#tahlia writes

[daddyhausen]

i love how in wrestling fanfics we’ve all come to the conclusion that the backstage area is for fucking only

[thepedanticbohemian]

Sadly this writer has deleted her Tumblr. She has great advice on her website, though.

[ingloriousmuses]

An introduction to the muses:

— Vivian Kennedy, Inglourious Basterds. Known as the Lady Basterd, she is like a sister to the Basterds—- but don’t let her pretty face fool you. With sixty-seven scalps under her belt and a knife sharpened and poised for the sixty-eighth, she works to bring an end to the war, and glory to her brothers-in-arms.

— Tessa Nashton, The Green Hornet. Tessa is a socialite who finds herself entangled in the crime of her beloved city, and, finding herself in a serious bind that threatens her reputation, turns to none other than Benjamin Chudnofsky to eliminate the problem and clear her name.

— Tahlia Leigh, Water for Elephants. The Benzini Bros. Songbird is a singer with a heart of gold, and eyes only for August Rosenbluth, the recently divorced ringmaster who’s working to rebuild his circus and his life from disaster. She is a talented performer and a gentle soul, and, perhaps, the key to saving the circus from failure. (Bonus: I have an individual roleplay account for her! @benzinis-songbird . But I also write her here.)

— Delilah Raine, Django Unchained/Dead for a Dollar. The wife of an abusive, high-class man, Delilah lives a life of deception: by day she plays the role of a happy wife, and by night she cries herself to sleep while her husband drinks and curses. It is not until a bounty hunter rides into town that she begins to see hope —- and perhaps, a chance at true love.

— Stella, Epic. Stella was once a trusted servant of Queen Tara, before her death. In her grief, Stella swore to get revenge on those who killed the beloved queen. Her attempt at revenge was thwarted, and she was captured by Boggans, given to their warlord Mandrake as a gift. He had just lost a son, and yearned for an heir to his kingdom—- when he saw Stella brought before him, a recognizable member of the Queen’s handmaidens, a plan quickly formed.

— Matilda “Tilda” Leth, Spectre/No Time to Die. Tilda is the personal assistant-turned-lover of Ernst Stavro Blofeld, head of Spectre. As the keeper of many of his secrets, she finds herself tangled deeply in Spectre’s web. . . and soon finds herself carrying a secret of her own.

— Eleanora Sandvoort, Tulip Fever. Eleanora is the third wife and last great love of Cornelis Sandvoort. A dedicated and loving woman, she wants nothing more than to fill his quiet home with their children. Cornelis desires a legacy, and she’s prepared to give it to him.

— Lorraine Blight, Downsizing. Lorraine downsized with nothing left to lose. She worked a dead-end job; she didn’t have friends, and didn’t have a partner. Downsizing was a chance to start over, to perhaps move forward in life, and moving into a complex with lots of interesting people — including a certain Serbian playboy — gave her hope for everything she had yearned for.

— Ophelia Rom, Alita: Battle Angel. An ex-Zalemite who left to escape an abusive relationship, Ophelia is kept alive by technology on the back and base of her skull. She is very reclusive and withdrawn, but when she finds herself in need of repairs, turns to the well-loved Dr. Dyson Ido for help.

— Evelyn Warner, Most Dangerous Game. Little is known about Evelyn —- if that’s even her real name; nobody knows for sure. She’s a part of the Tiro Fund, and works alongside Miles and his crew to put on successful hunts all around the world. Her talent for theatrics makes her a valuable asset to the sport.

— Evangeline Rush, The Consultant. Evangeline’s job as a personal assistant is a difficult one, but with such an enigmatic and charming new boss as Regus Patoff, she finds coming to work gets a little more interesting each day. She begins to learn more about the man behind the name, and finds herself enamored with him.

— OC FOR GUILLERMO DEL TORO’S PINOCCHIO COMING SOON !

— OC FOR THE PORTABLE DOOR COMING SOON !

— OC FOR KOPFSTAND COMING SOON !

[littlemisswaltz]

Ooooh had a good idea!!! Off of the Trauma Prompt list you reblogged....

“I can’t make the pain go away.  But I can at least try to make it more bearable for you.” w/ Thalia Leigh!!! I think it'd be pretty neat :D

It was late after a show when August exposed his heart to Tahlia for the first time.

The girls in the female performers’ train car wondered with worry where their fellow performer was —- for Tahlia had not appeared in their presence when the circus had packed up for its move to the next town. Surely August had not red-lighted her, not when she’d brought such crowds to see her performances.

Only the ringmaster himself knew Tahlia’s whereabouts —- in his stateroom, in his bed. He had taken to heart an affection for her he could not deny, and equally, he could not deny the way she looked at him.

It had taken little coaxing to awaken the passions of Tahlia’s heart, and now, here they lay, in August’s bed, tangled in the blankets and in each other.

As August cradled this woman in his arms, he found himself speaking of his former wife, of his Marlena, who had abandoned him and taken not only his star attraction, but his only true friend in the process.

He wept when speaking of these things that had destroyed his life. Tahlia had not expected such emotion, and was unprepared. August was not a deeply emotional man on the surface, but here he was, weeping in her arms.

Taking August’s face in her hands, she kissed him tenderly, and whispered words of love against his tears as she kissed them away. This was a man who needed love, needed to forgive himself, to forgive his past, and to look to the present and future with hope in his eyes.

“I can’t make the pain go away, August,” she whispered. “But I can at least try to make it more bearable for you.”

“Stay with me,” managed August after a long pause, and Tahlia knew that was a promise she’d be happy to keep.

[simonandgarfunkie]

hi i love you i hope your birthday was as wonderful as u 🙈🙈🙈

EEEEE TAHLIAAAAA MY ANGELLL THANK YOUU it wass i spent the first half in class but i didn’t mind because i got to see my friends and then i had dinner with my familyy and had ice cream cake!! 😁 also i got my wisdom teeth taken out today and i had delicious popeyes mac n cheese and mashed potatoes i am literally a food connoisseur this weekend

[reiniesainyo]

IN BETWEEN. charlie bushnell x reader – 03

03 | ENCHANTED previous | next | masterfile

SYNPOSIS. when a girl's co-star is good to her and now she wants it more than everything in between. (smau)

A/N. i'm going through a rough / stressful period and i find this series and writing it very therapeutic so here we are! this chapter takes place around episode 7 release, i'm not really inclined to write about the filming in between for some reason (unless you'd be interested)

liked by walker.scobell, thelnarchives, and 262,287 others rickriordan With the release of the new PJO series on Disney+, I'm happy to announce that to celebrate I've partnered with some of your favorite authors and close friends of mine to present to you all a new look into the lives of our favorite demigods!

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A HALF-BLOOD will go online for free this February 20, 2024!

