#truest thing i've ever read

[keithsandwich]

[duhsty1]

If a pit is good enough for the Medieval children, It's good enough for the Pizzaplex.

STEP RIGHT UP!!!

[markantonys]

via @skybluethunderhead

rand in his sugar baby era

[lauralot89]

Annotations for May 24:

Jack asks Lucy if she's interested in anyone else. Jack was introduced to Lucy by Arthur, and is apparently the most oblivious man in the world.

In the first publication, Mina's name is written as "Nina" in the sentence "And then, Mina, I felt a sort of duty to tell him that there was some one."

In the original manuscript, the text "if I ever wanted a friend I must count him as one of my best" is followed with "and truest who would do for me anything that a man might do."

In the Bible story Quincey references, there are ten young women, not seven:

"Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh: go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut." Matthew 25:1-10.

What does this have to do with anything, Quincey

Again, was Quincey not introduced to Lucy by Arthur? Did neither Quincey nor Jack question what Arthur was doing spending time with Lucy?

In the original manuscript, the line "Little girl, I hold your hand, and you've kissed me, and if these things don't make us friends nothing ever will" instead reads: "In my part of the world when one man takes another's hand and calls him friend, he'll die for him if need be. Little girl, I hold your hand, and you've kissed me on the mouth. I call you pard and by the Almighty if ever need be I'll die for you and yours."

This isn't mentioned in the annotations, but it is something I've noticed: When Lucy introduces him, she spells Quincy without an "e." For the rest of the book, it's spelled Quincey. This error also appears in the abridged text.

[solisitude]

a compilation of my favourite quotes from not easily conquered

"You'd be heaven for anyone, but you're especially heaven for a sinner like me."

"I won’t be in the history books; that’s for you. But I loved you first. As long as they get that right, I don’t care what they say"

"The closest I've ever been to the Garden of Eden is the genesis on the battlefield when the shrapnel's still falling like hail on a tin roof. You look at me with those blue eyes all hot and electric in your face, blood on your cheek, soot smudged over your nose. Bone of my bones. Were you taken from my rib? You must have been, or maybe I was made from yours. And God damn, I want it. I want back inside you. I want you now, same as I wanted you before, prettier than hell even with a bloodied nose and split knuckles. Don't care you were smaller. Liked it, even- same as I like you this way too. You make me hungry. You understand? You make me hungry. That mouth pink like spun sugar, though it doesn't stop you from talking fit to cut anyone down to bits with your angry words. A spitfire since you learned how to speak, and I'l tell you something, it's hell to love a fighter."

"Anyway, Jesus-I shouldn't even be thinking it, much less writing it down. I used to love you so sweet, the way kids love, the way I was supposed to. Then it turned greedy and true. If there's any Heaven that's fit for me it'd be all your pale skin under my hands for the rest of eternity. I wouldn't need anything else. Not food or drink or sleep. Just my hands on you and your sweet love-sounds."

"The God’s honest truth is that I ain’t ever gonna love again. She’s your true north. I know what that means, because you’re mine."

"So how long have I loved you for? Womb to tomb, sweetheart. Since before I was even here at all."

"I bought an orange. You smiled at me. And Jesus Christ, it was fantastic.” 

"I’ll always come back from the dead for you. We belonged to each other before we ever belonged to ourselves."

"Tell you something. Tell you another secret, because this one, this one I won't ever tell, not to God, not to a priest, and sure as hell not to you. In that base we burned the bodies in a furnace. I hadn't eaten in days. The truth is simple. The smell made me hungry."

honourable mentions to the follow scenes, which are not direct quotes from the letters but were incredibly moving to me nonetheless:

"Say it again," Bucky says.

"I love you bad," Steve breathes. "I love you so bad," and Bucky closes his eyes like Steve has spread balm on a wound."

"Hello, Bucky," Kat says.

"Hi, Kat," Bucky replies, and tells her, "It's really good to meet you too, sweetheart. It's really good to meet you too."

"It’s because you’re the truth, Buck. You’re the truest thing I’ve ever known.”

"Your nose?"

Steve laughs again and has to scrub at his face, sniffing.

Jesus, no. Thank God. She's going gray."

"Is she?"

“Yeah, and doesn't even dye it; she doesn't care. She's beautiful anyway."

"Of course she is: she's yours," says Bucky, soft, and they stand in silence for a long, long minute. "

further honourable mention from the line that was the most vivid imagery I have ever seen portrayed in a piece of literature and that absolutely floored me:

"a laugh that's wet and bloody as a newborn."

a large and resounding thank you to whatarefears ( @whatarefears ) and dropdeaddream for creating what has been known as a fandom classic, but also one of the most impactful pieces of literature i have ever had the privilege of reading. your writing has made me believe in the all encompassing love i thought possible as a child, but that i had lost sight of along the way. you have a way with words that can only be described as a gift and i am so eternally grateful that you've shared it with the world. i know i am 10 years too late, but i hope my thank you reaches you still. this fic has forever changed me.

[wardensantoineandevka]

To expand on a prior post I've made, it is really fun and it makes a lot of sense and it feels ultimately natural that Spahr is here at the end, in this last confrontation with Weepe, because he and Weepe are rivals. They're, almost unexpectedly, foils.

They're arrogant men who allow and enable awful things to happen to others to protect and increase their social standing. They hurt the people they care about most for self-serving reasons—but in the end, only one of them takes responsibility for that. (Trustfall and Ghosts are inverse parallels, and this post discusses a portion that is most relevant here.) Weepe increasingly identifies with the Trust as Spahr is increasingly disillusioned with it, and Weepe rises to power at the same rate that Spahr falls into disgrace. Just as Weepe is convinced that he will always be an awful person and fatalistically believes he cannot ever do better, Spahr has been convinced he has a self-evident righteousness but eventually sees that not only does he not, but he can and must do better.

Beyond that, they're narratively tied together. Weepe is in the Highest Light because Spahr agrees to bring him. Spahr helps Imelda lock Weepe in the Arca, and he does it in part for smug satisfaction because of his personal dislike for Weepe. He wronged Weepe by participating in engineering the circumstances that led to his torture and by failing to intervene against it out of fear for himself, and the fact that he wronged Weepe is something that Spahr is explicitly aware of and is something that weighs heavily on his conscience. It is through the Arca that Spahr traces Weepe's ascension to Tripotentiary as a direct result of his actions; he believes that he failed to stop, or even facilitated, Weepe's rise and everything that results from it.

For much of the narrative, they're racing to the same goal, even sometimes without knowing. Spahr is on Midst specifically to find the Breach centerpoint, and Weepe identifies it as the cabaret and turns it over to the Trust before Spahr has any chance to start looking. Weepe pulls the Fuze-Loxlee investigation out from underneath Spahr when he convinces Sherman to name Fuze's murderer, ultimately succeeding where Spahr fails. He takes the information to the Upper Trust himself after Spahr was removed from the investigation for, simplistically, lack of progress. Sherman chooses to trust Weepe over Spahr, and Weepe wipes his debt before Spahr can.

When Spahr is court-martialed, he is given the opportunity (read: pressured) into donating all Valor accrued during his tenure to his successor — and then that donation apparently goes to Weepe as part of a series of donations to help set him up as Most Valorous. The role of the Prime Consector gets folded under the new position of Tripotentiary, and without a Prime Consector appointed, Weepe is the sole direction that the Company has. Weepe even moves into the residence held by the Prime Consector, as we're often reminded that Spahr lived there before Weepe did. Weepe is Spahr's successor in all but literal title.

Spahr waits until Weepe repeats the order to bring Lark and Phineas to refuse. At the moment where Weepe is at his most elevated and Spahr at his most diminished, when they are such extreme ends in the hierarchy, it is to Weepe that Spahr says, finally, "No."

As Prime Consector, Spahr was ideologically (though not materially) the truest manifestation of Valor. A Consector's job is to hunt, to pursue those who have escaped the Trust and restore them to the Trust. At this point, Weepe is all that is left of the Trust, its only manifestation, and all he does now is hunt Lark and those who aid her, to rebalance and to restore what is felt lost.

