#lumi sunlight

[five-rivers]

adequate peace

Phic phight for Lumi!

.

Human language lacked the words to adequately describe the physical appearance of the King of Ghosts.  This was sure to be a temporary deficiency.  When a human lacked the vocabulary to describe something, they either generated new words or stole them.  Still, for the moment, the deficiency persisted.  

A human attempting to describe the Ghost King might, after a struggle, settle on vast.  This, on top of being inadequate, would also be incorrect, a product of human conflating of importance and size. Serpentine might also be chosen, or mustelidine, for the King's relative length and width, although those were largely a matter of perspective.  Some humans might focus instead on individual, more easily grasped, features, such as the hair, which was the color of sunlight falling on snow after being cast through ice, or the eyes, which were the glowing green of uranium glass under blacklight.  Still others might fail to register those at all, and have difficulty perceiving the King in the proper dimensionality, resulting in things like limbs appearing to clip through wall, or even in the King being invisible, imperceptible, but doubtlessly present.  

Those with somewhat greater measure of wisdom might instead attempt to describe the King's regalia.  The cloth cut from dazzling night, clinging to every curve, flowing, diaphanous, silky, folds and layers holding secrets unknown and unknowable.  The crown, a blazing circlet, a corona of light, the sun, eclipsed.  The ring of office, adorned with the skull of a lesser, and therefore conquered, creature.  The staff, like a tower, like a needle, like the slender trunk of a sapling, not fully grown, but rich in potential.  The sword, sharp enough to cut the fabric of spacetime, light enough to hold in one hand, a perfect void, made to divide both what was and what was not.  

Or, to protect themselves and their sanity, a human may choose to focus on the King's surroundings, rather than the King's person.  The throne, which cradled the King’s body, grave, urn, and memorial, bones on an altar, a sacrifice.  The great cathedral of the King’s receiving hall, the branches of which reached up to the cosmos, the roots of which reached down to the shadows of subconscious thought.  They might look out the windows, and gaze upon the kingdom, that great kingdom of the dead, that kingdom which everyone would be a citizen of, soon or late.   

But even those were not comfortable to contemplate.  Not for long.  

It was easier by far to examine, and therefore describe, the King’s mental state.  There was nothing esoteric about it, after all.  

Mental breakdowns were perfectly within human understanding.  

Danny had been crowned only hours ago.  If he’d had a choice, he wouldn’t have been crowned at all, but as Skulker had told him years ago, the Ring of Rage and the Crown of Fire contained entities with a will of their own.  Danny had been chosen, and they weren’t going to take no for an answer.  

Thus, his current predicament.

As soon as he’d been crowned… as soon as the stupid thing had touched his head…  It was like his body evaporated off of him, and into this.  This thing he could barely understand, but could feel so, so much.  This thing that was him, undeniably and completely, and which was so alien, so divorced from what he understood to be himself, that he couldn’t even begin to think about it.  

He wasn’t bigger.  He wasn’t smaller.  When he counted his limbs, he had the right number.  When he touched his mouth, he had only one.  One mouth, one nose, two eyes, two ears.  Nothing had been removed.  Nothing had been added, except for those infernal crown jewels  That’s what he felt when he checked.  

But he could see forwards and backwards, both down and up.  His lips were closed but he was singing, speaking, babbling, screaming.  He could feel feathers as they brushed against the throne and through the walls of the keep.  Scales scraped against stone.  Stars and nebulae tangled in his horns and antlers.  

He didn’t have any of those.  His skin was intact, fleshy, and pink.  His skin was stretched to infinity, and transparent as glass, galaxies swimming beneath it.  

He couldn’t breathe.  He had to breathe.  He was breathing, but the aurora spilled past his lips with every gasp.  

In his mind’s eye floated the Earth.  A blue pearl against the black.  The Infinite Realms stood out like emeralds on a chain, each one precious.  

He curled in the great cradle of his throne, trying not to feel, trying not to think.  He was not.  He could not. 

Three years since he had really been human, and he’d never expected this.  He’d never dreamed of this.  He’d never wanted this.  

Like this, he couldn’t even pretend to be human.  

He clawed at the Ring and Crown, but even with so much power, what could he do against the very things that granted that power?  They didn’t go away, even when he reached for his living half.  They clung.  They constricted.  They were weights and chains he wanted to cast off.  

“Daniel.”

No, said Danny, although he didn’t know how.  His word echoed.  

“Daniel, you will injure yourself.”

He sobbed.  

“Please, Daniel.”  A cold hand wrapped around his wrist.  It was a hand that was three hands.  Or, rather, three versions of the same hand, layered upon itself and twisted through time.  

“I don’t want this,” said Danny.  

“I know, Daniel.”  Shifting robes tickled the edges of wings that were not there.  A tail curled at the base of the throne, and another hand laid itself against Danny’s knee.  “You are overwhelmed.”

Until Clockwork had said it, Danny hadn’t known it was true.  But there was so much here, and all of it was him.  

“You do not need to stay here,” said Clockwork, gently.  There was kindness there, and a thread of something like possession.  The words came from a well of great experience, deep and dark.  “Look up.  Anywhere you can see, you can go.  Go, and find peace from this.”

“But not forever,” said Danny.  

“Nothing is forever,” said Clockwork.  “But once you find peace from this, you may someday find peace with this.  It is a long road–” here, Clockwork placed a hand on Danny’s cheek, “--but know that time is on your side.”

Danny bit his lower lip, teeth both flat and fanged, and a motion like a nod stirred the inky fabrics of his cerements.  He looked up, and all his eyes were filled with stars. 

[wutherwaves]

"Hehe, busy days, but it feels great to be needed... I should keep it up!" — Lumi

From dense forests to vast wilderness, places where navigator of Lollo Logistics Lumi has traveled bear witness to her charming personality, like a shaft of sunlight. Born disciplined, she is now enjoying her daily tasks as a diligent courier, honoring her duty of punctual delivery.

src: wuthering waves EN twitter post

[we-will-be-reun1ted]

One of my headcanons is that names are borderline sacred in their culture, and only given out and used by people you are very close too. And even though they aren’t on their home world anymore, it’s just habit and natural for them to continue with that tradition. Which is why everyone calls the player twin “Traveler” aside from the abyss sibling, who calls them Aether/Lumine. and why the Traveler never refers to their sibling by name when talking about them to anyone.

(And this brings up something interesting about Dainsleif and the abyss twin’s dynamic, because he’s the only character to have used their name aside from the Traveler, which to me really shows how close they used to be. Even closer than Paimon and the Traveler.)

Oh my god I’ve never heard of anything like this before that’s so interesting

Fuck it I’m incorporating that into my own headcanons now thank you very much! I REALLY like that!

Okay I found this headcanon off someone else on tumblr a while ago but I cannot for the life of me remember who it was so credit to them wherever they are. I feel like Lumine and Aether are just shortened down names of their actual names and that their real names are Aethereal and Luminescent. (Adding my own little meaning behind the names) Aether is named Aethereal as the definition of it is ‘someone or something that is light, airy or heavenly’

I’m gonna take the light thing literally as Aether and Lumine I believe are technically somewhat made of light, with Aether having much more correspondences to sunlight while Lumine moonlight. Plus I feel like the twins are both very ethereal beings. Looking really heavenly. Like Gods almost depending on where they are.

Now Lumine. I believe her name would be Luminescent as the definition of that is ‘emitting light not caused by heat’.

That really matches her as I feel like she’s both physically and metaphorically cold. She has correspondences to moonlight which is much cooler than sunlight is.

Neither of the two really call each other their full name unless it’s something very serious or they are VERY pissed off at each other. Usually is things like ‘Lumi, Loom, Aeth, Ae’ stuff like that! If I find the original poster of their names I’ll reblog them.

Thank you once again for the new headcanon :3

[acourtofmishapandmistakes]

A Court of Ice and Shadows: Chapter 2

OC Character x Azriel

Summary: Set after "A Court of Silver Flames" (ACOSF), this story follows original character Lene, an elite warrior of the Hesker Clan from the Winter Court. Tasked with diplomatic duty in the Night Court, Lene's mission is to help retrain the Valkyries and help squash potential uprising in the Illyrian camps. As she navigates centuries-old animosities and discovers herself beyond the icy confines of her homeland, Lene must confront her past and decide who she wants to become.

