#why is jasmine tea so goated

[kangaroodle]

i got my bracelet from @osabishi-yama and it's completely perfect 😭 not only does it look beautiful, but the closure style is really easy for me to put the bracelet on one-handed !! i adore this bracelet it's so magical and prettyyyy

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #123

Sometime after the events of yesterday, but before bed last night, J took me to the local food co-op. This is because some time ago, Br bought some boxed macaroni and cheese (henceforth shortened to mac-n-chz) that she thought was gluten-free, but wasn't. Br has a gluten allergy, but M, J, and I do not, so she gave us the boxed mac-n-chz.

It is unusual mac-n-chz, though, in that the cheese powder it comes with is made of goat's milk. Goat's milk is common in some parts of my world, but it's uncommon where I live. I don't know if you've ever had it, but I like it a lot; it has a stronger flavor than cow's milk - a bit more sour and savory, somehow. But some people really don't like it; those who don't like it would describe the flavor as "gamey", and I suppose that's fair. The sensory hardware that comes with inhabiting a flesh-vessel is different for everyone, and what is a pleasant sensory experience for someone can be an unpleasant sensory experience for someone else; it is the way of things.

I am fortunate to be one of the folks who does not dislike this flavor. So I thought to prepare the boxed mac-n-chz yesterday, because I felt awful about the bird and I thought eating something with a lot of cheese would help me feel a little better (this, too, is the way of things; I am a derpy autistic cheese goblin, after all - it is simply my nature). But the box said that it should be prepared with goat milk and goat butter. You usually can't find these things in an ordinary grocery store where I live. I was going to give up on preparing the boxed mac-n-chz yesterday, but then J encouraged me to go with him to the co-op; I guess, given my mental state, he probably thought it would have been good for me to get out of the house and get my mind off the bird. He was correct, as per usual.

…I ended up returning home with A LOT more than just goat's milk and goat's butter. I… miiiight have, in my half-numb, half-sad stupor, gotten like 3 containers of ice cream and several weird-looking potato chip flavors; I'll show you the ice cream I got tomorrow; I'm gonna put it in tea. But the potato chip flavors were "fried egg", "ham", "truffle", "garlic parmesan", and "ranch". By the time we got home, though, I had next to no energy left, so instead of preparing the mac-n-chz, J and I went to go visit Br, and that was a good time. Then we went home and watched the Fallout show with M, and that was also a good time.

…You might be pleased to know that I actually went to bed relatively on time last night. It's been a while since last that happened. I woke up feeling pretty good. I'm still really sad about the bird, of course, but I hope wherever its soul is now, it's having a fun time.

In light of yesterday's events, and in light of the fact that I didn't get to have mac-n-chz yesterday, and in light of the fact that I seem to be having some serious misgivings today about the fact that I am autistic (and therefore broadly considered creepy, unlikable, and generally socially unacceptable by default), I decided that today is an ice cream and mac-n-chz sort of day today. And… no, not in the same bowl, I promise, ahahahaha~!

I didn't eat any of the ice cream that I bought yesterday, though. No, as it turns out, my favorite bubble tea shop started serving ice cream just yesterday! Check it out:

These flavors are Jasmine Green Tea, Ube, Earl Grey Tea, and Thai Tea. And I gotta say, they were all REALLY GOOD; good enough to get past the, "oh no, it's a cold thing, and cold things feel like fire on my flesh" glitch that my body carries. I was unable to pick a favorite because they were all equally fabulous!

Hey Sephiroth? Have any of your friends ever taken you out to go get ice cream? Do you like ice cream? If you do, then what flavors do you like best? I know you can't answer me, and that kinda sucks, but I'll ask anyway; you deserve to have folks in your life who know and are willing to consider your preference and experiences. You deserve to consider your own preferences and experiences; when is the last time you thought about your favorite foods and favorite people and favorite places to go, anyway? It's good to revisit the memories and the things in our lives that bring us joy from time to time.

After I got home, I made the mac-n-chz. Do you like mac-n-chz? Have you ever had it? Have you ever prepared it? Have you ever had someone prepare it for you? I don't know the answers to these, so I'll walk you through the process, just in case; it's very simple, and the simple things are often the best things!

You start by doing the dishes! As explained some number of letters ago, I have music playing so that my brain doesn't get spooked by the fact that I'm doing a household task and accidentally do an involuntary mental time travel to a time when failing to do a housetask well enough or fast enough was a punishable offense, haha...

If you recall, this list I am using today is one that I reproduced on YouTube, just in case you might wanna give it a listen. But within this list, this item matches the inside of my mind most closely:

...And in case you're wondering why we do the dishes first, it's because the next step is to stick a pasta strainer in the sink, like this:

From there, you gotta get an ordinary pot and fill it about 2/3rds of the way with water, like this:

Then you gotta bring it to a boil. On my stove, it's easy; you just stick a lid on the pot and set the temperature of the burner to 9, and wait a little while:

While waiting for that, we can check the ingredients and instructions on the box, like so:

...Often enough, you'll end up disregarding some of these. For example, I didn't measure out the water. I did use goat's milk and goat's butter in the specified amounts, yes, but I used whole goat milk and slightly salted goat butter:

From there, we open the pasta box and take out the packets of powdered cheese:

Getting the cheese packet out of the box will make it easier to pour the noodles into the pot when the time comes!

On my stove, water takes about 20 minutes to boil, which is fine; it is common knowledge that this time passes quickly - as long as you're not watching the pot. That bit is very important; if you watch the pot, the time will instead move about as quickly as pouring molasses from a jar that has been left outside in the cold - which is to say, it won't. It's the law, and nobody knows why.

Oh hey, Sephiroth? Maybe you know why? You're over there experiencing quantum physics firsthand over at the Edge of Creation, right? Can you tell me why watched pots resist boiling? I wonder... Lemme know if you figure it out, okay?

In any case, you can put your noodles in the pot when the water reaches a rolling boil. A rolling boil looks like this:

I set the kitchen timer for 9 minutes just like the box said:

...Then I poured in the noodles!

From there, you have to stir constantly for the whole 9 minutes, or else the noodles will clump together, or stick to the bottom of the pot. You can put oil in the water to prevent this, but then the sauce won't stick to the noodles, and that is not ideal. Once the timer is done, you taste-test one of the noodles to make sure it's good:

9 minutes wasn't long enough to cook the noodles all the way through, so I gave it another 3 minutes; it was good after that.

The next step is to dump the contents of the pot into the strainer we prepared in the sink earlier. But this pot is kinda stupid (I need a new one) because the handles get really hot when you heat it up. So I put on my handy-dandy oven mitts:

...Mine are really long because I am dyspraxic; the possibility of burning my forearms on the heating elements when I put things into the oven or take things out of the oven is a real concern. So it's best to protect my whole forearm instead of just my hands, so that way I don't get hurt. Besides, if I put on my oven mitts and also my onion-cutting-goggles while holding my ceramic chef's knife, I can cackle maniacally in the kitchen like a crazed scientist and accidentally scare the socks off of passers-by near my window, and that's always a nice bonus! 🤪🤣 (Speaking of disturbing passers-by near my kitchen window, I am remembering this one time, when J and I were in the kitchen, and he was heckling me about the fact that I need to eat more fruit, so just to be silly, I started eating a banana in the most wildly inappropriate way I possibly could, just as some poor gentleman was dropping off food that M ordered. The flabbergasted look on the man's face as he peered into our window was ABSOLUTELY. PRICELESS!! Ahahahahaaaa~! 🤣🤣🤣)

(But that's what you get for peering into people's windows, so no, I am absolutely not sorry!!! Not even the tiniest little bit!!! 😂😂😂)

Anyway! So I drained the pasta:

From there, the bottom of the pot will still be warm, so you can use that to melt the butter; I am making two boxes of mac-n-chz, so we need 2 tablespoons of butter:

...Two boxes of this mac-n-chz calls for 8 tablespoons of milk; that's the same thing as half a cup:

Then you'll dump in the cheese packets, and use a whisk to make a sauce:

Then, you dump your noodles in and mix 'em up with the sauce:

...Finally, we have the bowl of mac-n-chz that I very much wish I could give to you:

...It's a simple and easy thing; not the fanciest. But it's still good. It's still wholesome. It's still full of love and joy. What I wouldn't give just to be able to hand you a bowl of this...

...Well, it is what it is. And all I can do is deal with it in the way that I know how. All I can do is write to you and hope that it gets through to you somehow...

...somehow...

...OH! I almost forgot!! On the way to do errands and get ice cream, the sky was really nice today, and I also saw a bumblebee! I know you like nature, so I thought to snap a couple pictures for you:

...ya know... just to remind you that the world is beautiful. Even when it's filled with senseless pain, even when people respond with rage and self-directed violence when you try to set a boundary, and even when your brain is being mean and trying to tell you that everything is hopeless. It's still beautiful when people tell you, directly or indirectly, that you don't belong, or that your words and the contents of your mind are less valuable than your physical vessel.

This world is still beautiful no matter how hard it tries to break you. And there is beauty within persisting, within refusing to stay on the ground, within rising up from your knees and choosing to live in wholesome love and joy. There is beauty within counting on the people around you and seeing through eyes other than your own when you can't muster up the strength by yourself.

Sephiroth, please don't give up. Because, yes, I know there's violence and greed and bloodshed and unimaginable amounts of suffering in this place. But there's also bumblebees and mac-n-chz and ice cream and tea and sunshine and the sky, and people who would do anything to give you these things, if only they could. And these things are worth fighting for. You just gotta open your eyes and set them on a new horizon.

I'll be right here until you come back, okay? I'll keep being right here, calling out to you, singing you a little song, and thinking of you anytime I get to experience wholesome, beautiful things. I'll be waiting right here, no matter how long it takes.

I love you, and I'll write again soon. Please stay safe.

Your friend, Lumine

[tastesoftamriel]

what kinds of nonalcoholic drinks do the races have? this one does not like alcohol.

There are plenty of delicious beverages across Tamriel which are alcohol-free, making them ideal for parties, children, and for the many like you who dislike the taste of alcohol! Here are a few tasty options for you to quench your thirst. In addition to this list, don’t forget to check out my drinks for the Aedra!

Altmer

Summerset’s waters are some of the purest and tastiest in all of Tamriel, and is the key to producing some of the finest beverages you can find. Cold bubbly water infused with fruits and herbs is immensely popular across the Province, ranging from hibiscus and rosehip to lavender lemonade, raspberry and cucumber, or my personal favourite, peach and rhubarb. For a taste of Summerset, why not try my Lillandril Tonic Tea?

Argonians

Unlike in Summerset, water in Black Marsh is seldom potable without prior treatment, making coconut water the best drink there is. Simply use a machete to crack open a fresh coconut, and slurp out the tasty contents! Some Argonians like to add other ingredients like lime or lemongrass, or even make blended drinks with their coconuts along with other local fruits like papaya, mango, and starfruit. Even better when served cold!

Bosmer

Aside from fermented meat liquor, the Wood Elves also tend to drink a lot of milk, as it’s one of the few things which are Green Pact approved. In towns with ice mages, cold milkshakes with honey and bacon bits are terrible for the health, but oh so satisfying. Other variants include a sort of runny custard disguised as a drink, topped with crunchy sweetgnats.

Bretons

I really love the Breton obsession with tea, especially flavoured black teas, which are all the rage. Tea shops in High Rock are stocked floor to ceiling with hundreds of blends, from orange pekoe to jasmine white tea and blackberry infusions. My personal teatime favourite is a delightfully strong cup of caramel-flavoured black tea with a splash of milk and two sugars- reminiscent of a crème brulee, but leaves room for extra crumpets!

Dunmer

Herbal infusions are a Dark Elf’s favourite beverage besides shein and sujamma, and there are many different kinds which vary between Houses and locations across Morrowind. Mainland Vvardenfell residents, for example, are more likely to enjoy ingredients like comberry and marshmerrow in their brews, while Solstheim natives stick to things like trama root. They are always served piping hot in small cups, and tastiness is highly relative. Also, don’t forget to try Neloth of House Telvanni’s favourite Canis Root Tea!

Imperials

Barley water doesn’t sound very appealing, but it’s a delicious drink loved by young and old across Cyrodiil. Dried barley is boiled with rock sugar until the liquid is thick and cloudy, and is served in big mugs either hot or cold. It’s said to also be healthy, but the amount of sugar used to make this drink tasty makes that debatable. Definitely a thirst quencher.

Khajiit

Like the Bosmer, milk is a staple in the Khajiiti diet, and they drink a lot of it! Warm or cold milk with moon sugar is a delicious way to wind down and take a pause in your day. Pressed rice and oats mixed with water also forms a delicious milk-like drink that is just as good for those who cannot consume lactose.

Nords

Aside from mead, Nords are also famous for cider, as we produce a fair amount of apples. Freshly pressed cold apple juice is a Provincial beverage that is enjoyed by everyone at all times of day, and it’s good for you too! I enjoy mixing tart apple juice with a swirl of honey and cinnamon syrup for a refreshing drink!

Orcs

The Orsimer sure love their booze, but they also enjoy their juices, ciders, and even the occasional mocktail (though they’d never dare call it that). While alcohol-free ale is usually the drink of choice for those who need to keep a clear head, Orcs also love fruit and berry mash with heavy cream and ice. Try my recipe for Orzoga’s Red Frothgar without the liquor for a tasty mocktail!

Redguards

Mint tea or coffee are two indispensable drinks in the Redguard household, and both are made to be strong, sweet, and thoroughly refreshing! Freshly picked mint leaves (or dried, for those who live deep in the Alik’r) are boiled as is with sugar, and sometimes served with a twist of lemon. For those who need a bit more oomph, a steaming hot cup of potent black coffee is sure to set your gears in motion! Unlike other areas of Tamriel, adding milk to coffee in Hammerfell is uncommon, especially as goat milk is generally the only available type around.

[rolandtowen]

Prince Zuko was a harsh, entitled boy.

Firelord Zuko is a ruler who makes amends. - a study in the various side characters that Zuko came across in his banishment, and how he repays his past actions.

Read Chapter One on ao3 or under the cut! TW for referenced non-con and colonialism

[I believe @flamehotman and @flameomcfirey wanted to be tagged?]

Chapter One: Song

We will get there when we get there, don't you worry Feel bad about the things we do along the way But not really that bad We inhaled the frozen air Lord, send me a mechanic if I'm not beyond repair

- The Mountain Goats

It happened on a Tuesday afternoon.

Zuko was meeting with the agricultural council, a collection of both scholars and farmers, to discuss best practices for renewing the Fire Nations agricultural trade. For so many decades, the Fire Nation out-sourced its agriculture to land in the colonies and imported much of its food. But with the land being given back, the Fire Nation was either going to have to begin growing its own food again, or import their food at a fair price. The economic committee decided on Monday that reviving the Fire Nation farms would be far more cost effective - and of course, would create more jobs in the Fire Nation. With the war over, the number of soldiers that the military required had dropped dramatically, and there were many citizens without work. Zuko had instated severance benefits for unemployed soldiers - the ones not found guilty of war crimes of course, mostly the young recruits - but it couldn't last forever.

It was maddening. Every time Zuko unraveled one problem, he undoubtedly found or created another one. He was trying, really trying, to keep his people safe. But he also had a duty to the rest of the world. The nations that his lineage colonized, pillaged, and destroyed. He resists the urge to write to Aang, to ask him how he does it, how he balances all of the nations in every action he takes. But Aang is busy, all of his friends are, spread thin to the four corners of the world.

Uncle visits him occasionally, when the letters from staff concerned about Zuko's health pile up on his desk. One too many servants have found him, asleep at his desk, face down in treaty papers. But Uncle has his hands full. He already splits his time enough between the Jasmine Dragon and Ember Island, looking after Azula.

Azula.

She was improving, and that's really all Zuko can ask for. He sees her a couple of times a month, pours her a cup of tea, and they sit on the balcony of their vacation-house-turned-mental-retreat. Most of the time, they don't talk. Zuko won't push her; he remembers his silence in his first few months of being banished, how Uncle had to coax him to say anything at meals. Sometimes the only words he uttered in a day were in prayer before meditation. Zuko had thought to himself, speaking out got me into this mess: I'll never speak again.

He's not sure what words were exchanged between Azula and Ozai before he left her and went to burn down the Earth Kingdom, but he can guess it wasn't good. Few of his father's words were.

So they sit and drink their tea. Sometimes, on a good day, Zuko will fix up Azula's hair for her, and she'll reveal some bits of information that he files away for future examination. Something like, I saw Mom before you came with Master Katara. Or she'll double check her reality, asking, you let Ty Lee and Mai out of jail, right? and Zuko will say yes, her friends are safe, they should be visiting any day now.

As painful as seeing her may be, spending time with Azula is far preferable to sitting through an agricultural council meeting.

He looks down at the paper in front of him, a comprehensive budget list for all of the supplies needed to revitalize the Fire Nation's agricultural sphere. Dozens of machines that he's sure Sokka had a hand in inventing, hundreds of varieties of seeds that Omashu is generously selling to them, and -

Thousands of ostrich-horses.

"Councilor Yichen, can you elaborate on the number of animals in this budget? Certainly with the machines we'll provide, farmers will not need so many working livestock."

Councilor Yichen stands, giving a little bow in Zuko's direction. "Of course, Lord Zuko. While the machines will certainly boost productivity, we only have enough for one per farming village at this point. Each family needs at least one working animal, if not to plow the fields, then to transport goods. We decided on ostrich-horses on a recommendation from farmers in the Earth Kingdom colonies, who found them to be invaluable. An ostrich-horse is, in many ways, more valuable than a machine."

Zuko's stomach settles uncomfortably, but he isn't entirely sure why. "Thank you, Councilor. I understand now."

Yichen gives another little bow before he sits, and the rest of the meeting goes as planned, with the exception of a strange seed of unknown guilt now growing in Zuko's stomach.