Click the link in bio for more info! PS: A sneak peak from our writers on the other slides

thelnarchive ... WHAT THE??? i have to manifest a chapter for my girl, manifesting a chapter or more please or even just one mention ↳ iamcharliebushnell YOU DIDN'T KNOW EITHER?????

user1 HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT????

user2 1) more stories about characters and 2) WRITTEN BY OTHER AUTHORS???? WHO COULD BE IN THIS PROJECT ↳ user3 i'm manifesting a story about tahlia and jason as kids oh my god

iamcharliebushnell imagine releasing a whole anthology to celebrate? that's the best author right there

user4 ohhh we're eating so good

walker.scobell another book and there's still not enough percy jackson in this world keep it coming i love your work ↳ aryansimhadri Imo too much percy maybe some more grover ↳ leahsavajeffries wrong there should be more annabeth

dior.n.goodjohn the gc going wild with this news

🃏 @CHILDOFHECATE what are your guys guesses for the stories in what it means to be a half-blood??? 🗨 32 comments 🔁 150 retweets ❤️ 456 likes

user1 a jason and tahlia story about them as kids, just a delve into their childhood

user2 more stuff on luke and rina, as individuals and as a couples- like i totally see a luke perspective on some situations or a conversation they had being in the book ↳ CHILDOFHECATE honestly i think it'd be so cool if they went like contemporary and also gave us maybe a poem or transcript / screenplay of a conversation between luke and rina

user3 stories about annabeth, tahlia, and luke's time before camp maybe fighting monsters together or just trying to survive ↳ user4 watch me cry over this one

user5 i just see a lot of delving into the lives of the original trio and also like the original supporting characters to like tahlia, luke, rina, even rachel

user6 grover's childhood! i really wanna see that or some parts of the story from his perspective

user7 Angst.

liked by iamcharliebushnell, aryansimhadri, and 320,372 others thelnarchives celebrating with the half-bloods

iamcharliebushnell when you're so excited over new lore you go and have dinner to talk about it ↳ thelnarchives this means so much to us

user1 YN IN THE SECOND SLIDE OH SHE'S GOREGOUS

user2 her face card never declines ↳ user3 it even has like benefits and a perfect credit score

dior.n.goodjohn fans first cast second ↳ thelnarchives this show has more more dressed up than my wedding

user4 this cast is so cute it's crazy

walker.scobell the 3rd pic >>> ↳ iamcharliebushnell oh so true ↳ i.am.andrew.alvarez a banger photo ↳ thelnarchives phone hijackers.

user5 the little black dress is doing so good for her, if i saw her in public i would've fainted ↳ user6 i can't believe i live in the same city as this girl like we breathe the same air???

leahsavajeffries i'm sat for the release, we're sat ↳ thelnarchives this is MY superbowl

aryansimhadri i feel excluded out of the 3rd photo ↳ thelnarchives that's okay because you're one of the girls ↳ iamcharliebushnell wait that's not fair

user7 aryan being part of the girls is so real and charlie wanting in is so cute

[merakimelareloaded]

Another DC × DP crossover concept, specifically secret twin au:

I've seen most people pick "Danyal" or the occasional "Abidan" as Danny's OG name (absolute bangers don't get me wrong)

I think we're all missing a great opportunity for it to be "Cosmas" (stay with me people!)

As in St Damian and St Cosmas, the twin Arab physicians who were the patrons of twins! There'd be no way it wouldn't cross Tahlia's mind after already coming up with Damian, right? PLUS, when you look at the meaning of the name, it's "universe". Who do we know who's obsessed with space? 👀

Honestly, it works perfectly in my eyes. I fully plan on including this in the fic I'm writing, but I definitely wouldn't be mad if I saw others using it too!

[unreadpoppy]

Betrayer

Raphael x OC (Gwendolyn Gray)

Summary: Gwendolyn Gray's life had been turned upside down when a tadpole was inserted in her brain. Not only that, she was also trying to free her mother from a terrible contract. When she meets Raphael, he seems to be the solution, but Tav will not allow anyone to make a deal with him. So, Gwen takes matters into her own hands.

Warnings: Death. Also, not Tav oc.

A/N: I might write a sequel to this but idk yet. Also, @littlemoondarling this is the AU.

Read on AO3

Part Two

Gwendolyn Gray had two problems to deal with. The most important, at the moment, was her tadpole situation. The second, which mattered to her more, was trying to find a way to help her mother, Tahlia. 

Tahlia was very over protective of her daughter. As the girl grew, she noticed how her mother seemed to be scared of something she could not see. Tahlia would often have nightmares, waking up with a sore throat and various scratches over her body. 

When Gwen turned eighteen, her mother finally revealed her secret. Long ago, she had made a deal with a devil, a deal that she did not complete her part, and as punishment, Tahlia would have visions of the Hells, both in the waking and in the dreaming world. She talked about how she feared that one day he would take her daughter from her, and that was why they lived so far away from other people. 

At that confession, Gwendolyn decided she needed to help her mother. She had started to manifest magic not so long ago, and so, she believed she would be safe enough to travel alone. Tahlia did not like what she heard, but, if Gwen was truly able to find a way to free her mother, she would have to let the girl go. 

Years had passed, and she was not getting closer to finding a solution, until, one day, she got a tadpole stuck in her brain. She was eventually recruited by a fellow survivor from the fall, Tav, to join their party and try to not become mind flayers. 

As their journey progressed and more people joined in, they were accosted by a man, later revealed to be a cambion, who said he could help them with their situation. 

When Gwen saw him, she saw an opportunity. If anyone could break her mother’s contract, it was another devil. All she needed to do was to talk to him alone. 

However, every time they met up with him, he would only talk to Tav, who would always dismiss anything he proposed. One night, after Tav had taken the deal, but then talked about betraying Raphael, Gwen confronted them. 

“I don’t think it’s right of you to go back on your word.” Gwen said. “You signed the contract, you need to keep your end. Raphael is willing to help and he could be a great asset.” She paused for a moment. “Besides, you have no idea how cruel fiends can be when you betray them.” 

“I’m aware but It wouldn’t be wise to keep trusting him.” They sighed. “Look, I know you think he could help with your mother, but I promise that once we’re done with this tadpole thing, I’ll help you find another way.” Tav put a hand on Gwen’s shoulder.

Gwen shook the hand away. “If you do this, then you’re just as bad as you say he is.” Her brows furrowed. “Afterall, you’ll be the one doing the betraying.” She finished and decided to walk away. 

While she laid in her bedroll, she pondered. Up until that point, she had agreed with all the decisions Tav had made, even the more questionable ones. But the sorcerer had started to feel a sense of unfairness. Why could Tav decide everything the party did? Who had chosen them as the leader? She felt like a girl again, caged by someone else’s decisions. Gwen would not let that happen. To free her mother would also free her in a way. And to do so, she needed Raphael. 

And that was why, the next day, when he inevitably confronted them for breaking into his house, Gwendolyn sided with him. 

…

Up until that point, Raphael had paid very little attention to Tav’s companion, but the scene unfolding in front of him intrigued the cambion. One member of the party had decided to fight beside him. 

Gwendolyn, as Tav had called her, was a pink tiefling, with purple hair, and eyes of different colors, one blue and the other red. Her horns were curled like a ram, and she had a full figure. At the beginning of the battle, he very quickly realized that she was a sorcerer. 

The two of them, alongside Raphael’s other allies, were able to defeat Tav and the rest of their companions. He was both angry and disappointed at Tav, who had been his favorite client up until that point, betrayed him so cruelly. Deals were the only law fiends like him obeyed, and to go back on one was something he could never forgive. 

Before he could continue with his thoughts, the tiefling, who had also been looking at Tav’s corpse, turned towards him. “I’ll give you the Crown of Karsus.” She said. “But I’ll need something in return.”

