<<audio butterflysong stop>><<audio happysong stop>><<audio hopesong stop>><<audio leosong stop>><<audio dadzsong stop>><<audio mainsong play loop>> ☾ <a href="https://starlitseas.neocities.org/">the world of blue horizon</a>. ☽ ☾ <a href="https://bluehorizonbdsd.the-comic.org/">the comic</a>. ☽ ☾ <a href="https://linktr.ee/nailamoonsi">naila moonsi</a>. ☽ ☾ ''[[characters, routes, FAQ, credits, CWs->characters]]''. ☽
<img src="images/a-cover-hibiscus-and-the-loved-garden-paths-of-raj-rivera.png" />
<div class="titlea">Blue Horizon:</div><br> <div class="title">Hibiscus, and the Loved Garden Paths of Raj Rivera</div><br> <div class="titleb">by Naila Moonsi</div>
100,000 years after Earthians travelled across the galaxy… Who needs it anymore? Human emotion. Human bodies. Human thoughts. Human emotion. Human emotion. Human emotion.
Why? Why would I be so afflicted? When I am the most practical of triplet brothers…!
Many thousands of years ago, we upon planet Imion were trapped within our star system. We can no longer travel the galaxy that way we once did.
Our people obsess over it. Ultra-ancient Earth. To travel again across space, that way they did so long ago. We obsess over being alike to ultra-ancient Earthians! When we have these Spectral Eyes; when I have Silver.
These eyes they’d call “angelic” or “demonic.” Those people back in that fargone era, they had little else in their minds aside from painting everything in black-and-white. It seems like that, to me…
I am part of the Protector’s class. Part of an academy that has missions to rid of monsters born of humanoids’ dreams and nightmares, that which manifest too easily across our world. Ridding the sweeps of them that arrive from the otherworld we have long termed the Boundless has been many humanoids’ focus and pride. The Protector of Worlds, he rids our planet of curses. That role both my fathers competed to become… My fathers are my ideal. Even if they weren’t, we simply can’t afford to become so narrow-minded.
Are we really all that similar to humans of those far-gone eras? After 100,000 years…
☾ ☾ ☾
<img src="images/special/triplet-chandrani-brothers.png">
The Red brother. Antonio Chandrani-Rivera. The one who must cultivate a world for himself.
The Golden brother. Fernando Chandrani-Rivera. The one who must not fear his soul that matches others’.
The Silver brother. Rajab Chandrani-Rivera. Sheer perfection.
Triplet brothers! Their atheist father, Ranvir Chandrani, he would never call them anything like ‘little devas.’ A comforting atmosphere. Always, always.
Always, always.
Always.
Always…
☾ ☾ ☾
<img src="images/routes/route-tono-and-raj-frown.png">
In Raj Rivera’s dorm room, the memory of being siblings stung like the sight of a bee in Papá’s gardens. His Silver brother with his whispering visions of the future did not refuse Antonio Chandrani-Rivera’s visits. He rarely did. Antonio’s Red sung with nightmares—with that long-lasting depression between them. That feeling was raw and too near him, too near Raj; it was that thing teenagers abhorred, ran from.
And yet Raj had let Antonio trespass again. His room was too cleaned up for who he was. Raj rarely put away his clothes properly in his drawers and closets. Antonio wondered if Raj’s crush had visited earlier in the day.
It was light enough a thought. The rest of the week and month came back to Antonio; it broke that lighthearted happiness. This was part of why they tended to avoid each other, he and his fraternal twin brother.
The room’s appearance was too lacking in colors outside white and black. Raj was always like this now. His dark visage was considered too beautiful by so many around Antonio—even his closest friends—Raj’s moon-silver hair, it always fell like a dream around him. That countenance…
It was too sharp and unchanging. It’d been for some time. White suits, the smallest splash of color in his shirts, his ties.
Antonio missed the colors that littered Raj’s childhood room within the beachside Chandrani complex, within Baba’s household. All those over-colorful gaming set-ups, the million construction toy building bricks that still hurt Antonio’s feet to remember, the cutest artwork Raj drew himself, the thousand colored pencils and million markers. He wondered if Raj would ever let more colors back into his life.
Antonio understood hypocrisy. He knew how his twins and cousins saw his wearing the Chandrani uniform—the now over-familiar indigo blue fit with its silver fall of moons and stars toward a rush of waves—way too constantly. He was one-tracked, while they varied their clothes and styles to show a sense of self, a sense of personality beyond the family name.
While Raj… Raj wanted something. Something beyond far ‘personality.’ It was something gnawing between them. It was like a fairytale. It was like something too real. It was all these eerie, tricky, just-about-teenaged things.
The ocean they’d grown up knowing together was not near enough. Precarious lands stretched, everywhere, in Antonio’s world.
“I mean…” The words crumbled to ash in Antonio’s mouth without even blooming. A veritable fire across his mind, his inner and outer loci; a flower that would never bloom, stuck in that place and time.
He tried, “I mean, Armando Rivera… Papá, he was discussing how the hibiscus flower, it was difficult for him to face and see as beautiful <i>last fucking month!</i> He always brings this up, Raj, when they bring up his gardening hobby. He doesn’t even grow it at his place? It was the flower he got obsessed with cultivating when his brother died… He tried again when their father found them again. When his eldest siblings all died! He said this last month, right on an actual news channel.”
Raj Rivera’s Silver stayed stable and still on him. It was the way it often was. His twin finally said, “What does that have to do with my life and desires, Tono? The red hibiscus is my favorite flower. I decided on it some time ago. So what?”
Antonio stared with his Red. It did not get a proper reading. When Raj was furious with him… Raj was furious. Antonio couldn’t comprehend who it was toward.
Antonio said, “Everyone’s talking. It’s been all over the astra for days. They’re saying you’re trying to make a scene.”
Raj turned back toward Antonio. He met that Red.
“What do you think I am doing, bhaiya?”
Antonio stared. That Silver, it was becoming low-lit. The sense of the prettiest of starry black night hid beneath it.
“You’re…” he sighed. “You’re trying to establish your favorite flower.”
Raj didn’t seem happier with him. His smile wasn’t particularly that pretty perfect Chandrani smile, that banal thing, that well-crafted thing. It was stretched a bit ugly. Raj Rivera did not hide his feelings from his twin brother Antonio Chandrani-Rivera. It was the littlest part of their sharded reality together Antonio held within him with pride.
Raj murmured, “I’m no longer your crybaby little brother. That’s becoming noticeable. Do you think this visage I’ve worked hard to craft, it’s something easy, Tono? You, Fernando, Armando Rivera, Layla, Priya, all of those people at home… They’re always so determined. They always want to say, ‘<i>Oh, you’re the handsomest man,</i>’ and be so solid about how they believe in it. Do you think everyone believes in that for me?”
“I… Does this have to do with the hibiscus?” Antonio became restless. “Papá, he’ll love you no matter what, Raj. We’re lucky in that way—”
Raj said, “We’re lucky young men. It’s true. I tried warning you that Armando Rivera tried to pull his own core out with that man’s hand, I saw the spill of light from his chest with my Silver eyes, and yet you did not believe me. You became enraged, that way you got at eight and nine years old after all our sorrows crashed down on us. You ran right in.”
“Is that the reason the hibiscus is your favorite flower?”
“What do you believe?”
''‹ [[“.........”->Dotdotdot]] ›''
''‹ [[Refuse to hesitate.->Refuse to hesitate.]] ›''<<audio butterflysong stop>><<audio happysong stop>><<audio hopesong stop>><<audio leosong stop>><<audio dadzsong stop>><<audio mainsong play loop>> <img src="images/special/triplet-chandrani-brothers.png">
‹ ''Refuse to hesitate.'' ›
Antonio flashed as supportive a smile as he possibly could. It barely stuck to his lips, the half-moon curve.
“Before we joined the Protector’s class, Fernando was trying to cultivate a garden at the Chandrani complex. He sucked at it so bad. You, Baba, and half the family worked so hard to try to make sure he didn’t destroy it by over-watering everything or do worse, like putting the wrong plants together or moving plants to bad positions in the sunlight! I remember. I refused to help him, haha… I remember it. How proud you were of the hibiscuses. They were blooming. You didn’t let Fernando touch them. Multi-colored arrays. You really liked them.”
That half-moon curve…
It softened, his well-shaped smile. Antonio relaxed. Raj peered at him. That low-lit Silver gaze, it was surprisingly unworried.
“He wouldn’t ever ask Papá at his place.” Raj mused. “You took care of the hibiscuses more often than me. You don’t have to stress this much over me, Tono.”
“I didn’t know it was your favorite, honestly. I always felt like making sure they were vibrant. I know Priya and the rest make sure they’re doing alright now that we’re far from our favorite beachside.”
“It wasn’t because of all my hard work, though I obviously did work hard,” Raj scoffed, noticeably recalling Fernando’s many failures.
His Silver brother’s voice was good-natured as he insisted, “I like them for no reason! I like myself, too. I like them because they remind me of Reds in my life. They’re so wonderful. Not you, though. You’re annoying, Tono.”
Antonio heard the secret in his answer.
<img src="images/routes/route-tono-and-raj-awk-smile.png">
“I see.” His smile didn’t drop. “So I had to learn and remember all this mush involving you. Do you know my favorite flower, Raj?”
“Not at all.”
“Bastard.” Antonio lightly thudded his fist against Raj’s shoulder. It was well-protected by his damned Cereban-style suit. Not particularly the style of the Lotus Isles, though he //did// get these suits with Pá within their nearby Citaatlco.
“You should go gush about yours to your stupid crushes, Tono.”
“Are you sure you weren’t upset about Papá?” Antonio stayed too curious. Then, with his voice slightly uncomfortable, he decided to rush into it. “Um, I know you worry over me. It’s just, that day, he didn’t pull out his core—I ran in, but he already decided not to…to die. He survived, we—we all know he survived. Okay? So don’t wo—”
“I already know, Tono. We’ve already discussed this. With Great Grand-auntie and her therapy shit, too.” Raj was noticeably tired.
“Okay. So, the game plan for the annoying gossip—”
“Goddess Above, it was for a Beloved’s Rose Fest column, alright? Leave it. Get out of my room—”
Antonio let his brother push him out. Although Raj appeared a bit gloomy, he knew when Raj needed him to back off. He smacked his fist lighter against Raj’s shoulder, giving a small wave as he sauntered back to his own life and troublesome bullshit.
☾ ☾ ☾
Raj stared ahead at the expanse of windows before him, at the unending drift of rosy pink afternoon clouds beyond himself.
<i>Toño’s too anxious, all the time… Leave it to my twinkiest sibling to agonize about how bringing up the wrong goddamned flowers would impact my twink reputation. I wish actual hot people would discuss this shit with me.</i>
Raj glared at the gorgeousness of the skies. The future whispered the way it always did. He ignored the astra and its chiming, its commentary, its opinions on the whole damned world full of trouble.
This was his life. He could manage to make this sexier. He could.
''‹ [[Go find Khaleel.->Khaleel A]] ›''
''‹ [[Go find William.->William A]] ›''
''‹ [[Go find Alejandro.->Alejandro A]] ›''<<audio butterflysong stop>><<audio dadzsong stop>><<audio hopesong stop>><<audio leosong stop>><<audio mainsong stop>><<audio happysong play loop>> ✦
He decided to trespass into the life of one of his favorite people. It was technically something his parents were proud of, his being thought of as the steadiest bastard at Khaleel Atif-Akinyemi’s side. Way more than Antonio Chandrani-Rivera, who noticeably wanted to make out with Khaleel.
He walked down the well-acquainted bluish dorm halls, turned once…
''‹ [[There’s a butterfly gliding along with you behind all these passing window panes. Maybe you should follow after it, after all. It’s too dreamy a thing while you’ve always been practical, but… It couldn’t hurt to seriously relax once in a while, right?->Butterfly]] ›''
He paused.
Then he strode determinedly toward the door he’d sought out. It was close to his room. Closer than Antonio was to this room—this had wound up too useful.
Khaleel was worrying over his pretty dark brown face and pretty moon-silver dreads in his solemn, dark oak dressing table mirror as Raj opened the door too easily. Goddess, Khaleel over-trusted him and Antonio. Those crimson irises, they connected with his Silver like they’d known him forever, even though they’d met at 14. It was starting to feel like forever ago to his aging teenage brain, though.
This room was so elegant… So full of interesting things like famous artsy nude figurines, fancy globes and the like. Rosewood reds, garnet reds, even darker colors and pretty pearl colors. Raj sort of wished his room had this sort of energy. Khaleel, as a humanoid, in comparison, was so quiet.
Khaleel chuckled, softly. “What happened to being the most practical of all these mithals trying to network with me? You seriously want to compete with Antonio for my hand, suddenly?”
“I already said I don’t!” Raj burst out. He closed the door behind himself, regardless, quite awkwardly.
Among humanoids upon the planet Imion… Raj Rivera and Khaleel Atif-Akinyemi came off noticeably //human//. Unfortunately, there was worse trouble for the two of them. There was mithal trouble, specifically, despite their not even having particularly sharp ears, as mixed descendants!
Raj stalked close to Khaleel. The other boy was noticeably unconcerned, his face lit up in a tender smile that Khaleel mainly gave to //his// favorite people. He was in his typical dark shirt and slacks, so he was unlikely to be planning on doing anything particularly annoying any time soon. Good.
“Would you genuinely entertain it, Antonio asking you out?”
“Why does it matter?” Khaleel blinked at his mirror. “Aren’t I a handsome and most wanted mithal? I thought that was the point of you hanging around, making sure I don’t go off and die. Making sure I marry into your family—”
“That isn’t a part of it,” said Raj, solemnly. Then he went and punched Khaleel’s shoulder. “You can go ahead and do it. It’d be all trouble, my Pá and Baba running around, trying not to die over such a huge wave overtaking their life. Also, hilarious.”
“Maybe I should,” Khaleel sounded quite serious. “Well, first I need to chase after Leo Abara before he disappears into the Boundless forever. That’d worry me more.”
“Would it?” Raj laughed. “Everyone knows it would. Well, you’re both too handsome, with similar moon-silver hair to me. When it comes to <i>that</i>… Do you want to see a cool trick I can do?”
<img src="images/routes/route-khaleel-and-raj.png">
Khaleel’s Red was too absorbed. This future was something they’d both been wanting since the moment he’d stepped into the room… It was pleasant, understanding Khaleel. He favored it a little too much.
“I’ve been wondering since you stepped in here! Just do it, you Chandrani cad.”
Raj peered at himself in the mirror; he saw the confidence and assurance in his own Silver.
“You can’t tell anyone, Khaleel,” he said. “You’ll promise?”
“Of course. Don’t you know me, Raj?”
Confidence took his every nerve—he grinned, and his hair began to shift in the moon’s colors—it first shifted to aqua, then fuchsia. Then it shifted to gold…
Khaleel did what Raj expected—
No, he did more. His mouth didn’t simply pop open. He gasped, gawking.
