#nurse strawberry gem

[rootedincuteness]

Gem and I went strawberry hunting today in the backyard! Although some had been scorched by the sun and birds had eaten a good number as well, there were still plenty of wee red ground strawberries to find. I parted the grass and helped Gem find her little mundane friends. She was delighted by how many were hidden deep in the cool grasses. It was like going on an Easter egg hunt... but with strawberries! =)

[rootedincuteness]

Nurse Strawberry Gem would like everyone to stop for a moment and look at these totally adorable little mice. Why? Because looking at cute things makes you happy, and being happy is great for your health! That's right, a dose of cuteness a day can really work wonders. =)

Tiny friends

Photographed by Miles Herbert

[lottiedeer]

𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐩.ᐟ

radiodust human - mental hospital au.

word count: [7.7k]

chapter 01. chapter 02.

𝟎𝟏. 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐰𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐛𝐮𝐛𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐦;

Alastor just can't believe his eyes, Angel Dust himself like a gift from heaven, being his roomate in the hospital. Suddently, he's not so bored anymore.

Quickly recomposing himself, he pretends his mouth wasn't twisted into the biggest smirk ever, that his eyes weren't wide behind his glasses. He looks directly into Angel's eyes, his mouth just twitching to grow into a smirk again when he catches Angel's own eyes growing in disbelief.

He's going to have too much fun with this, he hopes. It's not like Alastor never hoped for this to happen. A miracle, his former classmate — friend? crush? — sent into his arms. Or his dorm, since Alastor just saw a nurse leading Angel to his — Alastor's (and now Angel's) — room.

⸻

It all started when they were sophomores. Both of them, being in the same biology class.

It was destiny, honestly. The day before classes started, and he was glued to his phone with both Rosie and Mimzy on the other line, checking their schedules. Rosie had her history classes with Mimzy, Alastor and Mimzy shared their trigonometry class and Rosie and Alastor couldn't wait to have at least one class together. Except that never came.

The next day, he was quite pouty in his first period, sitting all alone when his nest friend could've been right there on his side. And then the door opens and the teacher says something but Alastor is too distracted by the way the tree right outside the classroom moves with the wind, and it's going to rain-

And someone is sitting next to him, the scent of smoke and perfume hitting his nostrils before he can grasp what's happening.

That... creature. With long limbs, pale skin, blue eyes, blonde hair with pink in the ends, and a bubblegum growing with air between his lips while he drops his backpack in the floor.

The bubblegum pops, and Alastor's attention does too. He looks away, and his deskmate doesn't even seem to notice.

Alastor stares through the entire period. And when the bell rings, and he has to meet some girl named Charlotte for the drama club, the stranger speaks up. And Alastor can’t help but notice how tall he is now that he's standing.

"You ain't exactly playin' it subtle, ya know?" The gum smacks in his mouth, and Alastor can *hear it.

He almost drops his backpack — which would have been so embarrasing — in surprise, and even the creature voice makes Alastor shiver. Not with need or whatever, but with energy. Of what? He doesn't know — yet.

"Subtle? Whatever do you mean?" If Alastor could bat his damn eyelashes like the ladies in danger of Husk's old videogames, he would do it. Just a little sparkle to his performance.

When the stranger laughs, a tooth gem glints in the light and Alastor almost falls back at seeing the gem perfectly put in his canine tooth.

"Whatever, but at least give me your name. Just for, like, compensation or somethin for yer staring."

"I was not staring." He was, through the whole period.

"Alastor. It's a pleasure." He quickly debates woth himself if leaning in and taking his hand to give it a kiss would be too much. But his mother raised him to be a gentleman, so he does that and ignores the stare it earns him.

"I've never heard that name, geez. Oh- i'm Angel." Oh, perfect. "Angel Dust. Like the drug, y'know."

Y'know. Alastor knows. He knows just right. And he can smell the bubblegum from Angel's mouth, strawberry. And then the classroom it's almost empty and Angel is almost gone before he flashes Alastor another smile and walks off.

And Alastor wonders how much force he would have to use to take Angel's gem-decorated-canine-tooth out with his own teeth.

⸻

He catches himself thinking about Angel sometimes. And he doesn't think anything of it. He always remembers Mimzy when 'Chicago' is mentioned, since one summer they had a sleepover and they watched the movie twice after her pleading. He always remembers Rosie when someone says 'Rose', a more silly thing, but she likes to hear that.

And now, he always remembers a flash of blonde and pink when someone munches on a strawberry bubblegum in front of him. When someone smokes next to him and he recalls the first thing he caught on when Angel sat next to him. Normal.

He definitely doesn't get disappointed when Angel doesn't talk to him for two whole weeks of class. Either napping or playing with his phone instead of doing what he was supposed to do. Which was look at Alastor's direction. And the teacher's direction, maybe.

Alright, alright. Maybe he’s exaggerating. Angel does talk to him, flirts with him, even. But he quickly catches the way Alastor bristles and stops after two days. Sometimes, when Mr. Hart is talking, Alastor would sigh and Angel would silently snicker in agreement. In boredom.

Alastor makes other friends — he doesn't even know if he can call them that. Charlotte, a bubbly blonde with big brown eyes and a bigger mansion with butlers and maids and security, who got so happy when he said that he would participate in her play. Her best friend, Vagatha, who didn't liked him but Alastor couldn't care less. She was a good director, strict and almost sounded like a captain, but he could be better — also, annoying her was becoming one of his favorite hobbies. There was another dude... Penf... Pen...Pennie? Whatever, who was getting quite cozy with Husk and Nifty. He was just fine. Peachy. Rosie and Mimzy got along with everybody. A big group, if you will.

He has P.E with Husk - the worst person ever to do anything with physical activity — and he kept running in front of Husk’s tired figure, earning him a glare and sometimes a mock slap that didn’t even reach Alastor. When they’re sitting on the benches, Husk chugging down a bottle of water while listening to him talk about his new classes, Alastor opens his big fat mouth and talks about Angel Dust.

Husk stops gulping the water and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand while giving Alastor a thousand glares in one.

“Really? Angel? That's new.” He says and leans back on the bench, groaning when he fully registers the hot sun in his skin. “He flirted with you yet?”

And Alastor looks away and Husk laughs and now who’s receiving the mock slaps is Husk. They argue back and forth, the subject ‘Angel’ being forgotten — thank god — and while they walk towards the locker room, he turns to Husk again.

“Also, Charlotte wants to sit together for lunch today. Apparently, she found another lost sheep.” Husk groans and mumbles because he wanted to smoke in lunch instead.

“This is starting to sound like a fucking cult. The new Manson Family.”

The lost sheep being Angel Dust himself. Who looked like the most bored person ever while Charlotte spoke excitedly next to Vagatha, picking peas out of the blonde's plastic tray to settle them on her own. Husk, who had his face pressed to the table, almost dozing out — Alastor kept throwing his own peas at Husk's face to (annoy) wake him up — Nifty, drawing something in her notebook while kicking her legs under the table and hitting Pennie — Peny? Peno? — every single time and successfully ignoring his complains. And Angel, typing on his phone through the whole thing and even yawning a couple of times — Alastor had to shake his head to destroy the thoughts of throwing a pea into Angel's open mouth.

The group dynamic was a bit off, not like Alastor cared. It was quite fun to watch Charlie — she insisted in the nickname — try and fail to tie them all together. They went by a month like that. Sometimes with fights that Alastor couldn't be happier to witness — almost all of them involving Vaggie and Angel.

That is, until Charlie puts her foot down into one idea. A sleepover every week at someone's house. The idea, obviously, gets shut down quickly. No one can lender their own home a night every week, parents being too nosy or controling. Alastor doesn't mention that his mom could care less about sleepovers, but he likes his house the way it is, his own world with his mother.

Of course, Charlie all but insists in the idea, settling it in her own house. And it becomes a regular thing.

Sometimes, they have it on Husk's place. One time, they came too close to doing it in Angel's home, only lacking his parents agreement, but Angel returned with a 'no' in his tongue and a fading purple-ish bruise in his arm.

One day, Alastor decides that it can't be that bad. His mother is ecstatic to finally have his friends over, and gives them all the privacy in the world. Husk and Nifty don't see nothing new, being regulars on his house. But Charlie gushes about how nice his mom is, with Vaggie nodding behind her and tugging blankets closer. Angel quietly agrees with it himself, and Alastor feels a something pull in him when he sees Angel laying down in a spare mattress, arm hanging out from underneath the covers when they're all almost falling asleep.

And he learns that Angel falls asleep fast. He scoots closer to his sleeping form, making sure no one is watching him so he can watch Angel. It's not like watching, is more like observing.

Angel has freckled shoulders. Little pink-ish spots all over his shoulders. His hair is soft — and Alastor knows this only by looking, it's not like he reached foward and touched his hair, never. He has some freckles in his face, but Alastor can't look for too long because Charlie comes back from the bathroom.

He goes to sleep next to Angel's backpack, and drifts off to the smell of strawberry bubblegum that Angel keeps stashed in the bigger pocket of the bag.

[iceemoondemon]

Alright~ The moment you all have been waiting for!!

NEW COOKIE RUN OCS

We are starting with the basics first :3

Choco Cake Cookie - A charming, shy, and very sweet cookie, she's a singer who works for the Azuki Town Milkshake Bar, she's known for her melodies, and her friendly personality, and her influence on singers, she has a pet Cakehound, named Ditzy Doo, and she enjoys romantic movies, and jazz music, she grew up in the Modern parts of the Tropical Soda Islands, and discovered, not just Azuki Town, but also Yakgwa Village, and has met some new friends, and reunited with some old friends, like Rebel Cookie.

Rarity: EPIC

Class: Support

Position: Middle

Skill: Let's sing together!~

Strawberry Nurse Cookie - A gentle, and kind cookie, she's a very sweet nurse who helps people when they are hurt or sick, she's Truffle Cookie's childhood friend, and Dr. Bones Cookie's assistant, she also is infatuated with merfolks, especially Gem Mercookies, and she would be happy to heal a mercookie anytime.

Rarity: EPIC

Class: Healing

Position: Rear

Skill: Doctor's Orders..!

[love-and-greta]

The Grocery List

I’m still working on my new fic, but I found this little gem in my notes app that I had completely forgotten about. So enjoy this little appetizer before I finish my other piece :)

Also, I appreciate each and every one of you that interacts/reads my work! It really does mean the world to me ❤️

Warnings: mainly fluff, some suggestive sexual content (18+ please)

____________________________________________

“Biiiiirrrdieee”, you heard softly in your ear. You pulled the linen comforter up and over your face, groaning. Now was not the time to wake up from your nap. You and Josh had emptied one too many bottles of wine last night while listening to your record collection and you planned on nursing your hangover for the remainder of the day.

You heard Josh chuckle and felt his warm hands wrap around your hips from behind, pulling you into his waist.

“Do you really want to waste away this beautiful day babe?” Josh asked sweetly, rubbing circles into your hip.

“As a matter of fact, I do babe,” you whined.

“Well sucks for you buttercup, cause we’ve got plans in a few hours,” Josh said cheerfully, squeezing you tightly.

You turned your head to glare at him. How the hell could this man literally be the embodiment of sunshine after the night you two had had? Josh flashed you a wide grin and as if reading your mind, he pulled a pink pedialyte pop out from behind his back, answering your question immediately.

“Electrolytes. Eat up and get your ass out of bed.” Josh then rolled off the mattress and made is way into the bathroom, turning the shower on.

You begrudgingly hoisted yourself into a seated position and began sucking on your popsicle, silently cursing Josh for waking you up. You would never admit it out loud, but you could slowly feel your body rehydrating itself as you finished the popsicle and you were starting to grow excited about whatever plans Josh had made.

Josh eventually entered back into the room, a towel wrapped around his waist and beads of water dripping from his curls onto his bare chest. You kicked yourself for not getting up sooner so you could’ve joined him in the shower. Josh smirked as he noticed you silently admiring him.

“Someone looks like they’re feeling better,” Josh teased, walking up to you. He leaned towards you, placing his hands on the bed on either side of you and planted a kiss on your lips. You sighed into him and he immediately deepened the kiss, moving one of his hands into your hair. Josh smelled intoxicating; like mint and fresh pine on a crisp spring morning. You breathed him in, wrapping your arms around his neck and began pulling him down towards you, your lips never leaving his.

