#Prompt 14

[strawberrybasilsorbet]

Jilytober Day 14

Finished this one for @jilytoberfest a little bit late again! This is the second fluffy prompt I've somehow turned into a sad little fic (oops, lol). Hope you enjoy regardless!

October 14th Prompt: Surprise Party!!!

Excepting the faint scurry of autumn leaves against the windowpane, the neighborhood had fallen silent. Lily Potter, curled beneath a blanket in the window nook, nursed a cuppa and watched as the lit foyers of Godric's Hollow winked one by one into sleepy darkness.

"Trick or treaters all done?" James was walking across the sitting room toward her, Harry on his hip. Lily nodded.

"I think the last couple went in a few minutes ago. It was a rowdy bunch." James joined her on the sill, and Harry — nappy freshly changed — toddled over onto Lily's lap. She hugged him close.

"Any good costumes?" James took the mug from her hand, saving Harry from the risk of jostled tea, and stole a sip.

Lily shrugged. "None as good as ours, last year."

"That's hardly a fair comparison."

Lily grinned. It had been her idea to take Harry out the Muggle way for his first Halloween, but it was James who'd been the mastermind behind the costuming. Leaning as far as he could into the theme, he'd donned a coat and tails, transfigured his wand to look sleek and plasticky (a tricky bit of magic, especially since he'd needed to borrow Lily's to cast the spell), and spent the night performing increasingly impossible card tricks in costume as a Muggle magician. They'd dressed three-month-old Harry as Godric's Hollow's cutest bunny rabbit, popping out to amuse the neighbors from his hiding spot inside the Undetectable Extension Charm they'd cast on James's top hat.

In their pièce de résistance of minor illegality and major holiday delight, Lily had worn a sequined dress, carried a bloodied plastic saw, and tied the Cloak — wrapped and knotted until it was as thin as they could possibly make it — around her waist like a belt. James had winked and hinted vaguely about mirrors and illusions whenever a trick-or-treater wondered how he was keeping the lady in halves.

"Show-off."

"How else were we supposed to impress the neighbors?"

"Oh, of course." Lily's gaze trailed out the window again. "Do you think they noticed?"

"Hmm?"

"That we weren't there."

James squeezed her knee. "Reckon they might have. We'll dazzle them next year."

"Right," Lily said, giving James a half-hearted smile. "Maybe we'll miss it, next year. You know, having the excuse for a quiet holiday."

James gave her the same sad smile in return. It was an expression that the two of them had grown very familiar with. "A quiet holiday has its perks." He leaned across the window nook, pressing a soft kiss to Lily's forehead, then to Harry's. She sat up, finding his mouth with her own.

Outside the cottage, there was a crunch of footsteps in the autumn leaves.

They froze.

Lily pulled back, staring at her husband in sudden fear. Where was her wand? Where was his? They'd been cooking dinner...they'd had their wands in the kitchen...

A knock at the front door.

James pulled Lily to her feet, half-guiding, half-pushing her toward the hall. She stumbled away from him, their barely-formed plan echoing urgently in her head. Get Harry. Get out.

Clutching the baby in her arms, she rushed to the back door, shoving her feet into her tennis shoes. Waited with a hand on the doorknob as James investigated the threat. Her heart pounded in her throat. One moment. Two. Three.

"Lily!" James called, and hearing the tone of his voice, she exhaled. "Lily, it's okay!"

She took a breath and stepped tentatively back toward the sitting room. James had flung the front door wide open to reveal Peter Pettigrew — of course it was Peter, it could only have been Peter — standing in the threshold, dressed in his orange holiday robes and carrying four bags of groceries. "Surprise," he said, a bit sheepishly.

For a moment, Lily's eyes trailed over him with concern. Hadn't he been supposed to meet Sirius? But when he started to wilt beneath her gaze, she shook herself, giving him a smile of welcome. "Wormy! Come in!"

James took the bags out of his hands and strode into the kitchen. "Lily, look!" he said, smoothly upbeat, as if the presence of a friend had completely restored him from their brief shock of terror. "Wormtail brought us a Halloween party."

Indeed, he had. The bags were stuffed to the brim: bottles of pumpkin juice, cauldron cakes, sweets for Harry...

Lily gasped. "You brought Muggle candy, too! Oh, Wormy."

Peter smiled, more comfortably this time, and shrugged. "Thought you might need some supplies to get into the festive spirit."

James grinned. "We were just saying it was a bit too quiet in here."

"Look what else." With the air of a showman revealing his encore, Peter pulled a wrapped package from the bottom of the last grocery bag. James tore it open to reveal a tiny pirate suit — complete with a little cutlass and miniature parrot — clearly purchased for Harry from a Muggle shop. Peter laughed at Lily and James's shock and glee. "Merlin, I can tell you two have been cooped up."

"Oh, yeah, we're easily impressed now," James said, snorting. "Not seen much in the way of novelty over the past week or so." God, had it only been a week?

