#tql

[freshjasmine]

She's Sun. The sun of the universe.

LOVE PATTRANITE LIMPATIYAKORN as SUN

23.5 องศาที่โลกเอียง (2024), eps. one to six

[goodfellowe]

Wordless to describe that awful, prickling feeling that crept slowly up her spine, like frost crawling upwards before bursting out with a sudden intensity, all Bow could do was freeze as she watched her lone shadow stretch along the wall in a hazy red glow, shifting with a sick sort of serenity.

The moment stilled, stretching out into eternity. Nobody moved.

The Queen's Labyrinth (AO3)

Chapter 8: Honest Hearts

Bow disappears. Kid is found. Timmy has another chance.

Cover art by @rowatine.

[suninks-moved]

ACE OF THIEVES: THE HEIST CREW

special thanks to @guulabjamuns who inspired me with this post | art from djarn’s picrew maker

ACE OF SPADES | ACE: (he/him) honor can be found among thieves in the form of the Ace of Spades. he takes no pride in his work, leaving his old life behind to hide away in the mountain pass. but when trouble finds it’s way on his doorstep, he must remember how to be a thief again, how to be a leader. 

ACE OF DIAMONDS | ANDROMEDA: (she/her) the Diamond Duchess is Alheire’s most notorious jewel thief. she’s stolen all the jewelry from every single royal house - only to leave the all the gems but the diamonds in a fruits basket the next morning, with a note that reads “The Duchess sends her love”. 

JACK OF HEARTS | VICTOR: (he/him) a dangerous combination of curiosity, intellect, and impulsivity created the Rocket, the most destructive thief in Alheire history. known for his clever explosions and tale-spinning right hand man Winston.

JACK OF CLUBS | JACKY: (she/they) legendary ANARA racer ‘The Baroness’ by day, criminal getaway driver by night. the anonymous side-kick to the Diamond Duchess, and a skilled thief in her own right. she’s reckless and arrogant, beloved by racing fans and knows it. 

SEVEN OF SPADES | WINSTON: (he/him) handsome, witty, and too clever for his own good. a master of slight of hand and an expert con artist who can weave distractions and tall tales from nothing. 

FIVE OF SPADES | EVE: (she/her) Miss Eve Belladonna can be trusted to handle obstacles swiftly and discreetly. but things start to complicate when she agrees to take on a high-profile case and everything goes awry. she is forced to do what she hates the most, trust, all while her past keeps catching up to her.

EIGHT OF CLUBS | ALAIA: (they/them) Alaia has spent almost their whole life  in service to the Crown, and has risen through the ranks with remarkable speed. they’ve become the Crown Princess’ trusted assistant, even a friend. but when the royal family begins to fall apart, and Princess Camellia goes missing, voices begin to whisper.

QUEEN OF DIAMONDS | CAMELLIA: (she/her) being the Princess of Alheire and heir to the throne makes for a lonely life of training and studying. hiding away from her dysfunctional parents is tiring and difficult, but making friends is nearly impossible. but it’s made her clever and strong, and when she finally gets a shot at freedom, she dives in without looking back. 

[elusiveink]

i'd love to follow more int'l writeblrs that arent based in the US! i'd love to hear about more wips set in different countries! rb this if you're a non-US writeblr and tell me about ur wips!

[nordlichtgeschichten]

Come For Me

Ira and Lupita are two shapeshifters, just trying to live a mostly-peaceful life. When Lupita doesn’t show up at their meeting spot, Ira goes looking for her - And finds a spatter of blood.

Originally written for the @bloodlust-anthology, since we’re now able to post it, here you go! We’ve been allowed to for over a month I’m just forgetful

POV: 3. Person Warnings: Guns, some blood Word Count: 2336

Ira paced back and forth. Where was Lupita? They’d wanted to meet up more than an hour ago. Lupita had been late before, sure, but never this late!

She barely even noticed that she kept changing forms, from human to degu and back again. What if something had happened? Ira couldn’t just sit around here, waiting. She had to figure out what was keeping Lupita away. See if there was trouble.

As it was, degu form was better suited for this task. Picking up smells and sounds was far easier as a degu, and Ira didn’t want to miss a single clue.

 The search started at Lupita’s home. No hint where she might be. It smelled like her, but everything around here did. Next up were her favorite places; the river, the small glade, but nothing. Finally, in the tree branches—far too high above ground to be comfortable for Ira, truth be told—she found something. It just wasn’t the lead Ira had hoped for.

The vibrant green leaves were stained with rusty brown spots, the smell of which told Ira that if she’d come earlier, she’d have found them bright red. Blood. Blood that smelled far, far too much like Lupita.

Ira’s instincts would’ve told her to run, but she’d have just told her instincts to shut up; she had to investigate this.

