#but when she gets older it sounds so hauntingly beautiful and powerful like damn

[0h-you-kn0w]

Do you think that the Blight kids try and hold howling competitions to see who can howl the longest, loudest and most good sounding? Knowing Amity, she'd get Luz to be a judge and her bias would net Amity all the points

Luz is a simp we been knew 🙄🙄 and a monsterlover. Love her tho 🙏🏻😌

They probably would usually get Alador to judge their howls. But he has a tendency to play favourites as well, mostly to "inspire the others to do better" or whatever. We LOVE the effects of child favouritism 😍

One time, they even got Tiny Nose to judge their howls! She's surprisingly a fair and unbiased judge. So she's usually their go-to.

So for their howls, they all have differences between them, obviously.

Emira's howl has some vibrato in there but is not the loudest. she likes to go "roooo" for some reason. It is nice to listen to tho! (She's a singer 🥰)

Edric's is very deep and loud, he can go on for hours my dudes. But he can't hit the high notes, his voice almost always cracks and kind of sounds like those rubber chickens?? It's actually probably one of the best ones save for the high notes. Anyways Amity has never laughed that hard before and Edric is extremely proud of himself for making lil mittens so happy.

Amity's is ....

Well, it's loud.

She's just a lil puppy tho so she'll have lots of time to practice, it's high pitched and she kind of just. Screams. Like a husky throwing a tantrum lmao

Amity: AARRROOWOOROROROOOAOO

[flowerslut]

BREAKING DAWN Part 1 & Part 2

an updated, more modern take on the original soundtrack.

(TWILIGHT) (NEW MOON) (ECLIPSE)

spotify link — BD pt1 spotify link — BD pt2

[track list and commentary under the cut]

Part One

 Endtapes — The Joy Formidable  ➼ ➼ ➼ I Will Be Waiting — Let’s Eat Grandma

This soundtrack starts off so strongly that I had no choice but to pick one that can kick it off just as well. Let’s Eat Grandma might be my favorite band I’ve found this year. Their genre-bending is exquisite.

Love Will Take You — Angus & Julia Stone  ➼ ➼ ➼ Need Ur Luv (Japanese Wallpaper Remix) — Charli XCX

Talk to me a year ago and tell me I was going to be putting Charli on a Twilight soundtrack recreation and I would’ve stared blankly and asked “fucking how?” Well, with this incredible Japanese Wallpaper remix, that’s how.

It Will Rain — Bruno Mars ➼ ➼ ➼ In My Blood — Shawn Mendes 

And how do you replace baby Bruno? Well, only with today’s romantic power-balad singing baby, Shawn Mendes. It’s a perfect replacement, if you ask me.

Turning Page — Sleeping at Last  ➼ ➼ ➼ For Now - Reimagined — Kina Grannis

Any other 2009-era Kina Grannis stans? Message From Your Heart? All those YouTube covers? No, just me? Whatever. Kina belonged on those soundtracks back then, and this is setting things right.

From Now On — The Features  ➼ ➼ ➼ Cliffs Edge — Hayley Kiyoko

One of Hayley’s older songs, so it’s not too new, but I felt that is matched From Now On’s mood fantastically.

A Thousand Years — Christina Perri  ➼ ➼ ➼  human — Christina Perri

No, this isn’t cheating. But only Christina Perri can truly replace Christina Perri. It’s also a perfect pre-change Bella song. I’m sure you heard this song everywhere at the end of the saga when everyone took to YouTube to make their cathartic recap videos. 2012-13 was a great (but weird) year to be a Twilight stan.

Neighbors — Theophilus London ➼ ➼ ➼ FACE — BROCKHAMPTON

Whether you like BROCKHAMPTON or not means little to me. They were absolutely ending up on one of these soundtracks. And as replacement to Neighbors, it’s like they belong. “Tell me what you’re waiting for? I just want to love you.” Ouch. Harsh Jacob vibes.

I Didn’t Mean It — The Belle Brigade ➼ ➼ ➼ All out of Tears — Z Berg

Z Berg created a song that sounded like it was made for one of these soundtracks. It’s insane. And one of my fucking favorites.

