#i remember posting the original servant of evil here a couple years ago and being surprised we didnt have it

[vocaloid-tunes]

Servant of Evil -Classical version- | JounetsuP feat. Kagamine Len // Original | mothy feat. Kagamine Len

[ltworld]

Revelation, Coronavirus, and the Mark of the Beast: How Should Christians Read the Bible’s Most Fascinating Book? Part 1

Kevin DeYoung

Whenever there is a cataclysmic global crisis—be it war, rumors of war, or a novel coronavirus—we see a sharp uptick of interest in the book of Revelation. While paying attention to the Bible is always a good thing, Revelation is too often used (by Christians and non-Christians) in a way that does less to edify the body of Christ and more to stoke the fires of wild speculation and unfounded conspiracy theories.

It may be helpful, then, to understand what kind of book Revelation is and how to make sense of imagery like the mark of the beast. We’ll get to the mark of the beast in the third and final installment of this short series. But before we get there I want to take a couple posts to look at what Revelation is all about and how we should interpret this not-as-strange-as-it-seems book.

Big Picture

Probably no book of the Bible has been harder for Christians to understand and, as a result, produced more bizarre theology than the book of Revelation. Although it is called “revelation,” it has been anything but a revelation for many Christians. It is a closed book for many of us, not correcting, not teaching, not rebuking, not training in righteousness like all Scripture should.

I remember teaching through part of Revelation for a Sunday school class several years ago and telling my mom about it over the phone. She said something like, “Kevin, you’re not going act like you have everything figured out are you? John Calvin didn’t even write a commentary on Revelation. You don’t know more than John Calvin, do you?” It is true that Calvin did not write a commentary on Revelation (one of the few books he didn’t write on), and it’s true that I don’t have everything figured out. But most of Revelation can be understood and applied if we will take the time to study it.

In fact, the entire book of Revelation can be summed up in one word: nike. Nike is the Greek word for victory. It occurs one time in the New Testament—1 John 5:4 states, “This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.” Another form of the word (nikos) appears four other times, three times in 1 Corinthians 15 (e.g., “Death has been swallowed up in victory;” “He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ”). The verb form, nikao (meaning to conquer, to overcome, to triumph), occurs more frequently—28 times. Seventeen of those occurrences, more than in the rest of the New Testament combined, are in Revelation.

Revelation is the story of the Devil trying to conquer the church, but the church overcomes the Devil and the world because she belongs to the Lord who has won for us the victory (Rev. 5:5; 17:14). The book of Revelation gives instruction for the believer on how to conquer instead of being conquered, how to triumph instead of being trampled, and how to be an overcomer instead of a succumber. That’s why each of the seven letters to the seven churches concludes with “to the one who conquers . . .” If we cave and give in to persecution and give into worldliness and give into the Devil’s temptations, we will lose. But if we overcome through trial and suffering and seeming irrelevance, we will win (Rev. 21:6-7). That’s where history is heading, and that’s the big idea of Revelation.

(Possible) Map for the (Seeming) Madness

There is no one inspired way to understand the structure of Revelation. When studying this book in-depth several years ago, I found 11 different outlines, which suggests there probably isn’t one obvious structure we’re supposed to see.

One simple approach is to see Revelation as divided into two main sections. Chapters 1-11 introduce the story of God’s triumph, and chapters 12-22 explain the story in greater detail, this time unveiling in more depth the role of evil through the beast, the false prophet, and the whore of Babylon.

Another way of approaching the book is to divide it into four main sections, each marked off by the phrase “what must soon take place” or “what must take place after this.”

Rev. 1:1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants the things that must soon take place.

Rev. 1:19 Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this.

Rev. 4:1 “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”

Rev. 22:6 “And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.”

The language in these four passages comes from Daniel 2 and indicates that Old Testament prophecy is already and not yet completed in Revelation.

There’s another way to outline the book into four main sections. This approach marks out the times John says he was caught up in the Spirit.

Rev. 1:10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet.

Rev. 4:2 At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne.

Rev. 17:3 And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness.

Rev. 21:10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God.

By this reckoning, Revelation consists of four main visions that John saw while he was in the Spirit on four different occasions.

Yet one more way of approaching the book—and the approaches are not mutually exclusive—is to look for sets of sevens. Everyone recognizes that seven is a crucial number in Revelation, and that there are at least four sets of sevens: seven letters, seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls. This much everyone agrees on. But from here things get less clear. Since there are plainly at least four sets of sevens, many scholars have wondered if we are meant to see seven sets of sevens. I am convinced there are seven sets of sevens, but I certainly wouldn’t be dogmatic about it. My outline, which is similar to outlines I’ve seen from others, looks like this:

Prologue: 1:1-8 I. Seven letters: 1:9-3:22 II. Seven seals: 4:1-8:5 III. Seven trumpets: 8:6-11:19 IV. Seven visions: 12:1-15:4 V. Seven bowls: 15:5-16:21 VI. Seven judgments: 17:1-19:10 VII. Seven last things: 19:11-21:8 VIII. The beautiful bride: 21:9-22:21

You’ll notice there is an eighth section that is not a set of seven. An eighth section makes sense because eight is often the number of new creation in the Bible (Jesus rose on the eighth day/first day of a new week, eight people started the new humanity after the flood, sons were to be circumcised on the eighth day), and this eighth section is about the new heavens and new earth. But there is nothing inspired about the outline above. It’s just one way of making the book more manageable and putting together some possible patterns with some obvious ones.

Our Interpretive Lens

The last thing I want to do in this post is look at the various ways Christians have understood Revelation. There are four main schools of thought.

The first school of interpretation is called preterism. The preterist approach teaches that a large portion of the book of Revelation was fulfilled in the first century, specifically in the destruction of the temple in AD 70. Further, most of the prophecies in Revelation were fulfilled by the fall of the Roman Empire in the fifth century.

The strength of the preterist school is that it puts Revelation in its original context. Revelation was written to first-century Christians with first-century metaphors and imagery and referents. If we jump to the 21st century and ask, “What does this mean for me?,” we will almost surely get the wrong answer. We have to first ask, “What did this mean to them, to John’s original audience?”

Preterism is not without weaknesses. First, some preterists try to find a single, specific fulfillment to the prophecies of Revelation when it seems more likely that John’s visions often portray generalized spiritual battles and struggles that occur throughout the ages. Second, full-blown preterists argue that all of the end-time events, like the second coming and the last judgment, actually were fulfilled by AD 70. This does not seem in keeping with the cataclysmic language used at the end of each sequence.

The second school of interpretation is called historicism. The historicist reads Revelation as a straightforward, sequential roadmap of history. Revelation is seen as predicting any number of key historical figures and events from Napoleon to Hitler to the European Union to the United Nations.

The strength of historicism is that it makes Revelation relevant for all Christians. It focuses our attention not on the fall of the temple or on the Roman Empire but on the way of the church in the world.

But besides this strong point, historicism is the worst way to try to understand Revelation. It is full of weaknesses. Let me quickly mention just four.

First, historicism is often anachronistic and takes Revelation out of its original context. I am thinking of those who argued that the country out of the north (from Daniel, not Revelation) must be Russia, or that the locust swarm from Revelation 9 is foretelling a helicopter battalion. These sorts of interpretations completely ignore the imagery of ancient prophecy and the context of the first century.

Second, historicism, with its end-of-the-world predictions and identifications of the beast, has often been demonstrably wrong. During the cold war, people saw Russia in Revelation. A decade ago they saw Iraq. Now they see the coronavirus. In a few years, they will be on to something else. Historicists tend to see Revelation being fulfilled in whatever crisis is pertinent for the day. And then on another day, another group of historicists see that view was wrong and find something completely different.

Third, historicism limits the prophecies of Revelation to one exclusive location or personality instead of allowing that the imagery of Revelation may be well suited to an inclusive number of different figures and times. That is, I think historicists are right to see Revelation unfolding in history, but they are wrong to think that Revelation is uniquely unfolding in one historical moment.

Fourth, historicism is irreducibly subjective. There is simply no objective standard of interpretation. Who’s to say that Hitler was more the beast than Stalin? Or that 666 is a reference to Bill Clinton (as one website I found argues)? Or, as another article maintains, that Ronald Wilson Reagan (six letters in each of his names!) was the beast? It’s all hopelessly subjective. The text ends up saying anything we want it to.

The third school of interpretation is futurism. The futurist reads Revelation (chs. 4-22) as a prophecy solely concerned with the distant future. The events depicted refer to the time involving, or immediately preceding, the end of history. Dispensationalists are futurists (though not all futurists are dispensationalists).

