#I am once again saying: emperor’s new clothes

[charcubed]

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[crystalskiesandcherrywine]

The sound of the waves collide // Part Two

Here is Part 2!

Na Baron Feys Rautha x Atreides!Reader

FxM

Cannot wait to tell my version of their story, we are getting closer to the smutty fun part of it.

All feedback is welcome <3

Part One // Part Three // Part Four

1.200 Words

_______________

The sounds of the hall are muffled. This seems to be a contest between you and Na Baron on who will pull away first.

His unreadable gaze challenging you to uncover what lies beneath. The moment is shattered when the Emperor's voice cuts through. Your father speaks for you. 

"Please excuse my daughters' shyness, most esteemed Emperor." The Emperor's laughter brings you back to reality, and you leave your soon-to-be husband's eyes to look at your hands, trying to concentrate. The Emperor seems amused by your behavior: 

"You're not the first young lady to just stand in front of me and not be able to say a word. May I present Na Baron Feyd Rautha Harkonnen and his uncle, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen of Giedi Prime" There seems to be kindness in his tone. It gives you the confidence to look up again: "It is an honor to be in your presence, Emperor. I thank you with all my heart for granting me this match."

 A bubbling, sour sound fills the room: "I am not so sure you will be grateful once you are married to my nephew"

It is absurd to you now how you could not register the source of the remark: Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, a grotesque floating figure, draped in black cloth to give him a regal and imposing effect, hovers between the Empress's throne and the Na Baron. He also seems smooth and pale but lacks the grace of a warrior. He looks more like a dark cloud, sucking the energy from his surroundings. The black orbs attached to his body make a faint clicking sound. You try to make a mental note to read his chapter first, once you are back in your room, 

"My trust lies in the wisdom of the Emperor and the decision of my esteemed father, Duke Leto Atreides." You make sure to sound as loud as clear as you can. The Baron seems displeased by your defiance, but Feud Rautha can't hold back a slight upward curl of his lips. You know that you cannot appear meek in front of him, so you are satisfied with your impression for now. 

„Now that you are introduced, you are granted to escort your betrothed to the celebration of my daughters and her brothers wedding. You are also permitted to spend some time together, of course in the presence of an adequate chaperone“ And having said that the emperor leaves the room, followed by the floating Baron and your father. 

You can feel Feyd Rauthas looking at you again, he doesn't seem to hold back at all, his eyes brushing over your dress, almost as if he were undressing you with his eyes. There is something alluring about your betrothed. His features are clear, his skin pure white, and with his black uniform he seems to be lit from within. You have yet to exchange a word with him and already feel a gravitational pull between you. As he approaches, you curtsy and bow your head. 

"It is a pleasure to escort you to your brothers' celebrations, my lady," his voice seems a little raspy and deep. He extends his arm to you as if in invitation, and you feel his lean muscles through the fabric of his shirt. His arm is warmer than you expected and you try not to worry about the cold of your own fingers. 

"We will soon be husband and wife. I hope you are ready for all the new experiences that will come with it.“ The promise of unexplored pleasures hinted at in his words—all of it pulls you into a vortex of excitement and desire.

"I am sure we both need to be prepared. I am to follow you to your world and your customs, but rest assured, I intend to bring some of my own into this union," you say in a playful tone.

"I look forward to learning more about them," he says almost in a whisper, coming closer to your ear and making the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. 

You reach the feast and he leads you to your place at the table.

"My lady," he gives you a slightly crooked smile, takes your hand and raises it to his lips. Just the slightest touch of your knuckles and he's gone, leaving you as nervous as you were before and yet as fascinated as you could imagine from such a brief interaction.

________

The wedding party goes on for hours after Paul and Irulan exchange their vows, with music and wine flowing, and you see Paul beaming at his bride, her happiness spreading to the guests, and yet you feel so distant. You never feel free of Feyd's gaze, and every time you look in his direction, he seems to be looking back at you. 

After the feast, you are a bundle of nerves and too tired to care. After changing into your nightgown and dismissing your ladies-in-waiting, you fall into a dreamless sleep. A sudden knock on the door awakens you. For a few seconds you are confused as to why you are not at home. The knock doesn't sound familiar, but you open the door hesitantly. Na Baron stands in the doorway.

"I couldn't go to sleep without talking to you," he says, and there is something in the tone of his voice that both entices and annoys you. Again his eyes wonder at your body and you feel self-conscious about not being properly dressed. 

"May I ask..." and before you can answer his is already in your room. He walks around your room and sees Irulan's gift on the table.

"You seem more ready than I expected," he says with a small laugh. 

"Are you?" you ask, unable to push the thought of his rumored concubines from your mind. "You know we will both be in trouble if anyone sees you, Na Baron.“

"I don't think so. No one saw me and I am sure you want to tell someone," he replies, taking a few steps in your direction and stopping close to you. You try to remember your training and yet you feel this ridiculous longing to touch him. A man you don't know at all, a man whose cruelty you've read about and been told to see as part of the greater Bene Gesserit plan. 

"I beg you to leave," you say, but he doesn't seem convinced: his hand goes to your jaw, slides down and then suddenly the soft touch turns into a grip around your neck, his lips meet yours with undeniable force, his tongue finds its way into your mouth and devours it, his other hand presses you against him and you feel his excitement: Before you can collect yourself, a small moan escapes your lips. You look into his eyes again and see a glint of victory in them. 

"As you wish, my princess. Let's be decent and civilized," he says, obviously satisfied with his conquest, and leaves your room without a sound. As he vanishes into the night, you are left with thoughts of what kind of game you have begun to play.

[anxious-witch]

Okay. Long awaited analysis of Jure's pictures. As always, this is entirely subjective and I don't claim to be 100% right about ny interpretations. Apologies if I am a bit scatterbrained, I just had to write this today despite vibrating out if my skin.

Anyway, let's get to it

So I went ahead and rearranged the pictures in a way that I think fit together.

We start off with these two(sorry for blurryness, it just turned out like this when I cropped them). But funnily enough, I think we have Jure as the opposite of everyone else. Where the rest seemed to gain protection and safety from clothes, I feel like Jure feels stiffled by them.

In these two, he looks most lonely and disconnected than in any other photos from the photoshoot. In the first one, he is in a position akin to the one we saw him before, in that box. Like a cat lounging on the floor. But he is looking away, giving a picture a sense of loneliness, of disconnection. And even before we see him with a cigarette in picture two, there is an ash tray to indicate the smoking.

Then immediately following is this. Jure begins to take off his clothes, his pants and underwear pulled down messily, he is pulling his sweater up. He is still smoking here, but he is also looking directly at the camera. His eyes are frame by a dark eyeliner.

When I was looking at the pictures for the first time, I didn't get the connection until I saw this picture. I am gonna jump the gun and say that I think this set is literally meant to serve as a seduction. Who did they vote for the most likely to sleep with a fan? Jure. Who said hookup when everyone else said relationship? Jure again.

My interpretation is, as crude as it sounds, is that he is connecting with the viewer here through sex and seduction.

Here we have this again. He is only in his underwear and wearing a jacket. I'd even go as far to speculate that it's not meant to be his jacket. Because he is looking to feel closer to the person he is seducing. He'll put on makeup and their clothes, all for the show, all to be seen and to seduce. And I think that's what this photoshoot is, a way for Jure to be seen in a new light.

Interstingly, he seems to have mostly open body language so far in all pictures. In this one he seems slightly more closed off, with his knees pulled closer to his chest and his arm resting on top of them.

Then in this set, we have what I like to think of as "the morning after". There is no makeup, there is no clothes. Jure looks almost superior in the first picture. He reminds of Roman Emperor reclining.

Romans used to have parties, usually reserved only for men, where the position you got on the reclining bed could speak of your position. Here we have Jure alone, in the center. This is his moment and he is completely relaxed, completely in power. He isn't shying away from the camera, there is not shyness due to his almost naked state. Like someone would, after a suceesful seduction.

In the second picture, that's even more openly expressed. His head is fully turned to the camera, his eyes even more intense. It's as if he is inviting us in, drawing us closer. I can't tell if there is a different balnket altogether or if it's shifted and the end of it seems like a slightly different material.

Either way, I can't see anything but him pulling a lover closer once again.

Third picture is....well. Obviously there are certainly other interpretations, but to go with the obvious, Jure seems to be very open here, even has his eyes closed and that paired up with the way his body is positioned implies pleasure to me. Which once again plays into the whole set being about seduction, and about connection that he seems to gain from physical closeness.

In all three pictures, Jure is wearing a chain necklace around his neck. Interestingly enough, he doesn't wear them in the first set. Perhaps implying this is something new he decided to adorn himself with? Or a steel he wears underneath?

