#//And for the Palace's sake that can make him very dangerous.

[kingspuppet]

––––This is for OUR justice! But this isn't you...

(Picrew)

[moodymisty]

Request: Horus, full-on breeding kink, no teasin' or quickies. Straight up pound town on his wife. The full Lupercal Special. Leave that woman whimperin' and unable to walk. Put a baby in that oven Mister Warmaster 🫡

Author’s note: I know it would largely be a horrid idea but I’d let all the Primarchs knock me up tbh.

Relationships: Horus Lupercal/Fem!Reader

Warnings: NSFW, Breeding kink, Size difference, Slightly rough sex

Horus watches his men work, detailing their upcoming route as they prepare to depart from Terran space.

While the primarch is more than capable of multi-tasking, of listening into multiple different voices all giving out different information with ease, he also finds himself drifting off a bit.

Due to the length of many of these crusades, Horus sometimes elects to leave you on Terra in his personal wing of the palace. You don't like it- he doesn't either - but knowing the danger of these unknown paths he does it for the sake of your safety.

He may not particularly like Dorn, at least his stiff and unfriendly personality, but he knows the man has built the greatest and most impenetrable fortress humanity has yet seen. It's one of the few places he can leave you where he won't worry.

This last evening, his final one with you for what will more than likely be months, he made sure to make it one that would be remembered.

"Horus! M-more, please, more!"

Knees almost by your ears Horus drove his cock into you as deep as he could possibly go and past it, listening to you squeal as the thick base of his cock stretched you almost impossibly wide. You felt so tight, warm and wet; Horus wonders in a sadistic, selfish way if your body has been ruined and reformed to fit only him by his rutting.

With each thrust the bed groaned, creaking and cracking for mercy. Imperium builders struggled to form beds that looked appealing to the eye and the aesthetic of the palace that could also hold the full weight of a primarch, and settled somewhere in the middle. Though that middle ground didn't account for the added force Horus has put onto it, the frame threatening to break if he continued.

"Greedy, greedy girl. I spoil you too much,"

Horus chuckled at you, at the way one of your hands gripped his forearm as he pressed your left thigh against your stomach. The other laid in a similar position, knees by your ears, while your other hand grasped the pillow behind you for some semblance of support against him.

"You want me to cum in you again? Are you going to command a primarch?"

Horus loves to joke that you are his princess; His love that he'll give the very stars to if you only asked. That it's cute when you try and command him with your quiet, gentle voice.

You nodded, squealing and moaning as Horus thrusts into you and his hips slapped against your bruised thighs over and over. He forced his cum out of you each time, what wasn’t shoved out by the size of his cock and leaking out of you was sloshing around inside of you, filled to the brim.

"I want to come back from this crusade and see you with child. I am going to make sure of it."

You incoherently whined as your nails dug into his skin, his balls slapping against your ass with each thrust.

He felt the way you tighten around him as you cum again, tears pricking in the corner of your eyes as his movements overstimulated you to almost pain. He could hear the dryness in your voice, from your whining and moaning, and you'll surely lose your voice tomorrow.

He had told you that you could be as loud as you wanted, but he wonders if you know that with astartes hearing, it's quite possible the guards outside could hear you. You would surely perish of embarrassment, but Horus is a boaster- and would love nothing more than for the entire palace and everyone inside of it hear how much you love when he fucks you.

“One more, Horus please one more,”

Horus chuckled. He wanted to give you one more; To fill you up one more time. He refuses to believe the Primarchs are sterile. You will get pregnant- he refuses to give in.

“Are you sure you have room? I don’t want you wasting it.”

He could feel how sticky you were, how much of his cum he had fucked out of you.

But he did give you one more despite his teasing, and one more after that, and only then did he finally pull out of you and listen to you whine in pain as the head of his cock popped past your entrance out of your abused cunt. More cum leaked from you without his cock to bully it inside, though he was sure it was only a fraction.

You fell asleep not long after.

He rose from his bed before the sun had risen, waking you up. The sleepy look on your face was so endearing as he kissed you goodbye, and you indeed had a sore voice. He had warned his men stationed as guard for his quarters that you were feeling a bit tired, woman’s troubles, and needed needed a few days of rest- they wouldn’t see much of you those few days. They didn’t pry or have any context and blindly accepted Horus’ orders, before he left some of his men on Terra and boarded The Vengeful Spirit satisfied.

"Will Lady Lupercal be alright on Terra?"

Tarik is the only member of the Mournival currently at the holotable, looking at his primarch with a typical astartes neutral expression. Horus' attachment to you has seemed to spread to them in some odd way, as if his geneseed did more than just alter their appearance; That they share a little bit of his emotions as well.

"I made sure she has everything she needs, she'll be fine."

Tarik gives an unimpressed hum. Horus raises his eyebrows and looks at the man curiously.

"You don't agree with my choice?" Tarik shakes his head, adjusting his jaw with a soft crack.

“The choice was not mine to make.”

Horus laughs. He can hear the discontent in his son's voice quite easily.

“She will be fine. I am sure we’ll have a letter from her soon enough.”

Returning back to the topic at hand Horus slots the memory of the previous night firmly in the back of his mind, where he could return to it later. These crusades always try his patience, so it'll be something to keep with him in those frustrating moments. To keep in mind what he has waiting for him.

He eagerly awaits for that letter; Hoping for it's content to show if all of his hopes and effort finally paid off.

[just-j-really]

Snow White-adjacent Dreamling AU?

Dream is the prince of Time and Night's kingdom (with skin as pale as snow, and hair as black as ebony). Hob has some sort of huntsman-ish role in the palace. Dream goes out hunting fairly often, not for the sake of hunting itself but to have some space from the weight of his responsibilities (and from other people) and the ability to be alone with his thoughts. Maybe to mope a little.

Hob has liked Dream from the moment he set eyes on him, half-despite-half-because he was acting like an arrogant little snot at the time. And although Hob's initial infatuation was mostly just that, infatuation, he really did want to get to know Dream better. So when Death told Dream that he should get out among the people more, which led to Dream, grudgingly, attempting to make conversation with Hob the next time they were alone together, Hob genuinely made an effort to keep the conversation going and get to know him. They meet up every month or so, Hob talks about what he's been up to, a beautiful friendship blossoms, etc.

But they're in a weird space, with each other. Hob thinks of Dream as a friend, and Dream... wants to do the same, but he's too aware of the difference in their stations and the politics of the court, the way it would be so easy for Hob to just be- pretending to like Dream, in order to get something from him. He wouldn't even have to try very hard. Dream's lonely.

And maybe, given enough time, they could have reached an understanding. But the problem is, everyone is aware of Dream's tendency to be alone, in the dangerous forest, with only his huntsman for company, and someone (Night? Time? Desire?) gets Hob alone and asks/bribes/orders him to kill Dream next time they go out hunting.

Hob does not want to do this. Obviously. But the person who ordered him to do it is literally royalty and could have him painfully executed if he doesn't. Not to mention that he has no idea how deep the conspiracy against Dream goes, if there's anyone else in the palace he can trust to help, who'd go running straight to Dream's enemies if they caught him making plans. But he can at least warn Dream, right? Maybe come up with some sort of plan to fake Dream's death and get him to safety.

So the next time Dream goes hunting, as soon as they're far enough from the palace, Hob tells Dream that his father ordered him to ensure that Dream didn't come home from this little excursion.

Dream, obviously, assumes that this is the prelude to Hob stabbing him, punches him in the face, and runs. Hob is left going "Wait! Come back! I said that really badly! I meant it as a warning, I want to help you!"

He chases after Dream, but between the punch and the fact that Dream has some level of magic powers over his namesake- either he made Hob hallucinate or put him to sleep for a bit- Hob isn't able to catch him. He panics for a bit, but he figures at this point the only thing he can do is feed Dream's enemies as much misinformation as possible. So he goes back to the palace and tells Time-or-whoever that he killed Dream and left the body in the woods, giving the completely wrong direction so that when/if someone goes searching for Dream's body they don't find him.

Now, obviously Time doesn't fully believe that Hob went through with it and killed Dream, especially since there's no body. But the fact that Hob's nose is fully broken helps sell the story, at least for a couple of days. Hob spends those days trying to figure out a way to sneak out of the palace- he doesn't want to be executed, but also, if it's at all possible, he wants to make sure Dream got away. (And as long as he's daydreaming, he'd like a chance to apologize.)

He gets his chance when Death tries to kill him for killing her little brother. Unlike Dream, she actually gives Hob the chance to explain, and when he does, she helps him sneak out (under strict orders that he find Dream).

Hob is much happier to obey those.

Meanwhile, Dream has found shelter with a group of raven shapeshifters living in the woods (definitely Matthew, Jessamy, and Lucienne, maybe include other Dreaming residents to make seven). He is much happier being Dream, who lives in the woods and writes stories, than he was being Dream, prince who is hated to the point of assassination attempts. He's maybe making a little money granting people restful sleep and good dreams using his powers. He misses Hob, though. With some distance from the utter betrayal and terror of the moment Hob said he'd been sent to kill him, he's beginning to wonder if he hadn't overreacted, maybe just a smidge. But that's all tied up in and complicated by the fact that he's also beginning to realize he was probably in love with Hob, and he's not sure he can trust any of what he feels about him.

Unfortunately, the king of the neighboring kingdom, Roderick Burgess, hears about a powerful magic user living in the woods and decides to take that power for himself.

Double-unfortunately, Time realizes Dream is alive and sends one of Dream's former bodyguards, the Corinthian, to kill him. Dream's able to fight him off, but he's exhausted to the point of his powers turning on him and putting him into a coma, and that's when Burgess swoops in and captures him.

Dream is caught in a strange, deathlike sleep, making him mostly useless to Burgess. But having him nearby means that everyone around him sleeps peacefully, and occasionally has prophetic dreams, and Burgess is doing the same 'I'll force him to work for me' thing he does in canon except the logic is 'one day I'll figure out how to wake him up (and force him to work for me), and/or how to actively use his powers while he's still asleep.'

So Burgess has a glass coffin built for Dream, and seals him inside.

Back with Hob, he's spent most of this time on the run from Dream's enemies, unable to actively look for Dream, and slowly going mad with worry over what might have happened to him. He's also slowly, painfully come to realize that the feelings he'd felt for Dream were a little closer to 'love' than 'friendship'. It is a bad time. But eventually he hears rumors about Roderick Burgess, who 'rescued' a comatose prince from the woods and is offering a reward to anyone who can wake him up.

Hob goes chasing after these rumors- Dream showing up alive took a lot of the heat off him- eventually ends up in Burgess' kingdom, and decides to try his hand at waking up Coma Prince. Worst case scenario, it's not Dream. Best case scenario, it's Dream, he's able to rescue him and explain, and- well. Dream will go off and do whatever it is he wants to do, and maybe he and Hob can be friends.

(Hob doesn't let himself hope for anything more, any sort of soft little happily-ever-after.)

