#with a stone skeleton and lots of goo

[laevanders]

So the Lords in Black eldritch forms anyone?

I was just sketching, and boom a drawing

It's very messy but I like it, specially when they're in _the black_

[kiwibirdlafayette]

you heard of the kites and nightingales, kestrels and herons... but little do you know, another faction hides in the caves and unseen crevices of the faction isles...

I've been brainrotting about a Krimson Krakens (+ mianite pirates and Tom because I do what I want) cameo in Pirates SMP, so have some worldbuilding and lore ideas! Of course, all for fun, moreso an AU/Headcanon than anything, not meant to be taken seriously at all :] If it turns into anything more, cool beans, but for now! I'm just vibing

(Made in collaboration with @kaye-memer-kurrentvertz who helped with the Dave, Krinios and Krakens dynamic stuffs :D)

Little prologue and ficlet below the cut; Enjoy!

Meet the Krimson Krakens.

Comprised of mystical and mysterious individuals- some of more human in appearance than others- no one is sure when this faction formed. Unlike the others, it holds no precedence over the many generations of pirates in these Isles, nor is their presence heard of other then in whispers between pirates across the land.

Carrying with them an infamous reputation of a crew like a Kraken; in search of breaking curses, solving the mysteries of the Isles. Who would find their target and take it over like tentacles wrapping around a ship reaching into its deepest corners until they've found what they're looking for, no stone left unturned in their wake.

The crew is headed by the elusive Captain Kara Corvus, adorned by many snakes upon her shoulders, and Captain Jordan Sparklez of draconic origins; the latter said to have begun life in the End, given humanity by a deity and brought into the Overworld as a curse. While they bicker a lot sometimes, they are a powerhouse of a duo who know each other very well, being a force to reckoned with especially while wielding their respective weapons- Kara's ruby-adorned Leviathan Blade and Jordan's unbreakable enchanted prismarine trident with a name in Enderian spoken only once ever by the deity that crafted it

But they by no means hold any sort of superiority over the others, for like Nightingales, they value friendship and comradery over power over one another. By their side is the former Kestrel cyclops Krinios- a man with a keen eye for treasure and an ability to loot a ship in the heat of battle which has been considered unmatched, only having been caught a few times. - and Dave Krtzy, a fighter from a bloodline stretching generations in the Kites who broke it to join the Krakens. A master with any melee weapon he can get his hands on, he's usually the first to jump into battle, and if someone's in danger, his waterman abilities come into play.

However, while these four make up the core of the Krakens they are not alone in their adventures, and have picked up other friends along the way

Joining them are the Dulahann siblings, Katherine "Capsize" and Redbeard (his birth name has been all but forgotten by the others) and family friend Rupert, a skeleton reborn from an island of purple goo who gained sentience thanks to Capsize's mother. The Dine-at-Night is their family's tavern-BnB that was expanded into a base of operations after the trio met Jordan, who one day washed up on the beach with little memory of where he came from- and sort of became his family. While not a Captain in this universe, she still takes up a leadership role of her own right in being rather good with a sword, solving mysteries, collecting evidence and giving the realest advice to both friends and passing bar patrons. Red's a little more loose headed but alongside Rupert is a skilled ship engineer, and the guy to go to if the boat's got a leak or a steering system has gone awry. Not much is known about Rupert besides him being known to be a jack of all trades, a powerful asset to have onboard. He has said to have had said he has a claim to fame in his past life before dying on the taint-covered island, but has yet to share it with anyone..

The most recent member to join them is the undead Tom Syndicate, a blue-haired zombie with an explosive personality and fighting style, who had been known to frequent taverns across the Isle. Having once belonged to a rival independent crew of the Krakens, rumor has it that he betrayed them after years of mistreatment, turning instead to choose to join Cpt. Sparklez out of admiration and perhaps a kind of affection that turned romantic over the years (to the point of claiming to be married to the captain, no one knows for sure how true this is). Despite coming from a very different background than the others, including a lost memory of who he was before he had been zombified he fits in quite well, his willingness to jump into battle like a cannonball flying through the air and explode on enemies without second thought brings a certain chaos to the Krakens that they have accepted wholeheartedly.

While their ship is stored away in a sea cliff hidden behind a waterfall somewhere on the island, the tunnel system leading there from beneath the Dine-at-Night, the Krakens enjoy a relaxing life on land, chilling at their tavern base of operations, or being a living legend amongst the other inhabitants, familiar but unfamiliar faces in the crowd. Some have started to believe that their swashbuckling days are few far between in the lack of comings and goings since the new recruits have arrived, but contrary to that they still have been traversing under cover of night to seek out what darkness could be brewing just around the corner. From the growing amount of purple in Rupert's hair to a sudden glow of the rusted coin around Dave's neck the Krakens have had their suspicions for a while....

-------------------------------------------

"Oi! Ye heard what happened?"

Jordan jolts awake off the bar when the bottom of a mug hits against his shoulder. He glares at the Scottish accented, freckled face that passes him, an eyebrow raised.

"No... Heard what Kat?" He grovels, and sits up a little straighter, turning to check the time. 1am. He rests his hand under his chin, hoping that propping it up would keep him awake for the time being. "It better be important, I was having a nice dream for once in my life."

Capsize rolls her eyes. "I don't think that's all gonna matter all that much one ye hear about what I heard today."

He eyes her cautiously as sets the mug she was drying down on the bar. There were a number of things that she could be alluding to, from their own personal affairs, to Tom causing trouble at the Heron's base to something as drastic as their ship had been stolen, or worse burnt to the ground. He hoped it wasn't the last one, but even if it was, he and Kara had a contingency plan.

He murmurs. "I mean maybe... what'd you hear?"

She sits down on a stool across from him, folding her hands together. "The Factioning was a few days ago, right?" She waits for him to nod in response, ensuring that she had the dragon's full attention. "Turns out, that's not the only thing that happened that day. Something calls them out to the Isle to the north, spoken through the recruitment officer."

"The fox man? He told them to go?"

"From the looks of it, yeah." She fiddled with her bracelet, the clacking of the beads breaking through the ambient sound of distant ocean waves and the crackle of torchlight. "I mean, I wasn't there so what would I know. for sure, but they listened."

Jordan shrugs. "I mean PK's a trustworthy guy, I'd probably go if he told me to."

"Yeah, well you'd trust Tom if he told you to walk the plank, I'm not surprised." Despite her little quip, Capsize's face becomes more serious solemn in expression and her voice lowers. "I don't think they were meant to because turns out, twenty-four of them went over there, two of them didn't come back. Kestrels and Kites apparently both lost a member of their faction."

"... Like they stayed? Why would anyone wanna hang out at the wasteland, there's nothing there but-"

"Jordan. They died."

A gust of wind howls outside through the barely cracked windows, the flame within the lantern beside her flickering briefly twice.

The wings on the captain's back droop slowly downward as he lowers his hand onto the bar crouching over ever so slightly. "Died? From what, the island?"

"I don't know, but from what it sounds like. Yeah." She gulps. "One get taken away on a boat.. of sorts? The other follows and lands onto the island probably to chase after their friend, and never comes back."

Jordan feels his heart drop further down into his chest. He finds himself fidgeting with the rings on his fingers, already a million possibilities running through his head "Did they get a look at who took the first one away, at least? So there's somewhere to start?"

"All that I was told is that they were dressed in robes. Could've been a cult, bandits in disguise, ghosts for all I know- Not much to go off of." She solemnly runs her hand through her hair, reaching to untie her bandana allowing her bangs to fall into her face. "It's a feckin' shame really... after all these years. I didn't think anything of that damn accursed land would ever come back. Because here I thought they'd be able to recover properly this time, not let whatever still lingers take back over."

A glaze falls over Jordan's expression. Memories of dried violet entrails wrapping around buildings, skeletons not unlike in appearance to Rupert buried in the masses of warped wood and sunken docks. Wind howled over the tops of the valleys and mountains carved out, through temples that had been thought to be abandoned for centuries. The time he, Kara, Red and Dave travelled there in search of another medallion there was a certain eerie silence, the sign of a land that no longer had any visible, breathing life to it, but remained haunted by all that came before, and all that was yet to come.

Jordan furrowed his eyebrows together. "That means… the island's alive again?"

Capsize nodded. "Aye. The island is alive again."

[playlistjunkie]

The 99 Best Halloween Songs Your Party Playlist Needs ASAP

Cosmopolitan - 8/3/23

Bloody Mary - Lady Gaga

I Want Candy - Bow Wow Wow

Superstition - Stevie Wonder

Werewolves of London - Warren Zevon

Halloween - Misfits

Highway to Hell - AC/DC

Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) - David Bowie

The Number of the Beast - Iron Maiden

Dracula's Wedding - Outkast

Is It Scary - Michael Jackson

Cemetery Drive - My Chemical Romance

Dracula - Gorillaz

Paint It, Black - The Rolling Stones

Heads Will Roll - Yeah Yeah Yeah

Unholy - Sam Smith ft. Kim Petras

Goo Goo Muck - The Cramps

Haunted - Taylor Swift

I Love the Dead - Alice Cooper

There Will Be Blood - Kim Petras

Nightmare - Halsey

Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites - Skrillex

Monster - Lady Gaga

Take What You Want - Post Malone

Disturbia - Rihanna

Feed My Frankenstein - Alice Cooper

Everyday Is Halloween - Ministry

She Wolf - Shakira

Bury a Friend - Billie Eilish

Dracula’s Wedding - Outkast feat. Kelis

Ghostbusters - Ray Parker Jr.

