#as for the forsaken guide its on hold because of work stuff

[pumpkinfox]

When drawing motivation comes back :>

Go my scrab. Man, we love drawin for hours without a break :>

also the text effects are hand made not with a cool font.

[uhhhhhh rant about the goober below bc holy its long]

Pumpkin is his name. Yep roll credits. I'm just messing with you, when trying to make a LT!Version of one of my old goobers I wanted it to be simple and not over the top painful to draw later on. I might be drawin his two friends later down the line. You can find him at the manor or on the train.

Now as for his weapons, what's up with that? Well person who's readin this. That is because he is from 3 different games. The games being Kit Battle [I have a personal grudge against someone there] and Batting Day [game doesn't exist anymore]. The Light Spear is ofc a direct reference to undyne's own spears and work the exact same. Anyone can hold the spears or even keep them if they rip it from the ground before they fade away. The Bat is from BD as its entire gimmick was to launch whoever was hit by it far while applying the ragdoll effect. That's all it ever did.

He is interactable with. You can talk to him about just weapon stats or tips of what it could do. If you do find his other two friends you can spar with them all or one on one fight. If its the spar against him uh all the silly below.

For passives we got:

Anti up

Charge

Power Rush

Defend +

Power Rush

For attacks we got:

Swing [5 dmg single] [Walks up to you and takes a swing with the bat]

Piercing line [all hit 5 dmg] [works like Fear's shockwave but faster and with Light Spears]

Spear Throw [all hit 5 dmg] [exactly like what it says, he throws a Light Spear at you all]

Taunt [feel fine self]

If a quarter of hp left we got:

Rage [charge up self]

Slash [10 dmg single] [Runs up to you and takes a quick swing with the bat]

Batter up [multi hit 2, changes targets. Inflicts burn 3 if hit] [uses 2 mini fire balls and bats them like baseballs at two randoms]

Judgement [hit all 10 dmg] [orange will glow under everyone and LS's will stab out the ground]

Rampage [ multi 4 hit 15 dmg each] [Charges at everyone like Sentient Statue, then throws 3 Light Spears at everyone]

For stats we got:

HP: 40

DEF: 2

SS: 35

Ima keep it real, if you use the Kiss card the fight just ends aka its like using prayer when Hatred's 20hp.

If you do win against him he gives you 100 TIX and a baked whale and yes this also applies for the insta win.

For things he says during the fight:

I wont be going easy. [start of fight]

Done already? [lost 1st time]

Come back again some other time! [lost 2nd time or more]

Beginners luck... [won on first try]

Not letting the others know about this one. [won on 2nd attempt or more]

Wh... uhhhh. [Use Kiss card to end fight]

When below 25 hp:

Enough games! [moment he hits 25 hp]

Cheap tricks won't help you now! [Kiss card cant end fight now]

If you don't choose to fight and just talk, below is his dialog.

When just talking to him:

Ever wonder what its like to let your intrusive thoughts win?

Well don't because I'm stuck with two dummies.

Its not that I dislike them, no. I just want them to stop getting in trouble so much.

Talking to him again:

I wonder if I let my intrusive thought win most of the time...

... I think I would be on the run if I did.

Maybe sometimes you should let your fists persuade them. not all the time will they accept attention.

Now then, will the other two be this long of a rant? Yes, yes they will and I will suffer writing it.

Also the no colors block was a mistake on my part so uhhhhhhh woops DX

[forsaken-island]

Youre making me wish i had tomodachi life I wanna have little forsaken Characters to care for and make them get sick of me. Also a great way to get money. Pay rent lil guys.

you can !!! Azahar is an emulator that is based directly off of another emulator named Citra ![that no longer exists] but the guide for downloading Citra worked just fine, and the ROM for Tomodachi life on their website also works, albeit with some minor glitches [edit I just remembered theres a file you need to download to fix your miis but it should be easy to find,I got my tomodachi life with emulator and all set up in about an hour which. so easy I still have trauma from trying to pirate Sam & Max: the devil's playhouse for 7 hours] so it might be a good idea to go find some system files from another rom, as well as download Mii maker [i.. tried to download a really old version of Mii Plaza and I failed, but then right after that azahar updated, so I don't quite know what was from the system files and what was from the update]. I'm using Azahar on computer, but they do have a version for Android and - if your on computer, you can right click on Tomodachi life, go to save location, just. stuff the 00001 and 00001.metadata into a folder and then you can run different islands just by switching out the metadata folders based on whatever island your using. if that makes sense hold on

like this. technically i duplicated those files and then just went into town hall and started a new game but it should probably work fine if you didnt duplicate them. i was playing on my normal island with like. sans and hatsune miku on it last night and i just woke up like an hour ago so i havent switched the files yet ignore that

DOWNLOAD TOMODACHI LIFE !!! nintendo is releasing a new version of tomodachi life on their... way too expensive,barely an upgrade, even more expensive games switch....which im really sad about because its really hard to make miis for most of these characters with their weird skin tones but i know the new one is gonna have the makeup thing from miitopia :[ this blog is going to be run on the old tomodachi life until nintendo gets their shit together, even if that means having some terrible looking miis. we can just laugh at them together. uhm. what was i saying. RIGHT PIRATING IS FREE AND MORAL AND GOOD AND EVERYONE DESERVES TO HAVE LITTLE GUYS !!! if you ever need help with pirating tomodachi life i will be here to help :] alright im gonna go check on said little guys right now

[centrally-unplanned]

I always find the 'semiotics' or symbolic language of media interesting from an evolutionary perspective. Recently online there was a bit of a discussion about run cycles in animation; a guide to running written by Hayao Miyazaki from back in 1980 for which we had the text due to its inclusion in collected-writings book Starting Point has been missing its original accompanying visuals for all this time. Someone (Rebekah Machemer) found and scanned those drawings so now we have the complete work:

Very cool stuff, and really great to recover any lost production media like this. In the essay itself Miyazaki gets a bit philosophical - why care about running animation at all?

Above all what is most important is what one wants to express through the act of running…Men of strong resolve, who are wearing heavy armor and carrying swords, should run in a way that weak extras cannot. The running of surging masses on fire with anger, the running of a child doing his best to hold back tears until he reaches his house, the running of a heroine who has forsaken everything but the desire to flee—being able to show wonderful ways of running, running that expresses the very act of living, the pulse of life, across the screen would give me enormous delight. I dream of someday coming across a work that requires that kind of running.

On the one hand this all resonates; make the character visual, express their identity through motion, etc. On the other hand...girl who runs like this? I don't run, like, at all! It's not a common occurence in my everyday life to see a single person running, and if I do it is 99% of the time someone working out. I am pretty sure when I do run its way less an expression of my Forsaken Herione vibes and instead an expression of my 12-hours-a-day-on-a-computer workout routine.

-How you think you look running

-How you actually look running

What I am not saying here is that Miyazaki is wrong or anything to care about running. Instead I am saying that when he discusses how beautiful the act-of-running is, that is only partially coming from observing reality; it primarily comes from animation as a medium. Animation's value-add is the art-in-motion, you want the screen to be expressing itself to the audience through movement. You as an audience member want to see the animator themselves express their own aesthetic to you through that movement. There are a million ways to make that happen but running is one of the strongest; its character focused, universally applicable, common *enough* that you know what it looks like, you can make it diegetic to a climax if the plot demands it, etc. It makes sense for animation to utilize it, and it does - more than just animation, film all over does! It's a universally common symbol in the language of film with decades of meaning built into it.

But that meaning does not first come from real life, it comes from those demands of film-as-a-medium. In all likelihood no one has ever emoted a climactic meaning to you while running, or after running, you don't have a frame of reference for that. When you, as a viewer, are emotionally moved by the act of running, you feel that because film as a medium taught you to feel that. Compare it to how animation/film often focuses on the eyes and mouth for expressing emotion - that is not an invention of film, that is how real human beings communicate, when talking to a person you focus primarily on their eyes and mouth. The semiotics of film's language around eyes is built primarily from real life, which is much less true for running.

What is cool is how much of a semiotics of running animation has been built up given its origin within the demands of the medium. Miyazaki had a hot take and a desire to see artists push the craft as early as 1980; since then I can think of hundreds of running cycles artists have put their own touch on. I think of these as real Artist moments - it is something that the craft leads you to that you become obsessed with perfecting, existing for its own sake, something that interplays between observation and pure creativity. I can see these scenes now outside their own story, as the use and evolution of language. Which is neat!

[p1nkwitch]

May I send in another rrequest for Lonelyeyes with 52? I really love your writing! Thank you!

You may sent as many as you like!! Its a pleasure, plus im really having fun. I hope you like this one, its sappy despite what it may appear.

52- Accidentally Witnessed kiss Lonelyeyes

Peter was trying his best ok? Elias asked him to go to the institute so they could talk about some changes needed for the budget and so after delaying it as much as he could, he went.

Its not his fault his husband wasn't at his office, so he went to look for him and found him in a small break room steppin in his tip toes trying to reach something from the top shelf. Peter mind went to a lot of places due to the position, but more than anything he instinctually went to stand behind him and reach up, pressing himself against his back. Elias takes a deep breath and lets it out once he sees its him.

“Miss me?”

“Hardly since i saw you this morning” Peter stays where he is, but lowers the little coffee bag into the table next to him.

“Well you could have asked me there, and yet you try to get me to your lair to talk business” Elias turns and he lets him, now chest to chest he grins down at him wolfishly.

“Honestly i go to look for you in your office and its empty, then i find you here in such a… compromising situation…” Elias pouts and he chuckles.

“It's business, I would rather have it signed here than at home. Secondly… i keep this hidden here in case of emergency, but someone took the stool that is usually in place, not my fault-” Peter considers, his beautiful husband keeps ranting at him and he stays there close to him, slowly enough that the other won't notice immediately he uses forsaken to cover them and be unseen, after all this effort he thinks he deserves a little price.

