#kyvana

[ayzrules]

find the word game

thank you to @maddstermind for the tag! <3

words: whisper, watch, warm, war

whisper

The entryway reveals the wafting scent of woodsmoke, and the heady, heavy-honeyed perfume of narcissus flowers and falling leaves. When summer begins its slow subside into frost, gleaming and golden and glorious, Adrian always smells like the rain-whispered autumns of Alejandro’s hometown, memories unearthed from centuries past.

watch

Breathing still sends acid lancing up his throat, but Adrian’s attention drifts away, and Alejandro can almost think properly again. He watches Kyvana for a moment: the Blooming Queen’s gown is cocooned in lacquer-black butterflies, a shimmering swarm taking the place of jewels and mottling her torso like poison spots. Genevieve draws up alongside him, and the neat drape of her capelet is almost austere against the thorny ribbons and dewy leaves and too-ripe roses spilling out from between the dancing wings of Kyvana’s ensemble.

warm

“You’ve been awfully quiet.” Tselvya’s voice slices through his thoughts like a boning knife to the corpse of a prey animal. Vere can taste blood in his mouth, warm like the final desperate beats of a dead creature’s heart.

war

The snow falls and falls, cloaking them in a soft, silver-clad silence: one that’s immediately broken apart by the shouts and clamor of a war camp after battle, barked orders and trundling carts and mage-healers scrambling to tend to the wounded, their figures no more than hurried silhouettes behind the swirling shadows and storm-flung frost.

tagging: @kaylinalexanderbooks @circuslollipop @bebemoon (no pressure!)

your words are tape, grass, leg, and bottle!

[ayzrules-art]

the latter half of a spooky party, for @flashfictionfridayofficial ‘monster mash’ prompt! cw for mentions of blood / fire

FLOWER-FEAST.

Autumn is here in all its splendor, and Alejandro knows that the Withering Throne will be feasting to herald plentiful times ahead. He knows that Kyvana and her retinue will be feasting as well; autumn and winter may be scarce seasons for the Blooming Court, but that has never stopped their queen. Kyvana loves any reason to indulge.

The wind goes silent. The Blooming Queen appears in a burst of black butterflies and emerald-shelled beetles. Her hair is a gold bruise at the heart of the mass—mottled with the hues of overripe peach flesh. 

A man steps out from behind her—

*****

“Alejandro,” he smiles, slow and wide, with his lips peeled back. Flaunting teeth.

Alejandro—can’t move. Can’t think, can’t hear, can’t see beyond the rubies studding smiling canines bloody.

The storm of insects subsides. Kyvana calls his name, but Alejandro doesn’t fully register it. Not with his heartbeat thundering behind his sternum. Not with the scream ignited between his ribs, acid-hot on his tongue. Not with the clasp of the giant copper butterfly at his throat—cool like the press of Adrian’s palm. 

The memory is faint—practically bone-crushing.

He draws in a breath. Air rasps through his lungs, like salt to an open wound. The gleam of the rubies blurs before his eyes, and his limbs are too heavy to move, as if his veins have filled with molasses, drowning his consciousness to suffocation. Memories crowd his vision, and suddenly he doesn’t know if he’s six-hundred or sixteen. 

Shards of laughter, smiling teeth, clawed fingertips skimming like pale phantoms—each unearthed sensation joins the others in ramming his sternum to splinters. A hand in his hair—not real? Now gripping his jaw. Now trailing down his side. 

Heat, the bitter tang of rot, a weight pressing him close. Too close.

No, he thinks. No, please.

He wants to run. He tries to open his mouth. The sharp point of his canine snags against his lip.

He tries again, and now the air tastes like blood.

“Earth to Ali,” Kyvana giggles. The smoke is too thick to breathe through, and there’s nausea writhing up his gut, as heavy as the incense. He catches the swish of a capelet, Genevieve twitching forward—no more than a fraction of an inch—

“ViVi!” 

The name bursts from his mouth like a gunshot. He puts himself one—then two, three, almost five—steps in front of his charge. “Oh, but where are my manners?”

