#wip: oceans vast

[lilwippsteert]

Progress update on my current cross stitch project. 💙 I have to say I'm not the biggest fan of working with 18ct Aida but I think it was the right choice for this huge piece.

[moonlight-prose]

wip wednesday!

note: thank you my darlings @eupheme & @guiltyasdave!! i've got way too many fics i'm hammering away at. but i'll share a snippet from an old man logan one i was working on last night.

the vastness between all that can be seen

"Whiskey on the rocks," you said, voice soft and sweet and Logan felt his cock twitch hard. Shame leaked into his stomach, dropping to the bottom like lead at the base of the ocean.

He rapped two fingers on the bar, pushing his drink forward as the bartender slid a similar crystal glass in your direction. The burn of your stare was obvious. Logan practically flinched as you trailed your eyes down his body, stopping to ogle the side of his face. And if he was a younger man he'd already be smiling.

Hell, if he was a younger man he'd already be fucking you in the bar of the bathroom. Stuffing his fingers in your mouth to gag the pretty little sounds he knew you would make for him.

But two hundred years left him weary at the thought of garnering your attention.

He felt the urge to snap at you. Ask you to kindly fuck off and find someone else. There was no doubt a number of other men who would happily nip at your heels for a sliver of your attention.

Logan wasn't sure why that thought burned the inside of his chest - his claws itching to slide free even in their sluggish state. But he locked it away in the back of his mind, fearful of the answer that his heart would give him.

Much to his surprise, you downed the whiskey in your glass in one go. Dropping it to the bar with a small cough that had his lips curving - his finger tapping the side of his own drink. He hadn't even gotten a good look at you and he could already feel his heart begin to stir in his chest. Causing a ruckus in his body strong enough to leave him winded.

"I'd ask if you come here often, but that might be cheesy." Fuck you sounded like sunshine on a warm spring day. Logan bit down on the inside of his cheeks to keep from groaning - his body aching for him to stop being so goddamn stubborn.

"I'm here with some friends."

He met your kindness with a wall of silence. Entirely unaware that your stubbornness would soon be the start of his downfall.

You grinned, propping your chin in your hand. "And I happened to notice you."

Maybe if he got up and left you'd get the fucking hint to keep away from men like him. Men who's minds were mangled and torn apart. Men who would only leave you tear stained and bruised after a night of harsh fucking. Men who couldn't give you what you were so clearly looking for.

tagging the lovelies: @ovaryacted @sunflowersteves @superhoeva @cavillscurls @joelsgoldrush @pennyserenade

[of-sinners-and-seas]

OF SINNERS AND SEAS

A WIP INTRO

A story to be co-written by: @lady-grace-pens & @isabellebissonrouthier

STATUS: planning and outlining

GENRE: adult. high fantasy. dark fantasy. dark romance.

CW: some gore. strong language. sexual content.

VIBES: glaring eyes. statues. piracy. the vast expanse of the ocean. violence. sin. bloodshed. candles hungry for a midnight ritual. bruised knees. crystals. tarot cards. silent gods. gazing at your enemy through a pair of wine-stained eyes. bloody lips. hunger pangs and loneliness. black magic. cults. sacrifice. cannibalism. the bitter backwash of betrayal. music in the night being echoed by the wind. history aches while the future shrieks. casual affairs. being drunk and aimless and young.

THEMES: fate. prophecy. trust. purpose. cults. spirituality. identity.

Seven pirates. Seven deadly sins. Seven acts.

All vie for dominance over their fantastical world, thinking themselves to be as close to immortal as could be. But the question of what exactly they are remains elusive.

Magic drips from their fingertips: control over the sins that rule each of their lives. With fates and visions spinning through their minds, each of the Sins grapple violently with the questions of their purpose.

How far will they go to search for the truth? Maiming and torturing, fucking and fighting, killing for a single word from a silent goddess.

And how can they expect to maintain allies when only one can live in the end?

What began as a simple roleplay has spiralled into a sprawling, character-driven tale...

Welcome to OSAS.

—

Taglist: @the-inkwell-variable

Pinterest Board | YouTube Playlist

—

MEET THE SINS:

Envy | Pride | Lust | Greed | Wrath | Gluttony | Sloth

EXPLORE THE WORLDS:

Eiffel | Polarys & Lorallyn | Geldour |

[ellssbellss]

wip wednesday :)

i forgot this was a thing, and i wanted to show you guys that I am, of course, working hard on lavender roses and headcanons; sorry for the slow updates!

click below for a sneak peak of...

Big Brother is a Prince!

That night, under a setting sky.  

Bubbles flew from Kyoya’s nose as he struggled to hold his breath. His long legs strained with every kick, every effort he made to bring himself to the surface. One of his arms pressed against the gravity of the ocean, the icy current twisting around his lithe silhouette, trying to pull him deeper within its waters. But he couldn’t succumb to the force. 

Not when his other arm held you against him. 

His long fingers grasped your waist, his heart hammering as your unconscious body fell against his chest. The cut on your leg was still bleeding, the ribbon of red billowing out into the ocean blue, and he clenched his teeth. With a labored grunt of desperation that presented itself in a flurry of bubbles, his arm gave one last swipe, his legs one last kick, as he pushed both of you out of the surface. 

Gasping, Kyoya selfishly gulped air, while bringing your head out of the treacherous water and onto his collarbone. 

“(Y/n).” He called in the vast blue, still wading water. The beach wasn’t as far as it could’ve been, and he supposed he should be grateful for that. But gratitude was his last priority, especially when your head just lulled against his wet skin when he called your name. “Damn it, wake up (Y/n)!”

His heart pounded faster. Cursing, Kyoya shifted you onto his back. In his family’s jungle-themed water park, he had held you against his spine once before. He had been able to feel your warmth, your heart beat, the small smile you had sported as you drifted off. 

Now, he had to wrap your arms around his neck, your body unresponsive to the way he swam towards the beach up ahead. His hand gripped both of your wrists against his pulse, foolishly hoping that the feeling of his heart beating out of his skin would bring you back to him. 

“Come on, (Y/n),” He huffed as he swam, his blurry vision tracing out the forms of his friends as they sprinted down the mountain, jumping and waving at him when they saw him pop out from the surface. “Breathe. Just breathe.”

Still nothing. Kyoya swam as fast as he could. His muscles burned, his hair dropped in front of his eyes, and his gaze became even more unfocused as the worry set in. 

“Don’t do this to me.” Kyoya’s voice was raspy and gasping as he worked to bring you to the surface. But the colors of the sunset were melting together across his visage, and his swimming shifted to muscle memory as he got lost in his anxiety. “(Y/n), you have to wake up. You have to breathe, for god’s sake!”

His cry was barely audible over the splashing of his limbs in the waves, and he cursed again. The worry stabbed at his stomach, and his hand tightened against your skin. He hated the cold, clammy feeling that touched against his fingertips, and the muscles in his jaw popped like fireworks. 

