#siw

[truths33k3r4]

CHAPTER 4 - The Vibrancy of Hope

When Raph blinked, he was back in his bedroom, crouched down on the floor next to his twin.

Through the storms of his horrible memories, a single cloud parted by a small, shaking voice. It reached out to Raph like a lifeline, pulling him out of the raging waves of his past.

“I-I’m sorry..” 

Don groaned through his clenched teeth. “I-I didn’t know what else to do.” His hunched-over form shifted as he lifted his gaze to meet his brother’s. A mental message pricked at the corner of Raph’s mind from his twin. 

(They wouldn’t stop... I couldn’t control it.)

Understanding sparked in his green and hazel eyes, making them grow in empathy. 

Raph sighed as he reached his arms over his twin. Don’s body tensed at first, becoming rigid and tight at the sudden physical contact from his normally emotionally-inept brother. The shivers that rattled through Don’s arms slowly melted away as he hesitantly accepted Raph’s embrace, leaning further into his brother’s steady heartbeat pulsing through his plastron. The rhythm, warmth, and pressure proved to be just what the freckled brother needed to ground himself.

(I’m sorry, Don.)

The shuddering wheezes hitting Raph’s neck eventually evened out into shaky, but stable breaths. Don’s arms wrapped tight around Raph’s shell, reciprocating the welcomed grounding pressure to his twin. The brother’s hearts harmonized, making both their plastrons rise and fall in sync.

For the first time in days, the silence that spread through the room was welcomed. Instead of blanketing the brothers with anxiety or discomfort, it brought a sense of calm; peace. An ice-like void transformed into a warm haven, re-igniting the brothers with a soft, shimmering flame of safety in their hearts. 

(We are home, brother.)

(We…are h-home.)

Raph remained still as his twin took one last deep breath. Neither brother moved away from their embrace.

But despite the tender moment shared by the brothers, Raph couldn’t help being himself. 

“Do ya think you can make it to my bed, or are you gonna fall over like an old lady again?”

Despite his disheveled state, Don didn’t skip a beat as he scoffed and retorted back in a thin voice, “Oh yeah, that’s it- shame the guy who nearly passed out. Great bedside manner, brother. I would recommend your services as much as I’d encourage sleeping with a lit match in a building made of drywood.”

Raph shrugged, letting out a playful chuckle.

“Heheh- Aw come on, Interi. You know what Mikey always says. The whole ‘laughing is better than medicine thing’. I’m doin’ ya a favor.”

“Oh yeah, sure. Ha ha.” Don drawled, his words dripping with sass.

“HA! See? You’re feelin’ better already.”

Don let out his own snicker as he smirked antagonistically.

“Oh I wasn’t laughing at the joke you made, I was laughing at the joke that you are.”

Raph sputtered indignantly as an offended grin shined on his face.

“Dude- I just saved your stinkin’ life! You coulda hit the floor and then *poof!* NO MORE EGGHEAD.”

“Least then I wouldn’t be here listening to your pathetic excuses for jokes.”

A’ight. You asked for this, ya punk.

Before Don had the chance to protest, Raph leaned over and lifted his twin into his arms. He could’ve chosen to hold his brother in a more dignified manner, like the fireman-hold across his shoulders, but instead decided to carry his flailing twin in a princess-carry, making Don’s cheeks burn bright with embarrassment and anger.

“R-RAPHAEL!!! This is NOT necessary!!!” Don screeched as he flung his arms and legs with as much grace as a drunk hummingbird. “YOU BIG OAF! LET ME GO!!!!!” 

Raph just smiled in victory as he walked his squirming brother to his nook. The bed creaked extra loud when Raph unceremoniously dropped Don’s wriggling body onto the mattress. 

“-Oof! …Raphael… Kisho… Hamat- HEUGH!”

With an even louder groan of the mattress, and a squeezed groan from Don, Raph flopped his whole body on top of his twin, sprawling out all his limbs like a starfish. Don let out a frustrated growl, muffled by his brother’s shell pressing into his face. 

“OH F’R H’VN’S SAKE, R’PH.”

