#vela writes

[sparksandspears]

So I don't normally do this, but since my latest Lord of the Rings rewatch I've had this bouncing around my head, and finally am getting it out. So, poetry! This one is for Théodred, and I did my best to get the skaldic alliteration of Tolkien's Rohirric verse.

Simbelmynë

Forever they grow there, the fathers' graves watching; white flowers covering, warding the dead. Théodred lofty, Thengel's fair grandson, alas they await him at his road's end. Master of horses, the Mark's second Marshal, prince of the people, proudly he stood. At Isen's fords, with iron he fought there with Saruman's forces, and slain there he fell. Last of his line, Lord Théoden's only, Dead in the river. So death we dealt then, avenging the fallen, answering insult. War we woke, the Westfold arising; at Helm's Gate we harried the foe to the end. The White Hand we withered, the wizard defying; by spear and by sword we slew the dark host. Still Simbelmynë, silent and silver, his tomb it protects now til years have an end. With Fréa he lies, Folca and Fréalaf; In the ranks of his fathers he rests evermore.

[ai-kan1]

JUNO 🐜 AND 🖊️

Pretty sure malle will have something like dark academia but if juno was in the club he would look like a nerd/affectioned

Tsum juno here!!

Ask game

[bizarrebazaar13]

short little thing about cat Vela in Parabola meeting @thedeafprophet’s OC Penny! (Penny isn’t named here, but it’s her.)

Vela feels zirself shrink as ze moves through the mirror, and when ze is on the other side, ze knows the transformation is complete this time. Parabolan selves are unruly, unpredictable things. Since being made an honorary cat, Vela’s mirror-self has shifted to reflect zir title, but never the same way twice in a row. Sometimes the only change is that zir eyes glow apocyan, or sometimes ze is still mostly human, except for the claws and ears. And sometimes ze is fully changed.

Proper cats become big cats in Parabola, tigers or leopards or panthers. Vela isn’t a proper cat, but ze is close enough to change into a small cat on the other side of the glass. A serval.

Vela had only intended to pass quickly through the mirror to Station VIII, but it seems a shame to waste this form on so brief an errand. Vela arches zir spine in a long, luxurious stretch, the kind that ze always longs for in zir human body. Perhaps ze can do a little hunting before moving on. The Fingerkings can always use reminding not to get too close.

It isn’t long before Vela finds something much more interesting in the forest than a snake. A child hangs upside down from a tree, a child that glows. Her freckles glitter in brilliant cosmogone, and her hair and eyes shine like the sun. Are those scales on her skin?

“Hello!” the child says. “Can you talk? Most cats can talk, I think. But I haven’t talked to very many of them. Papa says not to talk to strangers, but he likes cats, so he probably won’t mind.”

Vela blinks. The child’s voice is almost an unwelcome sound in the ominous quiet of the forest. Overheard, a warbler soars. “Hello,” Vela says at last. It seems the most obvious choice.

“You can talk!” The child flips herself over and lands clumsily on the ground. “I haven’t seen you before, I don’t think. What are you? You’ve got spots like a jaguar, but you’re smaller. And you’ve got bigger ears.”

“I’m a serval,” Vela says with a laugh. The child is clearly, absurdly, unafraid. The forests beyond Vela’s base camp still give zir pause even after all this time, but this strange little girl couldn’t be more at home.

“Why are you small? Are you a kid like me? How old are you?”

The flood of questions startles Vela for moment. Ze would never have dared to be so bold, so loud, at her age. “I’m not a real cat,” Vela answers. “I’m a person outside of here, so I don’t turn into a big cat, like the others you see. But the cats and I are close.”

“Oh.” The child looks momentarily disappointed. “So you’re not a kid?”

“I’m thirty-two.”

“I’m six!” the child says proudly, her disappointment forgotten. “Do you want to come see my fort? I built it all by myself.”

Vela hesitates. Ze has no reason to think the child would mean zir any harm, but something is clearly not right here. Why is a child all alone in the forest? She mentioned a “Papa”, so she must have family somewhere. But where?

“You could meet Papa, if you wanted.” It’s as though the child has read zir mind- can she do that? She is of this place, of that Vela is sure. Like the hybrid, she is an impossibility, more at home in dreams than in the waking world.

Vela almost says yes, but then stops. Something tells zir that meeting this child’s father would not go well. He and Vela should not exist in the same space, even here. Where this certainty comes from, Vela has no idea, but ze doesn’t want to test it. “I don’t think I should,” Vela says at last.

“We could still play,” the child offers.

“All right.” Something about her makes it hard to say no.

The child grins, then reaches out and touches Vela’s leg. “Tag! You’re it!” She runs off into the trees, Vela following close behind.

Vela doesn’t know how much time ze spends with the girl, the two of them chasing each other around the forest. Ze loses count of how many times ze’s tagged, or how many times ze tags the child by pouncing (always with zir claws retracted). At last, though, Vela tags her and she runs away, not towards Vela. There is no fear or malice in it. It is simply time for her to go.

