#POV Rose falls off the boat

[alternatehistoryblog]

[riririkinzi]

GOLDEN HORIZONS AND BOLD TIDES

Hey guys! You remember my update about my Goldenheart Little mermaid fic that's been discontinued because I don't like the summary I made and that I'm gonna rewrite it in a different plot? Well I am while collabing with @long-distance-muse we've come up with some HC/Summary and stuff before the actuall fic cause why not (＾＾)人(＾＾)

HERE ARE SOME HEADCANONS/SUMMARY

• Valerin Adopted Bal when he was 2 years old, since his parents were killed that time and the incident gave him a scar on his face which makes him a prince of the merfolk kingdom

• Bal is a curious mer since forever, quite and shy yet he had an enchanting voice that would make anyone fall for him.

• Valerin would often tell stories of the world above from her point of view cause she knew how curious Bal is, and he loves hearing them.

• Merfolks below 16 are allowed to go above the surface if their acompanied by anyone above 16 which is the age of their adulthood.

• A merfolks life span is up to 300 years but when a human and a mers lips joined together for the first time, a mers lifespan would be cut into 200 and the human's lifespan would be the same.

• Merfolks would began to age really slowly when they reach 20 and so would a human if the 2 would kiss.

• When merfolks die their body dissolves into seafoam after their last breath and left what they last wore during their deaths.

• Bal own a garden where his most colorful flowers are gathered together of a circle like the sun.

• When Bal was 13 the noticed the guards brought home a statue of a young man around his age or maybe a year older and it was a head till it's chest.

• Bal somehow was mesmerized by it's young and handsome face, so he ask Valerin to keep the staue as a display for his garden and placed it in the center of the flowerbed and stare at it all day.

• Bal was also known for staring above, when the seas were calm, he would perch himself on a rock and stare upward for hours, watching the dim and distant star, lost in his own thoughts.

• On his 16th birthday the first thing he saw were the fireworks blasting off with different bright colors and stars in the sky so he sat on the nearest rock to gaze at it all night till the morning.

• A while after that night he found Nimona when she was in their shark form when he was collecting human items and together they would explore shipwrecks for human items.

• Nimona could have been adopted but prefer to be his Ward and Bal just accepts it.

• Nimona's still a shapeshifter and mistreated but the humans so she fled to the sea and decided to have her signature form as a mershark.

• At the age of 20, when Bal and Nimona went to the surface he spotted a ship with so many lights and music playing with the fireworks launching at the sky.

• Bal and Nimona reached the lifeboats to get a closer look, and from Bal's pov, he was amazed from the sight, so much joy, laughter, lanters glowing bright and music playing beautifuly with crafted instruments, and people were celebrating.

• But what caught his attention was him, Ambrosius, a Noble from a long bloodline of Knights, the center of attention and the man from his statue that must have grown.

• His heart was fluttered for he could not take his eyes of Ambrosius not even Nimona's voice can stop him.

• Soon a great big storm came, damaging everything from the ship, people panicked as Bal and Nimona got off the boats cause the humans are about to escape.

• Ambro wasn't able to reach the surface as he was drowning, Bal knew he was gonna die and had to save him and swim as fast as he can.

• The storm had calm while sun rose at it's peak, as Bal place Ambro laying down on the sand.

• For a moment Bal couldn't help but gaze at Ambro, his scaley hand carrassing his strong strucured face.

• He slowly placed a soft kiss in his forehead, breathing as Ambro had slowly opened his heavy eyelids halfway through but closes them again.

• Suddenly Bal heard footsteps of running and some shouting, meaning humans are coming so he heads back to the water as fast as he could and hid himself behind the rock.

• As the humans ran towards Ambro, they immediently carried his unconcoius body as Bal watches over while hiding.

• As he swam back to the sea, he couldn't stop thinking about the night he saved Ambro, how he first caught an eye on him and gaze into him.

• Every night he swims to the same shore where he dropped him off, sat on the rock on the shore, watches over Ambro sitting on the balcony as the moon shines bright, wandering on who saved him.

• He was desperate to tell Ambro that it was Bal who saved him and desperate to become human.

• He had no choice but to seek the sea witch as Nimona carefully and quietly follows him.

• Once he enters it's home, the seawitch didn't show her face but only it's eyes and tentacles.

• Bal asked and begged the witch to become human and so the witch agrees to do so.

• She warns him that if he gains true loves kiss with Ambro, before the morning after a year of being human, he'll have the ability to become human and merman anytime he wants, but if he doesn't he'll die and turns into seafoam.

• She also warns him that every step he takes would feel like he's walking on knives and broken glass.

• The seawitch reminds him that her offer isn't free since he must pay the price and that price would be 2 things he owns: his Arm and his tounge.

• So Bal accepts the offer as he lets the witch cuts his arm off and his tounge with her tentacles.

• After giving his tounge and arm to the seawitch, she immediently gathered everything to make the potion.

• Before handed the bottle to Bal once she's done, she also reminded him that he has to drink it on land before sunrise, and once he drinks it he'll feel the pain as if a swords pierce right through his body.

• Once Bal left the seawitch with the bottle he held onto, Nimona swam towards him begging him not to do this cause she doesn't want to lose him, his kissed her forehead and continues to swam up to the surface.

• Once he reaches the land, while the moon is at it's peak, he instantly drank the potion till it's empty, he groaned as if a knife plunged through him then his body collapsed as everything went to darkness.

• When Bal wakes up, the first thing he saw was Ambro looking at him, asking his name, and if he's alright, but since Bal couldn't speak, he stayed silent.

• Bal is taken in by an enchanted Ambrosius who feels a strange inclination to the mysterious stranger.

• He gets cleaned up and dressed in finery, which is when Nimona sneaks in and chews him out since Queen Valerin is worried and they’re mad that he just left them despite her asking not to leave them too (could be used to set up conflict on a sequel) but they ultimately understand how love can make people do stupid things so she lends her help as long as Bal doesn’t do anything stupid like turn into seafoam.

• In his rooms which Ambro gave Bal to rest in, he was trying to practice walking, it was hard and painful at first due to the seawitch's warning, but he learns to get ignore her and gotten used to walking more.

• Bal haves dinner with Ambs and they get to know each other better. Ambs starts theorizing that Bal might be royal because of his etiquette, wit and hopes so cause he down bad right now.

• The next day, they go on a date in the village, and they accidentally cause a scene where Bal’s feet hurt too much that he collapses and Ambs catches him. But that makes the hood he wears fall down, revealing that the noble was in town with a stranger.

• This makes it to the director, who is a guest who was staying with the insistence of Amb’s parents to help them set him up for a political marriage that would increase their political power while making Ambs happy. But the director just wanted another noble in the palm of her hands.

• For almost a year, the Director starts sabotaging their hangouts and tries to constantly embarrass Bal to the point that he is ‘commoner’, there are rare times that her plan worked but most of them didn't.

• Nimona catches on to her plan and informs Bal, who goes toe to toe with the director in the court.

• Ambs sees Bal in his element, and realizes that it was Bal who saved him from the storm, he wants to marry him whether he’s a noble or a commoner.

• Director realizes that the stranger is more of a threat than she realizes, so she switches tactics and instead of trying to chase him out, resolves to kill him.

• Nim, Bal, and Ambs notice and react differently. Nim tries to find a solution to bring Bal back to the sea where he’s safer. Bal starts second guessing because of one trap where Nimona got hurt in. and Ambrosius realizes that the person he loves is in danger and resolves to confront and stop the director before she kills him.

• Ambs confronts the director and is backed into a corner of either he marries the woman she arranges for him or his lover dies and he agrees to save Bal, and Bal overhears that Ambs agreed to marry another and is heartbroken.

• Looking for Nimona to make sure they go back safely and to turn into seafoam from despair.

• For the afternoon till sunset, he sat on a rock at the shore thinking about his death, and for the first time now as a human, tears from his eyes had shed down through his face from all the pain and suffering he's in, all of those sacrifices for nothing.

• Nimona finds Ballister in tears, learns about what happened, and shows him the dagger that she trades her hair for the seawitch, and tells him that he can return to a merman if he just draws Amb’s blood.

• Bal is conflicted but he doesn’t wanna leave Nimona alone with all the hair they have given up for (cause death is significantly harder to arrange visits for) and hides the dagger under his pillow.

• Ambs bursts in, sees Nimona and Bal, Nimona shifts and hides behind Bal and Ambs is afraid. Now Bal realizes he truly has to pick between the sea and land.

• Bal shields Nimona behind him and approaches Ambs, hugging him sadly before leading him to his bed. He beckons Nimona closer.

• Nimona explains situation, Ambs shares his side, lovers realize they can’t be together and Ambs takes the knife and lightly drags it over his heart, just enough to cause blood to spill on Bal.

• Bal faints from the pain of transforming again then lands on Amb's arms, he carries his body to the sea, where Queen Valerin waits for them after Nimona spilled the beans.

• Bal spent the next few weeks in his room in sadness thinking how he never got to say goodbye to Ambro, that 2 worlds can't be together, and most importantly that he trade his tounge, his arm for nothing, forever will he spent the rest of his 300 years of living in silence, but alteast he'll keep his memories of him.

• Valerin ensuing shovel talk and slight respect for the human who cared enough for her son to agree to a loveless marriage.

• Not only Ambro's parents find out the Director's plan but also that Bal was a merman and it was him that saved Ambro, and gave him their blessings immediently.

• Ambs sets Bal down and kisses him on the lips, magic sparkles, Bal got his voice back and finally can now be human-merman.

• Val is impressed by the power of their love and grants Ambs the power to turn into a merman, his life span would extend into 200 years with Bal and offers them to wed in the oceanic courts.

• They wed, kiss, all the wedding night stuff if you’re into that and officially adopt Nimona.

• Head back to land the next day to a fuming Director, shows off the wedding rings, Queen Val shows up in her ocean queen glory and demands the director’s arrest for threatening her heir.

The redesign of Merman Bal is coming soon along with some art and more. But right now enjoy on this list that me and the amazing @long-distance-muse made together

(This is a mixture of the Hans Christian Anderson, Disney and some little inspiration of @mvjerbs Prince Ballister AU)

[waitingforwinterwinds]

A Clash of Kings - 58 DAVOS III (pages 740-755)

The Battle of the Blackwater - Davos edition.

-

Across the sea warhorns boomed, deep throaty moans-

"GRRM stop leaving mines in the text that make me think I'm reading porn" challenge 2023. ... yes I could stop getting distracted and refocusing on the text in the wrong spot, but... yeah no, like zero focus tonight. Oh Westeros' Number 1 Father of All Time Davos Seaworth, you don't deserve my inattention in this trying time.

... I'm probably biased from knowing Davos from the show and the inherent POV bias of the chapter, but this Ser Imry guy sound a bit overly sure of himself. Too confident in his victory.

It's good to know your destination, to keep your eyes on the prize, but if you don't check where you're walking... well, that's how you end tripping and lying face down in the dirt.

Beyond the line of warships, Davos could see the Red Keep up on Aegon's High Hill, dark against the lemon sky, with the mouth of the Rush opening out below.

🍋=🥛 Shhhh, it counts.

Davos tasted a trap, yet he saw no sign of any foes sweeping in behind them, only the great fleet of Stannis Baratheon in their ordered ranks, stretching back to the watery horizon. Will they raise the chain and cut us in two? He could not see what good that would serve. The ships left out in the Bay could still land men north of the city; a slower crossing, but safer.

Oh, my dear, the boom chain isn't meant to keep you out, it's meant to keep you in. 🏰🏖️🔥⛵🔥⛓️🌊 Kill Zone~

Please stay out of it.

Directly ahead, Davos saw the enemy's Kingslander drive between Faithful and Scepter. The former slid her starboard oars out of the way before impact, but Scepter's portside oars snapped like so much kindling as Kingslander raked along her side. "Loose," Davos commanded, and his bowmen sent a withering rain of shafts across the water. He saw Kingslander's captain fall, and tried to recall the man's name.

I like the way this fight is done, just from a writing stand point, we're close camera POV again, Davos is isn't seeing everything so we aren't seeing everything, just what's relevant to Davos, but we're still aware of the bigger battle. And then, despite how impersonal it is, tracking ships and not men, the line about trying to remember the captain's name to remind the viewers, these aren't just unmanned vehicles, this is a lot of people dying per ship.

There's that nice, subtle "oh hey have you seen the horrors?" layer tucked in without dragging us through all the visceral gore.

Hmm, me? salty about a series that thinks the only way to show the horror of war and violence is by the number of blood packets? pfff, what gave you that idea.

D&D suck at their job = 🥛

... Now we're getting a little more graphic. "Forty years at sea, and yet this was the first time he'd rammed another ship." But it still feels more about the emotional weight than the shock value. I know these are the kinds of things that you can't one-to-one translate on the screen, but still.

A flash of green caught his eye, ahead and off to port, a nest of writhing emerald serpents rose burning and hissing from the stern of Queen Alysanne. An instant later Davos heard the dread cry of "Wildfire!"

Wildfire sounds absolutely terrifying to be honest. I wouldn't be surprised to learn you could jump in the sea all the way to the ocean or river floor and still be burning.

"They'll soon run out." Oh Imry, you absolute dumbass.

... oh no. That's not a desperate hunk of driftwood, that's barrels leaking wildfire into the river, I've seen this episode, turn your boat and GTFO!

... it would be a bit ironically hilarious, how very on fire this river battle is with the burning boats, but I am unfortunately well aware that things are about to be "more on fire."

It was Swordfish, her two banks of oars lifting and falling. She had never brought down her mast, and some burning pitch had caught in her rigging. The flames spread as Davos watched, creeping out over ropes and sails until she trailed a head of yellow flames. (...) Directly ahead, drifting towards her and swinging around to present a nice tempting plump target, was one of the Lannister hulks, floating low in the water. Slow green blood was leaking between her boards. When he saw that, Davos Seaworth's heart stopped beating.

Mine too buddy. Like, I know what's happening, what's coming, but my gosh the vibes! It's like seeing it again for the first time... maybe because it's from a steadier lens, a different focus, just. !!!

huh. haha. Sorry, the narrative just changed "Swordfish" to "the Swordfish" twice. I read somewhere once, that ship names don't have the "the" put in them until they're decommissioned. Now, I don't know if that's true, or if it's only for certain ships like military vessels, but given that Swordfish is about to be... violently decommissioned, it was a little funny. Unfortunate gallows humour. I apologise.

Fifty feet high, a swirling demon of green flame danced upon the river. It had a dozen hands, in each a whip, and whatever they touched burst into fire. (...) the demon was eating its own. Lord Velaryon's Pride of Driftmark was trying to turn, but the demon ran a lazy green finger across her silvery oars, and they flared up like so many tapers. For an instant she seemed to be stroking the river with two banks of long bright torches. The current had him in its teeth by then, spinning him around and around. He kicked to avoid a floating patch of wildfire. My sons, Davos thought, but there was no way to look for them amidst the roaring chaos.

Oh god, his boys. I can proudly say, I am only crying a little. Fuck, that escalated quickly.

And then the current turned him about again, and Davos saw what awaited him downstream. The chain. Gods save us, they've raised the chain. Where the river broadened out into Blackwater Bay, the boom stretched taut, a bare two or three fee above the water. Already a dozen galleys had crashed into it, and the current was pushing others against them. Almost all were aflame, and the rest soon would be. (...) the mouth of the Blackwater Rush had turned into the mouth of hell.

... that's a lot less funny at this end of the chapter. Like, there's some level of horror for the show, but this, really being in the mental car with Davos, really being a passenger, it's an entirely different level of devastation, both the actual in story toll and emotionally as a reader.

And tomorrow is Tyrion's fight on the wall/banks. shit.

This is, I think, the first time a fight has been focused for more than one chapter, and it gets three. Sansa | Davos | Tyrion. I know Tyrion is technically in the Victor role, but I feel like it's going to be as horrible as these last two for emotional toll.

[komfortkiri]

HELP WANTED (PART 2)

WOLF QUIRK F!READER x HANTA SERO x EIJIRO KIRISHIMA WORD COUNT: 2,997 TW/CW: ABSENT PARENT MENTION (I know some people get really bothered about absent parents)

NOTES: No banner yet. And yes, I posted two parts in one day BECAUSE I’M LIVING FOR THIS. The next part I’ll include things from Kiri and Sero’s POV. I got tired toward the end of this one and wanted to finish and post it before going to sleep.

Your alarm went off at 6:45 AM, allowing you more time to actually get ready and look like a decent human being.. well, sort of. You laid there for a moment, though, thinking that if this really went well, you could be leaving within the next week. You’d have to tell your father and though he’d be hurt, it wasn’t like you wouldn’t come back to visit. With a deep breath, you threw your legs off the side of the bed, holding your arms over your head to stretch. The stretch was so good that you almost fell back into your mattress and went back to sleep but you shook your head and rose to your feet, proceeding to your bathroom to shower.

After you took your shower from Hell, you walked out of your bathroom and back into your room, making your way to your closet to browse over the clothes you had. You realized quickly that you should probably do some upgrading to your wardrobe but you’ll worry about that another day. Your eyes scanned over everything and nothing really stood out to you so you pulled out your phone to check the weather, seeing that it was pretty cold out— roughly 23 degrees. Coffee definitely sounded luxurious right now and that thought alone made you check the time to see that it was now 7:15 AM. You took a little longer in the shower but the scorching water felt like Heaven to you.