“Besides, compromising really?” That snaps him back a little bit and he hums in agreement.

“Well, yes! You in your tippy toes stretching aaaaall the way up showing yourself, my my mister Bouchard, were you trying to get someone to pay attention to you? Mm, is there anyone i should be worried about, or… was this just a nice little act for me?” Elias narrows his eyes and Peter whispers next to his ear making him shiver and confirm his idea.

“Were you expecting me to fulfill some sort of work fantasy for you my little harlot? You should have said so i would love to” So before Elias could deny it, he leans down and kisses him.

For all that he claims about being a watcher, he is very shy when he wants, his little siren. Or perhaps he is playing at it, wanting to keep at whatever little game he is playing at. Peter keeps the lonely in place for them, keeping them hidden away from any prying eyes. Elias must feel the difference of spaces in reality, because the next thing that he knows is that his husband is wrapping his arms around his neck and deepening the kiss, making him press closer and trapping him against the table. He makes a noise of complaint, so without much thought and to give him more space he lifts him and sits him there so he can stand between his legs. 

Peter doesn't stop kissing him even if he has to lean down a little bit more, he enjoy having his husband like this, a funny little game they play, honestly why Elias asks him to this kind of stuff is not his business, but if it makes him happy, then so be it, less fighting later. He has to split up to be able to breath and in doing that he commits the mistake of seeing his husbands face up close. He is breathing hard and has his mouth slightly open while being flustered to no end. Peter sees him bite his lower lip and look up at him with such an earnest expression-

Oh fuck.

He laughs softly now, and the man snorts before joining him.

“God you piece of work”

“Shut up you-” Peter doesn't let him finish before he moves back to kiss him, not…. desperately or anything now, but merely just soft traces that makes him shiver and sigh against him, while caressing his cheek in the meantime, Elias leans into it like a flower looking for the sun, and it thrills him because he can take it away at any moment. 

When he tries to step back his partner hooks his leg around him and brings him back before using both hands to hold his face and fill it with kisses. Its stupid and silly, but it makes him feel way too good, he cant help it, Elias doesnt usually act this nice so he cherishes it when he can, its mostly for when he is away and needs to think of something to miss.

Gods he loves this man so much- 

It doesn't take long for him to start go down his jaw and neck leaving traces, Peter tries to not make much noise, when Elias bites and kisses afterwards a spot in his jaw he loses patience and goes back to kissing him while keeping him in place, he doesn't want to let the smaller man go for now, he is having too much fun just messing around and clearly so is the other who was clutching his sweater hard and biting his lower lip.

Peter will admit that he rather likes Elias being so prone to bite him, not to him, god's no, he is not an idiot. But this is nice.

They would have stayed like this for a while longer, but Elias stiffens and Peter confused and mildly concerned that he hurt him-

Stupid. stupid how did he not notice-!

Realizes that forsaken is nowhere to be seen, so that could only mean one thing. Elias takes a breath and puts his head in his chest. Maybe he thinks while feeling the creeping sensation of being seen, maybe if they stay silent and don't move they will leave? 

Elias starts to hit his forehead softly against his chest and Peter knows that is not going to happen. He attempts to pull them away, but it wont take Elias, so yup, he fucked up.

Minutes pass and a single.

“See you later double boss?”

Elias clutches his sweater and he has the distinct image of an animal trying to tear open his chest.

“Tim” Peter doesn't want to die today.

“Timothy i would appreciate it if you would not gossip, less… i take measurements” Silence.

“No, of course not-!” He was about to offer his own comment, but Elias kicks him.

“My husband merely came to visit-”

“Oh, OH. Thats-Oh ok, i ummm will see you later im going back to work” Footsteps and Elias breathes in and out.

“What-happened?” Half truth? He can't admit that he accidentally got too sappy and forsaken kicked them out.

“I got a little bit too distracted my guiding light” 

“... let's go back to the office” Peter thinks.

“Is there anyone coming here?” He looks up looking angry and upset, which was not the idea.

“Peter-”

“Just… is it?” Closing his eyes and focusing he replies.

“... No” Ok, good he can work with that. He kisses him again this time just a brush of their lips and helps him up, before grabbing his hand and kissing his wrist.

“Apologies?” His face was cold, but his lip twitched.

“I will complain, he is a gossiper Peter” He nods.

“Ugh fine, one for the way back” Grinning back at him he wraps his arms around his waist and kisses Elias before smirking against him, and dipping him slightly. He flails but Peter kisses his neck and helps him up again.

“Let's talk about budgeting then?” His flushed and annoyed face is price enough even if he will not hear the end of it for the entire time he stays in land.

[deathbydarkelves]

I decided to make playlists for Cathala and Tarinne plus explanations for why I chose each song because I entered one of those ADHD fugue states and if I didn't finish this task I would die

Anyway here are the two links (they're youtube playlists because I don't have spotify. I would obviously recommend using an adblocker if you're just gonna watch on youtube) and the explanations for each song are below the cut :) Each playlist is about an hour long.

For Tarinne’s:

1. Foggy Nights: I consider this her theme so putting it first as a sort of intro only makes sense.

2. Here’s a Health to the Company: I think this works as an example of her general disposition. She’s a people person, and always a fan of singing these sorts of songs in taverns, on ships, or what have you. It also kind of feels like a sendoff to soldiers, which I imagine symbolizes her joining the Sentinel Army and quickly thereafter fighting in the Third War.

3. Wartime Prayers: Somewhat self-explanatory, this is symbolizing her seeing war for the first time, but I also included it because the last line transitions SO WELL into the next song.

4. The Hollow: This song is an intro to an album I've never heard so I don't know the context, but I really love it because it sounds like someone praying to their deity and like I mean c'mon. Elune. Tarinne's praying to Elune to guide her through the war. Do I need to elabo-

5. Wave Walker: KILL DEATH MAIM AHAHAHAHA

6. Isil Elun’falo: Just a super rad fan-made night elf song that's basically "wow we sure do love Elune" said in twenty different ways for four and a half minutes. But it ROCKS and I LOVE it.

7. Chewing Cotton Wool: This song is about losing a loved one (I did have to check but yeah that's what it is) and I use it to symbolize Tarinne losing her mom during the war. The last line, which includes the song's title, I especially like. It's referring to how morticians (apparently) put cotton gauze in a corpse's throat and mouth to keep body fluids in and make the face look more natural. So there's a fun fact for you.

8. See U Soon (Song for Dad): Just a short lofi piece to rest a bit, and it was also chosen because the title's in reference to Tarinne growing closer to her dad after losing her mom. She still visits him at his leathers and furs shop in Stormwind fairly often, especially after dangerous adventures. She just wants to make sure he knows she's alright ;-;

9. No Lullaby: Right back into it with a song that I use to represent Tarinne's general feeling of not being able to go home because it's not there anymore. She's felt like this since the end of the Third War, but it's especially strong since the whole Teldrassil thing. But I like the ending, "who said you're on your own," because it contrasts the repeating of "alone" in the rest of the song. And it's kinda like "hey, listen, you're not the only one who feels like she can't go home." I mean that's probably how basically every single night elf feels right now skxnks

10. The Moss: This song juxtaposes classic fairy tales with scientific facts about the world and I love it to BITS. I'm using it here to represent both Tarinne's love for storytelling but also her sort of... part-time historian/archaeologist/conservator career.

11. Rasputin: I just associate this song with her for some reason and this was the best place to put it.

12. Electric Feel: Moving on to focus more on Tarinne's relationship with Cathala now. This is an extremely great and somewhat 😏 song that I also included because the electricity theme is appropriate because Cathala has lightning powers and y'know it's from Tarinne's perspective or whatever.

13. Bedroom Hymns: You know why this is here.

14. Movement: I can't talk about love songs without talking about Hozier, okay. This is just a nice, slower song to relax a bit with.

15. Never Let Me Go: I have an entire goddamn music video in my head with Cathala and Tarinne for this song and it’s very dramatic and emotional and I had to include this song or I’d die. Basically just listen to near the end of this song when she's repeating the title over and over, and imagine the two of them seeing each other at opposite ends of a battlefield after the dust settles and they rush towards each other and fall to their knees holding on as tightly as they can because they got separated early on and each thought the other was dead. Then you'll know how I feel when I listen to this song.

16. Nothing That Has Happened So Far Has Been Anything We Could Control: First of all I love the title, and second of all there's a big section in the middle (1:49 to 2:47) that I like to interpret as the two of them grappling with the fact that they're not really quite sure who or what they're fighting for anymore. Their people, yeah, but there's so many alliances and semi-permanent enemies and only-on-every-other-thursday-enemies all intertwined and the world is just so very confusing and they're trying to make the best of it. Elf school didn’t include international, interracial politics in its curriculum. It did however include how to properly plant trees, and AP calculus (this is a joke).

17. In Dreams: I like to imagine this song is something the two of them would say to each other, as a way of saying “even when everything we know is gone, even when the world ends, I will still be by your side. And if I’m not, don’t fear, for I will find you.” It makes a nice note to end on :)

For Cathala’s:

1. muse: Just a nice lofi intro to get us into things :) I don't see this song as her theme, like I do with Tarinne and the first song in her playlist, but I like it quite a bit. I don't actually really have a theme for Cathala yet, I'm currently going with a version of Way of the Monk from WoW's OST but I'm still looking for something better.

2. Frogs Singing: I included this because it's about just appreciating nature, which works because night elf and also mindfulness and meditation is a whole thing.

