#I need the dragons to be so damn petty with each other

[btswrckd]

But also, can you imagine the fights between Sgaeyl and Tairn because Xaden and Violet are fighting 😭😭

Sgaeyl: Your rider has turned my rider into a fool!

Tairn: Hardly. I’d say your rider was a fool to begin with. Let’s not forget that it was my rider we nearly lost!

Sgaeyl: of course not!

Tairn: Let us also not forget that it was your rider’s lies that nearly cost her!

Sgaeyl: You bonded her! She’s your responsibility!

Tairn: Riorson chose her long before I did!

Meanwhile:

Brennan: Is that your guys’ dragons…?

Violet: *red faced* Yes. They’re fine

Xaden: They’re having it out because your sister’s angry with me

Violet: Can you fucking not!

Xaden: Oh come on, Violet! Those two sound like they’re about to level the entire fucking place!

Violet: And whose fault is that?!

Brennan: I am not at all surprised you two bonded a mated pair

[mjrtaurus]

Alternative, healthier Crocomom/dad/parent theory to juxtapose the previous one I posted.

Luffy was still a Cryptic pregnancy, because if he and Dragon had known, they would have very likely aborted so as not to bring a child into a world that would be irrationally dangerous for them (See: Ace and Robin being hunted like dogs by the WG for the "sin" of their heritage). But Dragon and Croc would have embraced this surprise baby boy with open arms and open hearts.

But they still would have to give their baby up. They both knew this. To make sure their son has the very best bet of survival in this world, he would need to have as few ties to his parents as humanly possible.

They couldn't even bear to name the boy, knowing they would have to let him go.

It... tore them both up. It ended up with the two men growing distant, and eventually having their relationship fizzle out. They still loved each other, yes, but the magic just wasn't there anymore. It all went away with their baby boy.

Cut to Alabasta.

Crocodile is fully transitioned by this point, thanks to Iva. He's a Warlord now, he's feeding the Revolutionaries a steady influx of information on World Government activities, but he's seeking out Pluton on the down-low to wipe the WG off the face of the earth.

He is, unfortunately, not as merciful or patient a man as Dragon. He wants shit done and he wants it done as fast as possible, consequences be damned.

This attitude also contributed significantly to the distancing between himself and Dragon.

And now Luffy arrives and starts to put a wrench in his plans.

Crocodile doesn't recognize him. Not his face, as he'd all but blocked it from his memory. Not his name, as they chose not to name him.

As for the surname? Well, he and Dragon had an unspoken thing between them. Neither of them knew the other's full name so that information wouldn't get out if either were captured and interrogated.

Crocodile didn't know Luffy was their son until Sengoku dropped that particular hazardous info bomb in Marineford.

So, he did as any crocodilian parent would do when their hatchling is in distress and wrecked house.

His goal? Draw as much attention to himself as possible. Instigate total chaos.

Stopping Ace's execution and jumping in the middle of the crowd to announce how petty you're feeling? Attacking Whitebeard with reckless abandon in broad daylight in front of his crew?

Bet.

He wanted all eyes on him at Marineford so none of them would be on Luffy, which worked on just about everyone but a volcanic freight train named Sakazuki.

The horror of realizing he had stabbed, mummified, and poisoned his own son back during the Alabasta coup only hits him later when the dust has settled.

And man does it hit him hard.

[youronlydarlin]

Hi dolly!:) silly idea, have you ever tried writing for the hybrid cod guys? Ie: dragon hybrid price or werewolf hybrid soap, not a Request, I just think their neat. Also, probably good for Halloween as it's nearly October!

warning: none. Crack and fluff kinda, hybrid tf141

Ah of course, writing for hybrid cod is tradition at this point

Romantic bits aside. I like to think that each of them are annoying in their own special way. Intentional or not.

For starters, DragonHybrid! Price just reeks off burning wood. No matter how many times he's taken a shower, –no matter how long too!– he always ends up smelling the same. Like a fuckin' pizza oven.

Must be because he's half dragon– you'd think, so you can't really hold it against him. But out comes the second problem, which what seems to be his unhealthy relationship with cigars. What good does he have for temporary, man-made, chemical smoke, when he can produce his own. More natural, more efficient, and quicker too. But alas. It's just one of those cases where you try one thing once, then you find yourself doing it all the time, over and over.

You love the guy, really, you do. But getting any closer than 5 feet would set fire to your lungs, a guaranteed visit to the nurse's office. Doesn't help that kissing him feels like swallowing a dozen lit matches.

While Price's stench is still somewhat tolerable. WerewolfHybrid! Soap's constant howling at the moon might just make you consider transferring to another task force. Unfortunately for you, you also love his stupid face too much to do that. Sigh, the things you do for love. He just can't seem to get enough of that stupid fucking rock floating in the ink of night. Like he was some desperate firefly, who can't reach the light of a bulb. Well, at least he'd be a very handsome firefly.

But oh he cries for it, howls for it, and makes everyone suffer because of it. Heartless monter. A part of you thinks that he's just feeding into the cliché –that his kind is unable to resist that shiny ball of white floating about the dark sky– and the other wonders if he just Palov'ed himself into doing that by accident, and now can't quit.

Next up is your dear HarpyHybrid! Gaz, darling boy he is. He's not much of a nuisance save for the occasional stray feathers you'd find scattered all over the damned base. He has no control over it.

Besides, it's not too much of a problem on most days, but if you're unlucky enough to catch him on a bad mood you'll be left with more feathers than the ones you ordered to clean. And if you happen to hit a very specific nerve he might just ask a favor from his bird friends to shit on your car. Or your head. Whatever quells his thirst chaos at the moment. Is that a new suit? Well it's definitely not gonna smell like one anymore, baby!!

Very petty, and pretty would be the top description for your love.

Lastly we have WraithHybrid! Ghost. Who definitely lives up to his call sign. Never brings shame to it. He haunts the halls like he gets paid to do it, said he'd love for that to be the case. But no. The prick just can't be bothered to alert anyone of his presence.

You'd feel him before you see him. Unexpected taps to the shoulder has you jumping out of skin, and bumping to an invisible body never fails to bring a chill up your spine.

But when you do see him? On the dead of night? Out to get a snack? Ohh, lucky you, if you're a horror fanatic because the worn out material of his mask. That soulless skull. It's enough to give the boogeyman nightmares. Scare the monsters out from under your bed. You'd be glad that it was just skeletons in your closet, and not his dark, grim, saturnine, figure.

The last thing you needed from that was the introduction of the bane of your very tired existence, or as others would call it, "the swear jar". Price was just looking to take advantage of your very consistent "Oh fuck!'s towards Ghost.

a/n: I forgot how much I loved writing. I missed all of you so much.

yours, truly

–Dolly

[respectthepetty]

I am back to once again stir up discussion regarding color in Cutie Pie, and I'm doubling down on what I said about Kuea last time. KUEA KEERATI IS A BI-COLORED BOY.

Without a doubt, his primary color is red, and he's even pulling Lian's blue as early as episode one - but I started counting the number of times Kuea has worn yellow in the first 7 episodes. It's at least once an episode, sometimes the bulk of the episode. The lights in his Dragon's Lair house are both red and yellow. The car that Lian gets for him to drive in episode 7 is also yellow. At first, I wondered if he might be wearing yellow as a nod to Kon-Diao and their friendship, but the bulk of the scenes he wears yellow, he is with Lian or by himself. Lian even wears a tie with yellow and blue stripes. I'm gonna watch more episodes and keep track of the yellow a bit further, but I think 7 episodes with at one yellow shirt per episode is enough for me to declare Kuea both a red rascal and a yellow-orange oddity.

Thoughts, lol?

Kitty, you know what my thoughts are because we have been through this, but now I'm thinking that I'm going to fight you in a Texas Chicken parking lot! (I kid, I kid . . . or do I?)

Just because I wrote I'm finally getting on this bi-colored train due to how well I think To Be Continued is doing it does not mean I'm going to flip on Kuea too. Cutie Pie JUST got out of Petty Prison. And do you know why it was in Petty Prison? Because Kuea IS F*CKING RIDICULOUS!

He was lying and sneaking around when there was no need. He was coming up with these elaborate plans to hide shit when HE COULD'VE JUST COMMUNICATED! Which is funny because Yellow/Orange Oddities communicate. Sometimes too much. Like "telling people they need to poop" level of communication.

But you know who lies, sneaks, schemes, and stays on their bullshit? Red Rascals!

Which is probably why Kuea and Yi don't like each other.

THEY ARE THE SAME BRAND OF STUPID!

So instead of these two being honest with their partners, they hide their true colors because THEY ARE STUPID!

So this pendejo decides that Lian won't love him if he knows he wants to be a Korean Idol or whatever.

And he thinks Lian won't love him if he knew what Kuea's real major is.

And he thinks Lian definitely won't love him if he is speed racing Love-in-the-Air style.

But instead of this dum-dum actually giving up those things, or, I don't know, confessing to them, he decides to LIE, LIKE A LIAR!

So while Lian is trying to figure out exactly what version of Kuea he is about to marry, Kuea is hiding his real self which, ironically, reinforces his true colors since his scheming makes him even more of a Red Rascal. His color is literally always staring us in the face!

It's the red flag (or folder) that constantly comes between them.

Oh look! It's the other red flag between them!

And what's funny about this is Kuea gets mad at Lian for being cold to him when he is ACTIVELY LYING, so he runs off to his SECRET house where he has neon signs of his SECRET persona!

So the pot keeps talking shit about the kettle!

And the kettle has to figure out how to deal with a lying pot.

Which is to go along with his bullshit since Lian loves the idiot!

THEN CATCH HIM IN THE ACT!

Because Lian has always known who Kuea is.

He has known Kuea since that liar was a damn baby. Day one. Fresh from the womb!

The childhood merch wasn't for nothing!

So he knows the yellow isn't Kuea's. Because it's LIAN'S FAMILY'S!

You remember that great party that was happening for Lian's dad? The one where Kuea rejected Lian's proposal in front of God and all his guests?!

Look at that! The merging of two families!

But wait?! Why does Kuea wear so much yellow?

BECAUSE HE THINKS IT PLEASES HIS BLUE BOY AND HIS FAMILY!

This Slut for Christ could've been married to Lian YEARS AGO, but mentiroso had to keep lying and didn't realize that Lian loved HIM. Lian was doing everything for HIM! The story was about families, traditions, and old money versus new money, but when it boiled down to it, it was about loving Kuea for who he is, not because Lian was told to but because he genuinely loved that Red Rascal's lying ass.

So thank goodness Lian knows another ridiculous Red Rascal who he loves dearly, but also has learned how to fight a Red Rascal and their stupidity from.

So these two could FINALLY get together at the end wearing their true colors because it mattered who they were and not who their families were or wanted them to be. And that's also why there is still a little yellow in Lian's tie.

/\ <- This is a hill.

And I'm dying on it.

[ask-the-shichibukai]

How the Shichibukai Meeting went to Hell

(Ao3 Link)

Admiral Sengoku was a man of few words. That’s why there was only one thing he cared to say before bringing himself to open the door of the meeting room. These words are: «I deserve a raise for this shit».

Sengoku the Buddha, indeed.

Overseeing the Warlords' meetings everytime the Navy HQ had the brilliant idea of summoning them should be considered a strenuous job and as such deserving of the aforementioned raise.

It could only be compared to babysitting a bunch of overpowered hellspawn brats and being kicked in the balls at the same time. And that's only after lowering one's dignity to the point of considering the attendance of two mercenaries out of seven a success.

Sengoku took a long calming breath, staring at the door like it personally offended him: he could already hear screams and clear signs of property damage from the other side of it.

That wasn't the future he had envisioned when he was a cadet dreaming of becoming an Admiral.

Not at all.

Trying not to lose his proverbial composure, he entered the meeting room. Tsuru's understanding gaze gave him courage and hope. He valued her trustworthiness and strategic mindset, but the real reason behind his newfound hope was that she was the only one in the present company who could and would tame a hellion like Doflamingo if the need arose (and it often did). Scratch that, she and Hawkeyes, but the day he'll bother to show up at one of these MANDATORY meetings will be the day Sengoku's finally going to retire for good.

Unfortunately, today won't be that day because there were only three Warlords in the room: Sir Crocodile, the pirate empress Boa Hancock and that demon Doflamingo (damn him, why couldn't some celestial goat ever fall on his head from the clouds before one of these stupid meetings?).

They seemed to be this close to turn from screaming to devil-fruit-beating each other, unaware (or just uncaring) of the pletora of terrified and/or amused gazes on them. Tsuru's mischievous look belonging to the latter.

She even betted on the winner of that childish squabble. That traitor.

Sengoku sighed for the umpteenth time and cursed the day he let himself be persuaded to allow Doflamingo to sit next to Crocodile. It was a terrible idea and it needed an immediate rectification even if the thought made him feel like he had suddenly become a school teacher in the need of separating two misbehaving students.

The difference, he was reminded by a very high-pitched string of curses, was that these imbeciles were Warlords. Shame of society and overpowered brats, yes, but unfortunately still the best pirate assets the Marines have.

How the Mighty have fallen.

Today's topic of disagreement between the three was, apparently, a variation of the classic "who's really in charge of the Shichibukai between us" argument.

«I'm in charge here, of course! Number one - Crocodile actually lifted a finger to demonstrate his point - I'm the oldest and number two, I'm a Sir while you two are just overconfident brats» Crocodile levelled both of them with a judgemental stare, taking another exhale from his cigar. There was only one member of this group of nutjobs he was surrounded by that he respected. And that man wasn’t here and probably never would be if he had his way.

«Sir? -Boa snorted - I'm the Pirate Empress! And I'm undoubtedly the most beautiful one!»

«Fufufu! Your petty titles are so lame! It's adorable how proud both of you seem to be of them!» their claims were ridiculous. He was a Celestial Dragon for fuck's sake! Practically a God, with blue blood and all, compared to them.

The oversized flamingo stared at Boa behind his sunglasses and grinned.

 «Besides, for all your hatred for men in general, I think it irks you a little that your precious power doesn't work on us»

 «Bold claim for a stupid bird» Crocodile tried to hide his smirk feigning a cough, but it was’t very convincing.

«What the fuck are you talking about?!» Boa was fuming - literally fuming from sheer indignation- and reached over the table to take the pink-feathered man by the collar of his Hawaiian shirt and remind him of his place in the food chain. Unfortunately for her blood pressure, his grin didn't change.

«Try to say that again when you'll be a stupid block of feathered rock, you bastard!»

To the Marines' great horror, Boa actually summoned her love bow and shooted its arrows aiming straight at the smug face of Doflamingo. She really wanted to wipe that obnoxious grin from his face: he couldn't get on her nerves if he turned to stone, or at least she hoped so.

When the cloud of dust dissipated, everyone could see that half of the marines had been turned to stone, but that infuriating (now very smug) smirk was still there. To add unnecessary salt to the injury, Crocodile hadn't turned to stone, either. Just like the flamboyant cretin had predicted.

Sengoku took a look at the state of the room and his subordinates and, not for the first time that afternoon, thought:

 «I hate my life»

«I hate your life too, if it makes you feel better»

Apparently he had said that thought out loud because Crocodile had answered without even looking up from the terminal he was using to remind his subordinate to feed his dog. Never let it be said that Sir Crocodile isn't a multitasking man. The Baroque Works won't administer itself, after all.

«How- ho-how in Davy Jones's stinking locker did you do it?!»

Boa.exe stopped working from sheer indignation. She had never met men who were immune to her technique beside blind men and her beloved Luffy (she blushed at the memory and Crocodile scoffed). So how had the damn idiot and that reptile managed not to be turned to stone?!

«Oh, don't give yourself an aneurysm trying to work out why and why not. It's quite simple. You cannot be the most beautiful person in the room if I am right here! Fufufu, so it can't work on me» Doflamingo almost fell from his perch on that toy chair the Marines gave him at the look on the empress's face and then added just to rile both his colleagues up: «And Croco-boy here knows I'm right, that's why it didn't work on him either» his grin had gotten huge at this point. «Or he isn’t as straight as he wants us to believe»

Crocodile didn’t even deign that of an answer, just rolling his eyes in annoyance. Undeterred by the knowledge he was being ignored by the elder, Doflamingo spoke again.

«Hey, Crocodile, do you know why Captain Hook died? Because he used the wrong hand in the bidet, fufufufu!»

«Shut up!» Crocodile shouted at the nuisance sat next to him «Or, if you are really incapable of such a simple action, at least go find a poisonous snake to bother!»