Don pushed and squirmed with all his might trying to buck off his brother, but to no avail.

“Can’t you just feel the healin’? I’m a total pro at this.”

“G’T OFF!!”

Don tried reaching to the edge of the bed to get leverage in pulling himself away from Raph, but he couldn’t reach.

Raph let out an exaggerated yawn, stretching out his limbs further. “Ya know…” He smacked his lips. “I think imma take a nap. This is way too cozy to pass up.”

“D’N’T YOU D’RE.”

With a smirk the size of the sun Raph went fully limp, adding to the growing pressure on top of Don. 

“Gnight.”

“R’PHAEL YOU L’TTLE TW’RP!!!!!”

.  .  .

Lotus watched in curious silence as Don kicked, clawed and screeched from underneath his brother. After he bit out a particular word that Lotus had never heard before, Raph tsked and flicked his freckled twin square in the nose. 

“Language, Don! Do I need to get Dad~?”

More muffled shouts reverberated from under Raph, each one getting more and more annoyed. Lotus couldn’t help but chuckle in amusement at the two brothers’ antics. 

She wasn’t quite sure what she should be doing right now... Should she try to intervene? Maybe egg Don on? Or should she be quiet? Just try to… become invisible? 

She doesn’t really have a place to say anything, so she decides to just watch with a smile. 

Over time, Don’s muffled shouts slurred into snoring.

Lotus let out a soft snicker at the sight of both brothers sound asleep on top of each other. Don’s face was completely smushed in between the mattress and Raph’s shell, while Raph’s limbs draped limply off the sides of his brother. A small thread of spit had slowly made its way from the edge of Raph’s gaping mouth.

What a lovely sight.

Lotus softly chuckled to herself as she laid her head back on her pillow, its soft fabric welcoming her into its embrace. However, the comfort was quickly pushed aside by the unsettling feeling of something still being wrapped around her. The blanket remained laid over her torso, its linen fibers soft and heavy. The sensation made her legs itch as she tried to slide them out from underneath it, her right leg moving slow but steadily, still weighed down by the exhaustion plaguing her muscles and bones. With a few weak kicks, the weight of the comforter disappeared over her right leg. The cold air of the room enveloped her skin, making her body tingle. 

After a crackling burn ending with a harsh yelp, she was reminded to not move her left leg. 

At all. 

EVER.

Using her right leg, she proceeded to slowly kick off the rest of the blanket. Her whole body immediately relaxed and sunk deeper into the mattress as she let out a thankful sigh. The cold surrounded her, sending a gentle wave of refreshment through her body. 

That’s better…

Somehow the loud snores of Donatello quickly became background static as Lotus was left to her thoughts. 

Images flashed through her unfocused irises as she revisited the past twenty four hours. Waking up in a random bedroom, meeting the brothers…and…

A deep burn ignited inside the wound in her left leg. She hissed as she slowly leaned over to reach the offending appendage. Her shoulders and neck ached in protest with each movement as she rubbed up and down to hopefully relieve some of the tenseness in her muscles. The pain of her wound sparked a wisp of bitterness in her soul, melding with and growing the shadows over her recovering heart. With a defensive scowl, she remembered who it was to blame for what had happened.

Her mind coursed with the images of Leo’s tear filled eyes. The fear echoed through his trembling hands. His words…

His promise.

A whimper escaped her lips as her wounded leg once again crackled with bolts of fire under her skin. She was then reminded of the pills that Raph had ordered her to take before he went to help Don. As she extended her arm to reach for the edge of the bed to pull herself up, another pang twisted in the muscles of her arms, making her let out a sharp hiss through her teeth. Nervous she might’ve woken the slumbering twins, she turned her head to them with her face in a squinting grimace. Her shoulders fell with relief when she saw that neither brother had moved an inch.

Phew. Okay- feel pain quieter please.

She tried again, this time successfully reaching and grasping the edge of the bed. Her feeble fingers tightened their grip as she slowly hunched her torso up. More scattered sparks twisted the muscles between her neck and shoulders, but she was determined to stay as silent as possible. 