Click here for other parts:

Chapter 1, Chapter 2

Characters: Featuring original characters alongside core characters from the ACOTAR series.

Disclaimers: All characters and settings pertaining to the core ACOTAR series belong to Sarah J. Maas, with additional material created for the purpose of this fanfiction

Content Warnings: None.

Note: Some words used in this story are of Norwegian or Scandinavian origin. I do not speak either language, but adapted the researched words to fit the narrative. For notes regarding any of these words, see the end of the chapter.

Chapter Two

Lene awoke to the gentle, wet nuzzles of Lumi, her spirited pet white fox, on her nose. Blinking open her eyes, she found herself gazing into Lumi’s mischievous black eyes. With a groggy hand, she reached out to scratch behind Lumi’s ears, earning a chorus of soft, happy yips. Stretching languidly, Lene yawned deeply, arms reaching towards the morning light as Lumi, energized, bounded off the bed. Her small paws clicked against the wooden floor, disappearing under the bed in a playful scurry.

Sitting up, Lene observed the soft sunlight filtering through the curtains, gently brushing sleep from her eyes. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, her feet touching the floor just in time for Lumi to playfully nip at her toes. "Lumi, sluta!" she commanded with a laugh. The little fox, undeterred but obedient, retreated under the bed, where the sound of her digging resonated softly against the wood.

After a thorough morning ritual of bathing and grooming, Lene braided her hair in an elegant crown around her head, allowing her remaining blonde locks to cascade freely down her back. She chose a red tunic edged with soft white fur and paired it with lined black trousers, slipping her boots on over them. With Lumi trailing behind her, yipping playfully, Lene made her way to the dining room for breakfast.

The dining room buzzed with the chatter of other fae women, each garbed in luxurious furs and fleeces that matched their pale winter complexions. As Lene walked in, she acknowledged the morning greetings with nods, making her way to the head of the room. The breakfast table was laden with an array of foods: stacks of fresh bread, rolls, and eggs prepared in every conceivable way, alongside bowls of various flavored yogurts and granola. With a stomach beginning to twist with nerves about her upcoming meeting with Kallias, Lene chose a simple bowl of plain yogurt.

Below the table, Lumi darted about, nearly tripping Lene in her excitement. With a smile, Lene tossed a hard-boiled egg to the floor for her fox. Lumi caught it midair and scampered off, instantly pursued by two 

Lene surveyed the bustling dining room, her gaze flitting past her grandmother, who was deeply engrossed in quiet conversation with two other venerable fae matrons. Her search for a seat continued until her eyes landed on Kindra, her forthright and somewhat boisterous friend. Kindra was animatedly waving her over, a slice of toast in hand, liberally sprinkling crumbs onto the unfortunate soul seated beside her. Lene made her way over and settled down on the ornately carved bench beside her.

No sooner had Lene taken her seat than Kindra wolfed down another mouthful of her breakfast and, without missing a beat, scooped a spoonful of yogurt from Lene’s bowl.

"Oh sure," Lene remarked dryly, "not like I was going to eat that or anything."

Kindra rolled her eyes. "There’s more up there."

"My point exactly," Lene retorted, idly stirring her yogurt.

"What’s got you in a mood?" Kindra inquired, stretching across the table to nab an apple slice from another diner, who promptly snatched her plate away.

"Nothing, just have a busy morning ahead," Lene muttered.

Kindra leaned back, eyeing the breakfast spread as she considered whether to reload her plate. "Busy with what?"

"I have a meeting with High Lord Kallias," Lene replied, taking a tentative bite of her yogurt and grimacing slightly as a wave of nausea hit her.

Meanwhile, Kindra was attempting to coax a young girl with flaming red hair and an arctic wolf at her side for another pastry. The girl merely shot her a glare and walked off, leaving Kindra to theatrically throw up her hands in mock indignation before turning back to Lene.

"What does he want?" Kindra finally asked.

"He didn’t specify, just said he wanted to meet," Lene murmured, swirling her spoon through her yogurt.

"So how long will you be gone?" Kindra asked, delving into her own bowl of orange slices.

"Meeting starts at 10, so I doubt I’ll be back for lunch."

"Will you be around for the hunt this afternoon?" Kindra mumbled, her mouth full.

Lene glanced over, her expression one of mild disgust as Kindra continued to devour her meal with gusto. "Gods, Kindra, slow down—your food isn’t going anywhere."

Kindra peeked up through her brows at Lene and began to eat comically slow. Lene shook her head, "I’m not sure when I’ll be done, so don’t wait up for me."

"Suit yourself," Kindra replied, her exaggerated slowness causing an orange slice to tumble from her spoon and land on the table with a slap.

Lene scoffed lightly, pushing back from the table and swiftly reclaiming her bowl of yogurt just as Kindra reached out for another taste. With a slight smile, Lene moved through the dining room to where her grandmother was engaged in conversation, gently placing her hand on the elder’s shoulder. Without pausing her discussion, her grandmother warmly clasped Lene’s hand, her thumb tracing soothing circles over her knuckles. As the conversation came to a close, her grandmother turned her sharp gaze upward to meet Lene’s.

“I’m leaving a bit early, just wanted to say goodbye,” Lene announced softly.

Her grandmother responded with a tender smile, reaching up to plant a warm kiss on Lene’s cheek. “Safe travels, dear. Give Kallias my best wishes,” she murmured.

With a final nod to her grandmother, Lene exited the bustling dining room. She collected her thick parka by the doorway, fastening it securely around her neck and buttoning up the sides against the biting cold. Just as she opened the front door, Lumi, in a burst of energy, darted from an adjoining room. The fox’s hurried paws caused the runner in the hallway to bunch up and fly into the air behind her, adding a comic flair to her dramatic exit as she dove off the front steps. 

Lene shielded her eyes against the bright reflection of the sun on the fresh snow. As her vision adjusted, she spotted Lumi joyfully burrowing her snout into the snow, scooting along the surface and carving a shallow trench in her wake. The path leading from the house had been cleared earlier that morning, prompting a chuckle from Lene as she made her way out the front gates toward the stables. Lumi yipped happily alongside her. 

Lene swung open the stable doors to reveal twenty majestic elk standing in their pens, bathed in the blend of fae light and the golden sunlight that seeped through the barn's creviced walls. She had always cherished her visits to the barn since her childhood, fascinated by the elaborate life of the elk raised by the Winter Court for both transportation and sport. She reveled in the memories of learning to ride them, guiding them through the thick snow, and utilizing their innate instincts to navigate mountainous trails. The summer months brought a different joy, watching the elk herders drive the herds through cascading waterfalls to shed their thick winter coats and refresh in the rushing rivers.

As Lene strolled down the stall hallway, Lumi busied herself amongst the hay bales, hunting for mice. The elk grumbled and shifted, their eagerness to roam palpable in the cool morning air. The stable hands had already fed them but had yet to release them to the day's freedom.

Lene retrieved a harness and saddle from the storage rack and proceeded towards the end of the hall to Brynjar’s pen. Brynjar, a formidable bull and her mother’s personal elk, now Lene’s, looked over his shoulder as she approached and set down the riding gear onto the straw-covered floor.

"Morning, gorgeous," Lene cooed affectionately, her gloved hand gliding over Brynjar's broad back. The bull responded with a grunt, shifting his hooves slightly on the stable floor.

Lene circled Brynjar, her eyes scanning meticulously for any signs of injury or discomfort. Her mother had instilled in her the wisdom to treat these noble creatures as warriors; they should appear ready and unencumbered for the day's tasks. If an elk showed any sign of unreadiness, it was best not to strain them. 

Satisfied with her inspection, Lene dragged a stool over from the corner of the stable under Brynjar's watchful, albeit indifferent gaze. Standing at an impressive 7 feet tall from hoof to ear tip, with antlers that added several more feet to his height, Brynjar towered over Lene. Even with her head just reaching his broad shoulder, saddling the stout elk was no minor feat.

She hoisted the saddle over his back, eliciting a low groan from the animal. "You big baby," she teased, securing the saddle strap around his midsection. "You're going to grumble now, but once you're out in the snow, you'll be the happiest there," she chided gently.

