#i'm usually all about those bright colors but i am so digging this

[hannie-dul-set]

PATIENCE, PATIENCE.

p — SIM JAEYUN x gn! reader. g — humor, fluff. w — swearing, making out, secondhand embarrassment aka the hannie-dul-set fic triumvirate + a good amount of public indecency. 1.5k words.

requested by — anon: cocky jock (who loses that cockiness around you) x reserved student librarian (who loses that cool because of him).

note — loosely inspired by a moment from the manhwa "unstoppable hayoung" ifykyk. in a prev fic i alluded beomgyu to a mosquito, in this one jake to a pest. i think i'm seeing a pattern here.

a pest has been following you for quite some time now.

“sim jaeyun.”

his name falls icy off your tongue, prefacing it with a sharp inhale yet the man in question is unfazed. he’s trespassing the barrier that’s preventing you from socking him in the face: the front desk of the library where he’s decided to prop his arms over, leaning into the surface, smiling oh-so-handsomely at you as if you aren’t politely telling him to fuck off with your eyes alone.

then again. you don’t really expect him to understand social cues.

“for the dozenth time, please leave me alone.”

so you verbalize your intent instead.

“i can’t do that, baby,” he replies. “not until you agree to go out with me.”

you suck in a deep huff of air, close your eyes, and dig your fingers into your thighs to ward away the distress.

“just one date. please?” he prods, nudging himself closer over the desk as if the scrawls of paper you’re trying to organize aren’t as important as his incessant badgering. “are you really going to keep saying no to this face?” the face in mention looks particularly punch-able right now. you’ve always taken pride in yourself for being a very patient, patient individual. jake sim from philosophy 102 is testing that patience.

“the library is for reading,” you say through gritted teeth. patience, patience, patience. you’re a daffodil on a breezy field, a piece of driftwood on a steady river. you will not fight a man in your workplace. you will keep your job and maintain inner peace.

“i am reading,” he argues. “i’m trying to read your mind because i don’t get why you don’t want to go out with me.”

holy crap. he’s insufferable.

“i’ve already told you dozens of times, jake.” now, you don’t know a thing or two about the ball sport he does, but that pink varsity jacket is starting to look abhorrent. it’s being shoved into your face the more he tries to throw himself over your desk. a bright jarring color, unsafe for the eyes. “i don’t want to go out with you. also, i’d appreciate if you stop ruining my work.”

one of the documents got wrinkled under his elbow. his mouth opens, “oh, sorry!” and he quickly backs off, ironing the sheet with his palms. “but at least tell me why you don’t want to go out with me. you keep rejecting me with a blank face but i don’t know why.”

your upper lip twitches. 

because this is all because of a dare, that’s fucking why.

no, even that aside, the way he keeps arrogantly trying to hit on you, expecting you to just accept it and go is grinding your gears. you’re calm. you’re usually calm. but something about this guy just pushes all your buttons in one go, makes you spew out bullshit you’d never dare yourself to say to anyone else.

“hey,” your rouse. “can you kiss me right now?”

two can play at that game, bitch.

it works. it works really well because jake is suddenly as pink as his jacket. well, you don’t blame him. the library isn’t safe from gross, hormonal activities, but those are usually done in between the shelves— not at the front desk near the entrance. 

you’re mimicking his stance, leaned forward, arms crossed over the desk and all. “like— like a peck on the cheek?” he stutters.

“no. like tongue in mouth kissing me like a starved man and it’s your last meal on death row,” you clarify. it’s funny how you can see his brain circuits crashing in real time. serves him right. you let out a breath and stand up, seeing the clock tick closer to your break. you quickly gather your things and circle out from behind the desk, now in cross-armed disappointment next to your persistent pest. “this is why i don’t want to go out with you, jake. you don’t even have feelings for me. you’re doing this because your friends told you to, and i don’t—”

suddenly, you feel something soft on your lips.

suddenly, your knees are weak, your mind is fuzzy, and you’re exchanging spit with jake sim in the library lobby.

wait, you gasp into his mouth and he responds with a grunt. wait, your eyelids flutter, air knocked out of your chest that’s somehow now pressed against his because wait— this wasn’t supposed to go this way. 

how dare he actually do what you told him to? how dare he give you the best damn kiss you’ll ever have in your life? 

“what the fuck?” you breathe out in intermittent huffs, hands on his chest as you pull yourself back. jake’s hazy eyes are looking at you in a way that makes your brain jump in circles, coupled by the arm that he has looped around your lower back. he’s crazy. he’s fucking crazy. “why— why would you do that?!”

“you told me to kiss you!”

“and you did?!”

your eyes widen at the volume of your own voice, quickly slapping a hand over your swollen lips, but making noise is at the bottom of your library sins today. you see your supervisor’s attention on you from the corner of your eye, and your face flushes. “why would you go this far for a dare?” you say in a quieter voice, still manic, still frantic, and jake flinches hard when you jab a finger to his chest. “you’re nuts, you’re actually nuts, oh my god—”

“wait, what do you mean dare?” your finger seems to be hurting him because he grabs your wrist and brings your hand down. “a dare? a dare to do what?”

you seethe. “don’t play dumb with me, jake. overheard you and your little soccer friends last time—”

“it’s football—”

“i don’t care.” your voice is getting louder again. jake flinches once more. “the problem here is you keep asking me out to date you because your soccer friends are betting on who can bed the quiet library assistant first and— and i’m not going to play dumb just because you’re a good kisser. i’m angry and disgusted and—”

“do you mind continuing your argument outside?”

your mouth is hanging open, paused mid-speech. when you peer to your left, you see that your supervisor has teleported right next to you. oh, god. there goes your job. jake apologizes for the both of you and skews your frozen figure out the door. you’re screwed. your patience could handle six months at starbucks and three months babysitting three toddlers, but i cannot handle one sim jaeyun.

“so,” the perpetrator’s voice snaps you back to reality. you’re both now outside the library, and he’s looking at you with a smugness that begs a kick to the balls. “you think i kiss good.”

your face bitters. “is that your only takeaway from all that?”

“no,” he shakes his head. “i also got that you’re rightfully mad at me for something i have to clear up.”

here we go. you’re curious to see what excuses he’ll make, how many sorry’s he’ll impart, and if he’ll get down on his knees. jake. but his starting words aren’t what you’re hoping for. “there isn’t a bet,” he starts. “my teammates were just trying to tease me because i didn’t have the balls to ask you out. dumb, i know, but they were dumber because they were all like, ‘if you don’t make a move soon, we will, blah, blah, blah’ to provoke me so—”

jake is matching his varsity jacket again.

“long story short, i made them run fifteen laps and decided to get it over with by asking you out on a date.”

you’re brought back to the first instance jake had asked you out— it was in the lecture hall, right after class, and he was wearing the same pink jacket that at this point seems like his second skin. the color isn’t as jarring as you initially thought.

“but rejection didn’t feel nice. so i thought i’d try again.”

you narrow your eyes. “again, as in like, eight times?”

“you counted?” he muses. you are unamused. he clears his throat and continues. “you’re always so calm and collected, but your eyebrows would furrow and your face would scrunch up whenever i threw you the question. it’s cute. i got addicted. you can’t pin all the blame on me.”

you let his words simmer, and with each passing second of silence jake grows more nervous, fidgeting in wait. you decide to spare him the agony, letting out a deep and heavy sigh. “okay. you’re forgiven.”

it’s instantaneous how his face lights up. now, you’re the one flinching.

“nice! does that mean we’re dating now? can i kiss you again?”

“now hold on,” you stop him, mildly appalled, mostly flustered. “i said i forgive you. i never said we can start making out in a public area again.”

he bats his eyes at you. “in private then?” 

you want to hit him. you want to hit him so bad. sim jaeyun is the pest that has been following you for quite some time now. you fear that at this point, there’s no getting rid of him now.

PATIENCE, PATIENCE. © hannie-dul-set, 2023.

[alfalfascouting]

My Friend is an Amazing Artist and I Don't Know How to Talk About Art! 😰 Help??

No need to fear. Most of us art folk don't expect non-art folk to tell us that you can feel the echoes of impressionist thinking or that we have great economy of line. Some of us might not even know what to do with a statement like that. We just made something cool and we wanna share it with you.

So, if you're floundering trying to think of something to say, here's a buffet of examples for you. Some artists might like some of these more than others. You might like some of them more than others. They're food for thought; get thinking.

Talk about the Subject

And don't be afraid to state the obvious! We work hard to make the characters recognizable, to make the fabric look like it's caught in a breeze, to frame a city so that it looks alive. A great start is recognizing what you see.

Do you know the person, creature, place, or thing in the art?

"Hey, I remember you talking about him!"

"That's beautiful, what kind of bird is that?"

"That is the most haunted castle I've ever seen."

Do you know them REALLY well?

"Oh my god, that's my character! I love the way you did their hair!"

"That was one of my favorite places, growing up. I think you really got what I liked about it."

"I remember when that happened, in the story. When they were looking up through the fire and the clouds and it felt like they weren't going to make it, like... damn."

Is something happening in the art?

"Ough, that looks super painful."

"Wow, it's almost like she's flying. Like she could dance right off the paper."

"Now I know that when you said explosion, you meant literally all of it."

Attention to details

"Did you design this outfit for them? It looks awesome."

"It's so spiky. Menacing. Like it's really gonna eat you."

"I'm always amazed by how well you draw hands."

Talk about the Methods & Medium

You don't need to know fancy art words to do this. You just need to dig a little deeper into how they made it and how it turned out.

Recognizing style

"Your lines are always so smooth and graceful."

"The texture of this is really interesting, like waxy and crumbling..."

"I love the way your art is so bright and intense, all glitched out."

Some open-ended questions

"How do you get the colors to turn out this way?"

"You said you make these all out of found materials, so, how do you choose which ones to use?"

"How long does it take you to make these?"

"Did you do a lot of planning for this, or did you make it up as you went along? (And if planned, what do the plans look like?)"

"Can you tell me more about how you decided to make this? Were you inspired by anything?"

Talk about Your Experience

There's a reason we showed you, and it's usually because we thought you in particular would get something out of this artwork. So what are you getting?

How do you feel?

"Seeing them together makes me really happy. All is right with the world."

"I don't know what it is about it, but it feels really sharp, like it could burn me if I get too close."

"It looks so cold and quiet, like the middle of winter in the middle of nowhere."

"This is one of those feelings that you can't really describe in words, and I didn't think anybody would be able to put it down on paper, either, but you did it."

What are you thinking about?

"All those little things on the shelf make me think of traveling around the world and getting souvenirs from each place."

"I wish I could live in your fantasy forest."

"This makes me think of some of the dark times in my life, too. But I got through it. And we'll get through it."

"Honestly, your drawings of cats always make me want to go pick up my cat even though I just talked to her 2 minutes ago. They're that fluffy."

"Every time you send me one of these I just can't get over how incredible all of it is, and I want to point at every single thing and wave my arms around and babble nonsense until you understand just how excited I am that this is sitting in front of me right now and you made it."

In Conclusion

I found a lot of funny public domain pictures of people looking at (or pointing at) art and now that's your problem.

Also, feel free to share your own tips on talking about art for non-art people.

[galaxofmuses]

Drabble: The First

Warning: Misgendering cw, Blood cw, Gore cw, Death cw

"Hey Bluebird! You wanna go to downtown for some lunch?" She puts her arms around them and chuckling from their small height. Mari is definitely taller then Gilly.

"Yeah I don't mind! I got some free time today." They laughs in return and well accepts the arm embrace from their best friend. Grinning in return that knowing that their best friend has always have a huge stomach, but always competing against Henry and Scott.

"Heck yeah! We're gonna drag the boys to the district eventually! You know Henry is a fuckin' monster when it comes to food." Does a fist pump of victory and letting out a gremlin-like chuckle.

"Right. Right. Let's just go get some katsu curry. I'm really itching to get my usual." Looking at their phone to check if the place is open and of course the chatter continues until.....

-----

*static changes into another memory*

"You sick fuck!"

"You really gonna take Gilly away from us?" Tied up and forced to be on her knees. Mari is surrounded in the dark and frantically looking around while trying to break free.

'Oh I am not going to take her away....yet.'

"They don't use those pronouns anymore and you know it! I trusted you! You bastard!"

'Ha ha ha....Well...You're not gonna catch me. I have the power to control Marie and I'm going to eventually tear our crew apart.'

' One by one.'

"Hah! That's a laugh! You're gonna expect anyone to fall for this? You're just all by your damn self!"

The moment of hesitation knowing that the harsh truth was right in their face and growls.

'.....You....Shouldn't have said that.'

She felt someone approaching to her and confused to see a stranger.

A woman dressed in a fancy black dress.

"....Who the fuck?"

"My dear. You are making such noise in my realm."

Without any hesitation Xen digs their nails into Mari's face and just scratches across her mouth. which they let's their victim a blood curdling scream. With a cold smirk and admiring Mari's anger and colorful language and to see her soul. The bright red fiery soul that seems to be an endless bonfire in their eyes.

With a grin as they took their chin to forced her to look at them. Mari did not hesitate to spit on their cheek. The bloody spit drips down his face as the followers gasps in fear and along with the shadowed stranger. With no remorse, Xen wipes it away and still eyeing on her.

"Curious.....I wonder why you care about your friend so much? Well....No need to answer....I shall eventually find it. You on the other hand, You intrigue me Marie. They are right to bring you here and you are going to be of great use." Smearing the blood away from the girl's stained cheek. Xen slowly moves their face to hers with a cold glance.

"....You shall join me."

A gasp of surprise as she is already in pain from her mouth absolutely slashed from this monster. Mari felt her inside are torn out by Xen's hand which simply dig through her chest as if it's was clay to be played. Losing so much flesh, so much blood as it drips and pools out of her body. Her ears are ringing and flooding with so much noise that she can't bear it. The last thing Mari sees is that familiar figure stepping out into the light, but her vision is giving up on her and her tears are filling up his eyes. Knowing the horrors that her friends are going to look for her. Especially Scott.

