#i've had 3 advisors i can't tell if there's something about me they just don't want to deal with like i do really try to be polite

[gideonisms]

my advisor keeps telling me to do different things in every single email my friend I simply need to know which semester I should apply for graduation for and whether I need to take Another clep

[m-jelly]

Hiiii there! I LOVE YOUR WORKS SO MUCH!!!! I got into AOT just a couple of days ago and stumble upon your works and I love how you write the characters!!!!

I can't help but ask if it's okay to request for Levi x reader, where the reader is like a legal advisor for the survey corps, she would often come to meetings and they would come to them for legal matters and she's highly intelligent and Levi is impressed and starts falling for the reader and the veterans like Hange and Erwin notices it and decided to help Levi with confessing. Maybe add in a little bit of the 104th cadets.

That's all but also one last thing is that please take care of yourself and don't overwork yourself. Thank you!!!

Thank you so much! You're so sweet anon and I'm glad you like my oneshots <3 Take care of yourself too.

@ladycheesington <3

Love and legal.

Levi x fem!reader

Canon world, fluff, romance, falling in love, flustered Levi, confessions, legal advisor reader.

Levi starts going to the legal meetings and falls in love with you. He wants to ask you out, but he's not sure how to go about it. So, with the help of the vets, he takes his first journey in love.

@ladycheesington @levisbrat25 @nyxiieluna @li-anne @galactict3a @youre-ackermine @thebobaprincess @2moth-anon2 @cypidity @nbinairyn @bts-spnlvr12 @darkstarlight82 @notgoodforlife @demonic-bird

The moment he fell in love with you was like a click in his head. For a while now he'd been coming to meetings that you were in. As you spoke about legal information he was impressed. After thinking about your wonderful brain, he started to notice your looks and how you smiled. Every little thing you did was incredible and cute. He adored how you smiled, laughed, spoke and smelt.

The feelings Levi had for you he was very new to. Love and attraction were not a familiar thing to him, so having these feelings build up was surprising. It was clear to him that he needed to be cautious because one false move with something he wasn't familiar with and he could lose you. He wasn't even certain if you held affection for him, but you seemed to laugh, smile and talk to him a lot more. Plus, you gave him lingering touches.

After one meeting he decided to make a small move, which was to escort you out of the base and back home. He released a long shaky breath as you said bye to the others and walked towards Levi. Levi stammered your name causing you to smile at him.

You hummed a little laugh. "Everything okay?"

He gulped hard. "C-Can I uh...escort y-you home?"

You moved closer to him. "I would like that."

"G-Great."

Erwin waved Levi over. "Levi, a quick word before you go?"

Levi nodded. "Sure."

You smiled. "I'll wait outside for you."

He gave you a tiny smile. "Y-Yes." As soon as you left he hurried over to Erwin, Hange and Mike. "What?"

Erwin placed his hand on Levi's shoulder. "Confidence, Levi. She clearly likes you back. Don't push your own boundaries, okay? If you're not ready to ask her out, don't push yourself."

"Mm, but I want her."

Mike chuckled. "Just go for it. Talk to her on the walk and at the end by her door ask her on a date."

Hange clasped her hands. "Yes! Ask her out on a tea date! You both love tea or you could ask her to go to the local bookstore."

Levi's brows furrowed as he thought about everyone's advice. "Confidence. Ask her out at the end. Recommend tea or a bookstore."

Erwin patted Levi's shoulder. "Perfect. You've got this."

Levi released another long sigh. "I've got this."

Hange leaned closer. "Remember, she likes you. I can tell she does. You've got this."

"I've got this." He clicked his neck and then left the room. He made his way out to see you stood with a little gathering around you. Levi could feel his cheeks burning when he observed them making a big fuss about you. "Tch, oi you lot? Shouldn't you be training?"

Connie saluted. "Captain! Sorry, we just wanted to talk to this lady. We see her here all the time."

Sasha grinned. "She gave me a snack."

Levi huffed. "Don't take snacks from her."

"But."

You walked over to Levi. "It's okay. I don't mind feeding them. I always have snacks on me anyway."

Levi's cheeks burned at how cute you were. "That's always good to have."

"I think so too." You turned to Armin. "I'll come back and we can talk a bit more about law."

Armin bowed to you a little. "Thank you. I look forward to it."

You waved to the small group of 104th cadets. "Bye, all! Lovely to see you."

Connie gasped. "She's the Captain's girlfriend!"

Levi's cheeks went pink at the comment. "L-Let's go."

You hummed a laugh as you walked with Levi. "I'm your girlfriend according to them."

Levi shivered. "A-Ah, yes."

You nibbled your lip. "Sounds rather nice." You moved closer to him. "Being your girlfriend that is."

Levi nodded at your comment. "I-It does."

"So, what do you think?"

He gulped hard as he walked. "Well, uh...I would...I ah..."

You reached over and lightly squeezed his hand. "Sorry if you feel pressured."

"I-I don't, I just...you fluster me."

"I do?"

He gripped your hand stopping you from letting go. "Good kind. I uh...I like you."

You rubbed your thumb against his soft skin. "I like you too."

He slowed down when he saw your home. "I uh...I don't want to get to your house because it means our walk is over."

You hummed. "I don't want to say goodbye either."

He looked into your eyes. "Date."

You stared at Levi and saw him wince. "Date?"

He lowered his head. "I was meant to ask you out in a smoother way. Ah...I want...would you like a date? Tea or a bookshop? Maybe both?"

You leaned closer and kissed his cheek. "How about tomorrow?"

He lightly touched his cheek. "Yes please."

"How about at eleven?"

"Yes. I'll come and pick you up."

You smiled. "Perfect. I can't wait."

[shininginyourlight]

@ichihero sent: RP MUSE VALENTINE’S APPLICATION. your name: a very secret admirer Romantic or platonic?: romantic!! I don't want to show off, but I'm pretty good at romantic gestures. I have to thank my two advisors for that. A night in or dinner out or an activity?: my plan is to have a romantic dinner, followed by a movie. I'm open to other suggestions, though! If you're tired we can just drink something and cuddle on the couch. maybe more Ice cream or chocolate covered strawberries?: why not both? it's a special day and you deserve to be spoiled more than anyone I know. What's your perfect date?: spending time with you, doesn't mater what we end up doing. We could even have a Mahjong date! Would you cook for me?: For sure! I've been researching some new recipes, so you're in for a surprise. Just don't go into the kitchen when you're reading this. Would you let me cook for you?: Nothing beats your cooking! I know that because I visited your restaurant before, of course. Can we make-out?: Yes!!! Make out in private or in public?:I got a complaint that we're making other people feel miserable at the bar, so I'll go with private this time! Do you like to cuddle?:it's my favorite thing in the world! If it were possible I'd never let you go anywhere. Blankets or no blankets for cuddling?:it's still cold so we definitely need blankets. If not, I can keep you warm! Couch or bed?: It depends! If you want to watch a movie and get some snacks, then the couch is enough. But if you want to have sex [way too direct] make love [no I can't write that] other things, then we can move to bed. What are at least 3 hobbies of yours?:you already know all my hobbies. Only three? I'm passionate about many things, including arcade games, old movies, and you wouldn't believe, management! I actually used to be the president of a big company, so I'd say you're pretty lucky. Tell me something about you no else knows:this is difficult... Oh, remember the kid I told you about? The one whose mom was busy working, so he was all by himself at the restaurant. We were talking about birthdays and I realized I never got a gift from anyone before I met you. Never told anyone about that. Why do you want to be my valentine?: because I love you and I want to make you feel special just like you do for me everyday. What makes you a good Valentine?: my passion! I'll do everything in my power to give you an amazing day that you won't forget. Leave it to me! So, will you be my valentine? Pretty please?

"Ooo, a pretty please? Hard to ignore... Guess I should read it over properly first, though."

As "secret" of an admirer as this was supposed to be... well, his admirer wasn't great at hiding his identity. Zhao couldn't help but chuckle, reading through it. He was so damn cute sometimes. Too cute for his own good, as far as he was concerned.

Some of the answers were way too sweet. He was having an absolutely impossible time keeping himself from smiling, feeling almost like a giddy schoolboy. Like how he'd get when he had his first real boyfriend all the way back in middle school. God, it was disgusting in the best way possible.

Getting to the end of the application, he just stared at it for a bit, rereading parts of it and grinning all over again.

"...Well, can't say no to that, can I?"

[APPROVED]

[allfillernothriller]

I said much happened in 24hrs, but it started before that, so here's a little context. My dad took a small life insurance policy back in 94. When he passed in May 2021, I read the contract. My mum was still listed as sole beneficiary even though they broke up in 2000 and she died in 2016, but that's just my dad for you (he tried making me the beneficiary like a week before dying or something so if you ever feel bad about procrastinating hopefully that'll give you some perspective lol). Since the og beneficiary is deceased, legally I could claim the money, as the holder's heir. To do that, I had to prove 1. I was dad's only child 2. I haven't got kids of my own. However, I had 3 years after the date of death to do so, otherwise the bank got to keep the money. I went to a non profit org for legal advice because the bank was starting to send confusing letters asking me to send back nonsensical and contradictory documents, and it was getting definitely sketchy. I love me a good “who's the biggest twat?” game, so I sent them a very condescending email letting them know I was seeking legal advice and disregarding their letters. I also asked them to stop sending more and that I'd send the documents the expert I was meeting with would tell me to provide, but nothing more. Legal advice turned out to be: “oh yeah the confusing letters are tactic to discourage people from claiming their due” & “they can't ask for the family record book to prove you're his only heir, it has to be a notarial document” (I won't get into it now but if you've got questions about french succession laws I'd be happy to answer them). I wasn't very happy with that answer because providing my dad's family book record was free and easy, but having a notary establish a succession? Out of my budget. I still met with one because the first appointment was free. She was very nice, but thought the amount I'd get wouldn't be worth the trouble + cost of the whole administrative procedure. I thought well, at least I tried the legal route. Time for loopholes. I never told the bank what the legal advisor said. Instead, I waited until the last minute (10 days before the 3 year deadline) and sent a copy of my dad's death certificate, a copy of his family record book and a copy of my ID, hoping that so close to the deadline, they wouldn't double-check whether they asked for the correct documents (they didn't and I wasn't about to let them know). AND IT WORKED. After 2 years of back-and-forth and a 3rd year of giving them the silent treatment I WON. I CHEATED THEM OUT OF THE MONEY THEY TRIED TO CHEAT ME OUT OF. They could've rightfully kept the money on the basis that the family record book has no legal bearing. But they didn't, and I feel INVINCIBLE.

So, now I get to spend dad's policy unwisely, don't I? And because I'm known for having impeccable timing (got plenty of anecdotes that'll prolly end up in a post someday), I managed to snatch a ticket for The Streets in Luxembourg tonight. 72hrs ago I was so sure I was going to miss it because I wasn't supposed to be able to afford it. I barely had 2 days to process but it's happening. They are so difficult to see in France, I thought I'd have to see them in the UK. I only found out they were playing in Luxembourg like 2 weeks ago and I thought I wasn't going to make it because of all I've spent on Yard Act. Speaking of that, I'm also going to be there 😭 (yes I know I've got a serious problem)

But that also implies that I need to somehow include stopovers in Crawley, Cardiff and West Kirby to visit family members and oh, how I hate that we're scattered all over the place. That sounds impossible, so that's gonna be fun. It will also be the opportunity for me to visit one of my first online friend's grave. She was incredibly important to me, and sadly she passed before we could meet face to face. Her birthday is on Aug 9, so I'll be in Leicester that day.

I'm obviously very excited at the prospect of visiting Leeds bc I'm a music nerd flavoured tourist. It's gonna be very special to see Yard Act there 🧡

Might as well try and find a way to catch Jamie T at one of the festivals in the middle of this chaotic future trip too. I know the friends I made at Ally Pally (& saw again at Finsbury Park) are going to be there, I'd be dense to miss the opportunity.

Long story short, I'm gonna be roaming around the UK this summer so if anyone wants to meet up let me know!

