#mountain x orchid

[literary-motif]

Hear The Bluebells

Zaros Ahta'lin x Reader

The last of the trials makes you search for a flower on a mountain with Zaros. It does not go as planned.

“How does it feel being so close to the throne?” you asked teasingly, only slightly out of breath as Zaros stumbled over yet another rock. He was breathing heavily next to you, the steep path to the top of the mountain more challenging than he would have thought. “Savor it while it lasts. After today, the succession will be settled.”

You had been searching for your designated flowers for at least an hour now, not daring to stray too far from the path, lest you should get lost in the thick woods of the mountain. 

“In my favor, I’m sure,” Zaros panted, glancing to the side to make sure the spots of color dancing in his vision were not the Fire Lily he so desperately yearned to find. You pushed aside some of the bushes yourself, wondering silently how hard it could be to find a Burnt Orchid.

Hopefully, the flower took less time to appear near the track than it took Zaros to find his. 

He groaned, stopping in his tracks as he swayed on the spot. You reached out to steady him. Zaros was pale, his eyes shut tightly as if trying to block out the world spinning around him. “Are you alright?” you asked in concern.

“Fine,” he said, pushing your hands away to walk briskly past you. “Don’t try to distract me!” As if he was worried you were trying to hide the flower he needed, Zaros took a thorough look around.

You scoffed, rolling your eyes. “Alright,” you said, “I tried. If you collapse from overexertion, don’t you dare pout.”

“I never pout,” he said, not finding any lilies and walking up the path once more, catching up to you only because you waited up for him.

“Sure, Zaros.”

Silence stretched between you, causing your thoughts to wander as your eyes roamed the ground, occasionally meeting Zaros’ tired ones. What would become of the other once the successor was crowned? Of course, you wished that the honor would fall to you, but it made you wonder what the Kingdom would do to Zaros then, what his mother would say.

It was almost sad, knowing the trials would come to an end today. It made you melancholic, reflecting on the many years you had spent with Zaros before you two broke apart.

“Yes!” Zaros exclaimed, startling you out of your thoughts. The butterfly you were observing flapped its wings quickly and disappeared. He emerged behind a tree, a single orange flower gripped securely in his hand.

The frown of confusion dropped from your face immediately, all peaceful musings of the past forgotten as your eyes and heart hardened. Zaros held the Fire Lily in his hand. You were losing the throne. 

Zaros smiled slily at you, despite his best efforts his lips trembled a little and he was still dangerously pale. “I told you,” he said, voice considerably less strong than before, “I’m ahead of you.” 

The panic rising within you was palpable. “Right,” you spat with a forced smile, “Let’s see who delivers it to her Majesty first, shall we? After all, that’s when the trials are over.” Without waiting for a reply, you continue marching upward along the trail.

Zaros laughed, calling after you as he started making his descent, “You’re just sour that you lost.”

“Haven’t lost anything yet,” you mumbled under your breath, shoving aside bushes with more force than necessary. 

Stupid flower! How dare it grow further up the mountain than the damned lily! A Burnt Orchid. Why did the scholars pick this flower in particular for you? You had seen countless others near the path. Snowbells, edelweiss, butterwort, bluebells. Why didn’t they choose one of those?

“Come on!” you said exasperated, pushing aside a branch forcefully. At the foot of a nearby tree, you saw the dark reddish-brown and white of the flower you were looking for. “At last.”

You plucked it quickly, admiring its beauty for only a brief moment before darting towards the track again. There was no time to lose. Who knew how far ahead Zaros was already? If he got to the foot of the mountain before you, the throne would be officially lost to you.

The path was uncomfortably steep. You slipped a few times, sliding down entire parts in your haste, only catching your footing again with effort. You nearly stumbled over Zaros’ leg, not seeing him slumped against the tree to the side of the trail.

“What are you doing?” you asked, taking a moment to catch your breath. 

Zaros was panting heavily, eyes half-lidded as he looked up at you unfocused. The Fire Lily was softly resting in his open hand. “I—” he breathed, “Just need— moment.” 

You frowned, kneeling next to him. Sweat was coating his forehead and you could feel the exhaustion radiating off of him. You doubted he would be able to make it down the mountain on his own, doubted he could take a single step without collapsing again. Zaros needed to drink some water, eat a bite, and rest. The mountain had taken everything out of him, evidently.

“Alright,” you said, thinking about what to do. It should not be far from the foot of the mountain now. You glanced down the path. It was still steep, but you would make it work somehow. “Alright,” you repeated, shifting the Burned Orchid to your other hand and sneaking your arm around Zaros’ waist, helping him up and holding him steady with a tight grip on his hips. You slung his arm around your shoulder, shifting a little to take more of his weight. 

Zaros gave a noise of surprise but did not protest. You took a few steps before stopping, turning your head to look at where he had sat a moment ago. The Fire Lily was still lying on the ground. 

“Can you stand on your own?” you asked, receiving a groan from Zaros. “Only for a moment, alright. Here, lean on the tree, just for a moment.” You disentangled yourself from his arm, leaving his side for a second to collect his flower. “Here, I’ve got you. It’s alright. Lean on me again, I’ve got you.”

Together, you made your way down the mountain, both flowers clutched tightly in your right hand. 

“You should probably let go of me now,” Zaros said, looking ahead at the small crowd of people waiting in the distance to pronounce the successor. The Regent sat in their center, the golden chair brought out here for the occasion shimmering in the sunlight. 

“Sure,” you said, “If you can assure me you won't fold and crumble to the ground the moment I let go of you. Can you do that?” Zaros remained silent. “Thought so.”

“But you—” he began confused. For the life of him, he could not understand why you did not seize the opportunity and leave him behind to claim the throne for yourself. “It’s gonna be—”

You shushed him gently as you neared the crowd.

“I’d like some water,” you called out, stepping closer to her Majesty. Your mother tilted her head when she saw you with Zaros, narrowing her eyes in confusion. His mother gasped when she saw the two of you, her mouth falling open indignantly. 

“Impossible,” you heard her murmur.

“Your Majesty,” you said, inclining your head and tightening your hold on Zaros when you felt him shift in your arms. “We have returned.” You stepped closer to her, whispering to Zaros, “Put your hand on mine, on the one holding the flowers.” After all, you did not wish for a technicality stated in the fine print to ruin your plan.

He looked at you for a long moment, gaze indiscernible, before complying with your request. 

You offered the flowers to her Majesty, Zaros’ hand resting over yours. “Both of the Flowers, your Majesty. Combined. The Fire Lily and the Burned Orchid, as you requested. Since they were delivered at the same time, I can only assume we—”

Your mother looked at you, a small smile gracing her lips as pride shone in her eyes when she exclaimed loudly and for all to hear, “We have a tie.”

[secret-fungi]

Under the orchid tree

ram x devi

1900 words

rated t

warnings: slightly sad ram

a/n we out here posting our homies fav fics so they don’t murder us in our sleep

tags: @agattthaa @liviusofpella

The pair sat in the grass, shaded by the orchid tree and though they had started both upright as He read outloud to her as the pages turned Ram’s head found its way to rest on her lap and her hand found its way to his hair, horribly fond expressions on both their faces and a smile that never fully slipped from his lips. 

Many people fell in love, and many of those people rested with their beloved. This sight was not unusual but he knew many would think it was, they’d come up with a ridiculous joke like Ram Doobay smiling? The world had to have ended. 

Maybe it was not the sums that made it so, but the whole- One could be in love, and one could smile at their loved one, and one could love Deviya, but for Ram to be laying in the dirt it must be strange, The acts itself weren’t strange but rather who made them, and this fact Ram knew very well, because He and the woman that played with his hair were very different, if he was the night she was the day, and if she was fire he was stone, and if she was Deviya he could only be Ram.

Ram was not stupid, he was under no illusions of who he was and what people thought of him, he knew that he was not someone who anyone would ever call a particularly doting or affectionate person, if you asked many would say he would be a good husband simply out of duty and nothing more. He had a sharp tongue and abrasive personality that ruined any good opinions his appearance granted him. He was not a sociable person, you couldn’t even stretch the truth and call him friendly, that even when given the chance he had never been particularly interested in other people, he kept to himself and wished to be left alone, any attempts to get close to him were met with said sharp tongue. 

He had never been an uninhibited person, never selfish and rarely truly stepped out of line, he was quiet and well-mannered and very reserved. And as much as this was true for him, such could never be said for Deviya, in fact the only thing that has been said about both of them was

“May mercy be upon whoever marries the devil.”

He was prideful, arrogant, and most often stubborn and if his younger self could see him now he knew what he would say, and it would not be all that different from what everyone else said.

What could the ocean say to make the mountain bow? What language could be found between the night and the day? 

They would bring up their differences, as would he if it was anyone else but Him and her.

Deviya had always been wild; her antics were always a topic of discussion even at the Doobays dinner table. to her any and every rule was simply a suggestion there was no limit, at least not for her, and more than once she had said that if she wanted something, nothing could stop her from getting it, and that she was a woman of many wants and there was nothing to say she couldn’t have them all. 

He had once scoffed at her natural ability to seek what he was too afraid to, watching from a distance as she made her friends laugh, and maybe that is what caused him to scoff at her, to distract from the question she forced his mind to ask, despite himself he couldn’t help but  wonder if he couldn’t also be loved like her, if he couldn’t also do as she did. 

Maybe he heard the teens' thoughts and that's what amused the man as much as it appeared, as Mahadeva smiled and arched a brow at him. “Do you truly dislike her actions?” he asked in response to Ram’s condemnation of the girl waving around a dagger, something a bit knowing in the way he smiled at the teen and that was that, the end of Ram pretending to scold Ms. Sharma’s rather odd personality. 

She was bright and vibrant and with every room she entered eyes landed on her. People always gravitated to her, to see what mischief she had pulled off, to see what show she had put on, because despite her nature, or maybe because of it she was loved, and as she passed him by he would wonder a question that would follow him for a very long time: he wondered if he couldn’t also be loved despite his nature. Her list was no shorter than his.

But maybe it was that the list of reasons to love her was longer, be it her smile, and the way her eyes looked in the sun, her laugh and her readiness to be who she was– No she was not like him at all. He thought once before, so he knew what people thought now.

He knew that it seemed strange that She would want him and he her. He was not stupid, he knew what people thought, how could he not when many asked what did he even have in common with the heiress. But after they had finished their work recounting the miles long list of their differences he would smile and reply that they both preferred the night over the morning and a bitter truth over a sweet lie. He could live with being more sociable and She wasn’t always so excitable, and at times she could even be calm, he would say how He'd find her in her study reading and they would simply be together, she was more than happy to sit with him in silence, and he was not so rigid that he could not at least pretend for a while to enjoy himself at a social gathering.

No one ever believed him, of course, because who was Ram Doobay if not the quiet man that stayed in the background, with an unfortunate disposition and a frown?

But then, who was Ram Doobay if not the man that chased after Deviya sharma, Fingers playing with her hair and a besotted expression on his face. Who was he but a man in love? And he had proclaimed that that was who he wished to be, whoever it was he was before can be forgotten. 

If his younger self could see him now– 

“What are you thinking about so deeply?” Deviya asked from above him, her fingers working small circles into his scalp, and when he opened his eyes he couldn’t help but smile.  “How you liked me before we even met,” he said. At this she raised her brows high. “Oh, yes, definitely.”  she agreed “did her words bother you that much?” she asked, calling back to the day’s excitement, where they walked into a shop arm in arm, and looked at the fabrics and embellishments and despite them ordering a matching set the tailor grinned and joked a light hearted joke that shouldn’t have bothered him, he hadn’t been so liberal with his affections, hidden between the walls of fabric they were shielded enough for him to kiss her, and he didn’t mind if they weren’t.  His wife laughed softly and told him to behave and that it.

until they met the owner once again. 