At the record pace of a sleep-deprived sloth, she finally reached the two pills on the side table. Her brows cinched together when she saw there was no water or cup, so she guessed she had to take them dry. They were small enough, so it shouldn’t be a problem. 

Her fingers froze just as they were about to place the set of pills in her mouth.

...Will these do anything?

If the injection had barely made a dent in her pain, then why would these pills be any different? What if they had done something to her that would make her react badly to the medication?

Hesitation and fear cinched every muscle in her arm as she held the pills mere inches from her mouth.

I could be allergic to it.

It might make me sick.

It could hurt me.

She peered down at the deep bruises splotched over the crooks of her arms.

NO.

No- It's f-fine. Even if these don't do anything.. At least it won't cause me any pain like the needle did. It's fine.

I can do this.

I can DO THIS.

She shakily placed them in her mouth and forced herself to swallow.

The pills, however small, did not want to go down her throat. The bitter taste of the outside coating made her choke out a small gag, but she persisted. She dropped her head down to make the now melting pills fall to the back of her teeth. Then in one quick motion, she yanked her head up, craning her neck, and shooting the pills to the back of her throat. The bitter taste had now been thoroughly smeared all throughout her mouth, but the pills thankfully went down. 

Definitely using water next time…Yech.

She tried her best to ignore the chalky textures plastered on her tongue and between her teeth, as she carefully lowered herself back down onto the mattress. Apparently her fingers were officially out of commission, cause right before her head gracefully landed on her pillow, they released their grip, making her jerk back onto the mattress with a loud *FLOP*.

Her head rang with disorientation as she tried to distract herself from the bitter taste in her mouth and the swelling headache in her temples. She laid still, not daring to move in order to prevent any more discomfort.

Lotus looked back to the time she had spent with Leonardo. She recalled the kindness in his gentle tone, and the grace and care he gave her despite her stupid phobias. She had never seen such tenderness. 

But one specific image remained burned into her heart, flickering with the opaque shadows of distrust.

The moment she looked into his eyes. 

He lied to me.

He acted as though he knew what he was doing with the procedure. How he spoke with her in seasoned authority had begun to give her a sense of relief. But then things quickly started going wrong. Unlike them, who would just continue on as if nothing happened and finish no matter her discomfort, Leo froze. He panicked. His hands shook and his face pinched into a tense frown. He began mumbling incoherently to himself, and it made Lotus’ stomach twist with fear that she really wasn’t safe.

All the doctors or nurses she had been brought to didn’t look any older than thirty. So how old was he?? How much experience could this kid really have if he looked like he wasn’t even in his TWENTIES?

He probably had no idea what he was doing. He did say that he was new at it, though..

I guess all that confidence was just talk.

Distrust creeped its shadow further over Lotus’ questioning heart. Her stomach twisted.

Maybe I can’t trust him.

More of Leo’s words echoed back to her in thin wisps. They softly flowed through her mind, alighting the darker, frozen corners with a small glint of something warm.

“I’M SORRY LOTUS! I’M SO SORRY!!”

Her mind rang with the cries of Leo’s apology, and her eyes filled with the image of his tears and quivering lip. He never yelled at her to ‘toughen up’, or ‘hold still’ or…anything like that. He never once snapped at her or shamed her for being weak. 

He listened… and did whatever he could to help. 

More of Leo’s words echoed back, making the shadow over her heart retreat just a little bit more.

“That’s ok. I bet Don could figure it out! He’s really smart, and I’m sure he could help.”

She had owed him. And yet he was willing to help her more than he already had, guiding her to go to Don to find answers she never once believed would be given. And on top of that… he, and his whole family had welcomed her into their home with no strings attached. 

Or at least none that she’s spotted yet.

Shadow slowly crept back up the walls of her heart, fighting against the warmth and light. With each dig of its claw, another question of doubt began to infect her mind.

There has to be a catch…Why would they help me escape? I did nothing to earn it. I didn’t ask for help.

They must want something.

