#honor deceased loved ones at a wedding

[merrybrides]

Honor Heirlooms

Add something old or something borrowed to the bridal bouquet for a sentimental touch to carry you down the aisle. This bride honored her late father by wrapping his personalized shirt cuff around her bouquet. "He walked me down the aisle in that sense," she recalls of her verdant Hudson Valley nuptials.

You can do the same with passed-down jewelry, a strip of fabric from your grandmother's wedding dress, or even lockets with their photos or other meaningful mementos inside.

[shaadiwish]

Pay Your Respects And Honor Passed Loved Ones At Your Wedding In These Endearing Ways. Stay Tuned To ShaadiWish For Latest Trends And Ideas.

[streets-in-paradise]

Tormented Longing - Maximus Decimus Meridius x Empress!Reader

Gladiator (2000) Oneshot

Warnings: Reader is in love in a devoted, frankly delulu way ( not exactly like Commodus, but you will see.). This may not make sense with the movie, in the sense that it doesn't follow the events strictly, but I love drama lol. It's one of those " doesn't make much sense, but wanted to see it written. " scenarios @wildsaltair and I were talking about.

Summary: Fate grants you a reunion with the great love you believed lost when you consult the school of gladiators searching to buy protection from the schemes of the loathed husband it enforced on you.

Note: Somewhere I can't remember, because my browser is a mess of history entries, I read of someone who wanted to have gladiators as personal guard and that triggered in my mind this concept.

As it would be expected, your visit to the school of gladiators could potentially cause a scandall. Following the disorganised style of the ruling of your husband, you guessed one more excentricity could not make more harm. After all, he was shaking the values of Rome from their very own foundations. No one escaped him, and the need for appearances between you was running out.

As the wife that Marcus Aurelius had once chosen for him, Commodus accepted your marriage of convenience with the hope of pleasing him. Your wedding was the only moment in which he recalled any kindness from his father, his approbation of you feeling his by extention. ironically, the moment that ruined your life was the logical consecuence of the failure of one of his masterplans. Scheming against the lover of his sister, your friend, he digged his own grave when the crave to get him out of her way brought you closer to his.

He knew of your tormented love for Maximus and tried to encourage you of betraying Lucilla to keep him for yourself. That brief instant of temptation was paid with the highest price, some curse from the gods unleashed a chain of events punishing you equally with your enforced union. Not long into the marriage you found out that your sacrifice had been in vain, given neither you or the emperor's daughter got to keep the man you wanted. You also discovered with horror what kind of feelings pushed Commodus to that unfortunate alliance with you.

Depraved desires, not the logical concern of a brother.

In his sick mind, he believed to experience the same kind of longing you did, and the only reward of your marriage for him was dragging you down to share his misery. If he would never have Lucilla, you would never have Maximus. Promise that he accomplished to the cruelest extent as soon as he got rid of his father. Your noble general, faithfull as he was to the murdered emperor, refused an alliance with his killer and paid with his life.

Knowing that you would mourn him like a widow, Commodus taunted you with the news as soon as he got the chance. With the grudges of the past long forgotten, Lucilla was your only comfort. Touched by grief as you both were, she still managed to remind you of your priorities. With his brother in power having no more need to cather the opinions of their father, your life on itself could be in danger.

Of course, you still were a working facade for the most morally deplorable aspect on the disgusting side of him, but power could make him question your uses. You believed Commodus wouldn't be foolish enough to make of executing his wife one of his first commands of his rule in Rome, but that didn't mean you couldn't expect some unfortunate accident to happen.

What you needed was protection, and his praetorians weren't going to grant it. There was nothing the Senate could do for you, so you had to act on yourself. With the announcement of the games in honor of the deceased emperor, a demeaning joke made in private towards your husband that slipped from you as product of your ragefull grief for Maximus making you momentarily careless of death brought you the solution.

You told Commodus that watching the matches would show him a bit of what a real man was, as if you played to replace him with one of the gladiators, and that gave you the idea of buying your own commitive of protectors. Unusual, maybe, but desperate times needed of desperate meassures.

If you wouldn't be the Empress of Rome, Proximo would have laughed in your face when you explained yourself to him.

" Lady, this men aren't guards. They are entertainers. Doing business with your husband will make me rich, ... why would I risk that? "

" I'm only asking for a handfull of them and I'm not even demanding your best." You argued in return. " I need a protective escort that would answer to me, for safety measures. "

He was terminant to deny your excentricity.

" That is not of my concern. "

" Can I at least take a look at them? It's all I ask, for now. "

With reluctance, your wish was granted. Guided towards the cages you advanced in pridefull strunt and the slaves raised following your eyes. Only one remained in his place, careless or perhaps resentfull of your attention. For him you stopped, intrigued by his attitude and perhaps something more.

" That one is off limits, empress. " His owner warned you, noticing the sparkling interest he had awakened in you. " The Spaniard is the most expected novelty I have to offer. "

His words fell on deaf ears, marvelled as you were with the resemblance with your first and only lost love. An authentic ghost of the past haunting you. Could the gods have made two men so identical, or were they fooling you? Was that man like the phantom Helen made of cloud that some said had followed Paris to Troy while the real remained in hidding? Or had the men of Commodus killed a phantom?

" Forget our deal, I will give you whatever you ask for a moment to speak with him. "

The gladiator kept his cold demeanour, refusing to engage in eye contact with you, untill your almost broken whispers towards him forced the situation.

" ... A man I once knew was from Spain. He never knew, but he was the love of my life. "

Only then, he stopped staring angrily at the ground so he could show his face to you.

" Go back to your husband, Empress. "

The utterance of your rank felt as a spit of disdain landing in your face, but the surprise overcame everything. You were smiling with tearfull eyes, ready to jump over him as a wife that welcomes her brave husband home from war.

Maximus lived and fate had brought him back to you.

His attitude was understandable, even if it was a bit unfair to you. Not only you have played no part in the complot against him, you remained pointlessly faithfull to his memory like a pathetic lapdog. Lucilla had once married a good man that left her with a son after passing, but you were entrusted to a monster you could never love. You were still his in spirit, even if you accepted long ago he could never be for you.

" He doesn't command in my heart, he never will. "

In respect of your rank, the meeting was allowed in the most comfortable settling the place could grant you. By your specifical request, and ignoring the safety hazard that a very angry Maximus implied, you tried to keep him free from chains.

" Claiming my life is not a suitable vengeance, you would be doing his work for him." You warned him as soon as you were allowed enough privacy. " He doesn't have the slightest care for me, I am only the facade of his sinister desires, but if it would please your rage I would gladly give my life for you. "

You exposed your neck, awaiting for some imaginary sword to slit your throat or his hand to squeeze your air out, but the confusion that your willingness to die upon him produced him was enough to make him desist of anything.

" How can you say such things so lightly, when so much between us has changed? You are not that sweet friend of Lucilla giving me lovely glances full of sorrow before I would follow her. My wife and son were tortured and murdered by command of your husband! "

His recriminations hurted you, but how could he had he reacted otherwise? He had no idea of what happened with you after life separated you.

" Can't you see it? Time stopped for me the day I married Commodus without facing your rejection for respect to my friend. The one thing we have in common is obsessive devotion, only never for each other ... I never stopped loving you, I would do anything in my power to make your suffering stop. I can't give back what he took from you, just as no one can return me the youthfull years of misery standing him, but before rushing into conclussions there is something you need to know. "

Falling on your knees before him, you exposed yourself completely in a heartfelt speech.

" You are my sun, the happy corner where my thoughts go hidding from the horrors of my life. Commodus lives frustrated on the impossibility to fullfill his horrendous wants, but all this time I had the comfort of knowing my love is pure. If i daydreamed of being your wife, I never wished any wrongs for the woman you have once chosen. "

The raw honesty left him with very little space for doubts. Fragility you have saved for years was tenderly left on sight for him to judge if your feelings for him were real.

Little did it matter to him at the moment, but that didn't mean it didn't give him new thoughts and couldn't yet inspire him any pitty.

" What am I supposed to say? Do you expect me to be myself or perform for your delusion now that I have no other choice? "

Having your ways get mistaken with Commodus' offended you, but you endured it.

" I want you to understand that all I ever wanted was your happiness. Nothing more, and nothing else. I want you to stop seeing me as your enemy, but can't find a proof of my sincere devotion to satisfy you. If of something I can be blamed, is of loving you more desperately than Lucilla ever did. She survived without you, but I made you a part of me. "

The part of him that felt your sorrow finally won. Lifting your chin delicately with a caress of his thumb, he granted you a first calm approach making you stare into his eyes.

" Keep this meeting as a secret and your loyalty will be proven. I need nothing else of you. "

It made you smile, hopefull to the small victory.

" That was already granted, my love. Nothing greater would you ask from me? If your presence in the arena wouldn't be so required due to the excellent fame you adquired, I would be already trying to buy you in order to find some way to release you. "

The extreme measure to save his honor was a considerable risk that would end bad for you, so a question wandering his mind came out of him without second thoughts.

" Is there anything you wouldn't do for me? "

The mockfull callout made you raise up, regaining only glimpses of your dignity.

" Do you want to escape? I would gladly run away with you. Do you want the head of Commodus, detached from his body? I have no idea of how that could happen, but I will find the way of getting it for you. I don't even need you to love me back, only to let me fill you with the affection I have kept for so long reserved for you."

He remained strictly indiferent to your provocations, but you left him few space for choice. Your hands were cuping his cheeks when you dragged him close enough to barely sense your lips against his. He kept his mouth closed, forbbiding you entrance for a full mouth kiss, but after three carefull pecks he realized you were about to cover his face with those short kisses and stopped you inmediately.

" What do you want us to be? The legendary tale of the gladiator that turned an empress into a slave? "

You wouldn't admit it, but you liked the implied epicity in his reprobatory replication.

" I endure Commodus the same way his father did: ignoring him and pretending you are mine. He wanted you for a son and I want you for a husband. Indulge me as you did for your emperor. "

[schmem14]

Hello friends! Recently, I participated in the fourth HP Rare Pair fest, and with 81 unique and beautiful entries it was a veritable FEAST for the eyes and heart and soul. (Check out the whole collection here)

I wanted to take a moment to post highlights of the fics that just really brought me to my knees in hopes that you’ll fangirl/boy/person over them with me!