He couldn’t fight his reality. That his best friend was unconscious on his shoulder blades after putting herself between two dangerous people that shouldn’t have been there in the first place. His security priorities had become lazy, as he had not stationed anyone so far from where the host club’s event was taking place. He didn’t expect anyone to go that far. You shouldn’t have gone that far. 

And why did he let you go alone? He had made an excuse. You were with Haruhi, you were around friends. You were safe. 

He hiked your unconscious form higher onto his back. 

hope you love it so far :) can't wait to give you guys a peak into what went down that night

[mochinomnoms]

speaking of arctic monkeys, I wanna be yours reminds me of PTM Jade

OKAY SO ACTUALLY this song is in another playlist I made for PTM. It's called Wandering Thoughts (might add 'of a Moray' but might leave it as is) which is for the wip for the PTM smut fic anthology.

My favorite lines for the chapter(s) the song will apply to include:

"If you like your coffee hot/Let me be your coffee pot/You call the shots, babe" I like this, as it implies that Jade wants to be more than something small or fleeting to Yuu (like a cup of coffee). He wants to be their all and needed like caffeine, but he'll settle for being either cherished or used.

"Secrets I have held in my heart/Are harder to hide than I thought" Quite literally applies to how no secret of his is safe from Yuu. They can hear any thought that comes across his mind, but does he really want to make the extra effort to hide those thoughts from them? Isn't it thrilling to make a game out of this, to test them, to push them until Yuu decides to come for Jade themselves? Makes it less work for him (and lets him stay a coward).

"Hold your hair in deep devotion (How deep?)/At least as deep as the Pacific Ocean" The ocean is vast and deep, and hides many things in the dark. To merfolk, by comparing your devotion to the depth of the sea, your love for them is true and everlasting. Nothing is deeper than the ocean on the planet, Yuu should be flattered. And they learn, once they let Jade prove it to them in the sweetest and softest love making ever, just how deep his love for them runs.

[luchicm04]

sinking in the metkatina masterlist

Summary: (Y/n) was a marine biology researcher. She used to do various studies on Na’vis and periodically go out to the ocean with her colleagues to collect samples. However, when many scientists who sided with the RDA were kicked out and sent back to Earth... she was left alone as an oceanographer, with no one to accompany her to the open seas anymore.  It would have been nice if Jake had more allies who sympathized with him, but (Y/n) swallowed her tears. Fortunately, there were still a few people who knew how to sail a ship, so she left Hell’s Gate and headed out to sea for her investigation after a lot of deliberation.  She was just staring at the water in the vastness of the ocean... and suddenly, she was struck with dizziness, wondering ‘What am I doing here?’  That night, (Y/n) couldn’t sleep, so she tossed and turned in bed and finally came out onto the deck. The night sea of Pandora seen from the ship was as beautiful as always. It was a world worth protecting. The woman leaned against the railing, recalling that terrible and scary battlefield... and just then, a wave rocked and swayed the boat all of a sudden and she... fell into the sea. 

Pairing: Tonowari/Omatikaya!Fem Reader

Tag: #sinking in the metkayina fic

posted on ao3

Warnings: hurt/comfort, fluff, edging, smut, mature content...

All characters belong to Avatar and the ocs to the original author of these works, who allowed me to translate it.

CHAPTERS:

chapter 1

chapter 1.5

chapter 2

(WIP)

OTHER STUFF:

Playlist

(WIP)

[woshi-liu]

WIP Wednesday — more fake dating Ratiorine AU 🫶🏻

In which they're sent on a mission to investigate a mysterious "planet of love," and there are certain prerequisites for entry...

From the sky, the island had looked meagre next to the ocean, but here on the inside, it feels like a vast, endless scroll of skyscrapers. Finding answers here will be like seeking a single dodecahedron in a sea of cubes — troublesome at best, but not at all impossible. However, the two of them have proven time and time again that luck and knowledge make quite the formidable team, and so they diligently press on. “So,” Aventurine begins, sauntering through foreign streets with an easy swagger. He feels a little bit naked without his watches and rings, clad only in his IPC fineries. The doctor doesn't seem to be faring much better without his bust. “The first port of call is to meet with the Prime Minister for dinner, right? Work up the charm a little, put in some good words for the IPC. What do we know?” “The Prime Minister's name is Celeste Amata,” Ratio replies, picking at the information from the impressive repository of his brain. “It’s likely she’ll be with her partner, Arabella, who - very conveniently - happens to be the Foreign Secretary of the land. Their exiguous interastral affairs will have long fallen to her hands, regardless. Although, as it stands, I don't believe we’ll be meeting anybody in an official capacity without their partners here.” “Such is the law of the land, I suppose.” He glances around, wary of prying ears. “I mean, it suits us fine, doesn't it? That way, I don't have to keep my hands off you all evening. Isn't it nice to feel so free together, darling?” If Ratio is trying to hide his disdain, he's doing a damn good job at it. And with a smile like that, wholly convincing in its subtlety, Aventurine feels inclined to fall for it himself. “Indeed, it is. Work has kept us far too busy, far too apart, and we have much to catch up on, my love.” Oh, so Player Two has decided to join the game. Aventurine reels in it. Even when he's sure the masses have passed, leaving them to roam this stretch of the promenade mostly alone, Aventurine wriggles his fingers into the gaps between Ratio's and squeezes. “Ah, is this you trying to tell me that you missed me when I was gone?” There’s a raw tinge of curiosity to it. “Did the peace and quiet get too much for you?” Ratio scoffs, and it sounds suspiciously like amusement. “Indeed, I wallowed in it for weeks,” he says, painfully deadpan, a glint in his glare. And, oh, Aventurine thinks with an absentminded laugh, so he can be funny. “I missed your ostentatiousness, terribly so.” Is that all part of the act? For Aventurine’s long-learned dalliances with deconstructing even the steeliest of pokerfaces, Doctor Ratio still continues to elude him. “Careful there, doc, I hear that absence tends to make the heart grow fonder.” Ratio squeezes his hand, barely there - but there nonetheless. “Foolhardy, as ever.” “Eh, you wouldn’t have it any other way.”

[rivensdefenseattorney]

Andros

Here's a link to the source for each image: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

___

(WIP)

Capital: Tides

Government of Andros: Dual-Monarchy

Demographics and Population

Population Size: Large

Population Distribution by Race:

Merfolk: (45-50%)

Fairies: (20-25%)

Elves: (10-15%)

Human: (10-15%)

Other: (5-10%)

History and Origins

In the realm of Andros, the two kingdoms, Terra and Mare, share a profound connection. Their bond traces back to a time long past, when a union between the Faefolk of Terra and Mare forged a single lineage that would shape the destiny of the realm.