Indeed, Brynjar had shown a marked reluctance to leave the barn since her mother's passing. It had required months of patient coaxing and gentle reassurance before he would even consider stepping outside with Lene or anyone else. The stable hands had nearly given up, contemplating retirement for the old bull, but Lene couldn’t bear the thought of him fading into obscurity within the herd—not when her mother had so lovingly branded him with the family crest and devoted years to his training.

The day Brynjar finally ventured back outdoors marked a turning point. Lene, overwhelmed by frustration and sorrow, had sobbed, screamed, and wailed at him, pleading for him to accompany her into the woods on the trails her mother had cherished. When he remained unmoving, Lene had stormed out of the barn and collapsed in the snow, her grief pouring out. It was only then that Brynjar, perhaps moved by her despair, had ambled out to lay beside her, offering his warm, albeit malodorous, side for comfort. Since that poignant moment, Brynjar had complied with nearly anything Lene asked of him, whether it was wearing garlands in his antlers or sporting a wreath around his neck for the solstice parade.

Once Brynjar was fully saddled, Lene climbed onto his back, feeling the massive elk grumble under her weight. The stable hands had often advised her to remain on the ground while fitting the bit, but Lene had her own methods. She preferred to have Brynjar dip his long snout so she could more easily slide the bit into his mouth, using gravity to her advantage. Even the stable master could only shake her head, half-amused and half-baffled by the unique rapport Lene and Brynjar had forged, and Lene's insistence on her slightly unorthodox techniques.

With the bit securely fastened, Brynjar lifted his head back up, and Lene dismounted, guiding the massive bull out of his stall. A rustle from the neighboring pen caught her attention as the elk next door let out a discontented bark and a rough stomp. Glancing over, Lene called out, “Lumi, whatever you’re chasing in there isn’t worth getting stomped on.” True to form, Lumi, ever the little mischief-maker, wriggled her way out from under the pen door, her white fur now tinged with dirt.

Lumi darted ahead of Lene and Brynjar, bounding out of the stable into the snow-blanketed landscape, quickly disappearing among the white drifts. Brynjar, moving at a more sedate pace, followed Lene out of the barn. She secured the door behind them and then pulled gently on the bit, commanding, “Buga!”

With a resigned grumble, Brynjar lowered his front legs, kneeling into the snow to facilitate Lene’s ascent back onto the saddle without the need for a stool. At her next command, “Opp,” Brynjar obediently straightened, lifting Lene with him as he rose. Once securely seated, Lene guided him forward with a light tug, and the pair began their slow, deliberate trek through the snow towards the dense forest that bordered the manor grounds.

Notes: 

Sluta: “Stop” in Swedish

Buga: “Bow” in Swedish

Opp: “Up” in Swedish

[bulundu]

So like. The rooftop battle between Yugi and Kaiba vs Lumis and Umbra in the Battle City arc. You ever think about how annoying that battle would be? And I don't mean the looming threat of plummeting to your death/eternity in the shadow realm. Like, think about it.

You're on top of a 50 story building standing on a glass sunroof in the middle of the day. Direct sunlight over head. Trying to play a goddam card game.

The glare! The absolute glare that would constantly reflect beneath you up into your eyes the ENTIRE time you're trying to look at your cards and strategize. The blinding light! And the HEAT! The sun bouncing off the glass would be cooking you! I would be in a blind, frustrated rage, sweating my ass off and trying to win a team-duel.

Kudos to everyone involved, I'd've gone into that duel knowing I'd lose. Or at least be a bitch the entire duel.

Maybe that was Kaiba's excuse for being his usual sunny self in this duel. 😂 Bro's got a black turtleneck sweater and a trenchcoat in 120 degree heat, trying teamwork for the first time in his life. 🤣

[oh-shinx]

⚡BZZT BZZT! THE FOLLOWING FOOTAGE HAS AS BEEN BROUGHT TO YOU USING AUTO-ROTO-FILM! [Auto-Roto-Film and it's affiliates are not responsible for accidental shared recordings.] BZZT BZZT!⚡

Untitled_05102023.mp4

⚡VIDEO DESCRIPTION WITH TRANSLATION!⚡

[Rosie, just outside at one of the tables, is eating a muffin while Javert is happily shinx napping in the sunlight on the chair opposite. 

A girl, no older than ten, with platinum blonde hair and the Laverre Fairy Eyes, dressed extremely formally for someone her age and holding a pile of pamphlets walks up to Rosie.

"Hello miss, is this your café??" says the girl.

"Ah!!!!!! Yes!!!!!!!!!! What can I do for you????"

"Um, my father is trying to get elected, and I think it would be nice to help him!! Can I put this poster in your window??"

"Oh!!!!! I do not see why not!!!!!!!!! I would gladly help, miss....."

"Lumi!!"

"Well, nice to meet you, Lumi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am Rosie!!!!!!!!!!!! Now, let me put up that poster!!!!!!!"

Lumi hands Rosie a poster, and Rosie does a double take. 

It's Antoine Gagnon. Rosie's father.]

[voidcenturyseashanties]

@wintersxkiss requested: Sanji styling Lumi's hair❗

Hair could be just as fickle as dough. Just like dough, hair responded to the ambient temperature and the amount of moisture in the air. Whether at sea or at port, there was a surplus of humidity which Sanji often attributed to the appearance (frizz) of his own hair, even if it did not have significant texture. In the case of their guest, the texture of her hair was pin-straight and quite thick. The color—or perhaps lack of such—was quite striking be it in the sunlight or moonlight. Sleeping and moving with all those tight, intricate braids hardly seemed comfortable, especially since she was currently confined in the infirmary. Not to mention rolling over and pulling or catching that long, beautiful hair. Sure, he could not cure her condition, but perhaps he could offer some comfort. "May I?" The tea he arrived with was set beside them. Agile hands gingerly unraveled each snugly woven braid. Fingertips and thumbs surfed over her scalp to smooth over and salve any tension or pain. With a brush in hand, he made quick work (starting from the ends) of detangling the hair that was trapped underneath her while she rested. To lessen the strain and protect those long locks, the cook opted for two French plaits, much looser than what she had previously. "Tell me, mademoiselle, how does that feel?"

[kasuratsuno]

Lilo&Stitch Oc Experimente

Since D23 announced the live-action remake of Lilo&Stitch, I'm really excited! I love the artstyle and all the monsters, so I had to draw my own design. It's a design I made last year, I'll redraw it for sure and more art works will come in the future.

Introducing Lumi, the glowing fluffy Axolotl!

Not to be confused, Lumi actually has a Axolotl tail. This is just it's land form, in its aquatic form it has the typical axolotl tail.

Some lore explaining:

Lumi was designed for the purpose of a light source if there have been power outages or no electrical light sources are available. This can vary from a simple light source for housing to being a light source for difficult working environment such as Mining or underwater jobs. Lumi was used to illuminate caves for mining or for various underwater work, even for guiding ships to safety.

At the present time, Lumi disguised themselves as plushy toys that glows in the dark and is super cuddly, which helped alot of children with different anxieties like fear of darkness, not getting hugged through the night, fear of sleeping alone, etc. It glows in the night, additionally it likes to clean rooms by eating hidden bugs or food crumbs, helps with finding lost objects on surface and even in aquatic areas, and many more things.

Important notice:

Lumi LOVE to swim in ANY kind of water (no matter how dirty it is)

They do require sunlight to recharge energy for their glowing abilities. Also they heal themselves through light power. If sunlight is not required, they can't survive for long duration, even stop moving at all or act like undead creatures.

They can act as a bug light trap. Bugs will be used for nutrition.

Lumi are very close to the evolution dna construction of 626. They still are very powerful in strength and can grow extra limbs.

[dishonestlies-if]

Hiii could you tell us a few facts about our daughter?

Absolutely! We love Luminosa <3

She's albino! So she's not really allowed to go outside much during the day, since her skin is really sensitive to sunlight (this does not stop her from sneaking away from her nanny to wander around the gardens at noon. At least she brings her parasol and/or sunhat with her)

Lumi also doesn't have the best eyesight (she's very nearsighted), so she wears glasses.

Her favourite colours are pastel purple and white!