Then we have shirtless Jure, and an reappearance if a chain necklace. He is even openly acknowledging the necklace by touching it. With the addition of Damon's quote: "your art intertwined with my art", I think we can once again reaffirm this is a new way Jure wants to be seen. He is an art all of his own, even when surrouded by the art of the rest of his bandmates, he gets to be a central piece in this one. Yet-in the two pictures on the right, he has closed off body language.

Perhaps he is still unsure of the new role he wants. His gaze is softer, less intense. He is letting us take him in as he is. Which is clearly difficukt for him, hence mire closed off body language but none the less, he is still showing us that.

As always, feel free to add in on these, I feel like I missed on a lot of things bc of everything they dropped on us today but damn. I love this photoshoot sm

[zhounauts]

THE PALACE ALMANAC :: FEATURE 2 :: KNIGHT! PARK JONGSEONG warnings: cursing, embarrassment:: pairing: knightcommander!jay x aristocrat!reader

THE HALLWAY IS COMPLETELY DARK as you peek from behind a wall. you shuffle as quietly as you can in the large shoes and baggy clothing you had taken from some passing maids in the palace.

it’s a contrast to how you were dressed just half and hour ago, a glittering and extravagant ball gown for the ball the emperor had thrown to commemorate the end of the war against the monsters and demons that plagued the lands around the kingdom. you had been going to balls your whole life, yet that still didn’t change the fact they were incredibly boring and by the third hour of the ball you were ready to dip.

and that was exactly what you did. after making sure your father was busy and wouldn’t go searching for you, you quickly made your move, sneaking away through the back door of the ball room, tracking down some maids, and now exiting through the courtyard.

the night air is cold, and the three moons of the empire are distant and not incredibly bright. despite this, the excitement coursing through your veins of experiencing a commoner festival keeps you warm enough, and you scale the wall. you reach into the cloaks pocket, grabbing onto a rope that you had bribed the maids for after tossing them your pair of 18 carat gold, diamond encrusted earrings to them. safe to say, that without a word they had dashed away and got you everything you asked for without questioning you and then skipped away with their new wealth.

what you don’t expect however, is as you throw the rope over the courtyard wall, you hear footsteps behind you and then it goes quiet behind you. what the fuck— and then there’s something at your neck. something cold. something sharp.

“don’t move,” a man says, “or i’ll slice your neck”

you freeze in surprise, too shocked to move or say anything. “what are you doing on palace grounds? you aren’t supposed to be here are you?”

“no i—“

“who are you?” he hisses.

“i’m-“

“why are you here?”

“will you let me talk!?” you exclaim annoyed.

“i think your forgetting who has the weapon,” he deadpans.

“oh.” you mutter, “well that’s true…”

“take your hood off,” he commands.

“put your sword down,”

“take your hood off,” he demands again, not relenting. you bite the inside of your cheek. if it this man was a guard, he would definitely report it to your father, you’d be punished, and then you wouldn’t be able to set foot out of the estate for months. so you didn’t let it happen.

“i can’t!”

“what?” the man asks in disbelief.

“i’m….insecure!?” you spit out.

“….what?” the man asks again, “i don’t want to repeat myself, i am the one with the upper hand here,”

“no please i’ll uhm— surrender!”

“take your hood off,” he demands once again.

“i can’t!”

“i don’t care if you’re insecure!?” he asks confused.

“but you sound so—“ you start, your desperate, embarrassed and on the verge of stabbing your self, yet you still blurt out possibly the most stupid thing known to existence. “so cool! and uhm handsome! i feel insecure, i can’t take the hood off,”

now there’s pure silence behind you, the man seemingly so flabbergasted that he can’t even make any noise. and then before you know it the hood is ripped off and your yanked back by the man, you shut your eyes and try to hide your face. unfortunately, the man’s seen you and he exclaims in shock.

“lady jeong!?”

“nope! not me!” you exclaim, “just a maid!”

“i think your family crest is a dead giveaway, my lady,”

“please don’t tell my dad! do not tell duke jeong, please,” you look at the man, trying to forget your embarrassment earlier. the man is in fact actually very handsome, a little bit too fine for a palace guard but you can’t focus on that now. you watch as he sighs.

“my lady, i won’t tell your father,” he starts, “we should head back to the banquet,”

“i don’t have my dress,” you mutter,

“what?”

“my dress is gone,”

“how!?” he exclaims.

“I threw it in a closet okay!? I wanted out!”

“Now why would you—” the man sighs again, “my lady, you are not in any state to head back into the ball like this,”

“well—” you stop, not knowing what to say, only sheepishly looking down at the ground. you were known as the dignified, mature daughter of duke jeong, and now here you were acting like an actual dingus in front of this man.

“maybe. . .” the man stop, “i could—” he stops again.

“what?” you ask.

“if the town square is where you want to go. . .i can take you,” he says, “that might not be a good idea actually never—”

“oh. my. god. YES!” you exclaim, grabbing onto the mans arms. they’re strong and steady and you see the man flinch in surprise. “please! sir! whoever you are!”

“you don’t even know who i am!?” he asks offended.

“Uhm. . .no? sorry are you one of the guards at the estate? i spend too much time studying, sorry. . .” you apologize.

“i’m sir jay, the kingdom’s night commander,”

“oh,” you gape. you stare at the dude, jay in disbelief before snapping your fingers, “right! i knew that!”

“my lady. . .it’s okay,” he answers.

“no. no it is not. i was just attending the ball in your honor and didn’t even recognize you.” you murmur embarrassed, “man my dad would actually be disappointed in me for this,”. jay lets out a laugh, it’s light and unique, and from his chest.

“well, my lady, would you like to head out or not?” your eyes sparkle in excitement.

“yes, yes absolutely! thank you so much sir jay!” jay extends his arm towards you, and you place your hand in his. he brings it to his mouth, kissing it and bowing in front of you. you feel the back of your neck heat up at the action, and you bite the inside of your cheek. many lords and sir’s had done the same thing to you over your life, yet jay doing it made you flustered. he looks you straight in the eye and you awkwardly look away, taking your hand out of his and fixing your hair.

“am i too. . .cool and handsome?”

“aw fuck you!” you exclaim, whipping around, leaving him behind you laughing. and as he laughs, you can feel a smile breaking from your own face, before you join in with him, laughing underneath the stars.

taglist @soobincantswim @firstclassjaylee @yizhoutv @xuimhao @thesassy-mia @k-films

taglist is open!

a/n so i hated the original one i posted and then realized it was only HALF of the story. . embarrassment slapped me like a truck fr ngl

[thefreakandthehair]

I am once again thinking about an AU

Specifically a selkie Steve

Don’t get me wrong, I love a good werewolf Steve (get it, hairy beast, the hair, harrington) because protective mom Steve is just (insert emperors new groove meme here)

But! Selkie Steve, who’s mom is a Selkie and his dad has her pelt so she can’t leave him even when she hates him for constantly being unfaithful. And his pelt is locked up in his father’s safe, a way to control him because obviously he needs to uphold their family’s image while they’re gone and he needs a threat to do a good job

But when he gets kicked out, his father throwing his pelt at him and telling him to get lost, he never wants to see him again, and he doesn’t know where to go but it’s imperative he NEVER lets anyone near his pelt because he can’t be held captive like that again (oh hello trauma response)

No one knows, of course, because he can’t be a freak, even if he knows none of them would ever think that because their friend is a literal experiment with super powers, but like he can’t logic his way out of fear, not when he’s been raised to know he’s a monster because of what he is

Except he falls in love and he’s terrified because he wants to trust Eddie, who’s sweet and a freak but proud and who would protect him because he stands up for all the freaks. But he can’t because his brain doesn’t care about logic, doesn’t care that Eddie wouldn’t hurt him

But one night he’s so tired, he’s exhausted, training to be an emt is hard and he misses Robin because she’s at school and yeah, they talk every day but it’s not the same as when he could spend all day side by side with her (she misses him too and never misses their scheduled phone call time (at least an hour long) because I love their codependency and they’re definitely like those bonded kittens that you have to adopt both together)

But he’s so tired that he forgets his coat on the arm of the couch

He sleeps in late and Eddie, up early because he was so excited planning a new campaign that he never actually went to sleep, sees this beautiful, soft, furry looking coat. And part of him wants to just bury his face in it, because he knows it’ll smell like Steve and also he has lots of impulses about touching things that are soft, but something tells him not to. So he smooths it out where it’s a little wrinkled, but leaves it right where Steve left it

When Steve wakes up to a note from eddie saying he went to the store and will be back soon, and finds his pelt still there, right where he left it but neater now, he panics a little. Except. Eddie could have taken it, he’s taken other clothing (borrowed - technically, sort of, he doesn’t really give it back so much as Steve takes it back knowing full well he’ll borrow other stuff soon enough) but he left it there.