Vela watches her, then turns and heads back to zir own camp. Ze finds zir way there easily, somehow. Vela has no doubt that ze would have gotten thoroughly lost if ze went this far into the forest on any other day. But the trees part easily for zir today, and Vela wonders if it’s the child’s doing. How she would have done that, Vela can’t imagine. But ze is grateful all the same.

Vela wonders, as ze slips through the mirror into Station VIII, if ze will ever see her again. Ze hopes so. 

note: Vela and Alex are both light fingers players, which is why Vela feels like they shouldn’t exist in the same place. they shouldn’t. but Parabola is weird, so they can still sort of meet via Penny. also I have no idea what the timeline for this even would be. but it’s still a fun au-adjacent concept!

[sharffffff]

Taren Velas

Art by: https://x.com/madnessdemon

So, first things first, my main TES OC as of now, who is also my Vestige. They've already been seen on this blog before, but I love talking about them and also constantly change their backstory around a bit, so there's that.

While some could consider an appropriate term to call what Taren is a "Demiprince", in all actuality this term isn't correct. Yes, they're an offspring of Mephala, but no, they aren't a Demiprince. There's more that goes into this title than just being a descendant of a Daedric Prince, and while Taren is working toward attaining it, they don't have as much thought put into it when compared to constantly having to save the world.

How did an offspring of Mephala come to be, one might ask?

Answer is simpler than one might assume - they were part of a deal with Mephala. Offspring of Daedric Princes are mentioned in multiple legends from many different cultures, yet only a couple of Demiprinces have ever been recorded. This is because a Prince is powerful enough to limit what portion of their power goes into an offspring, and although said offspring will always have a stronger Padomaic connection than normal, be it an offspring with a mortal, another Daedra or just a creation from their own blood. Usually it never comes into play for their mortal offspring, aside from potentially higher resilience or faster natural regeneration, however there are very specific cases where this intrinsic Padomaic value causes for an event unexpected by the godly parent - or, potentially, expected and even planned for ahead of time, just purposefully kept silent about - since, as it is known, Daedric Princes love to keep to their secrets. That is to say, most of the offspring of Daedric Princes become just usual individuals of their other parent's race - with, perhaps, supernatural resilience or other abilities, but nothing too far from the ordinary to be noticeable.

This simple fact, however, sometimes goes completely unnoticed due to both the legends of the powers of the offspring of Daedric Princes, as well as attributing actions of certain historic figures to them being descended from one, especially so in Dunmeri culture, where quite a few historic figures were speculated to be offspring of either Azura or Boethiah, with little proof of it actually being true. So, while not common, some people have attempted to bargain with the Princes, most commonly Boethiah and Mephala (and, of course, Azura, but unlike other two, she never answered), for children, hoping to both strengthen their own family line and overshadow their rivals, as well as potentially parenting the next big hero of the Dunmer race. This practice was rare enough to not be recorded, however, and rare enough to be amusing to the Princes, who were promised everything they could ask for in exchange for a child that they knew would be just ordinary Dunmer - so of course they took them up on that offer, it was too good of a deal to pass up. And it was always amusing seeing the reaction to the offspring that was thought to be the next big thing ending up living a completely uneventful life and dying to most random thing.

Taren's mother was one of the Dunmer who attempted such a deal, being one of the minor nobles of House Velas, one of the smaller vassal houses of House Dres, she always dreamt of greatness, of achieving more than she had ever had a chance to achieve on her own, and the chance to bring Velas out of footnotes of history right to its front was a chance she couldn't pass up. Of course, Mephala saw an opportunity here as well, as House Dres have always made the best spies, and even though the child would still be a normal Dunmer, at least the Webspinner could let it inherit something that would at least be beneficial to that child in their life. After all, secrets and deception are some of the aspects that Plot-Weaver rules over, so her gifts would prove useful.

Taren's early life was mostly uneventful, aside from their overall chaotic tendencies, disregard for authority and overwhelming sense of freedom. They had been taught in the art of nightblade, combining stealth, infiltration and assassination with shadow magic, as preparations for spy training in the future, and they abused their powers to their fullest potential. Taren always believed into breaking the mental chains that lock the person into the norms of the law, but into breaking physical chains especially so. And living on the territories of House Dres allowed Taren to practice their nightblade skills in the best way possible - by breaking the slaves free of their chains and escorting them to safety under the guise of shadows. They had been caught a couple of times, but were able to let it slip due to being a child of a noble and due to the chance of them "growing out of it".

This sense of freedom and wish for chaos was also why Taren was eventually sent off to Davon's Watch in Stonefalls. The official reason for this was this being Taren's first solo mission, but in actuality their mother was hoping for them to actually prove themself away from homeland and to make her own life easier, as the losses from the Ebonheart Pact's prohibition of slavery were only worsened by Taren's freeing of the "product". Taren jumped on this opportunity to work with people of different races away from oppressively traditionalistic views of the people of Tear, celebrating their leave with the biggest stunt yet, as well as the first big test of their Illusion skill - the night before they were set to leave, they gathered all the slaves from both their mother and a couple of their neighbors, made illusory images of a couple of slaves in each household, and made it to the contact while utilizing shadow magic to make the whole group invisible. It was incredibly straining, but Taren managed to be safely teleported to Davon's Watch at the dawn before letting the illusion drop to what Taren assumed was immense chaos.

