#desire versus the plague of phone addiction

[cuubism]

@prismaluv I promised an actual eon ago that I would write something for Dream and Desire, and here it is, though I fear I haven't landed exactly where you were aiming for...

--

It has come to Dream’s attention that something is… wrong… in the Threshold.

It is not usually for him to take note of his siblings’ affairs. Particularly when said sibling is Desire. He would sooner let them wallow; perhaps it would teach them a lesson. But the malady, or irritation or scheme or whatever it may be is now seeping into the Dreaming, and so Dream must determine if it is intentional or not and what, depending on the answer, he must do about it.

The Threshold naturally shares a border with the Dreaming, for, to Dream’s chagrin, dreams and desires do find common or contested ground in love and ambition and other feelings besides. And those desirous dreams have been sickened. Corrupted. Dreamers see their lovers’ ravening maws and wake nauseous from what should have been visions of lovemaking; children’s songs curdle mockingly in their ears as light expands beyond joy beyond pain beyond burning. These dreams are not serving their purpose and Dream must put a stop to it.

“Sibling,” he calls, and receives no reply, but the Threshold allows him in, when he steps from the border of his realm into Desire’s.

The long pathways of Desire’s body are empty as ever. A mockery of blood vessels pumping nothing. Dream walks the known paths, alert in the silence, past the lungs with no breath, to the heart with no beating.

He steps into the curving chambers of that heart, the center of Desire’s power in the Threshold. His steps echo on the hard walls.

“Mmm,” comes Desire’s voice, slurred with malaise, echoing from deeper within, “come to gloat, have you, brother?”

“I have come to determine your purpose in poisoning my realm,” Dream says, following their voice. “I warned you not to toy with me again.”

Desire lets out a disgusted sigh. “Not everything I do is about you.”

“Recent events would suggest otherwise.” Dream finally reaches the central atrium of the Threshold’s heart. Desire is sprawled out on a chaise lounge, head pillowed on their arm. Their eyes are closed, their clothes wrinkled and ill-fitting, their hair lank. They appear to be wearing Despair’s ripped and stained jumper. Dream frowns.

“Go awayyyyy,” Desire complains. “Leave me to my misery.”

“What afflicts you?” Dream asks, standing over them. “Or are you simply experiencing remorse for your crimes, at long last?”

“‘Afflicts’,” Desire mutters, mockingly. “I am being persecuted and abused. Abandoned. Wasting away in apathy.”

Dream sits delicately on the arm of a chair by their side. If there truly is something wrong, and Desire is not just being melodramatic, or trying to annoy him, then they must take action. He will not allow the Dreaming to be harmed. “I fail to see how it could be persecution and abandonment at once.”

“Have you not seen them, Dream?” Desire complains, finally cracking one bleary golden eye open to look up at him.

“Seen whom?” Dream asks, with what he thinks is admirable patience.

“The people! Nobody wants anything. Not in a way that matters. Oh, it’s too easy. It’s too easy to take shortcuts. They don’t understand desire anymore.” Desire clutches their heart dramatically.

“I have not the faintest clue what you are talking about,” Dream says.

“I am a starving and bottomless mouth,” Desire tells him, looking up at him with both shining eyes now. “See, my teeth.” They bare their teeth at him. Their incisors are very sharp.

“I am aware of this.”

“And they think they can feed me with tiny little candies like a yapping chihuahua that’ll finally shut up. They’re poisoning me. They’re starving me. They’re glutting themselves on whatever makes the brain chemmies go weeweeweeweewoo for a second and look— look.” They drag down the hem of Despair’s jumper, peel back a layer of skin. Under it is not flesh, nor blood, but void, an expanding, hungry, agonized void. Dream stares into it, alarmed.

Desire lets their ‘skin’ snap back into place. “What does it even mean, Dream?” they ask rhetorically. “Nothing. It is all fleeting. Nothing deep about it. No one yearns, Dream. No one YEARNS!”

