#i just wish that people wouldn't forget the other queens

[satubby]

[Once upon a dream: Where you were happy]

As once in the dream, where you forgot your memories by my side, I will still be waiting for you, so please just don't forget who you were … My precious daughter of man - Malleus Draconia

[Disclaimer: This may contain errors so I'm sorry if they bother you or confuse you when reading. I didn't think this would be so long, I will finish part 3 in a few weeks. Thanks for your support, credits to the fanart I use, if I find their artists I'll post them.]

Morning was rising outside but the curtains cast shadows in your room, then the doors opened and the maids came into your room, they were all making as much noise as ever, you sigh exhaustedly refusing to look at them. "Come on princess, get up, today is your 16th birthday" One of them said, pulling you out of bed.

"I'm coming, I'm coming... It's too early for this" You sigh, getting up and heading to the powder room, you swallowed your bitterness smiling like the 'worthy and pretty princess' you were, then the maids. did their job starting to comb your hair. Your gaze was distant and you constantly clutched your dress, you were beautiful yes, but you honestly didn't care.

"Ouch, damn it" You whisper, feeling their eyes constantly on the back of your head. 

"Watch your mouth princess" murmured one, they continued brushing your hair and making you presentable, they always made sure you looked good. As you sat there, the doors opened again and a tall figure walked in. It was the housekeeper serving the queen, she entered haughty and powerful, all the maids in your service began to murmur. "Please hurry princess, you wouldn't want to embarrass the emperor and empress, would you?" 

You almost wanted to wring his neck but you knew better than to do stupid things. So you stood up without paying attention to his 'reprimand' and bowed your body politely, bowing your head as well, after all, you were a princess without any power.

 "Yes, thank you for letting me know...I assure you I only wish the best for the kingdom and the imperial family" She looks you with that very, very stiff and bitter face. After that incident like every morning, you moved towards the emperor's castle because you lived in the empress castle, farther than any other room, you used to live in the basement where they put weapons and old stuff but it was something. 

Walking down the hall, your arrival is announced, with trumpets and a red carpet. You know they're just pretending, no one gives a shit if you got in or not.

"ATTENTION!!! THIS IS THE INCOMING HEIR PRINCESS!" closing your eyes you enter with dignity as you were taught, you felt the pressure on your being before those judging eyes of the pompous nobles, so you tried not to look bad. Some looked at you with barely concealed disgust, others simply didn't look at you and the rest whispered like silly little birds cackling incessantly amidst rumors and gossip. 

Your strides echoed with the sound of the floor as you walked towards the rulers of this place you hated to call home; the looks they gave you were either filled with disgust or filled with envy as they stepped aside to make way for you. The hall in front of you slowly filled with people after you walked away and approached the throne on the platform. 

The emperor was sitting upright on his throne, next to him was the empress, looking majestic and presumptuous, as always. The empress smiled slightly as you knelt before them, both extended their hands waiting for a kiss from you, most of all it was the woman before you who gave you that silent command.

The empress stroked your hair with false kindness when you complied with her order, still with her smile on her face she continued to enjoy your humiliation, it disgusted you to look like a mere dog... And the emperor didn't even do anything, he never really cared about you. 

"Happy sixteenth birthday my dear.... Now I hope you won't do anything to make us sad; or would you like to see her highness disappointed?" Her lips brushed your lobe warning you with sincere malice, then she walked away from you smiling as if nothing had happened, you didn't even react, you knew what she wanted, you wouldn't give her that.

"Thank you for- Your worries, your highness and beloved emperor.... I wish you good vibes and I hope you live long!" With those words, you forced a forced smile swallowing your little pride and the bile in your throat felt bitter. You sincerely praised yourself, since you were good at acting, you had to do it if you wanted to survive. 

Again the emperor looked at you without interest and gave you permission to leave, so you did and like every year, you were alone on your birthday, the gifts were not really for you, much less was this party... And honestly you had long ago stopped giving it importance. 

Once he gave you permission to leave, you could leave the throne room and get away from this heavy atmosphere that only made you feel sick and want to vomit because of so much hypocrisy in the air. Although before you managed to get out of sight you could hear the nobles start whispering and gossiping behind your back. 

They were noisy, much louder than a rooster would be at morning crowing time, but what could you do? Nothing and just thinking about them gave you headaches. You continue down the halls, with a couple of maids walking behind you who don't care for you either. They never really liked you, so they just followed you as their job ordered, even you wouldn't want to be with yourself, you were a bitter mess. 

"Please leave me alone, okay? I need air" You turned around stopping at the entrance towards a balcony. They look at you confused but they care so little about you that they better bow and leave, you on the other hand headed for the nearby balcony, stretching your legs and leaning your body against the marble railing.

Looking down at the ground, you let out sighs and snorts, then unleash your usual attitude of resignation and rebellion, only being alone you can say or do the little you can, the little freedom you had.  

 "Fuck those fucking nobles, I didn't even want to come— Fucking loudmouths, they're just vultures hoping I'm wrong, honestly... GO TO THE FUCK THEM ALL!! That fucking housekeeper, the emperor and the fucking empress!.... Anyway, I hope this day ends soon"

You let your head fall on your shoulders, looking resigned to your situation, you were sick of following these stupid rules. A lady doesn't do this, a lady doesn't do that— You are at your limit and yet you can only complain to yourself or suffer your punishments. 

Your eyes unconsciously looked at parts of your body, you bit your lips in frustration.... Those scars still hurt, but you had to bear them because that made you a princess- Although honestly you always had that doubt, Did princesses really do that? In your stories it was something else. But laughing, remind yourself that they are just that, stories annnnd, since you were a child you didn't know who you were before coming here, you were always told what to say or do, as you were foolish and naive, you blindly followed in fear of that damned bitch of an empress. 

You were the puppet in her theatrical play, used and punished if something didn't go her way. Sometimes you wanted to kill her, but you'd rather keep your neck in your body. No one would help a dirty blood like you, a stupid girl with no connection or power whatsoever plus your stupid insignificant elven powers weren't even strong you could only heal scrapes or make little lights because according to rumors; your dead mother wasn't a complete elf. 

"These heels burn so much, maybe I should throw them away... But that damn woman will punish me if I do. It's a real shame my birthday sucks and the weather is so nice, which is ironic because I'm a mess."

You drop your body onto a nearby table, playing with your fingers, you didn't know at what point you started to fall asleep. 

While you were dozing on that table, lost in a kind of dream, you began to feel like you were floating in the air, reality became a dream and vice versa. At some point you opened your eyes in a strange place, it was all white and there was only you, but your body was shining, as if the stars had given you their remains to make you shine.

Your thoughts are interrupted by the giggling of a little girl, a very familiar one, that hair and tattered clothes were familiar even though you couldn't see her face. 

"Hello? ... How strange, I swore I heard something-"

You scratched your eyes thinking you were still hallucinating. You had just fallen asleep and didn't know how you got here. 

"Haha... Nyum!"

There it was again, that childish giggle attracted you again, then turning towards where it came from, you saw a completely white silhouette standing in the middle of the void. 

"Hey girl, what are we doing in this place and-? Wait!" You exclaimed starting to follow her, as she started to run, the emptiness started to change. 

The more you ran, the more it changed, the ground felt soft as you now stepped on clouds. Tall mirrors filled your vision like a maze, then again you heard the girl's giggle. 

"Haha! You can't catch me.."

Your eyes followed her silhouette in confusion, she was as energetic and elusive as... You, from childhood. You didn't know why, but you began to follow her, all these hallways of mirrors reflected both figures. 

"Girl don't run! Ugh, just tell me what this place is, fuck I just wanted to sleep and I ended up here!"

Sighing tired from so much running, you stop to rest, however something caught your attention; some mirrors were worn or broken, others simply had nothing to reflect. 

And the farther away you went the darker this place became, you two glowed as the darkness swallowed you. Then you see her entering a specific mirror, it was full of thorns and wilted roses, this place was silent, her giggling stopped being heard, slowly you went towards that mirror. 

"That girl- How strange, she took me all this way just to see this mirror?"

You whisper without understanding this strange dream, if it was one to begin with. 

So lost were you in your thoughts, that you don't even notice when your hand goes through the mirror and you are swallowed by it, unlike others, this mirror is dark as much as the the glass it was made of as its withered wooden frame. 

Screaming as you fall, you feel the air seep into your tresses shaking and making a mess of it, your dress suddenly changed as you landed in a brutish thump.

With pain in your body, you slowly got up spitting grass, that strange fall made you feel like Alice falling down the rabbit hole. Slowly you could stand up on your own feet, you were without shoes which seemed strange but what did you expect? This dream is strange in itself. 

"I must stop getting so much in my head— come to think of it, where did that mirror take me?"

You turned around looking at your surroundings, however the girl glimpsed out of the corner of your eye again, laughing at you and making you angry. 

"HEY COME BACK HERE YOU SHATTERING BRAT!"

Now you felt like the empress every time you yelled at the silhouette. Fuck! Some habits stick with people. 

She kept running into the mist of this dark forest, with you following behind her, the branches on your feet and the wildlife of the place making you scrape, but it didn't matter. You wanted to know how to get out of this place. 

"Jijiji! I'm faster than you..." Whispered the brat, her silhouette running and when you finally came out of the dark forest, the light filled her eyes blinding you. When the effect passed, you stopped thinking for an instant, this whole place was magnificent and magical, but the girl was gone. 

In its place, the vast tulip field filled your view, in the middle of it and far away on the hill, lay a beautiful oak tree the size of the most pompous castle presumably held by royalty. 

Mesmerized by this magnificence, you walked down the hill, it was a few more meters but something guided you to the oak tree. The closer you got, you heard a deep and melancholic voice singing.

Its beautiful whistling caught your attention, the closer you got the better you saw someone's back and— That little girl sitting next to her. 

Never thought that you would be Standing here so close to me There's so much I feel that I should say But words can wait until some other day

Both were relaxing on a chair made of wood and flowers as a handle, the stranger kept singing; for some reason his voice gave you a familiar but pleasant peace, you didn't know why or how, but you keep watching them swinging. 

It's been a long, long time Haven't felt like this, my dear Since can't remember when It's been a long, long time You'll never know how many dreams I've dreamed about you Or just how empty they all seem without you

The wind was blowing away the colorful petals of the field full of those tulips, you standing still in the tall grass, mesmerized by the whistling of that stranger, still looking at the girl, they seemed so comfortable with each other.

It's been a long, long time It's been a long, oh long time

And then that song stopped, breaking like a spell as well as your illusion, for just as the figure turned, his face could not be seen for he silenced you, causing thousands of tulips to cover your vision. 

"WAIT PLEASE! Who are you—" 

With an abrupt silence, you were left in the emptiness of before, broken glass halves scattered on the floor surrounded your feet, the girl was gone, only you and that hall of mirrors remained. 

Sighing, you pick up several pieces and your fragmented reflection looks back at you.

Your thoughts stop when you feel someone pull you out of that place and your eyes open as you feel the pain of a slap. Your eyes immediately went to those responsible for that: The maids in the service of the empress, who don't even look sorry for having done such a thing.

"Hey, you know you shouldn't sleep like that in public, you should be ashamed of yourself? What if the nobles gossip about you? hahahahaha." 

You clutched your reddish cheeks due to the hard slap, you growl silently wanting to do something but you just bit your lip in anger and swallowed it with 'dignity', which was the only thing you really had left; nothing belongs to you nor did anyone in this palace seem to take your position seriously.

You are just an ornament for the empress and a sack of potatoes for others to vent their frustrations. You had nowhere to go, if you left they would surely kill you, because the dirty blood should not live. 

"Please, couldn't you be less rude, Tsk! If you were seen slapping me, wouldn't you go unpunished? I'm still the emperor's daughter. It's frowned upon for a commoner to hit a noble, let alone royalty like me" You sneered with measured sarcasm, if they wanted to pull shit against you, you'd mess with them, it's all or nothing.

Your joke made them turn pale, the other maid behind gasped and took a step back. The one who slapped you swallowed as she quickly pulled herself together. They did not want the wrath of the empress if such rumors began to circulate, their necks, and perhaps yours, would roll. 

"You should be grateful princess because I have not yet reported your attitude to our noble empress, be good and we can forget about this incident" They said with a smile on their faces, the other nodded his head as the speaker held his face confidently, as if he had all the power in the situation, but his eyes reflected the fear and falsity of his words.

If they did that, they would pay more than you, a simple spanking would not be mere punishment for commoners like them, on the contrary for you, who you would be 'disciplined' for your indecency as a noble, 

However, you were interrupted by the empress's housekeeper (that damned boot-licking spy) She advanced towards you and all the maidens present bowed in fear, the two in front of you also trembled. 

"Now ladies don't make a fuss in the middle of the balconies and princess let's avoid making a fuss, please if you are not going to do anything at the party then go back to your room. As for you as maids, you have permission from the empress to discipline her, but don't overdo it..." She looked at you with cold condescension, as if she were superior. Biting your lips, you force a smile crumpling your dress in anger but swallow it all, smiling politely and standing up, wiping your dress and bowing.

 "Thank you, I will follow that sage advice, as you always know what to do, with your permission." Annoyed and frustrated once again, you left in anger and your footsteps echo loudly through the empty corridors of this place, listening to the maids laughing at you, as always.

Those damn maidservants, they always had something to say, didn't they? Laughing and talking behind your back every chance they got. Then there were those damn nobles, they were all the same, looking down on you. They always had something to comment on, whether it was your looks, your status or how you behaved. In the end you were just a trophy to them. A princess just to show off, nothing more.

Your thoughts were diverted by the sounds of the party, soon the second waltz would begin. But even if you were to go there, you would not be welcome, which is silly and ironic because this party is for you but no one actually congratulates you, the bitch empress steals every birthday you had, only to receive praise for her benevolence towards you... A bastard with dirty half elven blood.

 "Phew, at least this day is winding down." 

You sighed again as you vaguely thought about your dream, but you were more curious about that stranger, you didn't understand why he sent you back to reality, nor did you know why that girl led you there. In the end you walked down the hallway ignoring the lights and the drunks, it was like that every year, just nobles inflating their egos and gossiping behind each other's backs.

Hallways full of drunks were nothing new to you. Every year the parties ended the same as the others, with drunks and gossiping nobles. You couldn't wait for it to end, you always found it exhausting and annoying. Yet here you were, standing in the middle of the hallway with all these drunken fools around you... Surely there were some fucking and eating with lust around. 

"Hello princess!" 

A voice called out behind you, one you sadly recognized from all the years you had lived in the palace living with the nobles.

The stupid, disgusting son of Marquis Duboff, that dog rather than a man, always insisted on touching you and then complained when you refused. Snarling at fate, you tried to run away from him but he grabbed your hand and cornered you on the wall almost going out to the stairs. "Come on princess! Don't be like that, the other time I saw you flirting with other men, maybe the little slut can't help strutting around and wanting to fuck cock? You can't fool me, I know you like it—!" 

