#tales of the heart

[flyingwargle]

flufftober day 29: "hey, wake up!" / "oh, no, you're a morning person!" / bronseele

someone prods her shoulder. “seele, wake up.”

it’s enough to stir her from her slumber, but she’s stubborn and wants to hold onto the bed’s comfort and blanket’s warmth. when someone nudges her again, she snuggles deeper beneath her cocoon, in an attempt to melt into the mattress. “five more minutes…”

“you’ve been saying that for the last ten minutes. i’ve already gotten dressed.”

“mm…good for you…”

there’s a slight pause, then a sigh. “seele. we still have duties to attend to.”

that makes her roll over and open a bleary eye at bronya – or what she thinks is bronya. it’s hard to tell, with the dim lighting. “what time is it?” seele mumbles.

“just after dawn. six o’clock, i believe?”

seele stares, drowsy mind slow to process the answer. “what?”

“it’s passed dawn,” bronya repeats. “that means it’s time to wake up and start the day.” she moves out of view, and a splash of light draws seele’s attention. bronya has pulled the curtain aside to reveal a darkened administrative district. “don’t you see the light on the horizon?”

she doesn’t look, incredulous gaze focused on her. “how many hours of sleep did you get?”

“how is that relevant?”

“we were up passed midnight. aren’t you tired?”

bronya frowns. “tired or not, i still have my duties. don’t you have a similar routine in the underworld?”

“yeah, but it doesn’t start at six.”

“last i heard, the miners start work at five.”

seele shrugs. “no one causes trouble until morning coffee at ten.” or maybe that’s because it’s when she’s up and about, and no one would dare mess with her. delusional, oleg’s exasperated mutter echoes in her ear. “what’s there to do so early in the morning, anyway?”

“plenty. soldiers are briefed on the day’s tasks, meet with their patrols, discuss assignments…”

“cool. that has nothing to do with me. i’m going back to sleep.”

“seele.” her name is soft with bronya’s gentle lilt. “being a morning person has its advantages. don’t you want to see how belobog is like in the early morning?”

does it matter? she wants to comment, but refrains. the underworld never sees day or night, stuck beneath an eternity of artificial lights. she had only heard of sunlight from word of mouth, hadn’t experienced it until the entrance was unsealed. is it anything impressive? not really, but clearly, bronya thinks so. “fine. but you better let me take a nap later.”

they walk through qilpoth fort to the mess hall, guided by the scent of eggs, toast, and coffee. already, the benches are filled with soldiers, and when a captain spots them, he shouts a command for the men to greet and bow before their supreme guardian. seele jumps at the unison of stomping feet; bronya is unfazed.

it’s interesting to watch the inner workings of the military. seele sits with her heaping plate of hot food and cup of coffee as bronya visits each table to greet her subordinates. though they’re all similarly dressed, she greets them by name and a smile – certainly a quality that comes from her level of authority.

soon, the men are deployed to their assigned stations. bronya and seele step into the cold after them, frozen breaths billowing. the horizon is lit up with new light, reflecting off the clouded sky. light snow falls upon the deserted plaza, over the shuttered storefronts, and empty benches. darkness still clings onto the world, but it won’t be long before morning comes.

bronya murmurs a prayer beside her. “in the name of the preservation, i resolve to protect belobog for another day toward the future.”

“what’s all that about?” seele inquires.

“it’s a vow. from the moment the day starts to when it ends, we will work to make our home a better place, so it can preserve into the future.” she lifts her head, eyes clear, but it’s thanks to the morning’s glow that seele sees the shadows that haunt her eyes, the tiredness that laces her stance.

“i think you’re going to fall faster than belobog, at this point.” seele offers her a hand. “tell you what – let’s go on a patrol, and then we’ll come back for a nap. i don’t care if you’re a morning person or have work to do, but if you don’t have enough rest, you’re going to fall. sounds fair?”

bronya stares at her for a moment but eventually fits her hand in hers. “all right. perhaps, afterwards, you can show me what your routine is like in the underworld?”

“of course, but only after a nap.”

[egophiliac]

tsum events continue to be just the best

[deathsweetblossoms]

Roiben and Kaye by Frostbite Studios

[captainmera]

"ℙℍ𝕀𝕃𝕀ℙ---!!!!"

ᴬⁿᵈ ᵗʰᵉⁿ ˢʰᵉ ᶜᵘʳˢᵉᵈ ʰᶦᵐ ᵗᵒ ʳᵒᵗ.

[hiraethhomebody]

You Were My Home

I've been homesick for you every day.