As funny as it is that Spahr is here at the end as the only one who isn't a protagonist, it makes so much sense that he is here in the confrontation against Weepe. He has to be. They're foils to one another, one of their many. Their actions have deeply entangled themselves in one another's arc. Over the course of the story, very slowly, there's been a changing of places between Weepe and Spahr.

Of course Spahr is here too. He was a razor's edge from being the one bearing down on that cabin. He was very, terrifyingly close to being on Weepe's side of the door.

[httpswritings]

cinnamon girl — Katie McCabe x Reader

Warnings: mentions of surgery, anesthesia, anxiety and clowns.

Word count: 970

Summary: Comforting Katie as she has to face one of her biggest fears.

A/N: Based on this request <3

“There's things I wanna say to you, but I'll just let you live”

“I can't! I can't do it because I'm scared... I've been scared all week because just the thought of anesthesia makes me want to throw up.”

Katie. Funny, extroverted, and entertaining.

Everyone always had a good laugh when they were around her.

Confident, strong, and optimistic.

That's the main idea people had about her.

Only her closest circle knew that, behind the shell of being an outgoing and charismatic woman, a vulnerable and sensitive Katie was found.

You had been discovering this aspect of her as she let you get to know her better.

Always being cautious with who she would open to, she knew that she could trust you but still didn't want to show her truest self as she was worried of scaring you.

“But if you hold me without hurting me, you'll be the first who ever did”

You hugged her in absolute silence for half an hour. Only the sounds of the street and your breathing filled the room.

You softly shushed Katie when she apologized to you for shouting at you.

Her breathing began to slow down as she sighed and leaned on your chest.

“You don't have to pretend to be fine, Katie. Anesthesia's not a big deal for me, but it is for you, the same way clowns are funny to you and I'm frightened just by thinking of them.

Katie giggled as she remembered the time when you hid behind her as a kid dressed up in a clown costume approached you on Halloween.

“What I mean, baby, is that you can open up to me. I'm here for you. I'll probably won't be able to be next to you when your surgery takes place, but I'll be outside of the room thinking about you. If, when you're there, you feel like you can't calm yourself down, think about me and focus only on those thoughts. Imagine me being next to you, holding your hand, and telling you how much I love you and how proud I am of you for going through this, because that's how I feel. The proudest girlfriend ever knowing my brave girl is going to do great.”

-

“Hold me, love me, touch me, honey, be the first who ever did”

Katie couldn't stop looking at you. It's just as if she stopped doing it, you'd disappear.

Her hand was tightly holding yours.

You could see her eyes were holding tears back.

Her glazed expression was concerning.

“Darling, you're going to be okay. Thankfully, they've let me stay in this room during the whole procedure, so I'll be waiting for you to take care of you just the way you deserve. When you wake up, you'll have a precious bucket of lilies adorning your room. I'll go buy them when I certainly know that the operation is over, so don't worry about me being far away when you're still going under surgery.”

-

Katie remembered your previous words. «Imagine me holding your hand. Focus on me and only me. Me. Me. Me. You're safe, Katie. I'm right here.» She noticed the syringe piercing her skin.

You noticed how Katie's body tensed, so you rushed to caress her cheek. «Katie, it's okay. I'm here, baby. Focus on me. You're safe.»

She kept looking at you and hearing your encouraging words until the anesthesia started to do its work.

She began to lose consciousness with you easing her nervousness until she completely dozed off.

-

You were with her during the whole surgery. You couldn't deny that you were nervous, listening to the surgeons give orders to their assistants.

Seeing your girlfriend so vulnerable overwhelmed you with a feeling of protectiveness.

«You're doing great, Katie. I'm so proud of you, darling.» You thought as if she could read your mind.»

When the surgeons told you that the procedure was over, you kissed Katie on the forehead and went to buy the lilies you had promised her.

-

Katie began to wake up, and just as you had promised her earlier, a beautiful bucket of lilies accompanied her in the room, with you caressing her hair and softly smiling at her.

“Hello, sleepy girl.“

She smiled as she opened and closed her eyes, blinking in slow motion.

“How did it go?”

“Shh... It went well, baby. How do you feel?”

She tried to settle into the bed, but you stopped her.

“Darling, don't do that. Let's wait until the doctor comes so we can know if it's okay for you to sit down.”

She whined, but obeyed.

“I feel okay. I feel a little bit dizzy and as if I have a cold. My stomach feels weird, but I'm hungry.”

Katie looked around the room, noticing the bucket of lilies.

“Your promise...”

Her amused tone warmed your heart.

“Yes, my love. I always keep my promises. Do you like them?” you said referring to the flowers.

“Of course I do. They're so beautiful.”

“They are. They're not the most beautiful thing in this room, but they're pretty decent.”

She looked confused for a second until she realized what you meant.

“I don't look beautiful,” she said, laughing ironically, still with a soft tone due to the anesthesia.

“Look is not the correct word. You are beautiful. No matter the circumstances.”

She rolled her eyes and tried to stabilize herself, as that movement made her dizziness stronger.

“I don't have the strength to fight you, but you know—” She stopped talking as she looked at you.

As she regained more consciousness, she realized you were there and what that meant to her.

“Thank you, my love. Thank you for being here, and thank you for understanding me.”

You kissed her head and caressed her cheek.

“I'm so proud of you, Katie. So, so proud. Not only have you faced your fear, but you still take your time to be grateful.”

You both exchanged a look that showed nothing but pure admiration for each other, making that hospital room brighten up with your love.

[vaguely-concerned]

AOOOUUUUGH rye and lucanis reading varric's books together after the events of the game, after rye has a complete out of the blue breakdown at the realization that varric and lucanis never got to meet and they never will now. (grief sometimes visits us in fits and starts; it can lie dormant benath the surface for months and years and then quake your soul to pieces all over again at a moment's notice and leave you to pick through the rubble once more. renn will never get to meet lucanis either. I imagine something similar happens whenever rye is setting the table for dinner and realizes he's added a plate for harding again.)

rye to the varric that now lives in his head but is based in nothing but his own mind: yes, yes, I know what you want to say, you're probably feeling a bit 'uh-oh here we go again 😬' about the whole abomination thing. but honestly, nevarran to marcher realness moment here, it's not even as big a deal as you make of it down there, you guys are so weird about spirits it's no wonder it goes sideways all the time, trust me it's literally fine. and also I think you'd like him. he is the funniest person I've ever met in my entire life he makes the whole world better just by being here and getting to be here with him changes everything -- every single day he makes me feel exactly like you sounded whenever you told me about something wild hawke said once.

(insane. insane actually to imagine that rye's conception of the deepest truest most enduring love is that between varric and hawke, someone he never fucking met outside of varric's stories, and a relationship that was firmly in the secret third thing (unhinged, based in being unbearably, unspeakably intimate with someone through the narrative in ways you couldn't and indeed perhaps ah shouldn't be in real life) category for all the twenty-ish years it lasted. even more insane that he's not wrong to have that idea, exactly. here is how queerplatonic varrichawke can always win if your heart is true and your eyes clear. rook the varrichawke lovechild even though hawke could literally be dead at this point is something that can actually be so personal. to me)

[bloomingdarkgarden]

answering this in a separate post so I could keep your email to myself. But wow. I'm totally floored by this one @lunaatthezoo These are very affecting words and I can't say what it means to hear them. There is a level of vulnerability in wbitd that I can't entirely name, but my readers seem to feel it. This story has been born from the softest and truest place within me and it is terrifying to share that part of one's self with the world/ open internet. Particularly in a notoriously unkind community. I am very moved that anyone is affected by my prose. I'm laying myself bare with this thing. My readers can feel that, seemingly, and it is you all are making a garden of whatever is within me. The real MVPS are those of you supporting this while its still in progress, honestly. You are the ones I will remember long after its done, who took the time to send things like this, who inspired the journey to be flushed to completion, who encouraged the words to be pried free when I was scared to share them, who believed this story was worth telling. Who read it and didn't just close the browser, but reached out. On the hardest days, you all keep a pen in my hand. So thank you for being here, and making the effort to share the details of why it struck home for you. I may be the one writing, but without you all, I would have no ink. 1. I would die to hear those songs. 2. The drunken archeron dinner scene is arguably my favorite in the story, thank god someone enjoyed it lol. 3. I absolutely will take you as my editor, first pick. I've been planning to get to that a wee bit closer to the finish line. Who writes a full-length fanfic novel with no betas? ehoney. Every spare hour I have is spent writing the damn thing, and I'm still sort of randomly adding bits to earlier chapters here and there. But soon, I'd love to enlist your services. 4. Pregnant and boring had me loling- you are creating life, which is the least boring thing ever. All my love.

