Rumors have long swirled through the streets of Vesuvia, from the gilded halls of the Heart District to the back alleys of the South End, of the Midsummer Masquerade. A hushed, secret affair, one without the fanfare of the Palace's usual soirees, but with no less extravagance. By express invitation, it's said, and any who have attended are coy, quietly demurring or changing the subject when asked if they really attended such a fete.
But now, a month out from the longest day of the year, an invitation has arrived at your door.
Welcome to the Midsummer Masquerade.
Wilkommen, bienvenue, welcome! The Midsummer Masquerade is a week-long themed Arcana tumblr fandom event for exploring our MCs' and OCs' wildest fantasies. Set to take place the week of the summer solstice (Sunday June 20 to Saturday June 26), this spicy event is open to all over the age of 18. In the weeks leading up to the main event, we will be posting prompts and questions as a little teaser, and hopefully to spark your creativity along the way.
Your mods, @vissenta-senadz (who follows and likes from their main @y-kant-ouiser-read) and @nvvermore, are excited to see what delightfully depraved and deranged art, fics, playlists, moodboards, and whatever else may strike your fancy that you'll create! This is, we believe, a fun and unique theme that is particularly well-suited to the adult side of this fandom, and above all else, we want people to have fun and explore.
However, we do ask that you read and respect our rules and guidelines:
This is a NSFW event. 18 and over only. Any minors who attempt to participate will be blocked and their posts left unshared. For this reason, we ask that participants signify in their bio that they are over 18.
Please tag your posts for this event with the hashtag #VesuviaAfterDark. This is the simplest way for us to find and track submissions for reblogging. A tag for the blog itself in the body of the post won't hurt either! If you believe your post fell through the cracks, please wait at least 24 hours before directly contacting your mods, and we will be happy to help or answer any questions.
As this is an event that deals with kink and general NSFW themes, we request that content be placed under a cut with appropriate tags and any applicable warnings. This is out of courtesy to your dashboards at large, and to those participating who may wish to avoid certain topics.
On that note, we will place the fourth rule under a cut, as it does discuss triggering topics that are not allowed under any circumstances.
There will be a no tolerance policy for: racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, whorephobia, or kinkshaming. With that last point said, there are some topics that are not kinks and will also not be tolerated, including but not limited to: rape, incest, pedophilia, and bestiality. Please use your common sense.
Mods reserve the right to not reblog any content that we feel is not in keeping with these rules or with the spirit of the event.
An accompanying piece to @arcanecadenzaâs fic Never Felt So Good đ, which is absolutely gorgeous and a wonderful/quiet way to end the Midsummer Masquerade. These two have such lovely chemistry :3
had to crop this one a little extra heavy just because of the positioning, but let's end the night with a bang, and a little showing off on the balcony đđ
link to the full version here!
thank you for putting on this wonderful event @midsummer-masquerade, you did an amazing job building this up and it was wonderful seeing all of the amazing content made over the week! hope to do this again next year đ
A night to remember indeed. All good things come to an end, and the Midsummer Masquerade is no exception. The day after deserves something just as special, though.
Thank you all so much for making this event a real treat! We loved seeing everyoneâs creations, and hope it fuels imaginations for weeks to come. But all wild nights deserve soft mornings, and weâd like to know: how does your MC take care of themselves? Their partner(s)? Aftercare is just as important, you know. Celebrate this Sunday with some softness.
In which, Theodore and Meredith finally get some time to themselves away from the rest of the crew of The Jagged Ruby, and they intend to make the most of it
If youâve followed my last two fics with these two, this takes place quite a bit of time after Rose-Colored Boy, but is canon for them. Also, the bodycage Meredith wears can be found here.Â
Prompts Used: Worship, Lingerie
Title: Paradise Is You by La Roux
4.4k words
Theodore hadnât known what to expect from the midsummer masquerade when Meredith handed him his invitation, from the former Count Lucio himself, written in a script he could barely read, but it was better than anything he could have imagined.
From the moment he stepped through the palace gates, his head was whipping around trying to look at everything at once. The palace itself was gorgeous, and he wanted to know more about the architecture in general, but the decorations pertaining to the masquerade were what captivated him the most. There were an endless number of rooms, food, drinks, and people for him to experience, he was almost overwhelmed. But mostly he was just excited.
2k words. Written for the @midsummer-masqueradeâ, day 7, using the prompt âPraiseâ. Set in the same universe as @arcanecadenzaââs (whom Dante belongs to) Get Some đ, but after the events of the game.
This is what Anatoleâs outfit is based on. You can read the rest of City of Delights, here.