[im-wrynning]

Elfebruary day 11: Underwater

[dizzydennis]

Sonic x Rouge Cover Story (Part 2)

Translator note: Thank you for checking out Part 2 of Rouge’s cover story. I have no idea why it was separated like this, but it’s fine in the end. I am not fluent in Japanese and I am still learning how to be a better translator. Please note that there will likely be mistakes in my work here, but I hope you enjoy the story. Also, I am busy with work and didn’t have the luxury of working on my laptop for this one. While riding a Shinkansen, I typed this out on my phone. If there are any mistakes, please forgive me.

Within the center of Eggman Land, there is a deep vertical hole deep in the ground that goes over 100 meters down.

This was the site of the “Gaia Temple.”

The temple, which once stood for the "healing" of this planet, was tucked into the underground of Eggman Land, but emerged during a big battle and is now sleeping deep in the depths of the planet.

At the bottom of this hole was a figure that landed silently. After looking around carefully, this person said in an overly satisfied tone:

"Huh. It seems that all those robots that gathered together to get Sonic. All for little ol’ me! ♪"

This person was Rouge the Bat. When she looked at the radar she was carrying she could see Sonic was a ways off; just as planned.

"Everybody should get a friendly little hedgehog friend!~"

It seemed certain that she pushed the enemy towards Sonic and to drive them as far away as possible. Then, on the contrary, Sonic was heading for this very spot.

Soon after reaching the deepest part of the tall rock spires of the temple, Rouge found a stone that was dimly shining through the darkness, picked it up, and gracefully pressed it against her cheek.

“I finally found you! And you’re just such a cutie!”

"... Who are you talking to and what are you saying?"

When asked from behind, Rouge looked blankly forward with the stone still on her cheek.

"Oh ...? Did you abandon your work? That’s pretty naughty, Sonic."

Rouge's expression, as she slowly looked back and asked, returned to her usual graceful smile.

“Well, I know you’re the worst kind of lady and I couldn't help it," Sonic answered with an obnoxious grin.

Knowing the location of the Chaos Emerald with the energy detector, Sonic noticed Rouge's plan to use him to allow her a chance to take the gem and so… he quickly showed up here.

The communicator that was informing her of his position would still be spinning on rotation.

"So, what are ya going to do with that Chaos Emerald?"

Rouge smiled and returned without any fear.

"Well, I was thinking that I’d bring it home … What do you say to that?"

Rouge continued, shifting her gaze from the ring on Sonic’s left hand to the Chaos Emerald.

“You’ll soon realize the value of a better gem when one comes around.”

With that said, she slammed a smoke bomb, that she took out from in-between her breasts, on the ground.

<< BANG! >> >>

The area was covered with white smoke.

"Hey! What about our deal earlier!?"

When Sonic shook off the smoke, Rouge had already grabbed on to a large escape balloon and was rising into the sky.

"... Well that takes care of that! My investigation has already ended ♪ You were very useful for the time being, so I will share my intel as promised. Eggman Land’s power restarted because of that seven-colored shooting star ... and the Chaos Emerald accidentally fell here. "

The setup was a little crazy, but Rouge got the Chaos Emerald anyway. She began talking to earn time to escape.

“Well look at that, the Gaia Temple that was previously here was also a power spot for the Chaos Emeralds, right? Perhaps because of that, it seems the underground temple responded to all that Chaos Energy and began to spread energy around the area.”

Sonic didn’t seem to move at all.

"Well, I gave it some thought... If I were to come down here then I might happen upon a Chaos Emerald myself.”

So that was it. Sonic began to speak back.

"OK, but the Chaos Emeralds don’t really belong to anyone. They’ve just been used by some of us when the world was really in a pinch.”

It didn’t matter to Rouge as she let out a soft, “But…"

"But what?"

“But… isn’t it just great to be able to dig in and steal it?”

The next moment Sonic grinned as he dashed towards Rouge.

"!?"

Sonic used the slopes of the rock pillars to spin dash into the sky. As he crossed by Rouge, he grabbed the Chaos Emerald right from her hand.”

"Oh! You thief!"

With a wink, Sonic fell to the bottom of the vertical hole with a huge smile across his face. Rouge was at a loss for words and swooped down to catch up to him!

<< RUMBLE ...! >> >>

Suddenly, all the lights in Eggman Land shut off and the planet shook violently.

A plethora of dazzling streaks of light rose from the very bottom of the vertical hole. The lights shot out in countless directions, and the entire place was engulfed with light once Sonic landed.

The five Chaos Emeralds that Sonic had in his possession started to shine brightly as if they were responding to the lights below.

"What is this......!?"

A glow returned to the darkened and drained Chaos Emeralds.

Maybe it's because five Chaos Emeralds were gathered in the same place where the Gaia Temple used to be. Perhaps it was because Sonic has a deep connection with the temple. Either way, some slumbering power had “found” the Chaos Emerald.

Rouge, who was watching this from the sky, was completely awestruck at such a beautiful scene.

Moreover, the darkness that has spread across the entire temple was washed out as huge particles of light seemed to cut out through the engravings along the side of the large hole. They became even more gorgeous as they shined in seven bright colors.

It looked like a fancy jewel placed on top of high quality black velvet fabric.

"...!"

Rouge glanced at its beauty with longing eyes as she let out a sigh.

For the realist that Rouge was: gems that are unobtainable are truly worthless. However, the hint of "better jewels" still being out there made Rouge happy.

... She could hear Sonic calling from far below her feet.

"Hey! Are you going to come back for it?”

Sonic was shouting with the Chaos Emerald in his hand. It was if he wasn’t going to put up a fight at all.

Of course, she wasn’t going to give up on this real jewel. Right now, no matter what went down in Eggman Land, people’s hearts don’t change. Rouge squinted her eyes and made a confident smile. She pretended to give up and assessed her chances for a surprise attack.

“Well… I lost. I don’t need a sneaky hedgehog’s emerald anyway! Besides—”

<< Crack ...! >> >>

As Rouge flew, the circumference of the hole began cracking apart as the planet shook again.

<< RUMBLE ...! >> >>

"What!? What’s happening this time!?”

A vertical hole that was originally struck in an unnatural shape ... I couldn't stand the torrent of light. The vertical hole couldn’t withstand the barrage of light. The buildings and attractions of Eggman Land fell as if they were caught in an avalanche. The whole thin collapsed.

...... Now’s the time to strike!

If Rouge could get off a surprise move now, she could possibly get all five of Sonic’s emeralds! However, Sonic was able to avoid a giant Eggman statue that had collapsed and fallen in. Sonic slipped back and fell into the smoke.

Sonic would be fine in a situation like this. Rouge, however, concentrated all of her cunning towards an overhead surprise attack once the smoke settled.

But then ...

"I'm sorry to have kept a lady waiting, but I can’t give much more of an apology, right? By the way, what were you trying to tell me earlier?"

Rouge was hearing Sonic's cocky voice from the communicator.

Rouge dropped her head in sadness. Sonic had already escaped. Also, his communicator must was very far away from where he was ... Rouge realized that it was impossible to catch up with him.

Really, this guy does every single thing he wants to, doesn’t he?

"It's so annoying. I now have nothing!"

Saying that, Rouge got rid of her communicator and let her escape balloon go too. She then angrily flew into the sky.

Sonic, on the other hand, almost instantly returned to his usual demeanor with a cheeky expression. Before running off, he left a last message on his communicator despite the fact that nobody would hear it.

"Well, Rouge. Did you enjoy yourself today?"

The night was soon erased by a wave of light. Morning had come to Eggman Land, the place for hopes and desire.

The amusement park, which welcomed two guests during its bustling night of resurrection had collapsed and fallen completely silent. Now, it seemed nothing more than a set of ruins. Casting a dark shadow onto the new morning.

With that in mind, Rouge, who ended up going home empty-handed, was flying in the sky with horrid thoughts in her mind. However, she suddenly went silent when she thought about the jewel of light she saw.

Even so, it was overwhelming. That unrealistic beauty it had... What if Rouge could just know how valuable it was?

"... Well, you’ll just have to find it for yourself then!"

"Motivation" is the "ideal jewel". Maybe there was some value in this, depending on how you think about it.

Let's leave things as they are. Rouge was in a good mood as these thoughts raced through her mind. She then flew off into the sunrise.

“I'll definitely get all the jewels I want anyway! All jewels in the world are my mine to keep! ♪”

[moon-stars01]

Screaming Colors

Minghao x Reader

Author:chimout

Summary:She watches him as he obliviously paints an evening sky he has never seen, and decides that he is the most beautiful art she has ever seen.

Gene:blind Minghao,fluffy fluff,art student au,high school au,cute,photography

Rating:General Audiences

•Screaming Colors•

He is standing there, his eyes clouded over, unfocused gaze wavering through the air. His hands are in his pockets, his dog's tight leash wrapped firmly in his grasp, and she wonders how such a beautiful and stunning person could even manage to exist. Her heart thumps in her chest as her breathing stops short, and she watches as he reaches down to pet the dog, his eyes still skimming over the busy trail in front of him. And, as the scene traps her in a boundless vortex, her fingers reach for her camera, and snaps the moment into a single frame.

Her first shot of him was in art class; he sat two seats away, a dazed gaze always flitting off into some unbound space she could not comprehend. His focus never seemed to stay fixed, and she can still remember their teacher's desperate voice as they tried to gather his attention back towards the matter at hand. But his gaze continued to stray towards some unknown abyss, and she wondered what he was dreaming of, because his photography and graphic designs could never tell her so much. They were blurry and insignificant, earning him questionable grades, and she wondered why the boy was in such an advanced class in the first place. He never seemed to truly care about his subject; the matter was always a sort of point and shoot, and the lack of thought was maddening on her behalf.

She never toyed with the idea that he is, most probably, blind, until one day she saw him in the art room alone, his hands coated in dry paint, pools of liquid spilling onto the floor below as a canvas screaming with curious colours stood in awe in front of him. There were no brushes lying about; he had painted the masterpiece with his own two hands.

And his gaze was still aimed at the sky.

Her curiosity only grew steadily from then on. Quietly, she'd follow him, watching him from the corner of her eyes as he dipped his fingers into red and blue and yellow, and allowed his fingers to dance across white sheets as they painted the evening sky. And the more curious she becomes, the more her heart speeds at the mere sight of his breathtaking form.

She watches him as he turns towards the sound of her camera, the dog beside him merely panting in recognition as it barks softly at the scurrying squirrels around them, excitement splurging in vivid pace. He tilts his head in confusion, his eyebrows digging deeper into the bridge of his nose, the haunting blank stare now somehow focused on her. "Is anybody there?"

A small breath escapes her nose as she presses her lips together, unsure whether to reveal her ghostly presence. She stares at the camera in her hands, her fingers shyly skimming through past pictures she took of him; her mouth aches to share words with the model she has long admired.

"Hi," she whispers, and she is unsure if he could hear her until she sees his frown lessen. "Sorry for scaring you."

"Do I know you?" he asks, and her heart is thumping because she wishes he would somehow recognise her. But she barely speaks in class, and she has yet to hold a conversation with him, and she finds it impossible that he would somehow find familiarity in her voice unless—

"You feel familiar."

She freezes and swallows softly as he elicits an awkward laugh, his hand finding the back of his neck almost instinctively, and the dog beside him whimpers and the sudden tug. "Sorry, that may have sounded strange. I mean, it feels like we've met before."

That much is true; he is as much of a stranger as she is to him, despite the lingering watch she keeps on him. She ponders upon her words, trying to hide the stalkerish secret she keeps. "We haven't met before. . . but we do share a class."

"You're the one who keeps taking pictures of me!" She freezes, and she finds him grinning, a blush on his cheeks as his stare seemed to wander away from her figure and towards the nature around them. "I was wondering who my personal photographer was."

"I—I'm sorry—"

He blushes deeper, and the shade of red against his cheeks is the most beautiful shade she's ever seen. "It's alright. It's actually quite flattering. I'm Minghao. I don't think I've caught your name."

"Y/n," she replies instinctively, and her fingers ache to capture the smile he directs at her. "You're a really great artist, by the way." This time, her cheeks are the ones wearing crimson hues. "Your paintings—they're remarkable."

"I've never seen them for myself." He wears a coy smile, as though there is a joke that only he and he alone could understand. "As you can see, I'm blind."

She smiles shyly back, silently musing over his subtle pun. "Um, yeah. I didn't realise when I first noticed you."

He cocks an eyebrow. "My photographs weren't obvious clues? Either they somehow all came out really good, or you suck as a photographer."

A laughter escapes her before she could stop it, and she sees him smiling wider at the sound. "No, they were really horrible. I just thought—I don't know—that you maybe had a lack of interest in the arts."

"Art is my favourite subject, actually," he corrects, and leans down to pet his guide dog that has been obediently quiet ever since the chattering animals around them disappeared. "But I can't do anything with things I can't touch. Which is why painting is my favourite medium."

"Because your hands are your brushes," she realises, and he nods, his fingers dancing on his thighs. "You can feel where the colours go just by touching the canvas."

He laughs, and it sounds almost nervous and shy, as though this is the longest conversation he has held with a complete stranger. She doesn't blame him; her chest is aching by now, and her mind is still having trouble grasping at the fact the conversation is even reality. The whole scenario simply seems somehow surreal in both their eyes.

"Kind of. I can roughly imagine the image I'm painting, but I can't actually see the colours. I usually dip my hands in some paint and hope the colours come out alright. Usually, my friends would tease me because I'm painting the sky yellow and the sun black." His face is red as though the confession is a crime, and she is astounded by his obvious luck and talent as she remembers the first evening sky she ever saw him paint.

The question slips before she could even consider it: "What if I described the colours to you?"

He chuckles. "My friends have tried, trust me. They just go, 'Yellow is the sun, and black is dark.' Which is nice of them, but it doesn't help much, since I've never seen the sun and everything looks dark to me."