So he tests him again. And again. I read a story I forget where (probably here) about a Selkie leaving her pelt on a chair over and over before demanding in tears why the other woman won’t take it and keep her and that’s exactly the angst I want for them. He demands to know why Eddie won’t keep him, what isn’t good enough

And like that other story (folktale?) Eddie says he doesn’t want to keep Steve, he wants him to stay on his own accord, his own choice

And then the pelt goes into the closet, not a safe, because it’s Steve’s choice and he can go (but why would he want to?)

(Eddie does end up burying his face in the pelt at one point, it smells like Steve and the ocean (ignore that there’s no oceans nearby there’s a lake it’s fine) and it’s soft, but he still prefers to bury his face in Steve’s chest)

KAT I AM SO SORRY I MISSED THIS LAST WEEK! your brain is cooking up the most incredible, well-thought out, creative AU's and I'm sorry but you're gonna have to write at LEAST one of them?! like how does your brain DO THIS?!

[auspex]

VtM Fangfest 2024 Prompt 5: The Emperor

Hello! Here is my fifth fic for Fangfest 2024 :)

All my fics will be about characters that are previously established, so you might not have context for everything mentioned or hinted at within :( Feel free to reach out to ask I love explaining!

I've never really posted my writing before so be kind!

my first fic is here

my second fic is here

my third fic is here

my fourth fic is here

This fic is about Mark my Tremere OC meeting his so-called sire for the first time. :)

Trudging up the stairs to his apartment felt surreal after the night Mark had just been through. In the past 6 hours, Mark had learned he was a part of kindred society, met the Prince of that society, almost died running an errand for this prince, and then almost died in a coup where that prince had been overthrown and a new one took his place. 

Oh, and he was technically dead already. 

Slumping his shoulders in relief, Mark opened the door to his apartment. Upon opening the door and seeing his kitchen and living area, he tenses once again. 

It was not messy as he left it, but instead, pristine, spotless from top to bottom, with a slight smell of lemon. Was the carpet always that white? And it was not just cleaned: The bulletin board was emptied; the fridge had nothing on it. Compared to how the rest of his night had gone, this was certainly not the strangest thing that had happened. But it was quite unsettling. 

Now searching, worried, and paranoid, he checked the bedroom next. It was also deep cleaned. Searching further, the closet had his clothes, but not most of his partner’s, and it had boxes Mark did not recognize - to investigate later. The large bed was made perfectly, though only one pillow rested on the frame, not the usual two. 

He checked the bathroom down the hall. Again, perfectly clean. The mirror was flawless, and he caught sight of his face, his dark circles darker than he had ever seen, as if he had been up for many nights in a row. His beard was perfectly cut like his short brown hair. Though he had already discovered that he did not need them, he kept his glasses on: clear square frames that helped distract from the dark circles. 

His appearance shook him for a moment, but he did not linger long. There was only one more room to check. He opened the door to the second-bedroom-turned-office. 

This room was also cleaned; the random stacks of papers were gone, and the bookshelf was organized. 

But Mark was not alone.

The pink chair at his desk turned around slowly, and facing him was another. Not his boyfriend - a stranger, who immediately captured his attention.

He was a stranger, but Mark felt he knew him. 

His clothes were odd - a black suit top melding into a dark blue robe; the tie was a deep blue. His black hair and beard were perfectly cut. He sat with his hands formally folded in his lap. 

“Good evening, Mark.” The man in the chair spoke incredibly slowly. Mark hung on to every word. “My name is Julius.” He met Mark’s eyes, and looked deeply. 

Julius’s eyes were shockingly bright red, but Mark found them entrancing. His voice was oddly familiar, and beautiful to his ears. Everything about him was beautiful, really. 

And though he could not remember ever meeting Julius, Mark was not disturbed to find him here, in his home, uninvited. 

Mark swallowed, unsure of what to say. Thankfully, the man continued. “I am your sire.” 

A few hours ago, Mark had learned the meaning of that word, and scrambled to figure out where to begin. Before Mark could speak however, Julius spoke once again, agonizingly slow, still pausing after every word. Mark wouldn’t dream of interrupting. “I know you have a lot of questions. First, drink this.” His clasped hands unfolded to hold out a small vial filled with red. 

Blood. 

Without pause, Mark took the vial and drained it. It was delicious; rich, deep, strangely reminiscent of nectar or fruit, and better than any blood he could remember drinking thus far.  

“How does it taste?” 

Mark, returning the empty vial to Julius, careful not to touch his hand in reverence, replied. “It tasted good.” He felt like that was a stupid reply. I can figure out something to say that’s more intelligent than that, surely, and Julius thankfully waited as Mark thought. “And this might sound odd, but like fruit.” Ugh, that was even stupider, even if it is true. 

Julius simply replied, “Noted.” He continued. “Now, with that done. As my childe, there are expectations for you.” 

Mark could not break his gaze. He would do anything he asked; he wanted to meet these expectations desperately - there, a purpose, something that makes sense in the insanity. 

“We will have a close relationship.” As if knowing Mark’s earlier thoughts on his appearance, he clarified. “A professional one. You were embraced for a reason; I selected you.”

Embarrassed, but still firmly in an odd state of awe, Mark replied. “Of course. What would you have me do?”

“You will be my eyes in the city, for both the Camarilla and, once you join, in the chantry. Weekly, you will write reports to me, going over anything notable. Start by describing the kindred you worked with last night, your coterie. I will send you more details on what I wish to know.”

He gestured towards the table, which Mark now noticed had a silver bowl on it. “Should you have sensitive information or need me immediately, you can use this. Simply fill it with water, think of my eyes, and spill some of your vitae within.”

Julius had yet to break eye contact with Mark. He felt his gaze intensely. “Do not use this lightly.”

“I will, of course, ask you to investigate various subjects, or perform other tasks. You will be joining the local chantry, properly introducing yourself to the Tremere kindred of Detroit. And, I expect you to learn the art of Thaumaturgy, and have arranged for you to be taught there.”

He paused, as if examining Mark. Again, like he could read Mark’s thoughts, he answered Mark’s unspoken question - who was he? “I am the Tremere Lord of this area; specifically, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky. All of the Regents of the chantries in these states report to me.” Another brief pause at another unspoken question, as he gazed into Mark’s eyes. “And yes, I also do have other childer, though because I am making Detroit my place of residence, you and I will work together more often than I do with most of them.” 

Mark surprised himself by not feeling fear, but excitement at the thought. He swore Julius almost smiled. He wanted to do well for Julius. But, what of his life? His missing boyfriend Sammy, and his job?

“As for your personal life…” he trailed off for a moment. “You will continue working at your college; those arrangements have already been made. You will continue living here.”

Julius kept his face impassive as he continued. “As for… Sammy, yes? That’s what you called it? Do not worry about that. He has not been home for some time. His handler was careless. It is no matter. You can have many Sammys.”

For the first time in this conversation, Mark felt unsettled, but not quite as unsettled as one would expect to feel upon a stranger knowing your boyfriend’s pet name and referring to him as an object one could collect. And Mark did not know exactly what ‘handler’ meant, though based on how he had already seen other kindred treat humans, he knew it could not be good.  

But he swallowed those concerns, dismissing them easily. Mark simply said “Thank you.” 

Julius answered another unspoken question Mark was formulating. “What you drank was my blood, and you will drink it again, every month. It binds you to me, as you should be, as my childe and as a Tremere. I myself am bound to my sire, and we are all bound to the leaders of the Tremere, the Seven, who you should learn of, and Tremere himself. You will learn more of this later.”

“And yes, it was my voice you heard earlier. I look out for you.” 

Mark gazed at Julius for a time, and Julius never broke his gaze.

“Is there anything else important?” 

He could talk to Julius forever, but was any of it really so important as to waste his time with it? Actually, he did have one question.

“When will I see you again?” 

“Exactly a month from now. Anything else?” 

Starstruck, Mark said, “No, Julius. Thank you again.” 

Julius stood. “Very well. Have a good evening.” 

Mark watched his every step as he left the room. He walked slowly, and to Mark’s enraptured eyes, with grace. Mark listened for the outside door to close. He didn’t have to wait long.

If Mark breathed, he would have been holding his breath. He let out a sigh, not quite of relief, but of tension. He had felt so restrained, like all he did must be for Julius, but now he found himself alone, and his thoughts returned to what happened to his house and, more importantly, what had happened to its other occupant, Sampson.