But for all that Roderick is pretending to have rescued Dream out of the goodness of his heart, Hob steps one foot into the room with the glass coffin and is immediately aware that isn't the case. He doesn't know much about magic, aside from the couple of times Dream showed off his powers for him. But it's not exactly difficult to spot that the glass coffin, and all the magic circles surrounding it, are somehow vampirically feeding off of Dream, and even though he only understands every third word of the larger explanation he's given, it's more than enough to confirm his suspicions. Burgess' fellow mages give Hob the tour of the apparatus, snickering among themselves because clearly this idiot won't be able to do anything magical that they couldn't. Hob nods along and plays up the 'idiot peasant with delusions of grandeur' vibe right up until everyone has stepped back to see what he'll do.

And then he drags his heel straight down the middle of the largest circle of runes, sending the spell completely haywire.

The backlash of the spell collapsing causes Roderick and his mages to pass out, and gives Hob time to smash open the glass coffin and get Dream away from all the spell circles.

But Dream doesn't wake up, even as the spell collapses. Just remains in Hob's arms, cool and lifeless.

Hob is not about to let it end like that. Sure, none of the most talented mages in the land had been able to wake Dream, but none of them tried getting him out of the stupid coffin, first, so Hob's clearly a step ahead of them already.

He sneaks out of Roderick's palace, carrying Dream, while Roderick and his servants are asleep. Gets him to relative safety (with the help of Jessamy, who'd been waiting for a chance to break Dream out and jumped in to help the moment Hob started breaking things).

And Dream's still in the weird death-trance but he isn't dead. Hob's sure of it. It might be wishful thinking but he swears Dream looks a little better now that they're away from Roderick's palace- a little more color in his cheeks, the faintest, threadiest suggestion of a pulse when Hob feels for one.

So Hob keeps a vigil at Dream's bedside that night, but eventually exhaustion causes him to drift off to sleep.

When he does, Dream is waiting for him.

"You need not have come to my defense," he says, staring at Hob suspiciously.

"Yes, I did," Hob tells him. "You're my friend. Of course I did."

Dream sizes him up for a long while. He's powerful enough, in this dreamscape, to tell that Hob genuinely means what he's saying. It takes a long time for him to decide it might be worth it to tell Hob how to shock him out of the dream he's trapped in (by fulfilling one of his most treasured dreams), but finally, he says, "You might be able to wake me up."

Hob's immediately like "Yes of course how whatever you need."

"Kiss me," Dream says, and then, while Hob is still trying to process that, "This dream is over."

And Hob wakes up.

And yeah, a good part of him dismisses the dream as some extremely strange wish-fulfillment fantasy. But it had seemed so real.

So, with the extremely romantic thought, alright it's worth a shot, Hob leans forward and kisses Dream.

Almost immediately, there's a little shiver of breath against his lips, and when he pulls away, Dream is blinking sleepily up at him.

Hob immediately pulls Dream into a hug, and by the time Dream is actually, fully conscious, Hob is sitting in the bed with him, supporting him with an arm around his shoulders, fussing over him just the tiniest bit frantically.

And Dream, eventually, manages to explain why Hob kissing him awake worked, which means that OBVIOUSLY Hob needs to kiss him some more.

(And they both get a soft little happily-ever-after)

[professor-doc-emeritus]

I love the dichotomy we get between jinshi and the emperor that shows off how the traits that make jinshi a great prince, boss, friend (husband 👀👀👀👀) are the very same traits that will make him a terrible emperor.

His hard working streak that lets him handle his weird assignments with grace and manage the clashing egos of the inner palace is what will get him killed by overwork as emperor since he has no real head for delegation. It took 11 volumes and the intervention of most of his immediate family just to get jinshi to hire a secretary. The emperor always being free to host parties, sleep with the consorts, and bust jinshis balls in-between it all is, much like lakan always being free to annoy maomao, actually a sign of him being god-like at delegation and organizational management.

His lack of ego and willingness to look the fool if it gets the job done is great for avoiding political snafus and getting to the truth of things. It's genuinely the thing that makes all his expeditions to the western capital so wildly successful: he really doesn't gaf about how he's seen by the public, so long as the job gets done and his friends aren't in immediate danger. It's also the exact opposite of what you need from a head of state who's legitimacy is not-insignificantly based on the public perceiving you as an instrument of the will of heaven. The emperor being willing to kill people and their families over slights jinshi (and most sane human beings) would be willing to let slide is cruel and inhuman, but it's also what keeps the populace at large from being able to organize against him and challenge the imperial power.

Jinshis compassionate streak, his urge to save as many people he can and find the best solution for everyone possible, makes him great to work for. He'll give you assignments that match your hyper fixation, work around your crippling social anxiety, give you a post that just-so-happens to involve you staying with the love of your life for a few months. More over, he isn't gonna risk his life and your position over petty ego or greed when he can find a peaceful solution instead. But the hesitation he feels at using people like tools, and his unwillingness to act if it means throwing people under the bus, is what will lead to death and destruction if he's the emperor. Especially in a time of war. The current emperor is willing to ruin lives and crush nations if it reaches a goal, advances an agenda.

Finally, jinshis loyalty, I'd say even more than his looks, is what draws people to him. He loves his toys, can't stand to give them up. It makes him a great romantic figure. But when you're the emperor, and you need to be willing and able to marry someone for political ends, produce as many heirs as possible regardless of who with, and set aside the feelings of those women for your own sake, that loyalty is poison.

Idk, so often in stories with these systems they sorta follow the logic of "if he's a good person he'll be a good leader." I think it's cool to have a series talk about how being a leader involves being EXTREMELY comfortable with being an asshole, for a myriad of reasons, and how someone being pleasant to work for wouldn't make them an effect monarch.

[chaifootsteps]

depending how the next episodes play out it's honestly kinda wild that Stolas would be surprised at Via cutting him out of her life, tbh?

like if you look at things from her perspective, this is the order of events:

> Stolas probably gets exposed for breaking demon law. Gets stripped of titles and kicked out of the palace. Not only does this break his promise not to leave Via, Stolas knew from the moment he made the promise in ep2 that he wasn't doing everything he could to keep it since he was risking it all lending out his book and chose to prioritise still having sex with Blitzo after Loo Loo Land since it's not keeping his promise to Via that motivates him to break the deal - it's Blitzo not fulfilling his romantic fantasies. And he also knew about the Asmodean Crystals likely from the start, so he had options - he didn't do this to altruistically support Blitzo's business like the show is now trying to lie that he was

> Stolas doesn't call her. Going by the storyboards this is the one thing Stella is responsible for since she blocks his calls, but Via doesn't know that and with how neglectful Stolas has been throughout the show, she doesn't have much reason to figure out that's the case

> Stolas shows up to the palace, maybe to talk to her in person? But this causes more drama and likely a fight between Andre and Stella vs Stolas and the rest of IMP. Via didn't know things had gotten this bad because Stolas never told her Stella tried to kill him (but this won't be brought up since not telling people about assassination attempts is only wrong if Blitzo does it, not Stolas with his 17yr who he's actually responsible for the safety of) so all of this is a shock

> Speaking of IMP, they'll yet again stick their necks out to protect Stolas even though they have no motivation to like him or want to and Blitzo will be made - for the third time now - to play into Stolas' damsel in distress behavior. Either way, Via will likely realize during this awful family fight that Stol1tz is on for real now, since Stolas has successfully gutted enough of Blitzo's self-respect to get him to 'love' him the way he wants him to. This confirms more of Via's fears - not only did Stolas lose his titles over this affair, but he has still refused to let go of Blitzo, making it look like he chose him over Via

(speaking of, that line from Via 'you chose him!' will probably be framed to make her look like she's just thinking the worst, except that she's right? He made the full moon deal knowing it broke demon law to get sex and knowing the cost of discovering could separate him from Via in the middle of a very acrimonious divorce with Stella. he 100% chose his affair over his daughter and that's not even getting into him not teaching her magic properly because he loaned the book out to Blitzo for his working days for months on end til now)

> scary fight ensues where Via might have had to kill Stella/Andre herself to protect Stolas and discovers she has big time magic powers or something? anyway, that all happens at the same time.

all of this is super traumatic and a lot to deal with all at once, and all Stolas can find to say on the storyboards is to tell Via she's been brave and he's proud of her?? he can't muster up a single apology for breaking his promise when he broke demon law which lead to them getting separated, for not looping her in that his life might be in danger, for effectively forcing her to (potentially) have to fight or kill her own relatives for his sake???

all of this is a lot for an adult to go through, let alone a 17yr old who is being let down by basically all the guardians in her life

and then Stolas caps it off by telling her 'you're the best thing in my life'???? besides the sheer self-centredness of that, it's cruel to both Via and Blitzo. to Via it'd be hard to believe when he's consistently prioritized Blitzo over her. and to Blitzo it's another knife twist to have Stolas refuse to stick up for him and their relationship yet again when Blitzo has given literally everything and risked both his and his employee's lives (for the third time now) for Stolas' benefit and it's still not good enough

never mind just how badly Stolas has screwed up providing or protecting Via here, Stolas deserves to be left by everyone tbh. He doesn't deserve Blitzo's love, IMP's help or Via in his life. And he somehow has the gall to be surprised Via would be totally done with him after he not only lets her down but ends up forcing her to clean up his mess (lbr, with his drinking habits she's on a fast track to being a parentified child if she stayed with him. Stella sucks in a lot of ways but at least she seems functional and reliable from day to day)

These were all excellent points! Unfortunately, because HB is the kind of show it is, they'll all be treated as completely meaningless. In Viv's mind and the standom's mind, Stolas deserves everything he wants regardless of what he says or does or how he treats people, simply because he wants it and because he's "trying."

(He isn't.)

[is-today-tomorrow-in-nz]

OMG that Rule of Wolves ending was a total Deus Ex Machina! Leigh Bardugo really destroyed ALL the magical system's balance so her favorite could become a God, Avatar, mindreader, emotion reader, and dragon (ironic because LB was a Dany anti for GoT) with no consequences! But Alina, with ONE power just trying to take down the Fold = GREED = STRIPPED OF ALL POWERS. It makes no sense, and causes migraines to think about how LB destroyed all the worldbuilding for poorly thought out wattpad ending.

Thank you! I was beyond frustrated too. Her magic system is like a mirage in a desert- it exists one moment and then vanishes the next minute. It does not help that she plays favouritism with her own characters. Zoya, Nikolai and the crows are clearly her golden children. Aleksander is her scapegoat child. For the sake of her golden children, she bends the plot and swathes them in plot armour. However she refuses to offer any sort of redemption or even decent plotlines for her least favourite ones.

Just the other day, I was lamenting about this in another post. Let me share my fav deus ex machina other than the ones mentioned in the original post.

1)SoC: Began well- foreign country, jurda, everything at stake, heist etc etc. After the disaster of the trilogy, I was excited to read something different. However, the climax just made me want to fling the book to a corner. So Jarl Brum knows the partial truth from Matthias, knows why the crows were there. But somehow they got away scott free. Like yes, Nina made some soldiers fall asleep, but doesn't Fjerda have a navy? Isn't Djerholm not a harbour? Do they not know the ship name? Do they not know how long the jurda effects last in Nina? And yet all Brum did was stomp like a villain at the end of scooby doo saying, "If it weren't for those meddling kids!" and did nothing. They literally attacked one of the most powerful country's capital, blew up a part of their palace, and stole a tank! Somehow destroying a bridge was all it needed to stop an army! And at the final standoff, the soldiers were just put to sleep not killed. even if Kaz was just a day ahead, the fierce Fjerdan navy should have caught up to them. 🤦🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️ But no... Nina attacked them with parem. Suddenly nothing can be done. It's like Fjerda is this formidable enemy when LB needs it to be and then become a bunch of helpless idiots when her favourite characters need to escape!