Monster - Kanye West feat. Jay Z, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj, and Bon Iver

Spellbound - Siouxsie and the Banshees

Season of the Witch - Donovan

All Around Me - Flyleaf

Tombstone, Baby - Peaches

Somebody’s Watching Me - Rockwell

Monsta’ Mack - Sir Mix-a-Lot

Witchy Woman - Eagles

Enter Sandman - Metallica

Love Potion No. 9 - The Clovers

Black Magic Woman - Santana

Suspiria - Goblin

I Was a Teenage Werewolf - The Cramps

Debaser - Pixies

Rhiannon - Fleetwood Mac

Time Warp - from The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Release the Bats - The Birthday Party

X Files - Génération TV

Dead Man’s Party - Oingo Boingo

Howlin’ for You - The Black Keys

Shadows of the Night - Pat Benatar

Cold - The Cure

Ghost Ride It - Mistah F.A.B.

I Put a Spell on You - Screamin’ Jay Hawkins

Hungry Like the Wolf - Duran Duran

Halloween Theme - John Carpenter

Monster Mash - Bobby “Boris” Pickett & The Crypt-Kickers

Bela Lugosi’s Dead - Bauhaus

Nothing's Gonna Hurt You Baby - Cigarettes After Sex

Night - Zola Jesus

The Haunted Man - Bat for Lashes

Red Right Hand - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

Never Land - Sisters of Mercy

Tainted Love -Soft Cell

The Devil Went Down to Georgia - Primus

Psycho Killer - Talking Heads

Werewolf Bar Mitzvah - Tracy Morgan and Donald Glover

(Don’t Fear) The Reaper - Blue Öyster Cult

Turn Off the Light - Kim Petras feat. Elvira, Mistress of the Dark

Ghost Town - The Specials

(Ghost) Riders in the Sky - Johnny Cash

Are You Ready for Freddy - The Fat Boys

Living Dead Girl - Rob Zombie

Devil in Me - Halsey

Zombie - The Pretty Reckless

Seven Devils - Florence and the Machine

Black Magic - Little Mix

Kill V. Maim - Grimes

Brujas - Princess Nokia

Mothercreep - FKA Twigs

Hang Me - Tancred

Haunted - Beyoncé

Bring Me to Life - Evanescence

Stranger Than Earth - Purity Ring

Bitch - Allie X

Roses - ABRA

Chimera - HANA

Gemini Feed - BANKS

Baby You're a Haunted House - Gerard Way

Zombie - The Cranberries

Spooky Scary Skeletons (Dma Illan Remix) - Andrew Gold

The Monster - Eminem feat. Rihanna

This Is Halloween - from The Nightmare Before Christmas

A Nightmare On My Street - DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince

Antichrist - The 1975

I'd Rather Be Burned As a Witch - Eartha Kitt

I Was All Over Her - Salvia Palth

Baby One More Time - The Marías

Thriller - Michael Jackson

[frogblast-the-ventcore]

Translation for anyone confused as fuck like me (pulled from Reddit):

Gunk: a monk with a gunBM: battle master; a special kind of fighter that knows a lot of different techniques

Padlock: a character with levels in paladin and warlock, but not sorcerer

Shepherd: circle of the shepherd; a character option for druids focused on summoning and healing

Gravy: a wizard that specializes in graviturgy (gravity magic)

Magic Bone: an overpowered technique in which a spellcaster uses summoned skeletons to throw projectiles created by the magic stone spell

New Goo: the new version of the Great Old One warlock patronMunchkin: a player who builds exceptionally powerful characters

Battleship: a common misinterpretation of the rules around vision in which unseen creatures are completely undetectable until you hit them (like the Battleship board game)

Dungeon Master: the player in charge of running the game. also known as the DM

RAW: rules as written; a gameplay style in which the rules written in the official game books are followed to the letter

Table: a group of players who play together

Crawfish: Jeremy Crawford; the Hasbro employee in charge of writing the official rules for the game

Power Word Tiptoe: pass without trace; a powerful spell that lets players move quietly. If they roll high enough with the dice, this can give them an extra turn at the start of a fight called a "surprise round", though some DMs remove surprise rounds from the game because they make the players to powerful

Beast Mode: not an actual term, but a reference to the Path of the Beast, an option for barbarians that lets them grow claws, fangs and spiked tails when they activate their Rage ability

Infinite Tail Armor: a mistake in the rules around the Path of the Beast's spiked tail. Some fringe interpretations claim that the bonus armor granted by the tail lasts forever.

PunPun: an infamous combination of character options from an old version of the game that was so powerful it could kill entire pantheons of gods in a single turn from several universes away by the time it reached level 6

Rocks Fall: rocks fall, everyone dies; when a DM is frustrated enough by the player's antics that they kill off every player's character and end the game.

Critters: fans of Critical Role, a popular podcast of voice actors playing D&D in which graviturgy debuted

Me, talking about D&D: So, I really want to play a mix of gunk and BM but my party already has a padlock, a shepherd, a gravy built around magic bones. and one of those new goos. I'm worried that I'm going to feel like I'm not enough of a munchkin. Like, maybe my dungeon master might to decide to play battleship, but then if we're not doing it raw on the table like the crawfish intended then power word tiptoe probably isn't going to do anything.

My therapist, pouring gasoline all over her office: Well, you could just go beast mode.

Me: Yeah, but I don't think I'm allowed to have infinite tail armor. That just feels like the kind of punpun shit that makes rocks fall...

[noro124]

hey everyone it’s my frog collection + other cool things i had on the shelf at the time! i have 57 frogs (counting the packaged ones as one unit), which is 45 more than the last time i took a picture of my frog collection. enjoy!  

under here i will tell you where i got each frog & why i grouped them like that! the groups can also be read in the captions. all pics try to go from left to right, from the back row to the front. 

i. frogs that are big

Summer relaxin’ - my dad got him for me at a yard sale a few years ago. 

HAPPY FROG - my dad also got him for me at a yard sale, but closer to 6 months ago. He’s hanging over my bed right now on my Wall Of Stuff.

Paper frog - my sister ripped him off the bulletin board at the Starbucks where she works to give him to me

White frog - picked him up at TJ Max when my mom took me dress shopping.

Dark green frog - i don’t know...i think from a yard sale? he’s hollow & i keep a semicircle paperweight in the hole in his stomach.

ii. 8 frogs that will break if you drop them & 3 that won’t

Yoga frog - my dad got him for me, maybe from Goodwill? 

Ol Chumbo - got him at the flea market for $8. He is solid iron.

Just Eat What Bugs You!! - got him from a thrift store in a small town in Colorado. he’s got beans in him! if you shake him he rattles

Blue glass - he’s a candle holder! I got him from an antique store in Tennessee & then saw another one of him at the flea market years later. 

Bronze goofball - crooked eyes. very endearing. also very heavy. got him in a shop that sold lots of bronze things outside the Louvre. 

Gold - a gift from my boyfriend!!!

Sassy Frog - i think my dad gave her to me? or maybe i bought her at the antique store. 

Little brown frog - more fragile than he looks, missing his front right leg so i got him discounted from the antique store near school. 

Glass frog king! - got him in prague! he was overpriced, but worth it

Teeny glass frog - also got him in prague for $3! 

Another glass frog - got in the same store that I got tiny frog in.

iii. frogs that are minerals

Chunky brown frog - got him at the antique store near school. i think my boyfriend bought him for me on one of our first dates! 

Black frog - $35 but worth every cent. smooth, elegant, made in Japan. gotten from the antique store near school.

Flat brown frog - got him from the flea market. 

Malachite frog - bought him online from Bekkathyst! Expensive, but I took advantage of a sale.

Rose quartz frog - got from a really cool mineral shop in Prague! I did a project on that shop, about redesigning the storefront.

Pink frog - got from a yard sale a long time ago, only recently rediscovered in my room & added to the collection.

Little frog on a leaf - got from a gift shop at the end of a long 14k altitude hike in Colorado.

Frogs 8-12 were all given to me by my boyfriend after he came back from NY. They’re a big family!!! 

   13. Tiny frog bead - got from the flea market! 

iv. frogs that are squishy

Mint green frog loaf - picked this up from a recent con!! my boyfriend paid for half of it because he said this was something i needed to have, & he was right! 

Webkinz frog - my dad got him for me at a yard sale because he liked the mischievous look in his eyes. 

Little frog orb - part of a set of 3 round squishy things my boyfriend’s parents gave me for easter. 

TY Beanie Baby Frog - a beanie baby original my sister got from a yard sale. he might be worth a lot of money since he’s an original. i’m looking into it. 

Dark blue sand frog - I’ve had this since I was a child. he’s got stitches in his armpit because he used to have a big hole that let all the sand out.

Stripey sand frog - got her at a yard sale when i was maybe 9 so the dark blue frog could have a friend! 

Green and orange beanie frog - picked this up from a “Night Market” in Vienna. having seen real night markets in Taiwan, I was kind of disappointed, but the frog was a good purchase.

Green beanie frog - got in belfast from a cool museum. has a pink twin owned by one of my friends. all frogs have sweet dreams

v. frogs that are toys

Skeleton frog - one of my roommates got him for me from a halloween store.

Glowing frog - he changes rainbow colors! my sister gave him to me for my 20th birthday last year.

Slime frog - my boyfriend got him for me as a Welcome Back present after i returned from Prague! he’s nasty. he’s full of yellow goo & he has a cap on the bottom of his body that you can undo to take out the goo. it takes hours to put the goo back in. 