“Is the hammer not enough?” He asked. “That was Tav’s deal, afterall. A hammer for a crown.”

Gwen shook her head. “I’ll make a new deal. I’ll free Orpheus and give you the crown, and in exchange, you will help me free my mother.” 

“And why should I help you?” He asked. “You have just now betrayed your own friends. What guarantees you won’t do the same to me?”

She took in a long breath. “Because you are the only one who can help me.” Gwen looked at Tav once again. “I wish this would have happened differently, but Tav wouldn’t allow me to get close to you. When they decided to go back on their contract, I knew we would have to break ways.” 

Raphael thought for a moment. Bathed in her friends blood and panting heavily, Gwen truly was a sight to see. If she had went as far as killing her own friends in order to make a deal with him, the devil doubted she would stab him in the back in the long run. Although he would keep a closer eye on his debtors from now on, he felt tempted to agree. 

“And what is it that your mother needs aid from?” He asked. “I need to know what we would be agreeing on before any contract is written.” 

“Twenty-two years ago my mother made a deal with a devil.” She began explaining. “Unfortunately, she made the same mistake as Tav. She did not follow her contract and now she is tormented all the time.” Gwen looked up at him. “I promised I would help free her from her chains. You are a powerful devil, if anyone can help me, it is you.” 

He caressed his chin in thought. “I will do it, but only after the crown is in my possessions.” Raphael said. “Do you agree?”

“Yes.” Gwen replied with no hesitation. He smirked and snapped both of them away. 

They were in his office and Raphael was quick to write out a contract. Once the names were signed, the deal was sealed, and Gwen was sent back to her camp, now much more lonely than before. 

That night, she thought about what had led her to that point. Even far away, her mother had always been her priority, no matter what, and although it had pained to see the light fade from the eyes of her fellow companions, Gwendolyn did not regret her decisions. She snuggled Scratch, to ease away the pain, and closed her eyes, falling into a dreamless sleep. 

…

The crown was finally in Gwendolyn’s hands. It had taken her a long time, having to find new companions, acquiring the Netherstones and then fighting the Absolute, but finally, the Crown of Karsus was in her possession. 

And bare minutes after she had it, a portal opened behind her and from it, Raphael walked out. 

“Congratulations are in order” He said. “I see you have succeeded in your quest.” 

“Thank you.” She nodded, looking at the crown and handing it to him. “Here it is.” 

Raphael smiled as he felt the crown in his fingers. “With this, I shall end the Blood War and unite the Hells.”

“Of course.” Gwen nodded. “But first…”

“Yes, about your mother. By the time you see her again, she will be free.” He said, interrupting her. “I always keep my word, dear.” He said, and then snapped away, leaving Gwendolyn alone. 

She signed. Even though most of her troubles were done, she still felt a heavy weight in her heart. Maybe in another world, Tav and the others would be here as well, and they all would celebrate with a good bottle of booze. 

But now it was not time to think about the past. Gwendolyn took a deep breath and continued forwards, anticipating the moment she would finally see her mother again. 

…

True to his word, when Gwen saw Tahlia again, she seemed more relaxed. Her mother was also a tiefling, but with purple skin marred by scars and black eyes. Her hair, however, was the same shade of purple as Gwen’s. 

Tahlia cried when she saw her daughter again, kissing her all over the place. She talked about how she had a dream where the devil that often tormented her was smited by another, and ever since then, Tahlia hadn’t been tormented anymore. The nightmares and the visions were gone, and she could finally rest. Gwen cried as she heard that. 

“Why do you cry, child?” Tahlia asked. 

“It’s just” She sniffled “I’m so happy to finally be home, and to see you free. These are happy tears, I assure you.” 

“Oh Gwendolyn.” Her mother held her close. “I always knew you would do it.” She kissed Gwen on the forehead, while soothing her back.

At least Tav’s sacrifice had been worth it in the end. 

…

Days after their reunion, Raphael made an appearance. 

Tahlia had already gone to bed, and so did Scratch, leaving Gwen alone to go outside of their home. She found a nearby river, and sat there, hugging both of her knees. 

Before he spoke, the cambion noticed the dark circles under her eyes and how she sadly looked at the river ahead of them. He theorized that she still carried the weight of Tav's betrayal.  

“I see that our contract is finally over.” Was the first thing he said. When Gwen realized he was there, she got up. 

“Indeed. I have never seen my mother so peaceful.” She replied.  “What are you doing here?”

“I have come to say goodbye.” Noticing her face of confusion, he continued. “Now that our little deal has been dealt with, I have Nine Hells to conquer.” 

“What does that mean?” She asked, still confused. Why would he come here to tell her that?

“It means that my sole focus will be on this and I won’t be available.” He explained. “And since you have played such an important role in getting me the crown, it was only fair I gave you some sort of closure on the matter.” 

“I understand.” She nodded. Gwendolyn then turned her head back towards the water. “Well then, I hope that you are successful in your conquest.” 

“Oh, I assure you, I will.” Raphael said, walking towards Gwen, and whispering in her ear;  “And once I do so, I will come back for you.” He placed a stray hair behind her ear and disappeared, leaving her alone. 

…

Years had passed. 

Gwendolyn was now in her thirties. Tahlia had passed away a few years prior, and although it had hurt to bury her own mother, at least she knew that her mother was at peace. Scratch was still alive, though he was an old dog now. 

Nowadays, Gwen would travel around the realm, sometimes picking up a job or two, but mostly, she kept to herself. In the years following the end of her quest, she did not make many meaningful relationships. Afterall, she did kill most of the friends she had made, and even if most people were unaware of that, Gwendolyn didn’t allow herself to forget. 

One day, when she was in her home, having just finished eating breakfast, Scratch walked in the home, a letter attached to his collar, and a package in his mouth, which he dropped on the floor.  She removed it from him and read what it said. It was an invitation. An unknown admirer was asking for her to watch a new theater production in Baldur's Gate and they wanted Gwendolyn there on the opening night, as a special guest. They had even gone as far as to send a dress for her to wear during the event. 

Gwen looked at Scratch, petted his head, and took the package. Opening it, there was a gorgeous dark blue gown, made with the finest materials Gwen had ever seen. When she tried it on, it fit her perfectly. Despite her better judgment, she decided to go. 

The invitation also had the location of the theater. She left her house a few days before the event, leaving Scratch with a neighbor that usually took care of him, and traveled to the city. When she arrived there, Gwen stayed in an inn and when the day arrived, she got dressed, did her hair up as nicely as she could and made her way early to the theater. 

Once there, she was directed by one member of the production to one of the private boxes. When they got there, she was surprised by a familiar face. 

“Gwendolyn! So nice of you to arrive early, dear.” Raphael greeted her, taking her hands and placing a kiss on top of them. 

She eyed him from head to toe. Although they were in a public space, he was in his devil form - red skin, dark eyes with orange irises and four horns protruding from his forehead. Besides his hair, which was slightly longer, having been tied in the back with a red ribbon, he looked practically the same, with only one major difference. 

The Crown of Karsus lay atop his head.

“Raphael…it’s been so long.” She finally said, still very shocked by the surprise. 