This is said in a despairing wail. Cautiously, Dream pets their hair.

“You crave deep and abiding wants and there is a glut of trivialities and distractions,” he summarizes, and they nod, teary. “Would it appease you if I removed all memory of mobile phones from the face of the earth?”

It doesn’t appease them, but it does make them laugh. Desire laughs, choked and teary, clutching at his hand. “God, I forgot that you’re actually funny when you’re not trying to be.”

It is strange, after all that has transpired, to have what could be considered a civil conversation. Dream still does not forgive them for anything they have done, and perhaps never will, but he sees, for a moment, a much younger year, when they were, in a fashion, friends.

“Many deep desires live in dreams now, for they have little hope of fulfillment,” he says. “But these small morsels, candies as you say, these are not dreamt of, except perhaps in nightmares of eternal wasting. It is still what dwells deepest in the heart that drives dreaming.”

“Are you trying to tell me that I matter?” Desire bites, and Dream simply says—

“Yes.”

“Oh.” Desire seems genuinely disturbed; perhaps they really did think he came to revel in their misery. Perhaps Dream did. But one of his siblings struggling in their duty can only have ill effects on his dreamers, and on their waking selves besides. Dream would be incredibly remiss in not addressing it. Or so he tells himself is his reasoning.

“I do believe there are still fierce desires in this world, though perhaps they have become buried. Usurped,” he says. “Disconnected from the body which is, as I understand it, their rightful home. Though addressing this is not something with which I can aid you.”

The body of living creatures is far outside Dream’s purview, and not something he well understands, except as it manifests in dreams—of hope of change, of twisted horror, of curling heat. And even then, it is far from him.

“I can’t believe you’re giving me advice and it’s not just telling me to go fuck myself,” Desire says faintly. Dream begins to protest, but they continue, “Not that you’d ever use those words, Your Highness.”

“It serves no one if one of our realms is in disarray,” says Dream, and if there is a sharp point to it, a reminder of exactly the damage Desire had so carelessly wrought in Dream’s realm, all the better. “I cannot assist you in managing it, only offer the perspective of dreams. If it proves good counsel, then I will be glad.”

“If it proves good counsel,” Desire mutters. “Fuck you, you superior prick.”

But it is not as sharp and cutting as it might once have been.

Dream abruptly realizes his hand is still touching their hair, and removes himself. He stands, arranging his cloak around him.

“Well,” says Desire, craning their neck back to look up at him upside down, “you must be right on one count. Lingering about here is doing no good.” They stretch, arms above their head, spine cracking. “I suppose I will go stalk the outside world and see if I can’t stoke their desires from ember to inferno.”

“I am certain you can, if you feel that will achieve your aims,” Dream says. Desire’s ability to draw out human wants and push their pursuit is not in question, their mere presence in a space accomplishes that. Whether that will turn their charges away from passing, unsatisfying trinkets and to deeper pleasures is another matter. “Meanwhile, please withdraw your malaise from the borders of my realm. The small children are being hypnotized by dreams of meaningless drivel and it displeases me.”

“Should’ve known you wouldn’t like YouTube,” Desire sighs. They maneuver themselves to sitting in a slanted, tired lean. For a moment, the silence lingers, stretched between them like syrup.

Finally, growing uncomfortable but stiffening his spine, Dream says, “If you are not going to imminently fall apart and cause havoc, then I will take my leave.”

“I love how much you care,” says Desire, sarcastically. Then, tilting their head, “You do care. Just a little bit. Don’t you?”

Dream does not respond to this.

“You could have simply disentangled all your little dreams from my realm and instead you came to check on me,” they say, with glee, and Dream glares. And Desire, apparently sensing a fight, subsides.

“Always lovely when you come around, dear brother,” they say, reclining back against their chaise lounge, eyes glittering despite the neglected state of their form. “Do come again.”

