[flickerbell]

@floripire | continued…

Small cages on nearby desks and towering cages on the ground glint faintly when Colton’s pocket flashlight shines around the room. A chill sends a faint tremble down his spine.

“What…are they, though?” Colton shakes his head, correcting himself. “Who are they?”

Some of the beings around look human enough, Colton supposes, but he can’t help feeling as if there is more to this situation than what meets the eye. On one side, he hears almost animal like noises of chirps and hissing and growls. Somewhere above he hears soft singing almost sounding like birdsong, chirps and whistles. The other side has almost human like noises of trying to muffle cries and panicked breathing and barely whispered curses. Somewhere in the middle of the room, there’s whimpers of pain and fear and Colton can’t tell if it’s human or animal. Something further back tries to hoarsely mimic human speech.

Reaching to begin unlock the cage closest to him, Colton’s flashlight clatters to the ground when he feels something — and he’s not sure if it’s claws, fingers, talons, or something in between — successfully reach for him and snag the fabric of his sleeve before something sharp pierces his skin. The light beam from his flashlight now catches a pair of eyes eerily reflecting the light similar to the way that cats’ eyes do, and the revealed teeth resemble fangs in the dim lighting.

The noise that Colton gives in reply is somewhere between startled and curious. If anything, the grip tightens even more when he does. Colton thinks he hears a garbled sort of tick tock from the creature, before a curved fingernail or claw points at him.

“Please let me go.” Colton requests softly, a little too politely for one who can feel his heart jumping through his shirt. “I’m just trying to help you. Really.”

[reald0pe-deactivated20241124-de]

[mlm-blues]

yapper boyfriend x boyfriend who loves to go 'hmm' and 'yeah' and stare at his boyfriend yapping

[flickerbell]

Colton tries to not let his slight frown dim the constant and warm glow that seems to accompany his movement or fluctuates on his emotions. One would think that with such a gift, it would be an obvious claiming, yet Colton still waited.

And waited.

And waited.

At times, it felt like Colton was Rapunzel waiting in her tower; though he had gone on a couple trips to visit his family, these usually didn’t last long before he found himself back again within the borders of camp and wanting to see more of the world outside of it.

When Colton had brought the matter to Chiron’s attention, the centaur had mentioned that perhaps Apollo’s lack of response was not because he didn’t want to, but because he couldn’t – which naturally made Colton more curious than ever before. What parent couldn’t answer their own child’s call? Or prayers or offerings?

“Oh. I thought you were… I thought you’d want to stay a little longer than that…”

Colton’s voice trails off some, fingers going from the strawberries to linger at the threads of the blanket, as if hesitant to say much more before continuing on at his usual rapid pace.

“Danny and I–you’ve met Danny, right?–he’s my boyfriend! His father is the blacksmith, so we’ve been working on getting approved for a quest! Apparently we’re supposed to ask the Oracle or something—” Colton’s hand wanders to yet another strawberry, taking a bite, and thankfully, he has enough manners to chew his food before continuing to talk rapidly. “—but I dunno, I’ve heard she’s kind of…scary, y’know? Or maybe she used to be? So I dunno if I wanna ask her but Chiron says we gotta then I told Danny and he said….” Another bite, chew, swallow, then Colton’s nose crinkles and scatters freckles across his cheeks. “…that we’ll figure it out together, but I think he’s talking things over with Chiron and I came here ‘cause it’s nice. …you think Katie’s gonna notice if I ate more strawberries than I picked?”

[nosestealer]

"Don't get me wrong, I want to. I just can't. If I don't show up in New Rome in about two weeks, they're gonna wonder where I've gone. And if I don't show up, I don't have to come back. And I didn't work my ass off to get in, only to be kicked out."

Eleusine's enroute to becoming a certified knowledge witch. It'll take a while. But maybe - just maybe - after she's done with that, provided her people were still here, too, she could come back?

Something to think about.

"Never met him but I've heard his name go around. He's a good person." And that's enough. For now, at least.