3. Tongues: This is a song about feeling distant from your peers which is like Cathala's whole existence! She's this weird mix of two cultures and ultimately she feels out of place regardless of where she is or who she's with. Also the theme with not understanding what people are saying works because the poor woman had to learn Pandaren from scratch and that shit ain't easy. I think blizz said somewhere probably that Common is just a language that EVERYONE knows inherently because Video Game but that's bullshit in my opinion. I'll allow spells that let you understand foreign languages to an extent (Comprehend Languages from D&D lets you understand the LITERAL meaning only, which I like), but every culture and species in the universe knowing Common is silly if you think about it for more than two seconds.

4. Kung Fu Fighting: I'm legally required to include this song. Also I prefer the Kung Fu Panda version, I'm sorry.

5. Harder Better Faster Stronger: I vicariously experience having a great work ethic through Cathala and that's why this song is here because she has 999 Determination and does Too Many push-ups every day or something idk. I was gonna say "every morning" but I have a headcanon that elves only need to sleep every couple of days (sort of a nod to "elves don't need to sleep at all" from D&D, and to explain why NIGHT elves are active at all hours of the day) so that doesn't work.

6. What's Up Danger: This song is Cathala's whole Vibe. Almost zero threat assessment skills in this woman's brain. If it can be punched, she will punch it.

7. Eye for an Eye: Fairly self-explanatory, it's a song about wanting revenge so... yeah. Checked that box. It was this or The Vengeful One by Disturbed but ultimately The Vengeful One's religious symbolism probably makes it fit better as a Tyrande theme lol ("I'm the hand of god, I'm the dark messiah." Did you mean: the Night Warrior)

8. Survivor: Cathala's survived a lot of shit and this could kinda be her making fun of herself for it because "Gods, man! Don't I deserve a break!"

9. Ashes: Really the reason I include this song is the last chunk (2:42 to the end) because holy shit. Listen, if I was gonna include a song with fire motifs, it was gonna be a somber one like this.

10. Into the West: This can kinda represent Cathala just trying to fucking breathe and recover from Teldrassil. Also works because I dunno it has stuff to do with the elves in LotR, I haven't seen those movies in a while. It sounds nice and is melancholy so I included it.

11. Like Real People Do: Cathala loves Tarinne a lot you guys have I ever menti-

12. Into the Wild: Tarinne changed Cathala's world for the better and she's super fucking grateful she has her by her side. Kinda goes without saying but you know.

13. Chasing the Moon: I have a vague music video in my head for this of them falling in love and it's very cute so there's that. Also it's in this specific spot because hey she may be deeply traumatized but she's still got a fair number of things/people in her life that make her happy so :)

14. Follow My Girl: I've got a theme going in my head that while Tarinne is fairly certain of her place in the world, Cathala is still trying to find hers. She outlived all her connections on Pandaria because Elf Lifespans(tm) and the only members of her family still alive are distant relatives she never knew very well.

15. Wish That You Were Here: This works both to represent Cathala on Pandaria feeling super homesick, and for more recently after Teldrassil. Either way, it's a message to her parents and sister.

16. Mr. Fear: She does her damnedest to hide it but she's absolutely terrified something like Teldrassil's gonna happen again! That fear drives her to do everything in her power to protect who and what she can. As long as they're not Forsaken, cause she's still got her biases, that compassion even extends across faction lines. She never really got the whole Alliance/Horde thing anyway. Innocent people shouldn't have to die, regardless of who or what they are.

17. Ordinary Day: Not to get super out there but I think this song works as symbolizing Cathala really trying to hold on to her faith in Elune, but ultimately feeling pretty abandoned. I mean she can clearly see Elune's influence everywhere. But Elune sure ain't doing Cathala any favors as far as she can tell! It also ends the whole playlist on maybe a bit of an uncertain/open-ended note, because this "losing faith" aspect is a new thing with her and will definitely be something she continues to struggle with for a while. On a related note, I should say Tarinne is still very much devout but she gets what Cathala's feeling and doesn't force anything on her, and vice versa. And Cathala wouldn't become atheist, the night elves aren't monotheistic and she still worships all the other deities, it's just specifically Elune she's a little :/ on.

[monchikyun]

XIII. give you everything

Connor can’t help but laugh when a palm lands on his cheek ever so softly. 

“You’re aware that I can’t feel physical pain, right?” 

“Shut up,” Gavin pretends that he’s bothered by that rhetorical question, but the hint of a smile trying to force its way in doesn’t go undetected. Ever since the morning, his face has been graced by the shade of red Connor can’t get enough of, which is the main reason for his good mood.  

Somehow they ended up playing rock-scissors-paper and Gavin insisted that the loser should receive some form of punishment, “to spice it up a little”. He thinks that the man just wants to test how advanced his programming is, to find out whether he’s even capable of losing. The truth is he could accurately estimate Gavin’s move if he concentrated enough, but then this would be no fun now, would it. 

Of course, he had to draw paper in their first round and the fact that Gavin immediately went for scissors was all but unexpected. The man himself can be sharp like a knife when you touch the wrong side of him. 

Connor has a hard time admitting to himself that he lost on purpose because he can’t quite figure out why. 

“Doesn’t matter,” Gavin mumbles and invites him for a rematch. 

He supposes there are better ways to spend their free time, but since no one is willing to talk about what is going on between them, childish games count as the next best thing. 

And Connor really enjoys the limbo they trapped themselves in. It’s just warm enough without the possibility of leaving burns. Luke-warm, if he’s being honest with himself. A bit bland. Still, he could live with that. He can ignore the longing in Gavin’s eyes if it keeps them safe like this. 

“Guess I win this time.” Gavin’s fist uncurls in disappointment, preventing Connor from enveloping it in his ‘paper’. 

“You sure you didn’t cheat with your robo mind-reading power?” There is nothing but playfulness seeping from his voice, still, Connor can’t believe he even has to ask. 

“You really do think highly of me, don’t you?”

“So that would be a ‘no’.” He squeezes his eyes shut and winces in anticipation. 

“I’ll be gentle, I promise.” 

And he is, imitating the slap he got just a couple of minutes ago. 

“Seriously? Well, that was kinda underwhelming.” He sounds almost dissatisfied. Connor never considered Gavin was into that kind of stuff but one never knows what the other person might be hiding. Not that he minds, it’s just a piece of information he needs to get used to. 

“So was yours.” He smirks at him, creating a petulant frown on his friend’s face. 

“Good point.” At least he doesn’t initiate a fight. It would be a shame if something ruined their so-far peaceful day. 

The snow has finally stopped falling, letting a ray of sunshine peek through the thick clouds. He would suggest taking a walk if Gavin hasn’t coughed three times in the past two hours. Connor has been monitoring his vitals, not noticing any significant change to his health, but that might have been only thanks to their current sufficiently heated location. At least according to his scans it is so, because the detective’s hands rub his arms up and down in an attempt to get rid of the cold only he can feel. 

“If only you had a perfectly comfortable sweater to wear.., what a pity,” Connor shakes his head in theatrical sorrow. 

“Oh, wait.” 

The darts coming from Gavin prick his skin without having to look at him at all. Now, this is fun. 

“You do!.” 

The man seems offended by his toothy grin, which makes it grow even wider. 

“For phck’s sake, Connor. I told you I’ll wear that over my dead body.” 

“Guess I’ll have to kill you then.” 

He means it as a stupid joke, but the air turns serious as soon as his mouth lets out those words. 

“Sorry.” 

He shouldn’t be the one letting himself be carried away by the moment, no matter how carefree it might have been. 

But Gavin doesn’t react to his feeble apology, busy making himself smaller to contain some of his bodily heat. His temperature is still within the norm, but that doesn’t tell him anything about what might happen in the next several hours. Days. 

He repeats his actions from the night before, placing his blanket around the man’s shoulder, letting his hands linger a little longer than they should. 

They spend the rest of the day wasting their time by playing all the games from Gavin’s childhood that Connor would never have the opportunity to experience otherwise. It’s a nice gesture, if that indeed is the intention behind it. Could be that this is the detective’s idea of dealing with boredom. And since they’ve decided to forget all about their work while they’re here, there weren’t many options left if they wanted to avoid all communication that could direct them to the forsaken grounds, also known as a personal dialogue. 

Connor almost had to force-feed Gavin the lunch he ordered for him, fighting against his endless excuses of not being hungry. He needs the strength if his condition is to worsen, and he’d make sure he gets it, even if it ended up in him having to shove a spoon inside his human mouth and nearly choking him to death. The man does sometimes act like a misbehaving toddler, but he figures that’s just a part of his charm. Besides, he likes taking care of him, it makes him fulfilled, for more reasons than one. It reminds him that he’s capable of so much more than just police work. 

It’s late in the afternoon now, the sky has gone dark and their carefully structured conversation quieted down into a pleasant silence. The only light source in their room is provided by the muted television which no one pays any attention to. 

Gavin is sitting on the ground, backed propped by the side of his bed. He’s still snuggled in Connor’s blanket, cradling a cup of tea the android has made for him. 

He has packed plenty of supplies with him, thinking they might come in handy. It’s better to be over-prepared than the opposite, an opinion that this trip has confirmed to him. 

Connor has just got off the phone with Tina, assuring himself that Sumo is being adequately spoiled. He really misses that oversized lump of fur, but the dog is doing just fine without him, so he has nothing to complain about.  

Checking up on Gavin he notices his temperature has risen above what’s deemed healthy. He sits next to him and retracts the skin on his hand, pressing it on the man’s forehead to extract the precise reading, just to be certain.  

“Yeah, I know,” Gavin says, clearly defeated. He shifts a bit and looks at him like he’s seeing the most beautiful being in the world, setting the now half-empty cup aside. 

“C’me here.” 

Maybe it’s the medicine he took twenty minutes ago finally kicking in, making his brain all mushy and body too clingy, but Gavin magically pulls him in his lap and holds him like he’s the last of his kind. He rests his head on the android’s chest, and Connor is too weak to deny him this show of vulnerability. Even if it’s likely drug-induced. They stay like this for a while, basking in each other’s touch, breathing in the tender atmosphere. Their hands have found each other too, fitting together like opposite poles. His spare one is threading through Gavin’s hair, messing it up on purpose. Connor loves seeing it like that, it feels intimate to him. A secret side of the man reserved only for those who are closest to him. It’s nice. Too nice. 