Sister Rosetta — Noisettes  ➼ ➼ ➼ Digital Witness — St. Vincent

The Twilight soundtracks (and also Sufjan Stevens himself) are responsible for introducing me to St. Vincent. Now, years later, she’s consistently been one of my favorite artists. She has the range, y’all.

Northern Lights — Cider Sky  ➼ ➼ ➼ Pool — Paramore

Of course I was putting Paramore back on one of these lists, you crazies. (And this isn’t the last you’ll see of them, either.) 

Flightless Bird, American Mouth (Wedding Version) — Iron & Wine ➼ ➼ ➼ New America Classic — Vitamin String Quartet

There isn’t a wedding version of New American classic, but there is a Vitamin String Quartet version! (And no offense Iron & Wine, but it sounds so much more like an actual wedding song.) Any OG Twilight stans know that in this house, we love and cherish the Vitamin String Quartet. They were like our musical savior back in the day. Couldn’t find a decent quality soundtrack upload? No worries. Odds are, they’d already recorded an insane strings cover already.

Requiem on — Imperial Mammoth  ➼ ➼ ➼ Waste — Oh Wonder

I unashamedly adore this song by Oh Wonder. Their dual vocals always put me in a damn trance. It’s so beautiful to describe. Just listen.

Cold — Aqualung & Lucy Schwartz ➼ ➼ ➼ Willow (feat. Robert Pattinson) — Tindersticks

Told you I’d stick him back on the soundtracks eventually. This song is so hauntingly perfect. When I first heard it it reminded me why I was so in love with Robert back in the day. That voice, man. Talent leapt!

Lloverá — Mía Maestro  ➼ ➼ ➼ Silence II — Son Lux

It’s not as beautiful as the Carmen actress’ ballad, but it’s just as haunting.

Love Death Birth — Carter Burwell  ➼ ➼ ➼ Sæglópur — Sigur Rós

When I went through my Sigur Rós phase way back when (pre-Twilight) Sæglópur was my favorite song for ages. It takes you through the whole spectrum of emotion, just as Carter Burwell’s music does. I thought it was an ideal way to end this first half.

You still get bonus tracks! Here’s two for the first movie:

Otherside — Perfume Genius

Simple. Powerful. Emotional. All you need at this point in the saga.

Everything In Its Right Place — Radiohead 

A song that feels like waking up from a dream. Perfect for Bella’s dramatic change. (And of course I had to actually add Radiohead to one of these.)

Part Two

Where I Come From — Passion Pit  ➼ ➼ ➼ Manchester — Kishi Bashi

Bella deserves to see the world for the first time with vampire eyes while Kishi Bashi magically transforms the scene in the background. It’s *chef’s kiss* literal perfection. 

Bittersweet — Ellie Goulding  ➼ ➼ ➼ Warrior — AURORA

Can I go off topic for half a second and tell you guys that I cried when I saw AURORA featured on the new Frozen song? No one deserves that wide recognition as much as she does. And no one does mystical pop better than AURORA (not even Ellie Goulding).

The Forgotten — Green Day ➼ ➼ ➼ Warm Winds (feat. Isaiah Rashad) — SZA

SZA deserves this spot and don’t even question why. SZA’s first album was so iconically emo. She’s another artist I’m convinced would’ve been reached out to for a track if she’d been making music just a little bit earlier.

Fire In The Water — Feist ➼ ➼ ➼ Carry Me Out — Mitski

Even though I’ve been a Feist fan since I got my first vocal comparison to her pre-Twilight (so I was ecstatic when she was featured here) I think Mitski really encapsulates everything a Twilight soundtrack needs.

Everything and Nothing — The Boom Circuits ➼ ➼ ➼ Highspeeds — Elliot Moss

I can’t not give Elliot Moss a spot. And that's it.

The Antidote — St. Vincent  ➼ ➼ ➼ Unholy Trinity — Von Grey

I needed a harder song for this replacement and Von Grey’s music does the trick. This is the band of an old Tumblr friend that goes fucking hard, y’all. She and her sisters know how to bang out the tunes.

Speak Up — POP ETC  ➼ ➼ ➼ Reasons Not To Die (Demo) — Ryn Weaver

This girl just knows how to fucking get me. Her second and final appearance on the soundtrack, here to just make you want to laugh and cry all at once. And as a replacement to another top favorite, it works well.

