#also me wanting to make flower crown poses

[unknownanomoly]

I decided I would join this trend, by making all the people I follow who is in the colt fandom lambs! + notes about what I loved most about making your character design! @oneofthosenightbees I love the hair, very fun to draw, and the face! @xmajordumps Yours is adorable and also very fun to draw in a more irl game kinda style! @faery-the-diamond Does a crown count as a lamb? Idk, but crown @cotl-flower-crown The hair, and pose were really fun to make @bamsara Hair again, and also pose, the hands i had a little trouble but i have trouble with hands anyways @slate021 yours is adorable and i loved making his posture and face!

@voidheartkisses I loved drawing the hair! its so curly and fun! @seffen I love the eyes and again, the hair! @ballad-of-the-lamb the ears mainly, very big and floppy @foxritz the eyelashes, and the hair again, and just the fluff in general @alllgator-blood I love the shapes! also very dramatic face

@acis-arts I love your swap au! it was really fun drawing him, and guess what, i loved drawing the hair. @rampantram I love that you mainly draw your stuff in traditional (I think?) I loved drawing his outfit the most, he looks like a king, (and i might me simping...) @neon-virus Yours is adorable, the hair was really fun but the clothing was probably the most fun!

@ghosts-and-glory I messed up on the face of your and im sorry but i loved the hair and the cloak! @aveloka-draws yours is kinda hard to draw but i think i did pretty good, the hair was fun and the face @aubeezz yours look really tired, i loved drawing the long messy hair @skyartworkzzz the hair was really fun! the face also! your is also really adorable! i wanna sqeaze him! @unwri-ten I tried to get that double line thing that you do! I really like it and it can out really nice in my mind! fun hair also!

And mine! I still don't understand but he still doesn't look right for some reason in digital, i think i got the face better, well the head in general, but the fluff on the body seems a bit too curly and the legs look a little wrong... idk if you have any feedback for my lamb please give it idk whats wrong but SOMETHING is wrong... i can smell it... Also if you wished not to be tagged please contact me and ill remove the tag, and if you did not want your lamb drawn also contact me and ill edit the photo so yours isn't in there anymore.

[rexshadaoart]

Every June, I exclusively make and post new Dorzma art, mainly to spread awareness of what I consider to be one of the oldest LGBT pairings in fandom circles (and one that many should remember in this day and age). This one is Ozma and Dorothy doing a tango of sorts with an LGBT heart as the background.

It was based on this pose provided by @adorkastock

I initially planned to do the whole body... but I find the legs to be too excessive to the whole picture, especially when the hands are in a very unique and difficult pose to draw. I decided to cut the legs and focus on the hands, which was tricky since they are clasping in a manner that is very complex in design, yet also beautiful in overall simplicity. I like how they turned out.

You might also notice that Ozma doesn't have her tall crown in this picture. Well, that's because I wanted Ozma to eventually be animatable, and thus I need to experiment to see if Ozma's design would work without a crown (she still keeps the headdress with flowers). It looks nice overall in my opinion.

I still plan to make more of Dorzma in the future. This is me getting back into the grove.

[cirilla-fiona-riannon]

Ikemen Villains - Ellis Twilight

Translations may not always capture the exact nuances or tone of the original text. Expect grammatical errors.

Blank, ageless, and suspicious blogs will be blocked.

On the eve of Halloween, the aroma of sweet pastries filled the kitchen of the castle.

Victor: "It's almost time for them to finish baking. Come on, let's take the scones out."

Ellis: "Kate, let me do it. I don't want you to burn yourself."

Kate: "Thanks. Please be careful, Ellis."

Ellis: "Hm. They're nicely baked."

Victor: "Ahaha! Victor's original buttery scones are now ready!"

We gazed and smiled at the beautifully baked scones.

Tomorrow, October 31st, Halloween will come to this country, and the town will be bustling with excitement.

After talking with Ellis, we decided to do something for the townspeople, so Victor taught us how to make scones to distribute.

Even though we didn't live in a sunny place, doing this once in a while shouldn't have posed a problem.

(It's so typical of Ellis to be so friendly and kind to the townspeople that he wants to hand out candies.)

Victor: "Are you planning to distribute this tomorrow?"

Kate: "Yup, that's the plan."

Victor: "That's wonderful. You guys are truly kind-hearted!"

Ellis: "Victor, your hug is a bit too strong."

Victor: "Oops, my apologies! Love overflowed for a moment there."

Victor: "But do be careful about one thing. Tomorrow is the night of beauty under the moon." **

Kate: "Night of beauty under the moon?" **

Victor: "Ah, right. I haven't told you about this yet."

Victor proceeded to explain it to me.

He said that every few years, there was an occurrence where Halloween coincided with a full moon or a new moon, intensifying the cursed sins.

It was also called "beauty under the moon" because it blooms at the same time as the beauty under the moon flowers.

(So weird things like that happen. Is it because of the phases of the moon?)

Kate: "Thank you for the explanation. So, what exactly happens when the curse intensifies?"

Victor: "I wish I could tell you, but I don't really know all the details!"

Kate: "Huh?"

Victor: "The last phenomenon happened about 20 years ago."

Victor: "If it were 20 years ago, most of the crown members probably weren't even aware of their curse themselves."

Kate: "Right, that's true. Um, if it were 20 years ago, Ellis..."

Ellis: "I think it was around the time I finally started talking."

Victor & Kate: "Cute."

Ellis: "Fufu, both of you are thinking out loud."

Kate: "Sorry. It just slipped out."

Victor: "Ahem. So, to summarize, tomorrow is going to be a dangerous night for you two, considering it's been 20 years since it last happened."

Victor: "We don't know what will happen, so make sure to return before the moon rises."

I carried the scones with Ellis and started wrapping them one by one.

Kate: "By the way, the decorations in this dining hall are amazing."

Ellis: "It's a tradition. I've been helping Victor with it every year."

Somewhere in the middle of our chat, he suddenly muttered something.

Ellis: "Can I really spend tomorrow with you?"

Kate: "What?"

Ellis: "Aren't you afraid to be with me?"

Ellis: "If you're even a little scared, I'd rather stay away."

Ellis: "I want to make you happy, not scare you."

(Is it because we don't know what might happen tomorrow?)

I realized that neither of us really knew what to expect tomorrow.

(But I know for sure that he would never do anything to scare me.)

(And I don't want to be afraid of him.)

Kate: "I want to be with you. It's our first Halloween together, after all."

Ellis: "Thank you, Kate. Actually, I wanted to be with you too."

His sweet smile made me smile in return.

Kate: "Then we're in this together."

Ellis: "Yeah, together."

Ellis: "But I can't even begin to imagine what might happen if my curse intensifies."

(Right. Speaking of which...)

Kate: "You know, I might not even know what your curse is."

Ellis: "Oh, you don't? In that case, why don't you guess?"

William was cursed with the king's self-righteousness, so I think his sins would be self-righteousness and condemnation.

(Ellis is cursed with Thorns, so thinking along those lines...)

Kate: "Stabbing someone?"

Ellis: "Fufu, that's cute but slightly incorrect."

Kate: "Um, then..."

I pondered, and Ellis looked at me, smiling.

Ellis: "You look so cute as you search for answers. I think I'll keep it a secret for a little longer."

Ellis: "I'd prefer if you never found out, but if you figure it out, please tell me."

The next day, we headed out to town with the scones.

While Halloween in England might be considered less vibrant than in some other places, the town was livelier than usual, and you could sense the excitement in the air.

Fruit Vendor Granny: "Oh, Ellis, Miss. Happy Halloween!"

Ellis: "Hello, Anna."

Ellis: "Trick or treat."

Fruit Vendor Granny: "Trick or treat?"

Ellis: "Yes, treat. Here you go."

Fruit Vendor Granny: "Oh my, are these homemade? I'm so happy, thank you both."

Bookstore Owner: "Hey there, Ellis! Miss Kate! Oh, that's candy, isn't it?"

Bookstore Owner: "Then, if you don't mind. Trick or treat!"

Ellis: "Here you go, enjoy. It's loaded with butter, so it's sure to be delicious."

Child in a ghost costume: "Big brother, big sister! Trick-or-treat!"

Ellis: "Be careful not to trip. Here you go."

(Hehe, Ellis is really popular! And everyone seems to be having fun.)

As the sun began to set, the scones gradually began to decrease.

Kate: "Wow, they're all gone. That was quick."

Ellis: "Yeah. Oh, by the way..."

Ellis: "Want to do some trick-or-treating with me, too?"

(With me?)

Kate: "Trick-or-treat?"

Ellis: "Here. I saved the last one just for you."

Kate: "But if I take it, then you won't have any."

Ellis: "I'm fine. If you're happy, that's enough for me."

Ellis: "Or did you want to play a trick on me?"

Kate: "This one is fine. Thank you."

Ellis: "Fufu, you're welcome."

(He really always thinks about others' happiness.)

He gave me the last piece of candy without hesitation, prioritizing other people's feelings over his own.

Every time I saw him like that, I found his kindness endearing and, yet, a bit lonely.

(I want to make him happy, not just receive from him.)

Bar Owner: "Ellis, Missy! As a thank you for the scones, come by the tavern sometime. I'll treat you to a drink."

Ellis and I both look up at the sky simultaneously.

The sun had just started to set, and it seemed like there was still some time before the moon would appear.

Ellis: "Kate, are you ready to head back, or would you like to stay with me a bit longer?"

Part 1 ╎ Part 2 ╎ Premium ╎ Epilogue

[midorisudachi]

“The Inquisitor And Her Commander”

As some of you may have noticed, I am a huge fan of the Dragon Age games, especially Dragon Age Inquisition. Last year, I had planned on drawing all the main [playable] characters up until Dragon Age Day (which took place on December 4th), but I just didn’t have time to draw more than three characters (the Inquisitor, Solas, & Varric…please check them out in my gallery) due to being busy with work and other things. I’ll eventually draw the other characters when I gather more motivation to do so.

For now, please enjoy this piece. I hope everybody likes this. I worked very hard on this artwork. It took longer than usual to create, due to all the small details, the poses, & the armour. (Armour is not easy to draw for me!) For those of you who are DAI fans, you may recognize the flowers: Crystal Grace on the bottom and Andraste’s Grace on the top. I know Andraste’s Grace is not in DAI, but I thought it would be pretty to add to the artwork (since it technically exists in the Thedas world).

 My OC Inquisitor is named Bryony Trevelyan. She is actually my 2nd Inquisitor character, the first one having been an elf (which I may draw someday). I had been playing DAI for the 3rd time, a few months ago, as a male character (since I wanted him to be in a romance with Dorian, so yes, my male Inquisitor is gay), but I stopped for a bit since I am playing Skyrim at the moment (with updates & mods). Anyway, back on the main subject: I drew Inquisitor Bryony Trevelyan in the Armor of the Dragon Hunter outfit (from the Jaws of Hakkon DLC), which I had altered the colours by tinting it with Veil Quartz. I based her crown from concept art for DAI. So much armour in the game! Which I love, especially since the DA games don’t give female characters the stereotypical skimpy outfits…I love that I get to make my female characters wear bad-ass armour.

Cullen Rutherford is such an adorable and slightly awkward character around my Inquisitor. I knew I had to romance him right away, because his looks are the type of man I am attracted to in real life. (I’m not going to lie…in the game, he’s hot for a video game character. Ha ha!) I’ve always enjoyed the flirting in the DA games when it comes to the relationships. The best scene was right before their first kiss, when Cullen got interrupted by a member of the Inquisition, and then got mad about it. Ha ha. I liked when my Inquisitor asked Cullen, “The day you kissed me on the battlements…how long had you wanted to do that?” And Cullen replied (with a laugh), “Longer that I should admit.” Awwwww.

I also liked the part in the Winter Palace, when all these people were flirting with Cullen, and one asked him, “Are you married, Commander?” And Cullen replied, “Not yet, but I am…already taken.” Double awwww, because a loyal man is so dreamy. :3 I actually had Bryony & Cullen get married in the last DLC. :3 They adopt a Mabari (dog), too!

I love DAI too much. :D It’s such a fun game with the most gorgeous graphics (especially on the Xbox Series X).

Drawn with Sakura Pigma Micron pens, then coloured in with a mixture of Copic Markers & Ohuhu Markers. I used Koi Watercolours for the background. White accents done with both a gel pen and white watercolour. Gold acrylic was used for the Inquisition Symbol & the lines, which the scanner absolutely murders...the gold is such a pretty, shimmery metallic in real life. The light green around my art was done in Photoshop Elements.

Dragon Age Inquisition © Bioware & Electronic Arts

Fan artwork © Jacqueline E. McNeese

[runningupthatvecna]

the law of seat partners | part 4

masterlist

a/n: so this is part four, probably the last and final part to bring this little something to an end. it's a bit of a dive into eddie's emotional state and self-esteem issues and it just might sting you a little reading. this whole story has honestly been a wild ride from start to finish and i want to thank every single one of you for giving it so much love! hope you enjoy this last part just as much, if not more. all i can say is that i poured my entire heart into this and it's my first time writing spice, so go easy on me please. my requests are, however, open in case anyone wants me to write more. for this, i'm planning a little sequel part, so keep an eye out for that if you like.

summary: after some intense flower crown binding and a few more intense days at the camp, things are finally getting real between you and eddie. you make him your prince and he makes you his own. read for yourself ;)

word count: 13,5k (lol don't ask i got carried away it seems)

warnings/tags: slow burn, mutual pining, idiots in love kinda, not too detailed description of reader's appearance, very close physical closeness, sharing a bed, eddie being touch starved and a very wholesome and caring bean, mentions of eddie's dad being a piece of shit, lots of petnames, shitlots of fluff, a tad bit of angst, abandonment issues & performance anxiety, smut (minors go away!), softdom!eddie, kissing, oral (m and f receiving), fingering, blowjob, a bit of edging if you squint, dirty talk, unprotected p in v, pulling out, basically just hot and steamy lovemaking filth. ok BYE

-----

Roses, magnolias, tulips, daisies, sunflowers, yarrows, peonies and lots of twigs with green leaves. For the base. To balance out the colours.

The day had finally come.

You placed the crown of flowers which you had spent an hour assembling and braiding and binding together on your head, intending to wear it with a sense of pride.

A sunflower as the yellow centerpiece, two light purple peonies on each side, some yarrow and white roses here and there.

You guessed that Jonathan would shoot another roll of film full today, measured by the enthusiasm he was displaying just now while directing the postures of the four of you, assigning you poses and giving you instructions on which way to turn so you would be lit in the best way possible.

Robin, Nancy, Max and you were stood in one line, and if it weren't for the fact that you found yourselves on the path leading from the cabins to the little square of the fireplace, surrounded by trees, the view of the lake in the background and framed by a row of tall pines, you would think you were posing for graduation photos.

It was a nice rehearsal, at least.

Anyone else except Will, Eddie and the photographer himself were busy occupying themselves elsewhere.

The younger Byers boy enthusiastically fumbling around with flowers for his own crown – the artist in his element –, Jonathan capturing your precious moments and Eddie, ... well Eddie was honestly just watching the four of you, admiring the scene and being grateful that no one had shoo'ed him away yet, because that meant he'd certainly have to get involved in the yoga-slash-stretching workshop Steve Harrington was trying to attend in the meantime.

Also he was wondering where you took the patience for your magnificent wonder of floral composition from, when he unsuccessfully tried to merely string a bunch of leafy twigs and yarrow together himself.

The teachers had made you all spent the majority of the day in the next bigger town, admiring the contents and exhibits of the local museum, dedicated to bring the regional history, geography specifics and culture closer to its visitors. And the only time the longhaired metalhead had left your side (under protest) was those two times you needed to use the women's restroom.

The younger middle school kids had been an absolute menace to the nerves of Mr Clarke all day, their lack of patience and ability to stay focused on the exhibits getting the best of him.

Eddie's presence made everything better though (for you at least) and the obnoxious children forgotten. You know that feeling when you're on a trip with your friends and your crush is there too and that fact just lifts your entire mood and whatever you guys are doing doesn't matter because they are there with you because their presence is solely enough to make your heart blossom?

Yeah. That.

"Come here", you sat down next to Eddie on the tree trunk that was laid flat to act as a bench, taking and trying to fix whatever attempt of a flower crown he was occupying his fingers with. You would guess that he'd be quite skilled with them as a guitarist, but seeing him drop stuff here and there with his tongue stuck out – a telltale sign that he was focussing super hard – also had you guessing that the skill of binding flower crowns and playing guitar were two different pairs of shoes.

Legs touching, you felt Eddie's gaze wander from the top of your knee over the skin on the plushness of your bare thighs up to the hem of your white flowy linen dress.

Oh, what they would feel like under his gentle touch.

His eyes paused their little journey on your hands, the softness of your skin, how you (just like him) always wore your rings, thin golden bands delicately adorning your index and middle fingers plus the one on your right thumb. He took in the tiny wrinkles stretched over your knuckles, the way your fingertips were readjusting the wire he sloppily had bound the twigs and stems together with, lightly brushing over the even softer petals of the flowers.

Secretly he wished they would lightly brush over his own hands too.

Brush over his neck, his hair, his cheeks, telling him that there was absolutely nothing wrong with him and that he could and would be accepted – and maybe even loved – just the way he was in his truest form.

As if you could be someone with the capability to show him just that. Convince his silly brain that he wasn't the fuck up his father made him believe to be. The unlovable freak his hometown condemned him as.

