#~ a rose by every other name ~ (beatrix)

[venomousovereignty]

Art doodles with @rcsetorn / @royaldeceit ~

[bellwood-qudditch]

HP: Next Gen headcannons (the Wotter’s)

•Roxanne has the most tik tok followers and Instagram followers

•Victorie and Teddy got married in Paris on Christmas Eve so the entire Wotter family spent Christmas in Paris

•Rose became Quidditch captain in her sixth year

•Louis was made prefect and Headboy

•Dominique has twin girls in 2023 named Billie Beatrix Weasley and Scout Isabella Weasley

•As a wedding present, Harry gifted Teddy and Victorie Number 12, Grimmauld place

•Lily quit quidditch in her fifth year as she felt burnt out from doing it

•James Sirius Potter asked Alice Longbottom the second out in a grand gesture just like his namesake

•Albus was extremely talented at art

•Fred ii and Roxanne would intern at their fathers joke shop every summer from ages 14+

•Molly Weasley ii moved to New York two years after her graduation to become a journalist for the New York ghost

•Lucy Weasley is obsessed with Harry Styles and Taylor Swift despite have a PureBlood dad and step-mother

•Speaking of, in 2019 Percy had his third biological child with Daphne Greengrass named Ophelia Sicilia Greengrass-Weasley

•Lucy and Molly ii have two step siblings (Zade Greengrass-Pucey & Zoey Greengrass-Pucey)

•James Sirius & Fred ii, along with their two other friends Preston Wood & Joshua Finnigan started a band in their fifth year. (It doesn’t exist anymore)

•Roxanne is fluid with her sexuality

•Dominique had a complicated time with figuring out her sexuality but eventually decided after having her daughters and meeting the love of her life she was a lesbian

•Hugo named his daughter Charlotte after Charlie Weasley, his favourite uncle

[nightingaelic]

YOOO I didn’t know you had fallout ocs tell me abt them. Who are their companions what’re their roles etc

Ah, what the hell.

My Lone Wanderer is Paladin Elizabeth Titus, who spent her early 20s trying to help the Capital Wasteland by completing her father's dream of Project Purity and bringing the might of the Brotherhood of Steel to those who most need it. She's been romantically connected to Amata Almodovar, Sarah Lyons, and Point Lookout's Nadine, and she's on good terms with Butch DeLoria, Star Paladin Cross, Fawkes, and a liberated Clover. Post-game, she has become estranged from the Brotherhood of Steel, and she's now doing work with the Abolitionists and Reilly's Rangers despite her activities being a topic of much speculation throughout the Capital Wasteland. She is a field medic and a pilot, she wields heavy weaponry with finesse, and she tends to keep everyone at arm's length in the belief that her own reputation will eventually harm them.

My Sole Survivor is Murphy Olson Kelly, thawed pre-war lawyer who made her way through the Railroad and the Brotherhood before finally settling with the Minutemen to find her son, then bring down the Institute. She's been romantically connected to Mayor John Hancock, Elder Arthur Maxson, and Robert Joseph MacCready, and she considers the rest of the companions close friends. She is a darling of the Commonwealth and is on good terms with nearly everyone besides the Institute, fundamentalist Brotherhood members, and skeptical Railroad agents. She relies on her charisma, persuasiveness, and twin plasma pistols to get by, and she is chock-full of survivor's guilt that sometimes manifests as psyker abilities, but more often results in her getting involved in every problem she finds.

My Courier Six is Fox, a desert enigma who seized New Vegas and the Hoover Dam as her own in an attempt to crush the Legion and fend off the New California Republic. She's been romantically connected to Benny Gecko, Rose of Sharon Cassidy, Red Lucy, The King, Ulysses, Beatrix Russell, and Craig Boone, and she is on good-to-mixed terms with the companions not because of her perceived reputation as a heartbreaker, but because of her inability to stand still and commit. She is generally liked, if a little feared, by the Mojave Wasteland, and she is considered a threat by Caesar's Legion and the NCR, albeit one that will eventually move on in the pursuit of something new. Fox follows whatever trail she is inclined to at the moment, and she wards off most dangers with shotgun blasts. It's unknown whether she still has her memories from before Goodsprings.

My Vault 76 Dweller is Dolores, the daughter of a wartime photographer and a veterinarian who took up residence in the Savage Divide in an abandoned train station that she turned into a home and renowned moonshine distillery. She's connected primarily to Foundation, but she's on good terms with the Crater, the Blue Ridge Caravan Company, and the Responders because everyone in Appalachia loves liquor. Her weapon of choice is a railway rifle.

My other Vault 76 Dweller is Rosalyn, whose last act before the bombs fell was making sure her mob-connected husband didn't make it to the vault in time. She spent some time with Rose and the raiders of the Crater, but recently became fascinated with the ill-fated Order of Mysteries and has been trying to restart the group. She primarily uses the Voice of Set and the Blade of Bastet in combat, but she does occasionally bust out the silver submachine gun of the Mistress's paramour.

With the exception of Rosalyn, my OCs have all made it onto my Archive of Our Own account in some form. Murphy and Elizabeth cross paths in my long-running post-game Fallout 4 series; Fox appeared in a one-off prompt fic that explores her relationship with Boone; and Dolores underwent a name change for some explicit encounters in Appalachia.

[rcsetorn]

6. Name 3 things you love most about your muse/muses.1. What is your favorite trope to rp? 2. Name 3 things you admire about OCs B)

◈ ╼ ༺ :|     Meme for Muns || @tailoringtay     |: ༻ ╼ ◈  

6. Name 3 things you love most about your muse/muses.

~ Beatrix is a one woman army and everyone in FFIX knows it.  There’re multiple mentions of how powerful she through the confidence of allies have in her and hopelessness of her enemies. ~ Her self-sacrifice denying everything for the sake of her own kingdom.  Protecting, serving, rebuilding. ~ A random third.  I absolutely love the rose on her back.  It’s such an iconic emblem in her design, and I love seeing it every chance I get.  She’s the Rose of May.

1. What is your favorite trope to rp? 

It’s uh...probably shipping if I’m honest.  Seeing the bonds form and grow.  The soft moments of weakness and the pain when faced with adversary.  Beatrix keeps keeps private, so her opening up to friends and loved ones (or enemies) makes me giddy.

2. Name 3 things you admire about OCs

I see what you did here~ But hm... ~ I enjoy their history and how their background is fleshed out to make them who they are.  And seeing how they interact and grow with others. ~ Little details.  Really just fun little tidbits like their favorite flower, a certain tic, why they always tie their hair back into a bun... ~ They’re the original creator’s precious brain child~

[skamenglishsubs]

Subtext and Culture, Young Royals, What's in a name?

I thought I was done, but I have material for one more post. I want to write more about how royal names work, because I've seen a lot of confusion and simple lack of knowledge in the tags, so think of this as more of an informative culture post than an analysis post of the show.

European royals and nobles have styles, names, titles, and houses. In addition, monarchs have regnal names.

A style is how you formally address someone, based on their rank and title. In Sweden, the only styles left are "majesty" and "royal higness", where kings and queens are addressed as "your majesty", and select members of the royal family are addressed as "your royal highness". In Swedish, these styles are often abbreviated as H.M. - Hans/Hennes Majestät and H.K.H. - Hans/Hennes Kungliga Höghet. In English, the abbreviations are HM and HRH.

In the show, you can see this when Simon meets the Queen, and shakily addresses her as "Your Majesty", or when Minou calls up August and says "Her Majesty the Queen has resolved your problems with the school fee".

In less formal, but still polite speech, you would use third person addressing when talking to or about the royals, and there are numerous examples of this in the show:

Anette to Erik: "How nice to see the crown prince again!"

Some aide to Wilhelm: "Could we get a shot of the prince shaking hands with the headmistress?"

Anette: "Wilhelm, sorry, the crown prince, how nice the memorial was!"

August: "The queen has asked me, personally, to take care of him."

Malin: "I just wanted to remind the crown prince that breakfast closes in five minutes."

Names for royals and nobles work just like the rest of us, but with one exception: Royals generally do not use last names, while lesser nobles do. They also tend to have several first names, and while they generally pick names for their children based on trends in society, they stay on the traditional conservative side, and they often pick names from their family history.

The show only tells us one first name for each member of the royal family: Kristina, Ludvig, Erik, and Wilhelm, so we have no idea what other names they might have.

In the real world, the name of the king of Sweden is Carl Gustaf Folke Hubertus, the crown princess' name is Victoria Ingrid Alice Désirée, and her oldest daughter's name is Estelle Silvia Ewa Mary, just to give you some flavour of what it could look like.

Titles are what sets higher nobles apart from us mere commoners, and have their origin in the feudal system of medieval Europe, which was a hierarchical socio-economic-military system where the lord of a land could grant a portion of his land, a fief, to a vassal in exchange for fealty - loyalty, taxes, and military service. Doing so would create a title, it would make the vassal a noble of a lower rank than his lord, because you could only create titles lower than the one you possessed. So, in general, kings could create dukes or lower, dukes could create counts or lower, and counts could create barons. The fief of a duke is called a duchy, a count ruled over a county, and a baron over a barony, although there were more ranks and more titles than that, depending on region and language, but those are the main ones.

Every single squabble or conflict or battle or civil war or war fought in the middle ages was over the titles, because the titles legally conferred ownership of a piece of land, and with it the rights of taxation and the economic value of that land. Over time, kingdoms got more centralized and the hierarchical nature of the system broke down, while the titles became more hereditary, and ownership of the land became less important, which meant that minor nobles lost the power to create vassals and fiefs, while the power to create titles was reserved for the monarchs, and titles created in this era usually only granted people a title for an area or a castle or a manor house that they already owned.

