#BECAUSE OF WHAT SHE ASSUMES IS DARING'S DESTINY

[cometblaster2070]

OKAY IM DEFINITELY READING TOO MUCH INTO THIS BUT HEAR ME OUT.

SO THERE’S THIS SCENE IN DRAGON GAMES WHEN APPLE’S POISONED AND IN HER COFFIN AND THEY’RE ALL SAD AND SHIT AND DARLING TALKS ABOUT HOW APPLE’S NOT GONE, SHE’S JUST WAITING FOR HER HAPPILY EVER AFTER.

OKAY SEE SO THIS IS EXACTLY THE MOMENT WHERE DARLING SAYS THAT APPLE ISN’T DEAD SHE’S WAITING; LIKE LITERALLY THE MOMENT WHERE SHE SAYS THE WORD ‘WAITING’.

AND THIS IS DARLING NOT EVEN A SECOND LATER WHILE SHE’S SAYING THE WORDS ‘HAPPILY EVER AFTER’.

I AM PROBABLY READING WAY WAY TOO MUCH INTO THIS, BUT LIKE??? DO YOU GUYS SEE IT??? LIKE THE SUBTLE EXPRESSION CHANGE???

I DON’T QUITE KNOW HOW TO EXPLAIN IT BUT WHEN YOU WATCH THE WHOLE SCENE PLAY OUT, IT’S EASIER TO SPOT.

I AM LITERALLY FROTHING AT THE MOUTH OVER LITERALLY ONE FRAME.

Because, see, in the first frame Darling’s expression is just one of concern, right, because this is obviously a very tense situation for everyone and Darling’s trying to reassure them the best she can.

BUT, Darling’s expression seems to change when she’s talking about Apple’s happily ever after, which, at this point in the story, everyone thinks will happen because of Daring.

DO YOU SEE THIS? BECAUSE MY DELUSIONAL ASS SURE DOES.

man, like, just the way darling is looking at apple in the second pic; the expression is so lost and hopeless in a way, because she thinks that even if she’ll get apple back, apple will never end up being her true love yk.

THIS SHIT IS GREAT.

[keepingeahalive]

Miss Rosabella Beauty: The Queen of Wasted Potential

Okay, I'll admit it. I do ship her and Daring. I'm a sucker for Beauty and the Beast, and I couldn't help myself. That said, objectively, this ship and Rosabella's character.... yeah, it kinda sucks.

Maybe I didn't want to admit it because Beauty and the Beast is my favorite fairytale. But the more I look into her character, the more I realize she embodies virtues that contradict her own story. Epic Winter was more about "fixing" Daring's supposed selfishness than addressing the real elephant in the room, and Rosabella was a plot device to push that narrative. I think she could have been an interesting character with flaws and a lot of depth. But she wasn't, and I am very very disappointed.

Her Character

The first time I saw her, I was really rooting for her. She's an animal rights and monster activist. She could have been great friends with Cerise for that reason. She could have even had interactions with Ramona in the past. But she comes off as self-righteous and preachy.

I get she's an activist and that's the joke; activists are inherently self-righteous. But this is Ever After High. Where's the nuance? She could be an animal and monster activist because she's experienced prejudice herself. She's the daughter of Beauty and The Beast. Look me in the eye and tell me she doesn't have any Beast genes. I dare you!

It's canon that Beauty and the Beast is considered a bad destiny story, with the stigma of the heroine falling in love with a creature most fairytales would pin as the villain, and a handsome prince carrying the stigma of being of being a beast even after the curse is gone. She should understand that better than anyone. And yet, this kindness and compassion she tries to convey comes off as condescending. She inserts herself into situations because she feels she's needed when nobody has asked for her help.

2. DARABELLA

Rosabella was only introduced in one minisode and suddenly gets a big role in Epic Winter? She and Daring hadn't had a meaningful conversation up until that point. Really, she barely knows Daring.

For the daughter of Beauty and the Beast, she's so .... judgmental. She's supposed to have the ability to see people's true intentions, but why does she get it so wrong? She immediately assumes Daring is self-centered and narcissistic. On the surface, I can see where she's coming from. But, that's only on the surface.

Daring is more complex than she made him out to be, and Epic Winter wanted the audience to think she was in the right. We know this isn't true. Daring loves being a hero and saving people. He loves his siblings and does what he thinks is best for them. He certainly cared about Lizzie enough to respect her wishes. He's chivalrous to a fault!

Daring is clearly going through some things, and it doesn't seem like anyone's paying attention to what's really bothering him: He has no purpose anymore. He's been brought up his whole life thinking he would be King of Ever After, and now his world is shattered. He's not coping well. And Rosabella thinks he's full of himself when she's barely met this guy.

Having him become the Beast from Beauty and the Beast felt natural to me in the story progression, but Rosabella's inclusion felt forced. She gives him the same old advice from her original story when she should be hinting at something greater. This should be the turning point in Daring that destiny is malarky, and he can break away from the expectations his family and peers put on him. But she doesn't understand that. She only sees that he's obsessed with his looks because his main form of coping is gone.

He's not really upset about his looks. He's upset that his destiny is gone, and either that's not as important to her as him getting over his looks or she doesn't know him well enough to know what's been put on him. Assuming it's the latter, why wouldn't she try to find the root of the problem instead of fixing what she thinks needs fixing?

Daring is the victim here, even if he has issues to work out. And it doesn't seem like she's really listening to him.

3. The Cousins No One Talks About

Yeah. Rosabella and Briar are cousins. And there is very. little. BACKSTORY!!

We know their dads don't get along. Briar's is a monster hunter. Rosa's is The Beast. Their moms are sisters. That's all we know. What's her relationship with Briar? Is it a tragic sisterly bond? Or did the two drift apart/fall out because of their family conflict? Rosa's mom is likely the black sheep of the family, so do she and Sleeping Beauty still talk anymore?

How does Briar feel about all this? Does she have time to feel anything about it at all? She has her own family and her own destiny to worry about. What kind of influence did Briar's parents have on her views on beasts? She hadn't even been to Rosa's home until they were both well into high school. How much do they even know about each other?

We know so little about their dynamic. Family conflict shapes a child, and both of them probably have some deep-seated trauma relating to their families. But did the writers forget that they're cousins?

4. How I Would Write Rosabella (and maybe Daring)

First, give her the ability to transform into a beast. It's not hard.

She's advocating for people like her to exist. She wants people to see both sides of her and those like her to be seen as more than monsters. But she's had her fair share of prejudice, even within her own family. Her uncle is a monster hunter, so a half-beast niece would be considered an abomination. Because of this, she suppresses her anger to better the image of beasts. She doesn't want to, but she feels like she has to, for her own safety and to make herself more palatable in society. However, the more anger she holds in, the less control she has over herself. Her judgment becomes clouded, and this makes her jump to conclusions about people's behavior. She wants things to be fair so much that she gets in trouble for it. She wants to be understanding and patient, but having a hair-trigger temper gets in the way of her goals.

Give her a backstory with Cerise and the Hood-Badwolf family. Her family would know more than anyone the hardships that a human-beast family goes through, and they should be very good friends because of that. Her growing up around Cerise and Ramona would give her more of a reason to protect the beast population.

If any sort of relationship with Daring were to work, they would both have to learn from each other. Daring would learn to let go of people's expectations of him, and Rosabella would learn to let her anger out in a healthy way and pick her battles. Daring can't be the only one learning from her, and Rosa shouldn't see anything to fix in him. She needs to accept him for who he really is, not just preaching about appearances.

She should be embodying both Beauty and the Beast, all the kindness and grief that comes with it. She's not meant to be a paragon, and the writers should not have portrayed her as such. She needed to be a character with her own development. She needed to be portrayed just as in the wrong as Daring was when they met, not about appearance but about each other. She needs to admit her mistakes and acknowledge she is not always right about everyone. Or, at the very least, have her see right through Daring's facade about looks and realize there's something deeper going on.

The writer's dropped the ball on this ship, and they did Daring so dirty here. But they also did Rosabella a disservice by making her so two-dimensional and preachy, almost not even her own character. There are so many routes they could have taken with her. She could have been great, but she wasn't.

[mouthpoisons]

on viktor's doomed destiny as the magical harbinger of the apocalypse, sky being a secret mastermind, the butterfly effect, the message within the pattern, the arcane being a sentient manifestation of The Narrative and pushing everyone towards tragedy

so this started out as a halfhearted joke post that went something along the lines of ''maybe sky is such a nothing character because she was always the arcane's y/n x viktor self insert and not just after the hexcore eats her'', then it turned into me spending like a whole day examining sky scenes through this lens and acquiring a massive tin foil hat about it, and then while paying attention to sky i also started viewing the arcane as a whole as something conscious, malignant, the plot of the show itself manipulating and urging everyone, but especially viktor, towards it's end goal of him becoming heimerdinger's world ending mage. and then This post happened. because i was initially writing an analysis on sky, this post is mostly me talking about sky. i started Realising Other Shit about halfway through and i simply wont be rewriting what ive already put down. but the more i think about it and go back and rewatch parts of the show, the more this makes perfect sense and i'll definitely be coming back with a part two. part 2 will likely be about jinx because that ''use your explosive potential and maybe you can change your story'' line from vi, which we can only assume is directed at her sister, is doing cartwheels in my brain

this is massive and long and messy and its going under a readmore. enter if u dare

disclaimer because theres gonna be people who Seriously hate this and might wanna assume things about me because of it but i hope youll understand im coming from a place of pure story and meta analysis. this theory is unfortunately going to assume theres a manipulative ulterior motive to Everything sky says and does, and this is not written in any way to spite people who like sky as simply the sweet doomed lady who has a crush on viktor, skyvik shippers, etc. i honestly just think she is currently the worst written character in the show by miles and that that... cant be it. trying to attach any secret meaning to what she went through and her role in the story beyond ''fridged woman'', i promise, is out of love, despite what im about to spend a billion words accusing her of. i deeply want her ass to secretly be part of the craziest reveal in the show.

if anything im about to say stays one of the most crackpot theories about the show ever written, then i will firmly be a member of the ''she deserved better'' camp, in which you can all beat me with hammers if you want. anyway lets get right into it.

i think sky has been some kind of arcane manifestation who scouted out, has been keeping an eye on, and has urging viktor along the path he's been on the entire show, and not just after the hexcore ''killed'' her. i believe she is essentially another herald who foreshadows some of viktor's major character developmental moments, that she is the butterfly effect, that the arcane is a conscious character and she is one of the vessels it uses to manipulate the show's story towards it's end goal, which very much seems to be setting up viktor as a world ender. i also believe that she may have had one major instance of manipulating the trajectory of jayce's story in service of this

before i continue i need you to know i tried to pull up a wiki page about her just now incase theres any Extra Lore that hasnt appeared in the show and apparently all anyone could be bothered to write down for her is ''Viktor's assistant with an unrequited admiration for the scientist.'' lmfao. if there Is any missing lore, behind the scenes stuff, etc, id love to hear it, whether it supports or contradicts any of this.

ok then, whatever, what do i remember about sky. shes from zaun, shes viktors assistant, they knew eachother or at least met that one time when they were children, she's been doing her own private research, and she has a massive crush on/admiration for him. viktor doesnt pay her too much attention until she ''dies'' and then he is consumed by guilt surrounding her death. sky also has a pattern of becoming more and more ''relevant'' to viktor as the show goes on, and a lot of people have criticised this as a form of reconning her fridging, and yeah if all of this is bullshit then it might be, but if not, wow. i also vaguely remember hearing something about amanda overton being very proud of sky's character which... right now? youre kidding me. if literally any of this is true? holy shit, i get it.

as a last bit of additional context; this theory was also super inspired the other theory that the corrupted spot heimerdinger noticed at the base of the hexgate is where some of viktor's blood fell as he... divinely received the idea to build the hexcore? (that's going to be such a fucking facepalm moment for all of us in retrospect if im onto something here lol). it's one of the things that really got me thinking. he shouldn't have been in any way magical at that point. my theory is in essence a massive continuation of the idea that arcane forces have been having an effect on viktor for longer than we realise.

i'll pitch this theory primarily through some scene analysis, and mostly from season 1 since everyone else has ''wait is she being Bad here'' season 2 sky analysis on lock, most of us agree she's being strange and ominous after her ''death''. i might be the first insane person on earth to pitch that she's also being strange and weird Before her ''death''

i'll start with what might be one of my personal smokiest of guns and biggest Insane In Retrospect Moments, which has a lot of the core thematic stuff shoved into it and laid out quite plainly, then im just gonna go wherever the flow takes me. im not an essay guy. this will be messy and im sorry in advance.

in this scene, viktor is messing around with the hexcore. sky is watching behind him, and remarks that it's beautiful. viktor expresses his frustration at not being able to figure out the device, sky responds ''you will'', asks to walk him home with her, and he declines, saying that he's going to keep working on it through the night. sky doubles down, asking ''again? yknow there's always tomorrow, right?''. he dismisses her and she leaves. pretty much immediately, viktor passes out coughing up blood, which merges with the hexcore.

viktor has been established as a wildcard and a risk taker who doesnt like unnecessary stalling and delays. at this point in the show his health is starting to take a heavy toll on him. jayce has recently hit the pause button on releasing their new hextech tools (more on that in a bit). he's incredibly frustrated with the overall situation and is in tunnel vision mode. my theory is that sky very purposefully asked him to take his time, to give it a rest, knowing that he would do the opposite. this is an example of some potential reverse psychology sky demonstrates a couple times during the show. the other one is a very prominent scene in s2e6 that also got me Thinking about all this, the part where she says to viktor ''you once told me, all systems have limits'', and he responds by asserting vander is worth the risk. course vander's continued presence in the camp as viktor tries to heal him kickstarts the rest of the horribleness that happens that episode, which in the end makes viktor ''understand'' the futility of the human condition, and perhaps if he hadnt just gotten shot by jayce, wouldve been the moment he becomes the apocalypse wizard.