You sighed, taking a long-sleeved, burgundy turtleneck half-shirt off of a hanger along with a pair of black high-waisted jeans. You tossed both articles of clothing onto the bed then went to your small dresser in the corner of your room to open the top drawer, pulling out a white colored bra and a matching pair of panties to go with it. You closed that drawer then opened the second drawer, getting some black socks that rose to just under your knee. Once you had everything, you dropped your towel then threw your undergarments on, along with your socks.

During your dressing, you received a text message from the Kiri person so you rushed over to it, hoping they weren’t cancelling the get together. Relief washed over you whenever you read the message.

FROM KIRI: Morning! Wanted to send you a text to tell you that me and my roommate are getting ready and should be at the coffee shop closer to 8:30 AM. We still on?

You replied rather quickly, it was almost creepy.. like you were waiting for a text.

TO KIRI: Good morning! Yes, of course! I’m getting ready right now as well.. I may be there earlier than you both since it’s right around the corner from me!

Once the message delivered, you threw your phone back onto your bed then put on your shirt and pants, which had a special made hole just for your tail, then walked over to your full body mirror hanging on the wall. “Not bad.. Not bad at all.” It was almost like you were hoping these were men that you were meeting. You scoffed at your thought, nah. You walked back to the bathroom to grab your hair brush, one for the hair on your head and another for the fur on your tail. It was weird in a way.. you had to color coordinate what you used for your tail because the fur wasn’t as soft as your actual hair was. Once you finished grooming yourself, you put on a pair of flat-bottom, over-the-knee, black boots. 

Time, what was the— shit! Your damned tail, taking so much time to brush through. It was now 8:05 so you had to rush a little bit if you wanted to be extra early and order what you needed so you grabbed your black trench coat off your coat rack, grabbed your phone then your backpack that held your wallet and other necessities that you may need throughout the day and booked it out of your room and out of your front door. Your dad must have had to work this morning, considering his car wasn’t out front but nonetheless, you expected as much from a police officer.

NO TIME TO THINK, you thought so you turned in the direction of the coffee shop and started walking. Your walking turned into walking fast then into.. running, which doesn’t affect you much considering it’s part of who you are. You thankfully had a bottle of perfume with you, just in case you smelt like a wet dog and you sprayed a few pumps amongst your coat and a few on your neck. You took a minute to catch your breath right outside Camille’s front door then walked in.

“My, my.. Look who it is! If it isn’t my dear Y/N! I haven’t seen you in a few weeks, must be pulling extra shifts at the animal shelter, huh?” Camille practically rushed to you, bringing you into a hug. All you could do was smile and accept her embrace then return it. If you were being honest, you really needed the hug. “Hi, Camille! I’m sorry I haven’t been visiting like I normally do. I have picked up a few more shifts so I can save up for a place of my own.” You took a seat at your usual spot, right up close to where she made most things. There was a small little bar, in which, Camille practically saved your seat every morning when you started coming in. She was like a mom to you, which was nice in its own way considering yours wasn’t worth a shit. 

Camille knew just about everything about your life so you felt awful knowing that you hadn’t been around in a few weeks but you had to do what you need to first. “You know, darling, whenever you stopped coming in, these two very handsome boys started coming in every morning. It was almost fate in a way. They kept me company while you were gone, but don’t get me wrong, I’m glad my favorite girl is back.” Boys? Was this elderly woman really trying to hint at hooking you up right now? All you could do was shake your head and laugh as she set your usual in front of you— hot hazelnut coffee, extra sweet. You lifted the glass mug to your lips, speaking from behind it, “Boys, huh? Camille, are you trying to set me up?” A smirk formed along your face as you took a sip of the coffee, humming softly in satisfaction, your ears falling back some. She always did make the best coffee, it never failed.

The older woman laughed then leaned back onto the counter opposite from the one you were at, “Now, you know I wouldn’t meddle into your love life, dear. All I’m saying is, they are complete gentleman.” She leaned forward on her elbow, whispering her next statement. “If I was year and years younger, I’d probably take both of them.” This made you snort then double over in laughter, “Camille! Shame on you!” All she did was shrug then before she could respond, her eyes lit up when she realized who was entering her shop. You noticed this look and raised an eyebrow, sipping your coffee. Camille realized your eyes were on her and she nodded toward the door, mouthing that’s them. You tried your best not to make it obvious but you turned your head just enough to the side to peer over your shoulder and boy, she was not kidding. However, these were definitely not boys.. they were pure men. 

You quickly turned your head before they realized you were ogling them, your insides heating up. All you could think of was how the good Lord above took his sweet time crafting both of them. Your heightened sense of hearing allowed you to listen in on what was being said between both of the guys and Camille so you just barely turned your left ear to the side, lifting your coffee again to take another sip.

“My boys! Where have you been? Fighting crime as usual?” Camille greeted both with a big hug each before one of them answered her. “Yes ma’am, you know us. We have to make sure nothing happens to your wonderful coffee shop.” Your heart skipped a beat at that statement. Smooth. “Always such sweethearts, come. I want you to meet another regular of mine.” Please don’t, please don’t, plea— “Y/N?” Your face was probably as red as a beet at this point but you turn anyway with a smile that was semi-forced. You hadn’t much prepared well on talking to… very, very attractive men. “Boys, this is Y/N. Y/N, this is Eijiro and Hanta.” You shook each of their hands, your insides felt like they were being lit on fire at this point.

The man known as Kirishima smiled, “You can call me either Ei, Eiji or Kiri, though.” The fire was immediately put out by his statement. You were thanking all the Gods that you didn’t have your coffee in your hand because you would have dropped it. “D-Did you say Kiri?” You cleared your throat, scratching the back of your head nervously. 

“Yeah, do you know me? I mean, I’m a pro-hero but do you know someone I know or—“ You cut him off, not meaning to, but you had to get it out. “No, I.. I inquired about the roommate ad you had put up. We texted this morning and last night?” Kirishima and Sero’s eyes widened and they looked at each other. Something tells you they really weren’t expecting the person they were meeting to be a woman, but you were in the same boat because you didn’t expect for the two people you were meeting to be two gorgeous piece of asses either.

Sero spoke this time as he looked back at you, “So you are looking to be our roommate?” You blushed a soft shade of pink, not really knowing how to properly answer that but you did anyway. “Well, I-I didn’t really plan on you guys being, well… guys.” Both men laughed then Kirishima sat next to you, Sero sitting next to him on the other side. Camille put their coffees in front of him, Sero’s was partnered with a bagel. She gave you a wink then rushed back to the kitchen, peering out the little window in the door. All you could do was shake your head with a grin. “If it makes you uncomfortable, you definitely don’t have to move in with us but we’d like to be your friend.” 

You smiled at that but thought of the trouble you’d get yourself in just by being their friend. It was almost impossible not to yank both by their collars to the bathroom and— “Wolf quirk, eh?” Sero’s voice shook you out of your inappropriate thoughts. It’s almost like he knew where your head was spiraling to. “Y-Yeah. My dad is also part wolf as well.” You nodded, clearing your throat even though you really didn’t need to as there was nothing to clear. 

“What about your mom?” Sero pressed, not knowing that talking about your mother was something you hated doing. You sighed quietly, eyes darting in front of you to a blank space on the white wall in front of you. Your ear fell back, tone filled with… hatred when you spoke, which you didn’t intend for, but your burning rage for her was not controllable. “Don’t know her. She left not too long after I was a baby. Just up and left in the middle of the night and nobody has seen her since.” 

Kirishima looked at Sero, eyes saying way to go, idiot. He wanted to lighten the mood so he changed the subject quickly, “So, uh.. about your quirk..” You three sat there for what felt like hours just talking, having casual conversation. They asked about your quirk, showing high interest in every aspect of it. You reassured them that you didn’t shed hair so they didn’t need to worry about any of that. You didn’t realize that they were pro-heroes until they told you their hero names and you almost choked on your semi-hot coffee. You had heard of both but you never really are around the action to put a face to the name. They both do a lot of good work around your city, in which, you are thankful for with your father being on the police force. Without them, your dad would probably have been hurt or worse. 

Your anger about your mother had withered away and you were really enjoying yourself with the two men next to you. Your tail was moving to-and-fro the entire time, meaning you were happy. It got silent at one point and that prompted to Sero clear his throat then bump his elbow into Kirishima’s own, basically trying to push on this conversation. Kirishima turned his body a little toward you, his tone was soft, “Um.. This roommate thing.. It’s obvious you aren’t a serial killer, unless you’re a really good actor. You don’t have to give us an answ—“ You held your finger up with a smile because it was clear he was about to start rambling on due to nerves and not wanting to overstep. “You don’t have to say anymore. I’m super down for being your roommate.” It seemed like relief washed over the both of them because they smiled at you. “Hell yeah, you can move your stuff in at any time. Just let us know when so we can help you.” Sero nodded in your direction and you nodded back with a smile.

Moving in.. with two insanely attractive men.. What could go wrong, right?

[marvel-ousnesss]

The one with the boiling rock (Zuko x reader)

Pairing: Prince Zuko x firebender!reader

Summary: Y/N follows Azula after she overhears the Firelord's plan to get rid of his banished son. She fails to warn Zuko and ends up in the Boiling Rock thinking he's dead. Spoiler alert, he's not.

Word count: 4k-ish

masterlist

A/N: For the sake of avoiding any signs of a love triangle, let's throw cannon away and pretend Mai and Zuko are just good friends. Love you all so so much. 💜💜💜

Servants vowed to you as you waltzed through the galleries of the palace, looking for your father, General Yuan. That morning, he had told you to join him in the training arena at sundown, once the war meeting was over. You were planning on taking no detours, but that changed once you heard loud, thundering footsteps coming from across the hall. The Firelord walked with his head held high and his hands behind his back, the princess trailed right behind him, closely listening to his every command. 

"Your brother is a failure and your uncle is a coward and a traitor," he declared. "I cannot risk having them on the loose with the avatar's capture on stake." 

"I completely agree, father, they must be dealt with." She quickened her pace. 

He turned toward his daughter and she lowered her head in an indication of respect. "I've decided to send you, Azula, to effectuate their imprisonment or, be the case, take them out.” The princess’s head rose, proud. “I only trust you to do what must be done."

You hid behind a column to remain unseen while they walked past you, using your hands to silence the gasp that threatened to spill out of your mouth. The Firelord's cruelty had surprised you the day of the Agni Kai, images of Zuko’s crying silhouette curled in a fetal position were still plastered in your mind. And, even knowing he was capable of that, you didn’t find a way to comprehend how he’d not only kill his only son but he'd use his daughter to do so. 

That evening, your head was elsewhere while training. Your flames, usually potent and vibrant, were shining a faint tone of red. Your aim too was sloppy, as evidenced when your fire whip was easily blocked by your father every time you tried to strike.

"Something's in your mind." He lost his stance and approached you, inviting you to do the same. 

"I'm just a bit distracted," you lied, looking down at your feet. 

"We can head home if you want." He offered you some water. 

You nodded.

Your family's house was not far from the palace citadel, as your father was one of the most prominent figures in the Fire Nation army. You walked in silence, not even looking at him but, once you closed the main door, you couldn't hide your concern. You sat down at his study, and, after taking a sip of your tea with a trembling hand, explained what you had heard.  

"Firelord Ozai is sending Azula after the prince and General Iroh.”

Your father's eyes widened for a moment, as he had once fought alongside the kind general, but he regained his serenity immediately. "It is a reasonable move. Getting the avatar was just a way to keep the prince at sea, but now is not the time to let a traitor and a teenager have the power to control the odds of the war."

Your jaw clenched, then you swallowed hard and, unable to speak, nodded. You understood that it was probably what needed to be done, strategically speaking, and that, even if your father personally disapproved such cruelty, he was in no position to defy the Firelord; but it was Zuko whom you were talking about, it felt more than wrong to accept his cursed fate with such ease. 

"Y/N, you have always been kind-hearted, and it hurts me to see you worry, but you need to understand that some sacrifices demand to be made for the sake of victory."

That night, you were about to send a letter to the exiled members of the royal family, but there was a  feeling of uneasiness that made your stomach ache. There had to be something else you could do… That's when it hit you.

Azula and her unit weren't leaving until the following week. So you used that time to gather supplies, dig into whatever scroll you could get your hands in and steal --no, borrow-- some of your father's maps. The day of your departure came, you got up before sunrise and headed to the base from which the princess was sailing, leaving behind a small note for your father to see.  

You waited for her to show and, once her ship lifted anchors, so did yours. You knew how to sail except you had never done it without a crew. The ship you had stolen wasn't big, it was a fishing boat domestic fleets used every once in a while, so it was relatively easy to stay in control and out of the princess' sight. 

The journey lasted but a few days before Azula's ship was pulled to the shore, but the tides were too strong and you weren't as experienced. Hoping for the best, you waited until nightfall to reach the land. You spent the night searching but had no luck, so you made camp near the docks. After you finished setting your tent, you headed toward the ship you'd been following, hoping to get a glimpse of whatever was happening on deck. Luckily, there were two soldiers conversing while standing watch. 

You climbed onto the ship and hid behind reserve boxes, listening to their exchange from within the shadows.

"I can’t believe I’m in the mission to capture the Dragon of the West," one of them practically squealed. 

"Don't get too excited, I heard he’s not the same anymore." The other one laughed gratingly.  "Besides, it's not like there's gonna be a fight or anything; the princess told them Lord Ozai wants them back at the palace. Poor fools’ gonna board voluntarily."

You stepped back, teeth gritted and fists tightened. Making them walk into a trap was a devious move, but it didn't really shock you. Azula had always been ruthless and calculating. You were about to jump off-board when you tripped and made the box tower collapse, leaving you exposed. 

“Hey!” 

The guards immediately turned your way. Instead of reacting, you found yourself frozen on the spot. It was certainly not a time to be panicking. You took a breath and, with a kick, threw a stream of fire at the man in front of you and ran toward the dock while he recovered. However,  the other guard had alerted the rest so, at the very entrance of the ship, awaited Azula, dressed in a wine-colored night-robe.  

She didn’t even look phased; if much, she was mildly annoyed that you had disrupted her sleep. 

"Long way from home, Y/N. I'm guessing you didn't just come to say hello."

You opened your mouth but no words rolled off your tongue. You raised your hands and lowered your head in surrender, to avoid further trouble.  

You were a more than capable warrior, you knew that. Nevertheless, the sole thought of facing her made your body shake; let alone while outnumbered. 

"That's what I thought," she smirked. "You're a coward, just like my idiot brother. And, just like him, you'll get a coward's treatment. Seize her."

Two soldiers grabbed your arms and roughly pressed them behind your back, restraining you with metal cuffs. 

"You know what to do."

They both bowed their heads and yanked you below deck. As you walked to the cellars, one whispered, "what do we do?" 

The other one huffed. "The cooler, dumbass."

————————

Third-person POV. 

Zuko knocked on the door three times, trying not to seem too anxious. It had already been two days since he arrived home as a hero but, as such, he had been busy with appearances and meetings. He took a step back and fixed his robes, his right foot tapping as he awaited a response. 

The door cracked open, revealing a young woman, a few years older than him. He gave her a small smile but she didn’t see it, her gaze fixated on the wooden floor as she bowed deeply. 

“My prince,” she greeted. “How can I be of service.” 

“Hello.” 

She straightened up. 

“Is Y/N home?” 

Her expression shifted, then she cleared her throat. “Not at the moment.” 

“Oh, uh, thanks.” He rubbed the back of his neck. 

At that moment, General Yuan strolled through one of the doors that connected the main area of the house with the other hallways. His eyes were framed by dark circles and his shoulders fell limp, not the way he carried himself outside. 

He faced Zuko’s and immediately stood taller. “Your highness,” he said. “There is something you need to know.” 

———————

For a moment, you eyed the two guards overlooking the yard from an upper balcony. You gave it no mind when one of them rushed downstairs but gulped when the other one fixed his attention on you, nothing good could come from that. Before he caught your eye, you lowered your head and let your shoulders fall, hoping he'd lose interest. Thinking it had worked, you retired to your cell. However, as you walked, your arm was roughly pulled. 

You tried to break free and struggled for a few seconds, trying to root your feet to the ground. The guard easily overpowered you, for you had too little strength to resist, and threw you into an empty cell.

He still had hold of your arm, but you didn’t fight him. It was better to avoid acting up, you had learned that. However, you knew they appreciated respect, so you lifted your head and asked, "What do you want?"

Even the helmet didn’t conceal his shocked façade. “Y/N?” 

He took his helmet off and tears flooded your eyes. You wrapped your arms around his middle and let out an involuntary whimper followed by an excruciating stream of sobs. At first, Zuko was a bit taken aback by your reaction, as his muscles tensed. But then he too faded into the hug and allowed himself to breathe your familiar scent. 

“I thought you were dead,” you whispered. 

“What?” 

“I- I wanted to warn you about Azula.” You take a deep breath, not ready to let go of him. “When your father sent her after you, I followed, but she caught me when I sneaked into her ship and I-.”

He grabbed your shoulders and stretched his arms so he could look at you. His face like porcelain and his mouth agape. 

“You sneaked into my sister’s ship? Alone?” Zuko let go of you and ran his hands through his hair. “Are you, Y/N, are you out of your mind? You could've ended up dead, no-" Now, he was screaming, his golden eyes blazed with worry."-you could've ended up worse than dead!"

