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#orchid sews things
orchidscript · 1 year
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A bleak midwinter photo shoot with a local photographer, featuring my completed kingfisher robe a la francaise 💜
📸: julie floro
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runesandramblings · 10 months
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I Just Want You
Word Count: 1400
Pairings: Fili x reader
Warnings: None
Description: Royal wedding plans begin to take their toll, but there's only one thing you require to make the day perfect.
Requested by anon so I don't have a way to tag you I'm sorry! But I hope you enjoy. 😇
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“What do you think, nâtha? The lilies or the orchids?” 
You buried your face in your hands. The pounding against your temples, something that had become a familiar sensation as of late, began to worsen as you tried to piece together any coherent sentence. There were only three words that came to mind, the same three words you’d uttered countless times over the past several weeks. 
“I don’t know.” 
The joy of yours and Fili’s engagement had subsided the moment you’d broken the news to your families. With FIli being the crown prince and heir, there was no way Dis and your mother would let it be a simple affair. Invitations had already been sent out to every corner of Middle Earth, and you’d been occupied from sunup to sundown every day with planning. The dress, the flowers, the food… 
You were from a simple merchant family. The pomp and ceremony of royalty made no sense to you. Where you’d grown up, weddings were a simple affair. Most couples in your small village chose to elope rather than go through the bother of an elaborate ceremony. You’d have been more than happy to do the same. However, your mother and future mother in law had both been quick to dismiss the idea. 
“It’s no matter, dear. We have time to decide.” Your mother pulled several small scraps of fabric, ranging from the purest snow white to the creamier shades of ivory. She laid them out against the table and gestured to each. “Which color do you think for the dress? We’ve got to begin sewing soon if it will be ready in time.” 
Before you had the chance to respond, Dis laid out several different styles of gold and silver fabric beside the scraps your mother had laid down. 
“And what of the trim? You’ve got to decide if you prefer gold accents or silver. But I do suppose that would have an effect on the choice of flowers…” She trailed off, lost in her own world of thought. 
You could feel your pulse radiating against your temples as the migraine that had been forming worsened. This was the issue exactly. It wasn’t just selecting a dress. It was selecting a type of fabric, a trim, lace… And that had to coordinate with the flowers or else…
Or else what, exactly? Would the world cease to exist if the flowers and trim didn’t go together? Would Mahal himself descend from the sky if the food and the wine didn’t pair perfectly? 
You looked from where you sat at the head of the long, carved wood table to the opposite end. Fili sat on his own, silently working through a stack of parchments Thorin had given him. He hadn’t been overly involved in the plans, as your mothers had taken over almost immediately. But you’d expressed to him how stressful the process had been, and he’d decided to come sit with you for moral support. He met your gaze and gave you a gentle smile. It sent butterflies through your stomach, as it always did. He was all you needed, truly. You could get married in the same, tattered old dress he’d met you in carrying a bouquet of wildflowers for all you cared. As long as he was there, it was all you required.
“(Y/N)?” 
Your mother’s voice brought you back to the less desirable reality. She and Dis were both staring at you expectantly, the colored swatches of cloth still spread out across the table in front of you. 
“Silver or gold-”
“First, she has to decide on a shade of white. Which shade do you prefer, (Y/N)?” 
“Well it might help to decide on the accent first, then she can pick a white that goes with that.” 
As Dis and your mother began speaking over each other you buried your face in your hands once again. The pounding against your temples became rhythmic, a steady thump that seemed to grow louder and louder as their voices overlapped. You felt as though you might go mad if the pounding and the questions didn't stop soon.
“(Y/N)-” Dis started. 
“I don’t know!” You cried again, finally raising your head to look at the two of them. “I don’t know, okay? And I don’t care. Just pick a color. Whatever you both want.” 
You flung yourself back in the chair, crossing your arms over your chest. It was unlike you to have such an outburst, but you were exhausted. There were too many questions, too many decisions. You’d be more than happy for them to make the choices and just tell you when and where to show up on the day of. 
“And what do you want, amrâlimê?” 
The three of you turned your attention to the end of the table as Fili piped up. He’d laid his parchments to the side. His eyes were not on either of your mothers, but on you. You could see the genuine concern etched in the lines that furrowed between his brows. He knew the planning had begun to take a toll, and now he was able to see the full amount of stress that you were under. 
You felt tears begin to sting the corners of your eyes. 
“I just want you.” You said quietly, your voice barely above a whisper. 
Your mothers exchanged shameful glances across the table, finally seeming to realize just how much they’d piled on you at once. FIli’s expression softened as he continued to look at you, his eyes never breaking away to look at anyone else in the room.
“Could you leave us for a moment?” He asked. 
Dis and your mother stood silently, collecting the fabric and other wedding items they’d strewn across the table. You felt Dis place a hand apologetically on your shoulder as she followed your mother from the room. 
Once they’d gone Fili’s smile widened. He extended his hand to you, gesturing for you to come join him at the end of the table. You stood and quickly walked around to where he sat. Once you were within his arm’s reach he grabbed you, pulling you down by your waist and plopping you into his lap. As soon as your legs touched his he stretched his face up to your neck, peppering light kisses up and down your collarbones. You giggled as his mustache braids tickled the exposed skin of your neck, his lips working their way up to plant kisses along your cheeks. He finally found your mouth and pressed his delicately against yours, making it the gentlest and sweetest kiss of them all. 
You felt a contented sigh escape your lips as he pulled you closer to him, wrapping his arms tightly around your waist. You rested your chin on top of his head as your fingers began to slowly brush through his hair, careful as always not to disturb his perfectly placed braids. The feeling of his arms wrapped snugly around your waist had already alleviated the nervous pit in your stomach, and you wondered how it could have only been moments ago that you were stressed to the point of breaking down in tears. He was your safe place, your calm within the storm. 
“We don’t have to make it into a spectacle, you know.” He murmured into the collar of your dress. “It can just be the two of us, whenever and wherever you want.” 
“We can’t.” You said, wistfully. If only it were that simple. 
“And who says so?” 
“You’re the prince-”
“To hell with that.” He said, pulling back just enough to look up at you. “Thorin’s already given his blessing for us to skip the whole affair.” 
“But our mothers-”
“To hell with them too.” His expression quickly changed from confidence to one of fear as he looked over his shoulder. “Don’t tell them I said that.” 
You giggled again, pulling him closer to you as he nuzzled his face into your neck once more. 
“Amrâlimê, I will go get Balin right now and have him perform the ceremony in this very room.” He continued. “I don’t need the flowers or the food or the party. I just want you, too.” 
You pulled back again, just enough to look down into his eyes. He was smiling up at you, his eyes sparkling with the same joy as they had the first day you met. He was all you needed, now and forever. 
“I think that sounds absolutely perfect.” You said, brushing back a few loosened strands of his golden hair. “On one condition.”
He looked at you expectantly as you continued. 
“You have to tell our mothers.”
nâtha - daughter
amrâlimê - my love
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apoemaday · 6 months
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Heart
by Dorianne Laux
The heart shifts shape of its own accord— from bird to ax, from pinwheel to budded branch. It rolls over in the chest, a brown bear groggy with winter, skips like a child at the fair, stopping in the shade of the fireworks booth, the fat lady's tent, the corn dog stand. Or the heart is an empty room where the ghosts of the dead wait, paging through magazines, licking their skinless thumbs. One gets up, walks through a door into a maze of hallways. Behind one door a roomful of orchids, behind another, the smell of burned toast. The rooms go on and on: sewing room with its squeaky treadle, its bright needles, room full of file cabinets and torn curtains, room buzzing with a thousand black flies. Or the heart closes its doors, becomes smoke, a wispy lie, curls like a worm and forgets its life, burrows into the fleshy dirt. Heart makes a wrong turn. Heart locked in its gate of thorns. Heart with its hands folded in its lap. Heart a blue skiff parting the silk of the lake. It does what it wants, takes what it needs, eats when it's hungry, sleeps when the soul shuts down. Bored, it watches movies deep into the night, stands by the window counting the streetlamps squinting out one by one. Heart with its hundred mouths open. Heart with its hundred eyes closed. Harmonica heart, heart of tinsel, heart of cement, broken teeth, redwood fence. Heart of bricks and boards, books stacked in devoted rows, their dusty spines unreadable. Heart with its hands full. Hieroglyph heart, etched deep with history's lists, things to do. Near-sighted heart. Club-footed heart. Hard-headed heart. Heart of gold, coal. Bad juju heart, singing the low down blues. Choir boy heart. Heart in a frumpy robe. Heart with its feet up reading the scores. Homeless heart, dozing, its back against the Dumpster. Cop-on-the-beat heart with its black billy club, banging on the lid.
