#peach blossom cluster
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We have arrived in Perry and Furby approves of the beds
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hi wanted to request from the august prompt list, could you write #13 with ACOTAR Az? thank you in advance! :)
A/N - THIS IS BEYOND CUTE! Thanks for the request, Anon!
Grow
Summary - You find joy in the little things, and Azriel loves it all the same.
Warnings - Nothing but pure fluff!
“Az! Az, come here Az!”
Azirel looked up from his spot on the loveseat where he was perched, placing the documents on the coffee table as you are gliding in rapidly. Elaine was right your heels, just as as excited as you were while you were waiting for Azriel to pop up from his spot. Just the sight of his mate bouncing on her toes and her eyes filled with excitement made Azriel’s own heart sing.
Of course, it was no surprise that you were covered in soil and dirt in your gardening outfit, which was made up of blue overalls and a stained shirt and worn-down boots and gloves. Your thick long hair was in a braid over your shoulder, some strands sticking out and stuck to your skin, and your calves and forearms were slightly sunburned from being out in the sun for a bit too long.
Azriel loved seeing this side of you, the side of your that was open and vulnerable when you were home. Of course you played a major role with the Inner Circle and within Night Court, being an architect for most if not all of Velaris and some of the Night Court cities that were scattered about. You had na intelligent mind and a keen eye for city layouts and blueprints along with house plans and apartment developments, yet that was only your day job. As much fun as it was in creating and helping build new apartments and homes for new citizens, you and other hobbies that caught your eye that you kept to your home life.
One of them was gardening, thanks to Elaine.
“I take it you found some fruit on your tree?” Azriel asked you coyly as Elaine smirked behind you. You nodded your head rapidly, her fingers that were stained in dirt and soil were tapping against your apron.
“You must see! Come on, please?” You asked him, holding out your hand for him to take. Azriel had to smile widely as he laced his scarred hand with your dirt stained one. He would be willing to go anywhere for you, merely just to see you smile and to see your face light up. It reminded him of his own mother, filled with happiness and seeing the joy in the little things. Any little hobby that you picked up, Azriel endorsed.
Cross stitching, sketching, and now gardening.
“Of course, darling,” he replied, you pulling him along with a giggle as you were leading him outside to your small garden that was right outside your kitchen. Azriel felt the scoarching heat hit him as you guided him outside. There was a cluster of flowers that were blossoming and blooming along the small brick wall that wrapped around the garden, the cool green grass beneath Azriel’s bare feet while you were guiding him to the small little branch of a tree that was planted in the corner.
Azriel could see from his spot a smaller tree that was barely over his hip, but a small circular piece of fruit was hanging off a major branch to the left.
A peach.
“Look! I finally have a peach tree!” You said in glee, feeling like a proud mother in a way for growing your own tree as Azriel looked on. Of course it was still small, the leaves were still small enough not to be grown in and the trunk was firm enough to be on its own. But to you, who toiled for hours and hours on end to make sure the tree had enough water and soil to break through the surface, this was everything. No matter the stressful Inner Circle meetings you were in before, or the harsh heated matches you had with your parents long ago when you were trying to move out on your own and be free, this was one of your more crowning achievements.
“It’s a sturdy tree no doubt, honey,” Azriel hummed as he squatted down to be eye level to the little tree,”You did a great job with it,”
“That’s what I told her!” Elaine agreed behind you as you rolled your eyes, “Peach Trees can be fickle and most of the time it’s hard to grow from scratch, yet she did it with ease and she never believed me,”
“That’s not true!” You were about to argue with her as she hushed you and patted your arm.
“Come now, I wouldn’t argue with the Gardner of the Inner Circle,” Azriel agreed as he got up again and walked over to the pair of you before an argument would break out. He laced your hands together again and kissed you on the tip of your nose “You did a great job with this, sweetheart,”
He knew you loved praise, both gentle and amazing praise. Maybe it was because you had to hear that you were doing a good enough job and that you were walking the right path to make you feel sane, but Azriel would never tire of praising you. He knew how rough your childhood was, he heard plenty of stories of your parents and how hard you had to work to get their approval and love. It was rough, you weren’t going to sugar coat it. Yet Azriel was there to make it easier and fill those insecurities that you had with love, affection, and praise.
Neither of you didn’t see Elaine sneak out of the garden to give you two alone time, nor did either of you cared. You were merely feeling your heart swell from not only growing a simple peach tree, but to feel the immense love of Azriel once again in your relationship together.
“Thank you!” You hummed, kissing him sweetly as he wrapped you in his arms, “And when I get proper peaches off that tree, I can make you a peach pie,”
“I look forward to it, my dear,” He replied back against your lips.
Sure enough, you made him a peach pie for Winter Solstice from the peaches off of the very tree.
The End.
August Prompt Session
#azriel x oc#azriel x reader#azriel x female reader#azriel x y/n#azriel x you#azriel x female!reader#azriel shadowsinger#acomaf fanfiction#acotar fluff#azriel acotar#acotar fandom#acotar fanfiction#a court of frost and starlight#a court of silver flames#a court of wings and ruin#a court of mist and fury#a court of thorns and roses#fanfiction#writing
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"Flowers," Armand spoke for Lestat's benefit. "What better embodiment of our existence than the birth, bloom, and decay of flowers? Only in paradise do petals truly last forever."
"Renewal," Daniel added quietly. "Just because the petals fall off doesn't mean the plant is dead, Armand. The flowers will bloom again and they'll be as beautiful the hundredth time as they were the first time. It's the circle of life, and we're part of it."
"I suppose," Armand didn't argue, seemingly content to lose himself in the black curves and lines. His eyes focused and unblinking, tongue peeking out from between his lips in concentration.
It’s a cluster of flowers... Honeysuckle, peach, and wisteria blossoms. A dahlia, a rose, a chrysanthemum, and a lily of the valley.
Such familiar flowers!
Beautifully laid out on Lestat's bronzed skin by Armand's masterful hand. How many of those flowers had Armand shown Daniel in the garden he'd created for him, the last thing he had ever shown him before the veil came down between them forever?
How could Daniel help but recall now what he'd said when he shared the story of himself and Armand with Lestat on Night Island in the aftermath of Akasha? In the language of an ancient people the word for flowers was the same as the word for blood.
Blood, same as that which Armand meticulously wiped off of Lestat's skin. The scent permeated the air, arousing to the senses even when diluted with ink.
[READ ON AO3]
#this one got away from me rip#because your honor i just love them so much#baby's first banner too i'm embarrassed but i'm obsessed with flowers (and armand and his guys)#the vampire chronicles#vc#armand/daniel#armand/lestat/daniel#armand/lestat#armand#lestat de lioncourt#daniel molloy#fic: the language of flowers#my fics
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Decided to translate some of my warrior cats OCs names into clanmew!
Owlheart- Weearbabun (barn owl-heart). Named after the barn owl (weear) and given the heart suffix (babun).
Deerhop- Niaaluara (female fallow deer-jump). Named after the fallow doe (Niaa). There is no direct translation for hop, so I picked the closest thing, jump (luara). The idea of the name is that hopping run you see deer do, so ultimately i think luara is more fitting than any of the other running words, or leap.
Oakblossom- Byochpeske (oak-clusters of tiny flowers). Byoch was an easy translation, but I had to think about what I wanted blossom to translate to. But I wanted the imagery of a flowering Oak tree, and I think that the clusters of flowers is more fitting.
Servalsnap- Eebsaorgnam(small-leopard-will bite). I had to improvise here a little since clanmew has no word for serval, but servals do look somewhat like smaller leopards so that's what I went with. I translated snap to bite, since I felt that that more closely mirrored the character. I used the future tense of bite so that the name feels more like a warning. this car Will Bite You. Funnily enough, his mother's name is actually Leopardbite.
Hazeldove- Anshuwoohoo (hazel tree-song of wood pigeon). Hazel was a pretty direct translation, but dove was a more deliberate choice. Since her suffix is supposed to indicate a peaceful/kind personality, plus how she's generally a talkative character, I think that connecting her to the song of the dove specifically makes for a stronger meaning than a direct translation.
Crocusclaw- Palifuhponmakarrurrsk (purple-flower-sharpen claws). No word for crocus, so I just described it as a purple (palifuh) flower (ponma). Ae was named for aer determination and constant work towards sharpening aer skills, so karrurrsk (sharpening one's claws), to convey that meaning over the direct translation of kach.
Ferntail- Namarswash (lady fern-tail). Pretty easy translation here.
Skuaroot- Swosyassgaprryem (water-raptor-stem). I had somewhat of a hard time with this one. With no word for skua, I went back and forth on this one. Do I use pre-existing water birds to describe it? But would clan cats even make that connection? Ultimately I just went with water raptor, since the skua is a predatory seabird. Water over sea since the clans would probably associate it more with water than with the sea specifically. Root, with no direct translation, became stem, mostly because that was the closest thing.
Covecrash- Bponbssupragapblalm (boulder-land next to shore-strong-wave). With no direct translation to cove, the closest thing was the imagery of a rocky land next to the shore. With the name Covecrash I wanted the imagery of waves crashing into a cove, so I decided to use strong wave to keep that imagery.
Rillrose- Eebyawshaqanka (small-brook-dog rose). No direct translation for rill, but a rill is pretty small, so... small brook! Also, she is the reincarnation of a cat named Brookshine, and I liked the idea of tying Rillrose's name to brooks specifically rather than streams. Rose could be translated into a few different things, but I chose the dog rose.
Peachblaze- Kawubekaprawswarfyf (fuzzy-pink-fruit-spread of fire). No translation for peach, so I chose some descriptors. Spread of fire feels like the best translation for blaze here.
I.... went further down the clanmew rabbit hole than I expected. Probably expect some more asks from me about clanmew translations because I am not done.
I adore how sticky Clanmew is, people will dip in like, "I think I will translate just one OC" and then find out that they want to create their own entire dialect so that they can PERFECTLY capture the meaning of their cat's name
Seems like you're set up in some sort of very far north coastal area if you've got Skua hanging out! I'd say absolutely feel free to go and make translations for that. Clan cats like to name animals based on the sounds they make. So, for example, the Canadian Goose is a RONK, a Herring Gull is EEYAR.
Same with Peach, Cove, and Crocus, those won't be showing up in Base Clanmew! That said, Clan cats like to make new words through contraction. So using your word for Peach as an example-- "Kawubekapraw," KAwuBEkaPRaw, Kabepr. Or any other way your Clan cats like to shorten things!
For Deerhop, you could also do "bounce" if you'd like. That perfectly describes the hoppy running movement of deer. Niaapipip, "Fallow Doe Bouncing"
And for Rill... just as a side note, man, just when I feel like I've gotten all the little words for types of water down, I find more. I think I've shown PARTS of this little chart I made, but I'm gonna show some "Concept Art" I made for @troutfur a while ago of various water-related terms lmao
At some point, I really want to do a big thing on "River Words" specifically. Types of streams, definitions, things within the river, how fishing works and every fish you find in this area, describe a riffle...
But anyway, with all that said, here's some more base words for you;
Cave = Ken
A rocky, naturally occurring hole a cat can enter. The basis of the word "Kenkin," which means 'Den.' At the Lake, some cats insult ThunderClan by calling them 'cave-sleepers' since they live in a rocky quarry.
Rill/Beck/Rundle/Tiny ass stream = Siln
A stream that is so small that you can just step over it. There's an old addage: "You step over a brook, jump over a creek, wade through a stream and swim through a river." In Clanmew, a Brook/Yawsha and a Creek/Koshu are jumped over. The Siln is stepped across.
Syke = Mawss
Seasonally flooding streams, like the one that existed in the Forest territory that almost killed Fireheart in TPB. That ravine is dry during winter.
Root = Pehur
Translates directly
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@rose-from-ashes (Continued from here!)