 Your lip trembled as you shouted back, "well, surprise, so could you!" 

"You went on a suicide mission, alone!" He started pacing around the small room. "I can't believe you did something so stupid."

"At least I had to try, Zuko." This time, your voice was tight. 

"Y/N, she's. Ahh!" He stopped pacing and threw his head back with a groan. Without a thought, he stepped toward you and, once again, engulfed you in his embrace. "I’m glad you’re okay."

Zuko's head fell limp on your shoulder while he calmed down, your hand rubbed his back soothingly for a moment before he brought back the distance between you.   

"Listen, we're getting out of here."

"How?"

"Just trust me, I'll come to your cell and get you."

He flashed you a quick, closed-lip smile and walked out. You followed after a few seconds and went back to your cell. A few hours passed and you had no news from Zuko, so you headed down the stairs with the rest of the inmates. 

You were mopping the floor, keeping your work focused on a relatively small area of the room when you spotted the familiar mess of raven hair, only now he was dressed in a uniform that matched yours. He dragged his water bucket toward where you were and began mopping next to you. 

"Are you gonna tell me the whole story now?"

You didn’t know what had driven the banished crown prince to break into a high-security prison, but the response you got was far from what you expected. 

“I kind of joined the avatar.” 

“Weren't you trying to capture him so you could go back home?” 

“I’ll explain later,” he said, looking past you and directly at a guard. Zuko grabbed your hand and guided you to where he and another girl in prison uniform were standing.

They gave you a questioning look. 

“Um, guys, this is Y/N. Y/N, Sokka and Suki.” 

After an awkward wave, you took the time to look at them in detail. 

It was a girl you had seen a few times, from a group of Earth Kingdom warriors; and a brunet, blue eyed boy you had never seen but could guess came from a water tribe. They were slightly shocked but didn’t really question your presence, making you relax. 

After a brief explanation of everything that had been going on since you were captured the four of you came up with an escape plan that would’ve been perfect if it wasn’t for the undesired addition to your team, Chit Sang.

You, Suki, Chit, and another two people he introduced as his girl and best mate would wait for Sokka and Zuko to show up at the blind spot. Then, the all of you would ride the cooler to the other side of the lake. That's where you were now, sitting on a rock with Suki while Chit and his friend discussed over where to go after the escape. 

To be honest, their petty argument was beginning to annoy you, so you turned to Suki, who was using a stick to doodle on the sand. 

“So, how do you know Sokka?” 

Her cheeks reddened slightly so she turned her head sideways. 

“Sokka,” she chuckled, “We first met a few months ago, when he, Katara, and Aang went to my island. The rest of the Kyoshi warriors and I thought they were spies.” 

“Kyoshi, where have I heard…  oh, Avatar Kyoshi,” you recalled. “My father once gave me a scroll about her.” 

You were about to continue, glad you’d found something to talk about, when Chit’s complaint cut you off before either of you could say something else. 

"Took you guys long enough," he scolded Sokka and Zuko, as they slid down the cliff with the cooler. You, Chit and Suki quickly placed yourselves against the cooler to help the others and then the five of you pushed it into the water. 

You were about to go ahead with the plan, when they brought up the following day’s new arrivals. That changed everything. 

“Sokka?” You approached him, placing a hand on his shoulder. 

"Rescuing your dad is your chance to redeem your honor,” Zuko noted.

Sokka fell to his knees, deep in thought. 

He looked at the group apologetically. “We wouldn’t be here if I had cut my losses at the invasion,” he sighed. “I think it’s best if we call it quits.” 

You crossed your arms, and stood tall. “No, ” you deadpanned. “I know how it feels to fail, Sokka, specially when it’s someone you really care about.” Your eyes met a pair of golden ones. “It hurts so much not to try. I’ll help you, whatever you need.” 

Without a word, Sokka stood up, and walked closer to the lake with his head low.

Zuko rested a hand on his shoulder. “Y/N’s right, you can’t quit because you’re afraid of failure. How do you know you won't make it if you don't even try.” 

“Well, if you cookies are done, can we get a move on?” Chit glared at you while tapping his foot. 

Sokka shook his head.

“You guys go," you said. 

"Suki, you've been here long enough," Sokka pleaded, stepping closer to her. 

"I'm not leaving without you, Sokka." 

Zuko mimicked Sokka's actions, turning your way. "And I’m not leaving without you."

It was settled. 

"I hope this isn't a huge mistake," Sokka sighed. 

And it wasn’t, the plan failed and Chit and his people were brought back in. He had tried to row the boat and earned a burn, which was followed by a blaring scream. You watched from one of the outer beams of the building while waiting for the new prisoners to disembark the gondola. Your hope threatened to abandon you but, right before you voiced your thoughts to give up, Sokka's dad emerged. 

That's how you ended up in the very place you had started, your cell. You laid on the metal bench provided and closed your eyes, having decided to use the spare time to practice a little. You placed your right hand on the metal wall and outstretched your right, pointing two fingers at the opposite wall. The surface under your palm turned red-hot and that's where you started truly working. 

You exhaled deeply and began absorbing the heat you had generated. Bit by bit so it would efficiently pass through you and leave in the form of a thin trail of smoke. What you were doing required deep concentration so when the door creaked open you didn't even notice the intruder. Your eyes broke open as you retrieved your hands, the wall returning to its initial gray color. 

Sokka was standing in front of the now-closed door, he blinked a few times before finally asking, "were you fire bending metal?"

"Oh, no." You sat up and chuckled, "it's called heat controlling. I project heat into a surface, then let it pass through me and then out, via my other hand." 

"Cool." Sokka's mouth fell. "So it’s like... reversed fire bending.” 

“I guess you can put it like that.”

“Anyway," he spoke with determination, looking through the small window. "I've talked to my dad. We have a plan, be in the yard in an hour and a half. I'll go tell the others." 

“Sure,” you smile. “Thanks, Sokka.” 

The plan was simple: start a riot and use the gondola to escape. Easier said than done, even with the riot, you were still trying to figure out how to grab the warden and, on top of it, had no idea where the fire prince was. Although your uncertainty didn’t last long. Before you knew it, Zuko got his ass to the courtyard, Suki took hold of the warden, and the seven of you ran upstairs to the gondolas.

On the bridge to your awaiting vehicle, you encountered a few guards. You blocked their first attacks but when Zuko announced the warden was coming with you they gave you no more problems. 

"Everyone in," Suki ushered you. 

You let them get in before you as she held the door, then tried to run back and help Zuko, but Suki pulled you in and closed the door. 

From the gondola, you watched him pull the lever and kick it so they wouldn't stop you, your grip on the rail making your sweaty hands pale. He leaped toward you and barely managed to grab Sokka's hand. You let go of the rails and relaxed, knowing you had all made it, but the moment ended when you saw Azula. 

"Shit," you groaned.  

"Who's that?"

"My sister and her friend." 

Suki smirked. "This is a rematch I've been waiting for."

You just huffed and jumped on top of the gondola. As Azula and Ty Lee advanced toward it, you tried to take them down with fire-jabs but Ty Lee was too fast and Azula swung and easily dodged them. They landed on opposite sides, surrounding the four of you. You immediately charged toward the princess, determined not to fall without a good fight. Not this time.

Next to you, Zuko shot multiple fireballs out of his fists but neither of you had luck. Azula redirected every blow and you let out a frustrated growl.

"Even together,” she scoffed, “you’re pathetic."

Again, you tried; opting for a blazing ring to try and knock her out of balance. While you advanced on her Zuko covered you and blocked her blows, this gave Sokka a chance to get near. A blow of his sword took away her balance but she recovered quickly and threw a missile that you managed to dodge by merely a few inches, falling back against the pulley of the gondola. 

You got up once more but Azula's strikes were fast and repetitive, so you and Zuko would wear yourselves down by trying to block each one. You panted, concentrating to maintain your shield well built, but lost your stance when the gondola shook violently. Azula and Ty Lee fled the scene, as the guards were about to cut the line; the four of you jumped back inside and warned the others. But someone stopped the guards, you narrowed your eyes in order to see who and emitted a gasp when you recognized Mai's figure. 

But the situation you were in left no time to ask questions, the six of you sprinted away as soon as the gondola touched land. Zuko stopped after a few yards. 

"Zuko, come on," you urged. 

"Yeah, what are you doing?"

"My sister, she must've arrived here somehow." He ran toward a cliff and smirked when he looked down. He was right, there was a Fire Nation dirigible parked by the seashore. 

To say that you were exhausted after the journey would be an understatement. Not only had the last two days been more draining than the previous few months but you had used your bending to fuel the dirigible the whole way to the Air Temple. You didn’t complain, you were glad to be safe. Not to mention that you finally got a chance to catch up on Zuko’s unlikely adventures.

“We’re here,” Sokka peeped. 

You looked through one of the windows and almost didn’t believe what you saw. You had read multiple scrolls about the magnificent Air Temples and the people that lived in them but had never even imagined visiting one. 

You landed and the door opened. You were hesitant to step outside and Zuko took notice, so he offered you an encouraging smile and squeezed your hand. For a second you had forgotten that he was also a newcomer to the Avatar’s group so he shared part of the nerves you felt; besides, you knew that, whatever reactions you got from them, he’d stand by you. 

A small girl inquired, “did you at least get some good meat?”

“Yup, the best meat of all,” Sokka answered with a beam. “The meat of friendship and fatherhood.” 

That's when the four of you stepped forward, but you remained concealed behind Chit.

The three kids smiled when they saw Suki and Hakoda, and Chit was quick to introduce himself with a matching smile on his face. 

Your hiding place disappeared when Hakoda ran to hug who you guessed was  Sokka's sister, Katara, and the others advanced right after.

When they finished greeting their friends, the group turned its whole attention to you, still standing on the dirigible bridge.

The bald kid, Aang, as Sokka had briefed you, gave you a kind smile; Toph, the little girl, tilted her head in curiosity, and Katara just quirked a brow. 

Zuko cleared his throat, walking to your side. "Everybody, this is Y/N. Y/N, this is everybody."

"Hi, guys," you waved with a shy smile. 

Requests open!

[lucienne274]

Tragic love story of the Atlantic

•{Eyes Blue like the Atlantic}•

•{And your going down with the Titanic}•

Pt.1

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

•{April 15, 1912- 2:21 am}•

Y/N’s Pov:

“It’s cold, so cold….”

“ I wonder if Rose is safe…”

“ I never thought I would of face such a tragedy to the “dream boat that never sunk..”

“ Look at me now drowning in the ice cold and deadly depths of the Atlantic Ocean”

“I had my dreams but now they had officially perished”

“ Why would the gods ever allow this to happen to me?..”

(You think to your self as you sink deeper into the Atlantic.)

(The all mighty Titanic has sunken and you honestly you thought you were a goner)

(Until you saw his blue ocean eyes they were the last beautiful things you saw until your whole world went blank)

Poseidon’s Pov :

“Pfft pathetic little human thinking you would have achieved your dream in a rat infested city in America.”

“ I bet your actual dream was to be free from the little marriage arrangement you parents tried to put you through.”

“But of course you hast had to run away didn’t you?”

•{ He honestly didn’t know why he had a attracted to you in the first place it was almost magnetic like a moth to a flame}•

•{ With that being said he knew someone will fall victim to the pain of this Tragic Love story of the Atlantic}•

50 years later

•{ Poseidon has already turned you into a Demi-god but just told everyone you were a unknown water nymph reason being why they never heard of you before not that they care about a water nymph}•

•{But this where the story really begins}•

•

•

•

Y/N : Lord Poseidon, Lady Amphitrite the preparations are done and the invitations have been sent out

Poseidon: * Paying absolutely no attention to whatever the hell Y/N is saying rather stare at the wall

Amphitrite: Ah Yes, Thank you Y/N you are dismissed.

{ What Y/N had finished preparing was a 200th Grand Atlantic Ball which is hosted by Poseidon and Amphitrite every 100 years on a blue moon}

{This will be Y/N’s first time being at a ball as well let alone a ball for deities and gods}

•{Y/N bows to them and walks off}•

Y/N: The ball is in a week and I still don’t have anything to wear

•{Y/N had thought out loud}•

???: Well you don’t have to worry about that because an outfit would be provided to you just like all the other servants in this palace

•{Y/N jumped a little in sound of monotone voice and had turned to see…}•

Y/N : Lord Poseidon…

Poseidon : Do you have no common courtesy when Amphitrite is not around or are you just acting stupid?

•{Poseidon snarled at her just with no emotion as usual}•

•{Y/N quickly noticed her mistake and bowed}•

{she had to keep her head lowered until Poseidon spoke again that were the rules}

{But he never heard a response to Poseidon of boots retreating away from her meaning Poseidon had simply walked away and went back to ignoring her existence}

{She took it as a way of him telling her she is dismissed to go back to her and ready herself for the banquet and that’s what she did}

•

•

•

•{She got herself ready and put in the dress that was left for her to wear at the banquet•

(I tried find a hair accessory suitable for all hair types and one that matched the rest of the outfit)

[infjsnightmare]

Finding God: Chapter 4

A/N: This is another shorter chapter and I'm not suuuuper happy with how it turned out, so I might redo it later sometime. It also might just be me struggling to write from Fyodor's POV because, y'know, he is who he is. Still, even if this chapter isn't so good, thank you for taking the time to read it and I hope I can be better for you next week! 😁

A slight sway to the left. A slight sway to the right. Then back again. Ceaselessly. He was on a ship of some kind out at sea. Of that much, Fyodor was certain. He'd been adequately "captured" and this cell, tied to a chair, is where they'd decided to hold him. Too bad for them, as he'd already set his plan in motion long before they could have even comprehended it. They came for him in the early hours of the morning, around 1AM or so. Fyodor bit back the slight smile that rose out of him, remembering the half-assed "attempt" he made to fight back. If you let them believe that they've accomplished a task by their own power alone, people are so readily willing to dispel any of their own doubts. The parts of humanity he detested were also the parts that made it so easy for his plans to come to fruition. The irony wasn't lost on him. Inky black hair fell to his shoulder blades as he allowed his head to fall back, staring at the ceiling. It must be late morning by now. She'd likely be up and on her way to pick up the delivery if she hadn't already. He would never admit it to her, but as much as he trusted her and as competent as she may be, he greatly disliked leaving any plans in someone else's hands. His beliefs, his plans, his faith, were the greatest treasure he had. More important than his life, or hers, or anyone else's and relinquishing control, even for a moment, was a decision he did not come to lightly. But, if I'm going to play chess with him, my queen will need to be active on the board. The gentle swaying of the boat relaxed him as he closed his eyes in thought, excited and anticipating the next moves in the game.

She watched intently as Dazai and the younger boy beside him conversed. As long as they were here, there was no way for her to receive whatever delivery Fyodor expected of her. Why? Why is he here, in Yokohama? I thought he was running from this place? A frown etched itself onto her face as she glanced from behind the warehouse. She saw dark hair tousle in the breeze as his head turned in her direction. Fingering the gun on her left holster, she pulled her head back behind the wall, praying that the man hadn't seen her. She held her jaw rigid, as she tightened her grip on her weapon, waiting for the faint sound of footsteps. But, they never came. And by the time she went to peer around the corner again, the two men were out of sight. She let out the breath that she had been holding, keeping her posture alert as she headed inside the warehouse. Keeping abreast of her surroundings, her gaze fell over every object in the warehouse before entering completely. It must have been at least 30 minutes of reading the packing slips on different boxes before coming across one larger wooden crate addressed to Fyodor. And it was heavy. She figured it would probably be easier transporting the packaged items as opposed to the crate as a whole. The extra weight of the wood would likely slow her down. Taking her gun, she shot the lock off before opening the crate. And there she saw it. Fyodor's cello, packed neatly in it's case and surrounded by packing peanuts. Her brow twitched in irritation while she felt the muscles in her body tense in her annoyance. He sent her all the way out here for... this?

He could picture her face. The grimace she would certainly be displaying. The way her body would tighten but never leave her soldier-like stance. And it pleased him to know that even without being there, he would still have an effect on her. Something only he could do to her. Every emotion, every feeling of hers belonged to him and no one else. He hated admitting it, but sometimes the power trip it gave him made him feel like he was floating. He was well aware that this wasn't the proper way to value and love someone, and he made his best efforts to quell that part of him when it came to her. But, if she had this effect on him, then it's only fair that he allows himself these small victories over her. His thoughts were slowly interrupted by the faraway footsteps he heard. Pulling his head forward, he regarded the young red-haired boy who must have come here out of curiosity. But, curiosity often kills the cat, does it not? Fyodor was lazily amused by the gesture. The boy was clearly an underling serving Ace, and it was doubtful that he'd been asked to come here. This was likely some small form of rebellion on the boy's part. Breaking a rule that was understood but never spoken. Claiming ignorance if he were to be caught. Ah, but I suppose they are all already caught. Cats killed for their curiosity and lack of forethought to get a mousetrap.

[itsthe-neo-zone]

Wands and Potions: NCTdream and WayV series

Please read the Masterlist before continuing ahead with the story.

Warning: mild language, mentions of self hate and slight manipulation

Chapter 15: 

[Selene Pov]

The entire castle was celebrating the start of the official Triwizard cup, cheering and hollers could be heard from the great hall reverberating and traveling past the walls of the building. Time goes by too fast, why is it always me that must slow down?