She laughs. "Well, they are right. The sun is yellow, and black is dark, but yellow is also the colour of warmth, that fuzzy feeling when you laugh so much your stomach hurts, when the world suddenly seems so bright. And then black is that feeling when you're really sad and everything just seem so out of reach, like you're falling into an abyss that you can't escape. It's the colour of depression."

"You're better at this than they are," he says, and she laughs again, and he smiles suddenly, his face glowing gold. "Your laughter sounds like yellow to me."

"Is that how'd you paint me?"

"A giant blob of yellow on a blank canvas," he agrees, chuckling softly in amusement as his dull irises sparkle in new life. "You could start helping me paint from now on."

"Yeah?"

"As long you stop taking pictures of me when I'm unaware," he compromises. "I swear those pictures must be really embarrassing."

"Actually, you look quite charming in them."

He smiles. "What colour am I, then?"

She ponders silently as she watches the white clouds float past, the butterflies in her stomach finally settling somewhere deep. "You're a multitude of colours, Minghao," she decides, and she could feel his smile stretching, her answer obviously pleasing him. "You're yellow and black and everything in between. You're screaming with colours."

[fangirlings-things]

Ocean Eyes II

OCEAN EYES MASTERLIST

Word count: 5.4K

SET ON 5x12/5x13

A/N: hiiii guys!!! new chapter is finally here!! thank you guys for all the positive feedback, this story means a lot to me and I'm glad you're all enjoying it as well!! hope you guys like this one, let me know your thoughts, lots of love 💖

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The morning was cold. The sky was heavy with clouds and the breeze seemed to chill everyone's bones. 

You were walking around the royal villa, talking to some of the common people and buying a few things from traders as you usually did. Those moments outside the palace, where the ones you felt like you could really breathe and think. Away from all the power and responsibility that came with the position your family held in society. 

"Do you think the King would like this, Eldara?" you asked your handmaid, helding a black stone in your hand.  It was so dark and beautiful, it reminded you of your brother's eyes. Sunlight seemed to shine upon it and the effect was amazing. 

"I think he would, my Lady. It is a beautiful gift" Eldara smiled dearly at you and you could not help but smile right back at her. You considered her to be the closest to a real friend you ever had. Being a Princess since you were born, stopped you from having many things. Things you would have preferred instead of jewelry and power. 

"Very well then, I will take it" you looked at the very old men who was trading the stone and placed two coins in his hand. The smile he gave you in gratitude enlightened your day and made you run your eyes through the other stones he had to offer, searching for another with the thought that perhaps your mother would like one of those, in mind. 

You eyes ended up falling upon a large stone, that had a deep blue coloration. Such a clean, light blue that it remided you of the eyes of the Northman you had seen from up close in the night before. The one who had held you in place and asked for your honesty. 

A little disturbed for your own thoughts, you thanked the old man for the stone and started to walk away with Eldara following closely behind you, while helding some of the other things you had bought, like paint, as your mother had asked you to. 

You kept on walking around the villa, until you saw something that caught your attention. The Lady Elsewith, walking without her usual servants to one of the stables, inspected the royal villa with her eyes as if she was hiding something. 

It made you frown, as she disappeared inside it in a clear rush. Only a few instants later, Bjorn Ironside entered the same stable without bothering to even look around. Oh no, he would not. He was too proud for that. 

"Eldara, take all this back to my chambers. I will take another look around before returning to the palace" you gave her the stone you had just bought to Alfred, and she placed it inside the basket she carried with your buyings. Bowing in respect, she turned around and walked back to the palace just as you had ordered her to. 

Sighting heavily, now completely alone, you recognized your fears for what you had seen and allowed them to show up in your expression. You were afraid of being right about the matter as you made your way towards the stables. With every step, you wished to turn around and pretend you did not see anything. But you knew you could not. It was too important to just let go. 

You had to know. 

You realized your fears to have been right placed as you watched in horror, Elsewith and Bjorn Ironside kissing each other hungrily inside the stables, away from other's stares. In secret, where no one else would know. The sound of their breaths hissing made you warm with anger, that you felt for both of them. Both of them were betraying Alfred, your twin in that moment and he did not deserve that. Not at all. 

When they finally pulled back from one another Elsewith left the stables without saying a word, but with a smile on her swollen lips. You let her go without seeing you, as you had got into the stables through another entrance. 

You thought about following her, confronting her and accuse her of such an horrible thing to do with your brother. The King! But you declined that idea the moment you saw the convinced smile that curved Bjorn Ironside's lips up. To see him so proud of himself about that made you realize that he was the one who needed confronting, not Elsewith. 

"Is it your wish to break the alliance my brother has made with you?" you stepped out of the hidden corner where you had been standing and walked over to the Northman with determinion, one that always took a hold of you when angered. One that made you not hesitate before doing things and jump into decisions. 

"Do you often spy on people, Lady (Y/N)?" he stared down at you, the irony in his voice as clear as a bright sky. 

"You may be a living legend Bjorn Ironside, but here you are at my brother's service and mercy. Under the command of the King of Wessex. And that woman" you raised your right arm in the air with exasperation and pointed to the space through which Elsewith had gone out. "is his betrothed. So you stay away from her" 

He analyzed you deeply, carefully. There was a spark of interest in his eyes as he did so, as if that argue between you two was the most exciting thing that had happened to him in the past days. "Are you threatening me?" 

"No, I am warning you" you clenched your jaw and dig your finger nails so deep into your palms that they ached in pain. "I will forget that this has happened. But you stay away from the Lady, Bjorn Ironside, or this alliance will have no future" 

"It already does not. My brother and my mother might believe you, but I do not. I am not a fool" he took a step closer and you took a step back in reflex, which you instantly regretted because his smile got bigger. "Alfred will kill my people, just like King Ecbert did. And if that comes to happen, I will do to him what I did to Ecbert. You want to know how your grandfather died?" 

"Don't" you took another step back, suddenly more than afraid of him. Horrified. No, you did not want to know. Had no interest in it. You had already suffered enough without knowing the circumstances of it. 

Your visible fear gave Bjorn more encouragement than he already had. "He died in his roman bathing house" he started, enjoying the moment and you desperately wanted to leave but for some reason, found yourself unable to move. "He cut his own wrists and bleed out like a goat in a sacrifice" tears were already streaming down your face by then and your vision was so blurry that you did not notice the Northman was so close until he whispered his next words in your ear. "There was no honor in his death. Such a great King, had a miserable, little end" 

And then he was gone. 

You just stayed there, crying as you thought about your grandfather. How he had felt. What would have been his last thoughts or wishes. All those feelings overwhelmed you and made you feel like a child again, wanting nothing more than your grandfather's care. One you could not have. 

Your steps out of the stables were taken slowly, one after the other. You could not see a feet away because of the tears in your eyes. Honestly, you did not care. All you wanted was to keep crying. 

You almost fell to ground when your body collided with a much larger one and you would have, if the man's arms had not been closed around your arms and held you up. Blinking to make the tears fall and your vision to be clearer, you saw Ubbe staring down at you with a deep frown of confusion. He semeed almost... worried. 

"What has happened?" he asked, still without letting go of your arms. In that moment, your mind was too far away to even enjoy the warmth of his touch like you had in the previous night. 

Forcing your way out of his grip you ran away from him and the royal villa. Your red dress, waved behind you like a cloth lost in the wind. 

─━─━─━─「⊱✠⊰」──━─━─「⊱✠⊰」━─━─

"Are you going to tell me what happened?" 

Alfred was sitting at one of the tables of the room, signing a few documents that were to be delivered to the Lords of the Witan, matters of the crown you absolutely did not want to know about. At every five seconds, his eyes would go to you before going back to the documents. He had been concerned ever since he saw your face was a little red, which indicated you had clearly been crying. 

"It is not something you should worry about, brother" you smiled at him, turning another page of the book you were reading. It was the middle of the afternoon and even though Bjorn Ironside's words were still in your mind you had been trying to push them away, to be fine in front of others. Your brother needed you beside him with the current mess that was Wessex and you refused to break down and disappoint him. That would not happen. "You have more important matters to attend to" 

"You will always come first, sister" you smiled at each other at that and then, the doors were suddenly opened and Aethelred rushed in with a dangerous expression on his face. You had seen that expression before and did not like it at all. 

"Bishop Cuhtred is dead!" he instantly announced, going towards Alfred's table and stopping in front of it. His eyes sparkled with anger. 

"What?" was all Alfred could mumble out through the shock that hit him and you in that moment. 

"Cuhtred is dead, murdered!" Aethelred's voice got higher and more urgent as he spoke. 

"Murdered?" Alfred frowned. "By who?"

"By Lord Heahmund" your older brother's voice was lower now, as Alfred got up at hearing that answer. "In the cathedral" 

You placed your book down at your lap, closing it. Alfred's reign was so new and yet had more problems than your grandfather's had in years. You could see the pressure on his shoulders by how they hanged low, and the way his eyes seemed to deepen in his skull by each day. 

"Where is Heahmund now?" your twin asked, and his voice was now stern as well as dangerous. You could see the fury building up inside him. You knew why. On the other day, he had refused to give Heahmund his old title as Prince of the Holy Church, since it had been already been given to Lord Cuhtred. Clearly, Heahmund had taken matters into his own hands. 

"Here. In the chapel" as soon as those words left Aethelred's mouth, Alfred stormed out of the room. You knew he was going to the chapel. Aethelred turned around to follow him, but you quickly got up. 

"Aethelred?" you called and he stopped, looking at you for the first time since he had entered the room. "I want to apologize for the things I said before. They were cruel and I regret them. I truly am sorry" 

He did not smile, just nodded his head and then rushed after Alfred because he clearly also wanted to confront Heahmund. 

You sat back at your chair, sighting without knowing if you had been forgiven. 

 ─━─━─━─「⊱✠⊰」─━──━─「⊱✠⊰」━─━─

"My Lady" the guard at the door bowed slightly as you approached the door he had been ordered to guard. 

"Let me pass" you said, holding firmly the metal plate you had in your hands. The guard seemed hesitant only for a moment before stepping to the side and opening up the door to you. As soon as you entered the room that was illuminated only by a few candle lights, he closed it again. 

Your eyes instantly fell upon the man you had gone there to see. He was sitting on the ground, a book in his hands as a calm expression filled his face. When he saw you standing there, he instantly frowned. You clearly were not someone he had expected to see. 

"Lady (Y/N)" he said in surprise, closing the book slowly as he probably tried to understand the point of your visit. 

"I brought you some food, my Lord Heahmund" you sat down on your legs on the ground close to him, then placed the plate in the space between you. You saw how his eyes went to the food with urgency but still, he did not move to take it. "Please, eat"

"I hope you do not find me rude for asking why is the motivation of this kind visit, Lady. I am sure the King has told you what I did to be here now, imprisoned" he smiled minimally. For himself or for you, you did not find out.

"He did tell me and that is exactly why I am here" as you spoke those words, you remembered the earlier discussion between your brothers. You and your mother had watched it without much interference as their argued about what should be the fate of Heahmund, after the declaration that the murder had been committed because of a conspiracy, in which Cuthbert was the heart. That had filled you with fear for your brother. "I need you to look me in the eye and tell me if you were being honest, Lord Heahmund. That if the King were to restore you to your title as Prince of the Holy Church, you would get to the bottom of this conspiracy and name the other members" 

The hint of the previous smile disappeared from Heahmund's face and something very serious took it's place. Leaning slightly forward to get closer to you, he fixed his dark eyes in yours. "I swear in the name of God, Lady, that I will stop this conspiracy. I will give to the King the names of the traitors so that Wessex's Witan can be freed from this evil people"

Perhaps it was the so seemed honesty in his voice and expression, or maybe the urgency and fear you felt, that made you so quickly believe him. That made you decide to side with Alfred to the idea of actually restoring Heahmund to his previous position in the Church. Keep your brother safe from danger was the most important thing in the world for you and if that depended on that man of God, who had killed a fellow holy man inside the house of God, so be it. 

"In that case, if you are really being honest, I will vouch for you, Lord Heahmund. I will advice my brother to restore you to your title and position" you were the one who leaned forward in that moment, wishing to be able to see his soul and his thoughts. What he was really made of. "But remember this, you have sworn in the name of God. If you are lying, your Lord will punish you severely" 

"Your Lord?" he said, in an echo of your own words and you then realized to have said too much. Luckily, he did not insist on the matter and proceeded. "I am aware of the oath I made, my Lady. I can say for sure that I will face no punishments as I was speaking the truth. I want your brother to stay in the throne and rule Wessex. I believe he will be a great King, like your grandfather, King Ecbert, was"

You smiled a little at him, then got up to your feet, fixing the cloth of your dress minimally for a second. "Eat the food. I will send someone later to bring you more and some wine" 

"Thank you, my Lady (Y/N)" he also smiled, bowing with the same amount of respect he always showed the members of royalty. He was an intriguing man, Heahmund. You did think that. 

Once again in the corridors after leaving the room where Heahmund had been imprisoned behind, a million thoughts ran through your mind in a rush. 

Bjorn Ironside's cruelty when speaking of your grandfather. Ubbe's worried look when you bumped into him in the royal villa. Aethelred's distant look when you apologized. The conspiracy to overthrow and assassinate Alfred. 

"Lagertha" you said her name slowly, when she came face to face with you, going to the way you had just left. 

"Lady (Y/N)" she said with a little smile and a deep northern accent. She had a beautiful voice, with such power and impact. It resembled herself a lot. "Are you well?" 

"Yes" you answered and only after you did, the sudden question made you frown. "If you don't mind me asking, why do you ask?" 

"Ubbe told me about what happened at the royal villa this morning" Lagertha took a few more steps in your direction, her white hair amazed you under the candlelights. Being so close to such a strong, incredible woman and she knowing that you had cried in public, made your cheeks red with embarrassment. "He is worried about you" 

That made your shame slip away and focus only in what she had just said. "Is he?" it came out as barely a whisper, but she heard and nodded in confirmation. You could see her inspecting you with utter attention, as if trying to understand who you were and your intentions completely. "I ask you to thank him for the kind concern, but I am well. Nothing has happened" 

"It is a lie" she said and your eyes widened for the sudden affirmation, made with such confidence. "Something has happened and I think it is related to my son" 

"Why would you..." you began, but she interrupted you almost at the very same moment. 