“You two are such an odd match, I never thought I’d live to see the day where you would have to be reminded to behave, if your younger self could see you now.” she joked, of course she meant it as a simple jest, a playful warning to stop teasing his wife so much, but it stuck with him then as it did now.

“it didn’t bother me, it just made me think.” he admitted “about what?” she asked, playing with a particularly nice curl. But he only smiled at her, one so soft that it made her pause. 

Surely, if his younger self could see what he saw now, Deviya above him, a halo of orchids and the sunlight that peaked through the tree’s leaves. If he could see her smile, hear how she said his name- if only he knew then he too would fall. 

He would realize just as Ram did now, that the love between two people needn’t be justified. He would know that he wasn’t alone, and that despite his nature he could be loved, and as strange as it seemed, love came as an answer to each of their worries in one way or another. 

He had a place, a love, a dream and each of those things rested in her, at the end of the day she curled beside him, and in the morning before even the sun rose he had her love.

What would he be if he had known before? This Ram did not know and though he briefly wondered he didn’t wish to find out.

“If my younger self could see me now, He would be very jealous,” he said, his hand reaching to tug on a loose curl and grin on his lips. “I’ve got a rather nice view,” he joked. “Is that so, Rakshasa?” She asked in return.

“I don’t think he would be surprised.” She said “no?” he asked “no, you’d intellectualize it, and if that didn't stop your worries you would seek the answers in texts.“ she fixed her posture and put on a rather snobbish expression before she mimicked his voice a touch too well. “Of course, Ms Sharma is a suitable match, Being connected to my family would only benefit the sharmas.” she said, immediately breaking into a laugh at the last word, unable to keep in her amusement over the sour expression on his face.

“That's not how I sound.” he denied “it is.” she affirmed with a mischievous grin. “Then after you said that you would pull out a book and say that men go crazy for love all the time, love rules over gods and man all the same, No matter how long it holds on, a leaf cannot stay on the branch forever.” she said with a hand gesture that he hadn’t noticed he did so often as he must have for her to get it down so well.

“Maybe that’s why Mr Vaish teased you.” She said “He must see it before any of us.” “He must.” he agreed, rolling the pair over so that she now sat on him, he picked out a leaf that had landed into her hair, and for a moment he just looked at her.

She was right, he wouldn’t believe it, if you had painted a portrait of what he saw now and presented it to his younger self he would mock you. 

“Would you be surprised?” he asked and without even a moment of thought she replied “no of course not, i don’t understand why people say we’re odd, when I’ve always sought you and you’ve always sought me, even when we didn’t know the names to call out for we looked for the other.” 

Ram nodded, placing a kiss to her lips. And once again he thought to himself, that He was not like Deviya.

 But still, her words gave him understanding, as they often did. 

Maybe the change happened then, or maybe that was only when he understood it, as it was not as if overnight he had changed. No, he was still a reserved man but sometime before he had learned to smile, and laugh and lighten up. He still preferred to be left alone, but alone didn’t include Deviya sharma, as you could find him more often than not wherever she was.

Ram Doobay was still an arrogant man, but he was an arrogant man in love. 

[cegiel-athelia]

Love in the Stars

(A Love and Deepspace x Qi Xi Tale)

This is a sequel to the Moonlit Orchid Day event on 10 August 2024.

I thought that it is important to educate the fans about the true nature of the event, that is, Qi Xi (七夕), commonly known to simply be the Chinese Valentine’s Day, but it is really more than just that. It is a love story. It is a story of broken hearts and eternal love all at once.

I have done my best to summarise the myth into an easier read for players, so please, enjoy.

Genre: Very Fluffy (and slight angst, only if you are able to catch the nuance.)

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

The low, soft humming of the engine of the car as Zayne was driving us back from the festival was steady and consistent amidst the melodic chorus of the song, “Mountains in the Night”, which he said that he would play enroute our way home to Linkon.

I laid on my side in the reclined passenger seat, gazing tenderly at the stoic, yet magnanimously caring man before me - the same person I have known since my childhood, and I was grateful that fate had not only given us the chance to reconnect after years had passed, but that we now had something that is more than special.

His soft chuckle cut through the ambient noises when he noticed my staring, and he said in a voice that was gentle, “what is it?”, as he removed his grip from the steering wheel to take my hand in his, intertwining our fingers – a gesture confined to our private moments together.

I shook my head, a fond smile playing on my lips as I replied, “Dr Zayne, what did you wish for on your sky lantern?”

He let out another amused chuckle at my question, releasing my hand to shift the gear. “If I told you, then it wouldn’t come true.”

I smiled knowing that that was not exactly true, but I did not insist. Instead, I murmured, “I saw you peeking while I was writing my wish on my lantern. How much did you see?”

A blush formed on his cheeks which spread to the tips of ears, almost imperceptible by the dimness of the night and confines of the car. He cleared his throat as if to brace himself before he spoke. “I saw that you wrote ‘I wish to be with Dr Zayne forever’, and you punctuated it with five exclamation marks.”

I groaned an agonised sound, covering my face with my palms from the embarrassment, and his chuckle drifted to my ears again. In concession, he spoke in a gentle voice, “I wished for the same thing with you, but I excluded the exclamation marks.”

I lifted my head from my hands and for a fleeting moment, I saw the curve of a smirk on the sides of his lips before he returned his attention to the road ahead.

We stayed there in the comfortable silence for a while, until I soon found myself drowsy with sleep. In defiance against the lull of slumber, I asked, “Dr Zayne? Could you tell me more about the origins of the festival?”

The familiar chuckle came once more, one that was of tenderness and affection as he obliged. “Sure,” he muttered, collecting his thoughts before continuing. “Moonlit Orchid Day is really the ‘Qi Xi Festival’. It falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month.”

He paused, slowing the car at the corner to make a turn. “On Qi Xi, the stars align, such that, it allows the constellations, ‘Vega’, ‘Altair’ – the star-crossed lovers – and ‘Deneb’ to come together. Deneb forms a bridge over the Milky Way to enable Vega and Altair to meet once every lunar calendar year.”

He glanced over at me and a wistful smile graced his features as he spoke. “In the Chinese mythology, Altair is the man known as Niu Lang, and Vega, the girl named ‘Zhi Nu’. There are several versions of the story, and this is but one of them.”

Zayne’s eyes were on the road, but his gaze appeared distant, as if, deep in thought. “Zhi Nu, together with her sisters, are the daughters of the queen of heaven, the Queen Mother. One day, they came to earth and bathe in a river in the mountains. Niu Lang was smitten by Zhi Nu’s beauty and he stole her clothes, which prevented her from returning to heaven with her sisters. Zhi Nu eventually fell in love with Niu Lang and they married, and were blessed with two children.”

I continued to listen to Zayne, or at least, I attempted to. However, his voice, combined with the low droning of the engine and the occasional sound of crunching asphalt under the tires, created a harmonious lullaby and my eyelids grew heavy as the minutes passed us by.

Still, I strove to listen to his words in my subconscious as I felt myself succumbing to the lull of sleep. “When the Queen discovered the marriage – one that was forbidden – Zhi Nu was immediately seized and returned to heaven. Niu Lang finding that Zhi Nu was gone, searched for her with his two children, embarking on a journey to heaven, intent on reuniting with his wife.”

Zayne’s expression became pensive, although his eyes did not leave the road as he navigated towards home. “To thwart his advances, the Queen ‘drew’ a river with her golden hairpin - the Milky Way is symbolic of that river – making it impossible for Niu Lang to cross.”

“Niu Lang mourned for his wife by the river, unable to cross it, and soon, the news spread and a flock of magpies, having compassion for Niu Lang, formed a bridge for the lovers to meet. The Queen eventually allowed the lovers to meet only once a year on that magpie-bridge – the constellation, Deneb.”

“That one day a year, is Qi Xi.” Zayne’s voice trailed off as he concluded the story, turning to look at the figure beside him, now soundly asleep.

Her breathing was slow and even, the glow of the passing streetlamps faintly illuminated her features, and her eyelashes cast long shadows on her cheekbones. He felt a breath catch in his chest at how ethereal and fleeting she looked. He reached a hand to brush a lock of hair away from her face, careful not to rouse her in the process and he could not suppress the tender smile forming on his lips.

He leaned in to whisper ever so quietly, “I will love and find you in every lifetime,” and pressed a kiss on her forehead. “I promise.”

===============-END-=================

[madarasgirl]

A Night for Hunting Ch.10 -What Makes a Meal?

T/W: Alucard (Ultimate) x F!Reader, sexually suggestive content, but also some fluff. Romance, Riocard, shapeshifting. Smitten human with a crush. Seductive vampire troll, ‘dating.’ Comedy but not really? (things are amusing for Alucard at least).  Words: 5026 On AO3 @alastorhazbin

Thank you all for the birthday wishes! 

This chapter ended up longer than anticipated. Guess I was having fun too! I think it’s needed before the plot gets a bit more serious later.

I received a new shipment of orchids to add to my modest collection and I’ve been obsessed, if you can’t tell with my plant references.

Please read the note at the end of this chapter.

Alucard insisted on taking your number before you left for vacation with your closest friends. It was only a short trip away from home, but it was what you could manage. You ended up travelling to Scotland and visiting all the attractions of interest to your group, including Edinburgh Castle and the Isle of Skye. The landscape at the Isles was truly the stuff of legends. The soft light of late winter painted the sky deep pinks and purples during sunrise, the dusting of frost atop mountains were glittering diamonds in the morning sun before it melted into a shimmery dew, a series of picturesque waterfalls cascaded into the crystal clear Fairy Pools. It was a land of magic and enchantment more suited for a world of fantasy than reality. You almost wished Alucard was there so you could show him the beauty of the land and those spectacular sunrises. You captured countless photos to preserve the memory.

During a hike, your group’s passage disrupted a colony of hibernating bats, sending them fluttering in a noisy, chittering swarm. You scuttered away with your friends, yet you grinned even while squawking as everyone else did. These bats, however, did not possess scarlet eyes. Neither did they want anything to do with roosting in your hands as another bat did. 

He was at the back of your mind the entire time. Ever since you accepted your attraction to your immortal suitor, you thought of him frequently in increasingly fond terms. He was absolutely charming. It was frightening how quickly he came to occupy your conscious faculties. You hoped he’d appreciate the small gift you were bringing back to him. 

The vampire phoned at night on several occasions. Unfortunately, he did not allow you to elude him with only texting, stating that it was no proper way of communication. Once again, you were pleasantly surprised by the conversation with him. He was the most attentive audience as you excitedly recounted the adventures of the day, then he agreed with your hotel roommate as she teased you about ‘your boyfriend’ in the background of your calls. Curse his vampire hearing. You trembled at the deep voice on the other end. Between them, they had you tumbling into a flustered puddle of stutters and you terminated the call, telling him to let you be and that he was being an idiot.

You fell back on the mattress and pulled the sheets over your head so your friend wouldn’t see the stupid grin on your face. The butterflies in your stomach fluttered again as you recalled the smile you heard in Alucard’s voice during the call. --------------------

At last you were home in England. Considering the circumstances on how you met, the eagerness with which you wanted to see Alucard might be astonishing. His dastardly ways were mostly unchanged, yet his hunting of you for sport was long ago. Your current relationship was decidedly warm. 