Desires changes and motives develop, it’s a slow change but it happens, and it will pass.

“Show me my heart’s desires.” I whisper my hand sliding down the dusted and ancient metallic trimming of the large reflection. Greeting the mirror like an old friend, gently, my eyes shut.

I stood looking back at myself. The mirror must have been broken It didn’t dawn on me that it was truly reflecting my deepest desires until it wasn’t a simple reflection.

It wasn’t my true self. It was a desirable me; a beautiful and most importantly a confident me.

Darker crimson maroon locks, laying across her shoulders, definitely a sly smirk plastered upon her face. It was malicious, that Selene was powerful, adorned in viridian robes she knew she belonged. Her orbs flashed danger; head held up high.

my fingers touched her, the reflection mirroring the same. she looked healthy, happy, content. There was a threshold I couldn’t pass. Nothing I’ll ever get. It was different.

Much different to the desires my younger self needed, wished and hoped for. Though it came to me naturally that my desires don’t happen, they don’t come true. Because I don’t deserve it. Dropping my hand I wake from the daze enchanted in turning to the figure my eyes caught from the reflection.

“Why so gloomy?”

A male much taller than I am, his brown hair falling across his fawn like eyes, chocolate ripples with a tinge of hazel. He had a grin plastered upon his lips. A foreign not wearing Hogwarts robes.

His attire consisted of a dark maroon robe the belt and leather boots carrying the code of arms he was affiliated with. Resting upon his shoulders was a thick fur coat and a matching hat in his hand.

“I don’t know what you mean, and how did you get here?”

“Oh let’s not play games now?” the male pursed his lips before flourishing a devilish smirk on his face, his eyebrows lifting slightly. “As for my unannounced entrance I came from there,” pointing to the doorway that was slightly ajar showing the outer hallway.

He stepped closer. “But if were talking about detail, then I came from Europe. On a boat. From Durmstrang.” Taking a slight step nearer he closed the gap between them with each phrase. I noticed his sharp tongue.

“You’re hear for the Triwizard tournament, right?” the realisation dawning on my face and as I shuffled away from the mirror the reflection vanished with a hazy whirl of light smoke.  Leaving I pause, he stood near the mirror not moving at all.

“Well, aren’t you coming?”

“I know my way back, I’m not lost.” I stopped, what was he here for then? As if he was a legilimence he replied like he was reading my mind. “I’m here because I wanted to get away from the noise and overpowering energy in the hall.” He smirked.

“Right then. Makes sense I guess.”

“Now, what were you doing here?” finally establishing his motive he placed me in an awkward position. Equality says I need to answer him to make it equal.

“I don’t know you, why should I tell you?” the male chuckled before rolling his eyes comedically. “Mysterious one you are. Alright let’s get to know each other, then you can let me know.”

[11:18AM]

“Hey, I need to talk to you.”  Selene was pulled aside by Rose; the ginger witch had exasperated features plastered on her face. Selene was going to tell me everything. “Sure but what’s wrong?”

“What did you tell Albus?” Selene and Rose repositioned towards the side of the hall; taking a seat near the back of the great hall a hidden by the column in the corner.

“He said something sparked him that night in the forest when you were in camp.” poking at a memory in Selene’s head she thought back to the night; the male did have a dazed look towards the end of their conversation, his head twisting thoughts repeatedly.  

“Albus looked like he was thinking of something, but I don’t know- he didn’t tell me.”

The frustration was building up within Rose, Albus was putting himself in careless danger and rose couldn’t stop him, he was slipping out of her grasp. “Are you sure you didn’t hear anything from him or his friends?”

“No, I don’t think he- he didn’t. I’m sure of it.” Rose had assurance from the truth behind her words, but it also filled immense worry and her anxiety hit the roof. Her heartbeat immediately sped up like a drum beating coming to a climax.

Selene watched the witch run out of the hall leaving the celebration early. Seems nice to have someone to care for him like that.

“Selene!” from a distance lyra waved beckoning her closer. “What did I miss?” taking a seat next to her on the benches that were placed upon one another.

“Not much just the introduction and the Triwizard rules. James is putting his name in apparently. And the fact that there’s no age limit this year unlike the past tournament.” the two got comfortable in their seating; they’d be there for a while.

“Durmstrang are entering this year with us and they’re absolutely stunning all of them. So is beauxbaton.” Irene whispered, grabbing the two witches attention. Comically, Jinny was stuffing her face with small cherries next to her.

“Ah really.”

A brief introduction was based about them from the minister himself then the grand gates were opened letting durmstrang students with their representative headmaster enter. The man with the golden detailed black robes and a large fur hat was familiar to Selene. She had seen him at the black manor a few times.

What really grabbed selenes attention was the brunett male she had met earlier with those warm inviting eyes. He entered captivatingly leading the dozen students behind him with confidence and a sense of power.

“Durmstrang Academy with headmaster Von Daniken!”

The male glanced towards selenes direction frowning when he caught eyes of the umber witches orbs. Selene looked down, she wasn’t cheering or clapping like the rest, something was up she always looked solemn. From the moment he arrived the witch had never once smiled.

“Merlin’s beard, look! He’s looking this way.” Irene’s voice squealing at Jinny with glee as she stomped her feet against the wood below her in excitement.  

Looking up, Selene found the boys eyes directed at her; he smiled, winking cheekily. Selene didn’t show any change in expression at all she was more worried about what rose was hinting at. Maybe Albus is in trouble and what if he’s pulled Scorpius and chenle into his mess too?

Shaking herself out of it she left a stern look on her face. I shouldn’t care about what happens to Chenle, Selene almost wished to see him hurt for what he did to her. And as for Scorpius he can take care of himself.

The ceremony continued with loud cheers and laughter as the students celebrated the gathering of nobility and glory between institutes of magical gifts and talents. Selene felt her mood gravitate towards gloomy and depressing motives as she was left to her thoughts further and further.

“Oh god, here we go again.” Jinsoul shuffled to take placement next to her “What is it now, what’s got your feathers in a bad ruffle?”

“Nothing, I’m fine.” “I’m sorry but you’re spewing utter bullocks.” The witch played with the inner skin of her lobes feigning pain from hearing selenes words.

“Why is it that you’ve always got a frown on your face, I’m sorry Selene but you’re just always so depressed, it’s gotten really bad.”

“It’s… I just- Really?” “Ask anyone, Selene snap out of it. Come back to being the sweet and lovable lene.”

“it’s not that simple,”

“Just try, for me. For all of us. We miss you.” She pulled the umber witch close to her side, arm twisted around the fragile shoulders of the witch.

The celebration continued way past the afternoon and into the evening the teachers set a certain time for students to get back to their dorms by inviting the headmaster and headmistress of the neighbouring schools for a tour and a delectable dinner.

Once gone, the students were able to mingle freely and introductions were given following gatherings of small groups to allow the unnecessary chatter about anything under the sun and moon, this would allow the basis of friendships to bloom and flourish.

She already declined around 5 offers from friends or random students from Ilvermorny to talk. This was the 6th now; an exasperated sigh left her lips.

“I just don’t want to talk, right now.” Selene abruptly stood, eyes wavering a little. The breath she took was stuck in her throat forcing a light cough. Scorpius who had offered they spend time with other students hadn’t realised what fell out of place between his cousin and best friend.

“Selene! This isn’t like you.” He called back the witch who had turned her back getting ready to step off the edge of the wooden table. She wanted to leave; her skin was trembling, itching to get away.

“Oh it isn’t? I realise that now.” The tingling frustration was very speedily climbing upon her entire body. The acrimony that was about to be spewed was evident in her palms turning into fists and her tongue spilling with sarcasm.

“What’s wrong?” Scorpius’s worry brought unwanted attention to the couple from around them.   “What happened lene?” Jinny and Olivia who had been with a few other students and the Ilvermorny pupils directed their attention -and everyone with them- towards Selene who was fuming now. At the wrong person too.

“Me, it’s all me! It’s all my fault, definitely not any of you purebloods so don’t worry your precious heads over it.”

“Did any of you have anything to do with this?” the blond boy spun on his feet, confusion taking over his expression. He asked the boys around him.

“I’ll make things easy for you Scorpius, none of them had anything to do with it. Especially not the noble Chenle Greengrass.” Selene sneered, her eyes flaming with bitterness.

“She’s officially gone deranged.” Jisung spoke looking up at Selene with a smirk plastered upon his face.

“I guess it runs in the family.” Chenle commented throwing fuel into the enraged flames.

“You know what?” the umber haired witch jumped down from her placement walking up to Chenle, she faced him seething with hatred. He had done it. She was beyond furious.

“I really fucking hate you.” The pure repugnance and hostility in the way she spat the words at him were clear for anyone and everyone to see. She despised his guts and if they had left her any longer with him standing there, she would have sent him straight to Madam Pompfrey’s wings. Seriously injured.

Selene was dragged out by her fellow classmates and house friends. Said girl was thrashing and violently tugging herself off their grasp. They barely got past the main doorway for the great hall.

“Selene that was way out of line!” Ravelle’s voice came out echoing in the immense entryway of the castle. The shrieking wails coming from the witch had calmed and all that was left was harsh breaths.

“I’m not going to be lectured by a slut who sleeps with more boys than I can count.” Selene was able to separate herself away from the girls around her, the umber locks trailing behind her as she ran out into the misty moonlight.

 [12:17PM]

“Can I join you?”

Selene had been sitting at the edge of the stairs close to the entrance of the astronomy towers, she was silently letting the tears fall, past her face. It was cold Selene had no blanket with her she pulled her robes over the rest of her body letting her senses adjust.

“I mean, if I say no are you going to leave?” the emotion was thick in her voice letting her almost feel like breaking down right there right then, the male chuckled.

“It’s really late, you should go back.” He added sliding to sit at the edge of the stairs mimicking her posture, he stared out into the cold lifeless scenery. Not much was out there except for the low wooing of an owl and the howling wind harmonizing.

“Don’t want to, I hate it there.” Her lips visibly pouted slightly, earning another chuckle and roll of his eyes. “Want to talk about it?”

There, left a bleak silence that was suffocating for Selene. She sensed his pity and that was one thing she abhorred from anyone; she didn’t want anyone’s sympathy. It made her feel worse.

“I know you barely know me, and we haven’t introduced properly but…”

“-from what you’ve seen, am I- do I always have?” She took a deep breath before continuing. “I mean do I look depressed all the time?” not moving her eyes she kept a focus on a fickle of bushes down below near the main courtyard.

“You want the truth though?”

Selene thought for a couple of seconds she, did want the honest truth. No window dressing, no friendly white lies. “Yeah.”

“Then yes. It’s visible on your face.” The boy murmured he continued extending his answer, “But in my opinion, it’s mostly visible through your eyes.” Selene felt weak. Her body shaking slightly. She wasn’t sure if it was the cold or her feeling vulnerable.

“They’re so sorrowful; Crying out. Pleading to be saved.” He sensed her sensitivity and stopped. He could have continued ahead; the male was observing her the whole day. Not once had she smiled. Her eyes showed no optimism.

“Sorry, I never asked for your name. its so rude of me.” She sniffled drying her face after a long relentless minute of lull. He let her have the peace content with just sitting as equals next to one another. No competition. No looking down upon one another. He liked it; He appreciated it.

“It’s alright. Its Yangyang. Liu Yangyang.”

“Selene, Adams.” The witch finally turned to glance at him and introduce herself properly. The feature that grabbed her attention was his fervent eyes. Selene didn’t know what brown was when she saw the marbles glistening from the cool rays of the moon. They held the colour of soil after a coppice downfall. And the metallic warm of copper flakes sprinkled between depths.

“Your name, it’s after the goddess of the moon. Selene.” Selene glanced away, Yangyang seemed to know a great deal about astronomy and astral knowledge. She nodded confirming his words.

“Yeah my mother’s maternal family names everyone based on astral terms.” Shifting she let her feet slide off the edge and dangle downwards like his. He noticed the physical sign of acceptance.  

“The blacks?” once he uttered selenes family name she turned to face him, a surprise evident on her face, “You know of them?”  

“I’m familiar of their legacy. Its really their tradition. To name children after astral beings and stars. Afterall they were one of the most noble and ancient wizarding houses.” Yangyang spoke with a shimmer in his eyes. He really knew a lot about them. Selene felt uneasy.

“I’m not going until you go back. Who know what might be out here?” changing the subject again he glanced down across the fields of evergreen trees. “Hogwarts students are so very lucky; the scenery is so beautiful here. Even at night.”

“You don’t have forests?”

“Durmstrang is surrounded by marble snow mountains, we have hills but not of forests so green.” He quickly glanced back at Selene grinning before marvelling at the sight before him. It looked like something out of a panting.

“Must get really cold.” Selene smiled a little at his gaping expression.

 [12th October]

“I’m late for class, Yangyang.” Selene was trying to get out of the companionship of the noticeably older and whining boy.

“Why can’t we go down to the lake, the first task is there.” He groaned tugging at selenes robes. He slipped the books slyly off her hold grabbing them tightly. Watching Selene jump to collect them off him “And its in 3 days. What time is it?”

Stopping his antics he looked at the watch resting on his wrist making sure to cover the armlet set just above his left wrist. “10:01” he grinned at her giving most of her books back. “Fuck, I’m late.” She groaned. “Yangyang this is your fault.” Smirking he spoke back sharply “And I’ll make sure your professor knows that.” He held onto the heavy textbook leading her to the class she was heading to.

“Professor Flitwick won’t like it.”

As she got to the doorway of the class she was scheduled for, she bid the tall boy goodbye. “I’ll meet you in the great hall for lunch, alright?” taking her bulky textbooks off him.

“You two have gotten very close, as close as sea slugs, right?” lyra nudged Selene smiling when the latter rolled her eyes. “He asked me to take him on tours of the castle. I accepted that’s all.”

“Right, definitely.”

The class was going extremely boringly. As usual professor Flitwick was taking all the time in the world to explain how the accio charm works. Some students were in awe by the charm, but Selene -now almost asleep and yawning- found this to be first year level. Her and Scorpius had been using the summoning charm ever since they were eight.

It was getting close to the end of class, and Professor Flitwick was still explaining the theory, Selene was so tired from the lack of sleeping well she decided to set her head down, fluttering her eyes shut to rest. She had lost track of time in her slumber.

“Miss Adams! since you’re so intensively attentive in my important class would you like to demonstrate how the spell works by summoning the book on the top shelf?” the sudden call of her name had shocked her awake.

There were sounded whispers and smug chuckles, the words echoed ‘half-blood’, ‘No ability’. Ignoring the voices, Selene stood shuffling to the ready stance lifting her wand she pointed it at the object above. “Accio, book.”

The book sat vibrating for half a second then released itself off the shelf and was sent flying towards the grasp of selenes hand.

“Well, it seems you can summon well. Just do keep your eyes open and pay attention.”

Lyra gave her a wink and a cheeky grin. “Well done!” she whispered when the umber haired witch sat next to her smiling.

“What I’d do to be out there right now.” Selene wistfully wished, she glanced out the ancient stained glass of the class windows. The almond shape letting her catch a view of the lake and forbidden forest.

“Yeah with the good looking durmstrang boy.” Jinny hissed entering their conversation. She had made up with Selene a couple of days after the incident on the introductory celebration. Though the two were avoiding Ravelle who was recently getting on jinny’s nerves too.

“it’s not about that.”

“Oh sure it isn’t. Your mood has slightly gotten better. only because you’ve been hanging out with him.” Selene scoffed; the statement was comically taken by her.

“I think it’s gotten better because I haven’t seen Ravelle and the other croaking frogs she’s around, not because of Yangyang.”

“First name basis already? Selene has fallen!” lyra squealed as quietly as she could, “It just proves my point.” Said girl smirked, pushing the ashy brown locks away from her eyes.

“I’d be careful though.” Jinny added, Selene was about to but in and shut her up. “No, I mean it. Durmstrang teaches the dark arts, they’ve been known to have the darkest wizards and death eaters of all time.” Selene nodded but she didn’t really care for her warnings.

Like Scorpius, her own family came from death eaters and have been known to use dark magic. They were notorious for the handling and the casting of sorcery so dark it was illegal. I wasn’t unfamiliar to it.

“I’ll be fine, Jinsoul. You don’t need to baby me.” She lifted her books slipping them into her bag as she heard the professor signify the end of class.

She was the first to leave the class carelessly not caring to ask the professor, Jinsoul was quite shocked to say the least. Selene was acting strangely.

@ajuniceuajuniceu​ @kkuljungwoo​ @sensiblebutch​ @kangkinoa​ @nctzen2020​ @mystic-jungkook​ @merryandhappylele​ @bcbymingi​ @mochischeeks  @rilakunma​ @jaehyunspaghetti​ @commentgirl​ @99jjh​ @johnnys-wifeu​ @misaraem @apricottulips​ @h2ogamergirl @angelsnowflake​ 

[justanotherlifeff]

Levi Ackerman × reader

Genre: Angst, Hurt/comfort, Fluff, matured themes, slowburn

Warning: There's mentions and descriptions of underage rape and suicidal themes and self harm and other triggering stuff.

