#wintervale

[darkladydoodles]

Just as I promised myself, I've begun my Wintervale Outfit Adopts! There are three in total for three classes ( any class can wear them though, that's the fun! ).

Outfits in Order: Warlock's Warm Wishes, O'Holy Light & Sugar Plum Druid.

You can find all three, their prices, and the rules on how to participate in the bid by clicking this link to my Deviantart!

Discontinued

[wearyworn]

tag drop.

[mxdwn]

ALBUM REVIEW: Twilight Force- At The Heart of Wintervale

https://music.mxdwn.com/2023/04/27/reviews/album-review-twilight-force-at-the-heart-of-wintervale/

[moving-mountains5]

unleash THE GEEK

[causeimhappinesss]

Your lucky star (Joel Miller x reader)

Summary: Your town got attacked and you survived, before going to the west and then, you meet Joel. He doesn't seem to be receptive, but could he develop feelings for you?

Warning: angst, age gap, implied death of a family member, blood, some slight spoilers if you didn’t play the games

Pairing: Joel Miller x reader

Words: 4,7k

Disclaimer: English isn't my native language (I'm french), so you can correct me if you spot somes mistakes :)

*

As far back as you can remember, you understood that life was only an eternal suffering. You had never stopped questioning the existence of your life, even if some people told you that we were all born on Earth to fulfill a particular mission. You had never understood yours.

As far back as you can remember, you had spent your time in libraries. You were born in a city that looked more like a slum, six months after the apocalypse began. Then your whole family fled and lived on the road from the time you were three until you were six, in order to find the comfort of a city that wasn’t dictated by the Fedra. You were a family of beautiful doves in search of freedom, guided by the nostalgia of a democracy, of a normal life, where children laughed out loud in the street. Your parents wanted to find a place where you would grow up and learn all sorts of things; they dreamed of a school. A hospital. Warm, cozy homes, similar to the cocoon they had worked so hard to build before the world fell apart.

For as long as you can remember, you've been happy... Because you didn't know the misery of the quarantine zones, of trafficking of all kinds to survive. No, your family had been welcomed in a small town in the countryside called Wintervale. It spanned several streets, each one prettier than the next one. Sure, there were sometimes as many as ten people per household, which justified the sentence "it takes a village to raise a child," but you were safe. The 150 inhabitants lived peacefully, enjoyed hot showers, although a limit of water was decreed, comfortable mattresses, warm blankets, a school, two doctors, a bookstore and a few stores. As for food, it was distributed fairly and the city was self-sufficient. To protect the whole town, electric fences had been installed with guard towers, where each guard was relayed for a 24-hour protection. Thus, while living a normal life, you devoured many books, of all possible genres, from fantasy to science fiction – and those used to make you laugh when they talked about the apocalypse – through historical romance. Sometimes you even read more psychological books, about self-confidence, attachments and emotions.

During 14 years, you had suffered "only" six attacks. Attacks that had caused a few deaths and, thank God, mainly on the side of the attackers. All this was just the beginning... This is what convinced your parents that you had to learn to defend yourself. In the wild, who knows who you might run into, even if you rarely went out? Creatures weren't the only dangerous things lurking in the woods and cities... Looters, rapists, cannibals, slavers... A whole bunch of deranged guys you had to avoid or kill to defend yourself. From the age of 10, you were taught how to handle a bow, a sword and firearms, in addition to defensive techniques as a counterattack. At the same time, you were taught the art of hunting, if you were ever to do so.

All this... It was beautiful.

Despite all this work, you had lost someone essential... Your mother. She had died of a long illness, incurable, according to the doctors... For lack of material and serious medicine. It took you a long time to mourn and recover from her death.

But peace and apocalypse didn’t mix well, blood would flow. You felt that this departure in your life was just a phase to prepare you for the worst. After all, wasn't the role of a mother to love and prepare her child for life?

You could feel it in your bones... Something was coming. Oh no! A clan of raiders had attacked Wintervale with one goal in mind: to take this town, leaving no survivors.

You had fought alongside your family and the other inhabitants to defend this beautiful place tooth and nail... Until you lost them one by one. You could feel the sweat beading up your face, down your neck, and then tracing a furrow down your spine. Breathless, wavering, vision blurred, you knew it was over. You were ready to give up... A bullet whistled and split the air. It was meant for you.

But your father had decided otherwise. He threw himself on top of you to push you off, and the mortal bullet penetrated his flesh with a long, agonized scream. You could feel his warm blood on your hands and abdomen. A metallic scent floated in the cold night air. Your stomach heaved, bile rose up your throat and tears streamed down your face.

What had you done to suffer this?

No, what the poor inhabitants of this city did ? Defending your territory against evil people? No doubt it was the reason.

"Please, go away," your father murmured between coughs.