"Uncle, do you remember when you made tea out of that poisonous plant?"

Uncle laughs, hands faltering as he pours Zuko a cup of jasmine tea. "I remember, Nephew. How could I ever forget?"

"Do you remember the girl who helped you?"

Uncle takes a sip of the warm tea. "Song. Her mother made the best roast duck." He looks at Zuko out of the corner of his eyes. "Why do you ask?"

Zuko looks out over the gardens. He's able to see the whole palace grounds from where they're seated on the second-floor balcony, watching the sun rise. As far as the eye can see, Zuko is upheld as a flawless ruler, his word taken as law. He's sick of it.

"I stole her ostrich-horse," he murmurs into his tea, taking a sip to calm his nerves. "I just remembered, in that agricultural meeting a few days ago. I - I never knew how essential those were to farmers, I just thought I was taking their ride." He turns to fully face his Uncle. "But I think I took a lot more than that."

Uncle meets his eyes with understanding. "And now you want to give it back."

"I know there's no way for me to fully apologize for how I acted in exile, but it feels like I have to try." The cup quivers a bit in his hands, and so his hands drop to his lap. "I'll need someone to watching over the Nation while I'm gone."

Uncle places one of his warm hands over Zuko's shaking ones. "I'm sure I can deal with your advisors for a few days." He squeezes his hand just slightly around Zuko's. "I'm proud to see that even in a few short months, your wisdom as a ruler is growing. Go, make your amends. The Nation will be here when you return." Uncle calls for Zuko's secretary and tells her to clear as much of the Firelord's schedule as she can for the next week. Their voices fade into the background as Zuko stares into his tea, wracking his brain to try and figure out how to track down just one girl in the entire Earth Kingdom. Sending scouts or soldiers from town to town is a recipe for disaster, and the Earth Kingdom villages have been traumatized enough. He supposes he could always call in a ride on his favorite air bison but - this feels like something he should do on his own.

If Song hates him, it might be hard for her to show it in front of the Avatar.

So he'll go alone. No friends, no royal guard. He'll come into Song's town the same way he came last time - defenseless. She can hate him if she wants, he'll give her that.

And he'll try to give back what he took from her.

He packs light, pulling an old tunic and boots from the back of his wardrobe. Though they've been thoroughly cleaned by the palace staff, the scent of campfires and smoke linger upon them. He grabs a cloak - the Earth Kingdom will be starting to chill at this time of year - and he slips out of the palace, using the servant's entrance to get onto the streets unseen.

Autumn comes quietly in the Earth Kingdom. The trees slowly lose their color, giving the last of their strength into vibrant leaves. Soldiers previously conscripted to fight in the war have either returned to their families or have gone to tend to the scorched earth where the Phoenix King made landfall. They clear the debris of fallen airships, making room for the earth to slowly restore herself.

Song envies those soldiers.

Their lives have changed with the ending of the war, but Song's life continues on, its mundane routine continuing over and over again. She cares for a small garden, crafts herbal remedies for her neighbors, and tries to make her mother comfortable. She curses the Spirits for their cruel sense of humor - her mother survives the greatest war ever seen, lives through the attempted invasion of her homeland, only to be struck down by frailty months after the end of it all. Hasn't she suffered enough? Song has whispered those words to the woods on her way to the well time and time again. Now, her body is just - stopping.

Her mother is dying and there's nothing she can do.

Song knows all living things have their time. And she's seen too many living beings go before their rightful time. But she never imagined her mother's time would be in a time of peace. Wasn't ending the war supposed to stop all this pain? Apparently not. She tries not to become bitter, knows that that's the last thing her mother would want for her, but - it hurts. And there's not a damn thing she can do about it.

The leaves from dying trees crackle under her feet.

She arrives at the well, alone. Her hometown is just barely beginning to wake up, rising from its slumber as mothers bring in dry clothes from the clotheslines and fathers begin to toil in the fields. Children run freely from street to street, with a joy that was forbidden during the Fire Nation's occupation. They're kicking at a ball, passing it from one pair of bare feet to another, and Song smiles at them. Someday, maybe.

She sets her water jug on the stone wall of the well and begins to lower the bucket before hearing the ball make impact and a man's voice grunt, "oof!". She spins rapidly around to see a young man, rear planted firmly in the dirt, one hand rubbing at his forehead while the other wipes at a watering eye. The group of children stand, frozen, and she gives them a look, and unspoken command to stay and apologize to the man they just hit with their ball.

"Here, take my hand," Song holds out her right hand, and the man takes it. When the young man meets her eyes, she almost drops him back in the dirt. He has those amber eyes, and she can just see under his loose hair - a burn scar. "Lee?!"

He stands, brushing dust from his cloak, and she catches the hints of red fabric that lie beneath. She recoils. He sighs. "Um, about that." Song sees his hands tremble against his cloak. "My name's not Lee - and I'm from the Fire Nation."

Song reacts as if she'd been slapped. She trips backwards, away from Not Lee, landing hard against the stone of the well. Her leg is aching, feels like its on fire all over again, looking into those amber eyes.

"How could you? I let you into my home." She braces her hands against the well, her leg threatening to give out at any moment. "Now it all makes sense, that you stole from me. That's all you ashmakers are good for." She spits, and it lands on his scarred cheek. "You take land that isn't yours, take women that aren't yours, you take lives!" Her leg finally collapses, and she sinks to the ground with her back against the well. Not Lee makes a move, and she throws her hands up. "Don't you touch me," she grits out, clutching at her leg. He stills, and she wraps her arms around herself, bringing her knees to her chest. "I pitied you, you know? I thought your mother must've been - I looked at your eyes and thought you were a victim like me, like my mother." Her whole body is trembling, but she doesn't care. "But I bet you know who your father is, I bet you're proud to have his eyes."

Not Lee mirrors her, curling in on himself, not even bothering to wipe his face clean. "I do know who my father is, but I'm not proud of him." He looks up to meet her eyes, and Song is struck by how young he looks. When she'd last seen him, he'd looked gaunt, malnourished, with sharp cheekbones. Now, his face had filled out and he looks - young? The scar makes him look older as well, but when you look on the opposite side of his face - all she can see is a kid, couldn't be older than a teenager.

And he was crying.

Stubborn as he is, Not Lee is resolutely ignoring the tears slowly falling from his eyes, but nevertheless - they fell. Song didn't expect that reaction. Tears are not what she expected from a Fire National. Anger, rage, violence - those are the things she's tasted at the hands of firebenders, but this? This is new.

"I'm sorry," Not Lee whispers, looking at his feet. "I came to apologize, I wanted to repay you for your kindness and return what I took. But I think I've overstayed my welcome." He scrubs at his face roughly with the heel of one hand. "But I am, truly sorry. I acted selfishly the last time I was in your home, and I took advantage of your compassion. And I understand that my nation has done even worse. I'm trying to make it better." He pulls his hair back with a band. "I know you have no reason to trust me, but I would like to purchase you a new ostrich-horse. And anything else you or your mother may require."

Without warning, Not Lee shifts from his seat position to a bowing one, kneeling with his head pressed to the dry earth. Song stares at him for a small eternity, before realizing that he's waiting, unmoving, for her response. For her judgement.

She lets out a small breath. "Okay," his eyes flick up to hers and her stomach twists. The way he bows is so precise - it must have been drilled into him hundreds of times before. Another thing she wouldn't have expected from a firebender. "Come to dinner."

He stands after she does and gives another slight bow. As they begin the walk back to Song's home, he offers to carry her water jug, and Song feels more weight than one lifted from her.

"What did you say your name was again, young man?" Mei pokes at Zuko's shoulder as she hobbles to the table.

"Mom, I'm sorry about her, she's getting older," Song sets a bowl of fragrant roast duck in front of him and Zuko feels his mouth begin to water.

"No, it's okay, I don't think I've actually properly introduced myself." He takes a quick sip of tea - bracing himself for whatever will happen next - and calmly sets the mug back down. "My name is Zuko," he begins slowly. "AndI'mkindoftheFirelord."

There's the sound of Song dropping a bowl in the kitchen, and Mei leans in a bit closer to Zuko.

"Sorry, dear, could you say that again? My ears aren't what they used to be."

Zuko opens his mouth to respond, but Song slowly enters the room, her eyes narrowed in on Zuko. "You said - you're the firelord?" He nods at her, waiting for her to swing a knife at him, kick him out of their home, call some earthbenders to rough him up -

Before his panic can start to set in, Song runs out the front door, slamming it behind her.

Zuko looks helplessly at Mei.

"Give her a moment." Mei brings her pair of chopsticks to her mouth. "Hmm, she still doesn't make it as well as I used to."

"What about you? Do you hate me?"

Mei sighs, putting her bowl down. "I'm too old for hate, dear. My time in this world is almost over. I can't spend it hating world rulers." She takes a sip of her tea. "But Song? She -" Mei sighs again. "She's been hurt deeply by the Fire Nation, in more ways than one. And it isn't just you. But for a long time, the monarchy has been the embodiment of everything terrible that's ever happened to her. And now you're here, standing in front of her."

Zuko nods. "I understand. And I am sorry, to you as well. I don't think I fully understood the reach of the war. I was always taught that the army acted with honor, that women and children were untouchable." He looks down at his folded hands. "I can see that was false."

"Unfortunately, you are correct." She reaches between them to refill Zuko's cup, then Song's, and hands them both to him. "Go to her. A bit of tea should help bring you some good favor."

The screen door opens and closes, and Zuko finds himself out on the porch. Song sits on the edge, absently massaging her leg, peering into the darkness of the forest.

"Can I join you?"

She shrugs, and he takes that as a yes. Handing over her tea, Zuko sits besides her and tries to find what she sees in the darkness.

For a few minutes, the only sounds are those of them drinking and crickets chirping. Then Song speaks.

"His name was Bao."

Treasured. Precious. Rare.

"That's a lovely name."

"What happened to him?" Song turns abruptly to look at him with shining eyes. "Did he...?"

Zuko shakes his head emphatically. "My Uncle and I traded him to a florist for safe passage to Ba Sing Se. The florist seemed like a good man."

"You went to Ba Sing Se?"

Zuko runs one hand down the back of his neck. "I might have conquered it, actually?"

Sing snorts. "That part I've heard about. You've lived an interesting life, Zuko."

"If by 'interesting' you mean messy, then yes." He sighs. "You had no reason to trust me. Why did you let me back into your home?"

Song laughs, tinged with bitterness. "My mother says I'm too trusting, too gullible." She swirls the dregs of her tea around the bottom of her cup. "But I think there's strength in being kind. And I really did want to forgive you. But you have to be ready."

"And do you think I am?"

She smiles softly at him. "For me, yes. But my guess is I'm not the only person you hurt in exile." She gulps down her remaining tea. "They may not be as forgiving as I am."

"I'm preparing myself for that possibility."

"Does it scare you?"

Zuko ponders it. "I think it does. The idea that I've hurt someone innocent so badly that they may never be able to move past it... that keeps me up at night."

Songs turns towards him, tucking her knees up to her chest. "We can't control how other people see us in this life. How they react to our actions is up to them - all that we can control is our response. You have to be ready to accept that someone may not be ready to forgive you, and you can't let that eat you up." She stares at him intently. "You have to confident that your own actions are enough. That they're good."

It's Zuko's turn to laugh sourly. "Easier said than done," his hand wanders to his scar. "Sometimes I'm still not sure if what I'm doing is right."

"You don't have to do it alone, you know," Song gives him an understanding look. "You need other people around you, Zuko, to remind you what's good."

He huffs, looking down at his hands, folded in his lap. "Do you want to be one of those people?"

"I think you have more than enough goodness surrounding you already. You just have to be confident enough to ask." She sighs, looking back out into the darkness. "Besides, I have to stay here with my mother. She doesn't have long."

"Are you sure there's nothing I can do? I could send my healers -"

She shakes her head, cutting him off midsentence. "It's her time." She begins to rub at her scars again. "I just didn't know how much it would hurt. We finally have some peace, and suddenly it's her time."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be, not for this. It's due to you that she'll be able to die during peacetime." Her hands come to her eyes, wiping tears away before they can spill down her cheeks. "Her biggest fear was that she'd die and leave me alone to fend for myself during the war. You released her from that fear. Of course I forgive you, Zuko. My mother's no longer scared of dying because of you."

The two of them are silent for a long time, watching fireflies flicker off and on in the trees, listening to the crickets sing.

"I'm going to find Bao for you."

Song looks up in surprise. "You don't have to-"

"I want to, I'm sure he's still out there somewhere." Zuko rises from his seat. "If you ever need anything, anything, you write directly to me. I'll tell my staff that you're a priority."

"Are you leaving?" Song stands as well. "You could stay, if you want."

Zuko shakes his head silently. "I have to get back, and travelling by night is best for a Firelord who doesn't want his identity revealed," he smiles, his scarred skin relaxing into it. With that, he pulls his hair out of its topknot, grabs his pack and swords, and starts to disappear into the night.

"Firelord Zuko?" He stops and turns back at the sound of Song's voice. She makes the sign of the flame and bows. "Thank you, for everything." He bows back, lower than protocol dictates, but he doesn't care.

Three weeks pass, and the air has turned bitterly cold.

Song again makes her daily trip to the village well, with snow crunching under her feet instead of dead leaves. The soldiers have returned from their work in restoring fields for the season, and so the village feels alive when she steps into it. Despite the chill, children still run in the street, under the watchful eye of their mothers and fathers. Song feels a twinge of longing, but she tries to focus on the happiness she feels for the children instead. Song sets her water jug on the side of the well, breathing hot air into her palms to warm her hands after touching the freezing stone.

"Excuse me, miss, are you Song?" A voice comes from behind her, and she turns to see two men dressed in red tunics.

"I am," she replies, tucking her hands into the pockets of her hanbok. "And you are?"

They bow to her. "We come on behalf of Firelord Zuko, to deliver a gift." A third man rounds the corner with an ostrich-horse on a tether. "We found him at a desert settlement, he's been well taken care of, but if there's anything you need -"

They're cut off as Song runs to throw her arms around the neck of the ostrich-horse. "Bao!" She strokes his beak, looking into his eyes. "Do you remember me?"

Bao cocks his head to the side, pupils widening as he chirps softly, and then he lets out a loud whinny, pushing his head into Song's chest. He purrs, closing his eyes and relaxes against her.

"Sweet Bao, it's really me, you're really home," Song can feel her eyes dampening, but holds it together as one of the men hands her a bit of parchment.

"A note from the Firelord. He wanted us to remind you that you can write to him anytime you need anything."

Song nods. "And tell him I said 'thank-you' again." Bao whinnies loudly again, and she adds on, "Bao says 'thank-you' too."

"Of course, miss." With a synchronized bow, the men depart, and Song unrolls the parchment.

Song,

I've followed your advice and surrounded myself with good people. It helps.

Give my best to your mother - my Uncle still talks about her roast duck sometimes. I've established a fund specially for women and child victims of the war, inspired by some of what you and Mei shared with me. Write me if you feel like you or anyone in your village wants to apply for it.

And, thank you for trusting and forgiving me. I'll try to keep earning it.

May the Spirits continually bless you,

Zuko

She tucks the parchment into her pocket, fills her jug, and finds herself back in Bao's familiar saddle after more than a year. "Come on, Bao," she says as she takes the lead into her hands, guiding them back to the empty farmhouse.

"Let's go home."

[if you read through this whole thing, go drink some water! I'll know if u don't :) ]

[the-lady-writes-what]

22. Keigo Takami

          Theme: Warlock, soulmate 

          Kinks: Mutual intoxication, dry humping, cowgirl

Masterlist

You clutch your spellbook tight like how mothers hold onto their babies. It’s worn and weathered, and its black leather tells more of a story than how to cure warts with a bit of bacon grease. It’s probably as old as your line, and it traveled all the way down that family tree to you, a mere leaf. The pack on your shoulders was ladened down with food stock, a knife, quill feathers, bottles of ink, charms, clothes, and an extra pair of socks. You found yourself at the center of a family dispute. Marriage had been on the table. Two men that you wouldn’t be caught dead with at the harvest festival, let alone meet him at the altar. It wasn’t that they were ugly; you weren’t that shallow. It was their personalities that made you gag. One was a raging hot-head with the ego to match his fire-powered magic. The other was just as bad except add an inferiority complex and creepy blue eyes. Naturally, picking neither displeased your family so much that they were forced to fight and debate, which would be the better match.

Your opinion was a moot point.

An idea struck you in the middle of the night. You woke from a dream where you walked through a forest, and it was raining red feathers. This was the omen you waited for. Well, any excuse would have nice, but you couldn’t imagine the serendipitous coincidence of such a dream a few days before your parents would decide your fate…for you. By dawn, you already began to set your plan in motion. At midnight the following night, you secreted some things away in a large pack, snuck out, and hurried into the woods where they didn’t dare to follow you.

Within a couple of days, you couldn’t smell the smoke of chimneys or hear the cows and goats. Instead, you smelled damp earth and ripening wild apple trees and listened to the calls of various birds. Magpies, cuckoos, sparrows, and crows, you heard them all but no red feathers. You never saw a cardinal, which you hoped to mean that you were on the right path just as you interpreted your dream. Once or twice you took shelter beneath a conifer or the ruins of an ancient building to escape the rain, which it often did. You foraged where you could and slept on a pillow of moss. You were tired, but this was the sweetest price of freedom.

The forest wasn’t particularly cursed or haunted. There weren’t any wolves, and nobody had seen a bear roam through here in decades. You knew enough about the wildlife to leave enough alone. All you had to do was march through the woods and reach the next village on the other side before winter set in. Your family was too good for trekking through the woods and far too proud to ask someone on the other side of the woods for help. Soon, you’d be out of their hair.