Heart of Stone — Iko  ➼ ➼ ➼ Smother — Daughter

Heart of Stone actually made my end of year top tracks playlist for 2018. I knew I needed a solid replacement. And you can never go wrong with a Daughter track.

Cover Your Tracks — A Boy and His Kite  ➼ ➼ ➼ In The Mourning — Paramore

We bid farewell to Paramore with their final appearance here. In The Mourning is another long-time favorite. It’s beautiful. And sad! We love it.

Ghosts — James Vincent McMorrow  ➼ ➼ ➼ Weight — Crywolf

You need that late Breaking Dawn depressing shit? I got you that late Breaking Dawn depressing shit. “Bless me with just one kiss before you leave me here with my heart.”

All I've Ever Needed — Paul McDonald & Nikki Reed ➼ ➼ ➼ Beetroot (What If I Was 1?) — Blue Americans

I can’t describe how double-sad I get when I remember that Paul McDonald & Nikki Reed divorced not long after the saga wrapped. (Not that I ever had an attachment to him, but this song is so nice!) So that’s why Beetroot is a little sadder than All I’ve Ever Needed. Still a great song though.

New for You — Reeve Carney ➼ ➼ ➼ Black Hole — HANA 

Black Hole is a little more pop than New For You. But it’s beautiful and nice and lovely and I am also In Love with HANA. So you get her here.

A Thousand Years (Part 2) — Christina Perri (feat. Steve Kazee) ➼ ➼ ➼ I Get To Love You — Ruelle 

Had had had to put this incredible, romantic, hopeful song at the end of this soundtrack specifically. Just listen and tell me you don’t get emotional over their future with this.

Plus Que Ma Propre Vie (More Than My Own Life) — Carter Burwell ➼ ➼ ➼ Half Life - Instrumental Version — Imogen Heap

How are you supposed to pick a song to end the soundtracks? Thankfully, Imogen Heap had the foresight to release instrumental versions of each song on her Ellipse album. Such a thoughtful queen. We thank her by giving her the final word. 

What’s this? No more? It’s okay. You do get bonus tracks, but not here.

I’ll be posting one more soundtrack, full of all the extras and little gems that I couldn’t quite place in any specific spot on the soundtracks. A whole other playlist full of Twilight-vibey songs for your listening enjoyment! Look out for that next week. Happy New Year!

[hermionegranger56]

ok lads its time for my breakdown of folklore, something absolutely no one is asking for but here we are!! this album. thIs ALBUMMMM. dear GOD. the intersection of my two favorite things, taylor swift and indie folk???? i feel like i’m dreaming. when she announced the surprise drop i literally burst into tears and evidently for good reason lol.

anywho here’s the thing. Red has been my all time favorite album for 8 years now. it holds such an important place in my life and i never thought anything she did could come close (though Lover almost did). but this. THIS IS BETTER THAN RED

the lyrical genius is unmatched here. taylor isn’t just writing songs here, this is POETRY. every song is nuanced, intricate, devastatingly beautiful, with words that’ll haunt me for a long time. and the fact that it’s stories, literal folklore, no longer just about her own life is incredibly creative and is executed so well for someone who has interwoven her life into her entire body of music thus far. folklore blends facts with fiction so seamlessly and is a true exhibition of taylor’s power as a songwriter.

and the vibessss!! from haunting heartbreak songs, to ethereal lost-in-the-woods vibes, to a comforting return to her old self, this album has everything. taylor is without a doubt one of the most versatile artists of our generation, having success and skill in multiple genres and folklore only solidifies this fact.

