#i doubt ill ever manage it but it’s really impressive and admirable

[sayaratyriea]

sometimes i really wish that the people in court were fictional characters, so i could laugh at their unhinged goofy nonsense instead of just feeling depressed for the innocent people putting up with them

[springonyans]

10 things I would tell myself 10 years ago, my 16 year old self

You don't have to live with feeling like you don't deserve to. You are loved, and deserving of as many chances at happiness as anyone else (your friends, your cousins, and people you admire on the internet). The years that follow up will be difficult. But you will experience joy and love that you won't trade for anything else. I'm sorry for making you feel like you don't deserve to live at such a young age. Oh, did I also tell you that you end up finding a real, genuine love who cares for you so much? You won't even believe it. I still can't believe it til' this day.

You are smart, there is no doubt about that. But you need to learn how to maintain and grow from that, and build better learning strategies just like any other people. Do not rely on your memory and how you had a head start than most people to push you through the next part of your life. Work hard, put in the hours to really understand your materials, and don't think you're better just because it was easy for you in the previous 5 years.

You eventually got to afford nearly everything you want in your life. But you developed a strong financial responsibility that I am very proud of. You can still buy things you want, but you'll slowly find out that they don't actually add as much value as you want to just impress other people. PS: none of the things you bought actually follow you into adulthood. But the things people have given you - the things you appreciate greatly - they are still with you. I'm also proud of you for being responsible with money throughout your childhood and young adult years.

You end up visiting Japan, Australia, and South Korea. Isn't that crazy? You managed to fund most of these expenses as well from your new job. You'll do just fine without a medical degree.

You should've pursued all the things you wanted in life other than what was prestigious. There is a slight regret to the choices you made later on, but don't ever doubt yourself that you can't achieve those things. You can, and you did. Go with your heart.

Take care of your health. It only got worse after you reached an older age, but you need to stop punishing yourself for having an illness. Take a stroll.

It's okay to hate your circumstances. You're unapologetically true to yourself and I'm proud of you. It's alright to not like the people you live with, because they make you feel small. You only recognise that you were right to feel your emotions because of reasons beyond your control. You're doing just right.

You should start drawing like you wanted to.

You have the capability to take care of people you care about in the later years. You don't have to feel ashamed for your circumstances.

Spend more time with your mum. Forgive your dad. Talk to them nicely and try to cheer them up. They've rarely showed you times when they feel depressed as you are. And let me tell you: They do feel depressed, the way that you do. Your time with them is limited and is only reducing. You can live and still thrive despite the things you could not control.

I think I was really hard on myself when I was 16. I spent a lot of the years afterwards trying to understand myself. I didn't end up doing well in school as I did when I was 16. But that's okay, a lot of things turn out for the better anyway. I hope I can use this as a reflection for the life that I'm about to live next.

[ijwrsmff]

Hello there

This one is a bit lengthy but can i please get headcanons of the straw hats reaction to an admiral reader(gender neutral please) who quits the marine to join them, and is at first is distrusted but does something to gain theirs trust

I hope it's not too much trouble

It's no trouble at all! I really like this idea, it was a ton of fun to write! I hope you enjoy it ^^

Luffy:

He found you during a fight with the marines

He noticed...you were so much stronger than the marines you were fighting with

Maybe not strong in comparison to Luffy...but he was extremely powerful so comparing to him isn’t fair

He saw you deal what should have been a finishing blow to his crewmates…

But for some reason you never hit them hard enough to kill them

Down them, sure...but never kill

He makes quick work of the other marines, and approaches you with a smile

“Join my crew!”

You looked at him baffled

“Quit the marines and throw away all my hard work to become an admiral because some...kid thinks I would be a good match for his crew? No thanks.”

Luffy left it at that, but knew he’d see you again soon

You encountered him once more at a nearby island

“Is...is that offer still on the table?”

He grinned wide and pulled you by your hand to his ship

He couldn’t put his finger on it...but something was special about you

He just knew the crew would love you

After they get over their initial distrust that is

But Luffy? He trusted you already

No hesitation, he knew you had a good heart and that’s what really mattered

Zoro:

He didn’t trust you...at all

He would go silent when you talked to him, giving you the silent treatment

He didn’t trust the marines...how was he supposed to know you weren’t there as a spy?

You tried to talk to him a couple times...but he just pretended he was sleeping

One day, he was up in the crow’s nest training and you walked in

“Mind if we spar? It’s been a while since I was able to.”

Since you left the marines

He huffed but gave a firm “sure”

He didn’t go easy on you, which surprised him when you handled yourself fairly well

You parried his attacks, and gave a few good jabs of your own

He respected your strength

He still won...but he expected to beat you within seconds

Not minutes, nearly half an hour of sparring

From then on, he’ll make small talk with you

Every once in a while he’ll go to take a nap and he’ll pull you down to lay beside him

He also sits next to you at the dinner table, even helping you fend off Luffy when he tries to steal your food

Overall...he respected strength. And if Luffy chose you...you were here to stay

Once he starts to trust you, he’ll protect you at all costs

Nami:

She trusts Luffy’s decision...but that doesn't mean she has to trust YOU

She won’t go out of her way to be mean...but she won’t help you if it means bending over backwards

She interrogates you, wanting to know why Luffy had chosen you

After days of interrogation on and off...she thinks she sees why

You were unhappy in the marines

Sure...you managed to become an admiral...but the happiness you had hoped to feel just wasn’t there

She discovered that in the short time you’ve been on this ship, you’ve felt happier than you ever did in the marines

She’ll be nicer after that, slowly building up her trust in you

“Want me to show you how I chart the islands we go to?”

Even if cartography wasn’t your thing, you figured it would help get you closer to Nami

After that, you would spend hours upon hours with Nami

She can be very...very protective

So once she trusts you, any comments about you that weren’t warranted she’d defend you

She wants to get closer to you, and spends the majority of her time with you

Either sitting on the deck or working on her maps

She even tells Sanji off if he starts to bother you, making the hearts in his eyes break

She’ll protect you...and she knows in her heart you’d protect her too

Usopp:

He is so...so scared of you at first

You were an ADMIRAL

How could you just give up that position to join a crew?

Doesn’t trust you for a good long while

He’s convinced you’re a spy

He lets his imagination get to him, and that drives a wedge between you two

You don’t blame him...the situation is sketchy, but you were genuine

You would spend all the time needed to get the crew to trust you

After only being with them a short period of time...you trusted them with your life

And that’s never happened before

In the marines...people wouldn’t go out of their way to save another if it meant getting hurt in the process

During battle, you stepped in front of Usopp and took a harsh blow, forming a long slash across your chest

After that...he’s significantly nicer to you

He visits you in the infirmary and looks...troubled

“What’s wrong Usopp?” You give him a concerned look

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why did you save me...you’re hurt now. Because of me.”

You smiled at him...so he did care

This was a good first step

Maybe eventually you can become even closer

Sanji:

He’s reluctant to trust you at first, but Luffy seems to see something in you…

Just like he saw something in him

So he tries to get closer to you, even going so far as to not flirt with you

Not until he got to know you better

The first time he really began to see the trust between you building was a regular day

Nothing particularly special about it, except you went into the kitchen while he was cooking

“Mind if I help?” It was your attempt to get closer to him

“Of course! Here, I need this mixed.”

You cooked together in relative silence, small talking every once in a while

Overall it was...nice

It was a bonding experience and he cherished it

That day, he sat next to you at the dinner table

You gave him a wide smile, which he returned

He would defend you to anyone who spoke ill of you after that

He could be quite protective, and it showed

Especially to Zoro, who made comments about your being a spy (which only made Usopp and Chopper panic more about the situation)

“Hey marimo! They don’t deserve the bullshit you’re throwing at them. Back off.”

“What are you gonna do about it, shitty cook?” A smirk formed on Zoro’s face

Oh dear...it looks like they’re fighting again

You went to speak up, but Nami stopped you

“They get like this sometimes. Though it’s impressive how quick Sanji was to take the bait this time...I think he likes you.” She gives you a wink and your face flushes

Who knows what the future will bring...all you know? Is that you made the right choice to join this crew

Chopper:

He wants to trust you...he really does

But the nagging fear of you hurting his crew is at the back of him mind

He avoids you, not wanting to risk getting hurt

Once you get injured in battle...he realizes how unfair it was that he did so

“I’m sorry y/n...you’re hurt. Please follow me to the infirmary.”

He keeps it relatively formal, only talking when he needed to do something to check on you

“Would you...come back in a couple days so I can check on the wound and how it’s healing?”

You gave him a smile “yes doctor! Thank you!”

“Hehe you don’t have to thank me I don’t deserve your thanks I was just doing what I’d do for any of our crew!” He swayed back and forth, his paws on his face as he smiled

You could swear you saw flowers around him…

After that, he invited you to play games with him, Usopp, and Luffy

While Usopp was still reluctant, Luffy was 100% on board

“Come on y/n! Play with us!” Chopper smiled up at you and...well...there’s no way you could say no to his adorable face

So you joined in

It was fun...more fun than you thought possible to have

You laughed as Chopper tagged you, and you spun around picking him up in a hug

“Chopper...thank you.”

He smiled and laughed, “for what? Tagging you?”

You shook your head, putting him down

“No...for being a good friend.”

And he was, he was your best friend. You grew closer to him in the days following and you were certain you made the right decision

Robin:

She knows what it’s like to not be trusted by the crew initially...but at least with her it was one pirate to another

You were a marine

And not just a marine...but an admiral

She is reluctant to trust you, but will give you the benefit of the doubt

She spends a lot of time with you, gauging if you’re a threat to her crew or not

She would sacrifice herself for any one of them...you’re no exception

She almost thinks its her JOB to determine if you’re a threat or not

It wasn’t until your first battle together that she finds she trusts you

You give her a look, and she knows to use her devil’s fruit

You both coordinate perfectly together, and it shows your trust

She has only battled so flawlessly with her crew...which means you’re entirely one of them now

She will defend you from that fight forward, and stands up for you when the others express their doubts

“Y/n? Would you like to read with me?” She pats the spot next to her and smiled at you

“Of course! What are we reading today?”

The two of you grow closer and closer, spending hours upon hours just...enjoying each other’s company

She looks at your smile and knows...she would do anything to keep that happy smile on your face

Franky:

He doesn’t trust you...but he doesn’t...NOT trust you

He’s reluctant to get close, but finds it’s really easy with you

He’s newer to the crew, but he trusts Luffy’s judgement

So he doesn’t have any reason not to give you a chance

He’ll spend time with you, requesting you sit in his workroom as he works on a specialized weapon for you

Over that time, you make a lot of small talk

It brings you closer together

“Y/n! What do you think?” He’ll say holding up your now finished weapon “Pretty super, right? Don’t you just love it?” He has a look of pride on his face that makes you grin

You take the weapon into your hands and feel the weight is perfect

Not light, but not overly heavy either

“Thank you Franky!” You jump up to hug him and miss seeing his face turn a dark crimson

“O-of course! Anything for a crewmate!” He hugs you back, lightly as if he’s afraid he’ll break you

This makes you laugh, “Franky...I was an admiral remember? I won’t break from a hug!”

“Well then...take this!” He lifts you up, spinning you around in circles

You both laugh, pulling each other closer and closer

Once he sets you down you see the fleeting color of pink on his cheeks

You were sure your face mirrored the same color

He knows in that moment he would protect you

Even if you didn’t need it

Maybe...protect isn’t the right word

It sounds so...one sided

“I’ll protect you...will you protect me?” He looks sheepish, almost as if he hated asking

You lean up and kiss his cheek

“I’ll protect you Franky. I’ll protect all of us...this crew...it’s special.”

He nods, knowing exactly what you meant

“Then we’ll protect each other.”

And it was settled

Brook:

As soon as you stepped onto the ship he approached you

“Your name is y/n...correct?”

“Yup! That’s me!”

He leaned down so your…”eyes” were level with each other

“Can I see your panties?”

SLAP

“...is that a no?”

It’s safe to assume...he doesn’t judge you for being an admirable

Though seeing some of the crew be distant from you...it only motivates him to speak to you more

You looked tired after playing with the crew on deck, so he approached you

“Would you like me to play you a song to help you sleep?”

You stared wide eyed, not knowing he was the musician on the ship

“Sure! Would you...maybe be able to teach me how to play an instrument?”

“Which instrument would you like to learn?”

You hummed, “I’m not sure. I’ll get back to you on that.”

And so he played you a song

It put not only you, but Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper to sleep

He would have grinned if he could, and looked over his crewmates with love

As he finished the song he looked at you once again

“Sleep well y/n...I’ll see you tomorrow.”

[readyplayerhobi]

Flower | 36

; Hoseok x Reader

; Genre: Fluff

; Word Count: 3.9k

; Synopsis: You finally decide to take a dip into the world of online dating and find the Flower dating app. One of the top matches for you proves to be a guy who looks to be your complete opposite; tattooed, pierced, a metalhead and oh…incredibly handsome. What happens when you throw caution to the wind and reach out to him?

; A/N: If no one sends me tons of messages/comments about THIS chapter then I will be eternally sad LOL. I enjoyed writing it and I hope you all enjoy reading it :P

; Flower Masterpost

-

“Ciri! Don’t go too far! Ciri!” You call out, concern laced into your voice as you stretch up onto your tiptoes to try and catch sight of the eager puppy. She’s over six months old now and she’s not grown a huge amount, although her personality is bigger than ever.

Something Hoseok and you had both discovered about Ciri was that she was just unbelievably affectionate and sweet. Kasumi hadn’t been too happy at her arrival but had resigned herself to it pretty quickly, taking herself away to the top of her cat tree when she’d had enough of play fighting with her new yappy sister.

You’d been trying to teach her when to be quiet so that she didn’t make too much noise and had been pleasantly surprised by how receptive she was to learning commands. She didn’t learn them incredibly fast but enough that you already had a little repertoire that she would do happily for a treat.

Hoseok had been the same with her; just as firm as he was fun and she was turning out to be a perfect little puppy. Already house trained at this point and so inquisitive, you didn’t think that you could ask for anything better. And you would admit to enjoying being welcomed so enthusiastically every time you came home.

Cage training was working very well with her and she often took herself off to sleep in it even when you were both sat on the couch. Just as Kasumi was able to have her space above the ground, Ciri had her space with comfortable blankets and a fluffy dog bed.

Probably her only issue was that she got a little too enthusiastic, but you didn’t get too annoyed over it. She was a puppy after all, and her boundless energy always ran out eventually. You did not doubt that by the end of this walk, she’d be fast asleep in Hoseok’s arms. It happened often enough.

Ciri just didn’t have the endurance yet to go for long walks and she still did the puppy thing of practically falling asleep midstep. It was adorable, but what was better was getting to see Hoseok holding her so close and how safe she must feel in his arms.

You understood that feeling so you can’t begrudge her a little snooze while being held by him. If you could do that then you would as well.

“I’m gonna have to carry her back, aren’t I?” Hoseok asks, once more seeming to read your mind and making you snort with laughter. Grinning broadly, you poke at his side playfully until he’s giggling and trying to shift away from you.

“Oh, you love it. Don’t lie. You get all those pretty ladies fawning all over the handsome, tattooed guy with the tiny, fluffy puppy in his arms. All that attention must be tiring.” He’s biting at his lip, trying not to let his amusement at your words show but you manage to tickle it out of him. 

His laughter is pure and infectious, body wriggling around in an attempt to avoid your searching fingers. It’s a half-hearted effort though as he doesn’t move too far away, staying close to you on the rough dirt path. You’d both taken up a little more walking since Ciri was able to go out properly, exploring the nature trails that could be found close to where you live and even driving further afield to make a day of it.

Today was one such day, with the two of you finally visiting the largest national park closest to you. There were rolling hills as far as the eye could see, lush grass growing in a wave of green. In the far distance, you could spy a herd of cattle as it grazed slowly along with another field of sheep. Life seemed so peaceful here compared to in the city.

“There’s only one pretty girl I want to impress with my puppy skills,” Hoseok finally gets out, a little breathless from the mini-workout you’d just given his stomach. “And that’s Kasumi. I think she’s very impressed with me. Ten out of ten would recommend on Yelp.”

Rolling your eyes in bemusement, you push his shoulder lightly and make a half-hearted complaint as he crowds you, kissing your cheek loudly. If there’s something you’ve learnt in over three years of dating this insatiably attractive man, it’s that he could be a certified idiot sometimes.

He was just lucky you loved that about him.

“The good news is that Kasumi is going to love you no matter what. Me, however…” That makes him wrap his arms around your waist, his chest against your shoulder as he tries to hug you tightly sideways. It’s combined with his whining and you wonder what kind of image you’re presenting now; the tattooed man crab-walking while squeezing his girlfriend tightly and making the most childish noises.

You wouldn’t think he was thirty-two-years-old. Though you knew he only did it because you let him, and you didn’t feel like stifling his personality for no real reason.

“Ciri!” Ignoring him, you call out for the puppy once more and feel relief when she stops where she is. Her head looks up at you alertly, watching you both carefully. It takes her only a few seconds to decide she doesn’t like what she’s seeing before she comes running back, barking as loudly as she can.

When she finally reaches you both, she growls lightly at Hoseok before trying to jump up at both of your legs. Smiling, you crouch down and fuss her with kisses and strokes before gently scolding her for growling at Hoseok. While you appreciate her being protective of you when she saw a situation she didn’t particularly like, you didn’t want her to encourage her behaviour when it was harmless. Particularly with Hoseok.

“Don’t growl at daddy, okay? He’s not doing anything wrong, see?” Reaching up, you gently tug Hoseok until he’s crouched with you as well. She sniffs at his hand for a moment before licking it and butting her head in an attempt to get more strokes. Of course, he obliges, his lips quirking up as he babies her with words that she couldn’t possibly understand.

But she doesn’t need to understand really, all she probably cares about is the positive tone to his voice. Ciri reciprocates immediately, yapping as her tail whips back and forth furiously and trying to almost climb into his lap.

Gently, you push at her until she’s just sitting there and accepting the love from both of you. Her eyes watch you both carefully with so much love and you can’t help but smile. While you were still more of a cat person than a dog person, you couldn’t help but love this little ball of fluff with her exuberant nature and unending love.

“Okay, come on. We’ve still got more to walk.” Standing back up, you gesture to Ciri and giggle as she runs off excitedly. She’s still adorably small but growing, her legs awkward as they’re a little too long for her little body. It means she runs oddly at the moment but it just makes your heart clench more, your hand pressed to your chest.

“Happy we got her?” Hoseok asks, taking said hand and holding it gently with his. You let him, happily leaning into him as you both carry on walking along the well-worn path. Instead of verbally answering him, you just nod before taking in a deep breath of the fresh air.

The temperature is pleasant today, warm enough that you don’t need a coat but with a slight breeze to keep you from getting too warm. It’s a little stronger than you might have expected from all the open land but it’s nice to combat the heat. You hadn’t even known that this place existed, only finding out when Chungha had talked about the hiking walks she’d done with Dahyun over the last few months.

But you were glad that you’d listened properly, enjoying the scenery and the fact that you were getting a little bit of exercise in as well. Plus, you had the perfect company to do it with.

Turning, you walked a little ahead of Hoseok and just admired him as he followed you. His head tilted slightly, his question silent but easily understood. He’d dressed today in some jeans, a pair of hiking boots on his feet given the distance you both were hoping to walk and a plain black shirt that was covered by a hoodie. It made his shoulders look a little broader than normal and you couldn’t help but admire the way his chest looked.

Jungkook had convinced Hoseok to go to the gym with him every other evening straight after work, the two of them spending an hour working out before he finally headed back home. It had resulted in Hoseok just becoming a little...bigger overall. Muscular bigger, but still lean enough to resemble the man you originally fell for. You certainly weren’t opposed to it.

While you didn’t go to the gym with Hoseok much anymore, you had taken up going with Soyeon instead. The two of you attended some of those classes that they held every week along with going swimming. You much preferred swimming to being in a smelly gym.

Unlike Hoseok though, you were just going for general health purposes to make sure that you could keep yourself fit enough to ward off illness. You’d finally reached a place where you could accept your body and feel content with yourself, not feeling the need to hide away and just generally loving what you had. The exercises you did help to ease your mind’s worries as well.

“What?” Hoseok asks, a hint of laughter to the question as he can’t help the smile that spreads over his face at your inspection. There’s a tiny hint of awkwardness when you don’t respond at first which vanishes as you shrug, biting your lip coyly.

“Just admiring the scenery.”

You only hear his snort once you turn back, facing the path once more and keeping an eye on Ciri as she sniffs intently at the path just ahead of you both. There are only seconds that pass before you feel familiar fingers creeping around your waist, playfully tickling at your sides before linking up on your stomach.

Walking awkwardly for a few paces, trying not to fall over or trip over the extra feet you suddenly had, you don’t complain as Hoseok holds you. His embrace is tight enough that you can’t escape easily but also light enough that you can walk without being too encumbered. Leaning back slightly, you put enough pressure on his front to make him walk even more awkwardly until he’s complaining, his words loud against your ear and you just laugh pleasantly.

“You’re being particularly...annoying today,” Hoseok teases, tightening his arms until you can’t move properly. “What’s gotten into you?”

He doesn’t mean the words in a bad way, his tone is far too light and jovial for that and you wiggle until he finally let’s go. Darting forward a few steps, you carefully step around Ciri from where she’s been standing and waiting for you both to catch up before spinning around with your arms wide.

“It’s just...a nice day! I’m in a good mood.” And you were. It was the weekend, you were out with your boyfriend on a lovely walk in the beautiful countryside. On top of that, you’d found out this week that the promotion you’d put yourself forward for at your company had been approved. It was hard to not feel happy and carefree when life was going so damn well.

Feeling so good about everything wasn’t exactly something that came naturally to you, to be honest. It was still awkward for you to realise that you were allowed to be happy and to not have to feel anxiety about something going wrong, but you were getting a lot better at it. And you didn’t want anything to ruin the high you had going right now.

“Life is going good right now,” Pausing, you face Hoseok and reach out to take his hands. “I think I’m doing better than I thought I would be at this point. But then again, I was half-convinced that I’d be back at my parent’s house by this time.” 

“Why? You were doing pretty okay before.” He keeps going, one hand firmly encompassing your own until you’re once more walking alongside him. For a few moments, you don’t respond and just hum as you think over where you were back then.

Lips twisting, your nose wrinkles as you shake your head.

“No, not really. I wasn’t living. Just more...existing? Like I didn’t enjoy a lot of stuff, I had bad depression and anxiety, I hated my job and had become way too obsessed with my routines. Now...now I don’t feel the need to have everything in so much order. I feel a little happier just letting things happen sometimes. I do like my routine but there’s way more wiggle room in it. Not to mention the fact I have a better job, a house I never thought I would’ve had, waaaay better mental health and feeling a little more economically stable. It’s nice.” 

“That’s good.” Hoseok seems to be a little quieter than normal, his expression almost like he’s miles away when you look up at him. Frowning, you chew at your lips and wonder what he’s thinking about. You were being honest when you said that your life was going well right now, but you wondered if maybe that was about to change in the future. One of the constant issues of your anxiety, that still happened, unfortunately, was that you could never have too much of a good thing.

There was always an inevitable downside.

“Hey, is something wrong?” Playfully swinging his arm, you give him an encouraging smile while tilting your head. Ciri speeds past you both, having fully investigated that intriguing patch of grass and yapping at some birds ahead on the path. You're not surprised when they take off immediately, fleeing the scene before your excitable puppy can reach them.

Distracted by the fast ball of fluff, you don’t notice the way Hoseok frowns slightly. If you had, it would have been sure to worry you even further than normal. You may not be as anxious as you had once been, but that didn’t mean that you didn’t get a little stressed over things sometimes.

“Ciri! No!” Calling out sternly, you let go of Hoseok’s hand and speed walk ahead, catching up to her and scolding her while you take the empty food wrapper out of her mouth. She yaps at you annoyed that you’ve taken her prize but you take care to try and teach her that she was wrong. You know it’s a bit futile at the moment, but hopefully, she will eventually learn that she can’t go around trying to eat everything she sees.

Just the thought of what she could accidentally eat makes your stomach turn. Who knows what kind of crap gets thrown onto the floor by uncaring people?!

Lifting the wrapper as you stand, anger bubbles in your stomach as you note it’s for a chocolate bar. Turning, you hold it up for Hoseok to see while outrage laces every syllable as you speak.

“People are so fucking selfish, look at this! It’s a fucking chocolate bar, don’t they know that’s poisonous to dogs? God knows what might have happened if Ciri had- Hoseok? Are you okay?” He’s just stood, staring at you a little oddly and you feel unease burn. Stowing the wrapper away into your pocket, you move towards him hesitantly.

