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thesupernaturalhouse · 4 months ago

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Are you ready!!! I have finally FINALLY finished the hellverse worldbuilding/rewrite project and I've added a lot mroe stuff then just info on thr rings :³

Please read and tell me what you think because I spent *checks time* 12-14 hours making all this and I'd relaly appreciate it if you guys read or asked questions about it I'm very proud of the backgrounds :³

First off!!! Is of course the rings, I'll have to reblog with the bonus content since only 10 pictures are allowed per post lol

A smart for each ring, theor ruler and native species as well as a small description background is the color that represents their ring more or less

Pride purplish red, wrath red, gluttony yellow, greed yellowish green, lust purple, envy dark teal, sloth, blue

Pride!! Short summary fo the text: prides hellborn species are ethe cannibals, they stay in route due to the infinite food glitch and look the most human out of the hellborn, whoch can be their downfall as some exorcists can mistake them for sinners. They've also adopted human behavior, such as having an overlord, and particularly have taken a liking to the 1900s style

And here's imp city as a bonus!

Next is Wrath!! And the one I spent the most time on lol

Wrath summary is thst their hellborn species are Imps, which adapt to theor surrounds actually. So while Wrath born imps are much stronger, greed and gluttony imps are faster, sloth ring I'm are faster and more adapted to the cold, pride ring imps have more normal feet to help them walk faster, etc

Wrath imps are also very heat resistant, their hot springs being lava instead, imps fork other rings have less heat resistant then wrath ones

And here's gluttony!!

Hellhoudns are gluttonys native species, and because thier the most populated species there are orphanages fudged by beelzabub, though quality varies....pride has the worse due to sinners(which while they can't damage the orphanage due to a barrier its still not the best- even greens are better) while gluttony has the best

Beelzabub juice is made and affected by the general mood of the population/citizens via their energy, which is how it gets made. It doesn't negatively affect the citizens

And next is greed!

Greed by far as the most variety of species, crocodiles, snakes, alligators, lizards, sharks, etc

On one side greed is crowded and packed full of factories and mines and crime, on the other though its liek your average city, to much info to summarize so you'll have to read it yourselves

Next up is lust!!

Lust is basically hells version of ls Vagas, like greed one side if filled with sex shops and clubs and casinos, while the other is a relatively tame and normal city

Greed produces the gems while lust enchants them due to lit demons being the only hellborn species to have enough magic to enchant stuff

Next up!! Envy!!

Envy on the surface is simply an island surrounded by water, but that's simply for the non natives becauseudeewtaer is where the realy envy city is she their hellborn species can breath underwater and are also the only ones able to touch salt without getting burnt

Due to envy just being one giant ocean, they have a lot of resources, fish, coral, sand, rocks, etc, that only they can access, making it the most wealthy ring. Which also affects its citizens and makes them more introverted as their better than even else in their minds

Here's a little capital/under the water Pic as a bonus!

Next up is sloth, which I finished today at like, 1 am lol

Sloths native species consists of bovidae, specifically sheep, antelope, rams, giats, etc. They tend to stay on the softer color scale, but here they are born, which can affect what colors they are(paradise was born in gluttony and is half succubus due to the wings)

They actually eat dreams, or, not really, dreams but more the energy that demons produce whilst dreaming. It doesn't harm them and, in some cases, actually helps them if they have a nightmare.

That's all for now, the slides go into far more details than I did in these short summaries so please read them, I worked really hard on them and would appreciate the support and any questions are also welcome!

Again I'll reblog with the bonus content, or jsut make a nether post caus ei can't add anymore pics to this post🥲

#helluva boss #hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel au #helluva boss au #worldbuilding #helluva boss critical #helluva boss rewrite #hazbin hotel critical #hazbin hotel rewrite #putting those there cause the canon worldbuilding SUCKS im sorry but it does #digital art #my art #supernatural art

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mayweneverdie · 11 months ago

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LAST ONE!!! LAST ONE I SWEAR!!!! Eagle Flies road trip headcannons because I feel like he’d love country stores or roadside attractions

Aye aye captain 🫡

EAGLE FLIES ROADTRIP?!!?

