#on top of limited tests and slow test processing

[yaniiiiism]

hold my hand. -k.sm 💌

❀┆pairing : kim seungmin x fem!reader ͏ ❀┆ info : oneshot / twoshot ?? , a lot of fluff , and a lot of 'apparent' unrequited love (im sorry) , happy ending , cutesy , uni love , feelings and angst , short ! ❀┆ personas + bg : uni students ; dormmates w benefits ❀┆ word count : ❀┆warnings : cute and dread but dw happy ending yall notes at the end !!

✿　　　　( ˶ᵔ ᵔ) ♡　　　　˚　　　　☒

happy seungmo day !

♥︎ ! now, we share the same dream called, 'us'.

The night was thick with the kind of silence that made every little sound feel magnified. The rustling of her sheets, the faint crack of his breathing, even the soft creaks of the bed beneath her felt louder than the thoughts swirling around in her restless head.

She turned over again for what felt like the hundredth time, face buried in her pillow as she tried to will herself to fall asleep. 

But her mind was wide awake, racing in that frustrating way it did sometimes, hopping from one thought to the next with no intention of slowing down. The warmth from the body beside her, instead of comforting you into rest, only added to your awareness. 

He lay still, his back rising and falling gently in rhythm. His arm, usually flung over her waist, had fallen away sometime in the night, giving her space, but her squirming was testing the limits of even his patience.

A loud sigh slipped out, unintentional but filled with the kind of frustration she only felt when she’s tired, and can't do anything about it.

She felt movement before she heard him, the mattress dipping slightly as he shifted beside her. “Y/n,” he mumbled, his voice low and hoarse, dripping with sleep. "What are you doing?"

Startled, she froze. She hadn't meant to wake him. 

He really didn’t wake easily, so the fact that he was up meant she’d been tossing and turning for a while.

"Sorry," she muttered, feeling a wave of guilt wash over her as she turned on her side to face him. The dim light filtering through the window barely illuminated his face, but she could make out the mess of his hair and the way his eyes, barely open, squinted in her direction.

"Seriously," he continued, rubbing his hand over his face before letting it drop lazily on his bare chest, his voice thick with sleep. "Why are you moving so much?"

She shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, biting her lip. "I can't sleep," she admitted quietly. 

It was a stupid response, one that obviously didn’t explain why she was writhing like a fish out of water, but it was the truth. She just couldn’t sleep.

He blinked at her, clearly processing her words through his sleepy haze. 

Then, to her surprise, he shifted closer to her. His arm reached out, wrapping lazily around her waist, over the thin, black camisole she wore, as he tugged her towards him, pulling her into the familiar space against his chest.

"Then just stop moving," he murmured, his voice muffled by her hair as his lips brushed against the top of her head. 

He wasn’t fully awake, that was clear. 

This was Seungmin in his most unfiltered state, without the usual layers of sarcasm or that teasing grin he wore during the day. 

This was him in a space where he let her in more than either of them were willing to admit out loud.

His body was warm, radiating heat in a way that made her immediately feel guilty for disturbing him. His fingers, though a little clumsy with sleep, rubbed slow, lazy circles against her back.

The motion was surprisingly soothing. She let out a long breath, slowly sinking into him as her muscles began to relax.

"You’re restless," He murmured after a few seconds, his hand still moving against her back in that gentle way, keeping her anchored against him. His lips brushed the top of her head again, a ghost of a kiss that she wasn’t sure he even knew he gave. 

"Always overthinking."

She felt her chest tighten at his words. He knew her too well. And maybe that was why it was so terrifying—the way he could see through her, even in his half-asleep state. 

But at the same time, it was why she kept coming back, why she never left his bed after nights like these. He knew her, and despite that, he stayed.

"I’m not overthinking," She mumbled, but the words lacked conviction. He let out a small scoff that vibrated against her forehead, assuring her that he was definitely conscious yet sleepy. Cute. 

"Sure," he muttered, but his tone was softer now, less teasing, more understanding. His hand slid from her back to beneath her the fabric that hugged her waist, fingers tracing mindless patterns across her skin.

"Just... try to sleep."

"That’s exactly what i’ve been doing for the past—"

"Shush."

At his lazy voice and his hand slowly prompting her figure, she nestled deeper into him, her body naturally curling against his, her cheek resting against his collarbone. 

He smelled like the faint traces of his vanilla scented cologne mixed with warmth—Seungmin’s warmth, something uniquely his that made her eyelids feel heavier.

"Close your eyes, and don’t focus on anything other than sleeping."

"I’ll sleep if you stop talking,"

He let out a quiet, annoyed breath, his grip on her waist tightening just a fraction, pulling her closer to him. 

"You’ll sleep," he replied simply, his voice now barely above a whisper.

His body was comfortable, solid against hers, and his steady breathing began to lull her in ways her own mind couldn’t. 

The itch to move, to toss and turn, slowly began to fade as his fingers danced across her clothed waist, occasionally slipping under the hem of the same camisole once again to skim her skin.

She wasn’t sure how long they stayed like that, caught in a limbo between wakefulness and sleep, with his heartbeat beneath her ear acting as her lullaby. 

But eventually, the weight of the day began to catch up with her.

Just as she was on the cusp of sleep, she felt his lips brush against her forehead, barely there, like a secret.

"Sleep well," he whispered, so soft that she almost missed it.

"Night, Seung.." She whispered back, letting herself finally fall into sleep, comforted by the fact that, for now, things were exactly how they were supposed to be.

No nonchalance. No heavy talks.

Just the quiet, unspoken connection that somehow made it all make sense.

— next morning. 

The first thing she noticed was the cold.

It wasn’t the kind of cold that came from a draughty window or a forgotten blanket. 

Not really. 

No, this was the absence of warmth—the absence of him. 

Her body, once cocooned in his embrace, now lay exposed to the chill of the early morning air. 

She blinked her eyes open slowly, the sunlight beginning to creep through the half open curtains, painting the room in soft shades of orange and gold.

But his warmth? Gone. Just like always.

With a heavy sigh, she turned her head toward the empty space beside her, the sheets already cooling where his body had been only a few hours before. 

The faintest outline of his presence was still visible—a wrinkle in the bedding, the faintest impression of his form in the pillow. 

But Seungmin? He was long gone.

It had become a routine by now, one she was all too familiar with. No matter how late the night before — no matter how close their bodies were tangled up in each other, or how intimate the way he held her — he always left before she woke. 

Sometimes, she’d wake in the middle of the night, find him still there, his arms snug around her waist, his breath soft against her hair. But by morning? Always gone.

She stretched out a hand, her fingers brushing against the cold pillow where his head had been, and a familiar pang of emptiness settled in her chest. 

It wasn’t like she expected anything different. This was their agreement, after all — being friends with benefits, emphasis on the “friends” part. 

No strings attached. No feelings to complicate things.

Just two music majors, as close as dorm-mates, fulfilling their hollow desires. 

Or at least, that’s what they kept telling themselves.

With a groan, the girl pulled herself up into a sitting position, running a hand through her messy hair as she stared at the empty side of the bed for a moment longer. 

The apartment was quiet, the early morning stillness only punctuated by the faint sound of birds chirping outside the window. If she strained her ears, she could probably hear him in the kitchen, going about his morning routine like nothing had happened. 

Like they hadn’t spent half the night wrapped up in each other’s arms, skin pressed to skin, whispered breaths filling the silence between them.

Pushing the thought aside, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stood up, the cool floor beneath her feet sending a brief shiver up her spine. 

She grabbed her robe from the back of the door and wrapped it around herself, over her camisole, tying the belt with a quick knot before stepping out of her bedroom.

As expected, he was already in the kitchen.

The scent of freshly brewed coffee wafted through the small apartment, mingling with the sound of soft clinking dishes. He stood at the stove, back turned to her as he focused on whatever breakfast he was making. 

His hair was still slightly tousled, sticking up in a few places from sleep, but otherwise, he looked like his usual self — calm, collected, completely unfazed by the night before.

Yet, adorable. Enough for her to fold over. 

She lingered in the doorway for a moment, watching him. He was wearing a simple black t-shirt and grey sweatpants, his usual morning attire, and he moved around the kitchen with an easy grace, like he belonged there. 

Like this was just another normal day.

Because to him, it was.

Or, at least that’s what she assumed. 

She sighed, pushing the door of his room open a little wider as she stepped out of it, walking to the kitchen. 

"Morning," she mumbled, her voice still thick with sleep.

Seungmin glanced over his shoulder at her, his expression unreadable as always, yet he gave her a tiny smile, which she knew was genuine. 

"Morning, insomniac." he replied, as if he hadn’t left the bed they shared, just an hour ago.

She made her way to the counter, grabbing a mug and filling it with coffee from the pot he had brewed, a small smile tugging her lips at his reply. 

She leaned against the kitchen counter, her fingers wrapped around the warm mug of coffee. She took a small sip, letting the heat spread through her as she watched the guy move around the kitchen with his usual quiet efficiency. 

But as she took another sip of her coffee, she couldn’t help but feel the growing weight of those unspoken feelings, the ones that clung to her chest like a secret she didn’t want to acknowledge.

She glanced at him again, the way his hair was still a little messy, the way he absentmindedly hummed under his breath as he cooked. Her chest fluttered, just a bit, at the sight.

“Slept well, did you?” 

His voice broke through her thoughts, casual as ever, but there was a softness to it – obviously since he already knew the answer, a smirk tugging the corner of his lips.

She shrugged, setting her mug down on the counter with a soft clink. “Surprisingly,”

He didn’t respond right away. He flipped the eggs with practised ease before turning off the stove, and when he turned around to face her, there was something unreadable in his eyes. His usual teasing smirk was absent, replaced by something quieter, more thoughtful.

She was sitting on the chair, fingers idly tracing the hem of the mug, gaze right on it but mind elsewhere.

For a moment, they just stood there, the silence between them heavy with all the things they never said. 

The guy’s heart did that stupid thing again where it skipped a beat whenever she seemed like that – he could see straight through her.

Her baby hair framing her face, the sunlight bouncing off of the curves of her head. Pretty, black, eyes concentrated on the green mug, carrying the same depth they always did, and he would oh so fondly dive into them.

“Coffee too strong?” he asked, breaking the silence as he moved to pour himself a cup.

She let out a small breath she hadn’t realised she was holding. “It’s fine, just kinda tired,” she chuckled, crossing her arms over her chest, feeling suddenly exposed under his gaze. 

“How.. about you? Sleep well?”

He shrugged, taking a sip of his coffee. “Slept fine until someone decided to practise gymnastics at 3 am.”

His words were teasing, but his voice was gentle, and for some reason, that made her heart skip a beat again. 

She awkwardly smiled, scratching her arm, a habit she grew familiar with, and he knew it quite well.

“I’m sorry, I was– warm, okay?”

He chuckled, “Warm, and sleep-deprived but lost in thought? Yeah, I know,” he replied softly, his eyes lingering on her for a beat longer than necessary before he looked away, focusing on his coffee instead.

And that was the problem, wasn’t it? He always knew. Even when she didn’t say anything, even when she tried to brush it off, he always knew.

She hated that about him. And she loved it too.

“Thanks.” She suddenly murmured, “I mean, for uh, h-helping me sleep. Last night.”

He smiled, this time, softer than ever. “It’s nothing. At least you had a good sleep after.. I don't know, weeks?” 

“It wasn’t that long!”

He shot her a look that she knew too well.

“Okay maybe it was. But that doesn’t matter for now,”

The corners of his lips curled up at her indignant reply, but he didn’t press further, simply shaking his head as he took another sip of his coffee. 

His eyes flicked back to her, soft and observing, and for a moment, he let himself get lost in the simplicity of the scene – the quiet morning, the soft golden light filtering through the windows, and her, sitting at the counter, her sleepy, tousled appearance making her look unfairly adorable.

For a while, they just stayed like that, bantering and sipping their coffee, the easy silence between them filling the room. 

It wasn’t awkward. It was never awkward with him. 

That was part of the reason she kept coming back to this – whatever this was. It was easy. Comfortable. 

But lately, that comfort had started to come with a twist – a knot of feelings tangled somewhere deep in her chest that she wasn’t quite sure what to do with.

His eyes were still on her, his teasing grin fading into something more thoughtful as the quiet stretched between them.

“You’re doing that.. thing again,” he said suddenly, voice low.

She blinked, tilting her head. “What thing?”

“The thinking thing. The kind that keeps you up all night.”

She felt her cheeks flush slightly and quickly looked away, pretending to focus on her coffee instead. “I’m not—”

“You are,” he cut in, his voice soft but firm. He set his mug down on the counter and took a few steps closer, stopping just a foot away from her. 

“You get this look when you’re overthinking. Your eyebrows scrunch up, and you kind of space out, like you’re solving the world’s most complicated puzzle.”

Her lips parted slightly, caught off guard by how easily he read her. “So you stare, hm?” She grinned, trying to lift away the tension.

She didn’t know what to say, so she just stared down at her coffee, feeling a little too exposed under his knowing gaze.

“It’s kinda hard not to.” He replied a minute later, the same expression on his face.

“Well, I’m not always thinking about something.. deep.” she mumbled, but the protest was weak, and she knew it. “It’s just about uni, and other stuff, nothing to worry about.” She shrugged.