Her favourite animals are bees - if her nanny can't find her, it's usually because she's snuck out to the gardens to watch the beekeepers work

Depending on how MC acts towards Lumi, she will either be delighted to spend time with her parent, seek to please her parent, or just try to stay out of MC's way.

Doesn't really remember Alix all that well - they died when she was only four, after all, and they didn't spend too much time with her

Adores C, thinks they're very cool (C treats her well, lets her ride with them on their horse, lets her watch while they train)

Loves "Auntie" Helianthus (who is always sneaking her various treats and loves playing with her when she has the time)

Loves sweets (as most children do), her favourite snack is candy-coated fruit (like tanghulu or candy apples)

Terrified of Dolion, but thinks Fialova is nice enough

[umbralaether]

Would they runaway together if they had to?

@yourlove-is-sunlight also asked for this!

Lumi & Estinien absolutely would! Lumi has often fantasized what it would be like to not have the world need him to save the day. Lumi wants to live near the mountains again, and when life becomes too overwhelming he takes comfort in the fact that Estinien will follow him wherever he goes.

[lumine101]

By My Side Ch. 4

Chapter IV

Lumine

I wonder where we’re going. Childe looks really great in that shirt…I’ve never seen him in anything but his harbinger’s attire before. Of course, I'm not going to mention it. Comments like that get into his head. I'll never hear the end of it. It'll be 'Lumi likes this shirt on me? Well, I guess I should wear it more often' or something to that extent. Oh gosh, I'd almost forgot he's holding my hand. It feels nice, in a way. Childe leads us towards Lili Pavilion. I really hope we don't go there. Fancy places likes that aren't in my comfort zone. "Childe, where on earth are you taking me?!"

"Well, girlie, I noticed you aren't a huge fan of the city. It's more likely we'll cross paths in some random forest than in a large city like Liyue."

He's certainly right about that. Maybe he pays more attention than I thought. "I think that's one of the few things about me you've actually got right, fatui boy." 

We pass in front of a wall of vines, or what I think is a wall, but then Childe pulls some of the leaves aside, to reveal the most perfect little grotto I've ever seen. Surrounded by rock, it's cool and shady, with a hole at the top that lets the sunlight in. The light dances through the trees, making the water of a little stream sparkle. In the center of all this is a picture-perfect picnic: a campfire, soft blanket, and a huge wicker basket begging to be opened. 

"From the way your eyes are sparkling, girlie, I can tell that I hit the mark."

Too enthralled to think, I grab Childe's hand and pull him inside. "How did you find this place, Childe?"

"Well Lumi, you're not the only one here who likes to explore. I just happened to stumble across it. And do you know what I thought when I found it? 'Boy, would I love to bring Lumine here'. Just the two of us. And here we are."

I flush. His face is way too close to mine right now. I walk towards the food. "Well, I don't know about you, Childe, but I'm certainly curious as to what's in this basket." Settling down on the blanket, I open the basket and begin to unpack the delicious food.

[fog-weaver-of-nyc]

Songbird's Gamble

Jace was exhausted, partly from his day job, partly from not sleeping to avoid the goddess of dreams and just in general not being able to sleep from worry. Said worry had been reduced since he sent his little brothers away, and locked his little sisters out of the dimension. He knew this was going to upset his siblings, but this was too dangerous to let them help, with the forces he was playing with. No, it was better to keep them safe and not let himself worry about them as much.

Alpha and Sterling were the only people he had to concern himself with. And of those, one couldn't be affected by Dreams as much. The other was why he locked everything.

Well.

Had his biological sire lock things.

He knew Athena in particular would be upset, but he couldn't let her get involved. Especially since he was going into dangerous territory, the gods and their servants were tight knit, and even attempting to do what he was about to do was a risk. He just hoped lady luck was feeling generous and particularly unfond of Dreams at this point in time. Taking a deep breath, he gathered his gear and set out into the night.

-----

His trip took him to a bar, inconspicuous and out of the way. The pub sign above the door declared it to be called Grim's Rest, and to the normal person that was it. But to Demi Mortals and Champions, there was a winged ouroboros stamped underneath. Silently praying to any deity but Dreams, he pushed the door open to the warm and darkly decorated bar. Scanning the patrons, and the barkeep himself, Jace nearly cried in relief. The cast tonight was only champions, and ones that likely would be on his side.

And his entrance had caught their attention.

All eyes were on him as a blond at the bar waved him over, and he stepped in to join them.

"Champions."

He nodded respectfully at them all as he settled next to the one that waved him over, the patch on their uniform identifying them as Luminescent, Champion of Day.

"You look tired, not sleeping much?"

They inquired as two cups of tea were suddenly put in front of him and the sunlight fae.

"He's dealing with worry and doubt, Lumi, I'm not even a husk of an emotion based deity and I can feel it."

A dark haired man spoke up, scribbling something down in a tome, something that all champions carried if Jace's observations of the group were correct.

"I know him, can't say I'm surprised if what Riot told me is true."

A scaled woman with brilliant blue hair and red eyes looked up from her drink to look at the other.

"Oh do enlighten us Buc, you know I love me some gossip."

Luminescent looked far more interested in Jace now as all attention was shifted to the woman.

"Just that Rebellion's favourite child is missing, y'know, the one that runs that fashion label that Lust fawns over? And has a habit of collecting teens and being a total dad?"

All eyes shifted back to Jace.

"Yeah, that one. If I had to guess, you'd be Jace Glendon Fletcher, child of the big bad Grim Reaper and The Night Wren. Been causing some real headaches for the government. Now, if I had to take another guess, you came looking for help to find dear old dad."

This was honestly like a ping-pong match, and Jace felt like he was the ball and the paddle all in one.

"You'd be correct, Mistress Buccaneer, correct?"

He received a nod to confirm.

"I am here, and can fill in a bit more, but you all may not like the accusations I level."

He warned, pulling out a file he had brought with him. This definitely had the attention of the room as he slid it to Luminescent. Dead, green eyes widened slightly as the other looked through it, before the fairy whistled lowly.

"That's, that's a heavy accusation alright, but the evidence is all there."

"What's the accusation, Lumi?"

"See for yourself, Tempo."

The file was quickly passed to the dark haired man, now identifiable as the Champion of Time, who immediately passed it across to the woman in brilliant clothing and equally bright hair, who passed it to Buccaneer, who passed it to a mountain of a man in plate armor, who looked it over with an equally large woman in similar gear but different colours, to a quiet man in silver and jade, to the bartender, back to Jace.

Jace observed as the bar went deathly silent before the colourfully woman, Pigment the champion of Sight, he believed, broke it.

"They did ask for a large amount of a specific set of paints… I had to run it by you, didn't I, Temp?"

"Yes, it was memory altering pigmentation for their nightmare paints. Far more than normal. I didn't question it at the time, but Lady Dreams did come in recently and asked for a specific clock face… M'lady seemed hesitant but didn't want to argue with her elder."

The armored woman rapped her knuckles against the table, a thoughtful look on her face.

"The accusations are sound. Sound enough it would warrant an investigation should I bring it to My liege. If these are proven true, this breaks some of the old laws."

"Some? This breaks the mortal protection clause, the dimensional interference act, and demi-mortal immunity laws."

The man next to her pointed out,

"All three of those would result in a disciplinary hearing for one of the gods, and potential termination of position for one of us."

The man in the back stood, and came to sit next to Jace from his position at the back of the room, glazed brown eyes flashing dangerously.

"Bulwark is right, Justicar, this isn't something minor. This needs to be brought before Justice herself, Death clearly backs this, if it's willing to lock our dimension at the behest of a demi mortal, It's son or otherwise. Rebellion and Riot likely can't directly ask us due to the interference clause."

"I knew something was up with Riot when he and I were working on a joint job, he wasn't as into instigating trouble as he usually is."

Buccaneer's reptile features frowned.

"But this is Lucid we're talking about. We'd need Countess Blackbird and Count Pyre to back us if we were to level this sort of thing."

The barkeep, Abyss the champion of Night, pointed out.

"He's one of the first of us."

"Doesn't make him immune to the laws, Abyss."

Justicar countered.

"He'd get off light anyway, both he and Dreams have never acted out, and have more merits then even Creation,"

Tempo narrowed amber eyes.

"What's your input, Live? You've been awfully quiet over there."