in this s1 scene though... she didnt really have to flex it here. the purpose this specific example would theoretically serve would be to piss off the audience upon rewatch, because we all thought she was just flirting lol

her assuring him that he will figure it out, and then a massive advancement happening instantly, is crazy. it's as if she knew what was going to happen, as if she heralded it into being. this is also her first speaking scene in the show which feels significant especially when it comes to retrospect potential

next i wanna talk about the scene where she may have, in a such a blink-it-and-youll-miss way, manipulated jayce's trajectory. this is also her first appearance in the show period

before jayces progress day speech, he asks viktor to come onto the stage with him, ''we're partners'', and sky adjusts her glasses while looking in on in the background. viktor declines, anxious about the idea of being on stage, and sky hands jayce his script.

jayce confidently reads from the script for a bit, but then changes his mind about what he wants to say, and this is when he hits the brakes on unveiling the new hextech devices, suddenly disappointing both viktor and mel, who he sought out for advice on the matter just a couple of scenes prior. his mind is assumedly comfortably made up about this. hell, enough to write a script, set up a presentation, and for mel and viktor to also be confident about how the presentation will go. the decision was extremely on-the-spot; it's a very awkward moment as jayce freezes mid sentence, we get several shots of the hexgem behind him, strange noises start chiming in the background (which do sound a lot like the mic feedback that's also going in that scene, but these ones seem.. different? certainly deliberately placed), and he suddenly decides against the tech demo. the shots of the hexgem behind jayce have the potential to be ominous as fuck in hindsight. certainly ominous enough to snap me out of simply writing a theory about sky, to thinking about the arcane's influence on the characters and plot as a whole.

this is a possible example of sky, as some kind of arcane avatar, manipulating the plot, with the goal of creating tension between jayce and viktor, and frustrating viktor with the stalling of their technology. after the progress day speech, jayce remains a lot more safety-cautious, and is given his councillor positon, which furthers the rift between them. viktor states all of this in their brief argument in the scene at the hexgate, before he coughs up blood over the railing and has his vision of the hexcore. within the context of this theory, it really feels like the arcane kind of saying to itself, ''all according to plan, he's ready for the next big thing.''

this now. on a personal I Was A Disabled Loner Kid Too Once level this scene has always bugged me and i never quite understood why most people seem to take it as ''aw their first bonding moment''

viktor cant play with the other kids because of his disability, so he hangs out on his own and builds toys. sky comes over, literally looks down on him from a cliff, seems very curious about what he's doing but only briefly, and is called away by her friends, leaving with a smile, as quickly as she arrived. she... acknowledges him, but that's about it. this scene is significant to my theory in that she appears, does her little bit, and then viktor meets singed, who shows actual sustained interest in him and his toy boat, and lets him hang out so they can ''be loners together''. this is a seed planting moment in so many ways and it even threatens to come full circle next week if singed is going to revive viktor again. this very well may well have been when the arcane, through sky, ''chose'' viktor, or at least decided that his story is to be put into motion now, and set him on the path. he literally gets up and starts following his boat down a river.

i'm also pointing out the butterflies in this and jayce's flashback scenes. i dont have much to say about them that a lot of other people havent already especially since butterflies and insect imagery started popping up Everywhere for jayvik in season 2, but yeah *vague hand wave* im pointing them out.

pausing scene analysis for a moment to talk about the idea of viktor really being The Center Of All Of This, as caitlyn said in the act 3 trailer, before i go onto the next bit.

viktor, for this whole show, has been so unbelievably doomed, and it's ramped up to the nth degree in season 2. he's felt especially at the mercy of outside forces to the point where me and everyone else are starting to get real tired of the lack of agency the story is affording him. he becomes terminally ill, he rages against the dying of the light for a bit, but then shit gets scary and he makes jayce promise to destroy the hexcore (and let him die), he gets jinx nuked, jayce revives him explicitly against his wishes, comes back from time prison and kills him again, its a mess. its infuriating. i think that viktor's entrapment by the narrative, and everything becoming more hopeless and out of his hands, is going to be extremely important in act 3. that him giving the biggest Fuck You to his arcane destiny and tearing away from the narrative with claws and teeth is going to be the moment he becomes our machine herald.

i wrote a much shorter post about this earlier, but since then i've also become confident that the bad ending apocalypse wizard viktor himself is who sends jayce back to destroy the hexcore, effectively breaking the cycle and thrusting viktor's story into uncharted waters, which he will Gloriously Evolve above, but only after singed puts him through hell and fills him with resentment for jayce.

ok back to scene analysis

viktor has already come close to breaking free of his predetermined path before. in the context of this theory, viktor's beautiful hopeful triumphant moment, seemingly having a massive breakthrough in rising above his fate and body, outrunning the boat, being immediately cut short by sky showing up and dying and throwing him into a pit of guilt, despair, and desperate need to atone, is in no way accidental. im about to spill whats probably going to be this post's most egregious sky character assassination so be warned i guess!!!!

to put it very bluntly, heres how this whole scene goes according to my theory. viktor gears up to transmutate himself again, but because he's doing so while so full of hope, in a way that's threatening to break him out of his doomed narrative, maybe even just the fact he's doing it to himself instead of jayce doing it in a frantic attempt to save him from death, sky steps in. viktor must die, physically, emotionally, before he becomes the magician.

sky takes the drastic measure of ''killing herself'' in order to curse viktor with the crushing guilt that would morph him into someone who desperately needs to pay for what he did. fix the world, no longer as a driven idealistic scientist, but all consumingly, obsessively, and devastatingly.

if sky didn't intervene, viktor presumably still would've become some form of magical purple guy, but it wouldve been... the best possible timeline? a timeline completely untainted by death? like imagine the cocoon emergence scene and that conversation with jayce but a version where he's not absolutely destroyed by guilt surrounding sky. he was so, so close to just outright winning the game.

as sky's walking down the hall thinking about how she's going to pitch her ''private project'' to viktor, she says something that's potentially a massive red flag hidden in plain sight. she says that she's been working on it for weeks, then changes her mind and says she's been working on it for a year. that's... a huge time difference? if it was months vs a year it would sound much more organic, but weeks vs a year? of course in the real life ''everything im saying here is bullshit'' world she's just figuring out how to pitch herself and sound impressive, but whichever way you look at it and no matter her intent, she was preparing to lie to viktor here.

back in my delusional mind palace, i think viktor's full transmutation attempt takes her (the arcane/the narrative) by surprise - she was formulating her next move here, but it becomes her having to throw a spanner in the works immediately in order to keep him on the path of despair, of death and guilt.

so sky's a pile of ash now. sky is a pile of ash. she wasn't absorbed by the hexcore, on the contrary it looks to be actively pushed away from it (metaphorical skin shedding?) something else is happening for her to be manifesting herself to viktor in season 2. there's also that extremely ominous freezeframe of her when viktor picks up her glasses, but i cant for the life of me get a screenshot of it.

viktor picks up and starts reading sky's journal, and i'll be honest i cant really find any hidden message in her words there apart from the idea that this wide eyed, sweet, idealistic girl that viktor has just let down drastically is some kind of persona. it does stick out to me how much sky seems to envoke a younger viktor - someone who's stuck in an assistant role when she has her own big dreams. This tragic reveal that this cute but inconsequential background character had an inner life and goals too… it's a shock! And it’s all very personal. He paid her barely and mind and now she’s dead because of him, this poor girl who was inspired, by him, to change the world, just like him. It’s like. It’s so tailor made to make him feel like shit.

the next thing that happens is viktor gets Big Mad and tries to smash the hexcore, but it goes ''nuh huh!'' and makes him fall over in a show of power over him. he's firmly stuck in this narrative now, and he wont be breaking out again for a while. the mask is off and his story is locked. he will die, one way or another, and come back to destroy the world.

viktor cant break himself out of the narrative anymore, it has him by the neck and it makes sure he knows it, but someone else promises to.

and he cant, initially. it takes betrayal through reviving him with the hexcore (exactly what it wants). it takes a guilt-ridden viktor being overtly guided along by a much more suspicious sky, for him to get so in his head about this cult shit that it approaches the event horizon of becoming all consuming, it takes jayce being trapped in a time loop desperately trying to find any possible way around this. but the destruction of the hexcore, the narrative, sky, the destruction of the arcane within viktor is the only way for him to truly gloriously evolve.

jayces love for viktor was dooming him into becoming the arcane that ends the world, and the only way to chart a new course was by truly saving him. destroying the hexcore, sky, freeing him from the narrative, at the ultimate cost of viktor's love for him.

[myonos]

BLOODBAG

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

IN WHICH you are a princess betrothed to the vampire prince of the most feared kingdom in the world.

lee heeseung x f!reader

genre: fluff, small amount of angst, one sided enemies to lovers

warnings! cursing, slightly suggestive, mentions of blood

wc: 6k (6088)

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

This is your destiny.

You cannot change your destiny.

It chose you for a reason.

  These are things you’ve been hearing since the ripe age of 5.

What is your destiny? To become a bloodsucker's personal blood bag.

From the day you were born, you’ve been betrothed to Lee Heeseung. 

The Lee family is a long line of powerful vampires. They strike fear into every kingdom, every man, every woman, every child.

No one dares to disobey the wishes of the Lees.

  So how did you, a mere mortal, become betrothed to him?

Since the birth of the Lee clan, there has been a prophecy. It foresees the entire history of the Lee clan.

According to them, it has never been wrong.

  One fateful day 21 years ago, the Lee prophecy told Mira and Seungheon Lee that their first and only child would be betrothed to the first child of the current reigning king and queen of the Desira clan.

  That child would be you.

And oh, you’ve dreaded the day.

You remember being seven and asking your parents why you had to marry a stinky boy.

“Because it’s your destiny.” They would tell you.

You got sick of hearing that.

  By now, you've accepted it, although the bitterness in your heart still beats.

Today is the day you are moving to Lee Castle.

You should mention you've never even met the Lees.

So moving into their home? The whole arrangement isn't exciting for you. 

  You’re sad to leave your parents and your people. They've reassured you that you'll be fine, but you still fear the Lees will isolate you and never let you leave. 

  You don’t know what Lee Heeseung is like, but you don’t care. You'll marry him for the safety of your kingdom, but you will not show him any kindness.

  As you arrive in Lee’s kingdom, you're amazed.

You expected gloom and doom, weary, sad, fearful people, but it's the opposite.

Children are laughing and playing about. 

Markets galore of anything you can think of, clothing, fabrics, food, trinkets.

  Men are coming out of the woods, carrying stalks of wood on their backs.

As you stare out the window, a child catches your attention. She’s playing in the grass beside a booth; you assume her mother runs.

She looks up, and your eyes meet.

Waving, her smile gleams in the sun.

You wave back, your smile matching hers. 

“Can we stop for a moment?” You ask the coachman. 

As you step out, whispers surround you.

You walk to the woman's booth. “Hello.”

As she looks up, she gasps. 

She scrambles for a moment, and you can't help but giggle.

 “Your Majesty, I knew you were coming, but I didn't expect to see you. Can I be of assistance?”

You look at the array of jewelry decorating her booth.

Your eyes stop on a beautiful necklace. 

An emerald sits in the middle of a circular frame—the emerald glistens in the sunlight. 

You pick it up cautiously. “How much for this?”

The woman's eyes widened, “For you, Your Majesty, it costs nothing.”

You shake your head softly, “Nonsense. Is this enough?”

You hand her several bills out of your pouch, and she gapes.

“I can't accept this, Your Majesty!”

“You can and you will, please?” You beg, clasping your hands together.

  She contemplates for a second before putting the money into her bag.

“Your Majesty, how can I thank you?”

“No need, keep doing what you're doing.”

  You feel a slight tug on your dress, and the little girl from before is at your side.

You bend down to her size, “Hello, what's your name?”

“I'm Ara, Your Majesty!”

What an adorable child, “Ara is a beautiful name. You can call me Y/N.”

 “Thank you, you have a beautiful name, too, Y/N.”

She smiles that blinding smile before presenting a flower in her tiny hands. 

“I picked this for you.”

You take it from her, “Thank you so much, Ara. Now I have two beautiful gifts.” You gesture to the necklace.

She takes the flower and puts it in your hair by your ear. 

“Now you're even more beautiful!”

 “Your majesty,” the coachman calls, “we should be going.”

  You nod, sad that you have to leave.

“I hope to see you again, Ara.”

She nods before hugging you tightly. Everyone around you awes as you hug her back.

Then it's back into the carriage, and you continue your ascent to the castle.

When you reach the entrance, the large doors are agape, and a carpet greets you.

As you step out, loud footsteps come from inside until three people appear.

The king and queen are smiling, unexpected to you.

“Y/N, my dear, so great to meet you at last,” the King says. 

You do a long curtsy, bowing your head, “Your Majesties.”

The queen takes your hand into her own, “What a beautiful girl you are. I hope you'll enjoy being here.”

“You're too kind.”

“This is our son, Heeseung.”

They part to reveal him, and oh. 

You weren't expecting him to be so handsome.

 He offers a sweet smile.

“Y/N,” he says, taking your hand and planting a kiss on it. “It's a pleasure.”

You bow to him, “To you as well.”

His parents waste no time, shouting at the guards surrounding the entrance to bring your things inside.

They give you an extensive tour of their castle, introducing every room. Their foyer is beautiful and decorated with multiple styles of paintings.

  They eventually lead you to your room. 

It’s huge, even bigger than your room at home.

The bed sits in the middle of the far right wall. It’s king-sized with red silk sheets and a comforter.

Heeseung bends down and whispers in your ear, “More than big enough for the 2 of us.”

  Face filled with confusion, you turn to look at him, but all he does is wink at you.

What happened to Mr. Respectful?

  “You’ll meet us for dinner when you’ve unpacked your things, yes?” The queen says, not noticing the scowl on your face.

You nod, watching them leave.

Heeseung does not leave; he closes the door behind his parents, leaving you two alone.