Keychain frog - also a flashlight that croaks when you turn him on! I saw him in Milan & had to have him. 

Lime green frog - my dad gave me 3 frog bath toys for Christmas. I have one in my collection (this one), one at his house, & one at my mom’s house.

Blue frog whistle - I think one of my friends gave this to me but I’m not sure.

Wooden frog - bought him from a nice lady at the night market in Taiwan in 2017.

Wooden frog 2 - he rolls! picked him up for $4 in one of the Golden Lane shops in Prague Castle. 

Frog rubber band - got him as a reward for being good at the dentist in like 2007. 

vi. frogs i have not unwrapped

 boblende fro - a frog bath bomb with a toy frog inside that i got from a weird store called Flying Tiger in prague. i don’t want to open him because he’ll be crumbly & i like the packaging a lot, & also i don’t want to use him yet.

Grow Frogs - another gift from my boyfriend’s parents for easter. I haven’t used them yet because I’m lazy & I don’t know if they’d crumble & I don’t know where I’d put them if they were unwrapped.

Frog King stickers - got these in northern ireland as well! i haven’t used any yet because they have layers & the things I’d put them on (my phone case, sketchbook, my laptop) move around a lot & the stickers would get destroyed really fast. 

vii. frogs with jobs

Candle holder - one of my friends gave it to me for my birthday.

Green frog - got him from the local crafts store my roommate used to work at. He can hold onto the outside of cups or flowerpots or my finger! 

Frog thimble - a different roommate gave him to me after he got back from his trip to Spain. 

Frog clip - one of my friends gave it to me for no reason! really nice of her!!!

Mosaic frog - the roommate that went to Spain got this for me there too! he doesn’t have a job, he just doesn’t fit into any of the other categories.

Keroppi pin - got this for 50 cents in Taiwan & then lost it for a year.

Tiny rubber frog - given to me by one of my roommates for Christmas. he got it in Florida. he doesn’t have a job either.

Milan eraser - picked this up in a stationary store in prague called McPen.

viii. miscellaneous items on the frog display shelf

Fat cat with big poofy cheeks - i went to the flea market with my dad & saw this funny man.

 Round unicorn & pink fish - the other 2 round things that came with the frog my boyfriend’s parents gave me for easter this year.

Crab ornament - given to me alongside the tiny rubber frog. he’s missing a leg and is EXTREMELY fragile - pieces of his shell fall off all the time.

Red wooden painted egg - got from an easter market in Prague.

Eggplant container - I keep souvenir pressed pennies in here. 

Stone egg with stand - I got this for my dad from an antique store, but my dad said I could keep it.

Golden pig - gotten somewhere in Prague. I was gonna give it to one of my roommates, but my mom said “You should keep it for good luck, it’s the year of the pig!” & so I did.

Snake carving - my grandma used to give me little carvings made of the same material all the time before she died. I don’t know where I got this.

Little glass crab - a gift alongside the crab ornament & tiny rubber frog!

White rock - looks very pretty in the right light. got it from a mineral store in Cesky Krumlov.

Smooth rock - smokey quartz I think? got it from the same mineral store. 

Carnelian scarab - got this from a really cool mineral store outside the Louvre. I could have spent all day in here - they sold really expensive frogs too. I had my eye on one made from turquoise, but it was 160 euros. Maybe next time. 

Labrodorite heart - my boyfriend paid for half of it when he came to visit me in Prague! it’s very blue & very gorgeous. 

Labrodorite chunk - my boyfriend got this for me at a hippie music festival!

Chunk of limestone - got this in northern ireland where there was a cool bridge near an old limestone quarry. I thought this rock looked cool, like mochi. You can’t tell from the picture quality.

Glass lizard - part of the gift with the crab ornament & the other things.

Turtle - got him from the flea market. not sure what he’s made of, but he’s handcrafted!

Shiny turtle - this was on the ground at the flea market. it probably had fallen off a display & cost money, but i put it in my pocket. please don’t arrest me

Stone turtle - got this guy from an aquarium that’s 2 hours away from home! we went as a group over spring break to the beach, but half of us immediately went home & half of us went to the aquarium. i got to touch a shark there. 

& that’s all, folks! thanks for reading my frog lore! 

[ladyarthurthecatadventurer]

Halloween Special

You and your companions have been on the road for a while and everything's starting to get a little weird. As the days go by, you realize why: Halloween is almost here! Your next encounter really helps to remind you about that.

You have 8 points to spend.

Setting: (free, choose one) Where the encounter happens

Graveyard: It's a little rundown but still looks like someone cares about it.

Haunted House: It looks like nobody's lived in this 3 story house in 50 years.

Haunted Forest: It's dark, it's spooky, and it's making noises you're not sure you want to identify.

Old Castle: It's old, it's dusty, and it's got a lot of secret passages. It would be very easy to get lost in here.

Abandoned Church: It was once beautiful but now its stained-glass windows lay shattered, its pews sit empty, and its bell waits to be rung again.

Minions: (first 2 are free, others cost 1 point each) They work for the Big Boss

Skeletons: Reanimated bones with the ability to Shadow Walk

Ghosts: Spirits of the dead with the ability to temporarily stun you

Vampire Bats: Bats that want to suck your blood with the ability to drain energy

Werewolves: People who turn into bipedal wolves with the ability to temporarily duplicate themselves

Giant Spiders: Spiders, but giant, with the ability to spit acid and super sticky webs

Slimes: Blobs of goo that can form shapes with the ability to mimic people (shapes/looks, voice)

Zombies:The rotting undead with the ability to briefly force you to dance

Pumpkin Heads: Creatures with vine-like bodies and jack-o-lanterns for heads with the ability to temporarily turn you into one of them

Traps: (first 3 are free, others cost 1 point each) Traps set by the Big Boss

Trap Door: Sends you back down a floor or traps you in a pit

Spider Webs: Super sticky webs that are almost impossible to escape

Falling Nets: Nets that are dropped from up high to capture you

Automated Arrows: Stepping on a pressure plate cause arrows to be fired at you from the walls/a statue/etc.

Transporting Mirror: A mirror that pulls you into a room full of Minions (of your choice)

Wall of Claws: Claws that come out of the walls to grab and hold you

Rolling Stone: A giant boulder that chases you down a hall

Word Floor: A tile floor with letters on each tile. The correct tiles spell out a word, wrong letters break and crumble, falling to a pit below

Flying Sword: A levitating sword that chases you through a hall, trying to kill you

Swivel Door: A door built into the wall that swivels and cuts you off from the group when you lean against it. Can only be activated from one side

Big Boss: (free, choose one) The one controlling the Minions and traps

Evil Witch: A young looking woman wearing a sparkly purple dress and witch's hat, she seeks vengeance on those who shunned her. She has Earth, Air, Ice, and Fireball Magic.

Vampire: Pale but good looking, he's just looking for his next meal. He has Shadow Magic, telekinesis, and can turn into a giant vampire bat.

Grim Reaper: Shrouded in a dark, hooded cloak, he's looking for names to fill his Book of Death. He has Shadow Magic and uses a scythe.

Goblin King: A hunchbacked, grotesque looking creature with leathery skin, he seeks to conquer the Human World. He has Shadow and Fireball Magic.

Mini Minotaur: Half man, half bull, all tinyness. He fancies himself a protector and he's a little angry you're in his space. He has Earth Magic and uses an ax.

[letterfromtrenwith]

A Feast for the Senses

A George/Elizabeth AU fic.

While hunting for a last minute gift, George Warleggan is drawn to the Cusgarne Chocolate Company, where he meets the chocolaterie's lovely owner, Elizabeth Chynoweth, and finds himself unable to resist returning...

~

George mentally cursed himself as he hurried down the street, turning up the collar of his coat against the chilly autumn wind. How could he have been so stupid? He could blame the chaos of the move and setting up the new office. Except part of the reason he had been so keen to move back to Cornwall was to be nearer his Aunt Joan, and now he had gone and forgotten her birthday!

For once in his life – and completely unintentionally – Uncle Cary had actually managed to be helpful, in that he had been the one to remind George, during the course of an otherwise all-business call.

“I suppose you’ll be out at your godmother’s tonight…I’ll tell you what, finding out she was born on Halloween wasn’t much of a surprise.” Cary had probably kept talking, considering he rarely let an opportunity to complain about Joan pass him by, but George had zoned out, staring in seasonally-appropriate horror at the date on his desk-top calendar.

He’d essentially just hung up on Cary, pulled his coat on and hurried out passed a bemused Margaret and Emma, saying he had an appointment and would see them in the morning. It was already just after 4pm, so he didn’t have long before the shops closed. The supermarkets would be open later, of course, but he didn’t want a cheap bunch of flowers and a bottle of Asti. Joan had been his mum’s best friend, and George had been close to her his whole life. She deserved something special.

Although he’d visited her several times while he’d been living in London, he hadn’t actually been into Truro proper for years, not even in the time since he’d moved back. He’d been too busy opening up the new branch. Almost all of the shops had changed from what he vaguely remembered, which did nothing to help him. How he could possibly have failed to remember the date became more bewildering as he went, considering almost every building he passed, and not just the shops, was covered in orange and black decorations. Now he thought about it, at least two of the other flats in his new building had had pumpkin lanterns outside their doors when he left this morning.

