#nervous dog priest my beloved

[r0seart]

Man’s the equivalent of a nervous dog but still gets all the bitches…

My first fanart in the FAITH: the unholy trinity fandom!!!! Everyone except John was literal hell to draw and I’m assuming these designs will change over time. Better be no ship wars or ship shaming in the comments, I just find it funny that this wet noodle of a person manages to magnetize some certified hotties.

[rowan-sins]

Hey bestie 😔🫶 Could I please comm you for Burgess with the Fluff category? No triggers to avoid for me. I loved the matchup you did earlier, so I can't wait to see what you pick here 👀

Thank you so much! 🥺🌸

Authors note: OH YOU GOT A GOOD ONE

content warning: none that I can think of, just pure fluff

Your palms are sweaty, you notice. They glisten in the near noon sunlight, coming through the stained-glass windows of the upper story of the cathedral. Don’t touch the dress, don’t touch the dress you repeat to yourself, like a mantra. Four syllables, one breath, in for one out for four. Your hands shakily make it to the sink, where you wipe your hands dry on the towel.

Your name is embroidered in it, you notice. Your name and his: Jesus Burgess. Your heart skips a beat, it flutters even, like a butterfly hatching from the cocoon inside your chest. Your nervous, yes, but also excited. He’s going to be at the other end of that aisle. Curly purple hair, tied and slicked back so you can see his strong jaw-line, his shoulders and chest will be tight, ready to burst out, from under his suit.

He’s going to be at the other end of the aisle. You’re marrying him. Finally, after all these years. Between fighting to be the top dogs on Black Beard’s crew, between him going undercover to win the Mera-Mera-no-Mi, between all the chaos that followed the fall of Doflamino, you can finally get married.

Despite Dressarosa being the site of his failure to get ahold of the devil fruit he truly wanted, Blackbeard still permitted the marriage to take place here, encouraged it even, perhaps he wanted a nice tropical vacation himself? You wouldn’t understand his thinking, you wouldn’t even pretend to understand his plans and schemes, the writing on the walls of his cabin, and the red lines between them, but he was a genius, and he was strong, and so you would nod along and pretend to understand and do as he asked. So when he told you that your wedding should be in Dressorosa, and that you were sailing there at this very moment to get there, you gave him a “yes captain” and told your beloved the plan. You still recall him yelling, “and remember to buy a wedding dress! Or steal it we’re pirates!” It had admittedly gotten a cackle out of you.

Luckily, neither of those things needed to occur for you to acquire the dress, seeing as you had been sewing one in secret for over a year now. It was long, elegant, and the skirt so voluminous and soft that you felt it was more of a white ballgown than a wedding dress. But it was yours, and you worked hard on it. So you weren’t going to stain it with sweaty hands because you were nervous about finally marrying the man you had always wanted to marry. That would be absurd. And you’re not going to touch your face because Katrina did your wedding make up and you know for a fact, she did a good job.

A quick glance in the mirror only confirms this. You will be forever grateful for the fact she didn’t use blue eyeshadow like she said she would. Bells toll in the background. They sound musical, like chimes but deeper, and louder. It’s from the room above you and it shakes you, almost. “It’s time,” you whisper to yourself, “I don’t think I could wait a moment longer, even if I had to.”

The door creaks open, and the priest, scared out of his mind peaks through. “My child, are you ready?”

“Thank you, Father,” you greet him, “and I’m ready when you are.”

He adjusts the collar on his frock. “I don’t think I could ever be ready for a wedding as grand as this one.” He nervously chuckles to hide his fear.

“There is no need to fear,” you say, approaching the door, “when do I get to walk down the aisle?”

He clears his throat… again. “Just wait at the bottom of the stairs, when the piano starts playing you can come out.”

You nod at his instructions, and take his hands when he offers it. “I apologize for the stairs being so steep,” he says, “we don’t do weddings often, and so this room is rarely used by those outside the clergy.”

“Nothing to apologize for,” you smile at him, hoping to soothe his nerves. It only makes them worse. He lets go of your hand at the bottom of the stairs and holds his index finger to his lips. He smiles at you, it’s small, but he smiles. He peaks his head around the corner before he scatters off.

And the piano begins. You can hear it echo through the cathedreal, and you make on step forward. And the next. Your heels don’t clack on the red carpet, it’s muffled to a soft ‘thud’ as it serves as a barrier to the hard stone beneath.

You look up, from under veil, and while the mesh is thin, everything looks foggier, brighter, like a cloudy morning on a fountain.

And as you walk, you see him. His purple hair slicked back, his googles on his eyes. And that suit looks glorious on him. Better than you could have imagined. His facial hair is groomed and trimmed, and you can see his eyes widen as you slowly step towards him. More and more. He extends his hand to you, and helps you up the small stairs to before the podium.

His large hand grazes the veil. Like he wanted to flip it up now and claim your lips in this very moment. A part of you wanted him to, even. But he doesn’t, instead he holds your hands in his, and looks fondly in your eyes. His own look like molten chocolate, and your heart soars as you finally realize that this is it. This is the moment you’ve been fighting for, killing for, this is moment you’ve done everything for, for years.

You both look at the priest, and he opens the book on the podium. “Welcome esteemed guests,” he starts, “we are gathered here today to join (Y/N) and Jesus Burgess in holy-“

“UNHOLY!” Shouts a voice.

“Katrina shut up they’re literally getting married.”

The priest corrects himself. “In unholy matrimony.”

The rest of the crew laugh. This is going to be a good memory, they think to themselves, this was going to be a good day.

𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔰 𝔣𝔦𝔠 𝔦𝔰 𝔭𝔞𝔯𝔱 𝔬𝔣 𝔪𝔶 𝔲𝔫𝔨𝔫𝔬𝔴𝔫 𝔢𝔳𝔢𝔫𝔱. 𝔭𝔩𝔢𝔞𝔰𝔢 𝔠𝔩𝔦𝔠𝔨 𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔰 𝔩𝔦𝔫𝔨 𝔱𝔬 ����𝔢𝔞𝔯𝔫 𝔪𝔬𝔯𝔢 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔇𝔐 𝔪𝔢 𝔦𝔣 𝔶𝔬𝔲𝔯 𝔦𝔫𝔱𝔢𝔯𝔢𝔰𝔱𝔢𝔡!

[vicehectic]

Manga I Read on the Reg

This is just a collection of manga I read regularly whenever they come out.

1. Boku no Hero Academia

Most of you know what this is. In a world where 80% of the population has these special abilities called “quirks”, our main character is part of the 20% that doesn’t have a quirk. The problem is, Midoriya Izuku, hero fanboy and enthusiast, has desperately wanted to be a hero since childhood. Without a quirk, Midoriya is discriminated enough as it is and everyone around him is telling him he can’t become a hero. But Midoriya refuses to give up and prepares for his future in order to become a hero. As high school entrance exams draw near, Midoriya is losing hope but in one miraculous encounter with Japan’s Number 1 hero, Midoriya is given an opportunity to obtain a quirk and pursue his dream to become a hero. 

I’m going to be honest. When I first started to hear about Boku no Hero Academia, I avoided it. I was already in too many fandoms and decided that with all that I had to do in my life: it wasn’t worth it. I pushed it away for later or potentially never. The most I did was click on a couple clips advertising BNHA and decided from those short clips that I despised Bakugou Katsuki. He was the classic bully character that I didn’t need reminders of. He’s the type of person I hate most in the world. I weighed the ethics and morality of this fantasy world way too heavily and moved on. Then, one day, having broken my ankle and forced to stay off it; I decided to read the Boku no Hero Academia manga in it’s entirety in one sitting. Since then I haven’t missed a new release. I think the reason I was so attracted to this series was how much it made me think of Katekyo Hitman Reborn which is one of my favorite franchises. I wanted to see more of a nervous and unsure main character despite being a badass and Boku no Hero Academia has certainly given me that.

This has an anime up to season 3 and a movie. Season 4 and a second movie has also been announced!

2. Haikyuu!!

One of the only sports manga! Haikyuu follows Hinata Shouyo, a short teenage boy entering his first year of high school aspiring to be the volleyball team’s ace despite almost never competing before, and Kageyama Tobio, a genius setter who has previously been abandoned by his teammates. Now, it’s not exactly that cut and dried. Hinata, despite being a nervous wreck and an idiot at times, along with practically being a beginner at playing volleyball with a real team, has incredible athletic ability. The only thing he can really do is jump and at the beginning of his high school career he takes to spiking with his eyes closed. Kageyama is a genius with a terrible personality. His insecurities after being abandoned make him standoffish to nearly everyone, but he always pulls through when aiming his set exactly to where Hinata will hit it. The team they join are full of fun and vibrant characters that have the title of the fallen crows because their school’s team has “fallen from glory”. It’s a typical sports manga with lovable characters and interesting relationships.

I also avoided reading Haikyuu when my friends started talking about it. I had already invested so much time into reading The Prince of Tennis and I didn’t want to get sucked into another fandom. I caved of course. The characters just seemed so fresh and new to me. It was less about the volleyball and more about how the characters interacted with each other. I actually started reading Haikyuu because of two videos on youtube that I believe no longer exist. The first was a compilation of each jump serve layered on top of each other and for each second the character serving would change and it was like art. The second was a compilation of Iwaizumi and Oikawa bickering. That really sold me. 

This manga has an anime up to season 3! Season 4 has also been announced!

3. Akatsuki no Yona

God I love her. Akatsuki no Yona follows the sheltered princess of the Kyouka Kingdom, Yona. Yona has lived her entire life within the gates of Hiryuu Castle with her cousin Su-won, her bodyguard Hak, and her father: the King. All Yona wants in her future is to marry Su-won, despite her father’s insistence that she will not. The night of her 16th birthday, however, she discovers Su-won over her father’s body, pulling a sword out of his corpse. She escapes the castle with Hak and after gathering herself after her father’s death and cousin’s betrayal she visits a priest that tells her to find the four legendary dragon warriors. Kyouka has a legend, in which the first king was a red dragon in human form and was accompanied with four warriors with his dragon brothers’ blood. Yona, with the priest believing she is the reincarnation of the red dragon, sets off with Hak and the priest’s companion to find the dragon warriors. 

I was hooked on Yona the moment it came out. I watched the anime like five times and when I realize there wouldn’t be a second season I read the manga. I’ve said this before in another post but Yona isn’t just a shoujo manga. The main character is a strong inspirational female character trying her best to fix the country that declared her dead. The romance is sweet but also awfully comedic. The fight scenes and the dramatic scenes are intense and draw you in. But just like any other manga, it’s the characters and the relationships that drew me in. Besides Hak and Yona’s thing they’re avoiding talking about; everyone else acts like siblings just trying to stay together the best they can and help anyone they can along the way. The dragon dynamic is hilarious, the backstories are sad, the romance is soft, and the bishounen is a genius. 

This manga has one anime season!