She watches as Colton picks strawberry after strawberry, bites, chews and swallows. Elle chuckles, then. "I think so, buddy. Then again, Kates is cool. I used to eat more strawberries than I picked all the time too."

But then...

"Lux always got me out of it. I was - and still am - really lucky that way. He's doing all right, by the way. We're motivating each other not to quit."

A beat and then: "Can we loop back around to the whole quest thing, though, and you asking the Oracle? 'Cause that's, wow, that's a lot. In a good way, I hope."

[flickerbell]

“S’okay! I mean, you have things to do.”

Colton tries to not sound too sad, too upset, not wanting to come across as a pouting child but he has missed Eleusine. She was always kind to him, even if Miranda and Katie from Demeter’s cabin had differing opinions; Colton had seen and experienced Eleusine’s kindness firsthand, and he appreciated it.

Eyes widening a fraction, as if unable to believe it, Colton asks in a slightly hushed voice, “They’d do that? They can’t do that! Not after you’ve traveled so far and done so much!”

Colton has heard about Pollux in passing, much in the way that he supposed that Eleusine has heard about Danny. Colton has heard that he’s soft spoken at times but kind, good with both plant and animal life, and maybe, if Colton saw him correctly, he sometimes looked just a little bit sad too. At least there were times that Colton thought he looked sad; because although Colton struggled with some academic work, he made up for it in reading and carefully observing people.

Colton wondered if it was like the sadness he sometimes saw in Danny’s emerald green eyes or if it had a different story behind it.

“What’s he studying again? ‘Cause I think you told me but I don’t really remember. Something with…animals? I dunno if that’s right but I thought I heard something about that.”

“Uh-huh…” Colton nods, fingers pausing mid-hover over the strawberries, going to his lap instead. “It’s kinda complicated, ‘cause there’s a lot that even we don’t know, really… also, does the Oracle always look like that?”

[possession]

FROY GUTIERREZ via Instagram

[usermischief]

Froy Gutierrez as Jamie Henson

Cruel Summer (1x03) - Off With a Bang

[ohisms]

✱˚｡⋆ ↪ 𝐀 𝐂𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐒 .    (  a collection of  action prompts.   feel free to reverse roles as desired. this prompt will be updated.  )

[ REDWOOD ] sender lashes out at receiver when it isn't their fault.

[ WILLOW ] sender embraces receiver in a moment of extreme distress.

[ PINE ] sender fervently resists receiver's attempts to comfort / care for them.

[ BIRCH ] sender finally ends a tense argument by reaching out to apologize.

[ POPLAR ] sender mentors receiver through learning a new skill.

[ PALM ] sender and receiver avoid / ignore the stresses of real life together.

[ ELM ] sender lends receiver aid in a time of urgent need.

[ MAGNOLIA ] sender, believed to be dead, arrives at receiver's door.

[ DOGWOOD ] sender gifts receiver a token of good luck / protection.

[ MULBERRY ] sender and receiver take a long walk through nature together.

[ HAZELNUT ] sender begrudgingly patches up receiver's wounds.

[ CAMPHOR ] sender suddenly pushes receiver out of danger's path.

[ CASHEW ] when they're finally alone, sender invites receiver to dance.

[ LAVENDER ] sender lays their head in receiver's lap and closes their eyes.

[ BEECH ] it comes to light that sender has betrayed receiver.

[ HIBISCUS ] sender invites receiver to go traveling with them.

[ HICKORY ] sender pushes receiver to admit that they need them.

[ MAPLE ] sender shakes receiver's shoulders, begging them to wake up.

[ CHERRY BLOSSOM ] sender revels in receiver's beauty, stunned.

[ JOSHUA ] sender offers receiver a safe place to hide / crash .

[ ASH ] sender and receiver become reacquainted after many years.

[ FIG ] sender, knowing receiver is hungry, pressures them to eat.

[ YEW ] sender beckons for receiver to join them in the water.

[ CYPRESS ] sender shamelessly flirts with receiver.

[ LINDEN ] sender cares for receiver, who took a hit to protect them.

