To anyone who follows this blog and isnāt in the know how already, some amazing people are running a gift exchange for 2020 over at @d20exchange ! Hop on board if you havenāt, sign ups for that exchange end on Dec 1st!
An online gift-giving D20 event! Sign-up and find more with the link below :)
Prompt: Em/Sofia, domestic life (bonus points for including La Gran Gata)
Itās hard. Moving on from Dale when he comes home so often, and even then, she knows she wouldāve taken longer without him. His smiles were always worth a thousand words.
āWhat?ā She says abruptly when he beams at her, Em had just complimented her hair as she and Dale wrapped up their debate on whether Sof could write off the trips to the fountain on her taxes.
āYou need to move on from me, Sofia.ā
āYou never call me Sofia, Dale.ā She begins to sniff.
āNo, no, see you canāt. I canāt keep doing this to you, I know Iām here but. Iām not the same, I know you told everyone we had hot sex in heaven and I think itās a funny bit too but you know thatās never really what this is going to be.ā
āPlentyāa people are fine beinā single, Dale, I need you I donāt need a romp under the sheets.ā
āNo. You need someone to love you back, you need someone to kiss and to romance and to cuddle and make blueberry-chocolate muffins and buttermilk pancakes for. You donāt need an ex-husband who kept secrets his whole life and underestimated you because it was easier than seeing you in harmās way.ā
It feels like a tennis ball is lodged in her throat, but also like the weight of Dale just got lifted off her shoulders. She nods after a while.
āDonāt you dare disappear again. The monastery still needs you.ā
āI know.ā
āIāll get Em to punch you if you even think about not cominā back.ā
āI wouldnāt fight her.ā
āāCourse you wouldnātā¦ā she sighs.
āSo do I have to ask her out for you orā¦ā
Sofia finds she doesnāt need help punching him after all.
āWhat are you thinking?ā A voice of comfort, full of love, draws Sof out of her reminiscing.
āThree years!ā Sofia cheers and Em laughs, cuddling into her bosom to block out the light. Sofās finger runs over Emās, she has to go soon, they both do. But theyāve found that even Em can have days off- it seems that humans donāt notice a missing statue if itās made of magic.
āNot yet.ā Em teases.
Sofia huffs at her, āFine!ā She groans. āTwo years, 363 days and an hour.ā
Em laughs herself out of bed and Sofia smiles, beaming as Em discovers the batch of chocolate buttermilk pancakes.
Em eats two in one go and Sof shakes her head fondly, joining her at the breakfast nook where a feast awaits them. Their first date was their regular, weekly lunch minus Esther just that once.
āI love you.ā Sofiaās breath catches midway through chewing her own pancake. She's never chewed quicker, and then swallows, her voice heavy.
āI love you too, so much.ā
āSo much.ā Em smiles, taking her hand and squeezing it slightly.
āSo Iāll wrap things up at the monastery early today and meet you at the fountain?ā
āYep.ā
āAnd youāre not going to say anything about the surprise?ā
āWhat surprise?ā
āYou know I know thereās a surprise, and why did Pete know? You know heās terrible at keeping secrets!ā
Em mimes zipping her lip and Sofia laughs it off, a blush staining her cheeks as they eat breakfast together telling quick stories of their favourite dates and impromptu gifts.
āI packed your lunch.ā
āI packed yours.ā Sofia smiles mischievously and Em laughs, bending down slightly so that Sofia can kiss her. Em doesnāt need sustenance- not human food anyway- but she can eat and she loves to eat what Sof makes. Nonetheless, Em appreciates the irony of her making food for Sof, but whatās better is that Sof appreciates it even more.
They both head off from their tiny apartment, Em magicking to the fountain through a treeline as Sof bounds up the wall and jumps towards the monasteryās courtyard.
āHey boss.ā
āHi Tom, howāre those spin kicks coming.ā
He demonstrates in lieu of answering.
āThatās great, Tom!ā She praises, ānow remember you have to keepā¦ā Sofia explains as she walks him to her class.Ā
Later that day, half-forgotten about what day it is, Sofās on her way to her 3:30 meditation practices when a familiar purr emanates through the air and Sof sighs and relaxes her hands into the fluffy hair of La Gran Gata as she appears.