“Indeed it’s been.” Raphael said, smiling. “I did say, however, that I would come back for you once I became Archdevil Supreme.”  He let go of one of her hands to motion over to their seats. “Come, let’s sit and enjoy the play. We shall talk afterwards.” 

The play, which involved a lot more singing than what she had anticipated, was the story of Raphael’s life, from his youth until his conquering of the Hells. Although the play exaggerated some events, she was still very impressed by it. She was even more impressed when she appeared in the show as one of the characters. For a moment, she feared the truth of her betrayal would be exposed, but the author, whoever they were, painted her in a different light. 

In the show, Gwen never met the party and made the deal with Raphael alone. The fight in the House of Hope happened, but Gwen’s character was portrayed as always having been at his side. The show then shifted into showing how she managed to defeat the Absolute and hand the Crown of Karsus to Raphael, which was the final scene. As the curtain fell and everyone in the audience cleared, Gwendolyn turned to Raphael. 

“Did you write this?” 

“Only parts of it, but I did help the author with the rest.” He replied. Noticing she had more things to ask, he whispered to her ear. “I think we should continue this in a more private place.” Raphael then snapped his fingers and teletransported them to House of Hope. 

They were in the very room that Raphael had first taken Gwen, Tav and the others. The table was set, but there was no food on it yet. Raphael explained that they would soon be served. He pulled out a chair for her to sit, and she did so. 

“While we wait, tell me, what did you think of the play?” He asked, with more enthusiasm than Gwendolyn had ever seen in him. 

“While some parts were very different from what I remember, I was impressed.” She said. “Your life does make for an interesting story. But I must ask, why was I treated so… nicely, in it?” 

“You are the hero of Baldur’s Gate. I wouldn’t dare to tarnish your reputation.” He said, with sincerity. “Especially, since you've been so important to me and my conquest.” 

“I…thank you. From the bottom of my heart.” She replied. Gwendolyn then decided to change the subject. “Speaking of it, I should say congratulations on becoming Lord of the Nine Hells.”

Raphael smiled pridefully. “Yes, the title does fit me well, doesn’t it?” She giggled and nodded. As they were served and ate, they continued their conversation. Mostly, it was Raphael speaking on how he had overcome every archdevil, and how the Nine Hells were thriving under his management. 

By now, they had reached the end of their meals, when Raphael seemed to shift into a more serious tone. “I will admit, however, that it can become quite lonely down there, especially since Haarlep is no longer here to keep my company.” 

Haarlep used to be Raphael’s personal incubus, whom Tav had slain to discover where the Orphic Hammer was stored. 

“I understand the feeling.” Gwendolyn replied, looking down. “Nowadays, the only company I have is Scratch, but his old age is getting to him.” She sighed. “I’m afraid that when he inevitably passes, I will be all alone.” 

Raphael, hearing that, got up from his seat and walked towards her. When he got next to her, he said. “But you don’t have to be.” The devil placed his fingers under her chin and made Gwendolyn look up at him. “Just as Asmodeus had Bensozia once, and Mephistopheles had Baalphagor, I need a consort. And whom better to fill that role than the very one who got me my crown?” 

Gwendolyn got up from her seat. “You cannot be serious.” 

“I am.” Raphael turned Gwen around and wrapped his arms around her, placing his chin on her shoulder. “You have done more for me than anyone else ever has. It seems only fair I should raise you high. You could become the most powerful sorceress in the world. As my equal, you would be Queen of the Hells. You would never want for anything, and we’d never be alone again.” He whispered in her ear. “Think about it.”

And think she did. Gwendolyn never had such ambitions. She had always just been some girl who grew up in the middle of nowhere with a controlling mother. Hells, even after saving Baldur’s Gate, she still decided to live in somewhat anonymity. 

But queen? That had never crossed her mind as possible. 

“But what if I’m not good at it?” She said. “I’ve never been much of a leader before.” 

“You wouldn’t have to worry about that.” Raphael kissed the shell of her ear. “I would be there, to guide and to help you.” 

“Alright. But what if they knew-” 

He interrupted her. “Nobody would care about that bloody betrayal. It is the Hells, after all. There are worse people down there.” 

Well, with those out of the way, Gwendolyn truly only had two more objections to make. “Would Scratch be there as well? I know you don’t like animals but it would pain me to leave him here, after all we went through.”

Raphael chuckled. “Yes, I could make an exception for Scratch.” He turned her towards him, both of his hands on her hips. “Anything else to add?”

“Yes.” She smiled. With this new perspective, Gwendolyn started to feel like her old self, the one before her adventure had begun. And so, she had to ask for the one thing she always dreamed of. “I want a big wedding ceremony.” 

“It shall be the biggest that the Hells had ever seen.” He pulled her close and gently placed a kiss on her lips. “Now, will you accept my offer? Will you become my queen?” 

“Yes.” And with that, she put her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately. 

[oifaaa]

Given the circumstances of how Damian was born its just, really hard for me to see tahlia in a good light in her relationships with both him and bruce

By how damian was born I presume you mean the more then slightly racist retcon grant Morrison wrote bc they hadn't actually read the original comic in which Bruce and Talia had a consensual relationship and just presumed Bruce had been drugged later grant after realising their mistake has made it clear that damians conception was consensual but the damage has already been done and talias reputation has been damaged all bc one official dc writer didn't bother to do their research I'm not asking you to like Talia as a character but I do ask that you be mindful of this especially bc dc has a history of writing Asian woman as terrible mothers

[primordialsoundmeditation]

When someone you love chooses to leave your life, learn to ask yourself:

What beauty may I create in the time I now possess?

What meaning may I create in the space I now inhabit?

What music may I compose in the silence I now may embrace?

And what words may I write in the pages that lie before me?

For your blessings lie in your present and your future, not in your past.

Words by Tahlia Hunter

Artwork by Amanda Cass, #amandacassart

[alexblakeisgay]

Between the Blues and the Pinks (Ch. 1)

Ship: Alex Blake/Emily Prentiss

Summary: The Baby Blues: The temporary feelings of sadness following having a baby. Also known as Postpartum Depression. The Baby Pinks: The mild mania experienced following having a baby. Also known as Postpartum Euphoria.

Warnings: Mental health issues, postpartum mood disorders.

Word Count: 574

Author's Note: First of all, I would like to warn anyone who reads this that this will not be a happy fic. It's going to deal with mental health issues and it's going to get kind of dark. It does have a happy ending, no one dies, everyone gets better...but it goes through a pretty grim place to get there. I'd suggest erring on the side of caution if that kind of stuff triggers you.

Tagging: @ssa-tahlia-obsessions bc I promised her a chapter of something today.

Alex fidgeted in her chair. Not because it was uncomfortable...though it was. Not because the baby was pressing against her ribs...though it was.

It was because of her therapist's expectant stare.

It had been exactly eight and a half minutes since either of them had spoken. Alex knew because she'd been watching them tick by and wishing they'd move just a little faster.

In spite of herself, Alex blurted out, "Your clock is two minutes and seventeen seconds slow..."

Her therapist – Dr. Tara Lewis – asked, "Alex, is there a reason you're avoiding the question?" She raised a curious brow, flicking her pen back and forth.

"What was the question again?" Alex asked meekly. She'd been so caught up in timing the slow clock that she'd forgotten.

"I asked why you think it is you're not excited about your twenty week ultrasound..." Tara repeated herself.