4. Yakusoko no Neverland

The ultimate mind fuck. The orphans at the Grace Field House live peaceful lives with each other and their beloved Mama. It’s one big happy family. They spend the days like any other family would; breakfast, mind-wracking tests, tag, dinner, and rinse and repeat. But even to the children, somethings seem strange. They’re never allowed to venture beyond the gate that surrounds them like a ring in the forest around the house. By the time they reach the age 12, they have to leave their little house. The children that have left never write to them, despite promising they would. The story follows main characters Ray, Norman, and Emma as they find out the secret behind their little house and try to somehow change their pitiful fate. 

So, this is another manga I decided to read in one day. A friend and I decided that since the anime would be coming out soon we would read the manga together in one go. Needless to say we were nearly dead after reading through all of it. So much happens in this that you’re like “what just happened” despite having just read it. You literally have to expect the unexpected when it comes to Neverland. This series would be ruined if I said anymore but the fact that these children can go through that and still smile and have hope despite the odds against them makes my heart warm. 

This manga has an anime that is currently airing!

5. The Rising of the Shield Hero

The one that makes you angry almost immediately. According to legend, the holders of the four heavenly weapons are the heroes that will save Melromarc from the calamity that come in waves to the world. Iwatani Naofumi is just a normal university student when he picks up a book that transports him to another world. It’s entirely by bad luck that he’s given the role of the disregarded Shield Hero who can only wield shields and is ultimately useless offensively in battle. What’s even worse is that the companion who joined him at the start of his journey accused him of raping her and he’s been scorned by the kingdom and all its inhabitants since. The world seems so dark and Naofumi doesn’t want anything to do with the other heroes and incoming waves of calamity. The light in his life returns when he enslaves a sickly and depressed demi-human to fight for him. Raphtalia soon finds her master isn’t scary or cruel and becomes determined to make sure no one will suffer as she once did as a child while making sure Naofumi knows he is loved and appreciated by at least one person. 

God when I first read this I was so mad. Naofumi didn’t deserve any of this, especially when the arrogant king summoned him to fight a battle he had nothing to do with. The same friend introduced Shield-bro to me and practically begged I read it. Yes we call it Shield-bro, it’s a thing. Look up Shield-bro on google and this will come out. It’s just a different sort of isekai where instead of being the hero that’s being praised - you get a real person getting accused of a real crime he didn’t commit. He’s been handed the short end of the stick just for being the Shield Hero no one appreciates. He’s literally the underdog in everything. You just want to root for Naofumi. It’s a really good stress reliever. 

This manga has an anime that is currently airing!

6. Isekai Omotenashi Gohan

This one is so softtttt. Our main character and her little sister gets their literal house transported to a different world. Oh and their dog comes too! Their Japanese home is transported in front of a luxurious foreign-looking castle in which people greet Akane and her little sister, Hiyori, claiming to have summoned the priestess that will save their world from the miasma. Hiyori is delighted and starts her training as the priestess, but Akane has nothing to do as a normal office worker and their home’s homemaker in this new world. After spending a month feeling useless, Hiyori comes to plead her sister for her cooking - starting Akane’s adventure in cooking classic Japanese staples that somehow attracts the attention of the Knight Commander of the Chivalric Order, the King, the kingdom’s princesses and much more. That is, of course, while teaching her knight guard Jade how to cook as well. 

This isn’t very long and updates rarely but it’s so cute. All the antics are just so cute. The food is amazing and it’s just a story about how food brings everyone together. It’s masterful and done well. But it’s also not just a cooking story. Akane and Hiyori both struggle with Hiyori being the world’s priestess and her encountering danger. The sisterly bond is great in this one.

7. Koushaku Reijou no Tashinami

If you can’t tell I’m really into Isekai. This manga follows another regular office worker, but she’s really into otome games. Our main character dies from a car crash and when she wakes up she is in the footsteps of the villainess, Iris Lana Armelia, from a game she had just completed, in the middle Iris’ judgement scene from the love interests because Iris harassed the game’s main character: Yuuri. The original fate of Iris, after losing her engagement from the prince and being exposed of harassment in front of her whole school, leads to a miserable life at a church. Iris, this time around, as an efficient office worker from Japan, gets sent by the Duke, her father, to care for their territory’s fief as fief lord. From there Iris, along with her loyal companions and friends, care for the fief with all of Iris’ knowledge from Japan with plenty of bumps along the way from the game’s love interests and Yuuri. Yuuri may not be the sweet video game protagonist she is thought to be.

So, one day, I had read through most everything and I wanted a little bit of romance in my life. And while this didn’t originally have the romance I wanted, it still piqued my interest. The real appeal to this is how strong Iris is as a character. She doesn’t take shit from anyone and holds her head up with pride. But in the times she is weak she has supportive friends that would do anything for her in a heartbeat. Another appealing factor is how technical and political this manga is. The manga describes real life things to improve the fief such as a banking system and taxation, but also gets political with the two factions of the two princes. It’s a good mix a strong female lead, economics, politics, royalty, and friendship. 

There is also a Light Novel that some amazing people have translated online! Go support them!

8. That Time I got Reincarnated as a Slime (Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken)

More isekai! Just like most isekai main characters, our main character is a simple corporate worker who lives a normal life in Tokyo. Unfortunately, after pushing his friend out of the way of an assailant on the street, our MC dies while hearing a strange voice responding to his dying thoughts. When our MC wakes up he discovers that he is now a slime in a new world and discovers a dragon in the cave he woke up, befriends him, and receives the name Rimuru Tempest. Strangely, Rimuru has abilities that a normal slime would not have - the most notable being his ability to devour anything and mimic its appearance and abilities. Rimuru starts his journey after escaping the cave and one thing leads to another and suddenly there are a bunch of monsters calling him “Master” and “Rimuru-sama” and Rimuru is the head of a monster country. 

I normally don’t like OP characters, but I strangely find Rimuru okay. Rimuru has plenty of over powered characteristics and abilities but Rimuru’s personality and demeanor makes it tolerable. It’s just fun seeing how everyone underestimates Rimuru because he’s a slime. Rimuru is also very morally aligned, in that he’s very clear with his desires and doesn’t tolerate it if the line is crossed. 

This manga has an anime that is currently airing!

9. I Reincarnated into an Otome Game as a Villainess with Only Destruction Flags

EVEN MORE ISEKAI! We follow Katarina Klaus who hits her head and awakens the memories of her past life as a seventeen year old girl in Japan. Katarina Klaus, however, is the haughty aristocrat villainess in a fantasy otome game with swords and magic. Having recovered her memories, Katarina cannot find it in herself to act the same as the old Katarina as she finds aristocratic society a pain. Unfortunately for Katarina, according to the game, death or exile awaits her for each and every route. Katarina decides the best thing to do is somehow protect herself by improving her magic and swordsmanship to escape the death flags. What follows are antics of farming to enhance her magical ability and her unintentional wooing of the game’s love interests. Oblivious and focused on matching the love interests to the game’s main character while avoiding a destruction flag, Katarina doesn’t notice how everyone, even the game’s main character falls for her. Farming, failed match-making, admiration from all sides, and a panicking main character awaits you. 

This is another one that I found looking for romance. This is more of a comedy isekai more than anything. Sure there’s magic and other abilities but the manga doesn’t focus on that. The manga focuses more on the strangeness that is Katarina as she is now. I would have never expected to find an isekai manga MC have a hobby in farming. The way Katarina is so oblivious to everyone falling for her is also pretty great. 

There is also a Light Novel that some amazing people have translated online! Go support them!

10. The Saint’s Magic Ability is Omnipotent (Seijo no Maryoku wa Bannou desu)

God how much isekai do I read? Sei, a regular office worker, was suddenly summoned to another world by a saint summoning ritual with another girl she does not recognize. The prince of this country, despite there being two girls summoned to their world, completely ignores Sei and declares the other girl is the saint who will save the country from the miasma, without confirming his claim. Sei, outraged, demands that because she is apparently not the saint that she be sent back home but is told it is impossible. Sei lives a comfortable but restless life at the castle, having gotten used to the grueling work style of Japan. While exploring the castle she becomes interested in potion making. Her magic is overly effective to everything she does and creates without her meaning to - even her food gives people more energy. As time goes on, more and more people come to respect Sei’s good deeds and starts to think she is the saint while the girl parading around with the country’s prince is a fake. Sei, knowing she is the saint, only wants to live a quiet life creating potions.

This one is just so precious because of how amazing Sei is without meaning to. She knows she is the saint but doesn’t want to admit it. It’s also really fun seeing how she interacts with the other characters. Sei isn’t used to praise or romantic attention. A lot of things are new to her in this new world but all she wants to do is be useful in her own way. 

There is also a Light Novel that some amazing people have translated online! Go support them!

11. The White Cat That Swore Vengeance Was Just Lazing on the Dragon King’s Lap

This is sadly relatable. Ruri has forcibly been friends her neighbor Asahi for years. Ruri is the beautiful daughter to a foreign model and a diplomat of Japan. If you were to look up the definition of beauty in a dictionary, Ruri’s picture would be there. Platinum blonde hair, blue eyes, elegant Japanese features and all. Asahi, meanwhile, has been coddled and loved throughout her whole life because her approachable nature and cuteness that no one except for Ruri seems immune to. Everything Asahi does is somehow blamed on Ruri, even when she isn’t directly involved. Everyone is on Asahi’s side. Having tried to escape Asashi and the negativity of those around her on multiple occasions, Ruri has realized that Asahi is willing to follow her everywhere no matter what Ruri tries. While on campus at her university with Asahi; she, Asahi, and a couple of Asahi’s friends/admirers get transported to another world via magic and everyone rushes to Asahi calling her the lady priestess. Ruri, seeing this as her chance to escape Asahi, is told she is an idiot for thinking she could return to her own world. Almost immediately all those in the Kingdom of Nadarsia hate Ruri because Asahi herself keeps clinging to Ruri while ignoring them. Without Asahi’s knowledge they kick Ruri off the hidden forest and Ruri finds herself in the care of a kind, yet ugly, old lady from the dragon kindgom who takes care of her and teaches her about the magic the fairies grant in this world. Surprisingly, the fairies are seem to gather around Ruri and adore her. When Ruri has gotten used to this world she visits the dragon kingdom on her own, gets scared and wears an ancient bracelet given to her by a powerful fairy that allows her to turn into a cat and is given the title “Cherished One” and meets the Dragon King who falls in love with her cat form. Cue title and roll credits!

I say this is relatable because of a toxic frienship I once had. I broke it off with a friend and for a long time things were awkward among my other friends and a lot of people kept insisting that we would make up someday despite me not wanting that. These friends now have realized that it was a lot more than that and funnily enough they have broken it off with her as well. But this is a cute story about a victim finally getting her vengeance and the love and praise she deserves. There’s also cute cat antics and a sprinkle of romance in it.  

There is also a Light Novel that some amazing people have translated online! Go support them!

12. Boku no Hero Academia: Vigilantes

A very familiar title to another one on this list! In a world where 80% of the population has these special abilities called “quirks”, our main character is part of the 80% that does have a quirk. Unfortunately, not everyone is blessed with a quirk such as fire manipulation or engines in their bodies to fight crime. Himawari Koichi has the quirk known as “Slide and Glide”, giving him the average ability to slide over plain surfaces. Despite this, Koichi has always wanted to be hero and admires Number 1 Hero All Might as his role model. Despite not being a hero, Koichi uses his quirk in public areas, breaking quirk regulation laws, to get to his destination quickly and hates said restrictions. After a series of events Koichi decides to use his quirk, while wearing an All Might hoodie, to do good deeds for the public - all simple things. All he ever does for awhile is give directions, clean up litter, or return dropped items while utilizing his quirk. But things become dangerous when he meets freelance idol Pop☆Step and a quirkless, yet powerful, old man known as Knuckleduster and they somehow become vigilantes for their neighborhood while getting deeply involved in a quirk improvement drug known as Trigger.

