#common grass-veneer

[dansnaturepictures]

20/08/22-Shipton Bellinger and home 

It was nice to come to Shipton Bellinger again today and get a great view of one of my favourite butterflies the Wall Brown, see a fair few Meadow Browns and Small Heath well bringing bright almost yellow flashes as they flew across the grass, Comma, Speckled Wood, I seem to recall Small White and Common Blue, Holly Blue and I believe another of my favourite butterflies the Brown Argus on a nice day of seeing butterflies. I also enjoyed seeing a Common Grass-veneer a unique shaped lovely micro moth which I took the third picture in this photoset of. A first for me, the 70th identified moth on my life list and 33rd moth of my year, the latter making my year list level with last years I only started doing moth year lists again last year after a few times I did it in the first half of the 2010s which never reached more than a single figure number as I wasn’t as into moths then so this year is my joint highest ever moth year list now and both make me feel how brilliant it’s been to see so many moth species the last few years and last few weeks in peak days for seeing them in the summer it seems.

I also liked seeing bee and hoverfly here today. I also saw a couple of snails here this afternoon which is always nice to see I took the fifth picture in this photoset of one. There were loads of mossy rose galls about of different shapes, sizes and colours which was a highlight today a distortion of an unopened axillary bud caused by the gall wasp they do fascinate me and I find them beautiful. I took the second picture in this photoset of one.

I enjoyed seeing rose hips too as well as pretty blackthorn sloes and other berries. St. John’s-wort which I took the fourth picture in this photoset of, self heal, common toadflax seen well again here after last time, bright yellow wild parsnip one I am enjoying a lot lately, viper’s-bugloss, bramble flower with blackberries seen nicely today too, pretty yellow meliot and agrimony, my first soapwort of the year a pretty one, wild basil including some a bit gone over and shadows of rosebay willowherb and ragwort were lovely plants to see today. The trees looked good shining green especially in the sunlight with some breathtaking and panoramic views I enjoyed again as we walked around the field and along the track. There were interesting sky scenes here this afternoon with nice patterns of clouds. I took the first, sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth pictures in this photoset of views here today. 

There were some lovely birds seen at Shipton Bellinger this afternoon too headlined by seeing one of my favourites the Red Kite a treat to see as always with its plank of wood physique in the air being mobbed by a Rook, a nice dramatic moment to witness. I also liked seeing Jackdaw, Magpie, a few Woodpigeon well, House Sparrow and Herring Gull here this afternoon.

A House Martin as well as nice views were good to see on the way here. At home today I enjoyed seeing Starlings out the back well with Collared Dove and Goldfinch seen too, and enjoying fuchsia, horseweed, hebe, sedum, dahlia, Black-eyed Susan, geraniums, sweet William and sunflower in the garden I took the tenth and final picture in this photoset of the latter the large sunflower I enjoyed seeing from inside yesterday which was equally as impressive at close quarters I am enjoying seeing them at home and out lately. There were some nice sky scenes at home tonight with frizzy clouds. A day with great patches of sun.

[bonefall]

Clanmew Expansion Pack: Moths and Butterflies

A guide to the beautiful fluttering insects seen in this region, and how Clan cats classify and describe them.

[ID: A cat with a butterfly on its nose]

In Clanmew, the vocabulary used to describe butterflies is massive compared to English. As a species less than a foot tall and spending their entire lives in the wilderness, Clan cats observe lepidopterians up close and far more personally than humans have done historically.

Combine this with the fact that cats are crepuscular, active in the morning and evening, and you'll realize that they encounter more moths than butterflies. While English-speaking humans tend to think of moths as being dingy and butterflies as being colorful, Clan cats don't find those categories helpful and classify them in a completely different way!

So the very first thing to know is that Clanmew does not have the same conception of "moths" and "butterflies." They have a super term, "Ffyy," and no less than 9 terms for the various groups with related behaviors.

This guide contains 51 new words for various moths and the unique behaviors of lepidopterians. Below the cut, you will find;

An overview to the 9 classifications Clan cats use, plus words for things like cocoons, metamorphosis, caterpillars, etc

A straightforward list of species, in English (Science) = Clanmew format

Expansion on behaviors of noteworthy species within their groupings

Translation trivia on Moth Flight, Mothwing, Archeye, and Mothwhisker (TC) for Better Bones.

(Translator's Note: I have tried to pick English words that will work nicely as warrior name prefixes, to be translated as specifically or as generically as you desire. They don't reflect cladistic accuracy.)

Types of Ffyy:

Flutter = Kffa Ffyy with large hindwings that flutter around erratically. The closest to the English image of a "butterfly." Most of these are daytime species but this also refers to moths that are drawn to flame. Species depicted: Speckled wood (Pararge aegeria)

Hawkmoth = Uff Fat-bodied ffyy that tend to be wider than they are long, with powerful wings. Fantastic fliers and important pollinators, they have several gigantic species and are beloved by Clan cats. Species depicted: Elephant hawkmoth (Deilephila elpenor)

Tortrix = Owyy Round-winged ffyy that rest with a slightly splayed pose with their wings folded down, almost resembling a turtle. Species depicted: Privet tortrix (Clepsis consimilana)

Veneer = Iff A thin, lanky ffyy that rests in a sticklike pose with a defined head, sporting big, buggy eyes and sometimes a large nose. Any moth with the characteristic eyes or nose gets brought back into this category. Species depicted: Garden-grass veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella)

Herald = Hawof A very unique type, it can apply to just about any type of moth but is always given to the species with significance in prophetic divination. There are some moths rarely seen in this region which appear only as heralds, thus they are named accordingly. NOTE: This is the sort of word bestowed in Honor Titles. Species depicted: Common Hairstreak, Moth Flight's moth (Callophrys rubi)

Dowd = Gyyff Stiff, fluffy moths which rest as straight as a twig, usually mimicking wood. Their heads aren't as well defined as a veneer, but they aren't as fluffy as a raoff Species depicted: Buff-tip (Phalera bucephala)

Prominent = Raoff "Lion moths," large species with fluffy antennae and big manes. Something between a dowd and a tortrix, but usually larger and fluffier. Species depicted: Muslin moth (Diaphora mendica)

Plume = Ffip Very thin, slender moths that rest in a T-pose with very interesting wing-types. Species depicted: Beautiful plume moth (Amblyptilia acanthadactyla)

Fritilary = Ffow Somewhat between a Kffa and an Owyy, refers to Ffyy with a smoother 'cape' shape when they're resting.

In addition, there are words for shapes associated with Ffyy and other insects, especially in the wings and patterns. Some of those words are;

Fluttered/Fluttering/Will flutter = Afafaf/Afafa/Afaf The erratic wingbeats of Ffyy and small birds of prey.

Hovered/hovering/will hover = Hyyffuhu/hyyffu/hyyff A very special aerial maneuver where an animal can hold their exact place in the air and move in any direction. EXTREMELY rare; only achieved by certain hawkmoths, hoverflies, and dragonflies. NOTE: The UK has no hummingbirds! Their ecological niche is occupied by hawkmoths!

Shy = Wro An emotion, but also a pose. It's when an animal shrinks back and tries to make itself smaller or more hidden, much like a Dowd or a Veneer, or the flattening of a terrified cat's ears

Cape/Humble = Froom An emotion, a shape, and a pattern that is seen on the backs of some animals, describes the way that Prominents and Tortrixes hold their wings.

Flare/Confident/Perpendicular = Akeye An emotion and a shape, describes things that 'stick up,' like the wings of Plumes and Butters. Not like "raised hackles," more like fluffing one's fur out or puffing your chest.

Caterpillar = Poog A word that comes from Parkmew! Caterpillars were significant to Park cat culture because of their old naming system-- cats were born unnamed, and were expected to find one as they grew, like butterflies.

Pupa/Chrysalis = Higab Hard, scaly insect cocoons

Cocoon = Mooun Soft, silky insect cocoons

Silk = Mirro The material that silk cocoons and spider webs are made of. Only cob spiders produce though of this material to be useful to Clan cats; they do not have access to silk moths (bombyx mori) in this part of England. Clan cats also believe that moth wings are made of this.

Chitin = Higko The material that hard pupa and insect exoskeletons are made of.

Exoskeleton = Babaak The hard shell that surrounds the meat of invertebrates such as crabs, moths, beetles; Clan cats do not think this applies to insects that 'shrivel' such as soft-bodied caterpillars.

Metamorphosed/metamorphing/will metamorph = Peb'bep'arr/Peb'bep/Peb'be To massively change between stages of life, the unique way that moths and some other insects grow.

LIST OF SPECIES

This list is arranged with several species of each group, separated by grouping. You can expect for this list to grow, if additional species are translated as time goes on!

Last update: 6/17/2023

HAWMOTH/UFF

Elephant hawkmoth (Deilephila elpenor) = Beksu

Large skipper (Ochlodes sylvanus) = Skepb

Hummingbird hawkmoth (Macroglossum stellatarum) = Lipfu

TORTRIX/OWYY

Privet tortrix (Clepsis consimilana) = Frooke

Oak lantern (Carcina quercana) = Byoff

Common footman (Eilema lurideola) = Yyowo

Dark Arches (Apamea monoglypha) = Oyiw

VENEER/IFF

Garden-grass veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella) = Chuo

Drinker moth (Euthrix potatoria) = Ssbwohl

Bronze alder moth (Argyresthia goedartella) = Holipo

DOWD/GYYFF

Buff-tip (Argyresthia goedartella) = Kooko

Apple leafminer (Lyonetia clerkella) = Rugna

Hazel slender (Parornix devoniella) = Geehees

PROMINENT/RAOFF

Muslin (Diaphora mendica) = Goorf

Iron prominent (Notodonta dromedarius) = Orge

True lover's knot (Lycophotia porphyrea) = Urmrri

Cinnabar (Tyria jacobaeae) = Genra

PLUME/FFIP

Beautiful plume (Amblyptilia acanthadactyla) = Lebl

Twenty plume (Alucita hexadactyla) = Arrffip

FLUTTER/KFFA

Speckled wood (Pararge aegeria) = Yaero

Holly blue (Celastrina argiolus) = Luya

Clouded border (Lomaspilis marginata) = Oogwo

FRITILARY/FFOW

Magpie moth (Abraxas grossulariata) = Peewo

Mint moth (Pyrausta aurata) = Mwifg

Riband wave (Idaea aversata) = Fisip

HERALD/HAWOF

Green Hairstreak (Callophrys rubi) = Ssefyy

Lunar Hornet (Sesia bembeciformis) = Offes

Death's Head (Acherontia atropos) = Wayoff

HAWKMOTH/UFF

[ID: An "Uff," 'Hawkmoth' in English. It is a large, yellow-and-pink moth. The species depicted is an Elephant Hawkmoth.]