“If you remedy your affairs, then I will not have to,” says Dream curtly, and steps backwards into the Dreaming.

Desire does so love to press buttons at moments when they have almost reached an accord. Desire, once his most loved sibling. Those days are gone now, and Dream does not see them coming back.

[greybat]

Fire & Leeches - Ch. 4

Summary: Modern!AU (with magic.) Xixa is… well, not really enjoying but not hating a night out with Asra at one of Vesuvia’s famed clubs. However, her curiosity and interest become piqued when a particular band takes the stage.

Chapter Summary: Julian gives Xixa a ride home, finally. Then time passes and the witch gets two unexpected visitors at her store.

Ao3 Link Tumblr Links: Chapter 1 // Chapter 2 // Chapter 3

“I still can’t believe you drive a hearse!” It was the third time she had repeated her statement, laced with laughter and awe.

Julian couldn’t stop the grin that arched over his lips, thoroughly enjoying her delight. “As I’ve said before, it’s aesthetic.”

“It’s a hearse!” Xixa nearly squealed. This was absurd. If Julian was going for ‘eccentric rock star,’ he was hitting the nail on the head. “Where’d you even get it?”

“I borrowed it from a funeral home.”

“What?” That was even worse than just owning the vehicle. This was the car that led funeral processions and led the dead to their final resting place, and someone let Julian borrow it for – how’d he put it? - the gothique aesthetic. Xixa couldn’t stop smiling from the absolute ridiculousness of it. Either Julian was pulling her leg or he was very trusted by those who knew him. “How do you borrow a hearse from a funeral home?”

“Well, the hospital morgue does plenty of business with them.”

“Wait, you work at a morgue?” Xixa turned a curious look on Julian as the car slid to a stop at a red light. At the back of her mind, she was faintly amused by the gimmick that was Julian’s life. Her mind was racing with question after question. Maybe it was the quiet, intimacy of the car versus the crowded dressing room, or the slowly dissipating alcohol, but Xixa found herself jumping from one question to the next. She assumed, given Fire & Leeches’s popularity, the band was his life. If not, what else did he do? “The band isn’t a full-time thing?”

“The band is part-time, at best.” Though Julian enjoyed the time spent with his band mates, brainstorming lyrics and performing, it wasn’t enough to pay his rent. Or buy groceries. Or those tight pants he enjoyed wearing. Oddly, a lot of the people he brought home never got this far into his personal life. A slight paranoia nibbled at his thoughts.

“Is it, like, a hobby or are you hoping it gets noticed by a recording label?”

The witch seemed full of questions as soon as they sat down in his car. Then again, it was his fault for not preparing her for the appearance of his vehicle. However, he never had this many questions from others. Though, her glee at his answers was addicting to hear, an awkward stuffiness started to accumulate on Julian’s shoulders. Asra was involved with Xixa, to some extent.

Raising an eyebrow, Julian resisted the urge to glance over at her as the traffic light flashed green. “Did Asra not tell you anything about me?”

“He’s so hard to talk to,” sighed Xixa, drawing her gaze out the window. “If I pester him too much about a topic he doesn’t want to talk about, he takes off.”

The hurt in Xixa’s tone grazed some old pain in Julian’s chest. He knew exactly what she meant. However, curiosity itched at his thoughts. Adjusting his grip on the steering wheel and adjusting n his seat, the man tried to ask as conversationally as possible, “What has he said?”

“That your relationship was complicated, mostly. Though,” Xixa glanced over at Julian. Though he seemed relaxed, she knew he was hanging on her words. How couldn’t he? She lived with Asra, she knew the charm and almost otherworldly attractiveness the white-haired man possessed. And, from the few tidbits she’d received from Asra about Julian, she could imagine what was going through the redhead’s mind. As gently as possible, she finished, “He wasn’t pleased to see you at The Garden.”

A cold, unhappy chill settled in the pit of his stomach. “I suppose he wouldn’t be.”