2)S&S: Ivan's death or literally any Grisha death on the Darkling side. They were very dangerous and battle experienced one moment but somehow were nothing compared to two sword weilding mercenaries. With convenient plot devices, the man who is literally the oldest and the most powerful Grisha in Ravka, was defeated and left at sea- no doubt hit by LB's idiot hammer. The man literally created THE FOLD for god's sake!!! And yet he and his army of well trained Grisha were defeated in a matter of minutes.

3)Nikolai: The whole Nikolai spiel was that he is the 'good' guy. He desperately wants the throne but instead of doing anything about it he was literally waiting for his big bro to get bored of it and throw it to him. That was the 'most clever fox's' brilliant strategy. Because that's what good boys do. Only evil, dark wizards create a coup.

And when the plot doesn't move forward, the easily-defeated-at-sea Darkling, is suddenly a raging powerful villain who conveniently kills Vasily and hands the good boy his throne.

I could go on and on. She butchered her own universe and is fixing them with cello tapes.

[oxymorayuri]

𝐶𝘩𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝟷𝟹

𝐴 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑜𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑣𝑒 »

𝑇𝑟𝑎𝑓𝑎𝑙𝑔𝑎𝑟 𝐷. 𝑊𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟

𝐿𝑎𝑤 ✘ ♀ 𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟

𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐒𝐓: Aydana / lababa

Story: The princess of Tanata

(Long Fic)

➽ Click on this link to see all chapters.

Spoiler: nope

Warnings: not really, just some talking about Bepos bro.

slowburn with plot

Wordcount: 3194

Text in italics emphasizes the reader’s thoughts

Bold and italic text emphasizes Law's thoughts *~*

Tagging: @slytherinambitious - @sassyyassi - @norasincubi - @cottoncandyloverrrr - @one-piece-frvr7

After the fight, you hang out on the meadow.

The sun shines through the tree crowns and a gentle breeze blows occasionally. Together you enjoy the peaceful evening and people chat in their little groups. Sanji came with Chopper and Franky and brought dinner for everyone.

The day couldn't be more beautiful.

After dinner, Brook played a song for the group, a song about pirate life. The pirates around you cheered and sang the song with their arms around each other. Although you don't know the lyrics, the cheerful mood makes you swing along and you clap to the beat.

Binks' Sake | Binkusu no Sake ♪♪♪ Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho Going to deliver Binks' sake! We are pirates sailing through the sea! The waves are our pillows, The ship our roost Flying the proud skull on our flags and our sails ♪♪♪

You are amazed at how everyone can actually sing along to the song and the lyrics make you curious. After the performance, you watched the sunset together.

I wonder what it's like to be a pirate?

Your father has always made you so curious and the stories he and his crew told you have awakened a longing in you. It made you want to get to know life out there and sail the seas.

And for the first time in years, you feel this longing again, which you had shut off back then.

Why? Well, because you didn't want to sail into a world where people are both dangerous and cruel.

But with the crew before your eyes you are pretty relieved…

They give you hope that not all humans and even pirates are like that. They are not like the people from back then, as they have proven in the last days.

"Princess, what are you thinking about?" Bepo appears in your field of vision and pulls you out of your thoughts. He takes a seat next to you and looks up into the sky you were looking a moment ago. You get out of your position and lean against the furry mink. Your gaze returns to the sky.

"Tell me, Bepo, do you ever miss home?" - "Miss my home? My home is the Polar Tang!" He says proudly and hums a little laugh. His expression is very soft as he watches the passing clouds. He wraps a paw around you and pulls you closer to him and you snuggle up further.

The way you two snuggle together has already become quite normal. Often you've joined Bepo when you've seen him lying in the sun, in the quiet palace garden and together you've looked for funny pictures in the clouds.

"But if you mean the place where I was born, then I can tell you that yes, I miss my old home, but there was an important reason why I left my home island…" Although he lies calm and relaxed with you, you can hear the sadness in his voice. You gently brush against his paw and pat him. You look caringly into his eyes and he returns your gaze.

"But when I'm at sea with my crew, the Heart Pirates, home is everywhere." He covers up his sadness and gives you a little Eskimo kiss on the nose, which you happily return.

"You said that very beautifully." You can't help but hug the mink tightly with your thin arms.

"But why did you come up with that, Princess?" You look up at him with sparkling eyes.

"I've always wanted to leave this island and discover the wonders of the outside world, but my family and friends are here…" You look to the side a little nervously.

You leave out the detail that your grandfather would never let you sail off anyway. Never. Not even if he wasn't the king. But you are also quite uneasy. Because as mentioned, the world out there also has a dark side.

But you're still sure that your curiosity will outweigh this feeling and you would take the risk… if only you were allowed to…

You laugh to yourself a little longingly.

"Hmm, maybe you just haven't found the right reason, that makes you want to break away from your roots." Bepo speaks thoughtfully. You look up at him, a little confused.

A real reason?

This question is written all over your face and the polar bear giggles again.

"Yes. For example, I wanted to find my brother." - "Did you find him?" You look up at him expectantly, but the mink exhales deeply.

"No…" There it is again. That heartbreaking sadness in his soft voice. This feeling goes straight through your chest.

"Not yet." You add to his sentence as you take both of his paws in your small hands and bring them to your forehead. You close your eyes as you feel Bepo bury his cheek in your hair. You whisper a little prayer to yourself and break away from your pose to look into his beady black eyes.

"Your journey just isn't over yet, I firmly believe you'll see him again." You could literally see it in front of your own eyes. Like a distant memory, you could see Bepo embracing his brother. You felt happiness and relief, but maybe it was just your deepest wish that sparked your imagination… Who knows.

"Even as a child I always wanted to see a Sea King, I'd say that's my reason!" Your voice seems so enchanted that a small laugh escapes from the polar bear.

"Nah, that's a weak reason." Your gaze goes up and there stands Shachi who has just casually butted into your conversation. You look at him with a raised eyebrow as he devours a few cookies with relish and offers you one too. You gratefully accept one as he takes a seat in front of you.

"Uh okay. Weak?" Blushing, you look at him questioningly.

"Hey, don't say it like that…" Penguin stands behind him with his hands on his hips, and as he takes a seat next to the cookie devouring man, he pulls his cap over his face.

"Hey, what are you doing?! I was just telling the truth!" Offended, he frees his face and gives the man next to him a dirty look. Penguin, on the other hand, shakes his head.

"HOW you say something is the point!" He declares with his finger raised. Politely, he turns to you with a hand on his chest.

"The princess's reason is not weak… just too easy!" You furrow your eyebrows, just as confused as before.

"Easy?" you look back and forth between the two men.

Then you look up questioningly at Bepo, who shrugs his shoulders and is just as confused by what the two guys are saying.

For a while you watch the back and forth arguing between the two men. Shachi says that it's the same thing, while Penguin desperately preaches about manners. You can't help but laugh. The two of them are just too entertaining, it would be torture for you not to laugh. If you're honest, you weren't even angry about Shachi's choice of words. You were more curious as to why your reason was weak or rather translated; too easy. Penguin's behavior warms your heart and the two in front of you seem like an old married couple.

"Hey what's up with you guys?" You open your eyes, which you had closed because of your laughing fit, and wipe the tears from the corners of your eyes. You look behind the men, who freeze in the middle of their quarrel, to look up at Law.

"Captain!" Bepo shouts happily. "Penguin and Shachi are just arguing about whether the princess's reason is weak or too easy." The men look back and forth from Law to Bepo in total shock. Bepo's words are so out of the blue. He hums a little skeptically and sits down as well. Law tries to understand the whole thing, but can't quite find the context.

Princess-ya's reasons? Weak or too easy?

He has no idea what the situation was before he came along. He was just curious because he heard from afar, how the two guys were arguing and you were laughing at full force.

Law looked into the Mink's beady eyes and made it quite obvious, that he was expecting a better explanation but the Polar Bear didn't get his signals and just grinned happily at him, now that Law was here. (lol llittle fangirl.)

"We've talked about how everyone has their reasons for leaving home, to sail out into the world… And Penguin and Sachi share the same opinion, that my reason isn't really good?" You're still a bit confused yourself, as you don't really know what they mean by that, but at least you can clear things up for Law.

With a raised eyebrow, he nods as he looks over at the men.

"Okay… and what's the reason?" Even though he's facing the men, his eyes are looking at you.

"Sea Kings" you speak a little quietly. You're nervous about what his answer will be.

"Sea Kings?" he repeats your word, clearly surprised.

"Yea Sea Kings…"

"Yeah okay, I agree with those two. That is indeed too easy."

Now, not only Shachi and Penquin are the two who are open mouthed but you and Bepo join in the shock. Law, on the other hand, crosses his arms and grins with his eyes closed.

You shake your head. Now you really want an explanation of what that means. If Law even thinks that, then he has to explain it to you now.

"What does too easy mean?" - "You'll meet a Sea King pretty quickly."

"Oh, okay." - "Your reason is definitely a tourists reason."

You're caught off guard by Law's direct manner and and your eyes blink with confusion, as your jaw dropped open. Law finds your reaction quite funny and decides to tease you some more.

"What do you do when you meet a Sea King? What do you get out of meeting a Sea King and what comes after?" You close your mouth, as you really don't have an answer for Law, and break the eye contact.

"You have the desire to meet a Sea King, but it's not really a reason to leave everything behind…"

You're confused by the whole reason thing. Law asks you things you don't understand.

"Why do I have to need a reason? Can't I see the journey as a reason?" To your confusion, the black haired man just grins at you and adjusts his hat a little. When his eyes look into yours again, you are slightly startled. His gaze goes right through you.

"Of course." His agreeing makes you study him closely, you can't figure out his true thoughts.

"Not everyone needs a good reason to sail the world, but you do, since you have a reason to stay." He looks at you as if he has read you like an open book.

Perhaps he already knows you too well, as you have spent a lot of time together in the past few days. But you can't get a single word past your lips. Law is visibly amused by your speechlessness, as you're usually a pretty talkative person.

"You have to understand that people either have a reason to leave, or to stay. You may want to see a Sea King, but that's not reason enough to leave; what's your reason for staying Princess-ya?" Slowly you follow the riddle that Law speaks and see his message.

"My family." you answer him absently.

"See… so "Sea King" isn't exactly a good reason, because it's not enough for you to drop the reason why you're staying." Law raises his arms a little as if presenting the answer that is becoming clearer to you.

"Woah that makes so much sense it hurts." Exhausted, you let yourself fall backwards into Bepo's arm. He gently pats your head.

You do realize that you don't have enough reasons to leave your homeland. You have wishes, but you know that not all of them will come true.

Basically, Law just wanted to show you that it's okay to have a reason to stay. You may not realize that many of the people here have led lives that are far from your imagination and that they had no reason to stay… but he's not sure if you understood it that way. He just doesn't want to go into it any further.