Drunk breath filled your nose, you wanted to vomit. His smell and everything about him disgusted you, so when he held your wrists, you kicked him in his private parts, you were irritated beyond belief.

"Tsk! When are you going to understand that I HATE YOU? You're a garbage existence, so.... If you'll excuse me, m-a-r-q-u-i-s!" With those words, you fixed your dress, you could be cheeky and follow orders for your own survival... However, you weren't going to play along with his games, that human excuse was a stubborn and pathetic being because you didn't want to call him a man when the vacancy was too big for him. 

This one knocked you down putting his hands in your hair, you in defense tried to shake him off but in the end between pulls, he knocked you down hitting you in the face and calling you an ungrateful bitch.

The blow threw you to the ground and to the side, sending you stumbling into a wall, you almost died if you fell badly down the stairs. You clutched your cheek as a groan of pain escaped you and, of course, the pathetic bastard was still standing there mockingly.

"You're not going anywhere princess, even though you act like an ungrateful bitch...I'm sure you'll soon come to your senses when you see that I can be gentle..." 

He sneered at you as he looked down at you from his elevated position holding an entire bottle of wine. His smile grew as he took a step closer to you, striding over and drinking. 

Then he started fighting you when you pushed him back wanting to leave, and he had the audacity to call you a spoiled brat, when IN YOUR LIFE! You've had some of that, anything you wanted was squashed and used as an excuse to make you less or crush your spirit. 

"STUPID BITCH!", you hear him yell as you poked his eye with your fingernails, in an attempt to stop him from taking your clothes off. He finally smashes the bottle on your head, making you blurry and blood dripping from your wound. 

You couldn't stand it any longer and you ran away crying, not out of sadness or helplessness (maybe it was that, but you would never say it out loud) but mostly it was rage, pure and undiluted. You felt pathetic, a fragile doll that broke for someone else's enjoyment.

"Fuck all of you... Ick! You guys are assholes" You clench your fists drawing blood from your wound with a torn piece of cloth from your now torn dress and head to your room, well, those fancy furnishings and decor really couldn't be called a room, it wasn't yours to begin with, just a guest room modified to mimic that of a room for royalty. 

Still, you decided it was better to go to your old, dirty and abandoned 'room', which was just the basement where they kept junk and rusty weapons. As you enter, you close the door, dropping into a crouch and hugging your legs, enclosing your face in your dress breaking that elegant facade into sadness and anger. 

You were exhausted and tired, very tired of everything, of everyone. Running away from the damn marquis, from the empress, from the nobles. You just wanted to be free, to be happy and find a place to just... be, instead of being a princess forced to live in a damn box and be judged or belittled for every little action.

Sighing as you sat there in that dusty old room, tears streaming down your face as you hid in your dress, you continued to wander in your thoughts. You felt alone, cut off from anything good or happy in this damned place, if there was any happiness in the falsehood of nobility to begin with. 

Your snot was running from your nose, your makeup was smeared and you didn't care at the time, you just wanted it all to be over. Sometimes you were angry at your dead mother, you blamed her for your useless elven blood running through your veins. You would even cut yourself to try to get it out and stop being a dirty blood, but all you get were injuries with punishments from the empress, you honestly don't know when was the last time you smiled or if you ever did, 

You wanted to keep hating her, she's a mother who never saw you grow up, but you didn't want to be like them, just another human, someone who pretends and discriminates against others just because. It would be hypocritical of you to do so, but sometimes you just want to scream and hate them freely, but it's stupid to do that and you just put your anger aside.

"It's useless, everything is the same every year, what did I expect this time? Mother, is my existence wrong? They just use me and throw me away when I'm not useful. I'm getting tired, how much longer can I go on with this performance?" You cried rubbing your eyes and wiping your smeared makeup with your dress, it was ruined anyway. 

Your eyes wandered around the room, looking at old dusty furniture and consumed by time, now they are blurred memories. If you think about it, in the past for some reason, you used to write letters to someone, hoping they would take you away from this place, but those hopes are ephemeral like happiness. 

You continued to sit there and cry, your feelings of hopelessness and anger pouring out. The makeup on your face was ruined, but you didn't care, it would be just another reason for the empress to call you a savage, mocking you. 

The zero memories of your childhood or the existence of your mother, your life here, everything came over you. It was very hard to face it all, very hard to hold out hope for any kind of happiness for yourself. After all, you were nothing more than a princess in a cage.

For a moment, the sensation you felt in that dream made you think of the stranger, and the memory came to mind, the magical and serene sight. It is contrary to how you felt now.

The moonlight illuminated the old dusty room, your eyes for some reason went to the old table, many broken drawings on it, for a moment you saw yourself as a child writing right there, however something blinded you like a light in your eyes. Curious you get up going to the table, the last time you were here living and sleeping you were exactly 11 years old, so you had left everything the same as when you left. 

"What the hell—?" Your gaze went to the pieces of paper, then moving them you coughed through the dust that was released after years in neglect and, shaking it with your hand— A strange piece black as darkness received you, the one that has accompanied you in your life since you are conscious until you forgot it, and if not for today you would still be in oblivion of its existence. 

Then, when you took it, an energetic discharge came from the tip to your head, giving you headaches and like a vague memory, you were pulled towards that vision, but it was blurred, what you knew was that you were in a forest. Your hands were small but you did not control this memory and this childish body.

Your ears perked up as you heard your own voice laughing, but it sounded more animated. Sometimes you think the current you is so different from your childhood self, less bitter and miserable. 

"M■□ll■s-sama, it's unfair that you always let the human win!" 

Another voice interrupted your diatribe and in turn you recognized that it was male, of course with a youthful and scandalous touch. A familiar laughter made you open your eyes in this dream(?), then that stranger whose name you did not fully understand, answered the other man, strangely you did not see who they were, because in this memory you were still hiding behind a tree.

"S□b■k, don't be hard on her, besides I don't want to make her feel bad, my ■□■■■□ is important" Your giggles kept coming out as your eyes made you expectant in this strange dream, just sharing vision with this uncontrolled childish body. The strangers behind the tree, shrouded in mystery, continue to argue. 

'What are they talking about?'

You thought to yourself, not your dream self, just your current self. Strangers are still looking for you, you looked like you were 5 years old by the size and high pitched giggles you let out. And that was before you came to the palace, what was not clear to you about this situation and your past self which you didn't remember much, so you are not understanding anything.

The two voices kept talking as the you in this memory peeked out for seconds, unable to really see their faces due to the speed at which you were hiding. You were looking from your childhood perspective, hiding in a tree and laughing to yourself, it all seemed less difficult if you thought about it. The other two males seemed to be looking for you, still arguing as they looked around the area.

Your childhood self seemed cheerful, again you wondered if she was really you or if she was just a past fragment. You looked happy, as if you were having fun playing some kind of game with these strange men. What were they talking about, and why did it seem so familiar, you didn't know, but it hurt your chest to hear yourself laugh. 

Since you came to the palace the childish games were over; so seeing this broke you in a certain way. Then you felt big hands taking the shoulders of your childish self, you laughed and named the stranger, but again the seemingly important words or names were cut off and erased, fragments remained of that stage of yours, which you did not know. 

"T■un□■ta□■u! hehehe you found me.... You were 3 seconds faster, though it's unfair because S■b□k always complains" Your words and voice were lively, sweeter and in comparison to the bitter words for this life you were leading. The stranger whose face was covered by the sunlight because you were in his arms, his shadowed face looked at you, his fanged lips smiled at you. 

His fangs glistened as a smile broke out on his face, laughing at your childish words. His voice was soft and warm, but no less gravelly and elegant, almost like the glow of the incandescent sun on you in the dream.

"You were well hidden, I could hardly find you. But I know your usual hiding places, little ch□■dr□n ■□ m■n." He said with lightness in his voice. One of his big hands moved to stroke your head, tousling your hair as he said this. Even though it was hidden behind the blinding light of the sun, you could still make out its outline....

It had a rather strange silhouette, horns coming out of its head and long wings behind it, something you only saw in forbidden books.... A dragon, but it didn't make sense that it was humanoid. 

In fact this whole situation confused you, unfortunately you came back to reality when the darkness swallowed you and you fell to the ground with a sharp blow, the dragon's scale no longer shining as brightly as before. You got up carefully, you were a mess in every sense of the word if you looked at yourself in a mirror. 

Picking that thing up carefully, you wonder if this is what made you see that. Are those your memories from when you weren't here? But it didn't make sense, the empress said she found you with two elderly brothers who were farmers, so why - why were you having these weird flashbacks? 

You sat on the old bed, holding the dragon scale in your hand and looking at it. Your head was throbbing and your thoughts were a mess. That vision... it was so vivid, like a memory... But how could it be a memory? You come from those farming families, the empress herself had said so... Though knowing her character, she could lie to you as she did about your mother's death. 

Those two men in the vision, you couldn't make out any details about them. But why did you feel so close to him in that dream? Besides you had already seen him when you fell asleep on the balcony, is everything connected...?

"Phew, I better go or I might get punished... But I can't leave this here, if they come to clean up, which is rare, they might see it, maybe I should take everything left of this old place" You put the dragon scale in your secret pocket inside your breasts, just when you were about to leave, you also saw the letters hidden under so much trash and dust. Some were torn and some were stained with ink. 

Your look is nostalgic, really when you were a simple and silly girl you didn't know how to hide things. So you took them, on your way out you took caution in looking both ways down the dark subway corridor and when you saw the shores clear, you left.

You exited the subway, making sure that no one was there, before leaving. As you did so, you returned to your room as quietly as possible. You hoped that the party was over and everyone was too drunk to notice your absence... 

As you walked through the halls, your mind kept thinking about that memory, if it was one. You had so many questions about it, about your past self and who you really were before you turned 6. It was so clear, so real... But who were they? What if... Was it all a strange fantasy of yours? Now you have a faint fragment of hope in you, even if it's vain and selfish. 

Your thoughts are interrupted by the empress waiting for you in your room, you panicked hiding the old letters and anything suspicious, she looked at you with false elegance and the lunar shadow did not help your fear to diminish.

"W-what are you doing here? I thought you were with the emperor"

You whisper avoiding looking at her, she stood up, unaware that there was your faithful maid. A maid who barely entered months ago and quickly befriended you with insistence; but that doomed her like many. Now she's dead on the floor, again you lost another ally, though you tried to prevent anyone from coming to you, trying to be nice when you couldn't afford that, it's a weakness the empress would exploit. 

Said woman continued to look at you with a cold stare, the false elegance on her face unchanged.

"Watch your tone of voice, princess." He said in a cold voice. His cold green eyes scanned you, observing your ragged and disheveled appearance with an almost mocking look on his face.

"I heard about what happened between you and the marquis earlier, my dear." You swallowed bile cursing everyone and her for that false sweetness in her voice. She took a step towards you and her tone quickly changed to a higher pitched one.

"You know how much I despise it when you embarrass me like that."

Her hands went to your bare, messy shoulders, your hair was ragged and that only added to her condescending tone, mocking your messy appearance. You bit your lips, she knew everything, she always does. You're more sure that damn dog Duboff made a fuss complaining about you, you just expected the worst in situations like that.

 "W-what's wrong with it, Your Highness? I only defended myself, or are you afraid of rumors? For example... That you don't take good care of me, and even if I AM THE EMPEROR'S DAUGHTER! You still treat me badly-" Her nails finished digging into your skin as a warning but you were so fed up that you continued.

"And yes I did, I don't give a damn anymore anyway, that dog deserved it! He's a scumbag, he wanted to abuse me, hahaha you don't even care about my image, only yours and your ego-Urgh!" A slap echoed in the empty room. The empress snarled with a contorted face, you laughed internally as you watched her lose her composure, she was a fucking bitch to you. 

It was quite satisfying to see the empress lose her composure in this way. Her face contracted in anger, a complete contrast to her normally reserved and cold demeanor. She had just slapped you, leaving a red mark on your cheek.... but you couldn't help but laugh at this. Seeing her lose control like this was almost funny.

The empress snarled at your laughter, the anger and irritation clear on her face. She moved closer to you, grabbing your hair and tugging on it. 

"How dare you talk to me like that... You're a dirty bastard blood!"

The empress's face was now contorted with anger, frustration and humiliation. After all, how dare you speak to her like that, especially at a party meant to celebrate her benevolence? You should thank her for even existing, but here you were like a brazen rat. 

"You ungrateful, insolent bitch!" She spat, tugging at your scalp and grabbing your cheeks hard so you could look her in the eye. 

"How dare you speak to me like that, I who have given you everything! Your position as princess, your meals, your clothes, let it be clear to you that you are inferior to me, without my help the emperor wouldn't care about you!"  

"... I didn't want to be this! Do you know how many nights I starved to death just because you and those maids wanted me to? You don't know anything, my life is not really mine but I'm running out of patience, even when I wanted to run away, you didn't let me... I begged you, but no more!"

"You're a-" Her hand reached up to hit you again but when you tried to pull away she only abused you more until it hurt all over, then complained about your rebelliousness and savagery.

He continued to prattle on about your insolence, debating whether he should kill you or not, but decided to leave, only punishing you by locking you in the room and ordering that no one was to come in or go out to feed you for a week. 

You got up when she left, she might as well kill herself and you wouldn't care. After a while, you changed your clothes after a relaxing and decent bath, no insults or dirty water. You were self-sufficient enough, since you were treated like a maid when you first arrived, you did everything. 

At the end of the night you lay staring at the letters on your bed, those letters written by you that for some reason you don't quite remember why you did it. "Ahh... what a day this was." 

You were left in your room, alone once again. The empress had left you with a burning cheek and a week of hungry solitary confinement. But it didn't matter, you were used to it.

With slow steps to the bed, you plopped down on the bed and then settled in, your eyes drifting to the old letters scattered on the bedspread. They were written in childish scribbles, but somehow they had some meaning. Why did you write this? And to whom? You had long forgotten the reasons behind it... You had priorities, like not dying for that woman's whims. 

With nothing to do, you decided to read them, starting with the one with the oldest date and paper. The letter began somewhat disorganized, it read like this:

March 23, first date of the solar calendar.  'It happened again today, I miss you Tsunotarou so much..... Mairy yelled at me again, you know, I know I'll never give you these letters but I hope someday to see you so I can read them for you, although I think it's more for convenience.  Nobody wants me here, I shouldn't have run away from home, Uncle Lilia was right. Humans are not the same, much less easy to understand. They are like me, physically they are but they don't act like I thought they would. Everyone says I'm a dirty blood worse than a commoner, Sebek was right when he said we are bad, but I'm not like that.  

Your expression softened but mostly out of confusion and the feeling that comes from reading this. So that's what the nickname you were talking about in the dream was... That silhouette was Tsunotarou? You didn't know but your head hurt thinking about it and even for some reason you got stuck trying to say that nickname, but still you continued reading.

 April 16 of the solar calendar  'I'm very sad, I hardly remember Uncle Lilia anymore, I'm very afraid. Tsunotarou... what if I forget you too? I don't want that, so I'll keep writing letters, so maybe my adult self will read them, I hope everything gets better, because today they made me mop the floor and the housekeeper punished me for something I didn't do. The older maids threw water and cow dung on my floor, when I had already cleaned it, I really want to come back to you Tsunotarou'.