[drarrily-we-row-along]

October 2: Friends, Family, Loved Ones

It was Harry’s birthday, and as much he felt embarrassed when a big fuss was made over him, he loved that Draco had planned him a party out in the manor grounds, a big white tent lit up with sparkling fairy lights.

The food was good and the company even better. All of his friends, family, and loved ones gathered around playing games and telling stories; then once they were drunk enough, singing karaoke. He was giggling into his glass of wine (his favorite: Draco had given him an entire bottle just for him) as Hagrid finished a mopey ballad.

Draco was looking unbearably smug about how happy Harry was and Harry couldn’t help but find the smugness horribly endearing. He leaned over and pressed a kiss to his rosy cheek, warm from wine and happiness, “I love you,” he murmured before tucking his nose against Draco’s neck, “thank you for a brilliant birthday.”

“Sap,” Draco accused with a soft tsk, but he was pulling Harry closer, pressing kisses into his hair. “I have one more surprise for you,” he said, and Harry could hear the quiet undercurrent of nerves.

He kissed Draco’s neck, pausing to suck lightly at it just to hear him gasp and feel his body wriggle, “you’ve spoiled me rotten today already,” he said and he’d meant it to sound accusatory but it only came out ridiculously pleased and terribly fond, his whole chest like spun cotton candy, fluffy and light, and sticky sweet.

“Well,” Draco said, “this one is a little bit selfish.”

Harry hummed and just cuddled a little closer so that he was more in Draco’s chair than his own.

"I have to get up to give it to you," he said, chuckling softly and pressing even more kisses into Harry's hair.

With a heaving sigh, he forced his body upright once more with a piteous groan.

His boyfriend leaned down and pecked his lips, "Love you," he murmured against his mouth.

"Mmmh," he hummed, wrapping a hand around Draco's neck and drawing him closer.

"Menace," Draco murmured, kissing him, kissing him, kissing him, like there was nothing else that he'd rather do.

Harry grinned up at him when he pulled back, trailing the tips of his fingers over Draco's flushed cheeks.

"Tell me you love me," Draco requested, soft and sweet, smiling and open.

"I love you," he said, soft and sure, the truest thing he's ever known.

With a mischievous smirk, he gave Harry a wink and sauntered off. It was a couple minutes later when Draco appeared on stage, wearing a sequin top and a pair of short white shorts, tummy peaking out as he pulled the microphone out of the holder.

He cleared his throat, "I wanted to thank you all for being here to celebrate my very favorite person," he said and Harry's face stretched into a smile so wide it made his cheeks hurt. "And also for bearing witness to what's about to happen," he added as the choruses of 'awws' and whistling died down.

Draco gave a nod to Blaise who was standing at the ready by the karaoke machine waiting to hit play. And then Draco started singing, looking out at Harry with a huge grin.

"The moon is high, like your friends the night that we first met," he started.

And Harry laughed at the memory, they had all been high that night after they'd graduated. Lounging about or dancing around the club, causing all sorts of chaos.

"Now I've read all of the books beside your bed," he continued with a wink. Harry grinned up at him, because that was true too, they'd read most of them together, actually, curled up under the duvet. He hadn't been read to as a child, but Draco more than made up for it with the voices and the dramatic way he read.

"The wine is cold, like the shoulder that I gave you in the street. Cat and mouse for a month, or two, or three," he sang on, twisting his body to look at Harry coyly and Harry remembered the months between when he’d started to feel attracted to Draco and when Draco had started to believe him, "now I wake up in the night to watch you breathe."

There was another round of 'awes' and some pretend wretching but Draco rolled his eyes and sang on. Meeting Harry's gaze once more as he sang, "I like shiny things, but I'd marry you with paper rings," and Harry's heart flew into his throat at the implication, did he mean it? Was that even possible?

"And I hate accidents, except when we went from friends," he gestured between the two of them, "to this."

His heart burst, Draco did so hate the unplanned, abhorred surprises. That proclamation-

"Darling, you're the one I want in paper rings, in picture frames, in dirty dreams-" a chorus of laughter and whistling broke out and Draco's cheeks flushed bright red but he kept singing, staring at Harry with a naked devotion and affection.

He couldn't breathe with it, his heart rattled painfully around his chest.

Draco sang the next verse before jumping down off the stage and making his way to Harry, bending down as he sang "kiss me once, cause you know I've had a long night," Harry leaned in obligingly and kissed his cheek. "Kiss me twice cause it's gonna be alright," and there were those nerves tingling from Draco's consciousness and into Harry's. He leaned in and kissed his cheek again. "Three times, cause I've waited my whole life." And this time he leaned in to press a hasty kiss to Harry's lips like he couldn't help himself while they counted him back in.

He sang the refrain again, climbing into Harry's lap as he melted into the bridge, "I want to drive away with you, I want your complications too, I want your dreary Mondays-"

Harry's throat went tight around those words, around the way that Draco loved him when he couldn't make heads or tails of the darkness that threatened to overwhelm him.

"-Wrap your arms around me, baby boy," he said, giving one of Harry's arms a little tug.

He repeated the bridge, wrapping an arm around Harry's neck and carding his fingers tenderly through Harry's curls, making Harry tear up again as he stared up into those beautiful silver eyes.

Draco moved into the refrain again, slower and a little sweeter, like a promise. "I like shiny things, but I'd marry you with paper rings." Harry gripped him a little tighter, "you're the one I want," he sang softly. "And I hate accidents except when we went from friends to this, uh huh, darling.”

He jumped up, Harry’s fingers trailing after him as he went, singing the refrain again as he made his way to Pansy who was holding out a small box for him. “In paper rings, in picture frames, in all my dreams,” he sang as he made his way back over and dropped to his knees. “You’re the one I want,” he sang, looking up as he opened the box to reveal a gold band.

Harry’s hands flew to his mouth, like a complete cliche, “Draco,” he whispered as the crowd around them went unnaturally still.

“Marry me?” he asked, eyes tight around the edges like he thought Harry could possibly say no.

“Yes, of course yes,” he said, “you silly, perfect man. Of course.”

The room erupted into cheering but Harry could hardly hear it, too wrapped up in his love to notice.

—————————

Written for @flufftober prompt 2 “friends, family, loved ones”

[margo-mania]

skimbleshanks watches starlight express and cries in pure joy

"it's...it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen..."

the truest thing i've read all day

[reverieshifts]

𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒓𝒊 𝒃𝒐𝒅𝒚 𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒖𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒊𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏

𝒔𝒄𝒊-𝒇𝒊 𝒅𝒓

𝒃𝒐𝒅𝒚 𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒖𝒂𝒈𝒆

Though the velari possess a spoken language—T’haleen—their truest and most nuanced form of communication lies in the quiet choreography of their bodies. Emotions are not declared aloud but shimmered, coiled, flicked, and stilled. While outsiders may miss these cues entirely, for velari, body language is an ever-present current beneath conversation—subtle, precise, and often more honest than words.

𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈

Velari ears cannot move dramatically, but their posture—perked or drooped—offers visible insight into emotional shifts. In formal or controlled situations, ears are often held neutral as a gesture of composure.

𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒍 𝒎𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈

𝒃𝒊𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏

Bioluminescence in velari is not random decoration—it is emotional resonance made visible, a living script of the soul. Each individual's lumin pattern is genetically unique, but all follow a similar core structure shaped by energy channels and nervous system proximity.

Additional lumin flares may appear on the forearms, hands, hips, thighs, or abdomen in response to specific triggers such as touch, pain, pleasure, or heightened intensity. These secondary flares are often less controlled and more instinctive.

𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒎 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈

Velari bioluminescence falls into a limited, but highly expressive palette. These hues may vary slightly between individuals, but the emotional core they convey remains largely universal:

Shades are not exact "translations" of feelings, but intuitive reflections—emotionally attuned observers can often read them correctly.

𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒏 𝒕𝒚𝒑𝒆𝒔

The way a velari glows is just as important as where and in what color. Patterns are instinctive, tied to nervous system impulses.

𝒔𝒂𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒔

𝒆𝒙𝒕𝒓𝒂

Ok, so I actually had a lot of fun writing this one. Idk why, but I've always loved developing out forms of body language and nonverbal communication. Idk how I'll feel about having my emotions broadcasted on my skin in this dr, but I guess it'll help that only other velari will pick up on what it means. At least at first. Because I have a feeling that my crew will 100% start to figure them out in like a few months.

But anyways, this whole bioluminescence thing was my attempt to make them seem a little more alien than just being like space elves. Well, that along with the tails. Also, an important thing to note, velari can suppress their glow with training, which is usually considered to be polite, however it does feel like really suppressing your emotions, so I'm scripting that I just don't do that, and it's part of why people didn't exactly accept me back on Thalurei. I was something called an "unquietling" which I'll talk about in another post, when I talk about the velari's culture and values and stuff like that. But that'll probably be a bit later.

@aprilshiftz @lalalian

[writingattemptsxx]

A Diamond and an Eel with a Clover

Trey starts dating Jade, and Cater finds himself picking up similar feelings.

—

First ever attempt at writing romance. This is just a ship I really like and wanted to share. This got way longer than I expected.

This is mostly Cater/Jade, but Trey and his ships are there.

—

Trey suddenly paused his mixing and looked up at Cater, giving him a smile. “Oh, I wanted to tell you, I’ve finally started dating someone else who I've been talking to forever now.”

Cater and Trey had opened up their relationship a while ago. They were both fine with it, thought it would be nice if anything, so after some conversations they both easily agreed. Cater was honestly a bit shocked his boyfriend didn't have someone hounding him sooner, but maybe that's just his bias.

“Aw! That's adorable! Who is it?”

“Jade Leech.”

Cater felt his eyes widen and his mouth part a bit. “Who? You’ve started dating who?” It's not like he didn't trust Trey to pick out someone nice, but it's impossible to not hear the rumors. That trio from Octavinelle didn't have any good words surrounding them.

Trey sighed. “Jade Leech. I know what you've probably heard, but trust me on this.”

“No no! I trust you. It’s just…” What was it? He couldn't say he didn't trust Jade, though that is probably the truest statement. “I was just a bit shocked tbh. Not something you would expect.”

“You’d be surprised what you learn when you actually get to know people.” His boyfriend gave a shrug and poured the batter into a tin as the oven started to beep. “Maybe you should get to know him. You two might enjoy each other’s company, plus it would be nice for you two to get along.” He wasn't even facing Cater anymore, fully turned to putting the cake in the oven.

“I can def try. We’ll just have to see how we get along.” That seemed to satisfy Trey who started to hum as he started to clean everything up. It’s not like Cater ever planned to intervene in any way. He truly does trust Trey. He could only sigh and hope things ended up well.

—

Trey! There he is. Why was Cater, the one without muscles, sent to get the extra bag of hedgehog food? Totes not fair.

It was only when he got a bit closer he noticed the baker talking to a tall person, dressed in their school uniform, and with light blue short hair. Jade Leech. The one who noticed Cater first.

Jade gave a sudden yet quick shift in his body language, guarding himself. It’s something that probably would have gone unnoticed by most others who didn't have experience doing the same. “Hello, Diamond. How are you?” He gave a fake smile that made Cater’s hair stand on end. He didn't scare Cater instantly as the rumors made him out to be, but he seemed as if he was hiding something. Right as Cater walked up to them too…

“Cater, hello. Do you need help with that?” Trey’s voice dragged him out of his thoughts. He nodded and handed over the bag of food.

“Riddle gave poor old me the job of getting the extra food bag, can you imagine that?” He leaned into Trey, gaining a chuckle in response.

“Oh, I definitely can.” He turned to Jade. “Forgive me, but I should probably help here.

Jade gave a small nod. “Of course. I wish you two a good day.”

With that, Cater and Trey started walking off to their dorm. Cater cuddled up to his boyfriend, thanking him for being his big strong savior, but he couldn't shake what he saw. He doubted there was any danger involved, but what was he hiding? No matter how much he thought he couldn't read any further into the mask. He, Cater Diamond, the one who worked so hard to being able to be friendly with all by being able to read them, couldn't read someone. He couldn't tell what bugged him more, that or his actual suspicions.

He simply took a deep breath. Trey wouldn't pick a bad person. He just needs to trust that.

—

For someone who's constantly on their phone, Cater actually doesn't bump into people often. It shocks him just as much as anyone else who he tells it to. Sadly, that luck doesn't hit every time. Sometimes he runs into people, like how he ran into Jade Leech this time.

They were both walking, so luckily none of them got hurt, it was just a corner blocking their view.

Cater looked up to Jade. “Hey sorry about that.” He was about to ask if he was ok, but as he took a step away, he noticed something off.

Jade’s smile seemed forced, as always. He had a barely noticeable lean away from Cater. His arms were crossed and held slightly too high up than someone calm, unusually close to the chest. His eyes were scanning Cater, but refusing to look at him for too long, looking anywhere else. His whole perfect posture felt stiff, as if he had to physically force himself there.

Was he anxious?

“Are you ok?”Cater didn't even know he was speaking out loud until he heard his own words hit his ears.

“Yes, I am perfectly fine. A small bump into another wouldn't cause any damage.” Jade finally looks at Cater’s face. His gaze felt soft. He had all these sharp features, yet with his eyes, they felt comforting. “Are you alright?”

“Oh, yeah. I'm good.”

Jade gave a small bow. “Then if you will excuse me.” He continued to walk off.

Cater couldn't help but watch him leave, remaining utterly confused. He wasn't the man who was supposed to be able to ‘read your soul’, was he? He seemed anxious, not aloof. It made Cater think of him… differently… In what way? Cater didn't know himself.

—

Cater normally loved helping Trey bake for Unbirthday Parties. His boyfriend always seemed to be in his element and it was adorable, but this time, his mind kept wandering. Every time he tried to just think about the now, a thought of Jade popped up. Was he just anxious every time? Was he always just good at hiding his emotions? Cater even started to look around for him and noticed the same traits every time Jade talked to someone or was in a crowded space.

He looked up from the bowl he was helping mix. “So, uh… Is Jade good?”

Trey quickly looked up from taking the previous batch of cupcakes out of the oven. “Last I checked he was fine, yes. Why? Did something happen?”

“Oh! No, nothing happened. I just noticed that he kinda seems constantly anxious.”

Trey’s worried face instantly changed to one of amusement as he tried to hold in a laugh. “Oh, he's fine. He's just… not good with people. You need to learn to start with context, Cater.”

“Hey! I was only worried. We bumped into each other and I noticed stuff there. It was weird seeing the famed Jade Leech as someone who's simply anxious.”

“Seeing him as Jade and not Jade Leech?”

“Yeah, pretty much that tbh. His gaze seemed soft. It felt weird.”

Trey paused what he was doing for a second, looked Cater’s face up and down, then turned back to his cooling cupcakes. “For someone who can read others so well, neither of you can read yourselves.”

“What does that mean?”

“Nothing. Don't think about it.”

“Wha-? Trey!” With every pout, Trey only told him it meant nothing.

—

Wow… Sam’s shop prices were definitely cheaper than expected, at least to Cater. He was so used to going to all those popular pop-up restaurants with sky-high prices that when he counted out the money Trey gave him to see what ingredients were the best to go for, he realized he could get the better-end items for his whole list.

Cater was even more shocked that the school store had the whole list. Strawberries. Blueberries. Heavy cream. Flour. Sugar. How did Trey JUST realize he was he was running low on all of this?