"Because I can confirm these accusations. I still have comm logs of that night, but was under orders by Dreams to not mention it."

There was a moment of silence before the bar erupted in yelling, making Jace shrink back. The sheer power in the room was causing him to feel dizzy, until a loud taxi cab whistle pierced the din.

"Enough! We need to bring this all to Lady Justice, otherwise this shit goes nowhere. Live, can you get those records to add to the file?"

The man beside him immediately called everyone to order, the other champions falling quiet as the husk of innovation nodded.

"I can, may take me a bit, there's a lot of other transcripts on-top of it by now."

"I'll help."

"As will I."

"Thanks Buccaneer, Bulwark, I appreciate it."

"I think me and Tempo can handle bringing the evidence we have in our own records to Justice with Justicar."

Pigment offered, receiving a sharp nod from the amber eyed man.

"We'll try and see if anyone else has anything they know, maybe Tome knows something, he and Lucid are close."

Luminescent offered looking far too serious for the Champion of Light's gentle face.

"And I'll be assisting you in attempting to figure out where Ashfield is being kept. Plan sound good to you?"

Jace didn't even think of the answer.

"Sounds good, thank you, all of you."

This was a better outcome than he could ever dream of.

-----

Mentions of @ask-spidersisters Athena and Thalia.

[ocean-714waves]

in the sunlight. Vegeta scoffed at the absurdity of it Radiance" follows the journey of Hiro Takumi, a

Sunglasses: Spectacles that reveal the true nature wonders that await those who dare to seek them out in open arms, knowing that she brought with her a sense of and the steadfast warrior princess Lumi, Hiro must

[moonyasnow]

TWST OC Showcase: Artemisia Silkmire

Voice Claim: LUMi

Human Left-handed Land of Dawning 165cm / 5'4 - #abd1cf / 171, 209, 207 April 19th - Aries - 16-17 y.o. 1st year - Freshman - Class E, no. 27 Literature Club (club leader - made it herself) - later Board Game Club Best Subject: Astronomy Hobbies: Reading Pet peeves: Being stared at Favorite food: Cold vegetables Least favorite food: Greasy foods Talent: Knowing when someone is looking at her Floyd-given name: Ghost Catfish Rook-given name: Demoiselle Ange Cater-given name: Mi-mi Signature Spell: Swan Heart When the spell is cast, a pair of big, white feather wings sprout from her back. The wings are big enough to allow her to fly with them

[ ~Based on 'the ugly duckling'~ ]

I know it's not a Disney thing but eh

Link to all my OC Showcases here!

A few quotes:

"This is… I have never witnessed the night sky without light pollution before. It is…magnificent."

[internal narration] *Oh Artemisia you inarticulate fool!*

Her expression grows a little sad, desperate and uncomfortable all at once. "But…! Light turquoise is the only color that fits me…" — "Dark colors draw too much attention to my pale complexion, as does white. Pink draws attention to my eyes, and, in my personal opinion, makes me look like an oversized toddler."

She was born the second child of the Silkmire family, the current royal family of the Land of Dawning. Her family consists of her mother Queen Marigold, her father King Simeon, her older sister Cerise, and her younger brother Valerian. From the moment she was born, it was clear that she was…well, different. Instead of the crimson/golden hair, grey/blue eyes and tan skin of the rest of her family, her hair was stark white, her eyes a pinkish red color, and her skin white as snow. The condition she was born with also ensured she was quite a sickly child, and even when she grew up, still had a weak constitution and sensitivity to sunlight. Oh, and she was also born with two other conditions: brittle bones, and a heart condition which greatly reduced her stamina, as strenuous exercise of any kind made her winded incredibly quickly, leaving her dizzy and light-headed, sometimes even collapsing. Along with being albino and being born with a weak heart, weak bones and just a weak body overall, she also bruises very easily and her skin is incredibly sensitive to physical sensations. As is her hearing. She has no 'filter' in her ears. 'White noise' to her, with the exception of the ticking of clocks, is never actually white noise, instead just regular noise. Due to this reason she cannot stand crowds. Due to its history, the Land of Dawning does not look favorably upon the fae. And any child who significantly differs from the norm was purported to be either a changeling— a child swapped with a fae as a baby— or somehow 'fae-touched' whether it be by curse or any other means. And it didn't take long for the term 'fae-touched' to stop meaning 'someone cursed by a fae' and start meaning 'anyone who looks or behaves differently to the norm'. And their own princess being— in their eyes— fae-touched meant that from the moment of her birth, she was seen as an ill-omen. Unlike her sister and later brother, her birth was barely announced at all, and she was hidden away from the rest of the world. Also partly due to the fact that she had magic, which was not exactly 'common' anywhere but Briar Valley. While it might not have been seen as strange had she looked 'normal', her being 'fae-touched' and also possessing magic only further confirmed the former in their eyes.

She was in a bit of a strange position. Her activities and people she spoke to were just as limited as was typical for a princess, but since her parents never bothered having her attend all the social functions her sister went to- in fact, they more often than not even forbid her from setting foot outside her room when one was happening- she was left largely to herself. All her life, she's known it is the royal family's duty to be and uphold the gold standard for what is deemed acceptable behavior in the Land of Dawning, and her parents always placed a heavy emphasis that each person fit into what is expected of them. Since she was deemed to have a 'monstrous' appearance, since she looked different, she was deemed exempt from this, the most standard duty of a royal. Her existence was deemed mostly pointless. So, she was shunned by her parents, seen as completely without use or purpose for existing. She found not a single shred of hope anywhere. The only fate in store for her was to do nothing but continue to breathe each day, nothing more than a relative whose name was only to be spoken of in hushed tones. So it was deemed that her duty was to stay out of sight and out of mind as much as possible. Her older sister Cerise was her only real friend growing up. Where others scorned her and ignored her, Cerise loved her and was genuinely happy to spend time with her. Cerise was always listening to her go on and on about something she'd learned from a book even though Cerise often had no idea what half of the things Artemisia spoke of meant, all with a small smile on her face, happy to see her sister happy. She never made any comment about how dark Artemisia's room was or seemed disappointed when Artemisia didn't feel like talking, or her body got overwhelmed and she needed to rest. Artemisia felt that, so long as she had Cerise, she was fine with being an outsider to the rest of the world. Her entire world consisted the palace's walls, and even the places in the castle she could visit were limited. But, though it took years of convincing, before her sister left, Cerise had somehow convinced their parents to let Artemisia try to live a normal life. So long as Cerise was accompanying her, Artemisia was allowed to attend a very few, select events.

It didn't go very well for her. When she was there, people always stared at her at first, whispering about her in hushed tones and acting like she was some exotic animal. She remembers one evening when she was 7, she'd been allowed to attend a high society ball. With her nervous mannerisms and how she didn't speak unless she was spoken to first- and then, in a quiet voice that was hard to hear- people, as always, thought she was strange. They stared at her, and thought it was rude that she never looked them in the eye, and mostly just kept her head down staring at the floor and fidgeting with her hands that she always held in front of her protectively. When she tried to go up to a group of girls her age and talk to them, though they let her join the conversation, they seemed apprehensive about it. Mostly, she remained quiet, just listening, because whenever she did try to say something they all stared at her as though she'd told them she likes to chew on her slippers. Eventually, she ended up just walking away, and they didn't seem to care, or even notice. She moved back to her place against the wall, and amongst all the whispers of the crowd around her roaring in her ears, she heard someone call her 'changeling'. The reminder of the huge wall separating her from other people, along with the fact that she could feel people watching her and the noise all became too much. She ended up running out of the ballroom, down the hall and into the first other door she could find. She ended up in the library. There, everything was darker, calm, quiet, and there was no one to stare at her and make her feel self-conscious. At first, she cried for a long time because of her feelings of isolation and alienation. Then, when she'd stopped crying, she felt a bit bored. Though she knew she definitely didn't want to go back into the ballroom. Just out of curiosity, she pulled a book off the shelves and began reading. It was a history book for children, and as soon as she began reading, she was instantly hooked. She ended up staying there late into the night, reading book upon book, absorbing all the information like a sponge. She became so lost in the worlds of the books that, once someone finally found her, almost buried behind her stack of books, she snapped back to reality and noticed that the sun was starting to rise outside the window. From that day forward, she never asked to go to another event again. Instead, at every opportunity, she'd be in the library, reading until she was too tired and went to bed or was interrupted. She loved, and still loves, books and libraries with all her heart. In books she can get sucked into another world and pretend she's not herself for a while, or she can learn about the real world around her that she's never been allowed to see. And hidden away in her own tiny, shaded alcove of the library, there was no one who would come to stare at her or call her names. What she’d do if she didn’t understand a word in a book is literally just go look it up in a dictionary—and if that definition included words she didn’t understand, she’d look up those, too. She devoured so many books so quickly that when she was only 9, she'd straight up just run out of books to read that were fit for her age demographic. So she began reading more advanced ones, and her sister was shocked when she found a 10-year-old Artemisia reading and mostly comprehending a history book meant for people twice her age. And when she later lost Cerise, literature became her only remaining comfort and escape from a world she felt would never accept her.

