MVNDRVKE ; independent selective multimuse, written by luna ( 31; they/he )
A STUDY IN : ignoring canon, incoherent opinions on random muses, reimagining myth, musical references, adhd periods of hyperfixation, failing to answer messages consistently, forming complex dynamics between characters, and more.
muses marked with an asterisk* are either (a) ocs or (b) canon muses that have enough divergence in how i write them that it's worth checking out their about pages.
LITERATURE
HUNGER GAMES ( books & films-based ). effie trinket & haymitch abernathy & johanna mason
LORD OF THE RINGS ( films & show-based ). celeborn of doriath
BRIDGERTON ( show-based ). edwina sharma & posy li
MIGHTY NEIN ( show-based ). essek thelyss
PHANTOM OF THE OPERA ( musical-based ). meg giry
SHADOW & BONE ( show-based, au-focused ). inej ghafa
STAR WARS ( clone wars show & films-focused ). satine kryze & shmi skywalker
WICKED ( films & musical-based ). fiyero tigelaar
note: if i've written a muse in the past but do not actively write them, they are moved to my request-only page. if we have old threads with them, feel free to continue them! i move old muses there who don't get any attention to keep this current list clean, but i love every muse i've had the chance to write here. i'm always down to bring back a muse (or try out a new one) for my writing partners!
god i love putting my entire lunussy into new graphics and then realizing i had the night mode on my computer and the graphic looks completely fucked when it's in normal light
He kisses her again and though it's far from the first they've shared this evening, Nerissa can feel the difference. There's hunger, eagerness in the way his mouth moves against hers and she melts in reply. A pleased sigh escapes her lips, muffled by Halsin's own. Arms wind tight around the druid's neck, clinging to him, as one of her hands lifts to tangle in his hair.
Halsin smiles against Nerissa's lips, positive she can feel his expression as they kiss. He doesn't remember the last time he felt truly cared for in another's arms-- he's had plenty of lovers between that forgotten time and now, certainly, but there's something specially calming about Nerissa's hands on him that doesn't feel like it can be matched-- and he lets his hands gently roam across her body while they kiss. Careful to avoid places she's said she doesn't want touched, eager to explore each little piece of her between. His thumbs brush against her hips, teasing at the bit of exposed skin that peeks out by her waistline. "Is this alright?"
"Of course," she agrees readily. "I'll wait as long as you need me to, even if that ends up being forever." A bold promise but one she felt confident in giving. "You're worth it. I'm more than happy just staying like this."
So she says but when she leans in for yet another kiss, tender and loving, all Nerissa can think about is how she wants to be as close to Halsin as physically possible. When she pulls back, she feels so flushed that she thinks it must be visible, even with her crimson skin. "In the interest of... you know. Honesty and everything, um... Again, completely fine if you want to wait but I... I think I can... I'd like to go a little... further. If you'd like."
The way she's so careful with him, yet so passionate and enthusiastic makes Halsin feel positively giddy. They're pressed together, so close and yet even like this, he still wishes they could be even closer.
"Honesty is good," he agrees, nodding in encouragement. It's his turn to blush then, the tips of his pointed ears reddening a little.
"I don't want to wait," he says earnestly. He presses another kiss to her lips, heated and welcoming, eager for the contact she's said she's seeking too.
He appeared almost like a cat in this moment, so contented and pleased that Nerissa can't help but laugh happily as she continues to toy with his hair. His hands resume their journey up and down her sides and she squirms a little until they're all but pressed chest to chest. It's still somehow not close enough for the tiefling.
He kisses her again and Nerissa feels like she's flying. A hand returns to caress Halsin's cheek. "Good. If I've made you feel even a fraction as happy and safe as you've always made me feel, then I'm glad. It's the least I can do for you."
"You don't need to do anything for me," Halsin says gently. "Truly. I am content even if this is as far as things go between us. To have you like this is infinitely better than not having you at all."