“Hobi?” His sudden change in demeanour frightens you, particularly given how you’d been babbling only minutes earlier about how good your life was. Did he not feel the same way? Was there something going on that you weren’t aware about? Was he ill or something?

“Will you marry me?” 

You’re that concerned about what could be wrong that you don’t quite register the words, your frown still present as your mind races through all the reasons that he could be unhappy. It must have looked comical when you finally realised, the lines on your forehead vanishing as your eyes widen and jaw drops.

“What?”

Whenever you’d imagined this moment previously, it had always been far more romantic in your head. Him on one knee after a meal, you clasping your hands in front of you before cupping them over your mouth while tears fell and you nodded. It would have not only been romantic, but graceful.

Instead, he’d just blurted the question out randomly in the middle of a walk and you’d just bluntly given a one-word answer. The one word you hadn’t quite imagined you would have told him. But you’re just shocked, this came out of nowhere. Although you supposed proposals did usually come out of nowhere, but still.

“Will you...marry me?” He’s grinning now, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his wallet. Your eyes goggle in amazement as he pulls out a small velvet bag, revealing a beautiful ring. The band is silver, whether it’s white gold or platinum you don’t know because you’re not an expert in that kind of stuff. The solitaire diamond on top is circular and practically glitters in the sunlight.

Squinting slightly, you realise there’s something else on it. Without even realising what you’re doing, you take the ring from him and examine it closely. The elegant design beneath the diamond is in rose gold, standing out from the rest in a beautiful infinity symbol. On one side of the ring, the centre of the infinity symbol has a tiny amethyst while the other side has an aquamarine gem.

“Wha-” You go to ask, but Hoseok’s already moved closer to you with a hopeful grin. Pointing at each side in turn, he explains them a little more to you.

“Amethyst for February, aka my birthday. Aquamarine for yours, an infinity because I hope we’re it for each other and diamond because it’s traditional. Do you like it?” As the meanings sink in, the tears finally start to fall. A little late but better than never.

Pressing a hand to your mouth, you blink through them as your lips wobble slightly. It’s all finally making sense and you’re feeling a little whiplash at the change in topics. Mostly, you’re just flabbergasted that he’d suddenly proposed. And that he’d been keeping the ring in his wallet of all places.

It shouldn’t be too much of a surprise to you; the two of you had casually discussed the idea of marriage over the years. Much like you had both talked about children, or the decision to not have them. You’d known that you were both open to the idea, but you hadn’t thought Hoseok would truly want it to be honest. He’d always felt a little like he couldn’t be fully held down, and given his past, you hadn’t expected him to want to get married.

But here he was, proposing to you.

“Really? You...I mean...you want to get married?” Now he frowns, pressing his lips together until his dimples appear.

“Yes. I mean, for starters I did just propose. With a ring that I bought and everything. Seriously though...yes. I love you. I love living with you, I love our house, I love our dog, I love our cat, I love our life. I never considered marriage before, didn’t think it was for me. I do now. I want to just...be able to call you my wife and get to see you walk down the aisle while I blub. You can say no if you want, I won’t be mad.” He speaks earnestly, gently wrapping one hand around yours while his other takes the ring from you.

Holding it up in front of your face, his brows rise as he smiles at you. There’s a softness to his eyes, and you wonder what was going through his mind to make him do this suddenly. The realisation that he hadn’t been upset or annoyed was a relief though.

You don’t even realise you’re nodding until Hoseok’s smile widens and brightens, his eyes almost disappearing as his cheeks rise from the force of it. It’s enough to rival the sun in the sky above and you feel just as much warmth from the sight of it. Your lips mirror his as the tears fall, not of sadness but pure happiness and joy.

Carefully, Hoseok pushes the ring onto your finger and you have to bite your lip to stop yourself from squealing. You’re not hugely a ring person so it’s the first time you’ve ever put one on your ring finger. It’d be a lie if you said you didn’t like the look of it.

“I may have measured your finger while you were sleeping once,” He says, almost apologetically as he glances at you once it’s on. “But at least it fits.”

“Oh my god, Hoseok!” You breathe, lifting your hand to admire the ring and the way it refracts the light so perfectly. The design is incredibly simple but the underlying elegance and intricateness make it even better. It’s everything you could have ever wanted in an engagement ring.

Stepping forward, he carefully avoids Ciri from where she’d plopped herself down to sit at your feet. She’s reached her limit for the day, already beginning to snooze but you can’t bring yourself to truly care right now. Which sounds mean, but you’re far too enamoured with staring at the ring.

Wrapping his arms around your waist, he distracts you away from looking at it. His lip ring catches the light momentarily and you marvel at how you’d managed to get this stunning man to not only date you, but fall in love and even want to marry you. A once in a lifetime opportunity.

“I just had to when you were talking about your life being good right now. I wanted to make it even better. Not quite the setting or the time that I was originally planning but...I figure all this pretty scenery will make up for it.” Wiping at your face, you sniff as you nod slowly.

Instead of responding to him, you just link your hands behind his neck and tug him gently until you can press your lips to his own. It’s a soft kiss at first, full of love that you want to try and imprint into his skin before it evolves into something much deeper. Neither of you cares that you’re making out in the middle of the path, not even when his tongue slips into your mouth as it gets far more heated than you’ve ever felt comfortable with being in public.

You can’t bring yourself to give a damn, not when you just need to show Hoseok how much you love him. How happy you are and how happy he makes you. Needless to say, there’s not a whole lot of talking that happens for the next five minutes. At least, nothing that’s said verbally. It doesn’t get unsafe for the general public but you’re glad that no one comes by during that time.

The excitement and happiness you’d felt before are magnified to levels you didn’t even think was possible. 

You’re getting married to Jung Hoseok.

[i-did-not-mean-to]

Next part of the weird Thorin-story that comes to me while I swim

Dear friends…Here I am again with another part of a story I had not planned to write and that has taken on a life of its own…

I love you, don’t hate me…

(Warning: this is less formal and a lot more…ridiculous than the last parts)

(It is “in-universe”, but barely, because I have no idea of the universe per se…)

She took the bowls to the river to rinse them in the cold waters that glittered and glimmered in the dimming light; the way the last sun of the day reflected in the ever-changing blue hues reminded her of the man she was travelling with.

It came as a very small surprise to her that her old nan had been mostly right about the dwarves, and she was more inclined to believe her post-mortem, now that she had seen a dwarf lord, no a future king, with her own eyes.

She harboured not the inkling of a doubt in her mind that he would indeed be king one day; there was something so noble in his demeanour and deportment that she found it easy enough to have faith in him. He was clearly born to lead, just as she had been born to serve.

A pang of pain washed over her heart like the cold water submerged her numb hands; she wished she could tell her grandmother about the magical creature she had come upon in the woods. How nan would have loved to hear about a man whose eyes held all the mystery of endless tunnels and the deep longing of the open sea at the same time; she would have laughed and nodded her fragile, little head, saying that kneeling was easy to those who will stand up for you as a protector rather than as an executioner.

“You shall find your master one day.” Old nan used to exclaim every time her young granddaughter had been particularly wilful or disobedient, running wild in the forest or toying around with the ingredients the old woman had collected during long hours.

She had loved her nan, but she had not believed that anyone would ever manage to curb her spirit and bind it to their will. “There are things between heaven and earth, child, that you cannot even fathom. Creatures of great strength, beings of profound wisdom, and lives full of beauty and suffering; one day, you’ll find your place in the grand design and you shall bow to its magnitude.”

At this moment, her nan’s words revealed their true and full meaning. She had believed that walking to the chapel every day would be her life’s work, but she had been wrong. All her life, she had but been waiting for the quest to begin. A quest for truth and for freedom.

His cloak was still around her shoulders and she regretted having to take it off to slip back into her own, sinfully rumpled, clothes. Checking if he was looking at her, she lifted his garment to her face and inhaled.

It smelled of woodsmoke, pine needles and of something darker that she could not identify, for she had not known any man before. Not like that. She had not smelled their skin and thought about pressing her lips against theirs; she had spent her youth with an old woman and her adulthood alone.

“Woman, there are hills in the distance. Can we reach them before night falls?” He called out to her and she dropped the garment, feeling caught and embarrassed.

“No, but we should reach them soon after. Why?” She responded, returning to where he stood, both feet firmly planted on a rocky outcrop cutting through the grass like a blade.

“We could spend the night in one of the caves in the rocks.” He cocked one eyebrow as if that had been a very obvious thing to consider.

Approaching the point where he stood, already holding on to her cart, she hesitated.

“We cannot.” Her feet stopped moving entirely as they bumped against the edge of the rock.

“I have never gone beyond this point. This is where the wilderness starts.” She whispered, pulling a small, needle-like dagger from her pocket and planting it forcefully in her forearm. While her blood dripped onto the grass, she said a quiet prayer.

“What are you doing?” He asked, interested and slightly alarmed to see her bleed onto the floor.

“My blood is bound to this earth, Master Dwarf, I want the ground to remember me and to bring me home if ever I lose my way.” She sighed before adding with a tremor in her voice: “Many have not come back after stepping past this stone. This is where the world of fire and mystery starts.”

He looked at her with calm interest. “We are getting ever closer to where my kin lives.” He declared, an unspoken question in his eyes. “Aye.” She nodded, forcing herself to smile.

“Are you afeared?” – “Aye.” She repeated, but with a heaving sigh, she lifted her foot onto the ledge. His hand closed around her elbow as he pulled her up and took his cloak from her cold, trembling hands. “You may turn back now; I won’t resent you.”

She laughed in a low, rumbling voice. “I cannot turn back, Master Thorin, I have pledged my service to you. Your story is part of my blood now, inscribed forever in this earth you might never tread upon again. Maybe, it always has. Maybe, old nan knew what would happen long before I was born.”

He had to admire her blind faith. She seemed so brave in her belief that all that happened was meant to be. Closing his hand around the shells buried in his pocket, he decided to believe her.

“Why can we not take refuge in the caves?” He then asked as they made their way through the rougher terrain. Sometimes, he had to steady her as she tottered and stumbled because she could not see the small boulders jutting out of the ground like gravestones; she never complained or pulled away from him and the smile she wore in the semi-penumbra was full of faith and affection.

“You cannot breach the integrity of the rock and delve into it without being given permission. It is rude and bad manners lead to bad accidents.” She shrugged.

“Another teaching of old nan?” He commented without irony or ill-will. “Everything beyond that rock”, she pointed to the ledge they had just passed, “is alive. We are now in the realm of the old souls where the trees have voices and the stones are stubborn. Listen, Master Dwarf.” She murmured and he was surprised, again, at the simplicity with which she accepted these things.

Indeed, he could feel the rock underneath the thin layer of greenery thrum with anticipation; it had been a long time since last someone had come this way.

“The stone bears you no ill will, woman.” He heard himself say in a low, gentle voice. Her tread was so light that it felt like a caress to the neglected ground; or, maybe, it was the inherent reverence she seemed to hold for everything around her that swayed the unmoving to support her insecure, flailing steps as well as they could.

“I give thanks to its gracious acceptance then.” She smiled, kneeling on the ground immediately and pressing both her hands to it in silent prayer.

This, he thought, was why she had survived. She had believed herself out of the reach of what she called “magic wilderness”, but he was almost certain that every element surrounding her had conspired to keep her safe.

“I have a sister.” Why did he tell her those things? “Oh, really? Is she beautiful?” She looked up.

“No, she’s a terrible…yes, she’s…She’s my sister. I guess she’s alright. Others find her beautiful.” He laughed and her smile broadened while the ground hummed in agreement with the joy they were spreading.

“She has those two terrible boys. I wonder…Would you teach them?” He was not usually this open, protecting his family and their secrets with fierce jealousy, but a part of him wanted her warm light of affection and respect to shine on his kin as much as on himself.

“Teach them what? What could a simple maiden like me teach princes?” She scoffed.

Maiden? Had she really told him that? She could have died of embarrassment.

Thankfully, he did not pick up on it, instead pinching the bridge of his impressive nose and groaning: “Respect…and how to swim.”

“Love shines brighter than respect, Master Thorin, but it doesn’t cancel it out. I’ve respected nan a great deal, but I loved her more. You are their uncle first and their king second, I’m afraid.” She smiled and he was struck by the truth in her words. It had been a silly remark, only half-serious, but her earnest tone chased away all teasing in his voice as he agreed with her.

“Keep that gorgeous head over the waterline and you’ll be fine.” She then picked up on the second part of his sentence seamlessly with a cheeky wink. “That much, I had figured out.”

They neared the looming rock now, pocked with caves and alcoves, and her steps slowed.

“Trust me, we are quite welcome.” He reassured her when he saw her hesitate; her hand slid very willingly into his own as he led her up a narrow ledge, leaving the cart at the foot of the small rise.

“I’ve told you so much about my sorry, lonesome life. Tell me more about yours if you please.” She asked as they entered a spacious cave. “We are on our way to rejoin my kin in Ered Luin.” He started, his face growing hard and unforgiving for a second in the light of the small fire he was coaxing to life. “One day, I shall reclaim Erebor though.”

She gasped. Another childhood story seemed to bleed from her befuddled mind into the real world surrounding her. “The lonely mountain…is real?” She asked, her breath bated.

“Of course it is real. What do you mean? What do you know about it?” He looked up sharply.

She had poured over every map in the small library of her town, she had even asked for express permission to enter the one in the richer, more sophisticated neighbouring town and she had questioned every travelling merchant she had encountered, but nobody had ever seen that fabled mountain. Many had even scoffed and laughed at her, shooing her away like an unruly child with too many questions and not enough common sense.

“Oh no, you were telling me a story, Master Dwarf.” She shook her head, undecided if she should tell him about a family secret; after all, since she had met him, many things she had imagined being mere fiction and a dash of conjecture had turned out to be completely true. Maybe, he would know more about those things and old mysteries would finally be resolved.

“As I said, I shall reclaim Erebor and lead my people home…after the bane is dead.”

“Which bane?” She cradled her head in her hands, elbows resting on her drawn-up knees and listened to him talk. He had a deep and melodic voice, the voice of century-old pride and eternity-spanning strength, and she liked the way it soothed the gnawing fear inside of her guts.

The sound of his voice was a presence in itself, reassuring and as solid as the creature it spilled forth from; it conveyed confidence and inspired trust. It was the voice of a king, booming in alarm and lulling in peaceful narration.

“The dragon, Smaug.” He uttered with disdain and barely held-back anger. “A dragon? Really?” She shook her head, dazed beyond words; dragons were even less likely to exist than dwarves.

“Yes, really. What other creatures do you not believe in?” He seemed partially impatient and partially amused; when his face split into a dazzling grin though, she realised that he was mostly entertained by her apparent naïveté.

“Are there really creatures made of pure light who can talk to trees and float over the ground?”

“His name is Thranduil and he’s a pain in the ass. Excuse the language, he’s a treacherous, disloyal coward, but yes, he is fair. As in…he shines with a cold, hard light. He rides an elk and some say that his soul can travel in the form of a white cow…or deer…or something stupid like that.” Thorin grumbled, heat flushing his face upon thinking of that distasteful creature he was describing. She laughed, she threw her head back and laughed heartily, her laughter echoing deep within the lonely stones encasing them. “Amazing!” She wheezed, clapping her hands and, had he hated Thranduil just a smidgen less, he would have been tempted to take her to the dark woods that cursed king lived in just to see her marvel at him.

That leaf-muncher riding other grass-eating dumb beasts did not deserve her starry-eyed wonder, even though, Thorin didn’t doubt that for one instant, the king of dark trees would have loved that.

She would also enjoy the forest, at least the way it had once been; she would love the different berries and herbs one could find galore in the shade of the trees that did indeed whisper of their dark secrets.

“Oh, I hope you won’t be disheartened by the long walk. There’s so many people I want you to meet: my darned nephews, my fiery sister…Ori, he sure loves a good story. If you start telling him your stories, he’ll follow you around like a puppy.” Thorin rumbled and she was struck by the love in his voice. These people sounded interesting and she couldn’t wait to meet them.

He inspected the fading burns and muttered: “Óin will want the recipe for this salve. If you manage to charm the old boy, and I’m sure you will, he might trade some of his own tinctures and potions with you.”

“Oh, I’d love to share my recipes with him. I’m sure there’s a dire need for it…with furnaces and dragons and such things.” She exclaimed, completely disregarding the gravity of the subject.

“Do you think they’d want to meet me though? I am just a human and far from the best of them.” Suddenly, she was overcome by a sense of dread and insecurity. She had never left her valley and the surrounding area; she would strike them as a silly girl who knew nothing of the world they had been born and raised in.

“You’re charming and you bring skills and knowledge we’d greatly profit from…but yes, we’re a private people and there will be dwarves who will not take to you kindly. I shall do my best to protect you.” He would not lie to her and she was thankful for his candid words.

“I have been poor and outcast all my life, I am not afraid of being shunned. I am used to a life in the shadows surrounding the bright lights.” She gave him a warm smile that was meant to be reassuring; she did not want him to trouble himself on her behalf.

“There will be none of that under my rule.” He sounded definitive, clearly, the last word was spoken on the matter and she dared not contradict him.

“Will you tell me of your prophecy?” His voice was soft now, enchanting, coaxing, seductive.

“Will you tell me of your mountain?” She shot back in the same melting tone.

“Tell me what you know of it first.” He challenged her and she blew up her cheeks in an effort to remember the exact words, handed down from generation to generation in her family. From daughter to daughter, words spoken in kitchens over steaming cups of herbal brew and at bedsides when the fire burned low.

“When my nan’s mother was but a babe in arms, or was it her grandmother, I don’t recall…either way, a traveller came to them.” She rolled her eyes, adding in a narrator-tone “Travellers coming seems to be a theme in our family history”.

“So, a traveller came and told them a great treasure had been received in the Lonely Mountain.”

“The Arkenstone.” Thorin exploded, shocked and outraged, apparently, she had touched upon another one of his well-guarded and jealously kept secrets.

“No, it didn’t sound like it was a stone. It was said that – after desolation and ruin, after being lost and found, upon returning home through the fire to lead his people – he, whoever he is, will be the “spring”.”

She paused, rubbing her index along her lower lip slowly to focus her mind.

“Go on…” He encouraged her. “I do not know if “spring” is meant in the sense of the season of rebirth or of the source of something good…or even as the coil that will catapult the world into the future, but he shall be the “spring”.”

She shrugged. “It’s been, oh so many years, and no doubt, the story has been tweaked beyond recognition or sense, but there it is. We’ve only ever heard of that place once: as the crib of a miracle.”

She shivered in the flickering light of the dying embers and when he took her hand, it was icy cold. “It’s a real place…I was born there, but we had to leave when the dragon came. It has vast halls, once filled with laughter and light, and…a treasure.” He tried to hold up his end of the bargain.

“You said that twice.” She teased. “What?” He frowned.

“You said that you have lived there and then you said there was a treasure. I understood you the first time.” She grinned when a treacherous blush stole into his cheeks. He was a warrior and a leader, he was not used to shameless flattery from females and he did not know how to react.

“I meant an actual treasure. Gold and gems.” He stammered, lost for words.

“I meant an actual treasure too, silver and marble.” She smiled, waving aside his embarrassment.

“Did you believe in that prophecy?” He then asked, to change the subject.

“Oh, Master Dwarf, human lives are short, but we believe in cycles. We are born, we live, we die, but everything and everyone comes back somehow. What has been lost, will be found. What has left, might well return. Nan used to say when one is at a loss, one should go back to where it ended, because chances are, that’s exactly where it will start again.”

Giving his hand a slight squeeze, she whispered: “You will face your dragon again, you will see your home again, you will have the chance to walk the same path backwards and find new solutions to old problems. This is not the end, it is but another beginning.”

She looked like an old, wise woman herself now, despite the youth of her face and the softness of her body, for her eyes seemed timeless. How many cycles had those eyes and the knowledge within them seen?

“Where is old nan now?” He asked. “Buried under the chapel where you found me. Where I found you.” Her smile was unfathomable and deep, as if the world held no secrets for her anymore, and he was in awe of her once again.

“You are cold.” He said in a hushed voice when she shivered again. He remembered how she had plunged into the cold water for his dinner and suspected that she had never really dried.

“I am fine.” She crept a little closer to the dying fire. “I don’t want to leave you here to fetch more wood.” He murmured as if to himself and she was quick to promise that she was completely comfortable the way she was. She had known cold and darkness before and she was not afraid of it.

“Will you teach my nephews to swim then?” He prompted her again, just to see her warm smile. She thought them children, but to her, they would look like full-grown men already.

“I could not bear to see such beautiful hair turned into this.” She pointed at the matted, tangled mass of her own hair hanging in a wild nest from her head.

“Their hair is pitiful either way. You might want to brush, should I give you privacy?” He offered, turning around and handing her a comb.

She wondered where he had taken it from, but she suspected that he brushed his own luscious locks obsessively every time her head was turned away, because there was no way his hair looked like this on its own.

He could hear the comb dragging through her hair and the sweet smell of fresh water filled the air, a note of citrus and wild flowers dancing on the waves the scent conjured up, and he had to grit his teeth to keep himself from turning around.

“You know you can watch me brush my hair? I don’t make a secret out of it.” She laughed after a moment and he did not need more coaxing or inviting than that; he spun around immediately, his eyes riveted on her slow movements.

She felt slightly awkward with him staring at her as if she was about to undress in a slow, salacious way; more than ever, she was convinced that he brushed his hair in secret in a kind of semi-erotic ritual. His hair was of course also something that was quite bewitching.

She didn’t question the fact that she seemingly found everything about him enchanting, literally from the top of his head down to the sturdy boots he was pulling off now.

“Don’t do that, you’ll get cold feet.” She warned, mainly because her own felt frozen stiff by now, but he just gave a rumbling chuckle that seemed to be echoed by the walls.

“I am…not.” He laughed, rubbing his thumb over her cold, frail hand slowly to show her that he was much better than her at keeping his body temperature stable.

“So…have you always been a herb witch?” He asked, not letting go of her hand. For some reason, he just couldn’t bear when she fell into silence. He was so full of questions; old nan had never told her that dwarves were such nosy creatures.

“What? I am not. I am a potter by trade. I started making the vessels for my nan’s tinctures, but when…after the plague, there was no need for vases and plates and so I made money how I could.” I needed to eat, she thought, and my nan’s knowledge of the world around her saved my life.

“A potter?” He sounded taken aback. “Yes, Master Thorin, I make fragile things to be used just like you make durable, strong things to be used. We are what we make, it seems.”

He cocked one eyebrow: “You don’t strike me as particularly fragile.”

“I guess it doesn’t matter anyway, we learn a trade and we work in it, but ultimately, we must come back to our blood and the responsibility we have towards it, don’t we?”

He nodded slowly. One of her hands felt warm now, encased as it was in his huge paw, while the other one was still numb with cold.

For one moment, she debated if this was the moment to be prideful, but then she just extracted her hand from his, shoving it into the gap between her tunic and her skin.

He looked positively hurt by her action.

“I am sorry.” He mumbled. “Why? For what?” She asked as she extended her other hand to him; he just stared at it in confusion. “Could you warm this one up as well, please, Master Dwarf?”

It was mortifying having to ask, but he seemed puzzled. “Oh, I thought I had crossed a line by holding your hand for so long…I…you snatched it away to tuck it away in a safe place…kind of…wiping it…I don’t know.” He confessed.

She didn’t know if she should laugh or frown at that kind of stupidity. “You are very warm.” She simply said, sighing with relief when he took her other hand and rubbed it slowly.

“You are clearly not.” He replied, his strong hands closing around hers up to the wrist. She felt like crawling into him and staying there.

Had nan known about this as well? Had she known that a dwarf lord was like a furnace, radiating light and heat in to the confined space she was huddled up in? The almost dead fire before her seemed a ridiculous, puny thing compared to him.

The hand in her tunic was growing cold again and she proceeded to another sneaky switch, which made him chuckle under his breath. “Scoot in closer?” He offered.

It was inappropriate. He was a king-to-be, he was a creature she had not believed existed in the first place, he was wholly too virile and intimidating, but when he extended his arm she pressed against his ribs with fervent eagerness.

“You’re frozen…and your clothes are wet. How are they wet?” He exclaimed as his arm settled around her shoulders. She had thrown them too carelessly onto the bank and they had soaked up some water, she thought, but she would not tell him about her own stupidity for fear of making him worry more than she was worthy of.

“Enough is enough. I’ll go get some new wood and fetch some dry clothes from the cart. You get out of these rags.” He rumbled, but when he tried to get up, she slung her arm around his waist in a fit of childish petulance.