“I’m sorry.” Xixa winced, slightly wishing she hadn’t answered Julian. She was missing fawning over the macabre aesthetic this easily-flustered man seemed to embody. “From the way Asra makes it sound, it was a rough time.”

Julian gave a bitter laugh under his breath. By this time, though, they had made it to their destination. Tucked away, between a thrift clothing store and a high-end tea shoppe, was Xixa’s home. A skinny, two-story brick building. The large, glass storefront housed an assortment of crystals, rocks, mystic books, and more; but, for now, a rich velvet curtain obscured merchandise from view. From a hanging woodcut, the name ‘Esotericana’ coiled in calligraphic text; when open, the words would flash brilliantly in an assortment of colors. Now, the letters remained dark and sleeping. Behind the curtains on the second floor – her apartment – a couple lights blazed.

Seeing home brought warm familiarity through Xixa’s body. “Thank you for the ride, Julian.”

“It was my pleasure,” he purred with a grin. He added, as a mock afterthought, “Well, maybe not getting stabbed.”

Xixa leaned back in her seat, her lips curling into a wry grin. When she didn’t say anything, Julian hazarded a glance her way. Her expression said it all. A hot thrill shot down to his core as a flush crept across his ears, daring to make its way across his face. He couldn’t hold her knowing gaze.

“I think we both know that’s a lie,” Xixa leaned across the small space that separated them. Julian tensed, the scent of her surrounding him for the moment. She placed a quick peck on his cheek, emboldened by the lingering alcohol in her veins – or maybe by his blushing.

Before she could pull back entirely, Julian’s hand came up, catching her by the back of her head. Her heart stuttered, a flush nipping at her cheeks. Their lips met in a crushing, desperate kiss. Xixa pressed into it, a sighing gasp escaping her lips as her eyes closed. Body heat raised, almost instantly, a bubble of warmth lapping at her skin. The urge to touch him arched through her brain, overriding her ‘I shouldn’t be doing this’ sense.

Her hands drifted down from his chest, down his abdomen, to the area of throbbing heat below his belt. Ambient heat licked over her skin, tantalizing and teasing. When her palm pressed over his bulge, Julian groaned into their kiss, rolling his hips toward her touch. The sound sent a deep vibration right to her core.

Julian’s free hand drifted down the side of Xixa’s body, fingers curling to grip her hip. His fingers at the back of her head tangled in her hair, sending delightful prickles across her flesh. Xixa couldn’t think straight. All the sensations, the heat, her heart pounded. After nipping at his lower lip – eliciting a shudder from the man – Xixa pulled back, breaking the kiss. Staring up at Julian, eyes drinking over his blushing features in the slight light sneaking in from a street lamp, her lips curled into a smile.

Julian cracked his eye open, gazing into Xixa’s pleased look. She looked like a cat eyeing a caged bird. It made a sharp shiver trail down his spine. She palmed his groin firmly, fingers massaging his growing hardness through his jeans. His teeth sunk into his bottom lip, choking down a moan and face heating as his hips – yet again – jerked toward her, involuntarily. Those lips of hers curled into an even more pleased smile. Blearily, he realized how heavenly this moment felt, compared to earlier.

…until the shrill scream of a phone sang out.

The two of them froze, staring at each other through their hormonal fog. Realization drilled into Xixa’s mind, especially once she realized whose ringtone was playing.

“Fuck, I’m sorry,” Xixa gasped, breathless. She dove for her bag, riffling through it until she pulled out her glowing phone. ‘Asra’ emblazoned across the screen, calming the hormonal storm in her mind. A little prick of guilt colored her thoughts as she hit ‘silence.’ But… only a little.

Over her shoulder, Julian could see the name. Not that he hadn’t expected it. Clearing the desire out of his throat, the man sighed, “He’s probably worried.”