The strength of futurism is that it emphasizes how Revelation speaks to the future, not just about the past. Futurism is right to see that some things in Revelation deal with the final consummation of human history. Futurists are also right to see that the future is moving somewhere, toward the triumph of the Lamb.

But futurism also has weaknesses.

First, if Revelation 4-22 is entirely and only about the distant future, then most of Revelation was barely relevant to its original readers. Sure, it would have helped them see the end of the world, but it really spoke little into their immediate context (when John says Revelation revealed “what must soon take place”).

Second, futurism often assumes a strict sequential chronology. And yet, we cannot assume that what is shown to us in chapter 12 comes in time after what we see in chapter 6. To the contrary, one of the keys to interpreting Revelation is to understand that its visions are recapitulated. So, Revelation gives us a sweep through history in the seven seals, and then does the sweep again in the seven bowls. Revelation comprises overlapping prophecies that go back and forth between the present and the future and are not strictly chronological.

Don’t think of the visions of Revelation as frames from a movie reel running through the light one after the other. Think of the visions as portraits in a gallery. You look at one portrait and get a glimpse of reality, and then you look at the next portrait, and then you walk over to the next room and look at the portraits over there. They are pictures telling the same story and pointing to the same reality, but they aren’t sequential clips from a movie.

The fourth school of interpretation is idealism. The idealist reads Revelation as a symbolic conflict between the forces of good and evil. Revelation, idealists argue, does not point to particular historical figures but depicts the timeless struggle between God and Satan. It interprets Revelation as a series of repeated symbolic pictures, focusing on the church’s triumphant struggle from the first century until the last judgment and the eternal state.

The strength of idealism is that is understands the symbolic nature of Revelation. It realizes that Revelation’s imagery is rooted first in Old Testament language and second in the known world of the first century. The other strength is that it sees behind the first-century context deeper spiritual realities that would outlive and transcend ancient Rome and remain relevant for believers throughout the ages.

The weakness of idealism is that it can at times under-emphasize the fact that all of history is moving somewhere. That is, idealism sometimes sounds vague, as if there were no end point in history as we know it, as if Revelation was just about the struggle between good and evil and not also about the ultimate triumph of Jesus Christ.

Interpret the Book

So what approach do I think helps us best understand Revelation? I think each approach offers something needed. This doesn’t mean that I think every approach is good or that one is not better than another (I’m basically an idealist with a partial preterist bent). But each school of interpretation does offer something important.

With the preterist, we must read Revelation in its immediate context.

With the idealist, we must look at Revelation as a symbolic portrayal of God’s work, most of which can be applied to any historical time.

With the futurist, we must read Revelation with end of history in mind, recognizing that the book depicts, in parts, the second coming, the final judgment, and the eternal state.

And with the historicist, we must understand that the prophecies of Revelation, though they are not limited to one particular occurrence, are fulfilled in time and space.

The best way to defend one’s interpretive grid is to actually interpret the book. But since this is a three-part blog series and not a 50-part sermon series, we will have to settle for just one more post on the subject. In the first three verses, John makes clear that this book is an apocalypse, a prophecy, and a letter. Once we know what each of the terms entail, we will be better equipped to understand the book as a whole and specific imagery like the mark of the beast.

Note: This post was first published through The Gospel Coalition website.

[acrobaticcatfeline]

The Legend of Beowulf (Villain!Logan AU) Chapter One!!!

Word Count: 9583

TW: ok so swearing, abuse, torture, violence, Deceit, assassination attempt, homophobia mentioned once, oh heres a big one, XENOPHOBIA! Sort of the premise of the story. If I missed anything LMK

Notes: So. I made this idea in 2018. It was an April fools headcannon. The story board idea has 271 notes. I started writing this days after the idea was posted, and I’ve been drawing the characters just as long. I haven’t looked at this story since November. I’ve spent the last three hours editing it, which is new, I rarely edit more than for spelling and grammar. But here it is my friends. the original headcannon post is here if you want to read it! I hope you enjoy!

Pairings: You’ll figure it out.

Summary: “They lied. Of course, they lied.” Logan Beowulf was a villain. A criminal, despicable. He had released other criminals onto the streets, he had kidnapped the prince, but was that the whole story? Or perhaps is the truth buried under curses and banishment's and fear? Truth be told, he was the aftermath of a scared child in a world where he was alone. He just wanted to fit in, and he found out the hard way that wasn’t possible.

They lied. Of course, they lied. The king and queen, they are despicable, they don’t care what they do to me. I brought back their son whom they don’t deserve at all. I guess this is what it’s like to be the villain in the storybooks. Only these rulers don’t know the meaning of mercy. They aren’t noble and good, they are cruel and uncaring. Why would they though? To them I’ve always been the dangerous powerless Logan Rainier. But I’ve grown. They turned my parents into monsters who threw me away at the drop of a hat, they turned my one friend into an unfeeling fiend in their army, and they turned me into Logan Beowulf.

-

I was 10 when they banished me. Of course I knew it was coming, I was well aware that the thought of technology horrified the royals, but when you live in a world of magic and happiness and you have neither of those requirements, its likely for you to find entertainment elsewhere. I made gadgets. Little gears assembled just so that the little figure would walk. A pulley system and clamp to grab a snack from the top shelf. Such simple things shook the king with fear. They visited my house one morning as I had expected. The king surveyed me as if I was some new creature never seen before. When he was done I was sent to my room which was my que.

I grabbed all of my contraptions and all the pieces I used to create, my closet and bedding, which I had made to collapse into a small box, my secret stash of a month’s rations, a first aid kit, and plenty of paper and drawing utensils. I managed to fit all of it into my backpack and put on my favorite jacket and hat as well as some gloves. My friend, before he joined the king’s army, told me that when I turned 10 the king would come to send me away. I had been preparing for this day and I knew that I would have to say goodbye to my home, but I didn’t belong here.

               -

A decade ago today was when that all happened. Now my 20th birthday surprise was to be beheaded by that same ruthless man, I had fallen into his trap, he had said surrender did he have no honor, At least that’s what I thought. The king routinely came down to torture me into submission. He burnt and shocked and stabbed me to get me to tell him where my home was. He used my parents as ammunition. He used my old friend who had been the one to apprehend me. He couldn’t do it, I haven’t cared for a living thing in this country in a decade. He wants my anti-magic gadgets to work again. The ones I had sold to apprehend villains, the ones I had shut down shortly before being caught. He wants my technology that he’s been shunning since I was born, and I won’t give it to him.

After a good month has passed, the prince came to see me. That young prince, only 15, who I had kidnapped. The young prince who I never touched. The young prince, the fine piece of china that I dare not break lest I become like his father. The young prince, Roman in name, whom I fell in love with. It was despicable of me, he's but a child, but he's the only person to listen to me and understand me for several years, twas near the only choice and still yet I would die by his hand. Such a pity one so young would be brought to bloodshed. Alas he would achieve all his dreams through it, and I dare not stop him.

“ah, I see the king finally stepped up his game. What are you here for boy? Are you the one here to finally kill me? I hope so, I can’t stand being stuck here any longer. How shall you do it boy? Shall you stab me through the heart like a valiant? Or shall you burn me to death? Oh, so many options for you, young prince. You’ll be viewed a hero just as you’ve always yearned no matter how you do it, I suppose. Oh, how I love suspense in a good story! You’ll finally vanquish your very own villain Roman, aren’t you excited?!” I say in complete sincerity. This kid deserves to be a hero. I look at him awaiting his answer.

“Lo-I mean, mutant, that is not your designated fate,” I gawk at him. “you are to become the personal servant to the king.” I pull against my restraints for the first time since I was placed here.

“wait, what?! No no no, I can’t be a servant! This must be a mistake!!! Roman I should be dying today! Since when has the king ever given mercy?! No, this is not mercy, this is a fate worse than death!!! Roman you can’t let this happen, being kept alive in this castle means pain and bloodshed! They’ll torture me til the day I die!!! I’ve been evil but I don’t deserve this!!! Please Roman, please just kill me!!! You’ll be the hero! The one you’ve dreamt of! You’ll save your father from the dissent of his decision! I swear to you this palace, this kingdom will be better off with me dead!!!” I scream. I can feel my voice break in fear and pain that I had been subduing. I can’t live my life a slave to the cruel king. Roman is fair and just! He must see reason! He knows this is a heinous punishment!

“I cannot do that Loga-mutant. All punishments fall in the king’s power. He wants you to be dressed and brought to him, which is my job,” he releases my bonds and hands me soft clothes, likely cotton. He also sets a bucket of water with soap and a rag next to me. “Here m��lord, please get washed up and changed, if you require any assistance, I shall be right over here.”