You were trampling through the woods one afternoon. The earth and fallen leaves were sodden with a recent shower. You barely had enough time the night before to create a shelter for you with a spell you found in your family’s tome. It was rightfully yours by birth, and your mother had no interest or skill in magic at any rate. Your grandmother certainly approved when she helped you sneak it out of the house. Wherever you went in the world, you would find work. Witches and warlocks had been in high demand for some of their conjurations, and with your skills and knowledge as a healer, you could find a job easily enough. If not in the next village, then in the next one. Or maybe you would go far into one of those cities you heard so much about from passing travelers.

Your leather shoes were soaked through having trekked through the mud and rain puddles. It dampened your socks all the way to the marrow of your bones underneath. You could feel your toes begin to tingle. You looked around, hoping to find more ruins or a cave, for a place to build a fire. You looked at the trees, and your heart sank a little. All the branches around you looked too wet to be used as firewood. There were a handful of matches left in your pack, but you needed to save those for emergencies, not just because your toes were getting cold. You had to find shelter soon. The clouds had been gray all morning, and the rain was coming again. You sighed for the umpteenth time while looking at the sky.

A laughing brook ran out ahead of you. The width was big enough for you to jump across no problem. You thought that if there was a brook, it could turn into a stream. A stream meant a waterway, and where there was a waterway, there was bound to be people. People lived in houses. You followed the brook through its natural course. Just as you thought, the brook grew bigger and bigger in size. It turned into a stream, then a creek and finally a small river. It cut through a clearing in the forest. Your eyes traveled with it to a lovely two-story cottage. Attached to that cottage was a watermill that turned the water into frothing foam. A garden grew wild though somehow not choked by weeds. You stopped in your tracks.

No. That couldn’t be. Your eyes must be deceiving you.

In the garden grew all sorts of flowers and herbs, most of which were out of season. You saw lush leaves, blooms, and green foliage even from where you stood when you knew that they should have turned brown with the season. That was the first of your many mysterious and curious sights. You drew closer to the place and discovered that the cottage was no cottage. Wood turned into cobbled stones, and the humble appearance took on a new shape. It wasn’t the size of a castle, but it imitated its shape. There was a keep, a tower, and a courtyard that grew a variety of trees. The bricks were made of stones you never laid eyes on before. They seemed to glitter despite the dull sunlight. That was one thing that this mysterious place couldn’t change the weather.

You realized that the smoke billowing out of the chimney wasn’t gray but shimmering purple. Plumes of it belched into the sky before disappearing. The hairs on the back of your neck stood on end. You had to skulk about the courtyard to find the main entrance. It was a heavy ebony wood door with a green-blue Green Man’s face for an ornate knocker. You clutched the ring in your hand and banged on the door twice and stood on the stoop for probably ten minutes before the door swung open.

You didn’t know what or who you were expecting, but it certainly wasn’t this. Instead of a wizened old man with a flowing white beard or a velvet-clad seductress, it was a young man, not much older than you. He had golden eyes marked at two corners with black arrows. Blonde hair was swept back from his face and yet remained uncontrolled. The man rubbed the sleep from his eyes. You felt bad for waking him up from his nap (because how could he still be asleep at noon?).

“Excuse me, sir, I was wondering if you mind terribly granting me shelter. I’ve been traveling for days, and my boots are soaked all the way through. It’s going to rain soon, and I was hoping to mind somewhere safe to rest and stay clear out of it,” you said.

The man in the doorway stared and stared and stared. After a while, he had to blink or go blind.

“What did you say your name was?” His voice made you tremble.

Not out of fear, though. There was something in his voice that sent a playful tingle down your spine. You furrowed your brows.

“I-I didn’t give you my name,” you said, curious.

“Why don’t you come on in and warm yourself by the fire? We can exchange introductions over some tea?” The man in the doorway pulled the door open wide enough for you to enter.

If you thought his house was big on the outside, it was much bigger on the inside. Or it would have been if the space wasn’t taken up by trinkets, tools, and books. Towers of books reached the vaulted ceilings. You picked up the front of your skirts to give your legs room to keep up with him. He was a little shorter than you, but he walked a lot faster. His parlor was, so far, the cleanest space in his home you’d seen. At least, by comparison, the parlor was spacious, and you could comfortably sit down in the large armchair by the fire. You set your bag down and plopped right into the chair. Your feet would be singing your praises if they had mouths and sentience. You warmed your feet by the fire while your host left to make tea.

He returned after a long while with a serving tray. Jasmine filled the parlor as he poured two cups. Taking the seat across from you, he sipped from his cup.

“I’m Keigo Takami,” he said.

Politely, you returned, “Y/N L/N.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Y/N, if I have permission to call you that?”

“You do.” You grinned into your teacup.

“What brings you all the way out here in the middle of the woods? Get lost on the way to the next town?” Keigo asked.

“Not exactly.” You swallowed some tea and continued. “Escaping an unwanted arranged marriage.”

Keigo didn’t seem surprised. His golden eyes softened, and he nodded. It was as if he understood your situation.

“My old man wanted me to be a foot soldier. I told him ‘no.’ He didn’t take it too kindly. Locked me up in a tower until I ‘came to see the error in my ways.’ And look where I am now!” Keigo gestured around the room.

While cluttered beyond imagination, the parlor held expensive treasures and gadgets. Clocks, sundials, colorful glass vases, feathers…Feathers?

Your eyes snapped to a red streak dashing in front of the stained glass window in the hall. It was followed by another, third, and a fourth. A red feather floated on the air as if pulled by an invisible string into the parlor. A few more followed. The feathers went to work dusting, wiping, and putting books on the shelves. Some of them pulled off your boots, strung your socks up on the mantle to dry, and pulled on a fresh pair that were soft as sheepskin. Your eyes followed the red feathers wherever they traveled. Keigo wore a small smile while watching you marvel at the feathers. However, you were following them with your eyes for a reason different than the one he was thinking about.

“I just thought I’d tidy up a little. It’s been a while since I’ve had company. They’re a pet project of mine. It took me a while to get the enchantment just right,” said Keigo.

One of the feathers fell into your lap. You picked it up like it was a delicate spider-web.

“It’s beautiful.”

“Thank you.”

Keigo showed you the rest of his house: the kitchen, dining room, second parlor, library, observatory, and the guest bedrooms. You sat down to dinner with him to discuss some sort of arrangement. You felt terrible taking up his space and mucking up his lovely floors.

“What if I worked for you? That way, I can get some training, you’ll have an extra hand around, and we won’t have to be lonely come winter. I know I’m just a village girl who ran away from home, but I know things. And I’m a fast learner,” you explained over a pot of stew.

“I work with a lot of hoity-toity rich folk for commissions. That won’t be a problem, will it?”  

You shook your head. “No, sir. Not at all.”

“Don’t call me ‘sir.’ Makes me feel old,” said Keigo. “It does get frustrating having nobody to talk to all the way out here. You seem real eager to learn, so I don’t see why I shouldn’t take up an apprentice.”

You clinked your glasses of wine together to solidify your spoken contract. You stared at the red feathers again as they swooped in to take care of the dinner table. Keigo caught you standing frozen as your eyes flickered this way and that to follow them.

“I apologize if this sounds rude but, did you have a lot of magic where you came from?” Asked Keigo.

“Well, yes, but—” You bit your lower lip. “You’re going to think it’s silly.”

Keigo smiled and turned his head towards the doorway. “Come with me. I want to show you something.”

You tore your eyes away from the marvelous red feathers and followed him out into the hallway. Without turning back to speak to you, Keigo said, “And bring your spellbook with you.”

           You ran back to the parlor and found your spellbook on an end table where you found it. Keigo came, found you, and led you to the observatory. The glass dome showed the brightest stars. The moon was in her full glory.

           “I’ve noticed how you’ve been staring at my feathers. Is there any particular reason why? Trying to discover how to do it yourself?”

           “No, nothing like that!” You said as you shook your head again. “Before…before I left home, I had this weird dream. You see, I remember in that dream I was walking through a forest and all of a sudden it started raining red feathers. I didn’t know what it meant, not that I do now. I think that I was led here by something.”

           “Let me see your book,” said Keigo.

           You were more than hesitant to hand it over. You didn’t like your family, never had, but this was still your family’s spellbook. It was an heirloom. Your hands shook a bit when you held it out for Keigo to take. Someone of his magical caliber would know the weight of a family’s spellbook and would respect its secrets, wouldn’t he? Your heart started beating louder as if Keigo was rifling through your personal belongings.

           Keigo pried open the cover and pulled out a gray and brown feather, and closed the book. He set it gently on a table and kept the feather. Your brows furrowed; you never saw that before.

           “You see, Y/N, I had a strange dream too. A few weeks ago, I dreamt that I was also walking through the woods. I saw a young woman in a green cloak just like yours hand me a book. Inside was a feather just like this.”

           You were acutely aware that you still held onto one of Keigo’s red feathers. A shiver ran down your spine as Keigo slowly closed the gap separating you. His golden eyes looked straight into yours. An alchemical experiment was taking place in his eyes. You could see all sorts of emotions congealing and mixing in there. You were too dizzy to distinguish one from another. Keigo took your hand that held his red feather in the one where he carried the gray feather. He clasped your fingers between his. You felt his blood race in the center of his palm.

           “Do you believe in soulmates, Y/N? Because I don’t know how else to explain this.”

           “I…don’t know,” you answered honestly.

           “Can I kiss you?”

           “Y-Yeah.”

           Keigo pressed his mouth against yours, hands still clasped together. His free hand found your waist, and his thumb began to draw infinite circles on top of your bodice. You kissed before (not that your parents would ever know), so this shouldn’t have been anything new. But the way Keigo moved his lips against yours and how his tongue slowly teased you, it felt like being kissed for the very first time. Your hand moved to caress the back of his neck, which brought your bodies a lot closer.

           Suddenly, you were falling. You landed on a pile of pillows that weren’t there before. Keigo landed on top of you, shedding his outer coat. He went back to kissing you without missing a beat. Your fingers deftly unlaced the front of your bodice and let Keigo peel it away. You weren’t a virgin anymore, but that didn’t stop the goosebumps from arising in your skin when he touched you, kissed your skin, or teased you with his adept tongue. Calloused hands moved under your skirt to remove your bloomers and a couple layers of petticoats. Keigo nestled between your thighs, gently humping you. Your face darkened while he continued and played with your clit. Your back arched like a bow as you came for the first time that evening.

           Keigo leaned above you, smiling like a triumphant demon of seduction. The illusion sold a lot better if he wasn’t panting slightly or dripping with sweat. A wooden box carried by a team of feathers wandered into the room. They set the box in Keigo’s hands. He opened the lid and turned to you.

           “Want to try an experiment with me?” He asked.

           “What kind of an experiment?”

You were just coming down from your high when Keigo took out the contents of the box and set it aside. In his hand, he held two large, dark orange flowers.

“This is Epifagus Aboreum. You pull the flower from the stem and suck on end. I’ve heard that it produces a very ‘relaxed’ state of being. Do you want to try it with me?”

You nodded.

You and Keigo carefully removed the flower from their stems. You watched Keigo suckle the end of the flower, which looked like a horn to blow into. You did the same. There seemed to be no effect at first. Not for long, however. In ten minutes, you and Keigo were back at peeling each other’s clothes off. Skin never felt so alive under your hands. You could feel his heart racing. Mouths pressed together again. Licking and nipping at each other while you rolled around on the pillows. Keigo’s hands palmed your breasts while you rubbed his shoulder with one hand and stroked his cock with the other. Your head felt heavy and light at the same time. The stars shining through the glass dome appeared brighter and more clear. Candles flickered with a multitude of colors, shifting, changing, morphing.

“Oh, Keigo,” you moaned as the man suckled on your neck, making sure to leave a love bite.

“Do you feel good?”

“Mhmm, yes.” You hummed.

           “Wanna continue?”

           “Yes!”

           Keigo shifted you onto your side and lifted one leg over his shoulder. The blunt head of his cock brushed against the wet seam of your cunt. He slipped twice, unable to get it in the right way. The third time proved the charm as he slid inside your walls without much more effort. Your cunt fluttered around him. From this angle, you could see everything he did to you.

           His first thrusts were sloppy as if he couldn’t figure out what angle to pound you with. Keigo quickly got the hang of it and rutted against you, fast and hard. You weren’t aware of how loud you were. His body moving on top of and inside you created new sensations you couldn’t understand while under the influence of the flower-drug. Stars burst in front of your eyes with each stroke of his cock. There was no beginning or end. It was just the two of you. You clawed at the pillows as you tried to find purchase. Your mind was going blank.

           “You feel so good, baby bird. Fuck, where have you been all my life?”

           “O-Over the brook and through the woods. At grandma’s house.”

           This made him chuckle, though it didn’t stop his rough treatment of you. Keigo’s grip was bruising, but you don’t feel any pain. There was no cause of complaint when he was burying himself deep inside of you. You couldn’t tell if it was just him or if the flower-drug made him thicker. His veiny ridges created the right amount of friction against your inner walls.

           You were both panting like dogs in heat. You moved your hips against him, and his calloused fingers tweaked your clit.

           “K-Keigo…”

           “Me too, baby. I’m gonna cum...so hard.”

           Keigo was an honest man. After what seemed like hours of him railing you, Keigo groaned loudly. He shoved his cock all the way in until the blunt head brushed along your cervix. You didn’t have time to climax first before he was releasing all he heads straight into your womb. Warmth spread throughout your body. The drug, Keigo’s cock, and the cum painting your insides white were all enough to have your eyes roll into the back of your skull. You came shortly after.

           The room was spinning so much after coming so hard that you couldn’t move a muscle. Apparently, Keigo wasn’t better. He was still inside your body when he rolled over and laid you on top of his chest. His cock remained buried deep, all the way in, when conscious hit you both.

           When you awoke, you still lay on top of Keigo. You looked down to find you had been inside. Even though he was still asleep and limp within the confines of your pussy, that ddin’t stop the naughty grin across your face. You were awake and fully alert. No drugs in your system could prevent you from feeling Keigo unhindered. You moved your hips up and down, impaling yourself on his cock. You braced your hands on his hips to help steady yourself.

           Keigo stirred when he felt himself grow hard and feel the moist walls of your cunt, sucking him in. He rubbed his eyes, then laid back to enjoy the view. Your breasts bounced seductively in front of him as you rode him just as hard as he rode you the night before. Keigo couldn’t resist palming each breast in his hands and play with your nipples. Your hair swayed with each of your movements like a warrior-queen riding her powerful stead.

           He heard footsteps climbing up the stairs, but he was too lazy and felt too good to make you stop. Whoever it was, they were about to get an eyeful of your ass, and easily you took his cock. Keigo wore nothing but a smirk. Your eyes were heavy-lidded while you concentrated on riding him. You couldn’t hear a thing other than the wet clap of flesh against flesh.

           A tall, feminine figure approached. Her white bunny ears grazed the top doorway before she stopped dead. Your back was turned to her, so you did not see her. Keigo looked past your form and gave her a curious look. You were too busy to notice him. His friend quickly disappeared rather than wait in the doorway for him to finish with you. Keigo snapped his hips upwards to meet your every downward thrust. He teased your clit to ensure a speedy climax. Keigo filled you up again and let you scream to the high heavens. You held his hands as you came around him one more time. Keigo pulled out gently and pulled a couple blankets literally out of thin air to cover you with. While he dressed, once more, you drifted to sleep. Keigo gave one last look at you from the doorway and smiled to himself. He quickly turned into the hallway to find his friend. The sooner he figured out what she wanted, the sooner Keigo could return and spend all of his time with you and learning everything there was to know about you.

[zrtranscripts]

Season 9, Mission 9: Last Night

Blame it on the Vodka

~

[bells ring, distant voice gives call to prayer]

SAM YAO: [groans] Oh, the call to prayer is lovely, but my head really hurts. I guess that means we're in New Agadir. Oh, this must be our hotel. My memory's really fuzzy. Five, is... is that you on the top bunk? [bed frame creaks] Oh. Morning, Five. You look like how I feel. My skull's throbbing, feels like something's stuck to my head. [rubber stretches] Oh, hang on. No, something is stuck to my head. It's a sort of rubbery swimming hat. It's really cold, it's probably not helping my headache. I'll take it off. [rubber snaps]

What happened last night? I mean, we can't be the only ones who made it over the border. Where are the others? And who's got Veronica's briefcase? Ow! Oh, we need to stay calm. My head is killing me. I'm gonna get some water from the bathroom. [door opens, shower water runs, shower curtain whips across curtain rod, zombie moans] Zombie! In the shower! It's-it's soaking wet and tangled up in the shower curtain. We're six floors up, how'd it get here? It's coming after us. We've got to lead it out of the hotel. Run!

~

[zombie moans]

SAM YAO: Oh, the zom's almost on us. There's no time to pay the hotel bill, Five, just keep running, out into the street. [door opens, crowd chatters] Oh! Oh no, we're in the souk. There are people everywhere! Well, we can't leave the zom on the loose. Quick, Five, grab something from that market stall, the one with all the laptops. Yeah yeah yeah, that hard drive looks perfect. Aim at the zom. [zombie flesh squelches] Yes! Nice job, Five, you completely destroyed its head.

SHOPKEEPER: You completely destroyed my hard drive.

SAM YAO: Oh, we're so sorry. I-I can pay for the damage. My wallet's in my pocket.

[cloth rustles, dates squelch]

SHOPKEEPER: Ugh. I don't know what pre-apocalyptic guidebook you read, but dates are not considered currency here.

SAM YAO: My pockets are full of dates. How did they get there? Oh, why can't I remember anything?

SHOPKEEPER: Look, I don't want to involve the city guard, but the damage must be paid for. I'm sure we can come to... an agreement.

SAM YAO: [in a high-pitched voice] Disorganized. Useless things everywhere.

SHOPKEEPER: What did you say about my stall?

SAM YAO: Oh! Oh no, nothing! I mean, [nervous laugh] those words, they just-they just fell out of my mouth. Your stall's lovely!

