it too well the last time he announced his absence via note tied to Barnaby, Ashe’s “pet” bulette. It had taken the better part of a month to repair the damaged foundations caused by the beast’s romp through the settlement. 

Regretfully, Astarion pulled himself from the bed and crossed the room to wash his face. There was still water left in the jug from his paramour’s rogue spellcasting, its contents tepid as he brought the liquid across his cool skin. As he wiped the towel over his face, he couldn’t help but look into the mirror where he saw nothing. 

In three centuries one would think that you would forget that you were supposed to see something reflected in the glass. No. Even though the absence of his own reflection no longer startled him as it had for the first hundred years, it did serve as a stark reminder of what he was. For the first months in their new home Ashe had not hung a mirror over the basin. Instead, she kept a small hand mirror in her chest of drawers, using it discreetly when she thought he was not paying attention.

Darling, he’d asked when he caught her balancing the humble glass on her knee as she tried to untangle her hair, what exactly is it that you think you’re doing?

After talking her down from her embarrassment, he had convinced her to just hang a mirror above the basin. He’d already spent centuries scowling at a reflection he couldn’t see, there was no reason to try and hide from it now. Still, that didn’t stop her from having a portrait of him commissioned to hang just to the right. She’d spent months picking the artist, and several more sending back revision after revision. It had to be just right. She insisted that the portrait shouldn’t be flattering (which the artist and Astarion both gawked at) but should instead be as honest as it could be. Of course, she’d declined to tell the artist exactly why she had such a request, but the result spoke for itself. 

It had been odd to see his face. It seemed… Different. Of course, the crimson eyes and the pointed fangs he’d expected. It was how foreign the rest of him felt that had shaken him. Had the crease between his brows always been so deep? Was the slight blemish on his left cheek new? Of all of the things he’d accepted one could forget over 200 years, somehow he’d never expected to forget his own face. 

He stared at his static “reflection” in the parchment as he fingered a sweet-smelling balm through his curls before donning his apparel for the day. He spared another glance and half a smile at his resting lover before leaving their shared home, closing the door quietly behind him. 

Living outside of the gates had been Astarion’s idea. He gave Ashe a myriad of reasons for the choice. From an easier walk for her to get to the various fungi she so loved to study, to a better and less cluttered view. Really, it was about safety. 

Releasing 7,000 starving vampire spawn into the Underdark was neither a small undertaking nor a safe one. He never regretted his choice, he did truly believe that the damned souls deserved some chance at a life, but the more he considered the consequences the more he feared. He remembered his first years after his transition. While hunger tugged painfully in his belly even now, it was nothing compared to the agony of the first years. 

Howling in the kennels, clawing at the bars of his cage, insides searing with the need to hunt and to feed. The moments themselves were hazy but Cazador’s visage was clear as he stood outside of the cage, staring down at the animal that had once been Astarion. Control yourself and rise, he sneered, dangling a rat by its tail. The small creature squeaked hopelessly in the predator’s grasp. What had once been Astarion gathered what small shreds remained of his self control to fight the anguish and stand silently. Good, Cazador would praise, scratching some sickening itch in the back of Astarion’s useless brain. 

He remembered the crack as the rat was thrown onto the floor, the fresh corpse just out of reach of his cage. He remembered the pain of his sobs against his raw and parched throat, the way he prayed to any god that would listen for just a drop of the blood pooling beneath the creature to make its way into his cage so that he might lick it from the soiled floor. 

If the spawn’s thirst was anything like he remembered his own, Ashe was going to remain far from the settlement. 

Of course, that was not his only fear. 7,000 spawn. Several of which he was responsible for. He had lured them from parties and flophouses with the promise of romance and sex. He let them have their way with his body, but they didn’t know of the poison in his kiss. They didn’t know that the moment the act concluded, their bodies sated and guard down, they would be whisked away to be slaughtered like cattle. Except that they weren’t slaughtered,  it was worse. They were trapped and starved, waiting for the release of death that wouldn’t come. It was all Astarion’s fault. 

Sure, it was under Cazador’s influence. He didn’t have a choice in bringing someone back for his master, but he did have a choice in choosing them. If Astarion had been his own mark, he wouldn’t have put it past himself to seek revenge. Living within the walls with Ashe could have made her a target, and so he didn’t. 

Before too long, Astarion arrived at the gates. Gates was a technical but generous term for the big and battered wooden doors that bridged the gap between two towering cliffs. A flag hung flaccidly from the “tower” on the left, colored in bone white and sinful red. The draftless Underdark made it difficult to read, but Astarion could see it clearly in his mind’s eye- he’d made it. The black and gold filigree surrounding the words in the center, proudly declaring “Libertas Aeternus”. That had been a century ago and he had been a different man, filled with delusions of what this life would be. Now there was something almost darkly funny about the name. 

“Well, what are you just standing there for? Open up!” Astarion called as the man in the tower stumbled over himself to begin opening the gate. 

“Sorry sir! Right away sir!” 

Astarion tsked and observed his nails as the wooden doors gave a heavy groan, protesting with the effort of pulling open and revealing the path inside. “Finally!” he huffed indignantly, stepping onto the cobbled stone path. “If I am late, I’ll make sure that the others know exactly who is to blame for my tardiness.” 

Astarion didn’t hang around to listen to the spawn’s apologies. Astarion wasn’t really going to bestow any punishment upon the poor soul. Really, Astarion was already running late to the Fourthday meeting- his own fault for taking so long to drag himself out of bed. Still, if he was going to be late, he was going to be late. It was nothing that could be helped. 

Astarion strolled leisurely through the streets of Libertas Aeternus. For a town of undead, the square was alive with movement and purpose. Vendors had small stalls selling their various vanity wares, and people walked through the streets talking and laughing. Their numbers had fallen over the century, from 7,000 to under 4,000, but the surviving spawn had managed to thrive, finding unabashed happiness in their cursed existence. By all reason, the sight should fill Astarion with joy and pride. 

So why did it make something thick and bitter roil in his gut?

Astarion didn’t pursue the thought. Instead, he picked up his pace and stepped into the arcane tower- now repurposed into a town hall of sorts. He made his way through the familiar halls, and he could hear a conversation behind the doors to the main meeting hall. 

“Astarion isn’t here. He probably won’t be here. He’s been neglecting his duties for months now and it just keeps getting worse. I know that you don’t want to-”

The conversation stopped as soon as Astarion entered the room, Leon’s mouth closing as the man leaned back into his seat at the large oval table. “Oh dear,” Astarion drawled, “I didn’t realize I was interrupting something. Well I suppose I should just-”

“-Not interrupting.” Aurelia said, halting Astarion’s planned escape. “We just did not know whether or not to expect you.”

“Well this is a meeting for the three of us, isn’t it?” 

“Generally, though lately it has just been the two of us.” Leon didn’t even have the decency to lower his voice. 

Astarion sneered, biting back the dagger at the tip of his tongue. As blunt as he was, Leon wasn’t wrong. Last tenday he had “accidentally” missed the meeting due to “a matter of urgent judicial importance” and two more tendays before that he had been so late that he might as well have missed it. 

Aurelia, ever the peacemaker even now, cut through the silence and disrupted the developing tension. “Well, I was just beginning to go over the trade ledgers from the past month.” The tiefling thumbed through a journal as she summarized its contents, Astarion did what he could not to zone out. 

Developing a functioning society from nothing was a big ask, and not one without strife. Still, their three-tiered approach to governance had held strong thus far.  Aurelia chaired the settlement’s trade. Surprisingly, vampire spawn with their inherent stealth and climbing ability were particularly adept foragers in their treacherous surrounds. Additionally, their feeding habits generated a lot of exsanguinated livestock, which could then be cleaned, butchered, and sold to other denizens of the Underdark. 

Leon spoke next, detailing the state of their defenses, which he chaired. An untrained vampire spawn was a fierce opponent, but a trained and armed one was deadly. Though the rocky cliffs surrounding their settlement kept them mostly out of harm's way, they kept a small trained militia for the standard dangers of the Underdark, equipped to handle anything from hook horrors to a drow raiding party. 

When Leon was done, it was Astarion’s turn. With his past magistrate experience as well as being the catalyst behind all of this, Astarion was the natural choice to head the judicial system. In the beginning it had been exciting. He wrote law into existence where there had been none, and established the framework of a society where people like him could live freely. Now, maybe some of the laws and punishments weren’t quite up to standards held by the likes of Wyll Ravengard, but it was largely a fair and just system. In the beginning there had been precedent to set, and he had been shaping the mold for their society to grow into. 

Now, however. 

“I have nothing much to report.” 

“Nothing much- Astarion-” 

“Okay,” Aurelia interrupted Leon. “I know there’s some disputes that have been filed in your office waiting for you to review, and I know that Mindir and Bronwyn are still waiting to hear back on the-”

“The damned deep rothe calf, I know.” Astarion pinched the bridge of his nose, every sinew in his body tensed. With a deep breath, he forced his posture to relax and donned his easy smile. “It will be handled.” 

Aurelia sighed. “Well, I look forward to hearing about it next tenday.” 

“Actually-” 

Aurelia paused her movements to look at Astarion, and Leon frowned.

“I’m going to be out for at least the next tenday, if not longer.” 

Leon slapped his palms on the table. “Astarion, there are matters that need your attention. You can’t just continue to-”

“Ashe has some business in Baldur’s Gate, and has asked that I accompany her.” 

Leon and Aurelia shared a look. The pair had a deep respect for the wood elven bhaalspawn, knowing that she was instrumental in ensuring their freedom from Cazador. Astarion shrugged. Checkmate. 

“I’ll return once her business is handled, in the meantime I’m sure that the two of you can handle any disputes over cattle rights and trinket theft.” 

“Of course,” Aurelia said, “and please be sure to give Ashe our well wishes.” Leon frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“It would be my pleasure. Now,” Astarion placed his palms flat on the table, ready to stand. “If there wasn’t anything else…” 

“No. That’s all.” 

“Excellent. I shall see you all upon my return.” With that, Astarion took his leave, making his way back to his office. Sure enough, there was a large stack of parchment awaiting him on the large wooden desk. He dropped unceremoniously into the large chair and began to flip through them one by one.

A dispute over ownership of a poem, a flower stolen from a garden, the damn complaint about the deep rothe calf born on someone’s property for the third time. The corner of Astarion’s lip quivered and raised as each filed complaint was more frivolous than the last. Finally, he swiped all of the papers into the waste bin with a huff. 

“Am I interrupting something?” 

Astarion looked up and his expression immediately softened. “Ashe? What are you doing here?” 

“Well,” His beloved began, walking across his office and having a seat in the chair on the other side of his desk. “Gale had asked us a little while ago to bring some sussur flower petals on our next visit, and this is the best place to find them. So I figured I would pick some up, and we could set out from here together.” 

Astarion hummed. “A brilliant plan as always, my darling.” 

Ashe’s eyes were darker in the dim light of his office. Almost ruby in color, as opposed to the Azalea pink they appeared in the sun. Oh, how he longed to see her in the sunlight once again. The golden rays reflecting off of the deep amber of her skin, counting her freckles as they darkened in the height of summer. A century largely spent in the Underdark had left them ghosts of blemishes across her skin, and he missed them. He should have taken the chances while he had them. Spent the days lying naked in the grass, peppering kisses across every freckle on her skin while the sun warmed their backs. 

“Indeed.” Ashe agreed with a grin, before glancing over at the waste basket. “Everything okay?” 