āItās been a while.ā
āYou havenāt needed me.ā
Sof hums in agreement as the purrs increase in volume, her fingers finding the familiar pattern of scritches that the majestic cat enjoys the most.
āWhy are you here now?ā
āI missed my chin scratches and I donāt want to bother you when youāre- ah, it is a secret- I remember now. Have fun, young one. Donāt be late for her, now.ā
āEM!ā Sof shouts at the empty space between her hands and clocks the sun. Sheād better run.Ā Sheās only done this once before, run over these buildings but itāll have to happen again- she canāt be late for a third anniversary surprise! Throwing down everything except her phone, Sof takes a running leap over to the next building and only speeds up from there.
āForgot?ā Someone asks her halfway up to heaven.
āNot now Kug!ā
āIām just helping Sof,ā he laughs, and the wind pushes a little bit higher and faster.Ā
āThank you!ā
āBe good, Sof, be the best of us.ā
She lands on her feet, patting her hair into place as she looks up at where Em⦠is supposed to be?
āOver here, Sof!ā Pete says energetically and she frowns, walking over to where Pete and Kingston are standing near a massive portal of dream energy to another New York.Ā
Rowanās New York.
āWhatāre we doing?ā
āCāmon, Sof, everyoneās waiting.ā
āWha-okay.ā Sofia nods as a glimpse of Em enters her field of vision.
Em steps to the side, blocking Sofās view of whatās going on as she dominates the entry.Ā
āThanks, guys. God, I hope this is what youāll love.ā
āEm, whatāre you...ā Sof halts her sentence as Em takes out a small, black, velvet box. āOhmygahd, Em.ā
Em laughs shyly, āSofia Bicicleta. These three years with you have been the most delicious of my whole life. You light up my world and you warm my nights with your love. I know it wonāt be the safe but,ā she opens the box, a simple gold band inside, āwill you please marry me?ā
Sof nods, tears streaming down her face.
āThese are happy tears right?ā
āYes, oh my god, yes! Pete!ā
āPete?ā Em asks.
āUh, yeah?ā
āMy right pocket, jacket, I canāt- just, can you get it.ā
āYes, yeah, I got it.ā Pere says shakily, fumbling into Sofiaās pocket and clasps the identical black box in her jacket.
āOh my god.ā Em tears up, small tears of the fountain running over her cheeks.
āI was gonna go first, babe, I canāt think when you're beinā all mushy.ā Sof sniffs. āYou are the best thing to ever happen to me, Em. I love you, will you please marry me?ā
āRight. Of course,ā Em says, taking Sofiaās hand and leading her inside.
CONGRATULATIONSĀ spins in the air as everyone who they know pauses the party to listen.
āShe said yes!ā Em cries out and everyone cheers, āand so did I!ā Laughter rings out as everyone applauds and Rowan leads Sof off to clean up for their engagement party.
āAre you happy Sof?ā Rowan asks, pausing by the door after Sofās freshened up.
āIāve never been happier, Rowan.ā She smiles.
āYou guys are gonna be great.ā
āThe best.ā Sof murmurs, walking out to kiss Em in celebrations.Ā
Is that my anxiety or music causing my heart to rattle? (Gorgug/Zelda)
Gift to:Ā @allys-dicedeityā
From: @smaugintardis
Prompt 1: Gorgug/Zelda first date from Zeldas POV
Zelda reaches for her phone automatically as it vibrates softly, only noticing it since her hands are resting atop it inside of the pocket of her drawn-up hoodie.
Usually sheād be in the woods with Sam or Rachel but theyād been growing apart ever since her rages became more frequent, and even though her parents didnāt want her missing out on life by coming home early, she was resting her bed listening to music and centering.
As the sound of screeching bass chords rips through her earphones, she takes her phone out of her pocket and sees an undetailed notification from SocialGem. Frowning, she flicks the Crystal open and first notices the picture of Gorgug. The photo is of him on the first day of school, backpack on and metal flower in hand doing a thumbs up and a half-smile, like heās trying not to show too many teeth.Ā
Gorgug Thistlespring has sent you a friend request.
Her heart pounding, she accepts the request quickly.
Heās not going to like you if youāre so desperate.
Then unfriends him in a blind panic.