A feeling he was so desperately yearning for, deep down below the surface where usually no ray of light would ever reach the bottom.

Mainly because he wouldn't let the light through. The waves were and had just always been too high.

Gaze continuing its journey further up, lingering on your chest for a fleeting second, before scanning over the expanse of your neck.

Eddie mentally thanked Nancy for braiding your hair out of the way today.

He took in your jawline, the way your small and delicate earrings decorated the lobes of your ears, a small strand of hair on the side of your head separating your ear from your face, your nose which Eddie found to be very cute, a few freckles spread over the apples of your cheeks, eyes as deep as the ocean, currently focused on not cutting yourself on the garden scissors as clumsy as you could be, and then the pinkish red plushness of your rounded lips.

Eddie was certain they would feel like lying on a cloud in heaven against his own. Giving him a glimpse of something big and meaningful, and very very dear to him, something crawling through every vein of his body making the goosebumps erupt on his bare arms, something he craved to his core.

He wanted to touch. Needed to. More of you.

And he felt an all too familiar warmth spread through his abdomen, just like yesterday after the swimming, when his goodnight hug had ended up a bit too tightly for his own good, and he'd had to excuse himself awkwardly in order to take care of the semi slowly causing his damp shorts to become painfully tight.

He took in the way your eyes lit up and the corners of your mouth curled upwards at your successful fix of his poor attempt to impress you, watched you getting up and moving in front of him in a twirl, making the hem of your dress bounce a little.

Of course he noticed that. You were the pretty much only thing occupying the space in his brain.

The light was you.

"Now here you go, Prince of Metal", you chuckled as you placed the crown on his head softly, him blinking up at you through his thick black lashes with a wide smile that was forming on his face slowly at your affectionate gesture and – especially – the title.

It was very modest, just white yarrow and the green of the leaves, an analogy to Eddie's mindset of cherishing simplicity.

A "thank you, darling" escaped his chest in a low, soft tone right before he stood up, still grinning at you as if you had just told him you'd won the lottery. Or he'd won it.

He was certainly feeling like he had. You had done this, something nice, for him. It made his cheeks flush pink. A delightful addition to the white and green.

Jonathan had just finished taking a few close-ups of Max' half-heartedly composed circle of tulips and daisies, and when he noticed you and Eddie in the middle of half empty buckets of leftover flowers and the splutter of twigs and fallen petals, he wasted no time in calling you over to his makeshift photo set.

-----

For the rest of the trip, you couldn't help but think of Eddie's newfound interest in flower arrangements, the way he had selflessly fought with the stubborn wire and unruly twigs just to spend more time with you (and selflessly escape yoga with Steve).

The time at camp was almost coming to an end already. You had two nights left before the bus would roll up again, forcing you to leave the little serene oasis to take you home.

A whole bunch of polaroids was stacked up on your little nightstand by now, one of them showing you alongside the Prince of Metal, proudly posing with flower crown heads held high, and if you didn't know better you would say that the pose you both had taken made the impression of one of a royal couple. Eddie had put his hands on his hips, facing the camera diagonally, your back towards his chest in the same direction as him. Serious expressions, since you were royalty.

Another showed you in between Steve, Robin and Eddie on another hike, all of you well-lit by the bright sun, blue sky and vast lake with the deep green of trees in the background, on top of the hill you had attempted to climb on the first day. Robin was pulling a silly face, while Eddie poked his index finger into the dimple that always formed on Steve's cheek whenever he put on his toothy grin. And you? You were just looking, smiling, gazing at your seat partner.

More of them had been taken during further swimming activities, recreations of the acrobatic performance which Eddie and Max had displayed that first time in the lake, and since Jonathan knew how obsessed with photos you really were, he thought he might as well give you all the others he had taken.

For safekeeping.

Not to mention the one of Eddie and you on the bus.

And then, your personal favourite you had decided, showed Eddie in the white framed rectangle with closed eyes, his crown of flowers decorating the top of his head, the widest grin spread across his face.

He looked angelic.

You wished you could make a thousand copies of it and tape it to every single lamp post and throw it into every single mail box in all of Hawkins.

You wanted to look at it forever.

As you were lying there in the darkness of your shared cabin, you made a mental note to yourself to definitely pay Jonathan back for the film.

Eyes closed, you let your mind wander through all the memories you'd been making these past days. Not just with Prince Metal, but also with everyone else. It was nice and wholesome getting to spend time with the gang outside of Hawkins.

The very vivid memories of the past days flooded your brain. It was easy getting lost in them. So lost, that you audibly gasped as a light knock on the glass of the window pulled you out of conscious dreamland.

Practically shooting up from the mattress, you turned your head towards the window.

The more than familiar wild mane of your favourite Hawkins local satanist stood out from between the ends of the bushes growing beneath that window, and the person it belonged to was intently gesturing towards the wooden door of your cabin.

Eddie was wearing his signature grin when you rolled your eyes at him and the idea of sneaking around in the waking hour that was two in the night.

You mouthed a "fine" at him, nodding towards the door, before you silently tried to get up without triggering an avalanche of your roommates awaking.

The sight that offered itself to you as you crook open the cabin door was something you were certain you were going to burn into the core memories of your life.

Eddie Munson on the first of two steps in front of your door, the pathway with the other cabins in the background, in a black tank top, from the darkness you made the colours of his boxers out to be dark blue, his white sneakers but no socks. The scene in your periphery lit only by the low glow of the moon casting its reflection down onto him and his surroundings through the crowns of the pine trees.

A bunch of tattoos were visibly spread over his arms, guitar pick on a chain around his neck, curtained by his luscious curls. A messy bunch of random forest flowers and grass in his tight fist.

What on earth was he thinking he was doing out here? At this hour?

His expression told you.

"Hi", he almost whispered, a sly smile playing on his lips, eyes searching yours, stretching his arm straight and holding the makeshift flower bouquet out under your nose.

As if it was the most normal thing, showing up at someone's cabin in the middle of the night. In the woods. With random flowers he must have picked on the way here?

You snorted at his gesture and the incredible sweetness of it, it was making you blush hard and your heart combust in your ribcage at the thought of him even thinking of bringing you something. At him even being here right now. The innocence of it juxtaposing with his reputation back at home.

"Jesus Christ, what on earth are you doing out here?", you whispered back in the same tone, leaning in the doorframe in your usual sleep shirt and – of course, since you were surrounded by girls and you all were comfortable enough with each other – panties only.

Eddie took the next logical step, the one above the one he was currently standing on, getting closer to where you were leaning and recreating the usual height difference between you two.

"I can't fall asleep with Steve snoring", still in a hushed tone, and he paused before a small smile formed on his lips again, "and a bird just told me that the extension of the law, remember when I told you about that? Yeah, well, it got approved, so", he paused again, finding your eyes again with his best impression of a puppy, "could I maybe, you know uh, come in and be rescued from my eternal misery?"

You were very well aware that you'd be sent home immediately if anyone caught sight of you letting a male breathing creature past your doorstep, but since it was 2 am, it was also Eddie Munson gazing at you in the moonlight as if you were the most beautiful thing he ever had laid his eyes on, and you couldn't deny that you most definitely wanted this, the possible consequences of your little spontaneous rendezvous, nagging at your brain like alarm bells, were thrown overboard in an instant.

Grabbing one of Eddie's wrists, you pulled him towards you and inside, trying to close and lock the cabin door as silently as possible.

His presence alone and familiar warmth radiating from his body was already soothing the light rush of adrenaline in your veins from doing something that could get the both of you into quite the trouble, and it didn't take him long to take a step forward, moving his arm that you were still holding on to around you, so you were forced to turn your back towards him while his other snuck around your waist, pulling you flush against his chest.

He squeezed you to himself for a brief second, acting as a silent thank you, before he let go of you with a wide grin that you were only able to see thanks to the dim light of the moon flooding through the one window between the two bunks.

There was a small sparkle in his eye, a glint of serenity, comfort and endless affection. And relief. So much relief from how you were letting him in, weren't rejecting him like he was used to.

Peaceful breathing was filling the room, a light snore coming from the top bunk that wasn't above yours, and Eddie followed you.

You couldn't believe that you were about to share your small mattress and covers with the one guy you'd been harbouring feelings for over the time span of several months.

Eddie couldn't believe it either.

Mere seconds later, you found yourself caged in by the wall, the bed frame and Eddie's body.

It was the most natural thing. Everything fell into place, the way the two of you were lying there, facing each other, inhaling each others breaths from the close proximity, the covers draped over your bodies, hiding the details of Eddie sneaking an arm around your waist again to pull you impossibly closer, his hand carefully exploring more of the territory he already had started to discover on the bus, calloused yet somewhat soft fingertips almost ghosting up the warm skin over your bare spine.

"You're so pretty."

An inaudible whisper of admission.

You heard it.

An invasion of goosebumps spread over every inch of your skin like a wildfire.

Eddie felt it.

"So are you."

The arm you weren't lying on found its way up, tucking a wisp of his curls that had fallen over his now beet red cheek away behind his ear.

Neither of you wanted to ever stop smiling.

He moved his entire being down a little so his eyes were the same level with your jawline, a low hum escaping his throat at the tip of his nose brushing over the skin on your neck in an upward motion, just like that time in the lake.

It was beyond overwhelming to feel him this close. In your bed.

And for Eddie, feeling you this close was so much better than the countless times he had imagined this happening. He'd imagined what it would feel like, your light illuminating all of him.

You let him use your arm as a pillow, before he nuzzled his forehead against the same spot on your neck, his cheek lightly pressed against your clavicle.

And just when you thought you couldn't get physically closer to him than in this moment, bellies touching, legs wordlessly intertwined and all, he pulled you against him some more. Squeezed you tightly and tenderly, letting you know that this was right where he wanted to be. Where he needed to be.

And yeah, it felt quite right to you as well.

Your other arm that wasn't occupied by Eddie's head found its way around his torso, hand rubbing softly over the expanse of his back, and you wondered how much of muscle and softness your fingertips would be encountering if your hand would just cheekily sneak its way underneath his tank top.

Resting your cheek on Eddie's forehead, the warmth, the comfort of wrapping your arms around something to hold onto at night, his steady and satisfied breathing against your own, made you easily drift off into a deep slumber.

Eddie had already passed out the minute you had allowed him to rest his head in the crook of your neck and had draped your arm over him, encasing him in the embrace he so badly needed in order to find his own sleep.

You'd known him long enough to know that he cared about the few people in his life who hadn't let him down, he took care of people that took care of him.

And you wanted to take care of him. In every way you could and in every way he would let you.

Silence filled the single room, steady breaths being in- and exhaled, and you hoped no one had yet woken up to notice your charming little intruder existing in the sacred four walls of the flower cabin.

-----

A ray of sunlight made the shadows of tree leaves dance over the landscape of your face through the window.

You woke up from it, eyelids slowly blinking and then squinting shut again from the sudden invasion of too much light at once.

It took you a few seconds to realize where you were, namely in the small cabin that you were to call home for the week, with Max still snoozing in the bunk above you, a light snore still coming from Robin's side of the room, and Nancy having probably already left to go for her daily morning jog.

The weight of a semi-tattooed arm was resting on your torso diagonally like a seat belt, indicating that Eddie was even in his sleep very concerned for your safety. He had moved upwards, now a head above yours on your actual pillow and on his side, making his chest slowly rise and fall against your head.

It was peaceful, so peaceful waking up next to him, and it felt like the most natural thing. A very easy morning. As if this wasn't the first time ever.

You rubbed the back of your hand over your eye, the movement causing Eddie's hand to give the exposed skin over your waist, until where your shirt had ridden up, another gentle squeeze, making it known to you that he was, in fact, awake as well.

Craning your head towards the head of the bed, your still sleepy eyes found the warm brown of his for a moment, along with a wide stretched smile playing on his lips, dark stubble running down his cheeks and chin and neck before stopping halfway down, since he had forgotten to shave.

Eyelids fell shut again, but the smile stayed. Just for a moment longer, before he relaxed every muscle in his stupidly beautiful face, allowing your eyes to start their own journey of curious wandering.

You took in the way his nostrils flared a little whenever he exhaled, the tiny wrinkles on the outsides of his big doe eyes, a bunch of light freckles scattered over the bridge of his nose and the apples of his cheeks, the way they were being pushed up by the corners of his mouth whenever he gave you that smile, the slightly glowing softness of his skin generally, the way his wild unruly dark mane framed his face so perfectly, the way his cupid's bow sat on the plushness of his pink lips, ...

And oh, you were certain they would feel like lying on a cloud in heaven against your own.

You were also certain you were still dreaming, that this entire moment of Eddie knocking on your window and letting him into your bed and him lightly fanning your face with his breath right now was just a dream and you were about to wake up any second to the sound of pesky middle schoolers screaming their way from their cabins to the pergola where you'd usually have breakfast.

But no. This was real. Eddie was real. And he was just so pretty, lying there peacefully snoozing, the expanses of soft bellies still touching, and that wasn't because your mattress didn't stretch wide enough.

"Are you watching me sleeping?", Eddie mumbled, lightly flexing his jaw, eyes staying shut, the smile returning slowly.

If there wasn't a fire in your lower belly burning from all his touches and sweetness already, it damn certainly was now, ignited by the rasp in his low morning voice.

Oh Jesus Christ.

The absolute heat was spreading into two directions, using your heart as its origin. Once again your cheeks heated up, and you felt your thighs clench together involuntarily at the way in which he said those words.

"What if I was?", you mumbled back in a similar tone, trying your best to not let on too much about the effect he was having on you.

Eddie's eyebrows disappeared behind his frizzy bangs. Still refusing to open his eyes.

"Then I'd say you're being a little creep."

He let out a low chuckle while pulling you into his embrace, savouring the moment of having you this close once more and letting you know for certain that he was just joking.

"Pfff, says the guy who literally creeps around my cabin at two in the night."

You could not for the life of you recall a time when his face ever was closer to yours than it was right now, noses almost touching.

"Hey, that was a necessity. We only obeyed the law and I am eternally grateful for your gracious salvation from me meeting my impending doom."

The underlying layer of heaviness of his words was disregarded for now, since you wanted to desperately keep the bliss that came with being so close around him for just a moment longer.

Eddie made you feel like you were the most important person in the entire world, mainly due to his ever prominent abandonment issues. Meaning he never once had really left your side during the entirety of this trip (except for when you had to use the bathroom and, well, sleep – until now), always making sure you were taken care of.

It melted you.

And you didn't mind his clinginess at all. Male validation wasn't something you had to run from in order to save yourself from drowning in it. The opposite was more of the case, you were soaking it up like the roots of a flower that hadn't seen rain in years.

Oh wait, flowers decay at some point if they don't get watered? Well, yeah. You'd almost been there at some point in the past.

"You're such a dork", you remarked his theatrics with a chuckle, before burying your face in the crook of his neck, cheek pressed to his clavicle and nose dipping into the soft skin where neck and shoulder met, "but a very cute one."

A hint of shyness overcame you.

Awaiting his reaction was unbearable.

Eddie's cheeks flushed a bright red at your admission and the fact that you were so very obviously trying to hide your fluster between his shoulder and neck? You going all sweetly shy on him simply made his brain short circuit.

Did you just call him cute?

While your – your – lips (!!!) were so close to his skin, barely brushing over one of his sensitive spots?

No, Eddie Munson was almost certain he was still in dreamland.

Only now he dared to open his eyes, just to make sure he hadn't dreamt the sneaking-into-your-cabin-last-night part either, and let out a sigh at the conscious feeling of your skin that had collided with his palm, your nose at his pulse point, hair tickling his chin.

Then, the realization of that meaning behind your latest words kicked in.

Meanwhile, you didn't dare to lift your head to see his reaction for yourself.

He made you feel it though, when a boost of confidence helped one of his hands find a home on one of your butt cheeks, the arm which your head was still resting on wrapping around your shoulder so his arms were fully engulfing your figure, and his own head dipped down to where your neck was slightly craned.

Tip of the nose brushing up along the expanse of your neck in a singular swift motion of his head, since he already had found out a while ago that you didn't dislike that one, and then?

Then he buried his nose in the hair coming down behind your ear, while his lips slowly, almost carefully placed a peck to where your jaw met your neck, followed by another low hum at the feeling of you not backing away. Of you staying with him.

At first you weren't so sure if you had registered that correctly, but at the same time, judging from the way you could feel a familiar warmth pool between your legs, you were pretty sure he'd just kissed your neck.

Neckneckneck.

Thank fuck he couldn't see the way your eyes were rolling into the back of your skull at the sensation of his warm lips on your warmer skin.

Months over months of yearning for him, for this, for lying in his tight embrace, against the warmth of his body, longing glances you had directed at him, his innocent arm around your shoulder practically burning through whatever shirt you were wearing on those days, the now occurring realization that his sly remarks and jokes had literally been his way of subtly flirting with you, painting all his glances that had been thrown back at you in a similarly wistful light.

It was all so much at once, yet you already couldn't possibly get enough of him.

You nuzzled closer (if that was even physically possible), your arm squished between your bodies, the arm you weren't lying on wrapped around his torso, hand still underneath his tank top, running your fingertips along the smooth skin over his spine.

Giving back.

A nice concept.

A little less shy now, still cautious though, your lips pressed against the slightly stubbly side of his neck as you craned your head further up.

Eddie couldn't believe his fucking luck.

"Mhm, baby."

His almost whispering voice didn't have to travel far from how close his lips were to your ear. Because they still were lingering on your neck, where he countered your admission with another chaste kiss, trying not to overwhelm you.