“Seriously…? That’s too rare! You can shift the moons’ colors in your hair, Raj Rivera? All six?”
“No,” Raj laughed. “Only two.”
“Bastard.”
He peered at his hair that shifted back to moon-silver. “Only these. I don’t know. I was incredibly happy on the day I learned… I wish I could talk to him about my problems again.”
“Who?” Khaleel’s Red was too affectionate on him. It made Raj a tad anxious.
To trust Khaleel Atif-Akinyemi wasn’t something he over-thought. The fact that they were getting this relaxed around each other made him ponder the future. It was so much trouble. Mithal relations would stay a sore point of his life.
“My Baba, really.” The gloom that often wanted to overwhelm him, it caressed his mind like an over-familiar song.
He frowned, knowing his expression had wavered. Knowing Khaleel was now watching him more carefully. That Red, it worried over him too easily.
“I’m avoiding my Pá’s calls,” he confessed to the caring Khaleel in the mirror. “I’m such a fool.”
Khaleel was expectant. Raj stared back into that warm Red with his Silver.
''‹ [[Redo every choice… This Silver path, what was the point? What was the point? What was the point? You already know your real issue.->Armando Call A]] ›''
''‹ [[Seek a lasting contentment.->Khaleel A2]] ›''
<<audio butterflysong stop>><<audio dadzsong stop>><<audio hopesong stop>><<audio leosong stop>><<audio mainsong stop>><<audio happysong play loop>> ‹ ''Seek a lasting contentment.'' ›
<img src="images/routes/route-khaleel-and-raj.png">
He decided to do it. Staring at Khaleel in the mirror, he shifted his hair to its natural black, with light threading a deep red into its darkness.
“What do you think, big-shot?”
Khaleel’s eyes went wide. He actually seemed to need time to reply. A shyness took Raj’s mind.
“The handsomest color,” Khaleel finally decided.
“You don’t—” Raj mussed at it, the hair of his that was rarely black. “You don’t have to say that. I… I find the moon-silver cool, and—”
“We both do.” Khaleel sighed. “Let me be the evil cad who finds you handsomest this way, Raj Rivera.”
Raj stuck out his tongue.
Khaleel turned to him. The tilt of his lips, it became brilliant, a grin so cute and whitish.
“Will you call him? Your Pá. He obviously misses you.”
Raj, he let his teeth flash something just as dazzling again.
“Guess I will! Ha. It’s been a while since I’ve surprised him with my natural black hair.”
''‹ [[You already know who you are. The Silver triplet with a Red twin and a Gold twin. The future you dream of, the current reality where your emotions won’t let you go, the past you know… Go back to that past! You know your way.->Blue Horizon: Hibiscus, and the Loved Garden Paths of Raj Rivera]] ›''<<audio butterflysong stop>><<audio happysong stop>><<audio hopesong stop>><<audio leosong stop>><<audio mainsong stop>><<audio dadzsong play loop>> ‹ ''Redo every choice… This Silver path, what was the point? What was the point? What was the point? You already know your real issue.'' ›
All these potentials wound up hurting, the way they always did. Raj stalled in his room instead of move, the way he’d wind up some days.
The astra continued to chime. Raj thought to turn it off—then Antonio spoke, sturdily. He stared at him, at Antonio’s continual attempt, one among those many attempts his awkward-ass brother always made to try to understand so many of his family and friends.
☾ ☾ ☾
Antonio flashed as supportive a smile as he possibly could.
He noticed it, the sudden gloom in Raj. His Red honed in. “Hey. I know you don’t owe me any answers. Listen, I… I’ve been worrying over you, that’s all! Damn, the truth is, I don’t want you stressing. I, uh…! I love you, you dumb ner—”
Raj noticeably winced. “<i>Goddess Above</i>, Tono, I know already! I’m fine, okay? It’s just, <i>I know</i>…I know there’s like a million comments everywhere on the astra, I—for me, a hibiscus… Shit, does it matter so much?”
Antonio put his hand on his brother’s shoulder.
“I remember, alright? Before we joined the Protector’s class, Fernando was trying to cultivate a garden at the Chandrani complex. He sucked at it so bad. You, Baba and half the family worked so hard to try to make sure he didn’t destroy it by over-watering everything or do worse, like putting the wrong plants together or moving plants to bad positions in the sunlight! I remember. I refused to help him, haha… I remember it. How proud you were of the hibiscuses. They were blooming. You didn’t let Fernando touch them. Multi-colored arrays. You really liked them.”
That half-moon curve of his lips…
It softened, his well-shaped smile. Antonio relaxed. Raj peered at him. That low-lit Silver gaze, it became surprisingly serene.
“He wouldn’t ever ask Papá at his place.” Raj mused. “You took care of the hibiscuses more often than me. You don’t have to stress this much over me, Tono.”
“I didn’t know it was your favorite, honestly. I always felt like making sure they were vibrant. I know Priya and the rest make sure they’re doing alright now that we’re far from our favorite beachside.”
“It wasn’t because of all my hard work, though I obviously did work hard,” Raj scoffed, noticeably recalling Fernando’s many failures.
His Silver brother’s voice was soft as he insisted, “I like them for no reason! I like myself, too. I like them because they remind me of Reds in my life. They’re so wonderful. Not you, though. You’re annoying, Tono.”
Antonio heard the secret in his answer.
<img src="images/routes/route-tono-and-raj-awk-smile.png">
“I see.” His smile didn’t drop. “So I had to learn and remember all this mush involving you. Do you know my favorite flower, Raj?”
“Not at all.”
“Bastard.” Antonio lightly thudded his fist against Raj’s shoulder. It was well-protected by his damned Cereban-style suit. Not particularly the style of the Lotus Isles, though he //did// get these suits with Pá within their nearby Citaatlco.
“You should go gush about yours to your stupid crushes, Tono.”
“Are you sure you weren’t upset about Papá?” Antonio stayed too curious.
Then, with his voice slightly uncomfortable, he decided to rush into it. “Um, I know you worry over me. It’s just, that day, he didn’t pull out his core—I ran in, but he already decided not to…to die. He survived, we—we all know that. Okay? So don’t wo—”
“I already know, Tono. We’ve already discussed this. With Great Grand-auntie and her therapy shit, too.” Raj was noticeably tired.
“Okay. So the game plan for the annoying gossip—”
“Papá, he’s been trying to call me. What do you think?” Raj’s Silver was on him. “Should I answer?”
Antonio stopped. His Red…
It decided to connect.
He said, “That’s your choice, isn’t it, Raj?”
☾ ☾ ☾
Raj watched as Antonio went and grabbed a Konohana-comic from his study desk, then went and leapt onto Raj’s bed. His brother got comfy. Raj simply sighed, then glanced at his astra-circlet.
He decided to click it on as it chirped once more, then clicked on the stupid call upon the firm, magnetic interface.
<img src="images/routes/route-armando-and-raj.png">
Armando Rivera was shocked. That neat mostly-black pomade, that soft light bronze face, those eyes… Those anxious eyes were too familiar. That amber color that Baba had straight-up written poetry over stood out, regardless of the red sparks.
“Star-bright!” Armando Rivera transformed nearabout instantly, the amber sparkling. “I wasn’t sure if you’d pick up! I wasn’t trying to over-bother you—I know I’ve been calling weekly, but don’t fret. I’ve just been wanting to check up on you. I did the same with Fernando, Antonio, and even Layla and that Alejandro!”
His father continued to try to soothe everyone he cared for into not fretting over him. Raj fretted.
“I wasn’t trying to avoid you, Pá,” he said, softly. “I was—I didn’t think this—this hibiscus business, m-my saying so much to the stupid magazine, I didn’t think it’d turn into such a huge a commotion—I’m—I’m sorr—”
“Why are you sorry?” Armando sounded alarmed. “For what? I wasn’t calling for any apology, darling boy! I…I, the truth is, I’ve been running around for maybe three weeks, grabbing up pots and maybe too many seeds—”
“Aw, <i>Pá</i>—”
“Oh, shall we, Raj?” Armando Rivera was too excited. “Will you visit? I hope you visit together with Antonio this weekend! I know the rest are busy. I didn’t realize—I really didn’t—I didn’t know they were your favorite! That changed my whole wide world—”
“Pá…” Raj openly cursed out Antonio. His brother squinted at him.
Then Antonio grinned evilly. The stupid-ass caroled, “<i>Crybaby Raj!</i> You always wanna come off mature, but I guess you don’t need to with your darling Papá…! He stays embarrassing. So we’ll be gardening. Good thing Fernando isn’t coming. He almost let a cactus die once, didn’t he?”
''‹ [[You already know who you are. The Silver triplet with a Red twin and a Gold twin. The future you dream of, the current reality where your emotions won’t let you go, the past you know… Go back to that past! You know your way.->Blue Horizon: Hibiscus, and the Loved Garden Paths of Raj Rivera]] ›''<<audio butterflysong stop>><<audio dadzsong stop>><<audio hopesong stop>><<audio leosong stop>><<audio mainsong stop>><<audio happysong play loop>> ☆
He decided to be a disaster like usual and go find William Evans. Raj didn’t die over his looks in the mirror—William was always around him. That boy who was a gossip and over-interested in everyone, he always had his eyes on Raj whether or not Raj was interesting. It was nice to be around him.
There was another quality to William. William was always around Raj Rivera, except…
On occasion, Raj would go bother his brother Antonio. It <i>was</i> typically when William himself wound up busy. The level William and Antonio managed to avoid each other was famous in Raj’s mind only.
He stepped along the worn bluish dorm halls that the afternoon light flooded into.
''‹ [[There’s a butterfly gliding along with you behind all these passing window panes. Maybe you should follow after it, after all. It’s too dreamy a thing while you’ve always been practical, but… It couldn’t hurt to seriously relax once in a while, right?->Butterfly]] ›''
He paused.
Soon he continued on an over-familiar trek. The walk he made almost daily, when William wasn’t rushing to meet him instead.
He found himself right where he wanted!
Though it wasn’t where he’d expected. He usually pulled William from his room. Instead he’d gone up the elevator up to the third Protector’s class lounge, where William sat on the floor. Raj could barely survey the worn red sofas, its over-used coffee machine, or the thousand other things crowding it.
This was because William was surrounded by, like, a thousand balloon animals.
William sounded snappish. He was turned away, trying to finish yet another balloon’s shape. “I //fucking// swear, Tomás, if you pop one more trying to get to that synth of yours—you are not allowed! You made the gravest mistake of your life, leaving it out on the balcony earlier. I //will// get you.”
“Amazing party,” Raj commented.
Balloon animals flew. At least two popped. Raj did not flinch. He quickly felt smug, coming off cool around William.
“Raj!” William exclaimed. He stood, and in his rush to reach his closest, popped like five more balloons.
<img src="images/routes/route-will-and-raj.png">
This white boy… He had a famously deep voice, despite appearing like a half-hearted twink. He had a slightly wavy fall of dark, brunet hair. The freckles all over his pale skin was too interesting—Raj had extremely rarely ever seen anyone with a lot of melanin actually have any noticeable ones. His fraternal twin brother Fernando was famous for his singular beauty mark under his eye, though, which technically helped differentiate him from Antonio aside from the longer, braided hair. Aside from those obvious Red versus Gold eyes. Their fathers occasionally still mixed them up, somehow. In truth, they mixed up Raj versus Antonio as well as Raj versus Fernando, too. Insane, really.
Raj tried out a cute pose. William flashed him an appreciative look.
“You got pulled into something, William?”
“Maria Herrera skipped out again. Bandom… Oh, right, she’s your cousin. You probably knew. Fernando did more than half of these, to be honest. He’s lightning fast. Unsure how he even maneuvers his hands that. I wonder if his rumored beau likes that about him?”
“Ew,” Raj gagged. “Stop saying weird things about my twins!”
William Evans did the thing.
That slow blink, with his survival mode-ass Violet fluxing higher than it’d been prior.
He gawked, beautifully. “//Huh?// Oh yeah… He’s your twin! Oops, I keep forgetting.”
Raj stared at William. His very famous point would arise.
For Raj wound up querying, “Do you know who Fernando’s identical twin is, Will? My fraternal twin who isn’t Nando?”
William had a sheen of sweat by his brow. “I literally have no idea. It can’t be Dev or Zamir, can it? Or, wait…”
Raj answered, cheerily, “You’re cycling back around to Dev and Zamir. Haha.”
//He did the thing.// Raj wanted to cry in happiness over William’s regularities. //He never remembers what Antonio looks like. He remembers Fernando is my twin but never Antonio…! This boy is so wild. I love it so much.//
William shrugged, turning back toward this room full of balloon animals. “I always expect someone who looks like you. You stay handsome, at least.”
“I do so even with bedhead,” Raj became smug, remembering William’s reaction to seeing it only a few days ago. White boys truly could blush.
The other boy’s laughter was nervous. He waded back to the middle of the room, grabbed three worm-shaped balloons, one orange, one pink, one red. He came back to Raj. He dumped them in front of him, among a pile of a dozen other, shaped animals.
“I’ll cherish these worms forever,” Raj told him.
William shook his head, affection too apparent in his gaze. That Violet became low-lit, going back near a chestnut brown. William looked somewhat like a Riders’ continental or mid-lands person to differing people—despite his being lily white, there was a rumor that his mother was from Konohana or some place nearby.
He was careful in shaping the balloons. Raj became too curious, watching.
One became a cat! The pink one. William handed it to him.
“I heard you Chandrani love them! Kiran Anand said you have a thousand in your Chandrani complex. He sounded a bit terrified.”
“We do,” Raj’s Silver was big on this cat. The Silver calculated—he became shyer. He decided to be brave and ask it—find the future he wanted. “Um, what’s your favorite animal, Will? I don’t need another cat.”
“Oh,” William stared only at the balloon in his hands. “Orange cats are popular…the cartoon you liked… Um, I like foxes. Quite a lot! How fortuitous it’s orange. W-would you like a fox?”
“I would,” Raj held the balloon cat close to him.
William deftly shaped a fox. Seeming reticent, he handed it to him. He grasped the red one after.
“These are so cute,” Raj murmured. “I’m glad I came to bother you. Always helps.”
“So,” William was unfortunately not distracted from the topic he was noticeably engrossed in within his mind. “I heard you like hibiscuses! Lovely flowers. Can even grow in our locale—the Lockes—though—”
“You really don’t…have to…” Anxiety now sank into the pit of his stomach. His Silver rang—Raj almost dropped his gifted balloon animals.
William continued, “Fernando brought it up, how you loved your hibiscus garden in the Chandrani complex! He said he helped you out, taking care of them. Everyone says he has no idea how to take care of plants. Worse than a fire mage? Did he accidentally set fire on the plants, despite being a water mage? That’s so scary—”
Raj watched the red balloon be twisted, become changed into something that made him feel hopeless.