“Things are just fine. Just clearing out some old files. You know what sorts of things just collect when you do the same thing day in and day out for over a century.” Astarion dismissed the question easily, and if Ashe could tell that it was a lie, she did nothing to give it away. 

“Alright. Aurelia and Leon are okay to handle things while you’re away?” 

“Yes. I have instructions to give you their well wishes.” 

“Excellent. Well, if there’s nothing else to handle here…” 

“Nothing else. We should be good to take our leave. Did you bring the cloak?”

“Of course.” Ashe rummaged in her bag for a moment, pulling out the thick black cloth. “I added some lilac to the oils this time, hopefully it smells a bit more pleasant than last.” 

Astarion took the cloth and gave it a light sniff. It didn’t smell good by any stretch, but the thought was kind. Ashe had spent years working on the right concoctions with which to treat cloth in order to allow him to walk through the sunlight unharmed. The protection still would not hold through the brightest part of the day, but if smelling a little strange was the price that he had to pay in order to spend even a moment in the sun, so be it. “Thank you.” He tucked the cloth into his own pack before slinging it over his shoulder. 

“Well then.” Ashe fixed the strap of her own bag on her shoulder. “Shall we?”

Astarion smiled. “I’d follow you anywhere.” 

Ashe smiled softly at that, bringing a hand up to caress his cheek gently. “I know. And I swear never to lead you anywhere you do not wish to follow.” 

Astarion leaned into the touch, holding his lover’s gaze and basking in the pure, unadulterated love. He waited a beat before interrupting the silence. “Sap.” 

Ashe tsked, dropping her hand. “Let’s go.” 

~

Blood ran down her arms, pooling in the center of the ritual chamber. Her blood mingled with that of her unfortunate sacrifice’s, the crimson dripping steadily from the ceiling. She closed her eyes as she took in the ecstasy of the moment. The feel, the smell. She grinned at her holy tribute. She could feel how pleased her father was, the feeling sinking deep in her bones. Her plan was going perfectly. It wouldn’t be long before the Pretender would fall. 

“A wonderful job as always, master.” The creature spoke from behind her, interrupting her meditative state. “‘Tis always such an honor to behold the- Ah!” The creature screamed as a dagger pinned its hand to the wall. 

“Silence, Vralroc. Or the next dagger will not be so harmless.” 

Without so much as a whimper, the butler pulled the dagger from its own hands, the dagger clinking against the  stone ground. 

“I’ve been in her dreams. She plans to come to the temple within the tenday. When she arrives she will find this offering and be inclined to act. When she does, she will fall right into my trap.” She smirked, rubbing her fingers together to watch the deep red hue spread across her skin. “Isn’t it brilliant?” 

Her question was met with silence.

“Speak!” She yelled, sending another dagger flying. This one embedded itself in the creature’s foot.

“Yes, master! Your father is no doubt pleased! There has never been another as clever as you! All shall bow before you as his chosen!” She basked in the praise, rising from where she knelt on the dais. Pride swelled within her chest, and she could feel the Urge content just under her consciousness. 

It was time. She would not fail.

[olliescorner]

Enchanted

Pairing: Park Sunghoon x Y/N

Warnings: just fluff

Word count: 2k+

Summary: You meet a cute guy at a party...

Based on Enchanted (Taylor's Version) by Taylor Swift

There I was again tonight, in a room full of people I don’t know, forcing laughter, faking smiles. Eunbin thought it was a good idea to crash the freshman’s welcoming party. She dragged me out of my afternoon nap for this, and the moment we stepped into this party, she disappeared. She always has new people to meet, friends to greet, and of course, boys to get involved with. I've been to my fair share of parties to grow bored of them, no matter where or who I’m with, it always feels like the same tired, lonely place to me. I’m not big on socializing. I have to admit, meeting new people is horrifying, I never know what to say, or how to act, it’s a very awkward process that will definitely cause any witness second-hand embarrassment.

"How’s it going?"

I turn my head in the direction of an unfamiliar voice. It’s a boy I’ve never seen before, I figure he must be one of the freshmen. 

"Nothing much going on." I replied politely. I know how it goes, walls of insincerity, shifting eyes and vacancy. A genuine conversation is not what most boys are looking for at a party like this. But since I have nothing to do, and he still knows his place, I’ll entertain him for a few minutes. 

"Are you enjoying the party?"

"Not really. What about you?"

"I’m feeling great! Just excited to be here to be honest. I’m Jiseok, Department of Civil Engineering, you?"

"Y/N, sophomore, Department of Linguistics."

I start to zone out mid-conversation. I mostly just smile or nod my head while he goes on and on with something I couldn’t care less about. But everything vanished when I saw his face, someone in the crowd, someone I feel like I’ve known for a long time.

He’s tall, with eyes so bright it feels like he holds a galaxy full of stars in them, it seems like he attempted the 5:5 ratio parted hair, but his hair is just all over the place now, like a frisky puppy. He’s wearing a white simple shirt underneath a flower-patterned cardigan in the same color with black trousers. All I can say is I was enchanted. I'm spellbound. I’m just dying to get out of this monotonous conversation now, before I lose him in the crowd. 

"Uh… Jiseok, isn’t it? So sorry but I gotta go, nice to meet you anyway. Bye!"

I give Jiseok my cup, then make my way through the crowd, trying to get to the cute stranger. All of a sudden, he looks up, and our eyes meet. I think I’m electrified. He holds my gaze for quite some time, and I can't look away. His eyes whisper: “Have we met?” And across the room, his silhouette starts to make its way to me. I’m frozen in place and time, until he comes and breaks the ice. 

"Hi."

"Hi." 

The playful conversation starts. Despite his calm appearance, he’s witty and mischievous, with a sprinkle of shyness which is quite charming. His name is Sunghoon, he’s a freshman, and he got a scholarship due to the fact that he’s a treasured member of the figure skating team, right now he’s studying multimedia. Even though he’s still a little bit timid around me, he makes a lot of jokes and playful remarks which I counter quickly every single time. We keep talking about everything we could think of, from our studies, to our hobbies, to people we know, and even some trivial facts we found on the Internet. It’s like passing notes in secrecy, with all these people mingling and dancing around us, and we’re in our own world for two. He bursts out laughing at one of my jokes, and that’s when I notice his cute dimple, he has the most radiant smile I’ve ever seen, it lights up the whole room, and it sets my heart ablaze. And it was enchanting to meet him. All I can say is I was enchanted to meet him. 

"Shoot! What time is it?" I questioned, suddenly aware of the passing of time.

"It's only a little past 12. Why?" He looks at me puzzled. And my heart breaks a little bit, knowing I have to go.

I look around for Eunbin, she's laughing with some blond dude in the corner of the room. "I'm so sorry but I have to go, I have an important exam in the morning. I guess I'll see you around. Eunbin!"

I made my way to Eunbin at last. I literally have to drag her out of her conversation with that dude, the girl is mesmerized. We head straight for the door and leave, much to Eunbin's opposition. 

This night is sparkling, don’t you let it go. I’m wonderstruck, blushing all the way home. And I’m not the only one. Eunbin was whining about me dragging her out of the party too soon. She’s blushing, but it’s not just the alcohol, it’s that blond guy. 

"So, who’s the lucky guy?"

"What?"

I roll my eyes at the question. She always plays dumb. After a while, she starts talking. His name is Jake, and he’s from Australia, he has an irresistible accent, he has a dog named Layla… it goes on. I smile to myself, looks like we both found more than we bargained for at this party. 

We finally arrived at our dorm. I immediately lie on my bed, sighing wistfully. I wonder if he knew that I was enchanted to meet him. Eunbin nags at me after emerging from the bathroom, having removed all her make-up. I pull myself up reluctantly, I just want to sink into my bed right now, but I know she would kill me if I slept with my make-up on. I remove all my make-up in a dream-like state, I can’t stop thinking about him. I drag myself to bed. I was almost lethargic a moment ago, and now I’m wide awake. My thoughts are running at lightning speed. Questions keep popping up, one after another. He won’t forget about me, will he? Did I tell him my name? Oh my god, what if he already has a girlfriend, or a boyfriend? No way! He wouldn’t act like that if he’s already taken. But what if he’s a player? Oh gosh! I scream into my pillow. The lingering question keeps me up. I stare at the ceiling for God knows how long. I turn my head to the side, checking the time on my digital alarm clock. 2 AM, who do you love? I wonder ‘til I’m wide awake. I sit up on my bed, Eunbin is sound asleep on her bed. I sigh, I’m gonna screw the exam tomorrow, God! I plop back down on my bed, staring at the ceiling like I’m in an eye-contact contest. I can’t do this! I get out of bed. And now, I’m pacing back and forth, wishing he was at my door. I’d open up and he would say: “Hey, it was enchanting to meet you.” It’s my problem, I could never leave something unfinished, I can’t stand the thought of not knowing the exact answer to something, and right now, I’m dying to know if he feels the same about me. Because I’ve been there before, infatuated with someone who would never feel the same about me. And I’ve watched my heart being broken into pieces time and time again to know that I can’t no longer wear my heart on my sleeve, it’s brutal out there. I need to know, this is dangerous, maybe I was too reckless, maybe I should have looked away, maybe… Why did we have to go to a party right before an exam? Why is there an exam in the morning? Why did we even have to meet at such a bad time? And why didn’t I ask for his number in the first place? I just want to bang my head against the wall now. All I know is I was enchanted to meet him. 

This night is sparkling, don't you let it go I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home I'll spend forever wondering if you knew That this night is flawless, don't you let it go

I’m wonderstruck. I haven’t felt this way about anyone for a long time. It’s exciting. I would have started dancing around all alone, if I were truly alone. I glance at Eunbin’s sleeping form, hoping I didn’t wake her up. 

If I can’t sleep, I figure I’d better utilize the time I have. I turn on my desk light, retrieving my journal from the white plastic organizer on my desk. It’s been a while since I last wrote anything. I’ve been busy, and I was exhausted every day after classes and all the partying. I barely had any time to think about writing. But now I have all the time in the world for this. I grab one of the pens I use for writing important and extremely emotional things, and start letting my emotions take the lead. It feels like there’s a dam inside me, and now I’m releasing all the water stored inside. 

This is me praying that This was the very first page Not where the story line ends My thoughts will echo your name, until I see you again These are the words I held back, as I was leaving too soon I was enchanted to meet you Please don't be in love with someone else Please don't have somebody waiting on you

Please don’t be in love with someone else. Please don’t have somebody waiting on you. I close the journal and take another look at my alarm clock, 5 AM. I can still get some sleep in, the exam is set at 8, so I should try to get some sleep. I lie down on my bed, and finally, I drift off. 

Fortunately, I think I did fine on my exam. But I’m totally exhausted after that, so I drag myself back to the dorm like a zombie, an action that requires more strength than I thought. By the time I arrive, I don’t even have any energy left to change my clothes, I just collapse on the bed. I fell asleep again, having stayed up until 5 in the morning. But my peaceful slumber is suddenly interrupted by a sharp knock on the door.  I dismiss it at first, whoever that is could come back later, I don’t care. But they are consistent, or should I say stubborn? The knocking continues for about 10-15 minutes, I don’t know. Until I can’t take it anymore, I sit up straight on my bed, cursing to myself, whoever that is, they're in for an earful. I yank the door open with all my might, ready to give whoever’s on the other side of the door a piece of my mind.

"I swear to God! I’m gonna-"

"Hey." 