The Royal Family of Terra, stemming from the fairy ancestry, preside over the sprawling landscapes and majestic cities of the surface kingdom. Endowed with wings of delicate beauty, an affinity for the natural elements, and a mastery of earthbound enchantments, they oversee the flourishing forests, meadows, and towering mountains of Terra.

The Royal Family of Mare, stemming from the merfolk ancestry, reign over the oceanic expanse of Andros. With their ethereal beauty, iridescent tails, and an innate understanding of the ocean's secrets, they hold court in the shimmering palaces beneath the waves. Their lineage boasts an intimate connection with Morphix, harnessing the elemental magic that pulses through the depths.

Though distinct in their heritage, the Royal Families of Mare and Terra are bound by blood, sharing the legacy of their common ancestors. Over the ages, this shared lineage has fostered a tradition of collaboration and mutual respect between the two kingdoms, symbolizing the inherent balance between land and sea.

Kingdom of Terra

The Kingdom of Terra represents the land regions of Andros. The fertile earth yields bountiful harvests, making agriculture one of the epicenters of this realm. Vast fields of vibrant crops stretch across rolling hills and verdant valleys, a testament to the kingdom's thriving agricultural industry. Visitors are greeted with open arms, embraced by a sense of warm hospitality that permeates the tropical air.

Amidst the picturesque scenery, a lively energy permeates every corner. Terra pulses with the rhythm of festivals, the melodies of music, and the infectious spirit of dance. The people of Terra are often fluent in a multitude of languages. They effortlessly weave a cultural tapestry that celebrates diversity. They come together in joyful gatherings, sharing their traditions through cultural exchanges.

Tourism thrives amidst this blend of natural beauty and cultural richness. Visitors are drawn to the kingdom's idyllic beaches, verdant jungles, and cascading waterfalls, finding solace in the laid-back atmosphere. Adventure seekers and relaxation enthusiasts alike find their haven in Terra's tropical paradise, where every experience is colored by the kingdom's zest for life and celebration. The air is filled with the aroma of unique spices and flavors, as Terra's cuisine, a fusion of diverse influences, delights the senses and leaves an impression on every traveler's palate.

Kingdom of Mare

Intertidal Zone

Here, where the sea kisses the land, the Halflings find their home. Halflings move effortlessly between the surface and the depths. Their communities, nestled in hidden coves and near coastal cliffs, serve as a bridge between the kingdoms of Terra and Mare. Halflings, being adept at traversing both realms, act as intermediaries, facilitating trade, cultural exchange, and cooperation between the two kingdoms.

Photic Zone

As sunlight pierces the surface waters, it bathes the photic zone in a mesmerizing glow. This well-lit region supports an abundance of marine life. Here, the cities of Mare flourish, their structures crafted from luminescent materials that harness the sunlight filtering through the waves. The merfolk inhabitants, with their affinity for illumination, enhance this zone with enchantments that create breathtaking displays of bioluminescence, turning the ocean depths into a living tapestry of color and light.

Aphotic Zone

In the dark and mysterious depths of the aphotic zone, Merfolk with unique adaptations thrive, attuned to the energies of Morphix. Their bioluminescent features, whether glowing orbs or intricate patterns that shimmer like ancient runes, attune them to the lifeforce, allowing them to draw sustenance and power from its essence. The cities of the Aphotic Zone exist as captivating marvels beneath the shroud of darkness. The cityscape shimmers with a mosaic of colors, vibrant and ever-changing, as Merfolk artisans infuse their creations with Morphix. The architecture within these cities is a testament to the mastery of bioluminescent craftsmanship.

Infinite Ocean

The Infinite Ocean is an endless expanse that transcends the boundaries of realms. The Infinite Ocean stands as a testament to the unifying force of water, an eternal realm that unites the disparate seas of Andros into a harmonious, interconnected whole.

The Labyrinth of the Abysses

A complex labyrinthine system spread across the abyssal depths, shrouded in an aura of ancient pathways. It constantly shifts, creating a maze where paths change. The Labyrinth serves as a threshold to the heart of the abyss, guiding seekers toward the source of Morphix. Explorers and seekers often traverse this labyrinth, facing trials and tests of wisdom.

The Deep Blue - Heart of the Abysses

The Deep Blue represents the epicenter where Morphix emanates, radiating a mesmerizing blue luminescence that illuminates the darkest depths. Revered as a sacred sanctuary by merfolk and creatures of the abyss, embodying the ocean's life force and primal energy. Various merfolk societies hold rituals or ceremonies, offering reverence and seeking blessings for their communities.

Morphix

Morphix, a luminescent and multifaceted energy, is the lifeblood of the infinite ocean, replacing conventional needs such as sunlight or fire, granting vitality, sustenance, and life to oceanic flora, fauna, and ecosystems. Its essence adapts to diverse oceanic environments, catering to the needs of creatures dwelling across varying depths and regions.

It emanates from sacred locations such as the Deep Blue at the heart of the abyssal depths, generating life, fostering growth, and offering spiritual sustenance to the ocean's inhabitants. It powers the ocean gates, serving as a cosmic key that enables safe passage and interconnectivity between different underwater realms.

Morphix is highly revered, enshrined in lore and cultural practices, and embodies unity and interconnectedness among diverse underwater communities. Its purity and uninterrupted flow are guarded by custodians and gatekeepers who ensure its sanctity, protecting against disruptions, and maintaining its integrity for the stability of the ocean gates and vitality of the oceanic realms.

__

Mood Board Notes

I decided to try adding a mood board last minute to this post, so forgive me if it isn't the best. I've created mood boards a couple years ago when I first started my rewrite, but I'm not sure if I feel conformable sharing them as they are. I don't fully get the ethics/legality of mood boards using copyrighted materials, so I just wanted to play it safe with some images I found from a free to use image website.

I'm thinking of possibly creating a collage instead for the character mood boards I currently have. I think those are more transformative? If anyone has some insight on this I'd appreciate any info and advice you have. I'd also like to know if this is even something anyone would be interested in seeing before I put all this effort into figuring out how to add some visuals. @_@

Andros Notes

I've always envisioned Andros, especially Terra, to be like a mixture of the Caribbean and Polynesia across it's various cities if it were to be real. This is only my first draft, so I'll most likely be adding more information in the future to what I see fit.

[aswrittenbyaj]

stick and poke

pairing: shuri x black!fem!reader

summary: your time on vacation is slowly coming to an end so naturally you two try to find a way to commemorate it.

wordcount: 2.6k

warnings: this one's for the lovers. rated M for mature. minors dni. partial nudity as well as nipple play (reader-receiving) and a brief moment of impact play (titty-slapping, reader-receiving). briefest mention of a needle (tattooing, obviously). there's a few pet names, but none degrading. not beta'd (that's a warning in itself). let me know if i missed any!

a/n: so this was not on my wip list because i forgot i finished this a lil while back lol. a fun twist on the tattoo shop au that i hope you'll all enjoy. i don't know xhosa so any words in bold are to be assumed as spoken in xhosa. there's one or two words in the actual language and credit for their translation goes to @iinkonde from this post. banner and divider by: me.

you were going to miss this, miss the ease of moving through the day without obligations and responsibilities looming over your shoulder. there was nothing like waking up as you pleased next to the woman you loved while the sounds of waves crashing in the distance calmed your soul. the position of the sun being your only source of time, self-carved notches on the wooden planks of the treehouse wall the only indication of how many days had passed since the two of your arrived at the secluded beach.

there was tranquility in getting away from the hustle and bustle of everyday city life. even as you stared out at the vast water before you from where you sat in the sand, the waves crashing into one another, you tried imagining what life would be like if you never went back. you almost wished it were that simple.