Your expression became somewhat inexplicable, you felt the tears fall again for no apparent reason, you did not understand this feeling. Perhaps compassion for your previous innocent self, who was hurt and crushing your spirit to become what you are today.

The cards only continued to get worse. Your past self was young and innocent, so full of optimism and hope, but instead was only met with suffering. She was treated like dirt, forced to do tasks she wasn't cut out for, and others around her bullied her...and no one did anything to stop it. Your heart ached as you read the letter from your past self, and tears streamed down your face as you read it.

You clenched the letter tightly in your hand, your heart felt heavy in your chest... You didn't know if you wanted to keep reading because you were honestly so devastated by the constant abuse you've normalized, but reading all this just makes you feel sorry for yourself. 

Still, you catch a glimpse of one letter in particular lying on the corner of your bed, it's crumpled and musty as if it had been wet. Trembling you pick it up reading it and it just opens up another memory you had blocked out for yourself.

XX December of ... ??? 'Tsunotarou... I no longer remember why or why I am writing this, who are you, that I am writing this to you? I don't know, maybe it was all a dream and you, Tsunotarou whoever you are, don't exist. Last week I was caught trying to escape, but I don't remember the reason for it. Honestly it's all confusing so I'll stop writing these meaningless letters. I just know I've been hiding them, so I have to respect that about myself.... Well, this is goodbye. 

Now you remember! This is the last letter you wrote, you only know you finished it because of the first line, that nickname, you wrote it weeks before and you don't remember much. Suddenly your head starts to hurt and you get a lot of cut memories that make you cry in pain.

As you read that last letter, you were hit with a flood of memories. They came back vividly, but it was still a little fuzzy in your mind. 

You remembered why you wrote the letters. You were writing to him, that man you played with in the woods in your dream. You remembered him... and you remembered his nickname. Tsunotarou. Even the mere thought of it made your head throb. But as the memories slowly came back, you couldn't help but sob at the truth of all the events and the realization of it. 

What little you know of this is due to the only clues you had. With determination, you were determined to seek the truth behind your whole life and your lost happy childhood, so these days where the empress locked you up, you would flee through the secret corridors you had discovered in this room since you lived in it. 

Wandering the aisles of the library in the middle of the night, you were looking for books on magic or creatures of that kind, which were burned years ago by the wars, it was hard to find them. 

Despite feeling so tired, your heart was beating with determination. You knew you had to find the answers behind everything. It was time for you to find out the truth about your past and the real reason why you were here. You had so many questions running around in your mind....

But it was already late and you could already feel the tiredness invading your body after searching the library, so you walked with your books in hand through the corridors until you reached your room. With a tired sigh, you lay down on your bed, thoughts still running through your head as you slowly drifted off into an intermittent sleep...

And so for the rest of the week, you went to the basement to see if there was anything else but there was not. Then you rummaged through the housekeeper's room finding the strange bag that you now had in your room, in front of you. 

There was a strange old stuffed animal, some exotic flowers you didn't know about, a map crumpled and yellowed from years but most surprising were the many dragon scales in a jar. 

This was definitely yours, but why would you have this here? It didn't make sense and besides there were 2 books downstairs, one had drawings of 4 men, three of them with pointed ears and one was like the silhouette in your dream, with horns. 

The other was a human like you but wore a uniform; also, the second book had strange spells in it. The spell book was like the few pieces of page you found in the library on the hidden side. Thoroughly checking between pages, you saw a piece of paper with something written on it, there was also a drawing made by you most likely, underneath the apparent lullaby. 

Something about the drawing of the horned man seemed strangely familiar to you, though you didn't know why. Maybe there was a connection between him and that man in your dream... Curious, you read the writing on the paper, although due to the bad handwriting and scribbles on it, it was difficult to read.

You let go of the paper from your hands because your head started to hurt, a male voice echoed in your erased memories. It was a quiet place, a comfortable bed and finally you saw black tinted lips and fangs, he sang you that song but again, his face was blurred. 

You gripped the paper once again tighter, your head throbbing from the strange memory that came over you. The memory was fuzzy, but it was still clear enough that you could make out the vague silhouette of a man, fangs and lips tinged with black. He was singing that song to you, his voice soft and comforting.

Te agarraste la cabeza, tratando de recordar más, pero el dolor de cabeza sólo pareció empeorar. ¿Por qué tus recuerdos volvieron repentinamente a ti una vez más, y fue realmente Tsunotaoru, el hombre que te parecía tan familiar...? No lo sabías así que simplemente te volviste a dormir, cayendo profundamente

The breeze on your face welcomes you back, dazed you open your eyes seeing that you were now on a marble table near the oak tree. Confused you wake up and this time you see that you are not a teenager, more like a girl, this confuses you a lot.

Walking aimlessly, you hear in the distance in the same oak tree or further on, in the tulip field, someone singing, that same song you read in that paper.

I know you I walked with you once in a dream I know you That look in your eyes is such a familiar gleam. And I know it's true, that visions are rarely what they seem.

The tune was different, but undoubtedly it is the same voice and the same place as when that little girl in the dream led you there, the same person singing that lullaby. 

But I know you I know what you will do You will love me once and for all As you once did in a dream

You kept moving forward, the smell of flowers filled your nose and as if taking the place of the girl who you assume is your inner self, you continue moving towards the figure on the hill, standing among so many flowers looking at the sun.  

But I know you I know what you do You love me at the same time As you once did in a dream I know you I walked with you once in a dream 

The wind was soft and cool against your skin as you walked through the tulip field. The sweet smell of flowers filled the air and the sun hung high in the sky, casting a warm glow over the surroundings. As you continued walking, you heard that familiar song echoing in the air.

 "Who are you really?" you whisper in that childish little voice, this time you control this body and even if you expected an answer, there is only silence.

The closer you got, the more your heart pounded in your chest. And then, you finally saw it: a tall horned figure standing a few feet away from you.

Something in his majestic, magical and calming presence made you cry. At this moment you became a little girl taking the place of your inner self, now you just wanted to hug that man and run in his arms, like a game.

"Tsunotarou... that's what your name is?" those simple words made the horned figure look at you, with a slow step he walked up to you bending down to look at you.

The stranger smiled at you as he bent down to your level. He gently wiped away your tears with his thumb, his gaze warm and affectionate.

"Yes, it's me" he whispered in response. 

"I have missed you so much." This time your inner self spoke for you, since you wouldn't be able to understand its identity or the feelings it provokes in you, but you don't want to push it away either.

The man dressed in black hugged you tightly, squeezing you close to his chest. It was a protective embrace and you could feel the love and affection in his touch.

"You have no idea how much I've wanted to see you again, the clues I left you in your dreams, do you still have doubts my little girl?"

You nodded as you let yourself be carried by him, all your stress or bitter attitudes gone. There is only you and that lost innocence. 

"Sorry if I don't understand anything, it's just that I forgot you and that frustrates me" This time you spoke from your heart, with the truth. Without lying to anyone much less yourself and he seemed to understand. 

"Everything will have an answer, but I've missed you too, I can't be near you because I wouldn't know how to control myself, I may lose control if I see you more than I should" His whispers sounded melancholy and plaintive, but deep down his tone threatened to overflow into madness and rage. 

"Then why didn't you come for me? I don't remember but I feel like I sink into a sadness thinking about you" This time he kept silent, his face you couldn't see but you felt the tension in his body. 

"...There were reasons beyond my power that prevented me from that, besides if I went after you I could have accidentally killed you in my rage looking for you."

Despite his words you felt disappointed with him, you still decided not to hate him, you didn't want to be a bad person, no matter how bitter you were. 

"I understand... But could you answer me something, why don't I remember you well? I know you had something to do with me however, I don't remember, much less know who I was before what I am now."

The strange man again took your face in his hands and you saw why you couldn't see him, there was a mist blurring his face. 

"I don't think it's time yet, but I assure you that in a few weeks you will know... Until then, I will see you and answer your questions, my little daughter of man. Because we saw each other in a dream-" 

You wanted to keep asking but he kissed your forehead and you fell into a dream within your dreamlike sleep, finally waking up hyperventilating. 

"... Fuck I couldn't ask him his real name."

[sexy-sapphic-sorcerer]

1: Magic is a Metaphor < 2: Morgana is a Lesbian < 3: Merlin is Gay > 4: Arthur is Bi

Again with the whole metaphor thing, Merlin's entire character is about having to hide his identity and wishing that he could be free to be himself so that he wouldn't have to lie about how much Arthur means to him. So that's all very gay, but he's also just very queer-coded generally. There are so many jokes about him being more effeminate or wearing women's clothing, most notably in this episode where he dresses in full drag and then takes the opportunity to shamelessly flirt with Arthur. Unhinged.

Basically every other character seems to just assume that he's gay, at least towards the end, because Gaius and Arthur are in utter disbelief that Merlin would be 'seeing a girl'. And of course he isn't, he's actually sneaking around with that druid guy, leading Arthur to question how courting a girl would leave him 'walking with a limp.'

I also think it's very interesting how often Merlin has to pretend to be attracted to women to avoid people discovering his secret, like with Gwen in Series 1 or Morgana in Series 2. Or this scene, where Gwen and Merlin are the only people not affected by the Lamia's seduction charm and they're trying to figure out why. And Merlin says, 'it doesn't affect you because you're a woman'. And firstly, Gwen is like, 'so what?' So, bisexual queen. And then Merlin says, "it only affects men," and Gwen says, "so then why haven't you fallen under her spell?" And Merlin is just like, 'oh shit, I don't know. I can't think of any reason why I wouldn't be seduced by a woman.'

Now, you might be saying, "but Merlin is attracted to women! what about that one female love interest he had for literally one episode who immediately died?" Oh, you mean:

I'm sorry to all of the Freylin shippers out there, but this was so clearly just the writers' last-ditch attempt to make Merlin straight. If you think about it, Freya also 'has magic' if you catch my drift, and that is the only thing that she and Merlin have in common, and the only thing that they talk about. And if you look at their dialogue out of context, it really doesn't seem like it's magic that they're talking about. It's just gay/lesbian solidarity. Also, never forget when Colin Morgan accidentally referred to Merlin's potential love interests as "him or her." So who else could he have been thinking of?

Merlin definitely had a crush on Lancelot. From the moment that they first meet, he just keeps going on about, 'omg, isn't Lancelot so strong and brave and chivalrous? God, I hope he becomes a knight, he would look so good in a suit of armour.' And then he says to Gwen, completely unprompted, "so just for the sake of argument– Arthur or Lancelot?" Why are you thinking about that Merlin? Then that scene ends with Merlin and Lancelot getting drunk and stumbling home together and waking up the next morning having shared Merlin's single bed. So take from that what you will. I don't necessarily think that anything happened between them, not because I think Lancelot is straight, don't get it twisted, just because I think he's a fucking virgin.

But certified pansexual manwhore Gwaine on the other hand, oh they definitely fucked. And it's a very similar situation to Lancelot, Merlin's only flirting technique is just to find some buff guy who's just saved his life and be like, 'oh my god what can I possibly do to repay you? Maybe you could come back to my place and I could tend to your wounds and then we could go down to the tavern, have a few drinks'.

And it works. Merlin literally used his job as apprentice physician to the Knights of the Round Table as his own personal Grindr, and i love that for him. But, of course, these are just side hoes to Merlin's main bitch, Arthur.

You can deny everything else that I've said, but you cannot deny that Merlin was in love with Arthur. And don't even try to say, 'but it's just because it was his destiny'. Because, yeah, like that's any less gay. They're two sides of the same coin, destined to be together, Merlin 'uses magic only for Arthur'. Come on.

Also, it's pretty clear that Merlin cares about Arthur more than he cares about his destiny, throughout the entire show. But it culminates in this scene in series five where, because of very contrived plot reasons, Arthur has to choose between legalizing magic and saving the life of Mordred. And Merlin convinces Arthur not to legalise magic so that he will let Mordred die. He literally enables the genocide of his own people and condemns himself to a lifetime of suffering just on the off chance that he can spend a bit more time with Arthur.

And if that isn't heartbreaking enough, of course, every action that Merlin makes only confirms Arthur's fate. And after he very platonically dies in Merlin's arms, as dudebros do, what does Merlin do? does he go back to Camelot and live a full happy heterosexual life? Of course not. No, he spends the next one and a half thousand years just waiting at Arthur's resting place, waiting for the day that Arthur will be resurrected and they can be together again. What the fuck kind of Greek tragedy, Achilles and Patroclus level shit is that? That is fucking gay.

[raayllum]

Ezran trailer analysis time

Specifically that one vision he has of his parents because it was framed differently than I'd expected, and I think it's all the more interesting for it, so let's talk about it.

Beyond being utterly gut wrenching, I think the framing of this scene says a lot. Losing Katolis isn't just losing his home, but losing his parents all over again. Ezran never got to know Sarai, but he knew they walked the same halls and ate at the same people, knew some of the same people. He's been constantly working towards being the king both he and his father wish Harrow had been, which is simultaneously a more true (Harrow was imperfect) and less true aspiration (Harrow could've been perfect if he'd followed these steps) to grasp, let alone understanding of his father.

Because this is how he pictures his parents, but that's never how they actually were.

Sarai never stood off to the side just holding his father's hand. We never actually see Harrow sit in his throne (unless I'm forgetting something) in any of the flashbacks we're privy to, but just in Callum's dark magic fever dreams. When Sarai and Harrow ruled, they ruled side by side, both with their own throne. But all Ezran can picture is his version of his father with his imagination of his mother; Sarai as a companion and support but not queen to the father forced to rule alone after her death, which was all Harrow had ever known.

It's honestly this scene more than anything that makes me think Callum will indeed stay in Katolis by the end of the season. While there could still be alternatives (leaving for Xadia to study/teach magic, with Soren and/or others stepping further in to help Ezran feel less alone) or characterization reasons (I don't think Callum nor Rayla would want to spend their whole lives at court), this scene coupled with Ezran ruling alone ("It's not fair you have to go through this alone") as well as the emphasis of his and Callum's bond being at odds and then repaired this season + Dreamer's Nightmare ("Think of it as being like a protector, like your mother")... I don't know, something about how Sarai and Harrow are framed, making them the uneven towers of Katolis as is, while also being inaccurate... Callum standing by Ezran's throne in a similar manner maybe wouldn't change the inaccuracy of the flashback / vision (which could be framed like that just for convenience's sake) but it would change the vibe.

You've got me, Rayla, probably Bait. We're all here for you. (2x03)

I'm here, I'm your partner, your brother and protector, and I'm not going anywhere.

[ashtavula]

Hi dear! I saw that requests are open, so may I request hc's of the Heartslabyul boys with a fem!so that's shy and polite in public, but in private they're verrrryyy clingy? Thank you and take your time :)

So I wrote this with a very shy s/o in mind. I hope that's okay!

