#Thank you for joining me on this wild adventure until the end | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

aerynoakenshield · 2 months ago

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[Thorin Oakenshield] - Until The End

♫ - Falling - Harry Styles

Middle Earth was a sight. There were so many different landscapes, so much flora and fauna surrounding you each moment. You discovered things in the wild areas that you otherwise may not have known existed if you kept to your own home, or at the very least never seen with your own eyes. The grounds of this world were made for exploration, but admittedly, in small doses.

It had been a grueling trip to get to Rivendell, and still you had yet to arrive. Long nights paired with exhausting walks meant that tensions had run high in the company. Petty arguments that were over by sundown sprung between members of the party, even those who otherwise had no business being angry with each other. It was simply exhaustion taking over.

On Thorin's recommendation, which was more of an order, you had all stopped for the night in a cave, well out of the sight and smell of any orc packs that may be lurking above ground. Going against Gandalf's better judgement due to Thorin's inability to listen to the wizard, and anyone else for that matter, a fire had been started and food was on its way.

Taking some time away from the bustle of camp being set up, you sat away from everyone else and closed your eyes, entering a small state of meditation in order to try and relax. Despite your love for adventure and being very used to always being on the move, this journey thus far had even started to get to you.

"You alright there, hey?" A familiar voice broke you out of your rest, and you turned to see Bofur, stood with a bowl of food in his hand. "Here, get this down ya."

"Thanks, Bofur. I'm alright."

Lies. Bofur knew it. You hadn't been fine for some time. When this journey had started, when you had all met at Bilbo's home, you were excited and spry. You couldn't wait for the adventure that lay outside the door. Now, it was different. Now, you were not even sure if you wanted to continue.

"Aye, you'll excuse me if I don't believe ya, right?"

You chuckled, a look of defeat on your face. You had become close to Bofur on this trip, him and Balin had become almost father figures to you. They were always trying their best to keep your spirits high as you did for everyone else. Much to your dismay, Bofur could now read you like a open book.

"I will," you sighed, shaking your head and beginning to eat as the dwarf joined you with his own food. "Sometimes I fear you know me better than I know myself."

Bofur bumped arms with you and laughed. "Go on, tell me what's wrong."

You thought for a second, pondering whether or not to lie again or just talk to him. Realising that he was actually there to help you, and lying to him seemed futile, you began to talk.

"Thorin."

Bofur nodded, not wanting to interrupt whatever flow you may get into, but acknowledging what you had said. He knew how tense things were between you and Thorin.

"I just don't know why he hates me so much, Bofur. I have been nothing but kind to him and I get his temper and anger in return. I cannot help who I am, but I harbour no ill-will to any of you. I do want to see you all finally have a home."

Your voice had cracked at the end, a sign of high emotion from you. Bofur placed a hand on your knee, he had not been blind to Thorin and his attitude towards you.

It had been like that from the start, and you knew it was because you were an Elf. As a child, you grew up surrounded by those of your own kind, but as you studied and read texts from other kingdoms, adventure had called to you. Gandalf came to you with the opportunity of helping the dwarves reclaim their homeland, and you were all too quick to join him. What you hadn't expected, was for the head of the company to seemingly want you to disappear.

Nobody else had ill feelings towards you, and you got along with everyone; even Dwalin, who was grumpy most of the time, but after he had saved your life a few days back, it seemed as though his heart had opened up to you more. It was just Thorin.

Balin took you aside two nights back, after he saw you crying as you rode through the forest. That day, Thorin had shouted at you, telling you that 'an Elf does not belong on a trip to reclaim a home that they helped destroy.' For some reason, that stung you deep down. You were not there that day, nor was it your kin on that battlefield either. You were not to blame, and Balin had told you that. He brought you a drink and sat with you, explaining why Thorin acted the way he did and of his past.

From that night until present moment, you had been kinder to the dwarf than ever before, and it still hadn't been enough. That's what had led to you sitting here with Bofur now, silent contemplation and comforting words filling the air.

"Listen here," Bofur began, collecting your bowl from you and taking your hands in his own. "You are an asset to this company, believe me. I've never seen someone fight so well with sword and bow. You and Kili work like a charm with those arrows. You've saved our lives multiple times, you keep us cheery when you can. We appreciate ya, we really do. And deep down, I think Thorin does, too."

"He certainly has a funny way of showing it."

"Aye, he does," Bofur agreed. "He certainly does. But, I think you should just talk to him. As I came down, he was on his watch, so if you're lucky maybe you can take him his food and sort this out?"

You shuddered thinking about it. The last thing you needed tonight was to be barked at for merely existing from him. It had been a long day, but as you looked at Bofur before you, you nodded.

"Alright, I'll do that."

Giving you a hug, Bofur placed a reassuring hand on your shoulder, giving it a squeeze. Standing, you both made your way back to the party and you met Balin by the fire.

"Can I take a bowl for Thorin, Balin?" you asked, voice low so only he could hear. The last thing you wanted was for anyone, namely Fili or Kili, to make any jokes or remarks right now. Balin's eyebrows raised, but he smiled kindly, handing you a bowl with the spoon.

"Here you go, thank you for taking it." Balin always had been kind to you. Before you could leave, he leaned in to your ear and whispered.

"And good luck." Balin pulled back with a friendly wink, and you could feel that he was trying to calm your nerves. You shook your head with a smile and left.

You had reached the outskirts of the camp and peered around the trees covering the entrance of the cave your company were in, wondering where the young dwarf was for his watch. Normally, he walked up and down, but this time you found him leaning on a rock, gazing out into the planes before him.

You took a second to look at him, face aglow in the pale moonlight. He looked like a King. He looked beautiful. This wasn't a new thought for you, you had realised that when he turned up at Bilbo's door. There was something different about him to the others. Maybe it was the way he carried himself, or the way his face was a perfect balanced of harsh and soft. Either way, the view before you was something to behold.

"I know you're there, you know?" Thorin's deep voice pulled you from your thoughts, and his head turned, bright blue eyes meeting yours as you swiftly pulled your away. You couldn't hold eye contact at the best of times, let alone now.

"My apologies, Thorin, I did not want to make you jump. I thought you might want some food, you need to eat."

Thorin continued to look at you, and if you were looking back you may have noticed his gaze had softened. Taking some steps aside, he made room for you to lean with him on the rock, inviting you over with a wave of his hand.

"Thank you, if you wish to join me, you can."

You couldn't process that for a second. He wants me to stay? you thought.

Taking a seat on the grass, you handed him the food and drew your weapon, resting your bow across the length of his sword. Thorin spoke before he had started to eat, looking at you with care.

"Have you eaten something?" the dwarf asked, concern hinting in his voice.

"I have, thank you. Bofur brought me something not too long ago. I just wanted to make sure you had eaten, too."

Thorin nodded, and began eating his food. Silence fell around you, but it wasn't uncomfortable for the first time. It was soothing. You were in each others company and not fighting, which was a first. As you both sat, Thorin let his mind wander as his eyes roamed the fields.

In his heart, the dwarf knew he had been unfair to you, that his actions had been irredeemable, and overall he had been less than pleasant with you. Truly, he had no bad feeling toward you. It was quite the contrary.

When Thorin had entered Bilbo's home, he saw his kin before him, but off to the side something else had caught his eye. The last thing he was expecting was an elf to be present, considering the longstanding history between your races. His eyes met yours, and Thorin couldn't deny the feeling he got. He couldn't deny to himself, he thought you were very pretty. A thought Thorin never assumed he would have towards an elf, having had nothing but disdain for them since the incident with King Thranduil. Still, his heart could not deny no matter how hard his brain may try.

Through the meeting, his eyes darted to you often, finding himself unable to keep them from you. Somewhere inside, there was a small part of himself angry that he would allow such thoughts, especially because the whole reason they were there was partly down to elvish actions.

Thorin never wanted to be harsh with you, and he never meant for it to go so far. But, in his mind he was battling those feelings that conflicted each other and it was weighing down upon him. He wanted to feel worthy of his ancestors, and perhaps he thought harboring any form of love or admiration for an elf was the worst thing he could do.

Bringing himself back to the present, he placed his bowl aside, and took a small glance at you. In the night's low light, your features lit up and you appeared more ethereal than normal. In the day to day, you always had an air of grace about you, and you always seemed to glow with a natural beauty. But the moon enhanced that, and Thorin found it hard to tear his gaze away.

"Look," the dwarf began, and you hummed but kept yourself still, unmoving. "You know I don't think of you harshly. I know my actions haven't made that clear, but I do mean it."

You sighed. "I don't know what I did to deserve that treatment, Thorin."

Mahal, he loved the way you said his name. Never had it been so soft. But now was not the time for those thoughts, as he replied to you as honest and open as he could.

"You did nothing, I was acting out of grudge. There are elves I have a right to hate, but I know you are not one of them. I let my worst side take charge with you, and I hope you can forgive that. I am sorry for how I have treated. You have shown nothing but kindness, you have saved lives in this company, and I have still treated you horrendously. If you couldn't see past that, I would understand. But, I just wanted to let you know."

Now, your eyes fell upon the dwarf, and he seemed sorrowful. It seemed so genuine, a very rare glimpse into the vulnerable and unguarded side of Thorin Oakenshield.

"If I could not see past that, I would have been gone long ago."

Thorin's eyes met yours, and you had a kind glint in them. Your smiled, only half way, and glanced at your hands as you fiddled with your knife holster, idly playing with the loose leather pieces. You talked again, low and personal, making sure he knew every word was for him and hoping you could be as transparent as he just was.

"I want to see you on that throne, you know? I do wish to see you all reclaim your home. I cannot imagine what such a thing must feel like, as I have always had a home. But, you had yours taken away, and I took this task before I had met any of you. I think your company are a wonderful set of people, I have become very fond of all of them."

Thorin smiled too, thinking of his party back in the cave.

"And," you finished off, slightly hesitantly. "I think they have the best leader they could in you. You are the rightful king under the mountain, and I will not stop at anything until I know you sit where you should."

"You really think that?" Thorin sounded almost unsure.

"I would not have said it if I meant otherwise."

For a moment, you both sat without talking, simply taking in the ambience around you. For the first time ever, there was no malice in the air when you were in each other's company. As your hands looped and twisted the leather still, a bigger hand took one of yours and rested in your lap. Shocked at the gesture, you looked over to Thorin, whose eyes were firmly ahead. Taking a step of your own, you shuffled into him closer, your legs and bodies touching. You could swear you felt him relax.

"I must confess something," Thorin's voice broke the air. "I thought you were beautiful when I first saw you."

"Oh?" you replied, seemingly surprised. "Me?"

"Yes, you. I could not take my eyes off you for that entire meeting. You have been in my thoughts ever since we left The Shire. It would seem I cannot get you out of my mind."

Your hand tightened around his, turning to entwine your fingers in with his own. It was then you noticed just how big his hands really were; they were almost twice the size of your own. Your other hand traced the rings he wore, your gentle touch sending a feeling through his whole body that he failed to describe.

"I have thought of you often, too. Even after all the fights, all of the arguments. I have thought about the dwarf that may be hidden under all of that, the kind Thorin that I am convinced is in there."

He let out a hearty chuckle, one that seemed less of humour and more of a tension relief. Finally, he was cleared of this weight on his shoulders.

"Then perhaps you should find that out for yourself."

Before you had a chance to answer his playful remark, Thorin's hand lifted to hold your face, rubbing his thumb across your cheek. His hand came to rest on your jaw, and as he leaned in he stopped just before your lips, waiting for your permission to carry on. Without hesitation, you closed your eyes and pressed your lips to his. Knowing you were fine with it, Thorin pulled you closer and deepened the kiss, though still remaining soft.

You both knew your guards being dropped like this was not good, but in the moment, neither of you cared. It was only a minute or so, and the company were safe. Pulling back, Thorin rested his forehead against your own as you regained your breath. Say what you will, he is an excellent kisser.

"Thorin," you breathed out, not wanting to ruin the tender moment.

"Are we friends now then?" he asked, a smug tone lacing his words as he smirked at you.

"I think we are a little more than friends right now."

You had laughed and Thorin followed suit, and as you continued watch with him, his arm came to rest around your shoulders, occasionally playing with a loose strand of your hair. Your head leaned onto his shoulder.

"What do you think the future holds, Thorin? After you reclaim Erebor, what then?"

You heard him sigh, and his gaze fell upon the sky as he rested his head against the rock.

"I would think a focus on building back homes, creating a safe place for people to work and live among each other. Once word is sent to the other dwarves, perhaps then we can create the community that once was there. But in truth, I do not know."

Thorin was uncertain, mostly of the future just ahead, never mind the future that far in front.

"But," he began, now looking down at you as your eyes met. "I do know that I would quite like you by my side through it all."

You said nothing in reply, choosing instead to lean into him and capture his lips in a gentle kiss. Thorin's hand wound itself into your hair as he deepened the kiss. Without thought, you pulled him closer and you both got lost in each other for those few moments. Right here, nothing else mattered, nothing else was real. It was you and him, in each other's embrace and for the first time in so long, at ease.

You spent the rest of the night with each other on guard, allowing the company some decent rest, and from that day on you had vowed to always be there with Thorin Oakenshield until the very end.

Thank you for reading! <3

#thorin oakenshield #thorin #thorin x reader #thorin imagine #thorin oakenshield x reader #thorin oakenshield imagine #the hobbit #the hobbit imagines #the hobbit x reader #x reader #imagine #one shot

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emperor-kumquat · 2 months ago

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Hello there!!! How’s your day going so far emperor?

Old time fan here! I’ve been catching up on Some of my old transformers fandoms ever since I watched transformers one, and I remember about this awesome project you and many other creators made (btw your work is outstanding, Keep it up!!!) and I’m amazed at how much has changed and it makes me feel incredibly happy that my favorite transformers prime fan-storyline is still here! I remembered finding your videos when it was back in 2020 during quarantine. I always played through the beta version of “mercy” when it first came out and I remember feeling so excited for it; and I’d always wanted to best path for starscream be at least a good guy since he was my favorite character (and still is today)

And now seeing that the game is still in the works and seeing so many new bots is so exciting and happy to see the dedication to this!!! I know I have to catch up on the lore and stuff but it’ll be a fun experience for me, though I just wanted to ask a few questions before I end my first ever question that wasn’t anonymous,

Question 1: is there a discord server where I could possibly join? I want to make sure I could keep up with the latest updates for this project!

Question 2: I know I’ll need to read the Ao3 storyline for mercy but how does predaking and starscreams relationship grow over time during one of the paths? (I can’t remember but I think it was the one where predaking spears him and just keeps an eye on him— along with the predacons going to live in the wild or something? Can’t remember much lol)

And for my last question;

Question 3: Hows the process of “Mercy” going so far? Seeing all the art being made its absolutely stunning and beautifully done!

And that’s all the questions I have for now; until then I’ll be catching up on all the transformers lore that I’ve missed for so many years! I hope you’re having an amazing day Emperor!

————-J

Thank you so much for being a fan of Mercy! I still work on it almost every day! Editing the stories to improve quality, writing new content, drawing, instructing artists, etc.

