![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
[ The instant your hand touches the lantern, the small flame blooms into a something huge and bright like an unfolding star, light flooding the Haven as well as your mind.
In that moment, the world disappears into that flash of light and it feels like late summer grass and the dappled shade of a tree, the comfort in your chest that's warm and heavy, not just from the sight of people chatting and playing volleyball in the good weather, or the improbable feeling of your belly being so full of something so good, or the passing thought that maybe things aren't going to be so bad after all, but the steady presence of someone calm and gentle beside you, and, after everything, maybe you really needed this;
it feels like someone calling you a friend and once you get past your surprise, you realize you've been thinking of them that way too, and that thought feels bright and a little unfamiliar, and as far as you know this may be the first friendship you've ever had and something about that makes something bloom inside you and make your eyes a little misty;
it feels like a hand tousling your hair and fingers slipping into your palm and squeezing, reassuring you that you are not alone and you have support, and it's scary at first and you don't flinch but it's a near thing, but eventually you learn, you learn how to do this, you learn how nice it can feel, and you return those gestures in the form of a tight embrace with both your arms and your whole heart because you want to, and you want them to know you feel that way for them too, and it's Good, it's Really Good;
it feels like, if you were to accidentally fall asleep in their presence, you'd probably wake up with a blanket over your shoulders, and even when you're awake you still feel that way when they're around;
it feels like love.
Your eyes adjust to the light and the Haven resolves back into place, right where you left it. The newly brightened lantern illuminates an even greater radius than before.]
In that moment, the world disappears into that flash of light and it feels like late summer grass and the dappled shade of a tree, the comfort in your chest that's warm and heavy, not just from the sight of people chatting and playing volleyball in the good weather, or the improbable feeling of your belly being so full of something so good, or the passing thought that maybe things aren't going to be so bad after all, but the steady presence of someone calm and gentle beside you, and, after everything, maybe you really needed this;
it feels like someone calling you a friend and once you get past your surprise, you realize you've been thinking of them that way too, and that thought feels bright and a little unfamiliar, and as far as you know this may be the first friendship you've ever had and something about that makes something bloom inside you and make your eyes a little misty;
it feels like a hand tousling your hair and fingers slipping into your palm and squeezing, reassuring you that you are not alone and you have support, and it's scary at first and you don't flinch but it's a near thing, but eventually you learn, you learn how to do this, you learn how nice it can feel, and you return those gestures in the form of a tight embrace with both your arms and your whole heart because you want to, and you want them to know you feel that way for them too, and it's Good, it's Really Good;
it feels like, if you were to accidentally fall asleep in their presence, you'd probably wake up with a blanket over your shoulders, and even when you're awake you still feel that way when they're around;
it feels like love.
Your eyes adjust to the light and the Haven resolves back into place, right where you left it. The newly brightened lantern illuminates an even greater radius than before.]
[ Well, taking the lantern then. He won't get very far in the dark without it. ]
[She wakes with a start, looking around then scrambling towards the lantern--why this why this why is it so dark]
[Is the lantern fixed to the ground? She is trying to lift it either way,]
[Is the lantern fixed to the ground? She is trying to lift it either way,]
[ The instant your hand touches the lantern, the small flame blooms into a something huge and bright like an unfolding star, light flooding the Haven as well as your mind.
In that moment, the world disappears into that flash of light and it feels like
two matching games about intimacy, one in which you panicked and fled to go drown yourself in self-loathing, and the relief you felt to be met with patient understanding instead, and another in which you tested a boundary and were met with patient understanding once again, solid and unwavering in a way that feels like solid ground beneath your feet that gives you the strength to stand, and to walk, and maybe to dance, a thing that emerges from a chrysalis and unfurls fragile, shivering wings that spread into something broad and beautiful, and you know its name is Trust;
it feels like an explosion of wild joy that you try to temper but you can't, because someone you missed with all your heart is back, they're back, and you missed them and they're back and it's all you can do not to jump all over them like the giddy puppy you've suddenly become, but their absence felt like a missing piece and their return feels like being a little more whole than you were before, and you want to hold it and not let go because it's important and there was so much you had left to say;
it feels like someone peeling you off the ground after a week that kicked your ass followed by a game that kicked it even harder, and you're both covered in dirt inside and out and you're ready to lay on the floor and become one with the worms but there's someone here that cares about you more than you do right now, and that feels even better than whatever magic puts your bones back together and puts the air back in your lungs;
it feels like beer and stirfry, picnic barbecues, the stench of cigarettes which you hate but also find comfort in, because it's a smell that means you're Here and possible of being found;
it feels like love.
