#Fanfic: The First Tales

[03owlyn]

Dropping some sketches for mirrored convictions fic ( by @albentelisa ). If you haven't read this yet you should definitely do it.

(Probably not accurate but this is how I imagined her)

[gur0beetl3]

Go my OC x Canon!!!!!!

This is Dahlia, he's a demon from the future! Explicitly in the setting of block tales, he was part of a team meant to send a "chosen" hero back in time to save builderman with the swords. Except fate had something else in mind, and he was taken back instead!!

He's kissing Griefer now

[pygmalimoon]

Is he in your plan?

- (Eng Ver for 你的计划里有他吗? )

(Forever my fav fanart of them, art by taoxier)

[pinkytoothlesso11]

Week one of Stricklake month: Technology

Barbara Lake and her son Jim can see ghosts. And with her husband brutally murdered she thought she'd at the very least see his spirit. Only, years after his death, Barbara learns Walt isn't any ghost.

He's like nothing she's seen before.

[maybellineissatisfied]

Cemetery Sweethearts - Kazuya Hikizuri/GN!Reader

A/N: This is my first time posting on tumblr, so sorry if the format is off a bit

Contains: Macabre Fluff, Mentions of Dying (cemetery duh), Implied Sexual Content (but no smut srry)

Also on AO3 if you prefer that for reading fanfics :)

The heavy clouds shrouded the darkening sky, casting a dark blanket over the mansion as the lanterns illuminated sections of the graveyard. The mansion's windows glowed yellow and the muted sounds of shouting and crying rang across the graveyard towards an isolated figure walking towards the furthest corner of the unkept 'garden'. They passed copious graves as they followed a gravel path that had lonely blades of grass growing between the small stones as it weaved throughout the labyrinth of the dead. The path faded into the dense grass the further away from the house it stretched until eventually it was swallowed into the tangle of green. 

You crouched by a few of the graves that claustrophobically decorated the backyard, muttering lowly to them about what was on the news that day, and about what you did. The spirits wailed and whined in response as they soared overhead and dipped under the ground. You giggled wryly as they tickled you with a cool breeze when they flew too close. Sometimes the spirits asked you in echoing voices about something specific, whether it be their family, politics or if the convenience store on near their childhood home still had their favourite snack. You would answer to the best of your ability, however, some of them were stubborn and refused to accept that times were changing although they were dead. 

"Always the stalker, never the stalked." You tittered as some gravel crunched behind you, not bothering to turn around. "Right, Kazuya?"

"Nothing gets past you, my observant little raven." Said man chuckled, emerging from behind a tall headstone, running a hand through his hair to brush off stray leaves as he sauntered towards you.

"You've stalked me since we first met, I know how you work." You rolled your eyes and turned to face him. His eyes softened when you stood up to brush some imaginary dust off his shoulders and straighten the collar of his shirt. "Why'd you follow me? You said you were going to take a bath."

"I heard the coo of a lovely mourning dove and wanted to catch a glimpse of them." He brought your left hand up to his face and pressed a gentle kiss on your knuckles. "It's a sign of good fortune after all."

"You flatter me." You smiled as he continued to kiss your hand.

"You bewitch me, my darling." Kazuya purred, turning your hand to press kisses into your palm. "It was this very hand that picked up my pen and gave it back to me. I almost proposed right then."

"I would have said yes even back then." You giggled as Kazuya trailed kisses up your arm.

"I know."

"I remember at graduation; you gave me the second button of your uniform because you didn't know if you'd see me again." You reminisced as he softly kissed your neck, tilting your head to accommodate him but still feeling the frame of his glasses prod your skin. "I wore it as a necklace ever since that day, it was like a wedding ring."

"And you still wear it, alongside your wedding ring." Kazuya mused, holding your necklace and inspected the button that used to be on his uniform. "Do you love me that much, darling?"

"Of course I do," You retorted. "I doubt anyone else could put up with you and your family."