“I’ll be back soon.” He draped his own cloak around her. “No, you’ll be cold. Take it.” She cried out, extending his garment to him. “Stone and metal hold heat better than mud.” He smiled gently and exited the cavern.

His sudden absence turned the cave into a grave and she scrambled out of her wet clothes with frantic urgency, spreading them on the rocks at the back of the grotto.

“Oh stone, let me hear those heavy footfalls so I know I’m not alone.” She begged, lying down on the floor, his cloak underneath her skin and half-draped across her shivering body.

He found nothing but his own clothes and, in his haste to get back to her, he grabbed a tunic of his and hurried up to the cave again.

She was lying on the floor and for a second, he thought that she might have fainted or worse, but when she sat up, a smile of welcome blossomed on her face that made his heart wince.

His cloak had slipped and he realised that she was back in her chemise, her naked body clearly fathomable under the thin layer of fabric. “I could only find my own tunic, I am, again, so sorry.” He mumbled, walking over to her slowly. She did not flinch or move back; her whole body seemed to lean towards his approaching silhouette instead.

While he threw some twigs onto the fire, begging it to flare into life again for her sake, he couldn’t help observing the way her breasts lifted and sank as she shrugged into his tunic, sighing in an expression of pleasure that was cruelly uncalled-for in her present state of hypothermia.

“Tell me more about your kin, Master Dwarf. Tell me about the people I shall meet so I shall know them when I see them.” She begged, extending her arms to make him sit down by her side.

“Are you still cold?” He asked, alarmed, as he settled next to her. She slipped back under his arm like a child, feeling frail and shivering, but sighing contentedly.

“I shall be warm in a minute. Look at the fire, Master Dwarf, what beautiful things we could fashion if we had the tools and the time.” She murmured, fatigue making her voice grow slow and melting, like honey dripping onto his senses.

He was aware of her slowly heating up flesh and her tiny hand resting innocently on his thigh as she was snuggled against him the way his nephews had when they had been but tiny little things. Only, he had never felt the fire pass from the hearth in front of him into his bloodstream when his nephews had sought solace or protection under his wing. He had not wondered about the way he might feel or smell when they had been this close to his body.

“I think that you’ll like Balin. I really do. He’s kind and smart; he’ll love the stories about your nan. Ah, you’ll get to meet Dwalin as well, he’s…probably my best friend. He’s solid, but he’s…there’s a reason he’s my best friend. We’re…less courteous than we should be.” Thorin started to honour her wish. “You’re lovely, stop it.” She mumbled hazily.

He thought about her words and about the mussel shells he still kept in his pocket. She was right, if he had the tools and the time, he would make something beautiful for her; she deserved something frivolous and gorgeous for all the help and devoted service she had offered him.

His eyes fell on her feet that were extended away from him and he was aghast to see them take a blueish hue. She was not falling asleep; she was succumbing to the surrounding cold still.

“Close in, oh stone, protect her.” He whispered, but the rock around him seemed to mock his words. “Close in, oh son of stone, son of ore, protect her.” Voices thrummed through the unmoving walls, and so he did.

Gathering her up like a bundle of empty clothes, he pulled her into his lap, leaning back against the stone wall and held her there.

Looking down, he saw the naked expanse of her legs which made him feel like an idiot for not having thought of that before. With one hand, he bent her legs at the knee and tucked them safely into the hollow he had created by spreading his own.

She lay flush against him now, he could feel the rise and fall of her chest against his own and, when he pulled his cloak over her gently, his hand brushed the smooth skin of her unclothed thigh.

Just a hand-breadth higher he would have brushed against other parts, secret parts, that were much like his dinner: firmly closed now, but if heated just right, revealing a glittering pearl.

This was a very inopportune thought to have, he berated himself, as his body heated up against his will, making her press against him with ever more fervour.

A maiden, she had used that word, and despite being clearly of age, he wondered if she had meant that in the most allusive and perversely seductive of senses.

When had that plague ravaged her village? When had old nan died? How long had she been alone?

It didn’t matter. She would not consider sacrificing that most precious of prizes to one such as him…She had not denied him anything this far, he remembered, not her time, not her care, not her boundless courage.

Not this though, he curbed his own fanciful imagination, never this. He would not ask anything of her, not before he could show himself worthy of all the things she had given up for his benefit this far.

Her hand snaked up and came to rest just above his heart. “Lovely.” She repeated in a low, mumbling voice.

And, as she was warm and clearly asleep now, he permitted himself the tiny, tortureous indulgence of pressing his lips for one brief moment against her head, resting against his shoulder as if it belonged there. Maybe…it did.

[rottingflovver]

,fbhje if its not too much to ask for, can i request headcanons for Nikolai, Sigma and Akutagawa with a s/o who has an ice ability?? If you dont want to, then please dont feel pressured to do so! I hope you have a wonderful day!

🥺🥺I HOPE YOU HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY TOO!!

Of course I can! I shall give my best! My Akutagawa writing skills might not be the best though, I do apologize for that

You can control ice?? WONDERFUL

Due to him being Russian and growing up used to the coldness, this almost feels like home to him

In either a bad or good way, but I'm guessing he didn't have the best childhood

It's bitter-sweet, but let's not get too pessimistic

On the plus side! Do you realize how much that would spice up any of his performances??

It's actually kind of scary how enthusiastic he is about it

Nikolai is a CHILD on the inside and he never learned how to ice skate, so guess what you're gonna be doing for the next 5 hours

He'll try and persuade you into freezing Fyodor to d*ath; no joke

Don't give into his demands (unless you're cool with being a murderer and potentially causing Nikolai a breakdown but let's not get into that)

He'll no doubt try to fight you

Playfully though, he doesn't want to actually hurt you; he knows he's much stronger than you are

If you DO however manage to beat him in the play round, he'll propose a real match where he won't hold back unless your life is in danger

My best advice is to politely decline

Just like "no❤"

He's very big on nicknames, so I'm assuming he'd call you something similar to "jester of ice" "Icy queen" "Elsa" or just go casual and call you ice babe

Oh? An ice ability? How amusing!

He's very interested by this so called "ice"

Ndjdnkdd I'm kidding he knows what that is, but he has never seen a glacier or an igloo or anything that has to do with ice other than the thing you put in your drink tbh

So when you show your power to him in full glory, he's completely baffled and blown away

He would research this on his own most likely, but he feels as though asking you is the best option

If he ever gets too annoying for you, he'll take note of that and leave you alone

(Don't tell him off please he's so precious)

He's very impressed by this though, it's not every day that you see a strictly elemental ability!

He secretly wonders if you wouldn't maybe be happier down on the land, where you don't have to hold back your powers, instead of being trapped in this casino with him

Please I made myself sad wahh :((

He's not really interested in fighting you, really, it's not like he's particularly strong physically either, but he enjoys discussion

Despite his ability allowing him to find out any information he wants to know about someone, he prefers talking it out. It's not every day he gets to be his true self! Clueless and stressed out! So he seizes every opportunity he gets

This is wonderful

Of course, he's pissed that you have such a strong ability, but at the same time he does admire you

If you're in the mafia, he'll most definitely have you by his side at all times

If you're a civilian, or god forbid; in the ADA, you might not get to see him all that often. But! When you do, he'll try his best to keep you out of danger and just enjoy the time you spend with each other

The relationship might've been rough at the start; borderline close to a rivalry... But he's since then warmed up to you

Similar to Nikolai, I think he'd very much like to fight you

Except unlike clown boi, he'll pretend to go all-out without mercy, but honestly, he couldn't bare the thought of ever hurting you

And honestly, I doubt you'd want to cause him serious injuries either

So the battle is mostly just you two showing off the extent of your powers

After the "fight", he'd take you on a "date"

Please remember that he's emo and awkward and a total tsundere, so the "date" will be worded as something along the lines of "despite my best efforts, you managed to keep up with my tempo. Tch! As a reward; I'm treating you to a meal. Take it or leave it."

He'll never admit it, but you matter a lot to him

Also, exposing him to your power for too long a time period might worsen his illness, so I don't particularly recommend doing that

[bulletproofscales]

Could you do a Yoonseok fic where they are uni teachers and they teach in the same room? Like when Yoongi's class finishes, Hoseok's class comes in after and Yoongi has a bad habit of overstaying to get a glimpse of the other cute teacher and they just end up falling in love somehow?

– hello!! i dont know why i had such a hard time writting this request???? like its simple its cute, its lovely. i just struggled so much to find a direction to take it form. so i really hope this fufilled your vision it came out supper fluffy!! i didnt make it feederism because the pormpt didnt specify, theres like hints to a chubby yoongi if you squint . anyways enjoy!!!

3.8k words

https://archiveofourown.org/works/30115707

Yoongi loves literature. 

He’d go as far to say, literature is his favorite thing in the world. 

No, he hasn’t read fiction since he was in highschool, and he hasn’t read fiction voluntarily ever.

What’s that got to do with anything?

When the university offered Yoongi this job as the professor in Thermodynamics, they had assured him his schedule wouldn’t clash with the other Calc II classes he gave during the week; always with a break in between. Which meant, the professor always has at least 2 hours in between his classes to use for research purposes. 

Yes… Research purposes. 

LIsten he hadn’t meant for it to get this far. Yoongi had only curiously stayed as he saw the new professor who was replacing the old lady who gave World Contemporary Literature after his class. The man looked young, about his age, delicate complexion, angelic face. 

His name is Jung Hoseok, and Yoongi had only talked to him for a couple of minutes, welcoming him to the university before leaving for his office. Though he was later very frustrated to find out, he could barely get any work done with his mind playing unhelpful reruns of his exchange with professor Hoseok. The most reasonable thing would be to try and not cross paths with him again for the sake of his investigation, right?

Yoongi is not nearly as strong-willed as he needs to be to accomplish that. 

In fact his time at the World Contemporary Literature class, only prolonged after that encounter. Waiting until the class was full to make his leave, or sometimes waiting until Hoseok started the class, or sometimes even staying for a bit at the front row before leaving. By now, his two bi-weekly classes of Contemporary Literature had become part of his routine. Staying at the back of the class where he admired the young man, as he walked around giving the class diligently; impressively capturing a large number of students who were now actively interested in it. 

Yoongi had been captured, in a different way. 

“You’re staying over this class too?” Hoseok’s voice is soft spoken, not upset but just lightly accusatory. It’s been weeks, of course he noticed Yoongi staying over every single class. And as startled as Yoongi is, he still considers himself lucky that the professor doesn’t sound annoyed. 

“I just–I really…” Think Yoongi, think of anything. “I’ve just really been trying to get into literature.” He manages to smile softly through his lie. And it seems to work, because Hoseok’s expression is widening and then grinning in excitement. 

“Who would have thought!” He beams cheerfully. “Well you’re free to come as many times as you want. Though I might have to start testing you along with the rest of my students?” Hoseok jokes, or at least Yoongi hopes he is joking. He just laughs it off and goes to his usual seat in the back, where he will be doing nothing except staring as professor Hoseok gave his class; without actually registering anything that’s being said. 

Lucky for Yoongi, the test never comes. But him and the literature professor grow closer, Hoseok starts inviting him out to have their lunch break together; since he knows for a fact Yoongi gave his class first thing in the morning and then stayed until near noon in Hoseok’s lecture. And just like had accepted defeat before, the older agrees without a second doubt.

In comparison to his typical lunches stuffed in the Sociology department with Namjoon and Seokjin, those bi-weekly 40 minutes he spends with Hoseok are… so refreshing. He remembers fearing that the literature professor would ask Yoongi what he thought of the class, but that wasn’t the case at all. 

Long forgotten were his heated debates about deeply rooted issues within humanity over lunch. Now Yoongi couldn’t wait until it was wednesday or friday, and he could just converse with Hoseok. Of course it started out like it typically would, professors talk, complaining about students, complaining about their superiors, how they got into teaching. But somehow Hoseok deemed him worthy, and just opened himself up for Yoongi. Nothing too dramatic, but the engineering professor found himself walking down the campus and being able to register what Hoseok’s favorite sitting spot was, under what specific tree; because he had told him. Or pushed himself to get weird stares by his colleagues for grabbing one donut too many because he recognized the strawberry filling ones that were Hoseok’s all time favorites and was considering dropping them off to him. 

It had been half a year, and by now, Yoongi could say he had opened up to Hoseok as well. He was more than happy to take his role as a listener to everything the younger had to say. As useless as it was, Yoongi would soak it up even when he didn’t mean to; and he had come to accept that. But, Hoseok didnt let it happen, always attentive, always considerate; asking Yoongi’s input into anything their conversation had decided to settle on. Asking for Yoongi’s favorite spots on campus, or what donuts did he reach for first when they brought some into the professors’ room. 

And Yoongi… he soaked up all that attention Hoseok gave him, too. 

It didn’t take long until they learnt the other’s schedule, sometimes using their own breaks to stop by the other’s class; just to see one another during the day. He’ll never forget the first time Hoseok came to visit as Yoongi was finishing one of his own classes, and widened at the different graphs and drawings that took over all the chalkboard. 

They were definitely friends, of course they were by now, but Yoongi couldn’t help but think that their friendship had something more special to it. Maybe it was the way the older just felt safe and soothed whenever he was talking with Hoseok, or the way Hoseok didn’t shy away from showing how much he enjoys Yoongi’s company. 

They were friends but they treated each other, just a little bit softer than the rest of their friends.

Which didn’t have to mean anything, of course. Different people have different dynamics and it just so happens Hoseok takes out the gentler side of the engineering professor. Just like it also happens to be Hoseok the one who takes out all the butterflies caged in Yoongi’s chest.

Well… maybe this different dynamic does mean something… To Yoongi at least; and he has come to accept that fact. He had reached an age where he didn’t really think he could get a crush again, yet here he is. 

Considering his feelings, he had felt a little hesitant to initiate anything with Hoseok outside their work hours; a little voice in his head telling him not to abuse the younger’s friendliness because of his own ill intentions. Hoseok made him happy as is, and he should be content with that. 

Surprisingly it’s the literature professor who, during the peak of exam season, offers to hang out and correct exams together. The little voice reminded Yoongi of his ‘ill intentions’ , but, like he keeps saying: he is simply a little weaker when it comes to Hoseok. And that first time, getting to see Hoseok outside their university, at the doorstep of his apartment which he had organized very last minute, casual clothes, beer pack in hand, gentle smile on his face. Yoongi feels himself fall in love all over again. 

Yeah… He is in love, by now he had come to accept it. 

Maybe he should be nervous, but he wasn’t, not really. How could he be when Hoseok had become his safe space? No amount of romantic feelings could change that. 

They laugh, they drink, they revise exams, they drink again, laugh some more; Yoongi finds out Hoseok is a lightweight. Third beer bottle is halfway done as the literature professor slurredly tries to write feedback onto the back of an exam.  

“You doing alright there?” Yoongi can’t help the amusement and endearment in his voice. 

All he gets is a slurred hum, and that’s all the response Yoongi needs. Still grinning as he stands up and comes back with a glass of water to Hoseok, who seems to be in some sort of trance staring at the universe. “Drink up, handsome.” He swears it was meant to sound teasing, but a blush betrays Yoongi spreading on his cheeks. 

Hoseok doesn’t seem to dwell on it, thank fuck; rather focuses on drinking his water slowly and in a way that is too endearing for Yoongi’s heart to bare. He watches as Hoseok downs the glass, trying hard not to focus on the way his Adam’s apple bobs up and down, stop staring at his neck in general, creep, and rather rubb the younger’s back. 

He finishes the glass and he leans his head on the table groaning. 

“I think you’ve done enough grading for tonight.” He chuckles enamoured. “Think you can take a ride home?” Hoseok still has his cheek squished against the table and eyes fully closed when he nods. “Ok, Seok, up.” He instructs softly, squatting down as his hands reach for Hoseok’s middle. Surprisingly cooperative, Yoongi manages to get the younger buckled up in the passenger seat of the car looking dazedly out the window. 

It's… pleasant, Yoong thinks. The silence is always comfortable with them, and he gets to drive around the deserted city with simply the knowledge that Hoseok is by his side. He makes sure to take his liberties stealing glances at the younger, his face angelical even when confusedly staring into nothingness. 

“Here we are.” Yoongi feels the need to announce it given they’ve stopped and the drunk man hadn’t made any sign of moving… He still hasn’t. “Uhm… Hoseok?” He offers trying his best not to smile a little amused at the situation. 

It looks like it physically costs effort for him to open his lips to speak. “Can you make sure… I actually go to bed?” His eyes barely meet Yoongi’s, quickly glancing somewhere else. It could be the older’s mind playing tricks on him, but even with the white street lights Hoseok’s cheeks still manage to have a beautiful pink tint. He is blushing, and it only makes Yoongi’s smile spread wider. 

“You don’t seem like the type of drunk to cause any trouble.” He questions with a smile that already gives away his answer to Hoseok’s request. 

“No, but I’ll fall asleep halfway into my apartment.” The younger man manages to smile lazily, dainty hand settles on his shoulder. And Yoongi feels himself swallowing thickly, no person should be allowed to look this good when they’re this pathetically drunk. 

“That adds up.” He chuckles getting out of the car and turning around to open Hoseok’s door for him. “Look at that, you unbuckled your own belt. Impressive.” Yoongi teases as he takes Hoseok’s hand to help him stand. 

“I’m drunk, not 5.” His playful tone and little smile makes the idea of Hoseok being annoyed at him less convincing. He is taller than Yoongi, yet he feels so much smaller when he is tiredly leaning his weight onto the older, a protective arm wraps around the literature professor as they walk inside Hoseok’s apartment complex. 

Yoongi tries his hardest not to blush when the doorman eyes the two oddly and Hoseok mumbles a sleepy: “He’s with me.” with his head buried deep into the engineering professor’s shoulders. And keeps it there all through the elevator ride… and all  through their slow walk around the hallway… and it’s still there as Hoseok clumsily tries to type in the security code for his door. 

He doesn’t want it to go away, the weight of the younger’s head on his shoulder giving him a sense of pride that makes Yoongi want to swell his chest up. But Hoseok keeps failing to type in his code, with his nose buried into Yoongi’s neck. 

“I think you might need to look at the keyboard to actually type the code.” His hand rubs up and down Hoseok’s side, with a smile that’s too fond; though the younger can’t see from where his head is resting. 

Hoseok groans. “Can’t we just be comfy?” The older specifically loves the way Hoseok assumes this position is comfortable for the two of them. 

“Wouldn’t we be much more comfortable on your bed?” Yoongi swears he didn’t mean to say that. And he knows if the other were sober, he definitely wouldn’t brush past it. 

Drunk Hoseok, however; he hums as if thinking it through “Yeah… We would be more comfy there…” He sounds so serious about it, like he was actually considering just staying here for the rest of the night, comfortably settled against Yoongi; the older can’t help giggling. Too cute. 

“Put the code, then.” He urges, big hand squeezing at where it is settled on Hoseok’s waist. 

It’s his first time going into the literature professor’s apartment, it is very neat, even if it’s filled to the brim with books. Yoongi tries to take in as much as he can, while still helping Hoseok balance himself as he takes off his shoes and coat: the hanged pictures, the bookshelves, the toys. Hoseok owns toys: stuffed animals and figurines adorning his couch and bookshelves; Yoongi is a little stunned as they walk by. He never would have guessed. 

“Room is at the end of the hallway.” Hoseok mumbles, not only his head falling back on the older’s shoulder, but his arms wrap around Yoongi’s middle. 

Right… He has to make sure Hoseok gets to bed. 

There’s a knot at Yoongi’s stomach, but he nods; slowly walking towards the closed door. Despite seeming impossible, his room has more bookshelves, bed adorned with a few more odd looking plushies. It’s so Hoseok, the older can help his heart as it does a little flip. The younger settles on his bed, sitting down before letting his back fall. Yoongi doesn’t know what to do with himself; staring feels a bit inappropriate, yet he doesn’t know if leaving him in such a state is much of an option. 

“Should I…-” 

“I just sleep in underwear.” 

They both speak at the same time. Yoongi’s cheeks blush a furious red, Hoseok seems unfazed. He already managed to get the younger to bed. After all this time he had meant Yoongi had to tuck him in?!

“O–Oh, okay.” He doesn’t know what else to say. Then, similar to a toddler, Hoseok raises up his arms. It takes Yoongi a full second to realize; and when he does, his face gets simpossibly redder. With timid hands, he slides Hoseok’s shirt off his torso delicately. Yoongi is pretty sure he isn’t breathing, but he can’t bring himself to do so, the moment too fragile for him to possibly ruin it. The little voice in his head tells him it’s immoral to stare, but he does anyway; admiring Hoseok’s lightly tanned, slim body. 

It seems he is Yoongi only one of the two with the professor-chubs, huh. 

His blatant staring is interrupted by Hoseok popping his torso heavily onto the bed, legs extending forward in Yoongi’s direction. The older feels his heart stop completely. Yoongi is so thankful that Hoseok isn’t sitting upright so he can’t see the tremble of his hands as they hover above the button of his jeans. 

He has to hurry, otherwise Hoseok will get suspicious, and he’ll notice Yoongi making things weird. 

He feels like a teenager all over again.

He undoes the button, slowly pulling the zipper down. Yoongi’s slim fingers slide barely underneath the waistband of his jeans and start tugging down. He tries his best to be gentle, but with Hoseok’s dead weight on the bed it’s a little hard; college professors aren’t known for their strength. So he makes the younger’s body rock back and forth on the bed until he gets the pants out of the pool by his calves and finally takes it out. 

Huh, Yoongi totally would have considered Hoseok a boxer’s guy.

He somehow feels he shouldn’t say that outloud, or shouldn’t hint at paying attention to Hoseok’s underwear at all. 

Or maybe, he is just overestimating drunk Hoseok. 

“All done, you just need to wash your teeth.” He says simply instead, and the man plopped down gorans dramatically. His thighs even clench at the loudness of it, not that Yoongi was staring. 

“I need to get up?! Again?” He looks up at Yoongi with a disbelieved expression, like suddenly brushing your teeth was the most ridiculous idea anyone could propose. Yoongi has to hold back a laugh. “Why didn’t you make me go brush before I laid down!?” He sounds so insulted but his lips have the softest pout to them. 

“You plopped on the bed before I got the chance to, genius.” Yoongi finds himself rolling his eyes, all the tension that had accumulated in his body minutes before had dissipated. Even with so much of the expanse of Hoseok’s sin staring back at him, so much so quickly that Yoongi had never gotten to see; the man in front of him is still the safest place. “Come on, Seokie, up.” It feels like a dejavu from getting him out of Yoongi’s apartment. 

Hoseok’s hands are so dainty in his own, he pulls him up gently; chests bumping together softly. Soft chuckles as their noses brush, Yoongi can feel his own adoring smile. “Careful.” He mumbles, his hands squeezing into Hoseok’s. All the response he gets is a grumble, eyes barely opened as they stare directly at Yoongi, shamelessly. 

As sleepy as his gaze is, and as cute as the pout on his lips is, Yoongi can’t help it but feel somewhat intimidated, there’s something blatant about the way the younger is looking at him. And even if he can’t put a name to it, it still manages to make Yoongi shiver the slightest bit. 

He wastes no more time of Hoseok being forced to stand and rather guides him slowly towards the bathroom. Graceful Hoseok, elegant, diligent inside the classroom, that same man is looking down at his feet with a concentrated pout and frown as he takes heavy steps following Yoongi. It’s endearing enough for a giggle to slip out past his lips. 

The bathroom is only a little cramped but, it’s not like it matters; Yoongi was already holding Hoseok close to him already. Lets the younger lean against him as he has to balance his sleepy legs into picking up toothbrush and toothpaste. Yoongi allows himself to stare, even if it’s quiet and obvious he is doing so. There’s something so domestic about the sight, he can’t tear his eyes away; exposing himself through the evident adoration in his stare. 

Hoseok doesn’t pay him any attention, washing his teeth with sleepy long blinks. Only noticing Yoongi through the mirror once he is washing his lips, sleepy as he straightens back up, and when he is back to leaning against the older, he turns his head to face him. Face looking sleepy and ethereal as ever. 

And Yoongi must have gotten too caught up staring at the sleepy glimmer of Hoseok’s eyes because nothing could have prepared him for the slow, soft meeting of the younger’s lips on his. 

Hoseok kisses him like he is the most precious thing in the world; a gentle peck that makes his eyes flutter close relaxed. Not Yoongi though, his eyes are wide like plates until the younger separates. 

His mouth opens and closes a few times before he manages to speak. “Why….Why did you do that?” Yoongi has a hard time finding his own voice, opting for a soft whisper. Part of him thinking this was all just an elaborate hallucination. 