There was no way you could treat him to a fancy restaurant, so you invited him over for dinner. It seemed like an excellent choice of activity until Alucard expressed his excitement about the prospects of you feeding him, only for you to repeatedly remind him he was not drinking from you again.

Sweet, I have arrived.

You fumbled with the lid to the pot before catching yourself and safely setting it down. You rushed to the entrance with a huge smile and pulled it open, only to stop dead in your tracks.

Huh?

Your smile dropped at the bizarre sight. It was undoubtedly Alucard on the other side of the door. You would never mistake those fiery eyes, the immense stature, and arrogant demeanour for anyone else. Yet he was different. His thick tresses revealed his hairline and fell straight past his rear. He wore a tailored black suit that fit him to perfection and a conceited smirk that matched the enthralling sunset gaze. There was something about his appearance that made him feel more unsettling and dangerous than usual.

You knew the vampire was a shapeshifter, yet you edged backwards when faced with the unfamiliar. His eyes glittered with mirth at your hesitation and his fingertips landed on your cheek with a delicate touch.

“Surely you have not forgotten me in a mere week, Dear?” He jested, rattling you out of your stupor.

As if that was possible. You shut your mouth. Yup, this was certainly Alucard. “I –I could never.” You meekly stepped aside to let in your guest and stared at him as he strode in like he owned your home.

“This is a gift for you,” he pronounced, setting a basket of yellowish, fragrant orchids in your hands. “It is known as ‘The Lady of the Night.’ It suits you.” It was a living arrangement of the whole plant, not just the cut flowers, and you shook your head at the vampire’s double meanings with a sigh. 

“Thank you. They are lovely.” You accepted the gift graciously and took a quick whiff of the citrusy fragrance that was to die for. The door shut and locked behind the vampire.

Alucard was in excellent spirits. He scented your excitement from behind the door and in truth, he was equally eager to see you. It smelled divine, the aromas of home-cooking and your nervousness mingled to tantalize his senses. He took in the sight of you standing awkwardly beside him, wondering if you were supposed to offer to take his coat, and grinned fiendishly. How adorable without even knowing it.

“Sweet, you should know the physical form I assume is meaningless. I may appear as whatever I desire.” 

His handsome countenance suddenly melted into whispering shadows. You gasped as his snakelike tongue lolled before he warped into a bipedal horned monster leaking darkness. His body stretched and broke open to reveal smooth bone, before sinewy muscle fibres formed over skeletal limbs and were encased in fresh skin. Those overly long, disproportionate fingers dripped of the night and you held your breath. You weren’t sure if you were afraid, but you couldn’t tear your eyes away from the grotesquely fascinating transformation. 

The monster dropped onto all fours, the horns elongating into antlers and with a series of crunches, the beast moulded itself into a giant elk that took up all of your living space. The metamorphosis was disturbing, but Alucard remained the most majestic creature, even as the elk sprouted eyes along its snout and down its hide. It stared into you for the longest moment and you didn’t look away, then it shrank into a dog, though the extra eyes remained.

And suddenly he became your Alucard again. 

The jagged shadows lashed about before flowing back and forming his familiar face, the darkness rippling around him with a crimson glow. It seemed the magic show was over and you were both silent. You finally released your bated breath. Instead of feeling terrified by the gnarly sight of Alucard remaking himself as if he was liquid, you giggled, then laughed out loud in wonder. You approached him to caress his hands, inspecting the digits that were reformed without any sign they were any longer mere moments ago. You stroked his cheeks, then went to the top of his head. No remnants of horns either.

Alucard’s brow lifted at your reaction. You were…excited by the prospect of having your own petting zoo? Yet he was not affronted by your debasement of his abilities as a Nosferatu. He made you laugh again and he basked in the sound. Tucking a strand of hair behind your ears, his smile matched your own toothy grin that showed your canines peeking through, so tiny compared to his fangs. 

You kept giggling, tucking a strand of imaginary hair away, unconsciously mirroring his actions and your eyes glittered as you lunged to embrace him. Such an unexpected and gratifying response you welcomed him with. His expression softened.

“Welcome back, little one,” he murmured, wrapping an arm around your waist.

Your lips parted and then closed. And opened again. You buried your face in his chest. “I missed you too, you jerk,” you mumbled, burrowing deeper when you felt the vibrations of his laughter. “I have something for you too, from Scotland.” Holding out something furry with both hands, you presented to your vampire a little stuffed toy bat. 

His brows raised before the orange pools spun and the light caught their golden flecks. He took the bat and studied it with a toothy grin, flicking a fond glance at you before tucking it away in his duster. “Delightful.”

You beamed bashfully and pulled apart. “Come on in, vampire, dinner is ready.”

You led your guest inside and seated him at the table. The seats were set and everything was just about cooked. All that was left to do was to plate the dishes and pour the drinks. You excused yourself briefly to use the bathroom.

Alucard settled into his seat while you used the facilities, listening to the sounds of your bodily functions, enjoying everything that made you human. Everything that was a normal life. His eyes opened as you returned and finished your preparations, materializing beside you to assist with preparing the beverages and floating the entrees over, making you shake your head in glee at his ‘magic tricks.’

He tugged at a chair to slide it across the floor with a hushed whisper, then tucked you back into the table once you were seated. “Dig in!” You proudly announced, quickly layering your bowl with an assortment of goods. 

As you tore into the deer, you peeked up at him in confusion. He made no moves to serve himself. You almost snorted. He may be your guest, but was he so insufferable he was expecting you to serve him like he was a king?

“You aren’t eating? Go ahead.” You pushed a dish at him and dabbed at the escaped sauce from your lips, not missing the way those predatory eyes followed the movement. 

“I will eat,” the vampire replied cryptically.

“You should while it’s hot. It’s venison stew, perfect for this weather! It’ll warm even you up,” you snickered, plopping a sizable serving into his bowl.

He didn’t reply.

This was getting awkward. You tried to chew quietly as your head spun. Was this some archaic vampire ritual where he was supposed to allow you to finish eating before he began? Did you mess up the dish somehow? Perhaps he preferred his meats more undercooked, bloodier? You somehow doubted it was because he didn’t consume meat. There simply didn’t seem to be a hint of a vegetarian in Alucard.

“The meal is perfectly divine, little one.”

The reassurance didn't help. “Then why…” You trailed off. The vampire was enamoured by the process of you eating. You set down the spoon as you finished swallowing.

“Alucard, you’re getting creepy again. You were expected to eat too, you know, not just stare at me.”

He chuckled. "You still wish to feed me?" 

“That was why you were invited.”

“As you wish, little one, but you are not feeding me.” 

You fixed the flattest, blankest stare in his direction. The quietness was nearly deafening. You made him a feast that blanketed every inch of the table. What game was he playing at now?

Sunset eyes got brighter and that grin grew wide. 

“Oh hell no. You’re a grown ass man! I’m not spoon-feeding you like you’re a toddler!”

“That is the only way I will eat human food.” He licked his lips.

“Then don’t eat! See if I care!” You huffed in disbelief, shoving in another bite to chew angrily. All that time spent preparing this plethora of dishes to perfection for this uncivilized beast. More for you, whatever. There will be plentiful food for the week.

The minutes stretched as you ate in silence by yourself. Childishly, you sliced the already tender morsels with more force than necessary to make a point. Several times, your gaze flickered up to check what your infuriating guest was doing, whether he was bluffing or if he truly expected you to demean yourself. An uncanny stare scrutinized every aspect of the way you consumed your food and suddenly you couldn’t remember why you missed him.

Grinding your teeth, you at last threw your hands up in frustration. “You really are insufferable!” You scooped up a slice of deer and shoved it at Alucard’s annoying mug.

The vampire's grin split even wider with his victory and the meat slid into his mouth. He started purring. “Heavenly. Were I still living, I would have appointed you a chef in my castle.”

You rolled your eyes at his grandiose words of praise. Even if he was a Duke or a Count or anyone of enough importance to warrant living in a castle, his manners were clearly plebeian. His appreciation for your efforts would be more apparent if you didn’t need to basically beg him to eat it.

“Come here, sweet one.”

“I am here,” you deadpanned.

“Your obstinate struggles against my will, as entertaining as they are, will always be fruitless, little human. Come here.” He scooted back in his chair and placed a hand on his lap. 

The audacity! This was your home. 

You had half a mind to demand he leave, but what were you going to do? Try shoving him out the door? He’d just phase through and mock you, if he even let you move him. If sitting in an ancient vampire’s lap to feed him dinner was the only way to expedite the process, so be it. Begrudgingly, you grumbled and plodded over to drop onto one of his thighs, only for him to scoop up your legs and drape you sideways over his lap.

You pouted and glared at him to show your displeasure.

“You really are charming when irate,” he purred, sticking his nose to your throat to nuzzle it. He inhaled. “For the aromas.” He chuckled when you tensed. “I am ready to eat, Sweet.”

You leaned away while pushing at his jaw to create distance, feeling the twitch in the corner of an eye as you picked up the fork and lanced the first piece of deer from Alucard’s bowl before lifting it to his lips. They wouldn’t part.

Not like that. His voice appeared in your mind, immediately followed by an image of yourself holding the cut to his lips between your fingertips.

“You really are going too far.”

“Humour me and you will find your freedom sooner.”

Picking up a slice of stew meat, you shoved it at the beast as you blazed with fury. He accepted the offering instantly, cool lips closing around your fingers to suckle. You squeaked in horror and yanked your hand back while he swallowed what you gave him whole.

“What the hell?!”

He smacked his lips and leered at you through lidded eyes. “Next.”

Gulping down your apprehension, you raised the next piece to his mouth and looked aghast as that scandalous tongue made a reappearance. Alucard made a show of licking your hand, beginning at the palm with a tickle and wrapping around your sauce-coated fingers. He lapped slowly at your fingertips as his eyes flashed, before gingerly taking the deer between sharp teeth and sucking it back with a wet slurp.

The hair on your arms stood on end, making your skin tingle. Your eyes met and his hand tightened around your waist. The other stroked up your thigh and squeezed your hip. Something else like appendages rubbed your shoulders and feet and held you tighter to him. He crooned and licked your jaw before capturing your lips to nibble on. The lounging beast sighed happily as your eyes bulged and you squirmed with discomfort on his lap.

“For the added seasoning,” he murmured against your ear.

That was just rude! 

The vampire cackled and flicked at your bottom lip again, making you flinch. “There exists no seasoning superior to your own taste.”

Piece by piece, you fed the old vampire by hand while he held you hostage in his lap. Despite feeling thoroughly harassed, eventually you couldn’t help but feel slightly flattered about your culinary abilities that elicited a response like this. If he liked your food so much, you supposed you could just cook for him again but skip this degenerate’s feeding kink, although being perched on his lap was not too bad. Neither was his touch wholly unwelcome. 

You pet his cheek while he chewed, his expression the face of pleasure. Nuzzling into your palm with a moan, his eyes opened to slits when you brushed up one side to investigate the pointy earlobe. He kept purring as loud as an engine.

Your eyes focused on the dancing shadows that surrounded him. They floated and twirled and seemingly pulsed at times. So mesmerizing.

Your unoccupied hand dipped cautiously into the shadow tendrils flowing around Alucard. He shuddered and growled, so low it was nearly imperceptible. A single wisp wrapped around your hand and you held onto it. Making contact with it was the strangest experience. Alucard's shadows were just that –not really tangible, yet you were able to physically touch his darkness. It buzzed in your hand with arcane energy that rippled through your being and tickled your spirit. Finally, you let him go, unable to bear the sensation any longer, and dropped your head on his broad shoulder to rest.