The moment is so overwhelmingly light it doesn’t even occur to him how dangerous his actions are. How those small acts can wedge a rift between them if he isn’t careful enough. 

But it’s too late to back out because Gavin kisses his chest, the place whereunder his mechanical heart beats loudly. And it doesn’t stop there. He traces those kisses up along his collar bone, his jaw, his neck, eliciting a content hum from him in the process. When he comes close to his lips, the man hesitates for a second that seems like an eternity, but ultimately decides to give in. 

And that where Connor draws the line. Snapping out of his trance, he quickly shoves his hand in front of his mouth to prevent Gavin from doing something he won’t be able to take back. 

“I’m sorry,” comes the muffled expression of regret. He truly loathes having to say that phrase so often because he apparently can’t do a single thing right in his life. 

He climbs off Gavin, dropping his body right next to him instead. 

“Why,” the man breathes softly. 

“I- I can’t. I can’t give you everything you want, Gavin.” He tries to communicate his despair through his doleful gaze, which his friend appears to be drowning in. 

“What-” Connor grabs the upper side of Gavin’s hand, guiding it towards him in an answer. It discomforts him greatly, but he leads it to where his genitals would be if he had any. He’s not the only one unsettled by this, for he senses Gavin struggle against his grip and at this point he has no choice but to set him free.

“You phcking toaster, you think I don’t know that?” he laughs without mirth. 

“You think that… that I want you just for your body?” 

Connor has hurt the man again, despite trying to do the exact opposite. 

“...no?” 

“No!” It’s not that difficult to believe, but not as easy when the truth has been spoken out loud. 

Gavin leans back into him, resting his head on his shoulder. At least they haven’t spiralled down the path of pretend animosity. 

“You don’t mind that I’m not a man?” Connor has never really regarded himself as one. It’s a label that doesn’t feel right to him. He’s simply himself, a human-like android who has been given a soul. There is no need for something else.

“I don’t care what or who you are, Con. As long as it’s you that’s inside, I wouldn’t mind if you were a phcking jellyfish, I’d… I’d love you all the same.” 

“You… you love me.”  The world around him gets blurry as he can’t quite process what he just heard.

“Is that so surprising, tin can?” Gavin chuckles, his own tears audible in that delightful sound.  

He wants to say it back, every inch of his being is urging him to do so, but his brain has frozen over and refuses to receive any command his heart gives him.

The words are stuck in his chest, leaking out through his close eyes, unable to be turned into any shape. They stab him with their intensity over and over, making him want to pluck them out and throw them at the person who has created them. 

“I-”

“You don’t have to, Con.” 

Maybe neither of them is ready to carry the weight behind that sentence just yet.

@a-convin-new-year i had to change the title a bit to suit my story hope you don’t mind 

[masterheartsxiii]

Notes from mass 9/20/20

A note before I start. This was my first time at mass by myself, as a non-catholic. It was also my first time taking notes. I am looking to be challenged and hold discussion on my thoughts.

I grew up non-denominational, I didn’t know much about Catholicism other than that they worshiped Mary and stuff (things I found out were wrong later). Eventually I started spending time with my dear friend, who was catholic. She and I went back and forth as she brought forward points about catholic faith, and I would pose counter arguments. There was a point where she seemed close to snapping away towards a different denomination, closer to mine. But then, she suddenly snapped back. Her connection to her Catholic faith became like steel, forged in the heat of questioning. This fire fascinated me. I now know that she had an advisor who helped temper that steel into its current shape on this site, but that doesn’t change that she found something about Catholicism that resonated, or else no amount of advice would have caused it. So I had to know. I have to know. What about Catholicism draws one closer to God even when fought against with more Protestant views. For that reason, I have begun going to Catholic Mass, starting now due to covid, and long to have my answers about God and the universe answered.

Now the notes proper:

I arrived late due to traffic and going to a new church. Will have to prepare for that earlier. Due to this I had to sit in the back outside of the church proper.

Gospel was on the parable of the men who were hired at different times yet paid the same amount.

>An interesting parable. One that would easily reflect on any time period, and all have surely felt similar.

Homily begins:

Talking about vacation?

>Not really sure how this all connects

The priest went to Maine

>I get he’s trying to relate this, but talking about vacation as your connection seems odd during times where quarantine is supposed to be in place.

Got distracted on how to take notes

>I was trying to figure out how best to take notes by looking at the examples my dear friend has posted in the past. I resolved then to get a notebook and have since done so so that my notes can be taken and translated later.

The priest gets back to the parable

>Finally. I guess the connection was between lobster farmers and field workers, but that seems thin.

The fairness is what we focus on, but the point of the parable is gods love.

>Well that seems obvious. But it has an important point to make, and right as I thought that he continued

Christianity, like field work, can be back breaking.

>Living with an atheist, can agree.

We need to save all people no matter when in their life. (But what rewards are there besides the end?)

>So the parenthesis are the thoughts I had at the time that I felt needed to be jotted down. These carrots are post church reflections. But it is a common thought. How often have I gone to God and said “I’ve done all this for you. I’ve been here since I was a child? Why am I not getting benefits. Why don’t my wishes carry more weight? My god, my god, why have you forsaken me.”

We might harbor feelings that we’ve been unfairly treated (no rewards to be in early)

>precisely. We feel that just because someone “got on board late” they shouldn’t be given equal treatment. But that’s not right. We should want the best for everyone. To hold someone to a standard of when they became a follower, why do we assume that makes them lesser? Isn’t that judgement? There is only one Judge, and it isn’t any of us on Earth.

Why do we think that? Why do we feel it’s “better” that we wish we could have joined later.

>That brings up an interesting conundrum. Often times we think the best way, even as Christians is to fall into this trap. We say “well it’s alright if I break this rule as long as I ask forgiveness” but that could devolve into a whole tangent of what is right vs what feels good. I’d be happy to discuss that more in the comments or a dm.

Better to rejoice that we added more people to the kingdom of heaven.

>On this we can easily agree. It is a victory to add someone, but where does it end? Do we check in and make sure they’re actually living it out? Surely just getting them to confess isn’t the end. That gets into circle of control vs circle of influence. Something my therapist and I have been working through. But while my circle of control is small with a larger circle of influence, an interesting irony is that God’s circle of control is massive, but he chooses to only use his influence, less we become puppets. Idk. This is where my mind wanders to.

Started talking about donations? That felt out of place.

>Yeah I guess just because it’s nearing the end of the fiscal year, it’s time to bring in money. It was an unfortunate time for me to first visit as I’m sure it sounded more greedy than intended, but it did feel weird that they ended the homily with it. Is that normal. I have no comparative reference.

I left before communion as I don’t feel I can go to it yet as a non catholic (why so isolating?)

>Something I’ve always wrestled with. The requirement to be catholic before receiving communion. Jesus said “let the little children come into me”. He didn’t require them to vow to him first. Jesus dined with beggars, crooks, and tax collectors. He never required them to be a part of his church before then. And then of course there’s the fact that is in spirit the body and blood of Christ. I grew up with communion being symbolic, not a true transformation. For a long time I viewed that as a weird interpretation. But I’ve seen it. The times I went to mass with my dear friend in the past I saw the power that the reverence and respect the priest placed on it. The Meal is more than a symbol, but I believe that is only to those that believe it so. My literal brain has trouble seeing past the veil, but I did for one fleeting moment and it’s stuck with me.

I felt so alone. How does one connect to god at these things? He is held so far above. How can one reach.

>I’ve never gone to mass by myself. I’ve always had at least my dear friends long side me. Ins one ways that was a detriment. After all, if ones focus is torn between two places, can one truly grasp Heaven’s message for you? But on the other side, without anyone beside me at church, how am I to parse these feelings. I am a Stranger in a Strange Land, and without a spiritual guide, how am I to reach it. I fear my journey will be impossible alone. I will pray on this.

One final note: the priest says it feels like the devil has really had his way with this year. It has been a hard year for sure, but how much is this the work of devils and how much is the work of man. The age old question does the devil really exist: or is it just the Bible’s embodiment of man’s free will, given personification. May pursue this more.

>A thought I’ve had many times. One I’d love to discuss. The Bible has many allegories. Might the devil be one as well. After all humans with free will don’t need something bad influencing them. That’s actually the problem with some other denominations. The ones that make “Hell Houses” the prescribe everything to “demons” and that takes humanity’s free will out of the equation. The devil may not exist. There may instead just be humanity’s desire to turn away from blinding light. Thoughts?

[mythandlaur]

Burai here on anon, rip Side-blog personal blog. Anywhoo-- The Will of the Swarm, Children of the Archives, Light Unseen, and are ya winning the tournament son. If you don't mind.

The WIP Tag Game

@buraidragon​ You should know these--you were involved in at least two of them.

Lots of text under the cut!

The Will of the Swarm (working title only) - Spiral Knights - 2018

A collaborative project with friends Burai and apprenticeNerd; a roleplay adaptation that would’ve made for a multichapter fic. Knight-Elite Ixtharion and his protégé, the slightly pyromaniacal Ashoza, are called on for a cryptic rescue mission in the Wildwoods, only to find the person they’re rescuing is none other than Parma, reconnaissance specialist of the lost Alpha Squad, who bears worrying information from the Core and evidence of her claims in the form of a dark miasma that appears to have eaten away her right arm. Ix has some knowledge on prosthetics, and takes over the effort to get Parma set up with one, facilitating interaction and camaraderie between the trio--and it’s them who chase after Parma when she delves back into the deepest layers of the Clockworks upon word coming back of the fate of the Alpha Squad’s technician...consumed by the Swarm and working for Herex.