You wanted to protest, but the look in his eyes, from which life was escaping, begged you to fight...

"You are too young for eternal rest... Leave..."

Through this heartbreaking farewell, having only one way out, that of death for your father, you pressed a kiss on his cheek. What a strange thing, you had never been close to him. Not an "I love you", very few proofs of affection, simply because it wasn’t common in this family... But you found yourself saying these three words, heavy in meaning, loaded with emotions, with a trembling voice.

Your throat tightened, your stomach knotted, you waited for the agitation to calm down around you, your father already dead for a long time on you, to see a flaw... The flaw was the assailants who were dissipating in the city and who left you free to go back to your house. It was a considerable risk, but you couldn't just leave. You had gone back to get a photo album, some canned food, something to drink and provide for your basic needs for the next week... You didn't have time to say goodbye to the place where you had grown up in joy. Now it looked like a graveyard on the asphalt, with corpses lying in pools of blood.

Then you had to leave everything behind and sprint towards the woods with only one gun and two full magazines to defend yourself, a heavy bag on your back.

"Goodbye"... you breathed, without taking a last look at Wintervale.

Weeks passed and you walked across the country, not knowing where to go. You just kept going with old maps you found on your way. You ended up going west, far away from your old life, since your whole family had been dead for over a month and you didn't know anyone else. You were only focused on your survival, on finding edible food and drinkable water, on saving as much as possible. You avoided the places that led to the big abandoned cities, where it was not uncommon to see gangs shooting and kidnapping each other. You had of course come across a lovely couple, but they had only shared your life for a week and a half before they were bitten by some infected. You had no choice but to kill them... Out of dignity for them, but also to prevent new creatures from joining all the others. In fact, you were hoping that states like Wyoming or Idaho would be favorable to you, that you could find a new community based on mutual aid, with no penchant for human meat. Just the thought of it made you flinch.

After months of loneliness, where you had almost died several times at the hands of runners and clickers, but also from severe dehydration... You missed your whole life. You had thought of killing yourself several times. It would have been easier. A bullet in the head, the barrel shoved in your mouth, and it was fine. You would have done it in a room that no one could open, so that your body would be left in peace, so that no one would eat it. For some reason, you kept going. Something was telling you to go on, even though you didn't know what it was.

"No matter what, you keep finding something to fight for"

And this sentence, you will remember it for the rest of your days. You had heard it from the mouth of this man, tall, slender, muscular, bearded, and especially much older than you.

You were screaming. You were biting. You scratched. You were kicking.

The man above you had already managed to take off your shirt to see your bra-clad breasts and his dirty hand was trying to get into your panties.

"Get off me, you piece of shit!" you yelled.

The man, a few years older than you, laughed. He must have been 25 or 26 years old. There was no age for sexual assault, let alone the latest outrages. This psychopath didn't seem to feel pain, despite your best efforts. You dared to hope to attract creatures, which would leave him no choice but to release you. Despite the darkness of the night, you glanced at the sky. You prayed to your lucky stars for help. Any way you could, as long as that scumbag stopped holding on with his weight, far too heavy for yours. You had been losing weight over the years and losing strength as well. In the past, you might have been able to break free from his grip. The shame was slowly overwhelming you and you were losing your strength. You were ashamed that you couldn't push him away. Ashamed that someone would defile you like that. Ashamed to live in a world like this.

You didn't have time to beg him to spare your life, when a melee bar slammed into his skull. His hot blood spurted into your face and made you feel nauseous. His eyes rolled back and his body fell to the side. Immediately, you straightened up and moved back a good meter, before looking up.

In front of you stood a man, accompanied by a little girl. He must have been in his fifties, much older than you, marked with wrinkles, memories of his experiences, his fatigue and the traumas he carried with him. A warm and icy aura at the same time emanated from the charismatic individual.

"Thank you... Thank you... Thank you..." you stammered, over and over.

It was him, your lucky star. There was no doubt.

Your savior had turned around to give you some privacy while you got dressed properly. You were still shaking with terror and wobbling. You took one last look at your attacker before spitting on him. He deserved to be pissed on... You came to your senses at the last second and cleared your throat.

"My name is Y/N..." you breathed, in a dull voice.

They turned around and immediately the teenager next to her, who couldn't have been more than 15, gave you a warm look and a reassuring smile.

"I'm Ellie and the grumpy old man is Joel."

Weren't they related? Your eyebrows furrowed, you scanned them, confused. After all, you wouldn't be surprised if you'd run into a pedo...

"He's kind of my old man. He's annoying, but you'll get used to him. He's a good guy." the girl added.

"Ellie..." growled her "dad" before rolling her eyes.

And that's how you met them. You appreciated Ellie's spontaneity, sarcasm and humor, simply because you shared it. You never imagined that you would share companionship for so long...