 Maybe they’ll have me clean in order to stay. Or cook. Or help with.. whatever they do all day. I bet I can learn to do those things. They’ll…they’ll have to train me, but I’m a fast learner. 

Being born and raised in a lab didn’t really help with her understanding of how to do chores. They never taught her how to care for herself, or keep a living space, so she was pretty clueless as to what to do. But she could learn. Didn’t seem all that hard. Sometimes she would watch as the janitor would do his rounds cleaning the hall outside of her cell. He’d swipe down the floor with a stick that had some weird looking hair attached to it, and he would spray an airy solution on the clear glass of her wall. She had to admit it was pretty satisfying to see the glass go from speckled and wet to clear and pristine. It was the closest thing to entertainment that she had, so she would keep tabs on whenever the janitor appeared on her floor. 

As long as they show me what to do, I’ll be able to help out as best I can. And when I’m strong enough, I can go find my own place. I’ll be out of their hair.

Her heart beat faster as realization blossomed inside of it. Her mind pulled to light a long forgotten memory, faded from time, but still slightly aglow with importance. 

Shimmering blurs of a kind face with soft hair filled her vision. The gentle voice told her stories of the world, filling her little imagination to overflowing. Sometimes the woman would sneak a children’s book into her cell, secretly teaching her how to read whenever there was time. Slender painted nails would point at the pages, explaining the names and colors of the items. The woman would have Lotus read out the words as best as she could, and then a gentle finger would tap her nose playfully, quietly announcing “That’s right, Lotus!!”

The beautiful memory continued to fade. But even in the darkness of her mind, it still emitted a faint, but thriving glow. 

The pictures in that children’s book of her past came to life before her, beckoning her to them. Calling out to her that this was her chance. She could go see skyscrapers, bridges, farms, and the countryside. She could experience the nature around her, meeting the various fauna, and gazing at the beautiful flora. 

She could finally see the majesty of a sunset.

Colors were drained from every room and surface back at the labs. Every wall was either an empty gray or a piercing white. The cabinets and doors were dull with no textures. The lights didn’t even vary, always glowing a pale, sickly yellow. Except for the surgical room light, that would always give her a horrible headache with how bright its white rays were set. She would always need to shut her eyes tight in order to not get dizzy.

She turned her head to look around the bedroom. The whole wall surrounding where Don and Raph were laying was splashed with all kinds of vibrant colors. Blues, yellows, reds, oranges… She caught sight of some small hand prints too, splattered randomly throughout the whole art piece. 

Her head turned further, surveying more of the bedroom.

More and more colors seemed to pop up all over the living space, from the teals and reds of the books stacked haphazardly in the bookshelf, to the dirty orange jackets piled in the corner, to the soft blue sheets covering the mattress she was laying on. Her eyes indulged themselves with the vibrancy scattered all throughout the room, inspiring a fragile smile to grace her face.

Her past’s hollow smears of gray vanished as her present alighted with vibrant hues of hope.

She was truly free.

That's it for this chapter! :)

FINALLY we get to see more perspective and thoughts from Lotus. This poor girl has been through a lot, but I wanted a lot of what happened to her to be in subtle small details. Things you have to catch in context rather than just being told it out front.

And then the twins~ Oh MAN was it FUN to just write these two bickering and making a scene together. I'll admit, a lot of their dialogue and actions are inspired by me and my older sisters past experiences. And even now. ;) They're such chaotic goobers and I love them dearly. <3

Anyways, hope you enjoyed! Please feel free to reblog and share this story if it touched your heart. :)

To God be the glory!

~ Melissa

MASTERPOST <- PRIOR CHAPTER NEXT CHAPTER ->

[madnessintelligence]

Employers (feat. @wogot3 ‘s Polaroid)

[kairithemang0]

did I post this page???