Riddle, Trey, Cater, Ace, and Deuce with a shy s/o

Riddle:

-Public displays of affection make him incredibly flustered, so he's honestly a little relieved that you tend to be more reserved in public. Still, he wouldn't actually mind holding hands sometimes. But you always shy away from him, and even refuse to call him anything other than Riddle. As much as he appreciates being able to save face, he wonders sometimes if you just don't want anyone to know you're dating.

-However, you're always able to soothe some of his insecurities in private. As soon as the two of you are alone, you go from being an ice queen to an over eager puppy practically begging for affection. The complete 180 throws Riddle for a loop, and leaves his face flushed red, but he reciprocates your love every time. His favorite thing to do is to have you lay down in his bed with him for cuddles. Just don't point out how often he likes to bury his face in your chest to hide his blush.

Trey:

-He respects your boundaries, but he really wants to put his arm around you while you walk around campus. But you pull away when he even thinks about trying to get too close, and it makes him worry. He'll subtly try to get you a bit more used to acting like a couple in public by linking his little finger with yours when you walk to classes together.

-When you're alone, he loves it when you insist on sitting on his lap. Trey will wrap his arms around you, and kiss your cheeks until you blush. He sort of wishes you were always this sweet to him, but he's more than happy for moments like this. So snuggle up to him, and savor the feeling of his warm hands running along your back.

Cater:

-Cater likes to act like he's totally fine with you keeping your distance in public, but he dies a little inside every time you brush him off. He wants to be able to take cute couple pictures with you, and show off how adorable you are, but you refuse him every time. It's a little frustrating sometimes. Yet, there's a pretty big part of him that understands not wanting to show off something so intimate.

-He lives for the moments when the two of you can be completely alone, because that's when you show off how needy you are for him. Cater will playfully tease you sometimes by denying you affection, only to smother you with kisses when you start to pout. He also tries to sneak a few quick pictures of you curled up against him. He won't post them. He just wants to look at them when you're not there.

Ace:

-Most of the time, he's content to let you do your own thing, as long as he's included. But would it kill you to let him wrap an arm around you? Ace loves you, odd quirks and all, but his brash attitude can only take being brushed off so many times before he asks if something is wrong. He'll settle down a bit once he finds out you're just shy, but expect for him to loudly say his preferred pet name for you when you're out in public. Just so people know that you are, in fact, his girl.

-Make no mistake, Ace will tease you once you're alone with him. You won't even hold his hand in public, but you want to give him kisses in private? He'll scoff and roll his eyes at you before tackling you in a hug, sending you both crashing down onto his bed. Ace definitely prefers the version of you he gets when it's just the two of you, but a small part of him likes that he's the only one who gets to see how cute you are.

Deuce:

-He honestly thinks he's done something wrong the first time you shy away from him. Once you explain your dislike of pda, Deuce will try his best to respect your boundaries. But he's also prone to forgetting and trying to grab your hand. He's really sorry, but he just wants to be close to you.

-Since Deuce wants to be affectionate with you, you'd think that he'd be super happy with the way you cling to him in private. You're not wrong, but he gets a bit overwhelmed sometimes. Deuce will bury his face against your shoulder to hide his blush, his arms tightening around you while you curl up on the couch. He'll mumble out little "I love you"s the whole time too.

[gale-gentlepenguin]

Epic the musical Songs (COMPLETE): in 10 words or less.

1. "The Horse And The Infant" 7/10 When committing war crimes suddenly gets difficult

2. "Just A Man" 9/10 A song about baby murder

3. "Full Speed Ahead" 5/10 introducing all the people who will be problems

4. "Open Arms" 6/10, Death flag but catchy

5. "Warrior Of The Mind" 8/10 Athena telling Odysseus stop being stupid

6. "Polyphemus" 5/10 Cyclops tries to protect property from Nobody

7. "Survive" 8/10 Cyclops kills Nobody’s friend.

8. "Remember Them" 9/10 When Odysseus made his only mistake.

9. "My Goodbye" 9/10, Odysseus loses another friend

10. "Storm" 5/10 When karma strikes fast

11. "Luck Runs Out" 7/10 Crew doubts captain after 1 mistake.

12. "Keep Your Friends Close" 7/10 Captain doubts crew after insubordination.

13. "Ruthlessness" 10/10 Poseidon roasts Odysseus while being a hypocrite.

14. "Puppeteer" 5/10 Local woman turns men into pigs

15. "Wouldn't You Like" 7/10 Hermes being Odysseus best friend

16. "Done For" 8/10 Odysseus uses his sword on Circe

17. "There Are Other Ways" 5/10 Odysseus doesn’t use his “Sword” on Circe.

18. "The Underworld" 8/10 Odysseus feels his sins crawling on his back

19. "No Longer You" 8/10 Spoilers the song.

20. "Monster" 10/10 Odysseus decides humanity is overrated

21. "Suffering" 6/10 Odysseus uwu’s a Siren

22. "Different Beast" 9/10 Odysseus and friends make sashimi

23. "Scylla" 8/10 Local monster meets another monster

24. "Mutiny" 8/10 Eurylochus is a hypocrite for 5 minutes

25. "Thunder Bringer" 10/10 Zeus Flexes on mortals

26. "Legendary" 7/10 Prince wishes for father to return with the milk

27. "Little Wolf" 5/10. Resident prick beats up Prince.

28. "We'll Be Fine" 5/10 Goddess realizes she’s been a jerk.

29. "Love In Paradise" 10/10 Odysseus is going through it!

30. "God Games" 7/10 Athena forgets that Zeus is a petty bitch.

31. "Not Sorry for Loving you" 6/10 Woman that trapped man tries to illicit Sympathy but fails"

32. "Dangerous" 8/10 Hermes throws it back while Odysseus nearly dies

33. "Charybdis" 8/10 Man deals with Sea Asshole, then meets SEA ASSHOLE!

34. "Get in the Water" 9/10 Poseidon is still petty and Odysseus relives trauma

35. "Six hundred Strike" 11/10 Local man penetrates sea god until storm clears.

36. "The Challenge" 8/10 Local men fall short of standards set by Queen's husband

37. "Hold Them Down" 9/10 Song about murder and r*** has consequences

38. "Odysseus" 11/10 Man made monster methodically massacres malicious men mercilessly.

39. "I cant Help but Wonder" 9/10 Father son reunion and goddess appologies

40. "Would you Fall in Love with me Again" 11/10 Man who committed attrocities, learns wife is fine with it.

[dootdootwriting]

♡ PRIDE with the HSR cast ♡

featuring: jing yuan; bronya; dan heng; gepard landau; himeko; march 7th; natasha; sampo; seele; serval landau; welt yang tw: none type: fluff, pride month, hcs, a lil bit silly pronouns used: none a/n: cishets dni with this post <3 it's not for you <3 (normally you are welcome on my blog! just not this post) queer ppl PLEASE interact. idc what ur identity is if you're lgbtq+ in some way this post is for you <3 i love you (YES this includes trans straight people and bi people with crushes on characters of the opposite gender. you are loved and included)

ERM sorry this is a day late i got really tired and had to finish it today!! utc for length as usual

DAN HENG

kind of forgets about it until it's june first and he goes "oh wait. it's the gay month now isnt it"

anyway he's happy he gets to celebrate it with you. otherwise he wouldn't really see the point in doing anything special

probably gets you some kind of gift with your flag on it <3 whether it be a plushie or a banner or just a flag!

if you like going to the parades and celebrations, he'll go with you. he's not a huge fan of all the crowds of people there, but it doesn't bother him too much and he likes seeing you happy, so the net value is positive

buys something for himself if the two of you go shopping this month

he'll see a t-shirt with a little rainbow on the chest and he smiles a bit and buys it to sleep in

you also get him obnoxiously rainbow sweatpants. at first he is incredibly offended, but eventually they grow on him and he starts wearing them around the astral express. march lives for them and was visibly upset that she did not get a pair.

MARCH 7TH

WOW!!! ALL GAY PEOPLES' BIRTHDAY!!! NO WAY!!!

march is the most excited for pride month out of everyone on the astral express. she stays up until midnight on june 1st like it's new year's eve

AGGRESSIVE with all her pride merch. she gets you so much shit too. pride shirt. pride sweatshirt. pride socks. a million pride bracelets.

if the two of you go out together in june, she makes sure you're also dressed to the nines in various flags and rainbow colors

drags you to the pride parades. march convinces the crew of the express to let her make a train float for the parade of whatever planet you're on and she goes TO THE MAX with it.

speaking of the express, when everyone wakes up and enters the main train car, they find march putting up streamers and blasting lady gaga at full volume

tldr she's fucking excited

HIMEKO

ohh pride month! so blowing homophobes up is legal this month?

well, i wish. sorry himeko

she's one for more subtle pride merch. maybe a hair-tie or a bracelet, but she has at least one little flag on her at all times.

also has some pride pajamas. hey, they're comfy.

if you're comfortable, she'll take you to the pride parades. if not, no problem, the two of you can celebrate from home.

also probably gifts you something! she gets matching pins for the two of you so you can be proud... together!!

if any of the other express crew comments on her little pride ornaments, she goes "yeah? and what about it?" like a queen. this is completely ineffective however because the entire crew is queer in some way

WELT YANG

oh, it's june again. alright.

doesn't really see the need to celebrate, but will allow you to adorn him with various pride baubles if you so desire

thinks it's very cute if you get excited about pride... like yeah, yeah you should be proud.

while he doesn't outwardly show much excitement about the occasion, you notice welt gets more affectionate with you

there are more little forehead kisses when he passes you, more reaching for your hand when he walks beside you, and you swear you can feel him hold you just a little bit tighter when you go to sleep

when march proposes the idea of decorating the express, he gives a slight but genuine smile and shoots you a knowing look.

even though he could celebrate himself this month if he chose to, for welt, it's more about celebrating you and the relationship he has with you.

he's more proud of that than anything else.

BRONYA

exhausted by pride month before it even begins LOL

being the head of the city, she's in charge of sanctioning and scheduling and planning all the official pride parades and celebrations happening around belobog, and, well... wow, are people in belobog really fucking gay

also deigns to go give some speeches at a couple of the rallies. she's a cool supreme guardian

cocolia allowed pride parades during her reign, but she never encouraged them. both to celebrate her own identity and yours and completely spite her mother, bronya encourages the people of belobog to go all out

and they do!

she gets a couple of gifts for you. not anything super huge or out there, but a flag or a shirt or a hair pin to match with one of hers.

bronya also gets premium seats to any pride parade she goes to, and she definitely takes advantage of this. kind of the best dates ever.

and when she's exhausted by the day's events and the two of you lay down to bed, you can hear her quietly wish you happy pride.

GEPARD LANDAU

gets really excited about pride, but doesn't really know what to do with it

and also, as captain of the silvermane guards, he's tasked with making sure all the official belobog pride parades are safe and orderly

this is quite the task given how passionate belobog's gay community is

on days where he doesn't bring you, he comes back covered in fans and stickers and streamers and confetti in the colors of pretty much any queer flag you can think of.

he has you deck out his armor for him. you grab your paint and stickers and washi tape and decorate the hell out of him

he's so happy when you do this. it's a very sweet moment full of fun and laughter and intimacy

no cops at pride! only gepard landau and his exuberant rainbow armor

SERVAL LANDAU

YOU LOOK AT HER AND TELL ME SHE DOESN'T BOOK SO MANY PRIDE PARADE GIGS

lord. it's so sexy. she performs her music on as many pride floats as she can, and every single time, she either takes you with her or looks at you in the crowd and blows you a kiss after her big number

SERVAL CAN I HAVE A KISSIE KISS PLS <3333

also aggressively proud. she paints her cheeks with her flag(s) and roams around yelling happy pride at anyone she sees in the streets wearing rainbows

the two of you go to a café and the guy taking your order is wearing a trans wristband and she gets so excited she starts yelling by accident and ends up giving him a 30% tip and a free concert ticket

you stare at her and shes like what??? it's pride month

girl get a grip.....?

probably takes you to a couple of raves too

you paint so many flags on each other that it looks like your skin is rainbow and stay out until the early hours of the morning

SEELE

only knows what pride month is because you explain it to her

while there's a normal sized lgbtq+ population in the underground, chances are pride celebrations every year are short and not very big

she learns about it and is so excited

seele wants to go to a pride parade in the overworld with you, but even more than that she wants to set up a parade for the people in the underground so they can really celebrate themselves

it takes a few weeks of planning and execution, but it's successful and it pays off. it's a huge amount of fun for everyone in the underground who wants to participate, and a welcome distration from the lingering effects of the stellaron

part of the planning for this of course involves taking out to attend pride parades up in belobog

the first few minutes of being in the crowd, seele is a little nervous about all the people and the fact she can't move around too easily. but she gets used to it pretty quickly

she has the best reflexes out of everyone in the crowd and manages to catch every single freebie thrown off of the floats. she brings them back to distribute among the kids in the underground.

NATASHA

natasha is reasonably excited for pride month

possibly the most normal out of everyone on jarilo VI

she puts little rainbow flag posters up on the walls of her clinic to make sure that queer kids know they're safe there year round, but they double during june

YOU CANNOT convince me natasha isn't the biggest giver of hrt treatment on jarilo VI you cannot

she wishes all her trans and otherwise queer patients happy pride when they come in, and hands out little rainbow stickers to kids she has to give shots to

her work takes up most of her day, and she regrets this during this month the most because she can't spend time with you

she's able to take the day off for your birthday and other important occasions, but patients need care

to make it up to you, the month of june is full of extra late-night dates once she's gotten home from the clinic and candlelit dinners.

SAMPO

i've said it before and i'll say it again: sampo runs an overpriced pride merch stall

and you look sooooo cute modeling all those pins and buttons and shirts and socks and hats and

has you stand around waving your flags decked out in all things rainbow, to attract customers

a couple of people rightfully accuse him of ripping them off, but sampo just blinks up at them innocently. they'd really accuse him of such a thing? during pride month of all times? have they no shame?

sampo has no shame. those customers were reacting reasonably.

when he's not conducting business, he's even more affectionate than usual, which, frankly, is difficult to do since he's usually glued to your side

"it's pride month!! we should kiss all the time obnoxiously in public to show people what queer love and joy look like"

babe....

JING YUAN

the general... has almost no time to spare for pride month

which, honestly, is such a disappointment to him. he was so looking forward to june and spending extra time with you

so instead, he has you accompany him to his work and keep him company and chat with him and sit on his lap on occasion and give him kisses when he's tired and

his coworkers are staring.

"do i detect homophobia in the room? during pride month? get back to work." (he's joking)

the lion gets a RAINBOW BOW TIE COLLAR and he is WORKING IT!!

he looks so dapper. he struts around like he's the handsomest man in the world

and he is, second to your jing yuan, of course

to show support for his community, the general flies a rainbow flag from the building

the gay is visible throughout the entire luofu

[pensbridge]

This is going to be my only post I ever do THIS. It needs to be said (if even only for me). Be warned. (& I'm totally being a little funny & unserious with my words, but I also mean it). but really I just need to be so silly for a moment..