"This is so sweet," said Lily, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "This is why you're my favorite, Wormy."

He shot her a smile that was almost roguish. "I'm telling Padfoot."

"Tell him!"

"I will." Peter' smile faltered, and he twisted his sleeves in his hands. Lily frowned.

James, still holding the costume in his hands, walked around the table to take Harry from Lily. "I'm going to get Blackbeard dressed for the occasion. Don't start the party without me." He strode toward the bedroom, leaving Lily and Peter alone in the kitchen.

She studied him. With James gone upstairs, Wormtail was looking around the cottage almost aimlessly — taking in the room, Harry's toys on the floor, the Halloween treats piled up on the kitchen table.

"Pumpkin juice?"

"Oh, yes, thank you."

Lily walked to the cabinet, took out two glasses, and poured. "Wormy?"

"Hmm?"

"Is everything alright?" Peter looked at Lily nervously, but said nothing. "Did you see Padfoot?"

"Yeah," Peter said. "Yeah, I saw him about an hour ago."

"Is he okay?"

"Sirius? Oh, yeah. He's fine. Just wanted to check up on me."

"That's good to hear," Lily said. Peter didn't respond. "Did you tell him you were coming?"

Peter swallowed. "No, I— I didn't tell anyone. Nobody knows I'm here. I just...had the idea, and I thought...it would be nice..."

"It was nice, Wormy. This is really kind. Thank you."

He shook his head. "Don't mention it, Lily," he said, tugging at his sleeves again. "You're my friends. It was nothing."

But if the war had taught Lily anything, it was that friendship — that not being alone — was the furthest that any of them could possibly get from nothing. "Even still," she replied, squeezing his shoulder. "We really appreciate it."

Lily picked up the two glasses of pumpkin juice and walked them into the sitting room. Her empty mug — James must have abandoned it in his haste, when they'd first realized that somebody was coming up the path  — was lying on its side on the floor. She set the pumpkin juice on the coffee table and started over, meaning to clean up the spilled tea.

"Lily?" She paused, turning, at the change in Peter's voice. He was sitting on the sofa behind her, hunched, elbows on his knees, staring at the floor. He took a deep breath, then looked up at her with sudden resolve. "I need to tell you something."

[pillow-anime-talk]

congrats on 4k, my fav writer! can i ask for buddha with fem!reader and number 14? it could be friends/lovers or something similar :) love you

# tags: scenario; strangers/?; a bit of comedy; fluff; size difference; human!reader; precious!reader; playful!buddha; ragnarok time; sfw

includes: female reader ft. buddha {ror}

author’s note: thank you so much, anonnie! love your idea so i hope you like it!

14. “Need some help, shortie?” 

Buddha loved to sit in nature surrounded by animals and plants, so exploring the gardens built in the arena was his favorite thing from the beginning of the first fight. He always sat under the trees with his favorite sweets, and sometimes he just took short naps; very often between conversations with other gods or the eldest Valkyrie and her younger sister.

Currently there was a battle between the most powerful sumo of the human world – Raiden Tameemon – and the god worshiped in India – Shiva. The Buddha was next, and his plan was slowly approaching its culmination. Before the fight, however, he wanted to rest and gather his thoughts, while enjoying a sweet snack in the form of a colorful lollipop, which he managed to smuggle.

Unfortunately (or not?), his favorite tree was taken. A young woman with a beautiful skin tone and a friendly-looking face was plucking juicy fruits in a shade of delicate purple mixed with pink from the huge plant. I would like to mention that she was not greedy and chose only very ripe fruit, ideal for harvesting. She had only three in her small basket and was trying to pick the last fruit, which unfortunately was much higher than she could reach. Her light dress looked really good on her body, while the jewelry decorating her neck and fingers perfectly emphasized the sparkle of her eyes and charming smile.

“Need some help, shortie?” The man stepped a little closer and glanced carefully at the petite woman.

When you turned around, he could have sworn you looked like a true goddess. You were just as beautiful – no – you were more beautiful than Aphrodite and definitely sweeter than the fruit in your hands. Your eyes expressed pure curiosity of the world, and your lips were twisted in a sincere, even childish smile. The necklace jumped slightly as you turned to your interlocutor, then greeted him with a slight bow.

“Only if you want... I’ll gladly accept your help.” You spoked timidly, causing the fair-haired sage only to nod. He quickly reached the beautiful plum from the branch and handed it to you. He was curious about you and really wondered who you were. After all, he had never met such a beautiful goddess before. Which religion were you from? “My name is Y/N Y/L/N. Nice to meet you.”

“Buddha.” He said softly, looking at you even more closely. Your voice as beautiful as the singing of nightingales in the morning, and the blush on your cheeks resembled juicy strawberries. “What pantheon are you from?” He asked curiously, and you only frowned, putting the fruit gently into a dark-colored wicker basket. Then you shook your head.