There he was, the boy I couldn’t stop thinking about, Park Sunghoon. He’s wearing a white shirt with a beige knitted vest and a checkered brown coat. He’s holding a drink carrier with two cups inside in one hand, and a paper bag smells of fresh pastries in the other hand. He’s looking at me with those sparkling eyes I thought I would never be able to see again. He seems startled by my reaction. He takes a little step back, then breaks out a tiny smile at me. My heart melts. He looks like my dream comes true. I’m still trying to process this. Then I remember my disheveled look. I immediately slam the door shut to comb my hair and adjust my clothes to an acceptable state. Then I yank the door open again, with a bright smile on my face. 

"Hey." 

Sunghoon looks up at me with the same smile as before. He doesn’t seem to mind all that fuss. And my heart swells at the thought. 

"Sorry about that. I need to freshen up a lil bit."

"No worries. You didn’t expect me anyway."

That I didn't. "What are you doing here anyway? Not that I don’t want you here! I’m just surprised, that’s all!"

"You told me you had an exam this morning. So I bought iced tea, because you said you prefer tea over coffee. And I also brought you some pastries, I don’t know what you like, so I kinda bought a bunch, but don’t worry, I can finish it off if you can’t. How did it go anyway?" He blurted out in one go, and I could see the rosy tint on his cheeks when he finished his sentences. Cute.

"It went well. Thanks for checking in on me. But how do you know where my dorm is?"

"Before you come to any conclusion, I swear I’m not a stalker! I had to ask around for a bit, you’re kinda hard to find, you know that?"

"I do get that from time to time", I chuckled, "you wanna go to the lake? My room is kinda messy right now."

"Sure. Let’s go."

"And hey, Sunghoon?"

"Yes?"

"I just want you to know that I was enchanted to meet you."

[therantsofawriterrr]

91221

Chapter Two: I Did Something, Jagiya

Summary: Kang Hyunyul has had a good life since he left the Jindo gang. But when he finds out that Do Jin is going to be temporarily released, he's stressed and the return of an old flame triggers familiar feelings and with them, the old memories of the only real thing of his complicated past.

All while she was saving him, literally putting her life on the line.

Chapter Summary: Sujin is intrigued by the deal offer and makes up her mind.

Warnings: Mentions of drug dealing and gang stuff (irdk how cop stuff works ok), not proofread, lemme know if there's something else to be added.

A/N: There's not much Hyunyul in this sorry. Plus sorry for the late update, school has quite literally been kicking my ass.

Sujin and Officer Yojun entered the bustling cafe. It was usually crowded at the time in the evening, so it would be easier to talk without worrying about eavesdroppers.

The cafe was a quaint little place which was famous in her neighborhood. As they both walked in and sat on a corner booth, there were waiters and waitresses walking briskly up and down the place, taking orders and serving the customers. A few lights were on as the sun had not set completely, coloring the sky outside in pretty hues of pink.

"What would you like to have?" One of the waitresses asked, a little notepad in one hand and a pen in another.

"Just a black coffee, thank you," he said with a warm smile. The waitress jotted down his order and then turned to Sujin.

"Did you have lunch?" She asked, pointing the pen at her with a worried glare. Sujin nodded, hoping she wouldn't ask what she'd had, because she'd only be whacked over the head.

"Did you actually have something? Or did you just eat an apple and called it lunch?"

She winced and as she'd expected, she got a harsh tap at the back of her head, which made her topple forward in her seat a bit, her hands clasping the side of the table.

"I'll get a coffee and three cheese sandwiches. If you don't eat all three of them, I'll stuff it down your throat," she said, looking more like a mother when she was only twenty three years old.

Officer Yojun however, had a grin on his face as he witnessed the exchange. "Your neighborhood must really care about you, huh?" He asked when the waitress had walked away, grumbling about her friend not eating properly.

Sujin nodded with a smile and said, "They're all my mother and I have had for a long time."

Yojun nodded in understanding too. "I get it. Even in my neighborhood, they used to be very particular about me and my family. It's good to have that."

Sujin sighed and wringed her wrists on the table. "So, you said you have a deal for me?"

Yojun nodded again and said, "I think Do Jin is going to start dealing drugs soon. We need to catch him before he starts. We don't need another drug dealer in these streets."

Sujin's eyebrows furrowed as she fiddled with her hair in thought. "So you're saying that I become your informant," She said, more of a statement than a question. He sighed and she could see his shoulders tense as he leaned back into the brown seat.

“I can go a different way about this, so think about it very well. Do what you think is best for you,” he said, his expression and tone very serious. She got a good look at him for the first time. He was a guy with dark brown hair and light brown eyes, eyes that looked like they always held good natured mischief in them to hide something sad.

She drummed her fingers on the table, her leg jiggling. "What would I get?" she asked.

He grinned and placed a bundle of money on the table. Sujin back straightened up immediately, her eyes widening.

"You can't be serious, right?" she asked. "I am completely serious," he said.

She immediately made up her mind. There wasn't any big harm that was going to be caused by it. She'd only be helping the police with catching some criminals.

My salary added to the money from this deal would surely help with Mom's treatment.

She swallowed and said, "Okay. I'll do it."

Yojun's face lit up and his grin widened as he pocketed the money.

"Well, then. Keep in touch. Tell me when you rejoin the gang and we'll meet up here every Sunday in the evenings. Deal?"

Sujin smiled and said, "Deal."

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A week after the meeting, or mainly, a week of planning, Sujin walked down familiar paths to Do Jin’s house. It seemed ominous, a few street lights lit up, while some were busted and most were blinking, giving a horror-movie-like feeling.

It made her feel queasy and her stomach was in knots. The evening sky, as always, was pretty in its red and yellow hues. She always thought that the sky was a canvas and some choice colors were just splashed onto it.

She wished she could paint like that, or at least like some of her friends, but she couldn’t draw for her life. But her friends always thought she wrote better. Worlds totally different from the one she lived in, but the emotions were the same.

Hyunyul had left because he'd found his passion. The bass guitar. Most people in the gang thought Sujin left because of Hyunyul. And while that was partly a reason, the primary reason was because of her stories. Her characters, her own fictional world.

She reached Do Jin's hiding place and knocked on the door. There were muffled footsteps on the other side, before the door opened.

He smirked and shifted to let her in. She knew he would. She entered the house, which looked like it’d been robbed, things strewn here and there. The ashtray was filled with cigarette butts and a crumpled can of beer lay on the table. The radio was playing softly in the background. He was only wearing a pair of shorts and a black tank top.

“What brings you here?” he asked. Sujin opened her mouth to reply, but found herself unable to start. She kept silent, forming sentences in her head.

“You don’t need to think so much, you know. I’ll take you back. I could use the extra brains, anyway.”

Sujin’s head snapped up. “I’ll come back in one condition,” she blurted out.

Do Jin scoffed and sat on the table in front of her. Cold eyes bored into hers. “And why should I listen to this condition of yours?” he asked, leaning forward a bit. “ You’re the one who left. I could just break your ankles.”

She smirked and leaned closer till their noses were almost touching. She'd worn her prettiest greenish blue floral sundress for a reason. “I know you like me, Do Jin. You could get something out of it.”

His eyes flit between her lips and eyes, grinning and leaning back, supporting his upper body and placing his palms on the table. “Go on, then.”

“I want you to leave Hyunyul alone. "

Likes, comments and reblogs are greatly appreciated💙

[apopcornkernel]

trick or treat!! 🎃🦇 (btw i loved hearing about the backstory/historical aspects of your fav wip, i’m not even in the hsr fandom but it’s so interesting)

THANK YOU <33333

(i know it's literally november 3 but shhhhh, all soul's was just yesterday it still counts—)

anyways!! the next fic i wanna talk about is... also jingfu 😭😭😭 this is embarrassing

presenting: ✨ jingfu vegas wedding ✨

there was a time i got back into asoiaf and jaime/brienne, and there's this subgenre of jb fics where they get quickly married on the quiet isle for one reason or another! and i just got obsessed with this type of wedding, and then i got to thinking about vegas weddings, and then i imagined jingfu drunk and giggly and happy and my gdocs stood NO chance

what's great about jingfu is, as i hope to never stop reminding my readers, is that they're chinese living in a chinese setting wifh chinese culture. so you can't just throw them into an actual vegas wedding situation—china has its own wedding ceremonies and the luofu must have its own technological advancements in that area too! so long story short i had a lot of fun brainstorming the wedding rituals and how it would mesh with the luofu, how people would even discover a wedding has taken place considering chinese weddings CAN technically be done without witnesses if you're feeling quirky enough (like maybe legally it's not allowed but ive seen cdramas where they do the same thing so like. me 🤝 cdramas; ignoring things for dramatic flair), and generally just trying to write their world vividly enough that it doesn't feel like Vague American Fantasy Spaceship #2432

i do think i kinda succeeded!! and even if i didn't, well, in my head i can clearly visualize it and in the end this is a fic for ME and not for yall, sorry but i come first when it comes to my fanfic :P

also i wrote my thoughts on the au while we were out with paternal relatives eating hotpot, so of course their drunken wedding feast is hotpot. i couldn't resist

It was strange to see the General and Master Diviner drinking, and even stranger to see them drinking like they were racing to their graves.

At least it would be. Extenuating circumstances, Dan Heng art thy name.

i also really like these lines i giggle everytime! because i ship jingfu but i also ship jingheng in the pathetic unrequited pining old man jing yuan kinda way.... its hilarious how down bad jing yuan still is for dan heng/dan feng and so since i needed a catalyst for the drinking i used dan heng hehe

also i researched chinese constellations for this because i needed more drunk activities and i figured i could do one of those "laying on the grass and pointing at the stars" except ofc it's the luofu so that's synthetic grass and false stars and their stars are also different and it would be very weird to mention ursa major or something! so i had to do research </3 i swear the things i do for my craft

i don't know how to end this.... i guess here's another excerpt HAHAHA

Jing Yuan, thanks be to Lan, had left behind some of his formal clothes at her residence, which meant the two of them did not have to sneak all the way back to Exalting Sanctum just to nab the appropriate garments. If they had not been drunk, the journey from the gardens to her quarters would not have taken so long. Unfortunately: they were. Unfortunately: Jing Yuan was enamored with every flower that passed him by, and Fu Xuan was busy counting the number of off-color stones in the cobbled path.

They did still make it there. Eventually.

In one of Fu Xuan’s many closets were the robes they’d worn to Qixi-jie—his a simple but elegant grey trimmed with white, and hers a dainty pink, complete with a round embroidered fan. Fu Xuan took Jing Yuan’s out, shoved it into his arms, and then shoved him out. He staggered out into the hallway, and then turned to blink at her, lost.

Fu Xuan rolled her eyes. “Well? What are you waiting for?”

“Oh,” Jing Yuan said. The light came back into his eyes. “Oh! Yes.”

Stupid, she thought, and closed the door. But apparently she’d said it out loud, because he yelled, muffled, “You’re the one marrying me!”

“I won’t if you don’t shut up!” Fu Xuan yelled back.

Immediate silence.

thank you for the ask again hehehe <3

[rikumorimachisgirl]

Title: Trading Secrets

Warning: The following content is NSFW. This is not appropriate for readers 18 years old and below.

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Pairing: Darius Morgan x Rosa

Word count: ~1.7K

Summary: Rosa finds out that trading secrets is a fun way to relieve stress.

Notes: I wrote this because I needed more Darius content in my life and because I needed to practice writing smut again. I don't own Tears of Themis or any of its characters but I own the idea for this story.