  “I���ve been waiting every day of my life to meet you, and now I have you.” He saunters towards you, close enough until your chests are pressed against each other lightly.

  “First, you don’t have me. I’m not happy about this marriage. I’m only doing it for my kingdom.”

Your arms cross in anger, putting just the smallest space between you and him.

He laughs, “You’re cute. However you view this marriage doesn’t matter. You and I will be one soon enough.”

  Whatever that means. 

  “I’d appreciate it if you left my room now. Don’t you have to prepare for dinner too?” Heeseung puts his hands up in defense, not saying another word before leaving your room.

  So not only are you stuck marrying him, but he’s also a weird dickhead? Great. 

  You sigh in defeat and grab your bags to unpack.

There are no drawers, so there must be a closet.

There are two large mahogany doors on the left side of the room.

You open the first but do not find a closet, instead; you find an enormous bathroom. There’s a large, deep-set tub in the back of the room with three large shower heads attached. To the left of the tub is the toilet and double sinks, with more than enough space for your hair and skin care products.

  You close that door and then move to the other.

It is the closet, and it is vast. It has enough room for your many clothes, so you begin to place and hang them to your desire.

Once you’ve finished, you hear a bell chime within the castle. You look at the clock above your bed and see it’s 8 o’clock. 

  You can’t be late for dinner. You exit your room, bowing to the guards outside your door.

You almost fear you’ve forgotten where the dining room is, but your feet seem to remember, moving and not stopping.

  The large double doors of the dining room greet you, and as you put your hands on the handles, you pray you’re not the last to arrive.

You take a deep breath, fanning your face quickly before opening the doors.

  Dammit.

  The king, queen, and Heeseung are already seated.

You bow, apologizing profusely for your tardiness.

The king waves his hand, “Don’t apologize, dear. A minute will not kill anyone.”

  You sit in your reserved seat, of course, next to Heeseung while his parents sit at the other end of the table.

Heeseung wastes no time in putting his hand on your thigh.

You want to push it off but don’t want to upset his parents.

  Now you’re wondering why exactly you are meeting for dinner? You’re the only human here. Don’t they drink blood to quench their hunger?

“We can still eat regular food, sweetheart. Blood is just our preference.” 

Did you say that out loud, or can the queen read minds?

“Yes, I can read minds,” she says, smiling.

  You try to stop thinking, knowing it’s futile.

“Y/N, now that you’re here, you must tell us all about yourself. It’s only right that we get to know our future daughter-in-law.” The king holds up his drink, which you assume is wine…or blood.

  You clear your throat, “There’s not much to tell. I enjoy art and paintings, and I’d love to admire the ones in your foyer during my free time. I’m a straightforward person. I pride myself on being kind to all and being open-minded.”

As the king and queen take in your words, you can feel Heeseung’s grip on your thigh getting tighter.

It’s almost to where it hurts, so you put your hand on top of his, making him relax.

  Within a few minutes, dinner arrives. It's a beautifully done steak (extra rare for them) with potatoes, asparagus, and a beautiful au jus.

You have to say it was pretty delicious, and you devoured your plate within minutes.

You almost feel embarrassed as the Lees stare at you, but the king smiles. “Nice to see someone who truly enjoys well-prepared food.”

  You laugh with them, blushing as you wipe your mouth with your napkin.

By 9:30, you find yourself getting tired, eyes fluttering every few seconds.

“Heeseung, be a dear and bring Y/N up to bed.” The queen requests.

Heeseung immediately gets out of his chair, deciding to be a gentleman and pulling yours out.

You take his hand and leave the dining room, wishing the king and queen goodnight.

  As you walk the long halls, Heeseung takes the chance to wrap his arm around your waist.

You grab his hand, about to pull him off, but he suddenly twirls you around to face him.

You try to step back, “What are you doing?”

  “You’re too tired to keep walking.” Without another word, he tucks his left hand under your knees and the other around your waist and lifts you into his arms. 

You squeal, “Put me down! I can walk just fine.” 

He shakes his head, “What kind of future husband would I be if I let my lady walk when she’s tired?” 

You go to protest again, but Heeseung shushes you. Giving up, you let him carry you until you’ve arrived at your bedroom door. “May I come in?” He asks.

Your confused stare has him chuckling, “To wish you goodnight.” 

You’re about to ask why he can’t do it right here, but he’s already entering your room. 

You head to your bathroom to wash up, glaring at him as you go. 

“I’m not gonna do anything!”

After you’ve washed up, you head back into your room, expecting Heeseung to be gone, but he’s not. 

You yelp, putting your hands in front of yourself, even though you have a robe on. 

“Relax, I can’t see anything.”

  You go into your closet, closing the door behind you to change. 

Heeseung is now sitting on your bed. As he looks up, he smirks, “Cute pj’s.”

You huff, taking his hand and dragging him off your bed, “Nice having you, goodnight!”

Before you can push him out the door, he puts his hands out, stopping himself. 

“What, no goodnight kiss?”

You laugh mockingly, “In your dreams, goodnight Heeseung.”

  He finally leaves, giving you peace. 

You practically launch yourself into bed, snuggling into the warm sheets. 

So little happened today, yet you feel exhausted as it ends. 

You don’t know what’s in store for you, but you hope Heeseung doesn’t piss you off to death.

As your eyes flutter, you think about your family and the friends you’ve left behind. This is your life now. 

Maybe it’s best to accept it. Perhaps you should try to make the most of it. 

When the Lees gave their extravagant castle tour, they told you about a garden in the back of the castle. If you desire, you may enter the garden. 

You recall the king's words, “This is your home now. There is no place you can’t go.” 

So here you find yourself in the garden. It’s home to a multitude of fresh flowers. 

Orchids, carnations, roses, peonies, lilies, you name it, they’re here. You can’t help but go around smelling every flower, the scent sweet to your nose. 

Soon you find yourself in the garden's center, where a sleek steel bench sits. 

You sit down, admiring the surrounding scenery.

  “I see you’ve found my favorite spot.”

There’s that aggravating voice, the last thing you wanted to hear this morning. 

“Is it?” You ask. “I wouldn’t expect you to be the type to like flowers.”

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me, pretty girl. I’d love to change that.” Heeseung says, sitting next to you on the bench. 

“I don’t desire to know anything about you.” 

You turn your face away from him, but his swift fingers reach for your chin, pulling you to face him. 

“But I desire to know everything about you.”

His hand is icy, to where a chill runs down your spine. 

You refuse to let him influence you. 

“What? Are you obsessed with me or something?”

  Heeseung chuckles, and his fangs, long and sharp, make their presence known. You think about those things biting you. Would it hurt? Would it leave a bruise? You fear you’ll be finding out the answer to that soon enough. 

“You could say that. Or you could say I’m fascinated with you. I have been since the day I knew we were betrothed.”

  You’re confused, “We only met yesterday. How could you be fascinated with someone you didn’t know?”

  “Because I can feel it, the connection we have. I’ve been able to feel it since day one. You may not know this, but vampires can remember every day of our lives, even our birth. As I’ve grown older, the feeling has grown stronger. It feels as if it’s going to burst out of my chest. You and I are meant for each other. The universe decided that for us. Who am I to disobey it?”

  You take Heeseung’s hand and pull it away from your face, “If you think for one second I’m going to believe this universe bullshit, you’re dead wrong!” 

  Heeseung frowns, “Why don’t you understand? The prophecy—”

“Forget the prophecy, Heeseung!” You shout, standing abruptly. “You can believe in that all you want, but that doesn’t mean I have to. I’m not doing this because the prophecy said so. I’m certainly not doing it because I love you. It’s solely for relations.” 

  For the first time, you see a flash of hurt graze Heeseung’s dark eyes. After a long, quiet minute, Heeseung leaves the garden. 

You’re relieved he’s finally gone, yet you can’t help but think you’ve gone too far. 

Insulting their prophecy probably wasn’t a good idea. 

You go inside, hoping to find Heeseung and apologize, but he’s nowhere to be found. 

You sigh in defeat. Hopefully, he’s not too angry. As much as he’s bothersome, you’re scared to think about him being angry. 

  Making your way to Heeseung’s room, you’re curious. You haven’t seen it and don’t know what to expect. You knock hesitantly but receive no answer. Taking a deep breath, you open the door. It squeals as it opens, and the darkness of his room greets you. 

It’s as if there's no one living in it.

You take small steps inside, leaving the door open to allow some light to shine in. 

“Heeseung,” you call. No answer. 

“What are you doing?”

The scream that leaves your mouth could wake the dead. You turn around to Heeseung standing over you. Your hand grabs your chest, trying to calm your racing heart. 

“I came… to apologize for earlier. I shouldn’t have insulted your prophecy. It’s important to you and your family, and I shouldn’t disrespect it. I’m sorry.”

  In the darkness, you can barely make out Heeseung's silhouette, and yet you can feel the smirk slowly rise on his face. “I knew you couldn’t resist me, pretty girl.”

You scoff, “And now you ruined it, goodbye.”

  “Wait!” He grabs your arm, preventing you from leaving, and suddenly, the room is flooded with light. Your eyes squint at the brightness, then widen in shock. “How did you do that?”

“I have telekinesis,” Heeseung shrugs like it’s so casual. Well, it is, for him, at least. 

Heeseung grabs your attention by placing his arm around your waist, the other hand coming up to gently cup your face. 

“What are you doing?”

“I’m trying to convince you to give me a chance. Let me show you how good I can be, how good we could be. I’ll beg on my knees if I have to.”

Then, he’s on his knees, holding your hands in his. 

“Please,” he pleads. “Give me a chance.”

  You feel a tug at your heartstrings. The way he’s pleading makes your legs feel weak. 

“Fine, I’ll give you a chance.”

A smile erupts on Heeseung’s face, and he stands before pulling you in for a tight hug. 

His embrace is warm, despite usually being cold. 

You slowly wrap your arms around his waist, prolonging the hug.

Heeseung finally lets you go, “You won’t regret this, I promise.” 

  You don’t hear from Heeseung for the rest of the day. You have no idea what he’s up to, but you hope you haven’t made a mistake.

The next day, you’re awoken by a gentle knocking on your door. 

You tell them to come in, and it’s Heeseung. 

“Good morning, pretty girl. I have something planned for today, so wash up and meet me downstairs by the entrance.”

He exits, leaving you wondering. 

You don’t want to keep him waiting, so you get out of bed and run to the bathroom. 

After washing up, you pick out one of your favorite dresses to wear. 

  You rush downstairs but compose yourself before you reach the entrance. 

Heeseung is there waiting for you. 

He offers you his hand, and you take it. 

“So what are we doing?” You ask.

“You’ll see,” he smirks but doesn’t reveal the plan. 

  Once outside, you see a horse standing with some guards. 

Its coat is a pristine, long mane flowing in the wind. 

“Beautiful,” you whisper, carefully approaching it. 

Reaching a handout, the horse sniffs you before letting out a loud whine. 

“He likes you,” Heeseung says, petting his mane.

“What’s his name?”

“Casper.”

Heeseung suddenly mounts Casper, holding his hand out for you.

Your eyes widen, “Wait, what?”

“Come on!” Heeseung urges you. 

You have to admit, you’ve only mounted a horse once before in your life. 

You take Heeseung’s hand, put your foot in the stirrup, and he pulls you up. 

“Hold on to me.”

You oblige, putting your arms around his waist and resting your head on his back. 

Heeseung smiles as he feels you. He doesn’t know how he’s gotten so lucky to have such a beautiful bride. He has to impress you.

  At Heeseung’s command, Casper trots.

You make your way out of the castle gates and begin your descent. 

The townspeople greet you both as you come through.

Heeseung leads you deep into the woods, far away from any people. 

After about 10 minutes, you finally stop. 

In front of you is a rock wall with vines hanging on it. 

“What are we doing in front of a wall?”

Heeseung chuckles at your cuteness before pulling back the vines, revealing an opening in the wall.

You walk through it and are amazed.

Inside is a small field surrounded by beautiful trees and flowers.

There’s a creek with crystal clear water running through it and a blanket in the middle.

  “Heeseung, it's beautiful,” you gasp.

He leads you to the blanket, and you both sit down.

“I figured if we’re going to get to know each other better, it should be somewhere special.”

“This place is special,” you say, looking above you. The sky is visible, and the clouds are big and beautiful. “Tell me about you, not just what you said at dinner last night. I want to know everything about you. Your childhood, what you like, what you dislike, everything.” Heeseung doesn't take his eyes off you.

If you're genuinely going to give him a chance, you feel he deserves the truth. Not lies or uncertainty. 

So you spill your guts.

  Heeseung pays close attention, eyes never leaving yours. He gives the occasional hum or nod, but other than that is silent.

“You’re so beautiful,” he says.

You can feel the heat rising to your cheeks.

“You’re not so bad yourself.”

  You turn to face Heeseung, “So, it’s your turn. Tell me all about you.”

“Well, I love music. It's something I've enjoyed since I was young. I play the guitar and piano, and if I'm not in my room, I'm usually in our music room.”

  “You’ll have to play for me sometime,” you say, lying on the blanket.

Heeseung follows and lies down beside you.

As you stare at the sky above you, you think, maybe this arrangement isn't so bad.

The next day Heeseung took you on a picnic. Sure, it was in the garden, but it was still romantic.

What you didn’t know before is how funny he is.

He had you laughing so hard, your stomach hurt.

You told him if he wasn’t a prince, he could make a living as a comedian.

He showed you his musical skills.

He’s like a prodigy. Not only is he a master at guitar and piano, but he can also sing.

  When he sang for you, your ears nearly melted.

His voice is like honey, caressing you from the inside out.

Your praises made his cheeks flush, a shy smile gracing his lips.

Later that same day, he took you to a festival in the kingdom.

Everyone was amazed by how good you two looked together.

They cheered for you, their future princess.

  Today, you and Heeseung find yourselves in your room. You're both lying on your bed, and you're reading to him.