“I…”
''‹ [[Redo every choice… This Silver path, what was the point? What was the point? What was the point? You already know your real issue.->Armando Call A]] ›''
''‹ [[Seek such whirlwind devotion.->William A2]] ›''<<audio butterflysong stop>><<audio dadzsong stop>><<audio hopesong stop>><<audio leosong stop>><<audio mainsong stop>><<audio happysong play loop>> ‹ ''Seek such whirlwind devotion.'' ›
<img src="images/routes/route-will-and-raj.png">
William gave him that earnest smile of his. He handed him the hibiscus-shaped balloon.
“I know these won’t last forever,” the other boy hummed. “It’s nice to have a memory of something that’s ephemeral, isn’t it? I know even flowers… They take a lot of hard work to raise. I’m glad you care for them, with or without all that business with your Pa.”
“Those hibiscuses, those red ones, they remind me of my brother,” Raj sighed. “Vibrant scarlet eyes have always been near me. Toño’s always so wild. Hibiscuses’ shape are quite wild and free, don’t you think? The truth is… My father is sorrowful. Those eyes with only red sparks left… They still remind me of something beautiful. Maybe he doesn’t see it, but I do. I love him, my Papá.”
William tilted his head. “Will you call him back? I know you were agonizing over it these past weeks.”
“I didn’t think my commentary to that magazine would get that huge on the astra! I’m glad he doesn’t seem, uh, over-stressed—he’s doing his regular weekly calls—”
“You don’t have to say that, Raj.” William let his hand curl lightly around Raj’s wrist, the way he did sometimes. “You never need to be perfect. Not around me. I know you worry over so much. It’s fine to worry over—over everything! I do too. You already know.”
“We are such similar cads.” Raj tried not to over-think //this//. William’s tendency to touch his arm at random. There were tons of guys who’d throw their arm around his shoulder. William was always someone discreet. Everything felt tricky.
“You can call him while we’re together, if you want,” William offered. “I’m always happy to be around.”
Raj finally smiled back, softly. “I’ll… I’ll call. Something bright is on the horizon… That blue horizon has something I want to reach! I’ll do it, after all.”
“Surrounded by balloon animals.”
“We should take selfies, honestly.”
''‹ [[You already know who you are. The Silver triplet with a Red twin and a Gold twin. The future you dream of, the current reality where your emotions won’t let you go, the past you know… Go back to that past! You know your way.->Blue Horizon: Hibiscus, and the Loved Garden Paths of Raj Rivera]] ›''<<audio butterflysong stop>><<audio happysong stop>><<audio hopesong stop>><<audio leosong stop>><<audio dadzsong stop>><<audio mainsong play loop>> ‹ ''There’s a butterfly gliding along with you behind all these passing window panes. Maybe you should follow after it, after all. It’s too dreamy a thing while you’ve always been practical, but… It couldn’t hurt to seriously relax once in a while, right?'' ›
Raj decided on it out of the blue. He began following the butterfly… Then he ignored it, as it went down yet another bend. He strode toward the elevator; he found the right floor. He let his Silver sense guide him down the worn, bluish dorm hallways glowing with afternoon light.
Antonio was noticeably spacing out outside Alejandro Altaha’s room. The way he’d expected.
He strode up to him, slamming a hand against his back. His brother didn’t jump; he simply smiled, and it was too warm for his brother who messed with him whenever the Golden twin, Fernando, wasn’t over-squabbling with Raj.
That Red sense beyond the door… Alejandro was ecstatic, suddenly.
The door flew open. Alejandro was as handsome a young man as ever, with those long, flowing black locks all around him, those serious red eyes, that light bronze skin that was tanned darker with his running around under the sun with Antonio.
His face was glowing. Alejandro seemed a moment away from jumping into Antonio’s arms. Then he blinked. He glanced at Raj.
“So are we bringing more people in on our adventure today, after all, Tono?” His visage was too gentle. “Hello, Raj! I’ve heard you’ve had a riot you’ve had to deal with in the past weeks!”
Raj knew wryness had taken him over. He surveyed his brother only a little critically.
Antonio had let his oceanic blue hair shift back into his natural black, the way he liked sometimes. The roguish fall of hair around his shoulders reminded Raj of waves. His skin was red-brown, lighter than Raj’s umber tone. He was…
His expression had turned vulnerable. Those red eyes had heightened into fuchsia, as if to seek out the world’s answers. Antonio rarely got them.
Alejandro’s own red were back on Antonio, regardless.
<img src="images/special/megalgbtqwinfortono.png">
//Is ‘an adventure’ Alejandro’s excuse to not leap into his arms and hope Antonio will spin him, or were they actually planning on one? They’ve been together a lot, lately.//
Alejandro was good at composing himself. Raj decided to let it go.
Antonio became thoughtful. “I know what I was saying the other day, Ale, but…why don’t we plan on bothering both Baba and Pá about gardening? Do you remember that part of the garden Raj took care of at our Chandrani complex?”
“The hibiscuses!” Alejandro was too cheery.
“You always fell asleep on me near there,” Antonio sighed.
Raj felt something clog his throat.
“We don’t have to, Tono,” he mumbled.
“Why don’t you two come in?”
Raj thought to step back. Then Antonio fucking grasped his arm, pulling him into Alejandro’s room, the way he did with people!
“Fine…!” Raj grumbled.
Alejandro’s room stayed as charming as ever. There was always conflict in Raj’s mind when he’d have to walk in. He liked it quite a lot, Alejandro’s cozy cove. There was simply the matter of his twin brother gifting Alejandro half the trinkets which took it up. So many odd shells, artifacts from the sea, curious sparkling rocks and things littered it.
His brother Antonio got too resolute, turning toward Raj as soon as the door closed behind them. Of course. Raj had thought to get distracted, going to someone else’s room instead of chase after his brother…
Raj faced him, too.
“Will you call Baba, Raj?” Antonio asked him the one question Raj had been trying to avoid way too directly. Raj wanted to run away.
“I…”
Alejandro, for some reason, sealed the deal for Raj. The answer that had been ringing in Raj’s mind as he’d followed the butterfly…
For Alejandro said, “I avoid calling my Leandra-auntie too. My Granny. I always visit your place. The Chandrani complex… That haunt of so many beaches, it’s certainly my home away from home.”
Raj breathed, and knew the weight in his heart had spilled right into it. “I guess I’ll… I’ve been avoiding him for so long, Tono.”
“I know it’s been months,” Antonio sympathized. He put his hand on Raj’s shoulder, insisting, “You can do it, Raj!”
“You can go ahead while you’re here, if you want,” Alejandro hummed.
“Did you seriously grab up those rare cards, Ale?” Antonio, the cad, switched topics and totally started ignoring Raj within seconds of insisting on emotional support.
Raj wanted to laugh. “You’re really into mon games like we were as kids, Tono? We’re not six anymore.”
“The point is the collection.”
“I got a lot. I never played before!” Alejandro admitted something raw, out of nowhere, that way he did. “I never got to play kids’ card games when I was actually tiny. It’s obvious why—don’t start crying or anything, you two! I always wanted to. I watched the other kids play, but… I’m glad I can collect them now.”
“Let me teach you how they work!” Antonio became incredibly enthused.
The two stayed cute… This conversation that sounded so familiar, it was better than the endless lull of the seas against the moons.
<img src="images/routes/route-ale-tono-raj.png">
“I’ll call while you two nerd out,” Raj decided.
Antonio settled down on Alejandro’s bed. Alejandro was already grabbing onto stacks in a box he’d left upon one of his several bookshelves.
Raj decided to settle down on the carpeted floor not too far from his brother and his closest. Their quiet chatter filtered through his ears. It was too pleasant.
He clicked on his astra circlet. He stared at the blank floating pink screens in front of him. His Silver fluxed… No. He let his eyes become low-lit.
''‹ [[Find happiness.->Butterfly 2]] ›''<<audio butterflysong stop>><<audio happysong stop>><<audio hopesong stop>><<audio leosong stop>><<audio mainsong stop>><<audio dadzsong play loop>> ‹ ''Find happiness.'' ›
<img src="images/routes/route-ranvir-armando-raj.png">
Raj called up Baba. The screen flashed onto the older man’s image so rapidly, he wound up gasping. That umber face that was similar in tone to his, those eyes… Only red sparks remained, unlike Antonio’s vivid scarlet. That grayed hair framed his eyes handsomely.
Those midnight eyes were immensely wide. His father seemed to be having trouble processing Raj’s call.
“Rajab…” the man breathed. “It’s been a while. Maybe a year? How are you, son?”
“N-not a y…” Raj decided to snap his mouth shut. He tried, “I…I missed you, Baba. I was just. I’ve been anxious. I always want to match up to what you—what you want of me. I’ve been. I’ve been trying—I’ve been excelling!”
Baba… That tired expression, it became too distraught.
“Raj, do you think I need you to be perfect?” the man cried out. “I-if that was your worry, why? Your grades have been top-tier. We all know it. We all know you are excelling—”
Raj knew his own face gave it away. It crumbled. The anxiety was everywhere in his mind, in his inner and outer loci. “I…Baba, the red hibiscuses… I told the stupid magazine, and there’s been so much…on the astra…so many shit comments… I’m so sorry! I didn’t want to cause trouble. I loved—I love—um, Antonio and Pá—no—”
He winced instantly, hissing. <i>Goddess, I forgot Antonio was right behind me! Cringe! So cringe! Ultra cringefest.</i>
Raj tried to rush past his gaffe, ignoring his brother behind him, who’d gone quiet for the loud motherfucker he was.
“I….” Raj swallowed, knowing his own eyes were misting. “In the stupid magazine, I managed to—”
Baba interrupted, loudly. “Oh, I’m well-aware! Don’t even worry. Number nine in the twenty under twenty! Only my boy… Raj. I want to tell you something. Darling boy, will you listen a while?”
“O-okay,” Raj tried breathing steadily.
Baba was too sad, that way he often was, nowadays. “The hibiscuses… Your padre often brings it up. The memories pain him. He did cultivate it when his brother died, then tried another time… I. I learned more than what he tells the press. I’ve known for a long time.
“I have favorites. The hibiscus, it isn’t my favorite. Your father, he learned I found them pretty in his gardens. I asked him, and he started growing red ones. To match my eyes, back then. It was around the time his brother died. He wasn’t totally sorrowful over the blooms. Instead, what he told me was…he said it was the only bright point in his life.”
His father’s expression was too fraught. He continued, nonetheless. “We were apart when his eldest siblings were murdered. He told me later. He told me he wanted to remember me, since we weren’t sure if we could ever see each other again. Later… We’ve had so much going on in our lives. I fear going near his core. His heart. He is very depressed. He doesn’t show it, I know.”
Raj remembered the visceral, repulsive seering that would never leave his mind. Armando Rivera nearly dying. Raj had always wondered if Antonio had saved Armando Rivera. He didn’t want to think about it.
<i>I really don’t like it… That culture of core-ripping,</i> Raj thought this mechanically. <i>He wasn’t actually at risk that day. Antonio said. He survived. Why did he pull such a thing? I’ll never be able to forget. I can’t let Baba see me cry. He can’t cry. Or—at least, I don’t want to watch him.</i>
Raj flinched over the fall of a tear from his jaw onto his lap, slipping past the astra’s holographic screen. “Baba… I never. Realized… I wish I’d known. I wouldn’t have grown so many—”
“It made me so happy when you did,” Baba whispered. “I love you, darling child. I’ve been taking care of your garden, you and Tono’s. I know you’ve been stressed about excelling… You obviously do. Will you call me more? You can decide. I know teens become so busy with…um…friends, with dancing and the like. I heard you dance.”
Raj nodded heavily. “I’ll call! I will. I won’t put it off forever anymore.”
He couldn’t tell him the truth of why he’d avoided him for so long. That heavy heart in him… The core that could be ripped. He’d hold it in that fragile heart until he finally burst.
His father gave him “I love you’s,” and he replied in kind, in a more teenaged way. “I’ll call! I’ll see you soon.”
When the call ended, he was afraid to turn around. Antonio and Alejandro were quieter than they’d been at the beginning. Antonio…
He was too nice. He wasn’t like Fernando, that bitch. He started murmuring about a favorite card to Alejandro instead of confronting Raj, or any other messier thing he could be doing.
Raj stared at his blank, neon pink astra screens again.
He went for it.
Papá’s demeanor was as warm as ever. That neat mostly-black pomade, that soft light bronze face, those tired eye-bags, they were so familiar. He’d picked up quick, too. He’d been calling, though not too intrusively, that way he did. Only once a week, though earlier in the day he’d called several times.
“Star-bright…!” the man cried out. Those amber eyes with the red sparks in them—
They widened. His father realized Raj was not happy.
“What’s wrong, darling boy?” Armando Rivera asked. “Is someone troubling you? If there’s any trouble, simply tell me. I’ll—”
//Snap a neck? This man stays the same as ever. At least he’s sturdy in the world theater.//
“No, it’s not—I’ve been. Worried. S-sorry Pá, I know I’ve been coming off avoidant. I wasn’t trying to avoid you.”
He winced. “I was—I didn’t think this—this hibiscus business, m-my saying so much to the damned magazine, I didn’t think it’d turn into such a huge a commotion—I’m—I’m sorr—”
Armando Rivera cried out with noticeable alarm, “Why are you sorry? For what? I wasn’t calling for any apology, darling boy! I…I, the truth is, I’ve been running around for maybe three weeks, grabbing up pots and maybe too many seeds—”
“Aw, //Pá//—”
“Can’t we, Raj?” Pá suddenly sounded jovial, like his mind was dazzled. “Will you visit? I hope you visit together with Antonio this weekend. Oh…wait, do I hear Alejandro? Are you actually with the two of them? Say hi for me! Regarding the hibiscuses, I didn’t realize—I really didn’t. I didn’t know they were your favorite. That changed my whole wide world…!”
“You grew them for Baba?” Raj wasn’t certain why he’d tried punching his father’s gut in that moment. It simply slipped out of his mouth, Silver be damned.
Armando Rivera…
Raj would remember it forever. He’d try to forget. The way Armando Rivera’s expression nearly became something fragile, then smoothed out into his frequent sunniness, like it’d been nothing.
“So long ago…” Armando Rivera murmured. “Yes. I became afraid to grow them. I already know… Fernando actually told me. He confessed, brought up his gardening attempts away from our Herrera gardens. At the Chandrani complex. I already know you all grew them, that your Abu takes care of them there. I hadn’t realized. I haven’t gone to the greenhouse there for some time. I think I last went when you were all eleven.”
Then the man shocked him to his core. For Armando Rivera said, “Your father spoke to me. He actually wanted to show me that plot of the garden at the Chandrani complex. Everything felt so… I might go, i-if… Would you come along and show me, star-bright? I feel afraid of over-troubling them. Your Grandmother there certainly does not like me, haha.”
Raj’s Silver was wide. “I…”
He smiled, and his father, he quieted for reasons he’d never understand.