1. Evergreen by @thecouchsofa (23k)- Harry Potter x George Weasley What would happen if Harry asked George to go to the Yule Ball with him instead of Parvati? This GOF Yule Ball AU is sure to slay you with sheer adorableness. I couldn’t stop smiling and squealing through the whole thing. This rare pair is one of my favorites, and this fic went above and beyond, plus it’s the perfect holiday read! Rating: T

2. Lonely Creatures by @apricitydays-lazynights (5k)- Severus Snape x Giant Squid The prompt to put these two together could easily have been pure hentai crack nonsense (which is a brilliant option) but this story did things to me that I can’t even put into words. It’s tender, melancholy, and cuts to the heart of Severus Snape’s isolation and longing to be seen and loved. The details of this are so richly woven, and I particularly enjoyed the authors’ focus on Mermlish/Merfolk. Standing ovation to this fic! Rating: E

3. Slice of Night by SquibNation10 (9k)- Aurora Sinistra x Severus Snape This was the fic that took me the most by surprise. I love the creativity in taking a character who gets very few canon details and making them real and beautiful and believable. Auror Sinistra is divine in this, and I’ll give some honorable mentions to both Argus Filch and Rolanda Hooch as excellent supporting characters that also don’t typcially get a lot of spotlight. What a gorgeous slice of life fic! Rating: T

3. Quick Quotes and Quibbles by RainstormRadish (3k)- Luna Lovegood x Rita Skeeter Rita and Luna have to work together to cover the wedding of Neville Longbottom and Pansy Parkinson. There’s just something about a story told in unconventional medium that will always ALWAYS pull me in! This unlikely pairing comes together in the sweetest way, their strong personalities balancing each other out until they become a formidable team.  I particularly loved the graphics and paper trail memos/epistolary style storytelling. Rating: T

4. Your seat, it’s the best seat by @the-houseryn (17k)- Ron Weasley x Draco Malfoy MOVE OVER only one bed, there’s a new trope in town and it’s the ONLY ONE SEAT trope!! This was sexy, flirtatous, and hot AF. I’m always down for a Dron fic, but this one is one of the best I’ve read in a while, with some delicious pining and a predictably oblivious Ron. Do yourself a favor and indulge in the lap-sitting fic of the year! Rating: E

5. Vivaldi and Hot Chocolate by @patriceavril (6k)- Percy Weasley x Stan Shunpike What was Percy up to in OTP/HBP? What a lonely life that must have been! This fic was soft and sweet, giving some much-needed love to a character that we all wrote off in canon for being a stuck-up prick. I love how Percy seeks out the warmth and comfort of the Knight Bus, coming back for more because of the kind-hearted and bubbly Stan Shunpike, who always insists on giving Percy free hot chocolate. I never expected to be so enamoured by this pairing, but I am! Rating: T

6. The monster you feed by @ghostfelicis188 (11k)- Regulus Black x Remus Lupin This canon-compliant fic tore me to shreds. TO SHREDS. Like, I am such a simp for tragic Remus romances, and this took the cake. Features: pining artist Remus, and shit-eating cruel Regulus who toys with Remus the whole damn fic. If you like hurt no comfort, this is the fic for you. *Chefs Kiss* Rating: M

7. Gilded Web by @emilyrickman AlihotsyTotsy (8k)- George Weasley x Blaise Zabini I cannot believe that this understated fic packed such a punch in 8,000 words. George agrees to an undercover operation to investigate the mysterious deaths of Mrs. Zabini’s deceased husbands. He is so pure in this, his characterization charming and believable, I just need more of this George! Bonus points for references to “the Sting” Rating: M

8. Sleeping with Ghosts by @ghaniblue (21k)- Harry Potter x Regulus Black x Draco Malfoy My initial thoughts when encountering this relationship tag was something akin to a bewildered head scratch but OMG the best thing about this fest is having expectations completely upended! This fic slayed hard with a slow burn, found family, semi-sentient house renovation angle that had me completely melted by the end. Rating: M

9. The Last Trial of Peter Petegrew by @sleepstxtic (20 k)- Peter Petegrew x James Potter If possible, I’d like to ram this fic down the throats of all my mutuals with a plea to PLEASE READ THIS FIC. I can’t begin to describe in a tiny paragraph what this did to me. Often Peter Petegrew is relegated to the traitor bus in fandom (understandable) but this took every mean and traitorous part of his character and made me almost like him despite his treachery! The format of this was also a delight to read, and I love that Hermione presents the case for Peter Petegrew in this meta purgatory-style courtroom drama. Rating: M

10. Anatomy of a memory by @venom0usbarbie (9k)- Ginny Weasley x Tom Riddle This story was pure poetry wrapped in a sinister diary-shaped package. I love the self-fulfilling prophecy nature of this time loop style storyline, as well as the toxic obsession and manipulation played out between Ginny and Tom. What a mindfuck ending that was, too! Kudos to the “Tom Riddle is his own Warning” tag. Rating: M

11. Sweet Boy by @maraudersaffair (6k)- Narcissa Black Malfoy x Harry Potter A not-quite-fake dating fic with lots of smut, thirst, and mommy/praise kink? Yes, please! I was literally panting by the end of this, Harry and Narcissa are so hot together! Rating: E

12. Growing Suspicion by nocturn (1.8k)- Neville Longbottom x Marcus Flint Someone keeps mutilating Neville’s plants, and he’s going to get to the bottom of it OR that time Marcus expresses feelings but doesn’t understand proper plant care. This fic was A-DOR-ABLE. Love me a good Hogwarts professors/staff fic, and this was just a bite-sized delight to read. Rating: G

13. For Your Burning Gaze by SquibNation10 (22k)- Neville Longbottom x Pansy Parkinson The fic that I most want to see a sequel for award goes to… this Twilight Zone post-war marriage law fic complete with creepy house elves and a very troubled Pansy, who seems to be the only one realizing that something is not quite right! This is one of the best Panville fics I’ve read, I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. Rating: E

Thanks to @hprarepairfest for putting on another amazing fest!

[sepherinaspoppies]

Aemond's POV chapter sneak peek!

since this inspired me to release a lil glimpse hehe

When he defeated his uncle, he made sure to keep the bones of Caraxes in his bedchamber that he’d soon share with his wife. As for Dark Sister, he made sure to keep that too, a bride gift to his one and only. Aemond remembered her fascination with Visenya’s sword. But once her indecisiveness and her so-called “hatred” for him faltered, he’d present it to her. Not that she knew how to wield a sword, but after she’d struck him, Aemond knew he had more coming. 

“Daeron, the most honorable, took your place and married the Baratheon girl. While you married this…—” Alicent found herself stuttering in her words, bewildered on what to call that girl who captured his son’s eye. 

Aemond snapped his head up, his lips pulling into a snarl. “‘This’ what, mother?” He asked, angrily raising his voice. 

“Foreigner.” Alicent huffed. “We have won the war for now, but without truly knowing that Daemon is dead, we are still at risk.”

The other lords who sat in the council all nodded in agreement. 

“Daemon is dead. I’m sure of it.” Aemond informed. 

His grandfather who had been silent from the other end of the table spoke. “If you are sure of it, then where is his body? You brought us Caraxes and the sword, yet it doesn’t prove he is deceased.” 

After the Battle Above the Gods Eye, Aemond believed that his traitorous uncle’s body lay deep in the lake, where nature would take its course and the sea life to eat his body.  It is what would have happened to him, but all thanks to his lovely bride she had told him his fate, his doom. 

“If Daemon were to be alive, he’d be a huge threat to us. He would advocate for himself and start another war, and in any case the crown should be prepared for such a thing. But for that, we would need allies…” The Grand Maester Orwyle, very carefully spoke. 

Aemond could feel the eyes in the room, looking straight at him. Scoffing and rolling his eye, “If you suggest I take another wife, when I’m already wed, then you are one dull-witted and ill-advised cunt and you should not have a seat on my table.” He gritted. 

The thought of being with another who was not his precious one and only, made him sick to his stomach. He promised himself under the moon and stars and the Gods to her. Every part of him, his heart, his seed and soul belonged to her and only her. 

For now, she was in her modern little world. Though soon, when the red witch opened up the shield to her universe, his bride would come back into his arms. 

And their child… 

[frodothefair]

Does the Shire do like a.. well, I guess not an independence Day a la *from Britain*, but like a patriotic holiday? I guess there might be more incentive for one after the war of the ring and all, especially since I know that our little not-leaving trio shuffle things in the Shire politically a bit after the war and I'm sure they'd like to honor everyone's sacrifice/bravery/trauma. Then again, was there like already a Shire Day or something? and they'd make like a veterans and/or memorial day after the story? god, i hope they'd put a little more into either than a deep discount on mattresses. like a town shindig or something!

💐 ASK ME about my headcanons about hobbits and the Shire! 💐

Great question!

Before the War of the Ring, I doubt the hobbits were "patriotic" as we understand the term. They loved their land, surely, but they expressed that love through the tilling of the earth, and by enjoying its boons. They did not need a special day to honor who they were and where they came from.

If there were holidays that celebrated the "Shire-ness" of the Shire, those were probably Midsummer and the Harvest Festival.

Midsummer took place around the time of the summer solstice, and was a time of bonfires, dancing, singing, maypoles, drinking ales, and of course feasting. The days were long, and the flowers plentiful, so it was also a popular time for weddings. Because of the profusion of flowers, there was also a big flower market at around that time, where awards were given for the finest specimens, and enthusiasts could purchase bulbs and cuttings.

(image credit)

The Harvest Festival was similar to the "county fair" experience in our time. It took place in late September, and by that point, the crops would come in, and the farmers would gather to showcase their finest crops, their finest animals, and their finest wares (from canned goods, to pies, to woodwork), again with prizes being awarded. It was also a time to see family from the far corners of the Shire, hold sports and other competitions, and of course eat. I am sure that there was even a prize for the largest mushroom found in the woods.

(image credit)

After the War of the Ring, things changed, and a new holiday was introduced: Remembrance Day. A natural time for this was November 3rd, the anniversary of the Battle of Bywater. This was a time to honor those fallen in that battle, but also the sacrifice of those who lived through the Scouring. It was a time to tell family stories that centered around those events, as well as the story of the four hobbits who expelled the Ruffians and Sharkey from the Shire.

Remembrance Day was a more solemn occasion. There was feasting as well, but also trips to the cemetery to honor the dead, and pictures, candles, and flowers displayed in homes commemorating both the living and the dead. Food and drink would be left out at special altars throughout the night, or simply at a vacant seat at the table, to remember those who died of hunger and other privations, and those who were starved and ill-used in the Lockholes.

Bonus: When hobbits visit their loved ones at the cemetery, they always bring the favorite food and drink of the deceased to leave at the grave. For this and other reasons, hobbits maintain detailed registers of their loved ones' favorite meals.

[misslavenderlady]

The Prince & The Princess 👑👑

Marko/Female!OC

Summary: Marko has held onto the guilt of hurting his bride for months now. She's sad to see him feeling so down, so she decides it's time they properly made up~

Thank you @aairadaebak for the request! I appreciate your patience and I hope you enjoy this!

This is the sequel to the KARMA collab series with @ghoulgeousimmaculate. It features her OCs from Party The Pain Away and Little Red (which I highly recommend you read). This has references to her stuff, and takes place in the modern world, not 1987!

WARNINGS: N.s.f.w./18+ Readers Only, References to physical/sexual abuse, References to torture, Pregnancy, Guilt, Panic attack, Fear, Make-up sex, Cunninglingus, Vaginal sex, Sex on a desk, Language Kink, Light Dom/Sub, Romance, Cutting skin, Blood drinking Credit to @losthavenmine and @ofallingstar for gifs

Being a bride of the Lost Boys wasn’t for the faint of heart.  

David and the boys were cruel with their love, showing no mercy until they ensnared the objects of their desire. The four lured vulnerable victims with sweet nothings and gentle caresses before swooping in to seize their mind, body, and soul with sadistic torture and manipulation.  

Only the most resilient women could see their twisted affection for its beauty.  

And Sis was one of those women.  

Out of all the sisters, she sacrificed the most to be their mate. Her mother was deceased, her sanity was fried, and her soul was compromised. But out of all the horrific things the men she loved did to her, she never expected one of them to force themselves on her.  

The boys held her prisoner for over a year before they wed. But every time she opened her legs, she gave herself willingly. 

Marko’s assault was an exceptional betrayal that disgusted the entire pack. The vampires who once feared and revered him now looked down their noses like he was nothing more than a disrespectful cockroach scurrying across the ground. Marko felt out of place in the pack, like he was no longer welcome despite atoning with his flesh. 

Life after the traumatic event was challenging for him and Sis. 

Despite enacting her triumphant revenge and being blessed with another child, Sis had some hurdles to conquer. Her confidence was restored, but she was still uncomfortable in the petite vampire's presence. Being in the same room with him without David or Dwayne for support was difficult, but she didn’t want to spend the rest of eternity distrustful of one of the vampires she loved immensely.  

She wanted nothing more than to restore the bond that was broken all those months ago. 

Marko had never been one to fall into self-loathing or shame. He was a ruthless man in life and in death. When he once walked in the sunlight, he was a noble lord, a powerful man to be feared and respected by all.  

He took great pleasure in torturing others. There was an entire dungeon of horrors named in his honor. Servants whispered theories about what he did in such a dark, terrifying place.  