Cw:

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Loves being the driver

Everyone else hates it

Usually you’ll be seated in front while Paytah is in the back

Makes lineups/playlists for roadtrips and refuses to deviate

The plan is barely a plan at all

1) go to state over 2) uuuhhhh 3) road trip!

The only thing really planned is which highways yall take so yall can hit as many road side attractions as you can

Hand on you at all times while driving

Usually on your thigh

Sometimes while yall are stopped at a gas station you and Paytah will switch seats and he won’t realize you two switched until Paytah calls him gay

When y’all inevitably pull into a parking lot to sleep for the night, it’s like you’re the third wheel

They cuddling and shit

Which seems like it should be impossible cause of the lack of room, but they figure it out

Pulls over for every major sign they see to take a picture

Finally agrees to rent a motel after two days of you begging for a real bed and shower

Ends up with a one bed room so yall have to share one bed

Or one of yall can sleep on the customary cuck chair

But usually just all three of you snoozing together until you banish Paytah to the cuck chair

After yall leave Eagle Flies likes to give you grief for it as if another night in the truck wasn’t gonna fuck up you spine

Eventually all yall decide to visit a national park for a day

He returns to his roots and makes some lizards play space invaders

Posts the worst pics of you to his story

“Delete that!”

“But you’re so cute!” (you look like you escaped area 51)

Buys a those dorky shirts and hats from the gift shop

And maybe a little treat for you

Unless Paytah eats it first

Has his phone on airplane mode almost the entire time and when he turns it off his dad is blowing up his phone wondering where tf he is

Sends a picture of the three of yall in front of the national park sign

Air plane mode turned back on

On the way back, he lets Paytah drive

He’s arguably worse than him

Drags you into the backseat to lay with him

“Don’t be fucking back there!”

You have to deal with that for the next 7 hours until yall pull into another parking lot to sleep

The final stop before getting home is to a rite aid to print off the pictures

His dad was absolutely worried and scolded him

Bro doesn’t know he has another road tripped plan for the next weekend

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I LOVE EAGLE FLIES :3

#eagle flies #red dead redemption 2 #rdr2 eagle flies #rdr2 #hes my favorite #so is paytah #paytah rdr2

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halfjeannie · 4 months ago

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So its... 6am now. Nice hour to be writing a post-sleep-jeannie reminder.

So around one hour ago I found a new friend... Or they found me. I was, as usual with this heat, on an expedition to get some water when I realized I wasnt alone. A tiny little smallest-lizard-ever was there looking all friendly (there are very few things in this world that dont look friendly to me but that's another story)

And I must admit that Im not the... Normal type of person at 5am in the morning so in my brain it was a polite thing to say hi to it. It was a normal "oh hi" instead of the truly polite version that would have been something like "Hi there little lizzy thing, have a good hunt!" But anyway, first time you meet someone has to always be awkward, so.

Thing is that I took my water and went to bed. Just to lie there wondering if I should have offered my new friend a fruit. So i got up, went to the kitchen, grabbed a fresh strawberry and took it to my reptile friend. Well, at this point many people would go like "you are not a reptile person are you". No, im obviously not.

I went back there like half an hour later and my little guy wasnt eating the strawberry. For the record, I share my house with a fat predator. Whatever I put in front of her she just eats, I even tried to convince her that plastic is not a suitable prey. So I was actually confused and starting thinking that my new flatmate could be sick.

I was obviously unable to identify what kind of reptile it was but I searched for an unespecified "what do lizards eat", cause maybe the strawberries werent part of their diet. Imagine my surprise when I read that they (mostly) only eat bugs. I was kinda shocked that bugs could deliver all the nutrients they need. So well, this is an apologize letter to my lizzard-shaped friend, I hope you find some bugs around and be happy here with us, I'll try to keep the round-shaped kitty away from you.

And I will also try to take a pic of it tomorrow if it is still around but I totally should go to sleep instead of write here about lizards and strawberries.

