#pale yellow energy colour

[fierykitten2]

I got some cool new socks today. There are five pairs - a purple pair, a white pair, a pink pair, an orange pair and a blue pair. The pink, orange and blue pairs remind me of the Neo Swords

[stargirlygirl]

downpour

bakugou katsuki x fem!reader ⋆｡°✩ — medieval fantasy!au, size difference kink, age gap (he's mid-thirties, she's late teens early twenties), nsfw, smut, p in v, oral sex fem!receiving, dubcon? (she's known him since she was a kid), unprotected sex (don't be like them!), 4.8k words

a/n: despite what i've said here, he's not the best thing that's ever happened to you ladies

You groan, hearing the thunder roar from the pouring heavens above. The cold rain soaks into your most modest dress, making the embroidered pale yellow fabric cling to your skin. Your hair sticks to your forehead, wild like a bird’s nest. But wet. Your bones ache with the chilly dampness, and your toes squelch in your boots.

As lightning blankets the sky, you ask yourself why tonight had to be like this — the night before you’re supposed to get married. You look behind you with wide eyes, positive that you’ve lost the guards chasing you. Their princess.

You slow to a walk and tighten your grip on the heavy fabric of your dress, hiking it up to your ankles (wench). You’re breathing erratically from running and from your fear of being caught. You already miss the warmth of the castle and the comfortable life you led with your parents and siblings.

“Get it together, y/n,” you whisper. The thunder screeches over your pathetic attempt at self-motivation. With a huff, you look up from your mud-covered boots and gaze at your surroundings. You’ve been wandering through this forest for a long time now. You’re cold, wet, and tired. You need a rest. You whine, seeing the pitch-black forest all around you. At least no animals would try to attack you, right?

You trudge on for a little longer, grumbling to yourself about how maybe you should have just sucked it up and stayed in the castle. But when you think of your betrothed, you remind yourself that this is a good decision. For the first time in your life, you’re choosing your future happiness and freedom. And that’s exciting. It would be even more exciting if you weren’t shivering and sniffling and stumbling every ten feet.

There’s one thing you need right now — well, not just one, but the main one — shelter. You need somewhere to rest for the night. You gaze up, analysing the dense trees and shrubbery. In the distance, you can see the faintest light. With renewed energy, you set off in that direction. As you draw nearer, the light becomes brighter. It’s warm, golden-orange like egg yolks. Like fire.

Feeling both hungry and invigorated, you walk faster. Ducking beneath a tree branch, you see that the light is emanating from a cabin. It’s more like a shack, really, with how small it is. But it looks sturdy, safe, and, most importantly, dry inside.

You run the last few steps to the cabin, panting as you reach the door. You knock on the door loudly, hoping that whoever is inside will show you mercy. No response. You knock again, louder. Still, no response. Growing impatient, you turn the door knob and press your body against it to push it open.

As you stumble inside, you call out, “Hello. Hello! Sorry for intruding, um—” It’s empty. You slam the door shut and rest against it as you gaze around the cabin. A fire burns in the fireplace. The scolding tongues lick the base of a heavy pot hanging above it, casting shadows on the walls and across the furniture. You rush over to it with your hands out, eager to feel the fire’s heat. You sigh as it tickles your skin.

You close your eyes, allowing the warmth to seep into your soul. Your dress soon becomes hot yet damp, a most uncomfortable combination. You kick off your boots and place them by the door before reaching for the back of your dress. You pull at the lacings, loosening them and shimmying your dress down to your ankles. You bend down and grab it, grimacing at the mud splattered on the hem and the deep golden colour of the gown from how wet it is. Draping it over the arm of a nearby chair, you hear the door rattle.

You stand there, paralysed by fear, as the door swings open, revealing a huge, shadowy figure. You scream as the lightning cracks and the figure stalks in. Your hands cover your mouth as you stare at the brute of a man in front of you. The cloak he’s draped in doesn’t conceal his muscular frame, and he carries a pile of wood on his back. Sharp red eyes glare at you, and his full lips are twisted into a scowl.

He growls, “WHAT’RE YOU DOIN’ HERE?!” Your mouth is dry as he comes over to you. His shadow casts your frame in darkness as he drops the wood on the ground. You flinch at the thud, stepping back slightly. Your heart thumps in your chest so hard and loud you feel like it’s about to burst.

You stutter, avoiding his harsh gaze, “I-I’m sorry I-I had nowhere else t-to go. I-I saw your cabin, and I—”

“Made yourself at home, huh?” He grunts. You nod frantically as you watch him untie the heap of wood and throw a few into the fire lazily. The flames crack and pop at the new addition, dimming and then brightening.

“Get out of my cabin!” He grumbles, staring daggers into you. Suddenly, you feel so bare beneath his gaze. You realise that you’re only wearing your undergarments. No proper way for a princess to dress, especially around a man who wasn’t her husband. But you don’t care as you invade his personal space and cling to his arm.

You plead for him to let you stay the night, but he pushes you off and yells at you to leave. Shaking your head, you drop to your knees. You stare up at him with big eyes and quivering lips as you beg, “Please! Please! Don’t make me go back out there, please! I’ll do anything! I’ll be good. I promise. I won’t get in your way. You won’t even know that I’m here. Just let me stay the night! Please!”

He gazes down at you with raised brows and a slackened jaw, unsure of what to make of your sudden outburst. He gulps and looks away from you. Tch. You sniffle as he walks over to the door, expecting him to throw it wide open and force you out.

Instead, he shrugs off his cloak and hangs it on a hook next to the door. Holy moly— Your eyes rake over his toned back. The shadows illuminate his juicy muscles, and you can feel the saliva pooling in your mouth as he turns around.

He grunts, “Only for tonight.” You nod enthusiastically as you try to tear your eyes away from his godly frame. Even the scars marring his skin look heavenly. You wanna take a bite of those biceps with the way they flex and—

“STOP LOOKING AT ME, WOMAN!” He yells. You hum and avert your eyes, getting off the floor. As a princess, you’ve never had to beg anyone for anything before. And you hope that you don’t have to ever again. You shift to standing in front of the fireplace, sighing as the heat sinks into your pores.

He grumbles, “Could you move?” You gaze up at him, confused, as he looms beside you. Nodding, you shift to the side. You hope he thinks the redness of your face is from the fire and not your embarrassment. He takes this opportunity to stir the stew, filling the pot. You watch with curious eyes as he slurps from the spoon.

He orders you to sit down, and you do as you’re told, planting yourself down on the same chair your dress is drying on. You’re delighted to watch his delicious muscles at work as he takes the pot off the fire and dishes out the stew for you to eat.

He hands you a bowl and spoon, which you take, thanking him. He sits on the chair beside you and starts downing his soup at an alarming rate. You stir the hearty goodness, identifying some veggies and meat of some sort. You slurp a mouthful and moan in delight.

The spiky blond stares at you, his cheeks full of stew. You can hear the blood rushing in your veins, somehow flowing more to your face as you gaze at your bowl.

You mutter, “It’s really good.”

“It’s just stew,” he grunts. You hum as you resume eating your dinner in silence. Once he’s finished, he starts cleaning up the dishes. Your cheeks are aflame as your eyes roam his body, content to gaze at him doing domestic chores.

With a deep breath in, you ask, “So, what’s your name?

He grumbles, “What’s it to you?” You shrug, blowing on a spoonful of stew.

His back is to you, washing his bowl as you say, “Can’t I know the name of the man who’s letting me stay in his cabin on such a dreary night?” He’s quiet for the next few minutes, so you assume that he’s not going to tell you.

As he wipes the cooking pot dry, he mutters, “Katsuki.” You hum, your mouth full of stew. That name… There was something familiar about it. Shaking your head, you push the feeling aside. That’s ridiculous, you think. Of course, you don’t know him, right? How could you forget someone so… handsome rough?

You swallow before chirping, “It’s nice to meet you, Katsuki. I’m y/n.” His eyes flicker to you before darting back to the pot. When you’re finished, he stalks over to you and grabs your empty bowls. He avoids your gaze, seeing something he hasn’t seen in a long time.

He’s about to step away from you when he grabs the neckline of your dress. You gaze at him with a crease in your brow until it clicks. You snatch the damp gown from him, but it’s too late. He stares at you with wide eyes as he asks, “Why do you bear the royal crest?” You shake your head.

“It’s nothing, really.”

He grunts, “Don’t lie to me.” He grabs your dress and yanks it out of your hands, dragging you to the edge of the plush chair.

He spits out each word harshly, saying, “Why do you bear the royal crest? Are you from the castle?” You’re screaming at yourself internally to lie despite how awful you are at it.

You ramble, “It’s not what you think it is! I’m-I’m a maid. A maid for the royal family!”

He scoffs, “A maid? Only the royal family is permitted to wear the royal crest.” He discards the dress and bowl on the floor and steps the slightest bit closer, positioning himself between your legs. He palms the armrests as he leans over your quivering frame, glaring at you.

“So, cough it up, woman. You’re either a dirty thief or a runaway royal. So, which is it?” You gulp as you avert your eyes from literally anything other than his perfect body hovering so close to yours.

He grunts, “Said your name was y/n?” His large hand falls to your knee and pushes up the sheer fabric coating your thighs.

“What’re you doing?” You exclaim with wide eyes. He clicks his tongue at you as his rough fingers run across your soft skin. His thumb traces your birthmark from memory. The look in his eyes is soft, reminiscent as he captures yours.

He smirks, “S’been a long time, your highness.” You gulp. What?

He chuckles, “I don’t expect cha to remember me. You were a tiny thing back then.” You blink at him in confusion. Those red eyes, that lopsided grin, and deep voice. A sense of deja vu.

“Sir Bakugou!” You blurt out, staring up at him in disbelief. He eases off, removing his warm palm from your thigh. He nods as he rises to his full height, towering over you. You stand up as he steps back, cautious but excited.

“I can’t believe it’s you! I could barely recognise you with all this,” you say, pointing to his scars and buff physique. “The last time I saw you, I was what… ten?” He hums lowly, his eyes trailing over your matured figure.

He grins, “You’re all grown up now, eh?” You giggle and slap his bare chest playfully, earning you a scowl.

“What was that for?!” He says, his chest rumbling. You laugh, unable to hold yourself back. It’s been so long since you’ve seen each other. So long since you could just be yourself around someone else.

Calming down, you breathe out, “It hasn’t been the same since you left.” He hums and picks up your empty bowl, walking over to the kitchen area.

You follow him, saying, “Everything’s gone downhill since then. Father is always stressing over the constant conflicts between lords, and Mother won’t speak to him most days. And he keeps marrying off my sisters to foreign princes, trying to establish political ties. But how can you try to ally yourself with other countries when yours is falling apart?”

Katsuki grumbles, “S’that why you ran away?” You hum, watching him rinse the suds off the bowl and then dry it off.

You mumble, “I can’t marry someone I don’t even know, Sir—”

“You don’t have to call me that anymore, yea?” He grunts. You’re stunned for a moment before humming in agreement.

He continues, “N’ I’m not just talkin’ about getting married off. Looks like yer finally using that brain of yours.” You scowl at him, earning you a hearty bellow. He puts the bowl away and guides you to one of the two rooms at the back of the cabin. He opens the door and ushers you inside.

In the corner sits a large barrel bathtub, and there’s a stone sink jutting out from the wall. You gulp as you turn around to face the blond.

He mutters, “Water’s already hot. I’ll get you something to put on after, alright?” You nod and hum.

As he turns to leave, you reach out and grab his forearm. You don’t know what compelled you to do something so inappropriate, but you can’t help yourself as you gaze at him.

You say quietly, “I missed you, Katsuki. I miss my favourite guard protecting me and taking care of me. It’s… I wish you didn’t leave.” Your gaze falls from his eyes to his arm and finally rests on your hands wrapped around him. He can’t take his eyes off of your pouty lips.

He grumbles, “I had to leave—”

“But why?” You cry out. “I thought you liked being my guard—”

“’Course I liked being your guard, doll. S’not about that,” he sighs.

“Then—”

He grunts, tugging his arm from your grasp, “I don’t wanna talk about it. Just bathe, for fuck’s sake, will ya?” He stalks out of the room, leaving you all alone. You obey, stripping out of your undergarments and soaking in the water. True to his word, it’s hot. The perfect temperature, actually. The heat penetrates your clammy skin, warming up your bones and muscles.

You sigh, relaxing in the bath. Moments of the past fill your mind. Your days were spent learning how to fence, running around and playing in the gardens, and having picnics by the nearest river. All with your head guard, Sir Bakugou.

You chuckle softly as you remember the day you told Katsuki about your birthmark. You had just learnt what it was from your mother and skipped off to show your favourite knight. You remember how warmly he laughed at you and patted your head when you showed it to him. And how you pestered him about any birthmarks he had.

Feeling too hot, you rise and climb out of the barrel. You wrap a thin linen towel around yourself and dry off. When you’re done, you open the door and peek your head out. Katsuki notices you immediately and comes over to you, thrusting one of his long shirts in your hand. You thank him as you take it from him and shut the door.

After you get changed, you walk out of the bathroom into the main area where bedding has been laid out. Your eyes rove over the glistening waves of a fur blanket; your heart rate picks up. You gasp as callous palms cup your shoulders and gently squeeze them. You gaze back at the man behind you.

He mutters, “You take the bed. I’ll sleep out ‘ere tonight.” You shake your head.

“No, it’s okay. I can—”

“M’not letting my princess sleep on the floor,” he grunts.

You start, “But—”

“Quit being such a brat. Do as yer told n’ go to bed,” he growls. Against your better judgment, you shake your head again. He groans as you turn around. Your bodies are close. Too close for comfort. It’s like lightning strikes between you two with the way your chests ghost each other.

You gulp, your heartbeat growing to be as loud as the thunderstorm overhead. You utter his name, earning a gruff “What?” in response.

“Can I… do something a bit improper?” You ask tentatively. He chuckles lowly, red eyes drifting to the bed before looking back at you.

He smirks, “When do you not?” You hold your tongue, hesitant to ruin the tension between you two. You shuffle that much closer to him, your hands flat against his pecs. He shivers at the feeling of your delicate skin on his.

Katsuki grunts, “You done yet?” You shake your head before tilting your chin up. You gaze at him with big eyes, puffing at your lips ever so slightly. Your hands trail down his abs before roaming up his chest and to the back of his neck.

He groans, “The fuck you want, doll?” You draw the side of your lip between your teeth as you pull him down to you.

You’re on your tiptoes, your lips brushing his ear lobe as you whisper, “You.” His hands are on you in an instant, pulling you into his solid torso. He grabs your chin, forcing you to gaze into his eyes before he kisses you.

You moan into his mouth, thrilled that this is finally happening. That your fantasy is becoming a reality. You tug at his locks as he kisses you roughly, teeth-gnashing and tongues swirling. He groans as he explores every corner of your mouth, his hands roughly grabbing your hips.

He pulls back, both of you panting hard. You grin as you catch your breath, staring at him awestruck.

You whisper, “I can’t believe this is happening.” He rolls his eyes at you.

“Don’t fucking start,” he huffs. He’s kissing you again, much more sweetly this time. His grip on you loosens as he strokes up and down your back, feeling every curve and dip beneath the fabric separating your bodies.

You sigh into his lips, enjoying this change in pace. This time, he sucks on your bottom lip, making you gasp before he nips at it. He gently walks you back until you’re stepping on the makeshift bed, the fur luxuriously soft between your toes. You mumble his name, encouraging a groan from him.

Your bodies part for a moment as you both sit on the fur blanket. One of his hands wraps around your knee while the other grasps your cheek. He pulls you into him and lays you down. Your hands grip his shoulders as he kisses down your jaw and neck. You squeeze the muscle there as he gently bites your soft flesh, gasps falling from your lips.

You whimper, “Kat-suki. I’ve been in love with you since—”

“Shut up,” he grunts into your skin, nipping at your flesh harder. You moan, and he pulls back.

He shifts up, his lips brushing yours as he grumbles, “I don’t wanna hear it. Want you to show me, princess. Think you can do that, f’me?” You whine, nodding furiously.

He chuckles, “Good.” He returns to kissing your neck. You moan loudly as he nips at your collarbones and shoulder. Your hands tangle in his spiky locks, massaging and tugging and then massaging again.

You whine as he sits back and peels his shirt off you, leaving you bare beneath him. He groans at the sight of you, his hands wrapped around your wrists and pulling them down to your sides before you can even attempt to cover yourself up.

“Suki!” You gasp as he grabs both of your breasts, one in each hand, and squeezes them. He smirks all cocky as his eyes drink you in. He lowers himself back down, tongue licking the fat of your tit. You bite your lip as he pinches your nipples, rolling them between his fingers deliciously.

Letting go of one, he replaces his fingers with his mouth and sucks on it. You moan, pulling at his roots. Once satisfied, he moves onto your other breast, licking and sucking on it until you’re whimpering and whining his name mindlessly.

Smirking, he kisses your ribcage, your tummy, hips, and stretch marks. He then grabs your wrists one at a time and kisses them before working up your arms with his lips. Even your ankles, calves, and thighs receive his tender affection.

By the time his head dips between your thighs, you feel utterly worshipped from head to toe. You moan his name as his tongue rolls over your clit, your back arching delightfully as he sucks it. His tongue works wonders between your folds, making you feel like no man ever has.

You cry out as his fingers brush your clit and gently rub circles over it while his tongue laps inside of you. With slick-coated fingers, he eases one into your hole, making you gasp and call out his name.

He returns to sucking on your clit; his mouth is so fucking hot, like the heat of the flames prickling your skin, as he fingers you slowly. He curls his finger when he’s deep inside, making you moan even louder.

His other hand grabs yours and intertwines your fingers. He gives you a gentle squeeze, his eyes watching your every gasp and whimper. Your head falls back as he curls a second finger inside of you, hitting that perfect spot.

You moan, “K-Kat-suki. Please, baby. Please.” He hums against your cunt, the vibrations making you buck your hips against his skilful tongue. He pulls off your sopping pussy, keen to hear more.

He groans, voice hoarse from how well he was just eating you out, “What is it, princess?” You mewl as his fingers press into your gummy walls.

You pant, “Need you, Suki. In me-please fuck!” He slowly pulls his fingers out of you, admiring your syrup dripping down his wrist in the firelight.

He chuckles, “Fuck, you really do need me, huh?” You nod enthusiastically.

“Please, baby,” you whine. He shushes you and shifts to pull off his shorts and underwear. You push yourself up on your elbows; legs spread wide lewdly as you watch his huge cock spring free. Just the sight of it, you moan as even more slick gushes from your pussy.

He comes back to you, large hands pushing you back down and grabbing the back of your thighs. He grumbles at you to wait while he grabs a pillow and places it beneath your hips. He then brings your calves over his lower back, his cock running through your folds. Your back arches as his tip slides over your clit, making you moan.

He coats himself in your arousal, his pre-cum mixing with it before he finally slides in. He goes slow, letting you stretch to accommodate his girth. Your arms tighten around his neck as you pull him down to you, your head resting in the crook of his neck. You whine as he pushes in further.

“Fuck, baby,” you whimper into his skin.

He gently kisses your forehead, whispering into your hairline, “S’okay, baby girl. You can take it.” You cry out as his balls press against your ass, his cock so fucking deep inside of you.

You murmur, “You’re so big. Just give me a minute, kay?” He hums into your forehead, sweetly kissing it and working down to your lips. You sigh into his kiss, your noses brushing as he pulls back. His eyes find yours, mesmerised by the warm glow of your skin from the fireplace, that rosy flush.

He mutters, “You ready now?” You hum, nodding. He pecks the tip of your nose before drawing himself out and rocking back into you slowly. You both moan at the feeling, the stretch of your hole wrapping around him. Your eyes gaze at the point where he’s lost inside of you. You look back up, finding him already staring at you.

He fucks you so tenderly you’re uncertain if that term can be used to describe what’s happening right now. The sounds of your sex rival that of the downpour outside. You squeeze his hand as he hits that pleasurable spot, your eyes rolling back from how good it feels.

He lets go of your hand to tilt your head back to him, needing to see that open-mouthed, lust-hazed look on your face. You sigh in pleasure as the light and shadows dance across your bodies, painting your love-making on the cabin walls. You whimper his name pathetically.

He presses a soft kiss to your lips, groaning, “I know, princess.” He draws out of you completely, earning a whine from you. He tuts at you and manoeuvres your bodies so that you’re sitting on his lap.

You lean down and kiss him, wrapping your arms around his shoulders. You moan into the kiss, stretching up as he aligns himself with your entrance. You slowly lower down onto him, whimpering into his lips while he groans.

You bounce up and down at him at a leisurely pace, taking your time to feel every inch of his length. You sigh as his cock twitches, pre-cum spilling into you. Katsuki cups your cheek in one hand while the other tightens around your waist.