Going into modern times, European countries curbed title creation, but generally kept protections for existing titles and allowing them to be inherited according to whatever inheritance rules applied to each title. But if a title holder dies without a legal heir, the title is lost forever, which means that most modern day noble families want to make sure their title, their history, their legacy can survive long into the future. Also note that one person can hold several titles, and each of those titles can be inherited individually and under different rules.

In Sweden, there are currently 46 comital families (greve/grevinna - count/countess), 131 baronial families (friherre/friherrinna - baron/baroness), and 484 untitled lower noble families. There are no independent ducal families, instead the monarch grants royal children a ceremonial duchy at birth, for one of the 25 historical provinces of Sweden. This means that every single member of the Swedish royal family is a prince or princess of Sweden, and also duke or duchess of some province.

Again, we have no idea what province Wilhelm is the duke of in the show, while for example in the real Sweden, Princess Estelle is the duchess of Östergötland, Prince Carl Philip is duke of Värmland, and Princess Leonore is duchess of Gotland.

A noble house is a noble family or clan that is associated with one or more hereditary titles. Noble houses were founded when someone was ennobled and granted a title, and a noble house can branch and wither and split and form new houses over the ages, and it can gain or lose status as its members gain or lose noble titles and ranks.

In medieval times, these family bonds were very strong, and many major conflicts were a result of different houses fighting over various titles, for example the Wars of the Roses was a 32 year long civil war over the throne of England between the House of York and the House of Lancaster.

A royal house is a noble house that holds a title of king or queen, and for members of the royal family, their house name is what they have instead of a normal last name. We don't know which royal house Wilhelm belongs to in the show, but the current royal house of Sweden is the House of Bernadotte, named after the French rando we imported that I wrote about in the last post. Other houses that have been the royal house of Sweden throughout history include the House of Holstein-Gottorp, the House of Oldenburg, and the House of Vasa.

Finally, a regnal name is a name that a reigning monarch chooses for themselves when they ascend the throne, and it consists of one or more of their first names, and a roman numeral ordinal if there have been previous kings or queens with that name. If you're the first of your name to rule over a kingdom, you can choose to call yourself "the first", or you can choose not to.

In the show, Kristina doesn't appear to have an ordinal, but in real life Sweden there was a Queen Kristina who reigned in the middle of the 1600's. (She was probably a lesbian, caused the death of French philosopher René Descartes, abdicated in favour of her cousin, and moved to Rome and converted to Catholicism. As you do.)

In the real world, the king of Sweden reigns under the name Carl XVI Gustaf, because he's the sixteenth (tenth, actually) Karl to have been king of Sweden, and he also picked his second name because he liked it, or because he wanted to stand out from the fifteen other Karls who preceded him. His regnal name is pronounced Carl den sextonde Gustaf - Carl the sixteenth Gustaf.

Putting all of this together, the styles, the names, the titles, and the houses, and we can finally get the full formal names of various royals. Here are examples from some European royal families to demonstrate what it can look like:

HRH Madeleine Thérèse Amelie Josephine, Princess of Sweden, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland, of house Bernadotte.

HH Felix Henrik Valdemar Christian, Prince of Denmark, Count of Monpezat, of house Glücksburg.

HRH Ingrid Alexandra, Princess of Norway, of house Glücksburg.

HRH Prince William Arthur Philip Louis, Duke of Cambridge, of house Windsor.

HRH Catharina-Amalia Beatrix Carmen Victoria, Princess of the Netherlands, Princess of Orange, of house Orange-Nassau

HRH Emmanuel Léopold Guillaume François Marie, Prince of Belgium, of house Belgium.

HRH Infanta Sofía de Todos los Santos de Borbón y Ortiz, of house Bourbon.

These names are quite the mouthful, and the full names and styles are only used in very formal settings. Normally, these people are referred to with their highest title, and their chosen first names, i.e. Princess Madeleine, Prince Felix, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, Prince William, Princess Catharina-Amalia, Prince Emmanuel, and Infanta Sofía.

We only have the short name of Wilhelm, i.e. Prince Wilhelm, in the show. We don't have his full name, but if it follows form, he would be HRH Wilhelm <Name> <Name> <Name>, Prince of Sweden, Duke of <Province>, of house <House>.

Note that Wilhelm's father is not a king, he's a prince-consort, since Wilhelm's mother is the reigning monarch. The proper styles for his parents would be Her Majesty Queen Kristina (II?), and His Royal Highness Prince Ludvig.

The only other nobles in the show we have full names for is August and Felice, and August's full name would be August <Name?> Horn, Count (or Baron) of Årnäs. Felice's would be just Felice <Name?> Ehrencrona, because her parents are still alive and still hold whatever title they have.

Commoners marrying into a royal family is no longer forbidden or controversial, and all European royal families have had commoners marrying into them in the past few generations.

Based on precedence, if Wilhelm and Simon were to get back together and marry in the future, and if they get the consent of the Queen and the government, the following would happen:

Simon would be offered to be made a prince of Sweden, and with it gain the style of HRH.

Simon would be offered to be made a duke of some province.

If he accepts, he would lose his last name, and go from Simon Eriksson to HRH Simon, Prince of Sweden, Duke of <Province>, or simply Prince Simon.

If he declines, he would stay as Mr. Simon Eriksson.

When/If Wilhelm ascends the throne, he would chose a regnal name, and get an ordinal depending on the number of Wilhelms before him. If he's the first of his name, he would simply be King Wilhelm.

And if he and Simon are married when he ascends, Simon would not become king, he would become a prince-consort, and keep the title of prince.

[destielinatardiswithsherlock]

Webcomics I have read and recommend checking out:

1. Brimstone and roses

"Brimstone and roses", a romance webcomic about a woman who summons a demon to be her fake date for a wedding.

status of the comic: ongoing, last updated on December 15th, 2022

2. Hovergirls

"Hovergirls" a comedy webcomic about two cousins just trying to make it in the city of Los aguaceros, who are also monster-fighting magical girls.

status of the comic: complete, comic was last updated on June 11th of 2020

3. The touch of sunlight

"The touch of sunlight", a romance webcomic about a fae living in a well who comes out once every full moon to accept wishes, but one day someone comes along with a wish that can not be granted.

status of the comic: complete, comic was last updated on July 1st, 2020

4. Rockababy

"Rockababy", a sci-fi webcomic about a high schooler who tries to help an alien baby that crash-landed onto the earth.

status of the comic: complete, comic was last updated on august 15th of 2020

5. Gather ye power

"Gather ye power", a comedy webcomic about a dude who wants to collect a bunch of powers.

status of the comic: ongoing, comic was last updated on April 20th of 2022

6. Scoob and shag

" Scoob and shag", a comedy webcomic about scooby doo and shaggy getting into all kinds of hi-jinks.

status of the comic: ongoing, comic was last updated on December 20th, 2022

7. Going home

"Going home", a drama webcomic about a woman living on her own who tries to help some aliens get back home.

Status of the comic: ongoing, comic was last updated on August 18th of 2022

8. Love is strange but we are stranger

"Love is strange but we are stranger", a slice of life webcomic for adults about two people who are deeply in love with each other.

Status of the comic: ongoing, comic was last updated on February 14th of 2022

9. Here there be dragons

"Here there be dragons" a fantasy webcomic about a woman who goes on a dangerous adventure after receiving a message from a dying dragon

Status of the comic: ongoing, comic was last updated on December 4th of 2022

10. Eaternal nocturnal

"Eaternal Nocturnal", a romance webcomic about a girl who has trouble going to sleep until one day she meets a dream eater

Status of the comic: ongoing, comic was last updated on October 26th, 2022

11. Black pants club

"Black pants club", a comedy webcomic about a group of pals who are dramatic about minor inconveniences

Status of the comic: ongoing, comic was last updated on August 15th of 2022

12. Batman wayne family adventures

"Batman: Wayne family adventures", a slice of life webcomic about batman and his adopted vigilante kids

Status of the comic: ongoing, comic was last updated on December 21st of 2022

13. Serendipity

"Serendipity", a slice of life slash superhero webcomic about a magical girl named serendipity who beats up monsters and criminals at night, and goes to high school during the day

Status of the comic: ongoing, comic was last updated on October 26th of 2022

14. My Alien Girlfriend doesnt know i'm an alien

"My alien girlfriend doesn't know I'm an alien", a romance webcomic about two alien girlfriends

Status of comic: ongoing, comic was last updated on December 22nd, 2022

15. Voidworld

Voidworld, a cool webcomic about two kids on an adventure

Status of comic, ongoing and on break, comic was last updated on January 20th, 2022

16. Dolmistaska

"Dolmistaska", a webcomic about two animal people living in a mall during the apocalypse

Status of comic, ongoing, comic was last updated on December 19th of 2022

17. Vitaecorra

"Vitaecorra", a comedy/romance webcomic about a bunny girl named Beatrix who gets in trouble with all the wrong people

Status of comic: ongoing, comic was last updated on November 6th of 2022

19.Nixofnothing

"Nix of nothing", a action webcomic about a demigod named Nix who was given the opportunity to live how they wish, but now that there is a divine force targeting them, their life is a lot less free

Status of comic: Ongoing, comic was last updated on December 18th of 2022

20. Rose tide rising

"Rose tide rising", a romance webcomic about a princess and a pirate who try to fight the prophecies that dictate their lives

Status of comic: ongoing, comic just started recently and was last updated on December 16th, 2022

21. Gwendy and ghost

"Gwendy & Ghost", a slice of life webcomic about a girl named Gwendy who lives with a ghost that haunts her house

Status of comic: Ongoing, comic was last updated on December 18th of 2022

22. My werewolf girlfriend

"My werewolf girlfriend", a romance webcomic about a woman named Cinna who has been hunting the same werewolf for over a year, until she eventually meets the werewolf and falls in love with her