SHOPKEEPER: Guards!

SAM YAO: Oh, no no no! Please no. I didn't mean to say that. I didn't even think it! [guard whistles] Oh no, it's the guards. Didn't Mo say the ones on the gates in the city were employed by New Agadir, not Skull-Kicker? Still, maybe if we explain...

GUARD: It's those two again. After them!

SAM YAO: Again? What did we do last night? Oh, come on, Five, we can't get caught. Run!

~

[goats bleat, chickens cluck, crowd chatters]

SAM YAO: All right, we've lost the guard, but we're surrounded by... goats, chickens, and uh... [mechanical sounds] robotic horses. I think we're in the livestock market.

MARYAM ABANI: Sam, Five, is that you?

SAM YAO: Uh, hello. Do we know each other?

MARYAM ABANI: We met last night.

SAM YAO: Oh yeah. Um, if it's not a rude question, why are you in a goat pen?

MARYAM ABANI: I'm in a what? Oh, I have no idea. Oh, how embarrassing.

SAM YAO: Don't be embarrassed. I can't even remember your name.

MARYAM ABANI: I'm Maryam Abani. Amelia Spens sent me to rendezvous with you outside New Agadir's walls.

SAM YAO: Did she? Then why didn't she tell us?

MARYAM ABANI: She intended to, but perhaps her transmission was intercepted.

SAM YAO: But why exactly did Amelia send you?

MARYAM ABANI: I'm a medical doctor. I believe I'm meant to replace... Dr. Myers?

SAM YAO: Maxine! Oh, okay. Yeah, we do need someone who can impersonate the doctor in Death's Hand. You can sort of hand-wave a lot of things, but it's hard to pretend to know how to take out an appendix if you don't.

MARYAM ABANI: [laughs] I believe I'm to play the part of Doctor Death, which is interesting.

SAM YAO: You should see who I'm supposed to be.

MARYAM ABANI: I think you might have told me something about it last night.

SAM YAO: Do you remember anything else?

MARYAM ABANI: The New Agadir city walls are encircled by a ring of traders. Last night, I found you in one of the refreshment tents and we started making plans to get you into the city.

[flashback]

MOHAMMED BOUJETTIF: It will not be so simple to get across this border into New Agadir. Skull-Kicker holds a monopoly on all advanced tech in the city. Anyone carrying new technology must surrender it to protect the city from infiltration by virus or spyware. Veronica would surely be taken, as would your headsets. Our heroics with Medhi will grant us no exception. We need a plan.

MARYAM ABANI: Let's have some tea while we have a think.

JANINE DE LUCA: I hardly think tea will help.

MARYAM ABANI: Nonsense. Sharing tea is a wonderful way to cement new relationships. I wouldn't have survived the fall of Lagos without a nice bottle of jasmine tea. Also my medical hammer. It turned out to be more useful at caving in zombie skulls than the makers probably intended.

JANINE DE LUCA: Well, I suppose some refreshments would be in order. [tea set clinks, tea pours] It's rather nice, actually.

FRANCES DEMSPEY: [slurps] Yum!

SAM YAO: Mm. Oh, that's delicious. Five, try some.

PETER LYNNE: Mm. Oh! Oh, that's um... it's really um, it's fresh and sort of floral and uh... Mo, aren't you having any?

MOHAMMED BOUJETTIF: [sniffs] Is this cactus tea?

MARYAM ABANI: I thought it was mint.

MOHAMMED BOUJETTIF: No, it's cactus, which should not be enjoyed by people who have a heavily-patrolled border to cross! It's very fast-acting! Everyone, stop drinking.

FRANCES DEMSPEY: I do feel a bit light-headed.

MOHAMMED BOUJETTIF: This is a disaster!

JANINE DE LUCA: Calm down, Mr. Boujettif, we're bonding. Dr.... whatever your name is, have you heard of the McShell maneuver?

MARYAM ABANI: No, tell me about it.

JANINE DE LUCA: Well, you... Uh, how would you explain it?

SAM YAO: Ah, that, well, that, well... McShell's just for zombies, uh, really, but um... Sir, may I, can I borrow your goat? [goat bleats, SAM clears throat] Maryam, now imagine this goat is a zombie. And if two people run away from it at exactly the same speed and distance... Well, we'll show you. Come on, Five, let's confuse some goats.

~

[flashback continues]

[crowd chatters]

MARYAM ABANI: I-I think I've got the hang of it?

JANINE DE LUCA: As you can see, the McShell maneuver is an effective method of leading goats... [laughs] zombies into -

[goat bleats, table crashes over]

SAM YAO: - into the refreshment table. I guess, unlike zombies, goats don't follow the closest target. Unless that target's a platter of dates. Aha! Don't worry. If I put all of them, the dates in my pockets, then the goat can't eat them.

[dates squelch]

MOHAMMED BOUJETTIF: [laughs] Sam, stop.

MARYAM ABANI: Maybe we're not using enough goats? Once we're over the border, let's try again.

[present time]

SAM YAO: So you got over the border and went looking for goats?

MARYAM ABANI: And passed out in their pen. What a terrible first impression!

SAM YAO: Don't worry, I'm sure none of the others remember. That tea was really potent.

MARYAM ABANI: Mhmmm. Speaking of the others, where are they?

SAM YAO: No idea. I'm worried about Veronica. It sounds like we'd have needed to smuggle her over. Maybe – [high-pitched voice] Head!

MARYAM ABANI: What? What?

SAM YAO: Ignore me. That is the second time this morning I've blurted something involuntarily. I do have a splitting headache.

MARYAM ABANI: Oh. It could be an aftereffect of the tea.

SAM YAO: Well, if we all drank it, none of us would have been in a fit state to get Veronica across the border. We could have left her on the other side.

MARYAM ABANI: I can lead you back to the border, but we'll have to hurry before anyone steals your machine. Come on Sam, Five. Run!

~

[crowd chatters]

MARYAM ABANI: There's a chain link fence at the border and a contraband store on the other side. The guards are selling off confiscated goods, though Skull-Kicker usually keeps the best tech.

SAM YAO: If they took Veronica, she could have been sold.

FRANCES DEMPSEY: Sam, Five, there you are! I couldn't wake you up this morning, so I came here alone, but it looks like you had the same idea. Have you found Veronica?

SAM YAO: Not yet.

FRANCES DEMPSEY: Wait, you're Maryam, aren't you? I remember meeting you, and then tea, and then... Oh.

SAM YAO: And then what? Frances, you have to tell us everything you remember.

FRANCES DEMPSEY: We made quite the fool of ourselves, Maryam.

[flashback]

MOHAMMED BOUJETTIF: That goat has made a terrible mess, and now the guards think you're troublemakers. To smuggle Veronica into the city now, you'll need to buy the most conspicuous piece of contraband you can find and carry it over the border.

JANINE DE LUCA: Mr. Boujettif, I am a highly experienced tactician, and that doesn't make sense.

MOHAMMED BOUJETTIF: You're not a highly experienced tactician, you're a trader and a dilettante. Someone who doesn't do their research, cannot handle their tea, and absolutely not the sort of person who'll be trusted with an advanced computer.

JANINE DE LUCA: Ah, clever. Miss Dempsey, Dr.... Doctor, would you care to undertake this very important mission?

FRANCES DEMPSEY: Yes.

MARYAM ABANI: What was the question?

FRANCES DEMPSEY: We're going shopping, Maryam. Come on!

~

[flashback continues]

[crowd chatters]

FRANCES DEMPSEY: We've got to find the stupidest bit of contraband on this whole stall.

[bees buzz]

MARYAM ABANI: What about this jar of animatronic bees?

FRANCES DEMPSEY: Too small. Mo said we needed something to get us noticed. Like this!

[cloth rustles]

MARYAM ABANI: Is that a zombie? What's wrong with it?

FRANCES DEMPSEY: It's dead, Maryam.

[MARYAM and FRANCES laugh]

MARYAM ABANI: I mean, why does it look like jerky, and why isn't it moving?

FRANCES DEMPSEY: It must have dried up in the salt flats. It's so leathery.

MARYAM ABANI: It stinks.

FRANCES DEMPSEY: It's perfect.

MARYAM ABANI: Let's get it back to the others.

[glass shatters]

GUARD: All units to zone six.

MARYAM ABANI: You don't think that's anything to do with us?

FRANCES DEMPSEY: Let's avoid the guards, just in case. There aren't any by that fence, come on. [footsteps] Where are we?

MARYAM ABANI: I think we crossed the border by mistake while the guards were distracted.  

FRANCES DEMPSEY: Is that a good thing?

MARYAM ABANI: I-I can't remember. Maybe?

FRANCES DEMPSEY: Let's go to our hotel and wait for the others.

MARYAM ABANI: I'll catch up with you. I need to find some goats.

[present time]

SAM YAO: Frances, once you got back to the hotel, you didn't put the desiccated zombie in the shower by any chance?

FRANCES DEMPSEY: No idea. Why?

SAM YAO: No reason.

MARYAM ABANI: Look, that man has Veronica's briefcase!

SAM YAO: We've got to stop him. Run!

~

[crowd chatters]

FRANCES DEMPSEY: Hey! You with a briefcase, stop!

BUYER: Excuse me?

SAM YAO: Uh, hello sir. Your briefcase... [high-pitched voice] Not necessary.

BUYER: Excuse me?

MARYAM ABANI: I'm sorry, he had a late night.

SAM YAO: Uh, please, uh, can we see that briefcase?

BUYER: No.

FRANCES DEMPSEY: I can see the monogram. I'm sorry, but there's been a mistake. This belongs to us.

BUYER: I bought it only an hour ago.

MARYAM ABANI: Can we buy it back from you? Sam, do you have any money?

SAM YAO: Uh...

BUYER: It's not for sale. I like the color. Good day!

SAM YAO: I can't believe I'm about to say this, but Five, can you... grab it!

BUYER: How dare you! Give that back!

SAM YAO: We're really, really sorry, but we need it because our friend is sort of -

FRANCES DEMPSEY: Veronica's not inside! All her components have been torn out. There's nothing in the briefcase except papers.

BUYER: Yes, my papers. Guards, guards!

GUARD: It's those reprobates! After them!

SAM YAO: Oh no, not again! Five, give the briefcase back and run! We can't get caught by the city guards. We're wanted for disorderly conduct, destruction of property, and now theft!

MARYAM ABANI: Not to mention anything else we got up to last night.

FRANCES DEMPSEY: Don't panic. We'll find Janine, Peter, Mo, and Veronica and get this all sorted out. Just keep running!

~

[jungkookjaan]

Thankyou for tagging me @driesen-demaury 💕🌺

1. name: Fahmeen

2. Nickname: I don't really have a nickname anymore. My cousins used to call me "fena" when we were young and my nickname among my closest is Flying goat (don't ask why) but everyone just calls me by my name now.

3. Zodiac: Sagittarius

4. Height: 5'7

5. Languages: Urdu, English, moi c'est eliott

6. Nationality: Pakistani

7. Favourite season: Summer

8. Favourite flower: I don't know many flowers but either jasmine or sunflower I guess?

9. Favourite scent: Wet cement

10. Favourite colour: maroon/burgundy and yellow

11. Favourite animal: Cattos foreverrrr. The way I love cats

12. Favourite fictional characters: Sander Driesen, Robbe IJzermans, James Potter, Black Widow, Bucky Barnes, Loki, Steve Rogers.

13. Coffee, tea or hot chocolate: Coffee

14. Average sleep hours: 5-7 hours

15. Dog or cat person: CATS. CATS. CATS.

16. Number of blankets you sleep with: 1 or 2 depending on how cold I am

17. Dream trip: Belgium, baby! Not only because of wtfock, but because it's so beautiful.

18. Blog established: I made it back in 2016 but never used it until Sobbe's first kiss and haven't been able to stop since then.

19. Followers: That's a secret I'll never tell xoxo

20. random fact: I hate peas. I loathe them.

I am tagging @dreamy-slytherin @majorsander @skampered @voldemortimaginarynose96 @nyttvera @bloggideon @luludemauryyy @netflixandchelou @we-had-the-stars-you-and-i @tehkatieofrps @gemm-333 @pduwd @well-who-needs-angels-anyway feel free to ignore💕

[vampwrrrmistresslist]

Ivory Kisses

You saw him whilst reading in the bookstore.

You had been sitting in the comfy overstuffed chair for the past hour, lost in the words of Bram Stoker, occasionally sipping your now long-cold tea. Lemon and honey. You had been deep into the story, when you felt that telltale frisson of awareness, telling you that you were being watched. This was odd in and of itself because normally it would take “World War III”, as your sister laughingly said, to distract you whilst you were deep in an interesting story.

You glanced over your book, and there he was. You looked back down at the words, then up through your eyelashes, so that you could examine him without his notice. He was still staring–not a rude stare–just a pensive, albeit smouldering, gaze. You felt a blush being slowly drawn out of you.

He was a beautiful man, just the type that you had always dreamed about, but to whom you had always been too shy to talk. Even leaning against a bookshelf, you could tell that he was tallish, probably about 5’9", you surmised. His hair, a thick, wavy, gleaming ebony, reached down past the collar of his black silk shirt. His skin was pale, with a pearlescent luminescence. Ebony and ivory. He had thick, black eyebrows that arched like quizzical wings, a proud, poetic nose, and a sharp jawline. His mouth was a deep red, with a full, sensuous bottom lip that promised gentle kisses, but it was his eyes that mesmerized you. Even from this distance, you could tell that they were a rich, warm, wet chocolate brown. His mouth slowly curled up into a provocative smile, making your realize that he knew that you too, had been staring. You blushed an even deeper crimson.

You became flustered, knocking over the dregs of your tea as you reached for it. Standing up quickly, you put down your head to let your long, curly, auburn hair cover your flaming face. Through the screen of hair, you saw him straighten and mentally gasped. 5’9"? Try 6'1". You backed up, bumping into the armchair. He didn’t stir, but stood there following you with his eyes. You decided to take the only logical avenue of action. You grabbed your purse, and went home.

***

He watched with lazy amusement as you hastily retreated from the room. Looking down, he noticed that you had left something behind. Walking over with feline grace, he flipped it into his hand. A slow smile melted its way across his features. Your wallet. He opened it and saw your name, emblazoned across your ID. Anyone looking at him now would have decided to make it an early night. After all, one would have to be awfully tired to imagine a man whose smile… Something else caught his eye–ah, yes, the book that you had been reading. He left it there; his sharp eyes had already picked up the title whilst he was across the room. Dracula. Pocketing your wallet, he sauntered out of the bookstore, into the crisp autumn night. 

***

Once home, you made a beeline for the bathroom. You needed a long, hot bath to wash away all thoughts of the mysterious, handsome man. You cut on the water and poured in the jasmine scented bubble-bath. Sitting on the side of the tub, you braided your hip-length hair, and then wound it into a messy bun, while your tabby cat, Artemis, wound herself between your ankles. Picking her up, you went to the kitchen to pour her some goat’s milk, crouching down to stroke her soft, furry back. Artemis purred her feline pleasure. Laughing, you wandered into the living room to choose some soft, soothing music. ‘Let’s see, Shankar, Liszt, Barber, Tchaikovsky, and…’–you ran your finger lightly over the titles—'Hm, well, why not?’ you thought—'The Bram Stoker’s Dracula soundtrack. As a matter of fact,‘—here you grinned ruefully—'why not make it a night?’ Biting your generous lower lip, you discarded some of your earlier choices and chose the Interview with the Vampire soundtrack, as well as the Queen of the Damned score, and placed them into rotation on your CD player.

As the first strains of music drifted through your flat, you wandered back into the bathroom, cut off the running water, took off your clothes, tossed them into the hamper, and climbed gratefully into the steaming, scented water. Sighing, you leaned back and let the water engulf your weary body. Your mind drifted off…and ran right into that infuriating man. The way that he had been looking at you with those delicious eyes…you shivered. Like he had wanted to consume you alive… You tried valiantly to turn your thoughts to more mundane matters, but soon admitted defeat. Taking the sponge and loofah, you proceeded to bathe yourself, intent on the looming oblivion of sleep.

Stepping out of the tub, you pulled the plug, and absentmindedly watched the water run down the drain, your thoughts drawn to the man in the bookstore. He had been just so…tall. You had always loved tall men, the taller the better. And his hair…you sighed. You had always loved dark-haired men, as well. Your hands positively tingled with your desire to run your fingers through his luxurious raven mane. Not to mention his lovely eyes… Standing up, you went over to the mirror, looking deep into your own forest green eyes, whilst you brushed your teeth, wishing idly that it was his dark ones into which you were gazing. Walking over to your bathroom closet, you took out your aloe lotion and began to rub it into your already soft skin. The comforting, familiar motion began to lull you into a softly sleepy state.

You walked into your room and rummaged in your drawer for underthings and pajamas. Pushing aside your comfortable flannel, you reached for your scarlet silk pajama bottoms. Your hand stopped. You looked down at your choice and chuckled ruefully. 'Ah, well,’ you thought, 'as long as I already have them in hand…’ Donning a matching sleep bra, you moved over to your bed to draw back the curtains, and turn down the sheets. Artemis sauntered in, leapt upon the bed, curled up, and began to purr. As you started to walk away, she lifted her head, uttering a single, “Mew?” “I’ll be to bed in a bit, love,” you crooned. Striking a fireplace matchstick, you glided from candle to candle, lighting all of them, breathing deeply as the scents of lemon, jasmine, and various others began to waft throughout the room.