A beat.

"Oh..." She heaved a sigh, remembering why she'd been avoiding the question in the first place. Unfortunately for her, though, she'd more or less run out of excuses. "I suppose...it's because I'm afraid of what the doctor will tell me," she confessed.

Tara nodded. "And why is that?"

"Because of Ethan," she said softly.

Tara nodded, wrote a note in her ledger. "Ethan's condition wasn't apparent on ultrasound?" she asked. When Alex nodded, she continued, "What makes you think this baby will have Ethan's condition – or, indeed, any condition?"

Alex began gnawing at her cheek until she tasted blood, reticent to say. But she knew that, ultimately, she needed to be honest... "Because I don't deserve a healthy baby."

Tara began writing furiously. After a moment, without looking up, she said, "What happened to Ethan is not your fault and the universe – or whatever you might believe – doesn't dole out cosmic feedback like that."

"It was my fault, though," Alex insisted, "I carried the defective gene. It's my fault he died."

Nodding, Tara suggested, "My advice is that you discuss this with Emily. And together, you should discuss amniocentesis."

"I'm upstairs!" Emily hollered when she heard the front door open and close. But before Alex could come to her, Emily appeared at the top of the stairs, wearing her painting clothes. At Alex's quizzical look, she teased, "I figured it was faster to come to you..."

Alex smiled softly for the first time that day.

Coming down the stairs, Emily met her in the foyer, stole a kiss. "How was your session?"

She'd kind of been hoping Emily wouldn't ask, even if she knew it was inevitable. "It was good," she said, a half-truth.

Emily smiled encouragingly. "It's helping?"

Alex nodded. Another half-truth. "She, umm... She suggested we talk about doing amnio," she stammered.

"I think we should do it," Emily immediately agreed.

Her brows leapt up her forehead. "Really?"

Emily nodded. "If it will give you some peace of mind, I think it's worth the risk." Alex seemed a little surprised by her sudden agreement. "Al, I know this is a huge part of what's been troubling you about this pregnancy and if this is going to help, I say we do it. I'd do anything to make this easier on you; if I could go back in time and wave a magic wand to undo my uterine scarring, I'd carry the baby for you."

Smiling fondly, Alex kissed her again. "It's things like this that make me fall for you all over again."

[max--phillips]

Genesis - Chapter 3

*Shows up 2 years and 3 months late with Starbucks* lmao

(Please follow @butchmandalorian-writes and turn on notifications to be alerted to new fic uploads!)

Pairing: Ezra & gn!reader (I'll update this if it changes, I'm not 100% positive where their relationship is going to go at the moment)

Warnings: In line with the previous chapters, Dragonfly is processing a lot. Angst, loss, grief, self-doubt.

Summary: You assist Ezra in his search for cinder violet. A surprise storm rolls in. Ezra asks you some questions.

Words: 4.5k

Prologue / Chapter 1 / Chapter 2

You closed your eyes and focused on the sound of the waves crashing on the beach. You focused on the smell of the salt water and sea air. The feeling of the sand beneath your knees. You wanted to cry, but your body wouldn’t let you. You clutched the plaque to your chest. Words couldn’t describe the mixture of feelings overwhelming you.

You made it.

You made it.

You heard sand crunching as Ezra approached you. It then stopped.

“I personally knew every last person on board that ship,” you said, quietly, eyes still closed. “All 79 of them. I knew their hopes and dreams for the future, their damn favorite color.”

“Sounds to me like you were a good leader, then,” Ezra said.

There was a moment of quiet. You chose not to respond to his comment. “Anthony. Susanna. Blair. Desmond.” You took a deep breath, and opened your eyes, looking over at Ezra. “Chiara. Stacey. Lily-Grace. Kristina. Marlene. Ariella. Mohammod. Harlow. Cheyanne.” You pulled the plaque away from your chest and looked at it. “Lleyton. Ayisha. Tahmina. Connah. Abida. Missy. Danielle. Safah. Poppie. Beverley.” You began to stand, slowly, still recounting names. “Luka. Zahid. Alejandro. Prince. Jena. Salahuddin. Harris. Brent. Milo. Neve.” You turned slightly towards the ocean, and began walking. “Lexi-Mae. Humzah. Rebecca. Waseem. Raisa. Tania. Mina. Cillian. Rick. Reya.” You approached where the sand was wet as the waves rolled in. “Kaydee. Fenton. Isabella. Rachel. Olaf. August. Kacey. Tahlia. Reanne. Andrew.” Ezra followed you, stopping next to you as you stood there, shoes getting wet. “Amy. Alex. Micheal. Matt. Sarah. Dale. Shyam. Adela. Catrin. Aviana. Mallory. Ronnie. Hashir. Felix. Zishan. Kobie. Brenden. Kelsea. Wiktor. Lula. Tyrese. Ayyan. Ricky. Akeel. Zakk. Zahia.”

You looked out at the horizon, dotted distantly with rocks and other islands. You looked at the plaque. Then, in one fluid motion punctuated with a grunt of effort, you threw the plaque as hard as you could into the ocean. It plunged into the water several yards away.

“I don’t know if you believe in such things, but if you do, I’m sure your team is looking to you from beyond with pride, knowing at least one of you got here,” Ezra offered.

“I don’t know, either,” you mumbled in response. “But I hope you’re right.”

You stood there for a few more long moments before Ezra turned and began walking towards the tree line behind you. You took a few more seconds to turn and follow suit. It felt like your consciousness stayed standing at the water, though, your movements almost not your own. Nothing felt real. Perhaps you, too, died on that ship and this was all some bizarre cryostasis dream your brain was having in a fit of activity before the end. Logically, you knew that wasn’t the case, but the grief and anxiety and confusion you were feeling were more than enough to override logical thought.

Your attention came back into focus as Ezra began speaking.

“I hope you don’t mind, but I’d like to get to work and not push our chances of getting caught in a storm. We’re looking for a bright purple flower, and where there’s one, there’s plenty more,” he said. “Let’s go look, shall we? Do mind any roots and vines across the ground, with all the ways this planet could kill you, I’d wager tripping does more prospectors in than anything.”

“Is that… a common profession? Prospector?” you asked, more than happy to momentarily change the subject.

“That depends on your origin,” Ezra answered. “If you’re originally from Central, or any of the core planets, really, no, it’s not common at all. Those folks tend to go into more well-educated fields and keep their feet planted firmly on a safe, habitable planet with a functioning government.”

You both reached the tree line, and Ezra began leading you into the brush, pushing some vegetation out of the way to begin clearing something of a path.

“But, if you’re from the Frontier, the Fringe, hell, even some of the tourist planets, it’s damn near your only option to get off whatever rock you were born on,” he continued. “Extremely high risk, no such thing as a safe job. So… my apologies for dragging you out of your nap and right into harm’s way,” he said, looking over his shoulder to you with an apologetic expression.

You weren’t yet sure how to respond to that, given how that “nap” ended up. You continued to follow Ezra, stepping over twisting roots, vines, and other growth.

“But, with high risk comes high reward,” Ezra said. “If you live long enough to turn in your bounty, it can be well worth the risk. ‘Course, so many succumb to the environments they prospect in, or other prospectors, not too terribly many actually make a return. Can’t tell you how many woefully unprepared kips I’ve seen get themselves killed on their first go because they thought they were stronger than nature, or couldn’t make a deal, even on the wrong end of a thrower.”