It has to be mentioned that Taren was still pretty young by the Dunmeri standards, barely having turned 32 by the time they were sent off, having barely any life experience and a wish to help anyone and everyone they could. So, needless to say, when a weird hooded figure approached them with an opportunity of a lifetime in a secluded house, they didn't even think twice, and of course they didn't say "no".

And here is the fact mentioned at the beginning comes into play. Offspring of Daedric Prince have a very strong Padomaic connection, however in cases where the offspring is mortal, it also causes a stronger Anuic connection, as the Annuic soul strengthens the body and essence around it to contend with the Padomaic element of such individual. In most cases, it changes nothing, however when such soul is used to create a Soul Shriven Vestige... things happen. It can't be known if such things are intended or not, but they do happen - the strong Padomaic presence is made even stronger when the Padomaic Vestige is created, and due to the way this Padomaic element is intertwined with Anuic Soul, part of that Anuic essence is transferred into the Vestige as well, causing the Soul Shriven to act the same way as if it was a mortal with stronger Anuic connection created by Nirn itself, but with a completely different origin. And this Padomaic presence changes the nature of the Vestige itself as well, as it never actually becomes a Soul Shriven Vestige, and instead something else entirely - a never before seen type of Daedra, still bearing the same properties of their mortal bodies they would if they were Soul Shriven, but with significant connection to their Prince parent, increase in power and features corresponding to said parent, which differ from case to case - and so far, there has been only one recorded case of this very specific situation ever happening.

So yes, Taren getting sacrificed to Molag Bal and becoming one of his Soul Shriven has actually backfired, unlocking something locked away in Taren's Padomaic part, strengthening their connection to Mephala, and foretelling Planemeld's eventual downfall. In their consequent travels Taren has managed to visit Spiral Skein, attuning to it for a short amount of time to unlock their full potential, and gaining access to far more powers, as well as a Spider Daedra form. They didn't stay for long, as they still had a sense of duty for Tamriel, and it always needed saving.

As for why Taren couldn't count as a Demiprince despite now being fully Daedric and therefore virtually immortal and combining both Anuic and Padomaic aspects in them? That's easy. Demiprince has to have a plane to count as such - this refers to both a plane of Oblivion, and a plane of influence, and neither of those appear out of thin air - either a Daedric Prince parent has to wish for their offspring to be a Demiprince and give those to them, or their offspring has to claw it out through their own blood, sweat and tears. Taren didn't have time for second option, nor did they want to grovel before Mephala for the first, so while still being powerful, they haven't become a Demiprince.

[bihanspookies]

4 for Alora and 2 for Kasiya >:3

Alora:

4) What song describes your OC and their partner/love interest?

— lmao GODDDD, okay there’s two for Alora and JJ REDACTED

I will give no explanation but the songs say a lot.

Shout out to @chadillacboseman (JJ is also her OC) for showing me these songs in the first place 😗✌️

Kasiya:

2) Who's your OCs best friend? How did they become best friends?

— OOO okay bit of a hard question, at least for her in the previous timeline. Kasiya is alone in the Garden of Lotós with her only company being souls that pass through or whoever gets there via portal. She doesn’t exactly have ‘best friends’, just acquaintances or allies. Kung Lao was really her only ‘friend’ who eventually turned into a lover. They became best friends bc she eventually gave him a ring that would allow him to travel to the garden whenever he pleased so they would spent a lot of time together.

Edit bc I’m: dumb BUT

In MK1 it’s Kung Lao and Raiden since she waitresses at Madam Bo’s and tends to take care of them from time to time.

Questions

[herosplatling-replica]

astronomy lesson

Freya wakes up on the roof in the middle of the night. Tartar tells her about its new hobby.

924 words, no general warnings 

It's the middle of the night when Freya's jolted awake. The cold night air is almost freezing on her skin as she blinks, feeling a drip of that bioluminescent blue ink fall out of her eyes. 

"Shit," her mouth moves on its own as Freya scrambles to get a better hold on a tile. "I knew I should've- damn it. It's fine, go back to sleep, Freya."

"Tartar? What are we doing on the roof?" Freya asks, watching as the AI pilots their body to a safer spot. If she cranes her neck, she can spot a pile of haphazardly placed furniture on the ground floor stacked up to presumably let the AI climb up here in the first place. 

"It's- shit." Freya watches as Tartar keeps its grip on a roof tile, adjusting to ensure they don't fall. "I must apologize. I should just go back insi-" 

"Hey, you're not in trouble or anything. I promise." She can feel the tension in their body lessen slightly. "I'm just curious, that's all. If it's too personal, I can just go back to sleep." 

Tartar doesn't respond, but adjusts itself to sit upright on the roof. "I am aware that your neighbors consider this behavior odd, but… I am stargazing." 

"You are?" 

"Affirmative." The AI quiets down as it lays down on the roof, watching the stars. 

"Huh. I didn't realize you took an interest in that sort of thing, Tartar." 

The AI huffs out a laugh at that. "It is a little preposterous for an information bank to have 'interests,' but I suppose it is one."