His touch remains gentle and steadying. "I know we are both coming from a delicate place when it comes to being intimate. I don't want you to feel pressured to do anything before you're ready. Even if you change your mind, I will never be upset or hold it against you. All I ask is the same patience from you on my part."
There's a relief when he sees the city just over the horizon. Relief and dread. Baldur's Gate had a way of chewing people up and spitting them out, after all. It was home, yes, but there was a part of him that loathed returning, it seemed.
"The palaces above and alleyways below... Funny. When a city is all you know, how even when you hate it, something in you loves it so..."
OPEN: daero nightcrown (not his actual last name lmao) is a half high elf thief rogue, a robin hood type, and a testing muse so I have very little info about him unfortunately. But he's waxing philosophical about his prodigal return to the city.
Eurydice smiles, coming to stand beside her companion as she looks at the distant city. Baldur's Gate.
"When this is all over, you have to promise me you'll go to Waterdeep," she says. "See the city how it's meant to be seen, from the back of a griffon. Everything's so simple up in the sky. No Absolute, no tadpoles, no crazy cults and Dead Three. Just the two of you and the sky."
It does make sense and Nerissa nods, her fingers already shifting from Halsin's cheeks to his hair. She's mindful of her nails as she scratches lightly at his scalp, carding surprisingly soft hair through her fingers. She wonders, idly, if his fur is just as soft in his bear form. She supposes she'll have time to figure it out.
"It makes sense," she confirms with her words as well as her actions. "Actions, I can do. Words will...take some learning but you're worth it." As if to prove her point, she leans in to press a quick kiss to the tip of his nose. "I care about you, more than I know how to say. But I'll try. For you."
Halsin's auburn lashes flutter, expression content as she moves to gently scratch at his scalp. His shoulders ease, enjoyment clear in his face at the touch that he returns as he traces his hands along her sides again.
"That's alright," he promises her. "It does not have to be grand expressions of devotion and care. Be as you are and have been, and I will be most content with you."
He revels in being able to admire her freely, and a small breath of laughter escapes him just at the joy of it all. He presses a kiss to her lips. "I do not remember the last time I felt this free."
She didn't trust easily either. The difference between them was Halsin was still able to put up a front of being amiable and sweet, whereas Nerissa struggled to not greet newcomers with snark and venom. She had even snapped at Halsin himself once or twice. How far they had come.
Her red skin makes it difficult to see but Nerissa can feel herself flushing beneath Halsin's effusive praise. Her smile, embarrassed but so enamored, only grows. "Really? I would've figured it'd be the other way around, with how often I look to you." She didn't consider herself bad looking, per se, but she didn't have Shadowheart's silken hair or Lae'zel's impressive physique. Nerissa was, as far as she was concerned, an incredibly run of the mill tiefling. Not nearly as eye catching as Halsin.
Halsin, who makes his infatuation with her known in the way his strong hands tug her closer and his mouth seeks any patch of skin it can find. Her tail twitches happily, hands reaching out to hold his cheeks. "Just like that," she confirms before leaning in for a kiss of her own. "Your turn. Tell me what you like. I want to learn anything about you that you want to share."
"Good." The tail twitch makes him smile even more if possible, expression soft and adoring as he looks at her. The question makes sense, but he can still feel the color rise slightly in his cheeks.
"I enjoy touch," he says. "Casual affection; I am not shy about being with someone. I enjoy my hair being played with. Little things, really. I enjoy being able to know I am cared about through words or touch. Does that make sense?"
"I agree. I trust you with my life in battle. I can think of no one else right now that I trust as deeply as you, to be honest." It's a level of vulnerability that scares her but it's hard to focus on the fear when she can instead focus on the scent of pine and Halsin's gentle, reassuring smile. None of the others could truly understand what the two of them had gone through - or, at the very least, not face those old scars with openness and honest, despite their fears.
He kisses her again, briefly, and she wants nothing more than to curl against his chest like a cat. How she wished she could wild shape in this moment. "Noted. I like looking into your eyes too much to even consider it, anyway." Half joke, yes, but half sincerity. A bit more honesty to assure him.