Heart skipping a beat as he heard footsteps approaching from the hallway, Morganaux closed his eyes, drawing in a slow breath as he tried to calm himself. There had been plenty of times when he had dealt with potential suitors on his rare visits home, but never had he been faced with such a serious arrangement before. He had tried to think nothing of it in the days that led up to this meeting. He had spent little time dwelling upon this mystery man and what his intentions might have been, planning to playfully dismiss him like all the others who had once tried to win his heart, but in that moment, he wasn't sure what he felt.
Before his visitor set foot into the sunroom, he did what he always did whenever his anger, his sorrow, his fears began to slip out from beneath the surface— and with a gentle fwoosh of aether, he wove a glamoured smile on his face. By the time ser Forgettable de Durendaire stepped into the doorway, Morganaux was the very picture of serenity, leisurely popping a macaron into his mouth as he looked the man over from head to toe.
"That would be me," he answered, gaze locking onto the bouquet the other held. Curiosity, light, and friendly intentions was the meaning the man had intended to convey, from the looks of it. Either that, or he had simply gotten lucky with the flowers he chose and just so happened to put together a somewhat thoughtful-sounding meaning with it. But then again, most of the men who brought him flowers without care for their meaning would have chosen the simple route of bringing red roses. The message that the bouquet conveyed was far too fitting to be a matter of coincidence, and the choice of flowers far too unique, and so, Morganaux supposed he would give this man a chance instead of outright dismissing him.
Eyelashes fluttering, he lifted up a hand to beckon the other over, though he made no move to make room for Emelian to sit beside him. There were many subtle ways he could judge a man's character before they revealed their true colors, and this would be one of a few tricks he had learned to test the waters. Would he be a gentleman and ask to sit with him, or would he push his skirt out of the way and make room? Or, Halone forbid, would he be oafish enough to sit down on his skirt, crushing his favorite petticoat in the process?
"'Tis a pleasure to finally meet you, Emelian," Morganaux greeted, reaching up to adjust the hairpin— a cluster of peach blossoms— that adorned his head. "It seems I might be in the presence of another fluent in the language of flowers. Tell me, what sort of flower am I wearing, and what meaning have you gathered from it?"
#morganaux.txt#rp replies#apollo asunder (wol verse)#rose from ashes#((morgy and his weaponized etiquette lmao))
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Shadows Under the Peach Tree
Chapter 3: Dreams and Creeps
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A garden, gorgeous and lush. Everything was green and perfect. Not a single petal out of place nor a leaf. One would say it was heavenly. A massive peach tree stood in the center of it all, blossoms blooming and would be for the next hundred years till it bared fruit. Ladies dressed in jade green robes with gold adorning their body and hair, most looked so similar to the other that it seemed like they were part of the garden as well. A delicate flower with no petal out of place.
Boredom. That's what emotion fills you as you look on to this scene, no real control over your body. And barely any thoughts of your own. It was happening again. The dream.
You, or at least the person you were looking through the eyes of, did what you did every night. You walked across the soft grass beneath your bare feet all the way to the trunk of the peach tree. You could hear the whispers between the other women around you. Jade eyes on you, cold and judging. Stern. Like the eyes of....
Always the same.
That's the thought that overwhelmed your mind, sinking it's claws into you. It made you irritated. You just wished for some excitement. You wanted to leave these gardens and beyond the palace walls that held you and your sisters -that felt right - within, no one but the occasional stuffy guard to talk with besides themselves. Your hands clench and unclench the fabric beneath your fingers. The fabric too soft, to silky. It wrinkles beneath your fingers.
Something different.
Whispers always the whispers. But the words feel different. Your eyes shift up to your sisters. Pale faces hidden behind hands and tilted to one another's ears. You shift your eyes up to the tree when you realize that you were not the one being stared at today. A tail waved and poked through a thick cluster of leaves. A single leaf falling and landing right on your lap. It was halfway crumpled and and a cut in it. Imperfection. A different sight then you had seen before here.
Your eyes shoot back to the tail as it disappears, a single blossom falling from the sudden movement. It fell in front of you, your hand reaches out and cups it softly. Your ears hear a loud thud of weight landing in front of you. Your eyes drift up from the black and gold inlaid shoes.
"I've never seen anyone like you before..." You spoke up, eyes fixated on this being in front of you.
Gold eyes.
You wake up clutching at your pendent. Your breaths are shallow and you blink the blurriness from your eyesight. The sun hadn't come up yet, so you assumed that it around four in the morning. You slowly sit up and look at the peach pit with a few bite left around the pit. You sigh, rubbing your eyes.
" Fuck.... " You mutter to yourself, swinging your feet out of the bed. " Might as well get up..."
You stretch and get up. You were still dressed from the previous day, and you had no desire to change, at least not yet. You brush your hair out, pulling it back in a low hanging ponytail before slipping on your boots. You had to clear your head. You couldn't remember most of your dream but it was making you feel... Restless.
Like you wanted to get out of this small house.
So you did. You slid on your extra thick jacket and stepped out. The cold pre-dawn air bit at your nose but you looked out the cliff side your home was built on and towards the horizon. You could see the morning trying to peak through. You might have an hour before dawn you decide. You hum as you walk over towards the cliffside and to one of the oldest peach trees you had.
You rub your fingers over the monkey pendent on your necklace, your eyes watching the sun breaking up the morning clouds, sparking the world from blues and blacks to wonderious colors of orange, pink, and reds. You kept trying to recall your dream, but to you it was like catching smoke with your bare hands. At least it was different. Maybe that's why it was so stuck in your head today.
Golden eyes instead of Jade.
Warm.
Curious.
You still felt anxious but that was different too. It was like the anxiety you had before you went on your first rollercoaster or when your parents had taken you to the arcade for the first time. You take in a deep breath and release your pendent as the warm days of sun hit your face.
You better start your day. Pigsy's Noodles would be the best place to begin, you need to quit forgetting to take the pig-man your leftover stock. Otherwise they will just rot before you can get them eaten. You turn on your heel and walk back inside your home. Your hands go to the basket, gripping the handle a little tightly.
You take the basket with you into the morning air, quiet and still was the world, a handful of cars on the road. Only soft chirping and the breeze could really be heard. It was nice to be in the bustling city when it was like this, like you could feel the whole town relaxed and sleeping. A calm before a storm of people rushing to work and to their lives.
Pigsy's Noodles neon sign was a bright beacon amung the still closed shops. That was one thing you had always loved about Pigsy, he always opened his shop without fail and it was always right at dawn - much to MK's dispare but delivery didn't start until nine in the morning so you never saw why he complained. You push open the door, a smile on your lips as the fresh scent of simmering broth and cooking meat filled your nose.
"Tang, what have I told you - oh Y/N, sorry thought you were my other customer. The one who never pays." He grunted, a puff of air escaping his snout. Then he cracked a smile. " You are here early, what is it market day already? I thought that was a few days from now. "
" Oh yeah, it is. But I had leftovers from last week. " You then made a nervous laugh as you set the basket down on his counter. " I just forgot to stop by. Well... I HAD planned on coming yesterday and watch the race and give these to you ... But well you know... Monkey King kinda -"
" Took ya off to watch the race with him yeah? What's up with that guy lately. " He grunted as he stirred noodles into a pot of boiling water to par cook for the day. " He even showed up this morning, telling MK he had to get up and had to go with him. " Pigsy obviously upset dumped a few vegetables into the broth pot, not to kindly. Hot broth splashed out with every toss. " Kid was barely awake and I have no delivery boy!"
You smile, you knew Pigsy was just worried about MK, not so much on the deliveries... MK barely did those to begin with. " I'm sure it's just some monkey training stuff. MK will be back in no time. " You sit down at the counter in one of the barstools. " I can help around the shop today if you want. "
Pigsy gave you a smile, his eyes softening. " No, it's okay. But you can always hang around the shop and keep me company. Without the kid around it gets... Quiet around here."
You chuckle gently and nod. " Sure Pigsy, at least for a while. "
It was mid-afternoon when MK came back, absolutely covered in dirt and bruises. You watch him collapse right as he came in the door. You stood up to go to his side and he didn't even look up from the floor as he put a hand feebly up, stopping you.
"Mm mmkmm" he mumbled into the floor.
" What? MK... I'm not inside the floor. I can't hear you."
He turned his head away from the floor just enough to talk. " I'm okay... Just.. give me a second."
Pigsy sighed. " MK get off the floor. If your tired your bed is literally upstairs...Customers are going to step on you like your some fancy doormat." He didn't have an angry tone though.
MK crawled to the hardest next to you, pushing up with shaking arms till he made himself get into the seat. " No no... I just need some super special noodles and I'll be, " he yawned. " Golden. "
" Sure, Mk... " You chuckle and pat his back gently.
He stretched out on the counter. " Monkey King said he wanted me back to Flower Fruit Mountain tomorrow for a week of extra special training now that I've gotten a hang of making clones... Sorta." He laughed gently, looking up as Pigsy set two bowls of steaming noodles soaked in broth.
You swore you could hear MK's stomach from here. It made you smile as he started to scarf down his bowl of noodles. " Slow down kid, your gonna choke. "
MK mumbles something through his bites but you had no clue what he said. So you just smiled and nodded. Pigsy cleaned up a nearby table and made a small sigh as Mei came storming in, tracking in more of the dirt MK had left behind on the ground.
"MK! MK! Guess who I met outside?" Mei said, shaking MK quickly.
You glance back at the door as Mei and MK start talking excitedly, their voices becoming more like buzzing noise in their excitement over whoever Mei brought. You raise an eyebrow at a well dressed man with wierd white eyes.
Kinda creepy...
You stand up, your skin felt like it was crawling the longer you. You set a few bucks on the counter and give a look to Pigsy. " Hey um since MK is back, I'm gonna hit the road."
"Oh alright, Y/N. Don't be a stranger now." He gave a half smile then shot a look at Mei and MK. " Settle it down! "
You walk past the man in the suit, it felt like his white eyes never blinked and his smile twitched as you passed by. You shiver, goosebumps raise to your flesh and they don't go away until your more then three blocks away from the shop. You didn't know why but you knew you had to get out of there. You shake your head, it was silly of you. He just gave you the creeps. Should you have left the others alone with that guy?
Your feet keep carrying you away from that creepy feeling that had clawed st you. What was with that guy? What had Mei said, you racked your brain to remember anything that excitable dragon girl had said in her massive speal to MK. What had she called him? The Mayor? You had a feeling he really wasn't the mayor but then again, you have never seen the mayor before. Maybe he just gave you the creeps like all politicians kinda do.
Yeah.
You made your way down the street and paused at an intersection. Then why did you book it as soon as you felt his presence in the restaurant? Your hand touches your pendent. Something inside you said that guy was bad news. Maybe even the worst kind of news.
Yeah.
You slowly turn back to the direction of the restaurant. You thought of MK and the others as you slowly start walking back. Your feet pick back up the pace and you slam open the door,. Just as their was a puff of smoke and MK and Mei were standing near a podium. First off.. where had that come from and second... What the fuck was in their hands? Well that is an ominous looking key.
" Hey um... What did I miss?" You manage to say, eyes on the skull key.
Pigsy looked over. " Oh did you forget something?"
You smile and rub the back of your neck. " Oh you know, I meant to grab some grub to go?" You make the excuse up.
MK came running over, now suddenly full of energy. " Look this cool evil key the mayor gave me! "
He shoved it near your face and waggled it. It made your skin crawl. But you gave a half smile and take a step back. " Oh um... Nice? " You glance at Pigsy who just gave a shrug as he got a to-go bowl of noodles.
" But are... We sure sure that was the mayor?" You ask as you look between the MK and Mei. Both of them just gave you a shrug. Yeah that made you feel better. Totally.
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- 𝔸𝕟 𝕦𝕟𝕖𝕩𝕡𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕖𝕕 𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕣 - ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕠𝕟𝕖. -
❀ 𝕎𝕣𝕚𝕥𝕖𝕣'𝕤 𝕟𝕠𝕥𝕖: Well it's finally done! It took a while to finish, but it is! I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. Throughout this story there will be links to attached to words or phases. Those are youtube links to the themes that I felt best suited (and inspired) those moments, so if you'd like to use those go right ahead. Also There will be words that imply that the reader is a woman, if that makes you uncomfortable please ask for me a replica with blank pronouns.