Have you seen all the art on the Ko-Fi page? I post the commissions there, so there are hundreds of images to see!

For all the latest updates, here is the Discord server. Just so you know, there is a glitch when you enter that doesn't let you interact right away. Stay in the server until I can fix that for you, then you can write your introduction to unlock the whole server. Please read the rules too.

For the storyline you are referring to, I have fully written the story where the Predacons live in the wild of Cybertron with Starscream as their guide. It is THE Starscream story of Mercy and is a tale of friendship. Your adventure gets dangerous later on, so it turns into a fun survival game too! This is the written version of the choose your own adventure story. It's called "Discovery".

The main paths of Transformers: Mercy are on AO3. There are three full length story games available right now and the fourth is in progress. Check out my complete list of works and you may be surprised just how much has been completed since the beta part 1!

Mercy Part 1 (2020): A collection of the various starts to the game. A bit under construction right now to adapt to new plans. Quality is being improved (and the videos will be redone)

Space Adventure (2021): the choice to work with the Autobots on the landing site/spaceport at the end of Part 1. Travel to other worlds!

Reformed Predator (2022): the choice to eat Starscream in Part 1. Become a carnivorous monster then get therapy.

Discovery (2023): the choice to live in the wilderness at the end of Part 1. Explore beautiful lands and befriend Starscream.

Monstrous Heart (2024): the choice to work with the Autobots in the city at the end of Part 1. Discover the dark secrets of the Autobots and Decepticons, thwart the Vehicon mafia.

Right now I'm trying to do a lot of editing for my older content to improve it. I'm also doing a massive effort to prepare Part 2 videos for the Mercy stories so far. And doing my own Mercy art, annd I really need to write Monstrous Heart to completion this year! One novel-length game every year is the goal.

#tf mercy #transformers #transformers prime #starscream #predaking #predacons

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justporo · 11 months ago

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Revelations

A Night of Fake Smiles and Hidden Lies: Chapter 10

As the joy and their love still echo through each other, Astarion sweeps up Tav for another dance - that makes them reminisce about all the things that might have been and be thankful for all the things that are.

Author's Note: Three months... It took me three months to get back to this - I am deeply sorry but life - you know. I have however this and four more chapters already drafted ready for you - and there's still more to come so I hope you're ready to jump back into this adventurous night with Astarion and Tav, start the night anew or maybe get lost in it for the first time? Anyways, I hope really hope you enjoy a chapter of a lot of emotions and banter - there's quite some more stuff to come!

Songs: Serenade for Strings in E Major - Antonín Dvořák (and also that's their second waltz)

Pairing: Astarion/Fem!Tav (You)

Warnings: none

CHAPTER LIST | PREVIOUS CHAPTER |NEXT CHAPTER

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You could have just stayed like this for the rest of your days: Astarion’s arms firmly holding you while the world blurred around you completely with your head thrown back and you dancing together until the world would fall down.

Your vampire being your single focal point, the one thing to always return to, the only thing you really ever needed – while the rush of the dance and the prickling sensation of having drunk just a tad too much gave you a feeling of pleasant light-headedness. Life could be so easy, so beautiful.

The waltz went on forever with you and Astarion beaming broadly, drunk on love, champagne and each other. And yet the dance ended all too quickly.

When an enormous crescendo began announcing the end of the waltz you lifted your head up again and grinned broadly at Astarion who was still rushing with you over the dancefloor as if he’d never done anything else in his life.

His red eyes were so open, the smile on his face as genuine as you had ever seen. A look that could almost make you believe that it had truly always been like that: no two hundred years of torture, just this perfect, gilded vision of a happy life.

You both knew it wasn’t true – but for this moment it was more than enough.

Horns in the orchestra rose up for a grand finale. Astarion turned you even more eagerly for these last couple of rounds, an almost feral grin splitting his face. Just the pure joy of the speed with which you were almost tossed around, made you throw your head back once more. A joyous, wild, almost feral laughter escaped from your lips – caused by the simple but deep delight of feeling so, so alive. You saw it on your vampire’s face too: a power so strong his undead self might’ve been more alive in this moment than others were in their whole existence.

Astarion’s hand let go of yours and joined his other at your waist and you leaned back even more to enjoy the dizzying rush, your hands quickly moving to cover your lover’s while you were sure you had never felt this free in your life. Flying couldn’t have felt any better than this.

And the vampire couldn’t rip his eyes from his beloved, the corners of his mouth curled up so far it made his face ache as he beheld his soulmate experiencing some of the rawest, purest joy, he’d ever seen in anyone. It seemed one of the divine entities he’d prayed to had eventually answered his pleas by putting you in his way after all. Finally blessing him with a piece of paradise.

But not a single god could have even competed with you in this very moment as Astarion could barely believe the beauty of the love of his life. His feeling of wonder and glee not second to yours in this moment that felt almost detached from anything – your surroundings, your past, your future.

Truly a night and a moment to never forget.

With a beat of the drum the orchestra ended on a high note. Couples all around you broke into cheering and clapping while the other guests joined in. The volume quickly rising levels over what the musicians had just ended with.

But Astarion and you didn’t join in. His hands were still on your hips and his eyes on your flushed face full of happiness. Your chest was heaving heavily. Who could have predicted that dancing could be just as exhausting as going into battle (or indulging in other physical activities). Your earlier assessment had been quite right you felt like. Although of course the aftermath felt much more delightful and much less dreadful.

It did nothing to bother you though because wild, unbound happiness was still flooding through you. And you saw it mirrored on Astarion’s face as well in the way his eyes sparkled like garnets and you felt his hands restlessly squeeze and tap on your hips, his vigour barely contained.

He opened his mouth wanting to say something while around you people were still in a frenzy. But before he could get a word out you stepped forward, dragged him down by his face and crushed his lips to yours in a way you had never kissed him before. The urge to show him how your heart was flowing over with love for him in this very moment was just too strong to resist. You needed an outlet for the overflowing in your chest – your whole body!

The vampire let it happen, arms raising almost helplessly before he wrapped them around you and pulled you in closer, kissing you back with just as much force and emotion. And when you released him, detangling from his arms, his crimson eyes were wide with surprise. He almost stumbled back being released from your passionate embrace.

Astarion was flustered and obviously speechless.

It must’ve been an illusion of the low lights, but it almost looked like a slither of pink blush crossed over his face up to the tips of his pointy ears. He blinked several times while his mouth was slightly agape, and his eyes were still on you: as if he had perceived a miracle right in front of his own eyes. And maybe that was exactly what you were to him.

Well, that surely was a first.

Your giggle felt almost a little hysterical as you rode off the last waves of this incredible emotional high and wrapped your arms around Astarion as your vampire was still staring off into space in surprised but delighted bliss. Meanwhile around you the dancefloor emptied slightly while the thundering applause had drizzled out already.

“We need to do this again some time, love, if that’s your reaction”, Astarion murmured as he regained his wits slowly and reciprocated the hug slowly. You buried your face at his chest, still grinning almost maniacally, not ready to let the moment pass.

Some of the guests passing around you, leaving the dancefloor threw the two of you glances. Everyone had seen your display of heartfelt affection and that seemingly had warmed up the crowd to you. One or two people went as far as touching your or Astarion’s shoulder as you kept standing there: the very illustration of a happy, young fairytale couple.

As that thought crossed your mind you almost started to giggle again – your little ironic roleplay had maybe become just a little tad too convincing.

You lifted your face off Astarion’s chest who had let his thumbs wander softly over your arms. “Now, my prince, are you ready to get your white stallion and steal me away for our first night of passion before we get married, and I have no other task in life than bear your children and raise them while you go off to some war from which you’ll never return?” you asked him, rambling on and on with the newly found energy and placed the back of your hand on your forehead in a dramatic gesture.

The vampire’s eyebrow in the meantime had arched higher and higher the more you added to the cliché imagery of your fairytale. He grinned at you, eyebrow still raised, giving him the expression of seriously questioning your sanity in this moment. “Darling, I honestly think you’re getting just a tad too much into this,” he whispered while the party, the drinking, the chatter rose up around you again.

“Also you do know my stance on horses, sweetheart.”

You laughed and pinched one of his cheeks. You were definitely still feeling high of everything and were in a silly mood. Thankfully Astarion didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he could barely contain his own laughter as he answered you.

“But at least you put the night of passion before the marriage, at least it’s not a prude tale,” he continued, his voice taking on a sultry note while he inclined his head to you.

“But scrap the terrible, stereotypical ending, my love, I’ll happily stay right here with you for as long as we both want to,” Astarion closed, his tone now a lot more genuine again. You could only answer with a big happy smile, placing your head against his chest again.

The orchestra in the meantime had taken a short break, some of the musicians allowing themselves to indulge in a singular glass of offered champagne before they continued playing for what would surely be a very long night still.

You pulled back from Astarion a little with a sigh: “You’re right, I guess this is all going straight to my head more even than the alcohol. I guess once we’re back home I will have to spend a week in the Lower City and get shit-faced every night at Maeve’s until they let me sleep under the big bench on the floor. You know to ground myself again.”

“Ah see, there’s my little feral street cat that I love so much again”, the Astarion replied in a haughty tone – with a tinge of disapproval and teasing disgust.

You kicked him – but only slightly as you stood too close to him to get him properly. “Be nice, you prick!”

The vampire only laughed and while holding onto your slim shoulders pressed a quick kiss to your lips. The orchestra was now getting ready to start playing again. The conductor tapping his baton against his stand again to gain everyone’s attention. Another waltz was announced while you tried to kick Astarion again for being a meanie.

“You could give me just one deeply romantic moment once in a while, you know that, Astarion? Without ruining it with your sass!”

“I didn’t bring up getting drunk at this piss poor establishment someone even dared to call a tavern,” Astarion replied. You simply tried to swat his arm but the rogue took a half step back, dodging just out of your reach

“Did you really get so drunk at this forlorn tavern that they let you sleep it off on the floor?” he asked with mock worry on his face

“I won’t answer this question right now, Astarion,” you replied and let go of him to take a step back yourself while pursing your lips.

“Well then, darling,” he said and grabbed hold of your wrist before you could step away from him further. “Allow me another question then: will you join me for another dance?” The low, golden light of the chandeliers sparkled in Astarion’s eyes as he said that with his head slightly bowed to you. He was all of a sudden on his best behaviour again as you heard the musicians in the orchestra readying themselves for another piece.

In this in between moment you took a second to take your partner in again. You had been with him all night. You had seen him get dressed even but with how he looked at you right now you were just wholly smitten by him again. He looked like sin in a suit – and you were so ready to indulge again. Forgotten was the short insolent quarrel. But how could you stay mad at him for long when the look on his face and wide red puppy eyes spoke of nothing but adoration and deep affection for you.

So, when his smile and his offered hand promised you another round of exhilarating joy should you accept his offer, you didn’t even think before agreeing and grabbing his hand.

His fingers wrapped around yours as Astarion smiled happily at you and swung you around once more while the strings softly began playing a new piece.

Your vampire made you take one – or two – extra turns before he pulled you back in, arm wrapping firmly around you once more and then starting to twirl around the room again. It was a slower waltz now that fit well with how the mood seemed to have shifted from electrifying frenzy to something a bit calmer now. The dancefloor had emptied quite a bit. Many of the guests, as you noticed while turning your head around while Astarion made you glide over the polished wooden floors, were back to drinking, chatting, showing off and gossiping. And another thing you noticed: if everything had been highly polished at first, just like the gold buttons on most everyone’s doublets or the silver of amulets around necks, there was a slight general disarray noticeable. Some cravats and scarfs had been loosened, buttons opened up, lipstick smeared, and headpieces started to slide dangerously off people’s heads. All which was going hand in hand with a general air of tipsiness and derailment. At this point in the night, it might’ve been impossible to find just about one person not slightly stumbling from maybe having had one or two glasses of champagne too many.

And you were pretty sure you even spotted at least one hysterically laughing tiefling lady sipping directly from a huge, heavy-looking bottle – having to use her other hand to even get it lifted. When another turn took you around again, you spotted her once more – and realised that it was the woman who’d been involved in the group from earlier. Apparently, she had dodged her cheating husband for a good bottle in hopes of something less treacherous – good for her.

Your gaze snapped back to Astarion, trying to find out if he had spotted her as well. And you knew he had when you saw his wicked, almost vicious smirk as he pulled you in a little closer with his hand on the small of your back. He sighed abruptly and dramatically while his face formed to a mocking expression mimicking disappointment and compassion: “Seems not everyone can be as lucky, loving and harmonious as the two of us, my love.”

Apparently just for the timing of the punchline did your feet choose this moment to make you stumble and almost fall onto Astarion. He hissed at you.

Only his roguish quick reflexes grabbing you by the shoulders and counterbalancing you stopped you both from toppling over. He lost not a moment before picking up the pace of the waltz again while you were still recovering from the shock.

Astarion clicked his tongue in disapproval, lips pursed: “I stand corrected.”

You snarled at him and were just about to show him how ‘harmonious’ you could be when you noticed something out of the corner of your eye. Someone else that was familiar.

You craned your neck in hopes of catching another glimpse while Astarion kept scolding you for not paying attention and how you would cause the two of you to lose the image of the imposing, perfect couple if you tumbled over each other while dancing. But you were indeed barely paying attention and therefore ignored what your partner was blabbering about.

Another turn and then you saw them again: another couple enjoying the dance together. Maybe a tad slower than the two of you and a bit less fluently. And in one half of the couple, you recognised your lovely elderly lady neighbour. She was dancing with a man much taller than her small frame, elegantly clothed with long black hair, tied together at his back in a low ponytail. While they slowly and a bit sluggishly turned, you saw how young and devilishly handsome her partner was. She was beaming up at him. And just the huge, genuine smile took years off her aged face.

You couldn’t help yourself, your mouth fell open. Your gaze snapped back to Astarion once more, hoping again that he had observed what you had just seen. And surely, he had, because there was at least slight surprise and even a bit of admiration on his face – his downturned corners of his mouth and lifted eyebrows giving him away.

“Old lady still got it within her, it seems”, Astarion commented and hummed approvingly. You had to agree.

“I hope it’s not for her money or estate,” you replied. You felt how the vampire just shrugged under your hand on his shoulder. You craned your neck again to look at them. But when you saw how he as well looked at her as if she was the most precious thing, he’d ever come across you knew it wasn’t.

“I do wonder though. When they go to bed how well she’s taking it with the age differ-“, Astarion began with a wicked glint and a grin that made him look almost fiendish.

This time you stumbled fully on purpose. Causing Astarion to hiss at you angrily again.

“You’re one to talk about age difference, grandpa!” you hissed back and stuck out your tongue when he began twirling you around with more force as if he was trying to work the insolent attitude right out of you by force.

Had he called the two of you harmonious just moments ago? Apparently only if the harmony was accounted for by the way you both violently bickered with each other like an old married couple.

“Why am I even taking this from someone barely older than a child,” Astarion snapped angrily while his grip on you got a little firmer, trying to show you there would be no more slip-ups, not under his watch.

“Be happy, I’ve decided to take care of an elderly citizen, love,” you spat back but barely hiding a grin.