That sadistic thirst for pain stayed with him as a vampire. In fact, it was dialed up to a greater level. He found sick pleasure in the cries of anguish the brides made in his beloved toy room. It made his cock as hard as stone.  

But this time around, he wasn't in a position of power. David was. Marko was his lackey, always doing as he wished, no matter what. Whether it was running errands or bending over to let his body be used, Marko would follow David's order. 

He wished with all his blackened heart he had done so this time around. 

Marko truly didn't know what came over him. In his moment of weakness, the feral side had completely taken over, wanting nothing but to breed the beautiful vampire bride. Perhaps it was an ancient, animalistic call to grow the coven.  

Whatever it was, he should have controlled himself.  

After every last punishment David put him through, Marko was healed in body, but not mind. He wasn't like himself. Instead of sneaky and confident he was now meek and silent. His impish nature had gone, leaving behind a frightened, cherub-faced boy who would never dare to look anybody in the eye. 

Sis noticed his change in demeanor and ironically, it hurt her so. Marko’s mischievous nature caused her great terror during training, but it was also the very thing that drew her to him when they first met. She first laid eyes on him across the bar roughhousing with Paul���with a cheeky smile upon his lips. She loved the chaotic glint in his eye when he was about to inflict the most exquisite torment.  

The vampire queen was made from the worst parts of the boys. Her sadism in particular was nurtured by Marko. Some of her most cherished date nights were with Marko after her turning. Together they would trap the prettiest women and release them in the woods to be hunted and devoured.  

She loved the mania in the petite vampire’s eyes when he picked her up around the waist and spun her around. She missed that vampire. It was like he didn’t exist anymore.  

And that was something she couldn’t allow as the mother of the pack. So, with shaky legs and an uneasy belly, she sought out her fourth husband. She searched their underground kingdom high and low until she found the littlest vampire hiding in a nook deep in the bowels of the sleeping wing.  

Marko looked up to her doe eyes, her presence startling him from his project. He was surrounded by vivid scraps of fabric, obvious trinkets from recent victims that he had eaten. He was in the process of adding the patches to his jacket, which had gotten quite the upgrade over the years.  

“How’s the sewing going?” Sis whispered as she lingered by the doorway of the alcove. She didn’t enter the room fully, afraid that Marko might flee before she could show him that she meant no harm.  

Marko didn't look at her with hunger like he used to. He instead had the sad expression of a puppy who misbehaved and got a scolding from its master. It didn't look right to Sis. Those deep, hazel eyes were meant to burn with a playful fire.  

They had since fizzled out after that fateful night.  

"H-Hey there," Marko mumbled. He set down his needle and thread and got back up to his feet. When he was alive, his servants greeted him in a similar manner. Frightened, yet on alert for his orders.  

"Oh…this is nothing. Whatever you need, I can do this later." 

If he had been his usual self, Marko would have gleefully told her stories about each patch. They would have snickered devilishly together over each victim and how they screamed.  

It hurt Sis dearly to see her husband act in such a way. With a gentle look in her eyes, she slowly made her way further into the room.  

"Master-"  

"N-No! Please…" Marko winced at the title. He brought his entire body downward, making himself smaller and lower to the ground compared to her. "I don't deserve to be called that…not after….w-what I did…" 

Sis pouted at his display. The night she tortured him with the help of David was something that brought her power and confidence. She had survived the attack and came out stronger than ever. Now she hated the way Marko continued to punish himself.  

"You can't keep doing this to yourself, handsome," she cooed. "It was bad the first few weeks after the toy room, but ever since I got pregnant, you've been so much worse.” 

“It’s what I deserve,” he whispered, skittishly scurrying to the corner.  

Sis could tell he was calculating a way out of the room to escape her. She sighed, using her speed to block his path. She mentally kicked herself when she saw him yelp and cower against the cold stone. The last time she used her speed against him, she feasted on him, leaving the vampire drained and unable to heal while she tortured him nearly to death.  

It was her pound of flesh for all that he’d done to her, but she hated that it had tainted his spirit.  

“I’m sorry,” Sis soothed as she spoke to him in hushed tones. “I’m not going to hurt you. I promise. I just want to talk to you.” 

“I’m not worth to be in your presence…” 

“You are worthy, Marko,” Sis challenged. “I’m your wife.” 

“You’re David’s wife…” 

Sis seeped into her irises, Marko’s words hurting her beyond what she could ever imagine. She and David had a very sacred bond, but she belonged to ALL of the boys. Their blood ran through her veins, not just David’s. On her wedding night, she fed from all of them. 

“Is that what you think?” Sis questioned.  

“That’s what I know,” Marko replied in defeat, his eyes drifting to her baby bump. “You didn’t want my child…” 

Sis let out an exasperated sigh. Even though she was just finishing her first trimester, Marko was still pained to see her growing belly. It was a mark of her bond with David. They were king and queen and would bring another precious heir into the world. One that could have been Marko's.  

"I didn't want your child by force, Marko." 

The blond trembled, immediately regretting his choice of words. Every time he was reminded of how he pinned his wife down to the ground, his stomach churned, and his head felt dizzy. The mere memory sickened him.  

"I'm s-sorry! I…I know I shouldn't have done that…" he stammered. The shaking was getting worse, and it worried Sis terribly.  

"My Marko…love…please.." Sis said to him. She was gentler than ever. It was most certainly foreign to her experience with him, but absolutely necessary. Not wanting to startle him, she slowly and gently reached out to cup his cheek.  

Even if he was scared of hurting her again, she had to show that she held no fear towards him in return.  

"First of all, we raise our babies together. We're all a family. Laddie, Eva, Jasper, Paulina, and the little ones on the way. They're all ours. Second, you have to understand that I'm not upset with you anymore. You paid for your crime, and now you're a free man. How can we grow from this if you keep beating yourself up?"  

Marko's gaze fell to the cave floor. He spoke so softly, yet Sis heard his words loud and clear.  

"Because I don't deserve you…" he muttered somberly. "I don't deserve the boys, I don't deserve Red and Spunky, and I especially don't deserve that baby on the way…the one I didn't appreciate like I should have…." 

“If you didn’t appreciate the child you had, you wouldn’t have compromised everything you believed in to make sure Red was safe when Gem and the sisters protested on my behalf,” Sis pointed out. “You couldn’t bear the thought of Red starving or miscarrying. That sounds like a father who loves and deserves his child to me.” 

“But not a man who loves and his wife…” Marko countered. “I carried you into that room kicking, screaming, and begging for mercy….I tortured you for days…I don’t deserve you.” 

“I was out of line for attacking Spunky. She infuriated me, but I shouldn’t have tried to kill her. My punishment was justified, and your hand wasn’t the only hand I suffered under. David, Dwayne, and Paul punished me too.” 

“It’s still no excuse…” 

Sis’ shoulders slumped. She was getting exhausted with this melancholy banter, but she refused to give up until he was alive again. 

“Marko…Master, I wouldn’t be me if it weren’t for you. You and the boys made me what I am today…” 

“And I’m disgusted by it! By what we did to you,” he spat, springing to his feet. “We destroyed your entire life.” 

“You gave me a second chance. I wasn’t living. My grief crippled me. The way I drank, smoked, and popped pills, I would have been dead by 40. You gave me eternal life. Love. Children—a family I thought I’d never have. You and the boys forced me to sacrifice some things, but I feel more alive than I ever did when I had a soul.” 

Marko opened his mouth again, most likely to continue on with his words or self-degradation. But Sis would not allow such a thing.  

Quick in her actions, she took hold of both sides of Marko's face and pulled him in as close as possible. Her plush lips pressed against his own, silencing any of his negative thoughts with a kiss.  

The blond vampire let out a noise of surprise. He hadn't tasted her love in such a way for months. It was as if he was a teenager again, so inexperienced for a kiss. Getting to feel her again like this was making his knees buckle and his heart swell. 

When she finally released him, they were both panting, practically breathless from such an intense moment.  

"Dio mio, principessa…" Marko sighed, his native tongue coming out from such a surprise.  

“Mio principe, farai l'amore con me?” Sis whispered with hopeful eyes. 

Marko hesitantly glanced at his wife from under his brow. He studied her beautiful face, thinking about how long it had been since he’d seen it contorted in pure ecstasy. Thinking about her dainty coos of pleasure. The warmth of her soft breasts against his chest. How good it felt inside her.  

Marko missed holding his wife in his arms. Missed running his nimble fingers over her tender flesh and kneading her ample curves.  

Oh, how Sis fit so well in his arms! One of his fondest memories as an immortal was holding his tiny future bride in embrace while she wantonly bounced on his lap at the dinner table.  

It was one of the best first dates he EVER had. 

"I…I…." Marko stammered with a shuttered breath. He felt as if an angel and devil were perched on his shoulders, whispering to him. One telling him to ravage the beauty before him and the other ordering him not to hurt her.  

His usual personality was fighting with his punished self. Sis just knew how to turn his world upside down in every way possible.  

Perhaps it was possible to have a little bit of both. Enjoy her touch and savor it for what it was. No chains, no floggers, no toy room. 

Just man and wife.  

"Oh God, come here, beautiful," he sighed, finally giving in to temptation.  

He moaned deeply as he brought her in for another kiss. His arms wrapped around her waist, desperate to keep her close. It all felt so right. Like he found his missing piece of the puzzle. One little taste was already driving him wild with need. 

And Sis was unraveling too. 

The ebony queen slithered her taloned fingers under Marko’s crop top to caress his pale flesh. She giggled when Marko shivered under her ministrations, the curly-haired blond moaning into her mouth as he crushed his lips to hers.  

Pressing her toes forward, Sis ejected herself into the air and wrapped her legs around Marko’s waist. She gyrated her hips, grinding her pelvis against her husband’s burgeoning erection. The large stiff bulge of his manhood pulled a sultry sigh from her full lips.  

“Ooh, Master,” Sis cooed as Marko trailed kisses down her throat. “Ti amo tanto~” 

The blond vampire carried his bride across the room, holding her about the waist with one hand as he swept the other over the desk. Spools of thread and patches of intricate fabric scattered on the ground in a chaotic heap.  

But Marko didn’t care. His jacket was usually his pride and joy. But at this moment, all that mattered was the precious time he was spending with his beautiful wife.  

With her legs still wrapped around his waist, Sis purred in delight underneath her husband. She loved it when Marko tossed her around for some fun. Even if he was being more gentle with her for now, she still loved getting to be with him again.  

She tugged at his shirt, silently begging him to take it off. Marko's body was absolutely flawless. The image of a Greek statue carved to perfection. He shouldn't have to hide it.  

"God, you're so sexy, Master," she sighed, her manicured nails running along his muscular chest. "I want you~" 

It truly felt amazing to hear his wife beg to have him again. Her voice was pure music to him, and he wanted to make her sing out some more.  

"I always want you too, principessa~" Marko whispered to her. If he was going to do this, he was going to do it right. "Please, beautiful. May I taste you?"  

Sis was certainly never one to deny the chance to get eaten out. With a newfound desire in her eyes, she spread her legs for Marko, granting him access to her body.  

For once in his life, Marko didn't tear off her clothing like a wild animal. He wanted to treat her right. Like a real lady in need of some love. He trailed kisses down her plush thighs as he gently tugged her panties down her legs. 

Seeing her pussy glisten for him again was making the front of his pants sore. He had to have her.  

“Ti leccherò la figa,” Marko purred as his nimble fingers caressed Sis’ smooth chocolate thighs. The blond vampire kneaded the supple flesh, sighing from the sublime sensation of her body beneath the pads of his fingers.  

With tender dominance, Marko seized Sis’ thighs, pulling her to the edge of the table so he could dine. He plopped in his chair, scooting towards his wife’s dripping orifice with a devilish glint in his eye.  

“Sembri così gustoso amore mio,” Marko whispered against his wife’s folds. He lulled his tongue from his mouth, teasingly panting like a greedy puppy against his wife’s dripping loins.  