[uh-velkommen]

Guys I gotta admit this isn't living up to what I expected it to be. I've been becoming more and more depressed because I thought going to grad school would be this big life changing event where I was really gonna find myself, engrain myself thoroughly into a new culture, learn so much about the topic I enjoy, and maybe even meet some super cool people along the way. And while I'm not particularly struggling in those departments, I just feel like this was a waste of time. I wanna just move back to the US, refund my student loans, and pick up where I left off in August. I keep thinking about how I had my apartment furnished exactly how I dreamed it would look and how I was able to stock my kitchen pantry with fresh ingredients to bake desserts every night from scratch and I just enjoyed living in my own peace. When I was in school I didn't want to leave because school felt like where I belonged. When I was an "adult" I didn't want to leave because I felt at peace. Now I'm back at school and I don't want either thing. I don't want to restart my meshing into adulthood but I don't want to financially struggle and only talk to people for 3 hours a day each week.

I decided to meet with my academic advisor to plan out my two years because I felt like that would give me motivation to keep going. I want to study multilingualism and neurolinguistics. All of which was advertised when it came time to search for graduate programs. But then I meet with my Advisor and she tells me they're not offering classes like that in the near future. I ask about taking classes in Copenhagen or Stockholm at the same time, she tells me I'd have to pay double tuition as a non-EU student. I tell her, okay how about language evolution, that was something I really emphasized having an interest in when I did my application. She offers me, "Variations of English" and "Sounds of the world's languages." These are classes I already took in my undergrad. And this is a recurring problem. Linguistic departments are always so small and understaffed that they end up offering the same things over and over again. I'm currently taking classes on things I already know! To make things worse, they keep telling me that I need to take B.A. level courses here since I didn't major in Linguistics in my undergrad. I explained to them over and over that I took classes in those general subjects, phonetics, syntax, semantics, etc. and my advisor replied with, "We want to make sure you take classes that cover linguistic theory" Okay so like, Chomsky and Sapir, I can do that, what are the classes called? "Syntax and Semantics." OH MY FUCKING GOD. I can't bare another semantics course, I've taken like 3 already. Finally I just show her my transcripts so she can see what classes I took and she goes, "huh, I don't see a lot of linguistics here?" And I can just HEAR her thoughts floating around saying, Why did we even admit you??

I mean, shit I've been thinking the same thing. I'm not struggling though, I was a straight A student in all my Anthro/Ling classes. And I told them over and over that I was a Linguistic Anthropologist and that's why most of my classes are listed under Anthropology and that I'm here to really narrow down my studies. I WANT to do the hard stuff. I want this interest to be reignited and I'm just not getting it here. This is a waste of time and money because this school isn't providing what I need.

But I'm not a quitter, I can't just stop something a month into it, I just don't know how. So I remind myself that this is a means to an end. We do this for two years, we get a job, we live in Sweden, we're happy. But linguistics isn't exactly a lucrative field, in fact, I know exactly what the job market looks like in Scandinavia and nobody is looking to hire an M.A. Linguistics kid. Finding work here is not garaunteed. So then what, I do all this, go into debt, go broke, ruin my credit score, end up with no job and no home to return to, scrambling to find an apartment in a city I've never been to with a job I have no true passion for and the remorse of an opportunity wasted weighing on my conscious? But hey, at least I got to live in Sweden!/s

[rosanna-writer]

to make them love me and make it seem effortless (chapter 3)

Summary: When the High Lord of the Spring Court whisks her off to Prythian, it's exactly what Feyre Archeron wants. Her plan: let Tamlin romance her to break the curse and use her proximity to him to pass military secrets back to the mortals. And it works— until a certain other High Lord tries to steal documents she's after.

Pairing: Feysand

A/N: In this AU, Spring is cursed during the War, Feyre is born much earlier, and Hybern reins Amarantha in when she goes rogue.

Back to Rhys's POV for this chapter!

Third chapter is below, and you can also find it here (along with the rest) on AO3 :)

The infighting is delicious.

When I arrived at the battlefield tent designated for negotiations, Tamlin charged me. I winnowed away before he could lay a talon on me. Nevertheless, Hybern and Beron each grabbed an arm and held him back.

I give them a wide berth as we wait for the others to arrive, but I can hear some irritated whispers about "just a mortal girl" and "get your head on straight" and "don't make this any worse than it already is."

In fact, Tamlin makes it easy on me. The rest of his alliance is so concerned with reining him in that I don't actually have to answer any difficult questions about what Feyre is doing in the Night Court. It isn't long before the rest of the High Lords and the mortal queens arrive and the conversation turns to other matters.

I just wish Feyre was here to see it. But perhaps getting to tell her all the details of our enemies shooting themselves in the foot will be the next best thing.

The bond has been quiet since I left. I hope that means she's getting the rest she needs, but with how murky the connection is, I can't be sure.

Around mid-day, I feel a slight shift. It's almost too subtle to notice, but I think she's awake. I scribble a note for her.

Good morning, Feyre darling. Tamlin is seething but it hasn't come to blows. He's managed to keep your name out of his mouth. It's going well.

The note disappears into thin air, but no one thinks twice. Plenty of others at the table have sent similar notes back to their own advisors all morning.

It's quite a while before the note returns with Feyre's addition under my own. Her handwriting is the most hideous chicken scratch I've ever seen, hardly legible at all.

Good to hear.

I add my next message on the next line under it. Did you sleep well? There is talk about handling the sudden influx of mortal refugees fleeing the opposition. Thoughts?

It takes even longer for the paper to return again, so long that I get wrapped up in a discussion of a proposed change from Helion and almost forget that I sent it. But it comes back in that same scrawl.

Yes thanks. The mortal queens should help but won't. Not much use opening up Prythian's borders, they're too afraid of fae. Better to send supplies.

I had suspected the same, but it's good to have Feyre confirm my suspicions. Despite their posturing, the mortal queens have struck me as too self-involved to do the right thing and provide for the newly-freed mortals who will be flocking to their lands. As much as I'd rather not pick up their slack, there are much worse uses for Night Court resources than making sure vulnerable people are provided for.

I send back one more message thanking her and don't think much of it after that. There's a heated argument about redrawing the borders to transfer some of Autumn and Spring's territories to Summer, and the shouting takes my full attention.

But the paper comes back again, and when I see her addition, I nearly drop it in shock.

I never would have guessed my mate was an artist.

On the bottom margin, she's drawn a mountain range below a night sky. It's a remarkable level of detail for something so small, the shading just so. And above the highest peak, there are three stars. It's not just any mountain— it's Ramiel.

I fold the paper and pocket it to keep it safe. We break for lunch, but as much as I want to see Feyre again, there is work to be done.

I find Azriel in the tent we've designed as our headquarters, reading over what I assume are the most recent intelligence reports.

He looks up when he hears me enter. "Are you making any progress?" he says, not bothering with a greeting.

"Some but not as much as I'd like," I say. I'll give the full details later, when I can meet with the rest of the Inner Circle together at once.

"Feyre's father is alive and well. Their fortunes ‘just so happened’ to turn around after she left for the Spring Court," Azriel says.

"Tamlin's doing?"

"Seems like it."

"Is that her only family?"

Azriel hesitates, which tells me that the answer is going to be unpleasant. I brace myself for whatever bad news I'm going to have to relay to my mate.

"Her mother died years ago. She has two sisters who I've been unable to locate."

Even outside the Night Court, all the way in the mortal lands, Azriel can find anyone. Either they're in hiding, or someone else doesn't want them to be found. I don't know what that means.

Before I can answer, Cassian pushes open the tent flap and enters. "Your mate thinks like a general, Rhys," he says with a grin.

“The fact that you think that’s a compliment says more about you than it does about her, general, ” I say.

Cassian laughs. "I'm not wrong, though. She's all backbone."

The respect in his voice gives me a warm feeling. Maybe it's too much too soon, but I can picture Feyre slotting herself into my family, as if she's always belonged here.

"I don't disagree," I say. Cass and Az share a knowing look, and because I have no desire to get into a discussion regarding what transpired over breakfast, I change the subject. "Any new developments this morning?"

Cass shakes his head. "No, I've been in the healers’ tents all morning, trying to visit the wounded and get a sense of morale. Everyone is eager to go home."

"It's too early for me to give you a timeframe," I say. There's nothing I want more than to send my soldiers home, but the ceasefire is still so fragile. With all the yelling this morning, it seems possible, even likely, that fighting could break out again, and we can't be caught flat-footed. I'd like for my soldiers to be home by Starfall, but I don't know if that's realistic.

"Understood," Cassian says.

I nod, and then it occurs to me that Cassian probably has more time on his hands than he has in a while. "If Feyre is interested in training, would you be able to help with that?" I say.

"Do you even have to ask?" Cass says with a grin.

"You should get her a bow. I saw calluses on her fingertips, the kind you get when you shoot without a decent finger guard," Az says.

I think back to how rough her hand had felt when it brushed mine this morning. My mind had been elsewhere, and I hadn't considered what she’d been up to that made her hands like that. But now, I wonder why she spent so much time shooting without basic protective gear. It's one more entry on the growing list of questions to ask when I see her next.

"That's simple enough," I say, and I'm sure Cass is already devising ways to add moving targets to the training ring.

There is more negotiating to do, so I don't linger much longer. The rest of the afternoon devolves into petty squabbles, and it's evident that I'm not the only one at the table who hasn't slept. High Lords can be capricious on a good day, and everyone's patience is thin. We end without much progress.

I sent another note to Feyre, so she's waiting for me in the study when I winnow back to the Moonstone Palace. Her hair is damp, and she's changed into another set of Mor's clothes.

"You look exhausted," she says.

"Hello to you too," I say.

That cloying perfume from last night is gone, and I can properly smell her for the first time. It’s the same scent from my dreams. I wish I could bury my face in her hair and just inhale, but I'm sure she wouldn't appreciate that.

She tilts her head. "Did— Did you just sniff me?"

"You smell like yourself now."

She gives me a look that's equal parts puzzled and irritated. "Gods-damned fae and your noses."

I laugh and lean against the desk, feeling some of the stress of the day fade, just from being near her. Unfortunately, the day isn't over.

"We're meeting with the rest of the Inner Circle soon, but I have news for you," I say.

"You do?" she says and grimaces, as if the only kind of news she can imagine is the bad kind.

"Azriel confirmed your father is alive and well."

I'd expected relief at that, but the grimace stays in place. "Good."

"And your sisters are missing."

"I expected that."

I do my best to stay out of her mind, but I can still feel her disappointment through the bond. "I'll have Azriel keep looking."

"If they want to be found, they'll come to me." I don't say anything, just try to puzzle out what that means. Eventually she continues, "When I left for Spring, we knew it might put a target on their backs. Humans hate fae, plus there was a chance someone could use them to get to me, and then me to get to Tamlin. So they went into hiding, and it's probably for the best that they stay that way for now."

"They would be safe here." I can’t let it go unsaid, but I’m sure by now that she’s aware of this, too.

"I know. If this peace lasts, they'll find me."

I want to pull her close and tell her that I'll fix it for her, but I don't want to overwhelm her further. I feel completely ineffectual, just standing here.

"I'm sorry." It's not even close to sufficient.

"It happens. We weren't close. Can we change the subject?"

She’s staring straight ahead at a spot on the wall, not looking at me. There's a swirl of emotions on her end of the bond, too mixed to really name, but none of them positive. Whatever the story is with Feyre's family, it's complicated. I don't blame her for not wanting to share, at least not yet.

"Of course. Cassian has found himself with more time on his hands. Are you interested in training?"

She turns back to back to me. "Training?"

"To fight. Not that I think your knife skills are subpar after last night."

That, at least, gets her to crack the barest hint of a smile. "Yes. It might do me some good to get outside and hit something."

With an answer like that, Feyre really is going to fit in here. Cassian will be delighted. "Perfect. Azriel said you may be interested in a bow. Because of the calluses on your hands."

At the mention of the calluses, she flips her hands over and starts to pick at them. "The last few months are the longest I've gone without shooting since I first learned. It's how I kept my family fed," she says.

There's another story there, but after how she reacted to the news about her family, it's clear now isn't the time.

"Most Illyrian warriors train with a bow. It's a convenient weapon to shoot while airborne."