CW: Penetration, mild voyeurism between partners, oral sex, dirty talk, Anatole being a sap.
Anatole never thought heâd attend another Midsummer Masquerade, but he couldnât say he wasnât exactly surprised when Nadia mentioned sheâd bring them back. His indecision about attending lasted until he saw Dante and handed him his own invite â he had wriggled the edges in his hands as he asked him if they were going together.Â
âWould you like us to?â
âYes,â Dante said, looking both excited, nervous and hopeful in a way that made Anatole sure he was already fantasising about it.
1,082 words. In which Dante wakes up sometime during the afternoon the day after the Midsummer Masquerade and is greeted by a very peculiar set of circumstances. Content warning(s): allusions to sexual content and mentions of alcohol. You can catch up on the rest of Remember That Night here.
Dante woke up feeling as though he had been run over by a carriage. Or maybe even two in rapid succession. He was pretty sure that he hadnât been run over, though. That being said âpretty sureâ always left room for doubt and considering how physically shitty he felt, he wasnât going to discount the possibility. His back was so stiff that his entire spine crackled when he propped himself up on his forearms to get a better idea of where, exactly, he was waking up that morning, afternoon, or evening.
The carpet beneath him was plush and expensive, and it absolutely reeked of alcohol. Then again, he had been lying on it for an indeterminate amount of time, so it was wholly possible that he had been the one to make it stink. Gods above, he hoped that the owner of the carpet had a really good cleaner and/or would show him mercy for stinking it up while he slept. The rest of the room looked like it had been furnished with things that were just as expensiveâif not more soâthan the carpet, and a lot of it carried a deep crimson theme that made Dante feel just a little bit threatened because of how closely the shade of paint on the walls resembled blood.
2,032 words. Featuring @amuseoffireââs Theo Tazian. In which Dante finds someone who is not the Count to help him take care of his hard-on. Lemon: praise, dirty talk that doubles as encouragement, clothed sex, marking, and implied exhibitionism. Content warning(s): mentions of drugs and alcohol. You can catch up on the rest of Remember That Night here.
~ In which a small pirate crew returns to the seaâŚ
@midsummer-masquerade
You can read all the fics to Off To The Races: A Midsummer Masquerade here.
Music: "Mourning Doves" By JhenĂŠ Aiko
~ 800 words
***
Nadia Satrinava stood on the balcony overlooking her gardens. She had already bathed and completed her series of asanas for the morning. She walked across the mosaic tiles in something loose and flowy with a cup of tea cradled against her abdomen.
Though Nadia had hosted a night that would go down in history with all the ones before, she didnât appear as if she had broken a sweat.
The Countess hummed as she strolled the length of the balcony and breathed in the smell of stale sex and alcohol. Thanks to the giant magnolias that grew on this side of the grounds, she found that she didnât so much mind those sour, sticky notes stubbornly trying to hold on to the present.
***
Adrenaline was tying her black mestre cords into a clean knot at her hip when she heard Meredith stir from where she lay. Naliâs lip quirked up into a soft smile as she leaned over the bed to brush a kiss to Meredithâs cheekbone.
âBom dia, rainha dos piratas.â Her gaze lingered and she whispered, âminha rainha.â
She didnât stay long enough for Meredith to register her presence.
Adrenaline walked past many open rooms with half-naked and whole-naked party guests â all of them completely passed out. She worked her long braids into a single messy one over one shoulder as she stepped over snoring Vesuvians.
Everywhere she looked, there was lingerie that had been repurposed into pillows and blankets. The larger pleasure equipment had become makeshift beds. A few poor souls had fallen asleep in their shibari knots, still lazily suspended from the ceiling.
Nali shook her head at the sight. âThatâs gonna leave a bruise.â But after a moment, she realized that many of these people probably wanted nothing more than to come away with evidence that they had made the most of the night.
The storm witch had found her way back to the bath chamber with the foam party from the night before. The bubbles had all dried up, leaving behind a graveyard of empty champagne flutes and rubber duckies.
Nali found a paneless window where she was greeted by the dawn. She came to the very edge of the window and tilted forward into a handstand. Once she was steady, she lowered herself onto her elbows and tucked in her knees.
Sobriety and discipline were the two things capable of connecting Nali to her prayers and her past. She embraced them both and remembered. A strange hum emanated from the inverted squat she maintained â the only indication that her body was steadily building up with charged particles.
Once Naliâs prayers were done and she was fully charged, she unfolded from the position and went to look for Mantis and Solo.
***
Sascha de la Vega was leaning up against the side of her rented carriage when she spotted Adrenaline coming towards her in the same pink, fuzzy stilettos she started the night in. The only difference was that she had traded her neon bomber for a complimentary robe.