“Oh. I fight for humanity.” You replied with amusement, causing him mixed feelings. He was surprised; he did not expect that humanity has such beautiful women, and also so modest and delicate in her manner. “You may not know me because I died quite recently.” You added and the man nodded one more time. He wanted to know your story, your abilities, your problems. After all, everyone has one. “I’m seventh in line.”

Since Buddha was in the sixth round and you in the seventh, the deity hoped that you two would have a chance to meet again and talk for much longer; about life and death, about Ragnarok and about these sweet fruits... Like... Why did they catch your eye?

[hetakinkmeme]

femdom nyo!italy pegging germany, that’s all <3

.

[chocoblep]

#14: Just a Hare More Excitement

Prompt: Telling

TW: Mention of death

You know, when I asked for a little more excitement in my work, I didn’t expect to get so much so quickly, Qorin thought as he returned to his borrowed room at the Observatorium. When he entered, he checked in on the unconscious viera that was lying in his bed. He’d had to ask a couple of the guards here to help him get the man upstairs after his ordeal, and he’d considered stripping him down so that he could replace that ridiculous excuse for a bandage the man had wound around himself, but if his previous interactions with him were any indication, he was certain doing so would only earn him more of his ire.

I’m sure he’s not all bad, Qorin thought to himself, setting the covered  container near the stove. He would reheat that broth when the viera woke. Idly, he wondered if nearly losing his life had been the only thing that had made him easier to deal with. Would he wake up and try to kill Qorin? Would he simply leave, and get himself killed? Qorin hoped not; they might have started off on the wrong foot, but there was nothing the man had done that had made Qorin wish him ill.

He crossed over to the bed, laying two fingers at the side of the man’s throat. His pulse was there–not strong, but there. His chest still rose and fell with his breathing. Good. He’d lost a lot of blood.

He turned to look out a nearby window at the red-gold sunset. He himself was incredibly tired and needed sleep; he would have a long day tomorrow, healing the ailing and injured in the more remote places in Coerthas, so he went about making up his own sleeping area. Taking the extra blanket off of the bed’s footboard, he brought the chair that resided at the desk over to the bedside. He’d likely wake up several times during the night to check on the viera, and he wanted to be there when he woke up, so he curled up there, wrapping the blanket around himself and settling in for a fitful night’s rest.

This was one of the only times he felt grateful that he was compact. It was much easier to curl up to sleep on a chair as a smaller person.

“Please don’t be gone when I wake up,” he murmured, closing his eyes. “I want to feed you before you go.”

The thought occurred to him as he drifted off to sleep that this man might not remember what had transpired and actually kill Qorin while he slept, but he was so exhausted that he took comfort in thinking that it would probably be quick.

(( @shadesofblades for Aoki mention! ))

[midcinmancave]

Story Prompt:  "Did you stick to the plan?"

Story Title:  Surprise Lesson

Summary: Alyn learns that relying on his dog for a romantic gesture is a fine idea only in theory. Complete Story Source on FB

Fictober24 Submission #10 Fandom:  Midnight Cinderella Featuring:  Alyn Crawford, Robert Branche, Arthur Warnings:  None  Rating/Genre:  General Audience, Comedy (Horror) Writer:  Alyn Crawford

[coffeeownsmysoulnow]

a rare W, its actually posted on the day of the challenge xD Inspired by LOL chemtech and FFXIV gunblades. Happy 2024 swordtember!

[belvedia02]

Día 31: Fantasy AU/Mundane AU

Fandom: Wednesday TV 2022

Relationship: Wednesday Addams & Enid Sinclair

Words: 1,387

Resumen:

Enid es una fotógrafa que necesita inspiración para su trabajo y sale a caminar por una avenida bastante peculiar. Se encuentra con una mujer que casualmenteya fotografió

Para este último prompt escogí el AU Mundano.

___________________

Enid sujetó un montón de fotografías mientras estaba ordenando una caja que tenía en su estudio y a medida que las iba revisando, recordaba el tiempo en que fueron tomadas.   

—Esta sin duda es mi favorita—. Enid la agitó mientras la sostenía entre su pulgar e índice. Las demás las dejó encima de su escritorio y sus pensamientos se llenaron de imágenes de esos años, entre los que destacan; encuentros, conversaciones y malos entendidos.

Hace 10 años aproximadamente. 

Enid Sinclair estaba sufriendo una crisis nerviosa, producto de varios motivos; el rompimiento con su novio, su mejor amiga, Yoko se mudó a otro país hace unos días y su primer mes de trabajo estaba siendo peor de que se imaginó, eso influyó en la calidad de sus fotografías las cuales no lograban capturar el concepto que ella tenía configurado en su mente al momento de dar clic en su cámara analógica. 

Superar este momento crítico, podía tener varias soluciones; cambiar su estilo de cabello, compras impulsivas de ropa, quedarse en el departamento que alquila y comer un montón de helados, mientras ve películas o recorrer la ciudad para despejar su mente. 

Su opción fue la última, por eso que está caminando por la ciudad sin tener un destino en específico, solo se dejaría llevar por su intuición y si se perdía ella no tendría problema en encontrar la dirección correcta, porque confía en las indicaciones que obtendría de la aplicación del mapa de su celular.  