----------

When the bullet struck her leg, Lupita was in shock for a second, more confused than scared as she saw the blood spatter the branches around her.

Then the pain hit.

She roared and jumped down, but didn’t even reach the ground before a net surrounded her. She tried breaking free, but all she did was tangle herself more and more in it; swiping at the humans who’d attacked her only served to make her unable to try again. She was stuck.

“Oh, this is a big one!” One of the humans said, grinning. “Gonna fetch us a nice price.”

Lupita fixed her eyes on him. Was he the leader?

Another one, younger than the rest, appeared not quite as excited. “Are you sure about this?” He looked at Lupita. “I heard that shapeshifters live here…”

The leader shrugged, the proud grin on his face unbroken. “So what if there are? You scared, kid?”

“No, I just…”

“This isn’t the first time we’ve done this. Don’t worry, the net’s got some silver in it, stops them from transforming if we end up catching one.” He and a few other hunters grabbed the net and heaved it into the back of his truck.

Lupita felt the vibrations when they started the car, but she was too tangled to free herself. She let out another roar, crying for help, but the car moved fast—if anyone heard her, they wouldn’t be here in time.

When the humans finally released her from the net, she was behind metal bars, far too thick to break. Her cage reminded Lupita of the enclosure in a zoo, big enough to walk around in. There even was a formation of rocks—fake rocks—that might give her a tiny bit of privacy.

Other than that, though, her cage was barren. She didn’t know what the humans had planned for her, but she doubted it’d be pleasant. She had to find a way to escape.

----------

While Ira had a surprising amount of stamina for someone her size, she was panting when the forest around her grew thinner, and downright exhausted by the time she reached human buildings. Lupita’s scent was getting stronger here, though, giving Ira another boost of power. She was almost there! Following the trail further led her past the buildings themselves, to a big cage—and in the cage, she spotted a very familiar jaguar.

Ira trilled excitedly when she saw Lupita. Finally! Without hesitation, she scurried over to her; the bars that kept Lupita in were more than wide enough to fit Ira through.

Lupita chuffed at her, composed as always, and waited for Ira to calm down a little; once Ira stopped chittering, Lupita stood up and led her to the rocks. Ira quickly hurried after her, but not without noticing that Lupita was limping. Her fur bristled, making her appear almost twice her admittedly small size.

Once the bars were out of sight, Lupita turned back into her human form, visibly grimacing from the pain. Ira followed suit, and promptly wrapped her arms around Lupita.

Lupita patted Ira’s back, and for a moment, they almost forgot where they were and why. But only for a moment.

“So, what happened?” Ira asked right after she let go. She impatiently tapped her foot—not to hurry Lupita up, just because she wanted to find the culprits as soon as possible.

Lupita nodded, took a deep breath, and explained what the hunters had done.

 “So? What do we do?” Ira crossed her arms. She knew what she’d prefer.

But Lupita shook her head. “There are too many of them, love. A head-on fight would be too dangerous.”

Stealth wasn’t exactly Ira’s favorite course of action, but she nodded. “Fine. So I’ll have to break you out without anyone noticing.” Her voice was a tad sharper than she meant to, but Lupita didn’t seem to mind.

“Try and find out where they keep the keys. I can create a distraction.”

Ira took a deep breath to calm herself down and nodded again. “I’d still rather fight them directly. Give them what they deserve.”

“I know, love.” Lupita took one of Ira’s hands and squeezed it gently. “But I don’t want you to get hurt. It’d be easier if we could do this without a fight. Let’s just focus on getting away safely.”

Ira hesitated, but finally nodded. As much as she’d love to make the hunters pay, knowing Lupita safe was more important. For now. They could discuss this once more when she was free again.

Lupita smiled. “Thank you.” She gave Ira a quick kiss. “I’ll wait until sunset, so we can hide in the dark. And I hope that’s long enough for you to find a key, and for me to figure out how to distract them.”

“You’ll find something.” Ira didn’t want to leave; she hated the thought of Lupita being all alone, especially in a place like this. But if she didn’t, Lupita would remain trapped here, and that was even worse. Ira hesitated for a moment, then gave Lupita a quick hug before she turned back into a degu and went to look for the key.

 It was easy to stay unseen in this shape; people rarely paid attention to something so small. And almost every building had a few openings, too small to allow a human through, but more than big enough for a degu. It was convenient, to say the least—but if it had been Ira’s choice, she’d have forced her way in anyway.

The man with the key was easy to find; just follow the sound of someone giving out orders. The only problem now was getting the key without being spotted. The man carried it on his belt, and even a little degu would be noticed if she tried climbing on someone.

Ira could, of course, take the key by force. As long as it was only one human, she could take him on. But if she wasn’t quick enough, didn’t manage to surprise him, he might scream for help—and as much as she hated having to wait, right now she needed to be careful. She wasn’t worried about herself, Ira was sure she could win a fight. But if they found out she was here for Lupita, they might hurt her in retaliation. Better not to take that risk.