"That's true." He chuckled and pressed a kiss to the button. "I love you." He sighed and kissed his way up your face to your lips.

His lips brushed against yours shyly at first until you grabbed his face and pulled him closer. He smiled against your lips slightly and held your shoulders. When you pulled away, you both were breathing heavily and Kazuya whined quietly, pressing his forehead against yours desperately. You smiled and stroked his face which he leaned into. 

"You're so cute." You smiled. "I'm going to stay out here for a bit, do you want to stay with me, sweetheart?"

"Sure, let's go on a walk though. Afterwards, could I persuade you to join me in the bath?" Kazuya inquired, linking his arm through yours. You nodded at him and squeezed your arm around his.

The two of you strolled around the cemetery, reminiscing about the individuals whose names were inscribed on the headstones. Kazuya eventually halted at a grave that was fore fronted by a barren patch of uneven dirt and the faded edges of a pentagram, there was also some candle wicks laying in the surrounding grass, swallowed by the erratic blades.

"I wish Uncle Diginosuke could have met you, darling, he would've loved you." Kazuya murmured, gazing sadly at the headstone. "Shame his grave is empty now." You remained silent but nodded. Years ago, the grave used to emit woeful groans and cries alongside the occasional mutter of "karma", but you never saw a spirit. Now it was cold and empty, only a distant memory kept alive by a still-mourning nephew.

Diginosuke had always been a sensitive topic for Kazuya, especially after the siblings resurrected him and his zombie was consumed by their father's ghost. Kazuya would talk about his uncle with fondness as he showed you photographs of his infant self playing with Diginosuke. Your favourite was one of Diginosuke sitting on a swing set with a four-year-old Kazuya laughing in his lap, however, that was the last photo of the two before Diginosuke was forced to leave the mansion after an affair and killed himself. Kazuya admitted he cried for a long time after his uncle left and didn't understand what had truly happened as his father told him that Diginosuke insulted the family and to get over him because 'a man shouldn't cry'. Kazuya found out that Diginosuke was dead a few days before he turned five years old.

"I also know mom would have adored you, maybe even more than she adored me." Kazuya's woeful gaze turned to you. "She knew about you, despite me trying to hide my feelings. She wanted me to marry you, and she was the one who encouraged me to give you my button when I graduated; 'It's a subtle yet meaningful way of telling them how you feel.' is what she said." He smiled briefly at the memory.

Masue Hikizuri was a beautiful and kind woman who loved all her children very much and tried to make time for all of them. You had only met her in passing and she always smiled at you which made Kazuya get embarrassed and usher her and his siblings away. Kazuya constantly mentioned how his mom wanted to formally meet you, and have you around for a meal but you never got the chance before her and his dad died. After that, Kazuya would constantly tell you stories about his mom, and what she would have thought about you two being together and being married. 

Even though Kazuya had told you these stories hundreds of times, you never got tired of hearing them, because you knew it made him happy to tell you them. He only talked about his mom and uncle though, he rarely mentioned his father because his father didn't support the relationship and would criticize Kazuya for thinking of courting you. His mom, on the other hand, was fully supportive and was elated her son had found someone he loved to spend time with since he was always gloomy and isolated himself from other people. While you never met his uncle, Kazuya told you about some advice his uncle gave his younger self offhandedly about striving for happiness throughout life, and you made him happy, so he had adhered to his uncle's words.

Eventually, Kazuya rolled his shoulders and smiled at you, gently guiding you away from his uncle's abandoned grave and along another dirt path. You continued to talk about the names on the graves and Kazuya would indulge you in stories about them, since they were his deceased ancestors. However, as you walked further into the cemetery, the headstones became blank; they didn't need names though, you both remembered who each one was and how they died.

"Darling, it's your good friend, Tabata. Remember him?" Kazuya mused, gesturing to a patch of dirt that was nestled between two broken headstones. You could see Tabata's ghost floating above his grave with a woeful expression painted on his disfigured face as his vacant eyes bore into your soul. You stared back, apathetic, and leaned into Kazuya's side more. "I sure remember what you did to him."