It was a little past eleven when he stepped inside his apartment that Wednesday evening. Except for the light and the clickety-clack of the keyboard that spilled from the small opening of the makeshift room a little ways off the kitchen, Darius would've thought he was home alone. 

"Is that you, Darius?"

"Good evening, Rosa," the police captain nodded at his guest, who popped her head out of her room to check on him. Soon enough, she stepped out of her room in her blue button-down nightshirt, which looked two sizes too big for her - not that the junior attorney from Themis Law seemed to care. "Late night again?"

"There was a high-profile case that the Chief Justice asked me to look into," he replied, as he slumped on his usual seat at the small dining set. Sitting back, he closed his eyes and rubbed his temple with his fingers. "I would've gone home early, but the report took me longer to create."

"That sounds rough," the young lawyer said as she waddled into the kitchen. She set a stack of files on the table and took the plate with the food she'd left for him so she can heat it in the microwave oven. His eyes traced the lines of her bikini panties, which her nightshirt failed to conceal, and he immediately shifted his attention to the papers in front of him. 

"Another witness?" 

"Yeah," the pretty petite replied wearily. "This case is dragging on far longer than any of us expected."

He read through the file to distract himself from his thoughts. It's been over a week since Artem Wing entrusted his junior to his care, and the dark-haired police captain hasn't slept a wink since. 

Not that Rosa was a noisy housemate - far from it. Rosa usually keeps to her room most of the time, and only comes out when she needs to. She's quite tidy and loves to clean when she's stressed out. She also makes for good company, especially when they're watching the news or discussing current events they've come across in the broadsheet or social media. The problem wasn't Rosa's behavior; it was her choice of clothes that bothered him - like the sweat shorts she wore three days ago when she was cleaning the living room, which did very little to hide the color of her underwear or the tank top she had on when they were drinking whisky together the other night, which had a very thin padding so he could see the outline of her nipples. The yoga shorts she wore this morning when she decided to exercise before going to work sent him flying to the bathroom where he relieved his throbbing member under the cold water from the shower. 

He cursed himself - it was ungentlemanly of him to be sexualizing his unexpected guest, especially when she was a good 13 years younger. The microwave chimed, and soon he smelled the delicious aroma of salt and pepper spare ribs wafting in the air. 

"Eat it while it's hot," she prodded. 

"Did you make this?" 

She laughed. "I admire your faith in my ability to cook, but no, Artem made this and sent it over." 

He watched her get their half-empty bottle of whisky and two glasses from the bar. She looked even more tired tonight and the circles under her eyes were darker. "You've brought out the whisky. Are things not going well between you and Artem?"

"Don't make it sound weird," she quipped as she poured the amber liquid into both glasses. Tipping her glass at him, she said, "Cheers!"

They fell into their usual groove over the next hour or so. She begged him to talk about his day and asked him all sorts of questions about the cases his team handles. She offered her advice about how to best approach the high-profile detainees from the recent drug bust and listened to him give his expert opinion about the case she was handling. 

As he was sharing his suspicion about the star witness in her current case, he saw her squint her light yellow-green eyes and attempt to suppress a yawn. He checked the time - it was half past midnight. 

"You seem tired. Maybe we should call it a night," he offered. 

"I'm not that tired yet," the young brunette replied, stretching her arms above her head while letting out a yawn. Before he could stop himself, he watched the fabric of her nightshirt outline the swell of her breast as she stretched. 

He shook his head. Darius, this woman is young enough to be your baby sister, he repeated to himself. For as long as he can compartmentalize her into that role, he figured he would be okay. 

It could be because of the alcohol and the fact that she looked cute, but somehow compartmentalizing her wasn't doing the trick. Her nightdress was now disheveled, her nipples were peeking through the fabric of her clothes and it was enough to send blood rushing to his manhood. He sighed and quietly counted to ten to calm himself down. 

"I think you should rest," the dashing dark-haired captain said. "Artem would be upset if he finds out you've been staying up late."

"But I can't sleep," Rosa whined. "Lately, all this prep work for the trial has been stressing me out so much, my brain's been working overtime. I can't relax, and I can't sleep."

Darius took one look at the crestfallen expression on Rosa's face and mentally deliberated between helping her or leaving her to her own devices. "But she's still young," he muttered under his breath. 

"I'm right here and I'm twenty-four. What are you up to?"

"Nothing," the Stellis Police Captain replied, downing his glass of whisky. "We should go to bed."

"Darius," Rosa cried, as she gripped his arm. "Don't go to bed yet. Stay with me a little while longer. I'm not tired yet and you have the day off tomorrow, too, right?"

He sent a prayer to the heavens. He was so close to giving in. He wished she'd be a good girl and just go back to her makeshift room so he can take a shower. 

But she wasn't keen on following instructions the first time tonight. He wasn't sure if it was the way she pleaded with him or the feel of her hand as she held his arm for dear life, but the gruff police chief let go of all remaining logic he had left as he picked Rosa up and hoisted her on his shoulder. Slamming the door of his bedroom shut, he dropped the young woman on his bed and stared at her bewildered expression. 

"Listen, I'm gonna help you sleep, but you better promise me you'll keep this a secret. Don't tell anyone about this," he said. 

"I believe that's how a secret works." 

He smirked. Even in her disheveled state, the junior lawyer still managed to answer back. No wonder she has Artem wrapped around her finger. He crouched down in front of her. 

"Have you ever been intimate with a man before?" 

She shook her head. "But… But I know the science behind it. I have an idea of how it works," she said. 

Darius chuckled as he grabbed her legs and knelt in front of her. He could smell her arousal and he didn't have to touch her to know she was getting excited about what he was about to do. 

"I have another secret to tell you," he said, as he reached for the waistband of her panties. There was a curious spark in her eyes. "I used to think of myself as your older brother," he confessed while slowly sliding her panties off her legs. He then positioned her legs on either side of his face and smirked. "But I wouldn't do this to my baby sister," he said before he licked the slit of her pussy once before lapping at it like a starving man. 

She gasped at the feeling of his wet tongue on her most intimate part. It wasn't unpleasant. She wanted more. She bucked her hips against his face, urging his tongue to keep tasting her. The feel of stubble on her clit as he ravaged her made her scream.

In between licks, Darius kept telling her how good she tasted and what Artem would do if he ever found out he was eating her out. These only added fuel to the fire as she begged him to keep going. 

She thrashed wildly when he sucked at her clit. She pulled on his hair, on the sheets - she didn't care if she looked like a maniac, but she wasn't gonna make him stop. 

He held her hips steady. "Look at me, Rosa," he told her. With her eyes locked on his, he lowered his lips again and parted her slit with his tongue. His eyes never left hers as he expertly parted her slit with his tongue and plunged deeper. Each time she would close her eyes, he'd click his tongue to remind her to keep watching. He loved watching her rise and fall apart with each lick and each suckle. As his tongue plunged inside her, he felt her tremble and knew she was close. He could also feel his pants tighten, so he unzipped his pants and took his cock out to stroke it while he drove Rosa off the edge.

"Darius…"

"I know, I know, baby," he said. "Don't fight it. Let it go. Cum for me." 

"Darius, I-I'm coming," Rosa gasped before waves of white heat rolled inside of her and Darius lapped it all up, not stopping until he's consumed all of her essence and planting one last lick on her sensitive clit. 

Sensing his own release, he stood over Rosa, still sprawled on his bed. "Sorry, Rosa, I'm gonna cum, too. May I?"

Before she had the chance to respond, he lifted her nightdress and groaned. Webs of creamy white liquid spilled from the tip of his large member unto her warm belly, and she watched as the magnificent man who had given her her first orgarsm now sought his own release. 

He collapsed on top of her and kissed her forehead. "Let's get you cleaned up so you can go to sleep," he said, still catching his breath. "After all, you must be tired now."

"I am," the pretty petite nodded. "But I want to sleep here. And since we have the day off tomorrow, do you mind if we trade some more secrets, Captain Morgan?" 

The older man laughed. "I can't possibly say no to a request from little Miss Attorney Rosa," he said, burying his face on her neck. "I have a lot of secrets to share with you. I hope you're ready for it."

The end. 

[qnewsau]

As queers are we finally finding our (stage) light?

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/as-queers-are-we-finally-finding-our-stage-light/

As queers are we finally finding our (stage) light?

Have we turned a corner in queer Australian theatre representation? Jamie Burgess thinks so, as he looks back on an industry that has often kept the queers in the chorus line.

There are precious few mainstream theatre events that we can truly claim are ours.

Queer people have often taken theatres’ creative helm with coding woven into characters or elements.

But these shows don’t speak directly to our romance and drama.

In queer theatre education, I was introduced early to the ‘classics by way of film; Torch Song Trilogy, La Cage Au, The Boys in the Band.

But growing up, I felt the chances of ever witnessing these works on stage down under were remote.

At drama school, I discovered I was the only gay there – DRAMA SCHOOL!

I learnt quickly that if I wanted a career in the arts, I had to be straight-passing.

While the gays were in mainstream or musical theatre, they were mostly in the chorus line or the director’s chair.

But the times are changing.

Source: Kyle Head

Authentic queer stories on the main stage

‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie’ debuted in the West End in 2017, and it’s an entire musical based around a queer youth story.

With a queer lead performer lending authenticity to a major serious new work that mainstream audiences embraced.

I was there on the West End watching Bianca Del-Rio (as their alter-ego Roy) imparting wisdom to young Jamie and was standing with everyone to applaud what we had all just witnessed.

Wait, were mainstream audiences finally ready to spend their money to see real authentic queer stories on the mainstage at last?!

‘The Boy from Oz’, ‘Kinky Boots’, ‘The Color Purple’, ‘Fun Home’, and ‘Jagged Little Pill’ all feature queer leading roles.

And all have been successful enough that they’ve made mainstage appearances here in Australia.

You would’ve thought that in the wake of ‘Priscilla’, Australia would’ve challenged the mainstream years ago.

But going to the theatres proved a different reality. They’ll import our stories only once they’ve been given the overseas treatment.

The West End production of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie Pic by Johan Persson

What you’re about to see may shock you…

Earlier this year, for the first time in Australian Ballet herstory, a queer-lead story became a mainstage production.

And had all the bells and whistles usually reserved for the classics.

The world premiere of ‘Oscar’, based on the life and writings of Oscar Wilde, arrived with plenty of press.

Finally, the conversation was about whether ballet could create an authentically queer work.

Work that celebrates and honours a radical pioneer of our community.

On opening night, the Artistic Director of the Australian Ballet took to the stage and informed us that what we were about to see may shock us.

He wasn’t wrong in his warning.

But for queer old me, the warning was backward. I was shocked by what I DIDN’T see!

No prima ballerina was commanding every scene. No dashing prince with a rose for his princess. Not one pas de deux with light-as-a-feather lifts as the ballerina returned to pointe and tiptoed off stage.

The pas de deux here was between two male dancers, and it was spectacular, set to simple piano.

It felt sexy, dangerous and heartbreaking because it was happening where nothing like this had ever happened before.

It was a first.

When the audience rose to applaud, there was a sense of awe in the room. We just witnessed something seismic.

Could Australia be the birthplace of something so precious? Has queer culture finally danced down under into the light? And it leaves me hoping … what‘s next?

For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

[shindayyume]

Starry Starry Night .・。.・゜✭・.