The two of them share a quiet moment as Freya's eyes scan the stars. She can tell the AI is tracing something out, but isn't sure of the shape. 

"What are you looking for?" Freya asks at last. 

"Orion's belt. From there, Orion the Hunter." Tartar traces out the line with a finger, well aware that Freya can follow along that way. "Follow the bow's path, and you'll find Taurus." 

"Who's Orion?" 

"A hunter from Greek mythology. I believe you would call him a pathetic excuse of a hunter, though. He was not very valorous." Tartar lets out a chuckle at that, refocusing its gaze on the stars. "That isn't the only interpretation of the constellation, though. There's a different version of who that figure is that varies from human culture to human culture. Some cultures believe Orion's Belt to be sacred animals, or figures of importance in their respective religions." 

"That's interesting. And Taurus?" 

"Taurus is from the Western Zodiac. It takes the shape of a bull and is associated with many ancient human cultures. Sumerian, Akkadian, Assyrian, Babylonian… you name it." 

Freya quiets as Tartar continues to trace out constellation after constellation, the AI giving a brief explanation of the shape and culture that named it. The vigor in which Tartar talks about each set of stars paints a picture in Freya's heart that she cannot deny. 

Tartar… misses humanity, doesn't it? 

"Your turn," the AI huffs out, giving control over Freya's right arm back to her. 

"My turn?" Oh, the constellations. Freya's eyes scan the stars, searching.

"They don't need to be human era constellations. I am just curious as to what your society makes of the star map." With that, Tartar gets comfortable on the roof, adjusting their left hand behind their head. 

"There's the Rainmaker," Freya says, tracing the gun's shape with a faded barely green finger. "In its path is Baby Zapfish, then the Great Zapfish." 

"Mhm?" 

"And then south of the Great Zapfish are the three clans, the Eel, the Shark, and the Manta Ray." She couldn't tell if the AI was actually paying attention to her, but she kept going anyway. "Along the edge of the three clans is the Pinkfish, and the King Pinkfish… then further south, the primordial ancestors."

"And those are?" 

"The Kraken and The Dofleini. Presumably the first of our kind to walk the earth." 

Freya let her free hand rest on her stomach, watching the stars twinkle faintly. There were so many things she wanted to ask Tartar, but she felt the moment was fragile enough as is to disturb the peace. So for now, she was fine with being quiet, watching the night sky with the remnant of humanity's mechanical creation. 

"Thank you, Freya. I have updated my information banks accordingly and added the constellations you shared with me under the Mollusc Era of star maps." 

"Hey, don't mention it. I figured you wanted to know. Plus, you're a pretty good teacher." 

"Hmm?" 

Freya grins as she watches the sky, searching for Orion again. "I didn't think I'd be learning astronomy from you. This is nice. Thanks for the lesson, genuinely." 

Tartar makes a quiet hum in response, the AI not finding much to say to that. 

"Can I make a request though?" 

"What would that be?" 

"Next time you come up here, at least bring a jacket."

"...Yes, fair enough. I could do that."

"Awesome. Now, can you tell me more about one of those ancient human cultures?" 

"Hah, eager to learn, aren't you? Very well." 

She could feel herself starting to drift off halfway through the history of the Ancient Babylonians, but Freya could tell that the AI was smiling. Was this back and forth conversation fulfilling for it? Did it make Tartar feel better, even if only marginally? 

Freya wasn't sure, but as she drifted off to sleep, the AI's hand laced together with Freya's. 

"Good night, inkling." 

"Good night, Tartar." 

[laelior]

Anything you want to share about Peggy Shepard or your Dragon Age fic! 🌸

From this list:

Oh bless you for asking about Peggy. Here's a snippet from her ME3 story where she shares a quite moment with Serge, one of the other members of the resistance cell she's in.

“You heard the news?” She asked, gingerly setting herself down on the old, wooden bench. The damn thing was probably older than her, but it creaked less than she did as she sat down on it. “The turians and the krogans fight together. Perhaps next, the dogs and the cats and the dolphins and sharks of our world will join together in our fight as well,” he said lightly, and she heard, rather than saw, the sardonic smile on his voice. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him toying with a slim white object in one hand. “Do I even want to know where you got that?” She sighed, and Serge handed over the unlit cigarette in his hand. It had been, what, fifty years, since she’d last had one, but she automatically accepted it between her index and middle fingers, curling her other fingers inward around the butt by pure muscle memory. “A man is allowed some secrets, no?” A wide, impish grin split his face, and in that moment he looked and sounded more like a schoolboy than a man close to her own age. With a slight flourish he produced an old metal lighter and lit the end for her. She took one drag, breathing in the sweet, tarry nicotine scent, then handed the cigarette to him. “I suppose he is.” They passed the cigarette between them in silence for the rest of the evening, listening to the joyous noises and the impromptu music coming from within the lodge. It was wondrous news to celebrate, indeed, but the only part Peggy had heard was that Beth, her Beth was still alive. And that mattered more than the whole of the universe.

I shared a bit from my Drage Age fic here.