Next and last was cinnamon. He turned the corner only to find Jade looking at some spices and carrying his own basket of baking supplies. Was Monstro Lounge going to offer baked treats? There's no other likely reason. Right?

Seeing Jade made Cater’s heart jump. “Hey, Jade!” He gave his usual high-energy smile as he quickly walked closer. The closer he got, the more noticed Jade leaning away. He didn't know why, but Jade leaning away stung his heart a bit. Cater just stopped walking forward.

“Hello, Diamond.” Jade stood up, placed the baking powder in his own basket, and tried his best to return to his proper posture. But after what happened before, it wasn't hard for Cater to notice the signs of anxiety.

“What are you up to? Monstro Lounge going to make some new sweet treats? You should 100% let me see them. I bet they'll be totes cammable.” Cater tried taking a deep breath. Trey mentioned him being good at reading people, so maybe he was picking up on the fake smile vibes? Just a natural smile, that’ll lighten the mood.

Cater checked Jade’s reaction and he seemed to calm down slightly. He stopped leaning away, his posture looked less stiff, and maybe his mind was playing tricks on him, but it seemed like whenever Jade looked at his smile, a slight pink dusted across his cheeks.

“No, Monstro Lounge has no intention of offering sweets yet, though I may suggest that to Azul. Trey told me he just noticed he was running low on some ingredients, so I was getting him some.”

“Wait really?” Cater looked between his basket and Jade’s. They had only sugar in common, the rest of them were completely different supplies, just from the same isles. Did their kitchen really need a full restock? What's with the two separate lists? “Trey told me the same thing.” Cater lifted his basket, showing off his own ingredients.

“How does one notice they are suddenly running low on so many ingredients at once? When was the last time your dorm bought stuff for your Unbirthday Parties?”

“We stock up regularly enough. I didn't notice we were running low on so much stuff. I just thought Trey knew better than I did with how much he’s in the kitchen.” Were they truly running out of this much stuff? Was Trey planning something big? Did Riddle agree to whatever Trey was planning, if he truly did have a plan?

Jade sighed. “What is that man doing?”

“I never know what's in his head.” Cater gave a light chuckle “You want to check out with me? We can both head to Heartslabyul together if you want, or I can just carry it all back.”

The faint pink that Cater thought he saw on Jade earlier, but came back definitely noticeable this time. It came back when he mentioned going to his Heartslabyul together. What? Was he flustered about seeing Trey while he was doing whatever he was trying to do? He seemed a bit lost in thought.

“Whatever he’s doing, it’s probably not something he would be upset we caught him on.”

Jade snapped back to reality. “Oh! Yeah, he probably wouldn't.”

“Come on.” Cater grabbed Jade’s basket and started walking to the check-out. “Let’s check out then grill Trey.”

Jade slowly tagged behind. A very slight smile on his lips and his cheeks ever so slightly pinker.

—

Cater thoughts continued to roam despite the homework splayed out on his desk. Apparently, Trey had gotten Riddle to agree to some sweet treats for the dorm before upcoming tests.

While it was nice, it was all a bit unusual too. This is the first time Trey had ever mentioned even wanting to do something like this, and going straight to Riddle with no mention of it before to anyone else was a first for him. Not only that, only Cater and Jade were sent for ingredients. One single student from his dorm and one student from a separate dorm.

What? Was Trey using his boyfriend privileges to get free work from Jade? Couldn't he use his Vice Housewarden privileges to send more people from Heartslaybul? What is Trey doing?

Only him and Jade? Now that thought of it, Trey always seemed to look between the two of them whenever they bumped into each other, even if it was only just for a second. On top of that, after he mentioned he felt weird after he mentioned feeling weird after bumping into Jade that once, Trey looked at him funny, then said Cater can't read himself.

What’s up with Trey? If Cater wasn't crazy here, he felt there was some pattern. Only the two of them… Looking between them… Feeling weird around-

Cater has a crush on Jade and Trey instantly caught it and tried to set them up together.

He felt heat rise to his cheeks as he jolted up from his chair. Trey, that traitor! Trey-tor! Cater immediately started speed-walking out of his room and to the kitchen. There is no way he's letting Trey get away with this.

He didn't even know what he was going to do if his boyfriend wasn't in the kitchen. He was just hoping the ever-present want to bake would work in his favor. He was supposed to be making the sweets for their dormmates anyway. After the corner, he found sweets did work in his favor for once.

“You!” Cater pointed at Trey who stopped in his tracks.

“Cater! Do you want to give me a heart attack?!” Trey set the oven timer and oven mitts down roughly, as roughly as he could without breaking the timer, then turned to face him.

He stomped right up to his boyfriend. “I want revenge! You noticed my developing crush, somehow before I myself did, then tried to set me up with him! Absolute Trey-tor!”

Trey just doubled over in laughter, only getting words out in between laughs and gasps for breath. “Again, you need to learn to start with context. You can't just jumpscare me.” He stood up straight again, barely keeping in a few residual laughs. “But I have no clue what you even mean. Why would I set you two up? How would I even notice your crush? It’s not like your cheeks flush whenever he talks to you or like you look around whenever you’re in an area he’s likely to be in too, or even like you've been bringing him up more and more. No, I would never be able to tell.”

Trey's smirk as he leaned onto a countertop top only made Cater’s face feel hotter and hotter. He couldn't even say what emotion he was feeling. He just tried to show some part of that wasn't happy.

“Aw, you can pout somewhere out of my kitchen if you're not going to help. I have a lot of baking to do still.” Trey turned Cater to face the entrance and pushed him towards it. “But if you two were to date, with your crush that no one ever knew of before now, that would be nice.”

Cater opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He could only stomp back to his room.

—

It’s been a while since Cater’s realization, and maybe Trey was right. His crush was kinda obvi. Even right now, he was looking around since there was even a slight chance he could have bumped into Jade. Could you blame him? He did it with Trey before they started dating too. Is it sad? Probably. But he can't help it. They didn’t interact much during the school day, and Cater just wanted to interact more.

Jade was probably somewhere here in this courtyard around this time of day. All he had to do was look… And there he is! Sitting on a bench and what looks like copying something off his phone onto some notebook. He looked completely peaceful.

Cater makes his way to Jade, keeping his pace nice and peaceful. Hopefully keeping his pace slow might slow his heart too. “Sup Jade?”

Apparently, he was too absorbed in whatever he was doing because when Cater’s voice came out, he practically jumped and his face became absorbed in pink. “Hello, Ca-Diamond. How are you?”

“You can call me Cater, no worries. And, I'm good. What are you up to?” Cater couldn't tell how he scared Jade so badly that he couldn't get Jade couldn't gather himself and was practically dunked in pink paint, but he must have. He couldn't see another reason for any of it. He could at least try and act calmly.

“Oh!” He turned back to his notebook which had a mostly finished drawing of some mushroom, a copy of the mushrooms shown on his phone. “I was drawing a Common Ink Cap Mushroom. It’s also known as an inky cap, tipper’s bane, or even scientifically, Coprinopsis atramentaria. It starts off as bell-shaped, but flattens as it disintegrates. As they disintegrate, they also make a black liquid that can be easily used to make ink. You can also eat the mushrooms as long as you aren't eating any alcohol with them.”

Cater couldn't help but continue to listen and hum some acknowledgments as Jade rambled on and on about these mushrooms. He seemed so interested and happy to talk about them. His focus was solely on the mushrooms.

While Cater made an effort to listen, it was all interesting facts, Cater’s focus remained mostly on Jade’s face. His whole face was lit up by his smile. The corners of his eyes were crinkled up on following his mouth. All of his sharp features seem to only reflect the light of his smile. And while the pink on his face seemed to have died down, some of it still dusted his cheeks. It all made Cater’s heart melt.

Cater immediately started wondering how he could hear him all the time, and as expected, one thought came up. “Do you have a Magicam or something? I bet so many people would love to listen to and learn all of this. I could follow you.” The instant those words left his mouth he regretted them. Did it seem like he was taking attention away from Jade? Why would anyone else have his Magicam addiction? Did that make Jade hate him? Ugh!