A story about the beginning of a life long friendship, and the impact of one particular painting. {OCs}

『••✎••』

“What made you pick the name Vincent anyways?”

.. “He had pretty art.”

⋆｡𖦹°⭒˚｡⋆

“She’s a weird kid. Her hair is always messy, and she always tears her dresses because they’re too long. And she doesn’t talk!”

The five year old sat at the end of his bed, holding out one of his legs while his mother slipped on the toddler sized sneaker over his foot.

“Oh c'mon now, Haru, that’s not very nice to say. Maybe she’s just.. struggling to find herself.”

She laced up one shoe, and then began working on the other.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, sometimes not everyone is born knowing who they are… Maybe Scarlet feels out of place in school? Maybe she just needs a friend to understand her.”

“But the other kids said she bites and scratches.. I think she likes to be alone.”

He pouted, almost pitying the other kid.

“That could be true too. I’m sure either way, she might just need some time getting to know everyone. Don’t take it too personally, sunflower.”

“Humph,” Haru took a look at his sneakers, clicking the tips of his shoes together. He giggled as the bottoms twinkled with lights. But, for a five year old whose priority should be showing off his new pair of light up sketchers, he was pretty stressed over the fact that there was a new kid in his class.

Haru was well known around his school. He was a teacher's pet, had the highest grades, attended every event he could, and was the most popular kid on campus.

Everyone loved him. It was like his presence could magically light up a room.. Your morning could start off gloomy, but running into Haru was like witnessing the sun peak out from underneath those rainy clouds. The other kids would smile and cheer, always eager to play with Haru or even sit with him at lunch. He didn’t mind any of it. In fact, he enjoyed making other people happy.

That was until he was challenged. A new girl came along.

It was already the middle of the semester within their first grade class, so no one expected a new student to appear out of the blue.

Haru remembers that day vividly. It was only a few weeks ago, where this small girl was being introduced at the front of the class.

⋆｡𖦹°⭒˚｡⋆

“Everyone take your seats!” Shouted the teacher from the head of the class. All the young kids giggled and muttered between one another as they took their places, setting down backpacks and lunchboxes while making themselves comfortable. Haru being one of them.

He was always seated at the very front, and had already been put in a good mood after saying hello to some of his friends.

“Today, we have a new student! I would like you all to meet your new classmate,

Scarlet Fox.”

As the teacher gestured her arm out towards the door, everyone’s head turned in the direction. Watching as a little girl shyly stepped into the classroom from the hallway.

Harus smile faded within seconds. Not out of disappointment, disgust, or anger.. but because of how.. pulled in he felt. His curiosity for a person had never been so strong before.

She walked in wearing a white sundress that flared out just below the knee, almost long enough to hide the scruffy, coffee colored tail behind her. It looked recently brushed out. Though, it matched perfectly with the poofy set of pointy ears on her head.

Her hair was pulled back into a neat ponytail, decorated with a red bow to tie it all together.

Fox? Haru thought, observing her as she walked up to the teacher's side.

She didn’t really look like a fox. More of a.. wolf, or scary dog.

She was very intimidating. Her eyes were sharp and bright red, perfectly matching the symbols of flame on her forehead and cheeks. Her expression looked almost angry. Like she already hated being there.

Haru couldn’t help but notice other details about her. Her hands were wrapped in bandages. And her legs had a few healing cuts and bruises on them, causing her dainty shoes to look out of place. And she had this scar that was impossible to miss. It started at the corner of her mouth, stretching all the way to her ear lobe..

“Scarlet, why don’t you introduce yourself? Let the class get to know you.”

The room fell silent as everyone stared. A kitsune in the classroom wasn’t anything they questioned. Afterall, many of the other kids were hybrids as well. To them, she was just another child with a painfully aggressive aura to her…

She didn’t say anything, not even a single look towards the teacher. Just her eyes glancing over the other students one by one.

However, there was always one kid capable of cutting through uncomfortable silence.

“Are you hurt?”

Harus words are loud enough for the whole classroom to hear. The two made eye to eye immediately. Scarlet stood just inches away from him, causing a gap of tension.

Then, unexpectedly, there were a few giggles in the distance. A couple of kids snickering and whispering to one another towards the end of the class room. It caught Scarlet's attention, her eyes darting over and reading their body language. With her ears pointed in their direction, it was a no brainer that they were talking about her. She could feel their mockery within their laughs.

She looked back to Haru- her fluffy ears flattening back as she gave him a glare. Then she maneuvered her arms behind her back to hide the white bandages.

Haru felt a bit taken back. All he wanted to know was if she was okay. It’s not his fault they were laughing- he truly didn’t understand why she gave him such a hateful look.

“Right.. um- how about we just give Scarlett some space? Why don’t you go find a seat, and we can begin today’s lesson.” The teacher nervously smiled, placing a hand against Scarlet's back as if to give her a gentle nudge forward.

After a brief moment of hesitation, Haru watched as she tailed past. Going all the way to the back of the classroom to pick an empty seat.

“Alright! Now, let’s start where we left off yesterday, hm? Today, you guys will be-…”

The teacher's voice began to drift and fade from Harus head. He was too focused on the new girl. Still turned in his seat to look at her- watching as she pulled off the backpack from her shoulders and placed it on the ground at her desk. She didn’t even bother to open it like everyone else.

He just stared, and watched her.. alone, in the corner, picking at the wraps on her hands.

⋆｡𖦹°⭒˚｡⋆

“Have a good day at school, sweetie!”

“Bye mom, love you!” Haru hopped out from his mother’s vehicle, closing the door behind him as he ran towards the building entrance with the other kids.

Following his usual path towards his classroom, he gave his hands a wave as he passed by a few friends.

“Hi Ricky, Hi Kenny, Hi Jessica!”

All the other first graders always responded with a “Hi Haru!” of their own, most already ganged together in their little cliches and friend groups.

“Good Morning Mrs. Parker!” Haru held his palms closely together, forming a single rose just within his hands. As he approached the teacher at her desk, he held it out to her with a wide smile. She returned the grin, kindly accepting the flower with a ‘thank you’ before he ran off to his seat.

Harus joy was cut short as he approached his desk, pulling off his backpack only to spot Scarlet already in the room. She was sitting alone, per usual, at the farthest desk in the back. Haru allowed the brightly colored bag from his shoulders to slowly fall down his arms and onto the floor. Blindly staring while Scarlet was in her own world, peeling at the badges that dressed her hands. He completely ignored his friends coming into the room, taking their seats next to him all while trying to grab his attention.

“Alright everyone! Take your seats please.” called the only adult in the room. It made Haru snap out of his little trance, pulling out the kiddy sized chair before occupying it.

That day in class was like every other. Kids would shout and interact with whatever Mrs. Parker had on the board, excitedly answering her questions. And Scarlet still sat in the back of the class, a ghost to everyone while she scribbled over her desk with pencil.

Then, it was time for lunch.

Per usual. Haru sat dead center at the most populated table in the cafeteria. Despite this, he had a clear view of the tables further back. Zoning out all the yapping children next to him while he focused on the fox in the corner. It was always the same routine. She would sit at the lonesome tables by herself for a few minutes, always with her own packed Fox and the Hound themed lunch box that she never opened. Maybe every now and then to grab her juice box but that was it. Haru never saw her with any food.

And after about five or so minutes passed of her boredly playing with the bag's charmed zipper, she would take her lunch box with her out to the playground. She was always the first kid out because she never ate, Haru always assumed she must just really enjoy playing outside…

After Haru was done with his meal, he was quick to clean up and run outdoors with everyone else. They always raced one another to the swings and monkey bars, but today Harus footsteps slowed halfway there. He came to a stop as his friends continued ahead of him, turning his attention over to a grassy area near the shrubs and bushes. A few voices caught his attention- two older kids were making a ruckus. They were huddled over something Blurry. Whatever it was, Haru was too far away to make it out. But besides their feet, he recognized a familiar lunchbox. The once clean cartoon print now covered in dirt..

“Are you really playing with bugs? Gross!”

“What a weirdo.” The older kids laughed and cackled, kicking dirt over a small anthill to bury the insects in their own home. At least.. They were trying to. Instead, they were kicking dirt and small stones into the face of a mangy fox. Scarlet was huddled over the ant hill, trying to protect the ant's home with her entire body. She wasn't making a sound, no cry for help or even an attempt to fight back. Fully allowing herself to get covered in dirt and bitten by the small bugs she was trying to protect.

The other kids seemed frustrated by this, continuing to spit out stupid comments only elementary schoolers were capable of making. All while striking dust up into her face.

All their noise made them blind to the upcoming footsteps behind them. To their surprise, one of the bullies was pushed forward, causing them to stumble over their feet and quickly turn around with a glare. “Hey! What gives-”

Their demeanor instantly switched at the sight of Haru. A familiar face no ones ever seen angry before.

And yet there he stood, eye level with the other children. He clenched his fist together, and a sudden rise of weeds began to snake around their ankles. They grew with thorns, prickling at the older children's legs.

“Leave her alone. You're hurting her.”

Haru was one of the few children to obtain his powers early. Sure, it may have been something seemingly harmless, no one ever imagined the young boy being capable of sprouting poisonous plants and sharp thorns.

The plants obeyed him, a set of flaming flowers that blazed in anger. That Is what scared the 2nd graders. There were no more daffodils and peach trees. Haru was serious. Scarlet raised her head, poking her eyes out just enough to watch as her bullies squirmed to get away.

“Ew ew eeeww!”

To avoid getting entangled in vines, the two quickly scurried off. Harus head followed as they fled, watching them run in tears to the nearest bathrooms. When looked back, he was surprised to find Scarlet calmly seated on the ground. He never knew it was possible to get her dress even more dirty than it already was. But clearly, she paid no attention to the sticks and stones stuck in the fabrics of her dress and fur.

Her back was now facing him, and the ant hill stood unharmed. She held a piece of food in her hand, seemingly part of a sandwich. Haru assumed it must've been from the half open lunch bag beside her, that was now just as filthy.

“Are you okay?” he asked, standing behind her while patiently waiting for a response. He was returned with silence. Confused, he raised a brow. Maybe she can’t speak? Or hear? She doesn't even cry…

She really is weird…

“Um.. do you need to clean up? You got pretty dirty.. I have wipes in my bag if you don't like water?”

Again, no response. Her attention was completely focused on the ants, watching them rip little pieces of bread and meat off her sandwich from the palm of her hand.

He took a few careful steps forward, squatting down beside her to watch. He's not entirely sure why he felt so compelled to talk to her, or why he was now watching bugs in the dirt with the weird kid. But, it seemed to light up something entirely new in his world. He enjoyed it.

“My name’s Haru. I know your name. Mrs. Parker told everyone.”

He looked over, watching the expression on her face. There was his heavy weight of sadness in her eyes. However, her red pupils glimmered with awe. Haru could almost see the reflection of ants in them.. They must really mean a lot to her. It clicked in that moment for him. None of the other kids never took the time to listen, they didn’t know how to listen to her. She was silent, always in her own world. And that world was a tiny dirt hill, guarded by an army of insects.

…. “Do you wanna be friends?”

That question seemed to catch her attention. Causing her to finally turn her head and lock eyes with the freckled face besides her.

⋆｡𖦹°⭒˚｡⋆

The school bell echoed through the halls, and soon enough the voices of students filled them.

Kids flood the once empty halls as they all eagerly try to escape through the main doors. Many other 8th graders are picked up by their parents, waiting within the roundabout area for their cars to appear.