[zombee]

i was a big asoiaf fan and nothing made me angrier than people saying i only didn't like game of thrones because it was "different than the books." people are saying the same shit about the new Avatar show and once again my hackles are raised. admittedly I've seen one episode, which was dogshit, but the arguments are not "here's what was good" it's "you just don't like it because it's different." false. I don't like it because it sucks. the acting sucks. the CGI sucks. the bending sucks. the script sucks. the wigs suck. there's no whimsy. there's no laughter. there's no depth. and I'm actually THRILLED! because i am anti live action adaptation of cartoons. i was hoping it was either going to be amazing or terrible, and I'm happy it's so bad. the emperor has no clothes.

[otomepeachy]

Lucifer Playlist

Link

These can be for the original game or NB. most of them fit for both. I've had the playlists for a while but recently refined them. I hope you like them!

Explanations (Excluding Character Songs):

Surface Pressure - Encanto Soundtrack

I know it's a bit too cheesy for his character, but listen to the lyrics and tell me it doesn't fit. My mans is taking care of everything. Devildom would fall apart without this man.

Lucifer - SHINee

Self indulgent and self explanatory

My Oh My - Camila Cabello, Da Baby

The beat just makes me think of him. Lyrics aren't a perfect fit but still work.

Emperor's New Clothes - Panic! At The Disco

Very prideful song if you really pay attention to the lyrics. Lots of talk about royalty which is usually a good fit for him.

I WANNA BE YOUR SLAVE - Måneskin

We know hes a freak don't you even try to challenge me on this it's just cannon.

Daddy Issues - The Neighbourhood

*looks directly at you* 🫵🏻

S&M - Rihanna

I am once again pushing the Lucifer is a freak agenda. He is 100% into BDSM and you know it. This man loves tying his partners up, without a doubt in my mind.

Therefore I Am - Billie Eilish

Reminds me of early on when Lucifer was wary of MC or how he acts when smth goes wrong. It just gives off the confidence and obviously pride that he gives off.

Animal I Have Become - Three Days Grace

I like to think of It as what Lucifer was thinking after falling or how he feels when he finally opens up to MC.

Lucifer's Waltz - Secession Studios

Self explanatory. Very pretty song! I can imagine him listening to this or it playing during a battle or smth.

Feeling Good - Michael Bublé

It's Jazzy! It's suave! It just fits!

Seven Devils - Florence + The Machine

While you can probably guess why this is here, the song also talks of power and revenge in the beginning. I just think it's a good fit.

Dream On - Aerosmith

~ V I B E S ~ That guitar just makes me think of him.

Don't Go Insane - DPR IAN

It fits. I can just picture him while listening to this. Especially that part. You know the part. The one from Tiktok. We've all seen it. I can just see him smirking AGHHHHHHH

bury a friend - Billie Eilish

It's kinda dark and smooth like him. It sounds like things he'd say. It also kinda reflects how he felt about MC in the beginning, confused as to how she's so calm and collected when meeting them.

[late-nite-scholar]

Aug 16 (Day 5)-Crown/Gentle

Being Emperor isn’t easy. In fact, in some ways, it kind of sucks. Part of a Martin Lives AU. Prompts by @tes-summer-fest  

Nord HoK x Martin Septim 

Warnings- pregnancy

Wordcount- ~1300

***

It was much later than he’d hoped when Martin climbed the stairs up to the Emperor’s Suite, grumbling a little at how many damned stairs were in this tower. It was too late to read Gemille her bedtime story; she’d have been put to bed a good two hours ago now. There were few things he hated more than the way this damned crown took him away from little things like reading to his daughter and tucking her in. 

Once inside the doors of the royal suite and having shut out the rest of the world, he dropped the tall, square-shouldered walk of the Emperor. Ironically, this grand and overly-sumptuous apartment was one of the few places he could just be Martin for a little while. He closed his eyes, letting out a long sigh. 

Gentle arms encircled him, a kiss planted on his cheek as a soft voice asked, “How did it go, love?”

“Longer than it should have. But we’ve got the dispute sorted out. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to come see the new Blades taking their oaths. I really wanted to be there.”

“I know. Baurus and I handled things, don’t worry. I’m still technically a Blade myself, among all the other titles. I’m a good substitute for the Emperor when needed.”

He turned, reaching up to take her face in his hands. “Aethelfrid! Don’t say that about yourself! You are, among your other titles, Empress of Tamriel. You’re not a substitute, you’re just as important as I am. Considering how we got here, I’d say you’re more important than I am!”

She grinned. “Yeah, but you’re the Septim. Either way, it went very well. Gemille tried to stay up and wait for you, but she had a long day. She barely made it half an hour past bedtime. Come see what she got today.”

They crept over to the door leading into the nursery. Their daughter lay curled up around something wooden, her orange hair a riot around her. As she shifted, Martin got a look at what she held. 

“Is that a wooden sword?” he whispered in disbelief. 

“It is!”

“She’s three!”

“That’s probably when I got my first training sword,” Aethelfrid shrugged. “She won’t do proper lessons just yet, but she can have it and maybe we can do a few small techniques like proper grip. She’s very excited to show you.”

His face softened into a smile again, “She’s so much like you.”

“She’s more like you than you think.”

***

Once they’d come away from the nursery door, Aethelfrid took Martin’s hand and led him to another door, behind which the large bath waited. It was all prepared, enchantments keeping the water warm and inviting. As Aethelfrid pushed the robe off of his shoulders, he took off his crown, frowning at it. 

“I hate this thing,” he muttered. 

“I know, love. But we don’t need it right now.” 

He put it down on a small table, feeling the weight of it fall away. For a little while, it could. It was these few, precious moments that got him through the day, that made the weight of the crown bearable. He sighed again. 

“I didn’t even ask you how you’re feeling. I’m sorry, my heart.” He rubbed his face with the heel of his hand. 

She was still undoing and pulling off his clothes, and he reached out to the hem of her long tunic, beneath which her stomach had begun to get round again. She giggled. 

“I’m doing just fine. Feeling good. This feels as though it’ll be another strong, Septim child.” She pulled the tunic over her head. “It’s good it’s starting to show. Some of the nobles have been very pissy that we didn’t just have babies back to back to back. I think they just want to keep me busy and out of Council meetings.”

As they settled into the tub together, Aethelfrid’s strong, deft fingers began to message water and soap through Martin’s hair. He leaned back, savoring the feeling. 

“Can I tell you something, my dear?” he asked. 

“Of course.” She planted a kiss on his forehead. 

“I… I wish we could disappear somewhere. Live quiet lives, just you and me and the children. Maybe somewhere near the mountains.” He’d fallen in love with the mountains during their time at Cloud Ruler Temple. “But there’s still so much to be done, even with all the progress we’ve made.” 

Her fingers stopped scrubbing for the briefest second. “I wish we could, too. My family is from Morthal, and it's not too far from there that you could find a little spot in the mountains. Or east closer to Dawnstar. It’s about as far away from everything as you can get.”     

“Don’t tempt me.”

“Let’s retire there. Once the rebuilding’s done and we get everything back on its feet, let’s retire to Skyrim.” 

“Deal.” 

Martin helped Aethelfrid unbraid and wash her hair next. He ran a gentle comb through the flame-orange waves, wondering if their second child would also inherit this color. They made many grand plans as he worked; discussing the house they’d build and where. 

“I’d love a garden,” Martin admitted. “I had one at the chantry in Kvatch. I miss it.” Kvatch was being rebuilt, but even if a new garden was planted, he wouldn’t have the chance to do more than maybe see it. 

“I need a training yard. We also need a library.”

“Of course. And enough room for our family. You said you wanted a big one.”

“I do. It’s a Nord thing. We always have big families.”

Well, I will build the house myself to your exact measurements.”

***

Once they’d bathed, they settled down for a late-night supper. More pressing realities took over the conversation; an envoy from Mournhold arriving in two days’ time, a gala planned for the day after that. The trading guild had a petition about a contract to Hammerfell, and builders in the city wanted to meet about their progress. There was also a feast day coming up quickly, and they’d have to find the ceremonial robes to wear to the temple that day.  

It seemed never-ending, but Aethelfrid was as firm in her commitment as he, and it was less daunting with both of them facing it together. After all, they’d faced down the forces of The Dead Lands and its ruler together. Once you’ve done something like that, the mundane jobs of contracts and noble posturing seemed much less intimidating.

After dinner, they retired to their bed with a book each. Snuggling up, they did a little reading, before returning their attention to the other. 

“I’m sorry for being so grouchy,” Martin kissed his wife’s cheek softly. 

“You have a lot on your plate, love. We both do. It’s not easy. It’s a lot of pressure.”

“I really wish we could retire to the mountains.”

“We will. We’ll get things back on track and retire to Bruma. Or Morthal, or wherever you want. Falkreath is very pretty and has less snow.” 