This is what I wanted Boku no Hero Academia to be when I first read BNHA. I wanted a quirkless character fighting crime with their own power. I have to admit I was disappointed when Deku got his quirk. The setting of Vigilantes (or Illegals) is before the BNHA timeline. Eraserhead has yet to become a teacher at UA and the original Ingenium is still running around. We get to see an other side of the heroes we love and hate and get to see how vigilantism effects this quirk filled world. Koichi, while also being an All Might fanboy is different from Deku.  Pop☆Step is a cute tsundere idol who is still trying to climb the popularity ranks. Knuckleduster is a mysterious man who fights crime with his own justice and abilities. It’s an eye opener to another aspect of the BNHA world. 

13. Bloom into You (Yagate Kimi Ni Naru)

The romance that isn’t supposed to be? Koito Yuu is a first year in high school who enjoys reading Shoujo manga. The problem(?) is that she doesn’t understand the feeling of love. Nanami Touko is a third year at the same high school that Yuu unintentional watches get confessed to but Touko refuses. Yuu gets recruited in helping the student council that Touko is a part of and realizes that Touko is the same as her. No matter how many people confess to either of them, be it one or dozens, they will never feel anything when it happens. Yuu goes to Touko for help, realizing that they are the same and gets advice to reject someone who confessed to her at her middle school graduation. But immediately after, Touko confesses that if it was Yuu, she could fall in love with her. What results is a story of a not-so romance and a refreshing coming of age story. 

This is one messed up romance story. Like the relationship Koito Yuu and Nanami Touko have is so messed up. The upside to this story is that it talks about homosexuality and asexuality with so much lax that it’s refreshing. This manga is cute and entertaining at times and the romance is unorthodox. The character backstories are interesting and heartbreaking and the way the characters interact with each other are interesting. You won’t see what happens in this manga in most manga you come across. 

This manga has an anime that is currently airing!

[anonymouslyhers]

I Died Inside

I attended the wedding of the man I loved. The invite came in a light pink invitation with my name in cursive; light and warm. It felt like Chinese brocade and a sword with a decorated blade. It’s for me.

The chapel’s ceiling is decorated with golden angels and a blue sky. The pews have gardenias layered with lace in baskets on the end. And the priest is wearing a white vestment with golden tassels adorning his neck. The bridesmaids are wearing pink taffeta and the groomsmen are wearing matching bowties with sleek tuxedos and shoes to match. The family is gathering around and chatting. Children are excited, they’ve never been to a wedding. They’re smiling and bouncing around. The groom comes out and he doesn’t know the kind of heart he has given me. He made me melt and I could feel my eyes being drawn towards him. I noticed a pause in my ears, and I could only hear his voice whispering to me. It’s like a dream and I could never imagine forgetting this. The world is quiet. The music is starting. I attended the wedding of the man I loved.

The tenacious rain on the last day of the year.

It’s beautiful – her cheeks are a pale pink, and her lips are stained cherry red. I also love how the organ is playing a serene bridal chorus. I almost wish it sounded like a death march. When I get a closer look, her gown is made with lace and organza with a train fit for a princess. Her in white, me in emerald green. As she gets closer, I can smell her shampoo and I can see she had her nails done. She looks exceptionally beautiful. This is all I had hoped for. For him to find someone who loves him. To make sure he eats well and falls asleep in comfort with good dreams. I couldn’t be happier for him. I attended the wedding of the man I loved.

A dog howling in the middle of the day.

The priest starts talking. Dearly beloved and holy matrimony - a harmonious combination. The bride and groom are holding hands and I notice how nervous they must be. When they start exchanging vows, I can barely hear what they’re saying, but they’re glowing. The air is filled with promises of in sickness and in health, to comfort and honor one another; to be loyal and true to each other. People are crying and silently rejoicing. When I look at him, I can tell this is all he’s been waiting for all his life, complete euphoria. The priest is speaking again and declares, “You are now husband and wife! You may kiss each other!” Watching the first kiss is like seeing someone find an oasis in the desert. It’s full of love, compassion, and sincerity; it takes my breath away just watching. I numbly clapped my hands. I attended the wedding of the man I loved.

The last whisper from a child being tucked into bed.

I scrawled my name in their guest book leaving a “Congratulations!” behind with it. I sauntered through the sea of people in order to find my seat. After taking a seat and having small banter with colleagues, the feedback from a microphone gets our attention. The bridesmaids and groomsmen are being introduced dancing, laughing, and putting on a show for the audience. I can’t help but laugh at the sheer entertainment. They’re drinking champagne, using fun props, and even pointing out a few people in the audience. Everything feels peaceful despite the chaos in front of me. The bride and groom are next. They’re holding hands and he spins her around and dips her. They go for their first dance, and they pretend to bow to each other before they start. The audience laughs. I can’t help but notice it’s the same song he was telling me about exclaiming, “This is my wedding song!” He got his wish, and he looks absolutely satisfied. I attended the wedding of the man I loved.

           The Heaven’s chamberlain with vintage tea.