Caminó por horas hasta encontrar una pequeña plaza, perfecta para un merecido descanso. Se sentó en una de las bancas que estaba vacía, y desde su mochila sacó una botella de agua, dando una gran sorbo, lo suficiente para saciar su sed. En otro bolsillo está su cámara digital, dudando por unos instantes si sería conveniente tomar algunas fotos, ella finalmente se decidió por probar diferentes ángulos, lo mejor de todo es  que puede ver el resultado de inmediato.

Revisó las fotos que aún están almacenadas porque eran sus favoritas, así que se animó a probar suerte. 

Observando hacia qué lugar podría favorecer la luz y los edificios que rodeaban el entorno, Enid presionó el botón de disparo después de ajustar la imagen en la pantalla LCD. Fueron varias fotografías, luego agarró su bolso y caminó unos metros e hizo otra serie de tomas. Sin revisarlas de inmediato, Enid se sintió más aliviada, por lo que volvió a su departamento. Desconocía el hecho que en una de sus tantas fotografías hubo una protagonista inesperada. 

Cada día que tenía algo de tiempo libre después de asistir a reuniones con el equipo creativo de la revista, recorría algunos sectores que descubrió el día después de estar solo caminando al azar. 

Hoy fue el turno de  una avenida que tenía algunas características bastantes especiales, pues estaba cerca; un hospital, un centro psiquiátrico y al final un cementerio.  Enid solo tenía curiosidad, porque según lo que vio en el sitio web del mapa digital de esa zona, estaba adornada por grandes árboles y la infraestructura de los edificios, se entrecruzan entre góticos y victorianos. 

Al inicio de la avenida todo era común y tomó varias fotografías, solo en la mitad de su camino se encontró una pequeño parque y descansó unos momentos. 

—¿Cuánto más debo caminar para encontrar el cementerio?— Enid se quejó en voz alta.

—También hay una morgue—. Enid se sobresaltó porque estaba segura que no había nadie cerca cuando hizo el comentario acerca de quién fue la idea de congregar esos centros de salud con la última morada  de cualquier ser humano.  

—¿En serio?— Enid se sorprendió por la información que le dio la desconocida, pero también por su timbre de voz atrayente y poseer una belleza particular, destacando las pecas en sus mejillas.  

—Nunca daría información errónea a ningún turista—. La mujer respondió con una seriedad absoluta.

—Gracias por la aclaración, sin embargo te equivocas al suponer que soy turista, soy fotógrafa profesional—. No es la primera vez que alguien la confunde con una persona que viaja a otro lugar por un corto tiempo, cuando ella estaba fotografiando.

—Un pequeño error—. La mujer vio a la fotógrafa por segunda vez en menos de una semana, por eso se acercó a ella.

—¿Cómo sabes que hay una morgue?— A Enid le intrigaba saber más acerca de eso que seguir conversando acerca de la equivocación de confundir un pasatiempo con su profesión.   

—Trabajo ahí—. Respondió brevemente. 

—¿¡Qué!?— Enid apenas podía soportar ver esos programas médicos solo porque no mostraban sangre, así que no podía entender cómo aquella desconocida tendría un trabajo en un lugar como ese.

—Sí, soy médico forense—. Si ella sabía la profesión de la mujer de ojos azules, ¿por qué no diría la suya?

—Vaya, nunca había conocido a alguien que trabajara en un sitio así—. Enid de alguna forma parecía que esa profesión estaba acorde con la mujer.

—¡Que honor ser la primera!— Hizo una pausa. — Wednesday Addams.

—Enid Sinclair—. No sabía si estrechar su mano o darle un beso en la mejilla, así que mantuvo su cámara fotográfica en sus manos y mantuvo su mirada en el rostro de Wednesday. 

—Enid, ahora sabes que antes de llegar al cementerio está la morgue, deberías ver la fachada es realmente…— Wednesday no pudo terminar su frase, porque su celular comenzó a sonar. — Si me disculpas tengo que contestar—. Wednesday se alejó y respondió la llamada que solo duró 20 segundos. —Debo volver al trabajo, un placer conocerte… al fin— terminó su despedida susurrando sus últimas palabras.

Enid se golpeó la frente con su palma, porque perdió su oportunidad de acompañarla con la excusa de comprobar qué tipo de fachada tiene su lugar de trabajo. Si la seguía podría confundirla con una acosadora. 

Wednesday caminó con un ritmo constante, sin demostrar la emoción que la invadía por conocer finalmente a la mujer que casualmente vio hace algunos días. No me reconoció. Ella creyó que Enid la había buscado después de tomar fotografías de ella. O solo no las revisó.  

Wednesday agotará todos los medios para reencontrarse con la fotógrafa. 

Enid no logró seguir conociendo esa avenida, porque la luz no era la adecuada para las fotografías en blanco y negro. Sin otro lugar al que ir esa tarde, regresó a su departamento. 