“I didn’t want to do it with bad breath!” He whines like he was being antagonized for doing something completely normal; and not kissing your friend/coworker. 

Yoongi doesn’t know what to do with himself, or with the Hoseok laying against his body, staring at him expectantly. He feels his face begin to heat up with what is most probably a deep blush. “Uhm… Well I appreciate that.” He tries to say as neutral as possible, getting his hold back on Hoseok to get him to his bed. 

The younger is pliant in Yoongi’s hold, letting himself be dragged as he tiredly lets his head fall against Yoongi’s chest. “You appreciated the kiss too though, right?” Hoseok’s voice is gentle, unsure. And it probably doesn’t help that the older one takes a second to reply; too busy trying to control the tug at his heartstrings. 

He is back to guiding the younger out of his own bathroom, only replying once he manages to set Hoseok down on the bed as gracefully as he can; only then, when worried self conscious eyes are staring up at Yoongi. 

“I do appreciate it, so much.” He mumbles gently with a gummy smile spreading his lips softly. And Hoseok looks so visibly relieved by this, it earns a chuckle from the older. Yoongi is leaning over, hand pressed to the pillow so close to Hoseok’s soft locks it could just– fuck it. 

He runs his hands through the younger’s hair, just to see the way his eyes close relaxed by it. “I’ll get going, yeah?” A little voice in his head urges him to not leave Hoseok’s side, to stay until he gets another kiss from those addictively soft lips. 

But another, more rational, voice tells him he’ll have all the time in the world to do that. 

Hoseok looks unconvinced though, it takes an endeared smile and a kiss at his temple for him to look somewhat pleased. “Fine.” Yoongi has to hold himself back from leaning to peck the pout off his lips. “Will I see you tomorrow?” 

“Text me when you wake up.” 

Yoongi can feel how different everything is from the moment he watches Hoseok walk towards him at the little campus cafe. His eyes are a little groggy stil, and a pout is still on his lips; he looks like he has a hangover, basically. 

And Yoongi is still so, so stupidly enamoured by this man. 

“Morning.” 

“How are you so upbeat? You aren’t even a morning person.” Hoseok grumbles, obviously cranky, taking a seat beside Yoongi instead of infront of him. Their shoulders touch as well as their thighs. 

“I know this may come as a surprise to you, but not all of us get drunk from a couple of beers.” Yoongi teases softly, turning to side eye him. 

“I’m not sorry.” He smiles turning to face the older. Their noses brush similarly to how they did last night. Now it should be different though, the morning fills the small cafe of busy people trying to get on with their day, not private, not imitate, not one bit romantic. They don’t need it to be, though; they managed to fall in love in the simplest of ways; through Yoongi’s obvious love for literature.

[project-ohagi]

Rumi Usagiyama ღ Miruko x Reader

Buy me a coffee!! <3

Trigger Warning: PTSD.

----

What had enticed you so, that you deemed it necessary to abandon the security and warmth of your home?

Simple: food.

Your rations had depleted rather swiftly, despite you having a meagre appetite. It shouldn't have ever been such a bleak existence. This wasn't right, wasn't fair...but the normalcy was startling. It was a recent development, since you now couldn't fathom an idea as elementary as walking through the door. Shopping, bearing witness to the cruel humanity awaiting you just beyond that gut-wrenching wooden frame...

...You wouldn't ever do it again! You promised yourself. You promised yourself! But...how else were you supposed to reap the rewards of the harvest? Gods, you sounded so old-timey. It was unavoidable, really, considering your previous employment and family situation. You strained, but failed to remember a single instance in your childhood, or early adulthood, of you owning any kind of electronic. Everything you had access to was basic. Riches were never within your grasp, and both of your parents had insisted that you shadow them in their field. It had soon become an inescapable cycle of hoarding, rationing and pleading over the phone for someone to re-stock your supplies. You couldn't leave the confides of your home. You just couldn't!

Surely, they understood this, being war veterans themselves. Alas, their collective trauma was light - far lighter than yours. They could sleep soundly at night, without the relentless tears, without the thrashing and the screaming. They weren't plagued by insomnia, nor were they forced to consume ungodly amounts of coffee, in an effort to counter the hellish drowsiness. The night-terrors were agony and fright beyond human comprehension. You refused to submit to them ever again.

Your parents indulged the anxious thoughts swirling around your brain...for a while.

Now, there was no acknowledgement, only a blood-stained knife, stabbing at that horrendous, throbbing organ encased within your chest. Sometimes, you really loathed this life. Your parents complained - their burden of raising a child had long since passed. They wanted to converse with a responsible young woman, not a needy, whining baby.

So, it had come time to face the world.

Only...the world was just as disgusting as you recalled. Villains roaming the streets, with quirks allowing them to rival, if not surpass, the deadliest military personnel and weapons. You couldn't have possibly predicted this - you yourself weren't blessed with a special ability, and you had been in the field for so long, you managed to forget they even existed.

Except that one...the diabolical one, the one you were never supposed to encounter. To maintain a level ground, slaves to the army were chosen amongst the quirkless population. It was rare, but some families pledged their entire lineage to the higher-ups. This had been your case - none of your kin had ever developed powers. They were the unlucky few. It was of no actual consequence to your parents, but you were different. As such, you couldn't place your faith in the hands of heroes - or anyone! Your sense of trust had dwindled down to nothingness, especially following the abandonment by those who should have jumped to help you. It wasn't attention you wanted. You didn't need any of that!

You desired isolation, above everything, but you understood the importance of removing yourself from the depressive thoughts and views lingering in your mind...and in your heart. They displayed their aggression like a pack of wild animals, constantly trying to tear you apart. And, well...it was working. You let them succeed, for the effort required to banish them was far too great. You always hoped they would disappear, clear the path for some guiding light, some blinding illumination of hope...of courage. But that never happened. How could it? The rabbit-hole of distress and despondency was never-ending, and your heart fell ahead of your body. How could you find solace, when your entire being seemed to reject it so vehemently?

Was the question truly: Do saviours exist?

Or was it: Do I really deserve to be saved?

In spite of these overbearing thoughts, in spite of your spiking pulse and the beads of sweat ghosting down your forehead, you remained alert. You couldn't turn victim to another sneak attack. You couldn't be caught off-guard - not a second time. You avoided contact with everyone, even those with no direction. The terror mounted, slowly chipping away at your tear ducts, but there was only one more block. Your shopping list was concise. It was certain to be a short trip. Could your illness permit a moment's respite?

But time was of the essence.

The hourglass-sand was draining.

And then came the villain attack.

Even in your state of hyper-awareness, you failed to notice the warning signs. You didn't have foresight. This wasn't supposed to happen. History - your nauseating history - was repeating. It was repeating, and once again, you were rendered helpless, powerless, utterly useless. You couldn't save anyone, not your closest companions...not even yourself. Were you seeing static, or was it just the violent tremors manipulating your vision? By taking the initiative, by leaving your house...had you willing walked into a death trap? Were you going to die here?...Would you join those who perished in the field? What if they rejected you? You couldn't save them, and their blood had painted your skin...would they implore you to leave? The villain was nothing more than a blurred outline, but when you saw his quirk, your blood ran cold.

It was Reanimation. It was the same...the same...It was a curse, placed upon your friends all those moons ago. It was inescapable. It was a cage. You gripped your neck, an extreme feeling of suffocation making you keel over. This couldn't be happening. Not again! Not again! Not again! The villain was stabbing and slashing civilians left and right, then turning the corpses against the rest. People were dying. In a few seconds, you too would succumb to those glinting blades - the villain was heading toward you. But your muscles were frozen. Your breathing was laboured.

Perhaps death would release you from this dreadful panic? You didn't truly wish to find out. You wanted to live, and you wanted normalcy. You just...wanted a chance. A chance to prove your worth, to prove your benevolence.

But...the blood...

...it was clawing desperately at your shirt. It felt far too familiar. To whom did it belong? With all the chaos, you just couldn't tell. You could hear nothing over the incessant ringing and ragged breaths. You could see nothing beyond the crimson spots in your vision. You waited for death, for your early appointment with the Reaper. It never came. A sudden gust of wind rocked you, and a blurry figure ran past, kicking into the crowd. You couldn't see the flames of delight glossing over her eyes. You couldn't really tell that it was a woman - a hero. You were too busy panicking. The curtain closed on the corpse party rather soon, but you kept crying, kept shaking. This was your normal, your reaction. It was inescapable. It was hellish.

The hero beamed, showing off her victorious grin.

"And that's how you beat death!"

You weren't listening - you couldn't.

It seemed as though she planned to hop away. But her gaze travelled to you. It was a little confusing, since after an ordeal like this, regular civilians tended to thank her, ask for an autograph and then walk away. Sure, it could have been traumatising...but to such an extent? Something more was afoot. She wasn't really the comforting type, but there was no-one else around to help. The police would arrive shortly, though she doubted they would possess the expertise to deal with you, in this condition. Well, she was a pro for a reason, right? She could totally deal with this herself!

No biggie!

Crouching down beside you, she tried to rein in her loud, possibly brash voice. "Hey, what's up? Did that villain hurt ya?"

Your only response was more heavy breathing. A quick scan of your body revealed no injuries, just blood spatter. She was relieved, but you looked stressed and stricken with fear - enough to pass out. Now she wished a jacket was part of her costume, so she could wrap it around you, and hopefully provide some semblance of safety. Her strong hands found purchase on your back and arm, rubbing over the clothing, in an effort to calm you down. You felt her touch...her warmth. It was oddly soothing, and managed to slow your breaths. You wanted to speak. Well, to be honest, you wanted to scream. This woman...you sensed her strength, almost like it radiated off her. It was reassuring, but that couldn't compensate for everything you had just witnessed...everything you had heard and felt.

"So what triggered you? Was it the blood, or-" A whimper-yell slashed through her questions.

Okay, so blood wasn't to be mentioned.

Her grin didn't falter. "Good thing I was here! I beat the crap outta that villain, so now you should be fine, right? I'm Miruko!"

Pride rushed to her face.

You despised words of such hollow comfort, but she seemed to be genuinely trying. You supposed it was admirable. Your attacks were difficult not only for yourself, but also those nearby, after all. People usually took their leave pretty quickly. Not this one. As your panic-induced haze cleared, and the trembling slowed, your eyes met the most breath-taking woman imaginable. You had always considered yourself open to same-sex dating, but nobody had ever sparked your fancy. This woman didn't cause such a fleeting pang in your heart. No - she ignited your very soul. You clung to every echo of her voice, but you just couldn't agree with her. She was under the impression that heroes were essential, that they rescued and relieved. That child-like train of thought niggled the back of your mind.

"I get to kick so many villains' butts! It's a real adrenaline rush!" You understood that she was trying to push the incident from your mind.

Heroes were slaves to the system, to the government...exactly like soldiers. Screwing your eyes shut, you started to speak, praying that you wouldn't be interrupted by further, miserable cries or screams of agony.

"On the war-front, there are no heroes. Only pawns, manipulated into throwing their lives away for people who would save their own skins at any chance they got."

Were you whispering? Maybe yelling? It wasn't important, but the woman appeared stunned to silence. Despite your ears having been liberated from the harsh ringing of funeral bells, you could scarcely hear yourself. Were you purposefully blocking out these words? Was it because of their truth? You didn't know.

"Damn, someone did do a number on you, huh? You said 'war-front' - were you a soldier?"

You didn't notice your unrelenting grip, the nails that dug into her skin, begging for her attention. Maybe the past should remain buried? Her curiosity could be unsatiated. You would probably require some degree of medical assistance, but would your hold ever loosen? She likely neglected a number of villain attacks, while waiting with you, but...

...to her, it was worth every second.

[Word Count: 1867]

[lalainajanes]

The Kindness of Strangers

It takes a good half hour for Caroline to realize that she’s been ditched.

In her defense, she’s not exactly at her best.

She can’t stop coughing, her chest hurts. She’s freezing, still wearing her coat and scarf even though she’s been indoors, waiting for her turn to see a doctor, for three hours. Caroline will admit that she’s never been an ideal patient. She hates every single part of being sick – gross fluids leaking from her body, disruptions to her carefully plotted schedule. She loathes weakness, isn’t used to having to count on other people. She’s lived in Chicago for just under a year, doesn’t have many people to rely on.

She’d been self medicating for days, guzzling DayQuil and NyQuil in turn, googling home remedies and forcing down cup after cup of chamomile tea with honey.

The medicine hadn’t helped, nor had the tea and the best medical advice Pinterest had to offer.

Hence why she’s sitting in an uncomfortable plastic chair, in a packed waiting room, braving screaming children, bloody wounds, and even more airborne germs.

She’s staring dumbly down at her phone, at the picture that’s just popped up on her Instagram feed. Posted just a few seconds ago it features her boyfriend at the gym, his face strained as he lifts a kettlebell. She hadn’t bothered to read the caption, knows it’s some nonsense about reps or mile times that she’s only ever feigned interest in for the sake of politeness.

He’d been yammering on about his workout plans since he’d picked her up. Caroline had been humming in acknowledgement at regular intervals but she’d figured it didn’t need to be explicitly stated that leaving her in a hospital waiting room was so not cool.

Apparently she’d been mistaken.

“Please tell me he’s some sort of useless relation. A cousin you’re only nice to because your mum insists.”

Caroline’s head swivels to the speaker, a touch surprised by the accent. The guy next to her is looking down at her phone, his expression disbelieving.  She’d nodded tiredly at him when she’d sat down, some part of her brain cataloguing a general impression of an attractive man in her age range. She hadn’t been in the mood for conversation and he hadn’t attempted one either. She’d felt him shifting next to her, restless, and probably in pain judging by the impressive rainbow of purple-black bruises covering his bare left foot.

She should probably snap at him, demand he mind his own business but, if her own freaking boyfriend can’t be bothered to skip a workout when she’s in the emergency room, it’s probably a good idea to expand her social circle.

“My mom has even less time for useless relations than I do.”

“She sounds like a smart woman. Does she like your boyfriend?”

Her mother had yet to be introduced. Caroline had planned a trip to Mystic Falls for a long weekend but Stefan’s brother had called last minute with one of his bimonthly crisis’s so Caroline had made the trip solo. In hindsight, maybe she should have read more into the lack of effort. “Very smart. And handy with all manner of firearms.”

A warning, just in case he happens to be a serial killer.

His brows rise, a hint of amusement beginning to curl his lips. Caroline’s forced turn away and bury her face in the crook of her elbow as she’s wracked with coughs. She slumps back when she’s done, needs a moment to catch her breath.

When she peels her eye open her neighbor’s expression has softened with concern. “I’m Klaus,” he offers.

“Caroline.”

His arm nudges hers on the armrest between their chairs, a weird approximation of a handshake that Caroline returns. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, even if the circumstances are less than ideal.”

She’s naturally nosy, and he’s given her an opening, “What happened to your foot?”

“Stupid accident. I was helping my brother move, he got distracted. A rather heavy sofa came down on my foot.”

Caroline winces in sympathy, leans forward to peer around Klaus. She hadn’t noticed him talking to another guy but, as she hadn’t really noticed Stefan taking his leave while in her fog of misery, that doesn’t mean much. “Is he here?”

Klaus makes a low noise of denial, “God, no. Kol can only sit still as long as the average five year old. I’ll be storing this incident away for later, when I need a bigger favor than a ride to the hospital.”

Caroline doesn’t know much about healthy sibling relationships but she can admire a strategic mind.

“How long have you been waiting for?”

“I got here about an hour before you did.”

“Ugh,” Caroline grumbles, crossing her arms and yanking her sleeves down over her hands, “maybe I should have just made another pharmacy run and gone back to bed.”

Klaus leans forward, pulls a jacket and a scarf out from under his seat. He shakes them out, offering them to her. “Here. I find it quite warm in here but you’re obviously suffering.”

She shakes her head, “No, I wouldn’t want to infect you with whatever I have.”

“Did you just fall ill?”

“It’s been a few days.”

Kat, her boss, had bullied her out of the office when Caroline had nearly passed out after standing up after a meeting. Caroline had tried to protest but Katherine Pierce was excellent at getting her own way. Caroline had been in the back of a town car, under a blanket, with a driver who’d had strict instructions to only stop at a restaurant for the giant takeaway container of chicken noodle soup Kat had ordered.

She’d texted Stefan when she’d gotten home, had gotten sympathy followed by an apology. He’d told her to rest, that he hoped she’d feel better soon, but he’d claimed that he couldn’t rick catching anything, not when he’s training for a marathon.

Alone on her couch, trying to muster the energy to get herself to her bedroom so she could change out of her pencil skirt and blouse, Caroline had told herself that she shouldn’t be resentful. That ambition was sexy, goals were admirable, and she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself.

That it wasn’t at all annoying that, just a month ago, she’d spent a whole weekend refilling a hot water bottle for Stefan every half hour after he’d pulled a muscle. He hadn’t asked her, she’d offered, and relationships shouldn’t have scorecards.

Maybe they had different love languages. That didn’t mean they were incompatible.

Reciting the bullet points from Cosmo relationship articles hadn’t stopped Caroline from feeling resentful.

Klaus shakes his jacket gently, drawing her attention back to him, “I doubt you’re contagious at this point.”

The jacket looks to be wool, heavy and lined and probably super cozy. She only hesitates for another second before taking it, draping it over herself like a blanket and looping the scarf around her neck.

She manages to avoid obviously tucking her nose into the fabric, to better appreciate the light touch of the very nice cologne Klaus must use.

“Thank you,” she murmurs. “You can tell your significant other that you’ve earned a pile of gentleman points.”

It’s not the most subtle fishing Caroline’s ever done but she’ll just have to blame that on the large doses of over the counter meds still swimming through her system.

Klaus doesn’t seem to mind, his smile widening as he leans back in his seat. He rests his head back against the wall and sprawls a bit, closer to her than he’d been before. “There’s no significant other.”

She probably shouldn’t consider that good news but she totally does.

“And you?” Klaus asks, “how long have you and the… fitness afficianado been an item?”

Caroline suspects the moniker he’s settled on is far more polite than he’d like to be.

“About six months. But we’ve known each other since we were kids.”

“Let me guess, you were high school sweethearts who reunited years later.”

His distaste is obvious and Caroline laughs softly. “Um, no. Not even close. I had a ginormous crush on him but he was really into my best friend.”

Who’d waffled between being into Stefan right back and being into Stefan’s older brother.

Klaus sighs, “So he’s got an appalling lack of taste in addition to his other less than stellar qualities.”

It’s instinct to jump to Stefan’s defense. “He’s really a great guy.”

“I’m sure.”

“He’s training for a marathon. It’s a lot of work.”

“Is this marathon tomorrow?” Klaus asks pointedly. “Because otherwise I don’t understand why he couldn’t take a day off when you’re so ill you can barely walk.”

Caroline deflates, presses her lips together as she swallows the argument she’d been about to make. She’s had plenty of practice lately. When she’d first moved, and Stefan had shot her a message offering to take her out for a drink to celebrate her new job, it had been easy to fall back in with her old friends. He’d been familiar, Elena and Damon too, and she’d been busy with her new job and settling into a new apartment. It had been easier to relearn how to be around them than to meet new people.

She’s a people person though, has started getting closer to a few coworkers, and Enzo, Rebekah and Kat all have certain opinions about Stefan that Klaus is mirroring.

“Perhaps this is none of my business,” Klaus says, after her silence has stretched on. He’s watching her carefully, like he’s wondering if he’s pushed too far.

“It’s really not.”

“Lost those gentleman points, did I?” he jokes.

Caroline laughs, willing to roll with his attempt to lighten the mood. “Maybe not all of them.” Because she is warmer now, with his layers piled on top of hers. “Where are you from, anyway?”

He’d given her the perfect opening to pry and Caroline’s not going to waste the opportunity.

All in the interest of broadening her social circle of course.

A month later, after a breakup, rearranging her entire apartment (three times), she’s decided to make more of an effort to turn her coworkers into real friends.

Rebekah’s throwing herself a birthday party. There’s even a dress code. Enzo informs Caroline that all of Rebekah’s brothers are ridiculously hot, so clearly she needs a great new dress. And heels. And some lingerie and a new lipstick because, why not?

She sees Klaus before he sees her. He’s planted on a loveseat in the living room, his casted foot resting on an ottoman. He’s flitted through her thoughts more than once since they’d met and Caroline had regretted not getting his contact info. Or at least a last name.

Klaus might be a unique name but her attempts at social media stalking had all failed.

Caroline grabs a flute of champagne (seriously, Rebekah knew how to throw a party) and hugs the perimeter of the room. She approaches Klaus from behind, sitting down on the arm next to him and chirping, “Well, fancy meeting you here.”

His eyes snap up, widening when he recognizes her. “Caroline,” he says, something like wonder coloring the tone.

It’s enough to confirm that she’d not the only one who’s spent way too much time thinking about those few hours they’d spent together.

“Glad you remember me,” she teases. “How do you know Rebekah?”

“She’s my sister.” He shifts over, threading his finger through hers to pull her down next to him. Caroline has no objections, not even when he’s pressed along her side, leaving enough room for another person beside him. “And you?”

“We work together.”

“Small world,” Klaus murmurs, very pleased about it.

Caroline can relate.

She nods down to his foot, “What was the verdict?”

He groans, “At least six weeks in the cast. I’m right sick of it. I’ve barely left my place since it happened because I can’t drive and the simplest things are infinitely more annoying.”

“I’m glad you made it out tonight.”

He’s still got her hand clasped in his but his free arm comes up, resting loosely around her shoulders. He speaks more softly and Caroline leans closer to make sure she can hear. “Likewise, love. I’ll never complain about Rebekah being a shameless nag again.”

Somehow, Caroline doubts that.

She spends the duration of the party at Klaus’ side but she meets a whole pile of new people. There’s Kol, the brother whose couch had maimed Klaus’ foot, Elijah, who is a little scary, with his appraising eyes and aggressively perfect manners. She gets some tips about thrifting vintage clothes from Gia, a classical violinist, and when she chats with Marcel he says he hopes he sees her around, promises that he knows plenty of embarrassing stories about Klaus.

She’s kind of kicking herself for falling back into old habits when she’d first moved to Chicago. Clearly, she’s pretty kickass at making friends.

She leaves with Klaus’ number in her phone and plans for dinner the next night.

Sunday brunch plans follow, with Rebekah, where there are bottomless mimosas and vague threats.

It’s easily the best weekend she’s had since moving.

Though not for long.

[pianoperson]

Cradlesona

I have worked on this for two days but I am finally done with my Cradlesona!!

@lovingsiriusoswald Thank you for starting this trend!

Now, introducing my Cradlesona: Angel Burnham! (or is it really her name...)

This is my first digital drawing so it looks wack shhhhhhh

A brief warning, though: Personality might confuse you because of the way I wrote it. I’ll make a much better version of this, however.

Basic Info:

Name: Angel Burnham (It is not her real name, however.)

Nickname: Angel

Birthday: December 12

Age: 22

Height: 150cm

Blood Type: O+

Physical:

Eyes: Her right eye is a natural brown color. Her left eye, however, is akin to a galaxy. It became like so when her magical abilities decided to show themselves while playing the piano one day. Nobody knows how the galaxy pattern was made permanent on her eye (nor do they know why her eyes become the colors of space when she uses magic instead of the typical red).

Hair: Dark brown hair, which can look black in some angles, while in other angles, it looks more brown (the image shows it brown however).

Accessories: She has two rosary bracelets on her left wrist and a St. Benedict ring on her left middle finger.

Features: Other than her left eye, there isn’t anything about her that stands out.

Illnesses: Aside from allergies to most seafood except fish, none

Social:

Affiliation: Neutral at first, Red Army later on

Occupations: Originally worked as a waitress in a cafe, but sometime after the day she found out about her magic, she was recruited by the Red Army to help them in the war.

Relationships:

Blanc: He and Angel are friends. Blanc let her stay in his house, gave her a place to stay when she wanted to move out, and was the one who helped her find a job in Cradle. He does this as an apology for accidentally bringing her to Cradle. Blanc, alongside Oliver, are the only ones who really know where Angel is from.

Oliver: At first, Angel was intimidated by him due to his less than friendly first impression. But within the time she spent living with him and Blanc, they were able to get to know each other and become friends through ranting.

Fenrir: When he stops by to pick up something from Oliver, he would occasionally chat with Angel. He gave her a tour around Cradle as well.

Edgar: Edgar may be kind to her, but something about his smile was sketchy to her. She doesn’t pry, however, mostly because she doesn’t have much concrete reason as to why he felt sketchy to her. Edgar would occasionally tease Angel about her crush, however, much to her annoyance.

