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landofzero-archive · 2 years ago

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Nagisa Ran - The Fruit of Knowledge

Writer: Akira

Season: Autumn

(Location: Adam’s Private Room)

Ibara: Pardon me!

Saegusa Ibara, here to relay a message! I apologize for the intrusion!

However, I’d like you to hear what I have to say for 5, no, just one minute only!

I would never allow for the loss of your precious time! Salute~!

Nagisa: …… Ibara.

…… What’s wrong?

…… I’m not sure, but wait.

…… I’ll finish reading this book in a little while.

Ibara: Understood! I will wait!

Although, His Excellency’s “a little while” could mean anywhere from 3 days to a week, so standing at attention until then makes me have some concerns!

If that is your order, then this lowly servant Saegusa Ibara will wait even if it rains water or spears!

Servility! Devotion! Service! Ahaha♪

Nagisa: …… I don’t need a servant.

…… What I want is an equal I can love.

Ibara: Of course! If that is what you wish then I shall behave accordingly!

Nagisa: …… You’re a hard worker, Ibara.

…… Yes. Sorry, I just finished reading my book. I’ll listen to what you have to say now– what is it?

Ibara: Oh, amazing! Fine weather comes to those who wait……☆

Nagisa: …… Hiyori-kun? What about him?

Ibara: Ahaha♪ As expected of His Excellency! Ah, my stomach is tying itself in knots! I’m dying, I’m dying~!

Nagisa: …… When you exaggerate like that it feels like you’re mocking me.

Ibara: Apologies! This is a habit of mine! In this country where weapons are banned, non-violence and disobedience are among the greatest survival strategies!

Kill with praise and shatter with looks! The customer is God! Ahaha♪

Nagisa: …… Do you want to kill me?

Ibara: Of course not! His Excellency must live a long time! For the sake of a future by my own design, and for the future of the idol industry!

At any rate! My sincerest apologies for speaking nonsense when you graciously finished your book so quickly!

I shall state my business!

As per usual, I have finished arranging Your Excellency’s lesson schedule to align with Eden’s own!

Please confirm the contents for yourself~☆ (He hands over a booklet)

Nagisa: …… Ah. Helpful as always, Ibara.

Ibara: No no! It’s my pleasure to be of service to Your Excellency! Rather, I was born for that very purpose!

In any case, I will explain it briefly but, as usual, I have tailored the contents of the training according to Your Excellency’s current status as well as the schedule I’ve devised for Eden.

Arrangements are in place and are all set!

There is a slight deviation in muscle mass, so let’s work on rectifying the balance!

See, look at the line on this chart! Your shoulders need to be slimmed down to accentuate your stomach!

Nagisa: …… Ahh, so I did gain more muscle in my shoulders and back in the end.

…… The other day, I unearthed something interesting from the nearby ruins.

…… As the person who discovered it, I was allowed to examine that one item on my own.

…… I thought I should avoid breaking it, so I carried it myself and that’s when I gained muscle.

…… I grow quickly after all.

Ibara: Amazing, His Excellency is still in his growing phase!

However, I still don’t understand that hobby of yours.

That’s the item you excavated, isn’t it? That thing in the corner of the room that looks like a stone pillar with a letter engraved on it?

It appears to have cultural and historical value, but lacks artistic and financial value.

Nagisa: …… Archaeology is romance. You can't assign value to dreams.

Ibara: We have a difference of opinion here then. Archaeology costs money and I’d rather build a bridge to the future than dig up the strata of the past with such resources!

Well, I’ll refrain from interfering with Your Excellency’s hobbies.

Nagisa: …… Yes. It’s work, and Ibara worked hard to assemble a schedule for me.

…… I will obey as much as possible, but I’d prefer to have more time allotted for my hobbies.

Ibara: “Obey” me, how amusing! I merely wish to aid His Excellency, the treasure of the entertainment industry, in reaching greater heights

Please don’t doubt my sincerity–my loyalty!

Nagisa: …… It’s fine. I don’t mind being used as you please.

Ibara: (Hmm. Dependent as always, he lacks the pride and dignity one tends to have with such talent.

Like a toddler he’ll obey me without much question.

However his work rate, output, and learning ability are far greater than the common person.

There are books piled up high in the corner that I don’t recall seeing when I checked on his this morning.

But he must have skimmed through them and memorized their content.

What takes the average person years to learn, he can do in a day.

And yet, he uses that ability to inspect artifacts of no value.

Ah, what a waste! I must use his qualities, his natural talent, much more beneficially!

That kind of gift must be given back to the world, it’s a disservice to ignore such a treasure trove!

Fortunately, this powerful “weapon” is within my grasp.

This Saegusa Ibara will utilize him to the fullest! With all my love and utmost caution……!)

Nagisa: ……. What’s wrong? You’re grinning– did something good happen?

Ibara: No no! I was just savoring the joy of having been so lucky as to have met His Excellency! Ah, I truly am blessed……☆

Nagisa: …… I see. Not many people would say such a thing, it makes me happy to hear that.

…… I hope we can continue to be friends from now on, Ibara.

…… Also, I don’t have enough documents here. Please procure the books listed on this memo.

…… While I wait for those to arrive, I shall train according to your wishes.

Ibara: Yes! Please do so!

For the sake of our bright future! Assault! Invade! Conquer! Ahaha♪

#ensemble stars #enstars #enstars translation #nagisa ran #ibara saegusa #era: !#type: sub-story

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honeii-puff · 4 months ago

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07.|blood runs thicker than water (but both feel the same when your eyes are closed)| WHUMPTOBER 2024

Magic with a cost| Regret (ALT PROMPT) -Isabella Ward, narrated by Jonathan Sims Title from The Water is Fine by Chloe Ament Word Count: 1.48k

Statement of Isabella Ward, regarding an incident with a package given to her at her storefront in Cambridge. Original statement received May 20th, 2016, but written September 12th, 2006, reportedly having gotten lost in the mail. Audio recording by Jonathan Sims, Head Archivist of the Magnus Institute, London.

Statement begins.

I don’t know why I’m writing this to you lot. I really don’t. I understand that mailed statements are quite… irregular, to say the least. But when I first visited the Institute, I was still too shaken to be able to write anything down. The woman at the front desk told me they could make an exception, and that I could mail it to them when I was ready. So that’s what I’m doing now.

I should probably start at the beginning. I work at a crystal shop, you see, with my sister. I’m a firm believer in the healing properties of crystals and performing readings with tarot cards, all of that. Most think that it’s bogus, but I believe in it.

At least, I did. Now I know better, and that much more powerful entities exist and pull the strings this and that way, using us as pawns in some sick, twisted game for their entertainment.

It all started last month, about mid August. As well as selling crystals, my sister and I receive donations of magical objects. Charged crystal wands, crystal balls, old tarot decks, that sort of thing.

Well, that weekend, a strange man walked into the shop. We do get a lot of strange customers, from hippies well versed in tarot and crystal usage to hyper-religious missionaries trying to convert us from “the devil”. There is no devil in what we do, but just… a natural assistance to those who need it.

This man was a different kind of strange. He looked to be in his early 20’s, with dark brown skin, buzzed hair, and piercing yellow eyes. He had a generally stoic face, like someone who had been through the military, that kind of lot, but he just felt… off. I can’t describe it. Maybe it’s because we don’t get many military folks in this area, or maybe it was his eyes. I don’t know. I don’t want to know.

He came in holding this small, black box. It looked to be made of a sort of smooth plastic, with a crudely drawn eye on the lid in white chalk, having six eyelashes pointing out in all directions. I still have the box. Couldn’t bring myself to burn it along with what was inside. I’ll send it with this letter, I think.

I asked him what the box was, and he just stared blankly at me, before speaking in a thick, Scottish accent. He said “True magic comes with a cost. The future is hardly as good as we think it to be.”

I asked him to elaborate, but the man said nothing, and just walked out the door, leaving the box on the counter. It had a sort of… dark energy to it. I could feel it thrumming in my bones, yet couldn’t help but be drawn to it.

I opened the box. Of course I opened the bloody box. I should have left it. I should have burned it before it killed my sister.

Inside the box, was a worn deck of tarot cards, unlike any I’ve ever seen before. The cards were dusted in gold, and the drawings of the major and minor arcana were etched into the surface in an inky black. I could feel the engravings of the outlines like it was a stamp. They felt heavier than tarot cards were supposed to be, the entire deck together weighing similar to a cement brick.

They had a strange… allure to them that I just couldn’t ignore. The words of the stranger had intrigued me, and so had this deck. I had to use it.

I wish I didn’t.

The first reading I did with the deck was for my friend Lucy Barne. She gets regular readings from me. I knew she didn’t believe in it, but she knew I did, and had always found the topic intriguing.

While I was doing the reading, a strange feeling overcame me. Words flowing through my head and out my mouth, as if I were a host for something unspeakable.

I told her that her future was limited, that she’d be crushed under the weight of a grey 2002 Ford Thunderbird, going too fast for her to avoid.

Lucy had laughed, thinking that I was joking with her.

I don’t blame her. Readings don’t happen that way. It was more specific than any reading I had ever performed in my seven years of doing them. But I knew it wasn’t any reading of mine.

I put the cards away, and the thrumming that the cards sent through me had vanished, as if it was never there. We laughed it off, though it was unnerving, and she was off.

Just as she had started walking down the crosswalk, a grey car, going way faster than it should have been, rammed straight into her.

A grey 2002 Ford Thunderbird.

I should have stopped using the deck after that. But something compelled me to keep going, to keep using the deck as if it was some sort of drug that I couldn’t escape from. One by one, my clients dropped like flies.

Mountain climbing incident.

Food poisoning.

Stabbed to death in an alley.

One right after the other. No matter how bad the outcome was, I just couldn’t stop using it. The feeling of the cards in my hands as my clients pulled their dastardly fate had a sense of thrill that I had never felt before, something exciting. I think I had convinced myself that what was happening wasn’t my fault. That it would happen anyways, and I was just the messenger.

That was before my sister Molly had asked for a reading.

She was about to get married to her fiancee, Phillip, and was feeling nervous about the wedding. So she turned to me for the reading.

I should have just used the normal cards. They were right there, I could have just grabbed them. But I grabbed the box and used the deck from the black box.

She had pulled her first card. Major Arcana 13. Death. Usually signifies an end to something. A relationship, a job, something important. They don’t call it a major arcana for nothing.

This did nothing for Molly’s anxiety, so I suggested she pull another card to figure out what it was supposed to end.

Her fingers only brushed the deck before she started to scream.

The skin of her fingertips was shriveling like a prune, spreading across her hand and up her arm, before stretching tight against the muscles under her skin. They bulged and squirmed under her skin as the grey spread up to the rest of her body like a wildfire, causing her to start spasaming uncontrollably, knocking the deck out of my hand and onto the floor.

Within moments, she had stopped, slumping down in the chair. I knew she was dead. I scrambled for my phone and called 999, desperate to get someone to help.

Once the call had ended, I picked up the cards that had fallen, and one of them had landed face up.

Major Arcana 15. The Devil.

I burned the cards after that. It’s the proper way to get rid of a tarot deck, but even if it wasn’t, I couldn’t bear to pass that cursed deck onto someone else.