“I’m sorry, again.” This was like a cold shower being suddenly splashed on them. A part of Xixa wanted to scream in frustration. Another part patted her hand, consolingly, and told her it was for the best. But, she didn’t want this to be it. She didn’t want a sloppy make-out and heavy petting be the end of her interaction with Julian. “Want my number?”

“Yes! I mean-” Julian slapped a hand over his mouth, averting his gaze. His ears burned with embarrassment. He hadn’t felt this awkward and excited in a long time.

“You’re obscenely adorable, Julian.”

Her words were not helping his ear situation. Trying to alleviate his mortifying reaction, he wiggled his phone out of his pocket. After an exchange of numbers, and another silenced call from Asra, the two parted ways. Julian watched Xixa until she was safely inside Esotericana, before setting his car into drive and taking off into the night.

His phone glowed from the passenger seat, buzzing with texts from Portia. Julian wasn’t paying attention though. His mind replayed every touch, ever sound, every smile while basking in the ambient heat still contained in the car. He could still feel Xixa’s body pressed against him, so warm and soft. Julian gripped at the steering wheel tightly, mentally cursing. He was in trouble, wasn’t he?

x x x

A couple weeks passed since The Garden. The night still plagued Xixa’s memories, though. Frequently, faint little memories would sneak up on her as she was re-stocking the candles or straightening the tarot cards. Red hair, a grey eye, heat where he had touched her. She’d find herself humming Fire & Leeches songs to herself, especially after she bought an album of their hits from online.

Though, Xixa had been tempted to text him the very next morning, she had resisted the urge. If he wanted to keep talking to her, he could text her. He had her number. Besides, the witch felt the ball should be in his court. Who’s to say he didn’t just drop her off – maybe getting a little too handsy thanks to alcohol – out of gratitude for the healing? With further thought, maybe he didn’t even want to talk to her, again.

The thought made a cold clutch knot through her stomach. Since a couple weeks had passed, the witch figured she had her answer. Julian of Fire & Leeches didn’t want to talk to her. Though, Xixa had opened up his number, once or twice, tempted to start a conversation herself.

The days following her little clubbing excursion had been rough. Asra had been irritable, grousing about her staying out too late and staying out alone. After a couple days, he let it go. They returned to their easy-going days: working at the shoppe, going to the farmer’s market, checking out thrift stores. Then, as he always did, Asra packed his bags and headed out.

Leaving Xixa to tend to the shop, alone. And so her days drifted in and out, lulling one into the other. Though, she found herself eyeing her phone and heaving frustrated sighs more often than before.

The little bell hanging on the front door jingled, rousing the witch from where she organized pendulums. Turning, she gave her best customer service smile – shoving down her temptations – and welcomed the newcomer, “Welcome to Esotericana. We just a shipment of…”

Xixa couldn’t finish her sentence. Memories conflicted with the two who stood in the doorway. The taller one, quiet and imposingly muscular with long hair pulled back into a bun, eyeballed the selection of books off to the side. The shorter one – it was almost a crime to even use that adjective – stood awkwardly near the door, arms crossed. He eyed the shoppe with his good eye. While their appearance in her store was jarring, it was the clothes they wore that cause Xixa to pause: they both wore pale blue scrubs and lanyards with hospital IDs around their necks.

When her brain registered that – yes – they were Muriel and Julian, a more sincere smile crossed her lips as she approached them. “I didn’t recognize you two.”

“Is Asra here?” Muriel asked, his voice deep and gentle. Julian didn’t meet Xixa’s eyes as she turned curious eyes on him.