Astarion huffed. “You’re not simply after my money, are you?”

You snorted. “There’s barely any notable amount to speak of, is there?”

The pale elf sighed in mocking disappointment: “So you’re only in it for the love – how sentimental and very unbusinesslike of you, my dear.”

“Guess, we’ll have to do with the feelings we have for each other,” you sighed back. Astarion too gave you another dramatic sigh as well while you shared a deep look into each other’s eyes. Then you both started to laugh softly before the strings of the waltz became slower still and more melancholic, the bittersweet music making a feeling of yearning rise up in your chest.

You were focused wholly on each other again with only the music lulling you. The room, the party, the other guests swirled by in colourful but easily ignorable billows. With steady moves again now you let yourself be taken away by the feelings rising up within your chest and your vampire’s tender expression while you moved over the dancefloor once more with the elegance of water in motion.

“Have you,” Astarion began in a much more sombre and genuine tone now after a while of just gazing at each other, “have you ever wondered how it would have been? If we’d met under different circumstances? Happier ones, I mean.”

“You mean, if you hadn’t become-“ you awkwardly gesticulated around with your hand wrapped with his. He simply nodded. And you immediately understood what he was trying to say: would there have been a version of events where you had found each other without all the pain and the turmoil in between?

The way he looked at you in such a vulnerable manner now made your heart ache. You saw the cracks within him he usually did his best to cover up and hide – and that he only trusted you with to only ever see. If only there was a way to relieve him of this weight he felt.

A pained smile swept over your face: “I have.” You sighed. You had to look away for a single second.

“Although in every version I’ve come up with so far we would have crossed ways and probably would have only spared each other a spiteful glance – with me having grown up homeless on the streets and you being a magistrate with noble upbringing and everything”, you continued. And then you remembered something you had spoken about earlier that evening, your gaze snapped back to his. “And I would have probably left with your purse and laughed about how stupid you were.” A weak smile played on your lips with the weak attempt of lightening the mood again.

You saw some of the pain you felt mirrored on the vampire’s face. His gaze shortly slipped from yours as well as he seemed taken by his own imagination of an alternate meeting, another ending to your story. Then he offered you a small, slightly sad smile when he looked into your eyes again: “If only you were an actual princess, things might have turned out differently, my heart.”

“That’s a lot of ifs, isn’t it?”

Astarion shrugged and was prepared to move on from the topic, but now that he said it, there was something about it.

“Although,” you began, catching the vampire’s fleeting attention once more. He cocked his head slightly. “This might have not even the biggest ‘if’.”

Astarion’s interest was caught, his full lips forming a questioning “oh” while his eyebrows jumped up. Frankly, he seemed thankful for an opportunity to leave the territory of hurtful memories and regrets behind.

You cleared your throat, getting yourself ready to reveal something about your past you didn’t like to dwell on – at all.

“Well, I might have told you that my father was a pretty high-up elven noble, right?” Astarion bowed his head to you, waiting for the new piece of information in this, narrowing his eyes.

“Turns out, he’s actually the king of a small, mostly secluded living elven enclave in some Faerun forest – all this being part of the reason why my mother dropped me on the steps of some cloister after birth. A bastard child is one thing, but the bastard child of a king – unimaginable, not tolerable”, you burst out all at once like ripping the knife out of a wound. And just like a blade viciously pulled from flesh made blood gush from the cut, making it hurt more, you felt how a whole lot of emotions of long hidden away memories were about to wash over you.

You couldn’t hold the vampire’s gaze for a few long moments while you fought to not get swept away by hurtful, long stowed away memories. Astarion’s gaze at you softened, his thumb wandering over your entwined fingers. He didn’t fully understand what all this meant for you. But he surely knew and realised when someone was not willing to share further details about pain of the past.

If you wanted there would come a time and a place to talk more about this and what I meant for you. But the middle of a dancefloor during a big ball was neither for that.

You remained in silence for long heartbeats while you asked yourself why you had so randomly offered up this piece of information about yourself – something that you had neither thought about in a long time nor wanted to pay any mind to in the future. Where you came from meant nothing to you, only the present and the man that held you was important for you now.

After a while you had caught yourself again and you lifted your head to meet his gaze again.

“I guess that’s just what we are right now, Astarion, a vampire only having broken free from his master after two centuries and a former street kid that also barely made it as a thief”, you said with a small bitter laugh.

Astarion let his thumb wander over your entwined hands again while he pulled you in closer once more, both his hands on your back now as he still made you both turn around lazily, another waltz nearing his end.

“For what it’s worth, darling,” he murmured and offered you a genuine smile with wide, open eyes, “I’m sure you agree we would have both been happy if we hadn’t gone through everything we did to get here. But I am still very happy that I’m here now and that I get to share it with you, my heart. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

His crimson eyes conveyed his love for you as he cupped your cheek and the strings drew out a single last mournful note. Slowly your lips curled into a smile and saw it spread over Astarion’s face too – two partners in crime.

What was it even worth to mourn something that could have never been?

And you had to agree with him. You were incredibly happy for the time since you had met him, if not for the circumstances. But luckily, from there on out, things had been looking up tremendously.

Your future, you thought, looked quite golden, and with a fair share of garnets strewn across.

Taglist (DM if you want to be added please):

@spacebarbarianweird @sunfire-ancunin @tragedybunny @dependsonthedream @tallymonster @magazzne @micropoe10 @aoirohi @my-bunny-prince @lumienyx @fayeriess @aurasyn @margoteve @usuallyunlikelyfox @hollowmasque @worryknotdear @wraithmaine @darlingxdragon @hereliesblackdragon @ayselluna @ajokeformur-ray @i-cant-get-into-my-other-account @rikuyrk06 @marina-and-the-memes @somewhatclear @davenswitcher

#astarion #astarion x tav #baldurs gate #baldurs gate 3 #baldur's gate 3 #baldur's gate iii #astarion x reader #astarion x mc #baldurs gate astarion #astarion x oc #astarion x you #fanfic #fanfiction #astarion ancunin #bg3 spoilers #a night of fake smiles and hidden lies #tav #bg3

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biscuit-library · 3 days ago

Text

Beautiful eyes. || Linked Universe.

He was home.

Author notes: I just wanted to do some Sky thing. Enjoy it :]

Another portal appeared right when they were eating breakfast. Sky laughed a bit when Wind let out an exaggerated sigh, and he could hear someone cursing under his breath.

"Not in the middle of my breakfast..." - Hyrule said, making him smile. Well, he was also annoyed with the portal, but the reaction of his brothers was sure funny.

"Waif a bidh stubif boftal, lemme eaf" - Four spoke as they munched their sandwich, clearly annoyed.

"Don't speak with your mouth full." - Time let out a little laughter, yet Four ignored him as they bit the sandwich.

Some time later, they were ready. Twilight was the first to enter with Legend and Wind, Four held Time's hand and crossed, Sky and Warriors next and finally Hyrule and Wild.

The first thing Sky felt was the nice wind and a familiar smell in the air. He quickly looked around and let out a happy shout.

"Where in Skyloft!!" - everyone looked at him, smiling. It was not the first time they were here, so he could just leave them alone without fearing it to be weird for the people. He walked next to Time, who was holding Four in his arms. With a small nod, he gives the smith to Sky, and they let a small noise of surprise for the sudden movement. - "I'll take 'em to the Academy, you can explore."

"Uughhh that'sss great... might use a bedd..." - Four muttered, resting their head in Sky chest.

Sky smiled, and everyone went their own path.

Sky hummed a song as he walked across the dirt path, enjoying the nice breeze. The walk to the Academy was easy, but opening the door wasn't. Yet he managed, and entered.

Pipit was talking to Owlan in the hallway, both noticing quite fast that Sky was there. Owlan smiled, walking calmly while Pipit almost ran to be next to Sky.

"Shh, they got a headache." - Sky whispered fast, cutting whatever Pipit was about to say. He knows Pipit, he knows his voice is loud.

"Oh shoot, sorry." - he whispered back, taking two steps back to give Sky and Four space. - "Want me to take 'em to your room?" - Sky shook his head.

"I'm good, thanks bud." -

Owlan looked at him, doing a small gesture with his head. He surely wanted to know later how his student was going, yet said nothing while the three of them went to Sky's room, the professor kindly opening the door for them.

Sky gave Four some of his sleep clothes, just for them to be more comfy in the bed. He helped them to change clothes and all, putting all of their things in his desk.

"Mmmh thankss budd, i'll be finne now..." - they said, closing their eyes, muttering something else Sky didn't understand. They're drifting off, he thinks. They give a small smile, and he smiled at Four, quietly leaving the room.

Owlan and Pipit were still there.

"Your buddy is good?" - Pipit ask, worried. He nods.

"Yeah, it happens every time they cross a portal." - he said, and with the look of Owlan face he quickly added: "Don't worry tho, we never appear near a fight, so they can rest 'till they're feeling better."

Owlan smiled, sighing on relief.

"Well, if you said so." - he put one hand in Sky's shoulder. - "Now tell me, how are you doing?"

And they started to chat, Sky telling about his new brothers and adventures, as they moved to the kitchen to be more comfortable talking.

Fledge was there, probably ending eating breakfast. He quickly joined the conversation.

After some time chatting, Sky heard a loud "bang!", as the door opened. He jumped off his seat, turning over to the door.

"I KNEW YOU WERE HERE!!" - she said, a big smile on her face. Sky also let a big smile, letting a happy sound as both of them run to meet in a tight hug. It's been a long time since they hugged, they clearly missed it.

Sun started to move her hand in Sky's back, and Sky kissed softly her head.

Long and nice seconds passed, until Sun broke the hug. She grabbed kindly Sky's hands, as she looked at his eyes. Oh, Sun eyes were beautiful. Sky could get lost in them and still feel like home.

Then, Sun looked behind Sky, and just said:

"I'm borrowing him, bye!" - and, with one hand still in Sky's hold, they walked out of the Academy. Sky just heard Pipit say before the door closed:

"Have fun, love birds!" -

Once they were outside, they just looked at each other, their eyes telling all the they needed to know. No words were spoken when they walked down the stairs, enjoying the breeze.

Sun dragged him to the closest platform. She let go of Sky hand, walked a bit, turned, and smiled. She jumped into the sky.

Sky runs and jumps too, calling his loftwing. His friend catches him, letting a happy squeak as they fly. Sky feels the wind in his face, his lungs being filled with the nice air. He opened his arms, closing his eyes to just feel the wind.

Oh how he missed this.

He hears Sun laughter, and he looks around. Sun is close to him, laughing as her beautiful blonde hair flowed with the wind. Sky wished to stay like this forever.

"Let's go! I race you!!" - she said before speeding, leaving him behind. He smiles playfully, accepting the challenge. His loftwing lets out a noise as they speed to catch up with Sun.

Sun wins, it's obvious.

She is waiting on their "special island", a little island they found when they were little, and they always go there for some time alone.

Sun smiles as the crimson loftwing lands on the island, watching Sky jump to the ground. The loftwing went with Sun's, as they do a little dance and happy sounds, then sitting next to each other.

The two lovers smiled at that.

In a comfortable silence, they lay down very closely, as they hold hands. They enjoyed the wind, the soft sun in their bodies, and the company of each other.

"I love you." - Sun said softly, making Sky turn his head to look at her.

She really had some beautiful eyes.

"I love you too." -

#biscuit's books #tloz #linked universe #linked universe fanfic #lu fic #linked universe sky #lu sky #linked universe sun #lu sun #fluff #I LOVE THEMMM

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gerrydelano · 9 months ago

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Hi i would. Looove to hear about this fantasy au (bonus points for gerrys fucked up origins thanks for the food)

scrambles to sit up and falls out of my desk chair in the process. Bless You, Anon. Bless You. i will limit this to the first side quest because even that is long as fuck but it Is gerry centric which means it's food for Me.

okay So. the key tenets here are:

tim is the pov character

the stokers knew sasha and martin as kids until martin moved away with his dad after his mom's passing (wild!)

danny was taken by the fey at like 18. BAD.

after two years of training and study, tim and sasha are about to set off to find him or get revenge (it's a death wish) just as martin swaggers back into town a new man (he spent a decent chunk of his money on glamors that are tantamount to HRT while traveling back to their hometown after he super left his shitty dad's house) and he elects to come with them because It's A Death Wish and he doesn't want tim to get into trouble, and also he has like... nowhere to go anyway. might as well keep adventuring, but this time with friends.

they go to a coastal city to ask adelard dekker for some advice, and he sends his apprentice along with them. hi jon!

and then once they're on their adventure........ we meet a mysterious figure.

they do a lot of little bounty hunts and side quests for money and whatever obviously and so at one point they get enlisted to find some heirloom for some guy and right as they're about to get it, oops! insert Guy In A Featureless Silver Mask Riding On A Black Dire Wolf, Who Then Swoops In And Takes The Heirloom First.