When we were younger, Cass and Az both out-shot me during every single target practice session. Something tells me Feyre is also a better shot than me, but I keep that to myself. Better to delay the inevitable ribbing and temporarily preserve my dignity.

"It will be good to get my hands on one again." Her fingers twitch as if she’s already curling them around a bowstring.

"Perfect. Next order of business—"

"How many orders of business do you have ?"

"Two more, and we'd get through them quickly if I wasn't so rudely interrupted—"

I'm cut off by a ball of scratch paper that Feyre flings at my head. I duck and mist it before it hits the wall.

"Prick," she mutters, but she's smiling again and I am, too.

"As I was saying," I say pointedly, "Tomorrow we're going to start teaching you to shield your mind."

Her brow furrows. "Can mortals even do that?"

"With extensive practice, yes. You need a more reliable way to keep me out of that lovely head of yours. I try my best, but the bond seems to amplify you, and you insist on thinking at full volume."

"Alright. And the last order of business?"

"We're debriefing with the rest of the Inner Circle and making a plan for negotiations tomorrow. We're meeting at the House of Wind, so I'll leave it up to you. Should we fly there or winnow?"

"Fly? But you don't—" I unfurl my wings, and my smile just grows wider at her shocked expression. "Why didn't you tell me you have wings?"

"You didn't ask," I say innocently.

"Most people don't have hidden..." She trails off and struggles to find the right word. Finally, she manages to splutter, “Appendages.”

"There's nothing I'd love more than showing you all my appendages, Feyre darling," I purr.

"Prick."

She's faster this time, or maybe with my wings outstretched I have more surface area, and another ball of scratch paper flies through the air and grazes my wingtip. It gets stuck on a talon, and I fling it back at her. She ducks before it even gets close to her.

"You didn't answer my question. Winnowing or flying?" It seems almost too good to be true that she didn't bolt after the flirting, so I half-expect her to reveal a crippling fear of heights because I'm due for a disappointment.

But she says, "Flying."

Once we're at the window, I hook one arm under her legs and the other around her shoulders. She circles her arms around my neck, and the full force of her scent hits me again. I just drink it in for a moment, the feeling of her warm body pressed against my chest and her breath on my neck.

I push off into the air, and her entire body goes stiff. There's a sharp jolt of panic across the bond.

"It's alright, Feyre. I'll go slow," I say softly. I can't hover, but once we're at a proper altitude, I slow down.

If she wants to spend the entire flight with her face buried between my neck and shoulder, I can't say I mind. But there's so much I want to show her, and flying is the easiest way to do it. After a minute, she feels less rigid.

"Can you look down? I want you to see the city," I say.

She tips her head away from me and gives a small gasp of surprise. "It's beautiful."

"This is Velaris, City of Starlight."

"Is there a reason it's on all of your maps and none of Tamlin's?"

I take that to mean she's made full use of the library while I've been gone. Industrious of her, but I wish she'd gotten more rest. "Yes," I say, then explain how the city has been kept hidden for years.

She's quiet after that, and it's peaceful, perfect, just flying through the night air with my mate in my arms. Everything feels right in a way I never knew it could.

After a moment, she says, "That mountain over there, the one under three stars…"

"That's Ramiel," I say, "You might have seen it on the Night Court insignia."

"I haven't. When I was doodling today, I didn't think much of it. It just seemed like the right place for the stars to go. I had no idea it was a real place."

The enormity of that washes over us both. It's terrifying in some ways, how deep this bond goes, the power of it. If it weren't accompanied by the bone-deep, instinctive sense of trust, I think we both might have fallen apart today.

As we approach the House of Wind, Cass and Az catch up to us, bringing Mor and Amren with. The sight of them pulls me out of my thoughts and back to the task we have at hand: updating each other and making plans.

As I set Feyre down, Mor says, "Nice shoes, Feyre. Where'd you get them?"

The peal of laughter that gets from Feyre makes me think that wasn't a genuine question and there's context I'm missing. How the two of them have already managed to have an inside joke is beyond me. But I can't complain at the sight of one more puzzle piece sliding into place, even if the prospect of them joining forces is a little intimidating.

But there's no time to waste, so the six of us head straight to the war room. Mor and Amren give updates on how the rest of the Night Court is taking the news: similarly to Cassian's troops, they're relieved and eager to know when their loved ones will be home. There are no major updates from Cassian or Azriel since we talked earlier.

As I start to describe Tamlin's reaction this morning, I watch Feyre and don't try to hide it. There's nothing but cold fury on her side of the bond. Her face is blank, but her posture is tense.

I reach out with my mind. What's wrong?

He tried to hurt you.

I'd feel the same way in her position, but it's still a marvel that she would care this much. When I recount the rest of the day, she relaxes, along with the rest of the Inner Circle, at the news that the subject of her departure from Spring was dropped fairly quickly. Through the bond I feel her anger melt into something I can’t define until I realize it's a vicious sort of satisfaction.

We debate methods for giving Tamlin reassurance that Feyre is alive and unscathed, but none of us can think of one that will be sufficient proof without putting Feyre in harm's way. Feyre goes quiet throughout the whole discussion. I don't like it, but I don't feel anything concerning through the bond, so I stay out of her head. When we find that we're talking in circles, we agree to move onto the next item on the agenda.

I lay out the concerns that were raised regarding the incoming newly-freed mortals. And that's when Feyre finally cuts in.

"The mortal queens have enough poverty in their lands already. I would know," she says. "They don't care about their existing subjects, and humans would never relocate to Prythian."

"Not even if we carve out room? Have Tamlin, Hybern, and Beron give some of their territory to the mortals as reparations?" Mor says.

All eyes fall on Feyre, who seems to be considering it. "It could work," she says, "But they'd need more than land. Resources until they can stand on their own two feet, maybe some kind of protection. I think it would be delicate."

"It could stretch us thin. Could we manage that and take care of our own?" Amren says.

Feyre bristles, but it's a valid question. Ultimately, my first duty is to the Night Court. "Not alone, but with the other Courts, we could," I say.

"And I could be a bridge," Feyre says, before I even have a chance to ask if she would.

It seems like so much to put on her shoulders, especially when she's untested, but she wouldn't be alone. I can’t devote much time to foreign affairs when there is still so much rebuilding to do, but Mor and Amren are accomplished stateswomen in their own right. They could guide her even if I can't.

"Then I'll see if the rest of our alliance is open to the idea," I say.

We move on and tie up a few loose ends before we break. As the six of us walk back downstairs, the mood lightens. There are celebrations happening across the city tonight, and I'd be drinking and dancing with the rest of them if I wasn't so tired.

"You should go with them if you want," I tell Feyre.

"Not this time. I'm exhausted," she says.

The promise of a next time is so casual, but it means everything. She could stay here and be carefree for once in her life.

My friends don't badger either of us to come out with them, the way they would normally do if I insisted on staying home. As little rest as they've gotten, I think they can tell the past day has been taxing in additional ways for Feyre and me. They say their goodbyes and leave the two of us alone together on the balcony.

"I'm planning on staying here tonight, not the Moonstone Palace, if that's alright. Mor has another set of clothes here too, and Cassian will likely want to use the training ring here in the morning," I say.

"Does Mor stay wherever you do?" she asks.

"She doesn't like to be alone, but I don't think she'll be back tonight." I consider asking her about the shoes but it seems like something that's between the two of them. "Dinner?"

"I promise I won't try to slip you any food."

I think she means it as a joke, but I can't find it funny. Even with the bond, we still have no idea what we can and can't joke about. "Please don't."

I drag a chair out to the balcony along with my food, and Feyre follows suit. There's music drifting up from the celebrations below and more lights glowing than I've seen in a while.

Feyre stares down at it as she eats, a pensive expression on her face. I'm not sure what emotion it is I feel from the bond, but it's not warm or happy. "This is all so beautiful," she says, and I'm not sure what she means. "You're not going to hide the ugly parts of your court from me, are you? Not— Not like Tamlin did?"

"I love my court and my people, but it's far from perfect here. I wouldn't hide that from you, but it seems better to ease you into it," I say.

She pushes some of her food around with her fork. “Tamlin told me about mating bonds because he thought it might snap for him. But he didn’t mention the mating frenzy. He must have thought it would scare me.”

“He’s an idiot. You don’t scare easily,” I say. She keeps pushing the food around on her plate, so I add, “But no, I won’t do what he did. There’s only so much information we can take in at a time, and I don’t see a reason to frontload the worst parts.”

She fixes me with a penetrating look, and says, "Alright." I hope that means she's satisfied with the answer.

We both turn back to the food and go quiet. I'm too lost in thought to really taste anything, but at least for me, the silence feels companionable. After a day of heated meetings, it's like a balm.

I get up to grab wine and pour a second glass for her without thinking about it. When I sit back down, she accepts it with a quiet "thank you."

"I don't want to be in your head right now, but I'll give you a thought for a thought," I say, taking a sip.

"I'm wondering if this is as strange for you as it is for me, feeling this deep connection but not even knowing your favorite color."

"This is without a doubt the most bizarre experience of my life."

She smiles into her glass. "That makes me feel better."

"And for the record, it's dark blue, the color the sky turns as night falls. What's yours?"

"Violet."

"Why?" She shakes her head, and I catch sight of her cheeks flushing before she buries her face in her empty hand. "Feyre..." She just shakes her head again and doesn't look at me. I don't need the bond to know she's embarrassed. Now I'm dying to know, but there's no use in pushing her. "Fine. My turn then. I'm wondering what kind of person calls what you drew today a doodle. It was intricate."

Feyre looks up and shrugs. "It only took me a few minutes. I needed a break from reading."

"How much of an artist are you?"

"Not as much as I'd like. I like painting the best, but we didn't have much money for supplies, so I didn't always get the chance. But pencils are cheap, and charcoal is cheaper, so I'm better with those."

That settles it— I'm taking her to the Rainbow as soon as I get the chance. "The first dream I had of you was your hand painting flowers on a table."

And there it is again, the enormity of the bond between us. It seems we can't escape it, even when we're making idle chitchat. Feyre downs the rest of her wine.

We don't say much else, and I don't remember when the exhaustion finally claims me and I drift off in the chair. When I wake a couple hours later, she's not there. I panic for a half a second until I notice the blanket over my legs and realize she must have put it there.

[cheekygreenty]

Little Witch - Part 10

The Darkling x Reader

*I’ve changed this part like 5 times so if there’s any inconsistencies I do apologize 😝

In a perfect world, you and Aleksander would have spent the day in his luxurious bed surrounded by his soft silk sheets. You felt an overwhelming feeling to open up to him, to tell him everything that happened to you since you saw him last, nearly a century ago, but life has a way to ruin perfect opportunities.

Wars didn't take breaks or vacations, they got more deadly as time went on and each side got more nervous as more people gave their lives to the cause. A solution was necessary and from your understanding, Aleksander still had the same plan as he did all those years ago he just had a different way to go about them. No doubt Alina was at the center of them.

You had business to attend to too. The first on the list was a meeting with the council. The King and his advisors were to be there to 'greet' you with open arms, but you were sure you'd have to put on a quick performance of your abilities to satisfy their curious minds.

Maybe that's why he gave me the shadows, to ensure my position. You quickly brushed off the thought. It didn't really matter to you why he did what he did. You had your shadows back. He claimed protection, but you knew there was a different reason behind it as well. It seemed too quick and too easy in your opinion but who were you to judge what kind of trust he truly had in you. You felt comfort that you always had piece of him wherever you went.

On a lighter note, you could finally wear a black kefta. The thought itself had you quickly leaping out of his bed and skipping to your chambers in a mere robe through the secret passages of the Palace. You didn't want anybody to see you leaving his quarters, not in the state you were in. You needed to grab a Healer and get rid of those very visible marks on your neck that Aleksander took his time creating. He intended to mark you as his own but jokes on him, you never wanted to belong to anybody but yourself.

Time passed and servents scurried in and out of your chambers, carrying information from here there and everywhere. You were already overwhelmed with tasks and your position wasn't even announced to the Palace yet. You were still the mysterious Grisha that served with the Darkling, not for.

Your vanity was covered in papers and reports in handwriting you had trouble reading and your bed had maps strung across it. Aleksander truly meant it when he said he would get you started right away and share his responsibilities as soon as he got the chance.