So she waited, carefully following the human around. If only he’d take off the key… But he didn’t. Of course he didn’t, not even when he entered his office.

He just finished making a cup of coffee when a blood-curdling noise ripped through the silence, something between a roar and a scream.

Ira’s fur bristled; she knew that sound. Lupita wasn’t one to anger quickly, but when she did, her fury was terrifying to behold—and beautiful, if you asked Ira.

Understandably startled, the man jumped up, spilling his coffee everywhere. If Ira had any chance of getting his key, it was now.

She leaped upwards, transforming into her battle form just before she hit the man. Though she was much smaller than shapeshifters with other shift-animals, her battle form still made her into a bipedal mountain—well, maybe a hill—of muscle. The force of her impact knocked the man down, and before he could scream or fight back, a well-placed punch knocked him out.

Ira looked down at the key. It was too bulky to be easily carried around as a degu; she’d have to use her human form, and be careful not to be seen.

She was panting already when she took it. No matter how much practice Ira might have, the battle form always took a lot of energy. But she had what she needed.

Now she only had to get back to Lupita.

----------

The screeching noise of her claws against the metal bars keeping her trapped hurt Lupita’s ears, but that meant it was working. It meant it was loud, loud enough for her captors to investigate what she was doing.

Especially once she roared. Not because she was startled or crying for help; this time, it was a challenge. To come fight her if they dared. And they wouldn’t, not in close quarters. In her battle form, Lupita towered over even the tallest of them, and the bars bending was proof of her strength.

As expected, the humans started gathering around her cage. All eyes were fixed on Lupita. Good. Hopefully, that’d give Ira the chance to take the key—and quickly.

Right now, the hunters seemed unsure what to do. Lupita roared another challenge, and they backed off a little, just in case the bars didn’t hold after all. They had rifles, but they wanted to make money off her, for which they either needed her alive, or her hide intact.

They hesitated just a little too long. A shrill squeal told Lupita that Ira was back, and she dropped on all fours to sprint to the now open gate. The hunters had chosen to focus on the roaring leopard, so nobody had noticed one young woman sneak just a little too close. Their mistake. Lupita could smell fear among the humans, no doubt worried she might attack them.

But if she did, they would fight back, and fur and muscles were a poor match against bullets. Her leg already burned like fire, and she could feel a trickle of blood run down to her paws; not the ideal condition to fight.

Ira, already in her battle form, fell in beside her, trying to support Lupita despite being barely half her size. She could hear the humans yell at each other, arguing about what to do. The longer they took to decide, the less danger for them.

Until one of them stood right in front of them, his rifle raised. The younger man, the only one unhappy about catching Lupita.

The two shapeshifters stopped, their momentum making them slide forward a little further than they’d thought. As long as it was just one human, they could take him—assuming that wouldn’t cause the others to shoot.

Lupita locked eyes with him, and for an endlessly long heartbeat, everything was quiet. Then, slowly, the man lowered his rifle.

Lupita nodded and started running again, pushing Ira a little to the side so they could dodge the human; if she hadn’t, Ira might’ve jumped at his throat anyway. But as it was, she simply stayed by Lupita’s side.

The burning in her leg grew worse, but Lupita knew she couldn’t slow down, not yet. She focused on her breathing, on her heart beating like it was about to burst, on Ira’s soft fur right at her side—everything to keep her going just a little longer.

----------

At dawn, just as the sky turned from inky black to pale blue, they decided to rest. Once the buildings had been out of sight, they’d switched their battle forms for their human ones; those took far less energy while still allowing Ira to support Lupita. Walking was slow, especially since Lupita was still limping, but what they lacked in speed they made up for with endurance. By now, they were back in familiar regions—And just by chance, their resting place happened to be the very lake at which they’d first met.

Ira helped Lupita down to the shore, where she sat, exhausted from the journey. Ira herself was too anxious to settle down just yet, switching to degu form to listen for potential pursuers.

Silence.

She turned back into human shape and knelt down in front of Lupita. “Are you okay?”

“I will be.” Lupita gently took Ira’s hand. “Thank you.”

Ira shook her head. Of course she’d gone to save her beloved! That wasn’t something that would require thanks.

Lupita giggled. “I know, I know. It’s obvious you came.” She squeezed Ira’s hand. “I’m still thankful for it.”

“Are you sure I shouldn’t go back? Make them pay for what they did?” Ira would’ve clenched her hands to fists, had Lupita not held one of them.

Lupita shook her head, her face calm but decisive. “No.” She waited a moment to give Ira a chance to react, then laid a hand on her cheek and gently made her face her. “What I want right now, my love, is to have you by my side, and to go home with you. Not to have you risk your life.”