Doflamingo opened his mouth to answer the insult, but he was interrupted by the meeting room’s door opening.

«Why is it that every time I bother to come all this way from Kuraigana Island for a supposedly important meeting everything I hear is just petty arguments?» the unmistakable eyes of the newcomer conveyed all his judgement at the childish display.

Everyone stilled at that voice so rarely heard in this room, like misbehaving children caught doing something they shouldn’t have done by their stern parent.

Dracule Mihawk had actually come to the meeting for what was maybe the first time in the world's history.

Sengoku felt the sudden urge to cry.

“My resignation letter! At last! East Blue wait for me!!” he thought, wiping an imaginary tear from his eye.

However, Crocodile hadn’t let himself be distracted by the situation and had tipped Doflamingo's chair with a silent snap of his hook under the table to make him lose his balance so he could kick him away in a blatant (at least to normal people) hint for Hawkeyes to sit between him and Doflamingo. There was no way he would keep suffering the pink-clad man’s presence any longer and especially no way he would keep doing it alone. If he had to suffer, then the elusive overpowered bird should too. It was only right in Crocodile's unbiased opinion.

Fortunately, Mihawk caught the not-so-subtle hint and sat between the two madmen who called themselves his friends. Doflamingo took offence at Crocodile for the way he had literally kicked him out of his chair but then he immediately calmed down thinking of all the ways he could pester both of them now.

“Oh, this meeting will be funny” he thought, perching himself on another chair. His grin sent shivers of undiluted terror down the backs of several marines.

Sengoku really regretted not having allowed Akainu to lead this meeting, but then he comforted himself remembering the new record this day represented for his reputation as the Warlords’ minder: Kuma, Jimbe and Moria entered the room at last, so now all the Seven Warlords were here.

But the universe hated him apparently because Boa Hancock was still glaring daggers at Doflamingo’s sunglasses, so his good mood couldn’t last long. In fact, a few moments later …

«Just because both you and the reptilian kingpin seem to be immune to my beauty – her eyebrow nearly twitched at that- it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t work on the others!» she screeched, remembering the pink man’s previous claim of the whole group being immune to her love arrows.

“Why did she have to remember that idiot’s words now that things could finally start going according to the plan?” thought Sengoku, meeting Tsuru’s equally exasperated gaze across the table.

«Try again then, now that everyone is here. Let’s see if I’m right or not» was Doflamingo’s smug challenge. Everyone scoffed. Now, her eyebrow definitely twitched.

«Boa Hancock, you are an intellingent woman. Do not squander that by lowering yourself at the level of this imbecile’s words»

Hancock lowered the bow she had summoned at Hawkeyes’s reproachful tone. She was now ashamed to admit she did indeed raise to Doflamingo’s blatant bait, ready to show everyone how wrong that peacock was to doubt the power of her beauty.

The aforementioned peacock lost his grin at seeing his fun ruined, but then he turned toward the culprit and boldly put an arm around the swordman’s shoulders.

Men had been gutted for much less by the swordman and Doflamingo knew it.

Indeed, the king of Dressrosa found himself on the receiving end of a terrifying glare for his audacity, but the grip he had on the other's shoulder didn’t lessen.

«What’s the matter, Hawksy? Why did you stop Hancock-chan here?» now the glares digging holes at his head were two «Were you afraid that we would start thinking of you as a man capable of sexual thoughts if you hadn’t? Don’t worry, we all know the only woman in your life is Yor…Ehi!» he barely had time to complete his sentence before he had to save his sorry ass dodging the dagger the swordman had aimed at his head.

Yoru the Black Sword glinted menacingly at him from her place behind Mihawk’s chair.

«I just wanted to prevent her from making a fool of herself for your entertainment. And, if you must know, I don't care nearly enough about humankind for that» Mihawk said, rolling his eyes at the fellow Warlord's antics. «Now, take your arm off my shoulders before I remove it for you»

From the place at the other side of the swordman, Crocodile didn’t exactly burst out laughing at the hurt look on Doflamingo’s face - because he had too much style for that - but it came close. Really close.

Mihawk regretted having forfeited his usual spot at the head of the table (the furthest place from Doflamingo and Crocodile) in order to acquiesce to the latter’s request. He blamed Crocodile for that. And Sengoku, because an Admiral and a bunch of vice-admirals shouldn’t need him to babysit those idiots of his collegues. They should be able to do the job themselves if they wanted to be taken seriously as one of the three reigning powers.

So he turned the full power of his disappointment on Sengoku by fixing his unblinking eyes straight on his face.

«Was there a real reason why you wasted my afternoon with this pointless summon or can I leave?» he said without preamble as usual, voicing the thoughts of almost every person in the room.

When he didn’t hear any answer because the Fleet Admiral was busy saving the life of some nameless marine tangled in the proverbial web of Doflamingo’s strings, Mihawk finally declared the meeting a waste of his time. So, he put his feet on the table (to Crocodile’s horror) and lowered his hat over his face to shield his eyes from the room’s lights.

A nap would surely be a more productive way to spend his afternoon than whatever this circus is going to be. If they actually had someone they needed him to kill they could say that to him later. He didn’t care anyway.

Sengoku had finally managed to save that poor man’s life when he saw that even the swordman had decided to disrespect him by taking his nap there in the meeting room.

At that last slap to his pride, Sengoku the Buddha finally snapped.

«I had summoned you bunch of pirate scum to discuss the details of an hypotetical attack against the emperor Red-haired Shanks, not to sleep or try to kill my men!» he screamed and oh how freeing that feeling was.

A disturbing silence fell in the room, only broken by Doflamingo’s obnoxious laughter and the sound of Mihawk’s hat falling to the ground. Sengoku felt validated by that.

Then, something threatened to shatter his newfound enthusiasm: a surprisingly high-pitched shout from Moria.

«What?! Have you finally gone senile in your old age, Admiral?!»

Enthusiasm.

A deep inhale.

One thing after another.

«Very well, given that nobody has voiced any objection to the idea, the plan is this … »

[jazlynriddle]

Welcome to your life - Pt 1:

Everybody Wants To Rule THEIR World - Ch 1:

Summary:

"You need only close your eyes to it and be happy and safe with us."

The Keeper (player) has already secured the repository and Sebastian's loyalty, emboldening his descent into darkness. Now, they just need to win over Ominis, cure Anne, and create a domain to call their own.

And not necessarily in that order.

The Keeper's tale, a post-game story of a morally-grey, pragmatic, Chaotic Neutral, non-binary, muggleborn, orphan player character, so burned by 1800s orphanages, that they became a power hoarder who demands more payment for quests, burns paintings but doesn't want to rule the world, just their own territory and the two boys who'd caught their eye.

Warnings: Sebastian x MC x Ominis! Spoilers! Dark content! Slow-burn canon-compilant corruption! Fucked up 1800s orphanages! MC has no love for Anne or Solomon! Dubious happy ending (it's happy for MC, Seb and Ominis at least)

You can also read on AO3! (chapter specific warnings below)

Notes:

I will be referring to the player character as the Keeper for neutrality’s sake and while this first & second arc fic only has gender neutral MC smut scenes, eventually in the later instalments, there will be two variations of penetrative sex scenes for both assigned sexes for the Keeper!

I will also list warnings on each chapter and not all of the story will be from the Keeper's perspective, so there'll be sections from other characters' POVs.

I'll be trying my best to make the player as close to canon as possible, because despite being a player insert, MC does have a lot of character and the voice acting is spot on.

So I'm going to be balancing a character who has enough child soldier mentality to go through the game as stone cold as our MC does, walking off a dragon attack in mid-air and smashing goblin bones on the ground without blinking. While still being empathetic and charismatic enough to blend in with students in a school who are much more care-free and fortunate without being bitter about their own shit life or being overly aggressive.

MC is so damn polite and sympathetic all game, particularly in the main questline even if you choose the colder, ruder, arrogant or money-grubbing answers in side quests, they also behave more like an adult than a 15 year old child and I'm not about to change that xD

Also, first smutty scene is in chapter 5, so please look forward to it x3

Edit: Changed the Orphan Working Home to Nazareth Houses, I didn't realise back then that it was short for "Orphan Working School and Home for Training Girls for Service" x')

I may seem single-minded, but it's important to go after what you want in life.

The Keeper gazed up at the closed green curtains hanging around their bed. Had it really only been a year since those words to the sorting hat? So much had happened, Ranrok, Rookwood, the Elder Keepers… Fig.

The Repository.

The feeling of euphoria as that swirling red energy rushed into their body. Theirs. All theirs. All that power that Isidora had foolishly dedicated to the betterment of mankind.

What a childish notion. Humans only changed if they wanted to, there was no difference between her actions and the Imperius curse. Besides, it wasn't as though your average human were worthy of such efforts in the first place.

Fourteen years in the Nazareth Houses had taught the Keeper that humanity was filled with nothing but cruelty and selfish desires. If you wanted anything, you had to fight for it tooth and nail.

The wizarding world was no different.

Hogwarts was full of petty entitled children who cared about ridiculous things like Gobstones and their reputation. Pampered and spoiled, though the Keeper didn’t really begrudge the students their more fortunate circumstances, not like it was the wizarding kids’ faults their lives were better than the Keeper’s own.

Even the teachers only seemed to care about the grades of their students, for prestige no doubt. None of them had ever raised a hand to help their students, even when Sebastian clearly needed their intervention and support.

All they did was give Sebastian detentions for his behaviour and 'acting out'. Professor Weasley even said "it's been a difficult year for him", so clearly, she'd known he was struggling, yet she never helped him. As expected, teachers cared about their students only insofar as their actions or grades might affect the school's reputation.

Outside the school, it was full of adults who hoarded power like Rookwood, a government who barely did anything useful and allowed the Rookwood Gang to run rampant. Ashwinders stealing gold and Poachers stealing lives just to line their pockets.

If you didn't ask for payment, any human would eagerly take your efforts and services for free, wizarding or otherwise. Well, anyone who tried to take advantage of this 'prodigy' would suffer the same fate as Ranrok.

Not to say that there weren’t the occasional exception to the rule, Fig had been genuine. The Keeper had been so suspicious of him at the start, too kind, too supportive. What on earth was his game?

It had been enough of a shock to discover the Wizarding world just as they were resigning themselves to the life of a slave in the workhouses. When out of nowhere came a man with impossible feats, and the revelation that they were more than a mere muggle.

A whole new world to explore and learn about. Freedom. They had admittedly dared to hope that it would be different from the world they'd grown up in, but of course, humans were the same everywhere.

They'd honestly empathised with the Goblins as a whole, there was nothing wrong with fighting to claim power, freedom, and respect. The Keeper only pitied these Goblins for choosing to fight back right as they entered the wizarding world.

Still, while they may have understood the Goblins, the Keeper wasn't going to let the Loyalist scum take their property. The repository was theirs and they'd be damned if they ceded even a scrap of power to another.

Truly, they couldn't be more delighted with their fortune. To be free from the fate of being just another orphan working their entire lives in the inhumane workhouses. To turn out to have a power that hadn't been seen in four centuries.

To have had a mentor who'd guided them so kindly. They'd genuinely come to care about Fig and so when he'd asked of their intentions for the Repository, they couldn't lie to him. They had known he wouldn't approve, but honesty was the least they'd owed him for his kindness.

Now they wondered if they should have lied, just so that he could die with hope and contentment in his heart, rather than disappointment. The one time they decided to be honourable, and they've now come to regret it. Typical.

The Keeper wished they'd had the chance to explain their intentions to him further. They wanted power sure, but they weren't stupid. What purpose would there be in unleashing it into the world? No, they would uphold their duty as a Keeper and literally keep the power all to themselves, to be hoarded and used for their own purposes and defence.

Either way, with everything they'd experienced and everything that happened, they could say with certainty that the wizarding world was no different from the world they'd left behind. Like the professor said, power was simply power, what matters is the one who wields it.

And it would be them and them alone.

As Sebastian would say, the world was now their oyster. So, what did they want?

Honestly? Not much. They wanted security, years of being an unwanted vulnerable child in the system had taught them fear of powerlessness. Pure power alone would grant safety easily enough, but they had to be careful.

If they were too blatant with their power, others would either crave it or feel threatened by it. Then people would come after them, when they really just rather be left alone.

They didn't desire political power, politics were both a dull and an incredibly dangerous game. Not to mention it relied heavily on connections, of which an orphan had none, and despite their current 'hero' status for stopping Ranrok, that wouldn't last very long.

The ministry hadn't held Ranrok as much of a threat to begin with, and fortunately, Fig hadn't the time to explain much of the ancient magic to the other professors. As far as they knew, Ranrok had simply been after a powerful relic under Hogwarts that the new student had discovered and found a way to seal.

Thus, as far as the wizarding world were concerned, the new fifth year had merely played a mildly significant role in stopping the goblin invasion of Hogwarts by defeating the rebellion leader Ranrok while the professors fought the Loyalist army.

Meanwhile, they'd moved the repository into the Undercroft while the teachers were busy fighting said goblins, to keep it hidden from the professors. Weasley knew about the Room of Requirement after all, so unfortunately, it wasn’t an option.

It hadn't been easy placing such a large object in their nab-sack but they'd managed. Fortunately, they'd made it to the Undercroft quickly enough with the floo, right before the nab-sack ripped open from the volatile energy contained in the goblin silver.

They'd have to ask Deek to fix the bag later, not to mention explain to Sebastian and Ominis what that large orb in the middle of the Undercroft was. They gazed down at the letter in their hands. Sebastian had asked to meet in the Undercroft to speak in an hour, perhaps they'd tell him then.

They really were fortunate. To have had Fig's support when they'd entered the wizarding world and then Sebastian's support when they'd entered the school. Sebastian had been a surprisingly competent ally, one who understood the practicality of mutual exploitation.

He'd used the Keeper to search for a cure for Anne and they'd used him to pursue answers about Isidora and the Elder Keepers. Sebastian was definitely immature and had difficulty controlling his emotions, but they could tell that he was growing out of that with their guidance.

Indeed, it was likely thanks to Sebastian that they'd even survived the year, it would have been a lot harder if he hadn't taught them the unforgivable curses. It was also his doing that they'd had a place to hide the repository at all.

He'd even been a staunch ally in combat, joining them for most of their ventures outside the school grounds. He'd followed them fearlessly wherever they went and watched their back as they explored the world with a target on said back.

The many days the Keeper and Sebastian had spent together hunting Ashwinders and Goblin rebel camps, the blood they'd shed together and the highs of vicious delight they'd shared as they cut down droves of foes together. The affinity the two of them had in combat was something the Keeper had never experienced before.

They weren't normally the type to feel gratitude, it wasn’t as though they'd been the only one who benefited from this friendship with Sebastian. Yet the Keeper couldn't help but feel a deep fondness towards him.

He had taken the fall for them in the restricted section long before they'd given him any reason to think they would honour their debts. Shared the Undercroft with them long before they'd proven themselves trustworthy.

Perhaps it was just foolishness on his part, but it had endeared Sebastian to them nonetheless.

Ominis was also growing on them, his loyalty to Sebastian was quite inspiring, bordering on incredulity. His aversion to Dark Arts was understandable, yet he consistently showed tolerance towards Sebastian's forays into them as long as Sebastian didn't endanger his own life.

To the extent that they wondered if Ominis was truly as averse to Dark Arts as he wanted them to believe. They'd considered before, if perhaps a part of him wanted to be proven wrong, that the Dark Magic he'd been forced to learn wasn't simply cruel and evil. Or perhaps his history of childhood abuse had simply made him unable to stand up for his beliefs under pressure. Devotion and fear warring for dominion.

Ominis' complex mental state was fascinating and they enjoyed observing him. His behaviour was so subtly cunning, it was truly a delight to watch.

The way he pretended to be like every other vapid minded child in this school, blathering on for hours about nonsense. Speaking and smiling gently, with an air of friendly approachability that almost fooled even them.

You'd never suspect that he held such darkness and trauma in his heart. That he could be ruthless, conniving and sharp when he needed to be. His blindness not even presenting an obstacle when he fought alongside them against the Inferi.

Yet he remained so soft and fragile on the inside, eagerly ceding responsibility to them for fear of the guilt that came with decision making. Trying desperately to deny his own viciousness and remain 'pure' and blameless.

What a lovely creature so full of contradictions, he'd piqued their interest the moment he'd threatened them so unexpectedly and ferociously when he’d found them outside the Undercroft. They desired to see what he'd be like if he allowed his darker nature to surface.