No one's POV

Year 845: The day when wall Maria fell

"(Y/N)! Thomas! It's time for breakfast!" Gloria shouted from the dining room. Thomas, (Y/N)'s father, was sitting with (Y/N) in the living room. One of them busy with paperwork and the other with an interesting book borrowed from Erwin. (Y/N) didn't have training sessions with Erwin for a while, as he was on an expedition. He was supposed to return by now, but, he would be going to Wall Rose directly. (Y/N) kept her book down and followed her father out of the room to the dining room. "(Y/N), I cooked potato pancakes for you. Aren't they your favourite?" Gloria, (Y/N)'s mother told (Y/N) with a smile.

"Thank you" (Y/N) said softly, with her usual frown etched up on her face. It pained both Gloria and Thomas (L/N) that their adoptive daughter, no, they saw (Y/N) as nothing less than their own child, couldn't show emotions properly. It started after the incident with Jacob, one that they regretted ever since it happened. Only if they had the faintest idea of what that wretched man was doing to their beloved daughter... They consulted doctors from wall Rose to make sure (Y/N) is back to normal but the doctors only told them to be careful and not let (Y/N) get hold sharp objects.

They assumed (Y/N)'s aggression had something to do with her past in the underground, much like her self harming habits. They didn't know, however, that this would only push (Y/N) away from them. It's true that (Y/N) couldn't show emotions properly, but, that didn't mean the (L/N)s would love her any less. The day passed by normally, and just as Gloria was washing their plates for lunch, with the help of (Y/N), there was the sound of a huge explosion. "Gloria, stay with (Y/N) inside the house. I'll go see what that was" Thomas told the two of them before getting out. They waited for about fifteen minutes before a Garrison soldier knocked at their home.

"The wall of Shiganshina is breached! Gloria-san, your husband is helping with the evacuation. We need you to go to the barracks and gear up." the soldier said hastily. "Okay. Cadet Schultz, take (Y/N) to the evacuation boats. I'll catch up later" Gloria told him calmly. (Y/N) was witnessing everything. She knew enough about titans. She read about them in the books of Erwin's library. "Mom, I want to go with you" she told Gloria. Gloria looked at (Y/N)'s eyes, surprised that her eyes showed more emotions than she ever saw her express. There was fear, concern, love... "Honey, it's dangerous. I promise I'll be back before you know it with your dad." Gloria smiled as she felt (Y/N) hug her tightly. She knew that the chances of making through this was low. Very low. "Go now. We will be fine." she told (Y/N) before sending her off to the boats.

(Y/N) was sitting on the boat, hugging her legs. There were too many people here and she couldn't see any of her parents. There were no other soldiers here on this boat. "Maybe the soldiers are coming on a different boat?" (Y/N) thought. When the boat docked in Wall Rose, (Y/N) saw Erwin Smith standing there on the dockyard. She pushed through the crowd to go to him. When she reached him, she asked, "Are my mom and dad okay? Where are they?". "(Y/N), we don't have news about the soldiers fighting there yet. We will know by the next day. Right now, I need you to come with me. You won't be staying with the refugees as it is not safe. I arranged a home for you. You'll get good food, good clothes and a good place to sleep there." Erwin explained with a smile.

(Y/N) held his hand and went to the place he mentioned. It was a government run orphanage. Erwin mentioned that he had to pay money to let them take an extra child at this time. The matron looked like a kind motherly looking woman to (Y/N). "Be nice to everyone. Okay? I'll bring news about your parents as soon as I can." Erwin told (Y/N) with a kind smile before he left. (Y/N) remembered that something like this happened before.

"Don't be scared. You are safe now. No one will hurt you again." the blonde man told (Y/N) as he used a hairpin to unlock her cuffs. (Y/N) was huddled into a corner, scared that these men will take advantage of her like every other time. "It's okay. Everything will be okay. What's your name dear?" he asked with the same kind smile. "(Y/N)" (Y/N) managed to croak out. "Nice to meet you, (Y/N). I'm Erwin. Everything is going to be okay." he said, smiling. Everything didn't become okay.

"Was it happening again?" (Y/N) thought. "No. It can't be happening. They promised me that they will be back" (Y/N) brushed away the thought.

The next day

It was dawn. (Y/N) was sleeping on the bed assigned to her. The other children didn't talk to her yet as she spent most of her time in the matron's office. The matron was an amazing woman. She was nice to (Y/N), tried to give her as mental support as possible and made food almost as tasty as her mother. "(Y/N) dear? Wake up. Erwin Smith is here..." the matron called (Y/N), her face concerned. The whole orphanage was quiet, none of the other children were awake yet. (Y/N) walked towards the matron's office with the matron, a walk that seemed to go on for eternity. When she reached, (Y/N) saw Erwin sitting there, looking tired. "(Y/N)..." he started but (Y/N) interjected by saying, "They are dead, aren't they?".

There was no visible emotions in (Y/N)'s eyes. After all, she felt dead. Just her body was still functioning. It happened again. "Yes. Your parents died heroically, saving many citizens with their lives" Erwin told her, trying to make her proud. "They broke their promise. They left me too. They are no different from other people. They are just as bad as everyone else." (Y/N) stated, as if she was in a daze. "(Y/N), I'm sorry.." Erwin tried to say but (Y/N) stopped him. "It's not your fault, uncle Erwin. It's them." she told him, before walking to the bathroom. "I need something sharp..." she thought as she searched the bathroom for a blade.

A week later

The matron introduced (Y/N) to the other children as she decided that (Y/N) couldn't curl up in her office with a book forever. After all, (Y/N) was a permanent resident. There were twenty other children in the small orphanage. (Y/N) of course, didn't give any heed to their names at first because, of course, it was all pointless. What was the point of being alive anyway? What did she have left? Except her uncle Erwin? She was sure that he was strong enough to deal with her death anyway. He was the one who made her as strong as she is now.

It's because of him, she's still fighting. After the matron went away, telling (Y/N) to talk to the other kids, (Y/N) simply went to a corner of the room and start reading the book in her hand. It was the books and the agony in her body from the cuts she made on herself that kept her mind at bay from the death of her parents. She, of course, stole bandages from the matron's office to keep the bleeding at bay so that she wouldn't die. The cuts weren't too deep, just deep enough to sting for a whole day and heal up. She just had to make more cuts after it healed up.

"Oi brat, you think a newbie like you can just sit and read shit without working?" a young boy, much bigger than (Y/N) walked towards her, with another girl and a boy with him, all of them bigger than her. (Y/N) merely looked up from the book with a vacant expression. "Don't give me this look, you shit! Go do the dishes!" he shouted. "Isn't the matron supposed to assign chores? I remember doing mine this morning." (Y/N) answered to him calmly. "Listen, newbie, we make the rules here. Go do the dishes!" the leader of the group tried to speak in a menacing voice.

"I refuse to do it unless the matron asks me to" (Y/N) simply answered but just as she did, the boy took the book from her hand and tore it in half. "You two, get her" he ordered the other two kids who started kicking (Y/N). (Y/N) could’ve easily beaten them up but she remembered the advice from Erwin. "Be nice to everyone" he said. (Y/N) didn't flinch even when they hit her in the areas with cuts, she was accustomed to pain. After all, she always had these habits and also went through training with Erwin.

These went on for a week. When those kids, Sean (the leader), Lena (the girl) and Paul (the other boy) found out that (Y/N) doesn't react to beatings, they started picking up on her in different ways. One day, they poured horse shit in her drawer full of clothes. The other day, they burnt all her books. (Y/N) still didn't move from her decision to do their chores for them. After a week, Erwin came to visit. Erwin decided to visit (Y/N) every week, to brush up on her training. Her training was complete before the fall of wall Maria, but, he still decided to spar with her sometimes, so that she wouldn't loose her practice.

Erwin also was fond of the small girl, almost as if she was his own daughter. It's true, Pixis asked him to train her in the first place and also got (Y/N) the place in the orphanage using his power in Trost, however, as Erwin trained her, he realized that she was going to be a deadly weapon if she ever joined the military, or the survey corps. Erwin, however, wasn't keen on her joining the survey corps due to the mortality rate. He didn't want (Y/N) to die as she was almost like the daughter he never had. Erwin was a ruthless person but, (Y/N) seemed to be one of the very few soft spots he had. As he sat in the matron's office, he saw a calm but angry looking (Y/N) enter the room. He figured something was wrong. "(Y/N), is everything okay?" was his first question to her.

"I don't like this place." (Y/N) simply replied. "Why is it? Did someone bother you?" Erwin asked, concerned. (Y/N) explained everything that happened in the past week to Erwin. "Why didn't you fight back then?" Erwin asked, quiet surprised that (Y/N) took a few beatings. (Y/N) wasn't the type of person who would take beatings without counterattacking. At least that was how it was during training. "You told me to be nice to everyone" (Y/N) grumbled. "Well, did you complain to the matron?" Erwin asked. "I did. She scolded them but that only increased the problem" (Y/N) explained.

"I see. Well, I know I told you to be nice to everyone but that doesn't mean you won't use self defence when required." Erwin advised. "So, I can beat them up?" (Y/N) asked, with an evil glint in her eyes. "Yes but stay in your limits. Don't make any permanent injury." Erwin said cautiously. (Y/N) was still a kid and kids couldn't be trusted much when they are angry. "Oh don't worry. I'll just scare them a bit." (Y/N) answered with a sly smile that worried Erwin even more. With that, they went to a nearby field to brush up on the training by sparring.

That night, (Y/N) sneaked into the matron's office to find a stack of newspapers. She saw the stack in the matron's shelf before when she took a book from there when she first arrived. After searching for a while, she found the newspaper she was looking for, the one from 6 years back. The one with the news of the murder of Jacob. After taking the newspaper, (Y/N) sneaked into the kitchen to get a knife.

She walked into the boy's dormitory to find Sean sleeping on his bed. "Oi, Sean" (Y/N) called out. "Huh? What?" Sean got up, still sleepy. "What the hell are you doing here. Are you really itching to get beaten?" he growled after seeing it was (Y/N) who called him. "I don't intend to have a single scratch by you on my body, Sean. However, I can't say the same for you" (Y/N) answered, putting in a psychotic smile on her face as she brought her knife out in the open as it glinted in the moonlight coming from the window in the room. The whole room of boys were awake now. (Y/N) suddenly threw the knife backwards, which stuck to a bed post along with the fabric of the night shirt of Paul near his hand, thus keeping his hand in place.

Paul was white with fear as it happened and (Y/N) simply said, "Paul, don't try to move or come at me with the knife. It's going to get in your stomach in that case". She then threw the Newspaper at the now intimidated Sean's face before saying, " Read the headline.". The whole room of boys were watching, scared by (Y/N)'s sudden change in demeanour. "8 year old brutally kills soldier". Sean read before pausing. "(Y/N) (L/N), an 8 year old child from the Shiganshina district, killed Jacob Meyer, a garrison soldier from Thomas (L/N), (Y/N) (L/N)'s adoptive father's squad. Jacob's eyes were gauged out and throat was slit and his head was almost severed by what seemed like at least 20 stabs. About (Y/N) (L/N)'s past, all that is known is that she was rescued from a whorehouse in the upper class pleasure district in the underground..." Sean continued but his voice faded.

(Y/N)'s picture was drawn on the newspaper. They had no idea who they were messing with. "Well, that's enough. Now answer me, who else wants to end up like that piece of garbage?" (Y/N) asked in a cold voice. No one answered. "That's a good choice. Now," (Y/N) started as she moved towards Paul and pulled the knife out of the bedpost, "all of you, don't mention that I was here tonight. And yes, no one will be listening to these two worthless garbage here anymore or their so called friend. No one will do one extra work than what's assigned to them by the matron. Am I clear?" (Y/N) finished. Some kids were crying as they were intimidated but all of them nodded or muttered yes. "Good. Oh, and, don't bother me when I'm reading. Just leave me alone okay?" (Y/N) told before leaving the room with the newspaper and the knife so that she can keep those in place again without anyone realising.

Year 847:

It had been two years since (Y/N) started living in the orphanage. After that day, no one messed with (Y/N) again, and, no one listened to those three bullies ever again either. However, every good thing always came to an end. "Commander Smith, (Y/N) is already 16 years old. She's an adult now and we usually look for a groom for anyone who is of age in our orphanage. If you gave me the permission, I would've looked for someone suitable" the matron told Erwin. Erwin was called to the orphanage after (Y/N)'s so called 16th birthday according to her birth certificate. "Well, I suppose? I just didn't think that she will get married so soon..." Erwin started but (Y/N), who was also sitting in the room and listening to the conversation, stopped him and said, "Exactly. I am not getting married so soon.".

"But (Y/N), you're of age and it's against orphanage policies..." the matron started but was interrupted by (Y/N) as she said, "I understand that. I'm joining the military.". "(Y/N), you are not joining the military." Erwin simply answered. "Why not? Am I not of age? Am I not allowed to make decisions now? If I'm old enough to get married, why am I not allowed to join the military?" (Y/N) asked casually. "(Y/N), it's dangerous unless if you join the military police." Erwin sighed. He knew where it was going. "You really think I will join the military police, Uncle Erwin? I'm joining the Survey Corps. I'll kill those bastards who took my parents away from me." (Y/N) said as the matron shouted, "Language (Y/N)!".

"Very well. I have to ask you though, (Y/N). Could you die if you're asked to?" Erwin asked (Y/N). "Depends on why you are asking me to die. If the reason is valid enough, then I am ready." (Y/N) answered. "Well, (Y/N), on missions, I can't look out after you. I might have to send you to your death if required because on expeditions, I'm your commander, not your uncle." Erwin told (Y/N) coldly. "I understand." (Y/N) answered. She enlisted to the 104th trainee corps the next day. "I won't let myself be hurt again" she thought as she wore her uniform, leaving the orphanage for good. The (Y/N) from four years back didn't know that it will keep happening again (Jacob) and again (death of parents) and again (death of squad Levi) and... Again...

To be continued...

Taglist: @reality-is-often-disappointing, @kingtamakimurder

[lovebitesimagines]

Dangerous Love- The Meadow.

Chapter five is finally here! I hope you guys enjoy.

Masterlist.

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]

Tags: @namelesslosers @happyhostforsymbiotes @brianaisasongbird

Wanna be on the tag list for this series? Lemme know!

Fluffy chapter!

It’s time for your first, proper date with Alfie. What will happen?

YOUR POV 

You awoke the next day, your eyes heavy with sleep. Adrenaline had rushed through your veins as you had snuck your way back into your hotel room, concealing yourself in the shadows and holding your breath as avoid making a sound, fearful that your breathing would reveal your secret. You had laid awake in bed for several hours, falling asleep for a brief moment at a time. You eventually surrendered to the fact that a full night sleep would not be embracing you, as the birds sang their introduction to the morning, the city beginning to slowly stir from its slumber. 

Extracting yourself from your bed, a groan escaping from your lips as you stretched, attempting to shake off the exhaustion that clung to your limbs. You sluggishly made your way to the bathroom, the cold tiles biting at your feet as you made your way to the bathtub. The room was a lot more extravagant than what you were used too. Tiles in a variety of tones adorned the walls and floor, stinging your worn-out eyes. The bathtub was a pristine shade of white, untainted. Turning the tap, you watched as the water rapidly shot out onto the porcelain, steam rising as the heat increased. You lowered yourself into the tub, your muscles warming as it was kissed by heated water. 

You couldn’t quite comprehend the fact, that in a short while you would be going on a date with Alfie Solomons. The idea seemed so wonderful and remarkable, that you had to pinch yourself to realise it wasn’t a figment of your imagination. You speculated upon where Alfie would be taking you this afternoon, and why he had chosen the docks as the destination for your meeting. Several theories flashed through your mind, each more preposterous than the last.

You spent several minutes scrubbing yourself clean, with rose scented soap, sitting in the bath until the water became cold around you. Standing up, you reached for the towel and dried yourself off, before beginning to get dressed. You had opted to wear a light blue dress, with a matching shawl and sunhat, which complimented your complexion perfectly. You sprayed some perfume onto your skin, before nervously applying your signature red lipstick. You apprehensively glanced in the mirror, critiquing your appearance. You swore bags where already forming under your eyes, a sure sign that you have had a lack of sleep. You couldn’t mask the nerves you felt, your feelings evident upon your face. What if Alfie didn’t show up? What if you couldn’t get out of the hotel, without your brothers throwing a million questions in your direction? You tried to push the cynical thoughts to the back of your mind, as you nervously made your way from the room. 

Stood beside your door, as expected, was a young, adolescent boy who had been tasked with guarding your room. He stood with his hands in his pockets, his posture straightening as he saw you exit your room.

“Where are you heading off to miss?” he asked, the break in his voice giving away his nerves. 

“Absolutely none of your fucking business” you responded, your voice snappier than normal, as you begun to make your way down the corridor and towards the entrance. 

Although guilt threatened to gnaw away at your stomach, you had grown tired of your siblings constant meddling, and unwarranted need to protect you. Sure, you were a member of one of the most notorious families in Birmingham, and due to that you couldn’t avoid danger. But you had shown yourself that you were able to cope with the trouble that stalked you and your family, on more than one occasion. You paused as you reached the door, turning to face the young boy who stood bewildered looking at you.

“My brothers may be frightening, but trust me when I say, I’m on a whole new level. If you tell anyone, I’ll kill you myself” you announced, before pushing open the door and making your way outside.  

You stood motionless in disbelief for a brief second, amazed that you had been able to make it outside so easily. The sun blazed up above you, your eyes squinting slightly as you began to make your way north to the docks. The streets where congested, swarms of people frantically going about their day. You blended in wonderfully. No one noticed the nervous young woman in a blue dress. 