Kyle: Angel loves his chill self and admires his dedication as a doctor. They’re friends and sometimes, if she feels like going out, Angel would accompany Kyle to the bar. She never drinks, however, so she’s stuck with bringing Kyle home.

Lancelot: She was intimidated by him, but after learning what Lancelot means to the army through Kyle and Jonah, she realized that the King of Hearts is actually nicer than he lets on. 

Zero: They don’t talk much but Angel thinks he’s great company.

Jonah: Angel has a crush on him. She found him attractive when she first saw him, but after Blanc’s brief descriptions of the Queen of Hearts and seeing him looking happy while eating a strawberry mille-feuille one day, she found herself crushing on him.  

Personality:

Race/Ethnicity: Half Filipino-Cradle blood

Type of clothes/How they wear it: When she first fell into Cradle, Angel wore a long-sleeved dark blue-and-white striped shirt, with dark blue jeans and black sandals. Due to 19th century customs for women, she had to wear a couple of dresses. She has three favorite dresses that she wears nearly every day: the premium dresses from Jonah, Sirius, and Lancelot. 

Mannerisms: She mostly doesn’t care and likes to act as how she wants to act. She can behave and be formal if necessary, but otherwise, she definitely does not have the manners of Lancelot, Jonah, and Edgar. When it comes to taking care of herself, she tries but it’s not enough. She brushes her hair and takes a bath every day, but her hair can still look like it hasn’t been brushed. 

Favorite subject: Math because there is something about the numbers that captivates her and she feels pride over the fact that she can do math while her other classmates struggle.

How do they want to be seen by others: Angel hopes that people see her as a decent human being and not someone who seems to be bad-mannered or mean to others.

How people see them: Angel isn’t really sure on that aspect, but she did get a few comments from people who say that they were initially intimidated by her due to her serious expression. It’s most likely that she’s too serious for people to feel like they can easily approach her.

Introverted or extroverted: Angel is an introvert. She likes to hang around with friends, but that would mean staying in her place or being alone the next day to recharge. She isn’t the type to initiate conversation, but she would gladly engage in one if she feels like it.

What makes them laugh out loud: A lot of things actually. Snarky comments, roast comments, someone’s rather enthusiastic way of telling a story, dissing other friends, and the list goes on.

Do they make snap judgements or take time to consider: Angel doesn’t judge people, especially if they’re strangers because she is aware that they both come from different places. However, she will judge if someone makes a stupid move, including herself.

How do they react to praise: Angel’s reactions can vary. If she is proud of what she did, she’ll say thank you, but if she does not find a reason to deserve the compliment, she gets bashful. Either way, her day will feel better, knowing she did something right.

“” criticism: Angel accepts it with grace. She does not want to make a fuss, nor does she want to reveal any negative feelings towards said criticism. 

How do they treat anyone: If Angel is with a close person, she’s much louder and more carefree. She looks more cheerful. If Angel is with a person who dislikes her or she dislikes, she still acts polite, even if she is tempted to show her irritation.

What is their view on lying: Angel absolutely hates lying. It’s not to say she’s above it, but in the moments she doesn’t say the exact truth, she feels guilty. This extends to her friendships; she strives to not lie to her friends about anything and will always try to keep her word. This honesty, however, can sometimes cause her to say an off-handed comment, which she’ll regret saying later on.

Favorite animal: Her dog from the Land of Reason. When he pops into her head, she hopes that he is still alive.

Music, art, or reading: This is a hard choice for Angel, since she likes all three, but she’ll choose music. All three keep her entertained, especially when she can barely do anything without WiFi for her phone.

Favorite color: Darker hues of blue and gold

Favorite day of the week: Wednesday, because that day tends to be her most relaxing day

Most beautiful thing they’ve ever seen: Angel tends to find so many things beautiful. She can find beauty in even the way the stones on a cobblestone pathway are arranged. Deep down, however, she will say Jonah Clemence (lmao).

Political views: In the context of the conflict within Cradle, Angel is neutral. As someone who lives in the Philippines, she can’t help but note the disadvantages of the dictatorship that the Red Army advocates for. On the other hand, democracy can be somehow difficult to manage. Therefore, she prefers to not think about it.

How do they deal with conflict: She doesn’t. Angel tries to avoid arguments most of the time. However, she will speak up if she feels there is something wrong. When she does argue with someone, she tries to keep her inner peace without blowing up. However, when faced with conflicts regarding personal problems, she can get stressed easily and lose it.

Are they more likely to fight with their fists or their tongue: Angel prefers to speak. She is doubtful that she can fight, even with magic and the resistance to it in her arsenal.

How do they deal with stress: Angel will rant to herself when she’s completely alone. Sometimes, she’ll also rant to Oliver. If what is stressing her is sadness, however, she will keep it in and not tell anyone. 

What is their biggest regret: Angel is the type to regret a lot of things and when she least expects it, the things she regrets will enter her head and she will clench her fist and shut her eyes tight to make it go away. Her biggest regret, however, is when she played Sonata Pathetique mvm. 3 in a restaurant, the day she found out her magical abilities.

What is their greatest fear: Angel is secretly scared of one thing: being unwanted and consequently alone. She’s scared that she won’t get a man who would love her unconditionally because she’s not good enough or she’s scared that her friends gossip behind her back or love each other more than her because she’s not good enough. This fear worsens after she found out about her magic.

When was the last time they cried: Angel hates crying, more so in front of others. She doesn’t know why she even does; it was a thing she knew ever since she was a child. Because of this, she doesn’t normally cry, even if she bottles up depressing thoughts. She does cry, however, when the guilt from the day she found out her magic and the fear of not being loved by anyone ate her up.

What is their philosophy of life: Angel likes to go with the flow but she has to establish a few things she wants in life to make it easier.

What will they stand up for: Angel doesn’t have much she particularly feels passionate about, as she’s the type who would rather chill and not be caught in conflict. But if there’s one thing that would irk her, it’s people being mean. She doesn’t get why people would betray their friends nor would she understand why people are jerks. Therefore, she tries to be nice to everyone she meets.

Is it easy to admit their mistake: Yes. Angel will know if it was her mistake or not. 

Is it easy to forgive others: Definitely. Angel can’t hold a grudge.

Weak traits: Angel can be lazy and won’t complete a project she started on. Angel also has some level of arrogance, born out of the fear that she isn’t good enough and that no one would want her.

Strong traits: Angel will always try to be a trustworthy person and someone who tries her best. 

Family and History:

Angel is actually from the 21st century who recently graduated from college with a degree in music. While walking back to a condo her family owns, Blanc bumps into her and drops his pocket watch, which she picked up. She chased him and called him but he was too fast. Eventually, he disappears, confusing Angel, and standing on the spot where he was, she ended up falling to 19th century Cradle.

Angel’s family is actually a mix of two worlds. Her mother was a Cradle citizen, born into a family of magic users, while her father was from the Land of Reason. Her mother, for some reason, entered the Garden on the full moon and accidentally ended up being transported to 21st century Earth, where she met Angel’s father and fell in love. They hid this from Angel and her other siblings and she only found out during a chance encounter with her mother’s parents. Because of the magic and resistance to it being passed down, she inherited both abilities, which are most powerful in music.

Skills and Special Abilities:

Magic: Angel can cast magic like typical magic users. When she uses magic normally, it’s far from the power of magic users such as Lancelot and Harr. However, when she plays piano or flute, her magic becomes much stronger, possibly stronger than the aforementioned two. Using it, however, can cause fatigue, fever, and even fainting.

Magic Resistance: Due to her roots in the Land of Reason, she also has the ability to nullify magic, making her one of the most powerful people in Cradle– and a target. Strangely, when she makes TwoSetViolin references, her magic nullification ability is more powerful. (It was how she even found out about her magic resistance. She remarked “iNtErEsTiNg” once and the nearby lights went off. The crystals in the light bulbs were newly installed.)

Pianist: She has a decade and a half worth of experience.

Flutist: While not as experienced with the flute (only having played it for around 5 years), she can still play it.

Paired with: Currently no one, but she has a crush on Jonah

Life in Cradle:

Angel just recently graduated from college when she first encountered Blanc, who bumped into her. Blanc seemed very antsy and, after apologizing to her, ran off. He dropped his pocket watch, however. The same thing that happened to Alice the Second occurred, except Blanc actually was nearby when Angel was falling to 19th century Cradle.

The portal closed immediately after Blanc caught Angel, so she was trapped in the unknown world.

On the first days staying in Cradle, Angel was nervous, even with Blanc and Oliver helping her. Often, she was reminded of how tense she was.

During one of the days Blanc showed her around, Angel saw a troop of Red Army soldiers, being led by Jonah. Angel found him attractive and kept glancing at him. 

Eventually, Angel asked Blanc if she can get a job and her own living space, since she didn’t want to burden him. Blanc helped her find a job as a waitress in a cafe and got her an apartment to stay in.

She found out about her magic nullification abilities when she moved in to her apartment.

For two months, she carried a rather mundane life as a worker in a cafe. There was a day when, during break, she ate in another cafe at the same time as Jonah (and found him cute as he ate his mille-fueille).

A few days after the news of the former King of Hearts being assassinated was announced, Angel was eating out with some friends from work. The restaurant had a piano, so she decided to play Sonata Pathetique mvm. 3. Midway through the piece, she heard screams and shouts of pain. That was when she found out that she was unleashing magical attacks through her playing and started to panic when she realized her hands were moving on their own. That was when an explosion occurred.

She was brought to Kyle thanks to Oliver. She was the only one who survived the fiasco, which was dubbed Perish Song Night. She also found out her left eye changed color.

Because of the fiasco, she was fired from her job. 

A week later, Red Army declared war on the Black Army. The next day, they faced off. Angel was nearby when it happened and was praying in her head for nothing bad to happen. That was when she accidentally repelled Lancelot’s magic, confusing everyone. It was enough for Blanc and Oliver to arrive and stop the conflict.

Two days after the face-off, Edgar finds Angel in her apartment, taking her to the Red Army HQ. There, Angel is made to serve the Red Army by using her magical abilities against the Black Army.

[fatedbutblinking]

hp next generation│characters

REMUS & TONKS

Teddy Lupin

Hufflepuff

Hair that changes often—currently a bright, electric blue; olive skin

Kind and considerate

Respectful and sweet

Humble and appreciative of Harry Potter and their family

Deeply in love with Victoire—for a lot more than her looks

Victoire tells everyone it was Teddy who fell for her first, just because he told her he loved her first, but Teddy secretly knows that it’s Victoire who fell first

Made Head Boy for his high academic achievement (including a nailed Outstanding in Defence Against the Dark Arts)

Out of all the Potter children, he is closest with Lily Potter; she used to ride his back when she was younger and make him personalised, singing birthday cards

HARRY & GINNY

James Sirius Potter

Gryffindor

Around 180 cm; classically handsome face; strong jawline; thick, dark brown, untidy hair that glints auburn in the sun and he constantly runs his hands through; irritatingly clear skin; prominent hazel eyes; cocky smirk

From first to third year, he conceitedly thinks that Allie likes him just because she said thank you to him after he told off some boys for pulling on her hair; this turns out to be false, as Allie starts going out with Dylan Thomas

The most arrogant out of his family members, his best friend and cousin Fred coming second

His nana started calling him “Jamie,” to which his friends started mocking him for

This led to James coming up with nicknames for everyone else, some sticking and some only for mocking (e.g. Allie, Freddie, Roxie—but not Dom because she’d kill them if they did)

Typically a player but knows when to settle down into a relationship—reliable and loyal if he’s really interested in you—if you’re just a one-time shag, he’s still nice to you though

A lover of Quidditch, pranks, making others laugh—he’s the class clown

Naturally smart; has a lot of potential to be great—especially in Potions and Alchemy—but starts off not diligent or focused enough

Cares for his family and friends—perhaps too much sometimes

Immature class clown turned just as funny Head Boy without wanting the latter

Gets others and himself into trouble all the time

Constantly curious—to the point where it, also constantly, gets him into trouble and detention with McGonagall

Free and confident being who he is, which Allie admires

Childish, stupid, hyper and more arrogant when drunk

After being turned by an infamous werewolf in the middle of his sixth year, he starts smoking excessively—”The more I do with my mouth, the less chance I’ll have to tell someone I’m a monstrous killer. Unless you, Allie, would like to help me instead?”—Dom, who used to be an addict in her fourth year when she hung out with Slytherin boys, persuades James to stop

When he becomes a werewolf in his sixth year, he decides to quit the Quidditch team so he won’t ruin it for anyone if he can’t play; he doesn’t tell Fred his reasoning—he can’t tell anyone he’s a werewolf or might be expelled for possible danger by certain Ministry workers—and Allie is forced to take his spot

McGonagall secretly finds James one of her favourite students, despite telling him off constantly for his pranks

Loves his dog Paddy

Bisexual or pansexual—“As long as they’re good-looking,” he says, cracking a cocky smirk.

The ultimate 21st century cool guy—really hot, intelligent and with no preference for partners’ sexuality

Very straightforward like Dominique—doesn’t know boundaries at times

Secretly kind

Super selfless

Finds it amusing that he actually likes Professor Malfoy, his new Alchemy teacher

Professor Malfoy finds it funny that he likes James too

Though predicted Outstanding in his Alchemy mock exam, James runs out halfway through the lesson to confess his feelings to Allie

“What’s with your son, Potter? He’s unbelievable.”—“Merlin, what’s he done now?”—“He ran out halfway through the lesson, finishing 75% of the exam—which is impressive enough as he should’ve been at 50%—and got 73% right! If your son doesn’t run out of the room during the real exam, I’m sure he could get an O.”

Albus Severus Potter

Slytherin

Only just taller than Roxanne

Almond-shaped, bright green eyes; neat black hair; thin-faced with knobby knees; thin and of average height

Listens to Radiohead and other Muggle bands

Angsty teen shut-the-fuck-up type

Used to be bullied for being so different from the rest of his family; girls dig the bad boy thing (though Albus isn’t bad and doesn’t act like it on purpose)

Like a sassy young Harry from Order of the Phoenix

Rolls eyes a lot

Nobody can tell what he’s thinking

Witty—self-deprecating humour

Lily Potter

Gryffindor—without a doubt

Around 162 cm with pale, white, freckled skin, vibrant brown eyes, straight, bright ginger hair; she eventually gets glasses due to her worsening eyesight—“At least I’m not as blind as you, Dad.”

Very curious and interested; cheery; talkative; honest; adventurous

Wants to have fun but is studious too—for sure not as extreme a pranker or partyer as James

Often argues with Albus as they’re both really stubborn; James can be seen laughing the background

Strong-willed and quick-witted

Admires Rose as an older sister

Ships Albus and Scorpius more than anyone

RON & HERMIONE

Rose Weasley

Gryffindor

Wavy scarlet/vermilion hair; light skin with minor freckles, as she doesn’t spend much time in the sun

Loves reading and the library

Prefers to keep to herself/be independent

Loves to point things out for others

Her fatal flaw is being too honest that she sounds condescending/rude, especially when she’s angry

Only impulsive when angry;

Never procrastinates

Extremely intelligent/book-smart

Slightly arrogant and snobby

Short-tempered and stubborn

Says she doesn’t care about appearances until Scorpius finds out about her contact lenses after hiding under her bed

Hugo Weasley

Ravenclaw

Shorter than most; boyish good looks; curly brown hair (an undercut when he was rebelling); lanky; long-sleeved shirts and jeans

Loves music—singing, acoustics, angst/soft/indie tunes

Quiet but frank when passionate or needed

Highly intelligent

Quietly opinionated

Named attractive by girls but he doesn’t care for them—only his studies and music

Doesn’t laugh; deadpan

Not very close with Potter-Weasley-Granger clan

Dislikes James for treating him like a child, being frivolous and always partying

Dislikes Dominique for being intimidatingly rude

NEVILLE & HANNAH

Alice (Allie) Longbottom

Ravenclaw

Around 158 cm; sweet-faced; doe-eyed; wavy dark-gold/caramel-blonde medium-length hair; long eyelashes; rich, doe, dark brown eyes; thick-knit cream and orange jumpers

A bad habit of hers is biting her nails

Doesn’t get drunk until of age but is said to remain nonchalant and the same after several drinks

Though she complains she hates it because it’s illegal, she secretly enjoys being the designated driver in the flying car—there’s no other way for her to fly, as she’s dreadful on a broom like her dad

Clumsy when she’s younger

Open-minded; the right amount of honesty; not rude

Tones down James and Fred by telling them if their pranks are going over the line

Considered the worst Quidditch player/broom-rider ever since her first flying lesson where she spun around the school for hours uncontrollably

One day when Fred is injured and can’t play a match, James convinces Allie to and she manages to help them win—by distracting the other scared players with her super-fast flying

A louder, sweeter, more humble version of Albus

Shy when with new people, but later—if quiet—she’s only observant

Wishes she had a large family but eventually finds that the Weasley-Potter-Granger clan are just as caring

Her mother, Hannah Abbott, the school matron, is dying—lethargic, pale, cadaverous, bony, tired hair 

Her parents weren’t sure they could have a child due to Hannah being ill (having a blood curse)

When Hannah dies, Allie becomes very depressed because her family is down to just her and her dad; she feels guilty that she didn’t spend as much time with her mum as she did with her dad

Allie sees Scorpius crying in Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom after his mother died too from a blood curse; this leads to a close friendship and slight jealousy from James, who at this point has just realised he loves Allie

Thinks she needs to excel at school because her dad works there—wants to impress her dad and make him proud

In her seventh year, she hears about a chance to intern at St Mungo’s; wanting to be nearer to family, she applies and gets accepted

She visits her grandparents at Christmas, which is why they sort-of remember her

Neville only hears about the internship when McGonagall talks to him about it and is heartbroken that his daughter didn’t tell him—this was because she knew he’d say no

She impulsively decides she wants to be a Healer

James and her get into an argument about this

“You don’t care about being a Healer. You just want a reason to see your grandparents, to be nearer people who care about you. What you don’t realise is that, although plenty of us aren’t related to you, we love you too.”—James

“You want to be a Healer? You’ve never talked about this ever!”—“Well some people can’t decide what they want to do when they’re five, like you or Fred!”—“I don’t know what I’m doing, Allie! Merlin...what’re you going to do if your grandparents pass away? Will you quit being a Healer? Do what you love, Allie. Don’t do what you think other people want.”

After James becomes a werewolf, she sticks by his side; she even becomes an illegal Animagus to help him—she is a hare, like Luna Lovegood’s Patronus, and finds herself somewhat unuseful as she’s so small

Lysander is her first kiss

Boys consider her pretty in the “cute” way; adults describe her as “lovely”; Fred describes her as “the type of person that calls other girls beautiful”; James describes her as “beautiful. That’s it.”  

Her three current and past love interests are James, Dylan Thomas and Nicolas (a hot Beauxbatons exchange student), the first becoming her husband and the latter two ending up together

Zabini mocks this, telling Allie she “turned them gay.”

James murdered him on the Quidditch pitch the next day

GEORGE & ANGELINA

Fred Weasley

Gryffindor

187 cm; very tall; well-built; short, cropped raven hair; light freckles

Goofy like James

Needs to focus on his studies more and does in last two years of school, after failing multiple OWL exams and getting a Howler from his mum 

From then on, he is given a tutor, Chloe, who is a year older than him, in Ravenclaw, pretty and half-Asian

Fred falls in love with her, though is scared she thinks of him as an immature guy and doesn’t tell her until the Christmas of his sixth year where James and Ally are invited to the Slug Club party and he’s left alone to study; On the way back from the bathroom, Chloe decides to ditch the Slug Club and stay with Fred late into the night

Loves/is passionate about Quidditch more than anything; wants to play professionally

After James is turned into a werewolf and some people become slightly scared of him and find him unreliable, Wood has no choice but to choose Fred to be Quidditch Captain

Fred knows he’s second best to James, as he always is, and 

Always seen laughing with James

Always sleeps and snores in History of Magic

Infatuated with Ally for a period of time but never confesses himself

Instead, they become very, very close friends, Fred being the first person who finds out how Allie feels about James

Roxanne Weasley

Hufflepuff

Around 165 cm; long, rich dark auburn hair; flawless, freckle-less mocha skin

Admires Ally

Sickeningly sweet; polite; formal

Lies so people don’t get hurt

Introverted

Low self-esteem

Loves watching Quidditch, not playing, making her different from her mum and dad

Secretly very loud, opinionated and 

Not an attention-seeker but wants to be noticed by somebody outside of her family

Dominique and her end up having a lot in common, including being constantly annoyed at Fred

Crushes on Lysander, the popular, smart guy, but ends up with Lorcan, the outcasted, artsy guy

BILL & FLEUR

Louis Weasley

“Hot Louis”

Ravenclaw

Looks more like his mother

Always relaxed

Close friends with Lysander

*To be continued*

Dominique Weasley

Gryffindor but almost a Slytherin

Tall and skinny; long, strawberry-blonde hair often kept in a pony-tail; light tan from the hours spent playing Quidditch; dark blue eyes that flicker with every sarcastic thought

Somewhat jealous of her older sister Victoire but doesn’t hold too much resentment towards her

The best female beater on the Slytherin team in years; she only tries out for the team after a year of being a hilarious, swearing, honest Quidditch commentator

Admittedly a hypocrite

The badass, devil-may-care type

Extra asf

Finds Herbology boring, despite everyone loving Herbology because of Professor Longbottom

Gets kicked out of Beauxbatons for using magic inappropriately after her mum sends her there to discipline her

Rough relationship with her mum

She is surprised to learn that her dad dressed as a bad boy during school, as he now worships grades and do-gooder ideals

Victoire Weasley

Gryffindor

Beautiful; tall and willowy, like a model; sapphire-blue eyes; long, pale-blonde hair (that she cuts shorter later to be “taken seriously by Aurors”); forever clear, pale skin (apart from the light freckling on her cheeks and nose)

Sweet; caring

Made Head Girl

Curious, but not rebellious, cunning, stealthy or adventurous like her sister

Graceful but not stealthy

Plays it safe, but not compliant

Deeply in love with the kind, sweet, yet misunderstood Teddy—a boy whom she helps recover from depression by showering him with friendship and love

PERCY & AUDREY

Molly Weasley

Ravenclaw

Wavy gingery-brown hair; icy, pale blue eyes; very skinny; tall; very freckled skin

Head Girl after Victoire leaves

Strict

Caring but not doting

Responsible

Easily-angered

Bickers and argues a lot with everyone

Tends to hang around her family members or teachers

Highly intelligent due to determination

Well-spoken; know-it-all

Acts like she can control everyone around her

Is disliked or not preferred by the older kids in the Potter-Weasley-Granger clan, but the young ones like her for babysitting when she’s free

Admires how Ally cares for everyone, tries to keep them out of trouble, without making them hate her

Admired by Rose

Lucy Weasley

*To be continued*

LUNA & ROLF

Lysander Scamander

Ravenclaw

Intelligent

Cool and collected

Well-known by everyone; popular

Follows in his father, Rolf’s, footsteps

Handsome; neat dirty-blond hair; “dreamy” cornflower-blue eyes

Brightest wizard of his year

The classier, more organised out of the twins

Blunt and honest but tries to hold back

Aware of his achievements

Arrogant; “Yeah, I know.”

Like a classier, quieter version of James, which Lily hates at first

Nevertheless, Lily and him end up together after the both of them consistently visit Hagrid (Lily does this because she doesn’t have many friends and hangs out with Hagrid; Lysander does this because he loves Care of Magical Creatures)

Lorcan Scamander

Ravenclaw

Quiet in speech, but loud in every other aspect

Badly-dressed—clothes the wrong size, the wrong colour, but still manages to make it looks somewhat stylish

Not-so-secretly handsome

I’ll-be-who-I-want kind of personality

Longer, messy dirty-blond hair; kind, doe silvery eyes; smiley

Loves art

Creative, confident and selfless

Great at giving advice

Called “weird” and a “hippie” by some 

DRACO & ASTORIA

Scorpius Malfoy

Slytherin

White-blonde hair; pale blue-grey eyes; tall and lanky; sharp cheek bones; intimidating due to height but an actual cinnamon bun;

Easy-going

Your genuine he-who-listens-and-won’t-judge mate

Determined to make Rose like him

Persistent and passionate about things he loves

Loves Christmas with the Weasley-Potter-Granger clan more than with him and his dad alone, as being alone with his dad reminds him he doesn’t have his mum there too—which is why he always brings his dad along to the Burrow, which can be slightly awkward

Thinks of Allie as a big sister

[j-k-notrowling]

Untitled

Hi there! Spoilers up front: this is a gratuitously long-winded “thank you,” not an Ask (also I’m 31 and don’t know how to Social Media so apologies if this is the wrong page/tab/link/widget).