“I want to plant the seeds, Papá. At my homes,” he whispered. The warmth settled into his heart, into his core. It wasn’t ripped up at all.
<img src="images/routes/route-ranvir-armando-raj.png">
''‹ [[You already know who you are. The Silver triplet with a Red twin and a Gold twin. The future you dream of, the current reality where your emotions won’t let you go, the past you know… Go back to that past! You know your way.->Blue Horizon: Hibiscus, and the Loved Garden Paths of Raj Rivera]] ›''<<audio butterflysong stop>><<audio happysong stop>><<audio hopesong stop>><<audio leosong stop>><<audio dadzsong stop>><<audio mainsong play loop>> ✯
He decided to take his time going to Alejandro, stressing over everything handsome—his own face, Alejandro’s. What if there was a random-ass blue thread on his suit? He worked so hard to keep it crisp and—well, it wasn’t difficult to keep it clean as a water mage.
After a million troubles, he set off on the journey to…to Alejandro. Goddess, help him.
Alejandro made all his worries leave his mind. He still did after all this time… He was famous in Raj’s own life for it. No one else’s. He tried not to talk about it with anyone, these feelings…
There was a red butterfly gliding along with him behind the passing window panes. The late afternoon clouds turned a splash golden.
Raj realized it was more-or-less following him. It filled him with determination to…to come off cool, at least. To face his future. Something bold!
As the butterfly went down yet another bend, he parted from it. He strode toward the elevator; he thought he might have to go all the way up to the rooftop like he often did to chase after Alejandro. Instead his Silver fluxed and let him know the right floor. He let his Silver sense guide him down the worn, bluish dorm hallways glowing with afternoon light.
He found the fifth lounge of the Protector’s class. He stepped in, surveying its worn mint green sofas, its over-used coffee machine, as well as its snack assortments.
//Ah. As expected…//
His brother was pulling Alejandro back in from the balcony. Antonio Chandrani-Rivera’s arm was swung casually around Alejandro’s shoulder. His black hair that fell like waves around him danced to a breeze. He seemed to be going over some mon-card game’s stats.
<img src="images/routes/route-ale-tono-raj.png">
//Way too typical.// Raj thought, still trying to ascertain his own hair was brushed away from his face.
Alejandro perked up, catching sight of him. Raj tried to let his heart calm.
Those long black locks were swaying around Alejandro Altaha, silken and buoyant. Those red eyes—they’d grown up around each other, and their comfort stayed unending. His tunic with subtle leaf design-work was a masculine pinkish-orange today, one of the color of the Red, those who knew the ties of blood and water. His skin was a light bronze, though more tanned of late, especially because Antonio tended to pull him around everywhere under the sun. Antonio’s skintone was of course darker, though not as dark as Raj’s.
“Raj!”
“You’re surprisingly not busy, Alejandro?” Raj mused.
“I have the afternoon free, yeah.” That grin was too gorgeous.
“I like it when you’re able to run around free.” Raj smiled back, knowing it was shyer. “A…along with. Idiot Tono.”
He’d been trying not to meet Antonio’s over-assessing red gaze.
“It’s all I ever do,” Antonio managed to edge in, breezily. Raj did give a wry glance. Bastard always had to get a cooler line in.
“Antonio does love to drag me everywhere,” Alejandro agreed. “It’s amazing seeing you freer, Raj, I’ve been wanting to say. I know your padre has serious history, but like Antonio was saying to me earlier—your hibiscus gardens, they were beautifully-cared for. Your life and choices matter, you know? Your love for them. I remember that part of the Chandrani greenhouse so well. We used to like sitting around on the bench by there!”
“We did, didn’t we?” Antonio reflected. “You’d fall asleep on me. I remember that.”
“Do you want to visit home again, Raj?” Alejandro immediately threw Raj into a roller-coaster, all with that lovely grin still on those lips.
Antonio blinked in surprise. Raj tried to not let the anxiety claw into him.
His brother…
That gaze was too soft. So he’d wind up the stupid little brother!
''‹ [[Redo every choice… This Silver path, what was the point? What was the point? What was the point? You already know your real issue.->Armando Call A]] ›''
''‹ [[Seek this awful future full of horrible honesty.->Alejandro A2]] ›''<<audio butterflysong stop>><<audio happysong stop>><<audio hopesong stop>><<audio leosong stop>><<audio dadzsong stop>><<audio mainsong play loop>> ''Seek this awful future full of horrible honesty.''
<img src="images/routes/route-ale-tono-raj.png">
“Will you call Baba, Raj?” Antonio’s voice was too kind. //So annoying…!//
“You… You know I’ve been anxious.” Raj gritted his teeth. “Do we have to talk about Baba? I…I guess I’m worried about what he thinks, when it comes to the debacles of my life—Goddess, I really didn’t think my liking hibiscuses would turn out this huge on the astra—”
“Oh.” Alejandro was noticeably stunned. “So you’re still… I see.”
Raj tried to keep his Silver on Alejandro’s Red. “All Baba does is worry about me.”
Alejandro’s smile became too gentle. Raj hated it when Alejandro got this sort of look around him. Especially when Antonio was basically in his arms.
The other boy hummed, “Worrying… I understand him, your Baba. We all want good things for you, Raj. He goes overboard, but… We all truly do.”
“Not me,” said Antonio, raising his brows.
“Shut the fuck up,” Raj scoffed, then laughed. Antonio grinned back at him, and that—that he was used to. It was something so familiar! A valued childhood memory, that thing that persisted for so many years.
Raj let his laughter calm, his lips staying curved upward.
“Beyond Baba…” he murmured. “The truth is, Pá’s been calling. I think I should call him back. Even though I was anxious, he’s always… He always tries to understand me, you know?”
“Oh, when it comes to Pá!” Antonio actually let his arm slip away from Alejandro Altaha, coming close to Raj quick, over-excited. “I thought… I was so dumb, earlier, Raj! He called me. He has something amazing going on…!”
Raj breathed. His Silver fluxed. The future called. It was too, too warm.
''‹ [[You already know who you are. The Silver triplet with a Red twin and a Gold twin. The future you dream of, the current reality where your emotions won’t let you go, the past you know… Go back to that past! You know your way.->Blue Horizon: Hibiscus, and the Loved Garden Paths of Raj Rivera]] ›''<<audio butterflysong stop>><<audio happysong stop>><<audio hopesong stop>><<audio leosong stop>><<audio dadzsong stop>><<audio mainsong play loop>> ‹ ''“.........”'' ›
Raj abruptly turned and began leaving his own damned room without Antonio.
Antonio jolted.
“Hey—” In the midst of panic, all the words fell clumsily from his mouth. “Papá, you know he decided not to die, right? I rushed in, and he—he surv—”
“I already know he survived.” Raj glanced back at him. He then—again, out of nowhere—whirled, ambling too calmly back toward him.
He grasped at Antonio’s starry blue sleeve. “Tono, you’re still here with me, aren’t you? Papá, he’s literally calling me right now. My astra keeps chiming. I don’t feel like answering.”
Antonio winced. “I… I’m obviously here. In your room.”
That Silver fluxed. It became higher, radiant.
“Do you want to go bother Alejandro with me?”
<img src="images/routes/route-tono-and-raj-unhappy.png">
“You…” He knew his smile then was too Chandrani—dulled, trying not to express emotion. “You think I’ll feel better? Is that why you want me to go with you?”
//To bother the boy I already want to go see.//
“I’m fine with myself and my life choices,” said Raj. “Including the ones I want to make now. Do you want to go see him?”
''‹ [[“Ha… Of course you are. And obviously.”->Alejandro B]] ›''
''‹ [[“No.”->No.]] ›''<<audio butterflysong stop>><<audio happysong stop>><<audio hopesong stop>><<audio leosong stop>><<audio dadzsong stop>><<audio mainsong play loop>> ‹ ''“Ha… Of course you are. And obviously.” '' ›
<img src="images/routes/route-tono-and-raj-happy.png">
Raj straight up started pulling him around the dorm hallways, the way he did. Antonio let himself relax. Those words he’d had in his mind were amazingly formed but so out-of-place, now…!
A red butterfly followed them behind the expanse of windows and that rosy pink afternoon. It followed for a while, and then…
They had to part. Antonio would hide its memory away in his mind as something cherished. They found the elevator, went up to the right floor—right to Alejandro’s room. Raj’s Silver was dogged, too well-aware of where to find the person he wanted to find.
//Ale… I wonder if he’ll be able to say the words I wish I’d said without hesitation. Raj is always so much calmer at his side. I wish I were calmer at Alejandro’s side. I never am.//
Raj knocked on Alejandro’s door. Their senses were all close—
//Oh…// That Red was too eager, behind the door. It was too near his, and so excited.
Alejandro threw his door open. “So you remembered I’m free, Tono? Hello, Raj. Are we going to go on an adventu—”
Raj fucking //threw him//. Raj Rivera //threw his brother Antonio right on his potential crush, Alejandro Altaha//.
Why? Why would he do this?
Antonio admittedly squawked. It was so unhandsome. Alejandro’s eyes were too wide, and suddenly their faces were //way too close I’m going to kill Raja—//
Alejandro Altaha managed to angle his face away at the last fraction of a second, which meant neither of their lips or noses were bleeding from the intense impact. Alejandro fucking tripped, regardless. They went stumbling for five seconds, and Alejandro somehow managed it, tripping back onto his bed. Antonio fell with him.
//This is too embarrassing…! How do I suavely get up and then murder Raj?//
Alejandro squeaked beneath him. His muscled form felt as nice as ever. Antonio’s oceanic blue hair fell everywhere against that face. His own was thankfully tucked in by Alejandro’s neck.
<img src="images/special/megalgbtqwinfortono.png">
It felt awkward to have to—say this, as he tried clambering off in the minute afterwards, too mortified—
“//Raj! I swear if you leave! Get back here—//”
Antonio even snarled as he stood, spinning, but his brother…
His mind and even body cooled in shock, staring at the Raj who simply snickered, standing by the door.
Raj closed the door, ambling right in. He was surprisingly not as shy as he usually got around Alejandro and his room. This room was always so clean and pretty, especially because Antonio would constantly gift Alejandro artifacts and shells from the seas, and for some reason—
For some reason, Alejandro always kept them! These little gifts.
Alejandro seemed to be dazed. He wouldn’t look at Antonio. Those long black locks were sprawled across his bed too gorgeously. That Red on him was fuchsia, always trying to gauge the world and its problems—or rather, Alejandro’s world and his problems, particularly the problems he had with people he loved. It didn’t work.
That light bronze skin had a healthy glow, a tan from running around with Antonio outdoors so much— Alejandro finally shifted, bringing his hands up and rubbing at his face.
“I don’t know why I ever think I’ll have a normal day around you two,” his closest friend mumbled.
Alejandro sat up without any assistance so effortlessly, so smoothly. He did give Antonio the driest stare, dryer than the Wanderer’s Desert…!
“Hey! //I //didn’t do anything!” Antonio groused. “It was all Raj.”
Alejandro questioned, “What’s up with you two? Your aura is less in-tune than usual, and you’re not often in-tune to begin with.”
“Thanks,” Antonio scoffed.
That reminded Antonio to //face his goddamned problems//. So he did.
Raj was staring back at him with that fluxing Silver gaze. His stoic expression was too famous all over the astra, of late. It was usually adored by fans.
“The one you want to call…” Antonio frowned. “Isn’t it Baba? Will you do it, Raj? Call our Baba. I know you’ve been avoiding doing so for months.”
“I…” Raj swallowed. “I guess. It’s… I don’t want to do it around. People. I’d rather call our parents on my own.”
Antonio tried to give Raj a supportive smile. Better late than never.
“You should be free to,” Antonio told him that thing he believed in. “The truth is, I’ve been worrying… I know you have a right to love, Raj.”
“You do too,” Raj whispered.
He—
//This is too much.// Anxiety clawed in Antonio’s stomach. //Baba would be so upset if… I wonder what he’d think? About Alejandro.//
“Did you amuse yourself enough, throwing a two meters tall man right at me, Raj?” Alejandro stayed famous for having that velvety tone around people he cared for. It wasn’t jagged at all.
Antonio wished…
He could hear it more toward himself. He cursed himself.
//Idiot…//
Raj laughed. “Obviously. You two are too fun. I think I’ll go now, though—I know you’re always bothering each other, so I thought to pull some shit, that’s all.”
Antonio followed after his brother for the short breadth back to the door.
When they opened it, another shock hit him, even though Raj, of course he was incredibly relaxed.
Khaleel Atif-Akinyemi and Leo Abara were passing right by…!
His quietest friend, Khaleel, his red eyes were wide on him. It was mutual. Their Reds assessed each other.
This was for an instant. Khaleel soon panicked over what was in his hands. Leo’s arm slid right around those shorter shoulders, easily calming—well, Khaleel froze, really.
Khaleel was in his dark fits, Leo in his bright ones, a neon yellow shirt and vibrant blue shorts. Antonio realized with a start that Leo’s own Viridian eyes, those ethereal spring green, they weren’t unhappy with the fate they’d found at all.
“Baby dragons aren’t like birds, Khaleel,” Leo chuckled. “I keep saying! You don’t have to fret over them dying because they’re in your hands. They do easily imprint to a soul they like, though. These three tiny noodles obviously love you.”
“That’s weird,” Khaleel murmured. “I wonder why I’m loved?”
<img src="images/special/leo-and-khaleel.png">
There were sparkling emerald green dragon noodles peeping at Khaleel, right in his hands. There was a larger noodly dragon draped around Leo’s shoulder, much calmer, with noticeable tree-like antlers protruding from its forehead with pink flower-like blossoms amid them.
Leo was incredibly oblivious to the situation. “Why wouldn’t baby dragons love //you?// You stay an oddball. You stay the way you always have…I’m usually glad you don’t change, but…obviously they’d love you.”
The contentment in Khaleel’s expression… Antonio honestly envied it.
“Do you all want to meet the dragons?” Khaleel abruptly acknowledged his closest friends outside Leo, who was so often thought of as…
//Distant. Close. Distant. Close. He’s often like that, even around me.//
“Absolutely,” Antonio didn’t allow his voice to waver.
Raj appeared trapped. “Um…”
Leo’s expression brightened after noting Antonio’s twin. “Oh, it’s Raj. That reminds me…! Your Pa was on the astra. Why didn’t you say anything? I didn’t realize he’d be so… Well, the truth is, I’m surprised at myself more for not expecting it.”
Alejandro’s voice was too near Antonio’s ear.
“Shall we all have tea and snacks? I have ice tea powder.”
Antonio squeaked.
Raj’s Silver was too wide at his side. There was something about the future… It was too exciting, the way his brother’s Silver pinged with his Red.
“Can’t wait to learn how to make balloon animals,” Antonio ruminated aloud.
Raj’s voice was wry. “Alejandro, hold him back. This time, you have to cover //him//.”