The heat was probably too high in your apartment after so much cooking. Your shirt clung to musky armpits and you fidgeted on Alucard’s lap as the undead cat finished another bite. He inhaled deeply, heavy purrs rumbling through his chest and vibrating through you. What a pervert. Always too suggestive. Always too attractive.

You absentmindedly gave him another piece, nipping on your lips and staring everywhere except at him when he started licking again. Something hard slid against your finger, catching your attention. The goddamn vampire was dragging the side of a fang against your ring finger. You held your breath, but again, it wasn't fear you felt, only curiosity at where he was going with this when he plainly stated he had no intention of biting you.

You caught the wicked smirk and glint in his eyes, now a deeper shade than at the onset of the meal. Again with the teasing. The air was heavy, the aura of mystery and danger swirled. His hair was longer and the locks fluttered despite the lack of a breeze. The lights dimmed before coming back on, throwing contrasting shadows across the pale profile you enjoyed looking at so much.

This smug vampire knew he was magnificent.

Your body responded aptly. After being subjected to hearing and feeling him purr all night, as well as the sensation of having his hands on you all night, you fell victim to his allure… the devilish monstrosity was simply irresistible. It felt like you were sitting in a furnace when you lowered your gaze from his triumphant one.

There it was, the scent of arousal. Alucard inhaled loudly, nostrils flaring as he absorbed his victory, ensuring you knew he was fully aware of your state of restlessness. Human food may be disgusting, but the taste of your skin was sweet ambrosia. For it to be finally paired with this ravishing perfume? Alucard believed he would never have enough of this gourmet delicacy.

The vampire was rock hard. A stiff shaft prodded your rump, large enough to make an impression even through fine wool and the awkward positioning. Your wide eyes lifted slowly to meet his, your shock at odds with his amusement.

The hands returned, the touch now lewd compared to the gentle exploration earlier. A shadow hand massaged your breast, alternatively kneading the mound between its palm and fingers. He traced circles around the tip to create a pebble before he pinched it. Your guest took your lips, prodding insistently until you yielded to his demands. Cold muscle delved into your mouth and he growled as he slid around to conquer and explore. Something firm held the back of your head when you attempted to escape. Another hand. His hands were everywhere, stroking and grabbing until you writhed in his grasp.

Your musk got heavier as your underwear became saturated with fluid. Even you smelled it. Alucard keened and encouraged you to touch him. A strange energy embraced you, leaving you gasping and he smirked with satisfaction. 

Curiously, you rested a palm on his chest. He had no heartbeat. Your heart was pounding, but there was nothing beating in his, nothing to show that you weren’t the only one hot and bothered. A moment of trepidation flashed by and passed. Resting your forehead to his chin, you trailed down his torso to rest lightly on the front of his pants. It was held up with steel that strained the smooth material into an indecent tent. You cupped it width-wise, its girth taking up most of the curvature your hand created, and tentatively ran your palm down the length. Down and down and down your hand travelled, until the end ran under your leg and disappeared.

Sweet Jesus, how big was this monster?

He hissed in pleasure as he made another show of licking your fingers, sucking them into his maw one by one. The devil held you spellbound through glowing vermilion orbs. No…you searched within your consciousness…the ancient vampire wasn’t hypnotizing you. This was all you. The revelation was more frightening than anything.

You shivered.

“What say you? Shall we search for nirvana this fine evening for dessert?”

“E-excuse me?”

“As I proposed, I will mount y–”

“I know how the mechanics work!” You screamed, your face on fire as you suddenly found yourself free of your prison and you scrambled off of him in an uncoordinated tangle of limbs, tripping over yourself and landing on your rear by his feet.

Alucard threw his head back and roared raucously as he leaned back to watch you. Eyes opened on the ground and curled in laughter to join in. The extra extremities disappeared. As did your desire –in just these few seconds, your libido jumped off a cliff and died, to be replaced by total mortification.

Not knowing how to recover, you picked yourself up from the floor as the vampire shook his head and chuckled. Stomping down the hall, you turned and hollered, “Time for you to leave! I’m going to bed!” Nevermind the fact that you just ate. 

The door slammed behind you and you crumbled to the floor in a panting heap, the mind racing to process what happened. A vampire, you were about to lay with a marauding predator of the night. Sinfully beautiful, but a ruthless murderer nonetheless. You hugged your legs and tried to calm yourself.

It was futile. You too craved his presence.

“...”

You sat alone longer at the edge of a precipice, the distance providing some much-needed clarity, until you finally stood shakily with your fingertips lingering on the door knob, about to flip the switch when you stopped yourself. If you were to be honest with yourself, you didn’t detest this vampire anymore. You would not mind if he stayed the night. 

…The bedroom door was left unlocked.

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

You stirred, sticking out a leg and kicking over to the other side of the bed, the cotton sheets brushing softly against your naked skin. With an arching back, you stretched the entire length of your body, from the tips of your fingers to the bottoms of your feet, and yawned. The muscles in your legs cramped from being perched in one position last night. Your toes poked out from under the blanket.

“I bid you good morning, little human.”

You sat up abruptly and found the unblinking crimson set of eyes in the corner of the room. For a moment, fear shot up your spine, the terrifying recollection of being at the mercy of a red-eyed monster who wanted to rip into you on another occasion made your blood run cold. 

But there was no need for alarm this time. Your heart raced even as the fright dissipated.

There he was, sitting on the grey loveseat with his legs crossed and a frown marring his features, his fingers loosely intertwined. Shooting a panicked glance over to the window, you saw there was indeed light filtering around the edges of the curtains, illuminating the bedroom with the gentle rays of morning. But the sun! Why wasn’t he going off in flames? Did he just watch you sleep the entire night? 

“Why are you here?” You asked dumbly.

The frown turned upside down and the vampire cackled, two rows of jagged teeth gleaming like a bear trap. “You invited me in, little one.”

“But you stayed the night?”

“Watching you breathe,” he purred, “listening to your heart beat.”

Creepy, psychopathic behaviour, but then again, this was Alucard you were referring to. You held the sheets closer to your chest before remembering to check on your state of undress beneath. You were the same as how you went to bed, crotch still clammy from the devil’s seduction last night.

“I meant the sun. How are you alive? Shouldn’t you be a pile of ashes?” 

He smiled. “Your legends generally do not apply to a true vampire like myself.”

Indeed, Alucard actually looked fresh and well-composed, as if he didn’t spend the night sexually harassing a young woman and then ogled her as she slept. The fog in your mind slowly retreated. A true vampire… There was so much you didn’t know about the supernatural.

You rubbed your eyes and blinked at him. "So the sun doesn't hurt you?"

"No more than it harms you, though I may despise the day."

"Then how about garlic?"

He snorted.

"Crosses? Holy water?"

"Mere irritations."

"Silver?"

"Ah– that may cause injury." The vampire closed his eyes and snickered. "So curious about my existence, little one. You want me dead?" Hellfire bore through your soul.

Dead?

You froze, unsure of how to respond. Did you want him dead? Vampires were a menace to society, a scourge. Wouldn't the world be better off without demons like him wandering it? “You are already dead. But…I can’t say I want you gone for good anymore…”

Silence. The fire burned warmly in those molten pools. "You are such an intriguing creature," he murmured.

You shuffled in bed and propped up a pillow behind your back, being careful to keep the sheets draped over your chest, thoroughly conscious of your nakedness. A million questions bloomed in mind as you sat quietly across from this ancient creature a few paces away, who witnessed the eras come and go. Was it okay to ask now?

“So…how did you become a vampire?”

He sat back and tilted his chin up in thought before staring down his nose at you. “At the end of my human life, I chose vengeance and hate."

You perked up. To be or not to be. "So your sire gave you the option to become a vampire?" You recalled his reaction the last time you inquired about his sire. Hopefully vampirism wasn't a fate that was forced upon him.

Alucard didn't respond immediately. "I have no sire, little human."

You were mildly confused. That was how vampires were born though, wasn't it? Vampires created vampires, as they also gave rise to ghouls. Alucard himself told you so. It seemed the more you learned from him, the less you knew. There was always another secret.

You blurted it out, much more directly than the last time you broached this topic months ago. "...Do you ever regret it?"

He looked sad, wistful, and your heart churned for a demon. What was this feeling? His gaze dimmed, turning downcast as the frown returned.

"Cherish your humanity, child."

Not knowing what to say, you reached for him and he came to you immediately, kneeling by the side of the bed and resting his face in your hand. You ran your fingers through the silky hair you adored and the vampire sighed against your touch.

You pondered Alucard's words as you pet him. So many questions. "Then what about that vampire you shot? Is he like you? Are there other vampires like you who don't bite?"

Alucard tensed before smiling slightly, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “I’m not something so vulgar and cheap. And I do bite.” A hand shot up to grasp your wrist by his face.

You were undeterred. You put your other hand to his chest and once more noted the lack of comforting beats. His touch wasn’t gross like with the other vampire. In fact, physical contact with Alucard no longer made you feel the need to shower. His aura no longer urged you to run and hide, or face mortal peril. Actually, this was quite pleasant.

His face came within inches of yours and you felt his icy breath as he spoke.

“If you can kill me, I would gladly die by your hands.” He purred at you, pressing your hand hard into his chest, leaning heavily into your touch and lowering his head to rub noses.

To be or not to be. You snorted, “As if that’s even in the realm of possibilities.”

“Only a human can kill a monster.”

“You are not making any sense.” You’ve seen what he can do. He had superpowers while you were a normal mortal. Kill him? What a joke.

Alucard chuckled, “No, I suppose not.” A gloved finger bumped softly against the tip of your nose and he closed the gap between you. Luminescent irises whirled, his gaze affectionate. You stared back into the balmy gaze as you let your lips and foreheads touch in a tender meeting.

Minutes had passed when you pulled apart.

“Okay, you got your show. Time for you to leave.” You sighed, brushing a thumb against his cheek one last time before dragging your sheets with you to keep yourself modest as you rose from bed to pull open the curtains.

He was gone from your room when you turned back.

~To be Continued~

Chapter 11: Interlude I Chapter 12: The Feeling of Safety

Notes:  For those of you not familiar with Shakespeare’s work, Hamlet, “To be or not to be, that is the question” is probably the most well-known line from his play. This infamous soliloquy is referring to the decision “to live or not to live,” something Hamlet pondered as he discussed how painful living is and how death may be preferable, if it weren’t for the uncertainty of what came afterwards. Hamlet was suicidal. It is deeper when Alucard said it because he wasn’t merely referring to his ‘cowardly’ decision to turn (“to be a vampire”), but also how by choosing ‘to be,’ he ended up damning himself to an eternity of unlife instead. Alucard wants to die.

While I think Alucard wasn't constantly shagging everyone prior to meeting us, I headcanon that he is normally open to sexual relationships with humans should they be interested (and if they interest him). And if Alucard is sexually interested in someone, he will certainly at least try to seduce them. Alucard is extremely suggestive, very sensual, and the type to take a mile if you give him an inch. If you let him in your pants once, he'll be seeking opportunities to charm them off again. He knows he's attractive, good in bed, and that we’re hot for him. 

So now I feel like I kind of lied when I said "no smut" in this story's initial tags (hey it was supposed to be a oneshot), but I think I actually can't avoid some racy content if we're to get to the point where we want to give Alucard all of ourselves. This fic had mature themes from the beginning, so I believe most readers won’t have too much issue with more sexual content, but explicit smut scenes will be mostly in the interludes from this point on. It is now officially “eventual smut/NSFW." Things will be spicier here and there. The Interludes can be skipped and readers will (probably) not miss too much. Just FYI, they eventually do pretty much everything except fuck “all the way,” ie. P-in-V sex. BTW, next chapter is an interlude. It features period blood and is really not for everyone (but hey, our dear monster is a vampire), in which case I hope you’ll enjoy Ch.12 more!