It’s a fantasy book about a maiden who falls in love with someone forbidden from being with her.

“I'd hate to be forbidden from you. It’s only been a few days, but I can’t live without you.”

Heeseung’s words make your heart flutter.

“I've gotten used to you too. You're not what I expected. Your kingdom isn't what I expected, but I’m glad I was wrong.” 

  Heeseung doesn’t say anything else, so you continue reading. By the end of the book, the maiden and her lover can be together, and their people rejoice in harmony.

“That was a nice ending,” Heeseung slurs beside you. Looking at him, his eyes are closed, and he’s breathing slowly.

He must have been tired, you think to yourself.

Putting the book time, you figure you could take a nap yourself.

You lay beside him and close your eyes.

  When you awaken, Heeseung is gone, but there’s a sticky note on your forehead.

I had a nice nap. Thanks for keeping me warm - Heeseung.

You chuckle as he runs through your mind.

You went from hating him to taking naps with him within two days.

Maybe you’re weak, but this has been the best couple of days of your life.

You never realized how lonely you were until you started spending all this time with Heeseung.

  You admit you didn’t have many friends growing up. Kids stayed away from you because of your status, or they were only your “friend” to get something from you.

You never had a real friend or more than that. 

Now you have a real friend, or rather fiancé, who seems to be in love with you, although you haven’t done anything to deserve it.

  You regret how you initially treated Heeseung, but you’re looking forward to your future together; however that may look.

  The next day, you wake up to a wonderful smell.

Opening your eyes, in front of you is a whole breakfast platter: pancakes, bacon, eggs, and orange juice.

Heeseung sits at the edge of your bed, watching your reaction.

“Good morning, beautiful.”

“Good morning,” you say as you start digging in.

“I love watching you eat,” Heeseung says, coming to sit next to you.

You offer him some pancake on your fork, and he accepts it eagerly.

“I have to compliment your chef, seriously.”

  After your astounding breakfast, you and Heeseung decide to walk in the field behind the castle.

Heeseung takes the opportunity to slip his hand into yours. You don't hesitate to intertwine your fingers.

  Later, during dinner, the queen asks you how you and Heeseung are progressing. 

“We’re getting along great. Heeseung is a pleasure.”

This time when Heeseung places his hand on your thigh, you put yours on top to hold his hand.

  Throughout the next couple of days, you and Heessung spend every minute together.

You find yourself falling harder for him every day.

Quickly your wedding day approaches, and your nerves are starting to get to you.

  Heeseung has never mentioned biting you. But one day, in the library, you read a book about vampires and their betrothed. It was tradition for a vampire to bite their betrothed on their wedding day as a sign of bonding the souls together.

You didn't know if that tradition still held, but you’ll find out eventually.

You wonder what a bite feels like. Will it hurt? Are you going to feel weakness from it? The thought almost excites you. Heeseung biting you would symbolize you as his. 

  You want to ask him, but you fear it will be awkward.

Still, you feel like you have to know. To at least prepare yourself beforehand.

You and Heeseung are in the music room, and he's singing to you.

Suddenly, he stops.

“What's wrong?” He asks.

“Are you going to bite me at any point? I read about tradition in the library and wanted to know if it still applies.”

Heeseung’s eyes widened for a second before returning to normal.

He coughed awkwardly before answering, “Yes, it's tradition. But we don't have to if you're not comfortable.”

  “Can you bite me now?”

Heeseung freezes in his seat. You can hear how heavily he starts breathing.

He clears his throat, “Why?”

“Because,” you say, coming to sit next to him. “I wanna know what it feels like. And I trust you. But if you can't, it’s okay.”

“I can,” he stutters. “I just don't want to hurt you.”

“I trust you, Heeseung. I know you won't hurt me.”

  Heeseuny nods, taking your hand into his. He leads you to his room, where you're entirely alone.

“Are you sure about this? It'll probably sting, but it shouldn't hurt that much.” 

You nod, moving your hair away from your neck.

Heeseung moves his head down right in front of your neck.

You hear him breathing in and out.

“You smell good. Always have.”

  He takes your hands in his. “I'm gonna do it.”

Then he bites down. 

There's a searing pain that only lasts for a second before a calming feeling replaces it.

You can hear your blood flowing from your neck into Heeseung’s mouth. 

Then it starts to feel good. 

You feel as if you're in a trance.

The room starts to spin, and you feel Heeseung stop.

“Are you okay?”

You nod, coming back to your senses. “It felt nice.”

“Good.”

  You lead Heeseung to his bed, sitting on the edge.

“Thank you, now I know what to expect.”

“It'll be different on our wedding day. You have probably already read about it. We must perform a ritual. If you're okay with that.”

“I know,” you answer.

  “Heeseung, it feels like so much has changed in my life so quickly. But you're at the base of that, and I feel like everything is right. Like everything is going the way it should. It changed quickly from how it was my first day here, but I don't regret anything.” 

  You put your arm around his neck, playing with the hair on the back of his neck.

You can feel his shiver.

“Is this you admitting you have feelings for me?”

The smug look on his face makes you want to slap it off him.

Maybe your past mean side is still alive a little bit. 

“And if it was?”

Before he knows it, you're pulling Heeseung towards you and planting a fat kiss on his cheek. 

His face turns bright red, hand brushing where your lips just were.

  “You can't do that,” he whines. “I'm sensitive.”

“Well, I did.”

Heeseung lunges forward abruptly, planting his lips on yours. 

When he pulls back, it's your turn to blush.

“Do it again, properly this time.” You say.

  Heeseung leans forward, as do you.

When your lips meet, it tingles.

The kiss is soft and passionate. 

It feels as if you’re on cloud nine.

You can smell Heeseung’s cologne as he pulls you closer.

You place your other arm around his neck, smiling into the kiss.

As you both pull away, breathing heavily, you place one last peck on his lips.

“That was amazing.” He says, pushing a strand of your hair back.

You hum in agreement.

“It’s late. We should both go to sleep.” 

  Heeseung agrees, and you wish each other good night.

Back in your room, you feel butterflies in your stomach.

You grab the closest pillow and shove it in your face, squealing and kicking your feet.

  The next few days leading up to the wedding are spent with last-minute preparations.

The day of, your heart feels like it will beat out of your chest. 

A custom, handmade dress crafted from the finest fabrics cascades down your body.

Your mother is in the room with you, your father outside, ready to walk you down the aisle. 

Once you step out, everyone's eyes turn to you.

You see your family members on one side and Heeseung’s family and friends on the other.

You see his friends from other kingdoms, six nice boys you consider your friends now.

They're all smiling at you, and you smile back brightly.

  You finally look at Heeseung, and his eyes are trained on you. They don't leave yours for a second.

You smile shyly, and his serious face dissipates. 

You make it down the aisle, and your face goes to sit down.

“We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of Lee Heeseung and Y/L/N Y/N.

These two have been betrothed to one another since birth, and today we finally see them become one.

If anyone objects to this marriage, speak now or forever hold your peace.”

Silence.

“Good. Now we will hear the vows prepared by both parties. Heeseung, you shall go first.”

  Heeseung clears his throat, “Y/N, from a young age, I felt our connection. Not just because of the prophecy but because of our hearts. I am honored to be your husband. To protect you, to serve you, to give my life to make you happy. I will never hurt you, betray you or disrespect you. I promise to love you and give you the life you deserve.”

  You can feel tears prick your eyes as he finishes.

“Now, Y/N, it's your turn.”

“Heeseung, when I first came here, I resented you. I thought my life was being taken from me, but I was wrong. In the past two weeks, you have shown me nothing but love, caring, and what a wonderful life I will have here with you. I promise to give you all my love, respect, and care. I will never let you feel neglected or unimportant. You will always be my priority.”

  “Now, for the bonding ritual.” The officiant holds a large blade, one that was handcrafted thousands of years ago by the first king.

He then holds up the ancient prophecy, where the Lee symbol appears prominent.

The mingling of blood is a sacred part of the Lee clan and tradition.

Heeseung puts his hands around your neck, and you anticipate the bite.

It feels just as it did the first time, a sting, then bliss.

When Heeseung retreats, you palm the blood dripping down your neck.

Heeseung slices his palm with the blade, and you bring your hands together to mix the blood. 

Then, on the prophecy, you both mark it with your handprints, sealing your fate and bonding your souls together.

Heeseung takes a towel to clean your neck while you wrap his hand.

“You souls are now bonded and forever one. To the new generation of Lee!” The officiant concludes.

Standing up, everyone cheers. 

Heeseung pulls your face towards his, kissing you slowly. 

The cheers become louder as you part.

  Everyone comes up to congratulate you.

You hug your parents tightly while Heeseung hugs his.

Your friends come up, hugging you individually, and then run to Heeseung and give him multiple pats on the back. 

The ceremony afterward is full of love and laughter. Your favorite music plays as you and Heeseung cut the cake.

It's delicious red velvet with cream cheese frosting.

You can't help but smother Heeseung’s cheek in frosting as he looks at you offended.

You scream as he does it back to both your cheeks.

Once cleaned up, you head outside to the palace balcony, where the kingdom is gathered.

  They cheer as you both walk out, chanting your names.

You give them all your biggest smile and wave eagerly.

You hear someone calling you, and as you look down, you spot Ara. 

You wave at her diligently before making your way down.

She runs to you as the kingdom coos.

You pick her up and swing her around, settling her in your arms.

“You look so beautiful, Y/N,” she says.

“Thank you, Ara.”

She looks to Heeseung. “Take good care of her, please.”

You both laugh, “I will, Ara.” Heeseung replies.

  You're being handed gifts left and right by the people who you thank diligently.

The rest of your evening is spent with your friends, family, and the kingdom.

When everyone has left, it's just you and Heeseung.

“You're my wife…pinch me.”

So you do, pinching his butt.

He yelps before sighing, “I didn't mean it literally.”

Before you can react, he's attacking you with tickles, pokes, and prodding. 

You try not to scream as it's late but can't help the squeals that leave your mouth. 

  You both arrive at your door and as Heeseung goes to kiss you goodnight, you stop him.

“Why don't you get some pajamas and spend the night with me?”

You've never seen Heeseung move so quickly.

He's back within record time, and you spend the rest of the night together.

  Waking up next to Heeseung is blissful. 

You watch his handsome face as he sleeps. This man is your husband. 

You stroke his face gently, stirring him awake.

“Good morning,” his raspy voice says. 

“Morning, husband.”

He smiles, “Say it again.”

“Good morning, husband.”

  He wraps his arms around you, “I'll never get tired of hearing that.”

“Good, 'cause I’ll never stop saying it.”

“You're mine, and I’m yours. I couldn't ask for anything more.” Heeseung pecks your lips once, twice, thrice.

You take his hand in yours, “Now we get to spend the rest of our lives together.”

“I can't wait. Let the fun begin.”

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

and that’s it! this is the longest thing i’ve ever written (so far) so here’s to more in the future!

taglist: @chiiiiiiiiis @seungjiseyo @yohanabanana @yenqa @woongkification @lovekyr @autumn-lv @urszn

perm taglist: @escapetheash @vatterie

[kae-eee]

Also also Daring and Apple relationship has a lot a lot of different factors, in Dragon Games Darling is one of them and they didn't acknowledge that. They moved to fast from them because they are a lot of factors to consider why Daring and Apple acted like they did.

Mainly I think it was because Apple was raised by Snow White and because she's a girl with a defined destiny, she's an only child there is no one else who can take over the destiny of her mother and her destiny is one of the most important.

But then there's Daring, and Daring does have siblings, he has one brother and one sister also they're Charmings and that changes things differently because Charmings don't have a predetermined destiny and they were raised by the horrible idiot King Charming.

They choose Daring because he's the older brother but what assures us that the older brother inherits that destiny? I don't think they could know for sure that it would be Daring. And also, what assures us that Daring is the older brother? I love theories where Darling is actually the older sister but no ones know just King and Queen Charming.

Idk about Apple father so idk if whatever he did affects Apple or not, I've never thought about him in my life.

This is such an interesting topic.

yall im getting so many asks today (two) im famous

i think of their parents as shitty corporate minded people who pretty much treat apple and darings relationship as a business transaction. i also misread part of that as “Darings the older sister” and thought “trans daring for the win!!”

but yea i really do love how the charming have no set destiny, and no other princess in ever after has one specific prince thought to be their “true love”, so the fact that they assumed it was daring, even in world is a gamble. tysm for the ask!

[ramonahblog]

Fighting the urge to write an Epic Winter rewrite because damn, they had an opportunity and flubbed it by making Daring the beast instead of Rosabella but I don't want to deal with the whole...Epic Winter thing.

Wait, hear me out.

Rosabella gives me big "I know best" energy which is typical for teenage activists but easily leads to talking over and ignoring the people one claims to fight for as well prioritising stuff that...doesn't matter or is very minor.

First off, let's get rid of the aura-thing. Or rather, Rosabella can still see auras but she's mistaken in that it reveals the true character. I'm thinking it's really more of a reliable mood ring but not to fuss on what it actually is. Only that it can't be true-character-reveal thing. I get where it was getting at but no. Unless it does but Rosabella is misinterpreting the meanings? IDK, I just dislike the whole aura-thing as it is with her.

Rosabella, in her attempt to fulfill her mother's destiny, assumes Daring will become a beast because she hyper-focuses on Daring's self-absorbed traits to the point she ignores the times Daring is sincere and caring. She also ignores the fact she isn't close to Daring so she doesn't really know him.

In her attempts to "fix" Daring before he turns into a Beast, she (accidentally!) keeps interfering with his genuine kind moments because he's still Daring about it so she doesn't see them for what they are. He doesn't do them like she does. She's a teenager who has been told she'd be the next Beauty of Beauty and the Beast in an universe that is very There is Only One Right Way To Do Things.

