#also put red eye for the ruler or death

[requinum]

just another day

[f1version]

ONCE UPON A DECEMBER ‧͙*̩̩͙❅ CS55

pairing: prince!Carlos Sainz Jr. x princess!reader ( she/her )

summary: Once upon a December, be loved by Carlos was something your heart used to know.

warnings/info: royalty au — not in the present, angst, fluff, non explicit character death (you don’t see it happen), fighting, revenge, reader is 20 and Carlos is 22. also lewis and lando are extras in this, charles is mentioned.

word count: 1.2k

note: literally how did we get here. this was supposed to be holiday-themed, but i guess is just winter-themed, kind of. In my defense, the story starts on the 25th and mainly happens in December. I couldn't resist, this song just transported me to another reality.

i was deeply inspired by the song: once upon a december by christy altomare. i listened it for as long as it took me to write this. enjoy!!!

snowglobe, a holiday special

You stood by the window, red dress covering the high heels on your feet. Almost eight minutes had passed since you asked to be left alone in your chamber. You are anxious; a small part of you is afraid of the royals in the ballroom, which is why the golden band on your finger is twirled over and over again. It's calming. Fourteen days ago, there was a red diamond surrounded by white. Fourteen days since those lovely days in early December, warm brown eyes shimmering as your world watched you walk down the aisle.

You smile. Loving Carlos is past, present, and future now, wrapped in his arms for an eternity. 

“Mi amor,” a deep voice reverberates around the room; it’s not foreign, yet you give a small jump out of your feet, caught off guard. You turn around, and Carlos is standing before you in a black suit, adorned with medals and a sash wrapped around his figure. He gifts you that blinding smile of his as tender fingers reach your hand, prompting you to twirl for him. “You look beautiful." There’s a pause. “I don’t believe there are enough words to let you know.”

“Thank you, mi vida,” you smile. “So do you.”

Hands travel to your waist, holding you close. His fingertips slide down the red fabric, roaming your corset as he leans down to press a chaste kiss on your lips. “Are you ready?” He asks, “It’s almost time to greet our guests.”

“I am ready,” you answer, looking down, verifying your theory that Carlos doesn't have shoes on. “Though you don’t seem so ready, Carlitos.”

“Pequeños detalles, mi amor,” Small details, my love, he teases, and you laugh, “It’s snowing, did you see?” He changes topics, holding your waist firm as he turns you around, avoiding any small incidents. “White Christmas for us.”

You had barely noticed, too focused on remembering. The gardens, kingdom, and beyond are covered by a thin layer of snow, the sun glimmering over them. “It’s beautiful”

“It is,” he mutters, walking forward so his chest is pressed against your back, his chin resting on your shoulder. “Almost as beautiful as you, mi princesa,” he plants two kisses down your neck. “Soon to be Queen."

You giggle, never been happier. Having Carlos by your side, giving you all the love one could wish for—the love that you deserve—is calming, so for the first time in months, you allow yourself to think about turning 21 early next year, the crown falling over your head as the rightful ruler of this land, Carlos by your side as Prince. It isn’t as nerve-wracking as it used to be.

You turn around, lips looking for his and falling in perfect rhythm. “I love you.” 

“I love you more.” 

You’re home building in the eyes of the others when there's a knock on the door, and as permission is given, Ms. Danielle appears. “Excuse me, Your Majesties, it’s time for your entrance."

“Oh god, Carlos, please go put on your shoes!" you exclaim, pushing him slightly. Carlos laughs, sneaking a small kiss on your lips before running away. “Thank you, Danielle."

One blink of a memory takes you down the stairs, the dim glow of the ballroom wraps around people you know and soon will. You and Carlos have parted ways to create small talk with said people; he's across the room, laughing at one of the awful jokes the Prince of Monaco loves to tell. Around you, there’s a group of kings and queens, dukes and duchesses, lines of royal blood enchanted by your presence, questions and anecdotes, laughter, and gossip taking your attention.

A firm grip on your arm turns you around, and now Sir Lewis Hamilton, Head of Army, is in your line of vision. You smile, except unsettling eyes meet yours, and suddenly, if you remember well, laughter fades into screams. People you know, will know, and could’ve known run frightened. You are under attack, and soldiers start defending. Carlos is screaming, giving them orders. He's helping people get to safety, but nobody is giving it to him. 

You want to run towards him, but you are ushered away. You can’t see him any longer; the hands keeping you safe are not the same as they used to be. And you try to leave the safe room, knowing you are trained to fight for it, but they don't let you. They don't let you fall by his side.

Memories fade, jump, and dance. You’re in a meeting room, tension is building up as seconds prance through time. Sir Lewis is defending a point. You feel anger strangling your body. “You must have kept him safe!”

“They took him way before we could reach him, Your Majesty,” he argues.

“How?” You scream. “Do we not have enough people? Where were those who swore to protect his head?”

“They were defending, protecting, or dead before we noticed,” he defends. “Carlos was focused on protecting the people too.”

“I do not care.” You feel lightheaded, fury arrogating your body. “He must have been moved to the saferoom with me.”

“You are more valuable than he was."

“He was soon to be your prince!”

“And you are our future queen,” he shouts back.

Silence falls over the room, and you've never hated your future title so much. You feel eager for it, yes, but not for the right reasons.

“I wish for you to look me in the eye and repeat all of it, Lewis,” you say. He stands still, dropping his tense shoulders, and doesn't say anything. You walk closer, eyes buried in his, searching for malice—there’s none; they’re grieving. “Know your place, Lewis.”

He nods. “My apologies, Your Majesty.”

“I want you to find him,” You demand, not breaking eye contact, “No matter what you must do or how much time passes, I want the man who killed Carlos gone.”

There’s a sudden hunger in his eyes as he nods, leaving the place. You turn around, but you’re no longer in the meeting room. Scaping the sea of memories, you face your reality.

You stand by the window, red dress covering the high heels on your feet, patiently waiting for the right person to enter the room. There’s no anxiety in it; there’s anticipation—the golden band twirling around your finger over and over again.

It’s a beautiful snow day. Fourteen years ago, you were standing right here, mid-December, with a pair of brown eyes loving you, caressing you, and not having enough words to describe you. That type of love is barely a memory, buried six feet below his statue in the gardens he so dearly loved.

There’s a knock on the door. “Your Majesty?"

“Yes, Lando?"

“Sir Lewis is back; no severe injuries,” the boy announces. You hum, already knowing his next announcement: “He’s dead.”

You smile, looking down at your ring. “Thank you, Lando. Get back to your duties now.”

And as the curly-haired leaves, you wonder if this is what revenge feels like. Cold loneliness with a sense of fulfillment. There’s a crown heavy on your head with a target on it, but you are not bothered enough to care about it. Long ago, you could have held mercy over the man terrorizing kingdoms around you, fought until his defeat, but now feelings as such are things your heart used to know.

Your faint memories of Carlos lie in rest, avenged on a white December morning.

taglist — @smartstupyd @ziarah @nouvellevqgue @iloveyou3000morgan @carsgovroomm . . . add yourself here

[a-dauntless-daffodil]

twisted as fuck last unicorn chaggie au!!! WAIT LISTEN NO

the tip shard of Vaggie's broken horn got lodged in her eye socket and she pulled it out later to make her spear,

she swears herself as knight to Charlie the magician princess of an imprisoned kingdom made of up cast outs and criminals whose king stays locked up and miserable all the time and won't teach her real magic bc its not safe

Charlie hates unicorns bc her dad is obsessed with them

and also every year they come rushing out of the ocean to stampede the kingdom killing thousands but to everyone other than Charlie it just looks like a tidal wave

Lucifer keeps them both locked up in the castle while the flood of unicorns breaks around them

and while he sadly watches them go back to the sea Charlie is slipping outside trying to help people in the aftermath

One year she saw a lingering unicorn tramping something on the foggy beach

she asked her magic to do whatever it could to save whoever the unicorn was about to kill

Apparently it worked bc the unicorn left off and Charlie found Vaggie bleeding on the beach CLEARLY having been attacked by a unicorn- her eye's been gouged out and there's a starburst burn on her forehead that definitely isn't where a horn used to be

Same set up as canon, unicorn Vaggie couldn't bring herself to impale a kid and unicorn Lute took her eye and trampled her before unicorn Adam broke her horn and kicked MOST of the pieces into the sea

Then Charlie's spell turned her human, a fate worse than death as far as Lute is concerned

Now Vaggie is human and kinda mortal and in love

she helps Charlie put together traveling carnival show to inspire and recruit hazbins-

Charlie is CONVINCED the people here can reform and go back to happy outside society (not asking what kind of happy society or rulers are okay with yearly mass murder) she just has to show them and EVERYONE ELSE that this is true via a cheap magic trick show with songs and dances.

B plot is Vaggie trying to find the scattered shards of her horn

but of course each of Charlie's hazbins happed to find one of the pieces instead so now Vaggie has the annoying task of getting close enough to them to get the shards back.

Only the horn of a unicorn can harm or kill a unicorn.

magic is fading from the world bc the unicorns got fed up with people hunting unicorns so they did some wholescale murder and then promised not to again if the kingdoms agreed to throw all their criminals and outcasts into this one place where the unicorns could take their vengeance out on them each year

lucifer is of course a former unicorn who broke and shared his horn with Lilith

she used her resulting magical powers to help him turn human which the other unicorns were horrified by, now a magic is being shared with humans who aren't pure enough to deserve it and blah blah lock them both up with the other "bad people"

Charlie's in born magic is wild and does whatever usually in both a silly and dangerous way

secretly a unicorn Vaggie uses her spear / horn tip to nullify counter the worst of the wild magic without being caught at it so Charlie can do more good with her magic than harm

Charlie really good at juggling and slight of hand though bc that's safer and can bring people almost as much joy as actual magic

the hazbins being unknowingly protected by Vaggie's horn shards and proud Charlie thinking her magic is being nice to her friends or might actually be finally coming under her control while Vaggie sweats guiltily in the background

blah blah unicorn attack Vaggie unicorn reveal slight Charlie identity crisis

Blah blah blah Charlie's mom Lilith ran off with the shards of Lucifer's horn to go figure out how to make The Red Bull from it and use the bull to kill the unicorns or drive them away with their fear of death

past Charlie might ALMOST have been onboard with this before she found out her girlfriend is a unicorn, meaning unicorns can change and aren't all eternal murder jerks

hazbins give Vaggie back her horn shards so she can undo Charlie's magic turn unicorn again and fend off Lute

BUUUUTT now the red bull is after Vaggie too and Charlie can't get her magic to change Vaggie again so Charlie runs between them trying to save her

Charlie dead in Lilith's arms for a whole minute while Vaggie fights the red bull

something something magic Charlie lives but she's merged with the red bull now so it's trapped in her but also leaking out sometimes and its made from the blood of all the ppl the unicorns slaughtered that one time so its literally bloodlust incarnate and that's fun

Lucifer is horrified, he knew what Vaggie was this whole time and was planning on using Vaggie's pieced together horn to let CHARLIE embrace her unicorn heritage

instead now Charlie's got two bloody horns and a hunger for unicorn blood which is both awkward bc of the unicorn gf and also a lot easier to deal with bc Vaggie is fine with her demon bull gf biting her now and then no biggy

ummm huh so this might also be a vampire chaggie au???

KeeKee is a talking cat bc of Charlie's wild magic and i think she should also have the eyepatch and be a pirate. Arrrrgh!

[098-lxxon]

I gave Daisuke a cockroach friend

Content warning : Cockroach (of course), Bad English, Pretty graphics (?), Circle of life, Misgendering a cockroach at first, Jimmy mentioned, Daisuke's death.

[ Yes. My oc is a cockroach. ]

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For the vibe :

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" . . . "

Daisuke sat on his bed after the first day on the ship, sighing heavily. The dreads of being in the middle of space on a ship full of strangers caused him to almost cry multiple times.

*Wiggle wiggle*

" ? "

A cockroach?

Daisuke stared at the cockroach. It's antennae moving side to side. Somehow, he felt its curiosity as it crawled to him.

" Oh hi, little man . . . How did you survive the launch? "

If Anya or Jimmy walked in, seeing him holding a cockroach in his hands, they would be screaming on the top of their lungs. But Daisuke couldn't care much.

Sometimes he associates himself with bugs and pests. Undesirable. Some of them may even be serving no purpose to the environment.

Daisuke held the cockroach in his hands gently, getting up and giving it a room tour.

" Here, this is my bed . . . and my table . . . this is the . . . wardrobe . . . "

*Wiggle*

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" And that's why I like WereGarurumon. "

*Wiggle wiggle*

" . . . "

After an hour of yapping to the cockroach, Daisuke realized he never introduced himself. And neither of them know each other's names.