Even the little art shop he came to had delicate strips of black crepe trailing down its windows, framing several suitably gothic paintings. Knowing his aunt’s fondness for art, he went inside. Despite some difficulty extracting himself from the overly chatty owner, he considered it a successful visit, coming away with a very nice watercolour of Mousehole and a birthday card featuring a charming illustration of two foxes frolicking in awoodland.

George was just deciding whether to finish off with flowers or chocolates when the scent of the latter decided it for him. Warm and rich, the scent was fleeting but incredibly enticing. He managed to follow it to the entrance of a small courtyard, which was made up of half a dozen traditional shop fronts gathered around a paved square and big stone fountain, its water covered in the orange and yellow leaves which fell from two trees growing up between the stones. Directly in front of him was the obvious source of the aroma. Gold lettering flowing beautifully over midnight blue paint proclaimed the establishment to be The Cusgarne Chocolate Company.

Their window was also decorated for Halloween, but far more uniquely than the plastic skeletons and furry spiders in the other shops. Across the glass, delicate white cursive quoted Shakespeare: “Double, double, toil and trouble, Fire burn and cauldron bubble…” The display itself centred on a witch’s cauldron, which George realised was actually skilfully crafted out of dark chocolate. Green goo oozed over the side and orange flames burned underneath, both likely made out of sugar.

To the left was an odd assortment of chocolate creatures: bats, snakes, and what looked like lizards. He recalled the Macbeth reference – the ingredients of the witches’ brew. It also made sense of the little tableaux on the right hand side: trees made of chocolate and sugar, with tiny human-like figures hidden amongst them; the woods advancing on Dunsinane. The artistry and creativity of the display was truly amazing. Now, he wanted to go in as much out of curiosity as to buy something for Joan.

A traditional shop-bell tinkled over his head as he pushed open the door. Inside, the smell was incredible, and his stomach chose that moment to remind him that he hadn’t eaten since breakfast. At that same moment, a woman appeared behind the counter. He was about to say hello but then she smiled at him and he found he couldn’t say anything. She was tall with dark hair and soft features, and her smile took his breath away. The colour of her apron matched the décor outside, and the colour suited her.

“Can I help?” At her raised eyebrows, he realised he was probably staring at her like an idiot. He cleared his throat, gripping his parcel tightly. “Were you looking for something in particular?”

“Oh, er – “ George finally shook some sense into himself. “I want to get a present for someone.”

“Wife? Girlfriend?”

“No! Er, no – I don’t have – That is, it’s for my Aunt. It’s her birthday. Today.”

“Oh, last minute, hmm?” She smiled again, gently teasing and he couldn’t help but smile back.

“Well, I’ve just moved and – “ Why was he telling her that? “Never mind.”

“Let’s see what we have for her.” She indicated a display of chocolate in a cabinet in front of her and George finally left where he’d been standing awkwardly in the doorway. “I can make you up a selection box of a few different flavours.”

“That sounds nice.” He propped his bag from the art shop up against the counter. “I was just, er, admiring your window display. It’s very original.”

“Oh, thank you.” There was that flooring smile again. “But that’s Morwenna’s work, really. My cousin – and business partner. She’s the real artist, I just make the chocolates.”

“Well, they look lovely, as well.” They really did. The cabinet held an extraordinary variety – milk, dark and white chocolate in many different shapes.

“What does she like? Your Aunt?”

“Er – “ George had never said ‘er’ as many times in his life as he had in these last few minutes. “She likes liquors, and nuts, and dark chocolate.”

“Oh, a woman of taste! I can do her a box of 16, with four different flavours?”

“That would be great, thank you.” She fished in the pocket of her apron, coming out with a pair of glasses. Putting them on only made her more attractive and George had to glance away, pretending to examine a display on the other side of the small shop floor, although he barely actually took it.

“So, where did you move from?”

“Hmm?” He looked back to see her peering intently into the cabinet, considering the selection in front of her.

“You said you moved.”

“Oh, yes. From London. Although, I’m from Cornwall, originally, actually. But, I’ve been working for the family company, and we’ve opened an office here.”

“What sort of work do you do?...Would she like a gin truffle, do you think?”

“Er, yes, she would, and we do investment banking.”

“Oh, that sounds interesting! Dark chocolate salted caramel?”

“Yes, please, and not really. It’s just lots of numbers. I imagine it’s not as interesting as making chocolate.”

“Maybe not.” She flashed him another smile; she really was stunning. “Does she like marzipan?”

“Oh, yes.”

“Then what about….pistachio squares and marzipan cherry deluxe?”

“Sounds delicious.” She finished packing the chocolates, neatly folding the lid of the elegantly embossed gold box closed then sealing it with an imitation wax seal bearing what George assumed was the company logo.

“I hope she likes them.”

“I’m sure she will.” After he had paid, she passed him the box, their fingertips touching as he took it. With her leaning forward, he finally got a good look at the name sewn into her apron. “Thank you, Elizabeth.”

“It was my pleasure.” 

~

About a week later, George found himself loitering on the street outside the entrance to the courtyard, debating whether or not to go in. He did have a legitimate reason to go back to the shop, but still felt like a silly teenager, manufacturing an excuse to see a pretty girl again.

Pretending it was just out of interest, he’d taken the invitation on the little business card clipped to his receipt, which suggested a visit to the shop’s website. He’d learned that they’d been in business just a little over three years, and it was a family company, owned by Elizabeth and the cousin she’d mentioned, Morwenna, as well as a third girl with the same surname, Rowella. He’d heard of the Chynoweth family before; they’d been landowners a few hundred years ago, same as the Warleggans.

From a professional point of view, the business seemed very impressive.  Aside from a small selection of unusual products sourced from around the world, everything they sold was handmade on site, using local ingredients wherever possible. All of their honey and edible flowers were sourced from the big Trenwith estate, which had its own organic farm shop now, according to Joan. They offered special ordering for occasions and even had a small online business, delivering to the local area. From their website, he found their Instagram profile, which included pictures of some of the window displays Elizabeth had credited to her cousin. They really were stunning. According to a post from a few months ago, the shop had won a Cornish Business Award, the three women posing proudly in evening dresses.

Macbeth had disappeared from the window today, replaced by a sugar bonfire and a chocolate Guy, flanked by brightly coloured candy Catherine wheels. At the sound of the bell, Elizabeth looked up from where she was adjusting a display next to the till.

“Oh, hello again! Did your Aunt like her present?” He had to admit to a slight suffusion of pleasure at the fact she remembered him, even though it had only been a few days.

“Yes, she loved them. I actually came back to get her some more of those marzipan cherry things.”

“Oh…” Her face softened, the corners of her lovely mouth turning slightly downward. “I’m afraid we don’t have any. We sold out but one of our suppliers has been having problems, so we don’t have the ingredients to make any more at the minute.”

“Oh. Well, that’s all right.”

“Is there anything else you’d like?”

“Yes, as it happens.” Just then, George realised they weren’t alone. A girl George recognised as Morwenna was talking to two women at the far end of the counter, in front of several copper pots warming on burners, something he somehow had managed not to notice the last time he was here, although they were clearly creating the wonderful smell that had brought him here in the first place. “One of my colleagues is going on maternity leave this week, and I’d like to get her something.”

“How lovely! When is she due?”

“In about six weeks.” Margaret finding out she was pregnant just after she’d agreed to re-locate to join the new office hadn’t been the best timing, but it was hardly her fault. Besides, part of the reason she’d agreed was that her and her husband wanted to get out of the City. Unfortunately, it meant that he and Emma had to take on her clients themselves at the same time as getting the new branch on an even keel. At least until they could find someone to cover her.

“Wonderful! What do you think she would like? Rose and violet creams might be nice for a new mum?”

“I think she would like those, actually. Thank you.”

“How are you settling in? To your new house? And job? If – er – if you don’t mind me asking.”

“No, er. It’s a bit hectic, but it’s going okay. I still haven’t unpacked at the flat, though.” There he went, talking too much at her again. God, it really had been too long since he’d had any kind of normal social interaction with anyone. Let alone a beautiful woman. Her laugh was wonderful. Suddenly, he became aware they were being watched. While they’d been talking, Morwenna had been pouring hot chocolate into paper cups for the other customers, and now she was finished she was looking over at him and her cousin with a quirked eyebrow. She probably saw men making utter fools of themselves in front of Elizabeth every day.

“Here you are. Um – I could, er, I could call you when we get more of those chocolates made, that your Aunt likes. If you’d like to leave your details, that is.”

“Oh, well, er, yes, that would be very good of you. Here.” Rummaging in his jacket pocket, he produced a business card. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” She read the card with a hint of a smile. “George.”

~

“There’s a woman on the phone for you.” Emma waylaid George as he returned to the office from a meeting with some potential new clients. “Says she’s from some chocolate company?”

“Oh, put her through.” George tried not to sound too excited, even though he’d felt a little thrill knowing Elizabeth had called him, even if it was only to tell him that she had some chocolates in stock that his Aunt liked. God, he was pathetic.

“George? Hello, it’s Elizabeth Chynoweth here, from Cusgarne. I’m sorry it’s been so long, but we ended up having to find a new supplier. I think the new recipe is just as nice as the old one, but maybe your Aunt can be our official tester!” Even over the phone, her laugh was musical. “I’ve put a box aside for you.”

“Oh, thank you very much. I’m a little busy at work at the moment, but I’ll try to drop in – “

“I was going to say, we’re having a special evening at the beginning of next week – the 2nd -  for the Christmas light switch on. When they do the late night shopping, you know? Well, I suppose you don’t – Anyway, would you like to come? We’re open until 8.”  