Your eyes adjust to the light and the Haven resolves back into place, right where you left it. The newly brightened lantern illuminates an even greater radius than before.]
In that moment, the world disappears into that flash of light and it feels like
two matching games about intimacy, one in which you panicked and fled to go drown yourself in self-loathing, and the relief you felt to be met with patient understanding instead, and another in which you tested a boundary and were met with patient understanding once again, solid and unwavering in a way that feels like solid ground beneath your feet that gives you the strength to stand, and to walk, and maybe to dance, a thing that emerges from a chrysalis and unfurls fragile, shivering wings that spread into something broad and beautiful, and you know its name is Trust;
it feels like an explosion of wild joy that you try to temper but you can't, because someone you missed with all your heart is back, they're back, and you missed them and they're back and it's all you can do not to jump all over them like the giddy puppy you've suddenly become, but their absence felt like a missing piece and their return feels like being a little more whole than you were before, and you want to hold it and not let go because it's important and there was so much you had left to say;
it feels like someone peeling you off the ground after a week that kicked your ass followed by a game that kicked it even harder, and you're both covered in dirt inside and out and you're ready to lay on the floor and become one with the worms but there's someone here that cares about you more than you do right now, and that feels even better than whatever magic puts your bones back together and puts the air back in your lungs;
it feels like beer and stirfry, picnic barbecues, the stench of cigarettes which you hate but also find comfort in, because it's a smell that means you're Here and possible of being found;
it feels like love.
Your eyes adjust to the light and the Haven resolves back into place, right where you left it. The newly brightened lantern illuminates an even greater radius than before.]
[Hey he would like to file a complaint with this lantern.
But whatever whatever whatever it's fine he's just going to. Ignooooore that and use it to take a look around.]
But whatever whatever whatever it's fine he's just going to. Ignooooore that and use it to take a look around.]
[ The instant your hand touches the lantern, the small flame blooms into a something huge and bright like an unfolding star, light flooding the Haven as well as your mind.
In that moment, the world disappears into that flash of light and it feels like suddenly, improbably, being a kid again, slipping your tiny hand into one that's bigger but not by much, together you pretend to be alien invaders going to the mall to do critical ice cream research, and you enjoy yourself without a care in the world at the time, when you're older again you look back with a different perspective and appreciate it even more, how safe you felt, how fun it was, how much you might have actually needed that;
it feels like a sandwich and cloud nine and a sanctuary from prying eyes, and someone who will quietly guard the door and let you be yourself or maybe even nobody for just a minute, to dissolve into the pool until you feel more whole;
it feels like a strangely heartfelt conversation, picking at it like a puzzle, you both fell accidentally into something deep and meaningful that took you by surprise and showed you some things about yourself that were important to know, and there's a sense of camaraderie with this person who was brave enough to come on this journey with you, who has the power to hurt you but doesn't, who lets flakes her armor fall away to let a little light out, and you hold that light as gentle as a firefly to try to keep it safe from harm;
it feels like love.
Your eyes adjust to the light and the Haven resolves back into place, right where you left it. The newly brightened lantern illuminates an even greater radius than before.]
In that moment, the world disappears into that flash of light and it feels like suddenly, improbably, being a kid again, slipping your tiny hand into one that's bigger but not by much, together you pretend to be alien invaders going to the mall to do critical ice cream research, and you enjoy yourself without a care in the world at the time, when you're older again you look back with a different perspective and appreciate it even more, how safe you felt, how fun it was, how much you might have actually needed that;
it feels like a sandwich and cloud nine and a sanctuary from prying eyes, and someone who will quietly guard the door and let you be yourself or maybe even nobody for just a minute, to dissolve into the pool until you feel more whole;
it feels like a strangely heartfelt conversation, picking at it like a puzzle, you both fell accidentally into something deep and meaningful that took you by surprise and showed you some things about yourself that were important to know, and there's a sense of camaraderie with this person who was brave enough to come on this journey with you, who has the power to hurt you but doesn't, who lets flakes her armor fall away to let a little light out, and you hold that light as gentle as a firefly to try to keep it safe from harm;
it feels like love.
Your eyes adjust to the light and the Haven resolves back into place, right where you left it. The newly brightened lantern illuminates an even greater radius than before.]