Your hands ran along the sides of walls as you moved through the alleyways, the stones rough under your fingers. The buildings towering above you supplied you with shadows, which you gratefully hid in. A soft smirk played upon your lips, as you realised this was quickly becoming a habit of yours. 

The smell of the docks hit you first, the odour of fish and salt water making your nose wrinkle. The noise of the streets behind you became stifled, before fading out altogether. Nerves grew rapidly in your stomach, a feeling you had neglected when you were focused upon finding your destination. Now the silence had given you an opportunity to dwell upon any doubts you had. 

What if Alfie wasn’t there? What if this wasn’t the right thing to do? What if your brothers found out? What would they do if they did? What if-

Then you saw him. You saw him, and all your doubts quickly evaporated from your mind. He was stood with his back to you, cane in one hand and a wicker basket in the other. He wore a white shirt, which was tucked into a pair of black trousers, his hat placed upon his head. You made your way over to him, Alfie seemingly oblivious to your footsteps coming up from behind him. 

“Alfie?” you spoke gently as you announced your arrival. He turned to face you, his face breaking into a wide grin.

“’Ello angel. Ya’ look fuckin’ sensational” he stated, his eyes taking in your appearance, “Ready?”. You nodded in response, following Alfie to where a small row boat was docked. You watched as he carefully placed the picnic basket in the middle, before he held out his arm for you to hold. You gripped onto it, shakily lowering yourself into the boat.

“Where are we going?” you asked, watching as he sat opposite you. You smoothed out the wrinkles on your dress, nervously biting at your cheek. 

“Now that would be givin’ away the secret angel. Ya’ just gonna’ ‘ave to wait and see, right?” he chuckled softly as he grabbed the oars, pushing them down into the water, the boat beginning to slowly drift away.

Silence settled peacefully as you made your way to the secret destination. The water beneath you was a dark shade of blue, small waves breaking and rippling against the sides of the boat. The docks soon became a speck on the horizon behind you, the landscape transforming into various shades of green. Emerald trees stood proudly against the edge of the water, verdant fields spread out behind them. You were focused upon the landscape, your eyes alight with wonder, astonished at the beauty that was before you. You were used to the dark surroundings of Small Heath, so everything before you now seemed magical. There were so few areas of this shade of green, in your home town. 

“We’re here” Alfie announced, the boat coming to a stop against a river bank. He leaned forward, grabbing the picnic basket as he made his way out the boat, assisting you as you stood out onto the grass. He led you down a narrow, muddy path, the long grass either side ticking your knees as you walked. It grew dim around you, a few sun rays escaping through the leaves above you. You continued to walk in silence, nerves cruelly stealing your words.

A few minutes later, you broke out into a small, secluded meadow. You gasped softly, as you took in the sights around you. The meadow looked as if it belonged in the pages of a storybook, one you had stolen from Aunt Pol. The grass was a vivacious green, grazing your ankles. An abundance of flowers lay sprinkled within blades of grass- daisies, dandelions, foxgloves- creating a rainbow splattered along the meadow. The trees enclosed the meadow in a circle, a few leaves scattered amongst the grass. In the distance, you could just about make out a few mountains, their haggard grey contrasting against the skyline. 

“It’s beautiful” you admitted in a whisper, looking at Alfie. “How did you find such a place?”

“I used to come here, yeah, when I was a young ‘un” Alfie begun to explain, lowering himself onto a small patch of grass. The tone of his voice had a hint of warning too it, implying that this topic was not one he wanted to discuss. You sat beside him, your fingers running through the grass, feeling the blades lightly tickle your palms. Alfie opened up the picnic basket, a nervous glance thrown in your direction. “Right, don’t laugh at what I made ya. I’m not exactly a chef angel”.

You peered into the basket, your eyes widening in surprise as you saw the copious amounts of food Alfie had placed inside. There where boiled eggs, a selection of meat slices, baby potatoes, and slices of thick, white bread, with two flasks of tea tucked away in the corner. The care and effort Alfie had put into this picnic, was evident.

 “Please tell me ya’ ain’t one of those fucking vegetarians” Alfie chuckled, stroking his beard to hide his anxiety. You shook your head, an amused giggle escaping from in between your lips.

“No, I’m not. This looks amazing Alfie” you admitted, amazed that he had put this much effort in. You had wrongly assumed that the tough exterior he so proudly wore, was who he truly was. You couldn’t have been more wrong. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You had spent the afternoon eating and talking, conversation flowing easily between the two of you. You had learned a little more about Alfie, how he had spent his whole life in London. He spoke about the city, his words creating an enchanting picture in your mind. It was clear how proud he was, and how happy he was in his world. Yet an underlying sadness in his words had stayed hidden, not to be discussed. 

You were laying back on the grass, your stomach full of the delicious food Alfie had prepared. Your (Y/C/H) hair was fanned out around you, your sunhat laying discarded to your side. The last of the heat from the afternoon sun was warming your face, your eyes closed in relaxation. You heard Alfie lay down beside you, grunting quietly as the grass rustled against his weight. His fingers moved against the ground, before they entangled with yours. Your heart beat quickened, pounding like a drum against your chest. Your skin prickled happily at the contact with Alfie.

“Thank you. For today” you whispered, breaking the silence between you both. You turned to face Alfie, untangling your fingers from his. You propped your head on your hand, running your fingers along Alfies’ forearm.

“No problem angel. I think ya’ fuckin’ worth treating, right” Alfie confessed, shivering slightly at your touch. You smiled softly at his words, before a gentle sigh escaped from your lips.

“We need to leave soon. My brothers will have a search party out for me otherwise” you stated, the reality of the situation beginning to sink in. You couldn’t believe that a romantic relationship between you and Alfie would ever work. As much as you wanted it to happen, it was a far-fetched fantasy that you had foolishly engaged with for too long. If your brothers found out, they would kill Alfie. 

“Fuck ‘em” Alfie growled, his words firm. He turned to face you, mimicking your posture. His forehead was creased into a frown, his eyes meeting yours. “I fuckin’ like ya, right? I ain’t gonna let this go to waste, I ain’t gonna let this get fuckin’ ruined by nobody. I didn’t expect to fuckin’ fall for ya’, yeah, as quick as I have. I will fight for ya’, I will fight for us. Only if ya’ are too”. 

His words rang out around the meadow before settling between you both, the meaning apparent. 

“Tell me ya’ don’t feel the same, and I will leave angel, right” his voice became softer, as he shuffled closer to you, his gaze never breaking away from yours. He reached out, gently stroking your hair, before tucking a strand behind your ear. You swallowed nervously, your heart beat quickening.

“I can’t. I can’t tell you that” your voice croaked, nerves getting the better of you. “I can’t lie to you”.

Without warning, Alfie pressed his lips against yours. You blinked a couple of times in surprise, before your eyelids fluttered close and you melted against him. The kiss was intense, your fingers leaving indents in Alfies arms as you clung to him, your lips parting as his tongue slid gently into your mouth. Your heart raced as your lips moved in sync with each other. You pulled away breathlessly a few moments later, your cheeks flushed as your eyes met Alfies’.  

A million words that could have been spoken in that moment, lay unsaid around you both.

Words were not needed.

You knew that you were now Alfies’. And Alfie was now yours.

*****************************************************************************************************

ALFIES POV

Alfie hadn’t felt nerves like this before, the kind that caused explosions in his stomach and made him lay awake at night. He hadn’t experienced a trembling hand, or a skipped heartbeat. Then he met you, and his whole world was turning upside down. He had expected you to return his suit jacket. He had expected to see you that evening, yet he wasn’t prepared for how he felt when he did see you. 

The idea of dating a Shelby had at first seemed preposterous, Ollie attempting to persuade Alfie to ignore the idea. Bad for business, he had told him. Yet Alfie couldn’t help but fall head first, regardless of the danger he would bound to experience. 

He wanted to make sure that your first, proper date was nothing less than perfect. He wanted to impress you, to make you want to see him again as much as he wanted to see you. Alfie was well and truly addicted to you.

Alfie had asked Ollie for advice, much to his dismay. Alfie wasn’t exactly talented in the kitchen. He was more used to wining and dining his conquests in fancy restaurants. But you were different. You deserved something special, something that would create a beautiful memory in your mind. Ollie had assisted Alfie with the collection and preparation of the food items, something simple yet exquisite at the same time. 

He knew exactly where he wanted to take you, somewhere that was special to him. A secret meadow he had discovered as a child, when he was on the run from the blood that was being shed in his family and would soon leave him alone. It was where he would escape during times of hardship. His own special world.

When Alfie was waiting for you at the docks, time seemed to drag far too slowly for his liking. He watched as the workers moved around him, ignoring the man who was stood like a statue. The picnic basket felt heavy in his hand, weighing him down slightly as time moved on. He tried to push down the cruel thoughts that played in his mind. Will you like what he had planned? Will you turn up?

Then he heard your voice. Then he saw you, and his world begun to spin as if it were on a beachside merry-go-round. Alfie couldn’t take his eyes off you, your beauty completely entrancing him. He dug his fingernails into the palm of his hand, to prove to him that this wasn’t a dream. Alfie was comfortable with the peaceful silence between you both, as you made your way to the lakeside. He watched as your eyes took in the landscape, becoming wide with childish wonder as you witnessed things you had never seen before. It made his heart warm, in a way it never had.

Alfie felt relieved when you enjoyed the food he had prepared; a weight being lifted off his shoulders as he watched crumbs collect upon your lap. He smiled at the way you licked your lips, collecting any remaining morsels. He was glad that you weren’t stuck up, or too fussed about your appearance. He was growing tired of women who spent countless hours tweaking their hair or makeup and were unable to hold a conversation. You were different. You were new. 

“We need to leave soon. My brothers will have search party out for me otherwise”.

Alfies heart sunk at your words, threatening to break into a million pieces. He felt his throat tighten with an unfamiliar emotion. He just wanted to be free with you, to live your lives together. He hated that your brothers would always be a threat.

“Fuck ‘em. I fuckin’ like ya, right? I ain’t gonna let this go to waste, I ain’t gonna let this get fuckin’ ruined by nobody. I didn’t expect to fuckin’ fall for ya’, yeah, as quick as I have. I will fight for ya’, I will fight for us. Only if ya’ are too”. 

His heart threatened to rip out of his chest, with each quick paced beat. 

“Tell me ya’ don’t feel the same, and I will leave angel, right”.

Alfie told himself that he would understand if you didn’t feel the same. He would leave you alone, as much as the idea killed him inside. His throat continued to tighten.

“I can’t. I can’t tell you that. I can’t lie to you”.

His heart lifted at your words. He took one look into your eyes, before his lips crashed against yours. Alfie hadn’t felt a kiss like this before. Electricity ran through him, his skin warming at your touch. Your lips fitted well together and moved in sync. His tongue slid against yours, his hands beginning to tremble as he ignored the twitch in his groin. Alfie savoured the taste that lingered upon his lips, as you pulled away.

Silence.

He knew. 

He knew you were his now.

And he knew that he would fight for you, until the very end.

[icefrozendeadlyqueen]

Twisted Creed: Chapter 27 - Assignments

Rosaliana's POV.

Tuesday, October, 27th 1868.

"Do we agreed?", Rose spokes up as everyone nods. The RedBurst finish up changing into their Templar costumes. Everything from their black and red coat to their unhappy expressions. A sympathetic smile covered my lips, "RedBurst. You need to accompany Rose into Kaylock's territory while she speaks with him. You are to search nonstop; turn the place upside down if you have too. Don't let anything undiscovered".

They nodded my way finishing up their outfits, "The rest of RedBurst will separate. One part will stay here in London helping Layla cover more ground; however, the ones left will go back into the forest. You'll come back in a two month times or when Rose goes get you. Stay aware that the blighters are out and searching for all of you".

A part of them runs offs into small paddle boats. The London's sun it's at its highest signaling the afternoon. I glance back at Rose, "Go. You know what to do with Kaylock".

William was the first one to opposed, "Rexford is no friend of ours. We should blame his death on others then place our judgment on him. We don't want to grow unwanted suspicion".

William's words sink into my mind for a couple of seconds. I plan out once again on that time while Rose glares daggers at William. Rose has been wanting to kill Rexford Kaylock for a very long time. She lost her chance of Rupert Ferris; however, I did promise her that she will kill Kaylock. Rexford and Rose never got along very well.

"A Lethal dose, Rose. Before that remind him who he is dealing with. Do remember to give him a chance while alive and well. Be the last thing he sees before he dies, so fear is the last thing he comprehends",  Rose nods my way as William sighs heavily. He didn't like the idea at hand; however, I'm not going around pleasing anyone. I'm giving out to do list.

"Be home by d-", I was interrupted once again by an O'Brien. A deep breath left my lips as I wait for their words, "With all due respect, Lady Rosaliana. Do you believe Rose is the best option on this assignment?". I look up at none other than William O'Brien. Rose glares back at him without holding back anymore, "Say another word, O'Brien. The only think you'll see is my face while I shove the poison down your throat".

William stops himself from speaking another word. I glance between Rose to William than to Will O'Brien to Rose. Lady Fantasy is at a corner ignored the commotion. She is really good at ignoring her surroundings when she wants too.

  Deep down, I wish I was able to ignore this commotion. Should I let them kill each other? Well, it would give me something to laugh about for the rest of the day. It will pull back my plans to talk to Kaylock, and probably amused me too much. Should I put effort at knowing who the Grant Master Templar is? No.

They'll die sooner or later. It won't make any difference if I get to know them. I should really pay attention in case William is already dead. I'll bet on Rose beating either Kaylock or William. It sounds like a new years resolution.

I pay all of my undying attention to the group. Rose is almost shouting at William. He stands her ground, "We all know, you are careless". All eyes fall onto William. His tone was so sure of everything he was saying. I had to appreciate how stupid that remark was, "William that you don't see Rose do her work which she is a boss at. Doesn't mean she is bad and careless", I spoke out because I saw Rose taking out her thin metallic stick.

They may look as inoffensive as her adorable features; however, those things carry poison. Something Rose is really good at. It's thin because is easy to carry around plus it's as sharp as a knife. It can easily be hidden away from the wandering eyes. She might seem as gentle as a Rose. Never judge the book by it's cover.

What it uncovers outside will traumatize you. There is nothing Rose can't get done for me. I am one lucky powerful woman.

A smile lingers on my lips as Rose and the RedBurst dress as Templars leave. I glance at the O'Brien brothers, "You are staying at your post, Will". I inform him as he nods, "Gaining information from Templars is my specialty, my lass".

I roll my eyes at his failed imitation of a pirate. A glance at his brother, "She'll be alright, William. Rose is very good at what she does".

William looks at me with a look of worry, "Which is?", he asks me as I shake my head, "Murdering people. We have been doing this for many years, and now you realize this". A chuckle left William's lips as he shakes his head, "No, I am just worried that she'll be careless".

"You'll stay at your post, William". He sighs heavily as my words reach his ears, "Can't I accompany, Rose? She'll be safer". I roll my eyes at him, "Settle down, lover boy. You can keep an eye out with Will. Only to come out if she needs any kind of assistance". I remind them once again as they nod my way. They bow to me with a hand to their hearts. They took the rest of the RedBurst with them, "Take them to Layla".

"Yes, My lady", William shouts my way then disappears through the docks. I glance back at Lady Fantasy, "We'll need clear skies, my lady", I spoke to her as she looks up at me, "As you wish", were the last thing she says as the skies clear.

"Thank you", I watch the gray clouds dissipated, and the afternoon sun taking its place.

A beautiful sight indeed. London will see this more often now.

[witchcraft-in-wonderland]

Medivial Au Part Two

-------------------------

[Hestia's POV]

Ah yes, the castle, a becan of hope to the civilians, and an impossible task for scullery maids such as myself. Who knew four royal children could cause such chaos? Of course it was mainly the two younger siblings, they never seemed to understand that you cant just use food as a projectile weaponry.

"REMUS- GIVE THAT BACK!" I heard Roman's voice calling from down the hallway, and was soon knocked over by the sudden rush of wind of a certain prince gremlin booking it down the halls. Roman followed soon after, sword on full display and eyes blazing with fury. He began to take chase, but of course- most princes cant exactly leave a person on the floor covered in soap and water, so he helped me up first. "Sorry about him. He's upset that mother wouldn't let him put a giant squid in the lake so he stole my fish bowl." I laughed as I watched him disappear around the corner.

After a bath that lasted longer than it probably should have, I decided that it would be best to make sure Princess Adrestia's room wasnt a disaster, as it usually was. When I got to the room I hadnt expected her to be there, she was usually in the kitchens. So walking in only to see her splattering paint on a canvas almost the same size as the room was a surprise. She turned and noticed me at the door.

"Hello! How are ya doin Hes!" she said, hopping off the ladder she was using, "Ya like it? Its you!" she gestured to the painting. I examined the painting. It took a while to register, colors always did seem to blend together on their own for me. But eventually I managed to make out two green eyes and a face framed by lilac and blue curls.

"It dies look like me- how long has this taken you?" I asked her.

She smiled "A few weeks, maybe even a month or two, I'm really proud of it," I felt my face get warmer. Certainly this was just a practice painting for her, she couldnt have made this specifically for me could she? I thought to myself. "I thought we could hang it up in your part of the servants quarters!" she seemed so happy, all I could do was nod. It wasnt exactly in my pay range to disappoint her.