I weep for a good couple of minutes as I rub off the dirt and sweat that had accumulated on my skin, much of it having been absorbed into open wounds, I'm surprised I've lasted this long, before stepping into the soft outfit which turned out to be rather simply some under garments, black pants, and a long blue and black tunic. As I stand I stumble, my legs refusing to remember their use. The prince rounds the corner once again and offers his hand. I steady myself on my own before gesturing for him to lead me to our destination.

Before long we make it to the throne room where I’m told to bow. Although I have lost, I will never bow to this beast voluntarily. Of course, one of the guards ends up forcing me down.

“you are an invaluable addition to my guard Virgil; I hope you know that you are to become the head guard when our old friend dies.” I shudder when I realize that my childhood friend is to be in charge of the guard of such an awful king. I hear Virge grunt in assent to the king’s proclamation.

“mutant boy do you know why you have been summoned?” the king speaks to me at last. I nod with a grimace on my face.

“well of course your majesty, unlike you, your son is competent. I have been summoned to serve a punishment greater than death due to your absolute contempt of me. Also, might I add that I am to be 20 today, and not only is your second birthday surprise far worse than your first, but that also makes me most definitely not a boy, but a man.” I hiss out all in one breath. The look on the king’s face is disgusted and appalled and I smirk in response.

“you should be grateful that I spared you mutant. You shall not speak to your king this way.” I smirk even more.

“I apologize, I’m just saying that it would be a far better present to be killed by your son. To both of us I’m sure, Roman seems to want that seat of yours more than life itself, if he became a hero for killing me? That would make his year. Oh, your boy is not deserved by you. No one in this vile kingdom deserves the right to even know your son. I do hope you don’t do to him as you forced my parents to do to me. He is a gift. And you are not my king.” The hall goes silent. Roman straightens up and puts up a façade. The king and queen do the same. Not a sound is made, even the birds outside took the hint.

“how dare thee. How dare you think you know anything about my son.” I smile genuinely.

“oh, I dunno, maybe he feels the same about you as I do. Maybe he told me his aspirations of being seen as a hero. Or his hope that he will one day impress you. Maybe he told me he’s scared of being alone and that’s why he never complains when in company. Maybe he told me that he wanted to make your kingdom a better place. Or how you mentally abuse him because you believe that you must not have empathy or emotions as a ruler. Maybe he told me how you are trying to turn him as sociopathic as you and your wife are. Or maybe, just maybe, I’m really good at storytelling. I don’t know your son, but I know that a boy as quiet and reserved as yours must have something to say. I didn’t hurt your son your majesty. I didn’t try to in the slightest. Your son is someone your kingdom needs, and I can’t wait til you die, and your people finally see it.” I say before ducking to keep from getting hit over the head by the husk of a boy I knew.

“you do not speak that way in the royal presence. Didn’t you learn anything in schooling?” Virgil speaks harsh and robotic. I clench my jaw before hissing my response.

“you know, I didn’t get that much time to learn that because, as you might recall Virge, I only had 5 years of it before getting banished. I’m sorry my schooling didn’t prepare me to have to face the three people in my life getting brainwashed by the king.” The king stands up abruptly.

“VIRGIL!!! Take the mutant to his quarters. I want him out of my sight for the moment being. Teach him some manners while you’re at it. I will send your prince to retrieve him when needed. You are dismissed.”

-

4 and a half years. 4 and a half years of this eternal prison and I near died by the king’s hand at least 1000 times. Makes sense, I’m not the most loyal of subjects, and I’m not easily brainwashed into it. while living there I meet Patton, a very nice person, untainted by the king’s evil, and somehow has kept himself from tainting the king’s meals. He is the head chef and ends up sneaking me food most days. However, the king has started to weaken, it looks as if he’ll die before the year ends, leaving our young prince at 19 years old is looking for a suitor, and those he enjoys his father hates, and those his father enjoys he hates. The past half year is the most I’ve ever heard the boy talk. The last time he spoke this much was when I had kidnapped him. the boy is a chatter box when not in the company of others. I assume his father had instilled the proverb, children are to be seen not heard, into him. The prince is seen more as a trophy than as a person by most everyone. I’ve fallen into routine of serving the king his meals, getting lashed for most anything, going and being magicked back to health, rinse and repeat with varying severity.

Then my simple routine is disrupted.

Roman comes to my quarters in the morning per usual but has a different outfit for me to put on than he’s ever brought me before. “hurry and change, we’re uh, the king is waiting for thee,” he stated hurriedly and unsure.

As I change I realize just how odd my outfit is. I’m given tight, form fitting, black leggings, a short black tunic with golden accents, black tied shoes, and a large black cloak big enough to hide me and more. If the all black wasn’t suspicious enough, who in their right mind would give a tunic lined with gold to a simple slave? I open the door to head to the king, when Roman pushes in and shuts the door behind him.

“your highness, what are you doing? I must get to thy king post haste lest I get lashed!” I speak in a formal tone as I’ve been instructed to do with members of the royal family, even as I start getting frantic, the king gets testy when I get there late. He starts messing with my goggles that I made to improve my eyesight before shaking his head.

“I’ll cover for you. I want to, er, try something, can I take these off of you for a second? I have an idea,” He looks down into my eyes, as he has grown much taller than me in years past. I nod slightly, as he is one of the few I trust enough to be willing to be blind around him. he pulls them off and I barely see the magic flying from his hands before I have something else laying on my face and am able to see once more. “hey! Now you look like a noble! Nice glasses you got there Bubbles! Okay um, pack up your essentials in this, ok?” I flinch at the nickname he gave me years ago due to the shape of my seeing apparatus. I also look at him incredulously when he makes his request, but I learned long ago not to deny direct orders, so I pack my few belongings in the small bag. Once I do this he smiles and starts messing with my hair, which I find very relaxing. In a few moments he smiles again at his work before lifting my hood, picking up the bag and then grabbing my hand and dragging me.

“what are you doing your highness? The throne room is the opposite way,” I am confused, what is he doing? “and I really don’t see the point of the bag.”

He smiles and turns to me with a finger on his lips. “hush friend! We’re going on an adventure in the garden! We need supplies to fight the sorceress!” he winks at me and I get more confused.

We do end up in the garden, but at the very edge, in the direction of my old lair. He shoves the bag into my hands and gives me a small notebook and a few bright flowers, an azalea, a white chrysanthemum, and a daffodil. I used to know the language of flowers, but I no longer do and am concerned of the meanings. He gestures out of the garden.

“Logan Beowulf, the mutant who has been held captive in the castle for 4 years and then some, you are being released. My father will hurt and torture you no longer. You are not meant to be chained here. Go home. Live,” he pauses as my horse that I rode in on 4 and a half years ago comes running and guards are chasing it. He casts a spell on me, turning me invisible, and points toward her. He uses his other hand to trip all the guards. “and run for your life.”

And with that I’m gone.

I make it home and it has decayed a bit from age, but is otherwise in perfect condition. My mystics and fae come to me as soon as I ride in, flitting all around me surveying my damage, as I pull out one of my healing potions and chug it. I set down my bag and close my door. I start checking all my gadgets, seeing how they lasted the test of time. A small fae settles on my head and I realize it’s my little Deceit. They were trained to attack humans who sought to hurt them, but after proving my equal disdain, I became very close to the runt of my faes. The little thing starts whispering plots of revenge in fae’lan into my ears. I shoo them away, and continue checking on my creations. My favorite, the one I used to send fear into the city, was the only damaged one I found. The broadcast screen was warped and the wires had frayed. Oh well, I don’t need it anymore I guess. I go and check on all my faelings to make sure they hadn’t hurt themselves while I was away. A few of them had cuts and bruises while some had small tears in their wings, and I set to work to patch them all up. D has the most wounds and I shake my head at them. They are a unique faeling, they have bright yellow feathered wings, and a snake birthmark that crisscrosses their entire small frame. They hadn’t preened themselves in a very long while, causing many of their feathers to fall out in lumps. They also had bruises and scars all over.

“you know D, I know I was gone for a while, but that doesn’t mean you should neglect your well-being… listen bud, I’m fine, they were never planning on killing me. The king is a tool yes, but I don’t plan on going back there any time soon… oh yeah, Roman gave it to me for some reason… no you can’t. You don’t even know how to read fae’lan, how do you know English?” the fae keeps whispering to me. After I finish mending them I look at the little note book given to me, reading through it a few times before its message becomes clear. My face reddens. What are these notes supposed to mean? They seem to insinuate… actually no, it doesn’t matter. I close the book harshly before going to check on the stash of food which is likely completely expired. Surprisingly it seems that my fae have been emptying and restocking it regularly and I pull out the fix ins to make a ham and egg salad. I smile at the warmth of my home. I’ve missed it so much.