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randaccidents · 1 day
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Heart's live reaction for the chicken plush:
ehehe mini fic potential ask mini fic potential ask-
For context: This is a part of the au I havent talked about much and links to another part that I am. Slightly stuck on trying to bang out. It's specifically the darkest part of the Heartless story (aka the part that looks the most hopeless).
(digging through story doc) General story beats you need to know for this mini fic are just that. This is after they convince Heart he is wanted, but Heart is not convinced he is needed, and his progress stagnates. Perseverance is too blunt about the issue and starts a MASSIVE argument between them. Heart, reminded of the thoughts and emotions he had in Apathy by the argument, relapses into random bouts of unconsciousness (luckily not back into a full coma like before).
Penitence blames Perseverance, Perseverance blames himself. He had just finished the chicken plush for Heart. He was building up the courage to give it to him. Now Penitence won't even let him be in the same ROOM as Heart. Or hear him out. Or interact with him. It's been 5 days since he last slept, the longest he has ever gone.
He manages something anyways. Sneaks in while Penitence is asleep and places the chicken plush into Heart's arms. He needs to give it to Heart before he tries what he's been considering for the last few days.
SO thats where we are for this little mini fic >:3.
Heart wakes up to a chicken plush.
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The first thing he registers as consciousness crept back in was the gentle weight of something soft in his arms. He scrunched up his nose, weakly shifting his arms in an attempt to figure out what had been given to him. Finding the object was shaped too weirdly to be deduced, Heart sighed. He really didn't want to wake up and face Mind and Soul. Or well, just Soul these past few days. (Did Mind give up on him after hearing what he did? Is that why he hasn't come to see him? Stupid Heart acting on stupid Emotions too inefficient for him? He is unwanted, unneeded, just keep your eyes closed and push the emotions away and fade back into that blissful emptiness without hurt-)
There is a weight in his arms. Heart was always a curious creature. He slowly let one eye peek open, reluctance to face the dawn making the task difficult. A single, black buttoned eye stared back. Blinking both eyes open in shock, Heart gasped quietly.
It was a chicken plush. A small, round thing, made with familiar purplish-white fabric, black button eyes looking out and into him. It was a little lop-sided, sitting slanted in his arms, a more intense shade of purple peeking out from under its belly. Blackened fingers shivering from disbelief, Heart carefully tilted the plush onto its back, uncovering the orchid-coloured heart that sat sewn into its belly. A familiar, orchid-coloured heart.
It's the same one he had Soul sew onto all his hoodies. He runs a finger over the stitching around it, unwilling to believe it. But no, it is the same heart actually, he'd recognize the feeling of those stitches anywhere. Why would they-?
The sound of shuffling behind him had him hiking up his shoulders, arms curling protectively around his new possession. (When did he decide the plush was his? Maybe when he realized it was definitely made with him in mind.)
A hand on his shoulder gently shook him. {"Yo. If you're conscious, good morning Hear- what the fuck."} Heart tensed up at the curse, digging his fingers into the plush and curling around it, trying to hide it from view. (Please don't take this away from him. He hasn't quite processed the tangle of emotions that the plush brought him, but they are nice and warm emotions, and he wants to bask in nice and warm emotions for once.)
He heard Soul sputter behind him for a moment before sighing. The mattress dipped downwards behind his back, making Heart peek up at Soul's back. (It was still weird to him to see Soul wearing long sleeves. Even in the past, Soul would roll up the sleeve on everything he wore even if stolen from others. They never did tell him why that changed.)
He quickly looked away when he noticed Soul turning to face him, gently digging his fingers into the chicken plush in his arms. The chicken was much nicer to him than his halves had been anyway. So soft and squishy, its little button eyes unable to express judgement, only innocence. It made the long-lost feeling of happiness bubble up in his chest. Someone made this for him.
Soul's hand returning to his shoulder stole his attention again. {"...sorry for the poor response Heart, I was just surprised,"} Soul mumbled. Heart tilted his head slightly. Didn't Soul make the plush?
Confusion drove his leaden tongue into movement. ("I thought you made this...?")
{"What- I- no! I mean, I am making something for you- ignore what I just said it was supposed to be a surprise- point is, I didn't make this."}
Heart rolled over, staring wide eyed up at Soul. He didn't make this? But that only left... ("...Mind? I thought he hated me.")
He watched Soul's equally wide eyes blink back at him, forgetting in his shock that it had been days since he had shown this much energy, much less willingly met their gaze. He watched their mouth open and close silently before words finally escaped. {"Where did you get that idea?"}
Heart winced, looking away as days-old bitterness surged up his throat, turning his words to poison. ("He hasn't come by since we argued. He must hate me to stay far away like that, stupid Emotional Side making stupid decisions.")
Soul groaned behind him, muffled curses leaking through his red lips. Heart gently pet the chicken plush, letting the soft plush fabric calm him and remind him of his confusion. Mind made this? For him? For him.
{"I'm a fucking idiot."}
Heart tilted his head, curious to know more yet not wishing to face Soul again. Soul muttered before raising his voice once more, addressing Heart. {"Perseverance hasn't been avoiding you, Heart. I just haven't allowed the two of you to be in the same room as each other. I don't want another rela- another fight."}
(Curious, the word that Soul tripped over. Heart was almost certain he almost said "relapse". But Heart wasn't sick, he was doing just fine without the plague of emotions in his chest. He was finally being efficient. He promises.)
He grumbled quietly at the other implication in Soul's words instead. ("Of course it was you. It's always you.") Blackened fingers squeezed the plush in his hands firmly, feeling the shift of what must be pellets inside. ("Mind would never be able to stay away. Only you would keep us separate after a fight. Not like it worked well the last-") Choking on his anger and betrayal and hurt and bitterness, Heart shoved his face into the fabric of the chicken, shuddering. No. He cannot think about Apathy right now. The memory of it was too cold, and today he wants to stay awake and appreciate his new chicken plush.
Breathe. The chicken plush is soft and warm against his face. A rock in the tide of his returning emotions. He isn't sure he hated their return at the moment. Breathe. Mind cared about him, had made the weight that he was using to hide his face from the world. Breathe. Soul... probably did too. Separating them after fights was normal, and he did mention a gift he was working on too, even if by accident. Breathe.
A hand on his shoulder had him flinching away, rolling back over to face the wall. Soul's voice is quiet behind him. {"...I can go get Perseverance if you want?"}
Go get Mind, he means. Let them finally see each other face to face for the first time since the argument, he means. (Except that's not true, because Mind must have snuck in to gift the chicken plush. Heart feels grateful.) Heart nods shakily, exhaling a shivering, icy breath.
He waits until the door clicks closed before lifting his face from the plush. Wiping the tears from his eyes, he grimaces. That was definitely one of the downsides of letting his emotions back in, he decides, the choking flood.
Rolling back onto his back, he places the chicken plush on his chest, letting the unevenly sewn toy list sideways as his fingers explored its form, taking in its calming weight. A weak smile crawled over his lips as his fingers found uneven stitches at every seam. Mind never was too interested in crafts, making the effort it put in all the more touching, the emotion warm in his chest. This was something he missed about his emotions, he decides, the soothing warmth.
...he is going to ask why it had to use one of his hoodies though. He recognizes the colour and feel of the fabric. He's sure Mind would give him a logical reason, so it had better be a good one. (Whatever reason it was would already be a good one. The plush is warm and soft and safe, and it is a gift. It makes him, dare he admit it, happy.) Wrapping his arms around the chicken plush, he squeezed it against his chest, letting the warmth of the emotions it inspired ground him as he waited.
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hopeaterart · 22 days
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"Hope why are you making Blush Blush ocs-" Because it's the only thing that's getting me out of the art block I've been in since December. Anyways,
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Fan Manimal, Jun Ru! A makeup artist that got turned into an orchid mantis, you'd meet him through a fashion show for your first line of clothes (which would be triggered by maxing out the Sew Pro career) where he's part of the team dolling the models up. Despite what his career, fashion sense, artistic eccentricities and part-time gig as an influencer would imply, Jun Ru is painfully shy and awkward, to the point where he has difficulty making eye contact for most of his route. He slowly opens up as he falls for Marshmallow, becoming more bold and affectionate (if still lowkey) in his behavior.
(Fun fact: while I was halfway through coloring him, I suddenly thought 'wait is this just yassified Kakyoin from JJBA?' Thankfully, the ressemblance faded away as I finished giving him his colors.)
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Welcome back my friend, I have came to ask for a Finn x reader friends to lovers where they paint pictures together then they switch canvas's every 20 minutes and Finn asks them out! If you are not interested in this that is totally okay you wont hurt my feelings, have a great day!
All These Paintings, and I’d Rather Look at You
Finn x reader
LET ME JUST PREFACE THIS BY SAYING THIS IS SO CUTE—LIKE THE IDEA IS SO CUTE I WANT TO DO THIS WITH SOMEONE BUT IM SINGLE AAAAAAAAAAAAA
Finn was a man of many talents. Making tea, taking care of plants and flowers, making flower crowns, and of course, making you feel loved.