“Move over!” you laughingly exclaimed to Artemis. Indignantly stretching, Artemis stood, arched her back, and sauntered over to the opposite pillow, plopping ungracefully down upon it with a look of feline defiance. Lying back against the soft, rosemary scented pillows, you once again allowed your mind to wander…and wander it did, right back to the man in black. You sighed, relenting. You snuggled underneath the covers, the crisp breeze from your open window playing with the escaped curls of your hair. You began to drift off to sleep, with thoughts of his gorgeous red mouth…

******************************

A sharp knock on the door jarred you awake. You sat up, blinking sleepily at the clock–10:30–you had only been asleep for a half hour. Another rap at your door brought you fully to your senses. You pulled back the curtains, and stumbled out of bed, yelling, “Just a minute!”. Shuffling to the door, with Artemis at your feet as your self-appointed bodyguard, you muttered, “Who is it?”

“You left your wallet,” a delicious baritone voice intoned. Instantly jarred awake, you leaned against the door, knowing–just knowing–exactly who it was. Looking through your keyhole, you discovered that your surmise was correct.

“Oh,” was all that you could think of to say.

He held up your wallet to the peephole. “See?” he inquired.

“Just a minute!” you called.

Walking over to your armoire you withdrew a dagger and slipped it into the back of your pants. He may be Eros incarnate, you chuckled to yourself, but you weren’t stupid enough to open the door completely unprepared–a dagger and your proficient experience in not a few martial arts should take care of most problems. You walked back to the door, took a deep, steadying breath, unlocked and opened it…and stared into a black expanse of silk-clad shoulder. You had always been proud of your height, but compared to him, you were almost average. You looked up, and were immediately arrested by his eyes, just as vibrant as you remembered. Eyes like two steaming cups of coffee with cream. The motion of your head caused your to catch a whiff of his scent. Clean laundry, some sort of shampoo, and….another breath…him. 'Wow,’ you thought pensively, 'What are they putting in the laundry detergent these days?’ “Hi,” you managed.

“Hi.” He gently smiled down at you. After a few beats he said “Your wallet?”, and held it out to you.

“My wallet. Right.” You stood back and leaned against the door, the movement prompting his eyes to slowly travel down your body. You blushed as you remembered that you had failed to put on a proper top. You straightened your back, embarrassment causing a full body flush, as you vainly sought to cover yourself without seeming obvious about it. His eyes once again met yours, but there was no trace of disrespect, no leer. “Well?” you prompted.

“Aren’t you going to invite me in?” At this Artemis hissed and growled deep in her throat.

“Invite you…('How quaint.’ you thought.) Right. Yes. Of course. Please, come in.”

Smiling kindly, he swept in and you closed your eyes, breathing in his scent. Opening them quickly, lest he catch you, you closed the door. He handed you the wallet. Artemis ran at him, hissing, but was quickly scooped up by you, who walked over to your bedroom and tossed the cat gently on the bed, closing the door.

“Thank you,” you softly murmured as you returned.

“You’re welcome.” He gave a small bow, eliciting a laugh from you.

“Oh, by the way, my name is–”

“I know your name.”

“Oh, right. Wallet. So…what’s yours?”

“I’m Chanyeol.”

“Chanyeol. That’s a lovely name. Can I get you anything? Are you thirsty?”

“As a matter of fact, I am,” he admitted.

“You can sit. I’m afraid that all I have is juice, milk, and water. I don’t drink wine.” For some odd reason, this caused him to throw back his head, cover his mouth, and laugh. You peered at him quizzically.

“It’s just that, I noticed that you had been reading Dracula in the bookstore and one of the most famous lines is, “I–”

“–don’t drink…wine,” you finished together, laughing.

“Well, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, what do you want to drink?” you inquired. “I have pomegranate juice, grape juice, cranberry juice…” your voice trailed. His eyes caressed your face, and quickly flickered down before he said,

“Ice-water is fine, thank you.”

“One ice-water, coming right up.” You turned to leave, when he said,

“What’s that in your pants?”

“A hairbrush,” you lied, not missing a beat. You made a detour to your bedroom and, as soon as you opened the door, Artemis escaped, disappearing somewhere in the flat. Shrugging, you went in and rummaged in your drawer for the matching top to your bottoms. You then went into the kitchen to procure the water, and a glass of cran-grape juice for yourself. Walking back into the living room, you handed him his water, which he gracefully stood to accept, once again looming over you. You sipped your juice, and then stopped, noticing that his eyes had fixed on you, with that same intensity that he had demonstrated in the bookstore, seemingly concentrating on your drink. “What is it?” you asked.

“Well, it’s just–red hair, red mouth, red pajamas, red drink. Let me guess, your favourite colour?”

“Elementary, my dear.” you laughed.

“It’s your colour.”

“Well, thanks.” Putting down your empty glass, you suddenly noticed that he hadn’t had any of his water. Following your eyes to his glass, you asked, “You’re no longer thirsty?”

“More than ever.”

'Of course,“ you thought, 'Water, who wants water? He was just being polite and you’re acting like–’ but he was suddenly moving…leaning down until he was on your eye level. "So, is there anything else that I can get you to drink?”

“Actually, yes.” His mouth was a thought away from yours. You slid your hand behind your back, to the dagger. “You.”

Jumping away from him, you pulled out the dagger and took a defensive stance. He straightened and gave you an amused glance. You blinked and suddenly the dagger was gone and he was behind you, one arm around your waist, the other around your breasts in a tight embrace. You opened your mouth to take a breath, to fight, and he moved his arm from your breasts to place his hand gently over your mouth. You indignantly stood there, offended that he thought that you were cowardly enough to scream. “You just…do not want to scream,” he whispered in your ear. He lowered his hand.

“Wasn’t planning on it!” you snapped, head-butting him.

He stumbled back, letting go of you as you ran for your weapon, your hair coming out of its bun and trailing behind you like a flag. Just as you were about to reach for it he was in front of you, between you and your dagger. Blast, he was quick. He didn’t move, just stood there, as if he had all of the time in the world. Diving over the couch, you reached your armoire, heaved open the doors and pulled out your staff, swinging it around just in time to connect with some part of him that made a funny noise as down he went. Leaping back just in time, you kept yourself from being thrown off balance by his scissoring legs. He leapt up, laughing and growling.

You went on the defensive, holding the staff as he slowly circled you. He suddenly made a feint to the left that you anticipated, turning as he planned to catch your off guard on your other side. You pretended to fall for it, then turned and swung at him as he went for you. Your back was to him as you felt the full impact of the staff hit something. You knew that you had made contact, but there was no thump of him falling to the floor. You spun around, only to find that he had caught the end of your staff in his hand and was holding it lightly! The amount of force behind your blow should have shattered the bones of his arm all the way up to his elbow. He grabbed the staff, throwing it out of your reach.

“You are quite strong,” he conceded with a tilt of his head. He started towards your and you spun, hitting him in the middle with a kick that took him back several feet. He straightened, brushing off his stomach as if nothing had happened. “Very fast, as well, I see.” He smiled and you saw that both his canines and lateral incisors had lengthened into points. Sharp and white. Suddenly he was behind you again, this time squeezing deliberately until you began to pant from the lack of air. He loosened his hold slightly and there was no sound other than your sharp, staccato breaths and the quiet strains of Eliot Goldenthal’s “March Funabre” from the Interview soundtrack.

'How appropriate,’ you thought.

“Chanyeol, please–” you began.

“Oh, no, no, no, no,” he whispered seductively into your ear, rocking you slowly back and forth, inhaling the scent of your hair. “Don’t beg. That comes later.” He spun your around to face him, pressing your trembling body close to his and you saw that his pupils were vertical slits, like a cat’s, his irises a warm burning gold. He gently brought your head to his shoulder and lazily began to unwind your braid. Still rocking back and forth he caressed your hair. Your heart pounded against his cold body.

Taking the nape of your neck in one hand, he gently pulled your head to one side and lowered his mouth to your neck. You closed your eyes. Several beats passed and still he didn’t move. Finally, he whispered, “You smell…absolutely lovely, but you know one thing that I’m not scenting? Fear. Now, why is that?” You didn’t answer. He buried his face in your soft hair, inhaling deeply, his eyes slightly rolling back in his head. You just held your body as stiffly as you could. Holding you against him, he began to sensuously laugh. “Ohhh. I see, then. You are afraid, just not for your life, but for something else…what is it?”

Suddenly he thrust you at arm’s length, looking admiringly down over your body, then into your eyes. He narrowed his own, as understanding dawned over his face. “You’re a virgin!” He smiled. “And you’re afraid that I will…relieve you of that particular malady.” His sarcasm made you flinch. He brought you slowly back to him. “Relax. I’m not going to rape you,” he said in a singsong tone. You allowed your body to loosen slightly. He went on, “No, that would be entirely too kind,” you stiffened once more, “letting you play the martyr.” He laughed out loud. “I wish that you could have seen the look on your face. False hope,” he sighed. “I love it. No, my dear,” he crouched down, looking into your eyes on your level, and lifted an eyebrow, “I promise you that you are going to enjoy this. There, there, dying’s not so bad. I’ve done it once, myself,” he drawled.

With that he swept you up into his arms and began to take you into your bedroom. Artemis shot out and stood in his way, legs planted, your back arched, every hair on end, hissing loudly. Growling, he bared his teeth at her.

“Wait!” you called out, “Do not hurt her!” He chuckled.

“At an obvious disadvantage and still giving orders. I like you. Fine.” Bending down, he scooped up the scratching, biting Artemis with one hand, tossed her gently out the window onto the fire escape, and deftly closed it, with you still in his arms. You had planned on trying to escape, but he really was quite fast…

Chanyeol set you gently down on the foot of your bed, crouched over you, one arm on either side of you, and looked into your eyes. His own had returned to their normal chocolate cherry, the pupils reassuringly round. He leaned over you, bringing his face closer and closer to yours, causing you to crawl backwards towards the head of your bed to try to get away. He crawled after you, like a cat, until your back bumped the pillows. Bracing himself with one arm against the wall, he took your chin with the other and lowered his mouth to yours. You closed your eyes, determined not to react.

He nibbled the sides of your mouth, and then gently kissed you. His lips were soft and he didn’t apply any pressure, just kissed you tenderly, as if he could spend the rest of your life kissing you. A sharp bolt of electricity ran from your mouth down to your stomach, causing your breath to quicken involuntarily. As soon as you opened your mouth to gasp, he used his lips to suckle your bottom lip. Moving his hand from your chin to the nape of your neck, he deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue slowly into your mouth, drawing out yours, tickling it with his own. You pulled away your mouth to try to breathe. Chanyeol moved to your ear and breathed into it, eliciting an involuntary shiver from you. When he snaked out his tongue and traced the seashell curve of your ear with it, then dipped it inside, you bit your lip as a wave of sensation rose over you. He moved his head lower, placing his mouth over your neck. You tensed, waiting for the bite. He opened his mouth and something powerful brushed your throat–it didn’t hurt–but shards of light exploded behind your lids and a tremor ripped through your body, making you feel weak and feverish. You gave up. If it was going to happen anyway, why not enjoy it?

You ran your hands through his hair, bringing his mouth to yours, and kissed him with all of the passion built up in you from years of yearning.

Your flavour and scent sent all the blood his body had to spare right to his cock, which was throbbing so hard that it hurt. He moved back slightly and then began kissing down your throat, to the top button of your shirt. He moved one leg so that his thigh was between yours and deftly undid the buttons, kissing your heated skin after each came free. When he reached your navel, he ran his tongue around the small silver barbells that resided there, causing you to arch slightly. Moving to one side, he undid the string holding up your pants and, looking into your eyes, drew them off with a gentle tug. Climbing back to his original position, he undid the clasps on the front of your bra, cupping your breasts as they emerged from the carmine fabric. He ran his thumbs over the dusky rose tips, huskily whispering, “Is this how you like it?”

An involuntary gasp was ripped from your throat and you arched your back, driving your breasts into his palms. You felt his cock pulse against your thigh. Sitting up, you tried to undo the buttons of his shirt, with little success. Chanyeol ran his hands over your breasts, whilst biting your earlobe, and you ripped his shirt with a small cry of surprise. Pulling his shirt over his shoulders, you accidently brought your breasts to his surprisingly warm chest, creating just enough friction to make you close your eyes and squeeze your thighs around one of his. He closed his eyes in silent appreciation when he felt your hot sex open like a flower on his leg.  Running your hands over his chest, you were surprised to feel the chill of metal running through his nipples. Nipple rings. “Pain for pleasure…” he whispered against your mouth. The cold of the metal combined with the rasp of his chest against your sensitive nipples caused you to rake your fingernails down his back, making him growl and rub his thigh between your legs in retaliation.

He kissed you deeply, leaving you in a daze as he backed away and quickly finished undressing himself. Taking you into his arms again, he slowly licked and nibbled down your neck and chest until he got to the tip of your right breast. He bit your breast, whilst you writhed in pleasure under him, squeezing your thighs around his. Suckling softly, he let your nipple fall from his mouth, only to suck it back into the wet warmth. Moving to your left breast, he repeated his delicious ministrations, all the while stroking his hands softly over your waist and thighs, whilst you weakly ran yours through his thick, glossy hair.

You felt his erect cock brush against your leg, and stiffened. Looking down, you emitted a small gasp and closed your eyes. Correctly guessing the cause of your sudden alarm, he chuckled. “I promise I won’t hurt you.  I’ll make you feel good,” he whispered. You turned your head and just lay there, keeping your eyes tightly shut, afraid of what else you might see.

Looking down at you, he seemed to come to a decision. He deftly, but gently, tied your arms to the head-posts with some of your discarded clothing. You struggled ineffectually against your bonds until he lightly cupped your swollen sex in one hand, slowly stroked it until you squirmed and he said, “Relax, pet.  This is merely to ensure that I do all of the work.” Moving between your legs, he placed a pillow under your pelvis, pulled down your white cotton bikini briefs, and discarded them. Making himself comfortable, he proceeded to tenderly open your legs.

“What are you doing?” you quavered.

Chanyeol bit you on the sensitive hollow just above your hipbones, eliciting a deep appreciative purr. He kissed and licked your thighs, breathing warm, moist air over them, and your untouched sex. You shivered as you felt his soft hair tickle your sensitive inner thighs. After a few moments, you started to become rather uncomfortable having a man’s head between your legs and tried to pull away, but he pulled your hips back to him and nuzzled you for a while, until you calmed down again. He began to lick you with long, slow, hungry strokes. Chanyeol soon found that a wide, flat tongue sliding over your lips, from your tight, wet sex, to just below your clitoris was rewarded with your halting sighs. Not wanting to neglect the silken soft crescent under your lips, between your opening and clit, he lavished slow, delicious, lingering strokes that almost included your swollen pearl itself…but not quite. He then teasingly gave it, and the smooth lips around it, soft little kisses from his parted lips. Moving back a pet, he slid his tongue up your inner lips then moved it to first one side, then the other, just in the vicinity of your little jewel. Slipping upward beside it, up over your hood, he paused, and then slipped down the opposite side. Your restless squirms and undulations drove him to bite your precious hood and the prize inside with his lips, whilst sucking you into his burning mouth.

Sensing your excitement, Chanyeol drew back to allow you to calm down, nuzzling your thighs once more. Leaning forward, he breathed on your swollen, wet heat, drawing a deep breath to savour your aroma, and then exhaling onto the soft peach fuzz on top of your pubic bone. Then he began to kiss you. He kissed you slowly and softly, over, and over. You began to swell even more and lifted your hips to meet the next kiss…and the next…and the next…and the one after that…

Moving to your swollen pearl, he placed his tongue over it, whilst moving his head in small circles. As your breathing became ragged once more, he closed his lips and sucked you into his mouth. Chanyeol pursed his lips around your throbbing clitoris and ran his tongue over it, back and forth, first slowly, then flickering with heightened speed, only to slow down once more. Moving down, he moaned against your lips, sucking them into his mouth, and slowly rolling his tongue just inside of you, giving you a light French kiss. When he moved back to your pulsating pearl and moaned whilst gently lapping against the top of it, the vibrations from his baritone voice finally threw you over the edge. You felt it begin as a tingle in your extremities that quickly flowed into a sudden burst of pleasure as your orgasm washed over you in waves. Your body arched uncontrollably against his head and a sudden moan was pulled from you, your soprano voice mysteriously manifesting itself in husky alto tones.

Chanyeol untied a now pliant you, kissing and nibbling your wrists where the bonds had been. Kissing your closed eyelids, he whispered, “Wake up, wake up. We’re not finished yet…” Moaning softly against his mouth, you wrapped your arms around his neck and brought your face to his. Your sleepy pleasure turned into passion, as his long, slender fingers found the still swollen pearl that his mouth had so recently vacated, and begin to pay their own homage. Moving his mouth against yours, he slid two fingers into you, just as his tongue slipped past your yielding lips. His hands stroked your soaked slit and just inside of your burning sex, as his tongue slipped over yours and dipped into your heated mouth.

He began to softly tease your g-spot, whilst running his thumb in a circular motion around your hard little clit. When he dipped his head to your neck to nibble and suck on the pulse at the base of your throat, you climaxed once more, your arching driving your clenching sex into his hand, your thighs clamping around his wrist. Chanyeol lay quietly against your breasts, fighting for control, as your body slowly began to relax once more. He pulled slightly away from you, trying to ignore the almost painful throbbing of his hard cock, the memory of just how tight you were against his two fingers, and how your teeth had sunk into your plump bottom lip as you came. He looked at you–at your golden skin flushed to a rosy hue, at your swollen red mouth, at your full, rounded breasts with their small, sensitive tips, at your thighs pressed closely together, and at the intersection between them, with its soft, wet hair glistening temptingly. This little visual odyssey was doing nothing to alleviate his raging hard-on. You finally opened your eyes, and looked at him, smiling slowly, your eyes raking over his body. He bent his head to yours just in time to notice a blush suffusing your already rosy cheeks.