Alejandro moves to kneel, just like he did with Camelia. And just like her half-sister, Kyvana reaches for his shoulders, another giggle spilling from her quartz-dusted lips. “Darling, don’t be so old-fashioned! You know we haven’t done that for centuries.”

It’s the thought that counts, Alejandro had told Genevieve with a wry smile. They’re going to tell me not to bow, but it’s the thought that counts. The same is true of Kyvana’s response; the fact that she stopped him means he’s still in her good graces, which is always somewhat of a relief, given the Blooming Queen’s mercurial temperament.

But that offers no explanation as to why Adrian is with her.

Kyvana’s hands come to rest atop his shoulders. Her nails are long, talon-like, burnished in a sticky resin, with insects glued down over the curving points—bronze-shelled scorpions and white-winged moths, jointed limbs twitching with Kyvana’s every gesture. She uses her index finger to adjust the enormous petals at Alejandro’s temple, and the moth glued to the nail flutters weakly in response.

“You look as lovely as always,” Kyvana gushes, releasing his shoulders after another heartbeat. 

Alejandro wrenches the tremor out of his voice. “You flatter me, Your Radiance.” 

The Blooming Queen is wearing a crown of chrysanthemums and white roses, each flower the size of Alejandro’s palm, festooned with purple-gold sprigs of sage and witch hazel. There are honeysuckle vines gathered over her ears, and elegantly curved twigs branch out from the top of the headpiece, joined by a few slender twists of brambles. 

Alejandro takes a step back, carefully dodging the violet-striped butterfly that meanders its slow way among the chrysanthemums. Its full wingspan is at least twice the length of Alejandro’s head.

Adrian has been quiet, but etiquette and order of rank dictate that Alejandro acknowledge his patron before Genevieve offers Kyvana the greeting she’s due. Alejandro forces his jaw into some semblance of relaxed and angles himself in Adrian’s direction. His muscles seem to come to life to shriek in protest, as if the memory of Adrian has been gouged into his very physiology, every cell and instinct making up his bodily functions clamoring for him to run. When he swallows, it’s like ingesting a mouthful of glass. 

But he can’t avoid this. He can only steel himself against the way his head throbs, his pulse shuddering up to a howl—splitting a scream down his skull.

Stars, why is Adrian here?

“My lord,” Alejandro says in the most neutral voice he can muster, lowering his eyes so that he’s staring at the jeweled pomegranate Adrian wears as a ring. He can’t breathe.

“It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?”

“Yes, my lord.”

“You’ve found our arrangement to be satisfactory?”

“I—yes, my lord.”

“Good. I’m glad to hear it.”

This far from the central body of the festivities, the fires obscure more than they illuminate. Their bright orange glares twist the shadows into a chasm, blanketing his patron’s profile with the hot sear of smoke. The darkness pounds feverish and ashen, as if it’s closing in around them—impenetrable. 

Alejandro glances up, still not quite meeting Adrian’s eyes. His patron draws his lips into another smile, and if Alejandro didn’t know better—if he didn’t have crushed gemstones adhered to his own teeth and flaking off over his tongue, if he didn’t know Kyvana’s followers wore their allegiance in rubies—he would have mistaken the crimson glittering at the tips of Adrian’s canines for blood.

[ayzrules]

WRITEBOARDWALK FERRIS WHEEL DAY #6: FAMILY

writeboardwalk ferris wheel - day vi, family { lay them to rest }

c a m i l a – the second princess. lovely and loathsome, made of spun sugar and silken deception and clad in satin-soft gowns frothing with lace and ruffles. sharp like a steel-edged rose, the petals dripping liquid rubies.

k y v a n a – the third princess. gleaming with crystalline glamour and diamond-eyed cunning; frivolous and superficial, though more shrewd than anybody gives her credit for.

t s e l v y a – the fourth princess. bloody and cruel, her veins glittering golden and rot-dark with macabre decadence. a notorious flesh collector; cloying wisps of incense trail after her, to mask the smell of decaying corpses.

s a l é - s a l é – the fifth princess. kind, and as gentle as a summer breeze. her heart blooms amber like a bird of paradise; she must burn the petals to ash if she is to survive.