Seungmin just chuckled, a deep, throaty sound that made her chest flutter. “Sure,” he teased lightly, but then his voice softened. “Look, if something’s bothering you—”

“Nothing’s bothering me,” she interrupted quickly, her gaze flicking back to him, trying to muster a convincing smile. “I’m fine.”

Seungmin raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it. “You know, for someone who’s known me this long, you’re terrible at lying.”

She let out an exaggerated groan, sinking further into her chair as she covered her face with her hands. “You’re so annoying,” she muttered, but there was no real heat behind her words.

“I try my best,” he quipped, the smirk back in full force. But then his expression softened again, and after a beat, he reached out, his hand ruffling her hair gently. “But seriously, Y/n. If you need to talk, I’m here.”

She peeked out from between her fingers, surprised by the sudden contact. His hand was warm, his touch soft and uncharacteristically gentle. She wasn’t used to this side of him—the one that was careful with her, the one that wasn’t constantly teasing or sarcastic. It made her chest tighten in a way that was both terrifying and comforting.

“I know,” she whispered, her voice small.

He gave a small nod and pulled his hand back, leaning against the counter again like nothing had happened. “Good.”

The room felt warmer now, despite the cool morning air seeping through the windows. Her heart was beating a little faster, and she wasn’t sure if it was because of his touch or the way his gaze lingered on her for just a second too long.

She cleared her throat, desperate to break the tension that was creeping in. “So,” she said, trying to sound casual. “What’s for breakfast?”

– almost 5 minutes later.

“You know,” she spoke, her voice casual now. “You’re really good at this.” She took a bite of the toasted bread, looking at him.

He glanced at her over his shoulder, flipping the last omelette, eyebrow raised. “Good at what? Making breakfast?”

“What? No,” she said, shaking her head with her eyes judging him. “Why do you think I don’t let you make lunch or dinner? I don’t want to be fined because someone blew up the oven.”

“Hey, I'm not that bad,” He glanced her way, defending himself. “I’m literally making breakfast right now.”

“You’ve cooked the same eggs or burnt pancakes for breakfast for almost 4 weeks in a row, Seungmin.” She rolled her eyes, speaking again. “But, what I meant was.. you’re good at comforting me.”

For a second, the air between them shifted, the teasing banter falling away as her words hung in the space between them. He turned fully to face her now, his expression softening as he met her gaze.

“Well,” he said slowly, his voice soft, “you make it pretty easy.”

Her heart did that stupid fluttering thing again, and she quickly averted her gaze, suddenly feeling shy under his intense stare. “You’re such a sap,” she muttered, though her voice lacked the usual bite.

He chuckled, his smile reaching his eyes as he turned back to the food, finishing plating the eggs and toast for himself. “Maybe,” he admitted, sliding on the chair beside her. “But only for you.”

She blinked, silently, as her heart skipped a beat at his words. She stared at him, but he didn’t seem fazed by what he’d just said, casually sitting down across from her and taking a bite of his toast like he hadn’t just made her entire world tilt on its axis.

Oh, but little did she know, he was as surprised as her at those words leaving his mouth. The fluttering feeling inside his heart, the way she was looking at him, when he tried so hard to act nonchalant.

She picked up her fork, her hands suddenly feeling clumsy as she poked at her food.

⠀⠀𓄳 ֹ ͏   ⊹   𓎆⠀.   𓂅  ֹ ͏⠀◯

a/n ♡︎

OMGGGG happy birthday to the love of my life my baby seungminieneeiensiseesn I STILL HAVENT COMPLETED LIX FIC. I AM SO SORRY YALL ILL POST WHEN I CAN 😞😞😞😞 exams start tmr kms this is a twoshot btw. so wait patiently for the final part tysmmm <3 plz reblog/comment/like if u like my fics <33 made another spam acc for skz @loveforseung ALSO I HAVE AO3 !! user's same as @loveforseung go follow !! making a masterlist for all of my posts, plz lmk if u wanna be a part of it ! <3 have a good day ~ – love, yani ♥︎

[kissedsuns]

cat scratch, oscar piastri.

cw: SMUT, scratching, p in v, crying, & more . . .

for someone often described as a 'polite cat,' oscar certainly lives up to the 'cat' part, though 'polite' wouldn't be how you'd describe him when he's pounding into you without an ounce of mercy.

you were in the midst of a silly argument with him when you said something that seemed to push him over the edge.

he suffered a terrible day and a lousy race, and your complaint about him ignoring you on the way back to the hotel was the last straw.

"shut up," you snap, your patience wearing thin. you didn't want to hear any more about his bad day or the race.

oscar's eyes flash with anger. "you shut up," he bites back.

you step closer, challenging him with your gaze. "oh yeah? make me, dickhead."

for a moment, oscar's expression softens into one of mock defeat. "okay," he sighs, a smirk playing on his lips. "but you might moan a little."

before you can process his words, he pounces on you, his hands gripping your hips as he pushes you onto the bed. your breath hitches as he positions himself above you, eyes dark with intent. there's no gentleness in his touch, no hesitation as he drove into you with a force that left you gasping.

"so quiet now," he taunts, his voice a low growl. "what happened to that bratty little mouth of yours, hm?"

you can only moan in response, your body trembling beneath him. he pulls out briefly, just long enough to flip you over so you were on your back, facing him. your cheeks were flushed, your skin slick with sweat as he looks down at you.

"you're such a messy girl," he murmurs, his hand tangling in your hair before he thrusts back into you. the sensation is overwhelming, your cries filling the room as he set a relentless pace.

"i'm- fuck, 'm sorry!" you gasp, the words tumbling out as he leans down to nip at your neck, his teeth grazing the bruises he'd left earlier.

oscar doesn't let up. "aw, poor baby," he mocks, his lips curving into a smirk. "i don't care that you're sorry." his hips continue their brutal rhythm, each thrust sending waves of pleasure through your body.

with a sudden move, oscar lifts you off the bed and positions himself beneath you, keeping himself inside you the entire time. "y'gonna ride me, okay?"

you nod, your mind hazy with desire as you begin to move. your pace was slow at first, just testing the waters, but oscar's encouragement spurred you on.

"there we go, you've got it," he coos.

his hips buck up occasionally, driving deeper into you which results in you almost collapsing on top of him.

your hands clutch onto oscar's shoulders, fingers digging into his skin as you desperately try to steady yourself. your body is quivering, threatening to give out under the relentless assault of his hips driving into you.

"i can't do it- oscar! fuck-" you gasp, your voice breaking as you struggle to maintain your balance. each thrust from him sends a jolt of pleasure through you, making it nearly impossible to stay upright. "osc, i can't keep going!"

he knows you can. deep down, you know you can too.

"you're whining," he says, rolling his eyes. his tone is almost menacing as his nails rake down your thighs, leaving red trails in their wake. "thought we said we weren't gonna do that."

his grip on your ass tightens, his nails digging in even more when you don't immediately comply. the sharp sting only heightens your arousal, and you can feel tears of frustration welling up in your eyes.

"am i makin' you cry, baby?" oscar mocks, his voice dripping with faux sympathy as he reaches up to wipe a tear from your cheek.

you're not in pain; you're in heaven. although, you are a little embarrassed that you're so turned on by oscar being a little shit.

he laughs, a low, rasping sound that sends shivers down your spine. "suck it up," he sneers.

the rest of the night blurs into a haze of exhaustion and pleasure, your body pushed to its limits as he continues to mouth off about what a brat you are.

the next morning, you wake up with a deep, throbbing ache in almost every single muscle. your ass also feeling especially tender for some reason.

you groan, rubbing your eyes groggily as you take in the sight of oscar completely knocked out beside you. his hair is tousled, falling onto his forehead, and a few bite marks cover his shoulders.

those marks, however, are almost nothing in comparison to what you have.

slowly, you remove yourself from oscar's arms, shivering as the cool morning air hits your bare skin. you reach for something warmer to wear, eyeing the clothes that scatter the bedroom floor.

as you pull on a baggy tee and some thin, lace shorts, you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror. your ass is covered in scratch marks, red and sore. you knew he was gripping you, digging his nails into your skin, but you hadn't realised just how marked up you were.

it looks like a cat had scratched you all over.

"oscar piastri!" you whisper-shout, storming back over to the bed and waking him from his slumber.

he rubs his eyes sleepily, staring up at you with a half-lidded gaze. "yeah?"

"you're a fucking cat," you huff, pointing to your scratched-up backside. "my ass is covered in scratches."

oscar lets out a raspy laugh, propping himself up against the headboard. he just shrugs and smirks at you, clearly unbothered.

he's proud of his work. you, however, are not.

© kissedsuns

[brilla-brilla-estrellita]

THEY'RE COMPLETE??

My picture taking game has really taken a dive in this last stretch, so you'll have to bear with me through some bad lighting and angles. In my last post, I talked about how the edges of my pattern pieces frayed significantly, taking most of the seam allowance with it, but I thought it was still savable. I did not get pictures of how bad the pieces looked, unfortuantely, but trust me, it was rough.

I lined them up and sewed them with the smallest seam I thought I could get away with, then used my pinking shears on the edges of the seam to try to prevent further fraying. I was able to attach the front and back of each wing into approximately the right shape, but I was sure that they wouldn't look symmatrical enough either in size or spikes. I was pleasently surprised, then, when I put them on the frame to check and found they still matched pretty well! I did take some pictures at this point, but there's a 10 picture limit on posts, apparently, so I'm leaving them out for more interesting things.

The next step was to trace the pattern for the boning/fingers (like bat wings, ya know?) onto each wing. This made it very clear how much the wings had shrunk because the pattern hung a couple of inches off the edge of the wing on the two lower fingers... But that's ok! I really just needed a guide for the size and angle of the channels. I used my Frixion pens liberally, hoping that I wouldn't ever wear the wings in a cold enough climate to make the marks show up again after I ironed them away (more on this later).

Pictured above: One wing on the wing frame with the traced finger channel lines in dark blue (or maybe it was purple?).

I sewed along those lines. The first wing went swimmingly. While working on the second wing, I realized the fabric on the bottom, a scrunchy gauz (which is the outside of the wing) was getting bunched up in some places on the vertical channel. I checked the first wing, the one that had gone "swimmingly," and sure enough, the bunches existed there, as well. The second wing had to have its stitches picked and resewn a few times while I played around with different techniques. I ultimately decided there was no way to avoid it (and I was getting tired of dealing with it), so I said fuck it and let the bunches exist. Honestly, I don't hate them.

Pictured above: The left and right wing and their bunches. You can see the bunches on the left one are more evenly spaced and almost look intentional. I couldn't replicate that with the right wing, which looks more... organic.

The next step was to sew the two outsides of the wings together to cover the back of the back plate. I was again concerned that I had lost too much fabric to the fray to be able to sew them together, but I again decided to just try it and see how it turned out. I really didn't want to have to dye another strip of fabric to stick inbetween there. And boy am I glad I tested it out because there was totally enough fabric!

Pictured above: Wings on wing frame with back pieces sewed together to hide the back plate! You can see the seam right down the middle.

The final step was to insert some wire into the channels to give them dimension and be able to shape them, but before I did that, I needed to iron-erase the marks I drew on. I find this process very magical, so I took a video for you.

And finally, the last step! I got some thick soft wire meant for gardening and fed it into the finger channels. It has a rubbery texture which of course prevented it from sliding in easily, so it was a long, slow process, but so, so worth it! I also added small pieces of wire to the two top spikes and the two bottom spikes to help fill them out, though I'm not sure they're really going to stay there long term becuase there's nothing but friction from the rubber casing holding them in place.

Pictured above: A length of the green soft gardening wire to be inserted into the finger channels.

Every time I tried to shape the wire before putting the wings on, it would look wrong once the wings were hanging naturally, so I had my husband help me shape them once they were on. And with that, we have the final result!!!

Pictured above: Front and back with wings closed.

Pictured above: Front and back with wings open.

I am SO happy with how they turned out. They have a lot of mistakes, but even so, they look so cool. And Simon's wings are a little fucked up anyway. This is the largest project, both sewing and prop-wise, that I have finished with time to spare before the event AND that has actually fully come together. I don't have to be pinned in. Nothing has to be glued on. I don't have to worry about what angle I'm photographed from to hide unfinished elements. It's just... done. I'm proud of myself for seeing it through, especially when I contemplated giving up so many times (and in the past, I probably would have).

I will of course make one more post with pictures of me with the intended outfit(s)!

Future Enhancements:

The harness is black and the shirt I'm planning to wear is yellow, so it's going to show. If I can manage it, I may try to make some covers for the harness straps as well so they blend in a little better, but we'll see. SSCoNE is less than a week away at this point!

Aside from the harness, my next planned upgrade is Spadey, of course! I'll plan that for SSCoNE 2025.

And now it's time to start designing a second pair for my renaissance faire outfit!

I would like to thank Dimension20's Fantasy High: Sophomore Year, Crown of Candy, and Unsleeping City campaigns as well as Bridgerton seasons 1&2 and good ADHD meds for being my constant companions during this process. This is really the perfect project for binging D20!

[hurtmyfavsthanks]

Febuwhump Day 13: "You weren't supposed to get hurt,

The first thing Whumpee saw upon being reactivated was Caretaker’s face standing over them. They looked tired, deep shadows resting under red eyes. A quick check of their internal clock told Whumpee that it was late into the night.

And yet Caretaker was smiling.