❀ 𝖧𝖺𝗉𝗉𝗒 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽𝗂𝗇𝗀! ❀
Likes reblogs are appreciated as they help get my work further out there.
𝔻𝕖𝕗𝕚𝕟𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕤 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕩𝕥 -
ℕ𝕒𝕞𝕚 - A wave or waves.
ㅤ ❀
𝔸𝕔𝕥 𝕠𝕟𝕖 - 𝔸 𝕡𝕖𝕔𝕦𝕝𝕚𝕒𝕣 𝕤𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥.
Tensed muscles found relief in the comfort of warm bed sheets. Glad that the day had finally been over. I smelt the honeyed aroma of my sheets. I’d lay here forever if I could. It was far more peaceful here than it was earlier downstairs, even though it was out of good will. With strength lingering in my limbs, I twisted my body to the side, taking in more of the perfect view of the world just beyond my balcony.
Vague wisps of translucent clouds hovered over the night sky, some intermingling with the scattered stars, while others hovered in a linear cluster just beyond the woodlands, forming a bed of clouds for the sleepy crescent moon. The moon’s snowy glow seeped into my room, making its presence known despite rivalling the soft light of my bedside lamp. Illuminating peach blossom walls, wall-mounted paintings, cinnamon dressers and periwinkle perfumes. Just beyond my bed was a small bookshelf with all my favourite books. I’d be sure to read them again once I got the chance.
Cool air swooped past the balustrade. The gust brushed against the hem of my nightgown and glazed my legs. Stealing a pleased hum as I settled further into my sheets.
It has been an extremely busy day today, by far one of the busiest days I've had this month. Dealing with the recent batch of new customers has been taking up most of my energy. I barely had a moment's breath before I heard the bell from the front door. Perhaps it was the new dish that I added to my menu a few days ago; the thought of it being that brought a smile to my lips. Starting an establishment on my own had been a dream of mine from my younger years. My mother and I used to travel the world, spreading our love for food with everyone curious enough to try it. My mother’s passion eventually became my own. I wanted to carry on her legacy. Food was a universal language— something that we all understood no matter where we came from.
I made the decision to settle in Japan. In a small village that kissed the mountains. There weren’t many who looked like me— between that and learning the language, it was natural that I stuck out like a sore thumb. Though that never stopped me. Much to my relief, a little after I had settled the community took me in. They were as quiet as they were accepting— taking me in with open arms and with an opportunity to welcome me as family too. The village was lively during the day, children running to and fro, merchants were up and about ready to make ends meet. Though when dusk came, the village seemed absent from everything. Only leaving vague trails of what it used to be.
My beloved bistro was small, but I loved every inch of it. It welcomed everyone, allowing those who entered to taste a piece from my home even though most of the dishes were foreign to them.
Some time had passed after and my little restaurant began to gain its fair share of loyal customers. I truly couldn’t be happier here. I thought fondly of the memory of Shimizu-sama scoffing down the fresh batch custard tarts that I had made in the afternoon. Exclaiming that those were one of the best he’d ever had. Shimizu-sama was an escentic man— an amazing conversationalist, really. He always seemed to know how to strike up one with whoever was close enough. It was wonderful as it meant that my dining room was always filled with laughter.
I sauntered my way to my balcony. The evening chill was starting to pick up pace and I didn’t want to catch a cold as I had an early start tomorrow. My fingers glazed one of the balcony handles, taking in one last look at the world outside when my attention caught something strange.
A rabbit— just across from my door. It hastily hopped around the ridge of the woodlands. Its buttoned nose wrinkled as it darted around.
It seemed… confused.
I watched the creature hop back and forth, it’s ears standing at attention. It was a rabbit that’s for sure, but not like any I’ve seen before. What was it doing there? Most bunnies would be black, brown or white but this one was… blue?
I immediately scoffed at my presumption. It had been a long day. Besides, it could have been the fault of the coloured sky on its fur. The critter with its back to the woods peered over its shoulder, but then it stopped.
I think it realised that it was being watched.
Swiftly, the peculiar rabbit turned its head and looked up. A pair of ruby eyes locking onto mine. I swallowed the lodged air in my throat. In my passiveness, I waved away the clouds in my mind.
I was told bits and pieces about the stories of these lands, but heard none about strange looking rabbits that would appear on people's doors— so this was strange to say the least. It would be smart to be at least a little cautious.
It looked lost a few moments ago, so perhaps it was. It could be someone’s pet that got away somehow. The more I stared at the creature the more questions sprouted in my mind, and not having an answer to any of them made me even more apprehensive, but also curious.
If I just let it stay for the night, I could return it to its owner in the morning, I thought, finally closing the doors and making my way to the bathroom.
It could be hurt too.
Yanking my cardigan from its coat hook I made my way to the bathroom. Stuffing bandages into my bag just in case I was right. My bedroom was above the dining room and in the room just before was the kitchen. I searched my produce for carrots, settling on bringing four with me just so that I’d earn the rabbit’s favour. After shoving those into my satchel, I made my way to the entrance of the dining hall. The moon’s glow filtered in through the ivory blinds, adding a frosty glow to the sage walls and hickory tables. I weaved through the furniture until I found myself in front of my door.
My fingertips grazed the doorknob then clutched it tightly, the door clicking open despite the heaviness of my muscles. The moon and icy air glazed my features; a small flame hovered in the corner of my eye. The ember swayed to and fro, somewhat like a dance, the wind being its graceful partner.
Now that I was seeing it up close, there was no mistaking it— it did have strikingly blue fur. I unhooked the lantern and stepped away from my home, keeping a relatively safe distance from the rabbit so I wouldn’t frighten it. The rabbit watched me intently, wrinkling its nose with vigour. Maybe it smelt the carrots. Reaching for one, I placed it on the ground.
“It’s alright,” I said softly, “I want to help.”
The rabbit’s attention shifted to the carrot. I smiled at the sight; it was adorable despite its odd colour. I’d have to ask the owner how it got like that. Chirruping softly, the rabbit bit into the carrot; small crunching sounds emerged from its tiny mouth as it ate. I watched it for a while, hoping that it would associate me with something as comforting as food.
“Well done,” I cooed, reaching for another and placing it on the ground, “there’s more for you in my bag. Once you’ve eaten that one, I’ll give you another, alright?”
The peculiar rabbit rose from its meal, its ears springing up as it took a peek into my pouch.
Another smile tugged at my lips, “You’re not a normal rabbit, are you?”
The next few moments went by quickly; I offered more carrots and the rabbit ate them. He even inched closer and allowed me to pet him. His fur was unbelievably soft. Probably akin to a cloud if I ever had the chance to touch one. The rabbit purred more under my touch, murmuring as rabbits do while I stroked its ears and back. I hope I’ve gained enough of his trust to allow me to hold it and take it back inside. Taking the opportunity, my fingers gradually brushed the underside and pulled the fluffy creature to my chest.
The rabbit accepted my warmth, nestling itself in my arms for a moment, then, I noticed his attention was drawn to the woods. Tall dark figures swayed in the sombre tune of the wind. The wind whistled around hollow trunks and dormant green leaves guiding the scent of berries and wildflowers to where I stood. The ground ahead was uneven, awkward patchwork of rooted soil and rocks but seemed manageable to walk on. In fact, a certain someone would be able to travel the terrain perfectly. I listened to the squirrels chattering in the night, the rustles and churning of the creatures coming out to roam out from their dens and thickets. I had no doubt the rabbit had heard it too. The rabbit remained fixated on the obscure pathway, his ears perking up to attention.
Without warning the sky was swallowed by a black, feathery fog. The mysterious haze grew to a tremendous size, robbing us of the light of the moon and the lantern that bobbed a few feet away. The wings from the cluster flailed and flapped like distant thunderous warning us of an incoming storm. A mixture of ear splitting hoarse caws overwhelmed my ears; a violent contrast to the otherwise soundless night— startling me and the rabbit in my arms.
Instinctively, I made an attempt to cover one of my ears, aiming to quickly turn and make way for my house— but I lost my footing and well along with my hold on the rabbit. The frightened rabbit seized the moment and leapt out my arms and darted into the forest, its cotton tail disappearing between the trees.
The swarm of crows had dissipated, leaving me once again in the empty silence of the night. I scrambled to my feet, brushing away the stray pebbles that wielded themselves snug into my nightgown.
My attention was drawn back to the forest ahead. The maze of trees looked just as daunting as it had been a few moments ago. This was a terrible idea—it was— but I couldn’t leave it out there. It could’ve been hurt from its panicked escape. With heel in toe, I marched towards my lantern and picked it up. My stomach sat in a knot, dreading my next step, but I took it anyway. Then another, and another. Until my frame was swallowed by the sea of trees.
𝔸𝕔𝕥 𝕥𝕨𝕠 - 𝕀𝕟𝕥𝕠 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕓𝕖𝕝𝕝𝕪 𝕠𝕗 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕨𝕠𝕠𝕕𝕤.
Luminous petals seeped through the dark disjointed limbs, helping me see the obscure path of crackling leaves and pulpy smells. Wind slipped between the leaves and twirled around dense trees, faintly whistling an unusual tune. The only thing I could find comfort in was my lantern. It dangled just within arm’s reach as my feet padded carefully along the narrow mosh-vile trail, carefully listening for the slightest noise that reminded me of the critter I had lost. The scent of rich soil and wildflowers draped over my senses, unknowingly guiding me through the tall, shrouded cedar that shot up like dark arrows piercing the night sky. Dewy grass slid across my legs as I made my way through foliage, jolting my muscles and stealing a yelp from me as I pressed on.
I had thought to call out to the rabbit in hopes that it would recognise my voice and come out, but I knew better than to that. God knows what else could linger in this leafy grove. Stopping a moment, I leant my weight to a nearby tree to catch my breath. When the rhythm of my heart regained its pace, I stiffly lifted my lantern again, twisting my body to give the patchwork behind me a brief look. The soft warm glow hovered and showed me more of the same; boneless branches and berry bearing bushes, but my attention was brought to something else. From a small burrow, I found an upended cotton tail. In his panic, the poor rabbit must have tried to hide in it, even though it was far too small for its plump furry body. Stifling a giggle, I carefully tip-toed to the trapped critter, its muffled whimpers becoming more prominent as I got closer.
“Thank goodness I was able to find you,” I whispered, taking partial hold of the exposed body of the rabbit and shuffling the light of my lantern closer with the other, “How did you get yourself lodged like this?”
The rabbit continued to whimper, though it wasn’t flailing his legs as frantically anymore. “There, there…” I cooed, stroking it’s back. “Let’s get you out now.”
I continued to reassure the rabbit and I gently pulled him loose. The process was tedious— well, it had to be. There was no other way to go about it. I adjusted my grip as more of him became exposed, until he could pull himself out on his own. Letting out a high-pitched yelp as he popped out and rolled onto his side. “We need to leave this place!” I hissed, taking the moment to try scoop up the rabbit. “You’ve caused me enough trouble as it is. This place isn’t safe— for either of us!”
The rabbit dodged my hands, skidding on its hind legs only to bolt deeper into the oak-brown forest. On impulse I snatched my lantern from the ground as I sprung to my feet, taking after the fleeing rabbit. Silently cursing myself for empathising with it.
Over jagged rock beds and through small tunnels the rabbit went. Air huddled together in my anguished lungs as I jumped over another dip on the forest floor, harsh pangs pulsed in my chest as I lifted the hem of my nightgown that had become a nuisance to my journey. The teal rabbit sped between the trees; moving astoundingly quickly despite its weight. Through blotched version, I watched it leap over cracking branches and between thorny bushes. My lantern flailed frantically in my grasp. The small flame crackling a threat to go out.
I stiffly slid down a ragged incline, adding more effort into my aching legs to dart to my left narrowly missing being hurtled into a tree. This was ridiculous! I had thought to stop my effort, to somehow make my way back home and forget what the rabbit and everything else that’s happened tonight. I’m not quite sure what else has been driving me— curiosity? Perhaps, or another nagging thought I had been neglecting.