[ohisms]

✱˚｡⋆ ↪ 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐂𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐊𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐊.    (  a collection of various  location prompts centered around time & weather.  feel free to adjust as desired.  )

[ 1AM ] the stoop of a brightly lit psychic shop, pondering haven from the rain. [ 2AM ] the [ lobby / room ] of a run-down motel during a tumultuous storm. [ 3AM ] a dark graveyard thick with petrichor, well beyond visiting hours. [ 4AM ] an empty, rusty gas station nearly flooding with rainwater. [ 5AM ] a cabin in the frozen woods, large fire raging under the hearth. [ 6AM ] a bus stop hazily lit by the rising sun, earth smelling of petrichor. [ 7AM ] a crowded coffee shop, patrons in a rush to escape the morning rain. [ 8AM ] a serene camping site overlooking a valley, air humid & fresh. [ 9AM ] a diner smelling of breakfast food as rain patters on the window. [ 10AM ] a walled-in garden full of flowers, just as the afternoon heat sets in. [ 11AM ] an empty public playground, equipment hot from the sun. [ 12PM ] the middle of a sweltering outdoors shopping center. [ 1PM ] the side of the highway after your car breaks down from the heat. [ 2PM ] a bustling farmer's market ripe with produce, unhindered by the rain. [ 3PM ] a city sidewalk gloomy with mist & countless puddles. [ 4PM ] the forested perimeter of a vast lake, cold from snow melt. [ 5PM ] a [ restaurant / diner ], interior lights flickering under a fierce storm. [ 6PM ] a car interior, passengers stuck on a dangerously snowy & dark road. [ 7PM ] an outdoors event as the heat backs off, full of laughter & live music. [ 8PM ] the long queue of a club, impatient patrons stuck in the rain. [ 9PM ] the threshold of an apartment, knocking to be let out of the hailstorm. [ 10PM ] a windy beach past public hours, grains of sand mimicking the stars. [ 11PM ] the backseat of a car parked in the pouring rain on a lonely road. [ 12AM ] a pier on the cold, misty waterfront as fireworks are let off.

[charnel-grounds]

Ghost, 1899

[flickerbell]

“That doesn’t sound at all like how Danny explained gravity.”

Colton muses out loud, by means of continuing the conversation, eyes closed with a gentle breeze tousling his hair. Legs crossed with Colton on his back, he reached almost lazily for the strawberries that he had spent several hours picking in the fields; the sunshine above feels so warm.

“—‘sides, I thought the Sun goes around the Earth?”

Wait. That’s not right…

Colton’s theories and understanding sometimes seems outdated; for the life of him, he doesn’t understand why and sometimes all he can offer is an explanation of having multiple spoken and written languages before English being his so he sometimes mixes up the words. Opening his eyes just a fraction, he sits up immediately to look at Eleusine closer and give a beaming smile.

“You’re back! I missed you!”

[nosestealer]

"I am indeed. I'm visiting, though. Not back for real. I've got two weeks off and then I'm going back to New Rome."

It felt as though aeons had passed since she saw Colton, though that wasn't any fault of his. Nor hers. Sometimes paths crossed. Other times they diverged.

It's the way of the world.

"Missed you, too, buddy." Eleusine sits down next to him, beaming and beaming and beaming. "What have you been up to since my departure?"

[flickerbell]

Colton tries to not let his slight frown dim the constant and warm glow that seems to accompany his movement or fluctuates on his emotions. One would think that with such a gift, it would be an obvious claiming, yet Colton still waited.

And waited.

And waited.

At times, it felt like Colton was Rapunzel waiting in her tower; though he had gone on a couple trips to visit his family, these usually didn’t last long before he found himself back again within the borders of camp and wanting to see more of the world outside of it.

When Colton had brought the matter to Chiron’s attention, the centaur had mentioned that perhaps Apollo’s lack of response was not because he didn’t want to, but because he couldn’t – which naturally made Colton more curious than ever before. What parent couldn’t answer their own child’s call? Or prayers or offerings?