Ah, they were such fascinating boys, both of them.

Perhaps that's what they wanted? The Keeper tipped their head to the side. They wanted security, power…

…and those two boys.

Notes:

If anyone is worried about the character death tag, don't worry, it's not Sebastian, Ominis or the Keeper. They gonna get a happy ending, sort of, they're happy at least, no promises about anyone else though xD

Also, am I the only one who thinks the devs are brilliant writers? They make the villain of this game a goblin so that this tale fades into the obscurity of Binn's hundreds of goblin rebellion lessons and even in the chaos route of opening the repository, the wording of the main character clearly shows that they intend to hoard the power rather than take over the world or anything, so it doesn't conflict with the events 200 years later with Potter and has good reasons to not be mentioned in that tale. Genius.

Oh, and I got the idea for naming player 'the Keeper' from the very cute fic, Stairs aren't for sleeping Ominis by HELGHASTMAJOR xD

[kagedbird]

TESSDE AU (+ Lucia :]) (Lucia part 13)

Allora: No.

Kaidan + Taliesin: *spluttering* 'No'?!

Inigo: *shaking his head, leaning against the wall*

Kaidan: Lass, you were literally burnt near to a crisp!

Taliesin: Cherub, reconsider. I don't want to risk you becoming upset and us not be able to help.

Allora: No, you want the chance to be snippy and petty and glare at them while they attempt their apologies. Which, I respect it. But I can't allow you to. So you have to stay outside.

Kaidan: *growls* Love, I know you care about Lucien, but this is a lot to ask of us. You've been in a back and forth since we got to this damned place. Why even bother givin' them the time of day?

Allora: Kai. If your mom was alive and you were in this situation, what would you do?

Kaidan: *glares heatedly* That's a low blow.

Allora: I'm not saying it to upset you, or to dredge up any pain. I want you to understand him, put yourself in his shoes. I'm willing to give them a chance for him, and for Lucia. She doesn't want to lose her father- she's lost enough!

Taliesin: *sighs tiredly, rubbing the bridge of his nose* ...Five minutes. I do not care if they're in the middle of a soliloquy about their feelings on Sheogorath's mounds of cheese, we will be coming in to check on you. If you are at all upset, I will carry you to the cart myself.

Allora: ...Okay. Five minutes. Each.

Taliesin: *narrows his eyes*

Allora: *sticks out her tongue* What, you want them to talk over each other in their apologies? Rush through them? You're lucky I'm agreeing to a time limit at all.

Inigo: I admire your patience.

Allora: [dryly] I'm well practiced.

Taliesin: Less interjections from the peanut gallery please.

Allora: *rolls her eyes* Look. If they offer me money or to buy my favour, guilt trip me, or try to manipulate me, I'll call out for both of you, and we'll leave. No buts, no please, no waiting- we leave. I'll call for Odahviing to head back home- no I will not tell him to eat them, they'd give him indigestion.

Kaidan: *mouth open to snark, closes it and frowns*

Allora: I know what I'm doing. Trust me, I have a history of being played by manipulators. I know how it works. Inigo will stay in here as a mediator, and if I'm incapable, he'll get you. Okay?

Inigo: Even in a tense situation where you both are very grumpy, I would hope you trust my capabilities. It will be okay!

Kaidan: ...

Taliesin: ... *pouts* ...Can't I at least mock them a little bit?

Allora: *chuckles* No. I love you. Get out.

Taliesin: *huffs* So bossy. And yet I love you as well. *steps over to kiss her temple, brushing her hair from her face before stepping back*

Kaidan: *grumbling and arms crossed* Cannae believe this shite...

Allora: *crooks a finger* Come here, pouty. Give me a kiss and then head out.

Kaidan: *sighs through his nose, stepping forward and kissing her lips, pulling away after a moment* Call us immediately if there is a problem.

Allora: I have you on speed dial.

Kaidan: *furrows his brows in confusion but just shakes his head and steps back, leaving the room with Taliesin*

Inigo: *watches Allora sigh and slump tiredly in the bed, walking over to adjust her blankets* Hopefully, in either direction this goes, you will be able to rest soon.

Allora: *yawns, sinking into the bed more* I'd like that... I'm so tired...

Inigo: After being burned alive by a very testy dragon, dealing with healing back up, and romantic and familial issues, I would assume so. It would be weirder if you were not.

Allora: *laughs* Very true. Is Lucia all right?

Inigo: I told her to stay in her room and draw for a little while, while the conversation happened. She seemed sad, but understood.

Allora: *nods, holding his hand and kissing his knuckles* Thank you. I appreciate you being so level headed about everything.

Inigo: *tail waves happily* But of course! Someone needs to be, with all the shouting and upset. While I feel for Julian and like his parents, things have certainly not gone well for you or Lucia, and I cannot say I am pleased about it. But everyone deserves second chances! You gave us all second chances. Why not them?

Allora: *pulls his hands to her cheeks, leaning her head into his palms* Yeah... but only if they mean it, obviously.

Inigo: I believe they will. They have not given me any reason to see their actions as particularly malicious. Ignorant, perhaps. Lots of foots in mouths. But never purposefully hurtful.

Allora: *hums and nods before a knock is heard in morse code: They're here* Okay. Show time. Let them in?

Inigo: *presses a kiss to her forehead before pulling back and heading to the door* I've got your back, my friend.

[quirrrky]

THE BOY NEXT DOOR 「02. THE NEIGHBOR II」

『MASTERLIST』  « PREV • NXT » 

𐑂 2.7k+ words  𐑂 Your new neighbor, Miya Atsumu, is everything you’ll never ask for. With his annoying good looks and equally irritating charm, how can you not resist the boy next door?   𐑂 neighbors, humor, enemies to lovers, fake dating, friends to lovers

Moments ago you were scared shitless for your life because of Miya Atsumu. Now, you were at the receiving end of his burning admonishments for simply defending yourself. Why am I here Why do I have to be here?

He was relentless and he was not even done yet. "What kind of an idiot would just spray shit on someone else's face?"

Idiot? As far as you're concerned, you were never an idiot. And to hear that from someone who knew nothing about the shit you'd been through was unacceptable. You had to bear lots of paperworks at work, your officemates were complete pain in the ass, the rumors they spread weren't helping at all and, lastly, you hadn't gotten the much needed quality sleep to be patient through all this because of his noise. And now..

"Who's the idiot? You're calling me an idiot? It's you who ran towards me like it's your goddamn business!" You exploded.

Atsumu was taken aback. He never had anyone answered back to him like that aside from Samu.

"I thought yer in danger. I ran to you 'cuz you seem to be running away from someone!"

"I'm running away from you, you idiot!" You burst out. Tightly clenching your fists, your face all red now with all the pent-up frustrations you had been enduring all this time. Damn, it felt so good. You couldn't remember the last time you let out so much weight on your shoulders until now. You were never a confrontational person but there's something about Miya Atsumu that got you so riled up you were able to release this much.

He flinched and just stared at you, speechless. You were like an angry dragon! He never saw that comin' yet it was kinda' interestin' to see that side of you come outta nowhere.

"Still, you gotta pay for this." He said, looking away from you.

You sighed. You had too many burdens to even prolong this petty conversation. "Look, I'll just withdraw some money and we can talk about the compensation you need."

Money?  "Do you really think you can just pay me and run away?" Atsumu scoffed.

"So what do you need?" You asked, nonchalantly. Let's end this now.

Yeah, Atsumu what do ya want? He asked himself. You, who barely pay him attention when all he try'na do was to befriend you the entire week, were gettin' so fired up because of him. It was quite excitin' What could be the most annoying thing you'd find right now?

Before he could even answer, the doctor came in to give some instructions.

"Since your vision is not in its tip-top shape yet, and per your manager's instructions, you will be admitted here in the hospital for a week. You said it's still blurry and you can't see properly so we'll be doing extensive examinations on your eyes." The doctor informed and continued. "It is also highly-advisable for you to have someone who can assist you around while you can't see properly."

That's right...Atsumu pointed his thumb over you. "Her...It'll be her. She'll be assistin' me." It was just his joke.

"What?" You protested in shock.

The doctor, then, acknowledged. "Oh, I see, your girlfriend."

"No!" You both exclaimed as you looked at each other then looked away again.

"Anyone can assist you. I'll ask them to prepare your room now. I'll be right back." The doctor excused and walked away.

"I'm sure you'll feel better soon Atsumu-san especially that Y/N here will be taking care of you!" Hinata said, lightening up the situation.

Yes, Atsumu would be fine. In fact, he felt victory by pulling off that kind of trick. But I won't be... You thought. One week of Miya Atsumu and you might end up in a morgue at the end of it.

You were about to refuse him but you saw him wincing in pain. He couldn't even easily open his eyes. Guilt crumbled in your stomach.

"What time do you need me tomorrow?" You said.

Tsumu had his eyes wide. He...never expected that it would be okay for you? He gulped. Yer very unpredictable and it was surprising him in a different way.

"Whatever's comfortable with ya."

"That means I have to get home now since I'll be waking up earlier." You pointed at Hinata. "He's still here to look after you."

You headed out, feeling tired after a very long day. You were just there to throw garbage and this all happened.

"Wait! Wait up!" Someone called you and you stopped walking to look back.

"Hinata? Is there something wrong?"

"No, it's just...Atsumu-san. He asked me to walk you home since it's already super late and there's a serial killer going around."

"H-He did?"

Hinata nodded. "He also wanted me to tell you that you can just bring him lunch tomorrow, so you won't have to wake up early."

You were taken aback. You never expected a really kind gesture from him and it was throwing you off in a different way.

"Miya!" You called out loudly but he was still snoring. You were about to shake him off but you hesitated. Were you really that close to touch him? "Hey, Miya!" You called again.

Geez...

"Miya!" You finally shrugged his shoulder.

He complained. "Just a minute."

"I don't have a minute."

Wait...Realizing it was you, he sat up. "Y-Y/N?" He questioned and he was then shut up with a meal on his mouth. "What the heck- ish thish? 'm not even ready for that!"

"That's chicken teriyaki." You answered.

"Did you really cook this for me?"

You scoffed. "Stop imagining things. I got this from 7-Eleven."

"How can ya feed me convenience store food? It's bad for my die-"

Blah blah blah..."Just eat it. I was just kidding. This is the lunch I cooked for myself."

He mumbled as you continued feeding him.

"What's with the bandage?" You asked, noticing that he had one wrapped around his eyes.

"Doc said so I can avoid opening my eyes and let the meds do its work."

Oh I see..."Would you be alright here all alone?" You murmured almost to yourself.

"What?" He asked, not hearing you clearly.

"N-Nothing." It's not as if you cared.

He opened his mouth again, anticipating another spoonful.

"That's it." You said, packing up your lunch box.

"What? That's it?"

"Yeah, I better go back to the office now."

"Hey, that can't be it! I'm a grown-ass man. I need food."

You rolled your eyes. "I can't believe you. You're here complaining when I haven't even eaten yet and I'll probably just grab some random stuff from the convenience store."

Atsumu was about to say something but he closed his mouth and just turned away. "Fine, go now, go. I don't wanna owe you for bein late."

You were about to leave when three men entered his hospital room. It was Hinata with...the two from the night you first saw Atsumu, Bloody Crime Scene and Head Smasher.

"Hi Y/N!" Hinata greeted and you gave him a smile in return.

Head smasher gaped and exclaimed, "You are the neighbor! The one Tsum Tsum here can't stop talking about because he can't figure out how to talk to y-"

"Hey, stop it! That ain't true! Stop it! Shut up! Just shut up!" Tsumu protested.

You were curious and confused at the same time but you were seriously running out of time. "I really have to go now."

Atsumu was relieved that you left before Bokuto could say something that would embarrass him more.

"I heard you're still hungry." Bokuto said. "There's the hospital ration here. Do you-"

"No, just no. I don't wanna be fed by you!" Atsumu refused, which brought him back to the lunch you fed him. He couldn't believe it. You only ate that much? How could you survive the day with so little nourishment? That brought him back to his first attempt of befriending you.

He just got his supply of onigiri from Osamu back then and wanted to share some with you, but you just walked past him without even casting him a glance like you weren't even existing.

Ever since that day you hadn't even let him finish greeting you to have a great night, there was something about you that he wanted to probe further and he'd been trying to catch your attention since then.

Girls continuously knocking on his door and neighbors who did nothing but poke their heads on his life were the reasons why he transferred to a new apartment. He wished that he would get  a new with a neighbor who would only care about not minding his personal business.

You were the only girl who didn't give a damn about him. When others would run towards him and scream his name, you looked away and avoided him as much as possible.

You checked out everything on his list yet...it didn't seem that fine. Somehow, catching your attention was surprisingly more interesting for him.

Breathing deeply, there's still 10 minutes left before you leave the office. Your officemates chattered around; through your screen, you saw them looking at you. You wished you had the courage to confront them about this, but they were too many and they were too good at comebacks. You always get tongue-tied in such confrontations. Miya Atsumu was an odd exemption and maybe you had the courage last night because you were at your limit.

"We haven't seen you in the cafeteria today." One of Nako's friends pointed out.

"I never thought you'd notice me." You said, turning off your computer.

"How can we not? You're always by yourself there." Nako answered.

You didn't continue further as you didn't feel like they have the right to know anything about your personal life.

You logged out from your work in a haste, trying not to catch anymore of their bullshit. You stopped by in front of the convenience store, remembering that you weren't able to prepare for Atsumu's dinner.

You turned the other way around, recalling that he's such a diva about his food and won't accept anything from a convenience store, so you were forced to shed out some cash to buy him something from a restaurant.

With a paper bag containing freshly-cooked tempura in your hand, you headed to the hospital, when the rain began falling. Great. Just great. Thankfully, it was just near the apartment building and you always had your umbrella with you.

Arriving there, you noticed that there was a lot of people near Atsumu's room; you were about to head inside but someone stopped you.

"You have to fall in line."

Fall in line? "What?" You asked.

"Yes, get back there before you could see Atsumu-senpai."

You looked through the line and it was insanely long. What is this? You didn't know he had consultation services too. He's not even a doctor to have a queue.

"Yes, get back there!" Another one complained and they all passed you backwards. One of them did it recklessly hard that you loosened your grip from the paperbag.

Noooooo! It was too expensive! It was more than your daily food allowance!

Much to your luck, someone caught it before it fell and also supported your back when you were pushed quite hard.

"I don't like people who are wastin' food." He said in a very sharp tone that scared the girls.

His voice. It's...

"Miya?" You looked up to find that..."Wait.."

He gave you a bright smile. "Osamu. Miya Osamu. The twin."

You gaped. "Oh."

"I assume yer Y/N."

"How do you know that?"

"You don't know me. His fan girls do." He explained, pointing at the long line. "C'mere! It's this way."

You went upstairs with him, wondering. "This morning his room was..."

"Yeah, rumors're fast. They found out he's stayin' there and the hospital had to move us somewhere they're not allowed."

You couldn't believe it...Atsumu's that famous? You were only hearing his name from your officemates from time to time, but you didn't expect he'd have this huge fanbase.

"His fan girls? He...has fan girls?" You voiced out in disbelief and Osamu laughed.

"This is why he talks a lot about you." He said.

"Me?"

"Yeah, he also told me to stay with him everynight 'cuz you won't be able to look after him. Somethin' about a serial killer."  Osamu said and opened the door for you. "Here ya go."

Looking at Atsumu, his bandage was removed now but he still had his eyes closed.

"YN's here." His twin announced.

"She's here?" He asked, sounding like a dog when his owner finally arrived. Dry cough followed like he didn't care that much. "Not expecting that much from ya though."

You scoffed. You were sure he was kind of happy you made this much hassle to visit him tonight. Your attention was shifted from him when the news tackled something very familiar to you.

Another lifeless body of a twenty-four year old woman was found last night. The said woman was speculated to be murdered by the roaming serial killer. Investigators warned the public that the said killer is attacking single women around the public bathhouses.

"Can't say the same for Omi but I can tell ya we ain't no murderers. Another kill count last night when I'm all locked up here. Now, ain't that enough proof for ya?"

"Yeah, that you managed to escape out of the hospital last night." You teased.

Osamu laughed at your retort.

"Hey! I can't believe you! I can't see shit and yer saying I escaped here?"

You smiled a little. He was very dramatic yet it was kind of entertaining.

"Hey, hey, easy now. She bought you somethin' You should be grateful." Osamu interjected.