“Mmm, strawberry. My favorite flavor.”Josh licked his lips, tasting your popsicle and began placing small kisses down your neck.

Suddenly, your phone began to ring. You turned your head towards the bedside table and saw Jake’s face flashing on the screen.

“You should probably get that,” Josh whispered, now trailing kisses across your collarbone. You flashed him a glare for the second time that day and reached for your phone.

“Can I help you??” You grumbled into the receiver.

“Good afternoon to you too my love,” Jake answered in his best British accent. “I tried calling Josh but he didn’t answer his phone.”

“Oh he must have been in the shower,”You replied and smiled to yourself knowing the real reason was because Josh was currently straddling you on the bed.

“Anyways, can you guys pick up a few things for the barbecue before coming over?” Jake asked. “Oh and Jita said she desperately needs you to come over early to do her makeup for the bonfire.”

“Please!” You heard Jita shouting in the background.

So these were the plans Josh had cooked up. You should have known food, drinks, your best friends, and fire were going to be involved.

“Alright alright. Text us a list of what you need and we’ll be over in a little bit.”

You hung up the phone and brought your attention back to your boyfriend who was currently sucking on your most sensitive spot just below your ear, sending shivers down your spine. You dug your fingers into his back and Josh began making his way back up to your lips. Once he made it to his final destination, he gave you a quick peck and sat up.

“Wait, just five more minutes? We have some business to finish here really quick,” you whined.

“Duty calls Birdie,” Josh smiled sweetly and winked. You pouted making Josh chuckle.

“Don’t worry babe, I’m definitely gonna want to finish this later tonight,” Josh whispered into your ear.

And that was how you ended up riding passenger in Josh’s jeep on the way to the grocery store, trying to shake off the last of your hangover so you could enjoy the evening ahead.

Josh pulled into a parking spot, jumped out of the vehicle and ran to get a shopping cart. As you slowly got out of the jeep and made your way around the vehicle, you saw Josh racing towards you with the cart. He skidded to a stop right in front of you, making you jump.

“Hey cutie, need a ride?” Josh asked with a cheesy grin.

“As long as you don’t run me into anything like last time,” you replied, immediately climbing into the cart, a huge smile plastered across your face. Josh always knew how to make mundane things like grocery shopping fun.

You pulled out your phone and read aloud the list Jake had sent you as the two of you made your way into the store. Josh leaned across the handle and gave you a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Where to first my lady?” Josh asked.

“Let’s do the produce section.”

As you made your way through the aisles, Josh threatened to run you into every display case in sight.

“I swear to god Josh, if you knock something over I am never going shopping with you again,” you warned. Josh just laughed and aimed the cart right towards a tower of Ritz cracker boxes. An older woman close by scowled at the two of you for acting so childish, making you and Josh giggle quietly with one another.

Once you made it safely to the produce section to buy some zucchini and yellow squash, you hopped out of the cart.

“Aww, why are you getting out so soon?We just got here,” Josh whined.

“How does it feel to be cut off from something fun and exciting??” You asked sarcastically, grabbing the cart and walking away towards the vegetables.

You heard Josh chuckle and decided it was going to be your mission to rile him up in this grocery store. You thought now would be a good time to readjust your shoelaces, so you bent over slowly and peeked back at Josh. He was gathering some onions but had his eyes trained right to your backside. The two of you made eye contact and Josh immediately bit his lower lip, his cheeks turning your favorite shade of pink. You straightened up, smirking to yourself and continued on your way.

Eventually you felt Josh’s arms snake around your waist from behind.

“Are you purposely trying to get me aroused?” Josh asked quietly, placing a kiss on the corner of your lips.

“I have no idea what you mean Joshua. I’m just trying to tackle this grocery list. Duty calls, remember?” You turned around to face him fully and leaned in for a kiss. But just as your lips brushed up against his, you pulled away quickly and sauntered off. You could hear Josh silently curse himself from behind you.

Your teasing went on for the remainder of your time in the store and you could tell Josh was going crazy. You had never seen him finish a task as quickly as he was right now. He raced through the check out stand and made his way quickly to the jeep.

As Josh loaded up the trunk with the groceries, you made your way into the front seat, pulling down the visor to reapply your chapstick in the mirror. You made eye contact with Josh again through the mirror and smiled sweetly at him. Without saying a word, Josh got back into the jeep, started the vehicle and immediately drove to the empty lot behind the store.

Putting the jeep in park, Josh turned to you, his eyes dark with lust.

“I guess Jake and Jita can wait just a little while longer, yeah?” He said, licking his lips.

All you could do was nod before his lips came crashing down on yours and you smiled, praising whatever god was out there that you could finish what you had started earlier that day. This was going to be yet another amazing night with the love of your life.

[rootedincuteness]

Strawberry Gem needs everyone to stop what they're doing and appreciate this adorable artwork of a happy little mushroom person crafting with strawberries. She promises it'll brighten your day and bring a smile to your face if you do! 🍓❤️

Happy Midsummer

[willshipanything-blog]

Rules of the Game- Chapter 21

Little different this chapter!  I was planning on a few vignettes- little snapshots of Al and Y/N together. I reached out to some lovely mutuals on Tumblr- if they wanted any particular scenes, and got a few ideas I was able to put in alongside some pre-planned little scenes. If you don't see your requests here, it may make an appearance next chapter, which will also have a similar structure! ✌✨🖤

Thanks to @fierytteokbokki @drag-ghoul @grabberwife42 @gremlinology @reborn-ghost and others for their contributions! 💜

Turned out a lil' sweet and sad, but hope you enjoy!

Chapter 21- Still Life (1)

TOUCH

Mornings after the game were always when Al seemed to be at his most gentle, his most nurturing. Down he’d come, carrying both breakfast and an assortment of pills, lotions and ointments to soothe your aches and sores from the previous night’s escapades. This morning was quite the same, and you smiled sleepily and sat up against the wall as the metal door’s creak woke you from a restful sleep. As expected, Al (wearing only the grin this morning) plopped himself beside you on the mattress. The discernable dip momentarily- only momentarily- caused your eyes to flicker towards where he sat, where that cursed knife lay in hiding just below. He hadn't noticed it. A plate of buttered toast and eggs held in front of you thankfully dragged your eyes (and your mind) from that unsavory thought. 

You found you were ravenous (likely helped by last night’s activities) and ate quickly. Al allowed you to wolf down the food before trying to make conversation. With your belly full, and a warm cup of coffee in hand, he finally spoke to you.

“How’s my little dove this morning?” His kind words floated out from behind the false grin; always in such a good mood after a night of Naughty Girl. 

“I’m good Al,” You replied, imitating the smile you imagined hiding beneath the mask, “Did you- did you enjoy last night?” You faltered only slightly. Though you took part in the game without shame, your cheeks always seemed to blush strawberry-red when talking so casually about it afterwards. 

“Oh, Y/N, more than you could ever know.” That low, husky voice made a sudden appearance and his bright blue eyes seemed to flash menacingly at just a mention of the game (though it could have just been the winter sun streaming through the basement window). His left hand found your thigh and he gave it a soft, affectionate squeeze over the blanket. You gazed down at your ring on his pinky, the small morganite gem shining peachy pink in the morning light. The hold he had on you- not on your thigh, but on your whole being- convinced you that his promise would never be broken again. Would Al ever fully be certain that yours could be kept too? Would you know the answer to that yourself?

“Let’s survey the damage, shall we?” Al said, his lilting tones returned as he reached for a nearby bottle of cream. You placed your empty cup beside you on the floor, kicked the blanket off your body and spread your legs as Al applied the cool balm on your inner thighs, where red welts had bloomed overnight into vivid violets. It might have felt a little obscene were his touch not so soothing, like a nurse tending a wounded soldier after combat. Your battle scars would heal soon enough, and you’d happily suffer them again at Al’s hand. 

“The quicker they heal, the sooner you can inflict them again.” You spoke the familiar maxim, almost a sworn oath, setting out the rules of the game. 

“If you’d like me to, Y/N.” A soft voice spoke as equally soft blue eyes looked up at your face. Your brows flinched slightly. Al was no longer voicing the inevitability of a future game, nor was he praising you for reciting that unwritten rule. The choice to play again lay in your hands. Naughty Girl commenced at your command; only once it began would the reins be passed to Al, and he would become master of the game once more. 

You began to reply truthfully:

“I’d love t-” That word. You’d heard it last night. You thought you’d dreamed of Al speaking those three ill-fated words- ‘I love you’ - in some indistinct, nebulous dreamstate. But that phrase, unlike the rest of your half-forgotten dream, had become so clear, so palpable in your mind, you had to wonder… You’d lost your train of thought admitting your unabashed enjoyment, and looked perplexedly at Al, who was looking back just as puzzled, one eyebrow raised in question.

“Um, yeah. I’d like that, Al.” You hoped your foolish choice of words and panicked recovery hadn’t marred the intimacy of the shared moment. A simple nod of his head assuaged you briefly, but a lump the size of a ping pong ball rose in your throat as Al began to collect and place things back on the plastic tray. You floundered, moving to grab onto him- you couldn’t allow him to leave on such a sour note. 

“Please, Al. Stay a little while. Stay with me.” Your hand clasped around his muscular forearm, and he agreed to your terms with a low, assenting grunt. Putting down the tray, he now moved to grip you, his hands easily encircling your wrists. His fingers rubbed soothingly at the reddened skin where the cuffs had bitten into you. You said nothing, instead watching his nimble fingers work their way around your body, finding their way to your bare thighs, where (with the lightest of touches) his fingerpads traced along the purplish bruises. His gentle touch continued as he traversed those familiar trails on your face- your pinkish scar along the ridge of a cheekbone; your jaw, from your ears down to your chin, the raised scar that he fingered just above the surface of your heart. With each touch came a doting affection: how beautiful you looked that morning, how splendid you made last night, how truly blessed he was to have his little dove all to himself.

Al finally pulled you into him once your whole body had been touched by his hand and blessed with his words. As your head rested against his chest, you heard the steady thud of his heart beneath his jet-black shirt. You relaxed as his soft touches to your neck and chest continued alongside praise cooed lovingly in your ear- you’re perfect, Y/N; you’re so, so special to me; we’re going to be so happy here. He was sincere, and you believed every word. The beguiling caresses and praise enchanted you. Deeper under his spell you fell, and as you did so, the more those dreamy words from last night seemed to solidify, forming into something tangible. If they were really spoken- what then? What you and Al shared wasn’t synonymous with that word- love. Was it? 

No, it wasn’t real. If left unspoken, it couldn't manifest itself into something real. You couldn’t let him say it- or allow yourself to respond. This was enough- to care about him, to enjoy him- but no more. You hoped desperately it was enough.

Al wondered if he may have made a mistake- his sweet dove seemed a little uncertain this morning. Of course, she may just be worn out from such a beautifully tempestuous night spent together. But, he figured morosely, Y/N’s demeanor changed suddenly, as if a horrifying realization had struck her. What if Y/N heard those words he’d spoken last night? He wondered whether it was a mistake to speak them aloud- those three dangerous words would certainly not be carried on her sublime lips, spoken back to him in reciprocation. 

Maybe it didn’t matter after all. Maybe these little moments, these perfect, intimate encounters with her that he could steal away and keep locked in his memory- maybe that could be enough. Enough to hold her, have her, own her entirely. That was always what he longed for. He hoped so. 

TRICK

“C’mon, focus.”

“I can’t do it Al!”

“Yes, you can Y/N.” Al growled through what you could tell were gritted teeth. He’d been patient in your training thus far, but a huff of irritation blew out from behind the mask’s grin indicated his growing agitation at your continued self-criticism. 

“Ugh, it’s too hard!” You huffed back indignantly. 

You thought you were a pretty patient person, but apparently sleight of hand was not to be your forte. You hated being bad at something, but even you were almost at your wit’s end. You’d brought this on yourself- you were the one who suggested All teach you a magic trick. Even one as basic as summoning a card as if from thin air had you bested: a field of clubs, diamonds, hearts and spades surrounding you on the living room carpet evidenced your failures in stark red and black. 

Al had shown you the steps, talked through the techniques to use. It involved cupping your palm just so, flexing your hand a certain way, and snapping your fingers quickly to catch the card. When Al did it, he made it appear as though the card poofed into existence. So far, you had only succeeded in setting up a game of 52 pickup. The only thing stopping you from quitting altogether was Al’s promise of a takeout pizza if you managed to emulate the trick. 