He grunts, “Doin’ so good f’me, baby.” You moan, fists clenching as more pre-cum leaks into you.

“I’m so glad-I found you, Suki,” you mewl. He groans lowly against your jaw, leaving tender kisses there. You drop your hips a little harder, a little faster than before.

“Fuck,” he growls in your ear. Your tits bounce as you do, the most beautiful sight your knight has ever seen. He grabs a handful of one of your breasts and sucks on your nipple before moving both hands to your hips and helping you ride him.

“I-I m-missed you,” you whimper. Your back arches as you feel those tingles gathering in your cunt, your orgasm building every single time your clit slaps his scarred skin as you bounce on his cock.

You cry out, “Katsuki! Fuck, Katsuki! Baby, I’m gonna cum-fuck!” He pulls off your nipple and pulls you into a passionate kiss. You mewl into his lips loudly, squirming in his hold as you feel the knot in your stomach tighten.

Pulling away, you scream out as you orgasm. Your back arches so deeply you know you’re gonna feel it in the morning, but you don’t care. The pleasure shuddering through your body is unlike any other. And it’s only heightened as your love groans loudly, his hot seed shooting into you. It coats your walls thickly, forming a ring around your hole from him fucking his cream into you.

You’re panting hard as you sink down on his cock. Your forehead presses against his as you both catch your breath, trying to process what the fuck just happened.

After a few minutes, you chuckle lazily before kissing Katsuki sloppily. His saliva dribbles down your chin when you part, red eyes full of so many emotions (surely mirroring your own). You call his name softly, but he shakes his head and presses another soft kiss to your lips.

He lays you two down and holds you close, pulling the warm blankets up to your chin. You sigh into his side, so happy you could purr from just being with him. From experiencing such intimacy with the man, you’ve been yearning for for a long time.

You murmur, “Suki, I love you. Please, don’t leave me.” Your hold on his torso tightens, and you nuzzle the side of his pec with your nose. He laughs lightly, the sound reverberating warmly in his chest.

“M’not going anywhere, alright? N’ neither are you. You’re all mine now,” he mutters. You hum into him, soaking up his heat and affection and the knowledge that you’re all his.

He chuckles lowly, “Let’s take five, yea?” You nod, peppering his skin with sweet kisses. You close your eyes; no other words or actions are necessary at this moment. You ease your body into him, shifting slightly and getting comfortable.

Running out into a storm was not your best decision, but the man it led you to is.

[avayarising]

DPxDC prompt: Here is the News

“You’re watching CDTV Now, and I’m Ace Atchinson with a special feature. Last week, the nation was shocked when a team of junior heroes affiliated with the Justice League apparently vandalised one of America’s most beloved national monuments.”

A short, jerky video plays, showing an explosion on a large stone face – one of four carved out of the side of a mountain. The smoke clears to reveal a large hole where the nose used to be. Several figures fly out of the stone and are caught by some sort of flying vehicle. It swoops across the mountain and away.

“With me live in the studio this afternoon are some of the members of Young Justice, here to tell us their side of the story. Superboy, Wonder Girl, Impulse – did you destroy Mount Rushmore?”

“Yeah, we did,” says the boy with black curly hair and a leather jacket over his brightly coloured hero suit. A bar appears across the bottom of the screen. Superboy, it says. Member of Young Justice. “On purpose, too.”

The girl, with stiff black hair and large square glasses, scowls in his direction. “We weren’t trying to destroy it,” she says as the camera closes in on her. The bar across the bottom of the screen now reads Wonder Girl and Member of Young Justice. “We were rescuing our friend.”

“She’s a ghost you see and the apes captured her and held her in this secret base –” The brown-haired boy in goggles stops when he is nudged by the girl beside him. The bar flickers for a moment to say Impulse before returning to Wonder Girl.

“OK, so, we need to go back, like, five steps here. There was a secret government base inside Mount Rushmore where they were conducting inhumane experiments on ghosts.”

The host laughs in a strained, nervous way. “Ghosts?” he asks.

They nod. “I’d like to introduce you to another member of our team,” says Wonder Girl. A mist forms behind her as she speaks, and swiftly coalesces into the form of a pale, slight girl, hovering behind the sofa. “Um,” she says nervously. “My name is – I mean, I go by – Secret, and… I’m a ghost.”

-––––

“Danny! Turn on CDTV now!”

“What? Why?”

“Just do it!”

–––––

“–torture and imprisonment, and she hadn’t even done anything! They’re just prejudiced against ghosts because they think they’re dangerous!”

“She is dangerous,’ says the black-haired boy proudly. The label Superboy appears on the screen again, in case anyone had forgotten. “She can shape-shift and go through walls and even possess people –”

“K– Superboy!” hisses Wonder Girl. “Not helping!”

“I’m right here,” says the ghost girl. The people who do the labels have obviously been hard at work, because she now has one too, saying Secret and Alleged ghost. “And I can do those things, but that doesn’t mean I want to hurt people or –”

There’s yelling from off camera, and a crash. A bolt of blue-white energy flies past the camera and the image whites out. There’s a scream, and a burst of static. The image returns, fuzzy and striated. Another bolt of energy. A large man wearing white rushes into view. Someone in green boots and a yellow and black cape lands on his head and knocks him down. A bang, and the image turns sideways as the camera crashes to the floor. The sound cuts out. There’s smoke, and running feet, and suddenly the side of the studio sofa, before another flash of blue-white light and the screen goes dead.

Nothing happens for almost a minute, and then the TV starts playing a rerun of the highlights of last week’s sports game.

––––––––

“Well, shit,” says Danny.

Superboy here is not in fact Kon but Match pretending to be Kon and trying to sabotage the team. Robin was hiding in the ceiling behind a lighting rig because Batman is going through one of his ‘we are cryptids’ phases and wouldn’t allow him to appear on screen. Anita hasn’t joined the team yet, which is good because her dad is one of the agents and it would have been awkward.

[leeny-leens]

Scents and Warmth

Pairing: Theodore Nott x fem!Reader

Summary: There was nothing that could melt his heart quite the way her scent and warmth did, especially after a long day.

Content: fluff, glasses wearing reader, history nerd reader, established relationship

Warnings: tiny mentions of a negative self image from Theo, nothing too strong

WC: 2.63k

A/N: originally wrote this for myself but I decided to change it up and post it, lmk your thoughts 🫶✨

Theodore's eyes scanned the room, irritation gnawing at the edges of his mind. He had a feeling she was here, yet save for a few first years spread across the common room, his beloved was nowhere to be seen. Just as he was about to give up and make his way to her room to look for her, he spied the colour of her hair at the corner of his vision, prompting him to turn around.

He stepped closer, rounding a corner hidden behind bookshelves and there she was; tucked away behind the recluse of the shelves, seated by a table near the glass wall.

He stopped in his tracks, his eyes taking in the appearance of his girlfriend who was evidently, deep in thought. She had that ghastly, pale yellow zip up on, the one he swore he'd throw away one of those days because it was just that ugly, a few splotches already present on the fabric. He wouldn't be caught dead admitting that, but he actually loved that sweater on her; it was just loose enough to pool beautifully around her upper hips and the colour brought a pretty contrast to her hair that had her looking like a mesmerising painting. And god that hair, that he adored so much was all shiny and put up, a few strands loosely escaping the metal claw clip. By the looks of her hair, she'd probably taken a shower today, and Theo stepped closer once more to observe her with furrowed eyebrows. It was a Monday, and she rarely ever took showers on Mondays. Something about her routine and how she needed to shower on Sunday night so she could feel clean for a new week. It didn't make sense to him, partly because he showered every other day, but as long as she was happy, he really didn't care. His mind returned to Saturday night, where she'd detailed how busy her Sunday would be, filled with homework, revisions and a much needed deep clean of her dorm room. Theodore concluded that his idiot had overexerted herself, leaving her with no energy to shower at the end of the day and thus she'd probably woken up two hours earlier than needed to do that this morning.

He was close enough to see her expression now; eyebrows furrowed slightly and her jaw tense as her quill scratched rhythmically against parchment. There were various books splayed open around her and occasionally, the scratching stopped in favour of turning pages in one of the books and low murmurs as she spoke to herself. Her glasses sat askew atop her nose bridge, a soft smile tugged at Theo's mouth when he realized she was so focused she didn't even bother fixing them after they'd slid down her nose.

After years of friendship, and almost two years of dating the girl he loved so much, he knew better than to startle her out of her deep focus, opting to slowly step into her space instead. Standing behind her, he tapped her shoulder softly, coughing to catch her attention and leaned down into her field of vision. “Hey bella," he whispered softly, his voice smooth and low in her ear. Her focus had been broken the moment he tapped her, and she turned to look at him with a dazed expression, as if trying to remember where she was and what was going on. That expression however, quickly morphed into a bright grin, her eyes twinkled up at him with adoration and fondness that could melt even the most frigid of hearts. “Hey Theo,” she whispered back and Theo noted the slight hoarseness of her voice with amusement, an indicator that she’d been mostly silent in her endeavours.

So close to her now, her scent hit Theo’s senses hard and he found his brain quickly melting at that. He'd never thought of himself as a guy who'd succumb to something as primal as scent, yet he couldn't help it whenever she was near, especially on the days where he knew she'd taken meticulous care to smell good. Strawberry notes mingled together with floral wisps and her beloved perfume. Gods, the smell of her perfume had his head spinning in a haze. Driven by instinct, he buried his head in the crook of her neck, not caring that her hair tickled his face as he inhaled her scent. Merlin, he wanted to drown in it, never smell anything else but her and have that be what he last sensed as he took his dying breathe.

“Theo?” her voice echoed, the confusion quickly morphing into breathy gasps as he began to press light kisses into her neck. “Yes, tesoro?” his focus was on the feel of her skin against his lips, the smooth curve of her neck and the lightly trembles as he continued to ambush her with kisses and affection.

Theodore almost let out a whine when he felt her push his face away, her eyes narrowed playfully as she stared up at him. “What are you doing?”

“Loving you?” he hadn’t meant for it to sound like a question, mainly because Theodore Nott was never unsure of things. He was poised, calm and calculated, meticulous attention to details, from the way he walked down to the way the strands atop his head layed. Yet with her, in that secluded corner of the common room, her smell enveloping him after a long day, he found himself reduced into that soft and domestic version of himself only she could bring out.

He looked at her, blue seas clashed against a galaxy full of love and her face softened visibly at his expression. “Oh, my sweet boy,” her hands tugged on his arms, guiding him around to sit beside her on the plush seat, “Love me all you want darling, I'm yours to love anyway”. It was a tight fit, much to Theodore's glee, and he shamelessly took the opportunity to lift her up and manoeuvre her into his lap.

Any sounds of protest died in her throat as one of his arms wrapped around her waist and the other became entangled in her hair, gently scratching and massaging her scalp with soft yet guided movements. He once more buried his head in the crook of her neck, occasionally pressing kisses to her skin as he smiled against her. “Whatcha working on, amore?” his eyes wandered between the books, trying to make out their subject, searching for any clues in what his beloved might be up to. He hadn't seen her much today or yesterday, regrettably, and he was itching to spend some time with her, just soaking up her presence to feel alive and breathe after facing the suffocating weight of existing as himself.

It was practiced routine by now, she didn't think when her left hand tangled into his, the one around her waist, to play with his fingers as her right one picked up the quill again. “History of magic” she pointed to the book closest to her notes and Theo finally recognized it as the textbook for that ever so dreaded subject. He raised his eyebrows, an amused smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “Really? We don't even get homework in that class,” that had never stopped his overachiever of writing essays for said class, but he chose to forgo that piece of information now. “It's not an essay or homework,” she said, huffing as she pulled her notes closer for him to inspect. “I'm making notes so I can tutor our idiot friends,” after a beat of silence, Theodore found himself shaking with suppressed laughter at the absurdity of the situation. Their 'idiot' friends were mainly brilliant students, within the top of their grade and he wondered what on earth she'd be tutoring them for. Of course, History of Magic was a bit of a sore subject for everyone at Hogwarts considering Professor Binns was gods awful at teaching, but he didn't think it was dire enough for his friends to get tutored. Someone like Draco, or god forbid Mattheo, would rather die before getting any sort of tutoring.

He didn't to say any of that, voice any of his questions or thoughts because somehow she just knew it all without him saying a word. She always had known, always seen through him like it was the most natural thing. It had been that way since the day they first met, all the way back on the boats that led to Hogwarts in their first year, she'd seen through him with ease and no amount of walls or masks could deter her from seeking out the true Theodore Nott, the one she knew to be hiding underneath the charades. Once upon a time it had scared him to death, having someone see him for who he was, with all the darkness and broken, sharp edges and all that ugliness he kept under wraps. But she wasn't scared of him, she looked straight at his madness and called it her home, nestled herself into the crevices of those sharp edges and taught him to look at himself and not run away. She looked at him as if he were the sun, the moon, the stars all at the same time and held him with such tenderness as if he'd break under her touch any second. And sometimes, he did break into shambles, reduced into nothing but dust. And every single time she was there to hold him, let him break in peace before helping him gather it all up once he was ready.

She didn't let him ask, she simply answered the questions that swirled in his mind without hesitation. “Other subjects require more work at the moment,” she explained “and what kind of friend, no, what kind of history nerd would I be if I didn't help them tackle the workload?”

He hasn't forgotten of course, that his little minx was an absolute sucker for history. It didn't matter what kind, Magic or Muggle history, she would devour it all the same. He still remembered one of their first interactions, both seated together at the back of the room in History of Magic, bored to death by Binns’ lecture before she turned to him and began to explain random historical facts about the subject. He’d listened intently, taking in every word like she was a preacher reading scripture and that had pretty much determined the course of their relationship for the years to come. Theo would sit and listen to her talk for hours, no exaggeration. She had that scatterbrained way of talking about everything and nothing, about writing ideas or books she'd been into, history or psychology or art or whatever other interest had captured her attention, revisiting memories or plans for the future for hours and hours on end. And Theo would sit right there, undivided attention as he listened to every word that spilled from lips.

So of course, it made sense she wouldn't pass up an opportunity to nerd out about her interest, especially if she got to help her friends with one fell swoop. Though the likes of Draco might whine and complain, all of them knew to appreciate her offers of help and support with any and all subjects. She made something as boring as History of Magic sound like the most interesting topic ever, so who would pass up a chance to let her help with coursework?

“Wanna explain it to me then, bella?” his face was nuzzled impossibly close into her neck, almost melting into it as he let her scent surround and calm him. He wouldn't usually be caught dead with such a blatant display of vulnerable affection, yet the day has rendered him weary and in need of her safety. Plus, it wasn't like those pesky first years would come over and disturb them, much less spare a glance into their general direction. It was an unspoken rule to never bother Theodore Nott or his girl if they were sitting in some secluded corner, even outside of the common room, lest you wanted to get in trouble that you'd never see the end of.

And so, Theo allowed himself to sink into her, melt away and leave behind all of his worries, all the weight he'd carried throughout the day and listen to her voice as she rambled on and on about history and her teaching endeavours. Occasionally, he'd throw in a question or a remark about something she'd said, causing her to fall silent in contemplation or to scribble away in her notes with that brilliant smile etched across her face, the one that rivaled every light source in the universe with it's brilliance and beauty.

He could feel his muscles relax, tension seeping out of his body as both his arms come to wrap around her waist, holding her closer until they were basically melting into eachother. Her rambling came to an abrupt stop and Theo grumbled as he looked up from her neck, silently questioning why she'd stopped talking. “Wanna go nap, darling?” the question caught him off guard, yet a quick glance to his watch indicated that they had about two and a half hours before dinner, perfect for a nap in his dorm. And really, what sort of madman would he be if he declined her request to spend time with him, away from preying eyes in the comfort of his bed?

He nodded in response, nudging her gently off his lap as he began to help her pack up her things before dragging her up the stairs to his dorm. The entire way, his hand never once left the small of her back and he felt that familiar haze return as his senses became clouded with her scent. Gods, he thanked everything that had caused her to delay her usual showering plans. Holding her in his arms when she smelled that divine after a long and exhausting day was a blessing in and out of itself. And when he felt her halt her steps, tugging his face down to meet hers, their lips connecting in a soft and tender kiss? Yeah, he could've melted right there and then.

With one hell of a love sick smile, he ushered her into his thankfully empty dorm room, her bag immediately discarded on the floor as he pushed her onto the bed. It was a short tangle of limbs and clothing before they both settled into the plush comfort. Theo laid atop her her chest, his arms wrapped around her midriff as her hands traced patterns and shapes across his neck and scalp. He wouldn't say it loud, never needed to do that with her anyway, but he enjoyed laying on her chest like that. Listening to her calming heartbeat, feeling the rise and fall of her chest, and above all the sensation of her warm breathe fanning across his face? It turned him into a blissful mess every time, grateful that she was alive and real and that he got to hold and love her like that.

As if reading his thoughts once more, she gave his soft locks a gentle tug before leaning down to place a kiss on the top of his head

“I love you.”

“I love you too, cara mia.”

The sound of their breathe evened out as both of them slipped into blissful sleep, safe and comforted with the scent and warmth of one another.

[fishnapple]

CRYSTAL READING: What would bring you good luck?

This is a general reading meant for multiple people. Take only what resonates and leave out the rest.

Your feedback is much appreciated. If you find the reading resonated with you, leave a comment, I’d love to know 🎐

About me | Masterpost Book a reading with me - KO-FI (→ personal reading)

1. Trolleite group

There is a contrast of two sides.

blue vs. red

personal vs collective

A hidden fire underneath a calm blue surface.

Wearing or using white and blue objects during travelling, especially long journey, dealing with a large crowd or going to public institutions, religious or spiritual places, the banks etc. would help you navigate the surrounding environment more smoothly.

It could be the colour of the clothes, vehicles, bottle, backpack etc.

Bringing a book and a notebook with you while travelling is also very beneficial.

Going near a large body of water, the ocean, the seashore, fish, and shells will help calm and ground you.

But for your private home, planting lots of flowers, paint the wall in warm pale tones of pink or pale orange, yellow will bring wamrth and vitality.

For harmonious communication, you could use a pink phone or a pink phone case, a pink notebook and pen, and pink accessories.

As I have said above about a hidden fire, intimate connections would stoke a creative fire within you, bring in more inspiration and life force to your projects.

Show a more vulnerable and soft side of yourself to the world and see how that would lead you on an unexpected, lucky journey.

2. Citrine group

There is a sense of an overall blessing draping your life. It's soft and jubilant.

You should surround yourself with soft, pastel colours and oceanic motifs.

Having a kaleidoscope and occasionally looking through it can unwind some restrictive thought patterns.

Travelling will bring lots of luck and valuable lessons. Schools and learning are also very important steps.

The more you study broadly but also deeply, the more depth and value you will find in life and in yourself. There is a calling from the depth of the ocean. To go deep, your life is not meant to be spent in a light, breezy, superficial way.

Have an exercise routine, not necessarily something vigorous, but just move your body around, writing or practising something with your hands daily will also assist you in this journey.

A teacher with masculine energy would also help you transform your fundamental way of thinking, building a more solid and vibrant inner core.

I also see that keeping yourself warm and monitoring what you eat closely would bring positive changes to you.

Bright red, orange, soft purple and blue, black would be your lucky colours.

3. Garnet group

Some period of wandering by yourself, away from familiar faces and environment, would do wonders to you. Especially when you feel quite lost, confused, or aimless.

Allow yourself to be guided by your intuition.When the urge strikes, just pack your things and go without too many thoughts and concerns.

It would be like a spiritual cleanse.

Things that relate to cleansing would also help you. Soap, salt, something smells of lavenders, lemon, rose, and water.

After some long walks or runs, taking a shower with soap or shampoo of these scent.

Take good care of your hair. Our hair is one of the most visible signs of life growing, of progression. I would usually imagine it as inverted roots of the tree that is our body.

A healthy root system would make a healthy tree.

I also see that some objects with cradle-like shapes are quite beneficial for your financial and physical growth. A bowl, a basket, a candy dish, something that can hold others.

The colours to bring you luck are jade green, sky blue, lilac, and dark red.

4. Rose quartz

When I saw your spread, I immediately heard the sound of wind chimes. More specifically, a brass wind chimes, the one with no frills, just simple tubes of brass swaying gently in a place with lots of dark trees. The place feels simple, quiet, serious, and solitary.

Hanging some objects like wind chimes, dream catchers, or something light, delicate by the door or windows. Or wearing earrings with that kind of shape would bring good luck to you.

Even more so if it was made by your own hands. I even saw some kind of transparent panel make of glass or acrylic with painting on it, dangling in front of the window, sunlight striking through, making rainbow dance in the room.

Light and sound would affect your energy profoundly.