-

My birthday. 25 today, isn’t that swell? I keep dreading the possibility of the king walking through my door and dragging me away. My faelings woke me up with a shower of pixie dust. When I get up and changed I see that there is a specific outfit that D has chosen for me. It’s a dark blue doublet, with poufy black pants and the cloak I wore when I made my way back home 6 months ago. I put on my black slip on flats and my glasses. When I walk out into the living room I see a large meal laid out for me, my favorite meal which I rarely get to have, cheese steak sandwiches with a heaping side of potatoes and brown sugar carrots. I swear, these little guys have enough magic to summon me a castle to rival the king’s palace.

I sit down to eat and I almost finish before hearing a knock on the door. I rise slowly queuing the others to stay silent. I grab my sword and raise it as I open the door. It’s the prince. It’s the prince oh fuck it’s the prince. I drop my sword in shock. He looks down at me and smiles. Oop, and on my knees I go! I see D try to attack him, and hiss at him in fae’lan that the prince is a welcome guest.

“hello m’lord Beowulf, happy birthday! Might I enter your home? I have none to accompany me this fine day.” He says with the same bright smile. He’s only gotten taller and more regal. I push myself up to my feet, and sheathe my sword before inviting him in.

“might I inquire as to what your purpose of visitation is? Oh yes, and help yourself to anything, what is mine is yours your highness.” He shakes his head as he grabs a bun.

“m’lord, I am to step up as king this time next week. And though I have many a quest on my plate, my father has passed and my mother wishes to meet with you. It appears you were in fact correct about a sort of brainwashing attached to him. Your friend Virgil wishes to apologize for his odd behavior. It seems everyone who lived in the castle was under some sort of influence other than the chef and you. My father was not a great person, and an even worse ruler. I hope to be a better king. I was hoping you would accompany me to the palace?” he asks, his voice soft like velvet, warm like cider, and light and fluffy like the sky. I frown slightly at his words. I gesture towards D before responding. They straighten in shock.

“you know almost as well as I, that I’d rather die than go back there. However, I will concede if you allow me to bring my loyal faeling Deceit. Without them I must politely refuse, that palace holds nothing but hostility towards me.” I state as calmly as possible. I doubt the boy will allow a mischievous fae into his castle so I’m sure I’m-

“of course, you may m’lord!” what. “fae are always fun to be around!”

Ha. Hahaha, he’s joking. He can’t be serious. No way. I can’t go with him. He’ll kill me.

“of course, your highness. Let us be off?” wait what am I saying? No, no no no! he’s gonna kill me! I barely escaped I can’t go back there!

We walk in silence through the woods towards the palace. D continues to flit around my head whispering about how everything is going to go horribly wrong and I ignore him. I can be gracious. I can die an elegant death. Heh, maybe D will get my revenge before they get killed as well. I’ll tell them to get the queen first, they can probably get one of them before getting caught. I wonder if they still let us have a choice for the last meal? I wonder what I would choose? Probably something simple that my mom used to make me… or maybe that last meal I had with my best friend… I don’t know, but all of a sudden me and the soon-to-be king Roman stop in front of her majesty. I kneel for the first time voluntarily. I bow my head and stand up once she bids me do so.

“m’lord Beowulf, it has come to pass that my husband has left us. It seems as if your accusation of him having brainwashed his people was based partially in fact. On his death bed he confessed that his family had been doomed to curse those around them with an emotionless harshness and that only one who was able to see past it would be able to break the curse. We have since found that that person was you, and I thank you for breaking it” she smiles at me and I tilt my head in confusion but nod. “now the real reason you were brought here is far more pressing. Roman, darling son, might you express your request?”

The prince nods and I can’t help but notice the light red tinting of his cheeks. “yes mother. M’lord Beowulf-” I interrupt quickly.

“you may call me Logan your highness.” I state as calmly as possible. He smiles brightly at me.

“of course. Logan, as I am stepping up here shortly, my mother has requested me find a suitor who will share the throne with me. I haven’t really gotten out much in my youth,” I scoff a bit at his word choice, he is still very much in his youth. “and I haven’t found any royalty or common folk who have peaked my interest. That is, other than you.” Oh. Wait what? He, he can’t be, can he? He’s a prince of a magical kingdom and he wants the one person in the world without magic to be his suitor? I feel my face heat up and hear him laugh a bit.

“of course, you aren’t required by any means. However, we wanted to give you some time to dwell on your decision. We request you stay at the palace for a few nights, to see how you feel. In the meantime, I believe you have someone else who wishes to see you,” the queen nods and I here rapid steps behind me. I turn around just in time to stabilize myself for the impact of a running knight.

“well hello there Virgil, gosh, did you finally grow some muscle on those bones or is that all the armor?” I say jokingly as I feel the warmth of Virgil against my neck. I hug him back before he pulls back with a watery smile.

“at least I grew since the last time I really saw you. God you’re just as short as you were all those years ago. Come with me, we must talk about things, and not bother his highness and her majesty!” he grabs my hand and I barely have time to bid the royals farewell before I was being dragged away.

“slow down virge! I’m gonna scrape the floors at this pace!” I laugh slightly as he stops dead and gives me another hug.

“I’m so sorry lo. I don’t know what I was doing. I didn’t believe you when you said he was bad news, and I hurt you multiple times. I can’t believe I actually did those awful things to you. I am so sorry.” I hug him tightly to reassure him.

“I promise you that I don’t hold any of that against you. You weren’t really in control of yourself. Besides, look at where you are now! You’re a knight in the king’s elite 5! You have everything you’ve ever wished for now V. So what if you frayed a few bridges along the way? You’re happy, and that’s all that matters.” I smile up at him and he rolls his eyes.

“first off, you have the better gig by far dude. Secondly, I never wanted to lose my best friend. If I had known that I wouldn’t have signed up.” He smirks at me.

“I don’t know what you mean by gig-” he interrupts.

“you were just proposed to by the soon to be king. You’ll be set for life!” he smiles and starts walking again, pulling me along.

“I don’t know V, I don’t think the best way to fall in love is to get kidnapped by some nerd in a forest. What if he’s playing me? Trying to get his revenge on me?” we turn a corner and we end up in the kitchen.

“you got him away from his father’s influence for the first time in his life. You showed him what life can really be. I’ll tell you something Lo, that kid hasn’t shut his gob since the day the king died. And 75% of it has been about you. And that’s before I put in a good word for you.” My jaw drops and my eyes widen.

“a good word? What do you mean a good word? What did you tell him?” I panic, Virgil has more dirt on me than anyone else.

“oh, just how sweet and kind you are, how you always know when somethings wrong and know exactly what to do to help, how you have super big hands-” I slap him and gasp.

“you did not say that to the prince!!!” I look at him alarmed.

“I most certainly did. You can shower me in your thanks after we see Patton, Remy, and Thomas, I know Patton loves you and Rem and Tommy have been itching to meet you ever since the curse wore off. Patton seems to be the only one other than you who didn’t get turned into a total dick under the curse. Legit he’s fricken pure.” We weave through the kitchen until we see Patton and two more guys who look identical to each other. Virgil clears his throat as to not scare the three men with butchers’ knives. The three immediately turn towards us and smile.

“Logan!! I didn’t think his highness was actually going to- is that a fairy?!?!” Patton squeals and grabs D and starts cooing over them. “who is this little guy?!”

“uh, pal, they like the term pal, not in the binary. Their name translates to Deceit in common. I usually call them D though. Also, they usually prefer fae or faeling over fairy.” I see D struggling to free themselves and chuckle a bit. Patton’s eyes widen and he starts apologizing profusely.

“oh gosh!!! I’m so sorry pal! I didn’t know I’m so so sorry! Deceit huh? Why’re they called that? Does it mean the same in their language as it does in ours?” he blabbers out while examining the small fae who wants to bite him.

“it’s no problem, they are very feisty and angry when overwhelmed, often attacking and sometimes killing humans they see as a threat through false promises. It isn’t exactly the same, but similar. Also, D! Stop trying to bite him! He’s nice I promise.” Patton nods with a smile while D sits “pretty” with a more neutral face than before. I swear the thing is part dog, it’s ridiculous. Eventually they stop being nervous and start to revel in the soft pets they are given by Pat.

“so, this is the infamous Logan Rainier? He’s so tiny! I would have expected such a feared criminal to be a bit taller. I bet he didn’t sleep well as a kid, sleep helps you grow!” one of the twins says. I twitch a bit at the old name.