Above: Brassavola nodosa, The Lady of the Night. Not my orchid, but one I eventually want to add to my collection. I wasn't aware of this, but apparently in some cultures, it represents the connection between the living and the dead. Only at night it is fragrant, releasing a smell that is described as citrusy or like gardenias.

[dy6nsty]

Orchid Giftbox

═════════ஓ๑♡๑ஓ═════════ Mountain Ghoul x AMAB! Reader Cw— Lingerie, Size/Height kink, Sub! reader, Dom! Mountain, Slight possessiveness, Porn with plot, Fingering, Anal!. ═════════ஓ๑♡๑ஓ═════════

It was a normal in the ministry; being given a list of tasks and duties to fulfill throughout the day before those retreated back to their rooms.

Per usual, you had just shut the door to your room. As you let the feeling of stress slowly seep from your mind—a box? A nicely wrapped box sat down on the foot of your bed. Who would give you a preset?

With a thought of curiosity and uncertainty, you slowly stepped towards the assumed present. It was decorated quite nicely! Castleton green base, with a lighter ribbon to finish it off.

Your hands gently fondled to take the bow off, setting it down on the bed comforter. Your hands pried open the box.

Inside you were left with— lingerie.

It was designed with see-through lace underwear and a bra shaped top, connecting both of the garments in one. Then, it had small fabric flowers cluttered all over. A large amount of what appeared to be roses right over brassiere, specifically covering the spot for nipples…

Your face turned into a bright red. Who would gift this to someone? You turned over the box, a small tag being on the box, decorated with hearts. Only name found: Mountain.

Mountain had been in your room? You slowly took the lingerie out of its capture and began to strip. It felt dumb to try an outfit made for sexual display on! —But you did it anyway.

It fit snugly. Clinging onto your body as everything poured out of it. Cock pressing up against the fabric.

You stared at the mirror in-front of you. Were you seriously wearing this? But it did in-fact look nice. The skimpy outfit showed everything off.

While you were checking yourself out a sudden knock at your bedroom door cut you off. Who could be there? What should you do!?

You grabbed a robe from the bathroom, throwing it over. Swiftly, you gently creaked open the door, peeking your head through the narrow gap.

“Y/n?” A familiar voiced questioned, it was Mountain. At that moment, a content sigh left your lips as you held the door more open now.

“Yeah?” You shuffled a bit nervously whilst replying to his question. Although, you did notice his eyes looking over every inch of you. What was he looking for?

His stare didn’t stop. The ghoul seemed to be in some sort of daze. His hand gently reached over, slight tugging at strap of lace that had sneaked its way out from the robe. “You have it on?” Shit. His tail swayed behind, subtly, but not so subtle to you.

Your head dipped down slowly, “Yes, why?” There was your question: Why? Mountain stayed quiet at your curiosity. His body manners turning more sheepish. “I wanted to see it on you.” He answered.

He wanted to see it? Why not. You stepped aside, inviting him in. Mountain shut the door himself, horns nearly scraping the top of the door frame. You slowly slipped the robe off your shoulders. Exposing it to him. You tossed the robe to the side, letting exposure settle in onto your body.

“Santanas.” Mountain murmured with wide eyes. His body moved towards you, hands settling down onto your hips. “Even better than I imagined.” Fingers trailing down your thighs. Pressing up against you, you could feel his boner hardening up against you.

“Lingerie all it take to make you excited, Mountain?” You asked him in a mocking manner. He shrugged and continued to look at your body. “When it comes to you, you’re all it takes.” He stated confidently. His hands rushing down to the pantie lining.

“May I?” He asked, which you nodded to. His hands regained back onto your hips, ushering you to against the wall, hands brushing all over, tongue dancing together. Your bodies moving and grinding together, wanting only more and more of one another.

By the time his hands are slipping over and under your lingerie, your backs pressed up against the bed sheets. Mountain uses his knees to spread open your legs, your body is trapped under his bringing a spread of warmth. He slowly leaned back, settling himself down on his knees and sliding off his pants, paying no mind to his boxers that lazily stayed down by his ankles.

His cock sprung right out from its enclosure. The ghoul leaned back down, rubbing his shaft against your clothed groin. A shiver ran down your spine. His hand slowly moved the over the undergarment over, revealing more of you to him.

His body shifted, leaning down, placing a gentle kiss on your abdomen. His fingers slowly lifting the lace straps off of your shoulders.

Meanwhile, his ring and middle finger pressed against your lips. “Open.” Which you complied to, opening your mouth. Sucking down on his fingers so he could use your own saliva as lubricant. Once you were down he positioned his fingers right up against your hole. A faint gasp slipped right past your lips as first his middle finger pushed itself past, and in.

A soft hum of amusement could be heard from the tall Ghoul. Mountain began to slowly plunge his finger out and deep into you. Writhing and gasping beneath him while his unoccupied hand held you stable by the hip. “Tell me if its hurts, alright?”

His movements were soft and gentle, treating you as if you were fragile. Touch tender while his finger intruded right into your walls. He pressed his ring finger up against your rim, slowly pushing forward— adding another finger. Your hands went up, clinging onto the headboard as a scorching pain washed over your thighs. Mountain gently shushed you, thrusting and curling his fingers deeper.

His goal was to stretch you out as much as he could. With the way his fingers moved it felt as if your brain was stirring around with mixed signals of ecstasy and pain.

Slowly, his fingers slid back out. The new feeling of being empty made you whine, peering up at him with glossy eyes. “I’m not started yet.” He reassured you, tucking a few strands of hair between your ear.

The earth-Ghoul slowly settled himself between your legs, throbbing cock gently laid on top of your own erection. A groan filled the void of silence as he re-positioned his dick in-front of your agape hole.

His hands grasped your waist tighter as he shoved his the head of his staff inside your walls. His groan and your cry mixing together in the tension filled silence.

Mountain thrusted himself in once more, you wrapped tight around him. “Fuck–” He gasped, head tilting back while he tried his best to fuck into you.

He slid back out before slamming right back in. His length stretched you out in every direction, his cock could practically break you. Your head laid down on the pillow, hair messy and breathing heavy with each thrust Mountain plowed into you with. Grunts and moans synchronizing together, member buried deep within. while he rutted into you.

His eyes half opened while they focused on yours. Every facial expression, the way you reacted, the way your body was simply smaller than his, he loved it. Lust and craving given into every thrust to reach deeper and deeper into you. Mountain dipped his head into the crook of your neck, kissing down and up to your jaw than your collar bones. Slowly driving himself deeper into your depths, pre-cum helping him along the way.

As he slowly sank more and more into the rougher he became, chasing after his own orgasm. “Fuck.” He huffed, steadying his hands onto your hips. “You feel good, so good.” Mountain murmured breathlessly against your neck. The feeling of you wrapped around him had him going crazy.

Overtime him movement became more erratic, drifting back before thrusting back in roughly. The sensation of him pushing against your sweet spot made your back arch, fingers curling around any surface they could. Mountain continued: Lean back, and fuck himself back into you. Every time he slammed back in he reached deeper and deeper, reaching closer to stumble over the edge.

His nails dug into your skin, the sound of skin slapping together filling the room, your eyes rolling back with each thrust. More and more until you finally let out that cry of ecstasy he had so desperately needed.

Mountain’s full length was no engulfed by you, cum filling you right up as a content sigh left his lips. . .

[loriannbowman]

HSR X Arknights : (Not Important) Bonus Information!

Lamplight

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

Basic Info:

[Code Name] Lamplight

[Gender] Lamplight

[Combat Experience] 4 Years

[Place of Birth] Laterano

[Date of Birth] {Redacted}

[Race] Sankta

[Height] {Redacted}

[Infection Status] Originium Crystals found forming across lower right leg; confirmed Infected by Medical Examination

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

Physical Examination:

[Physical Strength] Excellent

[Mobility] Standard

[Physical Resilience] Standard

[Tactical Acumen] Flawed

[Combat Skill] Excellent

[Originium Arts Assimilation] Flawed

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

Bonus Facts! (Personal Head Canons)

The Doctor is based on moi~ So I choose their gender and it's Agender-Aromantic-Asexual. The Doctor just says, "ha, no."

Several Operators have a romantic interest in Lamplight, but they're too much of a dunderhead to realize it. :)

Those with romantic interest:

SilverAsh, Executor, Blue Poison, Orchid, Tequila, Blemishine, Exusiai

Midnight is a friendly rival of Lamplight Lamplight is secretly trying to get Midnight and Orchid together

Lamplight can't cook for the life of them, having burned a pot of water, and relies of Matterhorn for everything

Does not like SilverAsh or Gnosis, but is on friendly terms with Matterhorn, Courier, Cliffheart, and Pramanix.

Lamplight's halo has three little mountain-like spikes, making their halo look like a crown

Lamplight likes to play guitar

Lamplight, when in the rec room, has the ability to regenerate energy faster to other occupants by 25%

Lamplight was sort of a general practitioner before they decided to study Oripathy

[armoredisopod]

Arknights CN 4th Anniversary PVs

New Operators

Melanite, 5* Heavyshooter Sniper

Please check the status of your weapons again to avoid any mishaps on the battlefield.

Silence the Paradigmatic, 6* Welfare Abjurer Supporter

We should explore the meaning of combat, not just let it happen.

Ho'olheyak, 6* Core Caster

Doctor, are you really going to waste your time alone with me, preaching about Rhodes Island's rules and regulations?

Muelsyse, 6* Limited Tactician Vanguard

Rhine Lab, Director of the Ecology Department, Muelsyse, but i don't think there should be such a formal greeting between us, Doctor.

Friston-3, 1* Protector Defender

Greetings, my name is Friston. And yes, "Friston", not "Friston-3".