And as Law feared, you didn't take it that way.

As you all make your way back to the castle, you think hard about Law's words.

You want to discover the world, but you're a little scared. If you leave, what will happen to your people? What if they get attacked again? You have a great responsibility in this country and don't have the luxury of living out your desires.

Your duties. That is the reason why you stay.

You are envious that you don't have the privilege of choosing over your own life. Your life has been prophesized, carved into stone and tattooed on your skin.

Your life has been lived thousands of times and you are destined to begin and end your life here.

Your heart is heavy but you are proud to be the priestess of Tanata, if it weren't for the desire.

It's hard not to notice that your thoughts are elsewhere. You sip your tea absently while your grandfather and Delia talk about the current situation.

Grandfather had urged you to have a cup of tea with the family again, as most of your attention has been on the guests over the last few days, but the family shouldn't be neglected. You were a little annoyed.

If family is so important to him, why didn't he come and tell you in person?

[Yesterday]

When you came back to the castle, you went straight to your bedchamber... You just wanted to be alone and think about everything your pirate friends had told you.

You didn't even pay your grandfather a visit in his study, nor did you have your afternoon tea with Delia. These are things that are completely normal for you and your king noticed this unusual behavior immediately. He sent his butler that same evening to deliver "the king's words" to you. He wants to see you at tea tomorrow and you realize, that it's more of an order than a request.

Only ONCE did I not follow my routine and I was immediately addressed… Ughhh how annoying!

You angrily threw your pillows at the door that the butler had closed.

You're tired of doing the same thing every day and if it doesn't go the way you're supposed to, it's immediately pointed out.

Your whole life is planned. You already know what will happen in the future and even your funeral is already planned.

You will be buried next to all the priests, who were once the bearers of the devil's fruit. You have a statue that resembles you and the people of your generation will pray at your grave, when you pass away one day.

It makes you sad. You won't even be buried in the cemetery of the royal family... You won't lie next to your mother and father or get married... You are not your own person. You are just the holy child of the devil's fruit.

Your thoughts are running wild. The reason to stay is your destiny but your reason to leave is freedom…

But you are not sure if you are allowed to be free. You lack nothing here and you have everything one could dream of… You keep telling yourself that.

You pull your legs towards you and bawl your eyes out on your knees. But a twisted smile crosses your depressed face.

"I should be ashamed of myself." You know it's your duty and you're ashamed of your own desires.

[Present]

Absently you look into the distance, your gaze as empty as your heart. Your thoughts dance the tango and the sides inside you argue about which path is the right one.

Your grandfather can't help but notice how you struggle with yourself, but he doesn't speak to you. He knows that if you want to talk, you will come to him. Forcing or pushing you to do something is never a good idea.

What an irony.

Because he is very aware of the weight on your shoulders. The expectation you have to fulfill… in the last week it has become clear that you have different feelings about your life. But he won't let you go, not because you have to stay. He can't let you go.

"Hey my angel, you're not saying a word today. Did something happen?" Delia brushes a strand of hair out of your face while she looks for the color in your eyes.

You feel like a stranger in your heart and exhale a little heavily.

"Not really."

Delia looks over at your grandfather, hoping for support, but he just watches quietly.

The table is filled with the most delicious pastries and food. All your wishes are always fulfilled without you having to do anything. Your life is so full that it makes you incomplete.

Do this, do that. Don't do this and don't do that. Be kind and friendly. Be elegant but smart. Be dignified but cunning. Be the most beautiful but the purest.

Love everyone but let no one alone own your heart. Sacrifice yourself but never die.

You are supposed to be so much and to your surprise you have always listened and obeyed. You fulfilled and even exceeded all expectations. You are holy.

But you are so much that you don't recognize your true face when you look in the mirror. Through your new friends you were able to realize that you are more than the praised child.

You are y/n. You don't want to be a princess or a priestess. You don't want to do the same thing every day. But you also don't want to leave anyone behind, neglect your duties and leave people who still mean the world to you without protection. You don't want to betray the gods, especially not after they've given you a chance. You don't want to disappoint anyone.

So is this the price you have to pay?

You are aware of what your heart longs for but you are stuck in some sort of identity crisis.

You can't have it both ways.

A/N: Hey babes! I wanted to talk to you about something. I'm always happy when you guys want to know when I'm posting the next chapter. Seriously! I feel so honored that I want to shower you with kisses. I would love to post several times a week but unfortunately I'm an adult (silent weeping). Yes I know I'm not the only one of course lol but I'm studying and working 30 hours a week on the side. I'm a tired bitch XD Feel free to keep asking me when I'll post again ���, but I just wanted to let you know that I'm a bit busy. Normally I try to post once a week but the blockade is messing it up even more >:( Oh no, writer's block? Yupp and I hate it! let me explain; I'm currently near the end of the first arc and even though I have so many ideas, I'm having a hard time letting my imagination run wild. I hate it. There's still some info to wrap up but when I read my drafts I don't feel like writing anymore... I'm dying to get started but the Tanata arc is our prequel and unfortunately it's a bit dry. Dry is fine, but only for wine. How many arcs are planned, you're probably wondering; Well, I don't have a real ending in mind yet, I'm enjoying the process and developing more and more new ideas to keep the story alive. At the moment we are in the "Tanata arc", after that I already have rough ideas for 2 more arcs planned. The second arc is called "Polar Tang arc" and the third "Dress Rosa arc" In fact, I'm sticking to the original storyline of One Piece but creating an alternative version. I know there's always the fear that the author of the story you like, will cancel the story but believe me… I'm just as excited about what's going to happen like u are. lol, like I'm not the author XD I have some pretty dramatic stuff planned and I would love to do a timeskip but unfortunately I have to finish the Tanata arc. We can't look into the future if we don't live the present as my mom would say. Ughhh.

See you next time, kiss kiss ♡

➽ Next chapter

[nkn0va]

you know the western s/o ask for the investigation team? Could you maybe do that same format for the p5 girls?

Hard deadline of a week for requests, I said. It'll be fine, I said.

Won't be doing Sumi due to how late she joins, making it nigh impossible to have an awakening scene for S/O where she's there and this ask was already exhausting enough as it was. Sorry.

Hope it doesn't get too repetitive having to do this for a total of 8 characters.

-Ann had always stood out for her appearance ever since she moved to Japan. Outside of Shiho not many people had every gone out of her way to talk to her prior to the Phantom Thieves. Having another foreigner around was a huge relief.

-You two very quickly bonded over that fact, and eventually started dating. Though the one thing she kept hidden from you was her being a Phantom Thief. She didn't want you to get involved and be in danger.

-However she suddenly had to cancel a date plan. Normally you wouldn't pry but this was extremely unlike her so you decided to investigate.

-Imagine your surprise though when you end up following her friend group and the next thing you know you're now in front of a big ass castle

-You try to sneak behind them without them realizing but it isn't log until the weird cat looking thing with them snuffs you out. Everyone understandably starts to panic to some degree but Ann has it especially bad.

-Before anything can happen though, you're surrounded by shadows that overheard the commotion, led by...is that Kamoshida in a cape and speedo?

-Being caught off guard and compromised, the thieves are not prepared for the sudden onslaught and are quickly overwhelmed and you get captured by a Shadow.

-Kamoshida, if that even is him, soon starts taunting you about how weak and useless you are, recognizing you from his real world counterpart.

-You'd experienced your own fair share of mistreatment from him in gym class, and after some encouragement from the others you decide you've had enough of his shit. Your head flares up in a sharp, intense pain hearing a voice eerily similar to your own. Your Persona.

-It's unlike anything anyone's ever seen before. The western gunslinger aesthetic standing out from everyone else. Once you awaken, you help turn the tide of battle, albeit the weird cat thing seems rather miffed that now they have to retreat for your sake.

-Soon after some deliberation, you're officially inducted into the team. With the form of your Persona and your similar motivations you fit right in with everyone else, and Ann is relieved that she doesn't have to keep a secret rom you of all people.

-Being Makoto's S/O, it was pretty inevitable that you'd eventually end up on the student council with her. You're basically her right hand person. You end up investigating the Phantom Thieves with her and get taken to see the metaverse as well.

-Both of you are naturally taken aback by what the hell you're witnessing right now, but both of your combined brain power are able to figure out the premise of the metaverse pretty well.

-You're rather quickly stopped by Shadow Kaneshiro, the mafia boss Makoto had gotten in trouble with. Upon the revelation of who he really is and his plans to essentially drown everyone in debt or ice them you two unanimously decide to stop this.

-You awaken your Personas at the same time. The couldn't possibly be any different, a gunslinger and straight up motorcycle but you two are a rather deadly duo, quickly dispatching of the Shadows all by yourselves.

-After the Thieves get over their initial shock and awe they remember that they oughta book it since they were busted right out of the gate by the Palace ruler himself.

-The both of you are exhausted from awakening your Personas but once you recover, you decide in an ironic twist of fate to join the people you were hunting down.

-Kobayakawa can go screw himself, you know now that the Phantom Thieves were doing the right thing.

-You were childhood friends with Futaba, having been there to try and comfort her when her mom died, when she was passed around by neglectful family members, and had tried to visit as much as you could after Sojiro had taken her in.

-You're at first completely unaware that she'd asked the Phantom Thieves to change her heart, but upon seeing a bunch of strangers at Sojiro's house talking about doing so you quickly realize what's going on.

-You quickly make your presence known and assert yourself, making it pretty obvious that you're not gonna back down from helping change her heart if that would help her out.

-It's only a lot of convincing later that they eventually decide to take you along, if only because of how important you are to her. You could be a potential source of good intel.

-Fast forward to hunting down the thief who stole the map, with his speed he managed to confuse and cut you off from the rest of the group and cornered you.

-Alone and about to die, your Persona awakens out of self defense. By the time everyone else spotted it and caught up, you'd eliminated the thief and got the map.

-The gunslinger motif of your Persona is quite the surprise, but pretty fitting for you once they thought about it. Futaba of course is not surprised when she finds out during the fight against cognitive Wakaba. You two had played quite a few western developed video games you were particularly fond of, it's no wonder it would influence the appearance of your Persona along with your heritage.

-While she can't be out there on the field fighting with you, she has found some cheeky ways of improving your performance, basically giving you a personal HUD. You are a dangerous shot now with her assistance.

-Haru met you through both your dads owning wealthy companies and becoming business partners. You moved to Japan for the business along with your dad and met his business partner's daughter.

-You were pretty much her only friend, having been sheltered almost all her life, and eventually you grow close enough to date.

-You followed Haru as she followed along an oddly suspicious looking cat, ending up in the metaverse along with her.

-Morgana, albeit miffed, at least has the decency to guide you along so you two don't die, also being more inclined to do so once he learned your relation to Okumura and after you save his life.

-Haru unfortunately couldn't quite fully awaken her Persona properly, but upon seeing her in danger you could. No harm was going to come to her if you could help it.

-Both of them are in awe of your Persona, though Haru mostly because she'd never properly seen one before. Through powerful gun damage and the massively increased agility it grants you, you're able to dispatch of the immediate threat and get both of them out of there.

