watch me claw my way out of the abyss to send @/abardstale a stream of asks and then let myself sink back into the darkness like some kind of elusive swamp creature
Hello lovely for the thirty minute ficlets and abt poly route
You taught me the courage of stars before you left/How light carries on endlessly, even after death/With shortness of breath/You explained the infinite/And how rare and beautiful it is to even exist- Saturn by sleeping at last
Please and thank you 💜
Okay well I finished the first draft within 30 minutes, that counts for something right? But I went waaayyy over putting the pieces together because it was very messy. Still, progress!!!
Fandom: A Bard's Tale CoG
Characters: Tempest / Aspen / Peri (my genderfluid terran bard whom I adore)
CW: blood & injury mentions
The night sky envelops us in a blanket of darkness, still with a peacefulness in glaring contrast to the pain in our tired and weary bodies. We'd been lucky enough in our travels so far, getting by with few injuries, I should not have lowered my guard to the dangerous path this quest has put us on. Before now we'd been getting by with few injuries, this time we'd been lucky to make it out with our lives.
We've set up camp at the bottom of the hill I stand guard upon, watching over the slumbering shapes of Tempest and Aspen and the equipment we'd managed to salvage. This is the best we can manage for now, maybe we should have tried for more, but we needed rest: Aspen injured, Tempest at the limits of her magic... Guilt flares in my heavy heart and I can't bring myself to look up to the stars, as I usually would for comfort. What would I see if I looked now?
For the first time I feel like I've failed: failed Hokua, failed Han, failed my companions who've put their trust in me. I'd been so grateful for the guidance when Hokua chose me, to not have to be the one to decide, to know what I'm doing is right this time... Should I have asked Them 'why me'? Would They have realised They'd made a mistake? Could someone else have done better? Will my selfishness lead us to ruin?
Will I ever forget the fear that nearly extinguished the light--so bright since I met them--shining in my heart when Aspen pushed me out of harm's way, the agony that nearly blinded me when his eyes took a moment too long to open? It had been completely unecesary and I would have been upset if not for the look on his face once we he looked at me, dazed, relief mixed with wonder as a smile cracked his bloodied lips and he reached up to tuck the hair that had fallen loose from my braid back behind my ear.
Tempest, on the other hand, had had no such reservations over chewing him out for his recklessness. "That's my job, you're supposed to be the level headed one."
I doubt Aspen would have cooperated with resting if she hadn't looked as though she might smother him if she'd had to.
Aspen finds me first, limping quietly up the hill, bedroll tucked under one arm. We're both too tired for words, but they aren't needed as he settles next to me. I chuckle softly as he wrestles a little with the folded jacket he's attempting to use as a pillow, gesturing to my lap. His usual hesitance is won out either through sheer exhaustion or maybe he needs to feel me near, solid and real, as much as I do him. The stars above reflect in his glassy eyes, wells of pain that goes beyond the physical, holding a depth I'm almost afraid to explore.
"I would do it again," he whispers, so quietly it might not even be meant for me, "I won't lose you."
I comb fingers through his hair until his eyes close with a soft sigh. I know.
Tempest finds me next, "I woke up and the two of you were gone," she mutters, usually smooth voice slighty strained, "I thought..."
She drops to the dirt next to me, curling into my side, shoulders sagging with the weight of old regrets and new fears. She drapes her blanket over us, over my legs, around Aspen, uncharacteristically tender as she's careful not to aggravate his injury. Her hands stay clutched in the fabric of my shirt as she drifts off, shifting closer to Aspen and I, pulled like a magnet even in sleep.
Their presences warm me, seep through our skins, muscles, transcend physical forms until our hearts meld to beat as one, strengthening us with each passing moment. The night that felt smothering and heavy dissipates, our light cutting through the dark, and I feel Hokua's presence again. I can finally look up, see the stars shining with a brilliance I've never witnessed. How, only a few moments ago, could I have feared that I would find the sky cold and empty now?
With tears in my eyes making the stars dance and swim, gratitude shining through the pain; despite the circumstances that may have led us here, we have this moment, however fleeting. I tighten my arms around Aspen and Tempest, bittersweetness of knowing they have walked through the dark too, that there is surely more of it to come, and yet right now this here is right. How lucky am I that this moment, this utter peace and clarity through the dark, is one I can carry with me?
The world is harsh and the days ahead will surely prove to be moreso, but for as long as they'll have me I'll hold close this newfound home in their company. And should we burn out along the way? I could still only ever be grateful to have shone so brightly by their sides.
Thank you so much for reading! If you enjoyed and you haven't played the demo yet, please go check out it out @/abardstale (and then come talk to me about it if you like!!!) 😍💕
Tagging: @lilyoffandoms @pearlsandsteel @vienocalledmebuddy (okay I'm not sure if you wanted to be tagged in my non-twc stuff, but imma do it anyways)
Really enjoying that according to Spotify I spent 23+ hours in total listening to the song Cosmic Love by Florence + The Machine in 2020... 90% of that is probably because the song makes me think of Aspen... I have unsurprisingly spent a lot of time thinking about ABT. 🥺❤️
Because I am not a COWARD I will ask the question I know is not only on my mind, but everyone else’s: could you please perhaps divulge RO (or the whole gang if you’re so inclined) turn-ons (and/or k*nks if applicable 🙈) and turn-offs??? (Tossing myself into horny jail and throwing the key into the sky as I type this)
Answers under the cut be responsible <3
TEMPEST is a no brainer - she’s turned on by almost anything. But I will say that she’s most turned on by playful banter/pillow talk of any kind, either dirty talk or praise. I honestly can’t think of anything that would be a hard turn-off for her, she’s really willing to try anything at least once.