"I always knew you were a bit of a freak, but I would never have thought murder turned you on so much. You couldn't keep your hands off me, not that I'm complaining." You teased, making him smirk.

"Like you were any better than I was."

"Yeah, I had you arching your back and biting the pillows then, and I always do it again easily." You smirked triumphantly as he flushed and pulled your linked arm to continue walking.

"Ah, it's poor Kotani and his mannequin." Kazuya giggled at some grass under a tree. "I remember the fun we had with him."

"How many of Narumi's boyfriends have you guys killed overall again? I've been present for seven, and Kotani makes eight of them dead."

"Twenty." Kazuya stated apathetically. "Well we've only physically killed them a few times, most of them got scared to death like poor Kotani. My favourite was one extremely rude boy who thought he could attack Misako," Kazuya laughed. "The look on his face when she scratched his arms to shreds was a pretty picture. It was even better when we got a hold of him, but the clean-up was a pain." He sighed dramatically.

Eventually, the two of you stopped walking around and sat on the lone bench in the graveyard with Kazuya's head resting in your lap as you caressed his face and played with his hair. The dark grey clouds framed the moon, allowing the natural light to illuminate the world for the first time that night. The moonlight shone down on you and Kazuya, creating a soft silver glow on the grass and the granite and marble headstones.

It was a typical weekend evening, with you and Kazuya enjoying each other's company away from his overbearing siblings, even if it was in the graveyard at the back of the mansion. It reminded you of when the two of you would sneak away from your friends and family as teenagers to see each other, however, his siblings would usually stalk you two to check that their big brother wasn't abandoning them. Fortunately, they grew out of the habit after knowing you were not threat, but also because Kazuya and Kinako would scold the younger ones. 

"I want to share a grave with you, darling." Kazuya whispered, breaking the silence. "'Deep in the earth, my love is lying, and I must weep alone.' Doesn't that sound awful? Being apart from you is a nightmare I refuse to experience, there's no point to life if my mourning dove isn't singing."

"Poetic." You smiled sadly, twirling a strand of his fringe around your finger. "You could be the next Poe with the depressingly macabre stuff you spout. Or maybe even Keats? Do you want me to cut off your head and keep it in a plant pot?" You laughed glumly.

"I mean it, (Y/N), if you died before me, I would end my life to be laid next to your body." Kazuya's insistence on dying together was unnerving to say the least, and his sincere expression made you shiver. He sat up abruptly and moved to sit in your lap, bringing your hands to his chest. "Our bodies would grow cold and rot together until we become one with the earth." He smiled dreamily and nuzzled his head against yours.

"Or until Hitoshi performs some necromancy." You muttered, causing him to pull his head away and scowl. "Bright side is, we would be undead together, and I know you would be a handsome zombie."

"So would you, my dear." He smiled and kissed you softly. "Maybe I'll ask Hitoshi to do that in the future; just to wake up with you in my arms and see your face again."

You both lapsed into a comfortable silence, with Kazuya sitting in your lap, leaning against you, a serene expression on his face. You wrapped your arms around him and brought him closer to you and rested your head against the crook of his neck to which he sighed contentedly.

"'Neither the angels in heaven above, nor the demons down under the sea, can ever dissever my soul from the soul, of the beautiful (Y/N) Hikizuri.'" Kazuya said, holding you closer. "We're fated to be together for all of eternity, and in every life. I'll never let you go again." His voice lowered to a more possessive tone and he wrapped his arms around your shoulders.

"You said that when you proposed to me, and on our wedding day." You sighed, nuzzling into his neck. "If you weren't worshiping the ground I walk on, I would think you were in love with Poe, the amount of times you quote his poems and change the words."

"His poems are macabre, emotional, passionate." Kazuya's voice shifted to a sultry tone with every word. "Just like us." He purred into your ear.

"You're so sappy!" You laughed and pushed him off your lap.