That and she had an unconscious Sun Bai slung over one shoulder and a sleepy, but satisfied-looking Solo cradled in her arms bridal style. The tension leaked from Saschaâs shoulders once she saw that her brother and her crewmates were all in one piece. But as they drew closer, her magic registered the limits all three of them had pushed their bodies to.
While Sascha and Adrenaline loaded the boys into the carriage, the latter asked, âYou look like you were up all night too.â
âMost of it,â Sascha admitted without much thought.
âDoing what?â
Sascha patted the side of her jacket where she kept her pistols. âWorking.â
Nali blew a raspberry. âYou get a whole night off and you wasted it? Gods, Sasch. Donât you ever chill?â
They both stepped back so Sascha could close the carriage door. She explained, âI actually started the evening with dinner at my favorite restaurant. No one else was there and they had live music. I had a good time. The rest of the night was too good of an opportunity to pass up. Those bureaucrats at your party have sensitive information hidden around the city. When you have all of that power concentrated in one place, security is naturally compromised, which canââ
âYou know what? Forget I asked.â The storm witch closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. âTruth is, I am way too sober to listen to you right now. Just take me home.â
While Sascha steered the carriage and Nali propped her feet up and leaned back, Sun Bai began to stir in the cartâs interior. Sascha braced herself.
A sudden blast of mountain air awakened the gunslingerâs senses.
[Sascha.]
Good morning to you too. Did you have a nice time?
[....]
Iâll take that as a yes.
[Sascha.]
Yes, Bai.
[You had squid last night. At our restaurant. Without me.]
Sascha knew that Bai couldnât see the color creeping up into her features, but there was no doubt he would pick up on it thanks to his mental proximity.
I saved you some leftovers.
Something warm and familiar ghosted against the gunslingerâs temple.
[Thanks. But next time... just let me take you out.]
Baiâs presence slipped from her mind before she could respond. Saschaâs skin stayed warm even after he had left. Probably from thinking, given the event from which they had departed, how genuinely good it felt to know that she had been missed.
@midsummer-masquerade day seven: In which the night winds down, and Vissenta and Alexander have one more moment. 1.4k words
(nsfw: clothed sex, exhibitionism)
(cw: smoking, alcohol mention)
@devoraqs
Time always passed differently at the Palace Masquerades.
Time was a new beast entirely at the Midsummer Masquerade.
Vissenta leaned her head against Alexanderâs shoulder, settling quite comfortably into his lap, and breathed a contented sigh as his fingers ran through her hair. âIt feels like weâve been here for a week,â she said, looking out over the marble expanse of the veranda and at their fellow guests, all milling about in ones and twos and threes. An empty bottle of wine sat at their feet, long since gone, shared on their meandering path from room to room.
Their masks were long gone, abandoned in a room where thereâd been enough candle flame dancing around to make them both nervous about having so much silk and metal wire and, in Vissentaâs case, feathers so close to their faces. Vissenta was still in Alexanderâs jacket, the lapels doing absolutely nothing to cover her bare chest. Sheâd left her lace negligee behind somewhere too - the first private room theyâd disappeared into, if Vissentaâs tipsy memory served her correctly - and so sat, in a borrowed jacket and all-but-wrecked panties and knee-high leather boots, watching the night sky slowly lighten.
Alexander wasnât in much better shape. As Vissenta ran her fingertips over the rips and ladders in his stockings, he leaned against the low back of the chair, his free hand ghosting light circles over her knee. âI could probably sleep for a week.â
Chuckling, Vissenta tilted her face up to his, brushing her smiling lips over his parted ones. Her hands were inside the jacket now, seeking out an inner pocket. Specifically, she sought out a slim leather pouch, and when she pulled it out, she waved it in front of Alexanderâs face. âYouâre always better at rolling than me.â
He feigned annoyance, but took the pouch from Vissenta anyway, drawing out one of the papers, along with a generous pinch of fine, fragrant Firentian tobacco. She hadnât been wrong; he deftly rolled the cigarette, flicking his tongue out to seal the edge, with Vissenta watching intently all the while. One eyebrow raised, Alexander let the cigarette rest between his lips. âWhat?â
Vissenta gave him her own cocked-brow glance as she raised her thumb and forefinger, snapping them together to summon up a magical flame that glowed purple in the pre-dawn light. âYouâre good with your fingers and tongue, MacRionnag.â
Alexander took a long drag, tightening his arms around Vissentaâs waist as he studied her with a half-smile. âIt took you all night to figure that one out, leannan?â
She plucked the cigarette from between his lips, inhaling deep, her gaze trained on his all the while. As she exhaled, she pulled some of the smoke back up through her nostrils, looking back out over the veranda and the gardens beyond. âGods. I canât believe I paid so much for that outfit just to leave it behind for some poor Palace staff member to find.â
Running a finger just beneath the lapel of the jacket, Alexander leaned forward to drag his lower lip along the shell of her ear. âYou look better in my clothes anyway.â
A shiver traveled up Vissentaâs spine, and warmth crept down to her core. âOf course I do,â came her sharp retort, and she took another drag of the cigarette before placing it once more between Alexanderâs lips. âAnd you love it.â
He simply smiled in assent, leaning back and pulling Vissenta with him, one hand on her waist and the other trailing down to rest along her inner thigh. As he stroked his thumb along her skin, along the bite marks and hickeys, his gaze traveled further out, slightly unfocused, watching the lightening sky. Both of them lapsed into easy silence, Vissenta taking the cigarette every so often for herself, until theyâd smoked it down to nothing and flicked the dying cherry out.