But now heāll think you donāt like him- you deleted him.
She quickly presses on the add friend button.
Still too desperate!
Her hands shaking, and through her head racing with conflicting thoughts of insecurity, anxiety, and Gorgug she keeps obsessively pressing the add friend and delete request in quick succession, panicking and spiraling as she gets up and paces through her room and around her bathroom and back.
Zelda finally stays her hand when a ding pops through, and a message appears.
GORGUG THISTLESPRING
This person isnāt in your contacts, would you like to add them?
<Whatās up? Uh, howās your semester going?
<We need to meet up
<I think you might be in trouble? lol
His messages come through in quick succession and she quickly types her reply
Not much, u?>
*Good. Not not much>
*Not not much>
I didnāt mean to type not much, I meant to say good. My semester is going good.>
Iām in trouble? lol? Like, do youā¦>
lol...what?>
Gods above, why canāt I just get flirting! What does he want me to say? Is this a thing?
<Hey, do you want to get ice cream tonight? I know thatās wild lol
Zelda flings her crystal in the toilet in surprise. Anxiety squashes the rage almost effortlessly as she panics around the toilet and quickly picks out her dead crystal.
āFuck!ā
She washes her hands twice and runs to her room, shakily missing the plug to charge her laptop so it will turn on. Finally, finally, it starts up as she starts chewing on her inner cheek her fingers tap restlessly in time with the beat. She pulls up the website and chats as quick as she can and types a message.
So sorry. I dropped my phone in the toilet Iām on my computer now>
Um>
lol>
Forget about the toilet thing>
That didnāt happen>
Something else happened>
I took a pause from the conversation for a different reason. Not the toilet, forget about the toilet thing I said.>
Zelda quickly gathers her stuff and peeks her head out of her room, laptop in hand.
āMum! Iām going out to Basrarās with a friend, also I uh, I dropped my phone in the toilet so donāt worry too much!ā
Her mum tells back, sounding unaffected, āOkay, sweetie, have fun, donāt be back before ten!ā
On my way to Basrarās right now lol>
Hope that you like banana sundaes because I also like them and then that would be a thing we had in common>
<That would be good for me too
<To eat a banana split
<I guess I like them too
Earbuds in, she picks a red rose from her mumās garden and starts walking to Basrarās, eventually beginning to form a leisurely gallop as she becomes more excited by the prospect of her first date. With Gorgug!
At Basrarās she glances around but canāt see anyone so she quickly ducks in and flashes a smile at Basrar. When she looks up a few minutes later, she sees Gorgug and then in the corner of her eye, notices the rest of his party, heads bowed close together as they whisper furiously.
Her pulse ramps up and Zelda can feel her eyes widen in instinctive fearful response.
āUgh, um, ugh, youāre friends here as, like, a prank, or something?ā
āNo. No, oh theyāre just...they wanted⦠they heard I was getting ice cream and then they wanted ice cream too. So theyāre just⦠itās good to see you!ā
āOh! Cool. Yeah, my friends, they all peaced out. Ā They didnāt want⦠they, they were all like we all live in different homes, we have to go homeā¦ā
āRight. All my friends live in different homes, too.ā
ADAINE
Tell her she looks nice>
āUh, uhm, you⦠you lookā¦ā he looks down at his phone, ānice.ā
āAre you bored?ā
āNo, no. No.ā
āWhat did you say?ā
āI said you look nice.ā
āOh. Cause, uh-ā
āIām sorry. Iām nervous.ā
āItās cool⦠I-Iām nervous too. I, uh, I ugh, your friends are, like, popular and loudā¦ā
āTheyāre really loudā
Fabian laughs, fig plays Bass with a bow
āSometimes I just feel like theyāre just so loud all the time and I would just love it quiet.ā
āYeah, I get that. My family is super, uhm, loud too. Uhm. And Iām like, the least loud, uhm, one.ā
āThatās, uh, me⦠too. I donāt⦠I like to be quiet. Should we get some ice cream?ā
āYeah!ā Zelda smiles.
Basrar swirls over, āAh! Hello to the young couple, ah congratulations on⦠is this some sort of anniversary? I notice you have a flower?ā
āOh, yeahā¦ā Gorgug looks at the rose
āI actually just s- I was- uhā¦ā Zelda panics and instinctively munches on it.