"You love it, (Y/N), don't deny it!" He insisted, wrestling you down on the bench. He tickled your sides and pressed a wet kiss on your face as you yelped and tried to squirm out from under him. He laughed loudly and pressed his weight down on you, trapping you underneath him as he continued to tickle you.

"Okay! Okay! Let me go!" You cried, cheeks hurting from laughter. Kazuya stopped his attack and smirked down at you. He sat back and pulled you up so you were sitting side by side on the bench. "You're right, I do love it." A bashful smile spread across your face as you leaned against him and he did the same while pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"Have I told you that you look so melancholy tonight?" Kazuya asked, cupping your chin in his hand, running his thumb across your bottom lip. "The moon highlights the pessimism in your eyes."

"The shadows around your eyes and cheekbones make you look dead, my dear." You whispered, leaning closer to him, gazing at him as his eyes lit up. "But your eyes are alive and conniving. I almost feel like I'm in danger."

"Does that excite you?" He purred as he kissed your neck, smirking into your skin as you moaned and shuddered.

"We will disturb the dead, beloved." You gasped as he nipped your neck and heatedly ran his tongue over the marks. Low groans and wails echoed in the distance but you tuned them out as Kazuya's hot tongue trailed up your throat and jaw.

"Let them be disturbed." Kazuya moaned breathlessly, cupping your face. He crashed his lips onto yours, kissing you feverishly and pulled you down on top of him. 

[ravioliravioliravioli]

"Their only problem right now is their lack of sleep"

April softly says to Casey

Anyways,,,,Au turtles for 40th !!!

[melaclintbartoncorner]

A Tale of Time

Well hello there, welcome to my little story, that I had in my head since 4 years. I finally got the courage to write it down. We will start light and breezy. I’m excited for this journey and I hope you will gain some happiness and joy from my story. I wrote stuff before but never released anything so this is a big step.

I have been part of the Clintasha Fandom since 2012 so it’s amazing to contribute something to our little but mighty ship community.

Big kisses and hugs to @scavengerssuccotash for the undying support, love and endless lovely conversations!

[joethehoeee]

Stricklake Month week one: Myth/Technology 

This It the written prompt for the drawing/animatic. Have fun <3

Summary: Barbara found an old book about changelings and trolls and decided to snoop through it. She finds depictions that seem to be Walter and now she will get insights of his past with gravesand.

[draconia2004]

Hello, Its been a while, si ce my laptop is broken and I can't write from my Phone, I would be uploding a comic series called "Tales of Ancient" Where we would get a inside of a time before the setings of Teal mask, This is Part of my Au "Astral Synphony" that mixes a lot of things that would be come obvius once we get to Kitamami on the story

Plz let me know if you like it, I am already working on the next part

May the stars guide you

Draconia

[impossibleprincess35]

Asphodel | ch 44

[Excerpt:]

Pre let go of her disheveled locks and forcefully shoved her back into the wall of the cell, shouting, “You made us weak! You disgrace our name!”

Her eyes opened just in time to close again as her shoulder blades hit the transparisteel surface and she cried out in anguish, “No! You have forfeited our safety and our peace!”

With a wild look on his face, he breathed heavily and argued, “It is a peaceful slavery you have sanctioned!”

“There can be no peace without freedom, and you have sacrificed them both in the name of your tyrannical greed!” Satine screamed as she clenched her fists and stepped towards him.

Vizsla’s face turned an inflamed shade of crimson, and for a moment, he wondered if having Bo-Katan do the honors of silencing Satine for an eternity was worth the wait. The kal in his boot was crying out to be drawn, to carve the breath from her throat against its blade, but he managed to stop himself. It was imperative that his plan be followed as he had intended, and he would not give in to his base instincts.

The former Duchess of Mandalore would die soon enough.

For now, she was livid like a diseased animal trapped within a cage, and he took pleasure in knowing that her diplomacy was disappearing as her humanity was stripped from her.