For weeks, you grew closer to this man with a solid shell, so hard to break. Something in him attracted you like a magnet. Love at first sight? The mere thought of him made your cheeks flush. You knew you shouldn't have perceived him as a man with whom you wanted to discover the pleasures of life... He was even older than your father. If your family was there, they would have put you in your place and tried to shake you up... But all you could see was Joel... Joel Miller. His name tasted like honey on the tip of your tongue.

September was long and rainy. You found a small house to spend the night in, while Ellie stuck around to flip through the latest comic book she'd unearthed, while eating a can of food. That left you alone with Joel to try to dig up some food in the overgrown neighboring houses, whose white paint had been peeling for ages.

"Do you think we're even close to Jackson County yet?" you tossed, grabbing some handyman tools you could use.

"We have two more days at most. Then we'll rest at Tommy's."

"Man, if you only knew how much I miss a hot shower..." you muttered.

"Did you have them often?"

"Do you really want to talk about the past, Mr. Never Talk About the Past?" you teased him, in a mocking tone.

"Why not?"

That surprising as heck, but you loved the idea, you were so curious about him;

"In that case, you should do the same." you warned him, turning around to look at him.

He scratched his salt-and-pepper beard and nodded. A real miracle was happening, so you smiled, satisfied. But you didn't know what was in store for you... If you told him about your wonderful childhood, he would tell you about his most painful experiences.

Sarah. Tess. Bill. Frank. Smuggling. Life surrounded by Fedra.

"Ellie doesn't know about Sarah and... I don't want to discuss it with her," he revealed, in an enigmatic tone.

You nodded as you followed him out of the last house you had searched. Night was already falling and thunder was rumbling as the wind picked up, crisscrossing the clotted green leaves. Then torrential rain fell on you, like the deluge announced for the apocalypse.

"Hurry!" you hurried, even though you were already soaked from head to toe.

Instinctively, you grabbed his hand and pulled him with you. Against all odds, he didn't reject your hand, but tightened his grip. His hand was warm, calloused and somehow comforting. Your heart was pounding, not just from your physical effort, but from the joy that washed over you. Your whole body was quivering. Once inside the house, you noticed that Ellie was fast asleep on the living room couch.

"I'm going to change, I'm soaked from head to toe. My clean clothes are in the bedroom," you said with an awkward smile.

"I'm following you, I left some of my things there too..."

You nodded, blushing, as your imagination played tricks on you, sending you images more erotic than the others. You shook off these embarrassing thoughts and headed for the only room in the little house. Once you retrieved your other clothes, which you had quickly cleaned and dried, you watched the man unbutton his shirt. Your eyes widened and only when his shirt fell at his feet, you turned around to face him. Your cheeks flushed, your heart pounding and your hands shaking, you took off your sweater and put on a new one, then promptly swapped your pants for another. You took the opportunity to wipe your wet hair, not wanting to get sick. That would clearly be the worst thing... A simple coughing fit could alert a lot of infected people around.

At that very moment, you felt his burning gaze on yours, sweeping over your senses, so that you felt uninhibited. This man had power over you that you loved as much as you hated it. Why did he make your hands shake and your heart beat faster? Why did his lips seem so attractive? Why did you want to curl up against his chest, wrapped in his arms? When you turned around, he had also finished and was sitting on the edge of the bed, taking off his shoes.

"Don't you want to eat? Shouldn't we wake up Ellie?" you questioned him, puzzled.

"She sleeps so well, it would be a shame to get her up just for a meal... Besides, it's better to eat before we leave, we'll have more energy."

In this world so rotten to the core, it was better to ration yourself and make smart choices when it came to food.

When Joel lay down on the bed, you realized that you were going to spend the night with him, unless you preferred the floor... Usually, you shared your bed with Ellie, between girls, while Joel found another mattress or rested on a sofa. You had never slept in the same bed as him, let alone this close. Nervous, you slowly moved closer, took off your shoes, then slipped under the covers. Eyes glued to the ceiling, stained with substances you'd rather not imagine –  probably mold stains from water infiltration – you enjoyed the softness of the blankets, even though they didn't have any warmth in them yet and they didn't smell like laundry. At least the bed was decent and you couldn't ask for more. Then you shivered at the cool air in the house and your damp hair.

"Come closer..." he whispered, in his rocky voice.

"What...?" you gasped in surprise.

"Come closer, Y/N."

You didn't have time to retort as he wrapped a warm, firm arm around your body and forced you closer. As you curled up in his arms, as you had been dreaming of doing for a while, you suppressed a smile and closed your eyes. Your heart was pounding against your rib cage, to the point that it was painful. Your hands were shaking on his chest. You dared to hope that he would mistake this for the aftermath of the rain.

"Joel..."

"Good night, Y/N." he whispered in the hollow of your ear, stroking your back.