“Would it help if you wore the hat?” he teased, lounging on the couch, obviously enjoying your pouting. You shot him both daggers and a cheeky retort:

“Not if I have to wear those stupid glasses too.” 

A low, almost inaudible grunt indicated you were oh-so-close to being a little too brazen. You focused your eyes back on the card in your palm, redoubling your efforts as you thought through each step of the trick. Fnap! The 7 of clubs appeared between your forefinger and thumb. You couldn’t hold back a wide, incredulous smile. 

“Beautiful, Y/N. Again, a little faster”. 

Fnap! The King of Hearts appeared even more swiftly this time. Fnap! 9 jet-black spades materialized in your hand. 

“See, dove, I told you you could do it.” Al leaned over to where you sat on the floor, a soft stroke along your jawbone making your blush appear quicker than any card you could summon. “Good job, too- I was getting hungry.” 

“Extra mushrooms please!” you hollered across the room, as Al rose from the couch and strode across the room, picking up the receiver on the cream telephone. His temples crinkled beside his blue eyes- a sure sign of smiling. He held up a finger to gesture your silence, and you obeyed, turning to focus on re-enacting the trick once more. You also knew he’d have to lift the mask off to speak clearly on the phone, and wanted to afford him some privacy. You’d told yourself you were content with that arrangement: that, no matter how much Al might test you, push your limits, you wouldn’t do the same with his mask. You’d wait patiently for another reveal, however long it took. 

Satisfied you’d got the hang of the trick, you began to collect the cards scattered over the shag carpet, stacking 51 of them neatly on the coffee table before reclining comfortably on the couch. 

“Shouldn’t be long, dove-” Al paused after turning to you, his grinning mask returned, “What, bored already?”

You sat up and flashed a wry smile, performing the trick one final time. Your hands gesticulated much like Al’s, imitating the theatricality and panache you’d watched from your suave magician. Fnap! Two crimson hearts appeared in your hand. The very same card you’d picked from Al during his last trick. 

You knew that he’d remember. You knew by summoning that card, he’d grab you hungrily, pull you in close and take you to the basement, where he’d perform a magic all of his own on you, have you unraveled completely at his spell and mewling at his incantations. A half-forgotten thought wondered whether Al would hear the doorbell from downstairs, but you had a different kind of hunger now, that only Al could sate. 

MASKS

Even as your days and nights with Al hushed into a steady and comforting rhythm- like soothing ocean ebbs and flows- you still often contemplated one of the few remaining barriers between you. It wasn’t the unspeakable things he’d done (which you had sworn to repress), nor was it the fairly obvious situation of you being his captive, his prisoner. It was a physical barrier you meditated on. It was the masks. 

Al had always been deliberate about how the masks were used. The smooth blank visage used to be completely unreadable, and you’d rack your brains wondering what tricks he was up to. The maniacal grin once instilled a strange dread, unnerved by his false kindnesses that would be cruelly reversed in an instant. And the frown always meant punishment and the promise of pain.  

The seismic shift your relationship had undergone meant the masks no longer clamped your heart in a dreadful, suffocating grip. But still, there was a meticulous system in how Al wore them. Naughty Girl still began with that deep frown, though Al had begun more and more to leave the grimace behind, loosening it in favor of kissing your mouth (and anywhere else on your body he so wished to taste). Mostly, half a mask greeted you in your basement chamber. If Al wore the familiar grin, it usually meant time for embracing, cuddling up on the low mattress to talk. His exposed azures (so genuine and trustworthy), fringed by his soft ashen hair, expressed more emotion than you thought possible. When Al greeted you in the devilled horns, his perfectly crooked teeth gleaming through parted lips, you knew you were going to make love. 

But even half a mask concealed things from you. Though you could solve the cryptic expressions and discern Al’s feelings in most given moments, that sculpted alabaster barricade felt sometimes like an impenetrable skin. True, he had revealed his whole face to you, unbroken by that concealing white disguise. But he had done so only once, in a moment of desperation, a sacrifice made in exchange for your forgiveness. You wondered when (if ever) you would see his visage in its unhidden entirety. 

Al surprised you when, after a quiet dinner on the mattress, he had left almost immediately after you’d finished eating. He’d been quiet, pensive, but even so, he had left without a word or a gesture, no reason why nor any farewell caress to your needful skin. A game, then? But no- you’d heard the door shut with the usual thud and click. Still, you tried to swing the door open, but it was sealed tight. Confusion grew into worry, which in turn grew into panic. The festering feeling in your gut, which had been banished for so long, had returned, clawing your insides with razor-sharp talons. It wasn’t fear so much as worry that you might have done something wrong; the thought of upsetting Al, unintentionally or otherwise, made your stomach churn. 

When the door once again opened (thirty minutes or an eternity? It all felt the same waiting and pacing in unknowing agony) your worry did not cease. Al stood in his mask. His full mask, the one with the blank, expressionless lower half. You hadn’t seen this iteration of the mask in weeks. It felt like when you’d first arrived here; when the pale horned face would appear from behind the door, and you had been so unsure of what sinister intentions were hidden beneath the ghoulish exterior. Given that you had deciphered the masks’ tacit codes, this felt like you’d regressed back to a time when they were as confusing as they were frightening. You didn’t know this game now either. But you trusted Al, and you weren’t afraid anymore. 

He approached you slowly, retracting a long, thin piece of fabric from a back pocket. Your feet stayed rooted to the spot, but your arms instinctively rose, hands pressing together. You thought he was going to bind your hands together, but a decisive shake of his head had you flummoxed. You interlocked your fingers, unsure of what to do with your hands, and felt the gold band on your right middle digit. It was a reassuring token; Al wouldn’t hurt you. 

Those gentle blue eyes disappeared from your vision and the basement vanished into a black void. Al had placed the fabric over your eyes, moving behind your ears and around the back of your head, where he tied the blindfold in a couple of tight knots. Your breath hitched in your throat and you swallowed it, trying to remain calm. It was just another game of his- and you always enjoyed them. Reassuring hands met yours, and Al wordlessly guided you back onto the mattress, sitting (you approximated) somewhere in the center. You hoped your smile hid the slight quiver in your lips. 

“Do not move the blindfold, Y/N.” You nodded. The phrase wouldn’t have been out of place during Naughty Girl, a playful yet dangerous warning. But Al’s tone was softer, worrisome even. It was a command to obey, but it was also a plea, a beseeching request. You suspected you knew why he sounded so anxious, and was proven right as you felt his lips meet yours. He had removed the lower portion of the mask. His kiss deepened, a hand cradling around your neck as your hands fumbled blindly to grip his thighs. His other hand ran through your hair as he paused, both of you a little breathless from the prolonged kiss. Your foreheads met as you rested, both breathing in each others’ zealous exhalations. He’d removed the horned half of the mask too. 

You couldn’t help but lean away slightly, reach your invisible hands to where you knew him to be, and caress his face with the gentlest of touches. Your hands glided over each feature, piecing together the memory of his beautiful face. He was opening up. In his own way, of course: he was still nervous, uncomfortable to present himself to you so candidly. But he was here, in front of you, allowing you to glimpse into a possible future where the masks could be discarded and forgotten. Maybe one day Al wouldn’t feel the need to hide at all. He’d done it once before, out of sheer desperation and amid the threat of losing you completely. He could do it again, in time. Time is something you weren’t short of. For now, you’d be content with this. 

AWAKE

When the darkness had been in charge, the Grabber had watched excitedly at the fear and the horror that visited Y/N in her dreams, making her fret and moan, waking in panicked sweat to come face to face with an even worse terror watching her like a ravenous wolf. But as that carnal, sadistic side of Al became restrained, so too did Y/N’s nightmares subdue. He still found he liked to watch her sleep. Sometimes for hours. The night terrors had subsided, and Al enjoyed the quiet, perfect moments where her calm, even breaths were all he needed to hear. 

Since growing closer, Y/N often fell asleep in Al’s arms, though still he’d stay deep into the night, enjoying the feeling of her body against him, a perfect fit. Two opposite poles being inevitably pulled together. Inescapable, destined to be. She had woken on occasion to find Al with his strong arm possessively around her waist. He stilled, pretending to snooze soundly, wondering what move she might make. His heart swelled with rapturous delight: she hadn’t wriggled free, but instead rubbed his arm gently, pressing her body deeper into his and stirring no more. Al, unable to hold back his elation, dove into her, planting delicate twilight kisses along her beautiful neck to lull her peacefully back into an ethereal slumber. 

Recently, however, Al had noticed Y/N sleeping fitfully on occasion, like something was weighing on her mind once the midnight moon bathed her basement cell in its pale, ghostly light. His little thing seemed to hide any worries in her waking hours, but she was unable to hide her unconscious, involuntary thoughts as he watched her sleeping. He thought things were better than ever, and worried terribly that he’d done something wrong. He almost laughed at this absurd thought. He’d done everything wrong. He would carry the shame of imprisoning her to his final days. But he was sure she had accepted this fate. So what was it affecting her so, forcing Al to soothe and calm her as she fretted and writhed once more in a troubled dreamstate? His worst fear was that she knew- she knew how he felt, and it had broken her. 

… 

Al woke from his own sleep, his eyes adjusting to the static that buzzed and hummed a low frequency in front of him. Piecing together the scene: he and Y/N had been watching a movie together. They had both fallen asleep on the couch, but she was no longer wrapped tightly in his arms, as he always held her when they lied together. He felt a warmth by his feet, and turned his head slowly in the dim, flickering light thrown across the room by the TV static. There, sitting on the opposite end of the couch, was Y/N, her elbow perching on the back of the couch, head resting on her fist as she looked out of the window. Surveying the outside world through the gaps in the rust-colored curtains. 

She hadn’t crept off to make any sort of escape, or gone snooping through the house. She had woken and stayed near to Al, though he knew his dove was thinking of faraway, unattainable things. Impossible wishes that he had forbidden her to desire. As she looked pensively out of her glass cage, the light December snowfall reflected in her bright, wistful eyes. Aside from her slow breaths and blinking lashes, Al might have thought she was inanimate. His own eyes glistened as he comprehended this idea: for all the choices he had given her, maybe she had become an inanimate being, a doll for Al to play with and discard as he saw fit. He prayed to whatever gods were out there she didn’t feel that way; he certainly didn’t anymore. He felt he had watched her covertly for long enough in the midnight darkness, and spoke softly to her.

“Dove?” She startled at Al’s words, looking away from the frosted window and back towards him. Like she’d been caught doing something she shouldn’t have been. Like she thought she might be in trouble.

“You’re still here.” Al sat up, noticing (thanks to the flickering orange street light outside) that her mouth wavered for a moment, unsure whether to speak. She did.

“Where would I have gone?” Watery eyes gazed into him. A punch in his gut at the question. But she was right. She had always been such a clever thing. Where was there for her to go? It might have sounded romantic, forsaking all others to stay with Al. But there was no choice for his dove, and that tore at his insides like a rabid creature. Surprisingly, she broke the awkward and heavy silence that had settled like a blanket of snow between you both. 

“Can I go back downstairs Al?”

“Of course Y/N.” Back to the safety of the cell in which he’d so cruelly imprisoned her, the comfort of a mattress so unkindly given. It’s not how Al wanted things to be, but it was away from the even crueler and more unkind temptations of a world no longer accessible to his most precious possession. He loved her too much to ever let her go. Didn’t he?

[mina-van1104]

🔮🩵When feeling super stressed, sad, also have physical heart problems, still have a cough & cold, & recovering from bronchitis but feeling better, I go out shopping and bought 3 cute outfits yesterday! It always helps sometimes when I buy cute clothes and look good in them. 💁🏻‍♀️😍It always cheers me up when I get a cute outfit! I look super cute! Ahhh! Obsessed! 😍🙌🤪Retail therapy!