[faeriexqueen]

Songbirds in Winter (Update: 8/18/2024)

Title: Songbirds in Winter. Fandom: D. Gray-Man. Pairings: Alma Karma/Tyki Mikk, Kanda Yuu & Alma Karma (One-Sided/Unrequited Yulma), Lavi Bookman/Allen Walker. Rated: Explicit. Words: 261.1K+. Tags: Romeo and Juliet AU, Omegaverse, Alpha/Omega, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Royalty/Nobility, Renaissance/Renaissance Era, Medieval, Slowburn, Romance, Drama, Angst, Forbidden Romance, Secret Relationship, Eventual Romance, Pregnancy, Hints of Incestuous Feelings/Incest, Family Drama, NSFW, Lemon/Eventual Lemons (Please see AO3 for full list of tags and warnings). Chapters: 33/43. Summary: They had always known that their lives would be planned out for them. For Tyki, it is to eventually become the head of his family as the next alpha in line, despite his wishes for otherwise. For Alma, it is to be married off for the benefit of his kin — to be bred for political gain, regardless of his own feelings on the matter. The stage is set, and they have their parts to play. But being in the crossfire of a dangerous rivalry among noble families is never easy — not when the person you love is the very one you’re forbidden from being with. Chapter 33 Excerpt — The Winter’s Ball:

Someone reached out from behind the column, fingers taking Alma’s. Alma tensed, at first alarmed. However, the touch was familiar, the scent of cedar and patchouli faintly tickling his nose — the familiarity comforting Alma just as a smooth voice reached his ears. “If I profane with my unworthiest hand this holy shrine, the gentle sin is this,” Tyki whispered, voice low. “My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.” Alma’s face heated as he felt Tyki’s lips on his hand, and he brought a hand to his mouth as he stifled a small giggle. “Good pilgrim, I had no idea you knew poetry,” he said, heart fluttering in his chest. He felt Tyki’s fingers remain wrapped around his fingers, the small gesture enough to send his pulse racing.  Tyki grinned. “Might have just learned that one recently,” he said. He carefully kept out of view in case Kanda or anyone returned, before tugging Alma’s hand. “Now, perhaps I can steal you for a bit?"

Read on AO3.

[pepperstreak]

Match rec

Cara Noir vs Fabio Ferrari

There's an in-video add right after both entrances have finished that's really loud so volume warning for that. (I'm very sleepy while watching so it really startled me)

Fabio is an evil badminton player I think, very old school lol. He's a good heel for the match and he puts cara in an elevated bridge that is absolutely gorgeous and painful looking. He also tries to hit him with the badminton racket (cause he's the birdie get it? Haha!)

Cara starts barking towards the end calm down

Short match but a fun one 👍

(also commentary is in Italian, if commentary is important to you {I like it sometimes})

[ozu-teapot]

The Zombie Walks | Alfred Vohrer | 1968

Hubert von Meyerinck, Hans Krull, Siw Mattson, Joachim Fuchsberger, and...

[screamingflowers]

Switchin it up with a new lore character B)

Couldnt decide whether I wanted him to be a fish or an elf so I said screw it we're doing both and combined the two 💥

[brightonstudios]

Guys please check out @truths33k3r4 comic it's absolutely amazing. The high quality art paired with an incredible and captivating story is just insane! That ending to book one had me on the edge of my seat! I can't wait to see what happens next!

[orangeslikesbread]

SIW!Curt stuff :33

[truths33k3r4]

"The Strength in Weakness" UPDATE

Hey guys!

For those who follow me, this is just a quick heads up that "The Strength in Weakness" is going to be on a hiatus for the remainder of this month. There are three reasons as to why.

I will be gone on vacation in the middle and end of the month, (and therefore away from my computer and drawing tablet), so I wouldn't be able to make any new chapters.

I want to take a bit of time to really solidify the rest of what I want to happen in Book Two. There's a LOT of ideas, but I actually need to- ya know- pick which ones and in what order. ;)

Instead of writing SIW, I will be taking part in my own TMNTember Challenge. This is something that will still "keep me on my toes" as a writer, even while on vacation. :) But it's also for fun! Soooo yeah it counts as relaxing~ I'll still be posting the stories/sketches for my prompts throughout the month, but that's about it. (Most likely there will be a lot more notebook sketches cause I DON'T enjoy writing on my phone. XD)

There's one more thing- again, because I'll be on vacation, I will miss @indieyuugure's "Indie TMNT" episodes on the 28th of September and the 5th of October. They will not be premiering on my channel on time, BUT I have a back up plan. ;) While y'all weren't looking, I snuck away and got permission to dub a different comic by @concerningamountofcrows. :) So I will edit and finish those dubs, and then premier them while I'm on vacation instead!