You held back from stroking his chest, pressing warm kisses on his neck, then undulating your pelvis against his. However, you did nothing and savored the moment, knowing that it wouldn’t happen again soon. Since your childhood, your parents had taught you to cherish every magical moment, something you did, without asking yourself more questions... Questions to which you would have no answer. The heart has its reasons that the reason ignores.

The time passed and you found in the city of his brother, Tommy. The shooting had already taken place, the bodies had been recovered and their families were already preparing to bury them. Then... there was the conflict with Ellie. The situation became more complex, tense and you tried not to interfere too much between Ellie and Joel, because you understood both of their reactions. There was nothing left to do but leave for University in Colorado, was there? Before you could even say a word, Joel slipped an arm behind your back and pulled you with him, a little further away, so that Tommy and Ellie wouldn't hear anything of your conversation.

"Is there a problem...?"

"I want you to stay with Tommy and Paula."

You almost choked and shook your head. Miller pressed his hands on your shoulders and looked into your eyes. A dark look, full of mystery and danger. A look you always melted for... But this time you wanted to stand up to him.

"No way."

"Please. I need you to stay with them... I don't know what's going to happen on the way to this campus or with the Fireflies. We've been through a lot of perilous situations already and..."

His voice froze and he pinched the bridge of his nose, before looking away to the orange trees.

"And what...?"

Joel shook his head and turned back toward two others. However, you wanted him to follow through with his thought, intrigued. He couldn't start a sentence without finishing it, what's more, if you were to be separated and... maybe never see each other again.

"Joel! And what?"

He turned around and took a deep breath.

"I don't want something to happen to you."

You could have smiled and jumped of joy, but at that moment you couldn't. That serious look on his face filled your heart and brain with a poison called fear... An oppressive fear, ready to make your heart bleed.

"Nothing will happen to me. I can defend myself."

"Don’t try to make me change my mind. Do this for me, please." he insisted, in an authoritative tone.

An authoritative tone and a request more toxic than ever, the only thing missing was the "if you love me, do it"... You knew Joel and this man was capable of tying you to a tree if it wasn’t for you to not follow him. With a heavy heart, you resigned yourself to accept. What you didn't understand was that moments like this were like saying "I love you" to him, words they hadn't used in twenty years... words that were so hard to say.

Joel Miller was not a man of words.

He was a man of actions.

And that act meant more than you could ever know.

Months had passed and they had returned, when everyone thought they were dead. In the meantime, Tommy had found a nice little house for you, where Joel and Ellie would soon join you. Meanwhile, you were working as a librarian and organized activities for children. Even though you didn't technically have to work, it was the least you could do. This town offered you shelter, hot water, electricity and food, as well as protection... You felt indebted. You also got to know Tommy and Paula, wonderful people, who always taught you a little more about Joel, but with limits. You wanted the older Miller to open up to you on his own.

Joel was immediately useful to this charming community, from guarding the ramparts to collecting food and doing manual labor in the surrounding area. As he relaxed, you discovered a completely different man, with more humor and a real talent, especially for music.

He began to teach you to play guitar... but that was before he met Jolene, a sultry redhead, a widow with two children. Her husband had died two years before, of a long illness. They had met at a party you couldn't attend, being bedridden with a fever, while Ellie watched over you like a guardian angel. Yet, that night, you would have preferred her to keep Joel under control... Over the next few weeks, you noticed that he was drifting away, focusing on Jolene, whenever he had free time. You were almost forgotten.

Hurt and heartbroken, you made sure to avoid him. You didn't eat meals at the same times as him, you focused on your work, which filled your heart with a little bit of happiness, and you tried to make new friendships with people your own age. So much so that there were no more guitar lessons... and you missed it a lot. You just didn't have the strength to go back to him. Even though he never promised you anything or really showed you something, you felt betrayed. You felt so stupid for letting yourself go and falling in love with a man much older than you, who probably only saw you as a kid... Like Ellie. The very thought made you feel nauseous, twisted your stomach and made you shiver with embarrassment.

One night, after a long day, you came home. Usually Ellie was already asleep or in the shower. There was not a sound, a sign that she was already snoring under all her covers. You took off your coat, scarf, and shoes before stepping further into your house. You walked down the hallway, which opened to the kitchen and the living room, and out of the corner of your eye you saw Joel's guitar. It was in plain sight, whereas most of the time he kept it in a corner. He probably had time to play a tune before he left for Jolene's house, where he slept half the nights... In fact, you were sure he wasn't just sleeping...

Don't think about it, you're hurting yourself for nothing... your conscience whispered. But it was so hard to accept.

A throat clearing pulled you out of your lethargy and made you jump. Quickly, you turned around and saw that Joel had returned without you noticing.

"Hey... I'm going to bed, good night," you whispered.