When things feel unstable, difficulties arise, you could go to places that are old, with lots of history, have big, strong, square structure, or anywhere that has 4 walls surrounding you to feel more grounded.

Number 2,3,4 would show signs of blessing.

Things or beings that come in pair, in groups of three or groups of four.

Consider using things with contrast, a combination of complementary colours ,

dark and rich colours combine with light, soft colours such as green and pink, light blue and brown black, lilac with dark red, orange with cold grey.

5. Carnelian group

For this group, it's not really about something physical like a place, an object that could bring you good luck. It's more about words, thoughts, and emotions.

When dealing with others, sometimes not revealing yourself entirely would actually achieve more peace and honesty in that relationship.

You have an intense inner world, you see clearly the hurts, the vulnerability, and the darkness in yourself and others. Your words would have a heavy , serious trigger. It's not easy to always bring that heaviness out into the open because it would create misunderstanding and anger in others.

So, not showing yourself too much, wait and observe, until you and the other person reach a certain understanding of each other.

An outward elusiveness and detachment sometimes would help balance out the inward gravity.

Having a psyche like that would manifest as sensitivity in the physical body such as allergies, so avoid eating too much spicy and hot food or strenuous activities so as not to aggravate the body further.

A healthy bridge between bodily nourishment and the psyche should be established. Observe how some food would affect you.

The biggest message is to take good care of your health. No amount of blessings is enough if you are not actually healthy to receive them.

For colours, dark earthy and creamy tones would make a nice comfy blanket for you.

[lua-magic]

Improve your planets.

I know planets in our birth chart is fixed but we can fix the energies of planets externally as well.

Venus.

If you want to improve your Venus then wear white colour, include number six and wear either diamond or white sapphire in your middle finger

Mercury.

If you want to improve your Mercury then wear green colour, include number five and wear emerald on the little finger .

Mars.

If you want to improve your Mars, then wear red colour, include number nine and wear red coral on the ring finger.

Jupiter.

If you want to improve your Jupiter then wear yellow clothes mores, include number three and wear yellow sapphire on index finger.

Saturn

If you want to improve your Saturn then include number eight, wear black colour and wear amythest bracelet or blue sapphire on ring finger.

Sun.

If you want to improve your sun, then wear

orange, saffron, golden and red, include number one and wear Ruby in ring finger or wear copper bracelet.

You eat and drink water in copper vessels and practice sun gazing.

Moon.

To improve your moon in your chart then wear pale white, cream or silver colour, wear pearl ornaments or moonstone bracelet and include number two.

You should eat food and drink water in silver vessel and do moon meditation.

Rahu or north node.

If you want to improve north node then wear dark blue colour, include number four and wear hessonite bracelet.

Ketu or south node

If you want to improve your ketu then wear cats eye, include number seven and wear brown colour clothes.

Don't wear the stones of enemy planets together.

Sun is enemy planet of Saturn, Rahu and Ketu.

Moon is enemy planet of Saturn, rahu, ketu and Mercury and sun.

Mars and Mercury are enemy planets.

Venus is enemy planet of ketu and sun.

Jupiter is enemy of Rahu and Moon, Mercury and Venus

Saturn is enemy of Sun, Rahu.

Wear either the stone of Moon or Mars but don't wear them together.

Don't wear black or stone of Saturn if Saturn is in six, eighth and twelfth or even retro in your chart.

[rainforestakiie]

Tarot Love AU

hello everyone~

this is my new au. i really do hope you like it. i am aiming to have a part two, hopefully next week or the week afterward. i really hope this make sense, i loved it. it is a wonderland/card-themed sort of things? i really like my idea of it. it will get more drama in part 02, part 01 is more of, introducing you to this world.

Part 01 - Part 02

info:

  Spades (♠) – Wisdom, action, conflict, power. (Often associated with winter and the swords in tarot.)

  Hearts (♥) – Love, emotion, relationships, joy. (Tied to spring and emotions in general.)

  Diamonds (♦) – Wealth, work, material things, energy. (Linked to fall and practicality.)

  Clubs (♣) – Growth, creativity, willpower, achievement. (Connected to summer and ambition.)

--

  Spades (highest)

  Hearts

  Diamonds

  Clubs (lowest)

A searing fire raged in Adam’s chest, radiating from the small, one-eyed Sinner's cruel stab. His entire body pulsed with agony and numbness alike, a throbbing ache that somehow felt like nothing at all. Colours smeared across his vision, swirling together in waves of blue, gold, crimson, and green. A single bead of cold sweat slid down one side of his face, while on the other, something warm trickled, as if he were caught between frost and flame, he exhaled a shallow, broken breath, his throat raw and burning with a strange, haunting familiarity.

With a faint, almost sorrowful hiss between pale lips, Adam forced his heavy eyes open, expecting to see the waxy, bloodred deserts of Hell or, if fate was merciful, the shimmering clouds of Heaven, steeped in white and violet. Maybe Sera had descended to pull him from the jaws of death? Maybe Lute had dragged him back through the portal?

Maybe dying wasn't as terrifying as he had feared. A faraway bell tolled in his ears, a sound he knew, yet could not place, its echoes twisting through his rattling mind.

Adam flinched, long lashes trembling. He stirred slightly, feeling something soft, cool, almost damp, beneath him. His toes curled; his fingers twitched, the hairs on his arms rose as he shifted again, uncertain of the sensation beneath his skin.

He knew he had died. He remembered the blade sinking in during the battle at the cursed hotel, the tiny maid-Sinner slipping through the chaos to strike him down.

He remembered the weight of his extermination robes, thick, layered, and suffocating, a far cry from the pure white garments he once wore in the service of Heaven. Those robes had wrapped him tightly, hiding the shame of his mortal form, ever since the day he bit into the forbidden fruit, s shame that had never left him.

So... why, then, did he feel bare? Naked as the day the Angels first crafted him among the gardens?

Adam wriggled his feet, testing the sensation. No fabric clung to his legs; no robe shielded his body. His hands moved instinctively, brushing down his stomach, covering himself in modesty and yet... somehow, his hands remained motionless at his sides. He covered himself but he also didn't.

Confusion rippled through him, his brow furrowed as he pried his eyes open once more, blinking against the strange new light. Above him, pale branches wove a tangled canopy, the grass beneath him was soft and fragrant, sage-green and speckled with tiny yellow and pink blossoms that swayed in a breeze he could not feel. The sky above was a gentle blue, with clouds the colour of rosewater drifting lazily.

The sun... it was wrong, it looked more like a star, burning cold and distant.

Slowly, Adam sat up, shame gnawing at him even in this strange new world. His hands, or what he thought were his hands, covered himself in reflex but something was wrong, terribly wrong.

His hands weren’t moving... and yet, he was covering himself. His breath caught in his throat, his skin turned deathly pale, and horror widened his eyes.

He had four arms.

Four arms, four hands and twenty fingers.

A strangled, piercing shriek tore from his lips, scattering the peaceful birds from the trees. They fled in a rush of golden feathers, raining down like drops of sunlight.

Adam remained, trembling in the tall grass, staring at his foreign limbs with growing terror, he struggled to move them, fought to control the twitching of alien muscles. He rocked from side to side, attempting to rise, only to fall back again and again, stumbling, crawling, grappling with himself until he simply collapsed in the grass, dazed and frightened.

What had become of him? What had he become?

Dizziness spiralled through him like a storm and Adam stumbled forward, collapsing onto his knees in the soft grass. His body felt foreign, unfamiliar, a vessel no longer fully his own. Four arms twitched and trembled at his sides, but mercifully, only two legs carried his weight. Thank the stars, he thought faintly; he didn’t know how he would have endured four legs as well.

Breathing slowly, eyes squeezed shut, Adam fought to steady the frantic drumbeat of his heart. He listened, truly listened, letting the world speak to him, the wind hummed a soft, mournful tune as it weaved through the trees; birds flitted high above, their feathers whispering secrets into the air; the cool kiss of grass cradled his trembling skin.

Finally, with great effort, Adam peeled his eyes open and glanced down at himself, but the sight told him little. He was naked, bare and exposed as he had been once, long ago, in Eden’s embrace.

Eden?

A crease formed between Adam’s brows as his gaze swept the world around him. A desperate hope flickered in his chest. Had he returned? Had death, at long last, gifted him the impossible, a path back to where it all began?

Slowly, almost reverently, Adam shuffled forward on his knees. He reached out to the grass, the flowers, the towering trees, his upper arms stretched willingly, but the others...the others clung to him, wrapping protectively around his waist, trembling with the unspoken fear pulsing through him. Adam tried to ignore the phantom limbs, there were greater mysteries demanding his attention now.

His heart thundered in his chest, trembling on the cusp of hope and dread.

Was this Eden? Had he truly come home?

Could it be that all his whispered prayers, his silent weeping, his endless yearning had been answered at last?

He tried to stand, legs wobbling dangerously beneath him, joints cracking and popping in protest. Somehow, Adam found his balance and rose to his feet, eyes wide as they devoured the forest around him, his heart ached with longing, for his mother, for his garden, for forgiveness.

Had God, at last, taken pity on him? But... as he stood there, a slow and chilling realization began to weave its way through his thoughts.

This was not Eden.

He knew Eden with a lover's memory, every leaf, every petal, every breeze imprinted onto his soul. He had spent centuries retracing its beauty in his mind, living it over and over in dreams. But this place... this world... it was alien.

The forest shimmered with a strange, otherworldly light. The colours were deeper, richer, more haunting, shades of violet, indigo, and gold bled into one another, painting the trees and sky in hues no mortal tongue could name. The bark of the trees glowed faintly, pale silver-white shot through with opalescent veins, as though starlight itself had been woven into their skin.

The flowers were unlike any he had known. Adam knelt, breath hitching in wonder, reaching towards a bloom that should have been a red carnation. It smelled sweet and familiar, its petals soft against his fingertips, but the shape was wrong. Instead of the familiar frilled blossom, it curled upward into a strange, club-like form, heavy and otherworldly.

He looked around, seeing the same pattern everywhere. Every leaf, every blossom, even the rugged bark of the trees twisted into soft, club-like shapes. Strange stones littered the ground, tiny pebbles and larger rocks, all worn into the same unnatural curves.

Above him, a bird settled onto a low branch, its feathers a tapestry of gold and sapphire. Adam gasped softly; even the bird's wings bore those faint, ghostly club-shaped patterns, woven through the feathers like forgotten runes.

This was not Earth…this was not Heaven, and it most certainly was not Eden.

Adam’s breath trembled as he stood alone in the heart of this unknown garden, four trembling hands at his sides, staring into a world that should have been home... but was not.

What was this place?

Adam’s breath caught painfully in his throat as he staggered deeper into the alien woods. His wide, shimmering eyes darted from shape to shape, drinking in the unfamiliar, the impossible. Nothing was as it should have been.

The world unfolded around him like a broken reflection of home, beautiful, yes, but twisted and wrong in ways that gnawed at the edges of his mind. Trees stretched high into the endless pastel sky, their branches curling like skeletal fingers, flowers bloomed in impossible colours, breathing sweet, dizzying scents into the air.

Even the creatures, once a source of comfort and love to him, now seemed like strangers wearing familiar skins. Some were monstrous, ten times their natural size, cloaked in rippling fur the colour of jewels, club-shaped patterns etched in shimmering threads across their hides. Others had shrivelled down to almost nothing, tiny and fragile, blinking at him with too-many eyes, wings sprouted from beasts that should not fly, while others, who should have soared, dragged themselves along the ground, wingless and silent.

Adam glimpsed a horned horse, lazily sprawled in a meadow that glowed gold beneath the strange star-sun. The creature’s wings, wide and translucent, stirred the golden grasses, but Adam dared not approach. Something deep inside warned him to keep his distance.

Yet even as he stumbled forward, he felt eyes following him, when he glanced over his shoulder, he saw the creatures trailing after him, silent and slow, as if drawn by the scent of his fear, or perhaps by something deeper, a bond he couldn’t yet understand.

Anxious and trembling, Adam continued to wander through the haunting, dreamlike Eden. Every step felt like walking through a memory that was never his.

He tilted his face to the eerie sky. "Sera?" he called out, his voice thin and cracking.

No blinding light descended from the heavens. Only soft blue skies, pink-tinted clouds, and that strange star watched over him.

"Sera?" he shouted again, more desperately. "W-Where are you? Are you punishing me?"

But no answer came, no angelic voice, no divine whisper. Only the wind, rustling through the alien trees, responded, a sound that felt too much like a sigh of mourning. Adam’s skin prickled, every hair on his body standing rigid, he realized with a cold, creeping dread that he was utterly, devastatingly alone, this loneliness was deeper than anything he had ever known, more suffocating than the bitterest of his nightmares.

"I...I don't want to be alone," Adam whispered, his knees buckling beneath him.

He collapsed into the tall, breathing grass, lowering his head as warm tears blurred his vision.

This was no Eden; this was no home. It was a cruel imitation, a place stitched together from dreams and horrors alike. He sniffled, broken and small, he didn’t understand. His body had changed, warped with four arms, strange and monstrous.

That one-eyed Sinner had killed him. He had felt the blade, had felt the life bleed out of him. So how…how had he awoken here, in this wrong, twisted garden?

A sharp gasp tore from Adam’s lips as the ground trembled softly beside him, domething enormous had settled at his side. His skin crawled with dread as he dared to lift his tear-soaked face, blinking through his grief to see what had come to him.

It was a lion.

But not any lion he had ever known, this one was colossal, its body the size of a mortal bus, its muscles rippling beneath a coat of fur as dark as the endless void between stars. Its mane shimmered with tiny silver club patterns that pulsed and winked like distant constellations, the creature's golden eyes gazed at Adam with a depth of sadness, of ancient understanding, that struck him to his core.

Adam trembled, frozen, and then the lion moved, slow and deliberate, lowering its great head to nuzzle gently against his side. Its fur was impossibly warm, impossibly soft, like sinking into the night sky itself.

Something inside Adam cracked.

A broken sob escaped him as he leaned into the massive creature's warmth, burying his face into the thick, starlit mane. His four arms trembled, clutching handfuls of fur as wave after wave of grief and loneliness tore free from his chest.

The lion did not flinch, did not pull away, it stayed, anchoring him against the wild, cruel sea of his sorrow.

And for the first time in what felt like eternity, Adam allowed himself to weep, not as a sinner, not as an exile, not as an angel or even a human but as something small, something lost, cradled in the embrace of something just as strange, just as broken, as he was.

Adam didn’t know how long he remained like that, pressed against the endless warmth of the great black lion. Time itself seemed to drift and scatter like dust in the twilight air. He couldn’t even remember when his sobs had faded into trembling silence, his eyes burned, his body ached in strange, unfamiliar ways, as if something inside him was unfolding, growing, changing. There was a low, persistent buzzing between his shoulder blades, but he pushed the feeling away, too drained to care.

The wind here, soft and sweet, kissed his skin like a tender lover, calming him in a way he didn't understand but welcomed with a tired sigh. Adam closed his eyes, listening to the lion’s deep, soothing purrs, the sound throbbed through his bones, slow and rhythmic, massaging his wearied spirit until he nearly slipped into sleep but then the lion shifted, rumbling low in its chest, and Adam stirred with a sleepy groan. He rubbed the back of his hand against his sore eyes and blinked blearily around him.

He froze, all around him, nestled close in a loose, reverent circle, were creatures unlike any he had ever seen , creatures of myth and dreams, stitched together from the wildest fantasies of another world.

There were massive elk with branching antlers woven with silver vines, their hides painted in soft swirling blues and golds. Great birds with feathers like molten glass perched upon the twisted trees, their wings humming with club-shaped sigils that shimmered in the pastel light.

Tiny foxes with too many tails, some sprouting delicate, leaf-like appendages, darted playfully around heavier beasts, like bears with coats of soft lavender and luminous club-shaped patterns rippling across their thick hides.

Even serpents slithered among them, their scales glinting like precious stones, each eye a swirling pool of green and gold. Unicorns with wings, wolves with horns, hares with butterfly wings, all creatures seemingly stitched together from forgotten dreams and secret wishes and each bore the same strange mark, somewhere, in fur or feather or scale, the pattern of a club.

Adam blinked at them, heart trembling, a strange warmth pooling inside his chest. Maybe they hadn’t followed him out of fear, maybe they came because they cared for him…maybe they loved him.

The creatures began to lean forward, brushing past him with breathless grace, moving toward something just beyond where he sat. Adam tilted his head and gasped softly.

Before him was a lake, a glittering, crystal wonder that he had somehow not seen until now.

The water shimmered a pale lavender, reflecting the dreamy sky, and club-shaped lily pads drifted lazily across its surface, their dark green shadows dancing below. One by one, the animals dipped their muzzles into the cool water, drinking as if it were the sweetest nectar.

Swallowing hard, Adam shifted closer, crawling forward on hands and knees, all four of his hands brushing against the soft grass, until he reached the edge, tentatively, he reached out to touch the surface.

The water kissed his skin with a cool, delicious sweetness, no pain, no sting, just a soothing touch that sent a ripple of comfort through his aching body.

Slowly, Adam leaned over, peering into the rippling water as it stilled into a perfect mirror, he gasped.

It was his face and yet not.

His skin, once sun-kissed and golden, now held the soft olive glow of early summer, kissed by some unseen sunlight. His body was lean and slender, almost delicate compared to what it once was in Eden, he was smaller. His shoulders not as broad, his frame lighter.

And his cheeks…Adam reached up with trembling fingers, lightly tracing the faint shapes that adorned them. Club-shaped marks, soft and green, brushed like whispered kisses across his face, not harsh or sickly, but the gentle, vibrant green of life in full bloom.

His eyes, once sharp and narrow, were now larger, rounder, a mesmerizing blend of green and gold, his pupils shaped like tiny clubs. There was no sign of the wound that had once ended him, instead, a single green club-shaped mark rested over his heart, pulsing faintly as though alive but that wasn’t the most astonishing thing.

Sprouting from between his shoulder blades, lush and luminous, were two great wings, pure green, shaped like enormous clubs, patterned with faint veins of light that shimmered each time they shifted…the buzzing he’d felt, it was his wings.

His hair, too, had changed, soft brown strands threaded through with living club-shaped leaves and delicate red flowers, forming a crown that seemed to grow naturally from his head.

Adam trailed his gaze down to his limbs, his arms and legs were sprinkled with more of that summery green, vines and tiny blossoms curling gently around his wrists and ankles like living jewellery.

How had he not noticed all this before? How had he not felt how much he had become something… new?

"What..." he breathed, leaning back in pure shock, confusion swirling inside him like a storm. "What... is this?"

Suddenly, the forest shivered around him. A voice, loud, desperate, shattered the dreamlike stillness.

"Adam?!"

Adam flinched violently, his heart leaping into his throat. The animals around him whined, scattering like startled leaves, their graceful forms vanishing into the forest’s endless depths.

Only the black lion stayed, it remained steadfast by his side, its giant paws stretched forward, purring deeply, as if anchoring Adam to the earth.

Adam turned, crouching low behind the lion's massive body for shelter as another figure burst into the clearing, not walking, but flying, weaving urgently through the gnarled, club-blooming branches.

"Adam?" the voice cried again, familiar, beloved, but laced now with something raw and cracked. "Where are you? I heard you cry out! What happened?"

Adam’s breath hitched, his trembling hands gripping the lion's soft mane. Was this truly someone he knew or was it another dream stitched together by this strange, broken Eden?

Home, they had said…home but Adam wasn't sure what home even meant anymore, he wasn’t even himself anymore…

"Adam? Where are you?" the voice cried, raw and trembling with desperation. "Are you hurt? Did they harm you? I can heal you, please, just let me find you!"

The sound struck something deep inside Adam, familiar yet strange, like a half-forgotten lullaby. It was new and ancient all at once, close but distant, like a memory blurred by tears.

Slowly, hesitantly, Adam lifted himself onto his toes, peeking over the endless sea of black fur belonging to the midnight lion, even stretched tall, it was difficult, the lion was simply too large, too solid, but Adam managed a glimpse.

His heart pounded furiously in his chest, his club-shaped pupils dilating wide enough to hurt, that couldn’t be who he thought it was. It couldn’t be. It couldn’t.

"Adam!" the voice called again, and now he heard it clearly.

Adam stood frozen, his mind struggling to catch up, to make sense of what his eyes were seeing. Lucifer, but not Lucifer. A ghost and yet not a ghost, not the same stupid, traitorous angel who had stolen his life, who had torn Eden apart with his greedy, golden hands, who had taken everything from him.

Panic clawed up Adam's spine, he yelped, stumbling backward. His clumsy feet tangled together, and he tumbled onto the ground just as the figure rushed toward him, faster than a falling star.

"Adam! Ah, it’s you! It's really you!" the boy-shaped vision cried, radiant and wild, glowing with a light too beautiful to be real. He surged toward Adam without hesitation, not even noticing Adam’s frantic attempts to crawl away.