“They’re not going to let us just leave like that.”

“When the time comes, we’ll leave before they realize. You have no idea the hidden places and trails and things I found running around doing Hero of Kvatch stuff. I mean it.”

“I would never doubt you on that. And, I hope we can take you up on it.”

“We will. I promise you that.”

***

It took Martin a long time to fall asleep that night. It seemed so impossible! That he could truly leave behind this crown and the weight it carried. But Aethelfrid had done the impossible before. Many times, in fact. He had no doubt she could do so again. One day, he told himself, once we’ve got things back in order. 

When he finally fell asleep, he dreamed of a little farm with a garden and a gaggle of flame-haired children. 

[the-knights-of-the-nerds-table]

CHAPTER 1 - All will be well when I will come back from the dead

After being dragged away by masked guards, Lyber found himself in the sewers, his vision blurry from his tears, his wrists aching from the chains that were taken away not too long ago, but worst of all, his heart is still breaking.

His only reason to live, the one constant in his life, was now lying lifeless on some concrete floor, surrounded by other corpses. She didn’t even have a funeral, it was the least he could do for her once he escapes the sewers. Why was he even there in the first place? Not long ago he had the noose wrapped around his neck, ready to pull out the last thread of life he had in him. 

The masked guards that surrounded him move away, as a hooded figure walks to the middle of the circle. Lyber, sitting on his knees, looked down at the sticky concrete floor, at the boots with low, silver heels. The figure stepped down and looked at Lyber with a knowing smile. 

“It’s been a long time, my friend”, said the man slowly. 

He knew that voice, that rasp that appeared only when he would speak to friends, that audible smirk that said ‘I told you I’d be back.’ If he wasn’t so full of grief, maybe Lyber would have been able to get up and hug his old friend, but the circumstances deemed otherwise. From beneath the hood emerged a sunkissed forehead engulfed by curling red hair. His face wasn’t cleanly shaven, but an attempt at cleanliness could be seen, and his voice rasped, as if he hadn’t spoken to anyone in a while. 

“If only your timing was right… It’s good to see you again, Eagan.” 

“I truly am sorry for your loss. Your wife shall be avenged, but for now we need to focus on the task at hand. My men have come across some news that I think will interest you.”

But before he could finish his sentence, Lyber raised from his place and tackled his comrade to the ground, his hands around his neck, threatening to pull all the air from his lungs. His eyes darkened with anger and sadness, remembering the clear white, almost transparent skin of his beloved wife. He wanted to scream, to plunge a knife into his heart, to relieve himself of the burden of being alive. 

The blood rushed to his head, and as he shook Eagan by the collar, he screamed, “How could you say that?! If it weren’t for your tardiness and foolishness we could’ve saved her! And now she’s gone.” 

“We didn’t have any other choice! Our position could have been compromised and you know it. It was crucial for us to stay hidden. You know what would’ve happened if Kanaan was to catch us.” 

A shiver was threatening to run down Lyber’s spine. Kanaan, the orc lord, has allied himself with the Ascenian Empire. His troops were roaming the market in which the execution took place, and it was a known fact that his torture methods were worse than falling into the hottest pits of the Hells from which he came. Emperor Kiernan of Ascenia has accepted their alliance out of fear and greed, and ever since, the land of Iliyar has fallen into a dark age. 

Lyber let go of his friend’s collar and fell back on the musty floor. Exhaustion coursed through his bones, and yet he was aware that rest was far from anything he could afford at the moment. Eagan shifted his clothes and looked back with concern. He was well aware of the unending love between Eiura and Lyber, but her death couldn’t distract them from the mission. 

“We have to move quickly, time is of the essence. Before we move on, we need to regroup, and discuss the plan once more…” Lyber strained as he walked, being led by nothing but the reassuring shoulder of his old friend, and the shadows that engulfed their figures in the darkness of the underground.

Corridors and barred pipes stretched along the city, and when in need, they could hide even the most wanted of criminals and cast away all daylight. None of the authorities of the city ever adventured themselves in the filth that was the underground, and Eagan made sure of it. 

The tunnels stretched in a straight corridor, and the miserable concrete that was still holding the sewers together transitioned gently into smoother stone, and finally into a clear dead end. Before Lyber could object to the exit they might’ve missed, one of the hooded rebels knocked on one of the walls, and the sound of scraping metal could be heard from above. 

A ladder introduced them to the stale brown spruce-like wood of an empty house. The only things that lit up the room were some candles left in the corners of each wall, and a torch that was aflame on the stone round table from the middle of the room. Upon the table were set maps and documents of trades, weapon shipments and bounties for almost the entire organisation. 

Men started to spread out, some stood around the table, preparing themselves, some on the floor, being there just for support, and some found refuge next to the candles in the corners, warming their hands. 

“Your presence among the Crimson Cloaks has been missed, Lyber Verghann. And now we are in dire need of help. King Cradoc of Basineth has asked every man to help on the cause, and we have not been yet excluded. Some of you might be aware of this, since we have castle servants among us, but the Book of Essence has disappeared. ” In the room there could be heard gasps of surprise and soon every single soul in the room was listening to Eagan. Lyber was intrigued, but never before had he heard of this Book. 

“Last it was seen in the hall of artefacts, and all of the servants were dismissed at the time. King Cradoc believes that spies of Ascenia were sent to steal it and use its power to enslave the entire land of Iliyar. They already have the aid of Kanaan, and all they need now is a powerful sorcerer to use the magic of the book.” Eagan was incredibly serious and grave as he spoke, making sure to grab the attention of everyone.

”Our duty is to retrieve the book or to find whomever is capable of containing and controlling its power. All for the safety of our kingdom!” Eagan finished, and his acolytes started to cheer. 

Lyber was still sceptical of all of this. After all, he’s just been dragged away from his own execution. “How exactly are we to carry out such vague instructions, if we do not even know the location of the book? It all seems easy, but we have yet to discover the essential details.” 

The whole room turned silent and watched Lyber attentively, and yet no one answered. Eagan beckoned his friend to come closer. “Lyber, before we depart for our journey, we need information and supplies. Our connections led us to the main market in the town of Sevving. His Majesty’s castle is very close to the market, and after gathering what we need, we are to meet with the king.” 

“We are looking for someone named Bernemdin. The Royal Guard has been looking for them as requested, but still no sign. One fish seller ratted out after we threatened to close the market. Bernemdin is rumoured to have made an acquaintance with some powerful sorcerers, and could help us. None of us that tried to get close to him succeeded. He found us out in an instant.” The voice belonged to a much younger man, a guard from the palace. His cold stare pierced Lyber as he explained.

A hand managed to snake its way around his shoulder. Eagan was behind him. “I assure you, old friend, whatever will happen, we will have each other. I promise you I will do anything to help, even with Eiura’s… departure.” 

The sound of her name rang in the man’s mind. Memories from their past flooded his mind. All of the times they shared together are now gone. He can still remember her dark hair that fell down her shoulders so beautifully, her curls bunching up around her slim neck. The dresses she wore were made of silk that shined like pearls in the moonlight. Her eyes were of a blue, not even the clearest of skies could reproduce. She was the pure image of perfection, grace and kindness. It was no wonder that everyone in the West of Ipaerim was enchanted by her. 

As much as Lyber wanted to reminisce his moments with his love, the shouts of men shattered his concentration. Mourning will have to wait, for now, a manhunt was his first priority.

[mellowyellow236]

Yue was a beautiful woman, who some used to say was born from starlight and the call of a crane. But her parents were old and had no sons, so she had to stay in the village as a maiden to take care of them. The jewel of a small village, trapped in a golden cage.

One day, a young nobleman came to the village while traveling. When he saw her, he fell in love instantly, proposing to the stop. Unable to outright reject him, she said “Come to fetch me when you have retrieved a branch made of gold and leaves made of jewels; If you can do that, you will win the right to my heart.”

He did not return, but there came a second noble in his place. This time, she told him to get a holy lyre played by a wind god. He returned with a counterfeit. She turned him away, and two more like him soon followed.

The emperor came to visit her one day, asking her “Love, if you marry me, I will make your beauty known throughout all the land.” She refused, saying that she did not need her beauty to be known, nor did she need to be confined to the palace.

He returned the next day, asking “Love, if you marry me, I will make you the richest woman in the land, and you will have a palace in every city.” She refused, saying that if she left her family that would be the same as leaving her heart.

He did not leave that day, and he told her “Love, if you do not marry me, I will set the village alight, and you will not marry anyone.” And she could not refuse him.

That night, she went to the river, weeping crystal tears of sorrow. She heard gentle whispers, follow, “Why do you cry, my dear?”