___________________

Los siguientes encuentros fueron en lugares aún más comunes. En una cafetería, luego en un concierto de una cantante que estaba en el auge de su carrera, en el estacionamiento de un centro comercial. En cada una de esas reuniones intercambiaban anécdotas e información acerca de sus futuros proyectos o en cómo había sido su niñez y adolescencia aunque Enid prefería no saber exactamente cuáles eran los procedimientos que debía realizar Wednesday para sus informes acerca de la causa de muerte. Enid le comentaba acerca de su elección de ser fotógrafa, hasta que un día ella tuvo un desliz.

—Yo...— Se ruborizó profundamente porque esa confesión debía ser en otro lugar, con otras palabras, no por contradecir a Wednesday, con respecto a esa sesión de fotos en la que Enid descubrió casualmente hace unas semanas que fue la figura central.  

—El sentimiento es completamente mutuo—. Wednesday no iba a desperdiciar esta oportunidad. Sujetó cálidamente sus mejillas, acercándose a Enid, hasta que sus labios tenían una ínfima separación, la cual Enid suprimió. Su beso en un principio fue torpe, no encontraban la armonía adecuada, sin embargo a medida que fueron capaces de imbuir sus sentimientos en este gesto, se convirtió finalmente en un beso francés.

Cuando se separaron Enid tuvo una petición y Wednesday accedió a repetir el beso, porque sería un excelente recuerdo del inicio de su relación.

En la actualidad.

—Mon amour, ya es tarde—. Wednesday se acerca y le da un beso en la mejilla. Enid se sobresaltó al notar que estuvo divagando por varios minutos, cuando solo quería encontrar esa fotografía en especial. 

—Perdí completamente la noción del tiempo—. Wednesday al ver la fotografía sonrió e imitó la pose. Enid profundizó el beso, gastando varios minutos en esa demostración de amor que llevan profesando tantos años.

—Ven, te ayudaré a cambiarte—. Wednesday entrelazó sus manos y caminaron hasta su dormitorio. 

Enid Addams debía prepararse para la presentación de apertura de su exposición de fotografía en una de las más prestigiosas galerías de arte de la capital del país.

___________________

Gracias por leer este último prompt del Flufftober 2024. Agradezco sus lecturas, ayudan a seguir manteniendo un buen ritmo de escritura

Este año tuve más complicciones para escribir y relacionar las ideas que tenía en mi mente con los textos que finalmente publiqué.

Por último, espero que el próximo año, para este mes ya tengamos la segunda temporada de Wednesday y tener mejores ideas para el Flufftober.

[fanfictasia]

Whumpuary Ormt 14

Breakdown/Sleep Deprivation

Spoiler: This is an excerpt from Lost in the Familiar

He’s afraid she’ll disappear. Anakin spent so long without her, and every second away was nearly impossible. She might have been where she needed to be, and he might be now, but that doesn’t change how he thought everything was going to be over. He thought they’d be able to be together again, and then Sidious happened, and he ended up here.

He never even got to say goodbye. To anyone.

He thought about this Ahsoka so much, fearing that she could be dead  or worse, until he finally found her. She’s alive, even if she’s been hurt, but that’s… what counts. If she’s here, they can move forwards.

She’s shaking a little in his grip, breathing coming in shakily, and it only takes him a moment to realize that she’s crying. It nearly makes him want to cry, because this is Ahsoka and he hates seeing her hurting like this. She’s not really one to cry much either, so whatever’s upsetting her this much must be bad.

He just holds her tighter, hand lightly trailing across her back as he waits for her to calm down a little. It’s the most he can offer, and it seems to be enough – he doesn’t know if anyone’s done that for her, here.

“I didn’t know it would happen,” Ahsoka gasps out finally, face buried in his chest. “I didn’t know – Rex told me it was a bad idea. I didn’t know what’d happen. I just couldn’t go back to the Temple and tell them I’d lost.”

He feels numb. She’s talking about Umbara, isn’t she? The same thing Fives was telling him about.

“But I did,” she continues, “I lost the battle. I lost – I lost Rex. He’s right. I lost all of them – I thought we could pull it off –”

He wishes there was something he could tell her. An it’s okay would mean nothing, and be a blatant lie.

“Fives tried to tell me to stop. To listen. I told him to shut up –” Anakin does not believe it happened quite in those terms, but he gets the point. “-- that I wasn’t going to let us lose.”

“You had no one to teach you how to lead,” he replies quietly, “Mistakes like that tend to… happen.” Especially if no one bothered teaching her when she was barely in her teens, how to do it in the first place.

“They were following my orders. It was my fault. I got them killed.”

[tricksterfiction]

Prompt #14 Clear

The one where she flies. Angel - Poets of the Fall

Sen and Moonshine had spent the better part of a bell sneaking around Idyllshire's bell tower to climb/fly to the top. The mysterious silhouette of a chocobo flying past the glowing green shell. It was night time - naturally, the skies were crystal clear only with stars to bear witness to Sen's flight.

