Finally! It turned out there was so much post‑processing involved, and I got stuck with them much longer than I’d planned 🫠
But the main thing is that the first half is done!
I wanted the Cups represent the Shinzoku and everyone somehow connected to them (even if very loosely). I wanted to reflect the full diversity of the Slayers characters in the Tarot, but in that case it’s impossibly hard to distribute them so that they fit the cards perfectly.
Notes:
I like Milgazia’s outfit from the novels much better 😁
I couldn’t find a colour image of Vaalwin (it might not even exist), so I decided he’d be green because of his palm‑tree pipe 🌴
The brilliant wizard Lina Inverse, not very clever swordsman Gourry Gabriev, chimera warrior Zelgadis Greywords, and the princess with a kee
The full second chapter of the "Vase of Wishes" comic on WEBTOONS and Pixiv.
P.S: The first time, chapter was removed on Webtoons because of a naked bear guy 😅 I was pretty annoyed and was thinking about moving the comic to a different site, but then I figured it would be easier to just censor it instead of dealing with setting everything up on a new platform 😆
Summary: Stopping in the middle of the cobblestone path, Valgaav tugs off one of his teal mittens, slipping it into his coat pocket with care. Already, its clumsy stitches were unravelling in places, gaps in the wool yarn letting in the cold chill. But it had been a gift from Filia, presented with a pink bow and a shyly swishing tail.
Notes: for the Slayers Secret Santa 2025 hosted by @slayersweek. This is for @slayers-fanarts---nunsa ! For the 3rd Prompt: "Jillas is choosing Christmas gifts and buys Filia a beautiful glass ball (the kind with glitter inside resembling snowflakes). On Christmas, everyone is unwrapping their presents, and Filia and Val both touch the ball simultaneously (Val is already an adult). I don’t know how, but they should somehow find a way to get out of it, doing something romantic (light romance, no more serious than a kiss). And I don’t know how, but this story should include a scene with a naked Naga.
I posted it on AO3 and tried to tag you, but it seems you aren't accepting gifts there ;w; either way, I hope you enjoyed this short and sweet little fill. It's always fun to take a break from xellina to write about ValFi! Without further ado, here's the fic!
Snow falls from a grey, yawning sky in a sleepy, slow drift. Piling up in a glittering dust over shop signs and the sloping rooftops of this quiet village-town.
Stopping in the middle of the cobblestone path, Valgaav tugs off one of his teal mittens, slipping it into his coat pocket with care. Already, its clumsy stitches were unravelling in places, gaps in the wool yarn letting in the cold chill. But it had been a gift from Filia, presented with a pink bow and a shyly swishing tail.
A little too big, even for his wide palms and long fingers, but soft and still lightly smelling of tea and Filia's scent. And Val would never say no to Filia.
Could never, really.
Both then and now.
He holds his hand out, bare palm up towards the flurrying sky, watching snowflakes dance downwards and quietly melt against his skin with the barest touch of cold. Rubbing his finger tips together, Val's brows furrow at the lack of moisture; yet another detail this strange little pocket world failed to simulate fully.
Though the wind blew, it carried no scents of the town or its people. And though snow crunched underfoot and drifted, Val hardly felt the cold. His breath didn't mist in front of his face, nor did the cold numb his fingers and nose. He could barely feel the wetness of the cobblestone dragging at his boots and trousers.
And most of all, though the windows lining the main street glowed with warm firelight and faint shadowy silhouettes, Val hadn't once heard or seen a villager. Not once had the tavern doors swung open with a burst of laughter or raucous bar chatter. No vendors beckoned him towards food stalls to warm himself with mulled wine or roasted meats, despite the stacks of hardy winter produce and steaming pots he spied. Smoke streamed from tall chimney shoots, yet Val could hardly smell the pleasant scent of burning fireplaces or acrid soot.
It would almost be unsettling if the scenery wasn't so idyllic and still. Val didn't fully trust the calm, yet danger didn't fully prick at his senses.
Distant, light footsteps ahead of him pull Val from the bubble of his thoughts. Pulling his mitten from his pocket and slipping it back on, Val waits for Filia's bundled figure to trot closer, her tail wagging anxiously behind her. "Any luck?" He asks, already knowing the answer.
Tripping slightly over an uneven cobblestone, Filia stumbles forward with a squeak, her tail shooting out behind her in a vain attempt to regain balance. Eating up the distance with long legs, Val catches her, lifting her off her feet and gently spinning her upright. Hands hovering at her sides, making sure she's steady, Val arches an unimpressed brow.
Fingers curled and scrunching the fabric of his coat, Filia clears her throat bashfully, her long ears twitching beneath her earmuffs. "Oh dear… Thank you, sorry," she murmurs, flattening out her palms and smoothing down wrinkled fabric. Val tries not to think about how small her hands look against his chest, pink gloved and warm even through his coat. Shaking off her embarrassment, Filia gently pushes herself away, taking away her warmth and the soft scent of tea. "I didn't find a single soul, but there's no doubt about it," Filia says, a frown tugging on her mouth. "This is definitely the town in Jillas' gift."