I closed the shop soon after Molly’s funeral. No amount of smudging could remove the gut-wrenching feeling I had every time I stepped foot in it. It’s been vacant since, word spreading about my sister making future tenants weary. I still worry that man is going to come back and give me something even more horrible than the deck, something truly from the devil.

End statement.

There wasn’t too much to research on this case to prove its authenticity. Sasha looked through records of crystal shops in the Cambridge area that closed around that time, and came up with The Ward Sisters: Tarot Readings and Crystals. The shop closed September 1st, 2006, after the death of one of the owners, Molly Ward. The coroners report a drug overdose as the cause of death, though noted the grey skin of the corpse as irregular. Martin contacted Isabella for a follow-up, but she didn’t bother to give a response.

The letter did come with the black box mentioned in the statement, with an eye that had six eyelashes pointing in different directions drawn in white chalk on the top of the lid.

The man she described doesn’t match anyone to our knowledge, no matter how much Tim kept searching, so for now, this statement will be put to rest.

End Recording.

#whumptober 2024 #no. 7 #magic with a cost #regret #altprompt #1 #tma #the magnus archives #jonathan sims #fic #body horror #(ish)

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ask-healthy-light · 1 year ago

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The final scheduled event for Sunday, outside of the closing ceremonies at the tail end of the day, was the charity auction, where items that people have sent in are sold to the highest bidder in the Hall; a few weeks before GalaCon started, I had asked about the possibility of submitting a written story commission, but in the email I received in return, I found my offer was politely turned down.

It took a little while before everybody in and around the venue made it to the Mane Hall, including the host, Perry, so my friend and I found some seats close to stage, right in front of more friends we knew from back home, who showed us their little plushies; and they told us about the vendor, and that they were right outside the doors, so we asked them to watch our stuff, while we headed there.

Fortunately, there were many plushies still available, and the line in front of their table was but a few people, so we returned mere moments before the host stepped onto the stage; and they told the crowd that the charity for which the Con was raising money was Make-A-Wish Germany, whereafter they played a short introductory video, showing a few unforgettable experiences they had given children.

Although I had no more physical bills in my wallet, I was relieved to find that we were able to pay by digital transfer via PayPal, so if there was something I wanted to bid on, unless the price went too high, I did not need to worry whether I was able to pay; so, when the first item, a massive set of drawings by Lightning Blitz, was shown, I was the first person who bid on this great collection.

After a little while of going back and forth between myself and (a guy in cosplay of) Saul Goodman, I was the ultimate winner of the set of drawings, and after transferring €225 to the PayPal account of the Make-A-Wish foundation, I took some time to look through everything; and I realised that the set had multiple duplicates of art, save for a few unique pieces, which I knew I would keep myself.

The frequent loud applause, combined with countless voices shouting out swiftly climbing amounts of money, made the entire auction very chaotic, as it had apparently almost always been; this was made especially clear a couple of items down the line, when a hand-crafted, engraved, wooden box, shaped like Twilight's Friendship Journal, was revealed, and Perry decided to drink some water from a cup.

Before long, the true chaos of the event started to become clear, as a few scattered people started to call out to Perry to sign the cup, followed by increasingly more people, until there was nothing they could do but sign the cup, which was the first sign of the chaos to come; for not only was the engraved book-chest sold for over €800, but people also started to bid on the signed cardboard cup.

Throughout the event, though there were plenty of items on the table to make it all the way through the planned time, there were a couple of unplanned items on which people also started bidding, such as Perry's hat; and as the crowd started chanting, Perry and all the special guests signed the hat, with Ana Sani, Izzy's voice actress, adding a note to sell the table next to her signature as well.

With a couple of massive and incredibly generous prices, such as €2.000 for a custom plushie of the event mascot Canni, €1.500 for the event banner designed by CypherWave, and €2.500 for Perry's hat, as well as a contribution fro, the Pony Events Foundation, the final price was revealed at the end; and the event had raised €21.000 in total, and stunned the Make-A-Wish representative into silence.

Unfortunately, all good things had to come to an end, and as there was nothing more to sign or sell for the auction, as even the marker pen that was used had been signed and sold, the only event that remained was the closing ceremonies; and although there was a great sadness in everybody as GalaCon came to a close, it was flipped on its head when Deus confirmed GalaCon would return again in 2024!

Though GalaCon was over, there was still a lot to do, and there is still a lot to talk about…

(Thanks for reading this bonus! I'll be writing more about GalaCon over the next few days, so keep an eye out if you're interested!)

Part 6/8

#bonus #mod speaks #events #conventions #galacon

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kuunibal · 2 years ago

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Oh! I wanted to update you! I've messaged you twice now on anon but I'm "yourdarlingyandere"! I've messaged you about how my boyfriend is also a yandere and just talking about how much I love him ❤️ well, he did end up proposing like I said he's been planning! He had the whole day planned.

First, he made me cinnamon rolls. And then we were going to go to the museum in the morning but I accidentally stayed up the night before because I was too excited so he called and pushed our reservations back until the afternoon so I could go back to sleep a bit. Then we did go to the museum! It was the natural history museum, which is my favorite, and he pushed my wheelchair for me and was happy to take pictures with me and didn't mind that I wanted to spend 3 hours on only one exhibit (it was animals, my special interest lol) He then bought me some animal themed stuff at the gift shop.

Then we had a late lunch/linner at the same restaurant we had our first date at. We shared all of our food together ❤️ and then we went home for a little bit, then we had a picnic at sunset at a local park overlooking this really pretty lake and with a good view of the mountains. He sang to me our song, and then gave me this really cute speech and proposed with a beautiful gothic ring he got from etsy that was hand forged with a huge gemstone

I of course said yes, and gave him the ring I also got for him with my own speech :3c His is black with a cool red design and has custom engraving on it that says "Love of my life"

So anyways, my yandere boyfriend is now my yandere fiancé and we're starting to plan our wedding for next year ^-^ (we would do it this year if other circumstances would allow for it...)

Congratulations!! I am absolutely ecstatic for the two of you! That sounds like such a lovely and romantic proposal and day in general, and I bet the location looked gorgeous. Also, you both had custom rings for each other, that is so sweet! I wish the both of you the most amazing wedding and future life together, and I will be spiritually cheering you on the day-of!

#your yandere #aidoneus asks #Anon reveal :)#Feel free to rant about wedding and honeymoon plans if you want!#My heart overflows with joy at these updates

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garliclicker · 2 years ago

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My introduction

Hello, my name is Garliclicker and I live in the UK. However I'm of Polish blood, born and raised there. I want to write a few words as an introduction to me and my blog...

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As a little girl, I never would've expected to move around a lot, especially from country to country, I never would've thought I would be able to speak another language fluently nor go to a new school where I would have to use it on a daily basis. However finding friends which I could share my hobbies with was even more unexpected. My life has been completely flipped upside down in the span of a few months to a point where I cannot comprehend what it could've been if I haven't left Poland.

I moved to the UK during my school holidays of 2018, and at first I had been inclined to believe that this trip out of my home country was merely to explore the world, take a break from the exhausting atmosphere of a bustling city that Krakow is and catch up with family, yet this assumption proved to be naïve under the circumstances which we left at; in a massive rush, packing the most important things and saying goodbye to the family back in Poland. Knowing this, imagine my surprise when I was told we wouldn't be returning home and on top of that, I would have to go to a new school here without even knowing the language. From that day on England would become home for the unforeseeable future. I cried for days on end, I was terrified of the big and complex world that opened up before me, and rightfully so as I was so young and innocent. A world full off endless possibilities and major opportunities.

School and literature is a massive part of my life, it played a very significant role in shaping my opinions, dreams and aspirations when I was growing up and now continues to give me hopes for the future. It has been a 'stable rock' in the storm that engulfs my life, an anchor holding my ship down in a deep and dark ocean. I fully comprehend that my move is a great privilege which many people wish they had however it hasn't always been sunshine and rainbows.

I constantly struggle with longing for a home regardless of whether I have a house or not. The emotion of yearning for as familiar building is engraved deep in my heart, leaving a squeezing, wrenching, grasping pang in my heart whenever brought up. I never truly had a safe place to manifest myself as a person, a place I could call home, a place which I don't have to worry about vanishing in a press of a button. All of this greatly influenced the person who I am today and how I react to stimuli around me.

I also have to deal with the isolation from my peers and co-workers because I don't fit it and never have. My 'abnormality' makes it difficult for me to interact with those around me as their judgement and lack of open mind shakes me to the core. Our customs differ drastically and I have little similarities with them so this is where my blog comes in to play. I am very optimistic in finding some friends or just like-minded individuals who share my hobbies, views or past experiences.

My family also told me to start one since I've always wanted to do a thing like this :D

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Thank you so much for reading till the end if you did, and if not, no worries I understand this post is massive and won't pique everyone's interests. Have a great day and I hope to see you on my blog soon!

Garlicked this. <333

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thoughtfullyrainynightmare · 2 years ago

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Chapter 47: Solara and Fuegoleon start making preparations for the baby, and talk about names, along with a feeling Solara has

Tag list: @succulentsunrise @loosesodamarble

This might contain themes and topics some of you may find uncomfortable, which is why reader discretion is advised. Warnings: Descriptions and talk about pregnancy and child birth

Length: ~3.9k

Chapter 47: Good things come to those who wait

“What do you think about this one?”

Fuegoleon turned to look towards his wife, who had wondered into a corner of the furniture store, and to a light wood coloured, oval shaped crib.

Though this was more so for the purposes of figuring out what they both liked, when it came to items that would be placed into the nursery, rather than actually make purchases on this day. Or so he supposed, since unless they found something absolutely perfect, they would order custom made ones according to their specifications. As one thing, he hoped that the insignia of the Crimson Lion Kings would be engraved into the crib. Though he had an inkling feeling that Solara wished for her own insignia to be placed there as well. But it was more than doable.

It was more than doable.

“I was imagining a darker shade of wood,” he admitted. “It would suit better for the rest of the castle.”

She let out a hum, and nodded, while gliding her fingers over the railing of the crib. The smooth, almost smooth surface, while tracing the lines that were still visible in the wood itself. Her eyes were into the crib, into the off-white linen, but Fuegoleon wasn’t sure if she was inspecting the crib, or thinking something.

But, had he had to guess, he would have guessed the latter option.

“What are you thinking?” He asked, making his way to her with a faint smile on his lips.

He placed his hand onto the railing of the crib, next to hers, and looked into the linens, the same as she did. But only for a short, lingering while before his eyes couldn’t help but wander to her, as if pulled in, gravitated to her, just as they were supposed to.

He felt like that’s what his gaze was supposed to do. It was supposed to find its way to her, gravitate to her.

Admire her.

All of her, from the tips of her toes, all the way to the top of her head, without forgetting the baby bump that was now visible. Not quite large yet, but big enough to be seen, which is why the announcement had been made.

Lucky for them, if he could say so, they hadn’t ended up being the only royal couple expecting in the kingdom this year, which took some of the attention away, distributing it more evenly. But he wasn’t thinking about it. About the attention, or the amount of it, not that of the public anyways.

Instead, he was thinking about how, in a relatively short amount of time, he’d need to be shifting his attention to one more direction. Because, so far, the two most important people in his life were always in the same place. But soon, he’d need to try to keep an eye on both of them. Which would prove to be more difficult as their child would learn to craw, walk, and run.