I've been in some fandoms and every fandom goes through this, but...There's no fandom on earth that quite literally walked in with no changes to the picture of the Community meme like the Bridgerton fandom. yayyy! we made history again We are the exact same picture, because it wasn't that bad! I can nearly guarantee you, people noticed the quality change, but it literally wasn't bad like you say! Some of us truly stumbled in here like wtf, and still haven't gotten the answer. Stumbling into Part 1..was stressful, but Part 2 was actual insanity!

like, I honestly don't think some people watched it all the way (i saw something about ppl finishing in 2 hours)! If they even went back, who knows?! But the takes are just literal fables!

I actually think the blind trolls coming back from the dead & thin air for part 1 have deluded some of you into thinking that part 1 was bad (it wasn't; it was good), and as a result made you think that part 2 was worse than it is. I totally respect your differing opinion, but you're wrong!

There are 2 real "issues" with this season and the other stuff is artificial grass.

#1 The lack of happy couple moments that get replaced by boring side plots (part 1 was actually enjoyable to me, but this one I actually almost fell asleep watching Benedict before I was awoken by his bi awakening). But to be frank, it's always been an ensemble, and I find it funny that people forget: People bitched about polin season 2; they bitched about Penelope since season 1.

The fact that they don't get a full episode 8 of being happy in love was criminal (but i will admit my wrong expectation, because this is Bridgerton (what else is there to expect, lol). However they are cute! Naysayers, deny it all you want, but they are literally perfect! They are literally a cute engaged couple, the moms including Lady Danbury cannot help but squeal over them, and the only thing holding them back is that this conflict is seemingly dragged on, BUT it doesn't even go on long! (perhaps it felt that way because there were only 4 in this batch of eps). And I get you can be upset, but stop the bullshit because "WE WERE ROBBED." You are lyyyyinnnnnggggg.

He finds out in 6! Anthony was with her sister for 6 eps ... Simon....avoided her til she had to make the move at the end. If we're including Queen Charlotte, George got the most cohesive story, but we'll chalk that priviledge up to the fact that he got only 6 eps; and also don't lie, the recycle-rinse-repeat episode was boring(!!!!) minus the last scene & the visitation of his trauma (u can disagree w/this, but I was bored the first time watching and didn't ask for the copy & paste same episode).

#2 is the pacing (really the last 1⅓-ish episodes is the problem)- because I wish they made up by the end of 7, which is really more of the same of what I said about them being happier in the final one. However, (which brings me to my point) if they'd shifted him finding out earlier... (again they only had 1 episode prior to do this in (because there was no way it was happening in part 1 even if the 2 part split never existed), ...it could have fixed most likely all of this: if everything was moved up an episode (+ they switched Cressida's reveal + Colin finding out), they'd be fighting in 7 but united for Cressida's lie, then they'd make up by the end, and they wouldn't still be struggling with differences between them in the first part of episode 8 at all, thus there would be the happy couple moments from my point #1.

And I newly realized how this aspect of polin's season arc compares to the others. The conflicts of the other 2 seasons have been more heavily external obstacles preventing them from really getting together, while visiting some internal demons later after the drama; but this season is pretty much just them with internal conflict between them (if not for all of part 1 then for the entirety of part 2! (i personally think that the Debling stuff is less love-trianglry than what they've done in the past & fr he is in 2 eps really and not even fully courting her for majority of it)! Enemies to lovers does have internal conflict between them in the beginning, but it's not something actually between them that's "preventing" them from riding into the sunset (other than fake fighting like they hate each lol i say w/love 4 the characters & E2L). But since Colin and Pen's conflict is actually her (Whistledown) it maybe feels like they are more at odds than what is truly going on under the surface. Because they are established to love each other already unlike the other couples, who you are seeing the journey and getting to the end. While Part 2, you are seeing the unraveling of an established couple even though the love is there and the only important reason you need to get how they can work it out. We won on complexity and realness harder than the people w/bad takes can fathom, they have to make stuff up!

The other (kind of related for some) stuff:

The sex scenes: I get it! They lied (lol)! I hope we get them! But we know why it's lacking; they're deleted scenes; they exist! But the carriage scene - HOT. The mirror - HOT. The 30 second scene (lol) - HOT. But again: K*nthony got 2 spicy scenes their season! S*phne got a montage but it kind of sucked looking back (i'm not seriously hating but you know that it was too much, literally even then i think ppl knew) but plz don't start the ship discourse again & PLZ DO BE LOUD ABOUT THESE SCENES THO, I NEED THEM (lol)

But the love confession.....sssssssss. There were so many!!! *that book one is not good, i'm sorry (i'm being lighthearted here; you can disagree w/it but I do kind of hatttte it!)

"They didn't include..." don't know if you know but the writers make the story. Their story is not the book. You knew what you jumped into. (you can be sad but..) [i am not touching the conversation on Fran. But if we're really being real that side shouldn't wanna be grouped w/the side of The Departeds who are forever the head of online harrassers....by - now causing official pages to disable their comments (you don't have to tell me it wasn't all of you. I know 😔). it's actually kind of funny how I did not know like 95% of the actual discourse those first couple days (and there's a lot of discourse to see). but, anyway my main concern this whole post are my top 2 mcs. [ps the Departeds I meant traveling; i'm not that mean]

The misinterpretation of Colin: if you hate him, then go away! Thnx 4 the record-breaking views!

The baby? Cheers to 2 years in the future w/baby No Name! *lol* I'm not gonna say you shouldn't be upset about the name. For me, it was fine, because I knew they'd be back for s4. Also, preparation guys, I doubt we will even see the child that much if Daphne is any indication.

This show has never been comparable to your favorite Oscar-worthy film (literally obviously!), but the show is not terrible like some very widely popular of what's out there (and i'm not even talking about bad shows that everyone knows are bad). There is some depth to the characters and some ingrained-trauma to living in a male-dominated society with no autonomy, and traumas to the men as well. Re: the choices and drama every season. It's... a drama show! People need to go re-read the fantasy books if they want happy, lack of conflict all the time (and men yanking their wives by the wrists)... Go read fanfic if you don't like the show and a certain couple. Bridgerton is escapism and in some crazy overtaking of loud voices in the fandom, this fandom has been one of the least escap-ist fandoms ever. Because people will be like "*suspending my disbelief*" every 2 secs, but ...babe that's not doing what you just said. There's embellished "Based on a True Story" documentary fans that do this better than you tbh (i'm being a lil funny here, but honestly)

And I simply need to say this, regardless that it won't change, I need the acknowledgment jokes and the mental cleanse. if u don't want to read × The fandom...bro. I'm not even upset, I actually laughed at some of this - like, there's 3 types of people:

#1 offended people responding to op posts, because they don't like what they said; lol, the hypocrisy! The amount of people in my comments in this past month alone if I said something positive...abt the show, abt the characters...anything (new posts, old post) is more hatred than ever ever. The good polin fans are sensitive, but any and every bad typists in the comments are so easily offended...over positivity. Why.are.you.bitter?

"I'm bitter cause.." I literally don't care

#2 people reblogging things they hate to say what they hate. thnx for the notes??? bro, some comments on other ppl's gifs (rants on what they didn't like, crying abt a character/why they hate a character, and sometimes it has nothing to do with the scene gifed).

#3 "I'm allowed to be upset." why are you fighting for this? You can! Go in peace. Some people had no issues with what you say, but you are fighting this because you are determined to make people agree with your negativity no less. If you cared about the courtesy (i know that you don't) you'd let some ppl bask in what they weren't disappointed in & were excited to end the journey with (*and i expect nothing from the haters, but some of this was coming from inside the house lol). The reason you were wrong for this is because YOU WERE WRONG! There are ppl that liked it. You have no control; I get it. dw i'm sure you'll be fine.

Anyway, if anyone even read this far, you rock 4 that. If you got it, we're healing from this dumpster fire together; and if this even made 1 person laugh or feel better, it's worth it. I'm actually good now but it was rough that first stepping into the chaos and I had so many thoughts at first, so i wrote a lot from the initial shock those moments, [and now i'm in the laughing about this bullshit phase] so if u get it u get it (and can maybe have a chuckle) >>> This is literally just your neighborly (if ur nice here) joke!post *we're laughing thru the pain* / w/e to you (if you're not because i need to & this stuff isn't new & that one goes for all divisions of the fandom not just the main contented one of this post)

[frickingnerd]

love at first fight

pairing: urbosa x gn!reader

summary: you propose a duel to the queen of gerudo – and if you win, you get to marry her!

a/n: the title of the oneshot was just a typo at first, but i figured this really fits and went with it haha

“you have no chance with urbosa! she's the queen of the gerudo and completely out of your league! you better forget about her!”

you've been told countless times that you had no chance with urbosa. everyone you knew had advised you to find someone else. but you knew what you wanted! and you wanted urbosa.

“you're saying you have a proposal for me?”

you had managed to make it all the way into gerudo town and be allowed an audience with her. perhaps that was due to the two of you having crossed paths in hyrule castle before and being acquainted with each other already. or perhaps urbosa had simply taken pity of you, after hearing the rumors.

“a proposal, a bet, a duel… call it what you may!”

you smiled confidently, as urbosa's subordinates whispered something. they didn't seem too impressed by you, but that didn't bother you.

“tell me more about it then! i can hardly agree to anything i know nothing about”

“it's simple, really” you grinned. “we duel! if you win, i'll never enter gerudo town again”

“and if i lose?”

“you'll become my bride!”

the whispers got louder. urbosa sat quietly on her throne, as the people around her lost it. they looked at you, disgusted at the mere suggestion. to even assume that urbosa would lose against you! and to even suggest that she'd become your bride!

“i accept.”

urbosa rose from her throne. the room went quiet. nobody dared to speak, when the queen did.

“but don't expect me to go easy on you”

“i wouldn't dream of it, your highness~!”

urbosa reached out her hand, one of her subordinates quickly bringing her her blade. as soon as she had her hands on it, the fight had begun and urbosa rushed forward.

you drew your blade, dodging her first attack. she had a lot of distance to close at first, so it was too obvious what her first move would be. but the next few wouldn't be as easy.

your blades crossed, again and again. the two of you seemed to be in perfect sync. it looked almost like a dance, with how swiftly you moved. the scenery around you seemed to fade away, as all you could focus on was each other.

and then finally, after what felt like an eternity of passionately dancing with one another, one of you was cornered.

“you're a good fighter…”

urbosa was out of breath, but clearly enjoying herself. she hasn't fought like this in ages!

“but you're still no match for me”

urbosa's blade had been resting against your neck, but now she pulled away and took a step back. you were out of breath too and despite losing, you were still smiling.

“this was fun…”

you slid your blade back in its sheath, watching as urbosa sat back down on her throne. you remained in your position for a moment, watching her in awe, before straightening your clothes and stepping in front of the throne again.

“it's a shame we won't get to duel like this again… now that i'm banished from gerudo town”

urbosa huffed amused.

“as the victor, shouldn't i get to choose what my reward is? i fear this one won't do…”

“oh? then do tell, your highness… what do you wish for?”

you, as well as everyone else in the room, seemed eager to hear what it would be.

“you'll never get good enough to win a fight against me, if you don't practice. i'll make you my personal guard, so you'll have plenty more chances to spar with me and improve”

“and what about our little bet, your highness?”

urbosa leaned back on her throne and smiled.

“if you manage to win a battle against me, i'll allow you to take me as your bride.”

[shinobus-unbreakable-spirit]

hello, I've read about your post about yoriichi's headcanons and I love them!

Just thinking can I request a headcanon about reader jealous about Yoriichi being pestered by another woman? and how would he react after finding out his s/o's jealous?

thank you!🌹

I'm so glad you loved them! ^^

You must certainly can request that, anon! That is a very interesting scenario.... Lets get into it!

You and Yoriichi lived a humble life. You would both go to work, and then come home to each other. Sure, sometimes people would hit on you, but you'd always tell them that you were taken. You were faithful to him and expected the same in return. No matter who hit on either of you, the other would be the first to know and the third party stood no chance of disrupting your romantic union, as you were two devoted people in love.

This was how things were and how you believed they always would be.

That was, until she showed up.

You always liked to watch Yoriichi walk home from work, on your comfy queen-sized mattress, gazing out of the window roughly fifteen minutes after his shift ended; seeing him walk briskly back to you just filled you with an inexplicable jubilation. However, about two weeks ago, you observed something horrifying: he started walking home with a despicably beautiful young woman who you had never seen before. Soft-spoken, he would never say much, so she did all of the talking.

Every day, the same thing would happen: you would stare out of your window after his shift, he and the woman would stop outside your house and say their goodbyes, then he would be home. He never said anything about the woman, which made you paranoid. Why didn't he ever speak of her? Was she his dirty little secret, something he was trying to hide? Was he cheating on you?

One day, you decided you couldn't hide your emotions anymore. You exclaimed how you felt dramatically, voice cracking due to all the feelings that had bottled up; you told him that you knew about the woman, that you wanted an explanation, and that you were worried about what this woman could mean to him.

After you were finally done, Yoriichi, calm as the gentle waves brushing against a rock, cupped your cheek lovingly and said these words:

"My love, it has been weeks and I still don't even know her name."

Your eyes widened. If he didn't know her name, that meant-

"She is nothing to me but a co-worker. In fact, I still don't even know why she wishes to follow me home after work, but people have their reasons. Perhaps she is simply afraid to walk alone." He explained, relaxed.

You felt a little embarrassed. This was the first time jealousy had ever been a factor in your relationship, and it was ultimately over nothing. "I-I'm sorry.. We've just built such an incredible relationship, and then I saw this new woman and I just-" you were stopped abruptly by a warm finger meeting your lips. That same silky hand then navigated down to your shoulder, massaging it calmingly.

"Please, you don't need to explain yourself, Y/N. I understand." You looked up and saw nothing but sincerity residing in his maroon stones. Immediately, you felt all of your embarrassment wash away. He saw no fault in you whatsoever, and if a woman that beautiful was really nothing to him, then your relationship had to be secure. It was clear to you in that moment he wanted you and only you.

Then, you kissed him firmly on the lips with burning passion for your beautiful man. He was a little taken aback, but relaxed into the kiss and even offered some initiative of his own, interlocking his tongue with yours. He cupped your face with his hands as you two continued to kiss.

He then whispered something in your ear, words you wished to capture in a jar and keep forever: "You are the only one for me, my dear... I beg of you to never forget that."

------

Ultimately, I believe Yoriichi is the kind to be very cool-headed in a situation like this. He wouldn't shame his S/O at all for experiencing jealousy, but would simply inform them of the truth, then comfort them after. I hope you liked this anon! <3

(NGL I kind of wrote this twice since the first time I accidentally deleted the entire thing HAHAHAHA I think it came out even better the second time though so perhaps it was a blessing in disguise?? anyways defffff had to harness my inner Yoriichi to not get mad when I deleted my first draft lolol)

[cupids-dove]

That's Not My Neighbor Head cannons I won't stop thinking about.