Sis whined as she felt the soothing heat waft over her needy body. She squealed in delight when Marko rolled his tongue over her slit before delving in face first, vibrating his tongue like a ravenous creature who fed on lust. A sinful shiver tore through her needy body from the ministrations of Marko’s evil little tongue. He was driving her mad, the woolly walls she used to hide her inner beast unfolding. 

Sis percolated with madness; the vixen giggled uncontrollably until her child-like titters turned into wails of passion.  

A moan fell from Marko's soft lips, muffled by the warmth of his wife's womanhood. She was absolutely delectable, inside, and out. Every time he had a taste, he felt starved for more. He'd give up all the blood in the world just to feed off her.  

"Ooooh M-Master~!" Sis sighed out. Her head fell back as she relaxed more into Marko's hold. In between each girlish giggle was a womanly moan. She flipped back and forth between her states of mind when the boys were pleasuring her so intensely.  

That only fueled the blond's hunger more. He grabbed hold of her soft thighs and threw her legs over his shoulders so he could dive in deeper. He knew every sweet spot within his wife's body, and he rubbed each one nicely with his tongue.  

"Ooh! Ooooh fuck, mi principe vampiro~"  

“Ti piace quella, principessa?” 

“Sì, mio principe...but I need you inside me,” Sis panted. “Please, Master…” 

“I tuoi desideri sono ordini…” 

Marko gave his wife one last teasing lick before standing at his feet to mount her. He unzipped himself, dropping his jeans in a heap around his ankles to free his dick. His manhood sprang free, standing at attention engorged, veined, and weeping. He stroked it as he lined himself up with Sis’ slick hole. He playfully tortured the writhing woman, running his glans up and down her sensitive slit.  

Marko enjoyed watching Sis shiver and coo with anticipation as he denied her desire to be filled, but his game backfired. The petite vampire could barely hold out long enough to get her begging, because feeling her reminded him of how long he hadn’t been inside. Halfway through his torment, he abandoned his teasing and slipped into Sis in one motion. The vampire queen was so slick that he slid in with ease, her juices producing a lewd squelching as he entered her body. 

"Mmmn yessss~" she sighed out, delighted by the feeling of Marko stretching and filling her with ease. She was incredibly grateful to have not one but four different husbands with amazing cocks to fuck for eternity. They never left her unsatisfied.  

She eagerly tightened her legs around Marko's waist. The closer he was, the better. Sis always longer to feel Marko fuck her nice and deep. Make her go positively dumb with lust.  

But this time was different. Marko wasn't his usual self. Rather than roughly fucking into her, he was smooth and slow with his motions. Gentle, in fact. A little too gentle. 

"Master…" Sis cooed, cocking her head to the side, and looking up at the blond with big, beautiful doe eyes. "Is something wrong?"  

He figured she would notice. They had embraced as lovers enough time to recognize the unique ways they made love. Marko smiled sheepishly down at her. It was quite different from the usual sadistic smirk he gave her.  

"Sorry…didn't want to hurt you…or the baby…" he admitted. Marko gently placed a hand on top of her baby bump, softly massaging her skin.  

“Master…” Sis sighed as her breath hitched from the tender kneading of her bump. “I trust you…I know you won’t hurt me.” 

“I appreciate that, principessa,” Marko purred, “but I want to savor you…just this once….” 

Marko rolled his hips, arching his back in a serpentine manner as he pistoned his hips into Sis. His thrusts were confident and powerful, but slow and sensuous. And with purpose. He may not be dominating Sis in the way he usually did, but his sadism still shined through as he massaged her deep inside.  

Each time he pumped into his wife; he could see her eyes widen with ecstasy as the plump ridges of his manhood caressed her sensitive erogenous zones. A playful giggle fell from his lips when her back arched and she whined pitifully. Sis murmured in Italian, little curses falling from her pretty painted mouth. 

“FUCK…signore oscuro! Mio principe, ti amo! SHIT!” 

Hearing his beloved mate say things in his first language drove Marko wild. It made him imagine her with the title of Lady to his Lordship. Though he and his brothers had plenty of money to spare in the modern world, he would have enjoyed spoiling her in his human life as well.  

Still, she had an even greater title to her name; Vampire Queen of Santa Carla.  

"Sei bellissima. Sei la mia vita. Ti amo, cara mia~" 

The words of romance poured out of Marko's mouth like water from a stream. It just came to him so naturally having her like this. Craving even more of Sis, he brought himself down, pressing her body onto the desk with his own. Not too much pressure to hurt her belly, of course, but just enough to enjoy her even more.  

"My beauty. I missed you so fucking much~" he purred into her ear. Marko slipped his hands over here, intertwining their fingers together. "I swear I'll never hurt you again, principessa." 

Sis mewled, her body vibrating as Marko led her to orgasm. She gripped his fingers tightly, holding on for dear life as her walls pulsed around his thick shaft. Marko continued riding her, his hazel eyes boring into hers. He leaned forward, crushing his lips to hers once more before running his tongue along her cheek.  

He sighed into the crook of her shoulder, the taste of her driving him ballistic and sending him over the edge. The salt of her tears. The sweetness of her juices.  

And that GRIP! 

Marko rolled his hips as long as he could. But her vampiric muscles of her core trapped him in place, milking him. He came with a grunt, bathing her insides with his seed—reclaiming her as his own.  

But she wasn’t fully his. Not just yet. They had to complete one more sacred act to make things right. Marko picked Sis up around her waist, carrying her around the desk. He seated himself while he was still attached, holding her tenderly in his arms as she clung to him. Her body still rigid from orgasm. 

“Principessa…look at me…” Marko whispered, untangling Sis’ arms from around his neck.  

Sis sat back, looking at Marko with reddened eyes and tear-streaked cheeks. She watched him in curiosity as his claws extended and slashed a section of his own throat to free his century-old blood.  

“Mi amore…Drink…let’s renew our vows as husband and wife.” 

Sis nodded, overwhelmed with emotion that Marko wished to renew the unholy sacraments they participated in on their wedding day. She wiped a tear from her eye before she wrapped her lips over the weeping cut, drinking deeply from her mate. His blood, thick and rich with wisdom and power flowed down her throat and into her belly. She would digest and metabolize his essence, making herself one with him once again.  

And to return the favor, she wanted him to do the same.  

“Mio principe, prendimi…” She whispered as she ran her index over her breast, her red talon freeing her fledgling blood. She was young, but she was made from greatness. Her blood a fusion of the covens—the boys and the sisters. By Marko drinking from her, their bond would come full circle, and they could finally move on as a family. 

Marko's tongue slowly traced over his lips in hunger. She truly was his. He could see that clear as day with her offering her blood to him in such a way. Months ago, he used his talons on her, accidentally slicing part of her skin. She was so scared and helpless that night.  

Now she was willing and happy. That was all he truly wanted. Even if it would be centuries before he could give her another baby, he'd be more than satisfied to enjoy the marital bliss as it was.  

"Come to me, beautiful," he purred, bringing her bosom to his mouth. He greedily lapped at her blood, thrilled to taste her. Such perfection would only get better with age. Like the world's finest wine.  

"Master~" Sis sighed out for him. She ran her fingers through his silky curls as he drank from her body. It felt right to be like this again. No fights or punishments. Just love. 

By the time Marko took the last drop and cleaned her wound, their connection was fully restored. Both the vampires could feel it. Life would still have plenty of ups and downs, but now they were stronger than ever.  

"I love you, Marko." 

"I love you too, beautiful." 

Once Sis had been properly cleaned and set up in her luxurious bath to be pampered by the other boys, Marko decided to go off on his own. He was more than satisfied with how he and his wife made up, but there was another special lady who needed his attention.  

Slipping through the hall of the cave, he made his way to the nest of a certain little redhead.  

He poked his head in the entryway to see Red in her room. She was deep in a fit of nesting, carefully folding all of the baby clothes she had been gifted so they were all ready for when she gave birth.  

That delivery could happen any day now, as indicated by the great roundness of her belly. It made Marko's heart swell with pure love.  

"There's my beautiful girls," he cooed.  

Red lifted her head to meet his gaze, surprised by him after being so lost in focus.  

"Hi, Marko," she smiled. "You seem like you're in a much better mood. Everything going well?"  

"Going fantastic, actually," he sighed. He stepped into the room, his hands hidden behind his back as he moved. It made Red grow quite curious.  

Marko finally had his smirk back. The one that made it clear he was up to something sneaky. Red would have gotten nervous if she didn't already know his games were on hold while she was heavily pregnant.  

"I have a gift for you, love," Marko said. He pulled his hands out from behind his back. 

Marko revealed a tiny satin box, opening the vessel to reveal a dazzling ring—a ruby, similar to Sis’ mammoth opulent gem, but unique. It was white gold, emerald cut, and flanked by two large diamonds.  

“I know Sis is my wife,” Marko whispered, “but you are just as so special to me, mi amore. You accept me for the beast that I am, and you blessed me with the best gift a man could ever ask for. I may not be king, but I am eternally grateful that you carry my legacy. I wanted to give you this months ago, but with my crime…and my shame. I thought I was unworthy of you…I still am, but…that’s because I know how important you are to me. Principessa, ti amo….” 

Red’s bottom lip quivered, her pregnancy hormones triggering her turbulent emotions. Her heart fluttered in her chest as she laid eyes on the sparkling ring. As a child, Red always dreamed of getting married, being a bride, and living happily ever after. But when Marko handcuffed her to his bed over a year ago, she thought she’d die without ever becoming a bride.  

And yet, he made her one.  

She was born in blood, becoming his mate for eternity, but in comparison to her elder Sis, she felt inferior. Sis was strong, commanding, and exceptionally beautiful, with the wit and charisma worthy of a queen.  

Red loved Big Sis, but she was sometimes jealous. Envious of the looks of adoration that blanketed Marko and the boys’ faces when she walked in the room. How they waited on her hand and foot. How she had the power to make them buckle and bow when she played her cards right. 

And the ring. The beautiful symbol of matrimony that represented a union between two lovers. Red longed for a gem of her own. A sheath for her bare ring finger.  

Now, thanks to her dark prince, she had one of her own.  

“Marko!” Red gasped, springing from her seat and dropping the baby items she had obsessively fussed over for the last hour. “For me?” 

“Sì, mia bellezza! I love you so much! I want you to know you are royalty too…una degna sposa.” 

Red gazed at Marko with a great look of adoration in her eyes. She leaned in to kiss him, her baby bump set in the middle of their bodies as she did so. Marko didn't mind, of course. It felt good being reminded of the newest edition of their happy little family.  

"I may be a monster, but I promise to be good to you forever, Red. To both of you." 

He leaned down in order to press a sweet kiss on her belly, showing his love for his unborn daughter. To think that a wicked, corrupt soul like Marko could have this second chance with love and a family was such a miraculous gift.  

All truly was right again. 

Italian Translations:

Dio mio, principessa - My God, princess

Mio principe, farai l'amore con me? - My prince, will you make love to me?

Ti Amo Tanto - I love you so much

Ti leccherò la figa - I will eat your pussy

Sembri così gustoso, amore mio - You look so tasty, my love

Ti piace quella, principessa? - you like that, princess?

I tuoi desideri sono ordini - Your wish is my command

Signore Oscuro - Dark Lord

Sei bellissima. Sei la mia vita. Ti amo, cara mia - You are very beautiful. You are my life. I love you, my dear

Prendimi - pick me up

Sì, mia bellezza! - yes, my beauty!

Tag List: @britany1997 @6lostgirl6 @pixielostboy @bloodywickedvamp @kurt-nightcrawler @bezinful @american-idiot-jpg @vampirefilmlover @crustyraccoon @legal-lost-boy @ria-coolgirl

[mysticstarlightduck]

Happy WBW!

💀 - How do people in your world think about the dead after their passing? Do they celebrate them, mourn, or honour them in some way, or are they gone and not mentioned?