"Wait."

You frowned and watched him as he moved closer to you. Suddenly closer, he towered over you, so that you lifted your chin and he lowered his nose at you. This proximity made you miss a heartbeat. Only about ten inches separated you, something that had not happened for so long...

"I thought we could play a song together, it's been so long," he suggested, in a warm tone.

"I probably lost everything, it's a waste of time."

You didn't say this with aggression, but as a logical thing. You hadn't practiced since he was dating Jolene and it was late, the fatigue of the day was taking its toll.

"Please, just once..."

Joel wasn't a man you said "no" to so easily, he could be so stubborn and you didn't have the head to bicker with him. No, far from it. So you nodded and followed him into the living room, before sitting on the edge of the couch. He soon joined you with his guitar, which he placed on his thighs, before tuning it.

"I'd like to play you a song... I heard it today, it's been a long time since I heard it and it made me think of you."

With your lips sealed, you admired the way he prepared himself. He cleared his throat another time and began to pluck the strings in a soft melancholy tune. You recognized the notes immediately. Your mother loved this song that came out a few months before the world fell apart. Then, his husky voice, with a so particular tone, which never failed to make you shiver, took you with it and vibrated in the air.

I wanna take you somewhere so you know I care

But it's so cold and I don't know where

I brought you daffodils in a pretty string

But they won't flower like they did last spring

And I wanna kiss you, make you feel alright

I'm just so tired to share my nights

I wanna cry and I wanna love

But all my tears have been used up

On another love, another love

All my tears have been used up

Why are you doing this to me, Joel...? you thought, your eyes moist. You had the feeling that he was doing this to torture you. How could he sing that song to you, with his eyes locked in yours, when he was in a relationship with another woman?

A tear rolled down your cheek as the last notes of music wavered in the air until they disappeared. You wiped it away with the back of your sleeve and jumped to your feet. You couldn't stand this humiliation any longer and be so weak in front of him. It was unacceptable.

"Y/N..."

"Leave me alone. Do you like making fun of me? Well, get the hell out of this house and back to your Jolene, before I beat the crap out of you!" you threatened, in a hoarse voice.

A gleam of guilt shone in the eyes of the older man who tried to take a step forward, but you pointed your index finger in his direction, in order to tell him not to move.

"Y/N, I broke up with Jolene. I have no feelings for her."

"Oh yeah? Nice? Shall we pop the champagne bottle?" you retorted, in a sharp tone.

"You're worse than me, you're stubborn. I just made a declaration of love to you.”

"More stubborn than you? Are you kidding me..."

You stopped dead in your tracks, when you realized what he had just said, confused.

"Wait... Can you say that again?"

Joel didn't like to repeat himself, you couldn't count on him to do that. Instead, his hands framed your face and he pressed his lips against yours. His rough beard teased your face, but you savored the moment. Your hands clutched the back of his neck and your body moved closer to his. You should have gotten mad and pushed him away, but your heart didn't care. For the first time, your heart was truly exploding with joy. Your heart was pounding, your legs felt like cotton and you felt like you were floating. In your bubble, you prayed that this moment would never end.

Love is a war made of battles, each one more difficult than the other and this day, you were triumphant.

*

Now, I’m thinking about writing a smut part… Should I do it?

My Ko-fi: betrayedwriter

My AO3: BetrayedWriter

My Instagram: carolinemertz_

[midnightsun-if]

My friend pestered me to make this little snippet since they saw my post about the Arlatha game, as I mentioned I have somewhat of a plot in mind, and I agreed due to the fact that it’s somewhat winter-themed and it’s almost Christmas… So a small holiday present for you all. 😅

It’s nothing too long, just a small moment between the MC and their older brother. (Small Note: The MC is technically adopted, but it’s a complicated situation.)

Howling winds rip through the air, bringing specks of powdered white along for the ride, covering the expanse of land in a cold blanket that wouldn’t thaw until the first rays of light appeared over the horizon when spring returned.

From where you sat, nestled safely against the window in the grand library of the castle, you could just barely make out the blurry visage of Wintervale— the culmination of nightfall and snow not doing you any favors. Growing up in The North, an unimaginative name for the icy landscape, meant that you either grew used to the cold or perished; a harsh lesson to learn. Of course, growing up within the castle, among the fineries of life and the loving warmth of family, meant that you didn’t have too severe consequences for failing in the teachings of it, but you’ve known more than enough people that have fallen prey.

Not to mention what could have been if certain events hadn’t transpired…

“What are you doing up, little wolf?” The smooth baritone voice interrupts your musings, your attention quickly shifting from the world outside panes of glass to gentle argent. “I thought mother put you to bed hours ago.”