âCan you believe we saw Valerius?â Vissentaâs hands moved to Alexanderâs hair and she gently combed her fingers through the red curls, brushing them back from his face, smiling as his eyelids began to flutter shut. âHey. No falling asleep on me, now, chevalier.â
Alexander nuzzled against her neck. âPerhaps Iâd rather sleep than talk about seeing Valeriusâ bare arse.â
Pressing her lips to his forehead, Vissenta suppressed a laugh. âFair. I was just going to say that the Palace archivist seems to have, ahâŚâ She snorted. âWhipped him into shape.â
Laughing softly, Alexander tugged on the ends of Vissentaâs hair. âThat was atrocious, even for you.â
She tilted his face up to hers, nipping lightly at his bottom lip. âFine. But youâre still not falling asleep. Not yet.â
Alexanderâs hand moved back down along her lower back, skimming along the dips and curves until he was cupping her ass, fingertips pressing and kneading as he squeezed. He flicked his gaze back out to the gardens, where more than a few pairs of eyes watched the two of them with lazy interest. âShould we find another room?â
Shaking her head, Vissenta shifted in his lap, twisting around until she fully faced him, her thighs on either side of his hips and her chest pressed to his. She kissed him again, slowly, almost lazily, her tongue sliding against his. She could still taste the tobacco, and beneath that, the wine theyâd shared earlier. Sighing into him, she traced his cheek with her thumb, and with her other hand, she reached down between his body and hers, pulling and shifting aside the fabric that separated them.
Alexanderâs hands and skin might have been naturally cool, and chilled further by the night air, but his cock was warm, almost hot, against her hand. He hummed a moan against her lips as she pressed her slick core against the curving, hard length of him, and he shifted, the tip of him teasing her entrance. Vissenta leaned back just enough to draw a sharp breath at the feeling, and she tilted her hips to guide him in.
Their kisses became more heated, just as much teeth as tongue, as Vissenta rocked forward and Alexanderâs grip on her thigh tightened. His left hand, with fingertips cool as ever, slid beneath the jacket to cup her breast, fingers brushing the peak of her nipple. A whine slipped from the back of Vissentaâs throat and she laced her fingers in his hair, tugging gently, trailing kisses along the line of his jaw.
With every roll of her hips, Vissenta felt the pressure mounting, felt Alexanderâs cock pressed against the soft, sensitive spot just inside of her, felt the delicious friction of her clit grinding against his base, and she buried her face in his neck, in his hair, her movements growing tight and urgent. Her skin prickled, her nerve endings were on fire, as she pressed as much of herself as she could against him, feeling everything: the brush of the hair on his chest against the skin of her own, the thrum of his pulse against her cheek, even the twitch of his cock inside of her as his belly tightened beneath hers, both of them close, both of them whispering curses and endearments between the syllables of each otherâs names.
They came like falling, like tumbling down a slope with only each other to cling to, without a care for who could see them. It was like the last time the pair of them were on this veranda, the time theyâd clashed with swords, strung tight with a different sort of tension that was no less them; there had been people watching them then, too, and for all the eyes on them, Vissenta and Alexander could only see each other.
Sated, Vissenta melted forward, raising her head again to smile up at Alexander. His eyes were still half closed, but he peered down, his own smile playing on his lips as he smoothed back the hair from her forehead to lightly press a kiss to her temple. Vissenta sighed, searching her mind for the words, hoping the syllables, unfamiliar to her tongue, wouldnât sound clumsy. âTha gaol agam ort,â she murmured. Almost immediately she bit her lip. âThat was right, wasnât it? Tha gaol agam ort?â
Alexanderâs smile was wider, his eyes fully open, and he looked at her with such affection that it nearly made Vissenta bury her face against his chest in embarrassment. He lightly caught her chin before she could, though. âIs it a question?â His voice was teasing, but his eyes glittered with something else, something fond, and proud, and so full of love that Vissenta felt her own eyes prick with a different sort of heat.