"You’ve come home, finally! You look, ah! Just as beautiful as I remember!"

"W-What?" Adam croaked, blinking rapidly as the short, brilliant figure closed in on him. His wings fumbled awkwardly against a tree, leaves shivering from the impact.

"I missed you," Lucifer whispered, breathless, cupping Adam’s cheeks in his cool hands. His thumbs brushed over the soft club-marks on Adam’s skin, reverent and gentle. "I missed you so much... Waiting for you nearly broke me."

Adam flinched, overwhelmed, but he never got the chance to answer. Lucifer leaned forward without warning, closing the distance between them and capturing Adam’s mouth in a desperate, trembling kiss.

The contact sent a jolt through Adam, not painful, but bright and bewildering, a sensation he had never known before. His wings flared wide without his permission, a sharp, electric buzz dancing along them, for a fleeting, horrifying moment, Adam nearly melted into it, into Lucifer's arms, into the starry pull of him but then something zapped along his wings, a jarring sting that snapped him back.

Lucifer. He was kissing Lucifer, the one who had betrayed him, who had shattered everything he loved.

A low growl ripped from Adam’s throat, he grabbed Lucifer's shoulders and shoved him back, forcing him to arm’s length.

"Adam?" Lucifer blinked, confusion clouding his bright blue eyes. "What's wrong? Didn't you miss me?"

Adam’s chest heaved, his lips tingling, his wings buzzing wildly, it was then he noticed, Lucifer’s wings had spread too, lining up perfectly with his own. The buzzing, the tremor in the air, it was between them. He didn’t know if he hated it... or if it terrified him even more that part of him liked it.

"What's happening?!" Adam cried out, voice cracking. "What the fuck is all this?!"

Lucifer's face twisted with worry, he held Adam’s face tenderly, refusing to let go.

"Adam... don't you recognize me?" he whispered, tilting his head like a lost child. "It’s me. Lucifer."

"I know who you are!" Adam snapped, trying again to wriggle away, but Lucifer only held him more carefully, as if Adam might break into pieces.

"And?" Lucifer asked, voice tight with fear.

"And…" Adam faltered, anger tangled with something else, something sad and heavy in his chest.

Lucifer’s wings stirred restlessly behind him, casting glimmering shadows. "Adam, don’t you remember?"

"Why would you kiss me?!" Adam demanded hoarsely. "After everything you did to me! After you ruined my life, after you stole everything from me! You hate me!"

Lucifer stared at him, stunned, as if Adam had struck him.

"Hate you?!" he gasped, as if the very idea was a wound. "Hate you? No, Adam, never, I love you, you idiot!"

Adam froze; the world seemed to tip sideways.

"Love?" Adam whispered, horrified. "You love me?"

Lucifer softened, inching closer, his eyes glowing like winter stars.

"Adam..." he said, voice low and aching. "Don’t you remember who I am? I’m Lucifer of Spades. Your mate."

Mate. Spades. The words hit Adam like falling stones.

He blinked hard, his body sagging against the tree behind him, trying desperately to breathe. Finally, finally, he really looked at Lucifer, he was the same... but changed, just like Adam.

Lucifer was still small and slight, with hair the colour of sunlight and duckling fluff but now his pale skin shimmered like stardust, touched by a faint dusting of soft winter blue along his arms and legs, as if kissed by frost, his arms, six now, three on each side, folded against his body like delicate wings of their own and on each of his cheeks bloomed a dark blue spade-shaped mark, glowing softly against the pale flush.

In his golden curls, tiny white specks glittered, not dust, not flowers, but tiny, perfect flakes of snow, crowning him like a winter king. Around his wrists and ankles were wreaths of white fur, threaded through with delicate frost flowers and crystal leaves. His wings…oh, his wings, stretched behind him in towering splendour, vast and silver-white, shaped like great shimmering spades, etched through with even tinier spade patterns beneath the surface.

Adam stared, heart pounding. "You’re..." Adam croaked, bewildered. "You’re cold."

Lucifer let out a soft laugh and sat back on his heels, giving Adam space at last.

"Of course," he said, smiling with a sad sort of fondness. "Spades are the winter evening. Just like you, Clubs, you are the summer dawn."

Adam squinted, trying desperately to piece together the fragments of sense in Lucifer’s words but everything slipped through his fingers like mist, nothing fit. Nothing felt real, this wasn't Lucifer... and yet, it was.

"Why are you naked?" Adam blurted out instead, the question falling from his lips before he could stop it.

Lucifer’s long white lashes fluttered like moth wings. "Naked? Adam..." he murmured, voice trailing off into the cold night air.

Before Adam could retreat, Lucifer leaned in closer, and Adam let out a startled, undignified yelp. His skin prickled, not with heat, but with an odd, unfamiliar sensation that made him fear he was flushing green instead of red. He pressed himself back against the rough bark of the tree, staring up at Lucifer warily, his chest tight with something he couldn't name.

"What-what are you doing?" Adam croaked, his voice cracking like brittle ice.

Lucifer narrowed his eyes, the bright spade-shaped pupils of frosted blue seeming to pierce straight through him, reading every broken, tangled thought in his head. Without warning, Lucifer moved, swift as a gust of winter wind, and before Adam could react, his hand was seized in Lucifer’s cool, firm grasp.

"Can you fly?" Lucifer demanded, urgent and intense.

"Fly?!" Adam yelped, jerking and squirming, but Lucifer’s fingers only tightened around his own. "What-what are you talking about?!"

Lucifer flicked a glance toward Adam’s back, toward the summer-green wings that trembled against the tree bark.

"Your wings," Lucifer said sharply. "Do you remember how to use them?"

Adam turned, awkwardly flexing the leafy club-shaped wings behind him. They opened and closed, slow and unsure, like the first uncertain flutter of a newborn butterfly.

"I..." He swallowed, heart thundering. "I remember how to use wings," he said at last.

It wasn't a lie, he remembered how to fly, with his old, golden angel wings. Surely these would work the same... wouldn't they?

Lucifer’s gaze darkened with doubt; he didn’t look convinced.

"Prove it," Lucifer said flatly.

"What?" Adam bristled. "Prove what?"

"Show me," Lucifer said, stepping back and folding all six of his arms over his chest, like a king waiting for a jester to amuse him. "Prove you still remember how to fly."

Adam scowled, folding his own arms petulantly across his chest. "Why should I?" he muttered, his voice thick with stubbornness.

But his defiance only seemed to frustrate Lucifer further, his lips twisted into a deeper frown, sharp teeth glinting like deadly icicles. His glacial eyes narrowed to slits, sharp and cutting.

Adam felt a ripple of unease crawl down his spine under that look. He took a clumsy step back.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Adam asked, voice small, the words barely a breath against the heavy air.

"You either prove you know how to use them," Lucifer snapped, his voice cutting through the hush of the forest like a blade, "Or I will carry you myself. It’s your choice, Adam."

Adam stared back at him, momentarily stunned, confused But then, slowly, something ugly and burning began to worm its way up from the pit of his chest. Anger.

Who the hell does he think he is?

This was Lucifer, the Lucifer. The angel who had once come down to Eden like a golden comet, dazzling and bright, a friend who had laughed and played with him among the gardens, who had dared the impossible alongside him, stirred up mischief beneath the other Angel’s blind eyes, his guardian Angel.

The same Lucifer who had shattered everything. Who had stolen Lilith away, whispering promises into her ear, who had seduced Eve with silvered lies, who had crushed Adam without a second thought, who had hurt Adam and made him cry as if their friendship meant nothing to him.

Lucifer, who had toppled humanity from grace and then had the gall to humiliate Adam before all of Hell, like he was nothing and now here he stood, demanding something of him? Threatening him?

Adam’s blood boiled and without thinking, Adam shoved Lucifer hard, making him stumble back a few steps.

"Buzz off!" Adam snarled, voice rising, venom dripping from every word. "I’m sick of seeing your face! I’m sick of hearing your voice! It's driving me crazy, it's disgusting!"

Lucifer’s eyes widened slightly, stunned by the outburst, but Adam wasn’t done.

"I don't owe you anything!" Adam shouted. His wings trembled with rage behind him, scattering leaves from the trees. "I’m not falling for your lies, your games, your tricks! Never again! You claim to love me but guess what! I don’t fucking love you and I never will!”

“So do us both a favour and fuck off!" His chest heaved. "Don't ever come back!"

Spitting the last words out like a curse, Adam spun on his heel and stormed away, fists clenched, heart pounding but his rejection only seemed to ignite something fierce and furious in Lucifer. A winter storm brewed behind him, his icy wings flared wide with a sharp, crackling sound, beating the air like the fury of a frozen hurricane.

"Adam!" Lucifer roared, his voice echoing through the trees like a wrathful god.

Adam turned, just in time to see Lucifer surging forward. His mouth fell open in shock, too slow to react, as Lucifer effortlessly swept him up off the ground, cradling him in his arms like a bride. Adam's legs kicked wildly in disbelief, his hands pushing uselessly at Lucifer’s hard shoulders.

"Put me down!" Adam barked, squirming furiously. "Put me the fuck down, you crazy idiot!"

Lucifer glared at him; teeth bared in a flash of sharp, icy white.

"Shut up for once," Lucifer snapped, "And let me help you!"

Adam barked a harsh, bitter laugh, struggling harder. "Help me?! Help me with what, huh?!" he shouted, thrashing. "I don't need anything from you, you damn frostbitten freak! I hate you! I really fucking hate you!”

Lucifer only rolled his eyes with theatrical exhaustion but said nothing. Adam was still wrestling to free himself, clawing at Lucifer's arms, when, without warning, the ground dropped away. Lucifer kicked off from the ground in one smooth, powerful leap, and the next thing Adam knew, they were airborne.

The world tilted beneath him, the trees shrinking, the silver-glass lake sparkling far below. Adam yelped in sheer terror, the fight leaving him instantly as he scrambled to cling onto Lucifer’s neck for dear life, all pride forgotten, his heart hammered like a trapped bird against his ribs.

Lucifer held him firmly, wings beating a steady, icy rhythm through the night, carrying them higher and higher. Adam buried his face against Lucifer’s shoulder, too terrified to even glare at him anymore, the scent of cold snow and winter stars filling his lungs and somewhere deep inside, despite the betrayal, despite the fury still coiled in his chest, something fragile and aching stirred, reaching out.

Lucifer flew with a grace Adam had never seen before, not like the rigid, sharp flapping of angel wings he remembered from Heaven, but something slower, softer...almost like a butterfly drifting through the endless sky.

Each beat of Lucifer’s massive winter wings was languid and fluid, carrying them higher, gliding as though the air itself bent lovingly around him. His wings shimmered with each movement, spade-shaped patterns glowing like constellations beneath the thin, icy membrane.

Adam couldn’t help but notice it immediately, how different it was, how wrong it was compared to the stiff military precision of angelic flight, but he refused to look at Lucifer’s face. He kept his gaze stubbornly turned away, pressing his lips into a thin line, instead, he risked glancing down and what he saw stole the very breath from his lungs.

The world below was... impossibly beautiful…and so much bigger then anything Adam had ever seen before…

It was as if the land itself had been torn into great jagged pieces, like paper ripped apart, and stitched back together again with threads of golden light. Each piece was its own kingdom, its own breathing world, stitched neatly beside the next.

Directly beneath them stretched the realm of Clubs, Adam’s own land, summer incarnate. Vast, endless emerald forests tangled together with ribbons of sapphire rivers, waterfalls as tall as mountains spilled down in silvery veils, feeding gardens bursting with life, animals roamed freely, glittering birds soared in flocks that painted the skies with colour, and golden sunlight bathed everything in a warm, living glow, it was wild, free, humming with the heartbeat of life itself.

Beyond that, stitched with a fine silver seam, lay Spades, the land of Winter…and Adam guessed that was where Lucifer came from or this Lucifer anyway.  Snow stretched endlessly like a soft white ocean, a colossal castle sprawled across the icy fields, made entirely of gleaming crystal, reflecting a thousand broken rainbows. The mountains rose like frozen gods, crowned with sleeping dragons whose breaths curled into mist.

Gentle snowfall drifted down without end, catching on the black pine trees and glimmering like stars fallen to earth. It was haunting and beautiful, a land where silence itself seemed to sing.

Further off, through a weave of sunshine and laughter, bloomed the realm of Hearts, the land of Spring. Rolling meadows sprawled beneath a sky so blue it ached to look at, fields of pink and golden flowers danced in the breeze, their petals spinning like tiny dancers, yellow-bricked roads twisted through cheerful little villages, where elf-like people bustled about, laughter ringing in the air.

Witches in patchwork cloaks zipped across the skies on crooked brooms, trailed by black cats, some with tiny wings, others with twisting horns peeking from their furry heads. The scent of fresh earth and honeyed air was so vivid Adam swore he could taste it.

And finally, stitched along the edge of a fiery crimson horizon, loomed Diamonds, the land of Autumn. A kingdom roared with life and motion, its cobbled streets shining like polished amber. The city buzzed with strange creature-people, fox-eared merchants shouting over glittering market stalls, women with eyes like fireflies laughing over gilded bridges, great hounds with antlers prowling beside knights in rust-red armour.

The scent of roasted chestnuts and gold hung in the air, as if the very air itself was rich, towering above it all was a palace carved from marble the colour of fallen leaves, crowned inspires of gold that caught the setting sun and made it seem ablaze.

Adam gasped aloud, unable to hold it back, his wings twitched against Lucifer’s chest, his heart thudding wildly. He had never seen anything like it, not even Eden, for all its perfection, had looked so heartbreakingly, achingly alive.

For a moment, Adam forgot his rage, his fear, his pride. Forgot the man, Angel or whatever Lucifer had become, holding him aloft, he could only stare, his eyes wide and shining with wonder.

Lucifer descended with a grace that defied the laws of nature, his wings barely stirring the air as they glided toward the shimmering land of Autumn, the realm of Diamonds. Adam felt a stir of curiosity deep within him, his eyes flicking over the figures below. These beings were unlike anything he had ever seen, not human, but something more. Their gazes turned toward the sky, fixed on him and Lucifer, and Adam caught the expressions that flitted across their faces: awe, wonder, and even excitement. The children gasped, their tiny hands pointing eagerly in their direction.

But Adam could barely take it all in before Lucifer’s wings, vast and powerful, cut through the air once more, guiding them toward a towering mansion at the heart of the kingdom. The structure rose like a jagged, opulent spire, sparkling with diamonds embedded in its walls, the light dancing off its faceted surface. At the top of this monumental edifice was a wide platform, open to the sky. It was a palace, yet something about its design had the warmth of a mansion, intimate yet grand. Around it, an imposing fence rose high, guarded by figures dressed in gleaming silver armor etched with diamond patterns, standing watch like silent sentinels.

Lucifer passed effortlessly over them, touching down with barely a sound on the platform that led to an archway, its shape an elegant, perfect diamond. Adam squinted, his eyes narrowing in confusion. Diamond?

“Diamond?” Lucifer’s voice was soft but insistent, as he stepped toward the archway. “Are you there? I need your help, Lils.”

Adam blinked rapidly, the name catching him off guard. Lils? His throat tightened. What was happening? He swallowed, a heavy lump forming there, as a figure appeared in the archway, stepping from the shadows, a presence as inevitable as the coming of dusk. Adam recoiled instinctively, his wings fluttering, a frantic surge of anger rising in him.

“Put me down!” he cried out, his voice sharp, breaking through the air like a whip.

In one swift motion, he wrenched himself free from Lucifer’s hold. His body fell, landing hard on the cold stone below. He barely had time to regain his balance before he jerked away, his chest tight with something between fury and fear.

Lucifer stood still, his arms still outstretched, frozen in shock, as if he couldn’t believe what had just happened. Adam hissed, baring his teeth, his body tensed and ready to flee.

The figure who approached them, slow and deliberate, cast a long shadow across the ground. It was her.

Lilith.

Adam’s heart pounded in his chest. Lilith, the one who had once been his, and who had shattered everything he thought he knew about love, trust, and betrayal. The woman who had hurt him more than anyone else, the one who had run away with Lucifer without a second thought, leaving him broken and alone, his blood boiled at the sight of her.

She was just as breathtaking as she had always been, but in a different way now, something darker, more powerful. Her long hair was no longer the gold he remembered; it had deepened into a smoky orange, streaked with pale gold, like embers glowing in the fading light. Tiny, delicate golden leaves were woven through her hair, shimmering like whispers of autumn itself, her crown of flowers had been replaced with an intricate garland of sticks and pearls, each bead gleaming with the glow of distant stars.

Her wings were vast, larger than Adam’s, smaller than Lucifer’s, curling elegantly like autumn leaves caught in a gentle breeze. The colours danced along their edges: rich purples, oranges, and golds, interspersed with diamonds that glinted and sparkled, her skin shimmered as though it had been kissed by moonlight, streaked with faint, glowing diamonds that traced the lines of her arms and legs like delicate jewellery.

Her eyes were a deep, haunting mix of gold and violet, with diamond-shaped pupils that seemed to pierce through Adam’s very soul, she stood taller than both Adam and Lucifer, an ethereal figure, impossibly beautiful, but with an air of dominance that made Adam feel small and vulnerable. She gazed at him with a quiet intensity, as though trying to decipher a puzzle, each moment spent in her presence like the unravelling of something precious, fragile.

Adam’s instincts screamed at him to look away, to hide, to run from her piercing gaze, but he couldn’t. She was naked, as he and Lucifer were, and yet in her presence, the rawness of their vulnerability only deepened the bitter resentment and sadness he felt.

Why? he thought, a fire of hatred burning in his chest. Why would Lucifer bring me to her?

“Something’s wrong with him,” Lucifer muttered harshly, his voice thick with frustration, his six arms crossing over his chest, his eyes were dark with a kind of bitterness Adam hadn’t seen before.

Lilith tilted her head slightly, her lips parting in a soft hum. Her gaze never wavered from Adam, and she slowly approached him, moving with an almost hypnotic fluidity, she knelt down before him, her movements elegant, yet relentless.

Adam instinctively tried to pull away, inching back, his wings flapping in panic. “Don’t touch me!” he hissed, his voice laced with panic and disgust.

But Lilith’s hand shot out with an effortless grace, her fingers cool and unyielding as she caught his chin, lifting his face to meet her gaze.

“He doesn’t remember?” she asked, her voice soft, almost concerned.

Lucifer snarled, stepping forward, his form looming like a storm cloud. “No. He doesn’t!” His voice was tight, raw. “He’s not supposed to come back like this, Lilith, he’s supposed to remember me.”

“I know,” she murmured, her voice almost distant, Lilith blinked slowly, her expression unreadable, her wings flickering gently behind her. “He was meant to return in the same state he was taken.”

“I told you not to make that deal, Lilith. Now look at what’s happened. He doesn’t even remember who he is. He’s in his real body, but his mind…” He trailed off, exhaling sharply, defeated, Lucifer’s frustration boiled over, his hands clenching into fists.

Lilith sighed, the weight of the moment settling over her like a cloud. Her autumn wings fluttered behind her, delicate but powerful.

“They wanted to use a soul,” she said, her voice taking on a softer edge. “To give humanity a soul.”

Lucifer’s eyes gleamed with anger. “No, they wanted to cut corners, instead of creating a soul, building one as they should have, they chose to steal one of the Omega souls. You shouldn’t have agreed to it, Lilith. You didn’t care about the consequences; all you wanted was what you could gain from it.”

“It benefited us all.” Lilith’s gaze flicked briefly to Lucifer, a subtle frown pulling at her lips. “It benefited you, Lucifer.”

“No, it only benefited you,” Lucifer laughed, but the sound was bitter, mocking. “Diamonds never care about anyone but yourselves. It’s always about what you can take, never who you step on to get what you want.”

Lilith’s expression tightened, a flash of anger in her eyes, but she didn’t move. “Adam agreed to it,” she said, her tone firm. “This is not all my fault.”

“Yes, it is.” Lucifer’s icy blue gaze locked on her, his words cutting deep. “He only agreed because you talked him into it, Lilith, you made him believe it was a good idea.”

Lilith narrowed her eyes, a glimmer of amusement, or perhaps something darker, flickering within them.

"It was a good idea, Lucifer. A brilliant idea, in fact," she said softly, her tone almost too calm, too knowing. "We gained so much from the Avatar."

"No, you gained, you gained everything by handing Adam over to the Avatars, using him, experimenting on him, turning him into a human, for what? So, their little project can grow? So, these so-called humans can take form?" He threw his hands up in frustration, Lucifer scoffed, his voice laced with contempt. "What a load of bollocks."

Lilith’s eyes narrowed further, as if she’d been down this road with Lucifer countless times before.