"I know my son. When Ubbe spoke about you and what happened in the royal villa, how you bumped into each other, I saw Bjorn's face. I saw the smile he carried and I knew he was involved" you looked down at your feet, feeling embarrassed again and even more than that, you felt how he had deeply hurt you with his words earlier. How he had told you something you absolutely did not wish to know. "Listen to me, dear child" Lagertha placed her hands on the sides of your face and made you stare at her in the eyes again. Hers were blue, but not as blue as Ubbe's. No eyes were like his. "My son is a difficult, stubborn man and I suppose me and Ragnar are the one's to blame for that. Bjorn can be reckless and rough, but believe me when I say that he wants this alliance to work. He knows it's value and he is thankful for the King having stood by us but his pride, makes it almost impossible to be seen" 

"Thank you, Lagertha" you said, trying hardly to believe her words. You wanted to belive that Bjorn Ironside was not a horrible person. But after that morning, you found it to be very difficult. The North woman smiled and then walked by you, continuing on her way, the one you had just come from. 

You knew, in your heart, that she was going to see Heahmund. 

─━─━─━─「⊱✠⊰」──━─━─「⊱✠⊰」━─━─

"Hello, grandfather" 

You were sitting in the stairs that led to the altar where King Ecbert had been buried. You had your back to the altar and your eyes in the doors you had closed after entering that place, alone. Your arms rested in your knees and your hair fell upon your shoulders and chest, because you held your head down. In that place, away from everyone, you felt like you could show some real fragility. 

"I am sorry for disturbing your sleep, again as I have done before, but I had to talk to you" you swallowed hard and sighted. "There is so much going on. Alfred is sitting in the throne and trying his best to keep it, but the Witan seems to hate him. I fear for his future and the future of Wessex" a cold breeze entered through one of the open windows and a shiver run down your spine. "Also, the Northmen are here. Not a raiding party, just a small group. Two of the sons of Ragnar are here. Bjorn Ironside and Ubbe, I believe you met them before..." your voice died in your throat and you had to take a moment to find it again inside yourself. "Bjorn spoke about your death, grandfather. Even though I did not wish to hear it. He said you killed yourself in your bathing house" the tears came, as you expected them to. It was no surprise when they started to fall down your face. "I know you loved that place. You would spend hours in there" you laughed a little, thinking about it and sighted. "I hope you found peace, grandfather. I know the faith you had in God and I hope you are with him right now, showing him your wisdom"

You fell silent. There was so much to say and yet, so little. You wanted to talk and talk with your grandfather like you used to, but it felt wrong to disturb him. So you turned most of what you wanted to say away, but there was one thing you could not ignore. 

"If you are really in heaven, grandfather, are you also with my father, Athelstan? I believe so, because you always told me that you two were close. So if he is there, please, ask him why does he not love me. Why he keeps not showing himself to me like he does to Alfred" you thought about the other night, how you had called for him but still, there was no answer at all. "What have I ever done wrong to deserve such thing?" 

Suddenly the doors to the room where opened and as you cleaned your tears and tried to look serious and presentable, a guard came in. "My Lady, I am sorry to disturb you" 

"It is not a problem" you sighted and got to your feet, fixing the cloth of your dress so that it would look as it should, and not so kneaded. "What is it?" 

"Ubbe, the son of Ragnar Lothbrok, has asked to speak with you" the guard said, his voice without any emotion as it was typical of the royal guards. They did not show feelings or talked with nothing more than respect towards the royal family. 

"With me and the King?" you said, surprised with that statement. 

"No, my Lady, just you"

"Oh" you could not stop that sound from leaving your mouth. The fact that the Northman wanted to see you and you only, made you feel nervous, but not in a bad way. You truly realized in that moment that you did not fear him. Not Ubbe, who had been nothing but respectful since you met. "Where is he now?"

"Waiting for you in one of the private rooms in the south side of the palace, my Lady. The one next to the Chapel" he explained, as you walked down the few stairs and in his direction.

"Thank you" you smiled at him in gratitude and he flushed in surprise and embarrassment. Some of the guards would always do that when you were actually kind to them and payed them some attention, something the other members of the royal family were not used to do, not even your twin.

─━─━─━─「⊱✠⊰」─━━─━─「⊱✠⊰」━─━─

Only when you stopped at the doors of the room the guard had said the Northman was in, you realized how hard your heart was beating inside your chest. It felt like at some point it would just break it's way through your ribs.

After taking a deep breath you opened just one of the doors and looked inside almost shyly, as if that palace was not your house but his.

Ubbe had leaned his back against one of the stone walls and had his arms crossed over his chest, his gaze was glued to his feet as he seemed to be lost in thoughts. When he saw you standing there, he stood straight and joined his hands in front of his body, respectful as usual. "Lady (Y/N)"

"Ubbe" you got in, closed the door behind you and then slowly made your way towards him. You stopped a few steps away from him, in an acceptable distance, not even close to the proximity you two had shared in the other day, in the dark corridors. "I have been told you wanted to speak to me?"

"Yes" he took a deep breath, as if gaining courage for what he had to say. He averted his eyes from yours and began to feel worried about what he had to say. But then, his ocean eyes found yours again and the expression in his face was agitated, but not necessarily meant something bad. "Me and Torvi, my wife, we accept the King's proposal" he took a few seconds to say the word wife out loud. "We will become christians"

Instantly, your face lit up in a big smile. The sadness you felt before almost forgotten now, after hearing, such unexpected and yet incredibly good for the future, news. "Ubbe, that it's incredible!" you could not contain your excitement and took a few more steps in his direction. "By doing that you are lifting a heavy burden from my brother's shoulders. With the doing of this, the lands of East Anglia can be given to your people in a short time"

"I hope so" he said, squeezing his lips in a thin line. You could see how difficult that was being for him, to accept the deal and become a Christian, renounce his Gods in public. That only made his sacrifice even greater.

"I will inform the King of this great news immediately" you smiled and motioned to walk away, but before you could one of Ubbe's hands closed around your arm. His touch was the same from the other day. Not too hard, just enough to keep you in place. Gracious, gentle even. You frowned at him, surprised and confused.

"Why were you crying this morning?" the Northman asked, searching for the answer in your expression and eyes. There they were again, those deep blue ocean eyes so close. "You bumped into me and I saw that you were crying. Now, you seem like you have been crying as well. What is it?"

"I am fine, Ubbe" you averted your eyes from his, wanting to escape but not really though. You wanted him to stop seeking those answers, to forget what he had seen. And yet, you did not want him to let your arm go and walk out of that room without saying more.

"Does it have anything to do with my brother, Bjorn?" you sighted and kept your gaze away from his, the warmth of his touch once more giving you chills. Suddenly, he raised his other hand and gently placed it under your chin, making you raise your head and look him in the eye. The proximity, the moment, his breath that almost touched your face, it was all too much.

"What...?" you began, but he interrupted you soon enough.

"I saw him leaving the stables before you" Ubbe said and as the expression in your face became incredibly sad, something seemed to grown inside his chest. "Did he hurt you?"

You saw something there, a little spark that you did not know what meant. "No. I mean, yes" you motioned to get out his grip and away from him and he did not stop you, just watched as you stopped again a few meters away, your back facing him. "He said some hard things"

You heard Ubbe move behind you, but did not turn around to look. You did not want him to see you like that, so vulnerable. Almost no one ever saw you in such a way.

"What did he say?" he spoke again and in the same moment, you realized how close he stood. If you took just one single, short step back, your back would probably hit his chest. You could feel him there, ghosting, looking you from above like he always did.

"He told me how my grandfather died, even though I did not wish to know" you chuckled sadly, not a single drop of genuine humor in it. "He made it a great speech. About lack of honor and shame" your whole being burned in anger and rage tears fell down your face. "It was horrible. Perverse and cruel. Just... cruel"

Ubbe sighted heavily behind you, the tension in the room so heavy that the air seemed not to be enough. Slowly, he raised his hands and touched your arms upon the sleeves of your dress, for what purpose exactly, even he did not know.

Unlike before though, when he touched you, a rush of thoughts ran through your mind. He was a Northman. You barely knew him. He had taken part in the death of your grandfather. Why did he touch you like that? Like he cared? Why was he so kind to you even though he had no reason to? Just why?

You jumped away from Ubbe's touch, only then turning to look at him. You took in the confusion in his eyes only for a moment before looking away. "I will inform the King and have the ceremony prepared for you and... your wife" like him, you took a few seconds to say wife out loud.

And then, you stormed out. ─━─━─━─「⊱✠⊰」─━━─━─「⊱✠⊰」━─━─

"Before being received into God's Holy Church, you most renoune your former errors"

You saw Ubbe's jaw clenched when Bishop Heahmund said those words. Hear his Gods called erros felt extremely wrong, even for you. Alfred, who stood beside you, looked at you with a little nervousness. The Lords of the Witan were around, their hatred for the Northmen clear in their features. Also, their hate for Bishop Heahmund who by your brother's determination, had been restored to his position as Prince of the Holy Church.

"I renounce my belief" Ubbe said, his voice clear and confident for everyone to hear. You wondered how much those words would have weighted to be said. "In Odin and all the other pagan gods"

You heard a grunt to your left and from the corner of your eye, you saw how Bjorn Ironside's face was twisted into anger. The Lord's rage was nothing compared to the one that Bjorn showed. Beside him, Lagertha's face was stern and incapable to read.

"I renounce my belief in Odin and all the other pagan gods" Torvi, Ubbe's wife, said as well.

They were both inside the lake to where the court had gone for the ceremony, with water to their knees. Heahmund was there as well, performing the ceremony.

Slowly, Heahmund approached Ubbe, moving water as he did so. He raised his hands and placed them on each side of Ubbe's neck, his thumb stopping close to his ears. He made Ubbe bow his head a little and then, Heahmund breathed to his forehead, his eyes closed in concentration.

"With my breath, I do exercise this evil spirits which inhabit you" Heahmund said his blessing in latin, first to Ubbe and then towards Torvi. You watched how uncomfortable they seemed and felt some regret, for having them renounce their beliefs like that. "Amen" Heahmund finalized his prayer.

You heard someone spit and turning to the left, you saw Bjorn leaving the place with heavy steps and rage escaping him in every move. You knew he was incredibly mad about the consilium, about his brother becoming a christian. Well, now, it was too late. You could now see that written in Lagertha's stern features.

As the ceremony was almost finished, Ubbe and Torvi turned to look at Alfred. They stared deep into the King's eyes, the unspoken words there more than clear. We did our part. Now do yours. Your brother moved his head in affirmation, and then Ubbe's eyes fell on you. The conversation you had shared in the previous day ran through both of your minds. While you remembered his touch, he remembered how sad you looked.

And the consilium seemed to be over in that very moment, as you forgot about everyone else and stared into his ocean eyes.

[lastluvbug]

Dude your little fool me once and twice series just stabbed me I'm the feels like, dude I am legit crying. XD WE NEED SOME FLUFF IN THIS PIECE SO ITS UP TO ME TO REQUEST SOMETHING! (if you are willing to do it you don't have to just saying.) So can you do a request where the MC (Yuu) has had a stressful day after dealing with some bullies that she has been trying not to tell anyone about but Kalim and Jamil end up finding out. What will they do?

Ahh!! Thank you thank you for the ask! Of course I’m willing to do it!

Warnings: Bullying

Desert Flower

“Fgnaaaaaaa!!!”

Yuu was roughly torn from her ever enigmatic dreaming by a scratchy scream and a distinct flush of heat to her side.

Yelping through her disorientation, she pushed herself away from the source of the burning, rubbing her eyes to clear away the sleep induced fuzziness. “G-Grim! Hey, what’s wrong?!” She cried, hands hovering just above the cat-like creature who was writhing on the bed, blue flame encircling him.

“Grim! Wake up! You’re having a nightmare!” She took the monster into her arms, biting back a wince as her hands were scorched by the heat, fading after a second as Grim’s eyes snapped open.

“Yuu...! Yuu, he was going to eat me!” He sobbed, cuddling into her embrace.

“Who? What was happening in your dream?”

“It was Jamil’s shadow! He looked so hungry, like he was going to...”

Yuu wanted to laugh, but she smiled softly instead, smoothing out Grim’s fur and petting lightly over his ears, quelling his hysteria. “It wasn’t real. I thought you were a great hero! A hero’s not afraid of anything, right?” She tempted, playing with his small paws.

“Absolutely! I-I’m not afraid of some silly monster!” Grim agreed, taking Yuu’s bait. She was going to reply, when a loud rumbling promptly shut her down, making her laugh briskly. “...But I am scared of this appetite! I’m starving, let’s eat!” He cheered, throwing a curled paw up.

“Hmph, so brave...” She sighed, setting Grim down, “go on down. I’ll meet you there.”

“Okay~!”

Grim leapt off the bed, mumbling something Yuu couldn’t quite catch as he left, kicking the door shut behind him.

Giggling at her friend’s antics, the smile was quickly forgotten as her hands began to sting, sharp as first but easing as she relaxed the muscles. Peering down at the soft skin, she groaned at the cherry red sight, slightly swollen and puffy from the burns they suffered. “Guess I have to be even more careful than before... just until this heals up, that is.”

Yuu was cautious as she stood from the bed and fixed her uniform, brushing out her hair and changing her sleepwear. She hesitated briefly as she glanced herself over in the mirror above the forever unlit fireplace, cringing at her face.

It was apparent she hadn’t gotten enough sleep, as usual, even without Grim’s little interruption. Further still, perhaps unnoticeable by anyone besides her, a dark, defeated darkness twisted her lips in a frown, her bright eyes dimmed with an unnamed melancholy.