Hope you all are enjoying the coming FALL WEATHERRRRRR!! This is my FAVORITE time of the season, so I can't wait to get all bundled up for "SWEATA WEATHA" with my tea. :)

Have a great day, guys!

To God be the glory!

~ Melissa

[madnessintelligence]

My boy is finally being revealed after so long

Giant lore dump below:

FYI some things may change, nothing is concrete yet

Employer Codename: Arbiter

Real Name: CeCe

Gender: He/Him; They/Them; It/Itself (any of these are fine)

Origin: Experiment

Team Role: Attack/Support

Powers:

+Water Manipulation/Embodiment

+Can freeze and boil water

+Creates ice spears and water slices

+Can transport/teleport things through water

+Physical attacks do nothing (guns/melee)

+Evasive

+100% more efficient with blades (knives, machetes, etc.)

+Utilizes water chains to subdue and punish other Employers

Weaknesses:

-Strength is close to nonexistent

-Has to focus to interact with things

-Flashbangs will knock it out completely

-Electricity does significant damage but not enough to knock him out completely (can and will be used against them unfortunately)

-Cannot create/summon guns, knives, etc. (has to physically grab it)

-Not proficient with guns (50% accuracy at best)

-Water chains can be used by higher ups to restrict and/or control him as well (this is very rare)

Rage Mode: (Warning: Blood and Gore mentioned)

=A very rare occurrence in which the Arbiter is under an uncontrollable rage. They lose much of their intelligence and awareness of their surroundings in exchange for more power and elemental manipulation.

=In this mode, they are capable of manipulating other forms of liquid easier including but not limited to: blood, tar, oil, and plasma. They can absorb and morph these elements as an added attack and defense boost, but only in this mode.

=The most common occurrences involve employees becoming puppeteered or experiencing their bodies rupturing and emptying of said blood and plasma.

=The blood can be morphed and hardened into sharp melee weapons and armor.

=200% Blade melee efficiency

=However, this causes high amounts of strain on the Arbiter’s physical, mental, and emotional attributes. Afterwards, the body will need several days of rest in order to fully recover. The duration of rest depends on how long the Arbiter is in this mode.

=Flashbangs and electricity are less effective in this mode.

(End of TW Mentions)

Origin:

Once an experiment created by a scientist mad with grief, Arbiter was detained and rehabilitated into an employer. Their main job is to settle employer issues and act as the temporary authority when overseers and higher-ups see fit.

Otherwise, they are considered an “errand-boy” and typically be the punisher/persecutor towards other employees.

His faction is made up of intel agents, spies, and soldiers. This faction is called Umbrella.

Miscellaneous:

+Likes to morph part of their body into an umbrella (it’s the only thing they can create)

+They also like to use said umbrella as a melee (despite it not being effective as others)

+They create rain everywhere they go; including inside buildings (and can manipulate how hard and light it can be)

+When angry, steam rises off their form

+When enraged, their form becomes sporadic, and their eyes become reddish-purple

+When sad, they droop and lose stability in their form

+When happy, their face shimmers

+Their form gives off water “bubbles” just as how other employers have flame or pixelated effects on their forms

+Hates their job/Complains a lot

+They love bagels

+Their chains can appear and disappear as he pleases

+Dry heat makes him uncomfortable; but humidity is okay

+He has his kids personal employees that help him with specific missions:

     -Kairi, Maeve, Bob, and Jekyll

[risebabyx2]

Hi Melissa @truths33k3r4 :D

When I heard you were sick a few weeks back, I decided to make you some art. :) I love seeing your sketches and when I saw this one of Lotus on the bottom of this post here, I knew what I wanted to do.