I still really enjoy this concept tbh??? Like I don’t know if I could WRITE write it but if you guys still wanted to poke at it after all this time I’d be game. I don’t have a snippet, but I do have some nigh-incomprehensible notes from a document dated August 2018

Events:

Parma needs to recover a little bit, explore Haven when she can (her arm’s definitely going though)

Ix dinner party

Discussion of important things/she lets them in on what she found

Vanguards find Shadow Rulen in the depths and Parma immediately runs off looking, Ix and Shoza having to follow after her

Other ideas and stuff:

Scout slowly becomes a Seraphynx

Drunk Ashoza happens at some point

Concepts:

Shadow Rulen/Technomancer Rulen:

Is possessed/corrupted by the Swarm and taken in by Herex

Speaks in the plural in this state

Creates a very large mech (possibly named “Omega” something for irony?)

Swarm turret gatling gun

Shard bomb launcher

Tears out bits of the world and slams them down on enemies

Weak to overheading

Last ditch attempts to escape deeper into the core

Potential concept of Rulen losing his body to the Swarm and becoming a spirit who possesses/manipulates technology

Grantz’s Sword:

This dude took his oath way too seriously and stuck around even after dying, possessing his sword which remains around the core

Doesn’t realize he’s dead

Inadvertently possesses whatever knight holds the sword

---

Children of the Archives - Hollow Knight - 2019

Another collaborative project between the same trio, an AU affectionately referred to as “Monomom”. There isn’t so much a plot summation for this as there are a bunch of concepts; basically, in this verse, a very large amount of Vessels find their way out of the Abyss and into the Teacher’s Archives, becoming mainstays around there long before the Infection starts to take hold. Though Monomon still fulfils her duty, she isn’t happy about it or the Pale King’s plan, and Quirrel stays behind to take care of the Vessels after she’s gone, though becomes infected as a result. Several events in the game go differently, partially because Hornet is aware of the vessels and is more open with Ghost because of that awareness. Was meant to probably be a verse with a lot of domestic nonsense going on overall.

I don’t have a snippet, but there’s a doc with a lot of concepts, including about three pages’ worth of Vessels created between the three of us. Have some favorites:

Trio - Early model, has three arms. Acts like the older brother to other Vessels. Probably has three small Nails. 

Ase - Broken Vessel, stoic leader, mature, has been wandering longer than the others, cares about siblings more than themself - Insists they’re strong and independent and don’t need help, try to get to the void, fail, several others from the Archives sneak out to drag them back to the Archives badly injured and scare the living daylights out of Quirrel

Lantern - Likes putting lumaflies in their head. Yes, the eyes glow depending how many there are. Theoretically if they Consume the shock ones, they could have laser beam eyes? 

Vault - Taller and thicker vessel that likes storing stuff inside of them. Not a fighter. They fight by flinging stone writings at people and running.

Spite - Seven horns, is upset about that, breaks one off that forms the core of their nail, always down to fight. Will probably stab you if you insult a sibling.

Ink - Gets really good at making ink, their shell’s always stained, loves learning, pesters the students. Probably carries brushes instead, and would hang around Sheo for art.

Legion- One Shade spread over five Vessels. They act as a collective within a collective. If threatened will pile into a very stable tower and initiate a five-tiered Loom. Highly skilled in combat, as you need to take all five of them out within a short time period to fully incapacitate them. You might find one of their Shells roaming Fog Canyon, too keep a scout’s eye out for any potential dangers. If nothing else, they’re bouncing off of jellyfish because it’s fun. Each Shell of Leigon’s has a pentagon inked onto the back, with a dot in each corner responding to which Shell it is. Legion’s shade is as large as Hollow’s. 

Smith: Slightly-large Vessel, missing a leg, really wants to be a Nailsmith. Alters between studying under The Nailsmith and practicing Nailcrafting on sibling’s blades. Keeps them in shape, if nothing else. Has a metal peg-leg they are perfectly willing to take off and smack you with if they’ve lost their nail.

---

Light Unseen - Destiny 2 - 2019

A backstory oneshot for Kaira, a blind Guardian only capable of seeing traces of Light where it’s present, and her Ghost, Nel, who acts as her guide. This particular bit of writing was meant to be Kaira and Nel’s first meeting, and Kaira’s first (and second) revival, as Nel tries to figure out how to accommodate her and help her escape from a Cabal ambush in the EDZ, eventually assisted by more experienced Guardians Irina and Elara-4, who become Kaira’s good friends.

I really, really love this character and I really, really want to do something more with her, but D2′s writing has gone in the crapper since Forsaken and I don’t agree with basically anything Bungie’s done with the game in the last year, so I’m in a bit of a pickle. I do have a snippet, though. Trigger warning for a brief description of an extremely long-dead corpse/skeleton.

Other Ghosts do this for years, he’s heard. But for him, it only takes a few minutes.

Sticking out of some bushes, the Ghost finds a leg. Not much of a leg, of course; the flesh has long since rotted away, and the elements have left just the barest scraps of fabric from the deceased’s clothes. As he delves into the bushs, branches scraping and poking at his shell, he sees the rest of the remains tangled inside are similarly skeletal. The skull is the worst, mangled and caved in around the eye sockets. He wonders how they’d come to be in a place like this, in a state like that. Had they fallen? Had someone, or something, tried to hide their body?

There’s no way for him to know, and he doubts he ever will. But it doesn’t matter, because what he does know is that this is it.

He doesn’t know in any logical capacity, but he knows because he can feel something inside of those bones reacting to his presence, like a pair of magnets drawn to each other’s polarities. He feels...warm, and whole, and his shell is buzzing as if with errant electricity, except it is not electricity, it is Light, his Light, the Light the Traveler had given him with the sole purpose of passing that wonderful gift on to another.

Their body isn’t really in an ideal position for resurrection, and he can’t do much about that given his lack of both size and limbs. But that doesn’t dampen his growing excitement, as he looks at those bones and wonders not for the first time what they’ll be like, what sort of adventures they’ll go on together.

There’s only one way to find out, he knows.

The red-shelled Ghost hovers there, relishing this moment of anticipation for a few seconds longer. And then, he can’t contain it any longer.

He opens himself up to the gift of the Light, and it all but consumes him; his form expands, a little blue sun with little metal planets orbiting around it, and every mechanical sensor cuts out. The part of him that isn’t mechanical reaches out, and from the tiny floating solar system comes a beam that bathes the lost bones in Light.

Flesh reforms itself in the wake of shimmering waves, and clothes over that. The skull rearranges its broken, twisted parts and knits itself back together. After what feels like an age to him, his sensors come back online as his shell wraps around him again, and he drifts back to check his handiwork.

They wear the cloak, hood, and mask of a Hunter, hiding their face. Their shape is vaguely feminine--he’s going to assume until they tell him themself. Her chest rises and falls slowly with her newly-restored breathing, as if she’s not yet fully awake, and she doesn’t seem to realize the fact that she’s lying in a bush.

“...Guardian?” He quells his excitement, trying to keep his voice soft as he flies in closer to her face--then quickly back as he realizes he may be too close. The branches rustle with a slight movement of her arm, and her head turns sluggishly. “Guardian, wake up. I’m sorry, I couldn’t move you--you’re going to have to get up.”

She tilts her head slightly upwards towards his voice. For a moment, there’s no other reaction, but then the words seem to register and she starts pushing herself into a sitting position. Branches snap and crack as she pushes against them, struggling, before she seems to realize a better way and starts sliding her feet along the ground, dragging herself out with her knees little by little until she can sit up unhindered. Once she’s up, she crosses her legs under her and sets her hands in her lap, chin dropped towards her chest as he hovers around her to make sure she’s all in one piece.

He can hardly believe it. His Guardian, living and breathing once again, right here in front of him. The Ghost flies around to hang in front of her face. “How do you feel?” No response, no acknowledgment. He guesses she’s still a little rattled. “Not much of a talker? Okay, you don’t have to talk right now, but we do need to get moving, there’s--”

The Hunter abruptly raises her head, and he stops talking. In the silence, a loud rumbling can be heard, gradually growing louder. Seconds pass, and he turns his eye upward to see a shadow in the sky above the trees--a very familiar shadow, as he’s seen several of these during his scouting missions.

“...Maybe they’ll pass us.”

The dropship stops in the air, almost directly overhead. The side of a wing is all he can see, but he can hear grunts and shouts all too close nearby, feet hitting the ground hard.

So, he’d been quite lucky to find his Guardian so quickly and easily. But apparently, he’d used up all that luck at once, and now a Cabal scouting party is here, for whatever reason.

“You know what I said about moving? We’re going to need to start on that right now.” The Ghost quickly disappears in a shimmer of light, still keeping an eye out around them. “I’m still here. I’ll explain everything later, I promise, but right now we’ve got to run. I’ve got a marker up for you, just follow that and don’t stop. Don’t worry, I’ve got your back.”

The Hunter stumbles to her feet, holding her arms out to steady herself. The Light is still waking inside of her; she probably doesn’t know how to control it, and without a gun, running is their only chance. She glances about wildly, and then takes off--not exactly in the direction of his marker, but he trusts she’s got a plan. If she’s a Hunter, she’s likely got impeccable instincts.

---

are ya winnin the puyo tournament son (doc name) - Puyo Puyo - October 2020

You know I had to do it. This is a oneshot based in an AU where Sig’s ancestor, Ajisai, is reconstituted by the deus ex machina duo themselves, Ecolo and (much to their chagrin) Satan. After spending a few weeks living in the middle of nowhere, Ajisai hears about an upcoming Puyo tournament and decides to participate in the festivities, using it as an excuse to endear themself to varying degrees to the students and visitors. Eventually, they confront Satan about his unacceptable behavior, and get a hint that Satan’s actions may be a bit more tragic than merely pathetic.