" Do you have a name? "

*Wiggle*

" I mean, a human name? "

*Wiggle wiggle*

" . . . "

" Alright! Mr Wiggle it is then! "

" My name's Daisuke. It means big assistant, your know? "

" Maybe I'll teach you japanese sometimes if I feel like it. "

*Wiggle*

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" !!!!!!! "

Jimmy almost flipped the dinning table when he saw a cockroach climbing up his shoe. He got up, stepping back until his back was against the wall.

" What? What is it? "

Captain Curly asked, looking under the table. The others did the same.

" There's a fucking cockroach on the ship! "

" A cockroach!? "

Anya questioned the ship's sanitary right at the moment.

" How is it surviving in here? "

" I . . . also would like to know . . . "

Daisuke looked at Mr Wiggle wiggling away, pushing a piece of bread he gave him with his head. Then he quickly turned back to the scene.

" it's on the wall, Jim!! "

" !!!!!! "

And Pony Express said no entertainment.

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Daisuke doodles on his desk while Swansea goes out to fix stuff. He was assigned an exercise to do. And he has no idea about how to do it

So he just kind of let it be, for now.

*Wiggle wiggle*

" ? "

Daisuke saw something wiggling at the corner of his eye. He looked at it and he found a cockroach.

A baby cockroach, to be exact.

Daisuke mind was blown. He quickly looks around to find his bug friend walking around with some more of his kids.

No, her kids.

" You're a girl! A mother! "

Daisuke exclaimed. He felt like a proud uncle for some reason. Now he knows why Mr Ms Wiggle always walking to the same direction every day. She was pregnant with all of these babies and she found a secure spot for her.

" . . . You have a purpose, . . . a big one. "

He smiled softly at the cockroaches. Then he uses his ruler to help put the baby cockroach off his desk and to Ms Wiggle.

Then they all wiggled away.

" Don't come for dinner today! I'll get some to you myself. "

This would send Jimmy into spasm for sure.

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Ms Wiggle made her way to the lobby with her nymphs when she senses something stronger than ever.

Cooked meat.

She lead her babies to somewhere she never gone to before. And she sees it.

His body lay cold on the mattress. Red hue stains his face and body, seeping through the white fabric beneath him.

The less mature insects crawled near the body, climbing up his limbs to his torso, making their way to his face. But their mother scolded them, calling them down before they could even reach his neck.

A subtle shift in antennae, a pulse of instinctual understanding passed between them, and the decision was made.

!

The mother took the first bite off of the hand which used to hold her when they first met. The rest quickly followed. But one of them is still hesitant.

The youngest one paused, uncertain, its tiny legs trembling as it recalled young man’s warmth, the hand that had gently guided it back to its mother. now, it will have to feed on the hand that helps it?

Ms Wiggle answered with a shift in her antennae. It was a soft, determined yes.

This is to honor you.

You gave us life when we needed it most.

This is the purpose you’ve fulfilled.

You're a real big assistant.

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[ Thank you for reading! ]

[gravityfallsthunderboltau]

Nick Scheuer Headcanons (GF OC) 1/?

Nick is 18 years old so 2 years older than Wendy but 4 years younger than Soos

(In my memory Soos is 22 and Wendy is 16 but if I'm wrong please tell me)

Nick is male and homosexual / polyamory . He doesn't lie that he is gay but somehow no one believes that he is gay because, according to others, he looks very "straight".

But Nick doesn't shout out that he's gay (like he doesn't make it his personality that he's gay) and when you ask him, he just tell honestly that he is.

Dipper thought for a long time that he had his eyes on Wendy but after talking to him he said he was gay and Wendy was just his friend in a platonic way.

Even if he is rather introverted, he can speak well with girls and boys etc.

Kind of has the “The (big) Brother” vibe, he doesn’t know why, he’s actually the youngest kid of four kids but he just gives off the vibe.

Especially to Dipper and Mabel (to Dipper only after he clarified that he isn't in love with Wendy) he's kind of a big brother.

Somehow also with Stanley because Nick has polydactyly like Ford and that's why Stanley somehow has a brotherly relationship with Nick. (Stanley feels bad that he put his trauma and feelings he had towards Ford onto Nick and is now trying to "save" Nick because he couldn't save Ford)

Nick doesn't know before that Stanley feels somehow guilty and feels bad when he somehow triggers a trigger from Stanley because Stanley doesn't explain to him why he reacts the way he reacts.

But after Stanford came back, Stanley explained this to Nick and Nick understood it and they both worked on their relationship so that Stanley doesn't just hang out with Nick because of his trauma but in a healthly way and Nick don't feel bad of his action to Stanley (I hope I explained what I mean by that well)

He had very severe acne between the ages of 13 and 16 but it got better until he was 18 but he still had mild acne.

He actually had natural curls because of his heredity but because he was in his rebel pre-teens he straightened his hair to death and now he has straight hair. He doesn't regret it.

His parents said that when he gets older he will regret it and miss his curls but he won't. He likes to have straight hair. It suits his style more.

And having natural red hair as a boy with curls was just too complicated for him with the polydactyly too.

Is the type of brother vibe who accepts friendship bracletes from his "younger siblings" and really holds it up like it's his greatest treasure. He rarely wears them but you know he really likes them.

When copying a piece of paper, manual or technical, he needs a ruler to stay on the line what he writes. (hopefully you know what I mean by that)

He doesn't like Gideon Gleeful. Since the first meeting, the things he did against Mabel and Stanley, he simply hated him and was amused at Weirdmageddon where Gideon would be locked in the cage by Bill Chiper.

No pity or anything. He was just happy to see Gideon suffering. But he never told anyone in the group.

His family is part of Ciphertology and when he found out he cut himself off from his family because he will not be associated with them or will not be part of the cult. He hates Silas Birchtree for make Ciphertology.

His aunt (on his mother's side) is obsessed with the cult and is the cult leader and refers to herself as the "Bill Chiper wife". She somehow sees Nick as a problem because he doesn't want to join the Cult (and that later in the story he becomes one of Bill Chiper's Boyfriends)

Is/Will be in a polyamory relationship with Bill Chiper and Stanford Pines

First lives with "Lazy" Susan Wentworth but then moved to the Mystery Shack where he lives in the room:

(This was part of the Gravity Falls concept art and is not mine↓)

After Ford is rescued, Nick offers him to sleep in his room, but even though everyone thinks Ford didn't accept the offer, Ford often sneaks into Nick's room at night and sleeps there.

Nick helps Ford with his nightmares and they often talk for hours about their similarities such as polydactyly and co.

Ford always thinks he's annoying when he talks for hours, but Nick doesn't mind because he likes hearing Ford's voice.

And Ford kind of likes Nick's physical touch and listening to him for so long.

But for a very long time then, Ford and Nick realized that they liked sleeping together and even started sharing a bed but didn't tell anyone in the family because they think they will be despised because of the age gap in their relationship.

Just like the relationship between Bill and Nick. Bill meets Nick in "Dreamscaperers" and their secret love-hate relationship begins there.

Even though Nick hates the Ciphertology Cult, he somehow loves Bill and Bill loves somehow Nick because he doesn't want to worship him as a Ciphertology follower.

Like "Alex Hirsch" / Dipper, Nick is used to chew on pencils - like that Picture

Is a snack machine child. Everywhere he sees a snack machine or drink machine he uses it and uses it almost every day if he can.

Can only cook very little, like microwollen spaghetti or sandwiches, but can bake more, like muffins and cakes.

More headcanons coming soon .....

Trigger Warning Banner from @cafekitsune

[kittenfangirl20]

*Yeshua approaches Cain*

Cain: Is there something you needed.

*Yeshua looked a little nervous*

Yeshua: I know that your job as an assassin here has developed your tracking skills, I was hoping you could help me find someone.

Cain: I didn’t think you would know someone in Hell since you were the Son of God, Prince of Heaven, and the co ruler of Heaven.

Yeshua: I am sure you have heard of how I was crucified.

Cain: I forgot you were betrayed by one of your followers.

Yeshua: Yes, Judas, I want him to be a resident of the hotel so he can be redeemed too.

Cain: I’ll see what I can do.

*after a couple days of searching, Cain found who he was looking for, Judas was at a bar, Judas had olive toned skin, but his eyes were silver with red sclera, he had short spiky hair that he dyed bright red as joke about the fact that artists in the Middle Ages painted him with red hair for some reason, he wore a tank top, black leather pants, and a black leather jacket, his Sinner features were green dragon horns and green dragon wings to represent greed, imbedded in his neck like a choker were the 30 pieces of silver*

Judas: Well if it isn’t Cain the Nomad, who did I piss off to have you come after me.

*Cain sits by Judas*

Cain: I haven’t been an assassin ever since I moved to the hotel run by Charlie. I was asked to find you so you could be a guest at the hotel.

Judas: I know it is Yeshua who asked you find me, I can’t, I don’t deserve redemption.

Cain: Why not? I am the first murderer and they think I am not beyond redemption. My brother even forgave me.

Judas: It was obvious that it was an accident since the concept of death wasn’t known. I turned on my teacher and my friends for money.

*Judas taps one of the coins on his neck*

Judas: I loved him and I betrayed him. That is just evil.

*Cain put his hand on Judas’s shoulder in a comforting manner when he saw how sad and remorseful he looked*

Cain: I was not only forgiven by my brother, but also my father and mother even though my actions cost them two children. I think you should just give this hotel a chance.

*Cain leaves so he could give Judas time to think*

(I had fun designing Judas especially with coming up with his Sinner traits)

[dreaming-medium]

Animals Without Direction Descriptions

Hello everyone! I figured a master post on how I see each of the members for Animals Without Direction would be smart this way we're all on the same page.

Each of these aesthetic pictures are a rough description of their outfits. They're not exact by any means. Take each one with a grain of salt. Most of the pictures are a lot fancier/over the top than how I see them.

Bang Chan

Jarl of Miroh

I always picture Chan with his natural curly hair as the Jarl. He's always put together but has a very relaxed air and vibe to him.

If he's ever wearing his armor, it's simple, yet very regal-- he is the ruler of the land after all. But most of the time that we see him, he's in a casual tunic and slacks.

Lee Minho

Jarl's Advisor

I went back and forth on Minho's hair for this fic for a bit. But I settled on his longer brown hair. Specifically his brown hair that hangs in front of his eyes a bit rather than parted in the center.

Minho is always put together in this fic. You will not catch him in casual clothing. He is always in darker armor/fancy tunics. He takes his job as Chan's advisor extremely seriously.

Seo Changbin

Commander

Very much your typical Changbin look for this fic! (I'll take any excuse to post the right pic of Changbin, look at those biceps DAMN.)

I always had this specific armor look in my mind for Changbin; I need this man's biceps out in battle. I can only picture the Skyrim Steel Armor when I write him in this fic, I can't help it. Additionally, I just know he would have beautiful gauntlets on his forearms.

Hwang Hyunjin

Court Mage

Hyunjin's MAMA hair is just SO Elven I cannot get over it. His appearance was the easiest for me to settle on. Look at him in these pictures and tell me he doesn't look like a fire mage.

Hyunjin's always in red mage robes with fancy clothes underneath. Like Minho, he is always put together. There's never a wrinkle to be seen in his clothing. Picture something like this but with a hood as well.

Han Jisung

Court Diplomat

Fluffy brown haired Han Jisung has me in a death grip. I keep leaning back and forth between a darker or lighter brown, so just imagine somewhere in between these two looks for him. In his more relaxed moments, his hair will be on the curlier side.

As the court diplomat, he typically is just in fancy clothes that show off his status. You'll never see Jisung in armor, he doesn't really know how to fight nor does his position require any fighting skill.

Lee Felix

Court Healer

Blond mullet Felix says 'Elven' the same way Hyunjin's MAMA look does. Add the blue contacts on top of that and it's perfect for this story.

Felix's wears restoration school robes during the day and while he's working in the Healing Ward. But when he's not 'working' he's in a casual tunic and trousers like Chan usually is.

Kim Seungmin

Court Rogue/Assassin

Another look I went back and forth on, but I settled here. I thought about it a lot, but typically when I think about him in these scenes, he has his choppy bangs that hang over his eyes.

Now, his rogue armor in my mind does have a lot of embellishments/leather straps/buckles. I know he himself usually goes for plain outfits and clothes, but he's also very practical and knows what he needs when he goes out on jobs. He needs all those pockets and hidden sleeves for items.