"you still with me, yeah?" 

shuri's voice found you before your eyes found her, the lithe woman approaching from behind, a green coconut in one hand, a bowie knife in the other.

you drunk in the sight of her, midriff peeking between the gap of her cropped white t-shirt and pink shorts that stopped mid-thigh, rich skin sun-kissed with a healthy glow, one that only came from inward peace and happiness. showing off her strength, shuri swung the knife at the tree nut, hacking away at the top with ease, giving you a chance to ogle the way her biceps flexed with the moment.

"always," you replied shamelessly. 

if anything, these last two weeks were proof you didn't need all the riches and privileges that came with being connected to a wakandan royal, romantically or not. you just needed her. you just wanted her. always.

she tried to hide her grin behind the coconut as she took a drink from the opening she created, but you knew her, almost better than you knew yourself it sometimes seemed. there were few reasons her cheekbones would raise towards the sun, why her eyes would crinkle at the corner.

"except when your mind is kilometers away," she retorted, plopping down next to you, her knee brushing yours as she folded her legs pretzel-style beneath her. "no people, no technology, no work to distract you, and i lose you to the ocean!" she chuckled with a shake of her head, sea-salted curls swaying with the movement.

"you could never lose me. you know that. you just like to hear me say it." 

leaning in, your pressed your lips to the corner of her mouth, leaving a sweet kiss as your hand swiped the coconut from her grasp. 

"naturally." she replied in her native tongue. her words were flippant, teasing, but her voice was butter-soft with affection.

"naturally," you repeated in english, tone mocking bumping her bare shoulder with your own before bringing the coconut up to your lips.

the action was clumsy, the timing of your backwards head tilt slightly off, sending the sweet water dribbling in the miniscule gap between your lip and the nut shell. without a care, you drank deeply, your thirst not surprising given how long you had been soaking in the solar rays. your mother would be disappointed in your lack of uv protection, but in that moment, it was the furthest thing from mind.

you could feel shuri's gaze on you as you drank, leaving a path of warmth that felt different than the sun. that was one thing about being here alone with her, without the so-called distractions of life. everything felt acute, supercharged, and oh-so-very intense.

swallowing, you pulled the coconut away, turning to look at her. 

"intoni ingxakhi?"  what's wrong, you asked, your interchanging of english and xhosa becoming more natural every time you used the language.

your wrist bent as your arm raised to wipe the soon-to-be-sticky trail from your cheek, chin and neck, only shuri had beat you to it. instead of answering your question, she leaned in, the flat of her pink tongue sliding across the sensitive skin of your collarbone before trailing up you neck. closing your eyes, you tilted your head more to give her extra room to work with. full lips sucked softly at the moisture on your chin, dragging out a groan from the back of your throat.

coconut forgotten in the sand, you brought your hand up to grip the back of her head, soft curls pliable under the grip of your fingers. finally, her mouth moved to meet yours, but as you leaned in to meet her halfway, she pulled back slightly, your lips brushing against one another.

peeling your eyes open, you saw hers were already waiting to connect, heat stirring deep within her irises. you tempted once more to mold your lips together, but again, she leaned away, just enough to keep it from happening.

"shuri." you murmured your complaint, hooded gaze raising from her lips to her eyes than back again. 

she challenged with a murmur of your name, lips barely moving before finally descending upon yours. 

the sand was going to be a bitch to get out of the dark coiled crown on your head, but there was no stopping you from laying back against the ocean-pebbled surface, shuri's body a welcomed weight atop of yours. legs slotted together, she ground her thigh down against your warm center, a hum of pleasure pressing through lips moving in a synchronic dance only the two of you knew.

your hands resting on her lower back, shuri pulled away to look down at you. palms on the ground at either side of your head held her up so she could take in your beauty, so she could take in the wide set nose and kiss-bitten full lips, the brown eyes that were darkened with desire. 

"bast, you are very beautiful." 

there was something in the way shuri breathed those words out, almost as if she hadn't meant to say them out loud, or at least not loud enough for you to hear them. one hand left the ground to cup your cheek, thumb swiping gently at slope of your cheekbone, following the curve of your jawline before traveled lower, a loose grip around your neck. her fingers tightened, palm flat as you swallowed, the skin of your throat pressing against it. her hand felt like a brand, hot, possessive. if a mark was left in its place, it'd be one you'd wear with pride.

she could've left her hand there for an eons and you wouldn't have protested in the slightest. instead, it continue its course south, fingertips gliding against the melanin rich skin of chest before meeting the rim of your tank top. her index slowly trailed along the rib knit neckline, drifting back and and forth as if she were stuck in idle.

"don't tease me." 

you had barely uttered the sentiment out before she gave into the demand. in a swift action, her second hand met the first and with an easy twist of her wrists, the cotton fabric gave way with an audible tear. the sudden sound stole a gasp from you, one shuri eagerly swallowed with her tongue. she enjoyed getting these reactions from you, reveled in whatever sounds she could make spill from those plum-colored lips. she'd yet to find her favorite sequence and hoped she never would. 

her wandering fingers found your nipples, pinching and rolling it between them as her palms massaged the fullness of your breasts. she plucked them like a bassist did her favorite instrument, with care, with passion, with expertise, before delivering your left breast a sharp slap, drawing out a hiss from between your clenched teeth and a smirk overtop of hers. 

narrowing your eyes, your hands tightened on her waist, rolling the two of you over. as if she already knew of your plan, shuri shifted her weight as well, the two of you spinning several times, garnering a few meters of distance from your original spot before landing in your desired position. the logroll shifted the tension in the air, laughter breaking the heated moment as the two of you caught your breath.

looking down at her, chest bare as your ruined top hung off your shoulders haphazardly, you smiled.

"i love you." 

it wasn't the first time you confessed those three not-so-little words, not that day, not that week, but you meant it as full as the first time you thought it to yourself. the two of you weren't even in the same country at the time. hell, you hadn't even had a conversation in days. instead, you had been watching a live feed on c-span of a united nations conference in your rented apartment.

the camera had panned to some other country's ambassador when you saw her, queen shuri looking regally bored in the background. she wasn't even the one speaking and yet you couldn't keep your eyes off of her. you could've and would've paid the cameraman three-month's salary to always have her in frame, just so you could've seen her for the full duration of the livestream. 

you couldn't help but wonder if that was going to be the life you were heading back to in seven days' time, one filled with kisses in passing and workplace obligations that kept you countries-apart on a consistent basis. finding each other in a world of nearly eight billion people was kismet, but even fate had a funny way of insisting on a more difficult journey for lovers.