When the time finally came, you were escorted to the Grand Palace with Aleksander walking right next to you. The conversation was devoted to work and nothing else, Fjerdan intel, rumors of West Ravka and Zlatan, and upcoming skiff journeys but you didn't mind. You were damn good at your job, having started out in the First Army and then joining the Second Army had given you experience not even the General had, it's what made you the first pick when dealing with plans involving otkazat'sya soldiers, they respected you. I wonder if they will now.

You had spent 3 years in the First Army once upon a time. You came from a wealthy merchant family, a family full of drunks and abusers and cowards. You gave up the feeling of a full stomach and duck-feathered beds for the rations of the army once your mother admitted to you being a bastard and not worthy of the family name. What a shame. Look at me now.

You never knew what you could do, but a slip-up with a Tidemaker had you served to the Darkling on a silver platter. He was meaner then, more unforgiving. Your years spent with him after that had changed him, made him better in your eyes. You fell for him, hard, even though there was so much death and destruction in his wake. When you love somebody, it’s easy to see past all of the nasty stuff and focus on whatever is left of the good and Aleksander still had an abundance of if.

You could still remember his cold stare as he asked you what the hell you were. After pleading with him that you didn't know and his Heartrenderer confirming it, he whisked you away to the Little Palace where soon enough you had become his equal, if not his superior.

'I actually wanted to ask you something about one of the Grisha in the Palace. I seen her with Alina, red-hair, big blue eyes... she wore a white kefta?' You said as you wlaked down a mirrored hallway in the Royal building.

'Oh, that's Genya Saffin. She works for the King and Queen.' He said with an underlying tone of irritation.

'What does she do? She wears a white kefta so I'm just curious'

'She's a tailor. Member of the Corporalki. She should be wearing red, I know. But trust me the time will come' He ushered us both into a guarded room of glitering gold and pearly white walls. So tacky. I could make out the king slumped in an overdone throne-like chair.

'Moi tsar' you and Aleksander bowed much to your distastes. You hoped nobody had seen the brief look of disgust wash over your face as the Lanstov King rose and gave his advisors a raised eyebrow, signalling to you. A man wearing a navy uniform looked at you like a piece of meat ready to be devoured. I'm gonna throw up.

'Deputy General Y/L/N is it?' He took your hand in his own sweaty one gave it a wet kiss. 'You Grisha are always easy on the eyes aren't you?'

You took a step back and cleared your throat. 'Yes, Moi Tsar, it is an honour to make your acquantance' You tried so hard to keep your fists at your sides.

'And what can you bring to the war table, apart from the newest fashion' He let out an obnoxious laugh and his advisors followed. They all looked smug and spoiled. None of them had any idea what the real world looked like and yet had the audacity to sit this council. I'll show them what it means to be powerful.

Aleksander stepped away to the side and gave you a nod. You slowly unravlled your fist and plunged the room into darkness while simultanseoly blowing a strong wind throughout the space, letting papers fly in all directions and the fire go out. You relit it, and every candle in the room. The man in the navy unifrom got the runt of your powers, as you slowly medled with his heart until he breathed a worried laugh 'Stop it Girl'.

But you didn't stop, you carefully stared at the chair the man sat in and pushed it just enough for him to let out a yell. You accidently let out a chuckle that was meant to be in your head. You felt Aleksander move toward you 'All right, that should be enough' He said visibly amused too. You let it all drop.

'It's Deputy General to you' You looked at his fearful face that tried to cover by fixing his jacket and whiping away invisible dust off of his shoulder.

'I must say I am impressed. With the Sun-Summoner and... you, we will have West Ravka and the surroundings begging for our alliances.' He sat down on his chair once again and pointed to an empty one across from him and to the right of Aleksander, who unbeknownst to you had already seated himself.

'Please, Deputy General, do take a seat, we have business to tend to'

****

A painful 2 hours later you and Aleksander walked out of the Grand Palace. You had a headache and your hands hurt from clentching them so hard.

'I'm assuming you sitting the King's meetings for me is off the table now?' Aleksander mused and all you could do was give him a side-eye.

'I think I want to kill him'

'In due time'

You weren't even surprised. If he didn't do it himself you definitely would have taken one for the team. That man is unbearable; like a child in a grown man's body.

As you wallked into your home, Aleksander gently took hold of your wrist and pulled you in the direction of his quarters.

'Come'

Your head was pounding too much to say no so you obliged. The hallways were bare of people, not a Grisha in sight.

You reached his war room doors and walked in after him. He pulled out a map and laid it down.

'I've sent out a First-Army search for the Stag.'

You paused. The headache suddenly gone. Morozova’s Stag. He had tried once before and failed. The weeks following his failure sent him into a frenzy, he questioned Morazovas journals and almost burned them all, but you had gotten to him last-minute. You never doubted the stag to be real. You just never believed he would use it. He's powerful on his own unless- it's for Alina.

You audibly sighed and leaned your back against the table. Alina.

'Does she want it?'

'Does that matter?'

‘Of course it matters!’ You scorned but he stayed silent.

You turned to look at him and whispered 'What are you planning this time?' He had been dropping hints here and there, but so far there was no plan you knew of. 'I can't help you if I don't know the plan'

'No. You're better of not knowing anything. I can't lose you again' you turned you head and looked at his side profile.

'But you need me. I'm powerful, I can lead an army'

'If anything happens you can take over for me then, Deputy.' He cocked a sad smile and left a lingering kiss on your forhead before he left you standing in the war room alone and confused.

Part 11

Taglist

@theonelittleone @searching-for-gallifrey @0-artemis @lostysworld @xceafh @fire-in-her-veinz @patdsinner33 @cleverzonkwombatsludge @wizardwheezes @aleksanderwh0r3 @tomhollandisabae @hotleaf-juice @justmesadgirl @exo-1204 @houseofdupree @oberonpascal

[shortguyswag]

I posted 14,165 times in 2022

271 posts created (2%)

13,894 posts reblogged (98%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@astronomical-bagel

@transiconlink

@count-woe-laf

@dustbringermoash

@crookedpickleoperatormug

I tagged 1,540 of my posts in 2022

#save - 63 posts

#mecore - 13 posts

#orion is writin - 11 posts

#era does art - 9 posts

#unreality - 7 posts

#hyrule library for the supernatural - 7 posts

#goncharov - 6 posts

#as a pun enthusiast i am obligated to rb this - 6 posts

#:d - 5 posts

#sam attempts poetry - 5 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#i dunno there's some line about one being deciet two may be conspiracy and there being the number i trust so i think it needs to happen mor

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

[Id: a traditional drawing of gerry keay from the magnus archives from the back. The drawing is done in grayscale except for a pile of books in front of him on fire, which are drawn in bright oranges and reds, and a flame from a lighter he is holding. He is sitting by the fire and looking up at the smoke that rises from it. End id]

Burning books

22 notes - Posted October 25, 2022

#4

I smear paint on something resembling canvas and hope it will mean something eventually (it's the closest I've been to a god)

The paint stains my hands and arms, and it feels messy but true (cleanliness is not godliness)

I paint and I paint and I paint and I can't help but beg for something out there to tell me how I fit into this mess, this canvas painted over with broken warriors and stubborn fools (somehow I don't think anything can hear me)

(hello?)

(is anyone out there?)

(if the void is perceived does it become something else?)

(does that make me a god of this emptiness?)

the sunflowers come together slowly (I don't know if I brought them to life, or if the were always there, just waiting for me to find them)

24 notes - Posted October 8, 2022

#3

Reblog to punch a transphobe

34 notes - Posted February 7, 2022

#2

I'm playing botw and you know what's hilarious? Link having no idea what his and miphas relationship was actually.

basically "okay, I have exactly one memory of her, where it kinda seems like she's asking me out on a date? Ok, that tracks with what sidon's been saying, she was in love with me, but wait, the zora tunic is made for the person the zora princess is going to marry, and she clearly would have had to have some sign that her feelings were reciprocated for her to make them for me, so... Wait. WAS I ENGAGED??? No no that can't be right, if we were actually engaged surely the king at least would know and would tell his advisors in order to get them to chill, wait, WE'RE WE DATING AND WAS SHE PLANNING TO PROPOSE??? no, no, once again, someone would have known. I've known myself all of 2 weeks and I can say I probably would've been so clingy, so someone probably would have noticed. BUT WHAT IF EITHER OF THOSE THINGS WERE THE CASE??? IT WOULD EXPLAIN HOW SHE GOT MY MEASUREMENTS CAUSE THIS THING FITS LIKE A GLOVE!! AAAA I DON'T KNOW!!!"

and then talking to mipha in the divine beast to TRY and figure /something/ out and she is no help whatsoever

71 notes - Posted July 15, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

I genuinely love doing this again! by dirtbag boyband bears in trees because it feels like a song you'd make up to sing to yourself but at the same time it's got some serious moments "every morning I wake up and I drink my silly little oat milk coffee and text my silly texts" silly little lines to sing as you drive. "I hope to be happy I hope to be calm I hope to be somewhat content, every morning I wake up and think to myself 'oh God we're doing this again'" mood, serious statement about repetition of every day and how exhausting it can get.

Also you can sing the chorus to reverberate to the "every sunrise every street sign etc etc" bit and I think that's neat

305 notes - Posted November 1, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[umbralstars]

Ok so thinking about it more I think I can express why I've never believed that Rufus is inherently a shitty ruler who's intentionally letting Faerghus fall into a dark age.

It stems largely from the fact Rufus was very likely regent before in 1168 when Lambert went to Sreng. That was a whole military campaign that had to have lasted at least a year or two, and the next time we hear of Lambert being back in Fhirdiad is 1174 when he marries Anselma. Even if Lambert wasn't gone for whole 6 years and only gone for around 3 years or so, which would be the reasonable minimum for a whole medieval-esque campaign, someone had to have been ruling Faerghus in the interim.

Who else would it be other than Rufus? Cornelia? Despite how much Lambert trusted her as an advisor/doctor I don't think that he would've had her be regent over Faerghus when his brother is literally right there. Also at the time she had barely been a court mage for around 3 years and not queen, so no way in hell she was ruling in Lambert's absence.

The point is is that Faerghus didn't go into decline while Lambert was away in Sreng. There's no mentions of rebellions or that Lambet had to go home early because of instability, just a successful military campaign that further cemented Faerghus as being a stable, growing, and prospering nation by quieting a countrythat and been a problem for years. It was stable enough that Arundel chose to take Anselma there when Adrestia was going up in flames and that would've been either while Rufus was regent or at the tail end of his regency period.

He was a good enough ruler to keep Faerghus stable while the king was away for multiple years, but then the same person is overseeing a Faerghus in active decline after the Tragedy. While yes the situation is indeed very different and far more dire, with how flagrantly Faerghus is just A Problem throughout White Clouds leads me to think something is up as to why Rufus can't get anything under control. The Knights of Seiros is being called in to deal with things happening in Faerghus despite with the Kingdom's culture they should have the best military in Fódlan (just think about it for a few seconds. That knight culture isn't just for storybooks). Also the very fact that rumors need to exist at all to explain why Rufus isn't ruling Faerghus the best screams it isn't just "Oh he's never been fit to be king and everyone knew that" like the specificalility of the rumors is telling us something.

I don't think Rufus is a bad ruler. Dimitri never says directly that he blames Rufus for the state Faerghus is in despite admitting they don't have a good relationship. One could argue he isn't one for directly speaking ill of family, but he doesn't even imply that Rufus is to blame other than acknowledging he needs to take the throne. It's even more suspicious with Dimitri saying this on Crimson Flower:

OCs aside, the only other Blaiddyd confirmed to exist is Rufus and it doesn't appear that he died on Crimson Flower (at least it's not confirmed like the other routes). Meaning if the rumors about Rufus are false, he'd be willing to give Faerghus back to his Uncle if things go south for him. If Rufus is truly and utterly incapable of ruling why in the Goddess' name would Dimitri be willing to risk dying? Or assuring Rhea that things will be fine even if he does? Now if he has cousins he's willing to pass the throne to that renders the point moot, but since they are not 100% confirmed to exist outside of rumors that assumption is not necessarily true. What if Rufus isn't a bad ruler and circumstances are what lead to his regency being a shitshow?