-Haru is showering you in praise about how incredible you were back there, especially in comparison to her. She has full confidence in your ability to help in changing her father's heart and turning him back to what he once was.

[lassieposting]

Actually. Also. While I'm SABposting.

The whole "Dark & Dangerous Morally-Questionable Immortal vs Safe But Bland Childhood Friend love triangle? Is boring. It's been done to death in every single YA series ever written.

But. Y'all know what could've been super refreshing and highkey entertaining?

Kirigan and Mal getting along.

Like. Mal is supposed to be a promising young soldier anyway, and when they meet, he's just succeeded in hunting down a folkloric magical creature that nobody has caught in hundreds of years. And then he has the sheer brass balls to withhold said creature's location to try and negotiate with someone who outranks him to an almost inconceivable degree.

This is. Probably not a smart career move, because noblemen are petty and prone to pissing contests, and Kirigan could make Mal's life very unpleasant. But it is brave, and Kirigan has been a soldier long enough to both a) spot untapped potential and b) respect bravery when he sees it.

(It's interesting to me that Mal often forgets to salute/call his superior officers 'sir' in the First Army scenes, but he absolutely remembers his manners with Kirigan. He needs this guy to like him, so he can see his bestie.)

And getting on each other's good side would actually benefit both of them - which Kirigan especially would know - being however many centuries old and with strategy as his fucking job.

On Mal's side - he's kind of languishing in mediocrity because he's an orphan with no contacts to give him a foot in the door to promotion. When he applies to transfer to better units where he'd learn new skills or have more opportunities to distinguish himself in the eyes of his superiors, he's shunted aside and overlooked in favour of someone whose father knows the king, because fatcats all look out for each other. But if he applied for the same transfer with a recommendation from the Black General, his potential new CO would take him far more seriously as an option. He certainly wouldn't suffer for having an affluent, influential man at the top of the military totem pole keeping an interested eye on his career.

On Kirigan's side - having Mal around, even infrequently, will settle Alina and make her feel more at home, and she'll know he pulled strings for Mal to boot. He's been intercepting their letters, because Alina writing all about the daily goings-on in the Little Palace is a fucking security risk, and she's understandably angry with him for it, but if Mal has a reason to come by the Little Palace now and then, to report to him on something or other, she can see him in person and won't need to write letters that could so easily fall into the wrong hands. And - well, at some point, Mal will owe him so much that he'll have to be loyal. Because betraying him would cost Mal everything. He's patient. He can wait.

Except. Mal turns out to be likeable, in the salt-of-the-earth sort of way Kirigan sometimes misses from when he was a serving soldier himself, all those centuries ago, and he is full of fun facts about Alina and amusing (for Kirigan, Alina would say embarrassing) anecdotes about shit she got up to as a child. He's gotten used to the intrigue and the backstabbing and the plotting that goes on at court, but there's none of that with Mal, because the boy is a shit liar and has no guile whatsoever. It's refreshing. And Mal has grown up being schooled about battles that Kirigan fought in or masterminded, and he has Questions that at some point he gets to actually ask, and for a minute while they're conversing Kirigan sort of stops being this terrifying Grisha freak of nature in his mind and is just. Another old soldier, like most of the COs he's ever had, telling war stories, and there's common ground, between them.

And like Alina is aware that they've formed a tentative truce for her sake and she is very pleased that they have, and then one day Aleksander makes a comment about how "the boy isn't a complete imbecile, I suppose" and she starts to think he might even like Mal, in his own prickly way,

And then she walks into a room during a fete and sees them talking, and that's lovely because they both look actually interested in the conversation! And she's smiling at them, right up until Mal starts flapping his elbows around and pulling comically horrified faces and she just knows he's telling Kirigan about the first time she ever rode a horse, when the damn thing spooked and took off with her at top speed and dumped her in the - yes, there he goes, pretending to pick pondweed out of the hair he doesn't have - lake. And Kirigan creases up and almost chokes on a mouthful of wine and saints, he's such a horse girl he'll be bringing this up forever and. Yeah she is going to have to murder the pair of them because she will never hear the end of this otherwise

[foundtherightwords]

The Firebird - Chapter 1

Pairing: Prince Paul (Catherine the Great) x OFC, fairytale AU

Summary: When Paul, a spoiled young prince, spots a strange bird in the forest near his palace, he impulsively chases after it, hoping to both escape from and prove himself to his disapproving mother. Thus he is plunged into an exhilarating adventure across a magical realm populated by enchanted princesses, dangerous monsters, and powerful wizards, an adventure that may change him more than he can ever imagine.

Chapter warning: none

Chapter word count: 3.5k

A/N: The real Paul I of Russia was kind of a jerk and came to such a sticky end (assassinated by his own officers) that I couldn't think of something realistic or historically accurate for him, so I had to put him into an AU. Plus, I've always loved Slavic fairy tales/folk tales, and it's been really fun working them into a fic. This is mostly based on Prince Ivan, the Firebird and the Gray Wolf, but there are elements from other tales as well.

I include a few Russian words for authenticity's sake. In case the meaning isn't clear from the text itself, there will be a translation at the bottom of the chapter.

Chapter 1

Once upon a time...

That is how these things often start, isn't it? Very well, then that is how we shall begin our tale.

Once upon a time, across thrice-nine lands, in a thrice-tenth kingdom, there lived a prince named Paul, a tsarevich, as sons of emperors and empresses of that land were called. Paul was the sole heir to a vast and powerful empire, but to own the truth, unlike the princes of the old stories, Paul himself was not noble or heroic, both in appearance and temperament. He could have been quite handsome if he had let his natural features shine instead of hiding them under the fashionable rouge and powder of those days. He could have been quite charming if his behaviors and expressions were a little more agreeable. He wished to rule but didn't know how or care to learn. He simply assumed that respect and power were owed him, and turned sulky and surly when he didn't get them, which was all the time.

Well, who could blame him? He was caught between two powerful and ambitious women—his father's aunt, the Empress Elizabeth, who had brought him up, and his mother, the Empress Catherine. Catherine, who had taken the throne from Paul's father, Emperor Peter, was a tenacious and ruthless ruler, and she loathed having to share her power. She kept Paul away from all matters of court and country, insisting that his sole and most important duty was to make an advantageous marriage and produce an heir for her. Perhaps she wished to raise this heir as she had not been allowed to raise Paul, and pass the throne directly onto him without having to go through her son, the son who reminded her so much of her feeble-minded husband.

Paul didn't remember his father. He was overthrown when Paul was just a boy, and died soon after—some said murdered by his own wife. He existed in Paul's mind less as a father and more as an abstract idea, an act of defiance against his mother.

And so Paul grew up from a sullen boy into a sullen young man, smothered by his grandmother, unloved and unwanted by his mother, and barely tolerated by the servants, for all that they waited on him hand and foot.

Yet for all his flaws, no evil thought resided in Paul's mind, no harmful desire coursed through his veins. He merely longed for his mother's affection, or, failing that, her acceptance. He longed, like any young man did, to prove his worth. But what was his worth? And how could he prove it, if he didn't know what it was?

As I've said, the empire to which Paul was heir is a vast one. Just how vast, nobody quite knows. It stretches from East to West, from ocean to ocean, and contains the loftiest, iciest mountains and the flattest, most arid steppes, the densest forests and the widest rivers. Though countless attempts had been made by cartographers and explorers to conquer its farthest reaches, many remained uncharted. Yet there are parts of the empire that very few know exist, and even fewer have seen. They stand just above the tall peaks or below the deep lakes, their entrances hidden behind a lightning-struck tree or inside a dark cavern. Look for them, and you'll never find them. During those times when the earth meets the sky, right before daybreak, on moonlit nights, or as dusk is falling, you may spy their denizens just out of the corner of your eyes, dancing in the water or flying on a magic horse, or moving about in their chicken-legged hut. But turn around to look more closely and you'll realize it's nothing but a branch breaking, a flock of birds suddenly taking flight, or a hare jumping back into its burrow.

Every child of the land knows the tales of those strange, hidden corners and their inhabitants, of Koschei the Deathless and Baba Yaga, of Ivan Tsarevich and Vasilisa the Beautiful. Paul, too, grew up with them, as told to him by an old, sad Fool dressed in motley clothes who hung about his mother's court. But as he grew older, he saw those tales as nonsense. There were always rules in the tales, but those rules never made sense. Why was it always the third prince or the youngest daughter who succeeded in their quests? Why was the orphan always aided by a wise old man or an enchanted doll or a talking horse? Well, he was an orphan of sorts—his father was dead and his mother barely even looked at him—so where was his magical helper? Then, as he grew older still, those tales were replaced by reports of conquests of foreign parts, lessons of history and politics, and whispers of how his mother had staged a coup and killed his father for the throne, of the illegitimate children she had hidden away. And so Paul had forgotten the fairy tales, dismissing them as absurd, fanciful yarn designed to fool only children. He was no longer a child; he was close to reaching his majority and must focus his attention on more serious matters.  

That was until the day he saw the firebird.

It was an early summer day in Tsarskoye Selo, the Tsar's Village. The court had recently moved to the Summer Palace there, and the Empress Catherine was spending half of her time mooning over that brainless oaf Potemkin who, blessed be the Saints, was away at war, and the other half of her time carrying it on with the even more brainless oaf Vasilchikov, in what Paul thought was a disgusting display of wantonness, unsuitable for any woman of her age, let alone an Empress. To make matters worse, Paul had turned eighteen over six months ago, yet she showed no sign of wanting to grant him more responsibility. Despite constant hints from his governor Panin and Paul himself, the Empress only gave noncommittal answers, telling Paul that he was going to inherit the throne, probably, one day, answers that meant to assure and only did the opposite. And she had taken to finding him a bride. Day after day, instead of attending the council or other court functions, he was forced to shift through miniatures after miniatures of all the major and minor princesses of Europe, searching for one that may catch his eye. In truth, none of them caught his eyes. They all looked the same, with their vacant gazes and simpering smiles, their powdered wigs and rouged cheeks. They all looked as though they were mocking him.

To escape the endless barrage of potential brides, Paul went to the barrack and gathered up his soldiers for drilling. This brigade, given to him by the Empress as a birthday present, was the one bright spot in Paul's days, but now he began to suspect, like the matter of finding a bride, it was just another way his mother sought to distract him. But at least it gave him something to do, and as he roared at the soldiers and reveled in the way they obeyed his commands, he dreamed of a day his mother may allow him to take them to war, or better yet, when she may be threatened by a coup—not a serious one, like the one that deposed his father, but a coup nonetheless, which he knew was a possibility, as many believed the empire shouldn't be ruled by a woman—and he would sweep in with his soldiers to save the day.

"My father was the father of his people," he shouted. This had been drilled into his head by his grandmother and his tutors until Paul no longer knew if it was what he truly believed or what he should believe. Both had blended into one in his mind. "And one day I will fulfill the duties and responsibilities of that role. I will lead a disciplined army of soldiers to make his dream for this great country come true!"

So perhaps it was unfortunate that his mother caught him just then.

By the thunderous look on her face as she called him into her private study, Paul knew he was in for another dressing down. His knees shook, and he hated himself for it, hated his mother for making him feel like a child. There was nothing else to do but to face her. Perhaps he could convince her and show how much he could be of use to her.