"I see," Val sighs, running a hand through his bangs, before crossing his arms so he wouldn't give into the foolish urge to pull Filia back against his side. "Trust him to get us a cursed bauble as a Winter's solstice gift." Peering back up at the calm, grey sky, Val felt the space between his shoulderblades itch, his hidden wings shifting beneath his glamoured skin.
A soft, contemplative sound leaves Filia as she tilts her head to the side, "I don't think it's cursed," Filia says, tapping her index finger against her cheek in thought. "Though," she continues, letting out a faintly exasperated laugh, "I wouldn't be surprised if Jillas didn't realize there was an enchantment placed on the snowglobe. He must've thought it was pretty." Eyes softening, Filia reaches out and pinches Val's sleeve, lightly tugging. "He does try so hard to be kind, you know?"
Val rolls his eyes, but nods. Jillas' clumsy kindness and loyalty are often fraught with good intentions that turn into small catastrophes. As far as this attempt goes, at least it's scenic. Gaze slanting to the side, Val watches Filia watch a snowflake dance downwards.
If there's anyone Val would wish to be trapped in a peaceful (if cursed) bauble, then Val is glad it's Filia. A reluctant smile softens his sharp features as he watches Filia go cross-eyed and jolt in place as the snowflake lands on the tip of her upturned nose.
"Eep!" Filia squeaks, her tail swishing.
Huffing, Val tugs her close, gently grasping her chin and tilting her up so he can wipe her face with the soft mittens she had knit for him. Ephemeral enchanted snow or not, snowmelt was snowmelt, and a little damp. He didn't want her to catch a cold when he couldn't even buy her something to warm up with. "What do you suppose we should do?" He asks lowly, tracing his thumbs down the slope of her nose, then down the curves of her cheeks, lingering. "I don't sense anything dangerous, but I'd rather not live out the rest of eternity here."
Blinking, Filia doesn't answer immediately, leaning into Val's touch trustingly. Her long lashes flutter, pale gold and delicate looking under the thin, dreamy sunlight of this place. Slowly, her hands reach up towards his, curling gently around his wrists. Pressing her cheek into his palm, her lips part, drawing in a breath. Without meaning to, Val's gaze drops down to her mouth, this thumb absentmindedly trailing down to brush against the soft swell of her bottom lip.
"I-- I don't know exactly," Filia finally answers, a little airless. Taking a tiny, unsteady step closer, their chests brushing together. Val wonders if that's her heartbeat or his own that he feels fluttering restlessly between them. "We didn't get pulled in until we both touched it, so I imagine there's some sort of…" tail swishing restlessly behind her, Filia struggles for words briefly, "I suppose…. key? Gesture? Password? That will set us free."
Humming, Val nods absently. He should let her go, step away-- he's long since wiped away the damp chill from the snowflake, but he can't quite bring himself to part from Filia's soft warmth. Reluctance blooming in his chest, Val frowns and casts his gaze away from Filia, searching for his voice somewhere deep in his ribcage. "Right. That's… good. We'll just have to find it then," he says, looking up somewhere above Filia's little fur pillbox hat.
His brain doesn't immediately register what he's looking at at first, browns furrowing as familiarity tickles at the back of his skull. A leafy sprig with small, jewel-like berries hangs innocently on a lamp post directly above them. The berries glow under the warm, hazy light of the lamp's flame, making it feel almost alive in the quiet, empty village-town. He doesn't often pay attention to human customs aside from the ones Filia and Jillas try to incorporate in their lives for the sake of Lina and the others, but he remembers this one, vaguely. It settles in his stomach with a sort of guilty delight.
Still between his hands, Filia gently shifts, turning to look at whatever has Val's attention without breaking out of his hold.
"Oh!" Filia exclaims, her cheeks warming. "That's--"
Before she can continue, Val carefully tips her face back towards his own. Their eyes catch each other for a breathless moment, the snowfall seemingly goes still around them.
Then, Val kisses her.
A soft press of lips against hers, Filia releasing a quiet gasp against his mouth before her eyes slide shut and she presses back.
The wind picks up around them, the gentle fall of snow turning into a gentle flurry that plucks at their clothes and hair, swirling and pressing in all around them. Yet all Val can feel is the warmth of Filia against him.
There's a sensation like a soap bubble popping, a near-silent displacement of air before the merry crackle of a fireplace suddenly replaces the silence of the village-town. Eyes opening slowly, Val pulls away, lingering just long enough to brush another kiss against Filia.
Turning around, Val finds himself in the middle of their cottage, still festooned brightly for the holiday, all their friends staring at them with gaping mouths. Jillas steps forward, his eye swimming with tears as he clutches a very familiar snowglobe against his chest. "You're back! Lord Val, Miss Filia, oh thank goodness!" he wails, running to hug them both, his short armspan forcing them close together once more.
From the corner of the room, something shuffles from under a pile of heavy blankets, before out pops Naga. A very nude, very drunk Naga. Filia lets out a mortified squeak, her tail shooting out ramrod straight behind her, burying her face in Val's chest and hiding. Smiling bright and vacant, Naga points at Val and Filia before turning to an irritable-looking Lina. "See? What did I tell you? Some alone time was definitely what they needed to stop dancing around each other!"
It's been a pretty creative year, and I don’t plan on slowing down next year! The comic’s still coming out, and other arts will happen when inspiration ✨✨✨