Jade’s pink grew back to the same level as when he first shocked him and he gave no response. Yup, he totally hated Cater now. Sure, he had a smile, but how he got just jumped with Cater’s addiction, that was probably nothing more than an awkward smile before letting him down gently.

“Of course, you don't have to make one or let me follow you! It’s good either way.” Cater tried to laugh it all off. Oh, this was so stupid.

Lucky for him, Jade snapped back to reality at his words, at least enough to respond while clumsily tapping on his phone. “I actually do have one, I just don't post to it much. You can follow me though, and I could try posting more. That would be fun.” He brought up a Magicam account with the user ‘MountainEel’. “The account isn't all mushrooms. There are some plants and animals, but it's mostly mushrooms.”

Cater quickly brought up his phone to search for the account. It only took a few seconds to find, but with how his heart was racing it felt like ages. He finally found it and hit the follow button. He swore his heart was seconds from stopping. Cater looked up to see Jade give him another smile. Yup, he's dead. He could barely collect himself to smile back and watch Jade’s pink face deepen in color.

—

“Unfair! Just totes unfair! Why did you get him first?” Cater had been whining into the corner of Trey’s neck for a good few minutes now. It had all started when they wanted to spend time cozy with each other by cuddling in bed, but cuddle time was disrupted by a notification Jade had posted, a daily thing since Cater followed. Trey teased him for how he instantly went to check the post causing Cater to bury his face in between his boyfriend's shoulder and neck, who only responded with a sigh and started playing with Cater’s hair.

“It’s far from unfair. I simply got to know him first.”

“Unfair! That was because you just had the chance to get to know him first. If I had that chance, I woulda done it too!”

“You still can. There's nothing blocking you from talking to him. Just hang out for a bit and try to be friends, it will evolve from there. No matter where it ends up, two of the people I love just getting along well would be nice.”

Cater removed his face from hiding to glare pouty daggers at Trey. “Easy for you to say! I was about to die when I ended up getting his Magicam. I almost died again every time I wait for his reply to my comments.”

“If he's posting more, he probably enjoys the comments and attention. He has been on his phone more.”

“Still doesn't stop my heart from racing.”

“Just let yourself hang out with him.” Trey thought about something before letting a fond smile grow. “You can also just look at him. If you can see past his initial barrier he can’t really hide anything.”

“I think I keep scaring him. He keeps getting all fidgety and can't compose himself while I'm around. He also blushes when he gets startled, which is cute.”

“He wha- Cater… Dear…” Trey sighed and cupped Cater’s face.

“What?”

“He doesn't- He’s not startled, well at least not only startled.”

“But I only see it when I say something out of the blue, like if I can walk with him or follow his account.”

Trey gave him a pitying look for a few seconds before taking a deep breath. “You’re lucky you’re cute. But, just hang out with him for a bit more. Try to learn his signs a bit more.” A playful smirk grew on his face. “You'll get plenty of chances to do that.”

“What does that mean? What’s with that smirk?”

Trey moved his hands from cupping Cater’s cheeks to covering his eyes “What smirk?”

—

‘Hang out’. ‘Why don't you just hang out?’ This is why! He was only walking through the halls while talking with Jade and it was taking all of his energy to not keel over.

What did Trey even mean by ‘learn his signs a bit more’? Cater was reading him pretty well, at least he thought he was. At minimum, he could tell Jade was happy when talking about his hikes, talking and listing about Trey, or listening to Cater talk about whatever he was caught up in at the moment.

“I did see a few beautiful birds on my last hike. Sadly, they flew away before I could get a picture, so I can't say their exact species.” Jade was standing tall, wearing a smile on his face, making the distance between himself and Cater ever so slightly smaller, and using his hands to gesture about the birds. See? Cater could read him. That's a happy eel.

“What did they look like?”

“They were small and ground songbirds. They looked to be some kind of finch.” His smile only grew as he continued to ramble on and on about the birds he saw, along with any animal, interesting plant, or cool fungus that crossed his path.

His smile only continued to grow. Every gesture he made fit exactly what he said. He leaned slightly towards Cater when he couldn't walk closer.

Cater just wanted to fawn over him. “You really are adorable.” It wasn't until his words hit his ears, that he even realized he said something.

Jade’s attention snapped right to Cater as he stopped walking and his face flushed. “Excuse me?”

“I- uh- I just-” Cater’s heart and mind were racing. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid! Who just blindsides someone like that, especially someone who probably gets a heart attack with how much you spook them? But mostly, why would you ever tell that to someone who would never love you back?

Cater wanted to die on the spot, but he couldn't so he did the next best thing. He pushed past Jade and ran away. He heard Jade call his name behind him, but he only darted to his room.

—

Cater spent the past day or two in his room or hiding from Jade. When class was out he took the most roundabout way to get to the next one, making sure it changed almost every day so no one could wise up and tell Jade. The second school was out for the day he went right to his room and didn't go out. Trey and his clubmates kept bombarding him with texts.

Cater can't do anything right can he? First, he accidentally half-admits his crush. Then he does what anyone else would call an overreaction. Finally, he made everyone worry about him wallowing in self-pity over a crush. He even noticed Jade hadn't posted since he ran, probably a bit awkward to post with him constantly lurking.

So why was he here? He was out in the open sitting on the same bench he found Jade on while sketching those mushrooms. Ink caps, right? Trey had texted him and told him to be here for a surprise. Trey practically demanded he come. Yet he's been here for about ten minutes and hasn't heard from Trey once.

He accepted his fate to just sit there in silence for the foreseeable future until he heard a loud voice.

“Nuh-uh! You’re going!” It was Floyd Leech holding his brother in a headlock and dragging him in the same direction as Cater. That can't be comfortable.

Jade continued to try and futilely push against Floyd while complaining. “I said I’m fine just sitting in my room!”

“Nope! He said he needed you here.”

“Who?!” Someone needed Jade here but didn't tell Jade himself? Who tells someone to forcibly drag their brother somewhere without telling the brother first?

Floyd noticed Cater and finally let Jade go, pushing him in Cater’s direction. “Bench.”

Jade looked up and at the bench, making eye contact with Cater, and Cater instantly knew who forced Jade out. The same man who force him out as well. The Trey-tor.

Jade stood stalk still only for Floyd to push him again. “Bench!”

Cater turned his face away when Jade slowly started walking closer with Floyd grumbling and walking away from both of them. What felt like after waiting ages, Jade sat down next to him. They both just sat there silently for another long while. Cater wanted to die.

“You ran away.” Jade spoke up out of nowhere. When Cater looked over at him he was curled up, his feet on the bench and his face slightly hidden in his knees. His eyes had even started to tear up.

“I- uh-” Cater didn't know what to say. He did run. They were having a nice time. He complimented Jade. Then he ran. That must have turned any compliment straight into an insult.

“I thought we were getting along. Then you said something that made me feel so, so happy, then you ran away.”

“I'm sorry.”

“No, don't be. I got my hopes up for our relationship because I couldn't help my own feelings.” Jade gave a sigh and placed his feet back on the ground.

“You're feelings?” Feelings? Cater thought he might have known what that meant, and it made his heart jump. No, he shouldn't get his hopes u-

“I’ve liked you for a while now.”

“You what?”

“Ever since I saw you genuinely smile and laugh when we bumped into each other while shopping. When you said I was adorable I thought for a second you might have returned my feelings, but then you ran away and I didn't know what to think. Now I guess I just think I got my hopes too high.”

Cater was speechless. Jade liked him? Jade liked him! Wait, wasn't that when the blushing started? Oh! That's probably what Trey meant.

“I know I probably sound stupid here, but I couldn't help letting my em-”

“-I like you too!” Cater let everything just come out. “My crush started probably around the time we bumped into each other in the hall. Random seeming time, I know. I just convinced myself you wouldn't like me back, so I tried to keep it to myself. When I accidentally let my feelings slip I got so flustered and embarrassed I only thought to run.”

“Why would you think I wouldn't like you?”

“When we first met you were always anxious and guarded when I came around, so I just assumed you hated me. Well, that and I suc-”

“-Don’t you dare finish that sentence.” Jade glared daggers at Cater. His face then quickly morphed into a pout. “You were the exact same with me. When we first met, you always had a strained smile around me. I didn't know what you were thinking under the fake smile, and I might have gotten scared…”

Cater let a laugh bubble up. “So we scared each other by trying to fake pleasantries and only tried harder after getting scared?”