What.

they hate this guy. they can't stand this guy. they wanna beat this guy up for doing that. he was so scary though so what do you even do. they ask around town and find out he's The Black Rider™ and he has a habit of doing this shit and they should stay out of his way.

they find melanie in a tavern and jon recognizes her from their childhoods because surprise! THEY grew up together. and she's been Away for a while after she ran away with josephine, her first love, who ended up dying about a year later. she's been too ashamed to return home alone. she is begrudging about reconnecting with jon, but she does end up hugging him and crying about this. i love them. bad weather friends.

she joins their party in time to run into the Black Rider again, who once more is trying to get something before they get it.

this time they get some awkward banter out of him though so they figure there is some kind of person under there.

and the Third time they encounter him, tim tries to cut to the chase and offer an olive branch of friendship, only for the black rider to attack them with his big scary halberd and it's like DUDE! WHAT THE FUCK!!!!

the fight is pretty intense but they do outnumber him, so tim gets him on the ground with his sword under his chin and he can feel the dog breathing down his neck but she isn't biting - because the black rider has held up a hand to stop her.

tense! and kinda sexy.

they agree to lower the weapon/call off the dog on the count of three from sasha, but tim hesitates longer than the black rider does. intriguing.

he leaves and they realize he still took the bounty they were after. G-d DAMMIT!!!!

then a few weeks later they meet some guy named gerry in a dungeon and he helps them fight off some zombies or whatever and they vibe for a few days, he seems nice if not a little weird, and they get along well. he dips after a bit and it's just a standard interaction pretty much. neither here nor there.

then they're fighting a cockatrice at some point and the Black Rider comes in to help them! odd, but accepted.

oops! his mask gets knocked off.

martin, being the nice guy he is, goes to return it to him and sees his face - gasp! it's gerry! who EVER could have guessed!

after they defeat the cockatrice they really have to have a whole ass conversation about this because Seriously Dude What The Fuck.

he ends up talking to them a little bit but not much, he's cagey and now seems kind of... nervous? what gives, right.

after a bit though they offer to let him come with them because tim is like "oh my g-d. you're LONELY 😆"

and he'd be right.

but there's a lot more to it than that.

eventually he caves and tells them, "we're being watched." by who? his patron, he says, after taking his time deciding on the wording.

he's never told anyone this before. he didn't even know she couldn't Hear him too, only just found that out.

then after a little while he fucks off for a bit without an explanation, and they're like. wtf.

when he comes back to find them, he explains that he nearly stabbed tim in his sleep one day because he's not only being spied upon, but his body is able to be controlled by his patron.

they are understandably upset about this and have to put in some protective measures to prevent that from happening again. he's no longer allowed on night watch.

but he's clearly distraught with guilt and like... they can SEE the humanity in him, they can SEE that he hates this and he needs help.

martin is a Redemption paladin by now and he wants to help him really badly.

tim needs... some time.

jon suggests they put a blindfold on him now and then to help him feel more at ease talking about things without fear of being spied on and it helps sometimes.

they travel for like 9 months before gerry trusts tim enough to show him what's really going on, while they're bathing in a lake after a battle that left them covered in blood.

he moves his hair aside to show tim a sigil branded on his back.

mary did that to him when he was 12.

so, basically, this guy hasn't had a shred of bodily autonomy or privacy in half his life. it's disgusting honestly like literally if you think for two seconds about the logistics of this it just gets more and more upsetting. bad!!!!

so they've already wanted to break his curse but it's just. tim can't stand this knowledge. he still doesn't know it's his mother yet, though. that stays on lock.

the group goes on to meet with mikaele salesa for some help, and gerry refuses to go anywhere near him. fucks off again with no explanation.

but they take the opportunity to ask salesa if he knows anything about the black rider etc and he says BOY DO I KNOW HIM. HE'S WHY I HAVE SO MUCH PROTECTION AROUND MY HOUSE LOL.

gerry has stolen so much from him and killed some of his guys and it's like YIKES. but salesa Also knows about mary.

she's been collecting super powerful artifacts for ages now trying to give herself more power so she can become a lich. uh oh!

and tim, who has made a Paladin Oath with Death by now, is now assigned by HIS patron to go and kill her before her transformation takes place, because she would be defying the natural order.

so, they go find her scary tower and are intent on fighting her, only to find - gerry?

and boy does he look rough. he looks Bad right now he hasn't been having a good time while he's been gone.

mary is in the middle of her ritual and she halves her focus in order to control gerry into fighting for her and eventually the fight is looking bad enough that she switches tactics.

she has him point the knife at his own throat.

because she did spy a little bit of the tiny intimate moments between gerry and tim, try as gerry might have to keep his eyes averted or up at the sky or just anywhere But tim, and she knows the group has come to care about him. so, clearly this is a better threat.

sasha calls her bluff BIGTIME and says hell no are you gonna kill him, you put too much work into him, he's your only heir, you need him, you'd never go that far, blablabla.

and that much is actually true. but it looks pretty close when she actually has him break skin a little bit.

tim is very upset at sasha for potentially making it worse lol But

it does work

they manage to kill her and free gerry and it's a very complicated moment because like... dude that's his mom. she's all he's ever known, save the wolf she "got" for him when he was a kid that is now his closest companion, and the dryad who guards the forest outside (hi tazia!)

so it takes gerry and tim a while to like. recover from that. but they do.

meanwhile, before they leave mary's tower, they totally pilfer her magical objects and jon finds a peculiar glass orb... that looks like it's got spider webbing inside it.

and that's all i'll say for now! obviously this is the Side Quest i am most invested in, but the plot of this filled 15 pages of a timeline and it goes on until gerrytim die in their 70s lmao so like. Big Big AU. it takes like 5 years after this all happens to find danny and That is a huge mess, too. boy howdy!!!!

now i realize i can't surprise anyone with this plot if i did write it but like. chances of that are slim. this is still so niche. jdhdjdhfk. gtcu brand classes, not canon based at all.

#asks #anon #dah tag #gtcu

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ask-the-royal-absol · 1 year ago

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(Hi everyone! Mod Goomy here! So, 300 followers. That is absolutely wild to me. I know I still had my 200 follower event but I’m gonna be honest with you, I kinda ran outta steam on that one. I’m really sorry but it was just a lot for me to draw. I feel bad because when I first began it, I wanted to do it. I really did. But, things kept happening and that meant I couldn’t draw for it and I’ve just kinda lost interest. Sorry. I’m definitely not very good when it comes to big continuous events like that.

Anyway. 300 followers. Hi hello. That’s is a lot of followers. I’m genuinely just incredibly thankful that so many of you want to follow me. I'll go over just some bits on how I started this blog and some things I want to say.

This blog started out because I needed a creative outlet for my story telling. Especially with the stories I was listening to, there were some that were very character-driven and I loved all of their interactions and how they would react to the world around them. I used to run a dnd campaign and I was still missing doing that.

So, that’s when I started planning my own ask blog. The main event that inspired me to do it in this style was the giant event that @/askthetraveller did with their rayquaza and what @/asksavel did with fighting Dravol. I’d been following the traveller since the beginning of their blog and when savel was a gastly, before the mod decided to have a break in their story. Those events just seemed like so much fun. And I loved the fact that they brought the community together where everyone could join in and be a part of it.

It was wonderful to see and it inspired me to want to be a part of this community. This wonderful community filled with so many incredible and kind people. You all inspire me and encourage me to keep going. You all fill me with that excitement of wanting to continue. The reactions I have gotten to Destino have been so much fun.

The wild variation of relationships Destino has been able to build with some of your characters has been great. From being enemies with Snow and Galadriel hating Destino's guts, to Gizmo and Indigo playing along and sharing in the banter too. I love how each character has such a different reaction to Destino.

And my other characters too. Felix, Hope, Mistress Mirage, King Nox and Queen Karma, the Bisharp brothers Roy and Hershel. I have so much fun showing them all to you and how they interact with you all.

Speaking of that Absol, Destino was originally inspired by my dnd character Xave. Xave was a rich, stuck-up and egotistical bastard who only cared for himself. He was inspired by the bastard characters I'd seen and liked in media. So, I wanted another bastard character.

At first, Destino started as just an absol drawing. And then I drew them with more personality. And it began to fall in place. What was this character's name? Backstory? What adventure would I want them to go on? And then the cogs started turning. A story started being made with story beats being planned out. Other kingdoms stared to fall into place and suddenly I had this whole world where I knew I wanted to turn it into an ask blog. I was excited. I was talking to my partner about it and they were asking world-building questions I'd never think of.

This was in October last year. Destino character has definitely changed a bit since I first created them. Still an ass back then but was definitely a bit more friendly and a huge nerd. I'm glad I changed that because of how well you've taken Destino. I took a pause from my world and the creation of it until the end of December. I looked at it again and all of the stuff I had done for it and said to myself, "I wish I had turned this into an ask blog."

And then it clicked that I could still do that. What was stopping me? Anxiety. That was what. I asked my partner if they thought I should start it. And they said, "Yes. If that's what you want to do. I'll even push the button for you to make it if that's what will get you going." And then it was made. And I was busy drawing my very first post.

And it took off from there. I met loads of people, enjoyed the interactions I was having and started to really enjoy myself. It was nice just to be able to get my ideas down.

And I still am. I still am enjoying each and every moment. This is the longest I have consistently enjoyed a project like this. So, thank you all. Thank you to each and every one of you who like, reblog, comment, send an ask or even just look at my posts. I truly do appreciate you all.

And I truly appreciate the people I speak with in this community too. This community has definitely changed my life for the better. I'm so happy to be a part of it. I feel the community is in a really good place at the moment. I'm aware that in the past, it has had its troubles. But, as someone who's only joined this year, it has been a fantastic and kind place to be. And seeing apparent veterans of the community also coming back, this truly is a good year for ask blogging. I mean, you've all definitely been a good influence on myself as a newbie.

And with how this is going, I hope I can continue to be a part of it for years to come. I've got a huge story planned (three arcs (with arc one split into two parts) with stuff in between (kinda filler and kinda character development)) and hope I can take you on a fun (and perhaps sometimes emotional) journey with you all. You are all truly special to me. Thank you.)

#300 followers #it really is incredible #just that you all want to join me on this journey #i just appreciate each and every one of you #this community is truly something special to me

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ash-and-books · 5 months ago

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Rating: 4.5/5

Book Blurb:

#1 New York Times bestselling author Alexandra Bracken is back with the electrifying sequel to SILVER IN THE BONE, in which fresh betrayal ignites ancient magic to wake the dead, and a cursed girl with no magic of her own must put the past to rest.

With the dream of Avalon in ruins, Tamsin and her friends are all that stands in the way of Lord Death's plans to unleash the horrors of Anwnn on the world of the living. As the Wild Hunt carves a bloody path across continents, Tamsin is mustering allies, tracking down powerful artifacts, and traversing into new otherlands in search of a way to stop him.

Legend tells of a “Mirror of Beasts,” powerful enough to trap even Lord Death in its accursed glass, but the mirror is not all that it seems. Tamsin must confront her own darkest secrets if she hopes to tap the mirror's strength to defeat her enemies.

Arthurian legend bleeds into contemporary action, and scars of the past are torn open anew by a starcrossed love that refuses to go quietly. This riveting conclusion to the Silver in the Bone duology will hold you in its thrall until the very last page.

Review:

The finale in the magical story filled with betrayal, ancient magic, curses, and romance. This is a sequel in the duology and picks up right where the first book left off, Tamsin is freshly betrayed by the one boy she loves and now has unleashed the Lord Death's plans onto the world. Tamsin and her friends have to find a way to stop him before it's too late and Tamsin is still trying to find a way to save her brother... who just happened to have joined Lord Death's side and left her, oh and did I mention her previously thought to have been dead father is very much alive (he resurrected) and is younger and is telling her he came back for her to break a curse that is on her??? Not to mention said boy who broke her heart and betrayed her and left her and her friends for dead in a terrifying world is now back and determined to make amends? Saving the world isn't going to be easy but dealing with feelings might be even harder. Tamsin just wants to save her friends, save her brother, and stop the evil she's unleashed... she does not want to deal with her now returned father, she definitely does not want to deal with Emrys who has returned and is sticking by her side trying to make amends, and she definitely does not want to face the fact that she still is very much in love with him. Trust is broken and mended, an adventure of a lifetime awaits, and the fate of the world rests in the hands of Tamsin and her friends. This series was an absolute blast to read, it's got a touch of Arthurian legend and a whole fresh take on the classic elements of the story. I absolutely adored the characters and the complex relationships. Seeing Tamsin grow from who she was in the first book to who she ends up being in this book was fantastic. I loved how the story wrapped up and would absolutely recommend this series to anyone who enjoys Arthurian stories with a fresh take!

Release Date: July 30,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

Book purchase: Amazon

Author Info: Author Website

Book Tour: TBR and Beyond

*Thanks Netgalley and TBR Beyond Tours and Random House Children's | Knopf Books for Young Readers for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review and to be part of the book tour*

#book review #silver in the bone #the mirror of beasts #arthurian #tbr beyond tours #alexandra bracken

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seatrisa · 5 months ago

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I'm probably going to regret posting this in the morning, but whatever.

This could probably use more editing, so sorry.

Lullaby Did it First

(Time)

A new Link dubbed Hero has joined the Chain. He looks and acts like Time did as a kid.

Yet their memories don't seem to line up.

Time led the group through the castle. He wasn't sure how the meeting with Lyllaby would go with the new member of the team there. She'd probably have a lot of questions. Time sure did.

He still didn't understand who Hero was. Warriors agreed that he looked like Time when he was a kid. Time hadn't asked Wind, but from his expressions the last week or so, Wind would probably agree with Warriors. Hero acted like Time when he was that age: carefree, curious and still open because the world hadn't scared it out of him. Time envied that in him.

Hero knew all the people Time did. At the very least, he knew of a Malon and a Talin that lived on Lon Lon Ranch. There was a lot of similarities between the chain's homes, but not to this extent. And Hero knew his way around Castle Town. He had to be Time as a kid. It was the only thing that made sense.

And yet...

His memories were so different. Hero insisted that Lullaby had traveled with him on his adventures. Sheik was always nearby, but she hadn't traveled with Time. She taught Time about the master sword and the Ocarina of Time, but she hadn't gone into the temples with him. Hero acted like she had. Hero said Impa had died early in his adventure. Hero said Gannon killed Navi. But that hadn't happened. Time racked his brain and he couldn't remember any of that.

The worse part was, he knew Legend and Hyrule knew something. They wouldn't stop lying. First they'd kept the boy's existence a secret. Then they lied about what happened when the found the boy. They wouldn't even tell the truth to Hero. Time only knew that Hero had been fighting Ganon before they met because Hero said it himself. The duo insisted Hero was Legends predecessor. How was that even possible? Time already had 2 successors: Wind and Twilight. He couldn't possibly have another. Legend had acted like he hadn't heard of any other heroes, up to this point. How could he suddenly act like Hero was his idol? That Hero inspired him during his adventures. And Hyrule was no better. He'd never said anything about another predecessor up until now. It was frustrating to no end.

They finally made it to the throne room. Lullaby was there, looked as regal as always. Her blonde hair was pulled back, with only 2 piece hanging out to frame her face. Her eyes lite up slightly when she saw him. Why did that always happen? They'd never gotten close.

“Your Highness. You asked to see us?” Time said.

Lullaby's eyes dimmed. They always seemed to when he called her by her title. He didn't like upsetting her, but it felt wrong to call her anything else.

“Yes, thank you for coming, General” Lullaby always put a strange emphasis on Time's honorary title. Like she was trying to remind herself of it.

“You're a general!” Hero asked excitedly.

“It's more of an honorary title for all the things he's done for the kingdom. Link, or Time as you call him, is retired. Or he's supposed to be, until the black bloods started appearing that is.” Lullaby didn't seem to register that they'd had this conversation before or that she'd answered exactly the same as previously. Time had seen that sort of thing so many times during the time loop that he couldn't help but notice it.

“We had another Link join us. We've been calling him Hero.”

Lullaby's mouth twitched. “He's the Hero of Heroes?”

Hero spoke up. “No. I never got a Hero name. Probably because I'm not a hero. I failed.”

Wild flinched and Twilight put an arm around him. Why did the kid have to be so tactless in the way he spoke? Hero continued without noticing how he effected his companions. "Legend says I'm the Hero spoken of in legends, but he already took that name. Hyrule says they only referred to me the hero before the Hero of Legend but I think he's lying. Legend might be too. They've been keeping secrets from everyone.”

Wow that kid was blunt. Had he been like that when he was that age? Hyrule had the decency to look guilty. Legend just scowled.

“Who are you?” Hero stepped around Sky to look at Lullaby. Lullaby gasped. “Are you Time's Zelda? Hyrule was right. This must not be my time, even though it looks like it. You're too old to be Zelda”

“Hero.” Warriors reprimanded.

“But it's true. Zelda is my age. She still a princess, not some old queen.” Time almost groaned aloud. At least Lullaby didn't seem to mind. She was too busy glancing between Hero and Time.

Lullaby eye widened and then she stood. “Time.” Time didn't have to be told what to do. He stepped forward and offered his arm. They walked into the hall. She waited until they were in a side room to speak. Time looked around the space. There were a few chairs, a little table and a tempting pot Time was not going to smash. He'd out grown that sort of thing. The room wasn't really that small, but it was practically a closet by castle standards, without even a window.