And she's the next Beauty, so she can't be wrong about Daring being beastly, can she? She's the next Beauty, so she's helping, isn't she? She's helping and she's right and she helped keep Rugsy in school and made sure people know ogres just wanted to live their life so she can't be wrong, she can't be.

After all, she's the next Beauty and Daring is obviously her beast so she's helping him. She can't be wrong.

Wakes up one day and oh oops, she's now a beast?

This also fixes the fact that Daring had arcs in Lizzie's Date (deliberately humiliating himself to keep his promise to Lizzie) and Thronecoming that Epic Winter backpedals in a way that doesn't make sense.

This leaves a few possibility in regards to Rosabella's "Beauty".

Daring, who has also recently discovered the destiny he was raised and groomed for isn't his, could be someone that empathises with how Rosabella would feel being blindsided. This would show her that just because Daring's method of kindness isn't the same as hers doesn't mean it's no longer kind. And that it's normal for people to have flaws.

Plus the fact the Daring wait from cowering from his Beastly form to checking himself out in just a matter of words...I'm just saying, no one does that unless a part of them already was, you know?

Whether this is platonic or Daring is her beauty (which part of me is tickled at the idea of a kindhearted but vain beauty) or he is her Beauty but platonically is whatever to me.

There's few downsides to making Daring be this character.

First is Daring's been raised from birth to rescue damsels-in-distress. Granted, Epic Winter is set right after Dragon Games so a Daring choosing to comfort Rosabella is still a choice he would have to make. And have to make at his lowest, (and possibly most humiliated) point.

He's also now aimless, his entire purpose was not his purpose. So the whole thing of what had turned Rosabella into a beast could easily get lost.

I suppose this could be upsides depending on the writer but, for me, this is a downside.

The other downside is that Beauty and the Beast seems to be one of the (or only?) few fairytales in EAH where the girl has to rescue the guy has an expected role to play. By having Daring become "beauty", it kinda flips that to an unexpected but still expected role.

The other possibility:

Cerise.

Hear me out (again).

What better way to say Grimm (and EA in general) insistence of by-the-book follow is wrong than have the character The Rules insistent shouldn't exist and is an abomination for existing be Beauty? Someone whose existence has Hood Hollow vying for her banishment to the point they loophole the whole "banishment has to be unanimous" rule they apparently had.

Which gives me so many questions but is irrelevant to this particular post right now.

Having Cerise, who entire existence is pretty much summed up to "You Should Not Exist" and shies away from people because of it, because she's not meant to exist be the one to comfort and help Rosabella is great.

There's also the fact that it would be more of...a difficult* choice for Cerise to be search out Rosabella and help her than Daring as Daring would at least have his hero training to fall back on even while he's at his lowest point.

That and Epic Winter did have Cerise be the only one to react positively** to Daring's beast form during his Daring Walk. So you know, there's that.

If I do write this, I'm probably going to go with Cerise as Beauty simply because I adore how much of a "screw you" it would be to the whole Destiny&Legacy thing that EAH (in-universe) pushes.

IDK if I will write it. I just wanted to put this out here in case it tickles anyone else's brain and they want to write it or whatever creative form they like.

**Epic Winter AU where Daring turns around and sees Cerise checking him out. I have no further thoughts.

[igglemouse]

Monday morning starts shitty because it starts with my shitty breakfast. Yogurt. Which is fine, really, but in the end it's just mush with flavor, isn't it?

Flavorful mush. Sorry for the language, I really am, but there just isn't much going on over here. I feel bad for inviting you into my life.

I don't want this to always be about how crappy my life is because that's not fun but...my life does suck? You'd think someone with magical abilities would have a few more adventures to talk about but as I've mentioned, I'm pretty much banned from practicing my magic thanks to my parents which leaves me almost completely alone. Almost.

I spend a morning or two in my shower contemplating my loneliness. It helps. I think.

I'm not going to just sit at home and mope all day although I guess I could. Whose stopping me?

Either way, I pull myself outside and back to the buffs, the shore of the buffs at least, and just enjoy a mildly chilly day.

My friend texts me, wondering if I want to meet up and I let her know sure but later because I do have a few things I want to get done...

Which is more collecting. Oh? You thought it would be something interesting?

So off I go...collecting metals, herbs, fruits, whatever. You never know when you might need something for a spell. I think?

I want to teach myself. I'm not allowed to be taught in the realm but no one is stopping me from teaching myself and my standards are not high. I'd be content with just a minor spell to tie my shoes, to be honest. Just anything to remind me of my heritage.

But I did not come to the bluffs just to collect rocks and plants...

Once again I was drawn to the castle of Chevalier but this time I had gathered the courage to enter, or rather, something had invited me inside. After all, the gate to the wide double was left open, daring curious visitors like myself.

The doors were unlocked, in fact, a gentle nudge welcomed me into its walls and a few more steps had me deep into what I could assume was a foyer of sorts.

If this is a place long abandoned then I must wonder why its candles are lit and why its floors are clean and yet if someone lives here why would they leave the doors unlocked? Either way, the warm glow of candlelight is appreciated although it's clear to me that someone lives here. Perhaps they are not here right now? On vacation?

My curiosity pushes me forward, deeper and deeper into the castle, moving as softly as possible because with every passing second I realize that I am trespassing. Some flittering thought through my mind, a warning really, nagging at me to turn around, to go home, there is nothing to be found here but trouble and danger and yet I push on.

Into a room, down a ladder, and into a larger chamber. The castle is cleaned here too. Not a speck of dust or a smudge of dirt. Whoever lives here or maintains this place must have an entire team of maids.

I'm eager to learn more and I am just as eager, for whatever reason, to meet the owner of this place...

But as I take another step into this peculiar estate another warning flashes through my head. Except this time the voice doesn't belong to me, that I am sure, and its message is clear.

"Leave."

Message sent, message received. I'm out of here.

So it was back home for me which meant back to my jewelry. There is a such thing as too much adventure after all.

For today I'm working on a bracelet and hoping to sell it because I do need the simoleons. I really, REALLY, need the simoleons.

Eventually I finish a rather poorly made bracelet and before I can despair about my pitiful situation my friend stops by.

Triple V, is what I call her, and that stands for Valerie Van Villet.

Valerie and I have a lot of common as we've grown up together and she's basically my best friend but our shared destiny is because her parents also practiced the dark arts which of course means she's also been expelled from the realm.

Usually, we don't talk about magic, but the topic of the castle has popped up since I could not help but mention my little exploration trip.

"What do you think's there?" I ask her because she knows a lot more about this stuff than I do. She has taught herself well, she's no master, of course, but she knows a few spells. All self-taught.

"Definitely a vampire," she is sure, as if it was is as obvious as 1+1=2. "Nosferatu, as they are called."

"Here?" My question is because it is well known that vampires are close to extinct. That's another story for another day. Maybe. "In such a castle-"

"It's Cyril," she says again, her confidence clear. "I-I'd stay away from him. I believe there's some pact amongst the magic council to leave him be for what he did in the great war but...last I've heard is he's been resting...if he fully wakes-"

"Vee, that place is maintained. No dust, no spiders, if Cyril is-"

"Likely some cleaning service that's hired for the place. I'm sure Cyril has someone take care of the place..."

Well, I'm sure she's right. She has more connections with this kind of stuff than I. She's also right that it wouldn't be a good idea to run into him there. Vampires are said to wake up with a terrible thirst after all. My family has a long and quite troubled history with their kind as well...

"There is power in their blood, you know," Vee finishes my thoughts. She does this a lot. I sometimes wonder if she's plucking them from my mind.

"Yes, I know..." and that word lingers. My mother, she had used the power of blood, a dark art for certain, to gain more power. Human blood, while powerful, paled in comparison to that of vampires at least when it comes to certain rituals.

"Do you ever think that using dark magic makes you evil?" She asks, this is a question I can tell she has thought some time about and one that I need to consider a bit more before answering and so my reply is simple.

"Dunno," okay, really simple.

"Yeah," she takes a deep breath. "All our lives we've been told our parents were horrible people but-"

"Vee, my mother hunted vampires to extinction and regularly sacrificed the blood of innocents, vampire or no, for her rituals," I clarify, a little firmly.

"Yes but-"

"My father manipulated physics just to rule over the Realm and he killed other spellcasters, anyone who questioned him."

"My father wasn't so bad..." was her response, a correct response. Her dad was caught up in it, guilt by association really because he had no idea that teaching my mother blood magic would make her insane or maybe it was her lack of sanity that sought out such a magic? Chicken or egg thing, I guess.

"Either way, they are the dark arts for a reason, aren't they?"

"Yea..."

It was good that Vee left shortly after because I worry about her sometimes. I worry about what she might be teaching herself, especially with the sort of questions she likes to ask.

It's likely nothing though, she's a good friend and a good person and a curious soul. So much of our families legacy has been denied to us as well, I don't blame her for wanting to claim at least pinch of it...

Episode List - Next

[ever-after-portal]

Charming Headcanons Pt.1

Earnest Charming

He's a senior at Ever After High, so he already signed the book.

He's supposed to be Prince Charming in The Little Mermaid, the opposite of what his father told him.

Like Daring, he had his whole life set up for him. He knew who he was supposed to be, and he was in tune with it.

He is three years older than Elegant and five years older than Errant, making him the oldest sibling and one of the oldest cousins of the Charming clan.

He's at the top of most classes, including Heroics, but could do better with alchemy.

Allergic to goose down feathers, a shame his mother loves to use them as throw pillows.

His father had him believe he would play a role in Beauty and the Beast. He was raised to become the Beast.

His roommate is Alfonse LeFleur, who his father chose so Earnest could hone his destiny and become the greatest.

Like Daring, he is also pressured to make the Charming family proud.

At home during the summer, Earnest sneaks into the stables to take care of his horse, Sir Lancelot, as it gives him time to think and slow down.

Elegant Charming

She has only ever known to sit still and look pretty while waiting for a prince. But she doesn't hate it.

She trusts the life path her parents chose for her and has no qualms about it. She would rather go with the flow than cause trouble going against the grain, as long as her family is happy then she is happy.

Elegant, being not only a girl but the middle child, is often overlooked compared to her brothers, which has aided her mindset.

Like Apple and Raven, she's a sophomore at Ever After High but hides away in the shadows. "A princess is to be seen and not heard," her father says.

She disagrees with Darling, going against the grain and causing more trouble for herself, but she won't say anything about it. Instead, she tags along to ensure Darling is okay, but definitely not because she also wants to get out of those stuffy gowns.

In the winter, Elegant likes to bake cookies for her family. Specifically her parents and her brothers.

She thinks she's better than everyone else. While her cousins complain and whine, she's mastered staying silent.

She screams into her pillows at night.

When her parents focus more on her older brother, she is left to care for Errant because they "can't be bothered" to look after their second son.

Errant Charming

He is the most outgoing kid at his elementary school. Everyone there knows his name.

When his sister puts little notes in his lunches, he stashes them all in a collection hidden under his bed; when he's sad, he rereads them all to feel better.

He knows when Earnest lets him win while they're playing swords, but he doesn't say anything because he knows it makes his brother happy to assume that Errant thinks he's winning.

Errant doesn't care about legacies. His sister inadvertently taught him that.

Most of his friends in elementary school are girls. The boys in his class are bigger and stronger than him and sometimes pick on him. His mother incessantly teases him about his friends.

When he has a nightmare, he runs to Earnest's room and wakes him up, much to his brother's dismay. Then Elegant and Earnest sneak into the kitchen with him to make hot cocoa.

Sometimes, at the Charming Family Ball, Errant wants to sit with his sister and wait to be rescued; running around all day gets tiring, and he can't keep up with his cousins, especially Daring.

Errant once did a family tree project for school. He wrote an optional paper in which he talked about his brother and sister for two pages. But he'll never show it to them because he's embarrassed.

[rockstrais]

What are your favorite aspects of Emerald & Mercury’s relationship?

this is a very broad question…. my gosh where do I begin?

I’ll start with how they didn’t choose each other each other by their own accord. emerald initially vetoed against mercury joining their party. it took them a while to actually accept the other’s very existence. em asks merc why he joins them. he says it was fate. cinder and her show up looking for his father the night he killed him? what else could that be except destiny. as we know, destiny & fate are heavy theme in rwby. the characters have to spend time challenging their ideas of that. we see that with pyrrha, ruby, weiss etc… but the thing is whether they were fated to meet… mercury and emerald subconsciously choose one other—despite their own protests. they’re the only people their age (literal seventeen year olds at the beginning of the show) they are each other’s first friends—and perhaps first loves(?) (wishful thinking on my part)

i also enjoy the symbolism around them. they foil and compliment each other nicely.

emerald is the gemstone of the planet mercury! in her concept art for v2, she’s seen wearing gold (linking her to cinder) jewelry. it’s later changed to silver (linking her to mercury).

emerald also has light/day symbolism! and mercury also has night/dark symbolism. every blocking of each scene they are in together has emerald in the light, representing how she’s always been morally good; and mercury teetering into the dark, representing how he keeps getting swept toward morally bad people. figures since he’s named mercury. he’s gonna be the one who is more morally grey than his peer. (haha, get it?) but as we see, emerald will get him to face the light.

their struggles also foil each other too. she projects a pseudo sister-mother relationship onto cinder, since she lacks that familial connection. she yearns for love above all else. it’s why she joined and stayed with cinder for so long. his father raised him to be killing-machine. to be the best of the best in his craft. of course he was never enough. (insert silver medal joke here) mercury craves respect above all else. it’s why he joined cinder. it’s why he accepted salem’s hasty promotion. he wants to be taken seriously very, very badly.

though unknowingly to both of them—they have what they want already!

mercury loves emerald unconditionally as she so desperately desires, you can see he cares for her. He might not show it in the best ways possible all the time, but he does. what is love if not wanting to crack a joke in front of the cute girl you barely know who’s now your partner in crime any chance you get? what is love if not trying to convince your best friend (though you’d never admit it aloud because your dad called it a weakness) to let go of the woman who is not a mother or sister to her whatsoever? what is love if not protecting the only person you give a damn about from some weird freak of a grown man who keeps threatening her?

emerald respects—dare i say admires—mercury as he badly craves. what is respect if not immediately going to apologize for upsetting him when he brought up his terrible childhood and abusive father because you assumed he didn’t know what it’s like to have such love for a parental figure (one who constantly failed you, not that you can admit it)? what is respect if not immediately trusting him with new information you overhead from a prisoner? over your mentor who just returned from the dead mind you. like, of all people, why is he, the boy you didn’t want, your first choice? if you don’t respect him why do you use his fighting style to escape a sticky situation and his favorite snarky insults? if that’s not respect, then do tell me what is?

and notice how i never said mercury wants love—like yes, he does. but not over respect. he wasn’t raised to need love. to be honest, he never makes a huge point about wanting because he already knows what it is. he learned it from emerald; her respect is her love. which is why he is trying to reciprocate that in the only ways he knows how. emerald doesn’t think her respect is love. her respect for cinder is more unwavering, unhealthy devotion. that’s not love. it’s one-sided. her begrudging obligation to give a damn about mercury has sprung into something much more.

both of them are too stubborn to realize it, but they’re getting and giving what they ask for. once they eventually—oh i can’t wait to see the epiphanies and developments that come from that!

anyways this was very long, sorry. you can see that i’m clearly passionate between these two!