āOkay. Uhmā¦ā
āIām part goat, so I can, like, eat super anythingā¦ā
āYeah. Uh, do you want more flowers?ā
āNo.ā
āOh, okay.ā
āNo. But if you wa- If youāre gettinā- or do you want some?ā
āCan we a sundae with some flowers on it?ā Gorgug asks Basrar.
āI can only do ice cream, is the thing. So I can do, like, a- a flower flavour-ā
āOkay.ā
ā-but I canāt. I do very specific wishes, okay. Soā¦ā
āI get it.ā Gorgug smiles at her, as if sheās in on something, and Zelda swears she can almost forget her knotted stomach if he would just keep looking at her like that.
āOkay.ā Basrar says, sounding miserable.
āWhaaa- yeah. Whatever, uh, this flower flavour sounds good.ā
āUh, flower is okay, do you wish to use your wish for ice cream later or is someone going to pay?ā
āI can, uh, Iāll pay.ā Zelda offer immediately.
āI got it, I got it. I can- Iāll pay. It was my idea, so, yeah.ā Gorgug says quickly and Zelda looks furtively down from his broad smile.
āUh, okay.ā She looks at Gorgug, anxiety building again. āYeah, my family all worship, um, the god of wine and ecstasy-ā
āOh.ā
āUm, and I-ā
āCool.ā
āIām, um, Iām training to be a battle dancer, and-ā
āBattle Dancer?ā
āYeah, sort of my ancestors would go wild in the hills, in forests, and they would, um, drink wine and experience a deep ecstasy, and they would, um, rend men limb from limbs with their hands.ā
āSo cool.ā
āReally?ā Zelda says, surprised, āSo-some people think it makes me, like, a freak.ā
āOh.ā Grogug pauses, āI donāt think so, I think itās cool.ā
āRad.ā Zelda breathes, a small smile forming.
āYeah.ā
āUhm, thatās why I thought it was weird when you flipped out on Ragh, it was just that I got super, um, like when you flipped out itās like, thatās⦠hot.ā Zelda confesses.
āOh.ā Gorgug looks at her, wide-eyed.
āBecause I alsoā¦ā Zelda starts explaining.
āWhat?ā Gorgug asks, taken aback.
āNoā¦ā Zelda laughs wrily, āI-Itās stupidā¦ā
āNo itās notā¦ā Gorgug says quickly, āI mean, cool. Thatās awesome.ā
āYeahā¦ā Zelda says softly, retreating back into her hair, āWhatever.ā
āThatās really awesome.ā
āI just, like, uh- I flip, like-ā
āDo you flip out?ā
āYeah, I have to. I have to practice with Porter, uh, because I canāt be in the room with regular barbarian classes ācause I flip out too hard for the other barbarians.ā
āReally?ā Gorgug asks, intrigued.
āYeah. āCause itās like a- like a divine thing where itās like powered by the god of wine and, uh, and ecstasy. And so thereās a- it gets really, uh, disturbing, what I have to go throughā¦ā She trails off.
āI bet itās awesome.ā Gorgug smiles and Zelda smiles back at him, a little sheepish.
His face quickly turns serious as he looks down into his lap, and she frowns, confused as anxiety starts creeping in again.
āHey, um, like, this feels like an annoying thing to ask but do you, uh, do you know Penelope?ā
Oh, god, what if he likes Penelope and he thinks weāre friends so he can get to her through me?
āOh. Not super well. She asked me to hang out earlier today, but uhmā¦ā
āOkay, ācause sheās been doing some weird...stuff. Me and my friends were just, like, kinda noticingā¦ā
Oh, thank god, he doesnāt like her⦠is he⦠concerned? For me?
āYeah, I didnāt super get it, she actually asked me about you,
āWhy?ā
āAnd like, if we had, like, hooked up at all, orā¦ā
āOh.ā
āI dunno, she like thought⦠ā Zelda trails off, āit was weird.ā
They both laugh awkwardly.
āIt was weird.ā
āSo weird.ā Gorgug agrees.
āI havenāt hooked up with anybody, so.ā Zelda fiddles with her hoodie strings, unsure why she canāt get her mouth to just stop.