Despite the reproachful sounding words your older brother doesn’t lose his soft expression, amusement dancing within the flames of his silver gaze. White hair falling across his forehead in messy waves, fair skin tinged red from the cold, telling you that he had been outside in the stables. No doubt visiting Chione, you muse. Ever since his Lycana had bonded with him you hadn’t seen them apart for longer than a few minutes. Not that you could blame him. You couldn’t wait until the day you had your own.

“Shouldn’t I be asking you the same question Kal?” You tilt your head, deliberately looking over the fur-lined cloak hanging off broad shoulders, specks of white still clinging to the black leather of his boots. “I thought mother said to stop visiting Chione once nightfall approached.”

A charming smile catches his lips, Kaladin easily settling beside you on the plush seat. “I suppose that means we both have a secret to keep.” He nudges you playfully with his shoulder. “I won’t tell, if you don’t. Deal?”

You nudge him back. “Deal.”

“So what’re you doing up?” He looks over your form briefly, a small frown of concern appearing. “You’re not feeling unwell, are you?”

“No,” you sigh, resting the side of your head against cool glass. “I just didn’t feel like going to sleep.”

You didn’t have to say anything else for Kal to understand what you were implying; his warm presence nestling against your side, a strong arm wrapped around your shoulders, giving you the feeling of protection that always seemed to follow him. Fighting away the looming darkness that the night can bring with his gentle presence.

“Would you like me to stay until you fall asleep, little wolf?”

“You’re tired too, Kal,” you argue. “Don’t think I don’t know that you had to spend all day in court.”

Kaladin huffs out a gentle laugh. “I may be tired from irksome lords, little wolf, but never enough to leave your side when you need me.” Standing up, Kal offers his hands for you to take. “Come on.” Mischief sparkles within his gaze. “Before we head to bed why don’t we raid the kitchens? I think father hid the sweet bread in his usual spot.”

You take his hands, a light feeling settling within your chest. “You’ll let me have the bigger pieces this time, right?”

“Anything for you.”

[haveyouheardmetal]

Pictured: At the Heart of Wintervale, released in 2023

[ahogarmesll]

error - elsie dress -

maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Bamboo%20Caye/107/129/25

!WSG SHANIE

Glitch: Always Tired Tattoo maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Wintervale/10/61/2223

KB - Insecure + Color Hud Set maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Wintervale/10/61/2223

Loveholic - Lila Lash Extensions (MegaLash by Clover)Available at CAKEDAY 13/4.

[vlnamiko]

Simplicity 🔥

🎔 Blog Post 🎔

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❧ @bwokenhappy | ❛ Skelly Ring ❜ | ╰┈➤ Marketplace Release ♥ : https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/183705

❧ @rxfactory.sl@iam.holytrinity.rx | ❛ Exotic Holy Trinity Indica Dime ❜ | ╰┈➤ Mainstore Release ♥ : http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dorado/132/201/32

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❧ @4ushop.vl | ❛ Kurrby Phone ❜ | ╰┈➤ Mainstore Release ♥ : http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Loveless%20Night/239/131/680

❧ @tantrumsl | ❛ Sabrina Tippy Toe Heels ❜ | ╰┈➤ Mainstore Release ♥ : http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Tantrum/12/134/1001

ミ★

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[themasthead]

The Wintervale Knight: Episode 48

Bathing the land with its soft light, the moon lingered in the clearing below, nodding its regard at the occasional passing cloud. At the edge of Grymthorne Forrest, a doe slowly stepped out from the safety of the thick trees. She stopped, smelled the air for a moment and then lowered her head to chew the sweet grass, moving farther and farther away from the safety of the forest. Suddenly the…

[majesticfem-fashion]

🔮Come to Bed. 🔮

Featuring: Krueger Bunny, and Glitch

𝕶𝖗𝖚𝖊𝖌𝖊𝖗 𝕭𝖚𝖓𝖓𝖞𝖘 𝕹𝖆𝖎𝖑 𝕿𝖊𝖈𝖍 (@kruegerbunnys) • Qiun set Located at GothCore

Quin is cute chill set or bed set Qiun top thats comes in 5 graphics or Fatpack version is available Qiun Panties comes in 12 colors or fatpack version is also available.

Rigged For:

✅Reborn (Waifu)

✅Maitreya

✅Peach

✅Legacy

✅Kupra

@glitch.sl • Evil Shorties Located at Mainstore and Marketplace

Evil shorties is Hud driven comes in Basic Pack or Fatpack (5 extra Textures)

Rigged For:

✅Reborn

✅Legacy

✅Maitreya

✅Peach

✅Kupra

Let's Go SHOPPING!