Operator Skins Update

Total of 9 new skins, 6 new additions for the Bloodline of Combat brand and 3 new additions for the Ambiance Synesthesia brand

Bloodline of Combat

Orchid's Twines of Time - Free Login Event skin

Ebenholz's Eine Variation

Specter the Unchained's Born As One - L2D Skin

Ch'en the Holungday's Ten Thousand Mountains - L2D skin

Kal'tsit's Remnant - L2D + Special Voicelines skin

Justice Knight's Tournament Fantasy Retrofit Kit - Event Reward skin

Ambiance Synesthesia

Irene's Voyage of Feathers

Lumen's Golden Dream

Roberta's Granter of Colors

Announced skin reruns

W, Rosmontis, Nearl the Radiant Knight's Epoque skins

Mountain, Eunectes, Ayerscarpe and Flint's Bloodline of Combat skins

Series I & II Ambiance Synesthesia skins

~74 skins as part of 4th Anniversary Celebration edition of Rhodes Fashion Review

Operator Modules Update

Melanite and Ho'olheyak being part of branches with modules immediately gets their modules

ARC-Y module base effect increases Melanite's ATK to 105% and allows her to ignore Physical dodge when attacking enemies directly ahead

CCR-X module base effect allows Ho'olheyak to ignore 10 RES

Hexer Supporter and Flinger Sniper branches gets 1 module type each

W and Kal'tsit gets their second modules

ART-Y module base effect allows W to ignore 100 DEF

PHY-Y module base effect increases Kal'tsit's healing effectiveness by 15% when healing units on melee tiles

Events and Stories

Lonetrail, a Rhine Lab side story event

Misc Stuff

CN regional dialect voices for Lee, Aak, Waai Fu and Hung (though for some reason the PV claims there are 11 new additions)

Suzuran, Ayerscarpe, Click and Friston-3 added to recruitment

2 new main menu screen backgrounds, Laterano and Rhine Lab

Livestream Stuff

Showcased Muelsyse being a 6* Tactician Vanguard utilizing a special reinforcement unit that you can deploy on melee and ranged tiles, her reinforcement also comes with a unique skill that lets you deploy any operator on it to clone (most of) the op's base stats and applies unique properties depending on whether the operator copied was melee or ranged, her 2nd and 3rd skills play into this and have different skill effects depending on what mode the reinforcement is in

Showcased Ho'olheyak being a 6* Core Caster that reduces the weight of enemies in her range and utilizes Levitate, her 2nd skill is a rapid-fire arts burst with a chance to Levitate enemies and her 3rd skill makes her attack by sending tornadoes down her attack range and Levitating the first enemy it hits + dealing massive arts damage

Showcased Silence the Paradigmatic being a 6* Abjurer Supporter that gives a Sanctuary effect without any HP prerequisite and the effect becomes stronger the lower the ally's HP is + has a talent that automatically heals allies below a certain HP threshold, her 2nd skill allows use of a drone that can give a stronger Sanctuary effect and her 3rd skill allows the first ally that takes lethal damage in her range during skill duration to survive and their HP will not go below 1 for several seconds

Showcased the event mechanic, adjustable artificial gravity that can affect enemy movement speed and ally operators ASPD depending on the direction it's set to and gravity-affected spheres that can block enemy pathing and ram into enemies, the spheres can be pushed by operators dealing enough hits to it or by operators applying Push to it

Showcased the new gamemode Pinch-Out, Experimental Operation

A different take on the difficulty-select challenge gamemode, you can choose contracts of varying difficulty that are placed on a branching path with rewards scattered throughout the paths, certain rewards are only unlocked by clearing all connected contracts or paths required

After completing a run you can start the next run from certain "checkpoint" nodes instead of starting over from the original starting point

The gamemode has daily maps and missions for rewards

Laterano lore video narrated in Latin, showing the history of Laterano's founding and racial conflict, which then cuts to a room filled with unknown technology, a teaser for the next Laterano event

An introductory video for potential surveyors of the Infy Icefields, the video advises people to go through Sami due to ongoing Ursus-Columbia disputes then elaborates on Sami's geography, culture and society. A teaser for IS4: Expeditioner's Jöklumarkar

Showcased a few of IS4's new content

Temperature which presumably replaces IS3's light levels mechanic

Collectable rune tablets that can be combined to gain buffs and special effects, for example the ability to change nodes ahead of you

Ability to scout upcoming nodes with a special device to peek at the contents, the device can break which will prevent you from seeing what the upcoming nodes are at all

Interference in the form of elements and weather that can disrupt your exploration

Teased the next summer event to be located in Siesta after the events of Heart of Surging Flame, with a title "Wanderland"

Showed teasers for more episodes of the Ceobe mini-series in progress and LDA anime

Showed a teaser for a new comic series centered around Angelina and her travels across Terra

Arknights anime adaptation 2nd season: Perish in Frost teaser

Talked about the Terra settings/world building art book and the Arknights Vol. 2 art book, which comes with an exclusive Planter skin for 3* Lava

Showed art for an Arknights tabletop game, planned to release Late 2023

Showed teasers for collabs with ANTA Sneaker and China Aerospace Science

Announced that Rhodes Kitchen Tidbits and Rhine Lab - Records of Originium will get physical book forms

Ended off the livestream with an animation starring the Rhine Lab cast, from the founding of the company to Saria and Kirsten's parting

Destiny 2 collab teaser, said to be a story collection event and will have collab exclusive skins

[ofgravcyards]

           ❝  try not to trip . we don’t have time for a concussion today . ❞

    𝑐𝘩𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑟⧸𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑒 :  alice cullen   »   vampire   »   go minsi  .

❛❛   aesthetic.  ❜❜   ⸻   ◜   ❏  . ⸻   the   forgotten   memories   of   a   broken   girl   ,   the   calming   sound   of   rain   against   pavement   ,   soft   voice   dripping   off   of   her   tongue   like   honey   ,   she   can   kill   just   as   easily   as   she   can   kiss   you . ⸻ triggers : death , abuse , murder .

🇦​🇵​🇵​🇱​🇮​🇨​🇦​🇹​🇮​🇴​🇳 »

* ⠀ ✞ ⠀ go minsi   .   cis  woman   .   she/her   .   |   *   overnight x le monde by richard carter ft. qveen herby   *   |   alice cullen   was   just   seen   lurking   around   the cullen house   ,   wonder   what   they’re   up   to   ?   they’re   a   twenty3   /   110+   year   old   vampire   that   has   been   in   forks   for   a few years   because   her coven is there   .   their   allegiance   lies   with   the  olympic coven   &   given   their   +   resourceful   &   -   occasionally manipulative   personality   ,   it’s   no   wonder   they   feel   wary   towards   the   possibility   of   a   cure   &   hopes   the   existence   a   lie   .  

🇧​🇦​🇸​🇮​🇨​🇸 »

full name :  min-ah-alice byeon  / alice cullen .

age :  21 / 120+ .

date of birth : march 21st .

occupation : unemployed .

species :  vampire .

language(s) spoken :  universal .

hair color :  brunette .

eye color : golden .

notable scars :  the bite she has when turned .

🇮​🇳​🇹​🇪​🇷​🇮​🇴​🇷​»

positive :  clever  ,  resourceful .

negative :  pushy  ,  occasionally manipulative .

moral alignment : chaotic neutral .

hogwarts house : slytherin .

deadly sin : pride .

abilities : subjective precognition  | the user can foresee possible futures and observe what may happen based on the decisions they would make .

🇫​🇦​🇻​🇴​🇷​🇮​🇹​🇪​🇸​ »

book : shakespeare’s works .

movie :  thrillers .

food :  mountain lion blood .

flower :  orchids .

season :  spring .

🇫​🇦​🇲​🇮​🇱​🇾​​ »

father :  mr. brandon  ( deceased ) .

mother :  mrs. brandon ( deceased ) .

sister :  cynthia brandon  ( deceased ) .

mate / husband :  jasper hale .

🇧​​🇮🇴​​ »

we all know Alice’s story which we can find HERE but points about her !!

— alice was born into a middle-class home in Biloxi, Mississippi, in 1901. Her father was a jeweler and a pearl trader. Alice’s mother tended to their home because her father traveled often. Her mother loved her so and she loved her mother very much.

—   alice was prone to having premonitions of the future since she was a child, though they weren’t always correct. Though she rarely spoke of her power because her mother told her not to because people in town talked a lot especially during her adolescent years. On two occasions, she tried to warn a friend and a cousin with her unfortunate predictions, but they refused to listen and when the predictions came true, she was blamed for cursing them, earning her the epithets of “witch” and “changeling” from the townsfolk.

—   alice had a horrifying vision of her mother being murdered by a stranger. Trying to run after the carriage her mother left in, Alice saw it happen and tried to explained that it was murder, it was declared accidental and her father silenced her.

— within six months, her father remarried a blonde Yankee from Illinois whose father was a promising customer. Alice’s stepmother treated her coldly while making a pet of her sister. Alice suspected that the marriage and her mother’s murder were all planned and carried out by her stepmother. Her father raged at her for suggesting ill of his new wife.

—   then, Alice had a vision of her father and her mother’s killer planning to kill her, revealing the true face of her father.  Alice rushed to the town’s marshal, but her father was already one step ahead of her. He told the townsfolk that his daughter had gone mad, and had her trapped in a mental asylum two counties away.

—  while in the asylum, her head was shaved during the threat of typhoid outbreak. She also endured electroshock therapy which rendered her with total amnesia, but it also restored her naturally cheerful and humorous self.

—    a vampire who worked at the asylum befriended Alice and treated her like a daughter. He also frequently visited her with objects hidden in his hands to test her powers, and shielded her from other horrifying treatments as best as he was able.

—   one day, Alice had a vision of a powerful tracker named James coming after her, which occurred the moment he caught her faint scent. She informed the vampire of this, and he planned to escape with her, but Alice still saw James catching up to her, and every option he offered her ended the same way.

—   when he decided to change her, Alice saw that this would be very close, and they might not have enough time. The vampire immediately bit her, took her away and went to distract James, sacrificing himself in the process.

—   when she woke up, the pain of the venom (  along with the fact that she had shocking treatments  )  erased all of her memories . But her premonitions were also intensified .

—    later, she was led to Jasper, after receiving a vision of him, and the pair subsequently joined the peaceful coven of the Cullen family . the rest is history most of you know . she came to forks and while she does love her coven and the family she has built , if jasper ever wanted to leave she would leave with him .

[deadguydeathmatch]

The Dead Guy Death Match Bracket Is Here!

Round 1 will be split into 4 waves of 16 24 hour polls and each wave will be posted 24 hours after the previous. The first wave will start on Tuesday the 18th of April at 3pm BST

The matchups are listed under the readmore and will be hyperlinked to the polls when they go up.

The matchups were all randomised although I did make minor adjustments if I thought one was much too unfair.

Also tagging @tournamentdirectory as I haven't already

Wave 1:

Charles Foster Kane (Citizen Kane) Vs Gavroche Thenardier (Les Miserables)

Leif (Bug Fables) Vs Queen Serenity (Sailor Moon)

L (Death Note) Vs Jonny D'Ville (The Mechanisms)

Noah Czerny (The Raven Cycle) Vs Lee Everett (The Walking Dead)

Pat Butcher (BBC Ghosts) Vs Xerxes Break (Pandora Hearts)

Captain Orimar Vale (Skyjacks Campaign Podcast) Vs Laura Palmer (Twin Peaks)

Diallos Hoslow (Elden Ring) Vs Rachel Amber (Life Is Strange)

Andrei Grandier (Rose Of Versailles) Vs Constance Blackwood (Ride The Cyclone)

Spock (Star Trek) Vs Maria Robotnik (Sonic The Hedgehog)

Kravitz (The Adventure Zone) Vs Sal Fisher (Sally Face)

Mari (Omori) Vs Ianto Jones (Torchwood)

Nate (Leverage) Vs Max (Sam and Max)

Owen Carvour (Spies Are Forever) Vs Vylad Ro'Meave (Minecraft Diaries)

Neil Perry (Dead Poet's Society) Vs Sayaka Miki (Madoka Magica)

Flapjack (The Owl House) Vs Maes Hughes (Fullmetal Alchemist)

Loki (Marvel) Vs Adam Faulkner Stanheight (Saw)

Wave 2:

Obi Wan Kenobi (Star Wars) Vs Diggory Graves (Hello From The Hallowoods)

Hugo Oak (Kipo And The Age Of Wonderbeasts) Vs Leonardo Hamato (Rise Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Movie)

Chara (Undertale) Vs Magnus Chase (Magnus Chase)

River Song (Doctor Who) Vs Micheal Afton (Five Nights At Freddy's)

Catherine Earnshaw (Wurthering Heights) Vs Tara Maclay (Buffy The Vampire Slayer)

Laudna (Critical Role) Vs Aerith Gainsborough (Final Fantasy)

Mia Fey (Ace Attorney) Vs Jay Gatsby (The Great Gatsby)

Meiko 'Menma' Honma (The Flower We Saw That Day) Vs Claire Foley (Professor Layton)