Status of comic: Ongoing and quite new, comic was last updated on May 6th of 2022

23. Various everythings

"Various everythings", a slice of life webcomic about a male witch named David, a demon named Mathias, and a newly graduated succubus named Seirath, who learn to grow up and deal with hardships

Status of comic: Ongoing, comic was last updated on November 19th of 2022

24. Ava's Demon

"Ava's Demon", a sci-fi webcomic about a girl named Ava and a demon who lives with her

Status of comic: ongoing, last updated on November 15th of 2022

25. Vixen: NYC

"VIxen: NYC", a superhero webcomic about a woman named Mari who gets an ancestral totem from her relatives right before starting college

Status of comic: ongoing, last updated on December 15th, 2022

26. Monsters and girls

"monsters and girls", a comedy and fantasy webcomic with stories and short comics with monsters, angels, plague doctors, etc.

status of comic: ongoing, last updated on December 19th, 2022

27. Daybreak

"Daybreak", a slice of life webcomic about a character named Marcus who has a big crush

status of comic: ongoing, last updated on December 20th, 2022

28. Girls with horns

"Girls with horns", a comedy webcomic about an unemployed woman named Mary, who has horns and decides to reunite with old friends

Status of comic: ongoing, last updated on December 17th, 2022

29. A slowly beating heart

"a slowly beating heart", an action and romance webcomic about a demon named rune

Status of comic: on a hiatus, last updated on November 3rd

30. Bout

"Bout", a fantasy webcomic about magical animals

Status of webcomic: ongoing, last updated on December 4th, 2022

31. Beach WZRD

"Beach WZRD", A comedy webcomic about a wizard on a beach

status of webcomic: ongoing, last updated on December 21st, 2022

32. Paranatural

"Paranatural", a comedy/action webcomic about middle schoolers who fight evil spirits

status of webcomic: ongoing, last updated on January 12th, 2023

[dialovers-translations]

Diabolik Lovers DARK FATE ー Ayato Maniac [Prologue]

ー The scene starts on the balcony in Banmaden

Cordelia: ...What is that wench’s problem...!? Ayato as well...!

How dare he oppose me like that...!

???: ...You seem to be in somewhat of a bad mood.

ー Richter approaches her

Richter: ーー However, you are beautiful even when upset, my precious Cordelia.

Cordelia: Richter...Hmph, what do you want?

Richter: I do not need a reason to be with you. Please do not be so cold to me.

Cordelia: Come on, if you want to keep me company that badly, come a little closer. ーー Get down on the floor, and lick my foot.

Richter: As you wish...

*Rustle*

Richter: Aah, Cordelia. You are the perfect woman. Every part of your body is stunning.

Cordelia: Why of course? ...Fufu...That position fits you very well. Come on, lick it.

Richter: It would be an honour, Cordelia...Nn.

Cordelia: ...Exactly. You are doing a great job, Richter...

Fufu...

...Right...All men in this world should be at my feet.

Yet...Ayato...You...!

Richter! I have had enough! Back off!!

ー Cordelia kicks him away

*Thud*

Richter: Ah!

Cordelia: Ah, gosh...! I have had enough of all these people.

Christa...That whore’s son...As well as the child of that hag Beatrix...

Destroying his violin did not deal nearly enough damage ...Fufufu.

Either way, if only I can retrieve my heart from that little girl...

Richter: Cordelia...

I will return your heart to you at all costs, my beloved.

For your sake, I do not mind just how much blood I have to get on these hands of mine.

Cordelia: Richter...Thank you. I am relying on you, fufufu.

However...Let me deliver the final blow, okay? I want to retrieve what belongs to me with my own hands.

In front of Ayato...I will rip out her heart...! What do you think? Sounds like the perfect come-back, no? 

Richter: Yes, Cordelia!

Cordelia: Nfu~ I knew you would say that.

As a reward for meeting my expectations...

I shall bless you with a kiss. Nn...

Richter: ...! Aah...Cordelia...!

ー The scene shifts to the Sakamaki manor

Reiji: ーー Hm? Aah. You can seal that invitation now.

Yui: Okay.

Reiji: Please use that candle over there to seal the envelopes.

Yui: Y-Yes...

*Flip*

Yui: ( There’s still so many left...I wonder how much longer it will take...? )

*Flip flip*

Reiji: Good grief...Starting with that good-for-nothing, I wonder why none of the people in this house are willing to help out with anything.

They are acting as if none of this concerns them. Honestly...

Yui: Y-Yeah...

( However, even if they were here, I feel like Reiji-san might have a hard time either way... )

*Flip flip*

ー Ayato enters the living room

Ayato: Woah, look who’s working hard over here! You’re practically buried underneath those letters, Chichinashi!

Yui: Ayato-kun!

Reiji: Ayato! Honestly, you are so...If you have the time to poke fun at someone else, how about you actually help out a little?

Ayato: In your dreams. That’s not my job.

Yui: ( I’ve been worried since he has been cooped up in his room as of late but...Seems like he’s doing well. )

Ayato: ...

ー Ayato leaves again

Yui: Ah...

( I guess he’s still... )

...W-Wait, Ayato-kun!

ー Yui chases after him

Reiji: You too!? Halt, Komori Yui!

Yui: I’m sorry! I’ll get back right away...!

ー The scene shifts to the forest outside

Yui: Haah, haah, haah...Ayato-kun!

Ayato: You...Why did you follow me all the way out here?

Weren’t you helpin’ out Reiji?

Yui: I was but...I wanted to talk to you for a bit.

Ayato: Hm...

Yui: W-What brings you here?

Ayato: Not like there’s anythin’ fun to do inside my room. Our family doesn’t need another shut-in besides Subaru.

My mind ends up wanderin’ as well...

So I figured I would get some fresh aーー

...No...

Yui: ...?

Ayato: I just remembered somethin’ great. Follow me for a bit.

Yui: Eh? S-Sure...

( I wonder what’s wrong? )

ー The scene shifts to the flower field

Ayato: Ohー... They’re bloomin’, just like I thought...

Yui: Ayato-kun, this isーー

Ayato: ーー Lunar eclipse flowers.

Apparently they only bloom durin’ an eclipse. Last time, I came across them by pure coincidence...

I bet you like this kinda stuff, don’t you?

Yui: Yeah...

They’re so pretty...

( ...Every day has been filled with anxieties ever since we came here. )

( However, perhaps I was being too afraid of this place, simply because it is foreign to me. )

Ayato: ...

Yui: The Demon World, you see...It’s obviously different from my own world, so there’s a bunch of surprises...

However, I now realize it’s home to such beautiful flowers as well.

This is where you and your brothers grew up, isn’t it?

In that case, I want to get to know it better as well.

Ayato: Yui...

*Rustle*

On certain CGs, little black roses will appear on the screen. If you click on them, you get an extra line of dialogue.

“Don’t you dare show that expression of yours to anyone else, ‘kay? That’s a promise with Yours Truly.”

“Vistin’ these kind of spots isn’t bad once in a while, right? I was so kind to take you here, so you better be grateful, Chichinashi.”

Ayato: ...Even so, don’t just go wanderin’ ‘round while leavin’ yourself completely defenseless, ‘kay?

No matter in which world we are, you are still mine, remember?

Oi, do you understand that?

Yui: Ayato-kun...

Yeah...I belong to you, Ayato-kuーー

*Rustle*

Ayato: ...!

Who’s there!?

???: ...My sincere apologies. I did not mean to interrupt.

I am simply one other person drawn to this place by the lunar eclipse flowers.

Yui: ( Who is this guy...? )

Ayato: ...What? Haven’t seen you ‘round here?

Mertz: Nice to meet you. ーー My name is Mertz.

Yui: Mertz...san...

Mertz: Exactly. This presence...That gentleman over there is a Vampire, is he not? So am I. Furthermore...

I could not help but become captivated by the image of a young, interspecies couple sharing their mutual love amidst the beautiful flower fields.

Ayato: Ah!? Don’t make me gag!! Get out of my sight!!

Mertz: ...You say that but...I am not quite sure where I should go...

Yui: ...? What do you mean?

Mertz: To tell the truth, I am a bit of an outcast seeing as I was both born and raised in the human world...

Even so, to reconnect with my roots as a demonic species, I made the decision to return to this world.

That being said...This place is simply too different from the human world.

I have been aimlessly wandering around, unknowing where to go.

Ayato: Hm...

Yui: ( He was born and raised in the human world...Which means he is the same as me. )

( In that case, I can definitely sympathize with him. )

( Above all...He must be horribly lonely. Me too, if I didn’t have Ayato-kun and the others, who knows what... )

Mertz: ...Excuse me...I realize this might be very imprudent of me to ask, however...

I am sure we met here through some sort of fate. Would you be so kind...to teach me about the Demon World?

Ayato: Aah? Just walk ‘round here for a bit and you’ll figure things out whether you like it or not.

Mertz: I am sure, but...

Ayato: Then leave already!

Yui: W-Wait, Ayato-kun. Let’s try hearing him out first.

Ayato: Aah!?

Yui: I kind of understand how he would feel at a loss here...

Ayato: ...Haah...

Yui: Please, Ayato-kun?

Ayato: ...

...Che, fine.

If we return to the castle now, we’ll just get another one of Reiji’s annoyin’ lectures anyway.

Mertz: Aah...! Thank you so much! I have found some reassuring comrades down here!

Ayato: Comrades? Don’t get the wrong idea now...

Yui: ( Thank god...While we’re at it, it’ll be a great opportunity for me to learn about the Demon World as well. )

ー The scene shifts to Mertz’ manor

Yui: ( So this is Mertz-san’s home...? )

Ayato: ...Hm? What’s this smell?