She would waste away in here, driven mad by the isolation and tortured by the knowledge that she could do nothing to stop him; and if she somehow proved to have a stronger constitution than he believed, he was certain that witnessing her sister murder her son would push her over the edge.

--

Chapter 44 is up, the third part of the Shades of Reason/Lawless arc.

[thatcringewh0re]

 Ricky not liking Douxie and Lucy loving him(Warning: I am not that good at writing. I do better with Rp’s loll)Douxie was standing at the door of the Tarron household, his palms sweaty and knees shaky. Krel had sent Douxie a text moments earlier to come over for a simple hang out, but this would be the first time Douxie would ever meet Krel’s parents- Or well the blanks acting as parents. His hand slowly went up to the door, knocking gently on the door and soon it opened wide open with a bright happy and cheerful Lucy opening the door. She instantly shook Douxie’s hand, Douxie letting out a soft yelp.

“You must be Krel’s friend!” “B-Boyfriend” Douxie corrected, his voice a little shaky. Lucy gasped a bit but instantly smiled again “Boyfriend! Aww isnt that sweet, Ricky come meet our boys boyfriend!” She dragged Douxie inside, slamming the door behind them. Ricky was on the sofa ‘reading’ the newspaper and didnt look quite happy at the sound of boyfriend “Boyfriend? You better be doing no funny business with my daughter” Ricky huffed, but Lucy spoke out and corrected him “Son” Ricky looked a bit confused yet repeated himself with the same stern demeanor “You better be doing no funny business with my son.” He got up, setting the newspaper down on the side table. Douxie held his hands up in defense and gave a nervous chuckle “No! No funny business I swear”

Krel stood at the hallway letting out a little grumble as he saw Ricky trying to intimidate Douxie, Krel shook his head and grabbed his boyfriend's hand. “Ignore them. The ship’s programming was out of date.” he explained briefly. Douxie nodded, making a small ‘oh’ sound and glancing back as he was dragged away to Krel’s room. Ricky was still staring daggers at Douxie while Lucy happily waved them off. (Very short ik, but that's what im going for) @foursthemagicknumber for the idea!! and so they would see this in the morning

[ograndebatata]

pseudo-incorrent quotes from Sofia the First (inspired by @a-lilac-lyric's post on the many scenarios regarding the Wishing Well and Amber and James' birth:

|||

King Roland II: Wishing Well, we wish for Lorelei's current pregnancy to go through all the way to the end and for our children to be born healthy. Queen Lorelei (sitting on the stone bench close by): Please. We'll give anything for that.

King Roland: Yes. We'll give anything.

(Time skip.)

King Roland II: It was you, wasn't it? You took Lorelei. Why?

Wishing Well: You both said you'd give anything for her pregnancy to go through to the end and your children to be born healthy.

|||

(Yes, I admit I don't look very fondly upon the Wishing Well, and think it's deliberately engineered so that any of the wishes upon it have the greatest possible likelihood of inflicting lasting harm in the long run, with it only making an exception for any 'bait wishes' it decides to grant to tempt the wisher into using the follow-up actually bad ones.

And I admit, this is the theory I follow for my AU. Credit goes to @a-lilac-lyric for coming up with it, and my thanks also go to her for allowing me to use it.)

[agikay21]

ೋ•✧๑♡๑✧•ೋ

Welcome!

ೋ•✧๑♡๑✧•ೋ

Hey, pretty people! I’m Agikay (but you can call me Agi) and thank you for stopping by my blog! The main idea is sharing my opinions, headcanons, fanfics, outbreaks and everything a fucked up nerd does about things I like and people who doesn’t exist/fictional. So, basically, I write.

In this blog, I’ll use two languages:

Brazilian Portuguese 🇧🇷;

American English 🇺🇸. ← mainly English

Let's look at the "nos" and "yes" of the blog (things I’ll write or post about and won’t) :

YES ✓:

-SFW (and its subgenres);

-NSFW (and its subgenres); ← but be conscious!