Do you feel it too?

Just when I start to think I'm healing from it

Something reminds me of you.

I wonder if you think of me

Although, I moved on too soon.

I promise if I could go back I would

To stop me from losing you.

[thestuffedalligator]

The giant was in an iron cage that had once held an elephant in the menagerie.

Here in the dungeons, it was still too small for it to sit up in. It was lying on its side, knees drawn up to its chest, facing the opposite wall.

Gretta had been forbidden to see it. Well, no, that wasn’t right – nobody had even told Gretta that it was here. Her sisters and the staff of the castle had apparently been expressly forbidden to tell her, but Margit had a soft heart and told her the night before that they had finally caught the giant.

It stung that even her little sister had been told and that she hadn’t.

She didn’t sleep after that, and she spent the long morning looking for an opportunity to slip away. Now in the gloom of the dungeon, she stood in the entranceway and watched the slow rise and fall of the giant’s breathing.

She could feel the heart in her chest beating, a quick thud-dump, thud-dump, thud-dump that shook her whole body. Once upon a time the giant was a menace that had pillaged and ransacked the whole western coast of the kingdom. It was a story her mother had told her and her sisters and had made Margit burst into tears in the middle of the night–

“I know that heartbeat.”

Gretta froze. The words had been slow, and low, and had made pebbles on the stone floor shiver.

Chains started to jingle together. “That is a heart I’ve not heard beat in three long years,” the giant said as it started to turn in its cage. “I’d know it anywhere.”

The giant settled on its other side. In the low glow of the dungeon’s torches, its grin gleamed like rubies.

“Hello again,” the giant rumbled. “Do you remember me?”

Gretta swallowed. She remembered–

She remembered being lulled to sleep as the carriage rocked on the highland road. She remembered the door being pulled off its hinges with a shower of splinters. She remembered the grey hand as wide as a wagon wheel reaching out to her–

She remembered waking up with a long, delicate stitch along her sternum.

Her hand reached unthinking to feel the long scar under her shirt.

“Yes,” she said. “You’re the giant who put its heart in my chest.”

“I missed the sound of it. It’s beating fast, so very fast.” The ruby grin flashed again. “Are you frightened of me?”

Gretta stared. Then she set her shoulders and turned her chin up to a haughty angle. “I’m not frightened of an animal in a cage,” she said.

The grin vanished. “Fine,” it said. The chains rattled again as it turned to stare up at the ceiling.

“I want to know why you did it.”

There was a very long, thoughtful pause. For a moment she was worried it wasn’t going to speak.

“I’m sure you guessed,” it finally rumbled. “The queen did – she only caught me to confirm what she already knew. A giant cannot be killed while its heart is outside of its body.” Another sound of metal as it shrugged. “Other giants bury their hearts or hide them in an egg in a duck in a well in a church on an island. I wanted something more… certain.”

“And that’s why you chose me?”

The giant was silent. The heart in her chest continued to beat, thud-dump, thud-dump, thud-dump…

The giant sighed. “It was never meant to be you,” it said. “I meant to grab the seventh daughter.”

Gretta blinked. “Margit?”

“Oh yes. Sweet, simpering, insipid Margit, who still sings with the birds and cries over baby animals. The kingdom would’ve had a conniption over having to kill her to kill me – if they did, it would be such a heinous death that they would remember it for generations in song and story. And I would’ve gotten my immortality either way.

“Instead I got you.” The giant looked back at Gretta and gave her a look of such contempt she nearly reeled. “You,” the giant said again, and she had never heard the word said with more disgust. “Who cares about you.”

“Excuse me!”

“Sixth of seven daughters,” the giant said. “Not the eldest, not the youngest, not even a proper middle child. An extra. A spare. Worthless, except for maybe an interesting marriage.”

“You have no right to–”

“They’ll just kill you.”

The dungeon was suddenly deathly still.

“They won’t be happy about it,” the giant continued, turning to stare at the ceiling again. “They’ll be very somber and austere and I have no doubt that Margit will cry over you, as she does over all little animals about to die. But they’ll say that you’re more valuable dead than I am alive, and so for the sake of the kingdom you will be given the noble task of dying. And that will be the end of us both.”

Gretta opened her mouth. She closed her mouth. She opened her mouth again. “Is that it?! If you’re so sure, why don’t you – why don’t you break out of your chains? Ransack the castle? Run back to your mountain, do something?”

“What an odd thing to say,” the giant said. “You know that if I live, I can escape to murder and pillage and ransack again. Surely, any good princess would want only the best for their people.”