He was certain they’d learn to run soon. Who knows, maybe they’ll run before they walk, he mused to himself as the corners of his mouth tugged up wider, and a glimmer rose to his eyes.

“I quite like the shape of it,” she finally replied, glancing to him briefly.

“We can get one in this shape, but a darker shade,” he told her, while wrapping his other arm around her middle and pulled her closer.

“But will it be sturdy enough?” She thought out loud.

And his reply begun with a thoughtful hum of his own, as his eyes briefly scanned around the room, back to the other cribs they had already looked at. All of which had been rectangular, and of sturdier build, she was right about it.

“I don’t think the baby will manage to break the crib,” he chuckled, before turning back to her and pressing a kiss onto her temple.

“It’s not the baby I’m worried about, when it comes to that,” she teased. “But… does it really fit? With everything else, I mean. Most of our furniture are bulkier.”

“And we can buy them ‘bulkier’ furniture when they grow up,” he assured her. “If this is the shape of the crib you want, then we shall get it.”

“There’s not really space for carving the insignia either,” she noted as a rather melancholic expression veiled her face, but there was something so amusing in how she was stressing about little details such as that. At least to him. Because there were more than one way of going around it.

“Hmm…” his gaze flickered to the foot of the cribs, and the back to her. “We could request for decorations or details with a lion motif instead,” he suggested. “Similar as to clawfoot baths, or then into the bed canopy. There are options, my love,” he repeated with an understanding smile that made the whispering echoes of apprehension, of doubt and hesitation melt away from her.

“I’m being foolish again, am I not?” She asked with a hint of amusement in her tone, but her eyes averted from him all the same.

A light, airy, good-willed chuckle left him as he shook his head. “Perhaps a bit silly,” he teased, nudging her head with his.

“Perhaps?” She half asked, half smirked back.

“Perhaps,” he repeated. “But you are allowed to be silly.”

She smiled, and let out something that was nearly a huff, but more of an exhale. It was amusement, at herself, seeping out in any case.

“And furniture is always replaceable. Nothing bad will come from it. So, if you wish for an oval crib for out child, then that is what we shall get.” His eyes were soft, and gentle, made of that shade of lavender that was so impossibly caring that she could barely grasp it.

It was the shade of purple that made her heart flutter, much like on that day, on their first official date, that she had told him about how the shade of his eyes was her favourite colour. And the flutter, it was anything but upsetting. Instead, it was a lull. A waltz. Something that made her very soul smile, each time she thought about it, about them, about him.

“As a matter of a fact,” he continued, making her quirk an eyebrow with a knowing smirk.

He had something to tell her, something that he had been thinking, perhaps since entering the shop.

“Every nursery needs an armchair for a nursing mother…” “We have armchairs in our bedroom, where the crib will be in the very beginning,” she noted with an amused smile.

“But not one which is large enough, sturdy enough, and allows you to lift your feet up,” he continued, factually, but with a shadow of a grin painted over his lips nonetheless.

“Mhmm…” she hummed with a nod of her head.

“And it has rounder edges and lines, in contrast to the existing furniture. Meaning that something, such as a crib, with softer edges, would compliment it more than well.”

“Mhm, I see,” she half teased, half smirked at him. “It sounds you have such a chair in mind. Perhaps even purchased already?”

He chuckled again, as his eyes turned to the ceiling for a passing moment. “To quote someone: ‘I admit nothing’.”

She let out a chuckle of her own, while shaking her head. “You are impossible,” she teased, while placing her hand onto his on the crib railing.

“Then, we are a match,” he mused.

“And you’re only convinced of it now?”

“Did I state that it was evident to me from only this moment on?”

“You’re not helping your case.”

“I wasn’t aware that there was a case,” he grinned as the smirk extended into his eyes. A flicker that made him almost cocky, but in a way that she would have called as ‘adorable’.

He was being a tease. And he knew it.

“Oh my,” she uttered, not really meaning anything without it. But it served as yet another way for her amusement to seep out of her.

And seeing it, the way her head swayed from side to side, but the smile prevailed without a second of falter, he leaned closer, and pressed another kiss onto her temple.

“Gocha,” he whispered, in a way that wasn’t really forced. But the word tumbled from his mouth with clumsiness, as it didn’t recognize the half spoken syllables that were knit together into something that tried to be a jumble of many words, as its own.

The word might not have fit into his mouth, and it was something that she had heard him say to her, playfully, and with a whisper, only once or twice before. And it was a kind of a tease in itself. One that no one else would hear; no one else would experience. And it was a word that he wouldn’t utter, at least not in any other than linguistic context utter to anyone else.

“You did,” she replied, as it was true. He had got her. From the very moment they met, and even before it.

---

Rain was rolling down the glass surface of a window, painting the dimming world outside with grey. But this grey was light and airy, not like the grey of autumn. Oh no. The grey of spring always held within itself a kind of a glow, a speckle of hope, of life to come. Just like the flickering flame of the candle on the windowsill that reflect inwards from the thin sheet of glass, as much as it shone outside.

But despite the speckle of hope and life that existed, the chill of the winter months hadn’t yet quite been shaken off, and the cold, humid cold, still sought to find its way into the very people walking outside. Because of which, it was a good thing, that Solara and Fuegoleon were inside, laying in bed and getting ready to turn in for the night as the moment in time had finally arrived.

He had more time for himself. Not a lot more, but a little bit. Because there was still no one to lead the country, especially since King Clover was as he had been up until that winter. But still, he could afford the luxury of turning in for the night at the same time as his wife.

A rare delicacy. One that he wouldn’t miss for the world.

Especially now that he could lie a bit lower in bed, as her back was propped with pillows against the headboard, and he could lay his cheek onto the side of her stomach as his hand was placed on top of it, thumb stroking her skin. There wasn’t yet point in trying to listen to the movements of the baby, or so he was told, as it would take some more time for them to be detectable.

But still, he was tempted, which is why he pressed his hear to the side of her stomach, as if ready to scoot a little bit closer in an effort to hear something. Soon. But not yet. Not quite yet. Maybe in a few weeks, or a month.

Perhaps a little bit earlier if he couldn’t contain himself.

However, for now, he’d be content in simply stroking her stomach, and whispering out to the child. Whispers of notions he thought to be silly, even if only at first.

“Are you alright in there?” He would ask in an almost timid void, almost, but not quite. More apprehensive than timid. And if it was timid, it was only so because he wondered what she’d think of him asking such a question from a child that he couldn’t even hear yet. A child who couldn’t yet hear him.

His eyes would flicker upwards, as he tilted his head back, only to see her smiling as she knit a sock. Not saying a word about the utterances, or questions that flowed past his lips. And so, his gaze would fall back down, along with the tilt of his head, and he’d continue, after a pause, a moment of silence during which he tried to choose the words that he’d speak out. But the pause was only to realize that there were no wrong words to choose.

“Your mother and I are eager to meet you,” he continued, again falling silent as he didn’t know what else to say. Because there were a lot of things, he’d wish to tell their child, but as it came up to it, it seemed like any words he had to give, had gotten lost on their way out.

Every word, aside of: “you can’t hear me, but … we are waiting.”

This time the notion seemed even more silly. Clumsy. Unnecessary. Somehow. Speaking to a child who couldn’t hear him.

“But they know,” she told him, without looking up from her craft.

“Hm?” He uttered, lifting his head up and looking up at her again.

“I’m sure they know,” she repeated. “That they’ll be loved when they arrive.”

The corners of his lips tugged up into a faint smile, as he struggled to believe that to be the case, despite wanting to believe it. “They trust as to love them,” he told her with faint amusement, not meaning anything more with it.

“They trust it and know it,” she told him with a smirk of her own, while now looking up from the knitting.

A light chuckle left him as he was amused by her stubbornness. But… there was also no point in contesting her, which is why he shifted the conversation elsewhere.

“Should we start choosing a name?” He suggested, settling down again, stroking her stomach.

“Hmm…” she hummed, looking up to the ceiling in thought. “I suppose we could start thinking about it. Or do you have something picked out already?” There was a hint of a smirk in her tone as her eyes lowered back down to him, and the fingers of her right hand let go of the knitting in order to play with a lock of his hair.

“No, I don’t have anything specific in mind as of yet,” he uttered. “But if I may, I’d wish for the lion thematic to be present in it,” he admitted.

“To upkeep the tradition,” she continued, to which he nodded.

“And preferably it’d be a strong, proud name.”

She chuckled under her breath in passing, but it flowed out with a light and airy feel that carried warmth with it. Because of course he’d want his children to have strong names that are fit to carry the pride of a lion. “I don’t oppose for having ‘strong’ names,” she told him. “But I think pride is something that they need to acquire, and carry, for themselves.”

He hummed in thought, but didn’t land on anything specific. “I suppose so,” he only replied, meaning nothing more with it.

“And…” she uttered, pondered, but hesitated. “Noh, it’s silly,” she breathed out.

“Hm? Do tell,” he encouraged with intrigue seeping past the syllables, as he was eager to hear what she had to say of the names they’d eventually pick out for their child.

“I…” she continued, but paused to smile to herself, because it did sound like a delusion of which she was trying to convince herself, even as she only thought about it.

But. She had already opened her mouth about it, and it wasn’t a dire thing to presume.

“I … think, that we should pick out more names, just in case.”

“Oh? How so?” The intrigue only grew, because it was traditional to choose one or two names before the baby was born, not more, because that did away the very idea of choosing from multiple options.

“Because I… think that…” she put away the knitting, and placed her left hand next to his, onto her stomach. “There’s two of them…” the words flowed out as a whisper, a quiet thought of which she was… nearly convince by now, but not enough to announce it to the world.

“Twins?” The word was laced with more disbelief than he intended, but the chance of having twins was unlikely, very much so. And the delivery would be much more difficult, which wasn’t something he wanted to consider. But mostly it was about her being… nearly convinced, sounding nearly convinced, when there was in fact no way of knowing for certain. Not to mention how they couldn’t yet even detect the baby moving; the only thing telling them of the new life in the making, being the size of her growing belly, and the morning sickness that she still had occasionally. All of it made it just… difficult to think that she’d know there to be two.

And yet, she nodded. “Yeah… I think there’s twins. It just… feels like it…” she continued with a hushed tone, stroking her stomach as his hand did the same. “Call it mother’s intuition or what you deem best, but it…” she trailed off as she fell far less confident in her own words, but it didn’t shake off the feeling, the lingering whisper that kept insisting that she was right. Even if it was difficult to believe.

He sat up and looked at her, studying her expression. And she was being serious with him, he knew as much. Because there was frankness, a sense of insisting in her eyes, along with the lingering shadow of disbelief in her own words.

“I know that it’s…. that you don’t really believe in it, and I can’t blame you for it, but it’s…” she uttered, averting her gaze, because the faint frown, the apprehension and curious expression he wore told her enough. But she really couldn’t blame him for not believing her. She really couldn’t, for even she herself knew how absurd it sounded.

“It’s…” he begun with something that was nearly a sigh, but was more an exhale, and looked to the ceiling while trying to choose the words that would leave him. “Difficult to believe, based on a thought alone,” he admitted. Because that is what he thought, and he knew that she could see his apprehension.

“I know,” she nodded, still looking away, because it really did sound absurd.