-Headcanons;

-Requests;

-Canon;

-Oneshots;

-Fanfics;

-Fluff;

-Film genres (ex.: romance, drama, etc.);

-Aged up characters;

-Acid humor; ← but be conscious!

-Swearing; ← but be conscious!

-Addictions; ← but be conscious!

-Sensitive topics; ← but be conscious!

-Angst.

-Series;

-Films;

-Musical Theatre.

NO ✗:

-Sexual assault;

-Pedophilia;

-Bestiality;

-Incest.

I like many things in the cinematographic world and I am always open to discovering new things. But my main subjects are:

Tales of Arcadia (Contos de Arcadia);

Songs I like;

Stardew Valley;

Good Omens (Belas Maldições);

Hetalia;

How to Train Your Dragon (Como Treinar o Seu Dragão);

Bridgerton;

Heathers: The Musical;

Hamilton: An American Musical;

Ride the Cyclone;

Hazbin Hotel;

Helluva Boss;

Howl’s Moving Castle (O Castelo Animado);

Darling in the FRANXX;

Five Nights at Freddy’s;

EPIC: The Musical;

SIX: The Musical;

Disney;

Pixar;

Dreamworks;

Harry Potter Saga;

The Folk of the Air Saga;

Shitpost; ← what can I say? it’s funny (*´－｀*)

35mm: A Musical Exhibition;

BeetleJuice: The Musical, The Musical, The Musical;

Wicked;

Historic Facts; ← the owner of the blog is a humanities girlie, so don’t mind if some random history shit pops up on your screen (ভ_ ভ) ♡

In conclusion:

owner of the blog = cringe fucked up nerd ♡

The list will keep getting bigger with time, I guarantee to you.

So, about requests, they’re currently open!

-𝑅𝑒𝓆𝓊𝑒𝓈𝓉𝓈: 𝑜𝓅𝑒𝓃

-𝒫𝑒𝒹𝒾𝒹𝑜𝓈: 𝒶𝒷𝑒𝓇𝓉���

That’s it for now. Don’t forget to send your requests if you like the topics I mentioned.

╔═.✵.══════════╗

𝒯𝒽𝒶𝓃𝓀 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝑒𝓃𝒿𝑜𝓎 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒷𝓁𝑜𝑔!

╚══════════.✵.═╝

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ ✧･ﾟ: *✧

[thatonewierdo]

SCENE FROM CHAPTER 6 OF A TALE OF SPIRITS by @unorthodoxx-page​.

Check out the fic cause I promise it’s worth your time, my first impressions of it were like “wtf how is this so good?!”

took some time given I’m preparing for college at the moment and way underestimated how my almost 2 year art break affected my digital skills but now that I’m back I’m just PUMPED to get back into it. Might do some other scenes in the future who knows (send recs and I might just be tempted to do other scenes and fics).

Beware they may be simpler than this tho cause wtf even is coloring and backgrounds? Give me my pure sketchy goodness

(segue into my messy sketch. idk man I just like seeing artists being messy and not giving a fuck about ‘clean’ art)

[hcdragonwrites]

Cleansing Rain (@digitalagepulao Drabble)

This was something that came to mind at the little Tumblr post this creator prosed below! It’s short but I hope you enjoy!

A great clap of thunder shattered the birdsong and scattered them like rice grains in the wind. The rumbling beast in the sky sounded tiger-like, it’s approach as soft as those jungle cats. Only it’s breath, as cold and full of water, warned that the beast was about to pounce upon them.

The pilgrims upon the road looked up all with varying expressions of worry. All except one. The youngest of the pilgrims- the youngest in disciplehood that is. The stone monkey had lived longer then a man, longer then most trees, and almost as long as some great dragons of the seas. He had seen the Heavens, had waged war with Immortals and Demons alike. The stone monkey had been King, Student, Sage, and Warlord. He had seen horrors, had survived many of them, and had brought his own to those that had been in his path.