Rufus being depressed after the loss of his family, rampently giving into his vices and ignoring Faerghus' problems, Cornelia's whole existence, and the western lords largely in secret rebellion anyways. The possibility exists that Rufus was trying but couldn't stop Faerghus from declining and Dimitri knew that. Not enough that their relationship could be salvaged, but enough that Dimitri genuinely doesn't want him to come to harm or see him as the main reason Faerghus is fracturing.

I would even go so far to argue that Cornelia could've actively been hampering any attempts Rufus had at stabilizing things. She could've been manipulating him or the situations he needed to address is any number of ways. Hell if you want total speculation she could've used her position as court mage and doctor to actively make Rufus sick or unable to rule for whatever reason. She was damn sure close enough to kill him and frame it on Dimitri and does that in every route but Crimson Flower so that likely was a long game plan. Give Dimitri plenty motive by Rufus appearing to be a flippant ruler and stirring up rumors he was involved in the Tragedy. There's any number of reasons and I find it more fun to go for the tragic rather than just "Rufus bad."

[m-aster-of-spinjitzu]

orange and gold

...I just need more Cole and Vania content, they seem like they'd be great friends.

Basically it's just 'Cole goes to visit her there, they almost burn down the kitchen, and make way too many puns', lol.

Set a few months after Master of the Mountain, but before Seabound or The Island.

Also yeah, I couldn't think of a better title, sue me- I just know that they wear one of the colours at some point, so... 🤦‍♀️😂

Trigger warnings: none I think? Huh-

Also, bingo!! I really need to learn better time management, dear freaking gosh- I hope I'm not too late though? I know it's like half a day late, eek- and I was supposed to post this earlier, but I ended up literally falling asleep while writing it😂

Thank you so much Fabro, for hosting such a cool event!:D Your comments on my fics literally never fail to make my day<3. And I'm so glad that I met so many awesome, really skilled people through this event too - it's been a lot of fun working alongside y'all:D, I wish I'd had more time to interact instead of posting stuff and vanishing lol, but exams be like:////

Prompt: cooking (does baking count as cooking? I realized too late lol-) from @ninjago-bingo 's warm board.

Word Count: 2497

---

Trying to escape from killer dire-bats hadn't been on Cole's to do list today - although the mountains were kind of beautiful.

It was a bit difficult to see them while he was being dragged to his death, but hey, didn't Jay always tell them to be more positive?

That was, until he made the mistake of looking down.

Miles of snowcapped mountains touched the pastel blue sky, but he was more focused on exactly how high he was from the ground.

Great.

Trying to swing back onto the Bounty, he didn't notice a golden-winged blur shoot past the bat, almost dropping their spear in haste.

"Let my friend go, or I'll-"

"Vania?"

She throws the spear at the bird, successfully knocking one of its wings.

Huh. She must've been practicing - throwing with accuracy while flying seemed kinda difficult.

"I'm so sorry!" she replies, grabbing his arm before he fell down too. She winces at the strain on her wings, almost dropping him onto the deck. "I was supposed to come earlier, but there was an issue with one of the mines, and it took forever to-"

"There ain't anything in this world that's managed to kill me yet," he replies jokingly, checking that the autopilot hadn't been damaged. "I doubt an angry bird is going to be the first."

"Didn't you mention that you became a ghost once? Pretty sure that means you were dead-"

"Shh, that's not an important detail," he jokes.

"If you say so," she replies with a grin. "Did I mention that Chompy's been tearing down the palace flower arrangements again?"

"Send my regards to the gardener-"

"Did you just make a pun?"

"Remind me why I decided to visit you again?"

"Because you love me?" she asks stepping onto the ground as the Bounty landed gently.

"I hereby crown you as my platonic soulmate," Cole deadpans, taking her hand. "Vania and Cole-"

"Destined to annoy each other for eternity," she giggles, swinging their hands up and down. "But seriously - thanks. I don't think I realized how much work being a queen was."

"What's it like?"

"I mean - I'm glad that people trust me, and they come to me if they have a problem, but the paperwork is a nightmare. I never get to go outside anymore, I swear."

"Paperwork? Also, you just invited me here for a week. I don't wanna disturb you?"

"Nah, I cleared my schedule, don't worry. And trust me, you don't want to know. Everything requires some sort of official written thing, and it's so boring-"

"Official? But you're the queen?"

"Well, yeah, but I don't really want to change something unless it benefits the people. Not after..."

Her smile dims, eyes straying to the palace walls.

Oh- oh.

"You're nothing like him," Cole says firmly, squeezing her hand. "I mean, if you need to take a break, or you can make your job a bit easier by cutting out something unnecessary, that's just gonna help you become a better queen. You've definitely got the interests of your people at heart, and that's the most important thing, you know? And well, uh, everything seems to be going great so far - you don't have to beat yourself up over someone else's mistakes."

"Thanks," she replies softly, her smile slowly returning. "Speaking of breaks, what do you think we should do this time?"

"You could show me around the city again?"

"You've already seen everything cool," Vania giggles, skipping ahead of him. "We don't renovate much - unlike you guys-"

"Hey, it's not our fault that our city gets destroyed every few months-"

"More like every few days," she teases, tying back her golden hair. "How about we find some dragons to adopt?"

"Tempting, but where would you keep them?"

"They could sleep in my room-"

She breaks off when she notices him laughing. "What?"

"N- nothing," Cole replies, in between laughs. "Jay and I just made a bet."

"On what?"

"How many dragons you've adopted. I bet at least six, he bet fifteen."

"Well, jokes on both of you - I'm pretty sure my advisor's going to throw a fit if I show up with another one," she starts, giggling. "We've got twenty living in the palace right now."

"Twenty dragons?"

"They're so cute! You just look into their adorable little eyes," Vania pauses for breath, continuing her animated gesturing, "and you can't help but wanna hug them!"

"Oh, Jay's going to be so mad."

"Aww, I'm sorry guys. They're just too adorable!"

"...Wanna hear a funny story?"

"Yeah, sure!"

"I actually used to be terrified of dragons-"

"No way!" Vania exclaims. "Y'all have been on a lot of adventures though, so-"

"Nah, we used to have our own dragons at first. They were pretty cool! I just- I'm a simple guy! Huge animals with wings are scary up close when you're barely a teenager."

"Or when you're really short-"

"We're the same height!" Cole exclaims, facepalming in a bit of a fondly exasperated way.

"I'm two years younger than you-"

---

"Ugh, whose idea was this?"

"Yours," Vania grins, sitting down on the kitchen counter.

"You were supposed to help me, not leave me high and dry!" Cole accuses jokingly, staring at all the appliances they'd found in the cupboards.

"'One must always be prepared for new adventures,'" she quotes seamlessly, waving one of- what was his name again? Mulch something? Oh! Clutch! Some explorer he was, leaving them to die in the pyramid - Clutch Powers' books in the air.

"Fine," he sighs, staring at the old recipe book she'd found in one of their back cupboards. "But you've gotta help me? I almost burned down-" "Woah, what? If you finish that sentence with 'kitchen'-" "In my defense, Kai was playing a prank on me-" "In my defense, I wouldn't like to explain how the queen of Shintaro burnt down the palace by teaching one of her friends to cook," she grins, flipping through the pages. "What do you wanna start with?" "Something simple?" "Have you ever tried baking bread before? It's a lot of fun!" "I haven't really had the time, but that sounds kinda interesting."

He skims the recipe, raising his eyebrows. "Wait, why does this take hours? I thought you said it was simple?"

"Trust me, it is," she laughs, adding, "besides, I still wanna hear about all your adventures!" "Uh... okay," Cole replies hesitantly, "but if this fails, I'm so sorry." "Give yourself some credit, you guys literally saved the world! Multiple times!" "Bold of y'all to assume we know how we did it," he laughs, only half-kidding. "Besides. I botched soup once."

"I've botched toast," she mock-sighs, smiling. "Pretty sure that makes us even."

"Lemme get this straight. You've messed up toasting bread, but you can bake it from scratch?"

"Trust me, I don't know either," she giggles, trying to open a brightly coloured packet of... something? Did flour come in packets that small?

"Uh, why are you opening something called 'feast'?" he asks, eyebrows creased in confusion.

"Feast," she echoes, trying to stifle her laughter. "Off to a... rocky start, aren't we?"

It took him a second.

"I already regret this," he jokes, facepalming. "But I'd say that your puns are, uh, gold."

"I've un- unleashed-" breaking off, she half-falls off the counter, laughing so hard her face starts to go red, "a monster."

---

"Uh, is it supposed to look like that?" Cole asks, frowning.

The mixture looked less like the dough he'd been expecting - more like one of Jay's inventions gone wrong.

Badly wrong, he thought, eyes widening at the goopy mess of foam that threatened to spill over the jug.

"The yeast?" Vania echoes, poking her head out of one of the cupboards. "Yeah, all good! It always looks a little gross, and you're gonna doubt ever eating bread again, but at least it doesn't taste like it's fermented-"

"It's what?"

"Yeah," she grimaces, exaggerating her disgust a bit. "If aliens ever fell from the sky, they'd think we were crazy for eating bread-"

"Aliens? I think we're a bit crazy!" Cole exclaims, trying not to laugh.

Vania smiles, then sighs, lugging a huge bag of flour onto the counter. "I can never open these bags properly," she starts, eyeing the the bag a bit warily, "and it always makes such a huge mess all over the kitchen. You'd think they'd make it easier for people to use, right? I swear-"

He jokingly puts his hands over his ears. "I can't hear you!" "But you know that I've sworn off swearing-" she replies, breaking off with a laugh. "Pun not intended - that actually made sense in my head. I swear!"

"No," Cole interjects with a grin, shaking his head. "You don't, remember?"

"See, this is why we're friends-"

"Friends? Is that all I am to you?"

"Oh, be quiet," she shoots back, exaggeratedly dragging a hand down her face. "I mean, sure, just because everyone thinks that we're dating doesn't mean that we-"

Wait. What?

"People think that we're dating?" he asks, clamping a hand over his mouth in a poor attempt to muffle his laughter. "I- I- really?"

"I know, right?"

"Even my friends thought so at first," he confesses, dragging a hand down his face. "I mean, as much as I love you-"

"I love you too," Vania replies, completely seriously. "Even if you'll always be more like an annoying-"

"Hey-"

"Sibling to me than anything else," she finishes, grabbing a pair of scissors. Cole watches, a little alarmed, as she stabs them into the flour bag over and over.

"Is it... supposed to be this difficult to just open the bag? Seems kinda stupid-"

"Well, er, they have this piece of paper with glue that you're supposed to pull away from the rest of the bag, but it never works properly and I-"

"Well, we could always make our own flour," Cole interjects, laughing. "I mean, I've got a scythe? Let's go!"

"Uh, but we don't have wheat growing here. I don't think it'd suit the climate very well?"

"Wheat a shame," Cole sighs jokingly, measuring out the flour (which had, finally, escaped the bag).

"Oh my gosh," Vania deadpans, "you did not just-"

"Yep, I did."

"You're horrible," she giggles, "then again, I was the one who started this whole debacle, so I think we'll share the blame."

"Debacle? Where'd you pick that one up from? Sounds kinda cool-"

"Oh, it's from a book someone wrote about you guys," Vania says casually, pouring a cup of water into the bowl.

"Hey, uh-" Cole starts hesitantly, twisting his fingers back and forth, then breaks off. "Why'd you read all that stuff about us, anyways? Adventure books don't really seem like something you read a lot, since we have similar favorite books. I mean..."

"Well, um..." Vania trails off, clearly uncomfortable. "Uh- I guess, well, it sounds kinda stupid, but I'd never really met anyone my age who wasn't a royal or something. I... er, I didn't want to be left out, you know?"

Cole thinks back to a scroll; a quest, a sacrifice. One that his friends never seemed to really notice, unless it was with horror or flinches. Not that he blamed them, but - joking about how he was much more useful to the team when he was freaking dead than he was before he'd stumbled and fell in the temple?

That had been a bit far, even for his best friend. Locks could always be picked or something, he didn't need to be a ghost to provide some sort of value-

Well, that's not completely true, is it? a small voice questions, and he can't keep his hands from shaking a little.