...! Oi, what’s this thing sittin’ on the table?

Mertz: Fufu, they’re extra-large takoyaki made with a special spice blend.

Ayato: Takoyaki, you say...!?

Mertz: Oh dear? If you like these, go ahead and have one.

Ayato: ...

...Well, guess I have no other choice if you insist. I’ll try one then.

...

This stuff’s hella delicious!

Yui: A-Ayato-kun! You shouldn’t eat them all...

Ayato: Shut up! Never heard of survival of the fittest? The early bird gets the worm!

Mertz: Fufu, good point. That might be how things work in this world.

Ayato: Oh! You get me!

Yui: ( Gosh, Ayato-kun... )

( But...I do want him to smile brightly like this after all. )

Mertz: ...

ー The scene shifts to the reception hall in Banmaden

Shin: Nii-san! Nii-san, listen to me!

Why did you give a physical body to that woman!?

She’s been going around acting as if the whole world belongs to her...I’ve reached my limit. Can I just kill her already?

Carla: ーー You cannot.

Give that woman free reign for now. She will eventually begin to carry out her duty.

Shin: What do you mean...?

Carla: She is an important piece in the puzzle to put an end to Karlheinz.

Shin: Hm...I feel like I understand, yet not quite at the same time.

However...Seems like things are about to get interesting. Hehe...!

ーー TO BE CONTINUED ーー

→  LIKE MY TRANSLATIONS? SUPPORT ME ON KO-FI!

<- [ Dark Epilogue ] [ Maniac 01 ] ->

[the-lightning-mage]

Hey! I'm the Andraste's Grace anon, I messaged you because you said a few days ago that you wanted oneshot prompts and I thought that would work. I didn't really have anything in mind, other than maybe it could have to do with the plant in Dragon Age or the religion itself? idrk, I was leaving it up to you

I figured that was it, I just wanted to double check, because I know I reblogged a prompt game a long time ago where one of them was Andraste's Grace. Thank you for clarifying! Everything is below the cut!

(I totally pulled most of this out of my ass, but oh well)

“What are you doing, my dear?” Alistair asked as he walked into his private study. Well, it was supposed to be his private study, but he was more than happy to share it with Beatrix. She wound up using it more than he did, anyway.

Beatrix was sitting at a desk, shuffling through various papers. From what Alistair could see, they all had drawings and diagrams of various plants. They were all flowers, shrubs, and smaller things.

“I’m trying to figure out what plants to put in the garden,” she explained.

“What?” he laughed.

“What?” she asked, completely serious, “It’s a tradition for the new queen to do some rearranging in the garden. Besides, it’s a good distraction from more... serious duties.”

“I’m just a little surprised. It’s hard to imagine you doing things like this when I’ve witnessed you eviscerate drakes.”

She smiled softly, “That’s fair. Gardening was one of the few ‘duties’ that I actually liked doing.”

Alistair walked over to where Beatrix was sitting. He leaned against the back of her chair, and rested one of his hands on her shoulders, looking at the papers. He didn’t recognize half of the names of the plants she was looking at. In his defense, he was fairly certain it was because whoever wrote the names down, had used their scientific names.

“Have any ideas?” he asked.

“Well, I’d like to include my mother’s favorite flowers, as well as Orana’s, Adraste’s Grace, roses.”

“Are there no roses in the garden?”

“No red ones. Every color but red, actually. Which is quite strange when you think about it. Red is the color of Ferelden after all.”

“How exactly does this work? Do you make the garden bigger? Replace everything?”

“You replace most of what’s there. The shrubs, bushes, flowers. You don’t touch the trees, though. Every queen plants a tree, and it is supposed to stay there for as long is it lives. It’s something they’ve all done as far as I know. Even Anora.”

“Do you want to leave hers?” Alistair asked.

“Yes, believe it or not. Despite what I may think of her, she was a legitimate queen. It would be...” she sighed, “It would be another controversy, and rather ridiculous one at that. Besides, she did choose a rather beautiful tree.”

“Are you sure?”

“I am. Now, did you need something, love?”

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Eve’s Coven

Here are the vampires I mentioned earlier, along with updated bios for some old ones. A lot of stuff is WIP so keep that in mind:

Allen Lecarde: A drifter vampire and hopeless romantic, he fell in love with Rika Amano and turned her without her consent, ruining their blossoming relationship. Miserable and remorseful, he wandered about the city until Eve’s coven took him in. His power is WIP.

Amon: The oldest and most powerful vampire and the leader of the coven. Eve calls him a close personal friend, and he has been alive for thousands of years. Unbeknownst to all, he is also the father of Nadia, Dracula’s adopted daughter. He is an extremely powerful wizard and has the incredible power to negate natural laws, cancelling out things such as gravity or momentum or density... or increasing/kickstarting them if he sees fit.

Bartholemew Comstock: A pilgrim from the 17th century, he wandered off from his colony and nearly died in the wilderness, finding salvation in Eve, who claimed to be an angel… she just left out the “fallen” part. Miserable upon learning he was a vampire and deeming himself an affront to God, he went into hiding for years,eventually coming to believe that there was little meaning to his actions if he was damned to Hell. He begin to strike down and feed off those he viewed as sinners, all the while bemoaning his miserable lot in life and fearing retribution from God.

Beatrix Cullen: A black widow type serial killer who loves to carve up her victims with a chainsaw. She is an incredibly skilled seamstress, and utilizes this in conjunction with her power, which allows her to give life to the lifeless, essentially allowing her to create golems without use of spells or scrolls. She has a very special project lined up utilizing her seven favorite husbands, but she’s looking for just the right head...

Cyrus Lovelace: A former slave owner, Confederacy member, and all-around unpleasant person who captured slaves and auctioned them off to vampires as cattle. He was the one who purchased Dahlia from her parents for her infractions and had rather untoward plans for her before Dracula broke up his operation. He has the power to hypnotize people with his voice.

Dallas Ryder: A white cowboy from the late 1800s, he was hunted relentlessly for the crime of loving a black man. He dedicated much of his time to roaming the South and slaughtering any Klansmen he found without mercy. He was eventually captured and nearly lynched, but he was rescued by Amon. He has the power to control the trajectory of any projectiles he releases as long as they remain within his eyesight, be it bullets from his gun or a paper airplane. The efficiency of the projectiles is also increased. 

Dee Comporre, Giorgio Nero, & Mr. Viticcio: Three members of Cosa Nostra who once worked to enforce the will of an extremely powerful criminal in the 1920s. Giorgio is their leader, and has the power of magnetism, capable of feats similar to Magneto from X-Men; Dee is incredibly violent, paits her face up like a skull, and has the ability to secrete corrosive acid; Mr. Viticcio wears a coat, hat, sunglasses, and has a heavily bandaged face, and has the ability to stretch his limbs out like rubber. It is unknown if their names are real or aliases.

Elizabeth Bathory: The Blood Countess herself. After evading death in the 1600s thanks to Eve, she became a loyal follower of the demon, and was recruited into the Order of the 1800s. Dracula and Rasputin managed to defeat her and supposedly kill her, but Bathory is notoriously hard to slay. True to her infamous reputation, she tends to “Feed” by bathing in the blood of her victims. 

Elvis Chavez: A big fan of Elvis growing up in the 60s and 70s, Elvis wished to someday be like the impersonators he saw at his father’s bar. He got his wish in the 80s when he went to Vegas, but was often ridiculed by his peers for portraying the chunkier Elvis of his later life due to his weight. He became a vampire mostly out of spite for those people, hoping to outlive the even as he indulged in gluttonous behavior. He is absolutely unashamed of his gut and kept his chubbiness even after he was turned. Power is WIP.

Flanagan & Tantomile: A pair of psychic vampire twins.

Jack Fairchild: Jack the Ripper himself. He has the power to travel through shadows. He is the most hated and feared member of the coven, and he has committed nearly every atrocity you can imagine, gleefully. He views himself as above laws and morality. He was once a student of Dracula, and the lover of Rose Milliner, but was swayed to join Eve and slaughter his peers at Dracula’s school. After Rose rejected him, he went on to become the cannibalistic, immoral spree killer he is known as today.

Kane Dødsstreik: A Nordic warlord. He has a quiet intensity and is in general given a fair amount of respect. He stands at 6′5″ tall. He has the power to use his voice as a weapon (a la Black Bolt); he tends to speak softly and infrequently, though this is less because of his power - which he has complete control over - and more because he finds most of his fellow coven mates unworthy of his words.

Kristoph Hollenfeuer: A former Nazi who commanded a secret paranormal investigation branch known as Enigma. He has the power to generate tracking bombs from his hands.

Michelle Kitt: Once a notorious cat burglar in the 50s alongside her husband, she would steal from the rich and give to the less fortunate (though she would still keep some for herself). After eventually settling down, enemies she’d made broke into her home, killed her husband and daughter, and left her face cut up and scarred heavily, as well as costing her an eye. She has the ability to ignore the rules of sacred hospitality, allowing her to enter buildings uninvited at the cost of her pronounced combat skills being weakened, as well as the power to move silently.

Mickey Harrelson: A former hitman and one of the new Order. His power is WIP.

Nestor Sokolov: A lost cosmonaut, whose supposed death was covered up by the Soviet Union after he burned on reentry. While he did suffer severe burns, he managed to survive, and was saved from death by Amon. He often still wears a modified space suit to hide his face. He has the power to phase through solid objects. 