One of these kids just so happens to be Scarlet.

Her head hung down, staring at the concrete ground beneath her shoes. Watching the pair of ants maneuver around her feet.

Then, there was an aggressive push and pull against her back. The sundrop child coming from behind her to hug an arm around her neck.

“Scarlet!! You're so mean, you didn’t wait for me after class!” He pouted dramatically, still unable to knock off his dimpled smile.

“You take too long.” she replied, her voice always so much lower in volume compared to his.

“I had to say bye to everyone! By the way, are you going on the field trip? I think you should come this time!”

With his arm still hooked over her shoulders, she shrugged.

He whined, “Come on! It'll be fun! You like to paint and stuff, so a trip to the art museum is perfect for you! Plus, I'll be there.” he continued to grin, attempting to persuade her further.

“You alway go to those things, it's not special.” she muttered, thinking it over. He wasn't completely wrong, she would oftenly doodle in the middle of class, or leave school early just to finish a painting. It was her way of unwinding.. but attending an art museum? That wasn’t necessarily something that caught her interest.

A paper was shoved in her face, forcing her to grab it and read it over. It was a permission slip for the upcoming field trip to the national art gallery museum.

“Have your dad sign it. Deadline is tomorrow so I better see your paper in the bin!”

Her eyes glossed over the words with hesitation. Haru always did this. She's thrown out many slips before, mostly because she was never interested in the idea of a school field trip. But something felt.. Different this time. Less overwhelming than the trips to amusement parks and aquariums. Maybe it was actually something she could take into consideration. No, even with a second thought, she had no desire to leave home.

Before she could deny his request, she heard the familiar rumble of a car engine approach. That loud roar from an old school 1967 chevy impala could be heard from down the street, barely turning into the school zone. The closer it got, the redder her face. It was always so embarrassing the way it dominated over everyone's voices. She hated this loud vehicle.

“Looks like your dads here. See you tomorrow?”

“Yeah.. see ya.” She stepped off the curb, approaching the black car closing in.

Haru smiled and waved as she popped open the door to the backseat.

“Hi Mr. Fox!! Bye Scarlett!”

She quickly slammed the door closed behind her to avoid people's stares.

“Hey Kiddo! How was school?” asked an older voice from the front seat.

“Fine.” setting her backpack into the empty seat beside her, she reluctantly clipped on her seatbelt.

You know, for a car that was deemed cool and eye-catching, the man behind the wheel was anything but that.

Clint Fox. a Character she has always had a difficult time trying to understand. Painted to be her father, many people always assume that was correct.

She could see why. Afterall, they were both foxes. Him, a little more so with his coloring and additional fur patterns. But that's all. They weren’t related in the slightest, and the fact that Scarlet had to call him “dad” always irritated her.

Clint was her adoptive father. At first, she took him as someone intimidating and worth respecting. After all, he’s a tattoo artist, and always driving around that sleek impala. At times he would pick her up from school after being covered in car oil, or even on a motorcycle decked out in gear.

But the guy was a total softie.

He was so bright and giddy, always trying to lend out a helping hand as if it could make a big difference.

Scarlet had never even once seen the guy angry. Everytime she did something out of line, sure he would be disappointed, but he always forgave her. She just couldn’t understand why he cared about her so much.

With a huff, she tried to zone out the car's engine, staring off outside the cars window on their way home.

Finally, when they walked through the home's front door, she immediately headed straight upstairs for her room. Leaving Clint to sigh as he watched her lock herself away.

She tossed her bag onto the bed filled with blankets and pillows, only now realizing she still had the permission slip in hand..

She crumbled it up and tossed it into the small bin next to her desk. Then, pulling out the seat tucked under, she stared at the many unfinished canvases looking back up at her. Each one a different insect, halfly painted just enough to get the silhouette and colors jotted down.

Carefully, she began rearranging her paints and brushes. Prepping colors so some of these canvases can be marked down for completion. Even while trying to occupy her mind, a lingering feeling weighed in her chest. On occasion, she would glance down to the trash can at her feet.

Downstairs, Clint was at work in the kitchen. Lightly humming the melody to Modern Takings infamous Cheri Cheri Lady, all while he plated the cutlery with fresh food. The aroma of homemade pasta filled the entire house, mixing perfectly with his dimly lit candles. He never actually used the main lights the house was built with, always complaining about how they were never warm enough.

“Scarlet! Dinners ready!” He called out, filling two glasses with their preferred drinking choices. Water for the kid, and sweetened tea for himself.

Still lightly singing to himself, he carried both plates over to the small kitchen table in the dining room. His music cut short as he was startled to find a tiny Fox that had snuck up behind him. Scarlet held up a wrinkled paper in front of his sight. The words ‘Field trip’ caught his attention quicker than he could ask what it was. It took him by surprise, Tilting his body around the paper to drag his concern over to his daughter.

“I need you to sign this.”

He blinked blankly, then smiled. Finally, Scarlet had always refused these trips in the past, what made this one so different? He carefully picked up the paper to give it a read. “Museum of national arts? Sounds fun! You really wanna go?”

As Scarlet took her seat, she nodded quietly.

“Is Haru going?” For now, he set aside the paper against the kitchen counter. Picking up the filled glasses and bringing them over to their rightful pairings.

“He always does.”

Clint sat at the opposite end from her, trying to contain how overjoyed he was. He had been trying to convince her for years to branch out a bit, and take the opportunities. And now, something finally caught her interest enough. He chuckled, adding additional sugar to his drink “Have fun while you're out there, kit.”

“So you’ll sign it..?” She picked at the meal in front of her. that wasn't anything new, though. She could only withstand a few small bites before needing to leave the table.

“Course i'll sign it! Just promise- you'll be.. calm? No setting the historical pieces of art on fire?”

“I promise..”

⋆｡𖦹°⭒˚｡⋆

And soon, Scarlet was in line with the other children. Everyone standing in front of the groups of buses, eagerly waiting to board them. Some stood with their parents, like her. She quietly stood in front of Clint, who was triple checking her bag to make sure she had everything packed and ready. To her, the gesture was annoying.

“--And when you get to the hotel, make sure you text me your room number and let me know youre okay. Lock the door- and don't stray too far from your class, another thing-” She started to zone out his words, observing the large crowds of kids ahead. Trying to locate a certain dirty blonde in the mix.

It began to get to her, the nerves. With her fist anxiously clenched together, she could feel the heat in her palms making them sweat.

She had never ventured off alone like this before, and if Haru wasn’t here she wouldn’t know what to-

“Scarlet!!”

Relief.

The moment she turned around, she was tackled into an unwanted hug from Haru. Awkwardly patting his back. She couldn’t show that she was thankful he appeared.

“Sorry I’m late. My mom was talking to the counselor.. We convinced them to let us be partners during the trip! That way you don’t have to room with the other girls and we can stay together.” Breaking the hug, he playfully punched her shoulder. A rosy color on his cheeks.

She nodded in response. Truly, unable to express how relieved she was to hear that. It was a two day trip, nothing too crazy. Instead of going to the museum and immediately coming back, the class would stay within a hotel for a night, visit the museum the next day, and stay another night at the hotel before returning home in the morning. Which meant rooming with 2-4 other kids.

Luckily, she wouldn’t be cooped up with a bunch of strangers now that Haru would be there.

Harus mother followed behind, greeting Clint with a friendly smile. “They said they’ll get their own room. I gave them the papers and everything.”

“Thank you, Grace.. I knew they’d listen to you.” Clint kindly accepted the papers Harus mother held out to him, it was a neat little folder with a paw print stamped on the cover.

“Oh it’s no problem, I’m always happy to help. Especially if it means getting the kids away for a bit.”

The two laughed it over, soon interrupted by Teachers collecting their classrooms and who would be attending in what groups.

“Looks like this is it-“ Clint kneed down to Scarlet's height, placing his hand lightly against her shoulder to turn her around. “Remember what I told you?”

“Our teeth are our most powerful weapon.”

“What- no!” He huffed a short laugh, ruffling up her hair. “Call me if you need anything, I’ll drive the four hours to come get you. And stay close to Haru. Don't bite anyone-“

Scarlet always gave this seemingly unimpressed stare, but this time was different. Not realizing that she had a small grip on Clint’s jacket. Something in her was telling her not to let go.

“Love ya kiddo.”

“Scarlet come on, they’re boarding already!” Haru had grabbed a hold of her wrist, pulling at his friend and practically dragging her towards the bus’ staircase. He shouted out as he did so, “bye mom, love you! Bye Mr. Fox!”

And so, Scarlet was yanked into the large travel bus full of other 8th graders. Haru was always one to grab front row seats, but for his best friend's sake- he didn’t mind waltzing over to the very back where it was most quiet.

As the buses rolled out from the school's lot one by one, Scarlet turned her body to look into the backseat window- watching as the two silhouettes of Harus’ mother and Clint got smaller and smaller from view.

⋆｡𖦹°⭒˚｡⋆

The drive there was treacherous. Ignoring how long the drive was, Scarlet couldn’t stand the amount of rowdy kids she had to endure during this trip. Neither could she deal with the amount of times their teacher would shout for everyone to calm down and stay in their seats. If it weren’t for Haru sticking by her side the entire time, endlessly talking about the many songs he heard from the flowers… she would have gone crazy.

But soon, they arrived at the registered Hotel. Everyone was carefully paired within groups of 3-4. However, Haru and Scarlet were assigned their own room of two beds. It caused a few ‘ooos’ and whispers between the kids, but due to Scarlets.. special cases, she wasn’t allowed to room with anyone else. So she didn’t understand why everyone acted like this was new information.

Haru was bumped into by another classmate. A younger boy by the name of Rex. He was the type you’d immediately deem annoying within a group. “Alone with a girl? Hope you know how to kiss, flower boy” He teased, resting his hand on the other.

Harus' brows frowned, moving his shoulder away from the kid that had a hold on him. “Dude- don’t be weird.”

“Oh come on! Everyone knows you and the weird girl are ‘good friends’” he mocked with a laugh.

Haru wasn’t one to stand up for himself, he was too sweet for that. So all he did in response was try and hide his embarrassment.

But soon, the rowdy kid would soon come to regret his mockery. Scarlet's shadow loomed over him within seconds after making that comment. His head slowly looked up to the death glare on her face.

“Wanna say it again, Rex? Would be a shame if those were your last words before I rip out your tongue.”

Scarlet, being the scariest girl in their class, was not one to mess with. Over the years she’s learned to not only fight for herself, but for Haru. After ‘accidentally’ sending kids to the nurses office, that was the primary reason as to why she wasn’t allowed to room with anyone other than Haru.

Rex stepped back, dusting off Harus shoulder as if to preserve him. “Haha-“ quickly, he bolted off to find his friends.

Scarlet raised the set of room keys in her hand, sharing one with said flower boy. “Come on. Before he cries to the teacher and Ms. Callaway calls my dad.”

“Right- want me to carry your bag?” He took the keycard, shoving it into his pocket as the classroom followed their assigned chaperones to their rooms.

“I can hold it.”

The two were guided off to their number, greeted by the two large begs in such a spacious room. The two friends looked at one another with hesitation, then separated to throw their things onto their chosen picks. It wasn't a very eventful day. The teachers thought it would be best to take everyone out for a pizza dinner. Some kids were lucky enough to already have packed meals from their parents, like Scarlet. But others were a messy mistake to bring along. Nonetheless, that night was like no other for Haru. But to Scarlet, it was a bit.. Off Putting. She hardly slept comfortably in that stiff hotel bed, tossing and turning in an attempt to get comfortable with just a single blanket and thin sheets.