“Oh, that would be nice. I’ll – I’ll see you then.”

George spent the next week in a state of eager anticipation, as if he were going out on a date, instead of dropping into a Christmas sale at a chocolate shop. He even found himself considering what he should wear, looking at his wardrobe on the morning of the 2nd and trying to decide which was his nicest suit. Crossly, he told himself not to be so pathetic, but still pulled out a dark blue one which Margaret had once told him complemented his eyes. 

The shop was busy when he arrived just before half past 6, people milling about with glasses in their hands, some already carrying bags emblazoned with the shop’s logo. Clearly, the event was doing well for them. Christmas music was playing quietly and thankfully unobtrusively in the background, and the usual delicious aroma was even more so, layered with other flavours George couldn’t place.

“George! You came!” Elizabeth slipped between two chatting couples. Tonight, her apron was worn over simple black dress, which made her look even more stunning. Her smile was wide and welcoming and she seemed almost excited to see him. Considering the obvious success of the evening, she couldn’t be that keen to get one sale, could she? “Would you like a drink?”

“Er…”

“There’s mulled wine, or not mulled wine, or – “

“Or a chocolate martini. Here.” George took the glass, because it was presented to him so firmly he didn’t feel like he could refuse. He recognised the young woman who handed it to him as the third partner in the business, Rowella Chynoweth. Unlike Morwenna, who resembled Elizabeth quite strongly, she was more petite, with fair hair, but she was still unmistakably a Chynoweth. “I may not know much about chocolate, but I do know how to make a killer martini.”

Killer was right. It was very tasty, but also incredibly strong. One sip and George had to blink several times to feel like he could see straight again. Then again, he hadn’t had more than a single glass of wine to be polite at business dinners in he didn’t know how long.

“Rowella helps out in the shop sometimes, but she mostly deals with the business side of things for us.” Elizabeth explained, giving her cousin a look George was unable to interpret.

“I’m the brains, and they’re the beauty.” Rowella grinned. “So, you’re the famous George.”

“Er – “ He doubted that, somehow.

“Rowella – “ Before Elizabeth could say anymore, she was interrupted by a cry from across the room.

“George?! George Warleggan, is that you?” A petite brunette politely elbowed her way through the crowd towards him. It took a couple of moments to place her, although he didn’t know if that was because he hadn’t seen her in years or the effects of the martini.

“Verity? Wow!” George had gone to school with Verity’s brother Francis Poldark a long time ago, but they’d mostly lost touch after going off to university. “How are you?”

“I’m well, thank you! And you? I saw the new office, but I didn’t know you’d come with it!”

“Well, I have.” Wanting to get the conversation away from himself – especially as Rowella was still looking at him speculatively – George looked between Verity and Elizabeth. “Do you two know each other?”

“Verity’s one of our suppliers – Trenwith Organics.”

“Oh, of course!” He had forgotten that the estate belonged to the Poldarks. When they’d been at school, Francis’ father had been having some financial troubles with it, troubles which it seemed his children had managed to solve. “You’ve got the big farm shop now, haven’t you? I saw the signs for it when I drove down. How’s that doing?”

“Oh, great!” This thankfully led into a business related discussion, a topic George was much more comfortable with. It turned out the Poldarks were looking to expand their business even further by opening a full restaurant at the farm shop, and George was able to refer Verity to some financial people in that line. “You know, the Cusgarne range is one of our best-sellers in the shop. We can’t replace the stock fast enough!”

“Oh, well, you know – “ Elizabeth looked charmingly embarrassed at Verity’s praise, a wonderful soft pink blush creeping over her cheeks.

“And Morwenna made us a chocolate Trenwith for our birthday celebrations! It was amazing! She’s a true artist.”

“She is.” George couldn’t argue there. Tonight’s window was back to Shakespeare again – a Winter’s Tale complete with intricately painted chocolate bear.

This led onto talk of Cusgarne’s own expansion plans, Rowella explaining that they hoped to increase their online business, as well create some new product lines.

“Once we can afford the R&D, of course. I’ve made a contact with a local distillery, and we’d love to make a chocolate gin with them. We’ve done some small test batches, but we really need to put some more substantial time into it, which we just don’t have at the moment. We’ve been focusing on the beauty side.”

“Beauty?” George wasn’t sure he’d heard that correctly.

“Yes. Verity’s sister-in-law, Demelza, she makes her own line of soaps and hand creams and things.” It took him a moment to process the news that Francis had managed to get himself married. “She uses ingredients from the Trenwith estate, usually, but her and Elizabeth came up with the idea to do some cacao-flavoured products. We’re just testing the waters with them at the moment, but – Hang on.” Rowella hurried away to the other side of the room, Elizabeth watching her go with a smile.

“I’m sorry, she’s very enthusiastic.”

“That’s okay. It’s very impressive, actually. I meet a lot of business people, and not many have the kind of focus and vision you all seem to.”

“Oh, that’s so kind of you to say.” There was that blush again, and George feared a far less attractive version might be appearing on his own face.

“While she’s off, let me get you those chocolates for your Aunt, and I want to ask your opinion on a new recipe.” Verity excused herself to talk to someone else, and George followed Elizabeth over to the counter, on which sat several little platters of different chocolates, over which was a beautifully handwritten sign saying ‘Eat me’. Evidently Shakespeare wasn’t Morwenna’s only literary inspiration. “These are my new Christmas flavours.”

He saw White Chocolate Coconut Snowball, Christmas Pudding Truffle, and Milk Chocolate & Roast Chestnut, but Elizabeth picked up the tray marked Mulled Wine Truffle.

“I’m not completely certain about this one, so I’m canvassing for opinions tonight. Would you try one for me?” George shifted his now empty martini glass to the other hand so he could pick up a chocolate but, to his surprise, Elizabeth lifted one and held it out to him, close enough to his mouth to make her intention clear. Imagining she could probably hear his heart pounding, George leant forward and took the sweet, his lips just touching her fingertips. Since she wanted his opinion on the flavour, he tried to focus on that rather than the way his blood was doing its level best to rush away from his head. “What do you think?”

“I think – “ He coughed slightly. “I think that Morwenna isn’t the only artist in your family.”

“Oh, my – “ Just then, Rowella appeared again, brandishing a tube of cacao & burnt orange hand cream, which she insisted George try.

Later that night, the charming scent still on his hands and boxes of chocolates on the coffee table, George sat down at his laptop and pulled up a search engine. He needed to do some research. 

~

Christmas shopping was his next excuse to visit the shop, which was almost as busy as it had been on their party night. Clearly it was a popular place to buy gifts, and the wintery weather which had settled over Cornwall made their hot chocolates especially appealing. Morwenna poured him an orange flavoured one, having failed to persuade him to accept a shot of brandy in it instead.

“I have to go back to work after this.”

“I’m at work,” she replied, adding a measure of Irish cream to the cup she had behind the counter. He assumed she didn’t drink on the job when she was doing her windows – today was a chocolate Santa’s sleigh filled with brightly-coloured sugar gifts, soaring over a white chocolate and powdered sugar snow scene.  

“Yes, but you’re the boss.”

“So are you.” This was an excellent point, but he was saved from having to refute it by Elizabeth appearing with a welcoming smile. She was more than happy to help him pick out his gifts, most of which were either corporate ones, or for his employees. Cary got a bottle of whisky every year, and besides him there was only Joan to buy for on the personal side.

“So, what are your plans for Christmas?” Elizabeth asked as she made up a box of their different flavoured chocolate squares for a private trust the firm handled investments for.

“Oh, er, not much. Dinner with my Aunt here, but back to London for the day itself.” He’d probably end up working. Cary wasn’t the festive type, but for some reason he got grumpy if George didn’t come home for Christmas, despite the fact he usually spent most of the day drinking in his study. “Although I’m actually going to be there for a while.”

“Oh. Really? How long?” She made an odd expression as she closed and sealed the box, placing it with the others.

“Maybe a month. Just some things that need finished off back there.” With Margaret still off, Emma had been displeased to find George was going away for a month, as well. They had maternity cover for Margaret now, as well as support staff in place and a graduate trainee, so he was entirely confident Emma could manage.

“Oh, well. You won’t be away too long, then.”

“No.”

“Shall I gift wrap all of these for you?”

“Oh, I don’t know – “ He glanced at his watch, and then back at the door as two new customers jangled their way in. “I’ve got to get back, and you’re getting busy.”

“I’ll do them this afternoon. You can come back and collect them later.”

“Oh, thank you.” He paused. “Er – When I come back – from London, that is, there’s something I’d like to talk about, with you.”

“Oh?”

“About your business.”

“Oh.” Was it just him, or did she sound slightly disappointed? “Well, I look forward to that. I’ll see you later.”

It was oddly dismissive, and George spent the rest of the afternoon wondering if he’d offended her somehow. Maybe she didn’t want some corporate type interfering in her family business? He hadn’t considered that. How arrogant of him. Perhaps he should apologise to her. However, when he got back to the shop later on, he found Morwenna alone. Apparently, Elizabeth had gone out to see a supplier. George did his best to hide his disappointment.

“But she did leave you all these.” She handed him a pile of beautifully wrapped boxes, before placing a final one on the top which he didn’t recognise.

“Oh, that’s not.”

“It’s on the house, for being such a good customer.” She winked at him, and he wondered how many of those ‘special’ hot chocolates she’d had.

At home, he opened the package, finding inside a selection of poinsettia shaped chocolates flavoured with caramel, and a little note in soft, flowing hand which he knew instinctively was Elizabeth’s.