You both made it to a small clearing, and Ezra stopped for a moment to survey the surrounding trees. The canopy was thick, shading you from the sun, though not doing much to curb the oppressive humidity in the air. On top of that, every step you took seemed harder than the last. Maybe pushing yourself so soon after you woke up wasn’t a good idea. You knew that the planet was significantly denser than Earth, but you weren’t expecting the increased gravity to affect you this much. You wiped some sweat from your brow, looking around as well, taking in the alien plants. If dropped here with no other context, one might be forgiven for thinking this was the middle of a rainforest, but there was an… uncanny valley sort of feeling to it. It was definitely not familiar biology, though clearly not entirely dissimilar from what had evolved on Earth.

“Ah! That way. There’s a tree species this flower particularly likes, I’m willing to wager we’ll find a patch nearby,” Ezra said, pointing out of the clearing and beginning to walk that direction.

You continued to follow him. “So, I take it you’re one of the more successful ones,” you said, continuing your conversation.

Ezra chuckled a little. “I’d like to think so,” he responded. “Not without my fair share of challenges and loss, of course, but I’ve done alright for myself. Well enough I have a home of sorts on Central, nothing too fancy, but it’s enough.”

“You said most people from Central don’t prospect,” you pointed out.

“I am not from Central, Captain,” he said. “Depending on how you look at it, I simply got lucky.”

You wondered what he meant by “depending on how you look at it,” but chose not to pursue that. “If Central has safer jobs, why keep doing this?” you asked.

Ezra sighed. “You can take the man out of prospecting, but you can’t take prospecting out of the man, Dragonfly,” he answered. “Besides, those safe jobs lack the excitement this profession freely supplies. I’d get bored.”

You could certainly understand that. You could’ve much more easily taken a job with mission control, or stopped at test flights for the Genesis program, but no. That wasn’t enough. You had to be the face of it.

You two continued to walk for a while, you imagine having passed the tree Ezra had pointed out earlier some time ago. Thankfully, walking through the forest was requiring enough of your focus that your mind didn’t begin spiraling despite the quiet. It was hot and exhausting. After some time, though, you came to a large clearing with a pond of sorts in the middle, with some rock formations on the far side. Towards the other edge of the clearing, there was a patch of flowers.

“There! Perfect,” Ezra said, walking over towards the flowers with purpose. You followed. He began digging in his pockets, producing two bags, one that appeared to be empty, and another full of small tools. From the tool bag, he grabbed two pairs of tweezers.

“Now, this is delicate work,” Ezra started, handing one of the pair of tweezers to you. “As should be obvious, we have plenty of chances to get this right, but keep in mind these cinder violets are very valuable.”

You nodded. “Got it.”

“Good. So, to start, be careful picking them. That’s why you need work gloves. The stem on these flowers have sharp thorns,” Ezra explained, motioning for you to sit on the ground near him. You did so, letting out a sigh of relief as you did, thankful for any rest. You watched his movements closely as he reached forward and carefully picked one. You could see the thin, sharp thorns protruding seemingly randomly from its stem.

“Once they’re picked, you need to work quickly to get the stamen. There’s a reason we harvest them here rather than picking the flowers and taking them back to the ship,” he continued. He used the tweezers he was holding to point towards the center of the flower, where the sturdy purple petals were curled around what you assumed to be the stamen in question. “You gotta peel these back, but be careful of the stamen inside. If you accidentally break the stamen, or either of the individual parts, it’s worthless. Couldn’t tell you why, the folks this is valuable to end up burning them most of the time, but I’m not one to argue with a paying customer.”

You watched as he demonstrated what he just explained, carefully rolling back the petals to reveal the stamen inside. You immediately made the connection that it looked a lot like saffron threads, except they were a light purple color rather than red or orange. Ezra used the tweezers firmly at the base of the stamen, pinching the entire structure and removing it from the flower before carefully placing the piece in the empty bag he’d opened earlier.

“Just like that. Think you can handle it?” he asked.

“Yeah, I think so,” you responded.

So you got to work. You messed up the first flower you attempted, breaking one of the threads when you tried to roll back the petals, but you tried again and successfully extracted the stamen whole. Once you got a few under your belt, you seemed to get the hang of it, only accidentally breaking a few threads the entire time. As you worked, Ezra filled the air with chatter, thankfully not seeming to care if you responded or not.

“The petals curl inward like that to protect the stamen from the weather here,” he said. “The winds from the storms can be brutal, but the trees around are rooted deep enough they can usually withstand them, and break up the wind the further inland you go. Of course, there’s still some wind, and these flowers adapted to protect their reproduction in a fascinating way. The petals are stiff enough that only certain pollinators can get inside.”

“Pretty textbook evolution,” you commented.

Ezra made a noise of agreement. “There have been attempts to start permanent logging colonies on the planet because of how strong the wood in some of the tree species is,” he explained. “The incredible winds combined with the strong gravitational force pushed their evolution that way. Of course, all of them have failed.”

Ezra continued to talk about the planet, how lumber and these flowers were really the only things of value here, though some other plants are propagated off-world to be sold as house plants. He began telling some tangent story about said house plants, but you were happy to listen nonetheless. There would be moments of quiet, still, in which occasionally either you or Ezra would curse as one of you destroyed another stamen by accident. Ezra occasionally mumbled something about joints in his hand, or something about servos, though you didn’t think anything of it. Doing this sort of detailed work was starting to make your hand sore as well.

After what had to be a few hours, you and Ezra made a sizable dent in the patch of flowers you’d found, filling the bag about halfway with the prize he was after. Just as you were about to reach for another flower, you heard a rumble of thunder. The light that was coming in through the clearing began to dim, and you could hear rain begin to hit the leaves of the canopy, not quite yet filtering through.

“Shit,” Ezra said, looking around as he started to get up off the ground. “Nothing major, sometimes these storms pop up. But we’re too far from the ship to go back in this. Let’s take cover over in those rock formations, shall we?”

You nodded, getting up as well. Ezra grabbed the bag of cinder violet, and as the rain began to fall through the canopy, you both ran towards the pond and the rock formations on the other side of the clearing. Ezra led you under a large overhang, and you two watched as the rain intensified, thunder clapping occasionally overhead. He sighed deeply, shaking his head.

“Fair timing, I suppose. I was starting to think about calling it quits anyway. The amount we have should earn us…” he paused, humming in thought. “Maybe two or three points?”

“Points?” you asked.

“Ah, yes. It’s payment, I’m not sure how you’d value it. It’s enough for a single person to live off for maybe two months or so,” he said.

You balked at that. “Two months?” you asked.

“I told you it was valuable,” Ezra responded, smiling at you.

He turned and sat down again, back resting against the rock at the back of the overhang. You followed suit. It was quiet for a few moments as you watched the rain fall. Ezra, of course, was the one to break the quiet.

“Dragonfly, I’m sure you have a multitude of questions regarding the galaxy you now find yourself in, but I will admit, I have many of my own for you,” he said.

You sighed. “To be honest, I don’t know what to even ask yet, especially given you’re the only one I’ve met, and you’ve been with me the entire time I’ve been conscious,” you said. “Fire away.”