[imaginmatrix]

Prompt: Moonlight

I have no clue where the short that this one word prompt inspired came from, but I hope you enjoy

Percy’s mother used to say there was magic in the light of the moon. She said the silver rays could carry any number of impossible things from the stars to the earth; strange beings and mysterious items and concepts like fate and destiny would ride those gossamer bands like a tidal wave to shift the mundane to wondrous.

And then, of course, Percy got older and learned that the moon merely reflected the light of the sun, and was little more than a barren rock doomed to encircle the earth however gravity dictated until the day an asteroid collided a bit too hard and freed it to the lonely emptiness of space. He wasn’t necessarily a practical guy who dismissed fairytales and children’s stories, but he was a cynic, and his mother’s stories lost much of their shine in the wake of losing her.

She used to joke she might choose to become the moon when she died, so she could watch Percy grow and live even after her story was over. But they both assumed they’d have more time before that happened.

These days, the moon was just a rock, the stars just burning balls of gas, and magic was a lie of his childhood.

“Those things kill, you know.”

Percy’s dark brows raised, his face turning to the blonde girl who criticized his life choices before even having the decency to introduce herself. The roof party behind them was abuzz with life; string lights gave a hazy glow to the young adults lounging on sofas and sipping bottles of some sort of craft beer that tasted like shit but all the hipsters pretended was a divine elixir of craftsmanship.

He was on the outskirts, leaning on the stone wall of the roof, puffing smoke from his cig into the dark and staring at city lights.

And now she was too.

He huffed a laugh through his nose, shaking his head and tugging the cigarette from between his lips, “Pretty sure that’s common knowledge at this point.”

“And yet here you are, turning your lungs to raisins anyway.”

Percy was both annoyed and intrigued, almost impressed at her audacity. He didn’t care much for being scolded; he was an adult. He could make whatever bad decisions he wanted.

But this girl was direct. Plenty of people hated cigarettes, but most would wrinkle their nose and move away, or cough dramatically to make a point without words, or mutter to their friends about the disgusting habit. Not the girl beside him. She walked right up and pointed out the obvious, said what most wouldn’t dare say to a stranger.

Percy could admire that.

“Well?” The girl asked expectantly, as if Percy was supposed to answer a question that was never actually voiced.

“Well what?” He stubbed out the cigarette, leaning away from the girl to toss what was left into the bin nearby.

“Why do you smoke.” She said, as if it were obvious.

Percy shrugged, “I don’t know.”

But he did know.

His mother never smoked a day in her life. Yet cancer made its home in her lungs anyway. So maybe it was to spite the universe for that, or maybe it was to dare it to take him out the same way. Maybe it was just self flagellation for being here when she wasn’t. There was nothing to blame himself for, nothing he could have done to stop her from getting sick, but some sort of guilt gnawed through his chest anyway.

So he dampened that guilt by putting chemicals in his body.

Or maybe he was just an idiot who smoked because he tried it once and got hooked, like every other person who relied on the stuff to get through the day.

“Well you should stop.”

Another incredulous laugh rasped from Percy’s throat, “Never heard that one before.” He finally turned to face the girl properly.

And then something that was neither smoke nor guilt filled his chest.

She was pretty, but Percy had seen pretty before. This was different. This was…

Intense.

There was something in her expression that felt a thousand years old; she was clearly around his age, but her gaze had seen the rise and fall of empires, revolutions, tragedies, and everything that filled the eons between.

But she was just a girl, and Percy was a bad poet, and he swallowed a sudden bitter taste in his mouth as he found words to combat the way she seemed to see right through him.

“Do you usually berate people you’ve just met, or am I special?”

She looked thoughtful, “A bit of both.”

“Yeah?” Percy wished he wasn’t a smoker, just so it would be easier to catch his breath around this girl, “What makes me special, then?”

“You’re in my spot.” She turned back to the city, those eyes shifting from his face and her profile caught the light in a near halo. The sensation of her focus leaving him had Percy desperate to hold it again.

“So you live here?” He leaned beside her, back to the wall so he could better see the slope of her nose and the curve of her lips.

A nod, “It’s my roommate’s party.”

Now an answering brow raise, “I thought it was a housewarming thing?”

“It is.”

“So wouldn’t this technically be your party too?”

Another shrug, but the continued conversation saw that her head turned back to him and Percy felt himself drown in the impossible gravity of her attention once more. “I’m not really a party person.”

“Me neither.” At her pointed look that said ‘but you’re at this one?’ he clarified, “I was dragged along.”

This answer was satisfactory, “You’re Percy then.”

Hearing his name from the lips of a stranger, particularly this stranger, was startling. “Yeah, how’d you know?”

“Because you’re the only person here I don’t recognize, and Charles said you were coming.”

“Right.” A beat. “And you’re…?”

“Annabeth.”

It wasn’t a name Percy had ever heard before, but as soon as she said it, it became one he knew he’d never forget.

Annabeth’s gaze turned out and up again. A silence settled over them.

Percy was frantically searching for something to say, a question, a statement, anything to keep the conversation going, when Annabeth spoke again; “You can’t see the stars.”

It took a moment for his brain to catch up, “…What?”

“Light pollution.” Annabeth nodded to the city, “It hides the stars.”

Percy glanced up, the sky dark and empty while something old and primal tugged at his gut and whispered that it shouldn’t be. “You can see a fair amount in Montauk.”

“I’ve never been.”

“I’ll take you some time.” It slipped out before Percy could consider the fact that inviting a girl he just met to drive outside the city with him to look at stars was weird, but to his relief she smiled.

“I’d like that.” Annabeth fixed him with her gaze once more. And once more it was crushing, and Percy was close enough now to make out the color of her eyes.

Some people might have called them gray, but a word so colorless and boring couldn’t come close to what they were. Silver was the closest, Percy decided. Silver and seeing every little hope, fear, desire, and secret Percy had buried deep down, as if he was laid bare without clothes or even a physical form to hide in.

Percy cleared his throat, “At least you can still see the moon.”

Annabeth didn’t look back to the sky when she said “Not tonight. It’s a new moon.”

Could have fooled Percy, the silver glow of Annabeth’s irises a fine replacement. Even better, as she carried two moons in her eyes, rather than just the one that hung in the sky.

“Ah. Well. Tomorrow then.”

“Mmm.”

Silence again. God. The silence hurt— not a sharp pain, but a dull ache, like the moment between comfort and burning when one held their breath for too long.

And he’d known the girl for less than ten minutes.

But in that time, he had decided to quit smoking, take her to see the stars in Montauk, and let her occupy every corner of his mind for as long as she deigned to stay for.

The numbness that plagued every waking moment for the past 3 years ebbed.

“Do you—“

“I think—“

They spoke at the same time. Annabeth laughed breathlessly, complimenting Percy’s own nervous chuckle.

“You first.” Percy said.

“No, no, you go.”

“I insist.”

Annabeth scrunched up her nose, making freckles Percy hadn’t noticed sharpen. “I think,” she started again, “that I’d like to go inside.”

Percy’s heart sunk, “Oh, uh, yeah, it’s kind of cold.”

Annabeth didn’t move, instead staring at him in a way that had him squirming, thinking there was something he should be doing that he wasn’t.

“…Are we going in, then?”

Percy jolted at the realization that he was invited. “Y-yeah!” He shoved his hands into his pockets, pushing off the wall.

Annabeth rolled her eyes, tucking a curly lock behind her ear as they walked back to the exit. Percy wondered what it would be like to do that, to reach out and brush errant locks from her face.

They stopped at the door to the stairs, and for the first time since they’d met, Annabeth seemed hesitant.

“I don’t… do this often.”

Percy furrowed his brow, “Do what?”

“Invite guys I just met to my bedroom.”

Oh.

His brain short circuited— inside meant inside, bedroom meant bedroom, she’d said inside, she’d meant bedroom, and he…

Holy shit.

Percy licked his lips, mouth suddenly dry and throat working to form a sound, any sound.

“R-right. Yeah. Yeah yeah yeah, me neither— I mean I have, but I don’t usually, it’s not like, a common thing, it’s not a normal weekend occurrence, I don’t go around picking up girls for one night stands and if I did I wouldn’t like, uh, leave it as a one night stand, I mean at least not these days—“ He bit his tongue to make himself shut up, because dear god that was way too much in response to a simple statement.

He’d made poor choices right after his mom died. Percy had never been one for casual: not casual sex, nor casual dating. He wasn’t that guy. He didn’t generally feel attraction unless he knew someone first, gotten to know them, fall in love with them.

But after his only family had died, he grew desperate to feel anything. Even self-loathing.

This… wasn’t that.

Maybe it was the fact that this girl, Annabeth, had no qualms about shaming him for a bad habit. Maybe he was just cold. Maybe it was the loneliness of a party he couldn’t find the strength to be a part of, to try and put on a smile and make friends and drink shitty beer and pretend everything was fine.

Maybe it was the moonlight in Annabeth’s eyes.

Whatever the reason, Percy couldn’t help but want this. Not in the self-destructive way of his past that left him feeling cold and empty. It was something different, it was…

He wasn’t sure.

Annabeth was smiling though, thankfully amused by his rambling rather than weirded out, and she reached a hand to lace their fingers together. “I’ll show you my record collection.” Her eyes drifted up and down Percy’s body in the least subtle way possible. “You look like a guy who likes music.”

Percy’s chuckle was strained, but his shoulders relaxed, “I’ve been known to sometimes enjoy sounds, yeah.”

Annabeth’s laugh made his skin tingle.

Her hand was warm and soft and fit perfectly against his calloused one.

Her eyes shone like the moon his mother loved so much did; they reflected the light in a way that Percy swore defied physics, holding all the things his mother promised moonlight would. Adventure. Magic. Mystery.

A promise of something more.

And as Annabeth blushed and ducked her head when Percy held the door open for her

as she led him down the concrete stairwell to a new apartment and room with lights so warm and comforting, they put those on the roof to shame

as they sat on the floor and looked at records and picked out their favorite songs

as Moon River played on the turntable and Percy met those eyes that held not just the moon, but the stars and sun and planets and entire galaxies

as he reached for her, tucking those blonde curls behind her ear like he’d been itching to, watching her lashes flutter and her breath catch and her cheeks flush with color and her eyes drop to his lips and back up

as they both leaned in

Percy thought that maybe, just maybe

his mom was right about the moon.

[ara270904]

Being fan of Darling AND Daring can be difficult because they're like my babies okay? They're siblings, siblings fight that's okay.

But Daring is not a bad person, please I'm sure he isn't a bad person. And maybe it's the problem I have with some fanfics and maybe that's why I haven't read a fanfic that looks great but one tag says "Daring is not a good person" or something like that and I lost my desire. He isn't bad :(, as an older sister, I myself think that he does love his siblings a lot.

Fighting with your siblings or things like that doesn't always mean you don't love them, I would give my life for my little brother but I still don't want him to grab my charger for his tablet.

And I think in the context of Ever After High a lot of things are the fault of King Charming and Queen Charming's upbringing they gave to their children. Because they raised Daring to believe he was the best and that he could only be the best, while Dexter had to be second best and Darling a helpless princess and that's it.

So it isn't my boy fault, It's like people who defend Apple because she's not bad, it's just that Snow White raised her that way.

So I think the same about the Charming siblings, because who's to say that maybe Daring wanted to have other tastes that his dad wouldn't approve of, and maybe he just did what his dad said because what else was he supposed to do?

King Charming literally molded his children into what he wanted them to be, in a mold. At some point, Darling and maybe Dexter didn't like being in that mold because it wasn't them because maybe they did have other tastes and maybe their parents didn't pay as much attention to them and they could have their own tastes. But maybe the only thing Daring has is that mold, Daring feels that he is that mold because it is everything his father has told him.

And , but as I said before, if Apple can be a lesbian and break out of that mold that she thought defined her, why can't Daring do the same? I think I've said it before but it would be really cool if they had left it as if Daring didn't a destiny meaning that he could have his breakdown and everything and be free from that mold that his father forced him to be.

And I'm saying a lot about that character that I also said I hated but that I realized that all my hatred was unjustified.

But as I said, many of the things that made Apple be and will change and break its mold and blah could also have been had by Daring because it is assumed that both were from the same story and that possibly they were friends but maybe just friends because they spent time together for a long time to prepare to be married and have their happily ever after. Which it seemed like they both wanted because it was the only thing he had apart from bad parents and although in Daring's case he has the twins, his siblings.

And maybe the three siblings were in need of love, but Darling and Dexter were looking for something more genuine and that's why they had few friends and maybe Daring lived on people's approval and that's why he liked to be surrounded by people and that they love him even if it's not real.