🏛️ - Does your world have old buildings? Ruins?

Happy WBW!!! Thank you so much for the ask, @pluttskutt! I'll answer this one for my WIPs Enchanted Illusions and Realms of Loss!

💀 - How do people in your world think about the dead after their passing? Do they celebrate them, mourn, or honour them in some way, or are they gone and not mentioned?

IN ENCHANTED ILLUSIONS:

The treatment of the dead depends/varies on which of the many cultures present in Ansburke we're talking about (though the city's cultural landscape is divided/shared mostly between humans and Myths - magical beings - there are many cultures within those groups, and many different kinds of Myths, from faeries to vampires and even banshees).

The most predominant ways people think about/treat the dead in the city of Ansburke are very similar to the way people viewed/treated the dead in the 1800s, and in some aspects, even in the modern day. There are funerals and mourning rites (which, again, vary according to which fictional human or Myth culture the person hails from), as well as some celebrations - during which the deceased's loved ones may or may not invoke a deity/god to protect the spirit of the who died while on their way to the afterlife.

Most people are buried in graveyards or crypts - much like the ones we know today - though some prefer to be cremated and put into urns. In Ansburke, most common funeral choices and rites are similar to those commonly associated with the actual IRL Victorian period, especially regarding the "grieving etiquette" and rules, but there are some very unique alternatives too.

For example, in this world, Selkies and Kelpies return their dead loved ones to the sea - since they themselves are born in the sea, respecting the cycle of life is crucial for their spirits to properly pass on and it is sacred to their kind. Selkies and Kelpies believe that when the deceased person's soul reaches the open sea again that spirit may be reborn in the next 100 or so years.

Vampires - or at least those who are born vampires, not turned - consider death an unfathomable tragedy (since they are supposed to live forever, being killed certainly seems unnatural to them), and often mourn their dead loved ones for centuries or even eternity. They guard their loved one's final resting ground viciously and do not take kindly to uninvited guests trespassing on their crypts, even if by accident. To vampires, the death of one of their kind is a crime that must never be forgiven.

Faeries/Fey Folk hold huge parties/celebrations in memory of the deceased, during the days and even weeks after the funeral. In their ceremonies, they typically light an enchanted kind of lantern that can burn bright for weeks, lighting the sky of the vicinities like multicolored stars.

As in IRL, most people in Ansburke continue honoring their dead and keeping that person's memory alive in special ways that mean something to them.

In the main cast, for example, Cailean Telkerly, a half-selkie, collects and fixes broken pocket watches as a sort of remembrance for his dead older brother, who really loved his job as a clockmaker's apprentice. Another example is Marcus Kallihan, who lights a special candle every year on his deceased parents' wedding anniversary.

IN REALMS OF LOSS -

Now this is where things get tricky to explain, but here we go. In the world of Realms of Loss, most of the continent has been ravaged by a curse that even the Far Reach's wall can't keep at bay. So, a common - and very much warranted - fear amongst the population is that the dead won't quite stay dead or may become easy vessels for the corruption to consume/dominate. Thus, the most common funeral rite is creating the deceased on a funeral pyre (sometimes just a pyre, other times a boat, much like a Viking's funeral), to prevent the curse from adhering to the now-dead body. Details regarding the mourning period, size of the pyre or even duration of the ceremony depends on the person's social class - peasants may have a simple funeral pyre with materials they can acquire from the woods or afford to buy, while royalty has entire ceremonies and celebrations tied to their funeral and usually have tremendously large pyres. After the death of the King or Queen, it is tradition for the entire kingdom to go into a mourning period for around two weeks, and there are laws to ensure this time is honored.

When it comes to it, however, on the kingdoms of Avillore or Sarythea, no matter the person's status, accomplishments, or power, they all become ash in the end - as no one wants to become a soulless husk wandering the Lost Lands for eternity.

Another important aspect - since the Celestial Courts have such a prominent role in the kingdom's daily existence and are worshipped far and wide, someone might request a blessing from a specific Celestial their deceased loved one worshipped in life. And on some special rare occasions, the Celestial might actually give their blessing to the person.

🏛️ - Does your world have old buildings? Ruins?

Both the worlds of Realms of Loss and Enchanted Illusions have plenty of ruins (especially in Realms of Loss, where much of the continent's former glory has been worn down by time and war), or at least buildings that fell into disuse/abandonment. Many of those ruins play some kind of role in the story or at least are explored by the Main Characters in some way - for example, in Enchanted Illusions, Thaddeus found an abandoned fortress in the catacombs of Ansburke and refurbished it to be the headquarters of his operation.

[freneticfloetry]

tarlos top five

@rmd-writes asked for my top five tarlos scenes, and after some soul searching (because season four shook some shit up), my list is as follows:

4x16 | “Hi. You’re TK, I’m Carlos, and we’re soulmates.”

GAMECHANGER. Yes, it confirmed what most of us already knew: Carlos was gone from the first second. But the execution is so beautiful, from the impetus to the ease and certainty of Carlos’ declaration to TK’s confession in turn (“why do you think I ran?” is the most TK Strand way ever to do this, and oddly enough, the easiest to believe). My favorite thing, though, will forever be the exact way this was worded and performed — that “Hi,” which is unrivaled levels of perfection (seriously, it sits somewhere between addressing a lost child and a spooked puppy, which is just brilliant as a line read, and every time I hear it I want to toss flowers at Rafa’s feet), but more than that, the fact that he says “you’re TK” before introducing himself, because the most important thing to Carlos is that TK know who he is first. True love at its finest.

3x04 | “Hey, baby. Breathe. Breathe, breathe.”

This was, up until the season three finale, the most fanfic shit I have ever seen aired on national television. Seriously, this is straight out of somebody’s multi-chapter slow burn whump fic wet dream, and watching it live, I was living. His raspy voice. Those hands clenched into terrified little fists. That breathing. The script said “he takes a deep breath” and Rafa was like “BET.” But beyond that, we had that whole bedside missive with Carlos lamenting about consent — that he couldn’t hold TK’s hand, run his fingers through his hair, kiss his head. And the fact that coma TK heard all this, woke up and reached out his hand as permission, and then Carlos did all those things, in that order… Deceased. It still gives me fits. (I am also counting the Tarloft reveal as part of this favorite moment, because I can’t not. “Push” is just perfection.)

4x18 | “We both ended our vows with ‘heart.’”

The vows. The dancing. The Sondheim serenade. The cake cutting (which I’m counting as aired-in-canon, dammit, because it is beyond precious). The honeymoon hand holding. Just, the wedding. All of it.

3x13 l “I love you.” “I know.”

They went Han and Leia on me and it wasn’t even cheesy. Honestly, this whole episode was so important to their growth — their sense of security, their confidence and understanding in each other — to their story, that it couldn’t be left out. Carlos realizes that the best way to help TK is to let him get help where he needs it, even if it leaves him feeling a little helpless, and TK realizes that he still has someone in his corner who’s invested in him, his sobriety, and his happiness, even with his mom gone. The fact that that “I know” holds so much meaning (all while “Transatlanticism” plays on)… Gah. Just beautiful. And on top of all that, Carlos got to be funny!

3x18 | “Marry me.”

“For the first time in my life, the love that I feel is infinitely more powerful than the fear of losing it.” Yep, that’s where I lost it. Because I thought back to baby TK in 1x08, who was being a dick to a cancer dog because he couldn’t fall in love with one more thing that he could lose. The growth. The maturity. The love. 3:18 am, y’all. (The engagement reveal counts as an extension of this as well, because that entire adorable “yes way” exchange between Team Tarloft, with Carlos grinning and TK bouncing and everybody figuring it out from context clues but Mateo is officially the most fanfic thing I’ve ever seen aired on national television, and I love it beyond reason and measure.)

Honorable mention shoutouts to the police station and the airport tarmac, which were knocked down the list by season four things. I still love you!

Tagging @ambiguouspenny, @hoko-onchi-writes, and @mixtapestar, because I know they haven’t been yet.

[sloshed-cinema]

The Fountain (2006)

Few filmmakers approach life’s great questions with less humility than Darren Aronofsky. Whether it’s the Honors Freshman English Earth metaphor and Biblical allegory of mother! or the boundless pedantry of The Whale, Aronofsky moves forward with a misplaced tenacity and self-assurance not befitting of the subject matter. Existentialism isn’t exactly groundbreaking in art, be it on film or across other media, and there’s healing and engagement to be found both in creating art that questions the nature of life and in dissecting those works. It can take many forms. The quiet introspection of Ingmar Bergman’s Winter Light or the bombastic annihilation of Lars von Trier’s Melancholia each have a staying power in their own right. Aronofsky’s fable of the persistence of love across oceans of time in The Fountain does something different: it feels adjacent to parody, or at the very least smacks of insincerity. Despite its trifold structure, the basic thesis isn’t too difficult to untangle. Dying is a strange journey of grace that not all can accept, but it is something that must be. There are other forms of eternity, perhaps, or of persistence. Tomás/Tommy/Tom’s quest to preserve his love’s life is always a fruitless one, and this chronicles his journey to understanding that. Interweaving the stories, finding visual motifs throughout, on paper sounds like an interesting narrative structure. And in points it achieves a modicum of success: Tom using the pen gifted to him by his deceased wife to tattoo a wedding ring on his finger to replace his lost one, uniting his blood with her ink, has a genuine poignancy to it. But Aronofsky is so declarative about his statements, so bombastic in their execution, as to both seem on some level like he’s the first person to ever make such statements, and to almost mock them in this discordance between intellectualism and spiritualism. Superficially silly imagery like Tom achieving galaxy brain status could be forgiven—lord only knows half the shit David Lynch cooks up looks corny as hell, but it just works with his vibe, for instance—but to go from zero to nirvana undermines an emotionally honest inner journey. It’s less irritating than Darren Aronofsky has proven himself to be capable of elsewhere, to be sure. But in its execution it comes across more as a middling exercise in narrative structure masquerading as existential pondering and healing.

Using colonial Spain during the Inquisition was certainly a move. On an aesthetic level, it feels like a mashup of The Lord of the Rings’ Elf Music Video Scenes (looking at you, Aragorn floating down the river in Two Towers) and Apocalypto, though of course the release timeline wouldn’t work out for Aronofsky to have been ripping that off. Bafflingly, though, perhaps JJ Abrams stole this film’s silly map-knife idea for his own epic sci-fi catastrophe in Rise of Skywalker. Mid-00s vibes aside, building some kind of National Treasure situation out of the Maya leaves me scratching my head. The indigenous people are presented at once as savages to these conquistadores, but also demonstrate their practices to be rooted in blood, the priest immediately baring his throat once Tomás goes Super Saiyan. Izzi has an almost fetishistic fascination with their beliefs, also inadvertently espousing their notion that death is a path to awe, and the nebula Xibalba is… the nexus of all of it or something. So these Maya got it all figured out and are woke to accepting death, but also fuck ‘em.

THE RULES

PICK ONE

Select either DEATH or LIFE and sip whenever it is mentioned.

SIP

A time jump happens.

The ring motif appears in some form.

Slo mo running.

BIG DRINK

Someone says 'Xibalba'.

Nebula imagery.

[guessimate]

Today I'm finishing playing the Bruni family, whom we visited in the previous post already. I'm playing the main part of the family for 2 seasons, therefore we are also starting round VII.

I rolled another ROS for them and it turned out to be a time of fast/lent. Sims would only be allowed to eat one meal at a table a day (excluding pregnant sims and children). I decided against using fresh ingredients like fish because they are very filling, and I had my sims prepare regular grilled cheese instead.

I also allow my sims to drink water from the sink if they are on the brink of heatstroke etc. I decided against rolling for possible deaths, at least for this household, since they were already getting two deaths of old age anyway.

Additionally, I only allowed my sims to go to the community bathhouse once this round, because I didn't want their needs to reset or something. Hungry and stinky sims are not very cooperative...