“But…” he uttered, while turning his gaze back to her. “We can choose a couple more names,” he told her, because it didn’t feel right telling her that it couldn’t be. After all, it wasn’t out of the realm of what was possible. And if the, so called cost, would be to simply choose a few more names at this stage, it wouldn’t do any harm. “Just… keep in mind that there might be only one child on the way. So that you don’t get disappointed if… it’s not twins,” he said with hesitation, because though he didn’t want her getting her hopes up, too much so at least, he didn’t quite wish to turn down the flickering flame of what might be either.

“I won’t,” she told him with a shadow of a smile that tugged the corner’s of her lips up, even if only ever so slightly. “It’s just that… I…”

“Yes?”

“I’ll be happy, even if it’s only one healthy child,” she said. “But I can’t… shake the feeling that there’s two. As strange as it sounds.”

He could see, from the way her eyes still lingered to the side, looking into the sheets without a focus, how she was very much apprehensive about it, but how still wanted to believe in what she felt. And he couldn’t know how it felt for her, to carry a life, or two, within her. So, he didn’t think that he had a place in telling her that she shouldn’t believe in it. His place was only in reminding her about what was more likely. Which he thought he had done.

That was his place, to remind her of such things, but love her regardless of what he believed of matters such as these. And so, he propped himself against the headboard of the bed as well, and pulled her into his embrace, pressing a kiss onto her temple.

“There are many strange things in the world,” he said. “But it doesn’t mean that… they wouldn’t be true, even if unlikely.”

She smiled, wrapping her arms over his, and sinking into his embrace. But the smile, wider than a moment before, that was due to the warmth of his body and soul, was also amused by the lingering statement that was hidden under the words that he had spoken out. Because it did sound like he was going to say something more, elaborate. That he wanted to still keep a hold of a point that he had.

“But?” She asked, trying to encourage him into saying the words that had been left unsaid.

“But… I don’t want you to get too attached to what might be,” he admitted, while placing his hand onto her stomach again. “We’ll have time for more than one, eventually,” he assured her.

“Eventually,” she agreed as her eyes followed his hand, and gained an undertone of warmth and affection.

“For now, let us focus on this one,” he pressed yet another kiss onto her temple, burying his nose into the loose strands of her hair, and breathed in her scent. The jasmine that was more than mere jasmine, as it was combined with something he couldn’t name, but made the scent feel more like heaven whenever it caressed his lungs, making his worries and doubts seep out of his muscles, his bones, his very being.

She turned her head towards him, as much as she could, and closed her eyes while sinking into the moment, the affection, the silent anticipation that made her heart flutter in the best possible way. And she let out a hum, along with the tune, the melody that was so very familiar to him, the melody that he would recognize in the darkest of nights, as if a lullaby. Even if, this time, the hum of the melody that flowed out was only a small piece of it as a whole. A line in a of a verse.

He still recognized it. And he felt that it was just as it should be. He should recognize it, but there was no demand to do so. It was simply… natural. All of it was natural.

All of it. So, it felt.

“So… little one,” he whispered while looking to his hand, and what it covered under the palm, as if protecting. “Our little lion cub… We’re out here waiting for you. To meet you and love you, when you decide to come out,” he spoke to the child that wouldn’t hear him, not yet, not for quite some time, and yet in just a few months. “But take your time,” he still added, because it was only fitting. “There’s no need to rush. Take your time, and we’ll wait for you.”

And they would wait, patiently, but eagerly, for the child, or children, to come. There was no point in rushing, but wanted to speak it out loud, how he was, how they both were, already waiting with open arms for their children.

Waiting, because good things come to those who wait.

#fuegoleon x solara #before we have it #black clover fanfiction #fuelara #oc x canon #I also realized that I have 2 chapter 46s in BWHI #It should be fixed in the masterlist now at least #sorry about that

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lunaprincipessa · 2 months ago

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ENTRY 387

I decided to write about my Twin Flame experience. Yes, I got my heart broken but, I also evolved as a person and I feel more advanced in my spirituality as well. So, I do have a lot to thank him for, and honestly, I have no regrets. I would do it all over again even knowing what I know now, especially knowing what I know now.

Throughout the course of 2024, it seemed as though every time I tried to move on from him, either The Universe would hit me with another vision or I could feel his energy tugging on mine. It was a surreal experience, both wondrous and painful. I'm still feeling some of the remnants of it, but remnants nonetheless. Things are finally starting to slow down now.

I know the connection we have between us will never fully close and I have a love/hate relationship with that. I love it because I appreciate it. I only hate it in the moments when I wish things were different. Not much can be done though, this is just the reality. The contract was breached and now it's time for us to go down our separate paths.

I will never forget him. Couldn't forget him if I tried, so I had a custom locket necklace made. On the front are silver and black flames and on the back, it's engraved with his name and nickname, his title and the year we met. Keeping names out for privacy, but still wanting to show off what it looks like. I'm really happy with how it came out!

C**** Twin Flame "K***" 2023

Inside, it has one of my favorite pictures of him (I've saved so many). I love necklaces, they're my favorite kind of jewelry and he is one of my favorite people despite the fact that I need to let him go now.

I have a black velvet bag that I keep it in. This is all for me and the process of closure that I created for myself.

For what it's worth, I never expected or intended any of this but here we are. 1:15am here, 11:15pm where he is right now. I still think of him often. Goodbyes are difficult. More thoughts later.

#Twin Flame #Twin Flames #Twin Flame Journey #karmic #triggered into healing #visions #energy #daydreams #spiritual #spiritual experience #soul connection #soul contract #soul contract breached #love hate #i will never forget #the summer of 2023 #i had feelings for him by July 4th 2023 i was so excited to hear from him that day i knew #December 2023 #2024 no contact but it was still our year

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cyten0 · 2 months ago

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Regulus: Nice weapons! Any in specific you still want to track down? Legendary Blades, or just really cool swords you want?

♯ "Eeeee!!!!!"

♪ "And there we go, we've lost her."

♯ "I LOVE WEAPONS!!!! I want to try out ALL the different kinds, and see how people make weaponry in different places, or old ideas that got discarded and why, I just... I love it SO MUCH!!!!"

♯ "Thrown weapons, polearms, maces, and of course SWORDS!!!! I even wanted to try and make a few designs of my own, I mean Astravia has so much tech why DIDN'T we make up new weapons? That's where I got the Chain sword! Custom commission from this really awesome blacksmith friend!!

♯ "Oh! Oh! One idea that I want to see is what mwudu does! I heard they learned ways to turn fabric into a weapon by channeling craft through it, and that sounds SUPER COOL and I want to see if I could maybe get sleeves that work like that because that would be AWESOME!!!!!"

♯ "But one weapon I wished i could find SO BAD is the legendary Starfire sword!!! It's the blade the first king of Astravia used, and according to the legends, it could literally alight on fire under starlight! Literally burning with the flames of the stars, that can't be put out by mortal means! Which is AWESOME and I want it so BAD!!!!!!"

♪ "I'm sure you'll have as much luck as everyone else has the last thousand years. Or just get smote for even bothering to hold the dang thing."

♫ "... Didn't Suki's sword kinda do that?"

𝄡 "Yes, but considering it had change symbols engraved in it, I highly doubt they were the same weapon. Not to mention it's lacking the ruby in the hilt."

𝄢 "... Yeah. Definitely a different weapon. I can never tell them Suki just covered up the details."

♯ "... She what."

𝄢 "Uh oh."

♯ "It was right there THE WHOLE TIME?!?"

𝄢 "It had to be kept secret!"

♯ "I COULD HAVE HELD THE STARFIRE SWORD!!!!!!"

♪ "I think Suki has accidentally pulled the greatest prank in existence. My hero."

#isat #symphonyincrimson!au #Symphony!Asks

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rafor · 1 year ago

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Chapter 76 - I'm back, again! - The Glitch

Portals still terrify me. Every time I step into one, I fear that I might be afflicted by the glitch again. "How far is it from my kingdom to this place?" I wondered aloud. A council member who was guiding me to the portal answered, “It’s quite a distance, but it’s worth the risk of using the portal. Besides, you can always peek through it first, see if you’re okay on the other side, and then walk through it fully instead of jumping in blindly.” I glanced back at Raphael and said, “Shall we go then?” He shook his head and said, “I think I’ll stay here. It will be easier for you to explain things to your family. If I need you, I’ll just use the portal.” I asked him again, “Are you sure?” He nodded and said, “I am. Thank you. Now go, and good luck with your wife.” I realized that I had nothing to offer her as a gift—something that might appease her anger. I muttered, “Damn, I don’t even have anything to bring her as a token of my apology.” The council member said, “Are you talking about Queen Freya?” I said, “Yes, do you have any suggestions?” He said, “Wait here. I think I know what she would love as a gift and also as proof of your journey.” He left me and Raphael alone.

Raphael was sitting in a corner, lost in thought. I asked him, “Is something wrong?” He sighed and said, “I wish I had a family too. Maybe someone who is waiting for my return after all these years. You’re very lucky, you know?” I said, “I’m sorry, I don’t know if it was luck. Maybe it was fate.” He said, “A fortunate fate, like a fairy tale. One piece of advice from the wise: never let her go.” I said, “I won’t,” but he added, “Even if you’ll be forced to sooner or later. We have to go back to our world. Michael and Gabriel won’t let us stay away for more than a century. They might decide to terminate me or you. That sounds awful, doesn’t it?” Scared, I said, “Why would they terminate us? Are we enemies?” He explained, “I should have told you before, but your powers and mine are the same, just divided unevenly between us. Our power should not be shared by multiple beings. We could be defeated, and we can’t allow that. The worst part is that you’re different from me and don't have my memories. You barely know anything about heaven. And you have the larger portion of my powers. Please be careful with them.” I was stunned by what he was saying, and I fell silent. Then I said, “I’ll try to be ready for that. How long do we have? Sixty more years?” He said, “It depends if we merge or not. It could be less than that. But I don’t know how we could do that.” I tried to sound confident. Half of what he was saying made no sense to me, and I said, “We’ll do the right thing. I’m sure of it.” The council member returned with a gift and said, “King Nox, please accept this as a gift from us. It’s a necklace specially made for you. You said you've been to the ocean, so we customized it to suit you better. Freya always loved that kind of item we heard.” I thanked him and said, "Wow, this is beautiful. I love it.” He added, “She’ll love it too. Now hurry up and get back to your family.”

My gaze shifted from Raphael to the necklace. It was a splendid piece of craftsmanship, forged from gold and elemental crystals of ice. The crystals formed pearls and a seashell, each one engraved with a delicate snowflake. The seashell had a faint reddish hue, as if the crystals had been infused with some color. I wondered how they had achieved such a feat.

I stepped forward to enter the portal. I followed the instructions carefully: head first, then hand. Everything seemed normal. But as I looked around, I felt a pang of confusion. The portal was not in some remote location but inside a familiar building. A room that resembled my palace, yet I could not place it. I crossed the portal and found myself at home. There was another portal in front of me, ready to transport me back. I exited the room and looked for clues. I spotted some stairs that led to a trapdoor. I opened it and emerged into a chamber adjacent to the throne room.