When I can't travel far sometimes to have mountains nearby, just go shopping! Hahaha! 😁Travel therapy, nature therapy. Then thank you to two of my friends on the phone I've been ranting my life to (friends therapy!) yesterday then I come home yesterday to chill with my 2 dogs and 2 cats. Pet therapy! 😃

I also put fresh potato fries in the air fryer & made fresh, crispy French Fries today! Yummy! Food therapy! Hahaha! Cleansing all those negative energies with a salt water bath/shower 😌. 🔮 Also enjoyed my left over home made watermelon/ strawberry smoothie yum 😋. 🍉 🍓

Song played on Instagram is called " Lil Gems" by Nikki Fre$h! 🔮🦂🙌🩵🩷❤️

••••••

Always needing some prayers again.🙏 I, Mina Van 文风英 Woon Foong Yin (in Hakka Chinese).Nevada born & raised.Proud nurse, coach. Family living in Nevada for 45 (forty-five) years.Spread kindness.❤️

In the name of the Guan Yin, Ong Lee (meaning Buddha in Hakka Chinese langauge), Yay-Su (Jesus Christ), Ty-uh- ma (Mother Mary Virgin Mother Mary)

In the name of Jesus, Amen!🙏

Then my other successful blood-related family of doctors in my family,🇺🇸veterans,doctors,nurses,coaches,news reporter,lobbyist,good singers,dancers,good photographers, good writers,artists,a cop,a dentist,teachers, etc.Mixed family of Asians & white people.Spread Kindness.

Again, half of our family is Asian half our family is white. Even-though my parents look Asian we have some Chinese, Vietnamese, Native American, small portions of French, German descent, Ashkenazi Jewish descent DNA Ancestry

✞♡ # Selfie # Nurse # Coach # NativeNevadan # StopAsianHate # Biden2024💙 # JesusChrist 🦂 # Buddha # GuanYin # MotherMary # NevadaBornAndRaised # HakkaChineseRaised # ProChoice (though, in politics) # Equality # Justice # Healthcare # Running 🏃🏻‍♀️ # NevadaNative # athletic # HomeMeansNevada # Nevada # UNRnevadaAlumnaMay2016 # 3collegeDegrees # 3MedicalLicenses

•2019:OlderSisterCatherineVan&Adam Schwartz’sWedding&TheirWebsiteOn: https://www.theknot.com/us/catherine-van-and-adam-schwartz-aug-2019•ReminiscingMoreThan200PeopleCame.

[abookishdreamer]

Character Intro: Nymphe (Kingdom of Ichor)

Age- 36 (immortal)

Location- New Olympus, Olympius (The Royal Palace)

Personality- She's a very calm and centered person that's in tune to her emotions as well as the emotions of other beings. She can be quite neurotic at times too. She's casually dating.

She has the standard abilities of a goddess except shapeshifting. Being the goddess of self-care her other powers/abilities include cleaning inducement, pheromone generation (pherogenesis), vitakinesis (healing; by aromatherapy), limited ambrosia manipulation, having an innate sense of other beings' auras, calm inducement (temporarily in others), internal body cleansing, and body meridian manipulation (is well versed in pressure point martial arts).

Nymphe is a member of The Horae, otherwise known as "The Guardians of the Gates." She takes pride in her role in the group & in the pantheon, greeting the visitors of the palace with a warm handshake and bright smile. Nymphe actively volunteers for shifts at the palace's gift shop whenever she's free to.

She lives in a suite apartment in the royal palace. The apartment has a peaceful and airy aesthetic with various lit aromatic candles, diffusers, flowy curtains, & translucent furniture pieces like lucite chairs and glass tables.

Nymphe pays her handmaidens (who are aurai & anthousai nymphs) extra (out of pocket) whenever they partake in lengthy breaks.

Among The Horae she's more closer to Sponde (goddess of libations), Mesembria (Bria) (goddess of the afternoon), Auge (goddess of first daylight), and Gymnasia (goddess of excercise & gymnastics).

She goes for a light workout in the mornings- jogging through the main outer courtyard of the palace before enjoying a nice bath with seafoam-seaweed extract bath bombs!

Nymphe gets around through use of her bike & public transportation (thanks to an unlimited rechargable transport card).

A typical breakfast for her is a stack of coconut pancakes (topped with her homemade coconut whipped cream) along with scrambled egg whites, turkey bacon, and a small bowl of sliced fruit. She's also a fan of the Eathly Harvest vanilla almond cereal.

A go-to drink for her is her homemade lemon infused water. She also likes coconut water, her homemade beet & berries smoothies, orange juice, soy milk, lychee juice, her homemade iced kombucha tea, red wine, and lemon-lime soda. Her usuals from The Roasted Bean is a small cranberry strawberry splash & a medium hot decaf latte.

Nymphe has a girly boho sense of style. Her closet is filled with maxi skirts, sandals, wide leg pants, wedges, flats, and extra flowy maxi dresses.

She loves snacking on cucumber slices!

Aside from her main job, Nymphe has her own business- a website called somatikí evdaimonía that sells various self-care/wellness products like crystal & gem face rollers, homemade bath bombs (which her handmaidens help make), face masks, and scalp massagers. There are talks for a makeshift store to open in the Mall of Olympius. For other means of income she's a contributing writer for Vital Essence magazine. Nymphe also models for/endorses Glory's Crown (loves the ambrosia honey line of products), EverPure- the skincare brand of Hygieia (goddess of hygiene & cleanliness), White Lily Gallery, Perusasions- the clothing brand of Peitho (goddess of persuasion & sensuality, and Heavenly Spark.

A go-to thing she loves getting at The Bread Box is the grilled chicken wrap along with a sugar snap pea and kale salad.

Outside The Horae Nymphe's good friends with Damia (goddess of naturalness), Spermo (goddess of grains), Nárkosi (goddess of sedation), Thilasmós (goddess of nursing), Epione (goddess of soothing pain), Sophrosyne (goddess of moderation, temperance, & restraint), Apheleia (goddess of simplicity), Elais (goddess of oil), Sardo (one of The Nesoi), Pherusa (goddess of substance & farm estates), Aegle (goddess of good health), Eváeros (goddess of air & the zodiacs), Selene (Titaness of the moon), Hesychia (goddess of quiet, stillness, rest, & silence), Philotes (goddess of sex, friendship, & affection), and Paean (goddess of physicians).

A guilty pleasure for her are dark chocolate mini gelato bars! Nymphe always buys two to three boxes when she shops for groceries.

She's currently in talks to be a mentor to Aceso (goddess of healing), the youngest child of Epione.

A notable vacation she took along with Damia was to The Lytêrios Oasis, the adult nudist resort owned by Pan (god of the wild, satyrs, shepherds, & rustic music).

As a gift celebrating the Summer Solstice holiday, she got a peony shaped jeweled Diamond Ave. clutch from Sardo.

As for Nymphe's romantic life, her last real relationship was with Neicus (god of debate & appeal). They mutually decided to end the relationship due to wanting different things. Before that, Nymphe was in a relationship with Helios (Titan god of the sun). She's currently messaging Corymbus (Cory) (god of ivy) on Fatestgram.

In her free time Nymphe enjoys going out on walks, yoga, swimming, knitting, sewing, meal prepping, listening to music, hiking, napping, DIY projects, reading, doing crossword puzzles, acupuncture, and surfing.

Her favorite dessert is the bougatsa waffle cone ice cream sundae from The Frozen Spoon.

Her favorite meal is a hot steaming bowl of fasolada. She also likes spaghetti chicken alfredo.

"Self-care is not self-indulgence, it's self-preservation."

[itsroxie]

My favorite virtual Doctors/Specialist 👩🏾‍⚕️

All of the specialist listed cater to/acknowledge dark skin women

Nurse Nikki

Nikki is a nurse practitioner aka a doctor in nursing she talks a lot about women's health especially vaginal health from period products to prevention tips Nikki has you covered.

my favorite videos:

Self Breast Exam

UTI Prevention and Info

How to clean your Punani

Period Cups

Dr. Alexis Stephens

A board-certified dermatologist who prioritizes dark skin, she talks about how to properly take care of your skin and gives great advice on a variety of skin issues.

my favorite videos :

How to wash your face 

How to treat body hyperpigmentation   (dark skin friendly)

How to get rid of razor bumps   (dark skin friendly)

The Style and Beauty Doctor

is a skincare fanatic she is well known in the skin care community. She has a blog and youtube channel. She also has a few video collaborations with Dr.Alexis herself.

suggested videos:

Why your skincare products aren’t working

Best Sunscreen  (dark skin friendly)

Best Moisturizer for oily skin

April Basi

is a Cosmetic Chemist her channel she talks about the chemistry of skincare products what works and what doesn’t along with what you should look out for in products

recommended videos:

Best Vitamin C serum   (dark skin friendly)

How to get rid of Dark Circles   (dark skin friendly)

Best Exfoliators   (dark skin friendly)

Dr. Simi Adedeji

A doctor in the UK she is a general practitioner and specializes in cosmetics but she has links to all of her credentials and is a former surgeon. 

favorite videos:

How to wash your Vulva

How to get rid of strawberry legs/ KP    (dark skin friendly)

How to get rid of stretch marks

Dr.Rupa Wong

A board certified ophthalmologist aka eye surgeon she debunks a lot of myths and dangerous trends if you ever wonder if something is safe to put in you eyes Dr.Rupa has the answers.

suggested videos:

Are lash lifts safe ?

Colored contacts what should you know ?

The truth about Lash serums

if you are looking into cosmetic procedures these doctors have great information.

Dr. Anthony Youn

A very conscious Holistic Plastic Surgeon he isn’t the type of surgeon who promotes risky procedures he actually cares about peoples safety. He post a lot more on his tik tok but his youtube has a couple of great gems.

suggested videos:

Avoid these 5 surgeries 

Non-invasive Facelift no Surgery

5 anti-aging tips

Dr.Amir Karam

A plastic surgeon who discourages trends and clears up myths people may have about cosmetic procedures. He also encourages individuals doing what's best for their body type and face shape along with how to safely get the best look.

videos recommended:

Don’t get the cat eye surgery

Fat transfers better than fillers?

Worst plastic surgery trends

Dr. Gavin Chan

The doctor who discovered fillers Migrate! which was a big discovery in the cosmetic world.

suggested videos:

Fillers Migrate

Dissolving fillers

Permanent vs Temporary Filler

Air sculpt

Similar to Scurve by Dr.Ghavami Airsculpt is a  minimally invasive fat transfer procedure that can allow people to have their dream body but with a fraction of the downtime of traditional lipo / fat transfer.

suggested videos:

Air sculpt vs Traditional Lipo  (short version)

Air sculpt vs Traditional Lipo  (detailed version)

Stomach Lipo

BBL procedure 

Feel free to add more info in the comments 

- Mrs.degree ♡ xoxo

[rootedincuteness]

@mobileleprechaun, @knitwittykninja about this post.

Resident Human: "Hey, Gem! Picking strawberries again?" Strawberry Gem: "Yep! There are so many of them this year!" Resident Human: "It's great to see, since we didn't get a whole lot in the past couple years." Strawberry Gem: "My tiny mundane friends have stepped up their game."

Resident Human: "So it seems! Oh, I wanted to tell you... You have a fan. Someone out there cares about you." *shows her comment* Strawberry Gem: "Oh my goodness! Hello! Thank you so much!"

Resident Human: "You also have an inquiry. Are ground strawberries, in fact, actually inedible?" Strawberry Gem: "Not for rootlings!" *giggles* "But seriously, they are edible, but just not very tasty to humans. These are ground cover strawberries, a.k.a. mock strawberries, which are technically not the same as what most humans think of when they imagine strawberries. However, to humans, they have almost no flavor, just a very, very faint sugary taste. And they have lots of little tiny seeds that make the berries kinda crunchy, which some humans find unappealing. But some humans like to have them as garnishes for desserts or salads because they're so bright red and pretty, and a bit of honey can spruce up their taste really well!"

Strawberry Gem: "As with anything, though, you have to be careful. Make sure you aren't picking them in an area where humans may have put down any nasty chemicals. And be sure to wash them before eating, in case birds or other animals were nosing about, so you don't get sick."

Resident Human: "Oh, I see. Thank you for explaining! Now... onto a burning question that fans have had over the years... what's in your strawberry bag?" Strawberry Gem: "A first aid kit! I am a nurse, after all."

Strawberry Gem: "Umm... and... well... there might also be some candies in here too. Gotta have a snack on the go, right?" Resident Human: *chuckles* "Right!"