Apparently Romans would fast if an important battle was coming, but I hope no war will come to my empire yet... From my limited google research it looks like Romans would only eat 1 proper meal per day on a regular basis... I don't think Sims would appreciate it very much.

Since the emperor is dying this round, this lent could be to honor his death. Because this ROS is happening to the emperor's family, I decided to apply it to everyone in the summer. Emperor Geatano imposed a lot of rules on his people, first banning marriages in spring, and now asking his people to hold a fast.

This ban could turn out to be really bad for the Orange family who have a werewolf. On the other hand the Imagos were baking a lot last round, perhaps in preparation for what was to come.

~*~

The imperial couple got their wedding anniversary, but I didn't throw any more parties for their grandchildren's birthdays. I didn't think it would make much sense to eat cakes if they were fasting, so everyone aged up without much fanfare.

~*~

I decided to give the future emperor Mnevis a shorter hairstyle when he aged up. Apparently facial hair and long hair in general was unacceptable at some point in the Roman Empire, so it would make sense to have all my male sims have their hair shaved once the new emperor rises to power.

Mnevis took a liking to the arts and drew some pictures of his grandparents. He's going to be a patron of arts with his 8 creativity skill points. He's following into his uncle Nepri's footsteps (who had drawn a picture of his now deceased brother before). The emperor's estate is slowly turning into an art gallery.

~*~

Because all Geatano wanted to do was to send his offspring to university and university is not unlocked until the Middle Ages, I decided to fulfill Nepri's wish of getting into the private school.

The headmaster was not very impressed with the big and largely empty rooms, but he absolutely loved talking to the empress and he thought the Sunday meal was exquisite (starving will do it to you!). They really bribed him with a freshly-cooked meal of blackened catfish in the time of fasting.

~*~

What's up with my Knowledge aspiration teens and getting Ds because they don't want to do homework...? It's the second time it's happening in this neighbourhood! Maybe it makes sense. After all they didn't go to school as children in 'prehistorical' times and now they are struggling to grasp the basics.

Nepri got a D and then wanted to learn to study and get an A. Sadly, he didn't manage to get through his huge pile of homework. Thankfully his grades only deteriorated so much at the end of his teenage years, so he didn't get fired from his job. He's still a Seminary Student level 3 of the Church of the Watcher career and he kept his job level when he aged up into an adult.

Nepri was afraid of being uneducated, but unfortunately this fear had to come true... Even though he was a happy teen, aspiration failure awaited him on his birthday. Even if it weren't ancient times, he probably wouldn't have gone to university with almost failing grades.

Nepri is attracted to Venus Primula, the Knowledge aspiration alien. It took him a while to get a crush on her, but he wanted to have a dream date and make out, so eventually he caught some feelings towards her. I will probably play the Oranges (and Venus) next.

~*~

I thought the emperor and his wife would die this round, but I had some odd bug with them getting extra days of life, as if they had drunk the elixir of life. In the end, I aged them up with the sim blender to help them get to the place of eternal rest.

Empress Bunefer died having accumulated ~325.000 aspiration points, and Geatano had ~250,000 points when Grim Reaper finally decided to pay him a visit. They died happy, having produced 6 children and 6 grandchildren (and counting, but they'll never meet more of them!).

The emperor's seat is technically vacant now. Nepri will sit on the throne before he gives it to his nephew (who is still a child for now).

~*~

Sesheshet was rolled to be a Romance sim, like her aunt Baset. I do have hopes that she will turn out to be more into finding her one true love when she ages to an adult, but I will allow her to do her exploring as a teen if she wants to.

~*~

Gautseshen and the court jester will be back home next round to tell the tale of Satet and the Far East... But the original emperor won't be there to listen to them.

[glowyjellyfish]

Build an Uberhood Through Time, setup part 12

I was really on a roll this weekend. Welcome to the church of St. Agnes!

I couldn't quite decide whether I wanted to use real world religious decor, and ended up using some random decor that I felt looked nice. It's a little sparse, but that is intentional at this stage of the BaCC; it'll get more decorated over time. Also, I managed to make the steeple work from both inside and outside, which I'm pretty proud of despite it looking a little stubby.

Outside, towards the street there is a wedding space, surrounded by nice wildflowers and the like.

On the other side of the church, there's a modest-sized cemetery, which I will decorate as sims send gravestones there. Most households already have some graves to send, since this is Pleasantview; I figure in-universe these sims simply wanted to honor their deceased loved ones and ancestors at their new home. Nobody's exhuming graves so they can drag corpses to re-bury at the new settlement; Olive hasn't been unlocked yet lol.

This is the first of three community lots I decided to start with, since the Goth family can easily afford to buy a few. For now, this one won't earn them any money. Technically, that starts me off with three CAS points and the ability to unlock any bin family of three or less members immediately, but I'm not unlocking anybody until the start of the second round at minimum, and I am still debating whether I want to save up CAS points to unlock a larger family or not.

[kennyxtamblyn]

[nonbinary, they/them] Welcome to Aurora Bay, [KENDALL “KENNY” TAMBLYN]! I couldn’t help but notice you look an awful lot like [EMMA D’ARCY]. You must be the [THIRTY-ONE] year old [TRAVEL VLOGGER/VIDEOGRAPHER]. Word is you’re [INDEPENDENT] but can also be a bit [IMPULSIVE] and your favorite song is [AIN’T WORRIED BY ONE REPUBLIC]. I also heard you’ll be staying in [CRYSTAL COVE CONDOMINIUMS]. I’m sure you’ll love it!

Family:

Father: Thomas Tamblyn

Mother: Willa Tamblyn (deceased)

Older Brother:

Twin brother: Ford Tamblyn ( @ford-tamblyn )

Younger sister: Vi Tamblyn ( @vi-tamblyn )

Basic info:

Name: Kendall Loraine Tamblyn

Nickname(s): Kenny, Ken

Age: 31

Faceclaim: Emma D’arcy

Sexuality: bisexual

Occupation: Travel vlogger/videographer

Neighborhood: Crystal Cove Condominiums

Wanted Connections:

Old flames

Ex wife

Exes

Travel buddies

Enemies

Neighbors

open to pretty much anything

Bio:

Trigger warnings: suicide

Kendall Loraine Tamblyn was born to Thomas and Willa Tamblyn, two extremely successful individuals with their project management company that made them thousands. With money like the Tamblyn’s had, Kendall’s future had endless opportunities. Sometimes they didn’t even have to flaunt their family’s dollars to get what they wanted, simply the Tamblyn name was enough. They were seen as trustworthy and honorable people, so there wasn’t a thing to worry about.

Kendall went to school and participated in sports like rugby while in high school, but those were about the only normal teenage things about them. For their sixteenth birthday they were given a Porsche by their parents, they had extravagant birthday parties each year, and Kendall’s absolute favorite thing the Tamblyns did with their money was travel. By the time Kendall was eighteen, they’d visited about ten different countries and loved every single one of them. It was during this time that they took a senior trip with some of their friends, and with Kendall and their friends knowing they were all about to go into different directions with college coming up, they decided to buy a video camera and film the entire trip for memory’s sake.

This was kind of where it had begun. Kendall filmed everything. From the sights they saw in the city to the food they ate at restaurants, and they decided they loved capturing moments like that. When Kendall returned home to Aurora Bay, they were still trying to figure out their plan for college, but instead of going to college, they dropped out before the fall semester had even begun and they decided to start working in videography. Kendall was talented and they were hired to film events like weddings and banquets, and so much more.They were making money on their own like that alone. And Kendall was trying to decide how they could combine their love for traveling and their love for videography and then it hit them. They could become a travel vlogger on YouTube.

With a passport in one hand and a camera in the other, Kendall was ready to take on the world. They began traveling to different countries and cities and filming the whole thing, making vlogs about what they were doing while on their excursions, what they ate, and even talked about some of the history of the places they visited. It wasn’t long before Kendall was making their own money from posting videos on YouTube alone. But their success didn’t stop there. With hotels seeing the popularity of Kendall’s channel, they would be invited to visit hotels on all expenses paid trips just to give the hotel a good name. They would get free things and meals and they were of course getting money coming in from their channel. It was something they never wanted to stop so they never did.

The success of Kendall’s channel was the very thing that kept them afloat when the Tamblyn’s name sank to rock bottom. Willa and Thomas went to prison and while the younger Tamblyn kids struggled to find ways to receive incomes, Kendall was all set. They helped their siblings but Kendall didn’t even have a place to call home since their parents lost the house. Kendall was always traveling so they would come home to crash on their parents couch before their next adventure, so there wasn’t a lot they could do to help their siblings too much.

Once things got a little better, Kendall kept doing what they were doing. At first, people didn’t want to give out sponsorships because they didn’t want to be associated with the Tamblyn name, so admittedly, Kendall distanced themselves from their family. Online at least. But when it made the news that Willa had taken her own life, Kendall came back home to Aurora Bay and started renting out a place in the Crystal Cove Condominiums to be close to their siblings.

@aurorabayaesthetic

[streets-in-paradise]

Spoils of War - Dastan x (fem) Secret Assassin Servant!Reader

Prince of Persia Oneshot

Requested by Anon

" Hi OMD when I saw requests for prince of Persia I literally fell on my knees, literally anything for Dastan pls or enemies to lovers with a secret assassin servant reader 🤔"

Sure, anon! i love PoP and love writing for Dastan. Thanks for your request! Hope you will enjoy it as much as i loved writing it 😊

Warnings: Historical minded naturalization of slavery as concequence of war, prince x servant enemies to lovers with political intrigue happening in the middle ( nizam weaponizing the hate of the reader to attempt getting dastan killed.)

Summary:A persian attack destroys the home city of your arranged fiancé during your visit to meet him and the winners take you with them after the sacking. Doomed to become the servant of the man who killed him, your miserable and friendless existence as a slave in a foreign country couldn't get any worse.

Just as you are about to reach a breaking point the brother of the king offers you a dangerous way out that you take full of anger, hate and desperation. Switching your wedding night for a black widow job assassinating your master isn't the honorable first moment of union with a man you dreamed, but fate will keep surprising you as you start to discover the kind of man Dastan trully is.

Notes: This turned out loosely inspired in greek mythology and The Son of the Sheik (1926). I didn't plan it like that from the beggining, i realized midway into the writing but thought it would be cool to tell you.

Tags: @blackheart-beauty @axelwolf8109

The city was doomed and sooner or later your rank was going to become a curse. The man you were promised to was the leader of the last defensive attempt and his fate was falling in battle against the sons of Sharaman. Naturally, it was yours to become part of the loot gained on the sacking and being carried away to the palace. From then you could only expect the worst, you would be theirs to dispose. 

The persian who discovered you and got you out the hiding spot introduced you to some of the royals with the pride of a well accomplished task. He knew he just had found something they would like or, more precisely, fitting for the eye of the youngest prince. A proper reward for the maker of the feat, since you heard then he was the killer of your fiancee, making coincidence allied with the rules of war.  

Followed closely by the careless yet present surveillance of his uncle, Dastan of Persia came to you presenting himself as the needed comfort for a helpless and terrified woman. His eyes were trying to find yours staring back at him as he insisted over and over that he won't hurt you, but his attempt of checking a superficial wound in your cheek caused an intempestive reaction. 

You spat on his face, but that clear expression of deep hatred didn't stop the course of fate. You became his servant, one exclusively dedicated to him until you could be trusted near any other persian royals. Bis, the man handing you to his prince, was in charge of watching over you. 

Resistance was all that kept you standing, you refused to embrace the new identity coming from the reality being imposed to you. Despite being placed in degrading circumstances you were still a noble from birth and Nizam was the only one who seemed to understand that. 