You didn’t know he was actually pretty good at painting.
The two of you sat on a blanket you and Finn made from a previous date. It was a patchy quilt, with various patterns and cloths. It was imperfect, and kind of an eyesore if you looked at it too long, but it was something you two had made together. In a way, it was beautiful. To take things that were torn, that were discarded, and transforming them into something functional and beautiful made all the hours you two spent sewing and stitching it and Finn putting bandaids on your fingers when you’d cut yourself worth it.
The sun was bright, but not too bright as it was obscured by the clouds. Before you met Finn, you wouldn’t take any notice of it. But now, after seeing how the sunlight falls on his face and hair, how it almost looks like he’s glowing, you appreciated the Sun just a bit more.
He was painting on a canvas, as were you. He seemed to be lost in the moment. Each stroke was delicate and gentle. Sometimes he’d squint and stick his tongue out just a bit when he got really into the details.
You had been focusing on him instead of your painting. He didn’t notice until a few minutes.
“Ah, do you not want to paint anymore? Sorry, it was a boring idea…”
He looked away and pushed up his glasses in embarrassment.
“No, no! It’s really fun, I was just… more focused on you.”
His face turned even redder than it already was. He looked like a strawberry, with the freckles on his face.
“O-oh! I mean, that’s fine! Haha… how’s your painting coming along?”
“It’s going okay. I’m going for a *feeling*, you know?”
You showed him your painting. You didn’t consider yourself a Picasso or Da Vinci by any means, but you seemed quite proud of it.
“Wow, it looks good, Orchid! I like the colors you used.”
“Can you show me yours?”
He showed you the painting and looked away.
“It’s not that great, I know. But I tried…”
He was always sort of quick to downplay his abilities. But that’s where you come in to hype him up. To make him see him how you see him— kind, intelligent, creative, and loving.
“What?! That’s so good! It’s really pretty… not prettier than you, of course.”
He blushed and stammered, his whole body felt hot and it was growing red.
“I-I, well, I mean, if you think so,”
You smiled and kissed him gently to get him to stop stammering.
It didn’t really work.
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kikiharinezumi · 28 days
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Oouuhh, this is inspired by the previous ask.
If Fei had some inspiration coming from Yunjin (Genshin Impact), has she actually had experience or practices on Chinese Opera performances? 👀✨
Like imagine the girls having a big clean-up then she took the broom and starts to do the spear dancing/fighting act. (Idk this is so random. Sorry, Kiki 😭👍🫂)
OMG OMG OMG
MY HCS IS THAT HER MOM WAS A SINGER/PERFORMER WHEN SHE WAS YOUNG !! OR A TRADITIONAL DANCER AAA
In the present her mother sews Chinese opera costumes, wedding dresses or high fashion clothes <3.
SO YES.
Fei have probably learned things from her mom 😭 <3 I think she knows well Orchid-speak or just some random moves from spear dancing!! Imagine her teaching to her friends little tricks AAAAA
Or Fei and her mother perform at home just to stay together like when Fei was a teen or a child <3!!
I WILL DRAW SOMETHING ABOUT THIS AAAA
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erasde · 4 months
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What Color Is Your Aura ? - The Mainstays
After being tagged by @shadow-of-tea-and-tea on my main blog, I had the idea to take the magnificent Uquiz test "What color is your aura ?" for my characters. So, here are the results for the Mainstays !
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Ivory
lace, marble, china dishes, doves, paper, bones, vanilla shakes. your essence is ivory: you are a piece of history, sturdy and eternal. others believe you to be gentle; they don't see the pressure that is threatening to crack you. you seek control and organize your life into rows. you are the overseer. you are the porcelain. you find kinship in like-minded individuals of grey, noir, pearl and ashen, who share the pressure you put on yourself. you are also drawn to the expressive rose and lilac, who will help you grow and learn that things will be okay even if they don't go right. however, you may struggle to get along with the indulgent personalities of sky and apricot who need to much stimulation and decadence.
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Amaranth
bundled flowers, ribbon, merlot, overcoats, gemstones, lipstick prints, red velvet. your essence is amaranth: you are engaging and passionate, but never out of place. you do what needs to be done: your confidence is unflinching, least of all when something has slipped beneath your standards. it is hard to live up to the image you imagine others have of you. you are the demonstrater. you are the debutante. you find kinship in like-minded individuals of wine, pearl, noir, and magenta, who share your inner intensity. you are also drawn to the ambitious amethyst and indigo, who will help you grow and inspire your actions. however, you may struggle to get along with the mercurial personalities of teal and bronze who wish to be free spirits.
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Wine
plums, nail polish, planners, theaters, pursed Lips, mosaics, sewing thread. your essence is wine: you are ruled by determination to bring your grand vision to life. you are a pillar of your chosen family; reliable and moral, there is never a situation for which you are not prepared. you are an idealist and accept nothing less of yourself. you are the activist. you are the dutiful. you find kinship in like-minded individuals of amaranth, pearl, grey, and pink, who share your need to devote to a cause. you are also drawn to the expressive orchid and mauve, who will help you grow and learn it is okay to not live up to expectation. however, you may struggle to get along with the excessive personalities of jade and fire who do not know what they truly want.
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Green
climbing ivy, snake eyes, frogs, rainboots, koi ponds, abandoned places, clovers. your essence is green: you are bright-eyed and cerebral, unearthing questions. you are devoted to your pride; you struggle to feel worthwhile if you do not have any answer for everything. it is hard for you to not fixate intensely and be certain you are not mundane. you are the orator. you are the totem. you find kinship in like-minded individuals of forest, sage, chartreuse, and jade, who share your desire to learn. you are also drawn to the creative souls blue and orange, who will help you grow and know it is okay to stay guessing. however, you may struggle to get along with the bleeding heart personalities of pink and yellow who are too wrapped up in pleasing others.
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Royal
crown jewels, portraits, satin chairs, masquerades, nebulas, betta fish, secrets. your essence is royal: you cultivate your strengths and know how to be needed. you attract others; you are flattering and bold, locking everything ugly away. you create an image of decadence and confidence, effortlessly. you are the courtier. you are the networker. you find kinship in like-minded individuals of lilac, purple, indigo, and amethyst, who share your ambition. you are also drawn to the dramatic noir and crimson, who will help you grow and speak your truth even if it isn't pleasant. however, you may struggle to get along with the aimless personalities of gold and umber who lack a strong goal in life.
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Bronze
leather books, cowboy hats, foxes, candle jars, sword hilts, cobblestone streets, hourglasses. your essence is bronze: you are a vivacious dreamer who embraces new experiences. your drive is indiscriminate and oftentimes over-indulgent; you take bets and are willing to cross lines. you are confident and unwavering in the face of obstacles -- but suggestible, and your attention is fickle. you are the thrill-seeker. you are the opportunist. you find kinship in like-minded individuals of coral, fire, crimson, and amber, who share your relentless energy. you are also drawn to the deep-thinking souls teal and moss, who will help you grow and see what ambitions are truly worth your time. however, you may struggle to get along with the opinionated personalities of amaranth and indigo who act above reproach.
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Blush
lollipops, warm cheeks, lip gloss, flowers, flamingo feathers, painted nails, heart glasses. your essence is blush: you are outspoken and protect your heart by never offering an apology. you seize your desires; there is a particularity to your passions, and not many are privy to your reasonings. you are protective and extend your heart in a way you will never accept in return. you are the trend-setter. you are the defiant. you find kinship in like-minded individuals of crimson, red, tawny, and coral, who share your aspirational intensity. you are also drawn to the honest souls lilac and cream, who will help you grow and realize you are not always under critique. however, you may struggle to get along with the internal personalities of sky and beige who are too self-effacing.
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Orange
guitars, fanta bottles, sunglasses, orange peels, butterflies, popsicles, paper lanterns. your essence is orange: dreams hold you aloft and inspire you to be better. you thrive on creativity; there is always a new inspiration that moves you and takes your heart. you draw friends but may show all of them the same smile. you are the restless. you are the adventurer. you find kinship in like-minded individuals of apricot, amber, fire, and terracotta, who share your enthusiasm. you are also drawn to the pensive souls blue and green, who will help you grow and see which projects and emotions are worth your time. however, you may struggle to get along with the headstrong personalities of grey and purple who are too rigid in their perspective.
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Orchid
blooming flowers, butterflies, sunsets, text messages, hair dye, auroras, neon lights. your essence is orchid: you are the brightest smile and strongest heart. you inspire those around you; unconsciously, you exist for their purpose, not your own. continue to seek the limelight though do not lie just for their applause. you are the host. you are the performer. you find kinship in like-minded individuals of lavender, amethyst, pink, and purple, who share your boldness. you are also drawn to the practical wine and chiffon, who will help you grow and let you take things one step at a time. however, you may struggle to get along with the analytical personalities of chartreuse and honey who don't get swept up in your ambitions.