[7-omen-7]

Here are some names that aren’t strictly for females or males

Alpha Astrix/Asterisk Axis Blur Bolt Brick Cube Cyan Data Delta Echo Entity Error Exa/Exo Form Friday Hazard Idea Impulse Infinity Ion Kilo Kite Limit Name Nebula Neon Obsidian Plastic Point Quartz Qwerty Radar Retina Reverb Rocket Scavenger Sigma Sonar Swing Tank Tax Tera Valence Vertex Virus Vortex Audience Beat Binary Brass Cable Canon Canvas Chord Clash Coarse Crash Discord Double Feedback Forte Genre Hack Hollow Hook Impulse/Pulse Ink Key Lyric Mellow Memory Neon Noise Note Omen Phase Quaver Riddle Shallow Sharp Shiny Snare Treble Tune Twang Aloe Arrow Atlas Azure Balsa Bee Beetle Branch Bread Bridge Candle Cedar Cello Chameleon Cherry Cloud Clover Coffee East Echo Egg Ember Fern Finch Flannel Forest Gecko Gem Goose Grey Jay Kale Lake Leaf Mango Maple Moss Oak Pond Poppy Rain Raven Rock Silver Topaz Violet Wednesday Willow Wood Frog Max Alex Shawn/Shawne Kai SCP 834 Nyx Ares War Criminal Cas Sky/Skie Bee Ash Arson Vin Sal Cat/Kat Tax Fraud Liminal Dream Fade Angel Glitch Tooth Centipede Chlorine Crayon Fever Bones Ghost Eye Omen Nurse Band-aid Tape Glow Legs Decay Poison Blowfly Needle Finger Mold Doll Wasp Moth Dirt Bunny Trinket Shell Cicada Ariel Astra Aurora Celeste Luna Nova Starling Starr Stella Sunshine Aldrin Apollo Callisto Castor Comet Hercules Leo Neptune Rocket Solar Aries Eclipse Galaxy Halo Mars Mercury Moon Saturn Star Sun book strawberry cherry tea soup lace butters melody lyric bunny slime apple Saturn star venus kandi/kandy/candy glitter monster zero/zee/z neo gutz/guts brainz/brains trixie roxy rex Moss Bones Arson Rain Feather Cloud Deep Raven Fall captain bone/bones patch/patches sparrow flynn skipper boots hook reef treasure Winter Midnight Crow Corvid Raven Siren Shade Nova Veil Salem Ash Aster Devin Day Hyde Dagger Knife Psyche Osiris Pandora Haven Jade Blade Gray Ember Ebony Blue Dee Day Dove Sky Rain Ash Coin Pax Rex Mick Reef Rory Ari Bug River Dane Finn Lumi Lux Ore Roux Note Tone Melody Piper Sonata Violin Coda Riff Alto Lyre Lyric Calypso Cadence Chorus Canto Chanson Harper Lorelei Octave Song Muse Canon Clef Motif Legato Nonet Pan Rhapsody Trill Vevace Dusk Indigo Orion Onyx Obsidian Somnus Hypnos Morpheus Noctis Noir Nero Umbra Ash Omega Orpheus Crow Jinx Hex Grey Pandora Morrigan Shade Silver Zephyr Storm Crimson sprinkle Bunny cloud Skittle kitty birdie bee flower Grass peach strawberry cherry Berry Apple Berry Apricot Huckleberry Mulberry Honeydew Lychee Peach Cherry Basil Bayleef Pepper Anise Clove Coriander Ginger Nutmeg Rosemary Rue Sesame Thyme Saffron exe/txt/pdf/gif web/website tech emoji sci beta dell chip zip Arson Blue Blur Brick. Cloud Detective Dice Egg Elmers Error Gremlin Icon Jester Lake Leaf Mischief Nike Nintendo Pi Royal Skull Spark Ten Tesla Vortex Yoshi Zero Zoom angela/angelo/angie angelonia/angel andy/andi ann/annie/anny antares andromeda bone/bones biscuit/biskit paw fluffy fetch scout chase skull corpse blade jinx hex bat bandit rogue trick/tricky smoke lee leo/lio pluto mars orion redd avery aster cyrus cleo miles quinn indigo amber ruby sugar lace/lacey boba rosie mae merry dottie plush/plushie cinnabun pompom teddy peach smile/smiles/smiley alphabet blocks bug snail paint crayon slime sticker rainbow gummy candy/kandi button bandaid glitch static disc pixel robot/bot glitter wire/wires code key/keys virus byte bunny/bunnie/bun kitty/kit/kitten plush/plushie milk fluff cloud bubble/bubbles angel ghost tea cookie bow / ribbon bonbon puff / creampuff Nintendo Mossy Quill Spark Vermillion Cotton Candy (or C.C. for short) Cocoa Indigo Sunset Elmers Snowy Sketchpad Frost Jester Poltergeist Spirit Cricket Poem Puck Mischief Truffle Golden Clay Feather Hatchet Gremlin Stone Brad Chad Thad Zoom Crayon Detective Otter Sonic Armadillo Ocelot Puggles (name for baby platypus) Dylan Logan River Fince Ellory Finn Converse Sage Saint Sal Saturday Saxon Scan Scatter Scoop Scorpion Scout Scream Sea Senti Sentinel September Serene Seven Shade Shadow Shake Shatter Shaw Silent/Silence Silver Siphon Skill

[akihabaradivision]

"The first draft is just you telling yourself the story." -Terry Pratchett

Introduction

Keiko Yumi is the leader of Akihabara Division rap battle team, Otaku Corps. She is known by her MC name, Mangaka. Keiko is a college student who is studying to become a nurse. Diligent and dedicated, she takes her academic work very seriously and it shows on her marks. She has entered the D.R.B. in hopes that it will not only boost her popularity, but also to face and humiliate the woman whom she despises, Aika Yumi of Minato.

Keiko, though she'll deny it to her dying breathe, is the spiting image of her mother. She is very slender with medium sized breasts and long, blonde hair that extends to the middle of her back. Her facial expression is typically happy and she has bright blue eyes.

Her default attire is a typical schoolgirl attire that exposes her navel: including a plaid skirt, a matching button-up top, thigh-high stockings, black shoes, and pigtails tied with a red ribbon. She will usually have a white jacket/lab coat over her uniform whenever she is drawing, as paint can splash everywhere.

Name Meaning

Keiko - Keiko as a girl's name is of Japanese origin meaning "be glad or rejoicing child".

Yumi - as a given name can mean: 由美, "reason/cause, beauty" 裕美, "abundant, beauty" 夕実, "evening, fruit" 優美, "tenderness, beauty."'

Aliases

Jun Fumiko (Her Pseudonym)

Biographical Info

Gender - Female

Age - 20

Birthday - December 22

Ethnicity - Japanese

Hair Color - Blonde

Eye Color - Crystal Blue

Height - 163 cm/5'4"

Weight - 51 kg/112 lb.

Star Sign - Capricorn

Piercings - N/A

Markings - N/A

Family - Father (Unknown)

- Mother

- Grandfather

- Grandmother

Voiced By - Jamie (Rapping)

Fun Facts

MC Name - Mangaka

Occupation - University Student/Manga Artist

Division - Akihabara

Position - Leader

Favorite Food - Strawberry Pancakes

Least Favorite Food - Wheat Bran

Likes - Drawing, Artwork, Manga, Anime, University, Classes, Partying, Beaches, Her friends, Video games

Dislikes - Her mother, pornography, Nikki's laziness, being insulted, people who compare her to her mother

Hypnosis Microphone

Keiko's Microphone is a silver piezoelectric microphone inside what resembles a wizard's staff. The staff, itself, is grey and long with two light blue gems at the top. The mouthpiece is surrounded by a gray circle.

Her Speaker takes the form of a young woman with long pink hair with large crystal-blue butterfly wings wearing a white dress that fades into forest-green at the bottom with white long boots with gold buckles at the top. On her wrists are two large gold circular bracelets and a green and gold necklace around her neck. She is based off of one of the characters from Keiko's manga.

Her rap ability, Edit, allows Keiko to negate or cancel out an opponent's attack or ability. She can use this ability continuously, but the more she uses it, the lower her stamina becomes, weakening her.

Keiko's rap themes are centered around knowledge. She stresses that in order for the world to move forward, we need to become wiser, learning from our mistakes and how to correct them. She also raps about the love of her friends, and often makes references to anime or manga.

Personality

Keiko is generally a sweet, caring young woman. Unlike many of her university friends, she is rather responsible with her actions and choices, and though she won't say no to a party or a good time, she draws the line at drinking or drugs. She maintains a healthy lifestyle, though she'll never turn down sweets or candies. A natural leader, she is often flanked by many people, not only because of her popularity, but also because of her charm and charisma. Though she claims she hates being in the spotlight, she often performs fairly well when everyone's attention is on her.

Despite her kind-hearted nature, Keiko is not perfect. Though she will never insult or utter a cruel and hateful remark to anyone, the unfortunate exception to this is her mother, Aika Yumi, whom Keiko has a great disliking and distaste for. After finding out that her mother was a porn star when she was 15, she cut all ties with her mother and wants nothing to do with her or her lifestyle. She hates talking or even thinking about her mother, and has openly stated that if she never saw her mother again, she'd be 'just fine with that.'

Besides that, as stated, Keiko is generally a good person. She is involved in many organizations in the university, ranging from Student Government, National Honor Society, Beta Club, etc. She is often criticized for trying 'to do too many things at once.' Despite that, she is somehow able to perform all of her tasks efficiently, making any necessary adjustments when they are needed.

Background

Keiko was born to her father, who is unknown, and her mother, the famed Vivian Vixen, at the age of 16. She never knew who her father was, as he left her mother after finding out she was pregnant. Unable to raise a child and attend school, Keiko's mother dropped out and started dabbling in amateur adult films in order to make money to support her and her daughter.

She was predominantly raised by her grandparents, with her mother helping from the side. Growing up, Keiko proved to be an intellectual child, not only with a gift for leadership, but also with drawing. As she got older and started watching more anime and manga, she began drawing her own characters to fit with the shows she's watched.

As time passed, she slowly, but surely became better with her artwork. Though she was often teased and made fun of for her work, her rivals could not deny that she had talent. It even got to the point that one of her friends suggested she create her own manga. Though Keiko initially played it off as a joke, after a long time thinking about it, she finally took the leap and created a fantasy manga called, Red of the Ambitious, which, surprisingly, was well-received by fans, getting its own anime and video game.

In her first year of high school, the truth behind her mother's profession was finally revealed when Keiko discovered some new photos that her mother failed to hide. Not surprisingly, the young teenager didn't take kindly to her mother's line of work and left her mother's house, moving in with her grandparents until she had finished high school.

Graduating with honors, she was accepting into university on a scholarship. She now plans to complete the classes she needs to become a full-time nurse.

Trivia

Though she enjoys drawing manga, she sees it only as a hobby, not planning on making it a full-time career, which many of her friends think is a waste.

Though she'll deny it to her dying breath, she secretly has a crush on Ichiro Yamada.

Though she's made a significant amount of money from her manga, she never uses any of it, either using it to pay off her tuition, or putting it in a trust fund.

When asked what the worst part of drawing is, she stated, 'Naming the characters. I can draw and make up backstories for all of my characters with no problem. But I absolutely suck at coming up with good names for them.'

She is secretly affiliated with the Party of Words, working as a secretary for Nemu Aohitsugi. She was recruited for her smarts, intellect and charm. Truthfully, they recruited her to use as a weapon against her mother...

[drethanramslay]

A funny thing called Fate- Prologue

Pairing: Bryce X MC (Aisha Khurrana)

Word Count: 2.8K words

Series Masterlist

Main Masterlist

Warning: None really, just a little cursing

Author’s note: I had been listening to Strawberries and Cigarettes by Troye Sivan and that is actually the primary spark which led me to come up with this series. Shout out to @mvalentine and @anotherbeingsworld fo letting me bounce my crazy ideas <3

AHHH so it is finally here!! This is my first time writing Bryce so I hope I can do justice to this beautiful man. This starts with Aisha’s (MC) POV and like I said, there will be a time jump. It would be first person when I’m writing in the past and then it will shift to third person when I’m writing the present. I think i should stop my rambling and let’s go!!