Hawkmoths are the largest types of Ffyy that Clan cats encounter, and deeply beloved. They are considered the 'warriors' of moth-standards, large, honorable, and acrobatic. What defines an uff from other butterflies is primarily its large, bulky body. Some uff, such as the skipper, could be mistaken by outsiders as being a type of ffow or perhaps a kffa.

They are pollinators, jumping between various flowers and mostly seen in grassy, floral environments, such as meadows and moorland. The skipper in particular is one of WindClan's most common butterflies, and a favorite target for pouncing kittens.

Most of the largest hawkmoths survive the winter snug in their cocoons under leaf litter, and more specifically in ThunderClan. Being able to witness a hawkmoth emerge is sometimes taken as a little blessing, like StarClan rewarding you for staying observant on a patrol.

TORTRIX/OWYY

[ID: An Owyy, "Tortrix" in English. It is a humble brown moth with a negligible mane and round, capelike wings. The species depicted is a privet tortrix.]

Tortrixes are the largest classification of ffyy in Clanmew, with many of them being drawn to lights in the dark. They hold their wings 'humbly' (froom), tucked behind themselves and slightly angled. Many prominent share the general shape of tortrixes, but they are separated by a prominent, impressive mane.

Because they are so varied, classifying behaviors of the group as a whole is difficult. Some of them like fruit and others like leaves. Some are large and others small. Some are drab and others colorful.

Most end up named after the species of plant they like most. The Oak Lantern (Byoff) for example can skeletonize entire oak leaves! Others can absolutely mob apple trees, making them a pest to ThunderClan.

Funfact: The cartoon idea of an "apple worm" comes from some species of tortrix moths!

FLUTTER/KFFA

[ID: A Kffa, "Flutter" in English. It is an orange-and-brown butterfly, with wings that stick out perpendicular to the body. The species depicted is a sunspot butterfly.]

Dominated by strange daytime species with bright colors, these confident little creatures are defined by the angle of their wings when resting. They "Flare" out, or Akeye in Clanmew.

The Yaero (sunspot butterfly/speckled wood) is the most well-known of the flutters which isn't also a herald of some sort. These plucky bugs have short lives and spend the ENTIRE time fighting, choosing a sunny spot and engaging in clumsy aerial brawls to defend it. To be compared to a Yaero in Clan Culture is like being called 'scrappy,' fighting until you drop dead of exhaustion.

It's a VERY admirable thing to be!

PROMINENT/RAOFF

[ID: A "Raoff," or a Prominent in English. It is a very fluffy moth with a big mane. The species depicted is a male muslin moth.]

The obvious thing that sets this sort of Ffyy apart from all others is its luscious, majestic mane. Much like how the "Leopard" is a mistranslation and is a mythical composite of several animals, the Clan cat "Lion" is a composite beast whose mane comes from moths!

Thus, it is how they were named. Lion + Moth.

And, of the various raoff, the muslin (Goorf) is one of the most interesting. It comes in black or white, with many cats speaking of a herald coloration that is split perfectly down the middle with black and white. This species' name comes from "Gender + Moth." It is thought that if a pregnant cat only sees black muslins, they will have an all-tom litter. All white, and they will all be mollies. If no muslin moths are seen at all, then they will all reveal themselves to be gib.

FRITILARY/FFOW

[ID: A "ffow," or a fritilary in English. Note, this is the moment where the English names diverge the most because this is not an irl fritilary. It is a moth with a 'cape' that is both froom, and akeye. The species depicted is a magpie moth.]

A family of ffyy remarked upon for their 'savviness.' Not as 'confident' as kffa, nor as humble as an owyy, the animals in this family are typically quite interesting.

For example, the magpie (Peewo). While notably beautiful like a calico cat, it's also strangely left alone by other animals. If caught in a spiderweb, the spider will take a bite and let go. Birds leave them alone. Clan cats believe this must be because they will eat lots of unappetizing plants and become distasteful-- a clever creature!

The thought probably came from watching another ffow, the Mwifg, the "mint moth" in English. Mint is a deadly poison to Clan cats, but the creature eats it up, and goes unbothered by other animals.

So, Peewo and Mwifg are cited often as living examples of how you, "are what you eat."

PLUME/FFIP

[ID: A plume moth, "ffip," a thin insect with a T-shaped body and long legs. The species depicted is a Beautiful Plume Moth.]

Widely considered the least appealing type of moth, often clustered in reedy areas. They're known by their distinctive T-shape and long legs.

Clan Cats find it unsettling that they resemble midges, and have only two unique names within the classification; Arrffip for the 20-Plume, and Lebl for the Beautiful Plume, which resembles a mottled cat which makes it more okay to them.

VENEER/IFF

[ID: A moth with big eyes and a long nose, called an "Iff" in Clanmew, and a veneer in English. The species depicted is a garden grass veneer.]

The silliest moth of all, associated with being panicked and anxious at all times. To be compared to an Iff is to be called a worry-wart in Clanmew!

Most veneers have a big, distinct fuzzy nose, and any moth that displays the same feature gets thrown into the Iff classification. But that isn't the only way to end up in this category! Any moth with big, worried eyes goes here as well, such as the Bronze Alder Moth (Holipo).

Alderheart was compared to a holipo often. Poor guy.

There is also the drinker moth (Ssbwohl), which is known for dunking its head into dewdrops and taking a big sippy.

DOWD/GYYFF

[ID: A moth that looks like a twig, called a Dowd in English and a Gyyff in Clanmew. The species depicted is a buff-tip.]

To be considered a Gyyff, the moth must be long and sticklike. The apple leafminer (Rugna) is a good example of a moth that is not using buff-tip (Kooko) mimicry, but is still a Dowd in Clanmew standards.

The word "kooko" in Clanmew is used for harmless fibs, little pranks, and the buff-tip moth!

HERALD/HAWOF

[ID: A green butterfly with shining wings, facing the camera. It is called a Herald in English, and a Hawof in Clanmew. The species depicted is a Green Hairstreak.]

The defining example of the Herald classification is the Green Hairstreak, an iridescent green moth that lead Moth Flight to the Moonstone so many years ago. A vitally important species to WindClan culturally, a burst in its population is said to be a sign that they need to listen carefully.

Any type of moth can end up going into this category, if it becomes significant in divination. Some moths have even shifted over time out of one classification into Hawof, and back out as they stop being seen as holy in some way!

Another example of a moth of great significance is the death's head moth, called a Wayoff in Clanmew. It's a massive type of hawkmoth, and an exceedingly rare sight. It warns of grand doom, threats so large that they threaten all the Clans at once. Floods, famine, deforestation... these were all preceded by the freak sighting of a Wayoff.

Meanwhile, the Lunar Hornet, Offes in Clanmew, mimics a wasp perfectly. It's a strange creature said to be a piece of the cosmic dust between this world and StarClan, an example of the fantastic creatures they can make if they so choose. It signifies change of some sort, which a Cleric will attempt to interpret for the cat who saw the moth.

And lastly,

Translation Trivia

[ID: A cat chasing a butterfly]

Specifically for the way I have chosen to translate the names of these characters for the Better Bones AU

Moth Flight

Mothwing

Archeye

Mothwhisker

Moth Flight Hawof Faofwe (Herald + Pilgrimage)

A VERY interesting translation quirk, as her name is a remnant from Old Tribemew, one of the ancestral languages that would eventually form Clanmew!

Hawof was the ancient word for moths and butterflies, and still the word in-use in Tribemew to this day. Once they moved down from the highlands, Clanmew adopted and created several new words to describe the hundreds of new types they were seeing on a regular basis. Yet, "hawof" fossilized, coming to only describe those that were particularly holy!

"Faofwe" is another fascinating example. While it once meant 'flight' in Old Tribemew, an animal flying from one place to another, it has come to mean "pilgrimage." This is the word being used for a cat going to visit a holy location, or somewhere else that they will reach a higher religious understanding of the world.

Both of these words are sacred; the type only given to modern cats in Honor Titles.

Mothwing Beksuwesk (Elephant Hawkmoth + Insect Wing)

Sasha fled the violence of TigerClan at her first opportunity, after being trapped in the dangerous situation with no escape. After the death of her son, Tadpole, she brought her kits to RiverClan in the hopes they would be safe. Their names were Ffyy, and Yassga.

Leopardstar saw that their father was Tigerstar, and accepted... though she would change their names. They had to accept what the Clan was to decide for them.

So Yassga (Raptor, any large bird of prey) became Yi'i (sparrowhawk), and Ffyy (Any butterfly) was pigeonholed into a type of hawkmoth as Besku. She thinks of this often, that RiverClan took the name her mother gave her, that she followed Hawkfrost to the Lake, and now she is all that remains. With nothing left of her family.

Archeye Oyiwipo (Dark Arches Moth + Eye)

A simple one! He has a stripe just above one eye that perfectly resembles the tip of a Dark Arches' wing.

(note: i updated this translation from an earlier statement.)

Mothwhisker Yaerohussk (Speckled Wood Butterfly + Hussk)

Fresh from the ThunderClan Family Tree fix, Mothwhisker is a parent of Adderfang and Seedfall.