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Tawny
fall leaves, candles, blood oranges, hawk feathers, ladybugs, clay dust, toadstools. your essence is tawny: you are an energetic force with purpose. there is a genuine care for others that dictates your actions; still, you do not doubt you know best. effortlessly a leader, you extend your wings to watch over the ones you love. you are the protector. you are the consul. you find kinship in like-minded individuals of terracotta, garnet, blush, and beige, who share your strong core. you are also drawn to the open-minded souls periwinkle and peach, who will help you grow and show you how to open your boundaries. however, you may struggle to get along with the internal personalities of seafoam and ashen who are thought-heavy.
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Parallel Timeline Convergence Context
[Scaramod and I were writing fanfiction for our blorbos while they were on haitus, so please point out any references that confuse you, and we will provide context. Neither of us are good at keeping the separate universes straight lol.]
[VERY long snip below.]
Too many years of keeping himself alive had left Cyrille extremely attuned to his surroundings, and the static sound was enough to stir him from his light sleep. He is still for a moment, counting heads in the dim light, and notices that one of the hammocks is empty. Slowly, carefully, he extracts himself from next to Scara and locates his cane, slipping out of the room as quietly as possible. He pauses as he enters the living room, frowning at seeing Sakura awake.
"Hey… what's wrong?"
Sakura didn’t seem to hear him at first, but it was clear that they were the source of the static noise. In front of them was some kind of large screen- completely holographic, and it was a bright white.
"Sakura…?" Cautiously, Cyrille inches forward and around so he is visible. "Hey. Sakura."
Sakura flinches, dropping the thing they were holding- which was the cloak that Chero had made for them. They had been holding the end part of it and rubbing their thumb over the white flowers that had been sewed onto the bottom.
They turned their head to face Cyrille, blinking. “Oh- my apologies. Did I wake you up?” They tap the screen with one of their fingers and it dims. “You can go back to sleep. I’m fine.”
"You don't look or sound fine to me. Usually being up in the middle of the night at all does not equate to fine."
He shuffles over to sit on the other end of the couch, peering at them with a squint as if he could figure out what's wrong by staring at them hard enough.
Sakura shrugs, moving the screen to their other side- the side Cyrille wasn’t on- and dimming it some more. “I typically don’t fall asleep until around 3 to 4 in the morning. Thoughts keep me awake.”
"Ah." He leans back, giving them some space. "I would say that's unhealthy, but I think it would be hypocritical of me to call you out for something like that."
“Everything we nag each other about in this house is hypocritical. We’re all just kind of mirrors to each other.” They reach forward and pick up their cloak again, resuming the motion of rubbing their thumb against the white flowers.
"Would it help to talk about any of those thoughts keeping you up?"
They’re silent for a bit. “The white screen is a part of another one of my abilities. It’s basically an audio version of all my memories. I may not seem like it, but I can be quite forgetful. There are times where I couldn’t even remember my own name.”
They cross their legs so that they’re sitting in a criss-cross position.
“So usually every night, I play the most significant memories. Or I start with what I could first remember on Sunday, then play through all the memories up until the next sunday. When I listen to them, I’m able to remember what my brain keeps trying to force me to forget.”
They sigh. “I’ve just gotten to the memories I usually hate listening to, for some reason. It’s nerving me slightly.”
"...that's pretty brave of you. Trying to remember." He tilts his head back to stare at the ceiling. "I'm missing seven years, myself, and I've always been too scared to try and get them back. Based on how I am now, it can't have been anything good."
“I’d rather remember and be able to process it than forget and never know why I’m always sad when I look at these flowers,” Sakura gestures to the white flowers on the cloak. “They’re egret orchids. Chero’s talked about them before- and so has someone else, but I can’t remember who.” They pause. “It is your life, you know. You can always try and get them back if you really wanted- I could even help you if you’d like. But I’d recommend not doing so right now- you have enough going on in your life as is.”
He chuckles dryly. "I'm not sure I want those years back. Again, they can't have been anything good. I had just lost everything, before my memory cuts out. And I don't have much more now than I did then, except a few handy skills that are the sole reason I've been able to stay alive. I'd much prefer to leave those memories wherever they are hiding."
“Your choice. But do remember that if you ever want to know those seven years, you can just come ask me. If you’re comfortable with that, of course.”
"Mm. I doubt it. But thanks." He turns his head to look at them again. "I came out here to check on you, when did it get turned around?"
“I’ve been told I have that effect on people. I’m good at changing the topic.” They laugh a bit. “But really, I’m sure I’ll be okay.”
"Will be, but aren't now. Is there any way I can help with that?"
They turn their head back to the white screen, which makes a little static chirp. “If you really want to, you can stay while I listen to this. Then you can help if something goes wrong.”
"Sure, I'll stay." He shifts a bit closer to bump his shoulder against theirs in support. "I'm ready when you are."
Sakura nods, pushing the screen back so they could click a few things on it. The static grows louder before the audio starts playing.
“What? You want something from me?” That’s Sakura’s voice. It sounds significantly different though.
“Uhm- no.” Younger Chero’s voice.
“What’s your name? Mine is-“
“Chero.” Audio-Sakura cuts off Audio-Chero before he can finish his sentence. “Don’t act like you weren’t the most famous kid in the village. I know who you are.”
“Most famous kid in the village?” Audio-Chero sounds genuinely confused. 
“Yeah. You were the adults favorite. Dunno why, cause it’s pretty clear you got something wrong in that head of yours.” 
The audio stops there, which causes real-Sakura to stare at the screen with a frown.
Cyrille just sits silently, glancing sidelong at Sakura's expression. It's not his place to comment on what he hears. He's just here for support.
Sakura taps something else on the screen, and the static noise echoes through the house again.
“I fucking said we shouldn’t have stayed there. Didn’t I? Didn’t I literally say that?” Sakura again, but they sounded a bit older from the first recording. “This- oh, I’m so fucking glad that bitch Jay died. She deserved it. I really wish I could’ve killed her myself.”
There’s a pause that makes it seem like Sakura had turned to face another person in the memory. “And you just followed a person like that? Did she do that to other people too?”
“Not that I know of.” This voice wasn’t Chero or Sakura. It was a lot softer and more calm, contrasting how angry Audio-Sakura sounded. Real-world Sakura tightens their grip on the end of the cloak by the slightest bit.
“Not that you know of, Leia. She totally could’ve assaulted other people like she did to Chero. She’s worse than Rhea!”
“I wouldn’t say worse than Rhea, but Jay was still a fucking ass.” Sakura muttere.
Leia on the audio sighs, and a noise was made that sounded like she was patting Sakura’s shoulder. “She’s gone now. She can’t hurt Chero anymore. Isn’t that a good thing, blossom?” 
Audio-Sakura sighs. “Yeah, I guess. But I’m still mad about it. Even if she didn’t do anything to me- I just feel bad for Chero.”
“He’ll be okay. Shaken up, sure, but he’s alive. Most of the time, people like Jay kill their victims so that they don’t get in trouble.”
Leia sighs too, for the second time. “Well, fuck her then. I hope she goes to whatever hell may exist in this world. I’m gonna be a much better leader than she was. If anything, I’m getting everyone the fuck out of this hellhole.”
“Everyone is a lot of people.”
“Well- okay. If not everyone, then at least you and Chero. We’ll kill Rhea, take her power, and then use it to bust out of whatever illusion thing we’re stuck in, and then go home and burn our village to the ground for allowing kids to be sacrificed. That reasonable enough for you?”
Leia laughs. “I’ll follow you wherever you go, my dear.”
The audio ends.
Sakura stares down at the egret orchids. Cyrille silently offers his hand for them to hold if they want to, and they subconsciously take it, tapping the screen a third time.
The static plays once again.
“Leia?” Sakura again. Slightly older, much closer to the verge of tears. “Leia. Leia?”
There’s no reply.
“You fucker. You promised me. I told you not to go, Leia. Why didn’t you listen to me?”
Real-world Sakura’s eyes narrow slightly.
“You motherfucker. Why did I let myself love you if I knew you were going to leave me?” Audio-Sakura sounds like they’re holding back tears.
“Sakura- Sakura!” Chero this time. His voice hasn’t changed all too much- if anything, it sounds like his current one. “What happ-.. Leia? Did-“
“I’m going to kill everybody here, Chero. I’m going to find who did this and make sure they fucking pay. She didn’t even deserve to die.”
A noise is made as if Sakura had stood up.
“Sakura, don’t do anything you’ll regret later. I know you’re mad about Leia, but- but killing an entire camp full of other kids isn’t going to solve anything.”