I heard voices. Vesper was speaking to someone, acting as the king in my absence. Freya was nowhere to be seen. I walked in casually and said, “Greetings, Vesper. I would like to speak with the Queen, if you don’t mind.” He did not look at me and said curtly, “The Queen is currently not accepting visits. You will have to wait.” He probably expected me to leave, but I stayed put and did not thank him. He glanced down, and his eyes widened. He recognized me. He froze for several seconds, holding his breath. Then he left the throne and approached me tentatively. He reached out his hand, as if to make sure I was not a ghost. He whispered incredulously, “Is this real or am I dreaming?” I said softly, “It’s real, Vesper.” I stroked his head gently, reassuring him that I was alive and well. Tears welled up in my eyes, and he embraced me with a fierce hug, stronger than any I had ever felt, even from Siveth. His voice trembled as he said, “I can’t believe it. You’re alive!” I hugged him back and said, “I couldn’t leave you and our family. Death was not an option for me.”

He was silent for a long time. Then he pulled away from our embrace and looked at me with urgency. “We have to tell mom right away. And Juno, Luna, and Zephyrion. They need to see you.” I nodded. “Of course. Where is Freya now?” He sighed. “She’s locked herself in her room. She hasn’t come out since you disappeared. Not even Solara could persuade her.” I frowned. “That’s not good. I’ll try to talk to her.” We made our way to her room—not the royal chambers, but a smaller one she preferred. I knocked on the door and called out, “Hey, is this the beautiful Queen Freya of the Whispering Wind? I have someone here who would love to see you.” There was no answer, no sound at all. I decided to use my shadow element to slip inside the room unnoticed. I saw her lying on the bed, asleep. I approached her quietly and took on my normal form again. I leaned over her and whispered, “Freya, please wake up.” She groaned and turned away from me. I tried again. “I have a gift for you. I hope you’ll forgive me.” She opened her eyes and saw me. Her expression was priceless. She blinked several times, as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Then she closed her eyes again and tried to ignore me. I said softly, “This is not a dream, dear Queen Freya.” She opened her eyes again and then lunged at me. She bit my neck hard and didn’t let go. She wrapped her arms around me and slammed us both against the wall behind me. I didn’t say anything. She was still biting me, and it hurt like hell. Blood was dripping from the wound, but she was licking it up. It felt strange and pleasant at the same time, but it was just her way of reacting. I hugged her back and said, “It would be nicer if you didn’t pierce me with your jaws, maybe, Freya.” She didn’t stop, and then she started crying too. I said, “Don’t cry, or I’ll cry too. I’m back, finally.” She drained too much blood from me. The bite was too deep, and I couldn’t stand up anymore. I felt dizzy, but she held me in place until I blacked out. For some reason, my blood didn’t turn into white smoke as quickly as usual.

I woke up with her still holding me near the bed and the door open. All my children were there, watching me as I came back to life. Freya had stopped biting me and was nuzzling my neck instead. I looked at them and said, “Hi, Zephyrion, Luna, and Juno.” As soon as I said that, a new face appeared from outside the room. The head of a young female wyvern peeked in shyly. I knew right away who she was: “And you must be the soulmate of my son, aren’t you? Nice to meet you, I’m Nox.” She blushed and hid outside again. Then everyone joined the hug except for Vesper, who had already had his share earlier. Luna said through a vision connection that Juno also shared, “I thought you were dead, dad. I can’t believe you’re still here. The vision connections stopped working after you left.” They had all grown up so much. Zephyrion looked almost like a full-grown adult now. Luna and Juno were more like teenagers than children. I said aloud to everyone, “I missed you all so much. I’m sorry for everything. I’m glad to be alive for you. And again, I’m sorry.” Freya finally spoke and said with a trembling voice, “Don’t apologize, please.” A cry of joy escaped my lips. I couldn’t hold it back any longer. It was the most powerful emotion ever to be reunited with my family. They still loved me after all this time. I felt like a legend who had returned from the dead. A feeling that words could not describe.

#chapter #dragon #dragons #elements #fantasy #literature #mystery #story #poetry #adventure #the_glitch #the rise and fall of raphael

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notreallythatlost · 3 months ago

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lily, wow. i have no words — and also so much to say ahh 😫

You could hear his whimpers and screams of pain as he was tortured. And you watched and watched in awe at him transforming with Morgoth's help into the man that would from now on be known as Sauron amongst many.

oh noo, poor baby 😭 my heart hurts

You welcomed him and laid him down in your bed before tangling your limbs with his; his face buried in your chest as your fingers brushed his ginger hair and gently teased his pointy ears.

😭😭

this was everything i needed

“You're so fun to play with, my Mairon," you pointed out. "I wish our master allowed me to be the one responsible for your punishments."

i’m screaming. SCREAMING.

"One day, there will be only the two of us," Mairon whispered into your ear as he watched you getting dressed in front of the mirror. "And we will not leave our chambers for a whole century."

The oath had nothing to do with the holy Valinor's customs. You used forbidden dark magic to bind you two together in perpetuity; mixing your black bloods together and drinking the cursed mixture from the cup as you exchanged the rings forged by Mairon himself with your aid; made of dark iron and with powerful spells engraved on them.

god i’m dying, this is the dark wedding we NEEDED

"Mairon does not plan to share anything with you," he informed you. "He re-fired Morgoth's crown to fit himself."

why is this such a sauron move? 😭

You turned it around in a swift movement and lowered it with all your strength to stab him in the back of his neck as the crown’s poison infected his veins and made him move back out of the sudden pain.

SCREAMING AGAIN???

i loved every word of this, i can’t. and the fact that they will meet each other again, him knowing that SHE was the one who betrayed him by literally stabbing him in the back??

— IN PERPETUITY (I)

PAIRING — Sauron x fem!Maia!Reader

SUMMARY — Two most powerful Lieutenants of Morgoth and twisted lovers in private form a pact through cursed marriage to become their master's equal successors and rule Middle-earth together. He, however, has other plans and does not intend to share. She takes the matters into her own hands.

AUTHOR’S NOTE — The idea for this fic showed up in my head while I was working on a different fic with a Maia!Reader, in which she is good and pure and all that. And that other story will be finished and posted, too, but with a delay because I focused on this one first. 🙈 The Reader in this fic is a Maia, so she changes her appearance like Sauron does but I am not describing any of her forms in any details. This fic will have a second part with Annatar!Sauron but in this part you get only Jack Lowden!Sauron because that ginger loser needs some love and attention as well. 😭🥰 The title of the fanfic and its vibe are inspired by the song Sugarbread by Soap&Skin. Special thanks to @dinsbeskar for giving me the most appreciated feedback before I posted this fic! 💕

WARNINGS — Reader is evil-evil with sadistic undertones, betrayal, murder, manipulation, gaslighting, blood drinking/pact/magic, mentions of Sauron being tortured by Morgoth, SMUT, sub!Sauron

WORD COUNT — 4,650

🔞 THIS FIC IS 18+ 🔞

ENGLISH IS MY SECOND LANGUAGE.

IN PERPETUITY (I)

It was no surprise to any of The Valar that you were one of the first to follow Morgoth. You always found it troublesome to obey the orders, to show respect or loyalty. As if you had been already created flawed, although no one dared to question Eru’s decisions.

The gods were aware, however, that Morgoth wanted you as his servant as well for he was a god like them. Therefore, they expected you to come back with your tail between your legs, begging for their forgiveness since they were much more merciful masters than he ever would be.

Nevertheless, that did not happen and you became one of the most loyal Lieutenants to the Dark Lord. You sometimes amazed your own self with the amount of cruelty you were able to inflict. Perhaps Eru himself had created you this way indeed – perhaps you were evil by his design. Dark creatures like Morgoth or you were needed to emphasise the lightness – cursed outcasts to show an example.

Morgoth did not even need to break you as much as others who had followed him. He did not feel the need to rebuild you or push you as far as most of his followers because it did not take much for you to become the very worst version of yourself.

You were the lucky one.

Mairon was not.

But to you he would remain Mairon. And Mairon watched you in awe, too.

He observed you with admiration and curiosity. He wanted to be more like you – so terrifyingly beautiful in your art of cruelty. And he was learning the craft from you.

Until, eventually, with your master's help and by his twisted design, Mairon became a Lieutenant as loyal and fierce as you.

And each time he failed at a task given to him by Morgoth, he would come to you first, seeking comfort and hoping you would ease your master before their encounter – like a child would come to their mother, fearing their father's anger.

Everyone knew Morgoth was gracing you with a special treatment. And even though it was unlikely he was able to feel any real affection towards you, many knew that you were the only Lieutenant of his that he actually cared about because you were the only one who abandoned The Valar thoroughly and wholly.

You did not care about him, though. The Valar were right – you did not enjoy being under him; under anyone. And you truly hated the destruction that he was causing as you could not understand the desire of becoming the King of ashes.

You wanted to be the Dark Lady yourself and you often fantasised what you would do if you were him. His god-like status did not intimidate you and you could not care less whether it was a blasphemy or not to imagine yourself as a Vala. No god had ever intimated you.

You were your own god and you wanted to rule over the world. To make it perfect and harmonious.

You became closer with Mairon when you sensed his heart was corrupted with the same thoughts and feelings. And while your Maiar bodies remained focused on the battles and schemes – so unfamiliar with the carnal desires of the flesh – as you spent more and more time together and he shared with you his dream of forging the very special and powerful Rings, you could feel the strange and odd desire growing within you.

One day, you gave in to them.

You heard his screams of pain throughout the fortress like the ones back in the day when Morgoth had been shaping him to his whim and design. Now he was punishing him for one of his failures and your master’s wrath was undeniable.

Mairon was one of his best Lieutenants, therefore Morgoth expected from him the most.

And when the punishment ended, Mairon found himself knocking weakly upon the doors of your chambers. You opened them and gasped at the state of his flesh. He was too weak to heal himself fully, allowing the bruises to form and cuts to bleed.

You welcomed him and laid him down in your bed before tangling your limbs with his; his face buried in your chest as your fingers brushed his ginger hair and gently teased his pointy ears.

"My poor Mairon," you whispered and leaned in to place a kiss upon his temple.

He looked up at you with devotion.

Unlike you, he had been once Eru’s perfect creation – Mairon had been pure in his past, worshipping the Valar like he had been designed to. The Valar were no more in his heart but the devotion remained and you were the subject of it.

"Let me ease your pain," you spoke softly and caressed his cheek with your fingers, making the small cuts disappear as bruises began to fade away. He closed his eyes and sighed out of relief. "Where else can I aid you, my Mairon?" You asked as his eyelids fluttered and opened.

"Everywhere," he breathed out. "I need you everywhere, my Lady."

The odd desire you had been fighting within you for a long time now apparently was not one-sided. Perhaps a Maia fallen was a Maia burdened with such humiliating and carnal needs.

You rolled him over onto his back as you sat astride him with a sparkle of excitement in your eyes. Maybe it was not a burden... Maybe it would be a new adventure, a new path to follow.

You got rid of his robes in a haste as his hands weakly caressed your thighs wherever they could reach under your dress. And once he was naked for you – under you – you felt like an animal, driven by the urges you could not stop.

That felt ungodly.

Your fingers curled on his chest, scratching the flesh and you watched your nails leave red trails upon his pale skin. Instead of healing him, you only added more to the pain but the pathetic whimpers leaving his mouth were not of suffering but of pleasure.