Geez....Atsumu opened the paper bag and the food container. His eyes widened with joy at the sight of tempura. He winced afterwards due to the slight pain. Remembering it was from you, he pouted and looked away. "T-Thanks."

"Welcome." You said.

"Here," Osamu called you and reached out a different paperbag. "You can have this for dinner. I made that myself."

Your eyes beamed not expecting you'd be eating something different tonight. "Thank you!"

"I don't know you can be that nice." Atsumu spat out.

"Well, your brother was a lot nicer than you." You replied.

Whoa! He did everything to be such a friendly neighbor to you yet...You're telling him that Osamu was a lot nicer than him?

"I don't want this anymore." Atsumu said, setting aside the tempura you bought for him.

You inhaled deeply, mustering the last string of patience that you have. "I...have to go buy that with the limited budget that I have. I even have to go here through the rain and bear the attitude of your fangirls! Then, you're telling me you're just gonna throw that away!"

He pretended not to hear as he folded his arms across his chest.

You sighed. "Fine, do whatever you want. Just don't expect me to be here tomorrow or the next coming days."

"Hey! We had an agreement."

"Whatever! I prefer you to be here anyway than having you next door!"

You stormed out and Atsumu was left hurt. How could someone tell him that? He turned to the food you gave him. Somehow, he felt really bad at how he acted.

Osamu watched him struggle to get the food back to his lap again, so he sat beside his brother and assisted him with it.

"You acted like a bitch y'know that, right?"

"I know! I know! I know!" Dammit! Now, he felt really bad for it. Just when he thought he could finally talk to you properly, it looked like it's all back to zero again.

You rushed home that night with mixed feelings. You knew you went overboard, but you were really offended when he just took the food you put too much effort into for granted.

But maybe...you shouldn't have involved his brother. What if they have the usual sibling drama?

You sighed, tousling your hair.  

The next day came and Atsumu was up too early...maybe because he hadn't gotten any sleep at all, feeling bad about how childish he acted towards you last night. Aughhhhhh...Why was he overthinking about this? He usually didn't care about what others would feel!

However, his internal struggle was cut when he heard the door opening.

"Y-Y/N?" He squinted his eyes to look carefully.

"A promise is a promise." You said, sitting by his bed. "Besides, this is only just for a week. Augh! I almost forgot. You'll live next door again when you get out of here." You said in exasperation.

"Hey, I can hear ya. I'm just here y'know." He fussed out and a soft chuckle slipped out of you because of his annoying yet humorous expression. "Wait, wait! Did I just make you laugh?"

You shut him up by stuffing food in his mouth. "You're delusional."

Atsumu smiled though his munching while you caught yourself doing the same. You immediately wiped it off. No way! There's no way Miya Atsumu was getting through you.

𐑂 AN : Next week’s gonna be a big chapter! It’ll definitely be a major turning point so watch out for it! 🫶 Chapter 3 will be on Thursday and 4 will be on Sunday (my graduation day)! 

𐑂 TAGLIST : drop the ff emoji on my ask box to be added 🔔

REBLOGS ARE DEEPLY APPRECIATED ♡ Please help me reach other viewers. Thank you so so much!

© quirrrky 2022 - All rights reserved. No work shall be reproduced, reposted, modified, translated in any form or by any means.

✧ DAYDREAM MUSEUM ✧

[flowertot-s]

Wynne is definitely not dysfunctional? Sounds suspicious (pls tell us more about wynne)

oh my god. holy shit. buckle in I'm abt to go buck wild

here is all of the info on my horrible little woman, Wynne Lorelai <3

more info under da cut ;)

unfortunately I don't have any screenshots of her cause I play on xbox and todd hates me and wants me dead personally

Wynne is a high elf mage who specialises in destruction, conjuration, and restoration magic. She comes from a pretty well off noble family and is the eldest of 3 children with one sister (middle child) and one brother (youngest). Her mother died of a terminal illness when she was young and she never really got over it, and her father is the worst and most putrid little man in all of Tamriel.

To make a long story short; her youngest brother is set up to inherit the family's entire estate as well as a free ride into any college of his choosing with impressive research funding to boot. Her brother is a complete brat with no interest in academia, and Wynne wants this opportunity so badly. Her father convinced her that if she put in the work and showed dedication he would consider her as a candidate.

So after many long years of dedicating herself to the study of magic and working herself to the bone for a sliver of her father's approval, her younger sister learned that he never actually planned on giving her the inheritance or the funding either way; he just wanted to see how far she would go to prove herself. She trusts her sisters word, says "fuck this shit," and sets off to Skyrim with her main goal being the College of Winterhold so that she can hopefully continue to study unbothered. She didn't choose Skyrim for any specific reason, she just wanted to be as far from her family in the Summerset Isles as physically possible.

Jokes on her cause Uh Oh! now she's the chosen one and has to save the world from certain doom or some shit.

Some little facts:

- she would rather actually die than be forced to solve other people's problems for them. wynne is decidedly not a nice person and only helps people for her own benefit or because she thinks she might find an opportunity to learn and research.

- she hates being treated like a moron even though she frequently treats other people like idiots. it's why she never got along with delphine; their senses of entitlement and refusal to budge on their own beliefs and ideas really got in the way of their professional relationship. which means that after delphine suggests (see; practically orders her) to kill paarthurnax she downright refuses and they never speak again. she still sometimes does converse with Esbern, purely because they're both scholars and like to trade research.

- she hates feeling like people pity her for what she’s had to go through but she’s still a sensitive soul, she cries way more than she’d ever let on

- she has a soft spot for the greybeards and enjoys spending time in high hrothgar just because she can finally get some god damn peace and quiet, also paarthurnax is her pseudo dragon dad

- wynne is stubborn as all hell and is incredibly good at holding grudges. if u slighted her over a sweet roll ten years ago she WILL remember and WILL bring it up just to be petty.

- her main adventuring party consists of; Auri, Inigo, Lydia, Lucien, and Kaidan

- she gets along well enough with Auri (though they aren't especially close), Inigo is her silly goofy little guy who she mostly keeps around just for fun, she enjoys Lydia's company because she doesn't feel the need to fill in silences with pointless chit chat (plus she's like. SUPER strong), Lucien is her academic pal (and also probably her favourite) and she likes hanging around him because they can talk on the same level without having to dumb herself down, and Kaidan. oh Kaidan.

- she and Kaidan have a winding slowburn enemies to lovers arc which starts off as them not understanding each other like. AT ALL. their upbringings and backgrounds are so different that it's hard for them to see eye to eye on a lot of things, which results in more than a few arguments.

- Kaidan initially sees her as a spoiled and stuck up noble bitch with no regard for anything but her own pride, and Wynne sees him as a big stupid brooding man with no capacity to show any respect to anyone.

- BUT they do slowly start opening up to each other and confide in each other about a lot, one thing leads to another, then it's all "I could tear that armor right off your body." (real smooth, Kai)

- she talks like she's the smartest person in the room at all times (she probably is) and talks down to literally everyone who she perceives as beneath her which is like, basically everyone

- she becomes the arch mage of the College of Winterhold by sheer dumb luck and it's basically a HUGE "fuck you" to dear old dad

- the only reason she even bought into any of this dragonborn bullshit was the promise she’d be able to learn and expand her knowledge, but then she gets caught up in this whole civil war business and dragons and elder scrolls and she’s just ?????? how did i even end up here

- she hates having to help people who are too weak to defend herself but her moral compass (kaidan) insists that she helps where she can even when it pisses her off

- her hands and arms are incredibly scarred from the numerous years she spent trying to perfect her destruction magic, which is why she wears gloves and bandages 24/7

- she likes fucking around with potions and mostly tests them on Inigo (who is MORE than happy to be a guinea pig for his bestie)

- she's a complete asshole to everyone who she doesn't like which is like. 90% of people, and even if she likes you, the assholeishness is only dialed down a couple notches (especially if you're stupid)

[aseioh]

The day the earth stood still

TW: Character Death

The inhabitants of Castle Dimitrescu barely managed to survive their battle with Ethan Winters. Alcina mutated to her dragon form but to no avail and is barely holding on to her life. Bela, Cassandra and Daniela were not spared and have suffered heavy injuries as well, due to the decrease of temperature in the Castle the three of them have barricaded themselves to the bedchamber were they have first dragged Ethan in. Patching each others injuries and licking their wounded pride.

  A single man had managed to crush the Dimitrescu bloodline.

A loud crash outside startled the young women, braving the unknown Cassandra opened the door only to see their mother’s bloodied form slumped by the wall. The three hurriedly half carried/half dragged their mother, her unconcious form making it hard to carry her near the blazing fire. The castle was still, not a soul stirred from within. Even the Moroaica and Samca which they have loosened around the castle grounds are quiet. The three women huddled close to their mother not knowing what would happen next.

Did the other Lords fared better than them? Did they manage to end that cursed man’s existence.

 Did Mother Miranda knew this would happen?

By the second day, Alcina began to stir from her slumber. She was still weak and can barely open her eyes, but seeing the high ceiling of the bedroom she surmised that she had managed to survive her fall from the tower and dragged herself back inside the castle. The rest of the journey were just blacked out. Straining to look at her left, she found her three daughters slumped against each other. Bela her eldest has a nasty gash on her forehead, her left cheek a mottle of blue and yellow color; a reminder of the time she had found her daughter near the kitchen, bullet holes littered her cold body - buckshot from a shotgun, that monster-.

Cassandra her second daughter and best hunter was wearing a loose fitting shirt, beneath it was a swathe of bandages covering her whole torso. She remembers the screams and gunshots she heard from the second floor, remembers her stumbling and finding Cassandra barely breathing, the young woman profusely apologizing to her and to Bela for not avenging her, for not killing the man-thing. And finally there was her younger daughter Daniela, her sweet Daniela. When the first signs of trouble have began to stir she had opted to lock her youngest inside the library. Daniela was an excitable child and with her sudden mania when on the hunt it was more prudent to keep her hidden and away from their guest.

It was all in moot though, Ethan managed to find the key that opened all the doors of the castle. Daniela managed to escape with minor injuries but the fact that Ethan managed to enter the library and still inflict injuries to her was the final straw. Alcina blames herself on this 'if only I was not blinded by my anger, I shouldn’t not have left the key in my room'. She remembers the phone call and the sudden rage that had her throwing her dresser table to the wall, never had she ever felt rage against Mother Miranda in her entire life until that point.

'My daughter was almost killed and she still though of her damned ceremony' and with that thought another grave though crossed her mind

"She never cared for any of us" Her sudden speech stirred the three slumbering women. Seeing their mother awake, the three women hurried by her side.

"Mother!"

"Mama!"

"Are you alright, where does it hurt?"

An onslaught of questions came from her daughters, worry written on their faces. Cassandra puts up a brave front but Alcina can see that her torso still bothers her. Alcina tries to sit, but is unable to do so, she was still laying on the floor and although one of her daughters was kind enough to put a pillow beneath her head it was still rather uncomfortable.

"I am fine. Weak but alive, and so are you my treasures." at that Daniela burst into tears and gently tries to hug her arm, Bela and Cassandra both teary eyed tried to do the same on her right arm.

"Mother can you stand? if you can maybe we can move you to the other bed." Bela asked as she eyes the bandaged side of Alcina.

"I'm afraid not Bela, I'm still rather weak"

Cassandra motions to get up and walking towards the door "It's been quiet inside the castle mother, I think Ethan has left. Maybe I could go to the wine room and get you some blood, that would help you right?" wincing slightly at her movement.

"I'll do it Cassandra, I'll be right back." Daniela stands as well, motioning for Cassandra to return to Alcina's side.

"Thank you be careful, we don't know what's still outside. there may be stragglers" Cassandra cautions her sister

---

The inside of the castle looks like a warzone. Shattered vases and cabinet glass littered the floor, and the once pristine floor of their hallway now has holes and bullet casings. Bullet holes littered the wall, the smell of gunpowder and blood still permeates the air. Daniela cautiously climbs to the second floor where the wine room was located, ears straining to hear even the smallest sounds. They were lucky she supposes that their were no windows inside the castle, that the doors of the kitchen were thick enough to insolate them from the cold coming from the courtyard.

Entering the wine room she was glad that Ethan had not decided to destroy their supply of wine, 'At least his not that petty' she thinks as she grabs five bottles of their finest, ones she knows were specifically for her mother's consumption. Walking back down, she wanted to investigate the extent of the damage made by the man but her priority was in the health of her mother.

There will be time for that later. They can rebuild, they were after all the Dimitrescu and they were all alive.

---

Back inside the room, Cassandra and Bela had managed to help Alcina sit on her chair.

"And how are you two, are you're bodies regenerating?" Alcina asked trying to be comfortable in the chair, her regeneration has been slowed due to the lack of blood. She was more concerned with her daughters, as she new that the insects making up her daughter's body do not reproduce. She will need to introduce new batches of flies in the swarm, hopefully that would allow for faster healing within her daughters.

Daniela came back with bottles in hand, she poured her mother a glass and gave Bela and Cassandra a bottle each. Alcina drank the liquid eagerly, she can feel the blood sustaining her, feeling slightly better she sighes. 'I wonder how the others are faring' Alcina thought as she looks at her daughters faces. Daniela and Cassandra were drinking their blood fast, meanwhile Bela was nursing hers, a worried look in her face.

'Ah. Of course. Donna' Alcina can see her eldest thinking, worrying about her beloved. She herself was worried, the Lords knew that Donna was the weakest in terms of strength preferring to use psychological tactics. Donna has never seen combat, she was more at home using her plants for hallucinations and turning men against each other than direct confrontations.

'If Ethan Winters almost killed her in both her forms...' Alcina shivered at the thought. She looks at Bela once again, Bela meets her gaze head on. She was thinking of the same thing, and with that though her dread rises and her arms begin to shake.

"Go and be careful, and remember I love you Bela" Hearing the permission, Bela embraces her mother and makes her way out of the room. Her swarm of insects more chaotic than normal. Cassandra and Daniela looks on as their sister vanishes from the room.

"WIll she be alright" Cassandra asked concern clear in her voice.

"I do not know love, but we will be here when she returns. Ready to support and mend" Alcina says with finality.

---

Bela rushes through the castle grounds, barely stopping to dress properly against the weather. Stepping out of the castle she was greeted with a blanket of frost and silence. No sound can be heard around the border, not even the hustle and bustle of the nearby village could be heard. She remembers that the Lycans went through the village earlier and though for a second if even a single villager manage to survive.

'Focus! Bela' Making her way to the eastern part of the village she was greeted by the Duke.

"Good afternoon Miss Bela, I'm glad to see you alive" the portly man greeted her.

"Duke what are you doing here!? You were helping that man!" Bela shouted readying her sickle and aiming for the Dukes head.

"Now, now... it was only business miss, and besides your family survived. Everything else can be rebuilt" The duke supplied trying to placate the young woman in front of her. "Besides, shouldn't you make your way towards Lady Beneviento's estate. I've just seen Mr. Winters leave the premises. I believe his on his way to Lord Moreau's reservoir."

The new information silenced Bela, looking at the four winged door and seeing the usual locked door open made her panicked.

"NO!" as she turned and ran towards Donna's mansion

"And remember miss, Everything can be rebuilt!" The Duke shouted to the retreating back of the young woman, chuckling to himself "Everything can be made for a price..."

---

Bela didn't stop running until she was near the grave of Claudia Beneviento and even then she can see the devastation that Ethan Winters caused. Dead Moroaica littered the way going to the estate from the the potter's field to the hanging bridge that connects the estate to the village. Claudia's grave itself had been open, the contents ransacked. Close by the slumped body of the grave giant can be found no doubt killed because it was doing it's job.

A cold chill enters Bela's body. If the giant can be killed, how could her Donna fare against that man.

Steeling herself, she enters the small cave that houses the elevator that would take her up the mansion. Bela was starting to feel numbed, the whole day feels like a century. What she thought started as a man trespassing in their castle to be eaten soon, became her worst nightmare. Bracing herself in the elevator, she fears for the worst.

'Donna please, be safe my love'

please please please please.... the plead continued like a mantra, she was praying to whoever deity that would listen to her.

----

Arriving at the top, she carefully exits the elevator, wary of every corners and listening to the smallest sounds.

The mansion superimposes the great waterfall, both a sight of wonder. Still there was something wrong, and she couldn't place what it is. the garden in front of the house looks undisturbed, as if it was left only to be tended again tomorrow.

the first sign that something was wrong was a broken box near the entrance of the mansion.