ALL RIGHT KIDS LETS JUMP IN

the 1: hell yeah explicit tswift give it to me lol you ARE on some new shit!! ok when i first listened to this i hadn’t read her statement about the other perspectives and i was about to RIOT about her and joe breaking up (like they could ever lol). this is such a catchy beat, such a casual?? look at such a painful feeling? a really good start to this album. the part where she goes another day waking up aLONE killlllllls me wow

fave lines: “in my defense i have none/for never leaving well enough alone”

cardigan: (don’t get me started on the mv it’s gorgeous) YES THE TEENAGE LOVE TRIANGLE suchhh a good concept!! the melody of this song is unreal, the chorus makes me want to scream it’s so beautiful, the i-i-i is SOMETHING ELSE. it’s crazy how just the melody makes betty’s pain so palpable, but so enchanting at the same time. it’s bittersweet and cinematic and i’m in love. PETER LOSING WENDY GOD. easily top 5 song here

fave lines: “when you are young they assume you know nothing”, “cause i knew you/ heartbeat on the high line/ once in 20 lifetimes i” “you drew stars around my scars/but now i’m bleeding”

the last great american dynasty: watch hill!!! her watch hill house!! i live near there!! oh i think this song is so clever and i love how it ties into mad woman as well as harkens back to starlight. i LOVE the way she ties her self in, “and then it was bought by me” like ughhh her mind? and its catchy AF

fave lines: “i had a marvelous time ruining everything”

exile: YOU KNOW HOW TO DO AN INDIE ALBUM??? BRING BON IVER INTO THIS SHIT!! wowww this song is haunting and is definitely the “i’m you but stronger” version of The Last Time. the overlap of both of them singing and their parallel lines are flawless. i could play this on repeat for hours and contemplate my whole existence

fave lines: “you never gave a warning sign/i gave so many signs”

my tears ricochet: ok somehow a track 5 with tears in the title is not the saddest song here but DAMN is it good. I love the visual of someone watching over their funeral and reacting. the music is stunningggg here. ALSO i am pretty convinced this is about the whole scott/scooter drama, like the lyrics fit so well? and she said it was the first song she wrote so the timeline kinda fits?? geniusss

fave lines: “I didn’t have it in myself to go with grace”, “and if i’m dead to you/why are you at the wake?”

mirrorball: ohhhh this one is so pretty!! it just makes me want to dance around the kitchen with the person i love??? its comforting, ethereal, happyyy ugh i love it. I also think it could be about her relationship with her fans? like her music shows us different sides of ourselves idk? or just absorbing into a relationship?

fave lines: “on my tallest tiptoes/shining just for you”

seven: i’m gonna call this now: this is going to be the most underrated song on this album. it is STUNNING. POETIC. HEARTBREAKING. the music is so hauntingly nostalgic. and the lyrics, holy absolute shit. they’re a delicate testament to childhood, memory, and innocent love. it’s gut wrenching and i love it so so much

fave lines: “i’ve been meaning to tell you/i think your house is haunted/your dad is always mad/and that must be why”, “and just like folk song/our love will be passed on”, “before i learned civility/ i used to scream ferociously” ALL OF IT

august: and now we get the girl james cheated with’s perspective, which i think is great. its sunny, wistful and sad underneath all that beautiful production. when she slides from the chorus to the “back when we we’re changing for the better” and hits that “mineeee to lose” GOD, it just fills your chest. i feel like even if you never have, this makes anyone feel like they know exactly what a summer fling feels like. one of my faves

fave lines: “august slipped away/like a bottle of wine”, “cancel my plans just in case you call/ and say meet me behind the mall”

this is me trying: the slow pacing of this melody serves to show these EXQUISITE lyrics here. this is so intimate and personal and i feel like everyone can relate to this feeling of just trying to hold on and put on a brave face?

fave lines: “they told me all of my cages were mental/ so i got wasted like all my potential”

illicit affairs: ok all you need to know about this one is a) I’m obsessed b) this is the closest she has come to creating a bridge that makes me feel like the All Too Well bridge has, like scream sobbing in the car type vibe??? its unreal. and this song makes me feel that shitty feeling of: “this was supposed to be casual but oops its very much not” hmmm maybe that’s where the scream sobbing comes from hahah

fave lines: “don’t call me kid/don’t call me baby/look at this godforsaken mess that you made me/you showed me colors you know i can’t see with anyone else”

invisible string: this. THIS is probably her most stunning love song. like. i thought it was Lover. i was wrong. this one is confidently from Taylor’s perspective, about Joe and dear lord i want a love like theirs. and shit does this song put the folk in folklore, the music is so simple and gorgeous and harkens back to her country roots without losing this new sound she has. and the first few notes remind me of Mystery of Love by Sufjan Stevens so instantly im sold. this and betty are tied for my number 1, it’s just too beautiful