"Yours..." was all he gasped as your pupils widened even further. Yours... How good it felt to have him at your mercy.

You were like Morgoth himself now with Mairon laid out for you, eager for you to shape him the way you wished him to be.

And you loved to feel like Morgoth, to share at least a tiny bit of his power. The realisation was enough to make you feel the itch deep inside the heat of your core.

"Mine..." you nodded at Mairon and grasped his length to squeeze it, watching him wince as the flesh hardened under your touch.

You kept pumping him and observing all his sighs, eye rolls and the tremble of his thighs. His eyes filled with tears as he kept bravely staring up at you despite his vision getting blurry and hazy.

Your pace quickened and you used your free hand to caress his thighs gently as if you were trying to soothe them but it only caused them to tremble more while you watched his body giving in to your touch so eagerly and easily.

All of the sudden, just to tease him, you stopped your hand's rapid movements and squeezed the swollen tip. Mairon whined and bucked his hips desperately, the tip of his cock pulsating under your thumb. When you let go of him completely, he spilled himself with a groan and blushing cheeks as his hips kept rutting into nothing.

What a pathetic and yet delicious sight it was. You felt the wetness between your legs leaking down your thighs already.

“You're so fun to play with, my Mairon," you pointed out. "I wish our master allowed me to be the one responsible for your punishments."

"I wish that, too, my Lady," he breathed out, putting his hand on his chest, surprised to feel how fast his heart pounded.

"It is not over yet," you pouted. "You spoiled my fun by giving in to your desires so quickly."

You smirked and with one swift movement you took your dress off to throw it on the floor, revealing your naked form to him. You adjusted yourself and grabbed his cock once more, so swollen and sensitive, which caused Mairon to whimper. You lowered yourself slowly on his length, hissing at the new experience of feeling full.

Your eyes rolled all the way to the back as you threw your head and scratched Mairon's chest when you felt his cock hardening once more inside of you and brushing all the right spots that made you aware of pleasures of the flesh you had never even known of before.

"Divine," he breathed out and you rolled your hips slowly with a whine.

When you adjusted to the slightly burning feeling, your eyes opened with a sparkle of mischief as you began riding him – faster and faster with each given bounce, keeping your eye contact with him although his vision was too hazy to see you clearly.

It was like a trance and you lost track of time. The Maiar needed no rest, therefore it could have been days – maybe even weeks – spent on nothing else but fucking yourself on his cock, using him for your own, newlyfound pleasure; reaching your highs countless of times and beginning all over and over again until the matters much more important than indulging yourselves interrupted your blissful state.

"One day, there will be only the two of us," Mairon whispered into your ear as he watched you getting dressed in front of the mirror. "And we will not leave our chambers for a whole century."

"Would you leave your kingdom unattended for such a long time?" You raised an eyebrow at him. "I certainly would not," you added harshly and fixed your gown's corset one last time before leaving him behind inside your chambers as you walked out with your head held high and back straightened.

With an illusion of dignity that was supposed to hide the fact you had just spent long and endless days on worshipping Mairon’s flesh with nothing but pleasure and devotion as he had been only laying there and receiving and you had been the one to do all the work like he was the master you served.

After Morgoth's defeat, Mairon and you both were the only ones who could possibly become your master's successors for you were his most powerful Lieutenants.

Instead of starting a war between yourselves, you chose to create a pact of taking over Morgoth's legacy together as equals.

The holy bond of marriage was the most suitable way to seal this union for all eternity, especially when it seemed that you two shared the same goal and the same vision of healing Middle-earth and crafting it to fit your peaceful ideal.

Adar was the master of your ceremony. He had stayed by your side after Morgoth's defeat and Mairon had promoted him to the rank of Lieutenant because you two needed smart and loyal people – especially if they had a whole army of the Orcs following their every order.

You could sense your marriage pact with Marion was making Adar a little uncomfortable. He was watching you carefully throughout the ceremony and also during the feast where he was sitting nearby.

Mairon's behaviour was surprising you a little. Never before he had been so open with the amount of his devotion towards you. And now, despite the audience of the Orcs and the fallen Elves, he was all over you, kissing your neck between the sweet nothings whispered into your pointed ear as his fingers intertwined with yours under the table to squeeze your hand.

He was like a dog, you thought, but you could not blame him. He had admired you from the very beginning of his service to Morgoth and now he had you as his spouse. You allowed him to enjoy himself because it was the day of your wedding.

For you, it was more of a transaction. You cared about Mairon to some extent and your flesh enjoyed to fuck his but there was nothing in this world that you would love more than power.

"My Lady, can we talk?" Adar approached you when you were left alone for a moment.

You looked up, surprised, but the seriousness of his expression was making it obvious that the matter was rather important.

"What is it, Lieutenant?" You asked him as you followed him to the dark corner of the room where you could hide in the shadows together.

"I am a bearer of the bad news, I am afraid," Adar started and you furrowed your brows.

"Did Elven armies find our fortress?" You asked.

"No. Not the bad news of this kind," he lowered his voice even more and he glanced at Mairon from the corner of his eye.

You looked at your husband, too. He was talking to some of the fallen Elves and his excitement was revealing that he probably discussed his plans for the future.

"Do continue," you nodded at Adar, looking back at him with curiosity.

"Mairon does not plan to share anything with you," he informed you. "He re-fired Morgoth's crown to fit himself."

Your blood turned cold at the revelation. Morgoth's crown was supposed to be melted and turned into two smaller but equal crowns. That was the deal between you and Mairon – two spouses, two crowns, two Rings, one kingdom.

You glanced once more at your husband. How innocent he seemed at the moment, how devoted to you. And yet…

Your own student outsmarted you in the art of cunning treachery, so it seemed. You gritted your teeth.

"How do you know?" You asked Adar just to make sure.

"I was there," he answered with a hint of smirk, knowing very well that his delay of bringing you the news created a new problem for you.

"And you are telling me this only now? After I am bound to him forever?" Your jaw clenched out of anger as you realised.

"I have been a loyal servant to your husband and it still pains me to betray him by telling you the truth but I must think of my children first and at this very feast I overheard his plans for the Uruk. I cannot let this happen," he revealed and you sighed. You knew what plans he was talking about.

Mairon had never considered the Orcs to be smart creatures, therefore he often was speaking freely and openly about what he planned to do with them or what he was thinking of them because he thought they would not even understand.

Perhaps they would not but their Lord Father would.

"I have never been fond of your children either, Adar," you reminded him.

"Yet you make a better ally than he. I know you can give up on enslaving the Uruk if I helped you to rule over Middle-earth with their army in return. Alone. A Queen with no King," he whispered and his tempting words sent a shiver down your spine.

After a very short moment of hesitation – which surprised you to exist at all – you nodded at Adar.

“Say no more,” you whispered.

And when Mairon informed you a few weeks after your wedding that he wanted to be crowned soon and that he wished for you to be the one to put Morgoth’s crown onto his head, you agreed with a sweet smile that should have made him realise how false it was. But he was too relieved with the fact that you seemed to have no problem at all with giving him the most important title, therefore he did not notice the coldness of your gaze.

"My dear," he kneeled in front of you while you were sitting on the edge of your bed and he held your hands softly in his as he leaned in to kiss them. "It brings me so much joy to know it will be you to lay the crown onto my head. I do not wish for anyone else to bless me for I would not be here if it was not for you."

"Indeed, my sweet Mairon," was all you said with a scolding gaze but, once again, he chose not to see it. “My King,” you added with irony – one more time the tone of your voice remained ignored.

Sometimes, he would use his illusions to fool even himself. And that very thing would turn out to be his demise.

“You will be my right hand, my Queen, my goddess,” he kept assuring you and kissing the palms of your hands as you kept gritting your teeth.

His right hand, he dared to say. You were supposed to be one body, one soul. His Queen and yet she would bear no crown – not the same as his at least. His goddess but his devotion was a lie. He loved power more than he loved you.

But you loved power more than you loved him as well, so it was only fair.

And how else could you repay for his betrayal if not with a betrayal in return?

You already had a whole plan formed with Adar and all you had to do now was to patiently wait for the day of the coronation. You truly hoped that Morgoth's crown was powerful enough to kill your husband, so he could exist no more and so would the bond of blood magic between you be broken forever.

You were wearing beautiful, matching robes with your husband and your only audience were the Orcs and Adar, who was holding Morgoth’s crown as Mairon decided to give a speech to his new army.

You couldn’t help yourself as you kept glancing at the re-fired and re-shaped crown with a bitter and sour expression.

“Always, after a defeat… the shadow takes another shape and grows again. Morgoth is gone,” your husband announced to the Orcs. “Leaving us alone and disgraced. But today, a new age begins,” he added and you exchanged a meaningful look with Adar at the sight of Mairon’s fingers fidgeting nervously. “Under me. Your new master. Sauron.”

It should have been you. Giving the speech. Being crowned. And you would be. Soon. Very soon.

However, you loved the dramatics as much as your husband. And you would gladly allow him to make a fool out of himself first.

“And with a new age, I bring a new vision. A path to unconditional conquest. For I seek a new kind of power,” Mairon raised his right hand as he spoke, posing to be some sort of a sage sharing his wisdom. “Not of the flesh, but over flesh. A power of the unseen world. One we shall use to enslave the peoples of Middle-earth to our very will.”

The Orcs seemed to be content with his words and for that one thing you admired him, actually – the way he always knew what to say to make people follow him and be enamoured with his visions.

You knew that he did not care about what the Orcs wanted and the words he was using now were nothing but a temptation for them to obey his orders. But it was them he wanted enslaved, not the others. The others were meant to be healed.

“Many Orcs will die,” Mairon added and you felt Adar moving uncomfortably. The Orcs did not seem to be as happy as before and you could not blame them. You glanced at your husband with a raised eyebrow.

Sometimes, even the ones most graced with a gift of the golden speech, would say a sentence too many.

“But out of the chaos, we will forge a new and perfect order. No longer will we be hunted as the demons who broke Middle-earth, but rather worshipped as the saviours who finally healed it,” Mairon smiled, excitedly and you rolled your eyes. “By bringing its peoples together, to rule them all as one!” He raised his hands but he was overdoing himself, it was too much and the Orcs were not as stupid as he believed them to be.

You could sense their nervousness and you could hear their whispers in the Black Speech: “Sauron lies”.

It brought you lots of satisfaction as you smirked to yourself, however you had to hide that smile quickly because your husband’s eyes desperately seeked for yours. He needed your comfort and your encouragement, so pathetically. So desperate to prove his worth as he had always been.

You nodded at him with a sympathetic smile, playing a role of a dutiful and supportive wife.

“Doubt me at your peril,” he began once more but his voice slightly weakened as he did so and then he clasped his hands while his voice suddenly turned darker. He decided to use a different tactic. “You have nowhere else to turn. The Valar will never forgive you. Elves will never accept you,” he pointed out. “Men… Men will never look upon you with anything but horror and disgust,” he added with a hint of satisfaction and contempt.

Perhaps you were not as skilled as he was with your speeches but you knew that this was not the way to lure the Orcs. It was not the way to lure anyone. Mairon was losing control – even the fact his hands were clasped was only trying to hide how shaky they had become.