Seeing the broken thing, Bela's heart stopped.

 No.

 No..

 NO...  

"DONNA!!" Bela burst through the door only to stop dead in her tracks.

The mansion was in disarray. The dolls Donna so lovingly brushes and takes care of are strewn around the floor. The devastation done on the castle is repeated here. Some of the walls have fresh blood smeared across it. It's as if someone was running around without a care in the world.

Bela sways where she stands. "DONNA!?!" she calls again hoping to hear the woman she loves. straining her ears to hear even the smallest of sounds.

 It was silent

She cautiously enters the house. She stops and falls to her knees, there on the ground lies the crystalized remains of her beloved.

Bela cannot breath, each gulp of air just brings more cold inside of her. She crawls towards the crystals, eyes wide and unbelieving.

"Donna... Donna, this isn't funny. You're not supposed to leave me" tears stream down her eyes and her sight narrows, darkness encroaching from the corners of her eyes.

"DONNA!!!!"

Outside the waterfall covers the scream of a broken heart and the mansion stands quietly, guarding it's mistress and her beloved's anguished cries.

---

Because the thought "what would happen if Bela and Donna were a couple during the events of the game and one of them didn't make it?" kept running around my head

[ren-c-leyn]

Happy WBW! How do you create conflict to explore your worlds? I have been reading a lot about worldbuilding driven writers and how sometimes the whole world is built around a premise and sometimes it's built around a system or a thing particularly interesting to the writer? What would you say drives you in building your world? @writingonesdreams

And a happy world building wednesday to you as well ^^ I sent your question earlier, but let me know if you didn't get it. My internet was being temperamental at the time, so it might not have sent. Hm, I'm not entirely sure I understood the question, my brain isn't working great today, so feel free to point me to the right path if I got off on the wrong track here. I do a little bit of everything you mentioned in your ask, but I wouldn't say I'm entirely a world building driven writer, I'm actually more character driven. I do need world building to work with, or there's nothing to ground my characters' antics in and the plot falls to pieces on me. My answers for the rest of it, really depend on the individual project. The world for your favorite, Forgotten Gods, was entirely built around the premise of there being multiple Gods who are always in petty conflicts over followers and territories. The Plight of a Sparrow's world was built alongside the conflict, and has been shaped just as much by it as it's shaped it. The plot for The Dragon's Crown came after a lot of the world building. My Ancestor, My Enemy's world was built entirely around the elves and their dark history because I was entirely fascinated by them. The rest of the projects are kind of a mix of all of the above. So, how do I create conflict to explore these worlds? It happens naturally in my chaotic writing process. I don't fully build the worlds or flesh out the plots before I start, and as a result they end up exploring each other as I go. It gets built around what comes up, and what comes up is partly built around the world building I established previously. I'm always learning new things about the places, people, and plot. Just last night I found out Glenn got beaten with a giant fish while on a quest, so now large fish and people/creatures who use them as improvised weapons are cannon and that opens up the door for me to loop back around to that fact later on in The Shackles of Time, should the plot wander in that direction later down the road. As to what drives me to create my worlds, I'd say it's a combination of 'oh, that sounds cool', 'oh, that'd be messed up', 'wouldn't it be neat if...', 'damn it, now that [oc] has said that, I need to figure out what the heck this is', random facts and folklore and such that interested me, and aesthetics. I know it sounds silly, but those little random thoughts are really what spark the process for me. Thank you for stopping by, I hope you have a lovely day/evening.

[monstersdownthepath]

Demigod Dossier: Velstrac Demagogues, part 1

Pictured: Aroggus, the Abbey-Maker

Lawful Evil Mad Artists of the Shadow Plane

The Complete Book of the Damned, pg. 120~121 Additional information is also present in Adventure Path: Return of the Runelords: The City Outside of Time, pg. 74~79

Our second-ever Demigod Dossier, now fully in-swing! The Velstrac Demagogues are the rulers of the Shadow Plane and all the lives within, though many of said lives within aren’t really fans of them. Natives to the Netherworld find the presence of the Velstrac an annoyance at best and a threat to their lives at worst, and would much prefer if they went back to Hell where they came from, but unfortunately for everyone everywhere they don’t appear too eager to throw themselves into the jaws of the inferno just yet. Instead, they’re busy throwing themselves into the jaws of one another.

The Demagogues represent the pinnacle of a specific subset of the Velstrac’s twisted senses of ‘art’ and ‘perfection,��� either because they’ve mutilated themselves into something wholly unlike anything else that can, did, or could exist, or they’ve pioneered a form of artistry that other Velstrac couldn’t even conceptualize in the first place and gathered a fandom. It takes some very twisted, alien forms of thinking to become a Demagogue and get others rallied behind you, even moreso because the Velstrac themselves are, putting it kindly, completely out of their gourd. When your audience already expects the insane and outlandish, you have to go even further, and many of the fiends you’ll soon see have.

We’ll only be covering four in this initial post, with the rest to be saved for later...

Demagogues view mortals as little more than primal clay to be shaped, and thus see little worth in investing true divine power into them, worshipers receive Boons that are are relatively simple: a trio of spell-like abilities, each of which may be used 1/day. Boons are normally gained slowly, at levels 12, 16, and 20, however entering the Evangelist, Exalted, or Sentinel Prestige Classes can see the Boons gained as early as levels 10, 13, and 16. Note that while they are Lawful Evil fiends originally from Hell, they are not devils, thus you cannot enter the Diabolist Prestige Class to obtain their Boons without DM fiat.

Aroggus, the Abbey-Maker

Demagogue of Possibility, Revenge, and Sanctuary Domains: Evil, Law, Protection, Trickery Subdomains: Deception, Defense, Fear, Tyranny

Obedience: List the names of those who have wronged you until the writing covers a page, then consume the parchment. Benefit: Gain a +4 profane bonus on saving throws to resist compulsion effects.

What a completely normal, sane, and healthy thing to do! As the first of the Demagogues to flee from Hell, Aroggus is EXTREMELY angry at the devils for locking them up in the first place. Angry enough to want revenge on the whole of the diabolic race, as well as the Asura... Angry enough that he hasn’t yet even started getting around to enacting his revenge, instead just constantly thinking about and refining it as if no iteration of suffering is perfect enough to match his fury.

True to form, he wants you to ruminate in your anger rather than doing anything to enact your vengeance, blacking out a page with the names (or just one name) of all who’ve wronged you no matter how petty or insignificant the inconvenience they may have caused. Unfortunately, no two ways about it, you’re going to look insane (in the literal definition of the term) doing this every day, especially if you only have one or two people who’ve wronged you enough to get onto your list. Scrawling their name, front AND back, until the page is filled and then eating it is behavior that will raise eyebrows no matter who you’re adventuring with. Best to keep this one behind closed doors. Make sure you have a glass of activated charcoal after, because all of that ink day after day (unless you write with, I don’t know, berry juice or blood) is going to do amazingly terrible things to your constitution.

The benefit is good. Compulsions are typically Save-Or-Suck effects, so having more Save means less Suck for you later on. It’s useful at any point in your adventure, so I can’t say anything bad about it! My only wish is that it was a little stronger, since some other gods give +4 vs compulsion and charm effects.

Boon 1: Nondetection Boon 2: Forcecage Boon 3: Imprisonment

Nondectection is a good spell for those times when you need to sneak by diviners, hide magic items from scrutiny, avoid the gaze of a Paladin who’s a little too judicious with Detect Evil, or to add another layer of shroud over Invisibility and the like. It’s a spell that’s a pain to prepare every single day, but useful to have when you need it... but you only have one casting of it per day, so using it wisely is paramount. Ironically, it combines well with your own Divination to find out if you’ll even need it later.  More often than not you won’t be using it at all except to idly ward yourself when going into town or diving into a dungeon.

Forcecage is a completely different animal, the offensive and defensive applications of the spell simply mind-blowing, to the point that keeping this to just one paragraph to save space is going to take some herculean effort on my part! So, the basics: Forcecage has two versions, both of which halt all movement through them: A 20ft square of force bars that allow spells, projectiles, and line-of-effect through, and a 10ft cube that blocks line-of-effect and all forms of magic and supernatural abilities. A Forcecage is effectively invincible (having Hardness 30 and 20hp/level) and impossible to move, so anyone trapped inside without the ability to teleport is likely to stay there for the spell’s duration. Also, to put it simply, shoving enemies in the cage is the main point, but if you cannot, a 10ft/20ft square is an enormous roadblock to stop up narrow passages with.

Which leaves Imprisonment, a portable hole you can shove all sorts of problems into, which will likely create new problems down the line if the target had anything you needed on them. I recommend knocking out a foe, stripping them of their valuables, and then shoving them into their baby jail for all eternity! With the Freedom spell being the only means to undo Imprisonment (even Wish and Miracle fail), you’ll have no actual way to undo the spell against any target you cast it on for one or two more levels, if at all (depending on the party composition). Make sure to use it only when the villain has no MacGuffins, or is a powerful recurring threat. Imprisonment works on anything and everything capable of failing the Will save (take note, anyone wanting to fight Kaiju, Great Old Ones, or Spawn of Rovagug), which gets a -4 penalty if you know the target’s name and some facts about its life, so famous villains are even more vulnerable to being thrown into the Eternity Marble! 

------

Barravoclair, Lady of the Final Gasp

Demagogue of the Elderly, Fatalistic Insights, Resurrection Domains: Death, Evil, Healing, Law Subdomains: Murder, Restoration, Resurrection, Undead

Obedience: Practice breath control, holding your breath until you nearly pass out. Benefit: Gain a +4 profane bonus on checks to resist drowning and on saves against inhaled poisons.

A hell of a step down in terms of unhealthiness in terms of Aroggus, and significantly less suspicious, too. Breath control is practiced by people of all stripes, from athletes to explorers to simple monks attempting more profound meditation. While ‘nearly passing out’ is skirting an edge most people won’t approach, it’s not exactly as dangerous for you as, say, inhaling water or eating poison every day. Without any materials needed, the Lady of the Final Gasp is one of the simplest and probably the single cheapest Obedience ritual one could ask for! There is a minor caveat in that races who can’t breathe can’t technically do this Obedience at all, but those aren’t the audience Barravoclair wants anyway.

Unfortunately, the benefit is as weak as the Obedience is easy to do. Drowning is unlikely to come up as a danger unless you’re physically dragged into the water by a monster (which means holding your breath likely isn’t an option anyway), and inhaled poisons are the least common poison type in the game. Against the odd Catoblepas or Green Dragon it will come in handy, but it’s protection from injury poison you really need, which the Lady of the Final Gasp doesn’t provide.

Boon 1: Speak With Dead Boon 2: Resurrection Boon 3: Soul Bind

Alright, let’s face it. Some days, you need Speak With Dead to keep the plot running smoothly. Whether your overzealous DPS kills everyone in the room, your Fireball-lobbing Sorcerer kills everyone in the room, or your summoner’s unchained beasts kill everyone in the room, chances are at some point in your career you’re going to save the party a lot of headaches by being able to pull answers from a corpse. Having Speak With Dead available every day will likely not matter 80% of the time (meaning you can typically use it at your leisure just before going to bed), but much like with Water Breathing and spells like Remove Curse and Neutralize Poison, having it for those 20% of times you need it can keep the wheels spinning and stop unneeded side quests.

... And speaking of side quests and things you’ll need once in a blue moon, Resurrection? For free? Even 1/day? With the hefty cost of 10,000gp for the normal spell, even a well-off party will feel the impact every single time they have to use Rez, but the removal of the cost ups the power level of the spell by a margin so enormous that it doesn’t really matter what Boon you get before or after this one; THIS boon rewards worship of Barravoclair enough to justify putting up with her empty benefit. Even without factoring in the ability to raise party members, you can now curry favor with people of all stripes and demand all forms of insane payments for your ability to raise centuries-old dead at no cost but time... or do your work for free and call in favors at a later date. Do note, however, that you’ll also need someone else on standby to remove the negative levels/stat drain caused by the resurrection process.

I said it didn’t matter what the third Boon was and I stand by it. Unlike with the free Rez above, Soul Bind’s enormous cost still makes its use as anything but a once-per-campaign finisher of an annoying enemy irritating and unfeasible. Spell-likes normally require no components, but Soul Bind operates in a gray area of the rules in that its focus component becomes the subject for the spell, meaning that a DM can very easily and very rightly say you DO require the  gemstone whose value must equal or exceed the target’s HD x 1,000. Binding even a simple 5 CR creature requires the tall order of a 5,000gp gemstone, and if you want to use it on a target that’s worthwhile, it gets expensive fast. It’s way cheaper and easier to just hire a Cacodaemon. 

------

Fharaas, the Seer in Skin

Demagogue of Experience, Murder, and Patterns Domains: Evil, Knowledge, Law, Repose Subdomains: Ancestors, Fear, Memory, Souls

Obedience: Study the interior of a freshly severed limb. Benefit: You are immune to bleed effects that deal 6 damage or less.

This Obedience is deceptively simple for what its implication is. You’d best get yourself a Sack Of Rats or have access to a lot of disposable prisoners (or the Regenerate spell)! But thankfully, there’s some wiggle room in the wording: ‘freshly severed’ means no cheating and using Gentle Repose on the same arm over and over, but it ALSO means you can carry around a single corpse and slowly slice it apart, as the limbs themselves don’t have to be fresh, just freshly cut off for the purpose of the ritual. Also, you can use the bodies of Undead, Constructs, and any other creature that technically has severable limbs! Though Fharaas, the Seer In Skin, will likely punish you if your ritual doesn’t involve the examination of actual flesh.

You’re going to look really weird, is what I’m saying. At least if someone barges in on you, you can claim you’re inspecting them for something or other. Infection, signs of magic, etc, whatever you can come up with to blunt the blow. You can cover yourself moderately well by being a butcher or a hunter in your day job, as the severed limb doesn’t have to be human, or even sapient (hence why I suggest a Sack Of Rats), letting you freely slice up and examine your kills.

Bleed effects are fairly uncommon in the grand scheme of things but are also a pain in the neck to deal with in the middle of battle, so this giving a +4 bonus aga--wait, sorry, hold on no, this isn’t a bonus to saving throws? Or skill checks to heal bleed? It just... Stops them if they deal 6 or less damage? You don’t even have to make a save?

Okay. Okay, alright. So you’re just immune to bleed, then?

More or less, really. There are very few monsters that deal more than d6 bleed damage with their attacks (be warned that higher-level ones can sometimes stack their bleed!), and this ability also works on the rare but dreaded stat bleed, and off the top of my head there are NO monsters that deal more than a d4 dice in stat bleed damage. My main problem is that it doesn’t reduce the bleed damage you take by 6, so taking even 1 more point of bleed damage makes this ability useless. Still, though it’s fairly narrow, being effectively immune to a dangerous and irritating status ailment at level 3 or so (when bleed is at its most threatening) is well worth taking up butchery. 

Boon 1: Keen Edge Boon 2: Vision Boon 3: Foresight

Keen Edge is a spell you absolutely want to slap onto any vaguely pirate-y or hoity-toity party member you may have, as cutlasses, rapiers, and scimitars all leap from a dangerous 18~20 critical range to a terrifying 15~20, meaning they threaten to critically strike 1 out of every 4 attacks instead of just once every other fight or so. With a duration of 10 min/level, the enchantment will likely last multiple fights even if you only have it 1/day, but unfortunately it refuses to stack with any crit-boosting enchantments or feats the wielder may already possess, lessening its usefulness as your adventure goes on and your martial party members pick up increasingly fancy gear and pad out their collection of feats. Still, it’s useful for when you get it, and will remain useful for several levels after.

Vision is a whole different beast, and a dangerous one at that. It operates as the Legend Lore spell but vastly accelerated, allowing you to scrape the public consciousness for any information it may have on a specific person, place, or thing. I’ve complained about the general niche uses of Legend Lore before, but Vision grants the information in a much shorter time (a single standard action) at the cost of a potential for failure and a slap of fatigue whether you succeed or not. I don’t like 1/days that do nothing on a failure, but since Vision is purely a downtime spell (unless you need to know the boss’ weakness or info on the Evil Doom Artifact right now immediately), it’s not as much of an impediment to lose out on whatever information it could give you. That being said, the DM will likely have ways for you to do whatever plot-relevant research you need anyway, so Vision is more of a way to speed up the process than anything.