It was too much. You couldn't take it any longer.

Lifting your head away from his skin, the warmth radiating from his neck engulfing your face, you softly dropped the weight back on Eddie's arm.

A wide smile decorated his face, letting you know that everything was alright with you and him in his book, and in his big brown chocolate orbs you only found affection.

You hoped he could spot the same in yours.

Oh, a surge of confidence erupted inside of you.

"Would it be okay if I kissed you?"

Eddie's fingers occupied themselves with a soft dig into the plushy flesh of your ass, while the smile dancing on his lips slowly turned into a cheeky grin, dimples denting his skin adorably, and his other hand craned around your head, thumb bending far enough to run the length of it down your cheek.

"Mhm, darling. Why do you think I've been touching you this entire time?"

Without another moment of hesitation you closed the distance between your faces, lips colliding with his own in the softest way.

You both were now lying on a cloud in heaven.

It was passionate from the beginning, yet not too wild, a fuzzy feeling of warmth spreading through your entire system at the sensation.

The low hums that Eddie let out at the feeling of your lips softly moving against his own was sending your sense of time and space into the void, and the fact that you initiated this was making his head spin like the ceiling fans in Hawkins High's cafeteria.

Slow slow slow movements, your hands wandered up to cup his cheeks, while he pulled your hips impossibly closer to his own, humming against the endless softness of your lips dancing over his.

Each kiss lasted for a few seconds, it was like you were both trying so hard to feel every line and ridge and texture of each other, and also neither of you seem to waste a single care in the world about hurrying up.

"Oh lord Jesus Christ!", Robin's loud voice ripped you out of your little trance as it went echoing through the room.

Right, you almost forgot you weren't existing in your cabin all by your twosomeness.

Despite being caught in the act by just a mutual friend of yours (and not Ms Kelley), the metalhead and you still broke apart hastily.

A hint of panic overcame Eddie at the sudden intrusion, making him let go of you, grabbing the pillow underneath his head and shoving it into the now existent gap in between your bodies, since you had discarded the sheets a while ago. Why need a blanket if you have a perfectly functioning Eddie Munson to keep you warm at night?

It surprised you that he didn't fall off the bed entirely with how close to the edge of it he now was.

A relieved sigh escaped his lungs when he realised who really caught him stealing affectionate gestures from you.

Ms Robin Buckley had no problem with the both of you, she just wasn't expecting to find Eddie lying in your bed (slowly kissing you into oblivion) in her periphery while she was digging for her bathroom utensils so she could make sure she'd look less like a corpse for breakfast.

With "whatever this is, I didn't see it" and a loud open and close of the door, she excused herself, leaving you in your solitude.

With Max Mayfield. In the top bunk above you two, which she loudly made you remember as soon as Eddie got up to follow Robin's trace outside with a quick "uh, see you in a bit, sweetness", still clutching your pillow over his front while waddling his way over to the safety of his own cabin in which Dustin was probably still snoring into the next millenium.

"Soooo, what did I just wake up to? Hm?", you heard Max say with the most curious undertone after the door closed behind Eddie, as you rolled onto your back, already finding the emptiness and lack of warmth caused by Prince Metal's exit rather unpleasant.

Your only response was a groan as you pulled the sheets up and all the way over your head.

The pathetic attempt to hide wasn't meant as a long-term solution since your lungs unfortunately started craving oxygen at some point.

"Go away!"

It came out more as a mumble than a yell, mainly due to the muffling effect of the layer of fabric between your head and Max' ears, and as you pulled your head out from under the blanket covering your entire figure only to see Max' head poking out from the bunk above you, her long red mane dangling down towards the ground, you felt the heat rushing to your cheeks.

You had kinda seen it coming already, the struggle with having to explain yourself in the morning when your roommates would find Eddie snoozing peacefully in your arms.

But now it really hit.

You had just slept next to him. Literally kissed your crush. Who wasn't really a crush anymore. To you, Eddie was a lot more than that already.

Max just giggled at your response, jumping out of her bunk and continuing her teasing for the rest of the morning.

Well, at least until you joined the rest of the gang for breakfast.

Today was your last full day, and that meant going on another sweaty (yet beautiful) hike, a heated and intense capture the flag session in which Eddie didn't leave your side once, claiming that as your seat partner he also had the obligation to protect you from potentially evil forest spirits, and you also filled out the day by attending a cooking workshop, pairing up with Nancy.

Eddie – having to detach his everlingering hand on some part of your body throughout the day now – spent time with Max, Dustin and Steve, still successfully avoiding being dragged to the yoga session by the latter.

You guessed they were attending a class about forest herbs and survival tipps, an absolute necessity should they ever get lost in the vastness of a random national park one day.

Peeling potatoes at the counter of the outdoor kitchen, you peered over to the pathway as the group of students including your friends walked past, trying to spot your favourite out of them.

Eddie found your longing glance and returned it, along with the widest grin and a little bashful wave of his ringed hand.

You felt your heart jump at the vision, absentmindedly waving back with the hand that held the potato by two fingers, smiling like the most lovedrunk idiot.

The moment was fleeting, because he collided mere milliseconds later with Dustin's backside, giving the kid a gentle slap on the back of his head for stopping unexpectedly just to inspect the shape of a leaf from the tree next to him, making him look silly and like a total dork in front of you.

Your smile turned into a full on giggle when Eddie gave you a sheepishly yearning last look before the little gathering lead by Mr Clarke continued on the pathway, leading further into the forest and out of your periphery.

God, you loved him.

The day in its entirety was peaceful despite the doom of having to pack up and make sure not to forget anything that might have slipped underneath the beds. You were supposed to leave early in the morning just to be back in Hawkins before nightfall.

Even though you were growing tired of mosquito bites and flies viewing your meals as theirs, you couldn't be bothered to come up with feelings of homesickness. Not when you were surrounded by your loving friend group, Prince Metal and the serene oasis in the forest.

-----

The sun was about to set, casting a golden glow over the crowns of the pine trees swallowing the camp, light breezes of wind making the arms and twigs of the more leafy trees rustle softly every now and then.

Eddie got up from the couch he was lounging on, taking a semi nap in the presence of Dustin, Max and Jonathan after the intense workshop and stuffing himself at the surprisingly rich buffet your teachers had organised for your last evening.

He'd been subtly eyeing you from underneath the tall pergola, chatting and laughing with Steve and Robin by the bonfire which was already rising tall into the sky in the clearing of trees between pergola and pathway to the cabins.

The perfect way your clothes hugged your curves, the thin fabric of your shirt and adding its absolute nothing to hide the hardness of your nipples (also maybe due to you not finding it necessary to wear a bra), the stunning way your hair was shining in the start of golden hour, face illuminated by the fire in front of you, the enchanting way you curled your lips at a joke Steve had made (he even felt a tinge of jealousy creep into the center of his stomach), the entirely dazzling way your shirt had ridden up a little, showing skin between the waistband of your shorts and the hem of it.

And it was giving him ideas.

To anyone else these little things and details didn't seem too worthy to pay attention to, but Eddie noticed. He noticed you stealing wistful glances, making their way over to him here and there (and after the night he had, he was sure they weren't meant for Dustin), he noticed every inch of your skin that would unintentionally reveal itself to him from the ways in which you moved, he noticed the way your smile changed into something so astonishing when directed at him. Special.

You never looked at Steve like that. Or anyone else, for that matter.

Being as chronically touch starved as a metalhead outcast town freak could be, Eddie decided that it was too much. He couldn't not be near you any longer.

Your breath hitched in your throat just as you saw him get up and make his way over to you, a mix of confidence and shyness combined in his strut, before he came to a stop at the end of the log you were seated on, right next to your side.

"M'lady? May I ask her grace to walk with me?", you heard his voice say softly, a distinctly hopeful tone, warm and filled with the bashfulness from earlier in the day. Eddie met your smile with one equally wide.

A hand with ringed fingers was held out to you and you took it.

He lead you away from the group, away from everyone else, down the path towards the cabins where no one was at this hour, after he had intertwined your fingers with his own, the metal of his rings giving your fingers a little extra squeeze.

"It's nice to be sitting with the others and all, and I really enjoyed Dustin's ideas for Hellfire's next campaign, but", Eddie paused as he came to a still in his walk down to where your sleeping quarters were located, turning around to face you as his hand refused to let go of yours, right before continuing in the softest voice, barely audible, "I was hoping we could just leave them for a bit and enjoy the last evening a little more .. in private?"

Eddie leaned in a little closer with every word jumping over his lips.

Until he was inches away from yours, finding your eyes and you noticed the slight change of tone in the warm brown ocean of his. It had turned a shade or two darker as you reciprocated his beguiling gaze.

Oh, how easy it was for you to get entirely lost in it.

"I think that's an intriguing idea, Eddie", you replied with a smile, hoping he'd see and sense the same thing in your own eyes that was so clearly reflected in his. For you and for this reason, it was never difficult to look into them for long. Especially when he was so intently watching you.

A hand snuck around your waist, pulling you closer so your bellies would touch, the hand previously attached to yours now cupping your cheek, thumb softly running over the apple of it, head leaning in even further. Eddie's gaze flicked from your eyes to your lips and back in a matter of seconds, letting you know exactly what he was about to do.

Your hands found the little hairs at the nape of his neck, curling around the sides of it, lightly pulling as the plushness of his lips reunited with yours.

He hummed at the feeling, the moment filled with so much familiarity already. Without breaking contact, he gently cupped the other side of your face with his other hand, holding you there, needing you there.

Ever so softly, your lips moved against his, a moment you wished would last forever.

"I've been thinking about you all day", he nuzzled his face into the crook of your neck as he wrapped his arms around you, lips landing on your pulse point. Breathing warmly against the skin there as he mumbled something along the lines of "they kept me away from my cute seat partner for way too long" before letting out a warm chuckle.

You felt your cheeks heat up at his words, still getting flustered by the directness of his flirting attempts. They were effective though, because you couldn't help but squeeze the back of his neck lightly with one hand while your other sneaked around his waist and underneath the hem of his shirt, reconnecting with its favourite place, the warmth and softness of skin on Eddie's back.

"It is an incredible atrocity indeed", you said with a giggle, making him raise his head back to face you, and the spark in his eyes gave you enough of a confidence rush, "I think we should make up for lost time then."

Waisting not a second longer, Eddie grabbed your hand again, and before you knew it, he had you affectionately pressed between the inside of his cabin's door and his body in a whimpering mess.

His kisses were getting hungrier, more demanding, yet there was a gentleness to it that let you know that you could stop this any second if you didn't want it.

"Is this okay, baby? We don't have to do anything if you don't want–", he asked in between sloppy pecks over your cheeks, jaw, down your neck that made you giggle lightly at his manners. It's not like his hands were all over you already, yet he was wondering if anything he was doing was alright with you.

"I can't get enough of you if I'm honest", you cut him off quietly, feeling the heat pooling in your underwear from the sensation of just about everything right now.

You were very well aware of the thing you were about to do. Crossing a line that could never be uncrossed, letting Eddie see you for all that you were, and giving him the freedom to choose.

Spoiler – he chose you.

Had done so since the moment you stepped onto the bus on that parking lot back home.

"Fuck, sweetness, you can't just say stuff like that", Eddie's voice came out huskily, he clearly was getting worked up over your response to his actions since he had you pinned to the door by the hips, his thigh in between yours, while his fingertips explored the skin of your waist underneath your shirt, lips still hovering over the expanse of your neck, brushing his nose upwards along the column of it, but this time a lot more slowly than the previous times.

He seemed to want to savour every single second he was granted access to your body like this, dragging each movement out as far as possible.

His wide, dark brown doe eyes returned to yours as he exhaled, "and expect me to be normal about it."

You didn't waste another second without your lips on his, pulling him back towards you by the chain which was holding his favourite guitar pick around his neck, eliciting a moan against your mouth out of him.

The only thing on Eddie's mind was you you you, the warmth of your perfect skin under his palms, the feeling of your pretty pink lips against his own, even the smell of you alluring him to no end.

Breaking away to catch your breath with eyes still closed, your lips curled into a smile when Eddie's hands wandered higher and higher while leaving goosebumps on the way, thumbs softly catching the underside of your tits, making you let out a content little sigh, as if his hands had just found their home, belonging right there.

His lips reunited with the skin on your neck, a moan escaping them as his thumbs reached your hard nipples, your neck vibrating lightly against his mouth when a moan of your own forced itself out of your lungs and your back arched away from the door for a second.

It had been a long time since anyone had touched you there, never in this way before though, which amplified every little touch Eddie practically worshipped you with.

A shudder ripped through you at the overwhelming sensation, it made you dizzy with want.

"It's so fucking hot when you twitch under my touch", Eddie almost whispered against your neck, and you were certain his voice couldn't drop any lower as he slowly rolled one of your nipples between his thumb and index finger, before raising his head just to watch your reaction even more closely.

"Yeah?"

His actions made you swallow hard, well aware of being at his mercy at the moment.

And yes, Eddie Munson continued the torture he was teasing you with.

"Yeah baby", he lightly poked his nose into your cheek for a second, "so what if I told you", he paused again, then kissed the corner of your mouth, "that I actually felt those little twitches", he tenderly kissed his way down over your cheek to your jaw, "throughout the whole week?"

One of his hands now left your chest, only to drop south.

He made it his mission to find out exactly what you liked. Find out what did it for you, what you wanted from him. What you needed from him.

"I'm curious to know what would happen if I touched you", he paused, lips millimeters away from the skin right beneath your ear, "here?"

A hand snaked around your figure, cupping one of your buttcheeks, the need for you heavily evident in the urgency of the touch.

You responded with another moan through closed lips, eyes closed, your hands finding the back of Eddie's neck again, lightly caressing his skin and tugging at the baby hairs there.

"Yeah, you like that baby, don't you? When I touch you here?"

A light spank.

Taking a deep breath, you nodded with a hum and another moan, cheek rubbing slowly and gently against his scruffy own as your hips involuntarily bucked up against his thigh.

Every movement was slow and gentle right now, yet heavy with hunger for each other.

Eddie noticed. Yet, he decided to take his sweeeeet time and drive you insane just a little longer.

"What about", he paused again, and you felt him smile against your neck as his hand still cupping your chest started kneading a little, rolling the nipple harder just to make sure you actually felt it, "here?"

The back of your head landed against the door with a thud as you moaned and whimpered a little louder this time, the shiteating grin on Eddie's face widening even more, obviously taking pride in his effects on you.

"You're making such pretty sounds for me, sweetheart. Would you maybe also like me to touch you", another pause, in which he moved his hand around your hips, boldly cupping the space between your legs through the thinness of your shorts, "here?"

His breath was tickling the skin on your neck, the last word nothing more than an almost inaudible whisper, traveling all the way down from your jaw to your collarbone.

"Fuck, Eddie", you whimpered out his name, completely lost in him, moving your own hands downtown to where his hellfire shirt was tucked into the waistband of his light blue jeans, just when you suddenly remembered you had a pair of your own.

Hearing you say his name made Eddie shamelessly buck his hips into yours, failing pathetically at hiding the fact that what he was doing to you was also more than enjoyable for him, since you could clearly make out the heavy bulge straining against his pants, pressed against your hip.

"Mhm yeah, such a good girl for me", Eddie chuckled watching you for another second before reuniting your lips with his own, this time with a force of need, almost greedily taking your lower lip between his own for a second, swiping his tongue along, causing your breath to hitch in your throat.

From slow and gentle to a feverish fumble of hands everywhere, it didn't take the both of you long to start freeing each other from the confines of your clothes.

Eddie had lifted your shirt off of you, finally freeing what he'd been dying to get his eyes (and hands) on, and you'd done the same to him, only to take a second to admire the few more tattoos that had until now been hiding from your gaze.

You noticed he was holding his breath, wild mane falling into the sides of his face from your ruffling during heated kisses, and the room suddenly felt a lot warmer.

The only thought in your mind was Eddie in front of you, just a small step away, now in nothing but his boxers, looking at you with an intensity you'd never seen before in him, and your fingers twitched with the desire to just touch.

You had run your hand just over the buckle of his handcuff belt, the movement of his pants against his erection already making him hiss a little. You'd run it over the fabric of the black jeans he was wearing, right where he wanted you most.

Because yeah, you could do that, too.

Eddie had found the pace in which you'd opened his belt to be way too slow, but he'd let you go with it anyway, being so lost in you and so lovedrunk (and straight up horny) that he hadn't dared to intervene.

Your slowness-slash-hesitation had a reason. The anxiety and intrusive thoughts of not being good enough, being too inexperienced decided to jump out of its dark corner inside your brain in just the right moment, causing you to back away from him, giving him a second to have his gaze wander over you.

It wasn't that you'd never done this before, there had been a guy you'd more or less been with, but this right here and now was just so different. More serious? Eddie wasn't just a guy. He was your Eddie at this point.

And however this trip would end, things would inevitably be changed between the two of you. And ultimately affect the dynamics of your friend group.

Eddie was a sensitive person. He was able to read the room, sense your hesitation. He closed the gap between you, his hand landing on your hip, bellies touching, hardness pressing against your thigh.

"Everything alright, darling?"

Cupping your cheek with his free hand, he tilted his head to find your eyes, the look in his filled with concern now, wondering if this was still okay for you.

Your arms snaked around his torso, fingertips lingering on his waist. He felt them burn through his skin.

A train of seemingly endless thoughts ran through your head, not knowing how to proceed from your lack of having done this enough times to just know, paired with the expectations you believed Eddie to have of this situation, and therefore, of you.