“Logan Beowulf if you’d please, that name and family has dead for a decade and a half. Speaking of that family, do you know if they are still alive Virgil?” V and the twins look to each other before looking at me with pity.

“I’m afraid they were executed soon after you kidnapped the prince. I am so sorry Logan.” I shrug.

“oh well. They might as well have been dead to me anyways. Even a curse doesn’t take control that easily. They shunned me out of petty fear. They were always scared of me. I just wish I had been able to say goodbye” I turn to the twins. “so, which one of you is which? Thomas and Remy, I assume?” I gesture at them. They nod. Remy slides down his sunglasses, he’s the one who was talking about me earlier.

“yuperoo, sorry for misnaming ya bro. Remy, the older brother. Nice ta finally meetcha.” He holds out his hand and I shake it.

“you are literally one minute older than me, why do you do this?! Hmph, I’m Thomas, the more responsible brother” He sends a look to Remy who returns it with a smile. “so, how’s it feel to be the object of devotion of the soon-to-be king?”

I blush brightly I’m certain. “I-I don’t know, I feel like we should get to know each other before just getting married. All I know about him is all the shitty things his father did to him.” as I finish I see a moment of understanding in all four of them.

“wait, all of that in the court back then, that was all real?!?” I nod slowly.

“honestly, it is pretty obvious when you pay enough attention. The prince, he would never stop talking when I had taken him away. Not for a second. I think he was word dumping so someone knew of the problem. It was as if a metaphorical zipper was pulled open for the first time in his life. Some of it he specifically told me, like him wanting to be a hero, some I guessed, like him being mentally abused. Did he truly never leave the palace? Not even for schooling?” they all look to one another and nod.

“he was taught by his parents, and sometimes a tutor usually being myself or Patton. The king didn’t trust people talking to him for the most part. Scared rumors would spread to him, was what he always said. In hindsight it was pretty obvious. He rarely spoke back then. I think usually he would ask for something small and thank people and that was pretty much it.” Thomas said resigned.

Suddenly I heard a booming voice sounding like none other than the prince himself. “attention staff, not only do we have a guest of great honor for the next week, but remember that tonight is the royal gala. I have taken note of the ill-preparedness of the ballroom and implore thee all to get it ready soon, for guests shall be arriving in approximately 3 hours. In other words, hop to it! Thank you all, remember that you are all very much allowed to join the festivities, as it would be awful for those who put it together to not be able to join! Also please send head guard Virgil and our guest of honor to my quarters, I have some business with them.” I look at Virgil who smiles.

“gala?! I was not told of this!!! What kind of malarkey is this?! D, stay with Patton, Vir-wait let go of me!!!” I’m being dragged back.

“come on Beowulf.”

We get to the prince’s chambers and we see he has outfits floating around the room. As soon as I step in, one of the outfits flies in front of me and Roman starts examining me and it. he snaps his fingers and the outfit flies into the closet.

“um, your highness, what exactly are you doing? I’m con-” and another outfit flies in front of me.

“it’s simple Logan, I’m finding a proper outfit for you to don this evening! As well as Virgil, because he is a dear friend and confidant of mine, and I’m not letting him wear his armor to the ball, and I know for a fact that that is his only semblance of fancy attire. I really need to get you more proper attire my dear sir knight.” He smirks and goes through outfit after outfit for the both of us.

Eventually he finds us satisfying attire. I get adorned with a black tailcoat with royal blue trim, matching dress pants, a royal blue shirt, black boots, and a blue messenger cap with black, blue, and peacock feathers. Virgil ends up with a purple hooded, double breasted trench coat with black accents and covered in awards and medals, with matching slacks, a maroon long sleeved collared shirt, and black, knee high, heeled wrap boots. He also combs back his hair and is told to grab a favor from someone. When his highness steps in front of me once again, I feel my face darken as his glance seems to be inspecting the entirety of my soul. He smiles and conjures a bright red carnation. He tucks it in my breast pocket before sweeping my hair to the right and conjures a white carnation tucking it behind my ear. He steps away quickly and looks at us both with a proud look.

“you both look lovely. It seems I took a bit longer for you two than I planned, it’s been two hours, which leaves me one to figure myself out! Heheh! If you would, could you go check on the preparations in the kitchen and ballroom for me?” we both nod and hurry out being careful with our new outfits.

“our young prince is quite generous is he not?” Virgil says on the way.

“yes. He is quite… over the top however. Why do I have two different flowers on me? What do they mean?” Virgil snickers.

“oh, have you forgotten your second language? The boy is not subtle. The one easiest to see is the white carnation, symbol for purity and luck, while the red means love and affection. The young prince is also the only one who gives flowers as favors, so everyone will know not to mess with you. Did I mention he’s a bit possessive?” my face only reddens more.

We head to the kitchen and see the three from earlier doing even more work faster than before. Even D is flitting around and helping. Virgil clears his throat and the three look at us for a second before going back to work.

“sorry V, too much to do right now, we only have an hour left to get all this ready.” Patton said tiredly.

“don’t you three need to get ready? Can we help?” Patton looks at us again and nods slightly.

“we can’t have you doing it manually since you’re already dressed up, so Logan probably shouldn’t, but you have stronger magic than the three of us combined so sure!” I frown and pull one of my cooking inventions out of my invention band and toss the toy back and forth before activating it and helping, to the shock of Patton, Remy, and Thomas. In a few minutes we have everything done, and the three are thanking us.

“now you three really should go change, stained baking clothes aren’t exactly gala outfits.” Patton shakes his head.

“oh no, we aren’t attending, someone has to tend to the kitchen while the rest of the staff is having fun! His highness can’t leave everything without staff, the kitchen doesn’t run on its own. But thank you two for the help, it will make the rest of tonight much easier!!” Patton, Remy, and Thomas all smile at us.

“uhhhh, yeah no that’s not happening bud. I will keep this kitchen running bare handed if I have to if it means you three get out there and have a fun night. No ands ifs or buts, you are getting changed right now, and you are going to attend the gala if I have to drag you all by the ears.” Patton argues with him of course.

“Virgil, while that’s a sweet sentiment, it’s not happening. I am in charge of this kitchen, and I’m not leaving it unattended when there is work to be done. And I am stronger than you, you can’t make me leave with you.” He looks sternly down at Virgil with crossed arms.

“hm, true but you know who you will listen to, and is also stronger than you? The prince.” Patton’s eyes widen and the other two gasp.

“you wouldn’t dare. Besides, what reason does he have to care?” he smirks slyly.

“listen, I might have a little sway in the prince’s good book, as well as him having specifically requesting all staff join the gala. You don’t want to disregard a direct order, do you?” Patton’s arms drop and he struggles to respond.

“l-listen, he’s just barely an adult! He’s never worked in a kitchen! He’s trying to be nice, but if his father was ever right about anything, it would be keeping the kitchen staff in the kitchen at all times, the kitchen needs us to stay here, without us who will make more food if we run out? I’ve been working in kitchens since I was five, I might know a thing or two more than him about this! Just- please don’t tell him! It’s for his own good! He won’t even notice! To him this kitchen can run on its own, but you and I both know better!” he’s pleading with him now. Virgil shakes his head.

“you are attending the gala. If there’s a problem his highness can take it up with me. Go change Patton baker. You too sanders twins.” The three sigh and go to change. I look at Virgil once they’ve gone out of earshot.

“you have quite a high status here huh?” I ask him as we walk to check the ballroom.

“meh, his highness likes me I guess? Most of the other guards are assholes, so I guess I’m a nice change. I also have a hefty amount of magic, reason I got knighted so soon. My weapon usage is fantastic, and my magic is OP. People think I had more magic than the king himself, I know for a fact that the prince is better than I am however.” He smiles at me and looks around to see staff members assembling the last arrangements for the ball.

“how do you know that?” I ask curiously.

“he saved you. Once within the king’s radius there was no reversing the affect done to you. He overrode it, it may have only been for an hour, but it was something, and he saved you. If I didn’t already swear my life to him on oath, I would have owed him my life for that alone” He grins at me brightly. “if he wants to be a hero, he’s got another thing coming, cuz he’s one already. I can’t wait to see him grow as a ruler.” Virgil smiled and squeezed my hand, I squeeze back and smile as well. I missed him so much, I’m glad he’s back as himself again.

“neither can I. I hope to be able to move back into the city. I missed it here,” D pulls my hair a bit. “hey, hey cut it out! I like it in the woods too, I just also like speaking to humans ok? Humans don’t live to prank anything that moves. Hey! That hurts!!!” I shoo him off of my head and glare at him.