“//Raj!//” Antonio shrieked. Leo and Khaleel walked right in, ignoring him well.
''‹ [[You already know who you are. The Red triplet with a Silver twin and a Gold twin. The future you dream of, the current reality where your emotions won’t let you go, the past you know… Go back to that past! You know your way.->Blue Horizon: Hibiscus, and the Loved Garden Paths of Raj Rivera]] ›''<<audio butterflysong stop>><<audio dadzsong stop>><<audio happysong stop>><<audio leosong stop>><<audio mainsong stop>><<audio hopesong play loop>> ‹ ''“No.”'' ›
Antonio pulled at his sleeve, and Raj let go. Antonio kept his smile. “I’ll just go rest in my own room, Raj. You’re too worried, like usual… You should keep living your own life, idiot.”
Antonio nearly tripped, yet caught himself well. He gave him a small wave, passed the hearth of Raj’s door, and hurried down the hall.
☾ ☾ ☾
<img src="images/routes/route-raj-alone.png">
Raj watched his brother disappear swiftly around the bend of the dorm halls.
He turned to stare at the expanse of windows before him, at the unending drift of rosy pink afternoon clouds beyond himself.
The depression settled back into him like a familiar cloak—like his outer loci falling in, with its dance of oceanic magic, with its never-ending seaside song. It wasn’t visible right now, the part of him that was so near the Boundless, that place of humanoids’ dreams and nightmares. It simply was. It was a part of him, always.
//I should absolutely keep living my own life. Antonio has his own. Being able to be free to live my own life… For Antonio to be free to live his own… That’s what I want. More than anything.//
He became determined.
<i>I’ll go see the person I want to see! </i>
''‹ [[Go find Khaleel.->Khaleel B]] ›''
''‹ [[Go find William.->William B]] ›''
''‹ [[Go find Alejandro.->Alejandro C]] ›''<<audio butterflysong stop>><<audio dadzsong stop>><<audio happysong stop>><<audio leosong stop>><<audio mainsong stop>><<audio hopesong play loop>> ✦✦
He decided to steady his mind around a favorite person. Seeking out happiness… He’d do it for himself. It was technically something his parents were proud of, his being thought of as the steadiest bastard at Khaleel Atif-Akinyemi’s side. Way more than Antonio Chandrani-Rivera, who noticeably wanted to make out with Khaleel.
He took his time to go. He’d get his steps in, make sure he wasn’t broody. He sat down, brushing his hair a while. Once he felt ready, he left.
//I want a certain future… When it comes to Khaleel, it’s better if he gets the best of the best. If his happiness is higher. I know he’s rarely genuinely happy.//
He walked down the well-acquainted bluish dorm halls, turned once…
''‹ [[There’s a butterfly gliding along with you behind all these passing window panes. Maybe you should follow after it, after all. It’s too dreamy a thing while you’ve always been practical, but… It couldn’t hurt to seriously relax once in a while, right?->Butterfly]]'' ›
He paused.
Then he strode cautiously toward the door he’d sought out. It was close to his room. Closer than Antonio was to this room—this had wound up too useful.
He peeked in.
<img src="images/routes/route-khaleel-and-raj.png">
Khaleel was worrying over his pretty dark brown face and pretty moon-silver dreads in his solemn, dark oak dressing table mirror as Raj opened the door too easily. Goddess, Khaleel over-trusted him and Antonio. Those red eyes, they connected with his Silver like they’d known him forever, even though they’d met at 14. It was starting to feel like forever ago to his aging teenage brain, though.
This room was so elegant… So full of interesting things like famous artsy nude figurines, fancy globes and the like. Rosewood reds, garnet reds, even darker colors and pretty pearl colors. Raj wished his room had this sort of energy.
People often assumed he was top-tier in terms of elegance. He wanted to match up so much.
Khaleel, whose demeanor had been confident in his mirror…
He frowned, turning immediately toward Raj.
“Get in here, Raj,” the other boy said, impatiently. “What’s wrong? That darling face shouldn’t be so crushed. I’ll fight somebody.”
Raj scoffed, trying not to smile. It bloomed as he stepped in, shutting the door quietly behind him.
Khaleel stood, shifting away from his vermillion settee and striding right toward him. Raj froze, especially as—
//I didn’t think he’d go for it.// Raj thought. //Do I come off that depressed? Ugh.//
Khaleel hugged him, that way he rarely did.
“I’m seriously used to stressing over Alia and Leo,” Khaleel sighed. “You’re usually so together compared to me. Is this about your family spat? Or are you too worried about your crush?”
“You and I are too similar,” Raj managed a weak chuckle. “Alia’s your sister, Antonio’s my brother. Leo’s your damned crush.”
“Leo’s just good trouble,” Khaleel gave an awkward laugh, too. Suddenly he wasn’t meeting Raj’s Silver.
Raj smirked.
He decided teasing Khaleel would help him. He often //was// more together—he was supposed to be so around Khaleel Atif-Akinyemi, but of late they were becoming closer. It made him nervous…the fact that they were getting this relaxed around each other made him ponder the future. It was so much trouble.
The fact of it was, among humanoids upon the planet Imion… Raj Rivera and Khaleel Atif-Akinyemi came off noticeably //human//. Unfortunately, there was worse trouble for the two of them. There was mithal trouble, specifically, despite their not even having particularly sharp ears, as mixed descendants! Mithal relations would stay a sore point of his life.
Khaleel’s ears stayed cute. Raj parted from the hug, gave Khaleel a quick look up and down. He was in his typical dark shirt and slacks, so he was unlikely to be planning on gallivanting into the world. Not tackling some particularly annoying mission any time soon. Good.
“Of late, Leo’s been bothering everyone he thinks will aid in solidifying his alliances,” Raj hummed. “Despite it, he’s around you nine times out of ten? What’s going on there, Khaleel? How close are you going to get?”
“Leo…” Khaleel became broodier. “He’ll reach so many. He always does… He’s often apprehensive over your family, over Kiran’s mad group, over Antonio, over William, over so many. The people he loves, it’s too on his face.”
“You can’t think—” Raj wasn’t sure why he’d tried. His Silver sense sung. Khaleel would finish his words.
Khaleel continued, “Being at his side doesn’t mean I’ll connect with him. Not in the same way he does with so many. What I want isn’t even that—I want us to be able to face each other. I want to be able to be honest… Then I’m actually around him. I can’t bring myself to be.”
Raj knew what was twisting in his stomach.
“I’m often like that, too. We’re so similar, in some ways.”
Khaleel flashed Raj a soft smile. “I worry over Alia, too.”
Raj swallowed.
''‹ [[Redo every choice… This Silver path, what was the point? What was the point? What was the point? You already know your real issue.->Armando Call A]] ›''
''‹ [[Seek the future you want to hold in your hand.->Khaleel B2]] › ''
<<audio butterflysong stop>><<audio dadzsong stop>><<audio happysong stop>><<audio leosong stop>><<audio mainsong stop>><<audio hopesong play loop>> ☆☆
There was one person he loved to go see whenever this wretched world threw him into a ringer. Finding what he wanted in life… It was something he would do for himself. Being around William Evans, it was something he took for granted, these days. William would find him on the regular. They were around each other so often, the call of those Violet eyes had become too familiar, sometimes a surprise, as in his mind…
In his mind, it was always around. William could sneak up on him due to this. He wished William would sneak up on him today…
Raj became determined. //I’ll definitely try surprising him. That Violet is sharp. Always evaluating his survival, his surroundings, the potential threats and troubles. My Silver can match up.//
His lips actually quirked up, thinking of William possibly jumping out of a chair or the like. He’d seen him in the morning, and yet he already missed him after falling into the clumsiest conversation he could with Antonio.
There was another quality to William. William was always around Raj Rivera, except…
On occasion, Raj would go bother his brother Antonio. It <i>was</i> typically when William himself wound up busy. The level William and Antonio managed to avoid each other was famous in Raj’s mind only.
He stepped along the worn bluish dorm halls that the afternoon light flooded into.
''‹ [[There’s a butterfly gliding along with you behind all these passing window panes. Maybe you should follow after it, after all. It’s too dreamy a thing while you’ve always been practical, but… It couldn’t hurt to seriously relax once in a while, right?->Butterfly]] ›''
He paused.
He shook his head, continuing on his journey. It wouldn’t take him long. William wasn’t far at all.
By the time he arrived at William’s room, the smile had slipped off again. He tried to bring it back. He was too stressed while knocking on his door.
There was the rushing of feet. William slammed his door open. Before Raj could even think to regret anything, he was pulled right in.
<img src="images/routes/route-will-and-raj.png">
“I’ve been waiting for you!” the boy exclaimed.
“Oh… That’s good,” Raj tried his smile again. He thought he could keep it for true, now that William was back near him—
This was when he noted the state of the boy’s room. It was a room that was over-familiar. He rarely walked in, he’d simply see it so many times—
//Oh, Goddess. Why am I here?//
It was cleared of any mess, with a lot of low-key, soft color tones amid the practical sort of crap that did crowd it, like rulers and boxes full of pens. William was pretty study-oriented. He’d expected something less practical when he’d first glanced in curiously—
Now Raj was envious. Raj exuded practical. Keeping his room clean was another thing. How did all his friends fit their clothes in their closet, or not be so lazy when it came to shoving them into drawers?
There were William’s consoles and over-crowded shelves full of games. William wasn’t //perfect.//
Now, this room was over-flowing with origami. What the fuck.
“Did you get pulled into something again?” Raj spun around, then ogled him better.
This white boy… He had a famously deep voice, despite appearing like a half-hearted twink. He had a slightly wavy fall of dark, brunet hair. The freckles all over his pale skin was too interesting—Raj had extremely rarely ever seen anyone with a lot of melanin actually have any noticeable ones. His fraternal twin brother Fernando was famous for his singular beauty mark under his eye, though, which technically helped differentiate him from Antonio aside from the longer, braided hair. Aside from those obvious Red versus Gold eyes.
“You don’t even want to know,” William grumbled. “Maria Herrera skipped out—oh, she’s your cousin, isn’t she? Uh, you know her bandom tendencies. I was almost roped into crazier business for the upcoming dance! Thankfully, Kiran Anand took over. Rayan keeps laughing and popping all the balloons. I don’t know if Kiran will manage it, in truth.”
“I’m excited for it,” Raj whispered. “The dance. I hope people keep asking me!”
William’s glance at him was too sly. “You assume people won’t? I obviously will.”
“I’m glad you will, Will,” Raj slammed at the other boy’s back. He’d reflect on it later, this reflex to try to keep from squeaking or doing something more embarrassing.
“I’ll be glad if it brightens your mood,” Will’s Violet seemed to determine something. He seemed a tad worried as he said, “You’re doing alright, Raj? You know I’ll listen if you need.”
//You’re famous for it.// Raj thought. //In my heart, too, honestly.//
“It’s nothing you…” He finally saw it, turning away from William.
Raj froze.
William instantly seemed to want to make defensive maneuvers.
“Right!” the other boy cried out, rushing toward his study desk. “So. I was hoping you’d show up soon. I’d have bothered you later if you didn’t, because… Um. I listened to Fernando about the Chandrani gardens. I didn’t get a lot of details, I just… I wanted to recreate. Some of it. Your part of the garden. What do you think?”
Raj stared.
//Red hibiscuses… I really love all of them. Even stupid Antonio.//
''‹ [[Redo every choice… This Silver path, what was the point? What was the point? What was the point? You already know your real issue.->Armando Call A]] ›''
''‹ [[Seek this memory, this feeling, this future.->William B2]] ›''<<audio butterflysong stop>><<audio happysong stop>><<audio hopesong stop>><<audio leosong stop>><<audio dadzsong stop>><<audio mainsong play loop>> ✯✯✯
He decided to take his time, anxious over the whole of everything that was his life. What if there was a random-ass blue thread on his suit? He worked so hard to keep it crisp and—well, it wasn’t difficult to keep it clean as a water mage.
He dillydallied a little too long in front of the mirror. He combed his hair for the second time that day. Couldn’t hurt.
He tried giving himself finger-guns. It worked well enough.
Then he set off on the journey to…to Alejandro. Goddess, help him.
Alejandro made all his worries leave his mind. He still did after all this time… He was famous in Raj’s own life for it. No one else’s. He tried not to talk about it with anyone, these feelings…
There was a red butterfly flying along with him behind the passing window panes. The late afternoon clouds turned a splash golden.
Raj realized it was more-or-less following him. It was too strange, the peace it gave his mind.
As it went down yet another bend, he calmly parted from it. They were both freer this way. He strode toward the elevator; he found the right floor. He let his Silver sense guide him down the worn, bluish dorm hallways glowing with afternoon light.
His brother’s room… Alejandro was there.
Raj tried the door. It opened to him even as Antonio’s True Barriers fluxed, and he… He refused to let out a relieved breath.
He peeked in, nervously.
His heart warmed too instantly, against his will—
His brother was laying on his own starry blue bed, surrounded by seaside shells and deep-sea artifacts. Alejandro sat on the carpeted floor beside him. Antonio had his shoes off like any proper Lotus man, and Alejandro had followed suit. His brother’s hair was black again, falling like waves around him, not going too far past his shoulders. Alejandro had his hair tied up, that length of dark tresses falling neatly behind him.
He was wearing a tunic with subtle leaf design-work, a masculine pinkish-orange today, one of the color of the Red, those who knew the ties of blood and water. His skin was a light bronze, though more tanned of late, especially because Antonio tended to pull him around everywhere under the sun. Antonio’s skintone was of course darker, though not as dark as Raj’s.
<img src="images/special/megalgbtqwinfortono.png">
Alejandro had put an ice pack atop of Antonio’s forehead, and had his arms on the bed, a hand thumping onto the comforter as he fussed the way he did. “A headache is a headache! Stop talking so much. Be cuter, God.”
Antonio groused, “Where did you <i>find</i> that? I didn’t know I left an ice-pack in my mini-fridge. I don’t need to be cute. I’m handsome. It is in my genetics, handsomeness. Raj is similar, absolutely bereft of cuteness, since he can’t fucking remember to smile except once in a true blacked-out moon, so like, every thousand years—”
“I’ll never smile for you, bitch,” Raj said as he slammed the door shut.
“Ow,” Antonio complained.
“Sorry, right, your headache—”
“No, my heart, Raj,” Antonio sniffled.
Raj was fretful.
“I’ll never smile,” he whispered.
Alejandro was too soft-hearted, glancing between him and Antonio. It was often like this when Raj could bear to bother them.
“Antonio brought up the hibiscus garden you have back at hom—at the Chandrani complex, Raj!” he said, cheerily. “I remember that. You were so proud of keeping them alive after Fernando tried drowning half the plants in the greenhouse again. There were so many colors, way more variety than I thought there’d be. Way too pretty. I loved that part of the greenhouse. Do you still check up on it?”
Raj’s eyes immediately misted.