"what stole your mind from me?" she demanded softly, pulling you back to the present, the fiery mirth within her eyes dulling as concern filled its space.

with a soft sigh, you shifted, finding a seat in her lap as you straddled her, your bare legs aligning with her muscled thighs. though she remained reclined, shuri brought her knees up slightly, toes wiggling in the sand, one hand settling behind her head, the other resting on the curve of your ass.

"i don't want to leave yet. i know we still have a week of holiday left here, but one week is not enough when i desire an eternity with you."

you ducked your head, for speaking like that always made you a bit bashful. it didn't matter how much you knew shuri loved you or how many times she shared her affection towards you, you still couldn't imagine the queen of wakanda continuing to choose you as her boundless love.

"so then we stay."

an unamused huff of air pushed through your nostrils at her suggestion, one brow raising.

"have you forgotten who you are?" you asked incredulously, your voice raising an octave.

"have you?" 

the tone of shuri's voice forced you to swallow your tongue, to choose your words, your tone a little more carefully. yes, she was your lover in all definitions, but she was still queen of the most powerful nation on land (and most-likely the sea as well, but that was a conversation for another day). if she wanted to stay, you had no doubt she would find a way to make it happen, even if it was just for a little while longer.

"i don't mean to doubt your capabilities. it's just that your people need you home. they only tolerate me. and if they found out you were considering abandoning your duties for an outsider..."

your voice trailed off, teeth sinking into your bottom lip as your shook your head, refusing to finish the sentence.

the two of you didn't talk about your shaky wakandan lineage. sure your grandmother had talked fondly of the wakandan country and its people, but they were only stories, ones that couldn't be proven, not since your war dog grandfather had disappeared sometime after your mother's birth. 

shuri had offer to do some digging, but you had declined, too afraid of the truth drawing a wedge not only between the two of you, but also between you and your family. whether she looked on her own, she hadn't said and you were grateful for the silence on the topic.

"so marry me."

"er...what?"

the turns this conversation had taken was sending your mind into a spin cycle. one minute you were disheartened by the fact that you had to leave her soon and the next you were in the middle of a marriage proposal.

"marry. me."

the chuckle that escaped from between your lips was an accident, a knee-jerk reaction. you had dreamt of those words coming from out of her mouth for months now and to think that they were finally here almost felt too surreal.

almost.

"you're serious?"

sitting up, shuri rested her weight on one hand, leaning in to affectionate bump her nose against yours. 

"how could i not be when i am talking about a lifetime with the love of my existence?"

the unwavering of her stare as she looked into your eyes killed any thought of this being a playful joke to lighten the moment, to ease your worries. your mind decided it was the perfect time to short circuit as you tried to figure out the right thing to say.

"well it wasn't that great of a proposal so..." you said, a cheeky response to try ease the pressure in your chest.

shuri gasped at your gall, fingers digging into your side, sending you into giggles. gasping for air, you tried to squirm away, but she didn't let up nor did she let you get away.

"mercy, queen. mercy," you choked out between your laughter.

chest rising and falling rapidly, you were grateful when she finally let you catch your breath...only for her to steal it away again with the sincerity in her voice with her next words.

"do you want to marry me, nkosazana sam?" she asked her princess, the term of endearment one that melted your heart every time. 

there was only one response to give her.

"yes, i want to marry you." 

you closed the gap between you and shuri, your palms resting on either side of her head while you pressed your lips against hers. pulling away, you couldn't resist one more joke. 

"though you might want to get used to calling me queen."

with one more quick kiss to her lips, you pushed up onto your feet and took off down the shoreline, seafoam brushing your ankles as you splashed long the waterline, your fiancée hot on your heels.

"hold still," you complained seriously, though the cackle spilling between your words didn't help.

"you are literally stabbing me with a needle. there is no 'holding still.'"

the two of you were back up in the treehouse, naked as the day, shuri lying face down on the queen-sized bed, the only luxurious furniture in the space.

you were straddling her again, only this time you had settled down on the plump of her backside, hunched over as you tried to deliver as clean of a stick-and-poke tattoo as you could to her spine. the words "eternally yours" in wakandan glyphs that trailed from the nape of your neck to the space between your shoulder blades were identical to the sentiment you were currently trying to imprint in the same location on shuri's back. 

"well, it's about to say 'eternally yout' if you don't stop wiggling." you dipped the needle in the ink again as you spoke before returning back to the task at hand. "then you'll have to spend a lifetime explaining why the black panther, the fiercest and strongest creature on earth, couldn't even sit still for one measly little tatto- ow!"

before you could finish your sentence, shuri had sneakily reached her hand back to pinch your leg.

"such a brat."  she snarked under her breath as she folded her arm back under her chin, making you chuckle because where was the lie. 

"you love this brat, though," you countered with ease, giving her finished tattoo one final wipe, sitting back to admire your handy work.

"i do. i really do."

[deepspacedukat]

Veiled Interludes

This is just a random plot bunny. I'll get back to my wips and requests after this, I promise. 💖 In the meantime, this is set way before ST:TNG S3E23 "Sarek" - maybe 4-5 years prior. Tbh, I didn't think it through that far. Blame "The Meeting on the Turret Stairs" for this, because although I've seen that painting many times, it gave me many intense feelings early yesterday morning.

Cross-posted to AO3 here.

~*~

Sakkath (ST:TNG) x Reader

[A/N: This is just fluff. Allusions to intimacy, but nothing graphic or explicit.]

Warnings: Interspecies flirting, Human/Vulcan flirting, fluff, interspecies kissing, sneaky relationship, they're both v professional but also v in love, Sakkath drinks his respect women juice daily, idk man this just came to me.

~*~

Sakkath's eyes found her immediately when he entered the conference room. He'd seen her so many times before during diplomatic functions or around their offices, and every time he couldn't help but marvel at her. Even from across the room, she was extraordinary - she always was, but tonight she was even more exceptional than usual. The way her dress dripped from her frame, modest and elegant in the traditional Vulcan style despite their current locale, filled his head with plentiful improper thoughts.

They'd known each other across a number of years thanks to their occupations. Where he was Ambassador Sarek's personal assistant, she was the same for Ambassador Lojal. Owing to their friendship, the two diplomats often worked closely, so their PA's naturally grew to know each other, as well. Sakkath had been intrigued by Lojal's assistant the moment he laid eyes on her, but even he didn't know what that curiosity would evolve into when he initially greeted her.

Outwardly, they were the picture of professionalism - a Vulcan and a Human who worked well together when their jobs required it - but those observations didn't begin to scratch the surface of the relationship that Sakkath and his Human counterpart had developed.