The world was turned upside down, a vulgar man turned into a prince was master of a servant who was once about to be queen. Dastan irritated you above everyone, the parody of a royal he performed was an insult to your principles and he was always teasing you for staying tied to your manners. Nobody would ever be on your side because you were a stranger even among the people they had enslaved you with. To them you were just the foreigner once engaged to their deceased prince before marriage got to happen, but that wasn't enough to owe you any loyalty. You had no friends there and your family wasn't aware of anything so you couldn't count on them.

In that situation, the brother of the king and his sharp ironic whispering was the only approach you found relatable. Unlike Dastan, he had no interest in acting like a moral grounded hero who rescued you from the ruins. He felt to you like an exhausted nobleman, the only one still able to perceive the oddities of the context surrounding you. 

Your humiliation reached its peak when the prince introduced you with the restant members of the gang of savages he called friends. You were expected to serve them and although he wouldn't allow anyone to disrespect you and no one did. you had the feeling of being admired with vulgarity as if they were showing approval of the leader's new toy. The prideful horror you didn't care to hide caused more and more teasing coming from him. When he finally got sick of it, Dastan admitted to be testing your qualities. 

He said you were beautiful, but lacked humility and that needed to be fixed. 

It was unbearable, you would have done anything to get away from him. Feeling he was the only one you could trust, you later told Nizam about the aberration and then discovered you weren't alone. He shared your bitterness to an even higher extreme, directly feeding the flames of your hate towards Dastan. 

" Do you want to get rid of the rat? So do i. " He confessed to you as a conclusion of your common venting. " I have the power to fix your life here if you fix that for me. " 

" What can be granted to me that would make this any better? " You skeptically recalled. " I lost my life, the small privilege of the highest valued slave is nothing compared with what I once had." 

" I can make your living condition be re-evaluated. " He casually offered you,as if it was an easy task that meant nothing to him compared to other things he could do with the amount of power he had. " I would make one of my two nephews marry you. If you behave and serve my interests it could even be Tus so you would get the illusion of being a future queen again. The union would be strategic, you'll pay me when he will be crowned king. " 

Returning to nobility having only one secret owner seemed infinitely better than being a servant. You weren't bothered by the idea of becoming a political tool of Nizam if that would get your dignity restored.

" An offer like this must demand a higher price than just helping you keep your nephew controlled for you to rule through him, so tell me what it is. " 

" You must kill Dastan." Nizam ordered ríght away. " A chance like this one hasn't been presented in many years. Why do you think I have been following you so patiently? To offer you a friend?" 

He was mocking you but you were too lost thinking on the task itself to care about that detail.

" I knew from the beginning that you were perfect to provide me this service. " 

The absurdity of that claim allowed you to mock him back. 

" Couldn't you find a trained assassin? Or a man of the royal guard? Anyone could do it for a proper price. " 

" If anyone could do it, your prince should still be breathing. When battle calls Dastan is as fast as the lightning. No fíghter can catch him by surprise, he can't be taken down in an ambush. It's impossible to defeat him by force, but he is easier to weaken by passion. "

The implications on that last sentence alarmed you more than the command itself. 

" I think you are mistaken, ... he does nothing but annoy me for his amusement. " 

" He desires you. " Nizam insisted. " The persistence on his part indicates that he wants you more intensely than what he should. What you have to do is tame that wild beast, once he will fall asleep drunk of you he will not even notice the movement of the air as your dagger sinks in his flesh. " 

It offended you, that was an insult to the sacrifices you were making in that hostile environment in order to survive the way you wanted. 

" I'm NOT a prostitute, I still guard the only treasure that you persians haven't stolen from me. I will bleed over the bedsheet of my husband like the honorable practices command, not let Dastan have that before ending him for his blood to mix with mine. Find another way for me to murder him or I am out." 

The energic refusal angered him and he showed you a side of him even darker than what his command inferred. 

" You were simply lucky, girl. How long do you think that luck is going to last if you reject my offer? " He hissed in a threatening tone. " Very soon you will run out of things to loose. If you don't give it to him, somebody else will take it because being our slave means any man here has the ríght to go their way with your pretty body. I'm giving you a chance for revenge and a future reward for the stain consequential to your current condition, more than what you deserve. " 

The cruel vocab was harshly pointing out an actual truth. Once Dastan wouldn't be there and Bis would follow him to war you would remain in the palace alone without any guarantee of protection. Following the orders of Nizam was the only way for you to land a respectable position and you didn't lack motives to kill the prince. Trusting in the word of a man who wanted to kill his nephew was a dangerous move, but desperate times needed desperate measures.

The execution of the plan started in slow moves, with passive receptions of his provocations intending to generate neutral to positive interactions inviting the prince to trust you. A sudden change of mind would have been too suspicious, you only allowed yourself to act progressively more friendly with Bis.Having his best friend on your side was a good mechanism of approach, but given that was also the man taking responsibility for you it was strategical from all pointviews. 

Unfortunately, it all became counterproductive as the intimate proximity needed to be generated for the future success of the job increased. Dastan and Bis were showing true concern for your adaptation when you stopped being mean to them. The orphan made prince shared some particular details of his experience on the drastic change, details that his brothers would never come to completely understand, and the similarity on the feelings he described with yours got to shock you. Despite he was talking of gaining privilege while you had fallen in disgrace, you both knew what it was to feel out of place. Spending time with him was part of your day work and the secret mission, but it also made you start getting to know him at a personal level and doing so was placating your anger. 

The first time he made romantical advance on you he still managed to surprise you. Romantical undertones were hard to spot beyond the aura of attractiveness following his every act, his ways were flirty all the time. However, he put in some real work in making that act very distinguishable for you. 

Under the excuse of helping you avoid work for a while he took you to his favorite spot in the palace, or more precisely on top of it. His hiding place from childhood, where he would go back then when the pressures of change were becoming too much for the street boy expected to become a prince. You were sitting next to each other with little to no space in between, sharing stories of your past lives. Out of sudden at some point in one of his tales he interrupted himself off to apologize to you. 

" Gaining glory with your suffering was never my intention. I can't change the past, but I want to be a helpful part of your future. There is nothing wrong with being a servant if the royal family protects you and I am taking care of that.” 

He wasn’t completely satisfied with that and imagined you wouldn't be either if he would keep it that simple, so he encouraged himself to continue. 

“  I know what it's like to struggle for survival, but I am aware you will never get rid of the noble girl you used to be. Her virtues and flaws will stay with you, only time and use will show you how to deal with that. If I wanted to help you get rid of that tendency to judge others based on their origins, it is not only because I don't want you to hate me ... Do you think I didn't despise nobility before I became a prince? Adapting costed me some self hatred back when I was learning to emulate their ways, that's how I know that you will only be happy if you get rid of all sorts of prejudices. " 

Incredibly wise personal advice with a heartfelt touch, You never imagined he would be capable of such deep thinking. Until then he was to you a brute chosen for the potentiality the king found in his fast movements thinking of forming a fighter. The colorful tale presenting him as a noble hearted boy made a prince in an act of justice was to you an excuse hiding a military reason. It had to be the creation of an unstoppable elite soldier, a mighty weapon for the persian army with fierce loyalty for the king who dragged him out of the mud.

The man you were discovering justified the legend, maybe there was more in him to see than what surface looking would show. 

" Why do you tell me this?" 

" Because I don't want you to hate yourself seeing how everything changes around you, but you fight to stay the same. " 

He made you smile, you couldn't help it. Embarrassed as you were for that moment of weakness, you couldn't even look him in the eye. Noticing you were looking down made him follow your glance and your eyes meet in the ríght spot for something he wanted to show you. 

" See this?" He pointed at the rustic necklace he was wearing. " I keep it since those days, a reminder of the life I left behind keeping me grounded. " 

You were encouraged to inspect it and the prince secretly enjoyed some accidental caressing through your action. 

" Difficult thing for someone living in the heights, always jumping and climbing everywhere. " 

Your mock made him chuckle and the level of intimacy you were reaching encouraged him to get more personal. 

" Did you love him? Is that why being with me becomes such a heavy burden to you? The same hands bringing death to your beloved seeking to caress you... Is that what you despise and fear?" 

Dastan looked lost and regretful. It was as if he feared that any chance to get closer with you was lost forever and he would be the one to blame for that. 

" I wasn't in love with him, but I did love the idea of being a queen someday. " You admitted, wondering to yourself why you were encouraging him. " If you would have grown up in contact with more noble girls, you would understand. " 

" I can't give you a throne, but if you let me I'll make this place your new home. If I once was the one who took away all your safeties, allow me now to be your shelter. " 

The hand you still had on his chest was shaking a bit, so he took it and caressed it to calm the trembling before placing a kiss on its back.

You were absolutely speechless, no sound coming out from your parted lips as you observed him in amazement. Dastan awaited while eliminating all distance between you and once your lips were close enough he stopped fighting back the urge to kiss you. A long, mad, desperate kiss that left you gasping for air. 

You should have seen it coming, but you were momentarily swept away by his passion. Not only you didn't resist it, you enjoyed it. It was expected of you to be manipulating his passionate energy, yet you couldn't even keep the upper hand when the prince was kissing you. Heat invaded you, as if your whole body was burning of desire for your enemy. 

Those sensations were completely new to you and that overwhelmed you, keeping you far away from the calculative coldness the deal demanded. With your certainties completely shakened, you would still fool yourself thinking you were going to make it. Over and over again you informed Nizam of your excellent improvements claiming to be awaiting for his instructions, but the truth was that you were a victim of Dastan's charm falling for him without wanting to acknowledge it.

The opportunity chosen by Nizam to strike presented itself sooner than what you would have preferred. There was going to be a celebration in the palace and you would have to do more than serving food and keeping the goblets of your masters full. As the new rarity brought with the recent sacking, the local nobles could feel curious and you would have to be presented around them for their entertainment. With your beauty of past days restored and reconceptualized through suggestive dressing you were supposed to bait one of the two noble born princes to want you for themselves and lead the peasant one to his death. Your fate depended on the outcome of that night, no margin for mistakes allowed. 

While circumstances impeded your target from his gentlemanly actions taking for himself the role of your protector, Bis was still there to take his place. It wasn’t hard to see that the outstanding change in your appearance impressed him, but he admitted it in a completely harmless way. It felt as if a friend would be telling you that you looked pretty and tried to cheer you up while making you some company before the great moment. Only then you realized that you may have made your first friend among the persians and the comfort made you feel horrible. Sweet, innocent Bis thought you were nervous merely because you were going to dance for the noblemen and he did everything in his power to comfort you. His kind efforts reached unknown limits when he said he knew Dastan fancied you and he was going to convince him to marry you so wouldn’t have to go through that anymore. 

It moved you, his consideration was not what you would have once expected from the man who caused your doom. The misjudgement generated by your well justified hatred wouldn’t let you see past that and you sold yourself to the wrong master hoping the enemy of your enemies would strategically become your friend. Bis turned out to be your friend and it was most likely that Nizam wouldn’t show you any mercy. You were an easy scapegoat, he would get rid of you before you could open your mouth to accuse him. 

The crossroad you stuck yourself in didn’t have any good way out. if you would confess to Dastan the truth, he would reject you before daring to doubt his beloved uncle. However, if you would desist from obeying Nizam, he would destroy you and the prince would continue to be in danger while completely unaware of that. The only solution was evaluating what mattered the most to you and Bis gave you the answer when you felt a sparkle of excitement beneath the layers of guilt as you heard of his plan to help you. Deep down you were on board with it, Dastan awakened feelings you had never experienced during your brief meeting with your arranged fiance. There was no doubt that you despised him at first, but he kept working hard to change your mind until he eventually did it. 

Unfortunately, you realized that too late. He could only hate you if he knew of the conspiracy, Dastan would never be yours and you could only blame yourself for that. Time would come for you to face the consequences of your mistakes, but that night you were going to get your little farewell before his heart would break in front of you and yours with his. Despite you being mixed in the crowd of dancers, you were still able to make him feel like you were performing just for him. The awe in his beautiful, round eyes following your movements was slowly melting you, he was the only man that mattered to you there. Being his servant had at least one perk and that was not needing to hide for decorum, he only had to make you a sign to approach and you abandoned the group for him. 