"Yeah, yeah", you assured him. The last thing you wanted was for him to believe he'd done anything wrong.

"It's just that", you paused, struggling to find the words to explain yourself and the rise of your performance anxiety while trying your best to avoid his puppy doe eye gaze, "I haven't really–"

A warm thumb on your lips cut you off, its hand directing your face towards his, the hand on your hip now lightly digging into the flesh there.

"I know baby, I know", Eddie said, referring to his wisdom with unknown origin to you, exhaling deeply before pressing an open mouthed kiss to your plush cheek, the gesture intending to let you know that you could be utterly honest and vulnerable with him. "Would you like me to show you", another pause, his gaze back on your face, thumb now lightly pulling down your lower lip, "what I like?"

Opening your mouth as a response, the tip of your tongue was briefly met with the tip of Eddie's thumb, causing him to twitch lightly and let out a groan through closed lips.

Everything you did and everything you were in your essence was driving him to the edge of insanity, not surprising after the months and months of thirsting after you in his desperate silence.

And his gentleness with you was making the dark imposter syndrome clouds in your head melt away like Lindor chocolate in mild temperatures.

His eyes bored into yours intently as you stuck your tongue out to meet the base of his thumb, just to drag it all the way up to the tip, before closing your lips around it and suck lightly.

"Mhhm, fuck", you heard him mutter, the effect your actions seemed to have on him giving you enough confidence to let his thumb go with a small pop, your hands still lingering on his waist pushing him a step away from you so you'd have enough space to drop to your knees, hooking your fingers into the waistband of his boxers, slowly pulling them towards gravity to finally free him.

With precum leaking from the tip, you took a second to admire Eddie's girth and length with wide eyes, and it made your mouth water and your panties even more soaked than they already were.

Taking him in your hand, you smeared the precum down to the base where a light thatch of dark curls sat, leading up to his happy trail which you'd already gotten to lay sight on on the bus, and that time frankly hadn't been the first of you imagining what the place to where that trail was leading looked like.

Leaning upwards, you kept ahold of him, kissing the soft skin of his lower belly right above his curls as his hand buried itself in your hair at the back of your head, letting out a guttural moan when you let your tongue run through the tiny hairs leading up to his navel, just to kiss your way back down again, slowly, gently, all the way over the soft expanse, taking another second to bury your nose in his skin, inhaling everything he was willing to offer you.

He was about to ask you if you could pinch him just to make sure this was reality happening right in front of him, you kneeling all pretty with your hand wrapped around his cock, now slowly lifting it and flattening your tongue at the base to lick a broad stripe up along the underside, making you feel each little vein on the way to his pink tip.

"Jesus, fuuuck, that's it baby", you just heard him encourage you, indeed letting you know what he liked, his grip on your hair tightening lightly.

The fact that you could feel him throb and twitch and hear him whimper slurred renditions of your name alongside small curses gave you a significant ego boost, causing you to find enough confidence to lock eyes with him from underneath your lashes.

"Fuck, and you were worried that you wouldn't be good at this?", Eddie chuckled as he looked down at you in disbelief, his free hand not tangled up in the strands of hair cupping your cheek to affectionately brush his thumb over it, unable to ever get the image in front of him out of his brain.

"Fucking hell, you're being soooo good for me baby, oh my god, yeah, just like that", he mumbled when you started swirling your tongue around the head, softly rubbing the tip of it over the underside every now and then, until you decided to close your lips around him, letting him feel your wet warmth.

It gave Eddie a great idea of a similar place he was dying to discover. Itching.

And it took every little ounce of willpower in him to keep his hips away from giving into the urge to thrust his entire length into the confines of your mouth, so out of respect for you, he channelled his impulses into a symphony of soft moans, quiet mutters of oh, fuck and oh my god, and whimpers of your name as you took him deeper with every bob of your head.

Every little sound escaping him only turned you on even more. You couldn't possibly get enough of seeing him all blissed out and soft for you like this, causing the vibrations of your own moans to make Eddie shudder.

However, he didn't give himself too much time to enjoy the feeling of your mouth taking him, since he was already bending down a little to lift you back up to your feet, before capturing your lips in a hot and heavy kiss while pulling you tightly into his embrace, both of his hands sliding down from your lower back and underneath the fabric of your panties, just to end their journey on your ass and roughly pull you against him.

"I'm gonna cum on the spot if you keep doing that", he'd declared, sinking his teeth into the flesh of your neck, nibbling softly at the skin, making your cheeks flush with heat.

No one had ever said that to you.

You winced at the roller coaster he put you on, his back and forth between rough and demanding and gentle and soft, but you were eating it up.

He was hypnotizing you with every touch and every grunt and every move you felt against your lips.

Not even when the backs of your knees hit the bed frame did he let go of you, resulting in him burying you into his mattress under his weight, commented with a giggle from the both of you.

Moving to your side, he reconnected his lips to your neck and you craned your head up, giving him better access while one of his hands slowly moved around to your front, cupping you through your panties, his middle finger lightly pressing into that very damp spot in the fabric, eliciting a moan out of you.

It was his turn now.

"Wanna make you feel good too, sweetness. Gonna let me, yeah?", his sultry voice didn't even wait for a response, impatient fingers moving the lace to the side before running the middle through your folds, tip of it catching your clit briefly.

"Oh fuck yes!" There it was. You breathed the words out in a whiny tone, your hand reaching down to give his still rock hard cock a few sloppy strokes in return, earning another soft moan against the junction of your jaw meeting your throat.

If the situation wasn't this hot, if Eddie's finger didn't make the room spin, you think you'd be embarrassed to no end with how pathetic your moans were sounding, but the pleasure you were experiencing and the metalhead's tender endearments you were receiving just didn't leave any space for any other feeling.

You just couldn't bring yourself to care.

Eddie didn't care either. In fact, he was bathing in your responsiveness, feeling every single one of your touches in the endings of his tiniest nerve branches. Being the touch starved, crucified town freak and all.

Your neediness for him made his insides turn and his head spin, he was still having a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that you'd let him come this close and do this to you, and your cute little whimpers made him want to give you everything you'd ever silently (or not so silently) request from him.

He felt this entire moment after moment to be a haze, a fever dream he'd wake up from at some point, and for this reason, he didn't waste a single thought on anything else but you.

How infatuated with you he was.

"Mhhm fuck, so needy for me baby, aren't you?", he remarked the way you were bucking your hips against his hand, "drives me fucking nuts."

He lifted his head just so he could watch the way your face crinkled with every slow up-and-down stroke of his finger, gathering your evident arousal on the way before gently pushing it in, indulging the way your eyes rolled into the back of your head for just a second before they opened and found the warm deep dark brown of his own.

"Mhh yes Eddie, need you so bad", you managed to get out as he added his ring finger, stretching you open a bit more under slick sounds of his hand against your cunt.

His face was so close. So close that if you turned your head just a little, your kiss swollen lips could be back on his, giving him one more confirmation that the way his fingers were curling inside of you were doing just the right job. In fact, he was finding spots you could only dream to reach on your own.

You felt more precum leak from the tip of his cock which was resting against your thigh, the slow rut of his hips against yours smearing it between your bodies, causing your brain to short-circuit at the realisation that it was you being the reason for him to act this way.

Only making you spread your legs wider.

"God baby, you're so fucking wet", he trailed off, continuing to slowly fuck his two fingers into your tight entrance, completely enticed with the way you were giving yourself to him, "is that all because of me?"

He just needed to hear you say it.

"Mhh fuck yes Eddie, all for you. For you only."

No idea how you got that out, with the way his fingers felt and the way he was looking at you, all lovedrunk and ready to give you the world.

"You gonna let me have a taste?"

Pulling his hand away and leaving you empty under a protesting whimper, he sucked the two fingers into his mouth, moaning against them without breaking eye contact and it was driving you mad. You nodded with a dazed smile.

He got up just to drop his weight between your legs, spreading them by planting his palms on the backs of your thighs firmly and pushing them up, panties still to the side.

You held your legs there when he moved his hands down, taking both thumbs to open you up for him, taking just a second to get his first actual look at your pussy and watch it glisten in the dim light of the sun casting its last rays of the day through the denseness of trees and into the room.

Eddie had fantasized plenty for literal months about the way you'd possibly look, but nothing prepared him for the actual sight in front of him.

It made you feel the most vulnerable you'd ever felt, letting him see and touch you this way, yet there was a naturalness to it that made it just so easy to give yourself to him.

Building trust with him seemed to be the easiest thing for you. Surprising yourself there, aren't ya?

And when his tongue shyly took its first swirl around your clit? Nothing was ever easier than Eddie.

Waves of pleasure took over your brain with every lap of his mouth, taking you between his lips, licking, sucking, swirling, slurping, making your thighs twitch with every single one of his moves, and he was (quite literally) eating your responsiveness up, each of his moans against the most sensitive part of your body becoming deeper in sound.

He noticed he could cum just from tasting you as he found his hips inconsistently humping the mattress, hearing your sweet chants as one of your hands found its way back into his unruly mane, encouraging him further in his actions.

"Fuuuck baby, I need you. Need all of you, please?", you whimpered just when the heat in your lower stomach was about to reach its peak, raising your head as your eyes encountered the way he was watching you from underneath his bangs sticking to his forehead, the hand not entangled in his hair busy fisting his bedsheets.

That was the only thing he needed to hear.

You could feel him smile, continuing to do so as he pushed himself up on his knees and crawling a few inches forward to be eye to eye hovering over you, chin, lips and tip of his nose glistening with your juices, the ends of his dark curls tickling your cheeks. He helped you wriggle out of your panties swiftly, discarding them on the cabin floor to join the rest of your clothes, hands resting on the softness of your thighs as he knelt back to sit on his heels.

He felt his dick twitch between his legs, seeing you lying and spread out underneath in front of him, in all your glory, ready to let him take you where you wanted to be most.

The vision tugging at his heartstrings, knowing how much trust you were instilling in him in order for you to let him go this far with you.

"Eddie, please."

You pushed yourself up to meet his lips, planting one hand on the back of his neck, the other hooked a finger into the chain dangling down like a collar, and without breaking away you pulled him back down with you.

"Yeah? Wanna feel me fill your pretty little pussy?", he breathed out, hands back on your thighs, digging into their plushness.

You believed to hear Eddie's voice to drop an octave, now leaning back again to let the underside of his cock slowly glide through your soaked folds, the head catching on your clit deliciously, making your head spin from having him do this to you.

"God, yes", you moaned out, watching him through heavy eyelids.

Eddie smiled his dimpled smile down at your face, reveling in the sight as he let the tip breach your sopping entrance, giving him an idea of how tightly his cock would be sitting inside of you.

His eyes were fixated on the spot where your bodies were now joined, slowly pushing another inch in as you instinctively wrapped your legs around his waist, wanting him closer.

"Eyes on me, baby", Eddie mouthed at your jawline as he leaned back down to place a quick kiss there, right when he noticed you zoning out, focusing on taking him as best as you possibly could.

Once again your eyes found the warm gaze he was observing your every move with, and soon you felt his lips back on your own, kissing you softly as he slowly pushed all the way in, forcing a gasp out of your lungs at the feeling of utter fullness.

For a moment, the world stopped.

Eddie blinked at you through half-lidded eyes now, nudging his nose against your own before capturing your lips in another heated kiss, sending both of your tongues dancing and a moan from the pit of his lungs vibrated through your system.

Your hands moved up to cup his face, holding him close to you as his trailed up the underside of your thighs, before pushing your knees towards your chest, practically bending you in half and slowly starting to move his hips against your own when he felt you adjust to him.

"Oh fuck, fuuuck you're so tight", Eddie sighed, eyes falling shut at the feeling of your cunt sucking him in like that, and his words ringing through your ears, and hearing him admit to you what you were making him feel? It made you clench around him briefly, goosebumps spread over every inch of your body at the words forming on his tongue.

You were just so warm and wet and soft and so so tight, completely fucked out for him and him only.

"Eyes on me, baby", you repeated his own words back to him with a smile and glassy eyes, completely stunned to feel him like this, slowly filling and leaving you again.

Opening his eyes again to meet your gaze, his lips curled into a wide smile at your sentiment, "gonna be soft with you, unless you want me not to be, yeah?", he leaned down to plant a kiss on the corner of your mouth, forearms now resting on each side of your head, before his last words were nuzzled against your ear, "just tell me, sweetnose."

With his announcement he gave you a few more slow and gentle thrusts, getting both of you used to the feeling, before he moved back up again, holding your thighs spread out against your chest, his eyes glued to where his heavy cock slid in and out of your sopping slick hole.

Heat was spreading through his body, an excessive amount of endorphines circulating through his veins, transporting the desire and hunger for you into the tiniest endings of his nerves, causing his entire system to be in the moment with you.

Same thing applied to you.

It didn't take long for him to pick up the pace, right after he moved a pillow under your hips, with the aim to hit your sweet spot at just the right angle, slide his entire length in even deeper, making the tip kiss your cervix repeatedly.

Moans and whimpers and grunts and groans from both your mouths where conjuring a whole opera of beautiful sounds you both were reveling in equally as you moved your hips to meet his repeated thrusting, tip of his cock brushing over that spot inside of you each time he moved in to fill the space between your drenched walls.

His entire weight was on you, since he wanted to sink his teeth back into the soft flesh of your neck, nibbling and sucking at the skin there. Your hands found a home in his hair, gently scratching his scalp, sending his eyes rolling into the back of his head, and you felt a puddle slowly take its form on the cover of the pillow tucked underneath your ass.

He was so deep, so so deep inside of you, his eyes bored themselves through yours straight into your soul, foreheads touching.

"Fuck, fuck, Eddie, feels so good", you babbled and moaned against his stubbly cheek, your heavy breath tickling down his own neck, "need more."

The knot in your lower abdomen was already tightening, getting ready to snap from just his feral thrusts and the beguiling way he was eyeing you.

"Yeah baby? Wanna cum for me?"

Your neediness made him chuckle, raising himself up and back on his heels, a strong arm wrapping around your torso and pulling you up with him, into his lap, letting one of his hands rest on and dig into your plush thigh.

He let himself drop on his butt, the hand on your thigh slowly trailing up up up, fingertips and palm climbing softly all the way over your back to come and stay on the back of your neck, encasing you fully and pressing you against his chest, letting you know he needed you just as close as you needed him.

Without even thinking about it your hips started moving against his as you straddled him, your kiss swollen lips finding his own again, panting into each others mouths, and soon enough the knot between your legs came close to snapping, from the change of position, the length of his cock now gliding smoothly against your clit with each rock of your hips, creating the delicious friction you so desperately craved.

"Yes baby, that's it, lose it for me, oh god fuck!", Eddie panted as he felt your hips starting to stutter, his words sending you over the edge, cunt spasming and clenching around him, your frantic breaths hitting his face as your head was thrown back.

He was soaking you up with all the sweet sounds you were making for him, helping you ride out your high, hands moving down to your ass to lift you, just after announcing his own release through a sickeningly deep moan and mumbles of "oh fuck baby, so close, gonna make me– oh shit", hot and sticky saltiness joining your sweet juices, landing in the tight space between your bellies, painting undefinable patterns onto the heated skin.

For another eternity you held each other close, felt his breathing against your shoulder and collarbone as he dipped his head to place a kiss to your throat, moving his hands away from your back to cup your face, pressing his lips to yours, not wanting to let the moment go just yet.

And then, he dropped the bomb.

"Say that you're mine", he still panted, forehead leaning against yours, noses touching as your hands cupped his on top of your cheeks.

It made you chuckle, the fact he was asking this now after fucking you into another dimension, and it made your thumbs brush over the backs of his palms.

You sensed the tension still present in every fiber of his being with the way he was holding onto your face, still needing you close, and since you knew about his abandonment issues to some extent, seeing him all vulnerable like this was tugging at your heartstrings to no end.

None of his usual slightly cocky tone, just pure softness and an open heart was what presented itself to you.

Say that you're mine.

Of course you were his.

Your facial expression softened endlessly, you felt all your insides melt into one big puddle, mouth forming into a small pout, one hand coming down to rest on his own cheek, closing the gap and slotting your lower lip in between his.

You wanted him to feel the amount of affection you had for him, in your eyes, in your kiss, in your touch.

He was supposed to feel loved. Like he should always have felt that he was loved.

"I'm all yours, Eddie. But only if you're all mine."

The look in your eyes said it all. The one in his, too.

Yeah. He was your Eddie. Your seat partner. Your magnet.

Eddie pulled you into him, as if hearing the words come out of your mouth and the way you were looking at him all soft and gooey made all his angst about being dropped and left again slowly vanish.

"I'll need some time to get used to this", he paused, not daring to meet your eye, "I mean, to someone that doesn't just leave after a while."

Since being this close to someone emotionally was about equally far away from any routine for you as well, you met him with utmost understanding.

"That's okay. We're in no rush, right?", you kissed the corner of his mouth, small pecks over the stubbly cheek opposite of where your hand was placed.

You were able to watch him get too much into his head as you spoke.

"You sure about that? I don't think the law of seat partners extends to–"

Your lips pressed to his own cut him off, "you don't need a silly law to make me wanna spend time with you, Munson."

A quick journey of your eyes over his beautiful face, his eyes widened, eyebrows raised, lips curled into a pretty smile, cheeks all rosy and forehead bangs sticking to his forehead from your most recent activities.