Even across the conference room when her eyes met his, Sakkath felt his inner beast perking up. They had seen each other only three days prior, but they'd barely had the chance to speak. Managing a single stolen ozh'esta, they'd been forced to part without so much as an inquiry into each other's health. Tonight, however, both the Ambassadors would be busy mingling, and the two assistants would be free to do as they pleased.

As soon as it was socially acceptable, he excused himself and slipped away from Ambassador Sarek's side. Glancing quickly over the crowd, he spotted her by one of the floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over the vastness of one of Earth's oceans. Snagging two drinks from a passing waiter, Sakkath made his way over to her, handing her the drink without a word and taking his place beside her like a silent sentinel.

That was what he'd been for her since shortly after their acquaintance began, after all. He noticed early on that she was so often spoken over or interrupted that she'd simply cease speaking or find reasons to extricate herself from conversations, especially at events like this. The first time, he'd thought it was a fluke - an accident perpetrated by those who were not paying enough attention to social cues to realize they'd been impolite - but as that occurrence repeated itself over and over, Sakkath grew increasingly troubled and protective over her.

She was intelligent and insightful. Could nobody but himself see that she would not have spoken if she hadn't something valuable to contribute? He wanted to take her into his arms and show her that she was not as invisible as perhaps she believed herself to be, but that would not have been proper in such a public setting.

Instead, Sakkath had followed her when she broke away from the group, standing silently by her side. All too often, she was forced to listen to others without being afforded the same courtesy in return. Thus, even when she looked curiously over at him that first night, he merely gave her a respectful nod of his head.

During subsequent encounters, he'd made certain to take up a position near her and keep her company, wanting to show her that he was not simply socializing with her in order to make her listen to him ramble. Once, he was even so bold as to call a Bolian ambassador out for speaking over her. The gruff diplomat had been irritated that a mere personal assistant would speak to him that way, but the beautiful blush that had colored his lady's cheeks had made his actions worth it. When they'd walked away to a quiet corner that night, she'd laid a hand carefully on the sleeve of his tunic and thanked him with an earnestness that almost alarmed him. Had nobody ever stood up for her before?

That had been the first night she'd spoken to him about anything outside of their work. It was also the first time that he'd stated outright that he enjoyed hearing her speak.

Their relationship had developed naturally over the months that passed, settling into a balanced, yet surreptitious set of romantic rendezvous ranging from the brief clasping of hands in back stairwells, to abbreviated embraces between meetings, to passionate, intimate assignations in empty conference rooms. He'd even been so bold as to don a hooded cape and visit her quarters when both their Ambassadors had been sent to the same set of negotiations a few months back.

Neither Sakkath nor his lover had ever once truly risked their positions by displaying their affections in public. Oh, it wasn't that their relationship would be forbidden - on the contrary, there were no regulations against interoffice romances - however, publicly unprofessional behavior was certainly grounds for disciplinary censure, and he would never risk sullying her reputation with his own indiscretions.

That was why tonight, though the beast of his emotions roared in his chest for him to tug her out of the room and utterly fuse his scent with hers, he refrained. Watching her take a sip from the glass he'd obtained for her instead, they looked out the window together at the rippling water.

"This is my first time on your planet in many years, t'sai. I find the view quite a bit more...stimulating than I did before," he said quietly, hoping that she knew - she had to know - that he wasn't referring exclusively to the starlight reflecting off the ocean's gently cresting waves. The soft, inconspicuous brush of her fingers against the back of his hand made his breath hitch.

"I'm glad you're enjoying your time here, osu," she said before lowering her voice to just above a whisper. "You look very distinguished tonight, Sakkath."

"I had hoped my choice of outfit would be aesthetically agreeable to you, ashaya, but you should know that you are infinitely more pleasing to look at," he replied brushing his hand against hers a bit more firmly. All of his emotions beat at the barrier of his control at once, and, taking a chance, he whispered the one thing he'd longed to since he entered the conference room. "You have stolen my logic from me. I wish nothing more fervently than to have you alone in my arms..."

He knew he shouldn't be speaking like this in public, even though he was being quiet enough that only she could hear him, but he could help it. Sakkath ached for her as he'd done for no one else. He knew that she'd never heard him be so open when they were anywhere other than safely tucked away in each others' arms.

"Sakkath?" She breathed, looking at him with wide eyes. "Are you alright?"

"No, I am not. I find myself...unsettled when I am away from you. Every moment we spend parted is...I can think of no descriptor more applicable than 'torture.' If you wish me to stop, to keep our relationship to our current parameters, then I shall silence myself," he promised. Sakkath hadn't planned to admit any of this today, but he meant it all the same. "However, you should know that there is no other who has laid claim to my heart as you have. I...wish to be yours. Entirely."

As he spoke, his heart hammered away in his side, and as he fell silent again, he looked over at the woman he loved. Foremost in his mind was the day prior to their first tryst.

Sakkath had been accompanying Ambassador Sarek to a turbolift in the embassy on Vulcan. As they approached, however, the door slid open to reveal Lojal and his own assistant. Her eyes met Sakkath's, and without so much as a word passing their lips, they each took up positions behind their superiors. As they passed each other, she silently caught his hand, but before she could let go, Sakkath lifted her wrist to his mouth, pressing a delicate, sensual kiss above her fluttering pulse.

She swore later that he'd looked as though he'd wanted to eat her, and he promised with every fiber of his being that if the Ambassadors had been absent, he would've knelt before her and done just that.

He felt the same hunger now, even as he awaited her decision.

"Sakkath..." she breathed, and heat rose to the Vulcan's cheeks as he realized the next words out of her mouth would either shatter his heart or make him whole for the first time in his life.

--

Ambassadors Sarek and Lojal spoke quietly from their place near the back of the room, trading stories and staunchly avoiding most of the more unpleasant diplomats for as long as they could. When a familiar pair by one of the large windows caught Sarek's eye, he pointed them out to his colleague.

"I believe he will ask her tonight," Lojal said to his friend, elevating his chin with a hint of pride. Sarek lifted an eyebrow and glanced at him, not with reproach but with curiosity. The two men had been watching their personal assistants dance around each other for so long, attempting to be discreet about their obviously growing romantic relationship. The pair had conducted this conversation many times, but it was usually Sarek who predicted the impending approach of the inevitable question, not Lojal.

"What makes you believe that tonight will be any different than the others?" Sarek had been married twice, both times to Human women. He knew their appeal and how easily they could drive even the most controlled Vulcan to madness, yet he could sense no noticeable increase in such madness in his assistant tonight. He had no reason to suspect that Sakkath was close to his breaking point, so why did Lojal sound so certain?