"Jay here thinks you're the least valuable ninja."

Not enough to be a performer. Now, not good enough to even be a ninja, apparently.

Well, he reminds himself firmly, you don't have to be the best - just stand up to those who are cruel and unjust.

Nothing but a scar that glowed warm orange occasionally left of the whole Cursed Realm ordeal, sometimes it was all too easy to forget - or pretend - that it had never even happened in the first place.

Other times, like when he'd dropped a glass of water on the floor and his hands hadn't stopped shaking for hours, or when he woke up screaming, expecting to fall through his bed again, it still felt like he was trapped as a ghost. Literally - and maybe a little figuratively as well.

Yeah. Yeah, I know.

"Thanks for trusting me with that," he replies softly. "And I'm sorry. That sounds... horrible, but, honestly, you're a pretty cool person, and I ain't just saying that because we're friends. People can be awful, and they can- they can leave, but you don't need to pretend to be someone you're not for people to accept you. I kinda know what it's like, and it's... just, uh, not great."

"No, thank you," Vania says, rubbing her eyes. "You're pretty cool, too. And I'm glad that we become friends, even if wasn't in the- the, er, greatest circumstances."

"Right back at ya. The fall was pretty terrifying, though," Cole says casually, as if memories of that nightmarish plunge into the depths of earth don't still send shivers down his spine.

"No, definitely! I was so sure we were gonna splat onto the ground or something, thank gosh we didn't."

"Yeah..." Cole trails off, reading the recipe they'd been following. "Oh- do we just leave the bowl somewhere for a few hours now?"

"Oh, yeah," Vania answers. "Other than clean up the kitchen, what else do you wanna do?"

"That's kind of you, but, ah, I don't mind. You can choose something."

"I don't mind either," she replies, covering the bowl with a dishcloth. "Seriously, I don't."

"Same here though."

"Really, I don't mind-" Vania breaks off with a laugh, adding, "Well, actually, there is something."

She doesn't elaborate, thoughtfully gazing out the window.

"Well, what is it? Don't keep me in the dark."

"Ugh, it's kinda stupid-"

"I'm sure that it's not- well, unless you want to try to jump off a flying ship with a homemade parachute to prove a bet to someone-"

"Do I even wanna know?"

"...uh, probably not. We're way too crazy sometimes, our Master has a hard time keeping us in check. Your thing, though?"

"Can I give you a hug?"

Cole blinks for a second, expecting some sort of punchline.

"That's your thing?"

"Well, yeah- I mean, I said it was kinda stupid-"

"No no, that's not what I meant. You're so sweet - that's all."

"Well, not more than you-"

"Nah, you're sweeter-"

"Let's just call it a tie," Vania says with a smile, reaching over to give her friend a hug. "Thank you so much, I swear- well, no, I don't, but you know, anyways-"

"Yeah," Cole replies, laughing softly. "I know."

[fatelotusorder]

Name: Elizabeth Tudor

Others  Names : Good  Queen Bess  , Liz  ,Lizabeth  ,Beth

Class: Ruler

other  Classes He  Qualifies For - Berserker(All Tudors Except Ed) , Caster, Saber(All English Ruler Qualify  for this class Bess Finds  this  dumb ), Lancer , Shielder

Alignment: Lawful Good

Voice Actor:Mitsuo Iwata (Sunny from Toriko , Hes  Also The Second Voice  For Ivanvok in One piece )

https://youtu.be/76jZj7Ymy9Y

Gender: Male  Likes: Sweets, Fashion , Beauty  in general

Dislikes: Don't call Him  Fat or  A Drag Queen , Dentists  , His Sister and  Father

Tags:King  ,English , Divine  ,Humaniod ,Servant ,Weak to Enuma Elish  NaturalEnemy: Mary Tudor  , Herny  the 8th  , Gilgamesh,Ozymandias  , Aslaung  , Medb

Cards: Buster,Art , Arts ,Arts Quick Active Skills:

Unwavering  Charisma (Increases Attack for  all Allies  and   Increases Allies  Defense  For 3 turn)

Ageless Beauty- Chance  to  Charm  All  Enemies  for 1 Turn ,and Seal their  NP for  Three  Turns

Glory of the Crown-Increase NP Gain and Apply Damage Cut to all allies for 3 turns

Passive Skills:

Rage of  Tudors - Increases allies   Attack  When Bess  is on  the Felid    Magic Resistance  

NP: Tudor Rose- Protection From the  Queen -  Arts-  Bess  Gives  a  Pray out  to God

,"when wars and seditions with grievous persecutions have vexed almost all kings and countries round about me, my reign hath been peaceable, and my realm a receptacle to thy afflicted Church. The love of my people hath appeared firm, and the devices of my enemies frustrate"

Before Similar  To  Neros A Room  Appears  Around  Him   as He Walks Towards  The  Throne , He Smiles as  Bess Sits  Down on  the Throne   And Snaps His Fingers   and a Light illuminates the Room. Give Invincibility for two hits and a 3 turn Heal Regen for Allies and Lowers Defense  for all Enemies .

Biography:

Elizabeth Tudor known By Many Aliases the last  Ruler of the  Tudor Dynasty in  England  , who Unlike her predecessors Before Enjoyed a Long Reign of about 44 years. Although Documented as a Woman in the History , The "Queen" was Actually  Male, Born with the name Arthur Tudor after his fathers late brother  but then Why Didn't  Bess take the  Throne  next Instead of   Edward he  was the Son Henry always wanted  .

Truth is  Henry  Declared  Bess as one  of His Daughters as Bess wasn't the son Henry wanted and Henry  didn't  consider   Bess Manly Enough  to  considered   His Next Heir   and  so Hid the Fact He Had another  Son by raising Bess  as  Girl and Eventually Declared Bess along with His Sister Mary as   Illegitimate  as Soon as He  had Edward .

Bess despite  His Arrogance, Flamboyancy, and Confidence in himself.Bess  Dose question if he truly a Man as He went through Great lengths to Hide the fact that he wasn't a Woman (even pulling an Artoria and giving himself breasts temporarily ) Mainly for political Reasons and so he didn't suffer the Similar short Rules of His Sister. Not for the Reasons that Modern Day people do it so His pronouces are He/ Them.

-—-

Summoned: "Elizabeth Tudor ,Servant Class : Ruler ,Is it Nice to be in the presence of a Queen  ,Master"

Bond 1:  Its  not  Everyday  Your  around a Queen My  Master ,Smile ~

Bond 2:Hm ,your an Interesting  person  to Say the Least

Bond 3: Your orders Master ,I’ll Do anything you  ask me  to.~"

Bond 4: Hehe ,You Remind Me  of  Someone Very  Special to  me in life. Who is this person? Your not ready for that just yet

Bond 5: this special person , Well his Name was  Robert Dudley , I  had a crush on him for the longest time .

Dialogue 1:"Why  Do you Stare At  me like that ? ,Master ? Is it Because I'm So Breathtakingly beautiful ... or Is it Something Eles?"

Dialogue 2: "D-dentist, Master ,I D-don't need a Dentist"

Dialogue 3:"Master ,This Scale Has to Be wrong I can't  have gained  weight ,I Cut  back on Sweets"

Dialogue 4: "Some Days I wonder Why I was Summoned as a Ruler I'm Not a Saint  or anything ,Just  a person Who believed that God was  on His Side protecting Him. "

(If you Have  Henry the 8th) " Master  , Don't   Compare me  to that  Boar  in Humans  Clothing  ,He dosen't  Deserve the Comparison "

(if You Have Mary Tudor ) "Mary ,Your Here  ...M-master We need to  Talk"

(if You Have Francis Drake )

"  Don't Go Telling People , How Big My (temporary) Breasts  Were! and they  Were Not  Bigger than  Raikou's Cow Udders ! "

(if You Have Ivan  the Terrible ) "You  Look Just as   Ugly and Horrid as  that Letter  You wrote Me"

(If You Have  Ragnar or Judge Vinsmoke )" You  Remind me  of my  Father   ,That is a  Bad  thing "

(if you  have  Sanji,Before whole Cake ) - Okama! Who are you To Say whether I'm  an  Okama or not  , I'll  break You  Arms  Clean off!

(if you  have  Sanji,After  Whole Cake ) "I seem We were Similar Situations, Your father  wanted to mold  you Into a Warrior that lacked Empathy and Compassion and Hated your Passion of Cooking  for his Ridiculous Standards on  What Royalty should and Shouldn't do.. ...Huh ,but I  thought You  didn't  like ugly ass Okamas.~"

(if you Have  Ivar the Boneless Before  Rwby Event) - "he's  the shortest  Viking I've  Seen  and  his Legs Flop around like  if he   was a Ragdoll , He's Kinda  Adorable looking  He reminds me of a Cat .”

(Ivar After Rwby) " Of  Course Come Here  ,Ivar  , If you Need  a Shoulder  to  Cry   come  to  me  , I have been Moved by Your Life  Story, You  still Remind  of  a Cat  though "

(If You Have Gilgamesh , Ozy or Medb) " Aww ~ You seem Jealous, Is it because of My Breathtaking Beauty  attracts Everyone to me like bees to a Flower."

Something you like: I love Sweets and Sugar ,but I'm on diet after looking at the Scale .

Something you dislike:  I personally Hate being  Called a Drag queen or Okama  its Basically  telling me I couldn't  past for a Woman to save my life  , I don't like being Called Fat my Father had to be carried by crane  you know.

About the Holy Grail: Grail , If I had  I'd wish  to  be able  to Find  True Love   and Get married   During an

Event: An  Event , Ah something  Different   than Our Usal Missions we should take break and relax. Birthday: Happy Birthday , Master  ,I shall  get the Cafeteria  to prepare a Banquet.

——-—

Other stuff

to clarify Bess is More gender non conforming and Really doesn’t caring for looking or acting Traditionally Masculine or Feminine . He’ll wear a Pencil skirt cause it looks nice and if people Mistake him for a women then he really dosent care to him that just means He looks pretty. He’ll drop to his natural sounding voice . Mainly because Elizabeth was Literally praised for his beauty even in his older Years where he was worse for wear in Servant form hes at most in his 30’s .

The reason why Bess hid as Women all his Life is that he was afraid of appearing weak and having a short chaotic rule like his sister as he says” It better to appear as a strong woman than be consider a weak man.“

also He’s 6’3 very tall .

In Fate Lotus order

The some of servants of Chaldea seemed to started a Fan club around Bess . This was started by Nobu and Nobukatsu( Whose actually a saber in this universe) cause Nobukatsu ended up forming a crush on him .

Bess pseudo Harem( cause he dosent know about this )now has

Finn mc Cool

a Chinese moth

Drake in there technically cause they’re Friends

his Advisor who is now a Pretty boy merged with a Snake like Eldritch god due messing with the Occult ( John dee )

he is unapologetically Bi and Unapologetically aware that he’s Thicc

Bess being a Male is based of a Debunked theory of Elizabeth Tudor being replaced by Similar looking male child after dying of illness . He is My Very first servant Oc along with his Sister Mary and Red riding Hood.

[spamreports]

For the past two weeks, I've been targeted in an extremely thorough social engineering scam that nearly cost me all of my ETH. I'm super lucky to have made it through unscathed. Here's the story 👇

1/ First a quick background. I'm the founder of Arrow, a DAO working to build open-source VTOL aircraft and air taxi protocol. We're still fairly early-stage and focused on growing the team. We're open to contribution and don't turn anyone away if they're excited to help.

2/ So two weeks ago, this user "heckshine" joins the Discord and introduces himself. He's currently working at Ubisoft and offers to help with 3D design and animation. The message seems a little strange, but I just attributed that to a language barrier.

3/ Heckshine also has a friend that is really passionate about VTOLs, and is working on a metaverse project. Her brother in law is a VP at Boeing. Wow, what a connection!📷

4/ Over the next few days, heckshine starts working on various animation projects for Arrow. He designs a really neat animated version of the hero image for our website and begins working on some aircraft renderings. We're all super impressed by his dedication to the project.