Terms you need to know-

-Bhaiya: Brother in hindi

-Beta: Technically it means ‘son’ but in most Indian families its used like a term of endearment too

- AIIMS, Delhi: Stands for All India Institute of Medical Sciences. This is one of the best medical schools in the country and Only 100 people out of 200,000(or more) get in. So it is very cut throat.

10 years ago- Aisha's PoV 

(Age: 16)

I am done.

Done with all the drama, done with all the lies, done with all the manipulations and done with all the heartache.

And most of all, I was done with him- the infamous Bryce Lahela. 

The boy with the stupid long hair, the stupid signature smirk and the stupid charm. Those amber eyes which reminded you of the sand and sea and those lips on which an everlasting smile played used to be like a breath of fresh air. I always thought that he was so unique, but boy was I wrong. 

All boys are the same.

I really thought that jocks like him would be different huh? Can someone just hand me my clown shoes?

But luckily, I don't have to see his face ever again because for once, instead of making a mockery of my existence, life decided to give me something that I really wanted badly.

A chance to leave all of this in my past. A chance to start over again.

My dad had a better business opportunity back in Mumbai. I am an Indian and we lived in Delhi since the time I was born but we shifted to Mauii when I was in the ninth grade because of how demanding dad's job was getting

Bhaiya chose to stay back in Delhi because his engineering college was there and he enjoyed the hostel life way too much. And he had finally managed to get out of our toxic household so I really could not blame him.

So yeah.. that is how I ended up in Maui in the first place.

It was okay in ninth grade. I kept to myself and blended in with the shadows (because hello social anxiety!). But... Tenth grade changed everything.

It was one of the best and worst year of my life and I often wonder if I could ever get over this.

I am definitely sounding like one of those over-dramatic Indian soap operas my mom watches every night.

"Aisha? Are you ready? The car is here beta."

"Yes, Mama. I am coming!! Just packing up some stuff."

Breaking out of my reverie, I stuffed in my phone and other essentials into my carry bag. As I was zipping up my luggage, I yanked open my closet door to see if I left anything behind my eyes landed on the shoebox I had stuffed in the back of my closet.

I gulped and I felt tears well up in my eyes again. A part of me wanted to take it for it had all the trinkets of the good things in my relationship with Bryce but, another part of me knew that if I took it with me, I would never be able to move on and that would completely defeat the purpose of this fresh start I have been looking forward to.

So with a heavy heart, I looked away and shut the door of the closet, picked up my luggage and left.

As the Uber pulled out of the curb I stared out of the window, to look at the beaches I had come to love and hate.

I liked Maui, I really did but all that it was reduced was a place where I was humiliated and belittled.

And it was all his fault.

PRESENT

(Age: 27)

"Oh my god. I'm gonna late!!" Aisha screeched as she saw the time on her phone. She shoved the duvet off her and jumped out of bed. She tried running to the bathroom in her small closet-sized apartment but it just ended up with her stubbing her toe against the coffee table.

"Ow ow ow." She cursed as she hobbled into the washroom and got on with her daily chores. Her hand-eye coordination was already awful and add that she was sleep deprived just made the entire thing worse. Stumbling, tripping, cursing she managed to brush her teeth and hop into the shower. The burst of cold water managed to wake her up as she furiously washed.

Why did I have to move into a room under a busy staircase?! This is why bhaiya says- Do your research. She angrily thought to herself as she wiped herself rigorously and zipped open her suitcase, searching for her semi-formal clothes.

Grabbing a granola bar and her trusty thermos of coffee, she was on her way to Edenbrook.

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

As she entered the atrium, she was in complete awe. It looked big and majestic on the outside, with a clever mix of brick walls and the glass facade, making it look welcoming. Sunshine poured through the atrium as the various doctors and nurses worked around her, not giving mind to the clueless intern gawking.

"Hi, I'm Dr Ines Delarosa, a senior resident!! You look lost. Let me guess... the first day of residency?" A short woman in a doctor's coat walked up to her breaking Aisha from her awe, her aura full of happiness, rainbows and unicorns which made Aisha a little vary.

Is it normal to be this happy and energetic?

Aisha nodded hesitantly and the resident smiled a hundred-watt smile. "Great. You are gonna need a photo ID. Follow me, I will get you all set up." Wordlessly Aisha followed Ines, slinging her messenger bag over her shoulder, nervously playing with the strap.

It is going to be fine... Aisha breathed out as she entered a room with a white background and a camera before it. "Just step over here, in front of the camera and smile."

And waste my energy? No thanks.

She schooled her features to be as professional as she could and the flash of the camera went off. Aisha walked over the tangled wires and peeked at the screen. A serious face stared back at her, the lighting doing good to her brown skin. Her nose piercing caught light and her dark mahogany hair was tied up in a neat ponytail.

"Is it okay? Or do I need to retake the photo?"

"No, it is great! I like it. Thank you."

"Well I will just stick this on your ID.... and you are good to go!! I wish I looked that good in my ID." She said and cheerfully and once her eyes fell on the title a smile made its way on her face,

Dr Aisha Khurrana... It is real and it is true.

"My first day as a real doctor." she whistled lowly shaking her head as if she didn't believe it.

"I was in your shoes last year. Believe me, med school was nothing compared to this. Your three years of residency will be the toughest, most amazing year of your life!! But the first year as an intern will be the craziest of all."

As soon as the smile had graced her features, it slipped away and she nodded seriously. "I think I am ready for it. I have been dreaming and slogging my ass so that I could work in Edenbrook. Ever since I learnt that Ethan Ramsey worked here. His research basically pushed me to apply for med school."

Also, the fact that my parents can like shut up about me being worthless.

"That is great. I will just walk you to the locker room so that you can change into scrubs." Ines offered and Aisha gave her a small smile.

"So... Any advice?"

"Make friends..."

And I am out. She thought to herself. She always struggled with making friends and that is partly the reason why she would keep to herself all the time. Sure she did make a few gem of a friends in med school but if she had to choose between mingling with strangers and drowning, you know what she would choose.

"... with your interns, year senior residents, even your patients! Friends will get you through anything. And, uh, try to not annoy the Attendings! You do not want to get on your boss's bad side."

"Noted."

After changing she was just passing through the waiting room so that she could get to the orientation when she heard gasps from the seating area. A woman had collapsed on her seat and the people were crowding around her.

Her instincts kicked in and she ordered. "Give her space. Everybody step back! I'm a doctor."

She hurried over to the woman just as another doctor rushes in. He kneeled at her side and checked her pulse. "Pulse is weak. She's unresponsive." He looked up and his eyes landed on her.

"You Rookie. Get here."

"Right away doctor. Coming!" Aisha hurried over as the doctor lifted the fainted woman on to the nearby gurney.

"What was she coming in for? Did she fill out a form yet?"

"No, she'd just walked in."

The doctor's piercing blue eyes landed on her which made her straighten her back. "If we don't figure out what's wrong with her fast, she's going to die on this table. Rookie, check B.P."

Wrapping the blood pressure cuff around the unconscious woman's arm and she pumped the bulb, peering at the numbers.

"It's plummeting. She's hypotensive. We've gotta get fluids in her."

Aisha's eyes wandered over the woman's form, trying to search for more clues. Her eyes landed on the rapidly forming bruise on her elbow.

"Doctor... Look at this bruise. I think it's a sign that she is a haemophiliac."

The doctor replied in a gruff voice. "You think or you know?"

"I know."

"Good. Also can you see the way her fingertips are turning blue? It is a sign of low oxygen saturation in the blood. Take a closer listen to her lungs. Hurry."

She nodded assertively and slipped the resonator of the stethoscope over the ribs, straining to hear the diminishing whooshing of the lungs which made Aisha gulp in fear.

"Can't hear anything on the left side and the right side is struggling. She is going to suffocate at this rate." She spoke up , her voice struggling to stay calm but as she glanced at the older doctor, he seemed to be as cool as a cucumber.

"Nurse we have got a code blue." His authoritative voice boomed over as the nurses bustled around the gurney.

Taking the bag mask from the nurse, he secured it around the patient's mouth and gently pump air into her lungs.

"What do we do, Doctor? What's happening to her?" She asked as she noticed the reducing breath rate.

He looked up. "Consider all the clues. It's all there. You know this, Rookie."

Aisha closed her eyes and took a deep breath, realigning her focus, delving deep into her mind, analyzing the clues.

Hemophilia... low blood oxygen... no lung expansion on one side...

Her brown eyes snapped open as it struck her. "It's a haemothorax!"

A twinkle of approval flickered in the ocean eyes, which vanished as soon as it came. "Precisely. A blood vessel ruptured and is filling her pleural cavity..."

"... Blocking her lungs from expanding! That's why she can't breathe." Aisha completed the sentence.

Fuck.

"But we can't repair the blood vessel over here."

The older doctor's jaw clenched. "Then we will have to do a emergency thoracotomy to drain the cavity instead. Nurse!"

The nurse hustles around handing her a scalpel and a chest tube, her eyes widening in shock.

She gulped, her nervousness spiking as she sees the doctor lift the shirt of the patient, exposing the side of her rib cage.

"We need a local anaesthetic-"

The doctor interrupted her. "We're out of time and she is already unconscious. Do it now, or the woman's life is on you!!"

She gritted her teeth with determination. I am not loosing a patient on my first day.

She took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself. It is just like anatomy class only... this isn't a cadaver but a real person.

But that statement, instead of calming her, it just caused the scalpel to shake in her hand.

The doctor reaches and encompasses her hand. "Hey... You can do this."

Aisha nods stabilizing herself and focusing solely on the older doctor's voice, before she looked down.

"There you go... Nice and easy."

Incision at the fifth intercostal space... anterior.. to the mid axillary line...

And when she was confident enough, she made the perfect incision, a trickle of red following the path of the scalpel.

"Now the tube."

She took and pushed it into the incision and with a spurt, blood started draining out of the chest cavity resulting in the patient to take a deep breath.

Holy shit I did that. I freaking did that.

In the daze of endorphins, she heard the doctor order her surgery, the nurses wheeling the gurney and the onlookers applauding.

She turned towards the attending, excitement pouring out of her in waves. "Doctor.. that was absolutely amazing!!"

It's was as if a switch flipped and the grumpier and sarcastic facade took place. "You're right. It is pretty amazing you didn't get her killed."

Aisha's jaw dropped.

"Wait, what?"

The doctor rambled off, pointing out her mistakes. "Your examination was slow and superficial. Your scalpel technique, amateur at best."

It took all her might to not scoff. 

Excuse me I graduated from AIIMS Delhi, thank you very much.

 Swallowing the dying need to go off she spoke in a professional tone. "Amateur? I'm sorry, doctor but it is my first day."

"Well, that is not an excuse you can use because if that patient would have died, the blood would have been on your hands..." He lifted the badge attached to her breast pocket scrutinizing on the surname.

"... Khurrana."

He tossed the id back to her, turned on his heels and walked away, leaving a steaming Aisha in her place.

"What a dick." She muttered under her breath.

"Yeah and I'm totally in love with him." A nurse appeared magically out of thin air near her, causing her to jump in surprise.

The kind eyed nurse just rolled his eyes and placed a hand on her shoulder which had Aisha bristling. "Don't worry about it, Dr Ramsey is like that to everybody."

Aisha's jaw dropped for the second time. "Wait... Dr. Ramsey as in Dr. Ethan Ramsey?!"

Shooting a knowing glance, he spoke up. "I take it, you're a fan?"

"He's only my medical hero and greatest inspiration. I've read all his research!" Aisha rushed off, horror and excitement rushing through her.

Oh my god I managed to piss of my one medical hero.. I'm such a dumbass.

Noticing the horror of her expression he gave a gentle smile. "On the bright side, you'll get plenty more chances to impress him."

She sighed and looked down to see that her scrubs were stained with blood.

First impression is last impression beta, always remember that. Her father's voice resonated in her mind.

"Dammit, I'm here for five minutes and I'm already a mess. I can't show up to orientation like this!"

"Don't sweat it. There are extras in the locker room. Come I will show you the way..."

She walked into the locker room, looking for her assigned locker. There was a crowd of half naked interns and after mumbling a couple of 'excuse me's', and rubbing shoulders (literally) she made it the end of the room.

As she turned she knocked into another woman in nothing but her undergarments.

"Uh...um.. okay then." Aisha stuttered as she felt the back of her neck heating up.

Thanks to my brown skin no one can see me getting flustered.