Merry Christmas. Good luck in London, and make sure to come and see us when you get back.

Underneath that was a phone number. 

~

It ended up being closer to six weeks in London, and they were the longest of George’s life. He spent several days debating whether to call Elizabeth – she had given him her number after all. But why had she? Just because he’d said he wanted to talk business? He wanted to do that face-to-face. In the end, a few days after the New Year, Elizabeth settled it for him.

Hi. Hope you had a good new year. Your aunt came in for some more marzipan cherry. She’s found some new flavours she likes, too! :D

This led into them texting occasionally throughout his stay, George feeling a little blip of excitement every time his phone trilled a text alert, and then immediately scolding himself for acting like a love-struck teenager. A little while after the first message, he received an email from his aunt, mostly just her usual general chat, but with a small PS tacked onto the bottom:

You never told me that Elizabeth girl from the chocolate shop was so lovely – although I suppose I should have guessed by how much you were talking about her. Although, I’m sure she only keeps inviting me back so she can talk to me about you.

That couldn’t be true, could it? Surely Elizabeth just liked Joan – he could see why they would get on well. From Elizabeth’s messages, Joan had quickly become something of a regular at the shop. George imagined she would appreciate Morwenna’s ‘enhanced’ hot chocolates.

Meanwhile, in his spare moments , he worked on the proposal he wanted to make to Elizabeth – the business proposal. He was going to offer to secure investment in the business: to fund their research & development, maybe expansion to larger premises if they wanted, to take on extra staff so Rowella could devote herself full time to the management – and so they could increase production. George generally didn’t deal with a lot of small businesses, but the model wasn’t actually that different to larger companies in some ways. He did know about the failure rate of small businesses, especially food related ones, and they’d already beaten the odds on that.

He kept telling himself he was doing this solely because he was impressed with their work – and he was – but would he really be offering to find funding for some other nicely run little shop he might have accidentally wandered into, one where a beautiful woman hadn’t stepped out behind the counter and floored him with a single smile?

Well, it didn’t matter what his underlying motives were, he honestly did think the Cusgarne Chocolate Company deserved a boost, and a boost was really all they needed. He’d have to have a proper look at their accounts, but considering their current expansion plans they seemed to be operating on a steady financial basis.

A few days before he was due to arrive back in Cornwall, George sent Elizabeth a message:

Hi Elizabeth. I’m going to be back in Truro next week, and I was wondering if we could meet up? I’d like to discuss that business matter with you. If you’re interested, that is.

Every second until she replied felt like an age.

I’d love to. Friday, okay? You can drop by shop after closing. Any time after 6.

~

He gave the window a quick look – a sort of sculpture that looked like a mineral, painted purple. It was very pretty, and executed with Morwenna’s usual skill, but he couldn’t quite make out what it was.

The door was locked, and there was no sign of anyone inside, although the lights were still on. Perhaps they’d forgotten? Or maybe they were running late. He’d assumed Elizabeth would bring in her cousins – his aunt had managed to clarify the exact relationship between the three women, George not having liked to ask – since they were her co-owners in the business, and Rowella was the manager.

At his knock, Elizabeth hurried out from the back and came to let him in. Although it was not as strong as during opening hours, the warm scent of chocolate still lingered. It was such a comforting aroma, and George hadn’t realised how much he’d missed it while he’d been away. He knew how much he’d missed Elizabeth’s smile, however.

“Come in! It’s freezing out there.”

“It is.” He followed her through into the back. The kitchen was, as he’d suspected, rather compact; these old buildings usually didn’t have much space. It was actually impressive that they produced so much here. To his left, he saw a tiny office with a safe. Rowella’s domain, presumably. She was not there now, though. In fact, she wasn’t in evidence at all, and neither was Morwenna. “Are the others on their way?”

“Oh, they’re not coming.”

“Oh.” He didn’t know what to say to that. Was Elizabeth just here to let him down gently? It was kind of her, but she could have just told him they weren’t interested in whatever he had to say. He attempted to counteract his slight disappointment with a moment of levity. “I was hoping to ask Morwenna what her window is!”

“Oh, it’s amethyst. February birthstone.”

“Oh. Well, it’s very pretty.”

“Yes. I don’t know how she comes up with them all. She’s being very secretive about her Valentine’s Day one.” There was a slightly awkward pause as they stood facing each other next to a spotlessly clean metal bench. George decided to make one last ditch attempt at persuading her.

“Look, about my proposition ��� proposal.” Quickly – and far more nervously than he’d ever spoken even when addressing a conference hall full of hard-nosed hedge fund managers – he outlined what he wanted them to consider, and the potential for their business it could bring. “You could increase your beauty line, or even move into other foodstuffs, different merchandise, maybe even a recipe book…But, maybe you don’t want some bloke you hardly know interfering in your business and you’ve just kindly let me waste your time.”

“No!” Elizabeth had been listening in what seemed to him to be politely tolerant silence, but suddenly she became a lot more animated. “No, I’m – we’re – immensely grateful for your offer, and I know Morwenna and Rowella want me to snatch your hand off.”

“You’ve discussed it with them already?”

“Well, after you put Verity onto those restaurant venture people, I guessed what you might be going to offer us when you said you had something…and your Aunt tipped us off a bit.” George bit back a sigh. He loved Aunt Joan, but sometimes she could be as frustrating as Uncle Cary. By all rights, they should get along better, considering how much they loved to interfere in his life.

“But you have reservations?”

“Yes…” She stepped back slightly, glancing down as she trailed her hand over the surface of the bench. “Not because I don’t think it’s a wonderful plan, and not because I don’t think it’s incredibly kind of you to offer, but because – Well, you know what they say about mixing business with pleasure.”

“Wh – what?” George had to put his slightly rude response down to complete confusion at what she’d said. Having gone to the back of the room, Elizabeth returned with one of the shop’s golden boxes in her hands; a long, thin one. Standing in front of him again, she bit her lip – a gesture George struggled to tear his eyes away from – and flipped open the lid. Spelled out with individual letters on two rows of chocolates was a message: Be My Valentine.

“I mean – I don’t know how much more obvious I can be. The first day you walked in the shop, I asked if you were married; the next time, I asked for your number. Then, I invited you to a party, and gave you a present, and my number. I did my best to impress your Aunt, and I texted you for weeks, and now I’ve invited you here to see me, alone, at night and….Oh. You were expecting the girls to be here as well, weren’t you?” She pressed the box shut, suddenly looking distraught. “You’ve just been being polite this whole time, haven’t you? And now I’ve gone and made a complete fool of myself and I’m sure you’ll never want to give us the investment now – “

George leant forward and stopped up her tirade with a kiss, not caring that he crushed the box of chocolates between them. Elizabeth hesitated for a moment before wrapping her free hand around his neck and kissing him back. When they broke apart, they were both breathing heavily.

“What you said before – about business and pleasure – “

“Oh,” Elizabeth shook her head. “Whoever said that was an idiot. Besides, no matter how much I fancy you, Rowella would kill me if I turned you down. And Morwenna would help.”

Before he could reply, she threw the now hopelessly squashed box aside and wrapped both her arms around his neck, kissing him again.

She tasted like chocolate.  

[lizziebathory42]

Stardew Valley Stories

A one-shot ficlet. Sebastian/Fem. Farmer. Sebastian, Abby and Sam convince the Farmer to wear a GoPro while in the mines.

Sebastian opened his bleary eyes slowly. The glowing display of his clock told him it was late afternoon. He threw off the blankets, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. He’d been up late finishing a project and still felt fuzzy. Yawning hugely, he made his way up the stairs, heading for the kitchen and some brain clearing caffeine.

“Sebby!” His mother called from her counter. He winced. He hated the childish nickname but had given up on asking his stubborn mother to call him his preferred Seb or the more mature, Sebastian. He turned to walk into the foyer, the smells of cut wood and sap drifting up to meet him.

“The Farmer dropped this off for you this morning,” She said, gesturing to a small cloth sack sitting on her countertop. Sebastian frowned, taking the bag and glancing inside. It was the GoPro he’d lent her. He grinned suddenly.

“Thanks mom!” He leaned over the counter and kissed her cheek, “Would you like a coffee?” Robin shook her head, lifting her almost full mug from behind her cash register.

“No thanks sweetie.” She replied. Sebastian didn’t see her eyes narrow as he entered the hallway, or the worried look she gave his retreating back as he took his coffee and bag into the basement. Robin was concerned by how much time the Farmer seemed to be spending with her son. She knew her son was sensitive, perhaps a bit sheltered and worried the city slicker who’d moved into the abandoned farm would break his heart when she inevitably left Stardew Valley.

Sebastian, blissfully unaware of the worry happening on his behalf upstairs, sat down at his computer. He took a long draught of his coffee, set the mug aside and opened the rough bag. Inside he found the small, square camera, the mounting plate he’d screwed onto the Farmer’s mining helmet and a note tied to what felt like a rock. He pulled the knot apart, smoothing the note out. She had tied it to a Yeti Tear.

He held the small, smooth white stone in his hand while he read the short note. He liked the way the stone glittered, like rainbows were caught in the crystalline material. It amazed him how it stayed cool, almost cold, no matter how hot it was outside. The writing of the note was crabbed and spidery, as if the writer was in a great hurry to get their thoughts down. There was a mysterious green smudge on one corner of the crumpled paper.

S,

I tried to clean the gunk off your camera, sorry.