“Oh thank god–,” A relieved giggle burst from their lips, a hand reaching to grab one of Whumpee’s. “You’re okay! Thank god, I was so worried…”

Whumpee’s eyes scanned the room, system slow to respond. They were in Caretaker’s lab, body laid flat on top of a metal table. They could see various pieces of themselves scattered around, twisted and ruined metal plating tossed aside, damaged limbs in the process of being replaced.

Error warning flashed across their vision, making them aware of the various forms of damage they’d sustained. They did not recall being damaged.

They took a moment to look through their memory. There had been an attack on the base. As a safety and recovery unit, Whumpee fulfilled their duty by extracting non-combatant staff to a safer location.

They’d been found on the way. Whumpee remembered a mask figure shouting at them to freeze, lifting their weapon before anyone could comply. They remembered the weapon aiming for Caretaker–

Whumpee forced their error messages away, wincing at the unpleasant sensation. They ignored the discomfort and launched their scan protocol. Caretaker froze on instinct as the warm green light emitted from Whumpee’s eyes and ran across their body, searching for injury. Bruised skin, wrapped in a thick layer of bandages, were hidden underneath Caretaker’s oil stained shirt. Two of their ribs appeared on their scan, highlighting them as cracked.

They’d been hurt. Whumpee was supposed to protect them. “You were not supposed to be injured. I apologize.”

“Whumpee, it’s okay. I’m fine–,”

The wound seemed to already be tended to, but that was not enough. They were injured, they should be resting in the medical bay.

Whumpee moved to transport Caretaker to the medics. Or, they tried. Their system was still running slowly, still readjusting to their limited functionality. And so they didn’t realize their legs had not been fully reconnected until they’d tipped off the table.

“Hey hey hey, slow down!" Caretaker caught them, body trembling with effort. “I just needed to make sure your AI was undamaged; I haven’t fully repaired you yet,” With a strained hiss, Caretaker pulled Whumpee back onto the table. Whumpee did their best to assist, uncoordinated limbs pushing themselves back into place.

When Caretaker let go, they were panting, one hand moved to carefully hold their ribs.

Whumpee’s protocol screamed for them to act. “You should be resting. You are injured.”

“Whumpee,” Caretaker huffed, “I’m fine. Your legs are currently half attached to your body.”

“You have two broken ribs. I do not consider that ‘fine’, Whumpee countered. “Further, I could have waited until after your recovery. My damage was not enough to put my system in jeopardy, and leaving me deactivated would have done no harm.”

“Your chest was torn open. I wasn’t just going to leave you like that while I waited for a few injuries to heal!” Caretaker hissed, turning away. The gingerly sat themselves down at their computer table, the slightest sigh of relief leaving them. They focused their attention on the screen.“Now hold still, I need to run some tests.”

Whumpee did as commanded, body locking. “I would have been fine. I am not human, despite my appearance. An injury such as that is not fatal for me. You should have begun repairing me after you recovered.”

Caretaker didn’t respond. They began entering commands into the module, brow furrowed with an expression Whumpee was unable to decipher. As they worked, Whumpee could feel the tests running through their system, warning signs fading one by one.

They fell into a peaceful silence, the only noise the gentle clicking of Caretaker’s typing. After several long minutes, the clicking stopped. Caretaker paused, staring at the screen, expression contemplative.

“You saved my life, you know,” Caretaker suddenly spoke. “When they turned their weapons on me, I froze. I would’ve died if you hadn’t stepped in.”

“Yes.” Of course they had. It was their duty.

“You put yourself on the line for me. You could’ve died doing that. How could I leave you carved open, collecting dust while I sat around waiting to recover?”

“I did not nearly die, I simply sustained too much damage to be functional. Waiting to repair me would have done no harm.”

For a moment, Caretaker looked prepared to argue. But then they sighed, shoulders slumping, a hand coming to run through unwashed hair.

They turned to face Whumpee. Distress was written on their face, brows knitted. Whumpee longed to comfort them, but did not know how.

When Caretaker next spoke, their voice was slow, words chosen carefully. “I’m not here because fixing you now is the smartest thing to do. I’m here because I care about you, and seeing you injured hurts me.”

Whumpee flinched at their words, immediately beginning to run a new scan on Caretaker to find any new injuries. Without looking away, Caretaker pressed a button on the module and canceled their scan. “Emotionally, Whumpee,” they clarified. “It upsets me to see you hurt.”

Whumpee paused, considering. They knew they were limited in emotional reactions. It wasn’t beyond inorganic life, but it was something they had to learn, not a skill that could be programmed into them.

It wasn’t logical, but Whumpee knew better than to dismiss Caretaker’s words simply because of that.

They recalled how it felt, saving Caretaker. The programming that caused them to move without regard for their own safety. The blaring warning signs that flashed through their vision, the sight of their body tearing apart, crumbling. They remember feeling themselves fall apart, and only feeling joy knowing they’d protected Caretaker.

If they hadn’t shut down after that, wouldn’t they have used their damaged and struggling body to tend to Caretaker’s wounds? Is that what Caretaker felt now?

The situation was not the same. Whumpee was designed to protect Caretaker, not the other way around. A human should never hurt themselves for an inorganic.

Caretaker’s distress was illogical, but Whumpee would not say as much. They knew that continuing to argue would only upset Caretaker further. And that outcome was…unacceptable.

(nothing in their programming stipulated Caretaker’s emotional well-being as a priority. It was just something Whumpee knew-)

“I understand,” Whumpee said. They weren’t quite sure if that was true. But the smile that came to Caretaker’s face, twinged with exhaustion and yet full of relief, made that uncertainty feel unimportant.

[brutal-nemesis]

You already know you've got me invested. So a bunch of questions about your HRT magic system, whenever you've got the time:

- what does the ritual actually look like/involve?

- does the process look the same for both feminizing and masculinizing, or are they different?

- are there any effects that can't really be achieved using this form of HRT?

- how long does it take to build up effects? will you see some changes immediately, or is it slower?

More to come later, I'm sure 😁🧡

suit up bitches it's time for all the trans magic lore

What does the ritual actually look like/involve?

Essentially, person performing the procedure uses magic to force the patient's gonads (testes or ovaries) to produce more of the desired hormone, whether it's estrogen or testosterone. Unlike in our world, where people on E need to take T blockers to ensure that they see results (since T has stronger effects), this change in what the body itself is producing means that T levels would naturally decrease since the testes are producing more E. The actual procedure usually just involves the one performing it placing their hands on the patient's back near their spine and carrying out the spell. This typically takes five or so minutes, depending on how much the patient's natural levels need to be adjusted. The spell only lasts so long, so after a couple weeks it will need to be cast again. The spells themselves are called estrogen/testosterone production stimulation, EPS and TPS for short.

However, as magic advances, beyond the point it's at in Castys's early story and the entirety of Erebus & Terror, a new method is developed that alters the hypothalamus and pituitary glands instead, since they tell the rest of the body of what hormones to produce. This spell, called hypothalamus pituitary direction alteration (HPDA) only needs to be done once as the effects are permanent in the sense that they don't wear off, even after decades. However, it's much more complicated to carry out, so it takes longer to cast and is usually more expensive. The procedure itself usually involves the caster putting their hands on the patient's head and doing the spell for about 20 minutes.

It generally becomes standard practice for a patient to undergo at least a year of E/TPS in order to find the right balance of hormones for them before getting HPDA. The effects of HPDA can be altered later, but it's complicated enough that it's best to get it right the first time, hence using E/TPS as a trial run of sorts to figure out the best fit for each individual person.

Does the process look the same for both feminizing and masculinizing, or are they different?

Yes and no. The actual process is very similar, since it's just changing what hormones are produced, but adjusting the AMAB body to produce E and the AFAB body to produce T are different enough that most doctors specialize in one or the other. There's a lot more nuance to it than just turning up the hormone dial, so specialists in one or the other are skilled at helping bring about the wanted changes and preventing certain negative side effects.

Are there any effects that can't really be achieved using this form of HRT?

Since it's pretty similar to HRT here, it has the same limitations and effects, for the most part. Magic can certainly be used to help with things like top and bottom surgery (which sometimes don't need to be an actual surgery and are just a magical procedure), but neither form of HRT discussed above will completely change primary sex organs or massively alter skeletal structure.

How long does it take to build up effects? will you see some changes immediately, or is it slower?

It's a slow change, happening over the course of years, just like it is for people on HRT in our world. The body takes time to adjust and change on its own, and forcing it to do so quickly can have drastic consequences. At the start of E/TPS, all changes are closely monitored so that the levels of hormone production can be adjusted in order to suit the individual patient best and prevent side effects like emotional instability and blood clots.

[scummy-writes]

Character Glasses Holder Tutorial

Some people wanted a tutorial on how I made my Isaac glasses holder. So here is one!

Featuring Gilbert!

This will be lengthy with photos to help show what I'm trying to describe, so I will be putting this under a cut. (It's honestly not a crazy long process, I am just wordy and trying to be very clear.) As a disclaimer, there may be better ways to do this!! This is just how I did it.

What you will need:

Foam board (usually less than $1 USD in the stores I nab them at), non-super glue (I use a 'Scotch Create' glue pen, which seems to be $7-8 USD), Cardstock (prices vary, still cheapish), self-seal laminating sheets ($10USD, for Scotch brand), x-acto knife (or equivalent), scissors, cutting board, and a (to be printed) sprite of your fave looking directly at the screen!

It's not needed, but I do recommend acrylic paint to kinda seal in the sides of the foam board, once everything is finished.

Notes before getting started:

If your sprite image has not been cleared of a background, I would recommend doing so in order to not waste a bit of printer ink on stuff you will be cutting off.

For any sprite image use, I recommend having them facing the screen directly, rather an at an angle. Additionally, if your image is pixelated, you can use Waifu2x to try and smooth it a little.

Personally, I use google docs for trying to fit images on a page before printing, due to my printer's program being garbage. If you're like me, remember to get rid of the side margins, and shorten the header margins as much as possible. This is usually under the 'file' options as 'page setup', and on google docs, there are rulers on the top and side of the page, where you can manipulate the margins a bit as well.

Everyone's glasses can be sized differently based on, well, how big your head is. My head is huge. You can measure your glasses from the front, including the front of the legs in the overall width, and apply the measurements to any test prints. However, I am stubborn and do not do this.

Similarly, some glasses are heavier than others. I purposely try to buy light frames, so keep in mind that if yours are particularly heavy due to the material used to make it, it might not stay without extra help.

Let's get started!

Size the image however you normally do. I am using google docs! If you're using a word processor to scale/resize the image in a certain way, be sure to make sure 'text wrapping' options aren't limited to following any text, so that you can move the image easier.

Circled areas- ruler for margins at the top and left, and on the right is text wrapping options. All of this combined let me center Gil a bit better on the page.

2. Print off the test page in black and white and on regular paper (if you have any)- to save ink in case it's not sized right- and see how the front of your glasses compare to the sizing of it: Is it big enough to hold the glasses? Remember, we need an okay amount of room on each side of where the glasses would go, so that the foam board can support it without worrying of it breaking.

beautiful

3. I am lucky to where mine doesn't really need resizing for me to be happy! And there is a decent amount of room on each side too. Let's print off in color, on cardstock now, and put a self-sealing laminate sheet on the front of the image. These types of sheets are essentially big clear stickers! We're doing this as a protective layer on top of the image. Yes, it will cause shine, but it's so easy to damage paper! This is for peace of mind. They should have instructions on ways to put it on, just be mindful of bubbles and take it Slow. Once it's on without bubbles, press on the image to make sure it's on Well. (You can also put the sheet on after cutting out the image, if you feel more comfortable doing that)

4. Time for cutting! I recommend using the x-acto knife to cut, in order to get the super small spaces. Be sure to use your cutting board, or a good equivalent, so that you don't cut anything under your paper. Don't be afraid to trim the ends of the fly-away hairs either- in the long run, it's more difficult to work with those thin lines than anything else. When using the x-acto knife, I cut the hair from the base, to the tips, so it doesn't cause issues.

5. Hold your image against your foam board, and cut out a rectangle size that's just slightly bigger. Don't feel bad over 'wasting' foam board, this will just make it easier to work with.

6. With the image cut out and laminated, it's time to glue the back down to the foam board. I do not recommend liquid superglues! If you have one that works swell with paper projects, please feel free! But superglue can bleed through the paper and cause issues.

7. Lay the board to rest- under some flat and heavy objects, like a book or similar. Not crazy heavy! But a good weight so that as it dries, everything is pressed against the board. Make sure it's something that it's okay to get glue on, just in case excess slips out. I usually wait around 30 minutes or longer for it to dry. Eat or clean up the paper scraps while you wait!

8. Almost done! Now that it's dry, it's time to cut once more. I still recommend using an x-acto knife, because scissors cause a lot of issues when cutting foam board.

9. Once cut, it's time to take your glasses again and cut holes for the legs to go through. Keep in mind the width and length of the leg's tip- it needs to be able to fit through. Personally, I am haphazard in everything I do, so I press my frames to the image again and use the x-acto blade to poke just a Smidge bigger than the tips of the glasses legs are.

Surely, there are better ways of doing this.

10. Once both holes are cut, and everything seems to fit well, it's time to make the back! I try to use scraps leftover from the foam board cutting to make them, but you may need to use new pieces from your foam board. We're going to put any straight edges to the back, and glue down. Here, you can use superglue, since it's just foam board to foam board. Trim any excess that goes past your himbo, and test that it can stand on its own.