The maid of honor and best man perform their speeches. They both recall stories of how the bride spilled coffee all over the groom’s shirt and that’s how they met. He gave her his number, and she promised she would buy him a new one. Their praises for the couple filled the air with words of affirmation that they are meant to be. The bride starts crying, and he kisses her forehead with delight. The food is brought out and I play with my salad until the main course arrives. I look to see the happy couple at a table alone and he is whispering something in her ear, making his now wife laugh with glee. The main course is served, and I can only focus on that. I’m not hungry. This champagne tastes like ash. When the glorious white cake is cut, she spreads icing all over his face. He puts some on her nose and kisses it off. I taste the cake and it’s a sweet vanilla with a buttercream icing. I taste something bitter, and I feel guilty. I look to the newlyweds and grimace. They share a strawberry and feed each other. I attended the wedding of the man I loved.

My favorite clothes I shrunk in the washing machine.

With anticipation, I go to him. After a night of dancing and chatting with everyone I knew, my feet hurt from my heels and it’s time for me to take my leave. I gather my belongings and say goodbye to fellow guests. One hugs me and casually jokes around, “I have someone who’s interested in you and I’ll give you their number if you want!” I nervously laugh and excuse myself, “I’m busy with school, I’m sorry.” I only have two people to say goodbye to now and thank for the invitation. His wife hugs me, and thanks me for coming. She’s taller, older, and wiser. I can still smell her shampoo. I turn to him. He hugs me and thanks me for coming. He asks me what my plans are over the next month and that I should contact him in case I need anything. In that moment, I become disconnected. I thanked him and rushed to my car. I break my heel on the way out and I take my shoes off. I sit in my car recalling the day. I focus on the beeping noise my car is making to tell me to put my seatbelt on. I focus on the way my headlights are making the cool pavement shine. I look at the moon from my windshield. The season is cold, and my breathing feels faint. My heart is warm, gestures small; before your breathing becomes faint please turn your footsteps around. Looking towards the parting clouds, promise me you won’t leave. Underneath the milky way, please don’t forget. Under the rising sun, hold my hand and don’t let go. Staring at the blinding moon, kiss me and tell me you love me. Without hearing your heart, we sing the same song. Under the same sky, even when we’re not looking, we stay together like sun and moon. I attended the wedding of the man I love.

The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?

  Author’s note: I submitted this to a contest at my university. It placed second in the short fiction category. I hope you enjoy. 

[blisserial]

Twelve

We were a circus, yes, but never before had we plied our talents beneath the shelter of a proper tent. Ross claimed he hated tents and that the fabric walls and the disappearance of the sky gave him vertigo. I think he simply didn’t want to split with the coin necessary to procure such an expensive prop.

When we saw the jeweled beauty staked beneath the Capitol's white spire I think we all began to dream of endless, cheering crowds and previously unseen acclaim. I know I drew my shoulders back and lifted my chin. Summer south of the border had taught me that we were more than mud grubbers. Now I think I began to realize that we could be near royalty.

"It's sewn all over with sapphires," Will marveled, tattoos flexing as he stretched to stroke the gleaming fabric.

"I imagine they can be cut free," Maurice replied. He tossed Ross a speculative look.

"No," Ross replied quickly. "Let them be. Don't take anything isn't ours. There's danger in that."

Because I caught Amy's nod and frightened genuflect, I made a rude noise. Ross turned his glare my direction. "I mean it, Bliss. Don't tempt fate." Absently he patted the chrysanthemum pin now stuck through the leather of his belt.

The tent was larger than most of the Southern hotels we'd frequented. Beyond the door flap a footman waited. He bowed so low his chin nearly touched the ground then motioned us to the center of the ring.

We were without our mule and stallion. No hoofed animals were allowed beyond the first circle of the city. Instead, the Seat had gifted us with a pair of lions.

I thought fanged animals were a far road more dangerous than hoofed but Ross appeared calm. He'd worked with large cats in his youth, leopards and striped mountain cats, and we'd been promised that these two shaggy beasts were well trained by the Seat's own personal jester.

"They sit at her feet," the footman reported, reaching past thick wooden bars to ruffle a tawny coat. In his cage the lion began to purr, a deep, rumbling growl. "Or do summersaults while she plays a pipe. Gentle as lambs, these two."

I doubted it, but when the footman released the animals in order to demonstrate their talents, the creatures were indeed better mannered than our one eyed tom. Will soon had their cues down and Ross was fairly bristling with excitement.

"Beloved by the people." The footman nodded and preened subtly as one of the big cats rolled on the ground. "We truly cannot have a performance without them."

"We'll work them in." Maurice nodded. "My troop is nothing if not creative."

Creative assuredly. Our Bearded Lady had deft hands with a tailor's needle and also a pack rat's addiction to odd rags and bits of fine fabrics. She went to work piecing together elaborate, ruffled skirts made of feathers and damask. The skirts had lion sized waistlines and matching paste crowns; an example of the Bearded Lady's odd sense of humor.

The costumed lions were meant to dance with the dogs in the center ring while Ross's tabby queen strummed her guitar and the one eyed tom howled vulgar accompaniment. Amy would preside over them all. In this the dog girl reached the highest pinnacle of her career, I am sure.

It all ran surprisingly well. Our dogs and cats did not, as I expected, turn tail and run the moment the lions were introduced. I suppose Ross's menagerie feared his hand above the lions' hunger.

The elegantly coiffed, perfumed Southern audience roared and clapped at all the appropriate places. The shadowed pavilion at the far end of the tent remained opaque but the Seat's courtiers, arranged at the foot of his throne, nodded and smiled. Ross took their smiles as encouragement. That, and the showers of coin raining at our feet from above.