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crazylittlejester · 4 months ago

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did you hear about will wood on the times square billboard? anyways this isnt what this ask is about

okay i need to yap about rainworld, the only slugcat ill probably mention is arti and/or hunter

oh yeah i recently learned its rainworld/rain world. not rainworlds.

okay. so i ABSOLUTELY love the graphics in rainworld its like, the environments are so pretty ough i wanna be able to explore them freely without fear of lizards, vultures, scavengers, etc. i can in a way but its severely annoying to play as an overseer >:(

im also in love with the rainworld sandbox,, save me rainworld sandbox save me (i managed to spawn two of every lizard and i just freely threw them around. i also found the slugpup spawn button after an hour of struggle)

oh yeah the AI of the creatures is insane, instead of most games having everything with set animations its like theyre thrown onto a rig and given instincts aswell, so like two green lizards will attack eachother out of instinct, scavengers will attack artficer out of instinct (but also she just has an absolutely fucked karma and reputation in general) vultures will grab everything in sight, stuff like that

oh yeah, the rainworld slugcats have a major advantage outside of the universe of rainworld?? (shoutout to the person who told me this on my lu x rw fanfic) like, they can shoot their spears through metal, they can very easily kill something like a bokoblin in my opinion. but the rainworld environment was specifically designed to fucking hate you 🫶

dont know if i mentioned this but i DID learn what karma is, its basically just something you earn through completing a full cycle with full food pips. but dying will make the karma go down (but artificers is always going to be low) basically karma gets you through karma gates, which are the openings to new regions, oh yeah lets say a karma gate is karma 3, anything above that can also get through

fun fact the only slugcats with any connection to eachother are monk and survivor but theyre brothers. hunter also appears in a way in gourmands campaign. but it requires you to go through permadeath in her campaign (instead of counting up, her campaign counts down due to her disease) after all her cycles are done then visit where you died in hunters campaign while youre in gourmands, and boom, hunter long legs

rainworld has so many fun features ough i love it so much,, but im still stuck on monks campaign this game is not designed for the weak unfortunately and i have like 10 hours in it by now.

oh yeah heres a few rainworld screenshots i took :3 (first 2 are sandbox shenanigans, next 4 are just artificer campaign stuff, last 4 are monk campaign stuff :3)

unfortunately i will not shut up about rainworld any time soon

i did not hear about that 😭

also this game sounds super cool dude, im glad you’re havin fun with it!! also every pic i see of it, the art style just looks so awesome i love all the little guys :3

#jes talks #jes ask

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seraphdesire · 6 months ago

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Really cute lady at the bar let me do my silly autistic rambling about reptiles, particularly snakes, and she loved the pics I showed her of my own two snakes. Talked to her for like 3 hours about snakes and lizards. I folded so hard as soon as she asked me to go home with her, I was a mess. Still think about it a lot I'm hhhhhh

#snakes #reptiles #reptileblr #corn snake #autism

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drgrandie · 8 months ago

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Some Orlando vacay pics. Little lizards everywhere you walk, G2 counted 33 that crossed his path, I stopped counting at around 14. The Mellow Mushroom where we ate 3 times because it was delicious and had a variety of items. All the paraphernalia I needed when I was sick with allergies or some kind of sinus thing. Not pictured, 4 additional empty tissue boxes and the vaseline I had to use on my chapped nose. Also not pictured is a photo of the Boeing 737 we were in that sat on the tarmac for 5 hours waiting for storms to blow off to the east.

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monstersdownthepath · 2 years ago

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Monster Spotlight: Xill

CR 6

Lawful Evil Medium Outsider

Bestiary 1, pg. 283 (pic from 2e Bestiary 2, pg. 299)

These tyrannical parasites from the Ethereal Plane have a scattered, militaristic government hellbent on subjugating all non-Xill life. While this doesn’t necessarily make them different from most Lawful Evil creatures with any level of society, the general emptiness of the Ethereal Plane and the elusiveness of most other inhabitants in the transitive plane means war is all Xill society IS. Whatever infrastructure they manage to create (or, more likely, steal) is used to build weapons and armor, whatever knowledge they gather is devoted towards the capture and exploitation of other species’ and resources, whatever farms they create are solely to feed their victims, and all forms of art and entertainment are tossed aside in favor of complete military focus. A great many creatures in the Ethereal Plane are born from mortal thoughts or dreams, the incarnates of ideas themselves... so it may very well be that the Xill, whose origins are otherwise unknown, could be an invasive, living nightmare, a rogue thought escaped from a vast and alien mind, or even flesh and substance given to the very idea of conquest.