But, though she might have stopped trying to attend any parties, they still happened, foreign dignitaries and royalty visiting for the purposes of diplomacy or some such. During these events, she was told to stay in her room, but she would often sneak out to the library, since she knew it would be empty. This being due to a rumor that a ghost was haunting it. That 'ghost' was actually her; people had seen a ghostly white shape in the library in the middle of the night, and some had described hearing crying, others the jostling of chains. Those 'chains' were actually just the keys to her room and drawers which she liked to bring with her for safe-keeping. But the rumor meant the library was always empty at night. Or at least, it usually was. During one such event, held at night, she found a boy two or three years older than her napping on a couch, telling her to be quiet if she was gonna be in there. She did as he asked, and sat quietly at a table a few feet away from him, reading. Though…she wanted to try to speak to him. But before she could, an member of the palace staff came in, Artemisia hurrying to hide, and told the boy off for wandering off on his own. They called him 'your highness'. They then asked him if he had been talking to someone, saying they thought they might've heard a second voice. He took one look at the anxious expression on her face, hiding in a corner, and lied and said no. Then the staff member urged him to come along with them, since his parents and brother were looking for him. During the next event, she once again sought out the library. And once again found a dark haired lion boy napping nearby. Just like the last time, she sat quietly near him as she read. But he broke the silence, asking, since she obviously knew who he was by that point, why hadn't she found somewhere else to sit? The library was big enough for her to avoid him, after all. She asked if he wanted her to move. He said she could do whatever she wanted. So she stayed sitting next to the couch. The next time after that, he asked if she hadn't heard the rumors about him, and why she was still choosing to be around him. She answered: 'People tell rumors about me too. They stare at me, or don't want their children to associate with me. But you do not treat me like I'm different. It is…nice.' They did this quite a few times, actually. Once, he even asked what she was reading. The next time, he'd brought a small pile of similar books he thought she'd enjoy with him from home. They never spoke much to each other outside of the things outlined above. But they were each other's safe space whenever they met during a party. Someone else who knew what it was like to be judged, and just let them be them.

The reason he and his family visited so often was due to a trade agreement their parents had been working to establish. And once established, the visits came to an end. The next time she heard about her... Was he her friend? Not exactly. But it wouldn't be correct to say she disliked him, either. He was simply someone she didn't have to feel tense around. And given her lack of such people in her life, it was important to her. So it was less about him than it was the general state of being around him which she liked. Either way, the next time she heard about him, it was from her sister. He'd come up to her at some other social event and asked where Artemisia was. After explaining she was home, and asking if he'd like Cerise to give her a greeting from him, he just said 'whatever' and walked away. But still, brief as those meetings may have been, she recalled that time of her life fondly. Not only because she had something almost close to being considered the approximation of a friend, but also because it was the last time she got to spend with her sister.

When Artemisia was 11, her sister, who was 9 years older than her and thus 20 at the time, was married off to the crown prince of the Scalding Sands and sent away, later becoming the Sultana. She wrote to Artemisia a lot at first, but eventually the letters stopped arriving, and she spent the rest of her childhood completely alone, wearing a groove in the floor between her room and the library, doing nothing each day but continuing to be alive. Her mother had been home-schooling her for her whole life. Due to her various health conditions and that, while they might not say it, it was obvious her parents were ashamed of her, she was home-schooled. At first by various tutors...but they always gave her dirty looks when they thought she wasn't looking. So eventually her mother began teaching her. She taught Artemisia that it was best that she never left her tower at all, so Artemisia stopped going to events, only asking to be allowed to visit the library, which her mother reluctantly agreed to, as long as she visited only the smaller library, where the books Artemisia would read could more easily be filtered and combed through to make sure they held no information Artemisia wasn't allowed to know. Her mother said Artemisia being kept in her tower was for her own protection, since the outside world would surely revile her for being a monster, scorn and condemn her. She started teaching Artemisia that all the world would ever see in her was an unsightly monster, and an abomination, being born the way she was. She made it clear that she was 'only saying so for Artemisia's own good'. She knew how sensitive Artemisia was, and didn't want her to go through that, deciding instead it was better to isolate her.

She eventually became depressed, due to all the time she had on her hands with nothing new ever happening, just reading and reading and getting stuck in her own thoughts in an endless loop, never able to reach any conclusions in her mind about the things she kept thinking about. She often pondered philosophical questions in her mind…but talking about it with only yourself for so long gets boring, since it’s impossible to reach any answers. Even with her previous negative experiences of them, she'd tried attending more social events after Cerise left, hoping that maybe, just maybe, she could find someone she could hold a conversation with about academic topics like psychology, philosophy, mathematics, history, anthropology, law, linguistics, biology, astronomy—really just anything at all. Knowledge about those topics had filled her head for so long and are so fascinating to her that talking about them is the only way she knows to try to connect to other people. But no one ever seemed interested in talking about it with her, looking at her weirdly when she tried to start a conversation and just jumped straight into asking deeply philosophical questions. She felt she had no real reason to exist other than just continuing to read books, but she questioned if that was really a 'reason' at all. She is an incredibly introspective person, partly due to that just being how life shaped her; she has had nothing but time with her thoughts, after all. So she is at the same time very wise but very naïve. She had always wished that she could become a bird, so that she could fly out of this cage she's in, leave it all behind and truly be free. But she also knows that's impossible. She doesn't know why she's tried so hard to keep herself alive all this time, always trying to give herself a reason to get up the next day, such as finishing a book, or eating something specific for dinner. It’s like she’s endlessly wandering around an infinite maze with no exit. She'd rather keep walking, trying to keep herself hoping there’s an exit somewhere, than just give up. But still, she doesn't know why she refuses to give up.

Another talent of hers, if you could call it that, is speed reading. Not speed reading in the sense of just reading to get through the words, but also absorbing all the information at the same time. She normally reads about 2000 words per minute, with around 95% comprehension. She's been doing almost nothing but reading her entire life, after all, so of course she's gotten very fast at it.

At NRC:

One day, her mother informed Artemisia that she was to start attending Night Raven College. She was…flabbergasted. Night Raven College is an All-Boys' Magic School.

It was explained to her that her mother— and her father, too, but Artemisia barely saw him anyway— would be very busy in the coming year and no longer be able to keep home-schooling her. And since Sage island is Land of Dawning territory… Well, when the King and Queen of your nation say their daughter will be housed at your school from now on, you don't exactly have a choice in the matter.

She knew why they did what they did. They wanted to send her off somewhere, to not have to deal with her presence anymore. She was expecting to never return from Night Raven College.

She didn't get to NRC by way of the Black Carriage like the other students did, and instead arrived three days early through the Dark Mirror. She was given a spare room in the Faculty's quarters.

For the first month of school, she was back to her usual routine. Wake up, have breakfast and her medicine, read, have lunch, read, have dinner, read, then go to bed and get around 5 hours of sleep. Then wake up and do it all over again. The one saving grace about the situation was that Night Raven College had an extensive library filled with books she'd not read before.

But eventually the staff at the school felt too bad for her, and practically forced Crowley to enroll her. At first he protested, saying there were no open places in any of the dorms— but then a spot just so happened to open up in Scarabia. Really, he mostly agreed due to realizing if she was enrolled, he'd no longer have to spend money on giving her food and shelter; that'd get charged to her parents instead. So he just told her she was part of the Scarabia dorm now. He said it was because he analyzed her nature, but really he just chose one at random, and inadvertently added something else to Jamil's already overflowing plate. Whoops. Not his problem. Nor was the fact that the Scarabia dorm really was not a good place for Artemisia to be, what with her body's sensitivity to sunlight. Which her parents did clearly state in a letter they wrote to Crowley detailing things she would need for her health.