Which leaves Foresight, a spell whose main benefit relies intensely on DM cooperation, as I’ve ranted about here. Mechanically it’s fairly unimpressive, but if the DM reads the spell carefully, they should realize it gives whoever you cast it on a 6-second glance into the future at all times. Whatever horrors befall the victim 6 seconds from now should spring into your mind before they happen, making you the best trap radar on the planet, and the spell’s warnings for the best ways to protect yourself will urge the DM to grant you information about the enemy’s capabilities you may never otherwise know... but what do you expect from 9th level magic? It SHOULD be filling you in with details you’d never figure out!

------

Inkariax, the White Death

Demagogue of Preservation, Absolute Cold, and Solitude Domains: Evil, Law, Void, Water Subdomains: Fear, Ice, Isolation, Slavery

Obedience: Inventory your collection of hoarded knickknacks, reciting your unique name for each item as you do Benefit: Gain a +4 profane bonus on saving throws to resist effects that would petrify or paralyze you.

God, finally, someone normal. At worst you’ll look like someone with a few obsessive issues, but at least you won’t look like a menace to society as you lay out your, I dunno, marbles or bone dice or dolls or what have you and make note that they’re still there, cooing to them with names only you know. It’s fitting for Inkariax, of all the Demagogues, to have an Obedience that requires no self-harm, physically or psychologically; unlike all the rest, he was born perfect and doesn’t need to chase after it. Instead, he pursues finding perfection in others, freezing and collecting people and items he believes represent perfection in whatever unusual way he desires that day (having perfect posture, or a perfect scream, or a perfect pair of eyes, etc). Much like him, you’re encouraged to expand a collection of whatever you deem perfect and desirable, which you’re often going to do just over the course of normally adventuring. I’ve yet to see a player character that doesn’t start amassing all sorts of junk in their pockets the moment they get a Bag of Holding or similar.

Indeed, you can just pick up whatever catches your fancy, be it stones, sticks, or severed bits of an enemy, though I’m sure Inkariax will ever-so-slowly raise a disapproving eyebrow if you just pick up any old junk. Make sure to curate your collection now and then! Being able to perform this Obedience with anything you happen to gather is especially helpful if you’re ever separated from your collection (always a danger) and need to start again, but note that each item you gain in your collection must have a completely unique name. That’s only really a danger for especially RP-heavy campaigns, but in such campaigns Worship of the White Death isn’t for everyone who just names all their collected bird feathers Jeffery. Start getting in the habit of stretching out your inventory sheet with names for all your items!

The benefit you get from lovingly counting up all your stolen statuettes and dusty books is resistance to two of the worst status effects in the game. While petrification is relatively rare it typically appears in Save-Or-Suck form, which makes protection against it far more valuable than, say, protection against something like the far more common fatigue or exhaustion. Paralysis is an ailment just short of a death sentence by itself, costing the victim their turn at best and their life at worst, so even a +4 between you and that is something you need to cling to with your entire being.

Boon 1: Sleet Storm Boon 2: Sequester Boon 3: Microcosm

Sleet Storm is a very simple spell with a decent number of functions. Its Long range means that any enemy in your line of sight can potentially be a target, letting you lash out easily at ranged enemies or dangerous casters by creating a 40ft-wide and 20ft-tall area of concealing sleet that’s impossible for any vision to pierce (except the rare and niche Snowsight or Fogcutter Lenses). Anyone inside will have to rely on Tremorsense or Blindsense (though the jury’s out on if the splashing of the sleet would confound those, as well) to navigate it, and 40ft of difficult terrain can feel impossible to clamber through when you start right in the middle of it with no idea which way is the way you need to go. It’s one of the strongest vision-blockers in the game due to its immunity to common tactics that thwart lesser spells (Gust of Wind, True Seeing, etc), forcing enemies to either blow their valuable uses of Dispel Magic or suffer for its entire duration. My only complaint is that you only get it 1/day and that it screws over your party just as hard if you use it incorrectly.

Sequester is as niche a use spell as there ever was for players, requiring a bit of forethought about what or who you’d want to hide with it. The target must be willing or inanimate to be affected, so tricking an enemy via Charm or Dominate into accepting the spell can keep them fresh as a daisy for weeks at a time if you ever have a reason to do such a thing. More often than not you’ll use it to conceal items you seriously don’t want seen or detected, such as a Bag of Holding or similar loaded with your collection of knickknacks or emergency supplies, a particular hostage, an NPC you need to keep alive, or your phylactery if you’re a Lich. If you’re especially sadistic, using it on an item someone else needs and throwing it into a well or a hoard of other objects will keep them occupied for a while. If you’re a more martial character, using it to hide your armor is viable, making it seem as though you’re invincible when enemy blows bounce straight off, or even your weapon to confound your enemies who seem to be taking wounds from an unseen item. Your mime routine will be killer, literally! Just... Just don’t drop the thing, because in the heat of battle you’re never going to find it.

Microcosm is one of the best spells you can hurl into a crowd of commoners or a swarm of foes meant to gum you up instead of actually threaten you. Its 30 HD limit will mean it likely will only strike one or two creatures capable of actually threatening you, but it’s brutal even then. The spell is permanent, trapping your victims in an illusory world in which everything goes right for them even as their bodies starve to death in the waking world. Anything with less than 10 HD is automatically affected with no saving throw, the spell easily mopping up mobs, while anything with 11~15 HD escapes automatically after 10 min... per level you have. On a successful save. There’s Save-Or-Suck, and then there’s the immensely rare Save-And-Suck! No wonder Microcosm is ONLY on the Psychic’s list! Anything with more than 16 HD is unaffected if they succeed their save, but all their allies are likely in an everlasting dreamland now. The big issue is that the HD restriction is way tighter than you may think; creatures, especially at higher levels, usually do NOT have HD matching their CR, but if you’re mainly battling level-appropriate Humanoid or Monstrous Humanoid creatures, Microcosm is fairly reliable in such battles, as those foes typically have HD that roughly matches their CR. But if you’re up against, say, Dragons or Outsiders, good luck bud.

Side note: Microcosm and Sequester used in combination make for excellent ways to start your own morbid collection of living creatures, just like your icy master! Just make sure you have some non-Divination means of seeing them, as Sequester blocks even True Sight.

[aphroditewritings]

Pregant Omega x Dragon King

Her love for Katsuki was what she could only describe as magical. Having known each other since childhood and having dated for their teenage years being the biggest couple of the village all the time since Katsuki was next in line for the throne. It was only natural to accept when the council arranged a wedding between the two lovers, deeming her a worthy women of being queen one day and a ruler of their lands along side her boyfriend, well her husband now she could finally say.

The blonde had unsurprisingly made it one of the best nights of her life, the very best night of her life though would be when the kingdom’s doctor told her she was with child and that the future heir to the throne was healthy and growing inside of her tummy. She in not only shock but excitement went to his mother Mitsuki unsure of how exactly to tell Katsuki they were finally having dragon babies after 2 years of marriage. The women had nearly fainted when she put her hand on her stomach and used her hightened senses to listen to the babies heart beat.

“This is beautiful” Mitsuki said caressing her stomach at the thought of a grandchild running around her feet finally. Mitsuki had made it an entire day’s worth ordeal, refusing to let Katsuki see or even look at her until nightfall came for fear his extra heightened senses would pick up on the extra heart beat immediately especially with him so in tune with her sent he would know something was up the second he would see her. It was also what made Katsuki scrunch his nose when she finally did enter into their bedroom that night draped in the long light pink silk robe from the bath and spa treatment the women had given her earlier, Mitsuki being extra doting knowing she was now pregnant.

She could tell he wasn’t sniffing the air in disgust but rather...intrest. “What’s wrong?” he asked almost immediately jumping up from the bed and wrapping his arms around her unaware of his mother snickering outside of the tent. “Nothing...well something but nothing bad. At least I hope not” she mumbled the last part looking at the ground and only looking up when she felt her husband finger softly direct her jaw upwards. “You know you can tell me. Never hold back with me.”

Taking a deep breath of courage in she grabbed onto his shoulders and whispered the words “I’m pregnant” in the air. He had froze for a few seconds, frantically looking her up and down to make sure he had heard her right before she felt herself getting lifted off the ground and into his arms in a giant bear hug. Needless to say, Katsuki Bakugo had been very happy that day and all the days after that.

Even when he had to rub her feet and massage her entire body, or go across half the village to get a food she was craving, he happily either went himself or sent his mother in. Ever since finding out she was pregnant especially once she started to show, her belly having started poking out from her dresses no one but himself or his mother were allowed close near her. His trust of everyone around her even poor Kiri who couldn’t even stop by to check how she was doing without getting snarls and growls from Bakugo.

It seemed never letting anybody near her would also be Katsuki’s downfall.

It had been during winter, a strong snow storm hitting the area and more conveniently shen she had been very very pregnant. She was due any day now, her belly swelled to its giant size, sometimes even making her feel self conscious but always remembering that Katsuki reminded her she was the most beautiful thing in the world to him everyday, big belly or not. He had gone out to the other side of the village to collect more fire wood go keep them warm but promised to be back shortly to her and the baby. With being pregnant with dragon kin babies, already came trouble from the outside as well.

Dragon babies sold for high dollar on the black market, high enough to probably set somebody up for life if they ever got their hands on one to sell. As sick as it was, Katsuki’s kind were sometimes sold off like pets, their owners always cruel and monsters themselves training them to be more like guard dogs instead of the beautiful humans they could be and were. It was part of the reason why everyone was so protective over her now, knowing how many criminals and other kingdoms out there would love the chance the snatch up her and her baby.

A giant explosion and screams had made her eyes snap open mid nap in the big fluffy bed of furs and pillows Katsuki had put together for her. Wobbling out of bed she slipped on her slipper boots and a robe before peaking her head out a scared yelp leaving her mouth when she did. A tent near hers, only a few down and belonging to one of the towns people in their kingdom was on fire a giant swarm of soldiers appearing out of the snow clouds with giant swords and axes on them. It finally dawned on her that this was actually happening, they were under attack.

She knew they would probably be dealt with soon, no one usually having the balls or the missing brain cells to attack a village full of dragon shifters, but all thoughts of substance left her mind when she felt big hands yank her arm. “Found the bitch” a man, apart of the group trying to raid them sneered down at her, a gasp leaving her mouth. “Her and that damn baby are gonna sell big” his friend that lurked behind him snickered making panic flash across her eyes.

So that’s what they were here for. They were here for her and her child.

“Help!” she screamed as loud as she could trying to trash out of his hold but getting a hand wrapped around her throat and stopping her screaming. “Just cut it out of her she’s about full term anyways. Sure as hell looks fat enough to be” the mans friend said to him looking at her with an evil glint in her eyes. Tears welling up in her own from her emotional sensitivity she took their moment of distraction from her to kick the man choking her while her face was turning blue where the sun didn’t shine for him, a cry of pain leaving his mouth as he collapsed on the ground holding his groin.

Running away as fast as the snow would let her she began her journey to the edge of the village aware of the men still running and following behind her shoutinh curses at her and her unborn child. It probably wasn’t the best idea to run into the open wild, 9 months pregnant and with no means of defense against the traffickers, but with everyone else busy trying to dispose of the rest of the mens little army it had left her vulnerable and with nowhere to run but to where she could loose them.

Not able to see in front of her any longer she fell to her knees in the snow, vaguely recalling loosing the men in the snow storm a while back leaving her to huddle into a pile in the white ground praying to the gods that Katsuki or at least someone from their kingdom would find her and rescue her, otherwise she knew her and her child wouldn’t last long in the weather they were in.

Sniffling with tears pooling down her cheeks she desperately hugged the fur robe closer to her body and clutched her stomach with two hands hoping to keep it warmer. “Please Katsuki” she whispered hoping he could somehow hear her wherever he was.

Back at the village, Katsuki had finally finished driving his sword through the chest of the last invader releaseing a battle cry of victory at once again winning a battle against petty criminals. He had been in a great mood on his way home shortly after, wonderful even ready to see his beautiful mate and talk to her and their pup. Ask them about their day. She didn’t do much nowadays but between all the pampering she was getting it gave her plenty to talk about. His world seemed to come crashing down upon entering his secluded tent though , one larger than life with a bed as big to match, completely and utterly empty.

An uneasy pit formed in his stomach as he called for his mate but got no response. Fear spiked in his blood more and more, him turning over blankets and table hoping and praying she was just playing some prank on him. They hadn’t gotten her...had they? A growl left his lips at the thought concluding something did happen to her while he was away but knowing she was at least alive kept him at bay, barley but there. Dragons could feel each others heart beats, once the mating ritual was completed mates were connected at the heart and soul for life.

“Katsuki please help me” a voice sobbed in his head. Her voice. Images and flashes of her laying out on the dirty ground in the snow, frostbite covering her toes, her heart beat getting weaker by the minute came across his mind Katsuki silently thanking the gods for allowing him to be able to track her. “I’m coming baby” he said gathering his things and calling for elite squadron and most trusted soldiers and advisors to get ready, giving them the blunt and only words they needed of “she’s missing, we leave now” to know they needed to spring into action. Bakugo shifted into his dragon, with him being the king it was the biggest and strongest of them there, pointy scales running up and down his back his body a crimson red color.

Roaring into the air he didn’t even wait for the rest of his support team before flying away and into the snow storm only one thing on the dragons mind as he felt his mates heart beat fade out more and more.

Releasing a quiet sob she was finally starting to come to terms with things. This was where she and her baby would die. Alone shivering out in the cold body huddled in a ball in the snow. A harsh breeze flew by a few ice shards spitting across her face and making her cry out in pain. Balling her fist together and rubbing her stomach one last time she could barley register the feeling of warmth spreading throughout her body.

The faint sounds of roaring and shouting were heard making her slowly blink her eyes open shocked to see herself surrounded by fire. Katsuki’s fire. Mates didn’t get burned by their dragon mates fire, another plus to marrying the man. It felt like her body slowly ignited and unfroze a gasp leaving her lips when she felt her body being lifted. She could recognize Mitsuki’s voice as the one holding her and carefully laying her now naked body from Katsuki’s fire on her in a pile of furs and wrapping her up. To scared and still to cold to move she allowed herself to be carried through the snow and placed onto the back of Katsuki who’s dragon released a happy pur at feeling her laying on his back.

Wasting no time he flew off into the air and back to the village all of the towns people crowding around as they watched their king transform into his human form again and carrying an unconscious queen in his arms. “Is she dead?” a woman whispered as Katsuki passed her but immediately quieted down when he snarled at her. “Sorry your majesty” she apologized looking anywhere but him for fear of catching his gaze.

Ripping open the flap to their tent he could faintly hear the sounds of his mother and Kiri along with medical staff ushering into the tent and lighting the fire place. He growled when the doctor tried to approach the bed he was holding her in, tears slowly but surly forming in his ruby red eyes as he rocked her unconscious body back and forth in his arms. His mother grabbed his shoulder a serious look in her eyes as she squeezed down on him.

“Let them check on her and the baby Katsuki, now” she said lowly uncovering the top half of her and her big baby bump luckily keeping everything for her bottom half decent. The doctor, who he found the least bit of comfort was a woman lifted up the bottom of the blanket and sucked in a breath. “She has frost bite on her toes, she’ll have the stay as warm as possible until they heal” she tutted and ignoring Katsuki’s gasp as she came around to her stomach. “I’m going to touch her belly, just the make sure the pup is ok” she warned waiting until Katsuki gave a hesitant nod and reached out.

Placing a hand on her stomach she felt around until she could hear the faint sounds of blood rushing to a second heart beat inside the queens body. Looking her up and down after doing a few more bodyily checks she concluded the queen was alright, just would be unconscious and exhausted for a while on top of her pregnancy. She was out for nearly a full day and night before she groaned out, her body sore and in pain and tried to sit up in the bed. Strong big arms wrapped around her hugged her tighter. “Don’t you dare” Katsuki said nuzzling his face into her neck. “I’m hungry Katsuki” she whined getting a grunt from him.

“You almost died and your first request is food?” he asked gruffly caressing her tummy and trying not to smile as he did so. “Do you not realize what could’ve happened to you out there?” he asked rubbing the top of her head to let her know he wasn’t angry at her by any means just was frustrated. “If we hadn’t of found you when we did...” he continued stopping when she placed her hand on his that was rubbing her stomach. “I know. I thought it was going to happen too, but they were going to sell him on the black market Katsuki I didn’t know where to go everyone was busy dealing with the rest.”