Basically this is just ‘what if Ajisai lived because I want to write more for them and I want to see how they’d interact with more characters’. It’s mostly just me goofing in 15th anniversary’s style and I don’t know if people would be interested, but I’m getting some enjoyment out of it.

Looking down on Primp Town from the ridge is rather like watching a beehive--except instead of honeycomb, the excited bees are rushing about building a network of colorful streamers and decorations hanging between buildings.

“You certainly have a lot of celebrations here, don’t you.”

Sig gives the barest of shrugs, not even bothering to glance up from the caterpillar that’s made itself at home on a finger of his claw. “Guess so. It’s fun, though.”

“What is it this time? The Primp Festival wasn’t too long ago. It can’t be that again, can it?”

“Puyo tournament. The school’s running it.”

“Ah, I see.”

“They did it last year, too. Bunch of Arle’s friends showed up.”

“You do realize I was there for the last one, yes?”

Sig finally looks over, and they patiently wait for him to arrive at the realization. “Oh, yeah. Right.”

Ajisai chuckles quietly under their breath as their descendant goes back to admiring the caterpillar. It is easy to forget that they’d been present during many of the major events in Sig’s life, if only because they look and act so different now that they have a whole body to themself again. It’s a small price to pay for their freedom, of course, and they owe Ecolo a great deal for the service.

Well, not just Ecolo, they suppose. There had been...others involved.

“It’s different playing in it yourself, though,” Sig continues after a pause. Ajisai shakes their head to dislodge the loose thoughts before turning back to him.

“Are you going to be joining in this year, then?”

“Yeah.” A tiny smile comes to Sig’s face, though he still doesn’t look up. Nothing more needs to be said, so a comfortable silence stretches on between them, as Sig watches the caterpillar climb his arm and offers his right hand to crawl on instead so he doesn’t lose the little thing. Meanwhile, Ajisai can’t help but glance back down towards the frenetic party preparations, slight fangs poking at their lower lip in thought.

They’ve been alive and well for at least two weeks now, and only four people even know about it; they’ve either been staying at Sig’s house rereading the collection they’d passed down to him or wandering about the Forest of Nahe aimlessly, occasionally slipping into town at night to have a look around before quickly leaving again. But...they’d like to go into town, if only to visit the library. There are so many of Sig’s classmates they’d never gotten to meet properly, too. After so long isolated, they finally remember what it’s like to feel a need for companionship.

There’s only the question of if they deserve it. If they’ll be welcome there.

Ajisai takes a deep breath. “Is this tournament only for the students?”

“No,” Sig replies without missing a beat, “Bunch of other people are probably gonna play. Arle’s friends, Ringo’s friends, the space guys, Ally…Dunno who’s coming, but I’d be surprised if those guys didn’t.”

“Hm.”

“You wanna play too?” Sig takes his attention from the caterpillar, looking over at them with half-lidded, questioning eyes and pursed lips. “You’re really good.”

“Well…” Leave it to their ‘nephew’ to see right through them. Ajisai looks away, hair flicking in slight agitation. They’ve picked up a thing or two about Puyo over the years, it’s true--they’ve even given some of Sig’s classmates a run for their money in the past. Though that only brings up the circumstances of those battles, which were...less than ideal. “Do you think they’d be willing to have me?”

“You’d have to ask Ms. Accord.” Typical Sig--doesn’t even notice their internal struggle, or perhaps he does and doesn’t think it’s an issue. He points down at the town with a clawed finger. “She’s probably down there helping set up.”

Ajisai narrows their eyes, considering it. They suppose the worst that can happen is them being told no and having to go back to the forest, but the idea of just walking into town as they are is a bit unnerving. Still… “Would you mind if I went down there now, then?”

“Go ahead,” Sig says, focus returning to the caterpillar. They can’t help but chuckle a bit under their breath at their nephew’s fascination, the same all-consuming interest that they had for books and stories. 

Ajisai stands, shaking the grass out of their cape before resting a hand on Sig’s left shoulder and squeezing slightly. “Don’t go running off,” they say with a wry smirk, fully aware that Sig will probably still be watching the caterpillar twenty minutes from now.

Sig knows it too, and huffs a little, amused snort through his nose. “Yeah, I’ll try not to.”

[dailyaudiobible]

04/10/2020 DAB Transcript

Deuteronomy 34:1 - Joshua 2:24, Luke 13:22-14:6, Psalms 79:1-13, Proverbs 12:26

Today is the 10th day of April welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I'm Brian and it's a…it's a joy, Its an honor to be here with you today. Today…today's kind of a big day. Today is Good Friday. It’s a day that we commemorate the death of Jesus our Savior. It's kind of one of the darkest days on the Christian calendar. It's…it's a somber day but we’ll talk about that more in a little bit. Today is also the 100th day of the year if you can believe it. 100 days we’ve been journeying together, and in our reading today we will finish the book of Deuteronomy which means we will complete the Torah. And we will also be saying goodbye to somebody that we’ve been journeying with for quite a while, Moses and entering a new book, Joshua and a completely new season, a completely new era. Actually, in the Old Testament like we’ve been mostly in the wilderness since we began this year and now, we’re about to cross over the Jordan into the Promised Land leaving the wilderness behind, which could not be a more appropriate metaphor for Good Friday. And even as we leave the Pentateuch or the Torah, like I mentioned yesterday, we’ve got a brand-new, very very large update to the Daily Audio Bible app. And as we move through this day. If we’ve been kind of checking off the days as listened, as we've gone through the year this far, we will…we will complete the first section of the Bible, the Pentateuch, the Torah. And the app will tell us, will show us we've achieved that, we've moved through that and we can see the achievements, we can see the sections of the Bible that we’re moving through right now and the ones that we will be moving through and the app will now show us kind of where we are on this journey. So, make sure to update that. But we’ll get to that soon enough. Let's conclude the book of Deuteronomy and then we’ll talk a little bit about the book of Joshua before diving into it for a couple of chapters. But we’re reading from the Christian Standard Bible this week. Deuteronomy chapter 34.

Introduction to the book of Joshua:

Okay. So, that concludes the book of Deuteronomy. That concludes the Torah or the Pentateuch. And, so, in just a minute we’ll begin the book of Joshua and we’ll see that…well…Joshua kinda picks up right where Deuteronomy leaves off. But We’ll see that God doesn't waste any time affirming His promise to Joshua and then Joshua doesn't waste any time preparing the people to do what they been waiting for like almost since the beginning of the Bible. Like finally, here we are with the ability to cross the Jordan River again and enter the Promised Land. And by now, you can imagine the people's minds, but even in our own minds we’ve been moving toward this place that’s almost mythic, the Promised Land, this land promised to Abraham and Isaac and then Jacob over all of these generations and this hope that was a thread through all of their formation and all of their slave years. I mean this promise of this land and this God that was choosing them and guided the Exodus into their freedom in the wilderness. This was the hope they were holding on to, the hope of this land that would be theirs. So, we are in fact about to leave the wilderness portion of the story and then leave that kind of in the rearview mirror…mirror as we move across the Jordan into the Promised Land. And it's like we’ve spent a lot of time in the wilderness now because we spend a lot of time in the wilderness in our lives. But the wilderness for the children of Israel, at least as we've read through the Bible taught the people several things - who God is, who they are and where they're going. And that seems to parallel what the wilderness can teach us if we’ll let it. And, so, they’re gonna cross the Jordan, but we’ll soon see that they don't…they don't just pack up their bags, cross over the Jordan River, move into the land, and just start building cities. They’re gonna have to contend for this promise. They’re going to embark on a mission with God and God is going to instruct them in very counterintuitive ways at times, which is not unlike our own life as we follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit in our choices, in our decisions. And, so, the Bible will continue to read back to us our own lives through the lives of the people who have gone before us. And, so, let's dive in. Joshua chapters 1 and 2.

Commentary:

Okay. So, today is Good Friday. In our reading from Luke today. Jesus talked about entering by the narrow gate. Jesus told us that there's a narrow path that leads to life that few find and we’re seeking that path. That's why we're here every day. But today, today, this 100th day of the year, Good Friday, this is one of the darkest days of the year. A lot of times we might go to a Good Friday service in the evening or whatever and obviously most of these kinds of events, so strange, but have…have moved into the virtual world, or we’ll just kind of blow by it all and just skip to Sunday morning, all the festivities of Easter and all of the pretty dresses, flowers and chocolate and all the things that kinda go with that celebration. And again, this is gonna be a different year, a little different than we've ever experienced before. But Good Friday, today is the day that we commemorate the death of Jesus and the way to…to practice this appropriately is that that's what this day means. It doesn't mean Sunday. It means today Jesus was nailed to a cross. We can't even imagine. Like it's hard to even fathom. Although there are films stuff that depict all of this very well it's hard to fathom being there having followed Him, like if you put yourself in the position of a disciple, which is what we are friends. If put ourselves in the position of the people who were there, who had walked to Jerusalem with Jesus, who had run away and abandon Him in the garden of Gethsemane, who were sitting around the margins waiting to see what was gonna happen, expecting that something supernatural, something big might happen and that Jesus would emerge victorious even though He had said otherwise. To face the reality of seeing Him beaten so badly, swollen so badly, bruised so awfully, bloodied so horribly, wearing a crown of thorns, but this is…this is the one you put your faith and hope in. And then to watch him be laid down on a crucifix and hammered to the crucifix with nails attaching His body to the cross and then raised up for everyone to see and ridicule. What���I mean…what are the words? How…how…what words can we use to put ourselves in that position? Like, how…how…what…how do you describe the indescribable there and just to hear Him panting, to hear Him gasping, to see blood dripping from the side of His mouth, maybe. To see Him bleeding out, to see Him suffering. Yeah. What do you say to that? And then to hear Him cry out, “my God, why have you forsaken me?” And then to hear him cry out, “it is accomplished. It is finished.” And…and then and then to see his head drop as His Spirit departs, like as He dies. Then He’s just…He’s hanging there. His corpse is just still hanging from the cross. He’s dead and then permissions are granted to have this body. And, so, somebody has to pull the nails out, right? And somebody has to take the body down and wrap it up. And all hope is lost. Like it seems like all is lost here. And because of the festivities of…of the holiday they warp him up and He gets put into this tomb and that's kinda Good Friday ends because…because Jesus laid in that tomb. And yes, indeed hope is not lost. Like we will go through this process and we will rejoice on Sunday but so often we don't pause here on Friday and realize He was dead, not somebody we don't know. Someone who knows us better than we know ourselves died and that death was to eradicate what kept us separate from God, sin. And, so, on this Good Friday we sit with that. We allow that to be a part of what we think about today. We allow these thoughts to begin to fuel gratitude within us that will build us to the moment that we can truly rejoice at the resurrection that we will commemorate on Sunday.