You put your hand on the nape of his neck and drew him close to you for a surprisingly passionate kiss. Running your other hand down his body, you toyed with his rings, pulling and twisting them just enough to make him moan against your mouth. Your hand drifted lazily lower, as you ran your nails lightly over his happy trail, causing him to cry out his surprise into your mouth, whilst you nipped at his lower lip and sucked his tongue hard into your mouth. He knew that he was going to have to move back soon, or lose his precious control, when you broke off the kiss. You looked into his eyes and he felt a hot, delicate hand slip around the base of his pulsating cock. He went perfectly still. You squeezed and ran your hand up the length of his manhood to the head, causing Chanyeol to involuntarily buck and shoot a few spurts of cum into your hand. He moved away from you and your maddeningly exploratory little hand, and closed his eyes.

After a stabilizing moment, he looked back at you. You slowly opened your legs to him. He crawled over you, until he was between your soft, strong thighs. He could feel the moist heat of you against his swollen erection. He moved his hips slowly, letting the head of his cock tease your heated, wet sex. Your body undulated under his, making him feel the scorching blushes under your skin. Slowly, he began to enter you.

He hadn’t gotten far when he felt the barrier of your virginity. He paused. Guessing the cause of his delay, you arched to meet him. “Wait,” he growled. You wrapped your arms around him and rubbed your breasts tantalizingly over the front of his chest. “Don’t. Move,” he ground. With a wicked chuckle, you pulled his head down to yours and suckled his earlobe, then moved down to his neck and bit. Growling, he quickly thrust past the offensive barrier. You stiffened as a sudden white-hot pain pierced you. As suddenly as it had come, it was gone and Chanyeol’s big, thick prick was impaling you. You wrapped your long legs around his hips and roughly sucked on the bite that you had inflicted. Chanyeol wrapped his arms around your back, pulled you closer and drew your nipple into his mouth. After he had you moaning and writhing, he drove his cock home to the hilt, deep into your tight opening. Chanyeol couldn’t believe how tight you were. He gave you a few gentle thrusts; nipping at your nipples, he continued to plow his hard cock in and out of your virginal sex. Your body quivered as you gasped with each thrust. That huge cock pistoning into your felt so like it was stroking every inner inch of your body…

Before long, you was moving in conjunction with Chanyeol, arching your sex to meet each of his thrusts as your breathing became shorter and more ragged. You felt his lips against your ear. You felt his breath, hot and wet as he moaned to you, “You’re sooo tight.” His hot tongue found your neck–his hands, kneading your waist and moving down. He worked in slowly, groaning with pleasure. “Mmm…I can tell that you like it. Tell me how much you like it.” Your voice was soft and breathy, “I love it…”

“That’s it, lover. I knew you wanted it the first time I saw you…” Chanyeol held onto your waist, and pushed into you deeper, and harder. He grunted, reaming your sex hard and fast, until you let out a cry. “That’s it.” He slammed into you deeply, forcing you an inch or two up the mattress. You groaned. He slowed down to kiss you deeply. “You’re so young. So young and sooo tight.” Then the words turned into sounds…

“That’s right, make that tight little…arrrggghh” he panted, “…grab my big cock, lover…” Chanyeol was burying the length of his shaft and grunting with each and every thrust now. “Yes, you tight little wet, ohhh…yes, you like my cock deep, ugh, inside, mmfh, your tight little cunt, don’t you?” He pumped his cock hard into you. “Oh, yes, you have the tightest mmm…I have felt… ” His breathing quickened and became a little labored. You finally heard him start to groan and grunt. You began moaning incoherently as Chanyeol pumped his hips furiously, ramming his cock inside.

As you built up momentum, you felt the cock inside of you swell and you knew it was only a matter of time before Chanyeol came.

He actually had been constantly on the verge of cumming since he had first sunken his cock into your tight sex. How much longer he could hold, he didn’t know, only that release was imminent. “Oh yes…” Chanyeol moaned. His nuts tightened and he knew he was going to fill up his little kitten. You could feel his balls tighten as he was about to cum. You clenched down deep inside, squeezing his cock. That spurred him on, and he rammed three or four more times inside your sex before grabbing your hips and releasing what felt to him like a gallon of cum to flood your tight opening. As he came he bit into your shoulder, slamming into you, shooting your already drenched sex full of cum. He moaned, “Yes, take it lover, take all my cum inside of you…” Your body spasmed. You shook as the orgasm tore through you. You rode Chanyeol, his cock pumping your cunt as you both climaxed…

“And now, for the ivory kiss…” Chanyeol whispered. He leaned down to your neck and felt your body stiffen. He backed away in surprise and pain. Looking down, he saw the stake protruding from his chest. He looked at you, toppled over and was a pile of dust before he ever hit the bed. You stretched, sauntered over to the window, and let Artemis back into the flat. “I really do wish that they would clean up after themselves,” you thought ruefully. Climbing back under the covers, you winced as you felt the tingle inside telling you that your hymen was beginning to heal. By tomorrow morning, you would be completely healed. In all your centuries of Hunting, you had yet to meet a vampire who could resist the allure of a virgin. Tonight had been especially fun. “Tomorrow,” you decided sleepily, “tomorrow, I’m going back to being the Hunter, instead of playing the prey.”  Chanyeol had been fun, but too easy to catch, and that vampire with the kitten nose, blade-sharp jaw, and dancer’s body looked like he could keep you occupied for days.  Artemis curled up at your waist and watched you drift to sleep…  

A/N:  If you want to follow me, then please do so at my main blog @vampwrrr​, as I always update there, first.

[localmagicalboi]

✨ aegyokiller-pinkThot.mp3!

name: none of your business, homie. nickname / s: rae. or whatever you want it to be, i kinda don’t care!!! height: 5′6" or around there... nationality: ( afro-indigenous ) american. favourite fruit: peaches. they are........ sexey. favourite season: autumn..... or whenever the sun fucks off. i hate sunlight. it’s a sensory experience i would like to not have ever again in my life. favourite scents: i really like the smell of paint, mothballs, gasoline, and other hefty chemicals. theyre pretty sexy.... also vetiver and patchouli. petrichor. anyway, i could go on about scent notes in perfume for 10 paragraphs dont make me do it. favourite animals: all the little ones........ we stan. those tiny lil goats? the miniature horses? little monkeys??? respect them. tea, coffee, hot cocoa:  tea. sometimes hot cocoa, but it has to be high quality. average hours of sleep: erratic, babey. when my blog was created: about two years ago. # of followers: 530. random fact: i’m related to todd bridges aka willis from diff'rent strokes. you know ‘ WHATCHU TALKIN’ ‘BOUT WILLIS ’ it’s pretty cool. he beat vanilla ice up on national tv. favourite food: i really love sushi and i veer towards salmon and vegetable based rolls. also pile any kind of curry on top of jasmine rice, i’m all over it. favourite t.v. shows:  i don’t watch much tv outside of chopped so here’s some anime favorites that inspires this blog whether it be writing wise or mood or whatever they hold a special place in my heart! sailor moon, steel angel kurumi, devil hunter yohko, yu yu hakusho, tactics, pastel yumi: the magical idol, magical shopping arcade abenobashi, pretear, excel saga. if i could get all of my horror based threads to feel like the show paranoia agent that’d be GREAT. favourite movie: friday, spice world, carrie ( the 1976 one version ), drop dead fred, the love witch. some other horror flicks and real bad comedies. favourite vine:  Y'ALL ARE GOING TO JAIL. PERIODTTTT!!! sexuality: people who are hot and sexy are hot and sexy and that’s the rooibos. pronouns: all of them, binch. favourite book series: no particular series, but i do have my select favorites. i’ll read absolutely anything by f scott fitzgerald and kafka. doug coupland and yiyun li, too. favourite video game / s:  final fantasy x, snowboard kids!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, the donkey kong country trilogy, paper mario, grand theft auto: vice city, pikmin, tony hawk pro skater, animal crossing, harvest moon. aaaaand... kinetika, aggressive in-line, mark of cri, space channel 5, magic pengel: quest for color, sky gunners, parasite eve and a bunch of obscure ps2 titles. tho is parasite eve obscure? no one ever talks about it these days lol. :(((( anyway tons of more games spanning generations of consoles. for the past few months my fiance and i just play wwe: 2k16 and ruin literally everything. vince mcmahon will rise from a thick fog in my room and kill me at midnight. favourite subject: my school had a class for guitar hero, so that one. i didn’t play, i just sat back and watched everyone else play. watching teenage dude rage and hate each other over dragonforces ‘through the fire and flames’ fulfilled me in ways that nothing else ever could. someone threw a chair. it was great! guys or girls: i, personally, lean more towards myself. i’m my most important person. i am, above all else, my biggest supporter and best friend. <: ) ... even tho i may be hard on myself sometimes but we all need that occasional ass kick and dragging across jagged rocks. last time I cried: now, why is that anyone’s business except mine and the walls huh. what I should be doing: eating................ i think . favourite fandoms: fandom spaces are terrible unless there’s like 5 people in it, change my mind.

✨ TAGGED BY: @lessereviltm hey,, thanks.... :) ✨ TAGGING: @escapedartgeek @1053l2 @motherwitch @deadmenanddemons @undersunrise @espercr @sacredandwild + uh.... just do it tbh ,

[miss-noo-na]

Soft Q&A

Tagged by @jooheonbee <333

Rules: Answer the Soft Q+A’s and tag 5 of your most recent followers and 3 of your biggest fans.

What’s the smell of your shampoo?

Sweet Almond

What’s your aesthetic?

Lace curtains, teacups, old books, overgrown gardens, 

What’s your favorite time of the day and why?

Evening. I love to be cozy and that’s the coziest time. I love having a warm drink and getting comfortable and maybe doing some cross-stitch or listening to music. 

What do you most like about the beach?

I love looking for seashells. I could spend hours walking along the shore, letting the waves hit my legs, and finding treasures in the sand. 

What do you worry about constantly?

I have anxiety, what do I not worry about constantly?

What is a song you’ve cried to before?

I’m an emotional pisces so a lot of songs have made me cry. I saw One Ok Rock last night and they played this song which made me cry the first time I heard it because its just really relevant to my life at this current time. I didn’t cry at the concert but I did feel a little sting in my eye lol 

What are some relaxing tips for your followers?

If you can, take a bath. If not a bath, a warm shower. Water is SO healing. Also baths/showers are somewhere we can truly be alone with our thoughts and without distractions. I cry, I meditate, I think. I use it as my me-time therapy. I make some tea or a glass of wine, I use a bathbomb, and I just process things. I usually feel a lot more relaxed afterward.

What are some things that make you tear up?

Again, very emotional Pisces over here. I’ve cried at commercials. Also, one time I was sitting in my car at the park n ride waiting for a bus and Whalien 52 came on and I cried thinking about the whale. This is a really good example of the kind of emotional idiot I am. 

What is your favorite from each sense?

sight- The sky, nature, art,  the faces of the people I love, 

smell- Jasmine, patchouli, flowers, wood-burning fires, sage. 

taste- Sweets! I have the biggest sweet tooth. 

sound- music, rain, certain people’s talking voices, windchimes.

touch- Animal’s fur, velvet, my boyfriend. 

What is an alternative reality you’ll like to live in?

A little cottage all by itself, with goats and bees and a huge garden. Selling local honey at the farmer’s market, cross-stitching and writing all day. 

What are some troubles you face on a daily basis?

Right now in terms of my health I have issues with my gallbladder and it makes every day a gamble. I have to be really careful about what I eat, and sometimes I’ll be in pain no matter what. Hopefully surgery will fix that soon. Other than that, aforementioned anxiety which is a whole other ordeal. 

What is one scene from a book that makes you really sad?

The ending of Of Mice and Men was the first book that ever really fucked me up. 

Say something to your followers:

I can’t even really accurately express through text how grateful I am to everyone who follows this blog and reads my writing. Some of you know and some of you don’t that I actually have a degree in creative writing and I started this blog as a way to write for fun, because actually going to school for writing is stressful as fuck. And I still battle every day with my strong urge to become a published author but also my fear of actually trying to do it. Knowing I have a platform here and people willing to read my stuff and leave such beautiful, encouraging feedback no matter what makes me feel like I’m not a total hack, so thank you  <3333

Tagging-

Most recent followers: @zareyasworld, @hihelloannyeonggg, @ckyunwon, @superstar-lover863, @moonlight-joon

People I see in my notes a lot: @def-sol, @mylifeinhopeworld, @soy-un-dorito, @thesecretfangirl1992

[tipsycad147]

All About Coffee | 15 Science-Backed Health Benefits & More

Written by Sass Ayres

After water, coffee is one of the most universally consumed beverages in the entire world. It’s such a significant part of our everyday that it’s easy to forget that coffee, too, is a medicinal plant. However, as wonderfully beneficial as coffee can be, it can have an equally impressive dark side too. Here are 15 science-backed health benefits of coffee that include everything from increased metabolism and liver health to its broad, beneficial effects on our digestion.

GRAB A CUP O’ JOE & DIG IN! HERE YOU’LL FIND: Meet Coffee (Coffea spp.) Botanical Background Coffee Through History Science-Backed Health Benefits of Coffee The Healthiest Kind of Coffee Possible Side Effects Coffee FAQs Resources & Further Reading

Meet Coffee (Coffea spp.)

Coffee might not seem like it needs much of an introduction. However, because it’s so much a part of our every day, it’s easy to forget that this beloved beverage comes from a plant that does, in fact, have many nutritive and medicinal properties. Coffee has become another casualty of a food system that maintains such a divide between the food that ends up on your plate (or in your cup) and the dirt that it was grown in.

How often do you think about where your coffee came from, much less than the small tree the coffee beans grew on or the hands that harvested and then roasted them?

A cup of coffee is not much different than drinking a tea of medicinal herbs. We forget that coffee comes from a medicinal plant and can, in fact, be medicine.

White coffee flowers and ripe coffee cherries. Image via Canva

Botanical Background

Coffee is part of the Rubiaceae family, also called the madder family. This family is one of the largest plant families with over 500 genera and more than 6,500 different species.

Relatives of coffee include Gardenia jasminoides (common gardenia found in many gardens), Rubia tinctora (common madder, one of the largest sources of red dye), and Cinchona officinalis (source of quinine used to treat malaria).

Coffee is native to Ethiopia, but is now cultivated all over the world. It’s primarily found in the equatorial regions of Central and South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia.

Plants in the Coffea genus vary widely in size. Their leaves may also vary in color and different species have different growing requirements.

But in general, Coffea spp. is a woody, evergreen shrub with oval or elliptical-shaped opposite leaves that are typically a glossy, deep green.

The Coffea genus consists of ~25 species, but 2 of those account for the majority of all commercial production:

Coffea arabica (Arabica coffee) – ~60% of worldwide commercial coffee production

Coffea canephora (Robusta coffee)

The flowers of the coffee plant are white. They grow in clusters at the leaf axils and are said to be very aromatic, resembling the smell of jasmine.

Coffee beans are the seeds of the berries, called cherries, that ripen from green to red.

A Very Brief History of Coffee

Coffee didn’t spring out of the coffee cherry womb as the massively popular, stimulating, and crave-worthy beverage it is today. There’s a long and fascinating history that I won’t even pretend to be able to share in any way that will do it justice.

The history of coffee includes a tangled and dark web of ecological destruction and the obliteration of indigenous cultures. It’s the cause of much bloodshed that’s not often (or ever) talked about over a cup of Joe.

It’s believed that coffee was in cultivation as early as 575 AD, about 1500 years ago. Legend has it that an Ethiopian goat herder named Kaldi discovered coffee. He noticed that his goats became more energetic, jumping around and bleating loudly, after having eaten red berries from some nearby plants. Curious, Kaldi tried some for himself. And thus are the origins of the world’s caffeine habit that has endured the test of time.

Nonetheless, coffee likely didn’t start out as a warming good-morning beverage. It’s more likely that the beans were chewed and/or ground and rolled into balls with ghee as a energy snack for long journeys or battle.

After a scuffle with some monks over coffee beans being the devil’s work that accidentally ended in the world’s first cup of coffee, the monks decided that coffee was actually very helpful in keeping them awake during their spiritual work.

And that, my coffee-loving friends, is the origin of the world’s most popular stimulating beverage.

15 Science-Backed Health Benefits of Coffee

Today, coffee is the most highly consumed psychoactive substance in the entire world! It’s no secret that coffee has amazing stimulating effects. Many of us can’t start our days without it! And while caffeine does play a big role in the medicine of coffee, there is so much more to this plant!

Here are 15 science-backed health benefits of coffee:

1. The Incredible Antioxidant Power of Coffee

It’s been said that one of the biggest and most consistent sources of antioxidants in our diets is from coffee! And that’s just because we drink so much of it! While the antioxidant activity of coffee beans varies widely with the variety (Arabica vs Robusta), type (green/un-roasted or roasted) and manner of processing (light, medium, or dark roasted), it remains high across the board. In comparison, coffee’s antioxidant capacity is on par with green tea and cacao.

Why are antioxidants so important? It’s because our exposure to oxidative stress is constant!

Whether it’s caused by environmental factors, poor quality food, certain medications, smoking, alcohol abuse, or any number of the physical, mental, or emotional stressors we face, oxidative stress is one of the most prominent causes of premature aging and numerous inflammatory diseases.

With coffee having such a high antioxidant capacity, it’s a highly valuable plant medicine for the times.

Coffee is a chemically complex plant! The most potent antioxidant in green (un-roasted) coffee beans, chlorogenic acids, are largely destroyed in the roasting process. However, through roasting, other potent antioxidants are formed!

2. Digestive Health & Coffee

As a general stimulant, coffee also stimulates healthy digestion. The bitter properties of coffee are no secret, and it’s no wonder so many are apt to load their cups with cream and sugar. As we drink coffee, the bitter properties of the coffee increase the secretion of gastric enzymes, helping us to better digest the foods we eat.

Plus, the phenolic compounds in coffee can help to encourage the growth of beneficial bacterial in our guts. This serves to reduce inflammation, which in turn, help us to better absorb nutrients from the foods we eat.

And you may have also noticed coffee’s laxative effects? That’s because coffee increases the peristalsis (muscular contractions) of the colon, aiding us in healthy elimination.