“Oh,” he said. “Yeah. I do… Hey, Tono, do you think I should call Pá back? He keeps ringing. I’ve been too anxious, ugh.”
His brother sighed. It sounded too heedful for his bastard (nicer) twin.
<img src="images/routes/route-ale-tono-raj.png">
''‹ [[Redo every choice… This Silver path, what was the point? What was the point? What was the point? You already know your real issue.->Armando Call A]] ›''
''‹ [[Seek this long-time comfort.->Alejandro C2]] ›''
<<audio butterflysong stop>><<audio happysong stop>><<audio hopesong stop>><<audio mainsong stop>><<audio dadzsong stop>><<audio leosong play loop>> ''‹ Seek the future you want to hold in your hand. ›''
His countenance became too miserable, he knew. “I wish I could tell them what the hibiscus means to me. My brother Antonio, my Papá. Others. I think I should try… I’ll have to hope for the best in the future.”
“You’ll always be able to come to me, Raj,” Khaleel vowed.
That was when the sweet knock Raj had been waiting for occurred. Khaleel jumped out of his skin. His Red had connected with Raj’s Silver.
<img src="images/routes/route-khaleel-and-raj.png">
“You bastard,” Khaleel whispered.
He went and opened the door.
Leo was standing there. That moon-silver fall of lovely curls was tied back, that umber skintone was a little darker than his and Khaleel’s tone. He was much taller than the two of them, with that glowing Viridian gaze on him, that color that was actually a spring green. It called to fate, as ever.
He wore his colorful fits, a vibrant neon yellow shirt and vivid blue shorts. There were baby dragons, everywhere. Noodly things! Emerald green, shiny…
“Khaleel…!” Leo gauged the people in front of him. “I had a worrying sense. You two, you’re… I’m glad you’re fine, Raj. I had the dragons, too, so I was planning on walking right in, soon, anyway.”
Leo abruptly dumped half the noodly dragon babies on top of Khaleel. Khaleel straight up squawked. The dragon babies cheeped, way too excitable around him, fluttering around with small dragonfly-like wings.
“What,” Khaleel said.
<img src="images/routes/route-leo-khaleel-raj.png">
Leo became too satisfied. He turned toward Raj, flashing him a brazen smile. “You really do stay fine, Raj.”
He attempted a wink. Raj’s Silver fluxed.
That Viridian… It stayed as distant as forever. A whisper of Red, Antonio’s Red…
//Ah. Leo’s still uncomfortable flirting with a Chandrani.//
“You stay busy,” Raj commented.
Leo assessed him. He…
He created the surprising, least likely percentage of a situation amid Raj’s seering. He pulled off the larger dragon that was around his neck, the sparkly one with the antlers, with those false flowers on them, and wrapped it around Raj’s neck instead of show off, that way Raj had expected. Raj squeaked.
“How busy is my life going to get?” Khaleel groaned. “You really drag me into adventures without even a hello, Leo.”
“Hello,” Leo poked Khaleel’s nose.
Khaleel wrinkled it, giving Leo a look as dry as the Wanderer’s Desert. “This friendship is so done?”
“What about dinner tomorrow?” Leo suggested.
Khaleel squinted.
Then…
Then, that sweetest thing happened…! What Raj had wanted in his ears, it happened.
Khaleel laughed!
It rang so beautifully. It always did.
''‹ [[You already know who you are. The Silver triplet with a Red twin and a Gold twin. The future you dream of, the current reality where your emotions won’t let you go, the past you know… Go back to that past! You know your way.->Blue Horizon: Hibiscus, and the Loved Garden Paths of Raj Rivera]] ›''<<audio butterflysong stop>><<audio dadzsong stop>><<audio happysong stop>><<audio leosong stop>><<audio mainsong stop>><<audio hopesong play loop>> ''‹ Seek this memory, this feeling, this future. ›''
<img src="images/routes/route-will-and-raj.png">
The study desk had green paper laid out. Atop of it, William had obviously sketched out plots in a hurry. There were arrays of rainbowing origami all around them, in odd sections that didn’t match up to the Chandrani gardens.
//My heart will burst…!// Raj thought this as if in despair. There was something too fiery in his heart. He hadn’t quite expected this—he’d simply gone toward what he’d wanted. That person he was so familiar with, he’d still manage to surprise him.
That Violet stayed sharp against his Silver.
Right now… It was low-lit, as if it didn’t need to assess anything at all. William’s gaze on him was too caring. That color was close to chestnut brown. It reminded Raj of the rumors, of how different people occasionally had different opinions over William’s lineage. Some people assumed he had Konohana background or the like instead of simply being white, despite being so pale.
William seemed satisfied with Raj’s happiness over his origami garden. He became concerned again too quickly—
Raj was already frowning like earlier.
“I wish I could tell them,” he whispered. “Baba, Pá… Antonio… I wish I could.”
“Your family.” William’s future…
There was a whisper of something he wanted to tell Raj. He’d simply closed it off, so Raj’s Silver, it couldn’t quite gauge it. It had to do with family. William kept struggling with this topic around him.
Raj decided he’d stay patient. It was what he decided every time.
William instead insisted, “You can take this with you! If not the green paper, the origami—you can take the red hibiscus-styled ones for certain. If…if you need time, you can… I’ll give them to you. You can keep them as charms until you’re ready to talk to your family.”
“A gift from you?”
“Obviously!”
Raj couldn’t help but smile after all. He picked up an origami that was shaped into a cute, hibiscus-like shape.
//My heart… It’ll really burst. I want to put my photos of the family together with these. It’s hard to talk to them. One day, I will!//
''‹ [[You already know who you are. The Silver triplet with a Red twin and a Gold twin. The future you dream of, the current reality where your emotions won’t let you go, the past you know… Go back to that past! You know your way.->Blue Horizon: Hibiscus, and the Loved Garden Paths of Raj Rivera]] ›''<<audio butterflysong stop>><<audio happysong stop>><<audio hopesong stop>><<audio leosong stop>><<audio mainsong stop>><<audio dadzsong play loop>> ‹ ''Seek this long-time comfort.'' ›
<img src="images/routes/route-ale-tono-raj.png">
“Don’t worry so much, Raj.” Antonio smiled up at the ceiling. “We’re here, okay? We’ll be right here.”
Raj stared at these two people who //knew// him.
He relaxed.
“Okay. I’ll call.”
He treaded the carpet and sat down right at the edge of Antonio’s bed full of starry blankets, the starry sheets, the starry everything. Raj glared at his astra-circlet, then made himself make the call. His heart leapt into his throat as the screen flashed open in a hurry.
Armando Rivera was beyond stunned. He seemed to want to cry. That neat mostly-black pomade, that soft light bronze face, those eyes… Those anxious eyes were too familiar. That amber color that Baba had straight-up written poetry over stood out, regardless of the red sparks.
“Oh… Raj, you called //me//! I’m so… I’m so happy.” The sudden, melting warmth was too much.
<img src="images/routes/route-armando-and-raj.png">
His father rushed into a speech he’d obviously prepared. “Ah, I know I was calling a bit incessantly earlier…! I know it’s been a weekly call, but don’t fret. I’ve just been wanting to check up on you. I did the same with Fernando, Antonio—”
“Oceans, Pá, he’s not afraid of you, he’s being //broody// and //teen//!”
His father continued to try to soothe everyone he cared for into not fretting over him. Raj fretted.
Armando Rivera jumped. “Toni’s there? You needn’t worry so much, star-bright. Like your brother said, I understand when—when teenaged things are, are…um, precedent, or overwhelming. I heard you’ve grown fond of dancing with friends—”
“I wasn’t trying to avoid you, Pá,” Raj interrupted, trying to speak louder. His voice trembled. “I was—I didn’t think this—this hibiscus business, m-my saying so much to the stupid magazine, I didn’t think it’d turn into such a huge a commotion—I’m—I’m sorr—”
“Why are you sorry?” Armando sounded alarmed. “For what? I never called for an apology, starriest! I…I, the truth is, you can ask our Fernando, how I’ve been running around for maybe three weeks, grabbing up pots and maybe too many seeds—”
“Why not me?” Antonio complained. “Man, I wasted too much of my energy! Got a headache over you two—”
“You should definitely conserve your energy,” Alejandro’s voice was wry. “You’re way cuter when you’re not yakking and worrying everyone. I especially dislike when you make Raj fret himself into a dozen Silver visions. Let him relax!”
“I made a plot in our garden, in—in the Herrera gardens,” Armando said, hurriedly. “I didn’t understand they were your favorite! I really didn’t, otherwise I would have made a plot so much earlier—”
“Pá…” Raj knew his eyes were getting too wet.
“Will you visit, Raj?” Armando Rivera was too excited. “Together with Antonio this weekend? I know the rest are busy. I didn’t realize—I really didn’t know! Learning about it, that you love hibiscuses, that changed my whole wide world—”
Raj couldn’t stop them, his tears. Alejandro gasped; he promptly tried taking the ice-pack off of Antonio, throwing it right against Raj’s forehead—
Antonio, that stupid ass brother, he began laughing, uproariously. The ice pack fell with a splat on the carpeted floor.
“Oh… Why are you crying, Raj? I am so happy you called! Don’t worry! Don’t worry at all. Will Alejandro visit, too? I do love seeing all of you.”
Alejandro did Raj a solid—he started pulling at Antonio’s cheeks.
“Ow—ow—ow, okay, I’ll be nicer to him, Oceans! We’ll all go, Pá. I’ll just delete the schedule Kiyotaka Miura set up for Ale and pretend that fixes all the problems I’m gonna cause by whisking him away!”
''‹ ₊˚⊹ ʚɞ [[You already know who you are. The Silver triplet with a Red twin and a Gold twin. The future you dream of, the current reality where your emotions won’t let you go, the past you know… Go back to that past! You know your way.->Butterfly Ultra]] ›''<<audio butterflysong stop>><<audio happysong stop>><<audio hopesong stop>><<audio leosong stop>><<audio dadzsong stop>><<audio mainsong play loop>>''characters.''
<img src="images/routes/route-raj-alone.png">
''rajab "raj" chandrani-rivera.'' the main character of the game. he's the quiet one amid triplet sons, though when he gets mad enough, it's obvious. the silver-eyed son of famous men within planet imion's world theater, he's a top-class seer. astute, a hard worker, and sharply-dressed, many people in the protector's class and elsewhere rely on him to aid in changing the future! raj has the baggage of familial history plaguing him, whether it's his focus on sharp-eared mithal culture or dealing with the humanoid culture of "core-ripping."
<img src="images/characters/profile-antonio.png" />
''antonio chandrani-rivera.'' raj's fraternal twin brother. both he and raj must deal with being the progeny of two famous men within the world theater. antonio has the baggage of being considered the red-eyed "cursed" triplet son. he's typically confident, a noticeable busybody and a worrywart around friends and family. /ᐠ - ˕ -マ Ⳋ
<img src="images/characters/profile-fernando.png" />
''fernando chandrani-rivera.'' a boy in the periphery of this IF game, he's antonio's identical twin and raj's fraternal twin. while antonio assumes fernando and raj are closer to each other than he is to them, his brothers have greater conflict than he realizes. his cute point is his beauty mark. ☾ ₊˚⊹ ʚɞ ☾ ₊˚⊹ ʚɞ ☾ ₊˚⊹ ʚɞ
<img src="images/characters/profile-khaleel.png" />
''khaleel atif-akinyemi.'' a quiet and contemplative student of the protector's class. people are protective of him due to his elf-like lineage, called "mithal" within planet imion, as well as his family's scientific study. raj likes teasing him quite a lot.
<img src="images/characters/profile-leo.png" />
'' [[leo abara->Secret.]]. '' a young man raj assesses to be an up-and-coming leader. despite his tendency to chase after friends and keep track of their well-being, he’s noticeably distanced from most people, even those he is closest to. /ᐠ - ˕ -マ Ⳋ ''‹ [[what's this...?->Secret.]] ✦✦✦ ›''
<img src="images/characters/profile-will.png" />
''william evans.'' a student who keeps track of the goings on of the protector's class. he's very astute, and yet... he's often airheaded about certain topics, such as trying to remember who raj's twin brother is. he likes dancing with raj.
<img src="images/characters/profile-alejandro.png" />
''alejandro (caldera-)altaha.'' a bright and hotheaded young man, he has a noticeable sweet side around his favorite people. he was once uninterested in the protector's class or becoming protector of worlds. due to his family troubles, he was partly raised by the chandrani family, and as such, was close childhood friends with raj, antonio and fernando chandrani-rivera growing up, along with other chandrani children.
<img src="images/characters/profile-ranmando-garden.png" />
''armando (herrera-)rivera and ranvir chandrani (pá and baba)''. two men of renown within the world theater. they once competed to become protector of worlds. their sons antonio and raj wish to live up to their name and their image.
☾ ₊˚⊹ ʚɞ ☾ ₊˚⊹ ʚɞ ☾ ₊˚⊹ ʚɞ (''Can you find me? Fernando Chandrani-Rivera. The truth is, no one really can. Not anymore.'') ☾ ₊˚⊹ ʚɞ ☾ ₊˚⊹ ʚɞ ☾ ₊˚⊹ ʚɞ
''Main routes:'' Raj's relationship with Khaleel Atif-Akinyemi, William Evans and Alejandro (Caldera-)Altaha are the main focus. There are several secret routes and characters.
Highlight for hints: <div class="highlight">butterflies and cats.</div>
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''Content Warnings'': Discussion of filicide, implication of genocide. Explores mental health and personhood. Is otherwise slice of life.
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''Synopsis'':
<img src="images/special/cita-and-lotus-isles-map.png">
100,000 years in the future, so very long after Earthians have traveled across the galaxy, Raj Rivera of planet Imion is upset over one thing—dealing with human emotions! Pesky human emotions! Why are there still humans around?
His father is famous. His father's past is infamous. His father has mourned the loss of his siblings for decades... While knowing this, Raj must navigate his own feelings, worry over his garden and all the people stepping through it, and try to deal with his tricky relationship with that fraternal twin brother of his, who always wants to know too much...!
Part of the Blue Horizon verse, "Blue Horizon: Hibiscus, and the Loved Garden Paths of Raj Rivera" is a short LGBTQ/gay/BL text-based slice of life academy game that explores family, tragedy, change, wanting a future for yourself, growing up, friendships, the trickiness of crushes, and trying to figure out how to connect!
There are four main character routes, but every single route is highly affected by Raj Chandrani-Rivera's interactions with his twin brother, Antonio Chandrani-Rivera! If Raj is more content, the scenarios noticeably change. If Raj is more melancholic, the scenarios noticeably change. Try going off the expected pathways!
This is a short introduction into the world of Blue Horizon. The current version of the game is complete, and has essential, introductory lore. After the release of further Blue Horizon media, this game will serve as a prologue/demo for a future, updated version and/or a potential sequel that is much heavier on the backstory. This game is canon compliant with the main Blue Horizon verse storylines.