Ezra grinned like he’d just won a prize. “Very well. Do you mind if I start with a question about you, then?” he asked.

“Go for it,” you responded.

“How did you become captain of that handsome craft I encountered you on?” he asked.

“I wanted to save humanity,” you stated plainly. This was a bit of a softball question, one you’d answered many times at press conferences, news interviews, and presentations at various schools. “My entire life the world was crumbling around us. Every day was another record broken for hottest day, or highest sea level, or least polar ice. I never understood why no one was doing anything about it. I did try the activism route for a while, but I got disillusioned fast. It never really accomplished anything. It’s nearly impossible to make people care about something when they have incentive to ignore it. I caught wind of NASA’s Genesis program, went to test pilot school, worked my ass off… and here we are.” There was some bitterness in your tone at the end of your sentence. Here you were, indeed.

“Saving an entire planet is quite the lofty goal,” Ezra said.

You nodded. “It is. But it’s the right thing to do,” you said. “Was the right thing to do, I guess.” Doubt began to creep in. Was it? Knowing what you know now… was all of this worth it?

Ezra seemed to sense your shift in mood, and asked another question. “I must ask, was the cryostasis technology I found you in… pioneered for this mission?” he asked.

“More or less. I mean, people have been working on some form of it since… I think the bunk cryonics industry started in the 1970s,” you said. “Most of the time after that was spent thinking the entire concept would remain science fiction, but some group of scientists made a major breakthrough when I was a kid. NASA spent the next twenty odd years fine-tuning the technology to get us to Kepler-186.”

Ezra was quiet for a beat. “Cryostasis was deemed too dangerous to continue using decades ago,” he finally said. “Too much risk, side effects were too strong. Much more muscle atrophy and other deleterious effects caused by long term use. As far as that is concerned, Captain, you are very lucky.”

You looked over at him, your brow furrowed. “Other deleterious effects?” you asked.

“I’m no expert on the subject, but if I’m remembering correctly there were some concerns about the agents used to prevent harmful ice crystals from forming, nutrition uptake over time, issues with sleep and attentiveness after being taken out of stasis… we have much safer alternatives now,” Ezra explained. “Although use of any suspended animation is less frequent now that we have faster than light travel.”

“What alternatives are there?” you asked, genuine confusion in your voice. As far as you were aware, cryostasis was the only suspended animation technique that was really achievable. Anything else wouldn’t do enough to slow the body’s metabolism, and therefore aging, or required far too much energy to be plausible, or was simply fictional magic.

“Most true suspended animation relies on manipulation of spacetime,” Ezra said casually. The surprised expression on your face in response told Ezra that that statement was not casual at all to you. “It does take a considerable amount of energy, so it is not used frequently.”

“You can just… manipulate spacetime?” you asked

“Well, I’m sure it’s not as simple as that. Like I said, I’m no expert,” he answered. “I’m not entirely sure how they accomplish it. More commonly, though, is a state of induced torpor, which is more conducive to the length of trips we take with FTL.”

You nodded, absorbing this information.

It was quiet for a long moment, other than the rain falling and wind blowing through the trees. Ezra then began speaking, almost carefully choosing his words.

“In my childhood, my peers and I were told the same stories our parents were told of Earth. Toxic skies that would choke you to death in an instant, poison plants that could burn you with one touch, vicious creatures that could eat you whole. I believe that these began as cautionary tales many generations ago, but they morphed into this mythology of a cursed planet that would punish you for even thinking about visiting its surface,” he said. “I would be remiss not to ask you what Earth was truly like, even in your day.”

You considered his question, then sighed. “While exaggerated, the stories you heard weren’t… too far off,” you responded. Ezra looked at you, surprised. “I mean, the whole planet isn’t like that. Toxic skies… occasionally, as pollution got worse or wildfire smoke ruined air quality for days on end, yes. Not so bad you’d die if you had to go outside, though. Poison plants and vicious creatures, absolutely. There are plants that, if you get even a little bit of its sap on you, it gives you chemical burns or makes you itch for days on end. Some plants and fungi have lookalikes, where one is perfectly edible, and the other is so toxic that if you eat it you’ll be dead within a day. There are animals that can and will kill you given the chance, granted there aren’t many that could swallow you whole. Hippos probably could. Maybe blue whales, but they don’t eat prey as large as us.” You smiled sadly. “Still, it’s beautiful. Vast oceans, lush jungles, mountain ranges and rock formations… even the things we built, to some degree, are beautiful. Bridges, castles, skyscrapers. It’s…” You stopped as you realized you were speaking in present tense, and you gulped, willing away the tears that threatened to begin. “It was worth saving.”

Ezra’s surprise morphed into some cross between interest and concern as you spoke. “I… wish I could’ve seen it, as you did.”

“Yeah,” you said, nodding a bit. “Me too.”

As another moment of quiet passed between you, you realized something. Surely humanity by itself couldn’t span an entire galaxy, right? And clearly, life was elsewhere in the galaxy…

“I just thought of a question,” you started.

“Please,” Ezra encouraged.

“Have we made first contact?” you asked.

“Have we made what?”

Well that’s not the response you were expecting.

“First contact,” you repeated. You then put on a bit of a voice, mocking the many documentaries about this topic from your original era. “Is there intelligent life beyond our solar system?”

Ezra looked at you, confused at first, then he seemed to remember how long you’d been asleep. “Yes.”

You weren’t sure whether to be excited or deflated with his response. “With that kind of reaction I imagine it’s commonplace.”

Ezra nodded. “As humanity fled Earth, it happened multiple times with multiple colonies concurrently,” he said. “Enough so that no one’s really sure who was first. Thankfully, other than the one time a group of us managed to establish an empire across the galaxy, everyone gets along relatively well. Well, on an official level, anyway. All bets are off once you’re in the Fringe, or the Frontier, or prospecting.”

You nodded again, and hummed in understanding. “I’m glad to hear it, I suppose. That was another thing that was still very much science fiction when I was on Earth,” you said.

“I have a feeling that will not be the last time you come across something matching that description, Captain,” he said. “You are always welcome to ask questions. I may not have all the answers, but I do a fair share of reading in my free time. I’ve picked up on some things, at least.”

“I appreciate it,” you said.

The rain began to lighten a bit, but not stop. The humidity had broken slightly, and the wind from the storm was making it a bit cooler where you were taking cover under this rock. For the moment, it was kind of nice. You wondered again if you would’ve made it this far if you had known. If you would’ve rather had your team alive for a short time on this planet’s surface, marking the mission’s technical success, or if they were better off having died painlessly in cryo. Part of you wanted to believe that if you had all made it, you would’ve proved Ezra wrong, and there would be a thriving colony on this planet’s surface in just a couple of years. But… like Ezra said earlier: people get themselves killed thinking they’re stronger than nature.

“We were going to name it Eden,” you blurted. “When we got settled, I mean. The colony, the planet, was going to be named Eden.” You looked over at Ezra. “I… suppose I don’t know if that means anything to you.”

“I believe I get the gist,” Ezra responded. “The Garden of Eden where humanity was supposedly started by some capricious deity.”