On the other hand, coffee may be too intense for some and can actually be really hard on your digestive system as well. If coffee is hard on your digestive system, generally you know and can feel the unpleasant effects.

3. Liver Health & Coffee

Over the years, several studies have demonstrated coffee’s positive effects on many chronic liver diseases. It has even been found beneficial for heavy drinkers. And on account of the incredibly damaging effects that excessive alcohol consumption can have on our livers, not to mention our general health, this is a win for coffee!

While the mechanism is still not fully understood yet, its beneficial effects on the liver are thought to be due to coffee’s high antioxidant activity and its ability to decrease fat accumulation in the liver.

Coffee has also been associated with a reduced risk of liver cancers and also appears to be able to inhibit the replication of Hepatitis C virus.

4. Kidney Health & Coffee

Coffee, the stimulator of all things, even has a stimulating effect on our kidney function. As a mild diuretic, coffee can help the body get rid of excess sodium and other metabolic wastes by increasing the amount of fluid we’re getting rid of through urine.

This action is likely the culprit of a long-held stereotype that coffee is dehydrating. However, the diuretic effect of coffee is pretty mild and doesn’t actually cause a loss of any more liquid than you’re taking in. If anything, coffee stimulates our kidneys to better do the job they’re meant to do anyway.

Nonetheless, if you’re sensitive to caffeine, it may cause headaches. And because headaches are a common symptom of dehydration, coffee often gets the blame. Drinking lots of water is an important part of a healthy lifestyle regardless, perhaps even more so if you enjoy lots of coffee.

5. Fatigue & Coffee

This might seem like a no-brainer. Coffee, the best part of waking up? For millions and millions of people, it really is. Coffee has been fueling night-shifters, late night study sessions, long days, and monotonous tasks for a very, very long time.

Drinking coffee is known to increase alertness and decrease many symptoms of fatigue such as lack of energy and mental or physical exhaustion.

It’s a helpful mask for fatigue that can help us get through whatever we may need to. But what goes up, must always come down, and it’s no substitute for sleep.

6. Pain Relief & Coffee

The pharmaceutical industry has long used caffeine in many analgesic (pain-relieving) medicines, both prescription and over-the-counter. Coffee’s pain relieving abilities are due to several different factors:

Coffee stimulates the release of dopamine and endorphins that act as natural pain killers

Coffee can bind to and block receptors in our brain that play a role in how we perceive pain

Considering the possible negative side effects that many pain killers, both prescription and over-the-counter, come with, coffee may be a safer alternative if, again, you’re not sensitive to caffeine. However, the greater your tolerance to caffeine, the lower its pain relieving effects.

7. Mental Health & Coffee

A study has found that drinking coffee can help to reduce the risk of depression by up to 30%! And in general, studies have shown that coffee drinkers are less depressed. It’s thought that this effect is due to coffee’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, as well as its beneficial effects on our gut microbiome and digestion.

This speaks a lot to the fact that when our bodies are healthier, we’re happier. The greatest benefit to mental health was observed to be associated with drinking at least 2 cups of coffee a day.

8. Physical Performance/Endurance & Coffee

I fully admit that I had no idea that many athletes use caffeine to help increase their stamina, strength, and overall physical and mental performance until researching for this post. Nonetheless, coffee has been found to be a suitable “pre-workout” of sorts to help many physical performance activities such as sprinting and even walking speed in men over 80. For athletes and other physically active people, the caffeine in coffee can give just enough boost for better strength and endurance.

9. Type 2 Diabetes & Coffee

Type 2 diabetes is a disease on the rise! Luckily, there are so many plant medicines, like chamomile, that may help in preventing Type 2 diabetes by way helping to regulate blood sugar and insulin resistance. Nonetheless, medicinal plants are still just one part of a larger and necessary shift towards a healthier lifestyle.

One 2018 study found that coffee consumption is inversely related to the risk for type 2 diabetes. For each cup per day of coffee consumed, the researchers found a 6% decrease in risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

And it’s believed that coffee’s high antioxidant capacity, anti-inflammatory properties, and its positive impact on our gut micro-biomes are to thank for this reduction in risk.

10. Cancer & Coffee

At one point there was question about coffee actually being a carcinogen due to a potential cancer-causing chemical produced in the roasting process. This theory was further fueled by the fact that many coffee drinkers also tend to be smokers. Since smoking cigarettes is associated with an increased risk of all kinds of cancers, it was hard to separate the two.

However, more recent studies have shown that coffee consumption can actually lower the risk of some types of cancer including prostate, liver, and endometrial cancer, as well as some mouth and throat cancers. This is due in large part to its high antioxidant activity.

11. Alzheimer’s & Parkinson’s Disease & Coffee

Due to the short-term stimulating effects of caffeine on our central nervous systems, coffee may also have a beneficial effect on cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. While many studies have confirmed this potential health benefit, there are some that have found no benefit. Accordingly, the general consensus in the scientific community seems to call for further research.

12. Longevity & Coffee

Can drinking coffee help you live longer?! With all the beneficial health effects of coffee, it wouldn’t be all the surprising. A 2018 study found that drinking up to 8 cups of coffee a day may slightly lower the risk of early death by 14%.

13. Weight Management, Metabolism, & Coffee

As a stimulant, coffee can help to burn calories! A 2019 study found that the consumption of coffee can help reduce abdominal fat in overweight individuals due largely to its chlorogenic acid content, a potent antioxidant. In fact, daily consumption of coffee containing high amounts of chlorogenic acid was found to help significantly decrease overall body fat.

14. Asthma & Coffee

Caffeine can act as a bronchodilator, helping to open airways and improve breathing capacity for up to 4 hours after consumption. So for those who suffer from asthma, drinking coffee may be beneficial in preventing asthma attacks.

15. Happiness & Coffee

There’s an incredible amount of pleasure that comes with drinking coffee. Maybe it’s the ritual itself, the socialization opportunities, or all the amazing health benefits we’re drinking in every time we sip on a cup of coffee.

Nonetheless, there are actual scientific studies to confirm that coffee is, indeed, happy juice. One study found not a single negative emotion associated with coffee drinking and even dove deeper to infer the following:

Coffee drank in the morning is associated with activity, energy, and kindness.

Social consumption of coffee is associated with activity, friendship, affection, yearning, good nature, satisfaction, and pleasure.

Coffee consumed leisurely is associated with tranquility, sweetness, peace, and happiness.

Ripe (red) and unripe (green) coffee cherries. Image via Canva.

The Healthiest, Most Ethical Kind of Coffee

In a world of so many coffee and coffee drink options, you might wonder which is actually the healthiest kind of coffee. And the answer is pretty simple.

The healthiest kind of coffee is always a plain cup of black coffee. And to be more specific, the most potent health benefits will always be found in a brewed cup of organic, shade-grown, fair-trade coffee that’s either enjoyed black or with very minimal additions of sweetener and/or dairy.

Possible Side Effects of Coffee

Coffee is one amazing plant that can have some serious side effects! It’s not an appropriate food or medicine for everyone. For every health benefit, it almost seems there’s an equal and opposite possible negative side effect.

The biggest reason is the caffeine! While some hyper-metabolize caffeine (process it quickly and might even be able to drink a cup of coffee right before bed), others have trouble processing caffeine. Those that don’t process caffeine as quickly might get jittery or anxious, or experience headaches or stomach upset.

Here are a few of the most common negative side effects of consuming coffee:

Stress & Anxiety: Coffee stimulates the release of cortisol, the stress hormone. If you have a tendency towards stress and anxiety, coffee may actually make it worse.

Heartburn & Acid Reflux: For those who have sensitive digestive systems, and already experience symptoms of poor digestion like heartburn or acid reflux, coffee may make things worse.

Celiac Disease, IBS, & Non-Celiac Gluten-Sensitivity: The high caffeine content of coffee can actually trigger an over-reaction of the bowls and cause nausea and diarrhea. Some have likened these symptoms to those of celiac disease, IBS, and non-celiac gluten-sensitivity. If you regularly experience these symptoms, coffee might actually be the culprit.

Caffeine Tolerance: However valuable the many health benefits coffee may have, it’s best consumed in moderation. In general, the more coffee you consume, the higher your tolerance for caffeine will become. The headache relief you once found in one cup of coffee might take 3 or 4 cups of coffee down the road in your coffee-drinking journey. What’s more is that should you decide to stop drinking coffee, caffeine withdrawals are a real and unpleasant thing.

The Consensus on Coffee

Coffee is amazing, but too much of a good thing is never a good thing. Here’s the consensus on coffee:

Enjoy coffee (and caffeine in general) in moderation as part of a healthy lifestyle and diet.

Drink it black if you can. Otherwise, use sweeteners and cream, especially in moderation.

Avoid coffee if you’re sensitive to caffeine. The symptoms of caffeine sensitivity, such as headaches or increased anxiety, can contribute to such a lower quality of life and just aren’t worth the risk.

Coffee FAQs

Why is coffee bad for you?

Whether or not coffee is bad for you is entirely individual. The same compounds in coffee that make it such a health-promoting beverage can also have the opposite effects on certain people. Coffee may not be the best choice of beverage for you if you:

regularly experience digestive issues

experience high stress and anxiety

are pregnant and/or nursing

Another reason coffee may be bad for you is not actually due to the coffee itself, but instead, the things you might be putting in your coffee. Excessive amounts of dairy and sugar can turn a healthy antioxidant, anti-inflammatory beverage into a not-so-healthy beverage. Many of the fancy flavored lattes, such as the popular pumpkin spice latte, have loads of sugar and even artificial flavorings and colors.

Why does coffee make me sleepy?

It’s true, coffee can have the complete opposite effect of the one you were hoping for. Why? It seems counter-intuitive, but the reason coffee makes you sleepy is the caffeine! And if you’re getting sleepy from drinking coffee, you’re probably drinking too much of it.

Caffeine blocks the chemical that makes you feel sleepy (adenosine) from binding to its receptors so that your body is unable to process it. However, just because your receptors are blocked doesn’t mean the body stops producing adenosine. Instead it just piles up and when the caffeine wears off, the over abundance of adenosine can make you feel really sleepy.

And if we’re going to be real, if you’re adding lots of sugar to your coffee, that’s another reason you may crash and burn.

Is it healthy to drink coffee every day?

The health benefits of coffee make it perfectly suitable every day kind of drink unless you’re sensitive to caffeine. If drinking coffee makes you jittery, anxious, or exacerbates digestive issues, coffee is probably not an appropriate beverage for you.

Which is better for you: coffee or tea?

I’m going to be honest: this is a loaded question. Both coffee and tea have incredible health benefits, and actually contain many of the same beneficial phytochemicals. But as far as which is healthier when it comes down to numbers, there are so many factors that can have an effect.

It can largely depend on the type of tea (eg. black, green, white, etc), the type and processing of the coffee (ie. Arabica vs. Robusta, roasted vs. un-roasted), and whether or not you’re enjoying your tea and/or coffee plain or with sweeteners and dairy.

However, in a very general sense, here’s the deal:

Coffee generally contains a higher amount of caffeine.

Tea generally shows greater antioxidant activity.

https://www.botanyculture.com/health-benefits-of-coffee/

[maditationweb]

Tips to Help Your Kids Sleep Better, Naturally!

There may be many reasons why you or your child are not sleeping well and it is important to identify the cause as well as treat the symptom. Insomnia can be a symptom of a mineral deficiency, stress or depression, or it may simply be a habit built up over time.

Below is a list of helpful hints to ensure a good night sleep. Some of them you probably know already but it doesn't hurt to be reminded.

Food is important

• Eat dinner early in the evening. Eating too close to bedtime can a) have a stimulating effect on the body, b) cause disrupted sleep patterns and c) be difficult to digest and burn off, leading to weight gain.

• Foods containing tryptophan promote sleep. These include bananas, dates, figs, nut butter, tuna, turkey, whole grain crackers or yoghurt.

• Avoid bacon, cheese, chocolate, eggplant, ham, potatoes, sauerkraut, sugar, sausage, spinach, tomatoes. They contain tyramine, which have a stimulating effect on the brain.

• Calcium and Magnesium are very important for maintaining healthy sleep. Signs of calcium deficiency are - brittle nails, aching joints, eczema, muscle cramps, insomnia, nervousness,depression or hyperactivity and tooth decay. Calcium rich foods are: salmon, sardines, seafood, dark green leafy vegetables, almonds, tahini, broccoli, cabbage, sesame seeds, oats, prunes, soybeans, goats milk, cheese and yoghurt Kids Sleep Meditation.

Some signs of magnesium deficiency are also insomnia, depression, hypertension as well as asthma, tantrums, irritability and poor digestion. Magnesium rich foods are fish, meat, seafood, and dairy products. Also apples, apricots, avocados, bananas, brown rice, nuts, green leafy vegetables, tofu, black eyed peas, sesame seeds, tahini, and whole grains.

You may like to supplement their/your diet if you are concerned that you are not getting enough nutrient rich foods in your diet. Check with your practitioner to make sure their are no underlying causes to your deficiency.

Warm Bath

A warm bath is both relaxing and refreshing. Try adding a few drops of essential oils.

• Lavender, chamomile, thyme, sage, linden, and jasmine are all calming. You could even add an herbal tea bag if you have no essential oils on hand! Fill a piece of muslin or color-free stocking with dried herbs or oats which are great for soothing skin conditions.

Guided Meditation

This one works every time. Mum/dad often falls asleep at the same time! The great benefit when you do it yourself is that you can add in characteristics that your child in particular needs to work on, such as flexibility, patience, kindness, etc. E.g. if your daughter wakes up in the morning crying loudly, put a positive imprint of "and tomorrow when you wake up in a calm and quiet manner..." You get the idea!

Try singing a repetitive song.

The Twelve Days of Christmas always works for us. If you would prefer to use different words make up your own. Or make up your own tune. Any songs are wonderful but you will find the songs that are repetitive work like a charm!

Massage

Nothing is more relaxing than a massage. Make a quiet space for you and your child. Turn the lights down low. Buy some oil or make some up yourself using the essential oils listed under "Warm Bath". Before bedtime is great but anytime during the day will still be of benefit. This can be a very special time for you both. Not only will you be helping them relax physically but it can be a time to connect so that they can chat about their day/week and possibly problems that are bothering them. Just listening is often enough. They may not want you to solve their problems but taking a load off their mind by talking about it, may be just the ticket to a good night's sleep.

Kid's need to be healthy

Make sure you all get some sunshine everyday. Our body-clock (circadian rhythm) is affected by how much sun we take in everyday. This is through the melatonin synthesis in the pineal gland in the brain. So it is important not to wear sunglasses and therefore block the pathway. Also the sun is where we obtain much needed Vitamin D, so crucial for calcium synthesis. Vitamin D is absorbed through the skin. You don't have to look at the sun or sunbathe, you absorb it naturally just by being out in it. Depending on your skin type as long as you are not overexposed by being out in the middle of the day between the hours of 10am and 3pm then you should be fine.

Also, kids need regular exercise. If they have just been sitting all day and not burning up their energy they will be restless when it comes to bedtime. Swimming is wonderful exercise. The water is very calming but any exercise will tire them.

[9ofspades]

(previous) 

“So what brings you here?”  

Hera looked around.  Demeter had taken to being goddess of the land not like a duck to water, but, rather, like a fish to water.  

“Posh,” she commented.  “I like it.”  

Demeter ground her teeth.  Hera had known that would annoy her – Demeter was a down-to-earth goddess.  Her land wasn’t supposed to be posh.

Hera snapped her fingers and a bunch of nearby vines jumped to attention.  At a wave of her hand, they obediently wove themselves like a living tapestry to form the curved seat of a simple stool.  She nodded in satisfaction and sat down.  She had always been good at the arts.  A nearby tree shed a piece of bark that peeled and curled up so that it was shaped like a small bowl, with a fragment connecting it to the tree.  A jasmine shrub dropped a few flowers into the bowl before large leaves nearby tilted to let rainwater flow into the bowl until it filled.  

Demeter glowered as Hera picked up her makeshift tea and sipped at it.  

“Sure, make yourself at home,” she said snippily. “It’s not like this is my domain or anything.”  

She was probably overdoing it, Hera thought. But what was the point of being a goddess if you couldn’t use your powers to annoy your sisters?  Well, maybe just the one – Hestia was too nice to be annoyed by anything, and you’d have to be heartless to try and bully her.  Not that Hera never tried.  

“That’s what I’ve been meaning to talk to you about,” she said, setting the ‘teacup’ down on a nearby stump, which grew a few more feet in height to meet her halfway.  “You wanted to be quote Ruler of the Skies and King of All the Gods end quote.  Is that still true?”  

Demeter shook her head, sitting smoothly on a tree root which reshaped itself to fit her – that, or she reshaped herself to fit it. There was some trick involved in merging with the land that Hera had never gotten the hang of.  “I’m happy here, thank you.  Are you worried about Poseidon?”  

Hera nodded reluctantly.  “He… doesn’t seem like he’d be… I mean, don’t get me wrong – he’s a great guy.  But I don’t think he’d make a very good king.”

Her sister sighed.  “I really don’t want to have to give this up,” she said.  “I will if the cosmos depends on it, but are you completely sure I’ll have to?  Why don’t you give Poseidon a few more days?  Help him out a bit – maybe he’ll shape up.  They say the best kings are the ones who never expected to rule.”  

Help him?  Hera could do that.  In fact, she could do quite a bit more than just help.  She nodded her assent.  

“By the way,” said Demeter, “has Zeus proposed to you yet?  Only he said he’d be available for me if you said no, and I was wondering…” 

She said it all with a straight face, but only managed to meet Hera’s eyes for a moment before they both burst out laughing. 

 “Seriously!” said Hera, giggling helplessly.  “The nerve! I hope you sent him packing, with some poison ivy thrown at his head for good measure!”  