5/ While this is happening, heckshine also reaches out to his friend, Linh. She's apparently interested and heckshine asks me to send her an email. From what he has told me, Linh seems like a great connection.📷📷

6/ Linh gets back to me with a very thoughtful email. She tells me a bit about her metaverse project, Space Falcon. I'm not really sold on it, but I'm not really an NFT person so I didn't have any reason to think it was a bad idea either.📷

7/ She also tells me a bit more about her connection with Boeing/Wisk and offers some thoughts on Arrow. She seems eager to help with a potential partnership for us. The tone of the email is a little strange, but I assume it's also just the language barrier.

8/ Linh and I move the conversation over to Discord. We talk more about our backgrounds and end up deciding that she can best help out as an advisor. She offers to provide guidance and advice around what would work well regarding partnerships for us. I'm excited for her support.📷📷

9/ She then tells me more about Space Falcon. It seems kind of like a get-rich-quick scheme, but again, that's kind of how I see a lot of NFTs. With all that she's doing for Arrow, there's no harm in showing a little support.📷

10/ Space Falcon uses something called Armstrong wrapped ether. I don't really get it but I don't bother to do the research. Apparently, users will have to lease the NFTs and it can provide some passive income to the holders. I tell her that it sounds neat and to keep me updated.

11/ Somewhere in here I actually look up Space Falcon. I had never heard of it, but it seems like a fairly popular gaming project on Solana. I see Linh's name on the team page. Linh and I agree to stay in touch, and I move on to other things.

12/ For the next 10 days or so, heckshine is active in Discord every day. He puts out some super high-quality renderings. They're not particularly airworthy, but he's super excited to be helping and I figure we'll improve with some iterations.

13/ I can't overstate how committed and authentic heckshine has seemed through this entire process. We're super aligned on vision and I'm feeling great that he's so enthusiastic about what we're working on.

14/ Yesterday is when things started to get really crazy. Heckshine and I had been DMing back and forth for a while about the design for our v1 aircraft. He gets the entire configuration and he's ready to get started on a rendering when he gets up in the morning.

15/ As we're wrapping up, Linh reaches back out to me with some crazy exciting news. She's going on a tour of the Wisk facility and has invited me along to meet the team. She includes a screenshot of an email thread with Sebastien, who is actually a VP at Wisk.📷

16/ In hindsight, this is kind of absurd, but I had no reason to think that any of this wouldn't be real. We set a date for the trip and Sebastien is going to get back to me with a formal invite over email. I'm pumped and incredibly grateful to Linh for setting this up.📷

17/ This is when Linh mentions that their staking app has launched. She offers to send me the NFT. At this point testing out the app is the least that I can do! I ask her to send it to my hot wallet, but she sends it to my primary because it's so valuable. No big deal, right?📷

18/ She sends me some instructions on the staking app. The site seems fine and it has prompts for three transactions: The NFT approval, a token approval for Armstrong wrapped ETH, and a stake function. The token approval seems little strange but I don't hold it so I don't worry📷

19/ Now here is where I got incredibly lucky. Since it's a new project, I decided to move the NFT to a fresh eth address before going through the staking process - just in case they get exploited down the road or something. The stake goes through and I'm earning yield on it.

20/ I let Linh know that I'm staked and that it was easy. She offers to send me one of the other NFTs, but she wants me to stake it on my main account to help them with their growth. A little annoying, but I'm fine with it.📷📷

21/ I let Linh know that I'm going to read through the contracts before I stake it on my main account, and she starts getting pushy. This is when I finally realize that something sketchy is going on.📷📷

22/ So I pull up etherscan for the new address where I staked the first NFT and my blood goes ice fucking cold. The aWETH that I approved was not Armstrong ETH, but rather Aave's aWETH. On my main address, almost all of my ETH is sitting in Aave...📷

23/ At this point I ghost the scammers and they eventually start deleting all of their Discord messages. As some sort of final attempt, she sends me 0.2 ETH to cover gas fees and asks for the NFTs back. Not sure what the logic is with that.

24/ I dig further into the contract that I almost approved to spend my aWETH and find this truly terrifying function. This is where the scammers would have been able to transfer any amount of aWETH out of my account. I'm at the limit for this thread. Stand by for part 2📷

25/ As I continue poking through the scammers addresses on etherscan I eventually find the source of their funds - a 100 ETH Tornado Cash deposit. These guys were incredibly well funded and super smart.📷

26/ I have to assume that they hired a 3D design contractor that was putting out most of Heckshine's work. They also had built custom contracts and the front end that are entirely specific to this scam as far as I can tell.

27/ And what about SpaceFalcon, that seemed super legit, right? As far as I can tell it is a real project on Solana. The real project is using the (spacefalcon . io) domain where the scammers somehow acquired the .com.

28/ So the Linh that I've been interacting with is probably just an imposter of the real Linh working on the real space falcon...

29/ Ok, what are the takeaways here? 1. Token approvals can be super dangerous. I'm always going to be extremely cautious with them going forward. It makes sense to always put a cap on approvals when you can.

30/ 2. Scammers are getting smarter. Before now, the best scam I've really encountered is basically "hi this is tech support please share your private key so we can help"

31/ 3. Always verify, no matter how much you trust. These guys spent two weeks targeting my own specific weaknesses, and I was extremely close to falling for it. You can't be too paranoid

32/ I'm super lucky to have made it through all of this with minimal damage. You guys all stay careful out there!

[broadwaytheanimatedseries]

Meanwhile, in the Kingdom of Galon, the king was pacing the floor in the throne room, waiting for his son to come back from patrol. He kept telling him he isn't required to do that, but the prince insisted to join the guards to make sure the kingdom and its citizens were safe.

"you can't trust those meatheads to do their job, dad. I've seen how they treat those in lower positions than themselves, even within their own ranks." he recalled having this conversation with his angry son many times, one of which being earlier today before he went on patrol.

"I know, I'm trying to do something about that but there's not much to be done about an ego problem. It seems everyone who volunteers to protect the kingdom is only interested in the glory. If not at first then eventually."

"I could do a better job by myself if you only allowed me." he argued for what was possibly the hundredth time.

"you've grown up a lot since the first time you told me that, Virgil. And you are very strong and capable, a brilliant tactician and an excellent fighter, which is why I don't fear for you as much as I used to whenever you decided to fight whatever threat the kingdom was facing. But you are still just one man, and no man can defend an entire kingdom by himself. It's why I don't want to see you spend your whole life trying to do so alone."

"father, if this is about finding me a partner I swear-"

"I wouldn't do that without your permission or input, but it would be nice to see you get married."

"dad!"

"or even just make a friend, get a royal advisor, anything! Anyone who can help you shoulder the burdens of rulership when I am gone. You can't carry this weight all by yourself, son. When your mother was taken from us, I tried to do that. It nearly broke me. It was only with the help of my trusted advisor and dear friend that I ever recovered and started being a proper king again. I don't want to see you end up alone and struggling like I was."

"I'm sorry, dad. I don't mean to do everything alone, it's just... It's been so hard to reach out to people. No one in this kingdom sees me as an equal. They all either revere or pitty me. I'm either the valiant knight or the sullen prince to them. I've had friends and they all left as soon as I became too difficult to deal with."

"the right people will come along, Virgil. I promise, one day someone will see you for who you are and they'll stay because they'll want to spend their life with the person they see in you."

"yeah, maybe. I don't think so, but I do hope I'm wrong. But until then, father, please just let me protect us. It's all I have left."

His son left for his patrol after that, and the king was left to replay their conversation in his head over and over again. He'd known Virgil hadn't been happy since his mother died, Patton found it difficult to be happy himself. But he thought they were getting better. Weren't they? It had been 5 years. And it's been 3 since her death was avenged, he thought they could move on.

Who was he kidding? Of course they couldn't!

She brought joy and meaning to their lives every single day, when she was gone it was like a piece of their souls left with her. There was no moving on from that.

"what's wrong, Pattycake?" his dearest friend came up to ask him, overly affectionate as usual.

He and Violet used to tease him, tag teaming to flirt with him in turns and laughing when Patton's face got redder than a rose.

"nothing, Remy. I don't want to bother you with unimportant issues."

"Patton, hon, we've talked about this. Your feelings are important and you should be able to talk about them with other people. Especially if those other people are your best friend in the whole kingdom who's also a damn good advisor. Now, talk to me babes, what's the issue?"

Patton smiled in gratitude to his stubborn, wonderful friend.

"you're right." he took a deep breath.

"okay, so here's what happened-"

Just as he was about to explain the situation, the doors burst open and one of the guards came in.

"your majesty, sorry to barge in, but your son has returned and wishes to speak with you immediately."

"well, send him in!" Patton tried his best not to sound as panicked as he felt. Virgil never rushed straight to speak with him after a patrol unless there was something serious happening.

And indeed something serious was happening, as Virgil walked in sporting some fresh bruises and- were those scorch marks?

Patton was already seeing red at the thought of someone daring to hurt his kiddo in his kingdom, when Virgil uttered the last words Patton wanted to hear.

"The Dragon Witch is here. And he's not alone."

Patton took a second to collect himself, gathering every ounce of restraint in order to be a kind and diplomatic ruler.

"what business does he have here?" he asks, finally.

"I'm not sure, but the group he's traveling with seems to be lead by a unicorn." Virgil answered, seemingly going through the same emotional process as his father but with far worse results.

At that, however, Patton found himself much more intrigued and slightly amused rather than angry and concerned.

"now that's an image. I wasn't fully certain to what extent the unicorns are sentient."

"oh that one was sentient alright. I'm telling you, he could not stop talking. Pretty articulate as well, but seemed a bit of a know it all."

At that Patton cracked a small grin that Virgil returned. Just because there was danger didn't mean they couldn't make some jokes.

But of course, Patton immediately got back to the task at hand.

"so, did you bring them here?"

"yes, and I heard the unicorn argue with the fae-"

"there's a fae as well?" Patton couldn't believe all these magical beings were showing up at his kingdom all at once. For years they had kept their distance in the forest. He couldn't help but wonder and worry about what had changed to cause them all to come here.

"yes, and I heared him tell the unicorn that this was the desired outcome and there's no reason for him to be upset. The unicorn said this isn't how he wanted them to get an audience with the king, and the fae argued back that the unicorn's way would have taken much longer, and the unicorn said that at least his way wouldn't have made them look like a threat."

"very interesting. And I assume you didn't happen to hear anymore of what they were planning otherwise you would have told me."

Virgil nodded in agreement.

"well, this isn't gonna get cleared up until we clear it up with them, so send them in!" Patton exclaimed, turning to face the doors as they opened, revealing a group of four.

A unicorn, a fae, and two identical, cloaked figures who were seemingly human.

But King Patton and Prince Virgil knew better.

To Be Continued...

Erasing The Empire AU:

In a far away kingdom from a time long forgotten, there is a magical forest who's inhabitants were starting to worry that the kingdom their home resides in is going to destroy their forest, should they continue with their harmful ways of war and violence.

And so, the magical communities of the forest came together to decide what to do, and the idea of negotiating with the humans came up. Most of them thought it was ridiculous, but one of the unicorns spoke.

"I believe if you were to allow me to put together a team, we could act as an emissary of the forest and have an agreement settled with the kingdom, in no more than three moon cycles, maybe less."

Everyone was shocked at the unicorn's bold claims, and the queen of the fae raised her brows, skeptical. "that is a very big promise, Unicorn. Are you wasting our precious time with boastful, empty words, or are you willing to let yourself be held accountable to this promise?"

"I am. I know what my capabilities are and the only thing I need is a team. How much time I can save us under three cycles is entirely dependent on the team I can assemble."

"very well, Unicorn. I shall allow you to meet with my court, so that you may decide which of them you wish to take with you on this quest. Just one last question, what is your name?"

He raised an eyebrow at her, the same as she had at him, and cracks the smallest smirk. "you may call me Logan, if you wish to refer to me by something other than Unicorn."

Once he had chosen the smartest fae in the queen's court, the two had gone back to the rest of the forest to recruit their last member. They knew it was a very narrow representation of the creatures of the forest, but they were trying to save their home quickly and efficiently, not fill the king's palace with magical beings.

However, they soon found that not many people wanted to be on a team with a fae and a unicorn. "well this is tragically amusing." the fae chimed unhelpfully.