"What? See something you like?" She asked cheekily in an Indian accent which eased Aisha up a bit.

"Ha, you wish."

"Aren't you cute?" The woman snickered as she reached for her pants.

"That's what people say, so it must be true."

She reached for her full sleeve shirt before looking Aisha's way. "Desi?"

Aisha snorted. "Obviously. And I'm guessing you too."

"Of course. And I'm guessing that you are definitely not wearing those scrubs."

"What? Didn't you hear? Bloody clothes are like the new trend around here."

There was a moment of silence before both of them started laughing.

"It's good to meet someone from home." Aisha spoke as she pulled her scrub shirt off.

"Woah, woah, woah. Don't count on that yet. I need to see if you are gonna get in my way in this competition."

Aisha smirked as she shut her locker. "Can't say I'm surprised. Can't be desi if the sense of competition isn't ingrained in your DNA."

"Oh my god never thought that I would see Jackie's twin." A familiar manly voice wafted over to them.

Wait a second...

"Shut up scalpel jockey, this is our kind of bonding."

"Oh please, don't scare the newbie aw- oh."

Oh.

She was standing right in front of him. Face to face. The playful amber eyes, with flecks of brown hadn't changed. The long shoulder length hair had been cut and styled to be short and messy.

There was no trace of the surfer boy she met in Maui. He was a man through and through but still, the youth in his eyes poured out in waves, reminding her of the sandy beaches.

But right now those amber eyes were wide with shock.

It's not everyday that you meet your ex of ten years in the locker room of your new job.

"Aisha?"

".... Bryce?!"

HEHEHEH AWKWAARRDDD

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[illyrian-lover-flower]

The chosen forest keeper 4

      You were once a blooming flower in my heart  and all you left behind, as you went, was a  withered root inside me

 There was no sound, no scream, no sob, no whisper as he landed in the quite garden of her. Those soft flowers of hers smiling at him and his darkness.  

Beckoning him to come closer, to come listen as they sung in the howling wind -that cloaked him on this hour-long flight -back to these sad walls of the bright shining estate- his gigantic wings still numb to any touch, while his feet were well aware of the ground he stood on.  

His massive form a cloud of shadows as he allowed himself a last time in which he would admire the beauty of Elain’s work.  

All these soft, vibrant petals, painting his vision into a sea of pink, blue, violet, white, yellow and orange. It was a vibrating sea that danced to the wind -loved to swing their petite heads in those strong gusts as they seemed to move a last time for their lost flower.  

A flower that was more vibrant than he had ever seen. All those colours, she planted among the grounds of her sister’s estate, flowing through her very own blood. Making her the fairest of all the females he had ever met.

‘I was so blind!’ was all he could scold himself with, over and over again. Well aware that the awareness of that would never bring Elain back.  

Perhaps if he had truly seen her -not blinded by those vibrant colours of her happiness- he might have been able to save her.  

Might have been able to prevent her from this end she chose, might have been able to prevent her from painting the sea in the only colour she dreaded.  

Red.

Azriel never really noticed it, had never asked her, why she did not dare to touch a red petal. It should have been obvious. Her paling face, whenever she saw a strawberry or cherry should have spoken volumes to him.  

Perhaps it did, his shadows always raging in his ears when he left her to work with those red fruits, but he never listened. Never saw, until now, that no red bloom graced the grounds of her garden.  

It all made perfect sense.  

Those fearful eyes of hers, when he had gifted her this tool of bloodshed. As delicate and pure the hilt might have been -dainty lilac amethysts, arranged as small delicate Violets at the bottom of the haft of pure white jade, glimmering under the light that caught in the facets at the bottom of the hilt- it was still a tool of bloodshed.

No light gems, no blade -as grey as the clouds before a storm chased them around - engraved with soft vines till the tip of the sharp knife edge- could change this purpose.  

He should have known of her dread and yet he was oblivious to it.  

Only now were his dull hazel eyes able to see the truth she had hidden for so long - Elain was broken, hurt and destroyed.  

Azriel always thought of her as complete, without any fear as she overstepped the pain of her engagement. He always thought she never dared to touch a knife, a dagger, sword or any other weapon due to the respect of life.  

Those soft hands of hers having gifted it for so long.  

But they weren’t like he thought of them to be. He always thought they were strong-steady- as her hands gave life, only now did it occur to him that they were everything but that.

Elain had trembled. Trembled under the gazes of those she loved and yet no one saw her shivering.  

These soft flowers in front of him, that seemed to laugh at his stupid, bulky, form the only beings that were ever there to support her.  

In the wake of dawn, the bright song of day or the soothing lullaby of night - they were always there to listen, to calm her.  

While the rest of her family left her, occasionally spend hours with her.  

Small spell casting lessons with Amren and occasional hours of baking with Cassian the only change of her day when he had left her.  

Left her to bleed under those heavy fears, that still crippled him night for night and day for day.  

He was foolish to think that Elain did not suffer after her broken of engagement. Those genuine smiles of her, only a facade she kept up. Fooling everyone and most likely herself with them.

But he was too late.  

Only now able to hear those silent screams of her – that have long drowned in the sea.  

Yet he could not help but hear them.

Shrill screams flooding his ears as his shadows cloaked him, covered him in pain of this loud screech while they also comforted him. Azriel had always sworn he would never break down in front of them, would never allow his shadows to see the fragile parts of their master, but it was too late for that.  

They had long sensed the black gap in his heart, that dreaded to eat his whole being, as the spymaster had called out for a companion, a friend – that would never answer his call again.

And yet they did not destroy him, even seemed to caress these frayed edges with soft black tendrils as he was bared open to them.  

Welcoming him in a soft veil of shadows that kept him safe from the howling wind in the garden.  

Night having long settled above of him as the clouds hung the sky. As if even those vibrant stars cried for a soul that left too soon, the grey companions that covered them, embracing their friends as they covered their glittering tears.  

It was as if the Mother herself mourned over the end of a female, who would have been able to bring light into this empty world, letting the sky and nature hang low as she cried.  

Perhaps that was the only thing he would ever have in common with the mother.  

Tears for the seer, that could have been able to change the world – if only she would have granted herself more time, more freedom.  

But Azriel knew that Elain had ripped away her own time and freedom. If her heart would have been healed, having turned into a strong and steady, live giving tree, she would have changed everything. Would have been able to turn the world in anything she wanted to.  

Azriel knew of this strength, would have wished to see her bloom into it - showing her sisters, her family, the court, the world, of what she, the seer of the night court, was capable of - but she did not allow it.  

Elain having taken the higher chances, of a better world, with her - into a wet grave that promised her freedom.  

It was selfish of him, to not wish her this kind of freedom, to want her here again instead - but he was ready to make this selfish step, was ready to swear to the sad Mother above him, as the cold blade of Truth-Teller sliced open the crippled skin of his scarred palm.  

Blood dripping onto the live giving land, Elain had nursed, promising an eternal oath with drop, for drop, for drop, as the earth swallowed his red blood greedily.

Letting his hazel eyes bore past these dark clouds, seemingly looking right into the heart of the Mother, as this thin thread stretched between him and the sacred goddess. A bond, a wish, casted between them as the Mother took the prize, he was willing to pay.  

A memory for a memory.  

It was a lose try to find out who Elain really was - who she tried to be- but it was a chance. A crippled chance to know of her story from the blood that was shed in the sea, bound to stay in this world. And Azriel was ready to give his.

The red liquid dripping and dripping as he sat there in silence - hoping to find the first thing of the seer out- but there was nothing.

Nothing but the soft hue of golden light that caressed the dark realm of shadows around him. His brother and his mate sitting with hunched backs in front of the wide window to the sitting room, as he looked up to them through a clouded vision.  

Tears and shadows having created a black pond within the sea of flowers. Glittering under the soft golden stroke of light.  

Perhaps it was his imagination, perhaps his shadows, that shooed him back inside - letting light envelop him once again as his ears picked up for the first time, in hours, something different than the howling gust of wind or the ever-ringing words of Nesta Archeron in his head.  

It was a sob, a chocked sound that let his heart stutter once again as he entered the golden gleaming living room.  

Vassa and Lucien sitting, with hunched backs and founds as their eyes, opposite Feyre and Rhys that did not look verry different than the two red heads.  

Azriel knew from the many visits Vassa and Lucien had made, to see Elain, when he did not dare to speak with the bright seer. He had known of their burning hope, that Elain could see and detect what was precious to Koschei, but he also knew of their friendship that had formed.  

The fiery mortal Queen was by far no pleasant companion for most, but somehow, she had trusted the calm seer and grew friends with her rather soon. So, it was no surprise that her, always squared shoulders, sagged and shook from heart slicing sobs as she, too, screamed for the seer to return, to help them further, but she would not answer.

Not like the Queen wished at last.  

Rhys had left her, and a wide-eyed Lucien, some time before he cleared his throat. All the attention going to him as Vassa still tried to calm down -Feyre also trying to keep her feelings together and not lose them in front of a mortal, but there was no one that could have surpassed the tears as Rhys pulled out a letter, from between the worlds.  

It was neatly folded, a big cursive handwriting of black ink -that read ‘Vassa and Lucien’- covering the front of the yellowish paper.  

Azriel could not make it out clearly as he watched the situation from afar, the people in the room seemingly not knowing of his broad figure that stood in the doorway. As if he stood behind a mirrored glass, a stranger, an intruder on this moment.

But Rhys voice shattered the glass, made him step through the shadows and hide in a corner as he listened to his brother’s quiet words.  

“Nuala and Cerridwen had found this letter in Elain's chamber, do you wish to read it?”  

The Queen was still unable to speak, her body still wrecking from sobs, as Lucien answered for her - his normally strong, cheery voice nothing more of a saddened whisper: “Please, read it aloud.”  

His brother could do nothing but nod. Those bright violet eyes of his threatening to brim over with tears, once he broke the wax seal carefully, silently reading already over the last words of the middle Archeron.  

Azriel did not know how he should have reacted to the broken voice of Rhysand. He knew his brother was trying his best to hide it, but the bob of his throat, the slightly cracked voice at the beginning, gave him away.  

And even though he was drowned in sadness, just like his mate and the Queen, he pulled through and begun reading with shaking hands:

“My dear Vassa and Lucien,

it has been my pleasure, to get to know you two better in the last months. Though I do regret the circumstances of your visits - I do not regret a single moment I shared with you.  

Never will I forget these moments of laughter I shared with you, even in such a difficult situation, and never will I remember pain when I think back to or bond, Lucien.  

There will never course hurt through my mind, when I think of our parting. We parted in union and I am glad we did - your future had been bright to me, like your flames, for a long time now. I can’t express how long I had hoped for you to find your future and when you sought me out, and told me of your wish, Lucien, to break the mating bond - I was glad. And so unendingly happy that you finally saw your own future.  

I had hoped I could see it. See happiness coursing through your blood, like sunshine, but I guess my selfishness was bigger than this wish.

Though all I can give to you, as my last goodby and wish for you, is this: Love is a burning thing. One that blooms bright and brighter between two fires, that burn as one. A phoenix chasing between those bright flames as the rays of day will grant the bond of eternal love.

I am afraid that this is all I can offer to tell you. You will have to find the rest out on your own, though I hope a burning companion will stay by your side - all the way.  

And for you, Vassa, my dear friend - I can only tell you that I won’t be able to help you further. My life, like it was, having long ended when you read this. Freedom having already embraced me in a fierce hug, but I will give you what I know.  

My little knowledge shall be a salvation to your burning curse.  

‘Find his pulsing roots, red as blood do, they weave through the sacred grounds of his land. Hissing and burning will they try to chase you away. Spitting curse for curse at you, for every step, for every beat of your burning wings, you’ll make.  

But distraction, shall become your enemy. It’s luring song will be stronger than any curse of the heartless wizard, his evil laugh will lead you away from his cruel heart.  

A root, as black as a shadow, will lead your way. It’s song a loud symphony of screams and pain as you will find your way.’  

I sadly can’t help you more Vassa. I wished to be able to, but please understand that my powers are raw - untamed. Which made it difficult to see anything than darkness, but I hope darkness will not turn you.  

You are no coward; my dear friend and I wish for you all the happiness of this world as you will stand proud and tall against your greatest demons.  

With this I’ll say farewell.  

Perhaps the Mother will want of us to meet again someday.