Perhaps the most alarming evidence to the latter is how they treat their victims. One may at first thing that these obviously carnivorous, predatory creatures may see all others as food, but that is, unfortunately, far from the truth. As Outsiders Xill don’t need to eat, and they don’t even have to feed on an abstract sensation like pain, fear, or love like some fancier Outsiders do. Rather, victims captured from the Material Plane are put to work at whatever tasks the Xill has for them in eternal slavery--oh, sorry, no, that was [checks notes] 99% of every other Evil always-marauding race in fiction. No, while the Xill may sometimes use captured victims as slaves, that means their bodies risk going to waste. You see, Xill are capable of infesting any form of life with their terrifically invasive eggs, with Phase Spiders--their greatest, longest-term enemy--being their favored incubators.

A Xill can Implant 2d6 eggs into a helpless creature by using a “grotesque ovipositor” located in their mouths, the tenacious young hatching a day later to consume the host from within. Each writhing lizard-bug deals 1 Con damage to the victim per hour until they’re removed (via Remove Disease or invasive, damaging surgery) or the host dies, the latter of which prompts the younglings to gorge on the tissue as much as they can before shifting back to the Ethereal and into the arms of their waiting brethren to grow into another conquering parasite. As written there’s no limit to the number of eggs a Xill can implant into a single host, nor a limit on how many eggs they can lay per day, but I’m going to go out on a limb and assume that a Xill can either only lay one clutch a day, or the maximum per host is 12... because otherwise, there‘s no mechanical reason they couldn’t capture, say, a deer, and shove 40 eggs into it.

But how do Xill capture victims in the first place? Preferably alive. Paralytic poisons are favored whenever they can get ahold of them, but most Xill simply knock targets out via overwhelming damage. Their Multiweapon Mastery prevents them from ever taking penalties on attack rolls with their numerous weapons or from using weapons and shield-bearing claws in the same flurry of attacks. While they can comfortably wield any weapon, the example Xill wields three shortswords (1d6+3 each) and leaves one hand open to deliver a claw attack (1d4+3), the claw also capable of Grabbing victims. Even when wielding one or two shields, the claws can still be used! Their four limbs also, amusingly, allow them to use two bows at once (or two melee weapons and a bow, should they wish), the example Xill firing two longbow attacks a round for 1d8 damage if they need to take care of opponents at a range.

Bereft of weapons, a Full-Attacking Xill can use all four claws, and whether they possess weapons or are going at it feral style, they can mix their incredibly deadly bite (1d3+1) into their Full-Attack. No, the damage isn’t threatening... but the 1d4 hours of paralysis if one fails a DC 16 Fortitude save is. The damage is meant to be low, because biting victims over and over again to keep them paralyzed is how Xill prevent their incubators from becoming a danger to the eggs. Whether a battle ends once an enemy is laid low by damaging attacks or by their paralytic bite, a Xill can then Planeswalk with a helpless (or willing, if they threaten a victim into compliance) to or from the Ethereal Plane. Their Planeswalk has no cooldown or per-day restriction, but takes two entire full rounds to pull off, which thankfully means that the threat of kidnapping a paralyzed party member is low, but not zero, especially since Xill become harder and harder to hit as they fade away.

Also, to close on some fun facts and DM advice: While it’s more likely than not to encounter a Xill hunting to begin its own colony, they heartily embrace the idea of working together, and an army of Xill hunting as one can disappear entire towns in a single day, making them excellent foes for parties to face at just about any level in their adventuring career. HOWEVER! Due to the animosity between the Xill and every other species in the Ethereal, a party hoping to battle against an especially massive Xill incursion may be able to find unlikely allies in the plane of ghosts and memories... and depending on the scale of the invasion, they may need to.

You can read more about them here.

#Monster Spotlight #CR 6 to 10 #Pathfinder #Dungeons and Dragons

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freackthejester · 1 year ago

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I am still pissed about being called straight the other day by a guy who had just an hour before bragged about sending a consensual dick pic to a gold star lesbian.

Strangers definitely read me as male in my customer service job, but pretty much all the co-workers know that I'm afab and basically a woman, in terms of getting mad about the patriarchy and having tits and how I identify. There's a tendency for some people who know me medium-well or run in queer circles to call me 'they' and that's perfectly alright and friendly, a reasonable thing to default to when i am that asshole who refuses to answer The Question.