🚕Your Uber:  GOTHCORE event  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/CORE/128/237/3502

🚕Your Uber: Mainstore http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Wintervale/34/73/2222

🔮Marketplace:  https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/203283

Ciao ♥

[moving-mountains5]

My top Releases of January 2023

Strays - Margo Price (Country, Americana)

2. The Great White Sea Eagle - James Yorkston (folk, indie)

3. Funny Face - Lip Service (Synthpop)

Honorable Mentions:

Crown - For I Am King (metalcore, Death metal) Honey - Samia (soft rock, indie) Sky Void of Stars - Katatonia (progressive metal) At The Heart of Wintervale - Twilight Force (symphonic/ powermetal, Fantasy) Let's Start Here. - Lil Yachty (psychedelic rock)

[jahdiel-death]

✧˖ ° DIEM ✧˖ ° 

Bat Plush

7 Colors

Located @ Mainstore

Taxi:

✧˖ ° FLS ✧˖ ° 

Luisa Body

Maitreya Legacy Kupra Reborn

Make sure you wear bodylight to see latex shine

Located @ Mainstore

Located @ Mainstore

Taxi:

✧˖ ° TeeGlow ✧˖ °

TASTY POSEPACK

Copy & Modify

Located @ Mainstore

Taxi:

[bear-do-well]

The videoclip Cor At the Heart of Wintervale is also great because there's supposed to be a dragon, but they didn't have enough money for that, so the dragon is implied

so you could say . ... imagine dragons

[24-7fandombrain]

My pitch for a shitty gay Hallmark Christmas movie:

I Saw Daddy Kissing Santa Claus- Adam, a single father, moves to Wintervale, a Christmas-crazy town that swears Santa actually visits. Adam doesn't buy it, until the next Christmas when his five-year-old daughter Sammy receives a gift Adam knows he didn't buy.Adam sets out to find out who this mysterious Santa is, as the gift Sammy received was something she wanted but Adam couldn't afford, and he wants to know how this "Santa" found that out.Over the course of the movie, Adam befriends the local mailman Joshua. The two grow close, and eventually it is revealed that Joshua is "Santa". He figures out what kids want because he reads their letters to Santa, and is able to afford the presents because of deus ex machina inheritance.One Christmas, Sammy doesn't receive a present from "Santa". Adam does. It's a wedding ring. Adam dramatically runs through the snow to Joshua's house to say "Yes".

[shaelashaela]

The King's Curse, ch. 3

[reading time] 5 mins.

Overhead, the sun beat down upon me, making for a strange combination of sensations. As I travelled east, the air all about me grew colder, and the grass crunched under my boots. But the sunlight was harsh and burned my skin. Knowing the weather would be chill, I brought a heavy cloak with me, but I constantly took it off and put it back on again as my body temperature oscillated. I hadn’t even made it to the Queen’s court yet, and annoyance already soured my mood.

I shielded my eyes with my hand and lifted my face towards the mountain. Throughout the day it had steadily grown closer to me as I moved east, and now that I was nearly at its foot, I could see it was not as tall as I imagined. Still, it was impressive and solitary among the fields of snow. It felt unnatural to me.

Thirty-seven, I counted, passing by a small stone stump. Worn with age, they were possibly some sort of road marker at one point. What exact pictograms or letters they once bore was unclear, but they led me in the right direction, fulfilling their ancient purpose as landmarks.

Most of the journey crossed a vast plain, but now as I entered the mountain’s shadow, the path cut through rock, hemmed in on either side. Twists and turns obscured my line of sight. From here on out, I would be quite vulnerable to ambush. I didn’t like it one bit, and my breath shortened. What might go wrong in there? If I ran into some random dark elf, would they kill me before I even reached my destination?

For a long time, I stood on the road, unable to urge myself forward. Wintervale suddenly felt far more inhospitable than it had that same morning.

Clip, clop. Clip, clop.

I heard but could not see. My breath caught in my throat, and I froze in place. Where were they?

Clip, clop. Clip, clop.

My head turned every which way, desperate to find the source.

Clip, clop. Clip, clop.

Before my very eyes, shadow coalesced and gave form to a black stallion, its hooves clacking on the rough cobblestones. Slowly, the darkness gathered, rising like smoke, and before long, the horse gained a rider. At first I saw only his greaves of black metal, twisted and bent like some great hand crushed them on to his body. Then his breastplate appeared in a similar gruesome fashion. Finally, his face, ashen and stern, came to rest upon his shoulders. Pale blond hair draped over his shoulders, wild and clumped together with sweat.

His steely eyes lanced my very soul. “State thy business,” he said plainly, his voice deep and even. The rider’s dialect was strange to me, unlike any Elvish variant I’d ever heard.

Nothing in the world could have compelled me to move or speak in that moment. My legs shook, and I feared my body would fail me completely.

“State thy business,” he repeated. “Or begone.”

Knowing that he didn’t intend to murder me right away returned some of my senses to me. I managed a soft reply. “The Queen has summoned me.”

His demeanour was inscrutable. “Thou art the one known as Sylvie Shaestari?”