That hope disappeared the moment his mother spoke. "Are you planning your own little coup?" she barked, her sharp voice lashing at him like a whip. Paul almost cowered. He knew cowering would only bring on harsher words from his mother, so he forced himself to stand up straight. It was no use. She was relentless. "Is that what this is all about? Well you won't succeed, young man. The army is loyal to me. And the peasants will do as they are told. That is the truth." Paul was going to point out that there were talks of a peasant revolt, but his mother cut him off before he could utter a word. "It would be a terrible mistake to go against me," she snarled. "Because I know more about politics than you ever will. You would not last two minutes as a ruler!"

And whose fault is that? Paul wanted to scream. Whose fault was it that he didn't know what to do, what was expected of him? This was what his mother did, depriving him of power and agency and then admonishing him for rebelling against it. His blood boiled with the injustice of it all.

"And all your drilling with your little toy soldiers will get you nowhere at all. You see, power—power is a balancing act," she said. The gloating in her voice was more than he could bear, and he turned away again, gripping the pommel of his ceremonial sword until it dug painfully into his palm. "You have to learn how to walk the line. I would remind you always to remember from where your power, if you are ever to have any, which I doubt, will derive."

Those last few words made him pause. Did she just threaten to exclude him from succession? So she had been planning it all along, hadn't she? For all her talk about how Paul would rule one day, she had never truly wanted to share her power. He whirled around to face her, his face white with barely concealed rage.

"What do you mean, if I'm ever to have any power?" he said, biting out every word. "I shall rule! It is my birthright! You cannot deny me my birthright!"

"This is my country, you stupid boy!" Judging by her shout, it seemed his mother had realized her blunder and was trying to cover it up with a show of authority, as she always did. "Look for a bride! Get me an heir!"

"What am I to you, a breeding bull?" Paul snapped and had the brief satisfaction of seeing his mother flinch. He stormed off before she could think of a way to further punish him.

He went into his room, but the silk-covered walls and the gilded furniture felt like a cage closing in on him, making it hard to breathe. Tears of anger and frustration stung his eyes, and they fuelled the flame of his rage even more. He was a prince, and old enough to be Emperor, for God's sake, yet here he was, crying like a little boy being scolded by his mama! He stumbled outside, made his way to the stables, and shouted at the grooms to saddle a horse for him. He needed to get away from the palace, away from the court and its scheming, sycophantic courtiers, away from his mother and the chain she put around him. He urged the horse into a gallop and headed toward the woods that surrounded Tsarskoye Selo.

Paul didn't know how long or how far he'd ridden, when he suddenly became aware of the quietness of his surroundings. The birches, oaks, and lindens formed a green, whispering dome over his head, while thick growth underfoot muffled even the sound of the horse's hooves. He slowed the horse to a walk and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Even in this tranquil forest, his rage refused to subside.

If only she would die! Women her age and even younger were dropping dead every day. Why, even the Empress Elizabeth had died when she was not much older than his mother, yet his mother insisted on staying alive and being in the best of health, as though to spite him. When Paul was younger, he would have been ashamed and frightened of having such violent, vitriolic thoughts about his own mother, but now, he no longer bothered to keep them in check and even took a grim satisfaction from them.

A rustling sound, louder and more erratic than the swishing of the leaves, momentarily distracted him from those dark thoughts. He went around a thick grove of lindens and saw what was making the noise.

It was a bird, stuck in a bramble bush. It wasn't very big, about the size of a magpie, and appeared to be injured. One of its wings hung stiffly by its side, and it kept trying to lift itself out of the tangle of vines and thorns, to no avail.

But the bird's plight wasn't what drew Paul's attention—it was its plumage, the strangest and most magnificent he had ever seen, all shades of iridescent red and gold, glowing like a fireball in the last rays of the sun that speared through the trees. Its graceful tail feathers fluttered behind it like tongues of flame every time it made yet another futile leap over the bush. Yet, oddly enough, other than the flapping of its wings, the bird made no sound. There was none of the distressed twittering or cries that an animal would make in the same circumstances.

An unearthly feeling settled over Paul as he watched that ethereal bird. Half-forgotten memories of his childhood came trickling back, those long winter nights when he couldn't sleep and left his nursery—he didn't exactly have to sneak out, since none of his nurses and governesses paid any attention to him anyway—in search of the old Fool, who could always be found wandering the corridors of the palace at all hours. The Fool was the only one who treated Paul as a child and not a prince. "Well, what do you want, boy?" he would ask upon seeing Paul's forlorn face peeping out from behind a marble column.

"A story," Paul would reply.

"A story? Let's see now... Did I ever tell you about Little Bear's Son?"

And Paul would let himself get lost in the story until he fell asleep somewhere. He'd never gotten reprimanded for leaving his bed at night, because once the servants found out what he had been doing, they simply locked the door to the nursery. No more midnight fairy tales. No more fairy tales altogether.

Now, looking at the bird, Paul felt the same way he had while listening to the old Fool's stories. His anger and worries about his mother and the throne melted like ice under the sun, leaving only a childlike desire to capture that beauty, not to possess it, but only to hold it for a moment, to convince himself that it was real.

Cautious not to make any sudden movement or sound, he climbed down from the saddle and approached the bramble bush, thankful that the luxuriant summer grass and fallen leaves of many winters past were rendering his tread noiseless on the forest floor. The bird, still desperate to escape its thorny prison, seemed to take no notice of him. This close, Paul realized it was indeed injured—blood was still dripping from a wound on its wing, staining the gold feathers red, though it was from the thorns or something else, he did not know. Slowly, slowly, not daring to even breathe, he reached out, pulling the brambles back with one hand. The thorns were so sharp he could feel them through his kid gloves, but he ignored them. Gently pushing the brambles out of the way, he grabbed for the bird with his other hand.

There!

His hand closed around the feathered body, which was surprisingly hot to the touch, a fire that seeped through his glove, all the way to his bones. Bewildered, Paul looked more closely at his catch and noticed that its eyes, instead of being small and beady like most birds', were rather large and human-looking, except they were golden, like an eagle's. Before he could contemplate this oddity, however, the bird screeched—a horribly humanlike sound it was too—and the fire from its body was no longer warming but scorching. With a startled yelp, Paul loosened his fingers, and the bird, now free of the brambles, dove straight into his face, its good wing hitting him in the eye, blinding him, and, with a wriggle, freed itself from his hand, leaving behind only a tail feather.

When Paul's eyes cleared, he saw that the bird was a mere flash of gold amongst the trees, almost disappearing into the sunset. The feather in his hand gleamed and shimmered like gold, its heat still palpable even through his glove. There were some scorch marks on the glove where the bird had burned him, and a few drops of blood as well.

Tucking the feather into an inner pocket of his coat, he jumped back on the saddle and spurred the horse forward. Like a child who would happily sustain scratches and bruises while climbing over rocks and wading through streams to run after a beautiful butterfly, there was no thought in his mind but the chase. Far from deterring him, those scorch marks only made him long to feel that strange fire in his palm again. He couldn't explain why that yearning was so strong; he didn't even stop to think about it. He simply gave chase.

Through trees and bushes, heedless of the branches that stung as they snapped across his face, heedless of the violent bumping and jostling of the gallop, over shallow brooks and swamps that sucked at the horse's hooves, Paul kept after the firebird. The bird flew with astonishing speed, and only the injured wing kept it within Paul's sight, as it flitted, mockingly, through the green vault that surrounded him, always ahead but only just, always a finger's tip out of his reach.

A grove of silver birches rose before him, rows after rows of ruler-straight, snow-white columns, new leaves turning darker green in the gathering dusk. The bird flew through two birches growing close together, their crooked trunks twisting away from each other while their branches met overhead, forming an arch. The flash of gold winked in and out as the bird faltered and dipped, and Paul bent down until his face was almost pressed into the horse's neck, his heels dug into its flanks, his arm outstretched. Almost—almost—

The horse reared up with a frightened whinny, throwing Paul off the saddle.

The leaf-strewn forest floor softened his fall, but it did nothing for his temper. "Stupid beast!" he snarled, not noticing how the horse was nervously pawing the air in front of the crooked trees with its front legs, refusing to go through. He only saw that the bird was disappearing.

Without a look back, he leaped through the opening between the birches and ran after his quarry.

The bird seemed to be tiring. It dipped behind a thicket of saplings that grew on the edge of the grove, their roots covered by ferns and other undergrowth, and didn't come back up. Paul grinned. He got it cornered now.

The trees were thinner here. As he approached the thicket, he could glimpse a meadow just beyond, and hear the murmur of a nearby stream. The red glow at the edge of the world was fading into soft pink, turning the sky a bluish gray and throwing the forest into a shadowy twilight.

A brief glow seemed to emanate from the thicket and was gone in an instant, which Paul chalked up to a trick of the dying light. The bush rustled. The weary bird must have thought it could hide in there until it was safe to come out again. For a moment, Paul felt rather sorry for the poor creature, but his curiosity was stronger.

He leaned down and spread the foliage apart.

His jaw dropped.

There was no sign of the bird. Lying there, amongst the ferns and tall grass, was a girl.

Her long, red hair covered most of her body. Between the wavy tresses, he could glimpse a delicate shoulder blade, an arm bearing an angry wound that was still weeping blood, and bare legs curled up in exhaustion.

At the sound of his gasp, she lifted her head slightly and regarded him with a sullen eye. 

"What?" she said. "Have you never seen an undressed woman before?"

Chapter 2

A/N: I have no idea what "thrice-nine lands" and "thrice-ten kingdoms" mean. That's just how every Russian fairy tale begins.

The exchange between Empress Catherine and Paul was taken almost verbatim from Episode 2 of the show.

Taglist: @ali-r3n

[books-and-dragons]

Ik it's been awhile since I have dropped a HC on you, but consider: Akira doing some unnecessarily dangerous stunt in the Metaverse and feeling so proud of himself... and then he's shocked when the team gets angry/worried that he risked his own safety like that.

"Guys, it's fine, only I would have gotten hurt!"