"Actually, I've been dreaming of you – and this – since I met you at Steve's for the first time and Dustin introduced you to me as his ultra handsome dungeon master, you remember?", you continued, hoping it would give him an idea how how much you'd been wistfully pining after him, an idea about how wanted he was.

Of course Eddie remembered.

It was the night he had left way earlier than usual because he just couldn't stand being around you without making a colossal fool out of himself for already wanting to be close to you after just thirty minutes of being in the same room, afraid to be coming on way too strong for his reputation and, speaking from experience, ultimately scare you away.

His hands dropped from your face, two strong arms wrapping themselves back around your figure as he breathed in your sweat-sticky scent, desperately trying one more time to glue this memory into the long-term department of his brain.

"Wait, does that mean I could have .. could've had you .. all this time?"

A chuckle escaped your lips, before leaning into him once more, planting another sweet kiss to his mouth.

"Yeah silly, ... all this time."

-----

Home was calling you back into the bleak reality of trying to graduate high school, and you were far from missing it.

Nancy using her famous organizational talents had made sure that Robin wouldn't leave her special pillow behind, and instructed you to look extra carefully for any items that might have flown behind the bedframe.

And she was correct. You'd blindly reached for a little white framed polaroid, only to discover that it was the one of Eddie with his flower crown, eyes squeezed shut, grinning like an absolute idiot.

He still, maybe even more so now, looked angelic.

You'd never forgive yourself if you'd leave that one here.

The ride home was spent with your head on Prince Metal's shoulder for the most part, your back practically lying on his chest, huddled up against him.

And it did take all the strength in the both of you to not constantly be all over each other, especially under the scrutinizing eyes of your teachers.

A few pecks were stolen here and there, the feeling of being entirely lovedrunk making it hard to separate. Thankfully, for the foreseeable future, you didn't have to.

The group had just shot you knowing looks at breakfast, Max, Robin and the older guys who had seen you wrapped (and very covered up, Eddie had made sure of that) in Eddie's sheets in the morning responsible for not being able to keep their beaks shut.

For the long hours you'd be spending on the road, Eddie had organized a restock of snacks at the only supermarket in the first town you'd stopped at on the way.

"As your designated seat partner, it is so hard to keep my hands to myself", you mumbled into the fabric of the dark and washed out Metallica shirt covering his shoulder with a sheepish grin, as your hand slowly disappeared into the bag on his lap, pulling out whatever box of cookies he'd chosen.

Eddie couldn't help but snort at your innuendo and the way you were using his own joke on him in return.

Lowering his head, planting his cheek against your temple, whispers.

"Oh baby, just wait until we're home."

-----

taglist: @josephfakingquinn, @ghost-proofbaby, @spellbounddd, @imjuststeddietrashatthispoint, @mystars123, @gothmingguk, @kennafild, @chloe-6123, @michaelfuckinglangdon, @analogkraken, @mrsjellymunson, @kimmi-kat and @bakugouswh0r3

if you're on this taglist, please consider reblogging as it helps and is greatly appreciated. thank you for reading!

[ghostgirlvii-art]

Yellow tulips radiate warmth and positivity, echoing the vibrant rays of the sun. This color is a celebration of joy, happiness, and friendship. Gift a bunch of yellow tulips to brighten someone’s day or to convey feelings of appreciation and camaraderie. Yellow tulips are the embodiment of the sun’s energy, bringing a touch of radiance to any occasion. 🌷

EDIT: I completely forgot about the flower crown!! Didn't want reupload, but might be a reblogged version without it so, two version in the wild? oops

Some talk with @cloudofbutterflies92 really pushed me to put my ideas down. I'm still debating to make it canon or not 🫣 Here a list;

Scotty and Ghost's wedding is 100% symbolic. Nothing on legal papers or such.

It was supposed to be a small wedding, with only close family members, turn out Scotty got some extended ones also showing. Someone accidently spilled the beans about his last one finally get married. Ooops dad!

Hence why Ghost kept his mask on. In itself this became a big debate with Suzanne who, already was sad to not see her daughter go to the church, so to see this non traditional attirement 😬

Yet, Suzanne is the first one to defend her son-in-law when her own siblings complain about the mask.

Ghost doesn't have much of a family, so the 141 are invited as his.

The wedding happen at Gabrielle's house who has a big terrain to make this intimate ceremony happen. Everyone in the family pitch some help, either with food or decoration, etc.

It small and simple, and everyone have fun really!

Price is the one to "officiate" the event.

Scotty's nephews are the ring bearers and they take their job seriously. 🫡

When it comes to the "you may kiss the bride moment", the Task Force came up with a fun idea. As Price says these words, Soap and Gaz pull up a bedsheet (or something similar), turn on a bright light behind which project Scotty and Ghost's shadows.

Nicolas and Mathéo are the ones to be on light duty, another job they took seriously. They also feel privilege to see Auntie Cam and Uncle Simon kiss for real!

After that it's the usual party, good time of any wedding ❤️

Kind of what I have for now! But I really want to emphasis, their wedding is purely symbolic 🥺

Here some reference for Scotty's dress and the pose in the picture 💕

[bananadrinkxxx]

THE BLOOD CROWN (25)

[Aemond Targaryen x Original Female Character ! I fem!reader]

[Dark Romance / Enemies to Lovers / Revenge]

Content for adults. 18+

[warnings: smut, sex content, dark romance, angst, fights, domination, murder]

[description: Aemond Targaryen meets his niece under a different name and falls in love with her without knowing that she is supposed to be his enemy.]

Masterlist - click here for all available parts

Daemon Targaryen was many things. Unruly, stern, aggressive and hot-headed.

But he was no fool.

He knew what a danger the girl, who was without a doubt, Aemma Velaryon, posed. She had grown up among the Greens, had served them, and was the mistress of Aemond Targaryen. She had a closer connection to them than to her mother's side, but still, even he held that Rose had to learn that her place was here.

Marax had been a useless dragon without Aemma. Neither had he obeyed, nor had he let anyone ride him. But with the return of Rhaenyra's daughter, everything had changed.

And she was Rhaenyra's daughter.

She had the birthmark on her belly button. She had the visual resemblance and she could ride Aemma's dragon. A dragon could imprint on several riders, but never before had it happened that a dragon had several riders at the same time. Of course, one could now claim that Rose was just a coincidence and Aemma was already dead, but then the birthmark still spoke for her.

Rose Flowers was Aemma Velaryon and Daemon would do anything to make sure that Rhaenyra not only had her daughter back physically, but also emotionally. She would be a great support in this war. She knew the Greens, would make a good spy, and would also be a dragon rider. Marax was the strongest of the young dragons. Of course, he wouldn't stand a chance against Sunfrye or Vhagar, but he would be dangerous. Very dangerous.

But first he would have to get Rose on their side. Make her trust them. Get her to stand up to the Greens. He had to admit, he had no idea how to do that yet, but he would pursue that plan.

"You sent for me, Father," he heard Baela say, and he looked up. Baela looked more like her mother every day and the memory of Laena hurt. He had loved her. He had not been in love with her, but he had not been unhappy with her. She had not been Rhaenyra, he had not been able to feel for her what he felt and had felt for Rhaenyra, but she had meant something to him.

"Sit down, Baela," he urged her, and his daughter, complied with his request.

"What do you think of Rose?"

Baela raised an eyebrow. "You mean Aemma?"

He smiled. "You think Rhaenyra?"

"She's their mother and not a fool. You believe her, too, and I know you. You question everything."

Daemon laughed. Baela was smart, cunning, and no slouch. Just like Laena.

He nodded. "She's Aemma, but I don't know if she's just a good actress pretending she can't remember, or actually has no memory of her true origins."

"Can someone act that well?" questioned Baela. "Her execution was in question, wasn't it? She could have just claimed to be Aemma to escape it, but she escaped instead. Would someone do that who knows about his true identity and would rather risk his life than use that knowledge?"

"That's a good point," Daemon agreed. "But we will only be able to know her true loyalty if she trusts us." He leaned toward his daughter. "And that's where you come in."

"You want me to befriend her?"

This was his girl, his smart girl.

"Get to know her. Gain her trust. I want her to be part of this family and useful to us."

Baela pressed her lips together. Her eyebrows furrowed together and she suddenly seemed absent. Daemon frowned as Baela looked up at him, something strange suddenly in her gaze.

"I will do whatever you ask me to do. But first, there's something you should know."

. . . . .

Rhaenyra smiled as she saw Rose enter the hall together with Lucerys. They were brother and sister without a doubt. It made her happy to see her children standing next to each other, as it should have always been.

Rose wore a light blue dress, Lucerys a dark blue gown.

"Mother," Lucerys greeted her delightedly and she gently stroked his head. Then her eyes wandered to Rose, who bowed. "Princess Rhaenyra," she said, and she saw Lucerys wince out of the corner of her eye. She was addressed as Queen by everyone here, but only because they saw Rhaenyra as their Queen. Officially, Aegon was still the king. At least until she had reversed his illegitimate coronation.

Rhaenyra did not comment on her greeting.

"You have your practice fight with Ser Erryk, right?" asked Rhaenyra addressing Lucerys, who looked less than enthusiastic.

"I can stay here, no problem."

She laughed at his attempt to avoid the training. Lucerys had never been the one to do the fighting. He was of the gentle and sensitive side, loving art and music . Unlike his older brother. "Go, Lucerys. Ser Erryk is a good teacher. You need to work on your skills in these times."

Luce made a pout, but Rhaenyra's playful warning look, made him walk obediently towards the exit. He turned to the two of them once more, and Rhaenyra gave him an inviting smile.

"Are you feeling better, your Grace?" asked Aemma suddenly, and Rhaenyra looked at her in surprise.

"You were a bit groggy during our last conversation. Your son was looking worried."

She saw concern in Aemma's eyes. She also saw honesty and her heart warmed. Her daughter had not lost her good heart.

"I'm better, thank you, Aemma, I-," she stopped and her daughter raised an eyebrow in wonder. Rhaenyra pressed her lips together.

"You have a lot of resemblance to my daughter, Rose," Rhaenyra began.

Aemma nodded in understanding. "Your son has already mentioned it."

Rhaenyra tried to hide the pain in her voice. "Sometimes my head plays tricks on me. I miss my child very much," she confessed, and she saw the sadness in her daughter's eyes. She saw the understanding. She saw the pity, which she had usually despised in others.

"Do you think your daughter is still alive?" asked Aemma suddenly, and Rhaenyra looked at her in surprise. She must have misinterpreted her look, because Aemma gasped in dismay and slapped her hand over her mouth. "Forgive me," she stammered, "I meant no disrespect or insensitivity. It's none of my business." She looked frightened and stared at the floor.

Rhaenyra felt a stab in her heart. She didn't want Aemma to be afraid of her. She wanted to build something with her, something that had been taken from her. She wanted to build a relationship with her daughter, the same one she had with her mother, if not more intimate. This was her little girl.

She reached for Aemma's hand and saw surprised blue-brown eyes. These eyes were unique. She would recognize them among hundreds.

"You don't have to apologize," she began, squeezing her hand. "I want you to get to know us, Rose. Lucerys cares a lot about you, and I'm afraid you don't have a good picture of us. Give us a chance to prove to you that we're not the monsters you might think we are."

Aemma looked at her inquiringly. 

"And to answer your question. Yes, I believe my daughter is still alive. No, I know she's alive."

She's standing right in front of me.

Aemma searched her face for something, her eyes jumping back and forth as if fighting an internal battle, before a smile came to her lips and she looked to her hand resting in Rhaenyra's. It had to be a strange feeling for her. A foreign queen reaching for the hand of a foreign servant.

Yet they were so much more than that. A meaning that Aemma did not yet know and that Rhaenyra held only in her heart for now.

"I am sure that one day your daughter will be in your arms again."

Aemma had no idea how much her words touched her. And how much she longed for it at that moment.

Rhaenyra smiled. She felt her lip tremble. "I think so, too."

K I N G S   L A N D I N G

Ser Arryk was a faithful person. A religious man.He and his brother had been brought up that way. He was God-fearing, followed the laws and believed in the supreme order. He believed in loyalty, he believed in virtue and courage, and he believed in honor.

But what he was supposed to do had nothing to do with honor. It was honorless, and Ser Arryk felt sick at the thought of what he was being asked to do.

And he would do it. For his king. For the choice he had made.

He prayed for forgiveness in the Sept.

He prayed that the gods would not strike him for something he did only because he obeyed orders.

He prayed that he would not meet his brother on Dragonstone, because the sides they had both chosen were those of enemies. They were enemies. Their mother would turn in her grave.

Hearing footsteps, Ser Erryk flinched in surprise and drew his sword, only to look the young Prince Aemond, or the current Regent to be correct, in the eye. Aemond Targaryen looked at him, unimpressed.

Erryk quickly lowered the sword and bowed. "Your Grace," he greeted him. "I did not expect you at this hour."

"You are here yourself," Aemond replied coolly, stepping closer. "Are you praying for my brother's recovery?"

Erryk swallowed. "That too, your Grace."

"For what else?"

"For the forgiveness of my sins."

"You have sinned?"

"I think I will."

Aemond nodded. He knew what he was talking about. He looked to the shining window of the sept that was illuminated by the candlelight. He was silent for a moment and Ser Erryk could do nothing but stare at the prince. He looked graceful and dangerous. Just as one imagined a Targaryen would be.

"Perhaps you don't need to pray for forgiveness yet," Prince Aemond said suddenly, and Erryk looked at him in surprise. "I have another task for you. One of particularly high urgency."

Aemond turned his eye back to the knight of the King's Guard.

It was surprising how a man with only one eye, commanded so much power that just one look from him was enough to show that he was the one in charge.

"Whatever you command," Ser Erryk replied, and Aemond looked at him with satisfaction.

D R A G O N S T O N E

Baela had lured Rose, or Aemma, (she herself was confused about it) to the village under a pretext. As discussed with her father, she wanted to get to know her cousin better. She also wanted to show her the people here on Dragonstone, who had all sworn allegiance to Rhaenyra. They adored their queen and she wanted Rose to know why. What better way than to have supposedly like-minded people convince her.

"It's a nice dress, isn't it?" asked Baela, lifting up some dress. She didn't care about something as trivial as clothes, but they were women, weren't they? Somehow, in the end, it was always about clothes.

Rose nodded.

"You'll look beautiful in it."

"Oh, I meant for you."

Rose looked at her in surprise. "For me, your royal highness?"

"Baela," she interjected, holding out her hand. "I don't think much of all these titles."

Rose looked at her hesitantly, puzzled by her candor and that she didn't care about her status, but it was the truth. Yes, she was a Targaryen and even entitled to the throne at some point, but the only thing she cared about was riding a dragon and various amusements that were considered unladylike. But what did she care about public opinion? She did what she wanted.

She nodded to her hand. "You're not going to refuse my hand, are you?"

Rose's eyes widened, and she shook her head. "Sorry, no, just me-"

"Just, you-?"

Rose seemed to want to say something, but she remained silent, shaking her head. Then she reached for Baela's hand and slapped it. Baela grinned with satisfaction. "there you go."

"Where were we," Baela scratched her chin. "Ah, your dress."

"I don't need a dress, but thank you," Rose objected.

"Why not? Do you prefer to wear shirts and pants?" she raised an eyebrow. "If that's the case, I can totally understand, I'd rather be a boy too, but the gods gave me a cunt."

Rose's eyes snapped open at her vulgar choice of words, and Baela realized she was speaking too familiarly to her. But before she could say anything, Rose suddenly laughed and nodded.

"I guess a lot of things would be easier then," she concluded.

Baela grinned and pulled Rose along with her.

"It definitely would be, wouldn't it?"

She saw Rose opening up more. She seemed less tense. Good, she should trust her after all. And she did that without any bad intentions. Rose was a nice girl, she wanted to get to know her, wanted to know about her life and what she had experienced. They were a family and she wanted to help Rose find her way back to them and finally become who she really was. She owed that to Rhaenyra.

Baela opened her mouth to let out a funny joke her mother had once told her, appropriate to the situation, when suddenly she heard a bang. Then she felt an unbearable pain before everything went dark and the darkness enveloped her.

The last thing she saw was Rose's shocked face.

. . . . .

Aemond's gaze softened, the hardness receding from his face to make way for gentleness. Suddenly he stood up. Rose drew in her breath in surprise as his strong hands grabbed her by the waist and a short moment later she was standing in the water with him. 

"Confess," the septa said.

"You are beautiful," he breathed, suddenly gripping her neck. Wrapped his long fingers around it. "And you're mine. You are mine."

"Confess," the septa said again. Confess what?

He kissed her neck. She felt tears on her cheeks. Why was she crying ?

"You are mine," he repeated his words.

"Confess." 

"I love you..."

When Rose woke up, her whole head was buzzing. She moaned at the pain and grabbed her forehead with shaky hands, only to flinch. The touch hurt the thousand hammer blows. What in seven hells had happened? It felt like the entire nation of Westeros had stomped on her head. She opened her eyes slightly, only to close them again. Although it was quite dark, the dim light pained her.

What had happened? She tried to remember. Baela Targaryen's face came to her mind; they had been in the village because the princess had insisted that she accompany her there. She remembered the conversation and Baela's head suddenly being thrown against a wall. She remembered Baela going to the ground and reaching for her, only to be yanked back. She remembered how someone had put a hand on her mouth and nose and how everything went dark after that. Then she remembered nothing more.

She tried to open her eyes again. This time she succeeded. She was lying in a bed, a soft bed, in a room that did not look familiar to her. Had she been taken to another room in Dragonstone. And where was Baela? Had they found her? Had someone come to help them? She swallowed. Her throat was completely dry. She licked her lips with her tongue. They were raw.