She first arrived at Scarabia in the middle of one of their famous parties. The Housewarden had greeted her briefly, saying he didn't recognize her but welcoming her to the party and encouraging her to get something to eat— then his attention was snatched away by someone else in the room calling out his name. So she just stood there.

The familiar, uncomfortable prickle of people's eyes on her settled into her skin, and though she held her arms protectively around herself and had tried to hide crammed into the shadow of a large vase, she still felt far too exposed for her liking. This was all why she never attended social gatherings anymore…there were always too many people, all of whom would undoubtedly stare at her like she was some exotic animal at least once during the night, and the constant sound of voices was always drilling into her head… Though at least with those gatherings, she could sneak out at some point; go to the library and disappear. Not this time. She wished with all her might that she could be allowed to go back to her room, or at least seek out someplace quieter or darker, where the light wouldn't sting her sensitive eyes. But alas, she had no such luck; she'd be forced to stay there until she worked up the courage to move through the throng of people to try to speak to the Housewarden again. She took a moment to settle her back against the wall, close her eyes, and take a deep breath, though she could already feel a headache coming on.

Seeking any kind of distraction, she became curious and decided to watch the other people present, maybe see if she could place them into a Dorm based on their clothing. It's not like there was anything else to do; she would never be able to just focus on her own thoughts with all the noise, and her mind would undoubtedly keep wandering back to the unease and anxiety she was just barely managing to smother. She looked over the rest of the students, sorted them, before moving on to the next, no one really seeming interesting enough to cast a second glance at.

That is, until she saw him.

She'd never exactly been the romantic type— for the longest time, having never felt it, she'd been convinced that romantic love didn't even exist and all romance books should be classed as non-fiction— and had never really payed any attention to what people look like. Until that very moment, apparently. When she saw him for the first time, it was like the rest of world began to move in slow-motion. Everything around her beginning to feel blurry and distant, even the sounds of people talking, and only his image remained clear and in focus. She couldn't stop staring at him, his beautiful long, dark, almost silken hair, his intelligent charcoal eyes...

Those strange, unfamiliar feelings took hold of her, made her chest tighten in a way she wasn't used to, and made her breath hitch. She couldn't explain it logically no matter how hard she tried. She'd never felt anything like it before. She forced herself to tear her eyes away, lest she be caught staring. She stared into space with her eyes aimed to the ground, calmed her breathing, and glanced in his direction again. She battled with herself, caught in some strange, inner battle between instinct, logic, her confusion, and the new sensation of bewilderment she felt. When she glanced up at him again, he seemed to notice, and he looked at her. At her. The moment their eyes meet, her heart suddenly exploded in her chest. The only term she could think of to refer to it as was a feeling of helplessness; of not knowing what to do and being unable to do anything except fall pray to whatever spell seemed to have been cast on her.

When he introduced himself and said he was supposed to lead her to her room (on Crowley's orders) she swore she forgot her own name. Her pale milk-toned face lit up strawberry pink. She found herself straining herself trying to make conversation and ask things about the dorm as they passed, and about himself, too. She had no idea what was going on— it was so out of character for her to want to talk to someone! But she did want to. More than she'd ever wanted anything. The words just kept coming out, she felt so tense and like she had no control over what she was saying. But she liked it. And when at the end he smiled at her and said goodnight, she thought she would faint. She wanted to see him again, to talk to him more, to learn more about him! She could barely sleep that night because her heart wouldn't stop pounding and she couldn't stop thinking about him…

But when the sun went up, her hopes were dashed. She realized, with resignation in her chest, that it was far, far too bright for her to be able to stay in Scarabia. The sun was so bright…it lit up her room even through the thick curtains covering the window. She tried to tough it out for a few days, but to no avail. No matter how much sunscreen she lathered on and no matter how many layers she wore to protect from it, she still ended up with a few barely-noticable-but-still-present blotches of red on her pearl white skin.

She had no choice. She had to request a transfer to Diasomnia. She felt absolutely crushed to know she could no longer be in the same dorm as him, the only person she'd ever wanted to put in effort to try to spend time with. She had no idea when else she would be able to see him.

When she got to Diasomnia, her bags full of nothing but books— carried with the help of a staff ghost, since she already had trouble walking for long distances without getting winded, nevermind doing so while carrying super heavy books— she was formally introduced to the vice Housewarden Lilia Vanrouge. She had to explain why she had requested a dorm transfer, and he was understanding as he showed her to an empty room. He also added his number into her phone in case she needed help.

Diasomnia was a lot darker than Scarabia, as well as the NRC campus as a whole, which she was thankful for. For the first time, she could look out the window without needing to squint. But...

People stared. All her dorm-mates aside from Lilia and Silver stared at her, whispering about how unusual her appearance was for a human. And they also talked about her being human quite a lot, since Silver had up to that point been the only non-fae dorm member. Sebek mentioned it quite often.

She was more physically comfortable in Diasomnia…but not exactly happy at first. For the first few weeks she holed up in her room to read, or left early in the morning and came back late at night.

It felt strange to her. She'd never felt at home around humans, never felt like one of them, so she wasn't used to being called a human. And in fact, she'd always hoped that if she was truly 'fae-touched', the fae might welcome her more readily than humans had.

Though, while most of her Dorm-members might not have welcomed her with open arms, Lilia and Silver certainly did. And Sebek, too, eventually. And Malleus, too, once the two of them met while coincidentally both going to Lilia for advice at the same time, after which Lilia introduced her as that freshman who'd transfered recently. He'd evidently been talking to Malleus about her quite often, as he said he'd been looking forward to finally meeting her in person.

Seeing as how Lilia had basically adopted her already— if not literally, which he most likely would have if he could, then at least in spirit— Malleus started treating her as though she were his younger sister. And given the shared experience of never being seen as whole people, one feared and the other ostracized, as well as them both being quite sheltered, it wouldn't have been hard to believe they actually were siblings.

When she found out NRC had clubs— that is, groups dedicated to a specific activity where one could meet and socialize with like-minded people, or at least who enjoyed the same activity— she was very sad when she realized there wasn't a club about books. When she lamented this to Lilia, he suggested she could make her own, since a club only really needed one member to be allowed to exist. And so she did. She formed the 'Literature Club'.

Something eventually happened which shocked her— Kalim, her former Housewarden, found her in her little alcove in the school library and invited her to one of his parties. And weirder still, she accepted? Some tiny part of her was hoping she might get to see Jamil there. And she did! She felt absolutely over the moon. She spent every second that she could talking to him, offering to help carry small things back and forth from the kitchen. It wore her out, with her very poor stamina, but she was just too happy to be able to talk to him that it didn't matter to her. Her crush on him made her feel normal, in a way, for the first time in her life.

Later on, she ended up asking Lilia— who, as she'd barely ever even talked to her own father, had started to feel like something of a father figure to her— if he could teach her how to cook. She wanted to be able to help Jamil, both as a way to spend more time with him, and also to help lessens his workload. He agreed, but… Even she could tell the food he made was not fit for consumption. Though Silver and Malleus gently persuaded her otherwise when she wanted to give Lilia an honest critique on his food and how he could improve.

Instead, she started going to every single party Kalim ever invited her to, to be able to spend time with Jamil. She'd always seek him out, to the point even Kalim caught on and started just telling her where he'd last seen Jamil when she arrived.

She ended up spending a lot of time in the Scarabia kitchen as a result, asking to help carry dishes out to the lounge.

When she found out Jamil was in the basketball club, she asked him if she could come watch their practice sometime, to which he agreed.

And so that became routine for her. On the days they had practice, she would show up and watch. When they had breaks, she would go up to Jamil and ask him something or other about how the game worked, as well as other things. He once told her he was impressed by how quickly she'd memorized the rules, which lead into a conversation about academics in general, during which she said she was great at the theoretical parts, but not so great at the more practical applications of magic, since she just wasn't used to seeing it up-close. At this point, Winter Break hadn't happened yet, so he was still pretending to be just average. But still, for some reason (really, he wonders why, too) he said he could try to tutor her sometime if she'd like.