āOh, yeah, I uh-I-hkum, I know what youāre thinking, but yeah, me neither. I just like this jacket, and stuffā¦ā
āBut is she, like, weird. Is she not cool?ā
āI donāt think, sheās like maybe.ā Gorgug sighs. āI donāt wanna, like, freak you out, but I think sheās like, maybe, like, a psycho⦠uhmā¦ā
āWeird.ā
āKiller person? Like, she might be doing some crazy stuff, like putting people in⦠stuff.ā
āOh, Iāll super- she asked me to hang out tomorrow- but Iāll⦠super not.ā
āWait. Whe- uh, yeah, maybe you should, but also where did you- she, uh, say that she wanted to hang out?ā
āJust like, at school.ā
āOkay⦠cool.ā Gorgug pauses, āWhat kinda music dāyou like?ā
āUm, I like a lotta different stuff⦠screamo, I like emo, I like punk and, like, some pop-punk I likeā¦ā Zelda smiles, listing all of her favourites as she revels in being the only thing in Gorgugās attention. āUm, what about you?ā
āThe same stuff.ā
āAwesome.ā She smiles, and they talk about how different metals seem to make their rages have a different vibe.Ā
Gorgug is sweet and attentive, the ice cream is cold, although they donāt eat a sundae but now flower-flavoured ice cream is their thing. He doesnāt seem to listen to a lot of music, but his enthusiasm is super cute and sheās already half-made a mix-tape for him by the time he offers her the last few spoons of the ice cream.
Her heart seems calm around him, and the butterflies are slowing down too. She really likes him a lot, and despite their weird date, sheās glad he finally asked her because she almost thought he would have lost interest in his newfound popularity.
As she glances at the clock above the counter, she smiles sadly. āItās getting late.ā She half-smiles and Gorgug looks like heās sad about that too.
Please walk me home, please walk me home. Her mind races and she clenches her jaw in an effort to get it to shut up. Standing up she waves at his loud but harmless friends, āAlright, well, itās getting late and my parents get mad at me if I, like, get home too early because theyāre like ālive life,ā you know, ārip your clothes off, feel the rush of blood and the warmth of what it means to really liveā and Iām like, Dad, shut up,ā she laughs wryly, āshut up.ā
āRight.ā Gorgug nods, having got up as she explained. āUm, my parents are gnomes.ā
āWhat?ā Zelda asks, taken aback.
āYou guys should go home together!ā Kristen shouts, slurring as she stumbles up from her seat.
Zelda panics, terrified that Gorgug will laugh off Kristen and her, because she wants that so bad.
āI, uh, I gotta go!ā
āOh, okay,ā Gorgug nods, eyes big.
āIt was super nice to-ā
āYeah.ā Gorgug nods, happy, āIāll see you at school tomorrow.ā
āYeah. Iāll see you at school.ā
āAwesome.ā Gorgug says easily.
āAwesome.ā She echoes
āAwesome.ā Gogug says again.
āBye.ā She gulps and runs off quickly, her heart racing.
Half a block away she puts in her earphones and slows to a steady walk, listening to some older Screamo and thinking about Gorgug. When she glances behinfd her after a while, her senses going off she lets out a screach as she sees a flaming motorcycle gaining on her. Zelda runs, taking a sharp left but the motorcycle slows down and loops around right apparently not after her at all. She calms the rising rage and breathes slowly, switching to emo music for the rest of the way home.
i finished this on the check in date but completely forgot about the extended exchange date ahah. here this is anyway for @kysartblog . i love these two so much
āNow donāt we look like a couple a good lookin guys~ā
āPete. I donāt think anyone can make this shirt look goodā¦ā
Happy Exchange Day @sohkbarr ! I had a lot of fun with this one, especially finding really awful shirts that Pete could push on Kingston. Heās lucky he only got the neon floral, it couldāve been much much worse. @dim20exchange
Happy Exchange DayĀ @flipwizardmcgay ! I loved your prompt so much I ran away with it in a literal ship fight lol I hope you enjoy these boys bickering strategy while clearly trying to cover each otherās backsĀ @dim20exchange
im not a huge posting on tumblr kinda guy, but i recently participated in the @dim20exchange !!! so this cute lil new years smooch goes to @rizfuckgak (ā: i hope u like it!!!