"Water is next to your bed."

It didn't take her a second to match the voice to its owner. It was the voice that had haunted her dreams every night. It was the voice that had given her the most beautiful and terrifying moments in her life, and it was the voice that had broken her heart.

Rose jerked her head to the right,

Aemond. Just as she remembered him. Dressed in graceful black. His white blond hair spread over his shoulder to his chest. He played with the rings on his fingers while keeping his gaze on her. A cold shiver went down her spine. His gaze was hard and strange and he looked at her as if she was nobody of importance. The corners of his mouth were slightly raised, as if he was pleased to see her shocked expression. He had thrown one leg over the other, and was leaning into his chair as if no moment could be more satisfying for him.

There he sat. The man she loved, and who did not love her.

But what was more shocking was the fact that he shouldn't be here.

What had happened?

How could this be? Why was he here? Was he on Dragonstone, or was she...?

"Welcome back. Did you miss me, Rose?"

Something about me. English is not my native language. I've learned in school and I still make mistakes. When you see something wrong or which absolutley makes no sense, please tell me. I write my ideas in my native language and even when I translate everything, sometimes I can miss something when I correct myself. So please tell me when you see weird stuff. Lot of love ❤️

Taglist

@watercolorskyy @marvelescvpe @ammo23 @helaenaluvr @toodlesxcuddles @malfoytargaryen

[gerbiloftriumph]

Lost and Found (ao3):

Grandpa’s story of the goblin caves started out familiarly enough, but as he spoke, the story started to twist and change. New friends, new conversations, and new ways to use old items transformed the tale, and the young king discovered new ways to be brave in the dark tunnels beneath Daventry.

~*~

An attempt to reinsert the cut lines from the subtitle file. Ch2 has a ton of cut content, and a lot of the lost dialogue is grand, but currently the only way to read it is in a contextless, barely legible slurry in the game files. I’m reconstituting it and fluffing it up and out to make it more accessible.

(3/?)

“Oooh, it has been a while since we went adventuring together!” Whisper said, delighted. “What was the last one we did, do you remember? Was it fetching the rare and miraculous golden fleece of Llewdor?”

“That wasn’t actually gold,” Graham said. “The paint flaked off when you touched it.”

“Yes, but the daring deed, that’s what was important! Those acrobatic leaps through those crumbling sun cult ruins, remember? You got all tangled up in those vines.”

“Acorn had to carry me out; I was so stuck,” Graham said.

“You were shooting arrows over his shoulder!”

“Oh, yeah! That was fun.” He paused. “Well, except for the almost getting caught by cultists and dying in a horrible sacrificial ritual part. But other than that!”

“So, what’s this adventure about?”

“Honestly, it doesn’t feel like an adventure,” Graham said. “We’ve all been kidnapped by goblins, and I can’t seem to figure out why.”

“Whisper thinks that’s pretty obvious.” Whisper flicked an armored finger at the crown, which made it ring like a bell.

“Yeah, maybe,” Graham said, grabbing the crown to muffle it, “but I don’t think it’s just a ransom. Why take everyone else, then? This hat’s what’s important, but I can’t figure out why Wente would get dragged into it, or Amaya, or even you.”

“Whisper is incredibly valuable.”

“Okay, sure, but have you ever heard of a goblin wanting money? Maybe if you tell me what you were doing, it’ll help.”

“Doing? Nothing much. Acorn and Whisper were seeking flowers!”

“Knights? Gathering flowers?” Graham smiled.

“Well, someone has to do it!” Whisper agreed. “Here, these!” He fished in his armor and withdrew a little handful of delicate petals. “They’re lovely, aren’t they, nearly as lovely as the lovely Miss Amaya,” he said, handing them to Graham to inspect. “But that’s all we were doing, gathering flowers in the forest. We walked into an ambush, like they were waiting for us, but Whisper is sorry to say he has no additional information than that.”

“Hmm. Nothing else?”

“Nothing.”

 Graham sighed. “Well. Doesn’t matter anyway, not yet. I need a plan to get us out of here first.”

“This might be the only time Whisper’ll say this…but don’t look at me. You’ll have to figure it out.”

“Thanks, Whisper.”

“Oh, whatever happened to your silly squirrel pig?”

“You mean Triumph? He’s in the castle stables, of course.” And wouldn’t Graham love to be up there with him, with his whole face pressed into Triumph’s belly fluff, warm and soft and sweet.

“You never did answer Whisper’s message about a rematch.”

From above, a disapproving voice echoed around the caves: “Whisper.”

“Oh. Acorn.”

The two knights eyed each other, a little coolly, Acorn clinging to the edge of his Jack and the Beanstalk ledge, Whisper leaning so far back he staggered a bit.

“Kidnapped by goblins?” Whisper asked.

“Yeah. You?”

“Also."

“We’re not very good knights, are we,” Acorn said, sighing heavily.

“Speak for yourself!” Whisper said, posing.

“What if I got on your shoulders, Whisper?” Graham said. “Like Kyle and Larry. Maybe I could reach that ledge, then, and pull myself up.”

“What good would that do me?” Acorn demanded. “You just want a ride.”

“No! …well, maybe a little bit.”

“You keep looking for something else, Your Majesty,” Acorn grumbled. “Oh, duck.” The duck with the golden paint pecked hard at his helmet. He flapped a hand at it. It fluttered up, then perched back in place on his head.

*~*~*

Graham and Whisper explored the caves together, ducking out of sight when they saw goblins. They were fairly certain that, even though Graham had vague permission to be out so long as he was doing chores, no one else had been granted such freedoms. Once, he kicked Whisper behind a rock and stood in front of him, frantically sweeping with his little broom and dustpan. Whisper started sneezing as soon as the goblins were past, but they managed to avoid capture.

They came across the main prison doors. Graham remembered being pushed through them upon his arrival here, doors that should lead out into the crooked lines of the goblin city, to the weird river and the weirder raft and the sweet fresh air of Daventry beyond. But while they both pushed hard against the levers and shoved at the doors with their combined strength, they couldn’t shift it.

“I need another key,” Graham muttered, tracing the lock. “Every door is locked here.”

“It is a prison, Graham.”

“You don’t have to remind me.” That key had better be accessible somewhere in the prison, or this would be one short escape attempt.

They walked back, fully intending to keep exploring, when they were startled by a goblin with a spear. Graham panicked, springing backward, slamming into Whisper. On some ridiculous instinct, without even thinking, Graham grabbed his cloak and swirled it down over the knight, like he was going to hide him under a tarp—and popped Whisper into his pocket.

The goblin wandered on, apparently not having noticed, while Graham staggered back against the wall, without Whisper in the way to stop him.

“What—I didn’t know it could do that!” He stared at his own cloak. He could sense the weight, could feel the pockets straining, but—

He tipped his cloak, and Whisper poured out, sprawled on the floor. “What?”

“I mean. My mother designed my cloak with extra pockets,” Graham babbled.

“And an extra pocket dimension, too, apparently.”

“She’s a really good seamstress?”

“Magically talented, one might say. Does she order her fabric from the Hobblepots?” Whisper sat up. “Would she take commissions? Imagine the portraits Whisper could fit in there! No, the entourage! My fans could always be with me in person, not just in spirit! Imagine! The fan club will be so excited!”

“What was it like in there?”

“Red.”

“And I’ve just been using it as a blanket,” Graham said, swirling it. “That’s way safer than us walking around in the open! You could totally come with me and not be seen!” He paused. “Oh, but wait, at night. Uh. You can’t stay with me at night.”

“Why not?”

Graham hesitated. “So, I’m probably not supposed to be out here, even to do chores. At night, the goblins do a shakedown to make sure I’m not carrying anything I’m not supposed to be. I think you’d be something I’m not supposed to be carrying.”

“Oh, just a shakedown, Whisper’s sure they wouldn’t notice—”

“No, literally. They grab me and flip me upside down and shake ‘til everything’s fallen out of my pockets.” Graham loosened his bracer and pushed back his sleeve to show off fingerprint shaped bruises. “It’s. Not actually avoidable.”

“…oh.” For once, Graham wished Whisper wasn’t wearing his helmet—he wanted to see the knight’s expression, to see what he was thinking, but this time the mask was properly a mask, keeping Whisper’s thoughts to himself. “Not a long term solution, then.” His voice had that sort of forced cheeriness that made Graham wince.

“We’ll find somewhere safe for you to hide before the day ends,” Graham promised. “But for now. Back in there.” This had potential, this pocket thing, but he had to be careful not to rush in situations and make mistakes that would end up with everyone in a lot worse danger than they’d started in. Especially with the forced shakedowns threatening him every night. For now, he’d take it just as slow and carefully as he’d been. For now.

~*~*~

Graham explored the space by himself for a while, Whisper a comforting weight in his pocket. The knight didn’t seem able to speak to him while he was in there, and Graham thought probably he had fallen asleep. Graham found goblins reenacting old fairytales—the frog prince, the princess and the pea. He was able to procure a little pile of things, from frogs to flies, and managed to get his hands on what was supposed to be weed killer, but was more like weed grower, which he used on Acorn’s broken ladder, though it wouldn’t do much good til the next day.

And then, a familiar face. A face that probably belonged behind bars at the best of times, but which probably didn’t deserve to be down here, nevertheless. “Heeeeey, boy!”

“Merchant?”

“Ain’t you a sight for sore eyes!” He reached between the bars and grabbed Graham’s cloak, dragging him closer, squeezing his cheeks with unabashed delight. “Yep, that’s one lanky adventurer, here in the flesh! And with a sparkly new hat! It ain’t a patch on my turban, but hey, still looks nice!” He snatched at the crown and examined the gems inset in it with a practiced eye, picking at them with his thumb to see how loose they were. When they proved solidly placed, he slammed the crown back on Graham’s head. “Can’t hardly believe it, wait til I tell Mr. Fancycakes I’ve got a king shopping my wares. If I ever see him again, ‘course. Either way, Merchant of Miracles can definitely put royal patronage on the front sign now! That’ll be good for business. What business I can get these days, anyway.”

“What are you doing here?” Graham looked around. It was a fairly large cell, well lit and fairly comfortable. But still a cell, with the same heavy wooden bars blocking him from the rest of the villagers. The merchant’s cart was somehow smashed into the same space he was, though even from here Graham could see most of the boxes in it were now rumpled and empty and torn. No goats—unicorns—anywhere to be seen.

“I decided to expand my business ventures, see what new untapped markets there were out there. I mean, holy majeezus, have you seen the addendums and paperwork needed to start a business in Daventry? Ooh, you could build your shop out of ‘em! Down here, restrictions are much less restrictive, you can just set up a pop up stand anywhere!” He knit his fingers together and leaned forward conspiratorially, in a low whisper so no guards could hear. “No, actually, they're super restrictive. I got jumped by goblins ages ago and I’ve been down here ever since. Which has been a real dark mark on my bottom line, let me tell ya. And my bottom, if you know what I mean, since I’ve just been sitting here for ages.

“But!” He brightened, at full volume again: “I’ve got a business to run, even if we never get out of this place. Check the current goods list, m’boy, I’m sure you with your newfound fancy hat can afford my pricing scale.”

“Your pricing scale, right,” Graham scoffed. “Last time, you just flat out stole my money.”

“True, true, and I’m so sorry for all the bad things I did.” He clapped his hands together, with a pleading, innocent expression. “From here on in, I’m going to be an honest merchant, not a swindle in sight. Yep! Once I’m outta here, totally honest.” He leaned back again, casual and unchanged. “Learned my lesson behind bars, all that.”

“Sure.”

“Though,” and he said this totally offhand, nearly under his breath, “maybe I should partner up with one of these goblins. Imagine the roadside pilfering we could doooo—” his voice trailed off at Graham’s glare. “We could start a wheel repair shop! Nothing wrong with that! Daventry sorely needs one of those, to stop people being so sore when their wheels fall off in your potholey roads!”

Graham rolled his eyes. “Can I just see the goods?”

The merchant swept his hand across the countertop before him. “Of course! But it’ll cost ya! I’m here to help you, lad. But I’m not running a charity. Tariff code issues, y’know.”

He had a cure-all potion, chopsticks, and porridge. Graham figured he’d need all of it at one point or another, especially that cure-all potion. Poor Bramble downstairs couldn’t even keep to her feet in her cell, and Wente was running himself ragged pacing with nerves worrying over her. His fingers itched to grab it. “Is this all?”

“My finest! At least, my finest down here, there ain’t much refreshing going on here these days. Let me tell you, when I get out of here, I’m going to procure all the procurables in this place and Mr. Fancycakes will run the test lab. We’re gonna get a whole lot more interesting product. But for now, this is it. Mmmostly.”

“Mostly?”

“Yeah, all right,” the Merchant said in a low voice, “I do have a few more things in the back, but they’re not exactly the sort of things a goblin would approve of, if you get my drift.”

“It wouldn’t be you without a black market,” Graham agreed.

“Keep yer voice down, kid. I’ll show you the good stuff, but you gotta be careful.” He rummaged in his cart, and with a flourish, set a box in front of Graham. He whisked the top off, and, nestled inside…

A bow.

Graham’s heart leapt in his throat. A bow. He glanced hastily behind them, but no one was nearby. A bow, a bow! It didn’t look like it was in great shape, not at all like Achaka’s bow—left at home, he’d never go anywhere without a bow again, not after this—but he thought he could still make something of it. He’d practiced long and hard enough to make just about anything work for him. There was a single arrow with it. Splintery looking, not particularly straight.

Not great craftsmanship at all, but it would be something. Especially with a decent archer behind it. But it was only one shot, and not a very straight one at that. Still. It was something.

He reached out. The merchant slapped his hand away. “Six shiny gold coins.”

“I haven’t got six,” Graham said, shaking his stung hand with surprise.

“Then you haven’t got a bow.”

“But it’ll help us escape!”

“Anything could help you escape, technically, but I need to escape poverty on top of escaping from this cell, kid, and the only way I’m going to do that is by collecting your coins.”

Graham rummaged helplessly in his pockets. “I have this signed portrait from Whisper. Collector’s edition!” He also had Whisper himself, but it was probably best to not start treating his friends like trading cards.

The Merchant leaned forward, eyes glittering. “Oooh, such fancy printing, the stroke work is clearly from a master! Almost certainly that’s blue dye ink drawn from the swamp in Tamir. Numbered edition, even! And is that Serenian Goatshear Parchment, so glossy, so fine! Exquisite, really!” He sat back again.

“Don’t you...want it?”

“I ain’t into the bartering system, boy. Unless you’re bartering gold. Get outta here with that, and come back when you’ve found more cash.”

“Oh, come on.”

“Nothing doing. Six for me, or an empty hand for you.” He swept the box back under his counter, hidden away from prying eyes, and changed the subject easily in case of eavesdroppers: “Did you know that unicorns have teleportation abilities? That’s what makes them so majestic…and so mischievous. They’re mischievestic. Shame you don’t have a unicorn to teleport back to your fancy new house with all them fancy flags on it to get you six shiny gold coins. Meantime, can I interest you in anything else down here?”

There were more immediately pressing issues than a bow, or throttling a merchant, Graham knew, and with a sigh, he shook out a single coin, the only one he’d managed to find so far, tucked out of the way in the shadows, for the cure-all potion to deliver to Bramble downstairs.

“Excellent. And, you know, if you’re ever ready to sell that cape, let me know. I want to make it into a pair of red, illustrious shorts!”

Graham flinched back, disgusted. “I think I’ll keep it for now.”

“Eh, fine, fine. Anyway. As much as I like seeing your face, you might want to see who else is looking for a hero. Lanky heroes are a thing now.”

[thepringlesofblood]

The Ravening War Heroforges

so I’ve made over 100 guys in Heroforge, and dimension 20 uses Heroforge as a tool when making their minis. this means that I’ll be going along watching and see our boy Raphaniel and go “oh shit that’s my favorite Tunica Skirt from the ancient Roman update!”

i decided to put this weird talent to (good??) use for any folks out there looking to make their own minis/fanart/whatever, and made Heroforge builds of our PCs, using all the pieces I recognized, or their closest equivalent. where I couldn’t find footage of certain angles, I went off the character art.

disclaimer: dimension 20 uses a LOT of resources other than Heroforge to make their spectacular minis (e.g. paint!). this isn’t a ‘aha i’m bootlegging the minis 1:1’ situation - there’s a lot of cool stuff on these gorgeous lil guys that isn’t in Heroforge, which I’ll try to note next to each one. these are approximations of potential base models, not exact copies - all kudos and respect to Shane Brockaway and the other amazing miniature artists on dimension 20 for their exceptional work on the minis this season!

let’s rock n roll!

a few things that are different on every build

color (obvs) - I still colored in each guy, mostly based on character art, but obviously the minis are painted (beautifully!)

food stuff - generally, any sort of food-y features (Deli’s toasty Leia buns, Raphaniel’s big ol radish head) are going to not be in Heroforge, for obvious reasons - I still tried to approximate the vibe, but our radish man is simply not going to be as wrinkly as we want him to be

poses - I put each guy in what I think the base pose was, but advanced posing is not an exact science. also, it takes a really really long time. mad props to the crew for some of these excellent poses!

faces - it’s really really hard to tell what face base they might’ve used on the minis. I chose primarily based on vibes and my best guesses. this means sometimes the face changes b/w different versions of the same character. it is what it is baby! also obvs the minis don’t have specific eye color so I went off the art.