Yang Jeongin

Jarl's Squire

Jeongin in the story has that boyish handsomeness to him that you can't quite put into words. He's not a child anymore by any means, he's grown and an official squire to the Jarl but he still has his naïve moments as he's still learning.

Jeongin's usual armor in the training yard is something more casual and easy to move in; something you would see most guards wear. But then, in battle, his armor is definitely something more eye catching and elegant. He has to show off his status among the other soldiers.

[viaviv124]

Cotl Unity AU

Okay because we all know i will never start, let alone finish, writing this we'll do the same i did with the orphan AU and give a plot summary. I won't go too much into the politcs of shit here, many outside relationships that arent crucial or make time to explain small easter eggs/gags i put in so feel free to ask if you wanna know! I'd love to yap more! Same goes for questions in general!

Alright lets start!

So there's this country/kingdom called Dagas and the royal family, currently consisting of 5 siblings, the oldest taking the crown as the monarch/ruler, are viewed as gods and worshipped by the church. Narinder is the 3rd prince and 23 years old. He's pretty invested in the military and handles a lot of politics having to do with fighting, earning him the title God/Prince of death (allthough this also comes from his ruthlessness and cold demeanor). One day Shamura tells him he's betrothed and that his fiance will arrive in two weeks, that day being a royal ball to publically announce it. Narinder tries to fight this arrangement but fails, much to his dismay. The decision is final. He knows nothing about his fiance, only that they're slightly younger than him, allthough still an adult.

The ball comes, Narinder is not amused and keeps ranting to his siblings, and around an hour or two in a carriage arrives and the guards escort the fiance inside, a lamb in precious, simple white robes and a red camelia in their wool. They bow in front of Narinder, introducing themself as Nanda from Venzor, a rather small village. They're a commoner, Narinder is less than thrilled, allthough for appearances he gives himself as charming and interested, allthough his face is deadpan for the crowd cannot see it. He extends a hand and Nanda kisses it, not recieving the same courtesy back allthough he should've. Narinder tells them to rise and despite eye-ing Narinder for a split moment, Nanda smiles politely and says how much of an honor it is for them to stand in front of him like this, allthough lowkey passive agressively. Narinder takes that personal and decides he doesn't like them even more. They have a dance because, again, appearances, and allthough Nanda cannot dance they manage to keep up impressively well. During dinner with the rest of the royal siblings it is revealed that the reason for this engagement is that Nanda is indirectly from the church. Allthough not officially a priest, they've caused a small, abandoned church in their village to blossom and bloom, causing even a lot of travelers to move to this village in order to devote themselves to faith. Nanda's talent/achievements within the church, which is lowkey controlling the loyalty of the commoners torwards the royals hence why it's so important, combined with their sharp wit it would be a good match with Narinder's military upbringing. Narinder doesn't protest but silently hopes that Nanda will just be an obedient believer who won't get in his way.

And that works, for the first week or so they do as they're told, work wise, and everything seems fine. Until Nanda realized/learned they can be casual around the royals, they cannot get rid of them or harm them unless they commit a respective crime, so they start relaxing and showing it in their attitude. What pushes it over the edge for Narinder is that Nands dared ordering him around. Well actually they just asked him if he could get something for them he was closer to but alas, who is to understand the mind of that prideful cat? (Nandas words) From that day on none of them held back. They bicker and bicker with no end, every so often it'd escalate into a fistfight too. They can barely sit in room together without one deciding to provocate the other for absolutely no reason. And hence their dynamic is born.

Around a month since Nanda arrived Narinder has to leave for a week or two. When he comes back and steps out of the carriage or leaves the ship or something everywhere around them are screams of pain and agony. It is caused by Nandas hand, ss they've killed people that seemed previously hidden. Once the acts are committed Nanda goes blank with this horrifyingly odd look in their eyes, making everone believe they lost it. They didnt hurt anyone else though and they didn't resist arrest. Narinder, accompanied by a guard for safety, decided to interrogate Nands himself. They reveal that these people were plotting to kill Narinder the moment he came back, providing a few letters exchanged in secret by the perpetrators they managed to steal as evidence. They never intended to kill them, but they couldn't help but see red. If they should be executed for their crimes they won't resist. Narinder believes their story and demands Nanda free. When asked for his reasoning he says that these letters were the real deal, for he knows Nandas handwriting enough to say so. Nanda saved his life so they get pardoned. Narinder doesn't understand why this drove Nanda so far they could only see red, this starts changing his view of them ever so slightly positively, allthough this doesnt stop their constant fighting.

Their normal life goes on until 2 months later they have to go to Venzor, Nanda's hometown, for various reasons. There Narinder meets Ratau, Nandas mentor and the one who arranged the engagement together with Shamura, allthough Nanda didn't find out until the day they had to leave. In general Narinder meets a huge culture shock, for as the common folk seem to greatly respect Nanda, calling them leader (which they've only seen Corey do sometimes) and in turn treating Narinder all casually despite being aware of his Status. During their stay he sees a very kind and mature side of Nanda, also seeing their skill in delivering sermons and in general doing work preists usually learn their whole lifes to do. On their trip they also need to clear out a nearby forest of monsters, creatures that greatly plague Dagas' safety and that Narinder frequently goes fight for a hobby. There he learns that Nanda is not only skilled with swords and daggers but also posesses black magic, making him re-evaluate each time they fought and in theory they could've just ended him right there.

In general both of them they realize they make a great team and work greatly together, be it about their actual work or fighting together. Especially after their visit to Venzor they also fight less. (allthough still very frequently, this is just their thing. Most of the malice is gone.)

Narinder learns Nanda is plagued by nightmares around two weeks after they return home. He found that out because he demands small cuddle sessions every now and then (obviously totally not romantic at all or anything, the grumpy kitty just needs his big plushy). Surprisingly the nightterrors become less when Nanda's with him so they end up sharing his bed. Over the span of the next 2 or 3 months the two of them (allthough mainly nanda) open up more in general, telling the other personal things and things that trouble them. For Nanda this includes telling Narinder their nightmares and that their birth family is dead. Over that time the two of them also begin sleeping with eachother on a regular basis.

For the next bit i have a semi-written out scene, with that i mean dialogue, so here you go:

It's late at night. Nanda is prone to overworking themself, especially just working deep into the night, and this day is no other. Narinder enters their office, leaning at the doorframe. "Come to bed." Nanda shakes their head "I need to finish this." Irritation starts filling the prince's voice, allthough with no real heat "I am not repeating myself, lamb." "What, can't sleep without me?" "I've no use for someone sleep deprived." A scoff "I don't need to be useful to you." "As a commoner thats your purpose, even more as a religious figure. You’re supposed to devote yourself to me." "Baah, i never did that. It’s dumb. I just use the scriptures as my own and take from it what i want and need. Now be quiet and follow your own advice and go to bed, prideful cat." "Excuse me?" "You heard me." Despite the bickering Narinder's interest was piqued. After a bit back and forth he gets Nanda to elaborate, who proceeds to tell him their story. Nanda grew up in a small village, not Venzor, with their family. However, that place was pillaged when they were around 12. From their family they are the only survivor and had to flee. In order to survive they had to resort to theft and violence, also getting with some very bad people i won't get into here. This went on for around 3 years when they met Ratau. He took them in and brought them the holy scriptures closer, saying that he himself also doesn't believe in the gods but that the morals and allthat are good to follow if you have nothing else to believe in. Surprisingly this worked for Nanda too and they got a lot better, the traveling with someone trusted who wouldn't hurt them also helped. Eventually they came across Venzor, a small miserable village. Nanda decided to teach the people what Ratau taught them, that even if they don't believe in the gods they could take whenever they need for courage, comfort and guidance from the scriptures. The people found hope in that and the rest is history. As Nanda was talking Narinder moved to the chair himself, keeping the lamb on his lap. They kept talking, telling stories of their travels or telling anecdotes from the villagers etc. As they were talking they finally fell asleep. Carefully Narinder took them to bed, holding them especially close that night.

From then it only took like a month before the two of them finally admit their feelings. They're on the balcony of Naridners (by extension Nandas, they barely use their own room anymore) chambers on a beautiful, moonlit night. Nanda is very deeply in love with Narinder, but still believes Narinder dislikes theme so they keep quiet, the prideful prince however has run out of patience and decides to do it right then and there. He kisses Nanda tenderly, saying "There is no need for me to proclaim my love, as you are already destined to be mine to wed." Nanda tears up and hugs Narinder tightly. They kiss once more, then Nanda sobs in Naridners shoulder, then they kiss again. It was a very happy and tender night for both of them and the first day or two they full on embraced the honeymoon phase, actually going without bickering. However, they very quickly return to the status quo because that's just their thing and how they're the most comfortable.

Around 3 weeks later the two of them go to yet another crusade, that's how they call their monster hunting, and they come across a small, dilapidated village. They're on guard as they look around, allthough no soul is to be seen. Not until a man comes to them with painful cries. His soul is damned and incased in darkness. He begs for help and mercy. Narinder is ready to strike, as this old man is about to turn into a monster sooner or later, but Nanda stops him. They turn to the man and extend a hand, cleansing his soul with their magic. He thanks them very much before quickly leaving this damned place. Not long after a bigger crowd of damned people drag torwards Nanda, begging to be healed to. Selflessly they do so. By the end of it around 200 people are cleansed and went on their way, meanwhile Nanda's own light left their body, leaving their body slowly blackening as they collapse. Alarmed Narinder catches them in time and rushes back to the palace. They won't wake up and each healer, each cleric, declares they cannot be saved. They had sold their soul for black magic, this is the consequence for the magic kept gnawing at Nanda's soul and this overexersion made their fate final. They won't survive this. Narinder is heartbroken and doesnt leave their side. He barely eats, won't talk to anyone, he just stays as Nanda'a side, holding their cold hand or body tightly. On the fourth night Narinder recieves an anonymous letter. The letter talks about how there is a cure, but people using light magic deem it as unethical, as it requires a new soul, be it through sacrifice or a shared one. It requires the soul of someone very close to the afflicted, like family, very close friends or a lover, as a stronger connection will increase the success rate. Unless an entire soul is given no one will die. If Narinder is willing to do this, all he has to do is break the tooth in the envelope. The letter is signed with "the teeth in the darkness". Without much hesitation Narinder breaks the tooth. The next day he wakes up next to Nanda, they still show no sign of waking up but their body feels warmer and the blackening went back. Sorrowfully he whispers “how dare you leave me after i’ve finally made you mine? You promised to stay, yet you’re a liar.”, words he has said multiple times since Nanda fell ill, that now feel even heavier. Around an hour goes by, Narinder lets no one inside as he mourns his lover, when suddenly their breath slowly speeds up again. They move. Slowly they wake up. Narinder embraces them tightly. Both cry. It is a very overwhelming and emotionally raw moment.

Nanda makes a full recovery and the wedding is held a few months after.

And that's pretty much it! Again, in the background is a lot more going on but this is already long enough. If you have any questions feel free to ask!

[dragonworshippersblog]

Otto: if rhaenyra succeeds viserys, she will put your [alicent’s] children to the sword

The only person in the show who want to kill innocent children was otto himself “it is unsavory, yes but a sacrifice we must make to secure aegon's ascension […] lord commander Westerling, take your knights to dragonstone, be quick and be clean”. Otto wanted to make a massacre of a whole family, and the council agreed with him; on the other hand rhaenyra, nor in the book or in the show, never wanted or proposed the death of her half brothers and half sister.

Alicent: The prince Lucerys brought a blade to the ambush, he meant to kill my son

Meanwhile aemond picked up a rock and hit jace on the head, when he was on the ground bleeding he said “you will die screaming just as your father did, bastards”.

(disclaimer: I am not saying aemond deserves to lose his eye or that he really wants to kill jace, just that alicent’s accusation is nonsense since luke pulled out the knife only after aemond threatened he and his brother with death. Surely aemond didn't mean it but luke was sure,and it is understandable since he is the younger among those present, so acted accordingly by defending his brother, before this he never took the knife)

Alicent: the emblems of the seven serve only to guide us on an uncertain path to remind us of a higher authority.

The faith of the seven consider incest as a monstruos and vile sin, so it condemns incestuous marriages calling them an abomination. Yet alicent betrothal aegon and haelena because it was convenient to her; since she is so religious, with her actions she would condemn her children to damnation, but she doesn't seem to care much about that

Alicent: At the green council she said “Am I to understand that members of the small council have been secretly planning to install my son without me?” pretending to be completely uninvolved, but here is an evolution of older alicent from ep 6 to 8 (not including ep 9 because it show the green council and ep 10 because it is all based on rhaenyra and the black)

ep 6: she said to aegon “you are the king’s firstborn son. And what they know, what everyone in the realm knows in their blood and in their bones is that one day, you will be our king”. She also speak with viserys about rhaenyra’s children in the hope for him to change his mind, and in the council she alway discredit rhaenyra’s position

ep 7: it is the episode when aemond lost his eye otto said to her that she had the determination to win the game and now vaghar was at their side, then he conclude by saying that they will prevail

ep 8: she agreed to give driftmark to vaemond before the petition start, because it was safe “in the case of a war” have a more experienced men at the head of velaryon’s fleet.