The storms breath heaved again. An exhale of a roar as the rain splattered dry dirt, as it began to create a chime of sounds as the trees leaves laughed in its wake. The earth exhaled, the smell of dampening stone, earth and dirt, rising. As Water and Earth met the Monkey stood still, caught in between.

Sun Wukong, King of Flower Fruit Mountain, Sage equal to Heaven, Warlord and almost usurper of the Jade Emperor- looked upward. While the rest of the band made for a low hanging honeysuckle Wukong stood. The rain fell like the softest breath on his skin. The first droplets were cool. A storm from the mountains blown off course. It would have been snow if it had not been brought to them. To him.

The other pilgrims frantically set up a tent for their Master, Tripitaka. He was but mortal and this cold downpour could take root as a chill and sickness. They worked quickly. All except the newest edition.

Wukong felt the wind run fingers through his fur as if greeting a new friend. The dirt and rock that had clung to him since his imprisonment beneath the mountain was brushed away. To the other pilgrims it looked as if Wukong was just standing in the rain.

The water fell in a heavy sheet, not a soft thing now. The tiger had leapt onto them and roared its rain onto that dry bit of earth. It’s fury however was a welcome thing to the stone monkey. He felt it wash over him- nature in its pure, untamed movement. The water soon had his fur sodden. Wukong leaned into the invisible claws of the storm, enjoying the rush of sensations. It was cold, the wind tried to steal at his clothes in a playful manner, and the thunder clapped his ears as his mother would if he had tried to play a prank on her.

“What is he doing?” Bajie said. He was incredulous beneath his eyebrows, frowning as rain soaked his skin even beneath the tree.

“Looks like he’s enjoying the rain.” Wujing commented. The great red beard beneath his chin flowed like a river of molten fire- the rain making it stick to his shirt.

“More like getting a bath.” Longma spoke from beneath the branches. The horse shook itself and, with the last shiver, reverted to the dragon prince he was. Longma checked the tent flaps to make sure the ties were secure. It was a small tent and worn. They would have to get a new one soon from the damage this one had taken. From within - and before the eldest disciple could latch the last tie- the young monk poked his head out.

Tripatakas bald head already glistened with the rain as he called Bajie back to his place beneath the tree. The boar had been making its way to the stone monkey, a moody look in his eyes.

“Leave him.” It only took those simple words to recall the boar back to the tree. The monk looked at Wukong again. He took in the stance of the monkey, how the rain was now washing over him. How he looked almost …. Peaceful. Harmonious in a sense. The mortal man felt a small smile steal upon his face. Tripitaka felt he got a glimpse into a personal joy, as one a child gave when experiencing a new sight or as a man enjoying the fruits of his labour come to fruition.

“He looks …happy.”

Longma tied the last flap closed then he, Bajie and Wujing set about erecting another tent for themselves.

Sun Wukong laid back in the green grass, making a soft bed for his head. He stared up into the storm with eyes wide, face soft. The rain continued, the sound slapping against rock and petal, against road and wood, against his fur and ears. The noise- the noise!- it was bliss. No silent stone, no unfeeling chains. Here the wind trussed and pulled at him. Here the rain cleaned away the hundreds of years of neglect left in his fur. It groomed him, awakened his senses, made him feel alive.

Wukong laughed. He laughed until his own rain fell from his eyes. He was alive. He could not die - but there were feelings - there were things worse then death. Life meant so little when one could not experience what it meant to be alive. In the rain, in the cold, in the growls of the storm, Wukong revelled in it.

He was alive. He was glad for the storm, for it covering the sudden well of feeling that made their way down his cheeks and from his eyes. Wukong didn’t stop his tears. They were not of sorrow. Not of pity. They were of joy- the joy of experiencing and touching, tasting, smelling and seeing the world again.

He was alive.

[luci-z-wont-shut-up]

Thinking about an AU where after the Champion of the Wilds the next reincarnation of the Hero's Spirit is born into the Yiga Clan