She knew the reason why. She knew the reason why she hesitated in every class, why she started eating less and less, why it was becoming difficult to look anyone in the eye.

Pushing the room door open silently, Yuu headed down the hall, flexing her hands slowly in front of her as she sucked in a sharp breath. “That sure looks painful, did the kitty do that to you?” Yuu screamed at the sudden intrusion, jumping back a few feet as she glared at the ghost.

“Do you absolutely need to do that?” She scolded, growling.

“What do you want me to do? Wear a bell and jingle everywhere I go?” The chubby ghost joked, laughing heartily at Yuu’s unimpressed expression. “My concern is real, y’know. I’m not sure you should leave today, especially if you’re going to be hounded by those bullies again.”

Yuu flinched, clenching her fist despite the screaming pain that followed. That one had been her accident.

Ever since arriving at NRC, Yuu was accutely aware of her misplacement, both because of her gender and because of her lack of magical abilities. As if the self doubt wasn’t enough, it wasn’t long before some of the students made the same realization, and used it against her in the worst ways. Tormenting her, they called her names, ridiculed her, broke her down inch by inch.

It wasn’t until she happened to stumble upon a certain pair of classmates that she found a way to cope. She couldn’t remember exactly how she met Kalim Al-Asim and Jamil Viper, but could vaguely recall bumping into the shorter during lunch, earning a snide remark from the vice and a carefree laugh from the head. From there, she found herself spending more and more time with the duo, eventually earning the trust and friendship from them, though it took a while to break down Jamil’s guard.

That was how she managed to hide her secret for so long. She’d met so many people, made so many friends, but none like Kalim and Jamil. She knew that they had a full plate as it was, but adding her problems to it? No way, she wanted to prove that she could handle herself, that she could stand up and face the problem head on.

So one night after a particularly cruel session of verbal abuse, she tucked Grim into bed, rushed to the rundown lounge, and cried. She was sure to be quiet, covering her mouth with her hands and suppressing her whimpers, but cried nonetheless, completely unaware of the ghosts that watched.

When they emerged from the shadows to comfort her, that was when Yuu spilled her troubles, pleading with them to keep it a secret.

“I’ll be fine! After all, I’ll just do what I always do; works like a charm!” Yuu waved him off, shrugging the memory away.

“...Yuu. It’s not healthy to hide these things. Maybe you should tell someone.” He suggested, brows creased.

“No! I can handle this on my own. Now, thank you for your time, but I should be getting to Grim and class. Bye!”

“Just be safe!” The ghost warned, fading back into the walls as Yuu hopped down the steps.

She didn’t respond as she caught Grim in the kitchen, shoveling tuna into his mouth as she laughed. The almost unbearable heat of hunger flooded her gut, but pressing a hand to her stomach and swallowing thickly, she pushed it away. Not now.

“Come on, Grim! I want to go meet Kalim and Jamil!” Yuu smiled, bending over as she placed her hands delicately on her knees.

“Fgna... go yourself, I’m busy.” Grim refused, licking out the rest of the can.

“U-Uh, alright! See you later!” Yuu stammered, feigning bliss as she headed out, crossing her arms defensively across her torso.

As she trudged down Main Street, she glanced around anxiously, heart skipping a beat as sweat beaded on her temples. It wasn’t often she was this nervous, only the times when she was utterly alone in the open. Her bullies never targetted her when she was with someone else, aware that she had a way of guarding herself with another person.

Yuu was climbing the steps to the school building when she noticed them; the four boys leaning against the doors. “Well, looky looky! Up bright and early for the day, birdie?” One of them crowed, making her cringe at the use of the distasteful nickname.

She could recognize them by the colors of their arm bands. Two were from Savanaclaw, one from Heartslabyul, and one from Pomefiore, each with their own way of ripping her self esteem to shreds. “Please leave me alone.” She clipped, keeping her gaze to the concrete.

“Bowing your head? Please, even Riddle could pull off a better act.” Heartslabyul sneered, kicking off the wall.

“No no, I think it suits her,” one of the Savanaclaw lackeys croned, “prey should know their place.”

“You’ll never be like us. You’re just a little girl, meant to serve and nothing more.” The other added.

“And with that face? She’d be lucky to find a man at all!” Pomefiore finished, drowning the staircase in wicked laughter. “Lose a few pounds and we’ll talk, sweetie!”

Yuu grabbed at the hem of her shirts, absorbing every comment, eyes unfocused and blurry. Bearing through the abuse yet again, she pushed through the boys now crowded around her, entering the building and shutting them out.

“It’s not true, it’s not true, it’s not true,” Yuu whispered to herself, covering her ears with her burnt hands as she followed the scent of breakfast to the cafeteria, pleasantly illuminated with the lantern light.

She hadn’t even taken a step inside when she heard the call, beckoning. “Yuu~! Over here!”

Yuu looked up, dropping her hands as she met the eternally smiling face of Kalim, arm above his head as he waved her over, Jamil pinching the bridge of his nose in embarrassment at the scene. Wiping her upset look off, she redrew a cheeky grin onto her glower, refilling her eyes with joy.

“Hey Kalim, Jamil! What’re you up to this morning?” She prompted, feeling a warmth build in her stomach.

“Eh, the usual. Breakfast.” Kalim responded, gesturing to his plate. “Jamil made it all, so it’s super healthy and delicious!”

“Ha, I’m sure it is!” Yuu nodded, revealing her pearly whites in a grin. It faltered as her gut grumbled, quietly enough to only be felt by her.

“Would you like some, Yuu? There’s plenty to go around.” Jamil offered, setting his silverware aside. “I’ll get a plate if you’d—“

“No thanks! I’m alright!” Yuu all too quickly deflected, digging her nails into her thighs.

“Hm? Are you certain? It wouldn’t be a bother.” Jamil pursued, Yuu feeling yet another hunger-caused groan arising in her torso.

“Yep—you know me! I’ll eat later, I’m not very hungry right now.” She lied.

“...If you insist.” Jamil conceded, resuming his meal.

The only thing ringing within Yuu’s ears was the hurtful smear on her body; she’d always believed she was beautiful, inside and out. It didn’t matter that she had her flaws, everyone did, she loved herself. Until someone took those flaws and paraded around like her feelings didn’t matter.

“So Yuu, what are you doing after school today?” Kalim asked, surfacing Yuu from her abyssal mind.

“Hm? Oh... nothing, I think. Why?” She played with her hands, and the feeling of aching soreness that occurred whenever she wiggled her fingers.

“Kalim and I have a freed schedule. I was curious as to know if you’d like to join us later, maybe for a board game or two?” Jamil smiled mischievously.

“Uh—yes! I’d love an excuse to see you two show off your rivalry!” Yuu joked, repressing her urge to eat.

“It’s settled then. We’ll come get you after class.”

“Yeah, and don’t be late! I’m so ready to kick Jamil’s ass in Mancala!”

“How many times must I defeat you in that game to drill it into your thick skull that I’m better than you?”

Kalim merely broke out into a fit of giggles, the joy rather infectious as Yuu joined in, even earning a small grin from Jamil at the absurd banter.

It was a blink before the bell rung, and as she parted from the oppositional duo, Yuu strongly regretted turning down the meal. Her stomach was knotted, groaning as it ate away at itself, sickeningly warm and unpleasant.

“Yuu! Wait for me! I’m not big enough to walk that fast!” Grim ushered behind her, panting as he ran on his short legs to catch up.

“Ah, Grim! Did you enjoy the rest of your food?”

“Obviously! There’s something just so enticing about fish, don’t you think?”

Yuu gave an awkward smile. “Uh, sure...” She lifted him into her arms, carrying him gingerly as to not disturb her burns, which were still hidden away from her animal-esque companion.

Taking a seat in her normal spot, Yuu felt the unmistakable sense of eyes trained on her, and spun around, looking for the source. When she found it, she recoiled, tilting her head downwards as if to hide her presence behind the curtain of hair that fell around her daintily beautiful face.

Two of her harassers sat a little ways behind her, glaring as they snickered, attentive to Yuu’s semi-vulnerable position. Still, with that fire breathing raccoon, they couldn’t do anything to her directly.

Yuu could barely focus on the class, with the combined forces of physical pain and mental distress working to keep her very preoccupied. Even reminders from Mr. Trein didn’t snap her from her internal stupor, though she knew her bullies were cruelly ridiculing her every time she received a clip from the teacher.

The worst part was, there was no escaping it. In every period, it seemed like the problem was chasing her. She couldn’t avoid those judgemental glowers, or the hushed lampooning that always managed to hit so close to home.

Like most other days, Yuu skipped lunch, her stomach now having gone quiet thanks to the use of her continued starvation. She sat with Grim, joking lightly as she watched him eat, wishing she could do the same without the guilty thought of ruining her body.

And, through hour after hour, the school day ended with a piercing ring, all students being dismissed with an armful of homework and an array of deadlines, Yuu included. “I’m beat! I just want to go home!” Grim cried, stretching. He started to walk away, but stopped when Yuu didn’t follow. “Coming?”

“Uh, n-not today! Kalim and Jamil are going to walk me over to their dorm.” Yuu explained, leaning against the doorframe. “You could come with us, if you wanted.”

“And sit around, watching you do God-knows-what? No thanks. I’m heading back to the safety of my kitchen.” He refused, uninterested.

“Oh wait! Then... could you take these with you?” She held out her homework, significantly less than the average student thanks to her lack of magical prowess, but still enough to take up a good chunk of her free time.

“Eh? Why can’t you do it yourself?”

“Because I want to be here when Kalim and Jamil show up! And besides, the Great Grim can handle such a little job, right?”

“Man, I hate when you use that as you excuse...” Grim sighed, taking the papers, “but of course I can! Now I’ll be off. See ya later, Yuu!” He hopped off, leaving Yuu in the dead silence.

The feeling from earlier that day returned, hands becoming clammy, heart rate accelerating, and limbs becoming stiff as Yuu stood. She despised being alone, especially because she knew the situation she was in, but her stubbornness turned away any thought of asking for help. She couldn’t do that, and let her friends believe she was too weak to face her own problems!

She wasn’t sure how long she’d been standing outside that classroom, but as soon as those brawny figures emerged from thr shadows, she wished for nothing more than to dart into it. Fear kept her paralyzed, even as they trapped her in a circle, back preser to the wall. “All alone? Do you never learn from your mistakes? How dense can you be?”

“Please, stop. Haven’t you done enough?!” Yuu fought, never once making eye contact.

“Done enough? You’re lucky we’ve been this kind to you!” One of them laughed, earning grunts from the rest.

“Kind? You think calling me names and criticizing me is kind?” She didn’t know where this confidence came from, but she felt her adrenaline spike because of it.

She was finally going to stand up for herself.

<————>

“Ahh! I hope Yuu’s okay! I sure got an earful from Mr. Crewel...” Kalim worried, rubbing the back of his head.

“Only because your such a dunce,” Jamil rolled his eyes, “I’m sure she’s fine. She’s been a little... off as of late, but we’ll sort that out when we’re back at the dorms.”

“I know, I know... ugh, I’m going to go on ahead! I need to apologize!” Kalim decided, jogging to meet up with Yuu.

He’d screwed up a potion in class, earning a huge mess to clean and a lecture from Mr. Crewel as a reward, Jamil staying behind to help despite Kalim’s protests against it.

Rounding the corner, Kalim froze midstep, darting behind the wall once again to listen in on the event he stumbled upon.

Yuu stood with her back to the wall, face hidden in her hands as a group of four surrounded her, laughing. “No more spunk? I thought you wanted to fight back, birdie!”

Yuu didn’t respond as she sobbed, a pitiful sound that cracked the dorm leader’s heart into pieces.

Kalim quickly assessed the situation, identifying the four boys. He was more than aware of the fact that if he charged straight in, a fight would occur, and he was outmatched. The best thing he could do was get help.

Spinning on his heel with guilt encumbering his steps, he silently darted away, racing back to Jamil. “J-Jamil! Yuu needs help!” Kalim panted, pointing to down the hall.

The usually stoic vice flinched, eyes widening as he stumbled back a step. “What do you mean?” He asked hurriedly.

“Yuu, she’s—just get down there and keep them busy! I’m going to get Headmaster Crowley!”

“Got it! Be quick!” Jamil nodded, rushing down the corridor, silently forming a plan. He didn’t know who “they” were, or how many he was facing, but he knew he had a not so secret weapon he could use if worse comes to worse.

Darting out from the end of the hall, Jamil was almost half convinced that he was going to see nothing, but was proven sorely wrong when he realized the position Yuu was in.

“Just leave me alone!” She screamed, trying to swat away the enclosing boys around her.

“Oh, the gusto! Think you can hit back now?” A Savanaclaw flunkey grabbed Yuu’s hand roughly, making her cry out.

Like a lightning bolt, Jamil lurched forward, moving with an unmatched agility as he grabbed the unsuspecting student’s shirt, yanking him away as he protectively held Yuu, her face buried in his chest as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

“Just what do you think you’re doing?” He growled lowly, eyes clouded with a dark rage.

<————>

Yuu wasn’t sure where it went wrong.

One minute she had the confidence to face her foes, the next, tears were streaming down her rosy cheeks as she hid behind her hands.

Just after the bully roughly seized her hand, her burns sending stabbing agony down her arms, she was suddenly pressed close to someone’s chest, their grip tight enough to show their anger.

“Just what do you think you’re doing?” She recognized that voice, and the animosity it was thick with.

“So the birdie really did get help! Took long enough.”

“You’ll do well to refrain from speaking like that,” Jamil warned, a hand snaking into Yuu’s hair, “lest you wish for your own defeat.”

“Big talk. What’s someone so scrawny like you going to do anyways? Hiss at me, Viper?”

“Yuu, get behind me and cover your eyes,” Jamil whispered, releasing his grip on her. She did as she was told, though trembling slightly.

“You four worms will fall to your knees and bow to me, your master. Snake Whisper.” Yuu listened to the sultry tone of Jamil’s voice, cognizant of the sheer power his unique magic carried.