If you still believe that she was not aware, or at least not expect that the council was scheming, then you are totally delusional (it's worth mentioning that rhaenyra had told alicent that the council was plotting to replace her and this was even before aegon was born, and that alicent admitted to otto that he was implacable in the idea of having aegon on the throne; so it was unthinkable to assume that he wasn't plotting especially at a time like this where viserys was ill and he had all the power. If you continue to assert that Alicent was in the dark, then you are consequently asserting that she is stupid)

Alicent: "We [woman] do not rule, but we may guide the men that do. Gently, away from violence"

Friendly reminder that aegon, alicent's son, rape the maids in the red keep. I find this this behaviour very far from being kind and being against violence; and if alicent is not capable of controlling her son as a prince, imagine once she has placed a crown on his head (in fact in fire and blood otto and alicent were convinced that once aegon was crowned king they would be the true rulers, and this is revealed to be false since he relieved otto of his position and act, most of the time, without listen to alicent)

Otto: “Queen Alicent has not forgotten the love you once have for each other”

Alicent did not forget the love she and rhaenyra shared when the latter might make decisions that harm her children, because when alicent abused rhaenyra then that love for her had never existed

Context: Alicent demanded that the baby rhaenyra had just given birth to be brought to her, not even having the decency to leave them alone for a few minutes after rhaenyra's painful delivery to bring the child into the world. In the second picture alicent and otto agreed to grant vaemond a petition for the wooden throne despite the fact that the succession had already been decided by corlys himself subjecting rhaenyra to great stress while she was pregnant. In the third rhaenyra had an abortion because her body could not cope with the pain after her father had died and his death was hidden from her, and consequently she could not say goodbye to him and take the ring he was wearing (a ring that belonged to aemma, the mother rhaenyra lost at a young age, photo 4), to this pain was also added the fact that her throne had been usurped by her childhood friend who a few days earlier had praised how good a queen rhaenyra would be. Of course, I have not included all the times where Alicent discredited rhaenyra and her opinions, and spread gossip about her children, calling them 'threats' and 'savages'. If this is love I can't think what would have happened if there was antipathy between the two.

[matthyeu]

i would rather die ― kjw.

pairing ⇢ kim jiwoong x gn!reader 

genre ⇢ angst, fluff, enemies to lovers, royal!au

warnings ⇢ violence, blood, swearing

word count ⇢ 2.8k

synopsis ⇢ it only took a near death experience for you to realize the crown prince of vuiryn wasn't all that bad.

dressing up, dancing, laughing, eating small appetizers for aesthetic purposes. they were all things you never did in your everyday life despite your position as the child of your kingdom’s ruler. in technical terms, this was supposed to be your social group, fellow children of rulers or other noble people gathered together. 

but it wasn’t. 

before being the future ruler of your kingdom, you were the leader of the military, the leader who was forced to leave behind their comrades as you attended this gala your father pushed onto you. you thought while your kingdom was at war with several other rebelling countries, you should have been in the front line, guiding the troops and making plans. your father had other plans though, leaving your second in command to handle this week’s battles.

for he thought before you were a military general, you were the future of the kingdom, meaning it was your duty to ally yourself with many other future rulers. he wanted not only an allyship, but also a union of two rulers’ children, so your kingdoms would be tied and willing to help in times of despair like this. that was why in his eyes, you were more valuable dressed up to play spoiled royalty desperately looking for a spouse. 

still, that wasn’t the kind of person you were, going up to the most known people at these gatherings, kissing up to them in hopes of seducing them to somehow grant your kingdom with surpluses of supplies to aid your losing battle. 

besides, most of these people would never want to mingle with someone like you, a known royal who physically had blood on their hands, as if they didn’t have blood on their own from their neglect. at least yours wasn’t the blood of your own people. 

“haven’t seen you for months.” 

and there was the most arrogant one of them all, the one who probably had not only his hands covered but also his entire body. there was no way prince jiwoong of vuiryn didn’t have an overflowing pool of citizens’ blood in the back of his royal palace. his demeanor and powerful aura already exemplified that of a power-hungry ruler. if his ruling was anything like his father’s, you could count on that pool becoming a whole ocean of blood, a literal red sea, once he was crowned. 

he was probably the only one your father didn’t want you to attempt to seduce. it would be favorable if your kingdom was not intertwined with the tyranny of vuiryan. it would not settle well with your people, knowing the reputation the current king had. 

it was unfortunate that he was the only one of the royal social circle to even attempt conversing with you. 

“must you always do this?” you asked, finishing the remains of the wine poured to you by one of the servers, its cost probably enough to cover important funding for your comrades’ weapons. 

“i figured you would have liked some company. you’re always off on your own world at these gatherings. wouldn’t kill you to intersect the conversations y’know?” he attempted to joke with you. 

he was always like that, playful but in a way that put himself on a pedestal to look down at you. even with his more positive attitude, you knew better than to place any trust in him. he too probably gossiped among the groups about how pathetic you always seemed when you were alone. 

there was nothing good that came out of someone like kim jiwoong. he was just another child of one of the many tyrannical rulers across the land. you could never put partial blame on them for their parents’ actions, for your own father would probably act in a similar manner if you hadn’t taken it upon yourself to lead the military to protect your citizens. 

“after all the times you’ve done this, i would think you understand i would like nothing to do with you,” you emphasized as you finished your drink, placing it in a bin of various dirty glasses to be cleaned. “now if you’re done annoying me, i’ll be going.” 

you turned your heel, beginning to walk away from him. not long after, however, you felt a harsh grab at your wrist. immediately, your eyes rolled back, nearly enough to look into the interior of your skull. was he really going to do this?

did he really have to do this when you just wanted to go off to find some unsuspecting victim to seduce into granting your kingdom the needed money to fund the troops? he was really getting on your nerves. 

“jiwoong, let go of me,” you sternly demanded, trying to thrash away from the grasp. 

the first siren went off when the grip around your wrist tightened. as much as jiwoong liked to provoke you, he would have never gone this far, bringing such discomfort to you. there was something off about this. 

your suspicions were confirmed as you felt cold metal across the skin of your neck and an equally cold voice whispering in your ear. “don’t move now, your highness.” 

your eyes immediately darted around the room where many were in the same position as you, held at knifepoint and threatened with their life. some failed to follow instructions in a panic and paid the price as a consequence. 

this was another reason you hated coming to royal gatherings. they were the perfect place to be ambushed. you couldn’t care less about leaving your kingdom without a future ruler, but to leave your comrades without a current one, that was something you could not do. 

you obeyed his commands, stilling without any sign of resistance. you would figure something out. you always did. it was just…there was no way you could pull anything off in the position you were in. any move would leave you dead, and you didn’t have anything on you to wiggle yourself out of the situation. your father was stern on not bringing anything that would intimidate the rest of the guests. if only he knew that could cost the life of his dear child. 

the only thing you could do was oblige to the commands. you could read their intentions. these people were not in it to kill. if so, they wouldn’t have let as many people run as they did. if they wanted to kill you, they already would have. they wanted ransom. you could figure out a plan once they took you to wherever they were planning. 

“UUAGH.” 

or not. the knife at your throat was lowered after your attacker was…well attacked by someone else. you looked over to see jiwoong, hands bloodied but still holding on. quickly, he grabbed you by the wrist and you two began your run, far away from the ballroom where hell had been let loose. 

“let go of me!” you yelled as you struggled against his grasp, which almost caused both of you to tumble over. 

a harsh motion was made to release your wrist, and you could see the annoyance on his face. “wow, not even a thank you. if you didn’t notice i just saved your fucking life. if you had stood there in shock any longer, you would be dead.”

you turned away from him, defeated that you couldn’t think of a witty remark to counter it. he was right. you had frozen the moment you were freed. if your attacker had gotten up, it would have been over for you. you whispered a few incoherent swears to yourself, frustrated you let your guard down so easily while at the gathering. it was not like you to do that, but now it had you on the brink of life and death. 

“thanks,” you mumbled. 

you heard him chuckle, somehow still mocking you at this moment. “can’t hear you you.” 

you sighed, rolling your eyes as you two turned a corner. you still had yet to know where you were running to. the corridors of the palace seemed endless, and you didn’t know the way out. from the looks of how the two of you continued to run, jiwoong didn’t know either. 

your lack of knowledge on the palace layout was your biggest drawback. as you turned another corner, you were met with several members of the attacker group, all armed and ready to take you down. it seemed they had shifted gears from kidnapping to killing seeing the resistance the two of you put up. 

and here was your second mistake. when your original attacker had fallen back, you should have taken his weapon. not having one rendered both of you useless in this situation. both of you backed up until there was nowhere else to back up. 

running seemed out of the question now as there was only a certain amount you two could run until fatigue caught up to you. there had been so much running involved in the earlier moments that your legs would probably give out within fifteen or so minutes of running at a fast pace. there was only a slim chance none of the six men in front of you would be still following you by then. you didn’t know how much stamina they had. 

you two looked at each other, the first time you looked at him with genuine concern. this was life-or-death, not a time for you to express your burning hatred toward him. 

“you go,” he ordered. 

“what.” 

with no further explanation, he headed into the crowd first, stalling for as much time as he could. they were too focused on him to even pay mind to you. they wanted the satisfaction of killing just one of you. 

seeing the sight, you took off. it was probably better off him than you. 

you had a whole future ahead, both for you and the army you led. you couldn’t let yourself perish now. jiwoong, he was just another prince who had no heart for others, no consideration for his citizens. if he was gone, vuiryn would not have another tyrannical ruler. this was completely fine. 

however, the more you thought about it, the more it wasn’t fine. what on earth were you thinking? when was it better off if someone was dead? the only answer was if they were a horrible person, but…jiwoong had never even proved to be that kind of person to you. sure he was annoying, but you couldn’t recall a time where he had mentioned anything cruel or unsettling. 

the overthinking made you pause in the hallway

maybe you had misjudged him. no. you definitely had misjudged him. if he was as cruel as you thought he was, why save you back in the ballroom? he had the stamina and strength to get out of there, but he had risked the extra time to help you. 

even if he wasn’t all good like royalty tended to be, there were some things you would never know about him if you let him die. 

immediately, you turned around, running back to where you had left him. on the way, you tried to scour for things to use to your advantage. the only thing you could make use of was a vase on display, but it was still better than nothing. 

your lungs were already giving out. this was the fastest you had ever ran in this type of clothing, the kind where your legs felt restricted, so you needed to use more muscle to even try to move properly. 

by the time you made it back to the scene, your arms and legs had almost made you collapse. you weren’t prepared to do this much running at a gala. 

you took a pause at the corner, gripping onto the wall to steady yourself. you only hoped you had made it back in time. your determination would have been useless if he was already gone. 

alas, you found yourself weirdly overjoyed seeing jiwoong still struggling with several men, now only two. it was impressive, but you could tell from the look of his stances he was about to lose this fight. you had to step in. 

waiting for an opening, you ran back into the scene at the first glimpse of one. both of the attackers’ backs were turned to you, but you were in clear vision of jiwoong when you slammed the vase across their heads. screams of terror were released as you used that window to kick them back into the wall. 

now, it was your turn to grab onto jiwoong to make a run for it. 

“i told you to run.” 

“a thank you would be nice, y’know.” 

he laughed at your mockery of his earlier words. the situation had completely changed. now you were the one holding onto him tight as you tried to navigate a way out of the building. 

“you seem like the type to want me dead though. change of heart?” he asked, heavy breaths accompanying his words. 

“i thought about it, and i would rather die than be indebted to you.” you would never reveal the true reason you came back. it was far too embarrassing for you to admit. 

finally, you two made it to an exit, pushing the doors out together in unison. outside, there stood many soldiers, some of them from your own kingdom. it seemed many kingdoms had dispatched soldiers to help clear the palace after the news spread. you felt pity for any soldiers who would have to find the bodies of their respective royals. 