fave lines: “time curious time/give me no compasses/give me no signs” “isn’t it just so pretty to think/all along there was some invisible string/tying you to me”, “cold was steel of the axe that i had to grind/for the boys who broke my heart/now i buy their babies presents”, “hell was the journey/but it brought me heaven”

mad woman: FUCK YOU FOREVERRRRRR!!! yes taylor said fuckkkk ugh i LOVE this vibe, the revenge of the mad woman that the town cast out is so eerie and powerful, i’m obsessed. it ties back into the maddest woman of TLGAD and it feels like a spiritual sequel to The Man, the same feminist thread weaving through it. the lyrics are razor sharp and biting, i love it

fave lines: “and you poke that bear/till the claws come out/ and you find something/ to wrap your noose around”, “it’s obvious wanting me dead has really brought you two together”

epiphany: so uhhh THIS is the saddest song on folklore. fight me. the seamless comparison between wartime and the pandemic and waiting for some epiphany that could make sense of all the horrors surrounding the both. idk man, as someone who’s been a covid nurse since March, i just….this one HURTS. similar to Soon You’ll Get Better tbh

fave lines: “hold your hand through plastic now/doc i think she’s crashing out/and somethings you just can’t speak about”

betty: OH I LOVE IT WITH MY WHOLE HEART! this is such a TRIUMPHANT return to old taylor, it is so joyful but sad at the same time?? the harmonica?? the last part of the love triangle?? it sounds like Taylor Swift and Fearless all grown up and it makes me ache for back then, but love where we are right now. tbh the first time i heard this i sobbed through the whole thing just out of pure nostalgia. she’s back but at the same time she never left. this feels like a love song to original fans and it. is. incredible. my favoriteeee goddd

fave lines: THE WHOLE CHORUS BABYYYYY

peace: it’s gorgeous, especially the guitarrr ugh. this feels like delicate’s quiet older sister. i think it’s definitely about joe and how taylor, despite loving him, still has these insecurities and fears about what a relationship with someone in her position could be like? like there will be struggles, but he’s her family and she “would die for you in secret”. stunning

fave lines: “i’m a fire and i’ll keep your brittle heart warm”, “the devils in the detail/but you’ve got a friend in me”, “give you my wild/give you a child”

hoax: i’m surprised she ended it on a sad one (but we still have the lakes!!) but this song is hauntingly beautiful WOW. every line of this absolutely floors me. i think this one will also be largely underrated, but it is pure poetry and deserves so so much hype

fave lines: “stood on the cliffside/screaming give me a reason/your faithless love’s the only hoax i believe in”, “it still hurts underneath my scars/from when they pulled me apart/but what you did was just as dark” “my kingdom come undone/ my broken drum/ you have beaten my heart”

ANYWHO TAYLOR HAS PRODUCED HER BEST WORK TO DATE AND IM READY FOR SAD GIRL AUTUMN

[humanrebel]

Serpents and Lions Ch. 1

Fandom: My Hero Academia Characters: Ochako Uraraka, Katsuki Bakugou, Class 1-A Relationship: Bakugou/Uraraka, Slow Burn Summary: Once upon a time, a King was betrayed. Once upon a time, a Queen ad her husband were slain. Once upon a time, a Princess found her parents' corpses, still warm with life, and ran. She ran away, so fast and so far, nothing could catch her. Nothing except a dream.

A/N: This is going to be bigger than I think i can handle

2K // AO3 // FFN // Next

~

She met him for the first time when she was six, out on a boat in the ocean.

"You have fluffy hair," she said, "and shiny eyes."

"I know," he replied, puffing up with pride. "Bright as fire coral, my ma always says."

"I would say garnets, but they're so dark, and your eyes are bright; and I don't want to say 'ruby eyes' because it sounds like something from one of my mommy's grown-up books." Ochako scrunched her face. "I don't like those books."

The boy scoffs. "How would you know what rubies look like? They're very rare."