Pierre Labeau: A man hailing from Louisiana, he was born with a disfigured nose that made his upper class mother feel ashamed. She locked him in the attic, his only friends and interests being the various spiders therein; eventually, his mother even cut his nose off, something he would return to her in kind before killing her. He began to kill people like her, snobbish upper class twits, cutting off their noses and slitting their throats. He learned of the phrase “cut off her nose to spite her face” and decided to dub himself Spider Face after the mondegreen one could discern from the phrase. He was eventually caught in the act and driven into the bayou where he supposedly died, though Amon in truth allowed him to join Eve’s coven. His love of arachnids caused him to gain their powers, making him much like Spider-Man, as well as giving him incredibly virulent venom. While he certainly isn’t totally wicked, he also revels in being something of an area boogeyman and proudly proclaims himself a villain any chance he gets.

Piper Sanchez – One of the new Order. Formerly a young, mute homeless man. Loves rock music and has a guitar. Has the power to control and empower rats, which he can do with his music.

Rhapsody Von Braun: Hailing from the early 60s, Rhapsody was an artist who had her career derailed by workplace sexism, which led to a car accident that permanently damaged her leg and led to her becoming a drug addict. She spends a lot of her time sleeping, and walks with a cane even as a vampire. She’s rather sweet and pleasant, though she is a bit scatterbrained. Her power is to make drawings she draws come to life.

Ryo Amano: The elder son of the Amano family and a criminal mastermind, for years he served alongside Jemima Mathers, regulating crime in the city and ensuring his work would go unhindered. However, his cruel past caught up to him: when it was revealed he had his sister violently beaten and kicked out of the family, and that he had driven his own mother to suicide by making her blame herself for her daughter’s disappearance, he had to go into hiding. Eve soon discovered him, and his lineage was revealed to him - his father was Amadeus Zephyri, which made him a dhampyr. Granted vampirism, he soon found himself in possession of a powerful new skill. Where his father could stop time, he could essentially utilize a localized acceleration of time, causing negative effects to rapidly occur, such as allowing a decrepit pillar to crumble or to cause a knife wound to fester and kill the victim immediately. 

Sawney Bean: The infamous Scottish cannibal of legend, transformed into a vampire by Eve as he was about to die in his sealed-in cavern alongside the remains of his family. He eventually decided to give in to the ultimate vampire taboo and consume another vampire; finding he liked the taste, he continued to eat other vampires who crossed him, eventually twisting and transforming into a terrifying monster with metal teeth and claws that stood well over seven feet tall. He rarely ventures out from his hideaway unless called by his masters.

Walter Sherman: A good, kindhearted man who ever since the 1910s always looked to the future and was excited for progress. After his wife and two children died in a freak accident, he attempted suicide, but was turned into a vampire instead. Power Is WIP.

Wayne Nicol: A former circus clown. He has the ability to enter people’s minds and utilize their most powerful fears against them.

[venomousovereignty]

cups his face and gives new years kiss

@rcsetorn

returns the kiss, a small smile quirking at his lips

[mingisblackgf]

i’ll be your babygirl (part one)

pairing: chan x fem!reader

genre: youtubers!au; smut, fluff, crack

warnings: none, just a buncha teasing fun

summary: in which one of 10 pretty princesses accidentally gets her nudes leaked and just the wrong someone gets his naughty little hands on them.

I could have shit myself.

I know, not exactly a beautiful image to begin the demise of my reputation forever, but it was true. 

Was I that stupid? 

It’s my fault. I know it is. I just had to be friendly. I just had to be friends with the idiots due to our similar careers when absolutely none of the other girls were.

“Bea, help me! What the fuck are you doing? You’re killing me here, literally.” Charlene screamed, smashing the keyboard with all her might. 

I contemplated getting up and running out of the room and moving on a mountain. Also, Charlene was a bit violent when it came to video games. She’d probably punch me later.

“Fucking shit I’m an idiot!” I yell out, throwing off my microphone and bursting from my chair. It looked like I saw a spider or something, but no. It was the extended responses from those Stray Kids dudes. 

Every single one of them replied fast. And with a more interesting response than the next.

Every. Single. One. 

“What?” Bayou sputters.

“You kidding me? You made us through the game, now the homeless kid losers are gonna take it over us. Again. Fuck.” Victoria was another one that got overly competitive. Not that it was bad, I mean, female gamers need a fighting spirit to override the idiots.

Those guys. That I just sent my naked body to. 

“We literally not uploading that.” Marie-Caroline commented, shaking her head.

“Agreed. Sad. I thought we had a chance, I was kicking Hyunjin’s ass in the first round.” Sophie added, getting up from the desktop.

I could have rolled my eyes at the sass of those two, but I was too busy contemplating how my life was ending.

“Beatrix!” Alex yelled to me, grabbing my shoulders and shook me out of the trance I was in. “What the hell has gotten into you? Let’s talk.” She sits me down then, in my chair, and suddenly in our den I felt surrounded like a tiger in a den full of lions.

There were 10 chairs of course, full of self-entitled princesses from all different walks of life: Alexandra, Sophie, Charlene, Aurora, Marie-Caroline, Bayou, Victoria, Masako, Lily and me, Beatrix, or Bea.  

It was strictly ironic that we all had names of old princesses, emperesses, and even princesses’ palace pet (in Bayou and Lily’s case) and went to school together, all dropped out at once to be Youtubers.

We played video games, ate and slept all day everyday.

We didn’t do much “lady-ish” things besides cooking or I don’t know, painting our fingernails? Shopping?

Point is we made a living of some sort off this “princess” thing on the YouTube thing. Despite how shitty it is, we have about 3.5 million subscribers. Adsense is good. We’re living good. I mean, it has to be good with 10 girls in a house together. 

Damsels In a Dress indicates we always wear dresses when were play some game, like League of Legends or Fortnite. Maybe Call of Duty. Depends on the mood really. 

The reason why I’m telling you that definitely sets the scene for how intimidating my friends looked, surrounding me along with the desktop computers and laptops, mics, empty soda cans and junk (Bayou was good at that cleaning stuff) with paused League game play.

And how they were going to totally freak when I told them I was going to be totally blackmailed by what the website saw as “enemies.”

And that I’m shitting myself.

“H-happened? Nothing happened? I just, lost focus, that’s all.” I laughed nervously, twisting my upper body to prove the point. Of course I was lying. How could I tell the fucking truth? Say I sent my nudes I meant to send them to our fake arch rivals?

I’m gonna get my ass handed to me on a silver platter! Victoria’s going to beat my ass! Sidenote: I’m not actually scared of Vicki, she’s just a tough ass bitch. Anyway.

“Beatrix Rose Santiago. What. The. Fuck. Happened.” Victoria gritted through her teeth. See, she knew exactly how to break me. 

“IaccidentallyAirdroppedthenudesImeanttosendyouguystoStrayKidsgroupchatandtheyallsawandrespondedtoit! Wow. I just got so hungry. What a mouthful, can we eat, we should eat!” 

“What.” Marie-Caroline started.

“No.” Lily couldn’t believe it.

“You actually didn’t.” Sophie’s jaw dropped.

“Bea!” Marie whined like a wet baby.

Looks like they understood me.

Victoria flew from her seat and grabbed the phone from my hand, a phone I was dreading to light up. 

“Vicki!” I cried, wanting to die. 

“No, we’re surveying this group chat! We’re reading it!”

It kept lighting up on it’s own.

They kept texting me.

Stray Kids.

Probably making fun of me.

I’m screwed.

Vicki flew back to her seat and started reading the text messages out, everyone crowding around her like a bee to honey.

seungmininthebuilding: BEATRIX? more like BEA-TITS! hahhhhhhhh…

changbean: I should stop looking at that… but how did those tits get so…

hyunjinishere: we got ourself a prize here, the “accidental nude” is such good headline! You’re toast, darling! Don’t tell your friends~

yourhoeminho: you done goofed bea-bitch

feeeelix: it’s child pornography, the cops are on their way.

Individual Text Message:

chanthegoat: I could leak this picture. But I really want it for myself. 

“Whoa whoa whoa, what the fuck? Now Chan’s trying to smash!” Masako narrated like a TV host, eating on the edge of her chair chomping on popcorn.

“Oh no he isn’t,” I almost sprinted to where Vicki was sitting, looking over my phone to confirm her words. Sadly. Jesus Christ. He did.

He does? He usually wasn’t the one to be… into girls. 

At least that’s what I see in their YouTube videos. Unfortunitely, fans ship us all the time since we’re both against each other but we have similar skill sets and such.

Makes me sick.

“Well, respond!”

pinupprincess: Idk what you mean

chanthegoat: Think about us, we could burn up the second we fuck

pinupprincess: Are you…blackmailing me?

chanthegoat: Is that what you call it?

Shit.

[mantis-lizbian]

RULES: Answer 20 questions, then tag 20 bloggers you want to get to know better.

tagged by the marvelous @julia1x5

1. Name - Andrea Elizabeth Bridges

2. Nicknames - Liz/Lizzy

3. Zodiac - Cancer

4. Height - 5'5"ish (~165 cm)

5. Languages - English, smatterings of French, Spanish, and German; want to learn basically every language

6. Nationality - American

7. Favorite season - autumn

8. Favorite flower - lavender and roses

9. Favorite scent - lemon, fresh baked goods, cooking seasonings

10. Favorite color - lavender, though blue is also good. i find i have a tendency to wear black and red often, though ^^;

11. Favourite animal - foxes, hawks, snakes, and cats

12. Favourite fictional character(s) - the entire Ouran Host Club, Greed (Fullmetal Alchemist), Freya Crescent and Beatrix (Final Fantasy IX), and probably dozens of others i just can’t think of at the moment

13. Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate - hot chocolate with a scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream in it, or tea, both are good

14. Average sleep - 7-9 hours

15. Dog or cat person - i am a cat.

16. Number of blankets - currently i have a sheet, two thick blankets, a quilt. while the weather works on making up its mind if it’s summer or not, i also have a duvet that i sometimes add. i should note that this past week has had multiple days in the 70s and 80s (°F)

17. Dream trip - i actually one time fantasized about literally walking across the entire world, spending a few weeks in one place at a time (well, apart from the wet bits; i’ll take a boat there). i still kinda wanna do that, but i now have a better understanding of the practical and logistical issues with that that make me less eager... but entirely dropping the idea... as for single places, Iceland and Japan are at the top of my list.