“general!” you whipped your head around to see some of your comrades worriedly approaching, “we were worried about you once we heard the news. we had just finished our own battle, but we wanted to come make sure everything was okay.” 

you found their concern warming after such an eventful night. “of course i’m alright. i’m a military general after all.” 

you heard jiwoong clear his throat behind you. “and because i had prince jiwoong to help me through it.” 

you watched as your two comrades exchanged glances, both with each other and between the two of you. their smiles grew. “so you’ve nearly fulfilled your own mission, we see.” 

eyes widening at their statement, you realized what they were hinting. jiwoong’s eyes furrowed, opening his mouth to ask a question you could predict. before he could though, you intersected, walking over to where they were administering first aid. “let’s make sure we get wrapped up to prevent infections.” 

now, here the two of you sat, sitting across in silence as many doctors and nurses applied ointment at your wounds. there was an uncomfortable silence. neither of you knew how to start a conversation after everything that had happened that night. 

it took until your treatment was finished for you to finally ask the one question bothering you the whole night. 

“you know how to fight really well? i knew all royals had special training, but you really seemed like you knew what you were doing. i’ve never seen someone in the royal social circle be so unafraid of getting their hands dirty.”

jiwoong looked away with a smile on his face, unsure whether to take your comment as a compliment or an insult. “i’ve always wanted to be a soldier,” he admitted. 

the declaration made your eyes widen, to the point where you swore they were about to pop out of your sockets. you had never heard a royal (besides yourself) say such a thing. everyone always called you crazy for the path you chose, so you always assumed he felt the same way. 

“so, you don’t think i’m crazy?” you asked for clarification. 

he shook his head. “no quite the opposite actually, i’ve been trying to become acquainted with you all this time. i admire your work, and wanted to ask you about how you convinced your father to let you do such a thing.” 

your mouth dropped open. you were hating this man for no reason. your hatred was based on false accusations. 

“wow, i really know nothing about you.” 

“well, do you want to know more about me then?” he suggested. 

you smiled at him. “sure, i would love that.”

even though vuiryn was the one kingdom your father didn’t want you to become close with, it was hard now that you knew its prince was nothing like its king. its prince was exactly like you. he truly was the only one who could talk to you because of that. 

if that wasn’t enough convincing to allow him to become your ally, you didn’t know what would be. 

“i also have thought you were really charming ever since we met, so it’s not just that i wanted to use you for advice. i really want to get to know you.”

or maybe this was the beginning of a union. 

you hit him on the shoulder, laughing with him for the first time. “now hold on, we’re going a little fast here, buddy. let’s take it slow.”

[nishloves]

plethora 2; choi seungcheol

(n.) abundance

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 (coming soon)

important to read part 1!

advisable to read the prologue and introduction of "seventeen dating simulator".

words : 8k approx

warnings : curse words, implied sex (not descriptive and not highly suggestive so 16+), action — injuries, blood and mentions of death.

[ kindly refer to the prologue for accurate sequences of all the stories in the series <3 ]

genre : fluff / com / angst / action / royal au / fantasy au

cameo of other members will be present!

tags : @kflixnet @icyminghao @dearharshii @feat-sun @belladaises @bmkgemz @desi-brownie

You sighed as you worked on the new ideas put forward by the princess who wasn't as dumb as Seungcheol made her out to be. You wondered why Seungcheol asked you if you liked him two days ago, but you figured he must have had some drink instead of tea. You thought things would get awkward between you two but, Seungcheol treated you the same so you didn't show any awkwardness on your behalf. People of Meraki were weirder than that of Earth, but undoubtedly they were purer with their intentions.

You vaguely remembered the day when you had first joined the castle for work, after all the paperwork and interviews and agreements, you were finally here, only for Seungcheol to say,

"You're five minutes late?"

Your eyes twitched, "I live in the countryside, your majesty, it's hard to navigate to castle."

"I see, then you may live in the castle."

"I— what?"

He simply nodded, at that time you weren't close with him, so he simply dismissed you after saying, "If you want you can bring your parents here too— I have a castle, I can house my workers. Ask the steward to appoint you a room in the West wing."

West wing of course, it was the most secluded part of the castle; where most of the workers who were from different kingdoms or who resided too far away lived, it was also the wing for unimportant guests, yet you didn't mind, you were nothing but a scholar a week ago, and now you're just a treasurer, you didn't deserve the East wing which was for royal guests and parks and leisure and you surely didn't deserve the South wing which were privy grounds of the Royal Family of Aurum.

"y/n, look here, can the cost of steel and concrete be compromised here?" Seungcheol asked as you gazed up at him, it was rare for a king to be so immersed in regular works but Seungcheol was more than happy to do so, he was a fine king for sure.

"The price is up due to more chromium content in them, it is safer," you replied simply as Seungcheol mused a small "oh" of understanding.

You remembered how Seungcheol had entered your room in haste, a day before Seungcheol had overindulged himself in liquor and fell down the stairs, you had helped him up, you had set him on the bed, you indulged yourself in his drunk talk where he worried about his country and his incapability to be a good ruler and you made sure none of the servants saw, because servants will inevitably talk.

Seungcheol panicked after waking up, he rushed to your room only to find you half naked, adorning a thin chemise as his ears turned red and he left the room hastily.

You both swore to keep quiet and soon became friends, too good of friends.

"What about the ball, y/n? When are we starting the season?" Seungcheol asked, not looking up from the paper.

"We have been decorating the halls, the invitations are done so at fastest... after a week—"

"Then hold it after a week."

You flinched, Seungcheol was stubborn, he would actually want the party to be in a week.

"Any problem?" He asked, his eyes looking at yours carefully as if he were assessing any negative feelings of yours.

You blushed, it wasn't as if Seungcheol was wrong, he was basically rejecting you there— you had to say no. How can anyone not fall for his handsome face?

"It's hard to manage a ball along with dam works—"

"I'm sure you can do it," Seungcheol grinned.

"I know you're trying to make my life harder," You sighed as Seungcheol whined, "You know I'm not! And you're so rude to your King!"

As much as intimidating he was to others, as much as stubborn he was as much as a temper he had, he always seemed like a huge softie to you, you couldn't understand why was anyone scared of him? Until you saw him banishing a man and cutting off his fingers because he stole a sum of fifty thousand from the treasury. It was tinier than an ant amount of money for Seungcheol, but justice was far more important to him, plus all the funds he had put up for the non-wealthy population of his kingdom.

"You're sweet Seungcheol."

"And you're mean."

You merely smiled at him and he smiled back, content you both started your work again, you remembered how he admired your office, deeming it to be more peaceful to work, you have never been alone since.

"Since when is the prince of Ailes taking shelter in Aurum?" You asked almost absent mindedly.

He chuckled, "Since when do you know?"

"Yesterday," you smiled, "Will he show himself?"

"Nah, he's leaving," Seungcheol muttered as you looked up at him, almost shocked, "When did he get here?"

"Two days ago."

"He's leaving so soon?"

"He's the crown prince, he can't find an escape in Aurum everytime."

You understood it, but it felt sad to you, people of their age on Earth were used to partying, enjoying their lives while working, and a holiday for a king was really hard to come by.

"He will join us for the season though, right?" You asked, wanting to meet Jeonghan again, he really was a fine specimen of a fairy.

"So now you like Jeonghan better than me?" Seungcheol pouted, his eyes twinkling as you laughed, "Maybe."

He hummed slowly as he said, "Of course he would join us, he would never not."

You chuckled as you noticed the large desk of Seungcheol which he had recently installed in your office— his excuse being he's disturbed almost every thirty minutes in his own office so during important works he escapes to yours.

You had progressed in the story of Seungcheol and yours, but it wasn't love, it was friendship— too sweet of friendship, you would want to bring any kind of awkwardness in.

"y/n?"

"Yes?"

"Give me your first dance at the ball."

You looked up at him, surprised, "You want to dance with me first? Surely, there would be guests who would fit the position better."

"There would be, but they would press me for matrimony and I... don't want that, don't want to prioritise my time in that aspect right now, so you're the safest partner," he smiled.

It was customary for the King to dance at the first dance of the ball, nothing after that though.

"I sure wouldn't want your admirers to see me as a potential threat but, sure," you laughed, somehow everything felt lighter with Seungcheol and you could never understand why.

"Great," he grinned, showing off his dimples as your heart skipped a beat, he really was handsome.

"How did your confrontation go?" Jeonghan asked, preparing to leave on a carriage when he flew on his wings. His subordinates looked at him warily, possibly too irritated by his antics, but jeonghan was so caring at times that neither would his subordinates dare to hate him.

"She won't accept it," Seungcheol replied simply.

"Do you think, she just doesn't like you?" Jeonghan sighed.

"Oh she does like me! What are you on? I will make her confess."

Jeonghan sighed again as Seungcheol looked at him with scrunched eyebrows.

"Just all the best— hope she confesses soon so that the awkwardness evaporates," Jeonghan smiled as he adjusted his cuffs, his long hairs were tamed in curls and instead of normal loose shirt and pants he wore a princely outfit for a change.

"Never expected you to reveal your location to them," Seungcheol motioned towards Jeonghan's subordinates who stiffened, probably embarassed.

"They would be searching for me in Sonora for a week if i hadn't interfered," Jeonghan chuckled, patting his aide's shoulder.

"I cause them too much trouble to complain though."

Jeonghan's wings were hidden by a charm as he got on the carriage, Seungcheol just smiled at him— whimsical to a fault, Jeonghan would soon be crowned, and then they won't be able to meet freely.

"See you in a week, cheol, make sure that the ball is amazing," Jeonghan grinned, waving at his friend.

The season— the wedding season, the courting season was one of the most important events throughout Meraki; usually held by Aurum, Elixir or Sonora, this year it was Aurum's chance to shine. Everyone would be present at the first ball of the season— the first ball of the relatively new king.

Most of the coronations either happened before or after the season and as far as Seungcheol knew— Soonyoung was to be crowned before and Jeonghan after the season, he sighed, turning away after seeing out his friend only to meet with a pleasant smile, a smile which regrew his wilted garden, a smile which relieved him of worry and a smile which he swears he doesn't love.

"Did Prince Jeonghan leave already? I didn't even have a chance to talk to him," you groaned leaning on your left leg as your mouth formed a pout, which made Seungcheol chuckle.

"You will see him after a week."

"Well, it would have been better if i had some alone time with him prior to the season," you jested, a smirk forming on your lips.

Seungcheol didn't take that as a joke.

"You have a crush on him?"

"Maybe."

Seungcheol's heart dampened, a small nagging pain shot up in his chest but he waved it off, you were joking right? But, would you joke about that numerous times?

"You're still my favourite though."

Seungcheol never thought that some meager words from your lips would have the authority to put him at him and make him distressed.

"I am, aren't i?"

"Don't make me regret saying that."

You sighed as you walked around the beautiful garden, you had to go in check on the preparation of the ball because apparently Seungcheol had made you the chief planner of the ball along with being the treasurer. You were tired, you never assumed that a gam— thinking about the past would just make you sad.

"y/n?" An unknown voice called out to you as you froze, you weren't a dumb heroine like in those horror movies where they would run towards an unknown voice but it was Seungcheol's castle, it was safe right?

Yet your steps were quickened, you were a teensy bit of coward afterall.

"Hey y/n!" You finally looked back at the serene voice which called out to you, which you couldn't ignore even if you were running because your social battery was exhausted.

"Princess," you bowed in front of Phosphene's princess as she smiled up at you.

"No need for formalities, y/n— as I assume you're the King's lov— friend, one of the closest ones at that?" The princess asked, now walking alongside you, you couldn't help but clear out the imaginary creases in your dress yet the princess walked with such poise that you were enamoured by her, you didn't understand why Seungcheol didn't like her?

"I suppose I am somewhat of a friend of his majesty, but he has like twenty close friends despite being a king, i don't suppose it was because I am excellent or anything, we just have to work together a lot."

"Oh? I see."

A heavy silence weighed upon you two, you couldn't excuse yourself from the crown's guest, you at least had that amount of knowledge from your stay in Meraki.

"y/n, you're lucky," the princess smiled, her hand gently holding yours.

You were a little shocked but you let her hold your hand, "I'm lucky?"

"Having Seungcheol's favour is no small deal, it's hard to impress him," the princess grinned dropping your hand.

"I suppose," you murmured as you subconsciously stroked your hand.

"y/n, i adore you, i respect you, you have come far by your own."

"Thank-you, your highness but it's really nothing special, I just worked hard at academics," you smiled sheepishly as the princess sighed.

"You give yourself too less of a credit y/n."

"I don't know about that," you smiled.

"y/n, on a serious note, do you like Seungcheol?" The princess asked.

"Of course, he's very reliable, capable and in all a really good ruler—"

"I don't mean it in that way, y/n, do you like him as a person and just as a subject?"

"What do you mean?"