And then they just get even angrier and he's confused and startled they're so worked up about it. He's not used to people worrying about him.

omg june, hi!!! aaa i yelled when i saw your user pop up, hope you're doing well!!

your brainworms are angsty as ever and oh how i love it

i'm such a believer in the akira-is-passively-reckless-about-his-own-life concept, you'll have to rip it from my cold, dead hands

considering the in-game clues we get about how he's not great about keeping himself well-fed and has an automatic tendency to throw himself aside for the sake of other people's safety, akira's probably got a huge lack of self preservation to add to that (maybe even, a complete lack of care for his own wellbeing) (i'm absolutely blaming his home life for this)

which works well enough for someone in a leadership position, he'd make sacrifices for others very easily and yeah!! he's just so used to not putting himself into consideration- he doesn't even think about his own safety. nobody else ever has, so why should he?

it trickles into everything he does. the last healing item goes to a teammate, whatever funds he makes from part-time jobs goes into the phantom thieves (nevermind that he's living on sojiro's patronage curry and instant noodles, that's unimportant, he's unimportant), he offers unconditional support and a listening ear to every confidant he meets, and helps them with all their problems- even if it is to his own detriment. on the battlefield against a new enemy, joker will do his best to find the weakness- because if they repel anything, at least then he carries the brunt of the backlash. it's natural, instinctive, and therefore he sees no wrong in it.

and for a long time, he gets away with this reckless abandon for his own safety.

except he goes a step too far, maybe he decides to distract another hoard of shadows on his own? or makes what should be an impossible zipline move to cross to the other side of a chasm. against a rampaging enemy, he throws himself in the firing line. after months of excusing the passing recklessness, this is a step too far for the phantom thieves.

when they're reunited with joker, he's not greeted by praise for his dramatic flourish, or impressed and spirited cheers for carving a path deeper into the palace, but instead worried frowns and scolding reprimands. flurries of hands which search for his injuries and want to heal, and he doesn't need it he's fine-

and oh you're so right it would hurt so much because akira would be so confused by their concern!! at first, he probably assumes they're talking about anything but him. did he accidentally break a treasure on his landing? for some reason, had the thieves not wanted that shadow hurt? what was it this time, what had he done wrong- because he had to have done something wrong he always does something wrong, eventually

when it gets through to akira that no, they're worried about his safety the boy blue-screens there and then.

it's not something he's ever been used to- care, affection....attention. nobody's cared enough to look close enough before, and suddenly akira doesn't know what to do with this worry, with this obvious sign that people care about him, that someone values akira kurusu....he's in a bit of a fugue as the diarahan washes over him, so much do he can't even scold what he'd deem an unnecessary use of energy

they call it a day in the palace not long after.

learning to value your own life isn't something that's easy, but akira's surrounded by people who care about him now- they can be patient. this time, they're taking the lead to help akira, not the other way around.

maybe makoto challenges him to find a more safe plan, that doesn't involve reckless action. ryuji helps him be more open about his feelings. ann teaches akira how to appreciate himself. futaba shows him how to trust in what people promise. yusuke guides him through self-appreciation in his own, artistic style. haru helps akira define himself, outside of the parameters his parents set for him. morgana stays at his side through it all.

in their own way, they'll help akira find some self-worth, and hope to see the fruits of their labour in akira guarding a bit more often in battle, turning to his teammates instead of charging in headfirst and bearing the weight of shadows' attentions himself. they'll wait patiently for the day he asks for help, and be proud when he does.

for now, they'll accept the occasional willingness to head back to a saferoom, or retreat from battle. they'll mentally cheer when he uses one of their few healing items to patch a gash in his side. it's all about the small steps.

[ammyamarant]

I was talking to my sister recently about Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the topic of what I thought was the worst season popped up. Without hesitation, I said season 6.

And I stand by it. Everything in it, everything people are now saying is good actually, is only good on paper. Buffy depressed about being resurrected? And doing incredibly self-destructive things? Having to live without her mother and try and be a good guardian for Dawn? This is all good on paper! But the execution? We get a comedy episode for Buffy trying to get a job. Buffy getting, and failing at a new job, having to deal with both earning money and her duties as a Slayer could have been a short plotline where she couldn't balance it and it made things worse for her. It could have really shown just how much she struggled, and made her self-destruction hit even harder.

But it had to be a comedy episode.

I'm not saying Doublemeat Palace is the only example I have of how they fumbled showing her depression and inability to readjust after being resurrected. But it's the beginning of it, and indicative of how they fumbled showing it.

Willow and Tara having problems with their relationship? Even the best couples have conflicts. But the out of nowhere magic addiction? When it's never been hinted at that the reason Amy abused magic was an addiction, just moral failing when realizing what she could do with it? And then the sheer amount of shit Willow put Tara through? Tara was abused so badly by the writers. Fighting with Willow then having her memory wiped several times, breaking up with her, only to finally make up once Willow was able to admit she needed help only to be killed in the same episode?

No wonder Amber Benson was on board for the audiobook. Tara deserved better.

Xander and Anya? I'm sorry, Xander has a lot of flaws but he's not the type to leave someone at the alter just so Anya can have her own destructive arc. He'd be more likely to just call the entire thing off before the wedding if he was that afraid that it would turn into what happened with his parents.

The trio? Okay. So. I'm going to talk Arknights for a bit. After going through Code of Brawl, I joke about how much trouble Penguin Logistics gets into and how I don't know how they're still alive after their antics. But the difference between them and the trio is Penguin Logistics is also competent. Exuisai can lean out a car door to shoot rubber bullets at the essentially Italian Mafia guys chasing them and not die because she's, mechanically, a 6* unit who can be a boss killer on her own. This is nothing to her. Texas is the last surviving member of the Texas famiglia, and people constantly refer to her as very dangerous. Il Siracusano showed why. Of course being the driver and pulling off that shit is easy for her. In comparison, the only thing the trio has to offer is Warren was the form of "actually evil" that is oh you're evil evil. They should have never been a threat outside the fact Warren had no moral compass. They're constantly bumbling, and only a threat to Buffy because the plot said so.

Spike? Holy shit. He has more dignity than what he did in season 6, and the bathroom scene felt like a punishment for those who liked Spike enough to keep him around. Like "are you sure you like him? See! He's an irredeemable monster! Stop liking him." We already know Whedon hated how popular Spike was, and because of that, this incredibly out of character and just plain cruel scene can only feel like punishing those who liked him.

Tbh the more I think about it, the more I feel season 6 was a punishment for whoever wanted to keep it going. It's so unpleasant, and it is pretty much just dark for darkness's sake. The writing isn't strong enough to support anything they wanted to do and not have it come off as malicious. It's bad and no amount of good ideas can excuse execution.

Season 6 could have been a poignant look at grief, loss, depression, and self-destruction. Having a human being more evil than a demon and finally showing that the Willow we know really does have the capability to be as evil as her alternate vampire self could have been great, since we've never really had that. Even in season 4, the Initiative was more misguided than actually evil. Instead we got grimdark and out of character writing.

Season 6 sucks, is the worst season, and I will not be convinced otherwise.

[pomplalamoose]

Endor luke has me going insane so if you could can we please get some hc’s? 💗

YOU AND ME BOTH ANON Endor Luke deserves all the love in the world😭

I really had a lot to say too, so this is kinda all over the place, I'm sorry

(thank you so much for your patience🩵 work really took a toll on me and I desperately needed to take several naps instead of writing. I really wish I could post Luke thoughts as a living instead)

• I really like how Luke is portrayed in RotJ and how far he has come when you compare him to the boy he was at the beginning of ANH

• I think how he acts and carries himself on Endor is a very good example

• we already got a glimpse of it in Jabba's palace when he comes to save his friends

• but Endor Luke is peak Luke (or as close to his prime we've ever got to see him aside from his last fight with Vader and TboBF) and I love how this comes across in very simple and subliminal ways without being too flashy or over the top

• he still makes mistakes 

• he struggles with himself and those around him

• he's far from being perfect

• and yet he tries so hard to leave his doubts aside to act in everyone's best interest 

• in the most dire of situations he only thinks about his friends and family and how his actions could possibly have an impact on them

• he just loves them so much and it's, among other reasons, what eventually makes him refuse to join the dark side 

• in the book it says that he hopes Han will never disappear from this universe 

• when Leia goes missing Han asks if he wants some time to gain his strength again and all Luke says is "I want to find Leia."

• I see him blaming himself for a lot that happened, especially regarding what his friends had to go through 

• he's definitely one to mull over a situation in his head again and again, going "I should have been there, I could have done this and that, I should have...etc.

• he has such a hard time acknowledging anything apart from what he could have done better 

• and at the end he's ready to die, to get himself killed, if it means saving the people he loves 

• he'd rather die than let his weaknesses put them in danger again

• I'm sure he will eventually learn how to overcome his past and accept it as it is because that too is part of becoming a Jedi

• but he's not ready for that yet and that's okay

• because there was so much happening over the short span of only a few years, he didn't get the time to deal with his losses and trauma 

• how is he supposed to move on from his guilt without properly saying goodbye and forgiving himself 

• let that man grieve for god's sake 

• (and someone give him a stable father figure please)

• he doesn't let others see what's going on inside of him 

• even those closest to him are often times unaware of his inner struggles until he opens a conversation about it himself 

• in the book it's described how he sometimes banishes all emotions from his face and wears it like a mask as to not trouble anyone

• eventually Leia is the only one realizing there's something eating at him 

• I think one reason for this is the awareness of his position at the head of the rebellion, of how many look up to him for guidance

• he wants to set a good example, wants to be strong for those who are scared or feeling hopeless 

• but while he might feel inadequate and often tired he makes an impression wherever he goes

• I don't think he's aware of the impact he has and how great he actually is

• he doesn't give himself enough or any credit for how much he has grown and changed in a good way too

• he's calm, collected and exudes quiet confidence to a point where it's hard to shake him up or make him loose his cool like he would have earlier 

• he has a strong presence, even when he's set on keeping in the background 

• when he gives out orders they are well thought of and highly respected by his subordinates 

• they put lots of trust into him and his judgement

• rarely does the impatience of his younger years get the better of him

• in the same way it has become unusual for him to raise his voice at all

• it's said in the book that the rebels chosen for the mission on Endor are a wildly thrown together group of people, some of them charged criminals 

• and while I believe them to be invested in their cause, I think Luke would do a great job keeping them in check should someone act out of line 

• he even SMILES in critical situations 

• you know, like in that one scene where he, Han, Chewie and the droids are captured by the Ewoks

• and Han is so offended at them waving their lances in his face, yelling and threatening them 

• meanwhile Luke is just very amused 

• (I'm on my knees for him, like that's so hot I cant- )

• no longer does he act on impulse, but rather takes time to observe a situation before carefully trying to negotiate 

• this not only shows his character development but also how much their relationship evolved 

• at the beginning Han was definitely some kind of role model for Luke 

• he's a pilot, has his own ship, something that Luke always wanted

• he has much experience and many stories to tell about his adventures

• to someone who never had the chance to leave their planet before he must have seemed grand and beyond impressive 

• but I feel like Luke has grown so much he eventually surpassed Han and now smiles at his friends antics

• he's now able to see him the way he really is, instead of blindly idolizing him, which really balances out their friendship

• to round off this post I want to talk about how his fighting skills developed as well

• I already mentioned in some of my other posts that I think Luke is really strong but during the scenes on Endor we get to see glimpses of it too

• he's not only strong with the Force but physically capable as well

• he easily stops Han from pulling his weapon on the Ewoks with ONE hand 

• during the chase scene with Leia we see him throw a man off his speeder bike like it's nothing 

• he simply grabs him and he goes flying against a tree

• (it's even wilder in the book, where they describe Luke "grabbing the man's neck" to "sling" him away and into the tree with "bone crushing force")

• (please grab my neck and crush my bones too, daddy👀)

• in addition he is a very quick thinker and calm enough in stressful situations to come up with well calculated manoeuvers 

• neither do his capabilities falter when put to the test

• the best example for this is the scene with the speeder bike racing towards him while shooting 

• Luke easily deflects the laser bolts and then, like in afterthought, steps aside to cut off the front part

• and then he walks off like nothing happened 

• like SIR-

[innerchorus]

It's a very similar expression, isn't it? There's even a little tear in Bahman's eye, too. (Bahman from Chapter 43, Zandeh from Chapter 59.)