Gretta said nothing. The heart in her chest went thud-dump, thud-dump, thud-dump…

She could feel the giant’s grin. “The queen had me captured so she could confirm what she already knew,” it said. “It seems to me that you’re here to do something very similar.”

Halfway up the stairs from the dungeon, Gretta ran into her mother.

Gretta stared. Her mother blinked. Gretta considered her options.

She set her head at a haughty angle. “I know you caught it,” she said.

There was a very long, thoughtful pause.

“What did it tell you?” her mother asked.

Gretta looked at her mother. She looked at her mother’s hand on the hilt of her sword.

She felt the beat of her heart go thud-dump, thud-dump, thud-dump.

“Nothing I didn’t already know,” she said.

She ran away that night.

[derangedrhythms]

These were the days when my heart was volcanic

Edgar Allan Poe, The Penguin Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe; from 'Ulalume'

[detailedart]

i want to know who broke the sky's heart last night

[dragon-kazansky]

The song in our hearts

Lestat De Lioncourt x Female Reader

A musician with a heart that sings and an admirer who wishes to see his songbird thrive. Two beings in different worlds get caught up in each other when someone threatens to steal his songbird's spotlight. Loving Lestat isn't simple, and your life will never be the same again. What is eternity without chaos?

Chapter One - Secret admirer

Chapter Two - Duet

Chapter Three - Third wheel

Chapter Four - Encore

Chapter Five - Dark truths

Chapter Six - Just a drop

Chapter Seven - Eleanor

Chapter Eight - Deep into the hole

Chapter Nine - One last dinner

Chapter Ten - Taste of death

Chapter Eleven - Eternally yours

Chapter Twelve - Midnight piano

Chapter Thirteen - Dangerous roads

Chapter Fourteen -

Work in progress!!

Just ask to be added to the tag list :)

[flyingwargle]

flufftober day 31: dreams do come true / xiaobedo

albedo asked to trust him. so trust him he does.

xiao is blindfolded. albedo pulls him from behind, hand in hand, quiet as they walk. he can feel the heat of the sun against his covered eyes, the gentle breeze that nudged them forward, the steady grip of his partner’s hand that guided him around bushes and foliage with the slightest twist of his wrist.

the ground slopes upward. xiao listens around him for hints of their location – grass rustles as wild boars graze; rhythmic thumps echo as hilichurls drag their clubs against the ground; and elemental energy spike the air from slimes that mill about. albedo steers them away from such enemies. neither are in any position to fight, anyway.

“where are you taking me?” xiao ventures.

“you’ll see,” is the demure reply. it’s all he can coax out of him, ever since they met up this morning outside of mondstadt city.

the elevation escalates, bit by bit. it reminds him of jueyun karst, and the wayward paths that reach the summit of the clouded peaks. the wind picks up, similar to the howling blizzards that surround dragonspine. where else would have characteristics that intersect both their usual haunts? “are we climbing stormbearer mountains?”

“your geography has improved.” there’s a smile in albedo’s response. “you’re incorrect, unfortunately. it won’t be long until we arrive, so be patient for a while longer.”

xiao obliges, lets his partner continue to lead. he anticipates the moment when the incline becomes flat again, but it doesn’t come. instead, he’s caught by surprise when he’s pulled into the tall grass before they stop. albedo turns and holds his other hand. “wait.”

silence falls over them. the sun is behind xiao, wind whipping grass across his ankles. they’re close enough for him to hear albedo’s heartbeat, his quiet breaths, head moving to look around them. “are you ready?”

“yes.”

the blindfold comes off. his vision is blurred with an onslaught of light, and he blinks rapidly. the sky falls into place; the grass straightens around them. cecilia sway in the distance, recognizable by their delicate shape and scent. however, there’s another flower dancing beside them, small but unmistakable. he steps toward it, eyes wide. “are those…?”

qingxin. they’re surrounded by both flowers, one that transcended borders to be planted on the highest point in mondstadt. both thrive beneath harsh winds and isolation, but it appears that both can coexist together, much like the alchemist and yaksha have.