He starts whispering to me. I shake my head. “listen D, if they are willing to accept me sitting on a throne, I’m sure they’ll be fine with magic creatures roaming around the gardens. I have no doubt. And if I decide not to stay here I will find a place to stay that can host all my faelings anyway” I pat his head and he pretends to bite my finger before sitting back on my head. “you have to behave tonight, if people think I have an unruly fae they will judge the prince and I don’t need that weight on my shoulders.”

Virgil chuckles. “too late for judgement lo. His highness has already been met with much backlash due to his choice of suitors.” I look at him once again.

“who were his original choices?” I ask. Why did I get chosen?

“oh no, don’t get me wrong you were always his choice, he however, made proposals to both myself and Patton out of fear of the backlash of choosing you. But, as me and Pat are already Romantically involved, it wouldn’t have worked out anyways. Besides, like I said, it was always you. He’s the prince it doesn’t matter who he chooses so long as he’s happy. If anyone has a problem with that I will kill them” he laughs when he sees my shocked face. “listen it’s my job. And he’s a good friend, you should know that I’d take a bullet for either of you two. The three cooks too, though I don’t think anyone wants to kill them at this point, considering how hidden they are from the public eye, not to mention how innocent and sweet they are.” Virgil smiles wistfully.

We wander through the ballroom and after a few minutes the three chefs show up all fancied up. The twins are matching in black and red Versailles coats, black slacks, and black flats. Patton is cleaned up very nicely. He is wearing a vest? It’s a white and blue half vest with one long sleeve of light blue color with a thin light blue sash draped around his midriff that is otherwise bare, poufy pants that match his sleeve and a belt matching his vest. His hair covers half his face and I notice that the sides of his head are shaved and also a light blue. He is wearing tan sandals as well. They all look amazing, I’m glad Virgil convinced them to attend. Patton walks up to Virgil and gives him a kiss and I giggle at Virgil’s surprised expression. I only laugh louder when Virgil flips Patton into a dip and Patton squeals.

Some girl passes by us and smiles at us, and Thomas shoves Remy towards her and the two wander off together with the girl hanging off of Rems arm. Thomas smirks at him and starts talking to me.

“finally, he goes and talks with her! He’s been on and on about her for months, and she’s been just as head over heels. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to get me the cute butler! See ya later Beowulf!” and off he goes in the opposite direction than his brother. Patton and Virgil are just talking as the doors fly open and trumpets sound.

“attention all!!! The guests are to be arriving any minute and I request all to be on their best behavior. The festivities shall commence now!!!” the prince heralds to the large room. His mother is by his side and he bows to her before heading up to the mezzanine and looking over the guests. I get a good look at his outfit now. He is wearing a red, white, and gold crop top with angel sleeves and a red sash around his waist, white knee length leggings with a red mid-thigh length skirt, golden knee-high boots, and pure white gloves. He has his golden hair curled so it falls in his face like a waterfall. I get nudged by a smirking Virgil.

“you really do like him, don’t you? You two would be so cute together heheh!” I blush and shush him.

“I was just-hey shut it! I was just admiring his outfit. He looks nice! That’s all! Shhhhush you!!!” Virgil doesn’t stop laughing at me until guests start filing in. His expression sours before he puts his hand on his waist and does something magic. As soon as it left he had a grin back on his face. He steps slightly in front of me and Patton and I notice his smile doesn’t reach his eyes and I’m suddenly stricken with fear.

“well hello there lord Matthew, I thought you were taken off the guest list after the last ball? Don’t you have other parties to crash and reputations to tarnish?” he manages to hiss out with a plastic smile.

“oh, old Richard invited me! I couldn’t turn down the chance to meet the prince’s suitor!!! Why isn’t that him right there? The little criminal? I’m sure his highness will break from his spell soon! What a wicked spell, lasting 5 whole years!” I growl lowly at him.

“yes surely, the one person in the country who doesn’t have magic put a spell on him. yeah that’s reasonable.” I mutter angrily.

“listen Mattie, I’m gonna have to ask you to leave at once. I will not ask twice.” Virgil’s smile drops and he take another step forward.

“how dare you. I have every right to be here. Besides, you’re unarmed, what can you do?” the man tests Virgil. V pulls out a dagger from his waist. He looks over at me and gestures toward the prince.

“you two, please go see the prince. I’m sure he’ll want to know of this.” With that I grab Patton’s hand and run up to Roman. When he sees us, he smiles until he realizes something is wrong.

“what is the matter? No, you can stop running, what’s wrong?” Patton rushes to speak.

“well-uh, so uh, lord Matthew is here, and refused to leave, and Virgil just pulled a knife on him, and he said you needed to know-” before Patton completely finishes Roman is walking down to where Virgil is. Of course, walking, he isn’t scared, he’s calm and in control. We both follow behind at a safe distance.

“lord Matthew! So kind of you to show! I’m sure lord Richard invited you? Virgil please unarm yourself, there shall be no need for violence.” He walks towards them with a sort of swagger in his step. The man sneers.

“I wouldn’t miss meeting your suitor for the world my princess. Yes, lord Richard did invite me! How did you know?!” there was a twitch felt through the room at the use of the term princess. Virgil nearly jumped him there and then, but Roman gave him a stern look.

“oh, it was just a guess! The only other person to get thrown out of a ball other than you! Listen dear lord, my dearest lord, I must ask you to leave, I don’t stand for the harassment of my guardsmen. Virgil would you-” Matthew laughs, interrupting the prince.

“oh no, if anyone hear is leaving, it will be you! We can’t have a gay man as our king! Let alone have a villain upon our throne! No, I shall be taking that throne tonight.” He summons a sword and points it at the prince. I feel myself moving before I fully realize what I’m doing. I pull out my collapsible sword and wrap it around his neck.

“I think you might want to rethink that. Another move and you’re dead, trust me I have no qualms, as you said I’m a villain.” The man drops his sword and falls to his knees. I pull my cuffs out of my storage band and cuff him before putting the sword away. I look up to see all eyes trained on me and my wrist. Someone jumps out and grabs my wrist and pulls on it, causing me to groan in pain.

“what is this?! This is dangerous! Why do you have this?!” I groan again before pulling my arm free.

“It’s connected to my arm. I made it a few years ago, it holds my inventions. It’s no more dangerous than magic swords appearing out of thin air. Also please refrain from touching me.” I glare in the random persons direction. They glare back.

“well you’ll have to take it off. No weapons are allowed in the palace!” I scoff and turn fully towards him.

“listen, first, priorities, you should get some, second, it’s much easier to notice me pulling from my wrist, I’d have another weapon at my neck before I’d be able to do anything, third, what do you think this guy just did?! You should be thanking me not harassing me, fourth, there is no way to detach it. I made it that way, and fifth, I only have like, four weapons in here, the rest is far more important. If you have a problem, you can figure out how to get it off yourself” He looks at the prince likely trying to get sympathy and backing down when he sees he has none. I turn towards Roman once again and bow. “your highness, I apologize for breaking one of your rules, however, my mind went into panic mode. I hope you can forgive me.” He tells me to stand and smiles.

“you have been forgiven, if you were not I would be petty. However, I will have to take a look at that band later. Virgil might you escort lord Matthew into the dungeon? Thank you! Now everyone, please do continue to enjoy the festivities!!! No need to worry, the situation is being handled. Might I speak to you Logan?” as Virgil walks off with the man, and Patton goes over to the twins who had grouped together again, I nod. Nothing better to do I guess.

“of course, your highness. Please lead the way” We head back upstairs and sit down on a bench and start talking about random things before I bring up the topic we were both avoiding. “so, uh, was this the first time something like that was pulled?” I ask quietly and I’m met with a sigh as he leans back on his hands.

“no. most definitely not. I’ve had countless since I came out to the people. for the most part people are accepting, however, there are a handful who aren’t. First one to be at such a big event though. Usually assassins. It’s weird, my father never had anyone attempt to kill him, I guess it must have been his curse at work. There were a few who tried to kill me when I was younger as well, but Virgil hasn’t failed to protect me since he started out here. I honestly wish I had friends like him when I was younger.” He rambles and I frown slightly.

“I’m sorry Roman. You are by far a better person than your father. I want to protect you… and um, I uh, I didn’t need a week to find my answer by the way. I mean, you can still take it back! There are far more men who would be better! And uh, you don’t have to choose me, I don’t deserve to be happy with you, I kidnapped you for god sake! You really-” he interrupts me by just smiling. I lose my words somewhere in my throat.