“Is that who I think it is?” Lullaby asked. She was trying and failing to school her expression. She used to be a lot better at that.

“I don't know.” Time said.

Lullaby only raised a eyebrow. Time wasn't surprised. He'd learned the expression from her after all.

“He acts like I did. He recognizes places and knows names only I would.” Time didn't say that Hero looked like him. It was obvious.

Time looked around the room again, wishing for a window to gaze out of.

“His memories aren't the same though. He says Ganondorf killed Impa outside the Temple of Time.” Time said. Lullaby gasped. Time had expected that. It was shocking. “That you traveled with him during his whole adventures. He called you Sheik so people wouldn't know who you were.” Time grinned wryly at how close that was to the past he remembered. “He said the sages weren't able to seal Ganon away because there was only six sages.”

He glanced at her then and frowned. Lullaby had a haunted look in her eyes. He paused. “Are you alright?”

“What else does he remember?” Lullaby asked softly..

Time tried to study her, to find what was bothering her. But he couldn't. He'd never been able to understand her. She was always so aloof, until today that is.

“What else does he remember?” She said again, a little louder this time. Tears started to run down her cheeks.

“I don't think that's important right now. Just tell me what's wrong.”

“Please Link. Please.” She begged.

Time hesitated. Lullaby had started to sob. Had he ever seen her this upset? He didn't think so. It was almost frightening to see the usually stoic woman break down like that.

Lullaby spun toward the door and moved to open it.

Time stopped her. “Zelda,” He said gently as he closed the door.

Lullaby took several shuttering breaths before she said. “Does he remember how I let him to die?”

Time's eyes widened. “What?”

“We needed a seventh sage but we couldn't both leave. Not with Ganon reforming. So I left him to die in the temple of time.”

The silence between them stretched long. “Zelda,” Even in this situation it felt weird to call her that. “How do you-” He stopped, not sure how to continue.

“It's what he said isn't it?”

“Yes, but...” Time let the unasked question linger in the air. He was starting to wonder if he even wanted to know the answer to the question.

Lullaby sighed and turned around. She had regained her composer somewhat. “Let's sit and I'll explain.”

He nodded, a pit forming in his stomach. He led Zelda to a chair and helped her sit. She didn't seem unsteady, but you couldn't be too careful.

Lullaby closed her eyes once before beginning. “Link, you weren't the first person to use the Ocarina of Time.” Time flinched, but didn't interupt. It seemed he was finally going to get answers. He wouldn't jeopardize that to ask question that would be answered if he waited a few minutes. Lullaby said. “I probably wasn't either but that's besides the point.”

“When you first came out of the woods with the Kokiri's Emerald and came to Hyrule Castle, we didn't just send you out to get the other stones by yourself. You were 9! You shouldn't be adventuring alone. I know I was young too, but Impa came with us and it was fine. At least until we came back from getting the other stones.”

Lullaby paused, a tear running down her cheek. “We took too long. Ganondorf was waiting for us. Impa fought him while you and I snuck in. We got the master sword but Ganondorf got a hold of the triforce.” Lullaby sighed. “And Impa died.” All Time could do was stare at her. He didn't want to believe her, but the proof was in the throne room. Hero had said the exact same thing just days before.

“Rauru found us shortly after that and told us we needed to find six sages to help us stop Ganon. We found five. Rauru, Sage of Light, Saria, Sage of Forest, Darunia, Sage of Fire, Princess Ruto, Sage of Water, and Nabooru, Sage of Spirit.”

Time listened as Lullaby listed the friends he'd made on his adventure; the sages that help him. The only one she hadn't mentioned was Impa, who had apparently died protecting them. That knowledge made his chest tighten uncomfortably. It felt silly to mourn her, when Time knew she still worked at the castle. Yet Time knew from experience that the pain didn't go away just because magic had brought them back to life. He could see that pain in Lullaby's eyes now. How had he never noticed before?

“On the way, we found out I could act as one of the sages so we didn't worry. We were so naive.” Lullaby said bitterly. “We came back to the temple of time to fight Ganon, as the power of the triforce had already corrupted him. We tried, we really did. But he kept reforming, the triforce's power keeping him alive somehow. And the seal wouldn't hold without a seventh sages power.”

“Link of that timeline told me to go. I didn't want to but as I said before, there wasn't much of a choice. I left to him to die.” She looked down, more tears falling. “I left you to die.”

Time swallowed hard. He didn't know what to say. Her story certainly explained a lot. But He didn't want to believe it.

Finally Lullaby spoke again. “It took me far to long to to find and unlock the Temple of Shadow. The temple was much harder then the others had been. You weren't there to help. After the temple, I still had to find someone with the magical capacity to be the seventh sage. I eventually found her, and we sealed Ganon away.”

Time frowned slightly. “You still haven't anything about the ocarina of time.”

“I know.” Lullaby said. “I tried to accept what happened. We rebuilt the Castle town and the rest of destroyed villages. I tried to be happy. But I couldn't. You were my best friend. I loved you like a brother.” It hurt to hear Lullaby say that. He'd never gotten the impression at all. The Sheik of his past had been a reliable companion, but a distant one. “I couldn't accept that you had been killed. So I started researching. Rauru tried to dissuade me, but two of the other sages on my side, and the other two sages indifferent, he was overruled.”

“We found so many magic items, learned so many songs on the ocarina, but it turned out to be the one song I already knew. The song of time.” Lullaby sounded annoyed.

“I played that stupid song so many times. It seemed no matter what I did you would always die to Ganon's hand. We tried getting all seven sages before facing him, but Malon -”

Times jaw dropped. “Malon was a sage?”

Lullaby nodded sadly. “Yes, but it was a hard task for her. It usually took her losing her father, her village or seeing you die to gain access to her magic” Time's heart ached at the thought of what his wife had lost in another timeline.

Lullaby continued her story. “I tried going to get the other stones while you were on the way, but Impa and took too long and you were killed before you journey even began. I tried sending Impa to get the other stones. She didn't come back in time and the you died protecting me. I tired recruiting the sages in different orders but that didn't seem make a difference. I tried warning people what Ganondorf was going to do several times, but people either didn't believe me, Ganondorf would enact his plan earlier, or he would target you before you even got the master sword. I tried so many things but it was like you were doomed to die.”

Lullaby shook her head in disgust. “In the end, I don't even know what worked. One time loop you just showed up, knowing the future and saving everyone before anything could start.”

Time waited to be sure she was done before speaking. “Why didn't you tell me?”

“I didn't know how.” lullaby looked down. “ We had to deal with Ganondorf first and you left without a second glance then. You just wanted to go home and I couldn't bring myself to keep you. The next time I saw you was after whatever happened with the masks. You would hardly speak to anyone and you were so sick of time travel I didn't have the heart to tell you. And eventually, it felt like it didn't matter. The Link I knew and loved felt like a different person. You were alive and happy with Malon. It was the best I could hope for.”

Time understood all too well why Lullaby felt that way. It was the same reason he had closed himself off for so long. And yet it felt unfair. It would helped him to know he wasn't the only one dealing with a loss no one else could understand.

Time realized that was a lie as soon as he thought it. He'd always known Lullaby had retained some of her memories of the other time, if a bit hazy and a little jumbled. (Or maybe she hadn't, that was confusing to think about) It hadn't made him want to get close to her. Lullaby hadn't felt like the Sheik he had started to befriend as an adult and he had barely met her as a child. Time inwardly winced. Zelda must have felt the same way about him.

It didn't matter. What did matter is that Hero was here now. Zelda had tried so hard to save her hero. Time could tell that Lullaby felt she had failed to do so. But she was wrong. Somehow, Hero was in the other room, waiting for her to be the family the boy needed.

#lu time #lu lullaby #downfall timeline #seatrisawrites

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aberooski · 7 months ago

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Here ye, here ye!

THE VOTES ARE IN AND THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN!

On this day, Saturday the 22nd of June, the people hath declared with their voices raised in glorious democracy that I, Abby, ruler on high of this: her blog aberooski, shall document her at least 5th or 6th (she can't remember which) I was a lair before clearly rewatch of Yu-Gi-Oh! GX: ~The Dub~ until we hit season 4 of course

LIVE!

The rewatching will commence tomorrow, Sunday June 23rd at whatever time she feels like. At which time a chaotic live blog will be set to torment you all with random thoughts, observations, ramblings and ravings, and a lot of pausing episodes on her end to scream into the void about card game high school and the students therewithin.

You are all cordially invited to take part in this journey. Rare cards and golden eggwiches be upon ye all!

-------

In all seriousness though, WOOOO!!! This is exciting!!

I don't have any sort of schedule in mind like I'm going to start tomorrow and watch at least the first 5 episodes or so, we'll see how I'm feeling tomorrow. But otherwise yeah it'll be pretty sporadic especially with working and stuff, but hey! We'll have fun! 😄

Thanks to everyone who voted and to everyone who will be joining me on this wild adventure,

LET'S GET OUR GAME ON!!

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thinkatoryprocess · 2 years ago

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Can I interest you in a politics au where Roman is the Roy sibling who flees Waystar completely and goes into politics instead of Shiv and thrives there and ends up fucking Nate and then eventually Jeryd?

That is truly lovely, thank you, how have I never thought of this.

Roman has a moment in college where he realizes he'll never get Logan's approval - maybe he does shrooms, I don't know, that kind of thing happens to some people, it didn't happen to me - and he totally shifts gears to put all of his extraordinary amount of energy into starting to understand politics... maybe part of him is hoping it'll parlay into something in ATN, but by and large he knows that Logan thinks very little of people who actually play in the political sphere when they could be making real money. Like, what's Logan gonna do? Slap him? Oh no.

So Rome has a wild adventure fighting with his own cynicism, and he eventually meets Nate through Kendall. They have an incredible night drunk and arguing politics until Roman has to restrain himself from proposing marriage, and they wind up dating for a while - not exactly publicly, but not under the kind of deep closet cover that Roman would have if he was still in good with Logan. He's still worried about Logan's approval, but he also knows he'll never really get it, so... Roman's sexuality is kind of an open secret.

Which is why when it gets to be the midterm election prior to canon, Mencken's heard literally everything about Roman's reputation and he's very, very, very interested. He's kind of pathetic, honestly, but doing his best to play it cool. Roman doesn't have any idea, though, and has a great dinner where Mencken finally takes a break from mooning over him to ask him to join him on his campaign.

They proceed to have an excruciating year and a half of sexual tension before the presidential election comes along and everything explodes.

#asks #roman x mencken

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juljanimuhaimeen · 1 year ago

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Hey there, readers! Today, I'm throwing it back and sharing a sneak peek into the rollercoaster ride that is my life. Strap in for a journey filled with anime marathons, online gaming conquests, and the chaos of being a 17-year-old about to graduate high school.

Anime Bliss:

Let's kick things off with my number one passion – anime. From the classics that started it all to the latest mind-bending series, I'm the proud captain of the anime hype train. Join me in dissecting plot twists, debating favorite characters, and shedding a tear or two over the emotional rollercoasters anime serves up.

Gaming Glory:

When I'm not immersed in animated worlds, you can catch me slaying dragons, conquering galaxies, and maybe accidentally forgetting to eat because of an intense gaming session. Online gaming isn't just a hobby; it's a way of life. Guilds, raids, and epic loot – I've been there, done that, and probably have the virtual battle scars to prove it.

High School:

Now, let's talk about the real-world quest – high school. As a graduating senior, life is like trying to juggle flaming torches while riding a unicycle. But hey, I've survived exams, navigated the drama, and made memories that will probably haunt me at reunions.

Friends, Foes, and Fandoms:

My life isn't just pixels and anime tears; it's also about the incredible people who've joined me on this wild ride. Shoutout to my gaming squad and fellow anime enthusiasts who've laughed, cried, and debated the best waifus/husbandos with me. You guys rock!

Future Fantasies:

As the high school chapter nears its end, I'm staring into the abyss of the future. What lies beyond graduation? No cheat codes here, just the excitement and nerves of the unknown. Dreams of conquering new gaming realms and maybe even finding my own anime-worthy adventure.

Life Lessons:

In the spirit of full disclosure, I'm still figuring out this thing called life. Lessons? Sure, I've learned a few. Like, always have snacks for anime marathons, and never challenge a boss battle on an empty stomach. Solid life advice, right?

Closing Credits:

And there you have it – a glimpse into my world, where anime and gaming collide with the chaos of high school. Thanks for joining me on this unfiltered, informal journey. Life's messy, but it's the messy bits that make the best stories.

Until next time, stay epic!

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lifesnapshots07 · 1 year ago

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Creation through connection

Hello there, amazing readers!

I welcome you to my small internet nook. Hop on the train and buckle up your seatbelts, because we are going on a wild journey!

I’m Aditi, and my adventure begins in a place far, far away. I’ve set off on a whirlwind tour that has taken me to a breathtaking place. Any guesses? Canada . You guys are really smart, and... you know what? I'm going to share it "all" with you guys too. Isn't it exciting?

My relocation to Canada was more than a change of mailing address; it was a complete transformation of my life. Choosing this amazing place for my education was not a hasty decision. It was a never-ending loop of thought, research, and faith. I left everything familiar and dear behind, carrying my aspirations in my bag and lots of fear and anxiety in my suitcase.

A little filmy, right? but, not gonna lie, I was scared.

A rush of emotions hit me the instant I reached Canada. But that's where the magic happens ✨. Canada didn't simply open its doors; it pushed them wide open with a hearty "Welcome!" (*with an accent 🤌) just kidding😜. The breathtaking natural beauty provided a clear image of what this nation is all about.

But what distinguishes Canada is not simply the gorgeous scenery; it's also the people. Friends I've made, tales I've heard, and cultures I've experienced have broadened my views in ways I never anticipated. My path is about more than simply getting a degree; it's about personal development, self-discovery, and a deep respect for the world's complex tapestry.

So, dear readers, be ready because this train is going at supersonic speed. We are going to explore the beauty, culture, people, and "adventures" of my day-to-day life.

Thank you for joining me on this trip 😈. I'm looking forward to sharing more with you in the coming days. Keep your curiosity alive and never stop exploring until then!

PEACE.

#newlife #canada #adventure #journey #newbeginnings

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juliekerrrvt · 2 years ago

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Locum Adventures: Volunteering at home in the Yukon

My heart is full and I feel blessed. At the tail end of a busy and successful Fall 2022 to Spring 2023 locum season, I had the opportunity to volunteer with two organizations, in my home Territory.

For the second spring in a row, Dr. Salter, Yukon’s regional director of Community Veterinary Outreach, invited me to volunteer with Whitehorse Connects, an event hosted in partnership with Kwanlin Dün First Nation and Yukon’s Anti-Poverty Coalition. This One-Health wellness clinic was significantly busier in 2023, which meant I was able to meet more clients and their pets as they came for exams, vaccinations and de-wormer. I had a lot of fun with this team for the one day pop-up clinic and, as I frequently locum outside my community, it was a delight to serve clients and their pets within Whitehorse itself, on the traditional territories of the Kwanlin Dün First Nation and the Ta'an Kwäch'än Council.