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For more on Blue Horizon, check out <a href="https://starlitseas.neocities.org/">starlitseas @ Neocities</a>, or <a href="https://linktr.ee/nailamoonsi">Naila Moonsi's socials</a>! A Kickstarter for the first epic science fantasy novel set in the universe of Blue Horizon is set to debut during March or April of 2025.
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''F.A.Q''
''A burning question for South Asians and any culturally-aware sorts.''
''Why does Raj's father have the spelling of Ranvir but Raj has a name like "Rajab"?''
Blue Horizon takes place 100,000 years in the future upon the planet Imion! Part of the concept of this planet is "diaspora." The Chandrani family in particular will have a curious backstory involving adoption, but beyond that, they are also a metaphor.
(Relatedly, Raj was named "Rajib," a common Bangladeshi name, for about five years in my head. Then I learned my cousin's real name (not nickname) was Rajib. Me and my aunt like similar names, haha. So anyway, I had to change it! For those not on the know, nicknames are common in Bangladesh.)
''So are Antonio, Fernando and Raj adopted?''
Their backstory is a little wilder and involves science fantasy magic. Check out Blue Horizon: Bright Days, Sad Days' comic 2 for early notes; the upcoming epic science fantasy novel will go into it.
''Can we get a summary for the Spectral Eyes? How many are there?''
There are six Spectral Eye colors! Here's <a href="https://flowerymoon.itch.io/the-protectors-memory-of-them-under-the-sunlight-chapter-1-partial-excerpt">an excerpt from the upcoming light novel-slash-novella</a> from Antonio Chandrani-Rivera's POV:
//Gold-eyed are the people who comprehend the past. Red-eyed are those who know the wretched heart of any one person. Silver-eyed are those who know the future of all people too well. Viridian know warnings. Aquamarine know death. Violet are the people who can survive all troubles in-between on a supernatural level.
Spectrals with our Gods’ Eyes…no. With our Spectral Eyes.
We are the true heirs of humankind. It’s well-known upon Imion, though of course there are many, many normal-eyed too. Those who have the typical eye colors of humanity—brown, gray, blue, green, and whatsoever else muted color—never glowing. The normal-eyed, they have all the magic in the world at their finger-tips, too.
They say the true heirs of humankind bleed the color of their eyes.
If that’s so, why do the normal-eyed practice elemental alchemy so very easily? So much more easily than any of us. With no distractions regarding prophecies and worthless signs.//
''What is the name of this academy they attend?''
/ᐠ - ˕ -マ Ⳋ Hmm...
There are certain details obsfucated in this game so that the main storyline of Blue Horizon, told through the upcoming first epic science fantasy novel, "The Protector and the Annihilation," can pack more oomph for its plot! Little details can be found throughout different routes, however. Try looking for them!
''Are Raj and Khaleel's sclera color part of the fantasy setting?''
No, real life people have this sclera color. "Whites of the eyes" and "white teeth" are pretty Euro-centric in reality; melanin isn't only for skintone. Check out photos of African and South Asian people.
Relatedly, as much as it's cute that people like giving characters freckles, in terms of IRL, moles and beauty marks are vastly more common for a lot of people with melanin. I feel like people tend to ignore common cute features of many different ethnicities, so I've been trying to emphasize those for the representation of it in terms of canon character design and storytelling. The experience of boasting about moles with my family is something I recall fondly.
I kind of miss the affection over moles and beauty marks from '90's to '00's media, actually. I do also think that Euro-centric concepts and beauty standards can overwhelm storytelling and visual media.
(If people want to do fanwork, I don't mind things like lots of freckles for characters. I mean this sort of thing in a representation way, though in another way, it'd be nice if moles and beauty marks were romanticized again. Will be doing so myself!)
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''Credits:''
Story and artwork within "Hibiscus, and the Loved Garden Paths of Raj Rivera" by Naila Moonsi.
Music from Pixabay.
<a href="https://pixabay.com/music/techno-trance-lost-in-a-dream-260894/">Lost in a Dream</a> by Anonymous.
<a href="https://pixabay.com/music/smooth-jazz-moonlit-serenade-4-223985/">Moonlit Serenade 4</a> by Anonymous.
<a href="https://pixabay.com/music/beautiful-plays-walking-then-runningflying-in-the-forestwoods-instrumental-170173/">Walking then Running-slash-Flying in the Forest-slash-Woods instrumental</a> by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/uniquecreativeaudio-7672706/">UniqueCreativeAudio</a>.
<a href="https://pixabay.com/music/main-title-time-for-the-soul-motivation-emotional-orchestral-epic-191365/">Time for the Soul</a> by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/rockot-1947599/">Rockot</a>.
<a href="https://pixabay.com/music/afrobeat-afrobeat-x-afro-type-beat-x-dancehall-beat-instrumental-lover-194140/">Afrobeat - Lovers - Instrumental</a> by Anonymous.
<a href="https://pixabay.com/music/beats-warm-coffee-lofi-302387/">Warm Coffee</a> by DeltaX-Music.
No part of the game was made using A.I., including its music tracks. Pixabay is a copyright-free media platform that is free for any individual to use, and music and artists from the platform do not reflect the views and decisions of Naila Moonsi, including use of A.I. for their covers or anything related.
Naila Moonsi does not utilize or appreciate use of A.I. for creative endeavors.
(( [[Go back.->Blue Horizon: Hibiscus, and the Loved Garden Paths of Raj Rivera]] ))<<audio butterflysong stop>><<audio happysong stop>><<audio hopesong stop>><<audio mainsong stop>><<audio dadzsong stop>><<audio leosong play loop>> ✦✦✦
''Search for Khaleel. Find Leo…!''
Raj wondered why he’d been able to come so close to such a private conversation.
“Khaleel, you’re still chasing after him?” Leo’s voice was faint and so near Khaleel. It was in an otherwise often isolated <i>staff</i> stairway for their academy, particularly for the Protector’s class of the Ainarrami. Its color was the pretty diamen-steel midnight blue that was everywhere throughout the Ainarrami, throughout their troublesome academy.
Khaleel and Leo were both handsome young black men. Khaleel still had his dreads, while Leo often wore his hair in a ponytail. Khaleel tended toward muted, dark colors while Leo wore some of the brightest fits among all the students! It made the two of them stand out when together. Their umber skintones were similar to Raj's.
<img src="images/special/leo-and-khaleel.png">
One day, after staring at them, Raj was struck with the revelation that he, too, might be handsome!
“You’re always trying to avoid him,” Khaleel uttered. “Antonio Chandrani-Rivera.”
“It’s better to,” said Leo.
“You struggle to,” said Khaleel.
Leo looked away. So he avoided bhaiya… Raj kept his breath as still as possible. The waters that were a part of his outer loci were everywhere, shielding him from their notice, a veritable natural atmosphere. This was what he’d been training for, but to use it on close friends…
“I do care about him,” Leo murmured. “I wish I didn’t.”
The boy wrapped his arms around himself.
“I’m fine with caring about you,” said Khaleel.
//He’s really steeled, our Khaleel,// Raj thought, his Silver eyes fluxing. //I didn’t think he’d say that particular sentence, despite it being a high possibility…//
“Ha,” said Leo. “Well, I wish you wouldn’t always be around Antonio and his friends. They’re trouble. Everyone says it.”
“I can make my own choices regardless of caring about you. //You’re// often around him.”
Leo seemed to not want to say something. Raj could nearly sense…
It had to do with closeness of relationships. Raj himself was connected to his twin brother. So perhaps it had to do with ‘inevitability.’ Being around Khaleel? Or having secret affection for Antonio?
Khaleel continued, “You know Raj and Antonio are important to me.” It made Raj jolt out of his skin, to hear his name be uttered first, nearly becoming visible to them. For him to be on Khaleel’s mind—could it be the reason he’d be allowed so close without thought or notice?
Leo laughed, humorlessly.
Khaleel was stubborn. “They are important to you. I’m not stupid. We’re childhood friends. You… I. You’re becoming stronger. Gaining alliances, the way you do. You are someone people look up to now. You understand that, don’t you? Many people would be willing to give you their sword.”
Leo was silent. Only for a time.
“What about you?” Those Viridian eyes that sought fate fluxed into something higher. Raj became anxious his Silver might be found. Leo’s attention was entirely on Khaleel and his Red, however.
“You want my sword?”
“I…” Leo’s Viridian was searching. “I want…”
//Leo, come on.// Raj groaned in his mind. //Why is he so scared? I still don’t get it. Khaleel obviously has his eyes on him!//
Khaleel repeated it firmly. “I care about you. I wish I could understand more of what’s going on in that head of yours, these days! You’ll have me around. Don’t fret.”
“I suppose… I mean… Okay.”
Dear Goddess! Leo sounded //shy//.
Leo ruffled at his curly hair, now a dark and handsomely lit black instead of moon-silver, the way it often was. “Shall we go bother people we both consider important, then? What about Raj? He can always afford to loosen up. Or cheer up. Where is he?”
“He said he’d meet up with me soon! We’ll likely catch him by my room by the half hour.”
Ah, yes. The start of this debacle. Raj planning to surprise Khaleel, the way he often did to ascertain his safety. Thankfully the pair were upstairs and going toward the dorms instead of walking right into Raj and blowing his cover. He stayed cautious.
“Guess we’ll have to hound him,” Leo muttered. “That handsome cad. I didn’t like him at first. I’m starting to warm up, I won’t lie. It’s nice you’re making friends, Khaleel.”
“I particularly like him!”
“I know, Khaleel.”
The two young men casually strode up the rest of the stairs toward Khaleel’s room. After the heavy doors closed, Raj finally let himself breathe normally.
//My heart is strangely full.// Raj thought, swallowing. //Why’d they have to use the staff stairs too? Bastards.//
<img src="images/routes/route-leo-khaleel-raj.png">
''‹ [[You already know who you are. The Silver triplet with a Red twin and a Gold twin. The future you dream of, the current reality where your emotions won’t let you go, the past you know… Go back to that past! You know your way.->Blue Horizon: Hibiscus, and the Loved Garden Paths of Raj Rivera]] ›''
<a href="https://starlitseas.neocities.org/">the world of blue horizon</a>.
<a href="https://bluehorizonbdsd.the-comic.org/">the comic</a>.
<a href="https://linktr.ee/nailamoonsi">naila moonsi</a>.<img src="images/routes/route-raj-alone.png" width="300px" height="186px"><<cacheaudio "mainsong" "audio/lost-in-a-dream.mp3">>
<<cacheaudio "happysong" "audio/moonlit-serenade-4.mp3">>
<<cacheaudio "dadzsong" "audio/time-for-the-soul-by-rockot.mp3">>
<<cacheaudio "hopesong" "audio/walking-then-runningflying-in-the-forestwoods-instrumental-by-uniquecreativeaudio.mp3">>
<<cacheaudio "leosong" "audio/afrobeat-lover.mp3">>
<<cacheaudio "butterflysong" "audio/warm-coffee-lofi-by-deltax-music.mp3">><img src="images/a-cover-hibiscus-and-the-loved-garden-paths-of-raj-rivera.png" />
<div class="title"> [[the promise of yesterday, the promise of today, the promise of tomorrow... you and i... my cherished ones. Let us begin seeking the path we dream of!->Blue Horizon: Hibiscus, and the Loved Garden Paths of Raj Rivera]] </div><<audio mainsong stop>><<audio happysong stop>><<audio hopesong stop>><<audio leosong stop>><<audio dadzsong stop>><<audio butterflysong play loop>> ☾ ₊˚⊹ ʚɞ ☾ ₊˚⊹ ʚɞ ☾ ₊˚⊹
''Let’s Go! Toward Untold Troubles and Well-told Dreams.''
Fernando Chandrani-Rivera had no issue invading Raj’s room without a warning. Antonio at least <i>sometimes</i> asked. This bastard stayed too much. He was still overly glamorous, with his braid too fancy and that beauty mark standing out, as his face had subtly been done-up for the astra cams. He wore a casual black band shirt and gray shorts, regardless.
Antonio’s identical twin often called himself “quite the man.” His confident gait tended to back it up. He was always so obsessed with matching up with him, their Antonio. Fernando and his golden eyes, they were something too familiar.
Raj thanked the six moons over his room being cleaner. He was winning this way—his room appeared as stately as they said he was in the magazines. Fernando’s in comparison was full of bandom crap. Everywhere. Everywhere. So many collectables to accidentally step on! Fernando’s screeching over it!
<img src="images/routes/route-nando-and-raj.png">
Raj assessed Fernando further. He would still win.
“You always gotta do this, huh?” Fernando’s tone was dryer than the Wanderer’s Desert.
Raj did not care.
His smugness was on his face, it was true.
“You’re our main man in the media,” Fernando drawled. “Until Layla destroys like ten Psyche towers at once. Are they the ghostly monsters that manifest, or is she?”
“I’m not saying a feature on you is bad,” Raj insisted.
“Of course my beauty mark would be an immense focus,” Fernando put a hand to his face, framing himself as quite the dandy. “It is the main thing they can discuss without breaking down over Antonio, so I try to boast.”
Raj knew the shape of his smile was quite a spooky cat’s grin.
He finally did it. He threw off his entire Cereban-styled suit and pulled up the sleeve of his shirt. He flexed his arm while he was at it.
“The butterfly-shaped moles stay interesting,” Fernando noted, politely. This had been a long-term flex by Raj. He was likely dying inside over the drollness of it all, this years-long tendency to show off. Or secretly romanticizing it with that mad Gold that saw the past of all people.
Fernando was starting to become more confident in himself by his mid-teens. He almost matched up to Antonio… Raj always felt the need to match up against him.
Their Fernando kept himself low-key, no matter the subtle rivalry he had with Antonio, which Antonio stayed so oblivious to. He was wary of it, the world stage being so eager to cover up their fears when it came to Antonio’s cursed Red versus the whole of his so-called powerful Golden existence.
Fernando Chandrani-Rivera did not chase the role of Protector of Worlds. Everyone in their class knew the ones who did.
Raj appreciated the awkward underside of his own arm. “Everyone loves that beauty mark of yours. I hide something far more precious, actually.”
“I still don’t get why you don’t just show them off to the world,” Fernando complained.
“It’s precious,” Raj repeated. “Some things deserve privacy. There’s only so many people in the world that deserve all of me.”
“You showed it off to Khaleel.”
“Duh.”
Fernando gave him a look. “You show everything off to Khaleel.”
“He’s cool!”
“You freak out over William in comparison,” Fernando continued. “Refuse to be real with him. What’s going on there?”
“William won’t tell me anything, either,” Raj fretted.