The air was cool, welcoming at the top of the tower. Truthfully there were higher places she could climb but it felt as if she was honouring something important by choosing to do this in Dravania.

A newly minted red mage with her focus on her hip, and her rapier on the other side. Iron dagger styled earrings hung at her horns, a deep red jacket with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. Thigh high soft brown leather boots, flexible and black leather gloves. A blue oldrose pinned carefully in her hair, hidden below it was her ruby red soul stone. A pair of glass goggles hung around her neck.

Moonshine stepped carefully over the shingles. Sen tugged the reigns for her to face away from the settlement - the wind snatched at her hair, tugged at her collar, she took a deep deep breath in.

"Alright, Moonshine. It's time to get reacquainted."

Some would say there was easier ways to reconnect with the elements, more practical. But nothing about her success in unlocking her inherited focus and soul stone was achieved by being meek and locked away in a library or throwing spells at a training dummy. Unbidden tears that did not belong to her rolled down her cheeks and were stolen by the wind.

A distant voice assured her, "Don't be afraid to fall in order to fly."

Fitting her goggles on, she squeezed her heels on Moonshine, then braced, "Hyah!"

Moonshine took off at a run and they were off, ascending steadily to go higher and higher into the sky. The chocobo carried them up, catching aether currents to ride.

Sen wisely didn't spare a look down, as landmarks shrank in the distance. Her heart beat doubled with anticipation, excitement. They were buffeted by the wind, Sen removed her gloves tucking them into her belt to feel it with her bare hands. It was raw in this form, she reached out aetherically and gasped as her heart soared. Fingers brushing over the ribbons of the current, invisible to her eye but she felt it in the marrow of her bones.

Freedom.

When they were high enough, Moonshine glided kweh'ing with delight.

Sen took stock of how high they were, but she wasn't scared she felt at peace.

Attaching her focus to the pommel of her sword holding it aloft, carefully, very carefully she stood on the back of the saddle. Little green wisps of aether came from the focus to shield her from the gale enough not to be blown over before she was ready.

For the first time in her life she felt she saw everything so clearly, not through the lens of the Elementals or the star's inherent aether flow. It was all her, and through her the wind called.

Without another thought, she leapt.

Moonshine dived after her.

She closed her eyes reaching out fully, the focus glowed a bright red, surrounding itself with green tinged aether. A smile tugged at her mouth then broke into a wind wobbly giggle of pure joy.

Arms and legs were out as she sky dived, dipping left, right, then left again.

Wind gathered around her, called to her will and at her service. She brought her hands together to hold the rapier's handle lengthwise of her body pressing the glowing focus to her forehead drawing more as she concentrated.

The ground was approaching terrifyingly quick, Moonshine was kweh'ing in panic but her chocobo's warnings fell on deaf horns. Sen was gaining more control over her descent, hovering up near Moonshine. She felt where Moonshine was, where the breeze kissed the grassy knolls, soared to the highest peaks of Sohm Al.

She snapped out her hands, eyes open, snatching the reigns she swung her leg under and over Moonshine. Back in the saddle, she swung her sword overhead directing the gale under Moonshine's wings, arcing them clear and riding that aetheric guide back up!

The chocobo flapped hard. Breaking into a full toothy grin, Sen hooted loud and proud at their success gently gliding back down to land now.

The mage practically rolled off the saddle, rolling onto her back with a full belly laugh in the grass. She kicked her legs out thumping the ground, the stars sparkled in her eyes as she stared up.

Breathing hard, she sat up.

"Let's go again."

[oswsfandomchallenge]

On to prompt number fourteen and another classic that we can never get enough of. We hope you have fun with it! 💜

prompt #14:

❄️ Only one bed ❄️

[sterek-and-stuff-events]

Mead Moons prompt: Midnight Sun

Is new emissary Stiles matched with Derek’s pack in Fairbanks, Alaska where he attends the Midnight Sun Festival and gets invited to a special pack run after? Or are they trying to track down an important artifact in Svalbard, Norway where the sun doesn’t set for 4 months? 

Is it a futuristic space AU where Derek and Stiles live under the ever-present light of a dome on a hostile planet? Or is some major supernatural bullshit going on to keep night from falling in Beacon Hills?

Is Midnight Sun the name of Derek’s new album, which super fan Stiles is determined to get autographed by the elusive musician? Or is it what they call the strange, glowing place where they can meet up in their shared dreams?

Late night is a great time to work on those bright ideas!

Accepting new and unpublished fic, art, and playlists until July 31st. See here for more info.

[chocoblep]

#14: Carrot

It had been some time since Hinan and Rhuk had opened the Lucky Fin; a shop dedicated to saving Koi that were not “up to standard” for breeders who sold to the rich. Sometimes when they brought in new fish, they were given a charge that was strange enough that they wanted to take it home for themselves, but none of them had ever given them problems… Until Carrot.