Do I have to come out waving asexual pride flags and Detransitioned Lizards in order to be recognized? Do I have to degrade myself to participating in go buy a flag culture?

Thats how he said it too, the little bastard, he said it was weird that a person would get booked on a Queer show (stand-up comedy) just because they (I) look queer even though they (I) are (am) straight.

You motherfuckingasshole . We're comedians. I'm joking. I'm dodging the question. I'm not part of you're system maaaaaaannaaannnnn.

My belonging in the LBTQIA+ community is the only irretactable part of my social identity. Homophobes don't like me. I'm that scary Political Lesbian who read the SCUM Manifestio and quit men but has a tough time warming up to women because y'all deal with way toofuckingmuch so what am I now except kind of ugly?

and Proud?

#i say stuff #detransition #not liking the suggested tags on that post #I'm so angry all the time but I'm fine because my anger is tamable and keeps me safe

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damienthepious · 2 years ago

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continuing to be unhinged on main, i guess the florist/tattoo artist au has another chapter now??? but THIS time i truly think that’s it. that’s it! I’m tapped for this au. unless i think of something else fun. and then all bets are off.

Budding, Blooming (chapter 2)

[ch 1] [ao3]

Fandom: The Penumbra Podcast

Relationship: Lord Arum/Sir Damien, Sir Damien/Rilla, Lord Arum/Rilla, Lord Arum/Sir Damien/Rilla

Characters: Lord Arum, Sir Damien, Rilla

Additional Tags: Second Citadel, Lizard Kissin’ Tuesday, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, (but there’s still monsters), Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Pre-Relationship, Romantic Tension, Poetry, Flowers, Valentine’s Day, (implied but not stated. could be a some weird modern-citadel fest), DOESN"T MATTER

Summary: ... Was he asking for a date, though?

Notes: okay fuck. alright. okay so there's more. it's fine. thank you for uhhhh sticking with me as i took an unexpected month off!! felt weird, gang. felt real weird.

Arum feels... unsettled as he locks up the shop, that evening. He half expected Damien to have returned before he finished, considering- well. Considering. But the street is dark and still shining with the brief rain from a few hours earlier, and it is entirely empty of meddling poets as Arum flicks the keys around his fingers, his shoulders sagging with a sigh.

Long, grueling day. Damien hadn't been the only annoyance, of course. He hadn't even been the worst annoyance, surprisingly, and Arum is... tired. Perhaps he should have told the poet to come another day- tomorrow, or next week, or-

(Enough time to talk himself out of the idea.)

"Did he finally get up the nerve?"

Arum jumps, the keys flinging off his fingertips and hitting the pavement with a heavy chime as he whirls, teeth automatically bared and another hand clenching hard behind his back.

"What?" he snaps sharply, embarrassed without really knowing why, and then-

It's the woman from across the street, from the tattoo shop. Amaryllis- Rilla, Damien's- his-

(Once or thrice she has stopped by, warm and chipper and citing small business owner solidarity with a smile, chatting amiably about her almost-botany-degree while acting as if Arum isn't the most uncomfortable and asocial monster to ever crawl out of the swamp. She's sourced rare or monstrous flowers through him before, too, both for her own personal collection and because pics on the internet aren't good enough, I want this piece to work and I want hands on the real thing for my preliminary sketches. Which Arum... could not help but respect. It makes sense, to Arum, that Damien would fixate on someone like her.)

(She goes by Rilla, he knows, but Damien's insistence every single time he tried to plan an arrangement for her, every time, it needed amaryllis, he must add amaryllis, and amaryllis for Amaryllis caught in his head sturdy enough that he cannot seem to shake that name.)

(And now she's here in front of his shop and almost leering while Arum is distracted thinking about Damien and she's asking about- what? What-)

"Whoa, sorry," she says, grinning in a decidedly unapologetic way as she lifts her hands. "Didn't mean to scare you."

"You- would hardly say that you-" he huffs, flicking his tail to snag the keys and dropping them back into his hands. "I am fine."

"Right," she says, her eyes dancing (reminding Arum forcefully of one of Damien's poetic scraps), and then she tips her head. "I was just curious, y'know. The holiday and all, and he came out of here absolutely bouncing. He usually looks like a wet puppy when he leaves your shop, you know."