“listen Logan, you are most definitely who I wish to stand by my side. You were not my choice out of convenience, or out of pure lust. You saved me. You saved me from something that was slowly killing me, and it had almost won. Can I confide in you? I was to be dead in a week when you took me. I had plan after plan to die that following week. You saved me that day, and I’m so sorry that it took me as long as it did to return the favor.” I feel my face flush and he giggles.

“I-I don’t know what to say, I had no idea, you had seemed for the most part just happy.” I admit, looking away slightly.

“no one did. I think the only people at the time who would have cared would have been the twins, Patton, Virgil, and my mother. But that’s old news now, irrelevant. Listen, if you do in fact accept my proposal, would you mind if I kissed you?” my face only feels hotter when he asks that. Instead of speaking, because I’m sure my voice will betray me, I nod firmly.

He leans in rather slowly as if giving me a chance to leave if I choose. When our lips finally touch it’s soft and slow and mind-blowing. I feel my pulse quicken and the urge to just lose myself. I realize that all those stories of having to breathe stopping a kiss were completely false. It starts “heating up” I think is the term? And he wraps his arms around my waist and I panic for a second trying to figure out what to do with my arms before setting them on his shoulders. Almost as soon as I had done that he bit my lip. I gasp and am ready to pull away when he... sticks his tongue in my mouth? I don’t-what? I mean it feels fantastic, don’t get me wrong but- oh ok. I have no idea what is happening but it feels amazing I don’t want it to stop? Unfortunately, that’s exactly when he does. He pulls away with a loopy grin and a look in his eyes that is heart stopping. Not literally but-you know what I mean! I am pretty sure at this point my whole face is completely red. I shakily adjust my glasses before looking away shyly. God why am I so timid?! I just want to be normal for once! I notice that the rest of the ballroom is waving slightly. Huh. Interesting.

“I wanted a bit of privacy. It’s an illusionary wall. To everyone else we were just sitting and talking. I’m sure Virgil already knows its fake by now, I’ve used this trick countless times. Do you mind if I touch you?” I feel my heart melt. What did I do to deserve someone like him falling in love with me?

“of course, Roman. I’m only uncomfortable with strangers and those I don’t trust touching me. I um, I also wouldn’t mind um, doing that-that thing we just did? Again. It was quite uh, p-pleasant.” I sound like an idiot he’s going to hate me god why do I do this?

“hey, Bubbles. Calm down that mind of yours,” he rests his palm on my cheek and I subconsciously lean into it. “I can see you thinking up a storm in there. Relax. And I would also love to do that again if you don’t mind.” I nearly dive into the kiss. I cant believe this is happening, am-am I finally getting my happily ever after?

Taglist: @fivebyfive-finebyfive @tacohippy56900 @analogical-mess @crookedlyoptimisticdestiny @angels-and-dreams @fandomloverangel @violetmcl @absoluteamethyst @i-am-avacado @akwardanonymous @roman-is-a-gay

Let me know if you want to be tagged in my writing!!!

Thank you for reading I will see you later ladies lords and nonbinary royalty!!!

[artcanary]

1-50

oh my god dude 

im gonna put this under a cut bc this is a lot. this is a ride, have fun i guess

1. Your first OC ever?god. its got to be Super Kitty. when i was like … an incredibly small child I used to draw comic strips about this feline caped crusader, who was friends with everyone in the city, and the comics always involved him stopping an evil banana man from stealing money from the local bank. He was paid with donuts for his service to the city. i still remember how to draw him. 

2. Do you have a personal favourite among your OCs?i’d get arrested if I didn’t answer this with Bronze, probably… but really, they’re very important to me

3. Have you ever adopted a character or gotten a character from someone else?man, i cant remember! i really dont think i have… P:

4. A character you rarely talk about?there’s loads of characters ive never even posted a single picture of on tumblr, i wouldnt even know where to start asdf

5. If you could make only one of your OCs popular/known, who would it be? bronze is the easy answer, but��� i guess that could also go to Servant or Westrin. Servant has a comic project in the works that basically stars him, sort of a series of one-shots about the things he’s experienced, i feel like that would be a good thing to take off and run with. Westrin’s just fun as hell, i love the guy.

6. Two OCs of yours that look alike despite not being related?real talk now… there’s at least five different characters that i refer to as a whole as “bronze-tangential”, who started out as, “what would bronze be like if they were in this world?” and then becoming their own thing within said world because i just get stupid attached 

its an epidemic

7. Are your OCs part of any story or stories?nearly all of them, actually. that’s the main reason i make characters, after all! too many to really go into specifics here, again P: 

8. Do you RP as any of your OCs? If you do, introduce one of your RP OCs here!not often, but i think Bronze and Westrin are the most common ones. unless playing a character in dnd, or running an npc in dnd counts… then a whole lot more hahaha

9. Would you ever be willing to give any of your OCs to someone else?it depends on the circumstances. i don’t really like the idea, though. 

10. Introduce an OC with a complicated design? Westrin’s old getup is a pain to draw, and there was one other design i did that I cant find anywhere… whichever way, i dont often tend to draw super complicated things often 

a couple fakemon ive designed though… heheh those can get pretty finicky

11. Is there any OC of yours you could describe as a “sunshine”? hmmmmmmmm my immediate thought was Eric Silverdale from a comic i was working on a few years ago. hes a darling, i want him to be my friend irl

12. Name an OC that isn’t yours but who you like a lothow could you do this to me i love each and every one of all my friends ocs GOD the first one who comes to mind is @d20-official‘s Smith, whos Bronze’s friend… everyone in that DND party actually

13. Do you have any troublemaker OCs? Rated on a scale from “harmless” to “honestly somewhat frightening”: -Baromet (charming and quite friendly but definitely a kleptomaniac),-Westrin (demigod of bards and travelers), -XEN09 (a nonsense hacker), -Conny (needlessly contrarian and dumb as HELL), -Enza Colie (long fucking story but hes a good-for-nothing), -Hemlocke (mad scientist, chaotic evil), -Iris (AI and hacker, VERY bad), -The Terminus (glitch-in-the-matrix demon, chaotic evil), -and Sydd (the Queen of the Faeries, hopefully the danger there needs no explaining :’D)

14. Introduce an OC with a tragic backstory Mmm… there’s a few of them, most obviously Lent (whose background I did a short comic about). Basically his entire town got eaten by ghosts and turned into zombies, he only barely survived with a sliver of his soul left. 

15. Do you like to talk about your OCs with other people?yes, i often discuss storylines and such with friends

16. Which one of your OCs would be the best at biology (school subject)? Probably Bronze’s dad! I don’t talk about him much, but his name’s Devon Reed, and he was a biotech developer specialising in android design. 

I often describe him as being something of a reverse Arthur Weasley - a very fatherly scientist fascinated to the moon and back with the concept of magic. 

17. Any OC OTPs? having trouble thinking of a lot of them right now, but there’s Eric + Lent & Naiadine + Tailias from Emerald Sigil, Avken + Baromet from my space campaign world, Sydd + Wyvv from my unnamed campaign world, and I’ve been considering Westrin + Servant as an interesting dynamic in Servant’s story

18. Any OC crackships? My character Bismuth and @autistictimeknight​‘s oc Eros. Theyre so fucking in love, I love it. Its been awhile but I do still think about them sometimes.

As I recall, Eros is an empath, she can read other people’s emotions. But Bismuth is a robot, and Eros can’t read her. Because of this Eros can let go of her fear of unintentionally manipulating the emotions of her date, which would hold her back from most other relationships. 

19. Introduce an OC that means a lot to you (and explain why)Hey, meet Bronze! I definitely do not talk about them every five minutes, why would you say that. 

Bronze was with me through two of the hardest years of my life so far, and being a DND character they grew with me, both as a fighter and as a person. They were non-binary before I started using those pronouns, they were the first character or person or anything who I fought someone about using the right pronouns for, they make a great icebreaker for if I want to see how someone reacts to non-binary pronouns … 

One funny anecdote about Bronze is that when I first made them, their “gimmick” was that they would sometimes glitch out and mess up their speech, mostly because I wanted an excuse not to engage in the roleplaying (which I was very bad at). The interesting thing is that as I got better at interacting with the group, we both grew out of needing it very quickly. 

I’m very proud of Bronze. 

20. Do any of your OCs sing? If they sing, care to share more details (headcanon voice, what kind of songs they like etc)?Westrin is a bard! His singing voice sounds like Bill Wurtz and these are his theme songs.

21. Your most artistic OCProbably Westrin again, he writes a lot of songs… and Hallux is a game designer?

22. Is there any OC of yours people tend to mischaracterize? If yes, how? I honestly dont know… no-one talks to me about them, haha! 

people use all manner of pronouns for bronze, though. 