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Arabella (oc):

Hopeless romantic

That one friend who's always dressed nicely even when having a breakdown

Would bail you out of jail

Easily flustered

Swears in french but says it in a sweet way, so people think she's complimenting them.

Can't pronounce "declaration"

Very insecure but acts like she's the best

Likes to be the dumb blonde because arguing with men is dumb

Dramatic queen

Marina and the Diamonds coded

Francis:

Runs off of coffee 24/7

Forgets to eat all the damn time

At some point he stopped giving a fuck about doppels

MAN CANNOT FLIRT TO SAVE HIS LIFE (it's okay bc he's unintentionally hot)

Terrible at English (grammar, etc)

Some days just talks in mumbles, and no one ever knows wtf he says

Punched a doppel without realizing it (he thought it was his coworker who wouldn't leave him tf alone-)

Milkshakes are a guilty pleasure

Got chased by a dog during a delivery, and now hates them

Basically, the batman of the building

Nacha:

Bicurious fr fr

A girl's girl

Type of woman to have pads/tampons/liners, etc, in case anyone needs one

Drops off food for Francis because she knows he forgets to eat

Honestly the best mom ever-

She's actually not very good at baking

Her relationship with Francis was: the opposite eyes where one is like happy and the other is tired-

Or like: grew up with a big family x grew up an only child

The one who actually suggested the divorce

Left handed

Has an odd fascination with pears

Anastacha:

She walked in on her parents once, and now whenever Nacha needs her, she has to go to Ana instead of Ana going to her.

Thinks it's cheesy her name is so similar to her mom's

Pretty close to both her parents

I think she'd really like The Addams Family

Good at math

Picked up saying "whatever" from upper classmen

Kinda hates the idea of romance

The type of person to just stare into your soul but in reality was zoning out (got that from her dad fr fr)

Likes picking flowers to bring to her mom after school

Steven:

Bad boy with a heart of gold

Looks like a fboy but this guy got no bitches

Kinda dumb most of the time, but gets serious when it comes to piloting

The cool uncle

Wear sunglasses even if he can't see shit

Insecure about his eyes

Definitely the type to try and fight a goose

He's an only child and wishes he had some younger siblings

Doesn't like to drink all that much

Definitely knows how to play guitar or some sort of instrument

Mclooy:

Most loyal man ever

His wife died before the doppelgangers, but once you get him talking about her he won't shut up

Taught Steven how to play guitar

Everytime he smokes he thinks of how his wife would nag him about it </3

A lot of the guys go to him for advice

I imagine he's got one of those warm hearty laughs

Was in the military for a bit

Worries about Steven everytime he goes out

Doesn't understand mental health, but does his best

Lois:

Sweetest old woman, you'll ever meet.

Carries candy on her all the time

Loves roses so much

Her and her husband are definitely grumpy x soft

Can be kind of an air head sometimes

Had a dog named Puffles when she was young

Has at least 3 kids who write her letters with pressed flowers, which she keeps

Never really liked pearls until Roman bought her a pearl necklace

She's a bit tone deaf

Roman:

Grumpiest man ever

Questions how he ever got with Lois

Knows how to play piano

Is very good with numbers

Hates he's balding but Lois reassures him all the time he's still handsome

Very uncoordinated man

Dislikes pomegranates for some reason

Loves his children very much and gives financial advice

Selenne:

More on the slim and regal side

Has begged Arabella for clothing advice

Loves matching with Elenois

Hates being separated from her sister

The friend who goes partying every night

Definitely the type to gossip with her sister

Cannot keep a secret to SAVE HER LIFE

Has the tendency to talk about topics she doesn't fully understand

Elenois:

Does Selenne's makeup because Selenne always begs her to

Definitely has accidentally called herself by her sister's name

Technically the older twin

Worries that she's not as pretty as her sister even though they look alike

A secret lesbian

Wears cherry chapstick

Hated yellow/orange at first and grew to really like it.

The type to scold you about doing something wrong, but in the process is giving you comfort items

If it wasn't for her sister encouraging her to join her in modeling. She probably would've been a sectary.

Mia:

Loves the color red WITH. A. PASSION.

Loves receiving apples too <3

Probably smells like apple blossoms too-

Very good at English

Teaches third graders

Wants to be a mother with lots and lots of kids

Her relationship with Dr. W. Afton is literally gorgeous wife x dork

Loves her silly fiance

Dyes he hair blonde

Dr. W. Afton:

Man is clueless

Also has no idea how he bagged such a beautiful woman

Loves how smart Mia is

Does questionable shit all the time

Has a thing for bunnies that doesn't feel entirely normal

Has been mistaken for a doppel by neighbors because sometimes he creeps them out

He gives me quiet kid

Definitely grew up with no siblings and extremely awkward around other women

Looks like he would freak out over a bug

Angus:

This man MOST DEFINITELY knows how to dance

He reminds me of Waluigi

He looks like he enjoys pineapple on pizza

A lady's man fr fr

Would treat you so well

A romantic

Smokes a lot, though, because work is hard

Drinks red wine

Has a fancy ass bathrobe that lowkey Slenne is jealous of

Izaack:

Chad

Peaked in highschool

Nosiest mf ever

He's somewhat sweet

Misogynist

Very good at his job

Likes Selenne and gives her all the gossip

Has flirted with all the women in the building at LEAST once (shoot ur shot ig)

He's most proud of his jaw line

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚｡⋆

Author's note: Someone should lmk if I should do more :P also I might do something with Arabella more dive deeper into her- I'm just doing this for fun, for myself really because I was just gonna wrote most of these in my notes app. I doubt many people will read this so-

[ahamkara-apologist]

Okay I kinda get being dissapointed at how they rushed the Sov sibling reconcilliation with just one conversation after drawing it out for months but y'all...this really isn't the end-all-be-all of Crow's character arc, nor is it necessarily out of line for him. His biggest weakness is that he's a bleeding heart who lets people walk all over him- remember how he decided not to get revenge on Spider despite Spider very literally keeping him as a slave? Or how he killed a psion because he was too empathetic to a hive guardian? As much as I love him, and as much as his love is a terrifying force when weilded correctly, he's soft and weak. He always has been. He was bound to forgive Mara eventually, esp. since they have a psychic twin bond going on.

I think y'all are also forgetting the fact that Mara has had quite a bit of character development over the past year or so and has very notably been more open about her emotions and better about keeping herself out of Crow's life- because she got bitchslapped by the reality of what she'd done to him in Season of the Lost and then got shaken to the core by her confrontation with the Witness in Witch Queen. She hasn't been 'defanged', she realized that the way she was acting qualified her to be a Disciple (aka the worst of the worst, the enemy she'd been hellbent on fighting this whole time) and that in tandem with Crow's rejection upset her deeply enough for her to change her behavior, which hasn't been as apparent until now. Idk how y'all can forgive how Uldren Sov slaughtered hundreds of Awoken citizens and wreaked havoc on the Reef but is changed as Crow without also acknowledging the fact that Mara herself changed as well. It's not as dramatic of a difference because it happened more gradually and without intervention from a Taken Ahamkara and the Traveller, but its still there and is the most apparent its ever been right now. It wouldn't surprise me if the reason why Crow is forgiving her now- apart from the fact that he's a softie and discounting potential Riven bullshit- is because she's proven she's changed by both keeping her distance and being more emotionally open with him, as well as open about how she knows she fucked up. That's the second thing Uldren wanted other than her approval, after all.

Also, it's been like, 2 years of Crow being pissed at Mara and avoiding her, so them starting to make up now is kinda necessary even if it feels a bit rushed. I personally would have loved to see more snark and nettling from Crow's end, bc I love conflict and sibling angst, but it really isn't out of character nor is it throwing away Crow's character arc. It would have if Mara hadn't changed, but she has. And while I myself love storylines where victims don't need to forgive their abusers and can exert their wrath upon them as they wish, the fact of the matter is that how such a situation needs to be dealt with varies immensely on a person-to-person basis, which the writing team has already proven they're capable of understanding. Just look at Calus's and Caiatl's relationship! That ended with no reconcilliation because Calus simply refused to change, while Mara has spent the past year trying to get Crow to feel comfortable with her as an equal in conversations and open up to him more and trying to break her habit of watching him like a hawk- aka, acting like an actual sister rather than the pseudo-mother figure she'd picked up from Osanna. Ofc Crow the softie is going to respond to that, esp. since he's got a psychic connection to her via Awoken Twin Magic and seems to have been walking Uldren's memories as of late. He just genuinely is really fucking bad at holding a grudge.

(And while its easy to go 'oh the writing is lazy and rushed', I also think its kinda sus that Riven specifically talks about the human wish to reconnect with family right after the Sov sibling talk happens. It wouldn't surprise me if she picked up on Mara's desire to reconnect with her brother and pushed Crow towards forgiving her. It seems like she's been trying to pull Uldren's memories to the forefront everytime she talks with him and that could be a big factor as to why he's been reflecting on them a lot recently)

[chillwildwave]

The Wishing Kingdom: Chapter 2: Hearts Of Green

Context of this animatic: In the kingdom of Rosas, a bunch of servants are waiting outside of the castle as the royal couple make their grand entrance announcing some news for the entire kingdom, now here's some parts of the script:

Slave 1: What are you doing just standing there, the king and queen are waiting, if not, we'll be sacked, it won't happen to me, and not to you!

Slave 2: But just the thoughts of all honesty cripples under my skin, what if I... Stop thinking about them?

Slave 1: All I can say is to just keep your thoughts to yourself and come with me, we got a show to go too!

(At the castle)

Slave 1: Just remember what I said earlier, just forget the thoughts and other ones too!

Slave 2 (confused)

Slave 1: Nevermind they're coming!

(The Royal couple make their entrance)

Magnifico: GOOD MORNING ROSAS!!!!!!!!!

(grand applause from the servants)

Amaya: We’re so happy to have you all here, am I right, mi Amor?

Magnifico: Absolutely, its always a pleasure when our people look at our hearts to see the inside of us, and I do the same for you as well.

Magnifico snaps back to reality: And now, our rules for this ceremony coming up is that you need to tell us what you wish for, think about it, it could be your very own personal target to aim for, and we can grant it for you.

Amaya: And most importantly…

Servant 7: But what if we don't tell the wishes?

Amaya: WHO dares to look down on the mistress like that?!

Magnifico: Darling, darling calm down, it's nothing too ill-treat, its just a… Just a question.

Amaya: Oooh yeah, I forgot, and so the answer is, if you don't tell us your wish, you would have no choice but to drag your entire body to the town markets where the scatters will wait for ALL OF YOU, until we decide, no matter how long it takes.

Magnifico: Now finally, to conclude, we shall make sure everyone’s wish gets granted, including some others as well.

Amaya: And there's not need to pleed because we know how to grant such power.

Magnifico: Now everyone, BOW DOWN!

(everyone bows down while chanting “All hail the king, all hail the queen!”

Magnifico: Its only a matter of time before the ceremony, darling, only before, WE get the job done, then they'll never know…

——————

Back at the hamlet,

We get a shot that is similar to that of Sleeping Beauty where it zooms into the cottage where Asha is seen about to enter after her conversation with her 3 friends, she is seen outside the door where we go into Sabino and Sakina as they are cleaning up the house for when Asha enters.

“Nearly finished…” Sakina declared as she was at her final fate of dusting the ceiling with Sabino holding onto her, which explains something about their height difference.

“Agh, Sabino, I’m trying to get down, but your head is just, a bit too big for my size.”

He immediately took this as a compliment as he tried to balance the weight of his own body causing Sakina to start discharging her balance whilst holding onto him so that she could dust the final area of the ceiling.

“Well, it's not that big, it's mostly not because of my appearance, isn’t it, if it is, I’m not that old!”

Sabino tries to defend himself like a six-year-old child, but it would never work. “And if it weren't for your, giant-self, I wouldn't have to do all this!”

He defended yet again, close to fall right near a table where a couple of flowers were held, near the rock collection where Sabino had kept for a long time, before he nearly fell, there was a knock at the door.

Could it be Asha, could it be that resident who's always been a part of their entire village? Would she ever notice that mess that both her grandparents had, couldn’t she handle the situation herself if she was a part of it?

As soon as the sound echoed through Sabino’s ears, he darted towards to the door, where Sakina fell with a dust still in her hand, her head tilted to the ceiling, where she noticed that not even a feather of dust sat in its spot, while she was proud of herself for doing the chores inside, she also ran towards the door to help with the door as well, even though Sabino made it first.

As soon as his hand connected with the door, Asha was seen outside of it, with her basket and Valentino inside, jumping up and down while she patted him back down to remain calm.

“Hey everyone, did you miss me?”

Asha explained while she entered the room, noticing how a sparkle was translated into its floors, while her eyes were lit of surprise, Valentino hopped out of the basket, sniffing the floor underneath the bed noticing the dust still inside.

Sakina gave him the look, her eyes widening about to pop out!

“Oh, you're right, Valentino, I didn't notice that was there all along” She knelt down while she scooped up the pack of dust in her hands.

Asha was next to him where she was about to sit down on her bed, Valentino hopped on the bed as well while he tried his best to collect Asha’s equipment to take out of the basket.

Sabine strolled towards the bed, he tried his hardest to sit down for his small size, he gestured to Sakina as well, and she responded with a delightful touch when she was next to Valentino.

“So, how was your day outside in this Hamlet?”

Sabino looked at Asha in the eyes, inquisitive for her answers.

“If I’m not cutting my tongue, um, I would say that it was alright, nothing special.”

She replied, her whole body tugged with her arms whilst witnessing the look of her grandfather.

“It was just me and Leo, Gillia and Dextrous, hanging out and doing the daily, I guess…”

Her tone remained the same until she paused before saying “I guess” which is meant to imply that something isn't right.

“You guess? Oh, come on, Asha, cheer up, you got a whole day ahead of you!”

Sakina motivated her through her presence despite Asha’s low presence which was obvious through her emotions.

“Heh, thanks grandma, but… I know this is how we live because the hamlet is a home to us, but I’ve had this dream, a dream where… I don't know how I can explain but it was truly something Ive been invested in.”

Asha looked satisfied with what her mouth had to say, the dream she dreamt of was distinct from any other dream, she knew it, but no one else didn't, except Valentino, while she did that, he was still looking over her sketchbook to turn to her latest page, not with the self-portraits, but her recent pictures with her gesture drawings.

While they weren't perfect like she'd hoped, Valentino saw in her process that she is slowly developing her new skill, even Sabino didn't notice, so he decided to grab it and look at a few of her drawings.

“Hmm, lets see, you've been swearing, huh? Have you?”

Sabino’s curiosity rose like a nerdy child once they grabbed the dictionary, Asha seemed to get defensive and replied that she would never do anything like that at all, not even in the entirety of life, he then realised that her swearing was a plea to explore more of herself through her artistic traits.

“Okay, I can see your skills are coming through in handy, but are sure you're going to make it someday?”

