Celian

As the Tropical Garden was on Tuesdays reserved for students and guided tours, we set off on Wednesday. In the morning, because it was quieter then. The young man at the counter, probably a part-time student, looked like he was still half asleep as he counted Finley's coins. The first greenhouse was only moderately heated because, according to the sign, the plants on display here were now entering a natural dormant phase. With all the bright colors, however, dormancy was not exactly what ca

There are several stories...

Freedom is indeed not the same in this society as we depicture it. Though it differs where you are. In the south freedmen have a hard life, but slaves can rise high in status. In the north freedmen (and the legally dark-grey free born from the northwest) enjoy a lot more "freedom" and are nearly seen as equal as women. The might a matriarch has over her family, the might of a mother over her daughters, is slowly increasing in modern times, but in traditional areas or social surroundings like the upper-class it's stiff suffocating. Yes and no, the northwest (where this story takes places 99% of the time) is simply a bit different historically seen. Would it be fun to know everything right off the beginning? Come on, my friend, take it slow I mean, there's quite a bit of story and happening waiting... Oh and I posted some lore and a MAP for everyone who's interested: Map

The Great Mother: the mother goddess. She created the world and everything that lives on it. She formed women in her image and later gifted them with men, 'the spark that kindles the divine fire of woman'. Her daughters and sons, demigods, used to play a major role in everyday religion, especially in the past. the 12 most important divine daughters: Gianna (January): symbol of new beginnings, depicted with walking stick and is considered the protector of travelers Hanna

For some overview and orientation: a MAP. Yes, it's handdrawn, not very detailed etc, but the most important things are there. The Republic The Republic of Yorkwell is one of two countries on the continent of Vertmaar (Green Wide Land). It stretches from the east coast (Ghuerny Ocean) to the Amaranth Mountains (which divide the continent on north/south-axis), occupying slightly more than half of Vertmaar. In the south, it is bounded by the Megharian Sea; in the north, dense fore

Here I will put one shots, scenes from different POVs, moments in between moments and the like for the series.

Dante hated Tom for the pain he was in. He hated him for the blood on his pillow. He hated him for the butt plug. And Dante hated himself for a moment for his disgusted-and somehow scared- hesitation before shoving the thing up his ass. It was a sickening feeling, and left him in a certain bad mood that seemed to startle Frank at breakfast- promptly Dante felt guilty. His mood didn't improve, however, when they ran into Tom outside, who in an unguarded moment groped him scrutinizingly on th

Thank you! God, a nasty cold fogged up my brain and in the end I decided for the literal translation. Idioms are killers, really. Do you really mean Cedric or not rather Cyril? O.O *sniff* You are right. Guess from my anatomy classes in medschool didn't stick much, apart from silly sayings to remember the latin/greek words (Ulna der Barbar hat ellenlanges Haar). BUT! I thought about it. Beforehand. And discussed it with someone. 😎 No but really, I did think about this kind of "freaky non-humanness", their clothes are not like ours, jackets and the like have big slits in the back and are closed with buttons under those wing-slits. Dresses and skirts are for wingless or the superrich, who not fly themselves. They don't have backpacks, but clip everything to their belts. And yes, I even thought about breasts and no, they do not breastfeed their babies, it's just a decorative bodypart (no nipples to play with, how sad). Because- anecdote incoming- a friend of mine wrote an anthropomorphic book and his main character, a bear, loves cheese. My question was: where does the cheese come from? "Well, from cows and sheep and goats." Okay but you said your females have boobs. How does that work for your cows? Do they still have an udder? And if so, is it down there? etc etc and his more than embarrassed answer was "no comment" 😅

Nah, they might be identical twins but there are obvious differences. Though that fetish would be a tell-apart-detail otherwise Eh, talking about shoulders. With my sweet betareader @laradoubleg I was discussing: since they have two pairs of arms, do they have two pairs of shoulders? 🤔 Anyway, you are right. It's going to become a big construct of lies and especially the beginning will be like walking on raw eggs (do you say that in english?) Having actual feelings for someones is just one part of "save my brothers' life"-deal--show.

~Riley~ Fine nausea crept through Riley's stomach. For hours he and Cedric had talked about details, details of the marriage contract, details of their supposed relationship. But what had really triggered the queasiness was the ease with which Cedric juggled large sums of money. “Five hundred thousand for an amicable divorce, if all the points listed are confirmed or negated by both parties. Cedric, are you sure?” “Is five hundred thousand doubloons too little? I thought one hu

Ah, well. Tom was highlighting his own status/importance/seniorness. But telling Blaise that he-Tom himself-is the bad guy in this story? (in this story, or only this moment? hmm). I don't think so. Or you are right and Blaise is fully a false-friendly front 🤔 "Alternate reality Frank" sounds exciting! I love alternate versions. Let's see which is the real one ❤️

Do you mean, whether Blaise knows about the toys? If so: they were Blaise's idea and he's selling them under the table, Tom is just the one making them. What Frank sees and what he understands of this... might be different things. (Explanation next chapter.) Dante is afraid it would only bring more trouble if he brought this up. It's just a couple of days and he has learned to deal with other slaves himself, that mistresses rarely care or are fair.