11. (Optional!!) Paint the sides, carefully, with acrylic. I'm using black, but you can use any color. Don't stress if it gets on the laminate- it wipes off super easily while still wet! I do not recommend using a marker, since if it touches the paper, it will likely bleed through and cause odd splotches. My roommate suggests that puff paint may work as well!

And you're done! Now you have your fave wearing your glasses!

If you end up doing this, especially if you're in the ikemen games fandom, I'd love to see it!

Also, I normally write stuff! If interested, feel free to check it out:

Ikevamp Masterlist | Ikepri Masterlist | Discord Server

[xinyuehui]

CRUSH OVER 2023 《我可以47》

No idea how many of you watch variety shows but I have to tell y'all my new obsession with Crush Over 2023 💪

↳ It's on Youtube and Tencent WETV with subs (the subs are little out of sync on yt, it's better on wetv)

Idol Producer, Youth with You, Chuang might not survived the purge but get ready for Produce 101 muscle edition with Donnie Yen as a host 🕺

(Gif of Donnie Yen dancing on the show)

47 contestants come together to compete in multiple challenges that will test their limits.

(Can't fit them all in but here's some screenshots of some of them)

The premise is a little apocalyptic cyberpunk-esque. Contestants will embark on "a journey for the true strength" upon boarding the Ark of Infinity. The voyage will last 21 days. The final ten people standing will get to fight the Infinity Ark Captain Donnie Yen Ip Man style.

And that is not true, I made that up , they are not gonna have a fight but it would be hilarious if it did happen 😂

One of the most enticing parts about this is that the contestants are all champions in their field. They are not influencers or traditional type of “celebrities” (apart from Santa (Into1)). They come from various backgrounds such as acrobatics, professional rock climber, firefighter, spartan, DEKA, CrossFit, MMA, UFC etc...

The women in this show are absolute beasts as well, I'm in love!!! This jiejie, Zhang Yuhan, Olympic competitive swimmer. Ranked 7th in the initial exercise, making her the only women team leader in round one.

Shen Yajie, professional bodybuilder. Did 100x20kg bench presses in one go, highest record amongst all players on the show.

First team challenge: Chinese chess (Xiangqi)

Director: What if, I get a bunch of meatheads to play a strategic based game 🤔

And he did exactly that 😂 However! This is no ordinary game of Chinese chess. They are given an "endgame" beforehand to practice at first, they do not know which side they are on yet. The actual game will be played out on a giant board.

The chess pieces' weight range from 150kg-200kg. All members are allowed to push the pieces.

Each team gets 15 minutes to play. Similar to timed chess, after each turn, the player will be able to stop the timer. The timer here is located on top of a climbing wall, one of the team members will only be allowed to climb it after a move have been made.

There's one catch! Each member also corresponds to a piece on the board (the opponents do not know which piece is who), if the piece is removed from the board during the game, the corresponding player will also be removed from the game. As the game goes on, losing players will slow the process of moving the heavy chess pieces.

It's a race against tactics, physical strength and time. Who will checkmate first? Who will run out of time first?

The show is incredibly hyped, keeps you engaged and invested in the players too. There's currently 2 episodes out (and each episode is split into 2). Do not worry that it might be tense the entire time! There's a good amount of humour laced into it!! And 6-packs obv 💪🦵

The later exercises supposedly will mimic natural disasters such as flooding, earthquakes and sandstorms. Can't wait to see how it turns out!!

[another-clive-blog]

I second that last anon let’s blast Clive a third time <3

I can't believe you would suggest that Tumblr user Czechsmix nfjbfj

More seriously- I wrote more and this takes place immediately after the drawings about defrozen Clive experiencing molecular instability ! Little something in which a character (not Clive) is losing it, Clive is scared for his life and Claire realizes how absurd it is to expect one person to fix it all

"Why am I glowing ?!" Clive screamed at the top of his lungs in the middle of their small office.

Dimitri completely ignored Clive, instead scratching his chin in thought. "His body has become unstable too. This is odd, he hasn't gone through any time travelling..."

"Maybe not directly," Claire was quick to add, "Maybe his body is simply assimilating one experience to that of time travel."

"Stop talking about me as if I wasn't there ! I am going to kill you all !!" Clive yelled.

"What do you mean ?" Dimitri looked up to stare at Claire with a puzzled look. "That time freeze and time travel are actually quite similar ?"

Claire gestured to the time freeze gun she was still holding. "I can't be too sure, but they both disrupt the passage of time, right ? So maybe stopping time is for him some sort of- of equivalent, to a jump in time from before the time stopped to after it resumed its course."

"I will blow up this whole building-"

Dimitri hummed. "It... I guess it would make sense, if his body and mind indeed stop all activities. But for this theory to work, we would need to make sure he isn't conscious at all- beyond whatever perception of the process he has."

Claire didn't say anything this time, and neither did Clive : the room fell into an uncomfortable silence that only Dimitri was unaware of. Surely, Claire had... misunderstood what he had just said. She knew Dimitri well, after all : he would never imply such a thing. She knew he wouldn't.

She needed him to say as such though. "Dimitri... You're not actually suggesting we run experiments on Clive, are you ?"

Dimitri didn't hear her, or maybe he just wasn't listening. In a few quick steps he was at the table, looking for a pen and a piece of paper, anything he could work with- he had work to do, so much work, why was he wasting time ? The sooner he got to this, the sooner this whole situation would be over with. Over with- after all the dead ends and the slow progress, he finally had a clear lead !

He wasn't even aware of his mumbling by the time he wrote down the first equations. "If we could figure out how this device works, then maybe we could understand what exactly is causing the unstability : and if we do, we could work on a device able to reverse the process, to- to stabilize you !"

It had been ages since Claire had last seen Dimitri so excited. It was horrendous.

"Dimitri." She called out, her voice shaking- why was she shaking ? She wasn't scared of Dimitri. He was one of the most harmless, peaceful man she had known, even though he had been thoroughly shaken up by the whole time machine incident. She didn't think he had ever truly healed from it, both with his obsession over saving her and because of Clive constantly pushing Dimitri to his limits- although using the time freeze ray on Clive was pushing things too far. She had never approved of this kind of torture, and she wouldn't stand for running experiments on-

Oh. "Dimitri, you're losing it," she quickly walked up to him : she wasn't sure he even heard her. "You have to stop this madness before more people get hurt. You hear me, Dimitri ? I-" He startled as she put her hand on his shoulder, and she felt a deep sadness over what had become of him.

Dimitri had snapped out of it now, staring at her instead. After a moment, he opened his mouth, hesitated- and then went back to work. Although he was still writing as fast as before, he was quiet now, looking indifferent. "...Don't worry Claire," he muttered at last, "I won't be testing this on you."

Claire stared at him in disgust, quickly pulling her hand back as if she had been burned : Dimitri didn't react, didn't even glance at her as she stepped back, away from him, from these atrocities he was deliberately working on- deliberately inflicting on others.

Mad. He was mad, and she was too, they all were, and the only thing keeping her grounded was the cold metal of the time freeze gun in her hand-

The time freeze gun. If she destroyed it, then Dimitri would have no choice but to stop this madness. She should smash it to the ground. It would be easy. She had to-

A door banged open and she startled, pressing the weapon against her chest.

Looking up, she saw Clive's retreating form. He was still glowing, and now he was running away while in a vulnerable state-

"Clive, wait !!" She called out without thinking. She remembered the first few times her body had become unstable, the agony of feeling her very self breaking down, the horror of feeling your mind slipping away without being able to stop it-

No, no no no, she wouldn't let anyone else go through that alone. She needed to put that gun down first, and then-

"Clive ?!" Of course Dimitri was suddenly very aware of his surroundings, just her luck. His pencil clattered on the table, left forgotten, as he scanned the room in alarm.

Everything was happening too fast : Claire didn't have time to fix everything, if one person even could. "Dimitri, please listen-"

He didn't.

In a swift motion, he tore the time freeze gun from Claire's unexpecting hands : he didn't so much as look at her before going after Clive.

"Dimitri, don't !!" Claire commanded. "If you blast him with that thing, he could die !!"

The only answer she got was the sound of the gun charging its next attack.

-_-_-_-

No actual blasting but the manhunt has begun. Dimitri is very keen on catching Clive before he escapes because he wants to do experiments + he wants to make sure no one else sees what is going on. Gotta protect his secrets you know how it is

[reasoningdaily]

ScienceAlert: FDA to Finally Outlaw Soda Ingredient Prohibited Around The World

An ingredient once commonly used in citrus-flavored sodas to keep the tangy taste mixed thoroughly through the beverage could finally be banned for good across the US.

The FDA proposed in November to revoke the registration of a modified vegetable oil known as BVO in the wake of recent toxicology studies that make it difficult to support its ongoing use.

"The proposed action is an example of how the agency monitors emerging evidence and, as needed, conducts scientific research to investigate safety related questions, and takes regulatory action when the science does not support the continued safe use of additives in foods," James Jones, FDA deputy commissioner for human foods, explained when announcing the proposal.

BVO, or brominated vegetable oil, has been used as an emulsifying agent since the 1930s to ensure citrus flavoring agents don't float to the top of sodas. Sticking a dozen bromine atoms to a triglyceride creates a dense oil that floats evenly throughout water when mixed with less dense fats.

Yet that's not BVO's only trick. Animal studies have strongly implied the compound can slowly build up in our fat tissues. With bromine's potential ability to prevent iodine from doing its all-important work inside the thyroid, health authorities around the world have been suspicious of the emulsifier's risks for decades.

In fact, BVO is already banned in many countries, including India, Japan, and nations of the European Union, and was outlawed in the state of California in October 2022 with legislation due to take effect in 2027.

Yet the FDA has been slow to convince. In the 1950s, the agency regarded the ingredient as generally recognized as safe (GRAS); an official classification afforded items that have either been appropriately tested or – for ingredients in common use prior to 1958 – don't appear to be harmful.

That changed the following decade when questions were raised over its possible toxicity, prompting the FDA to overturn its GRAS classification for BVO and temporarily limit its use to relatively small concentrations of no more than 15 parts per million exclusively in citrus-flavored drinks.

Data on the risks posed by even these small amounts of BVO over time hasn't been easy to collect, relying heavily on long-term studies that re-evaluate health effects in a significantly-sized sample of people. Yet the evidence has been slowly mounting.

A UK study in the 1970s found bromine was building up in human tissues, with animal studies linking high concentrations of BVO with heart and behavioral problems.

It's taken time, and a number of further studies, but on the back of more recent animal studies based on relative concentrations of BVO humans are likely to ingest, the FDA is finally convinced there is sufficient evidence to ban its use altogether.

Most major soda drink companies are fortunately ahead of the game. PepsiCo and Coca-Cola Co. have been phasing the ingredient out of their products over the past decade.

"Over the years many beverage makers reformulated their products to replace BVO with an alternative ingredient, and today, few beverages in the US contain BVO," said Jones.

The ban could be a sign of more things to come, with Jones announcing the agency is reviewing regulations that authorize the use of certain food additives, with a view to automatically prohibit the approval of any food coloring agents found to cause cancer in humans or animals, making for a more nimble bureaucratic process.

A final call on the FDA's reclassification of BVO still needs to go through a lengthy review process that will take time to complete.

With suitable alternatives to BVO already being used to make citrus drinks around the world taste tangy down to the very last drop, the ingredient isn't likely to be missed.

[plasticfangtastic]

Can We Be Lonely Together? Ch.7

A Homelander x Stalker! fanfic

This is a long chapter so beware.

check my blog for prev. chapters under #my fic tag or the title of this fic. this is a slow burn fic

This is a GN fic, and technically also a supe! reader fic... I leaned a bit on a male reader if am honest as this is a crack ship fic of sorts.

Author's note: I'm glad to be posting this again, had been on a holiday and it was kinda hard working on this fic, altho will say that editing a fic with smut in a plane next to a stranger is not a fun experience.

Sypnosis: You're a mind reading supe who has become enamored by Vought's number 1 supe, he just won't like the lenght you took to make yourself his favorite

R18+ blood, smut, anal play, stalking, murder mention, bit of fluff and Homelander is OOC in this chapter.

Chapter 7

Acts of Savagery

Edgar’s shadow loomed ever present inside the tower, Homelander felt trapped in a maze of monsters seeking his demise lurking on every corner, the list of those loyal to him slim, and there wasn’t a conversation gone unnoticed, the sudden bouts of background music filling offices had increased to a noticable degree even to non-supes. 

Everybody seeking to file him as incompetent and cause him ridicule, his only solace had become Ryan and the more days turned to weeks the more anxious he became, finding something abnormal in the way some watched his son– their fake politeness or over the top niceties kept him weerie, unable to confide with anyone his worries.

But then there was you… it was meant to be a mechanical exchange at first, these interactions nothing more than massages with happy endings, but at no point did you complained, your willingness to indulge him was beggining to break his brain.

Coming no matter the level of inconvenience, watching from afar across a dozen walls to study your reactions, expecting eye-rolls and bemoanings– witnessingnothing but tired grins and squeaky steps. Homelander began to act like a child testing his parents' limits, seeing just how far he could abuse you, seeking lines to cross but all had been drawn in sand by the shore. You were eager to meet him, making your schedule wrap around his, as if you already understood your place in this hierarchy, even Ashley and the remaining Seven offered resistance in these matters.

The more he studied it the less confusing it became in a sense... Your schedule consisted of working, eating good, working and him.