And maybe instead of Epic Winter, it would have been cool to see Apple and Darling accept their new destiny, Daring having eight hundred breakdowns because he was only popular for being a Charming, and for supposedly being Apple's prince charming but since he is not, he was no longer as popular or almost not popular at all and that together with what his father would say when he found out would ruin him.

It would also have been nice to see Darling chatting with Daring after she "stole" his destiny that Daring may not have really wanted but was all he had. Dexter could be there to comfort both of his siblings.

And I feel like I haven't done a post this long in a long time but that fanfic I read that didn't feel like Daring to me upset me a little, IT ISN'T HIS FAULT OKAY???? :(((( It's King Charming's fault, I hate him.

And who says no, maybe Daring secretly taught Dexter and Darling how to fight with swords much better and self-defense and those things that they taught him that they didn't teach Darling.

Could this be considered character analysis? Possibly yes.

So yeah, that's for today. Thanks for hearing me or in this case reading what I wrote. The only characters I hate is Snow White (ever after high obviously the Snow White from the Disney movie is my absolute favorite), King Charming and Headmaster Grimm obviously. Yeah

[myonos]

BLOODBAG - PREVIEW

lee heeseung x f!reader

warnings- mentions of blood, suggestive themes, cursing

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in which heeseung is a vampire prince and you are his betrothed, human princess.

wc: 1.2k

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This is your destiny.

You cannot change your destiny.

It chose you for a reason.

These are things you’ve been hearing since the ripe age of 5.

What exactly is your destiny? To become a bloodsucker's personal blood bag.

From the day you were born, you’ve been betrothed to Lee Heeseung.

The Lee family is a long line of powerful vampires. They strike fear into every kingdom, every man, every woman, every child.

No one dares to disobey the wishes of the Lees.

So how did you, a mere mortal, become betrothed to him?

Since the beginning of the Lee clan, there has been a prophecy. It foresees the entire history of the Lee clan.

According to them, it has never been wrong.

One fateful day, 21 years ago, the Lee prophecy told Mira and Seungheon Lee that their first and only child would be betrothed to the first and only child of the current reigning king and queen of the Desira clan.

That child would so happen to be you.

And oh you’ve dreaded the day.

You remember being 7 and asking your parents why you had to marry a stinky boy.

“Because it’s your destiny.” They would tell you.

You got sick of hearing that quickly.

By now you've accepted it, although the bitterness in your heart still beats.

Today is the day you are moving to Lee Castle.

You should mention, you've never even met the Lees.

So moving into their home, along with the whole arrangement, isn't exciting for you.

You're mostly sad to leave your parents and your people. They've reassured you that you'll be fine, but you still fear the Lees are going to isolate you and never let you leave.

You have no idea what Lee Heeseung is like, but you can't find it in yourself to care. You'll marry him, for the safety of your kingdom, but you will not show him any kindness.

As you arrive in the Lee’s kingdom, you're amazed.

You expected gloom and doom, weary, sad, fearful people, but it's the opposite.

Children are laughing and playing about.

Markets galore of anything you can think of, clothing, fabrics, food, trinkets.

Men are coming in and out of the woods, carrying stalks of wood on their backs.

As you stare out the window, a child catches your attention. She’s playing in the grass next to a booth you assume her mother runs.

She looks up and your eyes meet.

Waving, her smile glows brightly in the sun.

You wave back, your smile matching hers.

“Can we stop for a moment?” You ask the coachman.

As you step out, whispers surround you.

You quietly walk up to the woman's booth, “Hello.”

As she looks up, she gasps.

She scrambles for a moment and you can't help but giggle quietly.

“Your Majesty, I knew you were coming but I didn't expect to see you. Can I be of assistance?”

You look at the array of jewelry decorating her booth.

Your eyes stop on a beautiful necklace.

An emerald the size of a coin sits in the middle of a circular frame. The emerald glistens in the sunlight.

You pick it up delicately, “How much for this?”

The woman's eyes grow in astonishment, “For you, Your Majesty, it costs nothing.”

You shake your head softly, “Nonsense. Is this enough?”

You hand her several bills out of your pouch and she gapes.

“I can't accept this, Your Majesty!”

“You can and you will, please?” You beg, clasping your hands together.

She contemplates for a second before taking the money and putting it into her bag.

“Your Majesty, how can I thank you?”

“No need, keep doing what you're doing.”

You feel a small tug on your dress and the little girl from before is at your side.

You bend down to her size, “Hello, what's your name?”

“I'm Ara, Your Majesty!”

What an adorable child, “Ara is a beautiful name, you can call me Y/N.”

“Thank you, you have a beautiful name too Y/N.”

She smiles that blinding smile before presenting a flower in her small hands.

“I picked this for you.”

You take it from her, “Thank you so much, Ara, now I have two beautiful gifts.” You gesture to the necklace.

She takes the flower and puts it in your hair by your ear.

“Now you're even more beautiful!”

“Your majesty,” the coachman calls, “we should be going.

You nod, sad that you have to leave.

“I hope to see you again Ara.”

She nods before hugging you tightly, everyone around you awws as you hug her back.

Then it's back into the carriage and you continue your ascent to the castle.

When you reach the entrance, the large doors are opened and there's a carpet greeting you.

As you step out, loud footsteps come from inside until three people appear.

The king and queen are smiling, unexpected to you.

“Y/N my dear, so great to meet you at last,” the King says.

You do a long curtsy, bowing your head, “Your Majesties.”

The queen takes your hand into her own, “What a beautiful girl you are. My my, I hope you'll enjoy being here.”

“You're too kind.”

“This is our son, Heeseung.”

They part to reveal him and oh.

You weren't expecting him to be so handsome.

He comes forward with a sweet smile on his face.

“Y/N,” he says, taking your hand and planting a kiss on it. “It's a pleasure.”

You bow to him, “To you as well.”

His parents waste no time, shouting at the guards surrounding the entrance to bring your things inside.

They give you a long tour of their castle, introducing every room. Their foyer is beautiful, decorated with multiple styles of paintings.

They eventually lead you to your room.

It’s huge, even bigger than your own room at home.

The bed sits in the middle of the far right wall. It’s king sized with red silk sheets and a comforter.

Heeseung bends down and whispers in your ear, “More than big enough for the 2 of us.”

Face filled with confusion, you turn to look at him but all he does is wink at you.

What happened to Mr. Polite and Respectful?

“You’ll meet us for dinner when you’ve unpacked your things, yes?” The queen says, not noticing the scowl on your face.

You nod, watching them leave.

Heeseung does not leave, in fact he lets the door close right behind his parents, leaving you two alone.

“I’ve been waiting every day of my life to meet you, and now I have you.” He saunters towards you, close enough until your chests are pressed against each other lightly.

“First of all, you don’t have me. I’m not happy about this marriage, I’m only doing it for my kingdom.”

Your arms cross in anger, putting just the smallest amount of space between you and him.

He laughs, “You’re cute. However you view this marriage doesn’t matter, you and I will be one soon enough.”

Whatever that means.

“I’d appreciate it if you left my room now, don’t you have to prepare for dinner too?” Heeseung puts his hands up in defense, not saying another word before leaving your room.

So not only are you stuck marrying him, but he’s also a weird dickhead? Great.

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this is a preview!

the full fic will hopefully be released next week.

taglist is closed

permanent taglist: @escapetheash @vatterie

I don’t know the estimated word count, we’ll see ;)

[linklewinklewoman]

Linkle BOTW drabble

You were born on a farm.

You raised cuccos. A small job, but important. You made your living selling eggs and cucco meat. Nothing glamorous. But you were happy. In your free time, you imagined fighting monsters and going off to great far off places.

Monsters attacked your village. You weren't helpless. Those games served as training. You were pretty good. You did so well that most the monsters were dead by the time the guards came. Not a single wound, not a single death. The guards were impressed.

It happens several times, monsters usually attacked fringe settlements. But you were the stalwart protector. You helped people without hesitation, fought with courage. Even the king has heard of your skill. He asks you come have an audience. Of course you don't say no. He was born as the ruler of Hyrule.

You were born on a farm.

And so you come. You are younger than he had assumed. He asks you who your parents are, but you say they are gone. The wolves got them. He explains that he wants to see your skill himself, a fight against guards of his own. You beat them a little too easily. Then he asks you to fight for him.

He assigns you as the guard of his daughter, Princess Zelda. The offer is exciting and terrifying. He impresses that he isn't doing this just because you are strong. it was because you had courage many lacked and a desire to help people without reward. He trusts someone like you with his daughter's life. How could you say no?

The guards don't like you. A young cucco girl guarding the princess? Does she think they are better than them? The princess doesn't have a high opinion of her either. She has other worries though so a single guard probably doesn't matter in all her worries. It's okay. You made a promise to protect her. You will do it. You aren't here for politics. You don't think of complicated stuff. You weren't born for that.

You were born on a farm.

The princess has been frustrated. Her father demands she focus on her duties and not the Sheikah technology she professes will help Hyrule. The princess is told she must follow destiny. She feels like she doesn't measure up. And she takes it out on you. She is sure you look down on her for all this. It's not true, but how could you explain it all? All you can do is follow and protect her no matter what.

It gets worse. Something happens. You'd think drawing the Hero's sword would be a cause of celebration, but the princess takes it hard. Here she is trying so hard to gain sacred power and you stumble across your own destiny. How dare you make her feel so worthless? You let her rage. You understand from your time with her how frustrating it was for her. You know she deserves more and wish you could help her.

Things started to change after you saved her from an assassination. She is softer with her words, fusses over your injuries. You even helped her have a little fun catching frogs. She is surprised you take part with your past of refusing to leave as she asked. But this is old hat to you really.

You were born on a farm.

You were asked a question. What if you realized you didn't want to fight. That you wanted something else. But you were told that you were obligated to use what you had to fight. What would you do? The words hit harder than you know. What if she wasn't meant to be a warrior? What if you were pulled from what you were best at? Unfortunately, doubt is long since passed. You are the protector of the princess. You made a choice.

The calamity comes before the princess is ready, but she faces it still. You are at her side. It's terrifying, but you must protect her. It's painful to see the other champions fall. But it's all you can do to protect the princess. You run with her, trying to find safety as you hear them coming.

You fought bravely. The only thing keeping you upright is your desire to protect her. She is scared for you, but she matters more. You won't fall until she is safe. The last thing you remember before falling back though is a bright light coming from the princess. She has done it. You are happy for her. Everything is going black. Dying in this end of days, how could you know you'd die here? After all...

You were born on a farm.

You wake up, but something is strange. How did you get in this cave? Where are you? Who are you? You have no memories. But as you leave the cave, you hear a voice. A voice that grips you by the heart. You don't know the name of this voice, but you have to save her. She is important to you, you can feel it. You will save her. You promise it.

Where are you from?

[anewstartrekfan]

Star Trek Rambles: Lenore Karidian: A Wonderful Subversion

Lenore Karidian is one of the best women Star Trek ever wrote (I say this a someone who has only seen a season and a half of tos) I know not a high bar but legitimately. She had Captain Kirk eating out of the palm of her hand. Even when he was trying to fish from her she managed to turn it around in her favor. I truly believe she never actually gave a shit about Kirk. It was all a means to an end to protect her father. What’s my proof?

Their first little date, about 5 minutes after meeting each other, they ditch a party she was late for, (because she murdered the host), and then lead Kirk down a path, TO WHERE SHE KILLED THE LAST GUY

If you ask me she was luring Kirk there to kill him. How, I’m not sure, but I can assume she had something planned for when they were going to kiss.

Oh but what about their flirting on the enterprise? The scene where Kirk proclaims that women remain women no matter what.

That scene is a farce in terms of the romance and revealing when it comes to Lenore’s beliefs. Kirk is giving her this tour to try and get her guard down so he can get info on her father. However Lenore notices this, calls him out for it, and turns it around on Kirk. Forcing him to answer her questions, like if he is actually human, and if the women on the enterprise are human as well.

“Are you captain? Human?”

“Has the machine changed them? Made them, just people instead of women?”

It’s subtle but she isn’t just fake flirting here. She’s othering Kirk and his crew. Her later attempt on Kirk’s life involves overloading a phaser, which would destroy not only Kirk’s cabin but those around it. Kirk has to call for an emergency evacuation while he desperately searches for it. It’s easy to justify killing the Tarsus 9 because they weren’t human by her father’s standards anyway, but what about Kirk’s crew? She had to other them as well to justify it.

“All this, and power too. Caesar of the stars, and cleopatra to worship you.”

I spoke in a prior blog about how Kodos sees technology as something that has made humanity inhuman. That removed the struggle from life, emphasizing the so called tradition of man shaping his destiny himself without tools. Aka, fascism. Lenore does this as well, and displays a sort of devotion to tradition when she quotes Star light Star bright and talks about how old the stars are. When Kirk insists he’s human, she doesn’t agree with him. Instead she shifts the topic to the women in the crew. When Kirk gives his line about how women will always be women, Lenore again changes the subject. Likening Kirk to Caesar. Stroking his ego, but also it is fitting given she planned to murder him. She likens herself to Cleopatra, a woman who is frequently portrayed as a seductress and blames for Antony’s fall.

Another thing to remember is she got a tour of the whole ship from Kirk. Which is how she was able to track down Riley AND plant the phaser in Kirk’s cabin.

While I can’t prove she was going to kill Kirk in an earlier scene, she absolutely tried to kill him with the overloaded phaser on the enterprise. And what’s key is she attempts this before Kirk confronts her father. So at the end of the scene when she breaks things off with kirk, and is angry at him for just being a tool, I think she’s upset that she didn’t see Kirk was using her as well. She drops the pretenses and says what she actually thinks of him.

“You are like your ship. Powerful, and not human. There is no mercy in you.”