Asha nodded although she was still conflicted with her own skills, she tried not to acknowledge that through her smile, while she leaned towards Sabino who tried talk to her.

“If that's your wish, you should write it down on a ribbon for the stars!”

Sabino persuaded her while he was about to grab a ribbon and a feather pen for her to write her wish, although this was a complete tradition, Asha was still bugged about something that was odd.

“I know that true, but why can't I go and make a wish in person?”

This question struck Sabino in the heart, it struck him so hard he was unable to move, he knew that something prevented them from meeting the actual stars, after a moment, his hand was on Asha’s shoulder as he tried to explain the dark truth…

“Asha… Ever since it was read, the king and queen were the ones who broke the main tradition of wishing, they knew their wish was dangerous, and although the stars couldn't grant it themselves, they took on the challenge to manipulate and grab on that power by themselves as revenge, since then, we only stick to the ribbon tradition because if you tell your wish, its unlikely that it would come true but if you show your wish through this ribbon, the stars will come down in no time!”

Her gasp couldn't stop, she knew that this was the King and Queen’s doing, but she still had hope in herself to make a wish in person, although her brain never had the mind of its own, Sabino still believed that through her heart, she would be able to make her dreams come true.

“But what if someone, who wasn't the King and Queen, gave it a chance?”

She had so many questions in her mind, including one she asked earlier.

“Oh Asha, it is almost impossible, but maybe someday, there are thousands of people in this hamlet who have the power to make their fairy tale conclude with a happily ever after, through striving themselves into their own dreams, whereas over into Rosas, it’s like a plot twist.”

Sabino’s tone shifted into his voice as if he was running out of water, so much so that he needed a drink to warm his voice up, while he still flipped over a page, he had no choice but to hug Asha close to him because he knew that she was distraught by the answer, although she already knew the backstory, she never knew that doing things on her own was that dangerous.

“It’s okay, but someday, I will make a change, I will do it!”

Asha whispered in her grandpa’s arms as she was close to falling asleep, meanwhile Sakina gave her a kiss on the forehead before carrying on with her sorting with the thousands of rocks that Sabine had collected for years, meanwhile Valentino guarded the door in case any stranger would cross the path…

—————————

We fade to a mysterious black, it takes a few seconds to hear footsteps from someone or something, at first they’re still and soundless but as the footsteps get closer, more louder they get with the background music becoming more chaotic with a wailing choir, and after that montage, the screen becomes a door where Valentino guarded with a silhouette of Magnifico and Amaya standing before us.

(It’s this scene where Mag breaks into Asha’s house but this time much more menacing.)

There’s no dialogue during the first part, the background music gets more suspense and the choir wails even more, further setting up the mood of the scene, Sakina startled herself as soon as the door opened but after seeing the king and queen, Valentino slowly turns his head and is frozen still like a statue, after Sabino woke up, tears were forced to come out of his own eyes, his mouth drooling with horror, while Asha was still asleep.

The king and Queen walk slowly past Valentino and right towards the bed, where Asha was sleeping, the camera zooms into Asha, her innocent face while she sleeps peacefully, then it goes into Magnifico’s hand, caressing her hair, and Amaya kneeling down and whispering that if she’s ever wondered if living in a fairy tale where she became the princess, but it turned out she wasn’t even a princess to begin with, she is from the Hamlet.

Whilst the whispering still carried on, Asha took time to open her eyes and was startled to what she saw, her eyes darted to Sabino, then to Sakina, and finally to Valentino, then back to the king and queen, she had no idea what was going on, she never knew that the king and queen paid a visit, but was she wrong all along?

And just like that, Magnifico and Amaya grasped onto her arm, and with his cape, SWOOSH! They were gone, with Asha under their wing, the camera is still a shot of the bed, where she laid the whole time, Sabino still had his hand out, desperate for her to return, while he was still frozen, Sakina walked over to his side and wiped a tear from his eye, his hand slowly came down and hugged her almost immediately, they couldn’t believe it, their most beloved treasure, now all they have is a bare chest with none of their precious fines in it, inside was an empty step leading down to a mosh pit of doom…

As for Asha, her way into life, never seemed any different, but if her life was leading a castle, the gates would soon open…

✨✨✨

Final Thoughts

Hello, hello, for I have risen and finally completed that animatic, for the second chapter of my rewrite, now in the animatic and the chapter itself, I wanted to contrast the differences between Rosas and the Hamlet further by establishing their point of views on how to grant your wish, and yes, the part where you tell the wishes in Rosas and you show the wishes in the Hamlet is a clear reference to Cinderella because in that scene, she did say that if you tell a wish, it won’t come true, and I really wanted to showcase that contrast with my visual storytelling skills.

Another thing that I enjoyed was that I explored Sabino and Sakina’s dynamic that was used through height difference, Sakina is a lot taller than Sabino making it difficult for him to help her in a situation but their dynamic with Asha is more father-figure like Tiana’s Dad in The Princess and The Frog, and I also like how my Asha wants to change the world someday by doing something daring, which is to make a wish in person rather than using a ribbon, I feel like it goes to show that doing something small can mean big things but now that she’s taken by Magnifico and Amaya, will she ever be able to take her most wanted dream to become an animator, or will she sacrifice it for living in privilege?

And also, the cliffhanger I wrote, I feel like that was the best part of writing my second chapter, this is because I wanted to make sure that my story was suspenseful enough to hook readers in, and I was able to do exactly that by using my writing as if it’s a screenplay with my visual storytelling so that I’m capable of writing a fantasy-based story, in the next chapter, the focus is set entirely on the King and Queen and how they fostered Asha during all those years, and they could teach her some of their own methods of magic, will she struggle or will she succeed?

And finally, if you want more for this rewrite, feel free to like, reblog and leave a comment or a few comments down below as I would love to see how much fun you’re all having with this story, you can ask me a few questions about the rewrite too, I’m looking forward to writing Chapter 3 next, let me tell you, this is one hell of a ride!

Thanks for reading!

@annymation @uva124 @oh-shtars @rascalentertainments @your-ne1ghbor @mythartist21 @emillyverse @tumblingdownthefoxden @signed-sapphire @wings-of-sapphire @frogcoven88 @emptyblog7 @spectator-zee @rylxdreams @flicklikesstuff @gracebethartacc @gracebeth3604 @ceyasstuff @hopeyarts @ryoli @peapeapeapa @thisnameisnotspokenfor

[filthyjoetini]

Stumblin' In

a/n: Well...it's been...a while. heh. Sorry. I've been going through a lot. On here (the accusations...) as well as in life. Latter keeps me busy to no end. It's exhausting...but I'm back. beta-reader, editor, partner in crime: @barfightzanddiscolightz

warnings: mentions of previous injury, rpf, fem!reader, cuteness overload

wordcount: 2.2k

part 1 - part 2 - part 4

Part 3

You let yourself fall face down on the sofa with a loud sigh. The last few days had been nothing short of exhausting. Your back and neck still hurt, and the concussion had caused some nightmarish migraines that had left you unable to work. So, you spent your days in your dark living room, accompanied by your two cats, Freya and Kiro. Freya, a chubby lady with a moustache who you had had to put on a diet, was sitting on the back of your sofa, silently judging you. Kiro, your long-haired void of a cat, sat next to you, purring in your ear.

When you had come home from the hospital almost a week ago, they had greeted you with loud, screaming meows as if they had been starving. Your dad had been looking after them, cuddling them and feeding them generously. You also knew that he had given each of them a little treat every time before he left. So much for starving. Total drama queens - Both of them. But that's just Freya and Kiro, you wouldn't trade them for any other cats in the world.

Today had been your first day back at work and you wished you hadn’t gone. Your migraines had stopped the day before, but your body was still killing you. Groaning, you pushed yourself up to sit properly on your sofa, your legs sprawled out on its long chaise longue. You took a blanket from the basket beside it and pulled it neatly over your legs. Kiro immediately took this as an invitation to plop down between your legs. You were about to open one of your newly ordered books when your phone buzzed. A new message.

Huffing annoyedly, you picked up your phone from where it lay beside you to check who had the audacity to disturb your precious reading time.

It was Joe. Forgotten were your pain and shitty mood.

He hadn't texted you in days and, not wanting to appear desperate, you hadn't texted him either. That's just the way you were, constantly thinking that you were annoying people with your presence.

Pushing the negative thoughts to the back of your mind and grinning to yourself, you quickly unlocked your phone and read his message.

Bambi on ice! How are you?

You rolled your eyes at his new name for you. You got it, you're a klutz.

Hello to you too, Joe... I'm fine. How are you?

I'm good. Very busy. That's why I haven't texted you the last few days. I'm sorry about that.

Oh... you don't have to apologise. It's fine.

No. I don't want you to get the wrong impression. I'm working abroad at the moment, and I only have internet when I'm back in my temporary home. And then I get flooded with messages and things to check as soon as my phone connects to the internet. I didn't mean to forget about you.

You read the last sentence he wrote not once, but twice... no screw it, five times. You'd be lying if you said it didn't affect you. The slight pink tint to your cheeks betrayed you and you were glad no one was around to point it out. You had to change the subject. This is too much lovey-dovey bullshit. You were not ready for this... yet.

How are you supposed to do your hacking without internet? Must be difficult.

Perfect.

All Joe did was send a series of eyeroll emojis that made you giggle.

It's a top-secret mission, you know. We're doing it the old-fashioned way. Infiltrate and then destroy. 😉

All right there, soldier. Top secret. Got it.

But I'll be back in four days!

Amazing! Quick in and out then?

Yeah...something like that. Hey... I was wondering if you were up for that date you owe me when I get back?

You stared at his question and the blush crept back into your cheeks. Here you were again. Back to the subject you had hoped to avoid, at least for a little while longer.

While you had agreed to go on a date with him, your motivation was more to please him and get off the hook so you could get inside your house. You were knackered and just wanted to rest. Days had passed, and you had been beating yourself up about agreeing. You weren't dating at the moment. You found contentment in the way your life was going. Nevertheless, you had promised him, and breaking a promise was not your style.

Swallowing hard, you let your fingers tap out your response.

Sure! Just let me know when and where and I'll be there 😊

Great! Can't wait!

Me either!

Listen, I gotta go now. Duty calls! Text soon?

Of course! Good luck with your mission.

Thanks! Bye, darling xx

Bye Joe xx

---

Fuck. You had an official date. With Joe. You needed to tell a certain someone.

"Brother in Christ. How are you?"

Of course, your best friend would pick up like that. You pushed yourself up a little, which made your legs move, much to Kiro's displeasure. The cat glared at you, and you quickly apologised with a kiss to his head.

"I'm fine...guess what!", you tried her, gnawing on your bottom lip.

"You finally managed to put your summer clothes in the basement?" she guessed.

"Well, yeah...but that's not what I wanted you to guess.", you snorted and then blurted it out: "I-have-a-date."

"What?"

"I HAVE A DATE!”, you repeated, almost shouting. Since your neighbours were all half deaf anyway, you didn't care that you had just raised your voice.

“Ouch, don’t yell at m- WAIT! You?! Have a date?!”, she sputtered.

"Yes!”, you replied in a breezy voice.

"With who?"

"Joe.", you replied so quietly that she almost didn't hear it, but her gasp gave her away.

"Joe. As in 'your knight in a beige cable-knit jumper'-Joe?"

"Yes!”, you squeaked out, earning a glare from both your cats.

"Holy shit, babes! This is like one of those romance films we sometimes watch on film night.”, she gushed, clearly very excited for you.

"Ugh, yeah. I know.”, you groaned. "I need your help. I don't have anything to wear!"

"Lies! Your wardrobe is bursting at the seams."

Which was true, but she didn't have to expose you like that.

"I know. Can you help me put together an outfit? I will repay you fabulously!"

"Ahhh... just deduct it from the mountain of drinks-debt I owe you. I'll be there in 20 minutes!"

"Wait! The date's not even se-", you started, but she had already hung up. Typical her.

18 minutes later your doorbell rang and there she stood in all her 'hair in a messy bun, oversized jumper, leggings with a questionable stain and the oldest trainers she could find' glory. Her face was sporting a huge grin.

"You look absolutely insane." you pointed out as soon as you opened the door, chuckling. She snorted and pushed past you, heading for your room. You quickly followed, knowing full well that without you, she'd start pulling out pieces of clothing from your closet and throwing them on your bed.

---

She had been rummaging through your wardrobe for almost two hours now and had mentioned that you had 'too many things' at least 20 times, accompanied by an eyeroll, whilst you made yourself comfortable on your bed. Your cats had decided to join you for a while, but the mess she was making was too much for them and they went back to the living room.

She was standing on one of the shelves in the closet, trying to get to the top shelf. It was the most hilarious thing you had ever seen, you had to snap a picture. Without thinking, you sent it to Joe.

Who’s that?

My best friend. She’s a madwoman.

I can see that, and I see how she’s your bestie. You both like to put yourselves in dangerous situations. I bet she’s pulled a Humpty Dumpty before as well.

You snorted at his text, earning a raised eyebrow from your friend who was still standing in your wardrobe. When she saw you were on your phone, she gasped and jumped out of the wardrobe. She quickly made her way over to you.

"Who are you texting?", she demanded, her eyes narrowing.

"Nobody."

"Bullshit.”, she claimed, holding out her hand to you. "Give me the phone."

"No.”, you giggled, trying to crawl away from her, but to no avail. She was very quick and snatched the phone out of your fingers. Her eyes went wide.

"BITCH! Stop sending pictures of me to your boyfriend!"

"He's not my boyfriend!", you argued, snorting and laughing at the face she was making.

"He better be after your date...", she muttered, tossing your phone back at you, which you almost caught with your face. "I've got your outfit."

With a huge grin, she walked back over to your wardrobe and picked up a few stray clothes. Then she laid them out orderly on your bed. It was perfect. Totally you. Totally the opposite of Joe. You'd stick out like a sore thumb.

“Thanks babe.”, you smiled, pushing yourself off the bed and engulfing her in a tight hug.

"Anytime, love.”, she grinned into your hair and returned your hug with an even tighter one.

"Coffee and biscuits?", you asked her as you pulled away and her face lit up all over again. She didn't even answer your question but ran off to the kitchen.

"You better have chocolate chip cookies!", you heard her yell, knowing she'd already opened your cupboard where you stored your sweets. When you heard her excited squeak, you knew she had found them. Shaking your head at her antics, you made your way to the kitchen to join her. You wouldn't trade her for anything in the world, either.

---

When your best friend left, it was already dark outside. You opted for a light dinner which consisted of a piece of sourdough bread, half a tomato, a handful of shredded cheddar cheese and three green olives. Everything was neatly arranged on the plate. Girl Dinner was served.

Walking over to the sofa to read for the second time that evening, you placed your plate on the small table in front of it, sat down and draped a blanket over yourself. Picking up the plate, you leaned back against the headrest and popped an olive into your mouth. Freya and Kiro soon joined you and tried to beg you for some of the sourdough. Kiro was particularly persistent, but so were you. When they finally realised you weren't going to give in, Kiro trotted off to sulk under one of your chairs and Freya retreated to her place on the headrest.