[ transcripts under the cut! ]

Honestly, Kyvana thought as she typed out a quick reply, this entire succession war business is absolute bull. I was going to use this trip as an opportunity to promote my new Crystal Beauty palette and do some Picstagram partnerships, but how am I supposed to make time for that and deal with my sisters trying to kill me?! She looked up when her aunt asked to see her dress, and twirled around, showing off the crystals and sequins splayed across the long train of her rich mauve gown. They shimmered prettily when they caught in the light.

–

Camila smiled, pleasantly enough. She leaned in close – close enough that her painted lips were mere inches away from Tselvya’s ear; close enough that even the cruel, cruel Fourth Princess stiffened slightly – and whispered, “I don’t need your help, Tselvya. If you want mine, you’ll have to make it worth my time.”

Then, she drew away and let out a soft laugh. It twinkled with a saccharine, sugar-spun sweetness that did not quite reach her eyes.

–

Salé-salé’s stomach churned. She stared into Camila’s dark eyes – into the cold, cunning cruelty behind the Second Princess’s dainty manners and delicate airs and honeyed words that dripped sweetness like spun sugar – and despite the pleasant warmth of the Water Gardens, despite the fish that danced and darted through clear cerulean waters and the cheerful birdsong and lush greenery and jewel-bright flowers glittering brilliantly under the artificial sunlight, Salé-salé felt nothing but an icy, suffocating dread.

[ayzrules]

so i was basically like: [learns how to do Advanced Excel TM]

[immediately starts using the vba code, macros, named ranges etc etc etc to make character aesthetics]

[ayzrules]

10 Signs That You’re in an Ayz Novel/Project/Writing Collab/Rp/~Thing~

tagged by @homesteadchronicles​ <3! tysm for tagging me - i love these things!!!

1. SILK & STEEL MOTIFS - [ mai, rowena, camila (ish), all of proper young killing machines! ] ever since i was 14-15 and obsessing over book!sansa / book!margaery, and only enhanced by my gail carriger phase. maybe it has to do with the fact that i’m too lazy to ever get into a physical fight myself? LMAO but i love writing snakey political girls who don’t really do ~fighty~ stuff but absolutely are plotting something and will manipulate/backstab their way to getting it. and ofc they hide all of that behind perfect manners & designer gowns & high heels ;D. normally about working with the system & bending it to their advantage for w/e reason (revenge is pretty common lol), not necessarily destroying the system & making something new/better. which segues into:

2. ICE QUEEN TROPES - [ izzy, mari, yinmei ] i first started writing these girls as a direct foil to #1; i would say characters in both of these categories are just as ruthless as each other, but #2 are more obvious/overt about it and v v v blunt. instead of working with & manipulating the system, these girls tend to be the type to just break it apart with a sledgehammer, hahahha. sub-category/spinoff being the too-old/tired-for-your-shit-so-pls-fuck-off kind of vibe ;DDD

3. THE VERY MEAN VERY TERRIBLE GIRL W QUESTIONABLE MORALS IS A MAIN POV AND ALSO MY FAVORITE AND NO I WILL NOT APOLOGIZE - [ tess + camila, kyvana, tselvya aka the murder princess trio of lay them to rest ] ummmmm no excuse except i might be not 100% straight lmfaoooooooo. i just can’t resist ruthless amoral girls in flouncy ruffles & floral frocks ok next (!)

4. TREE-HUGGING SHIT / POETRY IN NATURE - [ verdínqa, dulcifera, of daisies & ddt, a bit of run devil run ] i’m an envi sci nerd & study something similar w my degree program so no surprise :D ever since high school i’ve been into subverting the light = life & darkness = death trope, just after learning about shit like eutrophication & hypoxic waters etc where growth/a surplus actually leads to death, and sort of the belief that death in nature isn’t inherently bad for the entire system (ecocentric holism & alla’ that). and also a point that’s been driven home countless times by lectures, talks, books, webinars, what have you - the earth as just a planet will be fine even w all the anthropogenic shit going on, it’s humans who will be fucked. so that makes its way into my work a ton!

