Gallery

The snow outside had been consistent for the last few days, a rare sight in Burrowgatory. Usually, the snow would be piled high for a few mere hours before it started to melt, the last traces of it gone in a matter of days. Yet the world outside Valentine’s window remained white, tendrils of brown breaking through from the ground and forming the usual trees she’d memorized. Each morning, the sight would be nearly blinding as the cave crystals reflected the l...

Valentine nudged the bottle of gin forward along the countertop, minding not to spill any on its short journey. She rested her head in the spot where it had been, pressing her forehead against her arm and closing her eyes. Her eyelids were too heavy to keep open, though she made an effort to keep awake with occasional movements. A twitch of her hand on the bottle. A tap of her foot against the barstool. A pair of hands found her back, gentle and soothing despite...

The inside of the kitchen was warm and fragrant, alife with the music spilling in from the living room and the sound of utensils clinking against each other. Distant chatter still found its way alongside the music, laughter and cheering that swelled occasionally before simmering back to its lower level of loudness. Valentine’s hoof steps rang out in occasional sequences, her flitting around the kitchen observed by the doll seated at the island in the middle of...

The door inside the greenhouse led to a room Valentine had never seen before, a small kitchen etched into the space and filled with natural light and walls of books and cabinets. Pots lined shelves in a neat fashion, stacked within each other and lined up in an even display that had the appearance of being copied and pasted. The space was neat, tidy and empty of any semblance of activity that a kitchen might normally have. It reminded Valentine of the room that ...

The view from the window was a thick blanket of white, a sight unusual for Burrowgatory. Even more usual was the sight of flakes still drifting down to rest amidst the growing pile, a steadfast fall that seemingly had no intent on stopping. Valentine’s breath fogged the glass as she pressed her head against it, the pane cold against her hair. Her reflection interrupted the snow in hazy glimpses, the light outside reflecting off the harsh white and allowing not...

Evening had settled over Burrowgatory with a palpable excitement, the streets outside filled with laughter and lights despite the dimming of the overhead crystals. Loud music blared from stores and many succubuns gathered around their TVs, watching as the countdown for the new year ticked closer and closer. Despite the darkness above, crowds were still alight with sparklers and many succubuns were making last-minute trips to buy fireworks to light in areas where...

Valentine and Dove found themselves in the garden more often than Valentine would have originally thought. On top of checking on the ambrosia Valentine was growing, she often found herself completing entirely unrelated tasks that seemingly had nothing to do with her own work. Valentine didn’t mind, of course - it gave her excuses. Tasks to keep busy with and brain-food to occupy her mind with. Dove didn’t seem to mind, either; consistently tagging along and ...

Valentine’s final lesson with Dan would be her most difficult - that was the warning he’d given her. However, she wasn’t exactly one to back out of plans for no good reason. A little challenge could be fun every once in a while; a nice way to work her brain and do something she wasn’t used to doing. She supposed she was partially nervous, though it was thoroughly outweighed by excitement.   The bell ra...

It was a quiet day again.    The crystals shined down on the path to Dan’s Dango, illuminating a few meandering buns as Valentine passed them by. Bits and pieces of conversation drifted her way with each step, though each was busy and occupied with their own life rather than anything Val needed to hear. She wasn’t the eavesdropping type, more content to smooth down her ears and flit past the occupied buns...

The garden was even more beautiful than Valentine remembered. She could see all around the nervous beginnings of blossoming; vibrance hidden under petals building up the courage to be seen. Even in their underdeveloped state, Valentine swore she could see hints of unnatural luminescence - petals that faintly glittered in the light that filtered in the greenhouse windows. She stood in awe for a moment, basking in their subtle beauty and breathing in the clean, fr...

“Are you sure you don’t want anything, baby?”   Valentine stood on the threshold of the front door, one hoof firmly planted on the welcome mat while the other lingered in the warmth of the inside. Her hand only grazed the doorknob, holding it open and an arm’s length away. She faced the inside rather than the journey ahead, eyes locked on the familiar doll form standing in the door of the kitchen a few...

The evening outside was dim, purple sky and crystalline light casting faint patched glow onto the floor of the imporium. Distant scratching of restless imps and quiet chattering echoing from open windows announced life in the night, Burrowgatory still awake and giving way for the usual nighttime hubbub. If Valentine had work today, she was sure that buns from all around would be drifting into the Rabbit Hole and the casino that housed it; their stomachs deeming ...

The distance from the Imporium to Valentine’s home was short, an uneventful path that slowly dissolved from concrete road to gravel trail. After sharing goodbyes and leaving a few kisses on Hutch’s cheek for their hard work, Valentine was faced with the journey and very little reason to not complete it. The light of the crystals overhead had not yet dimmed, still promising a kind guide and a way home. The evening was still young, the streets filled with othe...

Valentine sat cross-legged on the floor of the Imporium, patting her thighs and beckoning for the impup to join her. It seemed unsure, wagging its tail and staying firmly in place. She clicked her tongue a few times, trying to warrant any sort of desire for the impup to come and see what the fuss was about. It cocked its head, panting and spinning in a circle before sitting down directly across from her. She spared a glance at the doll behind her, Hutch, who mot...

Valentine liked to believe she was ready.   She was nervous this morning, rushing through getting ready while pacing around her room with an accelerated heartbeat. She had combed through her hair and ears more than was necessary, each brushstroke an attempt to ease her mind. She’d preened her eyelashes and reapplied lipgloss with the same repetitiveness, cleaning and redoing them in a desperate effort to get...

The scent of macarons filled the kitchen, the oven beeping to accompany the hurried thud of hooves. Valentine tugged a pair of mittens over her fingers, hiding the digits under rounded cloth patterned with intricate vines and rosebuds. Gripping the handle of the oven, Valentine braced herself for the steam as she yanked it towards her body. Warmth flooded towards her face, pressing against her cheek and neck while she waved it away with mitted hands. She needed ...

Talking with Dove gave Valentine plenty of ideas.   Cherubmas was something she had only known of for a little under three days, yet it was all she could think of recently. She had found herself visiting the Heavenly Embassy often, flitting between Primrose and Beanny when she wasn’t below the clouds with Dove. She was sure at least Primrose must have been sick of seeing her and hearing her questions about t...

The chill in the air was unusual. All around Valentine, buns and dolls wandered about in an atypical amount of clothes, pulling coats and sweaters close to their bodies and shivering as they slipped in and out of buildings. Val hadn’t been in Burrowgatory long, only long enough to know that it usually wasn’t.. Like this. Cold. The coat she had was bought on short notice - a gift from Luka that he’d insisted for her to keep when the weather got cold. The pu...

Mindless scribbles filled the air with light sound, chipping at the quiet and asking not for acknowledgement. The tablet pen Led held poised weapon-like stilled at an intruding rumble, hunger ceasing any further movements of their wrist. The drawing they'd been working on was left forgotten, the tab left open but minimized for the more pressing task.   ...