"Well you can let me know when it's ready so I can move it in," I smiled and left the room again, closing the door behind me. I walked down the hall and into the kitchens.

"What's up with you Hestia? You look like you're about to faint!" said a male voice. I looked up to face my closest friend in the castle, Leo.

"O-oh I'm alright, ran into Princess Adrestia just now is all, wasnt expecting her to be in her room," I said.

Leo laughed "Careful Hes, you dont wanna pass out in front of her," he said, ruffling my hair.

"I know" I said, sitting down and grabbing an apple out of the fruit basket on the table.

"The princes came in here earlier, Remus was trying to cook Roman's pet beta fish," Leo said, rolling his eyes.

"Oh dear- those two seriously need to calm down," I said, half laughing. Leo nodded and went back to working. I got back up and walked to the gardens. I always found them much more peaceful than anywhere else in the castle. The smell of flowers and the feeling of the grass was enough to make me forget almost any of my problems. Of course that was only if I avoided looking at my own skin. The white lines etched into it like lightning strikes only served to cause me distress. It was why I was afraid to fall in love again, I didnt want them to spread any further. The lines were already making their way towards my own heart, I couldnt risk them ensnaring the whole thing.

I sat on a stone bench amongst the rose garden and watched the clouds pass overhead.

I woke up hours later when it was dark outside, I wasnt sure when I'd fallen asleep, but I had none the less. I got up and walked back into the castle, running my hands along the flowers as I passed them.

It seemed as though today had passed in a few hours, by the time the clock struck midnight it felt like I'd barely been working for thirty minutes. I walked to my room in the servants quarters and sat on the bed. As I slept, I heard the voice of the witch who'd caused my family so much trouble in my head once again.

"You will bare a child, but she will never know you, and she will know no love for most of her life, for you have never loved and so she never will be loved," the old crone said this with a wicked laugh. I never got to see my parents reactions, I suppose that came with the curse. It seemed as though everyone in this dreaded kingdom had some type of curse. Yet even with all this magic nonsense, I still felt completely alone in my problems, like despite being in the same boat as everyone else, I was the only one who was going overboard.

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@oceanart123

@misunderstoodshadowling

@youtuberswithalex

@spooky-scary-virgil

@hayden-going-insane

@imbasicallyshakespear

[0rdis]

actually wrote something sfw about my fl oc. written in the pov of Lady in Lilac. 

spoilers for seeking, kinda. Goes up to the Knock but is very much a huge au so its... very not canon. And very very vague.

[ao3 link]

The first time you meet him, his eyes are peligin. 

He wanders into your shop on legs fresh off the zee. He's seen something out there and you set out vials of dark ink. It's hard not to have heard the rumors about him, as close as you are to the Bazaar.

"I hear you can do tattoos in the Neathbow?" Asks the Monster-Hunter and his tongue keeps running over his teeth. There's no blood on them but you know that's what he's looking for. He's hungry in a way you know.

"I do. They call you the Fist of the Bazaar, correct?" It's an impressive title. The Masters overlook his hunger because he's willing to follow his targets to Death's Boat. You remember shuddering the first time you heard about how he shoves them off. 

He is dedicated, in the least. You, of all people, know how the Bazaar and her Curators are with secrets. Having someone so naive, so desperate for a place in the world, makes it easy to keep enforcing their wills.

He tenses. "Have we met?"

He wouldn't remember if you had, you think. You say, "No. I'm a friend of the Bazaar, though. Don't fret." 

He doesn't relax. "They call me that. But I'm just a bounty hunter." He's modest and that's strange down here. You wonder how long he will be like this.

"A hard job when death isn't permanent down here," you smile. His name and face are known. His habits will be known next. "A tattoo, then?" 

"An eye. Like they say hides under the Zee." 

You take out your instruments. "Have you seen it?"

"Not yet." 

You have no doubt he will. Already you know he's curious in ways that are dangerous. You ink it into the soft flesh of his inner arm with peligin. Gant flecks the pupil, because he will be consumed soon too.

He's silent as you work, like he's holding his breath. He watches with the same peligin eyes. You are sure they were brown before he got hungry. You wonder how he started.

"Do you dream?" You ask. 

"Even when I don't sleep," he says quietly.

"I'll give you some advice, on the house. When things seem too hard to bare, look to love. Always." 

His eyebrows furrow. "I don't know anything 'bout love "

"No?" You tilt your head. "Nothing about the sacrifice? The feeling of tightness in your chest like you may be drowning? The feeling you get when you remember the stars?"

His breathing hitches. You both fall silent, until finally he replies, "Isn't love dangerous here?"

"Yes. But when has that ever stopped you?" You're talking about yourself but you see something in his eyes that reminds you of yourself. You had been curious like him too once. And you had found the answers in the Game That Stretched To The Stars and you had fallen in love. Every year you return to the Neath. You look to love and add your own stories to her runed spires. 

He doesn't answer. 

After, he pays and leaves a tip. You raise a brow but he leaves before you can ask. He's left you his card, though you never use it. He leaves in the direction of the Forgotten Quarter. You can almost hear him telling the Well his stories.

(No, not you. The you you left behind.)

You see him again before you leave again to the surface, the tattoo is healed but you think you see it blink.

–

The second time you meet him, it's two years later. His hair is turning white, his eyes almost golden. He gives you a candle. It smells like lilacs. He's trying to hide the smell of absinthe on his breath. 

"Have you seen the Vake?" The Vake-Scarred Hunter asks.

"I hear hunters go missing searching for it. I wouldn't dare seek it out." 

He pulls out a crumpled paper. You didn't take him for an artist but it looks like something you would see in a research paper. Messy sketches with too much attention to the wings. You absentmindedly touch the tattoo you gave yourself. The one of a crab. 

There's love in his drawings. Like there's love in your work. 

"A bat," you say evenly. Mr Veils, you think. You've met them in passing, although never without their robes like he's sketched out here. You've read all about it on the hidden undersides of the Bazaar. She keeps even the worst and failed love stories, though they are hidden. You doubt even Veils knows its tale is burned into her carapace, right next to a name that should no longer exist. 

"Please. Can you do it?"

You have turned down many Vake-Hunters but you do it for him. For the love story it will produce.

Wings wrapped around his neck as you know claws have wrapped around it before. You can see the blood from a weeping scar soaking into his shirt. How many times has he died now? And how cruel is fate is to give him eyes you once saw in the Irrigo pools. He's hungry and has lost too much weight. 

Is he the one, you wonder?

When you finish, you hold out a mirror and you swear you see him wipe away tears. You inked the stars of the wings in cosmogone and violant. A feral grin and eyes the speak of intelligence rather than a beast. 

"Yes," he whispers, "That's perfect."

You wonder if Veils will be offended or proud.

–

It's the third time and yet the first. He's soaked from well water, limping. He almost looks like he recognizes you. He's full of love like you are. The real you. 

(You're early.) You say and the real you would feel guilty. Down here, you don't, you can't. He still reminds you of yourself. Would you stop him if you could? Fate and Destiny are such strange things. You had once sought yours too.

The Rapacious Hunter wants answers, of course. You can give them. Just like the Bazaar once gave you.

(No more mysteries.) You tell him. (Mr Candles was forgotten and you must be too. I know what you want – what he wants and what the real me wants. And it's all about love.)

You almost laugh at the look he gives you, somewhere between surprise, joy, and fear. (Oh, hush, I can say it down here. No one can hear us. It's just you and me. I'm no one and you're even less than that.) 

You baptise him in Irrigo. You don't need to take anything, he'll leave behind a shade like you. His future is already set in stone. But you will make it so he can't back out, can't turn around. The Masters will know. But will they remember after they've seen him long enough to stop him? 

(Perhaps, in time, he came to like being The Drowned Man. You're more alike him than any other.) 

You had met Candles and you had read the tragedy until your eyes burned from the Correspondence etched on the back of the one you love (not the you down here. The you down here doesn't love her). You had cried reading it and she had cried with you. She hadn't meant for it to happen like this, but she had no other options.

Perhaps Spices had been right, the Bazaar had told you, murder makes wonderful love stories. She's tired. You wish you could help more. 

In a way, you do, stepping to the side to reveal the candle. The Hunter-Seeker stumbles forward, desperate, mad. (Take it and you'll never be alone again.) You warn but you almost laugh. He's not alone. Not with the voice in his head. Not with Veils. Not with you.

(What else could I do but love you?) You ask because the real you gave you up for love. This Seeker will give himself up for love as well.

And there's a comfort in that. For him and you.

 –

“Do you ever miss the Sun?”

(Yes.)

He doesn't ask which Sun. You almost wish he would. 

– 

You don't expect to see him again, but the next year, he is back in you shop. He glows with a familiar violet. He knows you as much as you know him now. 

And both of you know what it's like to love a monster. 

"The Parabolan sun isn't right." People say there are only colors that exist in dreams. You are sure his eyes are that shade of gold now. 

You agree because you remember the way the sun of Parabola looked before he died. It was his light back then, not the false sun the Second City Refugees put into the sky. 

"They love the sun," you reply, "They couldn't live without it, so they built their own."

"Love makes people do horrible things." He isn't talking about Parabola anymore. Maybe he's not even the one talking. 

"Especially when you love something cruel."

"Cruel enough to kill?" He asks and you are positive you aren't talking to the Hunter now. 

"Cruel enough to imprison." You can't help the sadness in your voice. It still surprises you, though.

"All shall be well. It promised."

"They will only take a little. They promised." You counter. It's a low kind of blow but you don't say it bitterly. Everything that the Bazaar did, she did for love.

The two of you stare at each other. He closes his eyes, steadies himself. "Ah," he chuckles, "But we wouldn't love them if they weren't so."

Yes, yes, you agree. If the Messenger had succeeded, or had it not had tried so hard, you would not love it so. If Veils hadn't betrayed, it would not be Veils. 

You don't say any of this, of course. What you say is, "A final parting gift?"

He nods. "I want to remember Parabola." 

A vine in viric curls up his leg like a snake. Thorns look like they could draw real blood and buds could bloom into roses if you close your eyes. You step back so he can see your work. 

"Do you think," he starts, "that this will ever end?" 

"I know it will." How, you aren't sure. But you know sooner or later it will end. You know the politics of the Wilderness.

You pick up your needle one last time, put it to skin and write one word. A name. The name of the Bounty Hunter in front of you. He won't be this way much longer, but for now, it's his name.

He will be remembered this time.

–

The Once-Master had promised you the Sun. 

You had haunted the Nadir like a ghost, turned bitter by being given up. The real you had left you, so that she may work to a doomed future. The Bazaar is doomed. You can't change that. Perhaps you want to punish yourself. Bring light to the Neath and end this charade. 

The real you had love, had a future. You would take it from her as they had taken it from Mr Eaten. Grief and hate are all that's left you which is why it hurts so bad to realize the Rapacious Hunter has more.

He has hope.

You are silent as he lets the Betrayer cut him apart. You expected Veils to kill him. You find yourself surprised yet again by how the whole thing unfolds. Instead, the Hunter is left less than he was before, if possible. Less human. But not a candle.

Not yet. He wants to be more. He wants to be Candles. 

That leaves you as Eaten, you suppose. The agony and hate made manifest. You think you, too, have been betrayed. You would have frozen with him had he asked. Died here in the north with nothing but each other. You love him because there is nothing left of you, as there will be nothing left of him. He is meant to bring Law to this Lawless place. Restore the balance of the Chain. 

He is meant to be avenged and remembered. He promised you would see the Sun.

You break your silence only because he is so weak. You aren't sure if he can make it. But he has made it this far and you are left without a choice. It's now or never. 

(Knock, and ask.) 

"How can he return?" The question is a damnation. There is no  Sequence for this. But you realize, suddenly, this may have not been Eaten's plan, but it had been Candles. A Greater Plan, a Greater Sin. This is greater than you, or the Vake-Scarred Hunter, or even Mr Veils who slinks back as the gate ignites in a burning white light. The real stars glisten and glow. A ripple across the door. 

You understand. This had never been about the Bazaar or the Betrayers. This is about those higher. Lure the White here, to this Lawless place. An army is building.

On the surface, the real you makes a wish on a shooting star that streaks across the horizon. In all things, look to love.

Veils is staring, not at the stars but at the figure in front of the gate. The shadow that had been the Seeker bursts at the seams with light and memories. Lacre cannot bury Law. You cannot reach his mind, the place you had made home. It's not there and neither are you. You are finished. Nothing will remain. 

But in the end, you see a Sun, bright golden.

[bards-witcher]

how about... terromoohm, mer au? xoxo

I’m not sure if this is what you asked for :/ but I hope you enjoy it :D terrormoohm is definitely one of my guilty pleasure ships and 100% deserves more attention.

[Moo POV]

He scanned the beachfront as quick as he could, searching for any trinkets that his partners might find interesting.

There was a time when he was scared of the surface, refusing to even look up above him at the sunlight filtering down, and content to remain within the seas’ depths.

Ohm and Brian had changed that. He’d met Brian first, and it was almost like being dragged into a hurricane, he was so easily caught up in the other mer that it made his head spin if he thought about it too much. He was endeared by how protective Brian was of him, even amongst friends, but the younger mer never failed to tell him how much he loved him.

Then came Ohm, if Brian was a hurricane then Ohm was a Tsunami, barely noticeable at first until everything came all at once and all you could do was hold on for the ride. Admittedly things had been tense at first between the other two mers, both fighting the other for his attention and whilst it was somewhat sweet at first he was quick to put his foot down.

It was slow going, but now the two of them were as devoted to each other as they were to him. The two mers had eventually tried to get him up towards the surface, the first few times he’d barely left their home before choosing the cowards route and heading back in.

Luckily for him, Ohm and Brian seemed to have an endless amount of patience, well at least when it came to him that is, and after a week his head finally breached the surface of the water. He was blinded from the sun somewhat, raising a hand to cover his eyes whilst Ohm pointed out landmarks near to them and Brian held him close in a show of comfort and support, which he was all too grateful for.

Eventually, he got bolder, a couple of weeks later and the three of them were walking along the sand of a nearby beach, he noted how Ohm picked up a somewhat colorful rock, keeping hold of it to be put in their house.

Whilst more confident, he didn’t dare to venture near the top on his own, at least that was until something glinted at him in the sunlight, just below the water level on the beach. He normally came here to bathe in the shallows, still able to feel the suns warmth without actually going out, but the circular object caught his attention and swimming as close as he could to see that it was a ring.

The normal dilemma he gave himself was quieted as he quickly ascended up and onto the beach, easily finding the ring and where he then stood on the beach held it up in the air to admire it in the sun, watching how the light seemed to shine and scatter from it.

He made the quick journey home eager to show his partners, and whilst happy at the present he’d gotten them, they were more set on congratulating and supporting him for going out of the water on his own, causing a dark blush to color his cheeks.

That had been a few months ago now, these days he was quite happy to scout around the nearest beaches in search of odd gifts to take back with him. No matter what he brought Brian and Ohm always seemed happy and proud of him, eagerly putting it up on display for all to see.

However, today it seemed that there was nothing of interest that had washed up on the shores. Before he went back into the water he turned towards the sun, closing his eyes to feel the suns warmth on him once more, breathing in the sharp salty wind that whipped around him before making his descent underwater.

His mind was otherwise distracted, too busy thinking about the dinner Ohm was hunting them that he didn’t see the net fall in front of him until he swam straight into it.

A flare of panic rose up in him, he quickly turned to try and escape it but the sides were already being lifted and he felt his breath get stuck in his throat as tears welled in his eyes at the fact that he was now trapped.

In a quick motion, he traveled up, hoping to jump out of the top before it shut, but he was too late, only swimming into the net at speed which earned a whimper from him. This net was different from the ones he was used to, harsher almost.

Sure enough, when he tried to use his hands and tail to try and make holes in it he only ended up getting a series of scratches across both limbs, his blood easily mixing in with the water around him as tears spilled from his eyes.

He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move the lump in his throat despite his attempts to try and calm himself down, but the panic only made him tenser. He heard a mechanical whirring noise and sure enough he was slowly being lifted up towards the surface where he’s sure he’ll be killed.

Once again he tries to make any sort of weakness in the net, but instead, he only causes more cuts, deeper this time so much so that even the smallest movement sent pain coursing through him.

Just as the top of the net was starting to breach the surface a flash of gold caught his eye from in front of him, whatever it was, was heading towards him quickly and just when he felt another spike of panic the object propelled over him, easily slicing through the net and freeing him.

It was then that Brian and Ohm came into view, Brian had his own trident in hand, and with some help from Ohm, Brian leaped up and out of the water, faintly he could hear shouts coming from above him.

Despite being freed, he was too shocked by the events that just unfurled to make a move. It was Ohm that brought him out of his reverie, taking his cut up hands in his own and placing gentle kisses on the scratches until he was sure he had his attention.

“It’s okay Brock, we’ve got you” He couldn’t keep his composure, letting out pained sobs as he hugged the other mer close, kind and gentle words falling from the older mers lips until he had no more tears left to cry.

Just then they heard a splash, turning he saw that a body had fallen into the water, the humans red blood coloring the blue water, terrified look on its face as it took its last breaths, well Brian was called Terroriser for a reason.

He then felt Ohm gently cajole him away, slowly turning him away from the body and in the direction of home. Just then, however, Ohms’ hand darted out and a second later his trident was in it.