--(oh actually it’s a blog post now because of course I can’t send an “Ask” this stupidly long see? wasn’t kidding about that Social Media thing...)--

I started writing my first book in the Fall of 2016. Before that I’d only written songs. One day I got an idea which didn’t fit within the usual rhymes or rhythms. I tried and tried, but kept on hitting a wall. In addition, I was fed up with the whole “business” of music—the fragile egos, the politics of being in a band, all that. One morning I sat down at my HP desktop computer (again...31) and opened up a blank Word document. I stared at it with murderous intent for a long time, but nothing happened. So I grabbed the nearest book off the shelf (Crash by J.G. Ballard), opened it, and began to type out the first paragraph, copying the sentences line by line. I wanted to see what it felt like — my clumsy fingers pecking at the keyboard, observing how the words fell into place with a musical cadence and tempo almost prophetic, as though the ink were destined to dry in this exact form upon the page, the machinery of its tumultuous birth and impeccable design skillfully concealed. I paused and looked out the window. There was a squirrel on the deck, I remember. And then I saw it. Not outside but inside my own head, behind my eyelids. The song, the one I’d been struggling to write, I saw that it could be a story. I saw it had a clear beginning, middle, and end. I saw a world of characters opening doors to other worlds, other stories, other characters. This was life-changing shit. Suddenly I was a little boy at my first baseball game, drinking my first ice-cold Coke, surrounded by old men chain-smoking Marlboro Reds and muttering dirty words I’d never heard before about the [EXPLETIVES DELETED] on the opposing team. I’d discovered a fire fueled by the psychic anarchy of its own discovery, a Moebius-strip of dramatic invention, a repository for all the pop-cultural turds floating around inside the cracked porcelain toilet bowl of my skull. I wrote prose every night after work. I never thought about what I was doing. I never once stopped to check word counts or page counts. I never thought about sticking to an outline, making sure my story adhered to a specific plot structure, none of that. I wrote like a man in love. Delirious, overheated teenage love. Wear-my-ill-fitting-letterman’s-jacket love (is this also A Thing™️ in Canada?). Stupid stupid stupid love, naive and hormonal and precious and retrospectively mortifying. I’d turn off the world, turn on the music, sit back and watch the words sashay straight into my lap. It took 2-3 months before the ruthless scourge known as Self Doubt farted in my private elevator. Am I doing this right? How many words are in a book, anyway? How many pages? How long is this going to take? Is this an effective way to impress women and/or get laid? Am I writing a novel or a novella? The fuck is “flash fiction”? Are you allowed to write actual books in Microsoft Word? Does it matter that my free trial version of Microsoft Word expires in 30 days? They’re bluffing, right? And so on. I compared my own writing with that of authors I admired; subsequently, I couldn’t get out of bed for a week. I watched 40+ hours of “Kitchen Nightmares” reruns (it’s. the. same. fucking. formula. every. single. episode.) and nursed my shame with bowl after bowl of strawberry ice cream. To think — I’d TOLD people about this fool’s errand, and sooner or later I’d have to show them precisely how awful a writer I was... I turned to the Internet for advice. At first, it seemed like a godsend. There was such a litany of knowledge, so many pro-tips and life hacks and proven formulas for success. This was how I stumbled across your channel. I found other channels which offered more straightforward “DO IT LIKE THIS YOU FUCKING IDIOT” instructions, but I still enjoyed yours the most. I lol-ed at your jokes. I remember a few videos where you spoke highly about All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, which remains among the most achingly beautiful books I’ve ever read. Also you’re Canadian, and you guys just generally Human better than we (Americans) Human. ...and here my troubles began. See, the more I tried to adhere to word count goals, the more I tried to properly organize the scenes on my Scrivener™️ virtual cork board, the less I enjoyed the actual process of writing. So I tried other things, based upon other writers’ suggestions: cut the adverbs, write in the morning, write at night, write during your lunch break, write an outline, stick to the outline, write x amount of pages per day, write x number of hours per day, spend x amount of hours drafting and x amount of hours editing, etc. But nothing I tried made me feel confident in my writing. I started actively hating it, to be honest. I dreaded the cursor and the infinite white void. Then I would watch more writing videos and feel guilty about my lack of ambition, my inability to accomplish simple tasks. It’s only a few thousand words, dude — just get in there and do it. Eventually I would. I’d grumble and feel miserable and stay locked in my little writing dungeon all night, ignoring my friends’ texts and phone calls, and the next day I’d hate everything I wrote, trash it, and start over. Then, when I had no more writing left to hate, I started hating myself. The words in my head turned malignant, putrefied into spongy, black tumors. I’d spend all day at work consumed by thoughts and ideas and goals! goals! goals! for my book, then I’d come home and stare at a blinking cursor and wonder why I was such a worthless failure. I couldn’t write the way these other writers did, no matter what I tried. But I still wanted to write. Needed to, in that yearning, terrible way I suspect you understand. I don’t know why The Internet subconsciously invites us to flay ourselves before total strangers, but it does. So I will. Shit got Dark™️, Shaelin. I gained 50 pounds, started living like a hoarder, stopped hanging out with my friends, stopped leaving the house altogether. I kept the curtains closed so my neighbors wouldn’t see the piles of empty take-out boxes stacked up on the kitchen table. I traded the pleasures and contradictions and beguiling enigmas of women for the 24-hour neon distraction of cheap porno. My cat Maggie, basically the only friend I had during this time, got cancer. I watched her suffer and waste away because I couldn’t bear the thought of putting her to sleep and coming home alone to an empty, filthy house. Eventually she died and I hated myself even more for not being able to save her. I wore the same pair of pants for six months. I’d go to work and sit at my desk all day and do absolutely nothing (I was the accounting manager at a small company, technically my own “boss,” so I got away with this for a shocking, frankly heroic amount of time). Then I simply stopped going to work. And I kept torturing myself with those stupid goals and word counts, never happy with the end result, resigned to feel like a failure every day. I remember watching your “Spill the Tea” video back when it was initially posted. Watching it now is eerie, because you describe exactly what I was going through, what I was feeling. Like, to the “T” (see what I did there? #WordPlay #LitPuns101). I’d never experienced anxiety/depression before, so I didn’t really understand what was happening to me. Not that it mattered, because by that point the damage was done. I couldn’t recognize and isolate the real problem. I’d given up. Even though you said a lot of things in that video I desperately, desperately needed to hear, I didn’t listen. I didn’t want to listen to you, because you were one of Them™️. Your eyes were bright and your voice sounded friendly and encouraging, but your name wasn’t McCarthy or Pynchon or DeLillo or Nabokov. You were just a kid. What could you possibly know that I didn’t? In January of this year I called a local psychiatric hospital and told them I was planning to kill myself. I never harbored any true intentions of doing that, but I figured they’d offer me a nice three-week vacation in a padded cell. Considering the circumstances, it honestly seemed like a relief. I ended up quitting my job, selling my house, and moving back in with my parents 300 miles away. I started seeing a therapist once a week (still do, for the record). So far I’ve lost 30 pounds of the 50 pound surplus I acquired. I kept watching your videos, even though I was no longer in the market for writing advice (#JustHereForTheSnark). You kept me lol-ing through some bad days and weeks and months. I’d listen to you talk about problems with the writing community and nod my head like an old woman in church (#ShaelinSermons™️ #SheTeachesANDShePreaches), but I still hadn’t made the connection with my own issues. I swore off writing completely, went back to playing music. Cover songs in coffee shops and family restaurants. It was fun for awhile. I genuinely felt happier. But my story was still an old pebble poking around in my shoe...calling out, issuing playground taunts, drawing hairy cartoon dicks on my forehead while I slept. About a month ago I stared down another blank page, my first since experiencing that fun-sized nervous breakdown earlier this year. I closed my eyes and heard your voice in my head. “You can do whatever you want.” I had no goals, no arbitrary quotas to meet. I wrote a few lines, stopped, fixed a couple things I wasn’t satisfied with, and then went on with my day. I thought about what I’d written, sure, but I didn’t worry or spend the whole day stressing out. The next morning I read over what I’d done, and I didn’t hate it. I thought it was actually pretty good, funny and off-kilter and a little/lotta fucked up. So I sat down and wrote some more. Took some things out, re-worded stuff, dressed up the bones in silver and pearls. Addition and subtraction. Before I knew it, I’d finished a whole page. Then another. And then the hair on the back of my neck stood up, because I remembered: This is how it felt at the beginning. Back when I was young and love-struck and writing only to catch those moments of pure levitation, that devilish tickle, that rush of blood propelled by my own wild heart. It’s been a rough road, but I finally found what I’d lost. I figured out how to write again and enjoy it. And ultimately, the best writing advice I received didn’t come from McCarthy or Pynchon or DeLillo or Nabokov. It came from a young woman in another country with a camera and a nose ring and a big tapestry and bigger dreams which run parallel to my own. So thank you. Thank you for taking time out of your busy life and braving the Steaming Pile™️ that is The Internet to offer words of empathy and encouragement to complete strangers. Thank you for the wisdom you share. Thank you for being who you are. Know that tonight the stars shine brighter as a result. They do for me, at least. (Also I’m sincerely sorry about the absurd length of this “Ask” wherein no actual questions were posed and nothing substantial was communicated beyond a simple yet torturously delayed “thank you” kthxbye #longlivethenewtapestry 

—Justin)

[mazojo]

Let’s Play

Sooo if you saw some of my previous posts, you know I've kinda gotten into webtoons and I binge-read another one called Let’s Play and I Looveeee. I will do a spoiler-ish review as of the chapters that have come out so far and and all the images and stuff included are from Mongie, the author of this baby.

Plot

So the plot basically revolves around Sam, who works for her fathers company coding and working on programming but her true passion is creating video games, more specially indie games. She creates this game called Ruminate and its all fine and dandy until super famous youtube Marshall Law plays it and jokingly says it kinda sucks so people and trolls go leave hate on her account so her developer score in this indie publishing website is almost 0.

Sam is disappointed nay this turn of events and tries contacting the company to help her score as its flawed but unfortunately nothing happens. Then we find out super Marshall Law is moving next door to Sam and she flops. He then later realizes how he messed up and as they start becoming friends (slowly but surely!) he is fixed on making it up to her becouse he is a cinnamon roll. There are also other characters involved, from Sam’s gaming crew which is hilarious, to her super hot and sexual tension boss, Charles who is trying to help her grow as a person and as a worker and we also have Lincoln which kinda has a crush in Sam and they’ve been friends for quite a while as Sam helped him overcome his dads death. 

The story is funny and filled with great moments, treating also mental health topics and the struggles of Sam discovering she may or may not have feelings for the hotties mentioned above ^^.

Characters

As I did with my Kiznaivers and I Love Yoo reviews, ill list the characters from my favourite to my least (I love them all so it sounds so bad to say the least!) including a song that reminds me of them. I won't list them all as their are many as you can see in the picture above but definitely the main ones <33

Sam

Angels - Owl City

Sam. is. such. a. mood. Like honestly, if you ever wish to know me and who I am as a person and how I work, read this and I am the literal reincarnation of Sam loll. She is very nerdy and suffers from anxiety, sometimes leading her to have asthma attacks. She really cares about those close to her and although she is quite shy and introverted, doesn't doubt the chance to jump in when someone she cares about is in danger. I have no words to describe her but I think I’ve found my long lost drawing form character.

Marshall

Lucky - Britney Spears

Yes, I choose a Britney Spears song for him, is it amazing? Y e s, do I regret it? N o p e. Marshall is just adorableeee. Like he is the literal reincarnation of a puppy and he is much more complex than what it seems? Yeah he’s got this bubbly exterior to himself but deep down he is dealing with depression and anxiety but hides it from anyone, to the point of literally breaking down. He is trying his best at making everyone happy and likes video games and ahhhh ??? I Stan Marshall.

Lincoln

Livin’ on a Prayer - Bon Jovi

Lincoln the embodiment of the dad friend, there I said it. He has such a pure soul and heart and protective aura around those he loves and he is so soft??? He struggled with his dads death and takes care of his brother (which makes a part of the guild Sam is with). He is a little oblivious but other than that Link must be protected at all cost and hopefully finds happiness at the end of the comic becouse if he doesn't I will riot.

Charles

Rude - MAGIC!

Charles is your typical cold but sexy filled with sexual tension moments boss character. He is Sam’s boss and what I love most about Charles is how he wants others to succeed, pushing them their limits to reach their full potential, something I think its quite admirable. Honestly in comparison to the other two boys I haven't connected much with Charles but I still really like his character and hopefully we are able to see more of him in the future!

Monika

Power - Little Mix

The image pretty much describes Monika lol. I decided to include her becouse although she is kindaaaa the antagonist, I feel like she isn't really that bad and honestly, her character is quite compelling. She is Marshall’s girlfriend and a beauty guru, so half of the time she talks about makeup-is things I quite honestly dont understand lolll. However she really cares about those near her and (cues alpha female aura) does her best to protect Marshall becouse she really does likes him, but due to the fame and their worlds they both manage, it makes things complicated at times. I hope she doesn't turn evil or something like that becouse I truly think she is good (or at least up till now) and hopefully she gets a happy ending too ~.

Ships

Sam x Marshall 

This was actually so hard to choose! Because I honestly ship Sam with Lincoln just as much but there’s just something about this couple that I just gahhh! They have this chemistry working over them and they complement each other so well too! Like Sam is very perceptive and a good listener while Marshall just fakes a smile every time and I believe she will be the one to notice something is wrong first <33 

Sam x Lincoln

AHhHHH I love Link so much?? And how he protects Sam and cares about her is so freaking adorable? I think their mutual support and understanding is what makes it one of the best and Sam clearly has some mixed feelings about him that she repressed for a while in order not to tarnish their friendship but now she knows that he likes her so ??? I hope Link and Sam end happy because they both have to be p r o t e c t e d.

Sam x Charles

As I mentioned before, I don't think I can compare Marshall and Link’s relationship to the one with Charles considering they have had more time together, I believe in the next chapters we will get to see their relationship increase. He is very protective and does whats best for Sam and they have this tension around them which gets Sam all flustered and its really cute. Its not my main ship but I’ll wait and see how things progress in the future.

Monika x Marshall

Okay so this is not one of the main ships and people often don't like this couple but I thought it was important to mention! As I said before, I think Monika is quite a complex character and they are both dealing with their own worlds and problems which may make it hard for the relationship to work and not seem toxic. Still, they both care deeply about the other and I know in the end, they would want to see the other happy soooo we’ll see how it ends ^^

Final Thoughts

I absolutely adoree this Webtoon! I’ll try to review the chapters as they go out like I love yoo giving my impressions and what nots. Here are some theories that I think may happen in future chapters too;

- I don't think I mentioned it but Marshall is really good at drawing and its kinda his passion but he hides it from everyone due to fearing failure. I think Sam in one way or another will encourage him to pursue his dream eventually drawing them closer, and as she needs an artist to help her with her next game, I am guessing Marshall will be perfect for that spot :333

- Charles will definitely appear more I think, most of the “romantic” moments have been with Link followed by Marshall leaving the Charles Stans in need of their baby <33

- I think Angela (one of Sam’s guild member and friend) likes Link?? I didn't talk about her much but in one of the latest chapters she gets flustered by him and I am not really sure? I'll definitely be on the look for that.

[jess-the-vampire]

Sky And The Forces Of The Multiverse, Chapter 12

Previous / Next

Sweat ran off luna's forehead as she pined down another foe on the training ground, making that the 6th today she had managed to defeat. Granted, she was most likely way more highly trained then any of these trainees but still. Taking down so many despite their size and technique was impressive. She almost felt back home for a bit, but only for a bit as she retracted her sword and got up and off her opponent. They bowed and luna turned to kelly, who was clapping in the doorway, "You're good, very good, keep up the great work luna...though maybe you outta take a break, at this rate...i'm not going to have any soldiers left...". She laughed to herself and luna took 5, getting a mix of impressed looks and unhappy ones from her fellow cadets.

It had already been at least a week being stuck here and her relationship with them seemed mixed. A lot of them seemed very impressed and happy with her and others looked angry at how badly she seemed to be beating some of them. It was expected though, even back home that tended to be how other royals saw her. They either admired her or hated her, there usually was no in-between. At least they tended to stay out of her way, and any time she talked to them it was mainly to seek info.