When their eyes met, Ira could feel the tension leave her body. She calmed down—slowly, but she did. “All right,” she agreed, lost in Lupita’s eyes. “I’ll stay with you.”

[merielxwritings]

Russell is a dramatic idiot and I love him so much

Didn’t work on Silent Voices for a week or so, Russell decided he wanted attention.  Which led to him dropping me this quote out of the blue. Picture him, sitting at a desk at the FBI headquarters, as he’s watching Eleonor throw a fit at a vending machine or at some asshole.  He’s being ironic, cause he’s really amused at the scene and he’s a sarcastic asshole at times.  But it only shows how bad he has it for her at that moment seriously.  Question is, does he realize it? Who knows.

"Some of the best wines are the ones people often look down upon, considering them too strong on the palate. But its a rookie's mistake. Because those wines are the ones who, yes pack a punch at first taste, but only to later on reveal a canopy of different nuances and flavors. They are meant to be savored slowly" 

tag: @asoftplxcetoland @brookswriting @ditzysworld @redwritesreads @the-writing-rat @if-only-we-could-read-it @thescatteredscribbles @fantasy-shadows @ravenjeralt @wildswrites ask to be added/removed <3

[thearchangelwrites]

tell me about your characters! give me some facts you've been excited to share!

Harley

Harley - He becomes Harley on day 1. He becomes Harley when asked for a name that doesn't have consequences in the skin that wears it and he gives the name Harley that it's not been paid for in blood, like it hasn't always been something he held behind his teeth. He gives Harley to Thomas and it feels like receiving something instead. He doesn't know how he'll ever thank Thomas for that.

Michael - He chooses Michael on day 32. When he and Thomas are collecting flowers in the marsh and Thomas says his full name to the faeries that don't exist on the bankline, Harley wants to follow and say his own. He chooses an angel that has never chosen him, but he remembers his grandmother's crepe skin fingers on his wrist, telling him about the angels that she had known in her life, telling him about her Michael, and how she could only hope her little one could find a man like him someday. He names himself after his grandfather, but also after his grandmother, also after his aunts and his uncles and all of the people in his life who will never know that he is Harley, and maybe they wouldn't have taken it well, but they're still his. They're still family.

Austin - He's always been an Austin. He has not always known what that meant. When he was small, being an Austin was a point of pride, his father's stone hands on his shoulders, lifting him up to put him onto his father's own shoulders so he could see above the sky. When things got more difficult at home, when the family collapsed and both of his parents found their hope down at the bottom of a bottle, Austin was a point of contention. Is your family really your family if they don't take care of you? If sometimes, it feels like they don't love you? Austin is just a word he says now, a period at the end of his sentence. He doesn't always know what it means.

Harley Michael Austin is a spun glass firecracker, the original glass canon, he does not know how to protect himself instead of lashing out at everyone else. He is fiendfyre, honest and horrible destruction, but only because he doesn't know how to be anything else.

Thomas

Thomas - When his mother decided to call him Thomas, it was after a father that no longer exists in Thomas's life. His father was always Tom, never Thomas or Tommy or Tim or anything else, just Tom, so Thomas is Thomas and sometimes his mom calls him Tommy, but that's it. He's never, never Tom. Thomas has two meanings: twin, and leader. Thomas has never wanted to be either.

Hayden - Hayden has always been his favorite part about his name. It's soft, sweet, kinder than Thomas knows how to be, he thinks, kinder than anything he can put his hands to without breaking apart. Hayden. It's the parts of him that have never been touched by the rougher things he's seen, and Hayden is who Thomas could be if maybe, maybe he hadn't been touched by those things either. Thomas Hayden. Maybe one day.

Sparks - His mother's surname. Thomas changed his last name when he was fourteen, didn't want to be connected to his father like that anymore, didn't want to be someone that he wasn't, just wanted to be his mother's son and his sister's brother and exactly what everyone wanted from him.

Thomas Hayden Sparks is a weaponless peacekeeper, the safety of an unloaded gun. He will protect and protect and protect until he runs himself ragged, and he just wants to spare everyone else the trauma of knowing that he was working very hard at all.

Taglist 

 @wildswrites, @jostenwrites, @drowsy-quill, @elusiveink, @writeherewaiting, @ecritblr, @7chee, @bookupastorm, @the-starlight-writer

[ta-korakia-den-katevhkan-akomh]

"Ποτέ μη λες ποτέ και πάντα παπούτσια που δεν πλένονται μονάχα αυτά περπατά.. "

" Δε φέρνουν ευτυχία τα φράγκα. Μα δεν ξέρω ευτυχισμένους που να ζούνε σε παράγκα. "

~ Toquel - Papoutsia / Den Exw Xrono