Another small snippet below the cut:

She was Dreaming. In and of itself, that was not unusual. But being aware of it, aware that her mind was in the Fade while her body stayed behind and rested, was unusual. If the Black City off in the ominous distance didn’t clue her in, then the fact that she had two whole and intact arms did. She flexed her left arm, basking in the feel of the muscles that still responded easily to her command, then clapped her hands together. The sound it made was clear, sharp, and music to her ears. For years now, the only place she had been able to hear that was in the Fade, where she still dreamed herself to be whole and unmarred by war or love. Ellana was not a Dreamer. She didn’t have the ability to shape the Fade at will. That had been Solas’ special purview. She was only aware and able to control herself in dreams when he came to her, or on the rare occasion that her dreams were lucid.  She looked around her, trying to figure out which this was. A stream bubbled merrily just off to her side, rushing noisily where it fell down a steep drop of granite cliff. Fern and motherwort grew near the edges of the stream among the large rocks that dotted the shore, mixed in with clusters of spindleweed and blood lotus. Over on the other side of the stream, a fine mist shrouded the air of a dense forest. The air smelled clean, it smelled fresh and green, like the first days of spring.  It smelled…. It smelled like home.

[caged-nights]

💐Tea and Comfort🌿- Stellarium ONE SHOT

⚠️Content Warning⚠️: Slight warning for intrusive thoughts and hearing voices

A little thing I cobbled together because I wanted Meliora and Venueri to have dessert together and instead of doodling it, I wrote this! A little messy, but it was fun to do something sweet with them.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:**:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Ღ Venueri was used to being alone, ever since she was young. 

Ღ She would have never guessed it in a million years that the stars would bless her with the company of another after all this time. 

Ღ  She truly didn’t deserve it.

Ღ But here she was, waiting at the small, ornate outdoor table for the first Villicus she has seen in a long time to come back with her “surprise”. 

VENUERI: (“I don’t know why she bothers…”)

Ღ  Well, with her. Venueri didn’t see why her new roommate seemed to enjoy her presence. 

Ღ Not that she didn’t enjoy her company, it was more so…

Ღ She felt that she was a lost cause.

???: “No one should ever get close to you.”

Ღ A voice sneered at her, one she had grown accustomed to. 

Ღ Before she could dive deeper into that rabbit hole, the sound of her gilded heels came clicking on the white stone leading to the gazebo.

MELIORA: “Venueri! Sorry for the wait, had trouble figuring out the stove!” 

Ღ Her vibrant violet eyes that contained a sky similar to Venueri’s seemed to sparkle with excitement. 

VENUERI: “O-Oh, it’s not an issue! Please, come have a seat.”

Ღ Setting down the trays with grace, Meliora sat down on the chair across from Venueri. 

Ღ Venueri looked up from her lap finally and to the trays she brought. 

VENUERI: “You made tarts?” 

Ღ Quite surprising.

MELIORA: “Yup, you said in the past that you had trouble tasting certain flavors. So, I made something sour!”

Ღ She remembered that?

VENUERI: “Oh, you didn’t have to!” 

Ღ She was slightly embarrassed by feeling… seen, almost. 

Ღ But Meliora grinned and waved her hand, 

MELIORA: “I wanted to, besides, you need something indulgent for once. What did you have last night before we went to bed? …Bread?”

Ღ So she saw her do that. 

Ღ Venueri felt herself turn pink at those words, trying not make eye contact with the other. 

VENUERI: “I promise I do try to cook real food sometimes…” 

MELIORA: “...You do remember the last dish you made, right?” 

Ღ Oh, yeah, that.

VENUERI: “Please don’t mention it.”

Ღ Venueri sulked openly, the embarrassment still fresh on her mind. 

Ღ Meliora chuckled at her pouting before grabbing the teapot she had prepared for the two of them.

MELIORA: “I didn’t know what kind of blend you like, so I hope the one I chose is ok.” 

Ღ She plopped in two sugar cubes into her teacup, the scent of the tea rose into the air. 

Ღ It was really nice, actually. 

VENUERI: “It smells wonderful! Which one is it?” 

Ღ Meliora smirked in a victorious fashion, as if she was betting with herself on this. 

MELIORA: “It’s called Hot Apple Spice, you seemed to be really into the Autumn season when we went out last time, so I grabbed a bag!”

Ღ She could smell the apple and cinnamon, there was also the slight scent of orange and cloves in the mix. 

Ღ Meliora grabbed Venueri’s teacup and a small plate. 

MELIORA: “How many cubes?” 

Ღ She clicked the little sugar cube tongs as she asked.

VENUERI: “I, um, the same amount as you?” 

Ღ Meliora wasn’t pleased by that answer, 

MELIORA: “Do you like it more bitter or sweet?” 

Ღ Venueri sat straight up, as if she were being interrogated.

Ღ She put more thought into this answer this time. 

VENUERI: “I suppose sweet to pair with the sour of the tarts…”

Ღ Meliora nodded her head, grabbing a few sugar cubes and stirring her tea with the small, detailed spoon. 

MELIORA: “You do seem like more of sweets girl!”

Ღ She grins happily as she carefully handled one of the baked tarts she made. 

Ღ The scent of rhubarb and strawberries filled her nose, and the plate and teacup were gently set in front of her. 