I can't help it, my thoughts are so addled right now that I keep thinking of Bahman as being part of Team Hilmes. But he could so easily have been, couldn't he? I would have loved to see him interact with Zandeh (see: the old dog and new puppy discussion of it here, and I also love the thought of Bahman taking Zandeh under his wing and teaching him in military matters).

The moment in Chapter 38 where Hilmes encounters him in Peshawar... The way he's hesitant, yet as he realises he's tentatively reaching out for Hilmes's proffered hand... If that moment hadn't been interrupted, if they'd been able to talk for a little longer, I wonder what would have happened?

And I keep looking at that expression on Hilmes's face (not that you can see all of it, which highlights Bahman's inability to recognise him and that it's not solely because he thinks he died 16 years ago, it's also because his face is covered by a mask). That panel focuses the attention on his smile, and the hand he's offering to Bahman, and I just... honestly, it makes me really sad, because here is someone who knew him before the palace fire, who must have been fond of him, and trusted by him as a child. Bahman is someone whose support Hilmes needs on a practical level, but isn't it more than that, too?

And though it's not evident in the manga, it's worth remembering that in the novels, seeking Bahman's loyalty is the whole reason Hilmes enters Peshawar Fortress in the first place! His encounter with Arslan was entirely unexpected!

I think having Bahman's support would have been good for him. And realistically I know Bahman would have remained just as torn up by the conflict as when he was with Arslan, but wouldn't it have been nice for him to reunite with Hilmes, who he thought was dead, and see him grow into a fine Shah?

Tanaka made some comment in the Reader's Guidebook that amounted to it essentially being merciful for a character like Bahman who is torn between two choices to be killed off. I don't think he's wrong, especially with the trajectory that canon took, but just as he gave his life for Arslan's sake in the anime and manga, I feel he would have done exactly the same thing for Hilmes under different circumstances.

Actually, let's look at Bahman's death scene, because it's something I've been wanting to discuss for a while now. The relevant manga chapters are 51 and 52.

I think everyone's aware that the anime and the OVAs both made the same choice regarding Bahman's death, in that he is inadvertently killed by Hilmes when protecting Arslan in Peshawar Fortress. (And I liked this change, personally.) But I don't think it's as commonly known that Arakawa also made some changes?

The event itself takes place similarly in Sindhura, but in the novels:

Bahman's inner conflict doesn't feature in his death, and

Gadhevi's spear was aimed at Bahman, so Bahman did NOT take a blow meant for Arslan as he did in the manga.

'“Your Highness Arslan! Please hurry up and go!” Before he could finish his words, Bahman unsheathed his sword and cut down the attacking Sindhuran soldiers in a cloud of blood and smoke. Although he was already over sixty years old, his skillful swordsmanship showed no signs of decline. However, just as he cut down two more enemy soldiers, Gadhevi picked up a spear, aimed it at the old general, and threw it. The spear made a whistling sound as it flew towards him, stabbing hard into the area between Bahman’s left shoulder and chest. Bahman let out a short groan and fell down.' (Book 3, Chapter Three, Part v)

We don't get any of his internal thoughts before he dies, either.

By contrast, in the manga, when Arslan's life is in danger? Bahman hesitates. And honestly to me this change is just so masterful that I really ought to have included it on the list of my favourite differences between novels and manga.

Yet even as he acknowledges that thought, his body is already in motion, moving to take the spear that was meant for Arslan. So here's why I like this scene so much:

It feels as though Bahman's conflictedness may well be the very reason he dies. If he hadn't hesitated then, if he had called out instantly to warn Arslan, would Arslan have dodged? Would Bahman or Narsus have instead cut down the spear before it reached him? Bahman's death didn't have to be the outcome, whereas in the novels it feels like there was no way for it to have been avoided.

The fact that his conflict doesn't just stem from being undecided who he should give his loyalty too, but because he recognises the turmoil that having two candidates for the throne will bring to Pars. His concern is for his country; out of Arslan and Hilmes, who will be the better ruler?

And as usual, Arakawa shows us so much. That panel of Hilmes that Bahman sees in his moment of indecision, the way it's sort of shadowed and his eyes aren't visible, because even though Bahman knew him when he was a boy, he doesn't know him in the same way now. What does he know of Hilmes? He is clearly competent in matters of war, and on the surface more equipped to lead than a boy of Arslan's age. And he has royal blood, which Bahman knows that Arslan does not.

But he must also know of Hilmes's involvement in the Lusitanian invasion, and his brutality in trying to kill Arslan. I think Bahman's decision to give his life to save Arslan's comes not just from being unable to stand by and watch Arslan to die before his eyes, but because although he worries about whether Arslan is right for the task, he has misgivings about Hilmes, too. It would have been easier, after all, to do nothing. To let Arslan die. In making the active choice to save Arslan, I can't help but see it as him hoping that Arslan will be better for Pars than Hilmes would have been.

And yeah, it does feel tragic that he'll never be able to see for certain that he made the right choice, worrying about the softness in Arslan's nature (as evidenced by his refusal to leave Bahman's side even when it endangered him). Yet that same softness that can be seen as a weakness is also a strength, isn't it? And there is little of it to be seen in Hilmes.

I also appreciate that it's clear he's not just worried for the fate of Pars, but for Arslan's individual fate, too. Surely it's the time he's spent with him in Sindhura getting to know him on a personal level that has resulted in this moment where he opts to give his life to save Arslan, effectively choosing him over Hilmes. And when I think about it like that, while in both cases a change was made so that Bahman gave his life for Arslan's sake, ultimately I prefer this over his death in the anime. The angst potential of Hilmes being the one to accidentally kill his old teacher is good though.

Personally, I like that his death ends on a hopeful note. Despite his worries, he is able to place his faith in Arslan due to the fact that he has companions such as Daryun and the others who will lend him their support and strength and can offset his youth and inexperience as he grows into the good king that Bahman implores him to become before he dies. It feel like he's made peace with his decision.

One more thing I like from Bahman's death scene:

Bahman's recognition that he's about to die coming as he looks up at Azrael, named for the "Herald of Death" (an angel in Parsian cosmology) and thinks of his already departed friend, Vahriz.

[chaifootsteps]

that tweet Viv liked about Stolas having a life outside Via and it being fine for him to do so

obviously it's fine and healthy for Stolas to have a life of his own. I'd say that most parents should have lives of their own - it provides a healthy model for their child to emulate and avoids them getting too clingy and dependent on their child for emotional support when the child gets old enough to start trying to assert their independence. and it helps parents feel less alone and gives them a support network, something people of all ages need

the point is that life of Stolas' shouldn't come at Via's expense, which it very much has. if we assume she had an OK home life up to the age of 17 when the fallout happened (which is a stretch given how s2 Stella and Stolas don't at all seem like they'd be able to pretend for Via's sake given how self-centred they both are) that doesn't make it OK for Stolas to upend that life by cheating and neglecting her for his new obsession, Blitzo. then he supports her through all this turmoil that he caused by *checks notes* sexually harassing his affair partner right in front of her at a theme park she had no interest in going to, forgetting a promise he made to her while he was abusing his butler and calling her mother a bitch and not telling her they both might be in danger of assassination

and if fans want to play it like Via is legally an adult at 18 so Stolas' obligations are over, Stolas still had a responsibility to prepare her for adulthood and being his heir. which he obviously didn't since she apparently doesn't know magic and he was lending out the grimoire most of the month anyway. And if we assume he didn't want to have Via in the first place, he still chose to have her instead of abdicating. he could have run away if he didn't want a child of his own to care for.

that he didn't want it doesn't suddenly mean Via isn't a person who needs to be cared for.

more than that, though, Stolas could have been building a support system and life for himself while she was young. he wouldn't have to devote 100% of his time to raising Via, especially not when she was young enough to go to bed early. what was stopping him calling up friends on the phone or inviting people over? what was stopping him going out if Via was out shopping or busy on weekends? he has a phone, can teleport and has butlers like the one who raised him, it's not like he couldn't have been back in a blink for any problems that came up. are we just supposed to assume all of Hell prefers Stella even though she's supposed to be so terrible and bitchy so Stolas couldn't have made friends even if he tried? supposedly Vassago was one of the 'good ones' of the Goetia - he couldn't have been friends with him?

as it is it comes off like Via was following Stolas' example - she stays trapped in the palace most of the time, has no friends and would make a terrible heir because that's how Stolas is. he has no friends of his own and is terrible at both his jobs - magic and parenting. honestly it's super weird Via is a 17yr old and seemingly has no friends of her own before she met Loona. was she just isolated in the palace this whole time? even if she's royal she can still have security, though I guess if Stolas' invisible legions appeared onscreen fans would rightfully be asking why he keeps expecting Blitzo to bail him out all the time

Bingo.

Stolas can and should have a life outside of Via. The problem is that Stolas's life outside of Via is full of choices that actively harm Via, in addition to pretty much everyone else around him, including himself. The problem is that Stolas is a delusional manchild hellbent on getting his idea of a fairy tale romance, and it doesn't matter to him who has to suffer in the name of that.

[cursedfortune]

@fallesto in relation to x.

It would be a lie to say she didn't make it too difficult for these soldiers to take her into custody. They found her in a mediocre amount of time and their hostility was clear the moment they realized what she was. This world operated on such strange means, she was coming to learn. Coming to see what Regulus saw. She wanted to learn his perspective, to understand what he said for herself.

A little tussle, she killed a few men and oh no, she was caught. Their means of imprisonment wasn't one that would actually keep her long, which informed her of the kind of witches that may have once lived in these lands. Or that they were just incredibly under prepared for her. Either way, she was content to wait and see if Regulus would make good on his word. To see if he could really find her when she traveled a distance. She knew he was capable of killing a large amount of people all at once, and perhaps part of her wished to see it again, but it was mostly for the sake of learning she left the palace without warning.

To know his range, his extent, she needed to do this. To know all she could and formulate how to tackle this world, she needed the danger that came with it.

His rescue of her was swift and brutal, relentless. She didn't complain nor resist when he scooped her up and kept her close, nor when he put her down but still held on. The bored expression mixed with a hint of annoyance for dealing with the situation as a whole was one she had seen on his face before. Yet even so, she enjoyed watching his display of power once more. As a torrent of blood shards rained down and he diverted his attention to her, she heard his exasperated worry.

And it was met with her lighter tone, "But they cannot destroy me. Not even you can. The worst they can do is imprison me - and they were rather poor about it." She mused a little, as if to let him know she wasn't actually in harms way when he came along. There was point to be made here.

"I'm not a princess to be kept in a tower, m'love. I need to know this world and I cannot do that from your palace alone. You're so protective of me, and I love that about you, but you keep putting off from taking me into the world due to this very reason of yours." The witch tilted her head until her chin rested on his shoulder, her dark eyes watching the side of his face - searching for his thoughts, his feelings on the matter. "If I learn about the world, I can learn how to better mask the witch's scent. Wouldn't it be lovely to take a walk in this land, hand in hand, without being bombarded by mortals that think their pointy sticks are a threat to us?"