An old Oakstar loyalist, Mothwhisker was spitting from the moment he was born, clawing the nose of his Ba. On the spot, he was given the prefix Yaero, and he eventually grew into a ferocious Crusader after the death of Mapleshade's kittens and the creation of Darkstar's Commandment.

Though "Butterflywhisker" would technically have been accurate, the translator chose 'moth' for brevity. Clan cats don't distinguish between the two, regardless.

[lycomorpha]

Some beautiful recent moth-trap visitors 🦋💖 If you love these fluffy moth friends and are lucky enough to have a garden, please leave some weedy areas & long grass for them to eat, & dead leaves/foliage for them to hide in. Thank you from the Moth Promotional Board 🦋✨

1 & 2. Yellow shell 💛🐚

3 & 4. Spongey moth 🧽🦋

5 & 6. Orange swift 🍊💨 - look at its fluffy legs?!!

7 & 8. Common wainscot 🪵🧱

9. FURIOUS common grass veneer 😡🌾

10. Equally FURIOUS checkered grass veneer 😡🏁

[Just to add again: spongey moths are not considered a pest reportable to forestry services in my area of the UK. So this majestic floof was released to go about its day.]

[tavernlords]

Like Old Times, Your Majesty (A King's Choice Kerwin x Neu!Reader Oneshot) || Angst/Comfort

"Your Majesty... What are you doing...? It's pitch black out here."

"Kerwin-!" In the darkness, all you can see is a silhouette of a tall man with a dim candle in the distance. It's hard to make out, but you know it's him. You could never mistake that velvety voice.

As he walks up, he plops down beside you on the grass with a soft grunt and sighs. He takes in the fresh midnight air and the gentle breeze. You stare at him as he rearranges himself into a comfy position and snuffs out his candle before putting it on the grass. While he is outstretched and enjoying the night, you are tiny with legs tucked and face squished to your knees. You wonder how he does it. How he seems to become one with the world as he lays. You wish you could do that.

He takes a deep breath. "So, what's on your mind? You don't usually stay out this late." You turn away from him, a heavy guilt in your chest for forgetting to change your demeanor. You don't want him to see you like this. You have to stay strong for him. After all, with the death of his father, he must be going through a lot. You can't burden him with the weight of the ever-growing boulder on your back. He must be sick of it as it is. "Nothing... just uhm..." But the crack in your throat gives you away. You pretend it didn't happen. "Talbot..." He knows you're lying he knows you're lying he knows you're lying. "He dropped a vase."

"Oh, yea. I heard that. It got me up, too..." He pauses for a second. "Did that startle you?" You nod, tears in your eyes threatening to let loose. He puts a hand on your back in an attempt to console you. It works a little too well, and you feel yourself sob a little without your consent; his presence is like a warm hearth to you right now. Just him being there with you makes you feel a little more protected. You hate being alone. You're afraid someone might attack you if you are. It's a heavy burden to bare, but you'd never admit that.

The thin veneer of stoicism blows away in the wind, and you hear your sobs get louder and louder. You hug your knees firmly, planting your face into the crevice between your thighs, and let go. You know if you looked at him right now, you'd instantly crumble. But it seems that you aren't doing a very good job at keeping yourself from doing so. It's simply all too much.

He quickly pushes toward you to hold you in his arms. As time goes forward and your sobbing turns into frantic gasps of air, he hugs you tighter. There was always something different about Kerwin hugs. They were like the coziness of your blanket when you first wake up every morning, the fuzzy feeling of a beer after 5 longs years of fighting a relentless war, or the laughs you had as a kid when you had no idea the world was so cruel. They made you feel innocent and light. Like you were just a commoner with no kingdom to rule and only a home to take care of.

After a good, long moment, when you can finally feel yourself breathe again, you let go and apologize. You tell him you really don't mean to burden him and that it's okay if he thinks you're a weak ruler now. You didn't mean to make him feel sorry for you. He just hugs you again. But then he light pushes you away from him, and grabs your shoulders.

"Y/N. You're not a ruler to me. You're so much more than that!" He looks down, empathy heavy in his heart. "I know it's hard for you... but you don't have to put up that act around me. We've known each other for, what, 10, 15 years now? I'll always be here for you. I never plan on leaving." Then he gently gazes into your eyes, worry coating his face like fresh waves darkening light sand. You feel your heart racing, and your eyes well up again. He takes notice, discreetly looking down and then peering up again, this time with a kinder and lighter expression. Softening his grip, he traces his hands down your arms to hold your hands. You know his skin is scarred and calloused from countless battles, but they feel soft to you. He makes sure you feel that softness.

You manage a faint smile in response and a tiny grief-stricken chuckle. He smiles a little more at this, happy to make you happy at least for a second. You stay like this for a nice minute. The air clears with time.

"It isn't just Talbot, is it?" You look away again. "No..." You murmur.

"Do you want to talk about it?" His voice is low and unintrusive.

You pause, breathe in, and try your hardest not to cry again.

"Its just... I'm scared." You look up at him, lips quivering. "I'm scared I'm going to..." Your body chokes on a sob, and you try to recuperate, "lose everyone. I'm scared that, in the end, it's just gonna be me in my giant castle with my guards and servants and I'll just..." Sniffling, you squeeze a tear down your cheek "...Be alone. I'm afraid I'll be walking with you down the path to a nearby kingdom and you'll just- you get stabbed or shot or anything! I couldn't-"

Kerwin clenches your hands, and fold his fingers into yours. Letting your heart settle before continuing, you utter "I couldn't live with myself if I ever let that happen, knowing it could. I don't think... I could ever live without you by my side. Or Greg. Or Talbot. Or Lance. Or-" You curl into him as you can no longer help yourself from bawling. To know he's here and alive gives you so much comfort. You never want this to end. You never want to stop feeling his unbuttoned nightgown against the side of your face or his hands cupping your back. You wish he was immortal. If somehow, by your power as a lord, you could make him invincible. But you can't.

Planting his face in your hair, Kerwin whispers something to you. "Hey... do you remember..." He's holding you entirely in his arms and supporting you with his chest. Almost like he's shrouding you in light or draping a sheet over you. "That time we were outside the city walls, in that great big field near Agatha's wheat farm?" "Hm?"

"I was 11. You were 12. The world was so big and all we wanted to do was to explore it. But then, I got lost in those huge stocks of wheat. You were calling out my name, wondering where I was. I laughed and laughed and laughed while you tried to find me." You giggle at the memory. "...Then you heard this growling from out of nowhere! You panicked and started running trying to find me while I was still laughing. And suddenly - I got bit by something hard! When you finally found me, I was wailing like a baby."

He laughs a little, a burning in his heart with fondness of the past.

"You took me back to your castle, and Allie fixed me right up! I was good as new, but you were still worried. You made me pinky promise you that wherever I go, you had to be with me no matter what."

You smile, now a little tired from all the energy you spent crying. You feel safe in his embrace. "I remember it like yesterday." You let out a tiny chuckle. You can never forget the face he made as you picked him up and forced him onto a piggyback ride. You wish it was summer as kids again. The golden spray of light that peeked behind sheaves of yellow grass. The beautiful pink glow of Kerwin's hair under the sun. The story calmed you down. Your breathing is at steady pace again.

"Well, I never forgot it... Y/N, I trust that whatever comes you'll always have my back. At the same time, I'll always have yours. Things will happen as they happen, and we can never truly prepare for the future. I'm constantly afraid I'm going to lose you. But i wake up the next morning, and you're still there. You're alive and breathing, and still that strong and beautiful lord I've always known." You snuggle in closer to his chest and feel his heartbeat. It's unusually fast, but you take comfort in it. You moan lightly, at ease, sleepy and secure. His heartbeat rises.

He pauses for a long time, and you feel his body get warmer. It's serene and cozy. Just as you're about to fall asleep, he says "Uh... Actually... Y/N... I've been meaning to tell you something for...." He laughs to take off his own tension "about millennia now..." You moan again sleepily, as a confirmation for him to go on with what he wants to tell you. "Do you think... You'd want to stay like this? I mean- Ah, what I'm trying to say is- I think I might..." He takes a breath. "Want to be with you. For ever. Or as long as possible, if that's okay?"

That wakes you up, and you gasp, bumping the top of your head on his chin and nose as you launch up in surprise. He yelps. As you feel adrenaline rush through your veins, your cup your mouth in shock for what you'd done. Kerwin covers his nose and winches in pain. "Oh, my god, Kerwin! I'm so sorry!" He laughs and smiles, "Haha, no! It's fine, really. Augh..."

With tears in his eyes, he looks up at you through strawberry hair, hovering his hands above slightly bloody nostrils. You grab his face and squish it into yours, absorbing all his pain and tasting the metal from his nosebleed. It definitely it's not the most sanctimonious kiss in the world, but goddamn it, it's yours. It's finally yours. In between gasps for air, you chuckle in relief. Finally.

Kerwin sobs for a brief second between kisses and stops, holding you forehead to forehead. Droplets hit your legs, and when you open your eyes you see him crying. "Kerwin-"

"I'm-" He takes a breath "I'm okay, Your Majesty, I just-" He sniffles "I've been waiting so long for this..." He lets out a relieved giggle.

You kiss him again.

[proserpinaem]

Back on my hyperfixation shenanigans so I have not slept and here's a list of what I consider to be the prettiest beetles, butterflies and moths, damselflies, and grasshoppers and crickets that inhabit Colorado and Kentucky according to insectidentification.org :

COLORADO

Emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis)

Fifteen-spotted lady beetle (Anatis labiculata)

Golden tortoise beetle (Charidotella sexpunctata)

Knapweed root weevil (Cyphocleonus achates)

Longhorn beetle (Semanotus amethystinus)

Dogbane Leaf Beetle (Chrysochus auratus)

European Ground Beetle (Carabus nemoralis)

Golden Net-wing Beetle (Dictyoptera aurora)?