His next question, however, causes Nerissa to pause. The tiefling frowns thoughtfully, gaze aimed unseeingly at some cushion beneath Halsin's head. "I'm not sure. Before you, I thought maybe I'd never like giving myself to someone like that ever again," she murmurs, honest but a little embarrassed. She thinks for a moment and her smile turns sheepish when she eventually remarks, "I like your hands. I like when you hold me."
"Nor I you," Halsin admits. "I do not trust easily." Too much has happened for him to truly let himself allow people in. He's lived a long time-- most of the people he's fought alongside are long gone, left in the Grove or the Shadow Cursed Lands under the Oak Father's unfeeling gaze.
He chuckles and presses a kiss to the end of her nose.
"Good, because I wish to spend as much time as I can simply admiring you," he tells her. "Without the fear of you noticing how often I do." His gaze always lingers on her, always seeks her out. He cannot help it.
He lets her talk, hands moving gently along her sides still. His brows go up slightly in a small and delighted little smile. "Oh?" What a wonderful piece of information. He kisses her chin, then her lips, resting his hands against her sides so he can pull her a little closer. "Like this?"
She giggles at his antics and she wonders if she's ever felt this giddy before, even prior to her time in Avernus. Part of her fears she'd float away, she's so full of effervescence and joy. Her tail swishes behind her, as if her wide grin wasn't enough of an indicator how besotted she was. Halsin's hands are warm as they trail up and down her sides lightly and she wishes to bottle this feeling to remember on the harder days. She leans over to remove his hand from his eyes - though his peaking made it an ineffective shield anyway - and laces her fingers with his.
"I understand. And same here. I already feel so safe with you and I want to make sure you feel the same, so please, if I do or say anything that upsets you, I want to know." His boundaries hide stories and while Nerissa is curious, now is not the time to pry. It may never be the time. So she simply nods, her other hand moving to tuck her hair behind a pointed ear. "I have scars on my back too. My lower back. It might not be entirely avoidable but when it is, I don't like being touched there." She pauses, considers, tries to think of that nightmare as clinically as possible. How much was done to her did she dislike purely because of who was doing it to her? Would she be open to any of it with someone as gentle and tender as Halsin? "I...I do not like being tied up. A hand restraining me is...something I can handle, I think, but nothing more than that."
Halsin nods in agreement. "Good. I never want you to feel like you cannot express your feelings around me-- positive or negative. I think we've developed that level of trust with each other already." They have an understanding, certainly, and one he's grateful for. It makes him feel less self-conscious.
"I will be cautious," he promises. He presses a gentle kiss to Nerissa's lips, like a reward for her honesty. Nothing wrong with a little positive reinforcement, right? "I do not care to be restrained either. Or having my vision obscured."
His expression softens again. "What of your likes? What sort of things do you enjoy?"
One moment, she's got her mouth pressed to Halsin's the way she had only ever dreamt of, and the next, his strong hands were grabbing her thighs to coax her legs to wrap around his waist. Right. Right, they were only a little ways away from camp and the others could probably see everything they were doing.
Nerissa made the mistake of tilting her head to allow Halsin's questing mouth more room to work and accidentally made eye contact with a smirking Karlach. Yeah, they were definitely in full view, weren't they.
Halsin's tent, much like the druid himself, was warm and comforting. The scent of pine was delightful but not enough to distract from the storm of emotion in her chest when Halsin flops down among his cusions, Nerissa perched prettily above him. Rules. Right. That makes sense. And while the tiefling nods, while she understands the necessity to make things as smooth as possible given their shared baggage and her inexperience, all the comes out of her mouth when she meets his gaze is a breathless, "How am I supposed to think when you look at me like that?"
Halsin chuckles, expression all fondness at Nerissa's comment. He covers his eyes with one broad hand, though he's peeking through his fingers a moment later. "Is this satisfactory?"
It shouldn't be. He brushes his hands gently up and down her sides, grounding and gentle touches to center them both before they rush into things.