You made sure to keep a low profile, to not stand out.

Your home tastefully decorated, he had made a game of trying to figure out where the money went, your home had plenty but also nothing, you were boring on purpose but only on the surface.

Homelander entered thru the balcony, your home smelled like vanilla and your floors relatively clean, your pantries stocked with the fanciest ingredients money could purchase in this city, your cooking equipment just as expensive, a cursory look at your knife set online had set you back four figures-- letting out a loud ‘yowza’ after seeing the price tag, Homelander hurriedly placed the knife back, in this brief moment of free time in-between his daily patrols, Homelander found strange pleasure in invading your enclosure, feeling the softness of your velvety couch against his palms, touching your knick-knacks, and admiring the few art pieces. 

He made the way to your bedroom.

Your bed was smaller than he expected, your blankets disheveled , and your menu of pillows excessive– nobody needed more than six pillows to sleep.

A pile of clothes rested by the foot of the bed, catching himself before taking a whiff of your clothes looking for peeping-toms before bringing your shorts up his nose, the scent just as he remembered, from here he could see a handful of perfumes that didn’t match the scent he had grown familiar with, even spotting a half-used bottle on the rubbish bin offered him a clue of your decision process.

You had no photographs of family in this spacious two-bedroom loft at all, only a single photo of you and a latina by the kitchen wall as proof your existance,  Waltzing around back towards your kitchen Homelander opened your fridge.

He took a step back, spotting a note left inside.

“Maybe I’m crazy but if you do come while I ain't around feel free to eat? I always make too much. xoxo.”

He had been caught in a small felony, yet the victim welcomed him. Hunger was nothing he was entirely familiar with, his needs quite minimal in that department, he used to joke that all he needed came from the sun but his stomach spoke.

Neither could recall when was the first or last time somebody had cooked for him just for the sake of it, he opened the tupperware to find some leftover chicken marsala, plated even within the container, now the random fork and knife left by the breakfast table made sense, lasering it until the meat sizzled correctly he eat alone, making an impromptu treasure hunt for hidden messages addressed to him– had he missed other notes? He sat on your couch, a blanket bundle under him smelling of sea salt, and cherry blossom, the meal heavier than what he preferred but he had finished it all before he knew it.

He picked the remote, finding another post-it.

“Neighbors bitch too much about the volume.” Your sound system made him a tad jealous– leave the TV on so I know you came in.”

He left it off.

“You don’t think this is just a little off?”

“Though we established that Y/N was special.” John mentioned cringing at the end of his line.

“Oh they’re trying to sweeten you up…”

“Perhaps… this wasn’t too bad, either.” He places the dirty dishes inside the dishwasher– what do they want from me? They already got the trophy fucks… nobody is this strange if they don’t want something more”

“Talkign about Y/N or you?” His reflection spoke.

“Is a fantasy… we don’t need anyone else… not anymore. We have a family now!”

“But you still want the wife barefoot in the kitchen… making sunday roast and pies.”

His distorted self shrugged with a big smug smile from inside the faucet.

“You talking about me or you?”

He called you later that evening while Ryan trained downstairs under The Deep’s supervision, carrying a fistful of guilt in his stomach as he called you. Never mentioning why a copy of his house keys had found their way to your desk, simply showing up rushing straight into his arms, your weight always lighter than he expects, kissing you had become a minefield of strange sensations, your tongue eager and needy, and your lips always soft, your hands caressing his hair, never leaving it alone, pushing Homelander’s shoulder towards you desperately working to fade away all distance down to a cellular level.

This was supposed to be a cynical event… a simple release… now precious, you welcoming him at his neediest, Homelander testing your limits as he bit, nip, suckle and squeezed, it remained with him how your fading wounds appeared to be nothing but gifts from him to you, watching you attentively as you allowed each brand– a pit caved his chest, growing with anticipation, both itching to witness your rejections. How could it be that no matter how much he teased your paperthin flesh you appeared to encourage it? Homelander had a difficult time accepting this urge to see you deny him, to deject him, to despise him.  When you so tenderly spoiled him, cooing him lovingly, as he threw his tamtruns.

Always so easy to make pretty birds run away, he was too much, too heavy, too suffocating for them– just not to you… both men agreed you had the patience of a buddha.

He kissed your whole body with unspoken apologies, cradled you gently as he fucked you in his couch, praying that nobody could hear your guttural growls as he forced himself deeper into you, your legs intertwine to the matching pattern of your fingers on his scalp, not wanting him to breathe on his own without a taste of you, tasting your clean sweat, sniffing your hair, everything of you was so clean, nothing to bother him, nothing to overwhelm him, eagerly resembling him, leaving the room scented with him alone– leaving  apart of him trembling with fear… this had to be a vivid hallucination, another fabrication of an overactive imagination– too good to be true.

Breathlessly panting in his ear, as he fills you.

Your eyes are so wide, so adoring, so scary to him. 

Homelander had craved affection his whole life, he had craved attention, devotion, company… Why didn't this feel right? Had he secretly been lying to himself? 

Falling into your lips, tasting a sprinkle of your blood, your arms wrapped themselves around him, humming sweetly into his temple as you attempted to regain your strentght, petting him all the way down his neck, until both your heartbeats synched in relaxation.

“Would you like me to cancel your meeting?” 

He watched you dress, tidying your hair before one of the many mirrors holding your tongue as to not mention the remodelations.

“I can be late to my own meetings… like the dining table?”

“Eight seater, nice. This a single slab of Brazilian Rosewood?” 

He nodded pretending to know what that was… presumably you were correct, for he simply said ‘grand’ to the interior designer.

“Love these lines… I’m jealous. Is there something you wanted by the way?”

Caught against the wall, navigating aisles in his mind looking for urgent matters to discuss with the only soul he could confide with at this stage.

“I want Ryan to go to a proper school… tutors are all over my place, and those vultures hovering around are annoying. I’ll let you hand something special to your owner if you can give me a suitable list of schools for Ryan. Nothing public, we aren't savages! Dunno if there’s any Supe schools other than Godolkin.”

“Unlikely…” your brows furrowed, giving him a dirty look– finally liberating him, his was the fucking moment you showed your true colours– nothing wrong with public school… but Ryan is a special child… he’s yours. So he deserves the best your name can get him– I’m sure any school would beg for the honor. I’m sure the boy would be happy to see kids around him instead of boring salarymen.”

Your heart rate is steady.

“Ever wanted kids?” what the fuck did you just say you stupid– forg–

“Happy either way… assuming I live long enough to consider the possibility.” 

Watching you come to him, cupping his cheeks, he puffed his chest wanting to make himself appear calm.

“Thanks” your kiss was short and playful, nothing but butterfly wings against him– It will take me a while with your request, chief.”

“No pressure.” he fixed his posture as your hands left him– the chicken was good.”

It took you a second.

“Glad you liked it.”

You didn’t react at all.

“You don’t care I entered–

“Next time call me so I can cook for you, you need to try my carbonara is very indulgent”

Always leaving him confused.

Staying true to your words, boundaries made of glass and drawn in flowing rivers.

This emptiness all too familiar now felt crowded.

Loving you should be easy.

He bet it would be easy.

Walking in opposite directions catching the sound of your bones turning to catch a last glimpse of him.

Flying to your direction just to catch a final glimpse of you as you make it to the kitchen, looking around searching for his mess then signing happily as you find it in the dishwasher.

Homelander wanted to say the right things, to wooe you, to impress you if he could…

Entering the dark room you called an office, you type looking on information regarding some run-of-the-mill scumbag.

“Busy?”

“Just confirming the location of some human traffickers. It would be lovely if you could just fly all the way down to Laredo afterwards and just wait ‘til… seven? When they bring a truck full of hopefully not dead bodies. But not really”

“Sounds like you're busy.”

“It’ll be so good for your ratings. I got the address, or do you want me to call some local hero so they can look good instead of you? Mind you I’m just doing this to make the FBI look incompetent.”

“Mutually beneficial, then?” He leaned forward holding his weight on the back of your seat, catching a whiff of your perfume– Did Roman like my treat?”

“He wants your head on a platter. Didn’t do much but I told him I got something big brewing… I told him I thought you were unto me.”

“But I am.” He kissed your twitching aorta– what do you want to fuck me with?”

His kisses increased, painting a collar on your pristine neck, your eyes closed relaxing your shoulders letting him peck, one hand on your chin, and the other creeping under your shirt. 

In his mind just looking at you was enough to bother him, wanting every spare moment to both test you and relieve him, sex a tool against theoretical boundaries, you smiled… he was cute when he acted so childlish.

“Something nice and girthy.” You wouldn’t tell him of the thoughts swimming in the board members heads, you wouldn’t mention the bad room videos, you wouldn’t mention the not so unnamed women, but he could smell the adrenaline coursing through your veins– might be nothing… mi sol.”

Two words set him ablaze. 

Even as he rocks his head back, eyes struggling to stay open rolling back into his skull, even as your fingers and your hand fondle the most sensitive parts of his body, as he edges with your tongue elevating his shaft as your fingers squeeze ruthlessly, and pump him eagerly.

Twitching with excitement whenever somebody walked past the door, knowing of the spectacle the stranger would witnessed, as your mouth lubed his entrance, your hand eager to fill him, the stain in your pants growing wider, his head becoming light but awake regardless.

He wants your rejection.

Afraid of old habits.

Pleading to gods to stop teasing him with false hopes.

As his hand pushes your head lower, wrapping each ungloved finger with fistfuls of your hair, as you pull him closer unafraid of the creaking of your arm rest, he cannot bring himself to believe you’re a real person.

With a wet sharp whine he fills your mouth with thick cum, shaking himself clean on your lips, tapping your tongue with a now glistening tip, Homelander looks at you and those hazy eyes, wanting to kiss you.

“...y/n do you want to take a break with me?” his voice struggles to stay steady– I want to go check on Ryan… after I go stop those human traffickers of course.”

You nod, cleaning your lips.

“Its strange having somebody other than me to talk to?” his brother asks after the cameras stopped rolling– to look forward to talk to?"

This had been beyond a success this whole event resulting in a small amount of casualties, red and blue lights, and soon to be deported illegals, both could hear the ratings going up. 

"Not that Y/Ntalks much.”

“You like talking to Y/N too… this isn’t good isn’t it?”

“We can’t get attached. I don’t think they’ll be as bad as Maeve but… maybe… possibly.”

He’s flustered, shaking his head before departing. 

Homelander is already flying back home, knowing he will still get an attempt of an earful for entering  some other hero’s territory, but good luck telling him off– after all the CEO just saved a dozen people from a cartel, sure that had to count for something, fuck protocol.

He found you still on your desk, meandering on your screen while on company cent.

Your head turning before the doors even slid open, he caught a whiff of that oddity and shelved it for later.

“You wanna go watch a movie? I dunno what Ryan likes but this one has good reviews!” your voice sounded so eager it took him by surprise, Homelander didn’t even had a chance to reply before you leaped off your seat towards him– there’s a session at 8:20 so there shouldn’t be too many people, but you should definitely change”

“change what?”

“Your clothes? I mean you don’t wanna get your suit covered in oil and salt” You raised your eyebrow while picking up your stuff– there’s this amazing dumpling place I think you would love, we can catch a bite and then head to the movie.”

There’s an eagerness building in his throat, observing you carefully as your eyes glimmer in the fantasy, you seemed desperate to leave work.

“After we go pick Ryan of course…” you say.

“I’d like that”

You wrapped your arm around his elbow pulling him away, there’s a buzzing on your phone but not coming from your pocket, it hadn’t stop shaking in your cabinet once, he stared at it spotting an old cellphone surprised more by your hands pushing his cheek to look away– this gesture of intimacy as you playfully dragged Homelander out of the office without care for cameras outside, made his heart race and forget about the phone.

Ryan had been eager to go out, unsure as to whom his father friend was, but by now he had gotten accustomed to strangers hovering around Homelander, far more weirded out by his changed in attire, beside Vought issued pj’s and some sweatpants this was the first time he’d ever seen jeans on him.

Homelander hands squeezing at the fabric of the varsity as if it itched, feeling nude with these thin layers, the way the fabric draped around his body and sagged around his physique was exotic and not in a good way, the way the cool breeze touched him covered his skin in goosebumps, his hat compressing too tightly it squeezing his brain, his breath shuddering lightly as they walked around the city. Around these strangers he felt ignored and watched, his eyes behind shades and his hair a mess under his cap. He felt like a cartoon character in this costume– everybody should recognize him, he was a god, his face more recognizable than Ronald McDonald… but no.

Nobody noticed him, the discomfort growing too great to be ignored, the ringing in his ears increasing, as food arrived by an indifferent elderly waitress.

How could he not be recognized? his face in a billion objects, he was reduced to nothing as not even curious glances were offered his way, his heart ringing in his ear and his brother nowhere to be found, for the first time he felt absolutely invisible, never once did he imagine he would be pleading for flashing lights, as his ears ringed, louder and his tongue sat uncomfortably in his mouth.

Your sudden touch on his forearm soothes him, bringing him down, the ringing replaced by a cacophony of voices and dishes, you talk about the food swearing on the pan-fried goodies, making sure to offer greens to Ryan, laughing at his observations as you ask him to share about his day. 