Margined Blister Beetle (Epicauta funebris)

May Beetle - P. lanceolata (Phyllophaga lanceolata)

Mottled Tortoise Beetle (Deloyala guttata)

Pleasing Fungus Beetle (Gibbifer californicus)

Poplar Borer Beetle (Saperda calcarata)

Shining Leaf Chafer - Anomala spp. (Anomala spp.)

Signate Lady Beetle (Hyperaspis signata)

American Lappet Moth (Phyllodesma americana)

Cinnabar Moth (Tyria jacobaeae)

Common Checkered-Skipper (Pyrgus communis)

Glover's Silkmoth (Hyalophora columbia gloveri)

Great Ash Sphinx Moth (Sphinx chersis)

Autumn Meadowhawk (Sympetrum vicinum)

Black Saddlebags Skimmer (Tramea lacerata)

Bird Grasshopper (Schistocerca spp.)

Obscure Bird Grasshopper (Schistocerca obscura)

Sooty Longwing Katydid (Capnobotes fulginosus)

KENTUCKY

Andrew's Snail-eating Beetle (Scaphinotus andrewsii)

Black Firefly (Lucidota atra)

Calligrapha Beetle (Calligrapha spp)

Eastern Hercules Beetle (Dynastes tityus)

Emerald Euphoria Beetle (Euphoria fulgida)

Glowworm (Phengodes spp.)

Goldsmith Beetle (Cotalpa lanigera)

Metallic Wood-boring Beetle: Chalcophora (Chalcophora fortis)

Notched-mouth Ground Beetle (Dicaelus purpuratus)

One-spotted Tiger Beetle (Apterodela unipuncata)

Rainbow Darkling Beetle (Tarpela micans)

Rainbow Scarab Beetle (Phanaeus vindex)

Six-spotted Tiger Beetle (Cicindela sexguttata)

Southern Sculptured Pine Borer Beetle (Chalcophora georgiana)

Stag Beetle (Lucanus capreolus)

Twice-stabbed Lady Beetle (Chilocorus stigma)

Vietinghoff's Ground Beetle (Carabus vietinghoffii)

Abbott's Sphinx Moth (Sphecodina abbottii)

American Ermine Moth (Yponomeuta multipunctella)

Arched Hooktip (Drepana arcuata)

American Bird's-Wing Moth (Dypterygia rozmani)

Arcigera Flower Moth (Schinia arcigera)

Attentive Crocus Moth (Xanthotype attenuaria)

Basswood Leafroller (Pantographa limata)

Beautiful Wood-Nymph (Eudryas grata)

Black-waved Flannel Moth (Megalopyge crispata)

Blackberry Looper (Chlorochlamys chloroleucaria

Blinded Sphinx Moth (Paonias excaecata)

Bluish Spring Moth (Lomographa semiclarata

Buck Moth (Hemileuca maia)

Carmine Snout Moth (Peoria approximella)

Carrot Seed Moth (Sitochroa palealis)

Cecropia Silk Moth (Hyalophora cecropia)

Changeable Grass-Veneer (Fissicrambus mutabilis)

Colorful Zale (Zale minerea)

Common Lytrosis Moth (Lytrosis unitaria)

Confused Eusarca (Eusarca confusaria)

Cross-lined Wave (Timandra amaturaria)

Curve-toothed Geometer (Eutrapela clemataria)

Dark-banded Geometer (Ecliptopera atricolorata)

Deep Yellow Euchlaena (Euchlaena amoenaria)

Diaphania costata (Diaphania costata

Dimorphic Macalla (Epipaschia superatalis)

Dot-lined White (Artace cribrarius)

Dotted Gray (Glena cribrataria)

Drab Prominent (Misogada unicolor)

Eight-spotted Forester Moth (Alypia octomaculata)

Elder Shoot Borer (Achatodes zeae)

Explicit Arches (Lacinipolia explicata)

Eyed Paectes Moth (Paectes oculatrix)

Falcate Orangetip (Anthocharis midea) (female)

Fall Webworm (Hyphantria cunea)

False Crocus Geometer (Xanthotype urticaria

Fervid Plagodis (Plagodis fervidaria)

Fig Sphinx (Pachylia ficus)

Friendly Probole Moth (Probole amicaria)

Giant Leopard Moth (Hypercompe scribonia)

Goldcap Moss-eater Moth (Epimartyria auricrinella)

Gray-edged Hypena (Hypena madefactalis)

Green Arches (Anaplectoides prasina)

Hag Moth (Phobetron pithecium

Hibiscus Leaf Caterpillar Moth (Rusicada privata)

Imperial Moth (Eacles imperialis)

Lesser Maple Spanworm Moth (Speranza pustularia

Luna Moth (Actias luna)

Melissa Blue Butterfly (Plebejus melissa spp.)

Modest Sphinx Moth (Pachysphinx modesta)

Morbid Owlet Moth (Chytolita morbidalis)

Orange-patched Smoky Moth (Pyromorpha dimidiata)

Pale Beauty (Campaea perlata)

Pale Lichen Moth (Crambidia pallida)

Pale Metarranthis (Metarranthis indeclinata)

Pandorus Sphinx Moth (Eumorpha pandorus)

Parthenice Tiger Moth (Apantesis parthenice)

Pearly Wood-Nymph Moth (Eudryas unio)

Pero Moth (Pero spp.)

Pink-patched Looper (Eosphoropteryx thyatyroides)

Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor)

Pistachio Emerald Moth (Hethemia pistasciaria)

Plebeian Sphinx Moth (Paratrea plebeja) (Caterpillar)

Primrose Moth (Schinia florida)

Promiscuous Angle Moth (Macaria promiscuata)

Raspberry Pyrausta (Pyrausta signatalis)

Rustic Sphinx Moth (Manduca rustica)

Saddleback Caterpillar Moth (Acharia stimulea)

Saddled Yellowhorn (Colocasia flavicornis)

Salt-and-pepper Looper Moth (Syngrapha rectangula)

Satin Moth (Leucoma salicis)

Scarlet-winged Lichen Moth (Hypoprepia miniata)

Schlaeger's Fruitworm Moth (Antaeotricha schlaegeri)

Showy Emerald Moth (Dichorda iridaria)

Small Bird Dropping Moth (Ponometia erastrioides)

Snowy Urola (Urola nivalis)

Sorghum Webworm Moth (Nola cereella)

Southern Flannel Moth (Megalopyge opercularis)

Southern Longhorn Moth (Adela caeruleella)

Southern Pine Sphinx (Lapara coniferarum)

Southern Tussock Moth (Dasychira meridionalis)

The Badwing (Dyspteris abortivaria)

Unspotted Looper Moth (Allagrapha aerea)

Venerable Dart Moth (Agrotis venerabilis

Vine Sphinx Moth (Eumorpha vitis)

Walnut Sphinx Moth (Amorpha juglandis)

Wavy-lined Emerald Moth (Synchlora aerata)

Western Grapeleaf Skeletonizer Moth (Harrisina metallica)

White Flannel Moth (Norape ovina)

White Slant-line Moth (Tetracis cachexiata)

White-fringed Emerald Moth (Nemoria mimosaria)

Yucca Moth (Tegeticula, Greya, and Prodoxus spp.)

Carolina Locust (Dissosteira carolina)

Eastern Shieldback Katydid (Atlanticus spp.)

Slender Meadow Katydid (Conocephalus fasciatus)

True Katydid (Pterophylla camellifolia)

Ebony Jewelwing (Calopteryx maculata)

Midland Clubtail (Gomphurus fraternus)

Red Saddlebags (Tramea onusta)

Seepage Dancer (Argia bipunctulata)

[kirinda-ondo]

OKAY FOR THE OC ASK THINGIE.... Can you do your silly lil fruits (and Cayenne if you want) to- 2, 7, 8, 22, 24, 27, 33, 37, 47 :)

o shit you're also putting me to work, thank u

2. which ocs are most likely to be caught eating cheese at 3 am?

I know exactly why you asked this one and it's because one time I made Bragi in the sims and he made like 8 grilled cheese sandwiches at 2 in the morning. That's canon btw-

Cayenne would also be out here eating cheese at 3 am, but like, just the slices.

Aneas and Tomor are normal--

7. which ocs would feel super out of place at a formal event? which ocs are completely fine with it?

Everyone but Bragi, fancy dapper boy extraordinaire, is not having a good time.

Aneas could look the part of a fancy event goer, but he'd have major imposter syndrome (then again he feels kind of out of place everywhere).

Tomor is not formal event ready at all he's an outdoor boy give him some fucking DIRT!!! he's not even allowed to say naughty words, he's fucking miserable--

Cayenne is similarly not formal event ready. She could clean up nicely but it would take all of about 10 minutes before she turned it into a ballroom blitz.

8. which ocs use/would use technology the most?

Bragi is hella online. Slightly less so after the Godtube fiasco, but he's pretty tech savvy on a normal person level.

Cayenne is kind of tech savvy because [less than legit online streaming service] is the wave of the future for not paying for movies. She also plays video games on occasion, but mostly she goes outside and touches grass. By which I mean she punches the grass.

Tomor speaks in memes but it's honestly more of a translation convention than him actually being online. He's not dumb with technology, he just prefers to go outside and touch grass.

Aneas is a little old lady when it comes to technology. He can barely operate his toaster. He also touches grass because the grass is his friends :)

22. which ocs are most flexible? which ocs are least?

Physically, Bragi is pretty limber (though his vest does limit his movement a bit because it's thick lol), mentally, he's pretty stubborn, but he's more open to new things these days.

Aneas is pretty flexible and open-minded, but physically, my guy is not very bendable lol

Tomor is decently limber, but mentally he's about as close-minded as you can get, under a veneer of chill detachment lol

Cayenne is inflexible in either sense. She's not properly trained so her body is not quite as limber as it could be, and emotionally, she's a nigh impenetrable wall of stubbornness.

24. which ocs have the most common sense? which have the least?

Aneas is the only one here with common sense, and even then, that goes out the window the moment his wife is involved.

Tomor THINKS he has common sense but he's really just kind of an edgelord.