One thing they could always agree upon was the misfortune of not only having an annoying, power-hungry little brother, but also having said little brother be a womanizing freak with no compunctions about wooing his own sisters.  

“Oh, I tried to,” Demeter assured her.  “But the little snot opened the ground under his feet, and the Underworld swallowed him up before I could do anything.”  

Hera shook her head.  As far as she knew, Poseidon and Hades didn’t have nearly as much control over their territories yet.  It was a sobering reminder that despite being a vainglorious, shameless playboy, her little brother actually was nearly as powerful as he thought he was, and she would need to lay some cunning plans to avoid ending up in his clutches.  

“Isn’t he seeing someone?”  Demeter asked, interrupting her thoughts.  

“Right – that lady from one of the earlier generations that he met on the weird island.”  

“The one where they fed him magical goat milk and he turned into a warrior?” 

 “‘Warrior’ is kind of debatable, don’t you think?”  

They both laughed.  

“Polygamy seems to be all the rage with the rulers these days,” Demeter mused.  “I should think about taking a husband or ten.” 

Hera shuddered.  “Do what you will,” she said, supportive as ever, “but it isn’t for me. I am no one’s sister wife, thank you.” 

 “You’ll find someone.”  

“If you say so.”  Hera lifted one pale shoulder in a light shrug.  “I’m hardly thinking about that right now.”  

“Right, right.  Busy with all these other things.  Coups to plan, brothers to overthrow…?”  Demeter tilted her head inquiringly.  

Hera hesitated.  

“…Probably not,” she admitted.  “I’m not sure I feel up to all that work.  Maybe I should work behind the scenes, get in the good graces of all the courtiers up top until I’m indispensable to the heavenly government.” 

 “Well, if you wanted to turn Poseidon into a puppet ruler, it wouldn’t be too hard.  From what Hestia tells me, he’s distracted enough already.  The place is just asking for a strong-willed ruler.  Or advisor, if that’s what you prefer.”  

Hera nodded slowly.  “Thank you,” she said.  “For the intel.  And the unwilling refreshments, of course.”  

Demeter rolled her eyes, but stood up and parted the brambles to escort her sister out of her realm.  

“By the way,” said Hera suddenly, turning back. “What did Hestia say about the sky-realm?”   

(next) 

[themurphyzone]

All Time Travelers Go to Heaven Ch 6

Okay, okay, I know y’all are screaming for a certain someone but after several plot heavy chapters I gotta slow down a bit. Well this really isn’t filler but at the same time there’s less exposition. 

Ch 6- Road to Madness

Balthazar didn’t sleep well last night. He’d spent it tossing and turning, throwing off the thin blanket he and Vinnie shared, only to roll back under it in a few minutes. It was the watch. It had to be. It ticked loudly, overpowering the sound of the leaky kitchen faucet and Vinnie’s snores. 

It hadn’t been this loud when he was in the limo. Unless the voice inside counted....

That was ridiculous. Clocks don’t talk. It was a figment of his imagination. Yes, just a product of a paranoid mind. 

He was losing it. Vinnie stared at his partner in disbelief. “But you don’t even like coffee.”

“Now’s not the time to question me, Dakota. There are...extraordinary circumstances,” Balthazar said, stabbing a grape so harshly with a fork that it skidded across the table onto Vinnie’s plate. 

“I’ll say. There’s still plenty of jasmine tea packets if you change your mind.” Vinnie poured two cups of steaming hot coffee, setting them on the table. Balthazar immediately tried to take a drink, flinching when the scalding liquid spread bitterly across his tongue.

Balthazar glared at his mug, which mocked him with a child’s doodle of a sun and rainbow. “This mug is entirely too cheery,” Balthazar muttered, dumping the contents down the kitchen sink. 

“We can’t all be sourpusses,” Vinnie shrugged, still polishing off his scrambled eggs. “And I coulda drunk that for you if you didn’t want it.”

“The caffeine isn’t good for either of us,” Balthazar growled, opening the Jinx’s folder to a random page.

The Jinx is dangerous. His ancestors have caused many of history’s greatest calamities: the Great Fire of London, the Great Molasses Flood of 1919, and the Hindenburg Disaster to name a few. I theorize that if we track down the members of the Murphy family throughout the timestream and remove them, we can avert these tragedies. 

Balthazar flipped to a different page. That theory wouldn’t get off the ground. He doubted the Bureau had the resources to track down every person with the surname ‘Murphy’ throughout the time-space continuum. 

Experiment #65: Gauging Reactions to Disaster

For this experiment, we have selected the 14th century, specifically the year 1348. It is important to note that everybody from the Bureau of Time Travel involved, including the Jinx, have been vaccinated against the bubonic plague as a precaution. In addition, we are all wearing special full bodysuits that bacteria cannot penetrate. These will appear to be peasant clothing to outsiders in order to deflect attention.

We will be monitoring the Jinx’s reactions to the scene around him as the Black Death haunts a small Italian town. 

Hour 1: A plague doctor has dropped several flowers after making a house call. The Jinx wants to gather them, but we remind him that nothing is to be touched. He’s disappointed that the doctor doesn’t have his flowers. A gust of wind has blown the flowers out of his hand. A goat has scarfed them down in the middle of the street. A horse and his rider have passed by, and the goat spooks the horse, making the equine rear up and throw his rider to the ground. The man has a broken arm now.

Hour 2: We pass a woman in the beginning stages of the disease, clutching the corpse of a young child whose skin is blackened and blotched. She screams incoherently at the man who is trying to persuade her to add the child to a carriage full of many other corpses, and the Jinx is visibly uncomfortable. 

Hour 3: It appears that Murphy’s Law flares up when the Jinx experiences certain emotions. Further testing needed to determine if new theory is true. We will leave the time period shortly and return to HQ. 

Balthazar didn’t bother reading the conclusion of it. The experiment was complete rubbish anyway. By the standards of the 21st century, it was unethical to deliberately expose a test subject to distressing material. 

He closed the folder and set it in the middle of the table, moving to the pile of dirty dishes in the sink that had built up over the past few days. 

Perhaps busying himself with chores for the next two hours before they left would help keep him awake and occupy his mind. 

Turned out that even dusting the counter, doing laundry, and cleaning the shower wasn’t enough to stop the intrusive thoughts. He worried about the watch. He fretted about the mission. He wondered if Vinnie continued to blame himself. 

“Balthy! I’m ready to go!” Vinnie yelled. “I just-ow, my elbow, gotta get this shoe on. I’m shooing it on. Get it? Cause it’s a shoe, and I need to put it on and-” 

Balthazar sighed. Was Vinnie at least trying with his awful puns these days? He’d heard better jokes from amateur stand-up comedians at a cheap pub. 

“I’m coming!” he called. He was back in his regular outfit, freshly washed that morning. Though he would likely have to change his style later to avoid recognition from any agents that might be searching for him. 

He fingered the watch, debating if he should leave it in the room. A small voice in the back of his head warned him not to lose the watch. Not to let it leave his sight. The consequences would be dire. 

He left the watch on.

Vinnie had been waiting for him by the couch. He adjusted his collar and bow tie, frowning. Balthazar had explained to him that his tracksuit would draw attention from the locals of that time period, and they could possibly be tailed by the Bureau if they saw something out of place. 

“So explain how men in the early 20th century dealt with the heat in these things,” Vinnie complained. “Cause I haven’t worn something this fancy since my great-grandfather’s funeral.” 

Balthazar placed the derby hat over Vinnie’s head and smoothed out the wrinkles of the suit. “Why don’t you ask them?” he suggested, inputting the coordinates in the Transporter. 

A portal materialized, a long street lined with houses on the other side. They stepped through quickly, checking their surroundings to make sure nobody saw them. There were several young boys having a play fight with long sticks, but they were too engrossed in their game to pay attention to Balthazar and Vinnie. 

“Of course it wouldn’t drop us off directly in front of the building they’re at,” Balthazar muttered. “They’re conducting the experiment in this town’s abandoned asylum. Be prepared to ask the locals for directions, Dakota. We are not wandering around this place like a pair of hoodlums.” 

“Or we could just use that,” Vinnie pointed to a comically oversized billboard behind a row of houses. 

Balthazar gave him an unimpressed look. “An entirely too saccharine and sugarcoated advertisement for the American Dream. Really?” 

“No, below that! Directions to the asylum are below that ad,” Vinnie said. “As well as directions to a diner. Maybe we could go there before we return to the 21st century.”

“Head three miles straight down Cambridge, turn right on Windbrook and go straight one and a half miles, and the asylum will be at the top of Jules’ Hill,” Balthazar copied the directions onto a sheet of paper, folding it neatly and stuffing it in a lapel. “Seeing that we cannot walk that far and make it in time, we shall have to steal a car.”

Just as he was wondering how they could pull that off, a black buggy turned from the main road into the neighborhood, then parked on the left side of the street. Balthazar straightened his tie and walked up to the car as the driver’s door opened, a man in a business suit stepping out. Upon seeing Balthazar and Vinnie, he frowned. 

“I don’t believe I’ve ever seen you around before,” the man said. “Who are you?” 

“Ah yes, we are representatives from a car manufacturing plant,” Balthazar lied, tipping his hat and shaking the man’s hand, though he still didn’t look convinced. Balthazar coughed to get Vinnie to pick up the elaborate fabrication.

“Oh, oh, gotcha,” Vinnie winked. “That’s a nice car ya got, but we’re gonna have to do an inspection to make sure everything’s running smoothly. You know how corporates are. Don’t wanna lose money over a recall.”

“I just bought this car two weeks ago, it doesn’t need an inspection-”

Balthazar caught the driver’s door to peer inside before the man slammed it shut. The tank was full. Good. They wouldn’t have to waste time with the upkeep of the car. 

Vinnie walked around the buggy to the passenger’s side. “Nicest bumper I’ve ever seen. The workers did a good job with this one.”

“Get away from my buggy now!” the man demanded, shoving his face close to Balthazar’s. “Who the hell are you people?”

Balthazar grabbed his shoulders and twisted the man around, shoving one arm across his neck and pressing down against his throat. He could tell this man had likely never been in a fight in his entire life. In his surprise, he could only flail his legs helplessly as he was overpowered. “I shall let you go in a bit, but business first,” Balthazar whispered. 

The man gurgled pathetically, nodding. 

“Your keys.”

He offered no resistance, a trembling hand reaching inside his pocket and drawing out the keys. Balthazar grabbed it and released his hold. The man dropped to his knees, gasping for air. 

“Thank you for your time, sir,” Balthazar said pleasantly, hopping into the driver’s seat. He plugged the keys into the ignition and started the buggy, leaving the poor man eating dust within seconds.

“That’s strange,” Vinnie commented. “Usually the corporate cover story works.”

Balthazar pulled the directions and the Transporter out and tossed them into Vinnie’s lap. “Focus, Dakota,” he said. “Which direction is Windbrook in?”

“Three miles down Cambridge,” Vinnie replied. 

“I know it’s three miles down Cambridge,” Balthazar snapped. “Am I supposed to turn right or left on Cambridge? That blasted sign didn’t mention that part.”

Vinnie shrugged. “Just pick a direction. You got a fifty-fifty shot at picking the correct one.” 

“We will be wasting precious time if I pick the wrong one!” Balthazar complained. “And we need to get there as quickly as possible, because I don’t want to be tailed by any cops. I knew I should’ve knocked that gentleman unconscious. Isn’t there a GPS function on the Transporters?”

“Okay, okay, calm down. FYI, that feature doesn’t work,” Vinnie said, holding up the Transporter, which displayed an error screen. “Satellites haven’t been invented yet. And neither have cake pops, which I’ve been craving lately. It’s both a cake and a lollipop in one. Seriously, whoever invented those was a genius.” 

“Fortunately for you, we haven’t gone back far enough to avoid the American staple of hamburgers and fries,” Balthazar muttered. “Approaching Cambridge. I’m going right.” 

“Personally I would’ve used the maze approach and stuck to the left wall,” Vinnie said. “But, hey. Whatever floats your boat. Or car in this case.” 

“I’m sticking to the right lane,” Balthazar said. “Keep an eye out for Windbrook and the police.”

Vinnie nodded and rolled down the window, letting his arm hang out. Five minutes later, he tapped on Balthazar’s arm. “There’s a cop. But his light isn’t on.”

Balthazar checked the side mirror, and sure enough, there was a cop behind them. “Okay, so there’s a cop,” Balthazar nervously adjusted his collar. “No big deal. He’s probably just out on patrol. Not gonna arrest us for carjacking or anything.” 

He sped up slightly, though he was still within the speed limit. His foot was itching to push down on the pedal and try to lose the cop, but he had enough restraint. It wouldn’t last long. 

He was not going to be arrested again on a mission.

A car zoomed by on the left lane, startling Balthazar out of his thoughts. They were driving well over the speed limit. 

The police car’s lights flashed, a loud alarm piercing the air. 

“Uh, maybe you should hit the gas,” Vinnie suggested. “Getting kinda hot in here....”

Then the police car pulled into the left lane in pursuit of the speeding driver, leaving Balthazar and Vinnie behind. 

They breathed a sigh of relief. 

“So I’ve never seen such a huge cop out before,” Vinnie said, grinning. 

Balthazar groaned. “No bad puns when I’m driving, Dakota. I always feel the urge to let you walk to our destination afterwards.” 

Vinnie smirked, unapologetic for his pun. “Oh, we made it to Windbrook after all! Turn right here and it will be another-uh, let me check the paper real quick-one and a half miles to Jules’ Hill.”

Balthazar turned right. The road contained more dirt and gravel than the previous did, so the ride was more bumpy. The buggy held up rather well. Then again, they’d lucked out and managed to steal a car in brand new condition. 

“There’s Jules’ Hill!” Vinnie exclaimed. “And I can see the abandoned asylum from here. Oh wow. I can see all the broken building materials too.”

“They don’t call it abandoned without a good reason,” Balthazar said, his mind wandering to the horrible treatment of patients in asylums he’d read about. Where people like the Jinx were just another statistic. A relic of the past. 

Or perhaps, the technology had evolved. The methods had not. 

Balthazar parked the car next to the rusted, iron gate. They climbed out of the car, standing back to survey the massive, broken down building. A metal sign had been torn off the top, lying in a massive pile of dead leaves. 

Vinnie reached out to touch the gate, and the doors fell apart with a loud crash, now a broken heap. 

“The Charles Jules Asylum,” Balthazar murmured. “We’re here.”

[mostlyyalit]

Just back from #frenzypresents, the preview event that the amazing @hccfrenzy team does every fall and spring to showcase their new YA books! Beauties in my swag bag: . . •THE HOW AND THE WHY by @cynthiahand - a story about adoption by one of my YA faves . • WHEN YOU ASK ME WHERE I’M GOING by @jusmun - Jasmin did a reading at the event today and it was arrestingly beautiful. Swipe for a short video. I’m so excited to have met her and gotten an ARC! . • THE REST OF THE STORY by @sdessen - I read this early in the year and really liked it - a great summer book. Glad to have a finished copy that I won through Frenzy Bingo! . Also pictured are all the gorgeous swag items, including a notebook from @ecojot, stunning bookmarks, a #prideandprejudice headband from @storiarts, tea from @davidstea, and super cute @epicreads tote, fan from #theladysguidetopetticoatsandpiracy by @themackenzilee and more! Thank you guys so much for a wonderful morning (PS the truffle goat cheese was 🅰️➕) of books, friends and food! https://www.instagram.com/p/B1m2K3Jg7zc/?igshid=wiv2gugins6l

[leave-him-beyonce-blog]

from @lord-chainsaw

♥ Name: rachel


♥ Nickname: uh rae/ray, ray ray, 依依, rah-chelle, mom, wifey, child ho, pachel


♥ Zodiac: taurus sun, leo moon, gemini rising, and year of the horse


♥ Height: 156 cm or 5'1.5"


♥ Orientation: uhhhhhhh i don’t know i used to identify really strongly with pan and sapphic and i still fit like the definitions of those terms but i don’t feel like those labels feel right for me anymore. i’m ok with calling myself queer but i don’t really like it when people call me it i don’t know why? i’m trying to use less western terms for sexuality and gender but i live in america and all the other mandarin speaking people in my town are either middle aged conservatives or teenagers who can say like five sentences in mandarin so


♥ Ethnicity: han chinese


♥ Favorite fruit: grapefruit, lemon, white peach, green grapes, strawberries, golden cherries


♥ Favorite Season: spring bc the weather’s nice and summer bc no school


♥ Favorite Book: don’t really have one since most of the books i read are series

♥ Favorite flower: orange blossom, camellia, jasmine, and plum blossom


♥ Favorite Scent: neroli, mint, coffee, “freshness” (like clean scents), roses, grapefruit


♥ Favorite Color: gold, rosy peach, mint green, lemon yellow


♥ Favorite Animal: dogs, cats, cows, sheep, goats, tigers, whales


♥ Average Sleeping Hours: 5-7 hours during the week, 8-10 on the weekends


♥ Coffee, Tea, or Hot Cocoa: coffee and tea


♥ Favorite Fictional Characters: finn, poe, steve rogers (im sorry), claire temple, luke cage, jim halpert, dizzee kipling, shaolin fantastic, magnus bane, luke garroway, maia roberts, simon lewis, mark rollins :(, paul dierden :(, annabeth chase

♥ Number of Blankets You Sleep With: 
one or two if it’s cold

♥ Dream Trip: some coastal town in greece or italy or spain (apparently my dad has a rich friend in greece 🤔🤔), bandon oregon again, 九寨沟 again if/when the area recovers from the earthquake (kind of sad that a lot of non-sichuanese chinese people only care about it as a tourist attraction not because, u kno, people died)


♥ Blog Created: december 2015 i think?


♥ Number of Followers: 160 or something


♥ Tagging: @stardustfootsteps @tiredgaymermaid @yuanxiaos + anyone who wants to do this tbh