Dr. Salter and I working with a patient at Whitehorse Connects' One-Health clinic.

Last year, I wrote in More than a Veterinary Professional, that I’d be joining the Canadian Animal Assistance Team (CAAT) in north-to-me Yukon for a volunteer spay/neuter trip. Sadly, a week before we were due to meet in summer 2022, a forest fire impacted access to the community via roads, and the trip had to be cancelled. Fast forward to May 2023, and 75% of last year’s team was able to finally meet, along with a few new faces and provide services in Ross River and Pelly Crossing, Yukon.

A few of the patients who stole our hearts in Ross River and Pelly Crossing.

Honestly, what a trip. The team came from across Canada, meeting in Whitehorse (where the only full service vet clinics are in the Yukon) and then driving several hours north. We worked hard – in 6 working clinic days we saw 238 animals for either spay/neuter/exam/vaccinations/de-wormer in the two communities combined. Both communities invited the CAAT team in to provide services for those who wished to partake, welcomed us warmly upon our arrival, and supported the team by feeding us very well and housing us. Thank you to the communities of Ross River on the traditional lands of the Kaska Dena, and Pelly Crossing on the traditional lands of the Selkirk First Nation, for your hospitality. Thank you to CAAT for providing me this opportunity.

I find it difficult to really articulate what such experiences encompass. These trips remind me anew how important the human-animal bond is and how much value I place on serving that bond as I am able. In such a short time in a community, I am struck by the immediate connection I feel, listening to the stories people share, by the sense of camaraderie and socializing I observe as friends and neighbours wait for their appointments or when I look over and see the CAAT team working with animals recovering from surgery along with a multitude of pet-owners of all ages. There’s a hum in the air, and I feel humbled when people express the varied and multiple reasons they appreciate our presence, providing the veterinary services that we are able to.

Last but not least, a shout out to the team of professionals who came together as volunteers with CAAT, to provide veterinary services. A team of almost all strangers at the beginning, parting as friends and colleagues, working hard and living in close quarters with each other. It feels fairly wild to repurpose a school gym or community hall into a short-term vet clinic complete with operating theatre. It is amazing to me that we can arrive, set up the clinic, work for 3 days, pack up the clinic again until it fits into a pick-up truck bed, and head to the next location to do it all again.

I am grateful to my locum schedule which allows me enough energy to volunteer my veterinary skills in ways I find meaningful. It was an extreme pleasure to meet groups of people who find meaning in volunteering in the same way I do. Common purpose is a powerful force. I may never meet this group of people again, but I will not forget them.

#locumadventures #locumRVT #RVT

Start at The Beginning

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brummiereader · 1 year ago

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😱 I am speechless! Well technically I'm not because I'm about to write an essay! This was SO Dark! My eyes were glued to my phone throughout, I think I may have even forgotten to breathe at some point 😯. I think this deserves two skulls for its darkness rating, holy crap I FREAKING LOVED this ❤️😈. I bow to you queen of darkness, please teach me your ways 🙏!

From the warnings alone and summary I knew I was in for a treat but I had no idea it would be this intense of a story. “Enough, Daisy!” After finishing the story I came back to this part because I suddenly realised that Tommy's sharp response to Daisy was because she had asked him about Y/N joining their nightly "adventures" instead of Alice. Which now makes so much sense with what Tommy said at the end that they need to stop their mutual hobby.

Holy crap...the office scene with Alice, Daisy and Tommy was wild 😳! The scariest part is Daisy's cool and calculated demeanour and it's contrast with Tommy's brutal and aggressive behaviour. They balance each other out into a formidable, frightening couple. I'm afraid it's out with the old in with the new Y/N...Mrs Shelby has her eyes locked on you 😈.

"Jammy git!” had to give this line a quick mention. This is so British, my mum says it all the time 😂!

What's so scary is Alice is completely under their spell, she even said herself how she would do anything for them even though it scares her. It makes me wonder if she caught on to the pattern of maids leaving for America like Elsa 🤔. I don't know why but I feel it's Daisy these young maids get enchanted by not Tommy, and it's Daisy they would do anything for.

Elsa has figured all of this shit out, bet she's thankful they never picked her now 😳! I bloody knew those wooden trunks were not used for their belongings! I had a feeling they would be used for their bodies instead, a detail I thought was really cleverly mentioned throughout!

The next scene was just WOW, holy shit that was dark! I was on the edge of my seat throughout 😱. "Do you think you can cum before he kills you?”....arghh this was crazy, brilliantly crazy! I literally gasped when I read that part, Daisy is so devilishly menacing, she's like no other character I have ever read! Taunting her with her own fate, wow...out of the two of them I reckon she's the darkest. BUT a big BUT....you then had Tommy cum as Daisy cut her throat and blood poured down on him. Murder kink unlocked for him, holy hell 😈! This was giving me "Gone Girl" vibes with a twist! “Goodnight, sweet darling.” this made me shudder, ruthlessly enchanting until the end. Having them have sex in her blood was something out of a horror movie, these two are insane but perfect for eachother! Maybe that's why his family didn't like her because she will only enable his sadistic needs!

Wow Lee! I think you maxed out your dark powers writing with this one 😍👌! As a fan of dark stories you couldn't have given me a better read that this, absolutely incredible! Well bloody done ❤️🔥! This is now up there with my fav dark reads 😈.

Careless People

Summary: Newlyweds Tom and Daisy Shelby are hiding a dark secret. They're known for being eccentric and a bit kinky, but could something more sinister be lurking beneath the surface?

Author's Note: Requested by @cillmequick for my 2K celebration An Evening at Arrow House. You asked what Tommy thought of everyone's speculation about his bride, but what if he’s aware of her sordid past and willing to indulge her? In this one, he and his wife are the ones driving others out of Arrow House!

Warnings: 🔞 smut, dub-con, blood, mention of weapons, murder. Dark fic proceed with caution 💀

Fear gnawed at your insides as you stood ready to serve your new employers, a pair of newlyweds just back from their honeymoon in Paris. The dashing Mr. and Mrs. Shelby sat before you at the dinner table speaking in hushed voices, brows knit in serious conversation. Their conspiratorial tone and occasional glances in your direction unnerved you to the point of paranoia.

“What’s she saying? Am I dismissed already?” you whispered to one of the other servants waiting table.

The girl only shook her head quickly, lips pursed together tightly and eyes cast toward the floorboards anticipating an incoming storm.

As if on cue, Mr. Shelby’s temper suddenly flared and he grasped his wife’s forearm hard enough to cause her to whimper in pain. “Enough, Daisy!” he barked into the silence of the room and you looked away feeling sorry for the young woman.

The other servants had warned you he could be temperamental, but you hadn’t expected him to be violent as well. Pushing away from the table, he stalked to the other side of the room for more whisky as Mrs. Shelby rubbed at her aching wrist.

She muttered a low complaint into her napkin that sounded something like, “You’re a brute.”

Their new marriage still seemed to be finding solid footing now that the honeymoon was over and the demands of life were creeping in around them. It was rumored that the Shelby family did not approve of Mr. Shelby’s American bride, though you couldn’t imagine why. Thus far she was a fair and honest employer, you’d even heard of an initiative she began which stated one deserving employee would be chosen each season to make their way to America, all expenses paid by the Shelby family. She said she wanted hard workers to have the opportunity to seek their fortune abroad.

You found yourself drifting away from the unpleasantness and into this enticing daydream as Mr. Shelby cleared his throat to speak. “Elsa, show Y/n to my office after dinner,” he commanded. You swallowed harshly wondering if this might indeed be your last night at Arrow House, but then something took you by surprise. Mrs. Shelby looked at you directly, a smile darting across her lips and a gleam in her dark, amber eyes. There was something in her charm that captivated you, pulling a smile from you before you realized. Your heart began beating wildly at the thought of winning her favor and you could think of nothing else while clearing the dinner plates.

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

“Down and to the left,” Elsa said before leaving you alone in the corridor. The haunting strains of a gramophone could be heard in the distance and you paced toward it, still uncertain what awaited you. Just as you reached the partially opened door, a harsh sound of a slap stopped you. Your ears strained for more over the music and soon a few raspy breaths could be heard through sobs. With curiosity piqued, your hand rested over the doorknob and you peered inside to see the upstairs’ maid, Alice, kneeling before Mr. Shelby.

The only light in the room came from a roaring fire. The orange flames cast flickering shadows upon the couple before you making it hard to see everything happening. However, you had an idea as you watched Mr. Shelby’s large hand grasp the back of Alice’s head and push her down between his legs harshly until she began to sputter. Her small hands clawed at his trousers as he sipped his whisky, the light playing across his face in an ever-changing, yet sinister mask.

“Choke for me, darling,” he rasped before groaning in pleasure on a harsh gag. He gave her a moment to rest, stroking her hair gently before resuming his thrusts, dragging her along his length in frenzy until he eventually stilled. His hands tensed with her locks caught tightly in his fist, eyes rolling back in his head as a string of curses fell from his lips. Then removing his hand slowly, Alice pulled away, tears streaming down her cheeks in dark rivulets from her ruined mascara.

Still breathing heavily, Tommy leaned down to her, taking her dripping chin between his thumb and forefinger. “Open,” he commanded and she obeyed wide eyed, holding something rich and pearlescent in her mouth that caught the light. He ran his thumb along her lower lip with a nod of satisfaction, spitting into her open mouth. “Swallow like a good girl,” he said with the raise of an eyebrow and she did so as she looked up at him, a dazed look on her face.

Your breath caught as you realized you’d witnessed something you shouldn’t have. Before you had time to consider the damage to Mrs. Shelby, you watched her elegant form emerge from the darkness. You clasped a hand over your mouth as you saw her help Alice stand on wobbly legs and capture the girl’s face between gloved hands before savoring her in a languid, open mouthed kiss.

Feeling as though you’d already seen too much, you turned to leave, but the creak of the old wooden door gave you away. You should have run in that moment, but for some reason you froze, entranced by what you’d just seen.

“Miss Y/l/n, come in,” Mrs. Shelby said warmly, extending a hand to you from where she stood. She smiled so brightly it was as though you were the only person in the room and you felt a sudden giddy nervousness take hold of you. Mr. Shelby straightened his appearance and gave a quick nod to signal it was his wish for you to enter, but you stood firm until Alice made a hasty retreat. She didn’t look at you as she passed, cheeks flushed a bright red even in the dim lighting.

“Sit down, Y/n. We have a proposition for you,” Mr. Shelby began, taking a seat behind his desk and producing a formal looking document.

“We do hope you’ll accept,” Mrs. Shelby added breathlessly as she guided you to sit beside her on the sofa.

—————————

“Are you sacked?” Elsa asked the next morning as you helped prepare Mrs. Shelby’s breakfast tray.

“No!” you said indignantly. “Would I still be making tea right now if I was?” you joked.

“Well? What did Mr. Shelby say?” she prodded.

You bit your lip. It was part of your signed contract not to disclose the nature of your exact arrangement with the Shelbys. However, the best part was so exciting you couldn’t possibly keep it to yourself. “They’re going to send me to America!” you said enthusiastically. “But I had to sign a contract for a…special program first.”

"Jammy git!” Elsa exclaimed. “Alice has been here three years so I knew she’d get picked, but look at you! You’ve only just arrived and already made an impression,” she mused.

“I know!” you thrilled, wanting to squeal with delight as you hoisted the breakfast tray up, but you were secretly worried about the months that lay ahead. Could you do what they had asked?

——————————-

One month later Alice was set to depart. You helped pack her things and she gave you all the advice she had for serving the Shelbys. However, something in her voice was off as you tied her apron for one last dinner service. “You feeling alright?” you asked.

“I don’t know,” she confided, looking around her empty room with a desperate melancholy. “Working for the Shelbys is like being consumed by fire,” she confided, swallowing harshly, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. “But I like it. It scares me how much of myself I’d give them if they asked,” she exhaled on a shaky breath. She seemed afraid, but you weren’t sure precisely why.

The bell rang in the hall calling for everyone in the dining room. “I’m sure you’re just exhausted from all the preparations. You’ve been working long days, but soon you’ll be rewarded,” you said in an attempt to cheer her. “Just as I hope I’ll be rewarded one day,” you said gleefully.

Alice’s face fell as she looked upon you and you noticed how gaunt she’d become. You didn’t pay much attention at first as hard work did that to people. Your own parents had worked themselves to death with little to show for it, but you were determined to build something greater for yourself and you wanted to remind Alice of her own bright future.

Giving her a reassuring smile, you reached for her hand in solidarity, but she twisted away from you. It was then you noticed what looked to be rope burns on her wrist, red and irritated under the cuffs of her blouse. She yanked the sleeve of her uniform down further as you blinked, certain you were seeing things. “I’ll see you downstairs,” you mumbled as you backed away feeling disconcerted.

—————————

Thankfully dinner was uneventful and you soon forgot Alice. Mr. and Mrs. Shelby were in good spirits as they ate their lamb chops, chatting idly about a new business acquisition in Boston which would require his sister Ada to go abroad soon. Mrs. Shelby remarked about the shopping in the area and Mr. Shelby feigned a passing interest. However, one item caught your attention and that was a brief exchange about the upcoming stag hunt with his brothers. “Are you leaving in the morning, Tom?” Daisy asked offhandedly.

“No, we’ll have to wait for John. He arrives Saturday,” Mr. Shelby replied. Then he instructed the butler to have his guns cleaned.

After you’d finished your duties for the evening, you retired to your room, settling beneath the old tattered quilt you’d brought with you upon your arrival. Sleep came within minutes, a strange, but not unwelcome dream of Mrs. Shelby came to you, her face hovering over yours as her large brown eyes softened to the texture of velvet so soft you thought you could stroke it with your fingertips. Her dazzling smile beckoned you to reach for her and hold her in your arms before she leaned down to leave a love bite on your neck.

Soon after midnight, when the house was still and quiet, a sudden sharp sound broke your revery. You couldn’t be sure in your hazy state of mind, but you could have sworn you’d heard a gunshot. Shaking your head in disbelief, you burrowed beneath the covers trying to dissuade yourself of the notion.

However, in the morning everything felt upside down as the house was in a whirlwind of activity. Men stomped through the house and Frances bustled behind them, but no one else was allowed upstairs. When you inquired about your regular duties, you were assigned elsewhere with the explanation that Mr. Shelby was on his hunt and Mrs. Shelby was out shopping.

“That’s odd,” you commented as you began washing the floors with Elsa. You were certain Mr. Shelby said his hunt had been delayed, but it was none of your business so you continued working until Elsa scurried over to you.

“Y/n, Alice is missing,” she whispered urgently.

“Perhaps she left early,” you reasoned, but Elsa shook her head violently in disagreement. “Do you reckon she took another boat?” you asked in confusion.

“I don’t think so. She wasn’t meant to sail for two days and I saw someone take her trunk away before first light,” she said, twisting her fingers in her apron nervously. Glancing down the hall she made sure no one was coming before she added. “They’ve done something with her, I know it.”