"Oh that's easy! Mommy and Daddy teach me when I cry, so I know about lots of gemstones! We even wear them!" She dug underneath the neck her tunic and pulled off the amulet she always wore. It was a pretty, shiny thing, with a long and wide ribbon, meant to be worn by someone much older than she was now, but she would grow into it. Her family crest was in the center, surrounded by jewels and gems of all sorts. She pointed to one of the stones laid near the top. "That one's the ruby, and here's a garnet."

The boy tilted his head. "Looks fancy. Usually I only find something like that at the bottom of the sea."

Ochako tilted her head. "Really? At the bottom?" The boy nodded, puffing his chest out even more, a very self-satisfied smile on his face. "How do you hold your breath that long?"

"What? I don't. I just breathe, like everyone else I know."

"I don't breathe underwater."

"'Course not. You're human."

Crossing her arms, Ochako pouted. "And what are you that makes you so special?"

The boy grinned, his face splitting wide open, and he slipped under the water. Ochako worried for a second, but then he jumped into the air, startling the life out of her and the amulet out of her hand. He was too fast for whatever he tried to show off, too. She only caught a glimpse of red before he fell beneath the water again.

He came up, eyes sparkling. "Did you see?" he asked excitedly. "Pretty, huh?"

"No I did not!" Ochako yelled, palm to her chest, eyes scanning the water. "You made me drop the my necklace!"

"Oh, I can find it!" the boy said, and he disappeared beneath the waves again.

Ochako wanted to stay, to collect her lost heirloom, and she stayed for as long as she could. Which turned out to be not a very long time at all, since her nanny found her mere moments later and dragged her back to her home.

No one ever believed Ochako about the boy. They said no one could get in without the guards knowing. They had such a private beach, her parents said, and the gate that cut through the water stopped even small children from swimming through. That didn't stop her from returning every day for the next two months, trying to find proof of his existence.

Proof she never found, except for her missing amulet.

The more she reflected on it, though, the more she herself began to doubt it. She always set thoughts of the boy to the back of her mind when it frustrated her, and instead focused on her studies. It wasn't long before he was a mere wisp of a memory, a dream she decided she had confused for reality, and her amulet lost due to her own clumsiness.

She worked hard from that day forward, ready to follow in her parents' footsteps.

Ochako runs, her feet bare and bleeding. Her eyes sting, her entire face stings in the cold. Her breath whips by her in white clouds. Her only comfort in the winter night is the coat she wears, though it does little to keep her warm. It still comforts her, though, and she'll treasure it for the rest of her life.

The coat belonged to her father, after all, and it was the only thing she recovered that wasn't soaked in his blood.

The memories rise up again, bringing with them bile that she swallows back down. She has no time to spit it up, no time to stop and rest, no time to even think beyond escape. Hooves thunder along the path behind her, and she has to reach the beach soon—all other exits are guarded, and there are boats out there, boats that can carry her to safety and away from…

From home. She almost turns back, almost faces her pursuers, but the glint of steel in the dark of night unnerves her, scares her to her core, so she keeps running.

Her feet barely meet the sand when she reaches the beach, but then they catch up to her. The horses surround her, masked riders staring down from their steeds. The ringleader moves forward, hopping from his horse to approach her on even ground. He stands between her and the water, and her eyes glance behind him longingly.

"Come now, Princess," the man says in a voice sweet as honey. He removes his mask, and she sucks in a startled breath when she sees his face. It was one she last saw years ago, after all–the face of a dead man.

Standing before her, holding an enemy nation's mask, with freshly healed scars cutting across his cheeks, her uncle stares her down. General Shin of the Hysa kingdom's army, thought to have fallen in battle two years ago, stands before her. His face is stretched into a mockery of its former charming smile, and he extends a hand to her, his voice soothing.

"There is much to discuss," he says, "and I know you must be tired. But it can wait for the morning. Surely you want to return to your bed and sleep?"

She's tired, of course. Who wouldn't be after the death (murder, she corrects herself) of their parents and a run for their life? All she wants to do is cry, to mourn, to curl into a ball and disappear to where her parents are now. The pull is so strong, so incredibly powerful she begins to do so–her arms fold around herself, clawing at her own shoulders to keep herself together, and her knees tremble under the weight of her and her grief. Her eyes well with tears, and she lets one fall–a diamond droplet that lands among the sand at her feet.