"Spade," she began, her voice dripping with something cold yet strangely affectionate, "You are the soul of wisdom, of action, of conflict, and of power. Do you truly not see the benefits of their humans? At all?"

Lucifer shot her a disbelieving look. "Have you not seen that shit show? Have you not seen what’s happened over there?"

He gestured sharply toward the distant horizon, as if the human world itself was an affront to everything they were. "I know for a fact Eve, Hearts, they’ve been watching. We all have since the Avatars took Clubs. You’ve been watching too, it’s falling apart, the so-called human souls are at war with themselves, give it another century or so, and all of humanity will have killed itself."

Adam flinched, the words striking him like a slap, confusion flashing across his face. He shuffled backward on his backside, drawing his legs closer to himself as he tried to make sense of the strange exchange.

 Avatars? What were they talking about? The way Lucifer spoke about humanity... it was dripping with bitterness, as if the very idea of humans disgusted him. What did he mean by Lilith giving the Avatars him?

 She gave them Clubs? To borrow his soul for the humans? She had called him, Clubs…

Adam stared, his mind racing as Lilith and Lucifer continued their argument. It was like watching two people who could barely tolerate each other, there was no trace of warmth or affection between them, none of the love or bond one might expect between a married couple but… Lilith had left him for Lucifer, hadn’t she? She had chosen Lucifer, followed him to Hell, had a daughter with him… Adam blinked slowly, feeling a strange weight in his chest as his thoughts began to tangle together.

“Why…?”

He breathed out, his voice cutting through the heated argument, making the two of them pause, their attention turning to him.

"Why are you two arguing so much?" His voice wavered, soft and uncertain. "Don’t you... like, er, love each other? You’re married, with a kid and all that... I thought you’d be... er, happy to see each other?"

Adam winced, feeling foolish as soon as the words left his mouth. The way they stared at him, as if he’d just grown another head, made him feel small, like he was intruding on something much larger than he could comprehend.

Lucifer’s face darkened, and he shot Lilith a sharp, accusing glare.

Lilith merely rolled her eyes, brushing a hand dismissively through the air as if Adam’s question was of no consequence. "He’s confused."

"Clearly! He still has those human memories!" Lucifer bristled, his voice grew sharper, his frustration mounting. "He shouldn’t have them anymore!"

Lilith crossed her six arms in front of her, her posture casual, but her expression betraying a quiet irritation. "I’m aware, Lucifer. Your little tantrum made that quite obvious."

Lucifer’s icy wings beat against the air, sending a sudden chill across the space. Adam gasped as a layer of frost began to form along the floor, creeping like a slow tide. He jerked back instinctively, trying to avoid the ice that was spreading rapidly beneath him.

"Tantrum?!" Lucifer’s voice rose in anger, his teeth bared. "I’m not throwing a tantrum!"

His voice was a growl now, guttural and raw. "The Avatars' little pet project was doomed before they even took Adam’s soul, and it’s worse that they used our likeness to manipulate him! You saw what they did to him, used our faces, they mimicked our souls! They twisted him like a doll."

Lilith’s gaze flicked briefly to the spreading ice; her expression cool, unfazed. "Yes, Lucifer. They asked permission, and I gave it."

"You what?!" Lucifer’s voice cracked with disbelief. "Why would you do that?!"

“Because they had failed three times before.” Lilith regarded him with a long, steady stare, her gaze unreadable. "The soul of Clubs represents birth, life, creation, it wasn’t planting the seeds like they had hoped.”

“They were trying one last time to have Clubs react as they wanted.” She spoke calmly. “They suspected if they were able to mimic our likeness and project it onto their humans, it might help ease the soul of Clubs into its new vessel, so to speak."

Lucifer’s face twisted with disgust. "They made the first human ‘wife’ look like you."

"I have no such connections, and so, it meant nothing to me." Lilith shrugged nonchalantly, as if it was nothing. “I am no mate of Clubs and Clubs have no desire to mate with me either.”

Lucifer’s eyes narrowed in fury. "Hearts agreed to have her likeness used for the second wife human?" His voice was thick with anger.

"I know," Lilith replied casually, almost bored. "It is no concern of mine."

"The Avatars requested permission to use our likeness, and I granted it," she continued, her tone smooth, like she was recounting some trivial matter. "It worked. The soul of Clubs birthed the humans they desired so much."

Lucifer’s hands clenched into fists, his nails digging into his palms. "And my likeness was used to create someone who hurt him. Clubs is my mate, my lifetime partner. Why wouldn’t they just mimic my likeness to make the human husband or wife? That would have probably worked better!"

"The Avatars spoke of a new biology, something about man and woman.” Lilith rolled her shoulders in an exaggerated motion, her expression a mix of indifference and mild amusement.  Our biology doesn’t follow, as humans, neither Clubs nor Spade would have been able to breed."

She tilted her head slightly, watching Lucifer’s frustration grow. "Why are you so upset, Lucifer? The Avatars made you one of the most powerful beings in their little project. They called you an Angel, or an Archangel, they say that is very powerful. It’s still in line with you, as Spade is on top, being more powerful than Diamonds, Hearts, and Clubs."

Lucifer hissed, his teeth flashing in a snarl. "They didn’t even make that clone a lover to him! They made him hurt him! We’ve already bred and that wasn’t right!"

“Yes, your precious egg.” Lilith clicked her tongue, eyes glinted with something like amusement, but there was no kindness in it. "It has no hatched yet, calm down, you still have time.”

Lucifer’s fury grew, his wings beginning to churn with icy winds. “How dare you.”

"You are being so dramatic, Spade," Lilith continued, almost lazily. "You have your precious Club back. He has been returned as the Avatars promised, once he died, he would be released from their project and returned to his true body. He has come back to you, hasn’t he?"

Lucifer glared at her with a dark, bitter intensity. "Not all of him has come back."

"Be grateful you have him back at all." Lilith regarded him with an unimpressed gaze, as if his words meant little.

Adam touched the side of his head, he could feel the begin of a headache starting. He was just so confused.

~#~

Adam was exhausted, adrift in a sea of confusion, his head pounding so fiercely it turned his stomach. His club-shaped wings fluttered restlessly behind him, opening wide like a great, fragile butterfly, only to fold again like a book shutting against his spine, again and again they stirred, restless, unsettled.

He had returned, no, been returned, to what Lucifer called the Land of Clubs, his forest. A realm that seemed the very heart of summer itself: lush, radiant, brimming with life, the breath of Mother Nature thickened every corner, a symphony of green and gold, of flowers and beasts, all belonging to the Clubs. And he, somehow, was their King, or Queen, depending on what tide he chose to sail, it was all so dizzyingly strange.

Adam leaned heavily against the broad trunk of an ancient tree, its soft branches cradling his weary head. Stretching out his legs before him, he stared down at his toes, before raising his four hands to his face, watching as delicate flowers and vines wove themselves around his wrists, blooming from his very being.

He didn’t know what to feel, everything was too raw, too loud, too overwhelming. Why? How?

Lilith, the true Lilith, was apparently the Soul of Diamonds, and it was she who had struck a deal with the Avatars, surrendering the Soul of Clubs for their great experiment, for the birth of humanity.

Adam squeezed his eyes shut, remembering the human Lilith, how he had tried to love her, to bridge a gap he could never quite cross. She had found him clingy, smothering, too heavy a chain and yet he had only ever been... lost but that Lilith was never truly Lilith. Just a reflection, a whisper of the real Queen of Diamonds, shaped by unseen hands to nudge him along a path he never chose.

Even Eve, sweet Eve, was born of the same deception, not merely crafted out of loneliness when Lilith fled, but shaped in the likeness of another: the Queen of Hearts. All of it, all of it, had been a cruel, elaborate stage play.

Adam groaned lowly, burying his face beneath his four hands, the movement still foreign but becoming easier now, even his body was strange to him. The flood of truth churned in his mind, dragging him into a whirlpool of questions.

Who was he, truly? Why could he remember his human life but not the one before? Was he ever anything more than a pawn?

"Adam?"

The voice came from above, soft but resonant, pulling Adam from the hurricane of his thoughts. Lucifer had come again. Adam lowered his hands slowly, fingers digging into his skin as he peered up and there he was, Lucifer Morningstar, if that was even his name anymore.

 Lucifer was... different here, not the tempter, not the king of Hell, but something older, something truer. His mate, apparently, his mirror, the Spade to his Club.

Lucifer’s massive, spade-shaped wings shimmered as he landed lightly before Adam, scattering tiny flurries of frost like silver dust, his blue eyes glowed faintly as he tilted his head, surveying Adam with a small, crooked smile.

"Good morning... or evening? I’m never quite sure what humans call this hour," he said warmly. "How are you feeling, Adam?"

"I don't remember anything," Adam answered bluntly, eyeing Lucifer warily, part of him still expected this all to shatter, to reveal itself as some cruel joke.

Lucifer’s smile faltered slightly, a flicker of pain passing through his eyes before he masked it. Gently, he crouched down to Adam’s level, folding his legs beneath him with an effortless grace.

"I'm not asking you to," he said, voice as soft as the snow drifting from his wings.

"Right," Adam muttered, drawing his hands away as Lucifer reached for them. "Sounds about right."

Lucifer sighed, a low, almost sorrowful sound. "I know it’s overwhelming. I know it’s hard."

"You know? You really think you know?" Adam gave a sharp, humourless laugh.

Lucifer's lips curled into a faint, crooked smile. "More than you realize. I wasn't lying when I said we watched, I saw what the Avatars did to you... we all did."

Adam stared at him, something wounded flickering behind his gaze, he bit his bottom lip, uncertain, wary.

"Then... what are you saying?"

Lucifer shifted closer, the snow around him whispering against the ground. His voice dropped lower, more intimate.

"I saw it. I saw what happened in Eden," he murmured.

Adam stiffened at the name of his lost garden, his hands clenching.

"I saw what they made of you... what they made of me." Lucifer glanced aside, troubled. "It wasn't really me, Adam. It was... a shadow, a shell of who I truly am, twisted to guide you down the path they needed."

He shook his head slowly, snow cascading from his wings like fallen stars. "Lilith, Eve... even the serpent... none of it was what you thought it was, they were echoes. Ghosts, built from our faces to shape you."

Adam listened, heart pounding hard enough that he could barely breathe. This Lucifer... there was something heartbreakingly real about him. His voice slid through Adam’s ears like velvet, sweet and aching.

"I... think I understand," Adam whispered hoarsely. "No, not really but... you’re not him. You're not the Lucifer I remember."

Lucifer’s gaze softened, like mist parting for the dawn. "I would never have hurt you," he said fiercely, reaching for Adam again, this time, Adam let him.

Lucifer’s six hands enfolded his four, the last set of hands cupping Adam’s cheeks so tenderly it almost broke him.

"I saw what that version of me did," Lucifer whispered, anguish threading his voice. "I saw the betrayal, the lies, I don't know why he did it. But I am sorry, because he was shaped in my image... because of how deeply you loved me."

Adam’s breath caught. Loved him? Had he?

Lucifer traced slow, feather-light circles over the spade-shaped marks on Adam’s cheeks.

"He was made because of me," Lucifer continued softly. "And because of how much you loved me, they knew you'd follow him."

Adam’s heart was a drum in his chest, frantic and unsure. Was he falling in love again? Was it real? He barely heard his own voice as he asked, "Are we... truly in love?"

Lucifer smiled sadly. "We are more than that, Adam, we are bonded. We are the endless cycle of life itself, you are Summer, growth, life, birth and I am Winter, rest, death, renewal. You and I... we complete each other."

"I don't remember, I don't... remember anything before Eden.” Adam sniffled, overwhelmed, lowering his gaze. “I don't remember being the Soul of Clubs."

Lucifer’s smile faltered into a quiet, pained frown. "You weren't supposed to forget, when the Avatars were done... you were supposed to come home, whole."

"When you died, you should have returned to me," Lucifer whispered, voice trembling. "You should have remembered."

Adam hiccupped, the tears finally spilling over. "You don't understand. You don't get it."

He squeezed his eyes shut, his whole-body trembling. "None of it was real. None of it. Eden, Lilith, Eve... even me. It was all just a lie, a tool."

Lucifer moved closer, arms wrapping around Adam as though to shield him from the truth. "No, no, Adam, listen to me," he pleaded. "You are real, you were always real. They used you, yes, but that doesn't mean you were any less important. You are the heart of life itself, the Soul of Clubs."

But Adam couldn't stop crying, because if all this was true, if everything he had known was a carefully orchestrated lie, then who was he, really? Nothing more than a seed, planted for someone else's harvest.

Lucifer said nothing at first, he only moved, slow and sure, wrapping his arms around Adam. His embrace was warm despite the shimmer of frost that clung to his skin, with a heavy sigh, Lucifer’s massive spade-shaped wings unfolded behind him, dark and glistening like velvet night skies dusted with starlight. They opened wide, curling protectively around Adam, and in answer, Adam's own club-shaped wings twitched and slowly spread, as if drawn to the rhythm of Lucifer’s heart.

A soft gasp escaped Adam's lips, he tilted his head back, his watery green eyes meeting Lucifer’s glowing blue ones just as a shimmer of life danced between their wings, little flickers of green and blue arcing and weaving like tiny spirits, threading them together. Their wings pulsed, alive, resonating like the chords of a forgotten song.

Lucifer smiled, his expression tender and heartbreakingly soft. He lifted one hand, his thumb caressing the tear-streaked flush of Adam’s cheek, he leaned in, his voice no more than a warm whisper in the hush between them.

"See?" he breathed. "You feel that? It's our wings... they match up perfectly. That proves we're meant to be together."

Adam's chest tightened; more tears spilled over, his heart too full and too broken at once. He nodded weakly, unable to speak, and with a choked sob, he pushed his face into the curve of Lucifer's shoulder. Lucifer’s arms tightened, pulling him closer, until no space was left between them. He stayed that way, patient and steady, rocking Adam gently in the silence of the forest, his wings wrapped around them both like a cathedral.

Lucifer only spoke again when Adam’s tears had slowed into soft sniffles. His voice was low, soothing, careful as a kiss.

"I know you don’t trust me... not fully," he murmured. "And you have every right to be suspicious. It’s a lot to ask... to believe the Lilith and Eve you knew weren’t truly them, I know it hurts."

He paused, pressing a soft kiss into Adam’s hair. "Dimond and Hearts were first... they were part of us long before mankind was even a thought, and they loved you, at least, Hearts did." He gave a soft, almost sad chuckle. "Dimond... well, I don't think she's capable of loving anyone but herself."

Lucifer pulled back slightly, enough to catch Adam’s glassy gaze, his eyes burned with sincerity, clear as winter lakes.

"But me?" he whispered. "I love you. I adore you more than anything in all the realms, you were never just a tool to me, Adam, you are... everything."

Adam’s throat worked silently, he didn’t know what to say, but he clutched at Lucifer’s arms tighter, like he was afraid he might disappear if he let go.

"I know," Lucifer went on gently, "it’ll take time to separate the two Lucifers in your heart. The one you remember... and me. The real me, the one who has always loved you, long before Eden... long before even the stars were born."

He pulled Adam's four trembling hands into his own, cradling them like they were the most precious things in all existence.

"Just... trust me a little," Lucifer whispered. "Come with me, come see my home, the land of Spades, visit the Castle."

Adam sniffled, rubbing at his sore eyes, he looked up uncertainly. "The Ice Castle?" he asked hoarsely.

"Yes, our castle…” Lucifer's face lit up with a dazzling grin, so bright it made the frosted leaves around them sparkle, he nodded eagerly. “Your castle too, if you want it."

He rose fluidly to his feet, his black wings stretching even wider, scattering snowflakes from their tips, still holding Adam’s hands, he gently urged him up as well. Adam stumbled slightly, unsteady in this strange new body, but Lucifer steadied him with a hand on his lower back.

Lucifer winked playfully, the old mischief glinting in his otherworldly gaze. "I’ll even teach you how to use your wings properly again, how to really fly."

Adam gave a small, broken laugh, the first real laugh he had managed since arriving in this new, overwhelming world. He looked at his club-shaped wings, feeling them shiver in the cool air, feeling the thrum where they touched Lucifer's own.

"I... I miss flying," Adam admitted softly, almost shyly.

Lucifer's smile turned tender again.

"Then let’s get you back to the sky, my summer prince," he said, voice like a promise, wrapping Adam's hands up in his own as they stood beneath the pale sunlight, surrounded by falling snow and the silent, humming heartbeat of two souls reuniting.

~#~

"Alright," Lucifer beamed, his skin shimmering like frost spun from the first breath of winter. "You open them... like this."

Adam stared, eyebrows lifting high into the soft wildness of his honey-and-oak hair. He watched, entranced, as Lucifer’s great spade-shaped wings unfurled with effortless grace, opening like the petals of some rare, midnight flower, they gleamed, each feather catching the light like shards of enchanted ice.

Adam chewed his bottom lip, his green eyes narrowing in concentration, he turned his focus inward, to the warmth buzzing faintly across his back. He willed his own wings to open, but instead they jerked awkwardly, knocking against his shoulders before snapping shut again with a sharp, embarrassed snap.

"Ah," Lucifer blinked, wide-eyed, his lips twitching with the effort of stifling laughter. "It's alright, truly. Just try again, slowly, carefully, focus on the fluttering under your skin, right here," he murmured, stepping closer.

Lucifer’s six hands moved in delicate unison, the tips of his fingers ghosting up Adam's arms in a touch so light it barely stirred the air.

"It feels like that..." he whispered.

"Oh..." Adam breathed.

Adam swallowed hard as goosebumps prickled across his skin where Lucifer had touched him, he rubbed his arms where the sensation lingered, like the fading brush of butterfly wings, so it would feel like that, the fluttering, under his shoulder blades?

Drawing a slow breath, Adam closed his eyes, he tried, tried so hard, to ignore the heavy weight of Lucifer’s stare. The Lucifer from Before had watched him, yes, but not like this, not with this raw, searing focus that made Adam’s chest tighten and his heart stutter, this Lucifer drank him in shamelessly, like Adam was the only thing in existence.

He would just have to...deal with it, he turned his mind inward, seeking that elusive flutter...

"I don't feel it," Adam whispered, his voice wobbling. His lips trembled, beginning to tilt downward.

Don't cry, don't cry, he begged himself. He was tired of tears. "I can't find it."

Lucifer blinked slowly, like an owl regarding something precious and fragile. He tilted his head with aching softness, his sweet blue lips parting, he smiled, a small, tender thing, and rose up onto the tips of his toes, leaning in close.

Adam’s breath caught sharply. Lucifer was so near that their lips nearly brushed, separated by a mere breath of space. He could feel Lucifer’s cool breath fanning over his own trembling mouth, and he blushed, not red, but green, the colour of fresh shoots after rain.

Lucifer purred warmly, his voice like velvet. "Turn around for me, Addie~"

"W-What?" Adam stammered, shivering.

"Turn around," Lucifer repeated, his voice a teasing lilt, twirling a finger in a lazy spiral. "Please~"

Swallowing hard, Adam turned, the tips of his ears burning green. He desperately hoped Lucifer hadn't seen how his skin had changed colour, but of course, Lucifer had seen everything.

Lucifer’s heart softened further. How he loved Adam, more than words could ever carry. He closed his eyes for a fleeting moment, his long white lashes fluttering like snow moths, before opening them again to drink in the sight of him, his gaze wandered reverently down the elegant slope of Adam’s spine, lingering a little too long on the soft curve of his backside.

Lucifer stepped closer, his very presence exuding the cold hush of winter, Adam gasped when he felt it, trembling. Lucifer grinned and leaned in, purposefully blowing a stream of icy air along the nape of Adam’s neck.

"W-What are you doing?" Adam squeaked, beginning to turn back around.

"No, stay," Lucifer murmured.

Two sets of hands gently anchored Adam’s hips, while another pair curled over his shoulders, steadying him, the final pair skimmed down his back, tracing the tender slope of his spine.

Adam stiffened, green eyes wide as saucers. Six hands... touching him all at once... it was, it was a lot.

Don't think about it, don't think about it, he told himself feverishly. Focus on anything else...

Lucifer’s breath was a whisper against his skin. "That fluttering I spoke of," he said, his voice dripping like honey into Adam’s ears, "It’s right here..."

His fingertips slid with maddening softness along Adam’s back, stopping just beneath his shoulder blades, with a careful, deliberate touch, he pressed.

A startled gasp ripped from Adam’s throat, his face flushed an even deeper green as his club-shaped wings jerked open and fluttered wildly, out of control.

Lucifer chuckled, a low, delighted sound, and repeated the motion, tracing gentle circles beneath Adam’s wing bones. His lower hands still held Adam’s hips steady, squeezing and stroking with quiet possessiveness, grounding him as his wings continued to tremble and unfurl.