Ღ Venueri stared at the tart like it had eyes, but she picked up the teacup and let the aroma fill her senses.

Ღ She had to wonder…

Ღ Why would Meliora bother with her?

???: “She’s just wasting her time on you.”

Ღ A voice mocked her from somewhere. 

???: “She would be better off kicking dirt.”

Ღ The shaking of her own hands became apparent to even herself as they continued to shout and insult her. 

MELIORA: “Venueri?”

Ღ Of course she would notice, she wasn’t doing a great job at hiding her panic right now. 

Ღ Venueri tried to calm down, to level her breathing, but even as her vision blurred– she couldn’t get her mind to cease the voices. 

VENUERI: “I…It’s ok, I’m just a little on edge…” 

Ღ Meliora wasn’t stupid, she knew that, but it was the best lie she had. 

Ღ But she approached Venueri regardless, her hand urging Venueri to put down the teacup and lay her hands down.

MELIORA: “Venueri, it’s alright, focus on me.” 

Ღ Venueri didn’t want to, but her voice was so warm, so compelling, that she looked up at Meliora’s face. 

Ღ Meliora’s hand gently squeezed her own, her violet eyes filled with indigo clouds and a warm yellow moon stared back into her own sky filled eyes. 

Ღ Venueri keep finding the one question bubble its way back up the surface of her mind as Meliora ran her thumb across her knuckles.

Ღ Why does she bother?

Ღ What did she have to gain from this?

Ღ Venueri was so confused, by this warmth and concern. 

Ღ It felt like an axe embedded in her chest. 

MELIORA: “Here, the tea isn’t caffeinated, the warmth might help ease your head.” 

Ღ She slowly let go of her hand and pushed the tea towards her, 

VENUERI: “...”

Ღ She was silent for a moment before she took a small sip of the tea. 

Ღ The warmth did feel nice. 

Ღ Meliora was quiet, but she didn’t leave her side. 

Ღ As the panic of her head slowly leveled, Venueri felt a bitter feeling come up in her heart. 

Ღ She finally decided to ask.

VENUERI: “Meliora?” 

Ღ Her eyes widened at Venueri. 

MELIORA: “What is it?” 

Ღ She looks at her fellow Villicus, 

VENUERI: “Why…”

Ღ She starts, almost stopping and burying her emotions deeper. 

VENUERI: “Why did you do all this?” 

MELIORA: “...Huh?”

Ღ She clearly didn’t get it.

VENUERI: “The tarts, the tea, the concern…” 

Ღ She listed a few of the most recent examples. 

VENUERI: “There has to be a reason you’re doing all this.” 

Ღ Meliora smiles though, she smiles with a sadness. 

MELIORA: “It’s simple, really.”

Ღ She looks down at Venueri, who looks up at her.

MELIORA: “I like you!”

Ღ She scratches her cheek in embarrassment, leaving Venueri flabbergasted. 

VENUERI: “L-Like?!” 

Ღ She could have dropped her teacup right there. 

Ღ Her eyes wide with confusion, while Meliora chuckled at her unusual expression. 

VENUERI: “You don’t know me though.” 

Ღ She knew if Meliora knew her… then…

Ღ Meliora didn’t let her finish that thought. 

MELIORA: “Even if I don’t know everything, I want to know more.” 

Ღ She smirks; honestly… 

VENUERI: “Do you not think that I’m… a disaster?”

Ღ A lost cause. 

Ღ A broken tool.

Ღ Meliora shrugged it off. 

MELIORA: “Even if you were, who am I to say that’s a bad thing?” 

Ღ Venueri blinked at that statement.

MELIORA: “If you’re a disaster, then I’m a hurricane!” 

Ღ She seemed… proud of that. 

Ღ Venueri finally let a smile slip through, even if it was small. 

VENUERI: “Meliora?”

Ღ Meliora tilts her head,

MELIORA: “What’s up?” 

VENUERI: “...Thank you.”

Ღ She snickers, a sound Venueri welcomed. 

MELIORA: “I barely even did anything, but you are welcome.” 

Ღ Venueri and Meliora look to the tea and treats on the table,

VENUERI: “Ah… my little meltdown took over our teatime. The tea most be cold–”

MELIORA: “Worry not, we have fire magic for a reason.” 

VENUERI: “We are not using that in the gazebo.”

Ღ That made Meliora laugh out loud.

MELIORA: “Then we better eat up!” 

Ღ She grabs a fork and cuts a piece of the tart. 

MELIORA: “Here, open wide!” 

Ღ Venueri felt her embarrassment peak as the fork was placed at her lips.

VENUERI: “Meliora! Are you serious?!”

MELIORA: “What? I want you to try it!”

Ღ She was playing dumb.

Ღ The sounds of the two bickering and chatting filled the expansive garden. 

Ღ Even with the clean white walls, the white marble, and pristine stone that made the world of Venueri’s Somnious feel so holy yet unwelcoming…

Ღ The warmth the two began to share filled the Monastery with a light that it had never seen before.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:**:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

₊˚ପ⊹ - END

[raye-sim]

half of no name plays open mic night at o’malley’s!