These tutoring sessions eventually lead to cooking practice, too. Artemisia has never liked people she doesn't know (which is everyone) touching her, literally and physically shying away whenever someone tries to so much as shake her hand, and backing up even further if they don't get the hint. Even with people she's acquainted with it usually feels unpleasant. But when Jamil had to hold her hands to show her how to properly use a knife, she didn't mind at all. For once, touch even felt...pleasant. Not 'not unpleasant', but actually nice in itself. And unlike with most people, she could actually look him straight in the eye without feeling incredibly uncomfortable. Though she tried to avoid it, because she knew if she did she'd end up becoming too flustered to speak properly.

Having had a lot of experience with it, Artemisia seems to have some kind of 6th sense for when someone is looking at her, manifesting as a prickling sensation in her skin. At home, she only felt it walking to the library or dining hall. But at NRC she felt it very, very often. In and on her way to class, of course, and on her way back to her dorm. But suddenly…she started feeling it almost anywhere.

She might just have been sitting down reading like usual, or writing in her diary, and the hairs on the back of her neck would stand up for no reason, even while in her room, or in the deepest, darkest, most hidden alcoves of the library. She could never see anyone, but she could always feel them watching her. But sometimes she heard the shutter of a camera. Or her diary would go missing for a few minutes, only for her to search for it, then have it turn back up in the exact same place she remembered putting it down, even if she knew for certain it hadn't been there when last she checked.

It had all started after she'd lost one of her notebooks for a few hours— though the notebook was quickly returned by a classmate who said someone had come up and given it to them, saying to return it to Artemisia. Inside it, she'd found written along the margins of some of her poetry and philosophical thoughts things like 'Captivant!' and 'Je suis amoureux!'

It seemed no place, not even the library— her place of refuge— was safe anymore. It made her incredibly uneasy. She hated every single second of it more than she could possibly describe. She felt so unsafe, so scrutinized. She's always hated being stared at more than anything else. It's always felt…violating, in a way. But no one had ever been anywhere near this persistent. Every time she heard the shutter of a camera sounding somewhere nearby she wanted to burst into tears and scream, just staring running and throw something at whoever was terrorizing her so; anything, just to get them to stop and leave her alone.

She, for the first time in her life, slowly stared to become almost afraid to be alone. But what luck then, that one day she'd suddenly run into someone she wasn't expecting to meet again; her old childhood 'friend', Leona. Just like before, they met in the library. Just like before, she simply sat down near him to read. It felt somewhat more safe sitting next to him.

But then she felt the familiar prickle in her skin. It was somehow even worse than ever this time, washing through her like a full-body shiver. And Leona noticed. Not only Artemisia's state— which wasn't hard because she always wore her strong emotions on her sleeve, especially when she felt uncomfortable— but he also noticed the person watching her. Watching them.

When Rook revealed himself, at Leona's behest, he seemed positively radiating excitement, knowing his two favorite victimsfascinations knew each other, and had even been childhood friends. He said it was 'so beautiful I might begin to cry!'

It became a semi-regular occurance of them spending time around each other silently, and then Leona just abruptly stops and sniffs the air, one ear focusing in on a sound. Then he just grumbles something about Rook as he gets up to start walking away. Artemisia immediately also gets up and practically begs him to take her with him because she does not want to be alone if Rook is around.

Also, didn't know where else to add this, but when the culture clubs go to Camp Vargas, she's the only member of the literature club so she ended up needing to do literally all the challenges on her own.

Not only is it in the sun, she— a shut-in with a heart condition who gets winded and has to take breaks walking down a flight of stairs— did not stand a CHANCE doing anything like walking around looking for things, or fishing. Her arms have the strength of tooth picks, not to mention she doesn't even know how to do things like fish, pitch a tent, start a fire or cook in the first place.

She was able to identify a few edible plants from books, and she knew what kind of animals would be in the region, but that was it.

She ended up passing out from exhaustion on the second day. That declared her unable to continue the challenge, and the Literature Club officially disbanded.

She ended up becoming sick when she got back to NRC, too.

Not too long after that, NRC ended up having some mandatory event that she was forbidden from not attending.

Like usual, she tried to find a dark, secluded corner to stand in to wait out the party.

But this time, it seems someone else had the same idea, because while standing in a little alcove between a pillar and some curtains, she started hearing mumbling coming from the other side of the pillar, and looked over to see a guy with blue fire for hair.

They both apologize and said they could leave and find another place, before both agreeing that this was really the best spot in sight to avoid people, and agreed to hunker down and share the space for the rest of the night. Artemisia asked if she could get the darker part, since her sensitive eyes can't be exposed to too much light. She sighed and makes a comment about how she'd much rather be back in her room right now, and he, or Idia, as he'd told her, shared the sentiment.

Artemisia said having her there makes no sense— she would just be crammed into the darkest corner she could find, avoiding people the entire event anyway, and if there was any important information she could've just read it on the Diasomnia common room's bulletin board. On the exact same page, Idia chimed in saying 'A-and my presence is such a total mood-kill' and Artemisia agreed 'Yes, exactly! Ah, not to say that yours is, but mine…'

Then they shared a long, mutual sigh.

He shifted awkwardly and realized he brought a small game's console with him— think game-boy or something— and smiled in relief to himself. Artemisia stepped closer and asked what it is. This is where Idia becomes very flustered, realizing 'crap there's a girl standing very close to me' and he does the Terrified Turtle face, and starts stuttering. But when she says she's never really played a video game before, the shock snaps him out of it and he asks what rock she's lived under all her life, and she says she was always just confined to her room at home, upon which he goes quiet, knowing that feeling way too well. She asks if she can see how it works, and he agrees, and they crouch down to play. They keep talking back and forth about it for the rest of the party, and Artemisia tries it, and manages to beat the first level.

Idia talks about all the other kinds of video games that exist, and Artemisia looks at him with almost sparkling eyes. Gathering all his courage, and recalling his brother's words of encouragement about making friends, Idia says that the board game club has a few video games, too, and that he's a member and she can come check it out sometime if she wants.

She agreed.

She came to the next club meeting, and the next, and the next, and she's just a member now. Then eventually Idia suggests some PC games they could try playing, but when realizing the only computer Artemisia has is an old laptop from like 15 years ago, says it's probably better if she visits Ignihyde.

Bonus: Some more sprites

[sheltiechicago]

Five Copper Petals Dramatically Enclose a Bamboo Yoga Studio in a Lush Bali Village

A yoga and meditation studio in Bali welcomes visitors to relax and stretch under an airy bamboo canopy. A recent project of the local architecture firm IBUKU, “Lumi Shala” is a copper-coated structure with scalloped roofing that layers like five overlapping petals. The metallic covering is met with interlaced bamboo infrastructure inside, as those same botanical-like forms sweep upward in massive arches and “reflect warm golden light onto the bellies of the blonde bamboo ceilings inside, inspiring feelings of lightness and freedom,” the designers said. Earthen walls also support the roof with gaps that allow seamless movement between interior and exterior and sunlight to stream into the space.

All images © Lumi Shala

[luminousbeings-crudematter]

Spring has blossomed warm and bright

Flowers blooming, brilliant sights

Pushing out the cold and shortened days

For longer sunlight in lengthened rays

As March gives forth to April, May

And the world grows anew in fantastic ways

I hope you’ve let your windows down

And took a moment to hear the sounds

The birds chirruping, sweet melodic tunes

Pulling you out of dark stale rooms

To feel the sunshine warm your face

To see butterflies flick past you in playful chase

Spring has sprung, it’s all around

Please, dear Lumi let your hair down

For all this beauty, Mother Nature compiles

Will never hold a candle to your lovely smile

So let it out, to dazzle and shine

And interlace your fingers with mine

Spring is here and I can think of nothing better

Than to share it with you, this brilliant weather

I hope this poem finds you well

And maybe holds you for a spell

To cheer you deeply from within

And helps you let the sunlight in

I think of you every time I see a new bloom

All my love, Gray Face Anon

Clutching at my chest, sobbing, you are a POET 😭😭 spring’s not springin’ in the UK yet, but I’m holding your words so so close to my heart