All she sees Kirk as is a threat to her father’s safety. And above all else that is what she cares about. It’s why she has the nervous breakdown at the end. Her father finds out she’s been murdering the survivors of the genocide he committed and he’s heartbroken. She can’t see that her actions doomed her father, and when she kills him only because he protected Kirk, she loses it completely. How could her father ever dare to want to protect Captain Kirk? The inhuman who was going to throw him in jail. Who dared to make her father suffer?

Big picture is she was great. Cunning, ruthless, and a match for Kirk’s wit. She only got caught because Kirk happens to hear her confess to her father. Had Riley not tried to kill Kodos, Kirk would’ve arrested Kodos and let her go free none the wiser.

[uptoolateart]

If I Let Myself Love You - Ch 4

My fic for @mlbigbang 2022!

PREVIEW from Chapter 4:

He put his hands on the floor and pushed himself up, onto his feet, then crossed the room and threw himself on his bed, limbs splayed out like a bedding angel. Through the door, he heard footsteps coming up the stairs, and then the door across the hall being opened and closed.

He’s home.

But it was okay. Because Adrien was in here, safely hidden behind two whole doorways.

Claustrophobia seized him – the claustrophobia of knowing he couldn’t leave his shelter for the rest of the evening. Of knowing that his safe space was also his prison.

Think of happy things.

He thought of the tea he’d made – a small victory in his quest for independence.

He thought of Nino Lahiffe, approaching him at the end of their literature class and inviting him to exchange links to songs they each liked. That was an invitation for friendship…wasn’t it?

And he thought of Marinette.

Marinette….

His arm draped over the side of the bed. Sometimes there were moments in your life when you couldn’t help but run through the chain of events that had led to them and wonder if destiny was really a thing.

If he hadn’t moved to London….

If he hadn’t fought his father so hard about attending a public school, instead of that private one Gabriel had been so insistent upon….

If he hadn’t turned up late that morning….

The thought of that chain breaking – of one link being removed and the possibility of not having met Marinette – made him shudder. Which was crazy. Because it had only been one day. Not even a complete day, at that. But that was Adrien.

Too much like my mother.

He rolled onto his back, folding his hands over his stomach and staring up at the ceiling.

Did I come on too strong today?

He really didn’t know the right way to manage a social relationship. He was used to having his ‘friendships’ arranged for him, usually with sycophants, where it was more business transaction than genuine affection. There had been exceptions, of course. Like Kagami. But even that had ended…the way it had.

But Marinette really seemed to like me. We clicked…right?

The weight of what he’d done pulled him into the bedding. The thought of all that homework he’d earned himself in a single day of school pulled him down further, and he thought he might sink right into the bed and maybe come out the other side of Earth.

Maybe China. I could practise my language skills.

He groaned and retrieved his phone from his jeans pocket, holding it in the air above himself, not daring to click on the screen and check if there were any messages.

It doesn’t mean anything if she hasn’t texted yet. You can’t expect her to have done it already, Adrien. She’ll do it when she can.

You’re already assuming there’s no message there.

His finger hovered over the button to wake up the screen – then he tossed the phone aside on the bed and forced himself to sit up. The idea of homework danced in his mind. He pushed it aside like the phone and swung his legs over the bed, standing and walking across the room to the piano.

Keeping Reading at Ao3

It’s hard to be a normal girl with a normal life when your mother has terminal cancer. And when fashion model Adrien Agreste moves back to Paris and wants to be Marinette’s friend – or maybe even more – her life is turned upside down again. How can she risk opening her heart to love when her whole world is falling apart? Especially when Adrien is hiding a dark secret of his own….

*** No kwamis AU - 100% Adrinette. Half funny / fluffy and half heavy but with a happy ending. Please read tags. *** Rating: Teen and up

[johnmurphysgirl]

Edit by @irresponsibear

Title: PSYCHO – JOHN MURPHY

THE HOURS FEEL LIKE DAYS. If it weren't for the guards coming to check on her every couple hours, she's afraid she'll run out of time. Ainsley Ashter has spent the last five years in Solitary confinement. The silence alone was enough to drive anyone mad, let alone someone like her. Five long exhausting years spent staring at four walls, with nobody but herself for company. Even the guards wouldn't speak with her unless they had no choice. 

Not that she blamed them. How do you look at someone who murdered their own parents brutally, with nothing but the metal post of her bed, and her bare hands? The easiest answer? You don't. 

She heaves a sigh, half laying, half sitting on her cot, her elbows propped up so her head rests in her palm. Her other hand simultaneously pulls at a string located on the thin blanket. Any time now, she'll be pulled from her room, and dragged down the corridors until they reach the air lock. From there, she'll be locked inside until Jaha presses a button, and then she'll be sucked out to space. A supposed instantaneous death awaits her. 

Keeping busy is the only way Ainsley knows to keep the demons at bay. Well, as long as she could. She's in the process of pulling one of the strings in the threading loose, when she hears the thudding of boots hitting just outside her cell. The door squeaks open forcefully, followed by four guards entering quickly. Each looking more nervous than the next. 

"Prisoner 179, turn and face the wall!" The guardsman, Walker, shouts leaving no room for arguments. 

Ainsley does as she's told. She knows the inevitable fate that awaits her, and there's not really any sense in fighting it. At least now she'll find out what it's like to die. If there's anything on the other side; if there were some truth to May we meet again. 

God, she hopes not. 

"So, what are my chances of having a last supper?" Ainsley mutters sarcastically from her position facing the wall, but not one guard dared to answer her. It's easy to assume it's because they are all afraid that she'd lash out, but the truth is; she accepts it. Her destiny. 

Guardsman Nikolas is surprisingly the first person to approach her from behind, albeit a little hesitant. Ainsley doesn't even have a chance to react, before he's shoving a needle in the side of her neck. The effects of the sedative work quickly as the world around Ainsley blurs. The last thing she remembers is the stinging sensation of something on her wrist. 

★──────────★

A groan leaves her lips simultaneously while her eyes flutter open. Once her eyes adjusted, she took notice of people strapped to seats in some kind of dropship. Some were awake, and some still trying to shake off the aftereffects of the sedative the guards used. Some has even taken the liberty to stare at Ainsley horror-struck. Out of solitary for five damn minutes and she already missed the silence. 

"Prisoners of the Ark, hear me now." Chancellor Jaha's voice rang out, coming from a monitor in the center of the dropship. His head held high, and it was at this moment that realization struck Ainsley. He's sending them to Earth. "You've been given a second chance, and as your Chancellor, it is my hope that you see this as not only a chance for you, but a chance for all of us, indeed for mankind itself." 

She frowns at Jaha's words, not really understanding how it's a second chance when he's sending them to a radioactive planet that's been uninhabitable for nearly a hundred years. Yet they call her a psychopath. Ainsley can't help but see the humor in it, as she scoffs. 

"We have no idea what's waiting for you down there," Jaha continues. "If the odds of survival were better, we would've sent others. Frankly, we're sending you because your crimes have made you expendable." 

"Oh, for the love of God and all that is holy, really? Does he actually believe this bullshit?" Ainsley scoffs, letting out a bitter chuckle. "Me, I can see it. Others? Not so much."

 A few heads turn her way, but they are quickly drawn away by a guy yelling further down the dropship. 

"Your dad's a dick Wells!" 

Wells.. Wells Jaha? Wow. Seems like the Chancellor himself sent his own son to die. Ainsley isn't surprised that one sentence is enough to send the delinquents into a fit of laughter. 

Ainsley shakes her head, and goes back to brooding. Her eyes sweep over the delinquents, before looking back up at the screen. The Chancellor's face causes her to roll her eyes again. He really seemed to believe the bullshit coming out of his own mouth. It infuriates her, and she doesn't even know why.

 

"Those crimes will be forgiven," Jaha continues after a pause. "Your records wiped clean. The drop site has been chosen carefully. Before the last war, Mount Weather was a military base built within a mountain. It was to be stocked with enough non-perishables to sustain three hundred people for up to two years." 

"Spacewalk Bandit strikes again!" 

"Woo!" 

"Go Finn!" 

The shouts coming from various delinquents causes Ainsley's head to abruptly spin in their direction. Her eyes land on who she assumes must be Finn, the space walk Bandit, who is currently hovering in the air. It's stupid of him, to be doing something so reckless. Even she, who had been locked up for five years, knows exactly what will happen when they reach the Earth's atmosphere. 

He will slam against the wall. The force of the impact probably killing him on the spot if he's lucky. If he's not, well, he will suffer before he dies. Either way, the end result will be the same. Ainsley can't help but be curious about what will happen to him after he's dead. Is there an afterlife, or would who he is never have mattered at all? 

Finn floats towards the Chancellor's son himself, Wells Jaha, and a blonde girl Ainsley doesn't actually remember. Unfortunately, Ainsley can't hear the few short words that were spoken, but judging by the expression on Wells' face, it isn't pleasant. Finn is smiling, almost tauntingly, his eyes darting between Wells and the blonde with ease.

"Stay in your seats!" The girl exclaims in the direction of two young boys who thought it would be alright to float around like Finn is. 

The boys ignore the blonde's advice, and almost immediately following, the turbulence starts. It rocks the dropship with such ferocity that Ainsley is already preparing for death. That doesn't stop her from gripping her seat so tight her knuckles are turning white. The screams of the other delinquent fill her ears along with the slamming of bodies against the wall. Her heart beat so loud that Ainsley's afraid of it exploding out her chest. 

The crash jerks Ainsley's head so fiercely that it slams into the boy beside her, the pain enough to make both of them hiss and curse. His head jerks away from hers almost immediately as if he'd been burned, after realizing who she actually is, before he leans far enough away from her and closer to his friend. A deranged scoff escapes her lips. It doesn't take her long to be drawn to the bodies on the ground of the boys who wouldn't listen to the girl. Ainsley morbidly wonders if it would be frowned upon to study them, but figures most-likely it would be so she doesn't. 

Ainsley's seat belt retracts by itself. Ignoring the pang in her head, she stands from her seat and follows the moving delinquents towards the ladder to get to the lower level. Time to see if the remainder of the delinquents would die from radiation, or if this truly is their second chance. Ainsley climbs down the ladder as quickly as she can, and pushes her way to the front of the crowd growing by the doors. Ainsley ignores the whispers surrounding her appearance. It's only a matter of time before they decide she doesn't belong. 

"Stop! The air could be toxic," the blonde from earlier shouts, doing the same as Ainsley pushing herself to the front. 

"If the air is toxic, we're all dead anyway," the man states. He's wearing a guards uniform, but Ainsley doesn't remember ever seeing him on the Ark. 

"Bellamy?" A dark haired girl pushes her way to the front, confusion and awe lacing her features as she approaches him. It's like caution drifted out in the wind when she rushes forward and places her arms around him, his doing the same. 

"My God, look how big you are." Bellamy smiles affectionately. 

"What the hell are you wearing?" The girl takes a tiny step backwards, her nose scrunching up in disgust as she looks over his clothing choice in disdain. "A guard's uniform?" 

"I borrowed it." Bellamy reassures her. "To get on the dropship. Someone has to look out for you." 

Ainsley watches the scene with only mild interest. To be perfectly honest, all she wants is those doors to open. To finally know whether they all will end up like the boys upstairs, or if they'll live. 

"Where's your wristband?" The blonde demands towards Bellamy. 

"Do you mind?" The girl standing next to Bellamy glances at the blonde in annoyance. "I haven't seen my brother in a year." 

"No one has a brother!" 

"That's Octavia Blake! The girl they found hidden under the floor!" 

Ainsley whistles slowly as Octavia tries to lunge forward to get to whoever said that, her face red in anger. In all honesty, Ainsley hopes to see a fight. It doesn't come to one, because Bellamy doesn't let it. He holds Octavia back from the crowd. Bellamy, in not so many words, tells Octavia that they'll give the delinquents something else to remember her by. 

About how grand it'll be to be remembered as the first person on the ground in a hundred years. Ainsley probably should just stay silent, to just watch everything unfold without giving the delinquents any other incentive to not trust her, but where would the fun in that be? Besides, she doesn't exactly know how to keep quiet. Being in the sky box with nobody but herself to talk to, well, she can't stop herself from talking now. 

"It's ninety-seven, actually," Ainsley says, loud enough for all the delinquents to hear. The ones closest to her took a step backwards, leaving just her and the blonde in front of the Blake siblings. The whispers started again, though this time about her, and realization dawned on Octavia. Ainsley could see it in her face. The glare is wiped off and replaced by apprehension. 

Bellamy stares at Ainsley, albeit a bit confused. He can't understand how she could be as insane as others on the Ark have said. He looks over her facial features for only a fraction of a second to be more inconspicuous, and shakes his head. She looks seemingly normal. Her soft features give off an appearance of innocence, one that even reminds him of Octavia. This is a problem he'll have to address soon, but not now. For now, he reaches his hand up to the lever, and pulls. 

The doors to the dropship open slower than Ainsley would like, and she has to put her hands over her eyes to block the onslaught of the sun's violent rays. Once she doesn't have pink dots lining her vision, she takes her first look at their new planet. It's green. The most vibrant shade of green she has ever seen. The sky's the most beautiful shade of blue with white clouds at various intervals throughout the sky. She's pulled away from looking at the trees, when Octavia begins making her way down the platform. One foot plants firmly into the dirt below, followed quickly by her other foot. Octavia holds her arms out in a 'welcome home' gesture, taking in a deep breath. 

"We're back, bitches!" 

This is all that's needed for the delinquents to cheer and scream and race off the dropship, and around the vivid forest. All except for Ainsley. Instead of cheering around like a lunatic, she simply moves to the edge of the platform and sits down. She's filled with a nameless dread as she watches them run around in absolute glee. 

How long will it take before they cast her aside like she's nothing? It's the only thing that keeps her from enjoying the new world around them. Ainsley can already tell Earth is going to be a lot more pain than it's worth. 

What if, after all these years spent alone, she is as insane as everyone thinks she is? The years have not been kind. Her life has never been kind. So why the hell would it start now? 

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