Grelle Sutcliff (Black Butler) Vs Skelly (Hades)

Ethan Winters (Resident Evil) Vs Portgas D Ace (One Piece)

Polly Geist (Monster Prom) Vs Hua Cheng (Heaven's Official Blessing)

Avatar Kyoshi (Avatar The Last Airbender) Vs Galivar Kholin (Stormlight Archive)

Pink/Orchid (Animation Vs Animator/Minecraft) Vs Lewis Pepper (Mystery Skulls Animated)

Gideon Nav (The Locked Tomb) Vs Stoick The Vast (How To Train Your Dragon)

Evelyn Hooper (Less is Morgue) Vs Manny Calavera (Grim Fandango)

Kokichi Oma (Danganronpa) Vs Silco (Arcane)

Wave 3:

Eurydice (Greek Mythology) Vs Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead)

Jack Twist (Brokeback Mountain) Vs Charles Vane (Black Sails)

Howard Hamlin (Better Call Saul) Vs Jason Grace (Riordanverse)

Nora Hildegard (The Vampire Diaries) Vs Gerard Keay (The Magnus Archives)

Manny (Swiss Army Man) Vs Matoro (Bionicle)

Wen Ning (Mo Dao Zu Shi) Vs Kikyo (Inuyasha)

Yuri Nakamura (Angel Beats) Vs Simon Kain (Pathologic)

Deep Throat (The X Files) Vs La Signora (Genshin Impact)

Esmeralda (The Hunchback Of Notre Dame Novel) Vs Ursula Zandt/Silhouette (Watchmen Comics)

Nageki Fujishiro (Hatoful Boyfriend) Vs Tuba (Infinity Train)

Beetlejuice (Beetlejuice) Vs Arthur Morgan (Red Dead Redemption)

Oda Sakunoske (Bungou Stray Dogs) Vs Rose Quartz (Steven Universe)

Duncan (Dragon Age) Vs Junpei Yoshino (Jujitsu Kaisen)

Quincey Morris (Dracula) Vs Connor Murphy (Dear Evan Hansen)

Deadman (DC Comics) Vs Breakdown (Transformers)

Draal The Deadly (Troll Hunters) Vs Castiel (Supernatural)

Wave 4:

Matsuri Kanroji (Demon Slayer) Vs Midori (Your Turn To Die)

Kelsier (Mistborn) Vs Peter 'Parker' Yang (Malevolent Podcast)

Tadashi Hamada (Big Hero 6) Vs Noriaki Kakyoin (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)

Erik (The Phantom Of The Opera) Vs Matthias Helvar (Six Of Crows)

Tigerstar (Warrior Cats) Vs Boromir (The Lord Of The Rings)

Joel Miller (The Last Of Us) Vs Pedro Madrigal (Encanto)

Rufus Emeterio (They Both Die At The End) Vs King Arthur (King Arthur)

Bunny Corcoran (The Secret History) Vs Lenore (Nevermore Webtoon)

Sliver Of Straw (Rain World) Vs Bow (Inanimate Insanity)

Chidi Anagonye (The Good Place) Vs Nicholas D Wolfwood (Trigun)

Tiso (Hollow Knight) Vs Okudera (Yakuza 5)

Koki Kariya (The World Ends With You) Vs Horst Cabal (Johannes Cabal)

Mr Boddy (Clue) Vs Garret Jacob Hobbs (Hannibal)

Eddie Kaspbrak (IT) Vs Emily (Corpse Bride)

Ash Lynx (Banana Fish) Vs Ophelia (Hamlet)

Eddie Munson (Stranger Things) Vs Kili (The Hobbit)

[optikes]

Rosemany Laing (1959-2024) Australian

1 The Flowering of the Strange Orchid (2017)  archival pigment print 103 x 203cm

2 brumby mound #5 (2003) C type photo 109.9 x 225cm

3 Aristide (2010)  C type photo  110 x 223cm

4 weather#9 (2006)  C Type photograph  129 x 205 cm

5 welcome to Australia (2004)  C Type photograph 110 x 224cm

6 flight research #5 (1999)   C Type photograph 107 x 240cm

A     tolarnogalleries.com

Rosemary Laing is a photo-based artist. Her projects are most often created in relation to cultural and/or historically resonant locations throughout Australia. With interventions undertaken in situ or through the use of choreographed performance work, she engages with the politics of place and contemporary culture.

B     Victoria Lynn

Laing has spent time researching the history of land and the notion of landscapes at length, and through multiple angles. This has included film, literature, and painting, and the belief systems of Indigenous people. “Laing asks us to think through our own relationship to these bodies of knowledge and our sense of belonging and displacement in these landscapes.

C     Rachel Kent

Eschewing digital means, Laing worked in situ to construct her dramatic tableaux, with performers from athletes to stuntwomen, and other collaborators.

D    artgallery.nsw.gov.au

In the 'flight research' series Laing photographed a woman wearing a bridal dress suspended in the air. In some works she hovers over an extensive mountainous landscape seeming to defy the laws of gravity. In others such as this image there is a poignant sense of impending disaster as the bride tips forward hands outstretched, seeming to anticipate her eventual contact with the earth. The bright cerulean blue of the sky and the white of the bride’s dress make a dramatic contrast and seem symbolic, the blue suggesting infinite space and traditionally the heavens and the white dress carrying the weight of virginity, innocence and purity.

Laing has created several series around flight and movement including 'brownwork' photographed at Sydney airport in which figures interact with planes and tarmac in unexpected ways. However the 'flight research' and 'Bulletproofglass' series are the most enigmatic with their subject matter of hovering brides. These surreal images echo the role the bride has had in popular culture - in films such as 'Muriels wedding' (1994) - and in high culture in such paintings as Arthur Boyd’s Brides series. The symbolism of the bride remains powerful in modern and contemporary culture and Laing participates with her own images which suggest both freedom and transcendence but also impending tragedy and disaster.

[braemjeorn]

anyway, another aesthetic for despa x teru (oc) in an imperial-1870s-convenient-marriage!au.

teru frowned, "dear prince despa, you have shown no regard that indicated you esteem or admire me! you see that if we marry it will be for my luck than yours, don't you?"

"oh how so?"

despa's face took an air of complete innocence; it took her entire limbs to not roll her eyes.

"my dowry is not as grand as that of the now empress," she grits. "i have no material inheritance except for my father's book and...—oh, don't tell me you covet his collections, you horrid man!"

he laughed, "perhaps i do, but then—who said that your dowry is insignificant?! you are the granddaughter the king masse, and combined with the income my brother will bestow upon me after this union—my dear, we will live like kings of the south!"

teru scoffed, "if your desire is purely material, its hardly worth considering."

"my brother wants to shoo me and ouken to independence—and that pup won't marry his darling before i do. desha was also lecturing about ...," despa waved his hands about, "expanding and maintaining the dynasty, whatever; though i bet he wouldn't even take that responsibility hadn't he seen and fell over himself with your cousin. well, fortunately and unfortunately, such is the present duty for us three. and its not like there will or has been a proposal as good as this, princess teru."

she rose from her seat, a flurry of ruffles walking over him. "oh, you and your insolent mouth!

his footsteps trailed after her pleats further into the glass house, "you and your spirits! this is what i like—and what drove that miserable duke away and leave all the blessings for me to win your hand."

"you're no better than those perverse fiends spurred on by sheer feminine disdain—i want nothing of it!"

"i haven't talked to you as any less than human now, have i? tell me, teru, would you like a man who'd cower and nod at whatever you say or take an engaging partner?"

"peace and tranquility wont kill anyone. you'd never leave me to my own company."

"quite the contrary!—have you forgotten those months ahead of the wedding? we got along splendid! and i intend to take you around the world, teru. see places; towns, villages, castles, beaches and those valleys under your mountain. i'd speak as my brothers emissary in stadiums and universities where you'd be welcome to its histories and architectures. what sights of the world! surely it will be better than wandering about your cousin's court? and don't you think we'd make a fine couple together? even if you do tire of me, i'm sure honi will take you in—"

teru bristled, "i won't depend on anyone!"

"then i'm offering my other house in the country. when you tire of me, i give you leave to go there and live your pastoral life."

teru's heart had soared at the thought of travels - but then with his offers for separate living might seem kindly but 'tis as if he doesn't want anything to do with her. her father would frown at it. not that it's a concern to be voiced now.

"there's hardly any benefit for you in this," teru said, sitting down on an old wooden bench before the orchids. "money, yes perhaps - but then what? companionship? a-and then even about the money; i might spend it more than you estimated and you'll have the same or less as you usually life on!"

"i'm sure you'll manage my allowance instead, so i have no worry on that part. you forget status! marriage is respected in the underworld (or will be, with what impression we're trying to build now), especially to a member of such a respected, old dynasty of sky-warriors like you! we'll be force a in the underworld - our brain, our looks, our character! imagine what you - we! can achieve together. teru, i see no one else filling that position of the grand duchess."

despa had paused in gesturing as if to drive his earnestness deep into her. she looked up at him, meeting his brown eyes. there was none of his goading smiles despite the fire in his eyes. the gift was unwrapped in her hand, she need only pocket it.

"don't make me laugh"

"nonsense. i have scoped the continent last year, none of these young ladies hold a candle to you. i thought you striking at our first meeting, and further months of contemplation only proved that—well, i won't—neither of us, that is! we won't will like it if you choose a fool instead."

teru smiled as he reverted into flattery. the preening lion of the underworld, desperate for a woman well-past the marriage market. she would not crumble as easily... but he was right in the sense that it is an opportunity...

so will she throw it all away and languish like a dusty, priced tome or seize the opportunity like a wick to a flame? to burst together into a fire cracker? it is simply too tempting...

"give me time." with that teru rose, resuming back into her ingrained royal air - back tall with an extended hand, "come to dinner tomorrow, prince despa."

[midnightswithdearkatytspb]

MidnightsWithDearKatyTSPB's Masterlist 03/02/2023

Peaky Blinders

Series:

In This Heart >> Tommy Shelby x OFC!Estella Holland - Summary: Two souls, forever bound in the multiverse. 

Ted Lasso (Coming Soon...)

Drabbles:

I'm Falling Too (coming soon)

Chris Evans

One-Shots:

Never Just A Kill >> Chris Evans x Teacher!Reader - Summary: Chris really just wants a kiss but honestly the reader knows better, a kiss is never just a kiss.

His Favorite Day >> Chris Evans x Reader - Summary: Chris’s favorite day of the year is your birthday.

Steve Rogers

One-Shots:

Can I Have This Dance? >> Steve Rogers x Reader - Summary: 4 times the reader asked Steve to dance with her and one time Steve her.

You've Been Everything >> Steve Rogers x OFC!Orchid Black - Summary: They haven’t shared a bed in months, the snap has changed them both. There is no one to blame.

Blurbs:

I'll Stand By You >> Steve Rogers x Reader - Summary: Steve Rogers will never leave you, no matter how dark your past is.

Series:

It Takes A Village >> Steve Rogers x Reader - Summary: The saying "it takes a village to raise a child," never rang more true. (coming soon.../TBA)

Bucky Barnes

One-Shots:

Take On Me >> MusicProducer!Bucky Barnes x Female!Reader - Summary:  Reader gets asked what is the most romantic thing she could dream of Bucky doing for them, Bucky pulls out all the stops with the help of their friends.

Maybe 107 It's So Bad >> Bucky Barnes x Reader - Summary: It’s Bucky’s birthday and the gangs all here to throw him a party but the thing is he’s just not that into it. That is till the reader gives him his birthday gift. 