“Don’t ever think I’m to busy for you, you hear me” Katsuki said softly grabbing her jaw. “Anything like this happens ever again you come to me first and only”

Nodding her head at him softly she snuggled further into his chest smiling softly at hearing Katsuki call in his and her handmaidens and telling them to have the village chef immediately prepare her a feast “fit for a queen” literally and figuratively Katsuki and her both glad to have a fully healthy and safe family on the way now.

A/N

This is shit but I’m high as a kite rn so njoy ig beautiful people

[madraleen]

The Great Hunt - Robert Jordan 3,5/5 stars

Jot-it-down-as-it happens commentary, and, fam, this book was a ride.

Commentary: -“[The Dragon’s] blood” “shall give us the Light”? Rip, Rand, I guess? :’). Help. -“A light of mischief in his brown eyes and the hint of a smile on his lips” - shut up, that’s my forcibly loved boy Mat and I forcibly love him. -I feel so bad for Rand, Mat and Perrin. The Dark One is literally holding a gathering with their holograms and they’re so innocent, still. -The Trickster, my boy is the Trickster, I’m making cooing noises. -Aw, Rand, why. I’ve always disliked the trope of being mean to protect someone. -Light, things are so slow. -I’m laughing so hard, I get so confused with all the names and the places, that sometimes I just go back like, “Wait, that’s the thing that… No, it’s the other thing. No wait. What?” -We’re going dark with the violence I see. -The dagger is gone?! Save Mat! -Gasp, you’re kidding, they got the Horn??? -Look at Rand asking questions, I’m proud of your character development. -Petty Perrin is my jam. -Oh, but I like Lan and Moiraine more in this one. -My boy Rand is using reasoning, I am stoked, I am proud, I am elated. -I need to note that I’m also elated that Rand, Mat and Perrin are together. I want them together. -Aes Sedai Bene Gesserit vibes. -My son Mat is very petty, but I will presently allow it. -Oh, bless. Rand’s telling the boys he can channel. I hope it goes well. -“Aaaah! Are you feeling all right?” Lmfao, Mat, what the fuck. -Mat, I am denouncing you. You are rejecting Rand, and short of a redemption arc, I don’t claim you anymore. Thank you, it’s been a blast, goodbye. -Goddamn Rand still wanting to stay for Mat, he’s so g o o d. -Oh no, is the woman in white Lanfear? -“Perrin wanted to throw something at [Mat]” and at that moment we were all Perrin. -You “knew” Rand wouldn’t “run out” on you?! Mat, are you okay. -I KNOW THIS IS LANFEAR, DON’T DRAG IT OUT. -Eyyy, it’s Logain. -This is an odd experience – some parts are really interesting and some parts I couldn’t care less for. I feel like it’s “I understand this matters somehow, but could it please be more compelling.” -Things are happening, but somehow not much is happening. -The Aiel prophecy sure is specific. -I’m glad they found each other again, idk idk, I just feel better when the boys are together. -So many Mistborn vibes, and I do be enjoying them. -Burn you, Mat, I really do feel fond of you even if I want to smack you, what is this. -See, that whole Barthanes business was enjoyable! Sometimes I feel like I’ll scream if I read another page, and sometimes I can’t stop until I’ve finished yet another chapter. -I heard once that every single minor character in the series is described so much that you think they matter, but then they don’t, and back then I thought, well, that’s fine, who cares, but no. I CARE. It’s very distracting. I’m the kind of reader who tries to retain everything, and in this case I just get lost. -Not Dena! What has she ever done to you! -“I won’t hurt your trees.” Mat, Mat, Mat, I am absurdly lenient with this boy, I hate him (affectionate) (begrudgingly so). Damn his twinkling eyes and his almost smiling trickster mouth! -Every time Loial reacts with “fuck this, I’ll just read,” what a relatable king. -Oof, the different worlds Rand sees through the Portal of what could have been are so riveting and heartbreaking. -I actually like Nynaeve very much. -Liandrin you fucking bitch. -“You have served me before” – ngl, would love to read the story where the Dragon joins the Dark One. -A broken wheel you say. I’m dead pooling Ingtar. -I freaking love Nynaeve. -“Mat said nothing, but his entire face was a plea” – Mat said nothing?! Is this character development? -“Blade rang on blade like hammer on anvil” – Ooh, that sounds iconic. -You keep making a point that Mat is holding the Horn, which means either Ingtar will fight him for it, or Mat will blow it. -Egwene going feral, YES EGWENE! -Oh hey, I like Ingtar’s arc, the twist that he’s a Darkfriend who DIDN’T betray us in the end. -My boy Rand is so kind, omg. -Chapter: “The grave is no bar to my call.” Me: Yes! Yes!!! YES!!! BRING

IT!! -Mat, you are provisionally forgiven. -Yessss, I knew it, my man Mat sounding the Horn! -Lol, me on 2/3 of the book: This is dull. I don’t care. Why are we here. Me on the last 1/3 of the book: I LOVE EVERYONE IN THIS BAR, THIS IS EXCELLENT, WE’RE LAUGHING WE’RE GREAT WE’RE- -Artur freaking Hawkwing what is happening this is excellent!!! -They’re following the Dragon, the Horn and the Banner, Rand, Mat and Perrin, fuck me this is so good, help. -Asdgfdg, Rand has silky hair, good to know. -I wish that not this many conversations between the women revolved around who Rand will choose and the fact that he can’t marry them. -It’s Lanfearrrr, one point to me! -“The Dragon battled the Dark One in the skies above Falme” - Shut up, this sentence is iconic. -I’m even cheering for Moiraine and Lan being around, what’s happening to me. -Perrin and Loial are staying! Good, good! -The last 1/3 of the book was worth everything, oh my God, yes. -I am desperate to look up art, but I’ve been accidentally burned one too many times from spoilers, so I shan’t. -I feel like this book would be better on a reread.

[respectthepetty]

I'm gracing you inbox again, Pet, because I saw colours and of course thought of you...

Ploy's Yearbook finished this week and whilst I don't think it was necessarily colour-coded (there are a lot of characters and I didn't put much effort into tracking visual patterns) I wanted to share this moment of deliciousness at the end:

Do you see it? I'm sure you see it... (the blinding light of yellow love and the deep purple and the piiiiiiink 😍).

Anyway, the series was a generally okay het offering which mostly showed that the women at GMMTV need more opportunities to shine. But what it did do very well was the period representation (like, actual talk of bleeding), Joong looking like a whole-ass meal in the last scene (seriously, I think you'll want to go see that, it's a bit too blurry to screenshot), and the woman popping the question for once! (oops 🤭 spoilers, I guess).

#I wish there was a way of adding tags to an ask #so that I could leave a sort of post script ramble #maybe this will have to do #there isn't really any point to this ask #just that I wanted to say hi and that I thought of you #💛💙

*warning* This is going to turn into a

Cupid's Last Wish Appreciation Post

"Do you see it? I'm sure you see it…"

I thought twice about using the above image because it comes across a bit hostile, but any chance I get to insert a Big Dragon moment into the conversation, I'm taking it! Also . . .

Hopefully, we ALLLLLL see that pink = 💕love💕even when it's for the het couple (when the only het couple I've ever cheered for was this one, which oddly enough, also included Namtan).

So maybe I'm just really rooting for Namtan and the other ladies because I'm already seated for her and Film to hit me with that Blinding Light of Love in Pluto.

You already know that I agree with you that GMMTV underutilizes its women, but since I gave Namtan some love, let me turn to Earth while I give some love to Cupid's Last Wish for having good period-rep as Korn clutched every kind of tampon and pad

For his body-swapping not-yet-boyfriend!

And not only did the man buy all the pads and tampons, he bought pain relievers and chocolate based on the staff's recommendations. THEN, he gave his guy a warm water bottle to help with his cramps and held him all night!

And that as AFTER he hugged his man when he was having a breakdown about his body betraying him.

Not only did Korn exhibit the highest level of emotional intelligence every second of that show, in this specific moment, he stopped the vehicle, asked Win what was wrong, and actually took in what Win was saying without dismissing it. Then, he got out of the car, went around to hug Win properly, apologized, and waited until Win hugged him back.

I have my grudges against this show (THAT DAMN MOTHER!!!!!), but Korn was the greenest of all green flags and the way he handled his future boyfriend's period should be held up as the standard.

But one of the writers of the show was Pong who also wrote the screenplay for Cooking Crush and Only Boo! which are two shows I think epitomize care and comfort between partners.

So now that I've gone on a tangent about partners actively taking care of each other, I hope you are enjoying seeing your flowers growing and not stressing too much over things beyond your control. I also want to let you know that I thought of you when I realized Domundi played me and instead of giving me a Pink Person in Your Sky, gave me a Yellow Yal, so I'm getting another Blue x Yellow pair.

But for some *reason*, I'm less petty about it.

I hope you find comfort in that. 💙💛

[jimlingss]

Moirai [5]

Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6

➜ Words: 5k

➜ Genres: 60% Fluff, 40% Angst, Isekai!AU

➜ Summary: Death is supposed to be the end. Or at least that's what you assumed when you're hit by a TRUCK. But the moment you open your eyes again, instead of being sent to the afterlife, you've become a baby. And not just any baby. You're the female villain of a video game.

“Thank you for inviting me, Lady Anastasia.”   Lucienne sits across the rounded table from you, oblivious to the blossom petals that have drifted down and tangled itself into her hair. The tea party invitation rests beside her teacup, neat and crisp like she held and opened it with the utmost care.    “Yes, thank you.” The other lady beside her pipes up. “It’s an absolute honour.”   “The Royal gardens are lovely this season,” another adds. “I’m glad I can enjoy it like this.”   “It’s not a problem, everyone.” A friendly smile stretches across your face. “It can get quite lonely being the only lady in the castle, so your company is welcome.”   More like Lady Devon and your other tutors was pretty damn insistent that you build a good reputation and inner circle, but whatever. What they don’t know, won’t hurt them.   But you do remember that in the original game, Anastasia used this opportunity to shame the heroine. She invited her to a tea party and made snide remarks about how she danced with the Prince. Of course it seems petty now but it’s understandable that Anastasia resented the heroine so much. Even if she didn’t intend it, she humiliated Anastasia by stealing her fiancé.   And the fact of the matter is that you’ll also become the laughingstock for what she’ll do.   “If I may ask, have you started the wedding arrangements yet, Lady Anastasia?”   You nearly choke on your tea, sputtering for a moment until you’re able to set the cup down on the saucer and cough into your napkin. The ladies around the table appear concerned, but you plaster on another smile. “Well, there’s been no discussion yet. The Royal family and the Devereux house are in no rush. There’s still quite a bit of time, so who knows what could happen.”   “What could happen?” One of them catches on quick and you cordially nod.   “The engagement was made when both Prince Jungkook and I were very young, but now that we are older, we can voice our own opinions on the matter.” You choose your words carefully and your smile widens. “I am not opposed if changes are made. If the leaders of the empire cannot exercise their own freedoms, then how can the people?”    They nod in agreeance, a few in awe at your deep thought process. “That is very mature of you, Lady Anastasia.”   You laugh stiffly and lift your tea cup for another sip.   “Oh, but the Crown Prince is so wonderful.”   You choke. Again. You wonder if you’re going to die at this tea party from the warm liquid constantly going down the wrong pipe.    “I am sure he wouldn’t change his mind with how lovely you are, Lady Anastasia.” The girl beside you smiles, laying it on thick to win your favour. “You two are a very fitting couple.”   “I agree.” Lucy smiles softly. “Prince Jungkook is very courteous.”   “And very majestic.”   You remember when you dueled with Jungkook, he lost within a minute. He threw a tantrum in the following days and gave you the silent treatment. Or that time you went horseback riding, you decided to race each other and he fell off his own horse into mud and started crying.   Uh-huh. Majestic indeed.   You chalk up your wheeze to nothing and dab the corner of your mouth with the tablecloth napkin. “Yes, well, Jungkook will make a fine King someday.”   “And you’ll make a fine Queen,” a soft-spoken voice pipes up and your eyes connect to Lucy’s. Unlike the others surrounding you, you know her words are genuinely spoken and you shift uncomfortably in your seat.   “I’m not so sure about that,” you honestly admit as you fidget with the edge of the porcelain saucer. “A queen must be kind and generous and know the suffering of the people. I’m afraid I have a lot left to learn.”   Your gaze meets Lucy’s again.   Her smile is all too gentle for high society and its naturally cunning, heartless nature. She’s awfully naive, but that aside, you know her benevolence will make her beloved in the empire.   //   Once the tea party is over, you’re able to breathe a sigh of relief. Christ, thank god that’s over.   You escort most of the ladies towards their carriages, bidding them goodbye with polite waves as the palace servants clear the dishes, chairs and table away from the garden. And you turn around to head back to your room to sneak in a break, but your name is frantically called—   “Lady Anastasia!”   You turn and a girl in her purple, simple gown comes barrelling down the open hall. Her chest rises and falls, completely out of breath even when she only ran two meters. It makes you laugh unabashedly. “Is everything okay? You don’t need to run.”   She hunches over, lungs probably burning, but she fixes her posture a moment later. “S-Sorry, my lady.”   “Anastasia is fine.”   Lucy nods. “I...just wanted to thank you again. I was very excited when I received your invitation. It’s an honour….Anastasia.”   “There’s no reason to thank me so much.” You walk alongside her. Your hat with pinned pink peonies, matching your gown, shields the sun away from your face.   “It’s just that I don’t get invited to these sort of events often considering….considering I’m just a baron’s daughter and adopted one at that.”   She doesn’t need to tell you — you know her backstory well. You’ve played through it from her perspective. Her father abandoned her mother who died of illness when she was five and she was picked up on the streets by the sympathetic baron. It seems like every character in this game has some tragic backstory. They are defining moments that make that person.   But you suppose life itself is like that.   “Can I give you some advice, Lucy?” you ask after a quiet moment and she nods. You stop walking and the girl halts beside you. “Your humility makes you likeable, but be careful not to self-deprecate yourself. Your worth is more than what you consider yourself to have.”   Her eyes widen and you add, “Plus, it’s not good to thank a host more than once like they’ve done you a big favour because they’ll start to think you owe them for it.”   Lucy nods and you smile, resuming your stroll. “I’ll be inviting you to more tea parties in the future.”   “Thank—” She catches herself. “Yes, I will be looking forward to that.”   A grin spreads into your cheeks. “On a different note, I never got to ask you how your dance was with Jungkook at the debutante ball.”   “Oh, yes, the Prince was very kind. But I’m sorry if it was inappropriate, I know he’s your fiancé—”   This time, your laugh is unrestrained. She looks up at you in surprise. “Do you think I’m getting jealous?” Lucy opens her mouth and then closes it, not sure what to say and you bat the air with your hand. “Jungkook is like a little brother to me.”   If she was surprised before, now she looks entirely off guard. “It thought the Prince and you were the same age.”   You laugh stiffly. “Yes, we are, but I guess that’s what childhood friends are like.”   “Oh, I’ve never had a childhood friend.”   “Have you ever had a friend?” Your eyes meet her’s and you smile. “Because I’d be happy to be your first.”   The conversation soon ends and as Lucy walks away, you breathe another sigh of relief and pat yourself on the back at the positive interaction. Even if she’s just a countryside girl, it’s nerve-racking when you’re supposed to be the villainess. You like her and you even offered your friendship, but with each interaction, your demise is always lingering at the back of your head.   “I didn’t take you for being such a mentor.”   You whirl around, nearly startled to death by the voice and you discover a tall, dark-haired man leaning against the marble pillar with a sly smile.   “How long have you been there?”   Taehyung grins. “Not long. I was just passing by. It was a coincidence.” He turns in the direction where Lucy went. “I heard you had a tea party, how did it go?”   “It was exhausting.” You stretch your arms over your head and walk over to lean against the stone ledge next to him. “I don’t think I’m quite fit for the palace life.”   Taehyung smiles and you look up at him. “Are you going to the garden again?”   He nods and there’s a strong urge to ask him if you can come along. Just for a small break before they find you and you’re swept up in another lesson. But you’re not sure if you should—   “Would you like to come?”    Taehyung asks the question for you and your eyes meet one another’s.   There’s no one around. Not a soul in sight who could stop you from going or leaving.   You know you should keep your distance from him. You know. But…   “Okay.”   You take him up on the offer, following after him, just for a moment of indulgence.