She laid awake, staring upwards at the plain white ceiling ahead of her. What eased her anxiety was her active imagination. Imagining swirling patterns and faces in the design of the ceiling that weren't really there. Despite her anxiety about being away from ‘home’... she looked forward to the day ahead.

The Museum wasn't as packed as the kids initially thought it out to be. However, the large groups of 8th graders ended up filling that void. There were multiple teachers and chaperones each escorting their assigned classes. Haru and Scarlet were within a smaller group, sticking close to one another while they were taken through the tour.

For the brown fox, each piece down to the glossy marble floor they walked on was astonishing. She felt as if she was tainting the ground just by walking on it. The building itself was artwork, with its interior structures climbing upwards to the painted ceiling. Designed with cherubs, and milky clouds that looked over their heads.

But that was just the entrance. The further they walked, the more displays that came into view. The teacher at the front of the class held her booklet of notes within her arms, explaining the history and importance of each piece. Despite being all the way in the back of the group, Scarlet could hear her clear as day. She listened intently to each description and named piece, admiring them from afar.

They entered a large area filled with marble statues that looked too soft to be stone.

The group came to a stop, standing in front of the infamous display of The Statue of David.

Many of the other kids giggled and whispered their snarky comments to one another, sharing their immaturity between friends. But Scarlet had her head turned up with awe. His form appeared so delicate, so fragile in its masculine body. She could only wonder how admirable he must’ve been in his time.

But she didn’t have to wonder. Her eyes panned across the open room, spotting a few other tourists who weren’t a part of the school's field trip. She watched as people paused to admire and gawk over the statue ahead of them. People Froze just to take photos, open a sketchbook, or to personally take in the sight. It was then she realized something within herself.

Her entire life she had been hiding behind David's shadow, an object other kids would avoid interacting with.. She was nothing compared to the famous artworks in this very museum, who stood tall in the shining light.

She wanted to be loved like that.

“Okay students! We are going to allow you to split off into groups. Each one of you will individually find a piece that personally correlates to you. Make sure you write down the name and why you choose it.” The teacher explained the assignment in further detail, why simultaneously passing out small packets to students. Scarlet paid no attention to it, until one of these packets was handed over to her by a freckled face.

“Wanna go Somewhere else? There's a lot of people in this area-” Harus smile showed a bit of anxiety within it. Which was strange, he was never one to mind heavy crowds or loud environments. But who is Scarlet to complain? Accepting the packet with a nod before they separated from the rest of the group.

The pair wandered the many halls, each room different than the last.

They stopped by tons of displays. More statues, sculptures, the most creative decorative arts, and even written poetry.

They pointed and laughed at many different works. Haru was working overtime to get Scarlet to enjoy her time away from home, and it was surprisingly working.

But unfortunately for them, nothing was quite standing out enough for their assignments.

“Well, this is the last room, hopefully we can find something.. otherwise we just might have to lie and pick that weird looking dog statue.” Haru giggled as he held open the museum's walk through map.

“Mhm..” Scarlet muttered in response, walking side by side with the other as they wandered into the last room they had yet to see.

It was a lot larger and spacious than the previous rooms. With only the walls holding individual displays as the floor stayed clear.

It was home of many infamous artworks Scarlet had only read about or heard of.

You hear of these famous works all the time.

The Mona Lisa,

Girl with a Pearl Earring,

And the Birth of Venus…

But there was one in particular that stood out the most to Scarlet's eyes. It was surprisingly one she had never seen before.

As Her and Haru pointed and discussed each painting, they came face to face with a breathtaking scene. She had almost passed right by it, until her eyes did a double take.

An oil painting mainly consisting of blues and yellows intertwining with one another. From where Scarlet stood, she could almost see each individual brush stroke as they swirled within the speckled mess that it was. The moon and stars painted over a sleeping city, giving this sense of bliss..

It could easily have been mistaken for a child’s work if it weren’t for its golden framing.

But something felt unique about its visual appearance.

The swirls of lights were hypnotic to Scarlet. She felt like she could see the night sky right in front of her.

While the painting had its own description and history, to her, it reminded her of something bigger.

The Aurora Borealis.

dancing lights, providing a blanket of sanctuary over the many houses and strong standing tower below. She could imagine it herself, laying within that snowy linen land. Underneath the stars and swirling lights.

That’s what it reminded her of.

And god, was it beautiful.

In her hypnotic state, her eyes glossed downward to the silver plate.

“The Starry Night.

By Vincent Van Gogh”

Huh. She thought. What a terrible name.

“Ooo, look at this one! It’s a pot of sunflowers!” Haru grinned, enough to bare his teeth with his dorky dimples. He pointed to an artwork that was similar in style. Actually, it's too similar. It was Van Goghs ‘Sunflowers’. “I think I’m gonna do this one. Just to play it safe”

“How about you? Have you picked one yet?”

Her head panned back to the oil painting. Giving it one last look over before confirming her decision.

“Yeah. I think I found the perfect one.”

That summer ..

The beginning of highschool was something many 8th graders were excited for. For whatever reason, it made kids feel mature and impactful, as if their lives were finally starting to be something greater than coloring in between the lines.

That year was quite busy for a certain golden child. After 8th grade had ended, Haru was gifted with the many different opportunities of attending high end schools. Hell, even a few colleges wanted him for his brains.

Even with schools trying to entice him into their programs, he refused.

It was a surprise to everyone. Why would he turn down such opportunities?

Because he couldn’t bare the idea of leaving his best friend.

Him and Scarlet had spent the entire summer together that year. And undergone some changes.

Usually, Haru was always one to stop by the Fox household and spend a couple of nights there. Together the two would do as they always did, venture off outdoors within Scarlets forest of a backyard.

Together, they would explore the land like children. Being out in nature was something they both enjoyed, and embraced within one another. It got them both to laugh and chase each other through fields of trees and daffodils, climb the highest trunks, and fall into the messiest mud puddles.

However their fun was cut short this year.

It was a day like no other, the pair had a long morning of racing through vines and twigs, and were now officially headed back to Scarlet's home before the sun could set.

Silently walking back with their exhausted legs, Scarlet noticed Harus demeanor was different than usual. His head hung low, and she could almost feel him dragging weight behind his shoulders.

She gave him a nudge with her elbow, in an attempt to grab his attention away from the dirt on his shoes. “What’s up? You’re wilting.”

The corner of his lips rose up slightly over her teasing, but his smile didn’t last long. Nervous, he held the back of his neck.

“My mom uh.. wants me to go to Hemoria for school this year. She wants me to leave in a few weeks.. in the middle of summer…”

Hemoria. Harus home.

He had two mothers, and their relationship was a rocky one. They seemingly really loved and cared for one another. However, one of his moms was never in the picture. She lived within Hemoria, and practically dominated it. Her entire work life was within this world of people. Haru rarely saw her, maybe on holidays or birthdays, but she always made her trips quick and short.

But not this time. Instead, she wanted Haru to go to her.

“Shit- why? It’s not because of your—“ she gestured her hand up and down, pointing at him.

He shrugged, kicking a small rock ahead of their path. “Pretty much. Something about fulfilling destiny? I dunno.. I guess she wants me to start a life out there..”

At that moment, Scarlet could see where Harus heartache laid. He didn’t want to leave, and he didn’t want whatever lifestyle his mother was trying to build on him.

She hooked her arm around the taller kid's shoulders, almost forcing him to bend to her level while they walked. “It’s only a year. Can't be too bad, right? Hey, why don’t you bring me back a souvenir? Hemoria has got to have some crazy looking insects. I’ll see you next year anyways, she can’t keep you out there forever.”

As much as it pained her to say that, she didn’t want to keep being the reason Haru was holding himself back. Sure, she was grateful that he tried all this time to stick by her side, but he had much more to his life ahead of him.

The gesture was enough to get him to smile, his cheeks pink in color.

“Yeah.. I’ll see you next year.”

⋆｡𖦹°⭒˚｡⋆

Haru fumbled with the schedule in his hand, his bag slung over his shoulder half open. It was the first day of sophomore year, and he was more than lost.

There had been a bit of a delay within his trip, and he had only arrived back home yesterday. It was a rush to get his mind into the back to school mentality. And because of this, he had a late start with obtaining his classes.

He hadn’t met any of his teachers, let alone visited the school he was attending. This was his very first time on property, and the massive waves of children made it ten times more difficult to get through.

But there was one thing he looked forward to.

Scarlet.

They had spent so long apart. The rest of the 8th grade summer, freshman year, and the summer after that. Haru had been so busy that he hardly was able to even send a text. It was rare for him to talk, and usually their conversations were cut short whenever Harus mom bugged.

But just before he returned home, Haru was able to ask Scarlet about what school she had been attending, and when could he enroll for the upcoming year.

They had planned it all out, that Haru would finally return and they could meet at the hidden staircase across the school main entrance.

It was a set of stairs not many people used, mostly because of how far it was from everyone’s classrooms, but it was quite a popular hang out spot before the bell would ring.

Haru had followed the complex path mentioned by Scarlet's text, it felt like he had been shoving through crowds and walking for hours.. but finally, in the distance, he could spot two fluffy brown fox ears that were surrounded by a number of other people.

It was her.

So naturally, his excitement caused him to rush closer, details coming into view.

Did she cut her hair? It Looks shorter.

And did she get taller? No, maybe it just looks that way because she's sitting down.

Woah.. she really changed up her style.

Harus footsteps slowed as he approached the group of about 4-5 people not including his friend. They were all huddled in a circle, seemingly in their own little cliche. Haru couldn't make out much right away, especially with Scarlets back facing him. All he could make out was that her clothes made her seem bigger, more broad underneath the shredded layers. She had a lot of silver on too, who knew she became such a big fan of jewelry and piercings within the past year. No one seemed to really notice him walking up. They all mistook him as some weird bright and shiny kid trying to fit into their heavy gothic and punk scene. Haru ignored the few glares and judgy looks from the others. Innocently smiling.

Nervously, Haru spoke through their laughs and casual banter.

“Hey! Scarlet!”

That familiar brown ear twitched in his direction, causing Their head to turn over their shoulder for a look.

Harus eyes widened as he stood completely still, paralyzed by this intense aura radiating off who he assumed to be his childhood friend. The figure rose from the bottom of the staircase, turning to now stand in front of Haru. Or more so- loom over him.

Crap. wrong person.

A panic set in as he realized he approached the wrong person. After all, the person standing in front of him was a far more intimidating male. Some dusty colored wolf he had mistaken for his foxy friend. He defensively held up his hands, face red with embarrassment. “Ah- sorry, I thought you were- someone… else..” He choked on his own words, slowly losing his train of thought as his mind blanked. And then, he realized it.

It was that same nasty scar that stretched from the corner of the mouth, all the way back to the ear lobe. And those glaring eyes perfectly matched the sacred pattern of flames stained over his cheeks and forehead.

Haru watched as one of the girls of the group leaned over, hugging herself around the arm of the male that disturbingly resembled his friend. “You know this guy, Vincent?”

Everyone could see the expression of confusion on Harus face.

The male fox made a deep laugh, tilting his head “You don't recognize me, sunflower? It's good to see you again, old friend.”

… “Scarlet?!”