Bragi does NOTHING common, and that includes sense. Don't tell him that though, he would disagree vehemently.

Cayenne has one brain cell and there's no room for that in there.

27. which ocs put lots of care into their physical appearance? which ocs could not care less?

Bragi is a very well-groomed boy! He doesn't like to get dirty or sweaty or tarnish that in any way.

Aneas likes to look nice, but he doesn't put nearly as much focus on it as Bragi, since it's not like he's going anywhere.

Cayenne doesn't really think that much of her appearance. Sure, she'd like to be incredibly hot and badass, but she's just whatever looking, so what can you do?

Tomor literally could not care less. Like he'll bathe or whatever, he's not that much of a heathen, but he's too busy to try and impress anyone with appearances.

33. which ocs can speak multiple languages? how many can they speak?

Bragi can speak a lot of different languages from his home universe! Not super fluently or anything, but he knows enough to get by and make small talk. It helps when you have to go check on your planets.

Aneas knows a few words and phrases in languages from his quadrant of his home universe. Not really enough to string full sentences together, but enough to pick up on occasional context from the guardian deities he watches over.

Tomor only speaks one language, though he loves some good wordplay. The henway is his favorite. :)

Cayenne speaks one language, though her spelling leaves much to be desired. She will spell a word like 3 wildly different ways with whatever letters sound the strongest. "Cat" is weak. "KATT," however, is stronger. Could beat "cat" in a fight.

37. which ocs dress for comfort > fashion? which ocs dress fashion > comfort?

Tomor focuses entirely on what's the most comfortable and practical for him to wear. He doesn't experiment with clothing styles (or even colors) whatsoever.

Cayenne prioritizes what's comfortable and easiest to fight in, though sometimes that is very much at odds with what she thinks looks cool, so she's struggling to find a good balance lol

Aneas has to balance comfort and fashion AND following the dress code. He's got it a bit rough. That said, while he might do little tweaks here and there for aesthetic reasons, it's often a bit more focused on comfort and practicality.

Bragi is a little fashion boy, what with his many elaborate outfits, but he does also take his own comfort into account. Even if it's the cutest thing ever, if it's got shoulder covering sleeves, he will not wear it. Likewise, he will not risk breaking his ankles in heels even if he really really really wants to wear them...

47. which ocs use the “wrong” dishes for things purely to spite others who can’t stand it? (like drinking coffee off a plate)

Cayenne doesn't give a shit, if it can be used as an eating surface, she's eating off it. It's less dishes to do lol

Tomor would hate this in principle, but the idea of doing it just to make Bragi want to tear his hair out is really funny to him, so he'd do it for the bit--

Aneas would never, he'd spill his plate of coffee everywhere and be incredibly stressed about it lmao

Bragi would never, and if you did it in front of him he would be seething. He's a huge stickler for certain things being referred to by proper name or done by proper instructions and this blatant misuse of dinnerware is probably a war crime.

[lizzygrantarchives]

British Vogue, March 2012

Lana Del Rey, pop���s newest seductress, overnight internet sensation – and fashion’s latest crush – has hypnotised with her melancholic songs of bruised hearts. Jess Cartner-Morley catches up with an enigmatic sweetheart.

Our hotel-room rendezvous was billed as an interview; it wasn’t until afterwards that I realised Lana Del Rey turned it into a seduction. She had given straight answers to almost none of my typed list of questions; at the time, I barely noticed and didn’t care. Her voice was rich and slow as treacle, and she sat close to me on the sofa, holding my gaze with eyes hooded and sad beneath those showgirl lashes, weaving a web of half-told stories, making every evasion feel like a heartfelt intimacy. She’s good, this girl, very good.

Lana Del Rey is a siren for the YouTube generation. Last May, when she was an unknown 24-year-old living in New York, singing in clubs in the East Village, she made a video montage on her laptop to accompany “Video Games”, a bruised, melancholy love song she had recorded. The video feels like a homage to American teenage summer love – jumping into swimming pools, a stars-and- stripes flag in the breeze, the view of trees you get when you’re lying on the grass – spliced with film of Lana herself, dolled-up and deadpan, singing into the camera. Within weeks, the video went viral; by the end of the summer, she was an internet sensation with a record deal. Before her album was finished, let alone released, she was selling out gigs and being analysed as a pop-cultural phenomenon in the broadsheets.

There is something very odd about Lana. It is as if a David Lynch character has walked into a music world mostly scripted by Simon Cowell. Her popularity flies in the face of the current accepted wisdom that showing the public how real and normal you are, Adele-style, is the key to success. Lana’s oddness – a sense that there is something spooky or unsettling about her – is what gives her star quality, more than the gorgeous voice, or the beautiful face. The china-doll veneer of her look combined with the sad, sad look in her eye, and her lyrics, which are about heartbreak – not the peppy, let’s-get-back-together-baby version which is the common currency of pop, but real heartbreak.

Lana answers the hotel-room door in Wrangler jeans, T-shirt and white Converse. She is wearing small pearl stud earrings and a silver chain around her neck. She is 25, but looks younger, and the effect of the outfit – combined with her girlish best-behaviour manners and a startling, honking laugh – is teenage-babysitter cute. Except, this being Lana Del Rey, the look is set slightly off- kilter by some extraordinarily vampish nail art and false lashes that look scaled for a Las Vegas nightclub stage. Oh, and the fact that rather than being paid a few dollars for an evening babysitting, she has just stepped off a flight from Beijing, where Dior flew her to sing at a party. (So busy is her schedule, they had to make a two-hour stopover in Heathrow, on her way home to New York, just for this interview.) She sips her soda through a straw, the better to preserve the richly glossed lips – which in the flesh are full but not as cartoonishly so as they appear in her videos, routinely sparking rumours of collagen (these she flatly denies). Her long hair, the colour of a fox’s tail, is set in her trademark Veronica Lake waves; on her left hand she has a tattoo of an M, for her grandmother Madeleine.

She sings about love. Not about flirting or having crushes or first kisses, but the grand amour type of affair that, in art, always ends badly. She wrote the just-released Born to Die album “because even though I can’t be with that person anymore, I still want to honour those memories. I felt like falling in love changed me, neurologically, and the record is about being faithful in my mind to the memory of a particular person.” I ask if it’s all about one specific past relationship, and she giggles and says, “Yeah, definitely.” So I ask if she’s still in contact with him, to which she replies, “Um, I’m in contact with his mother.” This is such an odd answer that I have to ask, is he still around? She fiddles with her hair and chain, and says, “Um, he’s somewhere else, but he’s, um, around, yes.” So of course now I am dying to ask: is he dead? In prison? But she is staring at me wide-eyed, and looks quite panic-stricken, and I have no idea now whether this line of questioning is going to make her cry or whether she’s playing me, but I don’t have the heart to pursue it.

I’d bet that Lana has some stories to tell, if and when she chooses. She has described the album as “a tribute to living life on the wild side”, but when I ask her about this, she says, “I’m sort of kidding, because I’m not that wild anymore.” When I ask how wild she used to be, she winces and says, “Um, pretty wild.” In what way? She winces again and laughs, and says, “Pretty much any way, I guess, but it was a long time ago.” OK, so how long have you been... not wild? “Seven years. I used to drink a lot. Too much. I haven’t had a drink for seven years now.”

Autobiography is never far from the Lana Del Rey story. She was born Lizzy Grant in Lake Placid, a quiet, half-forgotten mountain town at the outer edge of New York state. Her father is a real-estate broker. “It is cold, sub-zero cold, for nine months of the year,” she says. Not much happens in Lake Placid, by the sound of it, and Lana’s family didn’t have a television. At 14, she was sent to boarding school in Connecticut; as a teenager, she says her musical tastes revolved around “Eminem and current rap, and that was about it. I was singing in school, and writing things here and there, but music wasn’t a big part of my life.”

Her interest in music seems to have begun with falling in love with the characters that musicians can make for themselves, rather than in the chords-and-keys sense. One of Lana’s defining memories is seeing, aged 11, the Anton Corbijn-directed music video for Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box”. “I was just floored by it, by seeing Kurt Cobain as a person. I had never seen anything like it.” Aged 18, she moved to New York to study metaphysics at Fordham University and “that was when my musical experience began. I kind of found people for myself.” She made rent doing odd jobs on Craigslist: “Helping somebody move across town for a day, or appearing in NYU student B-movies for $100 cash, that sort of thing.”

Lana “loved Bob Dylan as a person before I heard his music. I liked that he was political, and I liked that he was kind of a bum. It made me feel better about the way I was living at the time, really day to day... the way you do live when you are young and in New York.” She was also influenced by Elvis because “he made me realise how beautiful the human voice could be. Him and Frank Sinatra.” The torch-song heritage is strong on Born to Die, but the bored teenage years listening to Eminem and Biggie Smalls weren’t wasted either. “That music taught me that it was OK to tell your story in a song,” she says.

There was a false start to Lana’s career five years ago. She signed a record deal, earning $10,000 dollars, which she spent on renting a trailer outside New York City for a year and a half. An album was released, then shelved, and the momentum faded away. Lana “shifted focus onto other things” – primarily working in community service. “Homeless outreach, drug and alcohol rehabilitation – that’s been my life for the past five years. My friends are a core group of girls I met through work, and they never really knew I was a singer, because nothing was ever happening. I consider myself coming out of retirement as a singer at this point. Until last year I hadn’t been on stage for three years.” Lost love, wild days, and an almost evangelical service ethic: there are a whole lot of tantalising elements to the Lana Del Rey back story, but she doesn’t ever give away quite enough to let you figure out how they fit together.