“That’s not possible. Mr. and Mrs. Shelby have been nothing but kind and helpful,” you noted, wanting to believe all the lovely things you’d heard about the Shelbys. “I’m sure she’s on a boat. Let’s wait for her letter. She did promise to write,” you reminded Elsa. Although she agreed waiting was best, she didn’t seem to believe you, her brow etched with worry.

In a month, you were vindicated when a letter arrived from Boston. It was type written which seemed odd considering you’d never seen Alice use a type writer. However, it was signed by her and talked of nothing but happiness in her new home. Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief that her sudden departure from Arrow House was nothing more than eagerness to begin her journey and she was quickly forgotten as work overtook everyone.

You were no different, learning what your new role would be. Aside from Frances, you had quickly become the second most important person in the household. If you were honest, the power of being held in such high regard by your employers was thrilling, but also burdensome when it came to dealing with other members of staff. The jealousy in Elsa’s eyes was unmistakable as she found it particularly difficult to hide her envy.

One day she confronted you about it, as you assumed she might, but you were not prepared for her venomous words. “You're so special all of a sudden?” Elsa seethed, pulling you from the corridor by your elbow.

“I-I'm not. I’m just another servant,” you demurred, feeling hurt and shocked by her outburst.

“Like hell. I know what you do with Mr. and Mrs. Shelby when you’re alone,” she revealed.

“I’m not sure what you think you know…” you began, but Elsa cut you off.

“You’re their whore. You let them use you in the most vile ways,” she accused, face contorted in an expression of utter disgust.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” you said indignantly.

“Think you’re so clever? We can all hear you,” she informed you. “They’re careless people, Y/n. Careless and cruel,” she said bitterly.

You sucked in a breath. “That’s not true,” you defended the couple you’d grown attached to. Wanting to know if others felt the same, you ventured, “Does everyone think that?”

“That’s not what you should be asking. You should be worried for your safety, Y/n. Ask why they wanted your signature or why they bought you that trunk to ship your belongings months before you leave. Have you thought about that?” she urged you, eyes boring into you insistently.

“What? What are you saying, Elsa?” you wondered aloud.

“The stable boy found Alice’s belongings in the barn last week and I've seen copies of her letter in Mr. Shelby's office. It’s what I thought all along, the Shelbys forged that letter from America. And that trunk? I think her body was in it. Alice is dead and they killed her!” she cried in desperation.

Your blood began to boil as you realized the lies Elsa was concocting. She was obviously upset she’d been passed over. However, you weren’t to blame. The Shelbys chose you for the opportunity in America. She would have to accept that she might never be the chosen one.

Seeing her sunken eyes and shaking hands you took pity on her. She’d obviously spent many a night thinking of her wasted potential. You decided it best to play along and tell her the ghosts she saw were real.

“Alright, Elsa, I’ll be careful. Thank you for telling me,” you placated her with a pat to her shoulder. She only sniffed at you in reply and you walked away with a toss of your head.

————————-

Three months later it was your final night in the Shelby household and you felt a calm acceptance of whatever was to come. Your time spent with them had strung together in an endless night, leaving you physically and emotionally drained. They were the most insatiable couple you’d ever met, constantly pushing you beyond the boundaries of your own understanding. Their “adventures” as they liked to call them left your body marked in all manner of bites, burns and bruises, but you wore them proudly. You had a need to please them and in doing so you felt yourself becoming a different person. In truth, you would have given them anything or done whatever they asked for a single word of praise.

When you arrived in their bedroom that warm July evening, wrapped in your silk robe from Daisy, you had no thoughts of denying them any last wish. Therefore, when Tommy began his aggressive lovemaking you succumbed to him, knowing Daisy would soothe the pain with tender kisses. You allowed Tommy's calloused hand to wrap around your throat possessively as you rode him, his thick fingers digging into your flesh and restricting your air until a lightheadedness washed over you.

The fuzzier your head became, the heavier your body, movements sloppy and uncoordinated. As you struggled to stay upright, Daisy took hold of the ties binding your hands behind your back to guide you. Then her skillful fingers dropped to your pulsing clit, rolling and pinching until the coil in your belly pulled tight. Noticing the overwhelming need in your eyes she whispered sweetly in your ear, “Do you think you can cum before he kills you?”

Your eyes snapped open in panic, body thrashing as Daisy’s girlish laugh filled the air. You tried to shake your hands free, but Daisy held you tightly as Tommy planted his feet against the bed and thrust into you with animalistic drive. When your fight had gone and the darkness descended upon the edges of your vision, you gave into the rushing in your ears like a lullaby, a single tear rolling down your cheek in surrender.

Then without warning, Daisy called out. “Tom, you brute, you’re scaring our pet!” His paced slowed and his hand uncoiled, leaving you to draw lungfuls of air that brought you back to life with a rush of overwhelming emotion. As Daisy hushed you, she began to lick your tears away, sucking at your delicate neck until a dark bruise formed. Your head dropped to her breasts with Tommy’s cock pulsing inside you and you trembled in relief.

“So good for us, darling,” Daisy praised you. “Would you like a treat?” she asked, holding your chin up and kissing your cheek gently. "You want to be allowed to cum now?" You could barely respond as your mind tried to process the notion that they were pleased with you, but Tommy’s hand connected with your ass in a stinging slap, bringing you out of yourself suddenly.

“Answer,” his deep voice urged and you nodded into her hand. “Good. Remember your manners,” he said, taking hold of your hip in a painfully tight grasp.

“Please, can I cum, sir?” you exhaled on a ragged breath, full of desire.

Tommy chuckled at your use of the term of authority he loved so much. He looked to Daisy and she nodded. Your eyes slipped closed momentarily as he resumed his thrusts, hitting the spot inside you that made your toes curl and said, “Cum all over my cock, like a good girl, but let us hear you.” You moaned for them as you willed your spent body to move, chasing the high you’d become addicted to over the past weeks and wanting to satisfy Tommy as well.

Daisy nibbled your earlobe as the waves of pleasure carried you, her intoxicating giggle echoing in your ear, distracting you from a swift movement at her side. You never felt the slice of the blade across your throat, only vaguely aware of warmth leaving your body as you looked down at Tommy in horror. Silenced by your injury, you could only watch as dark crimson sprayed across his toned chest.

Tommy came inside you with a satisfied shudder, your face crumbling in exquisite agony above him. As the light faded from your eyes, Daisy placed a kiss to your mouth one last time saying, “Goodnight, sweet darling.”

She helped Tommy lay you down as she sighed contentedly, then Tommy reached for his wife with a stern warning. “We have to stop this, Daisy,” he said, thinking of the calls he would have to make to Johnny Dogs and the men soon.

“I don’t want to,” she pouted. “I was smart this time, I used a blade so no one would hear,” she said proudly.

“Yeah…you fucking did,” he said with a proud smirk and pulled her in for a kiss that lead to a long, slow fuck in your blood. Frances would clean up in the morning when the body would be loaded into the trunk they’d purchased for your departure.

Your letter would arrive from America in a month’s time, the signature lifted from the contract you’d signed months earlier. It was all too convincing on the letter Daisy typed. No one would ever question it, especially not Liesel, their new toy who would join them tomorrow night for her introduction to the Shelby household.

She was already upstairs in the servants’ quarters placing her things in the trunk the Shelbys provided and thanking God for her good fortune. She'd met Elsa, of course, but not believed a word of the poor woman's ramblings about missing women and murders in the house.

“Careless and cruel” Elsa called her employers, but Liesel couldn’t understand why she would say such a thing. Careless people didn't take such good care of their employees, did they?

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

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jimlingss · 7 years ago

Text

His Name [8 - Finale]

Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 Words: 4.5k Genre: Angst, Multiple Personality!Au Summary: Jeon Jungkook is a puzzle with too many missing pieces from his past and too many sides. Somehow, it’s become your job to solve him. → Inspired by the Korean Drama - Kill Me Heal Me Warnings: Topics of mental health. Mentions of death, suicide and medical disorders. Mentions of physical and emotional abuse. Disclaimer: Although this piece of work required lots of in-depth research and was attempted to be as accurate as possible, at the end of the day, I am not a psychologist and this is fanfiction. Specific things may be altered or exaggerated for story-telling purposes. Please take all medical terminologies and procedures with a grain of salt.

The waves crash against the shoreline. The mist sprays against his face, drawing a grin that splits through the apples of his reddened cheeks. The tide sweeps away the markings and footsteps in the sand. Seagulls squawk from above, the sound of the foam fizzing out filling silence. The blue shimmers against the glistening sun.

A camera shutter clicks beside him.

“What are you doing? Ugh.” He whines, childishly stomping his feet as he raises his hand to block the lense. “Will you stop taking pictures of me?!”

Yoongi grins, bringing the camera down to skim through the photos. “There’s nothing else to take other than your ugly face.”

“Rude.” Jungkook mutters, rolling his eyes as he shifts close to his brother, also looking at the pictures.

There are hundreds of photographs. Shades of electric saffron or soft amber, vigorous hues that could belong in galleries. A few photos are of Yoongi’s sleeping face, taken by Jungkook as revenge when the older constantly zoomed up into the younger’s nose or only saved ones where he was mid-blink and his mouth agape. But most are of their vibrant smiling faces, standing side by side. Behind them are mosques, cathedrals, mountains; pyramids, skyscrapers and towers. They’ve reached every corner of the world, travelling companions who have stayed in countless cities, old towns and tranquil villages.

“Where are we going next?”

Yoongi shrugs, his lips pressed together in a smile. “There’s a road up ahead. I have to check the map. But I think there’s an inn there. ”

The two of them stay to stare at the boundless seaside for a while longer, wondering what adventures have yet to come.

As long as they’re together, everything will be okay.

“Yoongi?”

“Hmm…?”

The waves crash against the shores again. Jungkook inhales a breath of the humid, salty air.

“When was the last time you had a shower?”

“Are you calling me dirty, brat?!”

He backs away with a laugh, hands shooting up in the air from the accusation.

“I never said that.”

“I think you did. When was the last time you had a shower?”

“Hey! I can’t help it! There were no bathrooms back in the-”

Jungkook cuts off his own sentence, deciding to book it the other way as Yoongi approaches. The two of them scream and shout, chasing each other and threatening to throw the other straight into the ocean. His cheeks are numb from the grin, chest heaving as tears fill his eyes from joy.

If only his brother were still alive….

Jungkook wakes up from his dream.

He winces against the mattress before peeling back his lids, a tear rolling off from the side of his eye to the pillow. He pants, scanning the premise before he turns beside him. The body that he longs for has disappeared. An imprint of the person he desperately seeks is the only thing left.

You’re gone.

His phone is left with one voice mail. His hands shake as it presses against his ear. “Good morning Mr. Jeon Jungkook. This morning, we have received a notice that Dr. Y/N has withdrawn her contract. She didn’t specify any reasonings but her chief has stated his approval. Miss Y/N is no longer your therapist. We’re currently looking to find a suitable replacement. I’ll contact you immediately when I’m able to find someone suitable. Thank you.”

His heart drops down to his stomach.

A few days have passed since you’ve seen Jungkook. You’ve been adjusting to regular life, moving back into your old apartment. The white walls and small rooms are more of a temporary living space than a home. You’ve only ever used it when you had an extended break, passing out on the couch for a few hours. It’s not the tiny size that leaves you bored or the lack of interesting shows on the television that leave you wandering aimlessly. It’s not that you yearn for the bigger house or the luxury that you had let go.

You’re lonely. You miss him.

As you’re sighing, looking out the dirty windows that you have to clean, a knock on the door breaks your reverie.

Knock. Knock.

A firm two sounds and a ring of the bell before it goes silent. You look through the tiny peep hole, eyes growing large as a gasp escapes through parted lips.

Jungkook’s standing there, staring at the door; wearing a black hoodie, ripped jeans and old sneakers. His hair is a mess, cheeks and eyes puffy - completely unlike the first time you laid eyes on him when he was perfectly polished, without a flaw.

“Uh…” You stick your nose through the door, still baffled at his sudden appearance at your run-down apartment complex.

The corner of his lips tugs into a smirk but he still wears an impassive expression. “It’s Yoongi.” There’s a pause as he waits for you but upon zero reaction, his brow raises. “Can I come in or are you going to make me stand out here all day? If I catch a cold, it’s on you.”

“Y-yeah…” You clear your voice, widening the door. “Come in.”

He smiles at you, stepping inside to take off his shoes as the door closes shut. “Thanks.”

“Sorry…” You’re scrambling for the cushions that had fallen off the sofa. “I d-didn’t know...things are a mess in here. I-”

“It’s fine.” He eases you as he sweeps your surroundings with kind and genuinely curious eyes. “It’s cozy.”

“It really isn’t.” You lifelessly laugh. “It’s old and-”

“No.” He huffs out with his face scrunched up, tired of arguing with you. “It is. Trust me. It’s a lot better than the house Jungkook has that’s so needlessly big and empty. This is warm and comfy. It’s cute.”

“Thanks.”

“So…” A laugh almost floats from your mouth at how awkwardly he lingers, moving his weight from this foot to the next as he stands in the middle of your living room. “Have you had dinner, yet?”

You end up making dinner for the both of you. Yoongi quietly follows behind like a puppy, leaning to glance over your shoulder once in a while. He goes where you go. But when you ask if he wants to help, he scoffs and shrugs you off, declaring that his hands are only meant to play piano and nothing else.

You suspect the real reason is that he simply doesn’t know how to cook. He does, however, help you take the dishes from the top shelf when he notices that you’re reaching up on the tips of your toes; he stirs the pot, chops some celery in jagged shapes - all while exaggerating his complaints with a huge frown and pout.

He finally brings up the purpose of his visit when you’re seated across from each other at the table.

“Why did you leave?”

Yoongi’s looking down at his plate, meagerly picking at his food before he decides that he needs to nourish the body, taking a spoonful into his mouth. His chewing picks up the pace when he realizes how delicious it is, impressed at your skills. “You promised you would take care of him.” His voice holds no malice or resentments. He flickers his pupils up to meet yours. “Do you not want to be a part of his life anymore?”

“No...that’s not it.” You shake your head. “I made a promise. I never had plans on breaking it. Just...I needed some time to think.”

He nods, eating in silence. It’s a comfortable sort of quiet, one that you don’t feel like you need to fill with meaningless conversations. The both of you finish and he takes the dishes to the sink.

“I don’t want you to feel pressured. It’s not your job to take care of him, not beyond the professional aspect at least. You shouldn’t feel obligated. If you want to go somewhere, if you want to leave...he’ll get over it. You don’t need to feel guilty an-”

“Yoongi.” You interject, cutting off his nervous rambling as he stacks the plates onto the drying rack. “When I made those promises, I didn’t make it without the intention of keeping it. And I don’t feel obligated to do anything.” You shake your head. “I want to.”

He shuts off the water, wiping his hands. Then he abruptly turns to you, almost making you crash into his chest. He holds his strong gaze into your eyes, making your heart thump harder.

“Y/N.” Yoongi smiles, memorizing each feature and eyelash, softened brown orbs in yours.