I think it would have already been bad for Emmett if Dex had died for example during his duty as police officer. But like this? Killed by his family because of taint and attacking Emmett? That's not a death leading to "normal" grief, Emmett shouldn't have been alone for so long, burying himself deeper and deeper into it, maybe even into feelings for Dex which weren't even there. Both of them, but especially Finley, will give conciously pieces for that very same puzzle. And I promise some more on Bomb (and btw Finley never said anything more than "Bomb" or "twin" )

It is said that the Great Mother has many daughters. One of them, Hella, was known above all for her quick-tempered character and for getting her sisters into trouble. So one day she persuaded Eden, whose only weakness was her curiosity, to travel with her to the afterlife- the Great Mother had forbidden it, and that made it all the more appealing. But when the sisters arrived there, they found the afterlife to be a dreary gray place, lifeless, dusty, filled with souls of all kinds who were n

That's a nice comparison, actually. But as much of an ass Dom is, he wouldn't. Or, well, hurt not in a physical sense, since the deer dislike this kind of violence (but if the offense was big enough, you can be sure to lose your job, your home and your spouse). Apart from that, the herd is open about what they are. They are not exactly flaunting it, but close. Somewhere in the beginning Emmett mentions an abandoned fey castle- after the owner (the also mentioned fey prince) had left around 60 years ago, the deer started to grow their influence. They were already the biggest non-human group around and are now comparible to the leaders of the non-human community in town. Lore drop, yay!

No, you didn't miss any coming outs. Tony can only tell that Finley's shield is based on fire as element, like his or Emmett's are based on earth. Only we know for now about our sweet shy dragon, but the very same is constantly discussing with himself what Emmett is

If it was just that easy! A fey warrior would have to kill you for that dishonor of asking them. Just as example. I mean, pretty obvious Emmett is not a warrior of any kind. But I like "semi-date"

Now things went faster than I thought by a lot. They got Jackie. Wedding bells are about to ring. But there's something lurking in the back, I'm afraid. Feels like there is still something coming, something ugly...

@Danners I love what you wrote. And you said a lot, a lot and some more right things. Aaaaand you said some other stuff that has me rethinking some of my timeline. (And I might let Mo come back, hmmm 🤔) About Mike: we will probably never know, whether he got a spiked drink or was just having a shitty day. (It honestly doesn't matter.) But some people just don't do well with alcohol if their body is occupied with other stuff (maybe a cold? Upset stomach?) and I know surprisingly many people who have a problem with Tequilla. But hey, my wild years are over, I haven't touched alcohol in over ten years. Escalating university parties tend to leave a lesson... For Emmett: I'm afraid it's more your second theory. Poor empath is struggling to keep himself together. He's not a loner like Finley and the self-isolation was definitley too long. And where did you see a unicorn? They are invisible, you know, but psht let's not make the others cry. Otherwise they need a plush dragon too... ❤️ Edit: forgot about Ben. Well yes so we just got to see Finley's view on things and let's say the last Mass hasn't been sung.

Fresh meat and such No but you get a first taste of Tom (or Dante?) next chapter. And about Frank's role in this... we will see, I guess.

The joy of seeing Emmett again bubbled up inside me, rising as smoke from my mouth and nose. I wanted to touch him, hold him, read his feelings directly from his skin. Admittedly, this was the dragon talking loudly, but on the other hand, Emmett looked like he could do with a hug. When Emmett and Ben finally joined us, he actually looked a little better. There was a hint of annoyance on him, as well as a bit of hysteria clinging to Ben. I smiled at both of them and restrained myself fr

Note sure how to answer that, honestly 🤔 Maybe you're used to stories with a faster pace?

Dante dipped the brush into the bucket of water and grimaced when a splash hit him next to the eye. His hands were bloated and aching, his back and knees ached no less. He had just put the brush back on the floorboards when, with a cheerful shriek, five-year-old Jack ran through the banquet room, followed by Maisie and Jessy. The naked children's feet left prints and a few blades of grass and Dante swallowed hard instead of calling after them, what was furious laying on the tip of his tongue.

Well Alice's words "get to know yourself" leave a lot of room for interpretation... Alice standing against tradition of owning a personal slave might be reason enough for her parents to force a slave on her 🤷🏻‍♂️ though Dante will ask the question later on. Thank you ❤️

Slippery slope Sorry. Back to serious. You're right, both siblings see slaves as persons, individuals, and not as breathing objects. Well about the Sapphires themselves we don't hear that much, because Dante himself knows not much, but in general, yes (we meet her later on). My lore is sprinkled all over 😘 (Though this is set in a republic the monarchy times are over since a while, no courtesan therefore.)