"It is logical," Lojal said almost smugly before taking a sip of water from his glass. At Sarek's bewildered expression, he explained himself further. "Observe the drink in his hand. Vulcan port. Normally, Sakkath is too professional to even consider imbibing at an official event, however, with such a task before him, he obviously wishes for some 'liquid courage' as the Humans would say. In addition, he has purchased a new tunic for tonight - note the slight stiffness in the fabric from its lack of wear. Even if he was not aware of the significance of his own choices, he is attempting to prove himself a worthy potential mate."

Sarek nodded his head quietly. That was all quite correct, and he had to admit that those observations were, in fact, logical.

"You are quite correct, however, that does not mean that she will accept his adva–" The Ambassador broke off when Lojal's assistant grabbed Sakkath's hand and led him through one of the doors at the side of the room with a shy, joyful smile on her lips. A vibrant green blush colored her companion's cheeks as he allowed himself to quite happily be led away into the moonlit garden maze. "...I stand corrected."

Lojal hummed quietly, and after a moment's lapsed silence, a thought occurred.

"Perhaps we should suggest that they both take some leave time," Sarek suggested, and Lojal nodded his head.

"I have already taken the liberty of offering my assistant leave. Logic would suggest that she will likely ask Sakkath to join her during their liaison tonight," the Ambassador murmured to Sarek.

"I will, then, anticipate Sakkath's absence," he muttered, but he stared pensively at the doorway through which they'd exited. "They seem well-suited. She will be patient with him."

"And he will be devoted to her," Lojal added setting his now-empty glass aside. "It seems as though we shall be feigning even more meetings, and you would be wise to prepare yourself for a few less-than-subtle questions about romantic relationships with Humans."

"Indeed. We will both be inconvenienced," Sarek murmured thoughtfully, "but such a love as theirs is worth the sacrifice."

~*~*~

Vulcan Words:

t'sai = my lady

osu = sir

ashaya = darling

ozh'esta = finger smooch

~*~

Taglist:

@akamitrani @android-boyfriends @attention-bajoranworkers @bigblissandlove1 @darkmattervibes @emilie786 @horta-in-charge @live-logs-and-proper @slutty-slutty-vulcans @starrynightgardens @toebeans-mcgee

[tmapagans]

THE VAST

[Image link]

Epithets

The Fallen Titan

Sky Blue

Correspondences

Blue crystals

The sky

The ocean

Stars

Wide open spaces

Fulgurite

Offerings

Smoothies/milkshakes

Blue crystals

Shells/things from the ocean

Mementos from high places

Pictures that give you vertigo

Those night sky/star projectors

Devotional Acts

Skydiving/paragliding/any similar sport [please only do this if you can do it safely]

Climbing trees/stairs [again, safely]

Stargazing

If you have any suggestions/UPG involving the Vast, feel free to suggest them as this post is a constant WIP

[kuroneko1815]

Shatter me with a kiss or spare me my heart

Welcome to another instalment of El’s bedtime stories. This didn’t work and she proceeded to remain awake for another two or three hours. Anyway, this was based on the Descendants 3 song ‘one kiss’ that she sent me, so I guess kind of sleeping beauty. @eloise175 please go to sleep on time, or at least pretend to sleep after I send you a ficlet.

Penelope stared at Callisto, sleeping peacefully and deeply. Too deeply that it was unnerving. One would think he was dead. With the slow breaths he took, his pale countenance, and the slow beat of his heart. She was unused to such a quiet and still Prince. If anything, he was how she often wished him to be when he vexed her so.

‘Twas a curse from one of his enemies, they declared. Though she knew it was none other than his wretched, miserable, shrivelled up old stepmother who had long since chased away the emperor from her bed with her odious looks and personality that had caused this curse.

They all thought their relationship to be false and full of artifice, as though they had only put on a show. But she knew her feelings ran deep, as the saying goes ‘the course of true love never did run smooth’ or something of the sort. And Penelope loved him, loved her handsome, valiant, gentle, magnificently irritating lover of a dragon prince to the very depths of her soul and more. She would kiss him awake if only she knew it would work. If only she had any certainty that he felt even the barest of feelings for her other than amusement and fondness.

If he felt even the tiniest bit the way she had, she would kiss him true and break this curse. For surely her love would be enough to fill up what love lacked from him? But she was afraid to find out, to know, that she was nothing more than a whim and a moment in his life.

Outside those doors she knew Sir Porter waited to see his liege awake. She could walk out and lie, say that it didn’t work and let him sleep on forevermore, let her live with the delusion that he loved her and all she needed to do was gather her courage.

Or she could kiss him now. She could shatter it all, her delusions and her heart and kiss him to put an end to this farce and walk away from him and everything that reminded her of him. Let some other woman try their chance at being his true love, let her kiss be what woke him, her love be what healed the man broken by war and death.

She tried to imagine living her life in that delusion, that uncertainty always looming over her, that what if? Even if she walked away, she would never move on unless she knew. A broken heart she may have after this, she decided as she leaned closer, but at least she would have closure. Let this be the last then. “I love you, Callisto Regulus.” She said as she gathered what love she had in her for him, this insurmountably vast ocean whose depths were untold, fathoms and leagues unmeasured and unexplored, and put it all into one gentle kiss as she let what sadness linger in her eyes and heart, let a tear or two fall as she pulled away from her unresponsive prince.

So that was it then. She straightened herself. “Goodbye.”

And just as she’d walked two steps, a hand reached out and pulled her back, down she fell on to the bed and onto his chest, stunned and dazed as she looked at those piercing red eyes of the man who held her tenderly.

“And where were you to go, Princess?” He asked, voice hoarse from sleep and disuse. It had taken days for her to get the message and rush to his side after all. “I’d not given you permission to leave.”

“Your highness! You’re awake!” She cried happily, arms lacing around his neck. It mattered not that he couldn’t say it. Not yet at least. For she at least knew what he felt for her with the breaking of the curse.

Seriously though, if you have any idea how many plot bunnies, WIPs, and half finished chapters, stories, or instalments I have, you’d understand why I haven’t posted anything big recently. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this. Stay healthy and safe everyone.

[illiasha]

Seven Sentence Sunday

In which Mobius witnesses all the potential lives he and Loki have on the timelines.

The vines of time wove and twisted like an ocean that stretched into infinity, all intertwining, all originating from one root: Loki.

Mobius looked up at his god, with his glimmering crown of obsidian burdening his head to bow and his hands so full with purpose there wasn’t even room for him to fit. There was no importance for Mobius in this life; he had fulfilled his role, and now he had no right to ask for more, especially now that Loki held all of time and space in his quivering hands.

The only thing he had left to give was himself, so Mobius approached Loki’s throne, the structure like a prison in itself, and dared to fit himself into Loki’s purpose.

His fingers stretched out and brushed Loki’s lonely cheek, then the vastness of the multiverse unraveled before his eyes and he saw. Everything, every life, every love, every betrayal and loyalty and journey, it was all revealed to him…everything that he could never have.