[thebeastandthecourth]

La vela

He aprendido más de aromas, consistencias, pabilos y colores en estos dos últimos meses. Aún sigo estudiando. He encontrado un significado más profundo de la luz, de tener una llama intencionada, de adorar al fuego. Por momentos las velas pueden derretirse de varias maneras. Unas, van quemando de manera plana, la cual las hace perfectas. Otras, se van de lado y forman una cascada de cera que hay…

[internet-league-blaseball]

rotating a fic idea in my head that's literally just hana wildebeest monologuing about velasques alstott. i think it'd be neat. i don't know if anybody would like a fic that's just a monologue though

[ai-kan1]

i'd love to hear any lore about juno!!

Hmmm well im gonna share some new info bcs the old profile is outdated already!

Technical information

Name: Juno Vela

Other names: Henchmen (Grim), Herbivore (Leona), Tiger prawn/Kurumaebi (Floyd), Trickster (Rook), Child of a man (Malleus)

Voice claim: Shun Horie

Game Debut: Prologue 1

Biological information

Gender: Male

Age: 16

Birthday: July 7

Starsign: Cancer

Height: 177cm

Eye Color: Peanut Brown, Honey

Hair Color: Peanut Brown, Honey

Homeland: -???-

Family: Mother, Father, Uncle

Professional status

Dorm: Ramshackle

School year: First

Class: 1-A, Student no.9

Occupation: Student

Club: Mountain Lovers Club

Best subject: Astrology

Fun Facts

Dominant Hand: Right

Favorite Food: Shish Kebab

Least Favorite Food: Energy Drinks

Dislikes: Feeling Lonely

Hobby: Collecting Charms (especially for his phone)

Talent: Ice Skating

Trivia (+Commentary on some)

-Juno is based on Pinocchio so i reference alot of stuff from the movie (the 1940s one)

-His mother is a hairdresser while his father is a carpenter (His mother is based on Blue Fairy and father is based on Geppetto)

-Juno and his family live right above Junos dads carpenter shop! (I wanna draw their house one day it would be so funn)

-Juno has is own friend group back at home! (They still work in progress but there is gonna be 3 and they gonna be based on Lampwick, Figaro and Cleo!)

- add on to the above one! They would have their place™️ its a old storage room that they got permission to use and they dragged a whole billiard table there and other stuff (the billiard table kinda broken but they fixed it enough to play)

-The town Juno lives in is heavily implied to be Twilight Town (from Kingdom hearts) purely because i love the town in game... Juno just a regular person living there so no keyblade or magic for him heh) to be fair he wouldn't even know what those are cuz the "ORDER!!!!" sksks)

-If Juno had his own event it would be ice skating one! (Idk yet who would be SRs or R)

[bizarrebazaar13]

hi I have Feelings about light fingers so I wrote 1958 words about it. spoilers abound, would not recommend reading it if you aren’t up to at least LF 350.

anyway, it’s called Six Impossible Things.

[sol1loqu1st]

WOO finally slogged through a version of chapter 17 i'm somewhat happy with

[herosplatling-replica]

hallucinations

zombie apocalypse au (Freya POV, 1119 words)

content warnings: descriptions of wounds and some first aid, visual and aural hallucinations

[ A/N: as it turns out........ im very easily swayed at the idea of writing drabbles for aus o(T▽To) this is just a short thing but i hope you enjoy! ]

“Phew… back in one or more pieces,” Freya mumbled as she locked the gate behind her.

She was definitely bleeding - but no one else was hurt, and she had gotten a good haul today. A nice mix of both food and medicine. That was good enough for her.

“Now to just get a shower to clean this blood off-”

“Freya…!!” 

Freya froze in her tracks as she felt a harsh pull on the back of her jacket, dragging her in the direction of the camp’s medbay. “J-jeez! Jeanne, it’s fine!” 

“No, it is not! You know you can still bleed out!” Jeanne huffed, stomping as she marched on. If Freya shut her eyes, she could just see her girlfriend’s face all red from anger. 

“Look, we can just-” “No! I’m taking you to Nex, and she’ll figure out what to do with you. I already told you that you need to stop taking bites for me!” 

She DID say that, Freya’s thoughts echoed to herself. You’ve been ignoring her this whole time. 

Well, it wasn’t like she was trying to ignore her on purpose or anything. Freya’s thought process in the heat of danger was to protect others, and that was amplified twofold once she found out about her immunity to the Cobalt Flu. She just couldn’t help it.

“S…sorry,” Freya mumbled out, letting herself get dragged as she pressed a hand to a bite wound on her forearm. The still-red blood seeped into her skin as she did so. “I just-” 

“Look, just… let me take care of you,” Jeanne said, the worst of the anger passed. “Please.”

Freya didn’t blame Jeanne for being angry. She was acting stupidly reckless, even though she’s been told by Jeanne Nex and Idunn to be more mindful of her surroundings while on supply runs. 

Either way, she felt guilty. She’s supposed to be helping them, not the other way around. It felt wrong for them to waste resources on her. 

Eventually Jeanne pushed Freya into a worn chair, in an empty room in the clinic. "Stay there. I mean it," she grumbled. Freya simply nodded in resignation, getting comfortable. 