She made her way to the locker room, sipping water from a canteen as she sat down on a bench. she could hear some other cadets fighting in the other rooms and considered perhaps taking this time to observe and talk to some of the other cadets until she heard some noises coming from inside the walls. Making her stand up and walk up to one of them in curiosity, She knew a lot of mewni's secret tunnels and it didn't take much to assume eclipsa herself was within these walls. It was probably a bit bad of her to assume ill of eclipsa being some sort of culprit in all this but at the same time she WAS in an alternate universe. So forgive her if she couldn't help but not trust a thing she'd seen so far, especially not a queen who was considered evil by all of mewni for a long time. She pressed her ear against the wall, hearing the person in the walls pass by before they vanished and silence overwhelmed the room. Luna huffed, when she talked to sky about eclipsa after their first meeting sky said she was basically harmless and was just having fun. Though then again, apparently sky didn't spent a ton of time with her, so... After training she changed and luna wondered what was next on her task menu, was she to get in contact with any of the group? Or perhaps should she work some more on their mission? She bit her lip before stopping in front of a window and looking out of it, a rose tower in plain view and she knew what to do. It was probably impolite to drop in on eclipsa like this but if she got dangerous, well, luna had her wand. She could take the queen of darkness right? Though then again, worse case scenario was eclipsa beating her and taking her wand for herself. So maybe just stick to the normal visit and avoid getting into any trouble if she could. To her surprise, eclipsa looked DELIGHTED to see her, opening the door before the girl even had a chance to knock. Her smile was friendly and she still seemed to be wearing pjs, then again i guess since she wasn't queen she could really walk around and wear whatever she wanted. Luna was caught completely off guard as the queen smiled sweetly at her, "Ah luna is it? It's good to see you, i hope training has been going well? Well, actually i know so, your comrades talk about you a lot.". "I uh..." "Come in come in!!" Luna gasped as the queen grabbed onto her hand and dragged her into the tower, leading her up the stairs, "It's good to see you again dear, i'm so glad you came all this way to visit me!". When they entered her room luna was at a loss for words, awkwardly standing in the doorway as eclipsa hushed her forward, "Come, sit! Don't worry about me, i won't bite.". Luna obeyed her, despite still being both confused and on edge a little. Her intention was to ask her some more questions but the queen treating her like her like an old friend was not the reaction she expected. "I- how did you-?" "Darling i know a lot of things....plus you're easy to spot from a distance! Would you like some tea?", luna blinked at her before pulling herself together and responding as politely as she could, "Jasmine please?". Eclipsa nodded and immediately started boiling some water as luna took in her surroundings, "I'm deeply er sorry, miss eclipsa, I hope i wasn't interrupting anything?". She smiled, "Aw no, i wasn't up to much, i'm always delighted to have guests, especially sky's friends...that girl is so secretive sometimes...i had no idea she had some gal pals.". "Well, me and sky have only known each other recently, we're not exactly too close just yet....". Luna shifted in her, seat, eyes running over the paintings and notes all over the walls. "I er....You're room is lovely", eclispa took a seat in front of her, "Thank you, you enjoying your time at the castle?". Luna nodded politely, ", It's...lovely, i appreciate being given my own room here and the staff are nice.". Eclispa parted her hands together, "I can tell you've already made yourself at home easily.". "Well, yes, i adjust easily.". "Expert swordsman, easily adjusted, and polite, you seem like a very charming young woman miss luna.", The water started to boil and eclipsa hopped up to pour some cups, "I am sorry if this is all strange to you, meeting a former queen in her home and drinking tea with her and making small talk. I don't imagine you get out much, am i right?". Luna almost dropped the teacup she got, "Well, i'm fine on my own, i just have other things I prefer to put my mind to.". "What do you focus on then?". "My ambitions, I'm sure you can understand that a little, as a former queen." "Well, i think i always had a different idea of what i wanted out of life, i wanted to be a good queen of course, but it didn't make me happy, in the end i had to choose what was best for me.", she eyed off into the distance, "Selfish, but we're all a little selfish sometimes..". Luna sipped her tea, "So um.....you said sky doesn't hang out with a ton of friends huh?", eclipsa looked back towards her. "Well, it seems so, she mostly spends time with the lucitor boys and occasionally a few other colorful characters, i think i embarrass her too much to meet them..". She winked and laughed, "Though i find you to be one of the most interesting ones i've seen, now why would you be friend with someone like sky?". Luna was taken aback and eclispa held out her hand, "You don't have to tell me but i'm curious, she's not exactly a social butterfly.". "I mean, well, i think she finds me......interesting, we don't always get along put we put up with each other and maybe sorta learn from each other? It's uh...hard to explain.", luna knew she was kinda fibbing her way through this, but it seemed to be working, "We're still a little rough around the edges but we still spend time together.". Eclipsa nodded, "How about your parents dear? I bet they must be so proud of you, being trained to be a knight?". "Well they're...yeah, yeah they've always been proud of me...", she held her cup in her hands," But then again i work hard for the things i want and as long as i'm proud of myself, i'll be fine.". She put her tea on the table next to her, "You know, inviting random strangers for tea is usually dangerous, i could be an assassin for all you know.". The queens shrugged, "True, but when have i ever avoided things that were probably too dangerous for me anyway?". She snapped her fingers and luna watched as a book floated into her lap and she opened it, Luna gave her a funny look, "I'm going to be honest with you, i'm under the impression you're up to something.". Eclispa laughed, "Ah, well, i seem to always leave that impression, though then again when a strange old woman invites you into her room for tea i would be suspicious too. Truth is, maybe i just needed someone to talk to and you just fit the bill.". "I'm sure you have closer family and friends...", luna noticed, motioning to some pictures on the wall. The queen shrugged, "True, but most of them are always busy, it's a shame too, i used to babysit sky before she got too old for that, sometimes i think they've forgotten about me.". Luna sighed, "We've all been there, but everyone has their own demons to conquer, and sometimes they need to do it alone.". Eclipsa turned a page of her book and opened it to show luna, It was a photobook, one of pictures of sky and star and other people. There were even a few of tom, marco, and their kids in some cases, but the pic that snapped luna's interest more then anything, was the blonde woman with short teal streaked hair and in knight's gear on the bottom corner. "Your sky's friend, and if you can, I want your opinion on it, i mean....i made it for when she is eventually crowned queen but you seem like you understand a little more about organization and your cousin appears to known quiet a bit on creativity, so i was wondering what you would think about this for sky?". Luna blinked at her, just a tad more distracted by seeing her mom, and barely listening to eclipsa's words. She shook it off though, getting on track. "I'm sure it's fine, it's fine. I doubt sky would care much about this as long as you made your best effort..". Well, maybe sky WOULD care, but luna couldn't be sure of that. "You think?", eclipsa kept her eyes on luna and luna felt herself start to sweat a bit. She didn't know why, but something about eclipsa made her just a tad uneasy, despite their polite conversation. "Yes, i think you're doing fine, in fact, she'd like it more the more personal you made it probably.". Eclipsa's eyes diverted from her and she went back to smiling, "Thank you luna, the help is appreciated, though if you have any new info on sky i would appreciate it!". "Ah, no, nothing.", she felt herself stand up, "I should probably leave...". She had questions, she did, but she suddenly felt this was not the time to ask such questions. There was time for that later, and right now, she may have overestimated her abilities. She felt a little queqsy, maybe even a little warm as well, and there was no telling if it were the tea or her own nerves. Maybe the tea. "Have somehwere else to be?", the queen of darkness asked politely, though she looked rather concerned if anything at the girl's sudden reaction and her face. Luna put her cup down and eyes off, "Yeah, well, i'm sure i do, plus i don't want to overstay my welcome anyway." Eclispa stood up, "Are you feeling alright dear? You look oddly pale?". What was happening to her? At first it felt like she'd just been weird from the photo or from eclipsa but now she suddenly felt sick? "Here, sit down...", she felt eclipsa pull her back in her seat and walk off to a corner to find something, "Just rest, i think i have something that might help make you feel just a tad better.....you don't look in any fit state to go anywhere right now.". Luna closed her eyes, and before she knew it she felt herself fall asleep right then and there. Everything was black, and she could hear voices whisper in the darkness, something green, though she couldn't make it out, but it felt closer.... "Who....what is going on?" She turned around, but saw nothing but black, till she saw a green light in front of her. The voices only grew louder, practically digging into her skull. And She grabbed onto the side of her head, shouting "make it stop", it felt like something was trying to destroy her, break into her mind. She could'nt even open her eyes and she felt sure she was dying. Only to find herself suddenly woken up, under the gaze of eclipsa and more surprisingly...sky. She blinked, her head was aching and when she smelled the air she noticed there were some herbs wrapped around her neck, probably part of one of grandmother Celena's old protection or healing charms, though her head was hurting too much to remember which one. Sky was biting her lip, "You ok?", eclipsa patted the girl's shoulder, "I was going to find star but seems sky was looking for you already.......". "What....agh....what happened? I passed out and i heard voices and saw something green and...AGH!", she held her forehead, "Did you put something in my tea?". Eclipsa shook her head, "You're not poisoned, it seems more like the after effect of some magic. ". She turned to sky who gave her a look, " Luna wasn't with me recently with my magic, i mean, unless she's been messing with my wand when i haven't been looking or something..". "I have not", she gritted her teeth, "Ugh....maybe i came down with a fever from hanging eating something earlier, or maybe ms janna got me sick from helping her recently or...i dunno....", she wasn't sure that was he case but better not say too much to eclipsa for now, her headache ceased and she looked between both spade women, "Do i look normal? Everything intact?". They both nodded and that seemed to ease the blonde a little more, "I'm sorry, maybe something's wrong with me today....maybe i need a slight break or something." Eclispa looked between the two of them, "I know what, i'll change and how about the three of us go out for a girls day for a bit? I've been itching to get out and take a little trip to the forest of certain death? Do you girls mind?". The girls exchanged looks and nervous expressions but sky complied, "Eh, sure...why not, i think maybe we all need some fresh air as of lately anyway...". Eclipsa looked delighted, "Wonderful! wait outside for me girls, oh, and luna? Keep the herb necklace on...just in case.". Luna said no more as sky lead her out of the tower and into the gardens. "What the heck were you doing with eclipsa?", sky whipped around, both kinda annoyed and concerned. "Like, i know you're trying to deduct everyone or something but it's super weird you were chilling with my sorta grandma.". Luna's head finally felt clearer and she crossed her arms, "Everyone's a suspect until proven innocent, you can hardly blame me for being suspicious of her, she was so know to be evil for years and it's entirely possible i landed in a dimension where she may actually be evil." "Yeah, but this is still MY dimension, my parents and her aren't evil, trust me, i can tell who who you should be looking out for and you're on the wrong track. I mean eclipsa's kinda weird, but for what reason would she had to even do anything to you? I mean, don't you need like...a proper motivation for the suspect before accusing anyone?". "You can't trust everyone sky, just because they may appear friendly doesn't mean there isn't some devious mastermind on the inside. I don't know what happened to me in there but it wasn't normal, i heard voices and say light and i passed out! Something's wrong..", the blonde looking to the tower door, "I'll hang out with you both, if only to get some fresh air and maybe see what she knows but that's it. If it's a lost cause, we may have to move onto something more drastic. I don't know exactly what kinda messes you have been in before but we may have to break into places i really don't want to break into.". Sky gave her a look, "Isn't breaking in a little extreme right now? The whole archive thing is bad enough, if we do that again and get caught, i can't even imagine what they'll do to all of us.". Though again maybe she sounded like a hypocrite considering past experiences where she was in places she probably shouldn't be. "True, but if we can't get anything out of these people, we aren't going to have much of a choice in order to find some clues, the high commission is one of many secrets....". "Don't tell me you already have some sorta of break in plan?", luna looked off to the side, "Well, if nothing much in terms of their offices and personality has changed.....i think i could easily device a plan for us to sneak in and perhaps place some audio devices in which-". Sky looked at her, wondering just how many places she may have broke into before she showed up here. She could very much see it to with luna, between her magic and fighting skills she might've been some super agent back home. Sky could see it, her wearing all black and sneaking into buildings, beating up guys and mind erasing them afterwards to forget her. Luna seems like she'd do anything she had to as long as she got what she needed, and that was almost scary. Luna kept speaking about her plan and sky felt herself just maybe a little suspicious of her more then anyone, might be a little far-fetched but luna did seem smart enough to act like she wasn't secretly up to anything. Maybe she'd have to talk about this to judas later though, as luna went quiet with the arrival of the queen of darkness, already in a nice dress and hat. Sky kinda had the feeling she lived for stuff like this, since she never got to do this with her own daughter . "So girls? You ready?" They exchanged looks and luna nodded. "Let's go, before i feel sick again." - "A 6!!!" Celeste grumbled as she watched sunny take a few hits to the so called "Evil mage" she was supposed to be fighting. Why she convinced herself sit here and watch this session of DnD with sunny and galexia was beyond her, she honestly could've found more enjoyment elsewhere. And yet she forced herself to sit here because at least here it was a tad more exciting to watch these girls do silly and stupid things on this game that just sounded like a ton of nonsense. Judas was doing prince junk, landon finally talked to his crush and was a little too focused on that, and well....sky probably had plans. so that really left these two in terms of people she knew. Great. Sunny turned to the princess and smiled, "You can play with us if you want, lexi has a fun imagination! You can totally help us beat up some candy warriors!". But celeste brushed it off, "I'm good, just go back to doing whatever you're doing.". Sunny shrugged but obeyed and the girls resumed giggling. They seemed to get more along then she did with any of the rest of the other kids, but that was typical, it's not like she had a ton of friends back home either. Plus these girls seemed too bubbly to not be friends compared to everyone else, even if galexia was much slower then sunny. They looked way too happy for people long ways from home, it was weird. Celeste wasn't panicking of course but at least she looked like she cared. Well, maybe she didn't look like she cared but at least she knew she DID care! What were her folks doing back home? Where they looking for her desperately? Or maybe they gave up cause she wasn't worth the cause. Though maybe that last part was just the girl's downer mind going at it again instead. Was landon really the only person here she sorta kinda thought was alright? He was also kinda a jerk but he at least was more real with her about some of this stuff, sorta. Can't get to mad at him for at least being honest and saying it to her face. She twirled strands of hair in her hands, her stomach growling. They made it a universal rule between all of them to avoid getting in trouble, don't use magic to summon outfits, nor use it to make yourself food unless it's an emergency. Magic in general was going to be used sparingly, since it was easily detected and suspicious coming from all of them. Which kinda sucked still, even if it was safe. At least on the plus side her disguised wand was a lot quieter then her normal one considering it was normally an instrument filled with beans. Probably one of the worst wands to have when you wanted to sneak around with it and it was probably even worse as an instrument despite how it tied into her weather magic. Why couldn't she have a shield? or a helmet? Those would be WAY cooler! She felt herself falling asleep a little until she heard the creak of the door open, a small boy with wings flapping behind him and she was awake again with some urgency this time. Mason was still smiling despite the slightly startled room and he closed the door behind him as he rushed his way over. "HELLO!!", the boy looked super happy to be here, despite the surprised expressions of the room. His wings flapped behind him, he was probably used to knocking things over with them that he had to be careful everytime he walked into a room. Probably why he was trying his best to fold them right now. The girls continued to look at him but sunny, being herself, smiled wide. "Hello!", the boy waved back, "I finished feeding my plants so i was thinking....you girls want to play something- oh! You're playing Dnd!? Can i play?!". Lexi and sunny didn't even bother to thinking about it before inviting him to join, as celeste resisted every urge to not shoot them dirty looks for associating with something they probably should not be talking to at all. Nevertheless, the other two gals didn't seem to mind, but then again they were probably too nice to turn him down. Mason started setting up his character before turning to celeste, whose eyes diverted in a different direction, "Is she going to play too?". Sunny shook her head, "I don't think so, but hey, it's alright, we'll have fun with just the three of us.". A slight cord struck with celeste on that line, were they saying she wasn't fun? I mean, maybe they were right, but still. She grumbled, "Even if i wanted to it's not like i know how to play anyways you guys just look like you're making it up as you go along.". "Well that's part of how you play", sunny explained, "But it's also strategy, we get to make up our own story and fight tons of cool monsters. You could be maybe....am elf princess! With like wicked dragon powers! And then if you roll your die right you can kick but or all kinds of stuff, the limit is your imagination!". Celeste still grumbled but she seemed a bit more morbidly curious, "So what? I roll the die and draw a magic wand or something to destroy a whole dimension....". "YEAH!!" "It kinds sounds like nonsense....",, she grumbled, but sunny still brightly looked at her, "That's the point! What makes it fun isn't it's rules, it's what we all do that makes it so much fun!". The three cheery kids stared at her and Celeste felt herself finally give it, "Fine, i'll play i guess...". She lugged herself off her seat to join them, she still didn't look happy but no one really seemed to mind. She watched sunny get to work on introducing the two kids to the game happily. "Ah, now my demon princess is being joined by her two comrades....what's your character names?", mason probably had played dnd before as he explained his own character with ease. "Oh, i'm a wicken with in army of plant zombies named Sir Flor.". Then she turned to celeste who grumbled, "I'm a....i dunno, some orc fighter....named.....heart..puncher.". She said that without a care in the world and expected the group to laugh, but they took her answer with complete seriousity. "Awesome, ok, so princess Vale is suddenly joined by Sir Flor and Heartpuncher to defeat the candy warriors!!!", galexia, the dungeon master looked more then excited. "Ooohh!! Ok so they form from the wall to protect their treasure, they have cane swords and thick candy shields! You'll have to roll for a larger number to take them out!". Galexia, based on how she was as dungeon master HAD to have played before, though celeste almost had the feeling she was bending whatever rules she could for the sake of inserting more silly stuff. After the candy fighters were burger cats, and after those were giant hotdogs. In fact, celeste was starting to think galexia just wanted food. Though she felt herself getting into it, there was something satisfying about saying her character could punch through three guys at once that was satisfying . To be honest she was still sure the girls didn't know how this was played and made up the actual rules but anything that allowed her to ride on a giant cat to victory was fine with her. Mason's fake attacks were all plant-related of course, but the most surprising part was just how much plant information that little boy had in his mind. When he did poison attacks he knew which plants were enough to kill you in specific ways, when they were in a place of little to no light he had a spell of plants that produced light, and he even considered the weakness of his plant's vines and what it would take to destroy them when they strangled an enemy. Sunny's were cutesy but at the same time not so much,  they were always devil dogs or undead rabbits, or deadly toys. She seemed to have both a sweet yet scary mix in her spells, and honestly that kinda suited her. She was cute, but could probably kill you. Her character was clearly more based on herself, which only made celeste wonder if the spells she was using for her character were actual spells sunny had created and used in combat when she was in trouble. "So when did you start playing dnd?", sunny asked lexi, who stared off dreamily, "Back home, my best pals played it with me, they never let me be in charge though! So this is super fun! I mean, I think this was how lukas did this.". Celeste eyed landon, worried how he might interpret lexi's words, "Well, i'm sure once you move back you can hang out again.". She hated having to cover lexi's tracks when she was on the edge of slipping stuff like that, luna seemed tired of it as well. "Awww, you miss your friends back home?", mason asked her, "I don't get to hang out with a ton of people other then my brother's friends, it's ok though! My plants make good company.". Sunny looked intrigued, "How come you don't make other friends? You seem like a lot of fun!.". The boy shrugged, "I dunno, maybe something with my brothers, it's ok though! All the adults love me, they give me candy and like to give me hugs and check out my wings!". "How old are you?" "13!". "NO WAY, I'm 14!!", sunny gave him a high five and celeste just rolled her eyes. "So, we getting to the final boss anytime soon? We outta get our gold or...whatever exactly they're guarding.". That seemed to get everyone back to focusing on the game by sunny couldn't help but smile at celeste, "See, we told you you'd like this game!". The growl in return didn't even phase her as their characters finally made it to the last boss as created by galexia. Which much to Celeste's surprise, WASN'T made of food. "You encounter the great pig golem!", she hushed, "He oinks and shows off his CRAZY massive fangs!! and his BIG sword!!!". Celeste gives her a look, "Errrr......", where was she going with this anyway?. "He's wearing super gold armor and he looks REALLY mad!!". Sunny rolls a die, "We need to find a weak spot guys, i'll go from the front, you two from the side. We need something to melt away that armor and take him out! I'm rolling for a super lava blast!". "You got an eight!", galexia was such an active person, her arms were always moving and she was so expressive. "You hit him square in the chest and see him wince in pain! But his armor has not entirely melted away! You sorta melted it into his fleshy body!!". Celeste and mason winced but it was their turn to roll anyway, mason took the die, "I'm aiming for an acidic tulip attack on my side, to burn though the gold and blind the golem!". He Rolled an 6 and galexia gave him his attack. "You attack was weak but it did leave a sting and temporary blindness! however, the golem took a swipe at you, you are temporary stunned!", celeste took a roll next, "I dunno, i use some super gold destroyer attack or whatever!". She grumbled as her spell landed on a two of all things and lexi sighed, "Your failed and you took some damage, you're stunned.". Celeste looked off to the side, mumbling what was probably swears under her breath and away from the younger kids. "I roll crystal of love radiation! binds the beast and heals my friends!", sunny said, rolling and getting a 10. Galexia smiled, "the beast has been bound by your love and your friends are no longer stunned, heartpuncher is back to full health!!". The grumpy girl could've help but be a tad annoyed, sunny was practically superior in every way wasn't she? Didn't let things get to her as much, was great at making friends, and now here she was, a natural at lousy games. Ugh, maybe she was just getting grumpy cause she just hated losing at games, she was just like this back home according to her folks. Unfun, and childish. "Celeste?" "Hmm?" Mason held out the die to her. "It's your turn." She turned her attention back to the game and grabbed the die, "Fine, i'll go for...i dunno, some super melting attack.". She rolled her die again and much to her surprise, she got a 9. And sunny and mason clapped for her as galexia giggled, "Your blast was so powerful you melted away his base armor, he's weakened!!". Celeste was stunned as sunny went in for the kill, her next attack a 7, a stab right for the heart with a fancy dagger. Mason and sunny shared high fives before hugging Celeste at their victory. Man, these two kids were strong, did demon genes really do that kinda thing to you? Nonetheless, they squeezed her tightly before parting as galexia squealed, "You unlocked the goblin's gold!! You guys are now SUPER rich!!". Then out of nowhere she pulled glitter from her jacket and threw it into the air to celebrate. Sunny clapped her hands together, "Oooo, what do you want to spend our gold on!??", but celeste kicked back, eyeing lexi with some mischief, "Well i dunno about you, but i think someone wants some food". "Food!!", lexi said before standing up, "That's a GREAT IDEA!!". Celeste watched Mason's wings lift him up a bit into his standing position, "Can i come too?". Galexia grabbed Mason and held him to her, eyeing Celeste with puppy eyes, "Can we?". Celeste sighed by complied, "Whatever, i'm not your mom anyway.". As long as they didn't do anything stupid it was probably fine.  Though they didn't even get a chance to leave the room before it started to rumble. "Is that your weird dog again?", celeste asked, trying to keep herself from toppling. Mason flew into the air and thought for a moment, his ears twitching. "Oh no, no...that's not lucy.....". He sounded extremely worried, before the moving stopped and he landed back on the ground, "Don't worry, i'm sure my folks are sorting it out, it's not a big deal....". But the girls didn't seem entirely convinced, "You guys aren't keeping another giant pet are you?". Mason smiled weakly, "Well, not a GIANT pet, but no...it's uh....it's my granny...". Celeste gave him a look, "Uh, then what's the big deal? I mean, she's kinda...you know? Shouldn't this moving be normal when she gets around?". Mason shook his head, "No, when she moves this fast, it means she's angry, and when she's angry, so is grandpa....". He bit his lip before the door of the room busted in, a guard sighing in relief at the prince. "Prince lucitor! There's been a break in! Your parents request you and your friend's immediate escort to their safe room as we search the castle.". "Wha-?" "There's no time to talk, come now!". Mason wasn't even given time to think before some other guards came in to move the girls along. "What about food?", lexi asked contently despite everything. There is plenty of food where we're going.", said the guard, "But you must move along, now.". - "I love being out here, don't you both?". "Yeah sure...", sky mumbled as she watched luna carefully check the ground for any dangerous traps or creatures. the forest back home must not be much different as luna seemed to have a keen idea of where they were going already, which was a good thing, not only did that mean they wouldn't die out here but it would be MORE suspicious if she didn't have some knowledge of the world around her if she was playing some kind of resident. Eclipsa of course seemed to be having the time of her life, she was so carefree after all. Not to mention just how active she was for her age, jumping around and balancing on logs with ease. Hopefully sky would be lucky enough to be that spry when she got that old. "Being out here tends to be a very deadly idea you know..", luna said, looking around more for danger, "There is so much wildlife that would not hesitate to pick us all off one by one if it could and it's regarded and the least safe place in mewni, and that's saying something next to the underworld." Eclipsa just hummed to herself though, "Well then miss knight, that means this is the perfect place for you to properly test your skills, Not on some cadets that can barely pick up a sword.". Luna raised an eyebrow, "You been spying on me?". "No, but i hear a lot of things in the walls of the castle, apparently you've become quite a person of discussion, knights as good as you don't typically wander in after all....", sky eyed luna, "Wait, what exactly have you been doing to our cadets?". Eclipsa snickered, "apparently your friend has been taking them out really well, you sure know how to pick them sky..". Sky grumbled, "Hey, i don't find the strange people, the strange people always seem to find me.". She eyes luna, if only for a short bit as she said that last part. Eclipsa jumped over a log and knelt over some plants, "The forest is honestly one of my favorite places to visit in mewni, so many cool things you can collect, so many cute monsters you can meet, not to mention it's so much nicer then in the stuffy castle.". Luna knelt over some mushroom, gears spinning in her head, "Back in the day this was the main spot monsters did live, though now they're been able to spread to all kingdoms, think any hideouts from the older wars are still around?". Sky and Eclipsa both turned to give her strange looks as she reassured them. "I'm simply curious, military brain y'know?". "I'm sure there are olden places to explore, been hundreds of years though, most of them have probably have worn out. The monster temple in the east was adapted into a shelter for homeless monsters after star took over, but even then compared to other places that was in MUCH better shape. Doesn't matter anyway, no one would even want to use some of those old places anyway, everything was changed when star took over. Mewman and monster relations are at an all time high...". She snickered, "I don't know what you think you'll find in those old ruins out here but if it's buried treasure you're out of luck there..". She kept walking forward and sky pulled luna to the side, whispering to her, "Ok, what are you thinking about?". Luna whispered back, "I just think if maybe someone is really up to something they might hide the info we need in a place they wouldn't think anyone would go....It's a suspicion at least, though if they're really ruined we might have to rule that out.". "You girls must really be close huh?" The girls backed off, eclipsa watching them and smirking. "Ever heard of privacy?". Eclipsa laughed, "Alright alright, you girls have fun, this old lady will be ahead!". And with that she moved forward, leaving the girls behind. Luna eyed sky, "You know, back home i never got to meet her, mom always told me she took her family and left, Safe to say this isn't what i imagined meeting her was like. Sky simply shrugged, "She's not so bad, she makes me uncomfortable sometimes but she's at least really supportive and easy to talk to about y'know....being an outcast..". Then sky's eyes lightened up, "You know, the night you er...arrived, i was kinda using one of her spellbooks to practice and stuff....". Luna raised an eyebrow, "Really? and you didn't think to tell me this before?". Sky shuffled, "Well, the spell i was doing didn't even have anything to do with....well you guys showing up. So it didn't seem really important.". Luna groaned, "Well, you still should bring it up, maybe the spell did something strange to your wand.". "My wand was acting uber weird way before i even touched her stuff! C'mon now, like being suspicious of everyone i get it's just...my family is just....they got no reason to really do this kinda stuff.", she bit her lip, "Like, mom's all stupid powerful, but like....she's not evil or anything. Plus she can't lie for heck, if she got you hear she would really not be trying to pretend she didn't know you." Luna blinked at her, but agreed, "Well i suppose in terms of our mother that's true.....though that doesn't mean they aren't completely alike.". "Still, like, if you were mom, wouldn't you have done something already? Whoever is responsible is taking their sweet time to do....whatever they're trying to do...", luna snorted, "Honestly i'm starting to wonder if us being here was intentional at all, perhaps your wand just screwed up and maybe the destruction of the archives has nothing to do with us. Truthfully sky, we've been stuck together for a week and it feels like we still know little to nothing about anything happening.". Sky put her hands in her pockets, "I dunno, maybe we're going about this all wrong.....". Luna gave her a look, "What do you mean by that?". She shrugged, "We all just seem to think the culprit or whatever is just gonna walk right into our hands, or we're gonna easily find clues and stuff. At this rate, you guy's might never get home in years. So maybe if we wanna figure out what's wrong with the wand.....maybe we need to y'know....go inside it?". This sparked luna's interest, "You didn't consider doing that before now?". "Hey, you didn't either! and anyways, it didn't matter because gloss is useless and is almost never around. Dude never listens to me, so.....maybe you can track him down with your amazing whatever skills and convince him or something?", luna tapped her foot, "Sky, i almost feel like this situation doesn't really matter to you...that you aren't taking this whole thing seriously. Me and 3 other girls are trapped in an unknown dimension, away from our families and you don't even think to tell us valuable information that may save us?." "Well its-". "No buts, we could die out here! This isn't a freaking joke and you know it! We have to rely on YOU to know some of this stuff because we come from alternate universes, if you don't want to help us, well, we might as well give up now! Sky's face of annoyance shifted into one of guilt. "With judas....", she paused, "Would you risk everything to save him? If anything happened?". It was a pretty serious question and sky found herself taken aback by it, luna may of expected her to laugh it off but to her surprise sky's tone because dead serious, "Yeah, yeah i would.". Luna nodded, "Then if there's anything you can do to reunite us back home to our families, tell us.". She started walking again, sky at her side and watching her in silence. Sky only could sigh before continuing, "Hey, i know you didn't like personal questions but...how were you created?'. The older girls blinked at her as they hiked through the forest to find eclipsa, "How i was created?". Sky  made a face, "Well, you have two moms, me and judas didn't come from any wombs...so....how did mom make you?". Maybe that was too sensitive of a question? But then again luna DID ask her quite a big question just a moment ago anyway. "I hatched from an egg, old spell." "You too?" Luna snorted, "There aren't many other ways, though i could see mom inventing a new spell in terms of that if she reallly tried. Though knowing her, i was lucky my egg wasn't full of glitter and stickers and ended up chocking on something bad.". Then sky remembered her mismatched marks and wondered if she could ask about them, though before she could, the girls seemed to have finally stumbled upon eclipsa, who was kneeling down to clearly very freaked out monster child. The girls walked forward in curiosity as eclipsa tried her hardest to calm the poor thing down. "-scary and i thought she was gonna hurt me and-"., the boy was hysterical and crying as eclipsa hushed him. "Dear it's ok, whoever it was is gone now and i'm sure your toy is still around here, me and my lovely friends will help, is that ok?". The small monster nodded and then his attention was turned towards the girls. He hid behind the older woman's dress as she acknowledged the girls, "Good to see you've caught up, this little one lost his doll out in the forest a few days ago and he's had a hard time finding it, you girls mind helping me look? I'll watch this little one." They exchanged looks but complied, though luna didn't seem to happy to have to scower the whole forest for a toy. If they were lucky they'd find it in minutes, if they were unlucky they're be searching all day and maybe get eaten by something. How monsters used to live out here beat her. But she felt sky nudge her and they set off to start their search. trampling through shrubs and watching out for mewman eating plants everywhere they went. "I guess your grandpa never took you out to find the swamp beast?", sky asked, kicking away a pinecone, "I got stuck out in the swamp for a long time for a completely pointless task to find this stupid swamp beast and my mom even came too, it was a mess...". Luna gave her a look, "What makes you assume i was never sent out for a task like that?". Sky shrugged, "Well you seem to know the forest really well but i kinda feel like you'd shut grandpa down if he made you go into the swamp to find a creature that never existed." "Well truthfully I very much shut the idea down when it was proposed.....though what happened was i actually went into the swamp that night by myself to do it. Apparently grandfather knew i was coming, but i only did it once and never had to repeat it". She seemed to be thinking back to that memory for a bit of fondness, "I kinda like being at least given chances to prove myself as the next queen, the looks of those who hate me are priceless when they see me prove them wrong.". "Why would they think less of y-?". "I think i found it!" Luna pointed into what was a large pit, and there, sure enough, was a small monster doll in the center of it. Sky walked up next to her and looked for herself, knowing fell well there was probably a trap in it. She looked to sky with a sigh, "Wands out?". Sky took a look at their surroundings before shrugging, 'I guess we're probably good, just don't do anything super strong, don't want to draw too much attention...". Luna understood before summoning her wand, admiring it, "I hate having to disguise my wand, hopefully once i perfect wandless magic i'll be fine but there's always something great about holding a piece of you like this". Of course she's dipped down already, of course. "So what's the plan?". "Simple, we levitato the thing back to us." She easily flicked her wand and spoke calmly, "Levitato..." The toy rose up as sure as ever, but before it could float over something from under the dirt in the pit reached up and tugged it back. Luna immediately stopped and spell and changed her wand back, "Ok, so looks like we have company, and we need a new plan.". She looked at sky's wand and whispered to her, "Ok, I know your wand is kinda"wonky" but better you use it then well....me be caught with one. So you use it, and i'll tell you what to do, sound good?". "Wait, you're gonna direct me?". "Like any commander should." Sky didn't entirely seem sure of this plan but luna nodded to her, "Think of it....as...a new training session for you! Just listen to my directions and this'll take no time at all.....and if it gets aggressive, well.....be glad i can fight without my wand.". Sky clutched onto her wand a little harder as luna started thinking of what they should do, "Ok, this guy seems strong, if your magic was stronger or he was weaker i would cut their branch hands once the toy was high enough.....but that's not gonna work here...and we don't wanna damage the toy...". Then it came to her, "A distraction is our best bet, this guy is a root creature, not a monster.....more like an animal.....he's buried under all that dirt. So if we want him to drop the toy gently, we either need to find something else he will wand, or maybe lift up enough dirt he'll get scared and scatter.". Sky groaned, "Well, if he's just an animal why can't we both do magic on him?". Luna looked at her, lips in a frown, "because I've been wrong before...and if i'm wrong here, the risk will not be worth it. We're better off with a distraction, better safe then sorry. " She bit her lip before eyeing sky's monster hat, and sky looked up to notice, "Ok, just letting you know now, i'm not letting that thing keep my hat, , i make these things myself and I like this one...". "Well, dirt lifting it is i guess...."., she sighed, tapping her cheek. "That's a lot of dirt for me to move.....". "We gotta do something sky, if you don't wanna give up your hat you gotta use your strength to lift the dirt...just....levitato as much as you can, put all your might into it.", sky didn't seem sure but she nonetheeless tried to go for it, only for luna to step forward and hold onto her wand arm. "No no, your position is all wrong, here hold still......ok...like...this.", after fixing the girl's from she stepped back. "Ok, give it your best shot..".  Sky took a deep breath before copying the girl's move before in her fixed position. "LEVITATO!!". Luna almost smiled when she saw a good bit of dirt start to life from the ground, the bluenette's eyes in utter wonder at her own magic. She pushed harder, wanting to keep going and she could spot a bit of the root creature under the dirt, only for him to start burying himself deeper under the dirt. Burying himself faster then sky could un-bury him. Sky could've almost tossed her wand in frustration when something else came to her mind. "Ok, new plan we-". Sky started waving her wand and before luna could react there was a stuffed walk creature next to sky. Sky nodded to the toy in the pit before looking at the cute little wolf, "Hey little buddy?...Fetch". "What are you-", luna started as sky watched her summon run down to the roots, "I'm gonna try something my way this time..." . Luna watched as the stuffed wolf grabbed onto the toy, only for the roots to wrap around him. The wolf squealed, until sky's wand opened to pull the wolf, it turning into mostly into light as it moved, only the snout still solid, still holding the toy as it was being sucked back into the girl's wand. The toy dropped as it went it, right on the ground and at sky's feet. Luna looked impressed as the root creature angrily retreated and sky picked up the stuffed toy. "He may be stronger then levitato, but he's not strong enough to stop light.". "Clever, though i'm surprised your summon even manged to keep it in it's mouth...it could've fell right from it". "It's one of my better spells, at least i could make his mouth solid enough so the creature had no chance of clasping onto it before he got outta there.", luna gave an approving hum, "I'll keep that one in mind then, taking advantage of even the silliest of things is always a good idea.". She moved away, "C'mon, we better catch up with eclipsa and move on.". She ushered sky along and shy almost smiled at herself, she actually did a good job? And Luna was impressed? Must be opposite day. She couldn't help but wonder how she managed to pull THAT off. Eclipsa smiled when they approached, the little monster child squealing as he ran over and recovered his toy, hugging sky's legs with his clawed hands. "THANK YOU THANK YOU!!", He strted to run off and eclipsa ran after him, "You need any help finding your mom?". The monster stopped and shook his head, "Nah, momma and i live nearby, thank you kind ladies!". He ran off and eclipsa smiled to herself before acknowledging the girls, "Sorry for the break in adventure, but thank you for finding the toy." "It's...no issue, turns out sky is better at magic then I thought", luna smiled and eclipsa laughed, "Oh, i've been trying to say that for years!!! Come now, let's get back to walking, i wanna show your girls the monster village up ahead!". Luna raised an eyebrow, "We meeting any friends up there?". But eclipsa ushered her on, "Maybe, but i'd prefer to get some food and this place has a lovely view of the mountains, come now, we better get a move on." - The underworld's safe room was of course, luxurious and practically another living room. With couches and a fireplace and even a small kitchen in the corner for them. Tom, marco, landon, judas, and tom's parents were already there of course. And Tom and Marco sighed in relief at seeing the kids come through the door and thanked the guards as they left and locked the door behind them. Mason was immediately tugged into a hug from his parents, fingers running through his hair and smiled all around. "What happened?", celeste asked, a bit of concern slipping through her tough exterior. "We were robbed, someone broke in.....stole well, stole an artifact...", tom sighed, "It's not a big deal, the real worry is if they could've hurt any of you. People rarely are able to break into a place as tough as the underworld and if anything happened to you kids....god..". Marco let out another sigh of relief, "At least were all accounted for, the guards even have lucy out sniffing for the culprit, and it's rare she can't find any target she starts to sniff out.". "How long are they gonna keep us in here?", galexia made her way to the couch, and sunny stepped back to let the family check up on each other so that let celeste have room to continue speaking whether she should or not. "Depends, they need to check the whole castle first...", the girl held back a groan as they parents let go of their son and went back to thinking what they could do under these conditions. "We'll eat in here, maybe play a game, can't do too much just yet...". Tom grumbled, "I was considering going out to find you myself, but our advisers apparently think it's better we don't put our own lives at risk considering this guy had to be pretty powerful to get in, they're lucky you came in when you did i was about to punch right through them.". Marco smiled but also rolled his eyes, "He's not kidding either, tom was pissed when they told him to wait here while mason was out there, but at least everyone appears safe.". "You really think this guy is dangerous?", mason asked, grasping onto tom's pant leg and looking up at him, nervous the pursuer might be around the corner somewhere. "Don't worry about it, we'll find them, promise, let's just stick together and wait for new information.". Mason nodded and moved away to sit on the couch near galexia, though he looked a bit nervous and sad now. Judas walked over to join the group, looking as he usually was. A combination of being calm, nervous, and anxious. Judas had clearly been dragging from something more formal based on the outfit he was currently wearing, and he was trying his best to breathe in and out and get himself under control. Probably worried if he got too stressed his powers...and more then likely, his arm, would act up. Landon seemed to be busy trying to get reception on his compact, most likely to call Bernard but it's clear compacts would be of little to no use in here, to none of them. He nodded to sunny, whose smile returned at the sight of him. Tom and Marco walked off to go find some snacks to spread around and that left judas in a more comfortable position to talk. He gave a small smile to the girl before he lost that smile and crossed his arms. "I'm glad you all are safe, it's rare we ever end up in here and when we do you gotta know it's pretty bad. At least no one was harmed though, i sent sky some texts before i got locked in, at least she'll know we're all safe when her mom starts to panic." "You ever been in here before?", the small girl asked curiously and judas bit his lip, fangs pricking the purple flesh. "Years ago, but for entirely different reasons, we can typically take care of ourselves so locking us up is usually a last resort. when they came and forced me here, i was worried to say the least". He then smiled again, weak laughing, "Just glad you guys aren't dead....like...REALLY glad." Sunny twiddled her fingers before wrapping her arms around the taller boy and hugging him. "I'm glad you're not dead either....". Judas hugged her back, despite how much taller then her he was, "A least we're all together, even if we're gonna be locked in a room while they search the castle from top to bottom". They disbanded and examined their surroundings, Dave and Wrathmelior were in another part of the room, mostly talking but not to each other. Simply to one of the guards, though knowing them Dave was probably just extremely concerned that they managed to allow someone to even get through. Sunny glanced over to them as well, "They look really mad.". She felt judas put a hand on her shoulder, "Eh, you know our grandparents......they always get kinda mad, they're passionate.....they'll be fine eventually.". He directed her to the couch area, "C'mon, we have paper and colored pencils you and lexi can use....". Sunny followed his orders, taking a seat next to him. A fireplace was roaring nearby and it was clear the walls were infused with a magic spell just to be safe. The underworld itself was already a bit of a death trap, was no surprise it was heavily protected as it was. Sunny spotted the paper and pencils judas was referring to and slide them out, he was right, they might as well use them if they're gonna be in here. Marco was back quickly with apple slices, crackers, and juice boxes. "Here, might as well eat, we'll be notified when we're out and anything we get....". They took a good look at the sitting kids and noticed a theme, alot of down faces. Marco smiled, "Hey, you kids wanna see a magic trick while we're here?". Everyone's faces suddenly turned to look at marco, celeste looked puzzled, sunny seemed curious, mason and judas didn't seem surprised and lexi was laying upside down on the couch, her head on the floor. Though at the mention of magic she managed to flip the top half of her body upwards to face marco. "Magic?" Marco's cheeks began to light up, two crescent moons, usually unseen unless they lit up. Galexia and Celeste had seen them before, so it didn't phase them. Though Sunny's eyes were practically sparkling. Marco started placing hands together, red fire spouting from them, "I'm not perfect, but i can sure do some damage when i want to.". The flames rose up and formed a heart and sunny could be seen clapping, judas and mason were very used to this from their mother though, reaction just reduced to pleasant smiles. Sunny looked over to judas and whispered to him under her breath, "Do any of you have...marks?". He shook his head, whispering back, "If we do, we sure haven't seen them yet, not enough mewman magic exposure perhaps...plus mom's not a biological butterfly". "You...fight with magic?", Celeste looked extremely weirded out by the flames, guess her father back home never did anything like this. Marco switched spells, tiny green souls spouting from their hands and twisting and turning around each other before marco made them vanish. "Well, and karate, and swords, and a number of other things....but you have to admit, magic is handy.". The queen showed off a number of other spells, most of them being more demonic then anything, seems the underworld truly had an influence on them. Then Tom came up behind their spouse and wrapped their arms around them, "Oh c'mon, show them the mask, I know you want to." "Mask?", Sunny said excitably, "You have a cool mask?!". "Marco wears it like they're this big ole superhero...", tom explained," It was a present from my family when we got engaged, me and star helped teach marco all the tricks they know. Now they can magic it on at will! Though they only put it on to scare the heck out of people or for protection...". Tom gave marco some puppy eyes, "C'mon marco, show it off to the kids, we both know you want to and you haven't worn it in forever love...since like...oh wait we can't speak about that in front of the kids....". Marco laughed, "You tease, but only if you ask...". In a flash the human  waved a hand over their face, a beautiful skull mask forming over their face. Markings were all over the mask and the teeth of the skull were rather pointy. Though the most disturbing part was how it changed marco's eyes, making them black except for green pupils. They looked terrifying. Though Tom's first instinct was to kiss marco straight on the cheek, nuzzling into the side of their human's face. "Toooommm~, not in front of the kids!",Marco immediately removed the mask as to not scare any of the kids too much. Plus, it gave him the ability to probably kiss tom back as the demon gushed on about their lover, "Marco kicks ass, it's just kinda what happens when you marry into the underworld, we're not letting our leaders be defenseless after all, and marco's pretty good with magic. Marco simply shrugged, "Be thankful i don't have to use it often, thought i do surely intimidate others quite well..". They used magic and summoned an apple slice to them, biting into it, "Don't use magic often though, i'm more used to earth life and i prefer getting a jump on my enemies.". Tom bit into the rest of the apple slice and judas looked as if he wanted to be anywhere else then here as his parents flirted. Sunny kept on giggling and was probably going to ask to see more magic when someone entered the room. A guard, Tom pricked up his eyebrow and approached him. Everyone exchanged looks, some nervous, some curious, some both. Surely it wouldn't take that short amount of time to find the culprit, or did they find him already? Though based on the guard's expression, Tom sure didn't seem to think so. He had gone from the happy and flirty king he was just mere seconds ago to his brows furrowed and his face in a worried frown. His cape breezed behind him and he crossed his arms as he tried to remain calm. "That was...fast....". "Sir, you still must say in here, but we've just come to say your Lucy has a scent on the culprit....", Tom smiled, "Well then what are you doing here! Go on, we have to follow her!". But the guard didn't move, "Sir, the culprit must've predicted this move, because the scent she got.....has her running around in circles....the culprit left so many smells behind she can't track them.". Tom's eyes might've popped out of his head, but he cooled himself down quickly. "Fine, lucy might be out but i still want ALL guards on lookout, is the castle clear?", the guard shook his head, "not yet sir, almost, we're still questioning the staff and testing your magic security systems, though it's possible the culprit tampered with them as well.". Tom grumbled, "May i come? Actually no, i AM coming.". He nodded to his family and pushed the guard out of the way before he could protest. Leaving the kids with marco and the couple in the corner. "Is everything gonna be ok..?" Marco sighed, leaning against the couch. "I sure hope so."