He realized with a certain finality that he was mourning—not for the variants of him and Loki, some together on the timelines, others on complete opposites of life but who will still inevitably find each other—but for himself, for the beautiful life he would never have with his Loki, his life, and a single tear dared to shed from Mobius’s eye.

A little snippet/summary of a wip I’ve had going on in the background for a while hahahhh 🙈

Thanks @loki-is-my-kink-awakening for the tag!! Also open tag for anyone who wants to hop on!

[mysticstarlightduck]

Worldbuilding In 5

Thank you for the tag. @anyablackwood!!! I'm a huge fan of worldbuilding, so this is going to be so fun! I'll go with my WIP Of Starlight and Beasts for this one!

Rules: post 3-5 images of a place in your world and tell us a bit about it!

Kingdom Of Tirawen

Tirawen is one of, if not the, most important cities in the realm. Capital of a kingdom (of the same name) Tirawen is nestled atop the eastern side of a vast mountain range, at the heart of the realm. It was once a "sibling kingdom" to its neighboring nation of Idraven before Idraven fell to the clutches of a harrowing curse that practically wiped it from history's records. Tirawen is ruled over by an ancient royal family, a dynasty said to have brought about an era of peace and prosperity to the once chaotic realm. The kingdom also has a darker side - beset by monstrous, twisted beasts from beyond the mountains, all throughout the year, but especially so during the long winter months of the kingdom, Tirawen strongly depends on its magical borders, which have provided effective protection from the beasts for centuries. However, in the beginning of the book, this magic begins to wane and falter, presenting a dire future that just may put at risk the existence and survival of this beautiful marble city, if not prevented on time.

The Frosts

The Frosts are a large expanse of land far beyond the territories of kingdoms like Tirawen, Monbern, or Orloch. A vast, frozen, and desertic tundra, the Frosts' land is untamable to outsiders who do not understand the power of its enchanted winter. This land is also the home of the first True Dragons and giant snakes, which seem to have been born of the raw magic present in the snowstorms and frozen oceans. The Frosts have their own kingdoms and divisions of land, independent from their neighbors on the other side of the continent - such as Tirawen, and the other cities - though the two lands have strong diplomatic bonds and trade. They're ruled over by five, ancient, matriarchal clans, who were the first humans to master both the art of survival and magic - and they have learned to both tame and leave peacefully with the giant draconic creatures surrounding them. This land is much, much more ancient than Tirawen and any of the kingdoms that grew around it.

**(Pictures from Pinterest)

Tagging - @crowandmoonwriting, @littleladymab, @lassiesandiego, @little-peril-stories, @kaylinalexanderbooks, @thepeculiarbird, @blind-the-winds, @cowboybrunch, @memento-morri-writes, @rickie-the-storyteller, @tabswrites, @illarian-rambling, @oh-no-another-idea, @i-can-even-burn-salad, @clairelsonao3 and OPEN TAG

[ragsy]

This is still technically a WIP, but I may as well share this little morsel of Kenneth Writings while I'm still fully obsessed with him.

__________________

Stepping through the fifty-seventh Door (since he had started counting) in the third year (as far as he could tell) of his internment in the barren Other Place, Kenneth found a Room.

It was erroneous to call it a room exactly, as was the case with most of the previous Rooms. However, that was all he could think to call them. The only common features between any of the Rooms were: 1. They were a space beyond a Door, and 2. They often contained Objects. That was where the similarities ended.

The Room he had just left behind (the fifty-sixth Room since he had started counting) had been a claustrophobic labyrinth of wood-paneled corridors, curling linoleum tile, and cigarette smoke. Before that, the fifty-fifth had been a roaring ocean of acrid water and dead salmon. The fifty-fourth, an infinite stretch of salt flats under a desolate black sky.

The Doors, too, evaded description. They were a way to get from one Room to the next, and that was it. He had been through tunnels, black holes, pits, revolving doors, mouths, portals, and drains. He had been swallowed, shoved, swept, sunk, pushed, placed, and expelled. More than a few of the Doors had been inexplicably wet.

Kenneth often regretted not having a notebook with him when he had stumbled into the first Room; he would have been able to keep much more accurate and detailed notes of the scenery than his aging memory would allow him. At least, when he escaped this endless world of Rooms and Doors, he could recount his experience to--

To-...

...

Just one more Door. Then he would be free. Right?

Kenneth stepped across the fifty-seventh Threshold. The Door behind him (a rusted submarine hatch, coated in a clear, sticky layer of mystery fluid) groaned shut and latched itself. They always locked after closing— he gave it a light tug, just in case it didn't this time. He wiped the stain of mystery fluid onto the leg of his slacks.

The fifty-seventh Room was vast, solid, and angular. Huge stone bricks, each the size of three of him, stacked hundreds high, formed enormous square walls around him that echoed his footsteps into the lockstep of an invisible parade around him. The air was cool, stale, and dry. His tracks left craters in the pristine layer of dust blanketing the floor.

At the center of the Room, a lone brick sat indifferently under the dust. Its massive square shape was marred by cracks and chips, and the beam of harsh crimson light casting through a gap in the surrounding wall betrayed the brick's origin.

Kenneth seated himself upon it.

It had been many Doors since a Room had offered him a place to rest, and his arthritic knees rejoiced at their long-deserved leave. He never needed to eat or drink while he was in the Other Place, but right now, he would kill for a bottle of ibuprofen.

Tipping backwards, he laid himself flat on the brick, hands folded behind his head. The Other Place also denied him the need for sleep, but he stubbornly kept the ritual. Eyes closed, body still, breath slowed.

The time will pass anyway.

[rochenn]

🍌 and🍐for the fruit ask game? ☺️

Certainly!

🍌 In your opinion, what’s the funniest joke/reference/pun you’ve made in a fic?

This is great because I genuinely can't remember if there's a joke anywhere in the first 2 chapters of Rifle or in my vast ocean of unpublished wips. There's a little moment in my 1872 AU where Obi-Wan says "red's not my color" as he did in canon, but instead of referencing lightsabers he's talking about British Army uniforms. It's a small reference and not very funny, but I'm proud of it :D

🍐 Is there anything in canon that you absolutely hate and love to fix in fics? A wrong choice made, a fuck-up in characterization, a misunderstanding never cleared up, a conversation never shown onscreen, etc…

I stringently ignore what happens in Dark Disciple! It's not real and it can't hurt me. Also, I find the RotS novelization's choice to make Dooku a hard-boiled racist questionable at best. I can make him sooo despicable without putting supremacist worms in his brain!

As for "conversation never shown on screen" and "wrong choice made"... yeah. There's so much you can do with Asajj and Dooku there. Little semi fix-its where Dooku tries to subtly warn her after he got the termination order from Sidious, or scenes where they actually get to bond over something that isn't fear and hatred. Idk. Their dynamic is incredible and I love giving them more than what they got in canon <3 I have so many ideas in the pipeline