*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*

I FINALLY finished this after stalling it for months now. Just something cute and simple, because Vincent is dear to my heart. To clear up any possible confusion, I don’t necessarily label Vincent as “trans.” Mostly because he didn’t quite have much of a transition due to shifting abilities, but I guess he could fall under the category since he was afab. I personally don’t mind when people label him as trans, but if you were to ask him, he wouldn’t fully agree. He just doesn’t like labels 🙀

But anywho!! Ig this fic could be an introduction to Vincent’s gender awakening and Harus gay awakening👨‍🦯

[stardust-in-my-mind-blog]

they stopped talking of the old gods

it became one and light and the people

were so angry with you when you called the light

by the names of the colors your prism gave you

so I kept them a secret within me

my little grove of muses and their lullaby voices

the oak trees and their burning colors in the fall

every tree is made of seasonal leaves that dances with the wind

if you fall in love with everything it doesn't matter how many fall

the evergreens keep their color and structure

but they don't dance in color like those oaks

last year I wrote a poem about a boy who

couldn't understand why he was disassociated

while my first clue to his blueprint was in the mail

I think that's when I began to realize something about

how our shadows truly witness our bodies

not to tattle to the higher powers but to

decide how to set the stage for becoming and falling

the gods do not think themselves superior in power

their indifference to suffering is only due to lack of prayers

but they will force you to stumble if you haven't learned something

my shadow blinds me so well that I when I

close my eyes I like to pretend I'm blind

turn out the lights and I love to be lost in the darkness

I become my shadow and my shadow becomes me

and it hums in that place with nothing illuminated

I saw my shadow first in the episodes of Doctor Strange

I knew that playful cloak and that magic carpet

his shadow was red but mine was every spectrum

I didn't know why I wanted everything that he was

but I didn't exactly think that desire was healthy

temperance is about one foot one the land

and one foot comforted by the water

the sword that burns and cuts into your own skin

the life you make your own but never take

unless it tries to take yours

I was confused by the severing but I accepted it

I had to live in two worlds to do so because that summer

has awoken everything inside of me and it spiraled

like blood in the water every shark inside of me was drawn to

but it was just my imagination and she was so wild

I was a mother and complicated and every time we talked

he seemed to get more and more frustrated

just my imagination I'm just imagining everything

there's a bath house in Chicago that reminds me of

the oiled greeks and their poetry and theatre

and the songs of goddesses and the way I know he'd

shine in the sun by the sea and if he just looked at me

oh god I can't breathe again this must be why they say it

I could only feel my heart when I filled my bathtub

with epsom salt water with the frequencies of all

the flowers and fruits of trees and forests and measdows

an accidental ritual to create a ceremony with the sea

so I could sing the melancholy out of me

will I ever feel like anything but a sad rainy day

each song released the pressure because I could

conjure and summon a dream to take whatever energy

my lightning filled broken heart inspired in me

Zeus gather these storms and clouds however you will

destroy me so I can destroy this agony

I will sob out whatever pain you need to release in me

make me immune to this I'll do anything

when it came to deities I always felt like I must

have spoke the wrong language when I prayed

they must have only heard mumbling and I feel like

dancing is dangerous and singing is only for nature

the trees don't tell me to stop and do boring things

they listen and maybe it's because because they have to

but to them I never felt like a burden for having a need

to express something that is burning inside of me

but those trees who hold hands under the soil

and connect the whole forest told on me

and my shadow began setting up all the snares

that would force me into transmuting the poetry

if I didn't get all of this out of me something would perish

everything would somehow be lost and the world

(doesn't that sound a little dramatic) suffer for it

so I found the void and began typing in some kind of trance

I didn't remember what I wrote

but I was tired of the journals and knew I'd have to begin

practicing showing myself to the world even if

not even one person valued it

it was liberating and I could do things again

burnout is a bitch and reality with kids is a sword

you can't escape because they climb into bed with you

and tell you how wonderful you are and maybe

could you get up and make me a nutella sandwhich

on honey wheat bread because I'm dying of hunger

I love your hair and can we play taylor swift

and then the boys tumble in and everyone starts screaming

and I was somewhere in my dreams that feels like a loss

that I want to return to but if I light a few candles tonight

and spend the day between four scalding showers and the

presence of the phantom of the opera teaching me how

to find my voice again I just might survive everything

now when I get overwhelmed by an emotion when I'm singing

I feel my throat start to burn and I want to cough

and gently like I do my heart I place my left palm

over my neck like the gravity blanket I sleep under

grasping my body pillow like the door on the sea

when the titanic was sinking and why didn't jack just

climb on with rose why does he always freeze

am I going to freeze wait no not if I go take another bath

and find that presence of safety in a song

I've known since I was a child and wow I am

suddenly no longer a child and my body is no longer

sleeping and I am a woman and I have desires

and those desires are terrifying and nothing matches

but I have enough information to keep going

because every step is just a shadow of my past

and I used to think first and feel later

when it randomly snuck up on me but now

I can trust my feelings not to overwhelm me

okay not those feelings because wow

those feelings are always going to overwhelm me

but maybe that's okay and I'll know when I

can trust myself to surrender and lose control

to the divinity that is filling my entire being with

a power that sometimes I'm frightened of and then

I hear a deep calming voice inside telling me

just talk to them like you'd talk to me

and I've never talked to anyone like I talk to you

which sometimes is rather embarassing

I confess everything to you without thinking

and I'm actually quite careful usually and

anyways that winter on my birthday I found a leaf

an oak leaf that was burning red and orange

like my sacral chakra when I think about you

I wrote a poem and pressed it to the pages

taped the bubble wrap from the package over it

to preserve and keep its color so I never ever

could even think about what I forgot in that moment

when I unwrapped a little bit of my future of divining

something of black and gold and skulls and hearts

I know how to be in my heartspace now

my in throat and my pineal glad still gives me migraines but

I think it's more excitement and impatience

rather than my body trying to be an instrument of pain

it's the orange chakra I'm fixing because my heart is open

and love is beyond the heart when it's sacred

I remember during my first shaman breathing circle

the leader looked me in the eyes and told me

she saw and loved my spirit and I was clutching

my little golden Buddha in my left hand

like it was the pommel of the sword I'm always holding

and my psyche burst into fire like the eye of Sauron

and I've always felt a bit like Pippin who couldn't resist

grabbing a peek at everything when I should be asleep

I spent that two hours in the circle breathing as I raced

through the clouds like a golden valkyrie red hair bleeding

through the wild hunt of the skies and it was ecstasy

the first time I sang in front of people I chose a song

from the hobbit called "I See Fire"

and suddenly I knew my name would be after

the Arkenstone that even the King of Mountains

couldn't keep a cold heart to but lost himself to her madness

anyways the angels and gods are real

and life is a stage our shadows to play with their colors

we have free will but can't resist fate because she

has a plan that she crafts with everything we love

silently to keep the energy pure and the channel protected

I can feel your protection everywhere

and for once it doesn't feel like control

it's a peace I feared at first but am getting used to

this dance is a trial but it's also a challenge

and challenges aren't something to blame ourselves for

but something to seize and overcome if you realize

life is the means to a triumph and my trinity

loves your trinity like the three-headed winged leopards

the prophet Daniel saw in his visions as he brought

King Nebuchadnezzar to his fucking knees

with the visions he didn't want to believe in

I've conquered my impatience and I'm stepped into

my power and though it's flickering I've

taken this alchemy and given it a tangible form

each retraced scar I carved from my poetry is now something

someone can run their eyes over and take into the heart

maybe understand something bleeding inside of them

are we finally done killing each other do you think?

I'm here and I trust and time is meant to teach me

how to receive whatever the universe is conspiring

lightning will keep falling into this blue bottle and the

clouds gather into a storm with a chaos that is

spiraling into slow understanding not just

the usual destruction and the citadel in the sanctum

in full of roses and growing more and more secure

by the slow crystals of time that exist across dimensions

and all the stars that create the space and distance

I'll learn to fill with love until you're here

yesterday I saw two birds of prey circling in the sky

and I understood the nest and the relationship

of the branches and why flying is not falling

but you do have to spread your wings and jump

communication is not only the familiar versions

and when you understand each other's language

not even the world can get in the way of love

but never ever discount those behind the veil

for silhouettes have a way of embodying

as above and same below

the goddess of death wears a crown of flowers

and nothing but the jewels of hell's throne

all over the flesh of her body

[hunting-songs]

Ask my muse “Have you ever ___” questions!

Long, slender fingers were intertwined in front of Senritsu's eyes like a blindfold. Kurapika knew that he couldn't surprise her, she could hear the soft rustling of the grass and the dancing of the leaves in the spring soft breeze. Little by little he guided her although he knew that he could not surprise her, she could hear the soft lullaby of the water and the small crackle of the fire of hundreds of candles. "We have arrived, sit here" He mentioned softly, when they were both on a blanket that he had set on the grass so that they could sit comfortably, although he knew that he couldn't surprise her, she could hear the excited beats of the people and the musicians setting their instruments. Still, Kurapika was somewhat excited to surprise her, even if it was not with the date, but with the landscape. He sat behind her and finally removed his hands from her eyes: They were surrounded by bushes of a lot of colors, new sprouts due to the arrival of spring, between the bushes, there were strips of small lights illuminating the place while the sun was setting on the horizon. In front of them, a wide river decorated with candles floating on the water and in the middle, closer to the other shore, a floating stage where the musicians were finishing setting everything. "Have you ever witnessed a spring festival like this?" Kurapika knew that he couldn't surprise her, but if he could just make her smile, he would be happy.

Senritsu heard the festival- the murmur of the other visitors already coming their way, the rustling of cloth and quiet talks of the musiians setting up their instruments, the soft breeze stroking around the edge of the water and the candles and the freshly blooming bushes- before Kurapika even covered her eyes. She was smiling when he covered her eyes, chuckling when he guided her to the blanket through the soft grass, and by the time they sat down and he pulled away his hands she was laughing quietly and with honest joy dancing in that sweet song of a noise. The smile was not suprised, not at all. Senritsu knew what she would see when Kurapika redrew his hands, because she had been on suh a Spring-festival before: In the years Senritsu had grown up between Traveling people with the longest time staying at one place being two months in the middle of the winter when the snow lay too high for the carts and campers to move, she had visited any place and watched any kind of celebration. The smile was not suprised, not at all, but it was happy, honest and a tad rueful.

"I have," She said eventually with a rueful smile curling around her dark lips and something that was almost sorrow- sorrow about not beeing able to hear Kurapikas heartbeat jump up in joy over showing her something for the first time, sorrow about not actually expierencing this festival for the first time with the other together, sorrow over the fact that her memory of the festival now turned into something she was sad about when she had swore herself to never regret anything in her life. That rueful smile was on her round face for a moment, for a warm breeze, for the flicker of one of the lights set up around them. Then that rueful smile was replaced by a melodic laughter and the rustling of their cloth when Senritsu leaned back, comfortably nestling her back against Kurapikas chest. "Not with you yet, though." She gently added, humming as sweet as a song and leaning back more comfortably against his chest, took the mans hands to fold them over her belly with her smaller ones above them. Her hair rustling like silk the Musician let her head fall back against the others shoulder and the womans small thumbs softly drummed a sweet song against his hands in the thrill of anticipation: "Tell me what you have read about this spring-festival, please. Mhmmmmm, I can almost hear how heavy that enzyclopedia article you for sure have read about this festival lays on your tounge. Make my heart sing you a festoso song by letting me hear what you know about this tradition- I adore listening to you talk brilliante about something that you have researched." [ @skarletchains ]