“Okay? Killing her didn’t solve anything, but someone in this fucking hellhole did it anyway! Not everything has to solve something else, dimwit.”
Audio-Chero and Audio-Sakura are both silent.
“Where did you put your gun?”
“I’m not telling you. You are not killing anyone.”
“What are you gonna do if I try? You can’t stop me, fuckface. We both know who’s the stronger one here.”
“Sakura-“
“Move.”
Audio-Sakura pushes away Chero, and they begin walking off somewhere.
“Leia wouldn’t want you to do this.”
Audio-Sakura stops walking.
“Oh, so you’re playing that fucking card now? Okay, riddle me this, since you’re so fucking smart.” They turn around and begin walking back towards Chero, each step more and more aggressive. “Leia wouldn’t have wanted me to kill everyone, right? That’s what you said? Well Leia also wouldn’t have wanted to die. Leia wouldn’t have wanted to leave us- leave me behind. Leia wouldn’t have wanted to break into The Office if she knew she wasn’t going to break back out. And yet- guess who’s body is right fucking there!
“We can’t get everything we want, Chero. I’m learning this now- and you should too, before the same thing happens to you.”
They turn around again, and they actually get a couple paces farther. The audio goes to static for a bit, but then voices could be heard within the static.
“I said leave me alone, Chero. I’m doing them a favor. No one’s making it out of this place alive- might as well speed up the fucking process.”
“Sakura, please. You’re going to regret this, I promise you.”
“No I’m not. You don’t know me.”
“Yes, I do. I’ve watched you in the village- I’ve watched you here. I’ve been around you for what could be considered centuries now. I know you, Sakura. You aren’t a murderer.”
“…”
Receding footsteps.
“Sakura-“
“Let go of me.”
Cyrille gives Sakura's hand a gentle squeeze, trying not to draw any connections that feel too familiar. Why did I let myself love you if I knew you were going to leave me, huh? She didn’t even deserve to die.
No. No thinking tonight. Just be here for Sakura… Anything else can come later. Or not at all, preferably. 
“Let go of me, Chero.”
“Sakura. Just listen to m-“
“I said let go!”
A gunshot.
Then the audio ends.
Cyrille glances over at Sakura again, trying to gauge their emotional state. Does he need to coax them to bed? Wake Chero?
Sakura is silent for a while, staring down at the egret orchids. Their grip on the cloak had tightened even more.
“I remember what happened after that,” they say. They can’t tell if they’re talking to Cyrille or to someone who wasn’t even there. “I didn’t shoot Chero. My arm had shot to the left at the last minute, so the bullet just barely missed his head. He left me alone after that, and I ended up killing everyone else at the camp.” A pause. “One hundred and seventy six children died because of me. Because I was too mad to think straight.
“And then I made my way back to Chero, and we both cried for a while until Rhea showed up. That’s when she told us that everything we had gone through was part of a carefully controlled social experiment. That placing over 200 kids in some life or death survival scenario was just a test to see if anyone would come out alive. After over 500 centuries, she said, two kids had finally made it past the first test. Take a wild guess who those two kids were.”
That last part was most likely directed at Cyrille.
“I had never been so mad in my entire life. I had lost Leia for what was basically nothing. I wanted to lash out, I wanted to scream and cry, I wanted to kill Rhea right then and there- more than I wanted to when I was first sacrificed.
“But my own anger scared me. And it still does. If I could kill 176 people without a second thought, doesn’t that make me a danger to society? I had told those 176 people that I would try my best to protect them, but I killed every single one of them without mercy- and it turned out that Rhea was the one who killed Leia. I had almost killed Chero because I was so mad at him for what turned out to be nothing.
“So I had just smothered my anger and complied. I think that’s when I started to forget important things like this- all of my anger is tied to everything that happened in that realm. In order to bury my anger, I had to bury any memories that would make me want to lash out again. I didn’t want to be the cause of another mass murder.”
They fall silent again, lost in thought.
The screen beeped in what could be considered a sad tone.
Cyrille waits patiently for them to finish speaking, still holding their hand. His expression is subdued, and his voice low when he speaks again. "I can't imagine how difficult that was for you. I know I'm not qualified to give advice to something on that scale, but I can promise to be here to listen."
Sakura doesn’t process Cyrille’s words until a minute or two after they’re spoken, and they respond by gently squeezing Cy’s hand. Then, they lift their head and turn to the screen. “There’s one more left for tonight. Do you want to go back to bed now?”
"After hearing that… no offense, but I'd rather not leave you alone. I'll stay, if you don't mind."
“Okay. That’s fine.”
Sakura lifts their hand and taps the screen a final time. The static fills the house again- it lasts slightly longer than the times before.
“Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you.”
“Happy birthday, dear Sakura. Happy birthday to you!”
It was a mix of Leia and Small-Chero singing. Leia’s voice was louder, though. 
“I told you guys you don’t have to do this. Today’s just another day.” Sakura’s voice.
“Another day that happens to be the day you were born! What kind of people would we be if we didn’t celebrate?” Leia laughs.
“Decent people still. I wouldn’t be offended if you forgot.” 
“Well, I would.” Chero says. “Shouldn’t you celebrate a person’s birth if you care about them?”
“I mean, considering what kind of environment we’re stuck in, I don’t think it’s safe to have a big celebration or whatever.” Sakura scoffs.
“It’s not a big celebration. We’ve already sung, so we’ll give you the gifts we made, then if you really want, we can just continue today like it really is just a normal day.” Leia says. You can hear the smile in her voice.
“Fine. Since I know you’ll throw a fit if I don’t comply.” Sakura sighs. Leia laughs again.
“Chero, you can go first. I have to actually get mine because I may have left it back at camp.” Leia chuckles nervously, and there are footsteps in the audio as if she had run off.
“If she gets hurt on the way, I’m going to kick her into a ravine.” Sakura grumbles. Chero doesn’t seem to hear this. 
“Well- here you go. It took me a good while, but I handmade it myself.” Chero says. He sounds happier than in the other recordings- even happier than he does in the real world.
There’s a bit of silence, implying the motion of Sakura taking whatever gift was given to them.
“I didn’t know you could sew.” Sakura comments. It sounds like they’re trying to hide the happiness in their voice, and is absolutely failing at it.
“My mom taught me because she thought I was gonna grow up into a woman and become a dressmaker or something. But I guess it came in handy.”
“..Thanks. I like it. Did you add the white flowers at the end?”
“I did, but it was Leia’s idea. Something about different symbolisms and such. She told me a popular interpretation of white egret orchids is the phrase ‘My thoughts will follow you into your dreams’. I can’t confirm or deny that information, because I didn’t know about Egret Orchids until she told me about them.” Chero laughs softly. 
“Of course she did. That idiot.” Sakura says, but despite the words spoken. their voice was full of affection.
“Okay! I’m back and I got the thing!” Leia’s voice reappears on the recording, along with the sound of approaching footsteps. “Close your eyes, blossom. And give me your left hand.”
“..I’m not going to question it. You won’t give me an answer anyway.” Sakura says, sighing again.
There’s silence on the recording once more.
“Okay! Open!” Leia sounds very excited.
More silence, but it doesn’t last long.
“Dear, you know I don’t like the color yellow. That’s your favorite color, not mine.” Sakura sounds amused.
“I know, silly. But look at mine! We’re matching! I got Chero to teach me to sew so I could make them. Did you know making ribbon like this is actually hard?”
The screen’s white glare falters for a moment, and an image pops up on it. What could be presumed to be Sakura’s hand had a pastel yellow ribbon tied on their wrist in the shape of a bow.
Holding that hand was presumably Leia’s hand- a darker shade of skin, but it was more like a pastel brown. On Leia’s hand was a pastel pink ribbon- tied in the same fashion as the one Sakura was wearing, except on the right hand instead of the left.
The image stays up as the audio continues.
“So you two just bonded over sewing stuff and didn’t even invite me? Wow, I’m truly offended.” Sakura said, their voice full of playful sarcasm.
“Oh, please. You would’ve gotten distracted halfway through. And you didn’t even see the cute little detail yet! Turn your hand over so you can see your wrist.” Leia’s emotions flow in a quick pattern- from partially annoyed to excited again within seconds.
There’s silence again.
“‘Heaven’?” Sakura reads, confused.
More silence.
“‘Blossom’!” Leia finishes. “Our little duo name! Since my name means ‘child of heaven’ and I always call you ‘blossom’. I was originally going to give you the pink one so it would correspond to you, but I decided to give you the yellow one instead. So whenever we’re apart, you can just look at the ribbon and think of me, and I can do the same when you go out to gather materials and stuff!”
Sakura is silent. Then, they sniff.
“Hey- why are you crying? Did I say something wrong?” Leia panicks.