She answered, “I must be wed to a man who will burn those who refuse him.” The whispers seemed to hum, and told her;

“Drink the river water at the source, and he will forget every thought of you. But if you get too greedy, you will get more than you hoped for.”

Yue nodded and traveled to the source, finding a spring with water clearer than crystals and shimmering like moonlight. She held the water in her hands, taking a gulp. But she thought to herself, she could only fit so much in her palm, why wouldn’t she bring some home in case it wasn’t enough? But she had no vial on her to carry any. In worry, she took another sip after sip, and she prayed that she would be forgotten by the man.

She went back down to the village and soon reached her home. She knocked on the door, but there was no answer. Knocking again, her hand passed through the door. She walked through the door slowly, edging towards her room, as though approaching a wounded animal. As she entered, it was full of not her bed and clothes, but instead was dedicated to the storage of bamboo stalks and her father’s old bows. She ran to the window and tried to open it, to see if the garden was as she left it, but instead ran through the wall into a field of brambles. As she started once more, she heard the whispers again. She sobbed and choked out, “And what have you done? Come to mock me?”

“You were told not to get greedy, and yet you drank handfuls upon handfuls.” The whispers responded, “But the river is generous, it only tries to give you what you want. Take a few gulps for something new, and take some for to be drank when you feel most lonely. But in return, you must give up something as precious as what you desire.” But again, she did not stay to heed the whispers and warnings, running to find the roots of the crystal river once more.

She ran to it and drank straight from the source, her tears mixing with the river as she began to glow and lift, far away from the world she called her home. As she arose, the whispers asked, “And why do you drink, but only to fulfill yourself? You wished only to be remembered.”

“Yes, I only wish to be remembered. But why does that make me greedy? I am nothing but a poor girl, and yet the emperor will erase me for my refusal. Why should I not be remembered if he can?” The whispers giggled at that and told her.

“Silly child. You are no longer a girl; You are like me. Rise to the moon, sweet one, and remember that even reflected light looks lovely on a pond.”

Name: Yue

Surname: Akatsuki

Maiden name: Gui

Main Inspirations: Princess Kaguya, Chang’e, and The Little Mermaid

Lore, the reality of the fable:

I understand that I’m going to be acting like I’m contradicting myself in this section versus in the earlier, but in my version of our world for TWST, I use Yue as an actual mythological figure, which will tie more into Yuri (my Yuu’s) lore later. All you need to know for context is that the fable heard above is just that; Folklore based off of events that happened in that world. It’s why there are a few details like her being told to save some of the water, there being storage for her father’s bows, or her being stuck in a ‘golden cage’; It’s meant to show the fact that this myth has been altered and changed over time, a little detail that fits well with the context.

So, what happened was that Yue was a very beautiful woman who started to get proposals from various people, but gave them all impossible tasks and then refused them. Unable to tell the emperor himself that anything he brought was fake, she instead outright refused him, but he continued trying for her hand. Eventually, he got tired of it and decided to force her into it by threatening to kill everyone in her village. However, before he could take her to the capital, she went to go find the fabled magical crystal buried inside a lake near her. It was part of a magic pen that had been “lost” there because it was sent away by someone right before their friend overblotted. However, being unable to use the magic or know what it actually was, Yue chose to eat the stone, believing that either she would be able to get away from her suitor or die trying. In the end, she wished for her to be remembered pleasantly by her family and that they wouldn’t be hurt by the emperor, causing her magic to trigger and send her to the moon, the only place where she could be sure he would never find her.

Once she came there, there were already beings living on the moon. They require a lot of context because they’re a different kind of being, but to summarize, they called themselves seraphs and were humanoid creatures that were reborn every time they died and could fly. She lived with them, fell in love with one, got an immortality potion, and eventually had three children, twin girls and a son. However, realizing that the children had no wings or magic of their own, she chose to go back down to Earth for a little while and pretend to be a normal human, eventually ending up marrying the man who she pretended was Yuri’s father and helping take care of his other kids from his ex-wife.

Now that her children have gone missing, she’s stayed on Earth, deciding to keep looking for her here and to take care of the kids until someone notices that she’s not aging.

That’s all for now :) As always, leave a comment or ask if you have anything to add or anything else that you want to know

Edit: I just changed the formatting :)

[pttucker]

[I've become the retired SSSSS-grade Son Wukong!!] Haven't I seen that many 'S' letters somewhere before? Even though I knew I was being taken for a ride here, I still tapped on the info tab of this chamber. And that's when I saw its introduction. – Introduction: Only I know the end of the Journey to the West.

Wow, what a totally not at all familiar title and plot.

Oh man, but them saying that they had someone they wanted to play Sun Wukong but he got delayed. 😭

And then the loooong pause after Dokja gives Sooyoung his new Modifier.

Am I reading too much into this or did they totally set this story up in the hopes that Dokja would fill the role that's so obviously his? Is Sooyoung surprised that it's not Dokja? Did her Predictive Plagiarism tell her this was the best way to find him and she's wondering what went wrong? Is the pause because she's upset and trying to decide if they should just go without him?

Or does she know it's Dokja and is wondering if he's lying or if he got a new modifier or is she deciding if she should call him out or just go along with it or...?

Ugh, both her knowing and her not knowing make sense.

It soooo seems like they have to know, though. I mean my goodness if this isn't straight up yelling directly in Dokja's face idk what is:

(This small stone monkey had a nasty habit of sacrificing himself to save other people, and many of those who received his unwanted rescue attempts ended up with psychological scars.) (Gods and Buddhas of the heavens all criticised him for it, yet that dumb rock-for-brains continued to throw his life away to save other people over and over again.) N-no, hang on a minute here. (The heaven's Great Jade Emperor and Buddha felt that they could no longer accept such actions from Sun Wukong anymore and imprisoned the Monkey King inside the stone crate under the Marble Mountain.) (And our story starts from there.)

...especially after Jihye literally said that they should bury him in a coffin and leave him there until the scenarios are over. They may not be able to do it in real life but at least they can play pretend!

But despite those harsh words they're so gentle and caring with him? 😭 Literally Dokja's job is to do nothing but rest and relax and let his companions handle things (for once).

I stepped forward and spoke up. "Both of you, please hide somewhere. I shall handle this." If my memory was working fine, then one of the players took on the role of the 'Tang Sanzang's White Dragon Horse'. I was pretty sure that he was the one behind the current event. Seeing that the kids were participating in this Story chamber, the rest of the players should also be from , but if someone with ill intention had somehow butted in here… "…We told you, you just stay on the bus."

Oh man, look at Dokja immediately going right back into protector mode and even assuming that maybe someone had infiltrated the story. And the sass they give him in return! Saying he can't even afford proper clothes for himself but wants to save them? And Yoosung's scary little smile?

THEY HAVE TO KNOW RIGHT?

Is this their way of showing him that they can handle themselves so please trust them to do so? Maybe some kind of angry "stop treating us like children, we are going to be the ones to save you"? An even angrier "how dare you save us when you can't even take proper care of yourself"?

And maybe also their way of letting him just rest finally? After all, how is Dokja to deny them taking care of him when it's literally the plot of the story they're enacting?

Also there's this weird little exchange:

– This way, he'll trust us more, you dummy. What will you do if he decides to wreak havoc later? I felt goosebumps break out on my skin. – …You're actually scared of him? Look at his current state, will ya?

Why would they assume some random stranger is going to wreck havoc??? In fact, who is the one person they know who regularly wrecks havoc for everyone around him? Also, the whole "look at his current state." Dokja assumes they're just talking about his shabby clothes or something but they're definitely talking about how weak he is right now, right? Like, I don't think Dokja was able to fully recover back at Secretive Plotter's place because last we saw he was only like 38% healed. (Yet another reason for his party to pamper him right now.)

Gilyoung and Yoosung are definitely saying "we can totally take Dokja right now he's so weak, if he starts to act up we'll shove him a box somewhere before he causes his usual mess," right???

Ughhh but everything also makes sense if they don't know.

Sooyoung would know that such a story would (and does) appeal to the Great Sage because he also wants to just have a nice relaxing time where he doesn't have to save anybody and is pampered by this companions. And of course a story mirroring the Demon King of Salvation's story in any way is going to draw attention, both from the Great Sage and the general public, as we literally just saw with both the Earth news and the news here. (And Sangah! Sangah is back!!!!!!!!! We actually get to see her again!!!!! And this is the story she's drawn to!!!!) And Dokja himself points out that by doing all of the work of the story, they'll ensure that Kim Dokja's Company gets all the story shares.

...Actually, you know what, just the fact that those are all Dokja's observations and reasonings makes me 100% believe they absolutely know it's him because Dokja always, always, always does exactly this every single time people try to help him or show that they care for him. He always assumes they have some ulterior motive and that they're doing it for their own gain. He never thinks that people are there for him. He is the most unreliable narrator ever when it comes to his own story.