“There’s no way I can get you to love only me...right?”

He asks despite knowing the answer. He asks with hope, that maybe the impossible can become possible. And as he expects, you can’t respond without breaking his heart.

Yoongi leans over to you, pressing his hand gently to your cheek as the pad of his thumb sweeps across the blooming hues of pink. Your lips part with an exhale and he flickers to look at them before meeting your eyes again in a gaze. He tilts his head, moving closer until his forehead is almost pressed against yours. The clock ticks, a moment so close and intimate that your heart swells inside your chest. He never looks away and neither do you. Yoongi wants to kiss you so badly….a desire that overwhelms his entire being….but he doesn’t.

He pulls away in the next moment, focusing downwards. “Do you really want me to go?” His voice betrays him, a weak cry that he covers up with a cough, chords cracking over the raw emotions of desperation. “I will if you do. If that’s what you want..”

“I’ll do it.” in a heartbeat.

“Yoongi. I-” You don’t even know what to say. It’s all tumbling down, a pain of his that you can’t mend or fix - perhaps it’s one that you shouldn’t even touch.

“Can I ask you one thing?” He looks at you with a smile, corners of his lips turned upwards. Each word he murmurs is spoken slowly with care as if afraid he’ll startle you and you’ll evaporate past his fingertips’ grasps. “Did you ever love me?”

“I love Jungkook…” You answer. “I love you too but…”

“But the person you really love is him.” He nods. “I understand. Just please…”

He begs you, a plea that shakes your core. “Don’t forget me.”

“I won’t.” His tiny smile widens at your firm response. “And he won’t either.”

The man blinks, disappearing out of consciousness, falling back into the depths. His body is left as an empty vessel until the original owner floats back, awakened as he looks around; completely confused until his eyes land on yours.

“Wha- Where…?” Jungkook clutches his head, praying that it’s not a dream. You’re really in front of him. “Y/N.”

“Jungkook.” You pull him into an embrace, digging your face into his shoulder. He eases, arms slowly raising to hold you. “It’s fine. Everything’s okay.”

“You….” There’s a long pause, perhaps thirty seconds or five minutes until he breathes out. His heart beats along his chest as he shuts his eyes tight, lingering in the feeling of your touch. “You left.”

“I’m sorry.” You whisper back to him. “I needed some time.”

He hums back, still unable to comprehend that you’re here with him. He’s not alone.

“I missed you.” You murmur, crippling all of his worries until there are none left. “I can’t stay as your therapist. I’m sorry, Jungkook. I can’t and I don’t want to.”

“Then stay as Y/N.” He asks, shaking his head. “I don’t need you as anyone else. Just Y/N.”

You smile against the fabric of his sweater. “If that’s okay with you…”

“It’s perfectly okay.”

“Good.”

He grins, sighing as his lids flutter shut once more. “I missed you too.”

For once there are no boundaries. There are no rules that you must abide by. As long as he wants you and you want him, the both of you can be together. There are no if’s, but’s, or what’s.

And for once, you’ve never felt more happy.

[A Year Later]

Orange is the shade of the sunset; the fall of the sun over the horizon in warm dusk light, the snapshot in time before stars set over the ink sky. It’s the crackling fireplace, the sizzle of heat that embraces your body. It reminds you of his eyes lit by the glow of the flames, you leaning on his chest as soft smiles and murmurs befall from your parted lips. It’s the creamsicle in your hand, the train station and tiny shops littering the town; the laughter that made your stomach squeeze. It’s the monarch butterflies that have taken home to the garden, kissing the planter box that is now overgrown in vegetation. It reminds you of the hue of sunflowers, the coral peony and the tangerine carnation that Jimin gifted to you.

You don’t hate the colour so much anymore.

“-and so I swear that prison guard has a total thing for me.” He smirks, nose raised into the air. “I can just see it, Y/N. The way her eyes gleam when she frowns, how she yells at me to get back into my cell. Even in prison I’m still killin’ it with the ladies.”

You laugh when he snaps his fingers. “You’re psychotic, Seonho.”

He smiles, eyes still bright as he stares at you. “So..tell me...what’s this about you leaving?”

Your lips fall into a straight line as you lean closer to the glass in disbelief. “Did Nayoung tell you?”

Seonho doesn’t give any reaction, waiting for you to continue. You laugh stiffly, shuffling in the chair. “Well...I’m going abroad, Seonho!” You announce to him. “I was going to tell you on my own but obviously someone’s beaten me to it. Honestly, I don’t know how long I’ll be gone for but-”

“Does he treat you well?”

You’re caught off guard by his sudden question. He looks at you without an expression, serious and unconditionally sincere. “Yes. He does.”

“Do you love him?”

You answer without hesitation. “I do.”

Your old childhood friend eases with a grin. “Good.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll come back and I’ll visit you and-” From the hasty words spewed from your tongue to sedate his concerns, he simply shakes his head.

“None of that matters, Y/N.” He cuts you off with his lips turned, orbs sparkling like the young boy you remember him as. He looks at you in genuine joy; relief as he tips his head to the side, still holding onto the handle of the phone. “You don’t have to worry about me. I just want you to be happy.”

Unlike the last time - this time you’re not leaving to escape the past. You’re not running away from the shadows that had been chasing you. You’re no longer held captive to regrets, limbs no longer changed to bitter anguish. The vicious game of ‘what if’ has finally ended.

“I’m happy.”

You’ve never meant it more.

The days pass, all blurring together in a mosaic of smiles and laughter. Jungkook is still recovering, now reigning a sense of control over his life. As for the others, you see them less and less.

“I’m going to go. I’ll be back in a bit.” He wraps the scarf around his neck, struggling with the mittens on his hands.

“Are you sure? I mean it’s just some documents and paperwork, I coul-”

He cuts you off with a gentle kiss to your lips, gone when you blink again. Jungkook grins at the flush that still raises on your cheeks no matter how many times he presses his lips against yours - even if it is the hundredth time. “I know. But you’re busy, aren’t you? You can rely on me. And I have an appointment at the hospital, so, killing two birds with one stone..right?”

“O-oh.” You blink before melting into a sheepish smile. “I’ll make dinner then.”

“Okay.” He pats your head once, looking at you again with fondness before he turns on his feet and out the door.

For a few moments you remain, staring at the space that he just occupied before you sigh with a smile, moving back to your office.

The two of you had plans to move abroad. A few months ago, you had encouraged Jungkook to apply to an art school. At first he was apprehensive about it, constantly worried that he wasn’t adequate enough. But through gruelling hard work and a portfolio worth being put in a museum, they accepted him. Fate aligned itself, finally allowing mercy in both of your lives; because you also had plans.

You were considering going back to school to focus your studies on childhood development. You’re not sure when it became your dream but you wanted to open a child psychology and education center. It’s something that you hope to do someday, a goal that you can’t give up on. The university abroad accepted you almost immediately. Luckily for the both of you, it’s the same area that Jungkook would be going to. It all worked in your favour.

Needless to say, Jungkook was overwhelmed with happiness; his worries dissipating into thin air.

It’s been nearly two years since you’ve first met him; when you appeared at his doorstep to help and he gave you nothing more than a cold glance. It’s been exactly a year since your relationship with him turned into something more; dates and interlaced hands, trials and errors.

The memory of her is still fresh in your mind, her figure standing in front of you; the sundress blowing in the wind and her shoulders slumped downwards.

“Inhye…”

She smiled sweetly with a shake of her head. “I already knew it wouldn’t work out. This engagement was set up by our parents anyway. They’ll understand. Take care of him, okay?”

You can still remember her smile, one of encouragement and faith. “I can see it in his eyes….how much he loves you.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll be okay.”

With a grace and elegance that you’ll always be impressed by, she had let him go.

The pain of the past will always remain, history cannot change. The backdrop and change of scenery doesn’t alter the shadows that follow or the hauntings of dead ghosts. But we can choose to dwell and let them fester, growing into agony and anger, spiralling out of control. Or we can let release the resentments for our own selves, for the sanity we need to continue living.

“Jungkook.” His father surrenders the breath he’s been holding. He looks down into his clasped hands, holding in tears as the old wounds that have never healed under bandages rip off once more. “I don’t know if you’ll believe me. With everything I’ve done...there hasn’t been a moment where I stopped loving you as my son.”

“You have a twisted definition of love, don’t you?”

His father’s expression flashes with hurt and he winces. Jungkook stands, walking away.

Jungkook apologizes to his step-mother for bearing a grudge against her without reason. She simply nods, bidding him farewell out the door as she turns to her husband’s side. When she looks, he’s still seated in the chair, motionlessly, accepting punishment for what he’s done. And just like that, his only son left had severed ties with him.

There will never be a day where the hurt will lessen or the pain will disappear. But perhaps someday, Jungkook might be able to return. Someday, perhaps, he could look into his father’s eyes and not want to break down in tears.

The sunrays peek from the edge of the hill, setting a cool light over the luscious green grass. A few chickadee birds chirp, the breeze rustling the leaves of the trees. The cathedral stands tall a few feet away, serene and quiet, not at all eerie with the stones set in rows. Jungkook sets the bouquet of white roses down between the two headstones.

One of them read his mother’s name and the other is ‘Min Yoongi’.

You’re not sure why his last name was changed; maybe as a way to further erase the person known as ‘Jeon Yoongi’. At the very least, you’re glad his father had the courtesy to keep his first name and to lay him next to his mother; burying his body and not incinerating him to ash so many years ago.

“I loved him.” Jungkook whispers out, crouching down to wipe away the dirt that has covered his name. The flora that surround the memorial tells you that it’s been neglected for decades. “I still do.”

“He’s my brother. He saved my life and loved me more than he should have. I miss him. I miss him so much.” He chokes over his own tears, kneeling on the ground. You move your arm around his body, leaning your head against his shoulder.

“I’m so sorry I forgot. I broke our only promise, Yoongi. Yoongi. I’m so sorry.”

Day by day, Jungkook is overcoming his inner demons and the past that used to haunt him. The both of you are, together, hand-in-hand.

Deep in sleep, he slips past the world of dreams. The surface ripples as they call out for him, sound muffled and muted like they’re submerged underwater. They reach their hands out, stretching with desperation to tug him down; into the innermost depths of his subconscious mind.

There he knows each of them by name, knows who they are and how much they care for him.

It’s there that they belong in their own separate bodies; different faces and heights, smiles and voices. It’s there when they aren’t one but seven.

“Take care of yourself.” Namjoon puts his hand on Jungkook’s shoulder, a tender smile that creases two dimples on each side of his cheek.

Hoseok laughs. “Don’t mess it up with Y/N too badly.”

“I won’t.” Jungkook scowls out with a pout, peeling off Namjoon’s hand. “I don’t know why you guys worry about me so much.”

“We’ll always worry about you.” The corners of Taehyung’s lips turn. “We’re family after all, right?”

“We’ve been together for so long.” Jimin nods, standing side by side with his same aged friend. “Just remember - you’re not alone, Jungkookie. You were never alone.”

He eases, looking at each of their faces and remembering yours. “I know.”

“We’ll always be here.” Namjoon pipes up again. “Whenever and wherever you might need us.”

Jungkook downcasts his head, crossing his arms as he mumbles underneath his breath. “I’m not a kid anymore, you know….I can handle it.”

Jin giggles, throwing his head back as he watches the boy in adoration. “You’ll always be a child to us.”

“Oh~ He’s so cute.” Jimin reaches over, squeezing the rascal’s cheek with a half-moon smile. “When did you grow up so much to be this handsome and tall, I don’t even know.”

Taehyung grins, a box shape splitting his lips. “Adorable~ Just plain adorable. Now I know why Y/N likes you so much.”

“Ugh! Stop it!” He slaps their hands away, taking a step back. “Stop babying me!”

“Don’t beat me up!” Taehyung squeals, jumping up and running to hide behind Namjoon. “He’s scary.”

All of them laugh, for once being together. The six boys look at Jungkook; wondering how it’s possible that he grew up so quickly. It felt like it was yesterday that he constantly begged for help, asking someone or anyone to live his life for him. From the few feet that he used to be, now he stands almost as the tallest one. From cowering away, mumbling under his breath and tiptoeing around others - he became a confident, young man capable of living his life on his own.

Yoongi takes a step forward from behind the others. He takes another three wide strides before he engulfs the younger into his arms. Jungkook immediately reacts; the two hanging onto each other in a tight embrace. He digs his face in his brother’s shoulder, fluttering his eyes shut as he tries his hardest to linger in his warmth and remember this moment - capturing it forever like a snapshot of a camera.

He whispers out.

“I’ll miss you.”

Yoongi’s lips part into a gummy smile, he lifts his hand to stroke the younger’s hair.

“I never left, brat.”

The alters never truly leave. But they never appear in front of you again.

Rather, they leave traces of themselves.

When Jungkook doesn’t take care of himself, lost in another project without realizing he hasn’t eaten, Jin makes an appearance. On one occasion, you had woken up without him by your side only to find him in the kitchen with a million pancakes on the counters - Jungkook seemingly confused as you were. Sometimes when he’s stressed with work, Namjoon finishes it for him; an art research binder finalized overnight and the moving paperwork completed.

After you argue with him, flowers are always found in a vase on the table for you the next day. When Jungkook sprained his wrist, he blacked out and found himself in the hospital when he reached consciousness. In another drunk incident, he had suddenly pulled you in for a kiss and then laughed in hysterics with a boxy, guilty smile.

And sometimes….Jungkook just stares at you from across the room….his gaze softened…cold eyes that have grown warm...a gaze that shakes you to the very core. He would smile, one where his gums are shown, and in a lower pitched tone...a husky voice, he would tell you all too sincerely: “I love you.”

“What are you thinking about?” Jungkook laughs, breaking you out of your trance. “Are you ready to go?”

“O-oh. Yeah, I am.” You rise to your feet, sweeping your orbs over his house for the last time. All his furniture is packed into cardboard boxes. The two paintings that the two of you made will eventually be shipped over, the planter box was given to your mother and tucked safely in her garden. As white as the walls are, now it looks even more barren and empty.

It’s a perfect clean slate for new beginnings.

Jungkook grabs onto the suitcase handle, looking back at you with a wide grin as he opens the door. You grab onto your own suitcase, taking his hand in yours.

“Let’s go.”

You’re no longer Jungkook’s therapist due to a conflict of interest but from a professional point of view, he’s at the very last stage - phase three. The cure isn’t instant, that’s not how his disorder works. It will forever be a work in progress. For now, he’s gained a better sense of himself. He has control of his life. Jungkook has acknowledged the demands of his past and is working towards a better future. Perhaps the personalities might never be able to fuse together but a sense of calm inner peace has been achieved amongst all of them.

Some days are bad, some are good. But all that matters is that each and everyday, you walk with him together.

#bts scenarios #bts fanfic #jungkook #jungkook fanfic #jungkook angst #bts scenario #bts jungkook #BAM #WHAT A ROLLARCOASTER #WOWOW #I was pretty emotional editing this #I hope you enjoyed this series!!#Thank you for joining me on this wild adventure until the end #I really appreciate it

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