“No, you dumbass. I love the gift. Thank you.” Sakura says through tears. Leia sighs in relief. 
“Happy birthday, blossom. I love you.”
“Love you too, you absolute imbecile.”
The recording ends.
Slowly, Cyrille lets go of their hand to wrap an arm around their shoulders, offering silent support. He's never been good with words, and this is a situation so far removed from anything he's ever experienced, that he thinks it's probably best not to try.
Sakura hides their face in Cyrille’s side, fighting back every urge to cry in fear that they would get angry. “That’s the last birthday I remember celebrating. The last one that was mine, at least.” They mutter. “After that, January 4th really did just become another day.”
They fall silent once more.
Unsure how to comfort them, he mentally wrestles with himself, before offering tentatively, "I haven't ever really celebrated mine. It doesn't have to be a big deal if you don't want it to be. But… if you want, I think I have a couple cake recipes from Granny Rosa, and we could do a little something? Even though it's late for it now…"
“...okay. We can. I just want to lay here for a little while first, if that’s okay with you.”
"Take as long as you need." He tucks them close as much as he can, wishing that he could be even slightly more equipped for this. He seems to be helping, at least?
Sakura bumps their head against Cyrille’s side as a form of thanks- something that Chero had done earlier that day. They close their eyes and let their left hand hang outside of the hold.
As they do, the air around their hand shimmers slightly.
Huh?
Sakura opens their eyes again in confusion, staring down at their hand. They move it again as if testing something. The air moves in the same odd way as it did the first time.
...That’s odd. Is there some magic on it or something?
They internally check where their magic is currently being directed, and as they suspected- there’s some kind of magic on their hand.
“Hm,” they say out loud. “That’s weird.”
They remove the magic on their hand with an internal sigh, but then they freeze. No longer hidden by glamour, there was now a pastel yellow ribbon tied to Sakura’s left wrist. 
"Is that…?" Cyrille trails off, a mirror ache in his chest for Sakura.
“It’s been here the entire time.” Sakura says, glancing back to the screen that was still displaying the image of Sakura and Leia’s hands. “This is what’s been eating up my magic this whole time. And I didn’t even know until now.”
Carefully, they turn their hand so that their wrist was in view.
Just as they suspected, the word “heaven” was sewed onto the wrist part of the ribbon in a darker shade of yellow.
“…”
Sakura curls into Cyrille’s side again and begins to cry.
He wraps his other arm around them, tucking them under his chin and beginning to gently rub their back. Again, words fall short. What could he possibly say that could compare to something that hurts this much, this deeply? But he can hold them, at least. Crying alone is always worse.
Sakura can’t bring themself to hold the hand with the ribbon on it, so they let it hang again as they silently cry. It hurts far too much for so many reasons. And they completely forgot all about her. What kind of person does that make them? Sakura closes their eyes as they cry, barely even moving. 
They don’t see the slight blur of the air around them. They don’t see the soft white ‘shadow’ that leans against Sakura’s back with its eyes closed, wearing an expression that was just as sad as Sakura’s themselves.
They don’t see the ghostly hand that holds onto theirs, which is tied with a pastel pink ribbon.
The figure hums for a moment, then opens its eyes and blinks at Cyrille.
Leia mouths thank you before closing her eyes again and slowly fading away.
Slightly stunned, Cyrille stays quiet, certain that telling Sakura about that glimpse of a long-dead friend would only make them even more upset. But… well, if that ghost thanked him for this, he must be doing something right. 
Sakura cries for a while longer, but then eventually they stop. They gently headbutt Cyrille to alert him that they’re okay now. At least, as okay as you can be after re-learning that you have a dead lover that was killed by your worst enemy.
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feverinfeveroutfic · 2 months
Text
time is coming | a little drop of pain
”boy that brain never stops working.” -jerry seinfeld
I hold the one boy close to my chest, and the two of us head on out of the forest back to the street. Both boys look to be a little younger than eighteen, but I have no idea if they’re even still alive, either. But at least we take them out to safety, and to where we can lay them down for a second so as to catch our breath. I’m already sweating bullets from the heat and the humidity of the day, and I have so many flashbacks to last fall, but I’m already in deep with it all. We take them to the street and as I’m looking around for a bench or something, Chuck sets the one boy down on the edge of the sidewalk.
“Can you wait until we find a bench or something?” I demand to him.
“These boys might be holding on for dear life, though,” he tell me.
“Yes! These boys might be holding on for dear life! They deserve a bench or something!” Memories of Maya flash through my mind right then. At least I took her out of the rain and to the safety of Black Orchid.
“Well, hang on, just let me think for a second,” he insists with a wave of his hand towards me. Out of breath, he looks up the street, back up to the corner and my car and back towards Sew Into You. 
He’s more hands-on than Lars, who could tell me things and lead me from there, and all the while, I have a lingering feeling that he’s going to be a lot like me in that I have no idea what is going to happen from here on out.
“Come on, let’s take them back to the upholstery place,” he tells me as he picks up the boy again.
“No way we’re telling Marcia and Sonia about that,” I say to him. “No way in hell.”
“Why?” he demands.
“Because the three of us have been through enough already, and I don’t really need to exert that onto them again.”
“Well, what do you suggest we do?”
I hold the one boy close to me and I glance around us. The heat of the day is a little too much to bear even for me right then, and I know I’m going to need a drink of water soon enough. But I don’t want to put him down on the ground, though.
“We’ll have to go to the guys soon enough,” he tells me. “We’re all staying at a hotel not too far from here.”
“We have to gather our bearings first,” I insist. “Well, I have to, anyway.” To which I stop right in my tracks. “Where are you guys staying at?”
“At the Red Roof,” he replies.
“That’s about a mile from here,” I tell him as I adjust my grip on the boy in my arms. “Here, let’s go to my car… if Marcia or Sonia come out to ask us, we’ll just tell them you needed a ride back there.”
“What if they see the boys?” he asks me.
“We’ll tell them they’re dummies or something,” I fill in. “Come on… I’m sweating like a pig here…”
I lead Chuck back to my car parked out in front of Sew Into You, and as far as I can tell, they’re tucked away in there from the heat around us. It’s a struggle to get my key out of my pocket with this unconscious boy in my arms, but I hold him close to me and use one hand to take them out.
God, I better not drop them on the ground…
I take them out and unlock the driver’s side door post haste. Chuck opens the other door, and he places the one boy in the back seat.
“I really, really hope we don’t get pulled over,” I grunt out as I tuck the other boy into the opposite seat and close the door.
“Me, too,” Chuck says, and we climb into the front seats in unison. The two of them are not buckled in, and yet I know I have to be careful, anyway.
I put my sunglasses on and fire up the car, and we roll away from there. It’s a lot like driving with something big and heavy in the car and I’m moving along with utmost caution. I have the windows down and Chuck’s attention pointed to the two boys in the back, and all I have to do is take them back to the hotel. No way we’re going to the cops or to the hospital, especially when I don’t know these boys and I don’t know what will come out of it, either.
I’m careful to go around the corners because I don’t know if they’ll fall over into the panel of the door.
Last thing either of us need is a couple of head injuries.
Luckily for the two of us, I spot the terra cotta red roof behind the adult bookstore and the liquor store.
We take the spot closest to the ice machines and away from the front door of the lobby lest anyone see us.
Once again, we’re both careful to pick them up, but that time from the back seats.
“Where’s your room?” I ask him.
“Around the corner here,” he says. He hoists the one boy over his shoulder while I carry the other with my arm under his knees, just like that night with Maya. But that time around, I’m being pelted by hot humid sunlight instead of torrential lake effect rain. We round the corner towards Room Eighteen.
“Eric!” Chuck calls out right then. “Eric!”
The door opens and a boy with smooth black hair pokes his head out of the room.
“Chuck! He—what the hell?”
“Get out of the way! Get out of the way!”
Eric holds the door for us and we bustle into the room with those two boys over our shoulders. Luckily for us, both beds are clear.
We set them down and I stand upright before the one before me with my hands clasped together before me.
“I have so many questions,” Eric confesses as he shuts the door to keep the cool air in the room.
“As do we,” I assure him.
“Where’s Alex, Greg, and Lou?” Chuck asks him. “I mean, I know they’re in the room next door and everything but are they here?”
“Greg and Lou went out for smokes, and I’m not sure where Alex is,” he confesses, and all the while, he looks on at the two boys on the beds, totally flabbergasted. He then looks on at me. “Hey, you’re Joey from Anthrax.”
“Yeah! Fresh back into the fold no less.” I raise a fist to him for a bump, to which he obliges. He doesn’t bump hard, but the back of my hand aches right then.
“What?” he asks me, concerned.
“Ouch—”
“What’s wrong, Joey?” Chuck then joins in.