[ In this larger, brighter, expanded circle of light, you can see more of the immediate surroundings beyond the edge of the Haven. You see the skeletons of bushes. What once was lush grass is now crisp, dry tufts, crinkled over bare dirt. The naked trunks of what used to be conifers extend overhead and vanish into darkness. ]
[ One side of the platform-shaped Haven slopes gently down to the ground. From there, a dirt path winds off into the trees. ]
[ One side of the platform-shaped Haven slopes gently down to the ground. From there, a dirt path winds off into the trees. ]
[Excuse you!
This is the rudest thing that has ever happened in Intensity's life.]
This is the rudest thing that has ever happened in Intensity's life.]
[And he almost fumbles and drops the lantern because he is simply not able to handle the shock of experiencing more than one emotion at a time. Two, if they're negative. But that's only occasionally.]
[But he doesn't, instead lifting the lantern up high to illuminate more of the area.
And in his best, "shut up and duel me" voice:]
Cobalt! Where are you?
And in his best, "shut up and duel me" voice:]
Cobalt! Where are you?
[Sorry he can't see the surroundings it seems to be raining in his eyeballs.
Okay so he's crying. He wipes at his eyes with his palms, hugging the lantern both tight and gentle, and takes a moment to breathe.
Then tries to take the lantern to the edge of this stone, walk the perimeter to look around.]
Okay so he's crying. He wipes at his eyes with his palms, hugging the lantern both tight and gentle, and takes a moment to breathe.
Then tries to take the lantern to the edge of this stone, walk the perimeter to look around.]
[He's a basic bitch who doesn't know much in the way of survival other than stay alert and try not to attract any bad attention that could lead to death so sure, let's just follow that trail and hope that means it leads to civilization.]
[cobalt jumps out of a bush with a spray of confetti just kidding it's completely quiet.]
[ In this larger, brighter, expanded circle of light, you can see more of the immediate surroundings beyond the edge of the Haven. You see the skeletons of bushes. What once was lush grass is now crisp, dry tufts, crinkled over bare dirt. The naked trunks of what used to be conifers extend overhead and vanish into darkness. ]
[ One side of the platform-shaped Haven slopes gently down to the ground. From there, a dirt path winds off into the trees. ]
[ In this larger, brighter, expanded circle of light, you can see more of the immediate surroundings beyond the edge of the Haven. You see the skeletons of bushes. What once was lush grass is now crisp, dry tufts, crinkled over bare dirt. The naked trunks of what used to be conifers extend overhead and vanish into darkness. ]
[ One side of the platform-shaped Haven slopes gently down to the ground. From there, a dirt path winds off into the trees. ]
[aww buddy, it's okay. This lantern is here to protect you.]
[ In this larger, brighter, expanded circle of light, you can see more of the immediate surroundings beyond the edge of the Haven. You see the skeletons of bushes. What once was lush grass is now crisp, dry tufts, crinkled over bare dirt. The naked trunks of what used to be conifers extend overhead and vanish into darkness. ]
[ One side of the platform-shaped Haven slopes gently down to the ground. From there, a dirt path winds off into the trees. ]
[ In this larger, brighter, expanded circle of light, you can see more of the immediate surroundings beyond the edge of the Haven. You see the skeletons of bushes. What once was lush grass is now crisp, dry tufts, crinkled over bare dirt. The naked trunks of what used to be conifers extend overhead and vanish into darkness. ]
[ One side of the platform-shaped Haven slopes gently down to the ground. From there, a dirt path winds off into the trees. ]
[ You follow the path through a forest long dead. ]
[ Out here, the air tastes bitter and caustic. The unnatural silence is occasionally punctuated by sounds: a distant, echoing crash of something crisp and wooden getting broken. A lonely groan from an inhuman throat. The intermittent scrape of dry leaves, disturbed by feet that skitter away before your circle of light can touch them. ]
[ As you walk, the path starts to climb up a slope, leading you through several switchbacks. The trees thin out, and the sky seems to lighten a few shades, like something up ahead is illuminating the very air. ]
[ You can see light glinting off boulders and tree trunks, guiding you forward like a beacon. ]
[ You have to scrabble over some rocks, picking your way upward. Then you look over a ridge and there it is:
—The ugliest city you’ve ever seen in your life. ]
[ The city is on the far side of a huge expanse of cobblestone — which, now that you’re looking at it, strongly resembles a parking lot. On this side of the lot, to your left, is a lookout where tourists could stop and take in the vast and devastatingly scenic darkness-filled canyon you just crawled out of. ]