You were just about to open your book when your phone again alerted you to a new message. Thinking it was your best friend letting you know she had gotten home, you leaned forward to grab your phone. But it wasn't your best friend. Joe had texted you again.

Did you have dinner?

Uh... yeah. Why?

Oh, just checking. What are you doing?

I wanted to read, but a certain someone keeps interrupting.

Oh! My apologies. What are you reading?

This. *attachment*

Ooh. This looks interesting. What's it about?

Instead of telling him, you took a picture of the summary on the back.

It sounds very interesting. I'll stop bothering you now. Go read!

You're not bothering me, Joe.

Your last message stayed unread, and you frowned at your phone. After a couple of moments, you put your phone aside and finally started reading where you had left off.

---

You were about to take a sip of the tea you had made yourself an hour into reading when your phone beeped again. You wondered who it was. It certainly wasn't your best friend. She had let you know that she had arrived home shortly after Joe had dropped the conversation. You had a hunch, though.

Turning your phone around, you saw that Joe had sent you a picture. With a gentle tap to the screen, you enlarged the photo. It was a book, but not just any book. It was the same book you were reading. Smiling to yourself, you tapped on the picture again and added a heart reaction to it.

Then another message from Joe.

Now we can have our own little book club.

Those nine words instantly made your heart flutter.

Just the two of us?

Yep.

Count me in...

Brilliant! I was hoping you'd say yes. It'd be a shitty book club if I was on my own.

Yep. The discussions would be very one-sided.

And boring. OK, I'll let you read. I'm sure you're way ahead of me. I just got it and I gotta catch up so we can discuss it on our date.

I'd love that. Talk later?

Of course we will. Happy reading! Bye, darling xx

You too! Bye Joe xx

Grinning from ear to ear, you put your phone down and picked up your book up again. You’d never been happier that you had so mindlessly agreed to a date before.

---

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[celticcrossanon]

Camilla feeling she's owed more might somewhat explain the PR of BP, it's nothing new but it really shows the mind set they're in.

I wouldn't care about Camilla or Charles putting out PR saying how great they are but that they do it whilst putting William and Catherine down is the big red flag. It also doesn't work, anyone who puts another person down to make themselves look better shows just how insecure they are.

That even this year Camilla especially has been putting out so much PR about how amazing she is and how much she has suffered is tone deaf. Of course it will have been difficult for her but that she was saying "I've had a terrible year, where's the sympathy for me?" just shows a disconnect. People can have sympathy for multiple people at once, people can wish the best for multiple people at once. It's like a spoilt child who has a tantrum whenever someone else gets a bit of attention.

And Charles was silent when Catherine was being attacked by the press and on social media but the day she announced her treatment he was putting out PR about how much he was supporting her and how it brought them closer made me side eye BP. Then like clock work we got the how dare they PR of the Wales' having the Middletons in their video announcing Catherine has finished chemo and not Charles and Camilla.

I just can't understand the mentality, Charles is still undergoing treatment and this is the kind of PR BP decides is good. I think they're both stuck in their ways and maybe they're still guided by how they felt in the past when they were attacked by the press and people because of their relationship. But the fact is no one will forget the past, it's part of their story and always will be, they can't rewrite it. Holding onto feelings and projecting them onto others today isn't going to help anyone.

Personally I have good will for both Charles and Camilla because I want the monarchy to be strong and do well but they do things that aren't necessary. It's still disappointing when you want the monarchy to be an example to everyone.

Hi Nonny,

I agree with you. The 'putting other people done' aspect of the PR articles is what annoys me, as well as the demands for sympathy from someone who lives an extremely privileged life. As you said, it is tone deaf and it is not going to win her any sympathy.

I'm glad you said it was like a spoilt child throwing a tantrum for attention because that is exactly how the energy felt - like a child throwing a tantrum because what they asked for, and got, was not what they expected it to be.

Charles and Camilla are doing their best to rewrite their past as 'the greatest love story ever' instead of the sordid mess that it was in reality. The only ones they are fooling are the ones who did not live through it. I just hope the true version goes down in history and not their rewritten version.

The hypocrisy of people around The Prince and Princess of Wales is astounding. They will jump on the Waleses for things that they let slide or actively applaud in other royals.

There is a good analysis of why some of this animosity might have come about here (its about the aristocrats, not the hypocritical royal watchers): https://brf-rumortrackinganon.tumblr.com/post/770530963507855360/ive-heard-numerous-times-that-there-arent-warm

I want to be able to support The King and The Queen as well, but it is hard to do so with the way they are behaving. As you said, it is disappointing.

[vay99]

Dazai x reader

Anything for you

Anime/Manga: Bungo stray dogs

Why? Why can't he just do his work without crying for attention the whole time?

"As you see I'm busy, I can't entertain you now." you answer the male who's laying on your desk.

"Huuuuh? But (y/n)chaaaan~~ I just wanna commit some double-" Dazai can't finish his sentence cause Kunikuida has kicked him off the desk.

"GO BACK TO WORK!" he yells before returning to his seat.

"Please just do your work and no, I don't." you answer Dazais question, going back to your work. 

"Okay~ Okay~" Dazai sighs, actually beginning to work now. 

After half an hour, of a not complaining Dazai, everyone in the office grows sceptical. Wondering why the brunette works without a single word. Kunikuida has just left for a mission and he didn't start with his 'how can I annoy Kunikuida' tactic yet. In conclusion, everyone is worried. 

"Dazai?" Atsushi asks the guy next to him. 

"Yeah?" Dazai answers, drawing his attention towards the younger boy. 

"Are you alright?" he asks, everyone focused on their conversation now. 

"I'm perfectly fine Atsushi-kun~ Thanks fir your concern but now I gotta continue to work~" Dazai smiles and continues to type on his laptop. 

"What's going on?" you ask out loud, speaking everyone's mind. 

"What do you mean (y/n)?" Dazai asks, blinking a few times. 

Everyone groans, some fall off their chairs and you lay your head on your desk. 

"Nothing, forget it Dazai." you wave it off. 

Half an hour later you're done with you'd work so you get ready to leave, saying everyone goodbye you head downstairs. 

"Wait for me (y/n)-chan~" the bandaged men runs after you. 

"You really got all your work done, already?" you ask a big suspicious. 

"Of course~ I did as you said." his flirty attitude seems to be stronger than ever. 

"As I said?" you ask, once again not understanding what he meant. Which is the usual with Dazai. 

"Yes, you've told me to get my work done." hw blinks at you with an innocent smile. 

"So let me get this straight. You worked because I told you so?" A nod was your answer. "Why? I mean, it's your job and, okay seriously why?" 

"Working is boring, but if my Queen gives me an oder I follow it." he says, as you continue to walk down the stairs. 

"When your what does what?" you stare at him.

"(y/n), you're a detective, how have you not notice my feelings for you?" Dazais expression changes, his serious gaze hypnotising you. 

"Your what?" you ask, mouth in an O form.

"Ah~ You don't believe me do you?" he chuckles, a dangerous but addictive light in his eyes. "Want me to prove it~" 

All you can do is nod as Dazai places one hand in your neck and the other on your hip. 

"You know, I've always been your pawn. But one day I wanted to become your king." he breaths against your lips before capturing them with his. The kiss is unexpectedly gentle and sweet. And much to short. 

"Dazai... you really need to stop using chess symbols." you sigh, smiling up at him. 

"But you wouldn't understand it when I told you." Dazai puffs his cheeks, crossing his arms in front of his chest. 

"Cute." you giggle, wrapping your arms around his neck. "You know, you've always been my king. So don't yiu dare to quit the game, cause it'd be game over for me as well." 

"As you wish, my Queen." Dazai rests his forehead against yours, his arms finding their way around your waist. 

Enjoying your peaceful moment until Kunikuida ruins it. 

"What the hell is this?! No making out in this building!" he scolds you, causing you two to roll your eyes. 

"Aww Kunikuida, why did you have to spoil my next step like that." Dazai whines, making you blush and giggle at the same time. "Let's go (y/n)~" 

"Hey hey. I-I can walk by myself." you yelp as he lifts you up, bridal style. Carrying you away, leaving a dumbfounded Kunikuida behind. 

"Dazai you've made your point, you can let me down now." you poke his chest, avoiding the people starring.

"Don't worry (y/n), I just wanna keep you as close as possible." Dazai smiles at you, a genuine smile, brighter than everything you've ever seen.

"Idiot." you hide your face in his chest, can't help but smile. Who knew Dazai could be that soft.

Arriving at his apartment you open it, since he can't use his hands now, and carries you directly into his bedroom.

"D-dazai? Please tell me you've een joking earlier." you stutter, blushing as you watch him laying down his coat.

"Me joking?" Dazai crawls above you, licking his lips.

"Of course I was, can we cuddle?" he falls down next to you, opening his arms.

"Whyyyy. You're mean." you whine but roll into his embrace, so that your back is facing him.

"I love to yee you blushing." he chuckles against your neck, leaving sweet pecks on your skin.

"Can we just sleep? So I can escape your teasing." you yawn, placing your arms above his.

"Anything for you~" Dazai agrees, before the two of you drift off into a peaceful sleep~

[the-snake-and-the-statue]

she doesn't do any fancy or silly gesture this time. there's nothing she could do to make this any less painful towards anyone.

she just nods

as he's encased in shadow

. . .

*The shadows dissipate after a moment.*

Achilles' eyes widen. He slowly looks down at his hands.

The steel from his fingertips is slowly fading up his arms. He stares at it as his hands start to grow numb..... it's horrifying, in a bittersweet, beautiful way.

He slowly looks up, locking eyes with Icia. Her hands are clasping the letters and will so tight that it hurts. She's shaking, biting her lip.

He steps forward, and she resists the urge to back away. There's a period of silence before Icia finally speaks.... her voice is nothing more than a small whisper.

".... does it hurt?"

Achilles stares at her for a moment before softly smiling and chuckling.

"Like a bitch."

"More than before...?"

"Yeah. A lot."

Icia looks down. Abstraction does hurt.

"I was expecting that...."

"Me too. But I think it's better than other options. And now I can see my wife and child again."

"Y... yeah, you can...." Icia wipes her eyes, fanning her face

"Gonna have a lot to tell her. Going to tell her about everything here in the kingdom. Everyone. The battles I've fought. The victories we've claimed."

Icia nods again, unable to coherently respond for a moment as her stomach churns. A small bit of frost forms under her.

".... we're going to miss you."

Achilles looks down.

"Yeah. I will, too. But, hey... Icia?"

"...?"

"Remember. It's going to be okay. I'm going to be okay."

He reaches out slowly, hand moving to Icia's cheek.... before he pauses.

It feels wrong to hold her like that. She had a fiance.... and there's someone else he wishes to hold instead.

His hand rests on her shoulder instead, and Icia's head snaps up. The silver is above his elbows and knees now.

"It's been a true honor to fight by your side, Icia. To protect these people with you. To laugh with you. To cry with you. To rise with you... and to fall with you."

Icia swallows back a gag.

"I won't forget you and what you've done for me. Thank you, Icia. I'll be watching as you go on and continue to achieve whatever you set your mind to."

Achilles once again looks at everyone else.

"All of you are some of the strongest, smartest, kindest, most respectable people I've met in my life. It's been a true honor to fill not only the role of 'hero' for you all.... but also to be your friend. Your mentor. Your confidant. Whatever you see me as, it has been the greatest honor for me to be that to you."

"I don't deserve it. I still don't think I do. I've wronged many of you. But I appreciate you all coming to say goodbye to me here, whether it is out of spite or care. I wouldn't have invited you all here if I didn't care."

"And... I truly do. I will always care. I will always want to protect you all... and be someone you may look up to, even if I am no savior and not a good role model. I hope that, those who know me more and better understand what I'm going through, will be relieved that I will no longer be in pain. I won't be suffering anymore.... that's the whole point for all of this. For us to not suffer."

Ode turns away, stifling a sob in Samuel's shoulder. Achilles continues.

".... I have said before.... I have nothing to live for anymore. But I've recently realized that that was a lie. I have been living for something.... and that is to see you, the residents who I've vowed to protect, no longer suffer. And I can say at long last.... that has finally happened. I've seen you all. I've seen you all grow in ways our former AI could never allow."

"Aklatan and Latte can now live happily with each other. Ode is no longer in a body that harms them. The twins may be their own people. The dragons may flourish and fly freely. No one is being harmed by any king or queen anymore.... that is what I've sought to live for. I use the term 'live' very loosely. Seeing you all suffer a little less is why I have gotten out of bed. Seeing the smiles has been my goal. Knowing that no one shall harm you or make you afraid."

"And now that goal is accomplished. The kingdom is safe.... and I feel that, with the hands that it is in, I may finally rest. It will outlive me when I'm gone."

Achilles looks down at the ground, the steel having reached his shoulders and upper thighs, and fully covered any more scars along his arms.

"... I'm sorry this hurts so much. I wish it didn't. But I hope that my tranquility with this will bring some kind of ease to you all. I am no longer suffering either. I have been wanting this for years... to see my wife and maybe receive some form of forgiveness for my sins and transgressions. I will face her in a form that won't bring me any more pain. I will be okay.... and I hope that will be some kind of comfort to you. Although I acknowledge.... none of this is ideal."

He looks back up at Icia. Her face is stained with tears, hand over her mouth.

".... do you know of the courtyard by the ballroom?"

She nods.

"There is a stone pedestal in the middle. I... I would like to be placed there, please. Under the stars, surrounded by flowers and greenery. It is freeing there... and the one place I do not have any kind of negative memory."

Icia is still.... before suddenly hugging him with a sob. She doesn't respond with words... only bitter, quiet cries as her legs shake.

Achilles almost stumbles back from the force of her hug. He doesn't wrap his arms around her.... his fingers and hands are stuck.

But, as the abstraction reaches his collarbones, Achilles smiles slightly. He swallows back a cry, keeping his arms to the side of him with palms up, embracing the sun.

"... I love you all so, so much," Achilles whispers.

"Take care of yourselves.... I'll always be available if you all want to talk, even if you only receive silence."

Achilles tilts his head up, looking at the top of the castle as both Icia and the steel increase their hold on him.

Suddenly, he sees something.

At first, he thinks it's just a wisp of fog.... but no. Fog doesn't usually reach out with arms.

Fog also usually doesn't look like a human woman... with long, straight hair that falls into her eyes and a serene smile.

Achilles' eyes widen as the illusion grows closer.

..... Galene.....

His slightly surprised expression grows into a a smile... a large smile that strains against his lips. It's a smile he's forgotten he could smile, an wave of freedom and bliss that he forgotten long ago.

He's finally going home.

Achilles closes his eyes, two tears falling down his face as the steely abstraction hardens his chin.... his eyes.... his cheeks... his nose...

... and finally, it comes to a close with his mouth, permanently freezing the expression upon his face.

Achilles takes his final breath through the smile.

[ALERT: Achilles.file has ABSTRACTED.]