I nodded dumbly.

Clip, clop. Clip, clop. The fearsome black stallion stepped closer to me, and his rider leaned forward, offering me a gauntleted hand. “Allow me to escort thee.”

Not knowing what else to do, I took his hand, and he hoisted me up so that I could climb into the saddle behind him. Once I was in place, I quickly withdrew my hand from his grip. My skin burned.

“Ow! Are you wearing iron?”

He urged his steed to turn and head eastward. “My apologies. ’Tis my burden.”

I dared not ask what he meant by that.

“My name is Nepenthe. I am bound to Queen Morrigan, and I will bring thee before her.”

“You have my gratitude.”

It was a genuine thanks, as I didn’t want to proceed deep into Wintervale without an escort. Still, his demeanour confused me. I looked down and noticed he carried a whip as his weapon—a long, coiled snake at his hip crafted from a series of vertebrae. I shuddered and hoped they weren’t elf bones.

The horse carried us deeper into the mountain pass, all featureless and grey. There was so little sign of life here. “Where is everyone?”

“We shall come upon a settlement anon. My men also ride with us.”

His men? I looked around, but saw nothing. They must also know whatever magic he used to remain completely invisible. I shuddered again. I didn’t like the thought of people watching me when I couldn’t see them myself.

Nepenthe’s steed jostled me, and I tried my best to hold on without touching the rider’s armour. I felt odd in that moment, as never did I imagine I might one day ride through Wintervale while having a perfectly civil conversation with a dark elf. Actually, I had to ask myself at that point: was he a dark elf? I narrowed my eyes and scrutinized him, but to my surprise, he had no aura of magic about him at all! What could that mean? Was he disconnected from the land entirely?

“Something troubles thee, m’lady.”

I jumped. How did he know? I was behind him. “I realize now that I know so little of the Winter Court. All my life I was told it was the domain of lunatics and hedonists. My one and only experience with dark elves before today reinforced that.”

He must’ve smiled. I could hear it in his voice. “Do I disappoint, m’lady?”

“Sorry, I meant no offence.”

“Thou didst not offend. In truth, thou remindest me of mine own daughter. She was quite inquisitive.”

“Oh? Maybe I could meet her.”

“Nay, m’lady. She is dead two centuries.”

I pursed my lips together and cursed myself for walking into a sensitive topic. I briefly considered apologizing, but decided it would be better if we completed the ride in silence.

My curiosity got the better of me, though. Something didn’t add up. “How… how old are you?”

“Over four hundred winters, m’lady. Forgive me, but I cannot recall with precision.”

What? I never heard of an elf living past two hundred fifty, save for the monarchs. How quickly I learned that I knew far less about my own home and people than I realized.

Deeper into the east we rode, and it felt to me an eternity. The sun sank lower behind us, though there was still some daylight left. My escort wasn’t overly chatty, but he did point out some landmarks to me along the way. True to his word, we also passed through a city, or a town, I wasn’t quite sure. Dozens of little grey houses flanked the road, but the populous ducked into their doorways as we wandered through. I couldn’t get a good feel for how many elves lived there.

“Why do they hide?”

Nepenthe paused briefly before answering, the first time he hesitated in our conversations. “They considereth me an ill omen, m’lady. I cannot fault them. I am the Queen’s hound, after a fashion. A demon to them.”

“Oh? You seem perfectly polite to me.”

“Thou art kind for saying so, m’lady. Let us hope thou remainest in Her Majesty’s good graces. I would loathe to hunt thee.”

Now I regretted asking. I still did not know what to expect of Queen Morrigan, and I had no doubt that if Nepenthe put his mind to it, he could end my existence without breaking a sweat. He was far too serious and straightforward to take lightly.

We reached the edge of the town, and the road ended at the foot of a hill. Stone steps ascended it to the top, where I could see a series of magnificent marble columns, but no roof. Halfway up, green grass gave way to powdery snow. Was this where the Queen held court? Out in the open?

My escort brought his steed to a full stop. “This is where we part ways, m’lady. The Queen awaits thee at the apex.”

He dismounted first with little effort despite his heavy iron armour. Then he reached up and took me by the waist, setting me gently on the ground. It felt weird to be handled like a princess, but I was thankful that I did not need to touch his gauntleted hand again.

I bowed slightly at the waist. “Thank you, sir knight.”

He took his horse by the reins and headed back the way we came. “I am no knight, m’lady. Remember that.”

What an odd set of parting words. I felt pity for him, though I couldn’t say why. Despite his even tone, he sounded sad to me. Perhaps he was also a victim of the Queen? Either way, I shook those thoughts from my head and turned to look up the multitude of stairs that were now the only thing between me and destiny. Briefly, I prayed I would see Rayna again someday before planting my foot on the first step.