“I think I put my hand on something back there in the woods,” I confess to him with a massage of my palm. The pain radiates from the center of my hand and into the palm, as if something is cutting right through my hand. I feel something on the back, and I turn my hand over again for a look at what happened on the backs of my knuckles. A message had burned itself into my skin and bones—
“‘Remember the last, Joseph,’” it reads.
“Remember the last what?” Chuck asks me.
“I don’t know…” I tell him as I flex my fingers. “It hurts like a son of a bitch, though.”
“Yeah, that’s a bad spot,” he tells me. Eric holds onto my hand with nothing more than his fingertips to better examine it himself, and yet he seems baffled by it. He then turns his attention to the boys on the beds.
“Why do these boys look so familiar,” he mutters to us.
“They do?”
“Yeah, they’re Filipino and they just look really familiar to me,” he says in a low voice, and he pads on closer to the beds to better look at their faces, even as we lay them down on their chests and they kept their heads pressed into the plain white fitted sheets. He looks on at them for a good long minute, and then he returns to us with a look of concern on his face.
“I don’t know who these boys are, but god, they’re so familiar to me,” he tells us in a low voice. “Kind of wonder what happened to them. What happened to them?”
“We found them in the woods after a witch gave a ritual of some kind,” Chuck explains, and Eric raises his eyebrows at that.
“What the hell,” he mutters to himself, and between this and the wound and accompanying pain in my hand, I know right away that this is definitely not Maya again.
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pinkiewitchcraft · 2 months
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My Personal Wheel of the Year: Part Two:
(WARNING, NSFW, mentioning sexuality, BDSM, kink, and sexual assault)
The second is 💕Heart💕, which takes place during the entire month of February.
Heart focuses on love and sexuality in all of their glorious forms. For me, it is a way to reclaim my heart, soul, and body in all of the wonderful, colorful spectrums that makes me who I am, and allows me to be able to express myself the way I see fit, as well as allowing me to love by body, especially when the world desperately wants to tear me down and make me feel ashamed of how I was born, and how I express myself. I am unique, and I am loved because I love myself, and I am lovable.
This is a very intimate month. Looking within and finding yourself, and recognizing who you are, and what you stand for and believe in, is vital to your Heart, soul, body and mind. And loving/appreciating others, and making them feel loved/appreciated, is also vital.
Everyone deserves to know that they matter.
• The Colors I associate with Heart are: Pink, red, white, gold, and glitter!!!
• The Deities I associate with Heart are: Aphrodite, Pan, and Satan!!!
• The Foods I associate with Heart are: Cookies, cakes and other sweets, especially chocolate (food and drink), baked goods, genital-shaped candies, cakes and other foods, pomegranates, colored drinks to symbolize blood (blood comes in many beautiful colors), aka life, energy, passion, etc (example, you can use crystal light to put in water and stir or shake it up, and it’ll look like blood).
• The Flowers I associate with Heart are: Roses, peonies, sweet peas, carnations, primroses, cherry blossoms, meadowsweets, butterfly peas, orchids, etc. (love, sexuality, fertility)
• Things to Do:
- Celebrate self-love and write down the things which you love, adore and appreciate about yourself, and remind yourself that you are loved, appreciated, and worthy. And nothing anyone says or does can ever take these facts away from you. Their words mean nothing, and they mean nothing. You know who you are, you know you deserve everything you want. Period.
- Write your affirmations and read them whenever you’re feeling down, when you need a boost of confidence and empowerment, and when you need a reminder that you’re worthy.
- Pamper and treat yourself. Shower, put lotion on and some comfy clothing, wear a cute, fluffy hat or style your hair with accessories, make some soup and sit down and watch a lovely movie. Simply relax.
- Enjoy foods and beverages that you love.
- Write in your journal about the things that you love and why.
- Write about the people you love and why.
- Write about the things and the people you are grateful for.
- Spend time with your loved ones.
- Make gifts for yourself and/or your loved ones.
- Do the things that you love to do, or discover new things to do. (Ex: writing, drawing, scrapbooking, sewing, crocheting, making music, singing, dancing, going for walks, admiring nature, makeup, hairstyling, etc.)
- Look up lovecore and/or romantic aesthetics.
- Listen to songs about love (romantic, platonic, self-love) and/or sex.
- Promote and practice safe sex, and advocate for sexual education.
- Celebrate and practice safe, and consensual BDSM/kink.
- Celebrate diverse bodies, diverse love, romance, and sexuality.
- Continue to advocate for victims of sexual assault. Continue to educate people on sexual assault and trauma, and abolish rape culture.
- Pleasure yourself. Explore the many different ways that you can. Experiment. Take control of your body and know that you deserve autonomy. Your body is yours.
- Dress in the colors of Heart, decorate yourself in hearts, flowers, and other things associated with the month.
- Decorate your altar with hearts and heart-shaped things, heart and flowery artwork, flowers, sex toys, genital toys, and BDSM items and artwork.
- Draw artwork with hearts, flowers, genitals and other intimate body parts, BDSM items and outfits, and anything else you love.
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orchidscript · 1 year
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Back at it with another, easier quilt.
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strawberryteabunny · 2 months
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orchid, mahonia, sage & chamomile 🐻🩷
These got long so putting in a cut ૮ ෆ ´ ˕ ` ෆ ა
Orchid- already answered!
mahonia ⇢ what place, thing, activity inspires you most and how do you express yourself when it does?
I think I’m inspired most by fashion and fiber arts I see online. (Is ‘online’ a place?)
Besides lolita, my biggest hobbies are knitting, sewing, and embroidery. I have a ton of Pinterest boards with things I find inspiring- paintings and clothing from museums, knitting patterns, and things made by fiber artists and historical reenactors. When I’m starting a project I usually go through those, and my Ravelry (for knitting) or lolibrary (if I’m going to sew a lolita piece) as inspiration for what I want to make.
sage ⇢ what ‘medium’ of art (poetry, music, fiction, paintings, statues etc.) is the most touching to you? why do you think that is?
Music, paintings, and fashion. The first and last should be kinda self-explanatory since I think everyone finds music touching and my biggest hobby is fashion, but paintings are what I look at the most in an art museum- I really love Impressionism, the pre-Raphaelites, and 18th century rococo art, and a lot of other classical art in general. I also really love ukiyo-e prints from Japan.
I like paintings that feel like they express an emotion so strongly I can feel it myself; this is one of my favorite paintings from the Chicago Art Institute. I can feel the cool crisp morning air before sunrise, the bare earth under her feet, and the silence with just the sound of a bird singing. I’m a member at the art institute so I come in a lot to draw various paintings or just look around at stuff :)
I also love still-life paintings of fruits/flowers/food etc for a similar reason- it looks like I could really grab them off the canvas and eat them! I can taste those grapes just looking at them. And it feels like a connection to people from hundreds of years ago, to eat the same food.
chamomile ⇢ what kind of things do you like receiving as gifts?
I mean, ideally someone would gift me like, AP’s old Bunny-Chan set haha. But generally cute bunny-themed stuff does always make me happy :) I get a lot of books as gifts and I love that too! Christmas before last one of my friends got me a biography of Beatrix Potter which was awesome (I collect Beatrix Potter/Peter Rabbit things so those always make good gifts). I like tea (loose leaf), brooches (not enamel pins), perfume (my favorite company is Alkemia), and strawberry or rose-themed stuff a lot as well.
The best lolita fashion related gift I’ve ever gotten was my parasol! My mom was in San Francisco and I begged her to go to the AP store and get me the catalogue (was planning to pay her back), and instead she also got me the parasol and a pair of socks and made a gift of it :) She had to carry it on the plane since it didn’t even fit in her luggage! It meant so much to me to have that level of love and support, and I think the parasol is gorgeous too :D
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radix-outpost · 4 months
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Eternal Sailor Mars amigurumi! I think I learned some things on this one, such as "how to sew both skirts on properly".
If you're wondering why I picked that colour for her tertiary: hot orchid is the closest I have for how I depict her tertiary in my art, and I'm saving orange for Astarte's.