The sound of grunts and bodies hitting the floor echoed in the tall corridors, and Jamil turned around, practically crushing Yuu in a warm embrace. “Are you alright? Did they hurt you?”

“J-Jamil... I—“ Yuu silenced herself with a hiccup, wrapping her arms around Jamil’s bigger frame, who responded by running a hand through her hair gently, shushing her cries.

“Yuu, Jamil!” She looked over Jamil’s shoulder, seeing Kalim rushing towards her, Crowley following close behind. “Hey, are you okay?!” He demanded, placing a hand on her shoulder as she broke away from Jamil.

“N-Not really...” She was finally truthful, wiping away a new wave of tears.

“Excuse me. What happened here?” Crowley snapped, arms crossed as he glared through his mask.

“I believe I may know. Kalim, please take Yuu back to Scarabia, I’ll meet you there when I’m finished taking care of this.” Yuu cringed at the end, imgination running wild at the implications.

“Roger that. See you.” Kalim too seriously answered. He extended his hand to Yuu, who hesitantly shook her hear. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” Kalim asked, red eyes brimmed with unnatural worry as they walked farther and farther from the four boys.

“My hands...” Yuu trailed off, revealing her burns for the first time that day. Kalim stopped, taking her wrists as opposed to her hands to avoid agitating the sensitive area. His skin felt smooth and cool, somewhat calming her heartbeat.

“Did they do this to you?”

“No, I did. It was an accident this morning.” Yuu explained quietly, keeping her head low.

“Hey,” Kalim said softly. He let go of her wrists, hooking a finger under her chin to tilt her head up. “You’re safe now. Come on, let’s get those burns healed.”

“Alright...”

<————>

Snuggling into the plush pillows at her back, Yuu sipped from her tea in the Scarabia lounge, lit by a few unscented candles, courtesy of Kalim.

It was a sweet, minty flavor that warmed her core, tears dried for the time being as she drank, wincing every so often at the enhanced sting in her palms.

“Can I see your hands, Yuu?” Kalim asked, sitting on his knees before her, a small container of something placed gingerly on the floor.

“Sure,” she nodded, setting her cup down as she exposed them to him. She sucked in a breath, they looked so much worse than that morning. Candy red and splotchy, it was inevitable that they’d crack and blister eventually.

Twisting open the cap, Yuu eyed the cloudy cream within, watching intently as Kalim dipped his fingers in, scooping out a little and smearing it on her palms, to which she smiled as the pain was relieved to some of extent. “Aloe vera. Jamil would always put it on my skin whenever I got burned.” Kalim revealed, grinning as he capped the container.

Yuu hummed, flexing her hands as Kalim watched, silently debating. “Yuu... how long have they been hurting you?” He said at last, fisting the floor.

“T-They... since before I met you.”

Kalim gasped. “What? Why didn’t you talk to me—or Jamil?! We would’ve helped you! We could’ve—“

“I didn’t want to seem weak!” Yuu shouted, silencing Kalim. “I wanted to show you I could handle myself... that I can be strong, like you guys! That I... that I...” She sniffled, using the back of her hands to block the tears that now threatened to fall.

“Oh, Yuu...” Kalim softened, scooting so close that their knees touched. He pried her arms away all too easily, threading his larger hands in the softness of her hair as his palms laid over her cheeks, wet with water. “I promise, I promise, I’d never see you like that. Never. It doesn’t matter if it’s daytime, noon, or night, always rely on me. I’m here, Jamil is here, and we care about you so, so much.”

At that, Yuu openly cried, grabbing onto his sleeves despite the fresh cream painted over her flesh. Kalim pressed his forehead to hers, using his thumbs to wipe away the glistening beads, hushing her sobs tenderly.

Kalim’s ears perked up as he heard approaching footsteps, looking over his shoulders to see Jamil, knuckles reddened as his glare morphed into a look of pity. Extending an arm, Kalim invited him over silently, to which he accepted.

Yuu’s eyes opened as she sensed someone kneel beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders like before. “They told me everything. I gave them what they deserved, and rest assured, each of thise imbeciles will be facing due punishment.” Jamil said, bruised knuckles a testimony.

“What if... What if they were right?” Yuu asked, voice cracking terribly.

“What?” The two asked in unison.

“All those things they called me... what if they were right? I really am just an incompetent waste, I should just go back to where I came from!” She wailed, Kalim and Jamil sharing beyond surprised gapes.

Kalim hesitated, opening and closing his mouth, unable to form coherent words. So Jamil did it for him. “Yuu, Yuu no. No, I can’t explain how wrong you are. Do you know how much you are loved in this school?” He asked, barely whispering.

“I... am?”

“Yes, of course you are! I’d miss you so much, everyone would!” Kalim admitted, looking to Jamil.

“But why? What do you see in... me?” Yuu continued doubtfully.

“Hm, well how about this for starters,” Jamil looked to Kalim, both of them sharing the same idea, “maybe because you’re funny, and can make me smile even when I’m frustrated.”

“Or because you’re kind, and always willing to lend a hand to someone that needs help,” Kalim followed, sliding a hand into Yuu’s.

“You’re gorgeous, like the sun, radiant and breathtaking.” Jamil ran a hand through a stray lock of hair, tucking it behind her ear.

“And you’re happy, just a bundle of laughter and smiles! You go along with all my crazy ideas, and I have so much fun with you!” Kalim finished, booping Yuu’s nose and making her giggle.

“You’re perfect, Yuu. It doesn’t matter what anyone else says.” Jamil smiled so genuinely, eyes squeezing shut.

“You’re a perfect desert flower, impeccable and extraordinary.”

Yuu covered her mouth as a new kind of tear streamed down her face, ones that spoke her gratitude rather than her sorrow. She laughed, twinkly and unfiltered, throwing her arms around Jamil and Kalim, pulling them into a bone crushing hug.

She didn’t say anything, just locked them in her embrace as she laughed and laughed, mixing with the sounds of Kalim and Jamil’s.

Swathed in the mingling warmth of her two best friends, Yuu’s chest was feather light for the first time in a long while, every insult and wound forgotten thanks to the sincerity poured into the boys’ speech.

She believed things could get better. She had faith, and now had her friends to anchor that faith.

Yuu beamed, as beautiful as a desert flower.

Oh boy, I may have gone a little overboard with this.

This was a wonderful prompt, I had so much fun with it! Thanks to @sanata101 for my first request! I hope you enjoyed!!

Stay lovely!

[slightlybiased]

Hello, I love your blog! I wanted to ask what the safest way to scan older books/manga is. I ordered some old bunko Eroica novels but I'm afraid of damaging them. Biting my nails enough while they're in transit. Thanks!

Thank you! I love the Eroica bunko covers, they are fantastic. I re-bought the volumes in bunko for Emperor’s Waltz just to have a few.

I’ve got a weirdly long and indepth answer for you! I’m going to put this behind a cut, and I’m going to reply publicly, which I hope you don’t mind.

Bunkobon are super-great, because they usually collect more chapters than regular tankoubon volumes, and at a lower price.  There are some caveats to scanning them, but mostly you just want to be vigilant about how tight or loose the book is when you open it - the harder the book is to open, the more likely you are to damage it.  Bunko tend to be good about this, but sometimes you run across volumes which have bad glue, or lost the storage lottery.

I don’t have my Eroica volumes handy, so Der Freischutz is standing in.  The one in the center is a bunko volume, compared in size to the Seven Seas tankoubon on the right and an oddball deluxe edition of Der Freischutz on the left. Bunko are tiny, which can sometimes be difficult to work with depending on the art.

I just reviewed a bunch of binding BS at work, so I’m thinking about it, and this is probably a little more detail than you’re looking for.  But!  Here’s a comparison for the binding used on all three, with the bunko in the center again.  The oddball deluxe edition happens to be a hardcover, which is bound into signatures and stitched, and also very thin.  This is the kind of book which is wonderful to scan.  It’s extremely difficult to damage, and since it’s thin, you can mash it as flat as you need.  Manga volumes almost never come out in hardcover (though there are many exceptions), but artbooks do. The other two have glued binding, which is harder to scan if you want to keep the book intact and also get nice clear scans.

The bunko in the center is the thickest. I like bunko paper better than the pulp paper used in tankoubon (like the one on the right). Bunko paper is thinner, so it’s not absolutely massive for being 300-400 pages. You may get some art bleedthrough because of the thin paper, but it’s not terrible in this one. Bunko also tend to have nice loose binding that makes them easy to read, and lets them take a lot of abuse from scanning if the glue is good. The binding on my copy is very flexible, and doesn’t feel tight or creaky when I open it. It’s also a printing from 2008, so it’s still fairly current.  I’m going to be moderately rough with it when I scan.

The one on the right, the Seven Seas tankouban, has a pretty bad glue job with bubbling. That’s not unusual, but can indicate the glue is bad in the whole book, and not just the edge. The printing I have is from 1979, so it is quite old. Having said that, the book still feels pretty flexible, and isn’t creaky or stiff when I open it. It’s probably okay to open flat enough to scan, but I’d be picking images away from the gutter and at the edge of the page, so I wouldn’t have to press on the spine. I’d probably also only be comfortable scanning it a couple times. I might crease the spine even from gentle treatment, and I may also crack the glue and break the binding.

Here’s an example of the size difference between the pages in the bunko and deluxe version of Der Freischutz, which I’m now realizing isn’t great without the bottom of the image (it was hard to take one-handed). This makes it easy to see the difference in the gutter of the book - you can see the art creeps in pretty close to the spine on the bunko, which is going to make it a little harder to scan cleanly.

Unrelated - that deluxe edition has great paper. Still so bright after all these years! Most manga over 5-ish years old is going to be yellowed due to the cheap paper, so that’s to be expected when you start digging into the older stuff. Artbooks will do this too, though those usually start going after the twenty-year mark.

One last look at the deluxe edition. I used the lid of the scanner to flatten it, and pressed as hard as I could.  The gutter in the center can easily be cropped out, if I want to use the whole page or sections of it, and doesn’t interfere with any of the art.

The same pages in the bunko. I’m using the edge of my scanner bed along the top edge of the pages to keep the book straight, so you can see it’s getting close to the art and words. For larger books, I usually use the fore-edge of the cover to keep the book straight, which give the art a little more room to breathe. My scanner setup makes that a lot harder with small books, and it’s harder still with a small paperback that’s very thick, but I’d recommend that. You can also see along the bottom that I wasn’t quite successful in keeping the whole thing straight the first try - that’s also harder with small books, but after the first few scans, you usually get the feel for how best to line it up.

When I scanned this one, I did not use the lid of the scanner, and instead pressed my thumb into the center of the spine in what I would call a “comfortable” amount of pressure. This part’s hard to describe!  Here, I’m pressing hard enough that I’m optimistic about not creasing the spine, but hopeful that I’ll get a clear enough scan to use.  The gutter shadow on this is pretty extreme, and depending on what you’re trying to get, possibly a no-go.  If this was something I was posting here, I might grab the Klaus panels on the center of the left-hand page, cropping out the one closest to the gutter. It’s a shame to lose the first one from that sequence, but I’d possibly be damaging the book to do better.  I could also use the landscape panels at the top of the right page, and crop them in a bit to get rid of the gutter blur at the edges.

This is a second scan with me pressing as hard as I can on the center of the spine with my palm.  I will never do this with a paperback, because I’m always going to crease the spine, and I am also very likely to break the binding and cause the pages to fall out. But one or two creases in the spine is cosmetic, and usually easy to cover with the book jacket.  If I’m doing this 20-30 times per book though, the cover will start to pull away from the binding and I’ll wind up with a pile of loose pages.

In this case, I was curious about how much pressure the bunko binding would take, and I was only doing the one scan, so I went for it!  The book falls open to this page now, but the spine didn’t crease, and the pages don’t feel loose, so this book is very robust.

The book is thick enough that I’m still going to get that obvious gutter shadow, but I’d be okay with posting most any crop from this page to this site.

The gutter is still obvious in the Klaus panels, but it’s not... terrible, and the text is still fairly clear. If you were inclined, you could probably wipe it clean after scanning. It’s not straight though, which would drive me crazy, and would probably leave me to cropping only the left-hand panel to make it less obvious.

Shit!

The crooked scans are a Me problem, because my image editor is 20 years old and isn’t precise enough to rotate them well. The smaller the book/image, the more obvious it is when the scan isn’t Perfectly Straight. But you can see above that it’s less obvious in the context of the whole-page scan, or with certain types of crops.

One more caveat about art in the gutter - you get much less clear scans if the artist “bleeds” art into the spine of the book, especially with double-page illustrations. Aoike doesn’t do this a lot, so I don’t have an example for you, but you’ll see it some in the (formerly color) chapter title pages. There’s some art that bleeds into the spine of the bunko (unlike the neat panels on the pages above), but it’s pretty rare, and Aoike doesn’t really use double-page illustration in her chapters. I was going to post an example from Moto Hagio’s Heart of Thomas, but Hagio doesn’t do it either, or at least not in that work. The better example is early 90s CLAMP, especially X. There’s not a good way to snag that kind of thing without really damaging the book, but again, it shouldn’t come up much with Eroica.

[theninjamouse]

Okay, I'm not sure if you have requests open but I've had this on my mind for a few days now. So, if you're feeling up to it, how about a Species-Swap-Shorby drabble?

I am very very fond of the species swap idea, which I remember being brought up before. For this case, we’ll say Grillby is a war vet who runs a bar and Shore is still a dancer. A rather fiery one.

This got pretty long so I’ll put it under a cut. Also, this kind of turned into a summery of how their relationship would happen in the even of a species swap but it’s not how the story of OoF is going to be progressing. This is just a what if kind of thing.

Grillby isn’t exactly what one would call a social person. Which is a little weird considering his career choice as a bartender. But the regulars like him for his role as a silent listening ear who also happens to pour the alcohol. That suits him just fine.