Jade's face instantly melted into one of joy as he brought one hand to cup Cater’s cheeks. “With how your genuine smile and laugh are what caused me to develop a crush, I probably would have fallen for you instantly if I had seen that first.” Before Cater’s mind gathered what Jade said, he had wrapped Cater into a tight and comforting hug.

Cater moved to rub Jade’s back. “If you had fallen earlier, would it have been any better? With what Trey said of you, I doubt you would have done more than silently pine.”

Jade jumped out of the hug with a playful gasp. “Excuse you? I am amazing at bringing myself to confess. Also, what are you and Trey doing together? Slandering me?”

“Oh really? Who confessed to who with you and Trey? Also, it’s not slander if it's factual, btw.”

“Trey is irrelevant. I confessed to you.”

“What? No! I confessed. That’s what got us here.”

“Yes, because calling someone adorable and then running away is confessing.”

“Shut it!” Cater could feel his cheeks flush. The color only got worse when Jade started to genuinely laugh. It sounded perfect. This whole scene was perfect. Jade was perfect.

Cater moved his hands to Jade’s cheek, mimicking what Jade had done before. He gave Jade a small genuine smile, causing the other’s cheeks to regain some of that pink Cater couldn't help but love.

“What are you up to now?”

“Can I kiss you?”

The small amounts of color on Jade’s face immediately turned to vibrantly cover it. Jade stared at Cater for a quick second, looking between him and his lips. Finally, he gave a nod.

Cater didn't waste another second before pulling him into a kiss. It was clumsy and didn't last for more than a few seconds, but it felt wonderful.

Once Cater pulled away, Jade immediately melted into a puddle. He leaned on Cater as if he had no bones in his body, and hid his face in the crook of Cater’s neck.

Cater couldn't help but laugh. “Are you hiding?” He only got a huff in response. “Mister big strong ‘I-confessed-you-first’ can't handle a kiss? Are you sure you even could withstand confessing? I think my argument is proven.”

That earned Cater a bigger response, a pinch on his cheek and a pout.

“Alright, ow, got the message.”

From behind them, they heard Trey’s voice suddenly appearing, nearly giving Cater a heart attack. “So I assume all went well?”

“Trey! Don't sneak up on people!” Cater turned to see Trey. He had a small basket with what looked like freshly baked bread. It smelled delicious.

“Sorry! Sorry. I didn't know you didn't hear me, though I probably should have guessed based on how you looked.” Of course Trey would instantly go to teasing them. Jade immediately poked his head out of his hiding spot and gave Trey a pouty look.

Wait, Cater had forgotten in all this mess but Trey was the one who set them up. How dare he? “Oh, wait! I'm mad at you. You set us up with all your tricks.”

Jade gave a nod in agreement. “How could you? Such tricks on your own boyfriends.”

“Fine, sure, I did. But I know both of you. Nothing would have come of it otherwise. Though, as recompense, we can all eat this pumpkin bread together.”

“Should we, Cater? If anything, I think we deserve more. Like some cuddles.” Jade gave such a saccharine and fake innocent face before leaning on Cater.

“Fine, fine. You'll get what you want, but we should probably eat where there's more space.”

Jade and Cater both got up to walk with Trey to Heartslabyul. Jade tried to steal a piece of the bread multiple times, and Trey moved it away every time. Jade immediately pouted and leaned on Cater, calling Trey mean. And, as silly or weird as the scene may have looked, Cater found it perfect.

Comments, likes, reblogs, and suggestions are appreciated. 🩵

[notmorbid]

grey dog.

dialogue prompts from grey dog by elliott gish.

to my future self: my apologies, and godspeed.

i do not travel well, at the best of times.

i was raised in a small town. they suit me very well.

let's get a bit of supper in you.

happiness is an act of will.

there are two gods: the god of inside, and the god of outside.

who are you?

you frightened me. i thought i was alone.

you're never alone out here.

more hands make less work.

every day it gets better. you just mind that.

i feel wrung out as an old rag.

the fiercest tigers make the best mothers.

what a mess i've made of you.

i was about to put the kettle on.

i like you as you are.

rumors fly faster and further than the truth.

you deserve a chance to let your hair down.

certain things are not to be discussed.

is there anything more tiresome than a sunday school picnic?

there's no such thing as witches.

i thought it would be a dreadful trial, but you made it easy.

you are a perfect strawberry.

it will get worse before it gets better.

every town needs its witch, doesn't it? someone to whisper about in the dark?

i thought of ___ as a friend.

a young girl's reputation is as fragile as ice on a water bucket.

i don't want you to be alone in the dark.

i'm glad you came here.

you're the last thing i expected to find here.

a child may know that there are no monsters under the bed, but he will take a running leap onto the mattress, anyway. just in case.

nothing occurs in the natural world that cannot be understood through patient observation.

you can always follow me out of the dark.

if i am to drink hemlock, then let it be in good company.

you're going to run out of exclamation points, if you don't use them more sparingly.

don't you quote scripture at me.

did you think i materialized fully formed in this house?

i have a past, just as you do. just as everyone does.

widowhood has much to recommend it.

you must be going mad with boredom.

it does not become you, this passion for tragedy.

if that happened to me, i would hate god.

how have you been keeping?

you spoke the truth, and shamed the devil every time.

you have never loved anything but your own blessed reputation.

it was ordinary, in the beginning. i must remember that.

there are always eyes in the dark.

it isn't in the bible, but that doesn't mean it isn't so.

you are many things to me, but a mother is not one of them.

i can't imagine you crying.

a holiday might do you good.

my nerves are raw as meat.

i want to fend off sleep and dreams as long as i can.

it's funny, isn't it, the things that frighten us as children.

a monster seen is a monster that can be dealt with.

the shine is off the world.

you can come in, you know.

pretty is as pretty does.

what has happened to you?

whatever happened, god didn't stop it. doesn't that make it his will?

it will be alright, won't it?

you should've told me. i would have made you a cake.

did you never have birthday parties when you were a child?

so many unhappy memories. we must make a better one.

what is happening to me?

perhaps you could read to me?

i know it's a bit childish, but i like being read to when i'm not well.

there was a knock. surely you heard it.

watch me from the shadows, will you? whisper my name? come out and look me in the eye.

why are you laughing? what is it that you find so very funny?

get out of here right now, or you will catch it.

you and i know how much more there is out there in the wide, wild world.

not enraged. outraged.

what do you have to cry about?

i don't want to hear. i don't want to see.

i may be doomed, but i am not mad.

no one has ever wanted me so much.

an older sister can fix anything.

i really thought i would be able to simply carry on.

idle hands are the devil's playthings.

i need to speak to you about that night.

you are my friend. the truest friend i have.

i want to understand what happened. and to help, if i can.

a hurt animal will bite, even when someone is trying to dress its wounds.

i don't care about inconvenience, or what people think. i care about you.

you're solicitous as an angel.

i can scarcely remember the last time i wasn't nervous.

your voice is not your own, nor your expression.

i am well used to lying by omission.

it does not do for a woman to be too clever.

isn't that strange? to hate someone you have never met?

it spoke to me. it knew my name.

i don't want to be in the dark.

you know, don't you? you know for certain.

i tried to turn back, but i couldn't.

when you say 'it', what do you mean?

it's worse than not having it at all: having it, and then not having it.

is the truth something i owed you?

if i owe you my past, do you owe me yours?

every woman is full of tragedies. she is obliged to share them with no one but god.

i have nothing but questions, and no answers.

i am like a lost handkerchief: i turn up when i'm least expected.

i only did what you asked of me.

fear makes you ugly.

you are such an innocent, in spite of everything.

can you not recognize when you are being wooed?

no one has ever wooed me before.

people avoid me now.

a woman laughing is always a disturbing thing for a man to witness.

the value of knowledge does not need to be justified by utility.

you have never thought of what is best for me. only what is best for you.

what power have you over me now?

it pains me to see you so changed.

i am more myself than i have ever been before.

i am not a thing that you can shape. not anymore.

the prospect of being hanged sharpens the mind most wonderfully.

your heart is cold. beneath that skin of yours is only ice, not blood.

i have so little patience left.

you must take this to your grave.

there are a lot of stories about you.

you get to where you can recognize it. that look someone has.

intentions and prayers are useless to me.