Elain Archeron”

The Spymaster did not know what to do, how to react, as silence settled over their heads like a suffocating veil of dust, that just started to twirl and dance above their sulking figures, as Rhys rattled the sleeping sadness awake.  

But the veil was broken.  

Twisted and danced as it could not settle heavily on their shoulders – the Queen screaming, as if she were in pain, while Lucien and Feyre broke out into heavy sobs. A tear spilling from Rhysand’s eyes, while he, the always steady and strong Spymaster, fought once again for stance.  

Fighting a battle with his inner self, that just wanted to break and crumble to the floor, he was not able to breath properly, was not able to control the heavy darkness, that twirled restless around the talons of his wings and closed tighter and tighter in on him.  

Suffocating but also supporting him as he doubled over.  

It had hurt. Hurt to hear these words, hurt to know that Elain had forced the visions onto herself.  

Azriel knew that Elain wanted to help her two fiery friends as best as possible, which also meant abandoning her own health if only she could help them.  

But the worst was to know she had planned it. Had planned, long before she jumped off the cliff, to end things. To not give this new world, this new her, a chance.  

Up until this point the shadowsinger knew, that his family had hoped she did it unprepared and was unaware of her doing, but this letter proved well that she was ready, and willing, to go and leave her family behind like this.

Broken, crying, screaming, sobbing.  

“Elain, Elain, Elain,…" was all he heard over and over again in the veil of shadows as he held his heart, trying to stop the invisible bond- he just created with his blood- from suffocating his heart and ripping deeper into the hole that was already there. Little did he know, that this empty voice in his rounded ears, was his broken soul.  

Chanting the name of the seer – his friend- over and over again, in the hopes of her return.  

But he knew, deep down – his blood singing from it, that she would not return.

And so, did the rest of the room as they all sat as broken souls together. The Queen and the fox, her friends, sitting opposite her family, Rhysand and Feyre, while the Shadowsinger stood hunched in a corner – winnowing himself away as soon as he realized his brothers heavy gaze on his shaking form.

Letting darkness envelop, and carry him away, freely. Every place they would take him to better than these sobs and screams, that wrecked the proud walls of the bright estate. Though he did not think that his shadows would turn, to traitorous, their back at him and drop him off at the only place he dreaded to ever see – the cliff.  

The cliff that had helped the middle Archeron into her wet grave, but it could not be seen. All that he saw was a cloud of white fog, that only left some grass open to see – there was no edge, no end of the rock. It just seemed endless and full of freedom as it vanished into the white cloak.  

Though wind was howling, ripping fiercely at Azriel’s wings again, it did not drown out the beckoning call of the edge, but perhaps it was his shadows that had lured him in into stepping through the wet dust.  

Salty gusts of wind filling his nose thrills as he moved closer and closer to the edge – darkness, fog, salt and wind around him – while his booted feet moved with heavy steps on the wet grass.  

Though what left him baffled were the two figures sitting at the edge.  

Silence, as thick as the layer of shadows around them, cloaking their mourning forms while they tried to hide away under a violet and a pink blanket. It suddenly felt wrong to be here – to invade the twins' privacy like that- and he wanted to turn around and go.  

Wanted to let them mourn in silence, together, over their lost friend.  

No word came from their lips, yet they still beckoned him closer. Silently opening up the two blankets between them as they made space for their mourning master.  

It were no words that made them bind tighter in the wind and night, no, it was their shadows – that separated them from the world around them- who silently caressed the frayed edges of three broken hearts and forged them tighter together.  

No longer master and his students sitting, crying, on the edge, but a family of shadows that had just lost their light.

*******

“Elain! Thank the Mother, you are awake!” Elain could only groan in pain as she propped herself up on her elbows, Fersia’s loud voice echoing through the small hut and her pounding head.  

Soft golden hues illuminated the small space, while dancing to the soft gusts of wind that came in breezing through the window, as Elain rested a hand on her throbbing temple “What happened? And, where am I?”

“No need to worry, Goldenrod, you passed out – probably due to nervousness, Mother can be a bit too intimidating for some...”

But Elain only shook her head slightly, regretting it immediately as a pain, as heavy as the hit of a hammer, hammered down on her temple, remembering with awfully sharp senses the blood, the searing pain on her skin, the screeching voices, the darkness. It all came rushing back to her, making breathing once again a hard thing as Fersia rambled on about the effect of her Mother.  

“You did not notice?” was all she could say to interrupt the female Illyrian, that sat beside her bed. “What shall I have not noticed?” “The blood...” Elain could only breath the word as she saw the puddle again, singing at her in this screeching voice over and over again:

Drink up their blood – it's yours! Drink up their blood – it's yours!

A shiver wrecked through her body as she remembered it more and more. Panick and guilt trying to trap her once again, while she sat there on the large bed, that took most of the space from the chamber up. But this time Fersia was there – embracing her and caressing her back in soothing circles as soon as the shiver threatened to take over the seer's entire petite body.  

“It’s fine Goldenrod. You are safe, you are in my home, nothing will happen to you here – here is no blood.”

She wanted to believe her, wanted to trust the words of her friend, while her nose breathed in the calming scent of freshly fallen rain – it made her remember the forest, the greenery, the calming walks she had done outside of Velaris. This was pure salvation, she thought as she rested and calmed herself down in Fersia’s strong arms, though her traitorous heart could not help but to wish to smell cedar and night chilled mist. It was obvious to her that the seer would miss the shadowsinger, but still she decided to go.

Far away into the woods of an unknown land, for her, this fierce and strong female – that held her so carefully, tried to calm her so badly – being the reason of her entire stay. Being the reason for her bravery to go, but her cowardice how she left her family behind.  

It was too late now anyway, was all Elain could try to convince herself as she closed her eyes. Resting, for only a little amount of time, against the smooth leather plates on her shoulder.  

“Fersia?” “Yes?” “Can I go for a walk?”

Her friend’s green eyes bore worriedly into her brown ones for a moment, before she gestured to Elain’s belt; “You know how to use this dagger?” The seer nodded, hoping that she would not be in the need of using the tool of bloodshed, that was bound to her belt and covered under the layer of heavy fabric, before she passed out.  

Fersia only nodded in return, helping her to get up on wobbly feet and led her to the door. Letting her walk away on soft steps as the loud words of Fersia echoed, even deep in the forest, in her ears over and over.  

“Be careful and don’t move that far away from here – I told you it’s dangerous at night.”  

Elain could only remember these words as she stumbled over sticks and stones, in the hue of soft silver moonlight, a nervous hand always resting around the delicate hilt of her dagger – Fate seeker. She decided would be the name of the blade. It might not become a legendary dagger, but it would help her to seek the right path on her fate and would be by her side.

This dagger, the cloak and the memories, were after all the only things of her old life she dared to take with her into these new lands.  

These dangerous new lands she realized as howling, cooing of an owl and rustles, echoed through the night.  

The snapping of a stick to her right, close to her, but not too close as that she could have stepped onto it, making her draw Fate seeker. Pointing the delicate tip of the dagger at the rustling bush.

_____________previous chapter | next chapter__________________________ 

So, I am not entirely happy with the end, but I hope you can spare me for that😅, anyway I hope you liked it.

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A Fun Surprise

30 Days Connverse Challenge

Day 16 ~ Trying Something New

BTW The emotions are all over the place so my apologies for that. That's what I get for accidentally writing a serious brief moment. :p Lolz.

Ever since they were kids Steven always loved going to Funland.... when he wasn't banned of course. Connie had been there with him a few times. One of which was late at night to help her dad catch a criminal but that didn't count per say. However since they were enjoying time before Steven's trip away from Beach City, they decided to visit the old amusement park one last time.

Now the gems of Little Homeschool had been helping out at the park. Making this time during the year a busy season. Business picked up much easier since Mr. Smiley had all that extra help. In fact they added a few new attractions. One of which was a new painting area for everyone to enjoy. Today was actually when Vidalia was volunteering as a resident artist to overlook the place. Along with her gem pupils from the school to help out for extra credit.

One of the activities was almost exactly to balloons and darts. Except the stretchy rubber was filled up with paint. A different color for each one of the many. All attached to a large white canvas. If you pop all of them, your prize is what you painted plus two free passes for life. While they didn't need it technically, the thought of keeping it with the promise of coming back to visit held more weight. Especially since neither of them knew if he ever would.

"Steven come on! We promised we check it out!" Connie said with excitement in her voice, pulling her boyfriends arm, dragging him along. Of course he wanted to have fun. Of course he wanted to spent almost every second with her doing many things together. But it was the thought of him might not coming back. Not intentionally, however things like that do happen. With a sigh he smiled and matched up with her pace, not wanting her to worry about it. Entering into the large circus like tent and finding her booth amongst all other art projects.

"Well, well, well if it ain't Steven Universe and is that Connie Maheswaren I see?" Vidalia asked with a more cheery tone. He looked between them with a confused raised brow.

"I didn't realize you knew each other."

"Well we kind of do." She laughed trying not to lean back to much in the old chair she sat upon.

"My mom was her doctor."

"Is my doctor hon. Dr. Maheswaren eased any worries I had when I had my little boy. Asking questions and telling me stories about her family to keep me calm." She chuckled and sighed. "I was a nervous wreck. Not only was my labor more painful that average, but I could've lost the chance of raising my sweet baby. Worrying about not make it through the delivery at all. But your mother kept me calm and reassured me it would all be okay. Heck she was there through it all."

Steven winced inwardly at the memory he tried so hard to forget and repressed. When he saw Onion's video of being born. Vaguely he saw a nurse that looked exactly like Connie's mom. It didn't surprise them that it was actually herself though. Out of the corner of his eye he turned to find his sweet Connie gripping her arm tightly.

"I-I never realized my mom did so much." Tears brimmed Connie's eyes as she swallowed back the cries she felt emerging.

"She sure is something! Even during my recovery she made sure he was healthy and that I was the first to hold him before any of my family. We conversed about how she was always looking forward to coming home and spending more time with her little girl. She was always so proud of how strong, brave and kind you were. Now that's a mother full of love." Grabbing the darts and handing it too the couple with a smile and a wink. "Now since it's your last hurrah here, you can get endless tries.  I have plenty of darts on hand."

After they thanked her, both began the game. Connie was a bit more quiet than usual. In fact neither of them spoke a word since that story. Lifting up her hand to throw, with hesitation she dropped the dart leaving her hand dangling. Steven placed a hand on her shoulder with a concerned expression.

"Strawberry?"

"I messed things up with my mom...."

"What do you mean? You made up with her for a few years now."

"But I had thirteen years of almost hating my own mom!" She bursted out, turning to face him and brushing off his hand. "I took for granted what I had! If I had just talked to her sooner....." Wiping away her tears, he hugged her for a moment before pulling back a tad. "I'm so sorry... I sound so much like a brat right now."

"Connie you have every right to feel this way. I know there is no erasing the past. But what's important is the here and now." She nodded and placed her hands on his shoulders as well. Breathing in to calm down with a smirk of her own.

"You're right. Thank you... and speaking of the here and now, you." She pointed an accusation finger in front of his face. "You live in the here and now with me. Don't think I didn't notice you dozing off in thought before."

"Is that an order?" He teased playfully. Though the attempt was a bit weak.

"Steven I know you're worried about not coming back here. But that's in the future. You and I both know that it's uncertain."

"Even Garnet can't see all improbabilities." That made them both giggle as they hugged each other once more.

"Yeah yeah future vision and all blah blah blah.... But Steven, I'm right here. As far as I'm concerned, I always will be. So like you said, let's live in the here and now."

"Why do people want to give me my own advice?"

"Can't help that it's good advice, Mr. Do-As-I-Say-Not-As-I-Do." She teased as he groaned rolling his eyes.

"No more Biscuit?"

"Uh always Biscuit. Now let's pop 'em balloons!"

They laughed pulling apart throwing darts together. Knowing they will always have each other. At one point Steven stood directly behind her. Arm sliding over hers as theirs hands overlapped each other. Guiding her as she threw the dart and popped the balloon. The final one. Standing back they gasped as they saw what the picture was.

A perfect replica of biscuit with jam on top made out of paint splatter.

A reminder of what they shared together as they headed towards the new adventures of the future. Together for the rest of there lives. Looking back with laughter they smiled, leaning in closer and sealed there unspoken promise with a kiss.