“In the Book of Genesis, the first book of the Bible, God takes six days to create existence, resting on the seventh. Adam and Eve, the first man and woman, and who are tasked with creating humanity, live in this garden God created as a paradise on Earth. It was plentiful, and they were allowed to eat from any tree in the garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,” you said. “Of course, they eat from it anyway and get kicked out before they can eat from the tree of life, which would have granted them immortality.” You tilted your head back and forth for a moment in consideration. “There’s more to it than that, but that’s the condensed version. Wouldn’t be a story from a religion if the details weren’t hotly debated.”

“That is yet another thing that has not changed since your time,” Ezra responded. “I am sorry that this did not turn out to be the paradise you expected it to be.”

You sighed. “I don’t think anyone truly believed this would be a paradise,” you said. “Livable, yes. But a true paradise wouldn’t require us to work for our survival. We were prepared to start from truly nothing but the supplies we carted across 579 light years.” You paused and furrowed your brow. “We made a lot of assumptions. About the planet, about what would grow here, clearly about how the surface of the planet would be.” You didn’t want to admit that the entire program was done out of desperation. It had taken 25 years from the conception of the program to your launch date, yes, but an undertaking as huge as this… it likely would’ve benefited from more time to plan, to study the target planets, to truly understand what you were getting yourselves into. But the planet was dying, and humanity was dying with it. Someone needed to do something, and the sooner something was done, the sooner humanity could be saved.

You supposed it didn’t matter in the end.

You wondered what McCoy would say. He always balanced your optimism with caution and well-timed cynicism. You remembered what he said that night 10 days before launch, on the boat. I’m sick of worrying about what could go wrong… What if it does go wrong? You’d told him it wouldn’t. That you’d make new constellations.

You realized you were crying again. You forced yourself to take a deep breath. You wiped your cheeks with the back of your hand.

“Sorry,” you offered.

“You have nothing to apologize for,” Ezra assured you. “You’ve had an incredible amount of information dumped on you in a very short amount of time. If anyone here should be apologizing for anything, it’s me for waking you up.”

You shook your head. “No. I… given the choice between waking up to this and dying without knowing what went wrong, I would’ve chosen waking up every time.”

Ezra nodded slowly. “While I cannot begin to understand what you’re going through, I do understand that choice, at least,” he said.

Soon, the rain stopped, and the wind died down. Ezra moved to stand up, walking towards the edge of the structure you were under.

“I think now is as good a time as any to get back to the ship and head out,” Ezra said, turning back to where you were still sitting. He approached, and held a hand out to help you up.

You hesitated to reach out. Much like your hesitation at leaving the ship, you almost didn’t want to leave. You made it here. Did you deserve to make it any further? What about your crew? How in the world would you even move on from something like this?

You took Ezra’s hand, and hoisted yourself up off the ground.

“Alright. Where to from here?”

[ceekbee]

"You would not open a book

to a random page

and read a few lines

and think to yourself

"These few words that I am reading

define the entire story."

Yet, this is what you do, my dear,

when you let a single experience

of failure or rejection

define you

and your story.

And so there are times in your life

where you must learn to view your life as a story

and zoom out from your current experience,

and remind yourself

"This present phase

that I find myself in

is merely a passing chapter

and I must continue living,

for the story must go on

and in every story,

every problem

will eventually find its solution

or its ending.

And though this present chapter

may be difficult,

it is the chapters of struggle and heartache

that pave the way for chapters of victory and triumph

and make the story worth reading

and there is a future version of me in the story

that is currently experiencing success

that only exists

because the current version of me

was brave enough to fail

and experience rejection and disappointment."

And though you may not control

the events of the story,

always remember

that you are the narrator,

and you may choose to write it as you wish

trusting that some stories

may only be understood retrospectively

for the same chapters

can be interpreted and told differently

when seen through the eyes of the future

rather than the eyes of the past."

Words by Tahlia Hunter

Artwork by Catrin Welz-Stein

[aarcanechaoss]

👀 SO

Who wants a Black Clover Jack the Ripper smut? Cuz ya’ll gonna get it

Specifically SUB Jack

👁🫦👁

This one I am writing is with my OC Lorelei from my fic Phantasm ( @aarcanegrimm ) though because it’s all I am envisioning as I write it

Brief reminder of what she looks like

She’s over 6’0” brunette, brown reptilian eyed and fucking terrifying (I haven’t made a Picrew of her yet I shall soon) aka the total opposite of Tahlia Spiridon from Burn Butcher Burn 😂

But yes send me William and Jack things DO IT cuz no one else is writing about them 🥹

Ask about me OC’s or do reader I’m content with both 😊

Tho do check out @jacks-little-jacky for some amazing Jack content and they are a fellow Jack simp

[worldstogetlostin]

Last Line Tag

I was tagged by @whimsyqueen and @marigoldispeculiar so thanks for the tag guys!

Devour tag list (let me know if you want to be added/removed): @friendlyneighborhood-writer, @elijahrichardwrites, @thecorneroftheweirdone, @memento-morri-writes, @kapenkoiwrites

Here's a little snippet of a quiet time:

"Don't you want answers?" Irina asked quietly, trying not to wake the dozing members of their small family.

Gracie was curled up on Matteo's lap, both of them snoring quietly while Ben was slumped next to them, also asleep. Maria and Tahlia were leaning against each other, Maria's eyes closed while Tahlia blinked slowly, staring into the fire. It was, Anna thought, what peace felt like.

"I do," Anna said, honestly. "I do want answers. I just think... This is more important."

I'll tag: @marinesocks, @writingpotato07 and @ahordeofwasps

[ettawritesnstudies]

About your DnD characters, who's the girl with the lute? She looks friendly.

Thank you for asking! That would be Isolde Halle - a human bard from a backwater planet in the prime material. She's come from her sleepy little town to make it big as a bard in the inter-planar City of Doors, at a university in Sigil. There she caught the attention of an influential woman named Annabelle Keay, who became her patron. No tragic backstory, just good luck!

She exists exclusively to act as a foil to one of my player's character. Sophia used to be a human bard, and her twin sister, Tahlia, was a genius astronomer and stars druid. Annabelle was a mentor and funder of Tahlia's research, while Sophia struggled to make ends meet and reconnect with her distant sister. Both girls were diagnosed with a genetic terminal illness, Annabelle and Tahlia turned their research towards inventing a way to move a consciousness to a robotic body. With death on the horizon, Sophia and Tahlia grew a lot closer in the last weeks, becoming best friends and true sisters again. Their model, which was powered by a small fusion reactor, came to be known as KS4R (pronounced 'quasar'), and it was almost ready, when Talia died just a little too short of completion.

Since they're identical twins, Sophia was the best match and Annabelle didn't want to let the project go to waste, and so Sophia got to survive instead, using the body that was meant to save her sister. Since it was build for a druid, it lacked the language processing abilities needed to do a bard's expression. Dealing with the grief of losing both her sister and her identity, Sophia became kind of an empty shell, and just goes by KS4R now. Eventually Annabelle died, and both KS4R and Isolde were invited to the will reading and set up as competitors in this treasure hunt to inherit their patron's legacy.

Isolde is very friendly! KS4R gravitates to her pretty quickly, and they get along well as friends. At one point KS4R tried to write a poem for her, and even though it came out as binary gibberish, Isolde did her best to put it to music anyhow. She's a living reminder of what KS4R could be, but lost.