"I heard true love transcends all, would you be okay if Seungcheol marries someone?"

Those words felt like an arrow to your heart, you didn't even want to imagine it at this point. You didn't take Seungcheol's words seriously before, but now you did, if things went well he would marry her.

"Why would it affect me if he marries anyone?" You gave an awkward chuckle. But you were affected, deeply. You didn't know just how much you liked that man, but this one questions had you questioning your entire sanity, just why were her words like an iron rod to your gut?

"A friendly advice y/n, always let your heart be known even if it isn't reciprocated."

Was she mocking you? She probably wasn't but you were pressed.

"You aren't my friend, princess." You hissed suddenly realising your lack of manners.

"I— I didn't—"

"It's okay y/n, I don't mind—"

"I need to go, I'm sorry."

You whispered as you swiftly turned away, walking in the wrong direction but it didn't matter, you had to get away from her, away from your own thoughts, you had to tap back into reality. This wasn't a game.

You hid your logs in deep pockets of your red gown and this time, for a change, maids were helping you get into your dress, a treatment you had never received before and would probably never receive again.

You weren't someone who was needed in these balls, in these high society talks, you were a mere treasurer and all your work was to fiddle with the numerous log books and figure out ways to expand Aurum's economy. A taxing work, but you accepted it. You had to accept it.

Your eyes lingered over the mirror for longer, a wider smile graced your features, oh there were times when every lady loved to be dolled up. Your red gown was lined with lace, with puffed sleeves and rectangular cleavage, you felt like a princess but deep in your heart you knew there would be ladies who would be dressed more extravagantly, who would look prettier than you, who would be able to enamour Seungcheol. If not the princess of Phosphene, there were others, there would always be someone better than you.

If it was a random fictional book you were reading, or a game you were playing, you would definitely root for a character like yours, yet here, you knew you were no match for someone like him, you knew you might not be able to go back to where you came from if you actually fell deeper for him, a literal manchild.

But his plump red lips, his smirk, the way he pronounced every word that fluttered out of his sweet red lips was distracting, you just couldn't mind your business when he was around.

But, you had made up your mind, you wouldn't fall for him. Never.

So when Seungcheol approached you while you were stuffing your face with oh so delicious lemon cakes why did you panic to maintain poise when your employer already knew of your glutton habits, why did your heart skip a beat when he asked you for dance when he had already made sure you knew of it before. Why was your heart laughing with joy as he twirled you around and everyone looked at you, when he had clarified he had only wanted you for his own personal gain?

"y/n? Are you alright?" He asked, his deep voice shaking you to the core as you shivered slightly.

"I am just overwhelmed," you replied slowly.

"Hey! Look at me." One of his hands subtly went to your chin as he made you gaze up at him, a gesture which people would think was a part of dance but actually wasn't.

He made you look at him, at his brown-red orbs, his eyes which were normally brown glinted with red whenever he had anxiety, temper, worry or concern and the same eye would shine golden when he would be immensely happy. People didn't know that though, they only knew of him as a shot-tempered, prideful yet capable king.

"Breathe, and just look at me. Don't care about them, think of it as only us being here," he whispered in your ears as he brought you closer for the dance step, his warm breath fanning your face as your face flushed.

"Are you looking at me?" He asked, a slight mischief in his voice which you didn't detect, but you gulped and replied honestly.

"I am." You were, your eyes travelled all upon him, to his red silk shirt buried under his black and golden popped collared blazer, to his tight fitting pants which did mercy to his bottom and thighs, to the way his now shorter hair rested on top of his eyebrows, you noticed everything.

"Does it feel better?" His arm went around your back, you couldn't help but notice the lingering touches of his at every step, yet you paid no heed to them, he would never like you.

"It's better than before for sure," you didn't trust the words slipping from your lips, he had only made you more nervous and agitated by his "calming" words, you understood that and yet you weren't able to notice the smirk on his lips for your eyes could only see his, which twinkled with a slight golden light.

And then the music stopped.

You hastily stepped away from him as Seungcheol's eyebrow curved up, he gently kissed your gloved hands, your hands shaking slightly in his grasp which Seungcheol held firm. You gave him a well-practiced curtsey as you excused yourself out of the ballroom, too hot, too in love.

But then your eyes travelled to the princess of Phosphene and then you locked eyes with every other princess there, every other princess which would try to get Seungcheol to marry them and you stopped, your legs stopping involuntarily as you turned in the direction of the powder room, you didn't want to get Seungcheol out of your sight.

"I see you were thinking about my words," you heard the princess's voice as you turned around only to find her smiling at you.

"Perhaps, your highness. Your words were too wise and conflicting," you admitted collecting your gown as you went towards the powder room, "Later your highness, i have an emergency."

Like damned you had an emergency, you didn't want to be in her presence, she made you feel insecure without meaning to do so, oh how you hated your heart for falling for Seungcheol— but the heart wants what it wants.

You stepped out of the powder room, as you walked back into the ballroom, you couldn't run away— you were in no position to do so, after Seungcheol's first dance everyone would be dying to meet you, to interact with you, to dance with you.

And as you had expected, when you stepped back into the room, all eyes were upon you, including his. He eyes you like a predator, holding a golden glass of wine, smirking and stalking his prey through lush grasses as you confidentially trod forward, you wouldn't let this man's presence shake you even if you had the biggest crush on him, and so you did what was to be done.

You socialized, you talked, you laughed, you danced; all under all-knowing eyes of Seungcheol, all while ignoring his prying glances.

The males were enamoured by you, the high society women now wanting to enlist you in their friend-circle, hell you were sure if you were even the tiniest bit of noble as they were, you would have had five different males courting you.

So when the ball approached its end, you made a decision to step back and relax, and as you were free you admired the beautiful hall you and your helpers had set up together, tall white columns were decorated by glaze lilies, each table covered by finest silk tableware, cutlery donned with silver plates and rose covered with sprinkles of gold, extravagant chandeliers hung on the ball room and it was all so beautiful. You hadn't even started admiring the entrance to the East wing.

"You're quite busy today." You heard a voice as you whipped behind.

"Oh Accountant! How are you?"

"Please call me Eiser," he grinned, stretching his hand towards you as you laughed.

"Sure Sir Eiser."

"Lady y/n," he grinned as he passed you a fruit drink, you had promised yourself to not drink, just so you could handle Seungcheol after he was drunk, because he was definitely drinking, though he could hold off his own.

"Ah, so many guests, it's kind of a pity that half of these guests would leave within a span of a couple of days."

"What do you mean, Sir?" You asked, sipping your drink.

"Oh you're new, right. Well, one of the kingdoms holds the first ball to commerce the three month long season, after which most of the guests leave to hold their own in their own kingdom, only some stay for more than a week, rest all get busy with their own; people travel a lot if someone catches their eye, though that is not common," Eiser explained as you listened to him intently.

"Not many want to leave the comfort of their own Kingdom and kins and join another, until they are in pure love."

"Well you can vouch for that," you grinned, sipping your tea— drink more intensely.

"What must you mean by that?"

"There is no bee attached to your lips now, I presume?" The man turned beet red as he tried to explain to you the situation, you waved him off though, chuckling slightly.

And then your eyes mistakenly caught Seungcheol's who was dancing his second dance in the second last dance of the ball, with a princess of God knows what kingdom, you felt defeated, your heart cracked by his one single move as he took in a sharp breath and excused yourself to the balcony to get fresh air yet again.

Why were you so affected? Why were you so awkward? Why would you think you would be the only one to dance with him?

You tried to divert your attention to the beautiful flowers that were curled up on the railing but to no effect, you hated your heart, you didn't want a heartbreak, you never wanted your heart to break. You prided yourself for a strong personality, a strong heart which doesn't like many, but why did it seem so vulnerable now, so delicate, so easy to permeate.

"y/n."

Wow so now you were hallucinating.

Just in case you turned around, only to find the man you had wanted to run away from the most, he was so ethereal, so out of this world— that was technically true but, you couldn't help but yearn for him. Oh how you just wanted him to kiss you.

"Why are you ignoring me?" He asked, stepping closer to you as you stepped back subconsciously.

"I am not," you asserted.

"But you are," Seungcheol whispered, not wanting to be overheard, not wanting the attention on the balcony.

He came as discreetly as possible and shut the doors, he didn't want anyone sneaking up on you both.

"I said, I'm not. I'm just feeling under the weather," you replied, turning your head away from him, giving him a show of your clavicle.

He stepped forward.

"I don't like it."

"Don't like what?"

"This invisible distance which wasn't here a week ago, did something happen? Did anyone say anything to you? Tell me," Seungcheol pleaded, his hands grasped your arms gently as his mouth formed a pout while he looked at you with concern.

You could have smelled his alcohol.

"There is no problem," you replied, yet you didn't shake his hands off you, you didn't want to.

"Did you have a problem when I danced with Kwan's sister? I promise there is nothing—"

"There is no problem," you spoke, you cut him off, ironically making him realise the problem.

Seungcheol's grip on your arm loosened as his brow quirked up, you could practically feel his smirk ghosting against your head, his lips not touching you still.

"You do like me."

"I don't!" You hissed and turned to look at him, a big mistake, his eyes which were previously red before now had a copperish hue— a hue which even you couldn't describe, it made him look perfect, more perfect than he already was.

"If you don't then you won't mind if I lean in and kiss you, would you?" He asked, his breath fanning your face as your face reddened. Liar. He would never do that, the traditions won't allow him to.

"Or would you mind if i step away and never kiss you," he grinned as you looked up at him, too smitten by him, you knew you looked like a love-struck puppy but you didn't really care.

"Tell me to move, princess," he whispered as he stepped even closer to you while your back was pressed against the railing.

"Tell me to go away," he whispered as his lips ghosted yours.

"Do you not want me to kiss you?"

You shook your head.

He clicked his lips, "Liar."

"I will ask again, do you not want me to kiss you? Use your words sweetheart," his deep voice shook your core, eliciting the strangest of responses but now your emotions were too in control and you said, "kiss me."

"That's my girl."

Seungcheol's lips attached with yours, almost hungrily, almost as if he was wanting this to happen for forever, his hands searched for all the dips and creases in your body as you jolted backwards to the railing, your hand gripping the cold steel as Seungcheol messily made out with you. His other hand went around your back as both of your hands went into his perfect hair, messing them up. He bit your lower lips with his teeth as he swiped his tongue across, exploring your mouth. His other hand gripped your nape as he deepened the kiss, you couldn't help it, you were so in love with him, you were so bewitched by him, it was almost cruel. You couldn't stop your hunger for him, and he couldn't stop his hunger for you.

The ball had come to an end, but Seungcheol wasn't stopping now.

(to be continued in part 3...)

congratulations! you finished the 2nd part of the "plethora" series of choi seungcheol, your game is saved! please wait for an update for the final part <3

a/n : ahahahaha this took longer than it had to :')

[respectthepetty]

Midnight Museum Symbols & Theories

Listen up, mi gente! It's Midnight Museum theory time, so put on your tin foil hats and follow me down this rabbit hole of chaos and tarot cards.

The Waxing Moon

The waxing moon (or a crescent moon) shows up a lot. It is a symbol of life and death. The waxing moon is the Midnight Museum's logo on the card, but it is also the tattoo the kid who comes back to life has in episode four.

And the tattoo the mysterious woman has

And it's the symbol hanging over her door, and the same place the boy in episode four tries to run to.

The High Priestess

In the trailer, we see the mystery woman tell Khatha she will take everything from him, but before that we see someone holding the High Priestess card. The card features a crescent moon and deals with mystery, secrets, and hidden talents.

In the beginning of episode three, Dome mentioned seeing our life flash before our eyes as we die, then we saw flashes from his life. One of those looked like a high priestess. Could this be the mystery woman? Or someone else like the next door neighbor we saw praying at an altar with the red dressed bride in the first episode?

Tarot Cards

What if we are going through the deck with each episode? Have we seen the Lovers (Moth & Rin) and perhaps the Tower (the kids at school) up until now. Was Jib the Fool?

Could Bam, the cop, be Justice? Could Triphop be the Hierophant who acts as the counselor? Both talked about going against arranged marriages and tradition in the second episode. This is a key element in those cards. Could June, whose gown is filled with red flowers be the Empresses whose gown is decorated with red pomegranates?

More importantly, this is the description of the Emperor - he is depicted in red and holds a scepter in his right hand and a globe in his left. Who fits that description?

Khatha's office has a crown featured front and center on the table.

And when he went to Dome's room, he noticed the crown necklace

Also, his scepter holds a similar rock to the evil one we saw in episode four.

But what is the number one card? The Magician who stands between the spiritual and physical realms as well as symbolizes untapped potential. The Magician can do all things.