Adam’s breath came in shaky little gasps, his whole body thrumming under Lucifer’s many careful touches, it was overwhelming, terrifying, and yet impossibly sweet.

"Okay?" Lucifer purred, rising onto the tips of his toes once more, he leaned in, his breath cool as winter mist as he deliberately blew along the curve of Adam's neck, making him shiver.

"You feel it now, don't you? That fluttering," he whispered, voice like velvet. "Your wings are stirring, even if you can't control them yet, you should feel the tension, the strain right here, just beneath the bone. That soft flutter I told you about."

Adam nodded dumbly, his voice catching. "Y-Yeah, um..."

Lucifer tilted his head, trying to catch a glimpse of Adam’s face. With a playful gleam in his eye, he reached out and gently pinched the tender space under Adam’s wing bone and Adam let out a startled, broken whine.

"Please stop," Adam gasped, covering his face with both hands. "It feels too..."

"Unhuman," Lucifer finished smoothly, chuckling as he withdrew his hands and stepped back, far too pleased with himself, he adored Adam's reactions, they were so wonderfully, painfully familiar. "You wouldn’t have felt anything like that in the Avatars' domain."

Adam's knees gave a soft buckle as he turned shakily to face Lucifer again. Peeking through his fingers, his green eyes wide, he rasped, "Did... did we used to do that a lot?"

"Hmm," Lucifer hummed, the sound thick with affection. A dreamy, almost starry smile curled his lips. "All the time, we're mated, Adam. We did things far more intimate than just that."

Adam shuddered, fighting the urge to crumple into himself. His heart thudded unsteadily, and he opened his mouth, then closed it again, managing only a soft, helpless little noise as he scrubbed his hands over his burning face.

He had never felt anything like that before, the thought gnawed at him: What other... things did being mated mean?

Lucifer’s voice softened, coaxing him gently. "Can you feel the flutter now?" he asked, his own cheeks dusted with a shy, faint blush, the urge to kiss Adam, to claim him all over again, sang through Lucifer’s veins, but he held himself back, barely.

"Fluttering..." Adam echoed weakly.

Yes…yes, he could feel it now. A delicate, alien sensation thrumming under his shoulder blades, over bones and muscles he never remembered having when he was human, strange new parts of himself, awakening.

"That's perfect!" Lucifer beamed, pure joy lighting up his face, two of his hands reached out, tender, insistent, and hooked around Adam’s wrists, gently pulling his hands away from his face.

"Don’t hide from me, my heart," he murmured. "I love seeing you. Every look, every little expression you make, they make me happier than you can imagine."

Adam bit the inside of his lip hard, holding back another whimper, the instinct to curl inwards, to vanish, clawed at him but somehow, somehow, he resisted it this time.

"O-Okay... fine," he stammered, voice shaking, he took a trembling breath, forcing himself to meet Lucifer’s shining, patient eyes. "W-What... what do we do now?"

"Good," Lucifer purred, his voice dipping lower, softer, brushing against Adam’s ears like velvet mist. "Now, come closer," he coaxed, the pads of his fingers, six hands, six ghost-light touches, resting warmly against Adam’s bare skin.

Adam shivered as Lucifer’s hands found his hips again, gently coaxing him forward, guiding him closer until their bodies almost touched. The space between them thinned, until even breath would have been enough to bridge it.

"Bring your hips to mine," Lucifer whispered, a glimmer of mischief sparkling in his frozen blue eyes. "Line up with me... just like that. Good boy~"

Adam’s breath hitched sharply, the cold sweetness of winter curling against his skin, making it pebble with goosebumps. His heart thudded wildly against his ribs, loud enough he feared Lucifer could hear it.

Lucifer smiled, oh, he knew exactly what he was doing and leaned in closer still, murmuring like a prayer against Adam's lips.

"Now arch your back... shoulders back, hips forward. Feel it, feel how your body knows this, even if your mind protests."

Adam’s green eyes widened, trembling like leaves kissed by a storm. A faint blush, that tell-tale flush of green, dusted his cheeks and the flowers braided into his honey-oak hair quivered, shy and unsure. Yet, when he obeyed, arching just as Lucifer instructed, that fluttering inside him unfurled wider, stronger, until it felt like a pulse beneath his skin, under his bones.

Lucifer’s own vast, spade-shaped wings opened and folded with slow, deliberate grace in front of them. He tilted his head, a silent signal, and Adam clumsily mirrored him, his smaller club-shaped wings twitching and stuttering in their motion.

"Good," Lucifer praised, voice dripping with pride and sweetness, he bent his legs slightly, brushing his knees against Adam’s, knocking them together with playful intimacy. "Bend your knees, press down with the balls of your feet... then spring, light as a whisper, up onto your toes."

Adam swallowed thickly, his whole body alive with nerves, with the whisper of power flickering under his skin, his knees bent, his heels lifted, and when he sprung up onto the tips of his toes, just as Lucifer said, his wings shuddered, gliding back and forth without him even thinking.

"Don't fight the flutter," Lucifer cooed, slipping even closer. "Let your body follow it, not your mind. It’s supposed to feel..."

He chuckled, low and wicked, seeing Adam’s growing blush. "That good."

Adam’s face flamed greener still, the flowers in his hair shuddering violently. He wanted to argue, wanted to claim Lucifer was teasing him, but when he followed the sensation, surrendering to it, his club-shaped wings lifted him tenderly from the ground.

A startled gasp tore from his lips as his toes left the earth, his body trembling with the strange thrill of floating, his eyes widened, glowing faintly, their green shining with disbelief.

Lucifer stayed below him, his six hands lifted gently upward, hovering close, ready to catch him if he faltered, his wings shifted slowly, a soothing rhythm in the air, as he watched Adam sway above him.

"That's it, Adam," he encouraged, his voice warm and bright with pride. "You're doing it~"

Adam hovered unsteadily, swaying in the open air like a petal caught on the breeze, a gasp shuddered out of him when he felt himself starting to dip downward, tipping headfirst, but before fear could snatch him, Lucifer caught one of his hands firmly.

Lucifer’s wings beat once, powerful and slow, lifting himself upward alongside Adam with no effort at all.

"You're okay," Lucifer soothed, pressing his forehead gently against Adam’s, their skin met in a cool, tender kiss, the world around them briefly shrinking down to just the two of them, suspended together in the frozen stillness of the sky.

"Don't let your brain trick you," Lucifer murmured against his skin. "The only way you’ll fall is if you think you will."

Adam’s green eyes widened even more, his breath escaping in a soft, broken laugh, half panic, half awe.

Lucifer giggled, a sound so sweet, so full of life, and fluttered his wings playfully, circling Adam in the air. Adam clumsily twisted to follow, and for a moment, they spun together like two butterflies tangled in a slow, dreamy dance.

High above the ground, between breaths and heartbeats, a new bond wove itself tighter between them, unseen but unbreakable.

"I really do love you, Adam."

Adam shyly looked away...

[luvrodite]

milk teeth (833)

on returning to gotham, and old ghosts that haunt you

After it all happens, your parents whisk you away.

It amounts to a betrayal you never quite forgive them for and despite their efforts, the move doesn’t quite scrub Gotham from your grief stricken memory. It remains forever in the rearview mirror, a taunting spectre at your back, a permanent black spot that seems to jeer, you’ll be back. You cannot outrun me.

Some days, she is benevolent. In dreams, she coaxes you back with promises of home, nudges towards you the days that had once made up your childhood. Memories of what had once been, but could never be again, are offered to you on a plate. Return to me, return, return, return…

She shows her viciousness, too. When sweetness does not deliver you back to her threshold, she reveals her teeth. Fury driven by what has been stolen from her, you bear the brunt of her scorn. Child of smoke and water, you were never meant to leave the bounds of her domain.  

Sunsoaked and dripping in artificial colouring, the West Coast is nothing like your gray, grim city. It’s lit in technicolour, yellows and blues too bright for your retinas, Brighton weakened, unused to anything beyond the pale smog and acid rain. Flash burns make a home in your vision, oil spills in the corner of your eye that linger long after you’ve withdrawn, sitting in the dark of your room with the curtains pulled taut. 

The name that sits in your hollow chest is never spoken aloud. 

Not by you, nor your parents who barely dare to look at you, as though you will shatter under the very weight of their gaze. It festers there, the restless spirit of the blue eyed boy who had held your hand on the first day of high school, wrathful at being forgotten. What prayers you muster go unanswered. How can one gain forgiveness from the dead?

Little bird with a wounded wing, you flinch from any and all attempts at consolation. Memory and imagination blur together, visions procured that haunt your nights and whittle you into something unrecognisable. 

Where has my baby gone?

There is no answer that will satisfy your mother’s tears, no energy to fashion a lie that will comfort her agony. Not when your own peels you back, an unending flagellation that shows no intention of relenting. 

This is a grief not meant for the young – to love and lose, this should have come in the winter of your life. But the baby fat of your cheeks has yet to slim out, milk teeth not all lost. You do not know crow’s feet, nor silver strands that thread through your mane.

Grief, you come to find out, cares not for whom it afflicts. You come to know her well.

The California sun, over the years, becomes tolerable but it does little to put your heart to rest, to quiet the press of phantom fingers and wisps of blue black hair that brush against the curtain of your memory. 

Your lost boy lingers, your graveyard of bones calls you home and Gotham takes you back into her arms, a near decade after Jason is killed.

It threatens to topple you over, a knife lodged beneath your breast when you take your first step off the bridge and onto the island. 

All around you the city thrums with frenetic energy, a spirit that has run undercurrent to the lives of its inhabitants long before the first slab of concrete was laid down. Steam hisses and bellows from pipes in buildings above your head. You are jostled by the foot traffic, hurried pedestrians casting derisive looks over their shoulder and muttering beneath their breath. Someone yells down the road, a too harsh laugh makes your eardrums ache and the ghost of your first love stands beneath a light pole, smiling.

He looks just as he had, that last day. It nearly brings you to your knees, staring at the curly haired angel leaning against the steel, a toothy grin curving a rosebud mouth upwards. 

Somebody shoves you with a yell to stop hogging up the path that you barely hear. By the time you look back, he’s gone.

In street lamps, under the cover of store awnings and atop buildings guarded carefully by stone gargoyles. The flutter of fabric in the wind rings in your ears and the world takes on a blue quality, the muffled echoes of a dying laugh reaching you through a veil. 

That same gap toothed, crooked grin that you’d known in your youth meets you from across a convenience store and you drop the can of soda in your hand, 13 years old and blustering under the weight of a nosy store owner’s gaze – shouldn’t you both be at school?

You walk out empty handed and twelve years older, with bright purple stains on the canvas of your sneakers and difficulty steadying your breathing. The bright blue eyes on your back stay there the whole walk home.

is this anything? idfk. i have pilates in 3.5 hours and i haven't slept all night. yikes! anyway. here's whatever this is. it's unedited btw but i wanted to post something because i haven't in almost a month and i'm going crazy cuckoo bananas over it

[bitchy-craft]

What Crystal Describes Your Future Spouse | Pick A Pile

Hello and welcome to this Pick A Pile! In here you'll find out what crystal describes your future spouse. I hope you guys enjoy and find this useful. Do make sure to leave comments down below on your experience! I do want to remind you all that this is a General Pick A Pile which means this is for a lot of people; therefore keep what resonates and leave what doesn't.

Masterlist > Questions > Paid Readings

Pick A Pile!

Pile 1:

The Amethyst is a violet to purple quartz crystal with a transparent to translucent appearance. It often forms in geodes or clusters and can have variations in colour intensity. This crystal is associated with spiritual awareness, inner peace, and transformation. It is believed to enhance intuition, promote clarity of thought, and aid in meditation and spiritual growth. Amethyst is commonly used for meditation, promoting restful sleep, and fostering a calm and balanced mind. It is also considered a protective crystal against negative energies.

Your future spouse, who resonates with amethyst tends to be introspective, intuitive, and have a deep spiritual connection. They seek balance in their lives and have a strong desire to understand their inner selves.

Pile 2:

Citrine is a yellow to golden-brown variety of quartz. It often has a bright and vibrant colour, resembling sunlight or honey. This crystal is associated with abundance, creativity, and positive energy. It is believed to enhance self-confidence, attract success, and promote a joyful and optimistic outlook. Citrine is used to manifest abundance and prosperity, boost confidence, and dispel negative energies. It's also considered a stone of motivation and clarity.

Your future spouse, who resonates with citrine is an outgoing, cheerful, and motivated individual. They have a natural sense of enthusiasm and a knack for turning challenges into opportunities. They radiate positivity and are drawn to creative pursuits.

Pile 3:

Rose quartz is a pale pink to rosy-coloured crystal with a translucent appearance. It's often found in various shapes, from tumbled stones to carved figurines. This crystal is known as the stone of unconditional love and compassion. It is associated with healing emotional wounds, fostering self-love, and nurturing relationships. Rose quartz is used to promote love and harmony in relationships, encourage self-care, and heal emotional trauma. It's also believed to open the heart chakra.

Your future spouse, who resonates with rose quartz is gentle, empathetic, and nurturing. They have a natural ability to create and maintain meaningful connections and often prioritize the well-being of others. They are also in touch with their emotions and seek to bring healing to themselves and those around them.

[yanmunchymochi]

2P!Poland Info

(concept by @j0jorocity , i only do the arts)

sigh... i can't believe I'm gonna post this instead of jojo, but at least i don't need to gatekeep the 2p lietpol arts anymore after this heh

Human Name: Czesław Łukasiewicz

Name Meaning: “Czesław” means “glory”, which is quite ironic…

Physical Age: 26

Gender: Male

Sexuality: Gay

Height: 5’6

Weight: 119 lbs (53 kg)

Eye Colour: Pale green

Hair Color: Dirty blonde

Outfit: He always wears a long crimson red scarf with solid pale yellow sweater and dull blue baggy pants.

Personality/Background:

For a man with that strong of a name, surely you expect a knight in shining armour. Actually, Czesław is frail and notoriously weak, normally relying on his servants or Kęstutis to do things for him. Most of the times, he doesn’t even have the energy to get out of bed.

He’s somewhat of a crybaby and really pessimistic. It feels like it’s in his blood to be a mood-killer—he spent his first 16 years cooped up in an empty palace with nobody to speak to besides his workers, so once he finally came into the real world, he had no experience what it was like to hold a conversation about the weather. Like aforementioned, he is notoriously weak—despite being royalty, he really can’t do anything… Czesław is practically on his own with nothing to tie him to besides his title; prince.

Somehow, he managed to make one friend—Kęstutis. The latter finds him annoying and weak and really pathetic… but he’d give his life for him in an instant. He doesn’t confirm, but it’s possible one of the reasons Kęstutis tries so hard to escape from Nicholas is so he can finally be with Czesław.

Relationships:

- soon -

Extra:

• Czesław's red scarf - one of his most important things - was given by King Jadwiga, which she made it herself. Then she gave it to Czesław as a little birthday gift, which means a lot to Czesław. He treasures it a lot and often wears it since then.

• Czesław's natural hair colour is dark brown/black. He dyed his hair when Kęstutis was taken away by Nicholas.

• Czesław is used to living under Kęst's caring at that point which he relies almost everything on to Kęstutis. Sometimes Kęstutis gets annoyed by Czesław's requests and he could be very strict towards Czesław at times.

Czesław sometimes uses the excuse of "I didn't know" to get Kęst to do stuff for him, and Kęst doesn't mind at all.

• Czesław often feels guilty about the way he uses Kęst and the way Kęst helped him without asking for any repayment, so Czesław tries very hard to make up for it in little ways although Kęstutis thinks it was unnecessary to do so.

• Czesław have a lot of plushies and soft pillows in his room. When Kęstutis is not around him, he could hug the stuffed animals or pillows while imagining them as Kęstutis to release stress and get away from the feelings of anxious, loneliness and the hallucinations of being stalked or watched by someone.

• Czesław suffers from PTSD, panic attacks and sleep paralysis, and he often catches cold. This explains why his cabinet have a lot of bottled pills and medicines.

• Czesław was aware that he's underweight, but he has crippling anxiety and forgets to eat sometimes.

• Czesław experiences through religious guilt. Although raised mostly alone, was raised in a religious environment. His servants had sent scholars to him to teach him about the Bible and other Christian things, so you can imagine how awful he must have felt when he finally realised his feelings for Kęstutis were romantic (since he was taught homosexuality was a sin).

Song:

[stagefoureddiediaz]

7x07 Costume Meta

Well!! Where does one even start with this episode!!!

We start with Hen - thats where! Well actually we start by saying that no Bobby or Athena in this meta - as they were only seen in uniform!

I also want to say - starting with this one, I'm going to have to pull back from the very full on costume meta's I've been putting out each week - work has got incredibly busy (I'm about to undertake a massive multi £million project) and I just don't have the capacity - mentally and physically or the time, to write meta for every single one of our main (and the regulars/guest) cast. These metas take a huge amount of effort and energy and while I love writing them, I need to have the time to pursue other things alongside them, (which I currently don't) and give myself time to rest - I don't want my AuDHD to spiral me into burnout.

So while I'm still going to be putting out a costume meta each week, I cannot guarantee which or how many characters and costumes I talk about - I may do all the characters but not all their costumes or just a few of the characters but all their costumes - it depends on my capacity that week. I will commit to doing Buck and Eddie every week (unles they're only in uniform) because they are the reason I started doing these metas in the forstplace and are my blorbos!

I hope you can understand and still enjoy what I do produce and my inbox will always be open if you have specific questions you'd like to ask! Thanks for understanding

Now on with the meta - below the cut as usual!

Hen

Hens costumes go on a bit of a journey in this episode

Not going to lie - this t-shirt - I am obsessed with it as a choice for Hen and for this scene. Loewe t-shirts start at $300 - I am clearly in the wrong job and universe!! But that aside - we have this bright cyan blue (because its a cyanotype design!) which means trust and loyalty, but it is combined with a cow parsley print and cow parsley in flower language means safety sanctuary and refuge - due to its prevelance in church yards and churches being places where one could seek sanctuary (hisotrically speaking). So this is hen offering all of those things to Mara (on behalf of the Wilson family) and that is just beautiful to see.

Hen in a bright pink hoodie when the pink = naivety and innocence theme we have for this season is going strong, it does also play into the idea of secrets and cheating a bit as well - as we see Deidra give them a way to contact Maras half brothers family, and the implication that Mara's mother cheated on Maras father is made clear as well.

Then we get this birth of love jumper with pink roses on a gold background. gold in colour theory mean optimism, enlightenment and prosperity and with pink roses meaning gratitude and new beginnings, the symbolism of the sweater is pretty clear - even without the words 'the birth of love' wrtien on it - along with mara being in yellow and back in contact with her baby brother, all things are looking pretty positive in the Wilson household right now!

Maddie

its all about the pale blues and lavenders for Maddie this week.

The pale blue we see Maddie in here plays into the same blue theming we've seen Buck wearing since the end of season 5 - this is all about Maddie getting some closure and moving on from her past - leaving Doug and the trauma he put her through in the past. The blue bookends that mini arc for Maddie in this episode - showing her still doing a bit of processing over her trauma surrounding Doug and his kidnapping of her.

We also get the tan coloured jacket with its golden wrm undetones - its within the brown spectrum of the colour wheel and therefore plays into the theme of stability and protection.

We also get this beautiful lavender colour in the middle of it all as well. Lavender is a colour of cleansing and tranquility - which ties in nicely to Maddies pale blue closure and moving on journey for the episode.

Buck

Buck decided to just play out the green and blue colour theme on his own this week - the dark bottle green shirt with a navy blue apron thats messy and stained is an interesting choice! This is the second time this season we've seen Buck in this dark green shade, and both times have been around Eddie and both scenes have related to issues with Eddies relationship with Marisol and the idea of keeping secrets of some description.

combine this with the other times we've seen Buck wearing this dark bottle green and things become even more interesting

-2x18 - Buck and Ali relationship end -3x12 - skateboarding -3x16 - when Buck takes Red to see Cindy -5x13 - when he confesses to Taylor about kissing Lucy -5x18 - when he breaks up with Taylor

the skateboarding scene is the only one that doesn't fully fit the bottle green narrative at play in the other three scenes - its also the only other scene where there is no blue present - Eddie is wearing white and buff, so it can be discounted from the pattern by virtue of the lack of blue.

All 4 of the other scenes involve a relationship crisis point of some description - Ali all but ends their relationship (side point here, Buck is also wearing blue and green in this scene as the hoodie is lined in navy blue).

- Red discovers Cindy has dementia and cannot remember him - ending any hope of that relationship being something he can pursue. This scene does however sit slightly apart from the later scenes as well - by virtue of Red being the character involved - and not someone Buck has a close personal relationship with - Red is a new friend.