“Oh. I thought you were… I thought you’d want to stay a little longer than that…”

Colton’s voice trails off some, fingers going from the strawberries to linger at the threads of the blanket, as if hesitant to say much more before continuing on at his usual rapid pace.

“Danny and I–you’ve met Danny, right?–he’s my boyfriend! His father is the blacksmith, so we’ve been working on getting approved for a quest! Apparently we’re supposed to ask the Oracle or something—” Colton’s hand wanders to yet another strawberry, taking a bite, and thankfully, he has enough manners to chew his food before continuing to talk rapidly. “—but I dunno, I’ve heard she’s kind of…scary, y’know? Or maybe she used to be? So I dunno if I wanna ask her but Chiron says we gotta then I told Danny and he said….” Another bite, chew, swallow, then Colton’s nose crinkles and scatters freckles across his cheeks. “…that we’ll figure it out together, but I think he’s talking things over with Chiron and I came here ‘cause it’s nice. …you think Katie’s gonna notice if I ate more strawberries than I picked?”

[ur-daily-inspiration]

[nosestealer]

"We think that we are the center of the universe, but the truth is… we need to circle the ones we love for as long as they're here. We need to hold them close, because no matter how far we travel, they are the ones who hold us in place. It's gravity, and without it, we'd just all float away from each other."

[flickerbell]

“That doesn’t sound at all like how Danny explained gravity.”

Colton muses out loud, by means of continuing the conversation, eyes closed with a gentle breeze tousling his hair. Legs crossed with Colton on his back, he reaches almost lazily for the strawberries that he had spent several hours picking in the fields; a half open book of Greek Myths is beside him, the light breeze rustling it’s page, and the sunshine above feels so warm.

“—‘sides, I thought the Sun goes around the Earth?”

Wait. That’s not right…

Colton’s theories and understanding sometimes seems outdated; for the life of him, he doesn’t understand why and sometimes all he can offer is an explanation of having multiple spoken and written languages before English being his so he sometimes mixes up the words. Opening his eyes just a fraction, he sits up immediately to look at Eleusine closer and give a beaming smile.

“You’re back! I missed you!”

[flickerbell]

@floripire | continued…

Being a clock spirit often means having connections that others don’t – and not just with people, but time itself.

It means that straying too far from this particular clock tower both intrigues and exhausts Colton; it means that his home, his shelter, his tomb, is the very thing that he wants to run from so he can see more of the outside world that he has heard so much about. It means that the flow of time is almost tangible to him in ways other than adding wrinkles or strands of silver gray hair, looking like beautiful golden threads in between his fingers and delicately resting on his skin or sand clenched between trembling fists.

Briefly, he thinks about Udyati and how she mentions connections being like threads. Colton wonders if she meant like this or something else entirely.

It means that he can stare curiously at the sweets that he sees Floribeth (or others, for that matter; others like Udyati or Lou Ellen or even Danny) but he can’t even eat any. It means that although he feels as tangible as anyone else, although he felt Danny’s kiss and was able to return it with a passion of his own, he feels certain lingering touches and emotions all the more powerfully. It means that he feels Danny’s heart fluttering under his shirt, but is considered that he can’t feel his own; he doesn’t know if he can feel his own pulse.

“I’d like that.” Colton answers, softly, with an amber gaze turn to look wistfully looking out the window instead of meeting Floribeth’s own kind and concerned expression. “To hear your story, I mean. Even if it’s sad, it should still be heard. And I can tell you the story of clock spirits!”

His head tilts, as usual, and he looks as if considering her reaction. “D’you believe in clock spirits?”

[flickerbell]

“After a while, I thought I’d never find you.” (tickerhart)

@tickerhart

When Colton is chastised by Abigail to turn around, another voice (Colton can’t quite make it out since the voice is dropped to a whisper) reminds her that it’s about not seeing the bride before her wedding not about seeing the groom. Abigail agrees with the new voice but insists that she doesn’t want to prick Colton with the needle attached to the back of the flower that will be in Colton’s front pocket. Abigail also gently tells Colton to stop fidgeting.