[gravesfarah2-blog]

The 25 Finest Android Games To Download Right Now

Civil War enthusiasts who like computer game will like these Civil War method video games. From spreading out the plague, to trying to avoid one, this mobile version of the popular strategic board game of the same name that supplies a real obstacle whether you're playing alone or with buddies. Each game boasts an enormous gamer base and that's good Final Fantasy XV: a New Empire Hack news since they're all online multiplayer video games. Experience rich customised android gambling establishment games right here that include slots, live roulette, video and blackjack pokers. These video games should be on your must-try list if you have any loan after getting a 5S. This year, we collected 50 of our top games into a list. Below is the list of finest android video games from last 3 years: 2016, 2017 and 2018. Look no further, 3D Swimming pool Ball is one the better offline android games in the sports genre. And simply final fantasy xv: a new empire hack to contradict ourselves: complimentary games with in-app purchases are great, and frequently provide you a terrific experience without needing to pay up. Nevertheless, when https://mobileg4mer.com/final-fantasy-xv-a-new-empire-hack-and-cheats/ get great at them you'll find that you're constantly told when to stop, in order to restore something or get to the next level. While not as detailed as its PC brethren, the mobile version of Civilization Revolution provides a lot of technique for the player on the go. Offering the same impressive scale and several various leaders to lead your civilizations, Civilization Revolution final fantasy xv hack is one of the very best mobile technique games out there. Here area unit 2 of the most reliable things concerning PC gaming: the Civilization series, as well as the capability to alter your video games by including user-created content. In this list, we provide you the 15 finest strategy video games for android of Perpetuity. You can try one of these video games prior to 2018 when you check our list of finest mobile video games. Those who don't know ways Final Fantasy XV Cheats to play MOBA games will want to play the offline tutorial mode to get utilized to the controls and techniques. The very first Mobile Games Awards will occur on the second night of Pocket Gamer Connects London 2018, Tuesday, January 23rd 2018. Another one for the household, presently standing at number 8 in the iOS charts, the Chase comes straight from the dinnertime TV gameshow, allowing users to pit themselves versus all 5 chasers from the program. Angry Birds can sleep simple understanding it is one Final Fantasy XV Cheats of the most addicting, time-wasting games to come along considering that, well, Tetris. Windows tablet casino apps are essentially identical to the games you 'd play through your laptop. Playing mobile games has numerous advantages, the very first one being benefit. Whether you're a faithful Apple or Android consumer, you desire your mobile gambling establishment and your mobile phone to be completely compatible Final Fantasy XV: a New Empire Cheats with each other - and we ensure that they are. It's a multiplatform title you can also get on consoles, which probably describes why it's a fair bit costlier than most Android video games. All these method games are actually addicting and we wager that you will like all these games. It's one of the much deeper Android video games that can truly get the emotions going. Method video games are also thought Final Fantasy XV: a New Empire Cheats about as one of the oldest video game types and its history goes back to the times of ancient civilization. Bastion has been declared as one of the very best video games from an independent developer of perpetuity, and the iPad version isn't any various. As we already discussed, the apps of the best live roulette websites are simply as graphically-pleasing and practical as their desktop websites. A general characteristic of all these video final fantasy xv: a new empire hack games is they have been optimised for touch screen, and this is a function that really gives them a sensible edge. Let's get something clear from the start: I'm not a hater of free-to-play mobile games. And harvest its resources for yourself, or experience the future of war like never before in the brand new follow up Soldiers Inc: Mobile Warfare on mobile phones. The Broken Sword video games are marvellous: engrossing experiences that have browsed the path from PC to mobile with aplomb. This is among the Best android video Final Fantasy XV cheats games 2018, Vibrant 2D game visual Flash, in Gem Miner 2 we are the very same, miners who should decrease to various mines using ladders and elevators to extract 3 various types of minerals: gold, coal, and iron. These can be utilized to play video games from lots of home consoles. Invite to and today we're counting down our picks for the Leading 10 Finest Mobile Games You Can Play OFFLINE. A multiplayer-oriented turn-based fight strategy video Final Fantasy XV: a New Empire hack game established by Counterplay Games, led by Keith Lee - a skilled video game maker. No matter the year, you are taking a look at, puzzle games are never ever heading out of fashion.