"I really don't see what's amusing about this, Deceit." Logan responded to the fae, his yellow wings flapping with no regard for how they were repeatedly hitting Logan's side.

"you don't? Oh but it's so obvious. You spent hours in the court, picking and choosing until you found the right fae for the job, and now it looks like you're gonna have to settle for whatever miserable sap of a creature comes your way, otherwise I don't see how you're getting an emissary together anytime soon!"

Just as Logan was about to argue back, a cloaked figure with gleaming red eyes and sharp teeth, that seemed to be illuminated by some dim light, approached them in a hurry.

As the figure came closer, Logan realized to his dismay that he recognized who it was.

"are you by chance the unicorn and faerie leaving the forest on a mission to talk to the king?"

Logan and Deceit glanced at each other, before Deceit smirked, causing Logan to roll his eyes and choke back an annoyed sigh.

"yes, we are. Why do you ask?"

"because I want to join you! Please?"

"Roman, while I appreciate your enthusiasm, this is a diplomatic mission. It's not going to be an epic battle adventure where you go out into the world and defeat the villain and save some damsel in distress, or whatever it is that you do on your escapades out of the forest. This is a serious task that must be handled with caution and precision."

"wow, Logan. Good to know you think so lowly of me. You think I don't know how to act in a socially tense situation? My brother creates those twice a day for me to deal with! You think you know anything about how the humans act or think? You never leave the forest! I might not have the best reputation in the kingdom, but at least they know who I am. Face it, Specs. You need me."

Logan was absolutely shook. He did not expect Roman to bring up so many valid points that he was now ashamed to realize he hadn't even considered. He knew nothing of the humans! What was he thinking, going into this mission so unprepared?

He knew what he was thinking. He wanted to be heared, to finally be listened to for once, and to have his words be taken seriously.

And because of that, he put the fate of the entire forest on the line.

As Logan breathed deeply, he decided to push down those thoughts. They could be dealt with later, Roman could not.

"you're right. I'm sorry to have offended you, you're welcome to join if you still wish it."

Roman was confused for a second, not used to having things go his way when arguing with Logan. The two weren't friends by any means but they both lived in the forest and so their paths had crossed on several occasions. But this was the first time Logan was willing to concede to him so easily.

He soon got over his confusion, however, as the realization that he would be spending the next three months at the kingdom set in, replacing his confusion with joy.

"oh thank you, thank you, thank you! This is gonna be the most epic adventure! But serious and precise, of course. But still, EPIC!"

Logan did sigh heavily that time, as Deceit just chuckled in amusement.

As they were about to head out that night, they were stopped by a giant dragon, his green scales shimmering in the moonlight and his green eyes dark and menacing.

"and where do you think you're going, little creatures?"

It growled in a deep, unsettling voice.

"oh cut it out, Remus! I'm going to talk to the king and there's nothing you can do to stop me!" Roman yelled at the terrifying beast like a bratty child.

Remus transformed into his humanoid form and scowled at his twin brother

"fine, then I'm coming with you. And there's nothing you can do to stop me." he replies, voice snarky and much higher pitched, almost the complete opposite of his voice in dragon form.

Seeing as all three of them saw exactly what Remus's true form looks like, no one could really argue against that.

And so, the four set off on a journey to the kingdom, knowing they would arrive at the castle within three days.

But even making it to the castle was going to be an adventure all on its own, otherwise what kind of fairytale story would this be?

Stay Tuned...

[fangirlmami]

The Diciserys (Monsta X)

I’ll be updating this story on Wattpad. You can also find student advisor notes on there. I could not put the whole chapter into one post, so I’ve shared the link below. (btw, the app is much better than the website)

Description: Vera Clarke has been accepted to the most prestigious university of sorcery, located on the small Scottish island, Vatersay, with a population of less than a hundred residents. Disguised as a normal university, anyone can apply to it and study different majors in different areas like Science, Business, and so on, but only those possessing magical abilities are accepted to the school and double major in sorcery and a mundane study of their choosing. Vera is the first in her family to ever accomplish such a feat. Bright-eyed and ready to make a name for herself, she quickly learns that fitting in will be the hardest challenge of all. At a university where coming from a bloodline of extremely powerful, renowned sorcerers is almost always essential, she will have to fight tooth and nail to build a reputation for herself. Luckily, when a bubbly Korean sorcerer takes her under his wing, she finds herself among a group of peers that completely turn her life around. What they uncover in the process will change Vatersay University (of Sorcery) forever.

Chapter 1: Welcome to Vatersay University of Sorcery

Word count: 2,496

After a 13 hour flight from Boston to Glasgow, a 3 hour train ride, and 4 hours on a ferry, Vera made it to Vatersay University of Sorcery. She gazed up at the campus with stars in her eyes. She had spent all of her life dreaming of attending the 300 year old school and making a name for herself, something no one in her family had ever accomplished. She walked up the stone path to the quadrangle where booths were set up for the incoming students. She approached one a young woman sat behind, who appeared to be a student herself. She gave a wide grin and said with a French accent, "Welcome to Vatersay! May I have your name?"

"Vera Clarke. C-l-a-r-k-e." The young woman skimmed through the list of names laid out before her.

"Ah! Here you are! You are a first-year correct?"

"Correct. I'll be staying at the Greenleaf Residence Hall."

"Yes, yes. It is to your left." Vera looked toward the left and saw that it was between to other residence halls. "You are in room 201 along with Isolde Jansen. Your resident supervisor will give you your key." The student welcomer grabbed a basket from under the booth and handed it to her. "It just has some chocolates, informational pamphlets, and a map. The official welcoming ceremony will be at 7 o'clock, tomorrow morning. You can meet up with your student advisor then if you'd like to swap, add, or drop any classes from your schedule."

Vera nodded her head and thanked her. "Take care."

She walked over to the residence hall and up the first flight of steps to the second floor, admiring the antique décor. Her room was the first to the left, it's door wide open, so she hauled her luggage into it.

"Vera?" A short and petite blonde asked.

"That's me. You must be Isolde."

"That I am!" She smiled sweetly while extending her hand toward Vera. Vera took it and shook it. "It's nice to meet you."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, too. Where are you from?"

"Belgium, in the Flemish region."

"Oh cool, I've always wanted to visit Belgium, but that's mainly because my dream husband is Romelu Lukaku."

Isolde laughed. "Who wouldn't fall in love with those strong thighs of his?"

"Exactly!" Vera giggled.

"My older brother also attends this school, he's in year four."

"Let me guess, you guys aren't the only one's in your bloodline to have attended this school."

"You got that right. Both of our parents, our parents' parents, and our parents' parents' parents attended."

"You lost me at the second mention of parents," Vera joked.

"What about you? Where do you hail from?"

"I'm from the U.S., more specifically, Massachusetts. Unlike most of the students at this school, I'm not the descendant of renowned sorcerers. If it weren't for my grandmother, I wouldn't even know how to do sorcery."

"Oh." Isolde sounded disappointed, and Vera quickly picked up on the change of her tone.

"However, I didn't get into this school for nothing. I'm a fast learner and a good sorceress. I suppose that's why I was never good at mundane classes, but always did well when learning new spells."

"Of course." She gave a weak smile. "Well, if you need help with anything, let me know."

"Will do, thanks."

Isolde left the room, leaving Vera on her own. She began unpacking and putting her clothes in the empty wardrobe at the foot of her bed which faced the door. She then placed her school supplies on her desk and began putting sheets on her bed when she heard a knock on the door. She looked back to find a cheerful man with dark blond, slightly wavy hair, his bangs almost covering his almond shaped eyes. "Vera and Isolde?" He had a bit of an accent that she could not place.

"I'm Vera. Isolde left."

He walked up to her, handing her a pair of gold colored, skeleton keys. "Make sure to give her one, please."

"Will do."

"I am Minhyuck, by the way. I will be your resident advisor for this school year."

"Oh okay. Nice to meet you!"

"Nice to meet you, too! Are you new to the school?"

"Yes, it's my first year attending university."

"On behalf of the student body, I want to welcome you. You will absolutely love it here! There's something for everyone. The only downside to this place is the lack of cuisines, but other than that, it's pretty great!"

"So, I've heard! That's why I always dreamt of coming here."

"Who hasn't, really? Will you be coming to our residence hall party tonight?"

"I didn't even know about it."

"You must come! It's important that you meet your peers. If you get bored, I'll be there to lift your mood."

Vera giggled, saying, "In that case, I will definitely be there."

"Awesome! It's on the first floor in the common room. I'll see you there at 8. If you need anything in the meantime, I'm in room 310."

"Okay, I'll see you then."

Minhyuck shot finger guns at her before leaving. Vera found him to be an interesting character, but good looking nonetheless. She continued fixing up her bed and then proceeded to select an outfit for later.

~~~

Vera and Isolde entered the common room together, surveying the area. Music was blasting as students drank from beer bottles, mingling. A brunette immediately approached Isolde with her arms outstretched for a hug.

"It's so good to see you!" she exclaimed.

"You didn't tell me you were staying in Greenleaf. Had I known, I would have visited you hours ago."

"You didn't tell me you were staying here, either," she laughed. Her eyes darted back and forth from Isolde to Vera, as if she were waiting for an introduction.

"Oh, this is Vera. Vera, this is Madeleine. She's from Québec, Canada."

"I'm from the famous Vernau family," Madeleine continued.

"Can't say I've heard of your family," Vera replied.

"My great-great grandfather Jean-Louis Vernau helped globalize this school." Vera shook her head, unclear on who he was. "He was a pioneer in helping blend different sorcery practices from all over the world together."

"Oh yeah, Jean-Louis. Duh!" she laughed nervously since she definitely had no idea who he was. The girls laughed along with her.

"What family do you come from?" That was a question Vera was dreading after the way Isolde reacted earlier; she felt that it would be best not to disclose her lineage with anyone at the school. However, it felt that it was almost mandatory that she do so.

"I'm from the Clarke family, and no, no one from my family has attended this school, or any school of sorcery at all. Well, not that I know of."

"Oh." Madeleine sounded just like Isolde when she found out that Vera was basically a nobody among them. Her smile faded and her eyes slowly made their way to Isolde's. "Come on, Isolde. Let me introduce you to some people." She took her hand and began dragging her away. Isolde looked back at Vera with pity, before conversing with a group of students.

Vera sighed, telling herself, "I should have known this would happen." Unfazed, she made her way to the snack table and picked up some hors d'œuvres to munch on.

"Vera?" She turned around to see who was calling her. "Hi again!" Minhyuck greeted. Beside him stood a shorter man, almost sporting the same hairdo as Minhyuck, except it was his natural, dark brown hair color. "This is Changkyun; he's a first year just like you." Changkyun waved a hand at Vera, and she did the same in return.

"And like me, he's from Korea, but he's travelled the world with his family."

"Not really," Changkyun corrected with a slightly deep voice. "I just lived in Massachusetts then Israel for a bit."

Finally, she had something in common with someone. "I'm from Massachusetts!"

"Really? I was staying in Boston. Is that where you're from?"

"Sort of. I grew up in the suburbs west of it."

"Ah, okay."

"I'm hoping the winters will be kinder here, but the ocean is basically at this campus' doorstep." The group laughed.

"What classes are you taking?"

"The Science of Magic, Ancient Languages of Sorcery, Light Manipulation, and then for my mundane degree, I'm taking Global Studies courses."

"I'm taking The Science of Magic, too. My first class is tomorrow morning after the welcoming ceremony."

"It's seems like we'll be in the same class."

"Cool; we can cheat off of each other," he joked. "I actually know some ancient languages of sorcery, so if you ever need help, I am at your service."

"That's very kind of you. It's good to know not everyone is bothered by the fact that I don't come from magical royalty."

"None of that stuff matters," Minhyuck started. "You weren't accepted here for your pedigree, you were accepted for your talent in sorcery, which is something your classmates should be afraid of."

"Looks like we'll be going head to head," said Changkyun. "Up for a bit of friendly competition?"

"Always!"

The group spent the rest of the party chatting it up and drinking, except for Vera. She was never good at handling alcohol. As the party drew to an end, she traded numbers with the boys and returned to her room with Isolde, who was acting as if she hadn't abandoned Vera at the party.