18. Blog established - originally as chronic-altitis, about 4 years ago. can’t remember which month. i changed my name a little while ago after deciding i wanted to be more... personal? with my presentation.

19. Number of followers - oh wow! an even 240! ;u; i’m so honoured by all of you

20. Random fact - “sea level” is not a uniform altitude across the world, but varies based on gravitational differences between areas. it is essentially calculated based on where the ocean’s surface would be if all of the land was removed, but its gravitational force remained.

and i’m going to tag... @teddy-feathers as always, @enbyjade, and @endreal if they’re all up for it. ^^ anyone else who wants to consider themselves tagged may as well.

[hokkaidossoul12]

This is another OC I made a little while ago, Beatrix (she’s a bumble bee) is her name but she sometimes gets called Bea for short. She’s is about 32 years old and she has two weapons she uses (she uses a grey and golden dagger and a yellow and black blaster cannon). She is good friends with Doc Carver (in my AU) but also... she has a secret crush on him, but also...she hangs out with Lorelei as well (also in my AU). Her height is close to Banker’s but she just a little bit shorter than him.  This is her backstory:She used to have a whole colony of other working bees who helped her make tons of honey and sweets to give out to puppets throughout Showdown Valley and her honey became very popular because of one secret ingredient, golden roses. She also made the best golden rose honey in Showdown Valley, golden roses were considered a specialty to all the puppets. But, within a few years of her business she and her colony were attacked by Arankits and puppet spiders, every colony member except Beatriz were killed and wiped out completely. In grief and fear she bawled her eyes out, though she didn't get harmed too much she was still devastated at the fact her whole colony was murdered by these Araknits and Spiders. Beatriz was terrified for if the Arankits and Spider puppets came back to kill her too. This was where Lorelei and Doc Carver had discovered the Arankits and Spider puppet's attacks on the Bee puppets and went to the area where they were attacked, they were both shocked to see... all but one Bee puppet reminded, grieving for her dead colony members. Both Doc and Lorelei walked through the aftermath of the attacked, they both looked at Beatriz and her tearful expression, "oh goodness...I'm so sorry that this happened to you" Lorelei spoke with pity. "M-My colony...th-they w-ere...they were the only ones I h-had" Beatriz whimpered "th-they were all-l m-my family." These words left both Lorelei and Doc Carver feeling heartbroken for the poor little bumble been, "an-and now...I HAVE NOTHING!" Beatriz whaled in grief. Doc Carver had barely even met this Bumble bee yet he had tears in his eyes from her devastation, Doc Carver then crouched down, taking the Bumble bee's hand in his, Beatriz slowly looked at him, eyes still full of tears. "I promise...I'll make sure those Araknits will never ever attack you again, I'll make sure you'll feel safe and happy, so that you'll never suffer like this again" Doc Carver's words were very soothing to Beatriz, making her feel more calm and...happy. She gave Doc a soft smile before speaking quietly to him "thank you, sir." Then from that day on, Lorelei had gotten close to Beatriz while Beatriz and Doc Carver had gotten closer, this was when the bumble bee realized...she loved Doc Carver. (end of backstory) She likes:  Making Honey and sweets, Talking to Lorelei, Hanging out with Doc Carver, planting flowers, pollinating flowers, guarding her honey and stargazing. She Dislikes:  Faceless Bandit( [in any AU} she's afraid of him and thinks he’s a demon), Araknits and spider puppets (they try to kill her), other puppets stealing her honey and sweets, puppets who destroy her flowers, puppets who try to hurt Lorelei or Doc Carver and puppets who try to double-cross her. (also, sorry if the image is small, here’s a link to my DA where the image is bigger https://www.deviantart.com/hokkaidossoul12/art/Beatriz-the-Bumble-Bee-SB-OC-821499390)

[theautumnenthusiast]

The Veil

Pairing(s): Shuuma (Shu x Yuma) 

Rating: T 

I don’t think I’ve written for them before, which is a crying shame.

A couple of years ago, this wall he’d hit would have driven him out of his mind. 

The illusion of an idyllic lifestyle, of a happy and functional royal family, was difficult to maintain with the sounds of a woman screeching tearing through the castle grounds. Christa’s bad days were also everyone else’s. 

Father’s first wife had insisted that she be moved out of the castle, but from what Mother had told him, he hadn’t wanted that to happen even though he knew her presence soured everyone else. His elder wives had eventually, in a rare moment of solidarity, forced a compromise, however, and a tower was erected on the far edge of the property that looked over the rose gardens Christa loved. Not that the move did much good. When she had her fits, her shrieks bounced off the castle’s walls and carried all the way down to the lake. 

Shu bounced his leg on the floor, trying to concentrate over all the noise. He was failing miserably. He’d closed his window and even stuffed wax in his ears, but nothing could bring him back to his texts. The words all blurred together on the page, useless. 

Of course, Shu hadn’t been able to read anything substantial in weeks (to everyone’s dismay), so Christa’s screaming didn’t even make much of a difference. He stood from his desk and padded over to the window, rubbing his eyes and yawning. 

He didn’t care. It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered. Not really.

Shu leaned into his windowsill. His nails clicked as he drummed his fingers on the ledge. They were too long - he hadn’t clipped them in over a month - and getting cumbersome, but he somehow couldn’t bring himself to pull the trimmers out of his bathroom and sit down with his nails for five minutes. Too much effort. Even getting out of bed took a lot out of him recently. 

In the distance, he caught a white flash sprinting toward Christa’s tower. Subaru, no doubt, there to either calm or further exacerbate his mother. It varied from day to day. 

His free hand cradled his chin, fingernails digging into the skin of his cheek. He barely felt the pricks. 

Some day, he’d be expected to take a wife. To continue the family, of course. 

Who would he end up marrying? A Cordelia, that would sneak off with other men behind his back? A Beatrix, who would only care for the status that came with his name? A Christa? 

He didn’t want any of that. But he wouldn’t have much of a choice. 

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

A couple of months ago, he’d met a boy in the woods. The boy, he’d thought at first, had more options than he ever would. Edgar didn’t have any obligations to a royal family; he could pack up whatever belongings he had into a sack and just... go, wherever he wanted to, with whoever he wanted to. 

That delusion didn’t stick for long. Edgar was kind, kinder than anyone he’d known in his time at the castle, and he shared his apples. Shu still noticed how much excess room there was in his clothes, and could hear the grumbling of his stomach, and smell the poor quality of his blood. Blood ruined by years of malnourishment. He knew why Edgar spent so many hours collecting apples and setting pitiful-looking traps for rabbits in the woods. 

Running away with Edgar would just be trading one set of hardships for another. He wasn’t naive enough to believe otherwise. 

Still... when he was with Edgar, he’d been... happy. They’d pick apples and collect firewood and draw water from the river together, and Shu would feel more at home than he ever did at the castle. 

A small, selfish part of himself had wanted to bring Edgar into his life. He spent the better part of one afternoon teaching him how to waltz, and having him try on clothes from his wardrobe in preparations for a royal ball, where an extra guest shouldn’t have been noticed. Edgar was taller than he was, and a terrible dancer, but Shu didn’t care. Nobody would notice a human boy in ill-fitting clothes with lead feet, he told himself. 

Reiji noticed, of course. Edgar insisted that everything was fine afterwards, when he changed back into his peasant clothes, but they both knew without having to say anything that they wouldn’t be attending any balls together after that. 

They met in the woods in the days that followed, and talked about their mothers and fathers, and took turns climbing and spotting at the big apple tree in the deepest part of the forest. 

Something had changed, however, even if neither of them was willing to admit it. Edgar stopped asking questions about his daily life. The castle. The intricacies of royal life. Shu didn’t really mind, but he knew it meant his friend had lost interest in learning about him. 

It was a shame. He loved being in the woods with Edgar, of course. He had just really liked teaching him how to dance. Watching his friend wobble around, trying to sway with him on unpracticed legs as he clutched at the fabric of his jacket, had been fun. He’d liked the hand on his back, as well. Warmth was rare at home, and Edgar was full of it. 

Shu still loved his days in the woods, and loved being with Edgar every chance he got. 

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

A couple of weeks ago, Shu had woken up and smelled smoke. 

He found Edgar at the outskirts of his village, face streaked with ash and eyes bulging as he scanned the faces of people as they sprinted out of the burning town, looking for familiar faces. 

Shu had grabbed his hand and squeezed it. Told him that he needed to stay somewhere safe - to stay with him. He begged him not to run back into the village. It all fell on deaf ears. 

He had turned around, eyes bleary from all the acidic smoke in the air, and his flyaway hairs had glowed in the firelight, drawing color from the flames that lapped at his ankles, eager to claim him as theirs. 

Edgar forced a smile onto his face. “Goodbye, Shu.” 

He tugged his hand out of Shu’s weakened grasp, and the last thing Shu saw of Edgar was his back as it disappeared into the flames, which welcomed him with open arms. 

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

Shu stared out into the forest. Every once in a while, he would spot a flash of brown in the corner of his eye and twist his neck to stare at it, hoping, but it was never Edgar. It happened more often on the days that followed fitful nights’ sleeps, the result of nightmares filled to the brim with fire. 

The only real glimpses he got of Edgar these days occurred in those nightmares, however, so he couldn’t complain that much. Even if the only part of him that appeared in those was his retreating back. 