Buck confessing he kissed Lucy puts his relationship with Taylor in jeopardy and it then ends in 5x18 - both of these scenes play into the theme of the lack of trust and of secrets on top of the relationship crisis points.

So to combine those scenes with the two from this season - all involve a crisis point in a close relationship along with secrets and to a greater or lesser extent a lack of trust, leading to a breakdown or termination of a relationship. So while on the surface this is all pointing towards some form of relationship termination, my feeling is that isn't the whole story. I do think it still points towards a relationship crisis point for Buck and Eddie (as well as Eddie and Marisol and Eddie and Kim) when the fact Eddie is cheating on Marisol comes to light, the fact that Buck is also the one wearing the blue and not Eddie, points me towards thinking that Buck will also be the one to ensure that any break between him and Eddie is only temporary - because ultimately Buck has been on both sides of the coin - he has been cheated on (Abby did't technically end their relationship so Buck was technically being cheated on) and been the one to do the cheating.

Chris

Chris is the only colour in this scene - we have Eddie in white and buff and Marisol in white and black - both effectively devoid of colour - meanwhile Chris is sat between them wearing green and red - and check gets thrown into the mix as well.

The fact he is placed directly between them for most of the scene is an indicator that it is this 'family' dynamic that is going to fall under the curse of the check pattern - the check is foreshadowing the entrance of Kim later in the scene, as well as the future end of the relationship between Eddie and Marisol and Chris and Marisol.

The green is also closer to Eddies army greens than we've seen Chris in before - playing into the idea of Chris and Eddie being similar in their behaviours and mannerisms - again its a form of foreshadowing Eddies cheating arc sitting in parallel to Chris's one.

Meanwhile the red is a signal of danger (it can mean passion, love etc as well, but in this instance - as its being used in check pattern - its more a symbol of danger - a warning!).

I'm also fascinated by the foreshadowing this outfit gives us as well - the red and green of Buck and later outfits - a signifier perhaps of the check also hinting at conflict ahead for Buck and Eddie over the fact Eddie is lying to Buck and to Chris - as the use of the two colours on all three of them in the episode (and only the three of them) really highlights them as a unit once again.

Then we have Chris in a white tee and a two tone denim jacket. I am sincerley hoping that the white tee is not a signifier of the same things as Buck being in white - Chris so rarely wears white, that I am hoping it is merely playing into the idea that Chris is a true innocent in the tangled web that Eddie is weaving - the web centred around his internalised idea that he needs to find another mother figure for Chris.

Marisol

Marisol in back and white stripes is paying into stripe theory rather nicely - its indicating that change is coming. We see the beginnings of that change later in the scene with the introduction of Kim. The choice to have the stripes in black and white is also telling - its a literal representation of things being black and white and plays into the theme of Eddie and Marisol's relationship lacking colour - its very telling that both her and Eddie have worn black and or white around each other far more than any other colours, I'm not saying we haven't seen them in other colours - we have - Marisol has also worn the bright pink top in 7x01 and the blue dressing gown (and the blue top from later) and Eddie has worn his army green but the fact of the matter is that black and white are the over arching colours the two of them wear in relation to one another and tied into that is the fact that none of the scenes she has been involved in have been about establishing her as a character in her own right - all of her scenes have been set up for either Chris or Eddie - the audience is being given very little to endear her to them and the black and white also plays that out - in fact we have had more establishment of Eddie and Tommy as friends in one episode than we have had of Eddie and Marisol as a couple across multiple episodes.

There is also the fact that white means purity and innocence - which as a novice nun is on theme for her - but it also plays into the idea that she is also an innocent party in the road Eddie is about to send them on.

We also get more Marisol in Blue - its a bright blue that is very reminiscent of the bright blue that the Virgin Mary is depicted wearing in Catholic art - it plays into the theme of Eddies Catholic guilt that was established in 7x05 when Eddie found out she was a novice nun - its just yet more layering of this positioning her as a representation of the Catholic faith - as a representation of purity and goodness - she is intentionally meant to seen bland and too good an pure - its her literal narrative purpose.

Kim

Ok sooo Kim the Shannon Doppelgänger! They've done a great job with costuming her to make her look very differnet to Shannon - which is a key thing. To start with all the colours we've seen her in so far sit on the opposite side of the colour wheel from Shannon - who was much more in the yellow orange and pink side of the wheel, while Kim here sits in the blue side of the wheel - interestingly the same side of the Wheel that Buck sits on. I've spoken at length about How Buck in the pale blues we've seen him wearing since the end of season five was about his journey of self discovery and figuring out who he is and what he wants - about moving forward and leaving the past in the past. The same could be said for Eddie here its just manifesting in a very differnet way - Kim is a projection of Shannon, so moving on from Shannon and leaving her ghost in the past is what Eddies journey is all about.

I am fascinated by the fact that this suit choice - with its vertical striped pattern and white shirt underneath also plays into 6x01 Buck and the lasagne of it all - especially considering we see Buck attempting a new lasagne later in the episode - there is something in the concept that Buck getting his lasagne right in that blue zip front jacket when Eddie is there to eat it, and then not getting the new lasagne he is trying out right when Eddie is not going to be eating it - things being successful and right when the three of them are together as the Buckley-Diaz family, but not being successful or right when one of them isn't present.

This as a concept places Buck along side Shannon - something we've already seen explicitly stated on screen in this season and in direct contrast to Kim - because not only is Kim a doppelgänger for Shannon, she becomes a doppelgänger for buck as well.

The blue and white striped top in the second Kim scene also mirrors Buck costumes from season 6 - the vertical stripes and the use of blue and white - it further emphasises the paralleling of the pair of them - because the implications are clear - Eddie thinking he's found this second chance with Shannon - a second chance at happiness with when the reality is that Buck has been there all along - it plays perfectly into the Vertigo arc that Tim is using as well - Buck in the place of Midge - the best friend but the actual right fit for Eddie who has been there all along.

This black sheer top and leather jacket with the knotted updo is playing into so many themes that it makes me happy! the first and most obvious one is that its a very stereotypical 'other woman' outfit - the sophisticated seductress. It also plays her into the opposite of Shannon - dark versus light - all the flashbacks of Shannon we saw in this episode were brightly lit and bathed in light - giving her an angelic and heavenly aura - a play on her status as an angel (both in terms of her being dead, but also in terms of Eddie having rose tinted glasses on in regards to their relationship and her as a person - that common trait of making saints of the dead - especially when their death was traumatic and left things unfinished - as we have with Eddie)- Kim her is lit far more darkly and the glow of the light has a much more orange and therefore darker tone to it - its a play on temptation - the updo and leather also give her a slightly serpent like air - she is Eve tempting Adam to eat the fruit - it is serpent like. This theme plays on the other religious theme we've had established around Eddie - with Marisol being placed into this Virgin Mary role - here we have Kim being placed into her opposition as the devil - I am not saying she is evil - this is about Eddie being tempted by trying to get back what he has lost - she is a physical manifestation of what is happening - of Eddies internal struggles with his catholic guilt - much in the same way Marisol is a manifestation of the opposite side of that catholic guilt coin - they are the extremes that are pulling on Eddie in physical form and Eddie needs to find the balance.

Eddie

Boy oh boy do we have a lot to talk about with Eddie this week!1

There are three key themes at play with Eddie in his costuming this week and its so so good, I'm obsessed with the choices being made.

Starting out with this white tee and buff suede jacket which ties into three separate scenes which are key in relation to Christopher and Eddies relationships with women and the the theme of Eddie looking for a mother for him.

up first - the moment Eddie lets Shannon back into Christophers life - this one is pretty obvious on the mother front - Eddie is literally letting Christophers actual mother back into his life. this jacket is closer to brown than the buff colour of the one above, but it still plays into the theme - its the point at which the theme is established.

Then we have Eddies talk with Bobby about Shannon and re proposing to her as well as the possibly of her being pregnant again. Its a key turning point in his the relationship with Shannon - it is the moment that idealisation starts to creep into Eddies perspective on her and the moment when past, present and future collide - the concept of having Shannon and not having Shannon.

Finally we have the skateboarding scene - which while being a key moment of bonding as the Buckely-Diaz dynamic continues to be established in season 3. The jacket here is the closest to the one from 7x07 and this scene comes on the back of a couple of scenes with Ana - who was wearing pale blue in one and white (with red flowers) in the second.

All of these scenes when combined with the scenes from 7x07 establish this white tee - buff/beige jacket or shirt colour way as being about Christopher and Eddies desire to give him a mother figure - that the final scene - the skateboard scene very clearly shows Buck becoming a key figure in Christophers upbringing in a far more visual and physical way - Eddie is and active participant rather than standing on the sidelines as he is in all the others - along with the choice to show buck in the dark green in the same episodes - showing Buck in a semi parental role back then to show him in an even more parental role in this one (the 'we won't wait up' was a definite choice on the script front when it had been established that Chris was staying over at Bucks and Eddie wasn't returning until the following day) - especially when you also have Chris wearing red in both episodes.

Eddie in a black shirt - one that is the same as the one from 7x06.

There is a lot at play with this black shirt, and a lot at play with black on Eddie more widely, but first up - The Christopher watch. It was so very present in this episode - the shirt cuff has been tucked underneath the watch to ensure that it is visible - because they want to ensure that we see that Christopher is still front and centre in Eddies mind through all of this - it is an indicator that Eddie is not dating any of these women for himself - they are all in one way or another for Chris.

The clincher on the watch front is that the first time we see it is when he goes on his first date with Ana - the first time he is trying to 'recapture' the magic he had with Shannon and the first time he starts dating to try and give Chris a mother figurre. The fact it is so present when he goes back to the store to see Kim the Shannon doppelgänger is proof enough that this is as much about Chris as it is Eddie - the ghost of Shannon continues to loom large in both of their lives and Eddie is very much still trying to find her again for the both of them.

The other - slightly more unhinged aspect of this is that he wears the Christopher watch out to his date with Kim later on - making it still about Christopher. The reason this is unhinged is that the one time we have seen Eddie go out on something resembling a date and not wear the Christopher watch was the poker night with Buck - I said at the time the fact that both Eddie and buck were wearing new watches was important - here we start to see its significance play out - that poker night was for Eddie (and Buck), not for Christopher in any way - if Marisol or Kim were meant to be endgame or even truly long term - then he would be wearing that watch on his dates with one of them - the fact he hasn't speaks volumes (and speaks volumes for the buddie of it all!).

the shirt itself being worn for this meeting and coming off the back of two key scenes in 7x06 tells its own story. Whilst Bucks coming out to Eddie scene is about his coming out, it is also about establishing Eddie not knowing/realising that Tommy was gay, as well as about the idea of

His wearing it to reverse his relationship with Marisol back to them not living together - to start over is obvious - the magic with her wasn't magicking, but because of his determination (subconsciously) to find a mother for Chris he rewinds rather than ending the relationship. This remains the key scene for this shirt in that episode and ties into his wearing it in this one - its all about rewinding the clock and trying again.

The thing with Eddie in black (apart from the singlets which are their own themed thing - although it still ties into the wider Eddie in black theme) is that its a colour he has worn so specifically in relation to his mental health and in connection with Christopher (and Shannon).

I'm not going to go through every instance of him wearing black - it would take way to long, but I am going to pick out a few key moments when he is wearing it - specifically shirts

2x17 - the reproposal/ divorce scene 3x12 - parent teacher night at school - mets Ana for the first time 3x15 - Christopher birth (flash back scene) 4x13 - follow your heart not Christophers scene 5x01 - Panic attack scene 5x10 - tells Carla about the hostage situation - after Chris's meltdown 5x17 - Ramons retirement party

We also have him in 6x11 in his widows weeds at Bucks bedside and in 6x17 a long sleeved waffle tee when he 're' meets Marisol at the DIY store

In regards to Marisol - he has worn black more than any other colour in relation to her (not that they've had many scenes together, but half of their scenes have been in black, and that includes their 're' meeting in the hardware store - not technically their first meeting, but Eddie was in uniform the first time they met.

The black is playing two roles with Eddie - there is the fact that it has duel meaning - it is associated with magic - specifically dark magic as well as darkness/depression, secrets and power. I know I haven't listed all of the scenes he wears black and long sleeves above - but the fact that those scenes I've listed are so very central to Eddie, fatherhood and the various women in his life is pretty telling. The fact that both Ana and Marisol were both met in scenes where he was in black or that so many of the other scenes were connected to pivotal moments in his relationships with all three women (Shannon, Ana and Marisol) - in the same way the the dark green has been for Buck - and the fact that so many of the scenes tie into the theme of his heart and not following it plays into this idea that he is in mourning - that his grief is central to all of these relationships - and that includes this new one with Kim.

Setting his first meeting (as in actual conversation) with Kim against this backdrop of his previous relationships, grief and his 'struggle's with fatherhood (including his relationship with his own father) sets this relationship off on the wrong foot regardless of the cheating aspect or the fact she is Shannons doppelgänger.

Sorry, both the pictures from 7x07 have terrible lighting - it was basically impossible to get a good still of either shirt that showed off the colour!!!! I am however obsessed with the choice to put Eddie in maroon twice in this episode - and in long sleeves at that!

The reason for my obsession - the way it plays into yet another Christopher theme. Eddie wearing Maroon long sleeved shirts (espeically Henleys) in relation to Christopher and his choices as a parent. So in this Episode it happens twice - we have his meal in the Diaz kitchen with Marisol, and then at the end of the Episode - his date with Kim - While neither scene directly involves Chris, both play into this idea of everything Eddie does in terms of his relationships in connected to Chirs - he daydreams about bringing Shannon back into Christophers life - in a better more honest way than he actually managed to do in the real world (proof of his rose tinted glasses being firmly on when it comes to Shannon) - righting the wrongs he feels he did her, then later on he drops Chris off with Buck (the other actual parental figure in Chris's life) before going on a secret date wit ha woman who looks like Shannon and Eddie is viewing as a second chance - a second chance not just for himself, but also for Chris - because Chris is missing his mom - something the show established early on in the season and the trigger that is sending Eddie into this current spiral.

All of the scenes Eddie has worn this colour in previously (by this I mean without the presence of other colours via jackets etc) - and they're aren't that many - are deeply connected to Chris and Eddies struggles with fatherhood.

We have this scene from 2x10 when Chris confesses his Christmas wish is to have his mom back - which leads to Eddie feeling guilty about his choices as a father and ultimately leads to Shannons return to Christophers life.

then we have Fight club Eddie in the aftermath of nearly killing a man from 3x08 - This is the only other time we see him in a Henley and the fact that the conversation he has with Bobby is so heavily intertwined with the concept of Eddie needing to be in control for Christopher - he is once again at the heart of the scene, even in his physical absence from it. It is also turning out to be an even more key scene - Bobby makes the all important comment

'Eddie I just want to make sure you don't think you have to lose everything, before you can allow yourself to feel anything'

this line is very much coming into play now - Eddie did not listen to Bobbys advice and is now setting himself on a course to lose everything. That implies that he will then finally start to feel things - able to move past his continued grief and build a future for himself. The overarching implication is that Eddie has remained in fight club mode since this scene - just that the fight club is internalised and with himself - his failings as a husband and father.

Chris goes off to summer camp in 3x18 - again a scene about Chris and Eddies role as father

and finally his first date with Ana - this scene while not obviously about Chris in the moment - is in fact all about Chris - we see it borne out over the course of Eddies relationship with Ana, but the key factor is that this is the first time we see Eddie wearing a different watch to his work watch - a second watch - his Christopher watch - which I explained the significance of above.

I've also included this tee from 6x12 because although it has short sleeves rather than long ones, it is adjacent to all of the above - he is making Christophers lunch while he and Buck talk later on after Buck has enjoyed his nap on Eddies couch, but it is also the closest they have come to talking about the will. Eddie is also not wearing a watch at all at this point - in a precursor to the poker date two episodes later, this moment - about letting yourself feel things rather than boxing them up inside feels like a key counterpoint to the reality of Eddies arc for this season.

The other thing about the red shirt black jacket combination along with all the above, is that it also juxtaposes the date with Vanessa that Pepa set him up on - the idea of wanting to be on a date versus not wanting to be on a date, whilst also ensuring black is a central theme with Eddies costuming arc this season.

Thats all for this week - Sorry again that it took so long to get written and posted - but I hope you enjoyed it none the less!

Tagged people below!

@theladyyavilee @mistmarauder @xxfiction-is-my-realityxx @bewilderedbuckley @spotsandsocks

@bewitchedbewilderedbisexual @rogerzsteven @wanderingwomanwondering

@oneawkwardcookie @leothil @copyninjabuckley @shammers86 @crazyfangirlallert @missmagooglie @katyobsesses

@radiation-run @gayandbifiremenofmine @bi-moonlight @crazyaboutotps @princesschez75 @alliaskisthepossibilityoflove

@sherlocking-out-loud @satashiiwrites @lover-of-mine @yramesoruniverse @extasiswings @favouritealias @pop-kam @b-dwolf @maygrcnt

[chasing-faith-and-fate]

Welcome to Chasingclan!

My name is Kat/Johnny/Siffer, and I will be your host and storyteller! English is not my native language and I have some type of dyslexia, so there will be grammar issues and typos probably all over the place. If I have the energy and want I do fix them if they're glaring enough.

I will post polls and google forms to collect what I need for information of the cats!

Tags:

New moon updates- #chasingmoon Anything with lore- #chasinglore Characters asks- #chasingask (open) Character/story polls- #fatepoll Asks for me and anything ooc- #askjon #katchat

Important! If you would like anything to be tagged with tw let me know.

ComicFury version

REFERENCES/ALLEGIANCES TO THE CHARACTERS OF CHASINGCLAN

Text colours: Soot- Yellow Silk- Light Green Dew- Purple Crane- Grey Valley- Pale Yellow Moth- Orange Epilogue- Dark Blue Mint- Green Beetle- Light Brown Jay- Light Blue Rattle- Off White Owl- Dark Brown Hawk- Dark Green Falcon- Cyan

[yellowbunnydreams]

Masquerade (Part 2) (William Afton x F! Reader)

@ruh--roh-raggy .

Credit to; saradika-graphics for the page dividers.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* Want more or something different? *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Want some ambience whilst you read?

CW: Minors DNI, (18+ ONLY), Female Reader, Meet-cute! William in a suit, sunshine dad energy Henry, William is older than reader, kissing a stranger(?), flirty banter, light mention of murder, soft!dom Will, predator/prey metaphors

The encounter with the man had left you shaken, but the taste of fruit and alcohol on your tongue only served to remind you of how intense those silver eyes looked as he stared into your very soul. The sweetness on his breath, the subtle creak of leather gloves as he wrapped those large but somehow dexterous fingers around your wrist. The feeling of the warm leather stroking up the delicate and all too thin skin there.

But soon everybody started making their way over to the middle of the floor, leaving room in the middle as you looked over curiously, not moving from your little spot by the bar and too afraid that you could bump into the handsome, flirty stranger once again.

"Are you not going to see the performance, miss?" The bartender asked, making you turn your head as you carefully adjusted your mask to make sure it was still in place. Tipping your head to one side curiously before glancing back towards where people were gathering.

"Performance?" You somehow managed to pull enough of your thoughts together that you recalled the man had mentioned a performance, along with who seemed to be a friend of his before the two of you had met. Part of you hoped it was, the part that felt like that frightened little rabbit under his intensity didn't.

"Yes. Some of the donors are performing to help promote their newest innovations, I don't know how they got it approved, but it's supposed to revolutionise the entertainment industry." He shrugged, giving you a smile "But some people are sceptical. Especially since they requested that nobody go near the creations with drinks."

Something about the conversation you had overhead earlier stuck in your head, buzzing about annoyingly but never quite coming to you. Shaking your head, you headed over after placing your now empty glass down, feeling the pleasant burn and buzz running through you as you carefully picked through the masked crowd and to the front. Not that anybody seemed to be paying you attention.

Not when there was two giant golden animals stood in the middle of them all.

They weren't true animals though, you could see that much. They were rather anthropomorphic, one resembling a golden coloured bear with a purple top-hat and matching bow-tie, cartoonish big pale brown eyes and blocky foam teeth that made it look more like something from a children's show you might have seen once upon a time. The yellow rabbit by it's side however, made your heart skip slightly as you found it staring directly at you, head cocked to one side slightly like it was regarding you. The green eyes looked almost half-asleep, one ear flopped forwards cutely with a little purple bow-tie affixed to the neck, or rather just under the head.

A glass tinkled lightly, turning your attention there as you realised that the music had stopped, leaving room for the feminine voice that spoke to enunciate clearly and project to the large gathering.

"Thank you for attending everybody," it was the woman in the red dress from earlier, perhaps they were a troupe of performers? You could see her mask more clearly now, and how it was a careful construction of golden roses and leaves, placing the empty glass she had used to gather their attention onto a passing tray, noticing a shine on her hand that you assumed was a wedding ring of some form. "It is our pleasure to debut Freddy's newest innovations in Children's Entertainment, in honour of this year's chosen charity."