"What?" Arum says again, pulling his head back. "Who?" he asks, despite the fact that his stomach is clenching with a certainty that he does, in fact, know who.

"Damien, that cute poet boy," she says, her mouth curling into a warmer smile. "He's friends with my brother, so he stops by the parlor sometimes. Or- they're friends now," she says, rolling her eyes and gesturing to nothing before she shakes her head. "It was a whole thing, before, but- nevermind, not the point. Did he finally...?"

She leaves the question in a suggestive stretch, her eyebrows rising as she trails off, and Arum clenches his hands and stiffens with another wave of incomprehensible embarrassment, his throat ticking in a helpless rattle and his traitor frill rising at his neck.

"I don't know what you could mean," he rushes in a single breath, wrinkling his snout with as much disdain as he can muster.

"Aw, c'mon," she wheedles, leaning closer as Arum stiffens. "I've been dying over there watching him dance circles around you."

"Around-" Arum sputters, flicks his eyes away. "Around me?"

Some of the smirk falls out of Amaryllis' smile, then, her expression softening. "It looked like he asked you out. That's all. I don't mean to be nosy, I just-" she pauses, then laughs. "I just am. Nosy, I mean."

Arum barks a laugh at that, helpless against it, and then he huffs a breath and glances to the side, to the still empty, still rain-wet street gleaming in the light from the shops. "I don't-"

And he pauses.

Did- was that-

He had assumed, from Damien's tone, from the context of the day and-

"He asked if he could come meet me," Arum says slowly. "After my shift was over. I don't... I don't know if he meant..."

He trails off, stomach twisting, suddenly much more uncertain, and then he looks to Amaryllis again. Her smile twitches as she meets his eye, and she nods, her expression going thoughtful and sympathetic.

"That sounds like he was asking you out?" she says, her inflection swooping upward at the end. "I would think?"

She pauses, while Arum's stomach continues to do unhelpful little turns, his hands flexing, and then she tips her head gently to the side.

"Did you... want him to be asking you out?"

Usually, Arum only wishes that he could sink into the mantle of the planet once per day at the very most. This holiday might kill him, he muses.

"N-no," he sputters after a suspicious beat. "He is- he- utterly obnoxious, and-"

"So... that isn't what the flowers are for," she drawls, her eyelids lowering and her smirk reemerging with a sly little twist (another poem screams to the forefront of Arum's mind, distracting as a flitting moth).

Arum stiffens further as the words sink into his mind. He clenches the hand already held behind his back, ineffectually trying to hide- the bouquet.

(Ridiculous. This was ridiculous. Two canceled orders and a few minutes stolen time and the vague idea that Damien would like these colors together, the memories of the flowers Damien gravitated towards when he would plan out his own arrangements-)

He manages a sound that could be half the word no, an awkward nasal humming, and then his voice fails entirely as the compulsive rattling growl in his throat takes precedence.

Amaryllis giggles, and Arum does not know why he does not instantly take offense to the noise. Perhaps because it sounds entirely joyful, and not at all mocking.

He sighs, after a moment, relaxing his arm and holding the bouquet at his side rather than behind his back. "Perhaps," he admits, but then he glances back through the unlit shop window, to where he can see the clock. "Though I'm not certain that it matters."

Her smile subsides a little, her head tilting. "Hm?"

"He's... late."

He told Damien he would be done around seven. He had been optimistic, apparently. It is already nearing eight, and... he and Amaryllis are still alone on the dimly lit street. He had been (without admitting it to himself) keeping an eye on the door since six thirty, for all the good it did him.

"Oh," Amaryllis says, and Arum turns his attention to her again at the quiet note of sympathy in her voice. "Maybe he... lost track of time?"

Arum thinks of the hours that Damien has previously spent agonizing about his potential purchases, and decides that the possibility is entirely likely. He is unsure if that makes him feel any better, however.

He realizes, belatedly, that Amaryllis has stepped a little closer, and he tries not to visibly tense as she lifts a hand.

"Can I see?" she asks, and Arum can't quite think of a reason to say no. He sighs again, lifting the bundle and allowing her to brush, just barely, the petal of one of the flowers. "It's pretty. The colors-"

"It was the best I could do with scraps," he deflects, shrugging one shoulder.