Vissenta screwed up her nose and stuck out her tongue. âIt might be now.â
âHm.â Alexander tilted her face toward his, as if to kiss her, but before he did: âJe tâaime.â And then he kissed her, long and slow and lingering.
Vissenta couldnât help her soft laugh of delight as their lips parted. âCareful, Sacha. People are watching.â
Notes: Day 6 of @midsummer-masquerade Prompts used: Outside, voyeurism, degradation, humiliation
Synopsis: A direct continuation of Hatef-ck Pt. 1
Warnings: lemon, minors dni, daddy kink, angst, squirting, unhealthy relationships, PiV, and some more hate fucking
Hatefâck by The Bravery
âShh, patience, baby.â He continues to rub himself against their cunt when he straightens up to swap hands. âDaddy knows just what you need.â
He draws the back of his alchemical hand across their chest, pausing to press against their rapid heartbeat. He lowers his hand further, claws just deep enough to sting without breaking the skin. He tugs at their corset and whines.
âI want this off of you. I want all of you. Here. Right now.â He buries his face into the crook of Vidaâs neck and uses his claws to tear at the laces.
âIâm not going anywhere, Lucio.â They lean their head back and try to cant their hips in search of friction.
By the time heâs torn the leather away a small crowd has gathered below. When cheers and whistles reach them he can feel Vidaâs excitement drip onto him.
âI forgot how much you love an adoring audience.â
âAlmost as much as you love the sound of your own voice.â
He presses forward until Vidaâs upper half is bent flat over the bannister. It doesnât go far, only a few inches and leaves plenty for the people below to see.
âYouâre being real mouthy for someone about to get publicly railed.â He yanks their head back to keep their face from being obscured.
âAnd Iâm starting to think youâre all talk. Are you alreadyââ
He refuses to let them continue. His alchemical hand goes to their throat and he releases their wrists from his other hand to guide his cockâs entry. With a few thrusts heâs fully sheathed and bucking into them. Vidaâs cries are garbled when he squeezes the sides of their neck.
âI wish I could always have you like this. The sight of you on my dick is like nothing else.â He pulls them back from the railing enough to bring his free hand around to their clit. He begins to stroke them in time with his thrusts and continues. âWhat I wouldnât give to have you under me every day. Filling you up until you leaked with my come.â
He feels their cun twitch around him and they start to shudder.
âOh, do you want that, babe? Do you want me to use you like my own personal cocksleeve? Although I do like to share. I bet the promise of your pretty mouth would have made all those diplomatic meetings much more fun.â
He canât see their face, but theyâre beginning to drool.
âDoes Jules make you feel like this? Iâm sure he doesnât. What about pretty Asra?â He lets go of their neck and watches as their skin pinkens as they try to swallow.
âAnswer me.â His command is punctuated with a thrust and the hand on their clit begins to rub furiously. His thrusts are getting erratic. Heâs close again, but if he comes before they do it means heâs lost. âBe good and answer Daddy. Do they make you feel like this?â
âN-no,â they rasp. He bites into the soft meat of their neck until he tastes blood. He feels them come on his dick and their release pools onto his hand. Their knees buckle as their legs begin to give out. Heâs won he can finally
âTheyâre better.â
Itâs like they timed it. They knew the exact moment he was going to come and they chose when to strike.
Vida sinks to the floor panting but smug.
âYou can be a real bitch, you know that?â Lucio doesnât look at them as he puts his spent cock back in his trousers.
âAnd youâre some paragon of virtue?â Vida is too engrossed in putting their mask back on to look at him, either.
âWhatever. Enjoy the party.â
âYou too, Lucio.â
Vida stays on the balcony floor a little longer, letting the cool marble baluster keep them upright. They close their eyes and try to focus on their breathing.
They need another drink, or a cigarette. They donât realize theyâre crying until they feel the droplets hit their hand.
âOh, fuck.â They wipe their face dry and hurriedly look for their cincher. When they go to tie it together the laces tear and snag on broken leather. It would be a funny metaphor if they felt like laughing.
Day Six! What can I say, Little Ava hasâŚ. Magic hands. (Ëľ ಸ u ಸ˾)Â
Oh man, I canât believe Iâve got all three done for the @midsummer-masquerade ! Thanks for hosting such a cool event~! Please gimme a shout next time you run something like this, Iâd love to participate again~!