Jeanne stepped out to get medical supplies, leaving Freya alone with her thoughts. What did that make this, the fifth time she took a bite for Jeanne? Her bloodwork had shown that the infection wasn't progressing at all, so it was fine for her to take these shots for the person she loved. 

But even still, it's not something that she wants. It's just… if she gets infected, what if I can't get her back? 

Freya hadn't admitted that she was afraid of that possibility. The idea that she could lose her girlfriend to the Cobalt Flu, knowing she had the solution in her bloodstream somewhere. What if the vaccines didn't work? What if some other side effect arose? The constant questions kept her up at night. 

The door clicked open and Jeanne finally returned, wearing nitrile gloves and a face mask. Freya couldn't help but relax at the sight, sinking back into the chair. 

"Alright… do you have more than one this time, or did you get lucky?" Jeanne said, setting down a first aid kit on a table. 

"Just the one," Freya mumbled, not wanting to admit she didn't need to intercept more because of how alert she became after the first bite. 

"Good, that's good." Jeanne knelt to examine Freya's forearm, a bottle of antibiotic ointment in her hand. "You've been applying pressure?"

"Since we got back." 

"Good. Hold this for me," Jeanne murmured, passing the bottle of ointment to Freya's uninjured hand. She rose to grab a bottle of water, uncapping it to pour it over the bite wound. 

The cold water was a welcome relief, and Freya shut her eyes. It was around the time that this usually happened that she would start to hallucinate. For some reason, her immunity made her very loopy while her body was recovering. 

"Is it happening again?" Jeanne asked gently, wiping over Freya's forearm with what felt like a soapy cloth. 

"I think so," Freya mumbled. "I can see that person again." 

She could see that person's face. Cold blue eyes, black sclera, long dark blue hair. Vela was almost observing her in the chair from afar.

"Vela, was it?" 

"Mhm." 

"Okay. Just hold still, sweetheart." 

Freya could feel the antibiotic ointment being spread along the bite wound. She nearly flinched, but focused on counting back from 30 in her head to try to keep her mind occupied.

"Almost done," Jeanne murmured, gently patting Freya's shoulder. "Just bandages now." 

"Okay," Freya managed to say, finding she wasn't able to tear her eyes away from the hallucination. 

Vela stood by her chair now, standing opposite of Jeanne. They tilted their head, almost intrigued by what they were seeing. 

"Still immune. Interesting. I wonder what happened with you?" Vela's voice warbled out, the sound rippling in Freya's ears. 

"Huh?" Freya mumbled, feeling her head spin. This part was normal, she reminded herself, it's part of the hallucination. 

"Are they speaking to you again?" Jeanne asked, wrapping gauze around Freya's forearm. Freya just nodded numbly, certain she looked like a fool. 

"You don't look like a fool. You just look sick. You need to stop doing this to yourself." Vela crossed their arms, leaning back. 

"They're saying I gotta stop doing this to myself," Freya said, not even sure if she was actually vocalizing it. However, given Jeanne's strained smile and the feeling of the bandages almost tightening uncomfortably, she figured she did say it out loud. 

"Why do I always see you anyway..?" Freya murmured, not even sure if the hallucination could answer. 

"Because I'm in your head." Vela smiled thinly, not elaborating further. "Rest up now. Your girlfriend will kill you otherwise." 

"Vela's saying I should sleep," Freya relayed, feeling tired. 

"You should. Do you want me to carry you to a hospital bed?" Jeanne asked, tying the bandage off. 

"Yes please." 

Jeanne chuckled under her breath, lifting Freya into a bridal carry with ease. Freya simply laid her head against her girlfriend's chest, feeling she was starting to doze off. 

Vela was following them. 

"D'you think Vela's, like… cool?" Freya mumbled, trying to keep her eyes open for a bit longer. 

"Maybe. It sounds like they just want you to take care of yourself." 

"That I do. You're fascinating to me." 

"They say I'm fascinating. You think so?" 

Jeanne laughed. "Yeah, that's why I'm dating you. I think you're very fascinating, Freya." 

Freya smiled at that, her eyes too heavy to keep open. "'m glad." 

"Sleep, sweetheart. I'll make sure you'll be fine, okay?" 

"Mmkay. Love you." 

"Love you too, darling." 

[zypiris]

ID/ A screenshot of a tiktok reading, “finishing a fic that was the most profound thing you’ve ever read, only to realize you have no one to talk to about it, bc no one shares the same level of brain rot about Them that you do.” The tiktok is by Berk (4x01 enthusiast). /end

Everytime I see posts like this I get filled with such profound sadness

Cause you know who has the same brainrot as you? The same unhinged feelings as you after you've read the fic? The person who always wants to scream about the fic with you?

THE PERSON WHO WROTE IT

I never used to leave comments but since I got into the habit of commenting on everything i enjoy it's been incredible. Especially when the author gets back to me about it and we get to have a discussion of what other ideas they had. One writer replied to my comment with a 5 paragraph essay detailing the Floorplan of the building the characters lived in and it was incredible

Anyways this is all to say that if you find a fic that just makes you want to scream from the rooftops, leave a comment saying that to the author and maybe they will join you and you can scream incoherently together