A river appeared through the maze of trees as if by magic. Although, it didn’t completely reflect the rays of scattered sequins from the night viel above, but instead it shimmered in the unique colours of its own. Otherworldly ripples of lilac and azure together as one. Empty echoes loomed over the body of water, curving its way through the forest for miles, vastly contrasting the recipe of sounds around it. The river was wide too, spreading far into the oncoming horizon, the few trees on the other side resembling miniature figurines swaying to the brisk breeze. Fireflies hovered out on the river, glowing together in fine clusters like celestial stardust. The gorgeous scene took my breath away. I slumped over another nearby tree, inhaling the cool sharp air as it glazed my dormant limbs. The rabbit took a seat on the pebbled bed a few inches from the river’s surface, curiously sniffing the boneless creek. I watched the rabbit prod the water with its paw, then it used another, eventually hauling itself onto the water until it sat comfortably on the river’s surface.
I wasn't sure if what I had just witnessed was just the effect of the oozy smells of the forest, or this had all been a dream. Everything would’ve been right in the world had it been the latter— but I knew that it wasn’t. This was far too real for it to be so. I could so distinctly feel the uneven pebble curves digging themselves snug into my bare legs, the slithering grass coiling itself between my fingers in reassurance and the looming darkness being pleasantly repelled by the delicate glow for the river. It was impossible to have a dream be so life-like.
Without thinking, I scampered towards the hovering rabbit, inspecting it. “How did you do that?!” I pleaded, glancing at either side of its body.
Promptly, the critter turned back to hold my gaze— probably curious to see if I would keep following it. I tugged my cardigan over my exposed shoulders, forming a soft cocoon around my figure. “Your owner isn’t from that small village, are they?” I whispered, taking a hand to press it against the river’s surface. My hand wouldn’t seep below the surface; no matter how much pressure I put onto it. I tried to use both hands, lending my weight again and I reached the same conclusion. The river water was cool to the touch, it was as though the river was glazed over, though not in the way it would have been during extreme winters. Peering further into it, I spotted wildlife moving freely as if it was no different to any other body of water.
I finally asked the question that had been hobbled in my mind. “...Can I do what you just did?”
Silent, the rabbit hopped back to me, tenderly brushing his head against my hand. “So you don’t hate me then.” I smiled, returning the affection. “I’m going to give this a try.”
The rabbit held a piece of my cardigan in its teeth, purring and tugging at the wool, in a meek attempt to pull me forward.
“Alright, alright. I’ve already said that I’m going to give it a go.” I chuckled, rising to my feet.
Hesitantly, I held up the helm of my nightgown, the pearly fabric littered with mud and stray burnt-orange leaves. Briefly hovering my foot I placed it on the river’s surface. The water rattled under my weight, then it stilled. Step, after cautious step, I watched as a few cherry trouts swirled around in delicate loops just under my feet.
“This is— this is amazing! Wonderful even! I-I don’t know how any of this is possible!” I squealed, doing a spin. Magic, perhaps? Of course it is! What else could this be?!”
The rabbit churrled, hopping around me with excitement. Then it leapt forward, leaving small ripples in his wake as he raced ahead, purple hues shimmering beautifully across its fur.
Holding the hem of my nightgown I followed suit, curiosity seizing my drowsy senses; wondering what other peculiar things I would find once I reached the other side.
𝔸𝕔𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕣𝕖𝕖 - 𝔸 𝕝𝕖𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕠 𝕪𝕠𝕦.
Peach lotuses twirled in grouped clusters with the breeze down the river like weary lost stars finding their way home. The blossoms had a timid glow, their dainty light brushed against the colours of the water as they floated downstream. Carefully, I manoeuvred my feet between the aquatic flowers until I was again reminded of the fickle sensation of soil. The greenlands on this side of the river was vastly different from the forest I came from. Lilies sprouted and blossomed glistened there like tumblestone crystals under the late night’s veil, inviting me ever so delicately with their scent. I followed the earth-worn path between the lilies, ascending it steadily to its crown. Blue hopped along a few steps ahead, humming happily at seeing the meadow. Perhaps it might not even have an owner, maybe it was a wild rabbit that had gotten lost. My heart tinged at the thought, frowning as I found myself dissatisfied with that answer.
The path continued to rise until I was met with another linear walkway. A flight of cobblestone stairs leading its way further onwards, centred and guarded by two wisteria trees. The stairs up for what seemed like miles. Rivalling mountains if I had any say in the matter. I wonder where that goes… I thought, taking a step closer. Whatever was at the top of the stairs was far beyond reach, hidden under a blanket of eerie frosty mist. Blue, who had hopped into my arms (I’d imagine that he was tired from all the running he had to do) nuzzled himself into my chest for warmth. The more I pondered on the endless possibilities of what I would see once I reached the top, the more curiosity fled from me. Leaving me alone with a new sneering thought.
How was I going to get back home?
My heart sank. The sensation cold and hollow til it solemnly met my knotted stomach. I spun around, taking a moment to spy the lengthy journey that I had taken. The magical river was there just like before and just beyond that was that god cursed forest. Horizon stretched on for miles, my home a distant forgotten memory in its midst. The saliva in my mouth became thick to swallow as something bleak and heavy bled and dellved itself to my chest. My eyes prickled and burned like stinging nettles with my futile attempts not to break. Who’s going to look for me here? How was anyone going to find me? I thought, squeezing Blue as I paced back and forth for any sign, landmark— anything.
But something broke my pacing. A noise. A sound from a third being. The sound was brief, but nonetheless prominent. On impulse I darted towards the closest wisteria tree. Praying— no— begging that sound was just my imagination. Panicked, I pressed my back against the time-chiselled bark, crunching my eyes shut while silently hoping to somehow mend with it.
A moment passed. Then another.
I couldn’t hear anything now— no, I couldn’t trust that.
My heart rattled like a panicked bird in its cage. Blood pulsed through my ears so violently that I thought they’d pop. My mind was a flurry with panicked thoughts, making it troublesome to make sense of any of them. I thought about making a run for it, but what if it was a wild animal? It could outpace me in seconds and it would be over. Shall I wait and let it pass by? But what if it’s waiting for me? I should—
“Now, what do we have here? A woman?” Draped a leering voice over my ear. “I’ve never seen anyone like you before… What's your name?”
My voice hid in the arduous depths of my throat. My legs almost gave way as I further wedged myself into the rough hickory bark. I had no will to respond. Blue stirred in my hold, purring as it tried wiggling free from my grasp.
He’s not afraid.
“Come now,” The voice lulled again, “I– wait, is that… Nami?”
Blue hummed at the voice, squirming his way out my grasp and out into the open in response to his name. Cautiously, I opened my eyes. My breath was promptly stolen at the sight before me. A few inches from my face stood… someone. Locks of honey with cherry coloured tips fell in loose waves just past his shoulders. He was handsome, charm shimmering in his merigold eyes, burning under thick inky lashes that stared with such intensity that I couldn’t help but drown in his gaze. On his face he bore a gentle smile, his elation evident in his honeyed dimpled cheeks. Despite his allure he had strange features too, his ears were strangely fox-like, the two coated in bumblebee fur pointing eagerly towards the night’s sky.
His yukata was scarlet in colour, elegant in fashion but practical and held loosely to his broad frame. His bare chest slightly exposed due to one his clawed hands peeking out and resting on his obi. There was a noticeable difference in height between us, so much so that I had to crane my neck to look at him fully. His presence was imposing, but not threatening; at least for that moment. Powerful, but also gentle. I scoured my mind for anything that I’d ever seen in the slightest bit resembled who or what I was looking at, but nothing came of it. The wind sang a gentle tune, blowing swiftly across my body and rustled my curls, guarding me despite its cold embrace.
“W-what are you?” I whispered.
The man tilted his head to the side and studied my features. “Ah, so she does talk.” He stated, his grin faltering at the question. “You do not know what I am?”
I pondered his question, once again searching my mind for answers. Hara-sama was an docile elderly woman that often visited my bistro after she had long closed her own antique kiosk. When she did venture in, it was often to offer me books and treat herself to some treats before returning home to her husband. On one particular night she had given me a strange book, one about mythical beings and their tales.
I had always enjoyed her visits because it always came with a good story or two, and that one night was no different. She told me the stories of ancient goddesses and gods and their deeds, but there was one that struck me the most. A tale of a fox.
Though it wasn’t an exact copy, key features were uncanny.
“...The trickster spirit – Kitsune.” I gasped, attempting to shift my weight to back away. The attempt was futile. Noticing my movements the fox spirit’s gaze sharped, uttering a silent warning. I froze in place, swallowing away the dread that housed itself in my mouth.
The Kitsune's grin returned– said grin drawing attention to the knife-like pearly fangs that leered just behind his lips.
“That’s one of the names my kind goes by, yes,” He responded, rising from his slouched state to fully bask in the moonlight. “but I am not exactly a spirit. Nor do we ‘trick’ the people we encounter. At least not all of us. That name was given to my kind because of our abilities.”
“I see…” I muttered, yanking at the loose threads of my cardigan. “I’m sorry.”
The Kitsune hummed— pleased, before shifting his attention to Blue. Ushering up the lively furball up to his chest with a single hand. “Tell me, how did you come to find this rabbit, miss?”
“He was outside my home.” I told him. “ He looked lost and I thought I’d go outside and help but he was scared off by a group of a crows and ran off and-”
“And?” He queried.
I averted my gaze for a moment, recalling the events that led up to this moment.“...I went after it because I thought he belonged to one of the village-people. It ran much further than I expected and that’s how I’ve ended up here.”
Nami purred the fox spirit’s embrace, his floppy ears tucking themselves away fondly as he took in the Kitsune’s warmth.
“Nami.” He called to the rabbit, admonition thinly lining his tone “I told you not to venture beyond the river.”
The bunny whimpered at the scolding, peering solemnly at the irritated Kitsune. “Those woods are dangerous, you should know that. Not to mention you brought someone with you. You both could have been hurt, or worse!” He warned.“Terrible things come out after nightfall.”
My blood ran cold. Despite my thinking about getting home; Nami’s safety was one of two reasons why I continued to follow him. When he decided to run off for a second time into the misty forest I wasn’t sure why he had done it. Until I saw it. A hand. An abnormally long, shrivelled, colourless hand. Its darkened bloodshot nails clung to a tree just a few feet from where I stood, grinding its fingers into the hollow bark as if it was searching for its heart. Its palm was massive, far bigger than any humans. However, the limb retreated just as quickly, shrivelling out of sight and recoiled into the forest’s void. I hope that whatever it was, that it would stay lost and never find light again.
Nami shivered in the Kitsune’s arms, burrowing his head further into the fox spirit’s yukata. The Kitsune dragged on a sign, his flame embroidered haori shifting as he reached to pet the rabbit with his other hand.
“Anyway,” He hummed, resting his hand on Nami’s head. “a certain someone is worried sick, so please return to her.” At that the Kitsune put the rabbit down. Nami hopped forward a few steps before it sped back towards me, giving my leg a brief nuzzle before hopping away–– this time for good.
I watched the squeamish furball disappear over the hill, a smile tugging at my lips knowing that he was going to be alright. Given that he doesn’t go on anymore adventures.
“Miss.” The Kitsune said, breaching the silence. “I take it that you can’t find your way back home.”
Unease crept up my back as I remembered the situation I was in. The Kitsune aren’t always evil beings. Stories told of them working to protect those weaker than them, often being shown as faithful guardians. However, trickster spirits still existed, luring people astray in all sorts of ways and in some cases to their deaths. No two were ever the same. Despite this Kitsune's other-worldly appearance, he didn’t seem like a bad person. He might be the only chance at me getting to see my home again.