"I want this to be good for you," he says earnestly. "For both of us. I want you to feel as safe as you make me feel, so if I ever do anything you do not like, I want you to tell me." He considers for a moment. "I do not like having the backs of my thighs touched, generally. I have a burn scar on my back that I also do not like being touched, if avoidable."
She's positively giddy, laughter bubbling from her throat before Halsin finally, finally leans down to press his mouth to hers. Her heart swells, her mind swims, and everything in that moment is Halsin. His scent, his taste, the warmth of his embrace. She's never felt so safe, so loved, and she never wants it to end.
Air, however, is a necessity, though Halsin barely pulls back when he breaks the kiss. Her arms are locked around his neck, feet dangling uselessly in the air, and yet Nerissa has never felt more comfortable. "Still okay," she assures him with a bright grin. "More than okay." As if to prove her words, she takes the initiative to lean in for a second kiss, just as enamored as the first time.
He's pretty sure they could both happily remain there, intertwined in the long overdue, but Halsin reminds himself that while they're among friends in their camp, they're still very much on display while they kiss. Not the most ideal location, especially not when he knows there's so much more to do and discuss together as they begin this journey.
"We should--" he begins before remembering Nerissa is very much in his arms right now, and instead moves to hoist her fully so her legs can wrap around his waist. He kisses her again, fully aware they look ridiculous as he kisses her neck the entire walk to his tent.
It's a comfortable, breezy setup, with the top of the tent open so he can enjoy the night sky at night. A simple shield spell keeps it from being exposed to the elements; the tent itself is woodsy with the smell of pine, and contains mostly cushions and blankets to sleep on along with a little table he uses for woodworking.
Slightly unceremoniously but surprisingly graceful, he drops down onto his back so Nerissa is on top of him.
"We should set some rules," he advises. "I want you to be comfortable in all this. Anything that you need is mine to grant."
He looks so fond, so sweet, and Nerissa melts under his gaze. He sees her, truly sees her, and she doesn't feel the need to shy away from it. That desire to cling to his side that had been persistent for weeks now threatens to overwhelm her and the normally prickly ranger all but launches herself into the druid's arms for a tight hug. "Now that that's settled, will you kiss me already?"
Halsin laughs, catching Nerissa around the waist and spinning them around once for the sheer joy and amusement of it before he finally kisses her. In truth, it feels long overdue between the two of them. How much time had they wasted? But no, there isn't any-- it's time with her, it's bringing them to this moment here with each other, that he cannot consider any of their time before this moment lesser now he's here.
He doesn't pull back far, just enough that their lips part. His temple rests against hers; she's fully in his arms, feet no longer touching the ground, though he's not sure how that ended up being the case. "Still okay?"
"You were dealt a poor hand and you made the most with what you had. That's more than worth the admiration you've gained from all of us, no matter where you go or what you do when we've finished our quest." It didn't matter to her how good of a leader he felt he was; he had done incredible things with very little to work with. He was resilient as a mangrove, strong as an oak, and yet he still seemed to think he fell short of his ideals.
Just another way they were alike, it seemed.
She's dreaming, surely. This is some sort of fantasy she's conjured up while lying for endless hours, chained to that the pit fiend's bed - the idea that someone as strong, as kind, as understanding as Halsin would feel for her even a fraction of what she felt for him. Her mouth turns dry and a lump develops in her throat. "Me too. I-I mean, I don't get close to people. I wasn't great at it before Avernus and after...well..." She lets out a shaky breath and tries to organize her jumbled thoughts. "I...I have no experience with...any of this as a willing participant. But..." yellow eyes seek Halsin's, desperate for some sign that this was real. And when she fails to match his level of eloquence, all the tiefling can manage is a soft, "I want to learn. I want to be with you. If you'll have me."
Halsin lets her talk, lets her ramble because it's clear she needs to. They're both coming into this with baggage-- he has no illusions about that. His expression is soft and adoring as he looks at her. He nods so she knows her words haven't changed his mind. "Of course I will," he says. "We can take things as slowly as you need. You can set the pace; I just want to be with you."