5. REINCARNATED QUEEN BEES -  [ jenny, chae ] idk there’s just something so iconic about that aesthetic. zombie girls in chanel & luisa beccaria ya feel. the absolute vanity/arrogance/haughtiness of your typical hs movie rich bitch TM meets oh shit im not really alive and also eating brains is gross (i once googled human brain nutrition facts. quora saved a girl but also my search history is wack lmfao)..... yea! :kermitdab:

6. DITZY PINK SIDEKICK WHO IS ACTUALLY PRETTY BOOKSMART - [ steph, lea, lyra ] to (sort of) go with above, i like writing the bubbly girly girls who can throw front tucks and scorpions and double arabians like nobody’s business but also aren’t your stereotypical ‘dumb cheerleader’ trope; they’re just thought of as ditzy because of how nice/sweet/outgoing they are. also 3/4 times they drive crusty mom vans. yes this is me projecting my own driving experience no i will not change

7. SARCASTIC IDIOT MEME QUEENS - [ chrissy, inferna/vicky, angie ] always obsessed with memes, usually obsessed with food/sbux, kpop, or both. these girls are fun to write bc it’s like, 2 brain cells and they’re all devoted to simping for girl groups or copping free food deals (yes i make them all blackpink fans yes i am basic no i do not accept criticism) which is just #same. usually tend to be pretty scathing & hotheaded, also with a bit of a too-tired-for-this-pls-fuck-off energy ;D and that’s highkey my entire internal dialogue so like..... :kermitdab:

8. GLITTER + GORE / MURDER PRINCESSES - [ robot unicorn attack & its spinoff ‘rua: guts & glory’, proper young killing machines, lay them to rest, this new hyper-girly pokemon yugioh-esque collab w loml <333 ] traditionally “”””””””girly/feminine”””””””” aesthetics meets murder/other very dangerous activities you should not try at home! 

9. FACETIOUS REFERENCES TO RL - [ gem quest, robot unicorn attack, lay them to rest, other things im prob forgetting ] basically i’m super facetious and also a clown and i like to poke fun at stupid things in my own life hahahah. gem quest is very modern meme culture meets high fantasy fairyland (& it was a collab with fanfan! so literally just my aes meets hers ;DDDDD) in the way i wrote it (references to twilight, phineas & ferb, kpop, other memes in the fairytale setting basically); robot unicorn attack is allllll about that petty celeb drama (just with a glitzy cyberpunk backdrop & also unicorns) LMAOOO & it does have tons of similarities to the kpop industry! & lay them to rest - aka murder princess aesthetic heaven - has me pulling out shit like ‘picstagram’ and ‘versacci’ (versace + gucci lol i’m so lame). one of the murder-y girls is a social media influencer/beauty guru. yeah!!

& last but not least-

10. MORE AESTHETIC THAN PLOT - [ insert everything i’ve ever written ] look i can NEVER come up with coherent plot lines WHATSOEVER but at least my pinterest is popping & my prose is all overly detailed descriptions of dresses & flowers LOL

tagging: @bebemoon @vampirkaninchen @morningstar1399 @now-on-elissastillstands @atimefordragons @tudorgirl @lend-your-lungs-to-me @bulletgirl @unholieds @artless-whimsy @interluxetumbra @clarienanaberry << sorry i cant splel ur writeblr @n-eusex + anyone who sees this & wants to do it!!! <3 <3 <3

[ayzrules]

[LAY THEM TO REST.]

death, dust, party, repeat. being loathsome and lovely in equal measure is probably a talent. somewhere.

TIER 6 – CRYSTAL PAVILION. The Crystal Pavilion is the brain-child of the Third Princess, Kyvana Hui Guo Rou. Blinking fairy lights line the walls, and glittering living crystals fill the wide corridors and dangle from gilt chandeliers and arching branches. These crystals coalesce – seemingly of their own volition – into an iridescent spectrum of color, the hues shifting and transforming based on the whims of Kyvana herself. The rest of the tier is dedicated to a giant mall and casino, where guests and passengers can shop and gamble until their bank accounts run dry. What the crystals are exactly is a mystery to the general public, though those who are a bit more knowledgeable about these matters know that they are far more than just pretty decorations.