[worlds-worst-ships]

Ad libs: The Freddy Fazbear bin and the Ronald McDonald statue, when fate brings true love to life

(If you want the uncensored version of that picture, comment and I'll DM it to you, I've been laughing uncontrollably at it for minutes now)

(Also I'm being extra daring with this one, so I'm going to add a cut. If you're not cool with that, scroll away now)

A beachfront view is, by many considered to be the truest frontier of romance. Where better to explore your attraction than a place where everything is so open between you and your lover? The ocean, the sand, even your bodies, all so much more exposed, so much more vulnerable than they'd be anywhere else. Somewhere where you can look at the one your body craves most, and excitedly imagine what lies beneath the thin veil between the two of you and nature's most unique and beautiful work of art. Your most carnal desires, bubbling up in the presence of the one you love, in this globally recognised paradise.

(Click to keep reading if you dare)

But two people in particular on this gorgeous summers day, two who truly epitomise the link created by the red thread of love, would find themselves thrown together in a way fit for a silver screen production. The likes of James Bond, Danny Zuko, and Gloria from Madagascar shared some of their most romantic moments on beaches, but their stories pale in comparison to what happened on this day between the Freddy Fazbear bin and the Ronald McDonald statue.

But, yknow, they're inanimate objects who can't speak, so its not THAT interesting, but that kinda makes it more romantic in a roundabout way.

Anyways, the bin had worked, or, well, stood outside the McDonalds by the beach for a few months now. It was his summer job, from a certain objectifying point of view, and day by day, more and more passersby would throw things into his gaping mouth. Cans, food boxes, even used condoms, which if he could think, he might just enjoy. The bin man coming to empty him once every other day was the only intimate human contact he got, save the odd Tiktok prankster trying to climb inside him. While unable to think or speak, if he could, he would have said something like "I know he's just doing his job.. but he doesn't satisfy me. I need a real man who knows all the right spots".

At his wits end, or so I say, the Freddy Fazbear bin had very almost given up on love. Nobody wanted to get to know him. Sex no longer excited him. Things looked bleak.

Until, that is, the McDonalds franchise he was stationed at, almost as if by fate, put his true love right beside him... the Ronald McDonald statue. Oh, how they had so much in common! Well, they couldn't talk about it because they're solid pieces of plastic. But the next few days were the most intense, sexually frustrating romantic experience that the both of them had ever had. Well, it would be, if they were sentient. Unable to touch, unable to ravish each other's bodies, unable to satisfy their carnal urges, they simply sat there. The Ronald statue became increasingly more frustrated, watching every person who passed put things inside of his lover, wishing every time that each can, cup, packet and condom could be his long, thick, throbbing, veiny, 15lb McMeat. Or, well, the McMeat he would probably have if he wasn't a statue.

Unable to stand by and watch this cuckery any longer, fate decided to finally bring the two together. With a gust of wind, the two of them fell... and they fell perfectly.

The Ronald McDonald statue's thick, plastic finger plunged itself deep into the moisture plug in the rear end of the Freddy Fazbear bin, finally uniting their bodies in one swift, romantic motion. The finger pierced several diaper bags at the bottom of the bin, causing untold amounts of doodoo to come cascading out of the Freddy Fazbear bin's "bumhole".

Covered from head to toe in nature's pungent caramel, the two of them were satisfied. If Ronald was sentient, he'd have said "I'll take this over being cucked by beachgoers any day!" but he's not, so like the Freddy Fazbear bin, he just sat there with the exact same unblinking, unflinching expression.

After the deed with your lover, its usually customary to cuddle, but instead, the manager of the McDonalds exited the building after hearing the crash, screamed "OH, WHAT THE FUCK???" and immediately called the city waste management to get everything cleaned up, and to have the two lovers returned to their original positions.

Neither of them forgot what happened that day. They didn't remember or register it either, because they're inanimate, but the pleasure will always be burned into their fictional memories. And the sands of the beach, coinciding with the sands of time, shall remember this as the ultimate story of true love.

[porcellune]

I am so scared of bothering you but I so wanna know more about Etienne and Mael!!First of they're like peak character design I love gnc trans men Etienne you will forever be the coolest guy ever

Also I'm deeply curious about their story bc I love swan lake (and I latch onto any character that could potentially share my culture but that's irrelevant lol)

HI!! it's no bother at all i love to yap about my characters

re: mael's name we mostly chose to spell it that way instead of maël since we were too lazy to type the accented e haha. but as to where in france they're from specifically i've kinda gone back n forth on it

either way they're childhood sweethearts. etienne was bullied a lot of being "odd" as a child (true changeling stuff, he didn't know he was a fae yet, but everyone around him could tell he was "strange"). a lot of the bullying was around him not being "normal", being very obsessed with fairytales/princesses, not very good at making friends, and being very into the idea of "true love" and developing crushes on boys easily, which led to him getting the typical asked out as a prank bullying from boys his age

mael and him became friends in grade school after etienne poured his soul into a valentine for a boy in his grade and the boy instead made fun of him and read it out to all his friends mockingly right in front of him, making etienne cry and hide under the playground during recess. in comparison to etienne who'd always been feminine, mael was kinda a tomboy from the jump and stood up for him, and followed him under the playground to comfort him and give him his own valentine

the two were inseparable after that. very classic "just friends" thing going on here for a while. lesbian couple to t4t gay couple pipeline. they were each other's first everything. they started properly dating in highschool after mael had already come out, etienne still in the closet but teetering on a realization

etienne was in a somewhat wealthy family, well off and basically their princess. he did ballet when he was younger but had to quit in highschool due to his mental health declining. he'd learned how to sew when he was pretty young from his grandmother and kept the hobby up all this time. if the equivalent exists in france he'd be the type to have gone to those "princess schools" for children. all this to say he'd always felt very feminine but had a strange relationship to his body and gender anyways, but due to his tastes never questioned it the way mael always had

his strange nature and obsession with fairytales made him very imaginative, though. mael had always taken an interest in writing. he'd always written valentines and love letters for etienne throughout the years, and as his muse, he'd eventually take a specific interest in writing stories based off of etienne's inherent fairytale nature even if they didn't yet know it.

etienne would come to the realization of both his gender identity and fae nature when he was around 18, both of which led to him being disowned by his parents. now all he had was mael, his one true love - and a sudden crash course on the changeling society he was suddenly apart of.

they eloped to new orleans, where etienne met his lord/liege, baron vivien of house beaumayn, and became his squire after undergoing fosterage and learning about changeling society and his kith.

his kith is the swan maidens/swan princes - they're a younger kith usually in central/western europe who's obsession is with fairytales, true love, and tragic love, based off the folktale of swan maidens. swans gain their power from dreams of love and fairytales. but their kith also bears a curse of a dark fate - when a swan finds their truest love, either them or their love are doomed to meet a gruesome, inescapable fate and will start to receive visions of it.

etienne didn't know this until after his chrysalis, when he found out he was a changeling and the curse of kith. after he'd already been in love with mael since they were children. and soon enough, mael began to be tormented by nightmares and visions of a gruesome fate. terrified of losing the only person he has left, his husband, etienne finds himself convinced that he can change this fate, no matter how impossible he's told it is

everything past this is sort of ongoing since it's in the oneshot (which has turned into not a oneshot) - in session 1, mael was kidnapped by a vampire from vivien's past as leverage to make etienne do something for him at vivien's expense - that being, give him a dress he made for him to wear at mardi gras. vivien's agreed to do so to get his husband back, but doesn't seem fully convinced he's even still alive. plus some other fae, vampire, and werewolf politics going on all around that

now i wont sit here and lie and say mael is gonna be fine. because he's not that's the curse of the swans. but i don't know how it's going to happen all i know is that it will be in resemblance to swan lake