Prayer:

Jesus our worship is to You and You alone. Our gratitude…our hearts are broken in this moment if we will let them be that it had to come to this, but also that You wouldn't abandon us. You wouldn't let us go. You loved us. When we were still Your enemies You loved us. So, forgive us. We didn't know. And so often we’re not paying attention to what we’re doing. We love You and we reach for You, You are our only hope.

Song:

Forgive Us – The Many

We try, we fail Do too little too late We wish we could walk away

We hurt. We’re hurt Nothing seems to work. We don’t know what to say

Forgive us Forgive us. We know not what we do. Be with us Be with us. We don’t know what to do.

What’s wrong. What’s right. Hard to see without sight. Blindly we come to You

Forgive us Forgive us. We know not what we do. Be with us Be with us. We don’t know what to do.

We don’t know how to pray here. stay here. All we hope is You’re here. Help us Seek Justice. Love Mercy. Walk humbly, here.

Forgive us Forgive us. We know not what we do. Be with us Be with us. We don’t know what to do.

[curseofbunny]

Day 5: Sharing Beds

aaaaa so this is kinda not a very common thing but jodan/talia!! i headcanon jodan to be about 4 years older than auriana, so 2/3 years older than my talia. this is post s2 but i don’t think much spoilerwise? nothing specific about the episodes if you know what i mean.

anyways~ i kinda cheated since the fic doesn’t actually show them in bed together onscreen but i wanted to do a lil establishing drabble? i love them together so much okay they’re so fucking cute.

ao3 link

~

Talia presses a hand to the door as she closes it, sighing in relief when it closes silently. The war was over, the world was being rebuilt, but there was still time for friends. She’d come to Volta to have a sleepover with Auriana and spend some quality time with the younger princess, and found one thing she’d never realized on Earth:

Auriana snored. Terribly.

She can’t help but stifle a giggle as the sound echoes through the door and softly into the hall. Poor Auriana, whoever she eventually dated would have to get used to THAT. If Talia was a boy on Earth or Ephedia, she’d definitely run at the sound of that snoring.

But she can’t deny that she does love her friend. They’d been through so much, years in the resistance working side by side and years with Iris, fighting hand in hand and watching each other’s backs closely enough to keep each other alive against all the opposition.

Back on Earth she’d never have said it, but the relief in her heart at having Auriana by her side was almost greater than knowing her sister was still alive or that Iris was safely in the capital, a hand in her Mother’s and a hand in her Father’s and learning to govern with hopefully ironclad teachers. After teaching Iris as much as she could about magic, Talia knew that the blonde had a certain knack for tugging her instructors off topic.

But she turns, pulling her hair into a ponytail and sighing. No time to hover in front of bedroom doors like a creep, she needed some warm amellah if she was going to get to sleep.

She’d forsaken shoes almost immediately upon entering the castle- as was custom, which she understood but sometimes cursed. The floors, so different from the castle back home, were warm and uneven, almost gripping back with each gentle step she took. Auriana had told stories of the hundred year soiree that her family had held to build it, each piece hand crafted by someone in the kingdom. And how well it had held up, how individual but perfect each piece that slotted into the next was. At the same time, she was sure she’d get blisters and long for the lake-smooth stone of her home, the way it seemed the floor would ripple when you took that first step off of the stairs into it.

Talia ran her hands over a column as she passed it, twisting to make the turn. She was lucky that the Voltan castle was massive and open, not nearly as stifling as the dozens of siblings and cousins and mothers and fathers, overwhelming and loving and impossible to meet without getting overwhelmed.

However they were all kind and welcoming, unlike the billowy darkness of the halls. Open and huge, occasional curtains bigger than any others Talia’d seen turning areas into an Earth horror movie. She kept expecting to see a figure in the distance holding a candle, red eyes boring into her soul with nowhere to run.

But she needed that amellah. Insomnia had become part of her body like the straight posture and sharp eyes, years of going without and needing to be constantly alert turning what used to be a taste into a need. She’d even go so far as to joke that she was addicted to the sweet fruity drink, except that’d be putting it too lightly. She had a dependency on the stuff, needed it to sleep and needed it to calm down. The slight warmth of it always felt like a blanket wrapping around her shoulders, and she’d be lying if she said that she didn’t secretly cherish that feeling.

She sighs and pauses at a crossroads. If she were correct to her left was the dining room, and just down this hallway was…

There was a light on inside the kitchen.

Talia put a hand on that doorway as she entered too, blinking in surprise. She hadn’t expected to run into anyone this late, fatigue and the hour proving her right up until now.

There’s a few bubbles of golden magic over the large counter island where she’d witnessed proud Voltans prepare dinner earlier, but now it’s just illuminating a lone figure leaning against the counter.

Oh.

“Jodan?” She called gently, stepping inside. She didn’t want to startle him, that’d be terrible. Who knew what he’d do in reaction, she’d seen his defensive moves before.

He turns, holding a glass of something red with a single piece of ice inside it. He blinks at her. “Talia? I thought you’d be asleep by now.”

She laughs, coming closer to lean against the opposite side of the counter. “I can’t sleep. Did you know Auriana snores?”

He can’t help the chuckle, setting his glass down and tracing the lip of it. “Like a wild cratsini with a cold. Did she run you out of the room?”

“Yes and no. Do you have any amellah here?” She glanced around, not quite sure where it’d be kept. It was traditionally kept in Xerin crystal in warm, dry cupboards back home… but here everything was different. “It helps me sleep.”

He tsks, turning and heading for the sink. “No, no amellah here. That fruit only grows in Xeris, not suited to our hot, humid temperatures.”

Talia pouted, propping her chin up as she leaned on the counter further. “Then I won’t get any sleep until I go back to Xeris.”

“Ah bup bup,” He wags a finger at her as he picks up a pitcher next to the counter. It had dark amber sides, etched and designed to look like an opening sigdal flower. The handle, how clever, was shaped like its split leaves. “There is something else I can offer, if you’re willing to try it.”

“What could possibly rival amellah?” She asked, incredulous. It’d been the only remedy that’d worked, and she’d tried the mysterious Eath Nyquil.

“Datzdi.” He replied simply, refilling his own glass slowly, carefully. She watched as the red liquid flowed out, cracking the icecube further.

“Dahts… di?” She whispered. Voltan words so often felt strange on her tongue, she had to admit.

“Datzdi. It’s a type of drink to help you sleep, like amellah, but more…” He laughs as he holds the glass up next to a globe of magic, the red light from the drink splashing across his nose and catching every dip and hollow of his form not hidden by the sleeveless sleeping shirt. “Voltan.”

“And it works?”

“If you’re strong enough to try it.”

Talia frowned. “You’re not… daring me to try it, are you.”

Jodan shrugged. “Am I?”

She…

Talia would not be one upped by a Voltan prince. Not by one of Auriana’s siblings, and certainly not someone smiling like they’d backed her into a corner and had something over her.

She skirts around the side of the counter and pulls the glass from his hand, taking a big gulp.

The immediate feeling is ‘fire’, leaving her gasping with her vision swimming. His hand pulls the glass from hers and moves to rub her back gently as she coughs, hitting the table.

“Whoa, whoa, not so much, breathe.” He comforts her.

Talia laid her face on the cold counter, groaning. Her throat ached from coughing and from the drink. “Amellah is soft and sweet. That was salty and bitter and cruel to the tongue… why drink it? What will it accomplish?”

“It sets fire to your throat, yes, but it also eases you into sleep. Like a lullaby talking about burning villages.” He reminded her of the Xerisian song that even her own mothers had sang to her.

“Likely story. Do you have any water?”

“No water, that’ll wake you up.” He patted her back. “But you could eat a piece of navera instead, it’ll neutralize the burn while giving you something in your stomach.”

“Navera…” She pauses, glancing at the place where she’d seen the cooks stash them earlier. “Fine. If you insist.”

“I really do, if you couldn’t handle that.” He squeezed her shoulder one last time before stepping over to pull one out and hand it to her. After a pause he pulls out a second, stepping back to top off his glass.

“Have you had much of that tonight?” Talia was fascinated suddenly. He downed the glass, sucking on the ice cube for a moment before gently spitting it back into the glass.

“It helps me sleep.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

“But doesn’t it?”

That was right. He’d been in Kraznak prison for years before they met, in that desert on Earth. With his family, sure, but in a place so vile that just the mention of it made her curl her lip. Even now her violent twitch at the thought, the unspoken things that had gone between her and her sister when they got their first moment alone, knowing that Talia had been cripplingly alone and free, but Izira had been… in that place.

“You’re a lot stronger than I am.” Talia whispers, breaking off a corner of the navera.

“I wouldn’t say that.”

“No, because you’re humble.”