It was typical to rotate the Koi every now and again from the tanks near the rear of the shop to the open ponds they had at the front. It kept them from being overlooked; those at the front tended to go faster than those in the tanks. The first time they had rotated the fish, they had decided to separate the two pools on either side of the entry walkway into male and female pools. And at first, everything went smoothly; the fish were thriving, adoptions were happening frequently, and there hadn’t been any incidents.

They had just adopted out two of their older females two days ago, and the only female left in the pond was Pizza, a gorgeous orange-spotted lady with a friendly personality. Today was the day when Hinan would introduce two younger females into the pond after a nice, thorough cleaning. The only problem was that when Hinan walked into the shop, both ponds had two fish in them.

“How’d Carrot get in there!?” Rhuk asked, leaning over the pond to squint at the solid orange koi in question who was swimming along happily in the female pond.

“I have no idea. Can koi jump that far? There’s four full fulms between these ponds,” Hinan replied, and bent to look, too. “But, we’ve got to clean this pond anyway, so we can at least transfer him.”

So they did, switching Carrot out with Alfredo in the tanks and then housing Pizza in a bucket while they drained the female pond to prepare it for cleaning. They were halfway through the cleaning process when Rhuk made a noise and gestured Hinan over from the opposite side of the pond. “Look at that.”

Hinan looked down toward where the Miqo’te was pointing. There, in little clumps nestled against the outer wall of the pond, were koi eggs. Hinan scratched at his neck scales and sighed. “Well, we know why Carrot was in here. Shit. We’ve got to find them all and clean them out.”

“Don’t koi lay like, a million eggs, though? There’s no way we’re going to get them all out!”

“I don’t think it’s a million, but it’s a damn lot. We’re gonna have to try to get them all. Just going to have to take everything out and clean it really well.”

Rhuk nodded, and they began removing everything they could from the pond, taking extra care to wash it all into a different bucket. When they were finished with the pond’s decorative items alone, there was a solid coating of eggs in the bottom of said bucket. They got rid of those, and then cleaned out the pond proper. It was a good thing that, while the ponds were made of stone, there was a liner in each of them that prevented any gunk from getting in the cracks and crannies, and they removed and cleaned that as well.

When they’d reassembled and refilled the pond, they put Pizza back into it and then introduced the two other females, Salsa and Spaghetti. For the next few days, Rhuk and Hinan monitored the female pond for any signs that they might need to be separated, but they all seemed to be getting along swimmingly.

On the fifth day, Hinan and Rhuk walked into the shop and went about their morning business. When Hinan was about to feed the females in the pond, he caught a flash of movement in the corner of his eye and he froze. His heart hammering against his ribcage, he crouched down and squinted into the water.

There, zipping along the back wall of the pond. A fry. He looked around for more, eyes straining, and found another, and another… and another.

“Fuck,” he breathed, and then called over to Rhuk, who was feeding the koi in the tanks. “Uh, we have a problem over here.”

“What’s up?” Rhuk asked, turning with his hand still in the food container to look at Hinan.

“There’s babies in here.”

“Babies? I thought we got them all! We even trashed and replaced the liner!”

“Maybe there were some stuck to the decorations that we missed?” Hinan suggested, but he sighed. “I’m gonna move these girls to the tanks while we try to get all these babies out.”

“What’re we gonna do with them?” Rhuk asked, putting the container down and coming to stand beside him.

Hinan shook his head. “I don’t know. We’ll have to figure out how many there are and go from there.”That was how Hinan and Rhuk ended up with fourteen Baby Carrots and two new tanks in the back of the shop. That was also how the tank that Carrot was never allowed out of again came to be known as Horny Jail.

[midcinmancave]

Story Prompt:  "If you don’t stop now –"

Summary:  What is the price of vengeance? Complete Story Source

Fictober Submission #14 Fandom:  Midnight Cinderella Featuring:  Leo Crawford, The Princess Warnings:  Angst Rating/Genre:  General Audience, Romance Writer:  Leo Crawford

[unbloomingmoonflower]

FFXIVWrite2023 Prompt 14: Clear

It was clear that the plan with the Mol was not favored by Shuri by the dark expression on her face. Hien's intentions were good for his thoughts to his nation; however, Shuri did not enjoy using a sacred time on the Xaela calendar to amass an army under the control of the Mol.

"Miss Shuri?" Gotetsu called to the Xaela, noting her dour expression and the Xaela merely exhaled a breath as she got to her feet.

"I'm not going to help you," she stated to Hien coldly, not at all perturbed by the sudden aback expression that the lordling took. "I may have not been here for several years since my own tribe was killed by Garlean invaders, but I will not use the sacred nadaam as a way for you to amass an army of Xaela. This was the first time I've done this, as I did not have a chance in my youth. I am not going to do this as a representative of the Mol."

"Your strength will lead us to victory. Surely, you can reconsider..." Hien began, only backing down when Shuri bared her fangs. Her tail lashed behind her in anger.