The Spiritual Realm

Is Dome an alien or tapping into another realm?

In the first episode, we saw him transport to a different plane when he was knocked out from the red dressed bride. In episode four, we saw his eyes look very similar to the keychain he has attached to his bag.

Which resembles a universe, and when the universe or someone on the spiritual plane speaks to him

It is something similar to what we hear in the trailer

But Dome can't decipher the entire message

Is his mission to usher in a new god or is HE the new god/ruler? The current ruler would be the Emperor, and if both of them are immortal, they will be of the same kind.

Immortality as a Curse

In episode three, when we see Dome's life flash before his eyes, we see him drowning (it's hard to see, but if you watch it on .25 speed, you can get a glimpse of it)

At the end of episode four, we see him arrive in the past in a boat on a lake full of dead bodies

And the hat he wears has the zodiac signs on it with a scale

If Dome is the Magician and has only tapped into some of his power, what if he died by drowning and was thrown back into time where he met Khatha, who we saw standing on the pier.

In the flashbacks of Dome's life in the beginning of episode three, we see these two memories

The first one seems to be from when he awakens on the boat, and the second appears to be when they begin to know each other. If this is the case, THIS is why Khatha asked Dome in the first episode if Dome remembered Khatha. Dome doesn't, perhaps because he is a time and space traveler since he can move between planes, which might explain him popping into other people's bodies?

June reminds Dome that immorality is a curse because immortals must watch those they love die. In the flashes of Dome's life, we see him near fire.

This is a similar shot to the one we got of Khatha looking horrified in front of a fire in the first episode when the cursed body reacted to the chaos.

If Dome drowned and was thrown into the past, then Dome dying in the past might have thrown him to a different time.

If that burnt cursed body was Dome's previous body, the mystery woman getting it could potentially tap into Dome's power OR control Dome himself since the body was snatched by her minions at the warehouse.

Because Khatha was somehow tethered to Dome in those dying moments, he, too became immortal aka cursed.

June was cursed. She tells Khatha they are the same. She says she, in a sense, cursed herself because she was a ghost haunted by her choices that ended with the love of her life dying. That made her immortal. She tells Khatha he is the same.

Khatha lectures Dome about not connecting to cursed objects because then Dome will become cursed himself.

As stated above, Khatha's specter holds a similar stone as the evil one in episode four. It even did something similar when Khatha touched it in episode two at the warehouse. During the moths episode, Khatha wears a shirt with moths on it.

What if Khatha, in an attempt to right his wrong (which ended in his lover, Dome, dying), searched for objects that would help him 1) bring back memories of his loved one like the moths do, and 2) bring back the dead like the evil stone does? Those are only two of the objects HE collected, so in his search for redemption, did he curse himself?

Stray Thoughts

What's behind that wall in the real Dome's room?

Why was the real Dome snatched on his 23rd birthday 202 years AFTER the time traveling Dome ended up in the past (May 1820)? Is the real Dome stuck on a spiritual plane?

And finally, Dome's shirt had a black heart on it.

Either Khatha and Dome were/are in love or I am losing my mind.

Thanks to @slayerkitty for spoiling all the scary parts for me, so I can keep watching this show!

[maybe-limerence]

Ruler of the cruel. Pt.2

Yan! Author x Cruel! Reader x Yan! Best friend

T//W: yandere behavior, death, attempted non con.

A//N: I couldn’t quite imagine smut being in here, so I didn’t include it. I’m sorry. Also, mind the tags.

You woke up in an unfamiliar bed. Comfortable but unfamiliar.

You tried to get up, but as soon as you lifted yourself up your head started spinning. You fell back, rolling over on your side. A feeling of nausea washes over you.

“God, what happened?” You mutter.

“You’re awake, my love!” A voice called.

You rolled to where the sound was coming from, not daring to get up. Your eyes met his.

Wait, it’s the guy who I criticized.

“If you’re going to kill me, get it over with.”

“Kill you?!” He said with a shocked and offended expression on his face. “No no no, I love you! I love you so so much my dear,”

You narrowed your eyes, confused and angry. Who the fuck is this guy?! Love?! Have you two met before?!

“What the fuck?” You said, a sharp tone in your voice.

His face burned bright red.

“Let me go you freak,” you lash out.

He bit his lip. Confused, you look down.

Why the fuck does he have an erection? Is he seriously getting off on this?!

You tossed to your side, trying to ignore the little freak.

You heard him whine.

God, just end me.

You shut your eyes and tried to block out the whimpering. Eventually you nodded off.

🤍🖤🤍🖤🤍🖤🤍🖤🤍🖤

“What do you mean you can’t find them?!” Oliver, your best friend yelled at the officer.

“We mean we can’t find them. It’s like they vanished. We’re doing all we can,” the officer shrugged.

Oliver had never been one to be so reckless with his love, his one and only, his you.

Spitting a curse at the useless officer, he stormed out of the building.

‘I will find them, even if I have to burn down this city,’

🖤🤍🖤🤍🖤🤍🖤🤍🖤🤍

You had been in that wretched house for about a week. Sure, your every command was immediately followed by the man you knew as H.D. Oleander. He refused to tell you his real name

“It pains me to say this my love, but I can’t tell you,” he would whine.

You, at first, would call him names out of instinct. After a bit, you just stopped responding, only huffing a bit.

You would look out the window, trying to figure out where you were.

It was a beautifully awful place with a beautiful (you hated admitting how handsome he was) deranged man.

If only you had your best friend.

🤍🖤🤍🖤🤍🖤🤍🖤🤍🖤

It didn’t take long for Oliver to find out who took you. All it took was hacking into your work phone logs to find out the last person to call you.

The receptionist.

“Hello mister Sallow,” she put on a disgustingly cheerful voice. “How can I help you?”

“I was wondering if you wanted to grab lunch with me,”

“Sure.” The receptionist batted her eyes, attempting to be seductive.

“Great, let’s go.”

🖤🤍🖤🤍🖤🤍🖤🤍🖤🤍

All it took was a knife to her throat to get her to tell him everything. Still, he couldn’t have her telling on him, now could he?

“Stupid bitch,” Oliver said coldly.

Oliver realized how much of an influence you had on him. He would have never sworn at a person, much less kill someone. Of course, you were everything to him. He laughed slightly.

“God, you have such an influence, you know that [READER]?” Oliver looked at the overcast sky.

He had the information, now all he had to do was kill the bastard.

🤍🖤🤍🖤🤍🖤🤍🖤🤍🖤

“You know, my love, considering we’re together now…” Oleander started.

You turned your head to look at him, you noticed how close he had gotten. His breath was on your neck as he grabbed your arms. You started panicking.

What is this freak going to do?

“I was think we should have intercourse,” he went on.

“Are you crazy?! I don’t love you, and you don’t have my consent!” You struggled to get away.

His eyes darkened.

“I don’t need your consent. We’re married!” He said.

What the hell.

You continued struggling, trying (and failing) to get away.

He pinned both your hands above your head.

You started to black out when you felt his weight off you and heard a loud bang.

You looked up to see Oliver holding a gun.

“Ollie?” You quickly got up and rushed to him.

You hugged him and, for the first time in 10 years, cried in his arms.

“Ollie.” you slowly looked up at him.

“Yes?” He replied, rubbing your back on soothing circles.

“How did you find me?”

“I found a few leads,”

“Oh, ok,” you mumbled, pressing your face deeper in his chest.

“Let’s go home,” he said, rocking you slowly.

You were safe with him, he’ll make sure of it.

[munofsilver]

Split Monkey Family 3

Finally posted an update. Sorry, it took so long. AO3 link. Summary: The seal is gone, and Demon Bull King returns to play after he is reunited with his family. MK has his first fight, kind of.

Both Macaque and Yue Yan felt something once the seal was removed. The little cub woke up crying because of fear. Macaque stops eating and picks up his scared daughter. He was rocking her back and forth while humming. 

"It's okay, my plum blossom. You're safe here," Macaque tries to calm Yue Yan down. 

In his mind, he knows what the power they felt was. Someone removed the seal he placed on DBK Mountain Prison. The question is, who did it? Macaque made it so that only Wukong, or himself, could remove it. That's how he remembered making that seal centuries ago. There is no reason for Wukong to remove it. MK doesn't even know anything about it. He's also unsure if MK can even do it. 

Macaque's six ears perk up. He never put his glamor back on. Making a cubsitter, Macaque rushes out. The clone and cub stare at each other, and then Yue Yan cries again, scaring the shadow clone. 

Looking for something to watch on TV, Wukong felt the same power surge. He dropped the chip bag he was holding and swallowed the chip in his mouth. 

"What in the underworld was that?" 

Wukong calls out, standing up. 

"That felt like, but it couldn't. I didn't remove the seal, and I know Macaque never would."  

It takes a moment for the thought to enter Wukong's head. 

"If I'm right and Macaque finds out, he will kill me. At least I will get to see him again. I do miss him," Wukong sighs, then he shakes his head, "No time for that." 

As fast as the wind, Wukong rushes out the door. 

The Demon Bull King overlooks the two below him. He is focusing on his hands. 

"Flesh. Bone. I have returned to the realm of the living," he deeply laughs. 

"Yes, my dear, thanks to these two." 

A feminine voice is heard behind Mei and MK, making them both turn around to see Princess Iron Fan and Red Son. 

PIF stares at her husband while Red Son glares at the peasants. He looks down at them in disgust. PIF walks past the pair and stands next to her love.

"Oh, Demon Bull King. How I've missed you." 

"Princess Iron Fan. The years have been kind to you." 

The happy couple kisses, making Mei dry-hearted. MK has a sad look on his face. Seeing them reminds him of his fathers. He wishes Macaque had never left. Then, he would have met his sister sooner, among other things.  

"Yuck," Mei makes a disgusted face. 

Mei's remark draws the attention of the whole Demon Bull Family. They all glare down at them. MK stares at Mei as she covers her mouth with her hands. 

"Oops," she nervously laughs. 

MK nervously laughs as well, "Do you guys like noodles? I know a great place you will like." 

"It seems a waste to crush something so insignificant as my first act as ruler of this new world, but so be it," DBK snorts. 

That comment makes Mei mad. 

"Insignificant!" She roars. 

"Mei, not now," MK whispers. 

 "Wait, Father," Red Son finally said something. 

It seems DBK didn't like it. He turns around, gives his son a wicked death glare, and makes him gulp.

He clears his throat, "Ahem, waste not your energy on these two peasants. Please allow me to show you how powerful I have become in your absence."  

It sounds like Red Son is trying to gloat and failing. At least his father might have bought it. 

"As you wish," DBK steps down. 

"Maybe this is our chance to escape," MK whispers. 

"Why do that?" Mei whispers back. 

MK gave Mei a look she knew well—a look that said, "Listen to me, I mean it." When MK gives her that look, she always listens. 

Red Boy suddenly stands in front of them. 

"In some ways, you two are very fortunate, Noodle Boy and random girl. Not many insects are lucky enough to be stamped out by the Demon Bull Family."

Mei was about to say something when MK stopped her. With his eyes, he pointed to an exit. MK had heard stories about PIF and DBK from Tang, but he was curious if they were real or if he could take them, even with all his training from his father. 

"Are you even listening to me!? I, Red Son, will not be disrespected! You're both history!" 

He pulls out this huge power glove and puts it on. Sparks come off of it in many places. 

"I was going to use this to free my father. Now that I don't need to, I will use it on you two instead," Red Son gloats.  

Red Son gets ready to punch Mei when MK blocks the attack with his staff, but Red Son's power glove is too much, breaking the staff. Angering MK, his hands become fist-shaking in anger. 

"My father made me that staff. Both my fathers made that staff for me!" He roars as he uppercuts Red Son, sending the demon flying upwards. 

Mei is frozen in shock. She knew Wukong was training MK but never knew he had that much power. MK stares at his furry hand before the disguise returns. The other two were too busy staring at the dot in the sky, that is, their son, to see monkey MK. When Red Son landed in a crater, MK was dragging Mei back to the elevator. 

Embarrassed, Red Son isn't going to let them leave—not without a pounding, anyway. Crawling up from the hole, Red Son starts to flame up. When he notices the two running away, his eyes turn red, and his hair turns into fire. 

"No, you don't!" He yells, charging at them. 

His parents let him go after them as they celebrate reuniting. It's been a few centuries, after all. Plus, neither of them seems to care about MK or Mei. Their son can take care of them, and they don't want to waste this time apart from their son. 

The elevator doors closed in time for them to see Red Son approaching them. Red Son was able to open the doors with ease by melting them. He not only melts the doors but also the cables holding the elevator. Thinking fast, MK turns into a hawk and carries Mei down. 