The adulation must have gone to Amy’s head. I was juggling in the far ring and did not see her leap to the lion's back, but I heard the increasing roar of the crowd. I might have continued on oblivious if the Bearded Lady hadn't screamed.

As it was, I looked over just in time to see the affronted animal turn its shaggy head and casually rip Amy's thigh to clots of meat and gristle.

Maurice quenched colored flame as he jumped to the dog girl's aid. The Bearded Lady continued to scream. Eager, frenzied cries from the audience above rang in my ears. And at the foot of the Seat's pavilion, his courtiers clapped and nodded in genteel approval.

                                                              *****

      The boy was dressed as he had been at Tamner's party, a proper pampered little lord head to toe. The white silk of his stockings had none of the stains one expected in a lad. His velvet doublet was unwrinkled. He stank of Southern perfume. Only the child's ruffled mane was out of order; burnished curls fell over narrowed brown eyes and onto the collar of his tunic.

He held the pistol steady, small hand loose and practiced, while he shook his head.

"A simple question such as I asked demands a simple truth, Sergeant." He spoke in the fluting tones of a lad whose balls had not yet dropped. He pursed his lips in dramatic regret. "But you lied. I thought so then. I know so now."

The silver pistol looked as though it had been fashioned to fit that particular miniscule hand but Maurice did not doubt the delicate thing could put a hole in his chest. He found himself clenching his teeth, and forced his jaw to relax.

"I've no idea what you mean."

"Witchery." The boy pronounced the word as though it tasted sweet on his tongue. He used his free hand to gesture at the blackened walls. "Or do you expect me to believe that conflagration was the result of an oil soaked rag and well timed distraction?"

He laughed as though he found himself terribly amusing. From somewhere behind Maurice the thin priest cackled a nervous echo. That sound, far more than the pistol, made Maurice begin to sweat.

The boy must have seen something on Maurice's face because he wagged his head carefully from side to side. "Don't try it, sir. Burning me won't do you a bit of good and I'll still put a bullet through your heart. Besides," the weapon remained still and steady as the lad crouched at Maurice's shoulder, "surely you've killed enough for one day." He leveled a meaningful past Maurice.

For the first time Maurice noticed the rank, charred stink rising about the room: blackened bone and hair. He knew the taste of ash well.

"I didn't kill them." Because he was sure he hadn't. Most of the priests had been still in the hall and the man closest behind had been hale enough to send Maurice tumbling to the floor.

"No?" The boy's brows quirked. "That isn't supper I smell, nor dinner I see."

Maurice lunged upward. He managed to knock the pistol from the lad's hand, but only, he thought, because the little monster allowed it. He did not quite make it to his knees before the muzzle buried itself again in his rib cage.

"Look your fill," the boy said. "And tell me that isn't murder."

The guards lay where they had fallen, inside the door and beyond, across the bottom of the stairs. The leather of their uniforms had turned brittle. Their boots steamed. Their hands were gone to blackened bone and what remained of their faces made bile rise in the back of Maurice's throat.

Only the elderly priest stood untouched, leaning hard against one blackened wall. His weathered face was set in a rictus of adoration and fright. And it was not, Maurice slowly realized, the fire the old man feared.

"I didn't do that." Maurice said quietly. Because he had always had far more control on the battlefield and he would not think that disuse had eroded his grip. "Who are you?"

The pistol jumped against his flesh as the boy exhaled a thoughtful sigh.

"He," the child said at last, "and his like prefer not to give me name. You.  Well. Often enough, your people call me Fox."

 The boy bound Maurice hand and foot with fine silver linked chain he produced from a small chest on the table and, pistol adamant, sent him to stand against the far wall. Then he made the old priest clear the room of the ruined bodies. It was a grisly, horrifying task to watch, but the man did not complain.

When the priest was finished he bowed, shaking, bloodied hands clutched to his robes, leaving vivid smears.

"Stand outside," the monstrous lad ordered. "Shut the door. I will call you when I want you."

The priest bowed again and shut the door. The soft, faint sounds of temple life above muffled to non existence.

The boy set his pistol on the table and parceled fruit and bread onto a small china plate. This he set on the floor in front of Maurice as one would feed a dog.

"Eat." He said, "I arranged it especially for you. You'll be hungry, I imagine.”

Maurice was not, but he slid down the rough wall until he sat on his heels and freed a grape with manacled hands.

"Northern grapes," he noted. The small purple fruit was cold and firm between thumb and fore fingers. "Fresh."

The boy plucked a grape from the platter on the table and burst it between sharp teeth. "They are my favorite." He scraped juice from red lips with his tongue and then smiled. "You don't believe me."

Maurice rolled the grape between his fingers but did not lift it to his mouth. "I never question a man's tastes, lad."

The boy's delighted laugh rolled and then vanished as quickly as it had come.

"No," he said, suddenly cold. "About the other. You don't believe I'm your Fox."

"My Fox is a god." And a wise man never ate a god's offering. "He runs in a beast's form, when he runs at all." Maurice tilted his chin at the abandoned pistol. "A god has no need of a man's weapons."

"There is ease in the mechanical." The boy sat on the floor a body's length away from Maurice. He pulled his knees up under his chin. Despite the ash in the room, the lad's white stockings were still clean. "And Fox is clever."

Maurice released the grape. It bounced on the china, rolled, and dropped to the floor. He regarded the boy silently, hoping he looked a good bit more indifferent than he felt.

"Do you plan to keep me prisoner?"

The boy appeared to give this idea great thought. "We've enough food to last a day or three. If the grapes do not sour. I abhor soured grapes. But this room gets cold. And we cannot expect Father Geschke to stand out there forever. The man's joints are bad and he's not got but a small family of days left to him."

"It would be," the lad continued, "easier on us all if you just explain."