There were pleased murmurs from the crowd and a few glasses raised to toast, but you could also see a few people turning to each other and whispering like they had their own doubts. The name 'Freddy's' rang a bell, but it was lost in the back of your mind somewhere, faintly ringing as you simply looked on in awe.

"These suits combine the latest in robotics technology, developed in house, and combined with the life-like realism of suit-performers! The Springlock Suits! I'm sure there are a few faces that remember Fredbear's Family Diner, and the Fazbear-Family decided that they would like to revive those characters into these new iterations." It made you smile, that this seemed to be a company of some form that hadn't abandoned it's characters, but rather chosen to breathe new life into them. Your ear however, caught some discontented tutting behind you.

"What a death trap!"

"Yeah, they're really bringing those things back after that kid got murdered outside of Fredbear's?"

"I heard that an employee was killed inside the first versions of those things."

Surely it was gossip, just rumours that people liked to get riled up about without any basis. The drone of the woman talking about the technical specifications without giving away trade secrets and what it would mean for the local business filtering through without you really paying attention it. But the thought of those silver eyes lingering on yours, the closeness of his breath to your face as he stole your cherry, lingering over the words that had slipped out moments before from the both of you.

'Maybe it's you who's in disguise then.'

'Perhaps...'

Your thoughts were quickly snapped back to the performance as a large golden hand appeared in front of you, palm held up expectantly, your eyes tracing up the blocky but rounded shapes of the multi-part suit. Landing on those sleepy green eyes, the robotic parts clicking as the eyelids slid forwards in a blink. Hearing the faint hiss and crackle of static behind the voice that came from a voice box you couldn't see, although being this close you could hear that chillingly low baritone beneath it.

"May I have this dance, Miss Bunny?"

You paused for a moment, before your much smaller hand slipped into his, and you followed the yellow rabbit.

The orchestra started up again in a dark and whimsical version of what sounded like a waltz, the yellow rabbit seizing your smaller hand in his and the other wrapping around your waist. Squeezing you tightly against it's velveteen body whilst you tried not to step on the over-sized feet with your heels, not wanting to trip up the man inside as he began to gracefully move in time with the music. A quick glance around saw the golden bear moving amongst the crowd and gesticulating like it was showing off other features, but only you and the rabbit were dancing in amongst a crowd of other people who decided to join the soiree.

He moved with a shocking amount of grace and precision for both his natural size and the seven feet tall suit, hearing the tiny click and whirr of mechanics inside as the head blinked blindly down at you, over shadowing you as you caught a tiny glimpse of perhaps a salt and pepper beard through the darkness of the teeth. Up close, he still had that smoky, tart fruit smell about him, spiced cologne and the articulate fingers tightened on your hand as he spun and whirled you like he had done it a thousand times before.

"Such a pretty little thing." The dual voice crackled quietly, making you jump slightly as you snapped out of your focus on the flashes of skin inside the suit and the spinning lights all around, yelping and then laughing as he spun you out of his grip before pulling you back in, your shoulder hurting from the sudden snapping motions it had been forced through in the delicate twirl.

"Everything looks small compared to that suit, Mr. Rabbit." Heart racing inside your chest, you felt his grip tightening on you once more as you thought you heard a quiet hum beneath the music around you.

"It does...but you look particularly delicious in that dress." It seemed nobody could hear the two of you, your own little slice of personal time with the stranger as you could feel that cold, yet somehow heated gaze on your mask, your eyes, the curve of your collarbones leading to the valley of your breasts. "I could eat you alive."

"Do you want to?"

"More than anything, bunny. It's been a while since I felt anything like this....That burning desire to consume, to hold onto and burn us both out or keep the blaze roaring."

"You speak like an old man." You teased, earning a low growl from within the suit that was tactfully disguised as a cough as some onlookers glanced sideways at the pair of you. Your head was spinning, from the proximity or the whirling waltz you had been pulled into, you weren't quite sure.

"I speak my mind, little bunny. Tonight is not a night for patience or for holding back." Baritone mixed with the lighter notes of the character voice forcing a weird attraction to build in your head as he gripped onto your waist with what felt like bruising force, making you wince for a moment before gasping, heart pounding harder in your chest.

"Then don't, Mr. Rabbit...What's stopping you?"

You had a sudden view of the ornate plaster moulding on the ceiling, along with the glittering chandelier before the yellow rabbit put his head back into your view. Feeling his strong hand supporting your back as the music swelled to it's final act, unsure where the notes ended and your pulse began as your lips parted unsurely, taking shaking breaths before you saw the grin in the darkness of the teeth behind, licking over his own teeth and giving that low growl again as he gripped onto you.

"What's stopping me, is witnesses, Miss Bunny. I don't fucking share, particularly when it's something I really want." The tone of his words made the hair on the back of your neck stand up on end as even though you couldn't see his eyes, you could hear the feralness seeping through into his voice, feeling him slowly drag you back to your feet. The clapping of the audience you had garnered meeting your ears finally as you realised that the dance was already over. Watching the yellow rabbit bow as you curtseyed as best as you could on unsteady legs, watching the suit head tilt up slightly and tilt to one side before he brushed past you towards his collegue, whispering as he once again left you.

"Meet me in the butterfly study in an hour. You don't want to be late for a very important date, do you, Miss Bunny?"

Glancing at the clock at the end of the hall, his touch lingered against your skin at least mentally whilst you tried to catch your breath. Listening to the congratulatory conversation around you and feeling a few hands shaking yours, congratulations on your performance.

You heard none of it however, watching the second hand ticking by already as you wondered what awaited you in an hour. And you couldn't help but feel like you had been caught in an elaborate spider's web of fantasy whilst your hands trembled and you felt as if you couldn't move for fear of breaking the spell that the yellow rabbit had cast upon you.

[the-mortuary-witch]

RAUM

WHO IS HE?

Raum is a demon mentioned in demonological texts and is often attributed as the 40th demon in the Ars Goetia. He is depicted as a powerful and influential demon with the ability to grant wealth, good health, and sexual favors. Raum is described as appearing as a man with the upper body of a crow, and is said to command up to two hundred legions of demons. In some accounts, he is also associated with the element of air and the power of temptation.

BASIC INFO:

Appearance: he is depicted as a crow which adopts human form at the request of the conjurer. Raum was a massive but thin demon that stood several feet high. He had crow like features with a large black beak and black feathers around his head and chest. He had pure black feathers and giant birds wings. He had pale skin and a pair of yellow eyes. 

Personality: Raum is typically portrayed as having a confident and authoritative demeanor. He is said to be a powerful and influential demon, who commands respect from those around him. He is also described as being cunning and manipulative, using his power and influence to achieve his goals and desires. He is often depicted as being seductive and charismatic, using his powers of persuasion and temptation to lure in and ensnare those who seek his help. Despite his powerful presence, he is also said to be approachable and willing to listen to the pleas of those who call upon him.

Symbols: the element air, crow, lion, wings, sword, wealth, throne, leopard, and crown

Earl/Count of: wealth, good health, and sexual favours

Culture: Demonic

Plants: thistle, rose, cedar, lavender, bay laurel, ash tree, honeysuckle, pine, and haw thorn

Crystals: tigers eye, carnelian, black tourmaline, green aventurine, onyx, pyrite, and labradorite

Animals: crows, leopard, wolves, lion, snakes, eagles, hawks, and ravens

Incense: dragons blood, frankincense, myrrh, rose, and sandalwood

Practices: sex magick, protection, chaos magick, divination, astral projection, transformation, and personal empowerment

Colours: gold, yellow, red, and black

Numbers: 40, 12, and 9

Zodiacs: Aries and Scorpio

Tarot: The Tower

Planet: Mars

Days: Tuesday, new moon, Lupercalia, Beltane, and Lammas

Parents: none known

Siblings: none known

Partner: none known

Children: none known

MISC:

• Wealth and abundance: he has the power to grant material wealth, physical health, and sexual favours to those who summon him. This association likely stemmed from the belief that demons have the power to influence earthly matters, including the acquisition of wealth and material possessions.

• Power and authority: Raum is given the title of "Count," which indicates his position and rank within the infernal hierarchy. This title is seen as a symbol of power and authority, suggesting that Raum has a significant role and influence in the infernal realms. As a powerful demon, Raum is said to command up to two hundred legions of demons, which would require a significant amount of authority and command over lesser spirits. This association with power and authority serves to elevate Raum's status and importance in the infernal hierarchy.

• Temptation and deception: is known for his ability to use his powers of persuasion and illusion to trick and deceive humans into making unwise decisions. He is often depicted as a cunning and manipulative figure who uses his charisma and charm to lure in those who seek his help, only to reveal his true motives later on. This association with temptation and deception reinforces the idea that Raum can be a dangerous and who should be approached with caution and respect.

• The element air and Mars: he is associated with the element of air and the planet Mars due to his planetary and elemental rulership. In many magical and astrological systems, each planet is associated with a specific element and its corresponding qualities, such as: Mars being the planet of war, action, and energy, which is associated with the element of fire. Air being the element of intellect, communication, and intellect, which is believed to have an influence over the mind and rational faculties.

• Magical practices: such as charm bags and love spells because he has the power to influence matters related to love, sex, and relationships. Some believe that he has the ability to help individuals find love, heal emotional wounds, and bring stability and harmony to romantic relationships. As such, he is often invoked in magical rituals and spells related to love and romance, such as creating charm bags or casting love spells to attract a romantic partner.

FACTS ABOUT RAUM:

• Often depicted with the head of a lion or leopard.

• Known for his ability to grant wealth, good health, and sexual favours to those who summon him.

• He is the 40th spirit listed in the Ars Goetia.

• He commands up to two hundred legions of demons.

• He is associated with the planet Mars and the element of air.

• He is said to be cunning, manipulative, and charismatic.

HOW TO INVOKE RAUM:

Working with Raum involves the use of magical techniques and rituals that are intended to summon and communicate with the demon. Here is a basic outline of the steps involved in working with Raum:

• Preparation: before you begin working with Raum, you should prepare yourself and your environment. This might involve cleansing your space, setting up a summoning circle, and gathering any necessary supplies, such as a black mirror, incense, and a candle.

• Invocation: once you have prepared yourself and your space, you can begin the invocation process. This typically involves reciting an invocation or prayer that is specifically written to call upon Raum.

PRAYER FOR RAUM:

Oh mighty and powerful Count Raum, I call upon you to appear before me in this circle. By your rank and authority, I implore you to bring forth your presence and answer my petition. I offer myself and my will to you, and request your guidance and assistance in matters of power, abundance, and deception.

May our partnership be fruitful and beneficial to us both. Hail Count Raum!

SIGNS THAT RAUM IS CALLING YOU:

• Repeated encounters or dreams involving bats, crows, or other creatures associated with the Earl.

• Sense of curiosity or attraction towards occult practices or the supernatural.

• A feeling of being guided or protected, as if there is a powerful presence watching over you.

• Strange or unexplained occurrences, such as sounds, smells, or chills you cannot explain.

• An urge to study or work with the principles of chaos magic or the Goetic spirits.

• Repeated or coincidental appearances of the numbers 9, 12, and 40.

• Unexpected or unusual opportunities or luck in areas such as money, love, or success.

• Sudden interest or inclination towards dark or morbid topics, such as death, the occult, or the supernatural.

• Strong desire to explore or experience new and different things, particularly those with a darker or more dangerous edge.

OFFERINGS:

• Red/grey candles or objects.

• Ask Raum what he likes.

• Wine, whiskey, or other spirits.

• Meats: beef, venison, bison, duck, goose, turkey, rabbit, pheasant, quail, lamb, goat, salmon, tuna, and/or mackerel.

• Items that are symbolic of your goals and desires, such as a journal.

• Fruits: apples (red or golden), pomegranate, grapes, pears, peaches, figs, avocados, bananas, oranges or tangerines, blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries, pineapple, mango, and papaya.

• Sweets that you enjoy.

• Flowers and plants that are meaningful to you.

• Personal items: jewelry, photos, or other objects that you hold sacred.

• Coins or gemstones.

• Items associated with transformation and change, such as feathers or shells.

DEVOTIONAL ACTS:

• Burning a red or grey candle.

• Working hard in your studies, work, etc.

• Burning dragon's blood incense.

• Giving "riches" to those who need it, such as money.

• Spending time with your significant other or crush.

• Practicing divination with cards, dice, books, music, etc.

• Engaging in a physical challenge or exercise that pushes you to your limits, and dedicating the results of this challenge to him.

• Creating jewelry or talismans with his sigil or name and wearing them as a symbol of your devotion.

• Participating in a ritual or spell that harnesses your emotions and energy to benefit Raum.

• Performing an act of service or charity in his name, such as volunteering for a cause he is associated with.

[disharm0nious]

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, I'm in the middle of a minor health crisis and haven't been feeling very creative. While I haven't been making my own, I have been managing to get a little done from patterns I bought when I have the energy, so I thought I'd show some of those off!

[ID: A pattern stitched on black 14ct aida in pale yellow and golden yellow silky thread, in the shape of the solar array of the James Webb Space Telescope. It consists of 18 hexagons arranged around a central one. Most of the hexagons have a different pattern stitched into them, but the central one and five others are empty. One of them is only half finished. Each pattern is stitched in the lighter thread in a stripe through the middle, to look as if it is reflective. End ID]

This is PatchyAtBestCo on Etsy's James Webb Space Telescope pattern, I did it in satin thread instead of regular yellows to give it a bit of extra shine! I've been working on it for well over a year because my attention span is nonexistent. The repetitive patterns can be nice when listening to a podcast though.

[ID: A cross stitch pattern stitched on 16ct white aida. It is long and narrow in shape and made up of a wide variety of blues and purples, with the shape of a dragon's head in black and its neck just able to be made out in the shading and black details. It has large antlers stitched in silky pale yellow thread, with the tips not quite finished. Its eye is stitched in the same silky thread, as well as a stripe further down its neck. There are no lines added yet, and the top is unfinished. End ID]

This is a pattern by AnnyFunnyXxX on Etsy, this particular colour scheme isn't available anymore but they do have it in green and purple colour schemes that look great too! Again I replaced the yellow with satin thread because I love shiny things and also I hate myself apparently. (Don't do that. There are quarter stitches in the antlers, eyes AND stripes, you will regret it almost instantly. It does look cool though.) This is only the top half of the pattern, I still have the bottom half to go.

Here's hoping that this year I'll have some of my own patterns and some more screen printing to show you!

[m0n0morph]

More Kirby Lore for Y’all

The Planet Taphino and the Kabii

Taphino is the home world of the Kabii, who are essentially the Kirby species. This is just a quick summary for why it’s important and so I can use it as an anchor for my oc’s backstory

Note: this one is a bit long and I will always take feedback for world building and lore. Also I would love to see people add their oc’s in this or create oc’s for this universe

History

Tha Kabii (Kirby species) are an ancient race born from powerful emotions. Although in the present they are very rare back then they could be found everywhere. At one point in history they had their own planet called Taphino, this was a peaceful place where Kabii and other residents could live in harmony. Taphino was lush and abundant, the Kabii caused resources to grow rabidly due to their presence.

Soon they received visitors from the stars that called themselves The Ancients who brought along great magic power and science to the small planet and with little hesitation were accepted by the denizens of the peaceful planet. It did not take long for the Ancients to start taking resources and people specifically Kabii to started going missing.

I did not take long for people to put two and two together and they confronted The Ancients, their attempt at a peaceful exchange turned to fighting and later an all out war. Many people sided with The Ancients viewing their knowledge as a power, others were against them as they did not want to lose their planet for the sake of greed and power.

In the end, The Ancients were too powerful. They had taken the Kabii’s most powerful warriors and hunted them until they were all under their control. There was only 1/3 of the Kabii species remaining after, most were under control of The Ancients. The rest were gathered as a small colony hidden on Taphino, they were skilled at hiding and remained this way until long after The Ancients went extinct, taking most of their species with them.

Only a select few of the remaining Kabii, the leaders knew what happened to The Ancients and how they were destroyed by Eclipse Knight [see: There’s Something in the Abyss]. They prevented this information from spreading though, to keep the colony in fear and under their control. Over time though few Kabii were able to sneak out and explore the universe.

These include Sir Arthur (Meta Knights adoptive dad), baby Dragato, baby Falspar, and teenage Nonsaurot (Meta Knights adoptive siblings), Baby Meta Knight(separately than his adoptive family), Tontu, Revek and much much later Kirby.

Planet Taphino

Taphino is described as being green and lush and was recognized from travelers as having a calming pale green colour. Food and other resources were abundant on the planets surface with rare and powerful minerals underground awaiting to be harvested. The primary residents, the Kabii had made this planet the way it was, the sheer amount of them there had been charging the planet with magic making it what was often described as heaven to any explorers from outer worlds. One of the most defining features of the planet was its two large rings that wrapped perpendicular around the planets surface. The first ring glowed with a faint blue and the second with a faint yellow, they appeared due to the amount of magic energy being greater then what the planet itself could carry and simply moved the magic to orbit around.

The Kabii living their had a absolute monarchy with the higher ups being distinguished by white markings around their eyes symbolizing strong magical power. Due to their long lifespan, there was rarely a change in rule and since the day the first monarch came into power and the end of the war with the ancients, there have only been three monarchs (Monarch Raven, Monarch Nexia and Monarch Pantheon). A monarch will continuing ruling until they are challenged by another with a royal bloodline which will lead to them either fighting to the death or until one surrenders. Once the Kabii lost to the ancients and went into hiding the remaining royals continued to rule but as a group of leaders instead of as monarchs (Monarch Revan is currently leader but is now simply known as Leader Revan).

Kabii species

The main requirement of a Kabii's birth is the power of emotions, positive emotions with make a positive or light kabii (ex. Kirby or Galacta Knight) and negative emotions will make a negative or dark Kabii (ex. Meta Knight). The type of Kabii does not impact the colour of the kabii nor how they act, only their magic and features. Should Kabii have wings a negative kabii tend to have more bat like wings and positive kabii tend to have feathered wings although this is not true 100% of the time, some Kabii are the opposite andothers have unique wings like insect wings. Horns. antlers or others of the sort tend to be a sign of magic in some Kabii, although all kabii have at least some magic these kabii tend to rise above but again there can still be exceptions.

There are three ways a Kabii can be born that can depend of the type of Kabii. Positive Kabii tend to be born though regular sexual reproduction as seen by most species and dark kabii can be born through the same means or a type of mitosis that makes a kabii with the same colour but without the potential to wield magic power. This is very uncommon and most species and even light Kabii are unaware of this ability. Only negative adult kabii who can use magic are able to do this. When a kabii is made between two others their is no pregnancy period, rather the couple (or more if poly) will remain close and join their magic together and after about thirty minutes a small ball of pure energy and magic will form. After about a year the ball will develop into a baby Kabii, until then the ball will stay orbiting around one or both parents. The baby will be a mix of the parents in terms of colours and features, two positives Kabii will make a positive Kabii, two negative Kabii will make a negative kabii and a mix of either two or more of different parents can make either though usually light if there is an equal amount of each charge.

The third way and the most intriguing is through the death of a star, this is called a supernova birth. These Kabii tend to be more powerful than regular Kabii and are considered to have been molded by the Gods (they are not related). These Kabii will be born as a baby instead of starting as a ball of magic.

Kabii are an immortal species, only dying to illness (rare) or injury and because of this long lifespan they are the longest creatures in existence to fully mature. A baby kabii will turn adolescent at age 100, teenager at age 750 and adult at age 1500, once they reached adulthood they simply stop growing until they die.

Kabii believe in two Gods, Peaceful Gaia who is the God of peace and positive Kabii and Morpho Knight who is the God of Death and negative Kabii. They are loved by the species who write stories and songs about them.

Considering the species is to rare it is rarely discussed anymore as most do not know but there used to be racism between the light and dark Kabii, the light kabii believed the dark Kabii to be evil and have some relation to dark matter and the dark kabii viewed light Kabii to be entitled. Even in present day there is still a level of bias between them whick can lead to dark kabii hiding themselves.

Character Notes:

(Game Characters)

Kirby is a light Kabii with a supernova birth.

Meta Knight is a dark Kabii who was born from mitosis

Sir Arthur is a light Kabii, he and his wife are the biological parents of Nonsaurot, Dragato and Falspar (oldest-youngest, all light) with Meta Knight as an adopted child. (slightly older than Nonsaurot)

Galacta Knight is a light Kabii with a supernova birth

Morpho Knight is Morpho Knight

(My characters)

Tontu is a light Kabii with royal blood

Eclipse Knight is a dark Kabii with a supernova birth

Revek is a dark kabii

And Pipistrello is a light kabii