"I'm so glad your father taught you 72 transformations," Mei sighed with relief. 

"Too bad I can only do animals," MK turns back.  

A massive tower of flame comes from where the elevator used to be, making the two remember Red Son is after them. Without his parents, Mei and MK think they can take him.

Above, PIF and DBK share a loving kiss when a hawk drops down on them, peeking DBK in the eye. Laning in front of them is the Monkey King himself. He crosses his arms and poses in a badass way. 

"I don't know how you got free, but I'm here to put you back, you naughty demon," Wukong grins. 

While he was a bird, he looked around and didn't see his son anywhere, which made Wukong worry and relieved at the same time until he saw MK's training staff broken on the ground. Then he became worried and angry. 

Wukong charged at DBK with his staff. He was about to strike DBK when a strong wind blew him back. 

"I'm not going to lose my husband again. We will retreat for now, but don't worry, my love. You will have your revenge soon enough." 

With another gust of wind, the two vanish. Wukong roars angrily to calm down. Then, he transforms into a hawk and flies off. 

A figure emerges from the shadows, picking up the broken training staff. Looking up in the sky, he sees a hawk flying away. 

"Don't worry, Sunshine, our son is unharmed."

Red Son steps out of the flames and towards the duo. Each step leaves a burnt footprint on the ground. He is grinning like an idiot, thinking he had already won before the fight even began, forgetting all about the free ride MK gave him earlier. 

"Well, well, Noodles boy and random girl, there's nowhere to run to now," Red Son laughs. 

Only to get punched in the face by Mei. Surprising Red Son and MK.

"I'm not a random girl. I'm a dragon girl!" Mei roars. 

They forgot the plan they half-assed made in about five minutes as she tried to copy the punch MK did earlier. Only to manage to knock Red Son back ten feet. Red Son wasn't even shocked, and he still had that grin on his face. 

"That did hurt, dragon girl. Not enough, though," he laughs. 

Mei looks at her hand, then back at MK. 

"I think it's time for you to make him fly again," she whispers to her friend. 

MK shrugs, "I don't know how I did it the first time."  

"We better do something," Mei gulps. 

They both looked at each other briefly before a clanging sound broke the staring contest. On the ground between the duo and Red Son is a golden staff. MK knew this staff right away. He looked up to see a hawk circling them. With a grin, he picked up his father's staff. 

"Stand back, Mei. I got this." 

MK twirls the staff above his head while walking towards his opponent. 

"You really think you can defeat me with a stick," laughs Red Son. 

He stops laughing when MK makes the staff stretch out and wacks him in the stomach, pinning the demon against the wall of the burnt elevator and causing the power glove Red Son was wearing to fall off. MK can hold his father's staff but can't use it well, so he drops it, freeing the fire boy. 

"That is not a normal stick," Red Son coughs. 

MK picks up the staff. Mei also gets into a fighting stance. She doesn't have a weapon, but she does have her fist.  

"Mei, I can handle this. Get out of here." 

"No way, Monkey Boy. You're staying, so I'm staying." 

With an eye roll of fine, MK charges at Red Son, twirling the staff over his head. He strikes at Red Son, but the fire demon jumps out of the way. He lands and gets punched in the back by Mei, turning around to get hit in the same spot by the staff. When Red Son surrounds his body in flames, MK uses the staff to pin him against a building. 

The wall collapsed on Red Son. MK and Mei used this to get away. Jumping on the dragon's bike, they speed off. MK was able to grab the staff as Mei drove by it. Red Son summons his own wheels to chase after them when his father lands before his son. PIF floats down next to her husband. 

"That's enough. You have failed. We will deal with those two later. I want to learn more about this new world," DBK snorts. 

"I agree," with a gust of wind, all three are gone. 

Mei doesn't stop until they reach Piggy's Noddles. She even ran a few red lights. Like all the other times, that's something to worry about when her parents get the tickets. MK gets off, and Mei drives off, cheering on about how fun tonight has been. 

"You did good, son," Macaque appears out of the shadows, "It seems you kept up with your training while I was gone," he smiles, "Don't worry, Yue Yan is fine," he says like he could read minds. 

MK takes out the seal from his pocket, "I'm sorry, Dad. I didn't know…" 

Macaque stops MK by taking the seal, "It's not your fault. If anything, it's Wukong's for not telling you about Demon Bull King."

"Can you reseal him?" 

"Not with this. I will need to make a new seal and find a new prison," the dark-furred monkey sighs. 

Inside Macaque is cursing at Wukong. One of their biggest fights was when Wukong wanted Macaque to stop teaching MK seals and shadow magic. 

"You're saying that because you want our son to be just like you," Macaque roars angrily. 

"That's not true," Wukong hisses back. 

"Then why do you want me to….." 

"Because it's pointless. I want our son to know how to fight. How to defend himself, not run away like a coward." 

Wukong's look of anger is initially replaced by concern once he sees Macaque's look—a look of anger, hurt, and betrayal. 

"You didn't always think that way," Macaque walks away. 

That's the moment when Wukong realized what he said. 

"Macaque, wait." 

It was too late; his mate teleported away with his shadow portal. 

"Dad!" 

MK's shout brought Macaque back. 

"Are you okay?" 

Macaque looks at his son with a small smile, "I'm fine. I should be going now. Yue Yan needs me. I will make a new seal." 

Macaque falls into the new open shadow portal underneath his feet and soon returns home. 

Wukong came just in time to see the shadow portal close as he rushed to his son. 

"Macaque was here? What did he want? What did he say?" 

He shook his son as he asked those questions, and he didn't stop until MK broke his father's grip. Thinking fast, MK quickly tells Wukong. 

"Yes, dad was here. He wanted to know if I removed the seal. I did. I'm sorry, father. I didn't know what it was." 

Wukong looks hurt, not because MK removed the seal. 

"That's all he asked about?"          

MK stares at his father. Before he can say anything, Wukong is back at it, talking fast and shaking his son like before. 

"Do you know where he went? Are you sure he didn't say anything else? Have you seen him before today?" 

Again, MK breaks free but is now feeling dizzy. 

"I will tell you everything when we get home, Father. Please stop with that."

[rainbowolfe]

Shamura's Warning

I'll put it shortly: The omen Shamura repeats is less a prediction of the future and more of an explanation (to their siblings) of something that's been in motion since before they acquired their crowns. The fate that can't be outrun lol.

Shamura is describing the (unfortunate) fate of four sets of godly beings. And it allllll comes back around to Purgatory.

When you layer the symbol for Purgatory over the magic circle found in the Bishop's boss rooms, they align like such. And if you add the Mystery Symbol into the mix the lines highlight which symbol belongs to which god.

Five points to a pentagram

When using relics like Shunrue's or Galvar's Charm, this circle of symbols appears. One of them is an upside-down star with the center erased—five points to a pentagram. These gods represent either five phases of the moon OR five phases of an eclipse. I lean towards eclipse because there's no gibbous phase represented.

I suspect these scarecrows are representing the previous rulers of (in order) Darkwood, Anchordeep, Anura, and Silk Cradle. Though they're the only gods left around these parts, there are many shown to not actually follow the Old Faith. I would think the creatures of these lands are fashioning their scarecrows in the image of who they believe to be the true/rightful leaders, much like how Lamb's followers build scarecrows in their image.

Five portents of doom

I cannot point to any particular gods for this one, but their positionings do line up with this sigil(Tail of Slythor, called FamiliarRune in the files). The symbol itself looks like a bullhead, so it could be referencing the statues found in Darkwood. Especially since that headless one is purple. There is a sixth statue with glowing intestine not shown here.

I don't believe the crowns come with a pre-assigned role. Meaning, the Red Crown isn't always the God of Death, the Purple Crown isn't always the God of War/Knowledge, and so on and so forth. That's just how things ended up based on who each sibling killed/usurped.

Alternatively, the original portents of doom are what the high-level, magical enemies are based off of.

Five siblings stood abreast

Here we have our siblings, represented by shields, all grouped together. I get that reasoning from the tarot cards: Shield of Faith, Ichor Lingered, and Mithridatism.

The shields themselves don't have symbols, but they're connected to the portent of doom they end up 'inheriting', and are also in alignment with a crown.

The symbol for Chaos is etched into Leshy's doorway. The symbol for Pestilence is the alchemical symbol for arsenic sulfide (but upsidedown), which was majorly used for crafting medicine. The symbol of Famine is the scales that accompany that horseman. The symbol for War is the nordic runes for Tyr and Gebo. Tyr is a god of war, and Gebo means gift--based on the Consecrated Oil tarot card, Shamura gave the gift of godhood. The X symbol is also a part of Shamura's cloak. The symbol for Death was chosen by process of elimination because I've not a clue what that's supposed to be.

Death and War could be swapped. A common interpretation of the Tyr-symbol is sacrifice (of the self) for the well-being of the whole (society).

Five gods

There may or may not be duplicates of each crown. To clarify; the Red Crown is two rounded spikes, yeah? That shape of crown may also come in green, blue, yellow, purple, or white. Because the crowns on this rug (also found in Smuggler's Sanctuary) are most definitely Red Crowns, but it could be depicting six crown users from different eras.

But this curse's iconography (Divine Blizzard) would imply the existence of a blue variant of the Red Crown. I'm including all the blast curses to show that, although the color of the eye changes from curse to curse, it doesn't use the crown icon.

Either way, I believe the 'five gods' in this situation are five Old Gods. I believe these beings to be the original owners (if not the creators of) the crowns. Maybe even the sources that power the crowns existence. So far we've been given the names Turua, Ithaqua, and the Revenant. There is also this skeleton in Spore Grotto, which is labeled as an Old God.

The graffiti on the rock hidden in ruins on the cult grounds and in pilgrim passage may be referring to Turua, but shrug.

One tomb

And the tomb? Well, that seems to be the Lands of the Old Faith. I guess something about this world just did not vibe with the higher-ups lmao. It's been physically separated from the rest of the land in it's own world; and it's been cosmically separated from the Great One's world. And seemingly, all others. At least, creatures of this world are not welcome in other worlds.

Probably for good reason, all things considered.

BONUS:

Although you defeat four Bishops and break four chains, there are actually five chains attached to his gateway. The largest one, all golden and ornate, is the last to break. There are also five symbols (and a slot for a sixth one which I find suspicious). Four portents of doom (now the four Bishops we know) and one point to the pentagram. The sun. The same sun (save for the X in the middle, presumably marking this god as gone) Lamb covers up with their flag when they take over Pilgrim's Passage.

[arcxnumvitae]

He barely remembered escaping the manor, but he did remember with terrifying clarity the days afterwards in the town as the news spread. An entire manor massacred, and, more importantly, Bhaltair Rathais and his sole heir dead. An entire noble lineage wiped from existence in the span of a single night. The culprit, a bloody and mad boy, had been apprehended by the crown's militia amidst the carnage within the manor.

They said that the bodies of Bhaltair and Eogan Rathais were nearly unrecognizable. They also said that the murderer was covered in red and silver blood of mortal and fae alike. No one knew who he was or why he did it, whether he was sent by another noble family or enemy of Bhaltair's, or whether his grudge was more personal.

The boy had his suspicions about the reason and the true identity of his mother's killer, but he hardly cared to speculate. One thing was certain in the gossip-- the murderer would be put to death for what he did. It was some small comfort to the boy who had lost his mother last night, but it was something he would have to learn to make do with.

As the murderer vanished into the king's dungeons, the boy tried to live his life.

It was a normal, nondescript, peaceful one. Boring, almost. Reigns came and went, Unseelie always seemed to gain a new ruler just as the last was settling in, but it all made little difference to one so far from its effects.

The man's life continued until word began to cross his ears of a particular upstart within the militia-- Balmoral Sitheach. And his right hand man Mhoirbheinn Geadais. Both equal parts cunning and vicious. It all meant little to the man of course, he didn't recognize the names, nor did he know them. This attitude continued until the new king was crowned, and the man caught sight of the newly titled Protector as he felt his blood run cold.

No matter how many centuries it had been, he would never forget those hellish eyes.

The man had no idea how the murderer managed to weasel his way out of execution, nor how he had successfully created this new identity for himself. Did the new king know? What did it matter. His mother's murderer was walking free, showered with power and riches and attention from the king as if he didn't deserve death for the blood that stained his hands.

Soon after, Balgaire was hired as a servant within the palace. He knew he could never physically overpower the Protector, he'd heard tales for years of the man's prowess and bloodthirsty nature. No, he would have to find more clever means to enact his vengeance for his mother, no matter how long it took.