"Explain?"

"The witchery!" The boy displayed a child's petulance beautifully, even sitting still as he did. "You are right. It doesn't exist, it shouldn't exist, I've mad sure of it. And yet there you were, sir, at Tamner's celebration, displaying your unnatural flame for all to see." His ivory skin grew flushed and mottled. "It does not exist, and yet you have it in spades. Where did it come from? How did you get it? Tell me!"

"You're mad."

The boy chewed his lip and muttered to himself. Then, quick as the child's Jumping Jack Maurice had once seen on display through a toymaker's window, he hopped to standing and spread his arms wide.

"How old am I?" He challenged.

Foolishness, Maurice thought. But: "Ten Summers, no more."

"And how old are you, fire eater?"

"Thirty and seven."

"The day you were born," the lad bent like a hinge at his waist, scowling into Maurice's glower, just out of reach, "your mum slaughtered her best goose and your father caught its arterial blood in a silver cup and left the whole on the cornerstone of my cottagers' church."

Maurice opened his mouth and then closed it again. The boy continued on.

"On the day you turned five your father picked an entire tree's crop of apples and your mother bundled them into a freshly woven basket and left the whole on the cornerstone of my cottagers' church. To bring you luck. Your mother," he straightened up again, seeing something Maurice could not, "had a bit of the rot in her left foot. You stole an apple from the basket. Your mum lost that foot soon after and you've never been particularly rich in luck. You shouldn’t have taken what was mine."

"Enough," Maurice said, despite himself, remembering his mother's gulping cry as the village surgeon cut off her putrid foot. She had not been quite the same after.

"And do you remember," the lad asked, spearing Maurice with a charming smile, "when you turned ten and five?"

Maurice did not, at first, and then, reluctantly, he did. He felt color rise again, this time along his own throat.

"Your mum in her grave and your father not long from his," the boy said. "You convinced the Matron Clark to lie with you, in the scrub alongside my church. And after, you left your offering wet upon my cornerstone, all because young Horace Redding told you, sir, that such a hedonistic ritual would bring you Fox's favor."

Maurice could not speak. The boy took bread from the table and broke it casually into two.

"You've never deserved my favor. And only because of the blood in your mum's silver cup do you have my mercy. So, best speak now." He bit into the bread, sighed easily, and spoke through a full mouth. "The witchery. How did you come by it? Who gave it to you? Speak! Was it that old meddler, that stolid fool, my brother Trout?"

                                                        ********

Moire could not find Maurice. He hadn't been seen in the barracks since sunrise. His cell was all but empty. He'd left his knife behind and the pack that contained his circus tricks.

Sometime since his arrival Maurice had picked up a cake of soldier's hard soap. It sat on the end of his neatly folded bedding along with a battered washing ewer. The man had always been obsessive about cleanliness.

Moire did not feel much compunction searching his quarters, because Maurice had never, in the time she had known him, locked a door. And because she was and always would be his commanding officer, and so had long ago earned the right. And because if Bliss had revealed her troubles to anyone, it would have been Maurice.

But she found nothing of Bliss, nothing out of the ordinary, and certainly no sign of a struggle. If the Northern king's soldiers had come for Maurice, they'd not come for him here.

Moire left the cell and stood for a moment in the subterranean corridor, thinking.

She remembered the old bolt hole. A small, possessive part of her heart wanted to throw off her priestly robes and responsibilities and find Bliss again, shake her until secrets spilled out, fix whatever scrape her friends had gotten themselves into.

Once, that would have been her right. But no longer.

Now, she belonged to the gods. And as if those self same gods heard her traitorous heart, they sent her a gentle reminder, in the form of the officious Corporal Aansi.

The man had, lately, somehow become her conscious.

"Major." Aansi appeared wholly relieved. "Thank the highest. I've been looking for you since afternoon bell. They said you were doing your wash."

"I was." Moire folded her hands into the sleeves of her robe. The fabric prickled but she'd grown used to it. "Something came up."

Aansi eyed the door at Moire's back. The corporal could not quite keep his disapproval hidden.

"You're wanted ." He said, with emphasis, "At the temple."

"Of course I am," Moire replied, smothering a sigh.

 Daily obeisance appealed to Moire's warrior self. It was, after all, only another form of patience, not so different from days and nights spent in formation, waiting for the enemy to make his move. The temple floor was nearly as cold as a camp tent in winter and far more uncomfortable than a day spent in the saddle.

During obeisance Moire was never alone. To her right and to her left the other initiates spread in motionless rows, brows pressed to the floor, eyes closed.

Moire could hear her companions breathing, when she was not distracted by the beating of her own heart. Often she became lost in the inhale and exhale until that ocean of life lifted her chest and she grew light and full of certainty. Then every lingering doubt fell away and nothing remained but the companions at her side and the promise of her new future.

But for once Moire could not focus. The rhythmic breath of the men and woman sprawled around her became a distraction, an irritation. Time seemed to inch forward, painstakingly slow. Her forehead grew numb against the stone floor.

She wanted to open her eyes and roll her head and look up at the towering altar. She needed to seek answers to new questions in its glittering, all-seeing eye. She waited for that light, that certainty.

It didn't come.

Outside midday grew into evensong. Soon the bells would ring again and free her from supplication. Moire wondered if Maurice had returned safely to his cell.

A throat cleared, startling against the susurrus of breath. She forgot not to look up.

A young priest looked down at, expression kind. "Initiate," she said. "You are expected in the library."

Surprised, Moire glanced side to side at the motionless, scarce breathing bumps that were her brothers and sisters. The priest shook her head and lifted one finger to her lips.

"Take the main staircase," she said. "They’re waiting.”