Frotee's corner

Hey, thought I might as well do a proper introduction.

I'm Carina, I write and draw to keep myself sane and my hands busy when I'm not working (ok, sometimes when I should be working) or taking care of my home and pets and family.

You can find an overview over all my fics here.

When I'm not doing either of those things, I occasionally do LARP (more often TTRPGs), sew (both for comfort and for costumes), read, play videogames or get my hands dirty in the garden.

Image selection likely to feature my ongoing hyperfixation(s). I don't do commissions (because who's got the time?), but I do take suggestions :)

I used to drive through southern Spain on summer vacation as a young teen, thinking "wow am I glad it's not this hot and dry at home, look at all the dead plants".

New Chapter up! In which Lucanis goes home on family business.

Snippet:

"So what is your home like?" Rook asks later, ambling across a dilapidated playground while he circles overhead. It's been quiet so far — no suspicious delivery people, no muggings, not even a single inebriated elementalist making fireworks.

"Less damp," says Lucanis, glad that the weather has no impact on his ability to fly.

Rook snorts. "Nothing's as damp as Dock Town. Come on, give me something." She goes still for a moment, head swivelling to the side at a sudden noise, then relaxes again when a crow swoops down to check the dented can it just dropped.

Lucanis continues to circle in silence for a beat, then two, then three. He doesn't quite know what to do with a Rook who just … talks to him, without trying to get under his skin. Their usual verbal sparring has become almost comfortable at this point — it's the change that is throwing him off balance.

But then, Lucanis has never been good with changes to his routine.

"Treviso is … warmer and more pleasant than Minrathous. It's always been merchant city, though the old town centre is quite popular with tourists, too. Water mostly comes up through your basement instead of drizzling down all day."

"Still sounds plenty damp to me," she quips, and he can hear her grin through his ear-piece.

"There are a lot of canals."

"Are they pretty at least?"

Against his better judgement, Lucanis smiles. It's not like she can see it, anyway. "Very pretty."

"So what's something —" she starts, but he doesn't hear the rest of it; a column of smoke has stolen his focus.

"I see smoke," he says, brushing her question aside as he angles his path towards the black cloud.

"Where?"

"At your 2 o'clock; I'm going ahead."

"Hey, wait! Lucanis!"

Starting to get back on my feet and finished last week's chapter, finally, so I can post a snippet now ;)

It would have been too easy, to find a solution to her problems through a dream. Elora kept the little journal on her person anyway. Maybe it could act as a talisman if it refused to shed light on her troubles; maybe it would talk to her while she slept. It was her price, and she would keep it until someone else came up with a way translate it. She found herself idly pawing through its pages after she had stolen Lucanis away for a bit of companionable quiet, content to lean into his warmth with his arm around her waist while they both remembered that there was no true privacy found in the gardens. Maybe trying to read a language she didn't speak in near darkness wasn't the smartest idea she'd ever had. A quick hiss, and the hand that had been idly stroking her arm stilled. "Are you alright?" "Just a papercut," Elora mumbled, wounded finger stuck in her mouth. "See?" She held the offending appendage up for inspection, shivering in the rush of heat that flooded down her spine when Lucanis took hold of her hand to kiss it better. Still smiling, she reclaimed her hand to keep leafing through the journal, snuggling a little closer to his side. Moonlight turned the pages almost silver, reflecting off the old ink in a way that made the writing dance before her eyes. It wasn't glowing, not exactly, but brighter than it should have been in the dim light. One blink, and there was nothing but illegible scribbles. Another, and the strokes and curves seemed to … shift, almost, crouchingand stretching across the page. One more, and she could no longer tell their form at all, but the words… the words were there, echoing inside her mind. "Lucanis!" she gasped, and the hand around her wais tightened, beard scratching along her skin as he shifted, drifting focus returned with a start. "What is it?" "I think … I think I can read it now?" she whispered, unable to tear her eyes away as the tale began to unfold behind her temples.

Took Yumi‘s poop to the vet today on a hunch - girl‘s due for deworming and quarantine on Thursday 😑 Boy am I looking forward to deep-cleaning her terrarium 🙈

New Chapter up! In which everyone's a little on edge.

Snippet:

If their introduction to the Quarinian court had been undeniably memorable, the dinner that followed was a singularly awkward affair. Which was an accomplishment in itself, considering some of the meals Illario had shared with his (now extended) family lately.

Lucanis' princess had elected not to join them, claiming a headache. Illario had his doubts as to the veracity of that excuse, as the royal physician had not stayed behind to look after. Considering the storm clouds on both Lucanis' and Elora's faces when they returned to their new quarters earlier, Illario could take an educated guess that things hadn't exactly gone according to plan.

No one had seen fit to inform him of the nature of that complication, of course; after all, he was only here because Lucanis couldn't trust him not to scheme in his absence. Judging by the frosty atmosphere among their royal hosts, it would seem that his brother's beloved had managed to give everyone else a headache, too.

Unfortunately, she wasn't the only one gifted in giving offence.

"What is the meaning of this?" King Farris demanded when Viago de Riva reached for Lucanis' plate.

"As royal physician, it is my duty to ensure his Majesty's health. That includes testing his meals for poison," Viago explained patiently as the transferred a small sample of everything onto his own plate and began doctoring the food with powder from a small vial tucked into his waistcoat.

"We have extended you the hospitality of our house; you cannot possibly believe we would injure our own honour to harm you," the king protested, addressing Lucanis this time.

"We mean no offence," Lucanis offered in return, "but there is … precedent, which has led my family to be particularly cautious with our meals." An understatement, considering the way his parents died. "And while we have no reason to suspect any ill intentions on your part, yours is a sizeable court with a vast amount of staff — can you vouch for every single one of them? It is not unusual to find a measure of resentment against foreigners among one's people, and all it would take to cause a diplomatic incident is one disgruntled cook unhappy about our impending marital relations."

That was a lot of words all at once for Lucanis; Illario would bet real money that his brother had prepared that little speech ahead of time, not that any of their hosts would know. It made sense, in a way — it was a touchy subject, and de Riva made no attempt at subtlety.

And last but not least: Jin Thorne, who does not have her own fic but did get a unique backstory, even if her playthrough is on hiatus.

Today's offering: Elenore and Lucanis of Steal My Heart. This one kept fighting me, so good enough it is 🙈

Next up: Lucanis and Ceres, my canon Rook who haunts him through 3 separate fics 😏 (here in the modern AU variant).

Next up: Anya and Lucanis from Roots and Wings.