What doesn’t suit him is his employees dragging him out to social events. Which tends to happen every few weeks when they decide he’s working too much and drag him out someone to unwind and ‘relax’.

Being in a massive crowd of people is not his idea of relaxing. It’s some grand opening of some big new hotel slash spa slash…T.V studio? Whatever it is, it’s being opened by that monster robot Mettaton or whatever his name is. It’s supposedly the first of twenty nationwide and it looks like most of the city is here to celebrate the opening.

It sure is a change in attitude compared to when monsters first came to the surface three years ago.

“Grillby, you’re going to age prematurely if you keep scowling like that.” One of the the older members of the serving staff nudges his arm playfully. “It’s not like the bar is going to explode if you’re not there.”

“The kitchen literally caught on fire the last time I was gone. And I don’t like crowds.”

“Trust me, there’s a good reason for this one.”

There’d better be because he’s sweating and not just from the heat. There’s too many people here and it’s making his skin crawl. It’s fine, there hasn’t been an attack on monster settlements for a long time now and there’s security and-

The lights dim and his gaze is drawn to the stage in front of the hotel. The people around him go silent as the spotlight reveals a single figure covered head to toe in a dark robe of some kind. A deep beat starts to echo through the speakers set up around the whole area, shaking his bones with the intensity. And then, as a lone violin begins to play, a hand extends out of the cloak, reaching towards the heavens.

A shining, fiery hand.

The music speeds into a fast paced tempo and the dancer steps forward, shedding the cloak to reveal that it’s not a person at all. It’s a fire monster, one clad in shimmering burgundy dress that flairs about her as she spins. The cloak on her hand catches fire and he gasps along with the crowd as briefly, she’s encased in smoke.

When it clears, the robot is there with her, also dressed in a shimmering outfit that matches the fire of his partner. The two of them begin a dance that speaks of two forces battling against each other and yet moving in perfect harmony. The fire being barely seems to even touch the ground, movements fluid and utterly inhuman. Embers trail from her hands and feet and sparks brightly snap from the flames that make up her hair. She kicks up into the air and he can see a delighted smile even from this distance, bright eyes gleaming. For just a brief moment, they seem to land on him, giving him no more than a second of eye contact. Her eyes are bright, like stars caught in flame.

And for once, Grillby finds himself unwillingly speechless, his heart pounding in his chest.

~~~~~~

“The food here is supposed to be amazing!” Faith drags you towards the quaint little bar. Little sparks of lightning flash through her cloud like hair, racing down and tracing patterns over the surface of her face and arms. “And I heard the owner has hired a few monster chefs so you know they’re gonna be friendly to us.”

“I hope so,” you mutter. The last place didn’t exactly have a warm and welcoming atmosphere and you’re literally made of fire. “I’ve already had to scorch off more than enough creeps to last the rest of my life.”

“Trust me, this one will be the place.”

You step inside and immediately, you know she’s right. There are monsters here, a lot of monsters and many of them are sitting together with humans. The sound of the bell above your head causes a few heads to turn and for a moment, conversation becomes muted. A thing you’re very used to. Living fire is not exactly something most of these people see every day.

Faith pulls you up to the bar. You feels eyes on you as you pass by. You ignore them. You take a seat and wait for the bartender. Judging from the mop of bright ginger hair just visible over the bar, he’s digging for something in a cabinet. You don’t want to startle him so you lean over slightly and clear your throat with the soft crackle of snapping embers. “Excuse me?”

“Be right with you,” he murmurs, glancing up. He freezes, eyes growing wide. Ah, shoot, you shouldn’t be leaning over him like this, you’re scaring him. You move away.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” you say, flashing with a few dark streaks of red. You don’t ever think you’re going to stop feeling bad every time you startle a human even though there’s really nothing you can do about it.

He’s still gaping at you but then he stands very suddenly. Oh, he’s tall for a human. Under his red hair, his skin is flushing. It matches the light stubble on his face. “N-no, that’s-I’m sorry, I shouldn’t stare.”

Aw gee, he’s kind of cute when he’s all flustered. “It’s okay, I’m used to it.”

He frowns slightly at that. Then- “I’m sorry but…are you the one that danced at the opening of that new hotel a few weeks back?”

You blink and then smile. The flash of bright colors reflects off the glasses on the bartender’s face. “Yeah, that was me!”

He smiles too and it makes the corner of his eyes wrinkle. “That was an amazing thing. You were stunning to watch.”

Oh geez, now you’re going blue. “Thank you very much,” you whisper.

He’s staring again, the expression oddly fascinated. He blinks and straightens. “Order what you like, it’s on the house. For both of you,” he adds, nodding to Faith.

“Oh! Are you sure? Won’t you get in trouble for that?”

The corner of his mouth twitches upwards. “I hope not, considering I’m the owner of this place.”

Your flames snap loudly. The owner? “Does that make you Grillby?”

He nods, and sticks his hand out. “It’s very nice to meet you Miss….?”

You hesitate, gaze dropping to his hand. You won’t hurt him with your flames, you know that but does he know that? He’s surely just being polite. But it would be rude of you not to accept the handshake. Slowly, to show him that it won’t hurt, you lift your hand and very gently clasp it around his human one.

He’s soft. Kind of squishy. And cool compared to the harmless heat of your hand. You smile at him, hoping he can see it through your flames. “I’m Shore. It’s nice to meet you too, Mr. Grillby.”

~~~~~

The chance visit turns into another and then another. You come to his bar often now and it’s so much easier to talk to you than it is the others. Maybe it’s your flame. He’s always loved campfires and the sweet smell of burning wood. But more than that, he finds himself oddly at ease around you. You’re bright, both literally and in personality and just…fun.

He actually finds himself looking for you on those nights when you don’t come to the bar, disappointed when the tinkling of the bell rings because of someone else.

He runs into you at the beach once. Seated on the sand and staring out at the water. You brighten when you see him and gesture out to it. “Isn’t it beautiful?” you ask him. “It just goes on and on. Does it ever end?”

“Eventually,” he replies.

“I wish I could go out in it.”

“Why? Wouldn’t that hurt you?”

You laugh and it makes his heart flip in his chest. “Yeah, horribly so. I know it’s weird for a fire monster to be so fascinated with water but-” You wistfully stare out at it. “I don’t know. My Soul feels like maybe it was meant to be out there.”

But you’re not out there. You’re right here, next to him.

He doesn’t say that out loud.

~~~~~~

It’s a few days after you and Grillby sat on the beach. He’s usually composed while at work but you can see that he’s nervous about something. Humans are so easy to read sometimes. Though admittedly, Grillby can be tricky sometimes. His face sometimes slips into a carefully neutral expression, mostly around others.

“Would you…um, there’s a place where….I mean, I know I shouldn’t ask this, you’re a customer but….”

It takes him a few tries. He’s adorably shy and you absolutely love seeing the color in his cheeks when he blushes under your teasing. Eventually, he blurts out, “Would you like to go to the aquarium with me?”

You’re startled but you say yes. So you go and it’s amazing and it’s breathtaking and for the first time in your life, you feel like you’re underwater and it makes your Soul leap in your chest and it drives you forward when Grillby beams at your excitement and you place your hands on his cheeks and almost giggle when they bulge with shock.

It’s the first time you kiss.

~~~~~~

The first time you spend the night, the night of the anniversary celebration, he knows that he should’ve insisted that you go home. But you could see he was nervous, even if you didn’t understand why. And how can he tell you why he’s shaking under the sound of the fireworks? How can he tell you that the thunder like cracks rip through him and throw him back to those nights when the entire city echoed with the sound of bombs and a single misstep could mean the end of your life?

Just like it ended the lives of his team.  

But when he wakes in the middle of the night, screaming and crying for the friends he lost that day, you’re there and your gentle warmth dries the tears on his face and grounds him. You pull him back, you whisper comfort in a language he can’t understand. He gasps while you hold him and chase away the demons that haunt him, for just a moment.

It’s the first time he’s cried in years.

~~~~~~

When a glass thrown in anger misses Grillby, when it splashes against you instead, utter agony has you screaming on the ground while your core desperately fights to reignite the wet patches on your arm and face. Your skin is cracking, it’s crumbling under the heavy weight of water soaking into you. You sob from the pain of it.

Grillby is screaming at the man who did it. Through the haze that threatens to pull you into darkness, you see him pounding his fists into the man’s face. There’s blood there.

Ah, that’s right. Humans bleed. It’s so strange. They don’t dust like monsters. Like you. Dust is trickling from your arm and down your face. It itches.

Then Grillby is there, he’s desperately trying to say something. Then, something else splashes against your face, something that is like water but isn’t. This…this is oil, it’s thick and it’s flammable and your flames greedily eat it and your fire roars with the pain of being forced to so quickly shift from embers to an inferno.

It does the trick. You’re okay but your arm will probably scar.

Grillby forcibly throws the man out of his bar and comes to you and holds you close. He’s shaking.

And under the pain, you feel….

Warm.

~~~~~

The first time you whisper, “I love you,” to him, Grillby feels as though his heart might burst right out of his chest. The two of you are dancing and it’s just you and him in the entire world in this moment. And when he kisses you, he feels as though he is the one on fire. It burns in heart and flows through his blood. He wants you to stay by his side, he wants to forever feel the heat of your flames against his skin.

You gasp quietly under his mouth as he grips you with a desperation that surprises even him. “I love you,” he murmurs as his mouth continues to press kisses against your face. Your flames tickle against his cheeks, almost too hot to bear.

You return his kiss just as fiercely.

[izzyovercoffee]

Is there anything you can tell me about Mando colour symbolism that isn't already on that "armour colour" post? I'm planning out a Sabine POV story where it would be relevant.

Well, yes and no. I went over the “facts” of colors and mandalorian color theory. What I can do now is kind of dig deeper into the actual mando’a words for colors, and maybe extrapolate more on the etymology of each word as they’re relevant to colors. If anything, it’ll give you an idea of how to break down the colors and maybe play with the meanings, or even the construction of the words themselves. Hopefully that helps?

I got a little carried away (again?) so I apologize for the length and time it took to put this together … and also you can take everything I say with a grain of salt as I’m trying to make sense of the etymology of these words. I’m also skipping orange as there’s no word for in the dictionary as of yet, and including violet since it is.

So, let’s go in the order that I went in the original post. Forewarning that black is going to be the longest section as I’ve thought about it maybe way too much.

ne’tra — black 

Ne’ is traditionally one of the negative prefixes of mando’a. It’s meant to indicate the opposite of what it’s attached to, or the not-thing. Tra means space, void … but it also translates to starfield, or field of stars. 

So. Black. Justice. Not the void of space, or, alternatively, Without stars, a starless night. 

However way you want to interpret that is up to you, but to me? From what I understand of mandalorian history? They were once a truly nomadic people, who voyaged across the stars. They were, arguably, wayfinders. More than just warriors, or conquerors, or however most would like to put it.

I originally wasn’t going to do this, but because you mentioned (elsewhere) that you’re focusing on dusk, I want to take a moment to extrapolate on this thought. The reason I say this is because of how they view stars. 

Mandalorians are generally not considered to be religious. But the language they speak is still very deeply steeped in poetic concepts — grasping at the enormous and unthinkable with words as clever and broad as a people can attempt to embody them. Stars is my personal favorite.

Ka’ra — stars, ruling council of fallen leaders. Mandalorians still speak of those who pass as not being dead, but marching far far away. The origin of the word stars is the belief that the Mand’alore ascend to the stars, to watch over the people and to guide them.

The word for breath is kar’am. Hyperdrive is karbakar (star to star). Kar’ta is heart. Kar’taylir is awareness, knowledge, lit. to hold in the heart. Karyai is the main communal living room of a communal home, where a family convenes to spend time together — and often the last bastion against an invasion.

Jate’kara, luck, destiny, literally good stars, a course to steer by. 

All of these words stem from stars.

Black, the color, is literally a starless night. But, while the impulse is to go for something negative, I would actually pull away from that. Mandalorians, in general, also view adversity (something difficult, something terrible, something terrifying) as something to challenge and overcome as a way of life. A starless night is not to be feared but to be met. 

A starless night may also be indicative, poetically, of a place or a people or an event without justice. And that void, that emptiness, that lack? Must be filled. Whomsoever wears black has taken it upon themselves to fill a void and reinstate justice in whatever manner that may mean.

But also consider: a night without stars evokes a specific sort of image and feeling … which may also be completely different depending on the person in question. Someone who lives in a bright city and experiences light pollution would be used to a night without stars, versus someone living out in the wild (like Krownest) or who is dependent on the stars to travel, would be used to a night full of stars and may find it distressing or strange.

ve’vut — gold

This one is a little less straightforward. Vut, or vutyc, indicates special. Unique, precious. Ve’ (pronounced vay or veh) is unclear as to what it’s meant to indicate, but often when we see ve’ as a prefix, it’s usually from ven (future tense), but in this case it may be from vheh, earth, soil, dirt. 

Gold. Vengeance. A precious future, or, precious metal.

Maybe evocative of the sun rising after a long and difficult night. The gold of the sun rising is a promise of a future — or at the very least, the feeling of surviving to tomorrow. This might be too poetic though lmao, and tbh … I really like the simplicity and the directness of precious metal (lit. special dirt, lmao).

The funny thing here is that though I have gold and yellow listed together for meaning (as they are, generally, considered under the same banner of Vengeance), the word for yellow is different.

shi'yayc — yellow

So. I’m not really a fan of this word, to be perfectly honest with you. I’m of the opinion this is less an actual color and more an adjective meant to describe something else. But regardless, here it is.

From shi, just/only, and yayc, which may be from oyayc, meaning alive (or oya! which carries many meanings and generally overwhelmingly positive). Generally though, with the yc added to the end, it’s less a noun and more an adjective, so it might actually be meant to be a descriptor (ie. yellowing of skin or eyes etc). 

Yellow. Vengeance. Only just alive, or barely dead.

Maybe comparison to, say, a recently deceased person — but that only really works if one assumed that all dead persons are pale and turn yellow when they die, and that’s a weird assumption to make in the context of mandalorians.