He should have tried harder to get Edgar to stay. He should have screamed for help. He should have tackled him to the ground or dragged him off and kept him away from his village until it was nothing more than a pile of smoking, harmless ash. Edgar would have resented him for it, but at least he’d still be alive. 

Would he be happy, though? He wasn’t happy here. Why would Edgar be? 

In the tower across the grounds, Christa’s screaming continued. 

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

A couple of days ago, Karlheinz himself had approached Shu and told him to pack his bags. They were going North, he’d said. Far North. 

Shu tossed his suitcase into the back of the carriage, and looked back at the castle in which he’d spent the entirety of his life. Every commoner in the world dreamed of living in a place where they could have food in their belly and clothes on their back and a decent roof over their head. Looking at the mansion from beyond the gates, Shu thought that this place would look perfect to a commoner at first glance.  

In the Sakamaki household, the illusion of an idyllic life regularly cracked and splintered, and it broke apart so easily that it couldn’t fool a child. 

There were Karlheinz’s three wives. Cordelia, who slept behind her husband’s back and treated her sons so cruelly that people only spoke of it in hushed whispers in the king’s court. Beatrix, who married into the family solely for status and worked one son to the bone while neglecting the other. Christa, whose fits were the talk of the entire demon realm. 

There was Karlheinz himself. A king with more power than anyone before him, who left nothing but destruction and broken people in his wake. He was either ignorant to or apathetic of the damage he had wrought, and it didn’t matter which it was. 

And now, there was the heir apparent. A boy so lazy, so incapable that his father had to send him away. 

It didn’t matter to Shu anymore. Nothing mattered. At least up North, maybe, there would be some peace and quiet, and he wouldn’t catch flashes of brown in the woods, or wake up with the smell of smoke and burning bodies fresh in his nose. 

Maybe he could finally sleep in peace. It was all he wanted these days. 

Shu turned his back on the castle and stepped inside his carriage, and the coachman shut the door behind him. 

[surveys-r-us]

it’s 2019 and i still do these

Do you know people with these names? For each name, say if you know someone with that name and how you know them.

Aaron: I know multiple Aaron’s. Two of them are former coworkers. The other one is someone I know of but haven’t really talked to much.  Adam: A jerk face.  Aisha Alanna Alex: Off the top of my mind, I think of someone I matched with on bumble a few months ago.  Alexa Alexandria: A girl from elementary school Allegra Allie: Someone from high school who had a baby.  Allison: A girl from my sorority (that I quit)

Alondra

Amanda: One of my early college friends who transferred. I don’t even follow her on social media anymore.

Amber Amie Ana: Another girl from my old sorority lol.  Anaïs Andreas Andrew: I know a few.  Angela: A girl I used to play soccer with in middle school.  Angelica Anna: Someone from high school. Think she moved after graduating college.  Annie Ari Ashley: Not the biggest fan of because she gets involved in other people’s business (including mine) but we’ve had some fun memories.  Ashna Audrey Austin: cute guy from my hometown who I talked for like a week senior year of high school Becky Ben: A friend I’ve never actually met in person but we talk every few months.

Berkeley: Someone who studied abroad in Ireland with me. She might’ve spelled it differently.  Beth: One of my first friends in college. She’s one of the nicest people I’ve met. Bobby: Another person from college. He can kinda be a dick.  Bolor Brendan: My friend who plays guitar and sings. Super talented. We bonded over our music tastes being relatively similar.  Bridgid Britney: I think it was spelled Brittany but a girl in the grade below me in high school.  Brooke: My little cousin. Cal Callie Cam Cameron: I had a brief crush on him back in high school.  Camille: One of my old roommates’ close friends. I’ve only talked to her like twice.  Camryn Carmen: A distance cousin.  Caro Caroline: I know like 5 Caroline’s. My old roommate is one of them.  Casilda Cecile Cecily Chanel Chloe: The first person I thought of was a friend’s little sister.  Chris: Super liberal, obsessed with Game of Thrones and listens to Talking Heads Christina: One of my sister’s friends.  Christopher: Someone from high school. I’ve known him since kindergarten.  Claire: One of my best friends.  Claudia Claudine Cole: Was just wondering about him the other day since he deleted all his social media. Wonder what he’s up to. I know he’s a pilot.  Connie Connor: He plays football and writes for our student newspaper.  Courtney: She’s hilarious.  Cyrus Daisy Dakota Dana Danielle: Someone from my high school who also went to my college. She was older than me though. David: This cool guy from the Netherlands I met my last night in Ireland. He was apparently super into me according to my sister. He deleted me on snapchat though so now I don’t know how to communicate with him.  Delilah Diane: My aunt.  Diego Donald Doug: A family friend Duncan Dylan: My best friend’s ex. Pretty sure he got busted for selling drugs lol Eleanor Elijah Elise: My sister Eliza Elizabeth: One of my sister’s friends.  Ella Elle: Another girl from my sorority. She tags her boyfriend in things a lot on facebook. Ellie: Another person from high school. She’s like me and got the fuck out of this town.  Elliot Emerson Emily: Man I know a ton. One that comes to mind is my friend who we can go months without talking and pick things up like no time passed.  Emma: Someone from college who deleted her social media recently. I applaud her for it.  Eric Erika: Erica. Went to middle school with her. She’s had two kids.  Ethan: Dude I knew of in college but never really talked to. Faith: One of my old coworkers. I would see her out at parties and be surprised since she didn’t seem like someone who drank.  Fiona Francesca: Franz George: This short kid who’s sorta friends with one of my old roommates. I had class with him and didn’t even realize it until 3 weeks before the semester ended haha.  Ginny Giselle Grace: My beautiful cousin Graham Hadley Hailey: One of the few people from high school I’d still hang out with. 

Hannah: Wasn't a big fan of her.  Havana Helen Henry: Someone else from high school. He’s super smart.  Hugo Huma Ilana Indra Isabel: One of my favorite coworkers from this past year. Such a sweetheart. However, she can talk too much which was especially annoying at our mandatory meetings at 9 PM (college jobs suck) when I just wanted to go home and go to bed.  Isabella Itza Ivy Izzy: Think there was a girl with that name on my floor freshman year Jackie Jacob: Old neighbor. He got busted buying weed before it was legal here. Not sure what he’s doing now James: My uncle Jamie Jason: A family friend. Actually saw him the other day.  Jennifer: My former aunt.  Jenny: see above Jess: One of my closest friends.  Jhadha Joe: My old manager at work. I miss him. He’s so funny.  John: My music soulmate.  Jonathan: He plays football. He and his girlfriend are super cute together.  Joseph: An asshole.  Joyce J.P. Jude Julia Julie Justin: A distant relative.  Kaan Kai Karina Kat Kate: One of my cousins.  Katherine Kinaya Kira Kristie Lanie Laura: She’s from Hungary. She’s low key insane.  Lauren: Aye that’s me. Also one of my best friends.  Leah: My old supervisor. She’s hilarious. León Lexxi Liberty Lisette Louisa Luca Luis Lynette MacKenzie: Spelled differently but this girl who’s somehow a Trump supporter lol.  Maddie: A really complicated friendship but think we’re good now.  Maggie: Actually one of the funniest people you could meet. She uses tinder just to send stupid messages.  Makena Manlio Margaret Margo Maria: My old roommate.  Marianna Mariely Martha Martin Mayuri McKinley Megan: The person I think of is a friend from college.  Meredith Mia: One of my really close friends.  Michael: My ex boyfriend lol Michelle: One of my oldest friends. I’ve known her since 1st grade.  Mike: This dude who gets insanely drunk at the bars and does stupid things. I don’t know how he hasn’t been arrested.  Minah Miranda: This artsy girl from high school.  Molly: Another old neighbor. She lives in Chicago I think.  Morgan: One of my close high school friends. I don’t really see her often.  Nadia Nancy Natalie: A mutual friend with different people. She studied abroad in Ireland when i did.  Nathan Nathanael Neoma Nichole: She was my camp counselor.  Nico Nikki Noah Noelle: Pretty sure there’s a girl from my hometown with that name.  Octavio Olivia: My locker buddy throughout high school. Would see her every day.  Orion Owen: Went to college with him for a bit. He transferred and then dropped out. No idea what he’s been up to. He’s really into theatre.  Paige: My little cousin Pam Pat Patrick: My old high school crush. He unfollowed me on instagram a few months ago which sucks because we were actually decently close friends at one point.  Paul: A family friend.  Paula Pauline Peter: I definitely know a Peter but can’t think of one.  Phoebe Phong Price Quinn Rachel: Another person from high school I’d actually still hang out with.  Rai Railey Raquel Ray Rayne Rebecca: Known her since 2nd grade.  Rebkah Regina Reilly Remy Ren Rhianna Robert: My friend’s brother.  Rohini Roither Rose Ruby Ruilin Sabrina Sakura Salim Sally Sam: This super buff guy from high school. Literally could be a bodybuilder for all I care. Sapna Sarah: This really religious girl I went to high school with. I don’t think she ever left our hometown.  Savanah Sebastian Shani Shannon: One of my good friends from middle school. I haven’t seen her in years.  Siena Snigdha Sofia Sophie Soren Spencer: Think a guy from my high school has a younger brother with this name.  Summers Sydney: She just got married and had like a two week honeymoon at Disney. Taran Taylor: Talked to one for like two weeks. His current girlfriend hates me but we kinda mutually ended things so I don’t get why.  Tessa: One of the nicest people from the nicest family in my entire town. Thea Theo Theresa: I’ve met a couple in college.  Tim: My uncle Tom: I’m not really a fan of him. He likes to show up to things uninvited. Tori Ural Victoria: Someone from my floor freshman year. She’s vegan and is getting married in like a month. I can’t wait to see her wedding photos. Her dress will probably be really beautiful.  Viviane Walter Will: Some kid from elementary school Willa William Yujin Yuta Zac Zoe Which names do you prefer?