“Yes. I’m lost.” I murmured, doing my best to push away my tears. “I want to go home. So if you can help, please just-”
Something heavy plopped onto my head. It was so tender in touch that I had no urge to pull away. Nimble fingers gently wound themselves through my curls, offering reassurance. “I see.” The Kitsune assured. “I will guide you home. Beyond the river and through the forest. However,“ The Kitsune paused between the headpats and let his hand fall on my shoulder, “there is a threshold that I cannot cross. At least not in this state. From that point onwards you will have to walk alone, but from there on I assure you that it will be safe.”
I whispered a thank you to the fox spirit and he nodded his head in acceptance. Promptly we made our way back down the hill, finding ourselves at the illmuninsant river.
Our descent from the hill first had been in silence. The subtle squelches of our footsteps seeming obscenely loud in the vacant night. “You still haven’t told me your name, miss.” Kitsune recalled, rubbing his chin. “Would you be less afraid if I told you mine?”
I took a brief glance at him only to find his marigold gaze searching for mine as well. “And what if you don’t tell me the truth?” I asked.
“Would you know if I was telling the truth?” He shot back, a faint smile tracing his lips.
“Well…” I told him, “Maybe.”
The Kitsune suddenly halted his movements, alternatively forcing me to stop as well. “And how would you tell then?”
Without a moment’s notice, the Kitsune won our compelling stalemate. He peered over my features, his hues swaying this way and that. His eyes were beautiful. Two different colours that mend so well together that they almost perfectly mimicked a dozing sun.
“Well, with your face.” I mumbled, suddenly finding interest in the festering moss covered soil.
“Very well.” He remarked, taking his fingers to my chin to draw my gaze to him again. “My name is Rengoku Kyojuro. I am the eldest son of my family. Now, what do you think? Am I telling the truth? You can tell from my expression, can you not?” He urged, cocking his head to the side to hear my answer. “So, look at me.”
I reached for his fingers, carefully removing the claws that dug ever so slightly into my chin. “Truth.” I gulped, holding his hand in both of mine before putting them at his side. “Your eyes seem honest.”
At that Kyojuro smiled, his several tails glowing a celestial gold in the moonlight. “Now, you can introduce yourself to me.”
There had been a brief moment where I wondered if I should lie to him. ‘Giving out your actual names to mythical creatures could spell your end…’ recited the tales book on mythical beasts in my head. However, he did sound earnest when he told me his name. Perhaps he figured that there wouldn’t be anything I could do with it once I had heard it, or maybe there is…
“My name is ________ ______.” I declared, pulling a small smile to my lips. “I am the third eldest daughter of my family.”
Kyojuro hummed, taking a moment to rise from his slouched state, when he then spoke again. “I’ve never heard of a name like that before.” He purred. “The world sure is a large and fascinating place, isn’t it?”
…He didn’t question my answer?
While lost in thought, Kyojuro inched closer to the luminescent river, stopping once he reached its surface. The azure blue stream coiled its way through the forest’s center, parting the woodlands for an eternity. “It is.” I mused, cautiously meeting him where he stood.
Once by his side, Kyojuro greeted me with a closed-eye grin, “Although I don’t know if it has meaning—your name does sound beautiful, ______-san.”
My ears tingled at the sudden compliment, my face momentarily swelling with furious heat. “I-it doesn’t have any meaning that I know of,” I stammered, “but thank you. I’m sure your name has meaning, doesn’t it?”
Kyojuro nodded, turning to extend his hand to me to help me cross the river. “Though I must admit, one is more grim than the other.”
I took his offering, reaching for the fingers that tangled themselves in mine. “Oh?”
With my hand in his, Kyojuro guided me across the river. “Well, to start with the not so grim one,” he began, “the first part of my name, ‘Kyo’ means apricot.”
“Wait, really?” I asked, curiosity taking me. “I suppose it’s kind of funny considering you hair colour-”
“Oh?” Kyojuro contested. “Is that what you think?”
I squirmed under his gaze, pressing my lips together as I prayed that I didn’t cross the line. Even though what he had asked was a question, his words were laced with something else. Something that I couldn’t make sense of at that moment; but then Kyojuro chuckled, amused by my behaviour. “Yes! It’s kind of convenient isn’t it?”
Conversations sparked and fizzled as we made our way into the oncoming forest. Once we had reached there, I had found my lantern. Its flame had long gone out but I retrieved it. The forest had a slightly different atmosphere to it now that Kyojuro was here– far less daunting. His glow became more prominent under the veil of creeping shadows and ageing trees. Replacing my lantern and guiding me home.
Turns out, he was also quite the conversationalist too. Along the way, Kyojuro would ask questions about my home and what I did in the village that became my new one. Mentioning that it had been a long time since he had someone to anyone human. Kyojuro also had an immense love for food, consistently prodding me about the meals that I served for my customers and what they all tasted like. Curiosity brimming his eyes as I explained the subtle textures and flavours.
I also asked him questions too. Simple things; questions about his home and what he’d like to eat. Although some of his answers seemed vague, he was pretty straight forward with others.
“My favourite snack is a baked sweet potato!” He claimed, grinning cheerfully. “Preferably on a fire with autumn leaves for kindling.”
“Oh if that’s the case then you should try sweet potato pie one day! I learnt the recipe from a lovely woman while I travelled the world with my mother. She was an amazing cook.” I giggled, thinking fondly of my teacher. “She was a massive inspiration second to my mother.”
The Kitsune’s ears twitched with bewilderment. “And what is that? I’ve never heard of that before.”
Giggling, I watched marigold hues blossom (and some drool too) as I explained the process of making the treat. I wouldn’t have been surprised if his eyes had morphed into stars at that moment. Fluffed pointed ears twitched with infectious wonder, curious about what I would talk about next. Steadily, my unease slipped away. The sounds of drumming crickets and eerily crackling branches faded away to nothing. Uncertainties were thrown to the wayside as I found myself enjoying the Kitsune's company. He illuminated the dark and I was thankful for that.
“Oh, we have reached it!” Kyojuro declared, pointing onwards. “This is where I leave you, _______-san.”
Snaring my bottom lip between my teeth, my attention drifting deep into the remaining hoard of time-chiselled trees. “I see…”
“______-san.”
“Hm?”
Approaching me, Kyojuro took my lantern in one hand and opened its tiny door. With a swift snap of his fingers a small flame appeared on his finger, lining his finger to the candle and lit it again.
“Magic!” I squeaked. “How were you-”
Kyojuro winked, bringing his extinguished finger to his lips before closing the lantern door and handing it to me. “It’s our little secret.”
“R-right, thank you!” I chimed, watching the vibrant dancing flame. “And thank you for bringing me here.”
The Kitsune rewarded me with another closed eyed smile. “Go home now.” He urged. “I’m sure you need the rest. It was nice speaking with you, if only for a short while. I enjoyed it nonetheless.”
I in turn gave him a smile of my own, “Thanks again Kyojuro,” I grinned, waving goodbye,“for everything.”
…
A crisp breeze ushered in through my bedroom’s balcony, glazing my dormant limbs into a frosty embrace. I shifted in my sheets, groaning at the leaking honeyed sun through my fluttering rose tinted curtains. Through fuzzy eyes I caught glimpses of the morning sky. Shadowy clouds loomed and gathered over the silvery sky, lingering as wisps from the night before. Fatigue coated my body— so then it hadn’t been all a dream.
I had made home shortly after leaving Kyojuro in the forest. Occasionally, I’d look back and there he stood; his form gradually getting smaller and smaller until he appeared to have disappeared completely. I walked the short distance alone, carefully manoeuvring through to not stir anything else that might have been lingering about. Upon seeing the threshold, I scrambled into a run, scolding tears streaming down my cheeks as I saw the familiar features of the village and my bistro. After a replenishing bath and a change of clothes, I heaved my aching body to my bed, nestled myself in my bedsheets and drifted away into a dreamless sleep.
Yawning, I sat up to stretch. Bones popped and clicked, all of it coaxing a pleased hum from my lips. I wonder what he's doing now. Does he still travel the forest during the day too? I thought as I strolled into my bathroom. I hope that he got home safely too.
With a subtle click my radio hummed to life, my morning routine drifted by seamlessly as a paper moon. I twirled around my room, singing along as I timed my hairbrush strokes with the melody, styling my coils into a fluffy high bun. The rhythm bubbled and bounced off the walls, the music mending into my bones and lulling me into a magical dance with a make-believe partner. Comfortably tightening the lace of my corset, I adjusted the length of my dress. Shades of pine and olive coated it in neat folds, my shoulders bare as the dress began at just shy of them. It was a favourite of mine.
Sliding on my walnut brown low heel pumps, I made my way downstairs. Slipping into the kitchen I dawned on my daisy embroidered apron and got to work on preparing my ingredients for the day. Considering that my custard tarts did so well yesterday I thought to make another batch today, however those would have to be completed later, although it would be smart to get started on prepping the pastry. I tapped my pen over my hand, pondering my menu’s positioning when an abrupt, faint sound waded off my pondering, alerting me to its location.
“What was that?” I uttered, slipping out of my kitchen and into the dining room.
The room had been just as I left it— ivory blinds solemnly kept the sun at bay, only allowing a few rays to add an elusive glow to the vacant room. Winding through the tables and upturned chairs I came across a letter on the ground. My heart rattled in my chest as I reached to pick it up. Flipping around the nameless letter I found a small crest- oddly it's scent was sweet. Using a pointed butter’s knife, the utensil slid through the top of the letter, opening a slim gap where another, much smaller piece of paper that was hidden inside.
Dearest _______,
I hope that you arrived home safely. I enjoyed your company last night, even though it was…unexpected.
After speaking with you last night, I was curious about the foods that you talked about! It all sounded delicious. I couldn't stop thinking about it, especially the pie that you mentioned.
I would very much like to see you again tonight. Follow the path that you used to get home and I’ll be there waiting for you.
Yours sincerely,
The trickster.
Tags - @animupiglett
- 𝔸𝕝𝕝 𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕘𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕤 -
❀ 𝔸𝕟 𝕠𝕝𝕕 𝕥𝕒𝕝𝕖 ⚘ ꕤ 𝕀𝕟 𝕒𝕟𝕠𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝕝𝕚𝕗𝕖 ⚘ ❁ 𝕊𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕞𝕠𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕟
#kyojuro rengoku x black!reader#kyojuro x you#black female reader#rengoku kyojurou#kyojuro x black reader#rengoku kyojuro#demon slayer#fanfic#kyoujurou#kyojuro rengoku#kyojuro rengoku x reader#kimetsu kyojuro#kyojuro x reader#kny kyojuro#kyojuro fluff#kyojurou#kny rengoku#rengoku
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Prompt: <https://i.mj.run/e301129f-b6e8-4bab-93ed-b67fa707be13/0_0.png> cute cat-mask ninja Princess peach wearing her new tech cargo romper suit designed by junya watanabe in a metallic cyberpunk forest , chromatic butterflies,reflective surfaces, refractive sakura blossoms, silver grass, hi-tech mushroom nanotechnology clusters, 2 pink chrome colour palette, prismatic rainbow neon laser beams, flowerpunk, forestwave, cottagecore, -1 anime, key visual, character concept design by Paru Itagaki and nii manabu and hiroumu arakawa, produced by kyoto animation, cinematic , blended 3DCG and 2d animation, Sanzigen, liden films, cgsociety, hdr, high contrast, digital painting, -1 Leonid Afremov, girodet, norman rockwell, maximalism, Italian gothic , sony a7, ISO640, G-Master lens, gentle orthogonal bokeh, ultra high resolution --ar 2:3 --test --creative --upbeta --upbeta
@ foolio ^_^
midjourney
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9 Flowers to Inspire Your Spring Wedding Color Palette
Blossoming, bright, beautiful flowers define spring. A great thing about getting married this time of year is that blossoms are less expensive and easier to find. You have your pick of pretty much any color of the rainbow to choose from for your wedding color palette. There’s never a “wrong” color for any wedding color palette, but colorful spring flowers can definitely inspire the perfect color scheme for your big day.