Let’s start with the first battle!

Bishop Raphaniel Charlock (link)

Main differences

his big wrinkly radish head. he’s rocking the zuko season 1 haircut for now, and I tried to give him some subtle decal wrinkles. I tried just making his head bigger, but it made the face bigger too - think bobblehead, not megamind - so not the look we’re going for.

his crozier (the only hoe on Heroforge is me *badum tssssh*)

whatever is going around his neck on his chest - it’s all round and pretty and I do not recognize it. used a cowl instead.

the end of his beard - it looks all like roots and is very cool. I put what I think the starting beard was, but I can’t recreate those spindly lil roots w/out some serious clipping

Skald Colin Provolone (link)

Main difference

I’m not 100% certain those are his gloves. the ones on the mini are so much thicker! hmmmmm

I’m sorry about the beard situation. the mini itself has painted-on scruff so I just did a decal, but I’m aware it is. not necessarily as good a look up close.

Thane Delissandro Katzon (link)

Main differences

those gorgeous slices of rye. the crown thing on top of em isn’t in HF either. I used some swirly horns to approximate, though i was considering earmuffs. they looked too silly for me tho lol.

the toothpick - Detriter, as we now know it is called. I used a javelin and put a lil blue decal at the end to represent the frillies.

the shield - couldn’t find one with those random spikes of bone (nice one d20 crew!), so I used a scutum, a Roman shield of about the same size and shape, bc hey, he’s also Ceresian, which is based on Rome.

Lady Amangeaux Epiceé du Peche (link)

Main differences

the d20 crew has hair magic that I do not. also some sort of cute flower behind her ear, which I approximated with a broken off horn posed weird to look like a rose.

Karna Solara (link)

Main differences

the chili pepper hood w stem. I finagled a horn up there but it just aint the same.

the hair. idk what the d20 crew does to make HF show hair after a hood has been equipped but they crushed it.

2nd battle!

Archdeacon Raphaniel Charlock (link)

(i have this pic on my computer named “poor little meow meow raphaniel”)

this pose is a work of art unto itself. I can only hope to get in the vague aura of it.

same as before mostly - the hoe, the beard, and the big ol radish head. you can’t really see the mystery chestpiece anymore.

his head got so much bigger and saggier I felt like I had to give him something, so I upped the head size a few notches and gave him a little flesh beret with a couple of limp “leaves” coming out of it

you don’t really see it from the front, but there’s a shot where you can see the back of the mini and he has a lil book on his shoulders. iconic.

Sir Colin Provolone (link)

Main differences

I probably could’ve made him grimier, but I prioritized face scars. I figure since becoming a knight maybe he’s cleaned up a bit

it is surprisingly hard to get a heroforge person to frown or look sad

shhhhh dont look at the shoulder pauldrons too closely they’re fine its fine

fun fact: the undershirt that looked most mini-accurate was the pajama shirt. colin out here wearing PJs under his armor, who is doing it like him?

update: relistening to ep 1, I forgot we actually get a description of the Fontina banner (”a dotted mountain atop an island”)! so for funsies I gave him a lil banner on his back and attempted to recreate it, using the Dairy Islands banner as a background. go thru the link to check it out, I don’t want to attach yet another image to this monster of a post.

Warlord Delissandro Katzon (link)

Main differences

still those toasty slices o rye.

that glove. folks, that glove dealt me psychic damage, because it was on the very edge of my memory but I couldn’t quite grasp it, until I realized they probably added the spikes afterwards. also, I used the ol’ robot hand trick to make it look like he has like a metal gauntlet attached to it. (you replace one hand with an artificial robot hand in the prosthetics/amputation menu)

the decals I used to give him rye bread arms continue onto his chest more that they should (which you couldn’t see when he was wearing a breastplate) c’est la vie.

I couldn’t embed spiky things on the frilly part of Detriter like Lou said in the episode :/ they weren’t on the mini anyway at least

this pose is wild. I think I found the original pose they based it on, but I could very well be wrong. applause to the d20 crew for the sick look!

Amangeaux (link)

Main differences

she still has the flower in her mini, but now it’s on top of her bun - a good look! Alas, no hat options matched, and my mediocre posing-a-horn-weird-until-it-clips-through-the-head skills were not up to the task, so for the moment this HF build remains flowerless.

In her opening shot of the battle (which I included) you can see a big ol’ crossbow on her back, but it is removed in other shots (presumably, it is a separate piece they moved out of the way when she wasn’t using it). so, I did not include it.

fun fact: the rapier the mini is using is much thicker that how the rapier looks on HF. why? Bc most of the older HF sword designs are thicker, so I think they spliced the basket handle of the new rapier with the blade of an older sword, to make it more sturdy for play. or maybe I’m just misjudging blade-to-handle ratio - I’ve never actually 3d-printed any of my HF guys ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Skald Karna Solara (link)

Main differences

the scar - in the character art it’s one straight streak, but on the mini it looks like there might be more (it’s hard to get zoomed in enough to tell). I compromised with one main dark one, and then a lighter, more subtle one going the other way.

the way her burning hand is blackened as the fire rages around it...poetic cinema. transcendent. I used a splatter decal to approximate but seriously it looks so dope on the mini - look!

that’s all for now, lmk if any of the links dont work or anything. can’t wait for the finale this week!

[cinamun]

Hey fren! I have a ton of questions. Lmk if I’m being too intrusive or nosey lol.

I love your story, I always have to give you your flowers when I write you!! All hail the Queen 🙌🏾🙌🏾💐💐💐

Ok my questions:

For starting out posting and editing, do you keep a schedule for yourself to stay organized? Rn I’m finally posting on my simblr after 3 years but I find myself just constantly taking screenies instead of posting and organizing the story. It feels chaotic lol the only organizing I’ve done just for game play in general is shopping for CC every other day (it’s an addiction)

A question I wanted to ask for a while is, if you are commissioning someone for poses what are the average prices you pay (or better yet, what do you think a good price is to pay for pose commission)? Sometimes I have these perfect poses in my head and when I’ve searched for hours I normally just end up giving up.

Lastly, I noticed your post from yesterday said you had 25 photos loaded in photoshop. Do you have all the art board (or images) side by side to edit them consistently and simultaneously?

Thank you if you answer!!

Good morning bestie!! Let me just go on ahead and adjust this crown right quick lol THANK YOU and I got you!

I'm chaotic and impulsive but I have a little bit of a routine. Follow me under the cut!

Okay, SO!! For the first question about posting and editing.... I usually have an idea for the next scene while working on the previous one. So when I go in-game for story updates, the idea is already there and I'm just setting up shots and making the scenes look good. I don't have a schedule other than my posting schedule, so when you mention last night, I was editing pics that I had taken earlier in the day or the day before. So my schedule is usually sitting in photoshop all night the day before I post.

For pose commissions, I've only done that twice. I've had real good luck over the years finding poses or animations for anything I've needed. I would say make an offer to donate to them if you know their shit is dope and move anywhere between $5 to $10 USD. For the poses I commissioned, they weren't released publically so that's extra special (tip them more!). Also keep in mind if you're asking for accessories to be used, how many sims are in the pose, etc. For pose searching, try to be as vague as you can. "ts4 cleaning poses" and then see what comes up is one example and don't shy away from animations! They work with pose player, most without WW and can make for some great screenshots.

I load up all the pictures in Photoshop plus whatever templates I'm using (like the texting one or the dust overlays), and edit in order of sequence. This is where all the dialogue happens so sometimes I edit out of order if I know the dialogue for one scene already and maybe not the others. I hope i'm making sense lol. I spend a lot of time on this part because the words might change given which picture I've decided on (some scenes I take multiple screenshots of and multiple angles and then decide later which one to use). I go pic by pic, doing editing and adding dialogue individually then saving them, closing them and moving on to the next one. Once I'm completely done then I flip through them a few times as if I were the reader to try and catch any typos, etc.

This got really long but let me know if that helps or if I can elaborate more!!

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Rook, Leona: Look a Little Closer

BLESS TWST FOR THE PETTINESS, IT NEVER DISAPPOINTS 🙏 xjdvsjdnsksvs The way Leona is just. So done with this situation and wants to get out ASAP, but Rook is babbling and prolonging the conversation and making Leona deeply uncomfortable with it—

Rook has a lot of insightful things to say about art!! When you look at a work again, sometimes you’ll notice things that you didn’t before; I also understand the feeling of being so passionate about a work of art that you fixate on it, analyze it, and excitedly discuss it with others. That’s basically what I do for TWST 😂

P.S. Glad it only took 30 rolls for me to get Rook!! The lighting and the scattering petals in his Groovy are so gorgeous 😭 Oh, and it seems like the Groovy poses are based on what the boys do during various Flying lesson animations! No hands on the broom though… Rook, buddy. I don’t care if you’re trying to T-pose or do the Titanic. Your ass is going to come tumbling out of the sky—

A Boy in Bloom, and his Flowering Future.

“What do you do on your days off?”

“I often enjoy attending the theater or watching movies. Plays, musicals, dramas, films of all genres--I enjoy them all.” Rook’s eyes glinted with keen interest. “Why, quite recently--this last weekend, in fact--I rewatched one of my favorite dramas with Epel-kun!

“I must have already seen it 100 times by now, and yet it never fails to allure me.” He sighed lovingly, his gaze clouding with adoration.

“You are a man with refined tastes, Roi des Lions, so perhaps you’ve heard of this drama? It is a harrowing tale of a monster that seeks to be like man... Alas!! He is shunted at every opportunity. It truly begs of us, Is there humanity to be found in every beast, just as there is a beast to be found in every human?”

Leona’s face twisted into a scowl. “Okay, I’m going to stop you right there. I don’t need such another long-winded answer.”

We’ll never get done with this interview at the rate this is going.

“My, did I overstep my bounds?”

“That’s all you ever do,” Leona snorted.

To this, the birthday boy only chuckled. “Pardon, I wished to be more accommodating of you.”

“More what?”

“I noticed, Leona-kun, that you hesitated earlier when I assured you that it would be no trouble at all were you to request that I elaborate on my hobbies.” Rook’s half-smile was reminiscent of a semicircle of moon: half dark, half light, one hundred percent mystery. “Even the ever so fierce Leona-kun can have his moments of skittishness, left too shy to approach with his inquiries. I thought to consider those feelings and to move along the conversation myself!”

“Tch. I’m damned if I play your game, and I’m damned if I don’t. You just do and say whatever you want anyway.” There was a snideness set in Leona’s voice. “I think I’ve heard just about enough about what you do in your spare time. Staring at people, recreating things in creepily close detail, incessantly watching the same things over and over--”

Expecting different results. For a change of fate, a reward for all that effort.

The very definition of insanity.

“Fufu. There is bliss to be found in such simplicity, Roi des Lions.” Rook tenderly laid a hand upon his heart, extending the other to the sky above. “To observe is to glean new details with each pass of the eyes, to indulge in the senses until one is entirely entranced...!!"

“... You’re really something alright.” Leona placed a hand on his hip, eyes cut with suspicion. “You really think there’s that much fun to watch grass grow or watch paint dry--even if it’s faked?”

“Whether real or staged, it matters not. The emotions being conveyed are always genuine!”

“Now you’re just lying through your teeth. Putting on airs, lying, deception--”

He saw himself in a crown of crumpled cardboard. A harsh wind roared, sending it scattering as fine particles of sand. Another roar ravaged the sky as he desperately clawed to reclaim his crown.

The pathetic sound came from him.

Pretending to be something you’re not.

“--They’re all natural parts of life. How can you say those feelings, too, are ‘true’?”

“Oui. They are as true as the blood in my veins and the breath in my lungs. Art comes in many forms, you see. However, no matter what form it may be beholden to, art retains its novelty, and its power to move our hearts.

“When a work of art most resonates with us, that is when the truth is pulled from the lies, and when we feel the same pains and pleasures as the actors upon the stage--and... the actors that we see for ourselves in the mirror. Look closer, and you will find that there may be something there that wasn’t there before.

“But... I’m certain that you were already aware of that, Roi des Lions.” Rook’s lips stretched into a broad grin, a gleam of sunlight twinkling in his eyes. The kind of eyes that looked right through him. 

Unnerving, Leona thought, a chill causing his fur to stiffen.

“Of course, if you struggle to find that connection, I would be more than happy to recommend a few titles! I believe you would enjoy a number of historical films. We could have a whole movie watching party to ourselves! I would be ecstatic to discuss the intricacies of...”

“No thanks.”

“You needn’t refuse! No need to be shy! Come now, I wish to get to know my beloved classmate better~”

“What part of keep your nose out of other people’s business don’t you get?”

“... D’accord,” Rook agreed, playfully holding both of his hands up. “My business is hereby minded!”

A (relieved, annoyed?) sigh hissed out. “If only you stayed like this all of the time, my life would be so much easier.”

The corners of Rook’s mouth quivered with delight. “Ah, and there it is--your ‘truth’, Leona-kun. Elusive, but as beautiful as the dawn to a new day.”

“Yeah, yeah. You’ve run your mouth plenty enough as is. It’s about time you packed up and cleared out.”

“Oh...!!”

Leona practically chucked a broom at Rook, a flurry of white petals fluttering to the ground as the birthday boy seized it. Sturdy, with a good weight--the broom felt familiar in his hands, like a bird that had migrated home from the winter season. Soft as freshly fallen snow, petals as pale as the pages of an unwritten story.

“Beauté. This is a most wonderful bouquet. I am touched to be the recipient of such a dazzling arrangement!”

“Good for you. If you’re so excited, then best scram,” Leona urged him, “get out of here. Your birthday party’s waitin’ for you to appear and show off your flashy flowers.”

“Fufu, very well. The happiness of all the well wishes I’ve received shall propel me along the birthday road!” With a twirl, Rook easily mounted the broom. The flowers began to glitter, his feet smoothly lifting from the ground.

Leona managed a strained smirk. Finally, he’ll be out of my hair.

Then, a few feet into the air, Rook uttered something that made his stomach drop.

“I shall see you for that movie viewing party tomorrow!!” Rook called, plucking a flower from his broomhead and tossing it to Leona. (It landed on his face and limply fell off onto the sidewalk.) “1:00 pm, in the Savanaclaw lounge!”

“Oi, I don’t recall agreeing to that. And when did you decide those details?!”

But Rook (that bastard) was already too far away, too high up (though Leona knew for a fact that with his superhuman hearing the huntsman could hear him, he was just choosing to not respond). Gritting his teeth, the beastman bolted after Rook, shouting after him.

“Who the hell would show up to that?! I’m being serious, I’m NOT havin’ this…! If you show up, I’ll have the fresh meat toss you out, so you’d BETTER not!! Are you even listening to me?!

“LAY OFFFFFFF….!!”

Up in the air, Rook laughed to himself. “It’s good to see him in such high spirits!”

He peered up from the brim of his hat, lifting his head to the horizon.

The sun was up, touching everything in its path with a golden glow. Honey outlined tufts of cotton candy pink clouds, the sky pale cornflower blue. Pastel colors, soft shapes.

How beautiful.

He flung out his arms, embracing the day. Sunlight spilled over him, illuminating a face as bright as his character.

For as much danger as his precarious position posed, Rook Hunt was the only man capable of dancing with it.

[danpuff-ao3]

Krissy, our sweet sugareey (@sugareey-makes-stuff) is one of the loveliest humans in fandom, I promise. Genuinely, such a sweetheart.

Also...quite the busy bean! A jellybean. To stay on the "sugary sweet" theme. A busy jellybean, our Krissy! She runs the Wizarding Creator's Den server, and never fails to do bi-monthly check-ins about what folks are up to, which I always look forward to! How are my monthly goals?? Why thank you for asking! It's a good place to hangout with fellow creators, and I've found so much support and comfort not only about creative subjects, but others as well. During my worst fandom experience, that's the place I went. And there I found the strength to get out of a bad situation. I am very grateful for that place, and to Krissy for running it, and being there, and being such an active and caring mod.

Krissy also runs various challenges. @wood-you-rather-challenge and @hp-flowers, at least! And let me tell you, I am thrilled HP Flowers exists! Combining my love of HP and flowers?? Yes please and thank you. In fact, these challenges inspired the little graphic I made for her! I thought "I need wood...and also flowers." So: ta da! (I think it turned out pretty cute, not to toot my own horn or anything.)

She was also one of those special souls that helped me stay sane when writing Contempt last year. In my hour of need, with that most desperate cry for help, Krissy was one of those who answered the call! I don't know what I would have done without her and my other beloved cheer readers. Contempt might not exist today!

Krissy is also a lady of varied and excellent taste. But also varies and excellent skill. I so admire her creativity and enthusiasm for fandom. Her love shines so brightly, I couldn't help but be intrigued by what Krissy was doing, and what she was loving. Perciver?? Not a ship I usually look for on its own, but boy did Krissy sell me on them! Her trip into the Teen Wolf fandom has me pretty tempted, too, not gonna lie. Which is pretty big, because I so rarely watch shows!

Not to mention just how unique and incredible Krissy's art is. I'd know her work from a mile away! It's so different and cool and there's so much feeling in every piece! I'm forever blown away by her talent.

Anyway, enough of my jabbering...you're here for the Krissy goods, aren't you? I've selected a few of my favorites, so here they are! (Under a cut cuz wow can I talk!)

Art

Blooming

Neville. Tattoos. Flowers. Rated G.

It's a fascinating surprise when people find out the owner of Asclepius’ Apothecary: Purveyors of Fine Teas and Herbs is none other than Neville Longbottom.