“No, because I’m honest.” He put a hand on hers, letting her eyes drift up to his. “I spent my years there angry, bitter, and vowing revenge against the people who’d put me there. I gave up my food so that my sisters wouldn’t have growling stomachs, and I trained them as best as I could until we were old enough to be ‘separated’.”

Talia had been so grateful not to be captured. She’d been so grateful not to be dead. She’d been so angry and so scared and so upset for so long…

But here Jodan stood. He’d been through everything she’d been scared of for so long, and all he did was drink something she couldn’t stomach, and help her through it. Just to help her.

“Okay, you’re still a better person.”

Jodan combed his fingers through her hair. “You helped bring peace to everyone in Ephedia. You did what we weren’t strong enough to do. Auriana told me how you guided her, Iris, the princesses of Borealis and Calix. Without you they wouldn’t have been able to do it, they would have been lost and scared and Gramorr would have won.”

Talia tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “You’re putting a lot of faith in me.”

“You’ve earned it.”

The silence stretches between them for a second, her stomach in her throat at the tender way he was looking at her, the gentle way he was still petting her hair.

“Talia?”

She blinked and glanced at him. “Hm?”

“If you want to escape Auriana’s snoring for the night, I wouldn’t mind sharing my bed. I do need to sleep in it as well, but there’s plenty of space.” He offered quietly, as if he expected to be turned down.

Talia thought for a moment. The glass they’d shared, the piece of ice glistening in the bottom of his cup, the navera in front of her.

She ate the navera quickly, swallowing the flaky bread and closing her eyes. He was right, it did ease the burn.

“Lead the way.” She flashed a smile.

Jodan offered her a hand, and she took it.

Maybe the castle wouldn’t be as scary with someone to guide her through it.

[luckycharmsd]

#DisruptionAndUncertainty

+The storm continued to rage on outside with gusty whistling winds that slapped rain steadily against the cabin, but the roaring fire within crackled and soon began to ember, keeping the occupants nice and warm.... or maybe it was just us. Her angelic moans were a perfect guide to continue with the languid licks that trailed up the column of her delicate neck and back to her lips so she could taste herself too, after all, how selfish would I be to keep those sweet nectars all to myself. The kiss was one to savor as I got a combined taste of her. She was still trembling all over, especially at her thighs. Her quickened breathing hadn't subsided at all, neither did her thunderous heartbeat, and I could still feel her muscles and nerves twitching against my massive frame which barely lay weighted on her. She may have just enjoyed this more than I did.... Damp golden tresses were tousled and splayed against creamy skin, and the perfect curves of her bare body glistened in a sheen of lightly beaded sweat while she lay sated by the fire, after I had evidently fulfilled a deep desire to please her. Nothing about what just happened was for my gain, but all about hers. With great reluctance I ended up breathlessly and slowly pulling my greedy lips away from hers but no more than a hairbreadth, her eyes so soft and sure as she looked up and held my stare effortlessly. I wanted so much to keep the stare engaged with her but there was sudden and very annoying pinging in the distance that continued to get louder and louder... the more it did, the more she faded, and more I woke up. It took a ample amount of blinks and a good run through the hair before sitting upright to scan the living room and quickly realize that not only was I the only occupant out here but my ass was obviously dreaming some very inappropriate shit about a certain female. I let out a long drawn out breath I hadn't realized I was holding and reached for the god forsaken phone that kept pinging. One missed call and one missed voice message pops up when I swipe the screen, its from Trehvor.+ (Msg: Sire, I am in route to you now, accompanied by Fritz and Saxton, son of Thym. We shall reach you shortly.) A few questions began to run through my head as I set the phone back down and headed down the hall to my room to throw something on, like what the hell was this meet for and why did it involve the lawyer? Only one person came to mind, Alex. But what was up with the male? He stopped coming around again, not even so much as call to see how Rhyan was. This has been the norm for the last couple of months now so what was this meet up for? Time would tell eventually so in the meantime I continued working into a pair of faded blue jeans and a black tee, followed up with some socks and a pair of worn in chucks. I saw nothing more needed on my end and went on to lil mans room, building an away bag for Rhyan which consisted of a spare set of clothes, shoes, and some toys. His snacks would be next in to complete after I got him ready. The signature knuckle rapping on the front door indicated that Trehvor was here and when it opened the three amigos came in, but it was Fritz who gave lead with Trehvor at his left, and the well dressed male Saxton to his right as they filed in and he made his announcement.+ "Mr. Whalker, The presence of you and the young is sternly requested at the brotherhood mansion by King Wrath himself. You have matters of which to attend to and are to be guested as long as deemed needed." +Well damn, I wasn't going to say no anyway but this sounded more on the serious side than I thought, not to mention you just didn't decline a request from the King, plus it was duly noted in his tone to make haste of being here.+ "We are ready. Just let me grab my boy and we can go." +That took a brief moment as I went down the hall to his room and scooped up a very sleepy Rhyan into my arms and made way back to the front door where Fritz had picked up our bags and Trehvor with the carseat. Saxton hadn't said a thing, more like examining with keen eyes around the cabin for some reason. I was tempted to get up in his grill for it but what good would come of it? The male meant no harm from what I sensed. Rhyan was top priority in getting situated, Trehvor had his booster secured center seat in the back just as I was ready to strap him in. The lil dude didn't even budge, he was out cold, couldn't be bothered with what was going on. Trehvor sat in the back on one side of Rhyan and me on the other, Saxton had got up in the front passenger seat right as Fritz closed the trunk and made his way to the drivers seat. A full load we were. The drive was a good 45 minutes give or take, nothing but lush forest in the vast once you bypass the lights of the city, but just as I remembered a thick layer of fog blanketed everything in sight. It made me wonder how Fritz was able to drive so damn good in it. Eyes like a eagle I guess. After passing through a few massive gates and another good mile or so back, we were finally pulling up to the front of the gargantuan sized estate. We all filed out of the Mercedes at once, I had Rhyan, the loyal pair of doggens took to the light cargo we had and Saxton again just observed. Definitely was getting under my skin now. Fritz was first at the cathedral styled door outside which he coded his way into. Both he and Saxton held it wide as we all passed into the vestibule where Fritz went through a quick cam scan and the locks to the manse main entrance were released. When the door opened, we were greeted by a face I didn't know at all before granting us passage inside, addressing Fritz and Trehvor instantly with a more than casual whatsuuup, then Saxton....+ "Hey GQ, you look like runway material. Come strut your stuff for me in the game room for shits n giggles while I get down with some Oprah Winfrey Network." +Saxton barely gave the heavily pierced up male with long blonde and black streaked hair a scoff in passing as he went up the grand staircase, which made the male chuckle before shaking his head.+ "He's too easy.... and I remember you, Whalker. Last time you were here the docs were patching you up from a three on one in a alley. Not a bad job either as I heard tell. It's good to see you again and with a young no less. I'm Lassiter by the way, in case you don't remember and in a rude need to depart your presence, as I hear Maury about to read some results on baby daddy drama. Again, good to see you." +The male took off out of the grand foyer like we was about to miss the super bowl kick off or some shit, but for Maury results? Yeah that made me chuckle some as I re situated Rhyan in my arms and walked over the massive mosaic apple tree, following Fritz down a opposite corridor that led me to something I did remember, the room I briefly stayed in the last time I was here.+ "If you find yourself or the young in need of anything that's herein naught, use the phone to dial star-four and I shall see that you get what's needed. Do rest well, Mr. Whalker." "And I shall depart back to the cabin until your return sire. I will make sure all is tended to for your return." +Trehvor added in before both doggens took a bow and left me to settle in. I hadn't seen anyone outside of Lassiter in passing upon our arrival, most likely because everyone was close to or sleeping already perhaps. Who knew. This place was a fucking palace, a massive compound that even the guest rooms made five star resorts look like cockroach motels in comparison. Too lavish for words. Rhyan hadn't budged at all throughout the drive but then again this whole ordeal was well passed his bedtime, and speaking of bed..... The king sized bed across the room was more than inviting and it didn't take long to get little man situated center of the bed and tucked in, but as inviting as it was I couldn't bring myself to fall into it just yet.... now that I had a chance to sit down again, all I could think of was that dream, with fucking HD detail. After kicking off my chucks i took up res and sprawl out on the sofa sleeper and let my head swim around her again. I had picked her up off the couch quickly, earning me a yelp and a laugh from her lips as I set her down by the fire and pull off her heels slowly. I stroked her feet, making her giggle and squirm then kiss the tips of her toes before making my way up her inner thighs, leaving trails of softly presses kisses heading north. I gazed up at her as I lift her skirt up, over her hips, and then with my teeth i hook the elastic of her underwear and pull down. I guide her legs up, so her thighs are leveled on my shoulders and I lean in to press my face closer to her sex, kissing her around her outer lips, teases her. My tongue slides out and settles over her bundle of nerves, flicking it rhythmically with my tongue and I’m just lost in her taste, in heaven, specially as I watched her stretch out like a cat and letting me pleasure her next to a roaring fire. Her dainty little hand gripped onto my hair, pulling me harder against her, I mash myself against her core and lap at her like i need it to live. “Oh shit,” She hisses, feeling the temperature of her core rising as her body suddenly arched and rolls in a wave until she's shuddering and bucking against my face, feeding me her very essence of her. She was liquefied and absolutely breathtaking as she lay sprawled out. I could see myself slowly licking and nipping my way up her creamy curves and to her lips so I could share. Fuck! I scrub a hand over my face and release a ragged exhale as I lay there reliving a dream. That's all it was dude, get over it. She was too good for a male like me and long gone from her visit anyways. I looked over across the room at Rhyan sleeping and thought I needed that shit too. Dwelling on things unknown and untouchable will just warp the mind. Sleep would prove to hold merit, specially with whatever business needed to be handled with The King, so sleep is what I soon accepted as I passed out rather uncomfortably on the couch.+