Gerbera Daisy
Bold and beautiful, the gerbera daisy catches attention. It’s not for brides that want a sweet, subtle look. It’s more for the bride who wants to wow guests with her gorgeous flowers. This daisy comes in almost 350 shades. From dark pink and classic white to crazy yellow and glowing orange, bouquets made of gerbera daisies are scene stealing. It’s easy to decorate tables and even the cake with gerbera daisies for a fresh, bright touch. You can also pick just a few of the shades and create a palette of your own.
Peony
The peony is for the classic bride that wants lush colors with a peaceful feeling. Peonies are soft and fresh, perfect for the pastel palette. They easily pair with other light flowers for a traditional touch. Light pinks, creams, and peaches are great for a spring wedding palette when it comes to the peony. Peonies are larger flowers, so if pairing with other flowers for a burst of color, think about size so they complement instead of overwhelm.
Tulip
The tulip demands a look of class and luxury. Tulips are perfect for any wedding from a formal affair to a rustic look. The classic flower has a long stem with a pop of color at the top. You can go with almost any palette when using tulips. The soft pinks and purples mix together for a flawless fit, as do the whites and deep reds. The tulip is great for a bold or a soft palette.
4. Calla Lilly
The calla lily is simply gorgeous made with many colors for any palette. The blossoms are shaped like trumpets. They are usually offered with either a large head and long stem or in a miniature version for boutonnieres and smaller decorations. These extravagant, classy flowers are offered in bold as well as light colors. You can pair dark burgundy with ivory or light pink with yellow.
5. Hyacinth
The hyacinth is perfect for a spring wedding, as it comes in many different colors and is perfect for decoration. It is classically the signature fragrance for spring. You can do clusters of these flowers in different colors, or sprinkle them as an accent. Fuchsia and white or pale pink and blue looks amazing at a spring wedding. These flowers are bushy and might overwhelm other types of flowers put with them.
6. Rose
Roses are perfect year round. The rose is a classic, timeless, gorgeous flower made in many different colors. A symbol of love and beauty, the rose palette can come together in many different ways for spring. The classic red rose paired with cream or white roses is a bolder look for spring, while the yellow rose and pale pink rose come together for amazing decorations or bouquets for a sweet spring look. Roses don’t need a lot of filler, so they are perfect alone in one color or different colors. The wedding cake can also adorn a few of the roses for a beautiful touch.
7. Lilac
The lilac is a delicate flower that comes predominantly in a lavender color, perfect for a wedding with light purple hues. This soft flower can inspire a palette of lavender and cream or a touch of light pink. Lilacs are often available in white, so it works well to mix the white and lavender flowers for decoration and in bouquets. This flower is sweet smelling, so be careful not to overwhelm the guests with too much of its perfume.
8. Sunflower
The bright yellow sunflower demands attention for its unique beauty. The yellow can be combined with many different colors for the perfect spring palette. It goes great with bolder colors like royal blue and deep magenta. This flower is also found at many weddings with pale colors and deep browns for a rustic feel. Sunflowers bring sunshine to any room and brighten up any decor. They are perfect for a bright, fun palette of colors.
9. Ranunculus
The ranunculus flower is a mouthful to say, but a cute little flower full of color. This flower is a lot like a peony with a cutting edge. The best thing about them is they come in many different colors ranging from whites, pale pinks, and yellows to dark pink, greens, and oranges. You can make a palette of bright ranunculus flowers or go with a more subtle look. It has many petals for a posh look and is easily paired with other types of flowers in a bouquet or decoration.
#spring wedding#spring wedding colors#spring wedding palette#spring wedding flowers#wedding colors#wedding palette
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♕ i've had this drabble sitting on a google doc for months, back when i first decided akira was from inaba and i never finished it. here it is now in all its adolescent gay glory. it's kind of self-indulgent and just slightly angst flavored. finn is another muse of mine from a pretty obscure vn, so if any of you actually recognize him you get a cookie.
Cigarette Daydreams
The peach blossom festival in Inaba was something to behold. The groves around the town were bathed in pink and white hues, petals fluttering into the streets and carrying the smell of spring wherever they went. When the sun started to creep towards the horizon, downtown Inaba was brought to life again with warmly lit paper lanterns, and music. In a few hours, there would be a fireworks display over the river. Plenty of Inaba’s residents milled about the park, enjoying food and dancing together under the trees to pass time before the other events began.
Akira was situated under one such tree, arms folded gently and his gaze locked distantly onto one Finnegan Kazimir; the foreign exchange student who ended up becoming much more popular than anyone in Yasogami High School had anticipated. When Finn had first arrived in the fall, he was treated like most foreigners, with little attention outside of what was necessary. But right then, Finn was teaching a girl named Aiko how to spin in a dance, with a small crowd of other first years clustered around them to watch. They laughed together, and Akira could hear one of the other girls ask for her turn to be taught how to dance.
Akira glanced away, scoffing lightly.
Such strange, silly behavior. The other students fawned over Finn like he was an exotic and beautiful creature from another world. Akira could agree about some things … well, a lot of them — but the sensationalism had grown to obscene levels. There had been a time when Akira had been just as enthralled by him, though. So much so it had frightened him.
As one of the few students who was better with their English, Finn had been drawn to Akira early on. Finn was all bright, toothy smiles and charming laughter, seeming to be almost grateful for Akira’s more casual attitude. But Finn was truly captivating, and it didn’t take very long for others to gather. Within a few months, Finn had friends around every corner, and Akira often found himself in situations just like this one. Standing aside, watching him share those incredible stories he’d told Akira first with everyone else.
“ Kurusu-kun ! ”
He snapped to attention as Finn closed in, trailed by a few of his fans. The evening sun behind him outlined his skin with an ethereal aura, making the honey-like amber hue of his eyes seem to glow. With each step closer, Akira felt his stomach sink further towards the ground.
“ I thought you said you weren’t going to come. ” Finn mirrored Akira’s posture, flashing another one of those damnable smiles.
“ I changed my mind. ” Akira shrugged, lowering his arms to slide his hands into the pockets of his jeans. His throat felt dry, but he still offered a small smile back.
“ I’m glad to hear it. ” There was a pause, an awkward shift in the air. Finn’s gaze lingered on Akira’s even as theirs fell away, like he had more to say. As usual, it wasn’t more than a few seconds before someone went to draw Finn’s attention; today’s edition was a boy named Hotaru. “ Kazi-kun, do we wanna head over to the docks ? The fireworks should be starting after sundown. ”
“ You go on ahead, ” Finn looked away from Akira to offer a friendly nod. “ I’ll meet you down there. I’d like to catch up with him. ”
Akira watched the small group exchange glances between him and Finn before saying their goodbyes and starting off, whispering amongst themselves. Akira sighed through his nose as he looked away to instead watch the flower petals nearby drift down from the tree above them following a soft breeze. In his pocket, one of Akira’s fingernails scratched impatiently at the cuticle on his thumb.
There were a few more beats of silence between them, unspoken words thickening the tension, before Finn would say something disarming, and eventually Akira’s shoulders would fall and it was easier to smile back. A lot of their recent meetings had started like this. And would likely end the same way as well. With Akira melting into the background once more.
“ I really wanted to see you. ”
Akira suddenly glanced at Finn again, startled. That wasn’t part of the protocol, now was it ? He was meant to say something witty, or tell Akira about the wild tanuki he met on his walk to school, or ask him what kind of food they should grab from the storefronts selling all kinds of peach treats for the festival. When Akira didn’t respond, Finn continued, tipping his head towards a footpath going into one of the groves. “ Will you walk with me for a while ? ”
“ Won’t you be missed ? ” Akira reached up and anxiously twisted one of his curls between two fingers, but his voice remained even, perhaps aloof.
“ That doesn’t matter, I didn’t come here for them. ”
Akira forgot how to breathe, but only for a moment. He swallowed the stone in his throat, felt it travel all the way down and land hard in his gut. “ ... Okay. ”
He pushed himself off the trunk of the tree he’d been leaning against, and soon fell into stride with Finn towards the footpath in mutual silence.
Akira’s expression remained unreadable, but his heart was pounding in his throat and it was making his head feel fuzzy. It shouldn’t be, none of this should be affecting Akira the way it was. Finn had grown apart from him, yes, but that wasn’t Finn’s intention and he knew that. Finn couldn’t help that he’d gotten along so well with everyone. And yet Akira couldn’t help but feel strange, that Finn was choosing alone time with him instead of continuing in his spotlight.
Well, perhaps that wasn’t the right wording. Finn stood in spotlight wherever he went as far as Akira was concerned.
“ It’s so beautiful, ” Finn’s voice pulled Akira out of his thoughts, his attention back on the brit as they drifted away from the crowds and the music faded further into the background. “ Never see anything like this back home. They’ve got nature preserves and parks and all, but this is a paradise like nothing else … ” he sounded deeply awed, eyes scanning the branches above them as they walked under them, deeper into the grove.
Akira hummed in agreement and looked away again, eyes trained on the path instead. It was getting darker out, and most of the people in the park were filtering out while Akira and Finn ventured further in.
“ You’re so lucky, getting to see this all the time. ” Finn continued, the more usual charm returning to his tone. Akira blinked at him. “ To have this much beauty right in your backyard, wherever you go, your whole life. I envy you. ”
It wasn’t often Finn brought up the fact that his visit to Japan was a fleeting one. He’d gotten used to hearing Finn express how much it felt like this was home. It was even less often that he admitted such things like being jealous of anyone, let alone Akira. “ It’s not like it’s every day, ” he pointed out, shaking his head as he looked back towards the path. “ Spring only lasts so many months. ”
“ True, ” Finn conceded, nodding once. “ But that’s what makes it so important to live in the present. This beauty is incredible, but only temporary. It reminds us how fragile beauty can be. How much it has to be cherished while we have it. ”
Finn stopped walking, and it took Akira a few paces to notice and look behind him. Finn was no longer smiling.
He turned his head towards a bench, about a dozen meters off the footpath, facing a small creek running through the grove. Akira watched Finn follow that gaze and head over to it, pausing only to glance back at Akira, a wordless invitation to join him. Akira dipped his head and followed.
By now twilight had set in. Stars were starting to peek through the lilac sky, the sun no longer visible behind any of the trees. As Finn reached the bench, Akira stopped walking this time, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck. “ You’re gonna miss the fireworks if we don’t go back. ”
Finn looked unbothered, brows raised. “ Did you want to see them ? ”
“ Well, I came out here, might as well. ” It was a half-assed answer, and from the way Finn tilted his head, they both knew it.
“ They’re gonna be doing fireworks all week. You’ll have plenty of chances to see them. I wanna spend some time with you. ”
“ I just feel — ”
“ Aki … ”
Akira hesitated, the name firing down any arguments or excuses he could’ve crafted. With a defeated sigh, Akira continued over to join Finn by the bench and sat down beside him, crossing his arms again.
They were quiet for a while, listening to the spring cicadas and the delicate babbling of the creek in front of them. Akira wasn’t sure what to say. The uncomfortable pit in his stomach hadn’t gone away, and neither had his heart stopped racing. His fingers rubbed the fabric of his shirt in the crook of his elbow, needing something to distract himself from the sensations.
He didn’t have to ponder it for much longer. Finn nudged Akira’s knee with his own, catching the other boy’s attention. He met Finn’s gaze, finding a vulnerability there Akira hadn’t seen in a while. “ I’m sorry for not trying harder. ”
“ ... What ? ” Akira furrowed his brow, confused. Finn turned his body to face Akira, and reached up to pry Akira’s fingers from his elbow and took his hand. The touch froze Akira’s lungs again, but he recovered shortly after, waiting for Finn to continue.
