#i worked hard

[oshaaofficial]

one way or another, mecha man <333

[ibrakeforrainbows]

coping well while i wait for s2 pt2

[eeniey-past-bedtime]

Moonlight and Mulberry

A/N: I want you to know i already had this written out and then tumblr deleted it-

SO i'm in a royalty mood, who's up for a moth prince? Now i do have to mention this contains the gender neutral reader having insecurities, and you're betrothed to him tee hee.

Consider tipping me?

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The soft rustling of wings echoed through the marble halls of the palace, gentle as silk brushing over parchment. Prince Opal moved with a grace few could match—half floating, half walking, his gossamer wings trailing stardust in the moonlight. He was luminous: fur as pale as fresh snowfall dusted across his shoulders and chest, his large, luminous eyes catching every flicker of emotion like twin lanterns in the dark. His antennae twitched in a content rhythm, dancing to the hushed lullaby of the evening wind.

You sat near the window, staring at your reflection in the darkened glass. The stars were out, cloaked in indigo and shadow, but your mind wandered elsewhere. Not to constellations or silver clouds, but to hulking werewolf guards who passed by during your visit to the outer provinces—how strong and proud they looked. Or to the court of elven nobles at last week’s banquet—elegant and translucent and not bound by clumsy bones or tired feet. And then… there was you.

Plain. Human. Soft in all the wrong places and sharp in none of the right ones. Your hands weren’t etched with runes or talons. You couldn’t even glow.

“Beloved?” Opal’s voice curled into your thoughts like honeyed steam. He didn’t knock—he never did. You’d once teased him about it, and he’d answered without hesitation, ‘My heart already lives where you are.’

You turned, mustering a small smile. “Hey, Opal.”

He tilted his head, antennae dipping low in concern. “You didn’t come to the garden. I brought the blue tea you like—the one that sings if you listen closely.” He held up the little teapot with both hands, solemn and proud.

You chuckled softly despite yourself, but it faded too soon. “I’m sorry. I… wasn’t feeling very princely-company-worthy.”

He blinked. “Worthy? You are my betrothed, not a subject presenting a petition.”

“I know,” you said quickly. “I know, I just… sometimes I wonder why you chose me. Out of everyone. You could have had anyone—anyone prettier, more magical, more… bug-like.”

He blinked again.

Then his wings flared—soft and shining and slow—and he walked over, crouching in front of you with all the dignity of royalty and none of the distance. He set the tea aside, took your hands in his fluff-coated ones, and peered up at you like you were a legend he’d only just rediscovered.

“Say that again?” he asked, not angry, just softly incredulous. “You believe being human is a flaw?”

You looked down. “It’s not that. I just—when I stand next to you, or any of your kin, I feel... wilted. Ordinary.”

Opal hummed. Not a correction, not a dismissal—just a quiet sound, like he was knitting your words into his heart so he could respond honestly. His antennae brushed your cheek, warm and curious.

“I will tell you something sacred,” he said, voice lowered to reverence. “When moths fall in love, we do so with purpose. We do not chase fleeting light. We choose the steady flame.”

He leaned closer, pressing his forehead to yours.

“You are not plain. You are the constant I orbit. The anchor in my velvet storms. When you walk into a room, my wings lift because I want to go where you are. When you speak, I listen like my entire future depends on the syllables you gift me.”

He pulled back just enough to cup your cheek.

“You are mine—not because of wings or magic, but because when I look at you, I see everything I was born to protect. You burn no brighter than a candle, and yet I have never felt warmer.”

You blinked hard, and one tear slipped down your cheek. Opal caught it gently on the edge of his fuzz, cradling it like it was starlight.

“And if you still feel unremarkable,” he added, “let me spend every day of our lives proving you wrong. Not as a prince. But as the moth who fell in love with your light.”

The silence between you was soft, thick with unspoken emotion.

Finally, you laughed—really laughed. It wasn’t elegant or polished. But it was real.

“I think I needed to hear that,” you whispered.

Opal beamed, wings fluttering happily. “And I shall say it again tomorrow. And the next day. Until you believe it in your bones, or until I perish of dramatic romance fatigue. Whichever comes first.”

You kissed the top of his head, just between his twitching antennae, and he nearly squeaked in delight.

And as he poured your tea—softly singing, just as promised—you realized something: maybe you weren’t glowing like the others. Maybe you were something gentler, steadier.

And Opal had chosen that glow as his guide.

..

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[chaos-potat]

The things I do for my art vending...

Can you tell I'm really hoping that this BTS event I'm doing goes well?

Commission info

Red Bubble

[daisydays-26]

Papyton Angst anyone?

Part 1

[hansama]

“my precious soulmate”

[zeradrack]

[uniquethingtastemaker]

So from what I know, the three big works you are working on right now are Rook's, Carter's and Riddle's Dreaming of you correct?? Between those three, which has been the easiest to write angst for? Who has given you the easiest inspiration for writing?

I love you. Thank you for sending your ask. It makes my life so much easier in terms of posting. Plus, I love discussing the behind-the-scenes process of my writing. I plan to have a big ask "event" after posting Riddle's Dreaming of You. I expect there will be a lot more questions about how I wrote and characterized him. Regardless, you're amazing for asking me beforehand. Let's get into the real answer!