“A corrupted and ignoble race, worthy only to be haunted and slaughtered,” he continued as the Orcs began to growl. In that moment, you were glad you had your pact with Adar, because otherwise you would not feel safe amongst them.

Suddenly, one of the Orcs standing closest to Mairon attacked him with his blade, making an assassination attempt. Your husband swiftly defended himself and slit his throat, for which you were glad.

You would kill that Orc yourself if he maimed Mairon before you could lay your hands on him. He was yours to slaughter.

As the creature dropped down to his knees and continued choking on his own blood, you watched Mairon pull the Orc even closer and watch his suffering with the same fascinated expression as you had used to watch him when he had been reshaped by Morgoth.

And then, he finished the assassin off with his own blade being put into the Orc’s skull. Over and over again as Adar flinched at the sight of his son being treated this way and the Orcs kept growling in anger.

And you, in that moment – for a short while – actually considered following your husband like you had once followed Morgoth. To forgive him his betrayal and to play along the role of a dutiful wife.

His cruelty spurred you on as you watched and watched, refusing to look away until the Orc’s body hit the floor and Mairon threw away the blade to fix his ginger hair that had gotten messy from the fight.

You could sense his frustration. His blood was now flowing in your veins just like yours was flowing in his.

“I am your only future and my path is your only path!” He yelled at the Orcs, fury and rage filling him whole and causing the veins of his face to fill up and swell with his thick and black blood.

You cleared your throat, awkwardly. The admiration you had felt not even a minute earlier was all gone now and once again you felt ashamed of your husband.

Morgoth had never yelled desperately like that to get respect. He had never threatened – not so openly. His very presence had been enough to follow him out of fear.

“Who among you dare say otherwise?” Mairon asked, more calmly now.

Soon, he would find out who exactly dared.

But so far, he still trusted you. He turned his head around and nodded at you, his eyes filled with faith.

You nodded back and took Morgoth’s crown from Adar’s hands. It was heavy and powerful as its dark magic vibrated from it all throughout your body when you carried it towards the crowd.

The Orcs were snarling at you when you raised your hands with the crown, not pleased at all that you were about to lay it upon your husband’s head.

“All Hail, Lord Sauron!” Adar exclaimed in the Black Speech. “The New Dark Lord.”

The Orcs hesitated but they followed what their Lord Father said.

“All hail!” They chanted and you walked away to your husband, who had just kneeled for you.

Like in the old days, before all the battles Morgoth had been sending him to. Mairon would kneel and you would bless him with your sword.

You raised your hands once more as a thrill of excitement went through your body. Mairon looked up at you through the crown placed above his head and you could spot the hint of doubt. Your bond worked both ways and he could sense something disturbing about you but you soothed him with a soft and fake smile.

Unsurely, he lowered his head once more and looked down, waiting for you to grace his head with the burden of the crown.

And the crown was a burden indeed. So full of dark and powerful magic that you knew already it was most certainly enough to kill a spirit like your husband.

You took the crown away from him and took a few steps back to stand next to Adar as the Orcs began screaming and approaching you all. Mairon’s eyes were full of surprise and disappointment and he kept them only on you as you graced him with the same soft smile you had been giving him for weeks now; for him to finally realise how false it was all this time.

“You could have kept your promise, my pet,” you told him in the Quenya language.

Your words angered him and he tried to stand up with his weakened limbs to fight you but in that very moment a group of Orcs attacked him all at once, stabbing his flesh continuously as you watched. He was making an attempt to fight them back and for the state he was in, he was truly doing well, but they were too many and he was alone.

And even if some part of you would truly mourn for your husband, the dark item in your hand with his blood dripping down on the floor from its iron spikes was enough to bring your mind back on the right path.

And as the Orcs kept stabbing his body, which was laying now in the puddle of dark and sticky blood, you raised the crown once more and put it on your own head, feeling Mairon’s blood dripping from it onto your face.

You licked your lips to get the taste. For the one last time you tasted him as you smirked.

You turned your head around to nod at Adar and he nodded back at you.

All hail the New Dark Lady.

MASTERLIST

#so freaking good #i cant #i need the next part asap #fic rec #mairon x reader #sauron x reader #annatar x reader #the rings of power

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delightfulmysteries · 2 years ago

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"In the autumn of 1835, having been cheated out of the previous summer's earnings, by the captain of the steamer in which I had been employed running away with the money, I was, like the rest of the men, left without any means of support during the winter, and therefore had to seek employment in the neighbouring towns. I went to the town of Monroe, in the state of Michigan, and while going through the principal streets looking for work, I passed the door of the only barber in the town, whose shop appeared to be filled with persons waiting to be shaved. As there was but one man at work, and as I had, while employed in the steamer, occasionally shaved a gentleman who could not perform that office himself, it occurred to me that I might get employment here as a journeyman barber. I therefore made immediate application for work, but the barber told me he did not need a hand. But I was not to be put off so easily, and after making several offers to work cheap, I frankly told him, that if he would not employ me I would get a room near to him, and set up an opposition establishment. This threat, however, made no impression on the barber; and as I was leaving, one of the men who were waiting to be shaved said, "If you want a room in which to commence business, I have one on the opposite side of the street." This man followed me out; we went over, and I looked at the room. He strongly urged me to set up, at the same time promising to give me his influence. I took the room, purchased an old table, two chairs, got a pole with a red stripe painted around it, and the next day opened, with a sign over the door, "Fashionable Hair-dresser from New York, Emperor of the West." I need not add that my enterprise was very annoying to the "shop over the way"—especially my sign, which happened to be the most expensive part of the concern. Of course, I had to tell all who came in that my neighbour on the opposite side did not keep clean towels, that his razors were dull, and, above all, he had never been to New York to see the fashions. Neither had I. In a few weeks I had the entire business of the town, to the great discomfiture of the other barber.

At this time, money matters in the Western States were in a sad condition. Any person who could raise a small amount of money was permitted to establish a bank, and allowed to issue notes for four times the sum raised. This being the case, many persons borrowed money merely long enough to exhibit to the bank inspectors, and the borrowed money was returned, and the bank left without a dollar in its vaults, if, indeed, it had a vault about its premises. The result was, that banks were started all over the Western States, and the country flooded with worthless paper. These were known as the "Wild Cat Banks." Silver coin being very scarce, and the banks not being allowed to issue notes for a smaller amount than one dollar, several persons put out notes from 6 to 75 cents in value; these were called "Shinplasters." The Shinplaster was in the shape of a promissory note, made payable on demand. I have often seen persons with large rolls of these bills, the whole not amounting to more than five dollars. Some weeks after I had commenced business on my "own hook," I was one evening very much crowded with customers; and while they were talking over the events of the day, one of them said to me, "Emperor, you seem to be doing a thriving business. You should do as other business men, issue your Shinplasters." This, of course, as it was intended, created a laugh; but with me it was no laughing matter, for from that moment I began to think seriously of becoming a banker. I accordingly went a few days after to a printer, and he, wishing to get the job of printing, urged me to put out my notes, and showed me some specimens of engravings that he had just received from Detroit. My head being already filled with the idea of a bank, I needed but little persuasion to set the thing finally afloat. Before I left the printer the notes were partly in type, and I studying how I should keep the public from counterfeiting them. The next day my Shinplasters were handed to me, the whole amount being twenty dollars, and after being duly signed were ready for circulation. At first my notes did not take well; they were too new, and viewed with a suspicious eye. But through the assistance of my customers, and a good deal of exertion on my own part, my bills were soon in circulation; and nearly all the money received in return for my notes was spent in fitting up and decorating my shop.

Few bankers get through this world without their difficulties, and I was not to be an exception. A short time after my money had been out, a party of young men, either wishing to pull down my vanity, or to try the soundness of my bank, determined to give it "a run." After collecting together a number of my bills, they came one at a time to demand other money for them, and I, not being aware of what was going on, was taken by surprise. One day as I was sitting at my table, strapping some new razors I had just got with the avails of my "Shinplasters," one of the men entered and said, "Emperor, you will oblige me if you will give me some other money for these notes of yours." I immediately cashed the notes with the most worthless of the Wild Cat money that I had on hand, but which was a lawful tender. The young man had scarcely left when a second appeared with a similar amount, and demanded payment. These were cashed, and soon a third came with his roll of notes. I paid these with an air of triumph, although I had but half a dollar left. I began now to think seriously what I should do, or how to act, provided another demand should be made. While I was thus engaged in thought, I saw the fourth man crossing the street, with a handful of notes, evidently my "Shinplasters." I instantaneously shut the door, and looking out of the window, said, "I have closed business for the day: come to-morrow and I will see you." In looking across the street, I saw my rival standing in his shop-door, grinning and clapping his hands at my apparent downfall. I was completely "done Brown" for the day. However, I was not to be "used up" in this way; so I escaped by the back door, and went in search of my friend who had first suggested to me the idea of issuing notes. I found him, told him of the difficulty I was in, and wished him to point out a way by which I might extricate myself. He laughed heartily, and then said, "You must act as all bankers do in this part of the country." I inquired how they did, and he said, "When your notes are brought to you, you must redeem them, and then send them out and get other money for them; and, with the latter, you can keep cashing your own Shinplasters." This was indeed a new job to me. I immediately commenced putting in circulation the notes which I had just redeemed, and my efforts were crowned with so much success, that before I slept that night my "Shinplasters" were again in circulation, and my bank once more on a sound basis.

As I saw the clerks shovelling out the yellow coin upon the counters of the Bank of England, and men coming in and going out with weighty bags of the precious metal in their hands, or on their shoulders, I could not but think of the great contrast between the monster Institution, within whose walls I was then standing, and the Wild Cat Banks of America!" - William Wells Brown, The American Fugitive in Europe

Long post, sorry.

#Ancedote #Travel #William Wells Brown

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letoasai · 2 years ago

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Wishes

Things were overly complicated, this was no exception despite how it could have been mindlessly done without thought at all. I didn’t remember picking the bottle up, or how I instantly knew it was more than it seemed. Light as a feather but holding immeasurable power.

The magic lamp. The home of the genie. Was there more than one? Did that matter when I already held it in my hands.

It was pretty, but plain. Gold with little engravings etched into the metal that caught the light just right. There were no gaudy gems or impractical sized diamonds encrusting its shape. It was a magic item already, it didn’t need to appear to be worth more than it was when it was already priceless.

It was done on a whim, mostly believing it wouldn’t work with only a tiny voice inside me wishing it were real. No one was more surprised than me when I rubbed my hand against the lamp and a mist actually appeared.

At least I assume that was the case since I’d done this silly thing alone in the privacy of my own room. I watched the mist seem to move and twist and dance until a person was just there standing across from me. Their clothes flowing and somehow nothing I could have imagined while their body remained fit and their face just simply pretty. I couldn’t tell their gender from their androgynous features alone and somehow they were all the more lovely for it.

“Greetings temporary master who has discovered the key. Count your desires and make wishes three.”

Their voice was just as nice. It was the kind of thing I’d like to listen to often. The temptation to comment on them doing voice work for audio books was almost too great but I swallowed it down. That was likely a terrible first impression.

I was bad at first impressions. I talked too much, forgot other peoples names, laughed awkwardly. No, commenting on their voice first thing was probably weird.

“Hello.” I offered instead, sitting on the edge of my bed awkwardly, half wondering why I wasn't hiding inside my closet over the sudden magical display. This wasn’t the kind of thing that happened all the time but I was rooted to the spot. It was likely too late to run away anyway.