The mundanity of this exchange, of your casual touches, of your constant need to make sure he had food in his mouth– has food ever tasted like anything but bland? For once he perceived the depths of a dish, the chewy but slippery texture of dumpling skin, the bok-choy crunch mingling with the salty-sweet mince, and the umami of the vinagre sauce pinching his taste buds, this whole scene should’ve felt fabricated but for once he existed in the now, just as himself, not as a walking billboard for Vought.

you half smile asking him about tomorrow’s plans, ensuring your fingers always touched some part of him.

 Looking around he saw other families acting just like this, couples and friends just talking and munching, the kitchen loud as the waitresses yelled to the cooks in mandarin, and even if the low plastic seats were uncomfortable, he didn’t mind. 

This was all he had ever wanted in a sense, lacking all the glamor he was accustomed to.

Sitting in the dark watching the movie feeling his finger turn oily, he felt your weight shift as you leaned your head against his shoulder, your hand touching his as it seeks popcorn. 

Settling yourself against him. 

He cracks his neck lightly catching Ryan completely focused on the movie, hearing around to spot many empty seats, a non-committed smile paints across his face, resting his cheek on the top of your head turning to plant a chaste kiss earning him a quiet chuckle, your other hand wraps around his arms in a frankly uncomfortable manner but for the remaining sixty-plus minutes he bears it.

This was a date. A proper date… even in disguise Homelander was out in public with his date, so this had to be a normal… mundane… simple… date.

One of many, no?

So who was him? Who was this gangly man from Arkansas that commandeered your time away from him, who took you from him, who you entertained and conversed so intimately– if you leaned any closer you might as well be dry-humping him, he thought.

He saw florid reds.

Then just red.

Here he was covered in blood catching the speedy shadow of his son moving away from him.

His ears ringing and his heart thunderous, bile burning his throat and his ears prickly with heat, pacing himself half-assedly around his home, fine leather now smudged with red streaks and his brother doing his best at damaged control, John was too emotional to handle this but sure he tried, his decisions lacked pragmatism, but even Homelander had no point of reference other than himself on how to deal with mentally scarred children… and just look how well that turned out asked John from within the mirror.

Terrorized by anxiety he had never noticed you coming in, your aroma hitting him only once you entered the living room, only opening his mouth with ignored menace as your hands took his face, your eyes blooshot on the edge of tears, and your sleeve damp as it tried to wash away this evening crime.

“Are you alright?” your voice failed to disguise any panic.

He watched you holding everything you were against his weight.

Watching his own eyes blur inside yours.

You looked at your broken phone still on the floor, thinking of everything wrong that I had done, thinking of the awful things I would do, unable to wash away the ache.

I certainly had a knack for ruining things.

[manonamora-if-reviews]

The Familiar by Groggydog

============= Links

Play the game See other reviews of the game Read the walkthrough Read the post-mortem See other games by Groggydog or follow @groggydog

============= Synopsis

You are a witch's crow familiar, headstrong as anything but still young and untested. What starts as a normal day soon takes a harrowing turn when your pacific caretaker, Valmai, is struck down by a terrible hex of mysterious origin. Now it's up to you, little bird, to cure your caretaker and discover the hex's source. Are you up for the task?

============= Other Info

The Familiar is an Adventuron parser-choice hybrid, submitted to the 2023 Edition of the SpringThing. This game was designed for beginners in parsers. I alpha/beta tested this game.

Status: Completed Genre: Puzzle, Fantasy, Parser

CW: / Note: some animal violence (by other animals), illnesses and death

============= Playthrough

First Played: Alpha+Beta Tester Last Played: During the SpringThing Festival Playtime: around 2 good hours (I am slow) Rating: 5 /5 Thoughts: Save the damsel in distress illness, but you're a crow.

============= Review

The Familiar follows Fran, a familiar in the form of a crow, as she embarks on a quest to save her witch mistress who has succumb to an illness. Through a series of puzzles and exploration, Fran uncovers a secret plot and fights for her mistress's life.

Spoilers ahead. It is recommended to play the game first. The review is based on my understanding/reading of the story.

I am a sucker for a good simple puzzle and a cute story, and this is no wonder this game made it to my top list of the SpringThing this year (well, it was already a favourite of mine while I was testing it). From its clean and simple aesthetic, the gorgeous pixel art for each "room", to its delightful characters, The Familiar is such a well rounded game.

Obviously, playing as a crow, you are limited in your abilities to help your bedridden mistress (it is a magical wonder you can get her a blanket). Still, the puzzles are constructed in a way that would be doable for a crow to solve (and you a smart little one). Cawing your way into town to get attention, pecking people to move them out of the way, or picking up and dropping objects in the right place, you manage to acquire all needed ingredients to save the witch.

And you are not alone in the process. Meeting first Hazel, a mouse familiar whose master perished not long before the game, who will tend to your mistress while you fly to fetch the ingredients (turns out, it's not the flu but a curse, whomps...). Then a trio of NPCs in town: Miroger, who's bother has died, Cecile, who needs help writing and sending a letter to her lover, and Frederik, who knows a good deal when he sees one. Each helps you getting one ingredient in exchange for a small favour. Finally, the evil wizzard's owl coming at the 11th hour to stop Fran.

But how does it end then? With a happy ending, for course! This is still a feel good story at the end of the day, one that makes you feel satisfied when the ending screen comes around. The day is saved, the mistress is healed, and you made some friends along the way.

What I really appreciated from it was how inclusive the game was for beginners (or terrible parser player like me), as you are limited to 5 verbs (TAKE, DROP, LOOK, PECK, CAW), there is an available tutorial to teach you the controls, and a thorough walkthrough is included in case one is stuck.

I wanted to give a special shoutout to the artwork, considering how long it took to make 30+ pixel art headers, many of those heavily detailed. Those truly gorgeous small pieces of art enhance the atmosphere of the setting, from the cozy home, to the luscious forest, and the different and vibrant parts of the industrialised city. If it all felt like a pixelized version of a Ghibli movie, that was on purpose (the author confirmed the reference).

Anyway, I'm going back to fly after that darn letter...

[missvalerierose717]

Saturn retrograde prediction and new moon in Gemini reading!

On Saturday June 17, transit Saturn at 7° Pisces will transition in a retrograde motion. What is retrograde ?This is a period that the planet halts it momentum. While this is happening the degrees pertaining to planetary orbit decreases - count backwards - rather that increase through the houses. The influence energetically does tend to be internalized rather than experienced by external sources. Its a time of reflection to identify deeper issues. Complicated situations arise forcing growth and intelligence through this process.

What happens when Saturn retrograde?

“As a slow-moving planet, Saturn's retrograde period will last for approximately five months. Known for representing discipline, responsibility, structure, and long-term goals, Saturn's retrograde phase may cause you to re-evaluate these areas of your life.”

Looking at 7th degree, ruler of libra. This is generally considered a Venus influence. Along with Saturn - a planet of limitations and our hard lessons that are learned over a long period of time. So the initial transit may trigger some relationship and or appearances & financial issues as a result of this concept. Finding peace is very important during these moments.🌺

With saturn, there’s always going to be some sort of delay or blockage, and it’s testing ability to stabilize a lesson. This is going to  relate directly to ambitions, and how much willpower we are capable of and being successful. 

 Saturn active in Pisces is definitely not a strong position. Pisces energy is the final sign of the zodiac so it is considered to be the undoing. A lot of psychology issues come up, hidden issues escaping and imprisonment. Mental confusion and lack of / or less action. Which is what we have been experiencing since March when Saturn entered Pisces. It’s been hard to stay on top of our obligations. Saturn Retrograde it’s revealing to us where we need on top of our obligations. During this It’s going to effect us all as a collective. But it’s not intended to destroy us - Saturn gives out the rewards when we do well. We must stay committed and positive because this energy can be - at times -very dreadful.

And we do have of the new moon tomorrow in Gemini 25°. So this is the youthful and joyful energy that can help lift us during this time. New moons are going to relate to cultivating and accumulation of ideas.

The Gemini energy is the ruler of the mind so mercury is involved. We are even to experiment and engage in new things. This is all about the curiosity, and how to gain more knowledge. And wondering why things are the way they are. We experience moments of excitement however, it’s more of a attempt to find answers or a renewal of faiths.

[honeybeewhereartthee]

Crystal Hearts

Prequel PT3: you and me

➽───Previous───CH15────Next───❥

.

.

.

"Ahaha~ hold my hand. Everything would be fine~"

As you step on the edge and giving a hand to offer to him, he hesitates before he sighs, and he slowly held your hand.

" Fine. "

He sighs after he realizes he cannot be a chicken about it anymore.

" amazing decision, my dear friend~!!"

You pulled him to circle your hands around his waist, causing him to blush before you step back away from the little space that hinder you two from falling into the sky below.

"Hey!"

He wants to complain about not warning him beforehand but remember that this is not the first try. You did warn him earlier.

[Motto yokubatte gokigen ni tobimawaren ~]

You felt something poof out of the top of your head and tiger tail behind you to waggle in joy as you copy Rinne voice yet again. His eyes widen at the sight of it. The time slow down as you activite a skill that can freeze and your power over time. To slow it down for the two of you.

[ O-omoikiri tobimawaren ]

After taking a deep breath, be finally follow along, as he said those. His clear wings of a bee appear behind him and antenna on top of his head, he was shocked as he is finally able to do this time around as he secure his hold on you.

[ Kanjiatte ikou ze ]

Smirking you return the speed of time to it's normal flow causing you two to fall a bit faster than earlier.

[ zokuzoku suru youna ]

Taking a deep breath. He takes the sensation of thrill he felt from the wind blowing, his Wings start to flatter. Soon the two of stop falling and soaring through the sky.

[ Shunkan ga ii ne]

You giggle as you look up to him. He smiles as he can't believe he did it this time. (Good job.) You told him through telepathy. ( Don't worry about people looking. We're invisible at the moment. So go Ham I guess. ) You added.

[ BET! Omae wa douda !?]

Grinning with a sense of trump, he test the limit of what he could do now, he speeds up. Zooming to the wide sky with the hint of the color of his hair and outfit being seen in a straight line.

The laughter's and giggle from the two of you as you enjoy the fun trip. He felt so happy.

.

.

.

It has been a couple of months since you and him meet again. You keep meeting each other in the same place, the park.

The most strange things was that, he was never question what's his name is. But then again you never use a name when addressing him, since there's only the two of you. He wondered if you even know his name.

"... Ya seem to be in a deep thought those days. Care to share?" His father ask him while they are eating in the family dinner. He has been looking through his phone thinking about when you'll appear in the park tomorrow, or where you are right now.

Since you don't meet up with him today. You don't have a form of communication to him but the link you guys have telepathically. Through it's only connected when you guys are a mile or less from each other.

"They haven't showing up recently..." His words are barely audible to his father as his too embarrassed to be heard complaining about such matter. "Oh? It's so odd that your now obsess with a new person. Ahaha. Have you move on from your first love?" His father takes a bite of a very familiar sweet in front of his son eyes, as he questioned this to him.

"..." Kohaku eyes twitch at the mention of Love-Swan friend. "I don't know..." He sighs. Through something process in his mind just now. "AHHH! THAT'S MY LAST ONE!!" he points at the sweet that his father stolen from his secret box that he swear he hid from his father sight.

"Ahaha. That's what you get for letting your properties free to be stolen by others, my boy. " His father swiftly stop his son from getting vengeance from stealing his food.

"AHHH! DAD, THAT DOESN'T MAKE YOU FREE TO STEAL MY FOOD! ԅ( ͒ ۝ ͒ )ᕤ" he points it out as he tried to attack his father but failed as his father is quick with his steps.

"MINE! IT'S MINE!" As he and his father enter a sparing season with his childish tantrum. His father just laugh at him.

"Ohoho? Trying to test if you can take your old man now...?" His father chuckle at him causing him to be more annoyed plus that his annoyed by something recently.

He look at his father, more like glaring at him as he analyzes his next set of thoughts.

[ Risky Venus ]

He mumbles under his breath, his old man raise a brow at him but isn't able to hear the spell quite well or realize he just cast one.

[ Risky Venus ]

He position himself to run toward his dad to get revenge, he can feel himself showing antenna. His father tilt his head in amusement as he realize something is up.

[ Risky Venus!!]

With zooming speed he was gone from where he was standing and send a punch to his dad gut, making em back away from where his standing, and manage to get the remaining haft of the sweet he clearly own!

"Ahaha! I won!" He chuckle happily as he eat his price with trump. His now visible wings flattering behind him in glee as he enjoy his sweet. Through with this spell, a flower crown appear on top of his head. It bloom when he felt so happy like right now, they all blooming in sunny yellow out of glee.

"Agh... Kids those days..." The head of Oukawa can't help but chuckle as he just get pretty badly just now, he can't help but be proud how his son have to grown up so fast!

" Kohaku... What's that? " His eyes widen as he saw a new feature on his son, like him his daughter notice it too yet doesn't comment to it yet.

"What? I'm not forgiving you for what you did!" The flower unbloom in distasteful at his father but once again bloom when he focus on the taste of the sweet. "Ahaha~ so delicious... ~" he sigh happily as he turn his back on his dad.

"..." His father glance at his son in worry, his eyes narrowed as he realize something. "That 'friend' of yours... Is a fae?" His purple eyes stared down at his stupid young son, who realize that his father is staring at him with gaze he give when doing family work.

"... What?" Kohaku turn to look at his father, he was confused why his father know that. He thought his father is oblivious of what they are.