No one describes Lana’s look better than Lana herself. “Gangster Nancy Sinatra”, “Lolita got lost in the hood”, and “I live in Monaco but don’t fuck with me” are just a few of the lines she has used. Ferdy Unger-Hamilton, who signed Lana to his Polydor label and describes her as “scarily smart”, says, “It is rare to find an artist who can step out of themselves and visualise how they will be perceived.” The fashion world has fallen for Lana in a major way. After “Video Games” was the hauntingly beautiful soundtrack to Christopher Kane’s spring/summer 2012 London show, other labels followed. Just before the Dior gig in Beijing, she sang a set as the star of a Mulberry party at the Chateau Marmont. She tells me that when she and her sister came up with the name Lana Del Rey eight years ago, she conceived it as “the name for an art project that I could build a sonic world around”. But, in the next breath, she is adamant that the way she looks in the videos is just the way she naturally is, and that she doesn’t have a style. “If I’m going on television, I guess I should wear something nice, but that’s as far as it goes.” Asked who she thinks has great style, she says she can’t think of anyone. Pressed, she offers Grace Kelly. I get the impression that she is holding back on talking about her image because she knows that any soundbite she gives on how she looks will be the quote everyone remembers, and will be seized upon by the internet trolls who have it in for her.

Such is the breakneck speed of modern celebrity that Lana was the victim of an online backlash within weeks of having her first hit single, with detractors accusing her of being fake. The top line of internet gossip is whether she has had collagen in her lips, an obsession which seems to be her critics’ way of articulating a sense that Lana’s persona feels confected. Photos of her as a teenager looking pretty but less dazzlingly styled are posted as triumphant evidence that she is somehow inauthentic. It is puzzling, because no one goes online and tries to expose Lady Gaga as a fraud because she didn’t wear Philip Treacy lobster hats to school.

The difference, I think, is that Lady Gaga isn’t trying to be sexy. Lana’s combination of a theatrical persona and a flesh-and-blood sex appeal frightens or threatens people in some way. Lana seems genuinely disquieted by the vitriol she has experienced. I get halfway through a question about her lips and her hands fly up and cover her mouth, which is such an unexpected reaction that I break off and ask something else instead. She says what bothers her most is the prevalence of the idea that she doesn’t write her own music, and that she can’t sing. Success has been a bittersweet experience so far.

Now – ironically for the newly crowned queen of heartbreak pop – Lana has a boyfriend. This much she will tell me, but no more. Who is he? “Just a guy.” How long have you been seeing him? “Um, I don’t know. I guess the last couple of months.” Is he involved in music? “Um, I guess, no.” So when she writes another record, will it be a happier one? “Oh, I don’t think I’ll write another record. What would I say? I feel like everything I wanted to say, I’ve said already.”

Originally published in the March 2012 issue of British Vogue with the headline The Video Star.

[blackspiritshake]

Black in Design Collection at CB2

Black In Design Collective | CB2

This remarkable piece draws inspiration from the traditional 4-legged Kikuyu stools made specifically for women out of singular tree trunks—a stool often found in the center of the "nyumba" or home. Designed by Sandra Githinji of Sandra Githinji Studio, this coffee table features a top with a mesmerizing pinwheel pattern made of ebonized oak certified sustainable by the Forest Stewardship Council ® (FSC). It rests atop four solid ebonized oak legs whose geometry marries clean horizontal lines with gentle interior-facing curves. CB2 exclusive.

Dome Round Ebonized Oak Wood Coffee Table 47.25"Wx47.25"Dx14"H Designed by Sandra Githinji Studio for the Black in Design Collective Engineered hardwood frame with FSC®-certified ebonized oak veneer FSC®-certified solid ebonized oak legs Made in Indonesia

Carved of honed travertine stone, this triple-tier pedestal by Sandra Githinji Studio references layered thatched roofs common within sub-Saharan Africa—the stone's natural veining embodying the textural qualities of grass reeds. As travertine is a natural stone, each piece will have unique variations that produce a one-of-a-kind piece. CB2 exclusive.

Tukul White Travertine Pedestal Table 20"Wx20"Dx30"H Designed by Sandra Githinji Studio for the Black in Design Collective Engineered wood frame Natural honed and unfilled travertine veneer Variation in color and activity of travertine is to be expected; each will be unique Imported

"Muthoni wa Kirima was a top-ranking female freedom fighter in 1950s Kenya," says Sandra Githinji of Sandra Githinji Studio of the creative muse for this stately bust. "She refused to cut her hair until her people tasted the fruits of independence." Nicknamed "Weaver Bird," this remarkable woman is the inspiration behind a casted fiber-clay bust that's suitable for indoor or outdoor display. CB2 exclusive.

Weaver Bird Black Fiber Clay Bust 12"Wx10.5"Dx23.5"H Designed by Sandra Githinji Studio for the Black in Design Collective Fiber clay Indoor/outdoor Made in India

[brightgnosis]

The hills, cuestas, and ridges of the Northern Cross Timbers are naturally covered by a mosaic of Oak Savanna, Scrubby Oak Forest, Eastern Redcedar, and Tall Grass Prairie. Native on porous, course-textures soils derived from sandstone are Post Oak, Blackjack Oak, and understory grasses. Tall Grass Prairie naturally occurs on fine-textures soils derived from limestone or shale. Overall, far more Oak Savanna occurs than in the Central Great Plans (27), Flint Hills (28), or Central Irregular Plains (40). Floristic variety is less, vegetation is sparser, and growing season is shorter than in the Eastern Cross Timbers (29b). Today, Livestock farming is the main land use; cropland is less extensive than in Ecoregions 27 and 40, but rangeland is less widespread than in Ecoregion 28. Soils are highly erodible when disturbed. Large oil fields were developed in the early 20th century; associated brine, drilling mud, and petroleum waste products have increased salinity in many streams. Streams are typically shallow and have sandy substrates; they are habitat-poor and have lower fish and macroinvertebrate species richness than Ecoregion 37e. However, some stream reaches have deep pools, riffles, and bedrock, boulder, cobble, or gravel substrates; these reaches have greater species richness and more pollution- and habitat-intolerant species than shallower streams in Ecoregion 29a.

[TURNED TO BACK]

[The physiography of the Northern Cross Timbers Ecoregion consists of] Rolling hills, cuestas, ridges, and ledges. Stream flow varies from year to year, and season to season. Shallow streams with sandy substrates are typical, but some stream reaches have deep pools, riffles, and bedrock, boulder, cobble, or gravel substrates. In headwater streams, sandstone blocks create isolated, enduring pools.

[The Surficial Bedrock in the] Uplands are mantled by Quaternary clayey silt to silty clay decomposition residuum,. clay loam decomposition residuum, clay loam decomposition residuum, and sandy decomposition residuum. Valleys are veneered with Quaternary Alluvium. Underlain by Pennsylvanian-age and Permian-age sandstone, shale, and limestone. Rock outcrops occur; sandstone blocks and boulders often litter hilltops and hill slopes.

[Common soil series] on Uplands: Alfisols (Haplustalfs [and] Paleustalfs), Mollisols (Hapludolls, Haplustolls, Argiudolls, [and] Argiustolls), Inceptisols (Haplustepts), [and] Vertisols (Haplusterts). On floodplains: Mollisols (Hapludolls [and] Haplustolls) [and] Entisols (Ustifluvents) […]

Potential natural vegetation: Cross Timbers (dominants: Post Oak, Blackjack Oak, and Little Bluestem), Tall Grass Prairie (dominants: Big Bluestem, Little Bluestem, Switchgrass, and Indiangrass), and a mosaic of Tall Grass Prairie and Oak-Hickory Forest. Native on clayey soils from limestone or shale: Mostly tall grasses (eg, Little Bluestem, Big Bluestem, Indiangrass and Switchgrass); drier, shallower soils support Short Grass Prairies. Native on shaley lowlands: Savanna. Native on porous, coarse-textured, sloping upland soils derived from sandstone: Mostly Post Oak, Blackjack Oak, and understory grasses; also Black Hickory, Black Oak, Persimmon, Redbud, Sumac, and increasingly, Eastern Redcedar. Native in riparian areas: Hackberry, American Elm, Post Oak, Black Walnut, Green Ash, Willow, Sycamore, and Cottonwood. Today, Scrubby Oak forests, Oak Savannas, riparian forests, and prairie openings occur.

[Land cover and land use is] Woodland, grassland, rangeland, pastureland, and limited cropland. The main crops are small grains Grain Sorghum, Hay, and Soybeans. Abandoned farmland is common. Fire suppression and passive land use have allowed the woodland distribution to greatly expand. Extensive, but declining, oil fields occur; associated brine, drilling mud, and petroleum waste products have increased salinity in many streams. Small impoundments are common.

From the ‘29a. Northern Cross Timbers Ecoregion’ Level IV Ecoregions of Oklahoma Poster (Front | Back); United States Environmental Protection Agency (My Ko-Fi Here)

[symply-sym]

dis a  common grass veneer, a small common moth whose larvae eat various types of grass

[dansnaturepictures]

27th May 2024: Bramble flowers, beautiful views and stunning burnt-tip orchids, Chiffchaff and Adonis Blue on a great bank holiday Monday walk at Martin Down

My first ever Hook-streaked Grass-Veneer moth, Five-spot Burnet, Small Heath, Stonechat, Skylark, Chaffinch, Red Kite, Buzzard, a trio of Cuckoo, Yellowhammer and Tawny Owl heard, Rook, dame's-rocket, common rock-rose, thyme, kidney vetch, horseshoe vetch and early purple orchid were other highlights with Grey Heron enjoyed on the way home.

[lycomorpha]

I do believe it's Furious Grass Veneer time again!

Look at these delightfully tetchy little friends. I know they're not everyone's fav bc they're smol & common, & they look tetchy. But I am also smol and have resting grass veneer face. So I love them 🦋💖

Garden grass veneer, elbow-striped grass veneer, & I think barred grass veneer.

Sometimes I wonder how many other birds, spiders, etc rely on grass veneers as food. There's so many of them in summer, and they're tightly connected to the grasses they live in and eat. I'm willing to bet they're an important part of my garden/local ecosystem in some way.

[ikeromantic]

Silk and Steel

A Chevalier Michel fanfiction. Approx. 2200 words. This scene takes place in Chapter 2-3 of the main route and is told from Chevalier's POV. Part 4 of a series.