The genie just blinked, trying to figure out what was going on but they were supposed to be ancient right? They’d probably come across every response possible. It was the same thing I told myself when calling customer service somewhere and being afraid I sounded like an idiot. Those people had to have heard everything already.

“Hello…” The genie answered slowly. “You good or do we need to like… call someone?”

“I think i’m good. Haven’t freaked out yet so that’s a plus. How are you? Is it nice to be out of the lamp?”

After a beat the genie shrugged. “Kind of just is what it is.” I was half glad that they didn’t rhyme everything they said, that sounded exhausting. The greeting was enough, that part was cool.

I nodded, relieved on their behalf. “Okay. Do you like…want a drink or something? I have no idea what counts as manners when you accidentally summon a genie even when you were sorta trying to do that on purpose.”

“Okay, this is gonna be a long afternoon, i can tell.” The genie said and dropped down to sit beside me. It was weird, but only in the sense that they might have been the coolest person I’ve ever seen and what was I supposed to do now that we were sitting side by side.

“Sorry?”

“Nah, don’t worry about it. You still got three wishes, so what’ll it be?”

My mind was blank, a sea of absolutely nothing and the places where thoughts once lived was vacant. “Dunno.”

I felt a little less like an idiot when the genie shrugged. “That happens a lot. Being put on the spot and all. Take your time but like, not forever, okay?”

“Right.” I agreed because what else could I do? “This is so weird. I probably have thousands of wishes but here you are and I got nothing. Nothing feels right.”

“Does it need to?”

I shrugged. “I mean I guess not but this is one of those once in a lifetime opportunities, right? You can’t just ask for a sandwich or something.”

“Pretty sure someone has before.” The genie commented after a moment of thought. “They were an idiot.”

That thought went back to the genie probably having already seen every response before. My goal now became, not being an idiot in the genie’s eyes by the time they left.

“I’m sure magic sandwiches are awesome, but it’s not exactly what I'm going for.”

“Fair.” The genie agreed, playing with a bracelet they wore to pass the time. “What kind of wishes have you wanted in the past?”

“Well…” I folded my feet under me as I sat, turning a little to face them. “Can I give you a couple examples without it being like… haha, there’s your wish?”

The genie snorted. “Yeah, it’s kinda late and I'm not in the mood for word games so sure, we’ll confirm before calling a wish legit.”

I nodded again, thankful for an understanding magical genie of the lamp and not one bitter about the job title. “I’m willing to bet the biggest wishes are personal ones. Money. Health. Expensive stuff.”

“For sure.”

I make a face at that one. It would have been nice to be wrong. “I can’t lie and say that’s not appealing but this is three magic wishes we’re talking about. You can’t just wish for a billion dollars, can you? Does the wording matter? Would it be better to wish to always be financially stable? To never be in need of money again? That last one sounds like it could be taken the wrong way too. I dunno what kind of clarity wishes need.”

“Clarity?” The genie glances at you.

“You know, like in cartoons where some guy wishes for a million bucks and gets a million caribou instead.”

That made the genie snort. “As hilarious as that would be, wishes are about intentions. They’re your desires, I'm just fulfilling them.”

I sighed, knowing that just complicated matters. “I don’t think wishes are that simple. Spending a wish on myself feels selfish but trying to spend a wish on everyone seems like it could backfire way too easily.”

“You’re an over thinker, aren’t you?”

“Yes.” I confirmed with another nod. “Like what if i wished for no more cancer? That sounds incredible but what about all the innovations we’ve had as a society from that research? How many other things have been cured? I’m sure i’m not the first person to get magic wishes and no one before me ever thought to do that? I dunno if i’m that optimistic or that conceited.”

“Probably just an overthinker.”

“Probably.” I agreed. “But what if that somehow just made things worse? Like what if a thousand years ago there was the ‘whatever’ disease and someone wished it away and that was freaking amazing. It was gone and everyone was happy but science and biology was like, hey that’s not cool, now we gotta come up with something else and that’s how cancer started.”

The genie shifted to get more comfortable, putting a pillow on their lap to lean on. “I get where you’re coming from but that didn’t happen.”

“Oh sure, I'm just saying I can barely give someone a compliment without freezing. I don’t know if I could handle the added pressure of trying to do something nice for the whole world only to have it backfire so spectacularly.”

“No one would really know it was you.”

“I’d know and I can't have that on my conscience.” I grumbled.

“Fair enough.”

“Then there’s things you hope for and wish for and you can’t just get them easily.”

“Like what?” the genie asked. “Magic is pretty freaking sweet.”

I hummed, a small smile pulling at my lips. “Like what if i wished for global warming to be fixed before we totally ruin our own planet? If it was just fixed the world would freak out because… how!? Then all the people who don’t even believe in global warming would be insufferable.”

“Is this over-thinking something you’ve had to deal with a long time?”

“All my life.”

“Hm, intriguing. Go on.”

I shifted a little, fingers clasping and unclasping. “Then there’s you.”

“What about me?”

“I dunno? Is this some kind of Aladdin thing where you're trapped? Am i supposed to free you? I could not have that on my conscience either. Not freeing someone if i had the chance but like, i don’t know the genie origin story, i don’t know if freeing you is objectively a good or bad thing.”

They held up a hand. “Well, let me stop you there. This is just kind of a job. I get how it looks to you and that is my lamp and all but i don’t live in there twenty four-seven. This is just like a side thing that happens every now and then. It’s not a big deal. Usually it’s just a minor inconvenience before I get on with my own life.”

“Oh, sorry…” I couldn’t help but wonder if I messed up their plans with some other mythological creatures. A movie night, or a bowling club of magical beings.

They shook their head. “Nah, I rarely get this kind of introspection, it’s kind of amusing to listen to. You can go ahead.”

“Oh, okay…” I mumbled. “I’m just not trying to be on the list of like… top ten worst people you ever had to grant wishes to.”

The genie snorted and actually gave me a rather fond look I didn’t know what to do with. “You wouldn’t even make the top one hundred. What else you got?”

“Uh…” I scrambled to think of something. “The selfish stuff that couldn’t be explained. I could wish to lose weight but would that just be temporary? I like cake, you know? I could wish for good health but that would just enable bad habits. I could completely wish for things for other people but I know deep down I'd resent not doing a little something for myself. I could wish for books but it seems lame to wish for something I could go get myself.”

“I almost wish I could look in your head and watch how you get from one topic to another.”

“It’s the anxiety.” I hummed at that. “It’s not even a habit to plan for the worst case scenario at this point, it’s just a way of life. Anxiety blows but I'm not sure what I would do without it anymore.”

“I don’t really get anxiety.”

“I admire you for that one. Just take my word for it, it sucks. That said, I'm aware of my flaws. Dunno if i could just magic them away or magic them better.”

“What kind of flaws?”

I could list them off immediately. “Anxiety. Self doubt. No motivation. Fear of loneliness. Fear of change. Procrastination. Hoping things I don't like or want will just go away when I know they won’t.”

The genie rested their chin on their fist. “That’s a lot to be aware of.”

“Yeah well, change is hard. There’s also a fear of being too annoying. Am I annoying you? Do you have somewhere you’d rather be?”

They shrugged. “Not annoying and time is kind of a different concept for me than it is for you. Don’t worry about that. There’s nothing wrong with you trying to work out your wishes. More people should.”

“Probably easier when people can just do it immediately without putting too much thought into it.” I sighed.

“Meh,” The genie shrugged again. “Maybe easier but that doesn’t mean the wishes always work out for those people. They might consider you the wise one for over-thinking.”

“Doubt it but that’s kind to say. A lot of wishes come back to money. Things I could just do or get myself if I had money. They say money doesn’t buy happiness and I think that’s true, but it does buy hobbies. It buy’s your rent and your groceries. It buys you the security to not be constantly worried about every little thing. I’m not so sure unhappiness and money really go together at all. It’s not money’s fault that people who have it are unhappy. With money they could do anything. Travel or buy stuff, or support causes they like.”

“All of that is true.”

“True, but greedy. I try not to be greedy but there’s a difference between greedy and in need. I could make money as easily as I could go buy my own stuff but it’s hard.” I muttered. “The system is hard and it applies to everyone but I feel like too much pressure has me cracking long before everyone else.”

“You’re not alone with that feeling.”

That was true enough. “I know. I’m not the only one who feels that way at all, but that still doesn’t mean I know what to do with it. You can’t escape being an adult and all the stuff that comes with it.”

“It’s part of growing up.”

“Wish sucks as much as anxiety.” I said. “There’s a part of me who’d like to wish for magic of my own but what does that even mean? I wouldn’t be able to show anyone. I’d either be an internet sensation or a lab rat for defying the laws of…whatever non magic falls under. Is there a point in having something you can’t use all the time? How would I explain it? I can’t just throw you under the bus and say a genie gave me powers.”

The genie laughed. “There would be an uptick in people looking for us for sure.”

“And that makes me wonder what the hell other people even wish for? Is it always personal wishes that go unnoticed? I don’t even know how a person would wish for a car and then explain where it came from to their insurance.”

“People don’t usually think that far ahead.”

I flopped back against my bed with a sigh. “Normally these kinds of things feel very… fictional protagonist. You know? Find the genie, make an impossible wish and now there’s some kind of domino effect of adventure that awaits them, but i’m not protagonist material. I’m more…someone the protagonist walks past in the first episode, never to be seen again.”

The genie relaxed beside me, hands behind their head. “Would be a better story if the protagonist met you though. Sometimes they’re dumb and need someone who over thinks on their team. It would probably save them a lot of time.”

That pulled a laugh from me. “What would you wish for?”

“It’s a lame answer after all this but I just have magic, you know? I’m not particularly bound by it. Sure I gotta answer the summons when I'm called but it’s not under lock and key or anything. I guess you could just think I take wishes for granted when I can answer my own at any time.”

“Nah, I bet you know your limitations. I doubt you’re breaking your own rules and raising the dead.” I paused. “That is against the rules right? Raising the dead?”

“Yep.”

“Thought so.”

The genie snickered. “Well let’s take a look at the big picture. You do have three wishes. It’s okay to be a little selfish with one of them, and maybe help out some people you know with another. No one’s putting ‘solving world hunger’ on your shoulders.”

“That’s true. If wishes could solve everything we’d be living in some kind of perfect world, and even then someone would probably find a way to mess it up with a different wish.”

“I think you have a wise grasp on humanity. Good intentions are still good intentions though. You wanna give a wish a shot?”

I heaved a sigh and nodded. “Yeah, i guess i have a few in mind. You wanna hang out when you're not doing the wish thing some time? You’re a great sound board.”

The genie looked surprised for only a second and chuckled, “Sure, why not? This has been unexpectedly fun. Why don’t you focus on yourself for the first wish?”

“Okay.” There was still so much oddly placed dread swirling in my gut but how badly could I mess things up? To the best of my knowledge, wishes hadn’t wrecked the world before. My harmless ones would probably do very little in the grand scheme of things. “Okay. I wish…”

#story one shot #i did this instead of sleeping #Genie #magic lamp #Introspection #over thinking #Three wishes #Anxiety #What would you wish for?#A genie probably would be the coolest person ever

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