But then she hears it–a soft song that shakes her hunched form. It's hauntingly beautiful, a melody that wraps around her mind, a lullaby that soothes her aching heart, and under its guidance she stands tall and glares.

Shin frowns, unaffected by the phantom voice that gives her strength. And of course he wouldn't hear it; it's a Gift–the very last her parents will ever give her. Only Ochako can hear it.

"Fine." Shin pulls a knife from his hip and throws it to the ground in front of her. "I'm an honorable man. I'll let you fight, and if you survive, you're free to go." His voice lightens.

"Let it be known that I'm giving you a chance, Princess. I will give you what freedom I can if you come willingly. But should you choose to fight and lose, you will be nothing more than a prisoner." His eyes are bright enough to burn straight through her, now. He extends his hand.

"The choice is yours. Come with me, and live as lavishly as before, or…" he nods toward the knife, "take the blade, Princess, and prove whether your will is strong enough."

She knows better, though. The freedom Shin offered wouldn't really be free. It would come with feather-light chains and invisible fences. She would be no better than a flower in a greenhouse, some… thing to be marveled at out of place, out of season.

Ochako kneels, her eyes never leaving his. Her fingers grasp the cool leather of the grip. She takes a deep breath, and with a hand clutched to her chest, she stands again.

Shin drops his hand when he drops his smile, and a sneer tugs at his lips. "You won't budge, then?" he asks her, and hiding amongst his words lies a promise of pain.

Still, she only glares, drawing her lip into a tight line.

Shin waves his hand, some military signal she doesn't know. The men on horseback ride in circles around her, and she hears the sound of blades being pulled from scabbards. Shin mounts his horse again and steps back, calling orders to his guards.

They want her alive, that much is clear.

She refuses to let that happen.

But that means her only other option is death. The entire ocean is before her, the sounds of waves a constant background noise. Drowning is a scary, painful way to go, she knows. It would be so hard to stay down until her breath ran out, and even then Shin could just send his men after her. But she knows they won't follow.

It's damn near the dead of winter. The water is cold enough to kill.

She steels herself, her mind made up. The knife weighs heavy in her hand, and as the horses circle her, she sees a path amidst the cackling men and the dancing blades. She sucks in one last breath, and then she runs, her teeth bared and fists tight.

The snow and the sand make for poor footing, and she slips more than once. But she doesn't fall, doesn't allow herself to fall.

When she reaches the line of men, she hits the ground and slides. She lashes out with the knife, slashing at the ankles of the horses, and rolls back on her feet before they can fall. It hurts her, of course, when she hears the snap of broken bones, to have harmed the horses in such a cruel way, sure they'd be killed later because of her. It was never their fault, they weren't in control of their actions, but she had no other choice.

She can only offer a silent apology as she runs. She's sure to beat them to the afterlife, after all.

Her breath whips past her once again, sliding from rosy lips and over winter-red cheeks. Her feet sting in the way that comes with cold, where nerves are more sensitive and tingles run along her legs.

Her uncle shouts orders to his men, but she ignores it. She focuses on the world before her, the chaos behind her mere background noise for the last few moments of her life. The sand beneath her changes abruptly to the wooden planks of the boat dock, and she can't tell if it's her weight making the boards creak or if she's hearing bowstrings being drawn.

It's an all-out sprint to the finish, to reach the water before they can reach her. Her legs and her lungs burn, and fire blooms across her back, but adrenaline tells her to ignore the pain, to run for her life, no matter how soon it may end.

Before she realizes it, she's airborne, her nightgown billowing in the wind, her father's jacket flaring like a cape behind her. Her eyes widen as the water rushes towards her, and she takes an involuntary breath to hold, as though her body has hopes of survival separate from her mind.

It was a futile hope, of course. The thin ice cracks beneath her heels, and the cold water engulfs her, shocking the air from her lungs in a woosh of bubbles. It's through some miracle that she even has the tiniest bit left at the very bottom of her lungs.

She floats for a moment, suspended by cold numbness. Then like magic, her clothes absorb water and sink, dragging her into the darkness below. She shuts her eyes, hoping to pass out before she feels any more pain.