Left: Chiyo, Vampire-Elf, Oracle (She/her)
Right: Seriphim, Aasimar-human, Paladin, (They/them)
The dark sky overhead was slowly being consumed by the rolling clouds, the full moon slowly being suffocated, dimming the only light on the scene of a densely wooded path. Barely able to see with the light slowly fading, just like his confidence, he ran as fast as he could, the brisk wind biting his face, lungs, burning its way through, and around his body, The wicked trees, now barren of all leaves, cut and grabbed at the edges of his disheveled, once white, button down, and his dark purple dress pants held by a black leather belt, and silver buckle. The weight in his hand was far from his mind, slipping it instinctively towards his right pocket, the more important weight on his mind was a moral one. The feeling of the presence behind him grew, it felt like they were almost there, but not now, not yet, I can’t see them, I need to get away. But the feeling of being watched never left his slender, clearly bruised pale face, and what looked like it was quite clean styled hair, now but a bird's nest of knots, twigs and what dead leaves still lay attached to them. His breath was getting more choked, his guilt clogging his airways, blurring his eyes with tears for only a few seconds, a few seconds that caught his ill equipped dress shoes, throwing him off balance, where he crashed to the forest floor with a hard *Thump*. There was a noticeable spray of needles, dirt and dried leaves, he managed to catch himself bracing with his dominant arm, twisting it to avoid slamming into a nearby rock. As he got up his right arm was in a lot more pain than it was before, with his side starting to stitch, he hobbled onward, with his body aching knowing what he did, before all of this,’ the physical pain is what I deserve by now for what I did to him.’ he muttered to himself, almost choking up again. He had images flash by as the last of the moon's rays peered out from behind the clouds, slowly licking away all his bearings. The wide open garden, with a retaining wall half way down the nearly two acre backyard, the large glass house built for parties, strung up with fairy lights, giving a warm comforting hue of orange and yellow onto sleek brown leather furniture. And the smell, not just of fresh cut grass, but their cologne, the food as expansive as could be. That’s when he remembered the song, the one that was most special, and caused this whole mess, a light calm jazz style, meant for dancing.
The crescendo and fall, like waves from a brass sea, then the orchestral string building behind as all lay low, the memories took over the times he’d heard this song, the visions grew just like the waves from the music. He had backed up seeing it come closer, and closer, trying to run until the music all paused for just a moment before the next burst of energy, but what rang out was not the drums and brass blaring energy and life into the room, not at first but a shot rang through the air as he stood there shaking, and just coming to his senses, ‘John?!’ a silky deep voice called out in a stern, but concerned tone. Shaking more, looking in surprise at the gun in his hand, not sure what to make of it, looking around at everyone, flushing barely muttered, “B-b-b-Bruce…” he tried to hold out a hand but hesitated, pulling back, whispering “I’m sorry…” turning and running out, and trying to escape everyone, ignoring the calls for him to come back, despite the pleading he could hear, John kept running. The memory was on repeat, more specifically the pleading he heard to come back, he knew he couldn’t go back, he didn’t even process if he injured someone, but he knew that the visions were what kept him from being able to be there, and improve, have a normal life, Now only small beams were poking through the thin parts of the cloud veil, but on his knees he fell at the edge of a small clearing, hiding a gazebo in the center, made of old wood, and ancient stone carved into eight sides. John hobbled over to the several stairs to get into the relatively spacious interior, where he collapsed on the far edge up against the cool brick wall, as the trees began rustling from the wind, with the weathering mimicking him, there started a drizzle, and then it picked up as he began to weep, pulling the gun from is pocket. He sat one leg up, back pressed against the cool uneven stones of the gazebo wall, his arms bleeding, along with his chest from the tiny knife-like ends of the branches which ripped his shirt and skin. Being almost unable to breathe between the emotions overwhelming him, and catching his breath, he didn’t hear the steps approaching, or the taps of dress shoes on the stone steps growing closer till they stopped at the top. Bruce walked up the few steps out of breath and soaked, adjusting himself to look across at John, cut and bruised, barely able to move his arm, as he tries to aim the weapon on himself, where he sees the tears rushing down his face, weakly saying with cracks in his voice, “I-I’m so so s-sorry Bruce, y-you should have..” he starts to cough, doubling over, and starts to shake, and becomes incapable of moving the arm holding the pistol, clearly straining, and desperately trying to move his arm, as Bruce walks over. “You-you know, I can’t function, you know this is what’s best, so I’m not a risk again, I c-can’t be helped!” John’s voice breaking, and sounding more manic. “W-what else could there be for me, this is the only logical way to deal with someone who is such a threat like me, R-right?” John, straining a pleading face, looked up to Bruce, standing right above him. Bruce simply got onto one knee, hand on the gun, threw it away, holding John's face in his other large, strong, and reliable hand, and said, “I wouldn’t even think it a possibility, my love, it’s something we must work together on, and you can improve.” A hopeful smile played across Bruce’s face, pained, but hopeful staring into Johns eyes, They at last embraced each other, thinking of the future as the rain poured around them, making the most of their new found time together, where John soon fell asleep on Bruce’s shoulder, as they waited for rain to pass to leave and dry off, and see about working their new life.
My girl is back. Wanted to draw her again, and practice an environment, so big stretch for hot girl weekend.
Hope everyone following is able to enjoy their pride, and have enjoyed my art up until now, with me having more to do I likely won’t be able to post as much art as I had hoped by now, and needing to replace my sketchbook have made keeping up with everything kind of hard, but should be back soon if things go well. Enjoy your pride, or else the gay police come and arrest you ;)
It is possible that in the meantime I will do short stories just to give you all something to enjoy.
Far and away this world is a small beach of sanity. I cannot fathom breaching that edge, and stepping into the great sea, god damn what am I saying… there is nothing ‘great’ about that damned sea. I dare not even look up at that sky at night, what god dare claim mercy and love to all, and yet create that sea. I have stepped fully into that briny freezing water, and never realized until I was dragged down and forced to see all that lay beyond our own shore.
By god the horrors of hell shan’t scrape at me if that’s the waking world. I was merely an over zealous researcher, should have never started that job, I was damned the moment I was recruited. To hell with those people, I don’t even know what’s left after the accident, the lab must be either incomprehensible, or beyond repair of any information being retrieved… good, that place is no sanctuary of knowledge, forbidden things, forgotten gods, men of more than what can be described with the limitations of godly script. The rotting gods at the edge of all that is, and was, their decaying corpses being a mere moment from wiping out half of what we see in the sky.
The light of galaxies staring like eyes upon my back, and yet still I cannot tell if they judge me, or simply cannot see me, just looking forever with dead eyes into the ether. I used to say progress was my goal, to explore that which has never been touched, but maybe the limitations of what we are were protections from these entities, masses which move and flicker like a candle flame in wind through our reality and out into the infinite black sea of tar, a writhing, breathing mass of a sea beyond which we can never hope to see, let alone understand. We pray for safety at night, and forgiveness for our sins, but no god can wipe the horrors from my mind, which wrap me up in a suffocating blanket as I fall deeper into madness.
One may ask, surely your career experience should have awarded some inclination as to the dangers of that job. And by all lines and lies I was aware, but never to this extreme, I never was truly aware of how much we danced upon that knife edge of our world, and once we tripped, all was lost. All those now dead and damned for trying to reach god's domain, but now I only ask… which god.