"Your mangling with a fae this whole time?"He can sense disappointment from his father eyes and the tone of voice he cannot determine the emotions.

"... What's wrong with that?" The flowers quickly wither, it becomes vine like crown, the wither petals slowly burn into flames as it fall into the floor and into nothing. He doesn't understand what's up with father. What is wrong to do so?!

"Your not allowed to meet up with them." His old man decided as he turned his back on his son. Not explaining further into details causing his son to be frustrated from such instructions and orders.

"What? Why!?" He wanted to question his father as the vines slowly grow black thorns. "Why can't I? Are you going to make me lock me up in this place again...? " He take a deep breath as he composed himself, his fist all clenching as he's gritting his teeth in anger.

"You will, if you still meet up with that fae."

" 'that'? " He frown at the distasteful tone he hear from his father voice. " Their name is MC!" He grumble, he cannot believe his father tone would change when he learn mc is a fae!

"MC? a fae told you their name...." His father eyes widen in surprised as he stop on his feet.

" Isn't it normal for people to introduce themselves? Ah? but I wasn't able to do so... They never ask for my name..." He mumble the last part in embarrassment, the thorns slowly have a little pink flower as he thought of them.

"... Huh. This is the same person who defeated you?" He saw an odd smile starting to appear on his father face.

"W-well... They aren't human..." He cover his face in embarrassment, the flowers bloom in pink as he remembers that moment.

"Oho... This is interesting... A fae told you their name. Even when they defeated you..."

" Hey! No need to repeat that... (｡・//ε//・｡)"

" Okii. I'll give you a week to a month for you to bring your fae here, willingly. "

" What? What for? Are you going to sell them out to the main branch? " Kohaku don't like the amusement on his father eyes, his worries can be seen clearly on his face causing his father further more laughter's to come out.

"Ahaha. Your so silly." His father approach him and pat his head, very amuse at his son oblivious or fake innocent.

"Let me see how good they are in the arena." With a smirk on his face, it all drown to kohaku what his father meant.

"... N-no way... I thought ya would not follow that thing!" Even through he was bewailed and cannot believe his father words, variety of different red shades of roses slowly bloom on his flower crown.

"T-the tradition is s-stupid!" He yelled out as he run away, afraid to be seen with his emotion shown in full bloom.

"Ahahaha. Kids those days..." His father laugh as he watch his son run away.

"Father... Is it really ok...? Aren't we ..." The oldest of his daughter finally spoke out. "Hm. I was going to make sure our little core fae would be keep a secret. Not interacting with other faes even our own main branch except for their cousin."

" Then what change your mind?"

" That fae friend of there's is teaching them magic, from what I see. It's a dark fae type..." He mumble. " Ah. That's right. The fae have the same dark fae tendency as my darling wife. So they most be a dark fae ... Kohaku won't be in danger then... Maybe it's just his calling." He sigh happily as he realize his child have found his own spring time.

" I just hope, he won't be stupid through... He already lost one time to a friend of his, in terms of love." He cant help but pity his son obliviousness.

"father is a light fae, but act like a dark fae." His second daughter giggle.

" Ahahaha~ my silly children. You should know, I'm still haft of a human. A human can be cruel and petty creature than a dark fae. Because we are swallowed and can be overwhelmed by our desire and to sin for our happiness." His purple eyes swirl in madness as he chuckle. " My boy should learn to keep his fae in check... Or else some people would steal them away." It be too late when that time comes.

➽───────note────────❥

Risky Venus 3x -> can enhance your speed and your straight at least in the percentage you want too. But it will make your emotion show in full bloom

Also they are training for couple of months before the first part ok.

(if want to be tagged pls comment or Send mail) Tag List : @valeriele3 @yinenovica

[nicsalazar]

Painting memories || Jonas & Nicole

TIMING: Current LOCATION: Hanging Rock PARTIES: @thesilentmedium  & @nicsalazar SUMMARY: Jonas and Nicole share a moment. CONTENT WARNING: suicidal ideation mentions

Over the years, Nicole had perfected her running pace when it came to the never-ending, looping trail towards of Hanging Rock. Timing her strides so she reached the top of the rock just as the beautiful orange and pink hues began tinting the sky, signaling dusk.

Today wasn't the exception.

Nicole gave herself a moment, pulling out her cellphone to turn off the music still blasting in her ears. She slowed down her breath. The park was decently crowded, as it was often the case, which led to very limited sitting options. It didn’t matter much, for now, as she let her heartbeat slow down to the sound of the waves crashing against the rocky coast and her lungs filled with the salty marine breeze. 

Eventually, once Nicole exhausted herself looking at the seals in the ocean, and the dogs playing in the park, she decided it was time to rest her legs. There were no empty benches, so she opted for the next best thing: joining a stranger. She sat as far away as possible not to disturb her bench mate, and truthfully, because she needed that space herself. Until she noticed the person next to her was painting. “That’s really fucking good” she blurted out, unlike herself. She'd blame it on all those happy post-exercise chemicals making her act up.

It had been a quiet morning on Jonas’ day off, the birds were chirping and the sky was clear with only a few clouds drifting overhead. He had managed to get all of his chores done by the afternoon and had picked up his easel setting out for Hanging Rock. he had forgotten just how beautiful Wicked’s Rest was when it wasn’t trying to kill you or when Jacob wasn’t around to ruin the mood. Ten years away and most of what he remembered always boiled down to his father’s disappointed looks. He didn’t like to admit it but he was starting to feel at home again without his dad breathing down his neck the entire time. Christmas had always been a nightmare for him but June had insisted her children at least be home for the holiday. 

Hanging Rock had hardly changed from the way he remembered it, though it was certainly more busy now. Still the view from it was gorgeous and the fresh air was great for his mood. Jonas had been sitting there for while now painting the scenery, Blue was laying in front of the easel and was probably the reason so many people passed by his bench instead of sitting in the empty spot next to him. Maybe they could tell the leash attached to her collar was mostly for show, Blue was strong enough that if she wanted to she could easily just pull Jonas along. 

Jonas was so used to sitting alone he didn’t even notice the stranger plopping down next to him till Blue lifted her head and nudged his knee. He turned to face the woman, offering an awkward smile “I um sorry did you say something?” 

Nicole blinked slowly between the man and his dog. Giving the animal a shy smile, almost seeking approval. Because she did not want to test her luck if the dog didn’t like her, or sensed odd vibes coming from her. Something about cats and dogs…she never knew when she’d set one off. 

“I—” Nicole huffed nervously, knowing her cheeks were flushed again, though not because of the exercise anymore. “I said, um” she pointed at the painting. “Looks really fucking good” she reiterated. It remained the truth, regardless of whether she felt fidgety addressing a stranger. “You a pro?” she wondered. Though, what she really wanted to ask was if she was cramping on his artistic process or whatever. He must’ve been really in the zone to not hear her words before.

Which— the thought sent Nicole down another spiral. What if there was a reason he had opted to sit alone, brought the dog with him to deter others. It would make so much sense. Her stomach plummeted, embarrassed. “And— I should say…  Sorry to bother, had nowhere to sit and… my legs were killing me” she explained, an unspoken promise to rise once she was rested faded from her lips.

When the stranger smiled at her, Blue wagged her tail and wiggled across the ground to plop her head in the woman’s lap. “Oh thank you.” Jonas beamed at such a nice compliment, his eyes were on her lips rather than the rest of her face as she continued talking. “Oh no I am not. I um just do it as a hobby.” He rested the hand holding his brush in his lap before letting out a little “Oh!” and reaching over to make sure she had enough room next to his paints, scooting them over so the stranger could spread her legs more if she wanted to. 

“Oh no it is fine, you should sit where you want. I am sorry if it seemed like you um could not come join me.” He fully understood why someone wouldn’t, Blue was huge for a dog and as friendly as she was that could still be scary for some people. “I um hope you do not mind Blue, she likes pets.” He said, gesturing to his needy dog. “Are your legs alright? I have some water here if you need a drink.” He tugged two bottles out of a side bag that had been sitting on the ground next to the bench. “They um haven’t been opened yet.”  Het set them next to her in case she needed them.

Nicole tilted her head, admiring the composition. “Well, must be nice to be so fucking good at your hobby” she couldn’t think of any activity she was as good as this person was at theirs. She was curious though. What did he do for a living instead, then? Was that too much to ask? It felt like too much. It wasn’t exactly related to the ongoing conversation. Fuck it, there was nothing wrong with chatting. She knew this. It was good for her to expand her social circle. “If… this is your hobby, what’s your real thing?”

Tension rolled off her shoulders as Nicole was introduced to Blue. “Does she…” still, it was a little frightening to extend her hand to the friendly —but massive— dog before her. Tentatively, she scratched under Blue’s chin, retreating her hand slowly. Unscathed. She didn’t want to imagine what a bite of that creature could do. “I don’t mind her, she’s a little intimidating, though. What breed is she?” 

At the offer, Nicole shook her own water bottle, flashing a grateful smile. “Maybe if I end up drinking all of this. And— my legs...should be fine. Just tired. Always forget how tiring the trail can be” she rubbed her hamstring with the heel of her palm, wincing at the tightness. Her attention drifted to the scenery, still idly massaging her muscles. Until her gaze fell on the painting again, and it broke the haze she was in. “So this is… Landscapes? That all you paint?” 

The other was nervous, Jonas could tell that much by the way the woman handled herself. He tried to offer a kind smile to ease her worrying about sitting near him. “I appreciate the compliments. Do you have any hobbies you like aside from running?” He leaned forward and actually let his brush rest on the edge of the easel after rinsing the paint off the end with a little cup that was sitting on the ground. He almost missed her next question,  “I work at The Bread Cemetery, it is the bakery located downtown. Um I also do work with ghosts. What work do you do?” 

Blue let out a soft whine at the pets as if to say, ‘See I’m friendly!’, her tail wagging slowly but standing up and moving back to Jonas once the stranger was done, laying by his feet to resume guard duty. “Oh um we think she’s a German Shepherd.” He knew exactly what she was but some people took the news of her being a barghest worse than him just saying she was a really big common breed. 

“Then I will leave them there just in case.” Jonas had another in his bag so he wasn’t worried if she needed it. “Mm I used to do portraits but I um do not anymore.” He still sketched people but he neer fully committed them to a painting since his father berated the one he did for him. 

“Ah… N—no. That would be it” the blush creept on her cheeks as she answered. Nicole wasn’t ashamed (for once), just slightly self-conscious. Realistically, there wasn’t much time for other things. Going between home and work week in and week out left her with only weekends to enjoy herself. And by then, all she really wanted was to spend time with her girlfriend and their pets. Yeah, even Jane. She was kind of a workaholic, unintentionally at least. “Used to garden, but uh— moved somewhere I can’t have that”. What she got in return was so much more fulfilling than plants could be. The bakery name sounded familiar and she had to wonder if she might have been there before. In her defense she didn’t usually look up before entering a place. Something more fascinating than bakery names caught her attention, though. “What—what do you mean…work with ghosts?” 

Nicole grinned, amusement reaching her eyes. She almost wished she had brought Nacho along, have him befriend Blue. “Huh, I see” Blue was not a German Shepherd, that much she knew. But she wasn’t going to push further than that. She knew Wicked’s rest fauna could get interesting. “Pretty well fed… she must be” she went for the observation instead. That wasn’t a lie. 

She gave him a quiet, thoughtful glance before she got swept by her own thoughts. Her body thrummed with anxious energy, sensing there was more to his answer. She wasn’t ready to push the veil of the unsaid yet, and maybe he wasn’t either, so there was no point in trying. They were strangers after all, no? And this was a chance encounter likely to be forgotten by both of them. 

Her next words weren’t particularly well crafted, more of a stream of consciousness, but Nicole knew she wanted to say something. She hoped she found the meaning along the way. She stared solemnly into the horizon, purple hues striking as the sun was done setting. “My first day here. I uh— had been…” oh, no. Too close. Emotional landmine. She stepped aside just before it could explode underneath her and spill a mess of her most vulnerable bits. She cleared her throat, “you know, life” she gestured vaguely, a watery chuckle the only sign she was affected by it. “Right. First day, didn’t know shit about this place… all I knew was, I saw this massive rock near the coast and I wanted to reach the top of the trail. So I did” And she cried. Ugly and visceral in a way she hadn’t been able for a year after she lost her family. Grief rolling off her like the waves crashed against the rocks below her. Powerful but inevitable. Eroding away at the foundation of her being. The first time she stood at the top of Hanging Rock was coincidentally the lowest point in her life. 

What was the message she was trying to convey?

She could’ve said something like ‘I felt alive’, and it would’ve been truthful. It just wasn’t the beautiful kind of alive. It had been raw and almost unbearable enough to fill her head with ideas that would’ve meant she wasn't here to admire this painting now. That memory was safely tucked in the depths of her mind and it should remain so. “It was some experience” she settled for, her voice detached enough to sound like a casual anecdote. 

“Seeing your painting brought all that back. The pain, the hope…” albeit, not the positive ‘everything is going to be okay’ kind of hope but more of a ‘the gaping whole in your chest will never feel worse than it did a minute ago, which you survived’ spin on the same feeling. And there it was, what she needed to say. “You capture it perfectly” she pointed at the canvas, pursing her lips. She swallowed against the knot in her throat, “if you put the same sorta magic behind your portraits as you do with this, I think… it’d be a waste not to share that”.