I Hear A Symphony >> Bucky Barnes x Mutant!Reader - REQUESTED -- Summary: Reader plays an important song to her for Bucky. 

Everything's Gonna Be Alright >> Bucky Barnes x OFC!Stark - Summary: Bruce snaps everyone back into existence and Thanos is gone. 5 years have passed and many things have changed for Remedy Stark, she’s an older sister, her dads gotten married to her mother figure and she isn’t sure where she fits in it all.

Drabbles:

Oven Mitts >> Mafia!Bucky x Reader — Summary: Bucky just wanted to surprise his wife with a cooked meal for being amazing.

Series:

The Spark >> CountryMusicStar!Bucky Barnes x CountryMusicStar!OFC Sparrow Lake — Summary: What do you do when the man who holds your career comes to you with an ultimatum that not only affects you but the lives around you? That is what is happening for Sparrow Lake, she thought she would start 2020 with just her close friends and family, but when Tony Stark shows up at her family’s Smokey Mountain home with fellow country star Bucky Barnes and their manager, that was not going to happen. (To Be Rewritten...)

Sebastian Stan

Better Than This (Sebastian Stan x Muscian!Reader [Mini-Series/Hiatus]

Better Than This: The Precipice [1/?] » Sebastian Stan x Reader - Drabble — Summary: Sebastian wakes to find his girlfriend missing in bed and hears music; he knows she playing music, but the story it’s telling is a sad one.

Better Than This: Another Day in Paradise [2/?] » Sebastian Stan x Reader - Drabble — Summary: Y/N, with the help of Mary, throws Sebastian a wonderful birthday Italian feast. After everyone has gone home with the assurance of Mary, he decides to just tell Y/N how much she means to him.

Better Than This: Forever & For Always [3/?] » Sebastian Stan x Reader - Drabble — At Y/N Grandmother’s birthday party, Sebastian has an extra birthday gift and the whole family, but Y/N is in on it.

Better Than This: You Song [4/?] » Sebastian Stan x Reader - Drabble — It’s a pretty rough time of the year for siblings Y/N and Bey, but they have an amazing support system who do everything they can to make them happy. Even if it sometimes includes random musical moments and tap-dancing shoes.

MORE COMING SOON...

I TAKE REQUEST...

2021 Recomendation List

[millarelester]

Mt. Pulag National Park

 Philippines

Date of Submission: 16/05/2006

Criteria: (ix)(x)

Category: Natural

Submitted by:

Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) - Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau

State, Province or Region:

Benguet, Ifugao, and Nueva Vizcaya Provinces

Coordinates: N16 30 36 E120 50 20

Ref.: 5030

Export

Word File .doc

Disclaimer

The Tentative Lists of States Parties are published by the World Heritage Centre at its website and/or in working documents in order to ensure transparency, access to information and to facilitate harmonization of Tentative Lists at regional and thematic levels.

The sole responsibility for the content of each Tentative List lies with the State Party concerned. The publication of the Tentative Lists does not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever of the World Heritage Committee or of the World Heritage Centre or of the Secretariat of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its boundaries.

Property names are listed in the language in which they have been submitted by the State Party

Description

Mt. Pulag National Park lies on the north and south spine of the Grand Cordillera Central that stretches from Pasaleng, Ilocos Norte to the Cordillera Provinces. It falls within the administrative jurisdiction of two (2) Regions: Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) and Cagayan Valley (R2).

The whole park is located within the Philippine Cordillera Mountain Range and is very rugged, characterized by steep to very steep slopes at the mountainsides and generally rolling areas at the mountain peak. Mt. Pulag National Park is the highest peak in Luzon and is the second highest mountain in the Philippines with an elevation of 2,922 m. above sea level.

The summit of Mt. Pulag is covered with grass and dwarf bamboo plants. At lower elevations, the mountainside has a mossy forest veiled with fog, and full of ferns, lichens and moss. Below this is the pine forest growing on barren, rocky slopes. Falls, rivers and small lakes mark the area.

The Park has a large diversity of flora and fauna, many of which are endemic to the mountain. Its wildlife includes threatened mammals such as the Philippine Brown Deer, Northern Luzon Giant Cloud Rat and the Luzon Pygmy Fruit Bat.  One can also find several orchid species some of which are possibly endemic to Mt. Pulag, and other rare flora such as the pitcher plant.

Mt. Pulag is an important watershed providing the water necessities of many stakeholders for domestic and industrial use, irrigation, hydroelectric power production and aquaculture.

[languidlion]

Work on the 2nd issue of my anthology series THISTLES is complete and ready to be released next month.

For those of you who might be new, the THISTLES series is where I collect my short stories that transform elements of mysticism, Tarot,  Jungian psychology, and folklore into personal expressions of identity and self discovery. 

The first issue, released in 2020, mostly explored feelings I had building up to my coming out as a trans woman. Now in 2023, this new issue contains 4 stories that express feelings I’ve had since coming out and living full-time as my true self.

Stories contained in issue 2 include:

ORCHID - a silent comic that expresses my trans joy since beginning HRT in March of 2022. It also symbolizes some of the fears and struggles in that same time.

This story was also published in THANKYOU! magazine earlier this year. That version is on a white background, instead of the paper texture used in the version collected here.

SOAKED! - the story of 2 bros having a good time day drinking, until things begin to get heavy at sunset. A work of fiction inspired by several events that happened way back during the closeted youth of my 20s. (I’m 40 as of writing this.)

ARRIVAL - this one weaves together the legend of Lady Godiva with the folksong “she’ll be comin’ round the mountain” into a wild west story serving as commentary on how news and rumor spread.

IMPERMANENCE - another silent comic. This time an abstraction of time, death, and relationships told through montage.

And just like the first issue, an herbarium page detailing the symbolism of flowers seen in the stories is included.

The book is 24 pages long (plus cover pages), and is digest sized (5.5” x 8.5”) making it a perfect stocking stuff. 😉

Pre-orders for the print edition are now open until November 30 and will ship out in December. Shipping is free during this period. Pre-order your copy now at dejahpayne.bigcartel.com

The digital edition is out now. Get it on Gumroad and Itch.io. It is also included in subscriptions to my Patreon!

[666radio666]

Rise Above - Aug. 23, 2023

FILL-IN

Black Flag - Rise Above, Damaged Husker Du - I'll Never Forget You, Zen Arcade Bikini Kill - Blood One, Pussy Whipped The Ghouls - Treachery II, In Blood Chilling Stereo Luminous Green Snow - Luminous Green Snow, Split cassette with Yogsothoth/Boiled Lollies & Puppy Dogs (Demo)/bonus track Neuros - orchids on a budget, 7" Trungllion Horsepower - Just Meat, Just Meat-single Otoboke Beaver - I'm Tired of your repeating story, Itekoma Hits Replacements - GImme Noise, STINK The sound of Mercy Killing - Living under the constant threat of being fisted by ruth Cracknell and her leathery fisting machine, 2 minute warning Jaguar God - Heart of the Jaguar, Revenge asnd retribution Raw Power - Our Oppression, Screams from the gutter - After Your Brain Cull The Band - Master Plan, Live From Studio 3 The Damned - Melody Lee, Machine Gun Etiquette The Twenty Second Sect - It Ain't Good, Unexploded + Bonus Tracks Celibate Rifles - Billy Bonney Regrets, The Turgid Miasma of Existence X - Your Phone's off the hook, but youre not, Los Angeles Paul of Blood - Fuck for the revolution, The Good Time Buddies ep Jihad against America - Terrorism is the New Black, 2 minute warning Meat Puppets - Split Myself in two, Meat Puppets II Geza X - Isotope SOap, Let Them Eat Jellybeans Grong Grong - Poor Herb, To Hell 'N' Back Mudhoney - slidin' in and out of Grace, Superfuzzbigmuff The IInvisibles - evador, 2 Minute Warning Hit The Jackpot - the football team, Hit The Jackpot Flipper - HA HA HA, Let Them Eat Jellybeans The Fall - Rebellious Jukebox, Live at the Witch trials Goon Wizarrd - mediocre Mountain, Hoyeons secret girlfriend Aborted Tortoise - Primordial, A ALbum Black Flag - Police Story, Let Them Eat Jellybeans Bad Brains - Pay to Cum, Let Them Eat Jellybeans Belle of CHaos - Dead Orpheus, Belle of Chaos Rollins Band - 1000 times blind, Life Time Rollins Band - Lonely, Life Time Minor Threat - Stepping Stone, Discography True Radical Miracle - Divorce '87, Taste The Rainbow x - Nausea, Los Angeles Dead Milkmen - Serrated edge, Big Lizard in my backyard Blood Sucking Freaks - Nekromantik, Nose Full o' snot, Dick full o' attitude Luminous Green Snow - Creeping Mould, V Fugazi - Back to Base, Red Medicine Lost Sounds - Do You Wanna Kill Me, Black Wave Johnny Thunders - CHinerse Rocks, LMFA

[authorbettyadams]

The Memorial Garden - Excerpt 5 - Flying Sparks - A Novel – Life

Original Post: http://www.authorbettyadams.com/bettys-blog/the-memorial-garden-excerpt-flying-sparks-a-novel-life

Drake McCarty’s leg was shattered deep in the wilderness, and as the flash flood closed over him, he looked death in the face.

When he wakes up in a hospital bed, in a military base that shouldn’t exist, he has a whole leg and a furious sister to deal with.

Drake is sworn to keep a secret he doesn’t understand, but whatever pulled him out of the flood, isn’t quite done with him yet, because even if you leave nothing but footprints, the things that walk the forest can still follow you home.

Excerpt 5

Sometime in the past some unknown force had carved a shallow trench across the side of one of the small mountains that that dotted the wilderness. It had puzzled Drake at first. The scour was nearly parallel to the ridgeline, entirely the wrong angle to be an old rock slide, and terminated in a near perfectly circular clearing at the lower end. Centuries old Douglas-firs around the space abruptly gave way to a second ring only a few decades old. Those were in turn beginning to produce cones and a smattering of knee high saplings closer to the center. The rest of the space was completely given over to wildflowers. No matter what season Drake visited it he found a riot of life.

There had been an early spring and many herbs that normally would have waited a month or more were already in full bloom in the mountain meadow. A white wave of foamflower washed in from the deep forest surrounding the clearing, sending up knee high stalks covered in the delicate white blooms. Late trillium hid close to the roots of the great firs, many having shed their white corollas and begun to put forth their bulbous seed heads. Fuzzy white baneberry blossoms nodded gently in the breeze. A riot of yellow and purple spread across the ground as vetch and buttercups and a host of clovers competed for space in the open sun. Great stalks of lupine as high as his head thrust up their purple and blue proudly from thick clusters of palm shaped leaves. Pink shooting stars and violet harebells crouched under the protection of the larger plants. Indian paintbrush lit the scene with flames of red and orange. Where a spring seeped into the meadow elephant’s head flared neon pink and corydalis bushes put forth blushing blooms. Pale green wild orchids stood along the wet spots and the swarms of bees danced from them to the glacier lilies.

Science Fantasy Adventure Story

100K Words

Order Now!

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Audio Narration and Animation - https://youtu.be/xICYAdDy4y8

Indiegogo https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/flying-sparks-a-novel-of-dragon-bear-and-boy/x/20737048#/

Kickstarter https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/humansareweird/flying-sparks-volume-1-science-fantasy-novel

Humans are Weird Books - https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B00WQ0MDD4/allbooks?ingress=0&visitId=3974e835-72b1-447d-8da0-a11f0b13024d&store_ref=ap_rdr&ref_=ap_rdr