Alice or Allana? Alice Allie or Andie? Andie Alexandra or Anastasia? Alexandra Anna or Angela? Anna Annie or Angelica? Angelica Ana or Ashna? Ana Audrey or Ashley? Audrey Ansel or Annika? Ansel Brooke or Britney? Brooke Berkeley or Bella? Bella Bo Chao or Beatrix? Beatrix Camille or Camryn? Camryn Cristina or Casilda? Cristina Chloe or Courtney? Courtney Charlotte or Carol? Charlotte Cleo or Chanel? Chanel Davin or Dillon? Dillon Delilah or Dutra? Delilah Erin or Elina? Erin Emin or Emerson? Emerson Emily or Emma? Emma Erika or Estelle? Estelle Faith or Frannie? Faith Fernanda or Francesca? Francesca Georgina or Gracie? Gracie Gabriela or Gina? Gina Hailey or Hannah? Hailey Hadley or Havana? Hadley Indra or Isabel? Isabel Indiana or Ivy? Indiana Jenny or Jessie? Jessie Julia or Joyce? Joyce Jasmine or Jackie? Jasmine Jamie or Jennifer? Jamie Kimia or Karina? Karina Katerina or Kate? Kate Kira or Kristie? Kira Lia or Lily? Lia Lauren or Lynette? Lauren Liberty or Leila? Liberty Margaret or Martha? Martha Michelle or Mackenzie? Michelle Mia or Michaela? Mia Morgan or Maddie? Morgan Maya or Mayuri? Maya Megan or Makena? Makena McKinley or Margo? Margo Nikki or Natalie? Natalie Nadia or Nancy? Nancy Nicole or Olivia? Olivia Rachel or Rebecca? Rachel Remi or Rosie? Remi Ruby or Reine? Ruby Ren or Sakura? Sakura Sapna or Snigdha? Sapna Sally or Stella? Sally Sophie or Sydney? Sophie Sophia or Solana? Sophia Skye or Sierra? Sierra Serena or Savanah? Savannah Sarah or Sabrina? Sabrina Tara or Taylor? Tara Vittoria or Yahs? Vittoria Yoonju or Yukine? Yukine Aidan or Austin? Austin Alan or Andrew? Alan Aldo or Alexx? Alexx Ben or Brian? Ben Billy or Brodie? Brodie Corey or Carlos? Carlos Coleman or Connor? Connor David or Dylan? David Eli or Eric? Eric Franz or Fernando? Franz Gabe or Graham? Gabe Holden or Hudson? Hudson Jacob or Justin? Justin Jack or JP? Jack Jimmy or Jared? Jared James or John? John Karm or Kian? Kian Lou or Lenny? Lenny Michael or Mickey? Michael Nick or Nathan? Nick Peter or Pierson? Peter Rai or Rafael? Rafael Sanjay or Supawat? Sanjay Will or Wynn? Will Zachary or Zack? Zack

[royal-iris]

😨

Outside the enclosure, birds were singing and the grass was greener than Iris had ever remembered it being. It was not a gloomy day, it was not raining, there was nothing amiss. Everything felt at peace, all at once, like nothing could truly ever shake the foundations he had set for himself. 

Of course, there was still issues he had to face. The fact he was sent to Earth to atone for his workaholic misdemeanors, the fact that no matter what he did he felt like it wasn’t enough, the fact that his father was severely ill and getting worse with years of spooch attacks. 

As rocky as it was, the issues seemed less important in the grand scheme of things, not when the love of his life laid beside him. The morning outside the window, the rising sun, the pinks and greys and peach oranges of the world - none of that compared to the pink rose that laid in vines beneath his finger tips. Hair, once neatly tucked in braids, now laid in chunks of chaos along his claws. 

Lips, once softly parted in a deep melodic snore, now begin to twitch gently with awareness. Deep hazel stared up into the oceans, and those long limbs came up to snake across his dreary body. All the problems in the world washed away. All the issues that he had to face were minuscule and so far that nothing mattered, and he felt like they never would ever again. Those limbs were vines holding onto him for dear life, life that was so precious to be able to feel in the palms of his hands. 

As he pulled away, as he tried to whisper the words he knew his mate didn’t understand but would eventually explain to her once he worked up the courage to propose, he felt his breath catch in his throat. The world seemed to slowly fade away around them, like it was dissolving. As every feature of their life seemed to evaporate, his lover touched his face in passion. Not fear, passion. Her words of love seemed to distract him from whatever was going on, and with tight eyes closed, he found himself holding his breath. 

When he opened his eyes, he was not on Earth, he was not holding a dying mate in his arms, he was instead looking out into the vast space of his home galaxy. Irk was never so pretty as it was today, looking as though the planet was glittering, as though the purple of the rocky terrain was nothing more than a star itself. The Massive felt smaller, as though being older and taller had somehow shrunk the mighty appeal of it’s many rooms. As though the freezing metallic ship was nothing more than a pebble in the snow than a home. 

The stone cold realization of a far too cold to the touch body - the body he never got to see, the body he never said goodbye to, the body that he knew was probably decimated before the universe let his loved ones grieve. On the surgical table, several light years away from his son on Earth, and yet Iris stood here now above it with regrets. With words unsaid, with feelings he meant to felt but wasn’t allowed to feel. 

Closing his eyes, he was once again finding himself in a different location when those ocean blues opened. He was in the arms of Addie, who was his best friend in the whole entire world. She had found him floating in space, and he couldn’t particularly recall how his universe collapsed or how he was the lone survivor. Emphasis on the ‘was’. Addie was here, in the flesh, in his arms. 

She went to pull away, and Iris knew that the memory was her pulling away and them talking strategy. They had to pull away, they were being attacked. She had abandoned her ship in favor of his to help get away from what can only be assumed Dwicky’s ships. They didn’t know it then, but they did now. That the universe fell to Dwicky, that it was always him all along. 

Even though she was supposed to pull away, he clung onto her. He clung to her like he had meant to that day, and he felt himself tearing up and begging her to never leave him. All along, he was afraid of loving her, because he knew he couldn’t possibly be as amazing and powerful as she was. He was a crybaby, after all. A crybaby, who had to rely on his best friend to pick him up after he fell. 

Iris didn’t want to rely on her so much anymore, and after losing Beatrix he didn’t want to ever subject Addie to his complicated mess of emotions. Yet now he knows, now he knows that she loved him and that it was okay to love her. That she wasn’t going to go anywhere, that they had each other, that the world would be a better place with them as mates. 

Addie had asked if he was alright, had asked what he was doing, with gentle hands and calming touches. The imminent threat of being attacked didn’t seem to exist, as though the memory warped into something else. Pulling away, Iris kissed her with all the passion inside of him. A coiling passion that he wished he had honed the moment he realized how he felt, a passion he kept denying for so long and hurting Addie with instead of loving her with. 

That passion was something he felt so afraid of for so long, and it stopped him from living. It stopped THEM from living. As he pulled away, though, the world seemed to begin to fade again. The world, barely coherent, barely making sense, as he stared at the love of his life. The true love of his life, the one he didn’t ever want to let go of. Iris drank every bit of her in, begging to remember the details of her face as long as he could, fearing that he’d forget. 

Some nights, he realized, he forgot the details of Beatrix’s face. Was the mole on the right side of her face, or the left? Were her eyes hazel with green or hazel with gold? Were her eyebrows thicker or thinner? It had been so long, it had been years and years, with no pictures left from their destroyed universe, with no evidence that she had ever existed except the pain in his spooch and the hole in his confidence. 

As the last bits of stability faded, and Iris could feel himself losing footing, losing grounding, Addie began pulling away. He begged her to take him with her, but she just shook her head sadly. She was afraid to die, it was obvious, but there was something final and accepting in her eyes. Like she was okay with death, so long as Iris lived.

He was not content with that. He yelled and clawed and clung to her but she kept fading until all he had in his arms was air, until the world around him was nothing. Blinding him in sheer white arrays, like the universe had collapsed into a supernova, and Iris was trapped within it. 

He opened his eyes to a dark computer lab and tears pouring from his eyes before he could understand what had happened. There was no Earth, there was no Irk, or Massive, or his spaceship with Addie when she had first found him wandering in space. There was impenetrable silence, there was an aching in his spooch he could not quite place, there was the beginnings of a migraine set on by panic tremors coursing through his body. 

The sounds he heard did not sound real, they did not sound as though they were coming from his throat as the tears from his eyes began dripping off his chin and onto his uniform. He tried to push away from where he was sitting, disoriented and confused and beyond scared. He had lost her, he had lost everything, he had let Dwicky once again strip him of his universe, of his loved ones, of his mate. There was nothing left but the sound of his own pathetic, loud sobbing. 

Iris knew he was speaking words, most of which were in irken, most of which were half-coherent. He recognized maybe only half of what he had said in his panic, knocking over some snacks when he moved his hands to grip his antennae. The grip was grounding, it gave him some clarity while it drowned out his own pathetic sobbing. He didn’t want to hear the truth from his own lips that she was dead, he didn’t want to hear himself babbling nonsensical words that Dwicky had to pay. He didn’t want to continue to shout Addie’s name knowing she wouldn’t answer. 

The pain in his spooch was blinding, as blinding as the white light, as blinding as his inability to remember how he got in this room or why he was there, as blinding as the screen of codes in front of him. Where was he? Why was this happening? Why did he have to be alive when she was gone? Didn’t the universe realize he had enough to suffer through? Didn’t the universe realize that if anyone deserved to live, it was her? 

Anyone but him, he kept chanting. Anyone but him to survive, just bring her back. Just bring her back…..