"It's pretty," she repeats with a stubborn lilt, glaring up at him as she gently cups a hand around one of the few roses he'd managed to salvage, a dusty pale purple thing, and the way her fingers curl against the petals is almost protective. There is something about the gesture that Arum feels like he needs to look away from. "And it's very sweet of you."

Arum grumbles, some part of himself distracted with wondering if he has ever in his life before been called sweet.

She seems to realize that she's still got her hand in his flowers, and she shifts backward without taking a step, dropping her hands back to her sides and briefly biting her lip.

"Tell you what," she says, and then she- she hesitates for a half second, ducking her head and then looking up at Arum with her dark, oddly searching eyes. "I'll wait with you. If he doesn't come..." she shrugs, "I'll walk you home."

Arum's instincts flare in at least three directions, after a moment of confused sputtering he hones in on his indignation, stiffening.

"I do not need your pity," he says, only barely managing not to spit, and Amaryllis-

Half-steps back, blinking as her expression opens in surprise.

"Wh... whoa, what? No, no, I just-" she shakes her head, giving a stunted, embarrassed laugh. "Being stood up sucks for anyone," she says, "and I just- I mean, it isn't like I haven't thought about it, y'know? You've got this whole," she pauses to gesture with a hand, up and down Arum's entire body as if that explains anything, "this whole thing, hold yourself all regal and- if we weren't both so busy constantly it might've been nice to try- to ask- I don't know, I don't-"

She pauses more fully, lifting her shoulders as she takes a deep breath and then releases it, giving Arum a wincing smile as he stares at her, still uncomprehending.

"I am... making a complete ass of myself, aren't I?"

She waits for him to answer, which means that Arum needs to come up with one. He can feel his tail twitching behind him, so he tries to curl it around his ankle to keep from hitting anything.

"I don't have the first idea what any of that meant," he admits, and she exhales a sigh that sounds relieved.

"That's fine, that's great, I was just- what I meant was, I don't want to walk you home out of pity. I want to walk you home because- because I just want to. It isn't like I have anyone else to take me out tonight, anyway," she adds, not sounding bothered about it.

Arum turns that over, then slowly gives a nod.

"Solidarity again," he murmurs, and Amaryllis snorts.

"Well- not exactly, but- fine. Yeah, that works."

Arum considers letting it drop there, but-

"If not that, then what?" he asks, his voice sounding tired even to his own ears, and she gives him a searching look.

"I like you," she says after a beat, and then she shrugs as Arum's comprehension staggers to another halt. "I'm literally too busy to date, so it's not like I was planning on doing anything about it, but- you're fun to talk to, you're gorgeous, I like talking to you," she shrugs again, a little too casual, and realization hits Arum like a physical blow that she's nervous about this, at least to some degree. "And I don't want you to have to walk home alone in the dark on some big dumb romance holiday when I could walk with you instead. So."

Arum stares at her for another long moment, but-

Before he can respond, he hears footsteps on wet pavement, and he turns his head at precisely the right moment to see Damien round the corner at an anxious jog, skidding on the turn, a journal overflowing with stuffed in pieces of extra paper clutched against his chest.

"Arum, I-"

Damien twitches with his entire body when he recognizes Amaryllis, the nervousness in her expression replaced now with amusement and delight, and-

The three of them... stare. At each other. Arum considers his third bout of wishing for swift removal from the planet. Damien looks as if he may have forgotten how to breathe air. Amaryllis only looks more amused with each moment.

But then Arum-

(Flowers in his hand. Bouquet here and now between Damien and Amaryllis. A box full of poems. Love poems.)

Arum has a moment of clarity.

He understands what he should do, even as Damien finally takes a breath to collect himself and and steps forward again. It makes Arum feel as if his stomach has vanished, but... well. It doesn't matter.

Arum holds the flowers up, pressing them into Damien's hands as the poet flushes dark and sputters wordlessly, and then Arum turns towards Amaryllis.

"He hasn't been coming by my shop for my sake," he explains, his voice strangely calm. "He was trying to pick out the perfect flowers for you, and the nerve to give them. Because he adores you," he continues, watching Amaryllis' lips part with surprise. "He's written dozens of poems for you and doesn't consider any of them sufficient to present to you, despite their beauty and deftness. He-" Arum inhales, a hint of a shake entering his voice. "He made a mistake, earlier today. I made him feel guilty. He was trying to... make up for inconveniencing me. But it is you, that he wishes to be with."