“I hate you and Antonio’s love dramas,” Fernando groused. “Especially over Alejandro. I know Tono doesn’t like Will, but outside of that, why do you two have so much shared bullshit? Liking Khaleel, too… I’m the identical—”
“Not this shit again. Can you chill out about Alejo? A-a-and I don’t have a crush on Khaleel, what the fuck. I mean, do you think I actually want to share stupid bullshit with Antonio? It’s—anxiety-inducing, and—”
“You and I, we grew up together. Antonio was apart from us for a while… Nasir Hadid-Salah wasn’t even our brother, he was our cousin. Mina Salah and Aina Salah, they’re identical. That’s us! It’s us.”
So now he was bringing in 10,000-year-old business! Their past lives that screamed throughout the history of the world, of planet Imion, after they’d been left behind as witches meant to change and remake it!
“Can you give me a break?”
“No. I’m just as cute as you two!”
Fernando flashed one of his awful cutie poses. His stupid bunny hops were legendary cringe in Raj’s life only.
Raj’s Silver eye twitched. The future foretelling… It was only going downhill from here.
“Get out of my room! Out!”
☾ ₊˚⊹ ʚɞ ☾ ₊˚⊹ ʚɞ ☾ ₊˚⊹
Fernando peered into his compact mirror outside Raj’s room, amid the worn-down bluish dorm halls. The clouds outside the wide-set windows ahead were a dreamy white against a far-reaching blue horizon.
“I am just as cute…” He scowled. His visage wasn’t the way he’d dreamed as a child. He was still handsome! The identical of Antonio.
“Fernando Chandrani-Rivera.”
He looked up. Alia Atif-Akinyemi stood before him. She had those black curls drifting all over, as well as the starship captain’s flair of an outfit that obviously showcased admiration for her elder sister, if not her famous mother!
<i>The striking sister of the handsome guy Antonio and Raj crush on!</i>
He gawked only a little. Alia extremely rarely bothered him. Her red gaze was hawkish. The sense of protection toward his kin was there—toward Chandrani progeny.
“Can you figure out a way to keep Layla from running off and killing herself without me or someone else in the Queen’s Guard chasing after her?” Alia demanded.
<i>Ah. Love drama… It’s too real! Ugh! Everyone…</i>
<img src="images/special/layla-and-alia.png">
“Haha,” Layla’s voice was right behind him. “I’m literally right here? You don’t have to drag everyone in my family into our quarrels. I’m doing fine. Weren’t we just on the astra together, Naan? We were both too handsome on stream.” How…
<i>How did she keep sneaking up on him when he tracked the pasts of all people…?</i> He hated her a bit.
Layla Chandrani peered at the two of them. She had her ever-wavy moon-silver hair, the skintone a little similar to his and Antonio’s, if a bit darker, and the overall handsomeness Raj was obviously envious of without ever saying it out loud, as they both favored the Cereban suit-and-tie look. The esoteric silver threads of her black eyepatch pulsed. That red eye stayed too cold, despite her always wanting to come off so <i>casual</i>.
“Stop calling me Naan,” Fernando mumbled, reflexively.
“You’re always running toward danger without discussing it with anyone—” Alia noticeably stopped giving a crap Fernando was there.
“It’s how we Chandrani <i>are,</i>” Layla laughed. “Haven’t you met my cousin Antonio? The other day, he did the crazy flip as that Psyche with all those eyes and teeth tried to munch him—”
“Oh, so now you don’t want to bitch about Antonio’s whims—”
“<i>Okay,</i> you got me there. That boy is too crazy.”
“We can agree on one thing.”
“I’ll go now,” Fernando whispered, edging away from them. The two girls had totally forgotten about him, swooping closer toward each other. It was the way they often were, even when relaxed.
He hurried off back toward his room—he was on a different floor from both his brothers. It was too soothing not to have to deal with them being around in the morning. Everything else about dorm life was insanely irritating.
Except…
Diego Garza was downstairs. He stood there upon the midnight blue diamen-steel. The stronghold of the Ainarrami, their famous academy, was known for being a salient midnight blue. He was waiting by the floor leading right to Fernando’s room.
He had his typical boyish black pomade, his typical plaid shirt, his typical can of coffee that was dripping all its chill away.
Those red eyes were too gentle on him. Why?
“You’re stressing over your family?” His voice was as easygoing as ever.
Fernando slapped his hands to his cheeks. “Is their past yakking haunting my Gold?”
“Are we seriously close enough for me to gauge that?”
Those red eyes were too eager to be close. The flush in Fernando’s cheeks…
He was glad it wouldn’t show. He tried to suppress it, the vulnerability in his expression. Some of his family had already mastered it, the stately Chandrani smile. He was typically able…
Around Diego, he was starting to gain. Problems.
“Were you trying to meet up with me?” Fernando wasn’t sure what he wanted to hear.
“I wound up nearby again.” Diego’s voice was too teasing.
When it came to familial love drama…
There was something Fernando ignored.
“<i>Don’t you think Antonio is too nice? I dislike it. The level he’s willing to give up on love. He’s that Red who’ll protect everyone before himself!</i>”
Raj’s voice echoed in his mind. The past of Nasir Hadid-Salah, that man Antonio Chandrani-Rivera had once been and still was…
It sparkled like desert sands, so far away.
<img src="images/routes/route-fernando-and-diego.png">
Fernando wasn’t sure what to do. He smiled the Chandrani smile, after all. He would one day perfect it.
“We all worry about Antonio,” he decided to say. “Don’t you? He’s always willing to protect everyone. What about his own heart?”
“I obviously do,” said Diego. “You Chandrani are all alike.”
“Yet you’re such close friends with Alejandro.”
“Isn’t he Antonio’s best friend? He was yours only a few years ago—”
“I can’t stand him anymore.”
“I still don’t get why.”
“Alejandro,” Fernando frowned. “He wouldn’t ever reach… As if he’d… You think they’ll ever see eye-to-eye?”
“You don’t believe in your own brother’s ability to meet Alejandro for true? Their capability when it comes to facing each other?”
“It’s not about Antonio.”
“Is it really only about Alejandro?” Diego dared ask it.
“Alejandro Altaha… He despises pretty pictures.” Fernando said.
Diego’s head tilted. His smile was too lovely.
“I hate them too,” he said. “This world isn’t anything like one. So what? We’re people who can face that it isn’t. Understand how to go forward regardless.”
This was the tragedy of him, Diego Garza. He admired Alejandro Altaha, his now-dearest friend…
The boy who had once been their dearly beloved Lost Protector of 10,000 years past, Shakir.
The one who would unmake the world. Antonio’s world.
Nasir Hadid-Salah’s.
''‹ [[You already know who you are. You are the Golden twin. Your troubles are only beginning. They say you are the Golden antithesis of a troublemaker Red twin... The Silver twin is always trying to change it, the future that sings. Why?->Butterfly Ultra]] ›''<<audio mainsong stop>><<audio happysong stop>><<audio hopesong stop>><<audio leosong stop>><<audio dadzsong stop>><<audio butterflysong play loop>> ☾ <a href="https://starlitseas.neocities.org/">the world of blue horizon</a>. ☽ ☾ <a href="https://bluehorizonbdsd.the-comic.org/">the comic</a>. ☽ ☾ <a href="https://linktr.ee/nailamoonsi">naila moonsi</a>. ☽ ☾ ''[[characters, routes, FAQ, credits, CWs->characters]]''. ☽
[[☾ ₊˚⊹ ʚɞ ☾ ₊˚⊹ ʚɞ ☾ ₊˚⊹ ʚɞ->Secret2.]]
<img src="images/a-cover-hibiscus-and-the-loved-garden-paths-of-raj-rivera.png" />
[[☾ ₊˚⊹ ʚɞ ☾ ₊˚⊹ ʚɞ ☾ ₊˚⊹ ʚɞ->Secret2.]]
<div class="titlea">Blue Horizon:</div><br> <div class="title">Hibiscus, and the Loved Garden Paths of Raj Rivera</div><br> <div class="titleb">by Naila Moonsi</div>
[[☾ ₊˚⊹ ʚɞ ☾ ₊˚⊹ ʚɞ ☾ ₊˚⊹ ʚɞ->Secret2.]]
100,000 years after Earthians travelled across the galaxy… Who needs it anymore? Human emotion. Human bodies. Human thoughts. Human emotion. Human emotion. Human emotion.
Why? Why would I be so afflicted? When I am the most practical of triplet brothers…!
Many thousands of years ago, we upon planet Imion were trapped within our star system. We can no longer travel the galaxy that way we once did.
Our people obsess over it. Ultra-ancient Earth. To travel again across space, that way they did so long ago. We obsess over being alike to ultra-ancient Earthians! When we have these Spectral Eyes; when I have Silver.
These eyes they’d call “angelic” or “demonic.” Those people back in that fargone era, they had little else in their minds aside from painting everything in black-and-white. It seems like that, to me…
I am part of the Protector’s class. Part of an academy that has missions to rid of monsters born of humanoids’ dreams and nightmares, that which manifest too easily across our world. Ridding the sweeps of them that arrive from the otherworld we have long termed the Boundless has been many humanoids’ focus and pride. The Protector of Worlds, he rids our planet of curses. That role both my fathers competed to become… My fathers are my ideal. Even if they weren’t, we simply can’t afford to become so narrow-minded.
Are we really all that similar to humans of those far-gone eras? After 100,000 years…
[[☾ ₊˚⊹ ʚɞ ☾ ₊˚⊹ ʚɞ ☾ ₊˚⊹ ʚɞ->Secret2.]]
<img src="images/special/triplet-chandrani-brothers.png">
The Red brother. Antonio Chandrani-Rivera. The one who must cultivate a world for himself.
The Golden brother. Fernando Chandrani-Rivera. The one who must not fear his soul that matches others’.
The Silver brother. Rajab Chandrani-Rivera. Sheer perfection.
Triplet brothers! Their atheist father, Ranvir Chandrani, he would never call them anything like ‘little devas.’ A comforting atmosphere. Always, always.
Always, always.
Always.
Always…
[[☾ ₊˚⊹ ʚɞ ☾ ₊˚⊹ ʚɞ ☾ ₊˚⊹ ʚɞ->Secret2.]]
<img src="images/routes/route-tono-and-raj-frown.png">
In Raj Rivera’s dorm room, the memory of being siblings stung like the sight of a bee in Papá’s gardens. His Silver brother with his whispering visions of the future did not refuse Antonio Chandrani-Rivera’s visits. He rarely did. Antonio’s Red sung with nightmares—with that long-lasting depression between them. That feeling was raw and too near him, too near Raj; it was that thing teenagers abhorred, ran from.
And yet Raj had let Antonio trespass again. His room was too cleaned up for who he was. Raj rarely put away his clothes properly in his drawers and closets. Antonio wondered if Raj’s crush had visited earlier in the day.
It was light enough a thought. The rest of the week and month came back to Antonio; it broke that lighthearted happiness. This was part of why they tended to avoid each other, he and his fraternal twin brother.
The room’s appearance was too lacking in colors outside white and black. Raj was always like this now. His dark visage was considered too beautiful by so many around Antonio—even his closest friends—Raj’s moon-silver hair, it always fell like a dream around him. That countenance…
It was too sharp and unchanging. It’d been for some time. White suits, the smallest splash of color in his shirts, his ties.
Antonio missed the colors that littered Raj’s childhood room within the beachside Chandrani complex, within Baba’s household. All those over-colorful gaming set-ups, the million construction toy building bricks that still hurt Antonio’s feet to remember, the cutest artwork Raj drew himself, the thousand colored pencils and million markers. He wondered if Raj would ever let more colors back into his life.
Antonio understood hypocrisy. He knew how his twins and cousins saw his wearing the Chandrani uniform—that now over-familiar indigo blue fit with its silver fall of moons and stars toward a rush of waves—way too constantly. He was one-tracked, while they varied their clothes and styles to show a sense of self, a sense of personality beyond the family name.
While Raj… Raj wanted something. Something beyond far ‘personality.’ It was something gnawing between them. It was like a fairytale. It was like something too real. It was all these eerie, tricky, just-about-teenaged things.
The ocean they’d grown up knowing together was not near enough. Precarious lands stretched, everywhere, in Antonio’s world.
“I mean…” The words crumbled to ash in Antonio’s mouth without even blooming. A veritable fire across his mind, his inner and outer loci; a flower that would never bloom, stuck in that place and time.
He tried, “I mean, Armando Rivera… Papá, he was discussing how the hibiscus flower, it was difficult for him to face and see as beautiful <i>last fucking month!</i> He always brings this up, Raj, when they bring up his gardening hobby. He doesn’t even grow it at his place? It was the flower he got obsessed with cultivating when his brother died… He tried again when their father found them again. When his eldest siblings all died! He said this last month, right on an actual news channel.”
Raj Rivera’s Silver stayed stable and still on him. It was the way it often was. His twin finally said, “What does that have to do with my life and desires, Tono? The red hibiscus is my favorite flower. I decided on it some time ago. So what?”
Antonio stared with his Red. It did not get a proper reading. When Raj was furious with him… Raj was furious. Antonio couldn’t comprehend who it was toward.
Antonio said, “Everyone’s talking. It’s been all over the astra for days. They’re saying you’re trying to make a scene.”
Raj turned back toward Antonio. He met that Red.
“What do you think I am doing, bhaiya?”
Antonio stared. That Silver, it was becoming low-lit. The sense of the prettiest of starry black night hid beneath it.
“You’re…” he sighed. “You’re trying to establish your favorite flower.”
Raj didn’t seem happier with him. His smile wasn’t particularly that pretty perfect Chandrani smile, that banal thing, that well-crafted thing. It was stretched a bit ugly. Raj Rivera did not hide his feelings from his twin brother Antonio Chandrani-Rivera. It was the littlest part of their sharded reality together Antonio held within him with pride.
Raj murmured, “I’m no longer your crybaby little brother. That’s becoming noticeable. Do you think this visage I’ve worked hard to craft, it’s something easy, Tono? You, Fernando, Armando Rivera, Layla, Priya, all of those people at home… They’re always so determined. They always want to say, ‘<i>Oh, you’re the handsomest man,</i>’ and be so solid about how they believe in it. Do you think everyone believes in that for me?”
“I… Does this have to do with the hibiscus?” Antonio became restless. “Papá, he’ll love you no matter what, Raj. We’re lucky in that way—”
Raj said, “We’re lucky young men. It’s true. I tried warning you that Armando Rivera tried to pull his own core out with that man’s hand, I saw the spill of light from his chest with my Silver eyes, and yet you did not believe me. You became enraged, that way you got at eight and nine years old after all our sorrows crashed down on us. You ran right in.”
“Is that the reason the hibiscus is your favorite flower?”
“What do you believe?”
[[☾ ₊˚⊹ ʚɞ ☾ ₊˚⊹ ʚɞ ☾ ₊˚⊹ ʚɞ->Secret2.]]
''‹ [[“.........”->Dotdotdot]] ›''
''‹ [[Refuse to hesitate.->Refuse to hesitate.]] ›''
[[☾ ₊˚⊹ ʚɞ ☾ ₊˚⊹ ʚɞ ☾ ₊˚⊹ ʚɞ->Secret2.]]