If Dokja believes they're doing it for themselves then they have to actually be doing it for him.

They MUST know.

[for-dramas-sake]

The Starry Love ep 25, 26 thoughts

YOUQIN IS BACK. I don't need to say anything else...JUST KIDDING.

Fair warning though: Most of this LONG post is fawning over Youqin. Don't say I didn't warn you.

The beginning of ep 25 made me so tense. Girl, just tell them before things escalate--too late.

Gotta hand it to Qingheng. He knows how to end things with a bang! (evil smile) I love this.

MY EMOTIONS! This is the beginning of the end of the soul shard arc and I'm conflicted. I love these 3 and my heart breaks when they learn the truth. But then Youqin is going to come back. Let's get through these tears, guys! (reaches for a tissue)

Chaofeng and Qingkui really should just run away and start a family away from the Void realm. They could have the happy ending they freaking need. I can see that happening! Let's make it reality. P.s. Bring Haichou

Every time that guy with a moustache shows up: Aren't you supposed to be dead? Was that explained earlier?

The two baby-faced Immortals show up and this their backup? No. The true backup is the soul shards! 3 men protecting their woman? That's romantic.

Once again Youqin is doing a selfless sacrifice: his soul shards give up themselves for her. This getting to be a very bad habit!

Youqin is coming back!!!!!!! My Immortal Turtle! He's got the same deadpan expression and he's still powerful. Phew!

Dingyun just died? I didn't expect that moment of sacrifice from someone like him.

I am legit, no lie, crying. Those 3 saying goodbye breaks my heart. Excuse me a moment while I sob in the corner.

Yay…Youqin has no emotions! The Immortal Realm will be rejoicing tonight. Bring out the wine.

Between you and me, the turtle DEFINITELY has his emotions and he's in love with her. Those eyes don't lie. And Yetan is in love with him no doubt.

I never liked the Immortal Emperor. It was his constant constipation face that irked me and that fact that he's willing to throw his son to the Guixu because "he's earned it".

I knew he remembered everything, and he knows Yetan's true identity. I'm just an emotional mess right now!

Admittedly I put off any attachment to Chaofeng and Qingkui because Youqin was coming back, but now that he is back, I can say: the Void couple are super cute. I wish them happiness no matter short it is.

Short complaint: Heavenly/Immortal clothes are boring as hell. It's just pastels and various shades of white. They do this all the time with fantasy dramas. (shakes head) Come on, let's do something different. But this clothes-changing-scene is adorable. Poor dragonfly guy, he can never win.

(gasps) The hugs! My heart is rollercoaster: first, the tears now the heart palpitations from the adorableness radiating off the Immortal couple! And he's Immortal Turtle, but out his shell. (I will keep this analogy up for as long as I darn well, please. And yes, I wish I could have thought of turtle references for Foxy and Greed, but I couldn't.)

It's going to be impossible for our lovebirds to keep their dates a secret. Youqin is doing a terrible job at keeping his emotions in check, now that he has them. And Yetan has literally never been doted on, so you know she loves this.

I totally see the 3 shards in the new Youqin. He's a mixture of all 3 and still has some traces of the old turtle. Again, Chen Xingxu does a phenomenal job playing so many different characters.

The Void Queen is going after Chaofeng and the Void gang. Haichou is trying to do the right thing by keeping all news from his friend, but Chaofeng is still the little schemer. I bet he'll sneak out and draw the army away from Qingkui or something like that.

Here are the links to my thoughts on previous episodes:

23, 24 / 21, 22 / 19, 20 / 17,18 / 15,16 / 13,14 / 11, 12 / 9, 10 / 7, 8 / 5, 6 / 3, 4 / 1, 2

[alessiathepirate]

I was tagged by @meri-meri-mwah and @angi-writes-filth. Thank you, I appreciate it! :)

Rules: Pick a song for each letter of your URL and then tag that many people.

Also, my music taste is a mix of everything.

A - American Idiot - Green Day

L - Legendary - Skillet

E - Empty Wallets - 5 Seconds of Summer

S - Stayin' Alive - Bee Gees

S - Should I Stay Or Should I Go - The Clash

I - I Am Machine - Three Days Grace

A - Ain't No Rest For The Wicked - Cage The Elephant

T - Temporary Fix - One Direction

H - Hip To Be Square - Huey Lewis And The News

E - Emperor's New Clothes - Panic! At The Disco

P - Per Aspera Ad Inferi - Ghost

I - Into The Mind - Miracle Of Sound

R - Ritual - Ghost

A - Another One Bites The Dust - Queen

T - The World Is Gonna End Tonight - Dan Romer (Far Cry 5)

E - Ex's And Oh's - Elle King

Tagging sixteen people is a bit of a challenge, but I'll try my best.

@emberstoriesandtales @onlyyourone @charliedawn @hackettquarrys @jessy-the-martian-girl @lonnit-entertainment @yesimwriting @thewrathfuldeputy

/No pressure at all. If you don't feel comfortable doing it, then just ignore this post, but if want to then I'm excited to see what kinds of songs you'll pick. :) /

/Also, I'm a girl of culture, so I can't just go and leave without a bit of rambling.

The song called Should I Stay Or Should I Go is from the game called Far Cry 4, and I gotta say I have a special relationship with that part of the game series and with the series itself.

I first heard Stayin' Alive in BBC Sherlock, one of my favourite TV shows to this day. It's definitely worth a watch.

I know Ain't No Rest For The Wicked from the TV series Lucifer, a show I enjoyed, but couldn't find the time to finish.

Hip To Be Square is a classic, it's mostly known from American Psycho. (I mention this movie in one of my one-shots) Also that movie is still golden and if you haven't seen the clip where the song is played, shame on you; go and watch it! :)

Into The Mind is a song from the video game called The Evil Within, the game that got me into the horror genre and with that into the more complicated backstories.

The World Is Gonna End Tonight is a song from Far Cry 5, the first Far Cry game I ever played and with that it's my favourite from the series to this day./

Once again, thank you for the tagging and sorry for the rambling! :)

[hourglassstationacademy]

Falciette Story Chapter 16

Before her office you found someone you didn’t know yet… a brown haired boy… his clothing didn’t say he was a student. 

“The Headmistress is on call…she has been there for a long time… I am also waiting for her to be done.”

As he told you this, a familiar face walked up to you. Soren your dorm member, yet he walked straight to the brown haired boy.

“Marky Mark! Eyyy I missed you.”

"Soren. You are actually a student again?”

“I convinced the headmistress, are you here cause you want back in too?”

“Right… I had therapy… I had long sessions of change… I finally wanna finish my education… and this is the best place… I just… hope she forgives me.”

As they both continued chatting you took the opportunity to listen against the Headmistress office.

“Excuse me?! She is your daughter!! And you say you don’t care!”

She seemed upset and angry at the phone… 

“I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU!! YOU… yes… alright emperor Grandale… we will tell this to the students.”

She hung up the call and you could hear a kick against her desk… before slowly opening the door.

“Oh… it's you… come in.”

However as you went in Soren and Mark followed right after you.

“No… get out of here… I don’t need you as well.”

Soren spoke up. “Is it still about the prank?”

“No it's far worse… Soren I accepted you back cause even if you two did bad things as duo, including a former teachers overblot, including injuries, you still were the lesser evil out of the both of you. BUT HIM-”

“Miss Belia… I changed… I have this for you.”

He handed her a sheet of paper which made her sigh.

“Anger therapy… even if you did that I can’t forgive all that… You two are responsible for a staff member to overblot and leave, causing a near catastrophe in the school, beating a student up to go to the hospital, damage to several facilities in the school… and you ask me of all people to accept you back in this school?”

Mark left his head hanging and then spoke up.

“It's because I did all these bad things that I am here… I wanna make up for it and graduate for real. I want to… also make up with money to pay for all the damages IT caused.”

Her glare was deadly… yet Soren spoke up next to him.

“You gave me a second chance… and I would still risk it if it meant Marky could come back… to him, he wants to prove himself to his family for a while… his parents are strict and if he doesn’t make up for this, he might never get their recognition.”

Belia sighed and looked at the papers.

“Alright but under many conditions I allow you to join this school back…some things I want you to do to make up for everything.”

“I will do anything, Miss Belia.”

She still stared daggers at him, judging him for a while…

“One little slip up and you will leave without complaining… and  you will not destroy the reputation of this school any further.”

Mark nodded and offered his hand yet Belia refused it and walked back to her desk.

“Also you three… you will not tell anyone about what happened in Falciette… I hate to pull through with this… but we have a plan about it.”