I'm very pleased with how it turned out. I had a lot of fun with the background and Lotus was really fun to draw! I love her markings by the way. :D

Right now in my life I'm learning to slow down...

I've spent so much of my life rushing. Not knowing what I truly needed to take care of myself and it all caught up to me.

So now I must learn to rest and rebuild a more sustainable lifestyle as I recover from massive burnout.

But... I'm finally starting to feel a bit like Lotus here.

Content with where I'm at. Finally taking the time to let myself heal and recover in all the ways needed and doing this art was a part of that. Just having fun making art that hopefully brought a smile to someone's face. :)

Thank you Melissa for the smiles your turtles bring me. I hope that you're feeling better now and that this art brightened your day. :)

~Em 🩷

[faeriexqueen]

Songbirds in Winter (Update: 7/19/2024)

Title: Songbirds in Winter. Fandom: D. Gray-Man. Pairings: Alma Karma/Tyki Mikk, Kanda Yuu & Alma Karma (One-Sided/Unrequited Yulma), Lavi Bookman/Allen Walker. Rated: Explicit. Words: 245.1K+. Tags: Romeo and Juliet AU, Omegaverse, Alpha/Omega, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Royalty/Nobility, Renaissance/Renaissance Era, Medieval, Slowburn, Romance, Drama, Angst, Forbidden Romance, Secret Relationship, Eventual Romance, Pregnancy, Hints of Incestuous Feelings/Incest, Family Drama, NSFW, Lemon/Eventual Lemons (Please see AO3 for full list of tags and warnings). Chapters: 31/43. Summary: They had always known that their lives would be planned out for them. For Tyki, it is to eventually become the head of his family as the next alpha in line, despite his wishes for otherwise. For Alma, it is to be married off for the benefit of his kin — to be bred for political gain, regardless of his own feelings on the matter. The stage is set, and they have their parts to play. But being in the crossfire of a dangerous rivalry among noble families is never easy — not when the person you love is the very one you’re forbidden from being with. Chapter 31 Excerpt — A Modest Proposal:

Tyki approached the desk, the hood of his dark green cloak still up. He tugged it down, curls disheveled. “I need a favor.” “When don’t you need a favor?” Cross rubbed his forehead, finally looking up. “If you need me to mix anything, you’d be better off coming later when I can think straight.” “I don’t need any of that.” His words caught Cross’ attention, the priest’s gaze flashing to Tyki’s. His mouth formed a thin line as his dark brow knit together, a twinge of wariness in his eyes. Usually, if anyone came for a favor, it was often a matter of apothecary needs… Inhaling, Cross forced himself to sit more upright. He grunted. “What do you need, then?” Tyki paused, expression strangely ponderous. “You can perform various clerical rites, correct?” Cross frowned, the question perplexing. He crossed his arms. “Yes…” “Including marriage rites?” “I can, though I don’t typically do it,” Cross pointed out. “Laurence and some of the other priests tend to handle those ceremonies.” “But, you could perform a marriage rite?” Tyki pressed. Now, Cross was beginning to grow suspicious — and more awake. His eyes narrowed at Tyki. “Depends,” he said, somewhat cautious. “Who would this marriage be for?” Tyki hesitated for a beat. He exhaled. “Mine.”

Read on AO3.

[kitty-fighter]

I sent this on a different post, but I'm reposting it as it's own thing since I really like it. [My first time drawing a character without their hands behind their back and actually drawing a side profile.]

With and Without Their Mask:

Here's Their Gacha Info Profile:

[billboard-hotties-tourney]

Clara Rockmore (1911-1998) solo - theremin virtuoso Works: "Nocturne in C-Sharp Minor," "Ave Maria Op. 52" Propaganda: see visual

Siw Malmkvist (1936-) solo Songs: "Liebeskummer lohnt sich nicht," "Harlekin" Propaganda: see visual

Visual Propaganda for Clara Rockmore:

Visual Propaganda for Siw Malmkvist:

[ozu-teapot]

The Zombie Walks | Alfred Vohrer | 1968

Siw Mattson, and...