23. Introduce OC that has changed from your first idea concerning what the character would be like?I’m gonna go with Enza for this one. Enza Colie was originally written entirely because I wanted an antagonist for a short starring his sister, Jane Colie. But the more I fleshed out his reasonings for acting how he did and explored his character, the more I realised he’d make an even more interesting character if allowed to have a redemption arc, too. 

I just want to state for the record that I was very reluctant to the idea, and he basically dragged his way out of the villain pit entirely of his own accord. I am dubiously proud of him, and also a bit scared. 

24. If you could meet one OC of yours, who would it be and why?Probably either Eric (Big Man, Best Friend), Crocus (Mother figure), Reed (Father Figure), Westrin (hed just make a good friend u kno??), or Bismuth (she makes good conversation!)

25. The OC that resembles you the most (same hobby, height, shared like/dislike for something etc?)probably the homestuck fan-troll Hallux, but that’s mostly because they were based on a troll-sona I made awhile ago. They’re a hope/prospit game designer who is small and full of rage and love

oh, and there’s dave! dave’s a superhero speedster, existing in a modern-day superhero version of seattle. theyre idiot, just like me,

26. Have you ever had to change your OC’s design or something else about them against your will? this is an interesting one… i don’t think ive ever had something Bad in a design ive done called to my attention by someone, but I did create my character Servant at around the same time I was first really expanding the diversity of my casts. (since i don’t talk about him often, a little context: he’s a magic spirit creature bound to human form to serve the royal family of the land and follow their orders.) 

somehow, younger-and-more-stupid me managed to have the revelation that making this “eternal slave” character literally anything other than a white man, especially as a white author, would be Pretty Not Good. im … thats really, really not something i should pat myself on the back for, but i do consider it one of the biggest bullets dodged in my artistic career so far that i realised that not all representation is good representation so quickly, before i could make that incredibly, incurably stupid mistake. 

after that, trying to make sure my characters and their presentations don’t harm anyone pretty much has become a paranoia. i don’t seem to have stepped on any toes yet, but when it inevitably happens, please let me know - i didnt know, and i want to fix it! 

27. Any OCs that were inspired by a certain song? None that I can think of, actually! I don’t really do that often. 

28. Your most dangerous OC? god damn it i have no idea!!! is it the terminus? glitch in the matrix god of chaos motherfucker?is it sarle? terrifying calculating scientist with the power of the soul at her fingertips ??? is it ares??? is it athena????? is it petra?????? the gatekeeper???? 

… actually, the gatekeeper might be it, if “dangerous” just refers to “the amount of raw power it can wield”. the Gatekeeper is a titanic entity that exists in interdimensional multiverse space, and its implied to have the ability to create and destroy entire universe bubbles at will. for what cosmic purpose, no-one knows. 

at a more personal scale, though, literally all of the aforementioned characters are pretty bad to run into too. 

29. Which one of your OCs would go investigate an abandoned house at night without telling anyone they’re going?god. Mina or Tawn. Tawn is the Indiana Jonesy type and probably dumb enough, but also competent enough not to get into too much trouble there. Mina would probably drag her friends along. 

30. Which one of your OCs would most likely have a secret stuffed animal collection? XEN09. No-one knows, because no-one knows xir personal identity. Xe absolutely does, though. It’s less of a secret if you know xir in person, but good luck finding out about it otherwise. 

31. Pick one OC of yours and explain what their tumblr blog would be like (what they reblog, layout, anything really)dave just reblogs memes all the time tbh. they like to keep tabs on the ridiculous superhero news going on, and they show human jokes and cat videos to their alien gf. they dont really post or add to posts, but they talk in tags a lot. 

32. Which one of your OCs would be the most suitable horror game protagonist and why? i want to say tawn because i literally just realised ive been imagining their voice as sounding like luigi this entire fucking time and i never realised until this exact instant

33. Your shyest OC?probably baromet. they prefer to keep to themself in their hideout, with their collection of shiny things. they don’t really enjoy trying to communicate much, mostly because they expect to get yelled at. 

34. Do you have any twin characters?Yes! At least two sets; 

- Crocus and Sarle. (x) (x) They don’t exactly have a very well-developed relationship, but they are both quite important to the plot of my campaign world, and they are both very interesting. Crocus is a motherly figure who just exudes friendliness, while Sarle is .. very much not that, a researcher studying very gruesome things and pushing the boundaries of reality. 

- Jane and Enza Colie. I haven’t talked a whole lot about either of them here, but I’d rather leave their story to do the talking whenever I get around to it. Essentially, the both of them were intended to do the dirty work for their crime boss family, but Jane ditched to study medicine. Most of the conflict between the two of them comes out of Enza not understanding why she made the choice she did, and coming to understand how he’s been manipulated. 

35. Any sibling characters? I can’t really think of any off the top of my head, I should … I should really work on that. 

I can talk about Westrin, though. Westrin (a demigod of many things, but namely bards, travel, travelers, and people who are lost) often becomes close friends with mortals, sometimes practically adopting them. These people who consider him family, and people who have received his blessing, are able to use his surname, Brilanta, as their own if they choose. So I guess all of the Brilantas are siblings, at least in spirit. 

Oh, and XEN09 has like, seven siblings. Xe is the second-oldest, and least remarkable. 

36. Do you have OC pairs where the other part belongs to someone else (siblings, lovers, friends etc)? I already talked about Eros and Bismuth up there a ways in question 18, but I’ll talk about another relationship here. @autistictimeknight​‘s character, Nova the Alchemist, is mentor and adopted parental figure to my character Munna. Munna … Munna isn’t a very good apprentice. She tries very hard. 

37. Introduce an OC who is not quite human That’s most of them, I’m not quite sure what to say here. Bronze is an android? Bronze again? Westrin? All the aliens ?? 

38. Which one of your OCs would be the best dancer? man. uh. westrin or jean. or perhaps valencia. 

39. Introduce any character you want ??? uhhhHHHhhHHH Lord Brillium is the reigning deity of the Cloud Kingdoms in the other campaign setting I’m working on. They represent light and the quest for knowledge, and spend most of their days in the Cathedral Observatory watching the stars. 

40. Any fond memories linked to your characters? Feel free to share!one time bronze flew a hover-bike through the stained glass window in a cathedral blaring all star by smash mouth on their iguana

also one time bronze rickrolled a rakshasa demon and then pulled updog on it like, two minutes later

another time bronze scared off an entire army by pretending to be an automated security system 

41. Has anyone drawn fanart of your OCs? If yes, maybe show a picture or two here (remember sources & permissions!)ive got a whole little folder on here from all you blessed people !!!! right now ive got a drawing quinn did of one o fmy characters as my lockscreen

but i think the one i’ll really never ever get over is this piece of Jane, by @rabendraws​ / @owoltron​: 

(i bet you thought i forgot about this, dude. dude. think again.) 

42. Which one of your OCs would be the most interested in Greek gods? this is kind of a weird question, m, I feel like Bismuth would find learning about the mythos utterly fascinating, as would Tawn. 

43. Do you have any certain type when you create your OCs? Do you tend to favour some certain traits or looks? It’s time to confesshaha. uh. i might. 

aside from the entire “bronze-tangential characters” thing i mentioned awhile back, I tend to really like designing characters with hair color lighter than their skin color. it just looks so cool man. i love drawing freckles but dont put them on enough characters. i like really curly hair, but also really long and flowy hair. i like drawing triangular body types, and pointy/prominent noses. 

44. Something you like about your OCs in generaluhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh this is a really vague question. m. m. 

45. A character you no longer use?there’s old versions of characters, but a lot of my older ones have been somehow repurposed. I guess there’s Turien, my first-ever DND character, who’s just kind of sitting dead now. Haven’t really done anything with him other than a pretty recent tangential character. 

46. Has anyone ever told you that you treat your OCs badly?Not that I can think of.

47. Has anyone ever (friendly) claimed any of your OCs as their child? Im certain it’s happened, but I can’t remember any specific instances. 

48. OC who is a perfect cinnamon roll, too good for this world, too pureSpring. spring knows nothing of th dangers of the world who is letting them into fights someon eneeds to stop this

(spring roll, hehe.) 

49. Which one of your OCs would most likely enjoy memesim not sure what this question is asking since many of my ocs actively enjoy memes including but not limited to westrin, dave, bronze, xen09, iris, and doctor archersen

50. Give me the good ol’ OC talk here. Talk about anything you wanti think. i think im going to pass on this one. i gave you the good old oc talk. your damn turn, yall: 

if you have any questions about any of these guys feel free to shoot one at me!

thats all from me im tired and its one am. techskylander you absolute madman