Practice Makes Perfect

Cho/Ginny. Rated E.

When class is over at the local yoga studio and the room empties out, Cho has Ginny show her some moves. Ginny obliges by demonstrating her own modified version of the Puppy Pose.

Stay Close to Me

Marcus/Oliver. Rated T. Biting. Morning cuddles.

When they wake up in the morning, their first instinct is to press their bodies against each other and savour the feeling.

You Should See Me In a Crown

Hermione/Pansy. Rated T.

When they decided to participate in a game of Truth and Dare at a themed house party, Hermione and Pansy didn't expect things to get this interesting (or to be this attracted to each other).

Fics:

So Little Time

Hermione/Pansy. Rated: E. Words: 200. Boss/Employee. Semi-public sex.

Hermione uses her break between meetings to let her secretary take care of her.

Things I Never Knew

Marcus/Oliver. Rated: E. Words: 1,500. Enemies to lovers. UST. Clubbing. Quickies. Wood You Rather 2022.

Oliver knew he should have walked away the moment their eyes met. He didn’t want or need anything from Marcus Flint.

Yet, he couldn’t explain how (or why) he found himself currently pressed up against the door of a cramped stall in the men’s loo.

Trails of Heat

Ginny/Luna. Rated: E. Words: 143. Waxplay. Friends to lovers. Shipuary 2022.

Luna lets Ginny stimulate and decorate her in a new way.

for an explanation about Mutuals March, or to figure out why i wrote you a thing, please check out this post.

[autisticrosewilson]

For the ship thing: rosecass and jayjoey

Rosecass my beloved <33333 I think that they have SO much in common and they're perfect mirrors of each other in a lot of ways. I also think that no matter how much romantic tension is between them, neither of them will ever give up on their goals.

Cass will never be content to let Rose kill and Rose will never stop fighting for her goals (whatever those are at the time) and whether those goals align with Cass's is up to chance. They have the potential to be really good together but they also chafe against each other.

By no means do I think this relationship would be particularly healthy but it would be INTERESTING and they would both commit everything they have to it and it's probably going hurt badly when it ends.

What can I say though I am a sucker for Tragic queer people. Speaking of which, Joeyjay is so absolutely soul shattering to me.

Like the parallels! The themes! The drama! Imagine that you're Joey and losing your older brother because your father fucking SUCKS has inspired you to be a hero, mainly out of spite, and partly to avenge your mother (who your relationship can be described as "tense" with at best).

And now you have this friend/leader with a new little brother whose small and frail but still fights to meet his dad's expectations and is constantly in the shadow of his more athletic and ambitious older brother when he would really just like to be loved and perhaps read a book somewhere quietly.

And you love your friend, you can see why what his dad did by putting a new kid in his dead family's Colors without telling him is upsetting. But all the fighting is putting a wedge between the two brothers and all you can see is how Alone this kid is, how deep and biting your friends anger can be, how much them losing each other is going to hurt.

So you spend some more time with the kid, and look at that! You have similar interests. He likes classic metal but you've got him hooked on Queen and David Bowie and your friends complaining about infecting him with your music taste. You like the same kinds of poetry, his school is preforming your favorite musical and you help him learn his lines, neither of you like when fruit is too soft but you both have sweet tooths. He fights like your brother. You two never spar.

You teach him how to make flower crowns and he teaches you how to hotwire a car. You edit his essays and short stories and he poses as long as you want him to so you can draw him. You really like drawing him. Your friend would skin you if he knew. What he doesn't know won't hurt him.

Now imagine you're Jason. You are starving, and not even for food, anymore. But you are so hungry for every scrap of love you can get. Your brother doesn't like you. He doesn't hate you, he tries to keep you out of fights with dad, but you can tell how strained his affection for you is.

You try to make it better, you side with him over Bruce even when you worry it'll be the thing that gets you kicked out, and you follow every order with almost no back talk, and you stay far from underfoot. You make yourself small and unnoticeable, because you've always been good at that.

But someone does notice you. A pretty boy with luminous eyes and shiny hair and artists hands. You don't know if you like boys yet, not sure if you like anyone, but you're sure you like this boy. You think he might like you too, if not the same way you like him.

He's your first for a lot of things; The first time you visit your mother's grave, Joey is who you come back to. The first time you put on makeup, he is the one who helps with your eyeliner. The first time you have a "sleepover", it's you Rose and Joey building a blanket fort in his bedroom.

It's New Years Eve on the roof of Titans tower, and when midnight comes around, he's not your first kiss. But it's the first time you kissed back. It's the first time you didn't want it to stop.

Dick would hate you, you're sure. Rose would never talk to you again. Bruce would stop forcing you to the Tower whenever he has an excuse. You don't know enough about Slade Wilson to know if he'd do anything, but you're not keen on finding out.

You ask Joey out, leave flowers (pink camellia) and a note neatly on his desk.

He's the first time you've ever been rejected too. You stop talking to Joey, and it's only meant to be temporary. Until it's not. Until he's standing next to his best friend, your brother, trying not to sob while "DECEASED" flashes in bold red letters next to your picture.

There's a single text message from you when he comes back to earth, he never opens it.

[pipperoni32-blog]

The Queen Of Nothing

By Holly Black

Alright, forget actual book review, this is just going to be me fangirling and talking about my favorite parts of this book. If you haven't read it yet, don't go any further! Finish reading first, then come squeal about how good it was!

There's so much that goes on in this book. Jude starting off in her exile, brooding and trying not to think about a certain High King. Finding herself dueling once again with a redcap who used to be a general, this time Grima Mog. Who yet again underestimates Jude, and finds herself claiming defeat. Though she offers to battle Jude again anytime.

When Taryn appears, I'm not ready to forgive her. I'm even less inclined for Jude to accept Taryn's proposal to pose as her in her upcoming trial for Locke's death. Not that I'm against Jude returning to Faerie (and Cardan) but coming to Taryn's rescue seems like the wrong reason. Jude agrees though, and her reunion with Cardan is worth is, even if it is short lived.

The picture of Cardan patting the couch next to him, and asking Jude is she ever got his letters, is one of my many favorites in the book. I'm so irritated by Madoc's rescue, for keeping them from being able to explain right away.

Being in Madoc's camp, Jude is back to thinking on her feet and trying her best to plot out a victory. Or at least, an escape that leaves her alive and with a strategic advantage over Madoc's coming attack. Being Taryn is more complicated that she thought, especially with the change in how she's treated by Orianna. Orianna giving Jude a hug was touching, but also filled me with deep sorrow and anger. How could she have kept up that wall for so long against Jude, to make that choice when she was so easily capable of caring for her instead. Maybe that's never been what Jude needed, but the lack of it is startling.

Cardan coming to Jude's rescue is one of the sweetest things. I had actually forgotten about that part when I started this re-read, and I was so giddy when I saw him there, in his cloak made by Mother Marrow with the Roach at his side. Of course, Jude's only thought is on getting him out of there safely. It's odd that I feel the Ghost deserves Jude's forgiveness more than Taryn at this point, but I was so relieved to find him alive, and wanted him back in the Court of Shadows where he belongs.

I've talked at work so many times about the chills that run through you when Madoc screams for Jude not to run from him. The shock as he runs her down and slices her open. The horror from both of them, Jude as she lays bleeding, and Madoc that he didn't stay his hand. Madoc offers to kill her quickly, to not leave her like this, but he's stopped by Vivi, Taryn, and Grima Mog.

I'd forgotten that Taryn was the one to sew Jude up. To pack her with leaves in an effort to heal the fatal wound. That Jude wasn't aware of what was happening, the wound sealing and the flowers blooming where her blood spilled. I thought she'd seen some of it herself, though she does get that one dizzying glimpse before they return to the palace.

Is there a moment better than Jude falling from the beam onto the table, and Cardan telling everyone to stop. To not touch her. That she's his wife and the High Queen? Well, yes, there might be several. But at the time, there isn't! My heart shatters when Cardan stands over her and calls her a dirty liar, for letting herself get hurt. For almost not coming back to him.

The way Jude handles Lady Asha is well done, but I would have been happy if she'd lost her temper and been a little more heavy handed. I forgot how easily the girls fall in together at the palace. The way they work together. There are still things in the past between them, but now, without the obstacle of pleasing or opposing Madoc, they can just be sisters. Be a family that supports each other, not constantly in a game of power and crowns. My animosity towards Taryn failed here, and I could only appreciate how she comes to Jude's aid when asked, that she can use her own talents to help Jude dress and have rooms that support her as High Queen.

The throne breaking, and then the crown, are such powerful moments. Cardan's speech just before too. Jude is so ready to come to his defense, but she doubts him too. She things that what Madoc's offering is too much of a trap, and that she's going to be helpless as she watches Cardan step into it. But Jude isn't the only one who can surprise us, who's been underestimated. I truly loved that. It's always so easy to think of Jude as the powerful, murderous queen, and Cardan holding up his wine glass and acting as her cheerleader. But here, he proves to everyone that he is worth following. That he is High King, and nothing can stop that. He makes the doubters want to pledge their loyalty to him, to not deny him. And Jude gets to see him in a new light. Until the crown breaks, and chaos descends.

I haven't found an artwork of it yet, but Jude sitting with Cardan as the snake, having drawn closer to him unknowingly until she's sitting almost right next to him, ugh. I can't. Even the Bomb hesitates to call out to Jude, to risk the snake's wrath. And Jude, needing to get back to her duties, but not wanting to leave. Saying that she's just been telling him that he can't hold her to all her promises - her promise to kill him if he ever became worse than Balekin.

Heather, Vivi, Taryn, Tatterfell, Fand, Grima Mog, the Bomb, all the people that support Jude. That have been with her all along, been lost and found their way back, or just recently been added to her circle. A circle willing to protect their queen, and make her believe she has every right to be called one along the way.

Jude, finding a way to save the Roach and getting kicked in the stomach in the process. The Roach's confession to the Bomb, though she tries to tell him he's not dying. Them being able to say everything they've kept inside for so long.

The bridle, the fresh scars on Suren's face from having it removed. The way they try to trick her, telling her to wrap her hairs around it so that she'd be under their control along with Cardan. Luckily, Jude isn't afraid to get a second opinion. She meets with Severin, the new alderking, and Mother Marrow, and learns how the Court of Teeth intended to trick her, and how to actually work the bridle. She doesn't find the answer she was looking for though, another option. Something other than killing Cardan, or leaving him chained to follow her, a mindless pet to keep around.

She doesn't want that though. She doesn't want Cardan dead, and she doesn't want him trapped. The idea is no longer appealing, to have him in her thrall, under her control and powerless to refuse any of her commands. Now, she just wants him. She just wants him back.

Just excuse me a minute while I sob at the heart, and depth of feeling welling up.

Jude makes her own choices, not falling into line like Madoc requests. Not giving into the appeal of the bridle and power. Just loving Cardan, not wanting him to live as a trapped thing any longer. There's something so powerful but refreshing about Cardan making a joke out of things, refusing to put on a cloak and just sauntering over to his carriage, surrounded by armies. With Jude by his side.

Poor Jude, and poor Cardan. Exhausted, wanting to just hold each other, but having to lead a revel instead, to entertain their guests and former enemies. They find each other before too long though, and Jude gets doesn't let her chance pass to say she loves him.

The coronation, Cardan supporting Jude's decisions on how to deal with and punish the traitors. Jude turning those who remained loyal to Madoc into Falcons, able to go out and live their lives the way the want, but unable to be welcomed back until they haven't harmed anyone for a year and a day. Granting Suren real power over Lady Nore, making Lady Nore give her obedience and loyalty to the puppet queen she'd thought to appoint. Oak being the one to ask Jude to help her. Then Madoc, who finally is willing to ask for mercy. The small heartbreak as Jude sentences him to live in the mortal world, and not pick up a weapon again. The way she says good-bye to him.

The sadness, but small gleam of hope, in the way Heather and Vivi's story turns. The way she forgets, but one day may remember again. The mundane way they end with a pizza party, with some of the weirdest toppings Oak could come up with.

I love this book. I love so many parts of it, I've put off reading it because I didn't want it to end, but ached being away from it. Holly Black with forever been the Queen of Faerie to me, and I'm so glad to have these stories, and more, from her.

[xejune]

Hi Juni! I absolutely LOVE your art style it's so very soft and cute! I've heard you are taking requests, so I was wondering if you'd be willing to try and portray my design of Calanthe in your style? Preferably with baby Ciri? Maybe carrying her or Ciri bringing her a crown made of flowers? i would also be super happy to donate/pay for it, if you'd rather make it a commission!

aw thank you?? also that sounds so cute, i love drawing baby Ciri 😭💕 if you can send me a reference picture of your Calanthe design, i'd very much be willing to!

also, for requests i usually stick to sketches. if you want anything more (eg: specific pose, style, lineart/colour/polish, etc), it'd become a commission. In which case, feel free to message me on discord (ghost#2952) or tumblr DMs so we can discuss details!

[isfjmel-phleg]

Eye and Pancake for Rietta, Bouquet and Maple Leaf for Rachel, Strawberry and Speak-No-Evil for Delclis, Milky Way and Mousetrap for Elystan, and then - if you have answers for some of the perhaps more minor characters (if not, please skip them!) - Rainbow for Tietra, Crown for Coleinette, Tornado for Bethira, Package for Estelle, and Birthday Cake for cousin Rietta, please?

Rietta

👁️ EYE - what colour are their eyes? do people notice their eyes? is there anything special about them (shows emotion easily, literally magical...)?

Rietta has dark brown eyes, nothing particularly out of the ordinary. They're a feature from her mother's side of the family, something that further visually marks her as half-Otionovian, along with her dark hair, olive complexion, and strong facial features. There are some family members on her father's side that are disappointed in her appearance and have made remarks to her about it.

🥞 PANCAKE - what is their comfort breakfast?

Bread with butter and blackberry jam, fruit, and hot chocolate. Faysmondian breakfasts tend not to be very elaborate.

Rachel

💐 BOUQUET - create a bouqet for them! what do those flowers mean? are any of the flowers their particular favourite?

Pink roses, lavender, foxgloves, lilac, pansies, and a bit of mint. These are all flowers that grow in her grandparents' garden and have pleasant personal assocations.

In the language of flowers, those mean, respectively, grace, mistrust, insincerity, first emotions of love, thoughts/think of me, and virtue. Most of which are fitting.

🍁 MAPLE LEAF - what is their favourite season? why?

Summer! She lives in a mostly cold climate, and it's the one time of the year that the weather isn't too bad to do anything outdoors.

Delclis

🍓 STRAWBERRY - do they eat their fruit & veg? what is their favourite fruit or vegetable?

He's willing to eat just about anything, so fruit and vegetables have never posed any problems. He's partial to apples and carrots in particular.

🙊 SPEAK-NO-EVIL - what is something your oc will refuse to stay quiet about?

He is a scientist with Opinions. Get something incorrect about genetics in botany especially, and you will hear all about it from him. Respect the flora.

Elystan

🌌 MILKY WAY - what was the inspiration behind your oc? what was the first thing you decided about them?

Elystan, along with Rietta, Delclis, and an early form of Rachel, was created when I was fourteen and newly obsessed with Oz and Narnia and wanted to write a story in the same vein (mistake #1). I knew I wanted a princely character (Delclis), but then my ninth grade Kings of Israel class gave me an idea: my young prince about to succeed to the throne would have an entitled brat of a half brother with a claim to the crown (as Solomon did). So Elystan was created to be a Terrible Child and nothing more. He was magically deprived of his voice for a while and got it restored after an attitude adjustment (a much less impactful rip-off of Edmund's/Eustace's arc) and had a generic personality after that.

Not great characterization! Somewhere along the way I decided to justify my description of him as small and fragile-looking by giving him an illness, other literary influences took hold, and from there he gradually morphed into his (hopefully) more complex current form over the years.

🪤 MOUSE TRAP - what will always lure them into certain danger? a loved one in danger? a promise of something they are always searching for?

As we'll see if I ever finish Book 2, he's willing to risk a lot for the sake of his beloved father. He also makes poor choices when trying to save face or is chasing something he wants very badly.

Tietra

🌈 RAINBOW - what advice would they give to their younger self?

She would probably tell her younger self to stand up for herself more, which quite frankly is what her current self needs to be told too.

Coleinette

👑 CROWN - what does your oc want to be remembered as? why?

She probably would want to be remembered as somebody who was reliable, dutiful, and efficient. Someone who did not shame her family and who looked after herself and others well without burdening anyone.

Bethira

🌪️ TORNADO - what is the biggest change you've ever made to them? how have they changed from their original version?

Bethira existed in the original draft too, and she was just a stereotype of a doting mother, very much to blame for how Elystan turned out (but somehow not doing much to protect Delclis from his Obviously Evil stepfather who is trying to kill him?). Over time I've come to examine her more as an individual and develop her more into a tragic figure, not perfect but still sympathetic.

Estelle Doncath (Rachel's little sister)

📦 PACKAGE - what are some "most likely to..." that can apply to them?

Most Likely To Try To Solve Interpersonal Problems

Most Likely To Master Ice Skating

Most Likely (Among Her Siblings) To Instigate Adventure

Rietta "Rieton" Carothier (Rachel's cousin)

🎂 BIRTHDAY CAKE - when is their birthday? do they like celebrating it?

Rieton's birthday is December 14, and yes, she loves celebrating it! She's a lot more outgoing and comfortable with attention than Rachel, and she'll gladly accept the family making a fuss over her.