Pattern:
[HEAD]
{light peach} 0) MR 6 1) inc 6 (12) 2) [sc, inc] x6 (18) 3) [sc 2, inc] x6 (24) 4) [sc 3, inc] x6 (30) 5) [sc 4, inc] x6 (36) 6) [sc 5, inc] x6 (42) 7) [sc 6, inc] x6 (48) 8) [sc 7, inc] x6 (54) 9-21) sc 54 {embroider face, starting from R15} 22) [sc 7, dec] x6 (48) 23) [sc 6, dec] x6 (42) 24) [sc 3, dec] x12 (30)
--
[EARS] x2
{light peach} 0) ch 5 1) sc 4, ch, turn 2) sc 2, inc, sc (5) {top point of ear is sewn on at R15, 6 sc away from eye} {embroider earrings}
--
[TIARA]
{yellow} 0) ch 11 1) sc 2, hdc 8 2) ch 11 3) sc 2, hdc 8 {embroider gem into center}
--
[HAIR]
{black} 0) ch 37 1-3) sc 3, hdc 6, dc 18, hdc 6, sc 3, ch, turn 4) ch 37 5-7) sc 3, hdc 6, dc 18, hdc 6, sc 3, ch, turn 8) ch 37 9-11) sc 3, hdc 6, dc 18, hdc 6, sc 3, ch, turn 12) ch 37 13-15) sc 3, hdc 6, dc 18, hdc 6, sc 3, ch, turn 16) ch 37 17-19) sc 3, hdc 6, dc 18, hdc 6, sc 3, ch, turn 20) ch 37 21-23) sc 3, hdc 6, dc 18, hdc 6, sc 3, ch, turn {fill in gaps however you have to}
--
[BANGS A (Mars's left, our right)]
{black} 0) ch 11 1) sc 3, hdc 3, dc 4, ch, turn 2) dc 4, hdc 3, sc 3, ch, turn 3) sc 3, hdc 3, dc 4, ch, turn 4) sc 3, hdc 3, dc 4, ch, turn 5) dc 4, hdc 3, sc 3, ch, turn 6) sc 3, hdc 3, dc 4
--
[BANGS B (Mars's left, our right)]
{black} 0) ch 11 1) sc 3, hdc 3, dc 4, ch, turn 2) dc 4, hdc 3, sc 3, ch, turn 3) dec, sc 3, hdc 3, dc 3, ch, turn 4) dec, dc 3, hdc 2, sc 3, ch, turn 5) sc 7
--
[BODY]
{start w/ white} 0) MR 6 1) inc 6 (12) 2) [sc, inc] x6 (18) 3) [sc 2, inc] x6 (24) 4) [sc 3, inc] x6 (30) 5) [sc 4, inc] x6 (36) 6) [sc 5, inc] x6 (42) 7) [sc 6, inc] x6 (48) 8-10) sc 48 11) [sc 6, dec] x6 (42) 12-13) sc 42 14) [sc 6, inc] x6 (48) 15-18) sc 48 19) [sc 7, inc] x6 (54) 20) sc 10, cc light peach, sc 15, cc white, sc 29 (54) {carefully cc such that the "exposed skin" bit is always around 15 sc in length} 21) [sc 3, dec] x12 (42) 22) [sc 3, dec] x12 (30)
--
[COLLAR]
{red} {work in rows} 0) ch 17 1-4) dc 16 5-8) hdc 5, ch, turn 9) hdc, dec, hdc 2 10-13) hdc 4 14) hdc, dec, hdc 15-17) hdc 3 {return to other end of row 4 and repeat steps 5-17} {embroider piping}
--
[LEGS] x2
{start w/ white} 0) ch 17 1) sc 16; join round 2-5) sc 16 6) cc red, [sc 3, inc] x 4 (20) 7) cc light peach, sc 20 {embroider star on this row before going too far} 8-14) sc 20, sc closed on r14
--
[FEET] x2
{white} 0) MR 6 1) inc 6 (12) 2) [sc, inc] x6 (18) 3-9) sc 18 {begin stuffing foot} 10) [sc, dec] x6 (12) 11) dec 6 (6) 12) dec closed
--
[HAND & THUMB] x2
{start w/ white} 0) ch 7 1) sc 6, continue on other side, sc 6 (12) 2) sc 12 3) [sc 6, inc] x 2 (14) 4-6) sc 14 7) cc red, sc 14 8) {thumb} ch 3 9) sc 2
--
[ARMS] x2
{start w/ hot orchid} 0) MR 6 1) inc 6 (12) 2) [sc, inc] x6 (18) 3) [sc 2, inc] x6 (24) 4) sc 24 5) [sc 2, dec] x 6 (18) 6) cc red, sc 18 7) cc light peach, sc 18 8) cc red, sc 18 9) cc white, sc 18 10-14) sc 18 15) [sc 3, dec] x 4 (14)
--
[SKIRTS] x2
{start w/ hot orchid for first tier; keep with it for second tier} 0) ch 49 1) sc 48 2) cc red, dc 48 3-4) dc 48
{alt: last two stitches are hdc, sc}
[BOWS] x2
{one in violet, one in hot orchid} {work in rows} 0) ch 5 1-16) sc 4, ch, turn {fold and pinch in center}
--
[BOW TRAILS]
{red} 0) ch 17 1) sc 16 2) ch 17 3) sc 16
--
[UPPER WAIST BANDS]
{red} 0) ch however many you need to reach from skirt star to under back bow
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Note
ASK GAME ASK GAME *vibrates intensely*
Orchid - What type of gift do you enjoy giving
Rose - What type of gift do you enjoy recieving
Lilac - What's something new you would like to try
Hopefully I remembered the questions right, if not errrr, follow the original flower questions :"3
-beep boop.
Ohhhhh nice gift giving questions!
Orchid: i really really like giving small gifts like food i know someone enjoys or some flowers or a cool rock that reminded me of them i also love giving people little drawings that i made thinking of them.
Rose: deffinetly enjoy being gifted food and little cool things that they thought i would like, like a small dead butterflie they found or some wildflowers they picked. I dont really like being gifted expensive things...
Another Lilac: lets think i think i really wanna try sewing my own clothing! I can already mend some stuff but like making it all myself would be so cool
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Writer Education Tag
THANK YOU @ashen-crest FOR THE TAG NOW I HAVE REASON TO SHARE A BUNCH OF THE WEIRD THINGS IVE HAD TO RESEARCH <3<3<3
Rules: Writers often have to research some pretty out-there stuff for our wips. What are some weird, unusual, or oddly specific things you’ve had to learn about or look into?
-- Turkish Reflex bows (construction materials, draw weights, differences from recurves, use in combat, how they're drawn (using the thumb instead of the forefingers) and also dips into variants from other cultures like iirc Mongolian archery) (Related fun fact: I've tried out archery a few times just to get an idea for how it feels!!) -- A Lot of weird animals for creature/fantasy race designs (Gharials, cowtail stingrays, phantom jellyfish, oarfish, orchid mantises, bronze parotia birds of paradise, gyr cattle, etc. etc. etc.) -- Legal terms for things like "this dude is standing in for someone who isn't here" and "knowing about a first degree murder before the fact and not stopping it" (pro tempore and accessory to [crime], respectively) which prompted deep dives into niche lawyer things of which only like 2% stuck in my brain -- Sign language!! And Language-Assisted Signs, because those are different a lot of the time and I wanted to know How and Why to portray Ash and Ice respectfully (Another related fun fact: half of my ASL research has been for use outside of writing, too, because I have Deaf family members. Also, I learned the ASL alphabet when I was 9 and that's come in clutch.) -- Speed of travel for different types of age-of-sail ships, and how to calculate that for a fantasy world where the routes are up to you and not currents of wind and water alike -- Altitude sickness/the Bends -- Ocular autohemmorrhaging (aka squirting blood out your eyes as a defense mechanism. lizards do this a lot) (this was for dragons) -- Differences in symptom presentation between Multiple Sclerosis and Transverse Myelitis (I determined that Lorelei has Multiple Sclerosis) -- Necrosis (Don't look this one up if you have a weak stomach) -- How bog bodies happen and work -- Rabies -- Different forms of paddle boats historically used for swampy navigation -- Traditional Chinese junk rigging, and how it was used in Sampan ships -- Gyroscopes and how they work/what they do/specifically the one in the plane that flew a telescope and had to keep it steady but the name of which ive forgotten -- Many Illegal Kinds Of Knives (did you know certain kinds of switchblades are illegal almost everywhere?? i didn't until semi recently. theyre some of the sexy ones too </3) -- How wing shape affects flight ability in birds -- How owl wings, specifically, are so Quiet (its the feather construction. i still dont quite get it but im tryin) -- Afrofuturistic architecture/the Afrofuturism movement as a whole -- Dancing swords/sabers with a specific focus on their grips and lack of hand guards, and the forms people used when fighting with them -- An Unreasonable amount of sewing techniques which I am now trying to make excuses for annie to reference. -- Fresco painting techniques (ended up not relevant) -- Marble sculpting techniques -- And of course a ton of research into PTSD, traumatic memory loss, OCD, the Autism + ADHD spectra (so i dont just copy-paste myself on everyone), Schizophrenia, etc. etc. for better/kinder portrayals
That is. By Far not an exhaustive list but yeah <3 i enjoy research and talking about the weird shit i learn solely through the hodgepodge of information axes i follow on the regular
I'll tag: @vacantgodling, @space-cadead, @sleepyowlwrites, @athena-anna-rose, and @comicgoblinart!! As always, absolutely 0 pressure to play if you dont want to, and this doubles as an open tag if you do!!
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