[werewolves-are-real]

Hi, i am really sorry for asking, especially because you might be really busy or if it is annoying, but can you maybe write a drabble thing (sorry i don't know the terms) of Laurence and Tem's first meeting with Napoleon from Napoleons perspective? (Laurence/Napoleon of course) My life's a mess and i am feeling really down so i need something to sorta cheer me up... HOWEVER if you can't/don't feel like it or just don't have the time then just ignore this, i totally understand it

You don’t have to apologize so much!! Sorry it took so long but I hope this helps :)

except for the first few paragraphs, dialogue is taken directly from the end of Empire of Ivory.

the reference to an 'old Roman general' is to Marcus Atilius Regulus, also mentioned in the text

Choice of Regulus

“He will not stay,” says DeGuignes.

Napoleon is busy with a thousandthings, and he inspects a missive in his hand even as he disapprovesthe remark. “He came here,” the emperor counters. “It wouldbenefit him nothing to return to England; nothing at all. And thesafety of his dragon will tempt him.”

Napoleon has encountered many dragonsover the years, yet possessed no true notion of their intelligence oruse until Lien joined the court. It became at once clear to him thathe must reassess all strategies of the Armee de l'Aire, and furtherapparent that dragons have been sadly wasted. From a practical level,he considers them intelligent and clearly self-possessed - in otherwords, worthy of the all the same considerations as humans, so longas those considerations benefit the state.

“I have met him only briefly, Iadmit,” says De Guignes. “But my impression in China was thatCaptain Laurence is a man of excellent moral character. I should nothave expected him to betray his country.”

“And yet he did,” says Napoleon,handing over the letter and waving forward his secretary. Togetherthey and a convoy of guards walk down to Lien's pavilion, and evenfrom a distance the two Celestial dragons there are visible, likereflective obelisks; one creature, black and scarred, and the otherwhite as the horizon.

Napoleon ignores De Guignes' doubts todictate another letter, this one to the Spanish ambassador, which hissecretary pens hastily. He cannot suppress his own anticipation,though, and when he stands before William Laurence he at once grabsthe Englishman to kiss his cheeks.

It is no small thing what this man hasdone – no exaggeration to say that he ought to be considered a heroby all the world. To fight a war with plague, Napoleon thinks, isjust like the English; it was ridiculously ill-considered, when heonly imagines how easily the outbreak might have affected England'sown allies, and poisoned the whole world to them, besides. It mightbe a good tactic from a place like China, with thousands of their owndragons to take the world by storm; but from England it was juststupid cruelty.

He makes a mental note to pen anotherseries of letters; France must be quick to offer their own mushroomsto allies, though the farmers have not yet managed to cultivate them.With all luck no other countries will be infected yet, and thegesture shall be appreciated but unnecessary. In any case Napoleonimagines that French will leave this situation looking much betterthan England, who has endangered all her own friends.

Napoleon finds Laurence to be just asDe Guignes indicated – polite, careful, and firm in his everyrefusal to betray his country more than he already has. He displaysan admirable concern for the sake of his draconic companion, and noconcern whatsoever for himself, which Napoleon must respect evenagainst his own disappointment. Good men are rare, but hard to sway.

And then Captain Laurence refuses hisoffer of haven, and after Napoleon tries – sincerely tries – toexpress on him the superiority of his vision, of his future forFrance, Laurence says simply this:

“Your Majesty, I am a soldier, not astatesman; and I have no great philosophy but that I love my country.I came because it was my duty as a Christian and a man; now it is myduty to return.”

- Throughout his life, Napoleon hasadmired the stories of classical heroes, ranging from the myths ofHercules to the more concrete feats of Hannibal Barca and Alexanderthe Great. And here before him stands a hero in the making, herecognizes – a figure tired and resolute, but whose significancefuture historians must recognize and applaud.

He is reminded with abrupt force ofPolybius' writings on an old Roman soldier, a general captured byCarthaginians in years long since past. He was paroled and sent backto Rome as a messenger, to negotiate peace; instead, he urged acontinuation of war, and then returned against the advice of allfriends to Carthage where he suffered torture and death in the faceof his defiance. The general's honor, on both counts, could allow fornothing more.

Napoleon noted the story both forrecognition of the soldier's convictions, and also for beingludicrous. If a man so spurned the morals of his enemy, what would itmatter, to neglect vows to that corrupt power? But there is somethingabout the story, some nebulous and abstract quality, which alwaysstuck with him.

And now here is a man whose act isgreater – who moves not to preserve the intentions of his country,but to follow his own morals; follow them sorrowfully, regretfully.And yet he loves his country anyway. It is a dichotomy Napoleoncannot fully understand, even as he appreciates it. Napoleon hasfought hard for the power to shape France to his vision of greatness.Laurence, lacking that authority, and chained to service, hasnonetheless been compelled by the righteousness of his convictions.

Napoleon cannot agree with theCaptain's interpretation of duty. But perhaps that does not matter.

“God forbid I should alter such aresolve,” he says at last, after every effort has failed – noteven the grim certainty of the captain's execution can sway him.“Your choice is the choice of Regulus, and I honor you for it. Youwill have your liberty – you must have your liberty.”

He sends off the captain with a troopof the Old Guard, and the promise of Accendare's formation to see himover the Channel, under a flag of truce. It is the least he can do –it is all that he can do, and when Captain Laurence leaves hedismisses his retinue to sit with Lien in her Pavilion. The dragonleaves him to his thoughts, and he finds his gaze ever straying tothe sky. Even now, as he sits here, a man moves resolutely toward hisdeath; not a soldier's-gamble, but a sure death, and one that he doesnot deserve. A good man – a wasted man.

He will be hanged by the month's end,Napoleon thinks; and he only hopes, in an odd spirit of sympathy,that the English do not leave the captain to suffer long.

Then he returns to the palace andresumes writing letters.

[ship-to-hell]

some emm/older!hono thoughts

honoroit wearing emm's shirts and coats when they're apart because they're big and warm and smell good.

i know i say this a lot but: emm just real gently smooching hono’s scar

napping together! they’d started out reading but then They Sleep. emm makes a very good pillow

emm trying Very Hard to count all of hono’s freckles, getting distracted, and starting over

they go on vacation to la noscea. emm teaches him to swim.

nights in the beach house, when it’s just them, lying close together in the dark and talking about nothing important, trading kisses

hono has at least a few boyfriends before him (dark hair, blue eyes, there’s a Type) and emm judges them sternly but well if hono is happy...

hono cries on his shoulder after a breakup and emm vows revenge. “my lord, ‘because he dumped me’ is no reason to fire the assistant stableboy” “he made you cry, he’s lucky he still has a head never mind a job”

one ex says something crass and/or disparaging about hono in emm’s hearing and emm just decks him

emm buying hono all the books/food/clothes he wants!

honoroit wearing fortemps-sigil jewelry

...and nothing else

emm trying to pull off Fancy PLD Moves while training to impress him

and then falling flat on his face.

the general concept of emm admiring and adoring hono so much that as soon as you make the mistake of asking about him....well. hope u packed a lunch. you’re gonna be there a while

meanwhile, he thinks hono tolerates him. maybe. surely they aren’t friends.

surely honoroit cannot love him

honoroit somehow manages to snark at him while confessing his feelings

emm teaching hono to dance so he can Move Up In The World

emm teaching hono to waltz

honoroit growing up into something of a flirt (emm was a bad influence) and using his newfound powers for evil--namely, trying very hard to either seduce emm or drive him mad with jealousy, either works

the first time hono blurts out emm’s actual name. it’s not sex or a special occasion or a confession it’s just “emmanellain you forgot your coat” and he dies. they both die. emm wants to hear him call him by name forever. hono can’t believe he was that bold. they’re both blushing for days.

emm surprising him with flowers and chocolate for all major holidays and occasions. sometimes the occasion is “it’s tuesday and i love you.”

the PINING. A WHOLE GODDAMN PINE FOREST. honoroit starts out with a crush. an ill-conceived crush, really--his lord is kind and gentle but ridiculous, a silly irresponsible flirt he ought not to be thinking of kissing. emmanellain certainly only sees him as a younger brother, if not just a friend and trusted servant. he has no chance. this crush will fade soon, he thinks.

it does not. and worse, emm is getting competent, more knightly and respectable and valiant. his actual skill in battle will probably never match his brothers but he is a tank In His Heart, and he will Protecc even if he gets hurt or killed. it makes honoroit’s heart do all of the things.

plus, all that training has Paid Off. he stronk. hono takes a secret guilty pleasure in helping him with his armor, even though not sneaking any touches is torture

emm can’t know about this. he’d be uncomfortable. and well, it’s not as though he’d feel the same. 

emmanellain, meanwhile, does not...notice at first. oh, he loves hono deeply and platonically and his chest does something weird when he clings for a hug (must be indigestion) but he doesn’t think honoroit even likes him very much, never mind any deeper feelings.

and then he turns around one day and realizes that, entirely while he was not paying attention, hono has become a fine young man. those growing pains he fussed over? they ended up in long limbs and broad shoulders, all lean and solid and...

well. it’s very distracting.

the guilt almost flattens him, tbh. hono is years younger than him and his servant, he feels like The Worst kind of perv for ever noticing him and is determined that hono will never find out. it can’t be good for him. he can’t be good for him. honoroit deserves better.

the mutual pining goes on for Y E A R S and drives all of dragonhead nuts with how increasingly transparent it is. there is a betting pool. hono’s friends tease him about it.

worse, laniaitte notices the complete cessation of bad poetry/etc coming from dragonhead and demands to know what’s wrong with emm. seeing him and hono together tells her all she needs to know.

“emmanellain, you are an idiot.” “?????”

eventually honoroit confesses* and emm deadass does not believe him but then honoroit asks for a kiss and. well. sounds like he meant it. 

* at least one version of that confession involves “my lord I must leave your service because i seem to have fallen in love with you” and emm’s heart breaks into a million pieces before he catches up to the second half of that sentence.

this leads directly into hono discovering POLITICS. he loves it. emm is So Proud of him taking a seat in the house of commons. he meets him after his speeches with flowers.

hono’s rapier wit and judgemental stare strike fear into the hearts of men three times his age. he brings emm copies of bills he’s gotten past in exactly the way a knight would bring war trophies to his lover.

artoirel and edmont...handle this one of two ways when they find out.

Way The First (possibly precluded by artie literally walking in on them): it is a shock and a shame and a scandal and artoirel is incensed, how can you Do This emmanellain, he recognizes hono is an adult now and can make his own choices but if emm toys with his feelings or hurts/coerces him in any way artie will commit fratricide right then and there.

emm’s not even (that) insulted. “brother dear, if i hurt him i would witchdrop myself without a second thought but he assures me he is quite alright.”

hono is not only “quite alright,” he is willing to defend emm with every tool at his disposal, up to and including pointedly informing artie that he has interrupted something important so if he does not mind...?

artie is Still Concerned, but willing to give emm the benefit of the doubt. emmhono may recommence and he won’t tell father but he does not want to hear about it, thank you.

Way The Second: the mutual adoration is so obvious that even artie, who generally would not notice romance unless it fell in his lap (and by this time he’s married with children), feels the need to take his brother aside and ask when emm is going to make an honest man of honoroit already.

emm wants to!! but he doesn’t know if hono would say yes, they haven’t really discussed...

artie has to bury his face in his hands. “HAVE YOU TRIED ASKING.”

that’s as close to a blessing as artie gets, really.