“ I’m not an idiot. They pull me away from you intentionally. And I know you don’t want to be confrontational about it. ”
Akira stared at Finn’s hand holding his own, unsure how to respond. He’d been content to just let it slide. It wasn’t his place to ask it to be any different. While Akira missed the time he spent with Finn before, Finn only had so much time to spend with everyone he’d befriended in his time in Inaba. It wasn’t the early days where Akira was the only one talking to him all the time. “ It’s not about being confrontational, ” Akira tried to laugh it off, but his nerves were betraying his voice. He was tempted to pull his hand away, even hidden behind the bench. But he couldn’t bring himself to do it. “ It’s only reasonable for you to make other friends while you’re here — ”
“ But you were a friend I never should have neglected like that. ” Finn’s voice was earnest, and he moved closer to Akira, squeezing his hand gently. When it happened, it felt like another hand had closed around Akira’s heart and squeezed the same way.
He pushed through the discomfort, and tried to give Finn a more reassuring smile. “ Don’t be ridiculous. It was never going to be just you and me, that would be — ”
“ Yeah well, I miss when it was just you and me. ”
Akira’s smile faltered. The hand around his heart squeezed tighter, almost painfully. This wasn’t a conversation Akira had been prepared for. Finn wasn’t supposed to like Akira back, and he most definitely wasn’t supposed to to tell him that he liked him back.
“ It was nice … ” Finn continued, “ It was like this. Just the two of us, able to be however we want to be, and say whatever we want to say…It was genuine. ”
Akira finally was able to respond, surprised by Finn’s choice of words. “ Genuine? ”
“ Yeah, ” Finn finally smiled again, not in that bright and twinkly way that was meant to be infectious, but in the way he smiled at Akira when they were alone like this. The way that looked truly happy. “ All these people...they’re nice, and I know they like me because I’m the fancy shiny foreigner who’s just really good at pleasing people. ”
“ You do deserve the attention, though. ” A little bit of Akira’s usual humor made its way back into his voice. The grip on his heart loosened a little as Finn started to gently play with Akira’s fingers in his hands. “ You were crying for it at one point. ”
Finn laughed softly, the sound like the bubbles rising and popping in the creek beside them. “ Well yeah, I guess you’re right. But at this point it’s exhausting. I’m just one bloke, man. ”
“ So that’s why we’re here. ”
“ It was so I could spend time with you, Akira. ” Finn was quick to respond, almost talking over Akira, who had looked away again. Finn tightened his grip on Akira’s hand, encouraging him to meet his gaze again. “ Because I miss you. And you’re right, I did ask for this attention and brought it all upon myself. But at this point I’d throw it all away just to get to spend time with you again like we did before. ”
Akira’s throat was dry again. “ Your entourage of school girls would be devastated. ”
“ Maybe they’re jealous of you. ”
“ Jealous ? ” The word came as a breathless laugh. “ What do they have to be jealous of ? I’m not a threat. ”
Finn watched Akira for a moment. Then, he lifted a hand and gently placed it on Akira’s cheek. “ Ohh, Aki … ” Finn sighed, his voice barely above a whisper, listless. His gaze seemed to linger on Akira’s lips. Akira was starting to feel a bit dizzy again suddenly. “ I think they should be terrified of you. ”
As he finished the words, his eyes met Akira’s again and searched them for a moment, gauging his reaction. Akira was frozen with shock, and yet buzzing with energy. He couldn’t hear anything over the deafening beat of his heart. And before Akira had any more time to process, Finn leaned forward and captured Akira’s lips into a soft, tentative kiss.
It was nothing like the clumsy fumbling he’d experienced when learning to kiss Izumi last year. When Akira closed his eyes and kissed back, Finn moved closer and kissed deeper, the hand still holding Akira’s shifting to link their fingers together. Warmth bloomed from somewhere deep in Akira’s body with each kiss, spreading further outward. This was terrifying. Dangerous, even. For a multitude of reasons. And yet Akira couldn’t bring himself to pull back.
Well, he didn’t end up having to. Finn was the first to break away when the cannon-fire boom of the first firework echoed from somewhere far behind them, bathing the night sky in a flash of light before others began to join it. Finn and Akira glanced up, catching glimpses of the fireworks from behind the tree tops. It was only a temporary distraction, the boys looked back at each other almost at the same time. Akira’s breath was uneven, and he knew his skin was flushed with heat.
Finn was right. Beauty was fleeting, temporary, and fragile. He’d be damned if he didn’t do his best to cherish it while he had it. The hand that wasn’t still interlocked with Finn’s was shaking slightly when Akira lifted it off his waist and onto Finn’s, rushing forward to kiss him again.
#memories { drabble }#fought it out in the debris ; now we know that life will change { the thief }#{ pre canon }#// takes place in his first year at yasogami#// also if u caught that tlou2 reference no u didn't#// let me pay homage to the best gay kiss scene i saw in my whole life#// even if it's the only good thing that came out of that entire goddamned game dkfvhdskd
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Gotta keep Gam company while she does her work
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There is something special about living in an agricultural-centered place. The passage of time is noted through plants and animals and the people whose lives revolve around them.
In January, the dairies plant the alfalfa. Wide open fields of little green seedlings.
February is the loveliest time of year: when the almonds blossom. The entire valley is covered in a blanket of blossoms of white touched with red. They cluster on every branch. Bee boxes are put out on every row.
The end of March is marked by the tiny green almond leaves replacing the blossoms, and every car stirs up a storm of white.
With spring, comes the baby animals. Calves, foals, lamb, piglets, kids. The fields are green and ducklings swim in the canals.
The alfalfa is harvested in May. God help you if you are allergic to hay. Combines stir up dust filled with bits of hay, every breeze is filled with it. Trucks carrying bales of alfalfa fill the roads, trailing bits of green and brown as they go.
Corn is planted in the empty alfalfa fields. The dairies begin to store the feed. Walnuts gain their leaves. The almonds begin to grow.
The first crop of summer: strawberries, followed closely by cherries. Peaches, nectarines, apricots, last is the watermelon, the cantaloupe. Fruit stands on every corner. The corn grows ever higher.
Fall is the time of harvest. It starts with the almonds. Tractors fill the streets, shakers, sweepers, harvesters, forcing cars to swerve around them. Dust clouds fill the air, the plumes can be seen for miles. As September creeps into October, open trucks filled with almonds are everywhere you look. Then tomatoes, covering the roads when spilled. Potatoes, squash, onions, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, apples, pears. Walnuts. Corn. Then the vineyards begin to harvest. It is the busiest time of year.
It is also time for calves again.
October turns to November, and things begin to slow. The leaves fall. The almonds and walnuts are bare. With winter comes the rain, comes the oranges, comes the chard, the kale, the carrots. Pomegranate trees are in every yard, alongside the roads, drooping branches with ruby red fruit.
November turns to December, turns to January and the alfalfa is planted.
#agriculture#farming#california central valley#poetry#i guess#but not really#just things i think about driving through farmland all day evey day
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@serpentsexile delivered a letter ! ( ❝ i need to know ahead of time if i’m gonna get slapped . ❞ (Envy @ Chrys) ) ┊💐 CHRYSANTHEMUM┊ 🧸❀ ━ 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐔𝐗𝐔𝐑𝐘 𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄 . // ACCEPTING !
˗ˏˋ💐❀┊ ( * THE GRACEFUL CHRYSANTHEMUM ) ━ A PORCELAIN HAND abruptly pauses midair , ❝ slap you ? what for ? ❞ HER LIPS were fixed into a small frown before her fingers lightly sift through silver locks , plucking off a cluster of dead leaves wrung around silken strands , ❝ you had something in your hair , i just wanted to remove it . ❞ SHE TOSSED the decayed remains into a nearby bin ; an assuring smile blossomed across her milky visage , her pale canvas blossoming with peach-colored roses . ❝ you haven’t done anything that warrants a slap . yet . ❞ THE BLITHESOME LAUGHTER that slips through her lips only solidified her jest .
˗ˏˋ💐❀┊ ( * CHRYSANTHEMUM ) ━ ❝ if it eases your mind , i won’t slap you unless you’ve done something deserving of it . how’s that sound ? no need for the dramatics now , envy . ❞ SHE PLAYFULLY TUGGED on his cheek .
#( envy: is she gonna slap me? chrys: :/ smh there's just something in your hair chille )#serpentsexile#˗ˏˋ┊💐 * ( 𝐂𝐇𝐑𝐘𝐒𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐌𝐔𝐌 ━ &&. 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥 × )#˗ˏˋ┊💐 &&. * 𝐅𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐀𝐋 𝐋𝐄𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐒. ( 𝐈𝐂 )#˗ˏˋ┊💐 &&. * 𝐋𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐒𝐖𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐃. ( 𝐀𝐒𝐊 𝐑𝐄𝐏𝐋𝐘 )#˗ˏˋ┊💐 &&. * serpentsexile. ( 𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐃𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐃 𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐕𝐀𝐒 )
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April Powers Earth Day
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April hath put a spirit of youth in everything.” William Shakespeare
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Gardeners refer to April showers bringing May flowers, and that is a truism. As an avid gardener, I believe in April powers as gardens burst into life with abundant floral reveals marking the beginning of a vibrant growing season.
In late 2023, the United States Department of Agriculture updated hardiness zones based on weather conditions between 1991-2020. The upward trend in warming temperatures is no surprise, yet our area has remained at zone 9b. The zones are a recommendation for hardiness when planning your planting. To find specimens that will thrive in our gardens, I advise buying local at your preferred nursery as you’ll find natives and plants that are acclimated to our climate. Also, local nurseries employ knowledgeable garden gurus who can answer your questions to help you be more successful. Wherever you are making your purchase, keep in mind that our 9b hardiness zone is only one factor when you are searching for the best plants for your yard. Your garden may experience a micro-climate different from your neighbors. Always familiarize yourself with the light, soil, and water requirements of your garden.
Intentional use of native plants that have formed symbiotic relationships with native wildlife over millions of years creates the most productive and sustainable wildlife habitat according to the National Wildlife Federation. Entomologist, Dr. Douglas Tallamy, and his team have identified what we call keystone plants, the 14% of native plants that support 90% of butterfly and moth species. Our ecosystems suffer without these keystones. You can search by zip code for necessary natives at www.NWF.org. Our live oak trees alone can host 275 species of caterpillars! Consider scattering seeds of sunflower, aster, fleabane, and lupin. Plant strawberries, trillium, goldenrod, dogwood, roses, and berries as well as fruit trees including apricot, cherry, peach, and plum as hosts to moth and butterfly caterpillars and pollen for bees. When broadcasting seeds either by hand or hydroseeding, don’t cover the seeds or rake them. Do a light compression either with pieces of cardboard, a lawn roller, or even your feet. Yes, the birds and squirrels will consume some of your seeds. Sharing is caring. These seeds require light and air to germinate properly. Seeds that are buried too deeply struggle to access necessary nutrients and may die.
Nature awes me as I walk around my garden. Wildflowers are in glorious abundance. So much is in flower that I don’t know where to point the camera. Western redbud, sour, choke, and sweet cherries, prune, horse chestnut, tulip magnolia, mock orange, and crabapple are just a few of my trees that showcase stand-out blossoms, many intoxicatingly fragrant, and all of them populated with pollinators. My camellia has been repeatedly blooming since December. It was planted as a one-gallon plant several years ago and is now seventeen feet tall and twelve feet wide. When planting anything, make sure you understand how large the plant will be at maturity so that you dig the hole in an area where it will grow and thrive.
My roses, which I heavily pruned in February, are also blooming. Not to be overlooked, forget-me-nots blanket shaded areas while woodland hyacinths, also known as English bluebells and sea foam statice have naturalized in sunny locations dressed to impress the garden in shades of blue and purple. Supporting the butterfly and bird population, the white clusters of viburnum flowers provide nectar for the flitting butterflies while the forming black berries feed the birds. California poppies, calendula, tulips, daffodils, potato vine, anemones, Dutch iris, bearded iris, Calla lilies, periwinkle, a variety of succulents, and masses of weeds carpet my meadow hillside and orchard. I’ll be busy for months to come!
The wisteria is budding and by the time I write my next article, I imagine a glorious gauze of lavender pea flowers cascading over the pergola. When growing wisteria, it is essential to consider the sturdiness of the structure where your vine will twine. Wisteria forms a thick trunk with stems that become woody as they seek climbing support. Arbors, fences, trellises, and even trees become their ladder. To maintain its shape and size, as well as to encourage flowering, wisteria needs regular pruning.