I haven't been working too much on Cater's Dreaming of You at the moment, so I can only predict my future responses to it. Riddle's Dreaming of You has been taking up most of my time, but Rook x Observant Reader is 45k words, so I have a majority of it.

Unexpectedly (or perhaps expectedly, since I like to be way too thorough, thoughtful, and detailed with my responses. For my own sanity, I'll try to be concise. Edit: it didn’t work), this is a difficult but interesting question.

The reason is that each fanfic has a different "type" of angst.

Riddle's is 100% hurt/comfort. There are many panic attacks, but each one is immediately followed by a comfort section. These were the easiest to write because the comfort isn’t delayed.

Rook x Observant Reader has a combo of what I'd consider "slow angst," plus one instant of "sharp angst." The latter was easy because it was resolved quickly. The drawn-out “angst” was the big hurdle. There are multiple moments where Rook doesn't act out of uncertainty and fear. My first instinct was always to comfort him immediately. However, I quickly learned that it threw the pacing way off for multiple reasons. For one, I had to delay them getting together until later, but the more important one was that it would take Rook more time to open up. Reader could say all the right things, but ultimately, Rook wouldn't believe them. This method would only agitate him further because he'd probably feel like they were prying. That's the last thing Reader wants to do, so I had to adjust and let him process it slowly, and on his own. Ironically, I treat him like a deer. You have to be calm and non-threatening to get them to come closer. You can't make sudden movements, or else you'll spook them.

(Side Note/Fun Fact: In this fanfic, Rook becomes very still when it's just Reader and him having a borderline vulnerable moment. Instead of having him be flamboyant and deflecting, I decided to play into his internal conflict of wanting to be seen and understood, and his desire to stay safely hidden. When this happens, he becomes very still and quiet to fully focus on Reader and their actions. He looks for any signs that they're a threat because they unintentionally exposed him once. Therefore, he has a reason to treat them as such. He's never one to underestimate an enemy, so he treats them with caution. Yet, he knows this person understands him, and it's natural to seek companionship.)

I haven't written or fleshed out much of Cater's Dreaming of You. However, I suspect this will be the hardest by a mile. I'm almost positive. This is still in the planning process, so it's subject to change. However, based on the intention of this series (which is to peel back the layers to see who the character is and elaborate and showcase their insecurities) and Cater's character, there will undoubtedly be a lot of angst.

From what I've gathered, Cater doesn't believe someone can love him for who he actually is. When he was younger, his sisters and mother trampled all over his feelings, desires, and autonomy. They guilt-tripped him into eating their sweets when he didn't want to. It was severe that he eventually began hating sweet things. It may not seem like much, but that's just the surface. They treated him like a butler when they went shopping. His sister got him stuff that they wanted for his birthday. They didn't bother asking what he wanted. Through their actions, he was told that his thoughts and feelings didn't matter and weren't valued.

The women of his house also probably judged him for not being cute enough (I'm sure there's evidence for this, but again: late and tired), which is why he developed the persona he did. He became the ditzy magicam influencer. The facade is a survival mechanism to evade getting emotionally hurt by most of his family. He had to suppress his desires to accommodate them.

Considering Cater's unique magic, they must've demanded so much from him, ordering him around to do everything. Unique Magic is a form of ancient magic. UMs are created by a deep and absolute desire for something. It could be the individual, like in ADeuce, Epel, and Azul. It could also be from intense outside desires, like Idia (the expectation and need for someone in the family to be able to control the Underworld) or Leona (people believed in the story that the second son was cursed, resulting in King's Roar). For regular people, the former seems more common. Therefore, Cater had so many things to do that he wished he had multiple versions of himself.

I'll have to play around with it and see.

(Quick Side Note/Fun Fact: While Rook and Cater are both secretive, it's in different ways. Rook has more physical stealth and attributes than Cater, who's more adept at covering his tracks socially. However, they both give out the same amount of personal information, which is essentially little to none. Out of the two, Cater is actually far superior in terms of hiding information. Sometimes, Rook doesn't bother to hide that he's not telling someone everything. He just gives the dangerous, narrow-eyed smile, and people back off. On the other hand, I think Cater is so good at concealing his depression, feelings, and desires that he's got most of the fandom fooled. Many people overlook the orange-haired junior and chalk him up to a one-note character. That's exactly what he wants. He doesn't look suspicious. Instead, he plays into a stereotype to go under the radar when he needs to.

(Therefore, trying to get close to Cater in a way that he doesn't get overwhelmed too much and completely spiral is going to be insanely hard. With Rook, he's willing to get close to other people, even if it's something different and potentially a little risky. He's more open to it than Cater. Plus, Rook doesn't hate himself or think that he doesn't deserve good things. Cater? I feel like he hates himself, which is part of why he keeps the facade up all the time. I'm struggling to figure out how to help the Heartslabyul junior love himself. To have a healthy relationship, he needs to love himself first.)

(It's so late... or early... it's 6am and i haven't slept... This used to be so much longer, but I cut it and will post my other thoughts tomorrow lol. Tell me what you think!)