“ Is it good like this, my lord?” You purred innocently while proceeding to sit on his lap. “ I hope you enjoyed the show. “

Dastan was fascinated, almost unable to believe what was happening knowing that it was coming from you. 

“ … I loved it, but wasn’t expecting my favorite girl to perform.” 

You chuckled and began to run your fingers through his hair. 

“ Surprise! See how well adjusted I am? I will not be a problem for you tonight.” 

He smiled foolishly, as if his mind was numbed because he was feeling you with all his senses. 

“ Well, it’s becoming difficult to focus on anything else but your ravishing looks.” He admitted, unsure of where he would wish to land his hands first but still doubting if he should do it. “ … It may be arabian perfume what I’m smelling over here?” 

Dastan reached your neck to keep playfully sniffing. Since he could be then sure you weren’t rejecting him anymore, he began to cover that sensitive spot with kisses. A shy gasp escaped from you and he chuckled against your skin, to which you were completely sure you would end up following him to his bedroom. However, your ecstatic responses ended on the way when you noticed the subtle warning look of Nizam witnessing you escape together across the room. 

It shrank your heart and you froze with fear, cursing the moment when you decided to associate with that evil man. The sweet prince was unsuspecting of anything, confusing your sorrow and regret with a fear of his touch making you doubt. Once you were behind closed doors all he did was to hold you in his arms. 

“ I value the effort that you put in for me tonight, but I will not push limits the noble girl in you wouldn’t want me to.” He was sweetly comforting you. “ Imagine this is our wedding night and I’m the husband respecting your choice of not giving yourself to me until I’ll stop being a stranger.” 

You both were laying in the bed over the sheets you changed that morning and he was trying to revive the code of conduct you were supposed to forget, bringing to you the world that didn’t belong to you anymore. Dastan thought the effects of the weight of your secret mission were signs of fear for the loss of your maidenhood to him and doing so he proved to be exactly like the husband you had always wanted. 

“ Would you do that for me?” You asked with hesitation, the tone of your voice shaking as you tried to fight tears of deep regret. “ … Even right here and now, when I am nothing to you? “ 

“ Who says you couldn’t be my wife someday? My sole existence here is a violation to many rules, don’t you think? “ He vaguely teased, also making fun of one of the many insults you proffered to him over the course of your first days at his service. “ I’m a street kid made prince, who would have the nerve to judge if I pick a slave princess?” 

Tears began to fall through your face and that time you were dragging him for a kiss, desperately trying to hush your thoughts and let him know how deeply you corresponded his affection before the inevitable would have to happen. 

“ Nizam … he will never let us be.” You attempted to explain to him right afterwards without choking on the crying. “ Dastan, I did something terrible. I’m the one who doesn’t deserve you. I let him manipulate my emotions … I didn’t want you to save me if I could save myself, there was a time when I truly despise you and he took advantage of me for that.`` 

The bewilderment in his gaze was breaking your heart in advance. 

“ What are you talking about?” 

There was no easy way to say what he needed to know, but at that moment his safety mattered more than what could be of you if he wouldn’t believe you. Fortunately, you remembered you had one proof with some chances of making your story plausible. Dastan was slightly concerned when you stood up to loosen your clothes and search for the well hidden weapon that, had the order been fulfilled, you would have kept away from his sight before he would come to undress you. 

You handled it to him immediately, letting the evidence speak for you before you would have to. 

“ Do you recognize this dagger?” 

Dastan examined it carefully, but there was no doubt in his conclusion. 

“ How?” He defensively asked you. “ Who gave this to you?” 

“ I’ve got it from the hand of your uncle, he strictly commanded me to kill you in your sleep.” You informed him, much to your regret. “ He convinced me with empty promises of manipulating Tus into making me his wife so my position would be restored, back when I used to care about that … Before getting to know you and find out you are all I ever wanted."

You couldn't stand his suffering. He did believe you, but that didn't make things any better. In any case, it was a double betrayal.

" Do you loathe me so much? " He asked you, visibly hurted. " Does he loathe me this much?"

Desperate and unsure of what to do, all that occured to you was being completely honest with him.

" Dastan, i love you! I could have kept the secret and face the rage of Nizam alone, but then the truth would be gone with me and he would still be close to you planning new ways to harm you." You tried to explain him. " I don't care about what could happen to me anymore, I'm doing this for you… I can't let him hurt you."

He stood up in silence and you could tell that he was about to kick you out. Before he could get to even suggest it you threw yourself in front of him embracing his knees.

"Save yourself, my love. Please, be sensical. " You humbly pleaded. " I'm not begging you to forgive me, I know i have just lost you forever and i'm willing to accept my punishment. "

You released him and closed your eyes, still on your knees but adopting a sacrificial position. Dastan understood you were inviting him to take revenge on you if he desired so hoping that would satisfy him. Paying the price for both should stop him from recklessly confronting Nizam.

Not even at the peak of desperation when you were about to be made a war captive he had seen you like that… And you weren't even trying to save yourself, but offering him your life so he wouldn't risk his.

The prince let the dagger fall on the floor, shocked to the realization that you were trully in love with him.

" As you have spared my life, I release you from your debt. " He informed you, then gesturally invited you to rise up. " How could you possibly believe I would have the very same strenght you lacked? If love stopped your hand, so it shall stop mine. "

Inmense gratitude made you smile despite the sorrow. From that point you would accept anything he demmanded of you. Either if he needed help to expose his uncle, or if he was planning to run away so the family conflict wouldn't end in war, you would follow him.

[numbregrets]

ｋｗｏｎ ｍｉｎｓｅｏ

kwon minseo is based on makoto kino from sailor moon. she is a 26 year old super human, pastry chef and uses she/her pronouns. she has the power of plant manipulation and electrokinesis.

penned by HARPER

reflection

face claim: kang mina sexuality: bisexual height: 5'6'' eye color:  brown hair color: a reddish brunette piercings: n/a tattoos: n/a

attitude

positive traits: green-thumbed, protective, loyal, persistent, dedicated, alert, honorable, playful negative traits: impatient, hypocritical, boy-crazy, childish, aggressive, short-tempered green-thumbed, protective, loyal, likes: her plants, croissants, over-ear headphones, a killer playlist, the color green, wide-legged sweatpants, oversized jumpers, her lucky hair-tie, elaborate lunches, romance novels, video games dislikes: dressing formally, wearing anything but comfy shoes, being wrong, cheaters, being judged for her appearance, evil people, sour candy, embarrassing herself in front of cute people phobias:  n/a hobbies:  baking in excess, arranging floral displays, tending to her plants, getting overly obsessed with romantic novel love interests, crying over the notebook, going to the arcade with her friends, spending a concerning amount of time at the cafe, working on her dream wedding pinterest board, making her friends look at her dream wedding pinterest board, figure skating aesthetic: the crack of lightening as it strikes, the smell after it rains, the sound of a watering can and the dripping of moisture off of leaves, the scratching of ice skates against a frozen pond, the feeling of victory, the scent of fresh baked pastries

relations

mother:  kwon soo (deceased) father:  kwon minjun (deceased) pet(s): n/a

headcanons

ϟ minseo loves baking, absolutely loves it. she will bake in excess, every time, to always make sure there is more than enough to go around for everyone! her favorite treat to make is croissants, because she loves how versatile they are and how fun it is to roll them into shapes.  ϟ she is almost never seen without her signature, rose earrings — a gift from her mother when she was a child, and a piece of her she will never let go of.  ϟ minseo doesn’t work because she has to, her parents left her an inheritance that would leave her comfortable for the rest of her life, but she works because she is trying to put herself out there and meet as many people as she can. if she didn’t work, she likely would spend a lot more time at home than she should. ϟ minseo hasn’t told anyone about being a sailor scout, let alone about the powers she worked on when no one was watching… and she wonders if any of the other scouts have made their way to evermore, though she figures if they had, they’re doing the same as her; hiding.  ϟ minseo knows the plane crash that killed her parents was a freak accident… but she can’t help jumping when she hears one flying overhead. thankfully, evermore doesn’t have an airport… and since she can’t leave, she doesn’t have to worry about flying anywhere. ϟ her plants are her babies; the loves of her literal life. her entire apartment is covered in them; they hand from the ceiling, their vines dangle from cabinets, she has the most intricate and fun-colored pots. gardening is a comfort for her, and the air in her apartment?? so clean. so nice to breathe in.  ϟ being a sailor scout  is one of the greatest honors, and minseo takes it INCREDIBLY seriously. she knows everything about her planet, and spends almost all of her free time (you know, when she isnt tending to her plants or baking out her ass) working on her skills. ϟ minseo is, alas, a hopeless romantic and a serial crusher. if kwon isn’t crushing, she’s dead, because even when she gets married (her ultimate dream, by the way)... she’ll still be crushing on her husband, and on celebrities, and on cute boys she sees on tiktok, and on random men who come into the cafe and smile when she gives them her change. kwon is a lover, and okay, she is a little boy crazy. OKAAAY, insanely boy crazy. ϟ minseo has recently realized she’s like… insanely good at figure skating. so, another hobby of hers is spending time at the frozen one ice rink and working on skills she has no business trying on her own. she hasn’t broken any bones… yet.

[booitsthaclosetpagan]

Celebrating the Pink Full Moon

Today (on my location in the early morning hours just before sunrise) on April 6th we celebrate and honor the Pink Full Moon.

The Pink Full Moon causes us to experience heightened and strong emotional feelings and sensitiveness caused by Jupiter standing in opposition to the moon. At the same time Jupiter, in opposition to the moon, is responsible for expansion and growth. The Pink Full Moon also represents healing, growth, potential, rebirth and transformation out of the dark times into the better and warmer spring and upcoming summer times.

The Pink Full Moon standing in the Air sign Libra will keep us in uncertainty and will make decision making more difficult. Thus the Pink Full Moon in Libra motivates us to seek equilibrium in our emotions, find balance, harmony and peace with oneself and within our relationships. This can be achieved through seeking equilibrium in embrace and emotional bond with loved ones. The Full Moon in Libra is all about relationships, strengthening relationships and focusses on love, romance, sex and spending time with loved ones. She furthermore encourages us to open up for new interactions, possibly involving romance. The Air sing Libra is furthermore ruled by Venus, the planet of love and relationships which indeed makes it a powerful time to deepen our bonds with loved ones and explore new ways to connect with others.

"I am peace and am crowned by love."

It is also a time of reflection and so the Pink Full Moon is also associated a little with death, for example in our bond with deceased loved ones.

The Pink Full Moon also influences finances.

To honor the Pink Full Moon you can wear pink clothing, moon symbols, spend time surrounded by the blossoming wildflower Moss Phlox after which the moon was named, spend time with loved ones, go for a walk in the moonlight, perform a full moon ritual and cast a circle.

Personally I spend the day by wearing pink and then first going into the city with my mother to go for a lunch and buy an outfit for Beltane, which is upcoming at the end of April/beginning of May of course. After that we surprise visited friends who had bought and decorated a new house and drank some tea together. It was kind of funny because the astrology forecast in the timeframe of the Full Pink Moon said "we may feel drawn to healing professions" and the boy was studying for his exams to become a physiotherapist right before I knocked on the door, and he was very happy to see me since it had been a long long time. After this, we visited another friend to help prepare a wedding gift for her daughter and spend some time with her cat as well, which is a holy animal in connection to the moon. In the nighttime we wanted to go for a walk in the moonlight or go to the witches forest at the border either during midnight or early in the morning because the moon would be completely full right before sunrise, but we were so exhausted that we just watched the Pink Full Moon from our window instead and I listened to my devotional playlist while doing so.

This weekend we also have our village fest, which is annually being held around the time of the Pink Full Moon, there some celtic pagan bands will also be performing.