#bdl writes

[bluedandylyon]

Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I want: A Rival Bands AU "And my second decree is to take you out on that date" She asserts, crossing her arms in a confident stance.

"I'm not in the mood Catra, I need to fix things with Glimmer."

"Ah come on, you're going to spend the whole night sulking? It's not like she's going to talk to you right now."

Adora stands up, face heating up. She scoffs. "I'm not sulking! I'm just being responsible. It's not fair of me to have fun after what I did." Adora catches on to the ammo she just gave Catra a second too late.

"Oh so we're gonna have fun huh?" Catra purrs out as she positions herself behind Adora; she digs her claws gently into her arm and shoulder as she leans into her ear. "And how do you suppose we go about doing that?"

Oh gay panic, gay panic, gay panic, gay- "I- I didn't mean it like that!" Adora breathes out, the pressure of Catra's hands making her heart race.

"Uh-huh and what did you mean, princess?"

Written for the Secret Solstice event on the SPOP Creative Flex Server!

[bluedandylyon]

Oh man after four years of obsessing over this show I will be participating in the long awaited @spopbigbang for the first time! And for the SPoP finale's 5th anniversary no less!!!!! This event is full of amazing people and it's awesome to be among them!

LightasticDaniel has created the absolute SOFTEST illustration for this story, it's been an absolute pleasure working with him and I can't wait for y'all to see it.

This is one of my favorite things I've ever written, I am truly excited to share this with everybody, but for now, have a sneak peak of the dual stories present in:

Bedtime Heirlooms

Their ear twitched as they heard Catra and Adora come into the room and they looked up excitedly. "Hi moms! Are you going to tell the story now? Should I make some space?" "You're good, bud. Your mom can go grab your desk chair." Catra sat on the bed and rubbed Finn's fuzzy cheek with a contented smile. "Hey, why do you get the comfy bed?" Adora pouted and crossed her arms. "Because it's really important for Finn and I to have the space to knead. Right, Finn?" Catra looked at them with a glint in her eyes that Finn recognized as help me mess with your mom. Melog chuffed in amusement. "Uh... yeah! I can't really sleep otherwise, and Ma is the best teacher." They looked at her with a knowing grin, elbowing her softly. "See Adora? They clearly need my help to get a good sleep," she boasted, lowering herself into the bed and stretching with a satisfied sigh. Adora rolled her eyes fondly and leaned in to give her a small kiss. "You're the worst."

***

A wasteland as far as the eye can see extends in front of Terya. Her muscles cramp and ache, her lungs burn as they’re forced to breathe in the foreign air. "Are we going to die?" Her brother's squeaky tone clashes with the dread in his statement. "No Zer, we're not going to die here. We just have to keep going, alright? I know you're tired but you're the strongest guy I know! You can do this." Terya fights back tears. She can't break down, not right now. She looks down at the bundle in her arms and exhales. They will get through this. As the day goes on, the blistering heat seeps into her bones, her mouth as parched as the rock they walk on. Her feet-pads blister under temperatures they’re not designed for. The bundle starts mewling loudly. "Hey, hey little one, it's alright." Terya rocks her back and forth. Two mismatched eyes stare back. Mrrp? Terya forces herself to purr to keep the kitten calm. She thinks of her home, of the mangrove trail Zerki likes to play hide-and-seek in, her father’s embrace, the sparkle in her mother’s eyes when the little one was born. A faint rumble pushes through the tightness in her chest. Light is fading fast when Zerki points at something. "Look!" A crooked structure imposes itself in the distance, cutting through the horizon. Terya narrows her eyes to see through the smog that surrounds it. She sniffs the air and starts coughing. “I don’t know about this. That place doesn’t smell right at all.” “This whole planet smells wrong!” Zerki admonishes. “We’ll find somewhere else okay? I have to keep you both safe. We're not going,” she declares, ears pulled back. “We’ll be safe there! It’s the first thing we’ve seen all day!” He grunts in exasperation. “You're not mom, you don't tell me what to do!" His ears pin back, pupils constricting into slits. "I'm going, you do whatever you want.” He takes off, sprinting on all fours towards the steel building. “Zerki, wait!”

[bluedandylyon]

The process of waking up

I wake in half-dreams

The ghost of your arm is draped

Around my waist.

If I close my eyes,

I can hear your tender breathing

And imagine you next to me.

That when I roll over,

I will be able to kiss your cheeks,

And your forehead,

And your chin.

So your smile wakes up,

Slowly at first,

Still asleep.

Then turning radiant,

Like the sun in the skylight.

And you'll slide your hands

Under my shirt,

Seeking your favorite ridges.

The ones that make you look,

Like you're grateful

That God created touch.

And I'll nestle into you,

And your smell will envelop me:

A warm blanket in a stormy night.

I dream of kisses,

Of plans for the day,

Breakfasts to make,

And outfits to wear.