                               -F

Sebastian looked closer at the camera. Sure enough, in the crevices he could detect crusty remains of something. He shrugged, the device was designed to get dirty. It was just like the Farmer to be concerned about returning it in less than pristine condition. He chuckled softly to himself as he connected the device to his computer and imported the video file.

He’d gotten to know the pretty farmer over the past few months. She would often come to visit him after doing business with his mother, bringing him fresh carp sashimi and sitting with him as he ate. They would talk about comic books and computer games for hours. Sebastian didn’t take it too seriously. The rumours around town were that the Farmer brought everyone gifts. It didn’t mean anything special. They were just friends anyway. He appreciated how she would leave him alone if he told her he was working. She was one of his few friends who seemed to respect his job.

A small window popped up on his computer screen, indicating the video had been completely loaded.  It was one hundred minutes long. He double clicked and opened the video, making the small window full-screen so he could watch comfortably.

The video began pointed into the Farmer’s face, her brow furrowed in concentration. The view was a blur of stones, then the inside of the rickety elevator. Sebastian had only ever seen it from the outside, when he’d wandered into the entrance of the mine out of curiosity. Now he watched as the Farmer pried the doors open, stepped in and pressed one of the glowing buttons. This one was labelled 70, the small black number standing out against the shining yellow button.

The elevator made an awful racket, clanking and chuffing as it descended, but Sebastian was pretty sure he could hear the Farmer humming the Flower Dance. He thought about how last year she’d asked him to dance and he’d turned her down, not knowing the newcomer well enough. Oh how things had changed!

It was only last Friday when she had been sitting with Abigail as he and Sam had their weekly pool match.

“Oh,” Abigail had cried suddenly, “I wish I could get that deep in the mines! I would love to see what it looks like down there and all the delicious minerals you’d find!” The Farmer had only chuckled, shaking her head.

“It’s very dangerous that deep, Abby.” She said, “You’ll need a lot more sword practice before you go.” Abigail had pouted and flicked her purple hair over one shoulder. Sebastian loved his friend, but she was still as bratty as when they had been little kids catching frogs together.

“Maybe you could, like, film it or something.” Sam suggested from across the pool table. The Farmer lifted one shoulder in a half shrug, still smiling.

“I don’t have a camera,” She admitted, “and I don’t think I could film and mine at the same time.” She had shifted in her seat, looking uncomfortable. Sebastian felt bad for his two friends putting her on the spot. Before he could change the subject, Sam was continuing.

“Seb has a camera you can mount to your head or chest.” Sam blushed pink on the last word. The Farmer hid a smile. Sebastian knew his friend had a crush on the Farmer, he wondered if she knew it too. “It’s waterproof and really small, so it shouldn’t get in your way.” She turned her large, soft eyes on Sebastian then. They were shining with curiosity.

“That sounds neat! I wouldn’t mind filming,” she said, “but if Seb doesn’t want to lend it out I’d understand.” Sebastian had shrugged, keeping his face carefully neutral.

“I don’t mind.” He said, casually lining up a shot. “I can bring it over tomorrow, show you how to set it up.” He didn’t want to admit it, but he too was curious to see the deep innards of the mines and wanted to watch the Farmer in action.

He was getting his wish now. The first level she stepped out in had been fairly tame. The angle of the camera allowed him to only really see her hands, giving the film a first-person shooter video game feel. He watched as she smashed rock after rock with her steel pickaxe. No wonder she was hard with muscle! She picked up a silvery ore and a plain looking blue rock, tucking them behind her, into her backpack. She smashed another rock, splintering it in half with one strike. The pieces fell down a dark hole. She climbed down without hesitation.

In that dark moment, Sebastian could hear her still humming softly. Then she emerged into the light. For a moment, he thought he was seeing things. There were small, bouncing black rocks approaching. There was a sharp noise and suddenly the Farmer was holding a glittering black sword. She dispatched the odd creatures with a few swipes, stooping to pick up the coal one dropped.

Large, transparent blue gelatinous blobs attacked next. The Farmer was looking down, so Sebastian saw when one hit her leg, searing through the overalls with a blurp and a puff of smoke. He saw the raw, burned looking skin where it hit her leg through the hole in the fabric. She was still fending off the last blob when he heard a loud screech. She turned quickly, her sword flashing. He saw the bat, as large as a housecat, cleaved in two by the obsidian blade.

“Augh!” She cried turning to swipe at the remaining blob. It burst into liquid goo. Sebastian’s stomach roiled when she reached into the goo to pull out a weathered looking scroll tied with a yellow ribbon. Sebastian felt like he was going to be sick. This wasn’t like a video game. This was his friend and in real life. She could be hurt or worse while down there. Still, he couldn’t look away or stop the video.

She cleared the rest of the level, smashing rocks and fighting two more slimes before finding another hole to climb down.

With each passing minute Sebastian felt his anxiety for the Farmer rising. Logically, he knew she had to have made it out, but it didn’t stop him from squeezing the stone in his hand so tight he felt its cold point pierce his skin. He watched as she broke apart skeletons, like those he admired at the Spirit’s Eve Festival, who tore bones from their own bodies to fling them at her. He saw her chase a ghost, cleaving it over and over until it disappeared with a poof, leaving a glittering gold rock which she quickly snatched.

In another moment, she notice something tucked in a corner, smashed a path to it and picked it up. It was a frozen tear, like the one he held in his hand. It might even be the same one, he thought, suddenly feeling as cold as the stone in his hand.

His heart stopped when she was attacked by no less than six blobs at once. Her humming had ceased, replaced by grunts of effort and hisses of pain. She managed to render all six into steaming puddles before she collapsed. Sebastian’s heart, which suddenly beat again, was in his throat, choking him.

He watched, unable to look away as she pulled a container of blackberries out and ate the whole thing. She gave him a good look at her wounds as she examined them herself, patching what she could with duck-tape. Her legs were burned raw, a large gash had been opened in her side from a skeleton’s bone boomerang.

Sebastian checked the time remaining on the video. An hour left. He took a sip of his coffee, his hand shaking. His drink had gone cold, but he didn’t care. He needed something, his mouth suddenly having gone dry. He was given a brief respite when the next level held nothing but an entrance to the elevator and a ladder leading down.

The next hour passed slowly. Sebastian watched, agonized, as the Farmer fought nightmarish creatures, dodging glowing green projectiles or darts of flame which bounced off walls to come at you again. She was fearless, breaking rocks apart to gather the gold ore even as shadow creatures approached from the periphery. Occasionally she would stop to eat and tend her wounds.

Sebastian thought of how he’d invited her to join their fantasy game in this very room. How childish it must have seemed to her, to pretend to fight monsters. Sure she had looked like she was having fun, but she was probably just humouring them. Humouring him. His game was nothing like the messy, painful chaos he was witnessing.

In the end, he didn’t see her leave the mines, the video simply stopped with her breaking stone after stone. He stared at the final, frozen frame, the Farmer’s pickaxe a silver blur. The small stone in his hand felt heavy, as if his knowledge of the blood spilt to get it made it weightier. More significant, more precious. He got up suddenly, his paralysis over.

He needed to find the Farmer. Now. He needed to make sure she was okay.

Sebastian’s legs felt wooden as he walked up the stairs. As if drawn by his need, the Farmer was there, chatting casually with Maru in the lab. Her smile swiftly changed to concern when she saw Sebastian’s face. She excused herself from Maru, taking Sebastian’s arm and leading him outside. She said nothing, only glanced at him with worry in her eyes.

He couldn’t stop staring at her. She was okay. He couldn’t see any evidence of her being hurt. She didn’t even limp. He lightly touched her side, where he’d seen a bone split her flesh. He could feel a bandage under her thin t-shirt. For a moment, he’d wondered if she was even real. How could someone be so thoughtful, kind and beautiful as well as a savage warrior? She stopped at the shore of the lake and turned him to face her.

“You watched the video?” She asked, rubbing his arms lightly. Sebastian realized he was shivering. He nodded, not trusting his voice. “I’m sorry if it scared you.” She said, sliding her arms around him in a comforting embrace. He shook his head, clearing his throat.

“It-It didn’t-“ He cleared his throat again, very conscious of the small, hard body of the Farmer pressed against his own. “It didn’t scare me, not like that.” She looked up at him quizzically.

“I mean,” he began, “I wasn’t scared of the monsters and stuff. It was just…” he paused, his hands making small circles on her back. He hadn’t realized he was holding her until now.

It occurred to him in a flash. He cared for the Farmer. Really, really cared. It was more than a little terrifying. He might be in love with this wild creature.

“It was brutal watching you get hurt,“ He swallowed hard, “and keep going. You’re a real tank.” He joked weakly. She winked broadly at him.

“I sure am, Sebbo.”

He held her tightly, conscious of her hidden wounds.

“I don’t think we should show Sam and Abby then,” she continued, “I don’t want to be blamed for nightmares.” Sebastian nodded. He wanted to ask her to never go into the mines again, wanted to keep holding her safe in his arms forever. He knew she had to, she needed the ore and stone for her farm. He knew he was being foolish but he couldn’t stop from asking her to be extra careful in the mines.

“Sure sweetheart,” she said, giving him a little squeeze, “I’ll be extra careful for you.” Sebastian didn’t want to examine the way his heart leapt in his chest at the endearment so he contented himself with holding her as long as she would let him.