Arum makes himself turn towards Damien, then, who has returned to open gawping, his hands clutched hard around both his journal and the flowers.

"You should give those to her, honeysuckle," Arum says, because that's what happens next, isn't it? And Arum can- he can go. He's no longer needed in this exchange, and he can finally escape this whirlpool of discomfort and go back to-

Being alone.

"Hey whoa hold up-"

Amaryllis grabs his wrist before he can even finish turning, which is so surprising that Arum fully freezes instead of pulling away like he should.

"I- what? You can't just drop a bomb like that and leave."

Arum glances between the two of them, who- why are they both looking at him? Shouldn't they be- he doesn't know, falling into each other, already? It should be abundantly clear that Arum has no place here, between them.

Damien's pout is firmly aimed in his direction, however. And he glances down at the bouquet for a heartbeat, his face softening, before he shuffles the book into that hand as well, carefully juggling both objects so he can step forward and take one of Arum's other hands, his brow furrowed.

"I did not make a mistake, today," he says, and Arum is mortified to find that his voice sounds hurt. "It is-" he flushes, but perseveres, "it is true that I have been... contemplating a romantic gesture towards- towards Rilla, yes, but- but that does not mean that my words to you today were a mistake." He swallows, glancing to Amaryllis for a moment, and adds, "I apologize, that you needed be told in this way. You deserve far more than that, I should say."

"Don't mention it," Amaryllis says, her nose wrinkling as she flaps a hand in the air. "If it makes you feel better, I kinda figured you had the hots for Arum and I was stuck across the street wishing I had more free time to join the flirting."

Arum feels his frill twitch and Damien gives a startled laugh of his own.

"Flirting with- with who, may I ask?"

Amaryllis shrugs, grinning again, still holding Arum's wrist. "No wrong answers, there, I think," she says slyly, and Arum chokes on a breath, unfortunately drawing both of their attentions again. "So. Wait," Amaryllis says, tilting her head to the side. "So... Damien. You- you like me?"

Damien's flush deepens, and his throat seems to have failed to work, but he does manage to nod, his expression almost brokenly shy. Amaryllis, conversely, grins even wider.

"And you like Arum," she continues, and Damien nods again, his brow furrowing, obviously as uncertain as Arum is, as to where, precisely, she's going with this line of thinking. "So you like me and Arum, and honestly I've been fighting back crushes on the both of you for weeks now, and Arum- the date and the flowers, I think you probably like Damien back, yeah?" she asks, but she doesn't actually seem to expect an answer, this time. "And... do you feel any sort of way about me?"

Arum stiffens, two of his hands still clutched in their absurdly warm grasps, feeling utterly trapped. But-

He swallows. He glances down at each of them, hesitant and unable to hold their gazes for more than a moment each.

"You-" he hesitates, then jumps when he feels Damien squeeze his hand. "You inspire poetry," he says in a rush, and then he looks away entirely, growling low in his throat without meaning to. "Your work is exquisite and your laugh reminds me of sunlight," he adds, still growling, still not looking.

And then Amaryllis drops his hand, and he lets himself look again, startled into another spike of anxiety, but all she's done is pressed a hand over her heart, her bottom lip pulled between her teeth and her expression very tentatively hopeful. She inhales, deep but shaky, and then she quirks a smile and holds her hand out again, offering rather than taking.

"Pretty much every restaurant is going to be full up tonight," she says, "so if we want to go somewhere to talk and have some coffee, maybe... my apartment is above the shop. We could... we could go sit down, maybe. Talk a little bit more about... who likes who. And if we might want to do something about that."

Arum- blinks, then glances down towards Damien, whose expression has tilted so far past hopefulness so fast that he looks near to tears.

And he still hasn't let go of Arum's hand.

This holiday might kill him, Arum thinks again, and then-

He nods, and he takes Amaryllis' hand too.

#elle's fanfic #second citadel #rad bouquet #lizard kissin' tuesday #(it's weds in my zone now but the ao3 chapter went up before midnight!!! it fucken counts)#lord arum #amaryllis of exile #sir damien #budding blooming

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