[ Out here, the air tastes bitter and caustic. The unnatural silence is occasionally punctuated by sounds: a distant, echoing crash of something crisp and wooden getting broken. A lonely groan from an inhuman throat. The intermittent scrape of dry leaves, disturbed by feet that skitter away before your circle of light can touch them. ]
[ As you walk, the path starts to climb up a slope, leading you through several switchbacks. The trees thin out, and the sky seems to lighten a few shades, like something up ahead is illuminating the very air. ]
[ You can see light glinting off boulders and tree trunks, guiding you forward like a beacon. ]
[ You have to scrabble over some rocks, picking your way upward. Then you look over a ridge and there it is:
—The ugliest city you’ve ever seen in your life. ]
[ The city is on the far side of a huge expanse of cobblestone — which, now that you’re looking at it, strongly resembles a parking lot. On this side of the lot, to your left, is a lookout where tourists could stop and take in the vast and devastatingly scenic darkness-filled canyon you just crawled out of. ]
[ Hey
WHAT THE FUCK. He almost fucking drops the lamp out of shock, because who expects to have to do a sanity check from holding a lamp!? ]
WHAT THE FUCK. He almost fucking drops the lamp out of shock, because who expects to have to do a sanity check from holding a lamp!? ]
[It might take a minute]
[Possibly he is tearing up,]
[Possibly he is tearing up,]
[Field trip time.
Down the path, he goes]
Down the path, he goes]
[it's ok to cry, buddy
feel your feelings
you're safe here]
feel your feelings
you're safe here]
[ You follow the path through a forest long dead. ]
[ Out here, the air tastes bitter and caustic. The unnatural silence is occasionally punctuated by sounds: a distant, echoing crash of something crisp and wooden getting broken. A lonely groan from an inhuman throat. The intermittent scrape of dry leaves, disturbed by feet that skitter away before your circle of light can touch them. ]
[ As you walk, the path starts to climb up a slope, leading you through several switchbacks. The trees thin out, and the sky seems to lighten a few shades, like something up ahead is illuminating the very air. ]
[ You can see light glinting off boulders and tree trunks, guiding you forward like a beacon. ]
[ You have to scrabble over some rocks, picking your way upward. Then you look over a ridge and there it is:
—The ugliest city you’ve ever seen in your life. ]
[ The city is on the far side of a huge expanse of cobblestone — which, now that you’re looking at it, strongly resembles a parking lot. On this side of the lot, to your left, is a lookout where tourists could stop and take in the vast and devastatingly scenic darkness-filled canyon you just crawled out of. ]
[ Out here, the air tastes bitter and caustic. The unnatural silence is occasionally punctuated by sounds: a distant, echoing crash of something crisp and wooden getting broken. A lonely groan from an inhuman throat. The intermittent scrape of dry leaves, disturbed by feet that skitter away before your circle of light can touch them. ]
[ As you walk, the path starts to climb up a slope, leading you through several switchbacks. The trees thin out, and the sky seems to lighten a few shades, like something up ahead is illuminating the very air. ]
[ You can see light glinting off boulders and tree trunks, guiding you forward like a beacon. ]
[ You have to scrabble over some rocks, picking your way upward. Then you look over a ridge and there it is:
—The ugliest city you’ve ever seen in your life. ]
[ The city is on the far side of a huge expanse of cobblestone — which, now that you’re looking at it, strongly resembles a parking lot. On this side of the lot, to your left, is a lookout where tourists could stop and take in the vast and devastatingly scenic darkness-filled canyon you just crawled out of. ]
[He purposefully paces himself as he walks because he's absolutely prepared to book it if anything approaches, but given nothing does... he makes it to the ruins.
While he does glance in the direction of the lookout, he's not a fighter and that's just gazing out over the territory of Things That Could Probably Kill Him, so you know what? Let's check out that city instead.]
While he does glance in the direction of the lookout, he's not a fighter and that's just gazing out over the territory of Things That Could Probably Kill Him, so you know what? Let's check out that city instead.]
[It's all the same, really. Just a lot of really, really dead forest, all dry and brambly. You can't find anything except spiderwebs and sticks, but absolutely nothing that's alive. Not a single green leaf.
The path seems to be the only thing of interest that stands out here.]
The path seems to be the only thing of interest that stands out here.]
Page 2 of 32