With a quick motion, Ohm threw it full force at the boat, through the water he could see the weapon pierce someone as they’d tried to jump from the boat, the mer having thrown it with such strength that the trident, with the human still on it, tore through the ship walls. He knew it wouldn’t be too long until the ship would be completely submerged under the water.

Another splash alerted him, but he let out his breath when he saw Brian swimming up to him, the younger mer taking his hands gently and similar to Ohm, placed gentle kisses on the cuts that marred them.

“C’mon Brock, lets go home” Held by his partners, comforting words being whispered into his ears, it wasn’t long until they made it back home, the other two mers making quick work of covering up his cuts before cuddling up close next to him, thankful they were all still there and together.

 ****************************

Despite the incident, it hadn’t completely put him off of traveling to the surface, but it did reinforce his partners request that he learn to fight or at least learn to defend himself just in case, Cthulhu forbid, they didn’t make it in time.

Training had been… interesting. He’s sure it would have been a lot quicker if it had been anyone other than Ohm and Brian teaching him, but as such, they were too easily distracted by one another, so what would normally take a couple of hours to learn took them just over a day.

Not that he minded, any excuse to spend time with the two mer was good enough for him, grateful that fate had deemed him worthy of such perfect mates.

[roadtophantom]

Phantom Manila Review (Down Once More - with feelings)

Hi! I think I'm back so without further ado here's a review or at least a thought depository of my first show back in Phantom, 5 years after I saw it in AsiaWorld Arena in Hong Kong. 

March 9, 2019 8:00 PM

I want to start with a note that it had been a very distracting week so I honestly don't think I was able to focus on the moment and a lot of things flew over my head. There were a lot of things happening irl and plans kept changing, so I came to the theatre all winded and in a daze.

Not to mention we were 45 minutes in before the show, there wasn't much pre-theatre prep I could do. The most I've done was have a look around the merch store, fit the hoodie (the smallest was too big for me), buy the brochure and then fall in line for at least one photo with one of the many backdrops (the one with an illusion boat where my sister and I reenacted an Obi-Wan and Anakin higher ground scene. Why are we like this I don't know.)

Anyway, the lines at the other backdrops were hella long.

We sat at the orch left restricted seats (because cheaper orch seats ftw) and the view is not bad at all, though be prepared not to catch whatever happens in stage right (this is why on our next show we'll get the orch right restricted seats). It's amazing how close we are to the stage, Solaire is a very snug theatre is why. The orchestra pit seems narrow in my pov.

The stage fills up pretty quickly, because it is tiny. The proscenium does not seem so empty in turn because of how compact the overall look is, though I definitely miss the angel, it's simply iconic. But not so much to mar my experience of the show.

The sounds of Solaire are reputed to be bad so imagine my surprise to be blown away by drums during the Overture. It was quite a bombastic experience. But yes, you can hear the whirrings of the sets, but not very bothersome. 

The chandelier falls pretty fast but slows down just before the crash. 

@operafantomet was telling me that the advantage of a smaller stage is the closeness and intimacy, she is absolutely right. And if I add something the crowdedness actually led to a lot of movement, activity and energy. There is no such thing as a background character here, each member of the ensemble is attention-grabbing, I especially love the interaction between the ballerinas. I remember noting how vibrant the slave girl costumes are but I need another look to see where they were sourced from. The ensemble especially shone in Masquerade (which got applause at curtains up, even before they started singing). The little marching band did play, triangle and drums quite audible, and you see how the different players influenced Christine and let us peek into her tormented psyche. Il Muto was another highlight where the dancers were clearly troubled at what's happening around them and the Shepherd was complaining.

Oh by the way there were lyric changes in Masquerade and it is now using the Broadway choreo.

Clara Verdier was a vulnerable, emotive Christine that has the potential to be versatile. I love how at the start of the show that she seems to watch Carlotta longingly. I see her as a young good-hearted Christine, capable of different emotional palettes, her face is her great asset and she doesn't sound bad either. Though I surmise that there had to be some adjustments vocally, her Think of Me cadenza is short and she easily drowns especially at Final Lair. But she already shows the foundation and can no doubt grow into her own distinct character. She definitely shows feisty moments, like I could swear she nearly would have gone and rip Carlotta's wig at Notes II. She perfects the trance look whenever the Phantom sings but although fearful she is of the Phantom she feels sympathetic for him and shows reverence for him as her teacher and 'guardian', especially at PONR when it looked like she is conflicted to unmask, but unmask him she does. There is no doubt she chooses Raoul and adores him and feels safe with him.

Matt Leisy is a Raoul who gives it all out. His remarkable characteristic is his confidence and in-charge attitude. He is not just born into wealth, he manages it. I love how he is a devoted protector, with a 'chill I got this' vibe. His shining moment is showing how pissed off he is of the Phantom at the THE DISASTER WILL BE YOURS. This is a Raoul who is pretty, handsome, well-kempt, smooth BUT WILL FISTICUFF WHO HURTS CHRISTINE. I also like how I can hear him during Notes and is not a passive roving lost vicomte. It looks like he gives the most comfy hugs and does a lot of little touches. I LOVE his interaction with Giry during Masquerade where Giry cockblocks him a few times and he is like OH COME ON NOW.

Principal: Thabiso's comedy FINALLY comes through. Beverley has the best facial expressions and has no business playing nice. But oh how heartbreaking when she sees Piangi in the end... Kiruna-Lind hands down my favorite Meg, she doesn't overdo the HE'S THERE and her other lines. She looks appalled at the managers during Prima Donna, I love her darker sounding voice. She is cute, with a nice musculary built and shd is a true friend. The managers do the work, James Borthwick is calculating, Curt Olds isn't say as exaggerated as Jason Ralph was but still has great timing. Melina I feel lacks in authoritativeness, and her soft cane thumps does nothing to help (this is technical issue I think) but she IS a PITA at Raoul and she is so beautiful.

As for Jonathan, how to even begin. I saw him last in October 2012 where he is already a force to reckon, and has that grasp of character that is undeniably solid. He knows what he is doing, he is at the top of his game and he knows how to break hearts with how forlorn his Phantom is and dat thunderous voice. He makes the show, so where to go from here? Well, further. So the Phantom is kind of two parts right? The angel of music slash opera ghost and then the disfigured lonesome man. Jonathan has the man part downpat, he knows how to carry that injustice dealt to the character and hone on that abandonment. Lead me save me from my solitude is the Phantom that describes his best. Come 2019 he not only retains this humanity but he expounds on the angel persona by well, singing way even better that he grew octaves. I invite you to compare his title songs and hear how his voice is so much larger, much controlled. He sounds damn good and what a perfectionist composer and musical genius would. He owns all his scenes.

Which! Makes it fun now with Matt's Raoul because the vicomte is not sitting down. I was so delighted to see their take of the Wandering Child Trio (I KNOW I WAS SCREAMING INSIDE) Jonathan's Phantom looked so threatened that there was a moment of panic where he had to try extra hard to keep Christine in control. And he was so desperate to undermine this man who clearly has Christine's heart, makes it more effective how he begged Christine to choose him in the end. And I swear each time Christine fights back and when she throws away the veil, he gets 9999 hit point damage (sorry, Final Fantasy reference). He holds the show so well together.

Also HIS HANDS. They fiddle with the Red Death's tassel, they smooth his hair a lot (even outside the title song) they bring down the gates to trap Raoul and Christine, they have innate mind wave power. 

My little cousin (who fell asleep halfway the show back in 2012) fell so much in love and it's so cute to see how inspired she was (know your feels kid) . My sister who I expected to grow tired, couldn't stop talking about it. I think they did an amazing solid job and and I can't wait to see it again.

Oh the travelator was also broken when I saw it, I thought they got rid of that. So something to comment about next time.

More costume observations to follow hopefully. Oh Carlotta had like white roses on her head at Notes II I've never seen that kind of hat before.

[thatfanficstuff]

Stranded (3)

Pairing: Conrad x Wife!Reader

Warnings: canon typical stuff

***

Once you'd led the others far enough toward the river, you stopped and pointed. "River's that way. Watch out for ants. Bye now."

James snagged your arm and tugged you to stand beside him. You huffed in irritation. "What my lovely wife here meant to say was the boat is in that direction. Just keep going straight on and you should find it. Wait for us until dawn. If we're not there, leave us."

"Where are you two going?" Hank asked.

"To stop Packard," you answered as you shifted your weight, eager to get going.

"Not without me," Hank argued and slid his sword into its sheath.

You shook your head. "Hank, I need you to go with them and keep them safe. We both know I'm far more likely to do what needs to be done. You're the one that gave me my nickname after all. And as much as I love you, buddy, if I end up stuck here again, I'd rather have my husband beside me."

Hank still looked undecided. James put his hand on the other man's shoulder. "It's time for you to go home."

Hank nodded. "Tell the big ape bye for me, Slayer."

"Will do." 

Mason came over to stand beside you and James. You arched a brow at her in question. "I'm coming with you."

"No offense, Mason, but I haven't seen you pick up anything besides your camera. This isn't a sightseeing expedition. Go with the others." With that you turned and began to hurry through the trees. James shortly fell into rhythm with you as you hurried in the direction Packard and his men had gone. Explosions tore through the air and shook the ground and you adjusted your path slightly so you were heading toward the source of the sound.

You cursed as you heard Kong howl in rage and pain. You were almost there. You had to be. You forced yourself to run faster. Kong couldn't die. When you found the others, your gun was up in seconds, aimed right at the madman's head. He had some sort of detonator in his hand. "Put it down, Packard." You stepped between him and Kong. 

The few men that still lived pointed their weapons at you. You spared them a glance but nothing more. They wouldn't kill you. They were tired of war and tired of the crazy man in front of you. They might feel like they owed him something but they had to see he wasn't sane. James stepped out behind them and pointed his handguns at two of them. "Now, that's no way to treat a lady." Half the weapons shifted to cover him. 

You tried to locate the explosives without taking your eyes from Packard, but you weren't having much luck. He glowered at you, pure hate shining in his eyes and flipped on the detonator. "Stop. Just stop!" you yelled. "You've lost it, Packard. You kill Kong and you kill everyone on this island. You set off those explosives right now and you kill all of us, including your men."

"My men are willing to make the sacrifice to protect our country, our families, from that thing."

"Are they?" you asked and looked past him to where Slivko now had his weapon pointed at the Colonel. Packard followed your line of sight and reached for his own firearm. "Do it and die," you warned.

The other men lowered their weapons realizing just how insane this whole thing was. "No one has to die here tonight, including Kong," James said. 

Packard looked as if he were about to respond when the water beside you bubbled then exploded into the air. The largest skull crawler you'd ever seen landed in the water and stared in your direction.

"Fall back," James yelled to the others and the soldiers scrambled. 

Packard was in shock, staring at the creature you'd warned him of earlier. James yelled at him trying to get him to move and you turned to Kong. You placed one hand on his nose and tried not to cry as you really noticed the shape he was in. Your poor friend. 

His dark eyes fluttered open and stared at you. You leaned against his face and ran your hand through his fur. "Come on, Kong. You've got to get up."

He grunted and groaned, but didn't move.

Hot tears rolled down your face. James tugged at your arm. "We've got to go, Y/N."

You shrugged him off and returned to comforting Kong. "I know you're hurting, buddy. Probably worse than you ever have before but you've got to get up. If you don't, that thing's going to kill you then eat its way through the rest of the island. Get up, Kong. I know you can do it."

His gaze moved from you to Packard who stood behind you and you finally let James tug you out of the way. Kong rose just far enough to bring his fist down on Packard. "That's one problem gone," you muttered to yourself and pulled from James's grip once more to stop and watch Kong fight the giant beast. 

It didn't take long for Kong to go down under the weight of the lizard. "Come on. Get up," you begged. Suddenly, you were swept off your feet and carried in the other direction a ways before being put back on the ground. "Kong's down. Let's go," James ordered. You nodded and shoved your concern for your enormous friend aside. Right now you needed to focus on getting off this island with your husband.

***

You all reached the edge of the island at daybreak. You hoped like hell the others hadn't listened when you said to leave. James handed you a flare gun and a spare flare. "Get up on those rocks and fire a flare. Hopefully Hank will see it. We'll buy you time."

You wanted to argue, but you knew you were the best person for the job. You'd been climbing the rocks on this island for years. You stood on your toes and gave your husband a quick kiss before running toward the rocky ridge. 

You didn't look back when you heard the heavy footsteps of the beast crash from the woods. You didn't look back when you heard it's ear piercing screech. You didn't even look back when you heard the explosion that could have only come from the others. However, when you heard a familiar roar from your favorite ape you couldn't help but look in that direction. You were just in time to watch Kong smash a giant boulder into the head of his foe. 

Your heart skipped and you laughed as you grinned. He was still alive! Maybe things weren't so hopeless after all. As much as you wanted to watch the epic battle taking place, you had a job to do. You turned your attention back to the stones you were scrambling up. Scrapes and cuts littered all of your exposed skin, but you ignored the discomfort and kept climbing. Once you reached the crest of the ridge, you stood and fired the flare gun into the air. 

You also now had the perfect viewpoint for the fight between the two massive creatures. They tumbled in the water below. Kong would throw the lizard or grab it by the neck while it snapped its massive jaws. It was impossible to tell which beast was coming out on top. You flinched as Kong flew into some old wreckage and chains wrapped around his bulky form. 

The lizard stood on his chest while Kong roared and struggled to break free. Suddenly, bullets tore through the air and into the skull crawler. Not that it would do much good, but at least they distracted the bastard. You cheered when you realized the bullets were coming from the boat. When the firing ceased, the lizard began to make its way toward your friends. "Kong! Get up!" you screamed and bounced on your feet. He looked at you then managed to pull himself to his feet, chains and all. 

As he struggled to break the chains, you reloaded the flare gun. You aimed and fired, hitting the lizard bastard right in the eye. It screeched and clawed at the burning flare. Then the guns began firing again. When the beast turned you realized it was chasing something. It only took a moment for you to see your husband splashing through the muck. Your heart froze in your chest for a moment before it began to race. Fear for the love of your life flooded through you. "James, you idiot. What are you doing?"

It was then that Kong hurled a large propeller through the air. The blade pierced the skull crusher's side and sent him to the ground. Kong and his foe began to fight and wrestle once more. As the lizard flew through the air, you watched with horrified fascination as it slammed into the ridge on which you stood. Rock exploded around you and you flew backward into the air. You screamed for Kong even as James screamed for you. 

The impact with the water forced the air from your lungs and sent your body into shock. You wanted to struggle, to swim for the shore, but you lost the battle. Your last thought was of your husband as everything went dark.

***

(James POV)

No! It wasn't possible. We couldn't have come all this way only for me to lose her again. Y/N had survived here all this time against impossible odds. I couldn't let it end here. Not now. Not ever. I couldn't bear to lose her again. I don't think I could survive it a second time.

Ignoring the beasts howling and raging at each other, I sloughed through the water and the muck trying to reach her in time. Every dragging step felt like an eternity. I hadn't even gotten close to her when Kong reached into the water and pulled her out. 

My relief was short lived as the lizard thing attacked again. Kong still had Y/N clutched in his fist. How could he possibly not be crushing her? Finally, finally, he ripped out the lizard's tongue and it dropped to the ground dead. 

Kong opened his hand and I could have sworn he smiled. He placed Y/N on the ground and I rushed in that direction desperate to make sure she was alive. 

I scrambled across the ground and knelt over her. I cupped her head in my hands. "Breathe, baby. Come on, damn it. Breathe."

***

(Reader POV)

You sat up suddenly and coughed up a lungful of water. It burned and your throat ached, but you were alive and breathing. 

James helped support you and pushed your hair off your face. "Hey. You okay?" he asked, his eyes looking you over. 

You hooked a hand around his arm and nodded even as you turned to look at Kong as he walked away. He glanced back once and his gaze found you. He seemed satisfied that you were alive and continued on his way. 

You turned back to James and threw your arms around his neck. Pulling back, you kissed him tenderly then wrapped your arms around him again.

He made calming noises as he held you. You sucked in a breath and began to cry in ragged sobs as you realized you'd made it. You'd found home in your husband's arms and you were getting off this bloody island.

***

(bonus)

You had been sitting in this room with Mason and James for hours. All you wanted to do was get the hell out here, take a shower , crawl into a real bed and sleep for week wrapped in your husband's arms. 

James had resorted to yelling at the large mirror on the wall. Mason was threatening to tell foreign governments while he said you wouldn't tell anyone and you'd forget the island even existed. 

And you? You sat in your chair, arms crossed over your chest and stared at the glass in front of you without saying a word. You'd learned patience during your time on the island. Besides, whoever was on the other side probably found it slightly unsettling and that made you happy. 

James would occasionally glance at you, ask if you were all right and you'd just nod and continue staring. Finally, Brooks and San walked into the room. 

"What the hell is going on, Brooks?" your husband demanded. 

"Welcome to Monarch," he said and laid a folder on the table as they took the chairs on the other side. He proceeded to flip through several pictures. You continued to watch silently. Your gaze shifted to the wall when a film began to play.

Cave drawings of monsters. "Proof" of other giant creatures. As the film flashed from image to image you said the first words you'd spoken since you'd arrived at the facility.

"Oh, hell no."

***

One more small part coming.

Tag List: @affabletimelady​