Also consider: yellow is dull compared to the shine of a metallic gold. Less intense in that way. My question is what becomes of a person after they’ve enacted vengeance? What becomes of a life devoid of a perpetual motivating force like that? What happens when gold loses its sheen and fades, dulls? 

Am I just taking this too far, to the next level it doesn’t need to go? maybe

EDIT:: w/ points from anon through a later ask, I’d like to also add what they said: 

you pondered about the connotations of yellow regarding ‘just/barely alive’ and its comparison to gold. I thought maybe it’s about flames/light - like a bright vivid flame is a bright gold, while the flame, when it’s only small and ->barely alive

I hadn’t even consider that it might have been referencing intensity of light/fire? But the way you put it, that may actually make more sense than the direction I was going in. I was definitely perplexed somewhat, like I was missing something. This sounds like what I was missing.

That could also apply for the heat of a flame, too. Like, referring to the intensity of the light, or the intensity of the heat, or both, depending entirely on context, and related to the below.

Lust for life

So, there’s no word for orange in mando’a at this time.

Consider: Yellow is sometimes indicated to also mean lust for life, depending on who you ask and what source material you’re comparing it to.

It’s entirely possible that mandalorians don’t have a way to differentiate between yellow and orange. Some cultures do display a limitation in language, seeing what we would consider a range (yellow to orange) as all one spectrum under the same banner.

So while Yellow may mean barely alive/barely dead, yellow may also mean nothing but life.

Something to think about.

genet — gray

Gray/Silver. Mourning lost love.

Ge’ for almost, by proximity (literally or metaphorically). Net, we can assume, comes from the word for black, ne’tra. So, in this case, gray is literally almost black, but not quite. Reaching towards it, maybe, but not quite there.

I’ve used overcast before to describe gray, or the feeling of a loss, of grief, and it still applies here. Almost, not quite, as a starless night sky. Duller, paler, than a starfield. That kind of thing—perpetually in comparison to black.

Also consider that it may infer obscuring the target, instead of almost reaching black, it may act like a filter, a translucent overlay to take away or obscure intensity of (in this case from black, or night sky). Mandalorians, who are (or once was) so used to navigating by/the stars, suddenly having to deal with their guidance obscured? There’s loss, there, too.

kebiin — blue

This one’s a little … less straightforward. Ke’ is used as an imperative prefix, usually to indicate that this word/sentence is a command, but keb may also come from kebbur, meaning to try or make an attempt. Biin, or bii, may come from abiik, air (interestingly, kebii’tra indicates sky, so it’s literally blue starfield, blue space).

What is reliable? What is faithful? Following through, or making the attempt again and again—someone consistent, trustworthy. To stretch the meaning, as trustworthy as the air. 

Blue. Reliability. Faithful. As consistent, or trustworthy, as the air.

I wonder if that was ever a phrase in use. “As trustworthy as the air” might ring true on a planet where they can breathe without their helmets … but what if they so happen to land on a planet that they cannot?

In hindsight, that sounds like a very mando joke to make. B’)

“Who ever is reliable all the time?” Both a joke and a very serious question.

ge’tal — red

Ge shows up again. Almost. Tal, blood. Almost blood, or nearly / like blood. 

From what I understand, the Taung did bleed red, and since they were the original mandalorians, it makes sense for them to make the simplest association for the color.

Red. Honoring a parent. 

This is kind of a call back, imo, to the saying “the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb,” as chosen family ties are stronger than that of biological ones, and consider that mandalorians are expected to shed blood for their chosen family if it ever came to it.

But also consider pointing at a rose and, quite literally, calling it like blood. 

vorpan — green

Vor, figuratively, is to thank. Literally, it’s to accept. Pan… is a little difficult to discover what it might indicate, or where it may come from, but from the two other words it’s a part of (epan, for guts, entrails, and sapan for electromagnet) we can kind of infer that it’s meant to indicate core, or insides, the interior of a thing.

Metaphorically, vorpan can be understood to be accepting a task to fulfill with one’s whole being. For context, vorpan’oy is the word for vegetation, as in bringing life to green.

Green. Duty. To embody one’s accepted task. 

Not really sure why, but let’s go with that.

saviin — violet

This word is actually very close to Sabine’s name — they’re pronounced the same, just with a v instead of b. In some dialects or accent, one might say they are the same. I would argue they are.

So. Violet. Saviin. Sa’ most likely comes from sarad, meaning flower, bloom. Viin is from viinir, for run. 

Running flower. Wild violets are considered weeds in some places, and so instead of run as in flee, run may lean more towards running wild, an overgrowth — or a plant that can live, even thrive, anywhere, in spite of adversity and outside forces attempting to eradicate them. 

Survival in adversity.

And, maybe unintentionally maybe not, given the above I would argue it’s a perfect name for Sabine under the circumstances. 

EDIT:: referring again to points brought up by anon in a later ask:

saviin sounds a lot like Sabine, which seems very very likely to me, considering the long i (or rather e - from an anglophone perspective) and that [v] and [b] are very similar sounds, so maybe Sabine is like a basic transcription or a dialect form of Saviin. Regarding the meaning of the colour/name

My etymology for it would be the following: “viin”/“bine” being a degenerated/shortened form (or even the root?) of kebiin - blue connected with “sa” - as, like, it gives “sa viin” - “like blue”, what is kind of a good description for purple/violet, implying the standard shade in mandalorian perception would be a darker bluish purple ALSO implying that the concept of purple cam up comparably late in the language, similar of the color orange getting it’s name rather late in germanic languages 

I was going color by color so I missed the connection in the effort to complete the post, which was an oversight by me sadly. 

It might also then directly connect the connotations of blue (reliability) with purple (adaptability, survival in adversity). They who are reliable can be depended on to adapt and survive adversity, or so on, kind of like orange (lust for life) from yellow, as thought about from above (the intensity of the flame).

Definitely some interesting things to think about.

[c-e-d-dreamer]

Hi, I'm a big fan of your writing! You were one of the first people I ever followed on tumblr! If you are still taking prompts I would love any fake dating Larry possibly with some bed sharing? Thank you

Oh my gosh you are just too sweet! I’m also sorry you’ve been following me so long because I am lowkey 100% a weirdo and this blog is 100% a mess sometimes! But please enjoy this fake dating drabble! It got hella long, but I wanted to be sure to include your bed sharing request :) 

“You’re bringing your boy home for Christmas hols, right, H?” 

Harry’s eyes snap away from the pasta he’s making and back towards the laptop he left abandoned on the counter-top. His mother and sister’s faces are still up on the Skype screen, looking at him expectantly. He’s pretty sure his mouth is hanging open lamely, and he has to forcefully will himself not to bring his hand up into view and fidget because it’s a tell both will zero in on in a second. Instead, he turns back to the stove, using the reprieve of having his back turned to try and stutter his lungs back into working. His brain is even slower with kicking back into gear. 

“Um...” 

“Oh please say yes!” Anne chimes in. “I want to meet this Louis!” 

“I’ll um ask him I guess?” 

“You two haven’t talked about what you’re doing from Christmas?” Gemma asks. 

“No...?” Harry turns back around, takes in both their suspicious expression through the pixelated screen, and is quick to add on, “but I’m sure it’ll be no problem. We’ll both probably be there.” 

“Oh wonderful!” Anne claps her hands, a wide smile pulled across her face now. “I can’t wait.” 

“Yeah, me either,” Harry mutters. “Anyways. I have to go. See you both soon! Bye!” 

Harry barely lets his family get out their own goodbyes before he’s closing his laptop screen and letting his head fall against the counter-top. The cool granite feels nice against his skin, but it does little to soothe the dreadful panic stirring in his stomach. He’s screwed. 

~ * * * ~

Harry stands outside the coffeeshop, his hands stuffed in his pocket and his mind running in circles. He can see Louis behind the counter through the window. His eyes are bright and his smile is wide as he chats to a woman while preparing a drink. The yellow lighting of the coffeeshop paints his skin more golden than usual and leaves strands of his hair glowing. Harry can’t help the sigh that pulls its way past his lips, and he contemplates just smashing his head against the window. 

Instead, he pulls the door open and puts on his best smile. It becomes a bit more genuine when Louis offers a smile right back. 

“Hey, Harry. The usual?” Louis greets.

“Yeah...” Harry says, sidling up to the counter and pulling out his wallet. 

Louis sets about making his drink, and Harry fiddles a bit with the packaged sandwiches in the cooler in front of him. He has to clear his throat a few times before he finally finds his voice again. 

“So um have any plans for Christmas?” 

“Not really. I spending Christmas alone unfortunately because my family is going on a cruise without me.” 

“Oh...” 

“You know I always thought those online contests were a scam. Thought they just wanted you to enter your email so they could add you to a bunch of email lists and send you a bunch of spam, but my mum actually won! Can you believe that? And now she’s taking my whole family on a cruise except me because I couldn’t get the time off.” 

Louis shakes his head, but there’s still the soft edges of a smile there. He hands Harry his drink. Harry takes it with a grateful smile, but he stays rooted to the spot, picking at the protective sleeve nervously. 

“Would you um maybe want to uh maybe you know uh cometomyhouseforChristmas?” 

“Sorry?” 

“It’s just...” Harry sighs. “You’re going to think it’s stupid.” 

“Harry,” Louis says, his tone gentle and encouraging, and somehow it causes the words to coming pouring out. 

“It’s just that ever since I moved to London, my mum and sister kept giving me flack about going out and meeting people and finding a nice boy and I just couldn’t take it anymore, so I told them I was seeing someone, just to get them off my back, but then they asked for a name... and well, I had just come back from here, so I had my tea in my hand and I looked down at the cup and...” 

“And my name was the first name that popped into your head.” 

“And your name was the first name that popped into my head.” 

A silence falls between them, and Harry lets his eyes drop to the floor, not wanting to see what expression might be painted across Louis’ face. He curls his toes in his shoes and holds his breath for the subsequent laugh or scoff he is sure to come. 

“Well I guess I should be flattered.” 

“I told you it was stupid. Just forget I said anything.” 

“But I’m going.” 

“What?!” Harry’s eyes snap back up to Louis’ face. “Louis, no. I’ll just tell them we broke up or something.” 

“You can’t do that! They’ll hate me. I’ll be that bloke that broke up with you right before Christmas.” 

“Louis.”

“I’m going, Harry. I’m an accomplice to this crime now.” 

Harry sighs, but it’s fond and he can feel a smile tugging it’s way across his face of its own accord. 

“But you’re driving. I hate driving long distances,” Louis adds with a teasing smile. 

And that’s how Harry finds himself in his car, Louis sitting in the passenger seat with his feet propped up on the dash, heading north. 

“So what’s your favorite color?” Louis asks. 

“What?” 

“Well if we’re going to pass off this whole fake dating thing, I’m going to need to know more about you than just your tea order.” 

Harry thinks about the piercing blue of Louis’ eyes, the way they seem to change shades with his different moods and the gold flecks that hide in those seas, and has to readjust his grip on the steering wheel. 

“Blue,” he mutters after a moment. 

“Really? Mine too.” 

By the time, they make it to Harry’s family home, it’s late, and Harry is grateful to learn that Gemma has already gone to bed. His mother is still awake though, and she greets them both at the door with a tired smile and warm hugs. 

“Oh, Louis it’s so nice to finally meet you.” 

“You too, Anne,” Louis says, pulling away from her embrace. “I’ve heard so much about you.” 

Anne smiles again at the comment, but then she’s herding them towards the stairs. 

“Now I’m sure you both must be exhausted. Off to bed. You’ll be staying in Harry’s old room.” 

Harry’s steps stutter to a stop at that. He turns to look back at his mother, trying to keep his voice teasing and devoid of the actual panic clawing inside his chest. 

“You’re not going to make Louis stay in the guest room, mum?” 

“Oh don’t be silly, H. It’s not the 1900′s. Besides, I’m sure Louis stays over at your flat all the time anyways.” 

“Great,” Harry mutters under his breath, turning back and leading the way up the stairs. He hears Louis snicker from where he’s following behind, and if his mum wasn’t still watching the two of them, he’d reach back and whack him for it. 

Once upstairs, Harry shows Louis to his bedroom so they can drop their bags before pointing out the bathroom so Louis can brush his teeth. Harry is digging through his own bag when he hears the snick of the door closing. 

“Let me wear one of your shirts to bed,” Louis says. 

“What?” 

“When your mum comes to wake us in the morning, it’ll really sell it if I’m wearing your shirt.” 

Harry looks up from his bag then, turning a baffled look on Louis, but the barista just crosses his arms and cocks his head. 

“Have you ever been in a relationship, Harry? This is like dating 101.” 

“Ha ha,” Harry says indignantly, reaching into his bag and grabbing a simple tee. He throws it directly into Louis’ face, who splutters in annoyance, before returning to trying to find his toiletries at the bottom of his bag. He hears the shuffle of clothes, but Harry pointedly keeps his eyes down.   

“Wow. This is so soft. What detergent do you use?” 

Even though Harry knows what to expect when he turns back around, the sight still causes him to almost choke on his tongue. Harry’s always liked his shirts a size larger, and with Louis tugging on the hem, the neck line gapes and exposes the sharp lines of Louis’ collarbones. The way the shadows of the low lit room lick at the skin doesn’t help, and Harry’s tempted to let his own tongue follow the lead. 

“How attached are you to this shirt? Will you be mad if I don’t give it back?” 

Harry has to clear his throat, tightening his grip on the bag with his toothbrush and face wash in it. 

“It looks better on you anyways,” he mutters as he leaves the room. 

When Harry returns from the bathroom, Louis is already curled up in bed, only a mess of hair peeking out from under the duvet. Harry has to take a deep breath and swallow hard, but then he switches off the light and trudges over to the other side of the bed. 

As Harry lays there, counting the speckled swirls in the ceiling, all he can think about is how the next five days might actually kill him. 

// Send me Larry or Andeil prompts! //