One of my favorite edible wild species that powers on in April is allium triquetrum, wild ramps, also known as the three-cornered leek. Foragers are fond of this delicious triangular onion stem, yet it can be invasive. If you cultivate it, make sure it doesn’t escape. These wild onions closely resemble the lance-shaped leaves of Lily of the Valley which is not an allium and non-edible. Lily of the Valley is poisonous with white, bell-shaped flowers, whereas the ramps produce umbels of small white flowers. All alliums have a very distinct onion smell. If you think you are gathering ramps but there is no onion smell, do not taste it. Always be certain of what plant you are eating as there are many plants poisonous and toxic to humans that resemble edible ones.
Although it’s early, I’m experimenting with growing tomato seedlings. I started with a couple of plants in March and will continue adding to my plot through June to determine when the best time is to grow this favorite fruit. As you plant your tomatoes, peas, and beans, support them with strong cages or wire. Tomatoes need six to eight hours of sunlight daily and are best spaced two feet apart. They will do well in large containers or pots of fifteen gallons or more.
Our mild weather, warm sunshine, occasional showers, diverse plant species, wildflower displays, lavish blooms, plus the humming, buzzing, singing, crowing, croaking, cawing, and hooting of wildlife make this gorgeous month a time of vitality, color, and renewal as youthful April powers!
Happy Gardening. Happy Growing.
Happy Earth Day! Celebrate Nature!
Read Lamorinda Weekly: https://www.lamorindaweekly.com/archive/issue1804/Digging-Deep-with-Goddess-Gardener-Cynthia-Brian-April-Powers.html
Nonprofit of the Year: https://www.lamorindaweekly.com/archive/issue1804/Moragas-Business-and-Nonprofit-of-the-Year.html
Cynthia Brian amongst the weeds and the blooms of Earth Day!
For more gardening advice for all seasons, check out Growing with the Goddess Gardenerat https://www.CynthiaBrian.com/books. Raised in the vineyards of Napa County, Cynthia Brian is a New York Times best-selling author, actor, radio personality, speaker, media and writing coach as well as the Founder and Executive Director of Be the Star You Are!® 501 c3 which was just honored as the 2024 Nonprofit of the Year by the Moraga Chamber of Commerce. Tune into Cynthia’s StarStyle® Radio Broadcast at www.StarStyleRadio.com. Her newest children’s picture book, Books in the Barnyard: Oh Deer!, from the series, Stella Bella’s Barnyard Adventures is available AT A DISCOUNT now at https://www.CynthiaBrian.com/online-store.
Hire Cynthia for writing projects, garden consults, and inspirational lectures. [email protected]
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2023 recap and 2024 plans.
Hey everyone, this year turned out to be a bit bumpy for my deskspace projects. Starting with the Iris Aluminum Edition, which ran into shipping troubles before the cases were even put up for sale (apparently the 3rd party shipping agent for the manufacturer used counterfeit shipping labes). Most of this batch couldn't be recovered and because of that a new set of cases was made as a replacement which delayed availability until late November. Keebio did use this as an opportunity to add two new colors into the fold, one of them being navy blue and it's the one I ended up getting.
I also had some trouble with the keycaps for this build. Back in May I pre-ordered GMK Peach Blossom which was supposed to ship by Q3 2023 but there's an ongoing dispute between the EU vendor of this set, MyKeyboard.eu and GMK (there's also quite a few more GMK sets that are also affected by this), unfortunately I only found out about all of this well after I had already paid for the keycaps. In the last update from mid October MyKeyboard.eu stated that they had reached an agreement to have some of the keycap sets released, this batch of a dozen or so sets didn't include Peach Blossom and it's been radio silence on this issue ever since. I considered refunding the pre-order but other people have been reporting that it takes forever to get your money back (if you get it back at all) so I dediced to just write it off as a loss and if MyKeyboard.eu does manage to sort things out maybe I'll still get the keycaps sometime in the future.
So with the original keycaps I had in mind stuck in limbo I decided to replace them with another set and got GMK Yuri (the monocolor Skydata base specifically). In hindsight it's kinda odd from me to not have gone for the Soviet Aeronautics themed keycap set in the first place. I think when I started looking for fitting keycaps earlier this year I wanted to have different colors for accents and the additional kit that would've made the standard Yuri base kit work better with split boards was already sold out and I dismissed it based on that.
Despite all these woes along the way I'm here now with a really wonderful keyboard, yay! The fitment on the aluminum case is excellent, the seam between the upper and lower halves is barely noticabley when you run your finger along it and the anodization on the outer sides is literally spotless. GMK Yuri has also massively grown on me with it's pale, light blue that's reminiscent of the cockpits from 80s Sukhoi aircraft, there were some initial worries that the orange legends on the keycaps would make for a harsh contrast based on the renders from the store page but the colors on the real ones actually mesh well together. On the board I have some Witch Girl switches from Mintlodica. This makes it my first tactile board and it feels really great to type on, the little bump on these switches also solved the accidental double taps that were a continued issue on my linear Tofu60 even after years of typing with it.
Adjusting to the split ergo typing experience has been relatively easy to my surprise. The largest hurdle was getting used to enter and backspace being on the thumb cluster but after roughly two weeks it started feeling very natural, now I actually think that those keys are much better placed here compared to where they'd be on a regular keyboard. Having a bit of distance between the two halves also corrected my old bad habit of never using right shift and typing with arms parallel is very comfortable. I dont think I type as fast as on my old Tofu60 yet but even so, the improvements in ergonomics that the Iris offers would not have me switch back to it.
I've also had some trouble laying the groundwork for the PC case swap I want to do next year as the case I've been eyeing, the Yuel Beast Motif Monument isn't being produced anymore and subsequently sold out (there are actually multiple copycat versions of this case but none of them seem like they match the original in build quality or aesthetics). Being an open frame made from a single sheet of bent steel would've made for a really unique looking PC, it would also avoid most of the clearance issues that usually come with small form factor cases and would even allow for easy maintenance of the eventual custom loop I want to build for this project.
While open cases/frames like this are a great showcase for components that also offer excellent thermal performance they do come with some notable downsides. The most obvious one being dust, for me this would've been a non-issue as there isn't a lot of buildup in my room and I clean my desk once a week with an electric duster anyway. The big issue that actually made me somewhat glad the Monument isn't an option is that I discovered that there's a ton of static buildup in my doom during the winter. At first it was a bit of static rustling coming from my IE 300 In-ear monitors alongside Windows showing some sort of USB disconnect error message whenever I stood up at my desk, something I originally dismissed as the IEMs or the extension cable they're attached to being damaged (the Sennheiser IE 300's dont exactly have a stellar reputation when it comes to durability). Then one day after getting off my chair not only did the usual problems occur but my monitor also completely glitched out, for a moment I thought my GPU had died but fortunately everything fixed itself after turning the power on and off a few times, this event convinced me that I was dealing with some sort of ESD issue. Since this happened I've been a lot more mindful about the humitidy in my room and make sure to ground myself properly before doing anything at my desk, this mostly resolved the problems from what I can tell but I fear that my room would not make for a good enviroment to run an open frame build in.
So with the Motif Monument unavailable and my now higher caution around electrostatic discharge the current plan is to get a FormD T1 (I always knew it in my heart that my SFF journey would have me build in one of these sooner or later). I did completely miss that there was some kind of dispute between the people behind the T1 at some point and now the case is now being sold on two, very similar named websites. The original one hasn't had a restock for a while it seems but the other, newer storefront has had some variants of the case consistently availabe so hopefully I wont have trouble getting one sometime early next year.
A smaller addition to the desk this year are two of these bookshelves that I placed to the left and right under my monitor, they're from this shop on Etsy. Made from a single piece of bent steel (like the unobtainable Motif Monument) and coated in a pale, almost pastel green they fill the previously empty space nicely even with the monitor hiding a bit of their top.
I'm super glad I found them as I began reading manga this year, starting (unsurprisingly perhaps) with Laid-Back Camp which made me fall in love with that series all over again, the art of the original is just incredibly beautiful (not that the C-Station adaptation doesn't look great or anything, it's more that the manga really stands on its own in a way that could not have been adapted into motion). In addition to that K-On!'s four main volumes were something I enjoyed very much, a bit to my surprise as I heard people weren't huge on the four-panel style in comparison to the anime. I'm looking foward to continuing my Laid-Back journey throughout next year and also starting Bocchi the Rock!, all while filling my fancy new bookshelves along the way.
So this wraps up 2023 for me, despite a few hick-ups I'm pretty happy with how my deskspace evolved over the past twelve months. The PC case swap and the custom loop that will be built around it are shaping up to become a pretty massive task, so 2024 is already looking like it'll be very busy but I'm looking forward to sharing my progress on all of it in due time.
(≧◡≦)
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- 𝔸𝕟 𝕦𝕟𝕖𝕩𝕡𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕖𝕕 𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕣 - 𝔸 𝕥𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕖𝕣. -
𝕎𝕣𝕚𝕥𝕖𝕣'𝕤 𝕟𝕠𝕥𝕖: It's been a while since I've showed anything that I've been working on publicly, mostly because I was taking a small break but here it is! Today I managed to move onto Act 3 - so it's progressing well! Also, how do you feel about lotus flowers?
𝖧𝖺𝗉𝗉𝗒 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽𝗂𝗇𝗀!
Tensed muscles found relief in the comfort of warm bed sheets. Glad that the day had finally been over. I smelt the honeyed aroma as it rolled off my sheets. I’d lay here forever if I could. It was far more peaceful here than it was earlier downstairs, even though it was out of good will. With strength lingering in my limbs, I twisted my body to the side, taking in more of the perfect view of the world just beyond my balcony.
Vague wisps of translucent clouds hovered over the night sky, some intermingling with the scattered stars, while others hovered in a linear cluster just beyond the woodlands. Forming a bed of clouds for the sleepy crescent moon. The moon’s snowy glow seeped into my room, making its presence known despite rivalling the soft light of my bedside lamp. Correspondingly, illuminating peach blossom walls, wall-mounted paintings, cinnamon dressers and periwinkle perfumes. Just beyond my bed was a small bookshelf with all my favourite books. I’d be sure to read them again once I got the chance.
Cool air swooped past the balustrade. The gust brushed against the hem of my nightgown and glazed my legs. Stealing a pleased hum as I settled further into my sheets.
It has been an extremely busy day today, by far one of the busiest days I've had this month. Dealing with the recent batch of new customers has been taking up most of my energy. I barely had a moment's breath before I heard the bell from the front door. Perhaps it was the new dish that I added to my menu a few days ago; the thought of it being that brought a smile to my lips. Starting an establishment on my own had been a dream of mine from my younger years. My mother and I used to travel the world, spreading our love for food with everyone curious enough to try it. My mother’s passion eventually became my own. I wanted to carry on her legacy. Food was a universal language— something that we all understood no matter where we came from.
I made the decision to settle in Japan. In a small village a little before the mountains. There weren’t many who looked like me— between that and learning the language, it was natural that I stuck out like a sore thumb. Though that never stopped me. Much to my relief, a little after I had settled the community took me in. They were as quiet as they were accepting— taking me in with open arms and with an opportunity to consider me family too. The village was lively during the day, children running to and fro, merchants were up and about ready to make ends meet. Though when dusk came, the village seemed absent from everything. Only leaving vague trails of what it used to be.
- 𝔸𝕝𝕝 𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕘𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕤 -
❀𝔸𝕟 𝕠𝕝𝕕 𝕥𝕒𝕝𝕖 ⚘ ꕤ 𝕀𝕟 𝕒𝕟𝕠𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝕝𝕚𝕗𝕖 ⚘ ❁ 𝕊𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕞𝕠𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕟
#kyojuro rengoku x black!reader#kyojuro x you#black female reader#kyojuro x black reader#rengoku kyojuro#kyojuro rengoku#fanfic#rengoku kyojurou#aurae talks#kyojuro x reader#kyoujurou
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