It’s like asking Danny to not continue pursuing mechanic work. Or like asking their beloved Punzie to stop begging for snacks even after she’s just had dinner and tried to sneak off with a guest’s shoe. It can be asked, it can be told, but it doesn’t mean that it will be followed through and obeyed.

Colton gives an uncharacteristically nervous exhale.

The cake, decorated with fondant cogs and gears, waits in the refrigerator. Most of the food is in the refrigerator and away from the reach of one dog that is too helpful, hungry, and clever, for her own good, but last Colton saw her, she was receiving belly rubs from either Brandon or Cassie; it’s possible that Punzie might have gone to seek affection from another one of their friends if one of those was requested to help Danny.

Colton imagines beaches and ocean waves against bare toes, about the stories he has heard growing up, and he’s grateful that venue option was considered. Even if it had meant shooing away obnoxious and greedy seagulls.

At least this venue is one that both Danny and Colton had agreed on.

Each one of their friends has a role in the ceremony. The glimmering rings are safe where they should be. Their family members are in the audience, talking with one another, and Colton is glad to see some familiar homeland treats lining the tablecloth from afar. He can’t wait to let Danny try some of his personal favorites, to see his boyfriend-turned-finance-soon to be husband.

A familiar voice is by his side, and Colton feels the same tingle from the tips of his fingers down to his toes as when he and Danny had first discussed this event being a possibility.

Although Colton tends to seek out attention, thrives in it even, he wanted to be sure that Danny would be okay with it too. Colton tries to smooth out non-existent wrinkles from his suit jacket, glancing down to his freshly polished shoes, almost like the ground is more fascinating as he ties his own oxfords again and again wishes that he was barefoot instead.

At least Abigail has understood why Colton refused each and every color of a bow tie, why the only option he would consider for a tie was one that clipped on and he could remove at a moment’s notice. So far, the metallic colored one has been remaining loose, away from his throat, and not yet removed with the trembling fingers that followed whenever Colton felt something was too tight around his throat.

“I’ve been here, the whole time, Danny. And I’m not going anywhere…”

Colton covers his own eyes with one of his own hands, as if to please Abigail that he won’t be sneaking a peek of his soon to be husband and partly because he does want to be surprised anyway. Clumsily, Colton gives a kiss to the side of Danny’s nose, rather than his cheek or lips or even the tip of his nose that had been where Colton was trying to reach, but nothing stops the accompanying grin that Colton has.

“….well, except to the altar. I really don’t wanna be late for that.”

[teatimeatwinterpalace]

We can do this. Together.

DEVRIM LINGNAU as EMPRESS ELISABETH OF AUSTRIA and PHILIP FROISSANT as FRANZ JOSEPH I OF AUSTRIA in DIE KAISERIN | THE EMPRESS (2022) — 1.04 ‘The Hunt’

[flickerbell]

"The pure of heart shall make the leap."

@dvarapala

“Does that mean the unpure can’t jump? Or swim?”

With sand between his toes, salty sea air fresh and exciting, Colton notices how the sunset powerfully (and prettily, a part of his mind says) paints Udyati right now.

Colton thinks about the old tales that Danny has shared with him about gods and goddesses and Titans, about the bloody power battles, about tragedies that cause Colton to feel sorry for the doomed; he still remembers feeling it’s not nice that some are punished because of others, that he usually feels sadness for some that rarely are allowed it.

When he sees Udyati, he also thinks of Meena and Akash and their stories of their own respective culture. There’s tales of sun scorched lands and colors so vivid that he’s surprised that the only place he sometimes sees these colors in England is in the sky above. It’s easy to be fooled by Udyati’s kindness and assume her weak, but it’s a mistake that people might make with Colton too; it would seem that some have to re-learn that lesson numerous times that kindness has a strength of its own.

Then, Colton looks up briefly to the seagull crying out overhead. Watching the bird in curiosity with his head tilted to the side, Colton then looks back at Udyati before he finally asks, “…or are we talking about something else?”

[sabonhomeblog]

London: @mary_quincy