Aspen... is turned on by very forward advances. He likes when someone who knows what they’re doing and knows what they want has their way with him. Slight body worship kink, both giving and receiving. Turned off by real, like, hardcore BDSM stuff. (Bondage beyond just ropes, pain play, etc)
Monsoon is a rope bunny that’s all I will say on that.
Edin is a bit of an exhibitionist - he gets turned on especially when someone’s doing something sneaky at a wholly inappropriate time. Will consent to being topped/dommed but turned off by being, like, really dommed. Not a red flag kind of thing, he just goes from enjoying it to enduring it.
~When the nights get cold / Sometimes when I look over / I see you by a fire with your hands out in the open / And I wonder if you're singing autumn's song / Or if I'm singing all alone / I must be singing on my own~
~An echo of an echo / Ressemblence of a sound / And I've prayed and I've waited / With my ear upon the ground / But the shovel it digs deep / And the calluses grow over / Like a mirror to a mirror / The canyons call your name~
She promises to fight them all when it all becomes too much / And he, he curses at the world for leaving him behind and he’s falling out of touch / And she is stronger than he’s ever been, he knows / And she brushes her hand through his hair, he’s got so much fucking hair
...
And it’s this life that we’ve created / Inundated with the fated thought of you / And if you asked me to, if you asked me I would lose it all / Like petals in a storm
...
"Where have you been?" she’ll whisper / "I’ve waited oh so long for you to come" / And as the stars above them hum and hear them / He’ll turn to her and say, "That’s what she said"
~When the nights get cold / Sometimes when I look over / I see you by a fire with your hands out in the open / And I wonder if you're singing autumn's song / Or if I'm singing all alone / I must be singing on my own~
~An echo of an echo / Ressemblence of a sound / And I've prayed and I've waited / With my ear upon the ground / But the shovel it digs deep / And the calluses grow over / Like a mirror to a mirror / The canyons call your name~
I spend way too much time thinking about this scenario:
Aspen twists his ankle while they're all traveling on foot, so Peri carries him to town on their back. Every once in a while though Tempest messes with Aspen (tickling him in the ribs, dropping pebbles down his pants, etc) knowing he'll be trying sooo hard not to flinch - which could jolt and potentially hurt Peri - and that he's also too considerate to say anything, because they would insist on putting Aspen down and picking him back up each time so he could get rid of the rocks if they knew (and that would be more difficult than just carrying him straight back). Obviously, I don't think Tempest would keep doing it if it would hurt Peri, but I get the idea she might find it hilarious to use Aspen's sweet personality and crush on Peri that he's maybe in denial about against him to have lil fun during a boring trip.
Also please consider: when Peri finally sets Aspen down after they arrive and a bunch of rocks just... fall out of his pants.
I attempted some art that took a looong time because I haven't drawn much in years. It's not done, but I'm not sure when I'll have the energy to come back to it sooo for now it is what it is.
What holidays are most widely celebrated in Amaran? Do the characters have any favourites?
Aaahhhh I keep meaning to ask more lore questions like this, it's really cool finding out about this world you've created!!
Thank you! 😄❤️
Love getting super specific lore questions since I probably won’t get a chance to address any of them in the scope of ABT lmao.
Before the most recent rise of The False One (AKA the event that erased the rest of the gods from public memory) there were many more religious holidays widely known/celebrated. Some of them have survived as seasonal holidays even without the connection to the original deity, such as the Festival of Summer’s Onset, which is celebrated mostly in Jinju and Mahar’il - a days-long celebration to wish good luck upon the sailors departing to open seas for the duration of the summer. Harvest Moon is also widely celebrated, similarly to many real-life Asian cultures.
The most widely celebrated holiday in Amaran is Evernight, a celebration of Hokua that takes place on the Winter Solstice. On Evernight, the longest night of the year, it’s typical for people to stay up all the way through to the morning as they thank Hokua for the wishes they’d granted from the previous year, and write new wishes for the year to come. In all major cities and most towns the party goes all night long, although younger children might be put to bed a little early :)
Welcome back, so happy to hear the break helped! You're an amazing writer and too good to us, glad you're taking pauses when ya need to and taking care of yourself. ❤
So I was watching Brooklyn 99 and there's a scene where, during a cold night, someone puts thick socks on their partners feet while they slept. I thought it was sooo sweet, such a small but incredibly kind act, and I was wondering how Aspen and Tempest would react to the Bard doing something like that please, if you'd like? 💕
Thank you for everything ❤❤❤
Tempest would say nothing but then return the favor the next night LOL.
Aspen would, upon discovering the Bard’s handiwork the next morning, get unexpectedly emotional. Definitely a “WTF why am I crying right now” moment.
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