“And what would that be?”

Belia clenched her fist in anger…

“Emperor Grandale said… we should say she is expelled and returning to the kingdom… and once time settled he will say she died in a fight.”

“W-WHAT?! The emperor just-”

“Listen… I hate to do this as well… but he did this to protect the school… I just… don’t get how he cares so little about his own daughter… especially her brother will probably be able to testify for what happened… “

The group is silent. 

“I will… talk with staff to find a solution… would you please get out… Mark, go with the Tetravania dorm leader, this will be your new dorm.”

He followed after you, as the headmistress still seemed visibly strained and upset, getting to settle everything. For now you should leave her alone.

[onlyhope93]

He’s not as bad as he seemed to be - Chapter 1 - oops

There is nothing like Discussion Conference, in Cloud Recesses nonetheless, thought Wei Wuxian, trying to escape all the judgemental and incriminating looks the ‘orthodox’ cultivators were sending him. What wouldn’t I give for a jar of Emperor's Smile... What did he think, dragging me all the way here? He knows Lans hate everything unconventional in cultivation, but no... ‘You're my head disciple, if I have to suffer through this instead of focusing on rebuilding Lotus Pier, I damn well will not suffer through it alone. You’re coming with me, end of discussion. A-Jie will handle everything here. Besides, a little break from your constant drinking in the winehouses will do you and the owners good. At least they’ll be able to replenish their wine reserves’.  

He and Jiang Cheng, along with several of their most trusted disciples were in Gusu Lan Cloud Recesses for three days already and all that was discussed so far was how generous the Lanling Jin was in aiding various smaller and bigger sects in rebuilding and establishing connections with new sects, which sprouted after the Sunshot Campaign like mushrooms after rain. Three days, and nothing but bootlicking. Wei Wuxian felt like he’s going to be sick if he sat there even a minute longer, so after lunch he snuck out, only sending Jiang Cheng a wink. It’s a good thing his brother knows him so well that he only rolled his eyes and let him go. Trying to keep Wei Wuxian in that discussion room any longer would surely end in some political disaster.

He was walking leisurely through stone gardens and beautifully styled pathways, the serene atmosphere giving him a feeling of nostalgia. Memories of his study days flying before his eyes. How much easier it was back then... No worries, no wars, no pain, no death... We worried only for how to kill boredom, the only wars we experienced was on night hunts fighting resentful creatures, the only pain came from scrapes and cuts on training sessions or when playing around, and nobody even thought about the possibility of death, we were immortal cultivators after all. Now? All that’s left from those times are memories clouded by the shock of reality and adulthood that came too fast. Gods I’m pathetic, I’m not even 20 yet! And I feel like I’m fucking 40... ugh, get a grip Wei Wuxian! He shook off the morbid thoughts and decided to go find that waterfall he liked to spend his free time at during the lectures here. He was just about to turn the corner when he suddenly bumped into somebody. A tall somebody in white and light blue elegant clothing, stern features and a goatee. He was soooo screwed now...

“Lan xiansheng, good afternoon. Wonderful day we have today, don’t we?”, yep he was screwed. “Forgive me for my inattention. I’ll be out of your way now”, said Wei Wuxian, stepping out of the way and waiting for Lan Qiren to pass him by with haughty expression and sneer on his lips. How wrong he was.

“Wei Wuxian. Since the fate decided to cross our paths again, come” said Lan Qiren turning around and walking away, clearly expected to be followed.  

“Forgive me xiansheng, but my student years are long passed and I don’t need any more lectures.” answered Wei Wuxian, not moving.

Lan Qiren stopped, saying “I said come. You are in Cloud Recesses. ‘Do not disrespect the elder’, ‘Honour your teacher and respect his teachings’. I thought you once, therefore I am forever your teacher. Now come.”  

And with this he strode away. What was Wei Wuxian to do, but obey? I'll just have to endure it. I do it every day from Jiang Cheng anyway.

Lan Qiren led him to his office. It was a medium sized room, elegant and airy, with small stove for brewing tea close to small table for discussions and admitting guests, spacious desk for writing, and shelf that took a vast majority of the back wall for all documents and space for research materials.

Wei Wuxian stayed by the door, unsure of what to expect. Lan Qiren sat at the table and waited. He rose one of his eyebrows looking at his guest. Wei Wuxian sighed and slowly came to sit down. And since Lan Qiren clearly stated he is here as his student and due to the generational difference, it was Wei Wuxian’s responsibility to prepare and serve tea. Once the formalities were seen to and first sips of tea taken, it was time for the lecture.  

“I assume you know, or at least are able to guess, what I want to talk with you about. I was informed you strayed from the orthodox cultivation and are dealing with demonic arts. You are also well aware what my opinion of it is since the lectures you were part of. However, I was informed that you disappeared for three months after the attack on Lotus Pier and were presumably thrown into the Burial Mounds by Wen Chao. Do not look at me liked that, I was Acting Sect Leader for years before my nephew took over the sect after his father’s passing, I have my way of gaining information outside of gossip. You have not used your sword since then, nor are you carrying it with you as our tradition and propriety dictates. Answer me this. What is wrong with your golden core?”

Wei Wuxian was speechless. How did he know? There is no way he learned it from any spy, nobody except from me, Wen Qing and Wen Ning knows. There’s no way... Hackles raised, Wei Wuxian tried to play the fool.

“I don’t know what you are talking about xiansheng, my golden core is just fine. And what Burial Mounds? Your informant must be quite the storyteller.”

“Do not try lying to me and do not take me for a fool. My informant has seen a group of Wens, including Wen Chao and Wen Zhuliu heading towards the Burial Mounds on their swords with someone in their grasp. The person was in bad shape, in nondescript clothing, but visibly young. Unfortunately, by the time the information got to me, you already managed to join the Sunshot Campaign. And also unfortunately, I managed to associate the youth they carried with you once the Campaign was well underway and I was informed about your new style of cultivation. Resentful energy damages the body and the spirit. It is vile, dangerous and unpredictable. I will ask again, what is wrong with your golden core?”

This cannot be happening. Out of all the people in the world it had to be Lan Qiren, hasn’t it? He has to think of something fast. There are too many people here, too many sects, too many witnesses. He has to do something otherwise the Jiang sect is going to be in danger. They just started rebuilding, they cannot afford to be attacked now, when there is so little chance they will survive it. Not when everyone will find out he is coreless and decide that his Yin Tiger Amulet is out for grabs. It is too dangerous to be in anyone else's hands.

And now here he is. All his plans to wait until the Yunmeng Jiang is fully re-established to destroy that damn thing and end this miserable existence of his with it. To wait until everyone is safe again after war. It’s all for nought.

In his panic, Wei Wuxian stood up feigning anger, looking around discreetly as if someone would be able to hear. He started to move towards the door, saying “I told you already xiansheng, my golden core is just fine. As is my body and my spirit. I know myself best.”

In a blink, Lan Qiren was in front of him, grasping his wrist. Wei Wuxian tried to escape, but what he didn’t take into account is the legendary Lan arm strength. Despite being a scholar and a teacher, Lan Qiren was still a Lan. Diligent in his training and honing his skills for years, he could easily overpower Wei Wuxian.

And then he stated probing his meridians, which were found empty but undamaged, with void in place of the core.

“Impossible,” said Lan Qiren, looking at Wei Wuxian in shock. “Who did this to you?”

His grip on the wrist slackened, and Wei Wuxian was finally able to wrest his hand back to himself. He was in sooooo much trouble now.  

“Nobody did anything to me, I am completely fine. I didn’t expect the great Grandmaster of the Lan Sect, Lan Qiren, to be so discourteous as to grab people without their permission”, seethed Wei Wuxian through gritted teeth and with anger in his eyes, their colour flickering between grey and red.  

“Forgive me my discourtesy, but it was the only way to check on your health without you avoiding examination”, said Lan Qiren, trying to placate the fuming Wei Wuxian. “The technique used to extract your golden core is very old and only 2 or 3 copies of it exist, one of which is in possession of the Lan Sect. I know it was not the Core Melting Hand, his core crushing technique destroyed also the meridians. I felt the meridians of a person attacked by Wen Zhuliu and they were in state of total devastation. Your meridians are whole and healthy, although energy in them is stagnant and tinted by resentment, and they are singed only where they meant to be connected to the core. Someone clearly performed a surgery on you. The only question is what experiments were they performing on you and what they used your core for?”

That's it, isn’t it? He's done for. After all his attempts to keep it a secret, after hurting so many people with his lies, it had to be his old teacher. He always thought the Old Man Lan hated his guts. He was ready for another lecture full of scoldings and hateful comments, but he had no idea how it turned out as it did.

And then the door opened.