I am giving myself the grace

To hold on,

To my memories,

Your scented pillow,

The hair-bow you forgot,

And the coffee I don't drink.

At least until I look at my house

And stop seeing your outline

On every place you were.

[bluedandylyon]

To celebrate Bedtime Heirlooms being out, I wanted to share doodles of the facial designs for Zerki and Terya, Catra's siblings, from Chapter 2 onward.

Design rambles below the cut:

Zerki is designed after an Ocelot, he is quite lanky. I took inspirations from jaguars for Terya, but she has more of a leopard build instead of the stockiness of jaguars. They both have prominent markings on their face and body, whereas Catra has very faint markings that just show as slightly bigger freckles. Her body stripes in my story are more prominent than in canon since she is modelled after a Colocolo cat, she also has slightly darker hands to reflect this.

I chose these specific species bc they are all species of cats present in the jungles and grasslands of the American continent. Their home country is modelled after these biomes and some of its prehispanic cultures (aesthetically and linguistically it's a mix of Maya and Aztec) back in the Magicat planet - Felerys.

I'll make full character design sheets one day when I have more time, but I just wanted to share their faces so you have a visual when you're reading the story!

[bluedandylyon]

Chapter 3 of Bedtime Heirlooms is out!

Summary: Catra makes a decision after talking to Bow. In the past, an important milestone is crossed.

She eyes one of the last bunks in the room and immediately jumps to the top bed to mark it as her own. "This is the one." She starts nuzzling her pillow, claiming it. Catra opens her eyes, feeling the mattress shift from her sister's weight. She has a weird expression, like she'd been caught stealing ration bars.

"I… wouldn't do that," Terya mutters.

Catra tilts her little head. "Why?"

Terya glances over her shoulder as an invitation for Catra to do the same. The other kids are looking at them like pests, whispering among themselves and giggling. Catra didn't feel like part of the joke.

"Don't take it too hard. People here are just… not used to us is all."

Catra's claws unsheath unconsciously from a memory of her ears being pulled while she sleeps. She remembers the punishment she faced when she clawed their skin in response. The perpetrator was suspiciously absent from the scolding. "It's always like that." She rubs herself on the mattress, pretending not to notice how the action is no longer relaxing. "Adora thought it was cool when I did it," she mutters into the pillow, knowing full well her sister will hear anyway.

Terya sighs and crosses her arms. "Catra… we've talked about this."

Catra mirrors her sister's body language. "It's been a year, Shadow Weaver probably doesn't even care anymore," she whines.

"You know we can't take that risk, okay?" Terya sweeps a stray hair away. "You'll make some new friends. And you'll always have us."

(Someday I'll have the energy to make a cover for this story cuz it deserves it)

[bluedandylyon]

It is:

Avoiding the news,

Connecting the dots,

Asking your loved ones,

If they already knew.

Laughing

And

Crying

And

Yelling

And

Dissociating.

Being jealous

Of shapeshifters,

Of digital avatars,

Of your friends.

Explaining

And

Explaining

And

Explaining

And

Being misunderstood.

Weighing the consequences

Of correcting

A stranger,

A family member,

A friend.

Creating

And

Erasing

And

Building

And

Destroying.

Recognizing your face,

Naming your chest hairs,

Clothes fitting properly,

Chopping your limp, long hair off.

Choosing

And

Fighting

And

Evolving

And

Changing.

Pausing in the entrance to the bathrooms,

Hugging yourself,

Putting a band-aid on your stomach,

Counting the hours till you have to unbind.

Loving

And

Loving

And

Loving

Where you’ve been

And

Where you might go.

[bluedandylyon]

Chapter 3: Get'cha Head in the Game!

"There's not like, one way of doing things, you know?” Catra huffed. “I think that convinced me to sign up, it seems fun."

"Wait, really? But who are you going to sing with?"

"Well Rogelio just lost his duet partner so I think I'll ask him." Catra starts walking and Adora grabs her arm, her grip desperate.

"But what will the others think? No one liked the way Rogelio sang, you really want to be with him?" Adora’s words come out rushed and uneven. 

Catra bristles. "Why do you care? You didn’t want to audition for this anyway, you obviously think it's stupid. Besides, you said you were here to hear me sing anyway. Why are you suddenly so opposed to me auditioning?"

Because I want to audition with you but I can’t. The longer Adora stays silent, the less convincing whatever excuse she's creating is. What could she say? Because the thought of someone else singing with her makes her jealous? Because it's sad getting to see other people do whatever they like while Adora is only allowed to do one thing? Because even if she was allowed, she'd fall apart under the scrutiny of her friends?

While the blonde grinds her jaw, deep in anxious thought, the theatre starts to empty as free period comes to an end. In the distance, she can hear Darbus asking if there are any other pairs who want to audition.

"Whatever, I'm going." Catra shoves Adora's shaking hand off, clearly frustrated.

Read my entire HSM AU here!