First: Bravery Becomes Her

Previous: Blood and Roses

Persistence was a trait Chevalier could admire, at least, when it wasn’t directed at him. When it was, that trait seemed far less admirable. 

The Belle stood in front of his desk, lips pressed into a tight, bloodless line. Her hands gripped her skirts as if she thought the fabric a shield. “Prince Chevalier. I - I . . .”

He lets his lips slide into a frown, and placed his full attention on her. After the incident in the garden, he’d expected she would keep her distance. That had been part of Clavis’ gambit, he thought. Though he had more than one theory on Clavis’ end goals. Trust, he thought, but not too much. Regardless of his brother’s intent, here she was. Still watching him with her wide, innocent eyes. He felt something odd in his chest, a bit like a cough. A constriction of breath.

She ducked her head, swallowed nervously.

Chevalier’s gaze grew colder. “You’re a disruption to my work. Leave.” 

“But . . .”

“Do you want me to lose my temper as I did yesterday? Then by all means, continue.” His words made her flinch. 

The Belle wavered for a moment, clearly fighting herself. Her fear was obvious under the thin veneer of courtesy, as was this odd sense of duty she clung to. She slipped into a graceful curtsy. “Then . . . another time, Prince Chevalier.” 

Chev watched her hurry away. He could not understand why she insisted on forcing herself into his presence again. His reputation alone kept most gentle folk away. And that was good, he reminded himself. A king had no time to waste on wilting violets. 

He sat back down and reached for the report on Obsidianite border incursions. They were growing bolder, it seemed. That heralded a change. He picked up a bulging, leatherbound document carrier. Notes from spies and other sources.

It would be a long day, he thought. And he had yet to read up on the changes to the Jadeite court this past month. Somewhere, he had intelligence on Benitoite’s arrangements with Obsidian too. With all of this to consider, his mind should be firmly on his duties. Yet he couldn’t help the way his thoughts drifted back to the Belle. Emma. 

Why was she so persistent? Did she see some gain in this for herself? She didn’t strike him as a social climber or a schemer. Just a frightened young woman, thrust into a position she neither expected nor wanted. He wondered if she knew how much of a target she would become, should her duty become common knowledge. And even if no one suspected she was the Belle, there was risk. One did not become close to the royal family without gaining the notice of its enemies.

He did not see the Belle again that day, and eventually he was able to banish her from his thoughts as he considered weightier things. 

The next day, Chevalier set off to meet with some of the nobles that had their lands on the borders. Most supported his aggressive stance. They understood the danger Obsidian posed. They suffered the losses from raids, lost loved ones, lived with the threat of more violence. 

Clavis, Luke, and Nokto accompanied him to the meeting, though Nokto quickly disappeared with some lively widow. Luke grew bored and wandered off down another garden path. Probably for a nap.

Chevalier didn’t need his brothers to assist, but presenting a united front for his faction lent an image of strength. He could appreciate that. 

The meeting didn’t take long. Enough time to learn the latest reports were accurate, so far as these men and women knew. Chev let Clavis handle the questioning, for the most part, as well as the courtesies. It seemed to set them at ease.

When the nobles finally took their leave, Chevalier let himself relax a fraction. He settled himself on the grass as he had when he was a boy. Laying back on the soft, springy turf. He closed his eyes and let his mind drift. It helped him draw in the bits of information he had to create a full picture. 

Clavis snorted, used to this behavior. “I’ll just walk a bit,” he called over to his brother. “Don’t get assassinated, hm?”

Chev didn’t waste time with a reply. In the warm afternoon sun, with the smell of flowers and the music of flowing water, he was able to submerge himself in his thoughts. The world faded and there was only the narrative - aggression, submission, resources, troops, allies, weapons - a tumult of thinly connected ideas. A girlish shriek pulled him out of his meditation. Then - 

“Ahahaha! That was a perfect reaction!” Clavis’ laughter. 

The rustle of a lady’s gown. “Clavis!”

“Relax! I was just checking to see that you’re doing alright. Yesterday it looked as if all the blood drained from your face, but as red as you look now, I’ve no need to worry!”

Chevalier’s frown deepened. What had his brother done just now? 

The Belle cleared her throat. “So. You came here to pick on me then?”

“Oh no. I just had something to give to Chev.”

The second prince felt his eye twitch. What was Clavis up to now? And why did his brother feel it necessary to pull him into his games?

“Okay. But Prince Chevalier isn’t here.” 

Chev realized then that she couldn’t see him from where she stood. He opened his eyes and turned his head. He could just make out her profile through the branches of a nearby rose bush. If he sat up, she’d be able to see him easily, but from here, he was hidden.

Clavis laughed again. “Oh ho, you haven’t noticed. My goodness! Well, this is a great opportunity. Why don’t you come along with me and have a chat with Chev too?”

“No! I mean, no thank you.”

“Awww what’s with that sour face? Does he really frighten you so much?”

Chevalier could see the way she flinched at his mention, and her look now was one of great reluctance. He supposed that was normal after watching him kill a man in cold blood. Such innocents could not bear the burden of their own defense. He realized as he watched her tense expression that he wished she hadn’t seen that. Before, she’d looked intimidated by him - but most people did - now, she was actually frightened. As if Chev were a true beast that could not be trusted around gentle folk.

Belle nodded agreement. 

“My goodness! You are such a cute little rabbit.” Clavis reached out to touch a gloved thumb to her chin.

It bothered Chevalier to see his brother touch her. It was . . . inappropriate. 

She pulled back from his touch. “What?”

“Oh yes,” Clavis’ smile widened. “You’re so awkward and adorable right now that it makes me want to pounce on you.”

The Belle’s fist clenched. “Even if I was a rabbit, rabbits still have teeth - ah!” She shrieked as Clavis grabbed her hand and pulled her against his chest. She barely held him back with the palm of her hand.

Chevalier nearly sat up but he knew this was all theater for his benefit. Part of some scheme or running joke. He could not give his brother the satisfaction of a reaction, even anger. 

Clavis took her chin between his fingers and tilted her face towards his. He examined her as one might an item at market. “Hm. Maybe there is some truth to what Chev said about you.”

“What are you talking about,” she asked breathlessly.

“No one is more a fool than one who freezes in every confrontation, as you are now.” Clavis shook his head and sighed. “At any rate, it would be out of the question for a noble beast to want to talk to a quivering rabbit like an equal.”

“I -” She swallowed, searching for what she ought to say.

Clavis let her go and she stumbled back from him. “You’ll never be a Belle if you act like this. At the most, you are just an insignificant little bunny to Chev right now. Is that what you want?”

Chevalier sighed. His brother wasn’t wrong, precisely, but it was a waste of time to explain it. The Belle was a fragile thing and he had no interest or need in breaking her. Let her have her month in the palace. When it ended, Chev would be king and she could return to wherever she came from. She didn’t need to do more than stay out of his way.

The Belle was quiet for a moment but her shoulders squared after a deep breath. “Of course not! I am the Belle and I will do my duty!” 

“Then be bold. Be brash. Like the tamer of a wild animal! Do you understand?” Clavis clapped his hands gleefully. “Don’t fear the beast, Emma. Even the Bloody Tiger will become a pet cat if you can tame him.” Clavis’ gaze darted to where he knew his brother lay. “If you truly want to choose the next king, you must be prepared to venture into the beast’s lair. Are you prepared to tame the wild beast?”

It was so melodramatic that Chevalier almost snorted. A pile of complete -

“Yes! I’ll give it everything I have. I will make him accept me as Belle!”

Complete nonsense. Chevalier couldn’t help the way his lips curved into a small smile. She sounded so determined. He heard notes of steel in her voice and an undercurrent of excitement.

“Hear that, Chev?” Clavis cackled. “Belle is going to tame you.”

Chevalier pushed himself up onto a nearby bench, eyes narrowed at the pair. What kind of mad woman would claim she could tame him? “Don’t drag me into your ridiculous conversations.”

“Oh . . . oh no . . .” The Belle turned to look at him, her expression one of abject horror. Her cheeks flushed with the heat of embarrassment now. She bit at her lower lip as if she might hold back more foolish pronouncements. As she met his gaze, a hint of defiance entered her expression. A determination that overtook her fear.

Chev felt a smile curl the edges of his lips. So she had some steel left in her afterall. “I don’t believe you have what it takes to tame a beast.” 

At his challenge, her chin firmed and her shoulders drew back. She lifted her head a fraction as if to reply that she would prove him wrong. 

Before she could say more, Chevalier stood. He forced the smile from his lips. He had wasted enough time already, he thought. Lying in the grass like a boy without a care in the world. Listening in on this, this ridiculous girl. He regarded her a moment longer before moving his attention to Clavis. “Summon the clown to the office later.”

His brother shrugged. “Sure. I can. But why don’t you speak with the Belle a little longer, since you’re both here?”

“I have no interest in this simpleton.” Chevalier wasn’t sure himself if he intended the insult as a challenge or if he truly wished to dismiss her. Both, perhaps. He disliked the sudden uncertainty he felt, a sensation he was not accustomed to. He adjusted his cloak and turned to leave before his brother could needle him again.

The Belle reached for him. “Wait!” Her fingers caught the edge of his cloak.

Chevalier responded to the tone of command in her voice, not because he must, but rather that it surprised him. Only moments ago, she’d been ready to flee the mention of him and now she thought to make demands. She was a strange girl, fascinating in her contradictions. He turned to face her. “What do you want?”

She let go of his cloak. Her hands smoothed her gown as she tilted her head to regard him. Then she gave a slight nod. “Yes. You’re right. When it comes to evaluating the future king, I may be out of my element right now. But I refuse to abandon this task just because some might think I’ll never be capable of fulfilling my role.”

The Belle paused, searching his face for something. Chevalier wasn’t sure what. Surely she knew better than to look to him for some confirmation or approval. He kept his lips pressed tight, resisting the urge to curl up at the corners. 