"Hien. I am of the Angura, not the Mol. I am joining the nadaam as a representative of my tribe and no other." The words were venom and it was even more startling clear on how important this situation was to the Xaela. Gotetsu saw it before his young lord did.

Hien's plan was an insult to the Xaela of the Angura tribe. While Cirina and the rest of the Mol tribe were welcoming in this plan and willing to assist, Shuri was making it perfectly known that she was not going to offer a hand in this.

Turning on her heel, Shuri exited the dwelling, feeling the night air on her cheeks. She whistled for her Yol, listening for the sound of massive wings flapping through the air before the cloudkin appeared with a screech.

This Yol was familiar to her, because it had been her father's before her. "Take me home," she said, climbing onto the beast's back. With another whistle, the Yol screeched, stretching its wings out before taking flight with its mistress upon it.

[fluentfridays]

Prompt #14

What happened last time you tried to cook something?

[perfectpaperbluebirds]

Sicktember #14

Prompt: “I shouldn’t be worried about you, but for some reason I am.”

Fandom/OCs: Star Wars sequels (Rey and Kylo)

Words: 690

Sicknario inspo: Pulling glove off with teeth from this post and fever feel x3 from this post. 

Author’s comments/background: Didn't quite use the exact wording of the prompt here, but close enough, and I'm sure no one will care other than me. Not sure why I keep writing this fandom as I’ll admit I neither love it nor fully understand it. But this particular prompt just would not work in my brain for anyone else that I wanted to write. And I got to incorporate those other prompts nicely so there’s that. This prompt isn’t super realistic since I’m sure Rey would know how to prevent an infection and they probably have high-tech gadgets to help with all that. I’m not even sure what the details of my AU are for them, except that Kylo lives and Rey and Kylo love each other from a distance, flying around serving the galaxy or whatever. Or maybe that’s just what I wrote because it worked for this prompt lol. Who knows?

~~~***~~~

Rey and Kylo, whom she only ever called Ben now, made it a point to stay far away from each other, keeping the entire galaxy between them whenever they could. They knew they were dangerous together. They knew they were more useful apart. They knew it was safer if they didn’t meet. However, that didn't mean they didn't communicate. Quite the opposite, in fact: they were only a thought apart, and therefore were often in near constant communication through the Force. In time they grew attuned to one another's emotions too, until the other person's mind seemed almost an extension of themself. 

Therefore, Ben knew something was wrong with Rey when she intentionally blocked their connection for a prolonged period of time. They often blocked for a few hours or even up to a day when they were working on sensitive missions, or simply wanted to have some privacy. But when Rey shut him out for almost three days, Ben knew he needed to intervene. 

He reached out to some of her contacts and discovered her last known coordinates, jumping there as soon as he determined it was safe. It was a nearly abandoned planet, in the territory of her old haunts before she got caught up in the events of the Jedi. Upon arriving at the planet, he probed for her consciousness, and now that the physical distance between them was minimized, he could sense her even through the block. 

"I know I shouldn't be worried about you," his mind called to hers, knowing she could hear, "because I know you're able to take care of yourself. But I am worried. I needed to come find you."

"Come find me, then," came the faint response. He sensed she was very weak and rushed to locate her.

He found her ship well-hidden within an abandoned structure, nearly undetectable to the untrained eye. He boarded without issue and found her in her bunk, shaking under all her blankets. Ben rushed to her side, pulling off his glove with his teeth to press it to her forehead. Then he felt her cheeks, neck, and chest in quick succession, for she was burning with fever.

"Why did you not alert someone that you were ill?" he said through clenched teeth, masking his worry with anger.

"It wasn't so bad until today," she sighed. "I cut my leg, so I couldn't walk well. I waited here, wanting to give it time to heal. It seems I didn't clean it properly…."

As she was speaking he yanked the blanket away from her legs to see an angry red, weeping gash down the length of her right calf. Ben cursed at the sight.

"Then why didn't you call for help when the fever started?"

"Because I knew you were already coming for me," she mumbled. "I knew you'd take care of me."

"... Then why were you blocking me out?" he asked, his tone as soft as hers.

"I didn't want you to feel the pain. Or the fever," she whispered. "I didn't want us both to be miserable. And I hoped you would find me when the time was right."

Ben sighed, running his bare hand through his hair. "I can read your mind, yet I feel I'll never understand you."

Rey laughed softly. "I've foiled the powerful Kylo Ren, then. Not many can boast of a feat like that."

Ben shook his head. "Come, let's get you to a medical facility. You need more care than I can give you. We'll go on my ship and you can send someone for yours later."

He lifted her easily, blankets and all, and began to carry her away. 

"I did wonder if you would come," Rey murmured into his chest. "If you cared enough."

Ben gave her a long look. "Dear Rey, in spite of my best intentions, I've come to care about you a great deal."

Rey smiled again. "Another victory over the great Kylo Ren, then," she said, almost too soft to hear. 

Ben didn't answer, but had she looked up, she would have seen a smile that mirrored her own.