“Gardening can be very fun, I am terrible at it. Traveling for work makes it hard to keep plants alive. Have you considered trying to do potted plants? They may be allowed in the place you live in if tending to your yard is not.” Jonas was happy enough with the two hobbies he already had, but he could admit there was always something nice about getting your hands in the dirt and planting seeds. Making something grow out of nothing was always a special feeling. “Yes I work with ghosts. I do seances to talk to them and help them move on. It is my main job, the second is running the bakery for my mother while she is away.” 

Jonas loved his work even if some people thought it was strange or just didn’t believe in ghosts all together. There was something special between him and the dead that he just didn’t share with the living. He could sit there for hours listening to a ghost talk about their life and genuinely enjoy every second of it. It probably helped that he could actually hear what they were saying though he never minded that he couldn’t hear the living. He had other ways to communicate even if one of them in particular wasn’t the most reliable he got by just fine. 

Blue wagged her tail at the mention of her name, not bothering to look away from view in the distance. “She is well fed, um I am surprised she does not put on weight. She gets a lot of treats.” And she deserved all of them as far as he was concerned. She kept him safe and kept him company and made these last few weeks in Wicked’s Rest a lot more bearable with how many unknowns he was facing. 

Jonas was taken aback by the woman’s next words. He never thought his paintings could elicit feelings from others; it was always just something he did to calm his mind. Something had happened to her on this trail that seemed to have shaken her, he couldn’t help reaching out and putting a hand over hers giving it a slight pat as the woman continued. He really wasn’t sure how to respond to such honest praise of his paintings. It wasn’t something he was used to, then again he was mostly caught up on how Jacob had always seen them. “If you um like when I am done painting I would be more than happy to give it to you, I am Jonas by the way. I um do not know if you have noticed but I do not hear very well. You have been very kind to keep facing me while talking, so I would be more than happy to deliver it to you.” 

One minute Nicole was smiling, thinking about gardening and getting home to discuss the possibility of plants with Leah. And the next it felt like someone had thrown a bucket of cold water over her head. She gritted her teeth, schooling her face to remain neutral, friendly, despite the stranger revealing more information about his line of work Seances. That wasn’t so bad, right? There was a chance, of course, that he had no real talents to pull that off. That he was a fraud. But she knew better than to give a medium the benefit of the doubt. 

She felt the jaguar protest against her chest. A cold, painful pang. It agitated inside her, and Nicole let out a cough, the perfect excuse to rub her chest soothingly. It’s not like this man said he could exorcise her, there was no need to panic. Hard to get a spirit to understand that, however. “I see… that’s— it sounds pretty scary” she offered, because people being scared of ghosts sounded normal. Like something a person who didn’t carry one inside would say. 

She preferred to continue the conversation about dogs or paintings, so she didn’t press for more questions about his job. She didn’t think the spirit would like her to. Whatever idea she previously had of planning a playdate between Nacho and Blue went out the window with the new information, however. Nicole only nodded at his comment on Blue’s diet, knowing damn well he was lying. And if he was lying about his dog’s breed, what else could he be lying about? It took her a moment to drag herself out of the depths of her panicking brain, forcing herself to remain present. She tensed at his touch, but didn’t pull away. It was grounding, in a way she hadn’t expected. And stopped both her spinning mind, and her aching heart.

His offer to gift her the painting threw a wrench in all the assumptions she was already making about him, which nudged her towards reason and logic. Just because he worked with ghosts it didn’t mean he would hurt her. He wasn’t a hunter, after all. Not every medium knew or cared for balam. She had the leverage of information.

Nicole had noticed his difficulty hearing, of course. But her amount of experience with deaf —or, was there more more appropriate term for it these days? (she was jumping on google when she was back home) — was non existent, so she felt awkward to bring it up. It wasn’t the best strategy, glossing over things so important. But she had never expected this exchange to turn personal when she innocently sat next to the stranger. “Ah. Yeah. Nicole” she did offer a smile, as genuine as she could. Because if the word ‘medium’ weren’t hanging over their heads right now, she would’ve admitted how pleasant the encounter with Jonas had been. “And uh, thank you for…” listening wasn't the right word— fuck, was it? “Letting me uh, talk. My thoughts kind of...go all over the place. I’m always shifting gears and… I don’t— I’m never sure if I’ll find the point I’m trying to make” she shrugged, averting her eyes then. It did feel pretty vulnerable, not being able to face away. Maybe that’s what got her so willing to talk after all.

But with the new information, him dealing with ghosts, Nicole didn’t think it’d be wise to stay back for a chat. Not because of her, but because of the spirit stirring within. “I do have to go um, soon—” she felt herself get breathless. She couldn’t trust it not to burst out of her and chomp on him. “But I’d like it if…” She pulled up a pen and paper from her sling bag (fine, maybe Leah was right forcing her to carry one just in case, she’d stop complaining) and scribbled her address. “Maybe you can… send it here?”

Years of staring at and paying attention to the smallest of details on their face made Jonas rather adept at noticing the shifts in people’s moods. It was not hard to see how mentioning his work with ghosts seemed to make Nicole tense up. That wasn’t strange, there were a lot of superstitious people out there who became uncomfortable when talking about the dead.He was just glad she didn’t also stop to disprove him of his claims. He was bad at arguing even after years of having to deal with it. Nowadays he just smiled and let the other person rant without trying to disprove them. 

“I am always happy to talk.” Jonas meant it. Most of his work was just listening to people who were frustrated at their circumstances or upset and confused. He found it could also be applied to the living and that people would happily ramble to someone who was willing to sit there and take it all in. Most of the time they seemed to leave feeling better. He watched as Nicole stood to leave, wondering if the ghost talk made her feel worse even after the talk of her trek up the trail. He was pleasantly surprised when she offered him her address. “I will make sure it gets to you.” He made sure to make a show of putting the address safely in his wallet before the woman walked off, offering a little wave to the retreating form as he went back to painting. It had been a lovely encounter and he found himself adding a small figure on top of the bluffs. 

[thegenesisguardians]

Ground Zero : Chapter 1

We were just kids

It was a warm, bright spring day. The air hummed with life as Viper and Lilian, two young sisters, climbed high into the trees surrounding their home. The divine nature of the children who inhabited this mystical place made everything flourish with abundance, especially the forest that enveloped their lovely manor. Today, the sisters were testing their climbing skills, eager to push their limits.

Lilian wore a pastel yellow spring overall set, her soft brown hair tied in a neat braid. Viper, slightly older, sported a sleek black jumpsuit, her wild, short hair whipping in the breeze. Viper had a firm grip on the bark as she hoisted herself up, the rough texture of the tree scraping her palms. She paused every so often to glance down, making sure her younger sister could follow, lending her a hand when needed.

The trees on the island were strange—foreign even to those who ventured from distant continents. Some stood as tall as small mountains, while others, like the teenage spruce they were climbing, barely stretched beyond a single story. To Viper and Lilian, this was just the right height for a bit of fun, their favorite tree for an afternoon adventure.

When they reached the top, the sisters settled, wrapping one arm around each other and the other around the rough trunk for balance. From their perch, they could see the vibrant world of the forest unfold below them—creatures scampering into tree hollows, birds singing sweet melodies, flowers blossoming in bursts of color that painted the earth like an artist's palette. The soft rustle of the leaves in the gentle breeze was almost hypnotic.

Viper let out a satisfied sigh, her lips curling into a smile as she took in the scene. “It’s beautiful up here, isn't it?” she murmured. Lilian pressed her cheek against the tree, the cool, textured bark grounding her as she felt the pulse of life flowing through it. “It’s like the tree is alive, breathing,” Lilian whispered, eyes wide in wonder.

Suddenly, Viper shifted her footing, but her shoe slipped on a patch of slick moss. Her heart leaped in her chest as her balance tipped backward. Panic flashed across her face as she felt gravity pull her down, her fingers clawing at the bark in a futile attempt to stop the fall.

“Viper!” Lilian’s voice rang out, sharp with fear. Time seemed to slow for the younger sister. Reflexes honed from their divine nature kicked in as Lilian’s eyes followed Viper’s fall. With no hesitation, her body reacted—muscles coiled like springs ready to release. Her wrist split open as if by instinct, the skin parting without pain. Out shot veins and nerves, twisting and transforming in the open air into vine-like tendrils.

The botanical tendrils lashed out, snaking around Viper’s waist just as she slipped out of reach. The vines tightened and jerked her sister back toward the tree. Viper grunted as she collided with the trunk and a few branches on the way down, earning a few scrapes, but she was safe. She blinked in shock, catching her breath as she looked up at Lilian’s pale, strained face.

“Gotcha,” Lilian exhaled, her arm trembling as her vines began to retract. The tendrils slithered back into her skin, reshaping into their original form. A few of them lingered, wrapping themselves around the open wound on her wrist, forming a leafy bandage that covered the cut and started the healing process.

Viper, still clinging to a branch just beneath her, rubbed the back of her head with a wry grin. “Nice catch, Lil’,” she said, her voice light but still a bit shaken. Her nails elongated into small, sharp claws, sinking into the tree for extra grip. “You okay? I didn’t make you use too much of your power, did I?”

Lilian, still slightly out of breath, nodded as she lowered herself onto the branch beside her sister. “I’m fine, just… don’t do that again, please,” she said with a shaky laugh, her vines tightening one last time before they vanished under her skin completely. “You scared me.”

Viper gave her a playful shove with her shoulder. “I’ll try not to make a habit of it,” she teased, though there was genuine gratitude in her eyes. She looked around as the last bits of adrenaline faded, and added, “Think we should head back?”

Lilian glanced toward the horizon, where the sun was already beginning its descent. “Yeah, Ty said we should only be out for a few hours. Plus, I think we’ve done enough climbing for one day.”

With a shared look and a nod, the two girls carefully made their way back down the tree, their feet finding steady purchase on each branch as they descended. The forest was alive with sounds, the wind whistling through the leaves, the hum of distant wildlife creating a serene symphony.

Elsewhere, the dead came in all shapes and sizes—some old, some young, and tonight, one of them was a child. Kaboo’s footsteps were silent as she moved through the dimly lit forest, her black aura shimmering around her like the wings of a raven. Despite her otherworldly appearance, she had a calm, soothing presence, the kind that could ease even the most terrified soul.

The little ghost girl stood shaking, her translucent form flickering with fear. Kaboo approached her slowly, her expression devoid of emotion, but there was something in her eyes—an unspoken promise of safety. “No one is going to hurt you here anymore,” Kaboo said softly, her voice a quiet, steady rhythm that seemed to soothe the child.

The girl, wide-eyed, looked up at Kaboo, her voice trembling. “I don’t wanna go…”

Kaboo knelt, her dark silhouette blending into the shadows. “Where would you like to go, then?” she asked, her tone patient as she reached into her pocket, pulling out a handkerchief to gently wipe the child’s tear-streaked face.

The girl sniffled, calming under Kaboo’s touch. “I… I want to see Mama and Papa again.”

Kaboo’s lips curled into a soft smile, the first real warmth she had shown all night. “They’re waiting for you behind those doors,” she whispered, pointing toward the shimmering light in the distance. The girl’s eyes lit up with hope, and she slowly began to walk toward the glow, disappearing as she crossed the threshold.

Meanwhile, back at the manor, Raiya lay sprawled on the floor, her face pressed into the wooden planks as her chest heaved with heavy breaths. “Dragon Witch… defeated…” she panted, her words muffled by exhaustion.

Jessa, a small toddler, sat triumphantly on her older sister’s back, waving her arms in the air. “I win! I win!” she squealed in delight.

Raiya groaned, too tired to argue. She had faced dangerous beasts, outrun law enforcement, and battled feral monsters in the past, but nothing compared to the bottomless energy of her little sister. She rolled onto her side, sending Jessa tumbling into the cushions of the nearby couch with a giggle.

“Alright, Jessa,” Raiya said, her voice heavy with fatigue. “Big Sis is tired. How about some cocoa before bed?”

Jessa’s face lit up as she nodded eagerly. “Cocoa!” she chirped, bouncing on the couch, her favorite stuffed animal Mr. Rex clutched in her arms.

Raiya smiled fondly, brushing a hand through her tangled hair as she pushed herself up. As she walked toward the kitchen, she felt the familiar dull ache in her shoulder—a reminder of the gunshot wound from the previous night. She winced slightly but shrugged it off, focusing instead on preparing the hot chocolate.

In another room, Tyra sat by the window, her eyes heavy with exhaustion from a long night of patrol. But when Diane toddled up to her, arms raised for a hug, Tyra felt a sudden rush of warmth. She scooped her little sister up and held her close, the setting sun casting a golden glow over them as they embraced.

For a moment, the weariness melted away, replaced by the simple comfort of family.

[retechie]

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Second-Hand Laptop: Typically sold as-is with no warranties, often lacking the necessary updates or repairs.

Conclusion: Why a Renewed Laptop Is the Smart Choice

In a world where technology is constantly evolving, a renewed laptop offers a practical solution for those looking to upgrade from their old laptop without overspending. With improved performance, updated software, better battery life, and cost-efficiency, a renewed laptop can easily outperform an aging machine. Moreover, it's an eco-friendly and sustainable option for buyers, especially in growing markets like India, where the demand for refurbished laptops is on the rise. If you're looking to buy a high-quality renewed laptop or refurbished laptops in India, explore the selection at Retechie. With a wide range of devices and excellent customer support, you can find the perfect laptop to meet your needs while saving money and helping the environment.