With the arrival of Spring also comes the Hunt. It’s a rather eventful time in the castle considering it's generally symbolic of the harvests of this year, thought to prevent famine if those attending can bring back large game. An irony that isn’t lost on you. But it’s an undoubtedly lively time and one that you don’t mind.   “You better bring back a whole moose,” you mumble as you tie the blue ribbon on the belt of Jungkook’s armour, making sure it’s tight and secure. The ribbon is a gift of good luck and one of affection. You’re obligated to tie one for Jungkook considering you’re his fiancée.    “I’ll bring back a dragon,” he declares brazingly and you lightly scoff.   This is his second time participating after winning last year, but you remember he was practically shaking back then out of fear and pressure.   “Okay then. Just make sure you don’t fall off your horse this time.”    “That was only once!”   You take a step back when you’re done tying the ribbon. “I should be the one going on the hunt instead of staying back for idle chit chat. I’m pretty sure I would be able to catch something bigger than you.”   “Probably.” Jungkook grins. “You’re good enough with your sword to be a knight.”   “They’d never let me.” You sigh. God knows your mother would be mortified and probably faint and die.    But while staying back and waiting for the men to return with their kill is boring as hell, at least you’re removed from the pressure of having to hunt large prey in the first place. It’s a competition after all and one that can get quite competitive from your knowledge.   You follow Jungkook to his prized white horse and watch him caress its muzzle.    “If you win, you should give the prize to Lucy.”   His brows furrow and he turns his head to you. “Lucienne? The girl I danced with at the ball? Why?”   You shrug half-heartedly. “Because she has no one and I feel bad for her. I already have a few knights who are going to dedicate their game to me.”   Jungkook hums, not thinking much about it. “Fine by me.”   He puts his foot on the stirrup and swings himself over, sitting on top of the majestic horse.   Preparations almost complete, you turn to the King who’s seated at the top of the stands in a throne-like chair. He looks across the field with an approving expression.   Your parents are beside the King and you spare them a mere glance before turning away. You haven’t spoken to them since the end of the debutante ball and you don’t plan to. It might be childish to give them the silent treatment, but you wonder to what end they’ll try to force you.   The attendant steps up. “Is everyone ready?”   At that exact same moment, as if he was called upon, a familiar dark-haired man with eyes the hue of deep honey enters your peripheral vision. Taehyung emerges onto the field filled with knights on horses and soldiers in armour. His navy cape draped over his left shoulder sways with each movement, twinkling in the sunlight as if there were stars sewn into the fabric. He’s grasping onto a steel pole, a magical staff and his presence garners whispers from all.   “Isn’t he the bastard son?” — “The first son of the King.” — “The one born from the maid.”   They’re all startled to see him — the nobles sitting in the stands, women murmuring underneath their breaths, men watching with their eyes wide, knights and guards. And most of all, you’re stuck at a standstill.   Heart thunderous in your ears — blood drained from your face — you can’t look away when all Taehyung is looking at is you.    He comes close and his expression melts into a tender smile, a softened gaze when he reads your eyes’ fixation on him.    Jungkook, on the other hand, grins and mounts off his horse. “Taehyung?!” The Prince welcomes his brother warmly — an action not unnoticed by the crowds watching. He hugs him and lets go a moment later. “What are you doing here?”   “What can I say? I’m here to steal your victory.”   The younger laughs and you can tell he’s genuinely excited. Jungkook’s cheeks are practically pink and bulging, and his eyes have brightened. “Do you want to put a bet on that?”   “How much are you willing to wager?” Taehyung quips back.   “My pride and dignity.”   He scoffs playfully. “How about your private library collection?”   “Deal. And if I win, I want you to come to the feast tonight.”   Taehyung grins. “Looks like this year’s going to be difficult for you, Your Highness.”   “I’ll keep up.” Jungkook laughs again and gets back on his horse.   A stable-boy comes rushing over with a horse for Taehyung and before the King can utter a single word or you have a chance to speak to him, the games have begun. Taehyung glances over his shoulder at you for a single beat and then he’s off into the woods with the rest.    In the original game, Taehyung never participated in the Hunt.   He looked on from the window of his tower and even sabotaged Jungkook.    In the original game, Jungkook became injured but still conscious enough that before he fated, he declared he would give his prize to the heroine since Anastasia was so overbearing. It sparked the girl’s jealousy and was the reason why she decided to conspire with Taehyung. It was the first domino in the chain — the beginning of the villains working hand in hand.   But none of that is happening.   You wonder how far your choices will continue to deviate from the story. How many more mistakes—   “Are you alright, Anastasia?”   You jolt, torn out of your deep trance by a worried gaze. Lucy has leaned in towards you, her brows knitted together and you smile. “I’m fine. I was just thinking about something.” You quickly change the subject. “Have you given your ribbon to anyone yet?”   The pair of you are walking down the castle hall, heading towards the dining hall where you know the noble women will be having tea and making small talk while waiting for their sons and husbands.   Lucy shakes her head and unties the blue ribbon she had around her wrist.    “Why not?”   She stares at the soft satin for a second and then looks up at you, mustering a small smile. “I wouldn’t know who to give it to.”   “Well, you still have time to decide. You can give it to someone when they get back.” You hum to yourself. “How about giving it the Crown Prince?”   Lucy’s eyes are as large as saucers and she blinks thrice.   You’re a bit endeared with how surprised she seems at your suggestion. “Don’t you admire Prince Jungkook?”   “I...I do,” she admits quietly and peeks at you again. “But I wouldn’t want to overstep—”    “Not at all!” You reassure her. “Prince Jungkook likes the admiration. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind whatsoever. He might actually appreciate it.”   The girl smiles to herself and nods.   Evening sets in after meaningless conversations, cordial expressions and polite responses. The only interruptions are the horns that ring as each participant in the Hunt slowly arrives back.   Jungkook returns sweaty and out of breath, but with a whole moose like he promised. There are cheers and applauses, but more importantly, silent gasps when he beelines straight to Lucy to give her the prize. She blushes, a stuttering mess full of ‘thank yous’ and ‘it’s an honour’, and you discover Jungkook’s bashful behaviour at her sincere gratitude.    He scratches the back of his neck, diverts his vision, mutters ‘it’s fine’. It’s fascinating to watch considering he’s always been arrogant and bratty to you since the day you met him.   But you don’t get to observe their moment for long.   Not when the horns ring again and a figure appears over the horizon.    This time, no one moves. Truly stunned. Breaths hitched. Holy shit. Taehyung arrives back with a bear and he doesn’t even look like he’s broken a sweat.   “Wow!” Jungkook is the first to react, moving out of the crowd to his brother. He’s genuinely amazed and impressed, jaw dropped and brows shot to his hairline. “You did this?!”   “Didn’t I say I would win?” Taehyung grins languidly.   “This...is incredible!” Jungkook’s admiration for his brother causes the unsettled crowd to finally calm. It starts off slow, a clap here or there and then it’s applause, cheering and murmurs of acknowledgment.   “Has anyone ever brought a bear back before?” — “Did he use magic?” — “Why didn’t the eldest son participate in the Hunt before?”   And you know that it’s the first time people have clapped for Taehyung.   The attendant rushes forward, sputtering on his words. “T-The winner for this year’s Hunt is His Highness, Prince Taehyung!”   Taehyung wins a chest of gold, worth more than fifty commoner’s lifetimes and you watch as he bows his head as he receives it. You watch as he holds it and strides towards you. You watch until his arms have extended and a smile draws upon his features.   “What are you doing?” you ask, a whisper that’s befallen off your lips, spilled past the astonishment.    His gaze and smile never wavers. “I’m giving my prize to you.”   The crowd’s stirred to silence, watching the two of you, and you receive the wooden chest.   The attendant quickly announces the feast in the hall and servants begin ushering the people inside. But you continue watching Taehyung, your eyes connected to his, both grounded in the private bubble.   No one notices the King sitting on top of the stands, his brows tightly knitted.    //   The dining hall has shifted.   No longer are there laced tablecloths, towers of pastries and teapots from the afternoon. It’s large plates that have stretched along the surface, meats and cheese, breads and butters that have begun the feast. There are grandiose chairs all around three different tables, arranged based on importance and connections, conversations that have filled the enormous room.   The darkness of the night is casted away by the chandeliers overhead, illuminating the room in a golden hue. Yet, while each is high on the atmosphere, drunk by the wine, you can’t swallow the food down.    The tapping of utensils on glass has you looking over. The room simmers down.    By the coaxing of Jungkook beside him, Taehyung rises from his chair and clears his throat. It’s customary for the victor of the Hunt to give a speech and you’re guessing this is it.   “Thank you all for coming.” Taehyung appears unfamiliar and awkward addressing the crowd, quickly rushing over his words as if to get it done and over with. “I have never participated in the Hunt before this year and it was only because of beginners luck that I won. That—”    Suddenly, Taehyung looks right at you. “—and the support of those most important to me.”    Then, as quick as he stole his glance, he turns away. “I hope the harvests of Ashea will prosper this year.”   There’s thunderous applause and the feast resumes.   You’re overwhelmed, dizzy, the celebrations of the room getting to your head — laughter, questions, comments louder by ten decibels until it feels earsplitting.   You look over at Jungkook, finding that he has two blue ribbons pinned on his left side. He’s smiling widely, oblivious. Then, your head whirls over to your parents sitting down the table. They might have friendly smiles plastered on their features, but you can tell through their eyes that there’s seething anger. They’re unhappy, most likely with you, most likely with what happened earlier.   “Anastasia.” Lady Devon, who sits beside you, calls you out of your thoughts, disapproving at how your listening skills could be so poor.   You blink, pretending you were in deep thought about her discussion of silver forks and the corner of your mouth tugs. “If you’ll excuse me…”   After a delayed moment, she nods and you push your chair back, blurring into the massive paintings on the wall as you slip out to the terrace.   The night is cold.    Each exhale of yours is visible and you tug the soft pink shawl around your shoulders closer to your body for some warmth as you lean against the railings. You look up at the star-filled sky, finally able to calm yourself from the noise inside. You’ve always been glad that no matter where you are, what universe it is, there’s always the same sun, stars and moon. A constant.   One thing you don’t have to worry about.   “Is there something wrong?”   You know who it is before you’ve even turned around.    It’s a relief. You’ve waited all day to be able to speak to him, to be away from prying eyes and in a private moment. It’s easing. Your nerves take comfort in the familiarity, somehow finding his very presence soothing. Yet it’s unsettling at the same time. You have too many questions, too many suspicions and you don’t know if you want to uncover the truth.   But you gather your strength and face Taehyung. “I’m just thinking.”   “About what?”   Taehyung approaches your side. The warm light from inside the palace spills out and your shadows cast onto the grass beneath the terrace. There is not a soul in the hall when they’re all inside the dining hall, celebrations and conversations muffled through the many walls.   You inhale a breath. “Why?”   Taehyung frowns.   You ask again, “Why did you give me your prize?”   “Should I not have?”   Half of his face is illuminated, the slope of his nose and dip of his cupid’s bow sharp against the glow of the chandeliers, reminiscent of the chiaroscuro of a painting.   “That’s not it. Just…..” Why does he treat you so kindly, why does he want to go out of his way to talk to you, why does he look at you like that— “Why?”   In the original game, Anastasia was Taehyung’s chess piece and nothing more.   “Does there need to be a reason?” The corner of his mouth tugs gingerly. “I wanted to, so I did.”   “But there’s so many eligible bachelorettes you could’ve them them to, like Lady Myoi or Lady Paxton—”   “None of them matter,” he injects without needing to blink or think twice. “Not like you do.”   Your head snaps up and your eyes meet. Taehyung gazes at you tenderly, searching your irises with a small smile and he swallows hard. His voice lowers when he asks, “Are you cold?”    Oddly enough, even with the chilly wind whisking through the branches and swaying the leaves, you aren’t cold if he’s here.    Yet suddenly, Taehyung snaps his fingers and you’re engulfed with the warmth of an embrace. It’s the heat of a winter fire crackling underneath the mantle, the Summer sun casting down on your cheeks, and it travels from your toes to your head, and you can’t help the giggle that spills from you.    “What did you just do?”   He grins and leans closer to you. “It’s a simple warmth spell.”   Your brow cocks. “How much magic do you exactly know?”    He even managed to get that bear without looking like he had to fight. Your efforts to get him not to tap into magic all those years ago were in vain, but you have to admit it’s pretty cool.   Taehyung looks away, smile easing. “It doesn’t matter how much magic I have. It’s not enough for what I really want.”    Your breath hitches in your throat. The implications of his words welcomes the tension back into the air that had snuck itself away for a simple moment. But it isn’t uncomfortable. It isn’t the kind of tension that comes when you’re speaking to the Duke and Duchess, not the stiffness that arrived when you were being scolded by Edith. No. It’s different. It’s….intimate.    Especially when he sneaks a glance at you and you hold it, eyes fixated into his.   None of you speak, breathe, bat a lash. Not when Taehyung starts to lean in close. Not when you begin to feel the heat of his cheeks on your skin, when you can hear the thunderous noise of his heartbeat bruising his rib cage. His lash tickles yours. But before your lips can brush—   You push him away.   Taehyung stumbles back, nearly falling over, but he grasps the railings.   Your breath heaves and you stare at him in shock, in horror with what was about to happen. And before anything can be said or done, you turn away.   “Wait! Anastasia!” Taehyung calls after you. “I’m sorry!”   “I….I need to leave.”   You can’t deviate from the story more than you already have. This is a mistake.   In the midst of your panic, you return to the dining hall and cut through the room. It’s the quickest way back to your chambers, so you don’t hesitate to move your steps, never once looking behind your shoulder. Luckily, Taehyung doesn’t follow after you. He can’t.    But while each is celebrating and distracted with their company, a certain girl notices your distraught and frantic form beelining to the massive doors.   Something doesn’t sit right in her, so she immediately stands and bows her head to the woman she was speaking to. “If you can excuse me, thank you, I’ll be right back.”   Lucy follows after you, eyes pinned on your backside.   The only people who pay any mind is your mother, the Duchess of Devereux. Her senses are sharp and she taps your father on the shoulder until he follows her line of sight to the girl.   The castle grounds are dark, the moon waxing but not yet full enough to provide a bright light. But enough is shed for you to see. It’s enough for shadows to cast along the stone walls. You would never walk outside at this time of night, but you need air. More of it. Something you can breathe in and hope will clear the cloudiness inside your mind, the noise that’s earsplitting.   A gentle tap on your shoulder has you screaming.   “It’s me!” Lucy puts her hands out, her eyes wide. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to startle you.”   You catch your breath, steadying it and you swallow hard. “W-What are you doing outside? I thought you were still celebrating the feast.”   “I saw you walking by and I thought something was wrong and I got worried, I’m sorry.” She looks at you when the silence is ongoing. The concern is evident through her knitted brows. “Are you alright, Anastasia?”   It seems like everyone is asking you that question today.   A question you don’t know how to respond to yourself.   But you manage a nod and a smile. “I’m fine. I was just tired. I was thinking of retiring to my room early.”   “Oh, okay.”   You step towards her and grasp her hands within your own. “Can you do me a favour, Lucy, and keep Jungkook company tonight? He might be looking for me too and I don’t want him to be worried.”   “I will.” She nods. “But do you want me to escort you to your room? I could call someone—”   “No, it’s quite alright. I’ll be fine.” You smile and let go of her. “You should go back now before someone goes looking for you.”   Lucy nods for a second time and she bids you a goodnight as she walks back.   You’re left by yourself and you turn to tread your own way. The weight of so many decisions lie upon your shoulders and slow down your steps. You wonder why you have to bear the heavy burden of knowing your future, of knowing all of theirs while trying to escape your own fate.    It feels like you’re a pawn trying to control the whole chess board.   You exhale a breath, watching the cloud dissipate and unbeknownst to you, there’s a rustle in the garden’s bushes.   “That’s her, isn't it?”   Two shadows emerge from the darkness and before your ears can pick up on the noise, before you can turn around and meet the figures, a cloth is clamped over your mouth. Your shout is muffled and arms begin to drag you in the opposite direction of the castle.   What the fuc—    Immediately, your elbow juts out and the man behind you sputters, cowering over with a curse. You manage to slip out of his loosened grip, about to sprint and yell. Until another overtakes you and grabs hold of your wrists, yanking you back.   “Wench!” A cold blade sits at the juncture of your throat and you freeze, breaths tearing out of your throat frantically. You can fight him. Years of swordsmanship didn’t render you useless after all. But his threat delays you— “Shut your mouth if you don’t want Baron of Liza dead too.”   What?   Your mouth is stuffed with cloth and you’re roughly ripped into the darkness.   At the same time, Taehyung, still at the terrace and about to leave, turns around.