[gingersnapwolves]

thoughts on Wynnona Earp, season 1, should any of y’all be interested :)

okay so first of all and most importantly ADORABLE LESBIAN COUPLE HECK YES Nicole and Waverly are such amazing badass cinnamon rolls and I want everything to turn out well and for them to get married and live happily ever after

that being said 100% not here for the love triangle, as usual

I actually don’t think Wynnona’s chemistry with Doc is that great; I prefer her with Dolls, but on the other hand Dolls and Doc are pretty awesome together

so that being said I am definitely leaning towards and OT3 where that’s concerned

unexpected love for Sheriff Nedley

love how they ended the season like not only with Waverly being possessed (NEVER TOUCH BLACK GOO, PEOPLE) but the Black Badge lady being like ‘oh we’re totally gonna bomb the crap out of your town nbd’

there are many good things about this show and again I cannot overstate the importance of an adorable lesbian couple

esp. Wynnona’s reaction to Waverly coming out, ie ‘thank God you’re finally dating someone on your level’

buuuuuuut the slow’s writing and pacing is like, really freakin sloppy

they make big deals out of things only to never mention them again (Judge Cryderman has a picture of the 7 on his wall! Yeah we already knew he was evil so what was the point of that) (Bobo got a box and we have a warrant but they were tipped off! Yeah we never find out what was in that freakin box, it was way too big to be more skeleton parts) (Waverly is magically bound to the skull! Oh wait, she smashed it, I guess they didn’t need to do that whole thing) (Et cetera)

and the villains were very meh

I mean aside from ‘how threatening can a man named Bobo really seem’

the Stone Witch was clearly meant to be creepy but was really just annoying, and they made this BIG HUGE DEAL out of her resurrecting her “something more than human” kid from his skeleton only to literally set him on fire like .... 4 minutes later (again, sloppy writing/pacing)

Plus I don’t even know what to do with Creepy Stockholm Romance with a 13 year old and this whole implication that Willa was Bad At The Core and Couldn’t Be Saved like ... somehow she seduced Bobo despite being, you know, THIRTEEN YEARS OLD and him being a literal demon

anyway

Waverly is totally Bobo’s kid, right? I mean that’s the impression I got about why he was hanging around her when she was little and why he protected her from Willa at the end

all of that being said Nicole and Waverly are adorable and I will overlook a heck of a lot of flaws for a lesbian couple that cute, that is all

[riddles-of-the-unknown]

* Notes: The Temple of That Which Waits

I can float~

o   Lafi was right, how dreadfully exciting~

o   I am becoming more of what I am by the day~

o   I have not yet figured out how to move forward (or any direction but up, really) but it is certainly an exciting start~

o   I can rotate, however~  

o   And be upside down!~

Ren has left.

o   Vathen follows.

We headed off to the swmp

Waters have receded

Swamp life has seemingly disappeared.

Abandoned ship is more exposed.

Barrow entrance is still caved in.

Miasma has dissipated entirely.

To the West

o   More ruins have surfaced near Lafi’s home.

o   Another thing that looks somewhat like the barrow.

o   4-5 feet

o   Ruins came up from the ground.

We’re going to the ship

You’d walk into the miasma, according to Lafi,

o   Then pass out

o   She’d wake up in a different part of the swamp.

§  Always in her bed.

The Ship

o   Gang plank leading up the side.

o   Looks somewhat rickety.

Deck

o   Very crooked

o   Center has a big crack.

o   Wood seems rickety.

Head down

Door pushed open, kinda falls.

Stairs going down, hits a corner

o   Apparently a body.

o   Some flesh still on it.

Deeper in there are more bodies.

Doesn’t look like there was a struggle.

o   Sigil

o   A star with a big circle in the middle.

o   Owner’s mark.

Ren opens a crate.

Magic no

A dagger, an axe, a pair of gloves.

Flametongue dagger

o   Can set them on fire thrice a day.

Gloves of dexterity

o  Makes one more dexterous

Axe of fast movement

o   When holding it you can move an extra 10 feet.

Residual traces, nothing left here.

+300 gold

Captain’s quarters

o   Skeleton laying atop the pile of goo

o   Desk relatively well preserved

o   Lafi finds something.

The Maiden –

o   Ren hasn’t heard of it.

Star Sailers

o   Somewhat mythological

Ruins

o   Coated in slime

o   Gleaming

600 – 700 years ago

o   Mystrifs became a thing

o   Before that they came from another family.

o   The 3 Magi came several thousand years ago, so I imagine perhaps 3000?  4000?

The Symbol of the Unknown

o   Gleaming pale marble.

o   Symbol burned into it.

The Symbol is carved into the door of the ruins that have risen.

Giant dome.

o   … is it like the library?

I place my hand on the Symbol.

Symbols all along me glowed

o   I was like a beacon of light

o   And then energy came from me and went into the door.

o   It began to open.

Within is pure darkness.

How dreadfully exciting~

We go in immediately.

Torches along the wall

Giant pillars

Can barely make out the walls.

Extends farther than light can show.

Tentacles

Marble material, white, golden filigree

Ornate carvings

Leaves and branches hanging from the ceiling.

Little cracks where plants are coming in.

100 feet

Looks like there might’ve once been symbols on the ceiling.

Over time seemed to be eroded.

Little things that might’ve been traps

o   Look like they’ve been already set off / disarmed / are too old to function.

o   It was triggered.

Stench of the swamp gets a lot stronger

Walls taper out

o   Wind moving.

o   Large room.

o   Foot snags on a bone.

o   Voice says ‘come to me’

‘What is this place?’

o   ‘This is my temple, child.’ – hissing voice

Who are you?

o   ‘I am That Which Waits, if you would help, I would give you power.’

Tentacles grab onto the alter.

Lights flare to life.

Image flickers into life.

This place looks desiccated, what may have been splendor has fallen to ruin.

Fridiel looks around, panicked.

o   50 years younger.

o   Note: … 50 years ago is when this began, at least for him.  But I… I am far older than that.

‘I Am That Which Waits, if you would help, I would give you strength.’

o   More conversation is skipped over.

Fridiel pacing.

o   “How would I become this Master of Death?”

o   Hissing, no longer a voice, he seems to understand.

o   Looks up and nods.

Fridiel off to the side of the alter.

o   You must break the seal.

o   To find the realms beyond and then to find me.

o   How will I break this seal?  How will I seek you out, Master?

Skips.

Fridiel looking ragged, thinner, older, weathered.

o   The five are needed to break The Seal; The Weaver is needed, The Questioner, The Protector, and The One That is Tied to The Sea itself.  Then the Outlander will be joining them.  They are all needed to break The Seal.

o   I think we have a lead on the Death Weaver.  She will be trained and brought up to be what is needed.

o   Pleased silence to the voice.

Skips.

I am ready, my lord.  Give me the power to become the master of death.

Item appears on the altar.

o   Fridiel takes it.

o   Small.

o   Green glow.

Fridiel: Will these five be enough?

They will be enough to destroy the first barrier.

But the souls needed to open the final are innumerable.

o   “You must destroy your realm to welcome me in.”

o   The destruction of the entire plane.

o   Fridiel seems fine with this. Nods.  “It will be so.”

o   Note: I am not particularly surprised.

§  Note:  The cadence of the voice seemed familiar. . . but the voice itself did not.  However. By means of necessarily destroying a realm full of those who have yet to have so much curiosity and inquiry. . . this is not the nature of the Unknown.  What is Not has no reason to destroy so much inquiring sentience, especially considering they have been divorced from Sigil for so long.

Symbols on the altar [various reinscriptions]

Combination of the three priorly seen.

o   The 3 Magi

o   A being above the ocean, a being in the sky, A being over the earth

o   All in one.

It will resonate with the sound of bardic powers

“Welcome Outlander.”

o   Voice is talking to Bran.

o   Sounds jovial, decent enough fellow.

o   Bran is needed apparently to open a barrier…?  Or perhaps.  [blot] He did something on his end prior.

We need to figure out a way to see what happens when souls are un-trapped.

o   Return to the library and seek this knowledge.

o   How long does it take them to move from one plane to the other?

o   How does the Astral Sea work?

Hallway.

Smooth circular stone.

Bank slate.

Touching it doesn’t work, no magic.

Proto portal

o   Portal, but more primitive.

o   I was able to open it with the port stone, and drawing the Symbol of What is Not + The Riddle.

The general “Library Symbol”

o   “Questioning that which has been learned.”

o   The man Ravisrim Tysenlar made the library.

o   No longer alive.

o   Apparently, he didn’t come from Sigil, way way back

o   When Sigil was pulled out of the pre astral sea

o   Founding gentleman

o   Might’ve been one of the masters at some point.

o   Other librarians (acolytes) wear this

o   ‘only ones crazy enough to wear that sort of thing’.

Pin of the symbol.

o   Genasi

o   Hair that is consistently windblown.

10000 years ago

o   Half elves in the outer district.

o   May be related; blood ‘diluted’.

He goes

The man was dreadful, arrogant, does not deserve the Symbol that he wears.

[blot]

o   Note: Ravisrim Tysenlar.  I cannot help but question, and wonder, if he is That Which Waits.  There was a clear connection of the Symbol of the Unknown, myself and the ability to bring forth these visions, to open doors… while that, normally, could easily be merely the nature of what it not, The Symbol of the Unknown was very clearly /made/ into the door.  What happened to him?  Did he go astray of What is Not?  A title also similar to That Which is Not.  … And a place chosen which had some connection to the 3 Magi, those who came from Sigil.  Ravisrim Tysenlar supposedly vanished, but also was tied to Sigil in clear ways.  … I will be looking out for this.