“As the newly appointed Belle, I’d like to formally introduce myself -”

“Unnecessary.”

 Her eyes widened slightly at his interruption. “What do you mean?”

Chevalier almost smiled again. “Instead of giving me your name, show me your worth. Show me why you deserve to have me listen to what you say.”

A hint of confusion clouded her brow. 

“This is going nowhere.” He poked her just below the collarbone to emphasize the point. A gentle, physical reinforcement as he’d done with his brothers when they were younger. But touching her was different. The contact sent a slight prickling up his arm and down his back, though he showed no visible reaction. Soft to the touch, delicate. He could feel how fragile she was under even that light pressure. And how strong. A creature of spun silk and hidden steel. He pulled his hand back quickly.

“What was that for?”

“For wasting my time.” Chevalier turned and this time kept walking. He didn’t like leaving her alone with Clavis but staying was worse. His own thoughts were a bit disordered as he retreated. He couldn’t say why it pleased him that the Belle had not backed down. That she met his words with defiance and determination. 

He didn’t realize as he walked back to the palace that he was smiling again.

Next: A Good Morning

[whale-minmin]

i made friends with a common grass-veneer moth and now it's sleeping on my finger for two hours 😭 help

[fratboycipher]

recent macro photographs that im particularly proud of

taken on a nikon D500 with a one to one lens

bugs are uhh marbled oak dagger, common gray, wavy lined emerald, some kind of weevil, tricolored acrobasis moth, sperrys grass veneer, some kind of insect, something in the genus euptilon, lacinopolia buscki, and mimorista subcostalis

[walkingshcdow-a]

Title: A Walk in the Garden Summary: Stolas and his Father walk in a garden paradise once more. AU Notes: This is for an AU I’m writing with @mytisanes. In it, Stolas, Blitzo, their children, and Moxxie and Millie are posing as humans in a sort of “Witness Protection Program”. Stolas and Blitzo are “married” and I love everything about this AU. Please note, according to Stolas’ page on the HB wiki, he’s a fallen angel.

They walk together through the garden, father and son. It’s been a while since you could see the resemblance but today it’s clear the father must have had the same dark hair in his youth, the same blue eyes. After all, his children are all in his image.

Stolas folds his hands behind his back to resist the urge to touch. It’s been so long and he wants to know that this is real, that he isn’t baked out of his mind with Loona, celebrating the end of exams for them both. The ground beneath him is soft; the grass springy under bare feet. Maybe this is real. It’s quieter than usual, mid-morning. He looks around for Blitzo or Octavia or Loona; even for Millie and Moxxie next door. He and his father could be alone in the neighborhood, in all the world, for all he can tell. Stolas walks with his father at a leisurely pace and every so often they stop and he tells him a little about the story of how the vegetable garden was started for a project for Octavia’s school or how Loona kept him company with merciless teasing as her snipped roses for Blitzo or how, when he’d come down with the flu, Blitzo and Moxxie and Millie all pitched in to keep the garden flourishing without his constant attentions. He strokes his Demonic Flytrap, which he smuggled seeds from Hell to Earth because he’d developed this subspecies himself. His father says nothing and smiles, hard to read. Stolas gets that from him. It’s a trick he learned in his youth, how to smile without revealing what kind of smile it is. It terrifies him to see his father make such a face. He gestures to the deck, the one that Blitzo insisted on building and only let him help to build because Millie had been too pregnant to help and the girls had homework and he would have rather put up with Stolas’ chipper questions than Moxxie’s because at least Stolas’ came with compliments and other things you didn’t tell your father, even if he was omniscient...

“It was a spectacular weekend,” he tells his father. “Just the two of us, making a home of this  place. The girls are begging us for a pool next. We might say yes, but we haven’t given in just yet. It’s hard to deny them anything.”

“It’s always hard to say “no”,” his father says. “You’ve set good boundaries with the girls. I wish I’d set better ones with you and your siblings.”

Stolas blinks and then his eyes narrow. He didn’t expect such candor, so quickly and he doesn’t trust it. Stella used to set traps like this for him, before the fighting lost any veneer of civility. He used to fall for it nearly every time, trusting in her love for him, like a fool. Why trust his father’s love now?

“You set very firm boundaries, Father,” he says. “I can’t imagine what a ‘better’ boundary would have looked like.”

“Clearer,” his father amends. “I wish you all had understood that I didn’t stop loving you just because I told you “no”.”

“I think I understand that now,” Stolas says. He flexes his wings, which he has not worn in thousands of years. They ache with atrophy, trembling a little as he stretches. Will they carry him if he tries to fly? For how long? Will Via have hers, too? Would she have had them anyway, even if they hadn’t ended up here? He imagines her flying and imagines all his panicked rules for safety if and when that happened, smiling sheepishly. “Being a parent grants you a certain perspective.”

“Some of your brothers are parents now, too,” his father says. “It doesn’t guarantee understanding.”

“Yes, well, Luci’s always been a bit stubborn. There’s a reason he reigns over the ring of pride.”

“You didn’t claim a ring for yourself.”

Stolas shrugs. It had been a wise choice on his part - to have some of the power and some of the glory without all of the responsibility and all of the corruption. He wishes he could say it was foresight. He remembers Stella’s ire when he chose the grimoire over a ring of Hell as his spoils of war. You could have been so much more, you pathetic piece of-

“I preferred my freedom,” he says. “I wanted to study....Science, magic, all of creation. Even during the war, I didn’t want to fight. I wanted… this.”

He looks around his garden and sees a set of four bicycles leaned against the siding, shoes scattered by the glass sliding door, the giant plastic recycling bin Blitzo sometimes leaned him over when they wanted to show off for the neighbors. How does he tell his father that this life he’s made is better than anything even the Lord of all creation could have given him?

“You couldn’t have had it in Heaven.”

It’s a statement of fact, but Stolas dares to peer into his father’s face. There’s an ounce of regret in his eyes, making them shine with unshed tears. He will not get an apology. He’s too old and too content to want one, but he tries to cast his memory back to streets of light. What place did a muddy garden have there? And what place did something so alive and lovely have in Imp City?

“I couldn’t have had it in Hell, either,” Stolas says, shrugging. “I suppose I’ve always envied humans. Their lives are brief, but they’re theirs. They live to their accord and they love, my word, do they love as deeply and freely as they choose.”

“You weren’t always unhappy with the choice made for you.”

“No, but matches made in Heaven don’t fare so well in Hell.” A pause. “Why is it that a match made in Hell works as well as mine and Blitzy’s does?”

His father stops walking and sighs slowly, steadily. He looks at Stolas, who only cocks his head.

“Love works in mysterious ways,” his father says.

“So do you.”

“My son, I am more knowable than the power of love. You’ve seen the cosmos: is love common? Does it fit neatly into the sciences you so love?”

Stolas is quiet.

“You won’t take me from him now that....” He lifts his wings feebly. “Or Octavia or Loona or... “

His father puts a hand to his shoulder and it calms Stolas quickly. It quiets him, at least, and that’s something that Blitzo would tell anyone who asked (or didn’t ask) was a challenge not for the faint of heart.

“I will grant you eternity with them.”

“Here?”

“If you wish it.”

Stolas ponders. He thinks of his palace with its hundreds of rooms and how much closer this little house has brought them. He imagines Loona bossing servants around, Octavia searching familiar walls to find unfamiliar portraits, Blitzo picking fights at royal balls or dodging unwanted glances, burning his first marriage bed even though it’s also the first place he made love to Blitzo, too, and trying to convince all of Hell that they were really a happy, blended family, even if his ex-wife tried to kill him for it. He isn’t a half-bad speechmaker. Maybe he can say something to keep the peace, but the other Goetia will not love his family as he does. There would be whispers at best; more assassins at worst. Blitzo deserves to relax enough to take only jobs he wants, not ones he has to take. And the girls… they deserve the world, even if the world is a muddy garden and a little house in the suburbs.

“We cannot return to Hell.”

“No.”

“And your angels won’t welcome Blitzo and Loona into Heaven.”

Stolas’ father winces.

“Nor you. Their union has spoken to me about fears that reformed princes might reclaim their thrones.”

“And if I wanted my throne? And used that power to demand all Heaven accept my husband and daughters?”

“Could you have done such a thing in Hell?”

Again, Stolas is silent, a resounding no.

“Things are going to change,” his father said. “In time. Lucifer’s daughter has a project in Hell that will do great things for people of all realms.”

“That half-way house?” Stolas makes a skeptical sound. His father shoots him a look.

“I am as proud of Charlie as I am of Octavia,” he says sternly enough to kill Stolas’ laughter. “Your niece will do great things and you and your family is a shining example of what is possible for angels and demons, what might come next.”

“I have so many questions-”

And that is when the beach ball hits Stolas squarely in the nose. He opens his eyes to find himself lying in one of the deck chairs above the garden, book open across his chest.

His father is gone.

“Nice shot!” Loona says, bumping Octavia’s shoulder.

“Dad,” Octavia says Stolas groggily sits up. That hadn’t felt like a dream and yet… “Blitzo says the pool company is coming to measure the yard in fifteen minutes.”

“I thought Blitzo and I told you no to the pool…”

The girls exchange  glances that say one thing very clearly: ‘Oh, shit’ before dashing around the side of the house. Stolas doesn’t know which of them had called the pool company or how much they had promised to pay, but as he shuffles to his feet, he tries to grab onto the dream as something real once more, wiggling his shoulders in search of the weight of wings. He could have sworn he feels something when he hears Blitzo yell from the front of the house: “Who the fuck called the pool company?!?”

He smiles before going inside. Maybe this is what paradise is, massaging your husband’s shoulders as he curses out the pool company you didn’t contract while saying, “Oh, Blitzy, we did say maybe…. We should have set clearer boundaries with them… but since they took the liberty.... It will do wonders for the resale value of this place and I do so enjoy the sight of you in a bathing suit...”

Yes, maybe this is paradise - the paradise they deserve at any rate, and, my, what a wonderful thing to deserve…!