“i’ve always wondered if it was possible to grow them together.” albedo looks at him, teal eyes radiant with adoration. “i wanted to grow cecilia in jueyun karst instead, but all my attempts ended in failure because of soil incompatibility. qingxin, on the other hand, were able to thrive here, so long the wind remained consistent.”

he gestures to a few qingxin further away, planted by their lonesome. they’re much smaller than their counterparts grown closer to cecilia. “i tried a few different controls, and found that the qingxin grew better when in closer proximity to another flower. they often grow in bunches, but here, only one grew for every cecilia.” their eyes meet, and his voice dips into a teasing note. “perhaps this is a sign that we can only grow together?”

it's ridiculous to compare themselves to their favorite flowers, yet it’s difficult to dismiss the similarities that they share – isolated, fond of high places, can only thrive under harsh conditions. xiao squeezes his hand. “i have already grown much with you by my side.”

they stand and observe. the flowers barely rest, always swaying with the wind. albedo leans closer against him. his arm moves to wrap around xiao’s waist. “there’s another reason why i conducted this performance. do you remember when you told me about your dream?”

he tries not to blush. “yes.” i want to spend my life with you. it’s a reciprocal dream. unless… “wait. do you mean…?”

albedo nods. he steps away, rests an arm behind his back, stretches his other arm. “xiao, will you take me as your dance partner?” with only the heavens as their witness, they stand beneath the center spotlight onstage, adorned with flowers, partner awaiting.

xiao meets his gaze, sees nothing but love rippling in the depths. xiao releases his breath, takes his hand and places the other on his partner’s waist. they dance.

nature guides them, movements dictated by the wind’s whistle and flow. they navigate around the flowers that dance with them, accompaniments to the spotlight. they spin, they move back and forth, they keep their hands steady. they never let go.

i dream of the day i could put down my spear and dance. never did he dream that this would happen, that he would dance with the love of his life. by the dance’s end, they’re in each other’s arms, wrapped in a tight embrace. xiao is breathless, eyes closed. he envisions his yaksha brethren, all of whom cheering and applauding, encouraging him for more. when he opens his eyes, albedo is waiting for him, and they do it all again.

dreams do come true.

[spookycathymorshaw]

I wish we had more room. If your favorite isn't there, comment !

[revivemyreverie]

You're nervous, aren't you? I can hear it in the way your heart's beating...

Twisted from: Narrator of the Tale-Tell Heart, by Edgar Allen Poe

Saga Levoriol

ベーガス・キャスティヤ

CV: Horie Shun (堀江 瞬)

Technical info.

Gender: Male

Birthday: 10/13

Age: 20

Height: 179 cm

Hair Color: Crow Black

Eye Color: Heterochromatic; Dark Green & Baby Blue

Hand Pref.: Left

Homeland: City of Flowers

College Info.

Class: 3A Set 14

Club: None

Favorite Subject: Biology

Other.

Hobby: Journaling

Likes: Being alone

Dislikes: Ravens

Favorite Food: Beef Heart Stew

Hated Food: Sashimi

Specialty: Rambling

UM: Lies In The Floorboards, Beats in Your Blood

A super-hearing skill that allows Saga to hear the heartbeat of everyone nearby.

Hearts, Eyes, & Other Parts to Find

Dear Diary,

To start off, I am not a madman, nor am I insane. I can prove that with medical documents and even my family accounts, even if I am just a supposed shut-in to them.

You see, I had a roommate that I believed to be demonic. He had eyes of pure evil, and to live with him would have been hell on earth. I have been raised rather religiously, so I saw it as completely fine to outright murder the man. And so I did– I took his life and hid the body in a place no one would ever know. I noticed while moving the body too, that his eye happened to be missing, but I chalked it up to being too brutal with the act.

But that was not the only odd occurrence. I suddenly began to hear odd thumps in the apartment, the beating of a heart so loud that my head could have burst. My parents said my Unique Magic had somehow developed, but I’m sure its a curse instilled on me for my grave act. Still, everyone in the building acted as if nothing had happened, like he hadn’t gone missing! I swear I was going mad, that they all knew something!

But then, the most horrific day came. I get a knock on the door, and there stands my roommate, alive and bright as ever. He says he had gone on vacation, and that I must have forgotten. Everyone laughed when he told the story to his friends, but he’s lying! I know he is! If not, then whose body did I bury? Who did I stab in an fearful rage?! Whose whose whose–

Whose blue eye rests in my skull?

[lil-lemon-snails]

"I can't ignore what's under dancefloor boards, The rhythm of my heart a dead-as-disco beat, But I still move my feet, to slip out of this groove, I'm free" ~ 2econd 2ight 2eer, Will Wood, The Normal Album

I have been plagued with visions of LDR Sun every time I listen to this song and I NEEDED to get this out of my system @spadillelicious when do we get to smooch the boy pLEASE

v textless version and close ups under cut!! v

[gulava]

hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh